Saturday, November 05, 2016
So Long, Nolan.
Houston Chronicle: A Nolan Ryan statue that stood in the middle of the legendary pitcher’s hometown of Alvin has found a new home in Round Rock, just outside Dell Diamond.
Oops
Scientists reveal Ossian's works were copies of 12th-century Irish tales: Poems widely regarded as a cornerstone of Scottish history are almost certainly a hoax, according to new research.
Ossian, a legendary Celtic warrior and bard from the third century AD, is the narrator and apparent author of poems translated by the Scottish poet James Macpherson.
But an investigation by scientists concluded Ossian's poems were an ingenious fake, stolen from Ireland.
Ossian, a legendary Celtic warrior and bard from the third century AD, is the narrator and apparent author of poems translated by the Scottish poet James Macpherson.
But an investigation by scientists concluded Ossian's poems were an ingenious fake, stolen from Ireland.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Private resort community underway in Ector: "It's an hour north of Dallas-Fort Worth," said Whitt. "In case of any sort of war or nuclear war or international terrorism, it's an hour away from what we call 'the threat zone.' "
Trident Lakes plans to have 400 condos, all 90 percent underground.
There will also be an underground tunnel system, a shared greenhouse, a DNA vault and several helipads.
"It's going to be one of the world's safest communities, so of course, it will be gated and there will be armed security at all times," said Whitt.
Trident Lakes plans to have 400 condos, all 90 percent underground.
There will also be an underground tunnel system, a shared greenhouse, a DNA vault and several helipads.
"It's going to be one of the world's safest communities, so of course, it will be gated and there will be armed security at all times," said Whitt.
Judy's Birthday
Judy would have been 73 years old today. She was married to me for more than 49 of those years, and we'd been going out for a little more than five years before we married. You might think that would be long enough for two people to be together. You'd be wrong. I still can't believe she's not in the next room watching Jeopardy!
Friday, November 04, 2016
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . . .
MLive.com: "I was cutting up a potato with a fork to put in the microwave," Levy testified.
"I was getting her meal ready and Bobbi came out and said, 'I don't want a potato.'" The witness said his wife grabbed a burrito out of the freezer, then started grabbing other frozen items and throwing them at him.
"I was getting her meal ready and Bobbi came out and said, 'I don't want a potato.'" The witness said his wife grabbed a burrito out of the freezer, then started grabbing other frozen items and throwing them at him.
Kay Starr, R. I. P.
The Washington Post: Kay Starr, a ferociously expressive singer whose ability to infuse swing, pop and country songs with her own indelible, bluesy stamp made her one of the most admired recording artists of her generation, died Nov. 3 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 94.
I'm Sure You'll All Agree
The Ars Technica science fiction bucket list—42 movies every geek must see: ...and nine bonus stinkers from which you should run away screaming.
Riddled with Gilt
AbeBooks: Riddled with Gilt: Gilding is an age old art which consists of applying gold in powder or thin sheet (gold leaf) form to an object - in this case, a book's pages or even cover boards. The gold in gold leaf has typically been mixed or alloyed with other metals such as silver or copper. But there are other options, and not all that glitters is gold. Some cheaper editions simply have gold-colored paint, which can dull quickly, while at the other end of the spectrum are firms like Easton Press, who still accent editions in genuine 22kt gold.
FFB: The Long Ships -- Frans G. Bengtsson (Michael Meyer, tr.)
I read The Long Ships right after the movie came out, sometime in 1965. I loved it and have remembered especially the last paragraph for all that time. So I decided to read it again. I couldn't locate my original copy, but there were plenty of others for sale on the 'net, and I ordered one. The book was as good as I remembered it, if not better. It's set in the late 10th and early 11th centuries, and it's the story of Red Orm and his adventures in that world, from youth to age. He has a great many adventures, so there's plenty of action, but there's also a lot of humor and good old-fashioned storytelling. The writing style might be a problem for some people, as there are paragraphs that are longer than entire chapters in a James Patterson book. Also, the paperback edition pictured on the left if 475 pages of minute print, and that could be a problem for readers who need bigger print. It's worth the trouble, though.
Red Orm and his friend Toke's adventures take them all over the world of that time, from England to Spain to Russia, sometimes in search of booty or treasure, sometimes as slaves in the bodyguard of lord Almansur. Even when they settle down, Orm and Toke are often called to take near-heroic action when circumstances demand it.
The Long Ships is truly the Good Old Stuff, and I give it my highest recommendation. Don't read that last paragraph first. It's effective only after you read the other 475 pages.
The movie, by the way, while wonderful in its own way, is nothing at all like the novel, aside from the title and the character names. Here's a link to my review.
Thursday, November 03, 2016
The Jack the Ripper Content Economy
The Jack the Ripper Content Economy: his fall marks the 128th anniversary of a series of murders in London’s Whitechapel district — at least five, for sure — that have long transformed from an investigation to a vague romantic aura that haunts the more macabre corners of pop culture. The case is more frostbitten than cold: due to a combination of muddled evidence and the deteriorating effects of time, the case will never be solved. Yet despite the lack of leads — in fact, because of them — the content business of Jack the Ripper is still booming.
Who Says Hollywood Is Out of Ideas?
