England

This week, upon the 100th anniversary of his birth, May 24, 1913, fellow bloggers are joining me in celebrating the life and career of actor Peter Cushing.A young man and a fledgling actor in 1939, Cushing traveled halfway around the world to Hollywood where he got his first film experience under director James Whale. In 1940, he appeared opposite Laurel and Hardy in A Chump at Oxford. Kicking around the film capital, he joined fellow British expats playing cricket and he met Boris Karloff. Compelled by patriotism, Cushing cut short his Hollywood adventure and headed back home to duty in blitzkrieged London. He was promptly drafted into the theater and soon touring the world as a member of Laurence Olivier’s troupe. He would play Osric to Olivier’s Hamlet in the 1948 film adaptation. In the Fifties, Cushing became a household name on British television with award-winning performances in live broadcasts playing, among many others, Beau Brummell and Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four. In 1957, with The Curse of Frankensteinfor Hammer Films, Cushing embarked on a spectacular career as a horror film star, rising to a pantheon that includes the Chaneys, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and his contemporaries and friends Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. No sketch, however brief, of Peter Cushing’s extraordinary life and career is complete without a mention of his wife Helen, née Beck, who passed away in 1971. Cushing was devastated and he would mourn her every day for the rest of his life. He would say that he was just killing time, only waiting to be reunited with her. I was in London last winter, doing research at the National Gallery where I had access to Peter Cushing’s file. It contained a photograph of a young Helen Beck, and I was struck by her beauty and the kindness in her eyes, and I understood, a little bit at least, how deeply her loss must have affected Cushing. Peter Cushing work until the end. His last gig was narrating — with Christopher Lee — Flesh and Blood, Ted Newsom’s documentary about Hammer Films. Cushing passed away on August 11, 1994, the very same week that the film was broadcast in England. At the top of this post is the splendid cover by Quinton Winter for a recent issue of Fortean Times.It features an article, The Human Face of Horror, by Stephen Volk and an extract from his novella set in Cushing’s beloved Whitstable. There is also a look at Cushing the artist, his watercolors and illustrated scripts, and a Fortean appraisal of “Weird Whitstable”. The issue is well worth seeking out.Now, on to the Blogathon! Check back often. We have a fabulous group of participating bloggers and I’ll be updating here with new links as they come in every day and all through the week.

The Boston Herald reports the New England Patriots have signed their fourth round draft pick, wide receiver Josh Boyce to a four year deal. Boyce is the fifth draft pick to sign with the Patriots, leaving second round draft pick, WR Aaron Dobson, and seventh round draft pick,  defensive end Michael Buchanan.

“On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a feature for books that have caught our eye: books we have heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. Thus, the Smugglers’ Radar was born. Because we want far more books than we can possibly buy or review (what else is new?), we thought we would make the Smugglers’ Radar into a weekly feature – so YOU can tell us which books you have on your radar as well! Howdy! We are off to our annual pilgrimage to Book Expo America in NY next week. Here’s our top 10 titles – 5 each – that we are dying to get: On Ana’s Radar: ROSE UNDER FIRE! ROSE UNDER FIRE! Ahem. Elizabeth Wein will be signing this companion novel to the ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS Code Name Verity and if I could get only ONE book this year, this would be it. While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women’s concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her? Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival. Rita Williams-Garcia wrote a sequel to One Crazy Summer, a book I ADORED AND she will be signing said book at BEA! BEA is a haven for fans of Middle Grade fiction (and also Dystopians. DYSTOPIANS EVERYWHERE AT BEA) and often you can find awesome MG books there. This one has been on my radar for a while and I can’t wait for it (please Lord of the Books, LET IT BE GOOD): Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle? Caroline Carlson’s hilarious tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot is perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events and Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society. Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword. There’s only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags. But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn’t exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas. Written with uproarious wit and an inviting storyteller tone, the first book in Caroline Carlson’s quirky seafaring series is a piratical tale like no other. Dead End in Norvelt was a book I picked up at BEA on a whim and ended up loving. Now the author has a follow-up coming: A Newbery Medalist Author. A Historical Middle Grade novel featuring Adventure! Theatre! Could this be this year’s Splendors and Glooms? PLEASE SAY YES. Max Starling’s theatrical father likes to say that at twelve a boy is independent. He also likes to boast (about his acting skills, his wife’s acting skills, a fortune only his family knows is metaphorical), but more than anything he likes to have adventures. Max Starling’s equally theatrical mother is not a boaster but she enjoys a good adventure as much as her husband. When these two disappear, what can sort-of-theatrical Max and his not-at-all theatrical grandmother do? They have to wait to find out something, anything, and to worry, and, in Max’s c

