The Price of Poker just went up

Tempted by the holiday ads for the "Star Registry"?

If you're unfamiliar, the program works like this. Tonight take a look outside. If the night is clear, you're likely to notice lots of stars. Peek through a spy glass and you're likely to see even more. Click on the Hubble telescope site and there are more stars than even you can count, on both hands even.

For a nominal fee, the Star Registry, and their ilk (there are lots of sites to chose from) offer exclusive naming rights (some offer ownership) of the star of your choosing. To hell with a star on the Walk of Fame, when you're a celestial owner.



Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? It was until...

Senora Angeles Duran, from Salvaterra do Mino, Galicia, Spain reported Friday that she bought the Sun (sol, soleil, sole...). The same one you see many mornings and afternoons.

Sra. Duran's certificate of ownership,"issued by the notary public declares Duran to be the "owner of the Sun, a star of spectral type G2, located in the centre of the solar system, located at an average distance from Earth of about 149,600,000 kilometres".

In a move which may put the kibosh to many solar energy projects, Angeles is planning a use tax. The Sun is now on a pay to play plan. Use the sun, pony up. This may put a crimp in Alice's Hermes budget.

We night owls have little to fear.

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