Second verse, same as the first!

January 8th, 2014

My mother sent the kids an email this morning:

No more gun shows, big Velvetta shortage. Makes me want to get a gun and the big box of Velvetta.

And I said, “Whaaaaaaaaaat?” I wasn’t aware there was a gun show issue. As a matter of fact, I’d checked the Saxet Shows schedule just the other night (while dining with Lawrence) and they have shows scheduled through December 2014. So I figured we were done with the bolshie bushwa. Right?

Wrong.

Travis County leaders voted Tuesday not to extend a lease allowing Saxet Gun Shows to hold the event at the county-owned Exposition Center in Austin.

Here’s a report from yesterday. Basically, the county commissioners couldn’t agree on what to do:

After concerns with citizens last year, the county added a provision in the contract that Saxet require it’s private gun vendors to conduct background checks for shows at the Travis County Expo Center. Judge Sam Biscoe proposed the county halt attempts to negotiate with Saxet until they agree to the background check provision of the contract. That proposal failed. Precinct Three Commissioner Gerald Daugherty then proposed to continue the original contract without the background check provision, which also failed.

Oh, look. By way of KLBJ, here’s a non-paywalled Statesman link.

“If you use a public facility to sell guns, we really oughta have background checks done. Or don’t use the facility,” County Judge Sam Biscoe, the chairman of the commissioners, told reporters after the meeting.

And since licensed dealers at gun shows are already required to do background checks, that will accomplish…nothing. Except drive Saxet out of Austin and into someplace like Round Rock or Cedar Park, and reduce Expo Center revenue. Private sales between individuals are still going to take place, gun show or no show.

Perhaps some of my readers might wish to give Judge Biscoe and the other members of the Commissioner’s Court who aren’t Gerald Daugherty a call. I’d recommend being polite and professional. Judge Biscoe has nothing to lose, since he’s retiring this year. So perhaps you should also make a note on your calender for election time…

Posted in Clippings, Guns, Politics, Travis County | 2 Comments »

Random notes: January 8, 2014.

January 8th, 2014

Jeff Ireland out as general manager in Miami, on the heels of the Mike Sherman firing. This is being spun as “by mutual agreement”:

A club source said Ireland was going to lose much, if not all, of his decision-making power. Owner Stephen Ross intended to hire an executive with personnel authority over Ireland, a situation that was not acceptable to Ireland.

106 individuals charged in a massive, multi-decade long Social Security disability fraud scheme. Included in the indictments are 72 former NYC police officers and eight former NYC firefighters.

More to come. I’m getting a slow start this morning, but I do plan a gun show post as soon as I’m able to get one up. Assuming Lawrence doesn’t beat me to it.

Posted in Clippings, Cops, Firings, Law, NFL, Sports | Comments Closed

Banana republicans watch: January 7, 2014.

January 7th, 2014

This story started breaking this morning, but I wanted to wait for the official word before posting anything.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has decided to drop his re-election bid, and is retiring as sheriff at the end of January.

Sheriff Baca and his department have been a frequent subject of coverage here, most recently as the result of 18 of his deputies being indicted on federal charges. But that’s just part of the story; Baca’s department has a long history of issues, including deputies beating the crap out of each other at the Christmas party, questionable hiring decisions, and questionable tactics. Browse the “California Uber Alles” category for more.

I have the feeling that this is another one of those “pass the popcorn” moments, and I look forward to finding out what happens next.

Posted in California Über Alles, Clippings, Law | Comments Closed

Firings and other random notes: January 7, 2014.

January 7th, 2014

At this point, it is probably easier to list who the Houston Texans have not fired:

Assistant head coach/defensive line Bill Kollar.

Also out of a job: Miami offensive coordinator (and former Texas A&M head coach) Mike Sherman.

The latest episode of “American Experience”, which is airing tonight on most PBS stations (7 PM on KLRU, with repeats at 1 AM and 3 AM) is an adaptation of Deborah Blum’s The Poisoner’s Handbook, about forensic toxicology in New York during the 1920s and 1930s. I thought this was a swell book, and I generally enjoy the “American Experience” documentaries, so I commend this to your attention.

Posted in Books, Clippings, Firings, Geek, NFL, Sports | Comments Closed

And another one down…

January 4th, 2014

Legendary former Houston Oiler Mike Munchak, who went on to coach the Tennessee Titans for three seasons, was fired today.

He was 22-26; the team finished 7-9 this year.

The decision ends Munchak’s 31-year run with the franchise that dated back to him being drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1982. Munchak later served as a long-time offensive line coach with the team before he was hired to replace Jeff Fisher in 2011.

Also:

The team offered him an opportunity to return, with conditions. Among them included parting ways with a good portion of his coaching staff. Munchak declined to do so, and the two sides agreed to part ways.

Posted in Clippings, Firings, NFL | Comments Closed

Ballad of the Houston Texans.

January 4th, 2014

Now that Bill O’Brien has taken over, what’s going on?

Answer: he fired everybody just as hard as he could go. He fired Wade Philips and he fired Rick Dennison, and he fired some people that he didn’t even know.

Seriously: Wade Philips is gone as defensive coordinator. Rick Dennison is gone as offensive coordinator. Quarterback coach Karl Dorrell is gone. Defensive backs coach Vance Johnson is gone.

Reports from elsewhere say everyone is going to be fired before the day is out.

Musical hattip:

Don Helms from Wikipedia.

Posted in Clippings, Firings, Music, NFL | Comments Closed

Legal update part 2.

January 3rd, 2014

Gerhard Becker has pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and been sentenced to serve one year in jail. With time served and time off for good behavior, it seems likely he will go free in six months.

I’ve written about this case previously. For those who don’t recall: Becker was an architect who remodeled a home in Hollywood Hills. After the final inspection, and after having lied to the inspectors, Becker installed fire pits designed for outdoor use inside the home. The home eventually caught fire, and Glenn Allen, a firefighter with the LA Fire Department, was fatally injured while fighting the fire. Allen’s death resulted in the charge against Becker.

Posted in Clippings, Law | Comments Closed

TMQ watch: December 31, 2013.

January 3rd, 2014

More “we’re just not feeling the clever this week”. Might as well just open the box. After the jump, this week’s TMQ…

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Clippings, Mixology, NFL, Sports, TMQ watch, TV | Comments Closed

Legal update part 1.

January 3rd, 2014

The lawsuit by Alexander Calder’s heirs against his former dealer has been dismissed.

In a decision dated Dec. 23, Judge Shirley Werner Kornreich wrote that “all of these allegations are so patently inadequate that the court can only conclude that they were brought solely for the purposes of harassment or embarrassment, without any consideration of their legal sufficiency.”
The judge also invoked the statute of limitations, writing that the plaintiffs were trying to litigate issues that stretched back “decades without any personal knowledge or contemporaneous records, where nearly all of the people who had personal knowledge of the facts are dead.”

(Previously.)

(I expect to have a second legal update later today; I’m just waiting on events.)

Posted in Art, Clippings, Law | Comments Closed

New year, new list.

January 3rd, 2014

I wasn’t all that wild about what the NYT did with this year’s “The Lives They Led” obituary roundup.

But this, this is a swell article:

But the diesel engine was too loud, and the Anna Mary, on autopilot, moving due south at six and a half knots, was already out of reach, its navigation lights receding into the night. Aldridge shouted once more, panic rising in his throat, and then silence descended. He was alone in the darkness. A single thought gripped his mind: This is how I’m going to die.

One aspect of this that fascinates me: the Coast Guard’s use of computers in search and rescue.

The Coast Guard has used computer simulations in search and rescue since the mid-1970s, but Sarops has been in use since only 2007. At its heart is a Monte Carlo-style simulator that can generate, in just a few minutes, as many as 10,000 points to represent how far and in what direction a “search object” might have drifted. Operators input a variety of data, from the last known location of a lost mariner to the ocean currents and wind direction. Sarops then creates a map of a search area — in this case, of the ocean south of Montauk — with colored squares representing each potential location for the search object. Red and orange squares represent the most likely locations; gray squares represent the least likely.

Posted in 2014, Clippings, Food, Geek, Lobsters, Reading list | 1 Comment »

Firings watch.

January 3rd, 2014

Carol Ross, head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, was fired yesterday.

Well, actually, she was laid off. Along with her staff. And the entire front office staff.

And the team’s current owner has said that they are “no longer in a position” to continue with the team.

Asked if the Sparks would field a team for the 2014 season, or if the franchise would fold, [WNBA President Laurel] Richie repeatedly said that several entities have expressed an interest in owning a WNBA team and the league is exploring those options regarding the Sparks.

Posted in Clippings, Firings, Sports | Comments Closed

Random notes: January 3, 2014.

January 3rd, 2014

WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!*

(* Offer not valid outside of New York City.)

I’m not sure I understand the point of this article. Ostensibly, it is about the supposed economic impact on the neighborhood businesses of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” closing.

But even a full house at the 1,930-seat Foxwoods, the biggest Broadway theater, is just a drop in the bucket of the roughly 400,000 people moving through Times Square daily at this time of year.
And it can be hard to determine just where audience members for “Spider-Man” — some 89 percent of whom are from out of town, according to the show’s most recent research — have been spending their dollars, though some businesses popular with tourists seeking a classic Broadway experience say the show’s absence will be felt.

So it doesn’t seem like the NYT has any way to quantify the impact, just a bunch of anecdotes from businesses in the neighborhood. Some of them expect reduced business, others say they expect people (especially actors) to keep showing up. Is there a point?

Strippers. Always with the strippers.

The new agreement freed the 16 clubs involved in the lawsuits from abiding by the 1997 law and required the owners to contribute $1 million annually to a unit in the Houston Police Department devoted to fighting human trafficking. But a number of religious leaders and advocates for sex-trafficking victims have opposed the deal. They said it sent the wrong message about Houston’s tolerance for such entertainment, and allowed the 16 clubs to buy their way out of complying with the law. The Houston Area Pastor Council is considering suing the city over the agreement.

Is that $1 million from each club, or $1 million total? And is it just me, or is there something odd about private businesses giving money to the police department to enforce the law?

Posted in Clippings, Hysteria, Law, Theatre | Comments Closed

In case you were wondering…

January 1st, 2014

…Joe Allen will not be adding a poster for “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” to his “wall of flops”.

“Any show that plays for three years on Broadway, providing steady employment to members of the theater community and pumping money into the local economy, is no failure in my book.”

(Previously.)

Posted in Clippings, Spiders, Theatre | Comments Closed

Bloody Monday.

December 30th, 2013

This is your official Monday after the end of the season coach firings post. I’ll try to update this during the day as coaches are let go.

Starting at the beginning: the Browns didn’t even wait for Monday. Rob Chudzinski was fired last night after one season.

Yeah, they finished 4-12, but I kind of feel like Chud was being used as the scapegoat for years of bad decision making by the previous management of the Browns. Really, one season? A season in which you traded away a previous first round draft choice (who turned out to be a bust)? I smell a scapegoat cooking.

Edited to add 1: Looks like Mike Shanahan’s firing as head coach of the Redskins is now official, as opposed to merely speculative.

Edited to add 2: Leslie Frazier out in Minnesota. 21-33-1, and the Vikings were actually a playoff team last year. It does seem like most of their games this year were competitive until near the end, and I don’t think Frazier was the problem with this team. You know, the Texans could probably do a lot worse than Frazier…

Edited to add 3: Stepped away for a little while to run some errands. While I was out:

Greg Schiano out as head coach at Tampa Bay, along with general manager Mark Dominik. Schiano was 11-21 over two seasons. Perhaps now he can return to what he really loves; beating up middle school children for their lunch money.

Jim Schwartz out in Detroit. Also out: offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and recievers coach Tim Lappano. Schwartz was 29-51 over five seasons, and actually took Detroit to the playoffs once. Once.

Also, it looks like the Redskins are engaged in a major housecleaning: eight of Shanahan’s assistants are gone as well, including offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

Posted in Clippings, Firings, NFL, Sports | Comments Closed

Does this count as a “firing”?

December 28th, 2013

I’m going to say “yes”.

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown declined to specify the reasons for the team’s indefinite suspension of center Andrew Bynum for conduct detrimental to the team, but it appears his tenure with the Cavs could be at an end.

I’ve seen rumblings that Cleveland plans to trade Bynum, but:

…no other team besides the Cavs was interested in signing him last summer after he missed an entire season in Philadelphia with ongoing knee problems.

Posted in Clippings, Firings, Sports | Comments Closed

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