FORGOTTEN BOOK: OFF ON A COMET

 Off on a Comet or Hector Servadac by Jules Verne (originally published in two parts as Hector Servadac, voyages at adventures a travers le monde solaire in Magasin d'Education et de Recreation, from January 1, 1877 to July 15, 1877 and from August 1, 1877 to December 15, 1877; first English translation as Hector Servadac:  Travels and Adventures Through the Solar System in The Seaside Library. No. 43, September 1877; later English translations appeared as Astounding Adventures Among the Comets; or, Captain Hectoc Serrvadac's Thrilling Experiences (undated), as Hector Servadac (1878), as Hector Servadac; or, The Career of a Comet (1878), as Off on a Comet:  A Journey Through Planetary Space (1878), as To the Sun?  A Journey Through Interplanetary Space (1878), as Off on a Comet (1957), as To the Sun?/Off on a Comet (1960), as Anomalous Phenomena (1965), as Homeward Bound (1965), and as Off on a Comet! (2013); appeared as a two-part serial in the first two issues of Amazing Stories, April and May 1926 (Part One being the very first story to appear in a science fiction magazine), in a translation by Ellen E. Frewer, based on her 1887 and 1888 translations; also included in The Works of Jules Verne 9 (1911), in Verne's Novels (1929), reprinted in the Gernsback-edited Science Fiction Classics #1 (2014) and #2 (2015), in The Jules Verne Collection (2024), in numerous eBook appearances, in many foreign editions, and most likely in other editions -- including omnibuses -- lurking out there that I have not been able to locate.)

A classic, and rightly so.  This is Number 15 in Verne's Extraordinary Voyages.

The comet Gallia brushes against Earth on January 1, 188x, taking small part of the planet (basically located around Gibraltar) with it.  Sept up with the comet are three dozen French, English, Spanish, and Russians, among them Captain Hector Servadac and his adjutant Ben Zoof.  These people at first do not realize what has happened and assume they experienced an earthquake.  But then there is weight loss, and Servadac finds he can now leap 12 meters into the air.  Day and night have been shortened to six hour each, east and west have changed sides, and water is now boiled at 66 degrees C.  Not realizing they are now on Gallia, they view the Earth and the moon in the sky and believe them to be unknown planets.  Also swept up by the comet is a ship. which the survivors use to locate a French astronomer, Rosette, whop helps them understand what has happened..

Starvation may soon loom because there is no arable land and the survivors have been ling on a diminishing supply of slaughtered animals.  The French and the English survivors are at odds because each considers themselves to represent their respective governments, so politics begins to rear its head.  the Spanish island of Ceuta, which both French and the English deem unclaimed becomes a sticking point for them.

As the comet circles the sun, they learn that it will again strike Earth on its return --  exactly two after the first collision.  Can the survivors use this opportunity to "jump" back onto their own planet?

In his introduction to Part One of the serial, Amazing Stories editor Hugo Gernsback wrote, "Among so many effective and artistic tales of our author, it is difficult to give preference to one over all the rest.  Yet, certainly, even amid Verne's remarkable works, his "Off on a Comet" must be given high rank.  Perhaps this story will be remembered when some of his greatest efforts have been obliterated by centuries of time.    At least, of the many books since written on the same theme as Verne's, no one has yet equated or even approached it...[T]he author here abandons his usual scrupulously scientific attitude and gives his fancy free rein.  In order that he may escort us through the depths of immeasurable space, to show us what astronomy really knows of conditions there and upon the other planets...If the situation were reproduced in actuality, if ever a comet should come into collision with the earth, we can conceive two scientifically possible results.  If the comet were of such attenuation, such almost infinitesimal mass as some of these celestial wanderers seem to be, we can imagine our earth self-protected and possibly unharmed.  If, on the other hand, the comet had even the hundredth part of the size and the solidity and the weight which Verne confers on his monster so far as to give his travelers a home -- in that case the collision would be unspeakably disastrous -- especially to the unlucky individuals who occupied the exact point of contact..."

Despite Gernsback's cavil, this is a ripping yarn, and should be on every science fiction fan's bucket list.

An interesting bit of satire, infused with some "modern" scientific theory.  Nor as stodgy as one might think.

THE LUCKY STRIKE PROGRAM STARRING JACK BENNY: TURKEY TRIAL DREAM (NOVEMBER 30, 1947)

We're just a week from Thanksgiving so it's time to get in the mood with Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Rochester, Dennis Day, and Don Wilson. and Phil Harris.

Harris sings a version of "That's What I Like About the South."   Dennis croons "Don't You Love Me Any More?"  Jack and Rochester have to kill a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, and Jack has a nightmare about it; wondrous silliness ensues.

Jack also takes a serious moment voice his support for America's teachers.

Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz5UH8iKKfw&list=PLodD3-7RwBZwKhDkr77mRHOIhnLcX_mEi&index=24

SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE RIDDLE OF THE MARBLE BLADE

"The Riddle of the Marble Blade" by Stuart Palmer  (first published in Mystery, November 1934; reprinted in The Saint Mystery Magazine [UK], November 1962; in The Saint Mystery Magazine, March 1963; in Uncollected Crimes, edited by Bill Pronzini & Martin H. Greenberg, 1987; in Hildegarde Withers:  Uncollected Cases by Palmer, 2002; available separately as an eBook from Wildside Press, 1922)

When George Kelley reviewed Hildegarde Withers:  Uncollected Cases three years ago (@GeorgeKelley.org, September 22, 2021), he called the stories in the collection "puzzle stories with a flare."  That they are.  Since George's review did not go into every story in the collection, I thought it fair to take a closer look at one of them.

Anyone who is unfamiliar with Palmer's spinster schoolteacher/detective, pay heed to the story's first sentence:

"In order to love her fellow man as she felt duty-bound to do, Miss Hildegarde Withers found it advisable to avoid humanity en masse whenever possible."

I defy anyone to not read further after that sentence.

New York City has shelled out ten thousand dollars in commission for a statue of George Washington by sculptor Manuel Dravid.  The sculpture, twice life-size, is to overlook the city's George Washington Uptown Swimming Pool Number Two (at the moment still an uncompleted hole) in Central Park.  But the statue has been completed and put into its place, and an official unveiling is to take place.  The mayor is making a long speech, and, off to the side, Dee Bryan,  the pretty eighteen-year-old daughter of the Park Commissioner has a firm hold on the release ropes that will lower the drapes over the statue on cue.  Dravid, the sculptor, was expected to be there for the ceremony, but he has not appeared.  Off to the rear of the crowd is Dravid's wife.  Also off to the rear is a strange thin, bearded man who seems to looking more at the draped statue than at the ceremony itself; this momentarily captures Dee's attention and she almost misses her cue to pull the rope.  Dee pulls the rope and it sticks.  Another person comes to help her jerk the rope and it finally releases and the drapes over the statue drop...the reveal the bloody body of the sculptor draped over the statue's arm.

Inspector Oscar Piper is flummoxed, and whenever Piper is flummoxed over a murder, he calls on Hildegarde Withers for assistance.  Dravid had been stabbed with some sort of  marble sword, part of which was still imbedded in the body.  When Hildegarde inspects the scene she finds some mysterious marble ships at the bottom of the statue.  Then, while inspecting the sculptor's studio, she cannot help but notice some of the bizarre works the Dravid had created, including an Earth Mother figure with a grotesque expression and a statue of the Three Fates which included four Fates.

Then word comes that Dee Bryan, the Park Commissioner's daughter is missing and presumed kidnapped.

Time is of the essence for Hildegarde to solve the murder if the girl is to be saved...

Stuart Palmer (1905-1968) began his fiction career in 1928 writing stories and one serialized novel for Ghost Stories magazine.  In 1931 he tied his hand at a mystery novel, producing the first Hildegarde Withers novel, The Penguin Pool Murders.  One of the inspirations in creating the character was the actress Edna May Oliver, who impressed Palmer when he saw her in the Broadway production of Showboat while writing the book; in a case of serendipity, Oliver went on to play Hildegarde Withers in three films.  In that first novel, Palmer described Hildegarde as one "whom the census enumerator had recently listed as 'spinster, born Boston, age thirty-nine, occupation school teacher'."  A further description reads, "A lean, angular spinster lady, her unusual hat and the black cotton umbrella she carries are her trademark...Hildegarde collects tropical fish, abhors alcohol and tobacco, and appears to have an irritable disposition.  However she is a romantic at heart and will extend herself to help young lovers."  To  my mind, Hildegarde Withers is one of the most formidable and readable amateur female detectives ever created, and perhaps the equal of Christie's Jane Marple.

There were fourteen novels about Hildegarde Withers published between 1931 and 1969; the last being completed by Fletcher Flora after Palmer's death.  In addition, Palmer wrote 44 short stories anbout the character which were published in six collections; several of the short stories were crossovers featuring Craig Rice's definitely un-Hildegarde character John J. Malone.  There were seven films made featuring Hildegarde Withers, including three with Edna May Oliver, one with Helen Broderick, two with Zazu Pitts, and a television movie starring Eve Arden.   There should have been another movie on this list.  a movie based on one of the Palmer-Rice collaborations, ended up eliminating the Wither character and replacing her with Marjorie Main as "Mrs.O'Malley" in Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone -- what were they thinking?  Supposedly, Agnes Moorhead also played Hildegarde at some point in her career, but I am unable to verify this -- can anyone help?

