Just Observing

Name: Watch 'n Wait
Location: San Diego, California, United States

other blog URL: http://migf.blogspot.com

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

A Mix of Terrific Books....

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION/DEBUT:

Writer and sculptor Jane Borodale's debut novel THE BOOK OF FIRES, set in eighteenth century England, a tale of fire, fortune and redemption, in which an impoverished seventeen-year-old girl with an unwanted secret runs away from home and becomes an apprentice to a secretive, brooding London fireworks maker, to Pamela Dorman in her first acquistion for Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, in a pre-empt, by Zoe Pagnamenta at the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency, on behalf of Pat Kavanagh at United Agents (NA).UK/Commonwealth rights to Clare Smith at Harper Press, by Pat Kavanagh, in a two-book deal. Translation rights: jcraig@unitedagents.co.uk

Rachel Keener's debut, THE KILLING TREE, about forbidden love, murder, and small town secrets, to Christina Boys at Center Street, by Andrea Somberg of Harvey Klinger (world).

MYSTERY/CRIME:

Zoe Ferraris's PILGRIMAGE, a sequel to the recently published literary mystery FINDING NOUF, following a Muslim detective into the Saudi desert as he helps an American woman find her missing husband, and continues to manage the conflict between his religious beliefs and his desire for a family, to Anjali Singh at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, by Julie Barer at Barer Literary (NA).

GENERAL/OTHER:

Booksense pick and Pen/Hemmingway finalist Michael Parker's CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME, about a love affair with devastating consequences, set across Texas, North Carolina and Mexico, again to Kathy Pories at Algonquin, in a nice deal, by Peter Steinberg at The Steinberg Agency (world).

Longtime correspondent for the Washington Post and writer for the NYT Marilyn Berger's THIS IS A SOUL, about an American doctor in Ethiopia who has devoted his life to treating some of the world's sickest children, has adopted five of them and taken in some 20 others who might otherwise have to fend for themselves in the streets, to Henry Ferris at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Laura Yorke and Carol Mann at the Carol Mann Agency (NA).

BIOGRAPHY:

Professor Gerald Martin's GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ: A LIFE, the first authorized English language biography of the celebrated author, drawing on privileged access to Marquez, himself, as well as interviews conducted with over three hundred people (including Fidel Castro, four presidents of Colombia, Marquez's family and friends, and writers such as Carlos Fuentes and Mario Vargas Lllosa), painting a portrait of the author in the context of the last century, and exploring the tensions in his life between celebrity and literary quality, politics and writing, and among power, solitude and love, to Sonny Mehta at Knopf, at auction, by Elizabeth Sheinkman at Curtis Brown UK (US).Canadian rights to David Davidar at Penguin Canada.

BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:

Founder of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Isadore Sharp's autobiography THE STORY OF FOUR SEASONS, to David Davidar at Penguin Canada and Adrian Zackheim at Portfolio (with Zackheim editing, for publication in April 2009 (also launching the Penguin Business imprint in Canada, under the direction of Andrea Magyar), by Michael Levine at Goodmans (NA).
HEALTH:

Harvard Medical School professor and eminent kidney disease specialist Julian Seifter, M.D.'s AFTER THE DIAGNOSIS: Transcending Chronic Illness, offering strategies for holding on to one's identity, finding meaning, and living a full, rich, rewarding life even when mind and body are under assault from illness, to Sydny Miner at Simon & Schuster, by Paul Bresnick at Paul Bresnick Agency (NA).

HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

NYT bestselling author Ron Kessler's IN THE PRESIDENT'S SECRET SERVICE, which takes readers behind the scenes of the elite corps that protects presidents, first families, and presidential candidates, again to Jed Donahue at Crown Forum, by Robert Gottlieb and Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
ILLUSTRATED/ART:

Editors of LIFE Books' illustrated biography of Barack Obama, including essays from top historians and rare photos from his childhood, his time at Harvard Law School, and the campaign trail, to Michael Sand at Little, Brown, for publication in fall 2008, by Richard Fraiman at Time Inc. Home Entertainment.
MEMOIR:

Larry King's autobiography WHAT AM I DOING HERE?, including personal details such as his early radio days, the loss of his father at age nine, his seven marriages to six different women, and discovering at age 65 that he had a fully grown son he never knew about, and promising to "speak candidly about his time spent with major political and cultural figures of the 20th and 21st century" including his "uncensored feelings towards George W. Bush and George Bush, Sr., Bill Clinton, Ronald Regan, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon," written with Cal Fussman, to Judy Hottensen at Weinstein Books, for publication in spring 2009, by David Vigliano at Vigliano Associates, in association with Michael Viner at Phoenix Books.

POP CULTURE:

Former writer and editor for Discover magazine Alex Stone's FOOLING HOUDINI, an exploration of the strange and colorful underground world of magic, the people who practice it, and its underlying connection to science, psychology, cognition, physics, and even crime, to Tim Duggan at Harper, by Elyse Cheney at Elyse Cheney Agency.

Wrap...

Vote for Obama had better be overwhelming...

From Federal Computer Week via truthout.org :

House Defeats Paper Ballot Funding

http://www.truthout.org/article/house-defeats-paper-ballot-funding

Michael Hardy reports for Federal Computer Week: "The House rejected a bill last week that would have funded the purchase of paper ballots as a backup to electronic voting systems for the upcoming election."

Use link above to continue reading.

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Stolen elections in the Land of the Free....

From Scoop News via truthout.org:

Michael Collins
Election Fraud and Tyranny: Part 1

http://www.truthout.org/article/election-fraud-and-tyranny-part-1

Michael Collins, in a Scoop News column: "Mark Crispin Miller's new book, 'Loser Take All,' identifies and analyzes election fraud, the foundation of extremist power in the United States since 2000.

Manipulated elections have enabled everything we've experienced from the Iraq war to the current economic meltdown. None of that would have been possible without the ongoing series of 'surprise' wins for extremists and their enablers following the outright theft of the 2000 presidential election."

[Use link above to continue reading]

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McCain's VP pick is....

From Levine Breaking News:

***Sources close to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign are suggesting he will reveal the name of his vice presidential selection this week while Sen. Barack Obama is getting the headlines on his foreign trip.

Wrap...

Monday, July 21, 2008

Obama can write...McCain? Forget it!

From Levine Breaking News:

NYT REJECTS MCCAIN'S EDITORIAL; SHOULD 'MIRROR' OBAMA:

An editorial written by Republican presidential hopeful McCain has been rejected by the NEW YORK TIMES -- less than a week after the paper published an essay written by Obama.

The paper's decision to refuse McCain's direct rebuttal to Obama's 'My Plan for Iraq' has ignited explosive charges of media bias in top Republican circles.

'It would be terrific to have an article from Senator McCain that mirrors Senator Obama's piece,' NYT Op-Ed editor David Shipley explained in an email late Friday to McCain's staff. 'I'm not going to be able to accept this piece as currently written.'

Wrap....

Supremes should say No Way!!!

From The International Herald Tribune:

The White House wins a disturbing legal victory
Sunday, July 20, 2008

The Bush administration has been a waging a fierce battle for the power to lock people up indefinitely simply on the president's say-so. It scored a disturbing victory last week when a federal appeals court ruled that it could continue to detain Ali al-Marri, who has been held for more than five years as an enemy combatant.

The decision gives the president sweeping power to deprive anyone - citizens as well as noncitizens - of their freedom. The Supreme Court should reverse this terrible ruling.

Al-Marri, a citizen of Qatar legally residing in the United States, was initially arrested in his home in Peoria, Illinois, on ordinary criminal charges, then imprisoned by military authorities.

