Taxing meat pies? Oh, the humanity!
…and a pussy’s good for maybe six or seven at the most…
March 29th, 2012Cahiers du cinéma: Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
March 29th, 2012This should be fairly short, since I’m not sure I have much to say other than this:
If “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” plays anywhere near you, I recommend that you go see it. If you have teenage children, I would seriously consider taking them along.
This is a movie about more than a world-class (as in, three Michelin stars) sushi chef. It is also a movie about finding work that you love, trying to be as good as you can at it, and working hard every day at it. In some ways, I think this is a movie about virtues we as a country have lost, and virtues that may be passing away in Japan as well.
Setting that aside, there’s also a lot of wonderful shots of Jiro’s sushi, the Tsukiji fish market, and raw tuna being prepared. It is a beautifully shot movie, worth seeing on a large screen.
(Jiro talking about his routine reminded me, of all things, of a quote from Don Winslow’s The Winter of Frankie Machine
Scrape them off, Jim.
March 29th, 2012Apparently, the great science fiction author Norman Spinrad wrote a script for “Star Trek: Original Recipe” that never got used. The script resurfaced a few months ago, and Spinrad began selling copies of it online. He also made arrangements with the “Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II” folks to do an adaptation of it.
At least, all this was going to happen until CBS put the kibosh on it.
Question: the Onion A/V Club describes the script as being about “the Enterprise crew’s encounter with a self-proclaimed messiah”. So how, exactly, does this differ from…well, pretty much every “Star Trek” episode written by Gene Roddenberry? Not to mention “Star Trek V”.
(Feel free to post in the comments and tell me I’m wrong. Especially you, A.T. After all, my hatred for “Star Trek” is a well known fact. But I think it is also a pretty well known fact, pointed out by notables such as Harlan Ellison, that “the Enterprise meets God” was a recurring obsession of Roddenberry’s.)
Obit watch: come and listen to my story about a man named Earl…
March 29th, 2012…Earl Scruggs, that is.
Edited to add: By way of FARK, here’s a nice tribute to Earl Scruggs from the New Yorker.
Edited to add 2: The Onion A/V Club’s very nice obituary.
More sad violin.
March 28th, 2012Speaking of stories that tug at the emotions and then make you say, “Wait…”, there’s another one in today’s Statesman.
We previously noted the fire at a downtown condominium. That was January of last year, and the management is still working on restoring the eighth floor (where the fire was). The process is a little complicated, due to building code and insurance issues.
So there’s this older couple who owns a condo on the eighth floor, and who haven’t been able to occupy it yet. The Statesman notes that they’re somewhat upset because they still have to pay the maintenance fee for the condo’s common areas. (That fee, in their case, amounts to $561 a month.)
At first blush, that sounds unfair. After all, they can’t live in their property; why are they being charged a fee? But wait a minute…
- Those fees, as noted, are for maintenance of the common areas in the building; the lobby, the pool, hallways, parking areas, etc. The couple isn’t being denied use of any of those areas. Indeed, the manager notes that they’re still fully entitled to all the benefits of property ownership in the complex.
- The Statesman quotes their son as stating “It’s been a hardship for my elderly parents, who are on a fixed income. My parents have paid $9,000 in fees that we dispute.” But hang on; they would still be paying the fee if they were living in the condo, so how is their fixed income relevant?
- I understand the couple and their son dispute the fees. However, as the Statesman notes, those fees are set in the condo association’s governing documents, and the association has no power to waive them. (That is, unless 2/3rds of the property owners and their mortgage lenders agree to amend the rules.) The lesson here is: make sure you understand the documents you signed. (Second possible lesson: make sure your insurance coverage deals with situations like this.)
- Their fixed income might be relevant if they were coming out of pocket for alternative housing while they were displaced. But as I understand it, the condo association (or, at least, the insurance companies involved) are paying for alternative housing while owners are displaced. (If I’m wrong about that, someone correct me in the comments.) If the condo association isn’t paying, it would seem like homeowner’s insurance would cover that as well (depending on how the policy is written). And, the capper…”He and his wife have been living rent-free in a house owned by [their] daughter”.
So they’re not coming out of pocket for any rent. The only thing in dispute is the fees for the common area, which they would be paying no matter what, and which covers things they can still make use of while they’re temporarily displaced.
