Saturday, November 20, 2010

They Also Make Werther's Originals

Storck - Part of Your World - Super Dickmann's

William Self, R. I. P.

William Self, Television Producer, Dies at 89 - NYTimes.com: "William Self, a prolific producer who brought a long list of successful shows to television — “Daniel Boone,” “Peyton Place,” “Batman” and “M*A*S*H” among them — transforming 20th Century-Fox Television into a leading supplier of programming to the networks in the 1960s and ’70s, died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 89."

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

No Comment Department

No Security Pat-Downs for Boehner - NYTimes.com: "As he left Washington on Friday, Mr. Boehner headed across the Potomac River to Reagan National Airport, which was bustling with afternoon travelers. But there was no waiting in line for Mr. Boehner, who was escorted around the metal detectors and body scanners, and taken directly to the gate."

Weird Western Double Update

Wildside Double #11: Judas Payne: A Weird Western, by Michael Hemmingson / Webb's Weird Wild West: Western Tales of Horror, by Don Webb (trade pb): In the tradition of the old "Ace Doubles" two-in-one books (flip one over to read the second title)--here is the eleventh Wildside Double.

WEBB'S WEIRD WILD WEST: WESTERN TALES OF HORROR, includes twelve startling stories--Henry James avenges his brother, Jesse, Robert E. Howard's serpent people are a modern gang, Satan flies a Zeppelin, and hobos liberate a zebra from a stolen train, among others. As Roger Zelazny said: "Don Webb can write straight tales or he can go out to the fringe, where the cutting edge hasn't even cut yet."

JUDAS PAYNE: A WEIRD WESTERN, by Michael Hemmingson. Judas Payne was the devil's spawn, a product of rape, a half-white, half-Indian outcast who was loved only by his pretty half-sister, Evangeline. When his father finds them naked in the barn, he takes out one of his son's eyes. Judas runs for his life, and meets up with a number of colorful characters out there in the "Weird Wild West."



PaperBack

Lou Cameron, The Girl with the Dynamite Bangs (Blaster #1), Lancer, 1973.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

. . . and stay off her lawn!

On Tape: Mother, 50, Fights Student - Houston News Story - KPRC Houston: "A 50-year-old mother was caught on camera in a fistfight with a high school student, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday."

Peekaboo

BBC News - Laser camera takes photos around corners: "A camera that can shoot around corners has been developed by US scientists.

The prototype uses an ultra-short high-intensity burst of laser light to illuminate a scene.

The device constructs a basic image of its surroundings - including objects hidden around the corner - by collecting the tiny amounts of light that bounce around the scene."

Today's Western Movie Poster

Christmas is Coming

But I don't think I'll put this on my list.

So Dan Brown Was Right?

Da Vinci's 'Magi' Hides Master's Original Vision: Photos : Discovery News

Peru Update

Ancient Trumpets Played Eerie Notes - Science News: "Acoustic scientists put their lips to ancient conch shells to figure out how humans used these trumpets 3,000 years ago. The well-preserved, ornately decorated shells found at a pre-Inca religious site in Peru offered researchers a rare opportunity to jam on primeval instruments.

The music, powerfully haunting and droning, could have been used in religious ceremonies, the scientists say. The team reported their analysis November 17 at the Second Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics in Cancun, Mexico."

You can listen to the sounds at the link.

Rumble on the Docks

Friday, November 19, 2010

Half-Court Football

For Northwestern Wildcats-Illinois Illini game at Wrigley, offense will use one end zone - ESPN Chicago

Croc Update (Makes Perfect Sense to Me Edition)

Croc carried home for a night | News | NT News | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | ntnews.com.au: "TWO men decided to keep a 3.2m saltwater crocodile in their uncle's front yard after finding it in a popular swimming hole."

Paperback Covers Have Become Tamer over the Years . . .

. . . but magazine covers are another story.

Nude Magazine Covers - Galleries - The Daily Beast

Why Isn't Our Children Learning?

