Minotaur vs. Centaur

Who would win a fight between a Minotaur with a trident and a Centaur with a crossbow? Here's what Neil Gaiman has to say, and you can also find George Clooney's answer. Not to mention Jennifer Love Hewitt's.

Link via YesButNoButYes.

So You Think You Know Horror Movies?

Then take the quiz.

Sports Headline of the Week

Uncle Jay Explains the News

Especially blogs.

Uh-Oh

Judge bars use of partial prints in murder trial -- baltimoresun.com: "A Baltimore County judge has ruled that fingerprint evidence, a mainstay of forensics for nearly a century, is not reliable enough to be used against a homicide defendant facing a possible death sentence - a finding that national experts described yesterday as unprecedented and potentially far-reaching."

Martin Edwards

British Crime novelist Martin Edwards has started blogging. I love the name of his blog: "Do You Write Under Your Own Name?" If I had a buck for every time someone's asked me that, I'd be a rich man.

The Tin Roof Blowdown -- James Lee Burke

This is the 16th Dave Robicheaux novel. I've read all the others, too. Sometimes I wonder why, since the meandering plots drive me nuts. Burke usually manages to pull things together, but not always in a way that satisfies me. This time's no exception. I wasn't ever sure I knew exactly what was going on, even after it was all explained. Or, to put it more accurately, I knew what was going on, but I wasn't sure it made sense.

Doesn't matter though. This book's really not about the crime plot so much as it is about post-Katrina and post-Rita New Orleans, and while Burke's plotting might let me down, his writing hardly ever does. If there was anyone who could do justice to the chaos that the Crescent City became after those terrible storms, it was Burke, and he puts everything into the effort. There's a lot of outrage in this book, and the targets deserve it. Not that it's a preachy book. It's not. But it's pretty clear what Burke and his characters think. I don't recommend this unreservedly, but I recommend it highly.

Happy Birthday, Michael Crichton!

The fact is, I prefer those early novels to the later ones (those I've read, which I admit are few).

The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media: "It's the birthday of Michael Crichton, (books by this author) born in Chicago (1942), who went to medical school at Harvard and began writing paperback adventure novels to pay for his tuition. On top of his schoolwork, he managed to produce 10,000 words a day, ultimately publishing eight novels in three years, including Zero Cool (1969), The Venom Business (1969), and Drug of Choice (1970).

By the time Crichton finished medical school, he had decided to become a writer, though he said, '[It] struck most people like quitting the Supreme Court to become a bail bondsman.' He's gone on to write many best-selling novels, including The Andromeda Strain (1969), Jurassic Park (1990), and Next (2006)."

Remember D. B. Cooper?

Maybe he's been found.

Croc Update (Musical Edition)

TheStar.com | entertainment | DOWNLOAD SINGLE OF THE WEEK: "Underworld's new album, Oblivion With Bells, takes a steep nosedive into crapulence around the halfway point, so perhaps it's best to employ a bit of judicious, iPod-era editing on approach to safeguard the aging techno duo's heretofore untarnished reputation.

First single 'Crocodile' is certainly a keeper, a wash of immaculate, wee-hours tech-house whose gleaming mechano-rhythms and aura of gauzy bliss are perfectly tailored to glide sweaty dance floors towards dawn."

Gator Update (Free Bill Warner! Edition)

ImediNews - Retiree sabotages alligator traps: " SUN CITY CENTER, Fla. (UPI) — A Florida retiree has riled other residents at his senior citizens community and wildlife officials by sabotaging alligator traps.

Bill Warner, 80, of Sun City Center faces charges including theft, harassment and sabotage, The Tampa Tribune reported.

He plans to represent himself at his trial next week. I'm defending the damn alligators -- simple as that, he said."

We're from the Government, and We're Here to Help You

abc news: Anxious to avoid upsetting air travelers, NASA is withholding results from an unprecedented national survey of pilots that found safety problems like near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than the government previously recognized.

NASA gathered the information under an $8.5 million safety project, through telephone interviews with roughly 24,000 commercial and general aviation pilots over nearly four years. Since ending the interviews at the beginning of 2005 and shutting down the project completely more than one year ago, the space agency has refused to divulge the results publicly.

Just last week, NASA ordered the contractor that conducted the survey to purge all related data from its computers.

The Associated Press learned about the NASA results from one person familiar with the survey who spoke on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to discuss them.

A senior NASA official, associate administrator Thomas S. Luedtke, said revealing the findings could damage the public's confidence in airlines and affect airline profits. Luedtke acknowledged that the survey results "present a comprehensive picture of certain aspects of the U.S. commercial aviation industry."

Now THIS is What I Call Good News!

I like to think that the "It's so cool" remark is an intentional pun.

Paris Hilton wants to be frozen with her pets | Herald Sun: "PARIS Hilton is keen to live forever, and wants to be frozen in a cryogenic institute when she dies... along with her pets Chihuahua Tinkerbell and Cinderella.

Paris Hilton wants to be frozen with her beloved pets when she dies.

The hotel heiress is keen to live forever and has invested a large sum of money in the world's biggest suspended animation cemetery, Cryonics Institute.

She wants her body to be preserved and then brought back to life, along with her favourite pets, including her famous Chihuahua Tinkerbell and new mutt, Yorkshire Terrier Cinderella.

The Simple Life star said: 'It's so cool. Almost all the cells in the body are still alive when death is pronounced.

'And if you're immediately cooled, you can be perfectly preserved.

'My life could be extended by hundreds and thousands of years.' "

Depressing News about SF Magazine Sales

Maybe the magazine is dying. I like the computer, but I like magazines a lot. I must, since I subscribe to so many. The depressing news is here.

Link via Boing Boing.

The 300 Spartans

I saw The 300 Spartans when it first came out, back in 1962. I didn't remember much about it other than who the stars were and that it was one of those big international sword-and-sandal epics that showed up at the local theaters a lot more frequently then than they do now. And of course I remembered the story and how impressed I was by the courage of men willing to fight a battle they knew they couldn't win. After seeing 300 a while ago, I thought I'd like to see this one again, so I put it in the Netflix queue.

And it's not bad, if you don't count the truly awful love story that features Diane Baker and Barry Coe. You can just see the Big Cigars sitting around in the script conference. "Hey, what's up with everybody dying? The kids ain't gonna want to see this. We gotta have a couple of young lovers, get the kids asses outa the hot rod seats and into the theater seats." It probably didn't work, and it almost kills the movie. The acting is, well, awful, but when you consider the dialog they had to work with, Baker and Coe didn't stand a chance.