A hedgehog in Bude, Cornwall, England, was taken to the vet because he was so big and round that he couldn't walk or curl up. Veterinary staff were puzzled, because the huge hedgehog was of normal weight. An x-ray revealed that the animal was, indeed, inflated. Veterinary surgeon Adam Revitt said he had never seen a case of "balloon syndrome" before.Balloon syndrome occurs when bacteria gets into a wound and gives off gas that becomes trapped under the skin, Mr Revitt explained.He added: "This is the first case I had ever seen. It is uncommon. There are very few things published about it."Without the treatment it couldn’t breathe and would probably have died."Revitt used a syringe to slowly deflate the hedgehog over about five minutes. The animal is now on antibiotics and is recovering nicely. Link -via ArbroathPreviously at Neatorama:A similar case from 2007.

It's not often that the NFL undergoes a schematic transition. In reality, the league is pretty bland when it comes to coaching, but in the past couple of years, things have changed.There are more and more formations and concepts that are being brought over from the college ranks, as witnessed this past season with the implementation of the pistol and zone read. Another addition (or expansion) has been the no-huddle attack.Teams are using an up-tempo offense more than just in the final stages of a half. They're using it in the middle of drives and quarters, making it difficult for defenses to keep pace with them. The New England Patriots are best known for this right now, but it's something that goes back many years, dating back to at least the early '90s with the Buffalo Bills' K-Gun offense.There are three keys to successfully using a no-huddle attack: controlling tempo, cutting down terminology and using simpler concepts to move the ball. TempoControlling tempo is the biggest advantage in sports right now. I frequently compare the sport of football to basketball because a lot of the concepts and philosophies are similar, and it's no different here.In basketball, there are teams like the San Antonio Spurs, for example, that do a great job of controlling the game. They know when to push the game and when to sit back. It's a fine line and one that many football play-callers don't understand because they don't have a feel for it.There have been NFL coaches who have done well with the no-huddle in the past, such as Chan Gailey.Although Gailey hasn't had much overall success recently, he's one of the brighter minds in the game because of his understanding of offenses. He's familiar with tempo, as he once explained using gears as an analogy, via AFCAStore.com:By lining up at the LOS [and not huddling], we push the defense into a tempo they are not accustomed to. We relate this idea to gears in a car. First gear is the gear most everyone uses. Both teams huddle then go to the LOS and execute their plays. In second gear, the offense does not huddle; therefore, the defense cannot huddle either. This changes the tempo. Third gear is hurry-hurry offense; with the no-huddle, you can get into this tempo at any time. Now we have the ability to speed up the game or slow it down according to our wants and needs. This keeps the defense off balance.Keeping the defense off balance is one of the keys to winning games, whether it's done through scheme or tempo. The Denver Broncos and aforementioned Patriots do a good job of this. A big reason why they're so successful at it is because they've cut down their verbiage. TerminologyVerbiage or terminology, as it's often called, is another big key to mastering a no-huddle attack. Long play calls are not always necessary, and teams have started to figure this out.One man who has had it long figured out is Chip Kelly of the Philadelphia Eagles and formerly of the University of Oregon. Kelly is a mastermind when it comes to terminology, using poster cutouts as signals and simple one-word play calls.A word or picture tells the offense the formation, play and blocking scheme, as former Oregon and current Baltimore Ravens tight end Ed Dickson told The Boston Globe's Greg Bedard. It can be mind-bending for offensive players at first, but it becomes easier through practice, as Dickson explained:It’s kind of easy. It comes with repetition. A lot of guys learn different. Myself, I just needed to be out there repping those plays. The more comfortable you get, the faster you’ll go. He wants to make it easier to where you’re not thinking about anything, you’re just going fast. Make it as simple as guys can learn it so you can go really fast. That’s the key, making it simple for your players so they can play at top speed. ConceptsA no-huddle attack is different from a huddled one because it uses simpler plays, most of which come from the traditional three-step passing game

I have always wanted to visit England Scotland and through my job at Rostad Tours I now have that opportunity. After a overnight flight I arrived in London a day earlier than our group so I decided to visit the office of JacTravel our local tour operator in England Scotland. After a 9 hour flight and checking into my hotel room I headed back to the Heathrow Airport to embark on my first Tub

On the last Sunday in April we were blessed with a rare gift from the UK sunshine We decided to make the most of it and go for a day trip. We decided to head to the old cathedral city of Canterbury with history dating back to the 1st Century. Canterbury is in South East England about 1.5 hours drive from London. The highlight was of course the cathedral. It is the oldest Christian structur

This is part six of a long conversation. The previous installments can be found here, here, here, here, and here. SpursFanTN: As a Spurs fan, I get to see a lot of beautiful plays. But I pretty much have to watch them in real time as Sportscenter is much more enamored with the most recent Lebron dunk. Last year was the most beautiful run of highly choreographed, dominating basketball on the offensive end of the court that I've ever witnessed. But it is hard to pick a play, or a moment, from years of greatness. So I'm going to going to go with two plays, neither of which had any meaningful impact on the game, but both stick in my memory. The first is the most unexpected, and the second was just plain amazing. So, um, Hi, my name is Steve, and I'm a Matt Bonner fan. I've been sober 18 months, but sometimes I just get an urge to take just one more sip of Matt Bonner kook-aid. I can't help it. In a lot of ways Matt Bonner reminds me of my brother, you know, if my brother was a foot taller and a sandwich connoisseur from New England. I think a lot of the criticism leveled at him is warranted, and I would even say that for a few years, he was content with his game. But I think he really worked on his game and conditioning in the off season, and during the regular season even, when he wasn't seeing a lot of minutes. Anyway, he's a great guy, with a great attitude, without a shred of athleticism, that has found a place in a very athletically competitive industry. And I like to see him be successful. The second is just Manu being Manu. I love Manu. He's been my favorite player for years, and it is difficult seeing him at the tail of his career with a body that won't do what his heart wants to do. Ginobili plays on the edge. He does risky things that result in turnovers, or awesome, game changing plays that get the fans involved, that elicit involuntary exclamations, that make you come up out of your seat, or shake your head marveling, or in the case of the clip I'm going to show you, makes you think, "What just happened?", followed by a euphemism of some kind, you know, like, "Holy cannon-fire, Batman!", or maybe something more conventional. Game 2 is over. And it was closer as we expected. Z-Bo said that after Game 1, he couldn't sleep. And he didn't turn on ESPN or any other sports channel because he didn't want to hear them talk about the game. I saw Henry Abbott interviewing some Spurs super-tweeter. He said that when the Spurs lose, he is so frustrated he hits things sometimes and it takes him days to recover. Man, I totally get it. I feel the same way after a loss. I am a Spurs fan. As far as I know, "fan" is short for "fanatic". I guess that's me because there is no other way to explain my behavior. I am emotionally invested. Losing hurts. When I used to play, I would do a Kobe (minus the media circus and grandstanding), and would follow up a loss with an extra hour or two of free throws and shooting around. That made me feel better. I could DO something productive with all of that upset energy. I have been known to do the same after a Spurs loss, as if my improved shooting would somehow help the team. It didn't, but still made me feel better. I'm not a screamer and I don't hit things, so when I can't do a shoot around, the emotion I'm feeling stays pent up inside and I'm agitated, irritable and even short with people for a few days, until it bleeds out. I'm a voracious Spurs news reader, watch video, listen to podcasts, but I do NONE of that when the Spurs lose. I can't stand it. I don't want to hear about it. I just wallow in despair and frustration. I have no idea how those other PtR guys write game recaps. I couldn't do it. It's crazy. Maybe it is emotionally immature, I don't know, I'm not an expert on such things. But that's the way it is for me. I can watch football, baseball, golf, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and have a blast, appreciating the play of both sides. I can watch other NBA or college basketball

Shandong young man Xu Shuai and his English wife From QQ: English Woman Who Married Shandong Man Encounters Forced Demolition, Relies on Foreign Nationality to Protect Husband [...] One day in 2011, Xu Shuai’s father received a land acquisition phone call from the district committee, 700 yuan of compensation for each mu [a Chinese unit of area = 1/15 of a hectare or 1/6 of an acre]. Xu’s father cherished his family’s first-class fertile farmland, [so he] haggled over the price: Each mu of land could earn 1,500-3,000 yuan in pure profit each year, so 1,500 yuan per mu would be better. The request was denied. The other side left a message: Their land would be taken in 3 days, and if they refused to give up their land at that time, they would be arrested. Xu’s father had a heart condition, and became afraid. He discussed with his son: We don’t have any connections, let’s just give up the land. Xu Shuai began to complain. He called the city mayor’s hotline, the Public Security Bureau, the Land and Resources Bureau, but all their replies were the same: They say they’ll arrest you, do you have any proof? They say they’ll confiscate your land, but have they done so? “No, not yet, they say ‘in 3 days’.” “Then call us then.” The only “proactive” reaction he got from his complaints was from Baidu Tieba. Xu Shuai wrote: “I’ve already called and told my wife: Stay and live well in London, England, don’t come back, raise our child, and find a good man to remarry. I’m already tired of living, so the day they forcibly take my land, I’ll fight with my life…” At the time, because they had no “Certificate for Having A Baby”, they were worried their child would not get a hukou after being born, so Xu Shuai’s wife Joanne [Margaret Noble] returned to England to give birth. However, their status as an international family and Xu Shuai’s characterization [of the situation] as a life and death struggle attracted attention, and some foreign media called for interviews, resulting in the town leaders to hurriedly placate him: Stop making a fuss, the land requisition can wait for a while, we won’t take it for now. “Suddenly I felt like the sun was shining, felt that there was still had a bit of hope in this social system, that it wasn’t that dark/black.” The other side yielding left Xu Shuai feeling embarrassed: “I think that land developer isn’t bad, having built a road for our village. I think development is a good thing, attracting businesses and money to develop the economy, improving the conditions of our village as well as providing jobs for our villagers. I’m a man of the modern age, my head isn’t stubborn [clinging to the past]. I said to my father, let’s sign it, because although the land acquisition is illegal, the advantages are bigger than the disadvantages…” Still at 700 yuan per mu, Xu Shuai’s land was expropriated. The bonus was that Joanne no longer complains “there’s mud as soon as I step out the door”, but the cost was “your family is now on the blacklist, be careful in the future”. Xu Shuai’s classmate who worked at the village committee reminded him as thus. Weifang city Fangzi district Dongwangsong village young man Xu Shuai married a Western wife! This is unprecedented in their village. 2010 March, this brown hair, blue-eyed young woman from London has already lived in the village for several months. Joanne experienced China’s many diverse interpersonal relationships and etiquette. [Photo: QQ] One year after the land acquisition dispute, Xu Shuai’s grandfather wanted to build a house on his old house’s foundation. To make sure everything was done properly, they submitted to the village an application for building construction, and paid the 200 yuan fee. Xu Shuai says, the village’s response at the time was: The land is yours anyway, go ahead and build it. However, when the house construction was half-way through, “some people came from the town and held my grandfather down, then

Former Patriots tight end Ben Coates will be in Boston this weekend to be presented the Humanitarian Award at the Pop Warner All-American Scholarship Banquet. It's a trip he enjoys making. "I don't get back to town often, but I'm looking forward to coming back," Coates said Friday in an interview with ESPNBoston.com. Coates' ties to the region trace back to 1991 when the Patriots drafted him in the fifth round out of Livingstone College. He played in New England until 1999, putting together a career that included five Pro Bowl berths and earned him induction into the team's Hall of Fame in 2008.