Facts about the year 1908

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I received this in an email from my cousin. Thought I'd share.

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One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 :
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The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles
Of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
Entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza

2. Tuberculosis

3. Diarrhea

4. Heart disease

5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas , Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea
Hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.'

Eighteen percent of households had at least
One full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

SUMMER IS COMING
And that’s means the Movie Blockbusters!
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Below are the opening dates for the summer movies I think will be cool:

Iron Man ( May2)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22 – this one I’ll go see in the theatre)
Sex and the City (May 30)
The Incredible Hulk (June 13)
Wall-E (June 27)
Wanted (June 27)
Hancock (July 2)
The Dark Knight (July 18 – this one and old Indy are at the top of my must-see list)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11)
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D (July 11)
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (July 25 – I believe, I believe)

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It’s going to be a geek summer at the movies. :)

TOP TEN BEST BANDS

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My favorite rock bands of all time. I started thinking about that after my previous blog. What are my favorites:

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1) The Beatles

2) The Beach Boys (I grew up in Southern California ... how could they not be near the top of the list)

3) The Eagles

4) Creedence Clearwater Revival

5) Queen

6) Lynyrd Skynyrd

7) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

8) The Doors

9) The Guess Who

10) Boston

The Beatles - The Long and Winding Road

This came on the radio today and I completely stopped to listen. One of my favorites.

WATCH ON THE RHINE

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Okay, now I've seen Watch on the Rhine. I had high expectations. The play on which it was based was written by Lillian Hellman and the screenplay was penned by Dashiell Hammett. Pretty damn good writing credentials there. It stars Bette Davis who, for my vote, is in the top ten movie actresses of all time. No, make that top five and I don't know who the other four would be at the moment. And Paul Lukas beat out Bogie in Casablanca for the Best Actor Oscar. Yep, high expectations.

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While Watch on the Rhine and Casablanca share some similar themes, Casablanca is a timeless movie (and one of my all-time favorites) and Watch is a movie of its time. Some movies retain their magic over the years while others do not. I can understand why the Academy gave the Oscar to Lukas but they blew it (they've done this before and will again in the future). Bogie should have won. Bogie wasn't an actor playing Rick Blaine. Bogie is Rick Blaine and still is.

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If you're a film history buff, most definitely seek out Watch on the Rhine. If you just like good movies, visit (or re-visit) Casablanca. Go there for the waters.

JAMIE LEE CURTIS BATHING

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I did a blog a while back with photos of Miz Curtis (I think it had to with strange Hollywood legends). I've had more hits on that particular blog than any other I've done. So here's Jamie Lee bathing in blood. While you're here, check out my links to my novels over on the right ... The Inheritance (winner of the 2003 Dream Realm Award for horror) ... Rebel Nation (alternative history-thriller) ... To the Mountain of the Beast (Alien meets Lonesome Dove sci-fi/horror set in the Old West) ... it would be easy to image Miz Curtis as Sierra Price in TI ... or as McKenna Alexander in RN ... or as Laci McCulloh in TTMOTB. Honest, I'm not kidding. After you've read one or more of my novels, you can write me here and tell me whether or not you agree. I'll listen and respond to your letter. Cool. Get to it. Order now. No lines to wait in. Go. Now. Talk to you soon. Here's a few more photos as a bonus.

(Hey, how'd Jennifer Connelly sneak in there? OK, now you have to buy two novels. Picture Ms. Curtis in one and Ms. Connelly in the other.)

FLASHBACK

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The other day I learned about Hulu (http://www.hulu.com/). It's a web-site that shows old TV programs. Some are clips but it also has full episodes of some TV series. First I watched the first episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show then I found myself watching Lou Grant. This show is still cool. It holds up well. I'll be watching more. (Note to self: You gotta get a life.)

CHARLTON HESTON

1924-2008

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Actor Charlton Heston has passed away at the age of 84. He was best known for his performances in movie blockbusters of the 1950s & 1960s. He was in The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur (for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor, The Greatest Show on Earth, and The Agony and the Ecstasy. Heston also stepped into the political arena from time-to-time. He marched with Martin Luther King for Civil Rights and was the spokesperson for the NRA. While I didn't agree with some of his political views, he was always a screen presence. Some of my personal favorites among his films are:

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Planet of the Apes (1968)

Touch of Evil

The 3 Musketeers (1973 -- and its sequel The Four Musketeers)

The Big Country

Soylent Green

Major Dundee

Will Penny

Chiefs (TV mini-series)

The Private War of Major Benson.

Exclusive! Deception trailer

Hugh Jackman ... Ewan McGregor ... Michelle Williams ... looks cool

IN THE QUEUE

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I went to the Netflix site to check out what I have in my line-up. I discover that 3 selections are listed as "Long Wait" and 3 others are listed as "Short Wait." I guess I'm the only one who wants to see my other picks.

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Under Long Wait:

American Gangster with Denzel and Crowe.

In the Valley of Elah with Tommy Lee and Charlize Theron.

Watch on the Rhine. This one surprised me. It's an old 1943 flick with Bette Davis that has just been released on DVD. Pre-World War Two storyline. Three reasons I picked it other than I've never seen it before: 1) the plot sounded intriguing. 2) Davis is one of our best actresses ever. 3) Paul Lukas won the Best Actor Oscar for his role. (He beat Bogie in Casablanca so he'd better be spectacular).

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Under Short Wait:

The Hunting Party with Gere.

Eureka: First Season. Never caught this one when it was on Sci-Fi Channel.

Hitman with Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant.

and

I Could Never Be Your Woman with Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd.

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I know. It's a weird batch of movies to be thrown together.