No kidding: this the actual quotation of the day in today’s NYT:
-Preet Bharara, United States attorney in Manhattan.
Archive for April, 2013
Quote of the day.
Friday, April 5th, 2013Update.
Friday, April 5th, 2013A long time ago, I wrote about the cases of Tyquan Knox and Michael Slider. Knox allegedly robbed a teenage girl, then tried to intimidate her and her mother into dropping charges against him. When that didn’t work, he killed the mother. Knox stood trial three times for the murder: the first two trials ended in hung juries, but Knox was convicted the third time and is serving life in prison.
Yesterday, Knox’s girlfriend, Keeairra Dashiell, was sentenced to “life in prison with the possibility of parole after 19 years” after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and attempted robbery. During the first two trials, she agreed to testify for the prosecution in return for a seven-year sentence:
Noted #1:
Noted #2: If this was reported at the time, I completely missed it. What ever happened to Detective Slider?
Roger Ebert.
Friday, April 5th, 2013Thinking about what I wanted to write, I came to the realization that I’ve already written much of what I wanted to say: he was a huge influence on how I think about movies (for which I am grateful), his views on what is and is not art were questionable, and many of the political views he expressed later in his life were appalling. (Roger should have spent more time reading Mencken.)
A/V Club. Onion. There are several posts at Jimbo’s site, but this one in particular seems to be worth highlighting.
This whole thing is kind of odd, taken in the light of Roger’s April 2nd blog post, where he talks about launching a Kickstarter campaign to bring back “At the Movies”, relaunching RogerEbert.com, and various other projects. I wonder how things went downhill that fast.
And I also wonder what’s going to happen to RogerEbert.com. My understanding is that Ebert et al planned to move the site to their own servers, and off the Sun-Times site. That’s fine. But I went to the site for the first time in weeks yesterday and realized that I wasn’t all that interested any longer; only one of the current reviews was written by Ebert. Many of the others were written by Richard Roper (who I only tolerated because he was on the same show as Ebert), Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, Jim Emerson, and other reviewers who I don’t find interesting. I’m hoping the site stays up as an archive of Ebert’s writing (and it’d be nice if it also archived “At the Movies”), but it isn’t a place I’m going to go for movie criticism any longer.
That’s a little mean, but it is also the truth. Let’s end on an upbeat note. Or two.
They don’t make them like that any more. (Actually, they do, but only for the SyFy channel.)
I couldn’t find their “Worst Movies of 1992” show online, but here’s their original review of “Shining Through”, which was their pick for worst movie that year (this clip does include the strudel scene):
Someone’s done an IMDB list of all of Siskel and Ebert’s worst movies of the year, just in case you’re interested. A Google search will turn up clips from some, but not all, of those episodes.
This is probably going to shake a few people up.
Thursday, April 4th, 2013Obit watch: April 4, 2013.
Thursday, April 4th, 2013The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Roger Ebert has passed away.
Their servers appear to be overwhelmed at the moment, and I have not seen this reported elsewhere. I’m going to give this a bit of time, and will probably have more to say later on.
“…jackass legislation”
Thursday, April 4th, 2013I am a great admirer of H.L. Mencken. I have been since I was in high school (mumble mumble) years ago.
But I had not previously encountered this particular essay.
Also noted:
I would be very interested in knowing what revolvers Mencken and his brother owned. I’d be even more interested in owning one of Mencken’s revolvers, but I suspect the associational value puts that out of my price range.
(It does not come as a great shock to me that Mencken was pro civil rights: his “A New Constitution for Maryland” included a provision establishing the right to keep and openly carry arms. But encountering an essay of Mencken’s that I haven’t previously read, and is relevant to my interests…that lights up my whole day.)
(Hattip on this one to the amazing Roberta X.)
Bread blogging: Cheddar and Herb.
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013The previous two breads I made were both repeats that I chose not to write up again here: Shiner Bock Cheddar from Laurence Simon, and Sourdough Chèvre from Brody and Apter. Of those two, the Shiner Bock Cheddar (with Cabot Sharp Cheddar) came out pretty well: I used a custom cycle on it, and still had some top crust problems. I added the jalapenos and sesame seeds right after the third rise started, and found that the peppers stuck better; the sesame seeds did not. Probably I’ll keep this one in the rotation, but won’t be making it again until I try some newer recipes.
The Sourdough Chèvre I jacked up with a tablespoon of Pensys “Italian Herb Mix”. The top crust would have come out okay, except the bread collapsed in the center. Adding the herb mix did make a difference in taste; specifically, it seemed less blah to me. My personal feeling, though, is that it is still a little bland: I’m not keeping that bread in rotation, as I just don’t feel the results are worth the effort.
New bread: Cheddar and Herb, from the Laurence Simon songbook.
Photos and comments after the jump.
I cannot tell a lie…
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013Random notes: April 3, 2013.
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013Some notes from the legal beat to get things started:
Javaris Crittenton is being charged with murder and “gang activity”. Crittenton is a former NBA player with the Lakers, Wizards, and Grizzlies. You may remember him as “that guy who got into a locker room altercation with Gilbert Arenas that ended with guns being pulled and a 38-game suspension”.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, Louis C. Taylor has been freed from prison. Mr. Taylor served 42 years before his release: he was convicted of starting a hotel fire in 1970, when he was 16, and sentenced to 28 life terms. However, it looks like the evidence used to convict Mr. Taylor was questionable, and (if I read the article correctly) the prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence.
And:
Of course they believe Mr. Taylor was guilty. God forbid they should admit someone served 42 years for what may not have even been a crime.
