Archive for December, 2012

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Norts spews.

Tuesday, December 25th, 2012

Today’s NYT has a nice retrospective article tied to the playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs 41 years ago today.

The Dolphins won, 27-24. In double overtime. To this day, that game remains the longest game in NFL history.

“Do you want to talk about my mother’s funeral, too?” [kicker Jan] Stenerud said recently when asked about the defeat. He hung up the phone, ending a brief interview.

Continuing with the “Merry freakin’ Christmas” theme, Ryan Freel has passed away.

Freel, who played second base, third base and all three outfield positions, spent six of his eight big-league seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and finished his career in 2009 with a .268 average and 143 stolen bases.

Freel was apparently a “b—s to the wall” player:

Freel showed no fear as he ran into walls, hurtled into the seats and crashed into other players while trying to make catches. His jarring, diving grabs often made the highlight shows, and he was praised by those he played both with and against for always having a dirt-stained uniform.

And over the course of his career, he suffered an estimated 10 concussions. He missed 30 games in 2007 because of a concussion after he collided with a teammate.

Freel was 36. According to the NYT obit, law enforcement believes he killed himself. I wanted to mention this as a reminder: people have talked a lot about concussions in football, and to a lesser extent in hockey (they’d probably be talking more about hockey if we actually had a hockey season). I think it is worth keeping in mind that those aren’t the only sports worth worrying about.

Posted in Clippings, Neuroscience, NFL, Sports | 1 Comment »

Obit watch: special Merry freakin’ Christmas edition.

Tuesday, December 25th, 2012

Charles Durning, war hero and noted character actor.

He was among the first wave of U.S. soldiers to land at Normandy during the D-Day invasion and the only member of his Army unit to survive. He killed several Germans and was wounded in the leg. Later he was bayoneted by a young German soldier whom he killed with a rock. He was captured in the Battle of the Bulge and survived a massacre of prisoners.

They don’t make them like that anymore.

Jack Klugman. NYT. LAT.

I’m just a little too young to remember “The Odd Couple” well (except for the theme), but “Quincy, M.E.” was right in my wheelhouse for the first several seasons. At some point, I’d like to do a longer post about the “NBC Sunday Mystery Movie” and all the great stuff that came out of it, but for now, let me say that I was an avid Quincy fan when I was a kid; at least, until the series turned into Jack Klugman’s cause of the week.

I did sort of keep up with Klugman after the series went off the air, and was sad when he came down with throat cancer. That’s the sort of thing I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, and I can’t imagine what it was like for an actor. Happily, he was able to do some acting after that. (It brings a smile to my face to see that he did a guest stint on “Crossing Jordan”, the “Quincy” of the 2000 era except that it sucked.)

(And I have, but have not watched, the Criterion “12 Angry Men“. Maybe after folks get back from the holiday.)

You know, they don’t write TV themes like those any more, too.

Posted in Clippings, Heroism, Movies, Obits, TV | 2 Comments »

Paging Doc Daneeka.

Saturday, December 22nd, 2012

I previously noted the strange case of Carolyn Barnes, the local lawyer who was accused of shooting at a census worker, found incompetent to stand trial, sent to the state hospital in Kerrville, and yet retains her license to practice law and is representing at least one client.

Yes. Well. There’s an update to the story:

A Williamson County judge on Friday refused to prevent an attorney locked up in a state psychiatric facility from continuing to practice law.

The judge’s position actually kind of makes sense to me:

“Ms. Barnes is, as of this moment, a licensed member of the bar,” he said. “It wouldn’t be appropriate of me to unilaterally decide if she’s competent to act as an attorney.”
He added that the State Bar of Texas, which is responsible for licensing attorneys, was conducting its own investigation into Barnes’ capability to practice. The organization has the power to bar an attorney from practicing due to a disability — physical or mental — but rarely does so.

Meanwhile, the whole issue may become moot, as the Statesman also reports Ms. Barnes is moving closer to being declared competent to stand trial.

Posted in Clippings, Law | Comments Closed

The best little obit watch in Texas.

Friday, December 21st, 2012

Larry L. King, author of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”, has passed away at 83.

I was not aware of this, but King is also alleged to have coined the saying, “The only way you can lose this election, Joe, is to get caught in bed with a live man or a dead woman.”

And:

He was often confused with the radio and television talk-show host Larry King, particularly when making dinner reservations. One Washington restaurant settled the problem by asking them, when reserving a table, to identify themselves, as either “Larry King ‘Radio’ ” or “Larry King ‘Whorehouse.’ ”

Posted in Clippings, Obits, Theatre | Comments Closed

Random notes: December 21, 2012.

Friday, December 21st, 2012

I have been critical of the HouChron in the past, but I have to give them credit for this headline:

(Click to embiggen.)

If only they’d added “Women, minorities hardest hit” as a subhed, it would have been a classic.

Marijuana has, in many parts of this state, become the equivalent of a beer in a paper bag on the streets of Greenwich Village. It is losing whatever stigma it ever had and still has in many parts of the country, including New York City, where the kind of open marijuana use that is common here would attract the attention of any passing law officer.

Heh. “a beer in a paper bag”. Bunny Colvin, call your office, please.

Black truffles are selling in Paris for around $1,200 a pound.

Black truffles and other types of truffles are becoming scarcer, and some scientists say it is because of the effects of global climate change on the fungus’s Mediterranean habitat. One wholesaler says prices have risen tenfold over the last dozen years.

Posted in Clippings, Food, Law | Comments Closed

Obit roundup: December 20, 2012.

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

Robert Bork: NYT. LAT. WP.

Posted in Clippings, Law, Obits | Comments Closed

Some people.

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

Some people are obsessive.
Some people are so obsessive, they start blogs.
Some people are so obsessive, they start blogs devoted to a single subject.
Some people are so obsessive, they start blogs devoted to a single movie.
Some people are so obsessive, they start blogs devoted to a single movie that isn’t f—ing “Star Wars”.
Some people are so obsessive, they start blogs devoted to a single movie that is currently in legal limbo.

Okay. You’re tired of the joke by now, so let me introduce Sorcerer1977, a blog devoted entirely to the 1977 William Friedkin movie “Sorcerer”.

Friedkin did this right after “The Exorcist”; it wasn’t well received at the time, but it seems that over the years, something of a cult has grown around it. Lawrence and I watched it quite a while back (I think it was so long ago we watched it on VHS). I’m a fan of “The Wages of Fear“, which “Sorcerer” is something of a homage to, and I actually think I prefer Friedkin’s version to Clouzot’s.

I’d love to see it again, but the movie is currently tied up in legal limbo which prevents a proper re-release. Both Paramount and Universal say they don’t own the rights to the movie, and have no idea who does, so Friedkin is suing both studios trying to get the ownership issue cleared up.

Anyway, the guy behind this is seriously obsessive and seems to be trying to cover every aspect of the movie – digging out old interviews with Friedkin and other people involved in the production, discussing the Tangerine Dream soundtrack, etc. etc. etc.

My goal for this is to create a makeshift archive — news, interviews, photos, whatever. Kinda like bonus material waiting for a DVD. Or maybe it’s just a digital valentine for a movie I love dearly.

As far as I’m concerned, that’s an awesome goal.

(Hattip: directly, Coudal Partners. Indirectly, Gruber.)

Posted in Geek, Movies | 1 Comment »

Signs! Signs and portents!

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

More evidence that the end of the world is coming: Lawrence and I actually disagree on something.

Specifically, what we disagree on is that I don’t think Thai Noodle House is the worst Thai restaurant in Austin. It has been a while since I’ve eaten at Thai Noodle House, but I don’t remember it being as bad as Chang Thai.

Posted in Food, Guns, Media | 2 Comments »

Speaking of books…

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

…I’ve been a little distracted, but I’m thinking the time has come to pull my favorite Christmas story off the shelf for re-reading.

Posted in Books | Comments Closed

Interesting questions.

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
  1. Why did I have to find out about the exhumation of Perry Smith and Richard Hickock from the Onion A/V Club, of all places?
  2. It has been a while since I’ve read In Cold Blood. Is there any evidence that they were ever in Florida to begin with, much less Sarasota? Serious question: I honestly do not remember.
  3. Sarasota county still has evidence that they expect to get useful DNA (in some form) from, 53 years after the crime? (To be clear, it isn’t the evidence that surprises me: I’d expect them to keep evidence for unsolved crimes until the sun goes nova. What I’m having trouble with is whether DNA would be preserved after being stored for that long.)
  4. If they do get closure on this case using Smith and Hickock’s DNA, will this be the oldest solved cold case ever? Or oldest solved using DNA? Anybody know what the current record is?

