Saturday, November 22, 2014

Black Holes point to a cosmic clue

Black Holes point to a cosmic clue: Scientists detect an eerie alignment of black holes, suggesting an underlying Dark Matter filament to the universe

Gustave Eiffel's Secret Apartment

Atlas Obscura: When the Eiffel Tower opened in 1889 to universal wonder and acclaim, designer Gustave Eiffel soaked up the praise, but as if that wasn't enough, it was soon revealed that he had built himself a small apartment near the top of the world wonder garnering him the envy of the Parisian elite in addition to his new fame.

Song of the Day

The Partridge Family - I Think I Love You - YouTube:

The Weird Week in Review

The Weird Week in Review 

Today's Vintage Ad


Forgotten Hits: The Saturday Surveys ( 11 - 22 )

Forgotten Hits: The Saturday Surveys ( 11 - 22 )

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Laura Duchamp, Duet, Midwood, 1964

Alvin, Texas, Inexplicably Not Included

10 of the Most Remote Places on Earth Where People Actually Live

My Mother

I don't remember November 22 as the day JFK was shot, or not only because of that.  I remember it because it's my mother's birthday.  She and my grandmother both loved the beach, and here they are in Galveston, long ago.  I miss them both more than I can say.

If You Have the Time and the Money, That Is

24 Gorgeous Castles From The British Isles You Can Actually Visit

10 - 9 - 8 - . . . .

Iconic Kennedy Space Center Countdown Clock Retires

What The World Was Like When Today's High School Seniors Were Born

What The World Was Like When Today's High School Seniors Were Born

Friday, November 21, 2014

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Texas mail man had been delivering meth for years  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Jeff Meyerson Saw Them Open for Moby Grape

Mysterious glowing worms found in the Amazon

"weird, upsetting, unmissable'

Telegraph: An Israeli detective novel examines Germany in 1939 through a savagely funny plot device: Hitler as a Private Eye  

Hat tip to Fred Zackel.

5 Weird Looking (But Fascinating!) Frogs

5 Weird Looking (But Fascinating!) Frogs

Song of the Day

John Mellencamp - Jack & Diane - YouTube:

10 Most Outrageous Things Benjamin Franklin Ever Did

10 Most Outrageous Things Benjamin Franklin Ever Did 

Today's Vintage Ad


Forgotten Hits: 50 Years Ago This Weekend

Forgotten Hits: 50 Years Ago This Weekend

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Mark Alexander, The Diary of Mata Hari, Brandon House, 1967

FFB: Shoot -- Douglas Fairbain

Here's another book I picked up in a thrift shop the other day just because I couldn't resist it.  I read it almost exactly 40 years ago, when the first paperback edition came out, and I've never forgotten it.  It's short (always a plus!), fast, and dark.   

It opens with a sentence that Stephen King admires (see On Writing): "This is what happened."  The narrator, Rex Jeanrette, and his hunting buddies, all of them combat veterans of various wars (WWII, Korea) are deer hunting when they spot another group of hunters across a river.  Suddenly one of the other hunters brings up his rifle and shoots one of Jeanrette's group, wounding him, and one of that group fires back, killing a man.  That's what happened.  But what it leads to, well, that's the rest of the book.

Jeanrette is a sociopath who'd be right at home in one of Jim Thompson's novels.  The other men all seem to have something missing in their lives, something they haven't experienced since being in combat.  Jeanrette recruits a couple of others who are much the same, Vietnam vets who are just drifting because since combat they have nothing much to focus on.

Shoot shows macho taken to the extreme.  And it's right up to date.  It could've been written last week with some simple changes, or so it seems to me.  It's noir of a very dark hue, too, though the subject isn't one of the traditional ones noir deals with.  Check it out and see what you think.

4 Fake Quotes by Famous Authors to Watch Out For

4 Fake Quotes by Famous Authors to Watch Out For

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee

Woman Stabs Boyfriend After He Threatens Turtle

50 Great Dark Books for the Dark Days of Winter

Flavorwire: 50 Great Dark Books for the Dark Days of Winter

Croc Update (Mafia Edition)

Mafia bosses used crocodiles, boa constrictors and pythons to intimidate victims 

Blogging Sapper’s Bulldog Drummond, Part Seven – Temple Tower

Blogging Sapper’s Bulldog Drummond, Part Seven – Temple Tower

Vintage Treasures: The Cosmic Puppets by Philip K. Dick / Sargasso of Space by Andre Norton

Vintage Treasures: The Cosmic Puppets by Philip K. Dick / Sargasso of Space by Andre Norton

The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes – Solar Pons

Black Gate � Blog Archive � Pons

John D. MacDonald's The Deceivers

The Trap of Solid Gold: The Deceivers

Thursday, November 20, 2014

And Keep Off Her Lawn!

People.com: "Thursday is when I was cooking him," Stoldt reportedly told police. "Friday is when I was dumping him."

Another Little Update

And this time it's relatively good news.  All the biopsy results have come in, and it appears that Judy's non-Hodgkin lymphoma has "transferred" to Hodgkin lymphoma.  That doesn't mean that the non-Hodgkin stuff is gone, but it does mean that what she has is treatable.  Chemo will begin as soon as they can get it ordered and up to the room (hours, probably).  What's interesting is that the doctor says that although they've been treating Judy for sarcoma for over a year now, she may never have had sarcoma.  It may have been Hodgkin lymphoma all along.  You might think that at M. D. Anderson, one of the foremost cancer hospitals in the U. S. of A. they'd know about stuff like that, but they don't know everything, unfortunately.  At any rate, we're a bit more hopeful today.  Thanks again for all the support.  

Eight Brash Books for February 2015

Eight Brash Books for February 2015 - YouTube

Or Was It a Gub?

Cambridge Man Arrested For Threatening Tesco Staff With Picture Of A Gun

Yet Another List I'm Not On

50 Writers to See Read Live

Song of the Day

Dire Straits - Walk Of Life lyrics - YouTube:

National Book Awards

National Book Awards

Hannes Bok ~ A Memorial Portfolio

The Golden Age: Hannes Bok ~ A Memorial Portfolio

Today's Vintage Ad


In Case You Were Wondering

What is Lake–Effect Snow?

Or Maybe You Do

22 Things You Might Not Know About The Breakfast Club 

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Ataullah Mardaan, Deva Dasi, Brandon House, 1967

The 19 best drone photos of 2014

The 19 best drone photos of 2014

Six of William Gibson's Favorite Books

William Gibson's 6 favorite books 

Mike Nichols, R. I. P.

Mike Nichols, Director of 'The Graduate,' Dies at 83: Director Mike Nichols, who made such films as The Graduate, which earned him a best director Oscar, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, has died at the age of 83.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Dino Update

The Natural History Museum Is Displaying Its First Complete Dinosaur Skeleton In 100 Years

This Woman Was Doing Bike Stunts We Still See Today. In 1965. In Heels.

And she's introduced by Joan Crawford!

This Woman Was Doing Bike Stunts We Still See Today. In 1965. In Heels. 

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Just a Little Update

I was  hoping that by now I'd have some better news to post here or any news at all, for that matter.  Judy's been in the hospital since last Thursday, though, and so far the doctors still don't seem to have a clue as to what's causing all her problems (and there are a good many of them) or what to do about them.  She had two biopsies on Monday, but so far no results.  They've taken enough of her blood to keep Dracula happy for a month, so they must be running all kinds of tests on that.  She had a sonogram and a chest X-ray today.  They haven't shared those results with us yet.  The not knowing is the worst part for me, along with having to see Judy in such bad shape.  We're hoping for some answers tomorrow, but who knows if we'll get them.  Keep thinking those good thoughts for us.

Jimmy Ruffin, R. I. P.

Rolling Stone: Singer Jimmy Ruffin, who had hits with "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and "Hold On (To My Love)," died Monday in a Las Vegas hospital, according to The Associated Press. He was 78. No details were immediately available about the cause of death.

“The Beautiful Unfaithfuls” (by Olive-Ann Tynan)

“The Beautiful Unfaithfuls” (by Olive-Ann Tynan) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN: Olive-Ann Tynan debuted in EQMM’s Department of First Stories in 2013 with the story “A Case of Harassment.” Her second story, “Accessory to Murder,” appears in our upcoming February issue. Both stories are set in the author’s native Ireland, though she has not lived there for many years. She and her Italian husband live outside Rome and have two grown-up children. There she has worked as an editor for an English-language fortnightly paper and an Italian-language golf magazine. She is also a translator from Italian to English and she shares with us her thoughts on that art.—Janet Hutchings

The Whiskey Wars That Left Brooklyn in Ruins

The Whiskey Wars That Left Brooklyn in Ruins

Song of the Day

Oh Lord It's Hard To Be Humble (Original) - Mac Davis - YouTube:

Major Crimes: The Writers’ Room

Linda Landrigan: Major Crimes: The Writers’ Room | Trace Evidence

A Mummy Hoax Might Be Wrapped up in a Modern Murder

A Mummy Hoax Might Be Wrapped up in a Modern Murder

I Was Robbed!

Chris Hemsworth named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive

Today's Vintage Ad




Most Famous Movie Set In Every State

Most Famous Movie Set In Every State

Petticoat Patriots

Western Fictioneers: PETTICOAT PATRIOTS by Tom Rizzo

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Lloyd Royce, H - is for HELL!, Intimate Editions, 1963

Can This Really Have Been That Long Ago?

November 19, 1990: Milli Vanilli Stripped of Grammy! 

Ernest Kinoy, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Ernest Kinoy, who wrote Broadway musicals, Hollywood screenplays and Emmy Award-winning episodes of “The Defenders” and “Roots,” died on Monday in Townshend, Vt. He was 89.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Ken Takakura, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Ken Takakura, who became a star playing outlaws and stoic heroes in scores of Japanese films, died on Nov. 10 in Tokyo. He was 83.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Charles Champlin, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Charles Champlin, an arts critic and memoirist best known for his writing about movies for The Los Angeles Times, died on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Sure You Can

Can You Identify These Classic Novels By Their Cover Art

It's Worth a Try

Can You Fix A Machine By Smacking It? 

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Texan arrested for trying steal police car, with detective inside

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

School Teacher Wears The Same Outfit For Yearbook Pictures for 40 Years 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
This is most likely a repeat, as I seem to remember this guy.  But it's worth a second look.  What a great idea this was!

Peru Update

Peruvians claim frog smoothies are a cure-all for asthma, low sex drive   

Hat tip to Art Scott.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee

Man threw frozen turkey during fight

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest

Noir Riot: Presented by NoirCon and Out of the Gutter (Volume 1): Jeff Wong and Lou Boxer, Cullen Gallagher, Ken Bruen, Bill Crider, Richard Godwin, Paul Krueger, BV Lawson, Suzanne Lummis, James Campbell, Joseph Goodrich: 9780692296608: Amazon.com: Books  NoirCon and Out of the Gutter bring you 23 thrilling, unrestrained stories and poems of 21st century desperation and destitution. These tales are sure to shake you out of your complacency, warp your mind and remind you that you, too, are doomed. No one is safe from the Noir Riot! Authors include Ken Bruen, James Campbell, Bill Crider, Thomas A. Crowell, Richard Godwin and many more! Sometimes funny, sometimes terrifying, Noir Riot is the companion to, and official publication of, Noir Con, the premier East Coast crime fiction conference.

How George Eastman Revolutionized Photography

How George Eastman Revolutionized Photography

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee

Florida man assaults girlfriend after she makes pancakes instead of waffles for birthday

Song of the Day

Joey Powers - Midnight Mary ORIGINAL - YouTube:

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

The 10 Greatest Albums Of The '60s And '70s  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Carl Schlesinger, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Carl Schlesinger, a former typesetter at The New York Times who helped make an award-winning film about one particularly memorable night on the job — July 1, 1978 — the last time the newspaper was made using hot-metal type, died on Nov. 9 in Paramus, N.J. He was 88.

Today's Vintage Ad


29 Things Everyone Who Grew Up In Houston Knows To Be True

29 Things Everyone Who Grew Up In Houston Knows To Be True

Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2014

Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2014 - Neatorama: In 2013, the Oxford English Dictionary crowned “selfie” as the Word of the Year. The year before, it was “gif.” Now the folks behind the dictionary have announced the 2014 Word of the Year, and it’s “vape.” Vape is a verb meaning to use an electronic cigarette, although it can also be used as a noun for the e-cog itself. The word is an abbreviation of vapor, and was coined in 1983 in reference to using a hypothetical inhaler as a cigarette substitute. With the introduction of e-digs, the word took off significantly in 2009.

