Saturday, May 18, 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Woman, 37, 'stabbed boyfriend after he farted in her face during argument' 

Max Allan Collins: 10 Memorable Spy Novel Film Adaptations

Max Allan Collins: 10 Memorable Spy Novel Film Adaptations

Link via Ed Gorman.

JD Salinger Update

JD Salinger's secret life exposed in new documentary

Ken Venturi, R. I. P.

Yahoo! Sports: Ken Venturi, winner of the 1964 U.S. Open and a longtime commentator for CBS, has died at the age of 82.

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

Amazon.com: To Beat the Devil - A Mick Murphy Key West Mystery eBook: Michael Haskins: Kindle Store: With Mick Murphy recovering from near death, his black-ops friend Norm Burke assists him on his quest to kill Russian mobster Alexei, the man Murphy holds responsible for Tita's death. Almost close to goat, Murphy gets Alexei's journal from a Mexican drug lord and it leads him back to Key West where he must choose between his quest and savings the lives of innocent people caught up in a terrorist plot.A plot that involves terrorists, Iranians, government agents and makes Murphy, Norm and all involved question their ideas on conspiracy theories.

Song of the Day

Timi Yuro Make The World Go Away - YouTube:

The Amazing Tardigrade

The Amazing Tardigrade- The Toughest Known Creature on Earth and Beyond

The 50 Greatest Movie Villains of All Time

The 50 Greatest Movie Villains of All Time 

Today's Vintage Ads

5 Insane Trends from Vintage Cigarette Ads

10 Greatest Alternative Pyramids From Around The World

10 Greatest Alternative Pyramids From Around The World

PaperBack



Carl Shannon, Lady, That's My Skull, Phantom Books (Australia), no date

Albert Seedman, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Albert Seedman, the New York Police Department’s chief of detectives in the early 1970s who became something of a celebrity as the savvy, cigar-chomping personification of the tough-guy cop while modernizing a tradition-bound force, died on Friday in Delray Beach, Fla. He was 94.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

List Fails without Ivy College

7 TV Show Colleges You Wish Actually Existed

Beatles Update

Paul McCartney: Yoko Ono didn’t break up the Beatles: Despite decades of feuding, Sir Paul McCartney has recently come to Ono’s defense to set the record straight.

All the Doc Savage Links You'll Ever Need

ThePulp.Net | Doc Savage

Link via Laurie's Wild West.

I Found a Penny the Other Day

Danish teenager makes rare Viking-era find with metal detector: Danish museum officials say that an archaeological dig last year has revealed 365 items from the Viking era, including 60 rare coins.

Take A Look At This Awesome Houdini Scrapbook

Take A Look At This Awesome Houdini Scrapbook

Hitler's Madman

1943 JOHN CARRADINE WWII TRAILER - YouTube:

Friday, May 17, 2013

A Kickstarter Project of Interest

Rogue Lawman - Pilot Western by Peter Lefevre — Kickstarter

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Texas man builds fake graveyard to keep homeless off property 

If OJ Gets Out of the Slammer, She Can Help Him Find the Real Killers

Police Officer Shoots Self In The Leg, Causes Search For Non-Existent Gunman

The Mystery of the Immaculately Conceived Baby Anteater

Yahoo! News: Staffers at a zoological conservation center in Greenwich, Conn., are very confused — as are the rest of us — because their female giant anteater, Armani, has managed to conceive a baby, apparently without the presence of a male anteater.

Hat tip to Art Scott, who says that Immaculately Conceived Anteater WBAGNFARB.

Song of the Day

Fats Waller - Your Feet's Too Big - YouTube:

ABBA’s ‘Gold,’ Ranked From Gleeful to Glum

ABBA’s ‘Gold,’ Ranked From Gleeful to Glum

Ray Bradbury's Favorite Bookshop

Ray Bradbury's Favorite Bookshop

Today's Vintage Ads

Retrospace: Ads #67: 1981

Paris Hilton Update

‘The Bling Ring’ Made Paris Hilton Cry

Who Knew?

Granny Smith Apples are Named After a Real Granny Smith

Perhaps You've Been Wondering

Why Do Students Dissect Frogs?

PaperBack



Jack Pearl, Garrison's Gorillas, Dell, 1967

Here's the Plot for Your Next Star-Studded Thriller

$1 Million Chopard Burglary in Cannes

I Miss the Old Days

21 Defining Moments Of 1966

Paris Hilton Update

Paris Hilton: Sofia Coppola shot parts of 'The Bling Ring' at my house

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

10 Magnificent But Little-Known Structures

10 Magnificent But Little-Known Structures

Okay

15 Books You Should Definitely Not Read in Your 20s 

11 Strange Movie Job Titles—Explained!

11 Strange Movie Job Titles—Explained!

Bigfoot Update

Hunt for Bigfoot in northern New Mexico after thermal imaging reveals 7-foot tall figure stalking mountainous woods

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Woman bit off part of another woman's ear, cops say

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Forgotten Books: The Yggyssey -- Daniel Pinkwater

Go ahead, say it: "He's cheating again. The Iggyssey isn't forgotten by any means."  You're right, of course, but the question is, have you read it?  It's a sequel to The Neddiad, which I discussed here, and it's more of the same, Daniel Pinkwater doing whatever it is that he does and making it look easy.  It's like watching Ricky Jay.  What he does looks easy, but could you do it?  How is it possible?  Best not to try to figure it out.  Just enjoy it.

The plot? Well, you can see it there in the subtitle: "How Iggy Wondered What Happened to all the Ghosts and Where They Went, and Went There."  See, Iggy, whose name is Yggdrasil, lives in a haunted hotel in Hollywood in the early '50s.  (You'd know all this if you'd read The Neddiad, which you certainly should have.)  All the top ghosts are there.  As the book drifts along, the ghosts begin to drift away, and Yggy and her friends Neddy and Seamus go to an alternate reality to find them in the city of Old New Hackensack.  The second half of the book is a road trip, in the course of which the trio makes a new friend and encounters witches and other odd folks.  Okay, let's face it.  It's not so much a plot as a series of incidents, but they're great incidents.  In what other book are kids going to run into Fats Waller and sing along to "Your Feet's Too Big"? 

This is supposedly a kids' book.  How many kids are going to get the W. C. Fields reference in the name of the city where the ghosts are going?  How many of them are going to get the Fats Waller reference?  Yggy's favorite ghost is the ghost of a rabbit.  In Old New Hackensack, the rabbit has become six feet tall and is walking around with a man named Elwood.  Would any kid you know that that one?  The book is full of things like that, which means that even a guy my age is going to get most of the jokes.

Here's a warning for you.  Many, many loving descriptions of food and eating are scattered throughout the book.  Don't read it when you're hungry.  But do read it, or read any of Daniel Pinkwater's books if you want to see a real magician at work (or play).


The Whole Truth

The Whole Truth (1958) trailer - YouTube:

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Damn!

A well-mannered win: Texas ranks super low in swearing

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Lindsay Hunter on Her Favorite Short Story

Lindsay Hunter on Her Favorite Short Story

Seepy Benton Needs to Try this on His Students

Electric shocks to the brain may help humans solve math problems faster

12 Of The Most Incredible Pre-CGI Special Effects In Movies

12 Of The Most Incredible Pre-CGI Special Effects In Movies

Song of the Day

ONE TIN SOLDIER / THE ORIGINAL CASTE - YouTube:

But Then You Knew That Already

Barns Are Painted Red Because of the Physics of Dying Stars

Today's Vintage Ad


5 Easy Fixes to Complex Problems You Won't Believe Worked

5 Easy Fixes to Complex Problems You Won't Believe Worked

I Miss the Old Days

A Nation of Wimps

PaperBack



Hugh Greene, editor, Further Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: The Crooked Counties, Penguin, 1974

