Unca Harlan's Art Deco Dining Pavilion

Archive - 09/27/2005 to 11/20/2005

Unca Harlan's Art Deco Dining Pavilion

>it seems ridiculous to me that a civil trial can even take place (constitution or not) if someone has been acquitted in a criminal trial - one would think that an acquital would be the perfect defense.<

In many cases I'm sure it is. But in cases like Blake and Simpson, where the reasonable doubt was just barely so (and not at all, for some people), it doesn't help.

The advantage to a civil case is that it's over money, not your life, and you can lock things up in appeals and not be sitting in the slam throughout the whole process.

Civil vs. Criminal
Charlie and Duane,

Thank you for your replies to my question. I understand the difference in venues and evidence. Maybe I'm being idealistic or completely irrational, (both of which I can most certainly lay claim to on occasion) but it seems ridiculous to me that a civil trial can even take place (constitution or not) if someone has been acquitted in a criminal trial - one would think that an acquital would be the perfect defense.

*shrug*

This is probably why I'd suck at being a lawyer.

Thanks, again!

K

Cookies
Unca Harlan:

I'm sorry that I don't have any chicken croquette recipes to pass on; however, I remember that your favorite cookie was the lost and lamented Hydrox. I don't know if you eat many cookies these days, but I think that I've finally found a reasonable replacement of creme-filled, chocolate joy. Newman's Own Organics produces Newman-O's creme filled chocolate cookies. We have only tried the Hint 'O Mint variety, so far, but it is most encouraging. The creme is soft, creamy and quite tasty, and the cookies themselves are firm and crunchy with a strong chocolate flavor. They definitely put Oreos to shame.

The bad news is that they are fairly pricey: Around $3.50 US for a 16 oz. package of 33 cookies. You'll probably also have to visit a large grocery chain that has an organic foods section in order to find them. Nonetheless, I urge you to check them out!

All hail Paul Newman!

DISREGARD URL TO O'BANNON INTERVIEW -- INCORRECT!
I apologize, folks for providing the wrong URL and for double-posting. I'll repost when I figure out how to provide you wtih the correct URL.

Kevin the Cyber Idiot

ROCKNE S. O'BANNON INTERVIEW
Harlan, you are kindly mentioned in this profile of Rockne S. O'Bannon, which focuses on (but isn't limited to) his terrific TWILIGHT ZONE episode "Wordplay":

http://mailcenter.comcast.net/wmc/v/wm/4380C28D000073530000289E2206424413979D0A900E0207900A05?cmd=Show&no=3&uid=178594&sid=c0#article2

First SF readings
I am almost certain that the first SF I read was a Ballantine collection of Henry Kuttner stories that came out in the mid-1970's. I was 12 years old, and I vividly remember the inventor who could only invent when he was drunk and considered himself a purist because he only drank beer out of cans, not plastic bulbs. (Even though I was a teetotaler at the time, I mourned with him when the last brewer to put its suds in cans went out of business.)
I also read A WRINKLE IN TIME around that time--it would have been shortly before or after the Kuttner collection. And I vaguely remember reading the NARNIA series in elementary school. But the Kuttner stories made a real impression on me. After that came Bradbury, Clarke, the Heinlein juveniles, Simak's "City" story cycle and yes, at the tender age of 14, Harlan Ellison's "Deathbird Stories." And I took his warning to read only one story at a time sincerely, and not as hyperbole.

BTW, anent my previous post, Jennifyr recommends Roscoe's House of Chicken is another possibility. (I bow to her superior knowledge of Southern cuisine and restaurants in California.)

Chicken croquettes
My friend Jennifyr says that her mother used to do salmon croquettes, which are similar:

The simplest is to use primarily dark meat because it's more juicy. Chop up 2 cups of chicken, then take saltine crackers (1/4 box; in other words, 1 wax paper sleeve's worth--about 30 saltines). Leaving the salt in, crumble the crackers and mix them in with the chicken in a large bowl. (You can also use bread crumbs). Add 3 L or XL eggs--best to whisk them up before adding to mixture. If you like onion, you can add dehydrated onion flakes (easiest), or chop up or cut with scissors a green onion. Once all this is together, check the consistency. If the mixture won't hold together, then it's time to start adding extra moisture. You can add chicken broth, an egg or a splash of milk.
Taste the mixture--add salt and pepper to taste. (If you're a spicy guy, this would be the time to add 'em if you wish.)
Smoosh mixture into balls, then drop into cooking oil and flatten somewhat with spatula. (This is so they will cook evenly.)
Form patties into whatever size you want--I would suggest 3 inches in diameter. Fry patties in frying pan--use any kind of oil you want--olive, peanut,etc. (I would suggest not using an oil that would add extra flavor.) Patties do not have to be deep-fried. Watch them very closely--estimated cooking time is about 4 minutes on each side. When done, drain on plenty of paper towels. If you want to be thorough on draining oil from the patties, change the towels. After changing the initial paper towels, replace them and this time use other paper towels to press down lightly from the top (like a sandwich). DO NOT leave upper paper towels on top after pressing, as this will remove the crunch. (Remember, steam is the enemy to crunch here.)
Serve and enjoy!

Jennifyr also recommends Johnny Rebs for their authentic Southern cuisine. They have restaurants in Victorville, Long Beach, Bellflower and Orange.

Reading List
The earliest SF-ish books I remember reading were Heinlein's Starship Troopers (odd, but true), and two Mark Twain stories (Tom Sawyer Abroad, Connecticut Yankee) with what must have been -- at the time -- SF-ish elements.

Also, a very vivid image comes to mind of a novel for which I cannot remember the title, but I clearly recollect that it involved multi-organism aliens with detachable tentacles, a disaster in space, and a very solid description of a collapsing gantry on the moon. The cover featured a spacesuited human hiding behind a metallic disc with four tentacles reaching around the disc. (If this sparks recognition in anyone, please let me know the name of the thing.) Again, think children's book.

And, yes I'll admit it, "Star Trek: Mission to Horatius". There are some things best left alone...

ME

Correction:

The del Rey title I had in mind was, "Marooned on Mars".

"Moon of Mutiny" is another Heinlein title.

Childhood Reads
One influential book was PAGOO, by Holling C. Holling. It was the life story of a hermit crab, and about life in the sea. It was technically accurate and at the same time made feisty little Pagoo an appealing character. It helped encourage my interest in science and storytelling, and showed the two could go together.

The opening of the book went something like this:

LITTLE Pagurus-"Pagoo" for short-floated at the surface of the sea...Instinct said, "You're hungry!" And sure enough, he was.

Chuck

Oops...
Charlie in St. Pete nailed it more accurately and succinctly than I did.

Hey Keiti,

If I get this wrong, someone will point out my folly, but my thinking goes like this:

Criminal trials and civil trials have different "burdens of proof." With criminal trials, the prosecution must prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Volumes have been written on what is meant by "reasonable doubt," but we'll just leave the term defined as it is.

With a civil trial, the burden of proof is "Preponderance of the evidence," which is less rigorous than "reasonable doubt." This basically means if the prosecution can convince a jury that there is more evidence supporting their side, then the jury can convict. Since a criminal court can have someone's freedom taken away (or killed), the Constitution requires a much higher standard of proof than "we are at least 51% sure so-and-so committed this crime."

In both cases, a criminal jury didn't believe that the prosecution proved its case beyond a "reasonable doubt" (for whatever hair-ripping reason, at least in the case of OJ). But a CIVIL jury, which can't send a man to prison but can take large sums of his money, was convinced that there was at least a 51% chance that the defendant was indeed guilty.

Now, I'm no big city lawyer (he said, tugging at his suspenders), but it's the best I could come up with. Anyone more knowledgable than I have any thoughts?

ME: Started with speculative fiction in middle school, with this stuff.

Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series
C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia
Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke short stories
Stephen King's Nigh Shift

Good stuff.

PAB

Early Reading

I started reading Harlan in 6th grade after i discovered he was the creator of THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER. Found a couple-three stories in the old Orbit anthologies ed. by Damon Knight. Blew me the eff away.

I read WILLARD by Stephen Gilbert
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame
The Martian novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Elric novels of Michael Moorcock
The Andromeda Strain and The Terminal Man by Crichton
Joseph Wambaugh and Ed McBain novels

On second thought, better not have the kid start with the stuff that I did.

Regards,
Neal

Harlan,

If you want a basket full of hot Southern biscuits to sop up the gravy with, I've got a Savannah recipe passed down from my maternal grandmother that my mom taught me to make. They are the real deal.

ME

This stuff is great for early teens:

del Rey (Moon of Mutiny, etc.)
Heinlein (Have Spacesuit Will Travel, etc. anything from '40s & 50's)
Doc Smith (Lensman, Skylark, etc.)
Le Guin (Earthsea)

Regarding children's books
ME: Ever read THE FORGOTTEN DOOR by Alexander Key? I'd still prefer to live in Jon's world. People haven't changed much in forty years.

Eleanor Cameron's MUSHROOM PLANET books made me want to build a rocket in my backyard, and I often scoured old newspapers looking for classified ads printed in green ink. [Midnight confession... I still do, and long for a planet just big enough for me.]

Evelyn Sibley Lampman's THE CITY UNDER THE BACK STEPS may seem more fantasy than science fiction this days, but I was fascinated by the concept of going to live among ants.

I'm sure that there are dozens more I can think of; going to the library with my dad remains the best memory of my childhood in the Sixties.

---------Patty

Keiti...Two different venues (civil and criminal) and two different legal standards (preponderance of the evidence vs. beyond all reasonable doubt). There is no constitutional prohibition to be found not guilty in a criminal trial and to be sued thereafter in a civil court. The state is the party in interest in criminal proceedings whereas a civil suit (such as in OJ & Blake) is brought by the estate of the deceased person (plaintiff) against a defendant.

Completely Random Question
Greetings to All.

I have a question that I thought perhaps some of you could shed some light on...

As I'm sure most of you have heard (whether you care or not) Robert Blake was found liable for his wife's death in a civil suit after he was acquitted in criminal court.

So, my question is essentially this: How does it make any sense for him to even have had a civil trial and subsequently found liable when he was acquitted of any criminal wrong doing?

Same thing with O.J.

For the record, I don't want this turned into a frackus (sp) concerning actual guilt or innocence. I simply don't understand why or how it makes any sense to hold a civil trial after a person (any person) has been acquitted in criminal court.

Could someone please explain this to me?

I'm gagging...
Stop stop stop stop stop
Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop
Stop stop stop stop now!


Got that from my boyfriend. =)

But seriously.

takin' care of bidniz

HARLAN:

Got your message. I'm copacetic.

Should note my change of address, for purposes of future "Rabbit Hole" mailings (recent issue was forwarded just fine) as well as the upcoming task:

1030 SW Jefferson, #637
Portland, OR 97201

Large packages are probably best sent to my workplace:

Old Federal Courthouse
620 SW Main, Suite 702
Portland, OR 97205

CROQUETTE RECIPES

Thank you, one and all.

he

Barney, here in Elanoy, "manual" is two syllables. Man-yull.

Drinking melk, Eric

Poppy
HARLAN

POPPY Z may have an answer to your query, hubby is a chef. She digs the cuisine.

Neal

Pacific Rimshot
A Note Composed Long After The Rising Of The Sun On Eastern Shores But Possibly Encountered By West Coast Dwellers As They Sip Thir First Cup Of Java.

(In which our hero, and by "our" I mean me, but what the heck, attempts yet another haiku in a fruitless attempt to avoid the actual chores waiting for him as daylight ceaselessly burns.)

Harlan Ellison
Net surfing is not his way
Must pound manual

- b

Chicken Croquettes
Harlan, Susan:

Judi is an accomplished cook. She can do chicken croquettes Cuban, Jewish, or Italian style. (Not Southern, she says.) We will be gone all day today, but if you'd like a quick lesson she'll be delighted to provide one.

A-TC

Croquette, anyone?
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_20485,00.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_15881,00.html

Children's books; what a great topic.

Maybe in forth grade or fifth grade I picked up William F Wu's "The Robin Hood Ambush" (part of the Robert Silverberg
"Time Tours" series). And Arthur Roth's "The Iceberg Hermit". I recall reading a lot of stories about guys in very cold places; some with dogs, some without.

Some really great books I read in 6th grade are the Susan Cooper "The Dark Is Rising" series.

And of course, you gotta stock up on "Calvin and Hobbes" for your kid. I loved that strip. Being an extremely daydreamy creative kid (seen as an odd duck by everyone), I could really relate to Calvin. I felt atleast Bill Waterson understood what it was like to be like me...a real spirit lifter.

I really wish I had kept more of the books I had when I was younger. Or atleast a list. That might be something you want to do for your kid. Jot down every title s/he has until s/he can write, then encourage your child to keep up the list.

I read all the time when I was growing up (starting at an earlier age than most) but for the life of me, I can't remember 97% of what I had read during those years. I recall a lot of stuff based on cartoons and movies...Transformers, GI Joe, and Indiana Jones chapter books. And I know I read every single Encyclopedia Brown my school library had. Comic books...loads of comic books. I started collecting as soon as I could read; I have thousands and thousands now. Y'know in Boy's Life, there was a comic strip based on Isaac Asimov's "Norby"; not sure who wrote and drew it though.

The recipes from the 1918 version of the Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School cookbook may be the sort of thing you're looking for:

http://www.bartleby.com/87/r1062.html
http://www.bartleby.com/87/r1061.html

In terms of interesting cooking, you might also want to dig up copies of Food That Really Schmecks and More Food That Really Schmecks, both by Edna Staebler and both perenially in print -- basically, German-Canadian-Mennonite Country recipes that are delightful and simple.

Cheers, Jon

Todd Cassel, Harlan -
imagine the limericks
eschewed for haiku.

* * *
As for chicken croquettes, perhaps either of these will do:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/deepfryerrecipes/r/bl01006c.htm
http://www.freerecipe.org/Appetizers/Croquettes/chicken-croquettes-1-recipe-bscr.htm

ME:

I think "Tripods" has been released in the UK. You'd probably find it on e-bay or some other website.

Begining books? I think I was born in the wrong decade. I started with Wells and Burroughs. Then it was Doctor Who novelizations, then back to Burroughs. What's the cut off age for childhood? I think still in it actually. . .

Vincenzo Kagetaka:

Finally, another naysayer. But what's wrong with Celtic Heritage?

Finally,

I Cannot Impress
Harlan Ellison
So I Will Not Even Try.


Love,

Steve

HARLAN - Paste this into your browser
http://chicken.allrecipes.com/az/lftvrchckncrqtts.asp

if you can't get it to work, I'll send you a printout! This version is almost trivially simple though. Google generates *multiple* hits.

Kristin

HARLAN SEEKS A RECIPE

One of my favorite foods from when I was a kid...

"What is patriotism but the food we ate as a child." LIN YUTANG

...was something every restaurant in America made from the weekend's leftovers. It was a purely American dish, with a swell yellow-white country gravy to drizzle over it.

And it was...

CHICKEN CROQUETTES!!!!!!!!!

The restaurants would take all the leftover chicken meat, dark, but mostly white, mince the hell out of it, mix it with spices and other stuff, and deep-fry it into those nifty rhomboid shapes (like rounded cones, blunt at the top), crispy golden outside, crunchy and crackly...and delicious inside, about the consistency of, say, the best tuna casserole you ever et.

Well, as they've nearly ceased making nationalistic foods everywhere in the world (I asked at ten different restaurants in Australia before an old fry-cook knew what a jaffle was), so has it befallen the fate of the humble, magnificent chicken croquette.

Nibbler's in LA was the last place I could get what was on every menu in every lunch counter and Woolworth's and reliable neighborhood beanery in this nation--before the fucking razr-fone & iPod turned dining in public into a nightmare imposition of being forced to eavesdrop on everyone's else's boring as shit private conversations--all through the '30s, '40s, '50s and into the '60s, '70s, early '80s: but Nibbler's closed down their last restaurant three months ago.

And now Susan and I cannot enjoy chicken croquettes, a modest wonder of American cuisine. We've tried making them ourselves, but the recipes have been lacking. They are ersatz, written by people who've never actually EATEN a chicken croquette.

So...

We need some GOOD SOLID unfancy non-cuisine-minceur American down-home, diner and one-arm joint recipes for CHICKEN CROQUETTES. Would some of you out there, maybe Amy, maybe Cindy, maybe ANYdamnbody who has an old gramma who cooked tasty, not fancy-schmancy croquettes, please see if you can send us the Real Goods so we can enjoy a meal of croquettes and that lovely glutinous yellow-gold country gravy?

Huh, wouldja please?!!!!????

Droolingly, Yr. pal, Harlan

sci-fi books that got you started...
With a new child on the way and the wife piling up cool books to tease the mind (The Rainbow Goblins, anyone?)... I began thinking ahead to the books that inspired me to investigate speculative fiction.

Of note, I remember reading around age 11 or 12 The White Mountains (Tripods trilogy) by Samuel Youd (aka John Christopher). I now think these books set me forth on my love of science/speculative fiction and adventure stories.

Anyone else want to share their early, early reading? Anyone want to critique Christopher's work? Anyone have a bootleg of the DVD "The Tripods" that I understand was never released?

Supes


Stacy Dooks,

Way waaaaaay cool.

Neal

Look what I started
I lower my head in shame
Please, no more haiku!!!!!

-TODD

"Haiku" chokes out like
Cats coughing slimy hairballs
Onto the carpet

Trees whisper softly
In the Garden of Envy
..."Harlan Ellison"

Stacy,

I saw the teaser on Smallville last night. (Yeah, it's a WB teeney bopper show, but it can be suprisingly good at times) It's been far too long since The Big Red S has been on the screen; the trailer definitly put a smile on this fans face.

Harlan Ellison
Spoke of Mickey Mouse porno
Disney wasn't pleased

To Adam-Troy Castro
In order to write
a creditable haiku
you must learn to count.

Oscar
(paraphrasing) "You don't WANT his undivided attention."



Harlan Ellison
Eat where he tells you to eat
And don't get him mad

Oft misspelled Mefisto
HE reaches for pistol
Boom

REPLY TO OSCAR LIM (whoever the hell HE is)

Oh, indeed, it DID happen.

Try the Office of Military Records, Fort Benning, Georgia, March--April 1957. Ranger Training Battalion.

O, Oscar, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Never happened, my ass.

PFC Harlan Ellison US 51403352 Mustered out: 1 April 1957.

Harlan Ellison
a U.S. Army Ranger?
Never happened, man.

On Harlan's driveway
Shatner laid a skid. Model?
The one in his shorts

Still a seven-month wait, but worth it. . .
Yes, there are probably more esoteric and enlightening things I could be discussing right now to rub shoulders with the literati here but c'mon now. Tell me in your secret heart of hearts where the inner fanboy or girl dwells this teaser doesn't give you a little tingle: http://supermanreturns.warnerbros.com/

Chills man. Chills up and down the spine. I think Singer and company are on the right track with this one.

This has been Stacy's Geek Moment of the Week. We now return you to the higher-brow programming already in progress. ~.^

Stacy

Peter Jackson's filming of Tolkien accentuated the worst aspects of his books, the part based on ancient ethnic myths, and mitigated their strong imaginative originality. The end result for such a mass medium is that it encourages every burley, unshaven, poltroon to put on chain-mail and leather and be proud of his Celtic heritage.

Peter Jackson's filming of Tolkien accentuated the worst aspects of his books, the part based on ancient ethnic myths, and mitigated their strong imaginative originality. The end result for such a mass medium is that it encourages every burley, unshaven, poltroon to put on chain-mail and leather and be proud of his Celtic heritage.

Joining in your Reindeer Games

In Onyx HE wrote
A favourite tale of mine
Read first in Slippage

Of all the stories I enjoyed in Slipppage the story and the title of 'Mephisto in Onyx' sticks in my mind. It's not the best story in Slippage (IMHO) but for some reason it's the most memorable.

Harlan Ellison
And Japanese Poetry?
No apparent link...

Various
Returned to NYC, staying in a hotel other than the one that trapped Harlan, the Castros, and divers others in an elevator last spring. THAT one is undergoing major renovation, but we gave it a shuddery wide berth.

Saw the glorious AVENUE Q again. THE PILLOWMAN, which I consider must-see theatre, is alas no longer playing on Broadway.

Ariana Huffington is offering a great service, over on her blog: for the price of an e-mail to her, she will hand-deliver your name to Bill O'Reilly, so you can be placed on his touted Enemy's List.

