Tuesday, January 31, 2012
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Vero wife upset at hubby's request to 'use the bed' with another woman - Off the Beat with Will Greenlee: Marian Searchwell's husband said his wife grew enraged after he decided to bring home a "female visitor."
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Fisticuffs at Cowboy BBQ: Deputy Jeff Stoltz said that the argument began over whether food was done cooking, with the cook Harvey Smith, 34, of Helena, saying it wasn’t done and that he would cook it until it was. As the discussion escalated, the restaurant owner, Jimmy Russell, 67, of Wolf Creek, fired Smith.
Overlooked Movies -- Stealing Home
You regular readers know that I'm a sucker for coming-of-age stories, and this movie is a good one. I saw it more than 20 years ago and still remember how it made me feel. Mark Harmon is a talented baseball player who's never lived up to expectations, his own or those of others. The movie opens when he's called to come back to his home after the death of his childhood friend, played by Jodie Foster, who was the "older woman" when he was a teen. She was a free spirit who lived life her own way, and she was someone he could always talk to when he needed a sympathetic ear. The rest of the story is told mostly in flashbacks to that earlier time in Harmon's life, and it's all about friendship and love and loyalty and such. Great stuff.
The ending is a little sentimental, or maybe a lot, but I wouldn't have it any other way. There's another of those great soundtracks with several songs that you'll recognize instantly if you grew up in the late '50s and early '60s. If you're a sucker for this kind of thing, as I am, and if you haven't see this movie, check it out.
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Dead Man Has a Theme Song
Go to the Amazon page and look to the right. You'll find the link to the song there. Give it a listen.
John Rich, R. I. P.
John Rich obituary: Emmy-winning director of landmark sitcoms dies at 86 - latimes.com: John Rich followed his acclaimed work on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' with 'All in the Family.' His credits over an almost 50-year career also included 'Gunsmoke,' 'The Twilight Zone' and 'MacGyver.'
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Your Tax Dollars at Work . . . or Play . . . or Something
CNBC: The Pentagon doesn’t know what happened to more than $100 million in cash held at Saddam Hussein’s palace in Baghdad during the Iraq war, according to a new report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.
What’s more, the Pentagon can’t find documents to explain what it spent as much as $1.7 billion on from funds held on behalf of the Iraqi government by the New York Federal Reserve, the report says.
What’s more, the Pentagon can’t find documents to explain what it spent as much as $1.7 billion on from funds held on behalf of the Iraqi government by the New York Federal Reserve, the report says.
Ian Abercrombie, R. I. P.
Ian Abercrombie Dead: 'Seinfeld' Actor Dies At 77: After nearly 50 years in the business, "Seinfeld" actor Ian Abercrombie died on Thursday at 77 years old. The TV icon who played Elaine Benes' (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) boss on Jerry Seinfeld's sitcom, passed away in Hollywood. He is survived by three brothers.
Although Abercrombie made a name for himself as Elaine's quirky boss, who cut his candy bars with a knife and fork and was more than a little particular about his socks, his most recent television run was on the Disney channel hit "Wizards of Waverly Place," playing three-thousand-year-old wizard school headmaster, Professor Crumbs.
Although Abercrombie made a name for himself as Elaine's quirky boss, who cut his candy bars with a knife and fork and was more than a little particular about his socks, his most recent television run was on the Disney channel hit "Wizards of Waverly Place," playing three-thousand-year-old wizard school headmaster, Professor Crumbs.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Dick Tufeld, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Dick Tufeld, who possessed one of Hollywood’s most often-heard disembodied voices, especially from the 1950s through the 1970s, announcing or narrating television shows like “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” and commercials for products like Mr. Bubble bubble bath and Gallo wine, but who was best known for his electronic intonations as the robot in the loopy science-fiction series “Lost in Space,” died on Sunday at his home in the Studio City section of Los Angeles. He was 85.
Hat tip to George Kelley.
Soon to Be a SyFy Movie!
The Capitol architect wanted to reanimate George Washington's dead body: George Washington may have been America's first president, but was he nearly America's first zombie-in-chief? If William Thornton, physician and designer of the US Capitol, had had his way, Washington's body would have been subjected a scientific experiment designed to bring the deceased former president back to life.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Airship27: SHERLOCK HOLMES - The Baron's Revenge was written by writer Gary Lovisi and is a sequel to an actual story by Arthur Conan Doyle; "The Case of the Illustrious Client." It is a gripping suspense thriller with a madman out to destroy both the Great Detective and his loyal ally, Dr.Watson. It features a cover by Rob Davis and digital painter Shane Evans, with nine black and white interior illustrations by Rob. [. . . .] You can pick up a copy by clicking on our airship logo to the left of this column. Our Airship 27 Hangar store is selling digital PDF copies you can download on most e-readers for only $3, or you can go to (www.IndyPlanet.com) to purchase a hard copy for only $13.99 (plus shipping & handling).
World Book Night
Welcome to World Book Night: During World Book Night, 50,000 people, named as “book givers,” will each be giving away 20 books from a select list with a goal to have 1,000,000 people across the United States alone celebrating reading en masse. There will be adult books and young adult titles given away. People can sign up athttp://www.us.worldbooknight.org/about-world-book-night/register-as-a-2012-giver by February 1st to apply to be a “book giver.” You can see the complete list of titles that includes books from authors like Jodi Picoult, Michael Connelly, Stephen King, Barbara Kingsolver and Junot Diaz, among others at: http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/wbn2012-the-books .
Dick Kniss, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Dick Kniss, a self-taught musician who for more than 40 years played stand-up bass behind Peter, Paul and Mary, becoming a veritable fourth member of the folk-singing trio, died on Wednesday in Kingston, N.Y. He was 74.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Here's the plot of your next realistically Kafka-esque expose
Mail Online: A man held in solitary confinement for two years and forced to pull his own tooth because he was denied dental care has been awarded $22million for violation of his constitutional rights.
Stephen Slevin, 58, from New Mexico, was given the payout after accusing Dona Ana County jail of essentially forgetting about him after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated, not giving him the healthcare he needed and treating him inhumanely.
Stephen Slevin, 58, from New Mexico, was given the payout after accusing Dona Ana County jail of essentially forgetting about him after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated, not giving him the healthcare he needed and treating him inhumanely.
Hat tip to Todd Mason.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: Crime Factory Issue 9 eBook: Jimmy Callaway, Cameron Ashley, Liam Jose, Andrew Nette: Kindle Store: Your noir journal.Featuring exclusive content from Tom Piccirilli (The Shadow Season; The Cold Spot); Scott Phillips (The Ice Harvest; Cottonwood); Johnny Shaw (Dove Season); Daniel B. O’Shea (Old School); Ray Banks (Dead Money; Beast of Burden); Benjamin Whitmer (Pike; Satan Is Real); Paul D. Brazill (Drunk on the Moon; Brit Grit); exclusive fiction from Kenneth Loosli; Chris Benton and Chris Deal; features by Matthew C. Funk; Peter “Nerd of Noir” Dragovich; Andrew Nette and Noel King.
Robert Hegyes, R. I. P.
NJ.com: Robert Hegyes, the Jersey-born actor who played Jewish Puerto Rican wheeler-dealer Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein on the 1970s classic "Welcome Back Kotter," died from an apparent heart attack after suffering chest pains at his Metuchen home this morning. He was 60.
Forgotten Books: Destinies -- Edited by Jim Baen
The question is, is it a book or a magazine? Pick it up, and it looks like a book. It feels like a book. But it's a "paperback magazine." The back cover, as you can see, tells us that it's "the very first paperback science fiction magazine."
How is it different from an anthology? Well, it has articles, but then so do anthologies. It has illustrations, but so could an anthology. I'd say that the distinguishing feature would be the columns. There's a science column by Jerry Pournelle, and there's a book review column by Spider Robinson. There's also the first part of a five-part article by Poul Anderson.
I think there were eleven issues (or volumes if you still think it's a book) of Destinies. Later on, Baen had his own publishing house and brought out New Destinies. I suspect that there are those among you who have collected all the issues (or volumes). I have most of them, but not all. They used to be fairly easy to find, and I suspect they still are.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wow
Pres. John Tyler's Grandchildren Are Still Alive: Try to do the math on this: John Tyler, born in 1790, became the 10th president of the United States, taking office in 1841 after the death of William Henry Harrison. And two of his grandchildren are still alive!
Of course, not much from Tyler's time is still around. In the year of his birth, President George Washington gave the first State of the Union address and Thomas Jefferson served as his secretary of state.
Of course, not much from Tyler's time is still around. In the year of his birth, President George Washington gave the first State of the Union address and Thomas Jefferson served as his secretary of state.
Here's the Plot for Your Next Neo-Noir Novel
bnd.com: A convict with a conscience helped the feds unravel a murder-for-hire plot that involved a carjacking and electrocution by cat, according to federal court records.
It also included the suspect's ex-stripper wife being used as bait.