12th grade reading ability down from 1992 - UPI.com: "'Today's report suggests that high school seniors' achievement in reading and math isn't rising fast enough to prepare them to succeed in college and careers,' U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement."

PaperBack

Michael Bradley, The Corsican Cross: Adrano/for Hire #1, Warner Books, 1974.

Donna Andrews Has a Couple of Contests

You can read about them here.

The Turkey Had it Coming

Firefighter who shot turkey suspended from police jobs - News - Standard Speaker: "A Hazleton firefighter who killed a wild turkey while on duty outside a city fire station was suspended in the two communities where he is a part-time police officer."

Today's Western Movie Poster

Your Tax Dollars at Work

SpyTalk - Pot growers portrayed as terror threat: "Harral said the drill took 18 months to plan and cost the bureau alone $500,000. The other agencies covered their own costs.

The paper made only passing reference to the scenario's designation of pot growers as terrorist villians."

No Comment Department

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

America's Third War: Texas Strikes Back - FoxNews.com: "“I never thought that we’d be in this paramilitary type of engagement. It's a war on the border,' said Captain Stacy Holland with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Holland leads a fleet of 16 state-of-the-art helicopters that make up the aviation assets used by the Texas DPS to fight Mexican drug cartels.

In recent years, the cartels have become bolder and more ruthless.
[. . . .]
To combat the cartels, the Texas Department of Public Safety is launching a counterinsurgency."

Forgotten Books: SUPERNATURAL SLEUTHS -- Martin H. Greenberg & Chales G. Waugh, Eds.



Surely everybody likes a little change of pace now and then, so I thought it was time for a book of stories with offbeat detectives. The ones in this book deal not just with the supernatural, as the title implies, but also with some pretty mundane things. Mundane, that is, if you're living in the future.

There are ghosts, of course, in stories like "Vandy, Vandy" by Manley Wade Wellman, a fine entry from his Silver John series, and in Ron Goulart's typically funny, satirical "The Ghost Patrol." But the primary Ghost Detective here is Carnacki, the creation of William Hope Hodgson. Carnacki always recounts his adventures to the members of a group of friends with whom he meets for dinner. Never until after they've eaten, however. In "The Gateway of the Monster," he manages to defeat a particularly unusual haunt.

Trains of one kind or another are always fun in a supernatural setting, and that's what you get in William F. Nolan's "Lonely Train A'Comin'" and Robert Weinberg's cover story, "The Midnight El."

If you've never read Melville Davisson's Uncle Abner stories, or any of his others, for that matter, you've missed not only a treat but some of the best early detective stories in the American canon. He's represented here by "The Angel of the Lord," the first of the Uncle Abner stories, and a good one, too.

"Death by Ecstasy" is a novella set in the future. It's the first of Larry Niven's Gil Hamilton stories, and it's pretty much a private-eye tale, even though Hamilton's not really a p. i. His job is tracking down organleggers for A. R. M., a branch of the U. N. This one's a locked-room mystery. All the Gil Hamilton stories are fun, and this one was the first.

There are some other good stories in the book, so I'm posting the ToC for you. If you like short stories that are a bit different, check out this book.

Calypso Heat Wave

Thursday, November 18, 2010

He Should Have Stuck to Keeping Kids off His Lawn

Police: Robbery suspect tries to flee on lawnmower: "Police in South Carolina say a man attempted a slow getaway by lawnmower after robbing a convenience store.

Aiken County sheriff's deputies told The Aiken Standard the man left the store on a riding lawnmower Thursday morning but didn't get far before he was arrested.

Capt. Troy Elwell says Ricky New has been charged with assault and battery, first degree and armed robbery.

Investigators say the suspect beat a store clerk with a stick during the robbery. New was being held at the Aiken County jail. It wasn't yet known if he has an attorney."

Hat tip to Art Scott.

Radioactive Rabbit 2: The Sequel

Local News | Radioactive mouse hunt at Hanford | Seattle Times Newspaper: "After catching a radioactive rabbit just north of Richland, Hanford workers now are on the hunt for a radioactive mouse.

Radioactive mouse droppings have been found in the same area where radioactive rabbit droppings were found earlier this month. About 60 mouse traps have been set, but the two mice caught so far have not been contaminated."

Hat tip to Vince Keenan.

Here's the Plot for Your Next Historical Thriller

First Americans 'reached Europe five centuries before Columbus voyages' - Telegraph: "Scientists tracing the genetic origins of an Icelandic family believe the first American arrived in Europe around the 10th century, a full five hundred years before Columbus set off on his first voyage of discovery in 1492.

Norse sagas suggest the Vikings discovered the Americas centuries before Columbus and the latest data seems to support the hypothesis that they may have brought American Indians back with them to northern Europe."

New Blog of Note

They were tough graders when they went through the Thriller canon, so this should be fun.

We Are Controlling Transmission: "The Outer Limits as seen through the eyes of Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri, one episode at a time."

The Won't Like Lou When He's Mad

'Toughest sheriff' recruits big names for border 'posse' - Washington Times: "'America's toughest sheriff,' Phoenix's Joe Arpaio, is creating an armed 'Immigration Posse' to combat illegal immigration, and Hollywood actorsT Steven Seagal and Lou Ferrigno, along with Dick Tracy and Wyatt Earp, have signed up."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Report: Texas homeowners pay highest insurance premiums | Business | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Texas homeowners paid the highest insurance premiums in the country, according to data released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners."

PaperBack

Edwin West (Donald E. Westlake), Young and Innocent, Monarch, 1964.

Mystery Writers of America Announces 2011 Grand Master And Raven Awards

Mystery Writers of America Announces Sara Paretsky as 2011 Grand Master And Raven Awards

November 18, 2010 - New York, NY – Sara Paretsky has been named the 2011 Grand Master by Mystery Writers of America (MWA). MWA's Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality. Ms. Paretsky will be presented with her award at The Edgar Awards Banquet, which will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Thursday, April 28, 2011. When told of being named Grand Master, Paretsky said, “I'm so glad to win this. I'm glad to have this for my very own."

Paretsky revolutionized the mystery world in 1982 with her novel Indemnity. The book introduced detective V.I. Warshawski, a female private investigator who used her wits and fists, challenging a genre in which women typically played minor or passive roles. Paretsky, who lives in Chicago, has written twelve best-selling Warshawski novels. She has also penned a memoir, two stand-alone novels, a collection of short stories, and has edited four anthologies. In 1986 Paretsky founded Sisters in Crime, an organization that supports women crime writers, earning her MS Magazine’s 1987 Woman of the Year Award. The British Crime Writers awarded Paretsky both the Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement and the Gold Dagger for best novel of 2004. Her books are currently published in thirty countries.

"The mystery genre took a seven-league stride thanks to Sara Paretsky, whose gutsy and dauntless protagonist showed that women can be tough guys, too," said Larry Light, Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America. "Before, in Sara's words, women in mysteries were either vamps or victims. Her heroine, private eye V.I. Warshawski, is whip-smart and two-fisted, capable of slugging back whiskey and wrecking cars, and afire to redress social injustice."

Two exceptional mystery bookstores will be honored with the 2011 Raven Award. Established in 1953, the award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. Once Upon a Crime, in Minneapolis, MN, and Centuries & Sleuths in Chicago, IL, will receive recognition for their contribution to the mystery community. They also will receive their awards at the Edgar Award Banquet in New York City on Thursday, April 28, 2011.

Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore was named one of the Ten Best Bookstores in Chicago by the Chicago Tribune. Many customers have tagged the owner, Augie Alesky, as the coolest bookseller in Chicago. "I have always wanted a Raven. The mystery community is such a great place,” Alesky said upon hearing the news.

The store has hosted hundreds of author readings and talks, with both new and established writers. Augie’s programs are innovative, including mock trials, debates, and numerous “Meeting of Minds” programs similar to the PBS series. In fact, from the very first days of opening, actors and then authors themselves were encouraged to dress in period costumes to illustrate and dramatize a book. Centuries & Sleuths was nominated for the American Booksellers Association “Bookseller of the Year” award in 2008. The store marks its 20th Anniversary this year.

Once Upon a Crime Mystery Bookstore owners Pat Frovarp and Gary Schulze read, review, promote, and hand-sell mysteries, from small presses and new authors to the biggest best- sellers. Pat was thrilled to hear about the Raven Award, "What a wonderful, wonderful honor!" she said.

Their store is open late to host signings for local and traveling authors, and they host an annual Write of Spring. Every March dozens of Minnesota mystery authors are able to meet hundreds of fans and celebrate the world of mysteries. They are currently taking submissions for a Write of Spring anthology. Pat and Gary are such mystery book enthusiasts that they married at their store on August 1, 2007, five years to the day that they had bought the store from the previous owners. In their wedding photos, Pat held a bouquet of flowers, and Gary held a Maltese Falcon statue. Once Upon a Crime will celebrate 25 years in business in Spring 2012.

Previous Raven winners include Mystery Lovers Bookstore in Oakmont, PA, Kate’s Mystery Books in Cambridge, MA, The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and The Poe House in Baltimore, MD.

Previous Grand Masters include Dorothy Gilman, James Lee Burke, Sue Grafton, Bill Pronzini, Stephen King, Marcia Muller, Dick Francis, Mary Higgins Clark, Donald Westlake, Lawrence Block, P.D. James, Ellery Queen, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Graham Greene, and Agatha Christie.

The Edgar Awards, or "Edgars," as they are commonly known, are named after MWA's patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and are presented to authors of distinguished work in various categories. Celebrating their 65th anniversary in 2010, MWA is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime-writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. The organization encompasses almost 3,000 members in three categories of membership that include authors of fiction and non-fiction books, screen and television writers, as well as publishers, editors, and literary agents. For more information on Mystery Writers of America, please visit the website: www.mysterywriters.org

Times Have Changed Since I Was in High School. . .

. . . and stay off my lawn!

High School Plans to Open Drug Clinic

Today's Western Movie Poster

Hmmmmmmm

Steven Soderbergh to direct The Man From U.N.C.L.E.?: "Hear that creaking sound? That might just be the noise of another film escaping movie development hell. For Warner Bros has, for some time, been looking to put together a new film of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. And it might just have found the director to bring it to the big screen."

7 Famous Inmates Who Completed a Degree from Prison

7 Famous Inmates Who Completed a Degree from Prison

NYC Cracking Down on Crime

Cops ticket seven men for playing chess in children's playground in Inwood Hill Park

Does this Mean There'll be a Role for Crocosaurus?

Syfy to help promote 'Spider-Man' musical - UPI.com: "The cable TV network Syfy says it will be a lead media partner for the upcoming Broadway musical 'Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark.'

The show about the comic-book web-slinger is being directed by innovator Julie Taymor and features music by U2's Bono and The Edge."

Reservoir Dogs

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

60 Years of Television's Most Memorable Catch Phrases in 146 Seconds

60 Years of Television's Most Memorable Catch Phrases in 146 Seconds

Don't Dance on His Lawn!

The Associated Press: Authorities: Wis. man shoots TV over Palin dance: "A rural Wisconsin man blasted his television set with a shotgun after watching Bristol Palin's 'Dancing with the Stars' routine Monday night, saying he was fed up with politics and Palin wasn't a very good dancer, according to court documents."

Stay off His Lawn!

FBI warns 'Geezer Bandit' is armed, dangerous - Bakersfield.com: "He may be old and have a funny nickname, but the FBI warns the man it has dubbed the Geezer Bandit should be considered armed and dangerous.

The suspect struck for the twelfth time Friday at the Bank of America at 4480 Coffee Road in Bakersfield after pulling off 10 earlier robberies in San Diego County and one in Riverside County, according to FBI special agent Darrell Foxworth in San Diego."

Harry Potter Update

‘Deathly Hallows’ film Breathes Life into Harry Potter Book Sales | Nielsen Wire: "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part 1, the seventh—and penultimate—movie in the Harry Potter series, opens November 19, nearly nine years after the first film debuted and more than a dozen years since the arrival of J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book. The release of each Potter film has coincided with a sales boost for the books series, although the jump in sales has decreased substantially with each subsequent movie release."

Sales graph at the link.

Uh-Oh

Warner Bros Wants Zemeckis For ‘Wizard Of Oz’ Remake Based On Original MGM Script – Deadline.com: "Whenever you remake a revered Hollywood film, there’s bound to be controversy, but going right to the original material is certainly an interesting approach. Warner Bros is in early talks with Robert Zemeckis to direct a live-action remake of the The Wizard of Oz and plans to use the original script from the 1939 classic. [. . . .] This latest Oz twist comes as Disney is trying very hard to mount The Great And Powerful Oz. Sam Raimi is developing that film while he simultaneously develops World of Warcraft for Warner Bros and Legendary. [. . . .]This wouldn’t be the first hugely high-profile remake for Zemeckis; he's in the middle of a Yellow Submarine animated redux for Disney, scheduled for a 2012 release.

PaperBack

Don Pendleton, The Executioner, Pinnacle, 1969.

Top Suspense Group

With more than 700,000 e books already on line, The Top Suspense Group plans to slash through the clutter and offer readers one site filled with exciting books in several genres at reasonable prices.

As creator and acclaimed author Dave Zeltserman explains, “Every member of our group has made his or her mark on genre fiction, whether it's noir, crime, mystery, thriller, horror or Westerns, and in some cases, several of these genres.

“Authors include Max Allan Collins, Bill Crider, Ed Gorman, Vicki Hendricks, Harry Shannon and myself,” Zeltserman notes.

Zeltserman has spoken before about the difficulty readers have in searching for sites that offer seasoned professionals making some of their finest material available at affordable prices. Not only will readers get the books, but many of the books will contain extra material, such as the writer’s commentary on the book that has been purchased or the addition of a free short story.

“Readers will appreciate a reliable inexpensive site that continuously
delivers some of the best in contemporary genre fiction,” said Top Suspense Group member and multi-award winning author, Max Allan Collins.

Today's Western Movie Poster

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Trucking company protests $15,000 tow from Seawall | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "A truck driver working for Mike Matthews dropped his trailer at the end of Seawall Boulevard last week before heading to a motel. He awoke the next morning to discover the truck gone and that a local towing company was charging his boss $13,333 per mile."

Vanity, Vanity, All Is Vanity

Vanity Plate Leads Police To Robbery Suspect - Manchester News Story - WMUR Manchester: "The license plate reported by the witness was B-USHER, which police said was registered to Bonnie Usher, 43. Usher was arrested at her home a short time later and charged with armed robbery."

Hat tip to Jeff Segal.

A Poem for Chandler Fans

In Chandler Country by Dana Gioia

No Comment Department

Cops: Poop Inside Letter Sent To Principal - News Story - WFTV Orlando: "A hazmat crew responded to the scene, but they were able to determine the contents and clear the scene without having to lock down or evacuate the school."

Croc Update (Conjoined Edition)

Conjoined crocs on cards- Local Cairns News | cairns.com.au: "A CAIRNS crocodile farm could have a conjoined crocodile on its hands after the discovery of a rare type of egg inside a croc nest.
[. . . .]
When it hatches, wildlife keeper Clay Mitchell said there was a possibility it could hold conjoined twins."

On the Waterfront

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Archaeology Update

Egypt archaeologists find new 4th century sphinxes in Luxor | Mail Online: "Egypt's ever-growing treasure trove of ancient wonders has been further bolstered by the discovery of hundreds of ancient sphinxes.

Unearthed beneath modern developments in Luxor, they will go on show to the public in a huge open-air museum in February 2011.

The latest remarkable discovery came when jubilant Egyptian archaeologists found the 12 sphinxes along a road linked to an already discovered ceremonial route known as the Sphinx Alley."

