BobHarris.com - Friday pudublogging: Terrifying Giant Mascot Goes Berserk Edition

Books! Actual books!

"A rollicking ride of intellectual discovery and emotional growth... his comic timing never fails"

-- The Wall Street Journal

"Pulls you in like a good sports story"

-- The New York Times Book Review

"Endearingly frank... jubilant... lighthearted and fast-paced"

-- New York Newsday

"A surprisingly touching memoir"

-- Entertainment Weekly

"Snappy and informative"

-- Associated Press

"Effortlessly funny and informative... tender, human, and very wise... A must for anyone who loves Jeopardy!, or has ever seen it, or is breathing."

-- Joss Whedon, creator, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"I haven't seen Jeopardy! since I was a kid, and yet I was charmed and amused by Bob Harris's fascinating and surprisingly suspenseful book. Through sheer force of personality, he takes this brainy TV show and makes it funny and easy to relate to."

-- Ira Glass, creator and host, This American Life

"A surprisingly intimate, entertaining book."

-- Orson Scott Card, 4-time Hugo Award winner, author of Ender's Game

"Funny, enlightening -- and just might help you win a million bucks on Jeopardy!"

-- A. J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All

"A masterful job of describing the feel of Jeopardy! in the heat of battle... I knew Bob was a great guy and a fantastic Jeopardy! player. Now I've found that he's also a wonderful writer. I think I'm starting to hate him."

-- Brad Rutter, top money-winner in Jeopardy! history

Books I'm Getting

Who Hates Whom:
Well-Armed Fanatics, Intractable Conflicts,
and Various Things Blowing Up —
A Woefully Incomplete Guide™

“Revelatory... Harris's sly wit and infectious curiosity make understanding world chaos fascinating... witty, horrific, and necessary.”

— Boston Globe

"Brave... irreverent... charges into the thick of the globe's myriad simmering wars... hilariously relaxed."

— New York Observer

"Only Bob could make a user’s guide to our increasingly hostile world this absorbing, this breezy, and—ultimately—this hopeful.”

— Ken Jennings, author of Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs

“Fascinating, enlightening, and surprisingly: NOT TOTALLY DEPRESSING. A gimlet-eyed look at the world we endure that’s also suitable for enjoying with a gimlet.”

— John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise
and correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

"All three [presidential] candidates should read all three of these [recommended] books, but McCain gets first crack at Bob Harris's "Who Hates Whom“... a lighthearted overview of the insurrections and civil wars in the world today."

— Steven Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought, in the New York Times Book Review

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Friday pudublogging: Terrifying Giant Mascot Goes Berserk Edition

Tag it now -

Friday, 23 March 2007

If you missed this post, two weeks ago, let me get you caught up. This is Mello, official mascot of the 2007 Cricket World Cup:

The woman with him is his handler, who is highly-trained in the dangerous art of handling big cats armed with large wooden bats.

Yes, yes, Mello looks laid-back, yes. And on his good days, Mello is a treat for young and old alike. As I've said, nobody does a hokey-pokey with the kids like Mello. Nobody, man. That's why he's getting this one last chance.

After, y'know, that ugly business in Jamaica. And the manslaughter charges and the plea bargains and the community service and the apology on Letterman. The guy's just too good.

But just in case, his handler is packing a utility-belt taser and communicating with rooftop snipers armed with tranquilizer guns. Just to be sure.

Unfortunately, on my last day in St. Kitts, I caught this terrifying scene. Just before shit went bad.

Just seconds after this photo was taken, Mello was swarmed by ten security guards, saving his handler's life. Two of them are still hospitalized with giant-shoe bruises and synthetic fur burns.

It has been a difficult World Cup, no question.

I just hope Mello doesn't have to be put down.