Astronomer Left to Rot
I just stumbled upon this article and am a bit stunned by it. Charles Thomas Bolton is best known for discovering Cignus X-1 and ultimately irrefutable proof that black holes exist.And the University is booting him out claiming that the observatory he works in is of no use anymore due to light pollution. Really? Because someone like Mr. Bolton wouldn’t be continuing to work for you if that were the case, right? Yeah, it sounds like a load of crap to me too. To add insult to injury, the University gave him 10 days to get out. That’s right, 10 days. That’s it. They didn’t even sit down and say “hey, we’ll give you a lovely reference to a different observatory” or “we found you another job if you’d like it” or something like that, considering the guy has been working for them for decades. Is this how you treat someone who has done great things and who is obviously a competent worker?Needless to say, the whole thing smells fishy to me, because you don’t just decide overnight to get rid of an observatory and boot someone out with a ten day notice who has been working hard for a long time. Not sure what is going on behind the scenes, but whatever it is, it’s b.s. (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Entertainment Weekly Movie Meme
Got this from Heather’s Blethers! Consider yourself tagged if you read this! “This is Entertainment Weekly’s list of 100 Classic Movies of the past 25 years. Anyone who wants to play, consider yourself tagged! The rules: Bold the movies you’ve seen, underline or *asterisk* the ones you plan to, strike out the ones you HATE and refuse to watch ever again.”I’m also adding in this: You can also strike out ones you don’t want to see in the first place. Here’s the list: 1. Pulp Fiction (1994)2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)3. Titanic (1997)4. Blue Velvet (1986)5. Toy Story (1995)6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)9. Die Hard (1988)10. Moulin Rouge (2001)11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)12. The Matrix (1999)13. Goodfellas (1990)14. Crumb (1995)15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)16. Boogie Nights (1997)17. Jerry Maguire(1996)18. Do the Right Thing (1989)19. Casino Royale (2006)20. The Lion King (1994)21. Schindler’s List (1993)22. Rushmore (1998)23. Memento (2001)*24. A Room With a View (1986)25. Shrek (2001)26. Hoop Dreams (1994)27. Aliens (1986)28. Wings of Desire (1987)29. *The Bourne Supremacy (2004)30. When Harry Met Sally… (1989) 31. Brokeback Mountain (2005) 32. Fight Club (1999) 33. The Breakfast Club (1985) 34. Fargo (1996) 35. The Incredibles (2004) 36. Spider-Man 2 (2004) 37. Pretty Woman (1990)38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)39. The Sixth Sense (1999)40. Speed (1994)41. Dazed and Confused (1993)*42. Clueless (1995)43. Gladiator (2000)44. The Player (1992)45. Rain Man (1988)46. Children of Men (2006)47. Men in Black (1997)48. Scarface (1983)49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)50. The Piano (1993)51. There Will Be Blood (2007)*52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)53. The Truman Show (1998)54. Fatal Attraction (1987)55. Risky Business (1983)56. The Lives of Others (2006)57. There’s Something About Mary (1998)58. Ghostbusters (1984)59. L.A. Confidential (1997)60. Scream (1996)61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)63. Big (1988)64. No Country For Old Men (2007)*65. Dirty Dancing (1987)66. Natural Born Killers (1994)67. Donnie Brasco (1997)68. Witness (1985)69. All About My Mother (1999)70. Broadcast News (1987)71. Unforgiven (1992)72. Thelma & Louise (1991)73. Office Space (1999)74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)75. Out of Africa (1985)76. The Departed (2006)77. Sid and Nancy (1986)78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)80. Michael Clayton (2007)81. Moonstruck (1987)82. Lost in Translation (2003)83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)84. Sideways (2004)85. The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)87. Swingers (1996)88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)89. Breaking the Waves (1996)90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)91. Back to the Future (1985)92. Menace II Society (1993)93. Ed Wood (1994)94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)95. In the Mood for Love (2001)96. Far From Heaven (2002)97. Glory (1989)98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999) Not bad if I do say so myself. Now it’s your turn!
I’m a Judge!
I am a judge for the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards! What does this mean? Well, I get to read and take part in deciding who wins and who gets on the shortlist. This will be my first time doing so and I’m really excited to be a part of this. For those that don’t know what the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are, they are awards for various categories (novels, shorts, etc.) that acknowledge works with issues or themes of interest to the LGBT community (i.e. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender). For those that might think these awards are just silly nonsense, you should look into who has been nominated this year and in previous years: folks like Elizabeth Bear, Stephen Baxter, Jo Walton, T. A. Pratt, Hal Duncan, Christopher Barzak, etc. Big names and lesser-known-names have been nominated for this as well as novels from all across the board of speculative fiction (from fantasy to science fiction to cross genre, etc.).So, I’m really excited about this! It’s a huge list for this year and narrowing it down will be difficult, but it should be incredibly entertaining. Anywho! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Destroying America (one step at a time)
Congratulations America. Really, well done. This is the man you voted in twice. How does it feel being fisted by your own government? Like warm apple pie perhaps? And before anyone gets in a tiffy over this rather rudely placed comment: I’m referring to those that voted for Bush not once, but two times, passing on Al Gore and John Kerry, the first of which was by far the better choice and the second of which was still better than the mentally handicapped nitwit that sits in office now, twiddling his thumbs as he contemplates what else he can do to screw this country. (I have no intention to make this blog a political one, but I just can’t shut up about this. This is too much and I’m showing considerable restraint right now.) (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Rambo’s Good Advice
Yup, here’s some great advice for those of you submitting your stories to magazines. It should be noted that all the points Ms. (or Mrs.?) Rambo mentions should be pretty much obvious. You know, simple things like don’t misspell the editor’s name… Check it out! It’s good advice! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)