You’re going down in flames, you tax-fattened hyena! (#87 in a series)

April 12th, 2022

Brian A. Benjamin, the lieutenant governor of the state of New York, has been indicted on federal bribery charges.

The indictment, the result of an investigation by the F.B.I. and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, accused Mr. Benjamin of conspiring to direct state funds to a Harlem real estate investor in exchange for orchestrating thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to Mr. Benjamin’s unsuccessful 2021 campaign for New York City comptroller, the people said. The investor was arrested on federal charges in November.

…

In a grand jury indictment last November, prosecutors said that Mr. Migdol began to steer thousands of dollars worth of fraudulent contributions to Mr. Benjamin in October 2019, just a month after the state senator filed to run for comptroller. They accused him of making straw donations in the name of individuals, including his 2-year-old grandchild, who did not consent to them, and of reimbursing others for the cost of their contributions.
At the time, the prosecutors did not comment on Mr. Migdol’s motive, or explicitly name Mr. Benjamin. But they said his scheme was designed to help the candidate tap into New York City’s generous public campaign matching funds program and secure him tens of thousands of dollars in additional campaign cash.

Edited to add: Well, that was fast. Mr. Benjamin is now the former lieutenant governor.

Despite his resignation, Mr. Benjamin is likely to remain on the Democratic primary ballot in June, along with two main challengers. Because Mr. Benjamin was designated as the Democratic Party’s nominee for lieutenant governor, his name could only be removed at this point if he were to move out of the state, die or seek another office.

Posted in Law, Politics | Comments Closed

How about those Lakers?

April 11th, 2022

Answer: they missed the playoffs.

And Frank Vogel is out as coach.

I saw reports this morning: apparently, everybody but Vogel knew yesterday he was going to be fired.

In three seasons with the team, Vogel went 127-98. In 11 seasons of professional coaching, he’s 431-289.

…

The Lakers were officially eliminated from postseason contention Tuesday, when they lost in Phoenix and the San Antonio Spurs won in Denver.
The Lakers would lose eight games in a row before winning against Oklahoma City in the home finale at [I’m not going to give them free advertising – DB] Arena.

Posted in Firings, Sports | 1 Comment »

You’re going down in flames, you tax-fattened hyena! (#86 in a series)

April 11th, 2022

In haste, for two reasons. One is that I have other things to blog.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s chief of staff and two former staff members are facing felony criminal indictments in connection to a controversial contract awarded last year.

The three people charged are Chief of Staff Alex Triantaphyllis, Wallis Nader, and Aaron Dunn. The charges are related to a “COVID-19 communication contract” which…

…went to a one-person company, Elevate Strategies, run by a political strategist with a limited track record that did not receive the highest scores in the bidding process.

My second reason for blogging in haste is: Lawrence is on this story like flies on a severed cow’s head in a Damien Hirst installation. You should really go over to his site for coverage on this, especially since he’s linking to more local sources.

Posted in Law, Politics, Texas | Comments Closed

Obit watch: April 10, 2022.

April 10th, 2022

Henry Patterson has passed away at the age of 92.

You probably know him better as the guy who wrote under the pseudonym “Jack Higgins”. (He had others as well, but I think that was his best known.)

“I’m not pretending I’m Charles Dickens or anything,” he said in the 2000 interview with the Belfast newspaper. “But whatever I do, whatever it is that makes up a ‘Jack Higgins’ book, it’s not like what anyone else does.”

Arthur D. Riggs, big damn hero.

He is probably best known for his role in the invention of artificial insulin. Working alongside Keiichi Itakura and Herbert Boyer, he developed a way to use recombinant DNA technology — essentially, the ability to splice together strands of DNA — to turn E. coli into microscopic factories for the production of humanized hormones.

…

Dr. Boyer and another researcher, Stanley Cohen, had already developed the basic technology behind recombinant DNA. Dr. Riggs’s insight was to see how that technology could be used to tweak bacteria to produce artificial hormones for human use.
“We chose insulin because it looked doable, and there was a need,” he told The Los Angeles Business Journal in 2021. “At the time, diabetics were being treated with cow insulin because there was no source of human insulin. And cow insulin resulted in a high rate of allergic reactions.”

…

The discovery made Genentech, and Dr. Riggs, rich. But unlike many of his fellow biotech pioneers, he declined the opportunity to make even more money working in the for-profit sector; he was under contract to Genentech, but after that arrangement ended in 1984, he returned to City of Hope full time.
He lived in the same house for 50 years and rarely sat for interviews. He gave most of his money away in the form of anonymous donations to City of Hope. His beneficence, to the tune of $210 million, was finally revealed last year, when he made an additional $100 million donation to the hospital.

…

Dr. Riggs later developed the foundations for monoclonal antibodies, again using recombinant DNA technology to trick bacteria into producing proteins that mimic human antibodies. That development has led to major advances in treating cancer and other diseases.

Posted in Books, Obits, Science | 3 Comments »

Sports obit watch.

April 9th, 2022

I was going to wait until tomorrow to blog this, but since several people have sent it to me today and it is losing timeliness: Dwayne Haskins, quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. ESPN.

The reports I am currently seeing say he tried to cross an Interstate highway on foot, and was hit by a dump truck. He was 24.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone…

Also: Rayfield Wright, former offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys. He was 76 and had been suffering from dementia since at least 2012.

Referred to as “Big Cat” by teammates, Wright made five Super Bowl appearances in his 13 seasons with the club. He was selected first- or second-team All-Pro in six consecutive seasons and earned a spot on the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1970s.
Wright was the first offensive lineman in franchise history to earn a spot in the team’s Ring of Honor and the Hall of Fame. He was followed by Larry Allen.
They remain the only two.

Posted in NFL, Obits, Sports | Comments Closed

BAG Day is coming!

April 9th, 2022

As a reminder to everyone, National Buy a Gun Day is Friday.

BAG Day always falls on April 15th (to coincide with another significant date in the United States). Being on Good Friday this year is merely a coincidence. But if you have qualms…

Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

Do I have plans this year? Reply hazy, ask again later. My local gun shop sent out an email a couple of day ago: they’re putting out a bunch of guns they picked up at the latest Wanenmacher’s. If they have anything attractive and reasonably priced…

(No, MtM and I did not go to Tulsa this round. We try to hit every third show, so our next trip will probably be April of 2023.)

I also haven’t been out to my other semi-local gun shop in a while, and need to check their stock. Also, I haven’t been to Cabela’s in a long time, but I’m dubious about them having anything worthwhile. I may go down there anyway, but I’m not sure when.

If I don’t find anything reasonable, I may declare a push again this year. I have a couple of accessories I want to pick up from MidwayUSA anyway.

I feel like most people have abandoned BAG Day, because (as I’ve noted before) it seems like every day since January 20, 2009 has been Buy A Gun Day. However, if you want to play along at home, you’re welcome to brag about your purchase here. I’ll even promise that you can remain anonymous. Or monogamous, if you prefer.

Posted in Guns | Comments Closed

Obit watch: April 9, 2022.

April 9th, 2022

Kathryn Hays.

Credits beyond “One Life to Live” and a minor SF TV show from the 1960s include “Night Gallery”, “Bearcats!”, “Law and Order” (and “SVU”), “The Bold Ones: The New Doctors”…

…and “Mannix”. (“The End of the Rainbow“, season 2, episode 5.)

Posted in 1970s, Mannix, Obits, TV | Comments Closed

Things I was going to do, but decided against.

April 9th, 2022

I was going to blog that NYT article about Russian soldiers in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, with some snarky commentary about how “We told them not to do it, that it was dangerous, but they ignored us” sounds like some places I’ve worked.

