You Can't Kill Bigfoot in Washington and More Odd Animal Laws
Hat tip to John Duke.
Saturday, September 02, 2017
Harvey Update
The only damage to my sister's place is some wet carpet. The Crider siblings all lucked out with Harvey.
Friday, September 01, 2017
Louise Hay, R. I. P.
Louise Hay, Widely Read Self-Help Author, Dies at 90: Louise Hay, who from a 1984 best seller built a self-help publishing empire that has attracted millions of devotees with its messages about the power of thought and attitude, died on Wednesday at her home in San Diego. She was 90.
Update
My brother's place in Port Aransas. Roof leaked badly, but that appears to be the only real damage. He might need a new roof and a new ceiling, but that might be all. His flags were still there.
Shelley Berman, R. I. P.
The New York Times: Shelley Berman, whose brittle persona and anxiety-ridden observations helped redefine stand-up comedy in the late 1950s and early ’60s, died early Friday morning at his home in Bell Canyon, Calif. He was 92.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
I saw Berman on the evening of JFK's election in 1960. When he came back on stage after the intermission, he announced that JFK was leading, and there was a big round of applause. Though the headline calls Berman a "stand-up" comic, he sat on a stool for his entire show.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
I saw Berman on the evening of JFK's election in 1960. When he came back on stage after the intermission, he announced that JFK was leading, and there was a big round of applause. Though the headline calls Berman a "stand-up" comic, he sat on a stool for his entire show.
Harvey Update
My brother is headed to Port Aransas this morning. He's pulling a trailer (okay, he's not; his SUV is) loaded with supplies donated by folks in our hometown. My sister is driving there, too, but she's not pulling a trailer. Her SUV is packed, however, with things she's bought and that her Austin friends have donated.
As far as we can tell from pictures we've seen, their vacation homes in P. A. didn't sustain much exterior damage. Today they'll check the interiors. We're all hoping for the best.
As far as we can tell from pictures we've seen, their vacation homes in P. A. didn't sustain much exterior damage. Today they'll check the interiors. We're all hoping for the best.
A 1,000-Year-Old Texas Oak Tree Stands Firm
A 1,000-Year-Old Texas Oak Tree Stands Firm: A natural treasure is weathering the calamitous storm.
FFB: The Xanadu Talisman -- Peter O'Donnell
The Modesty Blaise books rely heavily on coincidence, and this one's no different. In the opening chapters, Modesty finds herself trapped in the rubble of an earthquake with a mysterious man named Bernard Martel, who's double-crossed a criminal organization and is going to locate "The Object" and get back his wife, long ago sold into slavery. The organization he betrayed is led by Nanny Pendergrast, whose two charges are the deadly Silk brothers. The feared assassin of the organization is the mysterious El Mico, who can sometimes be in two places at once. When Bernard is murdered by El Mico on Modesty's grounds, she's ready to get revenge, but Giles Pennyfeather (whom we've met before), always full of goodness, talks Modesty into completing Bernard's quest, instead. This leads to one of the biggest coincidences ever, and also to Modesty and Willie being captured in scene I found really hard to credit, with Modesty being put to the test in the arena in Xanadu, a true pleasure dome, or at least the rough equivalent. Of course [SPOILER ALERT] they eventually escape, carrying Bernard's wife with them, and this results in a nice bit of irony [END OF SPOILER ALERT].
To tell the truth, I didn't mind the coincidences in the least. It's the kind of thing I expect in a Modesty Blaise novel. The novels are pure spy fantasy with no intention of mirroring reality. That's their attraction, along with the characters and O'Donnell's smooth narration. I'll be reading another Modesty adventure soon, I'm sure.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Richard Anderson, R .I. P.
Richard Anderson Dead: 'Six Million Dollar Man' Actor Was 91: He played Oscar Goldman on 'The Bionic Woman' spinoff as well after working in such films as 'Paths of Glory,' 'Seven Days in May' and 'Seconds.'
“A Tribute to James Yaffe” (by Jeffrey Marks)
“A Tribute to James Yaffe” (by Jeffrey Marks) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN: James Yaffe is a name to conjure with at EQMM even to this day, decades after his last story for us was published. I regret never having had the opportunity to meet the man who was, and remains, EQMM’s youngest debut author—a writer who went on to do the magazine credit through his long and stellar career as a novel and short-story writer, a playwright and screenwriter, and a general man of letters. James Yaffe passed away earlier this summer and we invited Jeffrey Marks, award-winning biographer and previous contributor to this site, to provide us with a post in his memory.—Janet Hutchings
Only 99 cents for Kindle for a limited time!
Dead on the Island (Truman Smith Private Eye Book 1) - Kindle edition by Bill Crider. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com PI Truman Smith has become a loner after failing to find his sister Jan during a recent search of Galveston Island. He jogs on the Seawall, plays with his cat, and reads lots of Faulkner books. He is pulled from his self-imposed retirement when his old high school football buddy Dino asks him to find a young girl named Sharon. As Tru begins his investigation, dead bodies begin to appear and Tru himself is attacked. His search for Sharon takes him to all sorts of interesting places on and near the Island. Bill Crider spins a good mystery tale in a wonderful setting with interesting characters and enough plot twists to keep readers guessing until the last few chapters.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Happy Birthday to Allen Crider!
Allen lives in Austin now, where he's part of the Cornell Hurd Band (he's the next to last guy on the right in the top photo at the link) and does some sound work for other bands as well as producing and mastering CDs. I'm proud to be his dad.
But now I'm back
Well, that was fast. It didn't take days, after all. I don't know how long I'll be online before losing service again, but maybe I can schedule some posts for tomorrow. Wheeee!
Can Your Best Friends Be Books?
Can Your Best Friends Be Books?: Recently, reading a Mary Oliver essay collection, I stumbled across a piece called “My Friend Walt Whitman.” In it, she admits she had merely a few friends as a child in 1950s Ohio, and they were all dead. They were her favorite books.
Bouns FFM for Wednesday -- Espionage Volume 1, Number 1
As you can see from the contests list below, there are a few familiar names. There are also a few names I never heard of before, nor have I heard of them since. The magazine didn't last long, and I can see why. I read every story in the issue, and most of them have already slipped from my mind. Jack Ritchie's story is a reprint, but I believe it's the only one in the issue. It's not bad. The Asimov story really strains to explain its not-quite-dying message. The Hoch story is one of the okay ones. The Goulart tale is a "Odd Jobs, Inc." story and not intended to be taken seriously. It's amusing, but not one of his better ones. Ardath Mayhar's story is in the form of a letter, and it's printed in italics. It's not long, but I found the italics annoying. The story was okay, though. Some of the others seemed to have no point, like "The Hurricane Courier." I think the less said about most of them, the better. So I won't say any more. Well, I will say that the magazine improved, but not enough to save itself. It's an interesting curiosity from another time.
3 · Editorial · [The Editor] · ed
6 · Time to Kill · Tony Wilmot · ss
16 · The Queen and King · Isaac Asimov · ss;
24 · The President’s Brain Is Missing · Ron Goulart · ss
39 · The Purist · Edward Wellen · ss
48 · The Hurricane Courier · P. E. Halycon · ss
58 · The Foreign Minister’s Brother · Stuart Symons · ss
69 · The Commissar · Jack Ritchie · ss
78 · Historically Spying... · Joe Lewis · nonfiction
81 · A Boy and His Camera · Jery Tillotson · ss
92 · Breakfast at the Kawnbawza · Isak Romun · ss
100 · The Hatchtree Assignment · Edward D. Hoch · ss
115 · The Knack · Percy Spurlark Parker ·
118 · The Intelligence Process [Part 1 of 3] · Ernest Volkman · ar
128 · Winds of Change · John Lutz · ss
134 · A Cameo Disappearance · E. Brooks Peters · ss
152 · You Can’t Fool a Wife · Ardath Mayhar · ss
158 · Game Pages
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
The Agony and the Ecstasy of the State Fair Food Finalists: Funnel Cake Bacon Queso Burger Included
Harvey Update
Harvey Update for early Tuesday: The rain stopped sometime last night, and I got only 4-1/2 inches. That makes 28-1/2 inches at least, but since the rain stopped, the ditches carried the water away, and I'm still dry. Not high yet, but the day is young. The wind is a good big higher than it's been, but a little wind is nothing to worry about. Maybe this is the tail end of Harvey, and if so, I'm glad to see it go.
Too many others haven't been as lucky as I am, and the Texas Gulf Coast won't recover for a long time. Texans are a resilient bunch, but this is a true catastrophe, maybe on the level with Katrina and Sandy. It's going to take quite a while just to evaluate the damage to property and to know how many lives have been lost. I've made a donation to my favorite disaster relief organization, but that seems a small thing. At least it's doing a little something, even if very little, to help.
Too many others haven't been as lucky as I am, and the Texas Gulf Coast won't recover for a long time. Texans are a resilient bunch, but this is a true catastrophe, maybe on the level with Katrina and Sandy. It's going to take quite a while just to evaluate the damage to property and to know how many lives have been lost. I've made a donation to my favorite disaster relief organization, but that seems a small thing. At least it's doing a little something, even if very little, to help.
Overlooked Movies -- Phantom Lady
I believe this movie is considered a classic, so it's not really overlooked by anyone other than me. I'd never seen it before, but when it turned up on TCM, complete with an introductory discussion hosted by Eddie Muller and featuring Vince and Rosemarie Keenan, I couldn't resist.Let me say right up front that I wasn't all that taken with the movie. It's wonderful too look at, with great B&W photography, but the plot is all too simple, unlike the book it's based on. Ella Raines is great as the loyal secretary trying to free the boss she secretly loves from prison as she searches for the "phantom lady" of the title, but Alan Curtis as the boss made me wonder why she'd bother. And Franchot Tone just didn't work for me at all. Thomas Gomez as the police inspector is very good, but the real star of the show is Elisha Cook, Jr., who was cruelly ignored by the Academy when it came time to nominate for the Oscars. His drumming scene is the most amazing thing in the movie (and Raines contributes, too). Don't ask me how they got away with it. As Vince Kennan said, there's no subtext in this scene. It's all text. In case you've never seen it, here's a link.
A lot of people like this movie more than I do, so give it a try if you've never seen it. Or let me know why I should have liked it better.
Monday, August 28, 2017
The Last Adventure of Richard Halliburton
The Last Adventure of Richard Halliburton, the Forgotten Hero of 1930s America
Judy loved Halliburton's books that she read as a kid.
Judy loved Halliburton's books that she read as a kid.
Nixon’s List
Nixon’s List: As 1972 approached, President Richard Nixon started to get more and more concerned about his coming reelection campaign. He became convinced that his political adversaries weren’t just opponents-they were “enemies” and had to be stopped. He and his advisers compiled this list of 20 public figures who they felt could hurt them in some way. Were they ever really threats to Nixon? Probably not, but Nixon thought so, which makes this piece of history all the more fascinating.
Forgotten Hits: August 28th
Forgotten Hits: August 28th: Bobbie Gentry's "Ode To Billie Joe" holds on to the #1 spot for the second week as The Beatles hold at #2 with "All You Need Is Love". Slowly climbing The Top Ten are "Baby I Love You" by Aretha Franklin (#4 to #3), "Reflections" by Diana Ross and the Supremes (#6 to #4), "Heroes And Villains" by The Beach Boys (#10 to #9) and "You're My Everything" by The Temptations (#12 to #10) while Bobby Vee's latest hit, "Come Back When You Grow Up" jumps ten places from #18 to #8.
Includes a SuperChart.
Includes a SuperChart.
Harvey Update
It's raining a bit here now, but not heavily. I got only an inch of rain overnight, bringing my total to at least 17 inches. But I'm still safe and dry and well-provisioned. I don't know what Harvey will do next, but I think I'm ready.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Here's Where I Donate to Disaster Relief
And here's why: UMCOR spends 100 percent of designated donations on the projects our donors specify. UMCOR Home - UMCOR
Another Harvey Update
Poured one more inch of water out of the rain gauges, so 16 inches so far. At the minimum. As I said, the rain gauge overflowed last night. Maybe tonight will be better. We're currently in a lull in the rain, and the water is rapidly draining off. The minor street flooding nearby has cleared up, and my house is still and in no danger. I feel truly sorry for Houston and some of the surrounding towns, Dickinson in particular. The National Weather Service said this was "an unprecedented catastrophe." That says it all.
Harvey Update
Fifteen inches of rain here so far, and it's still raining. Minor street flooding near my house, but the house is still safe except for a small leak that's developed over the den. That can't be good, but a lot of my Houston friends have it much worse and have posted on Facebook that their homes have flooded. And it's still just the beginning.
The Science of Soft Serve
The Science of Soft Serve: It’s just like regular ice cream–with a few big differences
Harvey Update
I'm fine. 12 inches of rain so far, or more, but it's draining well. This isn't the case in Houston and other nearby towns where there's terrible, catastrophic flooding. And the rain will continue for at least two more days. I still think Alvin will be okay, but this is the kind of flooding that will be remembered for generations. The hurricane damage was disastrous, but the flooding is going to be even worse.
Tobe Hooper, R. I. P.
Variety: Tobe Hooper, the horror director best known for helming “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “Poltergeist,” died Saturday in Sherman Oaks, Calif., according to the Los Angeles County Coroner. He was 74. The circumstances of his death were not known.
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
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