JabberwockLand

Curiouser and Curiouser: Inspired by 'Alice In Wonderland' - Artwork - Nucleus | Art Gallery and Store

2010-03-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Curiouser and Curiouser: Inspired by 'Alice In Wonderland' - Artwork - Nucleus | Art Gallery and Store

Best friends

2009-12-19T22:57:00.000-08:00

"We have everything in common, we have all the same game systems." - Kid talking about his best friend.

2009-08-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

Lady with a sob story wanted to sell a bros grimm book, an interesting but valueless book, and nearly broke down when I offered only $1. Then she skulks around the shop looking for what a 'valuable' book looks like and proceeds to break the stool by standing on one of the crossbars.
Spend more time dealing with crap people want to sell than with selling anything!

SDCC09

2009-07-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

2009-07-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Just dumped my bowl of cereal all over me and the chair and the floor... argh. not a good start to the day. My pants are sopping..

2009-07-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

I hate banks, and I hate BofA more than any of them. Their website sucks, and everytime I've had a problem with cc's or banks it seems to be BofA.

2009-06-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

David Eddings died June 2, 2009
http://www.rgj.com/article/20090627/NEWS/906270327/1321/NEWS

Ray Bradbury Dismisses Internet as "Distracting" and "Meaningless"
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=15531

Had a costly return on a cheap online order.

2009-05-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Just got jacked for over $70 on a $10 book that the customer didn't like. They didn't like it because they felt it wasn't published in a high enough quality... Despite the fact that it was described as poorly printed, and there was a picture for reference. An online order, that they returned without permission, and debited the unnecessary overseas express! return shipping from our account. Lost more on the shipping than the book will ever be worth.

offical curmudgeonly bookseller

2009-04-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Managed to piss off a 'customer' (are they still a customer if they don't buy anything?) who felt wasn't helpful enough. He comes roaring over in his huge SUV and slams bouncing into the curb, hops out and immediately gives a poor impression. After letting him in an hour and a half after closing time, while busy with the #$%@# computer (trying to get things finished up to could go home!), and after directing him to the self-help section where the book he wanted would have been - if there was one in the store, which dunno, can't memorize everything (especially the self-help stuff), felt lucky to recognize the author when he named it. After he threw a fit over the lack of help, went back and found a book by the author, but it was the wrong one or else he was too annoyed to purchase it. Guess officially a curmudgeonly bookseller now...

Whole Lotta Shakin'

2009-04-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Last 3 days this old guy's been coming in, after betting on the ponies, (from which conclude since he bought all the horse racing books in the store, and had a racing form magazine and pays in cash). He got his walkman blasting classic rock, which seems later than his era, and his hips are a-shakin', enough so that seemed like he was either having a fit, trying to catch his balance or rockin' out. Since he never fell, and seemed cognizant, guess it was the 3rd. He made a total mess of every shelf he looked at, leaving piles everywhere and randomly reshelving everything, really getting annoying, until he drops 2 bills on some books, each day, then his behaviour becomes merely eccentric...

Bettie Page!

2009-01-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

Pin-up Queen Bettie Page, at 85, is now in Flying Spaghetti Monster cheese-cake/stripper heaven.

She was placed on life support last week after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles and never regained consciousness, said her agent, Mark Roesler. He said he and Page's family agreed to remove life support. Before the heart attack, Page had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia.

The Music's Over

2008-11-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

Damn, looks like the hard drive I'd been storing all my mp3 on died... 80 gigs of music disapeared... well maybe a quarter of them I can re-rip, but hmm gonna be a lot I'll miss. Especially since I don't have any list of what was there even.. gah. I'd be upset.. except I haven't listened to any of them in over a year since I started using pandora...

2008-09-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

Customer #1 "You can find a lot of information about that on the web."
Customer #2 "The FBI surfs the web, don't they?"
Everyone just goes quiet and sort of eyes the guy sidelong.

NECROVILLE

2008-09-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

2008-09-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

Couple of stoned chicks wandering around the store bemoaning the fact that there were no books on turtles, because one of them just got a turtle and she needs a book on turtles, etc. Kinda creepy chicks too, very drug chic.

San Diego Comic-Con 2008

2008-07-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday
Watchmen

Sci-Fi Channel
Kevin Eastman
Steve Rude
Colleen Doran
David Petersen
Bill Plympton
James A. Owen
Simon Bisley
Rick Geary

Eoin Colfer

www.ComicMix.com

The Con Mob
Mark Buckingham, Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges - Fables.

hEcToR SeViLlA

Dalek

Dalek going after David

Friday
Max Brooks the Zombie guy

Bill Tucci - AIW

Bill Tucci - booth girl

Daniel Liester artitst on Zenescope's Beyond Wonderland

Steve Purcell - Sam & Max

Underworld chicks

Princess Lia's behind

On the way out.

Senor Donut!

Steven Segal's new movie!