PaperBack



Inge Carnelle, The Great Sex Race, Bee-Line, 1967

Livermore Still Leads the Way

The 110 Year-Old Light Bulb That's Never Been Turned Off

Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Science Fiction Movies

Rolling Stone Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Science Fiction Movies   

Link via SF Signal.

Collecting Nancy Drew Books

Collecting Nancy Drew Books On The Collectors Show

I Want to Believe!

Flying saucer uses sinister 'mind control' ray on Manchester man 

Or Maybe You're Not

44 Important Parts of History You're Picturing Wrong

Overlooked Movies: A Perfect World

This was originally published on 11/22/11.  Didn't have time to do a new one this week.

A Perfect World was directed by Clint Eastwood, who plays a supporting role. The star is Kevin Costner, and if you don't think he can act, watch this movie. The setting is Texas in the 1960s, and Costner plays Butch Haynes, a killer who escapes from prison. He kidnaps a young boy who goes along with him. Eastwood is the Texas Ranger who's in their trail, along with a criminologist played by Laura Dern.

The main focus of the movie is the relationship that develops between Costner and the boy. Haynes may be a killer, but Costner shows that he's a complex one. His own background gives him a special feeling for kids, and he's quite engaging as he and the boy elude their pursuers.

You know how this one's going to end, maybe, but the road trip is well worth your time.

And so is the soundtrack. I can think of maybe four movies I've seen, after which I went immediately to a store about bought the soundtrack CD. This is one of them.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Arthur Rankin Jr., R. I. P.

Animation Legend Arthur Rankin Jr. Dies at 89: Arthur Rankin Jr., the animator, producer and director behind the whimsical holiday stop-motion TV specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, has died. He was 89.

The Sad Fates of the World's Six Tallest Unfinished Buildings

The Sad Fates of the World's Six Tallest Unfinished Buildings  

Hat tip to Art Scott.

Brash Books at Bouchercon

Brash Books at Bouchercon 

Now Available from Rough Edges Press: Borderline - Bob Herzberg

Rough Edges: Now Available from Rough Edges Press: Borderline - Bob Herzberg

Dinosaur Chicken

'Chickenosaurus': paleontologist aims to re-create the dinosaur in every chicken

Song of the Day

Merle Haggard - The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde - YouTube:

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee

Owasso Man Arrested On Charge Of Biting Off Bowler's Ear

Today's Vintage Ad


Anthology In Memory of C.J. HENDERSON: A Kickstarter Project

FROM DUNDEE'S DESK: Anthology In Memory of C.J. HENDERSON: A Kickstarter Project

Nic Cag Update

Extremely Specific Nick Cage-Branded Cosmetics

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Lora Sela, Push-Over, Fabian

New Poem at the Five-Two

The Five-Two: William G. Rector: ESCAPE FROM DALLAS

I Want to Believe!

10,000 Year Old Rock Paintings Depicting Aliens and UFOs Found in India(Photos) 

Will The Persecution Never End?

18 Times Paris Hilton Committed Gloriously Bad Crimes Against Fashion

Seeing Double

Patty Duke To Pull Double Duty Again As Tv Twins

Sunday, November 16, 2014

10 Extraordinary Origins Of Well-Known Numbers

10 Extraordinary Origins Of Well-Known Numbers 

Song of the Day

When the Saints Go Marchin' In-Fats Domino - YouTube:

Texas Doesn't Quite Lead the Way

Galveston listed as one of the top ten worst places to buy a home 

Today's Vintage Ad


10 Words That Started Out as Errors

10 Words That Started Out as Errors

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Ray Robinson, Editor, Baseball Stars of 1961, Pyramid, 1961

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Texas Tech Students Show Off Their Knowledge

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Photographer unearths 'lost' underground cities of World War I

Vintage Photo Finds

Vintage Photo Finds 

I Want to Believe!

Two Dogman Reports in 30 Days: In less than a month, there have been two reports of Dogman sightings, one in its traditional Michigan stomping grounds and one in East Texas. Is Dogman becoming more active? Is it moving to a warmer climate? Does it have a new publicist? Who or what exactly is Dogman?