Anime Central

I usually don't do this, but I feel I have to vent over the fact that the room rate for the 2010 Acen has shot up to $155 a night for singles and $165 for everyone else, making it the most expensive fannish convention in the Chicago area by far.

A few comparisons are in order, of course.

Reactor: $103 a night 

Windycon: $104 a night; suites at $159

Capricon: $103 a night; suites at $149

Duckon: $89 a night, suites from $129 to $139

While I won't repeat some of the inside stuff that I know about how MAPS/Anime Central apparently negotiates hotel contracts, I think it's glaringly obvious that you're doing a piss-poor job of it when other conventions can negotiate suite rates that beat your standard room rates.  

And this from a con that still maintains not-for-profit status and purportedly isn't an autograph-hunter media con.  

Feh. 

This *should* be a fake news item in the Onion...

...but, sadly, it isn't.

I especially like this bizarre statement by a teacher straight out of Sit Down, Shut Up:

Band parent Sherry Melby, who is a teacher in the district, stands behind Pollitt's decision. Melby said she associated the image on the T-shirt with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

"I was disappointed with the image on the shirt." Melby said. "I don't think evolution should be associated with our school."

No word on whether or not Mrs. Melby didn't think that science, history, english or even the very concept of education should be associated with her school, either.