Openers: At first there was music. Popular songs played on her little radio, the volume pitched low enough to keep the music from interfering with her thoughts. Then, as the sky darkened outside her window, she got up, crossed the room, turned on a lamp, then changed he mind and switched it off again. And, while she was at it, switched off the radio as well.
Better to sit in the dark, Madeline thought. Better to sit in the dark, and in the silence.
That way, though, you had only your own thoughts for company. And her own thoughts were bad company these days. They were a whirlpool, a vortex, sucking her deep down within herself, making her see parts of herself she didn't wish to look at. It didn't do to see too clearly in the darkness, didn't do to listen too closely to those thoughts. That is why the whole world played the radio loud, and kept the lights burning. To keep the thoughts drowned out. To keep the darkness safely at bay.
But there came a time when you couldn't do that anymore.
-- Into the Night by Cornell Woolrich, completed by Lawrence Block, revised edition, 2024
Madeline could not keep the darkness at bay. Despondent, she picked up a gun that was the only thing she had left from her father. She saw no reason to keep on living. Conversely, she saw no reason not to keep on living. but she could not leave the gun alone. She placed it to her forehead and pulled the trigger...and the hammer descended on an empty chamber. Suddenly, a great relief passed over her. She did not want to die. Thankful for her sudden escape from death, she tossed the gun on a nearby table. That was when the gun went off. Madeline was alive, but the bullet from the accidentally fired gun went through her window and stuck a young woman passing by in the chest, killing her. no one knew the gun came from Madeline's gun. The police assumed that the young woman was a random victim of violence -- something that happened all too often in the city.
Horrified by the death that she had inadvertently caused, Madeline became obsessed with the victim and wanted in some way to make amends to her. The dead girl, Starr Bartlett, has recently arrived in the city. She had been the only surviving child of a widow living in a distant town. Madeline traveled to the town and met the mother, hoping to find out more about Starr. She learned that Starr had been cruelly betrayed by her husband, who had left her for another woman. Madeline soon began to insert herself into Starr's life, with tragic consequences that began to reveal a very dark side of Madeline...
Cornell Woolrich was a master of dark suspense, penning such classics as The Bride Wore Black, Phantom Lady, and "Rear Window." Into the Night was left unfinished at the time of Woolrich's death in 1968. Almost the entire body of the novel had been completed, lacking only a beginning, and ending, and several short sections in the middle. Lawrence Block completed the narrative and the book was published in 1987. Now, more than thirty-five years later, a new edition has appeared from Hard Case Crime, with Block revising his original version and providing a darker, shocking, ending that is more in line with Woolrich's literary world view.
This is an important book because it is Woolrich. It is also an important book because it is Block. It is not the best Woolrich, nor is it the best Block. What it is is a gripping and compelling nightmare of a tale that should please all suspense fans. Vintage noir, and recommended.
Incoming:
- Kevin J. Anderson, editor, Blood Lite. Horror Writers Association anthology of 21 humorous horror stories. Authors include Kelley Armstrong, Joe R. Lansdale, Charlaine Harris, J. A. Konrath & F. Paul Wilson, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Mike Resnick, Nancy Holder, and Jim Butcher.
