Garry Kasparov lost his bid to run the World Chess Federation. The incumbent president, Kirsan N. Ilyumzhinov, was re-elected by a wide margin (110 to 61).
Tiger, Tiger, burning bright: or, Lawrence goes to the tank museum. Hilarity ensues.
Actual LAT headline: “Convicted smuggler of prized fish bladders gets 1-year prison term“.
Lawrence. Popehat I. Popehat II. NYT. LAT. A/V Club. Incomparable “Bonus Track”.
Edited to add: The Bloggess.
Somehow this seems appropriate:
Edited to add 2: Cracked. Damn.
So when I hear some naive soul say, “Wow, how could a wacky guy like [insert famous dead comedian here] just [insert method of early self-destruction here]? He was always joking around and having a great time!” my only response is a blank stare.
That’s honestly the equivalent of, “How can that cow be dead? She had to be healthy, because these hamburgers we made from her are delicious!”
I’ll have more to say about this in the morning. In the meantime, the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
Yes, I know there was a gap yesterday. I was a little busy hanging out with friends, and I made the executive decision that I’d take a day off in hopes that more of Saturday and Sunday’s presentations would be uploaded.
Two things I want to make note of before jumping into links:
.With those out of the way, more links. If I link to a Black Hat version of a talk, it is because I am assuming it is very similar, if not identical, to the DEFCON version of the same talk. It seems like maybe there was a little more duplication this year…
More updates later on tonight, I hope; otherwise, tomorrow.
Anyone who’s spent time in Austin is familiar with the complaint that too many Austin residents like to sit around and talk about how things were so much better when the Armadillo World Headquarters was in business, and how they saw Shiva’s Headband there, and rent was only $25 a month, and there was no traffic and abundant dope and and and…
Yep. That’s your Statesman.
Austin mayor Lee Leffingwell (who is also a member of Criminal Mayors Conspiring to Infringe Your Rights) has declared today in Austin “Edwin Edwards Day”.
Yes, that Edwin Edwards, who for some reason came to Austin as part of his campaign for a Louisiana congressional seat. You may also remember him as the former governor of Louisiana who spent eight years in federal prison after being convicted of taking bribes.
What next? I would suggest Albert DeSalvo Day, but the Texas Legislature has been there and done that. Maybe Mayor Leffingwell would go for Lynette Fromme Day.
…the police are only minutes away the phone company will send your 911 call to an answering machine.
This one’s for Lawrence.
The House Committee on Natural Resources has called the proposed Eisenhower Memorial “a five-star folly”. That’s actually the title of their report, which is subtitled (just in case you didn’t get the point), “An Investigation into the Cost Increases, Construction Delays, and Design Problems That Have Been a Disservice to the Effort to Memorialize Dwight D. Eisenhower”.
This has been going on since 1999. So far, according to the report, “Approximately $41 million has been spent or obligated so far, including almost $16.4 million for the designer and more than $13.3 million to the multiple parties responsible for managing the design process and providing administrative support.” And there’s basically nothing to show for it.
Except for the design itself, which lots of people don’t like. Including the Eisenhower family.
The designer? Lawrence’s favorite living architect, Frank Gehry. To be fair to Mr. Gehry (who I actually kind of like), this wouldn’t be the first time a controversial memorial design in DC has turned out okay. And I’m not clear on what exactly the objections are:
That doesn’t sound too awful or disrespectful to me.
Yeah, I don’t get the “undignified” thing, either. But I haven’t seen anything other than the photo in the NYT. I do find it interesting that, according to the congressional report, the initial jury thought all of the submitted designs were “mediocre” and wanted a second round of submissions. Whoever was in charge overruled the jury and picked Gehry’s design.
And there’s other boondoggles, too. Sole source contracts, paying $1.4 million to fundraising firms (which have managed to raise about $500,000), questions about ongoing maintenance costs, etc. etc. etc.
I like Ike. But I have serious questions about our need for an Eisenhower Memorial outside of the Eisenhower Presidential Center and about the design process for this one.
Seriously. Bad tagger. No biscuit.
There’s a nice story in today’s NYT. And I wonder why I’m reading it there, rather than in the Statesman.
Background: Gary Lavergne wrote what is widely considered the definitive book on Charles Whitman, A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders
Claire Wilson was one of Whitman’s victims. She was walking with her boyfriend, Thomas Eckman, when Whitman shot her in the belly. He then shot and killed Eckman. Ms. Wilson survived, but she was eight months pregnant; Whitman’s bullet killed the baby.
Ms. Wilson (now Ms. Jones) got in touch with Mr. Lavergne after the book was published (he was unable to find her previously) and they became friends. Sometime later, Mr. Lavergne began researching a question, and found the answer last year.
The end result is that Ms. Jones now knows where her baby was buried. And the grave has a headstone, paid for by Mr. Lavergne.
Pretty much everyone has acknowledged this, but: Dick Smith. A/V Club.
Last man down.
Victor Bello, former city council member for the notoriously corrupt California city of Bell, was sentenced today for his role in the corruption scandal.
One year in jail, five years probation, 500 hours of community service, and $177,000 in restitution.
The prosecution was asking for the standard four years. Bello is sort of an exception, though:
Bello’s case was unique among the former council members because he alone had approached district attorney’s investigators about financial irregularities in the small city months before The Times exposed the size of the paychecks the town’s leaders were drawing.
Bello had written a letter on May 6, 2009, to the Los Angeles County district attorney with allegations of misconduct in Bell but was not interviewed until 10 1/2 months later.
So it’s at least kind of arguable that he was the rat in the case, and may deserve a light sentence more than the other guys…
This one gives me qualms, as it is a BuzzFeed article (by way of the Popehat on the Twitters). But I haven’t found any other coverage of it, and I don’t think it needs to be buried. I did a Google search and found a lot of links to press releases about the original arrest, but very few about the following events (and those I found were mostly on less reputable websites, basically repeating the BuzzFeed article).
Lauro Tobias was an agent with Customs and Border Patrol. Last year, he was arrested and charged with participating in a drug deal:
…6 kilograms of cocaine were exchanged with unnamed persons for $100,000. Tobias was paid $4,000 for working as security during the deal, based on court documents.
Tobias claimed he thought he was participating in a legal transaction, and had no idea it was actually a drug deal.
Except it wasn’t actually a drug deal. The entire thing appears to have been set up by the government specifically to go after Tobias. Why him?
Tobias’ attorney, Steven West, argued in an interview with BuzzFeed that federal agents tried to turn Tobias bad in order to use him as mole in the border station. “They couldn’t get close to the so-called ‘suspect corrupt people,’” he said. “I think they took a 90-degree turn.”
Okay, that’s just what his defense attorney claimed. Take it with a grain of salt.
But it seems pretty clear, based on the evidence already introduced, that the government spent many thousands of dollars setting up this case.
For instance, according to a court motion filed by Tobias’ attorney, department officials would not release certain information about the investigation during discovery, including “an accounting of how much money was spent on this operation by the government … on hotel rooms, air fare, frequenting adult entertainment establishments, rental car costs, restaurant bills, and any other ‘perks’ that were used to implement the operation, such as the Pacquiao fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.”
Again, defense allegations, grain of salt, etc.
But Tobias’ attorney moved for dismissal of the case. And the government agreed and filed its own motion for dismissal. That never happens. (Well, maybe “never” is an exaggeration. But it is very rare.)
An FBI source referred requests for comment on the case to the Justice Department.
I recommend that you don’t hold your breath waiting for comment from Justice. Blue is a very unattractive color for faces.
Just for the record: indicted California Democratic State Senator Leland “Uncle” Yee has pled “not guilty” to “a racketeering charge and two counts of conspiracy ‘to obtain property under the color of official right.'”
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
If I understand the LAT correctly, these are additional recently filed charges against Yee. More:
The NFL and MMA? Interesting. I sense at least a possibility that some more people are going to be brought down before this is over. These new indictments are on RICO charges as well. Fun fun fun.
(And isn’t “conspiracy to obtain property under the color of official right” a great charge?)
(Also, I’m a little late on this, but I’ve decided I need a Leland Yee category. I’ll go back and tag additional posts when I have time.)
The bell continues to toll.
Oscar Hernandez, former mayor of the notoriously corrupt California city of Bell, was sentenced today.
I don’t know what to make of these sentences. On the one hand, they strike me as being pretty light. On the other hand, a conviction is a conviction. On the gripping hand, I’m wondering if the judges in these cases are buying into the defense argument that it was all Robert “Ratso” Rizzo’s fault. And since Rizzo and his little buddy Spaccia are doing long hard time, maybe this is the best we can hope for.
Edited to add: Hey, guess what Oscar Hernandez is full of?
Jay Maeder, who worked for the Daily News and Miami Herald, has passed away.
I note this for two reasons. Reason #1:
Awk. Ward.
Reason #2: Mr. Maeder was also the last writer for the “Annie” comic strip, which was cancelled in 2010.