2008-07-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOUORYAPds0

2008-07-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

Guy with a cane, and perhaps a slight English accent, comes in looking for Byron, finds a combo Byron Keats Shelley, and when purchasing says "I should go next door," (across the way is a BevMo) "and get some Absinthe for reading this."
"I wouldn't be surprized if they did have some there." I say.
"Oh, they do. Trust me, I know." he answers with a grin.

internet phone USB

2008-07-17T09:46:00.001-07:00

This looks interesting.

http://www.magicjack.com/4/index.asp

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/voip/magicjack.aspx

Fwd: Coraline

2008-06-26T12:01:00.001-07:00

The stop-motion animated feature film based on Neil Gaiman's Coraline is set for a wide release on Feb.6
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12793.html

2008-06-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

The creeps were out today, the 1st wanted to trade moldy, thrashed books for credit, and of course got annoyed when I declined. The 2nd was a couple having a spat, or getting a divorce, or something, I _tried_ not to listen to them, he put a book on the counter and wandered off, the she cursing under her breath) dropped a stack on the counter and left saying he would pay, least he owed her etc. He kept looking around, until long after she started to lean on the horn, and of course wouldn't get her stuff...

Hackmaster AD&D Cover Parodies

2008-06-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

DMG

PHB

CBLDF wins!

2008-05-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

At 4:30 on Friday afternoon, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund received word from its attorneys that all remaining charges against Rome, Georgia retailer Gordon Lee had been dropped:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12417.html

2008-04-18T18:33:00.001-07:00

http://technabob.com/blog/2007/09/16/best-hard-disk-clock-ever/

Finally, A Prescription Just for YOU!!

2008-04-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

2008-04-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Arrrggh! my back is killing me! and I can't figure out what the hell I did?!
Started Fri morning - and wasn't too bad, thought maybe slept bad or something, it was a bit worse on Saturday, and even worse today. I wasn't fencing - there was none thursday, and nothing big Tuesday, I guess could have been moving boxes or something - but you'd think I remember doing something! gah, hope it quits soon.

2008-04-08T18:19:00.001-07:00

Best info booth question of the day - phone in - What's the name of that place across the way from you?

2008-03-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

It's astounding how a pretty girl can get anything she wants. I'd never really seen it in action before. So A- and I were at the show, she's 20 has a pretty, though not striking face, and it fairly well endowed, but was wearing several layers of sweater & coat, so certainly wasn't dressed to thrill. Over the course of the day she was given several items just for expressing interest in them. Then while standing in line and being chatted up by some guy who she wasn't interested in and who she said was annoying - until he bought her lunch, then she was fine with him hanging around. And she wasn't even _trying_! I'd heard of this but really seeing it in action was amazing. Guys will do anything for a pretty face if it smiles at them... Not that I can claim dispassion or something, but it was interesting seeing it from the outside - as it were - for once.

Hoppy Zombie Bunny Day

2008-03-23T19:20:00.001-07:00

Where Easter Eggs come from

The end of Pink

2008-03-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/17/opinion/17price.html

get a life

2008-03-19T10:51:00.001-07:00

http://www.alife4sale.com/

Hey David you were looking for a house... :)

Another loss

2008-03-18T17:30:00.001-07:00

Report: Arthur C. Clarke, Dead at 90
By Sharon Weinberger March 18, 2008 | 6:06:00 PM
An aide to the famous science fiction writer tells the Associated Press that Arthur C. Clarke has died. That's all the news available at the moment. The author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, reportedly died in Sri Lanka, where he had been living for over 50 years.
If ever there was a need for a good biography, it is about Clarke. Revered as both a futurist and science fiction writer, he is also credited with proposing geostationary communications satellites. The breadth of his work and mysterious private life (which included accusations of pedophilia) would make for an intriguing story.

It's a sign of the Apocalypse...

2008-03-13T11:47:00.001-07:00

http://www.kittywigs.com/wigindex.html

Gary Gygax -10 HP

2008-03-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

http://reason.com/blog/show/125308.html

Fwd: BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN - Download a FREE copy for 3 days only

2008-02-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

cooking show

2008-02-29T14:48:00.000-08:00

While using the internet for its intended purpose I wandered across this site -

http://bunnybunns.net/Site/home.html

New Risk; Borders download centers

2008-02-21T11:24:00.001-08:00

Hasbro is planning a fall release for a revamped version of Risk that will provide 3 different modes of play depending on the players' skill levels and the amount of time they have to play the game--yes, there will be a 60-90 minute version, but you won't be able to conquer the whole world in that time frame:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12112.html

Borders has opened the first of 14 "concept" stores planned to debut this year--and in addition to the state-of-the-art digital center, the store's have a special emphasis on several categories including graphic novels:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12115.html

Fwd: Monopoly the Movie?!; Akira Live!

2008-02-21T11:18:00.001-08:00

Universal signed an agreement with Hasbro to produce four movies based on Hasbro properties such as Monopoly, Magic: The Gathering, and Clue:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12110.html

Leonardo DiCaprio and Warner Bros. are planning to release the first half of a 2-part live action adaptation of Akira in 2009:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12113.html

Blu-ray Wins!

2008-02-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the decision by Wal-Mart to carry Blu-ray discs exclusively starting in June, Toshiba is ending support for the HD high definition format:

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12088.html

Epic Fantasy on TV

2008-01-31T17:48:00.001-08:00

Sam Raimi's First Rule
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12001.html

Fire and Ice on HBO
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/9926.html

2008-01-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

Eltingville Now showing on Adult Swim online

2008-01-09T21:53:00.001-08:00

Drunk lady back this morn in fine form.

Libraries, Endless Quest

2008-01-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

A new survey shows that the youngest adults use libraries more than any other group:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11839.html

WotC�s Mirrorstone Books imprint is reviving the Endless Quest series:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11860.html

Violent Movies Reduce Violence

2008-01-08T14:13:00.001-08:00

Violent Movies Reduce Violence
Says New Study by Economists
January 08, 2008

A new study presented to the American Economic Association and summarized in the Business Section of Monday's New York Times argues somewhat counter-intuitively that violent movies actually reduce violent crime. By comparing nationwide statistics for crimes of violence over the past ten years with attendance figures for movies rated for violent content by the kids-in-mind.com Website Gordon Dahl, an economist at the University of San Diego and Stefano Della Vigna, a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley found that when young men, the group responsible for most violent crime, attended a violent movie on Saturday night, it reduced violent crime, an effect that lasted past the weekend carrying over through Monday and Tuesday.

Dahl and Dell Vigna's Freakonomics-like study found that from 6 pm until midnight on weekends, violent crimes decreased 1.3% for every million people watching a violent movie with crime dropping 1.1% for each million people who are watching a mildly violent film. In the hours from midnight to 6am, violent crime dropped 1.9% for every million attending a very violent film and 2.1% for each million watching a mildly violent film. The same effect was still apparent when theaters showed non-violent movies that appealed to the same teenage (and 20 something) male demographic, but to a lesser degree.

Professors Dahl and Dell Vigna's study, which has implications for all types of media that contain violence including comic books, anime, RPGs and videogames, has placed the large community of psychologists who have conducted "laboratory" experiments purporting to show that violence in media leads to violence in real life in a state of near apoplexy. Whether the effect is the result of catharsis, being "scared straight" by Hannibal Lector, or merely the consequence of sequestering a large portion of the population most likely to commit crimes during hours when a high percentage of crimes are committed, the economics professors maintain "on days with a high audience for violent movies, violent crime is lower," and that over the period that they studied (the last decade) the showing of violent movies in the U.S. has reduced the number of assaults "by an average of 1,000 per week or 52,000 per year."

New Children's books...

2008-01-07T13:36:00.000-08:00

Futurama,

2007-12-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

Future of Futurama

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11793.html

Samuel L. Jackson's cigar-chomping Iron Man cameo

2007-12-26T11:55:00.001-08:00

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11702.html

Chocolate & !!!

2007-12-22T10:59:00.001-08:00

Chocolate candy bar... .

2007-12-21T15:26:00.001-08:00

You can't have too many books, too little space perhaps...

'Ice Tea' Lady

2007-12-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

So this lady comes in the store with her big cup of 'ice tea' for the 3rd or 4th time now. She bangs her way through the door with her rolling shopping cart, comes over to the counter plops her cup down and parks her cart right in front of the counter. She brings some books for trades and gets 3 credits. She goes into the romance section moves stuff all over and out of order, gets a half dozen, brings them to the counter. She only has credit for 3, so she's only going to get 3 of them, but she can't remember where she got the rest from, so she leaves them on the counter. Then she finds a hardcover book, and asks how much it is, $6.95 it's priced on the 1st page, I tell her. How much? she asks, $6.95 I tell her. How much? she asks, $6.95 I tell her beginning to really wonder at her. She walks over to another bookcase, and calls back how much is that book again? It's still $6.95 I assure her. She comes back to the counter and points at the book. How much is this book? she asks a fifth time. I open it up and point to the price written inside, it's $6.95 I say yet again. Eventually she leaves, not purchasing it. I wonder what was really in that cup of 'ice tea' ?!?

With god as my witness

2007-12-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

a court in India has asked two gods to appear in court

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/08/whindu108.xml

Terry Pratchett - Not Dead Yet

2007-12-12T16:54:00.001-08:00

http://www.paulkidby.com/news/index.html

Public Libraries for Profit

2007-12-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

Public Libraries for Profit

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112907P.shtml

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3419/public_libraries_for_profit/

     By Akito Yoshikane
     In These Times
     Tuesday 27 November 2007

     In late October, Jackson County, Ore., re-opened the doors to 15
of its public libraries after a lack of funds had forced them shut on
April 6 - the largest library closure in U.S. history. However, as
patrons returned to the bookshelves in the southern Oregon county,
they learned that their libraries are now under private, for-profit management.

     Oregon suffered a $150 million budget shortfall - and Jackson
County a $23 million loss - in fiscal year 2007, after the federal
government failed to renew a $400 million annual subsidy designed to
help rural communities suffering from the decline in timber-logging
revenue. Though Congress eventually extended the funding by one year,
Jackson County commissioners, strapped for cash, voted to outsource
library services to the Maryland-based Library Systems & Services
(LSSI), which specializes in library management. Founded in 1981, the
company initially operated federal libraries during President
Reagan's era of privatizing government services and contracts. LSSI
now privately manages more than 50 public libraries nationwide.

     Companies like LSSI focus on counties that are desperate to keep
their public agencies afloat but lack sufficient funds to do so. In
the case of Jackson County, officials offered LSSI a five-year
contract worth $3 million annually, with an additional $1.3 million
reserved for building maintenance. The deal cuts in almost half what
the county previously spent.

     Public libraries in Dallas, Riverside, Calif., and Finney
County, Kan. have also hired LSSI staff.

     But the trend of farming out public libraries to a private,
profit-oriented business has raised concerns. For one, private
companies are not subject to the same oversight as are public
institutions. More importantly, libraries have long been considered
democratic bodies built on the cornerstone of information diversity,
transparency and intellectual freedom.

