October 21, 2005

Justin Spizman’s IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, YOU’RE PROBABLY IN LAW SCHOOL, in which a Univ. of Texas law school author presents survival tips, strategies, and stories, to Shoshanna Grossman at AdamsMedia, in a nice deal, by John Willig Literary Services

I won’t be reading this one because I already graduated from law school…

There are only about 180,000 law students in the United States — how do these law school books make their money back?

Publishers Marketplace reports:

WALKING THE DA VINCI CODE IN PARIS, from the Paris Walks Tour company, to Bill Newlin at Avalon Travel, by Helene Brenkman for French publisher Bartillat, for publication next spring in advance of the film release (world English).

Bartillat: what a cool name for a publishing company!

They ought to throw this book in for free with the $5000 week in Paris package.

Publishers Marketplace reports:

McKelvey-Grant Professor at Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations and author of Get Them On Your Side Samuel B. Bacharach’s KEEP THEM ON YOUR SIDE: 20 Rules for Momentum, explaining how politically savvy managers sustain momentum to assure their initial goals by keeping their change coalitions motivated and engaged, to Jill Alexander at Adams Media, in a nice deal, by Ed Knappman at New England Publishing Associates

This is a damned good topic for a book, an essential business problem that I have never seen addressed before.

All the Dirt That’s Fit to Print: “[wonkette creator Ana Marie] Cox pleads [that her novel due in January] is all a mere fiction. ‘I now realize that it’s impossible to create any Washington character without somebody thinking it’s them,’ she said via BlackBerry, of course, from Puerto Rico. ‘I shouldn’t have written a novel, I should have written an index.’”

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Posted by wfzimmerman to What’s New for Book-Lovers at 10/21/2005 10:55:00 AM

Belinda Starling’s first novel THE BINDING, set in 1860s London, about a bookbinder’s wife who takes over the business and wind ups working on high-end pornography, to Bloomsbury, for publication in June 2007, by Stephanie Cabot at The Gernert Company.

I am informed that Belinda Starling died last year at the age of 34. My condolences to her family.

Telegraph | News | Brown stole idea for Da Vinci Code, claim authors:

Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, is to face a High Court action brought by the authors of the 1982 non-fiction book The Holy Blood, and the Holy Grail, who allege that his blockbuster was based on their decade of research.

Speaking ahead of a preliminary hearing of the case next week, Richard Leigh, 62, one of the writers, said: “I don’t begrudge Brown his success. I have no particular grievance against him, except for the fact that he wrote a pretty bad novel.”

The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail

Mr Leigh, an American who has lived in England since 1974, and Michael Baigent, 57, a New Zealander, his co-author, are suing Random House, Brown’s publishers, for infringement of their ideas.

They are funding the action with the proceeds of their book, which Random House has reissued in a special �20 hardback edition to cash in on the success of Brown’s novel.

Henry Lincoln, 75, a Londoner who also co-wrote the book, is ill and has decided to remain out of the action.

A two-week trial is scheduled for the end of February, with both sides assembling formidable legal teams.

If a judge backs the action, the UK release in May of Sony Pictures’s �53 million film of The Da Vinci Code may be delayed. Paul Sutton, solicitor for the writers, said: “A reason that this case is so important is that it can create a precedent in

Waah, waah, waah. This ain’t going anywhere.

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Posted by wfzimmerman to The Solomon Key and Beyond: Dan Brown News at 10/21/2005 10:16:17 AM

Publishers Marketplace reports:

WALKING THE DA VINCI CODE IN PARIS, from the Paris Walks Tour company, to Bill Newlin at Avalon Travel, by Helene Brenkman for French publisher Bartillat, for publication next spring in advance of the film release (world English).

Bartillat: what a cool name for a publishing company!

They ought to throw this book in for free with the $5000 week in Paris package.

