Longhand?
So I've been stuck a bit on the new book and in desperation, I guess, I decided to try something new - well, old actually, but new for me, as I've never done this at all:
I started writing in long-hand.
We'll see if jumpstarts anything.
Whatever you toss . . .
. . . can and will be used against you in a court of law.
. . . can and will be used against you in a court of law.
Item:
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — State police say a Buffalo man's effort to ditch some drugs from a moving car didn't exactly go as planned.
Troopers with the state police Thruway detail say 20-year-old Sean Schmidt was standing with his upper body sticking out the sunroof of a vehicle traveling on Interstate 190 in Buffalo late Monday night.
When a trooper following in a state police cruiser activated the car lights to pull the other vehicle over, Schmidt threw a small bag of marijuana, which landed on the hood of the trooper's car.
Troopers say Schmidt was ticketed for marijuana possession and not wearing a seatbelt.
In need of De-training . . .
I think I've sat behind this woman a few times.
The original poster's comment:
This woman was talking too loud on the train when the conductor politely asked her to keep it down and stop using profanity or to take it to the vestibule. She jumped up and started yelling about how "educated" she is, proving the exact opposite.
There was an announcement a minute later asking all passengers to please not use profanity on the train, "especially those people who went to Harvard or Yale or are from Westport.
I think I've sat behind this woman a few times.
The original poster's comment:
This woman was talking too loud on the train when the conductor politely asked her to keep it down and stop using profanity or to take it to the vestibule. She jumped up and started yelling about how "educated" she is, proving the exact opposite.
There was an announcement a minute later asking all passengers to please not use profanity on the train, "especially those people who went to Harvard or Yale or are from Westport.
Weiner roast
The Post is having readers vote on the best front page featuring the now vanishing Weiner. Vote or observe here.
Actually, my favorite was today's . . .
Obvious, but an instant classic. Unfortunately, it's not in the contest.
The Post is having readers vote on the best front page featuring the now vanishing Weiner. Vote or observe here.
Actually, my favorite was today's . . .
Weiner beats it.
Obvious, but an instant classic. Unfortunately, it's not in the contest.
Word wars . . .
Or useless information post # 3476:
According to several internet citations, the word "intercine" is starting to pop up in place of "internecine."
Which makes sense, because who needs those two extra letters?
(They are useful if you want to figure out the etymology, since the word comes from a Latin root that means slaughter. OED puts the first use in the late 17th century.)
Or useless information post # 3476:
According to several internet citations, the word "intercine" is starting to pop up in place of "internecine."
Which makes sense, because who needs those two extra letters?
(They are useful if you want to figure out the etymology, since the word comes from a Latin root that means slaughter. OED puts the first use in the late 17th century.)
Proving again which side they're on . . .
Item:
Item:
Pakistani authorities have rounded up a handful of people who helped the CIA find and kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad last month, according to Pakistani and U.S. officials.
Those rounded up include a doctor who was a major in the medical corps of the Pakistani military, according to two Pakistani officials and one U.S. official.
The owner of a safe house that the CIA used to spy on bin Laden's compound was also rounded up, the Pakistani officials said.
(Note that the story here by ABC gives the CIA credit for killing bin Laden which is, uh, not entirely correct.)
Uniform change
Item:
Item:
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army said Monday that it was abandoning the beret, after a failed 10-year experiment.
The black beret, which proved deeply unpopular with American soldiers, will be replaced by a patrol cap for everyday wear, U.S. Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins said.
The move came after outgoing Army chief of staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, asked the Army's sergeant major "to go out and talk to soldiers across the force and see what was on their minds," Collins told AFP.
"One of the things that soldiers consistently brought up was the desire to wear the patrol cap as part of their duty uniform," he said.
The beret will still be part of the Army's dress uniform, but will no longer be worn in the field as soldiers complained that it was impractical, he said.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/14/us-army-reportedly-abandons-black-beret-for-patrol-cap/#ixzz1PHU8Xbyr
Washed out
About the only good thing that happened for me during last night's game - aside from finally making good on a promise to catch a contest with a friend - was running into Cousin Brewski and buying a couple of beers off him for old time's sake.
As for the game itself, which began with a three and a half-hour rain delay and ended with a @##$, I can't seem to recall what happened, aside from not one, not two, but THREE Yankees being plunked (admittedly one on the shoe) to ONE Red Sux player. Admittedly it was Big Papi - who incidentally applauded on the way to first base.
I assume he was being sarcastic, though who's to say?
On the blog - fyi . . .
