A Little Culture

Everett Gee Jackson was my great uncle. He was known to everybody in the family as "Beency," which is what his brothers and sisters called him. There are some of his other works pictured at the link.

SAN DIEGO MUSEUM of ART | Everett Gee Jackson: "Everett Gee Jackson/San Diego Modern, 1920–1955 November 3, 2007—January 27, 2008 This major retrospective organized by SDMA presents the work of Everett Gee Jackson, San Diego’s most important Modernist artist. Featuring more than 50 works that span the most significant and productive decades of the artist’s career, San Diego Modern presents a representative range of Jackson’s multi-faceted work, while contextualizing Jackson within the broader scope of mid-twentieth century American modernism."

My Tax Dollars at Work

The Device NASA Is Leaving Behind - washingtonpost.com: "After years of delays, NASA hopes to launch this week a European-built laboratory that will greatly expand the research capability of the international space station. Although some call it a milestone, the launch has focused new attention on the space agency's earlier decision to back out of plans to send up a different, $1.5 billion device -- one that many scientists contend would produce far more significant knowledge.

The instrument, which would detect and measure cosmic rays in a new way, took 500 physicists from around the world 12 years to build. But with room on the 10 remaining shuttle missions to the space station in short supply, many fear that it will remain forever warehoused on Earth, becoming the most sophisticated and costly white elephant of the space era."

The Durango Kid

When I was a mere sprout of a lad, I saw a double feature western movie nearly every Saturday afternoon. Often the movie featured Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid, so when someone tipped me to the fact that TCM was having a mini-festival of Durango Kid movies, I set the DVR.

The Durango Kid is the first movie in the series, though apparently nobody planned it that way. But the movie was popular, and a few years later the character was brought back for another. And another and another until 60 or so features had been made. I remember the later ones best, after Smiley Burnette had become the comic sidekick.

In this first movie, there is (blessedly) no sidekick. There are, however, the Sons of the Pioneers, with a young and skinny Pat Brady thrown in for alleged comic relief. I didn't find myself laughing much during the opening barn-painting scene, but you can't beat the Sons of the Pioneers when it comes to singing cowboy songs.

The plot is pretty simple: Bill Lowry's father is killed by the bad guys because he (the father) is sticking up for "the nesters." Bill vows to find his dad's killer, and he does so as the Durango Kid. Everybody's pretty cavalier about the disguise. The marshal appears to suspect all along, and Bill even gets Bob Nolan to impersonate the Kid, with the rest of the Sons riding along as his gang. Bill hits at his secert identity to the chief bad guy, and at the end of the movie, the Kid is unmasked.

Starrett is an athletic guy, and he does just fine in the role of the Durango Kid. He might have been a pretty good actor if he hadn't become stuck in the role. Everything in the movie is entirely predictable, but it's fun in a nostalgic way.

There's stuff here that I might not have noticed if I'd seen the movie as a kid. For example, there are scenes from other movies cut in. One night scene of a house burning is painfully obvious, especially since the intercut scenes of the Kid are all daylight scenes. And the people in the house don't seem bothered at all by the raging inferno that's shown in the exterior shots.

And I have a major gripe. What I saw must have been a mutilated print. I didn't know TCM went in for that sort of thing, but I'm certain there are several minutes, maybe ten or so, missing from the movie. Either that, or it has serious continuity troubles. While that's not impossible, it seems more likely to me that TCM showed a bad copy. Of course I could be wrong. I often am.

I've watched only a few minutes of the second movie, The Return of the Durango Kid, but already things have gotten cheaper. The Sons of the Pioneers are gone, replaced by the Jesters, whoever they are. I do plan to see all of this one eventually, and maybe even one of the later ones. Too bad they didn't show one with Smiley Burnett, though.

If You Were the U. S. Editor of this Series, . .

. . . would you have changed the main character's name?

Harry Hole - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Harry Hole is the main character in a series of, so far, seven crime novels written by Jo Nesbo. Hole is a classic loose cannon in the police force, with few close friends and some unorthodox methods. Hole is a heavy smoker and an alcoholic. The latter brings him into repeated conflict with his superiors and some of his colleagues, but Bjarne Moller, head of Hole's department and one of his closest friends, manages to prevent him from being kicked out. This is not primarily due to pity, but the fact that Harry Hole is also a brilliant detective."

These Guys Need to Visit Blacklin County

BBC NEWS | South Asia | 'Yeti prints' found near Everest: "A US TV presenter says he and his team have found a series of footprints in the Everest region of Nepal resembling descriptions of the mysterious Yeti.

The presenter and his colleagues say they are 'very excited', although they are not saying they definitely believe it is the mark of the Yeti.

Josh Gates and his crew work on a series called Destination Truth, which follows reports of fantastic creatures.

The footprints found on Wednesday have renewed Yeti excitement in Nepal."

All Dressed Up and No One to Talk To

This afternoon I got all gussied up and drove over to Houston's fabulous Murder by the Book, where I planned to attend a signing by Duane Swierczynski. But Duane wasn't there.

I don't know what happened to him, but of course I was disappointed. Not as disappointed as the ten or twelve hot chicks dressed like Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, though. Several of them were weeping openly. Between sobs, one of them said she'd had a "special surprise 'Duanie-poo,'" and she was devastated that he wasn't going to be there. I took her outside and comforted her as best I could, and then we went back in side and bought copies of this book. But not signed copies.

Paris Flees from Random Pecker

John Duke made me post this link, which you can click if you want to see the video.

Top 10 Baddest Bad Guys

Thanks to Walter Satterthwait for this video link. Warning: Naughty language!

Once Again, Willie Leads the Way

Nelson Risks Jail To Promote Marijuana :: hightimes.com: "Country music legend Willie Nelson has risked being thrown in jail by appearing on the cover of pro-marijuana magazine High Times, holding the drug.

In September last year, the 74-year-old singer was fined and given six months probation after being found guilty of possession of large amounts of marijuana.

But it has not stopped him supporting the drug and those who use it. As well as gracing the magazine's cover, Nelson has performed at a recent Texas benefit concert for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "

Juvenile Humor Alert!

More photos at the link.

Britain's rudest road signs - Independent Online Edition > Features: "Britain's rudest road signs These isles are home to some of the most delightful double-entendres ever committed to a road sign. And Rob Bailey and Ed Hurst have worked long and hard to find the best. Stop tittering at the back ..."

Is It Just Me?

Or does this look kind of creepy?

Christmas Issue of Thuglit Now On-Line

With some fine stories, as usual. Check it out.

