R.J. Patterson's Blog, page 3

Get Me Claire Danes, STAT!

I once interviewed Chuck Norris about his relationship with the federal government that only added to his iconic legend. He told me that FBI and homeland security officials regularly meet with him to discuss his wild ideas for how terrorists might sneak weapons into the country. If I'd read that on a version of "some e-card", I probably would've laughed and rolled my eyes. But I heard it straight out of the man's mouth, and I have no idea what motive he might have for making something like that up — so I took him at his word.

Tags: BergdahlHomelandClaire DanesClare DanesMandy PitinkinBowe BergdahlPresident ObamaNational SecurityChuck Norris

7 Lesser-Known JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theories

The thing about reading documents in the archives is that you never know what you’re going to find -- you just know that eventually you’ll come across some good if you stay at it long enough.

Tags: JFK Assassination conspiracy theorieslesser known conspiracy theoriesJFKLBJGeorge de MohrenschildtHugh McDonaldRichard Case NagelThe Warren OmissionsHouse Select Committee on Assassinations

The Curious Death of George de Mohrenschildt

IN ALL MY RESEARCH of the JFK Assassination collection at the National Archives earlier this year, no one character fascinated me more than that of George de Mohrenschildt. His life served as a strange mystery.

Born in Russia in 1911, George began his exciting life by escaping Russia after his father was arrested by the Bolsheviks and sentenced to a gulag. They family moved to Poland before young George eventually attended college in Belgium, earning a doctorate in international commerce. In 1938, George moved to the United States and fell under the watchful eye of the FBI.

Tags: JFKJFK assassinationHouse Select Committee on AssassinationsGeorge de MohrenschildtEdward Jay EpsteinGaeton FonziJ Walton MooreJ. Walton MooreRichard HelmsBolvsheviksCIAGeorge H. Bush

A Missing Suitcase and a Mystery Suited for a Conspiracy

A few coincidences don’t make for a good conspiracy theory. There has to be more than that -- something unusual that doesn’t sit right with a logical approach to investigating facts. And after all the time I spent poring over documents from the JFK assassination collection at the National Archives, I’m convinced -- just like the House Select Committee on Assassinations was in 1978 -- that there was indeed a conspiracy.

Tags: JFK assassinationJFK assassination conspiracyconspiracy theoryClay ShawJim GarrisonLee Harvey Oswald

Bullying and Our Harsh World

Let me start by saying that I don’t condone anything Richie Incognito did. Racial slurs and threats are detestable on every level -- and there's no place for that in our society.

But after listening this morning to Dan Le Batard, a journalist I respect, shoot down former NFL lineman Mike Golic on Mike & Mike on ESPN radio this morning, I could only shake my head at how our culture has lost its grip on reality.

Tags: Richie IncognitoJonathan MartinMiami DolphinsMike GolicDan Le BatardESPN Radio

The Seduction of Secrets

DO YOU REMEMBER the first time someone whispered something into your ear that only you could hear? Whether those words were interesting or not was irrelevant because they were words meant only for you by the person who uttered them. It made you feel special, maybe even powerful.

Is Our Digital World Making Life More Fake?

Don’t worry. Broaching the subject of living in a high-tech digital world and using Facebook, Twitter and other various Internet art forms isn’t an irony that’s lost on me. But I feel like I must.

Tags: Honey I Shrunk the KidsDigital WorldReal LifeThe GooniesStand By MeThe Sandlotimaginationcreativity

Picked Last

When I was growing up, I found the playground to be a vast expanse of untapped adventure -- and a place for utter humiliation.

I’m not afraid to admit that I wasn’t the first person picked, especially when it came to playing basketball. A horrifying amalgamation of knees and elbows hoisting hook shots off the backboard doesn’t compare to the smooth jump stroke of a starter on the school team. I can’t really blame anyone for not picking me first (even though I believe my ball hawking skills on defense would’ve made Dennis Rodman proud).

Tags: picked lastgetting picked lastfearshamerejectionplayground

Elusion :: A Sneak Peek

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Book three of the Cal Murphy series is headed to editing now, but I wanted to share with you about a new exciting project I'm working on with a new talented young author, Brooke Jay (check her out on Facebook or at her website, BrookeJay.com).

Tags: ElusionBrooke JaydystopianYA dystopianthrillerPeter Pan ProjecttrilogyHunger Games

Needless Things

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NOTE: This is my entry in NPR's Three-Minute Fiction contest that requires you to write a short story where a character finds an object that they are not giving up. Enjoy!

Plunging my hand into the backpack, I felt the smooth metal object. It was the last thing I needed but the first thing I wanted.

I looked around to see if anyone was watching me. No one was. Not then, not ever.

Tags: 3-minute fictionNPRthree-minute fiction contestgadgetsgizmosChicagoprojectsprivate schoolshoes