Hard Man -- Allan Guthrie

Because Duane Swierczynski has declared this Allan Guthrie Week, I thought I might as well go ahead and say a few words about Hard Man. I was going to wait until closer to the street date, but what the heck. You can pre-order it now, which might be a smart move. I predict that a lot of people will be talking about the book even before it's published.

I'd call it blue-collar noir. The Baxter family is looking for a bit of help, as the men (father and two sons) don't feel they can protect the only woman, May, from her brutal husband. So they try to hire Pearce (readers of earlier Guthrie novels will have met him before) as a bodyguard. Pearce isn't interested, so they try to persuade him by devious means involving his cute little dog.

Yes, there's a cute dog. But Guthrie doesn't play the cute card like anybody else might. Trust me on this.

It won't surprise you to learn that things don't go well for Pearce, or for anybody else. Especially one guy, who's subjected to . . . , well, I'm not even going to tell you except to say that the word macabre applies. You might want to put the book down and stop reading, but you won't be able to. Or I wasn't.

And did I mention that the book is funny? You may hate yourself for laughing, or you might look back in horror at what you laughed at, but I suspect you'll still find it funny. Or maybe it's just me.

This is one of those books that makes you wonder what the writer will come up with next. Check it out.

But Will There Be a Role for Cameron Diaz?

Original Charlie's Angels To Reteam For New Film? - Starpulse News Blog: "The original Charlie's Angels are considering reprising their beloved TV characters for an ambitious new movie. Cancer survivor Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson have been approached to revisit the crime-busting characters they played on TV in the 1970s.

Smith reveals, 'There's been talk of all of us coming back and doing a movie together... If the script was right and we had it all worked out it'd be fun. It's sometimes hard to revisit the past but, if you do it in the proper way, it's OK.'"

Not Quite the Last Picture Show

But close. Photo at link.

SHARE YOUR STORY: San Antonio's Last Drive-In Shut Down for Good? | WOAI.COM: San Antonio News: "A drive-in movie theater, one of the last in the state, could now be shut down for good, News 4 WOAI learned Monday.

The Mission Drive-In was supposed to reopen for Spring Break, but vandalism forced owners to keep it closed. The theater has been open for nearly 50 years, and it is the last outdoor theater in San Antonio.

The drive-in closes every winter, and neighbors told News 4 WOAI vandalism there is not uncommon. But, this winter, it got worse, and the owners said it may be too expensive to repair."

Kurt Vonnegut, R. I. P.

Some people will remember that Vonnegut was, among other things, a Gold Medal author. Not as much read now as he was 40 years ago, but his works still resonate with me. There's a nice tribute in Salon.

Kurt Vonnegut: 1922 ~ 2007
Author's dark humor captivated generations | Chicago Tribune: "Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in novels like 'Slaughterhouse-Five,' 'Cat's Cradle' and 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater' caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a generation, died Wednesday night in New York City. He was 84.

His death was reported by Morgan Entrekin, a longtime family friend, who said Vonnegut suffered brain injuries as a result of a fall several weeks ago.

Vonnegut wrote plays, essays and short fiction. But it was his novels that became classics of the American counterculture, making him a literary idol, particularly to students in the 1960s and '70s.

Like Mark Twain, Vonnegut used humor to tackle the basic questions of human existence: Why are we in this world? Is there a presiding figure to make sense of all this, a god who in the end, despite making people suffer, wishes them well?"

Texas Has a Doo-Wop Group

They're the Moonlites. Check out their site and listen to a couple of their acappella tunes. Great stuff.

So I'm Blogging This. I Can't Help Myself

Blame Jeff Meyerson, who sent me the link.

Paris Hilton, Richie give enemas on Simple Life | Entertainment | Reuters: "TV celebutantes Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie won't answer questions about their checkered driving records, or Richie's recent dizzy spells, or the origins of their highly publicized feud.

But they are more than happy to talk about a certain rectal ministration they performed on participants at a 'wellness camp' overseen by fitness guru Susan Powter for an upcoming episode of their reality show, 'The Simple Life.'

'We gave the campers enemas,' Richie told Reuters on Monday in a brief interview given by the pampered pair to promote their show, which returns for a fifth edition May 28 on the cable network E! Entertainment Television."

Happy Birthday, Johnny Sheffield!

Scott Cupp reminds me that Johnny Sheffield, Bomba the Jungle Boy (also Boy in some of the Tarzan movies), celebrates his birthday today. Here's a link to last year's post, with photo.

Oh. My. God.

You gotta watch the video!

The Herald Sun: THE contemplative poems of William Wordsworth have drawn lovers of literature to England's peaceful Lake District for two centuries. Even without a hip hop beat.

But in an effort to make the region's most famous poet more relevant to a younger audience, local tourism officials have released a rap version of Wordsworth's 200-year-old classic of Romantic verse: I wandered lonely as a cloud.

The reworking manages to "stay true to the original sentiment with some slight variation of the lyrics", Cumbria Tourism insisted.

Accompanying the hip-hop theme on its website is a video featuring "MC Nuts" - a giant dancing red squirrel.

Have a look at the new video, or read the original poem.

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Cheeta!

Nice pic of chimp in birthday hat at link.

Zee News - Tarzan’s chimp ‘Cheeta’ celebrates his 75th birthday: "London, April 11: Cheeta, the celebrity chimp noted for appearing in numerous movies and television shows, celebrated his 75th birthday on April 9, and had the day named after him.

Cheeta, who was born in 1932, shot to fame after appearing in many Hollywood Tarzan movies of 1930’s and 40’s in which he portrayed a fictional chimp of the same name.

The chimp’s first appearance as Cheeta was in the 1936 Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movie ‘Tarzan Escapes’.

With the normal lifespan of chimps being 50 years, Cheeta, at 75, is the oldest chimpanzee in the world, reports The Sun.

Cheeta celebrated his special day in Palm Springs, California, where he has lived for 16 years after retiring from the movie business. "

Gator Update

There's probably a moral here. Or maybe not.

Alligator bites off vet's forearm in Taiwan zoo - Asia-Pacific: "Taipei - An alligator in a Taiwan zoo bit off a veterinarian's forearm Wednesday when the vet was trying to treat the sick animal.

The incident occurred at the Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung, south Taiwan, when zoo vet Chang Po-yu was giving the alligator three anaesthesia shots, so that he could treat the alligator's illness."

Anna Nicole Smith Update

Thanks to Vince Keenan for the link.

