Archive for February 11th, 2011

Hey! I resemble that remark!

Friday, February 11th, 2011

…trouble spots they are still apparently unaware of, despite the fact that even people in, say, Texas who haven’t actually seen the show could make light of them on their blog for months now.

This is NEWS?

Friday, February 11th, 2011

It’s 7:15 a.m. at the Verizon store in Burbank, and tears are welling in Chelsea Northrop’s eyes.

Perhaps I should have sent my story to the LAT.

This is just what we needed.

Friday, February 11th, 2011

CSM headline: “Scientists discover how to make squids go completely berserk“.

We still have no cure for cancer, or ALS, but we’ve figured out how to drive (some) cephalopods crazy. Go science. I’m sure this will come in handy next time the SyFy channel wants to make a movie.

To be honest, I’m more than a little skeptical about this article. I’m hoping someone with a stronger biology background (like LabRat) picks up on this.

(Hattip: Dinosaur Comics, the go-to comic for biological news.)

Top Gehry.

Friday, February 11th, 2011

I missed this one until Tam linked to it (with her usual dose of snark):

NYT architecture critic Nicolai Ourossoff reviews 8 Spruce Street, a new residential tower designed by WCD’s favorite living architect, Frank Gehry.

Speaking of Gehry, I can buy Frank Lloyd Wright Legos; where are my Frank Gehry Legos? Wouldn’t you buy a Guggenheim Bilbao set? I know I would. I’d buy a Disney Concert Hall, too, except I think it would be hard to get Legos that shiny.

One for the Ayoob Files?

Friday, February 11th, 2011

This story is worth keeping an eye on, especially since it represents a weird intersection on the Venn diagram between the jihad watch and gun crankery.

In brief, Raymond Davis is an employee with the U.S Embassy in Lahore. Davis was out driving around when (he claims) two men on motorcycles tried to rob him. Davis shot them both, and claims self-defense. Pakistani prosecutors claim that Davis killed the two men in “cold blood” and are pressing murder charges against Davis.

The two men were in possession of handguns and bullets were found in the firearms’ magazines, but neither of them had a bullet in the chamber of their pistols, [Lahore police chief Aslam] Tareen said. Moreover, after Davis began firing and one man darted down the street to flee, Davis shot him in the back, according to the police chief.

More:

Police officials say no witnesses have turned up who corroborate Davis’ claim that he was being robbed. However, Punjab police officials who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the case said both of the men Davis shot dead were known to police as being members of a robbery gang. Cell phones that they had when they were shot turned out to be stolen, police officials said.

And:

The judge also referred Davis’ claim of diplomatic immunity to the Lahore High Court, an appellate panel that will take up the issue Feb. 17. The U.S. Embassy has stated repeatedly that as a member of the embassy’s “technical and administrative staff,” Davis enjoys immunity from prosecution. Embassy officials, however, have declined to clarify exactly what his assignment was in Pakistan.

CIA, maybe? That would explain why he was carrying a pistol. It would also lead me to give more credence to his robbery defense; somehow I doubt a CIA employee would blow his cover and blow away people in the street unless he had a genuine fear for his life. (This is where you all can accuse me of being naive, which is probably true.)

The bitter, bitten.

Friday, February 11th, 2011

There’s a guy in Pflugerville who leases out food trucks to independent operators. He had some issues with the way the City of Austin regulated food trucks, and started lobbying for stricter rules “to address health, safety and environmental concerns”. Ultimately, the City Council did make some changes to the law.

Can you guess what’s coming?

But now Ramsey says the teeth he sought have come back to bite him — since November, nine of his 53 vehicles either have not passed or would be unable to pass a city Fire Department inspection mandated by the new mobile food vending requirements. Passing is a requisite for getting an Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department permit, which vendors need to do business.

More:

Ramsey said he’s tried since November to get a permit for one of the nine trucks but has been rejected at least four times. Eight other trucks have expired operating permits. Because they are made by the same manufacturer, Ramsey said, he had not taken them in for the fire department inspections. About 25 other vehicles made by the same manufacturer will soon have their permits expire, he said.