Flies Outwit Fly Swatters--and Us

How often have you chased a fly around your house with a fly swatter or folded newspaper? There it is, I’ll get it! You swat at it and it is long gone. You are determined to get the fly so you hunt down again...and again...and again. You hear it buzzing in the kitchen window so you plan your approach and your attack. But your attack fails again–and again. About the time you decide to give up for awhile and flop into a soft chair, swatter or newspaper still in hand, here it comes, buzzing around your head–BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ–like an Air Force jet doing dive bombings and maneuvers around a target, or assaulting a UFO. I think flies do that on purpose to show they can outsmart us. How can some little fly have such smarts, we wonder? Well, we don’t have to wonder anymore. Scientists have the answer.

According to new research by scientists at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) published in the journal Current Biology, they have concluded flies have a quick-fire intelligence and are good at planning ahead. The scientists filmed experiments with fruit flies and a fly swatter. They discovered that flies quickly calculated the location of the threat and apparently had an escape plan. Incredible, within 100 milliseconds of spotting the swatter they could move their bodies into a position that allowed an extension of the legs to save them.

Caltech Professor Michael Dickinson, who lead the study said their experiments showed how rapidly a fly's brain processed sensory information. "They're actually jumping away from our swatter because they take the time to plan their escape," Dickinson said. "This illustrates how rapidly the fly's brain can process sensory information into an appropriate motor response."

Dickinson stated, "We also found that when the fly makes planning movements prior to take-off, it takes into account its body position at the time it first sees the threat. When it first notices an approaching threat, a fly's body might be in any sort of posture depending on what it was doing at the time, like grooming, feeding, walking, or courting. Our experiments showed that the fly somehow 'knows' whether it needs to make large or small postural changes to reach the correct preflight posture."

"This is a rather sophisticated sensory-to-motor transformation and the search is on to find the place in the brain where this happens," Dickinson said. "There's actually many labs around the world trying to figure out how their little brains work so we can use that knowledge to figure out how our own brains work."

Dickinson told KNBC TV that he's been in science almost 20 years and he's never published anything that has received so much public attention. The Research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The paper, "Visually Mediated Motor Planning in the Escape Response of Drosophila," was published Aug. 28 in the journal Current Biology.

Dickinson’s advice on how to successfully swat the illusive insect: "It is best not to swat at the fly's starting position, but rather to aim a bit forward of that to anticipate where the fly is going to jump when it first sees your swatter."

I’ve already been trying that with little luck. How about you? I believe the best fly catcher and swatter is my cat, Snickers. He’s pretty good at outwitting a fly. And beside, Snickers sometimes has more patience than I do.

~ Linda

"Where'd that dang fly go?"

The Bridge to Nowhere, McCain, Palin

I’ve been saying for some time now that John McCain was losing it and getting senile or something similar with his blunders and misjudgements. Now, I am convinced of that with this pick of a woman with little experience. Two years of leading a state like Alaska with a mere population of not even 700,000, and former mayor of a small town! Think about it, Los Angeles has a population of 3.8 million! Many cities have that much population or more, cities such as Austin, Boston, Milwaukee, Memphis. So how does a short term governor or mayor of a town of 6,000 or so, give her qualifications to head our national government, and international standing in the world? But oh, according to Russ Limbaugh (who had just come on my radio before my snooze alarm went off) he thinks the pick of her is fantastic because she "hunts moose." OH come on. But also her son is going to Iraq, and she has a Downs baby–mother of five. Russ, come on, your comments were as bad as what I then heard on the cable channels this morning–"This is very interesting;" "This race is getting interesting." They didn’t know what to say, either....she hunts, she belongs to the NRA. And she fished. So?

Although I am no longer a Republican, (thank goodness) I just don’t get it. Why did McCain pick her while having some good qualified people to pick from? This is so transparent, and so political–or crazy. If this was done to humiliate Hillary, or pick up Hillary votes, I don’t think it will do much. Most Hillary backers were for Hillary for other reasons than her sexual identity although her being a woman was frosting on the cake.

McCain was once my Senator and I liked him. But in these recent years that has changed when he made his move to kiss Bush’s butt and hang on his coattails. McCain just does not get it. He is so far away, so removed, from what this country needs to turn it around. I see an old man when I look at him, and a man that appears to be not in very good physical condition, and a man stuck in a military mindset. And he may be losing his mind, losing good judgement. We had a President not too many years ago who was having mental problems, do we now want to take a chance on that happening again? He’s 72 today. I do not believe he is clear headed as he once was. And that is scary.

And now, a heart-beat away from the Presidency stands a woman who we know little about, with little experience, and not at all qualified to become Vice President, let alone President. And this woman is under investigation over an incident involving her sister’s child custody. If this woman satisfies the Religious Right’s needs and desires to keep their "issues" protected, than they belong to the "stupid Bush mentality." People need to keep the religious attitudes (and racial bias) out of our pick for the best people to head our country at a time when leadership is of vital importance after our country and world standing has been seriously eroded in the last eight (almost eight) years. Do we want more of that downfall? If so, what will we have left of what our country used to be and what it should be again? Will it be able to come back?

This McCain ticket seems to be the "bridge to nowhere." Of course that is fine with me, as I want Obama to be our president and Biden to be our Vice President. And I can only hope that the majority of this country will agree. It would be a shame to have this McCain/Palin taking us further backward into deeper conflict and chaos.

No, as Obama said last night, "We cannot turn back." And I sure as hell don’t want to. And I hope enough others don’t.

~ Linda

Bill Clinton Speech to Convention

Here is an excerpt of the speech given Wednesday evening by my favorite President, Bill Clinton, to the Democratic Convention.

"Our nation is in trouble on two fronts: The American Dream is under siege at home, and America's leadership in the world has been weakened.

Middle class and low-income Americans are hurting, with incomes declining; job losses, poverty and inequality rising; mortgage foreclosures and credit card debt increasing; health care coverage disappearing; and a big spike in the cost of food, utilities, and gasoline.

