| Romantic novelists out of love over plagiarism
Cruel words and harsh accusations have darkened the world of romantic fiction after a popular American novelist was accused of plagiarism. Cassie Edwards is the world's most successful author of American Indian historical romance novels, with more than 10 million copies of her 99 books in print. However, the author of Wild Abandon, Savage Longings and Rapturous Rendezvous, is having her literary output subjected to the unwelcome attentions of readers who are uninterested in the exploits of amorous Cheyenne braves. .
Scrapbooking 'rock star' gets drummed off stage
Disgruntled scrapbookers besieged the Creating Keepsakes chat room threatening to cancel subscriptions, boycott and sue. Scrapbooking bloggers called it "Hall of Fame-Gate." They compared it to the performance drug controversies involving baseball player Barry Bonds and track star Marion Jones.
At first, Contes found the uproar amusingly absurd. She replied on her blog. "Apparently, many lives have been destroyed by this catastrophe."
Her post prompted a barrage of responses on message boards on sites such as Scrapsmack and Twopeasinabucket. One message thread about her received more than 1,255 comments.
"I guess her response is 'dignified' if you live in the same trailer park as she does."
She "doesn't have a moral bone in her body."
Mortified and hurt, Contes stopped scrapbooking.
The U.S. Media’s Admiration of Chancellor Merkel is Suddenly Over
After her election as chancellor of Germany in November 2005, Angela Merkel received a lot of positive press coverage in the US. Her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder was blamed for the bitter transatlantic disagreements over the Iraq war. Merkel was supposed to be a pro-American and a strong reformer, who heals German-American relations and makes Germany more supportive of US policies around the world. I expected some honeymoon for Chancellor Merkel, but was very surprised how long it lasted and how strong the admiration of Merkel was in the US mainstream media and on blogs. Three examples from December 2006/January 2007: (1) David Rothkopf praised her in Foreign Policy Passport: The most powerful female political figure in Europe since Queen Victoria has turned the methodical scientific training from her upbringing in Communist East Germany into a formula for gaining admirers worldwide.
Snow Day in the Sands of Baghdad
An Iraqi who works for The Associated Press said he woke his wife and children shortly after 7 a.m. to "have a look at this strange thing." He then called his brother and sister and found them awake, also watching the "cotton-like snow drops covering the trees." For a couple of hours anyway, a city where mortar shells routinely zoom across the Tigris River to the Green Zone became united as one big White Zone. There were no reports of bloodshed during the snowstorm. The snow showed no favoritism as it dusted neighborhoods Shiite and Sunni alike, faintly falling (with apologies to James Joyce) upon all the living and the dead. .
Row over Irish plan to invite the Queen
The Queen is set to become the first British monarch for almost a century to visit the Republic of Ireland. Royal Family: News, videos and photos An invitation from Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister, looks certain to be issued later this year or early next year. .
It’s Lookin’ Good Dedicated to the Egyptian People
In the past two decades, the number of venues, events, funds and possibilities available to the arts community has grown in leaps and bounds. Egypt has undergone a major cultural revival in the visual arts, but beyond quantity, what is it that has made the art of this age different from that of the previous decades? With few exceptions, artists in the past had to resort to working within a structure wholly monopolized by the state. Art education, exhibition spaces as well as opportunities for international participation were more or less the domain of the government and thus predominantly reflected the values and concerns of those in power. .
Britney Spears hands over children after dispute at her home
Sands spoke briefly, saying Kaplan: "feels at this time it would be inappropriate for him to speak to the media ... because of the serious nature of what we have all read about."
The attorneys are expected to return to court at 1:30 p.m. today. No legal papers requesting custody changes had been filed as of Friday morning, said Meredith Pierce, deputy public information officer for Los Angeles Superior Court.
Authorities were called to Spears' home in the 12000 block of Summit Circle about 8 p.m. Thursday after Federline's bodyguards went to her house to pick up Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, who were scheduled to return to their father's custody, authorities said.
By the time officers arrived at the home, Spears had turned over her younger son to the bodyguards but had locked herself in her bedroom/bathroom suite with Sean Preston, according to an LAPD supervisor familiar with the case.
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