Some of the other actors fare better. Leonidas (Richard Egan) dimples and smiles way too much for a Spartan, but he manages to be almost convincing. Sir Ralph Richardson is Themistocles, and he's very good. The best roles always go to the villains, though, and David Farrar almost steals the movie with his outrageous hamminess. You have to see some of his scenes to believe them. Great work.

Some of the scenes found their way almost directly into 300, and I don't mean just the ones from Herodotus. Frank Miller saw this movie when he was a kid, and he must have incorporated them into his graphic novel.

It was fun to watch an all-out Cinemascope Technicolor movie, with thousands of real actors instead of CGI ones. The battle scenes aren't going to impress anybody these days, as they're mostly just pushing, shoving, slashing, and hacking, but they impressed the heck out of me back in the day. I'm glad I watched this. Maybe I'll put The Robe or Quo Vadis? in the old Netflix queue.

Dare to Compare

Poster via Lost in Negative Space.

I Never Had any Teachers Like This

Yes, there are photos at the link.

Top marks for topless teacher | The Sun |HomePage|News: "SOPHIA Bonham is fast becoming one of Britain's most popular teachers - and it's easy to see why.

Since going topless on the front of a sexy calendar, which included the snap above, she's been bombarded with requests from fellas wanting to study her classy curves.

Hundreds of lads have tracked down the 19-year-old on internet networking sites.

But she's been teaching the random Romeos a lesson about talking to strangers.

'I've had loads of lads requesting me to be friends since the photos got out,' she laughs."

E. Phillips Oppenheim . . .

. . . was born on this date. Check out The Bunburyist for details of his career.

Croc Update (BOLO Edition)

Marksmen hunt escaped crocs in Thailand - Yahoo! News: "BANGKOK, Thailand - Marksmen cruised rivers in northeastern Thailand on Sunday hunting for 11 crocodiles that scampered away from a farm during floods last week.

A total of 34 crocodiles escaped the commercial farm in Nakorn Ratchasima province on Wednesday, but the rest have been shot and killed, said Suwira Phonkoh, an official in the province's special task force to help flood victims.

Many people in the province have been evacuated due to the flooding. Authorities warned the remaining residents about the crocodiles, which were being raised for their meat and skins."

Deadly Prey -- Peter Brandvold

This is the second book in the "Rogue Lawman" series. What's it like? Imagine The Executioner series set in the old west, and you'll have the idea. The wife and son of Gideon Hawk, the rogue lawman, have been murdered. Hawk decides that he has to kill 100 bad guys to achieve revenge. I don't know what the body count is in this book, and I haven't read the first one, but I figure the series won't last long if Hawk keeps up this pace. Three books should do it, if he hasn't reached the goal in this one.

The complication in the plot is that the governors of three states have met and sent a man to kill Hawk. He's a vigilante, after all, and they don't like that. Besides, he's making regular law enforcement look bad.

Lots of action, lots of killing, even some sex. Short and violent. If you thought they didn't write 'em like this anymore, this is the book for you.

And the Title was "If I Did It"

No, wait, that was a different Simpson.

Former Calif. gang member gets 126 years - Yahoo! News: "RIVERSIDE, Calif. - A former gang member convicted in a jewelry heist that resembled robberies he described in his memoir has been sentenced to 126 years in prison.

Colton Simpson, 41, declined to speak during Friday's sentencing hearing and showed no reaction when Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson III issued the sentence.

Simpson, who has previous felony convictions, was sentenced under the state's three strikes law. He was found guilty of robbery, burglary and grand theft for his role in a 2003 heist at a Robinsons-May Co. department store jewelry counter in Temecula.

Simpson was accused of being the mastermind and getaway car driver. Two unidentified men, who were not prosecuted, were accused of entering the store and actually pulling off the heist.

Dickerson permitted Simpson's 2005 memoir, "Inside the Crips: Life Inside L.A.'s Most Notorious Gang," to be presented as evidence during the trial.

Prosecutors argued that a visit by Simpson to the jewelry counter two days before the robbery was similar to scenes in the book."

We're from the Government, and We're Here to Help You

wcbstv.com - Tomato Juice Spill Causes Long Lines At LaGuardia: "NEW YORK (CBS) ― Tempers grew short at LaGuardia Airport Saturday. The American Airlines terminal was brought to a near-standstill because of an equipment malfunction, but it was the reason for the malfunction that really had people fuming.

People were welcomed to Terminal D of LaGuardia Airport with a line so long, it was difficult to tell where it began, or where it ended - all because someone spilled tomato juice on an x-ray machine.

When CBS 2 HD told one woman the reason for the delays, she asked if we were 'kidding,' but it was no joke. The Transportation Safety Administration confirmed the spill knocked out one of the five units that screen thousands of passengers here each day.

'That's insane,' said Dallas bound passenger Pat Jones. 'That shouldn't be our problem, should it?'

But it was."

Happy Birthday, Wanda Jackson

The Fujiyama Mama turns 70 today.

Frank Robinson Talks about Thrillers

An excellent interview right here. Todd Mason suggests that Robinson sounds like Joey Bishop, and he does, but that's not what the interview is about. Check it out.

Harry Potter Update

My Way News - J.K. Rowling Outs Hogwarts Character: "NEW YORK (AP) - Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.

After reading briefly from the final book, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,' she took questions from audience members.

She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds 'true love.'

'Dumbledore is gay,' the author responded to gasps and applause.

She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. 'Falling in love can blind us to an extent,' Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was 'horribly, terribly let down.'

Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his 'great tragedy.'

'Oh, my god,' Rowling concluded with a laugh, 'the fan fiction.'"

Gone Baby Gone

I've never been as big a fan of Dennis Lehane's work as a lot of people, but I liked a lot of things about his series about Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. I liked some thing about this movie, too, but one thing I really disliked, plebeian that I am, was the color. Why is it that people film movies in this washed-out color? It's probably some kind of artistic statement, but I think it pretty much sucks. Even when the sun is shining, the sun's not shining. To heck with that. I'm old. I need light. And keep off my damn lawn!

But back to the movie. I liked Michelle Monaghan, who looked exactly like my idea of Angie. And while I've never been a Casey Affleck fan, I thought he did a fine job. The guy who played Lionel was on Deadwood, and he must've kept the moustache. Ed Harris has a pretty scary hairpiece, too, for that matter.

But I'm digressing again, maybe. The story's about a kidnapped child. The cops haven't found her after three days, so the family goes to Kenzie. He and Angie are reluctant to take the case, but they do, and the head cop, Morgan Freeman, assigns a couple of other cops to cooperate with them. If you've read the book, as I have, you pretty much know the rest. It's a dark story, with a few complications, but not so many that it's hard to follow.

Ben Affleck directed and worked on the screenplay, and I'd say he's redeemed himself for the Bennifer years.

Phamous Photos of Phantoms

A slideshow of photos of ghosts is located here.

Gator Update: Gali the Alligator

Hat tip to Neatorama.

University of Nebraska Press SF Reissues

Thanks to Beth Foxwell for the link.

The Neglected Books Page � Blog Archive � “Bison Frontiers of Imagination” reissues from the University of Nebraska Press: "A site visitor tipped me off to a series of reissues of neglected and long out of print science fiction classics from the University of Nebraska Press, which already deserves credit for keeping many of the works of the fine American novelist Wright Morris in print.

Titled the Bison Frontiers of Imagination, the series includes over 50 titles now. Each title includes an introduction or afterword by a worthy science fiction writer or critic such as John Varley, an original cover painting, and, in some cases, original illustrations as well. In keeping with the press’ long-standing practice, the reissues are high-quality trade paperback editions."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

With the best last sentence you'll read today. Reminds me of my days teaching "developmental" English.

Volleyball Team Finds Deer Carcass On Bus - Yahoo! News: "A girl's high school volleyball team was shocked to find a bloody deer carcass on their bus after a game against a rival.

Members of the Comfort High School Whitetail Deer volleyball team came across the remains of a dead deer after playing a game against Blanco High School. A sister of a Comfort High School student said she believes students from Blanco High School placed the carcass on the bus as a prank.

'That is very inappropriate, I just couldn't believe it,' Laura Lozano said. '(My sister) was just so surprised that they would do something like that.'

Lozano said the rivalry between the two schools is deeply ceded."

Croc Update

Hasn't this happened to most of us at one time or another?

AFP: Too drunk to go to hospital after croc attack, tourist sleeps instead: "SYDNEY (AFP) — A tourist who was attacked by a crocodile while swimming in an Australian river was so drunk that he fell asleep at his campsite before going to hospital for treatment, a report said Friday.
*********

After a brief wrestling match with the reptile, Martin emerged with gashes on his face requiring 40 stitches, The Australian newspaper reported.

Admitting his face was "pretty messed up" when he went back to his campsite, Martin, 35, from Newcastle city north of Sydney, then slept for seven hours before seeking medical help."

When One Man Dies -- Dave White

Dave White's reputation in the mystery field to date is based on his short stories (and of course on his author faux pas). Now he's going to be known for his first novel and those that follow it (and for those faux pas).

When One Man Dies is about private-eye Jackson Donne, whom the readers of White's short stories have already met. The novel begins as Donne is about ready to give up the p.i. game and go to college (Rutgers). But when a friend is killed, he's drawn into the investigation.

Nobody is happier about that than Bill Martin, who was Donne's partner when Donne was a cop. Martin sees this as a chance to get a little revenge on Donne for what happened in the old days.

And then there's what seems to be another case entirely. If you've ever read a mystery novel before, you've already figured out that there's going to be a connection, and White doesn't disappoint.

The novel is told in two voices, Donne's first-person narration, which alternates with chapters from Martin's perspective but told in third person. This doesn't always work for me, but it does here.

White has a sure hand on the story, he mixes action with introspection well, and he wraps up a complicated plot with no loose ends dangling. What makes me sad about reading this book (and others by so many of the younger writers these days) is that I know the authors are going to be writing novels for thirty, forty, fifty years, and they're just going to get better. And I'm not going to be around to read all of them. The good news is that I'm getting in on the ground floor of some fine careers. If you want to do the same, check out When One Man Dies.

The 10 Worst Movies Directed by Actors

Click the Vulture link for the list.

Vulture: Actors: Most of them are lucky if they can even act. So it's always hilarious when they try other stuff, like singing, running for president, or playing bass. Still, there's nothing that torpedoes a career quite like a self-directed vanity project. The Ben Affleck–helmed Gone Daddy Gone hits theaters this weekend, and you can only imagine our abject disappointment, as bloggers, when we found out that it's actually supposed to be very good. But not every movie star can be competent at two things.

Joey Bishop, R. I. P.

That's three, and the Rat Pack is all gone.

The Associated Press: Joey Bishop Dead at 89: "LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, has died at 89.

He was the group's last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998.

Bishop died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, publicist and longtime friend Warren Cowan said Thursday.

The Rat Pack became a show business sensation in the early 1960s, appearing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner.

Reviewers often claimed that Bishop played a minor role, but Sinatra knew otherwise. He termed the comedian 'the Hub of the Big Wheel,' with Bishop coming up with some of the best one-liners and beginning many jokes with his favorite phrase, 'Son of a gun!'"

Deborah Kerr, R. I. P.

First, Teresa Brewer, now Deborah Kerr. My first memory of her is from King Solomon's Mines.

Deborah Kerr, star of 'From Here to Eternity' and 'The King and I,' dies -- Newsday.com: "Deborah Kerr, the acclaimed British actress whose versatile talent and refined screen persona made her one of Hollywood's top leading ladies in the 1950s in films such as 'From Here to Eternity,' 'The King and I' and 'An Affair to Remember,' has died. She was 86.

Kerr, who in recent years suffered from Parkinson's disease, died Tuesday in Suffolk, eastern England, her agent said today.

In a screen career that was launched in the early 1940s, Kerr received six best actress Academy Award nominations for her roles in 'Edward, My Son' (1949), 'From Here to Eternity' (1953), 'The King and I' (1956), 'Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison' (1957), 'Separate Tables'(1958) and 'The Sundowners' (1960)."

Teresa Brewer R. I. P.

She was an important part of the soundtrack of my kidhood.

1950s singer Teresa Brewer dies at 76 -- Newsday.com: "NEW YORK - Singer Teresa Brewer, who topped the charts in the 1950s with hits like 'Till I Waltz Again with You,' and performed with jazz legends Count Basie and Duke Ellington, died Wednesday. She was 76.

Brewer died at her New Rochelle home of a neuromuscular disease, said family spokesman Bill Munroe. Her four daughters were at her bedside.

Brewer had scores of hits in the 1950s and a burgeoning film career, but she pared down her public life to raise her children. She re-emerged a decade later to perform with jazz greats Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis.

'She was just a wonderful, lovely lady,' said Munroe, a longtime family friend. 'Her career was always a hobby with her _ her family always came first. She always considered her legacy not to be the gold records and the TV appearances, but her loving family.' "

Norman Mailer Update

Norman Mailer 'not in very good shape' | The Courier-Mail: "PROMINENT US writer and journalist Norman Mailer has been hospitalised here with acute respiratory problems, The New York Post reported today.

'He's not in very good shape. It's breaking my heart,” one of his former wives, Carol Mailer, was quoted in the Post as saying.

The writer was reported to be at an intensive care unit at Mount Sinai Hospital."

Another of those Great SF Book Club Ads

I think Todd Mason will remember this one.

'Second Earth'

'Second Earth' found, 20 light years away | Science | The Guardian: "Scientists have discovered a warm and rocky 'second Earth' circling a star, a find they believe dramatically boosts the prospects that we are not alone.

The planet is the most Earth-like ever spotted and is thought to have perfect conditions for water, an essential ingredient for life. Researchers detected the planet orbiting one of Earth's nearest stars, a cool red dwarf called Gliese 581, 20 light years away in the constellation of Libra."

Paperback Popups

Thomas Allen slices and dices old paperback covers, then photographs the results. There are 31 of his works on display here.

Link via YesButNoButYes.

10 Spooky Jobs

Thanks to Scott Cupp for the link. The salary for the third one on the list seems way too low, but maybe that's just me.

10 Spooky Jobs - AOL Find a Job: "The following jobs deal with matters from corpses to violence to death to the supernatural. They're not for the faint of heart, but if you wish Halloween was year-round, consider one of the following 10 spooky jobs to keep you looking over your shoulder every day."

Your Own Personal Google

Want to impress your pals with your own Google search page? You can create it here.

Hat tip to the mikemcgruff blog.

I'll Bet it Stars Jar Jar Binks

George Lucas planning 'Star Wars' TV series - Los Angeles Times: "Attention, TV executives: The Force may soon be with you.

Filmmaker George Lucas said Tuesday that he has 'just begun work' on a live-action television series rooted in the 'Star Wars' universe, which is huge news not just for fans of the science-fiction epic but also for networks looking for a piece of the Lucas magic that has grossed $4.3 billion in theaters worldwide.

There is a caveat, though: The proposed series doesn't have anyone named Luke or Anakin in it, a story path that Lucas concedes is 'taking chances' as far as connecting with an audience expecting the familiar mythology.

'The Skywalkers aren't in it, and it's about minor characters,' Lucas said in an interview. 'It has nothing to do with Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader or any of those people. It's completely different. But it's a good idea, and it's going to be a lot of fun to do.'"

American Ingenuity at its Finest

Bed-mounted shotguns: "The worst part about shooting home invaders is having to get out of bed to grab the shotgun. Well, that's no longer a problem with the The Back-Up Gun Rack, which provides a convenient and easy-to-install bed-mounted solution! Now you can fill invaders with two barrels of buckshot without even having to sit up!"

A Hell of a Woman -- Edited by Megan Abbott

In 2006, David Thompson's Busted Flush Press published one of the most talked-about anthologies of the year, Damn Near Dead. This year, watch for A Hell of a Woman, because it's going to be another big hit.

So far I've read stories by Libby Fischer Hellmann, Naomi Hirahara, Vicki Hendricks, Ken Bruen, Donna Moore, Allan Guthrie, Sandra Scoppettone, Sarah Weinman, Vin Packer, SJ Rozan, and Christa Faust. There's tough, there's tender, there's even funny, and there's not a loser in the bunch. And even better, that's only about half the stories. I have a lot more to read.

And that's not even counting the appreciations of some of the authors not included in the book. (Confession: I wrote the one on Leigh Brackett.) It's supposed to hit the stores in December. You won't find a better stocking-stuffer.

God Works in Mysterious Ways

Priest has no problem worshipping God and Elvis - Yahoo! News: "SORBO, Italy (Reuters) - Romanian-born Antonio Petrescu believes you can worship God and Elvis at the same time: as a Catholic priest and Elvis Presley impersonator, he finds his spiritual inspiration in the late rock legend.

'People ask me 'How can you reconcile Elvis impersonations with your choice of professional work?'' said Petrescu, who puts on his glittery suits and swivels his hips when not working as a parish priest in the Italian town of Avezzano.

Interviewed by Reuters on a church visit to the tiny town of Sorbo -- population, 52 -- in southern Italy, the priest said he believes Elvis is an appropriate inspiration for Christian worship because he sang of 'love in general.'

The 34-year-old's Web site has two separate entries -- one for the priest, another for the artist, which talks about his 'fiery voice' and discography including the singles 'Lovin' Arms' and 'Reach out to Jesus.'"

Baptists Gone Wild

Bonus: there are nightclubs in Waco! Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.

Baylor assistant coach facing public urination charge | Bevo Beat: "This was a Texas-Baylor game week story we sure didn’t expect:

The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that Baylor assistant coach Eric Schnupp has been cited on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct/reckless exposure. He’s accused of relieving himself on the bar of a Waco nightclub.

Seems that police were already at the bar, Scruffy Murphy’s, at 2:26 a.m. Sunday when an employee says he saw Schnupp, um … we’ll let bartender Danny Severe describe it himself:

“While we were kicking everybody out, he apparently thought that nobody was looking and whipped it out and (urinated) on the bar. He tried to deny it, but there was definitely a puddle and there was no one else around him.”"

PC Magazine's 100 Favorite Blogs

And once again, I'm not on the list.

Gator Update (How-To Edition)

I highly recommend the whole article, which you can find here.

But do you know how to wrestle an alligator, if one by any chance shows up at your doorstep? Believe it or not, this manly skill, unceremoniously eclipsed by the digital age, is still being taught in southern Colorado.
*****

The three-hour course costs $100 and is available to adults upon signing a release form.

The introductory phase consists of catching a sprightly 2½-foot caiman careening across a pool with the speed of a toy motor boat.

It probably lacks the heft to kill a human outright, but certainly has a wide enough mouth — and razor-sharp teeth — to snap off a finger, if given the chance.