This is news?
Edited to add: I didn’t think of this until now. $561 * 14 (January 2011 – March 2012) = $7,854. So where does the “$9,000 in fees that we dispute” figure come from?
News of the world: March 28, 2012.
March 28th, 2012I previously noted the indictments of 11 people associated with Yassine Enterprises, owners of a string of downtown clubs.
Today’s Statesman covers a hearing yesterday in the case, and…better start making popcorn, folks, because this is going to be even more entertaining than I expected:
- One of the suspects is allegedly associated with the Texas Syndicate (one of our homegrown prison gangs).
- “… thousands of dollars were transferred to a Yassine relative in Lebanon who is reportedly connected to the militant group Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.”
- The owner of Yassine Enterprises was named as a “person of interest” in an unsolved homicide.
(I note that today’s article lists 10 people as being involved in the case, while previous coverage specified 11 people, one of whom was unnamed at the time. I’m not sure what is going on with that.)
How often do you read a story in the newspaper that tugs at your heartstrings…at least at first? And then, when you think about it, the questions become overwhelming?
There’s a story like that in today’s NYT. Michael Romanelli was a firefighter until he was injured on the job in 1989. He’s been fighting since then for a full disability pension (which would work out to 3/4ths of his salary, tax free) and took out a full page ad in the New York Post yesterday to continue his lobbying.
At first glance, this sounds awful. Guy was hurt on the job, surely he’s entitled to a disability pension, right? I have a lot of respect for firefighters, and frankly I feel awful for him.
But wait a second…
There’s got to be more to the story than the NYT playing the violin here. If he’s been through the system, and been through the courts, and lost his case for a full disability pension (even though the department found him not fit for duty), I have to think there’s something the Times either isn’t telling us, or didn’t look into.
(“He said he had no job, lived on an annual pension of $22,000 and had no money in the bank. “ So is he getting a pension from the NYCFD, just not the full disability one he wants? What would a full disability pension for a firefighter injured in 1989 work out to, compared to the $22,000 he’s getting now? Are there cost of living increases built into those disability pensions? Who are the politicians who became involved in this?)
Hope and the law.
March 26th, 2012In May of 2009, a man named Robert Carroll Gillham set a fire at a Gallery Furniture store and warehouse in Houston. The fire did $20 million worth of damage; fortunately, nobody died.
(For those of you outside of Houston: Gallery Furniture is run by a colorful local character named Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, and is somewhat famous for their commercials. Especially the tag line: “Gallery Furniture SAVES. YOU. MONEY!” Their YouTube channel is here.)
What, pray tell, is a “de facto loan sharking business”?
But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. You see, Mr. Gillham’s trial has been delayed, and he’s being sent to a state mental hospital.
Why? Is he crazy?
No. He has a brain tumor.
Well, okay. If he’s having cognitive problems, well, part of the foundation of a fair trial is that you be able to effectively participate in your own defense.
So what’s the problem?
He hopes? He freaking hopes that the doctors are going to remove the tumor, rather than letting Mr. Gillham continue to suffer from cognitive issues? Hopes?
What. The. F–k. Dude. I see this kind of thing a lot; as a matter of fact, I was discussing it with some coworkers this morning.
Hope is not a strategy.
It is nice to hope things go well. It is nice to hope everything works properly. But it is much better to plan and prepare and make sure, whether you’re jumping out of a helicopter with jet engines and a kitchen table strapped to your back, or defending a client with a brain tumor. Hope is never a substitute for planning and preparation. Hope is not an effective backup plan. Nor, for that matter, is it an effective plan for much else.
I understand, of course, that Podolsky isn’t going to be doing the operation himself. But…
Yeah, well, if I were you, dude, I’d be asking some pretty hard questions, especially since Gillham has already been in the hospital several times because of this.
Hookers. No blow.
March 26th, 2012Kleptocracy.
March 26th, 2012I can’t honestly recommend that you use your limited number of free NYT stories this month to go over and read this article. After all, it is about an obscure non-profit hospital in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn; unless you live in that area, why should you care?
What piques my interest about this story, though, is the chain of…shall we say, questionable management decisions by the hospital. For example:
- The hospital’s former president was hired in spite of the fact that he’d never managed a hospital before.
