10/16/2005

wally's new site, the big rip off and a nature & science report

it's sunday. you're getting an entry. don't you feel lucky.

first off i'll note that wally has started his own site called the daily jot. you love wally, i love wally, check him out.

second, we're still at work on the third estate sunday review. we're about to take an extended break to get out of ava & c.i.'s way so that they can do one of their tv reviews. but we need to finish up a post. we want illustrations for that so we'll post them here and then carry them over to the third estate sunday review.

why are we so behind? the news review was halted before it was done. dona wanted to be sure c.i. was comfortable with continuing. why wouldn't c.i. be comfortable? because it appears c.i. may have been ripped off. (yes, martha, it would be by the person you hate.) (martha was the one who e-mailed third estate about the possible rip off.) c.i. was fine with it.

i know dona was surprised by that but c.i. can handle that junk. i don't doubt that c.i.'s more ticked off than we know but c.i. handles things like this differently. not by stuffing it down, but more along the lines of an edith wharton novel (as ava pointed out). to pull a c.i. 'translation' the rip off artist may find some doors closing in their face. like in a wharton novel, the character will never even see it coming until it's too late. so we took a long break during that because dona was worried.

if it had been me that was ripped off by that person (this would be 3 times now that the rip off has ripped off the common ills), i would be up in arms. but c.i.'s got more control and probably better social graces. the social graces are what will lead to doors closing for baby rip off. baby rip off has often ripped off others and screamed and yelled when called on it. c.i. won't go for a confrontation with baby rip off, c.i. will just ensure, via friends, that baby rip off finds that some of the once welcome homes no longer leave their porch lights on for baby rip off. all baby rip off had to do was say 'while reading the common ills this morning, it suddenly occurred to me that . . .' instead, as usual, baby rip off tries to act as though they invented the wheel.

baby rip off got away with it in the past. in some ways baby rip off will again. but in ways that matter, baby rip off's about to get the cold shoulder.

i had the misfortune of giving the report right after the break. it was so tense because everyone was pissed off except for c.i. and everyone thought c.i. was going to crack or something under the strain. (well, elaine knew better but mike was wondering if we'd even be able to turn out an edition.) dona and jim were saying 'there won't be any questions, c.i. will just go to you and then say thank you and move on to the last report to finish up.' i didn't think that would happen and it didn't. leave the tantrums to baby rip off, c.i.'s cool as a cucumber and can eat baby rip offs for breakfast.

here's my section of the third estate sunday review news review:

C.I.: Noted. That was Ava of The Third Estate Sunday Review. And note that was Ava's statement, so take it up with her or The Third Estate Sunday Review. I can guess who the person was but I haven't read the piece so I've made no statement on it. For myself, I'll state that I didn't do any "reporting," I merely listened to friends at The Times. Let's move on. Rebecca, of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude.
Rebecca: In Japan, they're entertaining a plan to put microchips in "dangerous animals" such as crocodiles. AFP reports that in Australia, plans are in place to bring back the extinct Tasmanian tiger by using bones and teeth for cloning. The Irish Examiner reports that nine people in Turkey have been tested and released after no sign of bird flu was found in their systems. The nine lived in the area where Turkey's bird flu outbreak occurred. In Jefferson, Texas, almost four hundred people gathered for a conference on Big Foot. Australia's ABC reports that a German team believes that they have found a brain belonging to a Hobbit. United States researchers disagree. The Independent of London, on the same topic, reports that"at least nine more "hobbits" - a miniature species of human discovered two years ago - have been unearthed by scientists excavating the floor of a cave on a remote Indonesian island. "
C.I.: Rebecca, The Independent has a story on the measures England will take if they have a bird flu outbreak.
Rebecca: Right. Let me first note this from Geoffrey Lean and Severin Carrell in The Independent:
The likeliest scenario is that the mutation will take place in China and South-east Asia, and be carried to Britain by a passenger on a commercial flight. Professor Oxford warns it could arrive here just a day after beginning to spread widely in Asia.
No fully effective vaccine will be ready in Britain in time for the first wave. Instead, the Government is relying on building up stocks of anti-virals, like Tamiflu, which may blunt its effects. But Britain dithered last March in ordering the drug, which means that it will not have enough if the pandemic arrives in the next year.
Rebecca (con't): The article you're referring to is also by Geoffrey Lean, "Schools to close and sport banned if bird flu hits." From that article:
The plans allow for: closing schools, theatres and public buildings; cancelling mass gatherings such as sporting fixtures; suspending international flights from infected countries; deploying police to deal with public disorder; setting up special centres to dispense the anti-viral drug Tamiflu; and encouraging people to observe basic hygiene.
Rebecca (con't): Here in the United States, Bully Boy continues to push the "turn it over to the military!" nonsense and we don't appear to be any closer to a plan of response.
C.I.: Thank you, Rebecca. Due to the time we used on The Times, we're running short so Betty of Thomas Friedman is a Great Man and Kat of Kat's Corner will do a joint entertainment report. Betty, why don't you start.








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