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Just a couple of things...
... because I like the updating streak I have going. Mom's still weak, but doing better. Shelby seems a little pitiful, but we can't tell if that's because she's worried about Mom (when Meko was really sick there at the end, before she rallied for a few weeks, Sam was really pitiful about that as well). So right now, Shelby's curled up on Mom's lap, which, given that Shelby weighs forty pounds, is a fairly impressive feat. But then she's always been a cuddler.
I finished the Virginia Rounding book--can't remember if I mentioned that--and have moved on to Jim Steinmeyer's A Glorious Deception. I knew I wanted to read this after I read a description of the subject's death, which might have actually been in the Houdini bio I read last Christmas, but I liked Steinmeyer's Hiding the Elephant, so a Chung Ling Soo bio by Steinmeyer recommended itself. Here's basically what happened (and how the book begins): Chung Ling Soo was one of the greatest magicians of the early twentieth century. He performed amazing feats of magic (with his wife as his assistant) and, not knowing English, never spoke, leaving his assistants to speak for him. One night, he was performing the bullet catch, which was rarely mentioned on the program; no audience ever knew in advance if he was going to include it or not. But this time, he did perform it, and this time, something went wrong. Instead of "catching" the bullet in a china plate, he was wounded in the chest. And as he fell, the first row of the audience distinctly heard Chung Ling Soo cry out, "Oh my God! Something's gone wrong!"
I pretty much had to read more about him after that.
So, a couple of things:
The reason LJ broke late Thursday night/early Friday morning: Britney Spears refused to give up children, was taken away in ambulance, is being held for evaluation;![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ohnotheydidnt (which dubbed it "Hostage Brituation '08") started producing a new page of comments every thirty seconds and then Perez Hilton stole their live feed screencaps.
What's worse than plagiarizing someone's fanfiction? Plagiarizing their journal. And their comments to other people. After they've passed away. And then claiming that the deceased told you to do so. The online reaction is a good example of what I like to call "social consequence": when there's nothing the authorities can do (LJ says they can't do anything unless Thamiris's family files a report, and it was her wish that her family not know about her fannish activities), there's nothing like a good old-fashioned shunnin'.
I finished the Virginia Rounding book--can't remember if I mentioned that--and have moved on to Jim Steinmeyer's A Glorious Deception. I knew I wanted to read this after I read a description of the subject's death, which might have actually been in the Houdini bio I read last Christmas, but I liked Steinmeyer's Hiding the Elephant, so a Chung Ling Soo bio by Steinmeyer recommended itself. Here's basically what happened (and how the book begins): Chung Ling Soo was one of the greatest magicians of the early twentieth century. He performed amazing feats of magic (with his wife as his assistant) and, not knowing English, never spoke, leaving his assistants to speak for him. One night, he was performing the bullet catch, which was rarely mentioned on the program; no audience ever knew in advance if he was going to include it or not. But this time, he did perform it, and this time, something went wrong. Instead of "catching" the bullet in a china plate, he was wounded in the chest. And as he fell, the first row of the audience distinctly heard Chung Ling Soo cry out, "Oh my God! Something's gone wrong!"
I pretty much had to read more about him after that.
So, a couple of things:
The reason LJ broke late Thursday night/early Friday morning: Britney Spears refused to give up children, was taken away in ambulance, is being held for evaluation;
ohnotheydidnt (which dubbed it "Hostage Brituation '08") started producing a new page of comments every thirty seconds What's worse than plagiarizing someone's fanfiction? Plagiarizing their journal. And their comments to other people. After they've passed away. And then claiming that the deceased told you to do so. The online reaction is a good example of what I like to call "social consequence": when there's nothing the authorities can do (LJ says they can't do anything unless Thamiris's family files a report, and it was her wish that her family not know about her fannish activities), there's nothing like a good old-fashioned shunnin'.
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Glad your own mom is starting to rally a bit!
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And asdfjkl; I love ontd. Hostage Brituation lols.
Oh dear at that plagiarizing ): I'm always scared to death someone will steal something I write but then I'll never find out about it.
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LJ can ban journals for posting pictures which possibly don't break any copyright or obscenity laws without even contacting anyone involved, but they can't stop the wholesale plagiarism of a dead woman's journal without permission from the family of the dead woman?
Ummm... Is it just me, or does that argument make no sense whatsoever?
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It's one of those paradoxes of law against common sense.
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Hope your mom regains her pep quickly.
I'm not sure if you're familiar with the community blog MetaFilter, but I thought I'd pass this along because I know you enjoy a dashing tale of sockpuppetry unmasked:
The fun starts here: http://ask.metafilter.com/79762/Finding-a-highperformance-charity#comment
Moves over to here: http://metatalk.metafilter.com/15547/GiveWell-or-Give-em-Hell
And is summarized here: http://mssv.net/wiki/index.php/Givewell
Happy New Year and thanks for all the fun and info you've shared.
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I also feel unclean reading about that plagiarising.
I'm going to go shower now.
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2.) Is that the Chinese magician that they mentioned at the beginning of The Prestige? The one with the fishbowl?
3.) I'm starting to feel sorry for Britney.
4.) Yeah, that's some messed-up shit. I hope they shun that douche nozzle right into getting a life. An original one.
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