Thursday, July 04, 2013
Marinos Vourderis, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: Marinos Vourderis, a poor Greek immigrant who became the millionaire king of Italian ices, has died. He was 97.
Vourderis, founder of Marinos Italian Ices, died Tuesday at his home in Jamaica Estates, Queens, his daughter, Margie Hackford, said Wednesday.
“He was amazing,” Hackford said of her father. “He had the Midas touch; everything he touched turned to gold.”
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Vourderis, founder of Marinos Italian Ices, died Tuesday at his home in Jamaica Estates, Queens, his daughter, Margie Hackford, said Wednesday.
“He was amazing,” Hackford said of her father. “He had the Midas touch; everything he touched turned to gold.”
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Happy Independence Day!
.jpg)
Independence Day (United States) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the National Day of the United States.[1][2][3]
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Douglas Engelbart, R.I. P.
San Jose Mercury News: Douglas Engelbart, the deep-thinker who invented the computer mouse and who decades ago showed the world what the future of computing would look like, died at 88 Tuesday, ending a seminal Silicon Valley career of nearly boundless innovation.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
James J. Griffin Interview
Fascinated by the Texas Rangers: StoryTeller’s 7: James J. Griffin, Tales of the Texas Rangers
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Grace Takes Off (A Manor House Mystery) (9780425259665): Julie Hyzy: Books: A trip to Italy’s Tuscan countryside is a dream come true for curator and manager of Marshfield Manor, Grace Wheaton. At least until her boss—and benefactor of this whirlwind excursion—becomes the target of a murderer… When Grace and her boss, Bennett Marshfield, turn up at the Italian villa of one of his oldest friends, they’re troubled to discover that most of his friend’s impressive art collection—including a prized bronze skull crafted by Picasso—is fake. Someone has been selling the real deals and replacing them with skilled forgeries.
Unfortunately, Grace and Bennett have to fly home the next day, so there’s no time to investigate. But their troubles are hardly over. On the plane, Grace catches a woman trying to poison Bennett. The woman, of course, isn’t talking, but by the end of the flight, there are two dead bodies. Now Grace has to wing it to find a mile-high murderer—especially since she suspects Bennett is still in danger…
Buy Early and Often
Amazon.com: Texas Vigilante (Ellie Taine) eBook: Bill Crider: Kindle Store: In the western tradition of Louis L'Amour and Elmer Kelton, it's the action-packed sequel to OUTRAGE AT BLANCO.
The men broke out of the toughest prison in Texas. They kidnapped a child. They thought they'd get away with it. They didn't reckon on Ellie Taine. That was their mistake.
Bigfoot Update
I had the ‘Bigfoot DNA’ tested in a highly reputable lab. Here’s what I found.Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Fascinating First Editions from the 1950s
Fascinating First Editions from the 1950s on AbeBooks: For many collectors, the 1950s represent a golden age of literature full of rich pickings. The decade is famous for producing books that have had a huge impact on readers and society in general.
Tuesday, July 02, 2013
Latest Fight Card Novel Now Available
Dorothea's brother, Teddy, has fallen under the influence of notorious gangster Duke Williamson – a powerful man who is pressuring Levi to join his stable of fighters or face off against the human killing machine, ‘Deathblow’ Ballantine. A knock-down, drag out, Brooklyn Beatdown is brewing, and Levi will need every ounce of his fighter’s heart if he wants to save not only himself, but the woman he loves ...
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Rubbed Out (A Memphis BBQ Mystery): Riley Adams: 9780425259993: Amazon.com: Books: Even Lulu Taylor—proprietress of Aunt Pat’s Barbeque Restaurant in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee—needs to get out of the kitchen now and then. But at the Rock and Ribs festival, she finds more than a taste of trouble… Reuben Shaw rubs a lot of people the wrong way—including Lulu’s best friend, Cherry, who has the misfortune of being in the booth next to his at the festival. The pigheaded pit master thinks he’s a shoo-in to win the barbeque competition, but he spends more time stirring up trouble than seasoning his spare ribs. Hours after she gets into a quarrel with him, Cherry finds Shaw dead with a butcher knife in his chest. Now it’s her turn to get grilled—by the police. Lulu sets out to clear her friend’s name and finds Shaw had more secrets than his BBQ recipe. She’ll need to act fast, because the real killer will spare no one…including Lulu.
Snipers -- Kristine Kathryn Rusch
The investigator in the original case was Johann Runge, the great-grandfather of pianist and composer Anton Runge. Johann wrote his own book on the crimes, and eventually Anton and Sofie combine forces to delve into his records and the past.
When the corpse of one of the victims is disinterred, some amazing clues are discovered, pointing to a seemingly impossible conclusion. The readers know it's the right one, however, as we've gradually become aware that the present of the book's narrative isn't our present. (My favorite hint: Isaac Asimov is a well-known Russian writer.) So the question of how changing the past affects the present becomes prominent.