     "Libraries tend to reflect the communities they serve," says
Loriene Roy, president of the American Library Association (ALA).
"[They] respond to community needs and they do so within their
budget, but they are not set up to make profit. A company coming in
that doesn't exist within the community that is profit-making, you
can see that there is a different attitude and there is concern about that."

     Under public management, transparency tends to be clear. As much
as 80 percent of public library funding can come from local tax
support, making libraries accountable to a board of trustees with
representatives from the community.

     While municipalities have for years contracted "non-library
services," such as janitorial duties or photocopying, the outsourcing
of "core" library services - cataloging and use of automated systems
and material acquisition - has increased.

     This prompted the ALA to create an Outsourcing Task Force and
conduct a study on privatization in 1999. Two years later, the ALA
council adopted a stance opposing outsourcing, stating that libraries
are "not a simple commodity" but "are an essential public good" that
should be "directly accountable to the public they serve."

     LSSI makes its money from the difference between the budget and
what it spends - or does not spend. It typically downsizes staff,
centralizes accounting and human resource services, and buys books in
bulk, all while passing down administrative costs - sometimes as high
as 15 percent - to patrons as general handling fees. (The company
does not disclose its earnings.)

     "They operate entirely with our tax dollars but they have no
transparency," says Buck Eichler, president of the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU) Local 503 in Jackson County, whose
organization represented the public library employees. "They're
completely secretive about their books. We no longer know where our
tax dollars are going."

     Although the total cost of running the libraries was cut, so,
too, were library hours. Now, most libraries in Jackson County are
open at half the normal operating times and are closed on Sundays,
totaling only 24 hours a week, down from the 40-plus hours before the
April shutdown. The exceptions are the libraries in Ashland and
Talent, which will stay open for 40 hours and 36 hours a week,
respectively, after local residents recently voted in favor of a levy
on monthly utility surcharges in order to pay for the extra hours.

     While counties still own the buildings and retain control of
library policies, LSSI is in charge of hiring employees, which has
caused mixed reactions.

     "I don't have any problems with it at all," says Kim Wolfe,
manager of the Medford branch. "I think it's a personal decision for
each individual. The community is thrilled to have the libraries
opening again. They're thanking us and they're glad they can come in
and use our services."

     SEIU's Eichler, however, has said some workers have refused to
go back to work under a private employer.

     "We don't want to sacrifice living wages at the expense of
workers," says Eichler.

     LSSI brought back about 60 of the 88 people who were laid off,
according to one library staffer. But now that they are no longer
union employees, they've been subject to contractual changes in
rights, benefits and disclosure information.

     Although salaries are comparable to what they were before,
employees in the Jackson County Libraries are now no longer part of
Oregon's pension system, which has been replaced with a 401(k)
program. Medical benefits have also been cut, and salary levels have
been "adjusted depending on market conditions," says Anne Billeter, a
former Jackson County library manager.

     "I'm not saying that LSSI has a goal of union-busting, but it is
certainly the net effect," says Eichler.

     Some areas have seen a backlash. In Bedford, Texas, after a
community-wide petition campaign to oppose library outsourcing
gathered 1,700 signatures in four days, city council members voted
4-3 to reject privatization in August. "If our library dies, this
community dies," said Mark Gimenez, a local resident who attended the
board meeting.

     But not every public library is celebrating victories. In
Jackson-Madison County, Tenn., even after a community group lobbied
against privatization, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled in April
that the county board has a legal right to outsource.
---

     Thomas Hennen Jr., director of the Waukesha County Federated
Library System in Wisconsin, says, "It is the urgent duty of public
librarians to put the 'good' back into the 'public good' of the
public library movement."

Sanderson to Complete Final Novel in Jordan Fantasy Series

2007-12-10T12:13:00.001-08:00

Sanderson to Complete Final Novel in Jordan Fantasy Series

By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 12/10/2007 7:13:00 AM

Tor Books announced today that novelist Brandon Sanderson has been chosen to finish writing the final novel in Robert Jordan's bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series. Jordandescribed by some as Tolkien's heirdied Sept. 16 from a rare blood disease. The new novel, A Memory of Light, will be the 12th and final book in the fantasy series which has sold more than 14 million copies in North America and more than 30 million copies worldwide. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers.

Harriet Popham Rigney, Jordan's widow and editor, chose Sanderson to complete A Memory of Lightwhich Jordan worked on almost daily for the last few months of his lifeand will edit it. Rigney said some scenes from the book were completed by Jordan before his death, and some exist in draft form. "He left copious notes and hours of audio recordings," she said. He also revealed details about the end of the series to close members of his family.

Sanderson, who acknowledged Jordan as an inspiration to him as a writer, has established a loyal fan base as the author of three fantasy novels: Elantris, Mistborn and The Well of Ascension (Tor), as well as a YA novel, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (Scholastic Press). Sanderson said, "I'm both extremely excited and daunted by this opportunity. There is only one man who could have done this book the way it deserved to be written, and we lost him in September. However, I promise to do my very best to remain true to Mr. Jordan's vision and produce the book we have all been waiting to read."

A Memory of Light is scheduled for publication in fall 2009.

