Saturday, July 18, 2009
Jack Vance: Genre Artist
The Genre Artist - NYTimes.com: "If you had never read [Jack] Vance and were browsing a bookstore’s shelf, you might have no particular reason to choose one of his books instead of one next to it by A. E. van Vogt, say, or John Varley. And if you chose one of these alternatives, you would go on your way to the usual thrills with no idea that you had just missed out on encountering one of American literature’s most distinctive and undervalued voices."
The Devil Made Him Do It
Ax-wielding arson suspect: Satan was trying to kill me :
County News : ColoradoDaily.com Boulder, CO: "BOULDER, Colo. — An ax-wielding arson suspect told police he thought Satan was trying to kill him, Boulder police said Friday."
County News : ColoradoDaily.com Boulder, CO: "BOULDER, Colo. — An ax-wielding arson suspect told police he thought Satan was trying to kill him, Boulder police said Friday."
Friday, July 17, 2009
Walter Cronkite, R. I. P.
Walter Cronkite: And that's the way it was - Los Angeles Times: "For many who grew up in the 1960s and '70s, Walter Cronkite was the voice of unfolding history. On the ' CBS Evening News' and on the spot, his eloquent mediation of the great events of an age almost pathologically overflowing with them was essential to the way those events were understood. Even when he was temporarily at a loss for words -- his tears at the death of John F. Kennedy, his inarticulate glee at the moon landing ('Whew, boy!') -- he somehow spoke for the nation he spoke to.
Cronkite was not just a newsman; he was -- like Edward R. Murrow, who brought him to CBS and television -- as close a thing to the idea of a newsman as his age imagined. Except perhaps for Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, his high-powered NBC competition, all TV news anchors, news readers and news reporters, even the most august of them, seemed like variations on his theme, shadows of his Platonic ideal. A decade after his retirement from the anchor's chair, he was still being named the most trusted man in network news."
Cronkite was not just a newsman; he was -- like Edward R. Murrow, who brought him to CBS and television -- as close a thing to the idea of a newsman as his age imagined. Except perhaps for Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, his high-powered NBC competition, all TV news anchors, news readers and news reporters, even the most august of them, seemed like variations on his theme, shadows of his Platonic ideal. A decade after his retirement from the anchor's chair, he was still being named the most trusted man in network news."
I'll Bet the Gator Hid in a Closet
iWon News - Pa. woman warned about gator finds pot lab instead: "Police said a woman defied a warning not to venture onto the second floor of a Philadelphia-area house because an alligator was kept there, and uncovered an operating marijuana lab. She tipped police, who searched the house in Darby, just west of Philadelphia."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Here's the Plot of Your Next Novel
'I fell in love with a female assassin' - Americas, World - The Independent: "They met on a train and fell in love. Then Jason P Howe discovered that his girlfriend Marylin was leading a secret double life – as an assassin for right-wing death squads in Colombia's brutal civil war. With their story set to become a major Hollywood film, he recalls an extraordinary, doomed romance."
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
Gator Update (Gators Just Want to Have Fun Edition)
Red Deer Advocate - Having fun with alligators: "Jeff Quattrocchi makes a living getting in the water with one of the world’s most powerful reptiles.
With rock and roll music blaring, the brawny 44-year-old steps onto a stage overlooking a fenced tank of water. Hidden in a corner is a small alligator — 2.4 metres long and 90 kg in weight.
The “Swampmaster” is about to show fairgoers at Red Deer’s Westerner Days just how the feisty this cold-blooded reptile can become."
With rock and roll music blaring, the brawny 44-year-old steps onto a stage overlooking a fenced tank of water. Hidden in a corner is a small alligator — 2.4 metres long and 90 kg in weight.
The “Swampmaster” is about to show fairgoers at Red Deer’s Westerner Days just how the feisty this cold-blooded reptile can become."
Forgotten Books: The Anthony Boucher Chronicles, edited by Francis M. Nevins
I've told the story hundreds of times, probably more than once on this blog, of how I spent my time in graduate school. That was a long time ago, back before Al Gore had invented teh internets, and to do research, I had to spend a lot of time in the library. But I wasn't doing research that related to my studies, exactly. Instead, I was browsing through the bound volumes of The New York Times Book Review. Yes, bound volumes. Tall blue-bound volumes of a newspaper supplement. I can't explain how wonderful that was. You just have to experience it, except that you probably can't anymore. Let's just say that it's a lot more fun than sitting at a computer, or at least it seems that way in memory yet green.
But the browsing wasn't the real fun. The real fun was in reading every "Criminals at Large" column by Anthony Boucher and writing down the titles of the books he liked. Okay, that was actually the foreplay. The real fun was leaving the library and going to the used-book stores to find copies of the books Boucher recommended.
Thanks to Ramble House, you can do the same thing, but without the foreplay. All those columns (and more) have been collected in a single giant volume. Unlike most of the other books I've recommended on Friday, this one is still in print. It's forgotten because Ramble House is a small press and too few people know about it. This book should have been published by a big New York firm, and it should have sold a zillion copies. From it, you can learn a lot about the history of crime fiction, about how to write reviews, about any number of things. If you don't own a copy, your life is poorer. They didn't name it the Bouchercon for nothing. Trust me on this.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Fish Story
Now that is one huge fish! Schoolgirl angler nets record catch (twice her size) that's 9ft long and weighs 14stone | Mail Online: "There should only have been one winner. On the riverbank was Jessica Wanstall, 4ft 10in tall weighing less than six stone (84lb) and something of a tiddler among anglers.
In the river was a monster, a near 9ft catfish that hit the scales at a record 13st 8lb (193lb).
But despite its size and whiskery age, the fish was no match for the skills of 11-year-old Jessica who waged a 20-minute battle to land her prize."
Great photo at the link.
Hat tip to David Cranmer.
In the river was a monster, a near 9ft catfish that hit the scales at a record 13st 8lb (193lb).
But despite its size and whiskery age, the fish was no match for the skills of 11-year-old Jessica who waged a 20-minute battle to land her prize."
Great photo at the link.
Hat tip to David Cranmer.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
BB Video: The 1944 "soundie" that inspired Devo's "Whip It" (Oddball Film Video) - Boing Boing: "Boing Boing Video proudly presents this newly rediscovered gem: The Texas Strip, a 1944 'Soundie' which inspired the Devo song and video 'Whip It.' Watch as a singing cowboy flirts with cowgirls sitting on a a fence, then strips one of them with his whip (oh my)."
That's Assuming You Have Any Money
Instead Of Counting Blessings, Count Money To Feel Good: "When we are feeling blue we are told to count our blessings, but according to a study recently published in Psychological Science, counting our money might be a more useful activity."
Moon over Horry County
I was going to title this "The Law is A Ass," but I thought better of it.
Horry County police asked to avoid bar on Waterway - Local - The Sun News: "After two area police officers were seen drinking and exposing their buttocks to families, Horry County Police Chief Johnny Morgan said he has 'suggested' to his officers that they avoid attending events at The Boathouse Waterway Bar and Grill.