Harlan Ellison
Stuck in the lift with you
The Shaft Rings With Rage

Harlan Ellison
reading haiku massacre
bleeding from his eyes

The ED SF Project
Most of you in the SF genre know that SCI FI has axed the online zine SCIFICTION, of which Ellen Datlow was the editor. To pay tribute to her and the ezine, David Schwartz has put together the ED (For Ellen Datlow) SF Project: http://edsfproject.blogspot.com. Go now and choose your favorite story, before it gets taken, and write a loving tribute to it. Still up for grabs are a couple of classic Ellison pieces, so hurry now before they're snatched up.

James

Harlan Ellison
eats Hydrox cookies atop
Kilimanjaro.

Harlan Ellison
is a registered trademark,
so tread carefully.

Harlan Ellison
the crimson leaves fall, collect
beneath your lone oak

Echoes...
Did anyone else catch Criminal Minds on CBS Wednesday night? I couldn't help but flash back to Harlan's 'Rat Hater' when the serial killer tortured the man by cutting him and leaving him for the rats to eat...who knows? I imagine the writers all grew up reading Manhunt and its like. 'Rat Hater' certainly conjures images that are hard to exorcise.

By the way, those who aren't watching CM are missing one of the best hours on television.

Harlan Haiku
Harlan Ellison
Makes other scribes jealous, son.
HE, is Nobel One.

Harlan Ellison
Harlequin beneath the skin
Horror's favored son

Haiku:

Harlan Ellis-ain't
Mister Cordwainer Bird 'less
The man fuck him up


(I think I've had one too many beers.)

Harlku
Harlan Ellison
The devil can't write like he
His books: razor sharp

Haiku
Pheromones, pishaw
Ellison is a horndog
Now you are smiling

Haiku


Holy Fucking Shit!
Someone in Webderland Pukes
It's Alan Coil's fault

Ellison haiku.
65 degrees on Tuesday, cold and blustery on Wednesday, 27 degrees right now with snow flurries. (4:30pm EST)

Just in case there is someone who doesn't know, a haiku is
5 beats
7 beats
5 beats
Each beat may be a word or syllable (or sound effect, I'd guess)

Hows about we all write a haiku with the first line: Harlan Ellison. Here's mine.

Harlan Ellison
Listening to what he says
Won't drive you bugfuck

Harlan,

Thank you so very much for your reply and I shall send a note off to Susan at HERC to get the necessary information on joining. I have looked around the net, picking up editions that fit in gaps in my collection, but will be very pleased to get notice ahead of time for any new releases.

Thank you again for your reply.

Marlow

Bobby Hutcherson's Oblique, re-released remastered RVG edition. With Herbie Hancock on piano, Albert Stinson on bass, Joe Chambers on drums. They do a version of Hancock's Blow-Up theme. Tres cool.

rambling, ending with a question for Harlan
cool... I like this.

The Six String Samurai is cool; Buddy Holly inspired sword-slinger riposting to "If I were you, I'd run" with the line "If you were me, you'd be good lookin'." Cool.

Also cool:

Watching the first snowfall of the season (flurries here in Michigan) and realizing that, good things willing, I'll have a child before the last snowfall of the season.

Morphine (the band; baritone sax, drums, bass)

The opening line to Neuromancer.

Starting a car ride with five hours of an un-listened to Ellison audio.

That was me two weeks ago and I've been meaning to write a thank-you note to you, Harlan, ever since I got back. The cd set in question was 'Midnight in the Sunken Cathedral' and all I can say is: good god, sir. I was well aware of your chops as a writer, and had already read most of what was on the cd when I rented it. Likewise, I've heard you speak, in the lecture/question-and-answer sense of the word, and so I knew you had a certain stage presence. At least, I thought I'd known... hell, I had no idea. On that cd you brought a different voice to Every. Frickin'. Story.

How, how, HOW did you do that? Does it come with effort? Practice? Years of influence from radio and vaudville? Or is this talent just one of those things; some people can curl their tongues, wiggle their ears, etc - you just happen to have the moderately more startling ability to conjure a wide array of voices.

This generated some unexpected reactions to the readings, too. Your voice and the mental voice that accompanies what I read are more than a little different; I came out from Jeffty is Five with an angry ennervation I'd never picked up before. "Prince Myshkin, and Hold the Relish" had me just a shade too fascinated to actually slip into hysterics. And "Pennies off a Dead Man’s Eyes," well...

This is probably one of my favorite stories of yours, ever. Unlike, say, Jeffty, this voice I'd picked up on pretty accurately just from reading it, and hearing you act it out started me wondering all over again. Have you ever been concerned about being accused of using someone else's voice? This isn't a criticism of what you've written, but is something I've been wondering about.

I'm white. As a writer I'd rather not be restricted to just writing white voices for white characters, but... Maybe I'm overly sensitive, maybe college brainwashed me, but whatever the reason I'm left feeling like I don't have any right to write from a perspective with which I am not personally familiar. That I could be called out and pilloried for stealing, for co-opting a voice/heritage/issue that I have no right to use because I am not [insert ethnic background here].

You write so well that I can't really picture much in the way of criticism being leveled at what you've done, but I'm curious to hear anything you have to say on the matter. And has there ever been a time you've backed away from a writing in one voice or another?

COOL THINGS:
Recently got a chance to see my favorite Antonioni film, THE PASSENGER (starring Jack Nicholson), in a theater again for the first time in, oh, 30 years. It's coming out on dvd soon. (HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE is swell, too.)

Listening to: Kate Bush's AERIAL, The Cardigan's SWEET EXTRA GRAVITY, Stevie Wonder's A TIME TO LOVE, Fiona Apple's EXTRAORDINARY MACHINE (the album of the year), The New Pornographers' TWIN CINEMA, Regina Spektor's SOVIET KITSCH, and Aram Khachaturian's GAYANE suites. (Note to DWIGHT: Please post your home address so I can play these for you from the sidewalk outside youe bedroom window some night. Asshole.)

Austria...land of free speech - not.

Hitler's home country will toss you in the slam for 20 years for saying the wrong thing:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051117/ap_on_re_eu/austria_irving_arrested

Irony. It's a bitter pill, Mr. Irving.

Cool stuff ahoy!
The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Vols. 1-3 just released on DVD.

The Burial at Thebes : A Version of Sophocles' Antigone (Paperback)
by Seamus Heaney (Translator)

Love Cannot Bear
by Robert Fripp (Audio CD, you know, music)

I am looking forward to seeing the Egon Schiele retrospective at the Neue Galerie this Sunday, although I suppose his work is fairly confrontational. I will be meeting an old classmate for coffee at the museum's cafe. Now that I think about it, that may be fairly confrontational too.

I did see Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Woman in White" at the Mariott Marquis last night. It wasn't confrontational, but it was awful in every other regard, and the theater smells like a cistern.

Webber is the most amazing talent-void. He's so talentless, it's almost as if other people's talent cannot escape the gravitational pull of his mediocrity. I sat through the entire shower of shrieking dreck with my eyes open, stone cold sober to boot, and am unable to tell you if any of the cast could so much as carry a tune in a sponge.

By the way, the Mariott Marquis, in addition to possessing all the architectonic grace of a men's room in the Death Star, has the most uncomfortable seats of any theater in the entire city. If I sit somewhere for six hours and wind up with a sore rear like that, I expect at least to be landing very shortly in France. Or saying good morning to Colin Farrell.

Or something.

I don't think I'm very good at this "not, um, mean" thing.

I blame my parents.

Things that are cool? Yes, LOST is very cool. LOST is one of the best shows ever produced for television. It hasn’t hit a sophomore slump in the least, in fact, it’s better than ever.

Old Kubert stuff is cool (did I ever tell you that he was a member of my father’s congregation back when we lived in Dover, NJ….Kubert still does…..and I would play basketball with Andy in our junior jew group. Andy used to be one of those kids who, regardless how young, you needed to flinch back when he was around because he would always be hitting you….y’know, those punchy kids who even hit adults). Anyway, old Kubert stuff is cool, but what is cooler is that he is still producing great stuff today and has a new Sgt Rock mini-series about to come out.

Portable DVD players are cool. Mine allows me to get through many of my backlog of discs while taking the dogs for their excretory visit around the backyard each night. I sit in my lawn chair, watch some old Sergio Leone pastawesterns at 10-15 minute intervals, while the dogs do their things. When Nova begins to eat leaves, then it’s time to go in.

Fall and Winter in Phoenix is cool. Never cold, just cool. It’s time for everyone to come out of their A/C hibernation and visit some of the weekly outdoor festivals that have now begun. Last week was the Fountain Hills Arts Festival which surrounds a beautiful park and pond with the country’s highest spouting (world’s highest spouting?) fountain that spurts impressively each hour at 15 minute intervals. 500 artists sell their wares, pack up, and prepare for the Tempe Arts Street Festival in two weeks. And then my favorite, the Indian artists festival at Indian School Park in central Phoenix, where I can barter for freshly made, beautiful and expensive Kachinas.

The original King Kong coming out on DVD for the first time, along with a 2 hour documentary and Son of Kong, Mighty Joe Young and something else that slips my mind: that’s cool. Whether you loathe remakes, or whether you give them a chance, Peter Jackson’s King Kong looks very very cool. Keeping it a period piece (wait, you can’t KEEP something a period piece when the original was from that period) was a smart move, and could probably have only been done by Peter Jackson and his newfound Hollywood power. Yes, we all love the original Kong with his constantly flowing hair, and we all want to look down on remakes…..but I expect cool from this one, and if not, at least it’s the reason why the original Kong is appearing in DVD. Finally.

Oh, and let's not forget. Harlan is cool. Just that name is cool....it rolls off the tongue: HARLANELLISON. Perfect for Haiku:

Harlan Ellison
He isn't a sci-fi guy
Say so and you die


-TODD

Maybe we should have a Pavillion day or two in which we describe cool stuff that isn't irritating, confrontational or, um, mean.

Lost was cool last night, with its humanization of Ana Lucia. And the Joe Kubert Tarzan archives volume 1. comes out today from Dark Horse. 200 pages of Kuberty goodness originally published at DC in the 1970's and featuring everyone's favourite jungle hero!

Cheers, Jon

LORD HALIFAX:
Uh... thanks for sharing... uh, I guess...