This is a fast-moving thriller, and the ending implies that a sequel is in the works. I'll be reading it.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Fort Worth | Ne...: In the unlikeliest of finds, a literary treasure by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck was discovered late last year in Fort Worth in — of all places — a storage locker up for auction.
+Pyramid+1.JPG)
+Pyramid.JPG)
China Leads the Way
Law demands visits to parents: FROM today, Chinese people will have to visit their elderly parents regularly or at least keep in touch with them in some way. It's the law.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
The Dallas Morning News: After a good long career in education, Dale Irby has retired. And so have his groovy shirt and sweater vest.
In every school picture for the past 40 years, Dale wore the same 1970s-era polyester shirt and coffee-colored sweater.
Forty photos at the link.
In every school picture for the past 40 years, Dale wore the same 1970s-era polyester shirt and coffee-colored sweater.
Forty photos at the link.
Overlooked Movies -- The Mole People
If you watched the trailer below, you saw the great line about how "Here is Terror to Shatter Your Nerves." Let's get something straight right now. This movie wasn't scary when I saw it in the '50s. The audience then got just as big a kick out out how cheesy it was as an audience now would.
One reason I liked this one was that it's a part of the Lost Civilization genre, and I've always been attracted to stories like that. There's a nice little build-up to the discovery of the underground kingdom, including the prologue, a great lecture on the hollow earth by a college English prof.
Once in the underground, Agar and Hugh Beaumont (yes, the Beav's dad) find a race of albinos who use the mole people as their slaves. It's no wonder the Mole People don't like them. They also do away with their older population by sacrificing them to Ishtar (not the movie, the goddess). Alan Napier is their leader, in his pre-Alfred the Butler days.
Yes, it's slow. Yes, the alleged acting is pretty bad. Yes, the Mole People look like guys in rubber masks. Yes, this is what passed for entertainment in the '50s. Count your blessings, whippersnappers.
Monday, July 01, 2013
Me, Too
You Had Me at 'Bigger Alligators': Times Readers Pitch Summer Blockbusters
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Only 99 Cents
Amazon.com: THUGLIT Issue Six eBook: Kieran Shea, BH Shepherd, Rena Robinett, Scott Adlerberg, Jessica Adams, T Fox Dunham, Hugh Lessig, Aaron Fox-Lerner, Todd Robinson: Books: PIN by Hugh Lessig
WHEELS by Rena Robinett
COME ON HOME by Scott Adlerberg
HAVING CHIQUI by Kieran Shea
SOUL COLLECTION by T Fox Dunham
SWEET CAROLINE by Jessica Adams
THE GHOST WIFE by Aaron Fox-Lerner
ROGUES GALLERY by BH Shepherd
Point and Shoot -- Duane Swierczynski
You may remember from Fun & Games and Hell & Gone that Charlie's on the run from the Accident People, who are part of the Cabal, which is the group that really runs this country. They can kill and maim and do pretty much whatever they want to do, and after Charlie escapes from the escape-proof prison in Hell & Gone, they put him in a satellite in low-earth orbit, where he's supposed to spend a year, though they'll probably just try to kill him again when he gets out. If he gets out.
And he's not there for the reason he's been told, as he learns when his perfect double arrives. No one is supposee to be able to get there, much less get inside, but it happens. Then the satellite crashes, and then the chase is on, with one damned thing after another, and plenty of crosses and double crosses and triple crosses thrown in.
It's another wild ride from Swierczynski, and it's also very funny, as if you didn't know that already. We can all sit back now and wait to see what he'll do next.
Jim Kelly, R. I. P.
NextMovie: Jim Kelly, who made his name alongside martial arts legend Bruce Lee in the classic 1973 action film "Enter the Dragon," has died according to Film.com. He was 67.
A football star at the University of Kentucky, Kelly dropped out to pursue martial arts. After winning a championship in 1971 and opening his own dojo, he came to the attention of Hollywood filmmakers and made his debut in "Enter the Dragon," becoming an instant superstar.
A football star at the University of Kentucky, Kelly dropped out to pursue martial arts. After winning a championship in 1971 and opening his own dojo, he came to the attention of Hollywood filmmakers and made his debut in "Enter the Dragon," becoming an instant superstar.
Happy Canada Day!
Canada Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Canada Day (French: F�te du Canada) is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire.[1][2][3] Originally called Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confederation), the holiday was renamed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as among Canadians internationally.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Finally Available for your Kindle!
Amazon.com: Texas Vigilante (Ellie Taine) eBook: Bill Crider: Kindle Store: In the western tradition of Louis L'Amour and Elmer Kelton, it's the action-packed sequel to OUTRAGE AT BLANCO.
The men broke out of the toughest prison in Texas. They kidnapped a child. They thought they'd get away with it. They didn't reckon on Ellie Taine. That was their mistake.
11 Somewhat Strange, But Mostly Awesome College Mascots
11 Somewhat Strange, But Mostly Awesome College Mascots
Hat tip to Prof. Seepy Benton, whose college is #5 on the list.
Hat tip to Prof. Seepy Benton, whose college is #5 on the list.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)