From the same source as this comment below.
"I have the desire to write. I've never looked at writing as an easy job, or an escape. It was what I wanted to do. Sixteen years I worked eight hours a day at another job. I always found time to write. When I was reporting to work at 5 in the morning, sometimes I was writing until 1 A. M.
"While I was working at this other job, I managed to turn out novels, short stories, and novelettes. It was ten years after I started collecting rejection slips before I sold my first short story. I have boxes of stories written before that time, stories that never sold and never will. But I got something from them, facility, satisfaction and knowledge of the craft."
Friday, October 27, 2006
Joe Queenan Makes a Good Point
Mitts in the air, pal ... | Features | Guardian Unlimited Film: "[Sterling[ Hayden is the kind of actor who does not exist any more: dangerous but seductive, grizzled but glamorous, tough but tender. In short: not Orlando Bloom. Like his granite-jawed contemporary, Robert Ryan, Hayden evokes a bygone era when men with doxies named Blanche LaRue kept puffing on their stogies even when they'd just taken a .38 slug to the solar plexus. The closest thing we have to Hayden today is Russell Crowe, who is about 28 inches shorter, or Clive Owen, who seems a bit too cerebral to pass as a thug. It is telling that when Americans start casting about for an actor who resembles the charismatic tough guys of the 1940s and 50s, they must look to the Commonwealth. Leonardo won't do. Matt Damon won't do. Mark Wahlberg won't do. Johnny Depp is too sweet, Val Kilmer too weird. Only Sean Penn is in the ballpark. But Sean Penn is not a looker."
Happy Birthday, Great Pumpkin!
Peanuts fans can revisit Great Pumpkin on TV, DVD: "When It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown makes its annual prime-time appearance on ABC Oct. 27 (7 p.m., Channel 13), it will mark the 40th anniversary — to the day — that Charles Schulz's Peanuts gang were brought to animated life for Halloween. Every year since, Charlie Brown has tried to kick Lucy's football, cut too many holes in his ghost costume and played second fiddle to Linus' belief in the mythical Great Pumpkin."
1963
Okay, so I'm sitting here listening to Clarke Davis on The Big Show on Rock-it Radio, and he's playing the Cash Box Top 100 from 1963, the week of January 5 to be precise. Listening to Little Esther Phillips belt out "Release Me," I started thinking about what I must have been doing then and went into a veritable frenzy of nostalgia (to quote a comedian who was popular in those days).
I was a senior in college, and it was near the end of the Christmas break, so I was about to go back to Austin from my final semester. Later that semester, I'd be going in for job interviews. I had only a couple, and when I was offered a teaching job in Corsicana, Texas, I jumped at it. Corsicana was only 30 miles from my hometown, and only 50 miles from the town where Judy Stutts lived. It was the second figure that was more important.
A couple of years earlier I had a history teacher named (I'm not making this up) John Quincy Adams. I'm not sure if he was rich or just a clothes horse, but he wore a different sport coat to every class meeting of the semester. He was a wild-eyed liberal, so far out that he'd created a sensation one semester when the John Birch Society had students take tape recorders into his class and secretly record him to prove to the world that he was a commie. The thing he said that I'll always remember was this: "The government is lying to you about a place called Viet Nam. There are already more American troops there than they're telling you, and this is going to be the worst thing that ever happened to this country." He said this around 1961, and in 1963 I still couldn't have located Viet Nam on a map.
One thing I remember about that final semester is moving my roommate to the Presbyterian seminary where he was going to continue his education. Some big hit by the Crystals (probably "Da Do Ron Ron") was playing on the radio when we drove over there. He's a retired minister now, living in West Virginia. He calls now and then, and we still like to talk.
I remember moving my stuff out of the dorm for the last time that May. I put everything I owned in to my 1953 Ford Tudor and drove out of town. I never thought I'd be back. Little did I know I would later return to work on my Ph.D.
John F. Kennedy was president. Little did I know how that would end, either.
Brook Benton's singing now. "Hotel Happiness." I remember all these songs all too well. Sometimes I think I'm still living in January, 1963. Sometimes I think it wouldn't be so bad if I were.
I was a senior in college, and it was near the end of the Christmas break, so I was about to go back to Austin from my final semester. Later that semester, I'd be going in for job interviews. I had only a couple, and when I was offered a teaching job in Corsicana, Texas, I jumped at it. Corsicana was only 30 miles from my hometown, and only 50 miles from the town where Judy Stutts lived. It was the second figure that was more important.
A couple of years earlier I had a history teacher named (I'm not making this up) John Quincy Adams. I'm not sure if he was rich or just a clothes horse, but he wore a different sport coat to every class meeting of the semester. He was a wild-eyed liberal, so far out that he'd created a sensation one semester when the John Birch Society had students take tape recorders into his class and secretly record him to prove to the world that he was a commie. The thing he said that I'll always remember was this: "The government is lying to you about a place called Viet Nam. There are already more American troops there than they're telling you, and this is going to be the worst thing that ever happened to this country." He said this around 1961, and in 1963 I still couldn't have located Viet Nam on a map.
One thing I remember about that final semester is moving my roommate to the Presbyterian seminary where he was going to continue his education. Some big hit by the Crystals (probably "Da Do Ron Ron") was playing on the radio when we drove over there. He's a retired minister now, living in West Virginia. He calls now and then, and we still like to talk.
I remember moving my stuff out of the dorm for the last time that May. I put everything I owned in to my 1953 Ford Tudor and drove out of town. I never thought I'd be back. Little did I know I would later return to work on my Ph.D.
John F. Kennedy was president. Little did I know how that would end, either.
Brook Benton's singing now. "Hotel Happiness." I remember all these songs all too well. Sometimes I think I'm still living in January, 1963. Sometimes I think it wouldn't be so bad if I were.
Will the Persecution Never End? (Anna NIcole Smith Edition)
Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.
iWon News - Ex Files 2nd Lawsuit Against Smith: "LOS ANGELES (AP) - An attorney for the former boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith has filed a second lawsuit against the reality TV star, this time alleging fraud and conspiracy, his lawyer said Thursday.
The lawsuit was filed in the Bahamas on behalf of photographer Larry Birkhead, who claims he is the father of Smith's 6-week-old daughter, said Birkhead's attorney, Debra Opri.
Meanwhile, authorities are investigating whether Smith legally obtained permanent residency in the Bahamas, where she has been living since the birth of her daughter, the country's immigration director said Thursday.
Birkhead has been seeking a paternity test, claiming he is the father of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern. He filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles seeking a court order to demand Smith bring the baby to California for a test.
In the new lawsuit, Birkhead alleges Smith provided fraudulent information when applying for her daughter's birth certificate in the Bahamas. Smith identified her lawyer, Howard K. Stern, as the father. The lawsuit asks that Stern's name be deleted from the girl's birth certificate and replaced with Birkhead's."
iWon News - Ex Files 2nd Lawsuit Against Smith: "LOS ANGELES (AP) - An attorney for the former boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith has filed a second lawsuit against the reality TV star, this time alleging fraud and conspiracy, his lawyer said Thursday.
The lawsuit was filed in the Bahamas on behalf of photographer Larry Birkhead, who claims he is the father of Smith's 6-week-old daughter, said Birkhead's attorney, Debra Opri.
Meanwhile, authorities are investigating whether Smith legally obtained permanent residency in the Bahamas, where she has been living since the birth of her daughter, the country's immigration director said Thursday.
Birkhead has been seeking a paternity test, claiming he is the father of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern. He filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles seeking a court order to demand Smith bring the baby to California for a test.
In the new lawsuit, Birkhead alleges Smith provided fraudulent information when applying for her daughter's birth certificate in the Bahamas. Smith identified her lawyer, Howard K. Stern, as the father. The lawsuit asks that Stern's name be deleted from the girl's birth certificate and replaced with Birkhead's."
Thursday, October 26, 2006
More From Harry Whittington
Here's another comment from Harry Whittington's articles in The Mystery Writer's Handbook. This one's from "Why I Write": "Writing isn't an easy business (even when you love it as much as I do). The more you're conditioned to take disappointments, distractions, and bad breaks, the more likely you are to get where you want to go."
Whew! What a Relief!
Link thanks to Jeff Meyerson.
LiveScience.com - Vampires a Mathematical Impossibility, Scientist Says: "A researcher has come up with some simple math that sucks the life out of the vampire myth, proving that these highly popular creatures can't exist.
University of Central Florida physics professor Costas Efthimiou's work debunks pseudoscientific ideas, such as vampires and zombies, in an attempt to enhance public literacy. Not only does the public believe in such topics, but the percentages are at dangerously high level, Efthimiou told LiveScience.
Legend has it that vampires feed on human blood and once bitten a person turns into a vampire and starts feasting on the blood of others.
Efthimiou's debunking logic: On Jan 1, 1600, the human population was 536,870,911. If the first vampire came into existence that day and bit one person a month, there would have been two vampires by Feb. 1, 1600. A month later there would have been four, and so on. In just two-and-a-half years the original human population would all have become vampires with nobody left to feed on.
If mortality rates were taken into consideration, the population would disappear much faster. Even an unrealistically high reproduction rate couldn't counteract this effect.
'In the long run, humans cannot survive under these conditions, even if our population were doubling each month,' Efthimiou said. 'And doubling is clearly way beyond the human capacity of reproduction."
LiveScience.com - Vampires a Mathematical Impossibility, Scientist Says: "A researcher has come up with some simple math that sucks the life out of the vampire myth, proving that these highly popular creatures can't exist.
University of Central Florida physics professor Costas Efthimiou's work debunks pseudoscientific ideas, such as vampires and zombies, in an attempt to enhance public literacy. Not only does the public believe in such topics, but the percentages are at dangerously high level, Efthimiou told LiveScience.
Legend has it that vampires feed on human blood and once bitten a person turns into a vampire and starts feasting on the blood of others.
Efthimiou's debunking logic: On Jan 1, 1600, the human population was 536,870,911. If the first vampire came into existence that day and bit one person a month, there would have been two vampires by Feb. 1, 1600. A month later there would have been four, and so on. In just two-and-a-half years the original human population would all have become vampires with nobody left to feed on.
If mortality rates were taken into consideration, the population would disappear much faster. Even an unrealistically high reproduction rate couldn't counteract this effect.
'In the long run, humans cannot survive under these conditions, even if our population were doubling each month,' Efthimiou said. 'And doubling is clearly way beyond the human capacity of reproduction."
The Spider, Master of Men!
Thanks to Ted Hertel for the tip.
Moonstone Books - The Spider: "The Spider is the most extreme vigilante crime fighter of all time. His stories are some of the most vivid,lurid, violent,
and just all out relentless action ever put to paper! Moonstone gives THE SPIDER the illustrated prose anthology treatment!
There will be NEW stories by: John Jakes (yes, the guy who wrote “The Kent Family Chronicles” as well as “North and South”!), and (in alphabetical order): Mort Castle, Bill Crider, Shannon Denton, Chuck Dixon, Steve Englehart, Ron Fortier, Joe Gentile, Rich Harvey,John Helfers, CJ Henderson, Howard Hopkins, James Anthony Kuhoric, Elizabeth Massie, Christopher Mills, Will Murray, Rafael Nieves, Ann Nocenti, Martin Powell, Richard Valley, & Robert Weinberg.
With interior art by: Thomas Floyd
COMING JAN '07!"
Borat Gives Maxim his Top Ten Dating Tips
Borat's Dating Tips for Maxim MAXIM ONLINE: "I like you? I like sex! Here I make my tops 10 checkings list for Americans mens on sexytime."
Texas Leads the Way?
They should use those books as shields.
School district stops teaching students to attack?intruders - CNN.com: "BURLESON, Texas (AP) -- A suburban Fort Worth, Texas, school district has halted a program teaching students to attack a gunman if he invades a classroom, administrators said Wednesday.
The district will continue to train students in how to respond to life-threatening situations but no longer will show them how to take down an attacker, spokesman Richard Crummel said.
Robin Browne, an instructor for Response Options, the security company that provided the training, had recommended that students and teachers 'react immediately to the sight of a gun by picking up anything and everything and throwing it at the head and body of the attacker and making as much noise as possible. Go toward him as fast as we can and bring them down.'"
School district stops teaching students to attack?intruders - CNN.com: "BURLESON, Texas (AP) -- A suburban Fort Worth, Texas, school district has halted a program teaching students to attack a gunman if he invades a classroom, administrators said Wednesday.
The district will continue to train students in how to respond to life-threatening situations but no longer will show them how to take down an attacker, spokesman Richard Crummel said.
Robin Browne, an instructor for Response Options, the security company that provided the training, had recommended that students and teachers 'react immediately to the sight of a gun by picking up anything and everything and throwing it at the head and body of the attacker and making as much noise as possible. Go toward him as fast as we can and bring them down.'"
Gator Update
local6.com - Local News - Fla. Man Pulls Dog From Gator's Jaws: "NAPLES, Fla. -- A Lee County man and his dog will probably be staying out of canals for a while after a scare with a gator.
Terry Weaver said he pulled his dog from the jaws of a 6-foot long alligator.
The dog had gone in the canal when Weaver jumped on the alligator's back and wrestled to set the dog free. The dog wasn't seriously injured."
Terry Weaver said he pulled his dog from the jaws of a 6-foot long alligator.
The dog had gone in the canal when Weaver jumped on the alligator's back and wrestled to set the dog free. The dog wasn't seriously injured."
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Crime Fiction IV - Allen J. Hubin
This is fine stuff, folks, with cover scans, links and photos. I hope you all have the CD-ROM version of Crime Fiction IV, but you'll want to look at this even if you don't. And don't miss Al's fine introduction that tells how this massive project got started.
Crime Fiction IV - Allen J. Hubin: "Crime Fiction IV: A Comprehensive Bibliography 1749-2000
by Allen J. Hubin
Addenda to the Revised Edition.
If you are a first time visitor, you are encouraged to read the introduction to this Addenda before continuing further. Otherwise, welcome back, and please stop by often. Thanks to the assistance of Steve Lewis, who is maintaining this website, new information, images and links are constantly being added. Your suggestions and comments are always welcome."
Crime Fiction IV - Allen J. Hubin: "Crime Fiction IV: A Comprehensive Bibliography 1749-2000
by Allen J. Hubin
Addenda to the Revised Edition.
If you are a first time visitor, you are encouraged to read the introduction to this Addenda before continuing further. Otherwise, welcome back, and please stop by often. Thanks to the assistance of Steve Lewis, who is maintaining this website, new information, images and links are constantly being added. Your suggestions and comments are always welcome."
Paris Hilton, Doing Good Wherever She Can
Celebrity Week - Where Hollywood Meets the Las Vegas Strip - Paris Speaks Out Against Drunk Driving: "Paris Hilton is speaking out against drunk driving.
The December issue of Seventeen magazine features Hilton, 25, warning teens not to get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking.
“All it takes is one drink to mess with the way you drive – it clouds your judgment and slows your reflexes,' she says in the ad. 'Don’t take any chances. It just isn’t worth it.'
In the magazine's cover story, the heiress also says she hasn’t reached her sexual peak. “I think you like [sex] when you’re, like, in your thirties,” she says. “That’s what someone told me. We’ll see.”
Hilton was arrested on September 7 in Los Angeles for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol."
The December issue of Seventeen magazine features Hilton, 25, warning teens not to get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking.
“All it takes is one drink to mess with the way you drive – it clouds your judgment and slows your reflexes,' she says in the ad. 'Don’t take any chances. It just isn’t worth it.'
In the magazine's cover story, the heiress also says she hasn’t reached her sexual peak. “I think you like [sex] when you’re, like, in your thirties,” she says. “That’s what someone told me. We’ll see.”
Hilton was arrested on September 7 in Los Angeles for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol."
No Comment Department
Townsville Bulletin: Man 'repeatedly headbutts road' during arrest [ 25oct06 ]: "Man 'repeatedly headbutts road' during arrest
25oct06
A PERTH man who injured his face by headbutting the road after crashing his car into a fence has been charged with drink-driving and kicking police.
The 27-year-old was found asleep in his car by police investigating who had hit a fence in southern suburban Calista about 12.30am WST today.
The man became agitated and aggressive when they tried to take him back to their station for a breath test, police said.
During a struggle, an officer was kicked in the thigh, police said.
'The man was taken to Fremantle Hospital for treatment to facial injuries after he headbutted the bitumen of the road several times,' police said."
25oct06
A PERTH man who injured his face by headbutting the road after crashing his car into a fence has been charged with drink-driving and kicking police.
The 27-year-old was found asleep in his car by police investigating who had hit a fence in southern suburban Calista about 12.30am WST today.
The man became agitated and aggressive when they tried to take him back to their station for a breath test, police said.
During a struggle, an officer was kicked in the thigh, police said.
'The man was taken to Fremantle Hospital for treatment to facial injuries after he headbutted the bitumen of the road several times,' police said."
They Never Said It
New book takes humbug out of quotations?|?Oddly Enough?|?Reuters.com: "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Showman P.T. Barnum never said 'There's a sucker born every minute' although he wished he had. And Civil War Admiral David Farragut probably never said 'Damn the Torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead' -- words that have inspired generations of fighting men.
To make things even more complicated, it is doubtful that Paul Revere warned that 'The British are coming' when he would have at the time of the American Revolution thought himself British, although a revolting one. He probably would have said 'The Redcoats are coming.'
A new, meticulously researched book of quotations attempts to set the record straight on those beloved phrases that have crept into everyday use as signs of wisdom and wit, including Sigmund Freud's sage advice that 'sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.' (He didn't quite say that, although his biographer thinks he would have approved of the idea.)
'The Yale Book of Quotations' has a simple thesis: famous quotes are often misquoted and misattributed. Sometimes they are never said at all but are, instead, little fictions that have forged their way into public consciousness."
To make things even more complicated, it is doubtful that Paul Revere warned that 'The British are coming' when he would have at the time of the American Revolution thought himself British, although a revolting one. He probably would have said 'The Redcoats are coming.'
A new, meticulously researched book of quotations attempts to set the record straight on those beloved phrases that have crept into everyday use as signs of wisdom and wit, including Sigmund Freud's sage advice that 'sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.' (He didn't quite say that, although his biographer thinks he would have approved of the idea.)
'The Yale Book of Quotations' has a simple thesis: famous quotes are often misquoted and misattributed. Sometimes they are never said at all but are, instead, little fictions that have forged their way into public consciousness."
Handwriting Analysis
You can get your handwriting analyzed here. Of course you have to be able to write cursive to do it.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The Crimes of Jordan Wise -- Bill Pronzini
There's no doubt in my mind that if Bill Pronzini had been writing in the 1950s, he'd have been writing for Gold Medal Books. Check out his recent standalone novels for Walker and see. A case in point is the most recent, The Crimes of Jordan Wise.
The book's narrator is an ordinary guy, with an ordinary job. Then he meets a woman who wants an extraordinary guy, and he's changed. He commits the perfect crime, embezzling more than half a million bucks. He and the woman move to the Virgin Islands where they live happily ever after.
Except, of course, they don't. That's not the way things go in the world of noir. One crime leads to another, and in this case to another. Three perfect crimes that lead the narrator to the dead end where he spends the rest of his life.
Prime stuff. Check it out.
Happy New Year!
Tittle-Tattle Too: Paris Hilton Will Host Your New Years Eve Party For 100 Grand - The Post Chronicle: "
Paris Hilton is hiring herself out for New Years parties. The socialite-turned-actress will host a bash in either Miami, New York or Los Angeles in your honour for $100,000 plus expenses and a private jet.
An insider told BANG Showbiz: 'Who wouldn't want Paris to throw a party for them? She's got a reputation for throwing some of the most lavish events going - when she's not crashing them that is.
'However, people might balk at the price, and you have the wonder why she doesn't have better things to do on New Years Eve than throw a party for a stranger?'"
Paris Hilton is hiring herself out for New Years parties. The socialite-turned-actress will host a bash in either Miami, New York or Los Angeles in your honour for $100,000 plus expenses and a private jet.
An insider told BANG Showbiz: 'Who wouldn't want Paris to throw a party for them? She's got a reputation for throwing some of the most lavish events going - when she's not crashing them that is.
'However, people might balk at the price, and you have the wonder why she doesn't have better things to do on New Years Eve than throw a party for a stranger?'"
Is "Dortmunder" a Romanian Name?
Thanks to Steve Stilwell for the tip.
IOL: Robbers hit jackpot. Not!: "A gang of Romanian robbers broke into a bank's headquarters in a daring overnight raid - only to find it empty.
The three criminals expected to hit the jackpot with their raid on the bank in Constanta city centre.
But they did not know that the bank was relocating to new premises and the building was empty."
IOL: Robbers hit jackpot. Not!: "A gang of Romanian robbers broke into a bank's headquarters in a daring overnight raid - only to find it empty.
The three criminals expected to hit the jackpot with their raid on the bank in Constanta city centre.
But they did not know that the bank was relocating to new premises and the building was empty."
Harry Whittington Says . . .
While rummaging through some old papers yesterday, I found a couple of things I'd photocopied from an old edition of The Mystery Writer's Handbook. Both were short articles by Harry Whittington, one on "Why I Write" and one on "The Paperback Original." Here's something he says about the latter:
"If you want to sell to Gold Medal Books, don't read Gold Medal and ape them. Read Faulkner, Hemingway, Dostoevski and Scott Fitzgerald, O'Hara and Herman Wouk.
If you read Gold Medal Books, you might hit a market several pay grades lower. In order to hit those markets, read Gold Medal. But to hit Gold Medal, read Faulkner. Don't read Graphic Books to write their mysteries. Read Fred Brown, and Cornell Woolrich, and Chandler and Huggins."
"If you want to sell to Gold Medal Books, don't read Gold Medal and ape them. Read Faulkner, Hemingway, Dostoevski and Scott Fitzgerald, O'Hara and Herman Wouk.
If you read Gold Medal Books, you might hit a market several pay grades lower. In order to hit those markets, read Gold Medal. But to hit Gold Medal, read Faulkner. Don't read Graphic Books to write their mysteries. Read Fred Brown, and Cornell Woolrich, and Chandler and Huggins."
Happy Birthday, Bob Kane
Will the Persecution Never End? (A Continuing Series)
Survey Says Paris Hilton Should Be Killed Off On Film - Starpulse News Blog: "Paris Hilton has topped a grisly new poll as the celebrity film fans would most like to see as the victim in a horror movie. The star claimed 39 percent of the vote, beating Lindsay Lohan, who scored 18 percent.
The socialite-turned-actress/singer was killed off in horror film remake House Of Wax, but fans want to see Hilton meet another gruesome end, according to a new Harris Interactive survey."
The socialite-turned-actress/singer was killed off in horror film remake House Of Wax, but fans want to see Hilton meet another gruesome end, according to a new Harris Interactive survey."
Will the Persecution Never End? (Anna NIcole Smith Edition)
Anna Nicole skips meeting lawyer over paternity dispute: "SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Anna Nicole Smith didn't appear Monday for a meeting in the Bahamas requested by the lawyer for an ex-boyfriend who claims he is the father of her 6-week-old daughter.
Photographer Larry Birkhead has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles seeking a court order to demand Smith bring the baby to California for a paternity test. Her attorneys have argued the court does not have appropriate jurisdiction.
Debra Opri, a lawyer for Birkhead who traveled from Los Angeles to take a deposition from Smith in the Bahamas, said she would use Smith's nonappearance Monday to argue for dismissal of that challenge.
'We're letting her know if she wants to make it this way, we're not going to make it easy for her,' Opri said in a phone interview from Nassau."
Photographer Larry Birkhead has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles seeking a court order to demand Smith bring the baby to California for a paternity test. Her attorneys have argued the court does not have appropriate jurisdiction.
Debra Opri, a lawyer for Birkhead who traveled from Los Angeles to take a deposition from Smith in the Bahamas, said she would use Smith's nonappearance Monday to argue for dismissal of that challenge.
'We're letting her know if she wants to make it this way, we're not going to make it easy for her,' Opri said in a phone interview from Nassau."
Monday, October 23, 2006
Sounds Like a Gil Brewer Novel
Print Story: Sailor kills Marine after lie about rape on Yahoo! News: "A sailor pleaded guilty Monday to abducting and killing a Marine corporal he thought had been involved in a gang rape. The rape turned out to be a lie, but the truth surfaced too late.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Cooper Jackson, 23, pleaded guilty Monday to premeditated murder, kidnapping, impersonating a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of Cpl. Justin L. Huff, 23.
In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to spare him a possible death sentence.
Federal agents had testified at his Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury investigation, that Jackson had been fooled into falling in love with a woman who called herself Samantha and made up a story about being raped by servicemen.
'Samantha' turned out to be Ashley Elrod, a 22-year-old hotel clerk on North Carolina's Outer Banks, who testified that she lied about being raped. She said she 'might have' told Jackson that one of the Marines was named Huff or Huffman, and she said Jackson called her after Huff was killed. Elrod has not been charged.
During his court-martial, Jackson told the Navy judge how he posed as an NCIS agent and took Huff to North Carolina to get information about the purported rape. He said he then slit Huff's throat and buried the body to avoid being caught.
'I'd broken several laws and I had a missing Marine with me,' Jackson said at his hearing Monday. 'Quite frankly, I was scared of the consequences of what would happen, of being caught, more so than I was of the consequences of taking his life.'"
Petty Officer 3rd Class Cooper Jackson, 23, pleaded guilty Monday to premeditated murder, kidnapping, impersonating a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of Cpl. Justin L. Huff, 23.
In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to spare him a possible death sentence.
Federal agents had testified at his Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury investigation, that Jackson had been fooled into falling in love with a woman who called herself Samantha and made up a story about being raped by servicemen.
'Samantha' turned out to be Ashley Elrod, a 22-year-old hotel clerk on North Carolina's Outer Banks, who testified that she lied about being raped. She said she 'might have' told Jackson that one of the Marines was named Huff or Huffman, and she said Jackson called her after Huff was killed. Elrod has not been charged.
During his court-martial, Jackson told the Navy judge how he posed as an NCIS agent and took Huff to North Carolina to get information about the purported rape. He said he then slit Huff's throat and buried the body to avoid being caught.
'I'd broken several laws and I had a missing Marine with me,' Jackson said at his hearing Monday. 'Quite frankly, I was scared of the consequences of what would happen, of being caught, more so than I was of the consequences of taking his life.'"
Art Scott Comments
Art Scott offered this comment on the cover of the Gil Brewer double from Stark House: "The cover interests me. It's one of Bob Maguire's model photos; I suppose they got it from Maguire's daughter Lynn. It's similar to the pose he used on the cover of the Monarch edition of Wild to Possess (and Signet's Kiss for a Killer and many others), but not an exact match. The exact match is to a Bee-Line title, Joy Ride, a 'Jane Blonde' spy knock-off."
For those who want to check his work, he sent the two cover scans presented here.
Happy Birthday, Michael Crichton!
The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media: "It's the birthday of Michael Crichton, (books by this author) born in Chicago (1942). He decided to pursue writing at Harvard, but his writing style was continually criticized by his teachers and he earned a C average. He decided it was the school, not he, that was in error. So for the next assignment, he retyped an essay by George Orwell and submitted it as his own. The professor did not catch his plagiarism, and gave Crichton a B minus. Crichton decided to change his major to anthropology.
To pay for his medical studies, he began writing paperback adventure novels under the pseudonym John Lang. On top of his schoolwork, he managed to produce 10,000 words a day, ultimately publishing eight novels with titles such as Zero Cool (1969), The Venom Business (1969), and Drug of Choice (1970). Just one year out of medical school he published the novel that made his name: The Andromeda Strain (1969), about scientists racing to stop the spread of a deadly new bacteria introduced to Earth from outer space.
Crichton went on to become the author of many best-selling thriller novels, but he also directed several films, and created the popular TV show ER about the daily lives of hospital emergency room employees. He's one of the rare popular writers who's never settled down to one genre. Most of his books touch on science, including Jurassic Park (1990), about dinosaurs brought to life through genetic engineering. But he's also written about Vikings and Japanese businessmen, sexual harassment, and nanotechnology."
To pay for his medical studies, he began writing paperback adventure novels under the pseudonym John Lang. On top of his schoolwork, he managed to produce 10,000 words a day, ultimately publishing eight novels with titles such as Zero Cool (1969), The Venom Business (1969), and Drug of Choice (1970). Just one year out of medical school he published the novel that made his name: The Andromeda Strain (1969), about scientists racing to stop the spread of a deadly new bacteria introduced to Earth from outer space.
Crichton went on to become the author of many best-selling thriller novels, but he also directed several films, and created the popular TV show ER about the daily lives of hospital emergency room employees. He's one of the rare popular writers who's never settled down to one genre. Most of his books touch on science, including Jurassic Park (1990), about dinosaurs brought to life through genetic engineering. But he's also written about Vikings and Japanese businessmen, sexual harassment, and nanotechnology."
Jane Wyatt, R. I. P.
She'll always be Margaret Anderson to people my age. Photo is of her and Robert Young from Father Knows Best.
The Seattle Times: Arts & Entertainment: Stage, screen star Jane Wyatt, 96: "HOLLYWOOD — Jane Wyatt, a three-time Emmy Award-winner for her portrayal of the patient and understanding housewife and mother on the classic 1950s family situation comedy 'Father Knows Best,' has died. She was 96.
Ms. Wyatt, whose acting career spanned stage, screen and television over seven decades, died Friday in her sleep at her Los Angeles home, her grandson Nicholas Ward said.
A Broadway veteran who made her screen debut in 1934, Ms. Wyatt appeared in more than 30 movies as both a leading and supporting player, including 'None But the Lonely Heart' with Cary Grant and 'Gentleman's Agreement' with Gregory Peck.
Her most memorable screen role was the ethereal Shangri-la beauty who enchants Ronald Colman in the 1937 Frank Capra film 'Lost Horizon.'"
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Anna Nicole Smith Update
ANNA NICOLE SMITH - ODD BEHAVIOUR LEAVES ANNA NICOLE'S FUNERAL DIRECTOR BAFFLED: "Grieving mum ANNA NICOLE SMITH is still struggling to come to terms with her son DANIEL's death six weeks after the 20-year-old passed away in his mother's hospital bedroom, according to the funeral home boss who oversaw the family memorial. LORETTA BUTLER-TURNER was shocked by the busty blonde's behaviour as she laid her son to rest in the Bahamas on Thursday (19OCT06). The funeral home boss reveals the actress/model sobbed, wailed and lashed out during the service, but it was her comments after the ceremony that left her convinced Smith might need a little help coping with her grief. After spending 20 minutes alone by her son's graveside, Butler-Turner says Smith left her baffled with an odd request. She says, 'I think reality truly has not set in and she wanted to know if she could take him home and give him a warm bath.' Meanwhile, in an obituary released to all mourners at the burial, Smith revealed her son had been teaching her how to play the guitar before his death on 10 September (06). Bahamian police authorities have announced they have closed the investigation into Daniel's death, sparking speculation that his passing will be ruled an accidental drug overdose."
Will the Persecution Never End? (A Continuing Series)
BACKSTREET BOYS - CARTER: 'HILTON STUFFS TEDDY WITH CANNABIS': "BACKSTREET BOYS star NICK CARTER has slammed ex-girlfriend PARIS HILTON for being reliant on marijuana, and he insists she even resorted to stuffing her teddy bear with the drug when she travelled abroad. Earlier this month, (09OCT06) the socialite furiously denied being in possession of cannabis after British newspapers printed images of the socialite inadvertently displaying an incriminating sachet inside her bag. Her publicist maintained the bag merely contained tobacco. Carter says, 'She relied heavily on drugs and drink to give her confidence in the bedroom and was more often than not too wasted to even perform. 'I lost count of the nights I had to pick her off the floor and drag her to bed passed out. 'If she was going overseas she'd cut a hole in her teddy and stuff it with cannabis. She had to have her own private stash with her at all times regardless of the consequences.'"
The Word "Irony" Comes t o Mind
edmontonsun.com - Spotlight - Tough to be weird, Al: "TORONTO -- An '80s MTV song parodist? If there ever was a recipe for fried flash-in-the-pan, Weird Al Yankovic should have been it.
Amazingly, two-plus decades after sending up Michael Jackson with "Eat It", the world's funkiest accordionist has proven more durable than any of the acts he sends up.
He surfed genres through the '90s and into the new millennium, spoofing grunge ('Smells Like Nirvana'); alternative ('Gump', to the tune of Presidents of the United States' 'Lump'), and R&B/hip-hop (the Coolio take-off 'Amish Paradise').
And he has just put out his highest-charting single - 'White and Nerdy' (a spoof of rapper Charmillion's 'Ridin'') from his new album Straight Outta Lynwood."
Amazingly, two-plus decades after sending up Michael Jackson with "Eat It", the world's funkiest accordionist has proven more durable than any of the acts he sends up.
He surfed genres through the '90s and into the new millennium, spoofing grunge ('Smells Like Nirvana'); alternative ('Gump', to the tune of Presidents of the United States' 'Lump'), and R&B/hip-hop (the Coolio take-off 'Amish Paradise').
And he has just put out his highest-charting single - 'White and Nerdy' (a spoof of rapper Charmillion's 'Ridin'') from his new album Straight Outta Lynwood."
Hooray for Stark House!
Along with Hard Case Crime, there's Stark House, bringing back the best of the old hardboiled and noir writers. This new Gil Brewer double, coming in December (just in time for Christmas giving) is a special treat because A Taste for Sin is one of those high-dollar items, if you can even find a copy. The extras in this volume include a new essay on Brewer by Greg Shepard and reprints of essential essays by Bill Pronzini and Verlaine Brewer. Highly recommended.
Scots, wha hae wi Wallace Bled
I really object to the "no fashion sense" remark. It's a blatant falsehood, as anyone can see.
Tourist guide says we are violent drunks - Sunday Times - Times Online: "SCOTS are depicted as a race of violent, foul-mouthed, anti-English drunks in a new guide book that threatens to undo the work of the executive in selling Scotland abroad.
The CultureShock! guide to Scotland describes the country as being in a state of permanent inebriation and where racial harassment and verbal and physical abuse are commonplace.
The book, from the American publisher Marshall Cavendish, also portrays Scots as promiscuous and having no fashion sense.
On a visit to America last week Jack McConnell, the first minister, announced plans to boost the number of US tourists coming to Scotland by a third to almost 500,000 in the next five years.
However, the guide, aimed at American tourists, states: “The Scottish people’s resentment of their English neighbour is still palpable. There are certain pubs in the rougher areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh where it is best not to enter if you have an English accent. To avoid trouble, particularly if you are a young male, avoid eye contact with young men. This can be interpreted as an invitation for a fight.”"
Tourist guide says we are violent drunks - Sunday Times - Times Online: "SCOTS are depicted as a race of violent, foul-mouthed, anti-English drunks in a new guide book that threatens to undo the work of the executive in selling Scotland abroad.
The CultureShock! guide to Scotland describes the country as being in a state of permanent inebriation and where racial harassment and verbal and physical abuse are commonplace.
The book, from the American publisher Marshall Cavendish, also portrays Scots as promiscuous and having no fashion sense.
On a visit to America last week Jack McConnell, the first minister, announced plans to boost the number of US tourists coming to Scotland by a third to almost 500,000 in the next five years.
However, the guide, aimed at American tourists, states: “The Scottish people’s resentment of their English neighbour is still palpable. There are certain pubs in the rougher areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh where it is best not to enter if you have an English accent. To avoid trouble, particularly if you are a young male, avoid eye contact with young men. This can be interpreted as an invitation for a fight.”"
Phyllis Kirk, R. I. P.
WRAL.com - AP Entertainment News - 'House Of Wax' Actress Kirk Dies At 79: "LOS ANGELES -- Phyllis Kirk, who played the raven-haired beauty stalked by Vincent Price in the 1950s horror film 'House of Wax,' has died. She was 79.
Kirk died Thursday of a post cerebral aneurysm at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, said her publicist, Dale Olson.
Born Phyllis Kirkegaard in Plainfield, N.J., she moved to New York City in her late teens to study acting and shortened her last name to Kirk. She appeared in several Broadway plays before moving to Hollywood, where she co-starred with such leading men as Frank Sinatra ('Johnny Concho') and Jerry Lewis ('The Sad Sack').
She gained the most attention for her role in 'House of Wax' because it was the first major 3-D movie.
Kirk later worked in television, memorably playing Peter Lawford's wife in the series 'The Thin Man.' She was also a regular on 'The Red Buttons Show' and hosted the ABC talk show 'The Young Set.'"
I was hugely impressed with House of Wax, which I've seen in 3-D a couple of times, but I remember Kirk best from The Thin Man on TV and also from The Red Buttons Show, which was a favorite of mine.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Zowie!
I found this link to over 1500 Italian SF magazine covers at Boing-Boing. The covers are from the years 1950-the present. Some great stuff. Check 'em out.
Lethal Weapon 357. Could It Save Mel's Career?
Slideshow at the link.
NBC11.com - News - Concord School: Hot Sauce Is Deadly Weapon: "CONCORD, Calif. -- A 16-year-old girl is back in school Friday after school officials recanted their decision to suspend her for bringing hot sauce to school, NBC11's Jodi Hernandez reported.
School officials said Laura Martin's $25 bottle of Mad Dog 357 sauce hurt two students on Thursday.
The Concord High School senior said she and her friend Stephanie Goins, 15, were given a two-day suspension for possession of a deadly weapon."
NBC11.com - News - Concord School: Hot Sauce Is Deadly Weapon: "CONCORD, Calif. -- A 16-year-old girl is back in school Friday after school officials recanted their decision to suspend her for bringing hot sauce to school, NBC11's Jodi Hernandez reported.
School officials said Laura Martin's $25 bottle of Mad Dog 357 sauce hurt two students on Thursday.
The Concord High School senior said she and her friend Stephanie Goins, 15, were given a two-day suspension for possession of a deadly weapon."
The Last Match -- David Dodge
This is the most recent book from Hard Case Crime. Written in the mid-1970s but not published till now, the book is set in the '50s and has the sensibilities of that era. Which is to say that if you're a fan of Gold Medal Books, you might like this one. I'll admit that it's loosely plotted (James Reasoner says the plot "meanders," and I can't argue with that), but the narrative voice was so engaging and seductive that I was caught on the very first page. The plot, such as it is, deals with the adventures of a con man called Curly (or Carly, depending on who's calling). His escapades take him from France to North America to South America and back to France, as he engages in various schemes to make money. Not that he cares about the money. The schemes are what matters, and, as he confesses, he wouldn't want to do anything else or be anything other than what he is.
Besides the novel, there's an entertaining afterword by David Dodge's daughter. She clearly inherited a bit of her dad's writing ability.
This book's just one more reason why Hard Case Crime deserves everyone's support. Check it out.
Rick Klaw and Mark Finn Take Note
Local News | KING5.com | News for Seattle, Washington: "SPANAWAY, Wash. - A 19-year-old man in a gorilla suit who is accused of trying to abduct a 5-year-old boy in Spanaway turned himself in to police Friday morning. Police had earlier caught him but let him go."
Friday, October 20, 2006
Will the Persecution Never End? (A Continuing Series)
The Mutilation of Paris Hilton by M.P. Johnson(Signed Limited Softcover Chapbook)
New Voices Guarantee: "For a limited time, this item is carried under our 'New Voices Guarantee' promotion -- if you read it and don't enjoy it, you can return it to us within 30 days for store credit, no questions asked.
Publisher: Freaktension Format: Softcover Chapbook
This chapbook is autographed by the author and limited to 200 copies."
Thanks to Todd Mason for the tip.
I'm Predicting Jones Will Win by at TKO
Mike Tyson To Fight Singer Tom Jones - Starpulse News Blog: "Welsh pop veteran Tom Jones will be stepping into the boxing ring with Mike Tyson in a celebrity bout planned for later this year. The former world heavyweight champion, nicknamed Iron Mike, revealed his surprising opponent shortly after expressing a desire to also take on female Texan boxing champ Ann Wolfe.
The fights are part of a series of high-profile charity events designed to propel the boxer back into the limelight. Tyson, who served three years in jail for a rape conviction in 1992 and once bit off part of boxer Evander Holyfield's ear, retired from boxing in June 2005."
The fights are part of a series of high-profile charity events designed to propel the boxer back into the limelight. Tyson, who served three years in jail for a rape conviction in 1992 and once bit off part of boxer Evander Holyfield's ear, retired from boxing in June 2005."
So Nobody Had to Flee to Canada After All?
SAN DIEGO - Thousands of U.S. troops are being barred from overseas duty because they are so deep in debt they are considered security risks, according to an Associated Press review of military records.
The number of troops held back has climbed dramatically in the past few years. And while they appear to represent a very small percentage of all U.S. military personnel, the increase is occurring at a time when the armed forces are stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We are seeing an alarming trend in degrading financial health," said Navy Capt. Mark D. Patton, commanding officer at San Diego's Naval Base Point Loma.
The Pentagon contends financial problems can distract personnel from their duties or make them vulnerable to bribery and treason. As a result, those who fall heavily into debt can be stripped of the security clearances they need to go overseas.
The number of troops held back has climbed dramatically in the past few years. And while they appear to represent a very small percentage of all U.S. military personnel, the increase is occurring at a time when the armed forces are stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We are seeing an alarming trend in degrading financial health," said Navy Capt. Mark D. Patton, commanding officer at San Diego's Naval Base Point Loma.
The Pentagon contends financial problems can distract personnel from their duties or make them vulnerable to bribery and treason. As a result, those who fall heavily into debt can be stripped of the security clearances they need to go overseas.
New Blog to Check Out
Nasty, Brutish, and Short is the name, and short reviews of short stories is the game. You can read it here.
Gully Foyle Is My Name, and Terra Is My Nation
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Beaming people in "Star Trek" fashion is still in the realms of science fiction, but physicists in Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing quantum communication and computing closer to reality.
Until now scientists have teleported similar objects such as light or single atoms over short distances from one spot to another in a split second.
But Professor Eugene Polzik and his team at the Niels Bohr Institute at Copenhagen University in Denmark have made a breakthrough by using both light and matter.
"It is one step further because for the first time it involves teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium," Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday.
The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further.
This Is Going on my Christmas List
ABC News: Scientists Create Cloak of Invisibility: "WASHINGTON Oct 19, 2006 (AP)— Scientists are boldly going where only fiction has gone before to develop a Cloak of Invisibility. It isn't quite ready to hide a Romulan space ship from Capt. James T. Kirk or to disguise Harry Potter, but it is a significant start and could show the way to more sophisticated designs."
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Yep, Old Pooty-Poot has a Taste for Sharp Humor, All Right
Putin on alleged rapist Israel President: "We all envy him": "Russian leader Vladimir Putin showed his taste for sharp humour when he met Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Moscow Wednesday, with an apparent ironic jab at the rape allegations swirling around the country's president.
'Say hello to your president. He really surprised us...,'' Putin said to Olmert as reporters were being ushered out of the room just after the two men got down to their talks in an ornate reception room in the Kremlin.
According to the information posted on The New York Times' Web site, Putin said that Katsav 'turned out to be quite a powerful man. He raped 10 women. I never expected it from him. He surprised all of us. We all envy him.'"
'Say hello to your president. He really surprised us...,'' Putin said to Olmert as reporters were being ushered out of the room just after the two men got down to their talks in an ornate reception room in the Kremlin.
According to the information posted on The New York Times' Web site, Putin said that Katsav 'turned out to be quite a powerful man. He raped 10 women. I never expected it from him. He surprised all of us. We all envy him.'"
Go to Helena Handbasket -- Donna Moore
If "the usual gang of idiots" from Mad back in the '50s had decided to write a full-length parody of mystery novels, Go to Helena Handbasket might have been the result. Some people might be put off by this kind of thing, but, having been a reader of Mad right from the beginning, I loved it. Let's face it: I can't resist a novel with characters named Emma Roids, Evan Stubezzi, Hal Litosis, Aurora deGreasepaint (whose sister is Smilla Senesasnow, er, I mean Smilla deCrowd), and so on. Ms. Moore's clever idea was to introduce into the plot every cliche of mystery fiction you could ever encounter, and if she over looked one, I don't know what it was. You have your serial killer, your psycho sidekick, your cars that explode when someone (never the owner) turns the ignition key, etc. It's all played for laughs, and there's one on every page. Actually, more than one. If you need a good laugh, you don't want to miss this book.
Having heard Ms. Moore read the prologue at Murder by the Book, I think some audio company is missing a bet if she's not hired to read the unabridged book. She was terrific.
Don't Fear the Reaper
New York Daily News - Breaking News: "LIVINGSTON, Texas (AP) -- A convicted killer facing lethal injection beat the executioner to it Thursday, committing suicide by slitting his throat and arm with a blade in his Texas death row cell 15 hours before he was supposed to die.
Michael Dewayne Johnson, 29, was found in a pool of blood by officers making routine checks on him every 15 minutes, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital."
Michael Dewayne Johnson, 29, was found in a pool of blood by officers making routine checks on him every 15 minutes, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital."
Purely Hypothetical
O.J. Simpson to confess — hypothetically - Gossip: The Scoop - MSNBC.com: "By Jeannette Walls
MSNBC
Updated: 58 minutes ago
O.J. Simpson is confessing. Hypothetically, that is.
The former football great, who was acquitted in criminal court 11 years ago of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, reportedly has been paid a whopping $3.5 million to write about the double murder that shocked and riveted the nation in 1994, according to a detailed report in the new National Enquirer.
But Simpson is not actually confessing to the murder — rather, he’s writing a “hypothetical” book — which the Enquirer reports is tentatively being called “If I Did It.”
The early part of the book tells how Simpson fell in love with Nicole and how the marriage collapsed, reports the tab. He goes on, according to the article, to describe in gruesome detail the killing of his ex-wife and Goldman; he stipulates that the murder scenes are “hypothetical.” But, notes the tab, the descriptions are “so detailed and so chillingly realistic” that readers are left with little doubt as to what really happened."
MSNBC
Updated: 58 minutes ago
O.J. Simpson is confessing. Hypothetically, that is.
The former football great, who was acquitted in criminal court 11 years ago of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, reportedly has been paid a whopping $3.5 million to write about the double murder that shocked and riveted the nation in 1994, according to a detailed report in the new National Enquirer.
But Simpson is not actually confessing to the murder — rather, he’s writing a “hypothetical” book — which the Enquirer reports is tentatively being called “If I Did It.”
The early part of the book tells how Simpson fell in love with Nicole and how the marriage collapsed, reports the tab. He goes on, according to the article, to describe in gruesome detail the killing of his ex-wife and Goldman; he stipulates that the murder scenes are “hypothetical.” But, notes the tab, the descriptions are “so detailed and so chillingly realistic” that readers are left with little doubt as to what really happened."
He Should Have Changed His Name to Dan Rhodes
St. Paul Pioneer Press | 10/18/2006 | Mayberry, not Dodge City, inspires Wisconsin sheriff candidate: "PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (AP) — A local music store co-owner is putting a touch of Mayberry in the race for sheriff in western Wisconsin's Grant County.
The former William Fenrick changed his name earlier this year to Andy Griffith — the name of the actor who portrayed the fictional Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry on TV's 'The Andy Griffith Show' in the 1960s.
He said his goal was to focus attention on a sheriff's race that otherwise gets little.
'Nobody knows who's running or what the issues are, if there are any issues, or how the people differ,' Griffith said."
The former William Fenrick changed his name earlier this year to Andy Griffith — the name of the actor who portrayed the fictional Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry on TV's 'The Andy Griffith Show' in the 1960s.