Palmer also wrote two novels about Howie Rook, a former newspaperman turned PI, and three other novels, one under the pseudonym "Jay Stewart."  Palmer also had a successful screenwriting career with 34 IDMb credits, including three films in the Bulldog Drummond series, one in the Lone Wolf series, and two in the Falcon series.

HOPEFULLY NOT AN OVERLOOKED FILM: THE GREAT DICTATOR (1940)

Is it too soon to post a political film?

Here's the classic Charlie Chaplin movie in which he eviscerates Hitler and Fascism.

Enjoy.  And learn.

https://archive.org/details/the.-great.-dictator.-1940.720p.-br-rip.x-264.-yify

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICKEY MOUSE!

The little rodent was co-created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks to replace a prior Disney character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.  Although created by the Disney studio Oswald was actually then-owned by Universal Pictures.  When it came time to renew Oswald's contract, Universal's middleman informed Disney that his budget was being cut severely, adding that a number of Disney animators were moving over to the Mintz Studio.  So a new character was workshopped in secret between Disney and Iwerks, with Disney instructing Iwerks to come up with character designs based on various animals.  Dogs, cats, a cow, a horse, and a frog were all rejected until Iwerks came up with a mouse supposedly based on an earlier Disney design.  Much of this early process is shrouded in mystery as various s tories and explanations arose to add luster to Disney's legend.

In any event, they had a mouse.  Walt wanted to call the mouse Mortimer, but his wife preferred the name Mickey.  Mickey made his public debut in Steamboat Willie, although he had appeared in two previous shorts -- Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho -- which had not then been distributed.  Disney himself provided all of the voices in the cartoon, "although there is little intelligible dialogue."  Although Steamboat Willie is commonly recognized as the first cartoon with synchronized sound, that honor actually belongs to Paul Terry's Dinner Time -- but that cartoon was a flop, and history is written by the winners.  With the exception of two cartoons in 1929 in which Mickey was voiced by Carl Stallings, Walt Disney provided the voice of Mickey through 1947 and from 1955 to 1962.

Mickey has appeared in over 130 films, and has appeared extensively in comic strips, comic books, and on television.  His merchandise has appeared everywhere and the character has remained a major cash cow for Disney.  It is not for nothing that Disney is referred to as the House of Mouse.

Here's Steamboat Willie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBgghnQF6E4

Although the Mickey went into public domain in 2024, Disney has kept a tight control on the character because he is trademarked into perpetuity, as long as the character is continued to be used by its owners.  Mickey may not be used as a trademark without authorization.  Disney had lobbied extensively for the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act to the point where it is often referred to as the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act."  The Walt Disney company zealously protects its intellectual property and has even sued day care centers which painted likenesses of Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters on their walls.

It is acknowledge that Mikey Mouse is one of the most recognizable characters in the world -- rivalling, or perhaps even surpassing, Santa Claus.

But enough about Mickey Mouse.  (I am much more a Donald Duck fan, myself.)  Mickey's birthday gives me an opportunity to do a little dive into the Mickey-adjacent world of The Mickey Mouse Club.  I distinctly remember being traumatized because, for some reason now forgotten, I was not able to watch the premier episode of The Mickey Mouse Club, and of eagerly devouring detailed descriptions of the program from friends, knowing that, Thank God!, at least I would be able to catch every show from the second episode onward.  (Yes, these were simpler tomes and I was a much simpler kid.)

Here's the introduction to the Mickey Mouse Club (1960s)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4C_lUy58Rw

-- with the original Mouseketeer  Roll Call

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_teSvw34ZlY

39 Mouseketeers appeared over the show's four-year run, with nine appearing for the full run of the show:  Sharon Baird, Bobby Burgess, Lonnie Burr, Tommy Cole, Annette Funicello, Darlene Gillespie, Cubby O'Brien, Karen Pendleton, and Doreen Tracy.  Other notable Mouseketeers included Johnny Crawford (who went o star in The Rifleman), Jay-Jay Solari (mentioned here because at one time he was a frequent, entertaining, and controversial commenter on Bill Crider's blog), Don Agrati (wholater became Don Grady of My Three Sons fame), voice actress Sherri Alberoni (the nasty rich-girl on Josie and the Pussycats), Dick Dodd (lead singer on the Standel's hit record "Dirty Water" [."...Boston, you're my home."]), Bonnie Lynn Fields (whose films included Angel in My Pocket, Bye Bye Birdie, and Funny Girl), singer, novelist, actor, and activist Paul Peterson (who went on to The Donna Reed Show, recorded several hit records, including "Lollipops and Roses", and who also wrote at least seven paperback originals in the spy-guy "The Smuggler" series), Mickey Rooney, Jr. (son of you know who), Tim Rooney (another son of you know who), and Ronnie Steiner (member of the popular Canadian singing trio The Steiner Brothers, who performed on numerous television variety shows in the 50s and 60s.

Of the original 39, 21 are still alive.  Annette died in 2013 from complications from multiple sclerosis; she had had a long and successful recording and acting career.  Karen passed away in 2019 from a heart attack; a 1983 automobile accident left her paralyzed from the waist down, and served on the board of the California Association of the Physically Handicapped.    Doreen died of pneumonia in 2018 following a two-year bout with cancer; she had posed nude twice (in 1976 and 1979)for the sex magazine Gallery, which earned her the wrath of the House of Mouse, but they later reconciled; Dennis disappeared in 2018 and was found dead several months later, his cause of death was never announced but a roommate was charged with his death in 2019 and was due to stand trial in early 2024; Johnny Crawford continued acting in television and films and fronted a California vintage dance band that appeared in special events, he succumbed to Alzheimer's disease in 2019 after contracting both COVID-19 and pneumonia; Mike Smith appeared in television briefly and in a dance act in Las Vegas before dropping out and into obscurity,  working various menial jobs until his early death in 1982 at age 37; According to her obituary, Bonnie Lou Kern worked at Lowe's for many years following her career at Disney, she died in 2020 at age 79; Tim Rooney appear in the ABC sitcom Room for One More, and co-starred with his father in the short-lived Mickey, he was 59 when he died in 2006 from pneumonia, complicated by the rare muscle disease dermatomyosis; Bronson Scott, at 7, was the youngest Mouseketeer, appearing for only one season, her IMDb listing notes only that she died in 2023, giving no further credits beyond The Mickey Mouse Club;  Mark Sutherland, nicknamed "PeeWee," was let go after the first season and left show business, refusing to participate in the 25th anniversary celebration of the show, he died in 2022; Mickey Rooney, Jr. went on to a career in film and television production, and also ran an evangelical ministry, he died in 2022; Dickie Dodd was a Boston Red sox fan and performed "Dirty Water" at the 2004 World Series and at the team's opening game in 2005, he died from cancer in 2013; Cheryl went on to many television and film roles, including an occasional role as Wally Cleaver's girlfriend in Leave It to Beaver, and retired from acting after marrying race car driver Lance Reventlow (she had previously dated Australian singer Lucky Starr, Tim Considine, Fabian Forte, Elvis Presley, Tony Dow, Ricky Nelson, Bobby Rydell, Don Grady, Tommy Kirk, and Michael Anderson, Jr.), after Reventlow's 1972 death in a crash she reportedly dated Michael Crichton, her second husband was indicted for being the ringleader of an international drug smuggling operation, her third husband -- 26 years her elder -- was a prominent Democratic Party fundraiser and the treasurer of the California campaigns of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, she died of lung cancer in 2009, age 64; Charley Laney's only credit on IMDb is for The Mickey Mouse Club, he died in 1997 of undisclosed causes; Larry Larsen is perhaps not the actor from Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. the Mickey Mouse Larry Larsen was born in 1939, making him the oldest of the Mouseketeers, coincidentally the Sigmund Larry Larsen was also born in 1939, but if they were the same person, no one told IMDb about it, the Sigmund Larry Larsen died in 2018 of multiple internal organ failure; Don Agrati (Don Grady), among other things wrote the theme song for The Phil Donahue Show, myeloma took him in 2012; Bonnie Lynn Fields died from throat cancer in 2012, age 68; and Lynn Ready went to play a fraternity brother in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, he also wrote the soundtrack for Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill!, he died in 2008 of cancer.

Other tidbits from the first incarnation of The Mikey Mouse Club:

• The very first person hired to be a Mouseketeer was 13-yer-old Dallas Johann, who suffered from stage fright so badly that he could not perform and was let go before the first episode was filmed.
• Both Mickey Rooney, Jr. and his brother Tim were fired for sneaking into the Disney Ink and Paint Department and switching  paints into different containers.
• Paul Peterson was canned for punching a crew member who had been continually teasing him; unfortunately Peterson threw the punch while Walt Disney was watching.
• Eager to get out of the image of young Mark McCain in The Rifleman, Johnny Crawford jumped into a full frontal role in the Hugh Hefner-produced The Naked Ape.  Crawford then went on to be the first man to appear completely nude in Playboy.  Neither stunt significantly helped his acting career.
• Mouseketeer Billie Jean Beanblosson appeared for only one season one the show, but she made history in 1995 when she became the only Mouseketeer to be robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of Disneyland when she was with her children and grandchildren at the park.  To make matters worse, she said, Disney security refused to help following the robbery and later held her group "against their will" for several hours questioning them.  Her grandkids were also traumatized when they saw Disney Characters remove their heads in from of them.
• In 1998, Darlene Gillespie was convicted of 12 "counts of conspiracy, securities fraud, mail fraud, obstruction of justice, and perjury," and sentenced to two years.  She maintained her innocence.  Darlene had also been sentenced to three months for check fraud, battled Disney in court for compensati0on, and was gain accused of mail fraud in 2005.

And here's the intro to the 1977 reboot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxdrkdlPbj8

-- and three different Roll Calls from 1977

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bq_SceIips

This incarnation of the show was well after my time and, as such, not really worth my consideration.  The notable cast member from this group was Lisa Welchel, who went on to star in the sitcom The Facts of Life and became a well-known Christian author.  We should also note that one of the Mouseketeers was Mindy Feldman, sister of actor Corey Feldman.  Rock musician Courtney Love claimed to have auditioned for the show, reading a Sylvia Plath poem, but was not selected.

And here's the introduction to The New Mickey Mouse Club, 1989

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0_NZbSq3kM

Again, much after my time, the show ran from 1989 to 1996.  The episodes from 1993 to 1996 version are notable for a number of Mouseketeers who went on to bigger things:  Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, JC Chavez, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kerri Russell, Deedee Magno, Rhona Bennett, and Nikki DeLoach, some of whom brought about a bad-boy/bad-girl image that seemed to telescope as other Disney shows began to burn through child stars at a rapid rate.

Over 41 years and through various incarnation, The Mickey Mouse Club has seen some of its actors rise to height, some to fall to depths, and others to vanish into mediocracy and obscurity.  I feel bad for many of the children who were caught in Disney's grasp.

HYMN TIME

Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iWR1Xf60NQ

CLANCY OF THE OVERFLOW #1 (circa NOVEMBER 1956)

"Legend tells of a stockrider who could break the wildest brumby horse, fight the forces of evil with fists or hunting knife or deadly carbine...a man who lived with one aim in his carefree heart...to right the wrongs of the big, lusty growing continent that was his home...,and still is!....for Clancy of the Overflow, the stockrider of song and story still lives!"

Published by Australia's Apache Comics from Cleveland Press, Clancy of the Overflow used the title character of the 1889 poem of the same name by noted bush poet A. B. "Banjo" Paterson (1864-1941) and reimagined the free-spirited drove as a legendary hero.  Paterson, one of the greatest writers of Australia's colonial period, is best known for his poem "Waltzing Matilda" (1907 -- and which has been recorded more than other Australian song); as well as "The Man from Snowy River," "Saltbush Bill," and "We're All Australians Now," among many others 

Eight issues of Clancy of the Overflow were published, all drawn in fine style by Hal English.

Riding southward, Clancy comes across a young boy being attacked by a wild tribe of aborigines (or "native blacks" -- 1950s Australia was not noted for being politically correct).  Scaring the attackers off with his rifle, Clancy swoops down and places the boy on his horse, and escapes.  The boy is Tim Barker from Raintree Station.  Tim, an orphan who has been placed at the station, ran away because the manger beat him.  Troopers are on the lookout for murderous cattleduffers (cattle thieves, for all of you non-Aussies); Tim fears they are searching for him.  The troopers spy Clancy from a distance; thinking h is a cattleduffer they give chase, but Clancy (because he is Clancy) easily avoids them and stumbles up a secret valley.  But the valley is where the cattleduffers have their base of operations.  When one of the baddies tries to capture Tim, Clancy and his fists put paid to that idea.  The captured man (his name is Moleskin) tells Clancy that the boss of then outfit is a moonlighter* named Blackie Norseman, who broke out of Cockatoo gaol a year before.  As Clancy and Tim go to find the troopers, he meets a local farmer, Jim Colly, and his daughter Velvet.  Clancy leaves Tim with them as he rides off for help.  While this is happening, Moleskin manages to escape and meet up  with Blackie Norseman, who has a plan.  Clancy soon finds himself falsely accused by Russ Madson, the manager of the Raintree and Tim's nemesis.  The troopers arrest Clancy.  Can Clancy get out of this mess?  Will Tim be safe?  Will Blackie Norseman, Moleskin, and Russ Madson get their comeuppance?

What do you think?

*"Moonlighter" is an idiom that has many meanings.  Evidently the most common one in Australia today is a braggard.  One older meaning(taken from the Irish) is a thief or a burglar who operates at night, often a cattle thief.

(It's interesting that, in 2014, the staff of the Banjo Paterson...more than a Poet Museum in Yeoval, Central New South Wales, were not aware of this comic cook, but were happy and amazed at the liberties taken with Paterson's character.)

For the curious, here's Paterson's original poem:

Clancy of the Overflow

I had written him a letter for which I had, for want of a better

Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago,

He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,

Just on spec, addressed as follows, "Clancy, of the Overflow".

And an answer came directed in a writing unsuspected,

(And I think the same was written in a thumb-nail dipped in tar)

'Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:

"Clancy's gone to Queensland droving, and we don't know where he are."

In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy

Gone a-droving "down the Cooper" where the Western drovers go;

As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing, 

For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.

And the bush has friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him, 

In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,

And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,

And at night the won'drous glory of the everlasting stars.

I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy

Ry of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,

And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city

Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all.

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle

Of the tramways and the buses making hurry down the street,

 And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,

Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me

As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,

With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,

For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.

And I somehow rather fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy,

Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,

While he faced then round eternal of the cash-book and the journal --

But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy of the Overflow.

FORGOTTEN BOOK: BEYOND THE POLE

Beyond the Pole by A. Hyatt Verrell  (first published in two parts in Amazing Stories, October and November 1926; reprinted in The Gernback Awards 1926:  Volume 1edited by Forrest j. Ackerman; available online at Roy Glashan's Library, at Faded Page, and at https://stillwoods.blogspot.com/2010/01/ahverrill-his-story-so-far.html, which provides links to all of Verrill's science fiction, as well as many of his other works, fiction and nonfiction)

Beyond the Pole is a lost race tale, taking place in 1917.  The narrator, a sailor from an ill-fated voyage to the far southern reaches in search of sea-elephant oil to aid the war effort, finds himself apparently the sole survivor, after a series of violent storms that had wrecked his ship and stranded at the South Pole.  This South Pole is not a frozen wasteland though.  It is a land where he encounters a forty-foot long lizard and giant rodents.  He roams a land of blue light, desperate for food and water.  finally finding water, he slakes his thirst, then, exhausted, he collapses.

He wakens to find a strange and horrifying creature towering over him:

"Slowly I opened my eyes and as I did so I screamed aloud with terror and wonder.  Standing over me was a fearsome, terrible creature.  That he was not a man I knew at my first glance, and yet, there was something that resembled a man about him, but so terribly monstrous, weird and incredible, so utterly inhuman, that I felt sure I must be dreaming or out of my senses.  He or it was fully eight feet in height, standing on two legs like a man, and seemingly clad from head to foot in some soft, downy material that glistened with a thousand colors, like the throat of a humming bird or the tints on a soap bubble.  Above the shoulders was a large, elongated, pointed head with a wide mouth and a long pointed snout.  From the forehead projected long stalks or horns and on the tip of each of these was an unwinking, gleaming eye like the eyes of a crab.  In place of eyebrows, two long, slender, jointed, fleshy tentacles drooped down over the creature's shoulders, while the ears were long, soft, and pendulous like those of a hound.  There was no hair upon the head, but instead, a number of brilliant, shiny scales or plates, lapping one over the other from the forehead to the nape of the neck."

The creature had three pairs of long, many-jointed arms, ending in a number of delicate various-shaped appendages.  Its feet had round-tipped suckers like those on the tentacles of an octopus.  In essence, the creature resemble some odd sort of gigantic crustacean, and it made strange, unintelligible sounds as if it were trying to communicate. **

It offered a sort of biscuit to our narrator.  He tasted it and immediately felt his hunger and thirst going away.  Realizing the creature was friendly and meant him no harm, he then followed the creature some distance to a giant cylinder, where he was greet by two similar creatures.  The cylinder was some sort of vessel but appeared to have no mechanical means of propulsion.  Nonetheless, it ascended into the air very rapidly and soon brought them a large and very strange city, where he was escorted to a gigantic hall where there were many other creatures, presumably there to sit in judgement of him.  Still, he had no fear, in part from the way he was treated in the beginning, and in part because he could not be sure that the entire experience was not a fever dream, brought on by extreme hunger and thirst.

He was amazed, however, to discover that the creatures could communicate with him through some sort of telepathy, and that he likewise could communicate with them.  Here was a race well advanced from mankind scientifically, and perhaps socially, descended from some alternate evolutionary oath which stemmed from crustaceans.  Yet despite its advanced science and flight, it had no knowledge of anything beyond its own world, or of the human race.

As the novel progresses, our narrator learns much about the culture of this race, and seems fated to spend the rest of his life with them.  He does, however, write his experiences down on a strange type of "paper," and seals it in a type of container unknown to the outer world; this he attached to the leg of an albatross, hoping it will eventually find its way to the world of men.

** This critter is illustrated by Frank Paul on the iconic cover of the October 1926 issue of Amazing Stories.

Verrill (1871-1954) was a zoologist (his father was the first professor of Zoology at Yale University), explorer, illustrator and author of at least 115 books, most of them nonfiction about topics ranging from natural history, travel, radio, whaling, engines, and knot tying.  Outside of science fiction, many of his fictional books were aimed at a juvenile market, including four books in the Boy Adventurers series and four books in the Radio Detectives series, as well as the Deep Sea Hunters series.  His books for younger readers were entertaining but criticized for "outrageous fabrications," :lack of scientific dependability," and riddled with error; any other critics and reviewers reacted in an entirely positive manner.  As for his science fiction, Everett Bleiler wrote that his lost race stories were "more literate than most of their competition, but stodgy."

Verrill took part in archaeological expeditions in the West Indies and Central and South America.  He was well travelled throughout the Western hemisphere, and was a friend to Theodore Roosevelt.  Among his other accomplishments was the invention of the autochrome process of natural-color photography.  His wide range of interests made him "one of the most successful and prolific writers" of his time.

DR. TIM, DETECTIVE: THE MYSTERY OF THE SECOND ALARM (1948-ish?)

 He's a detective!  He's a physician!  And he's always handy to give his young friends Jill and Sandy lessons in science and medicine based on his investigations!  What more could you ask for?  Education is more fun if you throw in a mystery.

Beginning in 1948, the show ran for thirteen fifteen-minute episodes; only seven show are believed to have survived.

Not much is known about the show and I cannot name any of the voice actors, nor can I tell you produced, directed, or scripted the episodes.  Even the dates of the show are questionable; although I'm fairly confident of the 1948 date above, at least one expert believes the shows originated in the early 1950s.  There's more mystery about the show than there is in the show.  I do know that the show originated in Denver and was presented by the American Medical Association.

Enjoy this episode, and perhaps, like me, you'll get some flashbacks to Don Herbert's WATCH MR. WIZARD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mImWqMA4fbU

SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: A CASE FOR DEDUCTION

"A Case for Deduction" by M. P. Shiel & "John Gawsworth" (T. I. Fytton Armstrong) (first published in Thrills:  Twenty Specially Selected New Stories of Crime, Mystery and Horror, anonymously edited by Gawsworth, 1936; reprinted in Ellery /Queen's Mystery Magazine, November 1948)

Uncle Quintus, relaxing with a pipeful of cannibis, challenges his nephew challenges his nephew to solve a mystery involving an artist friend of Quintus, Aubrey Smith.  One evening he called on his lady friend, Hylda, with a large bouquet of flowers he could ill afford and wearing a black suit as if he were in mourning -- both of which aroused the curiosity of Hylda and her crippled father, Captain Hood.  At one point, Aubrey seemed about to explain himself, but left that evening without doing so.  On his was to his flatlet in Maida Vale, he saved two people who nearly were in an automobile accident.  The two, an old man, named Sir Phipps O'Dowdy* O'Donague, and his daughter, Laura, invited him to their house for a drink.  

Aubrey thought this was a strange adventure to happen on his birthday.  He had not mentioned it was his birthday to Hylda; indeed, although he and Hylda had been engaged since they were thirteen, he had never told her of his birthday (they were both now twenty-one).  The two entertained him in a manic manner and he was not able to leave the house until, three in the morning. During the evening, the old man made a point of showing Aubrey a photograph of a beautiful woman he called  "Salvadora Rosa," seeming to believe that Aubrey knew who the woman was.  Although Aubrey sensed that they wished he would call on them again, he did not do so, feeling vaguely uncertain about the encounter.  A week later, then, O'Donague pulled up in his Rolls in from of Aubrey's flat.  O'Donague would constantly visit Aubrey from then on, seeking out his friendship.  Over the next month or two, the old man continued to flaunt the photograph to Aubrey.

It turned out the La Rosa lived nearby and the O'Donague was fixated by her.  She had had a daughter by her ex-husband, a Polish Count.  The Count had been trying to get the girl from La Rosa for year, to no avail because La Rosa had hidden her so well.  Now a seven-year-old girl had gone missing from a nearby village.

Lydia had contacted Aubrey to inform him that her father had died.  Although there was no proof, she was sure he had been poisoned.  Then her father's old butler died on returning from the funeral.  Aubrey then learned that O'Donague has left him a bequest of 175 pounds per year -- enough money that he and Hylda could soon plan on getting married.  But O'Donague had left La Rosa a bequest of thirty thousand pounds -- reason enough for Laura to suspect her of poisoning him.

Now things get confusing.  It turns out there is another Aubrey Smith who may have claim to the 175 pound inheritance.  And this Smith, although unmarried, has a seven-year-old child who spoke French in his household.  And on the day Aubrey and Hylda were to be married, that child is shot outside the church; the two Aubrey smiths then vanished, one chasing the other -- but who was chasing who?  Then Hylda's father dies suddenly.  Aubrey is accused of kidnapping the young girl.  O'Donague's coffin is disinterred and the old man was found to have had his throat cut, his mouth full of something resembling powdered glass, and with enough prussic acid in his stomach to kill thirty people.

Can Uncle Quintus's nephew deduce what had actually happened, just as the police finally did?

The reprint in EQMM is interrupted by a "Challenge to the Reader" from editor Queen, noting that M. P. Shiel's "cases for deduction" were never cut-and-dried affairs, susceptible wholly to sheer and unadulterated logic...

*Dowdy was the middle name of Shiel's father.

M. P. Shiel's (his birth name was Sheill, but he preferred to drop the final "l"; 1865-1947) best selling work is the novel The Purple Cloud (1901), part of a loosely linked trilogy considered to be the first "future history" series in science fiction.  His place in annals of mystery fiction was sealed by the publication of stories featuring Prince Zaleski, tales influenced by Poe and considered to be some of the most flamboyant works of the English Decadent Movement.  Shiel's novel The Yellow Danger (1898) is thought to be a possible basis for Sax Rohmer's Dr. Fu Manchu, and was a likely influence on H. g. Wells's The War in the Air, among other novels.  In 1914 Shiel was convicted and spent sixteen months in prison; it had been generally assumed that he was found guilty of fraud.  It wasn't until 2008 that it was revealed that he had been found guilty of "indecently assaulting and carnally knowing" his 12-year-old de facto stepdaughter.  (Yuck!)  Shiel also proclaimed himself to be King Felipe of Redonda, a small uninhabited island in the West Indies, claiming to have been crowned king of that island on his fifteenth birthday.  On Shiel's death, the "title" passed on to John Gawsworth, Shiel's literary executer, who m ilked the title for all it was worth.  Gawsworth reportedly kept Shiel's ashes in a biscuit tin on his mantle. and would sprinkle some of the ashes in a strw for special guests.

As you can tell, Gawsworth (1912-1970) was also a bit of an odd duck.  A poet, essayist, and editor of anthologies, Gawsworth was a friend of Arthur Machen, Edgar Jepson, and Hugh MacDiamid -- completing short stories by all three --  and Lawrence Durrell, Dylan Thomas, and George Woodcock -- his friendship with Thomas and Woodcock later turned to enmity.  After "inheriting" his title to the Kingdom of Redonda, he styled himself H. M. Juan 1; the title then went to Gawsworth's literary executor Jon Wynn-Tyson (H. M. Juan II); Tyson then abdicated in 1997 in favor of Spanish novelist Javier Marias (H.M. Xavier I), who became literary executor for shiel and Gawsworth; Marias died in 2022 and I'm not sure if the "title" survived him.  (During his lifetime, though, Marias bestowed titles and Duchys to people he liked, including A. S. Byatt, Francis Ford Coppolla, Roger Dobson, Frank Gehry, Orhan Pamuk, Arturo Perez-Reverte, Eric Rohmer, Ray Bradbury, Alice Munro, Umberto Eco, Milan Kundera, and Ian McEwan among them.

All of this is probably more than you wanted to know about the authors.

OVERLOOKED TELEVISION: EASY ACES (1949? 1950?)

 From Wikipedia:  "Easy Aces is an American serial radio comedy (1930-1945).  It was trademarked by the low-keyed drollery of creator and writer Goodman Ace and his wife, Jane, as an urbane, put-upon realtor and his malaprop-prone wife.  A 15-minute program, airing as often as five time a week, Easy Aces did not draw as strong ratings as other 15-minute serial comedies such as Amos 'n' Andy, The Goldbergs, Lum and Abner, or Vic and Sade but its unobtrusive, conversational, and clever style, and the cheerful absurdism of its storylines, built a loyal enough audience of listeners and critics alike to keep it on the air for 15 years."

The show was adapted for television to a 15-minute program on the Dumont Network, running from December 14, 1949 to June 7, 1950.  (In 1956, Goodman Ace apparently intended to revive the show, this time starring Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams; nothing came of it.)

Only three episodes of the Dumont show are known to exist, one at the Library of Congress.  The episode below is the only known full episode, and this is missing the credits.

Enjoy.

BITS AND PIECES

Openers:  Little did I dream, when I penned the account of Dr. Hargraves' epoch-making discovery under the title "The Retreat to Mars," which appeared in the August issue of this publication, that even more astonishing events were to take place within a few short months.

Soon after I had forwarded the narrative to the Editor, I received a telegram from Washington, signed by Hargraves, asking me to come at the earliest possible moment.  Naturally, it was not long before I was on my way in response to his request, for I knew that my friend would not call me away from my work without good reasons.  Moreover, my expenses were to be paid, and that appealed to my Scottish blood!

Hargraves met me at the depot upon my arrival and whisked me away to his apartment at once.  No mention, other than it was something big, was made of the cause of his telegram, until I was comfortably settled in his study, after a good hot shower and a general clean-up necessitated by my journey.