'American Gigolo' Adaptation Set at Showtime: The premium cabler, which is already rebooting Twin Peaks, has landed the TV remake of American Gigolo, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Wednesday, November 02, 2016
“What I Learned in Prison” (by T.J. MacGregor)
“What I Learned in Prison” (by T.J. MacGregor) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN: Trish MacGregor is the author of forty novels and the winner of an Edgar Allan Poe Award for best paperback original novel. In June 2016, she appeared in EQMM for the first time, with the story “The Unit.” We have another of her riveting stories of suspense coming up in 2017. The experiences she describes in this post are both inspiring and thought-provoking.—Janet Hutchings
Ed Gorman Day
This would've been Ed Gorman's 75th birthday, and Patti Abbott suggested that we celebrate by sharing some memories and stories. I've already done a bit of reminiscing, but I haven't mentioned much about how I became a writer of adult westerns. Ed was writing some house name novels in a well-known series, and he asked me if I could help him out. This was before his cancer, so I don't know if he just had more work than he could do or if he was tired of writing the books. Anyway, I was glad to help. I always enjoyed writing house name or pen-name books for some reason. I know writers who hate that kind of work, but for me it was fun. I could do anything I wanted to and have a great time doing it. The thing about Ed was that when I'd do one of these, he'd read the manuscript and call to tell me how great it was. He'd tell me that it was the best thing he'd read in weeks and that it was award-quality work. I'd laugh, but he was serious. You gotta love a guy like that.
Later on, when the cancer was worse, he had some times when he wasn't able to fulfill his contracts, and that's how I came to be his collaborator on a book called Fast Track. It was originally published under Ed's name, but when it was reprinted, he added my name as co-author. Working on that one was interesting because for the adult westerns, Ed provided nothing but a location and sometimes a title. I did the rest. On Fast Track, I was working from a partially completed manuscript, probably about 1/3 of the book, but Ed didn't work like I do. I start at the beginning and to through to the end. Ed started at the beginning, but then he'd do a scene here and a scene there and fit them in to the book later. My problem was that he didn't have an outline for the book, just the beginning and a few scenes. Putting that together while working out a plot was a little stressful, but I think it worked out all right. Not that it won any awards.
Ed also got me work writing some essays and short stories, and he was always encouraging and upbeat. I've said it before: We won't see his like again.
Later on, when the cancer was worse, he had some times when he wasn't able to fulfill his contracts, and that's how I came to be his collaborator on a book called Fast Track. It was originally published under Ed's name, but when it was reprinted, he added my name as co-author. Working on that one was interesting because for the adult westerns, Ed provided nothing but a location and sometimes a title. I did the rest. On Fast Track, I was working from a partially completed manuscript, probably about 1/3 of the book, but Ed didn't work like I do. I start at the beginning and to through to the end. Ed started at the beginning, but then he'd do a scene here and a scene there and fit them in to the book later. My problem was that he didn't have an outline for the book, just the beginning and a few scenes. Putting that together while working out a plot was a little stressful, but I think it worked out all right. Not that it won any awards.
Ed also got me work writing some essays and short stories, and he was always encouraging and upbeat. I've said it before: We won't see his like again.
Tuesday, November 01, 2016
Who Says Hollywood Is Out of Ideas?
Tampa Bay Times: Is John Rambo the new James Bond? A reboot of the ‘80s action movies is being planned by Hollywood, but with a younger actor in mind to replace 70-year-old Sylvester Stallone. The announced title - Rambo: New Blood.
Curly Putman, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: Country songwriter Curly Putman died early Sunday at the age of 85, Nashville TV station WSMV reported.
Putman's most well-known tunes include “Green, Green Grass of Home” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today."
Natalie Babbitt, R. I. P.
EW.com: Natalie Babbitt, the author of beloved children’s novel Tuck Everlasting, died on Monday. She was 84 years old.
Alvin Leads the Way!
High school play canceled due to sensitive subject matter: Alvin Independent School District said the subject matter involved in the play called "The Wondrous Strange" was too mature for high school students and younger kids.
Overlooked Movies: Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
We're all familiar (overly so) with the story of the star who falls far and hard, and Frankie Lymon fell farther and harder (and faster) than most. Fortunately, Why Do Fools Fall in Love? doesn't take a straightforward approach to his story, and it's not even his story in the end. Check the billing on the poster to the left. The guy who's playing Frankie is fourth. The movie's the story of his estate and the battle for it among his three wives, all of whom he may or may not have been married to at the same time.This doesn't mean that Lymon's story is glossed over. It's covered, all right, and there are some very ugly moments, especially in a movie that's essentially a comedy. The moods mix well, better than I thought they would, and I got a kick out of the movie, especially the performances of the three leads. Halle Berry has a good time as Zola Taylor (of the Platters, in case you don't remember), and Vivica Fox has even more fun as the con woman wife. Lela Rochon, the Georgia schoolteacher, isn't as flashy but is equally effective. Of course in a movie with Little Richard playing himself, "flashy" is a relative term. Little Richard is great.
The '60s settings, the color photography, and the music all add to the fun. I've had this DVD sitting around for years, and I don't know why I hadn't watched it. I'm glad I finally got around to it. Lots of fun.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Tammy Grimes, R. I. P.
The New York Times: Tammy Grimes, the throaty actress and singer who conquered Broadway at the age of 26, winning a Tony Award for her performance in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” and went on to a distinguished stage career, died on Sunday in Englewood, N.J. She was 82.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Free for Kindle for Limited Time
![Spider Girl by [Lovesey, Peter]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51W4M-nC2bL.jpg)
Spider Girl eBook: Peter Lovesey: Kindle Store It's the early 1980s and 23-year-old Sarah Jordan, a PhD student at an American university, is studying spiders… 
The Spirit(s) of Lily Dale
The Spirit(s) of Lily Dale: Since 1879, residents of a quaint town in upstate New York have mediated conversations between loved ones—parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters. What’s so special about that? These mediators connect the living…with the dead.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
When Tomatoes Were Blamed For Witchcraft and Werewolves
When Tomatoes Were Blamed For Witchcraft and Werewolves: People have feared tomatoes for 600 years.
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