Minoan civilisation Update

DNA suggests new theory on origin of Minoan civilisation

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Alligators coming out of hiding all over Houston 

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

NH Man Arrested For Squirting Sun Tan Lotion On Woman After Road Rage Incident

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Fascinating Photos of the Models Who Inspired Famous Artworks

Fascinating Photos of the Models Who Inspired Famous Artworks

I Miss the Old Days

School Library Posters

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Police say man sets fire to neighbor's yard over grass dispute

12 Memorable Portrayals Of Dracula

12 Memorable Portrayals Of Dracula

Paging Josh Randall

Armed Bounty Hunters Storm Fancy Miami Beach Gym (Video): Amazingly, it was all legal under Florida law where bounty hunters have more legal rights than the police.

The 13 Rules for Creating a Prestige TV Drama

The 13 Rules for Creating a Prestige TV Drama

Some photos NSFW.

Swordsman of Siena

Swordsman of Siena (1962) trailer) - YouTube:

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

An Anniversary

Happy third anniversary to my niece Lauren and her husband, Jeff McCarty.  You may recognize the handsome dude performing the marriage ceremony.

Gator Update (Biggest in Texas Edition)

Houston area teen bags biggest alligator ever certified in Texas during public hunt 

Photo at the link.

Poop Foam WBAGNFARB

So would Fecal Soup.

Mysterious Poop Foam Causes Explosions on Hog Farms

Hat tip to Mike Stamm.

Top 10 Movie Sets that Took On A Life Of Their Own

Top 10 Movie Sets that Took On A Life Of Their Own

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . . .

Star Wars convention opts for the force of the fist: Rival science-fiction clubs had to be separated by the force last weekend as the Norwich Star Wars Convention descended into a daft brawl.

Song of the Day

Never Smile at a Crocodile - Peter Pan (Full Song / Actual Clips) - YouTube:

Sure You Do

Personality Quiz: Etiquette for secretaries in the Mad Men era: Do You Have the Right Personality to Become a Secretary in 1959?

Today's Vintage Ad


I Miss the Old Days

Teens In The 1950s Vs. Teens Today

10 Banned Music Videos

10 Banned Music Videos

At Least We Have a Few Rights Left

Florida man won’t be charged for shooting himself while bowling

“Collecting Detective Fiction”

“Collecting Detective Fiction” (by Martin Edwards)

PaperBack



Bradford Street, Primus, Bantam, 1971



Robert Silverberg Comes to eBooks

Robert Silverberg Comes to eBooks (Watch Him Talk About World Building)

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

 UPI.com: Police in North Carolina said they arrested a woman whose alleged Bible-thumping left a woman with bruises and abrasions.

Star Trek: Pages from the writers' guide for the original series

Star Trek: Pages from the writers' guide for the original series

Another Great Baseball Story

Baseball's 'Most Durable Batboy' Marks 55 Years On The Field

World War II’s Strangest Battle

World War II’s Strangest Battle: When Americans and Germans Fought Together

Too Late

65 Books You Need To Read In Your 20s

Bhowani Junction

Bhowani Junction (Original Theatrical Trailer) - YouTube:

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

They're Everywhere!

Wisconsin: Police find dead, living alligators at Kenosha home

Hat tip to Steve Stilwell.

Billie Sol Estes. R. I. P.

NY Daily News: Billie Sol Estes, a flamboyant Texas huckster who became one of the most notorious men in America in 1962 when he was accused of looting a federal crop subsidy program, has died. He was 88.

NAMING THE DETECTIVES: Robert Lopresti

NAMING THE DETECTIVES: Robert Lopresti 

Seepy Benton Knows all this Stuff

Twin Primes Conjecture: 'Weak' Version Of Famed Math Problem Possibly Proven: It’s a result only a mathematician could love. Researchers hoping to get ‘2’ as the answer for a long-sought proof involving pairs of prime numbers are celebrating the fact that a mathematician has wrestled the value down from infinity to 70 million.

Hat tip to Seepy Benton.

