Saturday, January 01, 2011
Hey, It Could Happen
NJ Woman Charged With Setting Boyfriend on Fire - FoxNews.com: "Rozzelle told police she could not find her car keys and tried to wake King, who was asleep on a couch. Rozzelle said she then lit a cigarette and a match fell onto a blanket that covered King, which in turn lit on fire, according to the report."
I Am So Out of the Loop
Elle Fanning, Rooney Mara, Chloe Moretz: Rising Stars of 2011 - The Daily Beast: "There year has barely begun, but there is already a group of up-and-comers. From Elle Fanning in Super 8 to Rooney Mara in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, see pictures of the ones to watch 2011."
Baby Names: Newsiest of the Year
Baby Names: Newsiest of the Year - The Daily Beast: "From the predictable—Knox and Malia—to the surprisingly hot—Stanley and Bowen—name experts Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran, co-authors of Beyond Ava & Aiden, round up the year in baby name news."
Outsourced -- Dave Zeltserman
Dan Wilson's past middle age, his job has been outsourced, he has no insurance, and he's going blind. So he's going to rob a bank. He has the perfect plan, and nobody's going to get hurt. He assembles a team of other software engineers whose jobs have been outsourced, and the plan is put into motion.If Wilson read crime fiction, he'd know that heists never go as planned, and his goes disastrously wrong. Innocent people die, which is bad enough, but to add to the problems, some of the loot belongs to really bad people. So it's not just the cops and the FBI who are after Wilson. The mob and a Russian gangster are also on the trail. The team doesn't hang together, so they start to hang separately as Wilson tries to stay alive and to hide his involvement from his family. The heist was supposed to save his family, not destroy it, and his desperation is palpable.
Eventually there's gunplay galore and bodies litter the ground. It's a bleak book with a bleak ending, one you're likely to keep reading past your bedtime to get to. Zeltserman had a breakout year in 2010, and this book will just add to his growing reputation.
And Keep Off Their Damn Lawns!
Baby Boomers Turn 65, With Another Milestone to Redefine - NYTimes.com: "In keeping with a generation’s fascination with itself, the time has come to note the passing of another milestone: On New Year’s Day, the oldest members of the Baby Boom Generation will turn 65, the age once linked to retirement, early bird specials and gray Velcro shoes that go with everything."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Texas asks court to stop EPA takeover of permits rules: "Texas is the only state to refuse to implement the rules."
Hostile Camel Would Be a Good Name for a Rock Band
‘Hostile’ camel tased at Kiln farm: "An out-of-control camel at a Kiln residence has attacked two people in the past month, causing damage to a car and sending one man to the hospital, authorities said Wednesday. One of the instances resulted in a sheriff's deputy using a Taser to subdue the beast."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Woman fries and eats pet goldfish after fight with ex-husband: "PASADENA, Tex. - Authorities say a Houston-area woman who was burned up at her former common-law husband fried their pet goldfish and ate some of them."
K-k-k-k-ken!
Hat tip to Art Scott.
He'll be Back
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Schwarzenegger Considering Acting Return - Contactmusic News: "ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER is considering a return to acting after he steps down from his post as California Governor next week (beg03Jan11).
The Terminator star stepped away from Hollywood to pursue a career in politics and he's been in charge of the state of California since 2003. He will step down at the beginning of 2011 and hand over the role to incoming Democrat Jerry Brown, sparking speculation over his next move."
The Terminator star stepped away from Hollywood to pursue a career in politics and he's been in charge of the state of California since 2003. He will step down at the beginning of 2011 and hand over the role to incoming Democrat Jerry Brown, sparking speculation over his next move."
Croc Update (Flood Edition)
Australia floods: More than 200,000 people affected | Mail Online: "Warning over crocodiles being washed into homes by Australian floods covering area bigger than France and Germany"
Friday, December 31, 2010
Fair Warning, Guys
Report: Wife 'snaps,' beats husband with rock for smoking when he was sick: "A woman was arrested Wednesday morning for beating her husband with a rock, claiming she didn’t want him to smoke a cigarette because of his poor health.
'A woman can only take so much,' she told a deputy."
'A woman can only take so much,' she told a deputy."
Sale!
Today and tomorrow are the last days to save 25% on one order at Crossroad Press. Just use the coupon code "Holidaze." You probably got a new e-reader for Christmas, and you know you want add a couple of westerns by me to your e-book collection, not to mention some horror/thriller novels from Jack MacLane.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Blotter: Report: Man’s behavior turns strange: "Later she reported that he was texting her from the hospital that he was not sorry for what happened."
Billy the Kid Update
No Pardon for Billy the Kid - The Daily Beast: "Old West legend Billy the Kid remains lawless: After anticipation that New Mexico’s lame-duck governor would pardon the famous outlaw, Bill Richardson announced on Good Morning America on Friday morning that he had declined the opportunity."
5 Innovations That Will Change Lives In Next 5 Years -
5 Innovations That Will Change Lives In Next 5 Years - BizTech2.com -: "IBM has unveiled the fifth annual 'Next Five in Five'- a list of innovations that have the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years. It is based on market and societal trends expected to transform our lives, as well as emerging technologies from IBM's Labs around the world that can make these innovations possible."
The Year In Movie Anniversaries
Edward Copeland on Film...and more: The Year in Movie Anniversaries
Hat tip to Steve Stilwell, who delights in making me feel ancient. I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
Mystery Scene Update from Kate Stine
Hi everyone,
Mystery Scene Magazine now has a Wikipedia entry. Contributors names are linked to their Wikipedia entries or websites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Scene_Magazine Feel free to correct any mistakes or add information. Many of you don't have pages set up at Wikipedia and now's as good a time as any to create one.
Charity Fundraiser: Mystery Scene will donate $1 to Reading is Fundamental for every new Twitter follower through December 31. $100+ raised so far! Please help spread the word.
If you're on Facebook or have a Twitter account, make sure we know about it. We'll make your FB page a "Favorite" of Mystery Scene Magazine Page. MS will also follow you on Twitter and include you on the "MS Contributors" List.
The holiday lull is a good time for various housekeeping tasks. For one, please make sure your bio at the MS website's "Our Contributors" Page is up to date.
Brian and I wish you all a wonderful 2011!
Best,
Kate
Croc Update (Kitchen Counter Edition)
New Prehistoric Crocodile Found in "Kitchen Counters": "Fossils of a new species of ancient crocodile cousin have been found in limestone once destined for Italian kitchen countertops, a new study says.
The fossils were originally discovered in a limestone quarry in Ferrara, Italy, in 1955 after workers sliced a huge block into four slabs and found the bones trapped inside.
'When the owner noticed the bones, he decided to save' the slabs, said study co-author Federico Fanti, a geologist at the Museo Geologico Giovanni Capellini in Italy.
Scientists performed only a cursory examination of the fossils—enough to determine that they belonged to an ancient crocodile—before the slabs were transferred to two museums in Italy.
The fossils sat unstudied until 2009, when scientists decided to examine them again in more detail."
The fossils were originally discovered in a limestone quarry in Ferrara, Italy, in 1955 after workers sliced a huge block into four slabs and found the bones trapped inside.
'When the owner noticed the bones, he decided to save' the slabs, said study co-author Federico Fanti, a geologist at the Museo Geologico Giovanni Capellini in Italy.
Scientists performed only a cursory examination of the fossils—enough to determine that they belonged to an ancient crocodile—before the slabs were transferred to two museums in Italy.
The fossils sat unstudied until 2009, when scientists decided to examine them again in more detail."
Forgotten Books: EPITAPH FOR A TRAMP -- David Markson
I first read this book a few decades ago, and I have copies of both the Dell and Berkley editions. But for some reason I picked up another copy the other day. I guess I couldn't resist. Markson wrote a sequel, Epitaph for a Dead Beat, that I also read, but he didn't write crime novels much longer. He moved on to become the highly regarded author of such postmodern novels as Wittengenstein's Mistress, a book much praised by the likes of David Foster Wallace.For all that, the two books about Harry Fannin are more or less conventional private-eye novels, with maybe a few more literary allusions than most. In this one, Fannin finds himself in a classic situation. His ex-wife dies at his doorstep, and there's a lot of missing money that other people are looking for. Fannin and his cop buddy investigate, and the first solution isn't the right one. I remembered the second solution from my first reading, but it was probably obvious even then.
I liked the voice of the book quite a bit, and I liked the writing. I was bothered a little by the gay-bashing, which I probably didn't even notice forty years ago. I remember thinking that Markson must have read Ross Macdonald, though that didn't seem so obvious this time. Macdonald handles some gay issues in The Drowning Pool, and he does so more circumspectly than Markson. But Markson's book was published in 1959, some years after Macdonald's. Some of the dialogue might seem dated to modern ears, but to mine it was still amusing. I'd certainly recommend this novel, and if you run across a copy, give it a try.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Geraldine Hoff Doyle, R. I. P.
Lansing's 'Rosie' dies at age 86 | lansingstatejournal.com | Lansing State Journal: "Her face became the symbol of women's empowerment, and her death is the end of an era.Geraldine Hoff Doyle of Lansing, the woman behind an iconic image of a bandana-clad, muscle-flexing Rosie the Riveter during WWII, has died, according to her family.
Doyle was 86 upon her death, a lifetime older than the 17-year-old factory worker who was captured in a United Press International photo in a metal-pressing plant near Ann Arbor.
Her photo was later used by the U.S. War Production Coordinating Committee in an illustrated poster called, 'We Can Do It!'"
Aron Abrams, R. I. P.
Showbiz - News - Producer Aron Abrams dead, aged 50 - Digital Spy: "Aron Abrams has been found dead in his Hawaiian hotel room at the age of 50.
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports that the Everybody Loves Chris and Grounded For Life producer was discovered by his wife on Christmas morning while the couple vacationed in the town of Waikoloa."
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports that the Everybody Loves Chris and Grounded For Life producer was discovered by his wife on Christmas morning while the couple vacationed in the town of Waikoloa."
Snooki Update
Showbiz - News - Snooki 'won't drop New Year's ball in NYC' - Digital Spy: "Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi will reportedly not take part in MTV's New Year's Eve coverage on Friday.
According to PopEater, the Jersey Shore star's plan to become a human hamster during the network's giant ball drop was cancelled after authorities deemed the plan unsafe.
'The Snooki ball drop isn't going to happen in Times Square,' a source said."
According to PopEater, the Jersey Shore star's plan to become a human hamster during the network's giant ball drop was cancelled after authorities deemed the plan unsafe.
'The Snooki ball drop isn't going to happen in Times Square,' a source said."
Keep off His Lawn!
Probation for killing after dog pees on prize lawn - U.S. news - Crime & courts - msnbc.com: "A former Marine who was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a man whose puppy urinated on his award-winning lawn was sentenced Wednesday to four years probation."
Hmmmmmmm
Woman strangled necklace massager: Woman strangled by necklace caught in massager - OrlandoSentinel.com: "A South Florida doctor has died after authorities say she was accidentally strangled by an electronic neck massager on Christmas Eve.
Kenneth Gegerson called 911 after finding his wife's body on the bedroom floor next to the neck massager."
Kenneth Gegerson called 911 after finding his wife's body on the bedroom floor next to the neck massager."
Pike -- Benjamin Whitmer
Pike's a guy you shouldn't mess around with, mountain mean and tough. Rory, a bar boxer, is his best and only real friend. One day a woman shows up with Pike's granddaughter, Wendy, and hands her over to Pike. Pike's daughter, she says, has died of an overdose in Cincinnati. Pike reluctantly takes on the guardianship of his daughter, but before he can settle into any kind of life with her, he has a need to find out if his daughter's death was really an accident or if it was accidental. The search for answers sets Pike on a collision course with Derrick Kreiger, a seriously bent cop, who's more of a vigilante than a cop, a wild man who's convinced that he's in the right no matter who he kills or beats to a pulp. Not that Pike is much better. It's hard to work up a lot of sympathy for either. Wendy and Rory are as close to innocence as we come, and they're no angels.
Pike's journey takes him into some hellish parts of the city, and some of the people he meets are even less savory than Kreiger. This isn't a pretty book, and there are no pretty scenes. It's violent and brutal, just like the people in it. Don't come to the book looking for uplift and you'll be rewarded. The prose is clean, and the writer's vision is clear and unsparing. Check it out.
The Eyes Have It
Eye-catching: Incredible pictures that for the first time reveal the human eye in all its glory | Mail Online: "These pictures are a sight for sore eyes.
For while they may resemble the dramatic surface of the Red Planet they are actually the eye-catching images of the human iris in all its glorious detail - each one as unique as a fingerprint."
For while they may resemble the dramatic surface of the Red Planet they are actually the eye-catching images of the human iris in all its glorious detail - each one as unique as a fingerprint."
Photos at the link.
Soon to Be a SyFy Movie!
Do Pterosaurs Still Exist on Papua New Guinea?: "Pterosaurs are ferocious flying dinosaurs thought to have been extinct for 65 million years. However, there is physical evidence of gigantic nesting sites in some of the mountainous cliff areas of Papua New Guinea. What's more the natives there have been reported as being fearful of animals that fit their description and given eyewitness accounts. The animals were described as being large in diameter, with bat-like wings connecting to an elongated beak. There were reports of razor sharp teeth and claws and a lengthy whip-like tail with a split or flange at the end."
An Experiment
Here at my house I have a new gizmo. I'm trying out the speech recognition software that comes with windows seven. It's having a little problem with my Texas accent. However, maybe if I keep practicing it will learn a few things, or maybe I will. So far it's typed this entry with only a few mistakes. I don't know that it will ever take the place of typing with my fingers. But it's fun to try it out.
Forgotten Music -- Recitations
Whatever happened to corny recitations? There was a time when Walter Brennan could sell millions of records with "Old Rivers" or this one, "Dutchman's Gold."
And before Wink Martindale because a game show host, he had a smash with "Deck of Cards."
To be fair, a lot of other people had hits with this same number, including Tex Ritter. Now, this kind of thing would be laughed off the air, I suspect. Or maybe we could make a case that it's an early form of rap. No? I didn't think so.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Agathe von Trapp, R. I. P.
Agathe von Trapp is dead at 97; Her musical family inspired show and film 'The Sound of Music': "Agathe von Trapp, a member of the musical family whose escape from Nazi-occupied Austria was the basis for 'The Sound of Music,' has died, a longtime friend said Wednesday.
Von Trapp, 97, died Tuesday at a hospice in the Baltimore suburb of Towson after suffering congestive heart failure in November, said Mary Louise Kane. Kane and von Trapp lived together for five decades and ran a kindergarten at the Sacred Heart Catholic parish in nearby Glyndon until 1993.
Von Trapp was the oldest daughter of Austrian naval Capt. Georg Ritter von Trapp. His seven children by his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp, were the basis for the singing family in the 1959 play and 1965 film, which won the Oscar for best picture."
Von Trapp, 97, died Tuesday at a hospice in the Baltimore suburb of Towson after suffering congestive heart failure in November, said Mary Louise Kane. Kane and von Trapp lived together for five decades and ran a kindergarten at the Sacred Heart Catholic parish in nearby Glyndon until 1993.
Von Trapp was the oldest daughter of Austrian naval Capt. Georg Ritter von Trapp. His seven children by his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp, were the basis for the singing family in the 1959 play and 1965 film, which won the Oscar for best picture."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Billy Taylor, R. I. P.
Billy Taylor, Jazz Pianist and Educator, Dies at 89 - NYTimes.com Billy Taylor, a pianist and composer who was also an eloquent spokesman and advocate for jazz as well as a familiar presence for many years on television and radio, died on Tuesday in Manhattan. He was 89 and lived in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.
The cause was heart failure, said his daughter, Kim Taylor-Thompson.
Dr. Taylor, as he preferred to be called (he earned a doctorate in music education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1975), was a living refutation of the stereotype of jazz musicians as unschooled, unsophisticated and inarticulate, an image that was prevalent when he began his career in the 1940s, and that he did as much as any other musician to erase.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Affidavit Details FBI "Operation Payback" Probe | The Smoking Gun: "-As part of an international criminal probe into computer attacks launched this month against perceived corporate enemies of WikiLeaks, the FBI has raided a Texas business and seized a computer server that investigators believe was used to launch a massive electronic attack on PayPal, The Smoking Gun has learned."
Making ‘True Grit’ a Best Seller
Making ‘True Grit’ a Best Seller - NYTimes.com: "The underlying story, about young Mattie Ross’s pursuit of the man who shot her father, certainly had fans. But Mr. Rehme recalls that Paramount, which collaborated with Mr. Wallis on the film, had an interest in seeing that the book lived up to its reputation as a best seller.
So Mr. Rehme, by his own recollection, did what any really enterprising publicity executive of the era would have done: he set out to rig the game."
So Mr. Rehme, by his own recollection, did what any really enterprising publicity executive of the era would have done: he set out to rig the game."
A Guy Named Gator
TWO ARRESTED FOR 911 ABUSE: "Then there’s the case of a man who goes by the name of Gator. He’s 61-year-old Lawrence Gauthier from Oak Hill with a history of using the 911 emergency line like it was his own personal request hotline. Gauthier made his first call to 911 asking for a deputy to come to his house and bring him business cards. Later deputies say an apparently intoxicated Gauthier called emergency dispatchers because he wanted to have the media arrested."
True Grit
Many years ago I read a review of a book called True Grit. Probably in Time magazine. Soon afterward I went to the library and checked out the book. I loved it. I thought Portis was a genius. I immediately read his previous novel, Norwood, and was even more convinced. I've read his succeeding books with almost equal pleasure. So I'm the target audience for a new movie version of True Grit.Not that there was anything wrong with the original except for Glen Campbell. Wayne seemed to think he needed a young singing star in his films to get the teen audience in the theaters. This led to such things as having Frankie Avalon in The Alamo. Yikes. That being said, I think Ricky Nelson did just fine in Rio Bravo, and Fabian was very good in North to Alaska.
But I digress. I liked the original movie version just fine, and I like Coen brothers version an awful lot. In some ways it's the same movie. Some the shots are the same. The shootout in the meadow is almost identical. The dialog is pretty much the same too, and it follows the same conventions that the book and first movie do (no contractions). But the tone is different this time. The big difference to me is that Wayne played Rooster Cogburn for comedy. Jeff Bridges plays him more or less straight, and he's a scary guy. The new movie is still very funny, but the humor's not nearly as broad as it was in the first film.
The current movie also uses the book's framing device, with Mattie doing a voiceover at the beginning to let us know that she's now an older woman looking back at an incident from her past. The ending uses the voiceover as well, and I found it much more evocative that the ending of the John Wayne version (though that ending was appropriate for that film).
The actors are uniformly fine. If Hailee Steinfeld isn't nominated for a best actress Oscar, there's no justice. And I wouldn't be surprised to see Bridges get a nomination, too. The photography is stunning.
If you think the western's a worn-out genre, if you think it can't still generate power and show beauty in tough situations, see True Grit. I think it'll prove you wrong.
Here's the Plot for Your Next Gator Thriller
'All hell breaks loose' after Reptile Guy rescues gator: "Hopcraft said he was informed he was under investigation for the illegal transportation and possession of an American alligator, and faces jail time and fines up to $100,000 under B.C.'s new exotic species bylaws. The ministry confirmed he is under investigation, but has not responded to Hopcraft's claims that he was set-up in the deal."
Croc Update (Priestly Edition)
Ancient priests' names preserved in pottery - Technology & science - Science - DiscoveryNews.com - msnbc.com: "Broken pieces of clay pottery have revealed the names of dozens of Egyptian priests who served at the temple of a crocodile god, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) announced.
Engraved with text dating back to the Roman period, the small potsherds have been found by Italian archaeologists on the west side of the temple dedicated to the crocodile god Soknopaios in Soknopaiou Nesos, an Egyptian village in the Fayoum oasis."
Engraved with text dating back to the Roman period, the small potsherds have been found by Italian archaeologists on the west side of the temple dedicated to the crocodile god Soknopaios in Soknopaiou Nesos, an Egyptian village in the Fayoum oasis."
It Was 50 Years Ago Today
On December 29, 1960, I had a date with a girl named Judy Stutts. She was pretty and smart, so I thought I'd ask her out again. Seems like only yesterday.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Here's the Plot for Your Next Heist Gone Wrong Thriller
Chief: Woburn cop slay like ‘wild west’ - BostonHerald.com: "When a career cop on the verge of retirement crossed paths with a paroled thug aiming to restart his criminal career at Kohl’s jewelry counter Sunday night in Woburn, it ended with splatters of blood, scattered diamonds and two men dead in the wind-driven snow.
It was the first and last time in 34 years of public service that Woburn police officer John “Jack” Maguire, 60, a married father, had fired his gun on the job. He planned to retire in October."
It was the first and last time in 34 years of public service that Woburn police officer John “Jack” Maguire, 60, a married father, had fired his gun on the job. He planned to retire in October."
Girl Gang!
Girl gang's grip on London underworld revealed | Books | The Guardian: "Girl gangs might sound like a modern British problem, but new research has revealed an all-female crime syndicate had a firm and pitiless grip on London as far back as the 18th century.
Forgotten stashes of photographs, records and letters have revealed that although the capital was carved into different fiefdoms by various male villains, one all-female gang ruled part of the gangland underworld for almost two centuries."
Forgotten stashes of photographs, records and letters have revealed that although the capital was carved into different fiefdoms by various male villains, one all-female gang ruled part of the gangland underworld for almost two centuries."
DVD Alert
'The Andy Griffith Show 50th Anniversary' review: Today is a perfect time to enter the world of Mayberry | Ken Tucker's TV | EW.com: "Christmas is just over, and maybe you’re happy or exhausted or overwhelmed or at peace. There is no mood, however, that cannot be lifted or enhanced by watching a few episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. A new DVD, The Best of Mayberry, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the show’s 1960 debut, and collects what is, by fan common consensus, 17 episodes that are the all-time favorites of the series that ran from 1960-1968. It starred Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor, presiding over Mayberry, a town that is at once an idealized small town, and a quietly realistic embodiment of small-town habits and values."
I For One Welcome Our New English-Teaching Overlords
South Korean students get robot teachers - The News Chronicle: "Almost 30 robots have started teaching English to youngsters in a South Korean city, according to the Associated Press.
The 29 robots, about one metre (3.3 feet) high with a TV display panel for a face, were said to have started teaching Monday, with Engkey, a white egg-shaped robot developed by the Korea Institue of Science of Technology, leading at 21 elementary schools in the southeastern city of Daegu."
The 29 robots, about one metre (3.3 feet) high with a TV display panel for a face, were said to have started teaching Monday, with Engkey, a white egg-shaped robot developed by the Korea Institue of Science of Technology, leading at 21 elementary schools in the southeastern city of Daegu."
Truer Words Were Never Spoken
Court rules teen's sock fire not arson - UPI.com: "'(He) was 14 years old, and although his intelligence appeared to the (Youth Court) judge to be average, average 14-year-old boys may do things without any thought of the risks involved, even when they have been told about the risks on other occasions,' Justice Jill Mallon said in the High Court ruling."
The Secret Life of Bees
Honeybees are found to interact with Quantum fields: "How could bees of little brain come up with anything as complex as a dance language? The answer could lie not in biology but in six-dimensional math and the bizarre world of quantum mechanics."
