No more OED on paper

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The Oxford English Dictionary will no longer be published on paper – and it took a lot of paper. Is this a harbinger of the death of paper? Probably not in our Add an Imagegeneration, but it is getting closer: although I have stacks of books on dusty shelves and still enjoy poking around in second-hand bookshops, most of the books I buy to read now are on a Kindle – same for newspaper subscriptions.

It was first published in sections 126 years ago and is known the world over.

But the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) will never appear in print again, its owners have announced.

Instead the 80 lexicographers who have been working on the third edition for the past 21 years have been told it will exist solely online when it is complete.

The OED has already been available on the internet for the last ten years and receives two million hits a month at a cost of £205 a year, plus VAT.

Its owners, Oxford University Press (OUP), says the dominance of the internet means the latest update to the definitive record of the English language will never be published in print.

‘The print dictionary market is just disappearing, it is falling away by tens of per cent a year,’ said Nigel Portwood, 44, chief executive of OUP.

‘Our primary purpose – and this takes a bit of adjusting to – is not profit, it is the dissemination of knowledge.

‘The university and I get very excited about digital because suddenly you can reach more people than ever before.

‘Print is still pretty important round here but, wherever possible, if there is an opportunity, we are moving out of it.’

There is an interesting history of the OED here. You will have to read it on a computer screen, of course.

From Google to Oh Lord in Iran

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Iran is in the process of further isolating its inhabitants by replacing the evil Western Internet that assaults delicate Iranian sensibilities with so much nasty free information, with an intranet (a closed network) complete with its own search engine call “Oh Lord”. Have to keep those Mohammed cartoons at bay somehow.

Hadi Malek-Parast, Director General for Research and Development at the Iranian Information Technology Company, told the Iranian Mehr News Agency on Sunday that Iran has started developing a national search enginged dubbed ‘Ya Haq’, a Persian expression meaning “Oh Lord.”

Speaking of the need for faster search capacity and higher security for the country’s online communications, Malek-Parast said Ya Haq would be ready to launch in 2012 and referred to the project as a domestic Intranet, as opposed to an international Internet.

“They are not just developing a search engine, they want to develop an Intranet, instead of an Internet, which would be some kind of local Internet and only give access to state institutions and internally approved sites,” Pujan Ziaie, a senior IT strategist in Iran’s ‘green’ opposition movement told The Media Line. “The discussion began a few years ago and is based on a feeling that the Internet is a Western weapon. They are threatened by it but they cannot ignore it so they are trying to imitate what China has done.”

Osama bin Laden is a CIA agent

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It was obvious, really, I’m not sure how I missed it.

From here:

Cuban leader Fidel Castro has claimed Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden is a bought-and-paid-for CIA agent.

The country’s former president has said that the world’s most wanted terrorist always popped up when former US President George W Bush needed to scare the world, and argued that recently published documents on the internet prove it.

‘Bush never lacked for bin Laden’s support. He was a subordinate.’

Castro said documents posted on the controversial WikiLeaks website ‘effectively proved he (Bin Laden) was a CIA agent.’ He did not elaborate further on the claims.

Conversely, since Obama did Nada during his first term, the economy has gone to pot and the US can no longer afford to pay for new terrorist attacks..

The Diocese of New Westminster does a flag plant in St. Matthew's, Abbotsford

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Not a church plant.

The Diocese of New Westminster is determined to hold a service in St. Matthew’s Abbotsford – a parish that has joined ANiC and whose building is in dispute – not because a diocesan congregation is needed there or to create a new outreach, but to stake a claim in the building. Considering the diocese is busy closing, consolidating and selling buildings, and it will almost certainly not have a viable congregation at St. Matthews, it is doing little more than playing dog in the manger; except dogs are more friendly.

From here:

On Sunday, August 29th at 8am in the Parish Hall of St. Matthew’s Abbotsford there will be a service of Holy Communion celebrated by the Reverend David Price, a priest licensed by Bishop Michael Ingham.

All are Welcome

On June 11th, 2010 counsel for the Diocese of New Westminster appeared before Justice Stephen Kelleher of the BC Supreme Court in the case concerning church properties seeking an Order as to costs arising from the Judgment [sic] granted November 25, 2009, as well as further Directions as to compliance by the trustees of the Parish Corporations with the Orders granted at that time.

St. Matthew’s Abbotsford is one of the contested church properties.

The Plaintiffs (Trustees) have appealed that earlier decision and this will be argued in the BC Court of Appeal commencing September 13, 2010.
In supplementary Oral Reasons for Judgment issued on June 29, 2010, Justice Kelleher awarded costs to the Diocese of New Westminster (the Defendants) and upheld the directions sought by the Diocese. In doing so, Justice Kelleher reiterated that trustees are required to exercise their powers in accordance with the Diocesan Constitution and Canons. This means that, pending the election of new trustees, the trustees at St. Matthew’s Abbotsford must respond to the Defendants’ request to hold one service per week celebrated by a priest chosen by the Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster.

In mid-July, 2010 Bishop Michael Ingham and Officers of the Diocese of New Westminster stated their intention to offer Anglican Church of Canada worship at St. Matthew’s Abbotsford beginning August 29th, 2010 and informed the Counsel for the Plaintiffs (the ANiC clergy and trustees).

In response they applied for a “Stay of Execution” of Justice Kelleher’s June 29th, 2010 direction and a hearing was scheduled to take place in front of the Chief Justice, Friday, August 27th.

Early in the week of August 22nd Counsel for the Diocese sent a letter to Counsel for the Plaintiffs suggesting that the diocesan service take place in the Parish Hall of St. Matthew’s Abbotsford and not in the sanctuary.

On August 26th Counsel for the Plaintiffs advised the registry that they are not proceeding and that the application for the “stay” is adjourned generally.

The Diocese of New Westminster, Anglican Church of Canada worship service will take place as scheduled Sunday, August 29th in the Parish Hall of St. Matthew’s Abbotsford.

Having experience the joys of sharing a building – in our case it was reversed, we had the hall – with a diocese that we felt compelled to part from, I feel considerable sympathy for the real St. Matthew’s and trust that Col 1:11 will apply.

Singing Russian monks in Antarctica piped into Anglican cathedral for Love, Peace and Understanding

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I know you think I made that up, but I didn’t:

Beatles hits sung by Russian monks in Antarctica will echo round Liverpool’s Anglican cathedral as part of a festival dedicated to peace.

It has taken months to track down singers from every continent willing to take part in the Peace, Love And Understanding concert on Saturday.

It could only happen in an Anglican cathedral.

A selection of ground zero mosque supporters

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The first specimen is from the foul-mouthed irrational contingent:

Then we have a bishop from  my favourite denomination:

Episcopal Bishop Supports Building of ‘Ground Zero’ Mosque

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Diocese of New York,

I am writing to tell you that I wholeheartedly join other religious and civic leaders in calling on all parties involved in the dispute over the planned lower Manhattan Islamic community center and mosque to convert a situation that has sadly become ever more divisive into, as Archbishop Timothy Dolan recently stated, “an opportunity for a civil, rational, loving, respectful discussion.”  [just like the loving, respectful discussion you had to depose bishop Bob Duncan?]

The plan to build this center is, without doubt, an emotionally highly-charged issue. But as a nation with tolerance and religious freedom at its very foundation, we must not let our emotions lead us into the error of persecuting or condemning an entire religion for the sins of its most misguided adherents.

The worldwide Islamic community is no more inclined to violence that any other. [overlooking the obvious point that no other religion is presently inspiring violence quite as effectively as Islam]

And the celebrity dimwit:

Def Jam co-founder/Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons has thrown in his support for a controversial mosque being built near the site of the 9/11 terror attack in Manhattan in 2001.

Simmons has placed a series of religious symbols on the panes of his Liberty St. penthouse, which spells out the word “Co-Exist.”

Other messages in the windows of Simmons’ home include “It’s the Law” and “USA is Free.”

…..

“If your blaming Muslims for the attack on 9/11 then you need to change your mind,” Simmons said about the controversy surrounding the mosque. Did we blame Christians for the first world trade attack? [no, but that was probably because it was a Muslim who did it] It creates a cycle of negativity.”

There’s nothing like Hip-Hop for dispersing cycles of negativity.