Skid Roche

Grizzly Victim: "He’s Eating My Brain"

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

The headline “Grizzly Victim: ‘He’s Eating My Brain’”to this video on CNN, made me remember this Smith and Wesson short-barrelled .460 revolver I saw at Cabella’s in Michigan when I was there last fall.

The extra-nerdy thing? I had already read quite a bit about this revolver before I encountered it. Why had I read about safety kits intended for use in case of bear attacks, when the closest I come to the wilderness is walking past the compost heap? Let’s put it this way: A revolver that’s useful in killing bears might also be of some small effectiveness against a twelve-foot-tall tentacle monster, which makes me sound, perhaps, even more paranoid than I actually I am. The case and the gun butt are safety yellow so you can see them in your darkened tent, which I imagine would also be helpful if you were cast into the infernal regions. In your RV.

My favorite part is that this kit also comes in orange. You can coordinate your high-visibility .460 revolver depending on your personal style.

Better yet, have two — yellow loaded with hollowpoints for bear attack, orange loaded with silver bullets blessed by an Orthodox priest ordained under a waning moon, in case of attack by… No! No, we’d better not speak of such things. Merely fanciful thoughts brought on by my chef’s curries, I assure you. Here, have another brandy and let’s talk cricket.

Coyote - Sequoia National Park

Originally uploaded by copeg

From SFGate comes a story about coyote attacks in San Francisco:

“Corinne Keating remembers screaming. On Friday morning, she was taking her morning run through the Presidio as she has four or five times a week over the past two years, accompanied by her husband, a friend and her yellow Labrador, Winston.

“Without warning, a coyote rushed out of the underbrush and attacked Winston, leaping on the 80-pound dog’s back.

“‘I screamed so loud,’ Keating recalled. ‘I never thought he would attack us. I just couldn’t believe it.’

“The coyotes of San Francisco have been a hot topic since July, when a pair that attacked a dog in Golden Gate Park was shot and killed. That action prompted public pandemonium at the time, but since then, the general feeling seems to be that the problem had been addressed.

“But now it appears the coyotes in Golden Gate Park were only the beginning of a much larger trend. Presidio residents say the coyotes near their homes are increasingly unafraid of humans and confronting neighborhood dogs.”

Read More.

Efter lidt for mange pivoer..

Originally uploaded by Sanne Aabjerg

This photo, found through the Show Me the World game on the “Travel The World” Flickr group is apparently a house in Poland. There’s lots of helpful information at its Flickr page:

“Hey…hvad fanden sker der her? Ser huset rigtigt saadan ud eller har du lavet gejl i Photoshop? Jeg ville blive rundtosset hvis jeg boede i det hus, men det kunne nu ogsaa være meget skægt :)”

Helpful for someone, sadly not me. Cool house, though.

F111 fuel dump

Originally uploaded by carldashjonesdotcom

From CNN.com:

“Where do fighter pilots traveling faster than the speed of sound go when they really need to “go”?

“Until recently, the answer has been: into a bag.

“But it’s not a great solution. “Piddle packs” — heavy-duty bags containing absorbent sponges — have been blamed for at least two crashes over the years, and they’re not always tidy.

“A few years ago, after enduring years of complaints from pilots, the Air Force let it be known that it was looking for an answer.

“A small medical equipment development company in Milton, Vermont answered the call.”

Read more.

‘BLADE RUNNER CUT DOWN’

Originally uploaded by Paul Keller

From Engadget:

“…The ruling by the International Association of Athletics Federations that barred double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorious from a shot at the Olympics has been overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Detractors from Oscar’s entry into the Olympics have cited a suspect study that says Oscar could be using as little as 25% of the energy of other sprinters, thanks to the mechanical advantage of his ‘Cheetah’ prosthetics, which basically act as springs….Oscar still has to qualify, and his personal best in the 400 is about a second off the qualifying time for Beijing. Even if he can’t make it, he plans try for the world championships and the London Olympics in 2012.”

Image: South African tabloid announcing the decision to bar Pistorius from qualifying.

Bear_attack

Originally uploaded by lady_euthanasia

Not much to add here, I guess.

Reminder! Mission Bazaar This Weekend

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

Mission Bazaar is going down at the Armory this weekend, 10am-8pm Saturday and Sunday, 1800 Mission @ 14th Street. You can’t miss it — it’s the only Moorish castle on the block!

Kickass Berkeley artist Suzanne Rachel Forbes will be showing this painting “Defending the Electronic Frontier,” and selling prints of it as a benefit for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

But wait! There’s more!! Lots more in fact:

“Set amidst one of the San Francisco’s most dramatic historical landmark buildings, Mission Bazaar is a unique craft and performance expo that will showcase some of the Bay Area’s most vibrant creative talent. Mission Bazaar will take place on Saturday, May 17th and Sunday, May 18th from 10 am – 8 pm at The Armory at 14th & Mission in San Francisco.”

“Mission Bazaar will showcase a diverse collection of artisans exhibiting their creative works, products, fashion and accessories. There will be over 20 hours of live performances on three stages featuring live music, circus and dance acts, performance artists and DJs, including gypsy jazz, bellydance, spoken word, beatbox, choral ensembles, fashion shows, puppetry, flamenco guitar, and much more.”

I tell ya, this Armory place is truly amazing, and this is a rare opportunity to get a look inside it. I saw them putting the facility together today and it looks like it’s gonna be AMAZING.

Oh, and in case it’s like 100 degrees, that big stone building really keeps things nice and comfy-cool. Just sayin.

All this for five clams — less than you’d spend to see Iron Man for the seventh time! Be there!

Here’s the exhibitor and performer list:

Spring 2008 Exhibitor List

.endless|broken|lines.
Andres Amador Studios
Artwork by Johanna Uribes
Ashley Larson
Booty Boutique
ccianciART
Celestial
Chic Ztudio
Cotton Candie
Crucible
Cyzuki Industries
Dandylion Press
Danski Beautiful Clothes
Dara Ettinger Design Studio, LLC
Dark Garden Unique Corsetry
David Gordon Fine Art
Deane Wernet Design
Design by Ellemose
Effie’s Heart
Elissa Fricano
Estar
fiftyseven-thirtythree
GGallery
Ginko Designs
Hacker Design
Haight Ashbury Free Clinic
Healing Hands
heathen
Hipstirr
Kazam Creations
Keegan Roberson
KS Lewis Designs
La Sirena Morena y Sus Tesoros
Leila Bazzani
Lil’ Fishy
Lizard Press
Louise Gerarde
Lucky Space Monkey
Marla Pedersen
Matthew Abfalter
Miranda Caroligne
Nous Savons
O’Lover Hats
Pandora’s Trunk
Peace Love Life, Inc.
Rachael Adams
RocknSocks Inc.
Sacred Chocolate
Sarah Jane Hassler
SHARAUN Apparel
Sinclair Stratton
Siobhan Van Winkel
SuperSugarRayRay
Suzanne Rachel Forbes
Symbiotic Productions
Thea Izzi Jewelry Design
Tinydeskart
Twinkle
Venus Christ
Where’s Romeo?!
White Swan Studios

Spring 2008 Performer List

Bad Unkl Sista
Cohen
Conspiracy of Venus
Damage Control Dance
DJ Laird
Free
Gaucho
Gooferman
Gypsy Moon Theater
Her Rebel Highness
Hot Pink Feathers
Micheal Olson Flamenco
MicroPixie
Mystic Family Circus
Nkechi
Pamela Parker and The Ritual
Selah
Shamanic Cheerleaders
Shelley Doty X-Tet
Singing Bear & Aumnibus
The Slippery Slope
Tin Cup Serenade
Urban Nature
Venus Christ
Vowel Movement
and more…!

Image: Suzanne Rachel Forbes.

Orwellian produce crew

Originally uploaded by tankgrrl

One of my favorite sites is PassiveAggressiveNotes.com. Gems like this make me laugh until I pee Winston Smith’s pants.

“If you still feel the need to touch this cart please report to the nearest manager so you can be reprimanded. Remember we are always watching.”

Woman’s Body Lies in Flat for 35 Years

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

A cheery note from CNN:

“Governments have changed. War erupted and ended. Neighbors had children, and then grandchildren. But Hedviga Golik never left her tiny apartment in Croatia’s capital — until her mummified body was carried out this week, 35 years after she died.

“Police said Friday that no one ever reported Golik missing and no one has come to claim her body.

“Residents of her loft building in downtown Zagreb had broken into Golik’s flat after deciding that the apartment should belong to them, and not to her. Startled by the remains in bed, they called police.

“Forensics experts said Golik likely died in 1973, about the time a neighbor last saw her. Expert Davor Strinovic said she seemed to have died of natural causes, but ‘It’s almost impossible to say for certain” after so much time.’”

Read More.

Image from CIA.gov.

Sad bride

Originally uploaded by mrksaari

In trading emails about the California Supreme Court’s decision in favor of same-sex marriage, GMail text ads served me an ad for the following site: BrokenEngagement.com. I quote:

“We’re here to help you move on by letting go of items you just don’t want anymore… the ring, a pair of earrings, a pendant, a watch, or a tennis bracelet… because those items no longer have sentimental value. But they do have monetary value.

“Take your time, and take a good look at the information we’ve compiled on the best way to sell your unwanted jewelry: with security, confidentiality, personal service and a deep level of trust.

“No auctions. No consignments. No classifieds. We make you a cash offer for your unwanted jewelry.”

………U.T.O.P.I.A………

Originally uploaded by Arlete

Sometimes I need a little gorgeous nature photography from Brazil to remind me that the world wide web is, in fact, world wide. This is from Joinville City, Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil.

Cutter Photozine Release Party Tonight

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

My coworkers Heather Renee Russ and Princess Donna have started a new documentary photozine. They’re having a release party tonight at 111 Minna Gallery. From the site:

“Cutter Photozine is a documentary photo magazine dedicated to featuring people telling their own stories and documenting their own existence. We seek to undo a traditional voyeurism of the ‘other’ and place the power of sight in the focused home of the author…. 20 different photographers cause a commotion in one explosive collection of dynamic imagery.”

111minnagallery.com

http://www.cutterphotozine.com/

Red Hots Burlesque Tomorrow Night!!

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

Talk about an embarrassment of BOOM-cha-cha riches… but don’t get your tassels in a twirl, Sassy — my coworker Ruby White, who is performing “Queen of Pain” at the Red Hots Burlesque Cramps tribute tomorrow night, assures me that the Hubba Hubba Revue’s show at the DNA won’t occur until later in the even, y’understand, so you can pack your bug-eyes and hotdog from one juicejoint to t’other for a hey-natty-natty and a hot-cha-cha, if you catch my drift! Miss it not, muthafukka, or you just might turn into a teenage goo goo muck.

nina hartley’s site hacked

Originally uploaded by violet.blue

Violet informed me this week that Nina Hartley’s site, Nina.com, was hacked. Which is news, but the real news is the hillarious comments on Violet’s Flickr post: “Wow. Arabic within charset iso-8859-1! You’d think hackers these days would just standardize on utf-8…” and “(c) 2007? These guys really do live in the past… ” — hillarious.

0513080002.jpg

Originally uploaded by violet.blue

What can one add to this?

Pride Flag Flying Over the Armory

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

Pride flag flying over the San Francisco Armory in honor of the California Supreme Court’s decision today.

ufos_over_london

Originally uploaded by metamodeler

Hillariously spooky fun on CNN today, as the British Ministry of Defence releases the first batch of their UFO files, covering the years 1981-87. According to UFO activist David Clark, who lobbied for the release of the files, there are “hundreds and hundreds” of UFO reports received by the Ministry every year, and while most of them can be explained, a few can’t (that’s why they’re UFOs).

The Ministry says the files show there is “no great alien cover-up,” and that they have “no interest” in determing whether or not aliens have visited Earth; the Ministry investigations seek to find out “whether its airspace has been violated.”

Image: “UFOs Over London,” April 2007, uploaded by MetaModeler.

• Catcalls: Creepy or a Compliment
  (tags: sex psychology)

Mulligan’s in Marietta

Originally uploaded by andisheh

SFGate (and everywhere else) reports on the outrage around a T-shirt being sold by Mulligan’s Food and Spirits in Marietta, Georgia, showing Curious George with the legend “Obama in 08.” The outrage comes not just from people who think that the image expresses a racist attitude toward Obama (ya think?) but also from the owners of the Curious George character. The bar owner’s comment that Obama and Curious George “Look so much alike” is particularly creepy.

“Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is upset with Mike Norman, owner of a Marietta, Ga., bar, for selling the shirts which show Curious George peeling a banana with ‘Obama in ‘08′ printed beneath the image.

“‘Houghton Mifflin Harcourt did not nor would we ever authorize or approve this use of the Curious George character, which we find offensive and utterly out of keeping with the values Curious George represents,’ said Richard Blake, the company’s spokesman. ‘We are monitoring the situation and weighing all of our options.’

“Norman, who began selling the shirts in late April, has said they are not meant to be racist. He said he thinks the Illinois senator and the character ‘look so much alike.’

“Bill Nigut, southeast regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, said Norman is being disingenuous.

“‘He can pretend he doesn’t understand what the message of that T-shirt is, but he knows full well that’s an offensive and demeaning stereotype used to insult African-Americans,’ Nigut said. He called on citizens not to buy the T-shirts, but stopped short of calling for a boycott of Norman’s business or denying him to speak out.”

The gentleman (”andisheh” on Flickr) who posted this image obviously has a strong opinion on this point. Or maybe he’s just lobbing a cheap joke which really isn’t very funny.

The thing that disturbs me is my own fear that these incidents will increase in the upcoming presidential contest. I have always had a deep sense of the slumbering racism of my country, and I fear that like a Lovecraftian beast this ancient evil is awakening because an African-American is running for President.

Then again, perhaps, as Obama expressed in his magnificent speech on race (transcript here) in the wake of the (first) Jeffrey Wright freakout, we as a nation are better than this.

Are we?

Death Trance

Originally uploaded by Emit Idy

Wow, this looks fucking awesome. Time was, I was a big devotee of the dark and I loved me some death trance, I tell ya what.

http://www.vialmagazine.com/breadcrumbs.html

Hubba Hubba Revue: Anchors Aweigh!

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

This Friday is the Hubba Hubba Revue at the DNA Lounge. My friend Charlie Darling, whom I know as a kickass sex educator, is going to be singing. Be there!
=============================
Damn The Torpedoes! It’s Time For…
Hubba Hubba Revue: ANCHORS AWEIGH!
SHIPBOARD BURLESQUE!
MARITIME MAYHEM!
COMEDY ON THE HIGH SEAS!
Friday, May 16th @ The DNA Lounge

Join Cap’n Kingfish, Ensign Eddie and their crew of Salty Seamen and Sexy Sailor-Girls for a tassel-twirlin’, shimmy-shakin’, laff-filled voyage aboard the good ship USS HUBBA HUBBA!

Up periscope, Mr. Gorilla!

Featuring:

SF Boylesque!
Madam Chartreuse!
Miss Balla Fire!
Peekaboo Burlesque!
The Scenic Sisters!
Miss de Mina!
Charlie Darling!
Delilah!
Rubenesque Burlesque!
Your Little Chernobyl!
Mr. Ection & Fictional!
Crackerjack Salteen!
Riff Ditties!
Admiral Jerk!
Citty Rich!
Sparkly Devil!
Calamity Lulu!
Gorilla X
and The Kingfish & Eddie Dancers!

With your favorite drunks/MC’s, Cap’n Kingfish and Ensign Eddie!

Live! Masked Musical Mystery with THE PHANTOM SURFERS!

LANDLUBBER DISCOUT! From 9PM to 10PM, only at the box office night-of-show, tickets are just $10!

FREE (FAKE) TATTOOS at the door! (while supplies last!)

Hubba Hubba Revue: ANCHORS AWEIGH!
Friday, May 16th, 9PM
DNA Lounge, 375 Eleventh St. SF
$15, 21 & Up w/valid I.D.
$12 advance tickets at dnalounge.com

image from http://www.hubbahubbarevue.com/

Col. Sanders Loves Him Some Chicken

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

Is it just me or is this one of the creepiest pictures in the world? I am a meat eater, so I may be a bit hippocritical, but WTF? It’s creepy. Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, November 2007.

The Russian Mob in Goa

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

Interesting piece on South Asia’s English-language Times Now site about the influence of the Russian mafia in Goa, a resort town famous for its gorgeous beaches and spacey trance music.

"As the increasing number of drug deaths among Russians increase, TIMES NOW’s correspondent Aditi Sharma mounts a special investigation to solve the mystery of the growing influence of russian drug mafia in Goa.

"A Russian national — 48 year old Andrey Dmitriev — was found dead under mysterious circumstances last Sunday. The police were quick to pass it off as a heart attack. But soon enough, the truth came tumbling out. Initial reports ruled out a cardiac arrest, hinting at the possibility of a drug overdose. In 2007, at the same hotel — where this Russian nationale was residing, another Russian — 35 year olf Cheron Sergey — was found dead. The cause of the death was Metabolite Morphine or Heroin that was found in his blood stream along with high levels of alcohol.

"Both deaths now recorded as mysterious, the case files have hardly moved further and Mumbai police has few answers. Despite repeated attempts, the police are refusing to divulge details, but its apparent that there is intense pressure to get to the root of the case.

"However, TIMES NOW decided to take the investigation further across the country from Mumbai following the link to Goa, where an older, as yet unsolved case is becoming a matter of diplomatic debate. An alleged Russian undercover agent — 25 year old Evgeny Kuzmin — was found dead in North Goa in December 2007."

Read More.

Boston Mobster’s Bid for House Arrest

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

More DiNunzio-related fun at the Boston Herald, in a story detailing what alleged mobster Carmen "The Cheeseman" DiNunzio will agree to in order to secure house arrest rather than stay in the big house.

"’What a Mother’s Day!’ DiNunzio’s heartbroken 70-year-old mom Anna exclaimed from behind a closed door yesterday. But she declined to comment on her son’s latest arrest and bid for freedom.

"In a two-page conditional release proposal filed by his defense attorney Anthony Cardinale, DiNunzio volunteers to:

* Conduct no non-cheese-related business in the North End.
* Travel only to his “Fresh Cheese” shop in the North End, court hearings, meetings with lawyers and medical emergencies.
* Be tethered to a GPS anklet from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. daily at his home in East Boston.
* Consent to random searches of his home by the FBI and the installation of a pen register (a device that records telephone numbers dialed) and/or telephone trap (a device that records the numbers of incoming calls).
* Agree to a “no association” list of names drawn up by prosecutors - people with whom he must have no contact.
* Post $20,000 cash bail, plus a personal surety bond of $200,000."

I’m always fascinated by the legal details of mobster trials. What’s more, since I hate leaving the house, I look upon the idea of house arrest with what is probably an ill-advised eagerness, an enthusiasm for the concept that I hope will never be sufficient to make me do crimes.

While there are plenty of cheesy puns in this story, it remains mercifully free of abuse over DiNunzio’s weight. Not so with Howie Carr’s latest column, in which he asserts that the death blow to the Boston mob (a branch of the venerable Patriarca Crime Family, also known as "The Office" — no I’m not making that up) was dealt by the great seasons played by the Red Sox and the Patriots.

Says Carr:

"Oh sure, there were other factors, like the rats Whitey Bulger and Stevie Flemmi, and the local FBI, when its agents weren’t taking payoffs from the above-mentioned non-Mafia gangsters. Then there was white flight and the birth dearth, not to mention cocaine, which decimated hoods by the score.

"But the final coup de grace came from the recent winning seasons of the local teams. Carmen “the Cheeseman” DiNunzio and his sad-sack crew relied on bookies for most of their income, and local bookies have had a bad run lately, a very bad run."

….“I am thinking of filing a class-action lawsuit,” one local attorney said Friday, “on behalf of the New England Mafia, against the Patriots and the Red Sox, for winning too much and destroying the business.”

Actual cheese via Wikipedia.

Fur Seal Caught Molesting Penguin

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

Image: Fur Seal on the Kerguelen Islands, from Wikipedia.

MSNBC has a disturbing report of inter-species sexual assault:

"A seal has been caught on camera trying to have sex with a penguin.

"This seems to be the first example seen in the wild of a sexual escapade between a mammal and a different kind of vertebrate such as a bird, reptile or fish, "although some mammals are known to have attempted sexual relief with inanimate — including dead things — objects," said researcher Nico de Bruyn, a mammal ecologist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa."

Oh, also:

"The Antarctic fur seals of Marion Island are the only seals known to eat king penguins. The thrill of the hunt felt by the seal the researchers saw may have channeled into its sex drive, as the mating season had just come to an end.

"’It may have wanted to eat it and half-way through the chase changed its mind,’ de Bruyn speculated."

Everyone who hears about this seems to react with laughter or strange sexual innuendos, but all I can think of is how fucked up that must have been for the penguin. The bird, who was of undetermined gender, apparently escaped without injury.

Oh good GRIEF.

Originally uploaded by Cherie Priest

Writer Cherie Priest, author of Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Wings to the Kingdom, Dreadful Skin and Not Flesh Nor Feathers, received this bizarre note from the postal service that seems to be reassuring her that the barbecue sauce on her parcel is not a weapon of mass destruction. Thank God!!!

Amusingly, her LJ post on the topic is headlined, “OMGWTFBBQ???” which is pretty much the reaction I had when I saw this note, followed by laughing until I soiled my own parcels.

Office Set, The Armory

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

Antique office set, kind of looking like a World War II German flight officer’s lair. Note, amid all the flat-grey, wartime-boring furnishings, the clock set to 4:20.

Brewers Cope With Global Hops Shortage

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

From Wired:

“OAKLAND, California — At Pacific Coast Brewing here, brewer Donald Gortemiller is reworking his recipes and altering his brewing styles like never before.

“Gortemiller isn’t acting on a spurt of creativity. He’s coping with a worldwide shortage of hops — the spice of beer. The dry cones of a particular flowering vine, hops are what give your favorite brew its flavor and aroma. Prices of the commodity are skyrocketing as hop supplies have plummeted, forcing smaller brewmasters around the United States to begin quietly tweaking their recipes, in ways that are easily discerned by serious imbibers.

“The beer-brewing situation demonstrates how the global-commodity shortage is spilling over to affect diverse industries in unexpected ways. The hop shortage lives on the outer edges of a food crisis that’s prompted riots across the planet, and last month led U.N. Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon to implore the world’s governments to increase food production to stave off a 40 percent jump in the cost of staples.”

Read more.

Image: Wikipedia.

Leaders of the MRNC

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

From Wikipedia:

“The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus (MRNC; also known as the Mountain Republic or the Republic of the Mountaineers) (1917–1920) was a shortlived state situated in the Northern Caucasus. It included most of the territory of the former Terek Oblast and Dagestan Oblast of the Russian Empire, which now form the republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia-Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, Dagestan and part of Stavropol Krai of the Russian Federation.”

Read more.

“Sinatra admitted it is premature to officially announce Scorsese for the biopic. Initially, she referred to the director as ‘the most prominent Italian-American filmmaker’ working today in Hollywood.

“When Sun Media guessed Francis Ford Coppola, she said: ‘We adore him but he didn’t step up to it.’

“When Scorsese’s name followed, Sinatra offered this: ‘I can’t tell you yet but you’re warmer.’

“Laughing, Sinatra later confirmed it was Scorsese. ‘You’ll be reading about it very soon … oh, go ahead and print it, I don’t care!’”

Link.

Image: Frank Sinatra in 1960, from Wikipedia.

From CBS-11 News in Dallas I get this report of the bust in Irving, Texas of a company with alleged ties to the Scarfo family. Nicodemo “Little Nicky” Scarfo was the head of the Philadelphia family of the Mafia during its bloodiest period in the 1980s, and was the subject or a main player in a couple of very good true crime books by writer George Anastasia. Scarfo is still in prison, elegible for release in 2033 (when he will be 104).

His son, Nicky, Jr., was almost killed in 1989 by a gunman wearing a Batman mask.

“CBS 11 News has learned that FBI agents have searched an Irving business with alleged ties to east coast Mafia families.

“On its website, First Plus Financial Group describes itself as a company that provides financial and management services to both consumer and commercial businesses. However, according to a search warrant obtained by CBS 11 News, the FBI is investigating if the Irving company has ties to the Mafia.

“CBS 11 News has learned that FBI agents went to First Plus Financial Group’s offices along Highway 114 in Irving on Thursday. In the search warrant, agents were instructed to seize records from 43 individuals and companies. On the top of the list is First Plus Financial Group itself.

“Also named in the search warrant are Nicky Scarfo, Sr. and his son, Nicky Scarfo, Jr. The senior, nicknamed ‘Little Nicky,’ was the notorious mob boss of Philadelphia in the 1980s. The 79-year-old is currently in prison for racketeering and murder.”

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

Interesting article in the Telegraph on Victorian Erotica:

“Ever wondered what our great grandparents got up to behind closed doors? A new collection of erotica leaves little doubt, says Guy Kennaway.”

“‘I bought my first erotic photograph in the mid-1980s,’ Danny Moynihan tells me. ‘I had come across some photos of Austrian origin of rather portly looking ladies in petticoats playing with sex toys. I thought they were rather amusing.’

“Moynihan is an artist and a curator. He has collaborated frequently with his friend Damien Hirst and has written a novel - soon to be released as a film - satirising the art world. He is also the owner of one of the world’s largest collections of vintage erotica.

“‘At the time I was buying and selling 20th-century photographs with the art dealer Paul Kasmin,’ he explains. ‘In those days photos didn’t really exceed $5,000, though we did own a Violin d’Ingres by Man Ray which we sold to the Getty for $10,000, but that was an exceptional piece.’”

“So presumably, were the dozen or so pictures that started Moynihan’s collection of nearly 500 often explicit photographs, many of which decorate the walls of his Chelsea home, where I have come to meet him.”

Read more.

Image: Nu féminin allongé Amélie, by Félix-Jacques Moulin, from Wikipedia

“The story of how a Sicilian Mafia boss remained on the run for 43 years is an extraordinary one. The fact that he spent most of that time right under the noses of Italian authorities in and around Palermo and his hometown of Corleone raises profound questions about the complicity of the Italian state and Sicilian society.

“He was convicted in absentia of 127 killings. His biggest crimes, the murders of anti-Mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, took place in 1992, yet another 14 years passed before his capture.”

Read more.

Image: Bernardo Provenzano in 1959, aged 26, from Wikipedia.

From the Associated Press (also covered in Bombay News and Deutsche Welle:

“Italian police arrested seven people Friday in an investigation connected to a mob shooting in Germany that claimed the lives of six people last year, officials said….

“The clans are part of the ‘ndrangheta organized crime syndicate, which is based in the southern Italian region of Calabria and is now considered by many analysts to be more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia.

“…The slayings of the six Italians at a restaurant in downtown Duisburg — seen as the latest bloody chapter in the feud — drew attention to the ‘ndrangheta. Investigators say the ‘ndrangheta has eclipsed the Sicilian Mafia largely because of its control of Europe’s lucrative cocaine market.”

Image from www.CIA.gov.

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

This photo of pulp writer Robert E. Howard on Wikipedia has the following amusing note:

“This is a very well-known photograph of Robert E. Howard taken in 1934. According to his then-girlfriend Novalyne Price, he hated wearing a suit, tie, and hat, yet he went to a studio and had several photographs taken because she liked it when he dressed.”

I have been reading Howard’s Steve Costigan stories. Costigan is a sailor and champion boxer who travels all of the world with his bulldog Mike (or Bill in some stories). He gets into fights a lot and gets chased by evil conspirators. The racial politics are of the times; one of the stories, for instance, is called “Blow the Chinks Down.”

That aside, the stories are remarkably funny and the fight scenes are top notch. Costigan himself is a character not unlike Ring Lardner’s Jack the Kaiser Killer. Oftentimes misspelling or misusage is used for comic effect, giving these ultra-pulpy stories some of the same charm seen in The Catcher in the Rye. It’s a charm that is utterly absent from the overheated, dead-serious melodramas of Conan.

With the imminent Indiana Jones disappointment about to trainwreck its way through the summer, I figured I oughta revisit the writers Lucas was cribbing from in Raiders, which I loved so much as a kid.

No Wandering!

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

More sign fun at the C.L. Dellums Building.

This is in the window of the C.L. Dellums Building on 14th and MLK in Oakland. It is not what you would call a "good" neighborhood, so the management’s concern is understandable. Nonetheless… "No wandering?"

Tuscan Villa (Far West Edition)

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

I’ve always meant to shoot a photo of this weird little cul de sac outside my doctor’s office. It looks to me like Tuscany or some shit. Sometimes when I arrive early, I have been stealing moments of soul-soothing peace sitting there in the Tuscan-Oaktown breeze reading stories about Conan chopping peoples’ heads off and Steve Costigan smashing their faces in.

Mandella Foods Collective

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

I lived across the BART station from this locale in West Oakland from 1992-3 and the neighborhood desperately needed a grocery store then. 16 years on and I’ll believe it when I see it. Way to get with the fucking program, Oakland.

Technoskull

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

I love this technowaste toxic skull graphic from this SaveSFBay.org poster at BART. SaveSFBay.org.

Advertising in the Louvre

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

I ran across this image, which has a caption that bewilders me. If this is what the inscription really says, eeyow… and if it’s not, someone is a brilliant hoaxster.

"Black-figured lekythos with the inscription: ‘buy me and you’ll get a good bargain,’ ca. 550 BC, Louvre."

Seems like something Bugs Bunny would run across in a Warner Bros cartoon circa 1955.

From Wikipedia.