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Posted by wfzimmerman to The Solomon Key and Beyond: Dan Brown News at 10/21/2005 08:29:00 AM

Publishers Marketplace reports:

McKelvey-Grant Professor at Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations and author of Get Them On Your Side Samuel B. Bacharach’s KEEP THEM ON YOUR SIDE: 20 Rules for Momentum, explaining how politically savvy managers sustain momentum to assure their initial goals by keeping their change coalitions motivated and engaged, to Jill Alexander at Adams Media, in a nice deal, by Ed Knappman at New England Publishing Associates

This is a damned good topic for a book, an essential business problem that I have never seen addressed before.

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Posted by wfzimmerman to What’s New for Book-Lovers at 10/21/2005 08:27:00 AM

CNN.com - Sen. Gregg wins $853,000 in Powerball - Oct 20, 2005:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Judd Gregg won $853,492 from the Powerball lottery after matching five of six numbers in Wednesday’s drawing, adding to his already sizable wealth.

“Even senators can be lucky,” he told reporters outside the D.C. Lottery claims center, where he picked up his check.

The Republican from New Hampshire — who chairs the Budget Committee and who has a reputation as a strict fiscal conservative — said his wife is currently remodeling their home and already has plans for the new money.

“She’s already told me, ‘Don’t spend it. I’ve already got plans.’”

This is really irritating.

Jerzy Dyczkowski on the DINOSAUR mailing list shared this gem of synthesis. Acronyms expanded for better searchability.

I spend half an hour with Archie skeleton drawing and bird book.

Result:
- Archaeopteryx gathered most or all food on ground,
- Archaeopteryx walked around like a pigeon a lot, but did not run fast,
- Archaeopteryx in danger flew and hid in bushes or trees,
- Archaeopteryx flew slowly, for short distances, but manoevred well between branches,
- Archaeopteryx had small home range,
- Archaeopteryx inhabited semi-open micro-habitat with lots of shrub.

The closest live model of Archaeopteryx which I found are coucals
(Centropus) from Africa nad AsiArchaeopteryx The closest well known birds by locomotion are doves and pigeons (Streptopelia, Macropygia, Columba) on ground, but they fly much better and magpies (Pica) in flight which seem to be more adapted for trees.

Wing and tail structure. Archaeopteryx seems to have:
- short, very rounded wings
- long, rather broad, round tail
It fits:
- birds which fly little, are adapted to manoevring between branches: cuckoos, coucals, doves, touracos, magpies, sparrowhawks.
I does not fit:
- birfds flying a lot have longer wings, shorter tail:
crows, pigeons, waders etc.

Leg structure. Archaeopteryx seems to have:
- comparatively long “tibia”
- comparatively SHORT “tarsus”
- comparatively SHORT toes
- straight claws.
It fits:
- birds which walk a lot, but do not run: coucals, pigeons, doves, some crows.
It does NOT fit:
- runners have much longer “tarsus”: roadrunner, pheasants etc.
- tree climbers (a guild of birds which hop between branches, flying from tree to tree) have long toes and curved claws: touracos, parrots, kokako.
- fly and sit birds, which fly almost any distance have shorter “tibia” and “tarsus”: rollers, kingfishers.

Caveats:
- Coucals and related cuckoos inhabit semi-open habitat with shrub, but this can mean anything from rainforest with gaps and secondary growth, to semidesert with dense riverside shrubs.
- I assume that Archaeopteryx could be hunted by some pterosaurs.
Otherwise, it could fly longer distances, being invulnerable in the air.
- Wing claws of Archaeopteryx could help it climbing, but feet are not good for this.
- There are zillions of Archaeopteryx restorations. However, before proposing it was good flyer, ground runner, tree climber etc. please LOOK at the bird book, look at wings, tails, leg and toe structure of birds having the same lifestyle

I feel as if there’s an Archaeopteryx right in front of me!

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Posted by wfzimmerman to Science Phile at 10/21/2005 03:45:00 AM