When we were snugly ensconced in front of a comfortable open fire, my host took a pile of foolscap and drawings from a side table, and laying them on his knee, and leaned back in his chair and began:

"I have here a translation of one of the volumes contained in the library and need the assistance of a psychologist and an astronomer to work out the details of the apparatus described here and, afterwards, in the operation thereof.  It is nothing less than a signaling apparatus with which we can get into communication with the Martians -- that is, if they are still there," he added.  "It is really a type of radio transmitter, but to me it appears to be totally new in principle.  Knowing that you are a radio enthusiast and that you have done much work on the subject, I secured permission to get you to oversee the construction of the apparatus and assist me in getting in touch with the Martians.  There are many men in Washington who would be glad to give an arm for the opportunity I offer you, but many of the secrets disclosed in the transcribed library are to become government property, and you will see, there are some that will be of inestimable value to the country holding them.  For this reason we prefer to call in one who has already proved himself trustworthy.  If you accept the appointment and pledge yourself to secrecy, all the information you need will be placed at your disposal.  The necessary money for the experiment will be granted without demur, although we have made but the roughest estimate of the cost as yet.  You will be granted a salary which, I think, will be satisfactory to you, while you are engaged in the work.  Will you accept the appointment?"

-- "The Return of the Martians" by "Cecil B. White," pseudonym of William H. Christie, 1896-1955 (from Amazing Stories, April 1928; reprinted in Martianology, compiled by Forrest J. Ackerman and edited by Anne Hardin, 2003)

Let's go back to the early days of science fiction -- back when Hugo Gernsback was still calling it "Scientifiction" -- for this creaky story, the third and last published by the author.  Fair warning:  the story may or may not be in your wheelhouse.

Here's Gernsback's introduction:  'Those of our readers who have read 'Retreat to Mars' will be interested in the present story, which is a sequel thereto.  Mr. White, the author, who is an astronomer, is so well informed about this subject, that we read with bated breath, his most unusual, as well as powerfully written story.  Many things are brought out here, which, very likely, the average reader never realizes, yet the story is not technical at all.  On the contrary, it will hold the interest of practically every reader, no matter what his inclinations may be."

With a pitch like that, how can you go wrong?

Just a couple of random observations:  1)  Radio, and its influence on Gernsback as presented in these early days of SF, cannot be ignored.  Gernsback was a significant figure in the early days of electronics and radio.  He was a pioneer in amateur radio and in 1908 founded the first electronics and radio magazine,  Modern Electronics.  In 1909 he founded the Wireless Association of America and claimed  four years later that 400,000 people in the U.S. were involved in amateur radio.  In 1913 he started The Electrical Experimenter (later to become Science and Invention), and Radio News in 1919.  As an entrepreneur, Gernsback imported radio parts from Europe to sell in America.  Needless to say, because of his influence, radio was an important motif in early science fiction.  2)  The cover of the April 1928 issue of Amazing Stories (by Frank Paul) is an interesting one:  it is Gernsback's concept of a symbol for 'Scientifiction" -- a giant eyeball emerging from the Earth into space, with the pupil containing various drawings of machinery and the lower part of eyeball's white displaying a horde of people.  Creepy.  The issue itself contains Part 2 of a serial by H. G. Wells and reprint. of two stories by Gernsback from The Electrical Experimenter and a reprint of a story from Science and Invention, as well as five original stories.  Gernsback was not-so-lovingly called "Hugo the Rat" by H. P. Lovecraft and others for his refusal to pay, or to significantly delay payment to, his authors -- anticipating Donald Trump by many years.

The August 1928 issue of Amazing Stories in available to be read on the internet.  The Hardin/Ackerman anthology is more difficult to locate (ISFDb and other sources do not recognize the title; one copy only is available on Abebooks for $44.96).

Incoming:

• "Daniel Boyd" (Dan Stumpf) - Hamlet Among the Pirates.  Adventure romp!  "When Captain Jacobus Hooke, Master of the Dread Pirate Frigate DEBACLE, meets up with Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the action never stops.  Get ready for laughter and excitement, as a hard-working Pirate Captain accidently kidnaps the Melancholy Dane and finds himself saddled with a princely hostage no one wants to ransom!  Swordfights...Strumpets...Sea Battles...Literary Allusions...Surprise Encounters...Super Storms...And Just Plain Silliness."  Why hasn't this reached #1 on the NYT bestseller list yet?
• Irvin S. Cobb, J. Poindexter:  Colored.  A very dated (and outdated) novel from 1922.  Joel Chandler Harris, the creator of Uncle Remus, wrote, "Cobb created a south peopled with honorable citizens, charming eccentrics, and subservient blacks..."  One recent publisher (Nabu Press) offered as an excuse for publishing this out-of-copyright book, "We believe this work is culturally important" -- a namby-pamby way of saying that racial stereotypes abound.
• John Creasey, Six early novels about Department Z, a British intelligence agency headed by Gordon Craigie and consisting of an ultra-secret collection of civilians.  The Death Miser (1933), the first book (of 28) in the series.  "Millions of lives are at stake if a sinister international conspiracy succeeds,"   Redhead (1933).  "An American gangster brings his bloody business to 1930s Britain."   Death Round the Corner (1935).  "Leopold Gorman studies the World Economic conference with interest -- and then picks five rich and powerful men to bring his plan to fruition.  If any one of them shows reluctance to fall in with his scheme, he'll be dead within the hour..."  The Mark of the Crescent (1935).  "A mysterious symbol is the key" to a "desperate investigation involving drugs and murder."  Menace (1938).  Agent Bob Kerr 'is alerted to new developments in the principality of Vallena.'  Then there's "a knock on his door.  And the visitor is [a] man in a fur coat -- who has arrived from Vallena..."  The Day of Disaster (1942).  "A French refugee is washed up on the English coast.  Feverish, delirious, he babbles incoherently to the men who find him.  A single phrase, repeated: 'Loftus.  Spell it backwards.'  the discovery sparks an explosive reaction" as agents of Department Z fight a "desperate battle to uncover a Nazi scheme that threatens the very heart of British defense."  All quick, easy, entertaining reads.
• Avram Davidson & Ethan Davidson, David&Son:  Peregrine Parentus and Other Tales.  "This collection prints or reprints several pieces by award winning Avram Davidson for the first time, including novella 'Arten of Ultima Thule.'  Also featured in this volume are the first publications of writings by Davidson and his son Ethan Davidson, including the final story in the 'peregrine' series, 'Paragrine Parentus.' " 
• Cullen Gallagher, High Fliers, Middleweights, and Lowlifes:  David Goodis in the Pulps.  Pulp historian Cullen Gallagher takes a deep dive into David Goodis's fiction.  "Legendary noir author David Goodis is as haunting and mysterious a figure as is any of the protagonists in his novels.  Among the most alluring of the mysteries surrounding him is how did he go from Retreat from Oblivion in 1939, his first novel, a melodrama about several inter-connected couples, to Dark Passage, his second novel and first noir masterpiece, in 1946?  The answer is in the pulp fiction stories he wrote between those two books:  tales of daring aviators, dashing athletes, and ruthless gangsters.  In these short stories, Goodis evolved into the master of noir that he is known today...This critical-reference volume includes summaries and commentary on nearly all of Goodis's identified magazine work published under his own name or under pseudonyms."  Also, companion piece Looking for Lost Streets:  A Bibliographic Investigation of David Goodis's Pulp Fiction.   "The pulp career of David Goodis has long been shrouded in mystery.  Newly discovered evidence sheds light not only on which stories he wrote, but also the vast network of fellow pulp writers who shared the same pen names.  Looking for Lost Streets presents the most complete bibliography of Goddis's short work to date."  Although noted for his noir work, Goodis published widely in aviation, war, mystery, sports, and western magazines.  I picked these two books up after James Reasoner poured high praise ln them ("They're two of the best books I've read this year.")  As, as all right-thinking people know, when James Reasoner says "Jump," the proper response is "How high?"
• Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner, editors, Many Bloody Returns.  Anthology of thirteen stories mixing vampires with birthdays because, why not?  authors include Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, Bill Crider, Kelley Armstrong, Jim Butcher, P. N. Elrod, Rachel Caine, Jeanne C. Stein, Tanya Huff, Carolyn Haines, Tate Hollaway, Elaine Viets, and Toni L. P. Kelner.
• Tony Hillerman, editor, with Otto Penzler, series editor, The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century.  46 stories first published from 1903 to 1999.  Many of the stories are familiar, but all are worthwhile.  The authors are:  O. Henry, Willa Cather, Jacques Futrelle, Frederick Irving Anderson, Melville Davisson Post, Susan Glaspell, Dashiell Hammett, Ring Lardner, Wilbur Daniel Steele, Ben Ray Redman, James M. Cain, John Steinbeck, Damon Runyon, Pearl S. Buck, Raymond Chandler, James Thurber, Cornell Woolrich, William Faulkner, Harry Kemelman, Ellery Queen, John D. MacDonald, Ross Macdonald, Stanley Ellin, Evan Hunter, Margaret Millar, Henry Slesar, Patricia Highsmith, Shirley Jackson, Flannery O'Connor, Jerome Weidman, Joe Gores, Harlan Ellison, Robert L. Fish, Joyce Carol Oats, Stephen King, Jack Ritchie, Lawrence Block, Stephen Greenleaf, Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton, Donald E. Westlake, James Crumley, Brendan Dubois, Michael Malone, Tom Franklin, and Dennis Lehane.  It's hard to argue with any of these choices.  (Although I would have added Charlotte Armstrong's "The Enemy.")
• Kevin Lucia, editor (for Cemetery Dance Publications),  The Terror at Miskatonic Falls.  A collaborative horror novel with over 30 contributors.  "This January, winter has fallen hard on the small Massachusetts town of Miskatonic Falls.  The icy wind has brought more than ice and snow, however.  It has brought something ancient, alien, and evil.  As the temperatures drop and the snow drifts build, a creeping horror crawls over the town and its inhabitants, pulsing an insistent mantra into their slowly unraveling minds:  The Long Man Cometh.'
• Jonathan Maberry, Patient Zero.  Horror, the first novel in the Joe Ledger series.  "Monday, 1300 hours:  Joe Ledger kills terrorist Javad Mustapha, aka Patient Zero, with two point blank shots from his Glock .45.  Wednesday, 0800 hours:  Patient Zero rises from the dead...When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week, there's either something wrong with your world, or something wrongs with your skills...and there's nothing wrong with Joe Ledger's skills.  Ledger, a Baltimore detective assigned to a counterterrorism task force, is recruited by the government to lead a new ultrasecret rapid-response group called the Department of Military Science (DMS) to help stop a group of terrorists from releasing a deadly bioweapon that can turn ordinary people into zombies."
• Francis M. Nevins, Cornucopia of Crime:  Memoria and Summations.  Nonfiction collection of writings about some of the author's fellow mystery writers, including Erle Stanley Gardner, Cornell Woolrich, Ellery Queen, Anthony Boucher, Anthony Abbott, Cleve F. Adams, John Lawrence, Milton Propper, William Ard,  Michael Avallone, Edward D. Hoch, Harry Stephen Keeler, John Lutz, John D. MacDonald, Jack Richie, James Atlee Phillips, David Atlee Phillips, Christianna Brand, Ray B. Browne, Joel L. Hensley, Stuart M. Kaminsky, Joseph H. Lewis, and Aaron Marc Stein.  420 pages!   
• Robert J. Randisi, The Reluctant Pinkerton.  Western, a Talbot Roper novel.  In my heart of hearts, I felt that uber-productive Robert J. Randisi would go on forever as a perpetual motion writing machine.  Sadly, he proved me wrong, passing away earlier this year after writing more than 650 books and editing more than 30 anthologies, mainly in the western and mystery genres.  He left behind more than enough books to keep me busy for the ret of my life, including this one:  "Former Pinkerton agent Talbot Roper has a begrudging respect for his old boss.  When Allen Pinkerton dies and his sons send for Roper to attend the funeral, he has no choice but to oblige him.  But Pinkerton's sons, who now run the agency, want Roper to do more than pay his respects.  They have a dangerous assignment that no man on their payroll can handle.  Now roper is headed to Fort Worth, Texas, where someone is sabotaging the Union /Stockyard company.  Undercover to infiltrate the industry, Roper knows that the men he's up against aren't just smart, they're deadly.  And he'll need to remember everything Allen ever taught him to finish the job...and stay alive."  This was the second, and last, Talbot Roper novel.
• James Reasoner, Lair of the Serpent Queen.  Sword and sorcery novella, the third in the Snakehaven series.  "Jorras Trevayle is back, exploring the sprawling city of Nucarrah, a cesspit of sin and corruption, the hub of a world of danger and sinister sorcery where the giant serpents known as Nloka Maccumba roam.  Rescued by the beautiful Llorna Valyasha from an attempt on his life, Trevayle pledges his allegiance tot he queen of Nucarrah's underworld, unaware that he's sinking deeper and deeper into a war between criminals from which he may not escape!"  Previous entries in this series are Doom of the Dark Delta and Fear on the Fever Coast; James has indicated that he will eventually publish these as one volume, but I can't wait.

Happy Birthday, Mayflower Compact!   The Mayflower compact was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony, signed while the Mayflower was anchored off the hook of Cape Cod on November 11, 1620, according to the calendars of the time (November 21 by the calendars of today).  41 of the ship's 101 passengers signed the document, including such well-known names as William Bradford, Myles Standish, and John Alden.

Financed by the Company of Merchant Adventurers of of London, and originally intended to land at the Colony of Virginia that Octonber using two ships, delays and complications allowed then to use only vessel, the Mayflower.  Storms forced the ship north of their intended target, and, with provisions running short, it was unwise for them to continue further.  Although the popular concept is that the passengers were Puritans, Separatist Puritans and other Protestant Separatists were only a part of the voyagers; the remaining consisting of adventurers and tradesmen.  Once it had been determined that they would not be settling in the agreed-upon Virginia, a number of non-Puritans proclaimed their independence:  that they "would use their own liberty, for none had power to command them."  In reaction to this, the Pilgrims created the Mayflower Compact (titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth) to establish "a social contract in which the settlers consented to follow the community's rules and regulations for the sake of order and survival."

[Survival was difficult.  Five persons died at sea while the Mayflower was anchored in Provincetown Harbor:  three young servants,, one aged 7 and two under 21; and Dorothy Bradford, about 23, and the wife of William Bradford, she evidently slipped and fell into the icy waters off Cape Cod and her body was never recovered; the other fatality was a 64-year-old Separatist from the Leiden, Holland church who died in "the First Sickness."  Around mid-December it was decided that the colonists would leave the ship and settle in the area of Plymouth.  Forty additional passengers of the Mayflower died during that first Brutal winter of 1620-1621; two more perished in the Spring of 1621, including Governor John Carter; at least four additional deaths occurred before the first Thanksgiving in November.  The total estimated deaths that first year ranged between 51 and 56.  Deaths were attributed to lack of shelter, scurvy, pneumonia, and the general living conditions]

The Compact allowed the settlers to establish their own government while remaining loyal to the Crown of England.  Even then the Pilgrims were wary of the Church of England and the limits of the English Reformation, as well as King James's reluctance to advocate for further reforms.

Three hundred years after the Mayflower landing, then-Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge said, "The compact which they signed was an event of the greatest importance.  It was the foundation of liberty based on law and order, and that tradition has been steadily upheld.  They drew up a form of government which has been designated as the first real constitution of modern times.  It was democratic, an acknowledgment of liberty under law and order and the giving to each person the right to participate in the government, while they promised to be obedient to the laws.'

Veteran's Day:  A brief history of the holiday from the History Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPnz5zjOf1o

And Two Go-To Songs From Eric Bogle:  Lest we forget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxkhBvO8_kM

and 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG48Ftsr3OI

Also On This Day In History:  1923 -- Adolph Hitler was arrested for high treason for his role in the failed coup d'etat, the  Beer Hall Putsch.  

But the son of a bitch came back.

And so it foes.

Happy Birthday, Stubby Kaye!  Bernard Shalom Kotzin (1918-1997) was an actor, comedian, vaudevillian, and singer, perhaps best known for his roles in Guys and Dolls and L'il Abner.  As
Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, he introduced the songs "Fugue for Tinhorns" ("I got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere...") and "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat."  as Marrying Sam in L'il Abner, he sang "Jubilation T. Cornpone."  Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole played the strumming minstrels Sam the Shade and Sunrise Kid in the 1965 film Cat Ballou.

Stubby Kaye's early work in vaudeville translated easily into his many roles later on Broadway, films, and television.

"Jubilation T. Cornpone"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh2S3k3M1GI

"Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJq7J2uzSlc

"Fugue for Tinhorns"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAIlVCStp3c

"Ballad of Cat Ballou"  (with Nat King Cole0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ghnpUNTR1I

"I'm Past My Prime" (with Leslie Parrish, voiced by Imogene Lynn)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlyOCf_SOUY

"Happy To Make Your Acquaintance" (from Most Happy Fellow, with Ray Bolger, Gertrude Berg, and Kay Armen)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=digmojYJL5M

"My Wife's a Striptease Dancer" & "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ECiQIdtSac

"Mr. Five by Five"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvGQ-vKLV7o

"Everybody Loves My Baby"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSzHBMfhy6M

"Oh, What a Son of a Bitch I Am" (with Anthony Newly and Ron Rubin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl_6fFHRKXg

"Hit 'Em on the Head"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejznGWfLtDs

"Market Today"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaEhtIeznO8

"I Love to Cry at Weddings'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LstAIe7Qvwo

And, because it's my blog, here's Stubby Kaye shilling for Corn Chex cereal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPnz5zjOf1o

Some More Birthday Boys (and Gals):   The Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (1050-1106; Emperor from 1084-1105), who ticked off German aristocrats by appointing commoners to high positions, and had an adversarial relationship with Popes Alexander II and Gregory VII, and who has gone down 1154-1211), who ruled from in history as either a tyrant or an exemplary monarch who protected the poor; Sancho I of Portugal (1154-1211), who ruled from 1185 until his death, and who had at least 20 children -- eleven of them legitimate; Charlotte of Savoy, Queen of France (1441-1483), she married the future Louis XI when he was 23 and she was 9, and served as Queen from 1468-1483, a contemporary once noted that "while she was an excellent Princess in other respects, she was not a person in whom a man could take any delight"  (ouch!); Catherine of Podebrady (1449-1464), Hungarian Queen, the second wife of King Matthias Corvinus, who married her when he was 18 and she was 13 (child brides evidently being a thing back then), she died in childbirth at age 14; Martin Bucer (1491-1551), German Protestant reformer and an early pioneer in ecumenism, he once acted as an emissary between Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli, who differed on points of the Eucharist; Martin Ruland the Younger (1569-1611), German physician and alchemist, he penned Lexicon alchemiae sive dictionarium alchemisticum, published in 1612 and later cited by such diverse people as Karl Jung and A. E. Waite; Flemish painter Frans Snyders (1579-161657), known for his paintings of animals, hunting scenes, market scenes, and still lifes (including all sorts of foods, utensils, and kitchenware); Ottavio Picclomini (1599-1656), Italian nobleman who served as a general for Spain and as a field marshal for the holy roman Empire, in 1632, during the Battle of Lutzen, he had five horses shot out from under him, his family tree included two Popes (Pius I and Pius III) and his brother served as archbishop of Sienn;

