The most expensive villa in Bergen, Norway is on the market because the own no longer can stand the rainy weather. I spent a few years on the west coast of Norway, and two years in Bergen. During one of those years I think it rained 80+ days in a row, and the constant mist and sight of water everywhere is depressing. The initial cost in 2000 was 38 million kroner. Now, the housing market in Norway and prices in general are astronomical, and inflation certainly doesn’t help, but almost all houses now are sold in “million” prices. Still, that’s one very expensive abode.
Author: Anders Monsen (Page 42 of 90)
Rather than fight the unions, baked good manufacturer, Hostess has decided to shut down business.
“The Board of Directors authorized the wind down of Hostess Brands to preserve and maximize the value of the estate after one of the company’s largest unions, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), initiated a nationwide strike that crippled the company’s ability to produce and deliver products at multiple facilities,” Hostess said in the statement.
So, around 18,000 jobs vanish.
Even in the era of “more government transparency” it appears the government wants your data. Google has released numbers showing a steady climb in requests. Not even the head of the CIA is exempt from surveillance hunger.
In an interview at New Statesman magazine, Terry Pratchett reveals that his daughter, Rhianna, will take over the series after Pratchett is gone. I know I’m among a legion of fans who hope that day remains far away, but with his declining health it’s a fact we must face. Not sure if the interview will appear online, as the link in the brief article about the interview mentions how you can buy the magazine on November 15, which is to say, tomorrow.
Other news gleaned from the article reveals a TV series in production called, The Watch. Apparently it continues from the books, so doesn’t re-tell what appeared in the books from the start of the Discworld series.
Due to a busy touring schedule Discworld author Terry Pratchett apparently almost died in the back of a cab in New York city recently. I also found it interesting that his assistant’s last name is so very similar to Vimes’ multi-talented butler.
A massive effort is underway to kill around 180 million rats on various Galapagos Islands. Using specially developed bait targeted at the invasive rats, the plan is to completely wipe them out within a decade.
Now available for pre-order, Robin Guthrie’s latest album, entitled Fortune.
Coming soon, an iPad app for Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. I’ll be in line to buy it, that’s for sure.
Neat article at BBC on the revolution of the mind in Egypt. Might be more important in long run than the first one.
Finished my fifth half marathon today, in a personal best of 1:43:06, despite persistent injury and limited training. Lack of serious training made itself known around mile 10, when I felt the leg strength fade. Turnover slowed drastically for two miles, then picked up again the last mile. I hope the injury finally heals in 2013 so I can keep working on my 1:35 goal pace.