I would like to have an orgy with Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts and Uma Thurman in an extra large heart shaped bed with mirrors over the top and a soap bubble machine going. After that I could die in peace.

I lived for two years on 181st and Riverside in the 1980's.

There was a lot of ethnic music being played at excessive volumes then, too.

I guess ethinic music is not linked to global warming after all.

It's the middle of November temperatures are in the 70's in New York, there are lot's of Puerto Rican's listening to their ethnic music at excessive volumes on their Sony portable stereo systems. Thing's just aren't like they used to be....

What?
Harlan bought you a round of drinks and you....

1> Threw a tumbler of single malt in his face?

2> Poured it on the carpet and loudly demanded any writer present in the restaurant to lick it up?

3> Hid a really obvious joke in plain sight?

Flummoxed, I remain... flummoxed.

oral delights

Yesterday, I went to the central library to see LA attorney Lesley Klinger speak about the third and final volume of his brand-new annotated Sherlock Holmes. Normally, I assiduously avoid pinioning authors with an obvious question, but this one was unavoidable: Having lugged around -- with great affection -- my boxed set of W.S. Baring-Gould's annotated Holmes for about 28 years now, I had to ask Klinger how his version differs. How well did he answer? Well, suffice it to say that with great anguish I added $150 to one of my credit cards at the end of the talk.

Fortunately, in the course of answering other people's questions, Klinger said that, apart from the Hound, his favorite Holmes short story might be "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle," which enabled me to announce to the room that I am scheduled to read that particular story aloud for my "Story Time for Grownups" in December, so I got to pass out or collect email addresses and phone numbers from interested parties afterward.


On Monday, November 21, the Readers Theatre of Mt. Hood Repertory Company will present a dramatic reading of George Bernard Shaw's "The Devil's Disciple," a tale of the American Revolution set in 1777 shortly before the Battle of Saratoga.

Richard Dudgeon is shunned by all as the freethinker whom everyone knows as "the Devil's Disciple," but the Redcoats mistake him for the Reverend Anthony Anderson, a Presbyterian minister they intend to hang as an example to the rebels, and Richard has to decide what he's going to do -- especially under the gaze of the Reverend's pretty, youthful wife Judith.

Readers Theatre is a relaxed, casual evening of play reading by professional actors from the Portland area. (Then there's me; director Keith Scales unaccountably cast me as General Burgoyne, the urbane and literary soldier known -- mostly behind his back -- as "Gentlemanly Johnny.")

The show is next Monday, Nov. 21, at 7:00 p.m. The performance will occur in the 80-seat theater of Reynolds Middle School on the corner of East 201st and Halsey in Fairview. Tickets are $7.

For more information and a map, go to www.mthoodrep.org

BARBERism
STEVE:

Wheeew.

Well, your little jape succeeded. You had me troubled, upset, concerned, bothered, beetle-browed, querulous, rattled, canted, worried and unmanned. After reading your first post, I had to wait two and a half days to get in touch with Lakesha, because she's closed on Mondays, and doesn't come in for dinner on Tueday till 5:00. And so, I was distended for two worrisome days till I could reach her last night BEFORE I posted to you. You'll be pleased to know she would not "speak of it" to me, and said I was to have a tete-a-tete with her when I arrive for dinner with out of town guests tomorrow evening.

Would not "speak of it."

"How well do you know these people?" she asked.

"Not at all," I replied, already upset. "The man appears on my website, I'm not sure I've even met the women. Why??? What the hell happened??? Why this talk of credit cards and cleaning charges and such...???"

She would not go into detail, would not "speak of it."

So. Much troubled, for obvious reasons, I entered my post to you.

Now I have an answer.

I will "play along" with this gag, and commend you on the effectation of a "joke on the jokester," and will allow Lakesha to bring it to fruition tomorrow night.

No need to do anything. I will not surprise her with advance knowledge of my having been let into the loop.

And I cannot thank you enough for having added to my daily burden of tsuriss and emotional drain. Perhaps you'll be able to explain to Susan and Sharon why I spent the last two days in a funk, snapping at them for no apparent reason.

Apparent.

I will no further "speak of it."

Harlan

Good Wishes for Stan and More on White Phosphorus
Stan, allow me to also wish a very speedy and complete recovery to your wife

As for Elijah's posting on the use of white phosphorus, I have some additional details and links to articles to share, as I was the individual who originally posted the article on its use in Fallujah.

According to the data I have been able to gather, Elijah is correct, white phosphorus is not a banned weapon under the Chemical Weapons Convention. However, that is more a technicality than anything else, as it is a very dangerous chemical agent whose properties are very similar to many other weapons that are banned.

Here is a quote from a BBC article:

Professor Paul Rodgers, of the University of Bradford's department of peace studies, said white phosphorus could be considered a chemical weapon if deliberately aimed at civilians.

He told PM: "It is not counted under the chemical weapons convention in its normal use but, although it is a matter of legal niceties, it probably does fall into the category of chemical weapons if it is used for this kind of purpose directly against people."


The sad fact that is emerging is that we fired a chemical agent that could actually melt skin into an area that had both civilians and insurgents. More than that, they lied about its use. At first, the military denied the use of white phosphorus completely, then amended that to state that it was only used for illumination purposes, then admitted that it was used within Fallujah itself. If there was really nothing wrong with their actions, why lie in the first place?

Here are a couple of links to some addition articles on the use of the Weapon of Mass Destruction within Iraq:

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article327094.ece

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4440664.stm

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/11/9/164137/436

Well, sometimes you get the gag, and sometimes the gag gets you.

Does anyone know how Tom Snyder is, btw? When he stopped blogging, he seemed to have dealt with some health stuff and been faced with some other health stuff. A good interviewer and, so far as i could tell from out here in TV Land, a nice fellow. Now sit back, relax, and watch the colored pictures fly through the air, thanks to our good friends at Bacardi.

My other observation for the day is that a lot of people are model train aficiandos -- one Snyder interview revealed Meat Loaf's love of Lionel (?) trains, and apparently Neil Young loves 'em too, to the tune of co-owning the company.

Cheers, Jon

Sucking Out
Okay, agreed. I sucked out.

It was my first time staring down the twin-barrelled eyebeams of Mr. E. Suddenly, visions of time-honored retributions; week-old packages of gopher carcasses sent book rate; the very palpable moment in time when seated, dining, in my favorite restaurant when -- behind me and very close -- I would hear "so YOU'RE that suck-a** weasel who tried to put one over on ME???"

And so on.

In my own little world I'm probably up to it. Here on the main stage, however...

A friend of mine once wrote (probably stealing)
"So, it seems, it's not the twisted mind that's the problem, but the supply of alcohol.
Funny how it can all be reduced to economics like that."


Sorry Dima, sorry Lakesha.

Harlan: If you need me, my true name is George W and I live in Washington.



(I know. I suck.)

***Jeff*** "which looks to BE A nice compilation..." Hey, if you're going to cut and paste me, please proof me and clean up my typos, would'ja? ;-)

Yeah, after a quarter of a century plus of dumbass celebrity interviews, that one still lives on in memory as "must be seen to be believed" television. After that, the Dan Akroyd SNL sketch was more like cinema verite than parody.

My other favorite from around the same time was David Bowie on Merv Griffen singing FAME. Since the song is almost a round like "row row row your boat", once you decide which track/chorus you're going to sing you spend half the song waiting for your part to come around again. Then he sits down for the interview and CANNOT stop sniffling. I was in high school and even I knew he was coked to the gills. Griffen asks him if he has a cold. Bowie does a double-take, checks out the audience of blue haired ladies and says, "yeah, right, that's it, a cold, guvner", and they moved on. Funny stuff.

- Barney

Things must be a little slow in L.A. this week.

Steve!!!! Nooooooooo.
Man, you gotta call me before something like this happens! You caved! I'm bored in Boston and I coulda come up with at LEAST 10 ways for you to turn this! Arrrgh. I mean ARRRGH.


Joke Setup = 7.5 (it was very good, but the inspecifics sounded fishy to me)

Joke Execution = 1 (dismal, I tell you, to see you cave like that. Be bold. BOLD!)

-Keith

Sir Arthur C received the Lankabhimanya award, the highest civilian award in Sri Lanka.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051114/sc_nm/srilanka_clarke_dc

Cheerios boxes have childrens books in them for their current promotional/free item. And that's all nice and dandy for kids. But it's a darn shame General Mills (or any other cereal company) never thinks about the adults who eat their breakfast foods. How cool would it be to open a box of Cheerios and find a short story by HE, Sir Clarke, Bloch, Silverberg, Chabon, or anyone. "Little Quack" and "No Dogs Allowed!" (the 2 kiddie books that have come in my cereal thus far) just don't do it for me.

Cripes
(I should wait until morning, but hope this merits a second post.)

Harlan - Okay, plans went awry. Lakesha felt she would speak to you today, and hence a badly planned leg-pulling (unless, of course, you're pulling mine and actually HAVE talked to her). Just a chance to play with the master of practical pranks.

Nothing happened. Nada. No spillage, no damage, no hits, runs or errors. No massive credit-card bills. Nothing but a purely fun evening, with perhaps just a bit too much mischief afoot.

From even further beneath the rock,

Steve B

(And yes, on certain things I fold like an origami swan)

If a goat is a kind-of-a-ram; and a mule is an ass, why is a ram in the ass a goose?

BARBER: Before I speak to Lakesha later this week, just simply tell me what happened.

I am not smiling as I write this.

Harlan

Hey Barney,

Which looks to ba nice compilation of all those interviews Tom Snyder did with Punks and proto-Punks over the years. I distinctly remember the trainwreck interviews with Wendy O' Williams and John Lydon.

a big "hell yeah" to that remembrance. I saw the interview with the Pistols and to this day remember Johnny Rotten being completely rude then having Snyder say, "Pardon me while you're interupting". I still use that one today and find more and more opportunities for its usage as more and more people take their breaks from talking to grab a breath and talk some more while ignoring what i say. Sheeeeeeesh!

First Amendment Minute
Hey everyone,

I found an interesting website: firstamendmentminute.com.

From the homepage:

"The First Amendment Minute is a topical, fast paced, entertaining, and informative 60 second look at freedom of speech, religion and other liberties protected by the First Amendment. Every week join Derek Newman for his solidly legal, sometimes laughable, seldom lame, up-to-the-minute take on these Constitutional freedoms we enjoy."

