Seems like the first indications are coming up that the whole thing has been blown way out of proportion. The newest numbers apparently are 26 confirmed cases in total, and 7 deaths. With 2500 suspected cases (and the WHO estimate of the real number of cases ten times that high), it's no more lethal than any other flu.

It's simply too early still to really call the numbers on it, and the rate of infection is going to matter. But from the looks of it, it's way too early to panic.

We just got the details, and it's not just the seriously wealthy. Half a million Euro (650,000 USD) is enough for you to turn into an enemy of the working class.

Half a million - that's your family home for 300,000, plus retirement fund savings and a few insurances and things like a car. It's not a sum that's incredibly hard to reach for middle-class people.

Anyone with enough money that qualifies as "wealth" would protest, but there are far too many people who see that kind of thing as a great solution. Never underestimate the envy of those who think the rich bastards don't deserve what they've got.

I'm Austrian, and the social democrats in power are talking about implementing a "wealth tax". Nobody is quite sure yet what exactly they want to tax and what will be exempt, but the idea is not as outlandish as it seems.

They'll also scare off a disproportionatley large group of customers. Pretty much every study on consumer behaviour in the last years says that the LGBT market is the fastest-growing with a lot of spending potential, and these are people who'll spend more money than average on books. They're also more likely to do online shopping. Not the kinds of people you want to annoy in your online business.

Absolutely with you on Thief and Civ 3&4.

The Caesar series is another one. C2 improved on C1 with new possibilities, C3 took it to perfection, and anything that came after that, along with all the spin-offs, did nothing but "simplify" the bits that were so much fun in C3.

If you think of Judeo-Christian values, I suggest you take a look at Catholic churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Europe. You'll find plenty of statues of her as she breastfeeds baby Jesus. Visible nipples are occasional extras.

Judeo-Christian values frown upon sex in a lot of ways, but they don't consider breastfeeding to be sexually connotated.

It surprises me that Amazon.com is only making this move now. I work for a company that supplies Amazon Germany, along with a number of retail customers. The retailers get the standard 5-layer cardboard box with product pictures, information etc., while Amazon has their own mail order box - sturdier, different info on the outside, and with a designated spot to stick the address label on. In the household product sector, it's been a standard for years by now.