- Lawrence Block, Fourteen early sex/sleaze/lesbian/erotic/softcore novels from early in his career: A Strange Kind of Love (1959, as by "Sheldon Lord"), Born to Be Bad (1959, as by "Sheldon Lord," also published as Puta), Campus Tramp (1959, as by "Andrew Shaw"), Of Shame and Joy (1960, as by 'Sheldon Lord"), Kept (1960, as by 'Sheldon Lord"), The Adulterers (1960, as by "Andrew Shaw"), High School Sex Club (1960, as by "Andrew Shaw" -- although listed as by "John Dexter" on the title page [the publisher sometimes confused pseudonyms]; also published as The Corrupted), The Sin-Damned (1960, as by "Andrew Shaw"), Sexpot! (1960, as by "Andrew Shaw," also published as Bad Girl), I Sell Love (1960, as by "Liz Crowley"), Community of Women (1961, as by "Sheldon Lord"), Girls on the Prowl (1961, as by "Andrew Shaw," also published as The Wantons) Circle of Sinners (1961, as by "Don Holliday," co-written with Hal Dresner; reprinted as by block and Dresner), and Gigolo Johnny Wells (1961, originally titled Lover by "Andrew /Shaw"; note that Block would later use the name "John Warren Wells" for twenty supposedly non-fiction books on sexual behavior). These were supposedly hot stuff more than sixty years ago; today's reader of modern romance novels wouldn't bat an eyelash. Also, Shadows, the first novel Block wrote, and the third book published; originally published as Strange Are the Ways of Love as by "Leslie Evans," and republished as by Block writing as "Jill Emerson." (Long before it was known that Block had written the book, he would make reference to it by its original title and author in other pseudonymous sex novels, pointing out that it was a classic novel in lesbian fiction. File under authors having fun.)
- Marion Zimmer Bradley, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover. Collection of 14 stories about Darkover, planet of the Bloody Sun. For reasons that I won't go into, Bradley has fallen out of favor in recent years, and rightly so, but I also cannot forget the kindness she showed Kitty and me during the early years of our marriage.
- James H. Curry, Descensus Averno; or, The Downward Drift. This one was a pig in a poke. It looked interesting but I couldn't tell a thing about it, but for 50 cents at a thrift shop it was worth a flyer. This one is the 1881 (perhaps first) edition of a literary novel that, according to Google, "explores the theme of human nature and the consequences of one's actions. The story follow the protagonist, Jack, who is a young man struggling to find his place in the world. Jack's life takes a downward spiral when he becomes involved in a series of unfortunate events, leading to question his own morality and the existence of a higher power. The title of the book, Descensus Averno, is a Latin phrase that translates to 'the descent into hell.' This title is fitting, as the novel takes the reader on a journey through Jack's descent into a dark and troubled world. The book is set in the late nineteenth century and is written in a style that reflects the time period. Throughout the book, Curry explores themes such as morality, religion, and the human condition." Looks like heavy slogging and I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to reading it. My copy has a faded note saying that it was for sale on eBay at one time for $50; copies available on line seem to go for $36 and up, although because it is way, way, way out of copyright, POD copies abound and it is available free online at the usual sources. One final note: one online source says that the book has been deemed "culturally significant" -- make of that what you will.
- Robert Dunbar, The Pines. Horror novel. "When her husband died, Athena Monroe often wondered why she stayed in the dilapidated old farmhouse, buried deep in the harsh, blighted New Jersey pine barrens. Perhaps it was because her mysteriously afflicted young son seemed to feel such strong ties to the area's primeval swamps and stunted forests -- such an affinity for the pines. She didn't guess that his psychic connection was with something evil -- until ranting fits and night terrors gripped him in a vise of horror. Athena was afraid her inability to really love the boy was now causing his strange behavior, but the old-timers in the region recognized something more sinister. to them it was an omen of things to come -- a sign that the monstrous Jersey Devil was about to reappear." I'll admit that this back cover copy is poorly written and few would have picked up the book on that basis. In my defense, all I can say is...Jersey Devil.
- Jules Feiffer, A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears. Juvenile novel, a "baggy-pants fairy tale." "Roger makes everyone laugh. Kings, wizards, peasants, even the birds and animals in the royal forest -- they all fall apart when Roger comes into view. but roger's gift for inspiring laughter is a stone in the heart of his father, good King Whatchamacallit, who understands that a prince who's a barrel of laughs lacks the stuff needed to succeed to the throne. So Roger is sent on a quest, the purpose of which is to turn the carefree young prince into a sober man and a worthy monarch. With only a bag of magic powder to help him, roger enters the Forever Forest, crosses the Dastardly Divide, descends into the Valley of Vengeance, and encounters the Mountains of Malice, which is so downright mean that his humor and spirit are all but crushed. On this awful, awfully funny quest, Roger gets everything wrong -- except for the meaning of life, and that he gets right." I love Feiffer.
- John C. Ford, The Morgue and Me. YA mystery. From a Goodreads review: "Christopher just needed a job to kill time after high school graduation. He didn't expect it to be in the morgue. Or that he would accidently discover a murder cover-up. Or that his discovery would lead him to a full-blown investigation involving bribery, kidnappings, more murders...and his best friend. And he certainly could never have predicted that Tina -- loud, insanely hot, overly ambitious newspaper reporter Tina -- would be his partner. But all of that did happen. And Christopher's life will never be the same. With plenty of plot twists, red herrings, and dry wit, The Morgue and Me is a page-turning modern take on the classic detective genre." It will be interesting to see this book compares to Christopher Golden's Jenna Blake Body of Evidence series, which also concerns a teenager working in a morgue.
- Paul Gallico, The Silent Meow: A Manual for Kittens, Strays, and Homeless Cats. Evidently this book was written by Cica and translated from the feline by Gallico. Accompanying the text is a photographic picture story by Suzanne Szasz. Could this be a worthy book for childless cat ladies? I'll have to check if Taylor Swift has this one on her bookshelf.
- Mick Herron, Reconstruction. Before there was Slow horses, there was Reconstruction, a stand-alone novel which takes place before the Slow Horses series but uses some of the same characters and provides some character backstory. "When a man with a gun breaks into her school, nursery teacher Louise Kennedy knows there's not likely to be a happy ending...But Jaime isn't there on a homicidal whim, and is as scared as the hostages he's taken. While an armed police presence builds up outside, he'll only talk to Ben Wheeler, an MI6 accountant who worked with his lover, Miro. Miro's apparently gone on the run. along with a huge sum of money. Jaime doesn't believe Miro's a thief -- though he certainly has secrets. But then, so does Louise; so do the other hostages; and so do some of those on the outside, who'd much rather Jaime was silenced..."
- Carl Hiaason, Skink -- No Surrender. Young adult novel featuring the ex-governor of Florida now known as Skink. "Classic Malley. Her parents are about to ship her off to boarding school, so she takes off with some guy she met online...Poor Richard. He's less of a rebel than Malley, and a lot less trusting. He knows his cousin is in trouble before she does...Wild Skink. He's a ragged, one-eyed, wandering vigilante. with perfect teeth. Also, supposedly dead. But he's a man who relishes a lost cause, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to find Malley. With Richard riding shotgun, this unlikely pair set off on a breakneck chase, undaunted by blinging storms, poisonous snakes, crazed pigs, river rats, giant gators, flying bullets, and lightning strikes. In Carl Hiaason's outrageous, hilarious and wildly dangerous state of Florida, there are a million places an outlaw might stash a teenage girl. A million unpleasant ways to die. And two who will risk everything to rescue a friend...and to, hopefully, exact a bit of swamp justice." Is there anyone who understands Florida better than Carl Hiaason?
- Robin D. Laws, City of Heroes: The Freedom Phalanx. Gaming tie-in novel, the second (and last) to be published. "Despair stalks the streets of Paragon City. Five decades after Statesman and his allies first formed the Freedom Phalanx, that legendary group of heroes is no more and power-mad villains stand poised on the brink of ultimate victory. The fledgling hero Positron has a plan to stop them: rebuild the Freedom Phalanx. but the world's mightiest champions no longer see the point in battling alongside others, not when they have their own private wars to wage and personal demons to conquer. For Positron to forge a new Freedom Phalanx and save Paragon city from the schemes of the dreaded Tyranny Legion, he must first save Statesman, Manticore, and the other crime-busting legends from their greatest enemies -- themselves."
- Elizabeth Linington, Policeman's Lot. An Ivor Maddox mystery. "Two people have disappeared -- a gas-station attendant and a doctor. Is there a connection between the two men? that's what Ivor Maddox and the ret of the men of the LAPD have to find out; but first they have to find out if there's even a crime involved. They know there's a crime involved in the hit-and-run accident...in the activities of a gang of teenage car thieves...and with the counterfeiting ring they're trying to collar. They also know that a recently discovered gun has had a long lit of previous owners -- and that one of them is a killer!" Also, as by "Dell Shannon," Double Bluff. a Luiz Mendoza mystery. "When an agitated gentleman reports that his sister has been murdered by her husband, Lt. Mendoza is skeptical; there is no corpse to support the charge. An examination of her house turns up the woman's glasses and dentures, but the owner is not at home. Nor will their owner ever need them again, as soon her body is found in her car, at the bottom of a cliff. Strangely enough, the autopsy reviews that she died of a head wound inflicted before the car plunged over the precipice. In spite of the accusation against her husband, an inheritance of two million dollars suggests more than one person may have been interested in the woman's death. the woman's niece is a high-priced prostitute who was about to be written out of the will; the woman's brother was madly in love with their niece. and the husband of the deceased, who may indeed be innocent, refuses to substantiate his alibi. Distracted by a new situation on the home front -- Mendoza's wife Alison is pregnant -- the dedicated Lt. must wade through a tangled skein of motives to find the person who killed for profit -- or for passion1"
- Jonathan Maberry, Bad Moon Rising. Horror novel, the third novel in the Pine Deep trilogy. "Each year, the residents of Pine Deep host the Halloween Festival, drawing tourists and celebrities from across the country to enjoy the deliciously creepy fun. Those who visit the small Pennsylvania town are out for a good time, but those who live there are desperately trying to survive...For a monstrous evil lives among them, a savage presence whose malicious power has grown too powerful even for death to hold it back. Only a handful of brave souls stand against the king of the dead and a red wave of destruction, Daylight is fading and a bad moon is rising over Pine Deep. Keep watching the shadows..."
- Louise Penny, A Better Man A Three Pines/Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novel. "It's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache's first day back as head of the homicide department, a job he temporarily shares with his previous second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Floodwaters are rising across the province. In the middle of the turmoil, a father approaches Gamache, pleading for help in finding his daughter. As crisis piles upon crisis, Gamache tries to hold off the encroaching chaos, and realizes the search for Vivienne Godin should be abandoned. but with a daughter of his own, he finds himself developing a profound, and perhaps unwise, empathy for her distraught father. Increasingly hounded by the question how would you feel?..., he resumes the search. As the rivers rise, and the social media onslaught against Gamache becomes crueler, a body is discovered. And in the tumult, mistakes are made. Gamache must face a horrific possibility, and a burning question. What would you do if your child's killer walked free?" Shame on me, I have not yet read any of Penny's critically acclaimed mysteries.
- Kim Stanley Robinson, The Ministry of the Future. Science fiction. "...a masterpiece of the imagination. using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. Its setting is not a desolate, postapocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us. chosen be Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of the year, this extraordinary novel from visionary science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson will change the way you think about the climate crisis." Jonathan Letham calls it "The best science fiction nonfiction novel I've ever read."
- Dan Wells, Mr. Monster. Thriller, a sequel to I Am Not a Serial Killer. In the previous book, "John Wayne Chester saved his town from a murderer even more appalling than the serial killers he obsessively studies. But it turns out even demons have friends, and the disappearance of one has brought another to Clayton County. Soon there are new victims for John to work on the mortuary and a new mystery to solve. But John has tasted death, and the dark nature he used as a weapon -- the terrifying persons he calls 'Mr. Monster' -- might now be using him. No one in Clayton is safe unless John can vanquish two nightmarish adversaries: the unknown demon he must hunt and the inner demons he can never escape..."
Stay Away From Seattle: Seattle is one of the great American cities. With a population of 775,000, it is the largest city in the American northwest and is the 18th largest city in the country. Seattle is the home of Amazon, Norstrom, Weyerhaeuser, Expedia, Zillow, and some company that specializes in pretentious, over-priced, burnt-caffeine drinks; companies located in the Seattle area also include Costco, Microsoft, Nintendo, and T-Mobile. Seattle currently has an estimated 54,200 millionaires and 11 billionaires. (The city also has 11% of its population and 6.8% of its families living below the poverty line; an estimated 22.3 % of those living below the poverty line were either under 21 or over 60 years of age.)
A seaport city, Seattle enjoys a "warm-summer Mediterranean climate," with cool, wet winters and relatively dry summers. The city is known for its musical history. The very first Beatle record played on American radio was played on a Seattle station. The city helped develop the early careers of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and Bumps Blackwell. Musical groups from Seattle have included The Brothers four, The Fleetwoods, The Wailers, The Ventures, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Heart, The Foo Fighters, and Death Cab for Cuties. Artists whose careers were advanced in Seattle include Kenny G, Jimi Hendrix, and Nikki Sixx. the city is home to the Seattle City Orchestra, the Seattle Opera, the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Seattle Chamber Music Society, and the largest youth symphonic organization in the united States, the Seattle Youth Orchestras. The city boasts over 100 theatrical production companies and over two dozen live theater venues; it is probably the second only to New York for professional theater companies, with 28 theater companies having Actors Equity contracts. Poetry is big in Seattle, with a number of world and national Poetry Slam champions; the biennnial Seattle Poetry festival brings poets from around the world. Seattle is also the supposed home of the television show Frazier. And who can forget Sleepless in Seattle?
Seattle is home of the Space Needle, and of the Seattle Great Wheel, one of the largest Ferris wheels in the country. The city is dotted with museums of all stripes, and hosts festivals galore. The popular Seattle underground tour visits locations that existed before the city's Great Fire in 1889. (Who can forget the scenes in Seattle's underground city in the television film The Night Strangler, with Darren McGavin as intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak?). The Port of Seattle and the Seattle-Tacoma Airport are major transportation hubs. The University of Washington was ranked in 2017 in U.S. News & World Report as eleventh in the world.
Seattle has seven professional sports teams: the Seahawks (NFB), the Mariners (MLB), the Kraken (NHL), the Sounders (Major League Soccer), the Storm (WNBA), the Reign (National Women's Soccer League), and the Seawolves (Major League Rugby). An early Seattle team, the Metropolitans, was the first American Hockey team to win the Stanley Cup back in 1917. From 1968 to 2008, Seattle was home to NBA's Supersonics. the city also has two collegiate sports teams, the University of Washington's Huskies and Seattle University's Redhawks.
Seattle's crime rate for both violent crime and property crime dropped in 2023, with a combined drop of 10%.
As you can Seattle is a city with many pluses, a city that has attracted a lot of new residents and a lot of tourists. Some people are wary of the city's rapid growth. Thus the annual Stay Away from Seattle Day was instituted to allow Seattle residents to stop, take a breath, and enjoy their city in peace and comfort. for at least one day. The holiday was invented by a guy named tom Roy, a man who had never been to Seattle, or, indeed, Washington state. (Roy was also the man who created Don't Step on a Bee Day and Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day.) The holiday has taken off and has become very popular, although it should be noted that the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce does not support the holiday and more than one resident thinks the whole thing is stupid. But, thanks to Hallmark, Huff Post, and others, the day is here to stay. Seattle is a city of small neighborhoods and super friendly people. The people are even friendly on Stay Away from Seattle Day.
HOW TO CELEBRATE STAY AWAY FROM SEATTLE DAY:
- Stay away from Seattle
- I mean it. Stay away. Go somewhere else. Come back tomorrow.
Another Possible Holiday: Try this one for size -- Haitian Dog and Cat Appreciation Day. It could be celebrated in any one of the 67 so-named population centers in the Untied States, as well as in foreign countries studded with Springfields, such as England and Ireland. It would be best celebrated in cities with a Haitian immigrant population, which could sponsor events to raise funds for local animal shelters.
I would also suggest that it could be celebrated with food festivals, all of which could offer the "J. D. VANCE," a really big wiener topped with a Haitian condiment, such as pikliz. Here's a recipe for pikliz:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailv2&iss=sbi&FORM=recidp&sbisrc=ImgDropper&q=How+To+Make+Haitian+Pikliz+(Popular+Spicy+Condiment)&imgurl=https://bing.com/th?id=OSK.e178f39ae5b7efc395763b310a885458&idpbck=1&sim=4&pageurl=4c8e86d5ea5eea64e9ddb926e1657fab&idpp=recipe&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0
Also at the food festival should be "The Trump," a really, really small cocktail wiener advertised as the biggest in the world: "You've never seen anything this size before!" "The Trump" wiener should come with a small magnifying glass, because its size keeps diminishing.
It's hard to believe that such a ludicrous claim of immigrants eating household pet would gain substance. Well, it would be hard to believe if I did not live in an area where about 60% of the population -- what I call the Kool-Aid drinking majority -- did not believe wholeheartedly in MAGA lies. **sigh**
Cities named Springfield have a storied place in our culture. Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, Guiding Light, and The Simpsons all take place in a Springfield somewhere. Now Springfield is another stories location, and the story is far more fictional than any of those others...
Other Holidays Today:
- National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day
- National Guacamole Day
- Play-Doh Day
- Wrinkled Raincoat Day
- National Tattoo Story Day (I'll gladly tell you the story of my one and only tattoo)
- National Collect Rocks Day
And, more importantly,
- International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
- National Stepfamily Day
- National Respect for the Aged Day (Third Monday in September)
- Trail of Tears Commemoration Day
- National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina
- Mexican Independence Day
- Working Parents Day
- Mayflower Day
- Anne Bradstreet Day (commemorating the first writer in England's North American colonies to be published)
This week also marks:
- Adopt a Less /Adoptable pet Week
- Malnutrition Awareness Week
- Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Wee
- National Hispanic Heritage Week
- Pollution Prevention Week
- Prostate Cancer Awareness Week
- National Truck Driver Appreciation Week
- National Indoor Plant Week
- National Historically Black Colleges & universities Week
- National Adult Day Services Week
- National Eczema Week
- International Clean Hands Week
This is also:
- AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Month
- Animal Pain Awareness Month
- Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month
- Chiari Malformation Awareness month
- Children's Good Manners Month
- Classical Music Month
- Eat Chicken Month
- Happy Cat Month (void in MAGAland's Springfield)
- National Blueberry Popsicle Month
- National Bourbon Heritage Month
- National Courtesy Month
- National Wilderness Month
- Self Improvement Month
- Shameless Promotion Month
May you celebrate each with the dignity it deserves.
Honorius I: On this day in 681, Pope Honorius I was excommunicated by the Sixth Ecumenical Council. I doubt that he was bothered by this, though, because by then he had been dead for some 43 years.
Not much is known about Honorius I. His historical record started on October 27, 625 when he was proclaimed Pope, just two days following the death of Pope Boniface V. The short turnaround is probably due to the presence in Rome of Isaac the Armenian, the imperial exarch in Italy, who, as such, was authorized to confirm Honorius's election. Honorius himself was an aristocrat from Campania, the son of the consul Petronius. Beyond that, we know little of his beginnings.
During his rule as Pope, there was much discussion of Monothelitism, the theory that Christ has just one energy and one will, as opposed to two energies and two wills, each human and divine. Initially, Honorius was thought by some to subscribe to Monothelitism, stating that Jesus had just one will and did not assume the human nature tainted by Adam's fall, but assumed a nature that existed before Adam's fall. He did not truly support Monothelitism; rather that Jesus did not have two separate wills -- one of the flesh and one of the spirit, such as men have because of sin, but that Jesus had one natural will regarding his Humanity. Such arguments and parsing of words and phrases were important to the early Church. Honorius was later faulted for not ending the Doctrine of Monothelitism.
By 681, Monothelitists were widely condemned by the Church as heretics and followers of "the insane false doctrine of the impious Apollinaire, Severus and Themistius," specifically pointing out the long-dead Honorius, "who did not attempt to sanctify this Apostolic Church with the teaching of apostolic tradition, but by profane treachery permitted its purity to be polluted." Thus, Honorius was anathematized and excommunicated with the blessing of then-Pope Leo II. Leo's successors as well as subsequent councils continued to ratify the action. As late as the nineteenth century, attacks on Honorius would be by opponents of the theory of papal infallibility. Current thinking appears to be that Honorius was not really concerned with the theology of the matter and considered the argument to merely be more of grammar than theology.
Honorius remains one of two Popes excommunicated by the Catholic Church; the other was Leo I. The Church has also excommunicated five saints: Athanasius in the fourth century, Leo I in the fifth century, Columba in the sixth century (the excommunication was later deemed to bean abuse of justice and the charge was removed) , Joan of Arc in 1431 (she was fully reconciled at her Trial of Nullification in 1456), and Mary Mackillop in 1871; (she had angered Church officials by reporting clergy child sex abuse, angered others about educational issues, and was reputed to have a drinking problem -- her drinking was under doctor's orders to relieve symptoms of dysmenorrhea; an episcopal commission leter completely exonerated her.)
Under Two Jags: A short silent film from 1923, produced by Max Roach and starring Stan Laurel, Katherine Grant, Mae Laurel (Stan's common-law wife), Sammy Brooks, and William Gillespie.
Laurel was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson. He met Mae Dahlberg in 1921; she convinced him to change his name to Stan Laurel because, having thirteen letters, "Stan Jefferson" was unlucky. Laurel had already appeared in one film with Oliver Hardy in 1921, but it would not be until 1928 that the pair would team up to produce the wide string of comedies for which they are famous.
In Under Two Jags, Laurel plays a Foreign Legionnaire who has two women fall in love with him.
Enjoy this early comedy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP_-31CRcbg&list=PLA_4nSuZvaobm_Y0EzxSoVt2FEFxICmOj&index=22
Ha Ha: A sixty-year-old multimillionaire just married a twenty-year-old model. When asked how he managed to catch such a beautiful woman, he said, "I lied about my age." "Oh. Did you tell her you were forty?" "No, I told her I was ninety."
B. B. King: Today would have been his 99th birthday...
"The Thrill Is Gone"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oica5jG7FpU
'Lucille"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8hOvsg_AiY
"Sweet Little Angel"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNr_eIgP0tI
"Three O'Clock Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ozjCQkqZs
"Don't Answer the Door"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjvru8f_t4o
"Bring It On Home To Me"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwbHQQuUovo
"Blues Boys Tune"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29wMp2nnx_0
"Rock Me Baby"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUD4Sz3STps
"Hold On I'm Coming" (with Eric Clapton)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lthX6gVC6e4
"Why I Sing the Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccHrgxsO9z0
Florida Man:
- Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Florida Man Gary Rivera, of Miami (age not given), has been found guilty of the production and the attempted production of child sexual abuse material. Evidence at his trial revealed that Rivera gifted three items to a child; each item contained a hidden camera that could be controlled remotely. The child's mother found the camera and contacted the Clay County Sheriff's Office. When authorities looked at Rivera's cell phone, they found 14 files containing child abuse materials, as well as a control device for the hidden cameras. Rivera was found guilty of three counts, each of which has a minimum sentence of 15 years up to thirty years in federal prison. Rivera will be sentenced in early December.