Senator Smith is accused of trying to bribe his way onto the ballot for the mayor’s race in New York City.
Wait. What?
In case you were wondering, Robert “Ratso” Rizzo’s trial on corruption charges is scheduled for September. Ratso’s former assistant, Angela Spaccia, is asking for a separate trial.
From the department of things that suck: noted SF author Ian Banks is dying. Many of my friends, including Lawrence, are big Banks fans. I never got into his work, personally: the only Banks book I own is Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram
Firing watch: Mike Rice out as basketball coach of Rutgers after video of him acting like an a–hole becomes public.
Best. Restaurant. Review. Ever.
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013The great Ron Reynolds crackdown.
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013In April of last year, I mentioned State Representative Ron Reynolds arrest on barratry charges.
It appears, according to the Southeast Texas Record, that those charges were dismissed. I do not recall seeing this reported at the time, or I would have mentioned it in a followup.
But guess what?
Rep. Reynolds has been arrested again on barratry charges. And seven other lawyers have been charged in the same barratry ring.
(The current set of charges against Rep. Reynolds and the other lawyers are out of Montgomery County. The previous charges which were dropped were in Harris County.)
(Hattip: Overlawyered.)
Obit watch: April 1, 2013.
Monday, April 1st, 2013Oh, the things you learn…
Monday, April 1st, 2013…reading the newspaper.
A couple of local idiots blew up their apartment last week, and now face “third-degree felony arson charges” to go with their third-degree burns. (I kid: apparently, their burns were only second-degree.)
How did they manage this? They were making BHO.
No, not “Barack Hussain Obama”, but “Butane Honey Oil”. I’d never heard of BHO before (not being a stoner), but the Statesman goes into an astounding level of detail about the process. Apparently, you put pot in a pipe with coffee filters at one end, screw a drilled cap on to the other end, and spray butane through it. The butane supposedly extracts the THC, and the butane/THC mix drips out through the coffee filter into a catch vessel (like a Pyrex pie plate). Then you can evaporate off the liquid butane, and viola!
What’s left is a concentrated oil, which can have a THC content of 40 percent or more, he said.
Back in the bad old days, when I was young, I would have had to do much more painful research to figure out the few details of the process that the Statesman left out. (Not that I was a stoner: I didn’t smoke then and I don’t smoke now.) Kids today have it easy: they can go watch idiots do it on YouTube.
(I got a kick out of the YouTube commenter who pointed out that that mask will do sweet FA for inhaled butane. I also got a kick out of the suggestions to use glass instead of PVC. Of course, if something does go wrong and these South Austin engineered rigs do explode in your hands, it won’t make any difference: the doctors will still have to dig fragments out of you.)
The Statesman does not detail, but I assume that something went wrong in the process of evaporating off the butane. Probably “didn’t do it outside, away from ignition sources like pilot lights”.
In related stories, “Using butane to extract THC from pot risky, experts say“. Gee, you think so?
Dude, I’m sorry. I don’t wish burns and hospital stays on anyone. But if you’re lighting a smoke while messing around with butane? Think of it as evolution in action.
Hope springs eternal.
Monday, April 1st, 2013Once again, I’ve bet Lawrence $5 that the Cubs will win the World Series this year. This post is to document that bet.
(I actually have his money for the Gonzaga bet, and will pay him next time I see him.)
J’accuse!
Monday, April 1st, 2013I, and the many other Americans I speak for, and the voices in my head (who I also speak for) demand to know:
Why has the Obama Administration not taken decisive action to resolve the Iowahawk hostage crisis, which is now in day 175?
Does the administration want people to believe they can’t spare even one AC-130 set to “frappe”?
The American people want answers, Mister President!
Happy April Fool’s day!
Monday, April 1st, 2013Roundup:
The EFF’s EFFector newsletter, especially “New FOIA Docs Reveal Shocking Facts From DHS” and “Google’s Good and Evil Divisions Reportedly in Talks Over Precious”. Also, drones.
I’m very fond of “The Incomparable”, and I appreciate the loving craftsmanship they put into episode 133. But it just didn’t click with me.
None of ThinkGeek’s fake products this year strike me as being that outrageous. Or funny. Or impractical (Okay, maybe the Play-Doh 3D Printer. Can I make standard capacity magazines for my modern sporting rifles with it?)
(Seriously, I’m sure there are people who would pay $300 for the Eye Of Sauron Desk Lamp. I’m also sure that should be more like $49, not $300, and anyone who does pay $300 for it if ThinkGeek ever produces one should be taxed at the same confiscatory tax rates I would apply to people who spend $5,000 on a turntable for their 78 RPM records.)
I did get a chuckle out of LA Police Gear’s “Drone Oriented Gear-Carrying System“, maybe because I’d like some tactical bullets.
Did Locus Online decide not to do anything for April Fool’s this year, or are they just slow in posting?
Updates to follow.
Edited to add 1: By way of Jimbo, “UFOs, Nessie seen near Shoals“. With photo.
Edited to add 2: Locus Online is just slow in posting.
Edited to add 3: I am removing the links to Locus Online for reasons that I will explain later. For the moment, I’m just going to say that I refuse to give them any more traffic.
Edited to add 4: Why I removed the Locus Online links.
Edited to add 5: 12 gauge 3″ anti-drone shells. 9 pellets of depleted uranium. I’d buy a box. (Hattip: Borepatch.)
Quote of the day.
Monday, April 1st, 2013“It is not surprising that this champion of the damned was, in his adult years, a Chicago Cubs fan.”
–John A. Farrell, Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned
