11/11
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My seven year old son made this
StandardDomoNation.com: duplicator by ding ding
Like it? Create your own at DomoNation.com. It’s free and fun!
Attention history buffs:
StandardFORTUNE’S FAVORITE: Sir Charles Douglas and the Breaking of the Line just came out. It was written by a friend of mine, Chris Valin, and represents the expansion of his master’s thesis about his own ancestor, a Royal Naval captain who played a major role in the Relief of Quebec, the Battle of Valcour Island, and the “breaking of the line” at the Battle of the Saints.
It’s being published by a well-regarded small press specializing in nautical history and historical fiction, Fireship Press, who also publishes Alaric Bond. I’m really excited for him.
Here’s something nice for the shelf
StandardLook what arrived today, courtesy of my editor:
Yeah, that looks nice. :)
Does this sound dirty?
StandardBecause I’m going to link to myself.
I’ve spoken before about Wordplay.com, and how much I learned there about writing and storytelling. Well, after a friend posted a note there about my PW Best of 2009 listing, (I’ve linked to that list enough times, haven’t I? I don’t want to seem like I’m self-promoting feverishly) a couple of regulars had questions about novel-writing and publishing.
What could I do but answer? The thread is here, but it’ll age off the main message board after a while, so I’ll try to update this link when the thread hits the archives. They’re long answers, too, with a lot of detail I don’t normally write about, and with all that detail collected into one place.
Anyway, I post this not just so people can read it, if they’re interested, but so that people with more experience than I have can post contrasting experiences, or point out where I’m wrong, or even add to the general knowledge base. It’s a terrific site, with an interesting mix of professional screenwriters and serious amateurs, and I’m sure any additional information that folks can add would be more than welcome, I’m sure.
Reviews of Child of Fire, part 4
StandardAs usual, links and excerpts behind the cut:
Watch this. You won’t be sorry.
StandardA SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.
via Suvudu
Health care reform with private insurers
StandardEzra Klein has a fascinating interview with Kaiser Permanente CEO George Halvorson here (Part one | Part two).
It’s no surprise that he’s not a fan of nationalized single-payor system, but the man makes a good case and he brings up great points. It’s no secret that KP is one of the leading lights in U.S. health care (no snickering!) and if this issue interests you, check out what the man has to say.
Money quote:
The Commonwealth study looked at 5 million claims across a broad population and asked how much care shouldn’t have happened. They concluded that of $2 trillion spent, $500 billion was for the wrong care. Milliman did the same study but asked what would happen if we took the practices of the best medical plans, how much will we save? They got $500 billion.
Randomness for 11/6
Standard1) Rear Gear! For the easily offended. via Jay Lake
2) “They must be professional house shooters.”
3) Rush Limbaugh: Victim of Racism.
4) Death by anti-science: Iraqi General to use dowsing rods to detect IEDs. From the article: “He is such a believer that the Iraqi military are abandoning proven methods such as sniffer dogs.” This is my unhappy face. via James Nicoll.
Update to yesterday’s political post
StandardThe revenue cap initiative is failing badly. Thank god.
Approval of the domestic partnership referendum is slightly ahead, meaning gay couples in a partnership would be allowed all the rights of married couples. That lead is a slim one, but the conventional wisdom is that conservative voters vote early and liberal ones vote late. If that holds, we should be within days of affirming equal rights in this state.
Sorry, Mainers.