Saturday, March 28, 2015

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

Charlotte, NC: Woman attempts to hit man with car over cinnamon bun argument

Classic Gunfights

Jar Head!: Joaquin Murrieta vs Harry Love’s Rangers

New Story at Beat to a Pulp

LastExit: LAST EXIT Chris Leek

Song of the Day

Vince Vance & The Valiants (bomb iran) - YouTube:

11 Celebrity #TBT Photos You May Have Missed This Week

11 Celebrity #TBT Photos You May Have Missed This Week

Today's Vintage Ad


The Weird Week in Review

The Weird Week in Review

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John B. Thompson, Girls of the French Quarter, Beacon, 1954

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

10 Best Southern Gothic Books

I Want to Believe!

Metro News: A veteran NASA employee says he saw a nine-foot-tall alien hitch a ride on the space shuttle – and watched the creature have a quiet chat with astronauts when it thought  no one was looking.

10 Pieces Of Pop Culture That Influenced 'Star Wars'

10 Pieces Of Pop Culture That Influenced 'Star Wars'

Directors Who Left Movie Franchises

Directors Who Left Movie Franchises 

Friday, March 27, 2015

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

Kingston police say woman shattered door at bar, punched officer  

Includes impressive mug shot.

Life Imitates a Lansdale Story

San Francisco Sheriff's Deputy ring accused of pit-fighting inmates  

Hat tip to Lawrence Person.

110 Years Ago, Fingerprints Pointed to Murder in London

110 Years Ago, Fingerprints Pointed to Murder in London 

Gator Update (Crunchy Lunch Edition)

Giant alligator Goliath spotted eating giant turtle on Florida's Myakka Pines Golf Course

What the English of Shakespeare, Beowulf, and King Arthur actually sounded like

What the English of Shakespeare, Beowulf, and King Arthur actually sounded like

Song of the Day

The Accents Wiggle, wiggle - YouTube:

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

5 of the Best Wild West Series on TV 

Today's Vintage Ad


Sally Forrest, R. I. P.

Daily Mail Online: Sally Forrest, an actress-dancer who graced the silver screen throughout the '40s and '50s in MGM musicals and films such as the 1956 noir While the City Sleeps died on March 15 at her home in Beverly Hills, California.

15 Mysterious Tidbits About Yetis

15 Mysterious Tidbits About Yetis 

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Edmund Cooper, Tomorrow Came, Panther, 1963

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Kevin's Corner: FFB Review: "Murder In Four Parts: A Dan Rhodes Mystery" by Bill Crider

10 Of The Most Badass Frontierswomen In American History

10 Of The Most Badass Frontierswomen In American History

Stephen King on Writing and Wakeful Dreaming

The Art of “Creative Sleep”: Stephen King on Writing and Wakeful Dreaming 

Richard III Update

The Very Strange And Very English Re-Burial Of Richard III

Harlan Coben Speaks

Harlan Coben: 'Every successful author still has to treat it as a job' 

FFB: The Year's Best Science Fiction Fifth Annual Collection -- Gardner Dozois, Editor

The Dozois anthologies are massive, probably 200,000 to 250,000 words, and I pick them up when I see them at Half-Price Books for a buck or two.  I figure I'm sure to find something worthwhile in that many words.  This doorstop contains stories from 1987, and here's what I've read so far:

"Perpetuity Blues" by Neal Barrett, Jr., is one of two Barrett stories in the volume.  Like a lot of his work, it's hard to describe.  It involves  time travel, family, and a young woman who wants to write plays.  It's also hilarious.

"Diner" is the other Barrett story.  Not as funny, but it has its moments.  Set in Galveston after the U.S. has lost a war to China.  Things are not going well for the survivors under the new rulers.  

"Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight" by Ursula K. LeGuin was also in another FFB I mentioned recently.  A well-known story (Hugo and World Fantasy Award winner)  about a girl who winds up among talking animals, including Coyote, and is surrounded by earth magic but who eventually returns to civilization.  (Does growing up mean you can't see the magic anymore?)

"The Pardoner's Tale" by Robert Silverberg is old-fashioned SF in the best sense of the word.  The earth has been invaded and humans are enslaved.  A few hackers can take advantage of the system and remain free.  They can also "pardon" others.  Getting caught means big trouble, however.

"Night of the Cooters" by Howard Waldrop is another well-known story.  It's about what happens to some of H. G. Wells' Martian invaders who get lost and land in West Texas.  You think the Martians stand a chance?  No way.

"The Faithful Companion at Forty" by Karen Joy Fowler is funny story about a certain faithful companion and the masked man he worked with.

"For Thus Do I Remember Carthage" by Michael Bishop is set in an alternative world where St. Augustine's long-lost son returns to him from China and tells him of all kinds of magic and wonders, many of which are modern inventions that didn't exist in our world at that time.  The dying Augustine doesn't like these ideas or wish to accept them.  I'm not sure I got the point of this story.

"Dinosaurs" by Walter Jon Williams is set six million years in the future.  Humanity has evolved into a kind of creature that's very different physically from us.  It's also pretty much conquered the universe.  A human diplomat is trying to explain that resistance is futile to a race of dog-like creatures.  The satire is hard to miss, but most of it is amusing.

There are plenty of other stories here, and maybe I'll get around to some of them eventually.


Thursday, March 26, 2015

John Renbourn, R. I. P.

Billboard: British folk guitarist John Renbourn, a founding member of Pentangle whose solo career stretched for more than 50 years, was found dead at his home in Hawick, Scotland, on March 25. He was 70.

Dave White Interview

3.26.15 - 7 Minutes With... Dave White

A Classic Rerun

Ed Gorman's blog: Gold Medal Corner -- John McPartland by Bill Crider

Interview with J.D. Rhoades

Interview with J.D. Rhoades 

Strand Critics Award Nominees Are Announced...

Strand Critics Award Nominees Are Announced...

At Least They Weren't Using our Tax Dollars

DEA agents threw wild sex parties — which were funded by drug cartels

What’s it like to be one of the Jeopardy! clue writers?

What’s it like to be one of the Jeopardy! clue writers?

2015 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

Rolling Stone: Harmony was a key element of the 2015 Country Music Hall of Fame induction press conference Wednesday morning. Special guests and invited media were on hand when emcee and fellow Hall of Fame member Brenda Lee announced gospel, country and pop crossover quartet the Oak Ridge Boys, family act Jim Ed Brown and the Browns, and innovative guitarist Grady Martin as the newest members of the Hall of Fame.

Song of the Day

The Three Bells (Little Jimmy Brown) - The Browns - YouTube:

10 Murder Mysteries That Made History

10 Murder Mysteries That Made History 

Today's Vintage Ad


Artisanal Rebranding Of Junk Food

Artisanal Rebranding Of Junk Food

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Robert Silverberg, Shadrach in the Furnace, Coronet, 1979

The (Urban) Legend of Ernest Hemingway’s Six-Word Story

The (Urban) Legend of Ernest Hemingway’s Six-Word Story: "For sale, Baby shoes, Never worn.”

Criminal Genius of the Day

Maine police track suspect through social media messages: While they were searching with permission of the resident, they were tipped off that Wallace had posted a new Snapchat message saying police were in the house looking for him and he was hiding in a cabinet. He was found in the cabinet.

He's the lead story here, too, but there are other stories of a similar nature to enjoy.

Milwaukee Leads the Way

Milwaukee Brewers to offer deep-fried nachos on a stick 

Nothing Creepy about This at All

Dying Falmouth man to install webcam in coffin to let family watch body decompose online.

Two Great Books by Poul Anderson: The High Crusade and The Golden Slave

Two Great Books by Poul Anderson: The High Crusade and The Golden Slave

Forgotten Music

Bubble Gum Rockers Sticking To Maligned Genre Even After 45 Years

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Artists Added to National Recording Registry

The Doors, Ben E. King, Righteous Brothers & More Added to National Recording Registry: Classic recordings by The Doors, Ben E. King, The Righteous Brothers, Sly and the Family Stone and Joan Baez are among the latest additions to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

Alvin, Texas, Inexplicably not Included

Best Destinations in the World

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Annoying slideshow alert.

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

Boing Boing: The Grand Rapids, Michigan jury deciding her case took just one hour to conclude that Torres was guilty of charges resulting from her shooting into a McDonald's after employees there failed--two times--to put bacon on her burger as requested.

Kasey Lansdale Interview (in Italian!)

Kasey Landsdale - Cold in July #TFF32 - Fred Italian Channel

Flannery O’Connor Quotes for Her 90th Birthday

Flannery O’Connor Quotes for Her 90th Birthday

Free for Kindle (and all other eBook formats) for the Foreseeable Future

Buck Fever (Blanco County Mysteries Book 1) - Kindle edition by Ben Rehder. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.: Description: It's the week before deer hunting season, as close to a statewide holiday as you get in Texas, and the locals are getting restless. Game Warden John Marlin has his hands full with poaching complaints coming in faster than he can write out-of-season tickets. Then a call of a different sort comes in. A man dressed up in some sort of deer costume has been shot at the Circle S ranch, and witnesses are reporting a massive wild-eyed buck prancing about the pasture in a lovesick frenzy. Marlin's seen a lot in his years, but this is wilder than he could have imagined: the man in the deer suit is a good friend, and the whacked-out whitetail isn't exactly a stranger either. It's the beginning of a mad, frantic weekend in Blanco County, one that will see a few more men shot, an invasion by Colombians with more than hunting on their minds, and damn near the end of Marlin's life. Ben Rehder serves it all up with a huge helping of humor in this debut comic mystery that will firmly establish him as the funniest crime writer in Texas.

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Texas city to go 100% solar, wind – because it's cheaper, more reliable

Song of the Day

John Mellencamp - Jack & Diane - YouTube:

20 Embarrassing Roles of Famous Actors

20 Embarrassing Roles of Famous Actors 

Today's Vintage Ad


“Roads and Wilderness: Two Novels by James M. Cain”

“Roads and Wilderness: Two Novels by James M. Cain” (by Zoë Z. Dean) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN

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James Baggaley, Shadow of the Eagle, Panther, 1959

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

The most beautiful cars on sale today 

10 Intense Old Hollywood Rivalries

10 Intense Old Hollywood Rivalries 

The Strange Saga of the Stolen Yeti Hand

The Strange Saga of the Stolen Yeti Hand 

Isaac Asimov’s The Caves of Steel

Asimov’s The Caves of Steel

In Honor of Jerry House's "Bad Joke Wednesday"

Groaners 

Vintage Treasures: Science Fiction: The Great Years edited by Carol & Frederik Pohl

Vintage Treasures: Science Fiction: The Great Years edited by Carol & Frederik Pohl

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

It's Never Too Soon to Get Those Orders In

Between the Living and the Dead: A Dan Rhodes Mystery (Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mysteries): Bill Crider: 9781250039705: Amazon.com: Books

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

PennLive.com: It started as an incident involving oil and satellite dishes, then a man took his pants off and tried to bite a state trooper, according state police in Lykens.

Who Says TV Is Out of Ideas?

BuzzFeed News: More than a decade after going off the air, Fox has ordered another chapter of the Emmy-winning show, The X-Files. The new six-episode event series, which was announced on Tuesday, will be created and produced by Chris Carter, who also created the original series. It will also see David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprising their roles as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, respectively. Production is set to begin this summer with an air date yet to be announced.

Archaeology Update

2,200-year-old crossbow more powerful than modern day assault rifle discovered with Terracotta Warriors

Jørgen Ingmann, R. I. P.

News | Eurovision Song Contest: Copenhagen, Denmark - Guitarist Jørgen Ingmann passed away yesterday, the 21st of March 2015, at the age of 89. He will be most remembered in the Eurovision family for having won the Song Contest on behalf of Denmark in 1963 alongside his wife back then, Grethe, and the song "Dansevise."

Song of the Day

Jorgen Ingmann - Apache - Original - 1961.wmv - YouTube:

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished in Norway

The Local: A man in Norway faces jail after cutting off his own hair and beard and then gluing it to another man’s head in an apparent attempt to create a toupee.

La-la-la-la. I can't hear you

Your stuff can kill you: How hoarding creates death traps: There is no material difference between you and a clinically diagnosed hoarder, you see. It is a difference of degree.

Today's Vintage Ad


The Fact and Fiction of 'On the Road'

The Fact and Fiction of 'On the Road'

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P. G. Wodehouse, Barmy in Wonderland, Pan, 1964

I Miss the Old Days

The most amazing week of the 1960s: Bob Dylan, MLK, the pill, Vietnam, and more.: You could argue that the 1960s as we know them started during one single week—an eight-day week, befitting the Beatles song that topped the charts—exactly 50 years ago.

Alberta Watson, R. I. P.

NY Daily News: Alberta Watson, a Canadian actress who carved a niche below the 49th parallel with major roles in "24" and the "La Femme Nikita" TV series, passed away Sunday at a Toronto hospice.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

I Want to Believe!

A power nap of just 45 minutes can boost the memory five-fold, according to new research

New Poem at the Five-Two

The Five-Two: Etta Abrahams: TRUE CONFESSIONS

Overlooked Movies: Blind Date

Here we go again, another movie the critics hated but one that made me and Judy laugh a lot when we saw it in the theater the day it opened.  I still smile when I think about Basinger tearing off shirt and coat pockets.  Hard to believe I saw this movie almost 30 years ago.  Did I mention that I miss the old days?

The story is pretty goofy.  Kim Basinger, a real beauty, seems to be a calm, soft-spoken woman, but when she drinks she becomes a crazed hellcat.  Phil Hartman, who plays Willis' brother, sets Willis up with Basinger on a blind date.  The date doesn't go well, since Basinger drinks.  Even worse, her ex, played by John Larrouquette, shows up.  He's crazier than she is, and he's intent on destroying any relationship she develops.  Murder doesn't seem to be out of the question for him.  He's great, but so is everybody in the cast.  Aces all the way.

Naturally everybody in the audience knows that Kim and Bruce are made for each other, even if he does wind up in jail because she drives him almost literally insane.  

Maybe you agree with the critics on this one, but I still think it's mostly hilarious. 

Blind Date

Blind Date 1987 (HQ) Trailer - YouTube:

Monday, March 23, 2015

A Party! Wtih Prizes!

Celebrating Robert Randisi's 400th Gunsmith!

eBay Bargain of the Day

These guys seem to have a nice supply of this book, as they offer it fairly often.  If you don't have a copy, it's definitely worth the dough.

Hunter and Hunted The Ed and Am Hunter Novels by Fredric Brown 2002 0971818517 | eBay

Criminal Genius of the Day

Calif. thief traced after he used victim's Netflix  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

Lack of orange juice leads Louisiana man to shoot son in buttocks

The Story of Symbols

The Story of Symbols   

Link via The Presurfer.

Song of the Day

Jan & Dean - Popsicle - YouTube:

Forgotten Hits: 50 Year Flashback - March 23rd, 1965

Forgotten Hits: 50 Year Flashback - March 23rd, 1965

Today's Vintage Ad


7 Celebrity #TBT Photos You May Have Missed Last Week

7 Celebrity #TBT Photos You May Have Missed Last Week

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Charles Mergendahl, Tiger by the Tail, Panther, 1961

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

11 poems everyone should know

Eddie Muller Interview

An Interview with Eddie Muller on the Nowness of Noir

Richard III Update

Huge crowds salute coffin of English ‘car park king’ Richard III: Tens of thousands lined the streets on Sunday to see the coffin of England’s Richard III taken in procession to his final burial, five centuries after his battlefield death.

Gregory Walcott, R. I. P.

Gregory Walcott, Reluctant Star of 'Plan 9 From Outer Space,' Dies at 87: Gregory Walcott, an admired actor who appeared in such memorable films as Mister Roberts,The Eiger Sanction, Norma Rae and, unfortunately for him, Ed Wood’s lamentable Plan 9 From Outer Space,  has died. He was 87.

Vintage Treasures: Not Without Sorcery by Theodore Sturgeon

Vintage Treasures: Not Without Sorcery by Theodore Sturgeon

Sunday, March 22, 2015

I Want to Believe!

Scientists at Large Hadron Collider hope to make contact with PARALLEL UNIVERSE in days

The Man Who Murdered the English Language

275 Years Ago: The Man Who Murdered the English Language 

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

They're not so nice in Niceville.  Cue Little Willie John's "Talk to Me."

Northwest Florida Daily News: NICEVILLE - A 40-year-old woman allegedly went after another woman with a baseball bat after breaking in the victim’s bedroom door in an effort to “talk.”  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Recording of the Day

1952 HITS ARCHIVE: It's In The Book (Grandma's Lye Soap) - Johnny Standley (a #1 record) - YouTube:

A Century Of Iconic Food Packaging

Looks Matter: A Century Of Iconic Food Packaging

Today's Vintage Ad


15 Last Survivors of Famous Events

15 Last Survivors of Famous Events 

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Robert Louis Stevenson, The Black Arrow, Pocket Book Jr., 1950

10 Baffling Mysteries From Important Chapters In Our History

10 Baffling Mysteries From Important Chapters In Our History 

Or Maybe You Have

10 Best Coming-of-Age Books You've Never Read

Chuck Bednarik, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Chuck Bednarik, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Hall of Fame center and linebacker, one of the last N.F.L. players to commonly play on both offense and defense and a legendary football tough guy, died Saturday in Richland, Pa. He was 89.

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Houston Press: The Fort Bend Sheriff's Office just sent a press release to news outlets all over Texas that revealed the credit card, checking account, Social Security, and driver's license numbers of hundreds of people. You see, the email contained a photo of these items that were kept in a lost and found room at the Santikos Palladium theaters in Richmond.

12 Fun Facts About Money

12 Fun Facts About Money