Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Gator Update (New Hampshire Edition)
They're everywhere! They're everywhere!
N.H. fisherman catches alligator - Boston.com: "NASHUA, N.H. --One New Hampshire fisherman can talk about the one with a big bite that didn't get away.
Anthony Grauslys, 40, of Hudson caught an 18-inch, 1-year-old alligator on a rubber worm while fishing in the Nashua River. Grauslys needed the help of three police officers to contain the gator on Monday."
N.H. fisherman catches alligator - Boston.com: "NASHUA, N.H. --One New Hampshire fisherman can talk about the one with a big bite that didn't get away.
Anthony Grauslys, 40, of Hudson caught an 18-inch, 1-year-old alligator on a rubber worm while fishing in the Nashua River. Grauslys needed the help of three police officers to contain the gator on Monday."
Anna Nicole Smith Update
Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.
"Today" Says Goodbye to Rita - TMZ.com: "TMZ has learned the 'Today' show has pulled the plug on the Rita Cosby interview about her book in which she claims Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead had a 'relationship.'
The cancellation comes after 'Today' received a bristling, threatening letter from attorney Lin Wood, Howard's lawyer. Wood, who represented John and Patsy Ramsey, made it clear he would sue the 'Today' show for any falsehoods that spewed out of Rita's mouth. Birkhead has also vowed to sue Cosby and others who he claims are in on a plot to 'smear' him."
"Today" Says Goodbye to Rita - TMZ.com: "TMZ has learned the 'Today' show has pulled the plug on the Rita Cosby interview about her book in which she claims Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead had a 'relationship.'
The cancellation comes after 'Today' received a bristling, threatening letter from attorney Lin Wood, Howard's lawyer. Wood, who represented John and Patsy Ramsey, made it clear he would sue the 'Today' show for any falsehoods that spewed out of Rita's mouth. Birkhead has also vowed to sue Cosby and others who he claims are in on a plot to 'smear' him."
On the Road Again
Great photo of the manuscript at link.
if charlie parker was a gunslinger,
there'd be a whole lot of dead copycats: Artifact #1: "The original manuscript for Jack Kerouac's On the Road, hammered out on a roll of teletype paper over an amphetamine-fuelled three week burst in 1951. The novel celebrates 50 years of publication this week. Currently, the manuscript belongs to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Orsay, who purchased it for $2.4 million in 2001, and will be on display at the New York Public Library (22 blocks north of where it was written) from November to March."
if charlie parker was a gunslinger,
there'd be a whole lot of dead copycats: Artifact #1: "The original manuscript for Jack Kerouac's On the Road, hammered out on a roll of teletype paper over an amphetamine-fuelled three week burst in 1951. The novel celebrates 50 years of publication this week. Currently, the manuscript belongs to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Orsay, who purchased it for $2.4 million in 2001, and will be on display at the New York Public Library (22 blocks north of where it was written) from November to March."
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
More on Quechup from Dwight Silverman
The entire article's well worth a look. Check it out.
TechBlog: Quechup and the abuse of trust: "Even those who are extremely Net-savvy were caught in this trap. Jay Lee, our Help Line columnist/blogger and co-host of Technology Bytes, was among those who let their address books be scanned by Quechup. He had more than 3,900 contacts in his Gmail account, many of whom found were added automatically when they e-mailed him for computer help. Those 3,900 then received Quechup invitations from Jay on Monday morning.
Jay has coined a term for someone who gets duped by the site: A Quechump.
And that's how Jay feels -- like a chump. He's not just chagrined that he fell for a trick, but rather that Quechup took advantage of the trust people put in him, which is not insignificant."
TechBlog: Quechup and the abuse of trust: "Even those who are extremely Net-savvy were caught in this trap. Jay Lee, our Help Line columnist/blogger and co-host of Technology Bytes, was among those who let their address books be scanned by Quechup. He had more than 3,900 contacts in his Gmail account, many of whom found were added automatically when they e-mailed him for computer help. Those 3,900 then received Quechup invitations from Jay on Monday morning.
Jay has coined a term for someone who gets duped by the site: A Quechump.
And that's how Jay feels -- like a chump. He's not just chagrined that he fell for a trick, but rather that Quechup took advantage of the trust people put in him, which is not insignificant."
It's Okay to Walk on their Lawns because . . .
. . . they're too busy to care.
Geriatric sex advertisements raise more than eyebrows | NEWS.com.au: "THERE is nothing virginal about a new advertising campaign for Virgin Home Loans showing wild sex romps between elderly lovers.
Titled Everlasting Love, Virgin's print, internet and TV ads reveal octogenarian orgies in the bedroom, shower and even a back garden.
The elderly couples are real and the images - one of Aleme and Osman Gjolej in the shower using only the 'hand bra' to cover themselves - are confronting."
Geriatric sex advertisements raise more than eyebrows | NEWS.com.au: "THERE is nothing virginal about a new advertising campaign for Virgin Home Loans showing wild sex romps between elderly lovers.
Titled Everlasting Love, Virgin's print, internet and TV ads reveal octogenarian orgies in the bedroom, shower and even a back garden.
The elderly couples are real and the images - one of Aleme and Osman Gjolej in the shower using only the 'hand bra' to cover themselves - are confronting."
Many Bloody Returns
Publication date is today. Some fine vampire stories, including one by me. Okay, maybe mine's not one of the fine ones. But it's in there, anyway.
More Quechup
I'm not the only one who hates Quechup.
mikemcguff.com blog: Hold the Quechup: "One of the biggest stories on the blogosphere right now has to center around a new social networking site called Quechup. It's so popular that I have received many invitations to it via email in the last week.
But wait.
These blogger's posts aren't praising the site. Actually they are pretty angry about how the site goes about getting new members."
mikemcguff.com blog: Hold the Quechup: "One of the biggest stories on the blogosphere right now has to center around a new social networking site called Quechup. It's so popular that I have received many invitations to it via email in the last week.
But wait.
These blogger's posts aren't praising the site. Actually they are pretty angry about how the site goes about getting new members."
Gator Update (Michigan Edition)
Photo of gator at link.
WZZM13 - Woman catches stray alligator outside G.R. apartment building: "Grand Rapids - A Grand Rapids woman says she used a broom and a cat carrier to safely capture a two-foot alligator lurking in the bushes outside her apartment building.
'I'm an animal lover, I love animals, I watch Animal Planet,' says Channing Haywood.
Haywood, 20, got a call from a friend coming for a visit Sunday afternoon.
He was outside her building on Oak Park Dr. SE, and said an alligator hissed and snapped at him from the bushes.
'He says, 'You won't believe it, there is an alligator',' recalls Haywood. 'I was like,'What are you talking about? This is Michigan.' I was on the balcony and I looked down between the bushes and it's sitting right there.' "
WZZM13 - Woman catches stray alligator outside G.R. apartment building: "Grand Rapids - A Grand Rapids woman says she used a broom and a cat carrier to safely capture a two-foot alligator lurking in the bushes outside her apartment building.
'I'm an animal lover, I love animals, I watch Animal Planet,' says Channing Haywood.
Haywood, 20, got a call from a friend coming for a visit Sunday afternoon.
He was outside her building on Oak Park Dr. SE, and said an alligator hissed and snapped at him from the bushes.
'He says, 'You won't believe it, there is an alligator',' recalls Haywood. 'I was like,'What are you talking about? This is Michigan.' I was on the balcony and I looked down between the bushes and it's sitting right there.' "
Monday, September 03, 2007
Dr. Socrates -- W. R. Burnett
I mentioned this book a few days ago. It's the kind of thing I can't resist, a "lost" novel by a big-name guy. Originally published as a serial in Collier's, now it's a trade paperback original. I'll try to avoid a digression about how much I loved Collier's when I was a kid. Oh, to hell with it. I love digressions. Both Collier's and The Saturday Evening Post were staples in my house when I was a kid. My parents didn't own any books, but they knew about the public library, and they bought magazines. I gravitated toward Collier's and the Post because they had cartoons in them. Later on, I even started reading the stories and articles. There was some great stuff in both of them, and you can't beat them for nostalgia if you look at one now. The full-page automobile ads, the Coca-Cola ads, the . . . never mind.
Back on topic. Dr. Socrates was never published in hardback, but it was made into a couple of movies, one with the original title, which I've never seen, and one called King of the Underworld, which I have seen. It has one of Bogart's first big roles, but he doesn't play Dr. Socrates. He plays the gangster. Figures.
Dr. Socrates is the supposedly humorous nickname given to young Dr. Lee Cardwell, who's set up practice in a small Midwestern town, hoping to get over a nervous condition. He doesn't get much business because of Doc Ginter, the town's established doctor. But then a Dillinger-like bank robber hits town, and he sends his wounded to Dr. Cardwell. Should he help out or not? And what happens when it's revealed that he's done so?