You can listen to mp3 archives of previous "minutes" (about a minute long -- hence the name) covering such topics as regulating radio, "adult entertainment," terrorist litmus tests, etc. You need Quicktime, but each download is small; less than, well, a minute or so on an average dialup connection (a few seconds on DSL).

Check it out and let me know what you think. -- duane

footnoting an earlier topic
The following is apropos of nothing, but as I stumbled onto the following today I thought I'd pass it along as a sort of follow up. Apologies for the non-sequitor, I assume it'll be no trouble for the disinterested to scroll past.

About a week ago, give or take, someone posted a story concerning the possible use of white phosphorous by U.S. troops in Iraq. The article (I've tried and failed to find the link in the archives here, sorry) was broken by the Italian media and seemed prominently based on evidence presented by Iraqi doctors and such. I can't speak for anyone else, but I was a bit skeptical.

Today, the following fell into my lap today (via boing-boing.net, if anyone's wondering):
Marines Quiet About Brutal New Weapon
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001944.html
"a thermobaric mixture which ignites the air, producing a shockwave of unparalleled destructive power, especially against buildings"

While apparently this new weapon was used in Fallujah (which left me wondering if it could be tied to the Italian story) at the conclusion there is a link to a more in depth article regarding what does and does not constitute a chemical weapon, shifting the discussion specifically to white phosphorous:

http://armchairgeneralist.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/11/its_not_chemica.html
It's NOT Chemical Warfare
We like WP because when you're under fire by snipers or groups of hostile people that you can't immediately reach out and touch, you can call for fire and get a nice, thick smoke screen between you and them very, very quickly. Yes, WP has some nasty qualities, and maybe particles of the WP fall off and hit people, but it's quick and it saves U.S. military lives. Because the fighting is in an urban area, some of those people hurt might be noncombatants. But we don't use "phosphorus munitions" to target and hurt civilians. Not only is it very inefficient (why not just drop HE?), it's not moral. And our soldiers (relatively speaking) are better than that.

...and a bit later...

The U.S. military has made a clear distinction between chemical-filled munitions and chemical warfare munitions since World War II, and the funny thing is, most of the world's nations agree with us (check out the Chemical Weapons Convention sometime). IT'S NOT CHEMICAL WARFARE. It's conventional warfare, period, when a military force uses an incendiary weapon to attack an adversary's position. There is nothing like flame to scare the crap out of the enemy, and it's very effective.

All that being said, the article concludes with the following update: "Well, evidently the Army IS using WP in a direct-fire mode against combatant targets." and links to a .pdf by way of explaination:
The Fight for Fallujah
http://sill-www.army.mil/FAMAG/Previous_Editions/05/mar-apr05/PAGE24-30.pdf
page 26
"WP proved to be an effective and versatile mutition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired 'shake and bake' missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out."


I will resist editorializing; my only plan was to supplement information provided earlier.

Tom Snyder tidbits
***Stan*** Perservere and my very best wishes to your wife for a full and speedy recovery. If they can fix the throats of sinners like me and Charlie Watts, I have very high hopes for the innocent.

***Others*** A friend just sent me this;

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4489

Which looks to ba nice compilation of all those interviews Tom Snyder did with Punks and proto-Punks over the years. I distinctly remember the trainwreck interviews with Wendy O' Williams and John Lydon. Good times.

This leads me to believe there could be more in the offing. If not a DVD of just Harlan's appearances on The Tomorrow Show, then perhaps a "best of authors appearances", or, forgive me, SF related appearances.

Well, I can hope.

- Barney Dannelke

Harlan, you might like this. Matt Welch writing in Reason magazine:

"To this day, journalists discuss Talese’s 1966 Esquire piece 'Frank Sinatra Has a Cold' in the same reverent tones with which originalists describe the Constitution."

Jay--karma points are good at Starbucks? I am getting SO many chai lattes.

And a banana nut muffin.

Thanks for the heads-up!

Mrs. Ellison,

I just picked up a money order for the Limited Edition and should have it in the mail today or tomorrow, in which case, it should reach you post-haste. eeggouchh that pun hurt!
Thanks

> I just read your February 28, 2000 review of A.M Homes'
> book "The End of Alice"

You mean the one on Amazon? Holy cow, you must have dug deep to bring that one up! I trust you looked at some of the other, highly-offended reviews -- they're hilarious. As a writer, Homes can do anything, I am convinced. Check out _The Safety of Objects_, if you haven't already: It has some fairly hair-raising but admirable tales, including the title one about a young teen male who has an affair with his older sister's Barbie. Her latest book of stories includes on that imagines, fairly straight, what life was like for Ron and Nancy Reagan in their last days. And she's a babe, on top of it. (Not that that matters.)

I meant to include a note to Stan yesterday: Sending warm thoughts and lots of hope your way.

Owning Up - Harlan
Harlan,

Thank you for the recommendation of L'Kesh for Sunday night, and for the round of drinks you so generously bought for us. You're exactly right. The food is terrific and Lakesha herself is an utter delight -- as is her sister!

Now the hard part. You've likely, at this point, spoken to Lakesha and have some understanding of my little gymnastic gaffe. I have already let Lakesha know that you had no idea I'd do something quite so klutzy, and I sincerely hope she doesn't regard you with any less love and respect as a result. Dima and my wife were similarly horrified.

Lakesha has my credit card number for laundering and carpet cleaning, but she indicated she'd be speaking with you about this.

With sincerest of apologies, and from well beneath a rock somewhere in the Mohave Desert,

Steve B

Karmic Xfer Notice
Upon receipt of ten-thousand +karma points for whatever good I did this week, I hereby transfer the balance what I didn't already owe my own wife and kiddies to Charlotte for use as she pleases (+karma transferrable, net worth x2 in transfer = 5,000 +karma). Redeemable at any church, synagogue, mosque, participating starbucks, or the universal church of payitforward; Kirby Hensley Pope-rioter.

Seriously, our best hopes and thoughts for you both.

Stan:

I've been away from the Pavilion for a week or so, but please allow me to add my best wishes for Charlotte's health to the many other kind thoughts expressed here. May mercy find you both.

D.

Harlan,
Thank you for your reply to my question! I like asking the Big Questions. They're fun! Your reply was excellent, and has me squirming with urges to say a lot, ask, discuss, maybe argue. But mostly, I am just being quiet and reading thoughtfully. This paper will be a learning experience for me in a number of ways, not just for technical aspects, but because I'm asking a question that genuinely interests me. So, I am listening for now. =)

Having said all of that, I actually have one more question for you. This time, it is more specific. May I pose it to you?

Philip,

There's more than enough older material to fill the waiting period between new releases. As the Edgeworks were reprints of older works anyway, you can always just hunt down the books from previous printings. There's a catalogue here on the website, or any good internet used book store should have what you need to grow your Ellison library.

And if ya stick around here as a regular reader/poster, you're bound to get the scoop as new things come out.

REPLY TO PHILIP MARLOW

Sir:

Thank you for asking. Yes, there are about half a dozen new and semi-new things coming out. The newsletter of the Harlan Ellison Recording Collection (HERC), issued with sporadic regularity by Susan, enumerates same, with details. It saves me the time of repeating all that data infinitum.

I urge you to join up. Write to HERC, PO Box 55548, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413 for the subscription info ... or perhaps one of the good Webderlanders will reiterate it here in brief, for your convenience. It's a piddling amount for an au courant and snappy illustrated periodical that my good wife slaves over a hot stove to produce.

Again, thanks for asking. (Recent back issues will probably list an already-extant half-dozen items you might not know about.)

Respectfully, Harlan Ellison

Stan -- God bless you and your wife; I will say a prayer.

And may I say, you are a classy guy. So many on the net are argumentative and combative and a pain-in-the-butt. You, sir, are a gentleman.

Kate

STAN,

My thoughts are with you and your wife. Strength to you and yours from your southern neighbor.

DAVID LOFTUS,

I just read your February 28, 2000 review of A.M Homes' book "The End of Alice," and I must say that I agree with your assessment that it's an amazing book. I'm reading the book right now and find it disturbing yet compelling...and I don't mean warm and fuzzy compelling, but compelling from being well-written.

To Mr. Philip Marlow(e): Whereas you look forward to anything new by Harlan, I, on the otherhand, look forward to new adventures about you! It's been some time!

((Yeah, like you don't get that all the time))

-TODD

Harlan,

My pardon if this is a question that arises in the pavillion regularly, but I am new to the site--although not your work. Is there any new book coming out soon? Or resumption of the Edgework books? I look forward to seeing any new titles from you and pass on my bok money for new works of yours to enjoy.

Sincerely,

Philip Marlow

TO STAN:
Everyone else here said it much better than I could. The percentages are on your side. Please don't forget that.

maxim-al exposure

>Growing older is an honor none enjoy.
>And I liked it in a Deepak Chopra, pseudo-intellectual kind
> of way. I wonder if it is original?

Depends on the context. In the big picture, it's probably not original because almost nothing is.

But if nobody around you has heard of it, it's original enough. Use it often and claim it proudly until someone informs you otherwise.

A GREAT BIG THANIK YOU!
Yes...a great big thank you to all of you here on Pavilion and very special thank you to you Harlan.

So far....my wife has not heard from the second biopsy. Maybe sometime today...hope for the best. She is, going for a second opinion and our insurance provider and hospital cannot refuse her that.

To the few on here who profess being Christian...thank you for your prayers.

To the many on here who are agnostic or call themselves atheist...thank you for your thoughts.

and finally to those of you who are like me...more questioning of organized religion but still hold on to a basic belief whether it be God or E.T. A big thank you to you all.

TO UNCA HARLAN...We will probably never meet. But I want to make a special thanks to you (and to Susan), for being who you are...for making us all think with our brain...maybe in conjunction with our heart, for allowing a Conservative Republican like me, to love and cherish the words you have put down in the form of novels and short stories...and who still thinks Hollywood is shafting one of the greatest writers of television, movies, short stories and novels to come down the literary pike. Poltically and spiritually we probably do not agree...but in the long run...it does not matter, we are all human and I would like to count you and your lovely wife as friends of mine. Thanks again.

STAN

Stan: I'm keeping a good thought for you and your wife.

Hang Tough,
Mark W.

