Historical note, suitable for use in schools.

November 17th, 2018

50 years ago today, at about 3 PM Central Time on November 17, 1968, the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders began a football game.

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Obit watch: November 16, 2018.

November 16th, 2018

Roy Clark. NYT. Nashville Tennessean.

“You can go and get educated, but you can come to ‘Hee Haw’ and get another education,” Mr. Clark said in discussing the show’s far-reaching popularity in a 2016 NPR interview. “The critics all said that the only listeners that we had were country. And I said, ‘Wait a minute — I was just in New York City, and I was walking down the street and a guy yells across and says, “Hey, Roy, I’m a-pickin’.” ’ Well, I’m obligated to say, ‘Well, I’m a-grinnin’.’ ”

William Goldman, noted writer. I loved Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade and I keep looking for more of Goldman’s books.

Also, I should look for a copy of “The Ghost & the Darkness” while I’m out and about this weekend.

One more from the road.

November 15th, 2018

I took this one with the baby Nikon and did a little editing on the phone. This is another one that I think came out pretty well: I wanted to get the two graves in front of Geronimo’s into the shot as well, and those markers are actually legible (if you view the photo at full size).

(If you can’t read them, the one on the left is Eva Geronimo Godeley, daughter of Geronimo and Zi-Yeh. Zi-Yeah, one of Geronimo’s wives, is on the right.)

TMQ Watch: November 13, 2018.

November 14th, 2018

Sorry about last week, folks, but between the elections and our wanderings over the state of Oklahoma (motto: “It’s not Scotland.”) we just flat ran out of time before this week’s edition rolled around.

After the jump, this week’s TMQ

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Obit watch: November 13, 2018.

November 13th, 2018

I was in cars all day yesterday, and wanted to give this a chance to shake out after it was announced

For the historical record: Stan Lee. NYT. LAT. WP.

Douglas Rain, “who performed for 32 seasons with the Stratford Festival in Ontario”.

Mr. Rain was somewhat more famous as the voice of HAL 9000 in “2001: A Space Odyssey”.

Firings watch.

November 11th, 2018

Bobby Petrino is done at Louisville.

2-8 so far this season, and 0-7 in conference.

I like the way this one came out.

November 9th, 2018

French 75, U.S. Army Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK.

Obit watch: November 8, 2018.

November 8th, 2018

Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, noted book critic for the NYT.

Administrative note.

November 7th, 2018

I get a lot of hits on the contact information for Austin City Council members page.

Just so everyone knows, I will be updating that and the other contact pages, but not until after the new folks take office, which I think will be January.

That’s not a knife…

November 7th, 2018

World’s largest Bowie knife, Bowie, Texas.

Obit watch: November 7, 2018.

November 7th, 2018

Kitty O’Neil, noted stunt woman and holder of the women’s land speed record.

The Motivator accelerated rapidly, though silently for Ms. O’Neil; she was deaf. Her speed peaked briefly at 618 miles per hour, and with a second explosive run measured over one kilometer, she attained an average speed of 512.7 m.p.h., shattering the land-speed record for women by about 200 m.p.h.

For Ms. O’Neil, her record — which still stands — was the highlight of a career in daredevilry. She also set speed records on water skis and in boats. And, working as a stuntwoman, she crashed cars and survived immolation.

Travel day.

November 7th, 2018

Going to be on the road for a few days. Blogging will be catch as catch can, though I do intend to get some stuff up.

In the meantime, please enjoy this coded musical interlude. I think I’ve posted these before, but what the heck: they’re still great songs.

Update from the legal beat.

November 6th, 2018

I don’t have much to say about this, partly because I’m still busy as all get out, and partly because I don’t know what there is to say.

But: Terry Thompson, the guy who was married to a sheriff’s deputy and choked a man to death outside a Denny’s, was convicted of murder yesterday. (Previously.)

Firings watch.

November 5th, 2018

In great haste: last night was busy, and that’s continued well into today.

David Beaty is out as head coach of Kansas at the end of the season.

Beaty, in four seasons at KU, is 6-39, including a 2-31 record in Big 12 games, 1-19 in road games and 2-2 against FCS opponents.

Please to remember…

November 5th, 2018

I don’t have a lot to add to what I’ve said previously, and I’m busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest, but:

I wanted to make sure, before it got too late in the day, to wish everyone (especially my peeps in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) a happy Guy Fawkes Day.

Please have fun, and try not to blow yourself up or get burned by flaming barrels of tar.

(I wish I knew somebody in the UK who could place an order from Ottery St. Mary for me. It doesn’t look like they will ship to the US. And it also looks like they don’t have the “You Are Here At Your Own Risk” pins any longer: I wanted to order a bunch of those and give them out as Christmas presents.)