Friday, December 23, 2011

Wigan Waterstone's Signing

We sold 140 copies of Hard Time in Wigan, stealing the record established at the Trafford Centre last Saturday of 125 copies. Now the Trafford centre want the record back, and we are there on Christmas Eve.

 



Click here for the previous signing blog.

Shaun Attwood

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Frohliche Weinachten









Departing 12/23/2011 for Stowe,Vermont. As last year, the Wife and I are taking the kids North for a White Christmas,Christmas Eve at Stowe Community Church,Christmas dinner at The Green Mountain Inn, some skiing,ice-skating,Winter hikes and Yuletide relaxation.Hot tub and cocktails, Christmas movies(Barbara Stanwyck in "Xmas in Connecticut" and 'Joyeux Noel" are featured)Bourbon by the fire and attempting to forget about the practice of Law for a few days. No cooking dinner for 20 on Christmas night, no shuttling from party to party and relative's homes....less hustle and angst...more time with my kids and my wife. No Blog-posts...so I leave you with some Christmas images and my thanks for reading the nonsense I scribble here....and even more thanks for those of you who continue to Post your fine prose and pictures. I truly enjoy reading your posts and appreciate the time invested. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Labels for the Sportsman








Most of my beer swilling takes place at a local tap room or a tailgate or the hunting club and focuses on cheap watery beer that is ice cold and refreshing. I take deserved heat from the beer snobs and I do indulge in a fine Pilsner Urquel or a Stella now and then...but Yuengling Lager is about as exotic as I go on most rounds.
My beer taste was forged in the Fraternity party rooms of Lehigh where cold kegs of Hamms or Old Mil were the standard flow from multiple taps manned by abused pledges.
My taste in Bourbon and Rum may be high-brow. But when it comes to beer I am just a pedestrian and hoist a pint or a bottle of what I like.
The labels on the bottles of suds these days, that are gripped in a raised fist, are pasty foiled nonsense that you idly scrape with a fingernail while chatting with the boys or watching the game. Coors has developed a label that lets the drinker know when it is cold...but what half-wit cannot perform this thermodynamic analysis on his own...what a gimmick.
There was a time when beer lables were an art form. I have a friend who collects labels and these are some examples of sporting related beer bottle adornments. There is an odd Whiskey label that I could not resist including. I love these old lables and the feeling they convey for the drink and the drinker.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Latino War Veteran Murdered by Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Guards
More senseless murder in Arpaio's jail system:

After being kept alive for days following a fight with guards, a Latino military veteran died late Tuesday when he was taken off life support by doctors at a Phoenix hospital.

Ernest “Marty” Atencio was 44. He was injured early Friday morning, just hours after the Justice Department accused the Arizona sheriff of running an agency that regularly violates the rights of Latinos.

“His entire family was by his bedside when he passed,” the family’s attorney, Mike Manning, said. His parents, two brothers and three sons were there to make the decision.

Atencio had been taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in critical condition with injuries from the fight. Doctors later determined he had been shocked at least four times with a Taser, according to Manning.

Earlier on Tuesday, Manning said Atencio was brain dead and his family had flown to Phoenix to decide whether to take him off life support.

Phoenix police arrested Atencio after he was seen kicking on the door of an apartment and then harassing a woman walking down the street. Manning said Atencio suffered from bipolar disorder and had been off his medication.

Phoenix officers processed him and took him to the Maricopa County jail for holding. At the jail, however, Atencio began struggling with officers from both Phoenix and Maricopa County law enforcement, according to statements by both agencies.

Neither agency has detailed exactly what happened during the struggle. The sheriff’s office has yet to release a video of the incident to Phoenix police, Atencio’s family or the public.
Chester Waterstone's Signing



Tomorrow we are in Wigan where we set a new sales record last year of 99 copies. Thursday December 22nd, 2011 - Waterstone's, 6 The Grand Arcade, Wigan, WN1 1BH (01942 497 095) from 11am until 4pm.

Click here for the previous signing blog

Shaun Attwood

Eat What You Kill Son





Here is a news story that highlights a questionable performance by an athlete and Sportsman. If you are going to hunt animals...do so with integrity and follow the hunter's ethics...if you are not going to eat it....do not shoot it. This activity is not about trophy mounts.

I understand the argument about the Outfitter's responsibility...nevertheless...sounds like this ex NCAA wrestler was out for something to hang on his wall.




MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has admitted to a hunting infraction in southern Alberta.

A lawyer for the mixed martial arts star appeared in a Medicine Hat court and pleaded guilty on his client's behalf to improper tagging of an animal during a hunting trip in November 2010.

Lesnar was fined $1,725 and given a six-month hunting suspension.

Two other charges of leaving meat to rot and illegal possession of wildlife were dropped.

Lesnar, 34, was accused by fish and wildlife officials of shooting a mule deer buck but only packing the trophy head out.

The director of the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society said it is considered unethical to leave edible meat in the field.

The former NCAA wrestling champion and pro wrestling star was charged along with a hunting guide.

A native of South Dakota who now makes his home in Minnesota, the six-foot-three 265-pound Lesnar regularly hunts in Canada.

Lesnar said in a statement released Tuesday that he was on a filmed hunt sponsored by Fusion Ammunition and guided by Trophy Hunters Alberta.

"In Alberta, Americans can't hunt without a licensed outfitter. The outfitter is there to make sure you follow the rules," he said.

"I had two deer tags for the trip which meant I could legally shoot two deer. On the first day of the trip, I shot a mule deer. On the second day, I shot a white tail. Video from the hunt has been on the Internet for over a year. After I shot the mule deer, I failed to immediately tag it. As far as I was involved, that's all there is to it."

Lesnar said he has paid his fine and the matter is closed.

"It's the kind of thing that happens to hunters all the time. I want to thank the Canadian authorities for their co-operation in resolving this misunderstanding. I love Canada and I can't wait to go back to Alberta for a hunt."

As far as the spoilage charge that was withdrawn, Lesnar said he couldn't bring deer meat back across the border.

"I trusted the outfitter to properly handle it. They are professionals and I understand it was handled appropriately."

His fighting career has twice been interrupted by diverticulitis, an intestinal disease. Lesnar returns to the cage Dec. 30 when he takes on Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in Las Vegas.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Wilmslow Waterstone's Signing

Pic of the day: Gab choking Dean

 People of all ages read Hard Time: this man is 93 years old.



 The joy of cockroch hand-stamping.



Tomorrow we are at Chester Waterstone's: Wednesday December 21st, 2011 - Waterstone's, 14 Eastgate Row, Chester, CH1 1LF (01244 345 066) from 11am until 4pm.

Click here for the previous signing blog

Shaun Attwood