Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Two-headed calf in Van Alstyne: "VAN ALSTYNE, TX - Its something we definitely don't see everyday...

'Oh its unusual. One in about 50 million I guess. That's what people say but I don't know if they knew what they were talking about or not,' says owner Joe Stephens.

We're talking about a two-headed calf. He was born yesterday and
Stephens says he didn't even notice it at first."

Hmmmmm

Thanks to Leigh Lundin for the tip.

Amazon changes rules for print-on-demand publishers: "March 28, 2008 (Computerworld) Amazon.com Inc. has told publishers who print books on demand that their titles will no longer be sold directly through Amazon if they don't use the company's printing company, BookSurge.

An article about the new policy appeared on WritersWeekly.com, a weekly newsletter for writers. The owner of the Web site, Angela Hoy, is the co-owner of BookLocker.com, a print-on-demand (POD) services company.

Hoy said she uses BookSurge's rival, Lightning Source Inc., in La Vergne, Tenn., which is owned by Ingram Industries Inc., to print the books her company publishes. According to information on the Lightning Source Web site, the company has printed more than 33 million books for more than 4,300 publishers.

Amazon's new policy means that any POD publisher that wants Amazon to sell its books directly will have to use BookSurge, which Amazon purchased in 2005, and not other printers, such as Lightning Source."

And Keep off Our Damn Lawns!

Older Americans wealthier, living longer: report | Reuters: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - Older Americans have more money and are expected to live far longer than prior generations, U.S. government researchers said on Thursday.

They said the average net worth of older Americans -- those 65 or older -- has increased almost 80 percent over the past 20 years.

And those who reach the age of 65 are now expected to live an average of 19 more years, or seven years longer than people who had reached age 65 in the year 1900."

10 Most Prophetic SF Movies?

10 Best Science Fiction Movies Ever – Most Prophetic Sci-Fi Films - Popular Mechanics: "When Arthur C. Clarke died last week at the age of 90, science fiction—hell, science in general—lost one of its greatest, most forward-looking masters. In his honor, PM’s resident geek and sci-fi buff analyzes the most eerily predictive, prescient films of the future. They’re not necessarily the best movies—just the ones that got the science right, or will sometime soon."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

My Way News - 4 Texas Cities Among Top 10 in Growth: "DALLAS (AP) - Four Texas metropolitan areas were among the biggest population gainers as Americans continued their trend of moving to the Sun Belt in 2006 and 2007, according to Census Bureau estimates to be released Thursday.

Dallas-Fort Worth added more than 162,000 residents between July 2006 and July 2007, more than any other metro area. Three other Texas areas - Houston, Austin and San Antonio - also cracked the top 10."

Yet Another List I'm Not On

The 25 Most Valuable Blogs.

Headline of the Day

Nats Stadium: 'It's Going to Spunk Us Up': "WASHINGTON -- Now that the team has seen its new digs at the new stadium, the adrenaline is pumping for the Washington Nationals."

Croc Update (Sunbathing Edition)

Video at link. And if you've been wondering where Donna Shalala was, she's the president of UofM. Who knew? Well, you probably did, but I didn't.

Protected by federal law, crocodiles at the University of Miami elude capture -- Endangered Species, Delray Beach, University of Miami -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: "Coral Gables - On a typical spring afternoon on the leafy campus of the University of Miami, many of the 15,000 students are in class, others are romping around the athletic field, and a few are seeing how close they can get to a 6-foot American crocodile sunbathing with its mouth open.

'They apparently don't realize how dangerous this thing is,' said security guard Roberto Heredia as he warned curious collegians away from the toothy reptile. 'Some people think it's fake.'"

AggieCon

Judy and I are going to the AggieCon this weekend. We first attended in 1979, and we've missed only one since then, the year we went to Austria for spring break. We haven't had an outing in about 10 months, so we're really looking forward to it. If you happen to be around College Station this weekend stop by the Memorial Student Center and say "hey."

Homeland "Security"? I Report, You Decide

cbs5.com - Woman Told To Remove Nipple Rings For SoCal Flight: "LOS ANGELES (AP) ― A woman was forced by the Transportation Security Administration to remove her nipple rings before she was allowed to board a flight, an attorney said on Thursday.

'The woman was given a pair of pliers in order to remove the rings in her nipples,' said Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred. 'The rings had been in her nipples for many years.'"

This strikes me as excessively painful, depending on how the rings are removed. Thanks to Todd Mason for the link.

Port Hazard -- Loren Estleman

A long time ago, 1981 to be exact, I wrote a short essay on Loren Estleman's westerns for 20th Century Western Writers. It wasn't too tough, since at the time Estleman hadn't written that many novels. I believe there were two books in the Page Murdock series then. Little did I know that 27 years later, I'd still be reading books about Page Murdock, the latest being Port Hazard.

