$200+ !?! I love your work, Yusuf, but for that I'll stay home and play your old stuff.
Still, if anyone else is interested, here's the link.
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
Rudyard Kipling Interviews Mark Twain | ||
This article originally appeared as a Library of America Story of the Week feature. An Interview with Mark Twain Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) From "The Mark... |
From Metro.co.uk:
Evil Clown Dominic Deville hired for stalking, threats and a pie in the face
Dominic Deville stalks young victims for a week, sending chilling texts, making prank phone calls and setting traps in letterboxes.
He posts notes warning children they are being watched, telling them they will be attacked.
But Deville is not an escaped lunatic or some demonic monster.
He is a birthday treat, hired by mum and dad, and the ‘attack’ involves being splatted in the face with a cake.
‘The child feels more and more that it is being pursued,’ said Deville.
‘The clown’s one and only aim is to smash a cake into the face of his victim, when they least expect it, during the course of seven days.’
If the boy or girl manages to avoid the ‘hit’, they are given the cake as a birthday present. Well, that’s alright then.
The frightening fun can be stopped at any time, which is handy for parents who have second thoughts and don’t fancy the cost of child therapy.
Deville said: ‘The clown will never break into a residence or show up at work. ‘It’s all in fun and if, at any point, the kids get scared or their parents are concerned, we stop right there.
‘But most kids absolutely love being scared senseless.’
Deville set up his Evil Clown service in Lucerne, Switzerland, after being inspired by some of his favourite horror films – possibly including Stephen King’s It and Killer Klowns From Outer Space.
The idea is unlikely to be popular with sufferers of coulrophobia – the irrational (irrational?) fear of clowns.
But Stephen Vaughan of Clowns International, said scary clowns could be as funny as their red-nosed counterparts. ‘I think what Dominic is doing is a great idea,’ he added.
‘Bringing a little bit of life and laughter into kids’ lives is what we are all about.’
[Beck] described the novel as "a story of America in a time much like today where the people are confused", where the government is in crisis and a citizens' group called Founders Keepers is on the ascendant, leading to "a battle and a civil war, and life is upside-down planetwide".
Glenn Beck seeks public's advice on cover of new novel
Fox News's right-wing pundit asks fans to vote on cover for apocalyptic political thriller, The Overton Window.
Fox News host Glenn Beck is asking for reader input on the cover of his forthcoming Ayn Rand-esque novel about an embattled America.
The apocalyptic political thriller, The Overton Window, is out in June from Simon & Schuster's conservative US imprint Threshold, which also publishes Karl Rove and Lynne Cheney. Threshold is home to a range of Beck's previous writing, including Arguing with Idiots ("It happens to all of us: You're minding your own business, when some idiot informs you that guns are evil, the Prius will save the planet, or the rich have to finally start paying their fair share of taxes") and his previous novel The Christmas Sweater, about a boy who learns a tough lesson when he's given a handmade jumper for Christmas.
Beck revealed details about his new book late last month to an Orlando rally of 8,000 followers, reported the Philadelphia Daily News. He described the novel as "a story of America in a time much like today where the people are confused", where the government is in crisis and a citizens' group called Founders Keepers is on the ascendant, leading to "a battle and a civil war, and life is upside-down planetwide".
The right wing presenter, whose influence over America's book charts is huge, today asked readers to vote on which cover the novel should be given, ranging from the Statue of Liberty with what appears to be a gun in her hand, to a Colossus of Rhodes-esque statue towering over the New York skyline.
Beck has taken the title of his book from a political concept of how extreme ideas can become mainstream. Gawker was unimpressed. "Glenn Beck naming his Ayn Rand (another radical fringe lunatic who's been successfully made mainstream over the last 40 years) rip-off novel after the political science theory that made his success possible is just a lovely thought, isn't it?" said the website.
Questionable Judgments
* A recent epiphany caused millionaire Austrian businessman Karl Rabeder, 47, to be depressed about his wealth, and by February, he was in the process of giving it away--an estate worth the equivalent of about $5 million. Two luxury properties are for sale, with proceeds going to charities he established in Central and South America, and he plans to move into a small hut in Innsbruck.
"Money is counterproductive," he told a reporter. "I had the feeling I was working as a slave for things that I did not wish or need."
(According to London's Daily Telegraph, Rabeder's wife was with him at the time of the epiphany, but the story curiously is silent about her view of his decision.) [Daily Telegraph (London), 2-8-10]
* * * * *
Are you ready for News of the Weird / Pro Edition? Every Monday at http://NewsoftheWeird.blogspot.com and
http://www.WeirdUniverse.net. Other handy addresses:
* WeirdNews at earthlink dot net,
* http://www.NewsoftheWeird.com,
* P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679
so you're totally covered, whether it's a passing truck that's flicked up a rock, hail damage, or a little black kid with a hammer.