Quick note to the folks who have wandered in from the website and places like Human Events, etc., especially those looking for a staid and serious author:
Thanks for coming. Things are a bit looser here than in my serious books and commentaries. It's more like hanging out at the hotel bar after the serious work during the day.
Damn, that's a lousy metaphor . . . see what I mean?
The serious books, Omar Bradley especially, are serious.
Lastly, I appreciate the comments that have been forwarded to me. I don't have a mechanism for responding and thanking each person personally, at least at the moment, but I surely would if I could.
Quick note to the folks who have wandered in from the website and places like Human Events, etc., especially those looking for a staid and serious author:
Thanks for coming. Things are a bit looser here than in my serious books and commentaries. It's more like hanging out at the hotel bar after the serious work during the day.
Damn, that's a lousy metaphor . . . see what I mean?
The serious books, Omar Bradley especially, are serious.
Lastly, I appreciate the comments that have been forwarded to me. I don't have a mechanism for responding and thanking each person personally, at least at the moment, but I surely would if I could.
Update - Delta caves
Or perhaps I should say, comes to its senses . . .
Or perhaps I should say, comes to its senses . . .
(CBS/AP)WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers returning from Afghanistan posted a YouTube video complaining that they had to pay Delta Air Lines $2,800 out of pocket to check extra bags, prompting an onslaught of online comments critical of Delta and at least one boycott effort.
The video went online late Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon — nearly 200,000 views later — Delta had posted a blog message saying it had revised its bag fee policy for troops. The airline had been allowing troops traveling coach class three free bags, but was imposing a $200 fee on a fourth bag. Now Delta — in a statement attributed to a company social media director — says fourth bags will be free.
Boston fans
Just a reminder that as the Yankees start yet another series with the hated and demonic Red Sox, Boston fans are, in fact, among the finest human beings on the planet - as demonstrated by this video where they encourage and metaphorically pick up this young autistic man as he sings the national anthem. You really can't get more gracious and graceful than that.
Liar, liar pants on fire
Item:
Item:
China Rejects Google's Hacking Charge
Charges that Chinese hackers singled out influential users of Gmail were met with withering scorn in an editorial published in the official party newspaper. (Story here; there are plenty of others.)
See, we just don't understand - getting hacked is just a feature of the cheap components the Chinese factories have been making.
On D-Day
Human Events has kindly published a commentary I wrote; you can find it here. (And on their home page, though I assume it will move.)
Just as a p.s., a lot of people don't understand or know the actual flow and dynamics of the post-D-Day battles at Normandy, let alone the impact of the upper command decisions. General at War will go into some of them. Misconceptions about the campaign have contributed greatly to the misunderstanding of Bradley's role in the war, at least by the general public. Cobra, Bradley's plan for the breakout weeks after D-Day, is one of the great un-sung battles of the war.
Iranian Crash
Pretty incredible video of a large Iranian aircraft crashing in 2007.
There have been various reports about what the plane was and why it went down; many say it was an Iranian version of a radar aircraft (essentially a Russian-made AWACS). One favored alternative is a passenger plane carrying weapons and other contraband for Hamas destroyed by a bomb or some other sabotage. In any event, the image is stunning.
The plane being refueled in the foreground is an F4 Phantom, a true classic though regrettably in Iranian colors . . .
Past perfected
Just when I thought the battle to preserve past perfect as a viable verb tense was lost . . . a copy editor recently inserted a past perfect tense in one of my manuscripts.
Sister Mary Elephant would be so proud.
Not of me, as I used past tense there. (I plead insanity.) I owe the CE a beer.
Male or female . . .
Can you tell whether a writer is a man or a woman by reading a few lines?
Test your gender vocabulary on these passages. (The choices lean toward literary fiction, but it's fun anyway. The actual controversy that spurred it is nonsense.)
Iran's nukes
Seymour Hirsch has an article in the New Yorker this week questioning whether Iran is intent on building a nuclear bomb. The implication is that Iran is another Iraq: no (nuclear) weapons of mass destruction here.
Is Iran actively trying to develop nuclear weapons? Members of the Obama Administration often talk as if this were a foregone conclusion, as did their predecessors under George W. Bush. There’s a large body of evidence, however, including some of America’s most highly classified intelligence assessments, suggesting that the U.S. could be in danger of repeating a mistake similar to the one made with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq eight years ago—allowing anxieties about the policies of a tyrannical regime to distort our estimates of the state’s military capacities and intentions.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/06/06/110606fa_fact_hersh#ixzz1O8Wqb5cr(You need a subscription to read the entire article. Admittedly, the excerpt is more controversial and supplies less context than the whole thing; read the fuller version carefully and you'll realize the real question among intelligence analysts is not necessarily intent, but how close the Iranians are to succeeding, which is a matter of intense debate. Still, the excerpt not only shows the gist of the piece but probably what most people will get out of it.)
Reading the article, you kind of wonder what sort of evidence it would take to convince some people that Iran DOES want a bomb - will only a nuclear cloud do?
Truly, if you want to know how serious Iran is about its nuclear weapon program, you don't need access to classified information about centrifuges and viruses - all you really have to do is look at the work Iran is doing on delivery systems - aka, missiles. There is a great deal of information available, a surprising amount of it unclassified. Contrast that to the (also) publicly available information about Iraq's delivery systems just before the Gulf War - intel that should have tipped the CIA off - and then decide what they're up to.
But I guess that's all for the new postal system they're planning.
Happy birthday
Regnery celebrated the launch of their new history line (look for Bradley this September) with a cake.
But here's my question - is it a birthday cake if it coincides with the launch (or "birth"), or a pre-birthday cake (since you usually get coke starting on year 1)?
What do the copy editors say?
Afghanistan
So today, we get this:
KABUL, Afghanistan — In one of his sternest warnings yet concerning civilian casualties, PresidentHamid Karaki said Tuesday that NATO must stop air attacks on Afghan homes immediately, or face “unilateral action” from the Afghan government.Speaking at a news conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Mr. Karzai declined to say what actions the government would or could take, saying only that Afghanistan “has a lot of ways of stopping it.”
Story here. It's actually relatively balanced.
I realize that supporting our continued presence in Afghanistan isn't the most popular position, but it's clear that NATO and the U.S. are bending over backwards to actually deal with the situation there - and much more realistically than Karazi appears to be.
But sooner or later, Americans are going to say, Why bother? If they want to continue living in a hell hole, so be it.
Intellectuals . . .
The always entertaining and usually provocative David Mamet is interviewed in Sunday's NYT Magazine:
There’s an anti-intellectual flavor to your dismissal of the liberal arts, saying the only thing an M.A. in English can do is bag groceries. You don’t consider yourself an intellectual?
I don’t know. If you look at Paul Johnson’s or Thomas Sowell’s description of the term, it would be a guy who’s not aware that he doesn’t know anything.
The whole interview is a tear. It's here.
Historical blinders
Jerome Preisler has been teasing people who follow him on Twitter with accounts of his work on a new World War II historical account, to be titled Codename Caesar. Everything I've heard about the book, which details nail-biting Allied operations to upend a high-tech German/Japanese program, make it sound like a must-read; it's due to be published some time next year.
Along the way, Jerome has been providing some interesting insights into the historical process, which is something that's always interested me (and is part of the focus of my own books, Rangers at Dieppe and my forthcoming biography of Omar Bradley).
The other day he tweeted this:
In researching my current book, I read lots of historians who say WW II German airmen were "dedicated" and the Japanese "fanatical". Zat so?
An excellent point. As is the fact that a single adjective can reveal a great deal.
Now I'm going to guess that not one of the accounts he's been reading is by a writer who would be considered "prejudiced." (Much less would consider him or herself the same.) But be that as it may, it would seem inevitable that the subtle shadings of their work influence readers, generally in ways reader and author don't notice. And those hidden influences, inevitably, shade the work of writers who come later, and on and on.
That's one reason people don't know much about Omar Bradley, and that what they do know is wrong. But it's also a reason that we don't learn as much from history as we might.
(Jerome's twitter feed is @YankeesInk. As you can guess from the title, a lot of it has to do with baseball and especially the Yankees - so it may be an acquired taste for some, especially you guys up in Boston.)
The most awesome pro wrestling story ever
From Deadspin:
Now time for our email of the week. It comes from reader Adam, who was Randy Savage's second cousin. He offers this tribute:
Adam:
When I was a kid, Randy's Mother (aka Macho Mom) would always make sure that Randy would put aside tickets for when the WWF or WCW would come to Chicago. During a show in 1992 or 1993, me and my brother were actually granted the opportunity to go backstage. For the 6-year-old me, this was the most awesomest thing possible.
I don't remember what happened during the show, but I do have a vague memory of what happened when I was able to go backstage. I'm not sure of what my expectations were of going backstage, but at that point in my life I was sure of 3 things: Wrestling was 100% real, there were Good Guys who were super heroes, and there were Bad Guys that were super villains.
We were met backstage by some WWF people who were leading us into the locker room area, and we were brought to Randy to say hello. There were a bunch of other wrestlers around, which was really cool but there was one problem: the good guys were hanging out and being cordial to the bad guys! Seeing good guys like Brett Hart sharing laughs with bad guys like Jake "The Snake" Roberts was almost traumatic to see; like seeing your Dad french kiss your aunt. It simply wasn't supposed to happen.
I was sad, scared and confused. I gathered up the courage to ask why the Good Guys were friends with the Bad Guys. Randy said, "We're not. We're just tricking them. You'll see."
After this, a WWF rep was showing us some other areas of the backstage. I don't remember what we saw, but I know when we circled back to the area where Randy was, all of the wrestlers I had seen before were back in character. Bad guys were yelling at Good Guys about how they were going to kick their butt and Good Guys were holding each other back from attacking the bad guys.
This. Was. Awesome. It IS real! Of course it is!
Randy didn't know me too well, but he cared enough about a young fan and professional wrestling to keep the illusion and innocence alive.
While, as I said earlier, I cannot claim that we were particularly close, I do send my condolences to those in our family who were. He made a lot of people happy.
Kaye who?
Original here. (Note - Deadspin may not be to everyone's taste. And they like it that way.)
Clueless
The second* biggest lie Clinton has told in his lifetime:
Former president Bill Clinton expressed optimism Wednesday about the immediate consequences of failing to raise the debt ceiling by the August 2 deadline.
"If we defaulted on the debt once for a couple of days, it might not be calamitous," said Clinton.
Give me a break. Screwing with the faith and credit of the United States is a quick way to turn a bs political fight into a real crisis.
You think the housing crash was bad? Think of what happens when T bills become worthless.
It's not the money; it's the politics.
Clinton should go play with matches and gasoline. In traffic. It's safer than what he's senselessly endorsing here.
* No the first wasn't denying that he had sex - it was a little more, uh . . . misspredicktive.
Forever Young
And speaking of Dylan, an interesting op ed piece on the role of being a teenager in the creation of genius . . . and everything else:
Fourteen is a formative age, especially for people growing up in social contexts framed by pop culture. You’re in the ninth grade, confronting the tyrannies of sex and adulthood, struggling to figure out what kind of adult you’d like to be, and you turn to the cultural products most important in your day as sources of cool — the capital of young life.
“Fourteen is a sort of magic age for the development of musical tastes,” says Daniel J. Levitin, a professor of psychology and the director of the Laboratory for Music Perception, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University. “Pubertal growth hormones make everything we’re experiencing, including music, seem very important. We’re just reaching a point in our cognitive development when we’re developing our own tastes. And musical tastes become a badge of identity.”
Rest of the article here.
I'm not sure there's much scientific basis behind it, but you can search your own childhood (or future childhood) and decide on your own.
The attack in Karachi
One of the more depressing aspects of the terrorist attack yesterday and early this morning on Pakistan's PC-3 base has been the continuing animosity between India and Pakistan, evident in reports about the incident in both countries.
Some Pakistani media outlets have gone so far as to say that the attack must have been launched by India, since India has objected to the spy planes, which it sees as a threat to its navy. Indian sources, in the meantime, have implied that the attack must have been an inside job, since it was so successful.
The conflict between Pakistan and India is long and complicated, and should not be minimized. But at the present, the real threat to Pakistan comes not from India but from the radicals that it has nurtured for the past several decades. Unfortunately, too many people in Pakistan - and India and the U.S. - don't seem to want to face up to that.
Chinese intentions . . .
Twenty years behind?
"I can tell you that China does not have the capability to challenge the United States," Gen. Chen Bingde said, adding that China's wealth and military strength pales in comparison with that of the United States. He said China's navy is 20 years behind the U.S. Navy.
(General Chen is basically the chief of staff)
Size-wise, I'd think more than twenty. But given how much progress they've made over the past decade, maybe twenty years is right.
Full story here.
One that got away
Read the review today of a book I was supposed to (help) write, but didn't, because it went to a different publishing house (presumably because they offered more money, though I don't know for sure).
That's happened a handful of times and in all cases, I've never read the book that resulted. It's an odd experience - almost out of body or even alternate history. I don't feel any animosity - there's none there; it's a purely theoretical business thing.
Weird though.
Excellent book, at least according to the review. It's also pretty high on the best-seller list.
Big Mac-a-licious
I am in awe of this man:
It's something that no one else in the entire world can truthfully say: I've eaten 25,000 Big Macs.
