December marks the end of another year. With the holiday season behind us (thank you (and happy birthday), Jesus!), news during the month of December was equal parts devastating, perplexing, and nonsensical. From Time Magazine’s distasteful choice of ‘Person of the Year’ to the ‘Word of 2007’ to the expected ‘Colour of 2008’, I present to you the best/random/weird bits of watercooler-worthy news that happened during the month that was: December: 
Blue is the New Black – Hey Fashionista, have you heard? Colour authority, Pantone, has named No. 18-3943 the colour of 2008! No. 18-3943 is called Blue Iris. Wow. Great. But seriously though, who the hell cares?
Freedom Costs $21.3 Million – A 710-year old copy of the Magna Carta was auctioned off for $21.3 million (U.S.). Turns out you can put a dollar figure on freedom. Sigh.
Still Lookin’ Good – Queen Elizabeth II became the oldest living British monarch as of December 20th, 2007 at precisely 5 p.m. (E.S.T.) – not that anyone is counting down the days – Right, Charles?
Sphinx Replica? Please Pay Fee – Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities has proposed seeking copyright protection of its historical relics, for everything ranging from the pyramids to scarab beetles. Guess my plan to reconstruct the Pyramid of Khufu in the backyard won’t be as cheap as I thought.
No DMCA Please – Contrary to expectation, Parliament did not announce the changes to the Copyright Act before the holidays. Canadians now wait with bated breath for the amendments to copyright legislation when Parliament reconvenes next month. Fearful of mirroring the draconian U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act that limits users’ rights, University of Ottawa law professor, Michael Geist, is uniting Canadians to step up and show the Feds that Canadians want Canada to embrace technology and will not be jerked around by the Motion Picture Association of America.
Uhhh…Yeah? – Time Magazine names Vladimir “No-One-Can-Criticize-Me” Putin as Person of the Year. Three names: Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko, Ivan Safronov. It ain’t no democracy without a free press. Plain and simple.
Can I Get a w00t w00t? – W00t, spelled with two zeroes in lieu of Os, was named ‘Word of the Year’ by Merriam-Webster. Coined by gamers and a derivative of the now-archaic term “whoot”, w00t is expressed by those to denote positive celebration. Huzzah and yay respond in mutual anger and resentment.
I Tuhwear I Saw a Puttie-Tat – A court in Naples makes a clerical error and summons Tweety, Donald Duck, Daisy, and Mickey Mouse to testify at trial in a counterfeit case. Hmmm…[insert drinking-on-the-job joke here].
WTF?!? – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni awaits expected parliamentary approval to buy a $48.2-million Gulfstream jet. The President insists that his old Gulfstream purchased seven l-o-n-g years ago for over $16 million is in need of an upgrade. This is the same guy who spent over $27 million on renovating his presidential palace. For the love of diamond-studded salad spinners and gold gilded toothbrush holders – stop spending and take care of your citizens and country – WTF?!?
One Hilton To Be Proud Of – While some spend, others give. Paris Hilton’s granddaddy, Barron Hilton, sets an example by
allocating 97 percent of his gargantuan $2.3 billion fortune to charity. By changing his will, Granddaddy Hilton leaves a paltry $69 million to be divvied up amongst his heirs, leaving Paris with a measly $5 million to add to her “fashion” empire fortune.
Rest In Peace – Democratic leader of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party, Benazir Bhutto, was brutally assassinated by a gunman/suicide bomber at a rally in the city of Rawalpindi. After living in exile for the past eight years, Bhutto made a jubilant and controversial return to Pakistan in October with the hope of winning the upcoming January elections. Public discontent over her death has led to numerous riots across Pakistan and leaves many anxious about next month’s elections.
The Watercooler is a monthly feature written by Ottawa lawyer AAK!