Stan
Just another voice in the crowd, shoulder to shoulder with everyone else: my thoughts are with you and your wife. You have my every sympathy just for being in such a situation, but please don't give up when the fight's not over. Persevere and good luck.

Random thought
I was just in a colleague's office and we were talking about "Oingo Boingo" and, "They Might be Giants," and we were both in the later years of high school when those groups were in their prime. She said something to the effect that we were getting old, and sighed. Then I said:

Growing older is an honor none enjoy.

And I liked it in a Deepak Chopra, pseudo-intellectual kind of way. I wonder if it is original?

-Keith

Stan,

Best wishes to you and your wife.

BOOK/RECORDING/HERC Order
Mrs. Susan "Glad to have you in my clutches" Ellison,

I'll send the order in as you specified.

Thanks for quick response,
Kelly.

Dear Stan -

There are periods in the life of each human being during which we look around and it seems like all we see is loss - and as often as not, it's more than merely "seems like". And it's never just one stretch: such periods often recur. And there are no words to describe the feelings of helplessness and rage and terror of such times.

I can only think of two things that can lend the least iota of comfort. First, as Unca Harlan often states so eloquently in his work, you are not alone. We all either have gone or will go through such horrific times ourselves; and I think I can say with some assurance that everyone of us here stand ready with all the comfort and encouragement we can offer.

Second, should worse come to worst, I've found some peace in remembering that life is a temporary proposition and at the base of it, we're all just on loan to each other - it's the time we have together that's the real treasure.

So: go cherish each other. The future and what it holds will arrive whatever else you do.

Cheers,
Doc

Stan, my regards and thoughts to your wife. Hope things get better for the both of you.

--Eric

Stan
.
My good thoughts are with you and your wife and family. It must be hard, with so much adversity striking in such a short time. Take care, but don't give up.

Remember that you'll always be able to get a leg up, a shoulder to lean on, a pat on the back, and even an occasional ass kicking, here. That's what friends and family do.

-Keith

Stan -

Hang in there. Yeah, I know from personal experience that life is often an exercise in futility and depression, but it almost always gets better, given time and the right people. (Hm. Reading that it becomes too obvious I'm also in a 'down' period right now).

Hang in there, friend - you're not alone.

cd

Words can only help so much. Stan, none of us can promise that things will get better. We hope your wife pulls through. And we know that you will _endure_. You may find yourself with the worst days of your life. Your wife will need help after the operation. But endure. We can't promise that any joys that come will be great, or that there's some kind of reward for it.

But every day that you _do_ continue, that you _do_ endure, is a victory against pain and emptiness.

Stan and Family


yes, what they all said

Respectfully,
Neal

Yeah, Stan...saw your post only now. These are the moments life presents its roughest challenges, the ones so blatantly unfair. I honestly hope your situation finds a ray of light.

Stan, please add us to the list of those who wish the best for you and your family. Going through bad times is never easy, so if it helps even a little, keep posting. There's a lot of good resources here, and a pretty deep well of compassion, too.

Alice and John

Likewise, Stan, our thoughts are with you and your wife.

Michael and Alia

Stan,
I can't even imagine what you're feeling. I will pray for you and Charlotte and for your family. Everything that Harlan conveyed to you, everything that Alex Krislov and Alex Jay wrote is right and correct. My heart goes out to yours along with my hopes for Charlotte's complete recovery. Please keep us posted here.

Cindy

Stan
Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Stan. If there is--indeed--a God, keep in mind that just because He sees every sparrow fall does not mean that He's shooting them down with a cosmic shotgun. Things do NOT always happen for a reason.

Amen.

STAN:

We are here if you need us. And we care. Beyond that, words are well-meant, but no more than words. Repeatedly, we all stand in front of that dark doorway, and when the tears run out there is only courage.

May your God, and all the others, go with you in the dark places. Courage, Stan.

With hope, from your friends here,

Harlan

Stan, hang in there
I've got Barrett's esophogus with dysplasia, myself, and repeated checks haven't shown cancer. Yes, be prepared for the worst--but don't assume it. Stay strong for your wife and for yourself.

STAN,

God's "punishing" you? For what? Despite what the more hardcore Christian sects might believe, God has no interest in the pursuit of punishment. If anything, God "punished" us by simply making us human, warts and all.

My sincerest prayers go out to you and your wife.

Stan
Allow me to join the chorus. You've got my thoughts, prayers and any other services can be provided. Listen to Alex J, he is right to point out the percentages work the other direction.

The pain is undoubtedly intensified in that all this is happening to your loved ones and you feel there is nothing you can do. Hold her hand, steady her shoulders, tend to her bruises, love her intensely -- that's what she needs right now and for the forseeable future, and that's what you've been doing right along. That will get the two of you through this.

Go fight the good fight and we'll "see" you when she's better. Even a Louzyrepublican suchiz y'self. Godspeed.

Stan:

What Alex said. If God listens to agnostics, I'll put in a good word for you. Don't try to second-guess The Big Deity by thinking he's punishing you. It may have nothing to do with that.

And remember to focus on the ninety to ninety five percent.

Chuck

STAN: Compassion knows no political affiliation. My thoughts are with you and your wife.

(And do me a few favors: Remember that five to ten percent chance of NO means a ninety to ninety-five percent chance of YES. I were you, I'd start thinking of what to get her for your thirty-eighth, and for the anniversary after that, and after THAT ...

Do keep us posted, please.

Harlan photography
Seeking professional-quality photo(s) of Harlan suitable for framing.

Our thoughts (And in the case of theists, prayers) are with you Stan.

Kristin

A SPECIAL NEED
Well people...just need your thoughts and prayers (for those of you who still believe in God). My wife has been diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus with high end Dyspasia...the dyspasia is almost always cancerous. On November 29th, she will be going into a local hospital here in the Portland area. MY wife Charlotte and I have been married for over thirty seven years...looking at the possibility of losing her (there is a five or ten percent chance she might not survive the operation, which involves removal of the esophagus and stretching the upper portion of her stomach up to replace it. So....you can see that I will be putting things on hold...including expounding on here or even getting back to my story writing.
If God is out there....I think he is punishing me by having go through the hell of losing everyone around me....first it was the murder of my only brother...then my dad died in 2003...and now I just might have to go through hell again by the possible loss of my wife. All I know is ... the past five years have not gone well for me...am not looking forward to any good future. Harlan? Take care of yourself good buddy...Susan? Cherish the time you have with him, because you never know when the unthinkable can happen. Time with friends, and family are very precious...thanks again, to you Harlan and to your web server for letting me expound my thoughts...even though I am a die-hard Conservative and Republican ... Ha!

STAN BLUMENTHAL
Beaverton, Oregon USA

Generalissimo Francisco Franco and Lenny Bruce - still dead.

That header may or may not work, but it is presented in the spirit of "sick" humor and also to reference his contined influence, so sue me.

http://www.netflix.com/MovieDisplay?movieid=70041214&trkid=148483

The Lenny Bruce "Performance Film" comes out on DVD this week and includes the Lone Ranger animated short. It's not really rare and sadly it documents that period near the end of his career when he was reading his court transcripts with running commentary, BUT, it is one of those things you should see at least once. Now at last in a more durable format.

For anybody coming in late to this show, the Harlan/Lenny Bruce connection is that when Harlan was working at ROGUE magazine in the early 1960's Lenny Bruce had a monthly column called BRUCE HERE that Harlan, umm, ghost wrote. I only put the "umm" in there because I don't know that Harlan has ever tried to quantify the level of input on either end and I don't want to take anything away from either of them. The way Harlan has occasionally told it, he would take shtick [schtick?] scrawled on cocktail napkins and turn them into whole columns. I've seen and heard Harlan repeat long complicated remarks by other people verbatim. I've also seen Harlan make up outrageous material on the spot just to see the look on someones face. SO, this is where the "umm" and qualifications come in. But, nevertheless, that's the Lenny Bruce connection.

If this gets traction I can repost some of Harlan's remarks on Bruce - or, Doug Lane can - so that Harlan doesn't have to chew his cud twice.

question: How do kids these days keep those nightgown length white t-shirts so damned white?

answer: Blee-acchh!!

- Barney

Hellinabucket, PA.

Weekend Stuff
For anyone checking on over the weekend, plans are for Cafe L'Kesh at 7pm Sunday. Reservations recommended.

Brad--Many thanks.

--Susan

Susan - Both of Harlan's episodes are in the season 1 package.

THE HUNGER - UK EDITION

Brad--Thanks for the info. Question: Are Harlan's episodes in the series 1 or series 2 package?

Thanks--Susan

Harlan - Don't know if this of any interest to you, but the first series of THE HUNGER, containing the two 'Cordwainer Bird' episodes, has just been released on DVD in the UK.

Cindy, I'm fine and will drop you a line before going back out.

On minor Harlan spotting, I recieved the Columbia DVD of the extended version of Major Dundee yesterday. Exploring the special features, there is a short documentary concerning the film where L.Q Jones is interviewed whilst a poster of "A Boy & his Dog" is prominately displayed.

FAQ

Kelly:

I have no problem with sending the book order and HERC membership/order in the same envelope, but the book check is payable to THE KILIMANJARO CORPORATION while the HERC stuff is payable to THE HARLAN ELLISON RECORDING COLLECTION. Glad to have you in my clutches. [Did I say that out loud?]

With kind regards--Susan

Jason, I checked out the link. That has to be one of the funniest things I have ever read. "The COULTER Laws?" Hannity and Liddy in charge of some deep, dark underground? Ho!

It's satire, pure and simple.

If anyone is offended by this, it's probably a measure of personal provinciality, and proof that yet another brilliant satirist has hit his target.

Mrs. Ellison,

Yes Ma'am I definitely would like a copy. Just wanted to make sure I send you the correct amount. Thanks.

NEOCON COMIC BOOK

http://accstudios.com/f/accproduct.htm

Oh dear god.

I actually believe I remember seeing this pitched in, of all places, one of Peter David's message boards (either his old AOL board or the comments sections on www.peterdavid.net, can't recall which). One of the ultra conservative trolls he so often attracts was going on and on about how all comic books were liberally biased and that wouldn't it be great if someone published HIS idea for a conservative comic? And then he went on to describe this exact comic book. This must have been a couple years ago at least. He phrased the whole thing as a sort of "dare" to the comic book industry - would they have the GUTS to print something that didn't kowtow to their "liberal jewish new york elite etc." worldview?

I can't believe he actually made it into print. I'm somewhere between appalled and impressed.

Brent:

You might check the Powells Books web site for Edgeworks 3 and 4. I often see copies on the shelf when I drop by there.

Being Difficult

Mrs. Ellison,

I'd like to order a recording (AN HOUR WITH HARLAN ELLISON) as well as a book (THE HARLAN ELLISON HORNBOOK) from the store.

I'm not yet a HERC member. May I send the HERC membership form, the order forms for the recording (requires HERC membership ID number) and the book all in one evelope with a single money order to cover the lot?

Kelly.

Mike: THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON -- Limited/Boxed/Numbered is $150.00 plus $5.00 S/H (and, if appropriate, 8 and 1/4% CA tax). Do you still wish a copy?

Alex: I'll hold one for you.

Brent: We do not have copies of EDGEWORKS 3 or 4 for sale. Sorry.

Thanks--Susan

Restaurant Recommendations
Harlan - Thank you for the recommendation. L'Kesh it is if I can coordinate with Dima and anyone else who wants to join us. Sunday at 7pm is the most likely time. (Reservations are highly recommended.) Stay tuned!

If I may exchange the favor? Not sure if you and Susan like Italian food, but, bar none, nothing, no one and nowhere, the very best garlic bread in the known universe can be found at Prizzi's Piazza in Hollywood (http://www.prizzispiazza.com/).

The rest of the food is danged good as well, but the garlic bread requires mega-doses of Lipitor prior to consumption -- a necessary step prior to the first eyeballs-rolling-back-in-the-head, look-of-pure-childlike-bliss, tears-rolling-down-your-cheeks, manna-from-heaven bite. Tell the owner Catherine that Cris Barber referred you. (She may allow you to sit inside.)

I will post the final plans (if any) tomorrow morning. One way or t'other, Cris and I will prolly be at L'Kesh Sunday at 7.

Mrs. Ellison,

I forgot to ask the most obvious of questions yesterday about the Limited Edition.. uhmm how much does it cost? Thanks for the help.

Term paper
Hi Erika. Two aspects I can think of that no one else here will think of ;-) are:

1. Science fiction stories have increased people's interest in technological developments because they have shown us what end results technology might advance towards. This increased interest in technology has also encouraged more people to go into science and thus to accelerate scientific/technological progress.

2. Science fiction literature has a smaller audience than sf (or "sci-fi") television and movies (which tend to mix sf notions with Hollywood storytelling standards), but literature of every kind filters through to a mass audience by well-known processes. It may well be that everyone asks themselves the question "what if?" a lot more than they normally would without sf movies and tv.

For example, we have seen the results of global warming in a number of films. In my estimation that's very important. To some degree the needs and opinions of the people determine where the money is spent and what laws are passed.

By the way, if I remember correctly, Harlan prefers the term "speculative fiction" (someone correct me). As you may well know, it is not necessarily the "fiction of the future" nor of science and technology. Science and speculation help writers create unusual environments for the characters to reveal themselves in through their actions.

Jan

Harlan,

That was one really nice, affecting little piece o'prose there.

That was a good angle, Erika. Ingenious. I wish I'd thought of it before. From now on when I seek a reply from da man I'm gonna wave a term paper around.

REPLY TO ERIKA OF THE TERM PAPER ERIKA

Kiddo, that is one complex bloody query. Seemingly tidy and small, it is--of course--deep and wide and openly requiring substantial original conceptualizing. Not easy to answer; and I'd be writing your entire paper if I were to attempt even a shortie. You sneaky li'l dickens, you.

But--unless other Webderlanders take up your cause and help you summat--here is a starting place concept no one else in your class will be thinking of (I guarantee it):

History is the River of Time, and it endlessly flows away from us unchanneled and wild. It has a personality and a demeanor all its own. It can be turned in any direction or be dammed by the smallest, least obvious individual, cultural artifact, scientific device, or idle word spoken at the precise pressure-point.

The ancient invention in Mesopotamia of the stirrup, so that charging horsemen could grip a horse's flanks with the knees, thus freeing their hands to use the bow and arrow, altered the course of battles, gave victory to nations without precedent, and changed the flow of the river.

The simple EXISTENCE of the atomic bomb changed the thinking of the entire world. UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, THE SEA AROUND US, Upton Sinclair's THE JUNGLE, as just three examples of the written word, have had powerful freightings for society. The automobile altered moality as well as commerce in America.

Paradigm shifts occur daily. It takes a futurist much cannier than I to spot the ones that will matter. And similarly, a story can cause an epiphany in some fifteen-year-old today, and ten, twenty years from now...that kid will invent a surefire male contraceptive pill and bring forth the answer to Malthusian overpopulation, the abortion controversy, the sheer face of society.

Who is to know what song sung today, will be the battle anthem of tomorrow? Stories and writing are powerful. Why do you think everyone tries to censor it?

That's the best I can do for you, Erika.

Good luck.

Yr. pal, Harlan Ellison

DIMA ... STEVE BARBER ... ET AL:

Take Dima to Cafe L'Kesh on Burbank between Van Nuys Blvd and Kester.

Tell Lekesha Harlan sent you.

You will adore me for this suggestion.

Yr. pal, Harlan (& Susan)

REPLY TO JOHN SIUNTRES

Sir:

You think those perfectly cordial, mild and bland as Buddha's countenance, querulous and quavering, mewling and whimperish comments were any sort of manifestation of the so-called

"Wrath of Harlan"

?

Surely, you pull my gotkes, Slim. I was no more than civilly responsive. A touch, a tad, a soupcon of gentle pique, mayhap; but

W R A T H

?

Ho, m'lad; you obviously dunno from WRATH.

But, yes, your offer of largesse is heartily, even imperially, received here. Please do send me a CD of my dear pal and long time editrix, Ms. Schutz, speaking her piece. You can post it to me care of

The Harlan Ellison Recording Collection
Post Office Box 55548
Sherman Oaks, California 91413-0548

And if you include your own return address, as well as a working telephone number, I will attempt to get in touch with you to discuss this "interview" business. I make no promises.

Respectfully, but hardly wrathfully,

Yr. pal, Harlan

More from the "we decide, you listen" crowd. Actually some on target parody- http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1ldyn/id2.html

Heading to London this Christmahanakwanzaa season, any decent bookstores to search out? Any to avoid??

A note to Susan...
Susan, if you've another limited Essential Ellison available, could you hold it for me? I'd like to buy an inscribed copy for a friend who did me a solid. I'll be sending payment along with an envelope I'd like included with the book, and, of course, an address (one out in L.A., as it happens).

Harlan,
Hi. :) I'm seeking your opinion, and thoughts for a term paper of mine: How influential do you feel that a science fiction story can be on how a society and its technology develops? What types of observations have you had?

Anything that you can share would be mighty gracious and helpful. =)

Dima in Town, LA Weather
Keith, wish I could add to your fantasy-trip visualizations, but it's a dreary, drizzly northwest-like day in LA. But, looking ahead, the 10-day promises our cherished sun will return tomorrow.

LA-based folks: I have Dima's contact info and she has mine. She's staying in the Century City area for several days on a business trip.

Email me if you might be interested in a board group get-together-something maybe this weekend. I'm thinking uniquely old-time "LA" like Pink's, Farmer's Market or maybe Cantor's. Late night?

Something in Hollywood or Santa Monica?

Jazz club?



Anyone? Anyone? Beuhller?

The Diana Schutz Interview
HE,

My apologies for not providing more step by step info about how to hear my mp3 shows. You're right, I did assume that by now most folk have computers with mp3 players pre-installed, and that the dissatifaction with RADIO has sent many like us t the net for more diverse sounds.

However, I also feel a little warm and fuzzy that something I did, (or didn't do) incurred the "Wrath Of Harlan"!
I've loved your stories and rants for decades, and now I'm a target. Unlike Scooter Libby & Karl Rove, that's fine by me! ;)

If you still havaen't heard the interview, and want to, I'd be glad to send you a CD copy. Please e-mail me an address.

If you also don't think I'd request a future converstaion with you for my show, you're nuts! It'd be a real honor.

As a guy who grew up in Wilmette, I'd make you talk about what the hell you were doing in Evanston, Il back in the day?

I'll hang up now, and wait for my answer,

John Siuntres
wordballoon.com

Warfare, WMDs, and silly little word games.

Mark Goldberg,

Followed the link you provided. I have trouble with the Italian language, but I was able to find the video footage referenced by the link. If we are using WMDs, it wouldn’t be the first time. The problem with warfare has always been that innocent people die. I don’t think it matters if they are targeted for attack, or just get in the way of an attack. Warfare is not like a sport, played on a field, with only 2 teams. It’s messy. I’m not condoning or excusing the death of innocent people, but people always seem to suggest an outrage at chemical or biological weapon use, but no outrage for war itself. It’s sick that we’re over there. Totally sick. I mean if 8000 civilians die by mines, or by bullets, or by bombs, or by nuclear weapons or by chemical weapons, aren’t they still dead? And doesn’t it require some crazy kind of mental disconnect on our part to actually differentiate between the means of their death? A gut-shot 8 year old boy probably suffers more pain and agony, and for a longer period of time, than a phosphorous coated one.

Thanks for the link though. Shows me more than ever what a huge mistake this Iraq thing was and is, and why the Neo-Cons approach is way off base. And yes, the irony you mention is glaringly obvious.

Mike Lane,

I take fantastical and obviously false pride in the fact that as soon as I moved from Maryland to Virginia, we Virginians elected a Democrat Governor and the Marylanders elected themselves a Republican one. Thereby short-circuiting my sister and brother-in-law's argument that I was moving from civilization into a Red-Neck zone. As if I was moving to Kansas or something! Sheeeit.

Dima!

Hi yourself! I’m still feeling guilty about Cleveland. I hope you and your husband have forgiven me by now. And, I’m envious about your trip to the West coast. I would love to step into LA or San Diego right about now and enjoy the weather. Or drive up the coast from LA to San Francisco and enjoy the magnificent views. I'm sure you'll have fun.

FinderDoug!

Good to hear your keyboard-voice again. Shoot me an e-mail if you can go hiking this weekend. I’ve always wanted to hike the Manassas Battlefield Park (since I heard about it last week from another friend of mine), and this weekend could be good for getting out. Then you and I can go out whoring and drinking in Manassas. Or maybe get a game of Scrabble going. Best word I ever used in Scrabble? UVULA, against a pediatric dentist’s wife and daughter at the Danzante resort in Baja last year. That was way fun. They creamed me, though.

Be seeing you!

-Keith

"I cannot fathom as to how some people can be so numbskullish to see G. Gordon Liddy or Ollie North as some sort of hero."

"But surely this series is supposed to be a parody!"

Does it matter? If the person did this _seriously_, then obviously they're more than a little cracked. If the person did it as a _satire_, then it magically turns into _funny_.

But this bit of alchemy requires that we know, or be told, about the person's motives and values. So, either we're asking for a Nod and a Wink to make the joke more explicit... or we have to have the joke _explained_ to us.

I think it's pretty funny no matter _what_ the creators intended. The picture of _Sean Hannity_, of all dickless wonders, scowling like Judge Dredd was priceless.

Nate P wrote:

"I cannot fathom as to how some people can be so numbskullish to see G. Gordon Liddy or Ollie North as some sort of hero."

But surely this series is supposed to be a parody!

Fountain Pens
Harlan/Susan: Just wanted to verify with the source, do you have any copies of EDGEWORKS vol. 3 or 4 for sale? I didn't see them listed on the order sheet.

Mitch:
I use a fountain pen that is almost 100 years old. A Waterman 52. I love it. They just don't make nibs like it anymore, no idea why. It is the old fashioned kind that sucks up the ink and can be messy, but that is part of the charm, in my opinion.

The nib is the key when it comes to smooth writing. If your pen has a crappy nib, not much you can do. If money was no object I would buy a Pelikan 800, I tried one the other day and it was heaven. Big fat pen, with a smooth as butter nib that flowed greatly. However, I think they are around $200 or more, I think a lot more actually. Being financially embarrassed, I just can't swing that myself right now. Your bank account may vary.

The other key thing is ink. Make sure you use nice ink, I have some Schaffer, although again like the Pelikan I was recently turned on to Lamy. Wow. Smooth as buttered up baby born in butterscotch. Once you have the smoothness and scratchy part taken care of my help ends. My handwriting isn't something that I'm particularly proud of, perhaps books can improve that somehow.

I enjoy writing things by hand, as it makes you think about what you're doing and give it so much more meaning when held in hands rather than seen on screen. However, my biggest problem is you can't find fountain pens or ink, you get looked at like you stepped on a baby when you inquire at office stores. There is only one store in my state I'm aware that sells them, and its like walking into a jewelry store, I can't justify buying anything in there. So, I'll have to look to mail order over the Internet soon, as my supply of ink is nearly gone. Ironic that I'll use modern technology to buy antiquated.

Dear Mrs. Ellison,

Thanks for the reply. If you can hold one for me, (limited edition) I'd be greatful. I will notify you via the board here on the date I send the payment. Thanks again and best wishes to you.

Sincerely
Mike Lane

Fountain Pens
Friends,
I have a request. I know that Mr. Ellison has a plethora of fountain pens and probably alot of you people do as well, so you should be able to help me. I've been buying fountain pens since my high school days (and that's been awhile ago), and have tried all kinds from the inexpensive to the not-so-inexpensive ones. Thing is, I've never had much luck writing with them. I love them, love the way they look, the idea of writing in an old-fashioned manner, love owning them (like I love owning books), but my writing stinks. Not only does my writing stink, the pens always feel 'scratchy' and the ink never flows like the manuals tell me it should. 'The nib should lightly rest opon the vellum, and with expansive flourishes, using a minimal of pressure, the very ebon liquid should flow like darkest, perfect, night...' yada, yada, yada. But the ink doesn't flow for me. At least not the way I'd like.
Here's my question: could you people give me some practical advice on the care and feeding of fountain pens? Or point me in the direction of some really good books on the subject? I've searched the net and my local bookstores, but their is a dearth of reading material on such things. Right now I am using (or trying to use) a Namiki Vanishing Point pen. A beautiful retractable pen my wife bought me for Christmas a few years ago. It is a pleasure to hold. But I'd really rather find pleasure in the writing.
I would really, really appreciate any practical advice you would give me. Thank you fellows and felletes.

Mk

Look what bullshit is availible at a comic store near you.

http://accstudios.com/f/accproduct.htm

I cannot fathom as to how some people can be so numbskullish to see G. Gordon Liddy or Ollie North as some sort of hero. Its almost just as bad as the swarms of idiots that have a hard-on for McCarthy.

Mike:

Re: THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON.

We a few limited editions available. The trade is available through the stores (or discounted to HERC members directly from Morpheus). If you want the limited, I'll hold one for you. Please advise.

Thanks--Susan

Keith - Wasn't that sweet? I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from the Commonwealth's shoulders... of course, why you need to widen 66 INSIDE the Beltway is beyond me - it's a hideous bitch goddess from Centreville to Gainesville from 4 to 7:30 every night.

The Good, the Still Good, and then there's Harlan's Royalties
Ezra - For every Kansas, there's a Pennsylvania.

"DOVER, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Voters on Tuesday ousted a Pennsylvania local school board that promoted an "intelligent-design" alternative to teaching evolution, and elected a new slate of candidates who promised to remove the concept from science classes. "

In the next graph it mentions that 8 of the 9 existing board members were edumacated out of office.
________________________________________________

Dima - You post your note after most Webderlanders have posted for the day and (legally) cannot reply until after you lose your access. Keep my email above and I'll let you know if anyone else can get together while you're in the area. Let me know possible times and where you might want to meet.

I suggest "Pinks" -- I hear there may be quite the discussion on Russian literature going on.
________________________________________________

Harlan?

I DO know a bit about the publishing industry (second-hand, but still quite reliable).

$100 a year?

(Dude. *I* make more than that, and I'm a useless nobody hack.)

Does this mean orders from HERC are not only highly recommended, but are now be tax-deductable as support of the arts? Hmmmmm...?

LA
Hi everyone,

I will be in Los Angeles from the 10th to the 15th for a conference, and I was wondering whether any of the local webderlanders would like to get together? I will probably be free most evenings. I may not have internet access after tonight, so I will check back this evening in case anyone's interested.

Regards,
Dima

P.S. Hi Keith!

Keith
I was agreeing about the election results, that is. sorry bout the double post.

Dear Mr. Ellison,

Thanks very much for your reply. I admit freely to being ignorant about the publishing industry (along with numerous other subjects, unfortunately). Although it disappoints me to find hear (or read actually) that authors don't receive much in the way of compensation for the actual sales of their books, it doesn't really surprise me. I would expect large publishing companies to take advantage of authors. Or at least that is what I would assume to be true. Not having experienced the process first hand, is this assumption correct? Or are there publishing companies that treat authors fairly while others don't? Has the relationship between the publishing industry and authors changed over time? Are things better or worse now than in the past for new authors or are they the same? Or again does it depend on the company?

Please don't take my inquiry is an attempt to "tease the cat". Since visiting this site I have a pretty good impression of how you feel about working with the film and TV industry but not the publishing industry. My question comes strictly from curiosity about something with which I have absolutely no direct experience. I'm not trying to draw you into a tirade against (or for, for that matter) the publishing industry. Nor would I expect you to provide a list of your favorite companies or "name names" or anything like that. You have better things to do, I’m sure.

It is just that my personality, upbringing, etc. are such that I tend to be suspicious of large corporate interests as they relate to the individual. This is a prejudice. I admit that as well. Someone like yourself who has started from the bottom and risen to the top in this field, knows many different authors, and doesn't pull punches would be a good source for an opinion about such an industry and might make me reconsider my assumptions about it.

And finally, since you mentioned it, do you happen to have a copy of the latest Essential Ellison a 50 Years Retrospective I can buy direct from the author? I didn’t see them on the HERC list so I figured I’d just ask. Thanks again for your response and especially for your work.

Respectfully,
Mike Lane

For Keith Kramer

I agree wholeheartedly while wiping the sweat off my brow with absolutely profoundly perplexed yet astounded relief.

Belated Thanks to Rick & Interesting Article
Rick,

You do a great job here managing the board, thank you for all of your hard work and diligence in keeping all of us in line. Have a great time with the Ellisons, and I hope you will have some fun pictures to share with us after the visit.

I came across this article and cannot believe that it has not generated more public outcry:

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article325560.ece

I have no idea if the allegations within the article are true, but there needs to be a serious investigation on these charges. The use of white phosphorus in warfare is prohibited as it is a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and to use it within an urban warfare area to help secure a city (Fallujah), is nothing short of War Crimes.

I find it darkly ironic that the US was unable to find any WMDs within Iraq, yet we are accused of using them against the Iraqi population ourselves.

Kansas, Future Manufacturing Hub of the USA
-
Current State Motto: To the stars through difficulties

Suggested Motto 1: To hell with the stars.
Suggested Motto 2: We used to be progressive.
Suggested Motto 3: Seeing stars and difficulties.
and my number 4...

In the beginning there was Kansas, and it was good.

Peace Out. At least we hired ourselves another Democrat Governor in VA. If Kilgore hadn't been palling around with Bushy on the last day, it might have turned out a bit different. Thanks Prez!

-Keith

Let us all pause and thank the Lord for the good folks in Kansas rising up off their haunches and standing up against the ANTICHRIST COMMUNISTIC KABBALISTIC JIHADISTIC ATHEISTIC NO GOOD FILTHY LIBERALISTIC EVOLUTIONISTIC attempt to pull the hogwash over the eyes (how's that for a mixed metaphor) of the simple folk who know better cause well hell Pastor Collins down to First Assembly woulda told us if any that muhlarky was true!

Can a sponge think? (Sorry I stole that from INHERIT THE WIND.)

HE:

Here is a direct link to the Diana Schutz mp3.

http://www.wordballoon.com/media/wbDIANASCHUTZ.mp3

Depending on what web browser you are using, different things will happen, but in general you will be asked to either save the file to your computer so you can listen to it later, or open it immediately. (This may be the incomprehensible crap you mentioned in your post)

If you choose to open it immediately (or indeed even if you save it to your computer and choose to play it later) you will need software that can play mp3's. In which case, there are many free applications available if you don't have one already. Downloading and installing winamp prior to clicking the mp3 link from http://www.winamp.com would be a quick solution.


Brent