Our position in the world has been weakened by too much unilateralism and too little cooperation; a perilous dependence on imported oil; a refusal to lead on global warming; a growing indebtedness and a dependence on foreign lenders; a severely burdened military; a backsliding on global nonproliferation and arms control agreements; and a failure to consistently use the power of diplomacy, from the Middle East to Africa to Latin America to Central and Eastern Europe.

Clearly, the job of the next president is to rebuild the American dream and restore America's standing in the world.

Everything I learned in my eight years as president and in the work I've done since, in America
and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job."

~ Linda

Hillary at Democratic Convention Was Great

Hillary Clinton's speech tonight at the Democratic Convention was excellent. It was also a reminder of how close she may have come to leading this country. Her speech brought up some of the issues I have with what could happen with the outcome of this important election. And some of that has to do with women's rights and how there is a possibility if McCain was to be elected that we would continue to have the Religious Right with their noses right in the middle of our politics and decisions in areas such as the abortion issues and gay rights issues. I do not want to see this country take a giant step backward regarding those issues. When I hear women, maybe younger than myself, not wanting to vote for a Democrat I shudder and wonder what they are thinking with the huge possibility of losing their right to make decisions for themselves in regards to their bodies, or to allow the government to rule over sexuality and choice of marriage partner. Blacks got the right to vote long before women did. Divorce, which is common today, was very difficult to obtain just a very few years ago. Women have been discriminated against since the beginning of time on this planet--culturally, religiously, socially and economically. Our grandmothers and great grandmothers had no rights to even own property. If their husband's died they had to auction everything and buy back their own cows. (Do some genealogy and see how common that was). I clearly recall the alleyway abortions, the trips to Mexico, the clothes hanger abortions, that women in my generation were undergoing at risk of life. And many died from hemorrhage or infections. Whether a woman chooses to have an abortion is between her and her God and not to be judged and interfered with by government, or somebody pounding a pulpit. In those days there were a bunch of men, some very old, that held in their hands legislations controlling those issues, and some of those 'good old boys' wanted the women "barefoot and pregnant." I sometimes wonder if we've gotten very far beyond that attitude.

And then there is the war. Women....come on, how can you stand still while young men and women are giving up their lives for OIL and POWER and GREED, at the whim of our present administration....and strategies and military "strength" that McCain apparently wants to continue with his "heroic" military thinking. Many of us are asking what will happen if we need military here on our own soil? ....we are stretched too thin....bring them home.

And corruption....there has been so much corruption and often it is swept under the carpet--and Congress is to blame for that also.

What does it matter that our gay neighbors decide to marry? I believe the Republicans RR use this issue often as nothing more than diversion from important issues facing this country.

This week is also the anniversary of Katrina. Has that been fixed? No. If it wasn't for CNN and someone reporting like Anderson Cooper (who was there in the middle of it), we'd probably not hear anything about the problems that still exist there in New Orleans and elsewhere.

Our rights have been eroded, and at times almost behind our backs. Those executive orders, the Patriot Act. Why have we put up with it? And our standing in the world. We're hated, and our administration is laughed at. How many years will it take to regain our world position?

Can Obama and Biden change that? All of it? I hope so. At least it can be a start. The pendulum needs to swing and the only way it will swing is a vote for Obama and Biden. McCain, not the man he used to be, especially when he was my Senator a few years back, will keep the pendulum stuck and not moving, or it will continue to be swinging BACKWORD. We can't have that for this great country. We have to get our country back and make things good again. And we have to do it NOW before it is too late.

~ Linda

Excerpt from Hillary Clinton’s Democratic Convention Speech, August 26, 2008.

You know, America is still around after 232 years because we have risen to every challenge in every new time, changing to be faithful to our values of equal opportunity for all and the common good.

And I know what that can mean for every man, woman and child in America. I'm a United States senator because in 1848 a group of courageous women and a few brave men gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, many traveling for days and nights -- (Cheers, applause) -- to participate in the first convention on women's rights in our history.

And so dawned a struggle for the right to vote that would last 72 years, handed down by mother to daughter to granddaughter -- and a few sons and grandsons along the way.

These women and men looked into their daughters' eyes and imagined a fairer and freer world, and found the strength to fight. To rally. To picket. To endure ridicule and harassment, and brave violence and jail.

And after so many decades, 88 years ago on this very day, the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote became enshrined in our Constitution. (Cheers, applause.)

My mother was born before women could vote. My daughter got to vote for her mother for president. This is the story of America, of women and men who defy the odds and never give up.

So how do we give this country back to them? By following the example of a brave New Yorker, a woman who risked her lives to bring slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

On that path to freedom, Harriet Tubman had one piece of advice. If you hear the dogs, keep going; if you see the torches in the woods, keep going; if they're shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop; keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going. (Cheers, applause.)

And even in the darkest moments, that is what Americans have done. We have found the faith to keep going. (Cheers, applause.) I have seen it. I have seen it in our teachers and our firefighters, our police officers, our nurses, our small-business owners and our union workers. I've seen it in the men and women of our military.

In America, you always keep going. We're Americans. We're not big on quitting. (Laughter.) And remember, before we can keep going, we've got to get going by electing Barack Obama the next president of the United States. (Cheers, applause.) We don't have a moment to lose or a vote to spare. Nothing less than the fate of our nation and the future of our children hangs in the balance.

I want you to think about your children and grandchildren come Election Day. Think about the choices your parents and grandparents made that had such a big impact on your lives and on the life of our nation. We've got to ensure that the choice we make in this election honors the sacrifices of all who came before us and will fill the lives of our children with possibility and hope. That is our duty: to build that bright future, to teach our children that in America there is no chasm too deep, no barrier too great, no ceiling too high for all who work hard, who keep going, have faith in God and our country and each other. That is our mission, Democrats.

Let's elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden for that future worthy of our great country. (Cheers, applause.)

Instead of "That is our mission, Democrats" she should have said, "That is our mission, Americans.

