40 years ago today, 29 sailors died when their freighter sank during a storm on Lake Superior.
I refer, of course, to the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.
Historical note, suitable for use in schools.
November 10th, 2015Note from the police blotter…
November 8th, 2015I’m sorry I didn’t make note of this yesterday, but I was running from sunrise to midnight: first, hanging out with family at WurstFest, then diiner with friends and hanging out watching creepy stuff.
(Seriouly. I like to think I have a high tolerance for creepy, but Island of Lost Souls
Anyway, this is kind of a local story, but it may have broader implications: somebody tried to kill a local judge late Friday night.
The judge in question, Julie Kocurek, is a district judge and is heavily involved with criminal prosecutions:
I’m not saying it was Clark or his buddies that were behind this, but the speculation is that this was some form of retaliation, and not just a robbery gone bad. She was with other people, and:
Judge Kocurek is currently in stable condition, according to reports. We hope she makes a full recovery, and we’ll be watching this story with great interest.
Almost missed it…
November 5th, 2015…I suppose technically I did, since it is past midnight in England.
But I hope all of my loyal readers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland had a happy Guy Fawkes Day, that all your body parts remained attached, and that you don’t have any more holes in your body than you started the day with.
In the village, the quiet village…
November 5th, 2015…the Lions fired everyone.
Okay, technically, they just fired Tom Lewand (team president) and Martin Mayhew (general manager).
Ford said she informed Lions coach Jim Caldwell there would be no changes to the coaching staff.
But:
TMQ Watch: November 3, 2015.
November 4th, 2015Yes, we’re back, but we’re still gimped up. Let’s just jump into this week’s TMQ…
Rearrange the deck chairs.
November 4th, 2015Ken Whisenhunt out as head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
The team was 3-20 during his tenure, 2-14 last season, and 1-6 (with six losses in a row) so far this season. They also lost to the Texans on Sunday, which may have been the proverbial straw…
Obit watch: November 2, 2015.
November 2nd, 2015Random notes: November 1, 2015.
November 1st, 2015In case anyone was wondering, the hand surgery went about as well as I expected: in that, I lived through it and didn’t die on the table from a bad reaction to the anesthesia or something else. My left hand is still wrapped tightly, but I’m approaching maybe 1 1/3 hand functionality. At this point, I’m off painkillers and it really doesn’t bother me: the itching is more disturbing than anything else.
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I’d managed to avoid breaking any bones or surgery requiring more than a local anesthetic for over 50 years. So much for that record.
I think what bothers me the most was the loss of continuity of consciousness, if that makes any sense. What I mean: one moment, they’re telling me that they’re going to put a sedative in my IV line. Next thing I know, they’re telling me the surgery is over and I’m okay. It just feels…weird, for reasons I can’t articulate. It’s not like going to sleep: it feels more like a gap during which I stopped processing memories. I need to think through this some more.
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I haven’t seen this covered elsewhere yet, and I’d really like to see coverage in someplace I trust more than the WP, but: the FBI is switching back to the 9mm, and away from the .40.
This also means new pistols for the FBI, and that’s going to be a windfall for somebody. It also won’t shock me to see the current administration attempting to use the procurement process to advance their political goals…
Heh.
Admin note.
October 26th, 2015Blogging may be a little slow for a bit. In particular, TMQ Watch may not go up tomorrow again.
The backstory here is that I managed to hurt myself Saturday afternoon somewhat seriously. There is a backstory to that which I may go into later. Anyway, one ER visit and two doctor visits later, I’m resting more or less comfortably, but typing one-handed. I go in tomorrow for surgery on my left hand; it will be outpatient surgery, but with general anesthesia and a nerve block, so I expect this to be a most-of-the-day affair, and to be pretty messed up for some hours afterwards.
So things will be catch as catch can for a bit. Wish me luck if you feel so inclined.
Well, it’s official now…
October 23rd, 2015Wager update.
October 22nd, 2015On the one hand, I am disappointed that I won’t be collecting my $5 from Lawrence.
On the other hand, if the Cubs had won the World Series, we’d be looking at the opening of the seventh seal and global Apocalypse.
So perhaps it is better, after all, that they did lose.
On the third hand, they went a lot further than I honestly thought they would go. Seriously, this was an impressive run.
On the fourth hand, I’ve gotten more than $5 worth of entertainment this year out of the Cubs.
And on the gripping hand, it seems like this is actually a good team. I’ve got high hopes for next year. (And I don’t think I’m the only one: I’ve seen other people projecting that 2016 might just be the Cubs’ year.)
TMQ Watch: October 20, 2015.
October 21st, 2015We give up. As a matter of fact, we surrender.
Okay. That was a cheap trick. Sorry. This week’s TMQ after the jump…
Obit watch: October 20, 2015.
October 20th, 2015Irwin Schiff, noted tax protester.
Mr. Schiff was serving a 14-year prison sentence when he died.
Pat Woodell, aka “Bobbie Jo Bradley” of “Petticoat Junction”.
Your NFL loser update: week 6, 2015.
October 19th, 2015Another busy weekend. I was running around helping people celebrate their birthdays, driving between Austin and Lakeway, and generally doing stuff that distracted me from the NFL games.
Which is a good thing. I’m not sure if I should be happy that Chicago lost to Detroit, or sad that my dream of another 0-16 season has to be deferred until next year.
At least San Diego and Buffalo both lost. Would that the Browns could have won, but it sounds like that was an exciting game in any case.
NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:
None.
We’ll be back with the loser update next year (perhaps sooner, if anything interesting goes on in the world of basketball) and TMQ Watch tomorrow, maybe, we hope.
Obit watch: October 16, 2015.
October 16th, 2015There’s a really nice obituary in today’s NYT (written by Bruce Weber, one of the paper’s best obit writers) for Sybil Stockdale.
Mrs. Stockdale was the wife of James B. Stockdale. You may remember him as Ross Perot’s vice presidential candidate in 1992. But before that:
During his captivity, Mrs. Stockdale became a leading advocate for the POW/MIA cause. She also worked with the CIA to gather information. This story brings a smile to my face:
Speaking of the CIA and other bits of history, Ken Taylor has also passed away. Mr. Taylor was the Canadian ambassador to Iran during the hostage crisis:
When the U.S. embassy in Tehran was stormed by Islamist students and militants, six American diplomats escaped and found sanctuary in the homes of Taylor and his first secretary John Sheardown. In addition to shielding the Americans from Iranian capture, Taylor also played a crucial role in plotting their escape.
Working with CIA officials and Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark, Taylor obtained for the Americans six Canadian passports containing forged Iranian visas that ultimately allowed them to board a flight to Switzerland. He undertook all these covert actions at a high personal risk, as he and his team would have been taken hostage themselves in the case of discovery by the Islamist militants.
Last, but by no means least: “fresh-faced ingénue” of the 1940s, Joan Leslie.
At 9, touring with her sisters, she played Toronto. Their act included her impression of Durante.
One night after the show, her dressing room door opened to reveal a man armed with nothing but criticism. Her Durante was all wrong, he told her. Unbidden, he showed her the right way to do it.
Read the obit for the punchline, if you haven’t already guessed it.