#Richard Mailer

[barejunk]

Our 17th Richard Mailer and it's 17 minutes long but she's not only 17....

[rosayenem]

Yes the khu was a light in your mind while you lived, but in death it must return to heaven.

[iboatedhere]

more about #2 please, also I too long for that house.

Henry is a writer (surprise surprise) and he sets his desk up in this little front window nook

but that's just a coincidence and it has nothing to do with the fact that he can watch his hot neighbor pass by on his way to work every morning.

Henry doesn't know much about Alex. Just that he's young and beautiful and must do something important with his time because he's always in a suit and he leaves early and comes home late and seems to travel a lot. He knows Alex's name because Alex's mail was accidentally delivered to his place once--it was a campaign mailer from Senator (and presidential hopeful) Jeffrey Richards and Henry is trying not to read too much into this because this is America and they probably send that shit out to EVERY registered voter and it doesn't mean that his hot neighbor is actually a republican.

David sleeps at his feet as he writes and follows Henry around while he pines over Alex on the phone to Pez, who immediately finds Alex's Instagram--which is private--but that's fine because Pez going to infiltrate and report back.

Alex is a lawyer on the Rafael Luna campaign. It's a lot of work, and he doesn't get much sleep, and he's always nervous and he thinks maybe he's getting ulcer but he really believes in Raf and that his administration could do some real good for the country and he's going to give it his all even if it ends up killing him because God Bless America and all that shit.

He can't really think about the hot guy that moved next door or his adorable dog or how he probably missed the window to introduce himself and if he did it now it would just be awkward.

The guy is quiet, anyway. He never has any visitors and his dog doesn't even bark but he does hear him talking and laughing on the phone sometimes (they do share a wall and it's not particularly thick) and Alex doesn't feel jealous of whoever is on the other end of the line at all. (Which is a huge lie).

The fic will start in winter and feature a little scene from each season as their relationship progresses, ending in autumn and featuring election day.

Also of note:

there's a very cute used book store and an ice cream shop just down the street from their house. They'll probably make out in both places!

[taumont]

My list of books I wish to have read by the end of the year:

Quiet Days in Clichy -- Henry Miller

La petite vertu -- James Hadley Chase

Breakfast of Champions -- Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Call at Corazon -- Paul Bowles

Solaris -- Stanislaw Lem

Slaughterhouse-Five -- Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

The Savage Detectives -- Roberto Bolano

La Boutique Obscure: 124 Dreams -- Georges Perec

Mon corps pour me guérir: décodage psychobiologique des maladies -- Christian Flèche

A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living -- Joseph Campbell

Speak, Memory -- Vladimir Nabokov

Supreme Influence: Change Your Life with the Power of the Language You Use -- Niurka

The Journey and the Guide: A practical course in Enlightment -- Maitreyabandhu

Egon Schiele: Drawings and Water-colours -- Egon Schiele, Erwin Mitsch

Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears -- Pema Chodron

Rumi Revealed: Selected Poems from the Divan of Shams -- Rassouli

Confessions of an Art Addict -- Peggy Guggenheim

The Executioner's Song -- Norman Mailer

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead -- Olga Tokarczuk

Flights -- Olga Tokarczuk

America -- Jean Baudrillard

Too Much and Not the Mood: Essays -- Durga Chew-Bose

I Had Nowhere to Go -- Jonas Mekas

Francesca Woodman -- Marco Pierini

Yves Klein -- Hannah Weitmeier

Dune (Dune #1) -- Frank Herbert

Oreillers d'herbes -- Natsume Soseki

Les Choses humaines -- Karine Tuil

The Energy of Slaves: Poems -- Leonard Cohen

Selected Writings - Antonin Artaud

The Sisters Brothers -- Patrick deWitt

Pastoralia -- George Saunders

Signs Preceding the End of the World -- Yuri Herrera

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley -- Peter Guralnick

Break, Blow, Burn -- Camille Paglia

Voyage au bout de la nuit -- Louis-Ferdinand Céline

Philip K. Dick: In His Own Words -- Philip K. Dick

Autobiography of a Yogi -- Paramahansa Yogananda

A Confederacy of Dunces -- John Kennedy Toole

Babel -- Patti Smith

Keith Haring Journals -- Keith Haring

Foam of the Daze -- Boris Vian

Inherent Vice -- Thomas Pynchon

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 -- Goran Olsso

Le Diable au Corps -- Raymond Radiguet

Bluets -- Maggie Nelson

Girl, Woman, Other -- Bernardine Evaristo

Devenir un ange -- Francesca Woodman

Faithfull: An Autobiography -- Marianne Faithfull

The Master and Margarita -- Mikhail Bulgakov

Eve's Hollywood - Eve Babitz

In Watermelon Sugar -- Richard Brautigan

[wahwealth]

John Wayne | Rock Hudson |The Undefeated (1969) | Civil War Western Classic

The Undefeated was an American Civil War-era Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen.  The movie stars John Wayne and Rock Hudson, it was released in 1969.   Cast John Wayne as Colonel John Henry Thomas Rock Hudson as Colonel James Langdon Tony Aguilar as General Rojas Roman Gabriel as Blue Boy Marian McCargo as Ann Lee Meriwether as Margaret Merlin Olsen as George 'Little George' Melissa Newman as Charlotte Bruce Cabot as Confederate Sergeant Jeff Newby Michael Vincent as Lieutenant Bubba Wilkes Ben Johnson as 'Short' Grub Edward Faulkner as Anderson Harry Carey Jr. as Webster Paul Fix as General Joe Masters Royal Dano as Major Sanders Richard Mulligan as Dan Morse Carlos Rivas as Diaz John Agar as Christian Guy Raymond as Giles Don Collier as Goodyear Big John Hamilton as Mudlow Dub Taylor as McCartney Henry Beckman as Thad Benedict Víctor Junco as Major Tapia Robert Donner as Judd Mailer Pedro Armendariz Jr. as Escalante James Dobson as Jamison Rudy Diaz as Sanchez Richard Angarola as Petain James McEachin as Jimmy Collins Gregg Palmer as Parker Juan García as Colonel Gomez Kiel Martin as Union Runner Bob Gravage as Joe Hicks You are invited to join the channel so that Mr. P can notify you when new videos are uploaded, https://www.youtube.com/@nrpsmovieclassics

[therecordchanger62279]

TOP 20 FAVORITE AUTHORS

JOAN DIDION

HUNTER S. THOMPSON

JOHN STEINBECK

RAYMOND CHANDLER

JOYCE JOHNSON

TOM WOLFE

NICK TOSCHES

HARLAN ELLISON

ELMORE LEONARD

DAVE MARSH

LISA ROBINSON

WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY, JR.

NORMAN MAILER

ARTHUR C. CLARKE

ROSS McDONALD

ROBERT CHRISTGAU

BEN FONG-TORRES

RICHARD BRAUTIGAN

JAMES ELLROY

MICHAEL MOORCOCK

There are, of course, countless more.

[laguera25]

Tagged by @notafraidofredyellowandblue

Fave color: N/A

Currently reading: The Executioner's Song, by Norman Mailer. It's supposed to be a true account of a killer fighting to be executed by firing squad in Utah in the 1970s, but so far, it reads like historical fiction. I'm currently very meh on it.

Last song: AC/DC, "What Do You Do for Money, Honey?"

Last movie: Paranormal Prison. A found-footage horror movie. The acting is high-school dinner theater, but it has a happy ending, which is a rarity in the genre these days.

Sweet/spicy/savoury: Sweet. And spicy. And savory. I just like food.

Currently working on: Creativity has ground to a halt between my Rammstein trip and borking my leg and the general blah I always get in the autumn and winter, but I'm still trying to carve out my Richard/OFC/Schneider fic. It's just completely bogged down in my lack of drive.

[paulisded]

The Ledge #609: New Releases Pt. 1

Once again, the monthly new release show has to be expanded into a two-part extravaganza. 2023 is seriously shaping up to be a wonderful year for new music, as evidence not only by tonight's show but all of our new release broadcasts so far this year.

As always, we have some tracks by "friends" of the show (Rob Moss, Dave Strong, Robbie Quine, Friends of Cesar Romero and others), some longtime faves (The Hillbilly Moon Explosion, Laura Jane Grace, Keith Richards, etc.) and quite a few relative newcomers (Shadow Show, Mala Vista, Faz Waltz, and so much more).

But this episode also includes a couple of tunes by a record that could quite possibly end up being my favorite record of the year, the self-titled debut album by The Sleeveens on Dirtnap Records. This is the dirty garage/punk record I've been crdaving for quite some time, and I hope you folks all love it as much as I do. 

And once again I have a late entry to the "Teenage Kicks" cover series, thanks to a fellow DJ who sent me a version set to be released in April by Canadian Music Hall of Famer Lee Aaron. The Undertones tune is part of a covers album titled "Tattoo Me", which also includes remakes of songs by Elastica, Led Zeppelin, Nina Simone, and Elton John. Yeah, quite an odd assembly of songs.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Lee Aaron - Teenage Kicks

2. Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin - You and Time

3. Dave Strong - Where Should I Go

4. Robbie Quine - Two Of Hearts

5. Mala Vista - 9 Ball

6. Shadow Show - Your Fantasy

7. Shadow Show - Mystic Spiral

8. The Hillbilly Moon Explosion - Sometimes Late At Night

9. The Hillbilly Moon Explosion - 1979

10. The Sleeveens - Give My Regards to The Dancing Girls

11. The Sleeveens - Dry Cider

12. Faz Waltz - The Way You Roll

13. Faz Waltz - Good Lovin'

14. Laura Jane Grace - Hole In My Head

15. Laura Jane Grace - Punk Rock In Basements

16. Mary Timony - Summer

17. Pouty - Virgos Need More Love

18. The Freeloaders - Don't Fuck Me Up (With Peace and Love)

19. Spiral Heads - One of My Dreams

20. Scaners - No Return

21. The Electromagnates - Airwave Hello

22. Christy Costello - Uranium Baby

23. Gen and the Degenerate - Girls!

24. COLD CREAM - Cactus Wife

25. Sheer Mag - Eat It and Beat It

26. Grazia - Speed Freak

27. Smalltown Tigers - Meet Me In The City

28. The Cynz - Crow Haired Boys

29. Kickboy - Sanitized

30. Hammered Saint - Taylor Swift

31. Friends of Cesar Romero - More Like Norman Fucking Mailer

32. Friends of Cesar Romero - I Believe In Her Science

33. Worse Off - Dislike, Unsubscribe

34. Keith Richards - I'm Waiting For The Man

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 1.31

Beer Birthdays

William Hoffmeister (1827)

George Hauck (1832)

William Wenzel (1854)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Connie Booth; actor, "Monty Python" (1944)

Don Hutson; Green Bay Packers WR (1913)

Terry Kath; rock guitarist, "Chicago" (1946)

Grant Morrison; comic book artist (1960)

John O'Hara; writer (1905)

Famous Birthdays

Shirley Babashoff; swimmer (1957)

Tallulah Bankhead; actor (1903)

Ernie Banks; Chicago Cubs 1B (1931)

Eddie Cantor; actor, singer (1892)

Carol Channing; actor, singer (1923)

Vernon Davis; San Francisco 49ers TE (1984)

Minnie Driver; actor (1970)

Joanne Dru; actor (1922)

James Franciscus; actor (1934)

Dick Gephardt; politician (1941)

James Gibbons Huneker; music critic (1860)

Philip Glass; composer (1937)

Zane Grey; writer (1872)

Bobby Hackett; trumpeter, bandleader (1915)

Mario Lanza; singer, actor (1921)

Anthony LaPaglia; actor (1959)

Alan Lomax; musicologist (1915)

Kelly Lynch; actor (1959)

Norman Mailer; writer (1923)

Charley Musselwhite; blues musician (1944)

Phil Manzanera; rock musician (1951)

Robert Morris; signer of the Declaration of Independence (1734)

Anna Pavlova; dancer, choreographer (1882)

Suzanne Pleshette; actor (1937)

Theodore Richards; chemist (1868)

Jackie Robinson; Brooklyn Dodgers 2B (1919)

Portia de Rossi; actor (1973)

Johnny Rotten; punk singer (1956)

Nolan Ryan; New York Mets P (1947)

Franz Schubert; composer (1797)

Jean Simmons; actor (1929)

Justin Timberlake; singer (1981)

Patricia Velasquez; model, actor (1971)

Jessica Walter; actor (1940)

Ken Wiilber; writer (1949)

[personal-reporter]

I migliori libri da leggere per un uomo

La lettura è un'attività importante per tutti, uomini e donne. Leggere ci aiuta a imparare cose nuove, ad espandere la nostra visione del mondo e a crescere come persone. Ma quali sono i migliori libri da leggere per un uomo? Ecco una lista di alcuni titoli che potrebbero interessare ai lettori maschi: Saggistica "Il Principe" di Niccolò Machiavelli è un classico della letteratura politica che offre una visione spietata del potere e della sua conquista. "L'arte della guerra" di Sun Tzu è un altro classico della letteratura militare che offre consigli pratici per vincere le battaglie. "Il mondo nuovo" di Aldous Huxley è un romanzo distopico che immagina un futuro in cui la società è completamente controllata dallo Stato. "1984" di George Orwell è un altro romanzo distopico che immagina un futuro in cui il governo controlla ogni aspetto della vita delle persone. "L'uomo che non era mai stato" di Richard Bach è un romanzo filosofico che esplora il tema dell'identità e della libertà. Narrativa "Guerra e pace" di Lev Tolstoj è un romanzo storico che racconta la storia di due famiglie russe durante le guerre napoleoniche. "L'amante di Lady Chatterley" di D.H. Lawrence è un romanzo erotico che racconta la storia d'amore tra una donna sposata e un operaio. "Il cacciatore di squali" di Peter Benchley è un romanzo thriller che racconta la storia di un cacciatore di squali che si trova a combattere contro un pericoloso squalo bianco. "Il mago di Oz" di L. Frank Baum è un romanzo fantasy per bambini che racconta la storia di Dorothy e del suo viaggio nel Mondo di Oz. "Il Signore degli Anelli" di J.R.R. Tolkien è una trilogia fantasy che racconta la storia di Frodo e della sua missione per distruggere l'Anello del Potere. Autobiografie "Vita di Pi" di Yann Martel è un'autobiografia romanzata che racconta la storia di Pi Patel, un ragazzo indiano che sopravvive a un naufragio e si ritrova a vivere per 227 giorni su una zattera con un leone. "Papà, ho ammazzato un uomo" di Norman Mailer è un'autobiografia che racconta la storia di Norman Mailer, un famoso scrittore americano, e del suo coinvolgimento in un omicidio. "Long Way Down" di Anthony Bourdain è un'autobiografia che racconta la storia di Anthony Bourdain, un famoso chef e scrittore, e del suo viaggio in motocicletta da New York a Los Angeles. "Sapiens. Da animali a dèi" di Yuval Noah Harari è un'autobiografia che racconta la storia dell'umanità, dall'alba dei tempi ai giorni nostri. "Perché le cose accadono" di Nassim Nicholas Taleb è un'autobiografia che racconta la storia di Nassim Nicholas Taleb, un matematico e filosofo, e della sua visione del mondo. Questa lista è solo un suggerimento, e ovviamente ci sono molti altri libri che potrebbero interessare agli uomini. La cosa importante è scegliere libri che siano interessanti e stimolanti, e che possano aiutarci a crescere come persone. Ecco alcuni criteri che possono essere utili per scegliere i libri da leggere: Interessi personali: i libri che scegliamo dovrebbero essere in linea con i nostri interessi personali. Se ci piace la storia, potremmo scegliere di leggere romanzi storici o biografie di personaggi storici. Se ci piace la scienza, potremmo scegliere di leggere saggi scientifici o biografie di scienziati. Livello di lettura: è importante scegliere libri che siano adatti al nostro livello di lettura. Se siamo principianti, potremmo scegliere libri più semplici, con un linguaggio più accessibile. Se abbiamo un livello di lettura più avanzato, potremmo scegliere libri più complessi, con un linguaggio più tecnico. Tempo a disposizione: è importante scegliere libri che possiamo effettivamente leggere. Se abbiamo poco tempo a disposizione, potremmo scegliere libri brevi o romanzi di genere. Se abbiamo più tempo, potremmo scegliere libri più lunghi o romanzi impegnativi. La lettura è un'esperienza personale e soggettiva. Non esiste un libro che piaccia a tutti. L'importante è provare diversi libri e trovare quelli che ci piacciono di più. Foto di Pexels da Pixabay Read the full article

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: Ed Fancher, a Founder of The Village Voice, Is Dead at 100 by Richard Sandomir

By Richard Sandomir A psychologist, he started the alternative weekly with Dan Wolf and Norman Mailer in 1955. “We were crazy enough to think it would succeed,” he said. Published: September 28, 2023 at 06:48PM from NYT Business https://ift.tt/vI3cPOR via IFTTT

[davidpwilson2564]

Bloglet

Saturday, September 9, 2023

Hot, humid. Then...the rumble of thunder and hopes that a rain might cool things off a bit.

News of little thieves invading stores, restaurants, bars. Kids with those boxes of candy and gum, sometimes on a shoulder strap. A familiar sight. They claim to be raising money for the school basketball team, or some other worthy cause. But they've come in off the street to steal. (Shades of Oliver Twist.) Sent in my adults to swipe purses (or the contents thereof), cash... Very sad.

Sunday, September 10, 2023

The sound of rain.

Thinking of the story told, I think by Dick Cavett, of the British writer gone to L A to work on a screeplay of his book. Couldn't work. Kept looking out his window. Bright sunlight. People sitting around the pool. Finally got a recording of the sound of rain. Drew the blinds. Was able to resume writing.

Another, similar story. This having to do with William Buckley, who vouched for a killer (perhaps emulating Mailer). Richard Brown. Buckley helped Brown, after years of prison, get released. Brown was working on his book ("Brief Against Death") but had to listen to a loop tape of prison sounds while writing it.

It is a bit cooler today. Thunderstorms predicted. Cooler at last.

Evening. The New York Giants play the Cowboys in New Jersey and are humiliated. Cowboys win 40-0. This is the "sports glut" time of year when there is baseball and football sharing TV space. A lot of events aren't being shown because of an overcompicated dispute with Disney. Many channels are blocked.

to be continued

[brookston]

Holidays 6.16

Holidays

Academy of Experience Day

Achalasia Awareness Day

Arborist Appreciation Day

Bloomsday (James Joyce's Ulysses)

Blues Brothers Day

Captain Picard Day

Casual Day

Day of Third-Hand Reports and Shaky Evidence

Engineer's Day (Argentina)

Escalator Day

Father’s Day (Seychelles)

Global Health Coach Day

Hemiplegic Migraine Awareness Day

House Divided Speech Day

International Day of Family Remittances (UN)

International Day of the African Child (OAU)

International Domestic Workers Day

International Waterfall Day

Jewish Trans Poetry Day

Ladies’ Day (MLB)

Mid Year Celebration (Elder Scrolls)

Mission From God Day (Blues Brothers)

Mr. Sack Day

National ASK Day

National Casey Day

National Garden Day (Canada)

National hATTR Day (Brazil)

National Jade Day

National Mohammad Day

National Morticians Day

National Richard Day

National Wear BLUE Day (for Men’s Health)

No Orange Clothes Day

Peace of Chaco Day (Bolivia/Paraguay)

Psycho Day

Scrubwomen Tea Party Day

Sussex Day (UK)

Thyme Day (French Republic)

Transpoon Day

Tupac Shakur Day (California)

Two Million March Anniversary Day (Hong Kong)

Wish Fulfillment Day

Women in Space Day

World Electrosensitivity Day

World Refill Day

World Sea Turtle Day

World Smell Day

World Tessellation Day

Youth Day (South Africa)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Cracker Jack Day

Fresh Veggies Day

National Cannoli Day

National Fudge Day

National Tortilla Day

National Turkey Lovers Day

National Vegemite Day (Australia)

National Vinegar Day

Pepsi-Cola Day

Wagashi (Japanese Sweets Day; Japan)

3rd Friday in June

Casual Day [Friday before Summer Solstice]

Dollars Against Diabetes Days begin [3rd Friday]

Duct Tape Festival begins (Avon, Ohio) [3rd Friday]

Feast of the Sacred Heart (Christian) [Friday after the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost]

National Day of Prayer for Law Enforcement Officers [3rd Friday]

National Flip Flop Day [3rd Friday]

National Take Back the Lunch Break Day [3rd Friday]

Stop Cyberbullying Day [3rd Friday]

Take a Road Trip Day [3rd Friday]

Ugliest Dog Day [3rd Friday]

Vikingespil Frederikssund (Viking Festival; Denmark) [Begins 2nd-to-Last Friday]

Work at Home Father's Day [Friday before Father's Day]

Independence Days

Efransa (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Aurelianus of Arles (Christian; Saint)

Aureus of Mainz (and his sister Justina; Christian; Saint)

Benno (Christian; Saint) [Dresden, Munich; Germany] *

Cettin of Oran (Christian; Saint)

Curig of Llanbadarn (Christian; Saint)

Ferreolus and Ferrutio (Christian; Martyrs)

George Berkeley and Joseph Butler (Episcopal Church)

John Francis Regis (Christian; Saint)

John Linnell (Artology)

Lutgardis of Tongeren (a.k.a. Lutgart; Christian; Saint)

Media Ver X (Pagan)

Night of a Teardrop (Ancient Egypt)

Quriaqos and Julietta (Christian; Martyrs)

Rotary Doozer (Muppetism)

Steppenwolf Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

William Penn (Positivist; Saint)

World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests

World Meat-Free Day (Pastafarian)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 12 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [12 of 24]

Prime Number Day: 167 [39 of 72]

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [35 of 57]

Premieres

Ancient Evenings, by Norman Mailer (Historical Novel; 1983)

Asteroid City (Film; 2023)

At San Quentin, by Johnny Cash (Live Album; 1969)

Batman Forever (Film; 1995)

Batman Returns (Film; 1992)

Bitter Sweet Symphony, by The Verve (Album; 1997)

The Blues Brothers (Film; 1980)

Carl’s Date (Pixar Cartoon; 2023)

Cars 3 (Animated Pixar Film; 2017)

Chow Hound (WB LT Cartoon; 1951)

Elemental (Pixar Animated Film; 2023)

Euphoria (TV Series; 2019)

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Film; 2006) [F&F #3]

First Family, by David Baldacci (Novel; 2009)

The Flash (Film; 2023)

Ghostbusters II (Film; 1989)

Grand Theft Auto (Film; 1977)

Grease (Film; 1978)

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Film; 2021)

Honky Tonk, recorded by Bill Dogged (Song; 1956)

Hot in Cleveland (TV Series; 2010)

Jubal Sackett, by Louis L’Amour (Novel; 1985)

Lilo & Stitch (Animated Disney Film; 2002)

Lou (Pixar Cartoon; 2017)

Mickey’s Steam-Roller (Disney Cartoon; 1934)

Musical Chairs (TV Game Show; 1975)

Napoleon Bunny-Part (WB MM Cartoon; 1956)

Old Wave, by Ringo Starr (Album; 1983)

Pocahontas (Animated Disney Film; 1995)

The Postman (Film; 1995)

Psycho (Film; 1960)

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, by David Bowie (Album; 1972)

Rough Night (Film; 2017)

Roxy Music, by Roxy Music (Album; 1972)

Shaft (Film; 2000)

Tarzan (Animated Disney Film; 1999)

Titan A.E. (Animated Film; 2000)

Trout Mask Replica, by Captain Beefheart (Album; 1969)

The Wizard of Oz (Musical Play; 1902)

Today’s Name Days

Benno, Luitgard, Quirin (Austria)

Aurelije, Zlata, Zlatko (Croatia)

Zbyněk (Czech Republic)

Tycho (Denmark)

Heelia, Päive, Päivi (Estonia)

Päivä, Päivi, Päivikki (Finland)

François-Régis, Jean-François, Régis (France)

Benno, Julietta, Luitgard, Quirin (Germany)

Tichon, Tychon (Greece)

Jusztin (Hungary)

Aureliano, Ferruccio, Giuditta (Italy)

Justīne, Juta (Latvia)

Benas, Julita, Jūra, Tolminas (Lithuania)

Tiril, Torhild, Toril (Norway)

Alina, Aneta, Benon, Budzimir, Jan, Justyna, Ludgarda (Poland)

Tihon (România)

Julia (Russia)

Blanka (Slovakia)

Aureliano, Francisco, Juan (Spain)

Axel, Axelina (Sweden)

Aurel, Aurelia, Aurelio, Aurelius, Aurora, Dawn, Oralia, Orelia (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 167 of 2024; 198 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 24 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ding-Si), Day 29 (Yi-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 27 Sivan 5783

Islamic: 27 Dhu al-Qada 1444

J Cal: 17 Sol; Threesday [17 of 30]

Julian: 3 June 2023

Moon: 2%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 27 St. Paul (6th Month) [William Penn]

Runic Half Month: Dag (Day) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 88 of 92)

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 26 of 32)

[xtruss]

A History Of 'Snake Oil Salesmen'

— August 26, 2013 | By Lakshmi Gandhi

Made from the oil of the Chinese water snake, which is rich in the omega-3 acids that help reduce inflammation, snake oil in its original form was effective, especially when used to treat arthritis and bursitis. Jagrap/Flickr

"Snake Oil Salesman." The phrase conjures up images of seedy profiteers trying to exploit an unsuspecting public by selling it fake cures. In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary defines snake oil as "a quack remedy or panacea." What the OED does not note, however, is that the history of snake oil is linked to an often forgotten chapter of Asian-American history.

Because the words "snake oil" are so evocative, it has been a favorite go-to phrase for politicians and lobbying groups on both sides of the aisle. Earlier this month, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell called his opponent in the Republican primary, Tea Party candidate Matt Bevin, a snake oil salesman in a campaign mailer. While campaigning for a second term last year, President Obama referred to the Romney-Ryan tax plan as "trickle-down snake oil" at a rally. In 2008, the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund took out full-page ads in The Washington Post to denounce then-President George W. Bush's plan to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, calling it "100 percent snake oil."

But what, exactly, is snake oil? And why is peddling it such a terrible thing?

The 1800s saw thousands of Chinese workers arriving in the United States as indentured laborers to work on the Transcontinental Railroad. According to historian Richard White's book Railroaded, about 180,000 Chinese immigrated to the United States between 1849 and 1882. The vast majority of the workers came from peasant families in southeastern China and were signed to contracts that ran up to five years for relatively low wages (compared with their white counterparts), wrote David Haward Bain in his book Empire Express.

Among the items the Chinese railroad workers brought with them to the States were various medicines — including snake oil. Made from the oil of the Chinese water snake, which is rich in the omega-3 acids that help reduce inflammation, snake oil in its original form really was effective, especially when used to treat arthritis and bursitis. The workers would rub the oil, used for centuries in China, on their joints after a long hard day at work. The story goes that the Chinese workers began sharing the oil with some American counterparts, who marveled at the effects.

So how did a legitimate medicine become a symbol of fraud? The origins of snake oil as a derogatory phrase trace back to the latter half of the 19th century, which saw a dramatic rise in the popularity of "patent medicines." Often sold on the back pages of newspapers, these tonics promised to cure a wide variety of ailments including chronic pain, headaches, "female complaints" and kidney trouble. In time, all of these false "cures" began to be referred to as snake oil.

As word of the healing powers of Chinese snake oil grew, many Americans wondered how they could make their own snake oil here in the United States. Because there were no Chinese water snakes handy in the American West, many healers began using rattlesnakes to make their own versions of snake oil.

This set the stage for entrepreneur Clark Stanley, aka The Rattlesnake King. In an 1897 pamphlet about Stanley's life and exploits, the former cowboy claimed he had learned about the healing power of rattlesnake oil from Hopi medicine men. He never publicly mentioned Chinese snake oil at all. Stanley created a huge stir at the 1893 World's Exposition in Chicago when he took a live snake and sliced it open before a crowd of onlookers.

Joe Schwarcz, the director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society, described the scene in this 2008 article:

How did a legitimate medicine become a symbol of fraud? Wikimedia Commons

"[Stanley] reached into a sack, plucked out a snake, slit it open and plunged it into boiling water. When the fat rose to the top, he skimmed it off and used it on the spot to create 'Stanley's Snake Oil,' a liniment that was immediately snapped up by the throng that had gathered to watch the spectacle."

There were two major problems with Stanley's claim about his oil:

First, rattlesnake oil was far less effective than the original Chinese snake oil it was trying to emulate. A 1989 letter to The Western Journal of Medicine from psychiatrist and researcher Richard Kunin revealed that the Chinese oil contained almost triple the amount of a vital acid as did rattlesnake oil.

Secondly, Stanley's Snake Oil didn't contain any snake oil at all. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 sought to clamp down on the sale of patent medicines and it was that legislation that led to Stanley's undoing. After seizing a shipment of Stanley's Snake Oil in 1917, federal investigators found that it primarily contained mineral oil, a fatty oil believed to be beef fat, red pepper and turpentine. That's right — Stanley's signature product did not contain a drop of actual snake oil, and hundreds of consumers discovered they had been had.

It was probably around then that snake oil became symbolic of fraud. Snake oil salesmen and traveling doctors became stock characters in American Westerns. The first written usage of the phrase appeared in Stephen Vincent Benet's epic 1927 poem John Brown's Body, when the poet refers to "Crooked creatures of a thousand dubious trades ... sellers of snake-oil balm and lucky rings." About 30 years later, playwright Eugene O'Neill referred to snake oil in his 1956 play The Iceman Cometh, when a character suggested that a rival was "standing on a street corner in hell right now, making suckers of the damned, telling them there's nothing like snake oil for a bad burn."

As for what happened to Clark Stanley after it was found that his whole empire was based on a lie? He was fined $20 (that's about $429 in today's dollars) for violating the food and drug act and for "misbranding" his product by "falsely and fraudulently represent[ing] it as a remedy for all pain."

Stanley did not dispute the charges.

[dlvjewel]

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