Spiderman 3

I thought this might be pretty good, and that's all it was: pretty good. It was way too busy to suit me. Every time I thought a plot line had taken hold, wham! Here comes another one. I lost count of all the plot threads, but there were two villains (three if you count the Dark Spiderman), a love triangle, or maybe a quadrangle, a new discovery about the death of Uncle Ben, serious relationship problems, and a few other things I might be forgetting.

The action scenes were great, especially the first big fight between Spiderman and the new Goblin. The acting was okay, and Bryce Dallas Howard was stunning. There was a good bit of comedy, though I'm not sure all of it was intentional. Tobey Maguire as a rebel without a cause was hilarious. Suddenly his hair gets greasy and hangs in his face. He struts through NYC like John Travolta on steroids. Maybe some actors could make. He even dances like John Travolta on steroids. Or maybe like a spiderman (no, not like Italian Spiderman).

Overall, I'm just as glad I didn't see this one in the theater. It would've looked great up there on the big screen, but it wasn't worth the effort of getting out for. Maybe Spiderman 4 will be better.

No Country for Old Men -- Cormac McCarthy

Okay, I started to read this book a couple of years ago and stopped after the first sentence: I sent one boy to the gaschamber at Huntsville. I know stuff like that shouldn't bother me, but it does. What stuff? Well, Texas doesn't have a gas chamber (or gaschamber) and never has. Here in the Lone Star State, we send 'em into the Great Beyond via lethal injection, and before that it was Old Sparky that did the job. So that sentence stopped me cold.

Oh, yeah. The "gaschamber" bothered me, too. It's part of McCarthy's celebrated style, in which men have a "shirtpocket" or drive a "Ramcharger." But they use a "cut-off" shotgun in a "shoot-out." Or they might fix a shotgun so that it has a "pistol grip." So I'm wondering: Why not a "pistolgrip" or a "shootout?"

McCarthy doesn't like quotation marks or apostrophes, either, or he must not because he doesn't use them. He'll use a comma now and then, but you can tell it hurts him to do it. Why? Is it that he wants to write like Willam Faulkner, that he's too lazy to type them, or that he just wants to irritate me?

Anyway, I told myself that I was going to read the book, and I did. The story is set in 1980, and it's about a guy who finds a lot of money after a drug deal goes bad and everyone dies. He takes the money. A guy named Anton Chigurh comes after him. Chigurh is relentless, and he kills anybody he feels like killing. Now and then he'll flip a coin and let a potential victim call "heads" or "tails," but that's as close to mercy as he comes. So there's a lot of killing and a lot of explosions, perfect for a movie (I haven't seen the movie).

Oddly enough, the major confrontation that you think the story is building toward takes place offstage. (Or should that be "off stage"? I'm getting confused.) A deputy describes what happened in a couple of paragraphs. Either McCarthy never heard about "show, don't tell," or he has contempt for something so elementary.

There's a county sheriff who has some first person narration now and then. He is, I suppose, the book's moral center. He figures that the world is going to hell in a hand basket (or handbasket), and he's sorry for the change that's coming over his part of it.

The truth is, I think there are a lot of crime writers who have told similar stories and done it just as well if not better. But what do I know?

Degeneration Twenty

Read the rest, including writers' guidelines, at the link.

Degeneration Twenty: "Treading clumsily on the upturned faces of a hundred predecessors, a new zine launches here in January to find and highlight the best in crime, thriller and mystery fiction that differs from the bulk of the genre's mainstream. Drawing back the undergarments of obscurity to reveal the squirming genitalia of the unusual, the different and the refreshing, and hopefully having a lot of fun along the way.

DEGENERATION TWENTY will be part online, part hardcopy, and intends to be as transmittable and copiable as possible, like a bad cold or a case of typhoid."

Worst SF Covers?

I have to admit this is a worthy bunch.

Dan Brown Update

I can't wait to read about the "astonishing facts." But hasn't Nicolas Cage already made the movie? Okay, I see there aren't any Masons in the Cage movie. But there appear to be plenty of astonishing facts.

US author to unveil Washington's Masonic past - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (AFP) - A sequel to the blockbuster thriller 'The Da Vinci Code' is set to lift the veil on mysterious Freemason symbols carved into the very fabric of the historic streets and buildings of the US capital.

Novelist Dan Brown has set the new adventures of his hero, scholar-adventurer Robert Langdon, right in the heart of Washington, which could reveal some astonishing facts for history buffs."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Texas official resigns, cites creationism conflict - USATODAY.com: "AUSTIN (AP) — The state's director of science curriculum said she resigned this month under pressure from officials who felt she gave the appearance of criticizing the instruction of intelligent design.

The Texas Education Agency put Chris Comer on 30 days paid administrative leave in late October, resulting in what she described as a forced resignation.

The move came shortly after Comer forwarded an e-mail announcing a presentation being given by the author of Inside Creationism's Trojan Horse. In the book, author Barbara Forrest says creationist politics are behind the movement to get intelligent design theory taught in public schools. Comer sent the e-mail to several individuals and a few online communities."

Croc Update: The Spirit Made Him Do It

'Spirit lures Aussie boy to crocodiles' | The Daily Telegraph: "A FOUR-year-old boy has gone on an incredible five-hour adventure where he swam alone in crocodile-infested waters - and locals believe a spirit lured him away from his family."

The Demon Made Him Do It

Northpinellas: 'Demon' made him do it? Officials don't buy it: "It wasn't sadism or cruelty that caused Sgt. Thomas Mahoney to flush a toilet drain eight times until a restrained inmate urinated on himself.

No, Mahoney said, it was a demon. In the plumbing.

'I had like a fear of having my head smashed into the exposed plumbing behind the plate,' Mahoney told internal affairs investigators from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

'At one point the plumbing was exposed because it was broken, because it wasn't used, so somehow this object became a demon to me. I know it had nothing to do with that inmate. I just wanted those pipes to continue to work so I wouldn't get my face smashed,' Mahoney said."

Happy Birthday, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.!

Depending on which source you choose to believe, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., is 89 or 90 years old today. I remember him best for 77 Sunset Strip, though some people will recall him as Dandy Jim Buckley on Maverick or from the later The F. B. I. A TV icon who's often overlooked these days, he deserves remembering.

Happy Birthday, Dick Clark!

I've mentioned Dick Clark on the blog many times. (For example, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.) Maybe I should be ashamed to admit how much influence America's Oldest Teenager has had on my life, but I'm not. Here's wishing him a happy 78th birthday, and many more to come.

School for Scumbags -- Danny King

I'd never heard of Danny King when I picked up this book from Serpent's Tail, but after a few pages I was sold. I even liked the dedication: To Me."

The narrator is Wayne Banstead, and he's fifteen. He's also a thief. He likes stealing, and he can't understand why anybody wouldn't feel the same. That's why he winds up in the Gafin School for Misdirected Boys. Hogwarts, it ain't, and this is no kids' book. I hate to spoil any surprises, but if you read the book, you'll twig pretty quickly that the school isn't exactly as advertised, and you might even figure out something further, something that takes the author about half the book to get to. When he gets there, the book takes a turn that I'm not going to talk about because that would spoil the fun.

And it's fun, all right. This is a very vulgar and funny novel. Plenty of action, too, maybe too much in the last 100 pages or so. It takes care of business.

One thing I didn't like is the ending. Too many loose ends left over for the sequel. I don't mind a little selling of the next book, but I think King goes a little overboard. You might not feel the same way, so check it out.

This Is Sweet . . .

. . . and touching.

Croc Update (Photo Edition)

Here's a great wide-angle shot of a croc. It was taken by Mary Ann Melton on her African trip. Prints are available.

Will the Persecution Never End?

All I can say is that Paris is on my "nice" list. And thanks to John Duke for the link.

Britney and Paris top Santa's naughty list: poll | Reuters: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Britney Spears and Paris Hilton open their stockings on Christmas Day, they shouldn't be surprised to find a lump of coal.

A poll of American children released on Wednesday found that the two high-profile celebrities should top Santa's naughty list.

By contrast Disney star Hannah Montana, played by country singer Billy Ray Cyrus's daughter Miley, was overwhelming deemed the 'nicest' celebrity among children aged 2 to 12 while actress Angelina Jolie was the choice for teenagers 13 to 17."

Hmmmmmm

If you care about plagiarism, you might find this entire article of interest. It's another case of "do as I say, not as I do," and I find it a tad dishonest. But what do I know? It happens in "commercial" fiction all the time, as the article points out.

Hat tip to The Little Professor for the link.

02138 � A Million Little Writers: "In September 2004, Charles Ogletree, a professor at Harvard Law School, found himself having to admit that his latest book, All Deliberate Speed, contained six paragraphs lifted verbatim from a book by Yale professor Jack Balkin, What “Brown v. Board of Education” Should Have Said. Equally surprising was the fact that Ogletree hadn’t known about the plagiarism, which occurred in a passage about the history of desegregation efforts, until he was told of it by Balkin himself."

Agatha Christie Update (The Show Must Go On)

The Enquirer - Play will go on: "LIBERTY TWP. - Cast members of Lakota East High School's canceled play 'Ten Little Indians' plan to stage the play after all, and a majority of school board members may join those cheering the students on.

School administrators decided to scuttle the production after Gary Hines, president of the NAACP's Butler County branch, brought in parent complaints that Agatha Christie's 1939 murder mystery originally carried the title 'Ten Little N - - - - - - -.' Hines also heads a diversity training company.

While community members have been debating whether Lakota's superintendent and his administrators missed a grand opportunity for a 'teachable moment,' students say offers of off-campus stages poured in."

Jake Does Joe

But will he wear pantyhose?

ABC News: 'Broadway Joe' to Be Played by Gyllenhaal: "Joe Namath was larger than life. He was a highly-touted high school prospect who starred for Bear Bryant at Alabama, took New York City by storm and led the New York Jets of the upstart AFL to a Super Bowl victory he had brashly guaranteed.

Good enough that Universal Studios will make a movie about the Hall of Fame quarterback, with Jake Gyllenhaal playing Broadway Joe, according to reports."

The 10 Best Books of 2007?

Another list I'm not on.

Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the reminder.

Italian Spiderman

As Judy often says, "it takes so little to give you a laugh." How true, and this proves it.

Warning to People Who Hate Cats. . .

. . . do not click here.

Paris & the Pizza Boy

This is exactly the kind of thing that I no longer link to. But I should, since it shows what a compassionate humanitarian that Paris Hilton really is.

Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the tip.

Weird Tales Is Looking for the 85 Weirdest Writers

A tip of the Crider gimme cap to Rick Klaw over at the Dark Forces Book Group for the link.

WEIRD TALES: magazine of the gothic, fantastic & bizarre � Name the 85 Weirdest!: "2008 will mark the 85th anniversary of WEIRD TALES’s founding. We’ve got a bunch of plans in the works to celebrate — and WE NEED YOUR HELP with one big project in particular. In the March/April issue of the magazine, we’ll be featuring a list of the 85 WEIRDEST STORYTELLERS OF THE PAST 85 YEARS, and we want your suggestions!

We’re NOT just talking about WEIRD TALES authors, though they’re certainly eligible; no, we’re thinking bigger than that. Who do you think has made the weirdest fiction, the weirdest movies, the weirdest plays, the weirdest narrative art, the weirdest poems and songs, since 1923? That’s the list we’re after: the greatest talespinners of the weird, unearthly, and bizarre, working in every imaginable storytelling form and medium."

Croc Update (Jigsaw Edition)

Jigsaws

Large crocodile a-z Product code : LJ20 Lanka Kade price : £17.50 About this product Children will love playing with our crocodile and will learn the alphabet at the same time. Bright, fun and chunky, looks good on a shelf when not in use. This product is made of rubber wood. Product dimensions : Size: 540x130mm Recommended for use by 3 years and above

Keep Off Her Damn Lawn!

Gun-toting grandma foils burglars - UPI.com: "CARTHAGE, Mo., Nov. 28 (UPI) -- A gun-toting grandmother in Missouri foiled a pair of would-be burglars.

Police, who did not release the 63-year-old woman's name, said she temporarily captured Faith Barrick of Carthage and a teenage boy, the Joplin Globe reported. The pair escaped when she went to her telephone to call police but two suspects were arrested three hours later based on the description she gave."

Spinetingler Award

The shortlist is up right here, and you can vote. James Reasoner is a legend? Isn't he too young for that?

Wonder Woman Update Update

The other day when I posted about Wonder Woman's new writer, Gomer observed that what WW really needed was a new costume. I should have known that something was up. Check it out here and here.

Murdaland #2

Murdaland has had only two issues, but it's already established itself as a fine literary crime magazine. The second issue begins with Scott Philips' "The Emerson, 1950," in which a crime photographer sees many terrible things. He's also dealing with his aunt and uncle who have, well, problems. Something's gotta give. That's followed by "Roachkiller," by R. Navaez. Just when he thinks he's out, they keep pulling him back in. "Roachkiller" is a first person story narrated mostly in the third person, a pretty clever trick. Next up is Harry Hunsicker's "Vivian and Bobby." A Dallas cop goes bad, and for a reason that's about as perverse as they come. You expect some raw sex in a Vicki Hendricks story, and "Sinny and the Prince: A Fairy Tale" doesn't disappoint. Sinny thinks she can get away with murder. And maybe she does.

There's more in the issue (you can see the Table of Contents here), but that's all I've read so far, all of it really good stuff. If you're not reading Murdaland, you're missing some great stuff. Give it a try.

Norman Mailer Update

Dead author wins bad sex award - CNN.com: "The conception of Adolf Hitler was never going to make for easy reading.

But late American novelist Norman Mailer's explicit rendition of the incestuous encounter between the genocidal German dictator's parents has won the writer one of the world's most dubious literary prizes. advertisement Mailer, who died of renal failure last month at 84, was one of five candidates for the annual 'Bad Sex in Fiction Award' which aims to highlight crude and tasteless descriptions of sex in modern novels."

Update: for more on the nominees, click here.

Wang Steals Panties

Penn student arrested in underwear thefts | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/27/2007: "A student at the University of Pennsylvania was charged after allegedly stalking female students at the school and stealing pairs of their underwear.

Diexia Wang, a Penn senior, was charged with burglary, criminal trespassing, harassment and theft after he allegedly stole underwear and purses from several women."

Agatha Christie Banned in Ohio

WTOL-TV Toledo, OH: School cancels play that had racist slur as original title: "WEST CHESTER, Ohio (AP) - A widely performed school play has been canceled by officials at a suburban Cincinnati high school after complaints from a local NAACP official.

Agatha Christie's 'Ten Little Indians' was to be performed by students at Lakota East High School this weekend.

The play is based on Christie's 1939 mystery novel.

But local NAACP president Gary Hines says the play is inappropriate for a school production because the original title for Christie's novel used a racial slur."

Lost Lady of Rome

Found in a farmer's field: The 2,000-year-old skeleton of the lost lady of Rome | the Daily Mail: "In her lifetime she was a member of a wealthy family based in a bustling British outpost of the world's mightiest empire.

The imperial glory has long faded. But, almost 2,000 years on, archaeologists have discovered a corner of an English field that is forever Rome. They have unearthed a coffin containing a remarkably well-preserved skeleton in the village of Aldborough, near Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire - once the site of a major Roman town, Isurium Brigantium.

The archaeologists, conducting a two-week excavation project, were searching for Roman artefacts with a metal detector when they found the 6ft lead coffin inside a stone chamber only 12in below the surface of a barley field."

Anglo-Saxon Gold

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Tees | 'Dramatic' ancient cemetery found: "A freelance archaeologist has uncovered what is thought to be the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in the north of England.

Spectacular gold jewellery, weapons and clothing were found at the 109-grave cemetery, believed to date from the middle of the 7th Century."

An American Dream -- Norman Mailer

I meant to post this a while back, when Mailer died, but my copy of the book was in storage. Now that I've retrieved it, I want to post the opening paragraph, which had stuck with me, though not verbatim, for nearly 40 years.

I met Jack Kennedy in November, 1946. We were both war heroes, and both of us had just been elected to congress. We went out one night on a double date and it turned out to be a fair evening for me. I seduced a girl who would have been bored by a diamond as big as the Ritz.

Don't you just have to read on?

Gator Update (Eat Healthy Edition)

Gator Meat Deemed 'Really Healthy Food' - Health News Story - WESH Orlando: "CHRISTMAS, Fla. -- Gators have long been hunted as part of a sport.

Now people are hunting gator meat because it's good for the heart.

Most gators that end up on restaurant menus are not hunted; they are raised on farms.

A segment on the Today show highlighted the health benefits of alligator meat, saying it's better for you than chicken.

But that's hardly a secret to guys who have raised them for decades.

Edwin Froehlich Jr. said the little fat and high protein makes gator meat 'really healthy food.'

Gator has all the protein of beef and chicken, and more protein than fish."

Wonder Woman Update

Wonder Woman - Comic Books - DC Comics - New York Times: "“I was a hairdresser until a couple of years ago,” Gail Simone said. “It took me a long time to admit that I was a professional writer.”

Ms. Simone was talking about her rise from hairstylist to online commentator to professional comic-book author. This month she added a new title. With the publication of issue No. 14 of Wonder Woman, which hit stores two weeks ago, Ms. Simone has become the regular writer of that amazing Amazon’s super-adventures, published by DC Comics. She is the first woman to serve as “ongoing writer” (to use the industry’s term) in the character’s 66-year history."

Kevin DuBrow, R. I. P.

Even an old guy like me remembers the cover of that #1 album.

Quiet Riot singer dies at 52 - CNN.com: "(CNN) -- Kevin DuBrow, the lead singer of the 1980s heavy metal band Quiet Riot, has died, CNN has confirmed. He was 52.

DuBrow died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to TMZ.com. The Clark County coroner's office was examining the body to determine the cause of death, according to TMZ.

'I'm at a loss for words. I've just lost my best friend,' Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali told CNN. 'Out of respect for both Kevin and his family, I won't comment further. There's going to be a lot of speculation out there, and I won't add to that. I love him too much.'"

Worst Movie Remakes

Here's the list. I think #16 must be a mistake, or maybe just an example of further persecution.

Hat tip to John Duke.

Into the Alternate Universe!

Evidence for a Parallel Universe? University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill physics Professor Laura Mersini-Houghton made a staggering claim. She says, “Standard cosmology cannot explain such a giant cosmic hole” and goes further with the ground-breaking hypothesis that the huge void is “… the unmistakable imprint of another universe beyond the edge of our own“.

Rick Klaw Interview with Kelly DiNardo

Featured Interview with Kelly DiNardo - Books: "A former USA Today staffer and current freelance journalist, Kelly DiNardo's first book, Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique, recounts the fascinating life of 'the queen of striptease.” DiNardo sat down to discuss her well-researched and superbly written book with Monsters & Critcs' Rick Klaw, grandson of legendary pin-up industry pioneer Irving Klaw. They talked about Lili St. Cyr, Marilyn Monroe, Irving Klaw, burlesque, heroin, and other diverting topics."

They Want Someone on Their Lawns

Older white women join Kenya's sex tourists - Yahoo! News: "MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Bethan, 56, lives in southern England on the same street as best friend Allie, 64.

They are on their first holiday to Kenya, a country they say is 'just full of big young boys who like us older girls.'

Hard figures are difficult to come by, but local people on the coast estimate that as many as one in five single women visiting from rich countries are in search of sex."

I Wish He Were Here to Celebrate

Charles Schulz is one of my favorite writers. I regard the first fifteen or so years of "Peanuts" as works of genius.

The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media: "It's the birthday of cartoonist Charles Schulz, (books by this author) born in St. Paul (1922), who created 'Peanuts' and Charlie Brown, who never gets to kick the football, always gets his kite stuck in the tree, and never wins the love of The Little Red-Haired Girl. Schulz loved comics from an early age. His father bought six different newspapers every weekend and they would sit and read all the comics together. Schultz started drawing his own cartoons, but he got a C-plus in a correspondence art course, and his sketches were rejected by the staff of his high school yearbook. He couldn't sell any cartoons to the major magazines, and he was turned down as an animator for Disney because he had no experience. And then, he got drafted to fight in World War II when his mother was dying of cervical cancer. One of the last things she said to him was that if the family ever bought another dog, they should name it Snoopy."

6 American Noir Masters

After seeing this list, you'll want to get into an argument with the guy about the difference between noir and hardboiled, since he doesn't seem to have a clue. But let's not get into that ourselves. Thanks.

No Wonder Sylvester Always Had the Munchies

Yesterday’s news � Blog Archive � Wednesday, Nov. 26, 1969: Catnip high: "In at least one Twin Cities pet shop, it takes a note from his parents nowadays for a teen-ager to lay in any big supply of catnip.

Owners of other stores have taken to questioning their youthful customers closely about large-scale purchases.

They know the reason for the sudden popularity of catnip in the Twin Cities and nationwide – and it isn’t the one a young man gave the owner of a Hennepin Av. pet shop:

“I have,” he explained, “a GREAT, BIG cat.” The fact is, the kids are smoking the stuff, apparently in dubious pursuit of a low-budget thrill."

Anastasia

Mystery solved.

Who Among Us Hasn't Felt Like Doing This?

Commissioner arrested after pulling out gun - 11/26/2007 - MiamiHerald.com: "Miramar City Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman, who was arrested for pointing a semiautomatic gun in a Winn-Dixie, causing shoppers to scurry in fear, seemed to be in a sour mood that night because the self-checkout line wasn't open, according to a cashier.

The cashier said Salesman was apparently so peeved at having to stand in line with other Thanksgiving eve shoppers, he showed his business card to another cashier and said, ``Do you know who I am? I will shut this b**** down.''"

Cover of the Rolling Stone

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Conspiracy Fans, Rejoice

The Raw Story | Ex-Secret Service agent reveals Chicago JFK plot: "Abraham Bolden, a former Secret Service agent, tells CNN that he knew of a plot to assassinate John F. Kennedy in Chicago several weeks beforehand. Bolden is writing a book about the alleged plot titled 'The Echo from Dealey Plaza: The true story of the first African American on the White House Secret Service detail and his quest for justice after the assassination of JFK.'

According to CNN, the agent said that 'just before President Kennedy was to go to Chicago in early November 1963, the agency got an important tip. An employee of a boarding house had seen rifles with telescopic sites and an outline of Kennedy's motorcade route in a room rented by Cuban nationals.'"

How Much Do Publishers Pay Romance Writers?

Brenda Hiatt has the answers.

Tip of the hat to Sling Words for the link.

Tough Guys Don't Flinch

Farmer Describes Cutting Off Own Arm - Yahoo! News: "A Kershaw County, S.C. farmer has recovered enough to recount how he had to cut off his own arm to save his life.

Sampson Parker talked to WIS reporter Dan Tordjman, and explained that after he got his hand stuck in a piece of farm equipment and a fire broke out around him, he had no choice.

'If I was going to die here, I was going to put up a fight, and that's basically what I did,' says Sampson Parker."

For Some Reason this Doesn't Really Worry Me

Universe doomed because astronomers keep looking at it | The Courier-Mail: "ASTRONOMERS may have unwittingly hastened the end of the Universe by simply looking at it, according to a new theory. The novel idea is being aired by two US physicists, who attack the notion that the universe, believed to have been created in the 'Big Bang' some 13.7 billion years ago, will go on, well, forever. In fact, the poor old cosmos is in a rather delicate state, they tell New Scientist."

Someone Must Already Be Writing the Movie Script

FOXNews.com - Couple Suspected of Murder Planned 'Wild Sex' Romp Day After Roommate Was Found Dead - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News: "ROME — A shopkeeper told police he overheard an American student and her Italian boyfriend, both suspects in the murder of a British student in Italy, planning a 'wild sex' romp the day after police found 21-year-old Meredith Kercher's body, Sky News reported.

Amanda Knox, 20, and Raffaele Sollecito, 23, were shopping for lingerie in Rome Nov. 3 while hugging and kissing in an 'exhibitionist' style, the newspaper reported, when they were overheard making their x-rated plans.

'I heard her as she was choosing the underwear — particularly the G-string — and as they were ready to pay, in front of the till, she whispered, 'Afterwards I'm going to take you home so we can have wild sex together,' ' the shopkeeper reportedly told police, according to Sky News."

So Here We Are . . .

. . . in the Land of Very Slow Dial-Up. Not that I need a connection of any kind, but it's nice to have one, even a slow one. It's 43 degrees, and it's raining. Winter has come to Central Texas. I'm planning to spend the day visiting with some old friends, so I won't have to go outside much. This weather will put the quietus on the shopping today, I'm sure. Maybe I should go to Wal-Mart since it won't be so crowded.

The Mole Man

Photos at link. This place isn't as nice as the one in Italy.

Homeless Man Found Living In Elaborate Underground Home - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando: "A homeless contractor known as the 'mole man' dug a multi-room 200-square foot home underground in Fresno that surprised police when they recently stumbled upon a hidden entrance.

Police said Bruce Tracy dug the underground home in an area near Roeding Park in Fresno."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Confession a condition for release from TYC facilities | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas Southwest: "Texas Youth Commission inmate Airick Browning finds himself in a no-win situation.

The McKinney youth insists he's innocent of the attempted rape charge that landed him in TYC, and his case is on appeal. But the only way he can go home soon is to confess to the crime as part of his TYC treatment.

If he confesses, he won't receive immunity – so his remarks could derail his appeal."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Local 2 Investigates Police Secrecy Behind Unmanned Aircraft Test - Local 2 Investigates News Story - KPRC Houston: "WALLER COUNTY, Texas -- Houston police started testing unmanned aircraft and the event was shrouded in secrecy, but it was captured on tape by Local 2 Investigates.

Neighbors in rural Waller County said they thought a top-secret military venture was under way among the farmland and ranches, some 70 miles northwest of Houston. KPRC Local 2 Investigates had four hidden cameras aimed at a row of mysterious black trucks. Satellite dishes and a swirling radar added to the neighbors' suspense."

Happy Holidays

We're about to leave to take Judy's mom home, and, as I said in my post yesterday, I might be away from Internet access for a couple of days. So just in case I am, I thought I'd leave you with this video of me, Judy, Angela, and Allen to wish you a great start to the holiday season. It takes a while to load, but it's worth it. Trust me.

Into the Underground Temple

Photos at link.

Eighth wonder of the world? The stunning temples secretly carved out below ground by 'paranormal' eccentric | the Daily Mail: "Nestling in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, 30 miles from the ancient city of Turin, lies the valley of Valchiusella. Peppered with medieval villages, the hillside scenery is certainly picturesque.

But it is deep underground, buried into the ancient rock, that the region's greatest wonders are concealed.

Here, 100ft down and hidden from public view, lies an astonishing secret - one that has drawn comparisons with the fabled city of Atlantis and has been dubbed 'the Eighth Wonder of the World' by the Italian government."

Paris Hilton Has Seen the Future

Paris Hilton Impressed by Shanghai Style: " SHANGHAI, China (AP) - American socialite Paris Hilton checked out Shanghai fashions, cuddled stuffed pandas and sauntered along the famous Bund waterfront on Thursday while visiting China's most style-conscious city for the MTV Style awards.

'Shanghai looks like the future!' Hilton said in a news conference at the Hyatt on the waterfront, one of the newest landmarks in a city teeming with new skyscrapers."

Proof that the Book Isn't Dead Yet

The lecture is on the Internet, and the prof has given a short version on Oprah, yet the published book is getting a mega-millions advance. Somebody must still have faith that there are readers out there.

Dying prof's last lecture hits home: "The attention-getter with Jeffrey Zaslow's book will be the staggering multimillion-dollar advance, at least at first, but he trusts that the focus eventually will fall on the words.

That's not just pride of authorship. The words that inspired 'The Last Lecture' and will serve as its foundation came from a college professor who might not live long enough to read it.

Zaslow lives in West Bloomfield and writes for the Wall Street Journal. The professor who inadvertently inspired Zaslow and untold millions of others is Randy Pausch of Carnegie Mellon University, who's been known for years as the best speaker in the computer science department.

Pausch says that's like being the tallest of the Seven Dwarfs, but -- continuing the theme -- he's selling himself short. His mesmerizing final lecture two months ago is already the stuff of legend, 'Oprah' and more than 5,000 blogs, and Hyperion just paid a reported $6.7 million for the right to turn it into a book."

Happy Thanksgiving to All

We'll be celebrating at our daughter's place in Houston this afternoon, as it takes awhile for our small group to get organized. Angela will be there, of course, with her fiancee, Tom. Allen will drive in from Austin. Judy, her mother, and I will drive from Alvin.

We have a lot to celebrate this year. Judy's mom had her 95th birthday in September, and is still as perky as ever. Well, nearly. Angela got engaged. (She's only 38, and we hope she's not rushing into anything.) Judy has been doing well with her chemo treatments, and on Monday will have the sixth. We hope that will be the final one, but the doctor is making no promises. She'll be "re-staged" after the treatment, which means (at the minimum) a bone-marrow biopsy and CT-Scan. If those turn out well, then no more chemo. At least for now, and for that we'll be truly thankful.

And of course we're thankful for all the encouragement and support from readers of this blog. It cheered both of us no end, and I probably haven't expressed my gratitude often enough. But you can be sure you've all been appreciated every day that's gone by. Trust me. Of lesser note, and I hate to say this now because it's probably going to jinx things, my agent has supposedly come to agreement with St. Martin's for two more Sheriff Dan Rhodes novels, which would keep old Dan in business into 2009. Who'd have thought it?

On Friday, Judy and I will be taking her mom home, and we'll spend a day or so visiting. I'll be posting today, and maybe a bit on Friday morning for sure, but posting for most of Friday and all of Saturday will be sporadic to nonexistent. I might not have Internet access until we get back on Sunday. (I have no idea why typing those words caused beads of sweat to pop out on my forehead. I can take this Internet stuff or leave it.)

Have a great day, everybody.

Emerson LaSalle, R. I. P.

The news of Emerson LaSalle's death hit home here at Chez Crider because although he was one of the most prolific paperbackers of all time, his books are pretty hard to come by. I didn't think I had a single one of them, but the other day I was clearing off some shelves that hadn't been touched in a few years and discovered a coverless, water-stained pb that I must have picked up in one of those "bargain bags" at some now defunct used paperback store.

I flipped past the blurb page and was stunned to discover that it was a copy of Bite This!, a title considered mythical by some because no one has ever seen a copy (in spite of the fact that LaSalle claimed it was one of his best) and because it was supposedly published by Red Circle Books before the imprint became Lion Books (publishers of Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me). The catch is that this is Red Circle Book 14, and all official sources list only 13 titles from that imprint. If only this one had a cover, it might be the most valuable paperback of all.

Naturally I read Bite Me! at once. It's the story of a vampire hunter (written in 1949, well before such things became popular) named Van Hell. Van's fiance, Marilyn, is changed into a vampire by the evil Dr. LaCuard, who has set up his practice in a small Central Texas town. Soon more than half the inhabitants have become vampires (or vampire, which is the plural LaSalle prefers; one vampire, two vampire, and so on). Wild to have his revenge, Van has another doctor in town, Dr. Steinfranken, relace the veins and arteries in his neck with some kind of flexible metal of his own invention, making Van impervious to the bite of vampires (or vampire). Van then arms himself with stakes that he makes from Louisville Sluggers and goes on a rampage of revenge, seeking out the vampires (or vampire) during the daylight hours. (Did Richard Matheson read this novel before writing I Am Legend? My answer would be, "Probably.")

There's an especially poignant, and at the same time repugnant, scene, when Van lures Marilyn, whom he can never seem to find in the daylight, into a nighttime tryst. She sinks her fangs into his neck but breaks them on the metal, and Van stakes her out, banging the pointed Slugger into her black heart with an intact Slugger that he carries in a bag slung over his shoulder.

This is strong stuff, and the final encounter with Dr. LaCuard is as suspenseful as anything LaSalle ever wrote. The ending of the book is especially notable because instead of writing, "The End," LaSalle writes, "The End?" This device was copied by dozens of bad SF movies in the years to come, but LaSalle was typically in the vanguard (so to speak). Check it out.

Once Again, Texas Wants to Lead the Way

STLtoday.com - News: "SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) -- Mike Guzman and thousands of other students say the best way to prevent campus bloodshed is more guns.

Guzman, an economics major at Texas State University-San Marcos, is among 8,000 students nationwide who have joined the nonpartisan Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, arguing that students and faculty already licensed to carry concealed weapons should be allowed to pack heat along with their textbooks.

'It's the basic right of self defense,' said Guzman, a 23-year-old former Marine. 'Here on campus, we don't have that right, that right of self defense.'"

World's Worst Book Title

Welcome to AJC! | ajc.com: "Well, folks, we had a squeaker in the vote for World’s Worst Book Title ever. But the Supreme Court was called in for an emergency ruling, and by a 5-4 vote they declared George Bush to be the winner.

No, wait. Wrong vote. The winner was “Cooking With Pooh,” which is a real book from Disney. It barely beat out “Letting It Go: a History of American Incontinence,” “The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification” (which I think maybe some people did not realize is also a real book) and “Everything You’ll Need to Remember About Alzheimer’s.”"

My Life as a Reader (Update)

In a comment to a post below, Patti Abbott says that there are some "kid's books that stay with you a lifetime." She's talking about ones she's read as an adult, but the ones you read when you're young stick with you forever, too.

A little over three years ago I did a post about the first book I remember every having checked out of the public library in Mexia, Texas. I mentioned that I'd been looking for the book ever since without success. The reason it had proved to be so elusive was that I had the name wrong. I thought the book was about a flying pig named Clementine. A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from someone who'd just read that post (God knows why) and how informed me that the pig's name wasn't Clementine. It was Clementina. So I immediately looked for the book on-line and found it. If you've clicked the link, you'll notice that I must not be the only one who liked that book. Judging from the price, it must be a highly sought-after item. But I'm glad to know that it exists. I was afraid that I'd just made up the whole thing.

Half-Moon Investigations -- Eoin Colfer

As you may recall, I like to read kids' books, and when I heard about this over at Detectives Beyond Borders, I thought it sounded like fun.

The title character and narrator is 12-year-old Fletcher Moon, known to the other kids as "Half-Moon" because he's small. He has an official p.i. license that he earned in an on-line course, and he's into solving whatever mysteries come his way in the course of his schooling. He's pretty good at it.

The case in this book involves a number of mysterious happenings, petty crimes that don't seem to be connected, though Half-Moon senses that they are. And, sure enough, he's right.

He's assisted in his investigation by Red Sharkey, the white-sheep member of a criminal family, and before long they're being pursued by both the cops and the honest citizens. Half-Moon absorbs more punishment in the course of this novel than most adult private-eyes twice his size, but he's not deterred. In the end, he finds the answers, though he feels diminished by them because of what he has to do to bring the guilty party to light. He's a sadder but a wiser man, er, kid.

This is a breezy, fast book that I'm sure its intended pre-teen audience will like a lot. I liked it, too, but you have to remember I also liked Beowulf in 3-D.

Croc Update (Cuban Edition)

News from Cuba and the world. Bones of Prehistoric Crocodile Found in Cuba: "Havana, Nov 20.- The bones of a giant predatory crocodile that inhabited the earth during the Miocene Age were found in the Cayajana river, in the central Cuban province of Sancti Spiritus.

The bones corresponding to a 10-meter long crocodile that lived sometime between 23 and 5 million years ago were found on the river bank of the Cayajana, eroded by the waters of the Zaza reservoir, alongside bones of marine mammals such as dugongs, ancestors of the elephants."

I Know I Shouldn't Post This. . .

. . . but John Duke made me do it.

New Hilton sex tape reportedly surfaces: "A second, undated sex tape featuring hotel heiress Paris Hilton has surfaced. In it, the socialite is seen splashing around in a large tub and poking fun at her previous sex tape fiasco, Fox News reports.

The tame version of the footage, currently on YouTube, shows the heiress completely covered in bubbles, but there is an uncensored version reportedly making the rounds on adult-only sites. In the video, the unidentified male cameraman can be heard saying, 'If you were with us before, this is issue No. 3 of the Paris Hilton sex tape.' "

Archaeological Update

Roman grotto linked to mythical founder - CNN.com: "ROME, Italy (AP) -- Archaeologists on Tuesday unveiled an underground grotto believed to have been revered by ancient Romans as the place where a wolf nursed the city's legendary founder Romulus and his twin brother Remus.

The vaulted sanctuary is buried inside Palatine hill, the palatial center of power in imperial Rome. Decorated with seashells and colored marble, the vaulted sanctuary is buried 52 feet inside the Palatine hill, the palatial center of power in imperial Rome, the archaeologists said at a news conference."

Hmmmmmmm

U.S. prison system a costly and harmful failure: report | U.S. | Reuters: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people in U.S. prisons has risen eight-fold since 1970, with little impact on crime but at great cost to taxpayers and society, researchers said in a report calling for a major justice-system overhaul."

Star Trek's 10 Cheesiest Classic Creatures

Slideshow at the link. My favorite is the white gorilla with the single big horn on top of his head.

Star Trek's 10 Cheesiest Classic Creatures: "Having conquered television, movies, videogames, comic books, paperbacks and lunch boxes, the original Star Trek crew moves into high definition this week. The first season of Star Trek: The Original Series beams onto store shelves Tuesday in an HD DVD/DVD combo pack that looks better than ever.

To celebrate, we're reliving the glory of 10 of the best monsters and creatures to stomp, ooze or float across the screen in the groundbreaking TV series. Thanks to the magic of high def, and a painstaking digital remastering effort, you can now see these monsters in more detail than ever before -- although, to be fair, that doesn't make them look any more convincing."

Cult Movie Art

From Neatorama comes this this cult-movie inspired artwork by Jeff McMillan. Can you name all the characters pictured? I can't.

Allan Nixon, Novelist

Allan Nixon, one of the stars of Mesa of Lost Women, wrote a series of p.i. novels, of which this is one.

Cloverfield

• Hollywood Elsewhere •: "The Cloverfield 2 trailer (i.e., the one that preemed in theatres last weekend in front of Beowulf) is up. Great stuff. No monster glimpses -- just the old throaty Godzilla roar, lots of herky-jerky photography, lots of running around Manhattan. Helicopters, subway tunnels, walls collapsing...'what's that?'"

I saw this trailer. I thought it was the most annoying trailer I'd ever seen. It appeared to me that it was a deliberate attempt to drive people out of the theater. And keep off my damn lawn!

Back Alley Webzine's New Issue is Now Live

After an afternoon of wrangling with a pesky server, the second issue of THE BACK ALLEY WEBZINE, the Internet's home to hardboiled and noir short stories for a new century,is finally up and running!

We're very proud of this issue. It contains a tough story from the Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martin's Best First PI Novel winner Keith Gilman; ezine editors Megan Powell and Bryon Quertermous; and fresh voices and stories from John Weagly and Warren Bull. We have a terrific historical/analytical piece from cultural historian Jess Nevins, and the first installment of a seven-part serialization of Frank Norris's turn of the (twentieth) century naturalistic noir masterpiece, MCTEAGUE.

Did I mention that the whole thing is FREE? Okay, the whole thing is FREE! The way real art ought to be!

It's all hot off the press at THE BACK ALLEY WEBZINE,? www.backalleywebzine.com .

Y'all drop 'round, how, y'heah? We'll keep a hot dripping candle in the broken window for you.

I wrote my MA thesis on Frank Norris. McTeague is a classic, with some true pervo moments.

Allan Guthrie's 200 Noirs

A great list, and I'd say that even if Jack MacLane weren't on it.

200 Noirs by Allan Guthrie: "A couple of years back I was asked to provide a list of my top 100 noir novels for the now sadly defunct magazine, Bullet. Recently I've had a few requests to ask if I would consider republishing the list, so I dug it out and had another look. I was horrified by some of the omissions, but my excuse is that 100 just isn’t nearly enough.

So I've taken this opportunity to add another 100 to the original list. And I've cut the list off at 1997 or there'd be 100 more.

Bear in mind that this is an entirely idiosyncratic (some might even say perverse) personal selection based on a) what I’ve read to date (no prizes for spotting the gaps) and b) what I consider noir (which rules out most detective fiction -- unless the detectives are victims, crooks, lunatics or are generally shafted in some major way -- and yet permits the occasional western and horror. Yikes!)."

Dick Wilson (Mr. Whipple), R. I. P.

'Mr. Whipple' actor Dick Wilson dies - CNN.com: "LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Dick Wilson, the character actor and pitchman who for 21 years played an uptight grocer begging customers 'Please, don't squeeze the Charmin,' died Monday. He was 91.

Dick Wilson played Mr. Whipple in more than 500 commercials for Charmin toilet paper. The man famous as TV's 'Mr. Whipple' died of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, said his daughter Melanie Wilson, who is known for her role as a flight attendant on the ABC sitcom 'Perfect Strangers.'"

Mesa of Lost Women

I was inspired to post this by Juri Nummelin.

Holiday Movies

Here's a list from Beth Foxwell.

The Future Has Arrived (Maybe)

Amazon Kindle To Debut On Monday - Ugly But Impressive: "The speculation over Amazon’s new ebook gadget, called the Kindle, ends on Monday afternoon during a special Amazon press conference in New York. Newsweek’s Steven Levy claims to have had the device for weeks and wrote a glowing seven page cover story review of the Kindle this weekend. He finds no fault with the device (every journalist who had the iPhone in their hands prior to launch thought that device was pretty perfect, too)."

More here.

Update: And a sensible review here.

Cher, Tina Turner, and Kate Smith Sing the Beatles

There were giants in the earth in those days. Thanks to Walter Satterthwait for the reminder.

How Times Have Changed

I recommend the entire article.

Virginia Heffernan - The Medium - Sesame Street - Television - Internet Video - Media - YouTube - New York Times: "Sunny days! The earliest episodes of “Sesame Street” are available on digital video! Break out some Keebler products, fire up the DVD player and prepare for the exquisite pleasure-pain of top-shelf nostalgia.

According to an earnest warning on Volumes 1 and 2, “Sesame Street: Old School” is adults-only: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”"

Campaign Ad

Like Chris Roberson, I don't agree with a lot of Mike Huckabee's positions, but I do like this ad.

I'm Linking to This . . .

. . . because I like to support my fellow authors. And of course it's inspirational that a young woman, coming from a humble background and having no resources can achieve such success on her own. Thanks to John Duke for calling this to my attention.

San Jose Mercury News - Paris, perfume wow Valley Fair fans: "'I don't think of myself as any different from anyone,' Hilton said. 'I'm just a girl who's living her life and doing a lot of things. I have a fashion line, I'm acting, I'm a singer, an author. I think that's maybe inspiring to young girls, that I was able to do this on my own.'"

From Today's Houston Chronicle

The Return of Plots with Guns

Crimedog One: PLOTS WITH GUNS: "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold This Body Down": "PLOTS WITH GUNS: 'Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold This Body Down' Here's how this is going to work: PLOTS WITH GUNS will go back online in the new year, as soon as I get enough good stories to fill an issue. I'll be doing quarterly issues. The pay will be...well, it'll be me buying you your drink of choice the next time I happen to see you. The standards will be higher than ever, and I'll be pickier than ever. Looking for hard-boiled, noir and transgressive crime fiction. Every story has to have a gun in it somehow, some way (doesn't have to play a big role. Just needs to be there). No pastiche. It's got to feel right to find a home in PWG."

Boot Camp Cure for Web Obsession

Frankly, I have no idea why Walter Satterthwait sent me this article.

In Korea, a Boot Camp Cure for Web Obsession - New York Times: "MOKCHEON, South Korea — The compound — part boot camp, part rehab center — resembles programs around the world for troubled youths. Drill instructors drive young men through military-style obstacle courses, counselors lead group sessions, and there are even therapeutic workshops on pottery and drumming.

But these young people are not battling alcohol or drugs. Rather, they have severe cases of what many in this country believe is a new and potentially deadly addiction: cyberspace."

Astonishing Adventures! Magazine

You can now order a copy from Lulu for the cost of printing!

http://www.lulu.com/content/1172698

Editor JDC

Hard Case Crime

Here's a nice article on Hard Case Crime from today's Houston Chronicle. The fact that I'm quoted in the article has nothing to do with the fact that I'm linking to it.