The government, which says he has ties to Al Qaeda, designated him an enemy combatant, even though it never alleged that he was in an army or carried arms on a battlefield. He was held on the basis of extremely thin hearsay evidence.

Last year, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, based in Richmond, Virginia, declared that the government could not hold al-Marri, or any other civilian, simply on the president's orders. If it wanted to prosecute him, the court ruled, it could do so in the civilian court system.

That was the right answer. Unfortunately, last week the full 4th Circuit reversed the decision...

http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=14630394

Use link above to continue reading..
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Saturday, July 19, 2008

ComicCon tickets sold out for all 4 days...except...

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

Comic-Con tickets gone except for two contests
By Wendy FryJuly 19, 2008

Scoring tickets to the sold-out Comic-Con International 2008 may be little more than a sci-fi fantasy for those who have not yet purchased theirs.

For the first year since the annual event began in 1970, on-site registration will not be available.

“We sold out of tickets last year during the event, but this will be the first year we ran out before the event actually started,” said David Glanzer, a public relations representative for Comic-Con.
Tickets sold out this week for the last day of the July 24-27 event at the San Diego Convention Center.

Desperate fans have few options left.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080719/news_1c19comic.html

Use link above to continue reading.

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Friday, July 18, 2008

This Senator can kiss my.....

From Sen Dianne Feinstein (D-CA):

Thank you for your letter concerning impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush. I appreciate the time you took to write and welcome the opportunity to respond.

In our last national election, voters expressed clear disapproval with the path this country is on. They are tired of partisan politics and of an Administration that pays little heed to the wishes of the American people. They want-and deserve-a Congress that holds the Administration accountable and fulfills its Constitutional responsibility to check and balance the Executive branch. I share this sentiment and am determined to work hard in the United States Senate to promote issues that are of real concern to most Americans, including the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, homeland security, global warming, and the current state of our economy.

At this time, however, I believe that impeachment proceedings against President Bush will only divide the country even further, frustrating our hopes for a meaningful change in direction, while having little chance of success.

I have been deeply disappointed by many of this Administration's actions and have been outspoken in those instances. Nevertheless, given the challenges our country faces I believe that we need to focus on constructive and cooperative steps that would lead us in the right direction. It is my hope that the next Presidential Administration's actions will more accurately reflect the will of the people.

Again, thank you for your letter. If you have any additional questions or comments, please contact my office in Washington, D.C. at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Further information about my position on issues of concern to California and the Nation are available at my website http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/. You can also receive electronic e-mail updates by subscribing to my e-mail list at http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ENewsletterSignup.Signup.

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Plastic bags are safer and better than paper ones..and can be recycled!!!

From http://www.plasticbagrecycling.org/00.0/

Surprise! Plastic bags are better than paper bags for the environment:

Did you know?

*Banning recyclable plastic bags will not reduce our dependence on oil. In the USA, nearly 80 percent of polyethylene, the type of plastic used to make plastic bags, is produced from domestic natural gas not foreign oil.

*In 2006, 812 million pounds of plastic bag and film were recycled. That's enough material to make 1.5 million house decks, or 40 billion new plastic bags.

*Plastic bags are recycled into things like deck materials, garden furniture and playground equipment.

So. Check out the site at the link above and find out all about it. The Julian News newspaper is the only paper I've seen that has printed a full page ad notifying people about this situation. And I must ask where the hell are the other MSM? Talk about a veil of silence!!!

Wrap...

Obama visit to Israel...Very dangerous....

From Levine Breaking News:

SECURITY FEARS SHADOW OBAMA TOUR:

Obama 's planned trip to Israel and the West Bank has raised security concerns to levels not seen since the Illinois senator began his presidential bid, officials tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

Coming just weeks after shots were fired at Israel's TLV airport during a farewell ceremony for France's Sarkozy, from an apparent suicide of a security guard, Obama's trek to the region has become a serious logistical and safety challenge.

"I would prefer if he did not make the trip to Ramallah," a concerned government official explained Thursday night from Washington. "And he must use extreme caution throughout Israel at this time, in my opinion, especially Jerusalem."

A planned foot tour of Jerusalem's Old City has been called off, a senior source reveals. [Obama's specific itinerary is not being made public.] The six-day foreign adventure is set to begin. Campaign officials have announced stops in Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and England.

Wrap...

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Writers... have 3 days to write a book...

From http://scwc.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/gordon-kirklands-beatnik-narrative/#comments

Click on the link above to read all about it. This is a great site if you're a writer or a reader who gets a kick out of writers talking among themselves.

Enjoy!

Wrap...

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

On Their Way...A Selection of New Books....

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION/DEBUT:

Chloe Palov's STONES OF FIRE, a thriller in which a museum photographer witnesses a brutal murder and the theft of an ancient Hebrew artifact, and she must team up with an ex-MI5 agent to stop a mercenary army from obtaining the ultimate weapon of destruction, to Natalee Rosenstein at Berkley, plus a sequel, by Steve Kasdin at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (NA).

GENERAL/OTHER:

William Styron's short fiction collection, including the first part of an unfinished novel found in his papers and prepared for publication by Styron biographer James West, again to Bob Loomis at Random House, by Michael Carlisle at Inkwell Management.

Jonathan Ames' THE DOUBLE LIFE IS TWICE AS GOOD, a humorous, risque, and lovable collection of articles, essays, and the novella Bored to Death, which originally appeared in McSweeney's and has just been green lit by HBO for a pilot episode starring Jason Schwartzman, to Brant Rumble at Scribner, by Rosalie Siegel (NA).

Author of The Wind Done Gone and Pushkin and the Queen of Spades Alice Randall's REBEL YELL, investigating this unique political moment as the ex-wife of the black Counsel General of the Army under George W. Bush comes to a richer understanding of the man she once loved after he collapses (with his white second wife at his side), to Anton Mueller at Bloomsbury, for publication in Fall 2009, by Amy Williams at McCormick & Williams Literary Agency (world English).

NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY:

Author of JOHN JAY: Founding Father Walter Stahr's NOBLE PURPOSES: The Life of William Henry Seward, a biography of Lincoln's most trusted advisor, considered among the most significant Secretaries of State in American history and responsible for the acquisition of Alaska, drawing on long-neglected sources, to Roger Labrie at Simon & Schuster, at auction, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency.

BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:

Investigative journalist Tom Bower's OIL, a comprehensive, narrative look at the politics, economics, and science of oil, including an examination of the world's biggest mega-oil corporations, the science and technology of oil exploration, extraction, and refinement, and the factors behind the increase of oil prices over the last 20 years, to Mitch Hoffman at Grand Central, for publication in fall 2009, by Jonathon Lloyd at Curtis Brown UK.Journalist and magazine editor Richard L. Brandt's INSIDE LARRY'S AND SERGEY'S BRAINS, a look at the rise of Google with a focus on the its founders' unique business philosophy and methods, to Jeffrey Krames at Portfolio, by Al Zuckerman at Writers House (world).

HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

LA Times journalist Jill Leovy's THE HOMICIDE REPORT: Black Men, Murder and America's Unseen Catastrophe - based in part on her groundbreaking "Homicide Report" project, reporting all 845 LA County murders last year - weavig together a kaleidoscopic narrative about a murder-wracked community in South Los Angeles with a new theory about race and America's homicide epidemic, to Chris Jackson at Spiegel & Grau, at auction, by Farley Chase at the Waxman Literary Agency.