Johann Albert Fabricius (1668-1736), a German classical scholar and bibliographer who has been credited with 128 books, including Bibliotheca Latina, Biblioteca Graeca, Bbilioteca Antiquaria, and Biblioteca Ecclesiatica; Andrea Zani (1696-1757), Italian violinist and composer, here's his Sinfonnia no 1 in Do maggiora:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8Gorqm8OSM; Carl Peter Thunberg (1743-1828), Swedish naturalist, called "the father of South African botony," "a pioneer of Occidental medicine in Japan," and the "Japanese Linneaus"; Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881), author of Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov; Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907) long-time editor of The Atlantic Monthly and popular author of The Story of a Bad Boy, "Marjorie Daw," and other works; Stevan Sremac (1855-2906), Serbian realist and comedy writer, generally accepted as one of the best truly humorous Serbian writers (Did you know there was such a thing?); Janet Erskine Stuart (1857-1914), English nun who eventually became the Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart and visited every community associated with the order throughout the world, among her writings is The Education of Catholic Girls (1912), a beatification process is evidently ongoing; Paul Signac (1863-1935) French Neo-Impressionist painter who helped develop the Pointillism technique; Alffred Hermann Fried (1864-1921), co-founder of the German Peace movement and winner of a Noble Peace Prize in 1911, he also was a great supporter of Esperanto; Martha Annie Whitely (1856-1956), English chemist and mathematician who helped advance women's equality in the field of chemistry, one of the Royal Society of Chemistry's "175 Faces of Chemistry"; Shrimad Raychandra (1867-1901), Jain poet, mystic, and scholar who was a spiritual mentor of Mahatma Gandhi, he claimed to have gotten recollection of his past lives at age nine; Victor Emmanuel III (1869-1947), king of Italy from 1900 to his abdication in 1946, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941, and King of the Albanians from 1939 to 1943, he rolled over for Mussolini before and during World War II; Gaetano Bresci (1869-1901), Italian anarchist who assassinated King Umberto I of Italy in 1900, Bresci's act inspired Leon Czolgosz to assassinate William McKinley, Bresci died of suicide while imprisoned; Maude Adams (1872-1953), known for taking the title role in the 1905 Broadway production of Peter Pan, she was the most successful and the highest-paid performer of her day, the character of Elise McKenna in Richard Matheson's Bid Time Return and the subsequent film Somewhere in Time, was based on her; General George S. Patton (1885-1945), "Old Blood and Guts," an outstanding military leader, not without many controversies, he has been deemed having narcissistic personality disorder by many modern day psychologists, Roland Young (1887-1953), English-born actor, he played the title role in 1937's Topper (and sequels; he also wrote a biography of Topper creator Thorne Smith), he was also Henry Blore in 1945's And Then There Were None, other roles included Watson T in 1922's Sherlock Holmes and Uriah Heep in 1935's David Copperfield; Rabbit Maranville (1891-1954), baseball shortstop and second baseman, he played for the Boston Braves, Pittsburg Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Robins, and St. Louis Cardinals between 1912 and 1934, his record of 23 seasons in the National League was finally broken in 1986 by Pete Rose; Beverley Bayne (1894-1962), silent film actress who appeared with Francis X. Bushman (and his request) as a romantic couple in 24 films, she and Bushman were married three days after the divorced his first wife, they remained a couple for seven year, she remarrying once and he remarrying twice; Wealthy Consuelo Babcock (1895-1990), an American mathematician who taught for 46 years at the University of Kansas, her doctoral thesis in Physics was titled On the Geometry Associated with Certain Determinants with Linear 
Elements, she had a really cool first name; Rene Clair (1898-1981), French filmmaker who directed the aforementioned And Then There Were None, as well as The Ghost Goes West, I Married a Witch, and It Happened Tomorrow; Pat O'Brien (1899-1983), actor, known for Angels with Dirty Faces and Knute Rockne, All American (in which he said, "win one just for the Gipper"); Maria Babanova (1899-1983), Russian and Soviet actress and pedagogue,, named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1954; 

Sam Spiegel (1901-1985), film producer for On the Waterfront, Bridge Over the River Kwai, and Lawrence of Arabia, other films were The African Queen, Suddenly, Last Summer, and The Night of the Generals; F. Van Wyck Mason (1901-1978), popular author of historical novels and of 25 "novels of intrigue" featuring Colonel Hugh North, the titles of his historical novels usually contained thirteen letter -- the first two accidentally, the remaining on purpose; Alger Hiss (1904-1996), convicted spy, perhaps innocent; J. H. C. Whitehead (1904-1960), British mathematician and one of the founders of homotropy theory, which has been used in algebraic topology, algebraic geometry, and category theory (don't ask me to explain any of this); Brother Theodore (born Theodore Gottlieb, 1906-2001), German-born American comedian and monologist, a master of dark humor, he appeared on many television talk shows, Albert Einstein (a family friend) had helped him immigrate to America; Actor Robert Ryan (1909-1973), he of Flying Leathernecks, Clash by Night, Bad Day at Black Rock, Odds Against Tomorrow, and so many more; Daisy Bates (1914-1999), American civil rights activist who played a leading role in the Little Rock Integration Crisis in 1957; she was fierce; novelist Howard Fast (1914-2003), author of Citizen Tom Paine, Freedom Road, Spartacus, and April Morning, as well as a number of detective stories under the pseudonym "E. V. Cunningham"; William Proxmire (1915-2005), US senator from Wisconsin, the longest-serving senator from that state, he exposed wasteful spending on military programs, and called his immediate predecessor Joseph McCarthy "a disgrace to Wisconsin, to the Senate, and to America," Proxmire was an early advocate of campaign spending reform and his actions followed his beliefs; Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007), influential american author of The Sirens of Titan, Cat's Cradle, and Slaughter-House Five, he was interned in Dresden during the bombing of that city and that horrific experience colored his world view, reportedly he based his character Kilgore Trout on author Theodore Sturgeon; comedian and actor Jonathan Winters (1925-2013), a master of both improvisational and character comedy, he appeared in over 50 films and a gazillion television shows, in addition to performing his stand-up act., he could be really, really funny; Mose Allison (1927-2018), jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter, here's his signature song, "Parchment Farm":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRAYLabbHPk; Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012), Mexican author of The Old Gringo, and other acclaimed works; singer Laverne Baker (1929-1997), from 1955 to 1965, 20 of her songs mad=e the R&B charts; here's "Tweedlee Dee":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFpliZ6Aqa4; Mildred Dresselhaus (1930-2017), American physicist, materials scientist, and nanotechnologist, the "Queen of Carbon Science," she has won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, the Enrico Fermi award, the Kavli Prize, and Vannevar Bush Award, she supported efforts to promote increased participation of women in physics and was the face of a GE television advertisement which asked, "What if female scientists were celebrities?"; Hugh Everett III (1930-1982), American physicist who proposed what is now known as the 'many worlds interpretation' of quantum mechanics; Peter B. Lewis (1933-2013), chairman of the Progressive Insurance Company, and a philanthropist who signed the Giving Pledge in 2012 to donate half of his money to charity, donating more than $358 million (other substantial donations remain secret); Bibi Andersson (1935-2019), Swedish actress who often collaborated with Ingmar Bergman, known for such films as The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Dual at Diable, and I Never Promised You a Rose Garden; Jack Keller (1936-2005), he wrote the songs "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," "Venus in Blue Jeans," "Run to Him," and this one by Bobby Sherman:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJOuTr0BXb4; actress Denise Alexander (b. 1939), who played Lesley Webber on General Hospital; Barbara Boxer (b. 1940), Democrat, US Senator from Californias from 1993 to 2017 and US Representative from 1983 to 1993, during Clarence Thomas's senatorial confirmation hearings, she led a group which demanded that the all-white, all-male house Judiciary committee take Anita Hill's charges seriously (one of the members who voted for Thomas, -- and was a damned fool for doing so -- was Joe Biden), Upon he retirement, Boxer's Senate seat was filled by Kamala Harris; Dennis Coffey (b. 1940), studio musician who played guitar on Edwin Starr's "War," Diana Ross & The Supremes' "Someday We'll Be Together," and Freda Payne's 'Band of Gold"; 

Diane Wolkstein (1942-2013), folklorist and author of children's books, she was New York City's official storyteller from 1967 to 1971, and hosted the WNYC Radio's Stories From Many Lands from 1968 to 1980; Chris Dreja (b. 1945), rhythm guitarist and bassist for the Yardbirds, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he officially left the band in 2013 for medical reasons following a series of strokes; Daniel Ortega (b. 1945), president of Nicaragua since 2007,a Marxist-Leninist and  a one-time leader in the Sandanista National Liberation Front, Ortega faced rebellion from the US-backed Contras, his violent crackdown of his opposition in 2018 led to condemnation by Amnesty international and the OAS, and brought a flood of emigrants to neighboring Costa Rica and the closing of several NGOs, universities, and newspapers, when Ortega was re-elected in 2021. President Biden banned bot he and his officials from entering the United States; "Mutt" Lange (b. 1948), South African record producer, previously married to singer Shania Twain;

Jim Peterik (b. 1950), American musician and songwriter, co-author of "Eye of the Tiger," the theme song from Rocky III; Kim Peek (1951-2009), American savant, known as a "megasavant," the inspiration for the character Raymond Babbitt in the 1988 film Rain Man; Fuzzy Zoeller (b. 1951), American golfer, winner of ten PGA Tour Events, one of only three golfers to win the Masters Tournament in his first appearance, and winner of 1984 U.S. open; Marshall Crenshaw (b. 1953), US musician, here's his "Someday, Someway":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7sg66vfNHs; Mary Gaitskill (b. 1954), American novelist and short story writer, a one-time stripper and call girls, she writes unflinchingly about "taboo" subjects such as prostitution, addiction, sado-masochism, date rape, and victimization; Jigme Singye Wangchcuk (b. 1955), the king of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in 2006, he initiated ethnic cleansing in Bhutan in 1996, and insisted on the use of a "Gross National Happiness" index rather than a gross domestic product index to measure the well-being of his citizens, he supported protecting the environment, and abdicated on favor od his son in 2006; Talaat Aziz (b. 1956), ghazai singer (I know nothing about ghazai songs or poetry, except that it is very popular in the Middle East and seems to be linked to Sufism; anyway, here's Aziz singing "Zindagi Jab Bhi Teri Bazm Mein Humain - Umroa Jaan":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-_CY0iP1CM); Lee Hany (b. 1959), former American professional body builder, he holds eight Mr. Olympia titles; Christian Schwarzenegger (b. 1959), Swiss academic lawyer and professor of criminal law, cousin of Arnold; Stanley Tucci (b. 1960), American actor and producer and noted foodie; Demi Moore (b. 1962), American actress, a member of the Brat Pack, she is known for Blame It on Rio, Ghost, A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal, and Striptease, mother of Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, former wife of Freddy Moore, Bruce Willis, and Ashton Kutcher; Calista Flockheart (b. 1964), actress who came into prominence playing Ally McBeal, she played Kitty Walker in Brotherss & Sisters from 2006 to 2011, she's married to Harrison Ford; Philip McKeon (1962-2019), actor who played the kid on the sitcom Alice, his younger sister was Nancy McKeon from The Facts of Life, he died at age 55 after a long illness; Alison Doody (b. 1966), Bond girl Jenny Flex in A View to a Kill (she was 18, the youngest Bond girl to date), and Elsa Schneider in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Peaches (Merril Nisker, b. 1966), Canadian electroclash musician (not to be confused with Peaches Geldorf, Peaches Christ, or half of Peaches and Herb), she has been described as a feminist queer icon; Carson Kressley (b. 1969), 
American television personality and designer, member of the original cast of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy; David Deluise (b. 1971), American actor, son of Dom, brother of Peter and Michael, he played Jerry Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place; Jason White (b. 1973) touring guitarist for the band Green Day; Leonardo DeCaprio (b. 1974), American actor whose films include What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Titanic, Gangs of New York, and The Wolf of Wall Street, active in the climate change movement, his personal life, including his preference for women 25 years old or younger, has been the subject of much media speculation; Jill Vedder (b. 1977), American philanthropist and former fashion model. she is co-founder and vice-chairman of a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for the rare genetic skin disorder epidermolysis bullosa which is marked by easy blistering of the skin and mucous membranes and its severity ranges from mild to fatal, in the United States this disease is prevalent in 8.2 per million live births; Scoot McNairy (b. 1977), American actor, he starred in AMC's Halt and Catch Fire for four seasons, from 2014 to 2017, and has had major roles in a number of films and television programs, he has 95 IMDb credits; Jon Batiste (b. 1986), American instrumentalist and band leader, he was the bandleader and musical director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022, he has earned five Grammy Awards from 20 nominations; Christa B. Allen (b. 1991), American actress who played the younger version of Jennifer Garner's character in both 13 Going on 30 and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, she played socialite Charlotte Grayson in Revenge from 2011 to 2015; X Gonzalez (born Emma Gonzalez, 1999) American gun control activist, they (the preferred pronoun) survived the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting in 2018; and Oakes Fegley (b. 2004), American child actor, known for Pete's Dragon, The Goldfinch, and The Fabelmans, he also played young Eli Thompson in the fifth season of Boardwalk Empire.

Over a span of nearly a thousand years, these people played a role -- sometimes big, sometimes small -- in shaping our lives and who we are today.

The Magic Orange Tree:  Here's Diane Wolkstein relating a story from Haiti at New York's Central Park on June 5, 2010.  Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YfZg6Tgpr8

A Bad Joke:  Two vampire bats were hanging upsidedownn in their cave and one of them said, "I'm hungry.  let's go out and some blood."  the other said, "Don't be silly.  It's the middle of the day.  There's no blood out this time of day.  You have to wait until nighttime, when people are sleeping."  "I  don't care.  I'm hungry NOW!"  With that, the first bat flitted out of the cave.  Some time passed and the first bat returned with blood dripping down from his jaws.  The second bat said, "I don't believe it!  where didm you find blood this time of day?"  The first bat pointed outside the cave, "Do you see that tree?"  "Yes," said the second bat.  "Well, I didn't," said the first bat.

Florida Man:

• Florida Man Alexander Rodriguez, 20, of Miami,  was arrested after he allegedly stabbed his brother in the neck for talking over the food while he was cooking.  When police arrived, the brother was trying to dress the wound with a cloth and Rodriguez had fled; he was later found hiding in a nearby tree.  Rodriguez told police that he was irritated at his brother and that he had grabbed a knife and stabbed him because he thought his brother was going for the knife; he said that his brother had an "attitude."
• Florida Man John F. Burgos, 72, of Rockledge, was arrested for shooting and killing his dog because he had no power in his home after Hurricane Milton hit.  Alcohol was involved.
• Football is a contact sport, especially in Florida.  Police are reviewing a viral video taken at a recent football game between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs, in which Florida lost, 20-34.  The video allegedly shows a Florida police officer in the stands, beating a man in the stands, punching the man repeatedly while the victim was covering his face while lying on the aisle; a short distance away, another officer was seen allegedly punching another man repeatedly.  No context was given for the video and the local news station was unable to verify the authenticity of the video.  The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said that its Professional Standards Division was reviewing the alleged incident.
• Florida Woman Esther Thelus was arrested for killing her nine-moth-old baby and attempting to murder her 2-year-old son after feeling "humiliated" in a child custody suit.  Police said that Thelus used a red gas canister and a lighter purchased at a local convenience store to set herself and her children on fire.  Thelus had wanted to take the infant to south Florida while leaving the older boy with his father, from whom she was estranged.  Apparently the boy's father and the father's mother insisted on a DNA test to prove the child was his before he would taking custody.  some Florida Men and Women stories are cure, and some or quirky, and, sadly, some are just tragic. 
• Florida Woman Lakevia Davonna Pringle, of Sanford,  is facing a judge after she recorded video of her girlfriend fatally shooting another woman, and then live-streamed parts of the shooting on social media.  Police said Pringle had also encouraged the fight which led to the fatal shooting.
• 17-year-old Florida Man (Boy?) Jaylen Dewayne Edgar has allegedly told deputies that he shot into crowds of people celebrating Halloween in Orland -- ultimately killing two men and injuring eight others -- because he had witness a lot of "loved ones" die, and that he was under great stress. Thirty minutes prior to the shooting, Edgar apparently climbed into the back of am Orlando Fire Department ambulance and laid down on a stretcher while the ambulance crew was attempting to aid an intoxicated woman; Edgar apparently had a gun hidden in his pants at the time.

Good News -- And This Is the Week When We Need Some:

• A four-year-old girl who was told she would never walk takes her first steps     https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/4-year-old-girl-told-shed-never-walk-takes-her-first-steps-with-sisters-screaming-while/
• An award-winning hero dog     https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/18-month-old-bloodhound-wins-hero-dog-awards-for-2024/
• Can identifying fragments of rogue DNA help treat aggressive cancers?     https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/study-raises-hopes-of-treating-aggressive-cancers-by-identifying-fragments-of-rogue-dna/
• An old radio is revived from a great distance      https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/aging-voyager-1-restarts-a-radio-it-hasnt-used-since-1981-prompted-from-15-billion-miles-away/
• Man sees color for the first time      https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/man-is-overwhelmed-with-emotion-trying-color-blind-glasses-for-first-time-my-god-this-is-amazing-watch/
• Life savings of a small town recovered from a crypto-scam     https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/life-savings-of-an-entire-small-town-recovered-from-the-depths-of-a-cryto-scam-by-fbi/
• Kids leave Halloween candy on a front step -- for a good reason      https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/kids-leave-halloween-candy-on-doorstep-after-noticing-sign-about-sons-hospitalization-leaving-family-overwhelmed/

Today's Poem:

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.  Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

-- John McCrae