Free Republic

Wrangling over the fate of the debt-ridden studio had thrown its plans to make new movies, including the next 007 film, into disarray. The 23rd Bond movie had been due for release in 2012, the 50th anniversary of Ian Fleming's spy character's first outing in Dr No.

The script for Bond 23 was penned by regular 007 collaborators Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (The World is not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace) and polished by newcomer Peter Morgan (The Queen). The LA Times also claims Sam Mendes, who is unofficially attached to direct the film, worked on the script last spring. The paper’s source claims “creative discussions among the writers and producers” have hampered the film’s development. The LA Times doesn’t elaborate on the specific nature of the alleged scripting issues, but speculates that it may owe to the lofty expectations placed...

Fusing together entries on Fleming’s famous 00-agent and detailed information on cases of espionage, real-life spies, MI5, SIS, CIA, KGB, and others, Historical Dictionary of Ian Fleming’s James Bond asks the question: What proportion of Fleming’s output is authentic, and what comes directly from the his imagination?

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- A Salvadoran woman is in some trouble after she allegedly tried to smuggle into the country's main prison a military grenade and marijuana hidden in her vagina. The cylinder was about 10 inches long and 4 inches wide. Officials didn't say what prompted them to check Lidia Alvarado, 44, but authorities have raised the security level at jails across the country, fearing inmates may be planning something.

Tolerance of waste and fraud is a sorry practice for a state that often runs multibillion-dollar budget deficits. An estimate this week by the California Department of Finance says the governor's proposed budget would inflate annual deficits in the future -- with a shortfall hitting $8.6 billion in 2009-10. Meantime, the California Taxpayers' Association has analyzed press reports and government audits from 2005 and identified $5 billion in misused public money. It is true that the group has a low-tax agenda and therefore an interest in cutting government costs. And the Cal-Tax report (available at www.caltax.org) does include some debatable...