A manager at The Boathouse said Wednesday that his establishment is being unfairly labeled because the incident took place on the Intracoastal Waterway, not on his property."
Horry County police asked to avoid bar on Waterway - Local - The Sun News: "After two area police officers were seen drinking and exposing their buttocks to families, Horry County Police Chief Johnny Morgan said he has 'suggested' to his officers that they avoid attending events at The Boathouse Waterway Bar and Grill.
A manager at The Boathouse said Wednesday that his establishment is being unfairly labeled because the incident took place on the Intracoastal Waterway, not on his property."
The Tarnished Star -- Jack Martin
Black Horse Westerns specializes in publishing traditional westerns, the kind you used to be able to buy in paperback off the spinner rack in the corner drugstore. Now that there aren't any corner drugstores, much less spinner racks, it's not easy to find that kind of entertainment, but that's exactly what you get in The Tarnished Star.The set-up is a familiar one. Cole Masters, the sheriff, has arrested Sam Bowden for murder. Sam is the son of Clem Bowden, the most powerful man in town, and Clem wants him out of jail. You might think you know what's coming next. I thought did, but I was fooled. The story takes a different turn, and I don't want to spoil it be telling you what it is. Let's just say that there are shootings, showdowns, and plenty of interesting characters and situations. The final confrontationdoesn't play out like you might expect, either.
This is a fast-moving debut that would have been right at home as half of an Ace Double back in the old days. If you're looking for an action-packed western of the kind they supposedly don't write anymore, you'll be surprised to find that they do write 'em like that, after all. Pick up The Tarnished Star and see for yourself.
Croc Update (Texas Leads the Way Edition)
Crocodile skull unearthed at Arlington Archosaur Site in North Arlington - insciences: "ARLINGTON - Paleontologists have made the most important discovery to date at the Arlington Archosaur Site, a prolific fossil site in North Arlington. The disassembled skull of a crocodile with two and a half inch long teeth that lived nearly 100 million years ago has been unearthed.
'We have over 50 bones exposed,' said The University of Texas at Arlington dinosaurs lecturer Derek Main, who heads the project. 'They are truly impressive. The teeth measure 6.5 centimeters, larger than my thumb.'
To date, more dinosaur fossils have been recovered from the Arlington Archosaur Site, where excavation began little more than a year ago, than from any other site in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The site lies within Cretaceous rocks, formed 95 million years ago when Arlington was the beachhead for a giant sea that divided the continent."
'We have over 50 bones exposed,' said The University of Texas at Arlington dinosaurs lecturer Derek Main, who heads the project. 'They are truly impressive. The teeth measure 6.5 centimeters, larger than my thumb.'
To date, more dinosaur fossils have been recovered from the Arlington Archosaur Site, where excavation began little more than a year ago, than from any other site in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The site lies within Cretaceous rocks, formed 95 million years ago when Arlington was the beachhead for a giant sea that divided the continent."
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Great Ideas of Our Time
Nicolas Cage Wants to Reconceive Ghost Rider - ComingSoon.net: "MTV talked to Nicolas Cage, who says he's still interested in a sequel to Ghost Rider but would like to do a 'reconceive.' Moving away from the Western style of the first film, he sees a second film as more of an 'international story' that may bring the character to Europe for a team-up with the Catholic Church."
The Brain that Wouldn't Die is Still Alive
Missions Unknown � Got What It Takes To Be A Singing Brain?: "The Overtime Theater has a new musical coming up and you could be a part of it! THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE is a new original horror/comedy/musical (and we need more of those) adapted from the ‘classic’ 1962 film of the same title. You may remember the film as the first movie that Mike Nelson watched on Mystery Science Theater 3000. If you don’t remember this nugget of cinema gold, you are in luck. This flick is now in the public domain and you can download it for free, legally, from the Internet Archive.
While the musical is not scheduled to be staged until October, the auditions start next week! If you are a singer/actor or actor/singer and have always wanted to be in a third-tier horror/sci-fi production then now is the time."
While the musical is not scheduled to be staged until October, the auditions start next week! If you are a singer/actor or actor/singer and have always wanted to be in a third-tier horror/sci-fi production then now is the time."
An Abundance of Katherines -- John Green
I liked John Green's Paper Towns, so when I saw An Abundance of Katherines on the shelves of the local library, I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. Here's one good reason from page 99:"Colin sneezed, and then noticed that Princess was following in Lindsey's wake. XIX had a dog, too -- a miniature dachshund named Fireball Roberts."
That's what we old retired English teachers call a literary allusion, and quite an unexpected one, too.
Here's another thing. I think this book should have been called An Abundance of Fugs, mainly because the word fug (or some variation thereof) is used about 7500 times (not that I counted). Green explains this by another allusion, this time to Norman Mailer and The Naked and the Dead. Unfortunately, he doesn't tell the famous story about Mailer and Tallulah Bankhead (or maybe it was Dorothy Parker). He also doesn't mention The Fugs, a lost opportunity if you ask me, which of course you didn't. Nobody ever does. Where was I? Oh, yeah, fugging around. I think you and I both know why why Green uses the word. His publisher must not have been comfortable with the idea of 7500 uses of the F-word. (It's a good thing Joe Lansdale's publishers don't feel the same way. But then this is a YA book, so that's probably different.)
All that aside, the book's the story of Colin Singleton, a child prodigy who longs to "matter." He wants to be one of those prodigies who fulfills his promise and becomes a genius, as so many don't. He wants to have his "eureka moment," but now he's graduated from high school, and it hasn't happened. About all he's succeeded in doing is dating 18 different girls named Katherine, one of them twice, and being dumped by all of them, one of them twice. So he and his buddy, Hassan, go on a road trip. They wind up in Gutshot, Tennessee, where Colin has a eureka moment that leads him to devise a mathematical formula that pertains to relationships. For you math geeks, and I know there are many of you reading this, there's an 8 or 9 page appendix that explains the formula. You can probably skip it.
This is a very funny book, and it even has feral hogs (I started using feral hogs in my books in 1985, and I'm still at it; Texas leads the way!). If you need a break from whatever it is you're reading now, give An Abundance of Katherines a try.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com: "It could be a combination of 19th-century mechanics, 21st-century technology — and a 20th-century horror movie.
A Maryland company under contract to the Pentagon is working on a steam-powered robot that would fuel itself by gobbling up whatever organic material it can find — grass, wood, old furniture, even dead bodies."
A Maryland company under contract to the Pentagon is working on a steam-powered robot that would fuel itself by gobbling up whatever organic material it can find — grass, wood, old furniture, even dead bodies."
The Law Is a Ass
Court knew man jailed for a year for non-support was not child's father�| ajc.com: "Frank Hatley has languished in a South Georgia jail for more than a year.
The reason? He failed to reimburse the state for all the public assistance his “son” received over the past two decades.
The problem? Hatley is not the biological father -- and a special assistant state attorney general and a judge knew it but jailed Hatley anyway."