Then I went searching for an image to insert, and instead found this:

Which is why I’m not linking the article, and linking Nuclear Katie instead.

Posted in Geek, History, Media | Comments Closed

Noted.

April 8th, 2022

I have written before about my fondness for the old Texas Monthly, and my disdain for most of what’s in the current version.

This is an exception, for obvious reasons.

“At One of the Last Classical Music Stores, CDs Still Rock“.

(Archive.is version, because TM can sometimes be skirty if you don’t have a subscription.)

Classical Music of Spring, as it’s now called, is a time warp and a survival tale. It’s a physical shop in historic downtown Spring, a block from CorkScrew BBQ, that stocks a selection of mostly new classical CDs, with a few used albums, Broadway and movie soundtracks, and DVDs and Blu-rays of opera and ballet productions. It doesn’t sell instruments, sheet music, or guitar strings. Just recordings.

…

…The store was never really about shopping; it was more of a community center or musical salon, where classical buffs gathered to argue about their favorite artists, discuss new releases, and listen to albums on the store’s speakers.
“It’s a hangout,” Sumbera mused. “People don’t just come in and flip through the stacks, pick up a couple of recordings, buy them, and leave. People stick around and chat.”

…

…the logistics of setting up an online storefront for classical music are darn near terrifying.
Think about searching Amazon for a pop album you want to download. You can probably type in “Adele 30” and be done. But the classical world, with composers, soloists, conductors, ensembles, and hundreds of compositions with identical names like “Piano Sonata,” is a database programmer’s nightmare. And then there’s the sheer volume of classical recordings being released. Presto Music, for example, stocks 614 recordings of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
“I don’t think people realize how many classical titles are out there in print right now,” Sumbera pointed out, before offering a ballpark guess: 150,000. Naxos, America’s biggest classical distributor, lists 297 brand-new albums arriving in the month of March alone. Sumbera can’t load all of those into an online store by himself, or even fit the inventory into his building.

Classical Music of Spring is linked on the sidebar, but to save searching…

Posted in Endorsements, Media, Music | Comments Closed

Obit watch: April 8, 2022.

April 8th, 2022

Jimmy Wang Yu, martial arts movie guy.

A contract player at the start of his career, Wang’s early career was indelibly linked with Shaw Brothers, for better and worse, and he would become a mainstream star in the studio’s most famous wuxia films including One-Armed Swordsman (1967) which broke box office records in Hong Kong, Golden Swallow (1968), Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969) and ground-breaking kung fu film The Chinese Boxer (1970).

…

Another notable Wang film from this period was Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976), which Quentin Tarantino would rank as one of his favorite films and that would later influence RZA’s The Man with the Iron Fists.
By the 1980s, Wang’s career began to slow down, and he was better known for the scandals in his private life. There were reports of domestic abuse, continued reports of his alleged links to Triads and in Taiwan, he was charged with murder in 1981, but the charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Posted in Law, Movies, Obits | Comments Closed

You’re going down in flames, you tax-fattened hyena! (#85 in a series)

April 8th, 2022

I missed this story until Reason covered it.

The ex-police chief of San Angelo, Texas, was convicted of “receipt of a bribe by an agent of an organization receiving federal funds” and three counts of “honest services mail fraud”.

A police chief – even an ex-chief – being convicted of bribery and “honest services” fraud is noteworthy enough. But this crosses over into a whole new level of weird.

A federal prosecutor had told jurors the evidence they have will show Vasquez used his position as police chief in 2015 to circumvent the bidding process by which city contracts are awarded and convince city officials to stick with its current provider of radio communication systems, San Antonio based Dailey-Wells Communications, the licensed seller of L3Harris radios.

That’s not the weird part. The weird part: Dailey-Wells Communications had contracted with the former chief’s Earth, Wind, and Fire cover band to play at their corporate events.

No, you are not having a stroke. Yes, you read that right: the police chief’s Earth, Wind, and Fire cover band.

Once the new contract was awarded in 2015, Dailey-Wells hired Funky Munky to play 10 shows for about $84,000. The band’s other performances in that era earned them some $2,100 a show.

This appears to be the band’s Facebook page, but it hasn’t been updated since August of 2020. The website seems to be defunct.

Posted in Cops, Law, Music, Politics | 2 Comments »

Obit watch: April 7, 2022.

April 7th, 2022

Eric Boehlert.

A frequent commentator on television and radio, as well as a prolific writer, Mr. Boehlert never shied away from searing critiques of what he saw as bias in the mainstream press and the circular impact of media on politics.
After more than a decade as a senior fellow at Media Matters for America, a left-leaning media monitoring group, Mr. Boehlert had in recent years started his own newsletter, Press Run, as a vehicle for his commentary.

According to reports, he was hit by a train while bicycling.

Justice John Michalski, “an acting justice of the [New York] State Supreme Court”.

But last month, Justice Michalski came under renewed scrutiny, and his cases were once again reassigned, after federal and state investigators raided his home. He had not been charged with any crime, but he had drawn the authorities’ attention because of his ties to Peter Gerace Jr., the owner of a strip club in Cheektowaga, another Buffalo suburb.
Mr. Gerace was charged in federal court in Florida last year with sex trafficking, drug distribution and bribery of a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent. He denies the charges, and the case has since been transferred to the Western District of New York.
The former agent, Joseph Bongiovanni, has been charged with bribery, obstruction and conspiracy. An indictment detailing the charges against the two men says that Mr. Bongiovanni’s associates included people “he believed to be members of, connected to or associated with” organized crime.
Another man identified in the indictment as having links to organized crime is Michael Masecchia, a longtime Buffalo schoolteacher now facing up to life in prison after pleading guilty to gun and drug charges.

According to reports, the judge committed suicide. He had tried to kill himself last year on the same day Mr. Gerace was indicted.

Rae Allen, actress. Other credits include “Lou Grant”, “Soap”, and “The Untouchables”.

Posted in Cycling, Law, Obits, Theatre, Trains, TV | 1 Comment »

Obit watch: April 6, 2022.

April 6th, 2022

Bobby Rydell, one of the big teen idols.

Mr. Rydell and two other affable performers who became stars in those years, Frankie Avalon and Fabian, grew up within about two blocks of one another in South Philadelphia. Long after their days on the pop chart were past them, they enjoyed great success on the oldies circuit. The three had toured extensively together since 1985, billed as the Golden Boys, and were still performing together this year.
Mr. Rydell did not just have staying power; he also made a comeback after years of alcohol abuse, which he chronicled in his autobiography, “Bobby Rydell: Teen Idol on the Rocks” (2016), written with the guitarist and producer Allan Slutsky. Near death, he had a kidney and liver transplant in July 2012. By that October he was back, singing on a cruise ship with Mr. Avalon. But five months later, he underwent cardiac bypass surgery. Some of his later appearances were charity promotions for organ donation.

…

Mr. Rydell’s recording prime encompassed the era roughly between 1959, when Elvis Presley was in the Army and Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, and 1964, when Beatlemania hit America. It didn’t hurt that Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” was broadcast in those years from Philadelphia, the home of Mr. Rydell’s label, Cameo Records.
Mr. Rydell’s repertoire included plaintive love ballads; slow, danceable tunes; occasional frenetic rockers like “Wild One” and “Swingin’ School”; and ageless songs like Domenico Modugno’s 1958 hit “Volare,” which became Mr. Rydell’s signature song in his later touring years.
Mr. Rydell was a pop phenomenon but hardly a cutting-edge rock star. Still, he sold a lot more records than some of those who were. Over the course of his recording career he placed 19 singles in the Billboard Top 40 and 34 in the Hot 100. His name alone could conjure up an entire era: The 1970s rock musical “Grease,” in both its Broadway and movie versions, was set in 1959 at the fictional Rydell High School.