The book is set in San Francisco, on the Barbary Coast and in Chinatown, a coincidence since I recently read and reported on Steve Hockensmith's The Black Dove, which also set in Chinatown, though about ten years later than Port Hazard. Naturally, the set-up is a lot different. Murdock isn't an amateur like Hockensmith's would-be detectives. He's a deputy U. S. Marshal, and a real hardcase. This time out, he gets involved with a shadow conspiracy called the Sons of the Confederacy, mainly because they're trying to kill him.

It's nothing personal. They're trying to kill other prominent lawmen, too, as a way of bringing back the Civil War. (Hey, it makes sense to them.) So Judge Hawthorne, for whom Murdock usually patrols Montana Territory, disregards a little thing like jurisdiction and sends Murdock to San Francisco. Murdock takes along a railroad Porter named Beecher to help him out, having noticed that Beecher seems like a steady hand and cool head. Before long, they're shooting it up on the Barbary Coast while living in a hotel that is so seedy it makes a cave look comfortable. Opium dens, murders, vigilantes, and lots more figure into the plot, which is flavored by Estleman's usual tasty prose.

Read this one along with The Black Dove, and you'll feel like you've spent a while in 19th century San Francisco. Both are well worth a look.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Lone Star Rising — The American, A Magazine of Ideas: "How a combination of ambition, entrepreneurship, trade, and tolerance made Houston America’s booming opportunity city."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

MySA.com: Metro | State: "NEW BRAUNFELS -- A middle school principal threatened to kill a group of science teachers if their students did not improve their standardized test scores, according to a complaint filed with the New Braunfels Police Department.

Anita White, who taught at New Braunfels Middle School for 18 years before being transferred this month to the district's Learning Center, said Principal John Burks made the threat in a Jan. 21 meeting with eighth-grade science teachers."

Croc Update (Migration Edition)

New sea crocodile fossil hints at transatlantic migration: "A fossil of a new species of prehistoric crocodile found in Brazil and presented here Wednesday has led scientists to believe the reptile benefited from the extinction of dinosaurs to migrate from across the Atlantic.

Guarinisuchus munizi -- the 'warrior of the seas,' as the crocodile has been dubbed -- is believed to have had its origins in Africa some 200 million years ago.

But the remains of a jaw, skull and vertebra discovered in Palaeocene deposits of northeastern Brazil suggests the species set off for new territory 62 million years ago, according to researchers."

Anna Nicole Smith Update

More passport reviews found at State - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON - State Department workers viewed passport applications containing personal information about high-profile Americans, including the late Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith, at least 20 times since January 2007, The Associated Press has learned.

That total is far more than disclosed last week with the news that presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama had been victims of improper snooping."

Trader Horn

I caught this one on TCM the other night, never having seen it before. It was filmed in Africa in 1930, and it shows us Kenya as it will never be again. It holds up more as a travelogue than as an adventure movie, I think. Though there are still some stirring scenes, the middle sags when Trader Horn (Harry Carey) starts pointing out all the wildlife to Peru (Duncan Reynaldo), who at that point is still lugging his guitar along with him. and who's wearing a pith helmet the size of a washtub.

Horn and Peru are on their way to find the White Queen (Edwina Booth) and bring her out of the jungle. As you can see in the photo at the left, they do find her. They have considerable trouble getting her out of the jungle, however.

I imagine some people will find fault with a lot of things in this movie. Booth seems to think, at least part of the time, that she's in a silent. Racism is evident through out, though Horn's attitude toward Rencharo (Mutia Omoolu) is clearly not racist through and through. Lots of bare breasts in the National Geographic style, though Ms. Booth's remain covered. Must have been tough gluing that covering on with spirit gum.

The good news is that there are crocs. Lots and lots of crocs.

I'm glad I watched this, though I do wish that TCM had found a better print. The one they used needed a lot of work done on it.

Croc Update (Horrified Onlookers Edition)

Cop pot shots keep croc from 'idiot' drunk | NEWS.com.au: "A DRUNKEN miner was only seconds away from being attacked by a crocodile in Australia's northern waters when police saved his life by shooting at the reptile.

Horrified onlookers watched from the shore outside the Alyangula Recreation Club on Groote Eylandt as the determined crocodile closed in on the man shortly before 11am (CST) today."

Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.

Happy Birthday, Bob Elliott!

One of America's great funnymen turns 85 today. You can send a birthday greeting to him at bob@bobandray.com. Be sure to include your snail mail address in the e-mail.

Thanks to Art Scott for the reminder.

Hmmmmmmm

I like the cats who live here, but would I really want a picture of them in the arms of Jesus after they're gone?

The Crimespree Awards

They're posted here.