NEWS Paddington Bear arrested by police and interrogated over his immigration status

2007-12-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-7137182,00.html

Police set to quiz Paddington bear

Press Association
Saturday December 8, 2007 11:08 AM

Paddington Bear will be arrested by police and interrogated over his
immigration status in a book marking his 50th birthday, it has emerged.

The novel, to be published next June on the anniversary of his debut in
A Bear Called Paddington, will see the stowaway from Peru interviewed
about his right to remain in England.

The appeal of Michael Bond's Paddington books, which have sold more than
30 million copies and been translated into 30 languages, remains
undiminished after half a century.

But Mr Bond, 83, was said to be reluctant at the prospect of writing his
first novel about him for 29 years - unless he had a strong contemporary
storyline.

The new book is again set around their home at 32 Windsor Gardens,
Notting Hill, and revisits the stalls in Portobello Road where
Paddington shared cocoa and buns with another immigrant, Mr Gruber, the
Hungarian antiques dealer.

After being arrested, Paddington has no papers proving his identity
because his Aunt Lucy had arranged for him to hide on a ship's lifeboat
from Peru after she went to live in the Home for Retired Bears in Lima.

Mr Bond was working as a BBC cameraman when a bear he bought in
Selfridges for his wife on Christmas Eve inspired him to write the
original novel, in which the Brown family adopt the homeless bear when
they spot him amid a pile of mailbags at Paddington station.

Mr Bond has continued to write occasional short stories about his
best-loved creation since the publication of Paddington Takes the Test,
the last novel, in 1979.

He told theBookseller.com: "One of the very nice things about
chronicling Paddington's adventures is that although the world has
changed considerably over the past 30 years, he remains exactly the
same; eternally optimistic and ever open to what life has to offer. It
makes writing the stories a pleasure."

Paddington Here and Now will have a cover illustration by Peggy Fortnum,
85, who did the first drawings of Paddington. The 50th anniversary will
also be marked by reissues of the novels and picture books and a new
title, My Book of Marmalade.

POLICE RAID ANN ARBOR BOOKSTORE

2007-12-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

Police raid book store near U-M

*Hundreds of books may have been stolen from other stores*

Friday, November 30, 2007

BY ART AISNER

*The Ann Arbor News *

Ann Arbor police seized hundreds of books Thursday from a used book
store near the University of Michigan campus as part of an investigation
into $40,000 worth of medical volumes reported stolen from another store
nearby, officials said.

Detectives searched David's Books, 516 E. William St., for about six
hours and seized between 800 and 1,000 books that they believe belonged
to Ulrich's Bookstore and possibly other stores, said Detective Sgt. Jim
Stephenson.

The raid came after a monthlong investigation into what police are
calling a large-scale retail fraud. The inquiry began after Ulrich's
employees discovered the unique medical books were missing during a
routine audit. Detectives learned some of the books were being resold on
the Internet.

With assistance from the department's special investigation unit,
detectives have identified two people believed to be involved in the
book thefts, but they have not yet been charged with any crimes,
Stephenson said.

They are not employees of David's Books, which sells a variety of used
books, and magazines.

"We've got a lot of work ahead of us that needs to be done before we can
determine who is responsible for any criminal activity,'' Stephenson said.

The owners of David's Books, who could not be reached for comment, are
cooperating with police, he said. The store remains open for business.

Stephenson said detectives seized other merchandise that may have been
taken from other bookstores and that they are just beginning the
painstaking process of identifying the contents of dozens of boxes that
practically cover the floor of a large conference room.

"We're encouraging local bookstores to contact us about any recently
stolen property in order to attempt to identify where some of these
books came from,'' he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives Bill Stanford at
734-997-1366 or Greg Jones at 734-994-3288.

Art Aisner can be reached at aaisner@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6823.

http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-25/1196453517167230.xml&coll=2

2007 11 Spam Poetry

2007-11-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

It's like some sort of weird found poetry - more spam subjects

Subject: Sucks huh
Subject: immatchable gastromelus mildews
Subject: Souls And Saints
Subject: coanimate whipsawing arda
Subject: quayful schleimer invitational happen
Subject: Circle God Milk Cycle Ice
Subject: Chocolates Meteor Shop Elephant Rock
Subject: Room Leg Fruit Chief Meteor
Subject: Shop Software Festival Skeleton Garden
Subject: Square Maze Clock Skeleton Elephant Treadmill Fan
Subject: Gate Balloon Rocket Hose Fan Perfume Snail
Subject: Saddle Freeway Coffee Necklace Circus Vacuum Worm
Subject: Teeth Tapestry Spice Horoscope Horoscope Butterfly Freeway
Subject: left and a microclimate to raise a plate.
Subject: Gloves PaintBrush Car Videotape Kitchen Freeway School
Subject: Train Spice Cup Videotape Spice Umbrella Shoes
Subject: dockyard einsincere qed
Subject: Clock Television Room Videotape Bowl Junk Needle
Subject: Gate Rope Pocket Vulture Satellite Spice Vacuum
Subject: Salt Cappuccino Signature Child Chisel Rifle Rifle
Subject: Slave Data Base Backpack Woman Jet fighter
Subject: Rocket Potato Adult Shoes Child Gas Banana
Subject: Butterfly Fungus Horse Baby Computer Bible Dress
Subject: Bed Sports-car Skeleton Monster Album Saddle Mist
Subject: Shop Hammer Rainbow Rope Earth Knife Fungus
Subject: Skeleton Mouth Hose Boss Signature Leather jacket
Subject: Earth Monster Rocket Train Tiger Leg Flower
Subject: Gloves Family Needle Book Pants Egg Fungus

Dragonlance, Appleseed 2 DVDs

2007-11-28T10:35:00.001-08:00

Paramount will release the animated Dragonlance: Dragons of the Autumn Twilight direct to DVD in January:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11683.html

Warner Home Video is releasing the new Appleseed movie, Appleseed: Ex Machina in March in both regular, HD DVD, and Blu-ray editions:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11684.html

Fwd: Spam

2007-11-26T13:59:00.001-08:00

So I got this spam today - and the subject just cracks me up for some reason.

Subject: Rocket Potato Adult Shoes Child Gas Banana

Donor show

2007-11-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6699847.stm

http://www.showbuzz.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/29/tv_realty_tv/main2861295.shtml??source=RSS&attr=_2861295

THE DARWIN AWARDS - November 2007

2007-11-19T14:29:00.001-08:00

THE DARWIN AWARDS - November 2007

PERSONAL ACCOUNT: Hedge Your Bets (near miss)

2007, Ontario, Canada || My friend's daughter is a plastic surgeon
with expertise in reconstructive surgery. Recently a patient was
rushed into the hospital, needing a surgeon to reattach the tips
of his fingers to his left hand.

While taking the patient history, it was found that this bright chap
got the idea of holding his lawn mower sideways and applying it
to his hedge. He was holding the mower deck, trimming the hedge,
and things went well until the weight of the mower got to be
a bit much. He readjusted his grip on the mower deck, and
that was when the blade bit him.

When my friend's daughter was almost finished with the complex job
of sewing this patient back together, another patient came in with
the same injury! On investigation, it was found that he, too,
had been using his mower to trim his hedge. Apparently this man
was a neighbor of the first patient. He watched his neighbor
trim his hedge, and thought it was a bright idea.

DARWIN AWARD: ZAP!

(2003, California) John, a real estate attorney, was skimming leaves
from his pool when he noticed a palm frond caught in the power lines.
Years of education equipped John with enough reasoning power to
become a successful litigator. Yet his education did not equip him
with sufficient acumen to avoid becoming a toasty critter, when he
reached up with the long metal pole and poked at the palm frond.
John was, for once, the path of least resistance.

His family, perhaps as an homage to his litigation skills, sued
both the utility company and the pool supply store, which failed
to disclose the danger of using the pool skimmer on power lines.

http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2003-20.html

The Zombeatles

2007-11-17T15:04:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sCnv4RmOEw

Burton in 3-D!

2007-11-16T15:35:00.001-08:00

Tim Burton has signed a deal to produce two 3-D movies
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11643.html

Guinness & Books

2007-11-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

Well there are books involved - and Guinness so it's double good.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2007/nov/08/guinnessadvert

Mini D&D Books!

2007-11-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

http://www.waynesbooks.com/ADD.html

plant hater

2007-11-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2007: Darwin Awards

2007-11-02T12:49:00.001-07:00

THE DARWIN AWARDS - October 2007
--------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+
WENDY's CORNER

Halloween is here. Below are two cautionary Halloween tales
about a Mummy and Count Dracula, a monumental game of Jenga
titled "Steel Steal," and a case of Beer for Bears.

DARWIN AWARDS: "Intelligent Design" BOOK 4 Now in Paperback!
123 NEW Stories. Available everywhere! Amazon price: $10.40
[ http://darwinawards.com/paperback ] An autographed bookplate
and free "Darwin Awards Fish" sticker are yours for the asking.
Mail your request (with an optional legal-sized SASE) to:
        Wendy "Darwin" Northcutt
        c/o Dutton Books 3rd Floor
        375 Hudson Street
        New York, NY 10014 USA

FAQ: What is the Darwin Awards Fish? This fish up-ends the
classic Darwin Fish. It is a belly-up deceased fish, enclosing
the words, "Darwin Awards." To order Darwin Fish Emblems,
a Smoking Crater T-shirt, autographed books, and Darwin Awards
Condoms ("Keep Yourself Out of the Gene Pool") visit my new
store:
     http://DarwinAwards.com/store

--------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+

CONFIRMED DARWIN AWARD: Mummy Says, Don't Smoke
"Another Incentive to Kick the Habit"

For Halloween 1998, a Canadian man dressed as a mummy by wrapping
himself from head to toe in fluffy cotton batting. The cotton was
taped at the wrists and ankles, and white gloves and running shoes
completed his ensemble. As the mummy waited for his girlfriend
to dress for pictures, he carelessly lit a cigarette...
and the fluffy cotton burst into flames.

The reason for flame-retardant costumes became clear.

Firefighters arrived within minutes, yet already the mummy costume
was reduced to ashes, right down to the white coveralls underneath.
The man kept repeating, "It's my fault." He was taken to Soldier's
Memorial Hospital with 2nd and 3rd degree burns, where he died.

http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1998-11.html
--------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+

CONFIRMED DARWIN AWARD: Steel Steal
"Gravity Still Works"

July 2007, Czech Republic | A pack of thieves attempted to steal
scrap metal from an abandoned factory in Kladno. Unfortunately
for them, they selected the steel girders that supported the
factory roof. When the roof supports were dismantled, the roof
fell, fatally crushing two thieves and injuring three others.

