>> View 1980 report about scorpions (PDF)
*Gotta admire the early attempt at encyclopedic plagiarism on Page 2.
I was very pleased to see Crash take Best Picture last night. I’ve had a feeling this would nab the Oscar ever since I saw it back in June. Since then, all I’ve heard is Brokeback this, Brokeback that. Brokeback, Brokeback, Brokeback. I’ve seen both films, and there’s no comparison.
I must say, though, that Brokeback Mountain is probably one of the best gay cowboy movies I’ve ever seen on the big screen.
Although he is said to be the author of every Hardy Boys book, there is actually no writer named Franklin W. Dixon. There never has been.
I did not know that.
For that matter, neither was there ever a Carolyn Keene, nor a Victor Appleton. These are all pen names for a group of writers established by a man named Edward Stratemeyer.
After realizing that he had far more ideas for stories and series than he could write on his own, Stratemeyer etablished a group of writers known as the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Stratemeyer would outline the basic plot of each book to be written, and one of the Syndicate writers (known as “ghosts”) would write the book, being paid a flat fee and no further royalties.
Books produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate include the Hardy Boys series, the Nancy Drew series, the Tom Swift series, and others.
In the Christian calendar, Shrove Tuesday is the English name for the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which in turn marks the beginning of Lent. In many solidly Roman Catholic countries in Europe and the Americas, this is the last day of Carnival. In some historically Francophone places it is Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday; the most famous Shrove Tuesday celebration is the Brazilian Carnival.
It is also known as Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday in Britain, Ireland, Australia, and Canada.
The origin of the name Shrove lies in the archaic English verb “to shrive” which means to absolve people of their sins. It was common in the Middle Ages for “shriveners” (priests) to hear people’s confessions at this time, to prepare them for Lent.
The date can vary from as early as February 3 to as late as March 9. Like Lent, the date is dependent on that of Easter.
Shrove Tuesday (and Mardi Gras) will occur on the following dates in the following years:
2006 – February 28
2007 – February 20
2008 – February 5
2009 – February 24
2010 – February 16
2011 – March 8
2012 – February 21
2013 – February 12
2014 – March 4
Don Knotts
1924 – 2006
We’ve lost our beloved Mr. Furley, Barney Fife, and a number of other characters that’ve made me smile over the years in films like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (“Atta boy, Luther!”), Hot Lead and Cold Feet, and Gus. Above is a pic from my personal favorite, The Reluctant Astronaut. Don’s plays grown man in the Cold Warrish ’60s, still living with his parents. In an effort to get him out of the house, they sign him up for NASA’s astronaut program behind his back. He gets accepted. The catch: he’s afraid of heights.
A true gift to our generation.
Say hi to Jack for us, R.F.!
