Archive for the ‘Clippings’ Category

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Random notes: March 1, 2010.

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Obit watch: John Reed, of the D’Oly Carte Opera Company.

…for a generation of fans, Mr. Reed was the memorable embodiment of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “little man” roles, among them John Wellington Wells, the title character of “The Sorcerer”; Major-General Stanley, the very model of et cetera from “The Pirates of Penzance”; Ko-Ko, the nebbish turned lord high executioner in “The Mikado,” a part he also played in the 1967 film version.

The LAT magazine profiles the man who brought Tiki to America: Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt. Mr. Gantt is perhaps better known by the name he acquired later in life: Donn E.R. Beachcomber.

Edited to add: I intended to blog this on Friday, but didn’t have anything to put with it, and it slipped my mind when I was preparing these notes: David Parker’s eulogy for his father, Robert B. Parker.

My father, at that moment in a cut-off sweatshirt covered with muffin crumbs, bacon grease, Flintstones Jelly and beer stains replied without dropping a beat–“Yeah, I’d like to see something by Twyla Tharp, I understand she’s quite innovative”.

(Hattip: Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind.)

ETA2: Also forgot to blog the most recent entry in Derek Lowe’s “Things I Won’t Work With” series: dioxygen diflouride (also known as FOOF).

The paper goes on to react FOOF with everything else you wouldn’t react it with: ammonia (“vigorous”, this at 100K), water ice (explosion, natch), chlorine (“violent explosion”, so he added it more slowly the second time), red phosphorus (not good), bromine fluoride, chlorine trifluoride (say what?), perchloryl fluoride (!), tetrafluorohydrazine (how on Earth. . .), and on, and on. If the paper weren’t laid out in complete grammatical sentences and published in JACS, you’d swear it was the work of a violent lunatic.

Also recommended: the “How Not To Do It” archives. Especially the story of the liquid nitrogen tank at Texas A&M.

Both the pressure relief and rupture disks had failed for some reason in the past, so they’d been removed and sealed off with metal plugs. You may commence shivering now.

Posted in Clippings, Explosives, Geek, Mixology, Music, Obits | Comments Closed

Art, damn it, art! watch (#3 in a series).

Friday, February 26th, 2010

One after the next, they trudged through the horizontal-blowing snow on Thursday, most focusing more on the icy sidewalk than on the body of a naked woman, who stood in a gallery window in Greenwich Village.

Posted in Art, Clippings | 1 Comment »

It’s a long way to the top if you wanna polka.

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m a libertarian  (well, 99 44/100ths percent libertarian). For that reason, I fully support the arrest and prosecution of people who make polka videos; I believe the production of said videos violates the non-aggression axiom, much like the production of bagpipe recordings.

(Hattip: Balko.)

Posted in Clippings, Law, Music, Sarcasm | Comments Closed

Obit watch.

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. (United States Army, ret.) (Washington Post.)

I always felt Haig got a bum rap for his actions when Reagan was shot.

He knew, Reagan’s aide Lyn Nofziger once said, that “the third paragraph of his obit” would detail his conduct in the hours after President Reagan was shot, on March 30, 1981.

Actually, the NYT waits until paragraph four, though that particular statement does come at the end of the third paragraph.

If the NYT obit is to be believed, he wasn’t much of a politician, and managed to irritate a lot of folks. But Ace of Spades has a good post up on Haig’s military record. He served his country with honor in Korea and Vietnam, which is not something I believe was as well known as it should have been.

Posted in Clippings, Obits | Comments Closed

Random notes: February 19, 2010.

Friday, February 19th, 2010

For my readers outside of Austin, here’s a link to the Statesman‘s second day coverage of yesterday’s attack.

And here’s a link to a slightly better obit for Jim Bibby from the NYT.

Posted in Clippings, Law, Obits | Comments Closed

Breaker, breaker.

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

A small plane has hit an office building in North Austin.

The Echelon building complex is where the St. Edward’s Professional Education Center (PEC) is located; I have classes there, and the PEC building is also the location of the local FBI office. According to the current Statesman reporting, the plane actually hit a building in the complex next to the one the PEC uses.

Edited to add: The Statesman is now quoting the FAA as saying this was “a criminal act”.

Edited to add 2: Unconfirmed speculation is that the pilot was a man named Joseph Stack. There’s an anti-IRS rant/suicide note posted here. The embeddedart.com domain shows in WHOIS as being registered to a Joe Stack in San Marcos, TX.

Edited to add 3: Here’s a link to Internet Archive versions of the embeddedart.com web pages.

Edited to add 4: Some people, mostly on the Infowars.com website, are posting what purports to be information about the pilot. I haven’t been able to confirm any of what’s been posted either in the FAA database or the one at Landings.com. The FAA hasn’t released the plane’s tail number yet, so I haven’t been able to check the registration.

Edited to add 5: The Statesman is now stating that Joseph Andrew Stack is confirmed as the pilot. Apparently Stack also set his house on fire before flying into the building. I have not been able to find a pilot named Joseph Stack or Andrew Stack in the FAA database for Texas and California. The FAA is stating the plane came out of an airport in Georgetown, but they still have not released the tail number.

Posted in Clippings | Comments Closed

Poor po-po.

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Kevin Leverenz, a sergeant with the Austin Police Department, is going to be promoted to lieutenant.

That’s good news, right? Certainly it is for Sgt. Leverenz. Not so much so for Chief Art Acevedo. You see, Chief Acevedo denied Sgt. Leverenz the promotion; however, the chief’s decision was overturned by an arbitrator.

Even better, this is the second time an arbitrator has overturned a promotion decision by Chief Acevedo in the past two months.

Acevedo said the ruling was based on a technicality, not the merits of his decision.

What, pray tell, was that technicality?

According to Miller’s ruling, Acevedo promoted Leverenz to lieutenant in June, the same day that City Council members cut several vacant positions amid budget reductions.

To legally slash those jobs, however, the city had to first promote officers into those vacancies — state civil service law said they were legally entitled to the jobs — then demote them and place their names on a list for reinstatement.

Leverenz’s lawyer Stribling argued that Leverenz could not be legally bypassed for promotion in November once he had already been elevated a rank and was on that reinstatement list.

So it appears the “technicality” was that he had already been promoted, then the chief changed his mind and tried to yank the promotion. And this is such a minor “technicality” that the arbitrator didn’t even wait for a hearing; he issued his decision weeks in advance of the scheduled hearing, based only on the documents filed by both sides. Some “technicality”.

Now, to be fair to the chief, it looks like there are some questions about Leverenz’s record, and it is possible to argue that he shouldn’t have been promoted in the first place. (To be fair to Leverenz, it is also possible that the charges outlined in the Statesman are trumped-up.)

But…

According to Miller’s ruling, city officials also argued that Acevedo was not responsible for knowledge about Leverenz’s performance and discipline history when he promoted him in June.

What? What?! I cannot believe the chief of police seriously made that argument. “Well, I’m not responsible for knowing the record of my officers before I make promotion decisions.”

That’s over the line.

Posted in Clippings, Law | 3 Comments »

Random notes: February 17, 2010.

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Since I have been critical of the NYT in the past, it seems only fair to note when they’ve done something right (in my humble opinion):

The Times has no intention of changing its approach: report results as soon as it can, as prominently as they deserve. “Our job is to report the news,” said Tom Jolly, the sports editor. He said NBC “has made a business decision to show the highlights on a taped basis. We’re not beholden to presenting the news the way NBC does.”

I think the question of “Do the results of sporting events count as ‘news’?” is perhaps worth discussing in more detail, but I still praise the NYT for taking this stand.

Obit watch: Jim Bibby, former pitcher for various teams including the Texas Rangers in those great early days. Bibby actually pitched the first no-hitter in Rangers history; he’s also one of the many memorable characters in Seasons in Hell. (What can I say? I love that book.)

Adult content after the jump…

(more…)

Posted in Clippings, Media, Obits | Comments Closed

Random notes: February 15, 2010.

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Longer NYT obit for Dick Francis, as promised.

Also among the dead: Doug Fieger, lead singer for The Knack and co-author of “My Sharona“.

By way of Lawrence, we note this LAT article about a new collection of work by St. Clair McKelway, longtime New Yorker writer.

For 37 years, McKelway was one of the New Yorker’s most prolific and inventive nonfiction writers. In his time, he was regarded as a master of the long-form profile, a superior chronicler of rapscallions and low-rent hustlers. Indeed, when he was on his game, McKelway might have been the best nonfiction writer the magazine had — this at a time when Liebling, Mitchell and E.J. Kahn Jr. were also producing signature work.

Yes, I will be purchasing this.

What are the costs of green energy?

A plan to boost Austin’s reliance on renewable energy would make it one of the nation’s greenest cities. That stature, however, comes at a cost: Bills would increase an estimated 20 percent over the next decade.

Edited to add: Today’s update from the Department of WTF: A French judge has issued an arrest warrant for Floyd Landis. Apparently, the judge wants to question him about an alleged computer hacking incident.

Today’s update from the Department of WTF, part 2: Dave Eggers can’t understand why Gourmet was shut down.

“It’s impossible” that Gourmet magazine wasn’t profitable, Eggers said, referring to the popular magazine Conde Nast shut down last year.  “It’s impossible that you have a million subscribers paying 50 bucks a year and it can’t work.”

$50 a year? No, Dave. $15 a year is more like it. I think I paid $12 for a year when I subscribed.

Nets watch: At the All-Star break, the Nets are 4-48, for an 0.077 percentage. For the 82 game season, that works out to a projected 6.314 wins.

Posted in Books, Clippings, Law, Loser, Media, Music, Obits | Comments Closed

Speaking of politicians in trouble…

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

“Politicians in Trouble!” Sounds like a great B-movie, doesn’t it?

Anyway, the NYT goes in search of the $177 bagel. Even in NYC, that’s hard to find.

The most expensive bagel at Norma’s, the restaurant at Le Parker Meridien Hotel on West 56th Street, has three layers, five ounces of smoked salmon and three kinds of caviar, for $23.

(The motivating factor for this story is the indictment of Larry Seabrook for money laundering, extortion, and fraud.

Mr. Seabrook, a Bronx Democrat and former assemblyman and former state senator, bought a bagel sandwich and diet soda for $7 one day and submitted a doctored receipt that inflated the cost to $177, according to the indictment.

So maybe the NYT needs to be looking for the $170 bagel, since I can easily see $7 for a diet soda in NYC. Especially with taxes.)

Posted in Clippings, Food, Law | Comments Closed

Obit watch.

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

My apologies, folks. Due to some personal issues, I wasn’t able to supply the high quality content you’ve…<chuckle>…come to…<giggle>…expect…<convulsive laughter>.

Sorry, I’m better now.

Anyway, this has been noted elsewhere, but I did want to comment on the passing of Charlie Wilson.

I had a lot of time last night to watch CNN, and they kept referring to the film adaptation of Charlie Wilson’s War as “the hit movie”. Really? Rotten Tomatoes says that it took in about $66 million at the box office, spent three weeks in the top ten, and never got above 4th place. Strange definition of a hit. (I also don’t remember the reviews being that positive.)

I’ve read and recommend the book; the overwhelming impression that I was left with is that I’d really like to sit down with Charlie Wilson and have a few beers with him. Yes, he liked the booze, and the broads, and maybe the Bolivian marching powder. But he also did what he was supposed to for his district, he was liked by his people, and he made more of a contribution to bringing down the Soviet Union than any congressperson I can think of.

Posted in Clippings, Obits | Comments Closed

Road trip!

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Brennan’s of Houston reopens February 16th.

This has been a public service announcement.

Posted in Clippings, Food | Comments Closed

The Live Music Capital of the World.

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Why, look! The NYT has swept in to take notice of the Cactus Cafe controversy!

Reference to “Live Music Capital”?

AUSTIN, Tex. — The closing of storied music sites, often accompanied by protest, fund-raising and other exercises in futility, has become a recurring spectacle in this growing city, where the official stationery carries the legend “Live Music Capital of the World.”

Check.

Reference to the Californication of Austin?

People tend to blame the latest influx of Californians, reliably traced to the latest technology boom associated with the University of Texas. The dropout who started Dell Computer in his dorm room did not personally tear down the Liberty Lunch club, but the general implication abides.

Check. (And the people who tore down Liberty Lunch were the Austin City Council.)

Reference to the Armadillo World Headquarters?

Any respectable accounting of lost and lamented music sites opens with the Armadillo World Headquarters, the onetime armory that hosted concerts by The Clash, Willie Nelson and the Vans — Halen and Morrison — in the 1970s. Since the Armadillo closed in 1980, the Austin metropolitan area has grown to a projected population this year of 1.7 million, from about 846,000, gaining plenty of new clubs while losing such beloved haunts as the Black Cat Lounge, the Electric Lounge, The Back Room, Steamboat and (temporarily) the Hole in the Wall.

Check. And bingo!

Posted in Clippings, Media, Music | Comments Closed

Random notes: February 2, 2010.

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Michael Gill owns a mortgage brokerage and a string of paloponies racehorses. Unfortunately, Mr. Gill’s racehorses have a problem. Specifically, they tend to die on the track at Penn National Race Course. Gill blames the track; the jockeys that don’t ride Gill’s horses blame him, and are boycotting races involving Gill’s horses.

This is sad and awful, but I also like saying “Swedish rapper?”: Swedish rapper convicted in road rage killing of jazz pianist.

I can’t come up with anything more clever than the headline: Fung shui master loses bid for ex-lover’s fortune.

Posted in Clippings, Horses, Law | Comments Closed

No class.

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

The University of Texas, in a cost-saving move, has announced plans to close the Cactus Cafe, and end the “informal class” program.

I’m pretty indifferent to the Cactus Cafe shutdown, not being much of a fan of live music (and thinking there’s no shortage of live music venues in Austin), but the end of the informal class program saddens me. I’ve taken probably a half-dozen of the informal classes over the years, in things like wine tasting, kendo, and photography. That program was one of the things that I thought made Austin, and the city’s relationship with UT, special. I also would have thought the program was self-supporting; apparently not.

The cuts will save about $122,000 a year, Smith said. The programs had an operating cost of about $1.3 million, he said. UT officials said the Cactus Cafe and informal classes generally draw people who are not full-time students; about 10,000 people attended informal classes last year.

In recent years, both programs have required additional money from the university’s budget, even though they were intended to be self-sufficient, said Juan Gonzalez, vice president of student affairs. “They haven’t been for a number of years,” he said.

Posted in Clippings, Music | 1 Comment »

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