…

Columbia Pictures signed Mr. Rydell to a contract in 1961. But the only movie in which he made much of an impact was “Bye Bye Birdie,” released in 1963 and based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name, which poked fun at show business in general and rock ’n’ roll frenzy in particular. Mr. Rydell played Hugo Peabody, the meek high school steady of Kim McAfee, played by Ann-Margret, the small-town girl chosen to give the Elvis-like Conrad Birdie a kiss on national television.

Alan J. Hruska, lawyer, novelist, and one of the founders of Soho Press.

Soho Press, based in Manhattan, has specialized in literary fiction and memoirs with a backlist that includes books by Jake Arnott, Edwidge Danticat, John L’Heureux, Delores Phillips, Sue Townsend and Jacqueline Winspear. The company also has a Soho Teen young adult imprint and a Soho Crime imprint that publishes mysteries in exotic locales by, among others, Cara Black, Colin Cotterill, Peter Lovesey and Stuart Neville.

Nehemiah Persoff. THR. He was 102.

206 credits in IMDB. If he wasn’t in everything, he was in lots of it. “Some Like It Hot”. “On the Waterfront”. “Law and Order”. “Barney Miller”. The good “Hawaii 5-0” multiple times. “Battlestar Galactica”. “Supertrain”. “Richie Brockelman, Private Eye”. “Quincy, M.E.” “Sword of Justice” (I was just thinking about that show the other day.) “Columbo”. “McCloud”. “McMillan and Wife”. (Trivia question I don’t have an answer for: how many actors appeared on all three of the initial shows in the “NBC Mystery Movie” wheel?) “Mission: Impossible”.

And, yes, “Mannix”. (“A Puzzle for One“, season 6, episode 11.)

Posted in 1970s, Books, Mannix, Movies, Music, Obits, TV | 1 Comment »

Historical note, NOT suitable for use in schools.

April 4th, 2022

This post is strictly in the interest of history. I am not posting this for any prurient reasons: it just seems like an appropriate bit of history, especially since I recently mentioned Leslie Van Houten.

Never-before-seen photos of murdered blond bombshell Sharon Tate have been found in a California garage.

To be clear, these are not post mortem photos: they were taken when Ms. Tate was 21. She was 26 when the Manson family murdered her.

Cabrejas, 46, had been searching for camera equipment to photograph a solar eclipse when she came across the pics.
“They had been sitting in our garage for years until I came across them cleaning his stuff,” the West Los Angeles native told SWNS.
She added that the photos were “totally a casual thing, from before she was even famous.” Tate was just starting to build her career at the time and was going to a plethora of auditions.

I am, of course, in the interest of respecting copyright and intellectual property, not reproducing the photos here. You can click through to the linked NY Post article if you wish to view a selection of them.

Posted in California Über Alles, Law, Movies, Photography | 2 Comments »

Dear Ross Ward…

April 4th, 2022

…I live in Austin, Texas.

Spamming the comments in my blog (especially the “Contact information for the Austin City Council” page) with posts about your campaign for South Carolina House District 112 is a bad idea for the following reasons:

  • I’m not going to vote for you, since I don’t live in South Carolina.
  • The vast majority of my readers aren’t going to vote for you, since they don’t live in South Carolina.
  • Any of my readers who do live in South Carolina won’t vote for you anyway because you are a spamming scumbag. Let me repeat that: Ross Ward is a spamming scumbag.
  • If you keep spamming my blog comments, I will be going to your ISP and I will be asking them to shut your site down.

Is there any word in what I just said that you have trouble understanding?

Hugs, kisses, and die in a fire Ross Ward you spamming scumbag. Sincerely, your friends at sportsfirings.com.

P.S. Strongly worded message follows.

Posted in Admin, Politics | 2 Comments »

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