Well, it is that season, or will be soon:
It just gets stranger from there. I am amused by the detail that he was also carrying a Mexican flag.
“Rodeo clown transvestite”?
January 16th, 2011Told you so.
January 14th, 2011We previously blogged about the local store clerk who was charged with murder after shooting at a fleeing thief who’d stolen a 12-pack. The thief was found dead in an abandoned car a few hours later, and the clerk apparently tried to cover his tracks after the shooting.
The clerk was just convicted of murder and evidence tampering.
We repeat what we said at the time, “If you had a good reason for shooting, the evidence is only going to help you. Altering or destroying evidence only makes you look bad.” And it will probably get you convicted.
Edited to add: The jury that was deadlocked for several days does not appear to have had much trouble returning a sentence; eight years probation.
I’m on a horse.
January 13th, 2011Following up on yesterday’s story, the Statesman has an interview with the (allegedly) drunk horse rider on 6th Street.
The guy on the mule was apparently not available for comment. And for the record, the Statesman is reporting that the DWI charges against both men have been dropped, but the police are planning to charge them with public intoxication.
Baby, if you ever wondered…
January 13th, 2011…what Robert “Ratso” Rizzo, former city administrator for the city of Bell, now under indictment, was doing, the answer is:
He’s working as a parking lot attendant at the “International Surfing Museum” in Huntington Beach.
I think I speak for many of my readers when I say: there’s an “International Surfing Museum”?
Edited to add 1/14: Well, that was quick. Rizzo is no longer working at the International Surfing Museum.
Book geekery.
January 12th, 2011By way of TJIC, I found this nifty little query page that lists the NYT bestsellers for your birth week (both fiction and non-fiction).
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that I’ve only read one book on the list for my birth week. On the one hand, NYT bestseller lists seem to be dominated by a fair amount of transient crud; on the other hand, I’ve actually read more of the books on TJIC’s list (three total) than my own. (Believe it or not, I’ve read Boss
I am halfway tempted to start a project of blogging my way through the books for my birth week, just for grins.
From the APD blotter.
January 12th, 2011This happened Friday night, but we’re only just now hearing about it:
(Statesman link includes dashcam video.)
It appears that the DWI charge against the horse rider have been dropped, but police are going forward with the DWI charge against the guy on the mule. In addition,
(The horse and mule are apparently being held at an animal hospital in Elgin; ownership of the two animals has not been established.)
Nihilists!
January 12th, 2011And while I’m on the legal beat…
January 11th, 2011Alex Tabarrok, one of the Marginal Revolution bloggers, has an interesting article in the latest Wilson Quarterly about the economics of bounty hunting.
Edited to add: Just for grins, I thought I’d throw in a couple of links to Paladin Press books on bounty hunting, such as “Rex Venator”‘s Modern Bounty Hunting: A Real-Life Guide for the Bail Fugitive Recovery Agent
Poor Laura Hall…
January 11th, 2011TMQ watch: January 11, 2011.
January 11th, 2011Nudity! Gambling! This week’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback! Now!
Obit watch: January 11, 2011.
January 11th, 2011Both of these broke yesterday, but I was waiting until I found some better sources before posting:
Peter Yates, director. Lawrence and I were discussing his rather interesting career yesterday. Yates directed such films as Bullit, The Dresser, Breaking Away, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle. He also directed The Deep, Mother, Jugs & Speed, and Krull. (And let’s not forget The Hot Rock, one of the better adaptations of a Donald Westlake Dortmunder novel.) (LAT obit.)
Richard Winters, of Band of Brothers fame. (WP obit.)
I haven’t had much to say about events in Arizona, and probably won’t. Other people are covering this much better than I am; you can pretty much click on any blog in my blogroll for commentary. If you have to pick one, Battleswarm seems to be doing good roundups.
Talkin’ GPS Blues (part 1).
January 9th, 2011A long time ago, my great and good friend Glen pointed me in the direction of a Steven Jay Gould essay about his encounter with Richard Feynman. Gould’s point in that essay was that he thought Feynman wasted a lot of time trying to understand evolution from the ground up, time that Feynman could have spent making valuable contributions to the theory instead. My response is that I think I understand where Feynman was coming from; the only way he felt like he could contribute something was to start from first principles and work his way forward until he understood each step. I’m not anywhere near as smart as Feynman or Gould, but I feel much the same way as Feynman did. Hence, the long and rambling nature of this entry.
I have six GPS systems. That’s probably more than any one sane person needs, but we can leave that discussion for another time.
Godspeed, soldier.
January 7th, 2011General Vang Pao, leader of the Hmong, has passed away. (Edited to add: AP obit, by way of the NYT.)
There’s more that I’d like to write about this, but I don’t have my references in front of me right now. In the meantime, for a good take on the general’s legal troubles, here’s a link to a good Popehat essay by the inimitable Patrick.
Edited to add 1/11/2011: Peter over at Bayou Renaissance Man says pretty much everything I would have said.
Dear New York Times…
January 6th, 2011
This is Idris Elba. He’s an actor.
This is O.J. Simpson. He’s a convicted felon and accused murderer.
Please be so kind as to note that these two men look nothing alike. Thank you. (Hattip: Lawrence.)
Noted for the record.
January 6th, 2011Lawrence has bet me $20 at 5-1 odds that the Texans will make the playoffs in 2011, provided that the NFL plays a complete season in 2011.