Variety.com - Ford to star in 'Anna Nicole' film: "Dancer-singer Willa Ford has signed to star as Anna Nicole Smith in an indie biopic that will begin shooting next week.

The previously announced film, 'Anna Nicole,' is produced by Jack Nasser and Joseph Nasser with Elie Samaha exec producing. Keoni Waxman directs.

Movie will cover Smith's life from age 17 until her death in February at 39, including her success as a Playboy centerfold, Guess model and actress, her marriage to billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, the death of her son and her own death five months after giving birth to a baby girl, Dannielynn. The dispute that erupted over who was the baby's father was settled Tuesday when a judge in the Bahamas ruled, based on DNA tests, in favor of California photographer and former Smith boyfriend Larry Birkhead."

Thanks, but No Thanks

Eaten alive | Health and wellbeing | Life and Health: "Exfoliation is a key part of any skin beautifying treatment. But forget salt scrubs, rubs and foot files. Why not try something far more efficient: the toothless mouths of hundreds of tiny, voraciously feeding fish?"

Click the link, provided by Todd Mason, for a photo.

Anna Nicole Smith Update

Breaking News: Anna Nicole Smith Paternity Battle: Ruling Will Not Be Made Public - The Post Chronicle

Update: Gag Order Lifted Birkhead Is the Daddy!

Anna Nicole Smith Paternity Case - A Bahamian court is expected to rule today in the paternity case of Anna Nicole Smith's infant daughter. Under Bahamian legal rules however, the results cannot be made public by either of the parties involved in the paternity and custody battle.

They can however, be revealed. The judge in the case will have to lift the gag order in order to do so.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Catch It While You Can

TV Week: "NBC has pulled 'Andy Barker, P.I.' after four episodes, replacing the Thursday night series with 'Scrubs' starting this week. The program averaged a 2.1 rating among adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen. The most recent episode was down to a 1.7.

Two more episodes of the series will be run off this Saturday. "

Thanks to Todd Mason for the link.

Porky's is 25: a Celebration of The Teen Sex Comedies of the '80s

Virgin Territory | Porky's | The Way We Were | Movies | Entertainment Weekly | 1: "On the 25th anniversary of ''Porky's,'' EW's Chris Nashawaty recalls his own age of innocence — and the explosion of teen sex comedies that helped him survive it. Forget school. All you really needed was a private tutor."

Say It Ain't So!

Thanks to Scott Cupp for the link.

Arts & Entertainment | Garage-rock anthem "Louie Louie" turns 50 | Seattle Times Newspaper: "Turning 50. It's a daunting prospect for anyone (and I should know). But for a pop song? Most fade away long before they reach that mark. One exception: the legendary 'Louie Louie' — that eternally youthful 1960s garage-rock anthem first recorded exactly 50 years ago this month. Far from shuffling off to a quiet retirement, evidence indicates that 'Louie Louie' may actually prove to be immortal."

Update: By special request you can click here to hear 1000 guitarists attempt to play "Louie Louie." Frequent commenter Cap'n Bob is wearing sunglasses and a red shirt. Check it out.

Macavity Is a Mystery Cat

Mystery cat takes regular bus to the shops | the Daily Mail: "Bus drivers have nicknamed a white cat Macavity after it has started using the No 331 several mornings a week.

The feline, which has a purple collar, gets onto the busy Walsall to Wolverhampton bus at the same stop most mornings - he then jumps off at the next stop 400m down the road, near a fish and chip shop."

Today's Baseball Card

Gator Update, Milwaukee Style

Police: Alligator Stolen From Milwaukee Barbershop - News Story - WISN Milwaukee: "MILWAUKEE -- Thieves broke into a Milwaukee barbershop, but it wasn't money they were after, according to Milwaukee police.

Police said the burglars took an alligator from the 13th street Barbershop on 12th and Burleigh streets early Monday morning."

Line of Fire -- Donald Hamilton

After reading Murderers' Row I moved on to Line of Fire, which is just as good as I remembered. If not better. It seems to me that there's a direct line from this book to Stephen Hunter's Point of Impact. Even the titles have a certain similarity and fit the stories the same way. Both feature an assassination that's not what it appears to be. Both are full of talk about different kinds of guns and bullets and what they can do, and both have a lot about shooting at a distance.

But I digress. I want to talk about Hamilton's book, which is so well done that even though I'd read it before and knew where it was going, it held me right from the first page. (One great thing about those old paperbacks was that you could read them in a couple of hours.) The story's just packed with stuff: a damaged hero (think Jake Barnes), a crooked politician, a thug with ambition, sex, violence, a couple of neat twists, and just plain good writing. If you haven't read anything by Hamilton except the Matt Helm books, you really should read this one. You won't regret it.

Robert Heinlein at One Hundred

Robert Heinlein at One Hundred @ Blogcritics.org: "The centennial of Robert Heinlein’s birth is coming up in July, and tempers are still worked up over this pulp fiction writer who turned into a consciousness-raising guru during the 1960s. Only a few weeks ago, a writer in the New York Times Book Review attacked Heinlein’s Starship Troopers as “an endorsement of fascism.” Heinlein’s defenders rushed in with letters to the editor to counter these charges, and a mini-controversy was soon brewing over a book for youngsters first published in 1959, by an author who died in 1988."

Jogging in Alvin. . .

. . . you never know what you'll find.

Murderers' Row -- Donald Hamilton

Donald Hamilton's recent death prompted me to re-read a couple of his books. First up was this Matt Helm novel, grabbed at random from a stack of reading copies. In this one, Helm's about to go on a much-needed vacation when Mac sends him out on an assignment. Helm is to beat up a woman (one of Mac's agents), and make it look good to the opposition. Typically, he's being sent because the woman's partner is too squeamish to do the job. Helm, of course, isn't. But there's a problem, and to tell what it is would spoil some of the fun. So I won't tell. Let's just say that Helm's is forced to do a little more than he expected. In fact, because of further complications, Helm has to become a bit of a rogue agent, and there's some question about his psychological stability. Even Helm has his doubts, though of course the reader probably doesn't.

This is a Cold War story, but the time period and the McGuffin don't really matter. The real subject it Helm's toughness and professionalism. Helm scorns amateurs, women who wear pants, sentimentalists (not that Helm is entirely free of sentiment, however), and incompetence. Maybe not the best of the series, but a good one that packs a heck of a lot of story into its 144 pages. Check it out.

Donald Hamilton Update

Be sure to check out Steve Lewis's always excellent Mystery*File for this post, and don't miss the link at the bottom for even more.

Anna Nicole Smith Update

ANNA NICOLE IS ... UM ... WAS DEEP - What Would Tyler Durden Do: "Two diaries kept by Anna Nicole Smith in the early 1990s were made available to the Associated Press yesterday, just a few samples among several pieces of personal items belonging to Smith that will be auctioned off later this month in Dallas. All of which sounds boring and is only noteworthy because of the awesome samples, . . ."

Samples in ANS's own handwriting at the link.

Honored Again

I'm honored that "Cranked" has been nominated for a Derringer Award by the Short Mystery Fiction Society. First the Edgar nom, and now this. It really is an honor just to be nominated. Thanks to Duane Swierczynski and David Thompson for including the story in Damn Near Dead and to Dave White and Byron Quatermous, whose blog project was the impetus for the first story about one of the characters.

Easter in Texas, 2007

My brother, who lives in our hometown, sent this photo, taken yesterday afternoon, of his backyard. This is the first time it's snowed in that part of Texas in April in my lifetime.

Shooter

Once again the movie slut (me) finds himself in the minority of people who liked Shooter. I checked on Rotten Tomatoes and found it had a ranking of 47%. I didn't bother to read any of the reviews now that I've seen the movie, but maybe I should just to see what people didn't like.

If you've read Stephen Hunter's Point of Impact, on which the movie is based, you have a good idea of the plot. The movie's been slightly updated, but it follows the novel pretty closely. Bob Lee Swagger, expert sniper, gets involved in a conspiracy and is made the patsy. He survives and starts hunting down the principals, who are very powerful people indeed. He gets out of some tight spots and deals out some rough vigilante justice along the way to a satisfying conclusion. In fact, a well-made Matt Helm movie might be something like this.

Mark Wahlberg does just fine as Swagger, who, as in the novel, is hard as nails and smarter than anybody gives him credit for. Levon Helm steals the only scene he's in without even trying. Danny Glover is fine, and it's always good to see Ned Beatty chew a little scenery and do a variation on "wee, wee, wee."

And speaking of Donald Hamilton, as I was above, the plot of Hunter's book and movie reminded me a little of Hamilton's excellent standalone Line of Fire. I haven't read that one in a while, so maybe I'm wrong about any similarity. Still, I'm willing to bet that Hunter's read Hamilton.

Even Judy, no fan of action movies, liked Shooter. Ignore those pesky critics and check it out.

Happy Birthday, James Garner!

James Garner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "James Garner (born James Scott Baumgarner on April 7, 1928) is an American film and television actor. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades, including his roles as Bret Maverick in the popular 1950s western-comedy series, Maverick, Jim Rockford in the popular 1970s detective drama, The Rockford Files and the father of Katey Sagal's character on 8 Simple Rules following the death of John Ritter. He has starred in dozens of movies, including The Great Escape (1963) and Paddy Chayefsky's The Americanization of Emily (1964)."

Update: The Rap Sheet has a fine tribute. Check it out.

The Official State Easter Eggs

Yes, every state has one. The 2007 eggs are here.

Is It Me?

Or is this just nuts?

Passengers on 5 flights screened after JFK security breach: "ORLANDO, Fla. -- Passengers aboard five flights from New York City were evacuated and screened at their destination cities as authorities tried to find a man who breached security at John F. Kennedy International Airport, officials said Friday.

No arrests were made and no one was detained at any of the five airports where the flights landed Thursday, Transportation Security Administration spokesman Christopher White said. The flights went to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Palm Beach, Salt Lake City and San Diego, he said.

'We had no specific intelligence indicating the suspect was on board one of the flights,' White said. 'But there was the small likelihood that the individual could have gotten on a flight.'"

Gator Update

BreakingNews: "State wildlife officials warn spring’s the time alligators go looking for love. So don’t get caught in all the wrong places.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission this week urged Floridians and tourists to use extreme caution around the water.

Alligators can become more aggressive during the spring, as they seek mating opportunities. "

Happy Birthday, Merle Haggard!

One of the giants of country music without a doubt, even if they won't play his songs on country radio these days. Merle Haggard turns 70 today.

You Know You'll Want One

Invisibility cloak within our grasp | NEWS.com.au: "HARRY Potter fans take note: scientists in the US have finally come up with a workable design for an invisibility cloak.

Physicists figured out the complex mathematical equations for making objects invisible by bending light around them last year.

Now a group of engineers at Purdue University in Indiana has used those calculations to design a relatively simple device that may one day be able to make objects as big as a plane disappear.

The design calls for tiny metal needles to be fitted into a cone like a hairbrush, at angles and lengths that would force light to pass around it. This would make everything inside the cone appear to vanish because the light would no longer reflect off it.

'It looks pretty much like fiction, I do realise, but it's completely in agreement with the laws of physics,' said lead researcher Vladimir Shalaev, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue.

'Ideally, if we make it real it would work exactly like Harry Potter's invisibility cloak,' he said. 'It's not going to be heavy because there's going to be very little metal in it.'"

Sgt Pepper Update

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Rock stars to recreate Sgt Pepper: "Oasis, The Killers and Razorlight are to cover songs from The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to mark the album's 40th anniversary.

James Morrison, The Fratellis, Travis and the Kaiser Chiefs are among the other acts taking part in the special recording sessions for BBC Radio 2.

The engineer in charge of the original 1967 sessions will use the same equipment to record the new versions.

The results will be aired on Radio 2 on 2 June, a day after the anniversary.

The original album was released on 1 June 1967 and went on to be regarded as one of the best and most influential releases in rock history.

Last year, it came top of a Radio 2 poll to find the best number one album of all time.

'Unique event'

The modern rock bands will be recorded by audio engineer Geoff Emerick, using the one-inch four-track equipment he captured the original on 40 years ago."

WIKISKY

Hackszine.com: WIKISKY: Google Maps-Like View of the Night Sky: "WIKISKY lets you see what's up in the heavens above. You can locate many deep sky objects, get detailed information on them by simply hovering your mouse, and see high-quality Sloan Digital Sky Survey images for selected parts of the sky. Type in your current location, verify your timezone, and you can use WIKISKY to help plan your next observing session."

Here's a URL for the site.

Fate Magazine

Sixty years of covers.

Link via Incoming Signals.

April ThugLit Now On-Line

The April issue of ThugLit can be found here. Hard-as-nails fare for your reading pleasure. Check it out.

Helix Spring Issue Now On-Line

Helix is a treat for SF readers. Click here for the latest issue.

I'm Posting this . . .

. . . because I can. Thanks to an anonymous donor for the link.

Happy Birthday, Gale Storm!

Eighty-five today. My Little Margie. The Gale Storm Show (aka Oh, Susanna). And a few hit records, too, including "Dark Moon." Those were the days.

Croaked! -- Dick Lochte

When I received a review copy of Croaked!, I took a look and thought, "Three hundred and ninety-three pages. I don't read books that long." But this was a book by Dick Lochte, and I liked Sleeping Dog, Laughing Dog, Blue Bayou, and The Neon Smile, so I figured I'd read a few pages just to see what it was about. Forty-four pages later, I thought, "I think I'm going to read this even if it is three hundred and ninety-three pages long."

So what persuaded me? Well, for one thing I was reminded of one of my favorite books from many years ago, William Brinkley's The Fun House, which is about behind-the-scenes goings on at a large publisher like Time-Life. Croaked! is about a different kind of publisher, Ogle, which is a lot like Playboy, and the people who work there are just as goofy as those in The Fun House, if not goofier. For another thing, the book's set in the 1960s, a time I remember with affection. and then there's the first murder. How many books have you read lately where someone's killed by a giant frog?

Croaked! is fast and funny, and it doesn't seem long at all. Check it out.

E. Howard Hunt Update

Rolling Stone : The Last Confessions of E. Howard Hunt: "He was the ultimate keeper of secrets, lurking in the shadows of American history. He toppled banana republics, planned the Bay of Pigs invasion and led the Watergate break-in. Now he would reveal what he'd always kept hidden: who killed JFK."

Aggiecon

Jayme Lynn Blaschke has an excellent report on the Aggiecon, something that this blog lacked. There's even a picture of me, looking about 100, and one of Kasey Lansdale, looking great. And Joe Lansdale, too, but who cares about him?

Robert Clark, R. I. P.

KOTV.com - The News On 6: "Film director Robert Clark, best known for the beloved holiday classic ``A Christmas Story,'' was killed with his son Wednesday in a car wreck, the filmmaker's assistant and police said.

Clark, 67, and son Ariel Hanrath-Clark, 22, were killed in the accident in Pacific Palisades, said Lyne Leavy, Clark's personal assistant.

The two men were in an Infiniti that collided head-on with a GMC Yukon around 2:30 a.m. PST, said Lt. Paul Vernon, a police spokesman. The driver of the other car was under the influence of alcohol and was driving without a license, Vernon said.

The driver, Hector Velazquez-Nava, 24, of Los Angeles, remained hospitalized and will be booked for investigation of gross vehicular manslaughter after being treated, Vernon said. A female passenger in his car also was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and released, police said."

Cars

As so often happens, I've watched a light and frothy animated movie from Pixar while you were polishing up your essay on the play of light and shadow in Hiroshima, Mon Amour. But that doesn't make me a bad person, does it?

The animation in this one is great, as you'd expect from Pixar, and the voices are up to the animation: Bonnie Hunt, Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Click & Clack (The Tappet Brothers), and even Paul Newman, to name a few.

The story is a variation of what I call "The Mayberry Story." You remember the one where the hotshot, shelfish businessman who's in a big hurry to get somewhere speeds through Mayberry, gets arrested, and has to spend a couple of days there? When it comes time for him to leave, he's grown to love the slow pace and simple life of the small town and to appreciate and like the people who live there. Okay, if you remember that, then you have the plot of this movie in a nutshell. Hey, it works. Toss in some funny bits, and you have a winner. Check it out after you finish the revisions on that essay.

This Skit Sounds Great . . .

. . . but I can't blog about it, and it might not ever air.

Gator Update -- White House Edition

The News-Gazette.com:Hoopeston native- and alligator- hope to meet president: "Hoopeston native Dan Breeding has met Kelly Ripa, Jay Leno and David Letterman.

On Monday, Breeding anticipates adding President Bush to that list.

'A guy does not bring a 7-foot alligator to the White House and not get to meet the president,' joked Breeding, 36, a wildlife educator and animal trainer who is taking some of his wild animals to the annual Easter Egg Roll on the south lawn of the White House."

Side by Side #6

Houston Homicide

So today's mail brought a copy of The Spider Chronicles, and then by e-mail this photo arrived. The book will be out from Five Star later this year, probably much later.

The Spider Chronicles

My copy arrived today. Obviously a classic collection, with a story by me called "The Marching Madmen," and lots of other great tales about The Master of Men. You can buy a copy from Amazon.

Have We Won Yet?

NPR : America's Forgotten War: A Series Overview: "NPR.org, April 2, 2007 � Nearly four decades ago, President Richard Nixon launched the war on drugs. In 1969 he declared, 'Winning the battle against drug abuse is one of the most important, the most urgent national priorities confronting the United States today.'

That battle has been waged through seven White House administrations; in recent years, experts estimate the costs have run close to $40 billion annually. It's been fought overseas, with programs to eradicate coca and heroin production in Latin America and Asia, and efforts to interdict drugs as they are smuggled into the country over land, sea and air. It's been fought on American streets, with a law-enforcement crackdown that has resulted in nearly a half-million imprisonments over the last few decades. And it's been fought in countless U.S. communities with programs to educate, prevent and treat abuse.

But after all these battles and all these billions, what's been accomplished?"

I Think I'll Buy It

Knight Rider's KITT restored, up for sale at auto dealer | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "KITT, the flame-throwing, river-jumping, talking muscle car from the '80s TV show Knight Rider, is up for sale.

Restored to its debut-season glory, the modified black 1982 Pontiac Trans Am is offered at $149,995 at a Dublin auto dealership. Johnny 'Vette' Verhoek of Kassabian Motors has had the car, officially called Knight Industries Two Thousand, on display for about a month.

It is one of four documented 'camera cars' used for close-up shots and scenes where David Hasselhoff, who played Michael Knight in the series, was behind the wheel."

Outcast -- Sheldon Lord

Outcast is, hands down, the funniest book I’ve read in a long time. I don’t know if that’s intentional or not.

The fun starts with the cover blurb: “A novel that courageously comes to grips with the hidden problem of deviation among women.” Okay, that in itself isn’t funny, but it becomes amusing after you read the novel, which is isn't about the "problem" at all. It's about a guy named Harry, who has sexual encounters one after another with every woman he meets. I lost count after the sixth.

I believe the third woman is Sherri, who tells him that he doesn’t stand a chance with her because “I haven’t been touched by a man in five years. I’m a lesbian.”

Sherri expects Harry to condemn her: “To you I’m just a freak, something that ought to be in a sideshow.” But Harry fools her. “Okay, so you’re a lesbian. How was I to know? It’s nothing to me – I believe in live and let live. You get your kicks your way, I get mine another . . . . I’ll take you to your place, beautiful. Relax.”

The effect of this “quick speech made on the spur of the moment” is that Sherri falls into Harry’s arms, "her wide green eyes brightly blurring and her lips, wetted quickly by the flick of a pink tongue, shaping themselves into a kiss." Harry quickly realizes that “Sherri was starved.” So he gives her everything he has, so to speak.

The next thing you know she wants to marry him. Later the same tactic, along with a little rough stuff, works on Sherri's "friend" Terry. When Prudence joins in a threesome with them, Harry has her, too.

So much for the “problem of deviation among women.” Just introduce them to Harry. "Problem" solved.

And some of the dialogue is classic stuff: “‘I’m hip,’ Terry said. ‘I feel like having a real sick evening, dig? He’s like wild.’”

Did I mention the plot? It’s pretty much what I said above. Harry has sexual encounters with every woman he meets (including the nurse when he’s in the hospital after a serious automobile accident). You have to read it to believe it. You can do that in an hour or so, since the book is very short, probably not more than 40K words. Check it out, assuming you have a copy lying around. As funny as it is, it’s not worth the prices they’re asking on the ‘net.

Fender Tucker Has a Blag

So check it out.

Fender's BLAG: "What the hell is a blag? Well, it's like a blog but it's a page where I plan to brag about myself and the tremendous effect I've had on this puny world during my 60 years. I hope to add to this occasionally but for now I'm starting off with the obvious."

CNN's Best and Worst Movie Battle Scenes

The best -- and worst -- movie battle scenes - CNN.com

Wham! Pow! Zap! Argh! To celebrate the launch of the ultimate battle movie, 300, we've compiled a list of our favorite on-screen battle scenes -- and the ones which really made us cringe.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Donald Hamilton, R. I. P.

When I read the news on the Mystery*File blog this morning, I hoped there was some mistake, but Donald Hamilton's death has been confirmed. This is truly bad news. I'd hoped that someday we'd see the rumored final Matt Helm novel in print, but I don't have much hope of that now.

Hamilton was a wonderful writer, as anyone who's ever read his books already knows. The Matt Helm series alone would be enough to establish him as an important contributor to the crime, mystery, and spy fields, but standalones like Line of Fire are, to me, even better. His Westerns are good, too, and several of them (most notably The Big Country) were filmed. The Matt Helm books were filmed as well, but not so notably.

Recently Hard Case Crime reprinted Night Walker, so at least that one's easily available. The Helm books turn up on eBay all the time, and they're cheap. If you've never read Hamilton's work, you should. It's top of the line, and I'm very sorry to hear he's gone.

Update: Steve Lewis of Mystery*File has confirmed that the unpublished Matt Helm novel does indeed exist. Read his comments here.

This Would Never Happen in the U.S.

Schools refuse gifts of 'boring' classics | News | This is London

Dozens of schools have rejected gifts of free classic books because today's pupils find them too 'difficult' to read, it has emerged.

Around 50 schools have refused to stock literary works by the likes of Jane Austen, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens after admitting that youngsters also find them boring.

The worrying figures were released by the Millennium Library Trust, which donates sets of up to 300 books to schools across the country.

David Campbell, who runs the Trust, also revealed that a further 50 schools had sent back the gifts as they were on the verge of closing down and another 40 said they had no library to store the books.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Oh. My. God.

I just can't stand it. I reported this a year ago, but I hoped it wasn't true. Apparently it is. And you kids get off my damn lawn!

Jeff Meyerson Sent this Link. . .

. . . but I'm not going to use it.

And that reminds me that I hope you all saw "Opus" in your comics section yesterday. Steve Stilwell particularly recommends it.

Anna Nicole Smith Update

Thanks to Jeff "I'm Not Bidding" Meyerson for the link.

Anna Nicole action figure up on eBay: "Anna Nicole Smith has achieved a feat in death that she may never have accomplished in life — getting her own toy doll.

The doll features a 'sexy figure with large bust', and its body is 'fully articulated and poseable,' according to the artist.

While it is not known if Anna Nicole ever wanted herself to be crafted into doll form, the toy does lead the late Playboy playmate further down the path of her hero — Marilyn Monroe."

Under Orders -- Dick Francis

So there was young Bill Crider back in early 1967, 25 years old and looking at the paperbacks on the spinner rack in an Austin, Texas, convenience store, when what to his wondering eyes should appear but a paperback with this blurb on the cover: "A thriller from start to finish line . . . Francis is a story teller in the Raymond Chandler-Dashiell Hammett tradition."

The book was Dick Francis' Odds Against, and while the blurb was enough to convince me I needed the book, I opened it up to check out the first paragraph: "I was never particularly keen on my job before the day I got shot and nearly lost it, along with my life. But the .38 slug of lead which made a pepper shaker of my intestines left me with fire in my belly in more ways thatn one. Otherwise I should never have met Zanna Martin, and would still be held fast in the spider threads of departed joys, of no use to anyone, least of all to myself."

Maybe you could have resisted making the purchase, but I couldn't. And I'm certainly glad I didn't. After that I went back and found Francis's earlier novels, and I read each one after that as soon as I could get my hands on it. While some have been better than others, I've never been really disappointed in a single one.

Under Orders is the latest, appearing a few years after Francis's announced retirement from the writing game. I don't know why he came back, but I'm glad he did. This one is narrated by Sid Halley, by coincidence the narrator of Odds Against. If the book isn't absolutely top drawer Francis, it's close enough, and that's a lot better than the average for just about anybody else.

Halley investigates both Internet gambling and the murder of a jockey suspected of fixing races. There's the usual thorough research one expects in a Francis novel, along with the requisite attempts to stop his investigation. This time the attempts are aimed at someone other than Halley, and you might think old Sid has escaped the usual harrowing experiences undergone by a Francis narrator. Dream on.

I found the narrative voice as engaging as ever and the pacing just as good. And doesn't that opening paragraph I quoted make you want to do back and read Odds Against again? Francis is one of the greats.

No Comment Department

icLiverpool - Police quiz boy, 10, for calling schoolfriend 'gay': "A father criticised a police force today for launching an investigation after his ten-year-old son allegedly called a schoolfriend “gay” in an email.

Company director Alan Rawlinson said he was astounded after two police officers arrived at his home in Bold Heath, Cheshire, to speak to his son George.

The officers were called earlier this month after a parent complained that George had called her son a “gay boy” in an email."

New Spinetingler

The latest (Spring 2007) issue of Spinetingler is on-line. This one is full of great stuff. Check it out right here.

No Joke

In a little while Judy and I will start home. It will be nice to get back to high-speed Internet access after several days of dial-up.

I promise not to post any April Fool's jokes here today, so when I say that last night I saw Elvis, Jerry Lee, and Roy Orbison, you know I'm telling the truth.

What happened was that we went to my brother's second annual party at the Mexia Civic Center. He invited just about everyone he knows or has ever known, and the first two guys on this page provided the entertainment. I mentioned Wayne King last year. His impression of Roy Orbison is so good that it's almost scary. He was in fine voice last night, and we enjoyed the show.

Croc Update

Eveningstar.co.uk: VISITORS to the banks of the Orwell were today warned about an unexpected danger from global warming - a family of Australian crocodiles has taken up residence in the river.

The creatures are a breed that is native in the rivers and coastal estuaries of Southern Australia, around the coast from Sydney to Perth.

The Australian Cayman (crocodylus aprifolus) is closely related to the better-known salt water crocodile which is found in the northern coastal areas of the country and was featured in the Crocodile Dundee films.

The King is Dead. So is the New King.

ABC News: Elvis No Longer King of Dead Celebrities: "Oct. 24, 2006 — As much as Elvis Presley made when he was alive, he's earned millions more since passing away.

In a moment of unbridled cynicisim, Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker, allegedly said death was a 'good career move' for his client — at least according to Albert Goldman's infamous biography.

This much is true: Elvis has reigned atop Forbes' list of 'Top-Earning Dead Celebrities' every year since its inception in 2001, lording over John Lennon, James Dean, and all the others who are dead as dirt, yet filthy rich and getting richer.

But now, there's a new top star among dead tycoons. Forbes hails Kurt Cobain, who earned a whopping $50 million between October 2005 and 2006, as the New No. 1.

Presley wound up in second place, with $42 million, down $3 million from last year."

Is It April Fool's Day Already?

R u rdy 4 wrlds fastest txt msg? | Technology | Reuters: "What's billed as the first text messaging competition will take place in Los Angeles on Saturday, pitting scores of players in a race to determine who is the fastest.

The snag is that popular text shorthand will not be allowed.

'Texting has become such a trend and kids are using texting as a form of communication. It's become like, 'Who can text the fastest?' Everyone thinks they are a good texter,' said Amy Jones, spokeswoman for organizers LG Electronics.

Players will compete in groups to see who can text set phrases quickest and without errors, with the winner getting a $10,000 prize and advancement to the finals in New York City on April 21.

Jones said 150 people had signed up and more were expected on the day. She said the contest was the first organized text messaging competition for cash and other prizes."

Yikes!

There's been a lot of wild weather around here today, tornado watches and warnings all over. One of the hard-hit spots was the very place where we visited the doctor in Waco yesterday. The Texas Ranger Museum, also in Waco, is threatened by high water, but the spokesman says they'll be able to move stuff to a higher part of the museum if the river gets too high.

We're about 45 miles from Waco, and we missed most of the bad stuff by a few miles. At least so far. There's another round of storms headed this way. I've had all the excitement I need for a while.

To Have, or Have Not?

United Press International - NewsTrack - Hemingway, Dietrich letters aired: "BOSTON, March 29 (UPI) -- U.S. writer Ernest Hemingway and German siren Marlene Dietrich flirted but likely didn't hook up, family members said.

Peter Riva, the late actress' grandson said the two were only 'great pals' and Valerie Hemingway, the author's daughter-in-law, said 'there is absolutely no evidence of there being an actual affair,' ABC News reported Thursday.

Riva and Hemingway discussed 30 letters written from 1949-59 donated to the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston by Dietrich's daughter four years ago but won't be made public until next week.

'I think that it was a flirtation and they were both very large personalities,' she said.

'Whenever he was free, she wasn't. When she was free, he wasn't,' Riva said.

Hemingway wrote Dietrich in 1950 that 'I fall in love with you bad and you're always in love with some jerk' and Dietrich told him, 'I want to kiss you forever and a day ... I can't love you more than I do or deeper or longer.'"

Chloe on the Cover of Geek Monthly

Geek Talks Tech With 24’s Chloe at GeekMonthly.com: "24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub graces the cover of Geek Monthly Issue 3. Pick up the issue to read Mary’s thoughts on her character as well as future plans outside of 24. As part of our extensive interview with the actress we talked tech and it turns out that Mary is not exactly as technically savvy as Chloe. That excerpt and some web exclusive photos below."

Will the Persecution Never End?

Apparently not.

Bad News for Geezers

Glitterati: Catherine Zeta Jones & Michael Douglas: A Combustible Union?: "Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas's six-year marriage may be going down the tubes - fast:

A 'friend' (and I use that term loosely) has been quoted as telling Woman's Day magazine:

'The cracks have been showing for quite some time now. They used to spend loads of time together. Not any more. Back when they first got together and had really hectic schedules, they always made time for one another. But now, with endless time on their hands, they can barely stand being together. Whenever they're in the same room it usually turns into a blazing row. It's a very combustible situation.'"

Could Chris Grabenstein be behind This?

KARE11TV: One ride on the carnival midway could earn Minnesota's seal of approval.

State Rep. Patti Fritz, DFL-Faribault, has introduced a bill designating the Tilt-A-Whirl the official amusement ride in Minnesota.

Fritz said she's taking up the cause of 52 kindergarten students from her district who say it deserves special attention because it was invented in their town.

"I represent children too," Fritz said, adding, "Minnesotans like to have fun, and it's a fun thing to do."

Judy's Mom Update

Judy's mother got a good report from the doctor today. In fact, he said she was amazing. Not too many 94-year-olds are in such good shape. She's going to have some tests run, and she'll have a CT scan. We'll take her back for another visit in about a month, but at the worst she might need some oral medication. So all is well.

Gator Update

Nothing says spring like gator season.

KBTV4: t will soon be alligator hunting season in Texas, but not for everyone. The state is initiating a spring season in certain counties.

At one time, alligators were nearly extinct. Now there are so many that the state is beginning the new season, although not in the areas where you`ll find the most alligators. The traditional areas where gators are found (coastal and eastern counties) are not part of the new spring season, which runs April 1 through June 30.

"We want to protect these core counties where we have good, viable populations," says Amos Cooper with the Parks and Wildlife Department.

Cooper says the new season coincides with breeding time.

"Right now is when alligators get most active, and that`s when we get most of our calls," says Cooper. "This is going to give those people an opportunity to take care of these animals, and it`s also going to help us" by reducing nuisance alligator calls.

Da Vinci Code Update

Dan Brown cleared of being a Code copier | NEWS.com.au: "HISTORIANS Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh have lost the latest round of an epic legal battle in which they claim that author Dan Brown lifted their ideas for his blockbuster novel The Da Vinci Code.

Three of Britain's senior judges, Lords Justices Mummery, Rix and Lloyd today dismissed their appeal against an earlier High Court ruling rejecting their claims.

The decision leaves them facing estimated legal costs of �2 million ($4.8 million).

In their action against Da Vinci Code publishers, Random House, Baigent and Leigh claim that Brown copied significant parts of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail which they wrote in 1982.

In the appeal, their lawyers argued that the High Court judge, Mr Justice Smith, who controversially wrote a secret code of his own into his 71-page judgment, had misunderstood the law and the basis of their claims."

Love Play in North Dakota

kare11.com :: KARE 11 TV - Woman charged after biting her boyfriend: "
A North Dakota woman has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and criminal trespass after biting her boyfriend while he slept.

Police say the Dickey County resident broke into her boyfriend's house while he slept on March 22. Then, say police, Amanda Rall climbed into bed and bit the man in his private area."

Harry Potter Update

Covers for the children's edition, UK edition, US edition, and so on. Right here.

No Comment Department

Thanks to Scott Cupp for the link.

3/28/2007 - "Man" Charged In Statutory Rape Turns Out To Be A Woman - Breaking News - Chattanoogan.com: "A 42-year-old 'man' charged with the statutory rape of a 15-year-old Hamilton County girl has turned out to be a woman.

Prosecutor Boyd Patterson said after Alexander David Cross was in the Hamilton County Jail for about 10 days in January, it was noticed while she was taking a shower that she was actually a female.

He said Ms. Cross was immediately moved to 'female isolation.'

Ms. Cross entered a guilty plea to felony statutory rape Wednesday morning before Criminal Court Judge Rebecca Stern.

She approved a plea agreement in which Ms. Cross gets a suspended two-year sentence. She will be on probation for six years."

April Issue of Crime and Suspense Now On-Line

From Tony Burton:

The March issue is still available, under "Last Month's Issue."

We have an unusual mix of stories this month, and I bet you'll find more than one to tickle your fancy.

The URL is...

http://www.crimeandsuspense.com/cands_0704_1445.htm

When you click on the link, scroll down the page to see short descriptions of the stories. Click on the title of the story described, you should get a pdf file of the story.

On the Road Again

In a little while Judy and I will be leaving for a visit with her mother. This is a medical visit. Years ago, Judy's mom was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). So far it hasn't been a problem, but now her white cell count is elevated. That's not good, but so far there's no evidence of other symptoms associated with the disease. Maybe that's good. At any rate, we'll find out tomorrow, we hope, when we visit the doctor. Until then, we're keeping our fingers crossed.

I'll have limited or no Internet access for a while, but keep checking in. I'll try to do a few posts if I can get on-line at all.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Texas signs new self-defense by gun law | Politics | Reuters: "Criminals in Texas beware: if you threaten someone in their car or office, the citizens of this state where guns are ubiquitous have the right to shoot you dead.

Governor Rick Perry's office said on Tuesday that he had signed a new law that expands Texans' existing right to use deadly force to defend themselves 'without retreat' in their homes, cars and workplaces.

'The right to defend oneself from an imminent act of harm should not only be clearly defined in Texas law, but is intuitive to human nature,' Perry said on his Web site.

The new law, which takes affect on September 1, extends an exception to a statute that required a person to retreat in the face of a criminal attack. The exception was in the case of an intruder unlawfully entering a person's home.

The law extends a person's right to stand their ground beyond the home to vehicles and workplaces, allowing the reasonable use of deadly force, the governor's office said."

Will the Persecution Never End?

Paris Hilton has bought a dwarf, not that I'm going to blog about it.

Gator Update

ScienceDaily: Biologist And Physicist Team Up To Study Alligator's 'Death Roll'

Other than on television, few of us have ever seen the spectacular spin (and ghastly consequences) of the crocodilian “death roll.” But, in a basement laboratory in the University’s Schmucker’s Science building, a biologist and physicist have been video taping young alligators spinning with the ferocity of their older, larger cousins in the wild.

In a paper entitled, "Death roll of the alligator: mechanics of twist feeding in water," to be published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, West Chester University biologist Frank Fish and physicist Anthony Nicastro and colleagues Sandra Bostic and John Beneski chronicled the particular spinning movement of juvenile alligators in water after biting into a pliable target. (Credit: Image courtesy of West Chester University Of Pennsylvania)
Ads by Google
Advertise on this site
Coffee Exposed
A shocking secret coffee co's don't want you to know
www.coffeefool.com
See The Everglades
Private airboat adventure and ecotour. Alligators, birds, fish
www.ride-the-wind.com
Marine Science Jobs
Science Magazine's Database: Search Marine Biology Jobs by Location.
www.sciencecareers.org
Christians in science
Articles and discussion of science and Christian faith
www.Asa3.org
"The Daily Galaxy"
News from Planet Earth & Beyond Science, Space, SciFi Hip & Free!
www.dailygalaxy.com

In doing so, the researchers created a mathematical model that provides the first explanation as to how these long thin reptiles are able to spin with such force in the water.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Giant Toad Update

Thanks to Scott Cupp for the tip. There's a photo at the link (of the toad, not Scott).

Hunters trap giant cane toad | Herald Sun: "A CANE toad the size of a small dog has been nabbed in the middle of a 'breeding frenzy' in Darwin.
The 861-gram male is the biggest caught anywhere in the Northern Territory, according to environmental group Frogwatch.

Measuring 20.5cm in length, the colossal male was one of 39 toads caught in a breeding frenzy, said FrogWatch co-ordinator Graeme Sawyer.

'The biggest toads are usually females but this one was a rampant male,' he said.

'He is huge. I would hate to meet his big sister.'"

You Can Be Thankful. . .

. . . that I'm not linking to this.

Protect Your Goats!

Personally, I'm not worried, but this man might be.

wcbstv.com - Charges Dropped In Goat Spray-Painting Case: "Criminal charges have been dropped against a Mahopac man whom police charged last fall with animal cruelty and burglary for breaking into a barn and spray-painting three goats.

Drew Gagnon, 37, was arrested in November after police said he broke into the barn on Croton Falls Road early Thanksgiving morning and used orange spray paint on the genitals of the three goats owned by the Fiero family."

Ten Topless Performance by Oscar Winning Actresses

YesButNoButYes: Ten Topless Performance by Oscar Winning Actresses: "just how many winners of the Best Actress Oscar over the last decade or so have flashed their assets onscreen?

Turns out, pretty much all of them (with one exception)....

(Do I need to tell you that this one is not safe for work, and contains many nekkid pictures and video clips? You've been warned)."

Inca Update

Dung-eating mites throw light on Inca civilisation-News-World-US & Americas-TimesOnline: "Mites that eat llama dung are providing scientists with critical new clues to the rise and fall of the Inca empire and the civilisations that preceded it.

The soil invertebrates are allowing researchers to trace the growth and decline of the peoples of the Andes several centuries before the Spanish conquest in 1532 brought written records to the region for the first time.

The evidence gleaned from fossilised mites, preserved in sediments at a lake about 50km (30 miles) from the Inca capital of Cuzco, has shown how the great empire increased in size and complexity in the early 15th century."

Spiderman 1 & 2 in 30 Seconds (with Bunnies)

You can see it here.

There's a Lot of this Going Around

Thanks to Karin Montin for the link.

Top News- Housewife Convicted of Frying Husband - AOL News: "A Brazilian housewife was convicted and sentenced to 19 years in prison Friday for killing her husband, chopping his body into small pieces and frying it. Rosanita Nery dos Santos, 52, drugged her husband in his sleep, then stabbed him to death two years ago in Salvador, about 900 miles northeast of Sao Paulo, said police spokesman Idmar Bonfim.

She then hacked Jose Raimundo Soares dos Santos' body into more than 100 pieces, which she boiled and fried before hiding in plastic bags beneath a staircase in her house, Bonfim said. He said police discovered the body parts after receiving an anonymous phone call."

Croc Update

E Canada Now - Breaking News » Gaza woman caught smuggling crocodiles taped to her body

A Palestinian woman was caught trying to smuggle three crocodiles from Egypt into the Gaza Strip via Rafah Border Crossing, it was revealed Sunday.

Maria Telleria, spokeswoman for EU BAM, which monitors the border as part of an agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, said that the smuggler tried to cross Thursday into Gaza with the three crocodiles taped to her upper body.

Powered by ScribeFire.

LOTR Update

Tolkien Jr completes Lord of Rings - Independent Online Edition > News: "The first new Tolkien novel for 30 years is to be published next month. In a move eagerly anticipated by millions of fans across the world, The Children of Hurin will be released worldwide on 17 April, 89 years after the author started the work and four years after the final cinematic installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, one of biggest box office successes in history.

The book, whose contents are being jealously guarded by publisher HarperCollins - is described as 'an epic story of adventure, tragedy, fellowship and heroism.'

It is likely to be a publishing sensation, particularly as it is illustrated by veteran Middle Earth artist Alan Lee, who won an Oscar for art direction on Peter Jackson's third film The Return of The King. Lee provided 25 pencil sketches and eight paintings for the first edition of the book, one of which is reproduced here for the first time in a national newspaper.

Tolkien experts are already tipping The Children of Hurin - which features significant battle scenes and at least one major twist - for big budget Hollywood treatment."

A Bullet for my Lady -- Bernard Mara (Brian Moore)

Brian Moore is best known as a literary writer, author of such novels as The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, The Luck of Ginger Coffey, and Black Robe. But under a couple of other names (Bernard Mara and Michael Bryan) he wrote books that were published as paperback originals. One of those books is A Bullet for my Lady.

As you all know, when your partner is killed, you have to do something about it. Harold Spoke dies mysteriously in Barcelona, so Josh Camp goes there to do something about it. The police are calling Spoke's death an accident. Camp doesn't believe it, and of course neither does the anybody who's read more than one Gold Medal novel.

Besides the narrator and the suspicious death we have two beautiful women, a dangerous bullfighter, a menacing dwarf, assorted badasses, and the Cardinal. The Cardinal's been dead for a long, long time. No one knows where he's buried, except possibly one of the beautiful women, but everyone wants to find his grave because it's rumored to be filled with treasure beyond their wildest dreams. Any similarity to The Maltese Falcon in all this is, I'm sure, purely coincidental.

The local color is very fine, the writing is smooth and assured, and the story is as wild as you might expect. Fine reading for an afternoon or evening. Check it out.

Get On Those Tighty Whities Cap'n Bob

Harlequin books seeks "real men" for covers - Yahoo! News: "Real men don't pose for the cover of a Harlequin romance. And that's something the publisher wants to change.

Representatives of Harlequin Enterprises, the world's biggest publisher of romance novel series, inspected the assets of about 200 men who lined up at a Toronto casting house on Saturday to prove they could flutter readers' hearts better than professional models.

'We're looking for some guys that are not your usual models, but have that iconic look that women go for -- sexy, sensitive, beautiful and fit,' said Harlequin spokeswoman Marleah Stout, who attended the open casting.

'We want real men ... exactly what you think in your mind when you're fantasizing or imagining that ideal man.'"

Monday on "It's a Mystery"

Clare Langley-Hawthorne, whose debut Edwardian mystery _Consequences of
Sin_ features a determined suffragist, a journey into South American
jungles, and murder, will be the guest on "It's a Mystery" on Monday,
March 26th at 11 AM ET (Webcast at http://www.fcac.org/webr).

Also scheduled are comedians Bob and Ray's take on Sherlock Holmes;
musical salutes to birthday boys David Janssen and Paul Michael Glaser;
and, also in honor of Janssen, an episode of "Richard Diamond, Private
Detective," written by Blake Edwards and starring Dick Powell, Ed Begley,
William Conrad, and future "I Spy" producer Sheldon Leonard.

Beth Foxwell
Producer and host, "It's a Mystery"
http://www.elizabethfoxwell.com/ItsaMystery.html