- Less than two weeks after a deadly school shooting in Georgia, schools in Florida and elsewhere in the country have been inundated with hoax threats of school violence.. these threats are coming from the students themselves and are being sent across social media platforms. Near where I live, threats have arisen in Pensacola and in nearby Okaloosa County. In Volusia County, Sheriff mike Chitwood said the situation is "absolutely out of control" and that his department has spent nearly $21,000 investigating bogus school threats in just one day. 54 threats were reported in less than one day. Chitwood is threatening action. Already his department has arrested a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old student on felony charges' a third student is being investigated. He told parents that he would take their children and "perp walk" them, and if he finds that parents knew about the activities and did nothing, he would also perp walk them. "This is absolutely ridiculous," he said. "Go talk to the parents who have lost a loved one in a school shooting. These knuckleheads think its funny. Go talk to those parents and see how funny it is. It's not."
- Florida Man Amos Lee Hendricks, 36, of Marathon, appears to be not a fan of fresh bedding. An unsuspecting nurse at the Fisherman's Hospital emergency room was met with a surprise punch, a neck grab, and an attempted kneeing from Hendricks when she attempted to change his soiled sheets. "Clean sheets" are evidently fighting words in some parts of Florida.
Hendricks than compounded his woes by resisting arrest. - Florida Man Daniel James Lunch, 61, of Big Pine Key, decided to beautify his neighborhood by showing up at a neighbor's residence in a state of undress. Not once, but twice. In addition to attempting to improve the neighborhood aesthetics in this manner, Lynch reportedly engaged in some self-entertainment. The neighbor, who now may be wishing she did not invest in her high-definition security camera, was at least able to provide footage to the police. Lynch was arrested and charged with burglary, indecent exposure, and harassment.
- Florida Man Christopher Kilpatrick, a former gas station employee, has been charged after a woman complained that she had been "poked" in the back while at a self checkout at a Circle K in Davenport. Surveillance video from inside the store shows that Kilpatrick had exposed himself while poking the woman, and that he had done the same to another woman earlier that day. Further examination of that day's security video allegedly shows Kirkpatrick recording photos and videos looking up the skirts of two other videos. When interviewed, Kirkpatrick admitted to taking upskirt photos of between 300 to 400 woman, including juveniles, in a similar manner.
Good News:
- A music festival comes to the rescue of fans. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/when-music-festival-ticket-holders-couldnt-get-a-refund-another-unaffiliated-festival-stepped-up/
- Trucking firm transports tons of snow from the North to the South so special needs kids can have fun. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/hearts-melt-as-truck-firm-transports-tons-of-snow-from-north-to-south-for-special-needs-kids-to-have-fun/
- Gene therapy trial shows 100 times improvement in sight. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/100-times-improvement-in-sight-seen-after-gene-therapy-trial/
- We need more heroes like this. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/surveillance-shows-jon-bon-jovi-stopping-woman-from-jumping-off-bridge-in-nashville/
- Lost Rembrandt found in Maine attic. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/lost-rembrandt-found-tucked-away-inside-an-attic-in-maine-sells-for-1-4-million-in-bidding-war/
- Eagle Scout renovates Oklahoma nun's food bank. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/handy-with-a-hammer-and-saw-eagle-scout-hopeful-renovates-oklahoma-nuns-food-bank/
- Charles Barkley keeps a one million dollar promise. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/charles-barkley-donates-1-million-to-new-orleans-academy-where-these-teens-solved-pythagoras-theorum/
- Targeted sound waves can treat pain and depression. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/targeted-sound-waves-treat-pain-and-depression-in-as-little-as-one-40-minute-session/
Today's Poem;
At the California Institute of Technology
I don't care how God-damn smart
these guys are: I'm bored.
It's been raining like hell all day long
and there's nothing to do.
Written January 24, 1967
while poet-in-residence at
the California Institute of
Technology.
-- Richard Brautigan