Good News for Old Mice
Drug rescues memory lost to Alzheimer... ( Irvine Calif. July 14 2009 A drug ...): "Irvine, Calif., July 14, 2009 A drug similar to one used in clinical trials for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis has been found to rescue memory in mice exhibiting Alzheimer's symptoms."
Gator Update
ChronicleLive - Lifestyle - Holiday Hypermarket - Student brings live alligator on to train: "CUSTOMS officials making a routine check on a train travelling from Sweden to Norway were stunned to discover a live alligator onboard."
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Airplane III
BBC NEWS | Europe | Bride's bouquet brings down plane: "The traditional throwing of a bride's bouquet for luck ended in disaster at an Italian wedding when the flowers caused a plane to crash.
The bride and groom had hired a microlight plane to fly past and throw the bouquet to a line of women guests, Corriere della Sera reported.
However, the flowers were sucked into the plane's engine causing it to catch fire and explode."
Hat tip to Richard Prosch.
The bride and groom had hired a microlight plane to fly past and throw the bouquet to a line of women guests, Corriere della Sera reported.
However, the flowers were sucked into the plane's engine causing it to catch fire and explode."
Hat tip to Richard Prosch.
Gator Update (If the Right One Don't Get You, then the Left One Will)
Indiana Teens Shoot, Kill Alligator - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati: "RENSSELAER, Ind. -- Conservation officers said a northwest Indiana teenager shot and killed an alligator about 6 feet long that he and a friend found in the Iroquois River in Jasper County.
Zach Ramsey, who's 17, and 14-year-old Casey Sonaty spotted the reptile Sunday while fishing and spearing frogs along the river near Rensselaer, about 45 miles southeast of Gary.
Officers said the rural Newton County boys couldn't kill the gator with a fishing arrow or frog spears, so they went and got a 12-gauge shotgun, and Ramsay shot it."
Zach Ramsey, who's 17, and 14-year-old Casey Sonaty spotted the reptile Sunday while fishing and spearing frogs along the river near Rensselaer, about 45 miles southeast of Gary.
Officers said the rural Newton County boys couldn't kill the gator with a fishing arrow or frog spears, so they went and got a 12-gauge shotgun, and Ramsay shot it."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Star-Telegram.com: The burglary on July 2 in Euless went off without a hitch and netted $59,000 in cash.
[. . . . ]
[. . . . ]
For the next several days, the burglars went off on an extravagant spending spree, buying a Nissan on eBay and a Cadillac Eldorado, staying at expensive hotels, purchasing clothes and jewelry, a block of marijuana and gold grills for their teeth, police said.
Gator Update
11 foot alligator stuck in New Hanover Co. drain - WECT TV6 - WECT.com - Wilmington, NC news and weather -: "NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - Business as usual came to a halt at Watermark Marina of Wilmington on Monday. That's because an unexpected visitor showed up below the parking lot.
Two large, glassy eyes stared up from a drainage grate.
'One of the biggest alligators I've ever seen in my life. How he got in there...Lord only knows,' said boater Ken Ward.
The alligator appeared to have made its way from the nearby Cape Fear River, up through the drainage system and into the marina. That's where it hit a dead end and couldn't manage to climb out or turn around."
Two large, glassy eyes stared up from a drainage grate.
'One of the biggest alligators I've ever seen in my life. How he got in there...Lord only knows,' said boater Ken Ward.
The alligator appeared to have made its way from the nearby Cape Fear River, up through the drainage system and into the marina. That's where it hit a dead end and couldn't manage to climb out or turn around."
It's the Berries
7 Berries You Should Eat Everyday | Natural Health & Organic Living Blog: "Berries have been shown to be some of the healthiest foods on the planet. Every month or so it seems new research is being published and new berries are being discovered and analyzed for their health giving properties. As well as multi level marketing companies jumping on the bandwagon to make a fast buck.
Extremely high in antioxidants, berries rank among my favorite foods. So here is [a] list of different kinds of berries that are extremely high health benefits."
Click the link for the list.
Extremely high in antioxidants, berries rank among my favorite foods. So here is [a] list of different kinds of berries that are extremely high health benefits."
Click the link for the list.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Virtual border system ineffective, out of cash - El Paso Times: "AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry's border Web camera program has run out of money, and in its first full year of operation failed to meet nearly every law enforcement goal.
Last year, Perry gave the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition a $2 million federal grant to install cameras along the U.S.-Mexico border and broadcast the footage live over the Internet. An internal report showed that a fraction of the 200 cameras Perry wanted on the border were installed, and that Internet border patrollers produced a handful of drug busts and a scattering of arrests.
Experts on both sides of the immigration issue said the program was unsuccessful. Certain lawmakers have called it a waste.
'Instead of making Texas safer, it has made Texas the source of international ridicule,' said state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso."
Last year, Perry gave the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition a $2 million federal grant to install cameras along the U.S.-Mexico border and broadcast the footage live over the Internet. An internal report showed that a fraction of the 200 cameras Perry wanted on the border were installed, and that Internet border patrollers produced a handful of drug busts and a scattering of arrests.
Experts on both sides of the immigration issue said the program was unsuccessful. Certain lawmakers have called it a waste.
'Instead of making Texas safer, it has made Texas the source of international ridicule,' said state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso."
I'll be @#$%&!
Stub your toe? Say ‘Sh#!’ You’ll feel better - Behavior- msnbc.com: "British scientists have shown that swear words can have a powerful pain-killing effect, according to a new study published in the journal NeuroReport."
Charles N. Brown, R. I. P.
Locus Online News: Charles N. Brown, 1937-2009: "Locus publisher, editor, and co-founder Charles N. Brown, 72, died peacefully in his sleep July 12, 2009 on his way home from Readercon.
Charles Nikki Brown was born June 24, 1937 in Brooklyn NY, where he grew up. He attended the City College of New York, taking time off from 1956-59 to serve in the US Navy, and finished his degree (BS in physics and engineering) at night on the GI Bill while working as a junior engineer in the '60s. He married twice, to Marsha Elkin (1962-69), who helped him start Locus, and to Dena Benatan (1970-77), who co-edited Locus for many years while he worked full time. He moved to San Francisco in 1972, working as a nuclear engineer until becoming a full-time SF editor in 1975. The Locus offices have been in Brown's home in the Oakland hills since 1973."
Charles Nikki Brown was born June 24, 1937 in Brooklyn NY, where he grew up. He attended the City College of New York, taking time off from 1956-59 to serve in the US Navy, and finished his degree (BS in physics and engineering) at night on the GI Bill while working as a junior engineer in the '60s. He married twice, to Marsha Elkin (1962-69), who helped him start Locus, and to Dena Benatan (1970-77), who co-edited Locus for many years while he worked full time. He moved to San Francisco in 1972, working as a nuclear engineer until becoming a full-time SF editor in 1975. The Locus offices have been in Brown's home in the Oakland hills since 1973."
Vanilla Ride -- Joe R. Lansdale
It's been a long time since Joe Lansdale's last Hap and Leonard novel, but the boys are back, and they haven't lost a step. Heck, they might even have gained a couple.Vanilla Ride starts off with a bang. So to speak. And then Leonard and Marvin Hanson show up at Hap's house. Marvin has a favor to ask. His granddaughter's hanging out with a bad crowd, and he'd like for Hap and Leonard to get her back for him, whether she wants to leave or not. The guys agree, and before long the shooting starts. It hardly lets up for the next 200 pages or so because Hap and Leonard have unknowingly stepped in it once again, and they find themselves working for the FBI, being hunted by various killers hired by the Dixie Mafia, and fighting off some of the biggest, toughest, peckerwoods they've ever taken on. And that's mighty big and tough, folks. There's even an alligator!
Amid all the shooting and explosions, there's the usual raucous humor, the philosophical asides, the hilarious dialog, and even a little cussing. Okay, maybe there's a lot of cussing. So what are you waiting for? Get a copy now, or you might have to wait another eight years before Hap and Leonard show up again. After all they go through in this one, they might even want to retire.*
*Just kidding, folks. Joe's next book will also feature the dynamic duo. He's already started writing it. Devil Red will probably show up in next year. Something to look forward to.
Where's My Tinfoil Haat?
The next hacking frontier: Your brain? - CNN.com: "Hackers who commandeer your computer are bad enough. Now scientists worry that someday, they'll try to take over your brain.
In the past year, researchers have developed technology that makes it possible to use thoughts to operate a computer, maneuver a wheelchair or even use Twitter -- all without lifting a finger. But as neural devices become more complicated, and go wireless, some scientists say the risks of 'brain hacking' should be taken seriously."
In the past year, researchers have developed technology that makes it possible to use thoughts to operate a computer, maneuver a wheelchair or even use Twitter -- all without lifting a finger. But as neural devices become more complicated, and go wireless, some scientists say the risks of 'brain hacking' should be taken seriously."
New York Leads the Way -- Backward
TYPEWRITE & WRONG - New York Post: "The city is plunking down nearly $1 million on typewriters for its keystroke cops.
That's right -- typewriters.
Despite the adoption of high-tech equipment that can read license plates from the air and detect radiological events before they happen, manual and electric typewriters continue to be used throughout the NYPD -- and they won't be phased out anytime soon, officials told The Post."
Hat tip to Art Scott.
That's right -- typewriters.
Despite the adoption of high-tech equipment that can read license plates from the air and detect radiological events before they happen, manual and electric typewriters continue to be used throughout the NYPD -- and they won't be phased out anytime soon, officials told The Post."
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Break out the Bottle!
Study shows alcohol might reduce risk of Alzheimer's - JSOnline: "One of the longest and largest studies looking at alcohol consumption in older people found that moderate drinking was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of developing dementia."
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Travis McGee Update
Travis McGee heading for long-awaited screen test - Los Angeles Times: "But it looks as if McGee may finally get his place in the sun: New York-based producer Amy Robinson is in the late stages of developing the first McGee novel, 'The Deep Blue Good-By,' for production by Fox. Robinson calls McGee 'the man every woman wants to be with and every man wants to be.'
Though the project, which puts McGee on the trail of a seductive and dangerous ex-con who's left a trail of broken women in his wake, is not greenlighted and there is no director or talent attached, supporters are hopeful for the first time in decades. Sources close to the project say the studio is bullish on McGee."
Though the project, which puts McGee on the trail of a seductive and dangerous ex-con who's left a trail of broken women in his wake, is not greenlighted and there is no director or talent attached, supporters are hopeful for the first time in decades. Sources close to the project say the studio is bullish on McGee."
Help If You Can
The Swivet [Colleen Lindsay]: Help Aaron Allston out with his medical bills, please!: "A couple of months ago, while in the middle of a book tour, Aaron suffered a massive heart attack and had to have emergency quadruple-bypass surgery. Aaron's heart problems were compounded by the fact that he is a diabetic. You can read the details here. Although Aaron came through his surgery and rehab with flying colors, he's now faced with a new dilemma: Like many writers, Aaron has no health insurance. His medical bills are staggering and he needs our help.
The Fandom Association of Central Texas has set up The Aaron Allston Donation Fund and Auction, a 501(c)(3) organization that exists to collect donations for Aarons' medical bills. In addition, they are seeking items to auction off to raise money. If you can donate an item for the auction (which will take place on July 19th) or if you make even a small donation, please consider doing so. And please help his friends spread the word!"
The Fandom Association of Central Texas has set up The Aaron Allston Donation Fund and Auction, a 501(c)(3) organization that exists to collect donations for Aarons' medical bills. In addition, they are seeking items to auction off to raise money. If you can donate an item for the auction (which will take place on July 19th) or if you make even a small donation, please consider doing so. And please help his friends spread the word!"
Bad Apple -- Richard Wheeler
Richard Wheeler is best known as a writer of western fiction, and maybe Bad Apple could be considered a western. It's set in Montana and it involves horses, that makes it a western, right?Not exactly. It's a contemporary private-eye story that features Cletus Parr, who wears boots and jeans and fancy western shirts while looking into matters involving livestock, very expensive livestock, in this case. A horse named Bad Apple has been killed, and Parr is out to find the killer.
Bad Apple is a champion cutting horse (and if you don't know what that is, don't worry; Wheeler explains it very well) that's dominated the competition for years. There are a lot of people who are tired of losing to him and who are just as happy he's dead. Which one killed him? Or did any of him. Apple was slowing down, so did his owner kill him for the insurance? That's what Parr has to find out.
The setting is one that will be new to most crime-fiction readers, and it's peopled by colorful characters with lots of secrets. Parr is full of himself and not nearly as good a detective as he thinks he is, but he has the ability to get people to tell him things, which helps a lot. He has a sense of humor, too, not to mention a voluptuous secretary.
Richard Wheeler has won five Spur awards from the Western Writers of America, not to mention the Owen Wister award for lifetime achievement in the genre. Now he's trying something different, and he brings all his skills to the job. Bad Apple is fun and different from any crime novel you've read lately. Check it out.
I Thought They were Hobbit Holes
BBC - Earth News - Oldest dinosaur burrow discovered: "The world's oldest dinosaur burrows have been discovered in Australia.
Three separate burrows have been found in all, the biggest 2m long, each built to a similar design and just big enough to hold the body of a small dinosaur.
The 106-million-year-old burrows, the first to be found outside of North America, would have been much closer to the South Pole when they were created."
Three separate burrows have been found in all, the biggest 2m long, each built to a similar design and just big enough to hold the body of a small dinosaur.
The 106-million-year-old burrows, the first to be found outside of North America, would have been much closer to the South Pole when they were created."
Thriller Awards
The Big Thrill: "ThrillerMaster Award: David Morrell
In recognition of his vast body of work and influence in the field of literature
Silver Bullet Award: Brad Meltzer
For contributions to the advancement of literacy
Silver Bullet Corporate Award: Dollar General Literacy Foundation
For longstanding support of literacy and education
Best Thriller of the Year:
THE BODIES LEFT BEHIND by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster)
Best First Novel:
CHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central Publishing)
Best Short Story:
THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN by Alexandra Sokoloff (in Darker Mask)"
In recognition of his vast body of work and influence in the field of literature
Silver Bullet Award: Brad Meltzer
For contributions to the advancement of literacy
Silver Bullet Corporate Award: Dollar General Literacy Foundation
For longstanding support of literacy and education
Best Thriller of the Year:
THE BODIES LEFT BEHIND by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster)
Best First Novel:
CHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central Publishing)
Best Short Story:
THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN by Alexandra Sokoloff (in Darker Mask)"
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Tremors Again
Searchers shovel Northwest dirt seeking giant worm - Yahoo! News: "The giant Palouse earthworm has taken on mythic qualities in this vast agricultural region that stretches from eastern Washington into the Idaho panhandle — its very name evoking the fictional sandworms from 'Dune' or those vicious creatures from the movie 'Tremors.'
The worm is said to secrete a lily-like smell when handled, spit at predators, and live in burrows 15 feet deep. There have been only a handful of sightings."
The worm is said to secrete a lily-like smell when handled, spit at predators, and live in burrows 15 feet deep. There have been only a handful of sightings."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Late John Wayne sci-fi role sees release on DVD | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Any fan of old westerns would probably say that the 1976 movie, The Shootist, was John Wayne’s last film.
They’d be mistaken, according to Dave Burleson.
Burleson, who played minor parts in more than 70 westerns and was friends with Wayne, is releasing an independently produced film that contains Duke’s final unseen performance.
The film, a science-fiction western entitled Thunder Riders of the Golden West, was produced by Burleson in 1984, and includes footage that Wayne filmed before his death in 1979.
“It’s not the last movie he acted in, but it’s the last performance to be released,” said Burleson, who now resides in Barksdale, about two hours Southwest of Kerrville."
They’d be mistaken, according to Dave Burleson.
Burleson, who played minor parts in more than 70 westerns and was friends with Wayne, is releasing an independently produced film that contains Duke’s final unseen performance.
The film, a science-fiction western entitled Thunder Riders of the Golden West, was produced by Burleson in 1984, and includes footage that Wayne filmed before his death in 1979.
“It’s not the last movie he acted in, but it’s the last performance to be released,” said Burleson, who now resides in Barksdale, about two hours Southwest of Kerrville."
New Orleans Leads the Way
Armed with foam-core bats, the Big Easy Rollergirls will chase hard-core runners through French Quarter - NOLA.com: "The Running of the Bulls in New Orleans, happening Saturday. Modeled after the festival of San Fermin in Spain, which started Tuesday, the local event involves hundreds of people in white and red gathering at 8 a.m. to run through the streets of the French Quarter. But instead of running from bulls, they will be running from something equally fearsome: the Big Easy Rollergirls. Armed with foam-core bats and wearing horns on their helmets."
Official website here.
Rollergirls are here.
Official website here.
Rollergirls are here.
Bad Boys, Bad Boys, What'cha Gonna Do?
DASH-CAM VIDEO: Trooper, Officer Ticketed For Alleged Speeding | NBC4i.com: "The Ohio State Highway Patrol released video Friday after an off-duty trooper and off-duty officer were ticketed for allegedly driving nearly 150 mph on an interstate highway."
Scroll down in the article to read the dash-cam transcript to find out what the Bad Boys gonna do It'll make your day.
Scroll down in the article to read the dash-cam transcript to find out what the Bad Boys gonna do It'll make your day.
Crime of the Day
Man suspected of stealing duck calls arrested - The York Daily Record: "Police arrested a man suspected of stealing duck calls from a vehicle. Authorities said a 40-year-old man was booked Wednesday with burglary of a motor vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
iWon News - Police: Couple charged with having sex in drug car: "The car was a-rockin', and the law went a-knockin'.
Bexar (BAYR) County sheriff's deputies drawn by the actions of an amorous couple in a parked car allegedly found more than l'amour.
Deputy Ino Badillo (bah-DEE'-yoh) tells the San Antonio Express-News they also found enough equipment and chemicals in the car Thursday night to start a methamphetamine lab."
Note the helpful pronunciation tips.
Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.
Bexar (BAYR) County sheriff's deputies drawn by the actions of an amorous couple in a parked car allegedly found more than l'amour.
Deputy Ino Badillo (bah-DEE'-yoh) tells the San Antonio Express-News they also found enough equipment and chemicals in the car Thursday night to start a methamphetamine lab."
Note the helpful pronunciation tips.
Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.
Friday, July 10, 2009
News from Busted Flush Press
Busted Flush Press: "Busted Flush just signed up Scottish crime writer Donna Moore (Go to Helena Handbasket) for the American publication of her second novel, Old Dogs. This is an incredibly funny caper thriller... reads like a Guy Ritchie adaptation of The Thomas Crown Affair."
Remo Returns
Remo Williams rides again--The Hollywood Reporter: Risky Business: "'The Dark Knight” producer Charles Roven and “Transporter” producer Steve Chasman are teaming up to produce “The Destroyer,” a franchise vehicle that brings back ’80s action hero Remo Williams. The pair have set up the project at Columbia.
Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, who are penning the action epic “War of Gods” for Relativity, are on board to write the screenplay.
Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir wrote the initial batch of “Destroyer” adventure tomes, which centered on Williams, a New Jersey cop convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Williams is sentenced to the electric chair, but his death is faked so he can be reborn as the vigilante character the Destroyer, joining a top-secret assassin squad set up by the government to operate outside the bounds of the law."
Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, who are penning the action epic “War of Gods” for Relativity, are on board to write the screenplay.
Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir wrote the initial batch of “Destroyer” adventure tomes, which centered on Williams, a New Jersey cop convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Williams is sentenced to the electric chair, but his death is faked so he can be reborn as the vigilante character the Destroyer, joining a top-secret assassin squad set up by the government to operate outside the bounds of the law."
Forgotten Books: A TWIST OF SAND -- Geoffrey Jenkins
This is ThrillerFest weekend, right? Then what better time to celebrate one of the great thriller writers of 50 years ago, Geoffrey Jenkins. Jenkins' books came along at just the right time for me. I'd discovered Alistair MacLean a few years earlier and was looking for more in the same vein. Jenkins filled the bill. As you can see from the blurb on the cover, he impressed Ian Fleming, and the reviewers were equally impressed.A Twist of Sand is the first-person account of the adventures of Captain Geoffrey Peace, who really goes through a lot. There's a lovely female scientist (should be played by Denise Richards in the movie, considering how great she was as a nuclear physicist in The World is Not Enough) whom someone is trying to kill, there's the Skeleton Coast ("the most dangerous shoreline in the world"), there's a killing journey across 30 miles of desert, there's mountain climbing, and there are wild animals: strand wolves, black lions, hyenas, and maybe a few more.
The local color's great, the action is fast, and the hero's competent and steadfast. Prime stuff for people (like me) who like old-fashioned wide-screen high adventure. As far as I know, none of Jenkins' books is in print in the U.S., but you should be able to find the paperback editions easily enough. Any of them would be worth a look.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Ernest Hemingway, KGB
Hemingway revealed as failed KGB spy | Books | guardian.co.uk: "Up till now, this has been a notably cheerful year for admirers of Ernest Hemingway – a surprisingly diverse set of people who range from Michael Palin to Elmore Leonard. Almost every month has brought good news: a planned Hemingway biopic; a new, improved version of his memoir, A Moveable Feast; the opening of a digital archive of papers found in his Cuban home; progress on a movie of Islands in the Stream.
Last week, however, saw the publication of Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America (Yale University Press), which reveals the Nobel prize-winning novelist was for a while on the KGB's list of its agents in America. Co-written by John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr and Alexander Vassiliev, the book is based on notes that Vassiliev, a former KGB officer, made when he was given access in the 90s to Stalin-era intelligence archives in Moscow."
Last week, however, saw the publication of Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America (Yale University Press), which reveals the Nobel prize-winning novelist was for a while on the KGB's list of its agents in America. Co-written by John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr and Alexander Vassiliev, the book is based on notes that Vassiliev, a former KGB officer, made when he was given access in the 90s to Stalin-era intelligence archives in Moscow."
Will the Persecution Never End?
iWon News - Trial begins in Paris Hilton film contract dispute: "Paris Hilton has arrived for the Miami trial of a federal lawsuit accusing her of failing to adequately promote her 2006 movie 'Pledge This!'
Hilton entered the courthouse Thursday afternoon wearing a black and white dress.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of some film investors claims the 28-year-old didn't honor her contract to promote the DVD release. The lawsuit seeks more than $8 million from Hilton and her entertainment firm."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hilton entered the courthouse Thursday afternoon wearing a black and white dress.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of some film investors claims the 28-year-old didn't honor her contract to promote the DVD release. The lawsuit seeks more than $8 million from Hilton and her entertainment firm."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Croc Update (Armadillo World Headquarters Edition)
Armadillo-like crocodile roamed Brazil: researchers - Yahoo! News: "Fossils found in Brazil are from a crocodile resembling a large armadillo that was a predator in the area around modern-day Sao Paulo state 90 million years ago, researchers said on Tuesday.
The 6.6-foot-long (two-meter-long), 265-lb (120-kg) crocodile, named the 'Armadillosuchus,' appears to have been unique to that area, the researchers at Rio de Janeiro's Federal University said."
The 6.6-foot-long (two-meter-long), 265-lb (120-kg) crocodile, named the 'Armadillosuchus,' appears to have been unique to that area, the researchers at Rio de Janeiro's Federal University said."
They've Turned Me Wallabies Loose, Bruce
Wayward Wallaby Still Missing - Indiana News Story - WRTV Indianapolis: "A wallaby missing for more than two weeks might have been spotted in a Muncie neighborhood.
Julie Halteman said she saw a strange creature, like a small kangaroo, hop past the window of her son's bedroom Monday morning."
Julie Halteman said she saw a strange creature, like a small kangaroo, hop past the window of her son's bedroom Monday morning."
One More Sign of the Apocalypse
Summer movie season cooling off - Los Angeles Times: "It may be an honest admission that Hollywood finally has run out of ideas, but this week's announcement that DreamWorks is developing a movie based on the View-Master couldn't come at a more fitting moment: Brand names people have heard of -- even those associated with a simple toy -- now mean more to a film's success than $20-million stars."
Greatest Sandwich in America?
Bourdain Declares Three Little Pigs Sandwich ‘Greatest Sandwich in America’ [video] - Eat Me Daily: "In the latest episode of No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain went to Chicago and visited the Silver Palm restaurant. He had the Three Little Pigs Sandwich: smoked ham, a breaded pork cutlet, two strips of bacon, and two fried eggs, blanketed in a thick coat of gruyere, all on a brioche bun."
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Turtles in New York? Who Knew?
Turtles on runway delay flights in New York - News- msnbc.com: "A runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport was shut down briefly Wednesday morning after at least 78 turtles emerged from a nearby bay and crawled onto the tarmac."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
UPDATE 2-US SEC charges Provident Royalties in $485 mln fraud | Deals | Regulatory News | Reuters: "(Reuters) - Provident Royalties LLC and three founders were charged with securities fraud for allegedly bilking thousands of oil and natural gas investors in a $485 million Ponzi scheme, the Securities and Exchange Commission said on Tuesday.
In a civil case, the SEC alleges that from about September 2006 until January 2009, Texas-based Provident Royalties raised nearly half a billion dollars from at least 7,700 U.S. investors by promising annual returns of over 18 percent and misrepresenting how the funds would be used."
In a civil case, the SEC alleges that from about September 2006 until January 2009, Texas-based Provident Royalties raised nearly half a billion dollars from at least 7,700 U.S. investors by promising annual returns of over 18 percent and misrepresenting how the funds would be used."
Easter Island, Here I Come
Raw Story � Scientists claim ‘fountain of youth’ is on Easter Island: "A compound found in the soil of Easter Island stunningly boosts the lifespan of mice, enabling some to live more than 100 years old in human terms, researchers reported on Wednesday.
The remarkable molecule, a bacterial byproduct discovered in a sample taken from the remote Pacific archipelago in the 1970s, is called rapamycin, after the island’s Polynesian name of Rapa Nui."
The remarkable molecule, a bacterial byproduct discovered in a sample taken from the remote Pacific archipelago in the 1970s, is called rapamycin, after the island’s Polynesian name of Rapa Nui."
What a Way to Go
Worker falls into chocolate vat, dies | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/08/2009: "A temp worker at a Camden chocolate processing plant died this morning after he fell into an eight-foot vat used to mix and melt chocolate."
Oscar Mayer, R. I. P.
Oscar Mayer dies at 95 | Richmond Times-Dispatch: "Oscar G. Mayer, retired chairman of the Wisconsin-based meat processing company that bears his name, has died at the age of 95."
I Think I've Seen this Movie
British scientists grow sperm in laboratory | Metro.co.uk: "Women who say they don't need a man may well be right – after human sperm was created in the lab."
Hat tip to David Cranmer.
Gator Update (Extension Cord Edition)
8-foot alligator captured in South Florida pool - Florida AP - MiamiHerald.com: "Residents in a Fort Lauderdale suburb lassoed an eight-foot alligator to a tree using an extension cord after the reptile had sneaked into their swimming pool.
Broward Sheriff's Office spokesman Mike Jachles said the residents in Oakland Park only called 911 after they had captured the large alligator late Tuesday night. About 30 people were gathered around the reptile by the time deputies arrived, but no one would admit to tying up the alligator."
Broward Sheriff's Office spokesman Mike Jachles said the residents in Oakland Park only called 911 after they had captured the large alligator late Tuesday night. About 30 people were gathered around the reptile by the time deputies arrived, but no one would admit to tying up the alligator."
Superman, We Have a Problem
SCOUTING NY - www.scoutingny.com � The Last Phone Booth In New York City: "There are only four phone booths left in Manhattan - and they’re all on West End Avenue."
Hot Stuff
Tabasco - Her Majesty’s hot favourite - Times Online: "Tabasco is sold in 160 countries, cheering up bland breakfasts and lacklustre lunches, bringing zest to oysters and putting the bloody into mary. It is found in restaurants such as Hix Oyster & Chop House, Richard Corrigan’s Bentley’s and the Bibendum Oyster Bar (of course), and even in that stalwart of spice, Star of India.
Now it transpires that this most bravura of exports is a favourite of the British Royal Family, so much so that it has been granted a royal warrant by the Queen — making it the only independent US firm in the food category. Heinz, owners of Worcester and HP Sauce, also has the coveted imprimateur."
Now it transpires that this most bravura of exports is a favourite of the British Royal Family, so much so that it has been granted a royal warrant by the Queen — making it the only independent US firm in the food category. Heinz, owners of Worcester and HP Sauce, also has the coveted imprimateur."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Galveston baffled by 30 burnt palm trees - Latest News - Kentucky.com: "Galveston officials are investigating the torching of 30 palm trees in the last two months.
'What we've got on our hands, a serial tree arsonist, I've never seen before,' said Galveston Fire Marshal Gilbert Robinson. 'I've talked to colleagues of mine, and that's the first they've heard of setting palm trees on fire.'"
'What we've got on our hands, a serial tree arsonist, I've never seen before,' said Galveston Fire Marshal Gilbert Robinson. 'I've talked to colleagues of mine, and that's the first they've heard of setting palm trees on fire.'"
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
King Dork -- Frank Portman
King Dork is hilarious, but it's kind of hard to describe. The narrator, Tom Henderson, the King Dork of the title, professes to hate The Catcher in the Rye, but his tale has a lot in common with Holden Caulfield's, at least in its narration. Both Holden and Tom tend to digress quite a bit, and the digressions and the narrative voices are what make the books so entertaining.Tom is a high-school loner, just trying to survive among the psychotic "normal" students. He's still trying to adjust to the death of his cop father six years earlier, too, and when he discovers a stash of old books that belonged to his dad (including Catcher), he starts to investigate his death. There's a secret code, lots of research, and all kinds of connections to the present. Along the way, there's also lots of casual sex, drinking, and drug use. High school sure wasn't like this when I was a kid. Or maybe it was and I just missed out.
I did wonder about a few things. Though the book's supposedly set a few years ago, you'd think it was set much earlier. Nobody has a cell phone. When Tom's in the hospital, he has to go out into the hallway and use a pay phone to make a call, irritating all the other patients who are waiting to use it. Tom and Sam do their research in a library, using the microfilm machine. Retro in the extreme. Music plays a big part in the book (Frank Portman's a musician, the leader of The Mr. T Experience), but there's hardly a mention of anything after the '80s. Instead we get allusions to Trout Mask Replica, the Kinks, and plenty of others from that era.
But who cares? It's fun reading all the way, there's a mystery to solve, and there's even some closing advice for teenage boys (get in a band). Check it out.
A Thesaurus as Big as a Brontosaurus
After a 44-year labour of love, world’s biggest thesaurus is born - Times Online: "Dr Johnson famously took nine years to write his dictionary, but the biggest thesaurus in the world will be published this autumn after a labour of love spanning five decades.
Work on the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1965. The mammoth enterprise has survived fire and funding problems and has had to be constantly updated to incorporate new words.
With 800,000 meanings for 600,000 words organised into more than 230,000 categories and subcategories, the thesaurus is twice the size of Roget’s version."
Work on the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1965. The mammoth enterprise has survived fire and funding problems and has had to be constantly updated to incorporate new words.
With 800,000 meanings for 600,000 words organised into more than 230,000 categories and subcategories, the thesaurus is twice the size of Roget’s version."
My Phone Doesn't Even Have a Camera
Want to know the bus schedule in Taipei? Or how to make authentic Gujarati vegetarian meals?
100 Awesome iPhone Apps for Culture Snobs | Online College Tips - Online Colleges
Erik Estrada is The Man
Erik Estrada talks child porn with Len & Bob - Sports Pros(e): "After botching the lyrics to 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' in front of 40,042 people at Monday night's Cubs game, the Bella Vista, Ark. pitchman celebrated his 60th birthday by telling broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenly during the seventh-inning interview, 'I've seen my fair share of child pornography and I want to do something about it.'
Estrada went on to praise a certain part of porn star Ron Jeremy's anatomy."
Estrada went on to praise a certain part of porn star Ron Jeremy's anatomy."
A Virtual Convention?
Mystery Fanfare: A Virtual Convention: PP WebCon: "The Poisoned Pen at the forefront of so many things in the mystery world will be hosting a The World's First Virtual Convention on October 24. Yes, virtual.
Poisoned Pen Press and The Poisoned Pen mystery bookstore of Scottsdale AZ will host the first major virtual mystery convention online, PP Web Con. 'Top mystery and crime writers from all over the world will meet and mix with readers and others online in a virtual convention center on October 24th, 2009.' PP Web Con's blog is blank now, but it promises to list all the latest news about the convention's planned events and attendees."
Poisoned Pen Press and The Poisoned Pen mystery bookstore of Scottsdale AZ will host the first major virtual mystery convention online, PP Web Con. 'Top mystery and crime writers from all over the world will meet and mix with readers and others online in a virtual convention center on October 24th, 2009.' PP Web Con's blog is blank now, but it promises to list all the latest news about the convention's planned events and attendees."
Monday, July 06, 2009
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
reason.com: By conventional wisdom, El Paso, Texas should be one of the scariest cities in America. In 2007, the city's poverty rate was a shade over 27 percent, more than twice the national average. Median household income was $35,600, well below the national average of $48,000. El Paso is three-quarters Hispanic, and more than a quarter of its residents are foreign-born. Given that it's nearly impossiblefor low-skilled immigrants to work in the United States legitimately, it's safe to say that a significant percentage of El Paso's foreign-born population is living here illegally.
El Paso also has some of the laxer gun control policies of any non-Texan big city in the country, mostly due to gun-friendly state law. And famously, El Paso sits just over the Rio Grande from one of the most violent cities in the western hemisphere, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, home to a staggering 2,500 homicides in the last 18 months alone. A city of illegal immigrants with easy access to guns, just across the river from a metropolis ripped apart by brutal drug war violence. Should be a bloodbath, right?
Here's the surprise: There were just 18 murders in El Paso last year, in a city of 736,000 people. To compare, Baltimore, with 637,000 residents, had 234 killings. In fact, since the beginning of 2008, there were nearly as many El Pasoans murdered while visiting Juarez (20) than there were murdered in their home town (23).
El Paso is among the safest big cities in America.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Texas Man Survives Being Stung More Than 250 Times by Bees | AMOG - Alpha Males of the Group: "Harold Braun, aged 74, has miraculously survived being stung more than 250 times in an attack by bees while he mowed the lawn in his Waco, Texas backyard. The poor man was hospitalized after he ran over an area covered by a rubber mat and the movement agitated a hive of nearby bees. Paramedics pulled more than 150 stingers from his body and the hospital staff removed another 100 or so."
Looks Just Like Him To Me
Family Sees Image Of Michael Jackson In Tree Stump - cbs13.com: "A Stockton family says the image of Michael Jackson appeared on his tree stump the day the King of Pop died.
Like the 'Virgin Grilled Mary' or 'Cheesus,' the family thinks they've got an unusual spiritual image staring right at them from their own front yard. Felix Garcia has lived in the house for 22 years, and has never noticed the apparent image in his birch tree stump."
Like the 'Virgin Grilled Mary' or 'Cheesus,' the family thinks they've got an unusual spiritual image staring right at them from their own front yard. Felix Garcia has lived in the house for 22 years, and has never noticed the apparent image in his birch tree stump."
The City but not the Stars
US manned space flight in doubt 40 years after moon walk: "US ambitions to send astronauts back to the moon as a prelude to missions to Mars have been put in doubt by budgetary constraints 40 years after man's triumphant landing on Earth's nearest neighbor."
Sort of makes me long for the '50s again, when I was reading Amazing and Fantastic and Imaginative Tales and there was never any doubt that we'd be going to the stars Real Soon Now. Reality bites.
Sort of makes me long for the '50s again, when I was reading Amazing and Fantastic and Imaginative Tales and there was never any doubt that we'd be going to the stars Real Soon Now. Reality bites.
Capricorn 3
Russian spacecraft landed on moon hours before Americans - Telegraph: "n July 1969, the telescopes at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, in Cheshire, were tracking the Americans' Eagle Lander carrying astronauts towards the moon's surface.
Sir Bernard Lovell, the astronomer, was among the team listening to transmissions coming from the area of space and began tracking the unmanned Soviet spacecraft Luna 15, which was trying to collect samples of lunar soil and rock and then return to Earth before the US mission.
The recordings from Jodrell's Lovell radio telescope, which were hidden in archives until researchers found them, show the Russian craft orbited the Moon and crash-landed onto its surface at 15:50 on July 21 – just a few hours before the Americans lifted off."
Sir Bernard Lovell, the astronomer, was among the team listening to transmissions coming from the area of space and began tracking the unmanned Soviet spacecraft Luna 15, which was trying to collect samples of lunar soil and rock and then return to Earth before the US mission.
The recordings from Jodrell's Lovell radio telescope, which were hidden in archives until researchers found them, show the Russian craft orbited the Moon and crash-landed onto its surface at 15:50 on July 21 – just a few hours before the Americans lifted off."
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Tarzan Update
Tarzan swings into Paris | GlobalPost: "PARIS — Edgar Rice Burroughs never visited Africa but he created one of the continent’s most enduring myths: Tarzan.
In his story about the aristocratic orphan boy raised by apes in the jungle, Burroughs painted a picture of a jungle Africa, teeming with tigers that do not exist in the real Africa, and populating the continent with “savages [who] danced in frantic ecstasy”.
Now Tarzan is on show at one of Paris' most popular museums, which has dedicated its summer exhibition to the ape man."
In his story about the aristocratic orphan boy raised by apes in the jungle, Burroughs painted a picture of a jungle Africa, teeming with tigers that do not exist in the real Africa, and populating the continent with “savages [who] danced in frantic ecstasy”.
Now Tarzan is on show at one of Paris' most popular museums, which has dedicated its summer exhibition to the ape man."
Happy Birthday, Bikini Swimsuits!
This Day in History 1946: Bikini introduced: "On July 5, 1946, French designer Louis Reard unveils a daring two-piece swimsuit at the Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool in Paris. Parisian showgirl Micheline Bernardini modeled the new fashion, which Reard dubbed 'bikini,' inspired by a news-making U.S. atomic test that took place off the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week."
Also on this day in history, Elvis Presley recorded "That's All Right, Mama," his first commercial release and one of the all-time greats.
Thats All Right - Elvis Presley
Also on this day in history, Elvis Presley recorded "That's All Right, Mama," his first commercial release and one of the all-time greats.
Thats All Right - Elvis Presley
Up
Roger Ebert recommends seeing Up in 2-D, but I went to the 3-D version, anyway. It's a wonderful movie, and I'm sure it plays just as well either way, though maybe the colors are better without the glasses.I can understand why Up is being sold as a kids' movie. That's where the money is. But it's more for geezers than kids. The poster to the left gives you a pretty good idea of the importance of the characters, except that the house has a bigger part than the poster indicates.
Edward Asner is the voice of Carl Fredricksen, an old guy who's just lost his wife, Eileen. The sequence that begins the film tells of how the two met, and then there's a terrific silent bit that fills in all you need to know about the rest of their life together.
Like Rick Blaine, I'm a sentimentalist. I know that's a character flaw, but I blame my grandmother Brodnax, who often read "The Wreck of the Hesperus" and "The Babes in the Wood" to me when I was at an impressionable age. At any rate, it's possible that I shed a manly tear during Up's silent moments, not that there's anything wrong with that.
Carl had once promised Eileen that they'd travel to South America to a plateau straight out of the Lost World, just as their hero, Captain Muntz had done. Real life intervened, and they never got there. Now Carl's alone, and he's been declared a public menace. He's about to be carted off to The Home. But he doesn't go. He sets out on one last great adventure, thanks to zillions of balloons. A kid tags along accidentally, and when they land on the plateau, the adventures begin in earnest. I'll say no more about those, not wanting to spoil the fun. But I have to admit that the adventures aren't the main reason I liked the film. It was Carl's story that got to me. He might be an animation, but he was as real as any character I've seen in a movie in years.
And then there are the dogs. They're great, particularly the one that adopts Carl. The dog tells a great joke about a squirrel, one that Dave Barry would appreciate.
This movie, along with Gran Torino, proves that you can make good movies about geezers and the people will flock to them. The filmmakers might have to disguise the fact that their movies are about geezers, as Up does, but that's okay as long as the films get made. I loved Up, and while it might not be your cuppa, you should give it a try just to see.
This Is Why James Bond Never Married
MI6 chief blows his cover as wife's Facebook account reveals family holidays, showbiz friends and links to David Irving | Mail Online: "The new head of MI6 has been left exposed by a major personal security breach after his wife published intimate photographs and family details on the Facebook website.
Sir John Sawers is due to take over as chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in November, putting him in charge of all Britain's spying operations abroad.
But his wife's entries on the social networking site have exposed potentially compromising details about where they live and work, who their friends are and where they spend their holidays."
Sir John Sawers is due to take over as chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in November, putting him in charge of all Britain's spying operations abroad.
But his wife's entries on the social networking site have exposed potentially compromising details about where they live and work, who their friends are and where they spend their holidays."
Gator Update (Minnesota Edition)
Alligator Spoils Eagan Barbeque | keyc.tv: "And finally tonight: A Minnesota family's Fourth of July backyard barbecue drew an interesting guest this weekend... A 3-foot alligator.Linda Savage was walking in her yard in Eagan when spotted the gator in a pond.At first, her family didn't quite believe her.But then everyone got a closer look and saw for themselves.Police were called to take care of the alligator."
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