Joe Biden, great choice for VP

THIS IS THE TEAM!

I am very happy, excited, (and relieved) Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate. It was the best choice and I feel a winning choice. Joe Biden has been an excellent Senator, and always one I have liked. I believe this is the team that can get this country back on track after what GW Bush and company have done to our country. I know it will take time to right the wrongs, to dig us out of debt, to regain world respect, and to fix the ills of America, but I now feel we are on an exciting track to make things happen in a positive way. Even though I was interested in Hillary for president, these guys now have my vote....and I hope many, especially women, who were for Hillary will now turn their support to Obama and Biden.

Joe Biden is full of vitality and passion, something that is so lacking in McCain....and isn’t it amazing that there is only about six years in age between Biden and McCain? McCain appears to be an old man, too old to run our country, and who wants a repeat of the last eight years. And I sure don’t want anyone in office with a military attitude. I hope the rest of America is wise enough this time to change directions before it is too late.

I like Biden's wife's looks, too. Beautiful couple.

~Linda

The Story Of A Sign, Short Film

Do Angels walk among us, in disguise?


SHORT FILM: THE STORY OF A SIGN

With a stroke of the pen, a stranger transforms the afternoon for another man in this emotionally stirring short film by Alonso Alvarez.

This beautiful short film, Historia de un Letrero (the Story of a Sign) won the Fourth Annual Cannes 2008 Online Competition, in addition to winning other awards.

Alonso Alvarez Barreda's inspirational short film conveys how compassion and love and simple acts of kindness from a stranger can be life-changing.

I am also reminded of one of my favorite quotes, "Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for a kindness." ~ Seneca (4 B.C. - 65 A.D.) Alonso has presented a well-crafted and emotionally stirring story that reminds us we never know what stranger we encounter may actually be an angel in disguise. I hope you enjoy this movie as much as I did.
~ Linda Pendleton

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2

Don Pendleton's Executioner Series Book Cover Photoshoot

This is from the Blog - Gold Eagle Books - regarding Don Pendleton’s Executioner and Mack Bolan book covers for the series. Some interesting photography...
http://readgoldeagle.blogspot.com/2008/07/mack-bolan-mega-photoshoot.html


"Recently Gold Eagle organized a Mack Bolan mega photoshoot to create new imagery for the Bolan and Executioner book covers.

Model Phil McCauley (who has been associated with the character for several years now,) reprised his role as the Executioner."
















~Linda

Knowledge-Our Precious Birthright

Prolific American author, Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) had an interest in the paranormal and spiritualism. He wrote about his views in his 1921, The Book of the Mind.

I like Sinclair’s 1921 comments regarding having an open mind and doing research. His comments are just as valuable today, about many things in our world, such as the closed mind of some scientists, government cover-ups and deceptions in various areas, and narrow thinking that does not allow for expansion nor welcomes new knowledge. I personally go along with Sinclair’s ideas that it is our priceless birthright to seek answers. Nearly ninety years later, his words are still precious as they were when he wrote them.

He wrote: “Once upon a time knowledge was the prerogative of kings and priests and ruling castes; but this supreme power has been wrested from them, and this is the greatest step in human progress so far taken. ‘Seek and ye shall find,’ is the law concerning knowledge today, ‘Knock, and it shall be opened to you.’

"In this, my Book of the Mind, I say to you that knowledge is your priceless birthright, and that you should repudiate all men and all institutions and all creeds and all formulas which seek to keep this heritage from you.”

~ Linda

The Search for Extraterrestrials

This past week I attended a lecture given to an Astronomy Club by Dr. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute at Mountain View, California. SETI, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was founded by astronomer, astrophysicist, Frank Drake.

Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, funded the SETI Allen Telescope Array in Hat Creek, Northern California near Lassen National Park, and 290 miles north of San Francisco. Construction began in 2005 and in 2007 had completed phase one and installed forty-two working antennas. At completion of the third phase there will be three hundred fifty antennas. ATA is a joint effort of the SETI Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, Radio Astronomy Laboratory. ATA is dedicated to cutting-edge astronomical research and a simultaneous search for signals of intelligent, extraterrestrial origins.

Dr. Shostak gave an interesting and informative talk laced with humor. He had made the statement that eighty percent of Americans believe we are being visited by extraterrestrials. And it was about that percentage of the attendees of the lecture that fell into that number. But...near the end of his talk, Dr. Shostak told the audience he was not among the eighty percent, and was very skeptical that we have ever been visited and even that we might be. Nor does he believe there is any government cover-up. He does believe there could be radio contact within the next twenty years. HUH? With who?

It was so interesting that his comments changed the body language of many in the room, myself, included, and even though I had won the door prize—a DVD of the movie Contact. Any of us who have had UFO credible sightings know we are not alone and are being visited, and also may believe that earth has been visited by extraterrestrials for centuries. And for most, it is very apparent that our government has and does cover-up. Shostak added there is no evidence of extraterrestrial visits. Well, obviously as a scientist with an apparent case of denial one wonders why he sits watching a computer monitor, with radio signals moving up and down and across. Maybe one of these days when he is driving between Mountain View and Mount Lassen, he will discover extraterrestrial intelligence beyond his wildest dreams...or denials...right there in front of him. That can make a believer, even out of a scientist.

A recent appearance and skeptical comments made on a Larry King Show by Dr. Shostak apparently irritated a lot of viewers of the show and he mentioned he received a lot of feedback, calling it hate mail. I’m not surprised as he really did put down UFO witnesses, denied any cover-up by the government, and really attacked the intelligence of people on the show and even at his lecture by making the sort of comments he makes. His humor seems to lose value when his skepticism comes into play, and what I found, was that his skepticism didn’t seem sincere.

“This isn't a person-to-person call. You can't possibly think that a civilization sending this kind of message would intend it just for Americans.” -Jodie Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway, Contact

~ Linda

Top Chef Show and Food Network Star

Top Chef : Chicago, Season Four has come to an end. I always enjoy this show hosted by Padma Lakshmi, with Tom Colicchio as head judge, and Gail Simmons and Ted Allen judging.

The challenges the contestants go through are rather interesting for the most part. Much of the food, like the food on the Food Network’s Iron Chef, is food that I would never prepare myself nor would I eat. But despite that, I like to see the creativity in the kitchen, the cooking skills, the presentation of the foods.

I was hoping that Richard Blais or Stephanie Izard would win. And it was down to the wire, with Stephanie pulling out the win. $100,000 isn’t bad plus all the other publicity they receive. It was hard for me to cheer on Lisa Fernanades as she often looked angry and defiant, rather than enjoying what she did, and although some of her dishes sounded good, many did not. So I believe the right chef won.

I also like watching the Food Network’s Iron Chef as mentioned, and their Next Food Network Star competition, this time hosted by Bobby Flay. On this show I again enjoy the judges, Susie Fogelson and Bob Tuschman. I was sorry to see Kevin Roberts eliminated so soon .

My favorite cooking shows are Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray, Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa, Paula Dean and Emeril, for the most part. And again, I cook little of what I see on the shows. But because I like food, I like watching.

I guess it satisfies my appetite.

Linda

Molly the Pony and Her New Leg

By Linda Pendleton: This is about about an incredible pony named Molly has been making rounds this week on the Internet. Molly's story is heartwarming and inspirational and for me personally it also has a deeper meaning because I, too, now wear a prosthesis, following my recent below the knee amputation of my left leg December 7, 2007. (At some point in the not too distant future I will be writing/blogging about my own experience).

In less I'm mistaken, this article below is written by Fran Jurga and posted in March on her "Hoofblog." She has the website Hoofcare.com and resulting Journal on horse care and related subjects.

As I've recently discovered, prosthetics are not at all uncommon for animals. Anchor Orthotics and Prosthetics Company in Sacramento, with an office in Auburn, CA., does work with animals along with us humans. My personal Prosthetist is Anchor's Jon Erdmann at the Auburn office, and he has been great to work with these past few months. Anchor owner and Orthotist Terry McDonald and staff work with the U.C. Davis Veterinary School. So apparently animal Orthotics and Prosthetics are not as unusual as one might think.

But this story of Molly, a "gray speckled pony" is rather amazing. A children's book, MOLLY THE PONY by Pam Kaster, has just been published. I'm sure the heartwarming and touching story of Molly and the people who have surrounded her, the veterinary surgeon, the prosthetist, Molly's regular vet, and the rescue farm owner, will be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Molly is now doing what I hope to be doing in the near future and that is inspiring others who may be facing or have faced the loss of a limb. Giving hope, that is what it is all about--and Molly has it right.

Here is the article:

I’ve written plenty of articles over the years about horses who survived amputation surgery. There was Boitron, the California Thoroughbred stallion who could service mares even though he was missing a leg. There were Dr. Ric Redden’s dramatic cases of founder survivors who galloped around his paddock on artificial feet with "transplanted frogs". Dr. Chris Colles had the never-say-die Appaloosa in England with the spring-loaded foot. And who can forget that paint yearling in India? Or the landmine-maimed elephant amputee in Thailand? Longtime Hoofcare and Lameness Journal readers will remember them all.

Now, my friends, meet Molly. She’s a gray-speckled "POA" pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana. She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became badly infected and her vet went to the veterinarians at Louisiana State University (LSU) for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was an equine refugee. No [credit] card dangled from her frayed halter. If you've ever had an animal in need of major surgery, you know what the criteria is.

But after the local veterinarian persisted, LSU surgeon Rustin Moore agreed to meet Molly, and that meeting changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her raw, infected limb. When she stood up, she protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn’t overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built. The Humane Society of the United States and Lifesavers Inc. (an animal-angel arm of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue in California) provided the funds for the operation. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there.


“This was the right horse and the right owner," Moore insists. “Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She’s tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood (that) she was in trouble.” The other important factor, according to Moore, is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse.

Molly’s story turns into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana. The little pony gained weight, her mane felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.

“The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life,” Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports. “And she asks for it! She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too." And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. “It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse,” she laughs.

Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kaye, the shelter farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers--anywhere she thought that people needed hope after losing so much in the storm. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people. And she had a good time doing it. “It’s obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life,” Moore said, “She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.”“She's not back to normal,” Barca concluded. “She's going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself.”


This month, Molly the Pony, a children’s book about the pony who has already inspired thousands of people around New Orleans, has been published. It’s not a book about amputation or prosthetics, it’s a book about people and ponies. But the photos you see here are a few of the great ones from the book.

Maybe Molly won’t make the vet textbooks, but she might reach more people from the pages of this book for children. If you know a child, a library, a hospital, or maybe a therapeutic riding program that can use a lift, here’s a book that can do that. And a lot more.


HOW TO ORDER: This book is an oversized, square "laminated" (so it wipes clean) hard cover book. It will arrive in a large, flat mailer and may not fit in your mailbox.Hoofcare Publishing is proud to offer it for sale to you at the price of $15.95 each plus $6 post. A portion of the sales price will go toward Molly's fund.



Click here for our faxable, mailable, printable order form.To order by mail, send check or money to Hoofcare Books, 19 Harbor Loop, Gloucester MA 01930.To order by phone, call in orders to (USA) 978 281 3222. Please note that it may be a while before your call is returned. Fax is by far the best way to get your order in. You may leave your name, address, phone number and Visa or Mastercard account number and expiry date on the voice mail. Please speak slowly and clearly.To order by fax, transmit orders to (USA) 978 283 8775.


NOTE: FOREIGN ORDERS require $12 per book postage.EMAIL orders to directly books@hoofcare.com or franjurga@earthlink.net. Visa or Mastercard accepted; please supply account number and expiration date. When ordering, please give phone and/or email details.

You will LOVE this book--and Molly!


PS Many, many thanks to all the people who are forwarding the link to this story around the web--and around the world. This has been the most popular story ever posted on this blog, and deservedly so. We have added it to the permanent book offerings on our hoofcare.com web site.

Interesting to note: almost everyone who has called was ordering as a gift for a child with some sort of a hurdle to overcome. And no one ordered just one! It is the perfect gift for that...and I am so moved by the stories that callers have told me. Thank you, everyone. This is truly a "grassroots" effort since neither the university nor I has the funds to properly promote Molly and her story. She's an underground classic!



[Photos from Pam Kaster's book, Molly the Pony.]


* * * * * * * * * *

I hope you found this story of Molly as fascinating and as heartwarming as I have. It seems the book would be worth having. ~ Linda

Stephen Marlowe, Author, Obituary

This obituary of Stephen Marlowe was written by fellow author, and his long time friend, Graham Andrews.

From The London Times Online
April 30, 2008

Stephen Marlowe
Once described as America’s most prolific mystery writer who became known in the 1950s for his series featuring the dour Washington private eye, Chester Drum

Until Fawcett Publications of New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut, brought out the first Gold Medal novel in 1950, paperback companies had usually played safe with tried-and-tested reprints. Gold Medal discovered or developed such seminal American popular fiction authors as John D. MacDonald, Richard S. Prather, and Stephen Marlowe.

Stephen Marlowe was born Milton Lesser in Brooklyn, New York City in 1928. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1949, with a BA in philosophy. He would found the first Writer-in-Residence program there in 1974. An editorial job at the Scott Meredith Literary Agency, 1949-50, was followed by US Army service, 1952-54, finishing as a corporal. He then spent the rest of his life as a full-time writer.

Some eighty science-fiction stories by Milton Lesser appeared between 1951 and 1958. “Do It Yourself” (Science Fiction Quarterly, November 1957) is a worthy example. Its hero, Robert A. McPeek, belongs to an outlawed union of itinerant handymen in post-Third World War America. Lesser wrote three novels for the juvenile market: Earthbound (1952), The Star Seekers (1953), and Stadium Beyond the Stars (1960). Recruit for Andromeda (1959) is his best adult science-fiction novel: “Once mankind gets out to the stars and begins to spread out across the galaxy, he’ll be immortal despite his best — make that worst — efforts to destroy himself,” he write in his Introduction.

After changing his name to Stephen Marlowe, in hommage to Raymond Chandler, he produced a quick succession of mystery novels: Catch the Brass Ring (1954), Turn Left for Murder, and Model for Murder (both 1955). Turn Left for Murder puts a young Second World War veteran firmly and unfairly on the gangland spot.

The Second Longest Night (1955), published by Gold Medal, brought us the globetrotting and very private eye Chester Drum. Nicknamed “Chet” by the favoured few, Drum is an erstwhile FBI agent, only somewhat less dour than Fox Mulder of The X-Files. But he’s usually got a lot to be dour about; not least having a home base in even-then unsavoury Washington, DC. But it forms an unusual background for mystery fiction and much of the action takes place in genuinely exotic Venezuela. It gained critical praise rarely accorded paperback originals, with The New York Times calling it “effectively and restrainedly told”.

Mecca for Murder followed in 1956, in which Chester Drum makes a professional pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Next year saw the publication of Trouble is My Name, Murder is My Dish, Killers Are My Meat. Such Horror is My Hobby-type titles seldom matched the actual contents, but they sure made life easier for bookstore browsers. The marvellously mad Death is My Comrade (1960) doesn’t so much suspend disbelief as hang it out in the wind to dry.

In 1959, Marlowe collaborated with his fellow Gold Medal author Richard S. Prather (obituary, April 20, 2007) on Double in Trouble, which effectively teamed Chester Drum with Prather’s much more happy-go-lucky Hollywood private eye Shell Scott. It was one of the year’s best-selling mystery paperbacks. The last Chester Drum novel, Drum Beat — Marianne, appeared from Gold Medal in 1968. Drum Beat: The Chester Drum Casebook was published in 2003: it contained five short stories and one novel, Drum Beat — Dominique (1965).

Dead Man’s Tale (1961) was one of Marlowe’s most commercially successful novels, even if most of the money went to the by-lined Ellery Queen. The pseudonym Jason Ridgway was used to write four novels about the investigator Brian Guy in a frankly incredible Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! brand-name series, 1960-1966. But he would soon write more substantial thrillers like The Search for Bruno Heidler (1966), The Summit (1970), and The Man with No Shadow (1974). The Valkyrie Encounter (1978) is a radical take on the July Plot to assassinate Hitler.

Marlowe’s personal life had been disrupted in 1962 by divorce from his first wife, the psychologist Leigh Lang, whom he had married in 1950. Two years later, he entered into a second and happily life-long marriage with the Canadian writer-editor Ann Humbert. “I began to wander the world in earnest,” he once said. “Not, come to think of it, unlike Chet Drum.” He would spend most of the next few decades living in Switzerland, France, and Spain.

The Shining (1963) was his first historical novel, concerning the charismatic Athenian general, Alcibiades. Marlowe used the title long before Stephen King. Mary Renault or Rosemary Sutcliff couldn’t have done it better. Ten years later, he wrote the now better-known Colossus: A Novel about Goya and a world gone mad. “As good a novel about an artist as The Moon is Sixpence and The Horse’s Mouth and, in some ways, even better,” according to Stephen Longstreet.

Both these novels can be seen as dry runs for The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus (1987), which was “co-written” with Stephen Marlowe and became an international best-seller. In this book, Marlowe explained, “the name of the game is to determine where facts leave off and fancy begins.” For just one example: “Legend has it — are you ready? — that I, Christóbal Cólon, before sailing west across the Ocean Sea from the southern coast of Spain in 1492 stepped ashore on Claddagh Quay right here in Galway from my flagship Santa Maria to pray in the church of St. Nicholas of Myra for a safe voyage to America. I don’t have to tell you how many things are wrong with that legend!”