June 2007, Philippines | Three entrepreneurs planned to profit
from stolen scrap metal. They entered a former US military complex
and approached the prize: an abandoned water tank. Bedazzled by
the potential upside, the three threw logic to the wind, and began
to cut the metal legs out from under the tank. Guess where it fell?

Straight onto the thieves.

Darwin notes, "What are these thieves doing, playing a deadly
game of Jenga?! This entire category may soon become too common,
in violation of the Rule of Excellence. See Scrap Metal Thieves
and Barn Demolition."

http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-09.html
http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-02.html
http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1997-03.html
--------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+

UNCONFIRMED DARWIN AWARD: Death of Dracula

1994 | A college student dressed up as Dracula for Halloween. For
the finishing touch, he put a pine board down the front of his
shirt, so he could stick a knife into the board and pretend he was
transfixed with a killing stake. He didn't consider the strength
of the thin pine board when he tapped in the knife with a hammer.

Propelled by the force of the hammer, the sharp knife tip split
the soft wood and buried itself in his heart. He staggered from
his dorm room into the party, gasping, "I really did it!"
before succumbing before horrified friends.

REFERENCE: Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William R. Maples, Ph.D., 1994
http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1993-09.html
--------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+

CONFIRMED DARWIN AWARD: Beer for Bears

August 2007, Serbia | It's well known that alcohol impairs judgement.
It's well known that carnivorous wild animals and humans don't mix.
What happens when we combine all three? One might expect men, bears,
and beer to combine with lethal consequences. Such was the case for
a 23-year old man who inadvertently fed himself to Masha and Misha
at the Belgrade Zoo.

The Zoo director said of the incident, "Only an idiot
would jump into the bear cage."

The man's naked, mauled corpse was found inside the bear habitat, along
with several mobile phones, bricks, and plenty of beer cans. His clothes
were completely undamaged, suggesting that he approached the bears
bare-naked. The bears, fearing that his intentions were as dishonorable
as they were ill-informed, meted out a summary justice.

Later, Masha and Misha "reacted angrily" when keepers tried to recover
the man's corpse, but were eventually persuaded to give up their tasty
prize. We await word on how many beers were bartered for the body.

http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-08.html
--------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+
Copyright 2007 DarwinAwards.com -- Be safe!
Forward this newsletter to friends.
---

--------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+
You are subscribed to the The Darwin Awards
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DARWIN NEWSLETTER SERVER COMMANDS

SUBSCRIBE: <subscribe@darwinawards.com>
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--------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+

Best News of Last Year

2007-11-02T12:18:00.001-07:00

Nursery School Teacher/Stripper
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/18.html
getting old hat

Wal-Mart PR
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_walmart/2.html

PBS / Technical Virgin
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/19.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG-6AP8DIOU

Rain of human Filth
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/26.html

value of expensive professional stock-market expertise
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/32.html

Greece GNP
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/39.html

Cryonics pioneers
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/45.html

Ingredients
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/50.html

Pooh
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/53.html

Welsh Dragons
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/64.html

CIA/Comedy Central
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/65.html

Santa
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/69.html

UCLA / Amazon.com
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/72.html

unexploded cow
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/78.html

Human SexPacking
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/84.html
http://www.sexinart.net/?p=35
http://www.r255g255b255.net/

M&Menorahs

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/88.html

Crackheadz Gone Wild
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/91.html

free porn
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/98.html

Toys!
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/99.html
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/100.html
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/101.html

When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.

2007-10-28T19:47:00.001-07:00

Pluto, we salute you. (February 18, 1930 - August 24, 2006)

Wristcutters

2007-10-27T10:25:00.001-07:00

This looks good.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=19130566

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=4528530

Fwd: CARDIOLOGIST'S FUNERAL

2007-10-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

CARDIOLOGIST'S FUNERAL

   A cardiologist died and was given an elaborate funeral.
A huge heart covered in flowers stood behind the casket during
the service.

    Following the eulogy, the heart opened, and the casket
rolled inside. The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the
beautiful heart forever.

   At that point, one of the mourners burst into laughter.
When all eyes stared at him, he said, "I'm sorry, I was just
thinking of my own funeral.........I'm a gynecologist."

The proctologist fainted.

Brats

2007-10-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

I suppose it was worthwhile since the mom bought a pile of kids books, but those boys were a terror playing with their lizards all over, and pulling books out of the shelves....

Mall Life

2007-10-06T15:18:00.001-07:00

http://www.projo.com/news/bobkerr/Kerr_column_03_10-03-07_MT7BIVG.3305c2c.html

http://www.trummerkind.com/mall/Some_Thoughts/Some_Thoughts.html

Robert Jordan has died

2007-09-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6999578.stm

Bizarre Planet-Mass Object Orbiting Neutron Star

2007-09-15T10:25:00.001-07:00

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2007/millisecond_pulsar.html

'Book' Site

2007-09-11T17:00:00.001-07:00

This is really neat

http://www.thisintothat.com/

2007-09-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Gah!, lady comes in, first off with a big open cup of tea or something, and she keeps setting it on the shelf, okay, she didn't spill it, but yikes, then! she's looking in the romance, and shuffling stacks around getting things all out of order, She can't find an author, so I carefully point out that the books are organized alphabetically by the authors last name (or at least they were until she got into them), so if she's looking for an author whose name begins with an 'S' she should look under the sign that says 'Romance S' not where it says 'Romance B', I decline to comment on her yelling for assistance from across the store, but she's lucky I even heard her as books make fairly good sound baffles. Astoundingly she actually gets some books (for trade of course), I was beginning to wonder about her ability to read...