Me, Me, Me

Check out my short essay here: RAZORED ZEN: Discount Noir, and Bill Crider

America's Cleanest Cities

America's Cleanest Cities -- Least Polluted Cities in America -- AOL Real Estate

Two for Texas.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Part 7 of Patti Abbott's Round Robin Story Challenge

Eric Beetner: La Ronde

Round, Round, Get Around, They Get Around

2 accused of taking scooter for ride - The Herald Dispatch: "A man and woman are charged with stealing a motorized shopping cart from Wal-Mart and driving it to and from a neighboring strip club early Monday morning."

"Exploding Escargot" Would Be a Good Name for a Rock Band

Danville man one of two suing over 'exploding' escargot - ContraCostaTimes.com: "Danville man one of two suing over 'exploding' escargot"

I Am a Camera

NYU Professor to Implant Camera in Head to Broadcast a Live Stream to Museum in Qatar - WSJ.com: "Students long have complained about teachers with eyes on the backs of their heads.

A New York University photography professor is going one further by implanting a camera in the back of his head."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Keck's Exclusives: Dallas 2011: Miss Ellie Dead, Bobby Remarried - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com: "TNT is currently negotiating deals with veteran Dallas stars Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray to head down south in early February to join a cast of hot, younger Ewings for a continuation of the 1978-91 primetime soap."

When Tamales are Outlawed . . . .

Wanton Tamale Assault Lands Florida Woman Behind Bars | The Smoking Gun: "The Florida woman was arrested Saturday morning for domestic battery after allegedly assaulting her boyfriend with a plate of tamales. Sanchez, 30, told cops that she tossed the corn-based projectiles at her boyfriend after he called her a “bitch” in front of the couple’s one-year-old son."

Hat tip to David Cranmer.

Rock On

What Your Dance Moves Say About Your Personality - TIME NewsFeed: "When you dance, people can now judge not only your bad moves, but also your correspondingly bad personality. Ready to hit the floor?

Researchers at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland gave volunteers personality tests, then observed how they broke it down to different types of music. Then they analyzed their moves using motion-capture technology. Here's what they found:"

Tycho Brahe Update

Body of Danish Astronomer Tycho Brahe Exhumed from Tomb - Yahoo! News: "Archeologists are exhuming the body of 16th century astronomer Tycho Brahe from a tomb in Prague to solve long-standing mysteries over the famed Danish scientist's health — and possibly, his death.

The tomb of Brahe was opened today (Nov. 15) at the Church of Our Lady Before Týn (also known as Týn Church) in Prague by an international team of Danish and Czech archaeologists, doctors, chemists and medical anthropologists. The researchers hope to use DNA testing and other modern medical diagnostic tools to learn as much as possible about Brahe's medical history and life.

The condition of Brahe's remains, which have been undisturbed for 109 years, is unknown, researchers said."

PaperBack

Hank Janson, The Affairs of Paula, Gold Star Books, 1965.

With Artist's Rendering of Suspect

Burglar Attempts Break-In of Police Chief's Home | NBC Miami

You Never Know What You Might Find

Man Who Found Head in Bucket: I Thought It Was a Joke | NBC Miami: "The man who found a human head in a bucket over the weekend said the bucket had been sitting on the bank of a canal for nearly three days before he finally decided to investigate."

Pulp Writer Contest

Laurie's Wild West: Clue For Week Three for the Pulp Writer / OutWest Contest is Up: "the Clue for Week Three of the Pulp Writer/OutWest contest is up at the Pulp Writer home page."

A Review of Interest (to Me, Anyway)

Move Over, Segway

The off-road electric skateboard

Today's Western Movie Poster

If You Want to Know about Me . . . .

6 Obnoxious Old People Habits (Explained by Science) | Cracked.com

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Original Owner Selling 10c 1939 Batman Comic He Bought as a Boy - Comic Book Resources: "A 7.0 CGC-graded copy of Detective Comics #27, the famous and very valuable first appearance of “The Batman,” consigned by Sacramento, CA native Robert Irwin, the original owner – the very person who bought it off the newsstand for 10 cents in May 1939 – will be sold at public auction in Dallas on Nov. 18. It is estimated at $400,000 ."

Run, Run, as Fast as You Can . . .

Gingerbread people revert to men at Lancashire schools | Mail Online: "Council bureaucrats have stripped gingerbread men of their gender and renamed them gingerbread ‘persons’ on menus for 400 primary schools."

Here's the Plot for Your Next Caper Thriller

France24 - Physicists set sights on 'spacetime cloak': "Jewellery robbers, magicians, exam cheats and practical jokers everywhere will have an interest in an offbeat idea launched by physicists on Tuesday: to make the passage of time invisible.

The scientists have conceived of a 'spacetime cloak' which manipulates light and, in essence, conceals whole events from a viewer."

Collectible Exploration Books

AbeBooks: Collectible Exploration Books

Baby Doll

Monday, November 15, 2010

No Comment Department

Blog calls for men to wear kilts, sans underpants, to protest TSA screenings | Raw Story: "Techniques being employed against American travelers are actually more invasive than methods used by the US military to screen Afghan civilians. Military policy holds that overly invasive searches of Afghans might inflame anti-American sentiment and violence in the region. That's apparently not a concern with Americans.

The 'superfantastic' twist to 'National Opt-Out Day': If you feel the screenings are humiliating, let the government share your embarrassment (pun intended) by wearing a kilt. And if you're, ahem, ballsy enough, join the protest wearing it like a true Scotsman, sans underpants."

The Decline of Western Civilization Continues Apace

Top words of 2010 evoke Gulf oil disaster, loud horns at soccer games - CNN.com: "At this time last year, you might not have known what a spillcam or a vuvuzela was. But you probably do now.

The two phrases are among the Top Words of 2010, according to the Global Language Monitor, which analyzes trends in word usage with an emphasis on global English."
[. . . .]
"Other top words include 'refudiate,' a conflation of 'refute' and 'repudiate' used by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin; 'guido' and 'guidette,' terms heard on the TV show Jersey Shore; and 'snowmagedon,' a hybrid of 'snow' and 'Armageddon' that was used to describe record snowfalls in the United States' east coast and northern Europe last winter, according to the Monitor."

Another Reason to Avoid Tats

Cops: Woman Tried To Carve Beau's Tat | The Smoking Gun: "-Following an argument with her boyfriend, a knife-wielding Nebraska woman allegedly attempted to cut off a tattoo of her name from the man’s neck, cops charge."

The Spirit of Arkansas

A Minor Traffic Accident Leads to Multiple Charges - KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas

Hat tip to John Duke.

The Shadow Scholar

The Shadow Scholar - The Chronicle Review - The Chronicle of Higher Education: "You've never heard of me, but there's a good chance that you've read some of my work. I'm a hired gun, a doctor of everything, an academic mercenary. My customers are your students. I promise you that. Somebody in your classroom uses a service that you can't detect, that you can't defend against, that you may not even know exists.

I work at an online company that generates tens of thousands of dollars a month by creating original essays based on specific instructions provided by cheating students. I've worked there full time since 2004. On any day of the academic year, I am working on upward of 20 assignments."

I Have a Few Ideas about Who We Should Send

Scientists propose one-way trips to Mars | Raw Story: "Scientists propose one-way trips to Mars to jump-start new era of humans in space"

The Walking Dead -- Episode 3

I continue to watch The Walking Dead, even though I'm still not a fan of the show. I have a question about Episode 3 for those of you who watch. I know Merle's supposed to be a nutjob, but wouldn't even a nutjob at least try the hacksaw on the chain first? I mean, wouldn't he rather have a steel bracelet than no hand? Maybe I'm missing something here. I'm old and slow, so help me out.

PaperBack

William Ard, Hell is a City, Popular Library, 1956

Have You Checked This Out Yet?

