Saturday, January 11, 2014
It's Hard Out There for a Pimp
Portland pimp sues Nike for $100 million for lack of warning label after beating victim with Jordans: Sirgiorgiro Clardy claims Nike should have placed a label in his Jordan shoes warning consumers that they could be used as a dangerous weapon. He was wearing a pair when he repeatedly stomped the face of a john who was trying to leave a Portland hotel without paying Clardy's prostitute in June 2012.
Ariel Sharon, R. I. P.
Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon dies: Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, one of his nation's most controversial and iconic leaders for a half-century — on and off the battlefield — died Saturday at the age of 85, of complications from a stroke eight years ago.
Friday, January 10, 2014
"Unusual" and "Abnormality" Don't Really Cover It
DUI suspect charged after police make unusual discovery: When medical staff performed a medical x-ray of Scheller, they found “an abnormality” in his rectum.
Sometimes the Do-It-Yourself Method Just Doesn't Work
The Raw Story: A man in Australia endured a painful hospital visit after a large cockroach burrowed into his ear and his efforts to suck it out with a vacuum cleaner failed.
FFB: Midnight Road -- Jada M. Davis
As you know if you're a regular reader of this blog (and I'm sure you are), l'm a sucker for a good coming-of-age story. Or even a bad one. You don't have to worry about his one, though. It's very good. The setting is far West Texas in the '20s, small farms, small towns. Davis makes it come alive with the kind of details that only someone who's lived it can. Jeff Carr's in a tough situation with a father who knows he's not really his father, but his problems seem small compared to those of the neighbors where the patriarch, Old Trails, beats his son and tries to assault his daughter. Carr is tough, brave, and sensitive, and the things he sees and does are all vividly portrayed. There's life and death and sex and love and violence and tenderness. The climax is a courtroom drama that's both suspenseful and funny. In his blurb on the back cover, James Reasoner calls Midnight Road "a previously lost masterpiece." I'm not going to argue. It's coming in February from Stark House.
Aside and disclaimer: Jada Davis was the brother of the late Jack Davis, the man with whom I collaborated on my first novel, the infamous Nick Carter adventure called The Coyote Connection. I interviewed Jada for Paperback Quarterly more than 30 years ago.
Thursday, January 09, 2014
Gator Update (Pie Edition)
NY Daily News: Evan’s Neighborhood Pizza in Fort Myers, Fla., is known for its Everglades pie — a crazy concoction that includes of frog, alligator and snake toppings.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Appetizing photo at the link.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Appetizing photo at the link.
Amiri Baraka, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Amiri Baraka, a poet and playwright of pulsating rage, whose long illumination of the black experience in America was called incandescent in some quarters and incendiary in others, died on Thursday in Newark. He was 79.
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: The Ghoul Next Door: A Ghost Hunter Mystery eBook: Victoria Laurie: Kindle Store: On a well-deserved hiatus from the ghoulish grind of their TV show, Ghoul Getters, psychic medium M. J. Holliday, her boyfriend, Heath, and her best friend, Gilley, are back home in Boston. But there’s no rest for the weary ghost busters. M. J.’s ex comes to her for help—his fiancee’s brother Luke seems haunted by a sinister spirit. The crew sets up surveillance cameras to watch for the possessive poltergeist while Luke is sleeping. But when he goes outside in the middle of the night and returns hours later covered in blood, they are all very concerned—especially when the news reports the murder of a young woman in the neighborhood.
Now M. J., Heath, and Gilley must remain self-possessed as they try to stop a wicked ghost whose behavior is anything but neighborly.
The Curious, and Continuing, Appeal of Mark Twain in China
NYTimes.com: Although “Huckleberry Finn,” with more than 90 different translations in Chinese, is a favorite, a large portion of Twain’s popularity in China derives in fact from another, much more obscure work: a short story called “Running for Governor.”
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
El Paso Times: El Paso is the safest large city in the nation, the best city in Texas to raise a family and the least hipster city in the country, according to national rankings by a research publishing firm and a real estate website.
Yet Another List I'm Not On
And it's an annoying slideshow, besides: Teachers before they were famous
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Red Chalice eBook: Christopher Fulbright: Kindle Store: She’s a tall, dark beauty who claims to be the last living descendant of Countess Bathory. When she hires ex-con Layne Drover to accompany her to a jungle-shrouded island seeking an artifact of legendary evil, all he really cares about is getting paid. But when they reach their destination, a hurricane ravages the island, trapping them in a decayed mansion. Their quest to find her unholy grail soon becomes a struggle to survive when they discover they’re not the only ones seeking the artifact … and these “others” are not entirely human. Occult forces clash with bullets and brawn in a menacing race to obtain the RED CHALICE.
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Attention to Books of Interest
They have the talent. They have the heart. Nothing can stop Prospect Glen’s choir from taking home the trophy in the Show Choir National Competition. But below the soaring voices, there are murmurs of suspicion. So-called accidents keep befalling the other choirs. Yet Prospect Glen remains untouched.
With their competitors clamoring for them to be disqualified, the group may soon be singing a different tune. If there’s anyone who can restore harmony to the competition, it’s Paige. But this time she’ll needs to stick her neck out to discover who’s behind the sabotage, or she may end up singing her own swan song…
25.2% of Baseball Hall of Fame Voters Are Morons
Craig Biggio NOT Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame: Biggio got 68.2 percent in 2013, falling just short of the 75 percent needed to make the Hall, but only got 74.8 percent (are you kidding?).
The 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies—As Chosen By Scientists
The 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies—As Chosen By Scientists
Yes, it's an annoying slideshow, but it's an interesting list.
Link via SF Signal.
Yes, it's an annoying slideshow, but it's an interesting list.
Link via SF Signal.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
"I'm Firing You! And Telling The World Your Sins—On Twitter!": Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown has fired or disciplined 27 officers and employees in the last year. And every time he brings down the hammer, he announces it on Facebook and Twitter, specifying exactly who the men and women are and what they did.
What's the Most Popular Show Set in Your State?
I'm not sure they're right about Texas. Surely Dallas was more popular than Walker, Texas Ranger: United States of TV Shows
One Hundred Years Of Weird Fear
One Hundred Years Of Weird Fear: On H.P. Lovecraft’s literature of genealogical terror.
Seepy Benton Uses Them in His Classes
Nature News & Comment: From a few fragments out of a collection of 23-century-old bamboo strips, historians have pieced together what they say is the world's oldest example of a multiplication table in base 10.
Link via boing boing.
Link via boing boing.
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Home of the Braised (A White House Chef Mystery) eBook: Julie Hyzy: Kindle Store: With the pressure of an upcoming state dinner that could make or break the president’s foreign policy, White House executive chef Olivia Paras has precious little time to focus on her wedding plans—or to catch a murderer… Tensions are running high as the White House staff adjusts to a new chief usher and prepares for a high-stakes state dinner, where everything must be perfect. But as the date for the event approaches, things go disastrously wrong when the secretary of defense is found dead in his home, seemingly killed during a break-in.
At the same time Olivia’s fiance, Gav, is looking into the mysterious murder of an old friend. Is there a connection? Despite an increase in security following the secretary’s death, Ollie learns the president is in imminent danger at the dinner and must do everything in her power to get to him—before it’s too late…
14 Alternate "Catcher In The Rye" Covers
Annotated by Holden Caulfield
One of the quotations shows that Holden was ahead of his time when it comes to style.
And there's something very wrong with one cover, as I'm sure some of you will notice.
One of the quotations shows that Holden was ahead of his time when it comes to style.
And there's something very wrong with one cover, as I'm sure some of you will notice.
Larry D. Mann, R. I. P.
Philly.com: Larry D. Mann, who voiced Yukon Cornelius in the animated Christmas favorite "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," has died. He was 91.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Bernard Glasser, R. I. P.
The Hollywood Reporter: Bernard Glasser, a substitute teacher at Beverly Hills High School who went on to produce such films as the sci-fi classics Return of the Fly and The Day of the Triffids, died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 89.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Run Run Shaw, R. I. P.
NYTimes: Run Run Shaw, the colorful Hong Kong media mogul whose name was synonymous with low-budget Chinese action and horror films — and especially with the wildly successful kung fu genre, which he is largely credited with inventing — died on Tuesday at his home in Hong Kong. He was 106.
Overlooked Movies: Father Goose
Still, he's grateful for the chance to pick up his replacement, and he takes off in a dinghy to a neighboring island to pick the guy up. When he arrives at the island, he finds that the replacement has been killed and that Leslie Caron is there. Would you be disappointed? Well, Grant is, but he finally agrees to take Caron with him to his own island. That's when she springs something else on him: seven little girls. It takes more persuasion, but Grant gives in.
It turns out that Caron is a neat and tidy person, very much opposed to scruffy old guys who don't clean up their dwellings or their persons. Grant's kicked out of his house and his whiskey is confiscated. He and Caron start insulting each other at every opportunity.
Need I say more? You can guess what happens, I know, but not how it happens. Besides, the trip to the ending is what matters, and it's a lot of fun. Or it was for me. Sure, it's sentimental, but it's also very funny. Grant is a great comedic actor (and so, it turns out, is Trevor Howard), and Leslie Caron is wonderful. If you need cheering up, this is one to watch.
Monday, January 06, 2014
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Rosie the Ripper (Fight Card MMA) eBook: Jack Tunney, Sam Hawken, Paul Bishop: Kindle Store: Baltimore, 2014. Rosie Bratton is a recovering alcoholic. Divorced, working a dead end job, and with a young daughter she only sees on alternate weekends, her life is going nowhere. Her hopes hang on the outcome of a custody battle to regain primary custody of her daughter, and the vague possibility things might get better together. When circumstances turn bleak, Rosie nearly retreats into the bottle, but her sponsor has a solution. Felix was once a mixed martial arts contender. Now, he’s turned his talent toward teaching his skills to others. If Rosie becomes his student, he hopes she can learn how to be a stronger, focused, better person.