This is a very short book, more of a novella, really, and it moves along at a fast pace. Bank robberies, small-town raillery, politics, machine-guns, molls, a great final shoot-out, and snappy patter. Even a love story. It's almost as if Burnett were aiming it at the movies, and he probably was.
This may not be an instant classic, but if you like the gangster stories of the '30s (as I do), or if you like Burnett's other novels (ditt0), you'll want to be sure to take a look at this one. I think it's great that O'Bryan House has made it available.
Back on topic. Dr. Socrates was never published in hardback, but it was made into a couple of movies, one with the original title, which I've never seen, and one called King of the Underworld, which I have seen. It has one of Bogart's first big roles, but he doesn't play Dr. Socrates. He plays the gangster. Figures.
Dr. Socrates is the supposedly humorous nickname given to young Dr. Lee Cardwell, who's set up practice in a small Midwestern town, hoping to get over a nervous condition. He doesn't get much business because of Doc Ginter, the town's established doctor. But then a Dillinger-like bank robber hits town, and he sends his wounded to Dr. Cardwell. Should he help out or not? And what happens when it's revealed that he's done so?
This is a very short book, more of a novella, really, and it moves along at a fast pace. Bank robberies, small-town raillery, politics, machine-guns, molls, a great final shoot-out, and snappy patter. Even a love story. It's almost as if Burnett were aiming it at the movies, and he probably was.
This may not be an instant classic, but if you like the gangster stories of the '30s (as I do), or if you like Burnett's other novels (ditt0), you'll want to be sure to take a look at this one. I think it's great that O'Bryan House has made it available.
Gator Update (Ohio Edition)
Woman Gets Surprise When Alligator Shows Up At Door - News Story - WEWS Cleveland: "WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- A homeowner in Westerville, central Ohio, got a surprise guest last night: a 6-foot alligator named Penelope.
Emily McKenny said she heard a scratching at the side door to her house, looked down and saw the giant reptile's tail.
Authorities discovered two alligators living next door. Their owner, Paul Barrows, said he rescues reptiles.
Police said they won't charge Barrows with a misdemeanor for keeping the alligators but took Penelope and her friend to live at the Columbus Zoo until Barrows can find them a good home."
Emily McKenny said she heard a scratching at the side door to her house, looked down and saw the giant reptile's tail.
Authorities discovered two alligators living next door. Their owner, Paul Barrows, said he rescues reptiles.
Police said they won't charge Barrows with a misdemeanor for keeping the alligators but took Penelope and her friend to live at the Columbus Zoo until Barrows can find them a good home."
Those Wacky Aussies
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Australians cook up wild cat stew: "Australians have come up with a novel solution to the millions of feral cats roaming the outback - eat them.
The felines are the descendants of domestic pets and kill millions of small native animals each year.
A recent Alice Springs contest featured wild cat casserole. The meat is said to taste like a cross between rabbit and, perhaps inevitably, chicken."
The felines are the descendants of domestic pets and kill millions of small native animals each year.
A recent Alice Springs contest featured wild cat casserole. The meat is said to taste like a cross between rabbit and, perhaps inevitably, chicken."
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Reasonable Doubts -- Gianrico Carofiglio (Trans. Howard Curtis)
This is about the third book in a series, of which I haven't read the first two. So I don't know too much about the backstory of the narrator, Guido Guerrieri. He's apparently lovelorn, his wife having left him, but the reasons for her departure aren't discussed.Guerrieri is a defense counselor in Bari, Italy, and he's asked to work on the appeal of a man named Fabio Paolicelli, accused of drug smuggling. Naturally, there are complications.
For one thing, Guerrieri recognizes Paolicelli as "Fabio Raybans," who in his youth was a neo-facist thug, possibly guilty of killing someone or at least being an accessory. More certain is the fact that he stood by and watched as one of his gang beat Guerrieri. Paolicelli doesn't recognize Guerrieri, probably doesn't even recall the incident, but Guerrieri certainly does. He's not at all sure he wants Paolicelli to go free even if he's innocent, and Guerrieri isn't convinced that he is. Then Guerrieri falls into lust for Paolicelli's wife. That's never good.
It begins to appear that Paolicelli is innocent. If so, it's going to be very hard to prove, if not impossible. Guerrieri broods, listens to music, and buys books to make himself feel better. You gotta love a guy who likes books as much as Guerrieri. I was reminded a bit of Ken Bruen's characters.
The last part of the book is the courtroom scene where Guerrieri makes his final argument. It's good stuff about the connection between "stories" and courtroom arguments, something to think about. Gianrico Carofiglio, according to the book cover, is "an anti-mafia prosecutor in southern Italy." He knows his way around a courtroom and around the law, for sure.