Posted in Books, Clippings, Law | Comments Closed

Obit watch take two.

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

Lawrence has just informed me of the passing of Robert Bork. Obits to come.

Posted in Clippings, Law, Obits | Comments Closed

Random notes: December 19, 2012.

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

And I said, “What about ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’?”
She said, “I think that’s just been added to the National Film Registry.”
“And as I recall, we both kind of liked it.”
And I said, “Well, that’s the one thing we’ve got.”

(For those of you who have forgotten your one-hit wonders, reference explained here.)

(“The Matrix”? Whoa. But I’m pretty happy about “Dirty Harry” and “A Christmas Story”. I have the Criterion editions of both “Two-Lane Blacktop” and “Anatomy of a Murder“, but haven’t watched either one yet.)

The NYT finally got around to publishing an obit for Reinhold Weege, the creator of “Night Court” whose death we noted previously.

Alex Sanchez was the executive director of Homies Unidos, an anti-gang organization, when he was indicted in 2009 on Federal charges of “racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder”. The government alleged he had ties to the MS-13 gang.

Yesterday, the government asked that the charges be dismissed “without prejudice”, which gives them the right to refile those charges in the future.

The action follows a recent court filing by defense attorney Amy Jacks, who demanded that the case be dismissed because prosecutors “presented false evidence to the grand jury, lied to the grand jury and withheld exculpatory evidence,” she said. Her motion was not made public because it deals with sealed testimony before a federal grand jury, she said.

Posted in Clippings, Law, Movies | Comments Closed

TMQ Watch: December 18, 2012.

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

For various reasons – some obvious, some that we’re keeping to ourselves – we’re having a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit this year. This might help a little bit:

Or possibly not. After the jump, this week’s TMO…

(more…)

Posted in Christmas, Clippings, NFL, Sports, TMQ watch | Comments Closed

More obit watch.

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

Frank Pastore, former major-league pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and the Minnesota Twins, later turned talk-show host in LA.

“You guys know I ride a motorcycle, right? At any moment, especially with the idiot people who cross the diamond lane into my lane, without any blinkers – not that I’m angry about it – at any minute, I could be spread all over the 210. But that’s not me, that’s my body parts. And that key distinction undergirds the entire Judeo-Christian worldview,” he said.

Mr. Pastore died as a result of injuries sustained on November 19th, when his motorcycle was struck by another car that swerved into him as he was riding in the car pool lane on the freeway.

Posted in Clippings, Obits, Radio, Safety, Sports | Comments Closed

Random notes and obit watch: December 18, 2012.

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

Remember Pat Lykos, former Harris County DA, unceremoniously tossed from office in this past election cycle? Remember the whole BAT Van scandal? (If you don’t, the “HCDA” category” will provide you with a historical overview.)

Anyway, Amanda Culbertson and Jorge Wong, two of the people who brought up the problems with the BAT Vans, are suing Ms. Lykos, Rachel Palmer (another prosecutor in the DA’s office) and Harris County itself.

Among several allegations, the lawsuit says that officials with the DA’s office retaliated against Culbertson and Wong by lobbying the Harris County Commissioner’s Court to cancel a contract with a local private laboratory, where the two found jobs after leaving HPD.

The NYT informs us that there hasn’t been a big hit book this holiday season. (Apparently, last year’s big hit was Steve Jobs, which surprises me; I would have thought the appeal of that was limited outside of Apple fanatics, and it was not well reviewed by several prominent personalities in that community. But I digress.) However, bookstores are still doing…okay.

Steve Bercu, an owner of BookPeople in Austin, Tex., said sales were up 10 percent over last year. He said that shoppers were buying coffee-table books but were also snapping up Kobo devices. “I was a naysayer,” he said, “but they are buying the actual devices, which surprised me.”

Obit watch: Senator Daniel K. Inouye.

Maurice Herzog, noted French climber.

A dramatic photograph of Herzog waving a French tricolor atop 26,545-foot Annapurna on June 3, 1950, thrilled his countrymen and appeared on front pages around the world. It captured a triumphant moment before a brutal descent, during which Herzog endured frostbite that led to the amputation of all his fingers and toes. (His climbing partner, Louis Lachenal, also lost toes in the climb.)

Herzog died of natural causes at the age of 93.

Posted in Books, Clippings, HCDA, Law, Obits | Comments Closed

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