MEMOIR:

Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor Charles Dutton's memoir about growing up in the East Baltimore projects, spending much of his young life incarcerated, and turning his life around through the transformative power of the theater, to Rachel Klayman at Crown, by Lydia Wills at Paradigm and Sherry Marsh at Marsh Entertainment.Actress Isabel Gillies' HAPPENS EVERY DAY: AN ALL-TOO-TRUE STORY OF LOVE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY and BREATHTAKING ABANDONMENT, a memoir about how she left New York to follow her first husband to a small Midwestern college town, only to see her "perfect" marriage suddenly crumble before her eyes, to Nan Graham at Scribner, by Bill Clegg at the William Morris Agency (NA).

SCIENCE:

National Geographic and Science magazine correspondent Virginia Morell's HOW WE KNOW ANIMALS THINK: Adventures with Smart Animals and the Scientists Who Study Them, a tour of what we know about animal cognition and how we know it, in which we learn that moths remember, dolphins are self-aware, rats love to be tickled, chimps grieve, voles love, and more, to Rachel Klayman at Crown, at auction, by Gillian MacKenzie of the Gillian MacKenzie Agency (world).

TRUE CRIME:

Philip Carlo's GRAVESEND: ANATOMY OF A MAFIA PSYCHOPATH, a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the DEA's four-year hunt to bring down Tommy "Karate" Pitera, alleged to be a drug-dealing, murderous capo in the Bonanno crime family who dismembered his victims with amazing expertise (known within La Cosa Nostra as "Dahmer"), to Sarah Durand at William Morrow, by Matt Bialer at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (NA).

Wrap...

Conrad on T. Boone Pickens' energy plan...

From Conrad's Comments...

T. Boone Pickens is an oil geologist who became a multi-billionaire. He is concerned about the enormous amount of money that the United States spends on importing oil, about $700 billion this year, and the Peak Oil crisis, the world demand for oil is still increasing and the supply of oil production has reached a maximum. He has an interesting proposal to deal with the oil crisis.

His plan has two parts:

1. Encourage private enterprise to build enough wind turbines along the Mid-Western corridor, from Texas to North Dakota, to supply 22% of the US electricity generation needs. That should cost about $1 trillion. Also, allow the businesses to build the power lines to supply the electricity to other parts of the country. That should cost about $200 billion. The time frame is about a decade. However, in that decade America will spend $10 trillion dollars in imported oil.

2. As the wind farms are built, the natural gas now used to generate electricity can be used for transportation. There are already several million natural gas vehicles (NGVs), but not many are on American roads. If enough Americans drove NGVs, about 38% of American oil consumption can be reduced by substitution.

I believe the USA should develop wind power. NGVs are less polluting than internal combustion engine cars, and natural gas is cheaper than gasoline. I do not mind that Pickens will increase his forturne because of the economic and political problems we will face from the end of the cheap oil era. Let him sell his electricity and his natural gas.

Of course, it may be better for Americans to switch to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). It cost $0.75 for a gallon equivalent for a BEV versus the $1.59 for a NGV. The Royal Dutch Shell company has developed a technology to turn natural gas into gasoline.

What do you think about the Pickens Plan?

His plan on his website:
http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/

An interview with Katie Couric who also asks about his support of the Swift Boat Veterans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrvpblaKCig

Wrap...

Global Catastrophic Risks assessed....

From Levine Breaking News:

SCIENTISTS SAY HUMANS AND MACHINES WILL MERGE IN FUTURE:

A group of experts from around the world will hold a first of its kind conference Thursday on global catastrophic risks.They will discuss what should be done to prevent these risks from becoming realities that could lead to the end of human life on Earth as we know it.

Speakers at the four-day event at Oxford University in Britain will talk about topics including nuclear terrorism and what to do if a large asteroid were to be on a collision course with our planet.

On the final day of the Global Catastrophic Risk Conference, experts will focus on what could be the unintended consequences of new technologies, such as superintelligent machines that, if ill-conceived, might cause the demise of Homo sapiens.

Note: Anne McCaffery has already written a book, "The Ship That Sang", about the mix of machine and human brain.

Wrap...

Bush will veto Intel Bill....

From Secrecy News:

WHITE HOUSE THREATENS VETO OF INTELLIGENCE BILL

The White House expressed strong opposition to the Fiscal Year 2009 Intelligence Authorization Act that is pending before the House of Representatives today, in part because it includes provisions for increased disclosure of classified information to the congressional intelligence oversight committees.

One of the provisions, the White House complained, "would withhold 75 percent of requested funding for covert action programs until the Administration provides much greater access to highly sensitive national security information to all members of the congressional intelligence committees."

"Such a provision is inconsistent with the statute that expressly authorizes limited notice to Congress in exceptional cases and would undermine the fundamental compact between the Congress and the President on reporting highly sensitive intelligence matters -- an arrangement that for decades has balanced congressional oversight responsibility with the need to protect intelligence information," theWhite House said.

The President's advisors would recommend a veto if "any" of the objectionable provisions were adopted, today's statement said.

See "Statement of Administration Policy on Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2009," July 16:

http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2008/07/wh071608.pdf

Wrap...

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Ouch! Terror list grabs Justice Dept Asst Atty Gen...

From Levine Breaking News:

PROSECUTOR TURNED UP ON U.S. TERROR WATCH LIST: FORMER RANKING JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL CALLS FOR ELIMINATION OF THE LIST:

The name of the Justice Department's former top criminal prosecutor turned up on the government's terror watch list. This terrorism-era roster, which likely has caused thousands of innocent Americans to be questioned or searched, popped up with the name of former Assistant Attorney General Jim Robinson.

Robinson joined another mistaken-identity American and the American Civil Liberties Union Monday in calling for elimination of the list, which is designed to identify suspected terrorists.

The ACLU estimates that 1 million records will have been added to the list by the end of July.

Chad Kolton, a spokesman for the Terrorist Screening Center that maintains the list, says that number includes aliases. Kolton said about 400,000 individuals are on the list, nearly all of whom are foreigners.

Wrap...

At Denver Dem Conv: Could Clinton end up the Dem Nominee for Prez?

From CQ Politics via Political Wire:

CQ WEEKLY
VANTAGE POINT
July 13, 2008 – 12:13 p.m.

Clinton Diehards Want Convention Vote


She may have given up, but a few of Hillary Rodham Clinton ’s people haven’t.

The senator from New York is said to be negotiating a respectful presence followed by a graceful exit from next month’s Democratic convention, and last week the party announced that Barack Obama would formally accept the party’s nomination in the stadium built for the Denver Broncos. But there are Clinton supporters clinging to the hope that if her name is placed in nomination and the roll call of the states is conducted, she might — might — still win

Heidi Li Feldman, a Georgetown University law professor, insists there’s still “no way of predicting” the outcome should there be a fair vote. That’s because Obama has not secured enough pledged delegates to ensure the magic number of 2,118 needed to claim victory; the Illinois senator has gone past that benchmark only with the pledges of about 390 superdelegates — and they can change their minds at any time up to the moment they cast their ballots.

“If they had a meaningful vote, I have no idea who would win,” Feldman says. “But I know that if Sen. Obama were sure he would win, there wouldn’t be a negotiation” about Clinton’s role at the convention.

So Feldman, who says she has raised about $100,000 for Clinton, has turned her prowess to raising money for advertising demanding a convention vote, and she has teamed with a fellow pro-Clinton blogger, Marc Rubin, to form the Denver Group to lobby the Democratic National Committee, much of the staff of which has already moved from Washington to Chicago to work for Obama.

Feldman says she won’t vote for Obama if Clinton doesn’t get a convention vote. Rubin says he might not. Both say they aren’t worried that their efforts will continue to divide Democrats at a time when they should be uniting to take on Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona. In fact, they argue, many Democrats might stay home if they feel Clinton gets short shrift.

“What they have to do is make it possible for people to say to themselves that there was a fair and correct process,” Feldman says.

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