Sometimes, I am full of ideas and plans, and I feel like I can do so much to make my life better, to make other people’s lives and / or jobs much better. On mornings like this, I feel my ideas have so much potential.

In reality, my ideas have a lot of potential, but idea theft (more kindly, idea co-option) runs rampant, and in China, no one believes an ethnic Chinese woman could possibly have original ideas and potential, runs on pure motivation, and is doing something to participate and contribute to society, where earning an income is more than welcome, but is not the driving force.

These past several months can be summarised in the two paragraphs above, freshly typed. I would elaborate, but I have a meeting to get to.

Rumour has it Peter Jackson will be directing The Lovely Bones, a novel about a 14-year old who is raped and murdered by her neighbour, and is told from her point of view (in Heaven).

The Herald reports that the director who was supposed to direct it, Lynne Ramsay, either quit the production or was pushed out because Peter Jackson had expressed an interest in the film.

I think The Lovely Bones would benefit from a relatively unknown, but respected arthouse director — it’s that kind of story. It doesn’t need super special effects, just good locations, because it’s a simple story and Susie Salmon’s death and afterlife should be enough to carry the film.

I can practically see it in my head now.

This is not to say Peter Jackson can’t do it, I enjoyed Heavenly Creatures immensely when I first saw it a number of years ago, and I also thought Bad Taste and Brain Dead were hilarious. However, now he’s got backers up the wazoo — what’s to stop him from using all sorts of special effects to create Susie’s heaven?

(Kristen gave me her copy of The Lovely Bones last year, and it’s one of my favourite books.)

Iraq Had Talks on Buying Uranium for Nukes:

Although the European intelligence material suggested a proactive role by the sellers, intelligence officials said that Iraq actively sought supplies, the FT said.

…

Despite evidence that it was supplied to at least two of those countries, it was not clear if talks with Iraq ever led to exports, the report added.

Okay. My reading of this says Iraq had the intent to do nasty things (duh). There doesn’t seem to be any evidence so far of them carrying out that intent. This made (makes?) Saddam Hussein dangerous, but not as dangerous as Bush and Blair (oh, I forgot Howard) led many to think.

(Resurrecting an old thought — not mine — if the Bush administration found assassinations an acceptable way of dealing with dangerous criminals, why not just have Saddam Hussein and his sons taken out way back when, and have the UN step in as peacekeepers? Less blood on their hands.)

And now that they’ve invaded and currently occupy Iraq (two more days till the handover!), they have to suck it up and deal with the attacks, the resistance, and public dissatisfaction over their performance. Way to go promoting Western-style democracy in the Middle East, lads.

(This is a Letter from Iraq, and it’s pretty good. Stops mysteriously in mid-sentence on page 4, though.)

Does Niger get in trouble for selling uranium?

Update: Glenn Reynolds gets on the story one week late. Jon Henke writes:

I plan to spend the rest of this evening enjoying the vindication.

This would be based on the belief that Yes, it’s okay to use forged documents to back up your story, on the off-chance the claim turns out to be true?

Those documents aren’t any less fake now. They should not have been used as evidence, and if Henke feels vindicated, it means he supports using fakes. I propose we forge documents alleging anything we like, and we are allowed to do that now, according to Henke.

• had dinner at Tutto Bene (mmm, homemade pasta)
• had drinks at Tutto Bene, then Havana (then Neil wanted to go elsewhere, but it was too late except for dodgy nightclubs)
• had way too much egg prata at Pattaya (the vermicelli salad is too, too spicy)
• had drinks at The House
• had more drinks at The Londoner
• watched Neil kill people on Vice City
• had dinner at The House (please change the menu)

Serial killer seeks sex change:

Denyer, 32, stabbed and strangled three young women during a seven-week killing frenzy in bayside suburbs in 1993.

What, was he jealous?

Denyer told homicide squad detectives, who interviewed him after his arrest, that since he was 14 he had “always wanted to kill”.

When asked why his victims were women, he said: “Just hate ‘em”.

He sounds like he’d modelled himself after other serial killers. IMHO, he’s nothing more than an attention whore who’ll do anything do go down in history as the Man Who [insert unbelievable activity here].

Yes, I did it again. The white layouts lasted, what, a month?

A British DJ was suspended from his station for playing (Sir!) Cliff Richard songs, only to be reinstated soon after.

I’m going to lose all credibility once I say this, but what’s so bad about playing (three bags full, Sir!) Cliff Richard on the radio? I grew up listening to (we salute the rank, not the man, Sir!) Cliff — my mum is a big fan. Childhood memories include watching (was I a bad girl, Sir!) Cliff Richard music videos (Wired for Sound is actually one of my favourites because of the roller skating) and listening to (crying is for babies, Sir!) Cliff Richard sing Summer Holiday, Living Doll, We Don’t Talk Anymore, Miss You Nights, Daddy’s Home, Theme for a Dream, and many, many, excruciatingly many more tracks on audio tape — I bought my mum a new (Sir, yes Sir!) Cliff Richard CD over Chinese New Year.

The photos on the official (would you like fries with that, Sir!) Cliff Richard site show a man growing old rather ungracefully. What a shame. Also, one of the records pictured on his discography is very… informative.

So. (Are you a man or a mouse, Sir!) Cliff Richard. Erm. Yes. Radio stations should be allowed to play his records.

I’m done now.