Marlowe played the same game in The Death and Life of Miguel de Cervantes (1991), but to ultimately more sombre effect. The title is chronologically exact. It is currently in the process of being filmed. He considered this to be his best novel. The Lighthouse at the End of the World (1995), however, showed his great admiration for Edgar Allan Poe. James (Deliverance) Dickey wrote the following dust-jacket endorsement: “In this extraordinary novel, Stephen Marlowe helps us to see the mysterious figure of Poe more clearly than ever before.” Lighthouse has also been optioned for filming.

The New York Times once called Stephen Marlowe the most prolific mystery writer in America, to which he responded: “Good Lord, I don’t want to be the most prolific anything; I would love to be the best.” His fifty-plus novels were translated into at least twenty foreign-language editions. Marlowe had just finished writing his autobiography (forthcoming from Stark House in 2009) and he had been working on a novel set in contemporary America.

Marlowe received France’s Prix Gutenberg du Livre in 1988 and the Life Achievement Award of the Private Eye Writers of America in 1997.

He is survived by his wife, Ann, and two daughters.

Stephen Marlowe, author, was born on August 7, 1928. He died after a long illness on February 22, 2008, aged 79


Graham Andrews tells me he has written an article on Marlowe and it will appear in the June Issue of The New York Review of Science Fiction.

~Linda

Same War.....Different Year

As of January 1, 2008 at least 3,904 U.S. Military have died since the beginning of the Iraq War, according to A.P.

Due to my personal circumstances, I have been away from a lot of news coverage in recent weeks, but even if I had been "on top of the news" the Iraq war coverage has taken a secondary position with the presidential campaign taking the majority of air time.

What will that number, 3,904, grow to by January 2009, the month a new President comes into power?

What then?

What now?

As many of us knew, G. W. Bush will not end the war, will not bring our troops home. Nope. He's happy to leave all this dirt to be cleaned up by others.

Today, on his mid-east trip, in a meeting with General Petraeus, Bush refused to commit to Iraq troop withdrawal, and even indicated a slowing or halting of planned troop withdrawal.

Also on this trip he is expected to promise 20 BILLION in advanced weaponry to his hand-holding buddies, the Saudi Arabia royal family.

Last fall when the weapons deal first surfaced, opposition from Congress soon posponed it. However on Monday the Bush administration is notifying Congress it intends to conclude the deal. Did you get that? 20 BILLION of advanced precision guided missils!

The Democrats are wanting change. That sounds good. The majority of Americans have wanted change for quite sometime. I'm beginning to believe that "change" is only an illusion.

Nothing really changes in politics and government.

~Linda

The Look of Elvis

Elvis Lives On

It has been thirty years since Elvis Presley died. It hardly seems possible. Throughout life there are a handful of events in which one can remember where they were and what they were doing when it happened. Things like the Kennedy assassination, your wedding ceremony, birth of a child, 9-11, a special celebration, are usually recalled with vivid memory. For many of us, the day Elvis died is imprinted in our memory.

I was at my arts and craft store, and decided to go across the street to the hometown drug store and buy a snack. I was paying for my candy bars when a small radio sitting on the shelf behind the cashier, announced the news of Elvis’ death. Unbelievable. I walked out, and stood on the corner feeling sadness, feeling a loss of an old friend. I never saw Elvis in person.

It all began for me in 1956. Some years back I wrote this, through the eyes of the teenager I once was:

Sharon was still excited as we went into the small record store a short distance from our homes. She had been excited since the previous day when she called to share her discovery with me. She told me I wouldn't believe my ears. But who was this guy anyway? I had never heard of him before. What a funny name. Elvis?

The owner of the store put the 45 record on the turntable and the music began. Wow! Sharon had been right. I could not believe my ears.

What a song, what a voice! Where had this guy come from? She had told me last night on the telephone that he was good looking and as I listened to the music I studied his face on the poster that was hanging on the wall. What an understatement she had made. This guy was gorgeous, and man, so sexy. Look at those eyes! I do not believe that charisma or sex appeal was really a part of my vocabulary then but it would not be long before those words became attached to his name in my mind.

The store owner was trying to sell us. Heck, he did not have to do that. Who wouldn't have wanted to take Elvis home with them? Any young girl in her right mind would and he told us that if we bought the record we would also receive an Elvis poster along with it. We could not dig the money out of our purses fast enough.

Elvis was going home with each of us! We were in love!

Let me tell you, that guy would never find himself at the end of some lonely street in some run-down hotel. No, not if the two of us were around. You could bet on that!

A few months later, we were at our local theater numerous times watching Love Me Tender.

Now, fifty-one years later, I see on television the tens of thousands who are in Memphis to honor Elvis. Wednesday night 50,000 were expected at a candlelight vigil at Graceland. People have come from Europe and Asia, from everywhere, to Memphis.

Elvis hasn’t died. Not really....

Linda
P.S. Sharon and I have been friends since we were six years old! A long time!

Best-selling Author Catherine Coulter Book Signing

I recently attended a book signing by best-selling author, Catherine Coulter at a local used bookstore in Roseville. Nancy had alerted me to the fact that Coulter would be appearing. Nancy reads her books and was looking forward to the latest FBI Thriller, Double Take, featuring husband and wife special agents, Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock.

I decided to attend to get Nancy an autographed copy of the hardcover for her upcoming birthday.

Catherine writes historical romance and contemporary suspense thrillers. Her publishing career is rather impressive. Her first romance was published in 1978 and she has written more than fifty books. Since the publication of her first FBI thriller her books have been best sellers.

I may have read some of her earlier books, I don’t know, but I have not read any of these thrillers. I did get an autographed copy for myself, and one of the early ones in the series. The bookstore had brought in new copies of every book she wrote so there was a big choice of her writing.

Coulter spoke for 45 minutes or more before signing. She’s an attractive, petite woman and had on a nice stylish brown suit and brown pumps with a 3 or 4 inch heel. Her skirt was much too high above the knee, inches, and should be left to those under 30 years of age. (She’ll be 65 in December, but does look damn good for her age...my age). She is apparently known for "her legs" as she was recently voted "Best Legs" at a Romance Writers Convention in San Diego. She was interesting, humorous, and answered questions from her fans. I say her fans, because many of the group of 30-40 people knew her characters in several of her series well. Although I do not call myself a fan, I do respect the success of any writer and always want to know more about his or her creative drive and writing process.

She stood and moved around as she spoke, and even remained standing throughout the book signing. By the way, I think she did a very nice personal inscription for Nancy, wishing her a Happy Birthday.

But as I found myself envious of Catherine before long. I’m not an envious person at all, but I was envious and irritated as time went on. Why, you ask? Was it her success as a writer? NO. Her obvious wealth from collecting all those royalties? NO. Was it her appearance? NO. It was her SHOES! Every time I looked at her SHOES it irritated me. Why, you ask? Because I was standing in sandals with sore feet and a bad low back. I was in pain, and for minutes I would forget my pain as I concentrated and enjoyed what she was saying. Then I’d see the high heels again, the shoes! I was envious of her ability to wear heels of that height and be on her feet for more than two and a half hours, and looking very comfortable the whole time. Although the bookstore had refreshments and bottled water (great for a 100 degree day) they failed to provide CHAIRS. So there we all were, standing, shifting from one foot to another, holding our backs, and I was not the only one very uncomfortable. At least part of the time I had the frame of the plate glass window to lean against (hoping we did not have an earthquake roll through Northern CA). I’ve never been able to wear high heels, even in my younger days, and have always loved heels with jeans.

The woman who had arranged for Catherine’s signing there, Kim, had her own used bookstore here in town until a few months ago. I did a book signing there with my friend, author Evelyn Fuqua about three years ago. I told Kim for the next author signing they have to have chairs, and if not, I will not be there!

I did meet two other authors there who had come for Catherine’s signing. Brenda Novak who has published a number of romance and romantic suspense novels and Robin Burcell who will have her fourth novel published early 2008. Both are award winners. I liked them both. I wish we’d had more time to have discussions about writing. I would have enjoyed that. They both live in the area and Coulter lives in Sausalito, above San Francisco.

For future book signings, NO HEELS ALLOWED! Only sandals, boots, flats, tennies, and oh, slippers.

~ Linda

Photograph from Minneapolis Bridge Collapse, Three Priests by Jim Gehrz, Star Tribune

Following the collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis many photographs appeared online in slide shows. Both Nancy and I, separately, were so moved by one photograph and each of us found it to be profound. This photograph stood out from all the others, and is worthy of a Pulitzer and all other prestigious awards of excellence. The photo of three priest from the St. Paul Archdiocese
was taken by Jim Gehrz, award-winning photographer for the Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul.

His photograph really says it all....

Photograph Copyright 2007 by Jim Gehrz, Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

~Linda

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Huge Success Story

Harry Potter is about to hit the bookstores and quickly jump into readers’ hands at 12:01 Saturday, July 21st. This 7th and last book in J.K. Rowling’s series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, has already accumulated pre-orders of 2 million books, well above the previous record of the 6th Potter book.

The book has been Number One on Amazon for many days over the last six months or more. A few times it may have been bumped from first place for a short-lived book. According to the July 9 issue of Publishers Weekly, the book has had the highest number of Amazon pre-orders in history, one million books! The 12 million first printing is expected to fly off shelves, and although I haven’t heard, I would guess it may be into a second printing or will be before long.

The Harry Potter Series of the six prior books have sold 27.7 million books in the U.S. alone, and 22.5 copies in the UK. In addition it has been translated into more than 63 languages, with German and Japanese editions doing especially well, resulting in worldwide copies of the series so far, reaching 325 million copies. You can imagine how that figure will jump as the new publication is translated in coming months.

As we know, there are always people out there who will try and ruin things for others. Her UK publisher Bloomsbury is taking immediate legal action as a result of leaks and breaking of the on-sale legal agreements, with information of the book popping up on the Internet. Scholastic, her U.S. publisher, issued a statement asking fans to "please not spoil the book for the rest of we Harry Potter fans who are eagerly awaiting the final installment of the Harry Potter series and to help ‘preserve the fun and excitement for fans everywhere’."

Rowling has posted this message on her website as of July 18:

"We are almost there! As launch night looms, let’s all, please ignore the misinformation popping up on the web and in the press on the plot of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I’d like to ask everyone who calls themselves a Potter fan to help preserve the secrecy of the plot for all those who are looking forward to reading the book at the same time on publication day. In a very short time you will know EVERYTHING!"

I’ve been happy for J.K. Rowling’s success as a writer, and it has turned out to be quite an incredible success. She is richer than the Queen of England and the # 2 richest in the entertainer category, just behind Oprah. J.K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in literary history and it is well deserved.

From the first I heard of her Harry Potter book, I have been intrigued how the story came to her during a four hour train ride. Not just the idea for a book, but the plot for a series of seven books! And the "dream" came to her when she was down-and-out as a struggling, single mother. A beautiful success story!

It’s so ironic and, I suppose, satisfying to me that the books have been such a world-wide success after the outcry from some religious groups and others who wanted the books banned. It is a good example how those outcries were based on fear, and control, instead of looking at Harry Potter and gang as a magical and fictional fantasy story of good, enjoyable (and harmless) entertainment enjoyed by children and adults, alike.

Google presently lists 4,780,000 references to the title Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That shows how powerful words are.

As Lord Byron said years ago: "Words are things; and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions think."

~ Linda

Next Food Network Star Coming Up.

The Next Food Network Star competition is down to the final two on Sunday night. I’ve enjoyed the show this year as much as I did last season’s.

I had been cheering for contestant Paul McCullough, a self-taught chef and successful caterer from Los Angeles. I was very disappointed when he was eliminated as I thought he had the best personality and stage presence and would have been enjoyable to watch on a cooking show.

Jag, the contestant who was chosen one of the final two, the other being Rory Schepisi, was not a favorite at all. Although he seemed to be a very good cook, his personality appeared somewhat unpredictable. I doubt he would have been the best choice for a show. And as it turned out he left the show when it was discovered he had fudged on personal information he had given the Food Network. It’s too bad, but I imagine he will have other opportunities in his career.

Amy Finley, the third in line, was brought back and the final vote is now between Rory and Amy. Although Amy has done well, and seems fairly good in front of the camera, the theme of her cooking appears to be more gourmet and French than I am interested in. Rory’s cooking theme is more every day, down to earth, and I believe I would prefer to watch her show. And because she was chosen as finalist, I think she deserves to win. We’ll see what happens Sunday after the viewer vote is counted. (I fooled around and didn’t get my vote for Rory).

My favorite Food Network Show is Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa. I enjoy her quiet style and manner. I also like Paula Deen. Paula is forever humorous and never boring. Next would be Rachel Ray, Michael Chiarello, Bobby Flay, and Emeril Lagasse. I also like Iron Chef. I’m far from a gourmet cook, and I don’t cook seafood, so often the dishes prepared are not what I’m interested in cooking, or eating, for that matter.

I am also watching Bravo’s Top Chef again. I like the judges, and the challenge’s are really challenges! Amazing how they come through on some of those challenges.

These two reality shows are the kind I like. (Also American Idol and Dancing With the Stars). I’ve been watching American Inventor again this season. This weekend, Home and Garden TV’s Design Star’s new season begins, so I will be catching that one, also.

It seems my TV throughout the day is most always on Food Network or Home and Garden if not on the cable news, MSNBC or CNN. I do get a lot of reruns though, even on the news channels.

~Linda

Michael Moore Blitzes Blitzer, CNN, the Media, and Dr. Gupta's Comments

Michael Moore’s appearance on CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and last night on Larry King with Dr. Gupta is exactly why I have respect for Moore and his work. He is brilliant and has passion for what is right.
See interviews at Michael Moore's website: http://www.michaelmoore.com/

I look forward to seeing Sicko soon, and I plan to buy it on DVD. It’s people such as Michael Moore who have a platform at their toe-tips to climb upon with passion and address the slanted (or lack of) news, the corruption, special interests (oil, pharmaceutical, insurance, automakers, etc.) and inadequacies we have in this country (and elsewhere). I have been on my tiny platform blogging about the lack of responsibility of the news media, the "art" of distraction of the administration and media, and everyone I know is so fed up with what the media presents repeatedly day in and day out. Paris Hilton being the most recent example. People have nonchalantly accepted for too long.

It occurred to me a long time ago, in the hot August summer of 1962, during the Watts Riot that the TV stations were giving slanted news, in that case, the local Los Angeles TV stations. I also had a mother-in-law during those early years who believed every word she read in the newspaper without question, even though it would be brought to her attention by those in the know that the article was not factual. But she would dismiss that and say the "paper said...." Makes me again wonder how many people either ignore any news, or only listen to sound bites, and never investigate stories on their own. I suppose polls that show 18 % of people, even now, believe that Saddam Hussein is the one who caused and carried out 9-11, tells us how some people don’t look for answers, and buy into all the slanted news or actions of their administration without question or further fact checking, or maybe just don’t give a darn what is happening to their country.

We deserve universal medical care in this country. Hillary tried very hard to get it going but was shot down a few years ago. I never dreamed I would be anxious to turn sixty five so I could have Medicare. For the last four years I have been paying $15,100 a year for my group medical insurance premiums, and a couple of my medications were not even covered. In three weeks I get Medicare coverage. With AARP supplemental and Part D RX, it will now cost me less than $2000 a year. I have had medical insurance since I was 18 years old, and always refused to have an HMO, and when I moved back to CA and learned what my premiums would be I tried to get Blue Cross and was turned down. I was without insurance for a month and was in a panic. I know you know well the medical insurance situation and cost of drugs. It is shameful the drug companies spend billions on advertising and will not lower drug prices, and that the insurance companies control our lives, the amount of medical care we receive, and when we receive it. And some think their doctors are Gods, and do not question treatment, refuse treatment, or demand second opinions.

I admire those such as Michael Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, Elizabeth Edwards, Anderson Cooper, Keith Olbermann, Lou Dobbs, Gen. Wesley Clark, Jimmy Carter, Angelina Jolie, Bono, Madonna, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jon Bon Jovi, Bill Gates; Melissa Etheridge, Oprah, and a few others who speak out boldly about world wide issues and hopefully give people something to think about. I may not always agree with each of them on all issues, but I like what they stand for:

Boldly Speaking Out.
Positive Action for the Benefit of Others.
Are Visionary Thinkers.
Do Charitable Work.
Challenge the Apparent Wrongs.
Have Humanitarian and Spiritual Values.
Use their Platform for Positive Outcomes.
Passion for What They Believe In.

Those are reasons they have my respect and admiration. I mention John Edwards’ wife here because she confronted (with calmness and respect) Ann Coulter about the hateful and outrageous comments that Coulter repeatedly writes in her books and says on TV appearances. And I blame the media for giving Coulter the platform to spread hate and falsehoods.

Elizabeth Edwards is a classy, intelligent, compassionate, and sincere woman, and I would love to see her as First Lady.

For some people in this country, it has taken four years to think, to pay attention, and come to the conclusion the Iraq war was wrong. There are still about 23% who do not believe the war has gone badly. (Apparently G. W. Bush is one of the 23 % as he just stated, we will "win this fight in Iraq.")

It’s too bad we couldn’t have a country where there was equality and respect for every person, and where political affiliation was out of the picture and our government representatives did not have self-interest, special interest, as their motivating factor, and corruption, greed, and power were absent. A world like that is only a figment of our imagination, I guess. But we can dream....of that kind of world for our grandchildren, if only they pay attention and keep their eyes open, they may move a little closer to that fantasy, that now seems so lost to us.

~Linda