It also included the suspect's ex-stripper wife being used as bait.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Cloaking device works in the lab: Reporting in the New Journal of Physics, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin cloaked an 18-centimetre tube from light in the microwave part of the energy spectrum.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
I've read and reviewed several books in the Sam Acquillo series. Highly recommended.Amazon.com: The Last Refuge: Chris Knopf: Books: Sam Acquillo’s at the end of the line. A middle-aged corporate dropout living in his dead parents’ ramshackle cottage in the Hamptons, Sam has abandoned his friends, family and a big-time career to sit on his porch, drink vodka and stare at the Little Peconic Bay. But when the old lady next door ends up floating dead in her bathtub it seems like Sam is the only one who wonders why. Burned-out, busted up and cynical, the ex-engineer, ex-professional boxer, ex-loving father and husband finds himself uncovering secrets no one could have imagined, least of all Sam himself. Meanwhile, a procession of quirky characters intrudes on Sam’s misanthropic ways. A beautiful banker, pot-smoking lawyer, bug-eyed fisherman and gay billionaire join a full complement of cops, thugs and local luminaries in this tale of money and murder.
The Fault in Our Stars -- John Green
As regular visitors here know, I really like the novels of John Green (see here, here, and here). However, I wasn't sure I'd read The Fault in Our Stars. Why? Well, because it's about kids with cancer. I wasn't sure I was ready for a humorous novel on that topic. Why? Again, as regular visitors know, my wife, Judy, has been dealing with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma for almost five years now, so I know more about at least one form of cancer than I want to know. The good news is that a couple of weeks ago, after Judy completed her fifth (or is it sixth?) clinical trial, we were told that she's in remission. Nobody knows how long this will last, but it was a great way to start the year. After getting that good news, I figured maybe I was ready to read The Fault in Our Stars, after all.I'm glad I did. It's funny, it's life-affirming, and it's a pleasure to read, even if the subject matter might seem to indicate otherwise. The main characters are Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus (Gus) Waters. Hazel is 16. She has thyroid cancer and has to haul an oxygen bottle along wherever she goes. She still alive thanks only to a miracle drug that's not going to work forever. Gus has osteosarcoma and has had part of one leg amputated. The two of them meet in a cancer support group and fall in love. Talk about your doomed romances!
That aside, I hope there really are kids like this in the world, kids who are clear-eyed realists, kids who can quote Wallace Stevens or William Carlos Williams at the drop of a hat, kids who are familiar with Kierkegaard, kids who see the metaphorical significance in the ordinary events of daily life. I'm not saying these kids don't exist, mind you. I'm just saying I seldom encounter them. I sure like reading about them, though.
Anyway, Hazel and Gus are huge fans of a book written by a reclusive author who lives in Amsterdam. The book has what we literary scholars call an "open ending." They want to know the rest of the story, so they go to Amsterdam (sort of a "Make a Wish" deal) to meet the author, who [HUGE SPOILER] turns out to be a total asshole (unlike any actual authors you might have met) [END OF HUGE SPOILER].
There's a lot more, but that's enough plot summary. Sad and terrible things happen in this book, but it's not sad or terrible. Sure, it might make even a manly man such as myself a little verklempt from time to time, but it's about living, not dying, and I recommend it highly.
P. S. I posted here about Green's signing all 150,000 copies of the first printing of this book, so I have a signed copy. Well, there's something that might be a signature. I can make out the "J."
Well, Duh
Mail Online: A teenage girl who has eaten almost nothing else apart from chicken nuggets for 15 years has been warned by doctors that the junk food is killing her.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
mikemcguff.com blog: Mix 102.9 KDMX in Dallas has just landed a big asset for its mid-day lineup. That's right, new Dallas resident Khloe Kardashian Odom. She's in the Metroplex because her husband, Lamar Odom, is a recently traded Dallas Mavericks player now.
Keep off His Lawn! Really. Keep Off It.
msnbc.com: A 65-year-old man who was knocked off his bicycle by three teenagers on a Pennsylvania trail shot two of them, killing one, police said according to reports.
Omnibus Editions: Three (or More) Titles in One Volume
AbeBooks: Omnibus Editions: Three (or More) Titles in One Volume: Sometimes your desire for the work of a particular writer, or genre, is so strong that only an omnibus edition will suffice. What better than a single volume that contains three novels or perhaps four?
Omnibus editions are common in the mystery and science fiction fields, and Gollancz is probably the publishing king of omnibuses, but this selection of meaty books covers the entire spectrum of reading from golf to sailing to John Steinbeck and Kingsley Amis.
Omnibus editions are common in the mystery and science fiction fields, and Gollancz is probably the publishing king of omnibuses, but this selection of meaty books covers the entire spectrum of reading from golf to sailing to John Steinbeck and Kingsley Amis.
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