He said his goal was to focus attention on a sheriff's race that otherwise gets little.
'Nobody knows who's running or what the issues are, if there are any issues, or how the people differ,' Griffith said."
Why Don't I Ever Have Great Ideas Like This?
Embarrassingly amateur video at link.
KOCO.com - News - Candidate: Use Textbooks As Shields From School Shooters: "MINCO, Okla. -- One of Oklahoma's nominees for state superintendent of education has proposed a unique idea for protecting students from outbreaks of violence. Bill Crozier, a Union City Republican going against incumbent Democrat Sandy Garrett, said he believes old textbooks could be used to stop bullets shot from weapons wielded by school intruders. If elected, he said he would put thick used textbooks under every desk for students to use in self-defense. He gave Eyewitness News 5 a videotape showing he and others shooting weapons, such as an AK-47 and a 9 mm pistol, at books in a field near Minco. They conducted the experiment to see how far bullets would penetrate the books."
KOCO.com - News - Candidate: Use Textbooks As Shields From School Shooters: "MINCO, Okla. -- One of Oklahoma's nominees for state superintendent of education has proposed a unique idea for protecting students from outbreaks of violence. Bill Crozier, a Union City Republican going against incumbent Democrat Sandy Garrett, said he believes old textbooks could be used to stop bullets shot from weapons wielded by school intruders. If elected, he said he would put thick used textbooks under every desk for students to use in self-defense. He gave Eyewitness News 5 a videotape showing he and others shooting weapons, such as an AK-47 and a 9 mm pistol, at books in a field near Minco. They conducted the experiment to see how far bullets would penetrate the books."
The Little Brown Shack Out Back
Man hopes inaugural outhouse festival becomes yearly tradition: "Convinced people seem to be forgetting about the rustic repositories where in darker days folks used corncobs in place of toilet paper, [Ollie] Schaefer is planning one big ode to the commode. He's hoping like-minded folks and the curious come to this town of some 7,000, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of St. Louis, this weekend for the inaugural 'Outhouse Festival and Auction.'
'We feel it's got potential,' he says of the festival that he wants to make a yearly tradition on the 57 acres (23 hectares) that includes the American Farm Heritage Museum, a menagerie of yesteryear's farm equipment. 'We're gonna give it a shot next year, no matter what.'"
'We feel it's got potential,' he says of the festival that he wants to make a yearly tradition on the 57 acres (23 hectares) that includes the American Farm Heritage Museum, a menagerie of yesteryear's farm equipment. 'We're gonna give it a shot next year, no matter what.'"
The Scariest Movies Ever Made?
The Scariest Movie Ever Made: 30-26 Article on Stuffmagazine.com: "We polled over 100 Hollywood insiders to determine once and for all…the scariest movie ever made."
They report, you decide.
They report, you decide.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
So You Think You Know TV Theme Songs?
How about the one used on the pilot episode of Gilligan's Island?
Happy Birthday, Chuck Berry!
80 years old today. Here's what I said last year because it still applies: I wonder if he can still do that duck walk? One of the greats of my youth. "Maybellene," "School Days," "Sweet Little Sixteen," Roll Over, Beethoven," "Promised Land," "Carol," "Brown-eyed Handsome Man," "Johnny B. Goode," "You Never Can Tell," "Memphis Tennessee," "No Particular Place to Go," "Nadine." And more I can't remember right now. It wouldn't have been the same without him.
What Are the 7 Wonders of the World?
The list of candidates is in the article. You can cast your vote here.
Stonehenge makes list in new seven wonders vote - Yahoo! News: "LONDON (Reuters) - Only one of the ancient wonders of the world still survives -- now history lovers are being invited to choose a new list of seven.
Among 21 locations shortlisted for the worldwide vote is Stonehenge, the only British landmark selected.
The 5,000-year-old stones on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, will be up against sites including the Acropolis in Athens; the Statue of Liberty in New York; and the last remaining original wonder, the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo.
An original list of nearly 200 sites nominated by the public was narrowed to 21 by the organizers and experts, including the former director general of Unesco Professor Federico Mayor.
The vote is organized by a non-profit Swiss foundation called New7Wonders which specializes in the preservation, restoration and promotion of monuments, and the results will be announced on July 7, 2007, in Lisbon."
Stonehenge makes list in new seven wonders vote - Yahoo! News: "LONDON (Reuters) - Only one of the ancient wonders of the world still survives -- now history lovers are being invited to choose a new list of seven.
Among 21 locations shortlisted for the worldwide vote is Stonehenge, the only British landmark selected.
The 5,000-year-old stones on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, will be up against sites including the Acropolis in Athens; the Statue of Liberty in New York; and the last remaining original wonder, the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo.
An original list of nearly 200 sites nominated by the public was narrowed to 21 by the organizers and experts, including the former director general of Unesco Professor Federico Mayor.
The vote is organized by a non-profit Swiss foundation called New7Wonders which specializes in the preservation, restoration and promotion of monuments, and the results will be announced on July 7, 2007, in Lisbon."
Anna Nicole Smith Update
SMITH MOM HINTS AT DEATH PLOT - New York Post Online Edition: Seven: "October 15, 2006 -- THE mother of Anna Nicole Smith believes her tragic grandson Daniel Smith, who died of a lethal cocktail of drugs last month, may have been murdered - and she's hinting the culprit may have been in the hospital room when he died."
For the rest of the story, click the link.
For the rest of the story, click the link.
I'm Keeping My Little Camera with Me at all Times
LA CROSSE, Wis. - Seth Hammes was filming in the woods when his camcorder recorded the crack of gunshots, the 17-year-old’s screams and the voice of the alleged shooter, promising help that never came.
Authorities say they might never have learned what happened to Hammes, who later died in the woods.
“But right next to him was the videotape,” Monroe County Sheriff Pete Quirin said Thursday. “That’s when we knew we had a homicide on our hands.”
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Neo-Pulp Art
Check out this guy's artwork. I like "Stacked" and "Reflex" because of the old paperback angle, but it's all good.
Thanks to Scott Cupp for the link.
Thanks to Scott Cupp for the link.
The Worst Family Feud Answers
Link from Neatorama.
The Worst Family Feud Answers: "I've always been fascinated by groups of five people who try to guess what 100 randomly selected people have said for a chance to win $10,000, which they'll split between themselves before splitting it again with the government. Which will leave each of them with about $32.87 for their troubles.
I've also been fascinated by how one of those five people will crack under the pressure and cost everyone else on their team a chance to walk away with $32.87.
As a result, I've polled 100 people to find the best 'worst' answers ever given on Family Feud. The top 27 answers are on the board."
The Worst Family Feud Answers: "I've always been fascinated by groups of five people who try to guess what 100 randomly selected people have said for a chance to win $10,000, which they'll split between themselves before splitting it again with the government. Which will leave each of them with about $32.87 for their troubles.
I've also been fascinated by how one of those five people will crack under the pressure and cost everyone else on their team a chance to walk away with $32.87.
As a result, I've polled 100 people to find the best 'worst' answers ever given on Family Feud. The top 27 answers are on the board."
Murdaland`
Tribe has a long interview with Michael Langnas, the editor-in-chief of Murdaland that I recommend. I've been reading my copy of Murdaland off and on since returning from Bouchercon, and so far I've read stories by Anthony Neil Smith, Patricia Abbott, Ken Bruen, Daniel Woodrell, and David Goodis. All top-notch work. If you don't have a copy, you need one.
I don't see Murdaland as a competitor to EQMM or AHMM at all. It's a different kind of publication, a literary magazine that looks a lot like a trade paperback, and it's aiming for a different audience. I see it as more of a complement to the other publications, and I'm really happy that it's around. The more short story markets, the better, I say, and if Murdaland provides a market and a platform for stories that are edgier and more explicit than the ones found in the newsstand magazines, that's great. The first issue lives up that, so check it out.
I don't see Murdaland as a competitor to EQMM or AHMM at all. It's a different kind of publication, a literary magazine that looks a lot like a trade paperback, and it's aiming for a different audience. I see it as more of a complement to the other publications, and I'm really happy that it's around. The more short story markets, the better, I say, and if Murdaland provides a market and a platform for stories that are edgier and more explicit than the ones found in the newsstand magazines, that's great. The first issue lives up that, so check it out.
Good News from the Scientists
BBC NEWS | Health | Untidy beds may keep us healthy: "Failing to make your bed in the morning may actually help keep you healthy, scientists believe.
Research suggests that while an unmade bed may look scruffy it is also unappealing to house dust mites thought to cause asthma and other allergies.
A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed."
Research suggests that while an unmade bed may look scruffy it is also unappealing to house dust mites thought to cause asthma and other allergies.
A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed."
Reality Check
From Afghanistan. Remember Afghanistan?
“There seem to be factory-loads of Taleban out there now,” said Bariolai, another Afghan trucker, all spit and oil stains, waiting in the Bagram vehicle line. “You should see some of the southern areas we go to — burnt-out vehicles all along the roads, locals who would eat you if you didn’t have armed protection. Only three days ago, I saw four bodies by the verge, three of them beheaded. One was a guy I knew, an engineer constructing American camps. The other three were his bodyguards. The Talebs had just got them.”
*************************
This route linking the country’s two biggest cities is of strategic importance, though since the summer it has become a virtual no-go zone for supply convoys unless very heavily protected. One Western contractor, employed to manage transport for a construction company moving materials to foreign troops in the south, said that he was dramatically reducing his operation. “We’ve lost five staff and our guards have killed thirty-four people in the last month and we’re just a construction company,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“There seem to be factory-loads of Taleban out there now,” said Bariolai, another Afghan trucker, all spit and oil stains, waiting in the Bagram vehicle line. “You should see some of the southern areas we go to — burnt-out vehicles all along the roads, locals who would eat you if you didn’t have armed protection. Only three days ago, I saw four bodies by the verge, three of them beheaded. One was a guy I knew, an engineer constructing American camps. The other three were his bodyguards. The Talebs had just got them.”
*************************
This route linking the country’s two biggest cities is of strategic importance, though since the summer it has become a virtual no-go zone for supply convoys unless very heavily protected. One Western contractor, employed to manage transport for a construction company moving materials to foreign troops in the south, said that he was dramatically reducing his operation. “We’ve lost five staff and our guards have killed thirty-four people in the last month and we’re just a construction company,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Monday, October 16, 2006
It's Comforting to Know . . .
. . . that the British spend their tax dollars as wisely as we do.
Telegraph | News | Year-long probe to find council heckler: "It has taken more than 12 months and cost about 10,000 pounds, but a council is finally on the verge of discovering the identity of a man who kept saying 'baa' during a planning meeting.
After a wide-ranging investigation, Havering council, based in Romford, Essex, has prepared a 300-page report, according to the Romford Recorder newspaper.
Unfortunately, the downside is that the prime suspect is no longer a councillor and is, therefore, beyond the scope of any punishment that it might want to mete out.
The incident has it roots in a planning meeting in September last year when an application was being heard to put a mobile home on a farm housing rare breeds of horses and sheep.
The solemnity of the debate was, apparently, interrupted by a male councillor making unhelpful 'baa-ing' noises."
Telegraph | News | Year-long probe to find council heckler: "It has taken more than 12 months and cost about 10,000 pounds, but a council is finally on the verge of discovering the identity of a man who kept saying 'baa' during a planning meeting.
After a wide-ranging investigation, Havering council, based in Romford, Essex, has prepared a 300-page report, according to the Romford Recorder newspaper.
Unfortunately, the downside is that the prime suspect is no longer a councillor and is, therefore, beyond the scope of any punishment that it might want to mete out.
The incident has it roots in a planning meeting in September last year when an application was being heard to put a mobile home on a farm housing rare breeds of horses and sheep.
The solemnity of the debate was, apparently, interrupted by a male councillor making unhelpful 'baa-ing' noises."
The Times, They Are A-Changing
Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for this job opportunity alert.
Help Wanted: Bob Dylan Expert - AOL Music News Blog: "We always thought ol' A.J. Weberman was kinda kooky for spending most of his waking hours going through Bob Dylan's trash in hopes of finding lyric scraps (or, at the very least, an unfinished pan of potato kugel). But judging by a new job ad posted on Craigslist, hitting the recycling bins at Zimmy's for a refresher course might not be such a bad idea for Weberman, or any other Dylan fanatic desperate enough to apply.
The folks responsible for staging 'The Times They Are A-Changin' -- the Broadway play that uses some of Dylan's best-known material as a backdrop for Twyla Tharp's underlings to boogie in interpretive-dance fashion -- are seeking a self-proclaimed Dylan authority to field questions in an evening-long game of 'Stump the Dylan Expert,' set for Oct. 26. The producers are willing to cough up $250 for anyone who's devoted an undue number of brain cells to trivia about obscure recording sessions and/or the singer's next religious conversion (which we're betting will involve Zoroastrianism). "
Help Wanted: Bob Dylan Expert - AOL Music News Blog: "We always thought ol' A.J. Weberman was kinda kooky for spending most of his waking hours going through Bob Dylan's trash in hopes of finding lyric scraps (or, at the very least, an unfinished pan of potato kugel). But judging by a new job ad posted on Craigslist, hitting the recycling bins at Zimmy's for a refresher course might not be such a bad idea for Weberman, or any other Dylan fanatic desperate enough to apply.
The folks responsible for staging 'The Times They Are A-Changin' -- the Broadway play that uses some of Dylan's best-known material as a backdrop for Twyla Tharp's underlings to boogie in interpretive-dance fashion -- are seeking a self-proclaimed Dylan authority to field questions in an evening-long game of 'Stump the Dylan Expert,' set for Oct. 26. The producers are willing to cough up $250 for anyone who's devoted an undue number of brain cells to trivia about obscure recording sessions and/or the singer's next religious conversion (which we're betting will involve Zoroastrianism). "
OK, this is Scary
FOXNews.com - Scarlett Johansson Record Deal in the Works - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment: "Scarlett Johansson and Lindsay Lohan are about to have something in common.
Scarlett, I am told, has signed a deal to make her first record. 'Scarlett Sings Tom Waits' is being recorded now and through the winter, with a possible release next spring from Rhino Records' recently reactivated Atco label. The eventual release date will be coordinated with Johansson's movie schedule."
Scarlett, I am told, has signed a deal to make her first record. 'Scarlett Sings Tom Waits' is being recorded now and through the winter, with a possible release next spring from Rhino Records' recently reactivated Atco label. The eventual release date will be coordinated with Johansson's movie schedule."
The Coasters, The Platters, and The Drifters
Last Saturday evening, Judy and I drove down to Galveston to see the Coasters, the Platters, and the Drifters perform at the 1894 Opera House. Or, to be more accurate, we went to see groups called "Cornell Gunter's Coasters," "The Platters," and "Beary Hobbs' Drifters" perform.
Cornell Gunter sang with the original Coasters, but he didn't join the group until after they'd had their first big two-sided hit with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood." He died in 1990. So the group we saw has only a tenuous connection with the "real" Coasters.
Ellsbeary Hobbs sang bass with The Drifters off and on for nearly 40 years, but he's not, as he's sometimes called, "the original bass voice of the Drifters." Sure, he's the guy singing those famous opening bass notes on "There Goes My Baby," but there were other Drifters' bass singers before that, and an even more famous bass voice to members of my generation was Bill Pinkney, who sang the bass lead on their great version of "White Christmas." Pinkney was around with his own version of The Drifters a few years ago and may still be.
The Platters group we saw gets to keep the name without qualification because of some kind of licensing agreement. I believe there are many groups performing around the world as "The Platters," maybe as many as 20. So, considering all that, what about the show itself?
Cornell Gunter's Coasters was the opening act, and since the original group was known as "The Clown Princes of Rock and Roll," this bunch tried to keep up the tradition. I knew we were in trouble when their second number was "The Twist." I wanted to hear "Along Came Jones," not some Chubby Checker re-hash. They did truncated versions of "Searchin'" and "Young Blood," a gimmicked up version of "Charlie Brown," and a few other things. Not bad, but not what I was hoping for.
The Platters were up next. The lead did some very dramatic readings of the numbers on which Tony Williams sang lead for the originals. He was better than I'd expected. The group threw in some Motown and other non-Platters material, too.
The Beary Hobbs Drifters did nothing recorded before "There Goes My Baby" and for the most part sounded almost very little like the original group. Everyone in the group took over the lead for at least one song, and one lead was overly fond of his falsetto. Still, the whole set was entertaining and energetic.
The three groups joined together for a rousing close of "Twist and Shout" that had all us Q-Tips up and shouting. I doubt that there was anybody in the audience under 50. That's an exaggeration, but not by much.
These three groups perform together regularly in Las Vegas, probably doing an extended version of this same show. It's slick, it's fun, but if you want to hear the real oldies, you'll have to buy a CD.
Cornell Gunter sang with the original Coasters, but he didn't join the group until after they'd had their first big two-sided hit with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood." He died in 1990. So the group we saw has only a tenuous connection with the "real" Coasters.
Ellsbeary Hobbs sang bass with The Drifters off and on for nearly 40 years, but he's not, as he's sometimes called, "the original bass voice of the Drifters." Sure, he's the guy singing those famous opening bass notes on "There Goes My Baby," but there were other Drifters' bass singers before that, and an even more famous bass voice to members of my generation was Bill Pinkney, who sang the bass lead on their great version of "White Christmas." Pinkney was around with his own version of The Drifters a few years ago and may still be.
The Platters group we saw gets to keep the name without qualification because of some kind of licensing agreement. I believe there are many groups performing around the world as "The Platters," maybe as many as 20. So, considering all that, what about the show itself?
Cornell Gunter's Coasters was the opening act, and since the original group was known as "The Clown Princes of Rock and Roll," this bunch tried to keep up the tradition. I knew we were in trouble when their second number was "The Twist." I wanted to hear "Along Came Jones," not some Chubby Checker re-hash. They did truncated versions of "Searchin'" and "Young Blood," a gimmicked up version of "Charlie Brown," and a few other things. Not bad, but not what I was hoping for.
The Platters were up next. The lead did some very dramatic readings of the numbers on which Tony Williams sang lead for the originals. He was better than I'd expected. The group threw in some Motown and other non-Platters material, too.
The Beary Hobbs Drifters did nothing recorded before "There Goes My Baby" and for the most part sounded almost very little like the original group. Everyone in the group took over the lead for at least one song, and one lead was overly fond of his falsetto. Still, the whole set was entertaining and energetic.
The three groups joined together for a rousing close of "Twist and Shout" that had all us Q-Tips up and shouting. I doubt that there was anybody in the audience under 50. That's an exaggeration, but not by much.
These three groups perform together regularly in Las Vegas, probably doing an extended version of this same show. It's slick, it's fun, but if you want to hear the real oldies, you'll have to buy a CD.
GoodisCon Update
Don’t miss the train on GoodisCon!
GoodisCon begins 13 weeks from now!
Have you registered? Have you made reservations at the Society Hill Sheraton?
The registration fee is $125.00 for 3 days or a day rate of $50.00.
The Deadline for registration is November 15th.
Do Not Delay.
Do not miss out on this historical event to honor one of
Friday, January 5, 2007 at the Society Hill Playhouse
Saturday, January 6, 2007 at the Blue Horizon Boxing Arena
Sunday, January 7, 2007 at
Contact:
http://www.societyhillplayhouse.org/home.html
Sunday, October 15, 2006
The Notorious Bettie Page
I believe that James Reasoner's review took the Don and Phil approach: "The movie wasn't so hot, it didn't have much of a plot." He's probably right, since what we have is a biopic without the usual story arc. We have the humble beginnings, we have the ascent to stardom (of a sort), but we don't have the fall and the comeback. Bettie Page just left, disappeared, and never returned. Well, okay, she returned, but hardly anyone has ever seen her, and she didn't return to stardom. Well, okay, not in person, though her photos certainly made a huge comeback on their own.I liked the B&W photography, Gretchen Mol's performance, and the whole attitude of the movie, which was, to quote Dolly Parton in another movie set in the same time period, "there ain't nothin' dirty goin' on." Bettie Page is portrayed as a non-smoking, non-drinking, Bible-believing young woman who enjoyed what she was doing and didn't think she was hurting anyone. Thank goodness for our vigilant government, always out to protect us from outselves and to be sure that our youth don't see any photos of nekkid woman. Irving Klaw was shut down, and Bettie Page went into her long exile from the public.
Nurse Ratched Talks about Medical Pulp Fiction
Nurse Ratched's Place: Medical Pulp Fiction: "I know a place where nurses are nymphomaniacs. They work in shady places, wearing tight, white wiggle dressing, and exposing their voluptuous breasts to power hungry doctors. The doctors are lecherous womanizers who are healers by day and adulterers by night. They exploit women to fulfill their savage desires. These are the men and women of medical pulp fiction. "
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Happy Birthday, Roger Moore!
Roger Moore (born this day in 1927) was never my idea of James Bond, and the 007 movies he made were never my idea of how the books should have been filmed, but I could overlook those things and enjoy the movies anyway. I also liked Moore as The Saint on TV.
Freddy Fender, R. I. P.
I remember when "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" was a regional hit, many years before it was re-released and hit the national charts.
Singer Freddy Fender dies at 69 in Corpus: "CORPUS CHRISTI — Freddy Fender, the 'Bebop Kid' of the Texas-Mexico border who later turned his twangy tenor into the smash country ballad 'Before the Next Teardrop Falls,' died today. He was 69.
Fender, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2006, died at noon at his Corpus Christi home with his family at his bedside, said Ron Rogers, a family spokesman.
Over the years, he grappled with drug and alcohol abuse, was treated for diabetes and underwent a kidney transplant.
Fender hit it big in 1975 after some regional success, years of struggling — and a stint in prison — when 'Before the Next Teardrop Falls' climbed to No. 1 on the pop and country charts.
'Wasted Days and Wasted Nights' rose to No. 1 on the country chart and top 10 on the pop chart that same year, while 'Secret Love' and 'You'll Lose a Good Thing' also hit No. 1 in the country charts."
Singer Freddy Fender dies at 69 in Corpus: "CORPUS CHRISTI — Freddy Fender, the 'Bebop Kid' of the Texas-Mexico border who later turned his twangy tenor into the smash country ballad 'Before the Next Teardrop Falls,' died today. He was 69.
Fender, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2006, died at noon at his Corpus Christi home with his family at his bedside, said Ron Rogers, a family spokesman.
Over the years, he grappled with drug and alcohol abuse, was treated for diabetes and underwent a kidney transplant.
Fender hit it big in 1975 after some regional success, years of struggling — and a stint in prison — when 'Before the Next Teardrop Falls' climbed to No. 1 on the pop and country charts.
'Wasted Days and Wasted Nights' rose to No. 1 on the country chart and top 10 on the pop chart that same year, while 'Secret Love' and 'You'll Lose a Good Thing' also hit No. 1 in the country charts."
Out of the Gutter
Saw this on Tribe's blog. Along with Murdaland, another market for short fiction of the noir and hardboiled kind. Always good news.
OUT OF THE GUTTER: "Out of the Gutter is going to be an anthology of grim, fierce, uncomfortably realistic crime fiction and more. The idea is to create a modern pulp magazine (presented in book form) but more than that I want to test boundaries, to collect material that is at once as troubling and fascinating as a bloody freeway accident. The essays and stories already amassed cover subjects ranging from organized dog fighting to homosexual prostitution in Mexico, to prison violence (a piece from celebrated prison author Seth “Soul Man” Ferranti) to classic detective noir--with a twist."
Listening to On-Line Music
Some people don't like to listen to music while at the computer. I do, so whenever I run across a new music site, I give it a try. I found The Oldies Superhighway through Lloyd Thaxton's blog. What? You don't have a clue as to who Lloyd Thaxton is? Then you're obviously much younger than I am. (These days it seems as if everybody's much younger than I am.) I'm listening to the "Doo-Wop Jukebox" on The Oldies Superhighway right now. Any site that starts off with Dion and the Belmonts singing "I Wonder Why" is a winner in my book. Check it out.
The Pleasures and Perils of Pop Culture
Here's an interesting article on how the Harvard College Library (yes, that Harvard) is preserving a collection of science fiction pulps. A few nice pics, too. Check it out.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Sisters in Crime 20th Anniversary Party
This party was at Houston's Murder by the Book, October 13, 2006. Seen here are Julie Wray Herman, Leann Sweeny, Laura Elvebak, and Dean James, among others.
Sisters in Crime 20th Anniversary Party
Bill and Susan Albert, Betty Gordon, Kay Finch, Laura Elvebak, Leann Sweeny, Shirley Wetzel, among others.
Sisters in Crime 20th Anniversary Party
Murder by the Book, Houston, October 13, 2006. Sheri Rowe kicks things off. Pauline Jones is wearing the red jacket. Cash Arnold is seated.
More about Handwriting
Thanks, once again, to Karin Montin.
Changing child's handwriting improves behaviour: analyst: "OTTAWA -- Parents of difficult children can take some solace in the latest theory circulating in education circles that the key to changing kids' negative behaviour could be as simple as changing their handwriting.
Handwriting analyst Simon Zelcovitch has begun working with families to help transform selfish kids into more giving ones, domineering kids into collegial ones, and closed-minded or secretive children into more open, personable people -- all by identifying revealing aspects of their handwriting and changing their writing patterns accordingly.
'By altering their handwriting, the person will change their behaviour. There's absolutely a connection,' said Zelcovitch, who is based in Toronto."
Changing child's handwriting improves behaviour: analyst: "OTTAWA -- Parents of difficult children can take some solace in the latest theory circulating in education circles that the key to changing kids' negative behaviour could be as simple as changing their handwriting.
Handwriting analyst Simon Zelcovitch has begun working with families to help transform selfish kids into more giving ones, domineering kids into collegial ones, and closed-minded or secretive children into more open, personable people -- all by identifying revealing aspects of their handwriting and changing their writing patterns accordingly.
'By altering their handwriting, the person will change their behaviour. There's absolutely a connection,' said Zelcovitch, who is based in Toronto."
Anna Nicole Smith Update
Smith parts company with her Bahamas lawyer - CNN.com: "ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Anna Nicole Smith's lead attorney in the Bahamas said Wednesday he has withdrawn as counsel for the reality TV star, citing disagreements on matters of strategy and concerns about her conduct.
Michael Scott said he was unsettled by Smith's decision to exchange vows with her boyfriend even before she made funeral arrangements for Daniel Smith, her 20-year-old son who died September 10.
People magazine bought photos of the ceremony, which was not a legal wedding and was held aboard a catamaran on September 28 in waters off Nassau, Bahamas.
'A disagreement on a commercial transaction made it difficult for us to remain as counsel,' Scott told The Associated Press over the phone.
A Nassau funeral home has been holding Daniel Smith's embalmed body while awaiting further instructions from the family. He died while visiting Smith in a Bahamas hospital where she had given birth to a daughter three days earlier.
Bahamian police investigating Smith's death expect to submit their report as early as this week to authorities who will determine whether a jury inquest is necessary."
Michael Scott said he was unsettled by Smith's decision to exchange vows with her boyfriend even before she made funeral arrangements for Daniel Smith, her 20-year-old son who died September 10.
People magazine bought photos of the ceremony, which was not a legal wedding and was held aboard a catamaran on September 28 in waters off Nassau, Bahamas.
'A disagreement on a commercial transaction made it difficult for us to remain as counsel,' Scott told The Associated Press over the phone.
A Nassau funeral home has been holding Daniel Smith's embalmed body while awaiting further instructions from the family. He died while visiting Smith in a Bahamas hospital where she had given birth to a daughter three days earlier.
Bahamian police investigating Smith's death expect to submit their report as early as this week to authorities who will determine whether a jury inquest is necessary."
Lights Out -- Jason Starr
In Jason Starr's novels, bad things happen to bad people. There are no admirable characters in Lights Out. Some are just worse than others. It's the story of two guys from Brooklyn, Jake and Ryan, who were high school baseball stars on the fast track to the majors. Jake makes it big, but Ryan, a pitcher, blows out his arm, has unsuccessful Tommy John surgery, and winds up painting houses for ten bucks an hour. He also falls in love with Jake's fiance, and when Jake comes home for a visit, things start to go downhill quickly. There's another story, too, about an ex-con and former drug dealer who'd really like to go straight but who's finding it hard to do so. I'll leave it up to you to find out how the two stories get entangled and to discover who does what to whom, because that's part of the fun after all.
And speaking of fun, besides being a walk on the dark side, this book is often hilariously funny. You might not be expecting to get a bundle of laughs from a noir novel, but they're sure there. This is my new favorite among Jason Starr's novels. Check it out.
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