Don Kirshner, music mogul. Lawrence suggested I insert Paul Simon’s parody of Kirshner from SNL here, but sadly I can’t find that online.
R. Sargent Shriver, who was never a sergeant, and was perhaps most famous as a Kennedy in-law.
Archive for the ‘Clippings’ Category
Obit watch: January 19, 2011.
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011How appealing.
Monday, January 17th, 2011Since we have, in the past, noted cases where Austin Police Department (and Austin Fire Department) officers have won arbitrator’s rulings over disciplinary actions, simple fairness requires us to note this article in yesterday’s Statesman:
Certainly not the impression I had. However, if you read down a little more in the article…
So if the arbitrators have upheld 10 of 23, that implies they haven’t upheld the remaining 13, right? So is it fair to say “employees have lost that battle more frequently than not”?
In fairness to the author of the article, he goes on to state:
• Arbitrators have overturned only a single police disciplinary case.
• Arbitrators have agreed that officers erred in five cases but reduced their punishment.
My impression is that he’s grouping those as “wins” for the employees. That accounts for six out of 13. What of the other seven?
I think the author is counting the five settlements as “wins” for the city, where I would count a settlement as a “win” for the employee. Reasonable people can differ on this, and I’m not sure there’s enough evidence in the article to resolve that difference. Let’s be fair and count a settlement as a “tie”. By that count, I make it 11-6-5 (counting the withdrawn appeal as a “win” for the city).
Also interesting:
“Rodeo clown transvestite”?
Sunday, January 16th, 2011Well, it is that season, or will be soon:
It just gets stranger from there. I am amused by the detail that he was also carrying a Mexican flag.
Told you so.
Friday, January 14th, 2011We previously blogged about the local store clerk who was charged with murder after shooting at a fleeing thief who’d stolen a 12-pack. The thief was found dead in an abandoned car a few hours later, and the clerk apparently tried to cover his tracks after the shooting.
The clerk was just convicted of murder and evidence tampering.
We repeat what we said at the time, “If you had a good reason for shooting, the evidence is only going to help you. Altering or destroying evidence only makes you look bad.” And it will probably get you convicted.
Edited to add: The jury that was deadlocked for several days does not appear to have had much trouble returning a sentence; eight years probation.
I’m on a horse.
Thursday, January 13th, 2011Following up on yesterday’s story, the Statesman has an interview with the (allegedly) drunk horse rider on 6th Street.
The guy on the mule was apparently not available for comment. And for the record, the Statesman is reporting that the DWI charges against both men have been dropped, but the police are planning to charge them with public intoxication.
Baby, if you ever wondered…
Thursday, January 13th, 2011…what Robert “Ratso” Rizzo, former city administrator for the city of Bell, now under indictment, was doing, the answer is:
He’s working as a parking lot attendant at the “International Surfing Museum” in Huntington Beach.
I think I speak for many of my readers when I say: there’s an “International Surfing Museum”?
Edited to add 1/14: Well, that was quick. Rizzo is no longer working at the International Surfing Museum.
From the APD blotter.
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011This happened Friday night, but we’re only just now hearing about it:
(Statesman link includes dashcam video.)
It appears that the DWI charge against the horse rider have been dropped, but police are going forward with the DWI charge against the guy on the mule. In addition,
(The horse and mule are apparently being held at an animal hospital in Elgin; ownership of the two animals has not been established.)
Nihilists!
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011And while I’m on the legal beat…
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011Alex Tabarrok, one of the Marginal Revolution bloggers, has an interesting article in the latest Wilson Quarterly about the economics of bounty hunting.
Edited to add: Just for grins, I thought I’d throw in a couple of links to Paladin Press books on bounty hunting, such as “Rex Venator”‘s Modern Bounty Hunting: A Real-Life Guide for the Bail Fugitive Recovery Agent
Poor Laura Hall…
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011Obit watch: January 11, 2011.
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011Both of these broke yesterday, but I was waiting until I found some better sources before posting:
Peter Yates, director. Lawrence and I were discussing his rather interesting career yesterday. Yates directed such films as Bullit, The Dresser, Breaking Away, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle. He also directed The Deep, Mother, Jugs & Speed, and Krull. (And let’s not forget The Hot Rock, one of the better adaptations of a Donald Westlake Dortmunder novel.) (LAT obit.)
Richard Winters, of Band of Brothers fame. (WP obit.)
I haven’t had much to say about events in Arizona, and probably won’t. Other people are covering this much better than I am; you can pretty much click on any blog in my blogroll for commentary. If you have to pick one, Battleswarm seems to be doing good roundups.
Godspeed, soldier.
Friday, January 7th, 2011General Vang Pao, leader of the Hmong, has passed away. (Edited to add: AP obit, by way of the NYT.)
There’s more that I’d like to write about this, but I don’t have my references in front of me right now. In the meantime, for a good take on the general’s legal troubles, here’s a link to a good Popehat essay by the inimitable Patrick.
Edited to add 1/11/2011: Peter over at Bayou Renaissance Man says pretty much everything I would have said.
Dear New York Times…
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
This is Idris Elba. He’s an actor.
This is O.J. Simpson. He’s a convicted felon and accused murderer.
Please be so kind as to note that these two men look nothing alike. Thank you. (Hattip: Lawrence.)
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSMOKIN’!
Thursday, January 6th, 2011It’s been a week for fires.
First, the condo fire.
Next, Katz’s closes a day early. Then they catch fire as well. At this point, I half expect the building to fall over and sink into the swamp.
Then, someplace called the Green Muse Cafe (which I’ve never heard of) caught fire as well.
What next? A raging fire in the cedars off of Loop 360? (Come to think of it, that might make spring a bit more pleasant.)
What is this I don’t even
Thursday, January 6th, 2011“Phawker knocks down Philebrity report about Philly.com paywall“.
Actual headline on Jimbo’s site.