"No matter the size, you always start from the tail," patiently explains Mr. Young, wearing a battered "Crocodile Dundee"-style hat. "As you may have noticed, that's where they don't have teeth."

The Poe War

It's still going on. And now you have a vote.

Update from Ed Pettit: "If you are in a Comcast viewing area, check me out live on TV tomorrow morning on CN8's "Your Morning" show at 7:30AM (they broadcast from Maine to Virginia), debating the legacy of Edgar Allan Poe with someone from Baltimore. I'm not sure yet who will be representing that other city, but perhaps it'll be Jeff Jerome and I'll get punched in the eye. Should be fun."

How Long Has it Been . . .

. . . since I had a Paris Hilton post? Well, that's too long. So here's a link.

The Plot of Dave White's Next Novel?

1010 WINS - On-Air, Online, On Demand - FBI Monitoring al-Qaida Activity in North Jersey: "NEWARK, N.J. (NorthJersey.com) -- Members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force are monitoring a number of north Jersey residents with ties to al-Qaida.

The agents have disrupted their activities and deported several.

Task force director Kevin Cruise tells The Record of Bergen County there are facilitators in the state.

Cruise would not describe any case in detail. However, efforts to disrupt Osama bin Laden's network range from deportation to telling the suspects that they're being watched."

Short Story Contest

Crime & Suspense is having a short-story contest with cash prizes. Click here for details.

Anna Nicole Smith Update

Access Hollywood | Rita Cosby Releases Private Recording In Response To 'Sting Operation' | Celebrity and Hollywood News: "NEW YORK, NY (October 14, 2007) — Days after a Bahamian spokesperson for Anna Nicole Smith’s former nannies accused “Blonde Ambition” author Rita Cosby of attempting to bribe him and his clients, the former MSNBC journalist defended herself by releasing an alleged audio interview with the spokesperson.

In the tape, released to Access Hollywood, Cosby is heard talking with a man identified as “Lincoln.” Cosby said that voice on the tape is Lincoln Bain, the representative for Smith’s former nannies, Quethlie Alexis and Nadine Alexie.

On the recording, Bain tells Cosby that the nannies claimed to have witnessed Smith watching a video of an alleged sexual encounter between Smith’s longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, and Larry Birkhead."

The Owl 2: Scarlet Serenade -- Bob Forward

When I reviewed The Owl, I mentioned that I'd discovered that while no sequel was published in the U. S., one was available in England. So I bought it from Amazon.uk. The price of the book wasn't so bad. The postage was a killer. But you know how it is, I'm sure. The sequel was published in 1990, but the copy I got was in like-new condition and had never been read.

There was some discussion in the comments of the original review about the author's name, mainly because there's a well-known SF writer named Robert L. Forward. You'll note that on The Owl 2, the author is billed as "Bob Forward."

I'm thinking that maybe I should let the book speak for itself a little, so here goes, from page 14:

Baroom! Baroom! Baroom! The Peacemaker roared in .45 basso profundo as my left palm slammed the hammer. The driver's body went three feet backward without touching the ground and hit asphalt in a heap. What was left of his head landed a good deal further on, as the last vestiges of crimson spray blew away on the dry and dusty wind. The Santa Ana tasted blood -- and it howled.

And from page 43:

But that was a long, dark decade ago; before Alexander L'Hiboux, reporter, was reborn in a Hell of fire and rage as the ever-deadly, never-sleeping Owl.

And from page 46:

"You're the Owl. You're an ice-blooded, two-fisted, merciless sonofabitch. You move fast, shoot faster, and never take unnecessary chances. You've stayed alive because you stay alone and out of sight. Yet now -- all of a sudden, you've got the cops, the drug underworld, and probably the FBI on your ass . . . ."

I must have been in a more receptive mood when reading this one than when reading The Owl because I enjoyed the heck out of it. It starts off over the top and builds from there. It's essentially one long chase scene as The Owl acts as bodyguard to a 16-year-old girl whom seemingly everybody in L. A. wants to get his hands on. There's blood, gore, and action aplenty. Norbert the dead bartender, a great character, makes a return appearance, as does the enigmatic Alcatraz. Too bad there wasn't an Owl 3.

Kill Bill 1 & 2

With bunnies.

And then there's 300 (the feline version).

Stark House is Back

After a short hiatus, Stark House is back with a fine double book that features a couple of Bill Pronzini's standalones, either one of which, in a just world, would have been a breakout book for him. Bonuses: introduction by Marcia Muller and an afterword by Bob Randisi. Put it on your Christmas list.

Downwind -- Bob McKnight

A good while ago, Richard Moore was kind enough to send me a copy of this book that had been in Harry Whittington's personal library. It was signed by McKnight, who thanked Whittington for his "guidance." I've had another copy of the book for many years, but I've only now gotten around to reading it.

The story's a familiar one. Bert Brodie gets a call that his brother, Dave, is in trouble. The call is from Dave's wife, with whom Bert had once been in love. Naturally Bert flies to Santa Fe to help out. He's too late because Dave has been murdered. Almost at once, Bert is suspected of the murder. The sheriff and his nutty deputy are clearly in league with the bad guys. The whole town turns against Bert, who becomes a fugitive while trying to figure out who killed Dave. The reader will have known from about page one.)

Anybody reads that brief plot summary (not counting the final sentence) and who's read Harry Whittington will spot the Whittington influence. But the book's not nearly as well done as one of Whittington's; the spark is lacking. Still McKnight throws in a nice twist, and the book's well paced. It's also very unPC. People were so benighted in 1957. It's kind of fun, but I can't really recommend it other than as a curiosity.

Anna Nicole Smith Update

My Way News - Raids Begin in Anna Nicole Smith Probe: "LOS ANGELES (AP) - Authorities investigating the death of Anna Nicole Smith raided six locations Friday, including the offices and residences of two doctors, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said.

County prosecutors were aware of the raids in the Los Angeles area but were not involved in the operation, said spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons. She did not comment further; Attorney General Jerry Brown was expected to make an announcement on the case later Friday.

Smith, a former Playboy Playmate, died of an accidental drug overdose in February at a Florida hotel. She was 39."

California Drivers

They don't let a little thing like a body in the roadway slow them down. Thanks to Walter Satterthwait for the link.

San Jose Mercury News - Body found on Highway 880 identified as Berkeley man: "HAYWARD - The man whose body was found on the southbound lanes of Interstate Highway 880 in Hayward on Thursday has been identified today by the Alameda County coroner's bureau as 37-year-old David Connolly of Berkeley.

The coroner's bureau said they recovered part of one hand and most of another and were able to lift fingerprints.

Witnesses reportedly told California Highway Patrol officers that Connolly was trying to hitchhike from Berkeley to Hayward. A truck driver pulled over but refused to give the man a ride.

Witnesses said Connolly then walked to the back of the truck and, without the driver's knowledge, grabbed onto the back. Connolly held on for as long as possible but eventually lost his grip and fell into the roadway.

The coroner's bureau said he was struck about 20 times and died of multiple blunt force trauma."

But Before I Leave. . .

. . . here are 30 reasons the English hate the French.

Burnet Literary Arts Festival

I'm leaving in a little while to make the drive to Burnet, Texas, for the Literary Arts Festival. If any of you are in the vicinity, which is doubtful, drop by and say "hey." I'll be out of reach of a computer until I get home tomorrow night, so feel free to visit some of the nice links on the right. But come back soon. You never know when Paris Hilton will be in the news again.

Traffic Stops Can be Fun

Photos at link. Luckily, not of the nightstick.

RCMP pose with women and handcuffs at UBC, photos show: "'All of a sudden the girls started flirting with them uncontrollably,' Kovac said Thursday night. 'Then they're like, 'Can you put us in handcuffs? Can we see your nightstick?' They just started posing for pictures right there.'"

Darwin's Blade -- Dan Simmons

I'm in awe of Dan Simmons. He writes really long books of the sort I'd never dare attempt, he writes complex series and standalones, and he writes in several genres. When he wants to, he writes lean thrillers like Hard as Nails. In other words, he can do just about anything.

Darwin's Blade is a thriller, but it's not lean. It's long, and it's filled with all kinds of research and ancedotes relevant to accident investigation. If you're interested in accidents, particularly auto accidents, this is your kind of book. Darwin Minor is the protagonist, and he's an ace investigator. It turns out that he has a past (no surprise there), and the book morphs into a sort of Bob Lee Swagger novel. If Simmons and Stephen Hunter sat down to talk, they could go on about guns and ammo for, at a rough guess, thirty-seven years without repeating themselves. There are a couple of set-pieces in the novel that Hunter would surely admire.

The plot has to do with the Russian mob taking over the fake car accident scams in California, and it didn't really make a lot of sense to me. Apparently the Russians just kill people for the hell of it. Or something. Anyway, they have to be stopped, and Minor, along with the FBI and a bunch of task forces, is up to the job. Some might find the book outrageously padded (we even get mathematical formulae), but it's entertaining all the way. The ending is clearly a set-up for a sequel, but as far as I know, there hasn't been one.

50 TV Theme Songs the Listaholic Will Never Forget

50 TV Theme Songs I'll Never Forget: "TV shows come and go (well, maybe with the exception of COPS and The Simpsons), but television theme songs will always stay with us, be it nostalgic or just plain annoying. On more than one occasion, I’ve caught myself humming most of the TV show theme songs listed below."

Not Quite the Last Seduction

Thanks to Walter Satterthwait for the link.

Woman accused in plot like movie - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com: "ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In the 1994 movie “The Last Seduction,” a femme fatale coaxes her lover into killing her husband for money.

Prosecutors say a beautiful stripper obsessed with the film followed the script to its murderous end. Mechele Linehan, 34, is on trial on charges she masterminded the decade-old slaying of her fianc�in hopes of collecting $1 million in insurance.

Life and art were so similar, prosecutors say, that they even sought, unsuccessfully, to have the movie shown to the jury."

Write What You Know

Mexican Cops Arrest Cannibalism Suspect: "MEXICO CITY (AP) - An aspiring horror novelist was arrested after police discovered his girlfriend's torso in his closet, a leg in the refrigerator and bones in a cereal box, a city prosecutors' spokesman said Thursday.

Jose Luis Calva told police he had boiled some of his girlfriend's flesh but that he hadn't eaten it, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the case.

Calva told police he was a writer and poet—officers found the draft of a novel titled 'Cannibalistic Instincts,' he said.

Investigators were trying to determine if chunks of fried meat found in a pan in the apartment were human, the spokesman said."

Want to Purchase a Book by Joe Lansdale?

Kasey Lansdale is selling books by her father. You can probably even get a signed copy. Got a title in mind? You can get in touch with Kasey by clicking on the "contact" link on her website.

Nobel Prize

The Local - Doris Lessing wins Nobel: "British author Doris Lessing has won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy has announced. The academy described Lessing as 'that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny.'

Few had tipped Lessing for the 10 million kronor prize. At 87, she is the oldest person to win the prize, and only the eleventh woman since it was first awarded in 1901."

Right Brain or Left Brain?

Take the test at the link. I'm right brain. No surprise.

The Right Brain vs Left Brain | The Daily Telegraph: "12:00am The Right Brain vs Left Brain test ... do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?"

Gator Update (Romance Edition)

You'll have to read the whole article to get the romantic "life sentence" angle.

Pa. ‘Alligator Man’ gets ‘Life Sentence’ - Herald-Mail News for Hagerstown, Washington County Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia: "Stephens, 21, of 418 E. King St., was sentenced by Walker just before lunch to one to seven years in state prison and three years of probation on three counts of felony retail theft. Right after lunch, Walker hitched Stephens and Newman.

“Mr. Stephens, you’re the alligator man, aren’t you?” Walker asked as the sentencing hearing started. “What were you going to do when it grew up?”

“Eat it,” Stephens replied, explaining that he planned to grow the 15-inch reptile before turning it into a meal.

Assistant Public Defender Ian Brink broke in to say that his client told him that he let the alligator go before leaving The Pet Store, 1710 Lincoln Way East, in April. A store security video showed a man slipping the gator into his pants, but the animal was never seen again, according to court records.

“That gator done come back and bit you, because you’re going to jail,” Walker said."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Man goes for world record leg hair - National & World News - Tampa Bay's 10 - tampabays10.com: "Tyler, Texas- Wes Pemberton thinks he may have a world record. He’s submitted a hair on his leg as the world’s longest leg hair.

A hair on his calf measures about five inches. The world record is 4.88 inches. Pemberton says he works on taking care of the hair, to the point of even washing it with conditioner.

He had several police officers in Tyler verify the length of the hair for his world record submission. “Once that done,” he says, “I’m going to pluck it and hang it next to the certificate.”"

Gator Update (Killer Apprehended Edition)

I hope he has a good lawyer.

Killer Alligator Caught: "The alligator that attacked an elderly woman has been caught.

It all happened Tuesday, when a trapper caught a gator matching the description of the one that attacked 83-year-old Gwen Williams. The Department of Natural Resources ran tests and confirmed it was the same alligator.

Williams was found Saturday by some people on the golf course near the Ramshorn Court area in the Landings. Williams was from Canada but was here house-sitting for relatives at a home about 500 feet from the lagoon."

The Poe Wars

They're heating up.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

TxDOT knows where you went and wants the why | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "AUSTIN — Did you drive on Interstate 35 in early September? Where were you going, and why? How many people were in the car with you? And by the way, how many people live in your house?

The Texas Department of Transportation wants to know, and a company it hired may have videotaped your license plate, then sent you a survey to find out.

The survey is being done in the name of sound transportation planning. Officials say the method has been used before in Texas and elsewhere. But it has some feeling uncomfortable, and others crying, 'Big Brother.'"

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

I spent many happy years in Brownwood.

Brownwood Bulletin: "An exhibit of “trench art” — decorative and practical objects created from military shell cases, bullets, grenades and projectiles — is coming to Brownwood.

Steve Blake, director of the Firearms Museum of Texas, said the exhibit will be housed in Gallery Two of the museum, located within the Brown County Museum of History downtown.

“This is part of our effort to show that the museum is not just about guns,” Blake said this week. “This will help broaden the museum’s appeal.”

The term “trench art” describes a wide range of objects created by combat soldiers, support troops and even civilian that share a unique feature, Blake said.

All use parts utilized by deadly weapons to create items of beauty. Shells, bullets and other items were crafted into things like lamps, ash trays and candlesticks featuring remarkable detail."

War of the Worlds Cover Gallery

318 covers shown here. That's a lot of covers.

Link via Neatorama.

Crazy Female Celebrity Hairstyles

These are all crazy, all right. Great photos at link.

9 Crazy Female Celebrity Hairstyles: "Over the years, countless women have had hairstyles inspired by their favorite celebrities. Demi Moore, for instance, sparked an epidemic of short-cropped hair among women when “Ghost” made a killing at the box-office. Jennifer Aniston’s hairstyles, meanwhile, have been declared as the most wanted by women all over the world."

Unlikely Movie Scientists

Will Denise Richards never get the credit she deserves for her Oscar-worthy turn as a nuclear scientist in The World is Not Enough? Obviously not, if this list is any indication.

Link via Dark Forces Book Group.

Gator Update (Suspicious Fire Edition)

Someone in Georgia needs a lesson in how to use the apostrophe. There's amusing video at the link, but no sign of the gator.

WTAP - News: "A Parkersburg house fire last night proved to be a total loss, but one item in the house managed to survive and gave rescue crews quite a scare after the flames were put out.

Officials said they discovered an alligator up in the attic of the house. Several fire fighters found the alligator in the attic, but before they could capture it, it jumped out of the third story window.

Witnesses say it landed on the second floor roof and took one last leap onto the grass below. When crews finally tried to get the animal under control it fled underneath the porch.

Ultimately, one fire fighter successfully wrangled the gator and duct taped it's jaws shut.

Crews say years of watching nature shows on TV has paid off. They say took tips from the pro's on how to do it and successfully and safely got the gator into custody."

Gator Update: Case Closed

Thanks to Ivan Shreve for the link.

Autopsy: woman died from alligator attack | SavannahNow.com: "An 83-year-old Canadian woman was attacked by an alligator and died as a result of those injuries, according to Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police.

That's based on an autopsy performed Tuesday, according to a statement released by police Tuesday afternoon. The statement said the victim died as a result of a blood loss from the attack.

The victim has been identified as Gwen Williams. She was housesitting for her daughter and son-in-law at a home in the Landings located about 500 feet from the lagoon where she was found.

Police and Department of Natural Resources officials are searching for the alligator, which is believed to be about 7 feet long. That length is based on the victim's wounds, according to Jim Simmons, Senior Biologist, DNR Game Management Wildlife Division."

WPA Interview with H. P. Lovecraft

Real or a clever fake? I don't know.

Gatorland Moves Forward

Gatorland Breaks Ground On $4M Complex - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando: "ORLANDO, Fla. -- Nearly one year after a fire raged through Central Florida's oldest theme park, officials at the Orlando attraction broke ground on a $4 million complex. Gatorland officials on Monday started building the complex, which will replace its famous alligator mouth and house a gift shop and the admissions area, Local 6 News reported.

A three-alarm fire blazed through the attraction Nov. 6, destroying the park's 7,000-square-foot gift shop, entrance and some administrative offices and killing two 8-foot pythons and a 5-foot crocodile.

'I'm sure we can get that mouth reconstructed. Granted, it won't be exactly the same, but we will have the mouth back,' park official Heather Goodwin said after the blaze."

Worst Lyricists?

Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the tip.

Update: The entire list can be found here. Thanks to anonymous in the comments.

Sting tops list of worst lyricists | Entertainment | Reuters: "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Maybe Sting should start writing more instrumentals. The school teacher-turned-rock star topped Blender's list of the worst lyricists, thanks to lines that betray 'mountainous pomposity (and) cloying spirituality,' the music magazine said.

The survey, contained in the November issue that hits newsstands next week, placed Rush drummer Neil Peart at No. 2, Creed frontman Scott Stapp at No. 3, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher at No. 4, and soft-rocker Dan Fogelberg at No. 5.

Blender assailed Sting for such alleged sins as name-dropping Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov in the Police tune 'Don't Stand So Close to Me,' quoting a Volvo bumper sticker ('If You Love Someone Set Them Free'), and co-opting the works of Chaucer, St. Augustine and Shakespeare."

World's Worst Poem ?

New contender for world's worst poem | News | Guardian Unlimited Books: "William McGonagall is under the direst threat today in his apparently unassailable position as author of the world's worst poem.

The 19th century Scots bard's notorious lament for The Tay Bridge Disaster: "And the cry rang out all o'er the town, Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down" has been challenged in favour of a single appalling last line by a more exotic British versifier, Theophile Jules-Henri Marzials: 'Drop / Dead. / Plop, flop. / Plop'."

Death Proof

I can't believe I actually watched this. It is, of course, half of the Grindhouse feature, except with some added scenes. Kurt Russell plays a psycho who kills women with his car in what's supposed to be a tribute to '70s exploitation movies, none of which could have been as boring as this one, though they did have worse music.

