Grandfatherhood

It's a very strange thing for a guy to be a grandfather. It's strange enough to be a dad. When your children begin to have children, the circle of life becomes more abundantly clear.

My daughter, Heather, will have her baby son, Liam, in about six weeks. My daughter, Amanda, took these photos of Heather (and Liam) earlier in the week.

Heather's husband is serving with US Forces in Afghanistan and she's living with me until he returns from the war. They'll allow him home on leave at Christmas time and he'll see his little son for the first time then.

It's not a sin!

I like pistachio nuts. I just do.

I liked them before the recent commercials - which might mean that I'm a trend setter...



I'm nearly certain that I liked them before the television commercial producers who made these were born.





But I'm NO WHERE near as old as Louis Black.

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WHO is The Old Whore?

Yes, it is more shameless self-promotion of my work. Some of the preliminary reviews from editors and even a couple big-name reviewers are promising. For those of you who read my novels, thanks. For those of you who dodged the bullet -- well, there's still time for you to catch the wave.

I had not intended to write this book in this order, but a number of people were kind enough to ask/beg for another book in the Cartel Wars Series. Thus, the genesis of The Old Whore: A Novel of Cartel Wars.

It's true that there's not that much good fiction set in Mexico because the reality of the situation down there is bizarre enough to keep you reading non-fiction. The Old Whore should be available sometime in August. If you want to know who the old whore is, you need to buy the book - available at the best book stores, on amazon.com, Kindle, e-books and if it's not at your local lending library.

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Publisher's Entry: Back of the Book

Here is the second volume in Larry B. Lambert’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes Bloody Mexico and The Old Whore. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern, all too real, dramatic fiction, espionage, intrigue, romance and adventure. The story transports us to modern Mexico, where the absence of a just and moral government has led to a vacuum where evil runs virtually unchecked. Already heralded as a classic, Larry B. Lambert’s stunning series provides a with an image of what may be, as Mexican society festers and an underground empire rules a land in self-destruct mode. 

The cult of Holy Death threatens to unleash unthinkable horror, through their ‘Dead Saint’s’ thirst for blood. An American intelligence failure requires a cover-up. Argentine and Macedonian hit squads miss the mark. A murder in Paraguay sends a bereaved widow on a quest for justice and retired CIA case officer Gary Granger is called on to manage a deniable solution to the American President’s problem. 

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I continue to work in Mexico dealing with cartel-related issues, and depending on how you define success, I've been successful of late. While the novel is a complete work of fiction, I hope that as you turn the pages that you feel the vibe and some of the roller coaster ride that the Cartel Wars provides to those who dip their cracker into the soup. 

No, I don't have anything to do with ATF. Operation Fast and Furious was ill conceived and reflects badly on the US Government and is an embarrassment to the American people.

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Kids and Water

My granddaughter Alyssa came to visit today as a prelude to Father's Day. We went and had lunch and then went to the park down the street from where I live. There is a water park incorporated into the recreation area that was donated by a fast-food business in town in an effort to give back to the community, so it was NOT constructed at public expense. Those of you who understand my preference for private money going toward these things will understand my feelings that this is an example of how it should work. (hat tip to Miguel Vasquez and family, owner of Miguel's Jr. Restaurant)

 Spraying water tastes good even if it's infused with chlorine...

Trying to catch the water can take  

the entire day when you're a kid.

Wet is better than dry.

And when you're done playing, Mommy (Kelly) 

is there to cuttle you in a warm towel.

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Why is my Hair White?

Some might suggest that it's because I am the father of four daughters...because before them, it was black as a raven's wing. I don't know that it's in any way scientific, but it make sense to anyone who has raised female children.

ScienceDaily (June 14, 2011) — A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center has shown that, for the first time, Wnt signaling, already known to control many biological processes, between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells can dictate hair pigmentation.

The research was led by Mayumi Ito, PhD, assistant professor in the Ronald O. Pereleman Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone. "We have known for decades that hair follicle stem cells and pigment-producing melanocycte cells collaborate to produce colored hair, but the underlying reasons were unknown," said Dr. Ito. "We discovered Wnt signaling is essential for coordinated actions of these two stem cell lineages and critical for hair pigmentation." The study suggests the manipulation of Wnt signaling may be a novel strategy for targeting pigmentation such as graying hair. The research study also illustrates a model for tissue regeneration.

"The human body has many types of stem cells that have the potential to regenerate other organs," said Dr. Ito. "The methods behind communication between stem cells of hair and color during hair replacement may give us important clues to regenerate complex organs containing many different types of cells."

Using genetic mouse models, researchers were able to examine how Wnt signaling pathways enabled both hair follicle stem cells and melanocyte stem cells to work together to generate hair growth and produce hair color. Research also showed the depletion (or inhibition or abnormal) Wnt signaling in hair follicle stem cells not only inhibits hair re-growth but also prevents melanocytes stem cell activation required for producing hair color. The lack of Wnt activation in melanocyte stem cells leads to depigmented or gray hair.

The study didn't suggest how I could naturally turn back the hands of time and grow black hair again... they seem to be caught up in the selfish pursuit of 'pure science'.

JP LRP-07

This is an endorsement of JP Arms (LINK) in general and their Long Range Precision 07 rifle.

The LRP-07™ was designed as a .308 platform to cure the shortcomings of existing rifles and still handle like an AR-15. The felt recoil impulse on the LRP-07™ is also nothing short of amazing as it was designed from the magazine well up to use their Low Mass Operating System (LMOS™).

When you add a Schmidt and Bender Police Marksman II LP (5-25 x 56) rifle scope (LINK), you have a very effective combination.

It all comes down to the skill of the person pulling the trigger, but the rounds go where aimed.

In the United States, many civilians own and fire rifles and pistols regularly to improve their skill and their eye-hand coordination. This is proven by the point of impact on a target. 

Úytaahkoo

The Indians called it that (Úytaahkoo), but today we call it Mt. Shasta. I've been hanging here for the past week, being cool, working on the next book, visiting and so forth in Northern California, at the foot of the Cascades. The big volcano (Mt. Shasta) is actually four smaller volcanoes, but you see the big one as it juts out of rolling hills. Over the last 10,000 years, the volcano has erupted about every 800 years. The last eruption was about 200 years ago so I felt safe in that I have roughly 600 years to go before the next big bang.

A number of lakes circle Mt. Shasta (all seem to have fish in them. I visited Whiskeytown Lake yesterday. When people asked if I'd been to Whiskeytown, I thought that it might be a place where many of my friends would be right at home. Imagine my surprise to find a lake there. Apparently there was a gold mining town called Whiskeytown...but it's 200 feet underwater with a lake on top of it.