DVD Alert
ALLIGATOR & ALIEN FROM THE DEEP Coming To DVD - FANGORIA: "ALLIGATOR is really THE GREAT ALLIGATOR, which was already released by No Shame under the title THE BIG ALLIGATOR RIVER, well, now it's coming out again, by Mya Communications on Feb 22nd."
Top 30 Signed Books on AbeBooks in 2010
AbeBooks.com: Top 30 Signed Books on AbeBooks in 2010: "2010 saw a mixture of established writers and some relatively little known authors share the limelight.The clear leaders in the signed books category were Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. Both novels were acclaimed by the literary critics with Franzen also receiving a hefty plug from Oprah Winfrey. Other established names on the list include Peter Carey, Ian McEwan, Philip Pullman, Joe Hill and Bret Easton Ellis."
No Comment Department
Texas pastor caught with fur coats, laptop says she was securing belongings, not stealing them - latimes.com: "A Texas pastor caught by police with a laptop and fur coats said she was protecting the valuables, not stealing them from the home of a parishioners.
Sandy McGriff, cofounder of the Church of the Living God, told The Dallas Morning News on Monday that she used poor judgment when she entered a church member's home through a broken window and removed valuable property."
Sandy McGriff, cofounder of the Church of the Living God, told The Dallas Morning News on Monday that she used poor judgment when she entered a church member's home through a broken window and removed valuable property."
Alcohol Was Involved
Burglars ram forklift through wall of West Linn general store to steal beer | OregonLive.com: "Burglars drove a forklift through the side of a general store building on Christmas Day, making off with beer.
The store was closed for the holiday and nobody was working during the break-in, which was discovered Saturday afternoon. Although the store carries a wide selection of tools, wine and groceries, the only thing that appeared to be missing was beer."
The store was closed for the holiday and nobody was working during the break-in, which was discovered Saturday afternoon. Although the store carries a wide selection of tools, wine and groceries, the only thing that appeared to be missing was beer."
Hat tip to Lawrence Person.
Monday, December 27, 2010
No Comment Department
Make it on a computer and they will come: "It's official: realism is dead in movies, at least at the big bucks end. Not one of the world's top 10 grossing films this year represents the world we live in, from Toy Story 3 - the first animated film to take more than $US1 billion - to Tim Burton's partially animated Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter 7, Shrek 4, Twilight 3 or Iron Man 2.
The closest to realism was Christopher Nolan's topsy-turvy puzzle game Inception - the point of which was to subvert the real. Each top 10 grosser was made wholly or partly on a computer."
The closest to realism was Christopher Nolan's topsy-turvy puzzle game Inception - the point of which was to subvert the real. Each top 10 grosser was made wholly or partly on a computer."
Archaeology Update
Researchers: Ancient human remains found in Israel: "Israeli archaeologists say they may have found the earliest evidence yet for the existence of modern man.
A Tel Aviv University team excavating a cave in central Israel said Monday they found teeth about 400,000 years old. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half that old.
Archaeologist Avi Gopher said Monday further research is needed to solidify the claim. If it does, he says, 'this changes the whole picture of evolution.'"
A Tel Aviv University team excavating a cave in central Israel said Monday they found teeth about 400,000 years old. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half that old.
Archaeologist Avi Gopher said Monday further research is needed to solidify the claim. If it does, he says, 'this changes the whole picture of evolution.'"
Toy Story 3
I liked the first two Toy Story movies, so I expected to like this one, too. And I certainly did. The opening sequence got to me not just because I maintain even in my old age a deep connection to my childhood but because I remember and almost identical situation in my own life. In the movie, Andy's going away to college, and his mother tells him he has to clean out his room. Everything has to go, either to the dump, to the daycare center as a donation, or to college along with him. All mothers must get their ideas from the same place because the same thing happened to me. I can remember all too vividly the day my mother told me that I had to get rid of all my books and magazines or she'd throw them out. I called a friend with more understanding parents, and we loaded all of them into the back of his station wagon. I can still see them through the back window as he drove away.
But enough about me. The toys get donated by accident, and the daycare center looks like a great place, with an apparently friendly bear named Lotso in charge. But things aren't what they seem, and the toys need to escape. This leads to one of the more harrowing (and touching) animated sequences I've ever seen.
The voice acting is great. Is there an Oscar category for voice acting. If there isn't, there should be. The Pixar animation is as amazing as ever, if not even more amazing, and the writing and storytelling are top shelf. In fact, the more animated movies I see, the more I think the writing and storytelling are better than in the live-action films. Some adults can't get into animated movies, and that's okay, but I think they're missing something if they pass up stuff like this.
Bonus: Best use of deus ex machina since Eurpides.
Bonus: Stay through the credits to see Buzz Lightyear and Jessie do the paso doble.
Thinking of a Career Change?
Ahearn: For backstage labor, rich rewards - NorthJersey.com: "The Carnegie stagehands' pay was something else again, but not, as it turns out, unique. At Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, the average stagehand salary and benefits package is $290,000 a year.
To repeat, that is the average compensation of all the workers who move musicians' chairs into place and hang lights, not the pay of the top five."
To repeat, that is the average compensation of all the workers who move musicians' chairs into place and hang lights, not the pay of the top five."
Damn Near Dead 2 Update
Scott Montgomery’s 2010 Top 10 Mystery Picks: "3. Damn Near Dead 2 edited by Bill Crider – A follow up to my favorite anthologies lives up to its predecessor. Stories range from Anthony Neil Smith’s darkly humorous tale of an aging pimp to Don Winslow’s melancholy tale of an aging surfer."
No Comment Department
The Wimps Who Stole Christmas | Philadelphia Daily News | 12/27/2010: "This is the height of wimpiness, and the girly-men who made this sad decision should be ashamed of themselves."
Teena Marie, R. I. P.
My Way News - Teena Marie, known as 'Ivory Queen of Soul,' dies: "Teena Marie's last album, 'Congo Square,' was titled after a historical meeting place for slaves in New Orleans, featured a tribute to Martin Luther King's widow and also song 'Black Cool,' written for President Barack Obama.
No matter that Marie, 54, was white. The R&B legend revered and fully immersed herself in black culture - and in turn was respected and adored by black audiences, not only for her immense soulful talents, but for her inner soul as well.
'Overall my race hasn't been a problem. I'm a Black artist with White skin. At the end of the day you have to sing what's in your own soul,' she told Essence.com in an interview last year while promoting 'Congo Square.' That album would turn out to be her last."
No matter that Marie, 54, was white. The R&B legend revered and fully immersed herself in black culture - and in turn was respected and adored by black audiences, not only for her immense soulful talents, but for her inner soul as well.
'Overall my race hasn't been a problem. I'm a Black artist with White skin. At the end of the day you have to sing what's in your own soul,' she told Essence.com in an interview last year while promoting 'Congo Square.' That album would turn out to be her last."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Okay, I'm warning you not to click the link if you're easily offended and don't have your eye bleach handy.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Buffalo Leads the Way
Armed customer tries to stop bank robber - UPI.com: "A bank customer tried to stop a fleeing armed robber in the Buffalo, N.Y., area, running after the man and firing his own weapon, police said."
Here's the Plot for Your Next Hollywood Extortion Trhiller
Cowboy star Roy Rogers faced Ohio extortion attempt in 1950s
Read the article for details of an early photoshopping extortion scheme.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Customers buy prosthetic eye for waitress' daughter who survived cancer | khou.com | khou.com Local News: "Talk about a generous tip. Some customers at the 59 Diner near South Kirkwood Road gave their waitress a Christmas gift she never expected: a prosthetic eye for her daughter who survived cancer last year."
They Always Get Their . . . Oops
Mounties docked pay for sex misconduct: "Two Mounties have admitted to disgraceful conduct after it was revealed one was having sex while on duty with a female recruit and another officer was sending sexually explicit e-mails to a female intern."
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