Anna Nicole Smith Update
Anna Nicole Smith book claims Birkhead & Stern were lovers; cut deal on baby, estate: "An explosive tell-all book about Anna Nicole Smith's sad demise alleges the two men who battled for custody of her baby girl and control of her fortune were gay lovers.
The bombshell allegations about the steamy relationship between the former Playboy Playmate's longtime companion Howard K. Stern and her baby's biological father, Larry Birkhead, come to light in 'Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death.'
Sordid passages in the soon-to-be released book by former MSNBC journalist Rita Cosby describe how Anna Nicole and her friend allegedly caught Stern and Birkhead with their shirts off and their pants around their ankles in a Los Angeles home."
The bombshell allegations about the steamy relationship between the former Playboy Playmate's longtime companion Howard K. Stern and her baby's biological father, Larry Birkhead, come to light in 'Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death.'
Sordid passages in the soon-to-be released book by former MSNBC journalist Rita Cosby describe how Anna Nicole and her friend allegedly caught Stern and Birkhead with their shirts off and their pants around their ankles in a Los Angeles home."
Astonishing Adventures! Magazine Now On-Line
There's some really good stuff here. Check it out.
Astonishing Adventures! Magazine
It’s amazing! It’s stupendous! It’s ASTONISHING! ASTONISHING ADVENTURES MAGAZINE, the greatest place for new tales in the old pulp fashion, has finally arrived!
Marvel at the tale of the man who married a Yeti! Thrill to the exploits of the mysterious Red Panda! Gasp in amazement as dinosaurs attack Manhattan! Be astounded as Tokyo is reduced to rubble (yet again)! All this and more, including interviews with award-winning writer Joe Lansdale, legendary comics artist Michael Wm. Kaluta, and painter extraordinaire Doug Klauba! Did we mention the monkeys? Yes, there are monkeys! More monkeys than you can shake a banana at! Brace yourself for tales that are ASTONISHING! Prepare yourself for ADVENTURES! All conveniently located in one pulp MAGAZINE! That’s ASTONISHING ADVENTURES MAGAZINE! And best of all, the first issue is free!
Astonishing Adventures! Magazine
It’s amazing! It’s stupendous! It’s ASTONISHING!
Editor JDC
Poison Ivy
The other day I blundered into some poison ivy. I was trimming some limbs on a fence, and that's where it was. I wasn't looking for it because we've lived here for nearly 25 years and haven't run into it before. I wasn't even thinking about it because, let's face it, it's not something that comes to mind, or to my mind. It will from now on, though. My arms are covered with the rash. I look like the victim of some serious plague, and it occasionally itches like the dickens. Even worse, new bumps are popping up all the time. It's always something.
Quechup Warning
If you've been invited to Quechup by me, please ignore the spam. Quechup raided my address book, as Dwight Silverman explains. I received a couple of invites from people I know and trust, so I went to the site. Big mistake! I shoulda known better.
TechBlog: Spam alert! Just say no to Quechup: "Spam alert! Just say no to Quechup If you get an invitation from a friend inviting you to join a social networking site call Quechup, delete it. Joining up and making the wrong decisions in the process could result in the site spamming everyone in your address book.
Yes, Quechup is a genuine social network. But the way it acquires new members is questionable at best.
When you accept an invitation and sign up, it asks you if you'd like to find other people who may be on it by scanning your e-mail address book for people who are in the service. If you use a Web-based e-mail account -- Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo, for example -- it asks for your login information.
This is common to many social networks -- Twitter will do this, for example. But Quechup goes one step further. It automatically sends an e-mail invitation to everyone in your address book, which looks as though it came from you. It does this without warning -- essentially, spamming in your name."
TechBlog: Spam alert! Just say no to Quechup: "Spam alert! Just say no to Quechup If you get an invitation from a friend inviting you to join a social networking site call Quechup, delete it. Joining up and making the wrong decisions in the process could result in the site spamming everyone in your address book.
Yes, Quechup is a genuine social network. But the way it acquires new members is questionable at best.
When you accept an invitation and sign up, it asks you if you'd like to find other people who may be on it by scanning your e-mail address book for people who are in the service. If you use a Web-based e-mail account -- Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo, for example -- it asks for your login information.
This is common to many social networks -- Twitter will do this, for example. But Quechup goes one step further. It automatically sends an e-mail invitation to everyone in your address book, which looks as though it came from you. It does this without warning -- essentially, spamming in your name."
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