The NYT is reporting the death of actor Rex Reason.
Mr. Reason was perhaps most famous for playing Cal Meacham in “This Island Earth”, which I almost think I’d like to watch again for real (as opposed to the MST3K movie version).
Obit watch: November 25, 2015.
November 25th, 2015TMQ Watch: November 24, 2015.
November 24th, 2015Obit watch and random notes: November 24, 2015.
November 24th, 2015I’ve written previously about Ron Reynolds, a state representative and lawyer who was charged with barratry.
Well, it has been a while. The other seven people who were arrested with Rep. Reynolds took pleas, but Rep. Reynolds went to trial. And…?
You’re going down in flames, you tax-fattened hyena!
I’ve also written about Kelly Thomas, who was beaten to death by the Fullerton PD. The city (meaning local taxpayers) is going to pay out $4.9 million to his family, in settlement of their wrongful death lawsuit.
Obit watch: noted elsewhere, but I did want to mention the passing of Ken Johnson, former player for the Houston Astros (and the Colt .45s, their predecessor), and the only pitcher ever to “complete a nine-inning game without yielding a hit and still manage to lose it.”
(Oddly enough, there’s a good explanation of how this happened in the FARK discussion thread.)
Also among the dead: Adele Mailer, Norman’s ex-wife and the woman he stabbed in a drunken rage.
Norts spews.
November 20th, 2015By way of the NYT, we learn of a controversy sweeping the world of curling: “high-tech” brooms.
More:
“a retailer”? Like a grocery store? Or like a curling specialty shop?
(Steve’s Curling Supplies sells both the Balance Plus and the Hardline.)
Wednesday was the 30th anniversary of Joe Theismann’s leg injury, and the WP ran a story tied to that.
Speaking from recent bitter personal experience, this.
(Also, I love the detail about the black and white TV with the coat hanger. The ER at Brackenridge has cable TV, so at least you’ve got something to distract you. If you happen to be conscious.)
TMQ Watch: November 17, 2015.
November 19th, 2015You know what we miss from the new, tighter, TMQ?
We’ll tell you. After the jump, this week’s TMQ…
Failure to launch.
November 18th, 2015And we have our first firing of the NBA season (I think):
Kevin McHale is gone as head coach of the Houston Rockets.
(By the way, Philadelphia is 0-11.)
Musical interlude.
November 13th, 2015No particular reason. Just feel like it.
Well!
November 12th, 2015I wasn’t blogging the trial, nor was I following it very closely, but this is just too good to pass up:
That’s right. Aquitted.
Heh. Heh. Heh.
(You may remember the Lufthansa robbery from such movies as “Goodfellas”.)
Edited to add 11/13:
I’m just going to leave this here…
TMQ Watch: November 10, 2015.
November 12th, 2015We’re running behind again, this time due to Time-Warner issues and other things. In case you were wondering, we are still a bit gimpy, but our hand is steadily improving.
Let’s go ahead and jump into this week’s TMQ…
Obit watch: November 12, 2015.
November 12th, 2015Carol Doda has passed away at the age of 78.
For those of you like me who were a little young to remember Ms. Doda, she was an early and influential topless dancer:
Apologies for the lack of pictures to provide historical context, but I am blogging from work…
Edited to add: more from SFGate.
Obit watch and other random notes: November 11, 2015.
November 11th, 2015Helmut Schmidt, former chancellor of West Germany.
Allen Toussaint, noted New Orleans musician.
Vito J. Lopez, former New York assemblyman who resigned due to a sexual harassment scandal.
Non-obit, but interesting:
The individual is not named, but is described as a “former lance corporal”.
“Former fugitive fish smuggler pleads guilty, prosecutors say”. Somebody at the LAT was having a bit of fun…
Second day coverage of the Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow trial. Doesn’t seem like much here: one of “Shrimp Boy”‘s confederates claims he ordered a hit, but he never explicitly said anything beyond “take care of this”.
Where do we get such men?
Well. Well well well. Well.
November 10th, 2015More from the HouChron on the “person of interest” in the Judge Kocurek case.
Highlights:
- He was scheduled to go before the judge in December: prosecutors were looking to revoke his probation from a previous fraud case.
- He’s been charged with a murder from May of this year.
- He “has a long arrest record in Harris County but few convictions, court records show.”
Quick random notes: November 10, 2015.
November 10th, 2015Mike Thomas out as athletic director at Illinois.
The Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow trial stated yesterday.
My mother was complaining last night that the authorities were being awfully close-mouthed about the shooting of Judge Kocurek. I figured they were playing things close to the vest because the investigation was ongoing.
Well. Well well well. Well.
Historical note, suitable for use in schools.
November 10th, 201540 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.
Note 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.