Don Gorske can't say it yet either - but by tomorrow he will be able to.
Mr Gorske, 57, is set to eat his 25,000th McDonald's Big Mac on Tuesday, May 17 - the 39th anniversary of the first time he tasted the iconic burger.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387785/Don-Gorske-set-consume-25-000th-Big-Mac-cholesterol-normal.html#ixzz1McaoFtI2
But do you think maybe his diet has something to do with his taste bud problem?
Why authors don't do covers . . .
My publisher, Tor/Forge, is extremely indulgent when it comes to dealing with authors, or at least me, actually asking if I have any ideas for a cover.
Words can only go so far when you're trying to communication a picture. I'm a horrible drawer, so occasionally I'll throw the ideas together in an illustration.
My next solo book, The Helios Conspiracy, is a kind of a noirish-techno thriller staring Andy Fisher, whom a few readers may recognize. Here's what I came up with:
(And yes, that is a naked woman in the bottom.)
Here's what they made of it:
They'll fiddle around some more, I'm sure, but I think they did a helluvajob.
p.s.: The book should be out next February.
Health care update . . .
Item:
The nation’s major health insurers are barreling into a third year of record profits, enriched in recent months by a lingering recessionary mind-set among Americans who are postponing or forgoing medical care. . . .Yet the companies continue to press for higher premiums, even though their reserve coffers are flush with profits and shareholders have been rewarded with new dividends. Many defend proposed double-digit increases in the rates they charge, citing a need for protection against any sudden uptick in demand once people have more money to spend on their health, as well as the rising price of care.(Full story here.)
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know - the link to the gaming site got messed up a bit, which caused a lot of confusion with the video. This is one of the trailers that was there. Sorry, my bad.
The dialog here is edited a bit to fit into the trailer. (I don't want to explain too much of the story before the game is out.)
Regnery History
My bio of Omar Bradley is part of the launch of a new imprint; I hope that would make the general smile (something he rarely did, actually, but you'll have to read the book to see why).
Needless to say I'm very honored and grateful . . .
Regnery History
A New Imprint from Regnery Publishing
History is full of heroes and villains, stories and back stories. But too often, only one side of the story reaches the public. That’s why Regnery Publishing is proud to announce the launch of its new imprint: Regnery History. Beginning in fall 2011, Regnery History will publish new titles within the history, biography, and military categories. Following the Regnery tradition of challenging the status quo, Regnery History will bring new light to old subjects and will introduce figures and topics that deserve attention, but may have been ignored, overlooked, or even covered up in the past.
This fall, Regnery History will release three new hardcover titles and one paperback reprint. Included is a biography of the historically-neglected World War II general Omar Bradley; an in-depth look at the James Madison versus James Monroe election that ultimately shaped the U.S. Constitution; and a narrative political biography of Theodore Roosevelt complemented with more than 200 full-color and black and white vintage political cartoons. And new in paperback is the critically acclaimed biography of General Curtis LeMay by Warren Kozak. Early 2012 releases include a look at the Constitution from the perspective of the Founding Fathers as well as a gripping drama about the U.S.S. Grunion, the World War II submarine lost at sea, and the ensuing silence and cover up. We hope you enjoy our new line of books!
More info - go here:http://www.regneryhistory.com/
Assault Horizon . . .
Game Spot kindly gave us (and me) a little plug.
The first new console installment in Namco Bandai's arcade fighter-jet series since 2007's Xbox 360-exclusive Ace Combat 6, Assault Horizon is being positioned as a "reinvention" of the action shooter genre. The game's single-player mode features a storyline by New York Times best-selling author Jim DeFelice (Leopards Kill, Threat Level Black), offering conflict in real-world locales that range from Dubai to Russia. It also introduces a variety of aircraft to the franchise, such as supersonic jets and attack helicopters.
Meanwhile, in South America . . .
BOGOTA -- Colombia’s FARC rebels financed the presidential campaign of Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa and had such deep ties with Venezuela’s government that they may have carried out political assassinations on its behalf, according to a two-year analysis of thousands of the guerrilla group’s archives.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/10/2210416/study-details-regional-farc-ties.html#ixzz1M2kQftPx
Surprised?
Let your bullets do the talking . . .
Story in the NYT today:
U.S. Braced for Fights With Pakistanis in Bin Laden Raid
Story here.
If you can't get past the paywall, here's the executive version:
Asked what the SEALs would do if confronted by Pakistani forces, the military planners said they would talk their way out.
President Obama said screw that - kill the MFs.
Now that's how you run a military operation.
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