Some people are born to fight – in the cage and out – and Rosie is one of them. When she’s given the moniker Rosie the Ripper, she becomes something more than she was before – and it may be enough to give her a fighting chance….
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Shooter's Cross (Rancho Diablo) eBook: Colby Jackson, Bill Crider, James Reasoner, Mel Odom: Kindle Store: Army Scout Sam Blaylock rode into the small Texas town of Shooter's Cross looking for deserters, not trouble. While up in the mountains, he discovered a wilderness plagued by nature and haunted by superstition, but one that he thought he could tame with his experience and strong back.
He didn't know he was going to have to kill to keep the home he planned for his family, but he didn't let that stop him. Sam had been looking for a home for his family for years. That search had been interrupted by the Civil War.
Now Sam is putting down roots, and not even the Devil himself can stand in the way.
I Want This, and I Want It Now
Epilepsy drug turns out to help adults acquire perfect pitch and learn language like kids | The Raw Story: A team of researchers from across the globe believe they have discovered a means of re-opening “critical periods” in brain development, allowing adults to acquire abilities — such as perfect pitch or fluency in language — that could previously only be acquired early in life.
According to the study in Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, the mood-stabilizing drug valproate allows the adult brain to absorb new information as effortlessly as it did during critical windows in childhood.
According to the study in Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, the mood-stabilizing drug valproate allows the adult brain to absorb new information as effortlessly as it did during critical windows in childhood.
Comic Book Art by Lou Cameron
Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: Number 1501: Lou Cameron travels through time: Cameron didn’t stay much longer in the comic book field. According to the Wikipedia entry on Lou Cameron, he wrote an estimated 300 novels, mostly in the Western genre, many of them under pen names. He created the popular Longarm series as well as the Renegade and Stringer series.
One Less Plot for Your Novel about the Perfect Crime
Science Finally Able To Tell The Genetic Difference Between Identical Twins: It’s such a great conceit for a crime show: guy commits murder; guy denies it; turns out it was guy’s identical twin all along; everyone is happy (except murdered dude). Sadly, procedurals are going to have to get some new plotlines, because scientists at Eurofins have finally discovered a way to tell identical twins apart genetically.
New Poem at The 5-2
The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Annual Ebooks - Gerald So, Editor: Angel Zapata
CHALK DUST
Sunday, January 05, 2014
Jerry Coleman, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: A four-time World Series champion who spent his entire career with the Yankees, Coleman served tours of duty in World War II and Korea. He made the transition from player to broadcaster, first with the Yankees, before becoming the radio voice of the San Diego Padres. Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Upon My Soul -- Robert J. Randisi
After a few years, the past comes calling, as it often does. His old boss wants him back, and when Sangster turns him down, the boss sends two guys after him. Can Sangster avoid killing when others are trying to kill him? And if he's forced to kill, what about his soul?
Randisi's writing is crisp, and the short chapters race past. The book is about the length of an old Gold Medal original, and it wouldn't be out of place in that line, which coming from me is high praise. This is a good one, and since it's the first book of a trilogy, I'm eager to find out what happens to Sangster next. You will be, too.
Joseph Ruskin, R. I. P.
CNN.com: Joseph Ruskin, who acted in 25 films and 124 television shows, died of natural causes in a Santa Monica, California, hospital Saturday, SAG-AFTRA announced Tuesday. Ruskin was 89.
Ruskin's big screen credits included roles in "The Magnificent Seven," "Prizzi's Honor," "Indecent Proposal" and "Smokin' Aces." His TV credits included "Twilight Zone," "Star Trek," "Mission Impossible" and "Alias."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Ruskin's big screen credits included roles in "The Magnificent Seven," "Prizzi's Honor," "Indecent Proposal" and "Smokin' Aces." His TV credits included "Twilight Zone," "Star Trek," "Mission Impossible" and "Alias."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . .
. . . and now it's the Tire Tiff!
Dentures dislodged in tire wear tiff in Port St. Lucie
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Dentures dislodged in tire wear tiff in Port St. Lucie
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Song of the Day (It's the birthday of Jack Northworth)
Songwriters Hall of Fame - Jack Norworth Exhibit Home: In 1908, Jack Norworth wrote the lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” while riding a New York City subway train. He had spotted a sign that said "Ballgame Today at the Polo Grounds" and baseball-related lyrics started popping into his head. He took the lyrics to composer Albert Von Tilzer and the product was to become the well known baseball song. Ironically, neither Norworth or Tilzer had ever been to a baseball game at the time the song was written, but it became the second most widely sung song in America (second only to the National Anthem) and a #1 hit in 1908 for Billy Murray and Haydn Quartet.
▶ Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly in Take Me Out To The Ball Game 1949 - YouTube:
▶ Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly in Take Me Out To The Ball Game 1949 - YouTube:
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