How come I never hear about this stuff when it happens?

2007-09-08T10:31:00.001-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6589157.stm

Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19

2007-09-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

2007-09-02T10:03:00.001-07:00

the 'Creature!'

2007-08-28T10:12:00.001-07:00

http://brentkmoore.blogspot.com/2007/07/creature-of-sugar-flat-rd.html

Weird Sex

2007-08-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.many-realms.net/

pirate-DVD nabbing dogs

2007-08-24T10:15:00.001-07:00

Malaysia awards medals to pirate-DVD nabbing dogs
Reuters
Published on ZDNet News: Aug 20, 2007 9:35:00 AM

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6203411.html?tag=nl.e550

Two dogs trained to sniff out DVDs received medals from the Malaysian
government on Monday for a five-month campaign that crippled movie
pirates.

Lucky and Flo, black Labradors trained to detect the chemicals used in
making DVDs, were the first animals to receive the outstanding service
awards for finding discs stockpiled by pirates, the Motion Picture
Association said in a statement.

The canine campaign led to 26 arrests and seizures of illegal discs
worth more than $6 million.

"The dogs have proven to be a major asset in our fight against the
pirates, and we intend to continue what Lucky and Flo have set in
motion," S Veerasingam, Malaysia's deputy minister for domestic trade
and consumer affairs, said in the statement.

Malaysia, which figures on a U.S. watchlist on piracy, has
dramatically stepped up efforts to rein in copyright pirates as it
negotiates a free-trade pact with Washington.

The success of Lucky and Flo has prompted the ministry to set up its
own canine unit to fight the pirates, and the MPA, which arranged for
their trial by Malaysian officials, plans to donate two new dogs to
the unit by the end of the year.

Movie pirates even put a bounty of 100,000 ringgit ($28,560) on Lucky
and Flo after they busted a fake DVD ring in the southern Johor state
in March, the MPA said. Since then, the dogs have been closely
guarded.

Lucky and Flo's next stop on their crime-fighting tour is a visit to
New York, followed by a trip to Toronto for an appearance at a film
festival, said the MPA, which groups six major Hollywood film
companies.

The MPA groups Walt Disney's Buena Vista; Paramount Pictures, a unit
of Viacom; Sony Pictures, a unit of Sony; Twentieth Century Fox, a
unit of News Corp.; Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric's
NBC Universal; and Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner.

The group estimates that copyright theft cost its members about $1.2
billion in lost revenue in the Asia-Pacific region last year, with
annual worldwide losses of $6 billion.

Okay, this just seems rather depressing for some reason.

2007-08-22T14:12:00.001-07:00

http://www.payphone-directory.org/discussion/sub1.html

Fourth Ed. D&D!!!

2007-08-17T13:57:00.001-07:00

Wizards of the Coast has unveiled Fourth Edition Dungeons and Dragons:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11123.html

D&D stuff

2007-08-16T11:24:00.001-07:00

http://www.enworld.org/archive/index.php/

Book Hunter

2007-08-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

http://www.shigabooks.com/indeces/bookhunter.html

Insane?

2007-08-04T15:00:00.001-07:00

http://www.drivemeinsane.com/

Conan - What is Best in Life?

2007-08-02T15:41:00.001-07:00

Pirates vs Ninjas

2007-07-31T10:55:00.001-07:00

Wellington Grey -- Miscellanea -- Pirates vs Ninjas

Apple's Newest Product

2007-07-25T09:48:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcjLEwZqcQI

2007-07-23T13:22:00.001-07:00

Check your potter books, are a few reports of misprinted copies, with pages 643-674 missing at end, and some with skips from page 642 to page 707 to 730 then back to page 675.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6462186.html?nid=2286&source=link&rid=1097279302

Pimp your Infant

2007-07-21T09:28:00.001-07:00

http://www.pimpfants.com/

If you like Grey's Anatomy

2007-07-08T11:14:00.001-07:00

Star Wars - gone too far...

2007-07-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Pole-arm Shop

2007-07-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

The Pole-arm Shop = D&D vs Monty Python
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0136.html

WTF!!

2007-07-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

YPL : Leash Your Girl!

2007-07-02T12:17:00.001-07:00

YPL : Leash Your Girl!

Electric Lady

2007-06-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

More George Carlin

2007-06-29T15:26:00.001-07:00

Here's another question I've been pondering -- what is all this shit about angels? Have you heard this? Three out of four people belive in angels. Are you fucking stupid? Has everybody lost their mind? You know what I think it is? I think it's a massive, collective, psychotic chemical flashback for all the drugs smoked, swallowed, shot, and obsorbed rectally by all Americans from 1960 to 1990. Thirty years of street drugs will get you some fucking angels, my friend!

What about Goblins, huh? Doesn't anybody belive in Goblins? You never hear about this. Except on Halloween and then it's all negative shit. And what about Zombies? You never hear from Zombies! That's the trouble with Zombies, they're unreliable! I say if you're going to go for the Angel bullshit you might as well go for the Zombie package as well.