Archive for December, 2011

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Appalling.

Monday, December 19th, 2011

I sent an earlier version of this story to my great and good friend Weer’d Beard for his “Gun” Death files, but something in today’s NYT coverage moves me to post.

But there was no way Ms. Gillespie, 73, could have been prepared for what happened.

No, actually, there was a way that Ms. Gillespie could have been prepared for what happened, but the city of New York denied her the tools she would have needed for effective self-defense against Jerome Isaac.

(Fair question: would the muzzle flash from, say, a KelTec .380 have ignited the fumes? Not sure, and I suspect it depends a lot on what type of fuel he was using. The NYT describes him as “reeking of gasoline”, but I’m not sure if that’s an accurate description or a colloquialism. In any case, I like Ms. Gillespie’s chances with a gun much better than the no chance she had without one.)

Posted in Clippings, Guns | Comments Closed

Plug plug pluggity plug.

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

I have previously mentioned that my sister was named one of this year’s Park City Mountain Resort “Snowmamas”.

Her first post is now up at the site, and contains a whole list of recommendations for things to do with teenage boys in Park City. It would make a poor blogger very happy if you’d go over there and throw some clicks her way.

(Yes, that is my sister et al in the photo, just in case you were wondering.)

Posted in Endorsements | Comments Closed

Your loser update: week 15.

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

What a sorry ass-day in the NFL.

The Colts won, so no chance of an 0-16 team this year.

The Packers lost, which means that we’ll have to suffer through Gregg Easterbrook knowingly and willfully running his false Microsoft Word Autotext item about the G–d—n 1972 Miami Dolphins again.

It is enough to drive a guy to drink. Fortunately, I have a Shiner Holiday Cheer in the fridge to drown my sorrows with.

Posted in Loser, NFL, Sports | Comments Closed

Western Civilization.

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Gandhi is supposed to have said it would be a good idea, but I am unable to find a trustworthy source for that quote.

Western civilization is doomed:

Twilight hair accessories

Western civilization is not doomed:

That’s a Hot Wheels car with a built-in video camera. And a built-in LCD screen so you can play back your video without downloading it (though you can do that as well with the USB cable). Target had it for $50.

I have no idea how much video it records or what quality, but man! I would never have predicted that 41 years ago.

(You know something else? Hot Wheels at Target are going for about $1.07; I think I paid $3.49 for a five-pack. You know what I was paying for Hot Wheels when I bought them out of my own pocket at the age of 4 or 5? About a buck. You know what $1 in 1970 money translates into? $5.83. I’m sure someone’s going to tell me today’s Hot Wheels aren’t as well made as the 1970 0nes – I don’t have any of my 1970 ones in front of me, but the new ones feel fine – or that they’re made in China and coated with lead paint – I don’t chew on mine – but frankly, I don’t care. Name me something else that’s stayed at a near constant price for 40 years.)

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

Obit watch: December 18, 2011.

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Noted just about everywhere, but I still feel compelled to mention the death of Vaclav Havel.

Mr. Havel’s standing with Czechs faltered somewhat in 1997 after his surprise marriage to Dagmar Veskrnova , an actress who had once played a topless vampire in a film, only a year after the death of his much admired first wife of 31 years, Olga.

Stealing a FARK trope, this obit is useless without pictures.

Edited to add: In addition to blogging extensively on the subject, Lawrence was kind enough to send us a link to a purported photo of Mrs. Havel the Second in her role. Today being Sunday, we have not checked this out except to the extent that it appears to be a NSFW photo.

Posted in Clippings, Obits | Comments Closed

Christmas update.

Friday, December 16th, 2011

Please do not purchase this book for me for Christmas.

Your cooperation is appreciated. Thank you.

Posted in Books | Comments Closed

…and the glaven…

Friday, December 16th, 2011

Sorry, folks. I’ve been out of sorts for a couple of days now and the tank is low.

I don’t have much to add to the Hitchens parade except that I really liked Why Orwell Matters: here’s a link to an interview from The Atlantic with Hitchens talking about that book.

The NYT has an article up about the new Texas cockfighting laws:

Under the new law, people who breed fighting birds, profit from a fight or own cockfighting paraphernalia with the intent to use it can also be charged with crimes.

