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June 28, 2005

Shelby Foote died

I just read that Shelby Foote died. Like most Americans, I was introduced to him by Ken Burns CIvil War series. I went out and bought the books, which I read and re-read so many times I wore them out. I had to buy a new set a couple of years ago, and to tell you the truth, the new ones are starting to get a little bit tattered as well. He and Bruce Catton are the two great Civil War writers--no one else really touches them. Foote was a wonderfully gifted storyteller. This is a sad day.

Posted by rickbeyer at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2005

Book Stuff

Things have been busy on the writing front. I received the page proofs for The Greatest War Stories Never Told a couple of weeks ago, made revisions, and sent them back. A number of the stories had too much copy. I had to trim it down to keep the bite size appeal. This is definitely a case where "less is more" applies!

I'm pleased with the work the designers did�not an easy job!

The publisher is going to make bound galleys of the book this time, something that didn't happen for the first book. (I think the schedule didn't permit it, if memory serves, and perhaps they weren't sure enough of the book's prospects to spend the money.) The result was that as they were trying to set up interviews, and reviews in long-lead publications, all they could show them was xeroxed copies of a few stories. I definitely think that hindered some of the early PR efforts, and I am hoping that having bound galleys will help us get more PR going earlier than last time.

I also just finished an on the "Pig War" article for The History Channel Magazine that will appear in the November/December issue. The History Channel and Harper Collins are also getting together to put a half page ad for the book in that issue, so that should be a good hit!

Joelle Yudin, my associate editor at Harper Collins, called a few days ago to say that they have received copies of the Chinese edition (in complex characters) of my first book. She is sending copies! I can't wait to see them!

Posted by rickbeyer at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)

A Tale of Two Cities

I just finished the audio-book version of this. Really excellent. Dickens makes me laugh out loud sometimes.

Since it is public domain, there are a million audio versions of this book. The one I listened to was narrated by Frank Muller. I picked it up at the library.

Posted by rickbeyer at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)

June 10, 2005

Monkey Business

Newsflash:

LONDON (AFP) - A bone found on a north-east beach has sparked renewed interest in one of England's most curious myths -- that a monkey washed ashore during the Napoleonic Wars was executed by suspicious locals for being a French spy.

Police in Hartlepool, on the County Durham coast, confirmed Friday that the one foot (30 centimetre) long bone found on a beach last month was not human, but came instead from a monkey or gorilla.

The discovery has intrigued locals, given the town's curious folklore from the Anglo-French Napoleonic conflict, which lasted from 1793 to 1815.

According to popular legend, a monkey dressed in a French uniform was washed ashore at Hartlepool and tried by local magistrates on suspicion of being a French spy.

Because it did not answer questions they presumed the animal was guilty, and it was hanged from a lamppost.

Thanks to Dave Palmeter for bringing this story to my attention. Of course, for the legend to be true, the townsfolk of Hartlepool would have to never seen a monkey or a frenchman before. Not bloody likely!!

Posted by rickbeyer at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2005

"Tip-off" vs. "Tap-off"

A few days ago my wife, Marilyn Rea Beyer, who is an announcer at Boston radio station WUMB, came across a wire-service sports story that said that the "tap-off" of that nights Celtics game would be at such-and-such a time. She called me up.

"Have you ever heard of a tap-off" she said. "I always thought it was tip-off." I was unable to offer any definitive answer.

Several times over the course of the next week we heard sports announcers use the expression "tap-off," occasioning much grumbling by Marilyn, who was convinced they should be saying "tIp-off." This morning I phoned her at work to tell her of a sports report I heard on the radio concerning the commencement of the NBA Finals tongiht which referred to the "tip off, or tap-off, whicher you prefer."

"It must be some kind of recent usage" said Marilyn, who rightly prides herself on her knowledge of the English language "I never heard that before this week."

"Tip-off" vs. "Tap-off." I was quickly off to the historical databse of the New York Times, which offers full-text NYT articles going back more than 150 years, a time which predates the invention of basketball. Here, I was sure, I would find the answer. And I did.

What I found is that in the New York TImes, "Tip-off" is used about ten times as often as "tap-off" in basketball related stories. But "tap-off" is no new usage. I found basketball stories referring to the "tap-off" that dated back to 1925.

My favorite in this group was a wonderfulstory dating from Feb 5, 1929. The headline: 'Abolition of the Tap-off from Centre urged at College Basketball Meeting in Ithaca." Here's the excerpt that caught my eye:

"The coaches were unanimous in the opinion that the tap-off as at present constituted places a premium on the height of the centre and is obviously unfair and discriminatory toward a team not possessing a tall man." Truer words were never spoken.

Marilyn took the news with good grace, though after ruminating on it for a while, she said that it must be an east coast thing.

"They certainly never said "tap-off" in Chicago!"

I guess its off to the archives again...

Posted by rickbeyer at 06:02 PM | Comments (0)

June 01, 2005

Nixon Aides on Deep Throat

I find it deeply humorous that former Nixon aides are coming forward to condem Mark Felt for assisting Woodward and Bernstein. Does G. Gordon Liddy realize what an incredible hypocrit he is when he says Felt "violated the ethics of the law enforcement profession?"

Liddy, Colson and others seem to feel that it would have been more honorable if Felt had stepped forward and confronted Nixon, or gone public with his suspicions. Perhaps that would have been more noble (if self destructive) thing to do, but Felt's response to the cover-up was a hell of a lot more honorable than that of anyone in the White House, from Nixon on down. Where was the honor among Haldeman, Erlichman, Mitchell, Kleindienst,Dean, Liddy, Colson, and others, any one of whom also could have forced Nixon to end the cover-up at any time? Instead of acting in an ethical fashion, they all took part in a conspiracy to cover-up the truth. And now they have the gall to question the honor of a many who at least did something to bring that conspiracy down.

One other point: Whatever Felt's motives, and I'm sure they were complex, it is important to note that he did not leak everything to Woodward on a silver platter. He generally would only confirm information they already had, and give them general guidance to help them steer clear of false reporting. He walked a careful path between leaking confidential information and keeping his mouth shut. I think he acted wisely and discreetly.

CHuck Colson said this morning on NPR that it was sad Felt would be remembered for being "Deep Throat," instead of his many acts of distinguished service to the nation. Dan Schorr responded that he thought being Deep Throat WAS an act of distnguished service. I'm with Dan.

Posted by rickbeyer at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack