Day: May 23, 2008

Been readin’ me some novels

 

NewMexiKen read both of the above these past few days. Both are from series, Blood of Victory (2002), from Furst’s succession of World War II espionage books, and Tularosa (1996), the first of McGarrity’s Kevin Kerney mysteries. It’s the third of Furst’s books I’ve read; the first of McGarrity’s.

Furst’s books describe the kind of world we know from the back story of Casablanca — individuals in small groups, possibly with some sort of “official” sanction or support, doing what they can to thwart the Nazis from one end of Europe to the other. They ride trains, have love affairs, smoke cigarettes, and blow up stuff. All in black in white, too.

McGarrity’s Kerney is the detective novel’s typical ex-cop, wounded in duty, loner, but respected. In Kerney’s case he’s an ex-Santa Fe cop, raised in the Tularosa basin (site of today’s missile range). He drives a pickup, rides horses, wins fights, loses fights, saves the girl, gets the bad guys. Good reading, if somewhat predictable. I expect to try another in the series soon. And another.

Probably not a good idea to fill up the tank in La Jolla

Gas prices 

Photo from The New York Times.

Of course, if you can afford to live in La Jolla, the price of gasoline is not likely to be much of a concern for you.

(That absurd 9/10ths of a cent still hanging in there.)

Update: AAA says the AVERAGE price of a gallon of regular gasoline nationwide went up 4.4 cents since yesterday. I want my 18.4¢ tax rebate! (Gas has gone up TWICE the amount of the tax since McCain and Clinton first proposed suspending the tax last month.)

Harry S Truman National Historic Site (Missouri)

. . . was established on this date in 1983.

Harry S Truman National Historic Site includes the Truman Home in Independence, Missouri, and the Truman Farm Home in Grandview, Missouri.

Truman Home

Harry S Truman (1884-1972), 33rd President of the United States, lived here from 1919 until his death. The white Victorian style house at 219 North Delaware Street was built by the maternal grandfather of Bess Wallace Truman (1885-1982), and was known as the “Summer White House” during the Truman administration (1945-1953).

National Park Service

10 best road-trip cars

Just in time, Kelley Blue Book has provided a list of the top 10 new vehicles best suited for road trips. Based on factors such as driving enjoyment, passenger comfort, cargo space, and — perhaps most important — fuel economy, the experts suggest travelers consider the following options. To sweeten the deal, we’ve offered some fun destinations to consider.

The Top 10
Audi S5
Bugatti Veyron
Chevrolet Malibu
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
Dodge Grand Caravan
Ford Flex
Infiniti EX35
Mini Cooper Clubman
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Eos

The 10 best road-trip cars and where to take them from the Los Angeles Times.

May 23rd — the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Jewel is 34 today. Joan Collins is 75. Drew Carey is 50.

Jewel’s last name is Kilcher.

Lauren Chapin, who played the youngest daughter, Kathy or Kitten, on “Father Knows Best,” is 63.

Benjamin Sherman Crothers — known to us better as Scatman Crothers — was born May 23rd in 1910. Crothers is best remembered as the permissive orderly in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the concerned chef in The Shining and as Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man. He was also a successful composer and singer and did a number of cartoon voices. The nickname Scatman came from his scat singing. Crothers died in 1986.

Clyde Champion Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot to death in an ambush near Sailes, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, on May 23rd in 1934. The FBI has a web page with details about Bonnie and Clyde, including a photo of each. Not exactly Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and Gene Hackman (who portrayed Clyde’s brother Buck). All three were nominated for an acting Oscar, as were Michael J. Pollard and Estelle Parsons. Parsons, who played Buck’s wife Blanche in the 1967 film, won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

William Harvey Carney was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on May 23rd in 1900 — for duty performed nearly 37 years earlier at Fort Wagner, S.C. Sergeant Carney was the first African-American to receive the Medal of Honor. Carney was a member of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry, the regiment whose story was told in the film Glory (1989) with Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick. Carney was not portrayed in the film by name. The citation for Carney’s Medal of Honor reads: “When the color sergeant was shot down, this soldier grasped the flag, led the way to the parapet, and planted the colors thereon. When the troops fell back he brought off the flag, under a fierce fire in which he was twice severely wounded.”