Ace of Spades HQ

January 27, 2013

Sunday Morning Book Thread 01-27-2013: Unexpected Books [OregonMuse]
— Open Blogger

Behind the Scenes At AoSHQ (Pixy's Office)

Good morning morons and moronettes and welcome to this week's Sunday Morning Book Thread.

Before we get into the good stuff, I want to take advantage of my position as an AoSHQ sub-cob-logger and say one thing:

A Public Appeal To Pixy To Fix This Blog

Dear Pixy:

I know that being inundated by spam comments is a real problem for blogs and I know that you have to take aggressive measures to deal with it, and believe me, I thank you for all your efforts to keep AoSHQ free of these barnacles. But the fact is, I have been unable to post comments in any thread for over a month. From home, I mean. I can post from my work computer just fine.

The problem is that the standard solution of sending in the IP address to ace to forward to you to put on a white list doesn't work, at least not for me. Here is why:

63.155.153.173
71.34.241.110
71.215.190.131
63.155.151.76
75.170.16.163
75.170.29.201
71.215.181.48
75.170.29.57
71.34.247.225

See these IP addresses? They have all been my external IP address at some time during the last couple of weeks. I know this because I have been keeping track using http://whatismyipaddress.com. My ISP is CenturyLink, and for whatever reason, my computer is assigned a new IP address every day or two. I have no idea why they do it this way, but there's nothing I can do to change it. So by the time I contact ace to contact you with another IP address to whitelist, it's already been changed to something else, and I'm back in the same boat.

I am unable to comment on threads that I create. I can modify or delete existing comments, but I can't add a new one, not even with my super sub-cob-logger posting powers. Ironic, that.

So please, Pixy, I beg you to look into this to see if there's something you can do. Because if it's happening to me, chances are there are other morons who are being affected by this as well.

Thank you.

-OregonMuse

Left to Right: Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, Dan Beard, Sir C. Purdon Clarke, Rollo Ogden, Joan of Arc

Things I've Learned From the AoSHQ Book Thread

Mark Twain wrote a biographical novel about Joan of Arc. No, really, he did.

In last week's book thread, Paul Zummo wrote:

I am currently reading Mark Twain's "Joan of Arc," a book few probably know exists but which Twain called his personal favorite of all the books he ever wrote. And it is nothing like anything else he wrote. It's a very well-researched biography of Joan of Arc told from the point of view of her aid-de-camp (a fictionalized character). It's very good and provides a lot of background on someone I honestly don't know much about.

This piqued my curiosity, as I had never heard of this before. And then I found this article that discusses this topic in great detail (warning: about half way down the page, the article swerves off the road into a silly discussion about Twain's use of cross-dressing themes in his books, so by the time you've reached this point, you've read enough). The full title of the book is Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, and as Paul noted, it is nothing like anything else Twain ever wrote.

Amazon has PROJOA for something like $9.99 in the Kindle edition, but you can get it for free on Gutenberg..

Morons What Write Books

And speaking of Paul Zummo, he has written his own novel, Dirty Laundry, which is available on Kindle. The plot concerns the progress of a journalist:

CF Stone is a columnist for a well-regarded but not well-read Washington DC newspaper. After having written a column that has all but guaranteed him a Pulitzer he runs into blogger and all-around gadfly Darius Gilbert, who lets him onto a story that will guarantee them a place in history next to Woodward and Bernstein. Stone goes undercover in order to expose a right-wing plot to bring down the American government. Stone dreams of the accolades that he will receive after publishing his expose of the ultimate manifestation of political extremism in the United States - that is if they don't find out who he is first.

Dirty Laundry is satirical portrait of the American media and the inability of members of the fourth estate to truly grasp the stories that are right in front of them.

___________

Moron commenter xbradtc got all pouty-faced because I didn't mention his book in last week's thread even though I received his e-mail well before the deadline. So let me make amends by doing it now. xbradtc has written a book on the Falkland Islands War. He calls it a "book", but, to be all pedantic and shit, I think it's more of a monograph. The Naval War in the Falklands, is, as described by the author, "an easy to read overview of the 1982 Falklands war at sea. It was a surprisingly savage war, and Britain came perilously close to losing. It was written specifically with the non-naval or military reader in mind, so most of the jargon is pared back."

So buy this man's book and soothe his butthurt, will you?

___________

Moron commenter Seamus Muldoon is the author of a book entitled The Curious Disappearance of Seamus Muldoon, but I don't think he's writing about himself:

It is an odd hybrid of true crime and biography spun in a series of fictional short stories. The basis for the story is the real life (and to this day unsolved) disappearance of my wife's father.

Everyone had a theory about what happened. Maybe this happened, or maybe that happened:

[E]ach of those "Maybe he..." theories turned into a vignette or chapter in the collection... Seamus Muldoon, a fictional character, lives out each of the scenarios, sometimes tragically, sometimes comically.

And then the final chapter lays out the framework for what probably really happened.

___________

So that's all for this week. I have a couple more book plugs I didn't get to, but will next week. By the way, the reason I do these delays is because I get paranoid that I won't have anything to write about next week, so this insures that I have at least some usable material on hand.

As always, book thread tips, suggestions, rumors, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at aoshqbookthread@gmail.com.

So what have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good. because life is too short to read lousy books. I think I'll make this the new motto of the AoSHQ book thread. If I knew how to translate it into Latin, I would. I'll bet it sounds real classy in Latin.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:06 AM | Comments (193)
Post contains 1150 words, total size 8 kb.

1 Finished off the Muirwood trilogy by Jeff Wheeler. Pretty good series, especially for $2.99 each.

Finally got A memory of Light from the library and read that. I was surprised at how it flowed initially. Where the middle of the series was slower than pond scum and did not close any portions of the plot, this one moved at a lightning pace. But because the book is so thick it still drug on. And the spoilers that some troll kept popping on the blog are all bullshit. In fact, there are some real twists in the ending.

Now doing the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. Interesting new concepts and Amazon has the first three in a package deal.

http://is.gd/uR5kPJ

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:06 AM (53z96)

2 I am currently reading four non-fiction books about the CIA. This is research for the next Amy Lynn Book entitled Â“Golden AngelÂ”. I completed the first one called The Art of Intelligence by Henry A Crumpton. I would like to share my views on these books for my fellow rons. I almost threw this book in the shitcan after the first couple of pages. After 24 years in the CIAÂ’s clandestine service, Mr. Crumpton lightly touched on Bill ClintonÂ’s failure to Kill OBL and flew directly into condemning the Bush Administrations outing of Valerie Plame. You would think a man of his skills would know that it was Richard Armatige, a democrat that did the deed. Mr. Crumpton apparently has an affinity for Academia as he spent at least a dozen pages dry humping several of his pre and post CIA service college professors. Some of his observations are; Donald Rumsfeld is an Asshole. It was Tommy Franks fault we didnÂ’t get OBL in tora Bora, apparently he wouldnÂ’t release the 800 or so troops Mr. Crumpton requested. He claimed to love George Bush the man, although Condi Rice kept him in some sort of Bubble that was difficult to penetrate. George Tenent was all that and two bags of chips. It wasnÂ’t necessarily a bad book and he did shine the light on the origins of the Drone program. That itself was worth the price of the book. Very interesting. Also a Powerful tribute to Mike Spann, the first CIA officer killed after a prison uprising. The conversation with SpannÂ’s wife was especially touching. Lots of interesting nuggets about Afghanistan, You do however have to get past the both veiled and in your face Bush Bashing. Mr. Crumpton did his job as a CIA Officer and a leader and indeed should be classified as an American Hero. His blatant political opinions both upset and confuse me. Next week, The Craft of Intelligence by Allen W Dulles.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 07:09 AM (l86i3)

3 Actually there may be something you could do about it.

1. have you asked if you can get a static ip from them?
it may cost more though but that's a solution.

2. I vary my ip on occasion by logging off the system and have not (so far knock on pixels) been banned.

3. perhaps it's some other aspect of how your isp works. Maybe you see a changing ip but the internet sees a different one. (I believe this is possible but don't know if or why they'd do that.)

4. change providers or use a proxy.

No internet guru this is just from my own experience.

and yes there should be a simpler way to combat spam but I know less about that.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka 3 tooth) at January 27, 2013 07:10 AM (3E2th)

4 What, me read? Why whatever for?

Posted by: Low Information Voter. at January 27, 2013 07:10 AM (4Mv1T)

Posted by: Tobacco Road at January 27, 2013 07:11 AM (4Mv1T)

6 Thanks for that link OM. I had been meaning to go get that book and that makes it easy.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:11 AM (53z96)

7 Did Rollo Ogden invent the RoloÂ®?

Posted by: andycanuck at January 27, 2013 07:13 AM (ORGYc)

DAVOS, Switzerland Â— Â“Excuse me, we sustained damage. Do we leave it at that?Â” President Aquino said on Friday.

The United States Navy will be held answerable under Philippine laws for the damage caused by the grounding of a US 7th Fleet warship in Tubbataha Reefs, Mr. Aquino said.

Talking with Filipino reporters after the World Economic Forum meeting here, Mr. Aquino said he had ordered Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya to investigate the grounding of the minesweeper USS Guardian in the Unesco-World Heritage protected area in the Sulu Sea on Jan. 17.

The Philippine governmentÂ’s priority, however, is to remove the ship from the reef to prevent further damage to the marine environment.

Our ship is still aground? Buy the Captain a navigation handbook.

Posted by: Cicero Kid at January 27, 2013 07:13 AM (m0v2L)

9 Gun grabber company alert;

GEICO cancels insurance because policyholder works in the 'weapons industry'

http://tinyurl.com/attfa3b

Posted by: kbdabear at January 27, 2013 07:14 AM (wwsoB)

10 Still reading the free A.C.D. books I got last week.

Posted by: garrett at January 27, 2013 07:15 AM (pADYX)

11 Still reading the free A.C.D. books I got last week.

Posted by: garrett at January 27, 2013 07:15 AM (pADYX)

12 Still reading the free A.C.D. books I got last week.

Posted by: garrett at January 27, 2013 07:15 AM (pADYX)

Did Rollo Ogden invent the RoloÂ®?

No, his cousin Dexter Ogden did. Rollo just financed it.

Posted by: BackwardsBoy, who did not vote for this shit. at January 27, 2013 07:15 AM (+z4pE)

Did Rollo Ogden invent the RoloÂ®?

No, his cousin Dexter Ogden did. Rollo just financed it.

Posted by: BackwardsBoy, who did not vote for this shit. at January 27, 2013 07:15 AM (+z4pE)

Did Rollo Ogden invent the RoloÂ®?

No, his cousin Dexter Ogden did. Rollo just financed it.

Posted by: BackwardsBoy, who did not vote for this shit. at January 27, 2013 07:15 AM (+z4pE)

16 What happened to the 50 post policy before going off topic?

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:16 AM (53z96)

17 What happened to the 50 post policy before going off topic?

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:16 AM (53z96)

18 What happened to the 50 post policy before going off topic?

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:16 AM (53z96)

19 Mmm. Chocolate.

Posted by: andycanuck at January 27, 2013 07:16 AM (ORGYc)

20 Mmm. Chocolate.

Posted by: andycanuck at January 27, 2013 07:16 AM (ORGYc)

21 Mmm. Chocolate.

Posted by: andycanuck at January 27, 2013 07:16 AM (ORGYc)

Thanks OM-

Just a heads up to the Morons- I think I have one more promotional "free" day for the "Curious Disappearance" on Kindle- I'll pick a day upcoming and post here at the HQ so that you all don't have to lay out any cash. I didn't write the book to make money, and I didn't send it to Oregon Muse to plump up sales. I'm just trying to do what the local authorities and local press did not do, that is simply get the word out.

Posted by: Seamus Muldoon at January 27, 2013 07:17 AM (1OZSU)

Thanks OM-

Posted by: Seamus Muldoon at January 27, 2013 07:17 AM (1OZSU)

Thanks OM-

Posted by: Seamus Muldoon at January 27, 2013 07:17 AM (1OZSU)

Did Rollo Ogden invent the RoloÂ®?

George Washington Carver made the first Rolo...out of a Peanut!

Posted by: garrett at January 27, 2013 07:18 AM (pADYX)

26 Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 11:16 AM (53z96)

Whose policy is that?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 27, 2013 07:18 AM (GsoHv)

27 Whose policy is that? Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 27, 2013 11:18 AM (GsoHv) Didn't you get the PDF of the AoS rules by Hoyle the first time you logged on?

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 07:20 AM (l86i3)

28 How about this? quoniam vita est quoque brevis ut lego lousy libri From an online Latin translator. Pshaw, you really didn't think I could translate Latin, did you? Because, moron. Reading Flashman's Lady right now. Flashy's a slave in Madagascar right now. The man is soooo gleefully vile and self serving, lots of fun.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at January 27, 2013 07:22 AM (MBqvE)

29 Reading The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

Posted by: NCKate at January 27, 2013 07:22 AM (niJ61)

30 The United States Navy will be held answerable under Philippine laws for the
damage caused by the grounding of a US 7th Fleet warship in Tubbataha Reefs, Mr.
Aquino said.

*****************

Someone had pilfered strawberries from the galley and the skipper was investigating.

Posted by: . at January 27, 2013 07:23 AM (Q8Wa9)

31 Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 11:20 AM (l86i3)

I was distracted by the links to boobies and midget pron.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 27, 2013 07:23 AM (GsoHv)

32 I was distracted by the links to boobies and midget pron. Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 27, 2013 11:23 AM (GsoHv) Understandable.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 07:23 AM (l86i3)

33 Posted by: IllTemperedCur at January 27, 2013 11:22 AM (MBqvE)

Flashman! Great stuff.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 27, 2013 07:24 AM (GsoHv)

34 >>>17 Whose policy is that?
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo

Didn't you get the PDF of the AoS rules by Hoyle the first time you logged on?

Ixnay. Its on page 116 of "Robert's Rules of Order".

" There shale be no "off-topic" discussion on any thread at AoS HQ till properly introduced by motion, then seconded, and recorded in the minutes of said discussion."

Posted by: Tobacco Road at January 27, 2013 07:24 AM (4Mv1T)

35 For OSP had pulled a book from the shelves. "Absolute Power" by David Limbaugh from 2001 about the Clinton Reno Justice Department.

Got a chapter called Treating With Terrorists. Just started reading the chapter again and first part deals with Bill Clinton's pardoning of the FALN terrorists who went on a bombing spree killing/maiming police and civilians.

The name of one supporter for the 14 being pardoned is a guy named Jose Serrano [D-NY] who is a member of the House of Representatives. This is the same Jose Serrano who just introduced a bill to repeal the 22d Amendment.

Ponder that.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 07:25 AM (shmgt)

36 "Shall" dammit. Not "Shale"

Posted by: Tobacco Road at January 27, 2013 07:26 AM (4Mv1T)

37 There shale be no "off-topic" discussion on any thread at AoS HQ till properly introduced by motion, then seconded, and recorded in the minutes of said discussion." Posted by: Tobacco Road at January 27, 2013 11:24 AM (4Mv1T) I know, it's confusing. But Article 6 sec 2 sub paragraph B supecedes said directive if Boobies are involved.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 07:26 AM (l86i3)

38 Yay, Moron books! Still waiting for OSP's book to be released on Kindle.

Just finished up Sister Carrie last night, part of my Antique Literature By Hoosiers Project. (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5267) None of the characters were sympathetic, and the author is an asshole (which I already knew from A Hoosier Holiday) dropping unrelated expository in every chapter, but I had to go to the end to find out what happened to them. And to look for the "sordid" "sexual content" that was reviled at the time of publication--I assume Carrie was fucking the men she was living with, there wasn't a single word about it. Pffft.

Next up is Moron Mary Poppins... Theda Bara book, and probably The Mirror Crack'd since it came up on a thread this week.

Posted by: HeatherRadish™ needs a beer at January 27, 2013 07:27 AM (ZKzrr)

39 Ponder that. Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 11:25 AM (shmgt) WTF, that's called infiltration isn't it?

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 07:27 AM (l86i3)

40 Posted by: HeatherRadishÂ™ needs a beer at January 27, 2013 11:27 AM (ZKzrr) This week HR, promise, or I am storming the Editors office with tools and a bad attitude.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 07:28 AM (l86i3)

41 Thanks for the blurb! I truly appreciate it. I heard about the Joan of Arc book through the book club I run at my parish, and it's our reading for next week (so the article you provided will really help the discussion). I just finished it, and I can't recommend it enough. It really has a different feel from any Twain book. What's great about it is that it is thoroughly researched, and so you do learn a lot about the life of Joan of Arc. But the narrative structure used by Twain really keeps the reader engaged, and it feels more like a novel than a straight biography. BTW, I downloaded it for free on Kindle. Word of warning: it's three volumes, and it looks as though only two are available for free. That's because the 2nd and 3rd are published together in part two.

Posted by: Paul Zummo at January 27, 2013 07:32 AM (81ahw)

42 Any Moron who hasn't read a Flashman needs to seriosuly re-examine his/her life. Sir Harry is an antihero for the ages.

Posted by: spongeworthy at January 27, 2013 07:32 AM (r5w1L)

43 My ISP is CenturyLink, and for whatever reason, my computer is assigned a new IP address every day or two.

Century Link is DSL and DSL isp's use dynamic ip addy's, meaning they change every once in a while, i think they do this because it's cheaper. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but i think the ISP buys a certain range of IP's that they can assign to their customers. With dynamic ip's you don't have to buy as many because when one customer logs off that ip can go to another customer, thus giving you lower prices with dsl than cable which uses static ip's. At least i think that's how it works.

Posted by: booger at January 27, 2013 07:34 AM (HI6wa)

44 HeatherRadish: I read Sister Carrie a few months ago. Totally agreed with your assessment. It's a rather dreary read, but I just had to finish it. Tess of the d'Ubervilles was sort of like that as well, only I just dropped it after I got about 1/10 of the way through it.

Posted by: Paul Zummo at January 27, 2013 07:34 AM (81ahw)

45 OSP, I would call it treason in need of Super Heavy Duty Strength Excedrin.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 07:35 AM (shmgt)

46 reading killing floor still....

Posted by: phoenixgirl waiting for spring training at January 27, 2013 07:37 AM (GVxQo)

47 I just finished Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva. I found it a nice mix of moussad (sp?) workings, archaeological artifact theft, and Italian 'justice'. Can anyone recommend any of Silva's other books?

Posted by: Guido at January 27, 2013 07:37 AM (XLuH2)

48 Unexpected books! No-one expects the Necrinomicon! All joking and kidding aside..read some H.P. Lovecraft. Most of the books are free and online.

Posted by: Judge_Roy_bean at January 27, 2013 07:37 AM (R9rNC)

49 it's no amy lynn but it's ok.......

Posted by: phoenixgirl waiting for spring training at January 27, 2013 07:37 AM (GVxQo)

>>> Next up is Moron Mary Poppins...

'I saw Mary sipping a Pina Colada at Trader Vics

and her clit was perfect.'

Posted by: Zombie Zevon at January 27, 2013 07:38 AM (pADYX)

51 I just 'discovered' on Amazon Instant Video that there are 50 episodes of "Firing Line w/ Wm. F. Buckley, Jr".
One is an interview of Alinsky.
There's another from 1984 with Hitchens (The Nation), when he was an ardent commie, and Emmett Tyrell (The Amercian Spectator). It's called "Is there a liberal crack-up?" from the title of Tyrrell's book.

Posted by: CozMark at January 27, 2013 07:38 AM (BjOkm)

52 @ kbdabear at January 27, 2013 11:14 AM

GEICO will also drop you if they find out you have a radar detector, AND they buy and hand out police radars to departments across the country. Best to stay away from them and Progressive.

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at January 27, 2013 07:39 AM (rqlRk)

53 Still reading The Life of Elizabeth

she refuses to get married! It's driving the Spanish ambassador crazy!

Posted by: Jones in CO at January 27, 2013 07:40 AM (8sCoq)

54 "Master and Margarita" (on last week's recommendation), I didn't realize how much Stephen King lifted from this book and just re-read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", like the part about the sheeple flocking to a known impact site and blaming it on the moonies. That and the meaning of TANSTAAFL.

Posted by: auscolpyr at January 27, 2013 07:42 AM (BwDfs)

55 Purchased "Cold Days", the newest in the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher. Once again, Mr. Butcher is a magnificent bastard. Good reading for my business trip.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 27, 2013 07:42 AM (QkEg0)

56 Can someone tell me how to delete stuff from my kindle? I may have to be more selective vs trying free samples if I cant get rid of the occasional complete rubbish.

Posted by: Palerider at January 27, 2013 07:43 AM (m+nIW)

anyone want to buy some really cool looking clogs?

Posted by: cheshirelion at January 27, 2013 07:43 AM (A0qmg)

58 >GEICO cancels insurance because policyholder works in the 'weapons industry'

I think they canceled because the policy was written for a personal vehicle which was being used for business use

Posted by: Jones in CO at January 27, 2013 07:43 AM (8sCoq)

59 Dan Beard was the man. Among other things, he wrote the American Boys Handy Book, which is still in print. Link in name.

Posted by: Sons of Daniel Boone at January 27, 2013 07:43 AM (YXpp9)

60 Another book you might want to find OSP is Bill Powell's 'Treason - How a Russian Spy Led an American Journalist to a U.S. Double Agent.'

It is the Hanssen case. It all starts when a GRU agent named Baranov walks into Powell's office in Moscow after serving time in a Gulag named Perm 35 with the story of him being shopped by a mole in the US intelligence community.

Found my copy for $6 at one of those bookstores where unsold books go. Truthfully I have to wonder if Baranov was a double agent sent to send the FBI and CIA off on another mole hunt after Ames.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 07:43 AM (shmgt)

61 That and the meaning of TANSTAAFL.

Posted by: auscolpyr at January 27, 2013 11:42 AM (BwDfs)

Probably one of his best books and it was written after he became disillusioned with socialism.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:44 AM (53z96)

Funny but when I use the word Ug*s - it blocks it --

Good work - Pixie!

Posted by: cheshirelion at January 27, 2013 07:44 AM (A0qmg)

63 Finished Scalzi's The Ghost Brigades -- seriously light, but I was on vacation. Got halfway through Jane Eyre and couldn't take it anymore. Finished Norwich's Absolute Monarchs, which is about the papacy, and was disappointed by his cavalier attitude toward JPII. Now concentrating on work and relaxation.

Posted by: joncelli at January 27, 2013 07:44 AM (CWlPF)

64 OSP, have you read anything by Bill Gertz? His book "Betrayal" about how that rotten shit bird Clinton betrayed the US national security. yeah, everyone at AoS would agree about Clinton, but he accurately documents the serious disarmament of the United States and his self-serving appeasement of foreign enemies.

Posted by: Lurkasaurus at January 27, 2013 07:45 AM (kpSH/)

65 Unicorns from Hell - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yYZa-70u_M

Posted by: Patas de Puerco at January 27, 2013 07:46 AM (MsdhE)

66 The United States Navy will be held answerable under Philippine laws for the damage caused by the grounding of a US 7th Fleet warship in Tubbataha Reefs, Mr. Aquino said.

I might actually GAS if they were to clean up shit river in Olongapo City first.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:46 AM (53z96)

67 So I almost finished Cloud Atlas. Short version: THE CORPORAYYYYTIONS!!!!!! No wonder that sleaze Dave Eggers loves it.

Posted by: zimriel at January 27, 2013 07:46 AM (dQNJc)

68 @46: Go to amazon.com/myk

Delete the offending work from your library.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 27, 2013 07:47 AM (QkEg0)

69 Just so you know, you can get everything Twain wrote, including the Joan of Arc book, from Kindle for just a few bucks. Shop for quality.

Posted by: TB at January 27, 2013 07:48 AM (a3gIc)

70 Can someone tell me how to delete stuff from my kindle? I may have to be more selective vs trying free samples if I cant get rid of the occasional complete rubbish.

Posted by: Palerider at January 27, 2013 11:43 AM (m+nIW)

Just plug your cable into the computer and use Windows Explorer to delete it like any other file.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:49 AM (53z96)

71 Thanks NR Pax.

Posted by: Palerider at January 27, 2013 07:51 AM (m+nIW)

72 I lol'd.
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Sports/2013/01/26/Nats-Taft-Mascot

Posted by: HeatherRadish™ needs a beer at January 27, 2013 07:52 AM (ZKzrr)

73 Yahoo Sports just tweeted this: President Obama: Â‘If I had a son, IÂ’d have to think long and hard before I let him play football. Does he really think a boy wearing skirts is even going to get picked to play?

Posted by: t-bird at January 27, 2013 07:53 AM (FcR7P)

74 Well Mr Muse, something (possibly the pic) turned this into a tiny print thread. Impossible for me to read without bouncing my phone screen left and right every line. Back to see if anyone is still on the last thread. If not, there's always the next one. Or take the time to, I don't know, fix myself some breakfast. Hardly seems worth the trouble doing that though.

Posted by: teej getting blue in the face in his lonely battle against tiny print threads at January 27, 2013 07:53 AM (t9e6Q)

75 Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 11:46 AM (53z96)

Sadly, I never got the opportunity to toss pesos into shit river to watch the kids dive in to get them...that all ended slightly before my time. So I only got to listen to the stories and do the best I could to live up to being the quality of Sailor of my forebears in Pattaya Beach.

Posted by: Country Singer at January 27, 2013 07:53 AM (mDanm)

76 oops wrong thread........ahem.......am currently reading (again) Krakatoa: The Day The World Exploded August 27 1883

Posted by: Patas de Puerco at January 27, 2013 07:53 AM (MsdhE)

77 Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 11:49 AM (53z96)

Arrow left (or right...I don't remember) gives a delete option.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 27, 2013 07:56 AM (GsoHv)

78 Sadly, I never got the opportunity to toss pesos into shit river to watch the kids dive in to get them...that all ended slightly before my time. So I only got to listen to the stories and do the best I could to live up to being the quality of Sailor of my forebears in Pattaya Beach.

Posted by: Country Singer at January 27, 2013 11:53 AM (mDanm)

Actually they would not dive in to get the pesos. They had a funnel they held up to catch them with. If they missed because the evil sailor tried to make them fall in they would just let them sink.

We had a guy jump off the bridge one time and they quarantined him for a week and gave him a bunch of shots.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:57 AM (53z96)

79 Obama: Change Coming to NFL to Reduce 'Violence'http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Sports/2013/01/27/Obama-Sons-Football

All he'll say about Ray Lewis, OTOH, is that he's a good man.

List of NFL players who endorsed Skeezy Preezy.
http://is.gd/RqNQtd

Posted by: HeatherRadish™ needs a beer at January 27, 2013 07:57 AM (ZKzrr)

80 Arrow left (or right...I don't remember) gives a delete option.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 27, 2013 11:56 AM (GsoHv)

"Right click"

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 07:58 AM (53z96)

81 9 Geico

Here is what Geico has to say:

"We spoke with the policyholder in December and there was some misunderstanding/confusion on our part on how he used the vehicle. We have reached out to the policyholder and hope that we can clarify usage of the vehicle and continue his policy."

They didn't say the problem was "commercial use" originally, but specifically "weapons industry". I presume it would have been ok if the policy holder was manufacturing EBT cards.

They answered me back awfully fast - probably a mail filter to catch these particular inquiries. I think I'll cancel anyway. I felt pretty stupid when I figured out Geico meant Government Employees Insurance Co.

Posted by: Rule #2 at January 27, 2013 07:58 AM (CypDC)

82 Oops, wrong link. Try this one.
http://is.gd/bQU5df

Posted by: HeatherRadish™ needs a beer at January 27, 2013 07:59 AM (ZKzrr)

83 In case you missed it this morning:

The Daily Deals

http://is.gd/tPDuVT

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 08:01 AM (53z96)

84 We had a guy jump off the bridge one time and they quarantined him for a week and gave him a bunch of shots.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 11:57 AM (53z96)

Whenever I was in Subic, I spent my time up in the barrio.

Posted by: Invictus at January 27, 2013 08:01 AM (OQpzc)

85 Whenever I was in Subic, I spent my time up in the barrio.

Posted by: Invictus at January 27, 2013 12:01 PM (OQpzc)

Subic City?

They were off limits when I was there.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 08:02 AM (53z96)

86 >>>Yahoo Sports just tweeted this: President Obama: Â‘If I had a son, IÂ’d have to think long and hard before I let him play football.

Does he really think a boy wearing skirts is even going to get picked to play?<<<

If Barry's son leaned more towards Michelle's side of the family, the kid could play without a helmet.

Posted by: Fritz at January 27, 2013 08:03 AM (WM+rJ)

87 Sorry, I had to step outside and let the SIL, blow through a Magazine of AR Ammo. I think she became aroused.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 08:03 AM (l86i3)

Re: Mark Twain. Take a look at "1601" free on Kindle and omitted from most Twain collections. Written in Elizabethian jargon it tells the tale of a supposed entry from Pepys journal of a meeting in which someone cuts the cheese. A real hoot.

Posted by: Libra at January 27, 2013 08:04 AM (cMWZ+)

89 Help from the HQ- I remember reading a story of Mark Twain telling a voter in his district that he will NOT vote for government giving him a helping hand when his business burnt down. Anybody recall this?

Posted by: RWC at January 27, 2013 08:04 AM (sqp6o)

90 They were off limits when I was there.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 12:02 PM (53z96)

Barrio Barretto above Subic. Hotel Marmot is where all the riders stayed. Only a few bars were off-limits the times I went through.

Posted by: Invictus at January 27, 2013 08:04 AM (OQpzc)

91 I need to start doing the "stuff the return envelopes full of other junk mail and send them back" trick will all of the Geico mailers I have jamming up my mail box.

Posted by: Sandra Fluke's solid gold diaphragm at January 27, 2013 08:05 AM (7xeJQ)

>>>let the SIL, blow through a Magazine of AR Ammo. I think she became aroused.

Funny how guns destroy a perfectly dry pair of panties like that.

Posted by: garrett at January 27, 2013 08:05 AM (pADYX)

93 I think Invictus and Vic need to wrote a book called 'Po Stories - Believe It or Not."

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 08:06 AM (shmgt)

94 Heh. I still remember wondering if the Bagwan water heater was going to electrocute me.

Posted by: Invictus at January 27, 2013 08:07 AM (OQpzc)

95 There was a nice hotel called White Rock when I was there outside of town.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 08:07 AM (53z96)

96 If Barry's son leaned more towards Michelle's side of the family, the kid could play without a helmet.

Yeah, but the refs frown on bringing a bat'leth onto the field.

Posted by: DEATH at January 27, 2013 08:07 AM (hpDVh)

97 It is possible (and should be with your ISP) to get a "static IP" account. This really isn't meant as a solution to your problem, but it is what it is.

Posted by: Gerry at January 27, 2013 08:07 AM (53cOD)

98 President Obama: " If I had a son he would look like
Rachel Maddow and talk like Liberace "

Posted by: American Dawg at January 27, 2013 08:07 AM (trA4n)

99 I think Invictus and Vic need to wrote a book called 'Po Stories - Believe It or Not." Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 12:06 PM (shmgt) Hey, I started pecking away at Sarahs first chapter.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 08:07 AM (l86i3)

100 OSP research for next book? Blasting poor innocent targets with the EBR?

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 08:07 AM (shmgt)

101 Scratch my 79

Posted by: RWC at January 27, 2013 08:07 AM (sqp6o)

102 I think Invictus and Vic need to wrote a book called 'Po Stories - Believe It or Not."

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 12:06 PM (shmgt)

LOL, it would have to be heavily censored.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 08:08 AM (53z96)

103 test

Posted by: LittleMs.Inopulent at January 27, 2013 08:08 AM (qH52N)

104 LOL, it would have to be heavily censored. Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 12:08 PM (53z96) Nah, change the names and let her fly.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 08:08 AM (l86i3)

105

If Barry's son leaned more towards Michelle's side of the family, the kid could play without a helmet.

Wrap him up, Alexander!!!

Posted by: Michele Obama at a Pop Warner Game at January 27, 2013 08:09 AM (pADYX)

106 Off, damn sock.

Still reading "The Road to Serfdom". Haven't had time to pick it up recently, but I'll try to get through a chapter tonight and another on Wednesday. My problem is that I come home and log onto AoSHQ, which I can't get at work, and the next thing I know it's time to turn in for the night!

Posted by: Colorado Alex at January 27, 2013 08:09 AM (hpDVh)

107 72 Oops, wrong link. Try this one. http://is.gd/bQU5df Posted by: HeatherRadishÂ™ needs a beer at January 27, 2013 11:59 AM (ZKzrr) Point of order: That link also lists Bob Dylan as an Obama endorser. That is not correct. He predicted that Obama would win, but he did not publicly endorse him. Read the quotes from the Rolling Stone interview: http://tinyurl.com/astuwjp

Posted by: rickl at January 27, 2013 08:10 AM (sdi6R)

108 OSP, first chapter. Uh dude. What have I put into motion?

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 08:10 AM (shmgt)

109 OSP, first chapter. Uh dude. What have I put into motion? Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 12:10 PM (shmgt) Just jotting down a few things when I get a thought.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ahc8poj at January 27, 2013 08:11 AM (l86i3)

110 Reading wise I read a John McEvoy "A Jack Doyle Mystery" --reads like the intro --called Blind Switch. 15 years ago I probably would have just read it and laughed but halfway through the book it becomes obvious that McEvoy is being ever so leftyist PC. Every goofball and bad guy is from one of the leftists "others" groups. It was a freebie and I still laughed but it was not entertaining enough to be worth reading any more from him.

Posted by: Palerider at January 27, 2013 08:11 AM (m+nIW)

111 Well Vic in the book 'On Yankee Station' they make mention of where the aviators would go to blow off steam on base. Very sanitized account though the simulator for catching the wire sounds like a blast to try though only when drunk.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 08:12 AM (shmgt)

112 14 Thanks OM-

Just a heads up to the Morons- I think I have one more promotional "free" day for the "Curious Disappearance" on Kindle- I'll pick a day upcoming and post here at the HQso that you all don't have to lay out any cash.

Posted by: Seamus Muldoon at January 27, 2013 11:17 AM (1OZSU)

Seamus, as an aspiring screenwriter and independent filmmaker, I'd love to read this with an eye towards adapting it, with your consent and/cooperation, of course, so be sure to let us know when you set that up over at Amazon. It seems like it would make an amazing film.

Posted by: My Sharia Moor at January 27, 2013 08:13 AM (liORJ)

113 President Obama: " If I had a son he would look like
Rachel Maddow and talk like Liberace "

Watch your tongue. Liberace was a capitalist and a conservative, IIRC.

Posted by: Colorado Alex at January 27, 2013 08:15 AM (hpDVh)

114 LOL, it would have to be heavily censored.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 12:08 PM (53z96)

No doubt. One time, me and some guys from the boat decided to do one short time at every bar in the barrio. We actually made it down one side of the street and a few bars on the way back before crashing. When daylight came there were sailors crashed on nearly every horizontal surface at the last bar.

Shouldn't have stopped to drink mojo in the tree with one bar's pet monkey I think that is what killed us. But it was hillarious. He'd drink a glass and thow it on the ground and mama san would scream, and we'd pay for the glass, and on we went.

Posted by: Invictus at January 27, 2013 08:15 AM (OQpzc)

115 Ah ha. It was DavY, Davy Crockett, King of the wild frontier. http://tinyurl.com/bf7j8tz "No, Colonel, Congress has no right to give charity. Individual members may give as much of their own money as they please, but they have no right to touch a dollar of the public money for that purpose."

Posted by: RWC at January 27, 2013 08:15 AM (sqp6o)

116 Fer De Lance by Rex Stout. A typical Nero Wolfe mystery. I'm still in my reading time warp, exclusively reading stuff set way back before the current shittiness was even on the horizon.

Posted by: Lincolntf at January 27, 2013 08:16 AM (ZshNr)

117 I hate fucking drunk monkeys.

Posted by: garrett at January 27, 2013 08:19 AM (pADYX)

118 New one up

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 08:19 AM (53z96)

119 I'm going to buy Paul's and Sheamus's books.

Posted by: Truman North, now at 25% battery life at January 27, 2013 08:20 AM (I2LwF)

120 More immigration? Bleh, I'll stay here.

I finished reading A Memory of Light a couple of weeks ago. It was ok, but felt very much like a rush to tie up all the remaining plotlines. Definitely a letdown when you consider how the series started.

Posted by: Colorado Alex at January 27, 2013 08:24 AM (hpDVh)

121 I've been rereading a bunch of David Drake books. Seem that Amazon has Starliner, Redliners, The Tank Lords and the Northworld Trilogy for free right now. I'm in some kind of heaven right now.

Posted by: joethefatman™ (@joethefatman1) at January 27, 2013 08:25 AM (MnSla)

122

Posted by: Colorado Alex at January 27, 2013 12:24 PM (hpDVh)

Sanderson's voice came through, awfully, in that book. He trashed the Matt thread. The humor was all wrong. Killed the (best, imo) character for me.

...though the Perrin thread was resurrected, I suspect this was mostly written by Jordan.

Posted by: garrett at January 27, 2013 08:28 AM (pADYX)

123 Just finished "The Aquariums of Pyonyang" by Chol-hwan Kang. Brutal, incredible book. Wouldn't you know it, when he finally escapes to South Korea and becomes a teacher, the leftist students insist he is lying and that "North Korea is lucky not to suffer from capitalism." I guess dumb-as-hell college students are the same no matter where you are.

Posted by: Codec717 at January 27, 2013 08:29 AM (5i/58)

124 Tess of the d'Ubervilles was required reading in my senior year of high school. I hated it so much I never read another thing by Thomas Hardy.

The heroine was a complete idiot. The hero was a jerk. I highly recommend NOT reading it.

Posted by: Miss Marple at January 27, 2013 08:30 AM (GoIUi)

125 Posted by: Invictus at January 27, 2013 12:15 PM (OQpzc)

This sounds like Subic stories! I was there for the last battlegroup hurrah - the girls were getting desperate.

My favorite place was the Devil's Den in the Barrio, right across the street from Heaven.

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at January 27, 2013 08:31 AM (rqlRk)

126 107 I hate fucking drunk monkeys. Posted by: garrett at January 27, 2013 12:19 PM (pADYX) Go solo or find a hooker then.

Posted by: RWC at January 27, 2013 08:33 AM (sqp6o)

127 Is there some sort of product placement scam going on in modern books? I got a couple of junk mysteries on Kindle and every other page has phrases like "I pulled on my old Donna Karan top" and grabbed by Marc Jacobs bag."

And it's not just clothing. Food choices, cars, even appliances. Is there some sort of penny per mention per reader thing going on?

Posted by: Miss Marple at January 27, 2013 08:34 AM (GoIUi)

128 111 I've been rereading a bunch of David Drake books. Seem that Amazon has Starliner, Redliners, The Tank Lords and the Northworld Trilogy for free right now. I'm in some kind of heaven right now.

Posted by: joethefatmanÂ™ (@joethefatman1) at January 27, 2013 12:25 PM (MnSla)

If you sign up for Planet Baen, you can also earn ebook vouchers playing the game - I've been "buying" Drake's Leary series that isn't already free (Baen Free Library) there with them.

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at January 27, 2013 08:35 AM (rqlRk)

129 RWC is talking about drunk Subic Bay monkeys but is boggled by Japan and neko-girls. Huh.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 08:36 AM (shmgt)

130 Posted by: Palerider at January 27, 2013 11:43 AM (m+nIW)

Left click on the Kindle gives a straight delete option. Right click gives a variety of options.

Posted by: joethefatman™ (@joethefatman1) at January 27, 2013 08:36 AM (MnSla)

131
Sanderson's voice came through, awfully, in that book. He trashed the Matt thread. The humor was all wrong. Killed the (best, imo) character for me.
...though the Perrin thread was resurrected, I suspect this was mostly written by Jordan.

Yup. Mat was completely neutered. The whole Last Battle was contrived and didn't feel like it fit the way Jordan had been setting up the story. Bringing Demandred in like that fell flat. This is a guy who is supposed to be obsessed with facing off against Lews Therin, and we see nothing of him for most of the series until he suddenly appears at the end with a Sharan army? Bleh.

Posted by: Colorado Alex at January 27, 2013 08:36 AM (hpDVh)

132 If you didn't catch it from Insty this week, the Complete Sherlock Holmes is free for Kindle at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHE20W0?ie=UTF8&ref=oce_digital

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at January 27, 2013 08:37 AM (rqlRk)

133

Posted by: My Sharia Moor at January 27, 2013 12:13 PM (liORJ)

********

You can e-mail me at seamus_muldoon at yahoo dot com.

Posted by: Seamus Muldoon at January 27, 2013 08:38 AM (1OZSU)

134 Is there some sort of product placement scam going on in modern books? I got a couple of junk mysteries on Kindle and every other page has phrases like "I pulled on my old Donna Karan top" and grabbed by Marc Jacobs bag."

And it's not just clothing. Food choices, cars, even appliances. Is there some sort of penny per mention per reader thing going on?

A lot of that is simply bad writing. The author doesn't want the reader's imagination to get in the way, usually because the author is writing a Mary Sue character.

Posted by: Colorado Alex at January 27, 2013 08:38 AM (hpDVh)

135 Jeff Weimer at January 27, 2013 12:35 PM (rqlRk)

I tried that game and it bored me to tears. As for the Baen free library, About half the books I got from there led to my Kindle Kindle app, and Kindle for PC, crashing. So I tend to stay away from them now.

Posted by: joethefatman™ (@joethefatman1) at January 27, 2013 08:40 AM (MnSla)

136 114 Hardy is a real downer. Do not under any circumstances read " Jude the Obscure". You'll be in a blue funk for a month.

Posted by: Tuna at January 27, 2013 08:42 AM (M/TDA)

137 By quoting such things as a Donna Karan top or a gown designed by Vera Wang all the time, the author is trying to do one of a few things. As Alex says no imagination and really don't want to describe what their character is wearing. Show their character has more money than brains. Or trying to prove they are a hip writer down with all the current fads. Or a mix.

If they can't describe in decent detail things like oh 'she wore an ivory colored blouse that was unbuttoned enough to tease but not get arrested' then they really are just doing a wank off to say they wrote something.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 08:46 AM (shmgt)

138 oldsailor i wouldn't waste ammo right now......

Posted by: phoenixgirl waiting for spring training at January 27, 2013 08:46 AM (GVxQo)

139 i wouldn't waste ammo right now......

If it gets her panties wet it's never a waste of ammo.

Posted by: Colorado Alex at January 27, 2013 08:51 AM (hpDVh)

140 Posted by: joethefatmanÂ™ (@joethefatman1) at January 27, 2013 12:40 PM (MnSla)

I haven't had any problems, but then again I'm using .epub and the Nook app primarily.

And the game is boring - but FREE BOOKS. I have 10 right now and an 11th coming in the next day or so.

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at January 27, 2013 08:52 AM (rqlRk)

141 Even tho this blog's UI and apparently management features are archaic, your logic about a changing IP address is flawed. A frequently-changing IP should actually *help* users previously-blocked to gain access. Unless Ace really maintains a whitelist of millions of IP addresses, how would a new user ever gain access?

I think it's a blacklist, not a whitelist.

Posted by: hannitys_hybrid at January 27, 2013 08:52 AM (MmH0Z)

142

The weekend edition of the WSJ has a good selection of guerrilla warfare books in the Off Duty section. I'm going to pick up Frank Holt's Into the Land of Bones.

This is a historical fiction book about Alexander the Great's campaign into Afghanistan (Bactria). Should be a good read.

Just finished up Ken Follets "The Pillars of the Earth." It was a decent story and entertaining. It ends well. I believe there was a television series made; I may have to check it out.

Will push to publish my next edition of Sir Robert of Cheshire "Trouble in the Bayou" for your young moron kids to peruse. If anyone has been kind enough to buy my first e-book, I'd really appreciate a review on Amazon.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel at January 27, 2013 08:52 AM (0SmH0)

143 119 RWC is talking about drunk Subic Bay monkeys but is boggled by Japan and neko-girls. Huh. Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 12:36 PM (shmgt) You're really going to make me read upthread aren't you. Subic bay drunk monkeys???

Posted by: RWC at January 27, 2013 08:52 AM (sqp6o)

144 If you sign up for Planet Baen, you can also earn ebook vouchers playing the game - I've been "buying" Drake's Leary series that isn't already free (Baen Free Library) there with them.

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at January 27, 2013 12:35 PM (rqlRk)

The last time I checked it the Baen free library had pretty much been emptied.

And I have got quite a few books from them and never had a problem with my Kindle. I like Baen books because they are all DRM free so I can copy them back and forth to wife's kindle.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 08:53 AM (53z96)

145 I read Eric Pettis "Just a Minor Perspective: Through The Eyes Of A Minor League Rookie". It's not literature, but an interesting autobiography of a good pitcher as he finds some success on his college team, joins a Phillies farm club and takes us through his first year there. A lot of their meals are PB&J sandwiches, they live in spare rooms of team boosters, and (surprise) the players aren't real happy being there. I enjoyed it, may read another baseball book while waiting for Spring Training.

Posted by: waelse1 at January 27, 2013 08:55 AM (BLnjo)

146 Any Michael Hicks fans here? I read his "in her name, empress" I liked the main character but by the end of the book I was beyond tired of reading "the way" and decided I'd forego anymore of that dime-store version of eastern or zen or whatever philosophy. Does he have similar crap in his other story arcs? or is it confined to his empress series, which seems to be popular --thousands of fanboys or fangirls giving 5 star ratings on Amazon but I'll pass.

Posted by: Palerider at January 27, 2013 08:55 AM (m+nIW)

147 Slow thread today. I'm sicker than a dog and was looking forward to scads of book suggestions to research. I needs me some entertainment. Right now I'm reading "Thomas Becket" by John Guy. Decent enough biography.

Posted by: Tuna at January 27, 2013 08:56 AM (M/TDA)

148 Thanks for the link to xbradtc's Falklands book - he mentioned it semi-recently in a comment in the FB group and I got distracted by something shiny before I clicked over to Amazon and then the post got buried. I wanted to check it out because I vaguely remember that war and of course Obungler got on the wrong side of it and pissed off the British, again, a couple years ago. Re: spam issues--I would actually pay for a subscription to the AOSHQ if it meant he would have a normal website without all the bullshit spam/"new comments thingy"/IP issues. I pay for Ricochet.com and I don't read it half as much as I do here (and comment even less than here). I've been crying about this for years and yes I know it's become part of the blog's lore or charm or whatever but it's really really annoying at the same time. I know nobody wants to pay but that's just how much I'd love to see this fixed. Ace would probably have double the good Moron traffic if it weren't such a PITA. (

Posted by: Beth at January 27, 2013 08:57 AM (vl/3T)

149 Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 12:53 PM (53z96)

They still have quite a few of Drake's stuff - the first three LT Leary books, Starliner, The Tank Lords, and a few more I don't remember.

But hey, free books, let's me try someone out without shelling out first.

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at January 27, 2013 08:58 AM (rqlRk)

150 Vic at January 27, 2013 12:53 PM (53z96)

I haven't been back to them in probably 2 years. But that was always an issue for me.

Posted by: joethefatman™ (@joethefatman1) at January 27, 2013 08:59 AM (MnSla)

151 Want an entertaining book that reads like an oracle into today's headline events? Shibumi by Trevanian. It was written in the 70s; the main character is a professional assasin that has become a target of the CIA and an Arab oil consortium.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel at January 27, 2013 08:59 AM (0SmH0)

152 All Over But The Shoutin'. Rick Bragg It stays forever.

Posted by: FURPC at January 27, 2013 08:59 AM (0ImZM)

153 134 I've downloaded from Baen to my Nook. Never had a problem.

Posted by: Tuna at January 27, 2013 08:59 AM (M/TDA)

154 You need to junk this entire separate comments/shortened URL piece of crap you've been using and move into the 21st century. Ace of Spades HQ has the worst comments system of any major (and most minor) VRWC blog in the world.

Posted by: Lawrence Person at January 27, 2013 08:59 AM (qa6RP)

155 Posted by: RWC at January 27, 2013 12:52 PM (sqp6o)

That's pretty tame, too. You may have heard about Peso shows and "Smiles". We can't really go into details even on a Smart Military Blog such as this.

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at January 27, 2013 09:01 AM (rqlRk)

156 141 Gosh, I read that when it was first published.

Posted by: Tuna at January 27, 2013 09:02 AM (M/TDA)

157 OSP, Crumpton who went on to be State's liason with the CIA, is a little too full of himself, the Mountains of ToraBora, are an almost impregnable site, that 10,000 troops would have had trouble looking for Bin Laden, Jose Rodriguez's 'Hard Measures' is a better perspective on the subject, if you're going to focus on Counter terror policy, you can read Glen Carle's the Interrogation' if you want the truly clueless view of AQ, sort of a real life version of Acroyd's character in 'Spies like Us' John Weisman's roman a clefs like 'Direct Action' give you more details then the media will allow.

Posted by: cardinal fang at January 27, 2013 09:03 AM (Jsiw/)

158 You need to junk this entire separate comments/shortened URL piece of crap you've been using and move into the 21st century. Ace of Spades HQ has the worst comments system of any major (and most minor) VRWC blog in the world.

Posted by: Lawrence Person at January 27, 2013 12:59 PM (qa6RP)

THIS. ^^^^^^

1. Fix AoS

2. Destroy media

3. Comeback city

Posted by: hannitys_hybrid at January 27, 2013 09:04 AM (MmH0Z)

159 Did someone mention crossdressing themes?

Posted by: whorehouse harry at January 27, 2013 09:04 AM (VJeJd)

160 I love the AOSHQ comment system. Do not care for typical "modern" blog comments with nested replies and having to click through to a new page after only 20-50 comments. Even with the quirks with URLs, linking and html tags I still prefer it but it would be lovely to get rid of the quirks but keep the minx comment flow setup.

Posted by: Palerider at January 27, 2013 09:04 AM (m+nIW)

161 141) Don Winslow wrote an interesting prequel to Shibumi, Satori, which goes into how Nicholas Lel, became who he was, it's interesting they never adapted Shibumi, like they did the Eiger Sanction,

Posted by: cardinal fang at January 27, 2013 09:09 AM (Jsiw/)

162 What comment flow?

The only 'flow' is relative to time. Users want to be able to keep commenting on a topic after a new thread is posted, and to be able to quote and respond to others (without cutting and pasting). You know, like they do in the 21st century.

Posted by: hannitys_hybrid at January 27, 2013 09:10 AM (MmH0Z)

163

151- Cardinal-

I'll have to check it out Satori now. Thanks for the info.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel at January 27, 2013 09:11 AM (0SmH0)

164 The whole website is built around nothing but chronological submissions. In other words, unless you're here in real time, you miss out. That unnecessarily excludes many people and much potentially serious discussion. It's wasteful at a time we need to be consolidating and focusing efforts.

Posted by: hannitys_hybrid at January 27, 2013 09:13 AM (MmH0Z)

165 I just finished "John Dies at the End" by David Wong. That was one hell of a book. To get a flavor check out the trailer for the movie they made of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ot7kFjUcrs

Posted by: Mitchell at January 27, 2013 09:19 AM (JP0dG)

166 I fucking HATE nested comments/replies. I like the straight progression of comments here.

Disqus can suck my dick.

Also, slightly less butthurt, thanks to you fine folks (all 6 of you!) that bought my ~~book~~ monograph.

Posted by: xbradtc at January 27, 2013 09:36 AM (+FFD7)

167 Just started reading Karen Armstrong's "Islam: a short history." I've already learned some interesting bits in the first chapter, such as the Kabala- the black stone in Mecca that is circled by crowds during the Hajj was a leftover relic of the pre-Islam pagan religions. Didn't know that. Also didn't know that orignally, Al-Ala (Allah) was the chief pagan god in a pantheon, sort of a Zeus, but was later clarified by Mohammed to be the same God as Christianity and Judaism.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel at January 27, 2013 09:37 AM (0SmH0)

168 Fatwah for Karen Armstrong in 4...3....2...

Posted by: torabora at January 27, 2013 09:41 AM (VJeJd)

169

156- Xbradtc- I'll check out your monograph as well. We struggling writers need to band together! I just briefly perused your blog. I like the CIB.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel at January 27, 2013 09:42 AM (0SmH0)

170

Been reading the Rogue Warrior series (after a break for Byzintine History). Toned down tomb raider / acrheologist heroine. She carries Joan of Arc's mystic sword.

Posted by: meleager at January 27, 2013 09:42 AM (pxvxr)

171 Re: Satori/Shibumi: IIIRC, Trevanian said in the preface to Shibumi that he was upset that someone was killed filming The Eiger Sanction and that he would never again sell mobile rights to his books.

Posted by: speedster1 at January 27, 2013 09:43 AM (yeM7r)

172 Reading on the desktop. Then... turn off WiFi on cell. Reload page via phone account. Write & post reply on cell. Turn WiFi back on. Reload desktop page. Nope, nothing wrong with this charming, quaint system. Yes, I (finally) wrote Ace. Forgot to include bribe, though. Hey, I just remembered, I wrote-drew a thing, which I'll mention since apparently any old whiner can brag about alleged authorship here.

. This is not a book, I suppose, or even maybe a monograph. More like a draft? Anyway, be warned it starts off with real sketchy comic book format, then turns into text, sure to disgrunt fans of either genre. Might work on it more some day but meanwhile, tis what tis. Science Fiction. Free and worth it, but there are donate buttons.

Invulnerable - link in nic if I get it right.

Posted by: Mindfulguy at January 27, 2013 09:44 AM (tAqzd)

173 mobile = movie

Posted by: speedster1 at January 27, 2013 09:44 AM (yeM7r)

174 161- Well now that Trevanian is prancing around in green fields with the sun on his face, perhaps whoever owns the rights now will recognize that it would make a great flick! I love the part where Nicolai is working in Japan for the Occupation Forces and befriends a GS 5 secretary and bones her throughout his time there. He then leaves her. She goes on to despise men and become an ardent feminist because she could never be pleasured in the same way again!

Posted by: Secret Squirrel at January 27, 2013 09:45 AM (0SmH0)

175 Did not know that, OTOH, it's climbing the Eiger what did he think would happen, it would have made for an interesting film, then again they did a horrible adaptation of McCarry's 'the Better Angels' also a very prescient film,
so maybe it was for the best.

Posted by: cardinal fang at January 27, 2013 09:48 AM (Jsiw/)

176 OregonMuse:
One other thing: do you turn your dsl router on and off with your computer?

I leave mine on and this retains the ip address.

Maybe that will work for you also. I think somehow your address(es) are falling into a range that pixy has found suspect in the past so maybe you can't do much about it. ???

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka 3 tooth) at January 27, 2013 09:54 AM (3E2th)

177 Secret Squirrel. That book is not the first. Joseph Campbell in 'The Masks of God : Occidental Mythology' 1st edition 1964. The Kabaa is a black stone of meteoric origin dedicated to the god Hubal before the coming of the Prophet.

Pg 425 "One of the literary problems of the Koran is the source of biblical lore that abounds in it, derived largely from the Christian side, and of a distinctly Nestorian cast; for tradition holds that the Prophet was unable to read."

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 09:59 AM (shmgt)

178

Anna-

thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel at January 27, 2013 10:03 AM (0SmH0)

179 The Kabaa is a black stone of meteoric origin dedicated to the god Hubal before the coming of the Prophet.

That's the first I have heard of that. They truly do steal everything.

Posted by: Vic at January 27, 2013 10:21 AM (53z96)

180

@ 45 Purchased "Cold Days", the newest in the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher. Once again, Mr. Butcher is a magnificent bastard. Good reading for my business trip.

If you like Dresden Files, check out the Iron Druid series, and if you want to see what the Dresden Files would look like if Butcher was a Brit on crack, read Simon Green's Nightside series.

Posted by: RightWingProf at January 27, 2013 10:23 AM (IC6Er)

181 " Also didn't know that orignally, Al-Ala (Allah) was the chief pagan god in a pantheon, sort of a Zeus, but was later clarified by Mohammed to be the same God as Christianity and Judaism."

Posted by: Secret Squirrel at January 27, 2013 01:37 PM (0SmH0)

Well, that's what the muzzies claim, anyway. Put away all your religious preconceptions, and read both the Bible and the koran as literature. It becomes pretty clear that the character named "allah" in the latter is the same guy that's named "satan" in the former.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 27, 2013 10:25 AM (29+x5)

182 Rogue Angel (not Warrior). Moron slip.

Posted by: meleager at January 27, 2013 10:32 AM (s37gX)

183 quia vita est nimis curta legere pessima librorum

Posted by: Thorvald at January 27, 2013 10:42 AM (Puqom)

184 Secret Squirrel. pg 433 same book
"And yet, a certain difficulty followed. For the laws of God, as conceived under the earlier desert revelation of Yahweh, had been the mores of an actual society in being, whereas the laws of God as conceived in Islam were to be derived from a series of utterances emitted in a state of trance by a single individual in the course of but twenty-three years; and to enlarge these to a viable system for a living world community was to be a feat of unmatched temerity - which, mirabile dictu, was achieved."

Campbell is a formidable intellect. And sometimes its hard to digest what he writes unless you allow it to ferment. His PBS series on mythology is pretty mesmerizing and informative. There is an interview series he did with Bill Moyers that is pretty good. Campbell's book 'Hero of a Thousand Faces' is one of the inspirations for Star Wars because Lucas was sidelined in the hospital after a hot-rod race and read it - according to Lucas.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 10:54 AM (shmgt)

185

174-

Anna

Okay I am now officially intrigued by this book. Now I'll add it to the reading list. Is Campbell's book and series written in the vein that religion is simply myth or is he a believer?

Posted by: Secret Squirrel at January 27, 2013 11:08 AM (0SmH0)

186

Seamus Muldoon-

I am going to buy your book. It sounds great and I like that there is a true story behind it. I am not in Colo. but I understand your wanting to keep it alive.

Posted by: megthered at January 27, 2013 11:12 AM (iR4Dg)

187 All four volumes of 'The Masks of God' treat religion as something to be researched. Very scholarly with footnotes. Campbell seems to think there are underlying core items that link multiple faiths. It is more condensed in 'Heroes of a Thousand Faces' in the way he explains the Hero's Journey.

1. Primitive Mythology
2. Oriental Mythology
3. Occidental Mythology
4. Creative Mythology

Vol 1. even though revised in 1969, should be taken with certain grains of salt due to later developments. The same can be said for Vol 4 because of the ways alternative or creative mythology has also morphed.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at January 27, 2013 11:21 AM (shmgt)

188 Well, that's what the muzzies claim, anyway. Put away all your religious preconceptions, and read both the Bible and the koran as literature. It becomes pretty clear that the character named "allah" in the latter is the same guy that's named "satan" in the former. AMEN!! And the actions of his supporters support this conclusion. "The enemy came to kill, steal, and destroy." Sums up the muzzies pretty thoroughly.

Posted by: Prof. Plum at January 27, 2013 01:15 PM (Tagqc)

189 Reading "An Encyclopedia of World History," ed. William Langer. Wonderfully fact-laced, granular and pre-PC.

Posted by: norrin radd at January 27, 2013 02:29 PM (mmQKK)

190 Reading Clarke's "Childhood's End" because Bill Whittle said I should and because it was "featured" in a second season episode of Fringe that I watched the other day. A couple of pages in and I gather it's about an alternative universe. Also I think I'm going to start on my own novel.

Posted by: sinalco at January 27, 2013 03:03 PM (zDJDu)

191 Bill Whittle did recommend that. I read it on that basis (love that guy!) but...well, I'll let you finish it. I did not enjoy it at all.

Posted by: .87c at January 27, 2013 04:38 PM (auKlG)

192 I can post in some threads but not others. Very strange.

Posted by: Tester at January 27, 2013 09:03 PM (bS6uW)

193 OregonMuse - message received. Working on it today.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at January 28, 2013 07:49 AM (2yngH)

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