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

College of Communication: The University of Texas at Austin has partnered with video game industry leaders Warren Spector and Paul Sams to create the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy, the first video game program in the United States led and taught by gaming industry executives.

10 Forgotten Fantastical Novels You Should Read Immediately

10 Forgotten Fantastical Novels You Should Read Immediately

George Saunders on His Favorite Short Story

George Saunders on His Favorite Short Story 

Yet Another List I'm Not On

The 100 Best, Most Interesting Blogs and Websites of 2013 

20 places that don’t look real

20 places that don’t look real 

Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.

Henry David Thoreau, Yoga Master

Henry David Thoreau, Yoga Master

Song of the Day

Gene Pitney & George Jones - Mockin' Bird Hill - YouTube:

America's 10 Best Hot Dogs

America's 10 Best Hot Dogs

Peter Brandvold Interview

Writing Demands a "Tingle of Creativity"

Today's Vintage Ad


7 Classic Movies That Almost Had Absurdly Dark Endings

7 Classic Movies That Almost Had Absurdly Dark Endings

PaperBack



Four Fallen Women, Dell, 1953

10 questions on grammar

BBC News - 10 questions on grammar

All too easy for us old retired English teachers.

So Be Careful Out There

Times LIVE: Witches flying broomsticks in Swaziland above 150 metres will be subject to arrest and a hefty fine of R500 000, civil aviation authorities said, according to a report.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

And Get off Their Lawn!

3 arrested in drug, prostitution sting at Englewood senior citizen housing complex

50 Things That Turn 50 in 2013

50 Things That Turn 50 in 2013 

Famous Authors’ Handwritten Outlines for Great Works of Literature

Famous Authors’ Handwritten Outlines for Great Works of Literature 

Uh-Oh

Arnold Schwarzenegger lines up Toxic Avenger reboot

11 Baby Naming Trends of the Past

11 Baby Naming Trends of the Past

Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?

Metro News: Brighton resident ‘discovers vortex to another dimension, complete with giant snake’

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

A Book Collection in One Click

Complete Set of James Bond First Editions by Ian FlemingA Book Collection in One Click by Richard Davies: Whether they are sets arranged by a publisher or a collection crafted by hand, there are some books that were always meant to be kept together. AbeBooks offers hundreds of these 'instant collections' – some covering a specific series of books, or a subject or genre, or the works of a certain author. It's usually taken years to put these collections together but you could buy one in seconds.

Or if you're George Kelley, you don't have to click. You just go to a library sale.

Overlooked Movies: Congo

Just to show you that I'm an inconsistent guy, I'll talk about a movie that some people might rank right down there with the movies I've been talking about for a couple of weeks, the allegedly amusing jungle adventure films with Richard Chamberlain.  I thought they were awful.  But in Congo, a movie that nobody else likes, everything that didn't work in the Chamberlain movies worked just fine (for me, anyway).  Lost cities? Check. King Solomon's mines? Check. Humor? Check.  Scenery chewing to the max?  Check.  A talking (sort of) gorilla?  Check.  And so on.  It's sort of like Jungle Jim, only classier.

The plot?  Well, it's complicated.  A team looking for a great blue diamond joins up with a team led by a primatologist who's trying to figure out what his gorilla is dreaming about.  Great White Hunter Ernie Hudson (who just happens to be black) leads them into the jungle.  Getting into the jungle isn't easy, believe me, and when they get there, their troubles are just getting started.  

As I said, I liked this movie.  It's funny and thrilling and pretty much everything I'm looking for in an old-fashioned adventure.  I should also mention that I liked the book it's based on (by Michael Crichton) quite a bit, too, but the movie's very different from the book.  You probably have to be as goofy as I am to enjoy them, so I can't really say you should try them unless you're in just the right mood.  If you are, you can't miss.

Congo

Congo - trailer - YouTube:

Monday, May 13, 2013

Popular psychologist Joyce Brothers, R. I. P.

I remember when she was on The $64,000 Question, and he category was boxing.