“people who breed fighting birds”? Uh, they’re roosters. Is there a visible difference between regular roosters and cockfighting birds? Other than maybe the plumage? (Obligatory: “Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn’it, ay? Beautiful plumage!”)

“own cockfighting paraphernalia with the intent to use it” So how is law enforcement supposed to determine “intent”? And what constitutes “paraphernalia”?

I’m not a big fan of cockfighting (though I am a big fan of Cockfighter) but I swear, the way some people act is going to drive me to subscribe to “The Gamecock” and “Feathered Warrior” (the latter may have stopped publishing, but I can’t tell for sure). I wonder if those constitute “paraphernalia”.

I’ve also been withholding comment on the Dakota Meyer situation. Frankly, I don’t know what to make of it, and I’m not comfortable passing judgement either on the man or on the award. I do feel compelled to make note of the controversy, though.

I also want to point to this piece by Dustin Curtis: “Fly The Airplane”. Don’t have much to add to that, either, because Curtis is saying something I’ve been known to say. A lot.

(And The Checklist Manifesto was one of the best books I read this year, though I think the hardcover came out in 2010.)

Posted in Admin, Books, Clippings, Obits | Comments Closed

Told you so.

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

Despite his being wanted for a shooting in North Carolina, the man accused of killing a police officer in Brooklyn on Monday was twice released from jail in New York this fall because the authorities in North Carolina declined to have him extradited, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said on Tuesday.

Posted in Clippings, Cops, Law | Comments Closed

The Pack is back, baby.

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Apropos to the comment in this week’s TMQ Watch, “Huts Spencer”, one of our awesome readers, sent us a link to local news coverage of this year’s Packers shareholders meeting.

Thank you, sir!

Posted in Clippings, NFL, Sports, TMQ watch | 1 Comment »

TMQ watch: December 13, 2011.

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Before we start in on this week’s TMQ, we wanted to throw up a link to this fine article on the University of Alaska Fairbanks rifle team. Shall Not Be Questioned linked this yesterday, but we didn’t get around to reading the article until we started prepping this week’s TMQ Watch. Now that we have, we commend it to your attention.

And now the jump…

(more…)

Posted in Cars, Clippings, NFL, Politics, Sports, TMQ watch | 4 Comments »

Grind that axe, NYT.

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Stipulated: the death of a police officer doing the right thing is tragic.

But there’s some odd stuff going on in the NYT coverage. For example,

His death at the barrel of a semi-automatic Ruger pistol, the same kind of gun used in the 1993 shootings on the Long Island Rail Road and the sort of firearm that continues to vex the city,

“the sort of firearm that continues to vex the city”? Are there a lot of folks getting shot with semi-automatic Ruger pistols? Would it somehow have been better if the officer had been shot with a Smith and Wesson revolver? And doesn’t NYC have strict gun control laws?

One of them is believed to have stashed his revolver — an unloaded black Smith and Wesson that was jammed — in a dirty microwave oven in the kitchen, where officers found it later.

I realize I’m probably expecting a little much from the NYT, but I’d like more details on how this unloaded revolver was “jammed”.

And:

The police identified the gunman as Lamont Pride, 27, a felon who served a prison term in North Carolina and was wanted by the authorities there for a shooting in August. He was arrested on a drug charge in Brooklyn in November but released.

Isn’t that interesting? I expect we’ll be hearing more about it in the next few days.

Posted in Clippings, Cops, Guns, Law, Politics | Comments Closed

How politics works.

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

We have previously noted the attempt to revoke the city charter of Vernon, a notoriously corrupt city in California.

The most recent attempt, sadly, failed.

Why did it fail? One reason might be that the city agreed to some governmental reforms in lieu of disincorporation.

Another reason might be that a state senator asked Vernon to give $60 million dollars to fund “community projects” in the cities around Vernon. Vernon agreed, the senator and one of the cities that would get the money reversed their position on disincorporation, and low and behold, the legislation got defeated.

The punchline? Now Vernon has to come up with $60 million, and doesn’t know where they’re going to get it.

Heh. Heh. Heh.

Posted in Clippings, Politics, Schadenfreude | Comments Closed

We are amused…

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

…by this NYT article about Indian tribes in California that are disenrolling “inauthentic” members of the tribe. After all, the more people you throw out, the less of a split you have for that lovely casino money. ($15,000 a month?!)

I found this quote particularly striking:

“The tribe has historically had the ability to remove people,” said Kevin Bearquiver, the bureau’s deputy director for the Pacific region. “Tolerance is a European thing brought to the country. We never tolerated things. We turned our back on people.”

Posted in Clippings | Comments Closed

Blogroll addition.

Monday, December 12th, 2011

By way of Insta, Great But Forgotten.

I was more than a little skeptical when I saw his entry. But when I clicked over and saw that they had covered

And all on the first page of the site, I pretty much said to myself, “Yeah, these guys are worth keeping an eye on.”

Then I kept clicking. Screaming Yellow Zonkers! Ellery Queen! And Tom freakin’ Reamy! (I haven’t read Blind Voices, but I have read San Diego Lightfoot Sue and Other Stories.) Yeah, if these guys are willing to go that deep, I’ll trust them on a lot of stuff. (Okay, I do have a quibble or two. I don’t think Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was all that and a bag of chips, though I agree it wasn’t horrible.)

I could waste hours here. Indeed, I think I already have. But, you know, when someone singles out Night of the Comet, attention must be paid.

Posted in Books, Clippings, Food, Movies | 3 Comments »

The bloodbath continues.

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Rough day for coaches.

Terry Murray out as coach of the Los Angeles Kings. This is a hockey team, by the way.

Also, for the benefit of the Texas Tech fans in my audience (both of them), Lawrence sent along this link to turnover in the coaching ranks.

Posted in Clippings, Firings, Sports | Comments Closed

Trolling, trolling, trolling…

Monday, December 12th, 2011

“The reality is that what ‘is’ and ‘isn’t art’ is something we can determine with a slider in our prefrontal cortex.”

Posted in Art, Clippings | Comments Closed

7-10 split.

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Miami Dolphins drop Tony Sparano, at least according to speculation. We should be about 30 minutes into that 4:15 press conference.

Posted in Clippings, Firings, NFL, Sports | Comments Closed

Academic update: Fall 2011, part 2.

Monday, December 12th, 2011

This is a little early, since the final grade hasn’t been put into the main university system yet. (Edited to add 12/13: it is there now.) But I’ve been in touch with my “20th Century: Triumph and Tragedy” professor by email, and she’s confirmed the grades posted in the university’s BlackBoard system.

And…?

(more…)

Posted in Music, School, Sumo | Comments Closed

No longer the Chief.

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Todd Haley out as head coach in Kansas City.

The Chiefs were 19-27 under Haley, who was hired in 2009. They won the AFC West championship last year, their first division title since 2003, but this year lost five games by 27 or more points.

Posted in Clippings, Firings, NFL, Sports | Comments Closed

Your loser update: week 14, 2011.

Monday, December 12th, 2011

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Indianapolis

A few notes: someone pointed out to us yesterday that Indy is just engaged in “sucking for Luck”; that is, they’re deliberately tanking the season in hopes of getting a first round the number one draft choice. We agree that this is probably the case: but all the Loser Update is intended to be, is a tally of who has a shot at going 0-16. Motivations aren’t a factor in the LU.

Secondly, we owe Lawrence $100. However, the link he posted says nothing about the Texans clinching the playoff berth. Here’s a better one.

Thirdly, this is only tangentially related to the loser update, but we’ve been threatening to link it all weekend: Elektrosjokkfotball. Basically, imagine two teams of Swedes playing soccer, where all the players (and the ref) are wearing shock collars, and the two observers/commentators have the controls. (I can’t tell for sure, but there may also have been alcohol involved.) I’d watch a lot more soccer if it was like this. (Push the “CC” button for English subtitles. Hattip: TJIC on the Twitter.)

Posted in Loser, NFL, Sports, Wagers | 1 Comment »

This is intended to enrage you. (Part 4)

Friday, December 9th, 2011

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s internal review of a wild horse roundup in Nevada found some mustangs were whipped in the face, kicked in the head, dragged by a rope around the neck, and repeatedly shocked with electrical prods, but the agency concluded none of the mistreatment rose to the level of being inhumane. [Emphasis added – DB]

Posted in Clippings, Horses | Comments Closed

Texas Law.

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Lawrence is on top of the UT Law School dean resignation story, but there’s one aspect of this story that troubles me.

From the Statesman:

UT records obtained by the American-Statesman under the Texas Public Information Act show that a number of law professors received sizable funds from the foundation, in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Mmmmmkay. The Statesman goes on to quote officials with the Law School as saying that “Every member of the faculty with a named professorship or chair gets summer support and/or a salary supplement from the foundation,” and “Sometimes we help people with mortgage loans and things of that sort.” How many people does this amount to? And where does the foundation get funds?

But here’s the thing that makes me go “Hmmmmm”:

The records show that some faculty and staff members at the law school have complained of being underpaid or discriminated against because of their gender, age or ethnicity. In some of those cases, sizable settlements resulted.

Settlements?

Linda Mullenix , a law professor who complained of “pay discrimination,” received a $20,000 raise and a $250,000 forgivable loan. Laura Castro, who had been a spokeswoman for the law school, received $101,292, the honorific title of “visiting scholar” and use of an office for a year.

So was the Law School underpaying people and engaging in discriminatory behavior (or at least, giving people reason to believe such a thing was going on)? And were they using money from this fund to pay off people who otherwise would have sued? Because that’s sure the implication I get from the word “settlement”; that this money was going to folks who otherwise would have gone to court.

If my reading of this isn’t too far off base, it strikes me as being even sleazier than the forgivable $500,000 loan to the dean.

Posted in Clippings, Law | Comments Closed

Mumia.

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

I’ve been following the case of Officer Daniel Faulkner for years.

I believe, along with such notoriously conservative sources as Vanity Fair and Salon, that Mumia Abu-Jamal killed Officer Faulkner. I believe that anyone who maintains otherwise, in the face of all the evidence against Abu-Jamal, is delusional. I can respect the people who said “Mumia Abu-Jamal shouldn’t be executed because nobody should be executed.” I understand that position, and respect the intellectual consistency of it. I can’t respect anyone who says “Mumia Abu-Jamal shouldn’t be executed because he should be walking around free because he didn’t do the crime.” The evidence is too overwhelming.

The district attorney in Philadelphia has decided that he’s not going to seek a new sentencing hearing for Abu-Jamal. He will remain in prison for the rest of his life, instead of being executed for killing Officer Faulkner.

I’m torn by this. I believe Abu-Jamal deserves to be executed. I know I’ve threatened to write a longer post about my views on the death penalty (and I will do that some day). People I respect a great deal argue against the death penalty. I’ve given a lot of thought to their arguments, and I’ll admit I’m about 51% in favor, 49% against.

What it comes down to for me is that I believe some people do things so awful to other people that they deserve to die. I believe Ted Bundy deserved to die. I believe Ronald Clark O’Bryan deserved to die. And I think Abu-Jamal deserves to die.

But Officer Faulkner’s widow supports the decision not to pursue the death penalty again. Good enough for me. May Abu-Jamal vanish back into well deserved obscurity, and may he die alone, unmourned and unloved.

Posted in Clippings, Cops, Law | 1 Comment »

This is intended to enrage you. (#3 in a series)

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

The Air Force dumped the incinerated partial remains of at least 274 American troops in a Virginia landfill, far more than the military had acknowledged, before halting the secretive practice three years ago, records show.

Posted in Clippings, Rage | Comments Closed

Ice, ice, baby.

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Since I have been slightly involved with the profession, I am compelled to call attention to Popehat’s post about Homeland Security funds being used to purchase snow-cone machines. (Edited to add: Just to clarify, that is the snow cone/shaved ice profession, not the Homeland Security profession.)

There are several things that bother me about the coverage of this:

  1. “…the snow cone machines can make ice to prevent heat-related illnesses during emergencies”. No. Snow cone and shaved ice machines do not “make ice”, at least in the sense of producing it from liquid water. These machines require a supply of ice, generally in blocks.
  2. Are they snow cone machines or shaved ice machines? The article linked from Popehat uses both terms. But there is a difference: snow cones are generally composed of larger ice particles, and are a little more grainy. Shaved ices are composed of finer ice particles, closer to snow in texture, and are generally smoother.

Posted in Clippings, Food, Ice | Comments Closed

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