The plot is this: four hot chicks sit around and talk for 45 minutes in the build-up to a big car-wreck scene. If you're into hair, bare feet, and women in shorts, you might think this is fun. After the the wreck, we're introduced to, you guessed it, four more hot chicks who sit around and talk for 45 minutes in the build-up to a big car-wreck scene, which doesn't turn out like the first one and which includes a lot of chasing. And which is entirely pointless, since the woman driver should have stopped the car, and, if they psycho stopped his car or came after them, she could have shot him. That would have cut 15 minutes off the movie and eliminated the chase, so of course it couldn't happen.

You might be tempted to rent this. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Gator Update (Death Probe Edition)

Alligator-involved death probe continues | SavannahNow.com: "However, an alligator remains a suspect in the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police investigation into the death of an 85-year-old woman whose body - which is missing the left arm, right hand and right foot - was found Saturday in a lagoon in the Landings.

Police are unsure if the woman, said to have been housesitting a home on Skidaway Island, died from natural causes and then was mauled or if her death was caused by an encounter with an alligator.

The woman's body had been in the water since Friday evening, police said."

This Should End Well

I had no idea that this site existed. If you don't like your neighbors, you can let the world know with Google maps. There's only one bad neighbor in Alvin (so far), and it's not me.

Link via TechBlog.

Return to Mayberry

Thanks to John Duke for the link.

'Thelma Lou' finds a happy new life in 'Mayberry': "MOUNT AIRY, N.C. -- On the drive home from the Los Angeles airport, there was a particular billboard along La Cienega Boulevard that always gave Betty Lynn a chuckle. 'This Ain't Mayberry!' it declared.

As if she needed a reminder of that fact, the West Hollywood home where Lynn had lived since 1950 was broken into twice last year. 'That made it for me,' the 81-year-old actress says. 'I just was too frightened to stay. So I thought, I've got to find some place I feel safe.'

When she reflected on what safe meant to her -- and what 'home' meant, for that matter -- one place stood out. And life imitated art. The woman who played Thelma Lou on 'The Andy Griffith Show' moved more than 2,100 miles to Mount Airy -- Griffith's hometown and one of the inspirations for the fictional Mayberry.

Lynn knows this ain't Mayberry, either. It never existed, really. But she figures this picturesque town in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains is about as close to Mayberry as she is going to get. In this life, anyway.

'There's no place like it, unless it's heaven,' she says over a lunch of hot coffee and a hamburger with onions at a local country club."

I Hate to Admit It, . . .

. . . but this sign made me laugh. They swear it isn't photoshopped, and I, for one, believe them.

The Owl -- Robert Forward

I don't know much about Robert Forward except that he wrote for a lot of TV shows, including She-Ra. That might explain a lot about The Owl. The premise is this as stated on the cover: "Alexander L'Hiboux Never Sleeps." Sounds a bit like the the idea Lawrence Block used in his series about Evan Tanner, but the execution is entirely different.

While Block's books are breezy and funny, The Owl is deadly serious. It's also very much in the style of pulp novels about The Spider and The Shadow. Al (or Owl) "wanders the streets stalking his prey, handgs out in all-night diners, and never stays in one place long enough to cast a shadow."

What the Owl does is get revenge for the people who pay for it. Two years of their salary, whatever that might be, is what he requires. Then he'll kill whoever you say needs killing if he decides to take the job. "In such cases the law is powerless. The Owl is not." Not that Al doesn't do a lot of killing of whoever needs it for free. He kills people all the time. It's best not to irritate him. After all, he suffers from insomnolence.

L'Hiboux might be schizophrenic. He narrates the story in first person, but he drops into third person all the time when he's talking about his alter ego. Of course athletes do that, too, so maybe he's not nutty at all.

The book is graphically violent from page one or two, and The Owl absorbs more punishment than any two or three or four people in other novels of this sort. Mike Hammer is a wimp compared to The Owl.

The climax of the book is really a long one, maybe not a record, but close. Over 100 pages are devoted to The Owl's assault on a cargo ship and his taking of the revenge. I was getting a little tired long before the end.

A TV movie was made from The Owl in 1991, and it must have been pretty terrible if the reviews on the IMDb are any indication of its true quality. Judging by the summary, the plot of the movie is nothing like the plot of the novel.

I suppose the novel was intended as the first in a series, but no other was published. In the U. S., at least. It seems that maybe The Owl 2 was published in England. And, God help me, I think I might order it. Somebody stop me!

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

HPD: Stinky feet led to man's fatal stabbing | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "A man allegedly stabbed his roommate to death Saturday night during a drunken argument over smelly feet, Houston police said.

The two men shared a 10-foot-square bedroom at the Magnolia Cove Apartment Homes in the 100 block of Goodson, said Sgt. M. Sosa of the homicide squad.

They subleased the bedroom from a married couple, who also lived in the apartment, Sosa said.

On Saturday night, the woman was sitting outside with her newborn baby while the two roommates drank together inside, he said. The woman's husband was not home at the time.

At some point, an argument broke out over one of the men's 'stinky feet,' Sosa said. It wasn't clear which one of the men's feet allegedly emitted the offensive odor, but the bedroom they shared 'does smell,' he said."

Blood Diamond

Leonardo di Caprio is Danny Archer, a scummy guy and former mercenary who's currently in the diamond-smuggling business. He doesn't care where the diamonds come from. He just wants to make money. When he hears that a fisherman named Solomon has found a 100-carat pink diamond, he wants in.

The problem is that Sierra Leone is in the midst of a horrible civil war during the time the movie is set. The diamonds smuggled out are being used to finance the war, which is presented in gut- and heart-wrenching realism. Violent deaths and mutilations are as common as air. If you've bought a diamond lately, you're likely to feel a little bit guilty, especially if you didn't know about "conflict" (or "blood") diamonds.

The message doesn't overwhelm the story, though. Danny wants the diamond, Solomon wants his family back, and Maddy, the journalist played by Jennifer Connelly in a thankless role, wants a story. They all get what they want in one way or another.

My main quibble with this movie is that it went on for fifteen minutes after it ended. I suppose the final quarter hour was tacked on to make you feel a little better. Didn't work for me. It was redundant, and it felt it. I'd still recommend the movie, though.

Something for the Old Guys

You know you're old when . . . . Click here.