Top Suspense Group

Black Dog Books Update from Tom Roberts

DEAD MAN'S BRAND and other tales of the Old West by Norbert Davis
With an introduction by Spur Award winner Bill Pronzini
And an afterword by Ed Hulse

All the excitement of frontier life‹and in contrast, the bleak, violent,
powerful nightmare side of the Western myth‹come alive in this collection by
acclaimed author Norbert Davis (1909-1949), deftly combining memorable
characters, plot twists, gunplay and humor into unique tales of the American
West. The author's eight best Westerns are reprinted here for the first time
since their original magazine appearances, including, "A Gunsmoke Case for
Major Cain," the basis for the 1941 film "Hands Across the Rockies."

"Any reader who has enjoyed Norbert Davis's mystery and detective fiction
should find these Western tales equally satisfying."‹Bill Pronzini

http://www.blackdogbooks.net/

Tom Roberts
Publisher
Black Dog Books
1115 Pine Meadows Ct.
Normal, IL 61761-5432

Today's Western Movie Poster

No Comment Department

Dogtoberfest festival in Dunedin breaks Guinness world record | Tampa Bay news topic forum: Let's Talk | tampabay.com & St. Petersburg Times | Let's Talk: "More than 400 dogs decked out in costume showed up with their owners for Dunedin's Dogtoberfest today, breaking a Guinness world record for the most dogs in costume."

The 50 Best Inventions of 2010

The 50 Best Inventions of 2010 - TIME

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

More than 3 tons of marijuana seized in Texas - CNN.com: "U.S. authorities have seized more than 3 tons of marijuana from a tanker trailer traveling in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, a spokesman from Immigration and Customs Enforcement said."

Anybody Can Make a Mistake

Crime Spree XXIV

10 Riveting Film Thrillers Based on Real-Life Crimes

10 Riveting Film Thrillers Based on Real-Life Crimes

The Rose Tattoo

Sunday, November 14, 2010

New Story at BEAT to a PULP

BEAT to a PULP :: Pretending :: Richard Prosch

Bad Day at Black Rock

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Top Suspense Group

No Comment Department

The Body Odd - No pun intended: 'Joking disease' is no joke: "Witzelsucht (the Germans just have the best words for everything, don't they?) is a brain dysfunction that causes all sorts of compulsive silliness: bad jokes, corny puns, wacky behavior. It's also sometimes called the 'joking disease,' and as Taiwanese researchers phrased it in a 2005 report, it's a 'tendency to tell inappropriate and poor jokes.'"

I Grow Old, I Grow Old

The Phone Call Is Dead: "In the tech industry saying that something is dead actually means “It’s on the decline.” And yes, the phone call is on an inexorable decline."

Link via TechBlog.

PaperBack

Michael Lawrence (Lawrence Lariar), Naked and Alone, Popular Library, 1953.

Paging Alfred Hitchcock

Scourge of Staten Island: Turkeys terrorize residents as they roam neighborhood

England Leads the Way

Police told to send text messages because it is too expensive to speak on their radios | Mail Online

Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City

Backfires from broken-down van draw bullets from KC police - KansasCity.com: "Phillip Ransom thought he had trouble Thursday night when his old van broke down on the side of the road, booming out backfires.

But that was when his troubles really began.

Two Kansas City police officers, mistaking the van’s backfires for gunshots, began firing at it."

Today's Western Movie Poster

The Mayberry/Star Trek Connection

Mayberry in Star Trek: "On this web page I will be showing some of the buildings of Mayberry that were used in 2 episodes of Star Trek, the original series. The Episodes are 'Miri' and 'The City on the Edge of Forever'."

Link via Neatorama.

Cat vs. Gator

YouTube - Cat & Gator

Link via Neatorama.

This Entire Article Is Recommended

Husband threatens to throw urine at pregnant wife, arrested | wife, pregnant, springs - News - Northwest Florida Daily News: "Newell locked himself in his shed and threatened his wife when she tried to get him to come out. The woman pried the door open with a hammer and smoked her husband out by blowing cigarette smoke into the structure.

The fight escalated after the wife hid all of the vehicle keys in her pocket. When Newell exited the shed, he pushed his wife into the woods, held her down and threatened “to throw a bucket of urine on her” if she did not return the keys, the report said."

Suddenly Last Summer