Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Saturday, February 25, 2012

They're nuts for Allah

WW II cemetery demolished by angry Islamists.

Warren's World

Buffet 'dead wrong' on housing markets. Place in No Shit Sherlock file.

Bluegrass barber shop

North Carolina shop a gathering place for pickers and bullshitters. The same thing happens occasionally at Dalton Barber Shop where Chuck and the boys have been known to pick a little between cuttins.

Bumper Crop by Joe Lansdale

This is a fine gathering of short fiction by the talented Texan. Most of the tales can be found elsewhere, but along with the earlier collection "High Cotton," "Bumper Crop" pretty thoroughly represents the early days of Lansdale's career, particularly his work for several national fantasy fiction magazines.
There are 26 stories included, including some as short as 2-3 pages. Twist endings are standard, as are outrageous monsters and charming villains.
Lansdale is a man who enjoys his work and loves to give his readers a good goosing. That often makes for eclectic, punchy and colorful stories. There are a couple of lemons in the package, but most of these pieces hold up really well, thanks to the writer's straight forward style and lack of pretentiousness.
My favorites include "Down by the Sea Near the Great Big Rock," Old Charlie," and the best of them all, the chilling "In the Cold, Dark Time." Also a lot of fun is "Pilots," which was written during the CB radio craze. That one brings back a lot of memories.
Highly recommended.

The Atlantic Abomination by John Brunner

Brunner was a very competent science fiction writer but like all novelists, he had to start somewhere. In Brunner's case "somewhere" was "The Atlantic Abomination," a short novel that reads very much like a first effort.
The "abomination" in question is a massive alien life form awakened deep in the ocean. The creature has been hibernating for thousands of years, waiting for the chance to resume his domination of mankind.
It winds up in Jacksonville, Fla. -- of course -- and it is there that a multi-nation team of military men and scientists dig in for battle.
Brunner hated this book and it is a very simple, often silly tale. But it's also an easy read and possesses a certain 50ish Bug Eyed Monster feel that some readers will love.
Also some earlier editions have a wonderful cover showing the title monster being carried across a ravine by a wave of human slaves. It's a knockout cover, much better than the book it advertises.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

World War II

Did Hitler have a child by teen? French sources make the claim.

Braves minor leaguers

Jurrjens, Prado glad to be back in Atlanta. Unless they could have landed a solid every day starter, not a prospect or role player, I did not understand the Braves' desire to move either of these players. Both can add a lot, particularly the versatile Prado.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Trade Center gaga

Watch your wallet. If attendance is up more than 40 percent this year why are all these improvements necessary? Benefits of the trade center are much less than its supporters would have the public believe. One million in losses per year?

Sci fi and space travel

Suggested reading from Greg Benford.

'Kearny's March'

In 1846 Gen. Stephen Kearny was ordered to leave Kansas with 2,000 U.S. troops and move west to California. The problem was California was still the property of Mexico, as was much of the "southern route" taken by Kearny's little army. This did not sit well with many Mexicans who also soon found themselves dealing with the U.S. Navy, "Pathfinder John C. Freemont and his small force of mountain men and explorers, Gen. Zachary Taylor's army regulars, Col. Alexander Doniphan's Missouri volunteers, more army regulars under Winfield Scott and a 500-man" Mormon Battalion" on loan from a cash-needy Brigham Young.
Groom incorporates all of this into his book as well as the tragic Donner Party and some early Mormon history.
In a very busy 270-pages Groom also writes about the political machinations of the Polk presidency and the chaotic world that was mid-19th century Mexico.
The book is jam packed with interesting tidbits and encourages further reading on the many subjects it introduces.
It was a momentous time in the history of North America. Th events of 1846-47 left a last impact on both the U.S. (which was doubled in size) and Mexico, which was momentously ill served by its corrupt and incompetent political and military leadership.
"Kearny's March" is a fine read in itself and a springboard to further reading.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The great Basil Gogos

The king of the monsters. Fantasy art doesn't get much better than this. A master.

Editorial for Summerville News

By most accounts "Red Tails" is a very flawed film. However, the World War II action movie produced by George (Star Wars) Lucas deserves high marks for showing black Americans making an important contribution to the nation's military.
With a handful of exceptions, blacks have seldom received the attention of Hollywood filmmakers working on historical features.
That's unfortunate.
Black Americans have played a key role in our country's history, going back as far as the Revolutionary War.
It is estimated that more than 5,000 blacks fought for the Continental Army, despite the existence of slavery throughout the fledgling nation. (Thousands also fought for the British who promised them their freedom.)
Blacks continued to serve in the military in various roles. Often they were used as labor forces, freeing up more whites to serve in combat roles. However many blacks also "saw the elephant," the old phrase for participating in actual combat.
Some black military contributions have become well known. The fine film "Glory" celebrated the accomplishments of the 54th Massachusetts, a minority Union command which participated in several key battles in the Civil War. There are lesser known examples, too. Black soldiers played an important role in Alexander Doniphan's amazing "Chihuahua campaign," which saw a heavily outnumbered and outgunned American force decimate its adversaries and essentially conquer the vast Mexican state.
"Red Tails" is the story of the Tuskegee airmen, the first black aviators in the U.S. military. The Tuskegee men served with distinction, building a sterling reputation for skill and tenacity in their trademark P-51 Mustang fighters with painted red tails.
The movie has plenty of flaws but its very existence goes some ways in addressing an even greater flaw, the lack of recognition for thousands of brave men so long overlooked by our popular culture.

Middle East

Why is the world silent on Syria?
A couple of reasons come to mind. First, as events in Egypt have shown the outcome of the pro-democracy movements may well not be what many of us hoped for. What happens in Syria if the Assads are toppled?
Second, no one wants to provide anything like the the blood and treasure expended to toss Khaddafi from power in Libya. Certainly the US isn't going to get too involved and the same is true of most of the European nations. They feel like they've done their good deed for the day.