Popular psychologist Joyce Brothers has died in New York at age 85.

I Hope They Released a Serious Curse

Builders bulldoze Mayan pyramid in Belize 

10 White People Who Became Rulers of the Jungle

10 White People Who Became Rulers of the Jungle

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . .

Police: Assault prompted by 'too many pickles' 

Bad grammar and the people who hate it

Apostrophe now: Bad grammar and the people who hate it

6 Famous and Not-So-Famous Document Thieves

6 Famous and Not-So-Famous Document Thieves

Song of the Day

Playboys Of Edinburg - Look At Me Girl - YouTube:

Watch a 1952 Film of William Faulkner

Watch a 1952 Film of William Faulkner on His Hometown

Today's Vintage Ad


Yet Another List I'm Not On

The 100 Most Trusted People in America

Very annoying slideshow.

Who Knew?

That Time Dan Brown Recorded A Song About Phone Sex

PaperBack



Michale Avallone, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Bantam, 1970

6 People Who Apologized For Their Own Movie

6 People Who Apologized For Their Own Movie

2013 SPINETINGLER AWARDS

Mystery Fanfare: 2013 SPINETINGLER AWARDS

Once Again Willie Leads the Way

Willie Nelson Becomes Honorary Doctor

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

You Might Be Surprised

All Time Top 100 Stars at the Box Office

The Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Baseball Book

The Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Baseball Book 

Can't Remember the Title?

How To Find A Book

Or Maybe Not

Survey reveals the greatest hairstyles of all time

List Fails without Joe R. Lansdale

A Selection of Writers Inspired By Dreams

Uh-Oh

TV: NBC  Return of ‘Ironside’ 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Merton of the Movies

Merton of the Movies Original Trailer - YouTube:

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Robert B. Parker is dead. Long live Robert B. Parker!

How Robert B. Parker’s family has ensured that Spenser’s adventures continue

Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.

Jacqueline Brookes, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Jacqueline Brookes, an actress who appeared in films and on television but who won her widest acclaim on the stage in New York and around the country, performing the work of Shakespeare, Moliere, Pirandello, Edward Albee and other dramatists over a 60-year career, died on April 26 in Manhattan. She was 82.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Yes, Fornicating Frogs WBAGNFARB

Police called for fornicating frogs 

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

News-JournalOnline.com: New Orleans police say that a dozen people have been shot during a Mother's Day second-line parade.

Daoma Winston Strasberg, R. I. P.

The Washington Post: Daoma Winston Strasberg, a Washington author who produced almost 70 mystery and romance novels in a writing career that spanned more than four decades, died April 1 at her home in Washington. She was 90.

Song of the Day

Connie Francis - Mama - YouTube:

Gladys Presley, the Mother Elvis Presley Worshiped

Gladys Presley, the Mother Elvis Presley Worshiped 

Today's Vintage Ad


The Founder of Mother's Day Later Fought to Have It Abolished

The Founder of Mother's Day Later Fought to Have It Abolished

PaperBack



K. Randall Ball, Outlaw Justice, 5 Ball, 1997

The Perfect Gift for Mom!

Criggo: The Perfect Gift for Mom!

From Abigail Adams to Anne Sexton, History's Finest Letters of Motherly Advice

From Abigail Adams to Anne Sexton, History's Finest Letters of Motherly Advice 

Animal Moms Who Just Need A Break

Animal Moms Who Just Need A Break

11 Greatest Sitcom Moms Of The '80s

11 Greatest Sitcom Moms Of The '80s

14 Animals Demonstrating Why A Mother's Love Is So Special

14 Animals Demonstrating Why A Mother's Love Is So Special

The 10 Worst Mothers in Books

The 10 Worst Mothers in Books

Happy Mother's Day!

A Brief History of Mother’s Day

My mother, Frances Antoinette Brodnax Crider, with her granddaughter Angela Antoinette Crider, 1969.

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot Official Trailer #1 - Sylvester Stallone Movie (1992) HD - YouTube: