Heroes, a great thinker and a whiner

Good morning bookies! Stand by for news and comment.

*** The idea that the Sun, not the Earth, was the center of the Solar System, was not just new in the 16th century, it was radical, perhaps even heretical. What was next? The Earth isn't flat? But Copernicus developed a theory that proved the Earth circled the Sun and not vice versa, and so thus did he become a Rock Star of Astronomy. Now it is believed that his remains have been identified through matching DNA found in a a strand of hair lifted from one of his books to that of an unidentified skeleton. Let's hope the guy gets a decent burial out of all this. (okay, so how is this even remotely book related? Well, there's the not-so tenuous fact that Copernicus wrote books, and also the hair was found in one of his books, apparently one that he actually handled.)

Copernicus found

*** The Vatican has opened a new bookstore. Having been there I must believe that it will be very clean, very well run and a welcome oasis from the Chaos of Rome. In all of Italy the largest, cleanest rest rooms are in Vatican City, so if they can get this difficult assignment right then a bookstore is a piece of cake.

New Vatican Bookstore

*** Being a soldier would be tough enough, but being a medic? You must be kidding me. People are shooting at you and all you've got is a medical bag? These guys are the toughest of the tough and all too few have written memoirs. Here's a review from one such WWII vet, a welcome addition to the canon of that war. If you've seen 'Band of Brothers' then you know the medic was one of the most respected guys in the unit.

World War Two Medic tells his story

*** London fog? More like London smog, at least for the last 20 centuries or so. After reading this book on the medical history of London, what it has actually been like to live in a city known for its plagues and illnesses, you begin to wonder who anyone survived.

Darwin at work

*** Erica Heller, daughter of Joseph Heller (Catch-22) has appointed herself the ultimate censor of what should and should not be printed. In a screed that is notable more for its egotism than its merit, she lambasts Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin for signing book deals. Frankly, she comes off as a moderately talented nobody who is angry that she can't land a similar book deal. Poor baby! She should look at the bright side: before she blasted these two people, I (and assuredly most of America) had never heard of her.

Erica Heller whines in public