- He drove a Bentley Continental GT to work. (Yes, he has the right to drive whatever he wants, but that’s a $160,000 car for an administrator at a non-profit hospital. As a side note, why would anyone in NYC drive a nice car? I know I’d be worried about mine getting trashed. I’d get a cheap beater; if I really wanted a nice car, I’d garage it outside the city and drive the beater in and out.)
- The operative word there is “drove”. He had his license pulled, under circumstances he’s not forthcoming about, in 2009.
- At that point, he parked the Bentley at the hospital and had the hospital take over the multi-thousand dollar insurance payment. (He says that he reimbursed the hospital, but I’m not clear if that has been confirmed yet.)
- Then he started using the hospital’s vehicles, a Lincoln Town Car and a Cadillac Escalade, for his personal use. He used two security guards, who were being paid overtime pay, as drivers.
- “…he suspected that the drivers of the Town Car and the Escalade were eavesdropping on his conversations. So he had the hospital purchase a used stretch limousine for about $33,000. “
- “One member of the hospital’s board obtained for the pharmacy that he owned the exclusive right to market prescription drugs to hospital patients.” (Is it just me, or is that a really badly written sentence? I know: glass houses, stones.)
- “Another board member lent $2.4 million to the ailing Wyckoff at 12 percent interest, with the hospital required to put up several of its buildings as security.”
- “13 of the hospital’s 22 board members declared at least one conflict of interest.”
- Various politicians have managed to get friends of theirs hired into high level positions. For example, one councilman’s wife is the PR director.
- “The hospital all but defaulted on its $109 million in state-secured bonds, forcing the taxpayers to cover $10 million due to bondholders before the state agreed in May to defer the hospital’s overdue payments.”
- “Wyckoff no longer even carries malpractice insurance. ” Holy. Crap.
- I haven’t even mentioned the disbarred lawyer who graduated from a Caribbean medical school and got a residency at Wyckoff, even though the hospital didn’t have any openings for residents. (Can you say “John L. Sampson of Brooklyn, the Senate Democratic leader”?)
Side note: “The hospital recently sold the stretch limousine for $18,000; it had cost $33,000 eight months ago. It sold the Lincoln Town Car for $9,000 and hopes to get $18,000 for the Escalade.”
I’d really like to know what year that Escalade is. You have to go back to 2006 to find one in the $18K range around here (at least on cars.com). If we’re talking 2008 – 2009 or later, I’d seriously consider flying up to NYC and driving back.
Roundup from the police blotter.
March 23rd, 2012Helpfully, the HouChron story includes an embedded commercial for “Moonshiners”.
Huh? Is he perhaps talking about methanol, not methane gas?
In other news: I really haven’t been paying attention to the trial of John Goodman (mostly because he seems to be FARK’s favorite d’bag, so my coverage would be redundant), but I am happy to report that he has been found guilty of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. More coverage here. I’m hoping he gets the full 30 years and does every day of that time.
Burn it to the ground and start over. (Part 4)
March 23rd, 2012Bad news: Karl F. Thompson Jr. still has not been sentenced for beating Otto Zehm to death.
…
Question: if McIntyre is being charged with obstruction of justice, aren’t similar charges justified against the city attorney who suggested she lie under oath? Isn’t that, at the very least, subornation of perjury? And can’t you be disbarred for that, in addition to getting hard time in a federal prison?
(Hattip: the Injustice News Feed, by way of TJIC on the Twitter.)
Instant karma’s gonna get you…
March 22nd, 2012About two months ago, a class action suit was filed against Yassine Enterprises. The company was accused of not paying wages to employees who received tips: they own a long list of clubs in downtown Austin.
Earlier today, the FBI, IRS, and TABC raided the offices of Yassine Enterprises. 11 people involved with the company have been charged with an interesting assortment of federal crimes, including money laundering, cocaine trafficking, and “transferring a firearm knowing it is to be used in a drug trafficking crime”.
To which all I can say is “Wow”. And possibly “don’t f–k with the bartender”. It’ll be interesting to watch these cases play out.
Edited to add: Second day coverage from the Statesman here.
Stray thoughts.
March 21st, 2012The NYT would like to explain Wickard v. Filburn to you. If you would like to read the court’s decision for yourself, rather than trusting the NYT, you can find it here.
By way of Jimbo: Wednesday’s Denver Post has a review of a restaurant called “Roam”. “So what?” you say. “I don’t live in Denver, and neither do you.” Yes, but it isn’t very often that a newspaper runs a review of a restaurant that closed before the review ran. The section containing the review was printed Monday night; the restaurant closed on Tuesday, and, according to press reports, the closing was nearly as chaotic as the rest of the restaurant’s history.
(Holy cow, there’s a winery called “The Infinite Monkey Theorem“? I want to at least try their wine.)
By the hammer of Goodell…
March 21st, 2012…this is a bad day for the Saints.
This is going to be well covered elsewhere, short version:
- Coach Sean Payton is suspended for a year without pay.
- Gregg Williams, the former defensive coordinator who moved over to the Rams in the off-season, is out “indefinitely” without pay. Goodell will review Williams’ status at the end of the 2012 season
- General manager Mickey Loomis is out for the first eight games of the season without pay.
- Joe Vitt, assistant head coach, is out without pay for the first six games.
- The Saints will lose second round draft picks in 2012 and 2013.
- The team will be fined $500,000.
- “The Saints, individuals disciplined are expected to participate in efforts to develop programs that will instruct on:
— Respect for game and those who participate in it
— Principles of fair play, safety and sportsmanship
— Ensure bounties will not be part of football at any level. “
I may have more thoughts on this later.
Edited to add: Now that I have a little more time to write about this:
- I was expecting a larger team fine, something like $1 million. $500,000 is still twice what the Patriots were fined, though.
- A year on the bench for Payton seems right. Reports indicate that will cost him $8 million.
- If Payton gets a year, though, why does Loomis only get eight games? He disobeyed both the NFL and his owner: I think he’s more culpable than Payton, and should have gotten at least a year. (I called for a lifetime suspension initially. And I still do not think that was out of line.)
- Why second round picks? Why not first round? Or a first in 2012 and a second in 2013?
- I would have preferred an outright lifetime ban for Williams, but I think it is too early to complain about the “indefinite” suspension. For me, much depends on what the commissioner does with Williams at the end of the season.
Random notes: March 19, 2012.
March 19th, 2012The “This American Life” retraction episode went up Friday night. You can download it or read the transcript here.
I listened to the whole thing over the weekend, and frankly I recommend listening rather than (or in addition to) reading the transcript. The transcript does not convey just how Mike Daisey comes across in Ira Glass’s discussion with him:
The Retraction episode of This American Life contains the most excruciating dead air I’ve ever heard.
— Matthew Baldwin (@matthewbaldwin) March 17, 2012
One thing that bothered me about this episode, though (and both Lawrence and Matthew Baldwin have made this same point).
Ira Glass says, “At that point, we should’ve killed the story,” when they found out that Daisey couldn’t (or wouldn’t) give them contact information for his interpreter.
Glass goes on to say “But other things Daisey told us about Apple’s operations in China checked out, and we saw no reason to doubt him. We didn’t think that he was lying to us and to audiences about the details of his story. That was a mistake.”
That’s not good enough. Someone should have been there and asked Glass: “Why didn’t you kill the story at that point? What were your reasons for going on with it? If you felt like it was an important enough story to run with, what were your reasons for going with Daisey, rather than someone like Rob Schmitz or the NYT reporters you spoke with?”
Yankees fan (well, nobody’s perfect) John Gruber has been all over the story since it broke on Friday as well. I’d suggest just going over to Daring Fireball and scrolling down from the top, clicking on whatever Daisey links interest you.
In non-Daisey related news: I gave up on Slate a few months ago. I felt like it had reached the point Salon came to quite a while back (when I gave up on them): saying outrageous and stupid things just to get page views, increasingly dumb writing (“Dear Prudence” in particular seems to have gone nucking futs), and generally not worth the time and effort involved in paying any attention to it.
However, I did see some good word of mouth on one Slate article recently, so I decided to click over. I’m happy that I did, as I can enthusiastically recommend Annie Lowrey’s “Where’s _why?”, a long article that simultaneously covers three things:
- the culture surrounding the Ruby programming language (with a good explanation of what Ruby and Ruby on Rails are, and why they matter)
- the author’s attempts to learn programming using Ruby as her first language
- and the mystery of what happened to “Why the Lucky Stiff” a beloved figure in Ruby culture.