More Story of Chess

Earlier, I mentioned finding evidence that the horrible Broadway re-write of Chess was the only version authorized for production in the States. A more recent search has turned up this page, which indicates to the contrary. It looks to be a good broad summary of the history of many productions, and includes the tidbit that "Someone Else’s Story" was inserted at Broadway, and in later versions is given to Svetlana (the Russian’s wife) to sing, rather than Florence.

Common Errors, Nicely Delineated

Paul Brians has taken those annoying errors of usage into his own hands with a website and book. This site just helped me answer a question, and reminded me that most of the grammar questions I am asked are based on usage and not on wanting to know and apply the basic rules. I liked the list of errors enough I’m going to(make my employer) purchase the book!

Old Calendar Bonus Feature

Yes, I finally got rid of my old calendars. I was saving them because they were the Life in Hell and Futurama calendars that have good book and movie recommendations in them. So I finally copied them down so I could toss the calendars.

Science Fiction books recommended in Futurama 2004 and 2000:
(If you have any of the intervening years or can get me an ’05, I wouldn’t mind that at all.)

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English public servants and their names

For years now, I’ve been alternately horrified and delighted that Britain’s Foreign (then Home—or maybe it went the other way) Secretary is called Jack Straw. Who better to make insubstantial proposals? Now I see that I missed another good one. In the recent row over Prince Harry dressing up as a Nazi, "former royal press spokesman Dicky Arbiter … said [a written apology] was not good enough." Ari Fleischer and Scott McLellan only wish they were called Dicky Arbiter. Hell, I’ve sought all my life to get to be a Dicky Arbiter.