Archive for August, 2012

This is not a joke.

Monday, August 20th, 2012

Roger Clemens is back in baseball.

Pitching.

For the Sugar Land Skeeters. Here’s the team’s official website.

If I was going to go, I’d go this coming Saturday. Not only are they playing the Bridgeport Bluefish, but “Stuntman Ted Batchelor” is going to set himself on fire after the game and run the bases.

Minor league baseball. There’s nothing quite like it.

Obit watch: August 20, 2012.

Monday, August 20th, 2012

Yesterday was a bad day for Hollywood.

Noted actor William Windom passed away at the age of 88. (NYT. LAT.) You know, I’d love to see “My World and Welcome to It” finally make it to DVD.

And director Tony Scott (“Top Gun”, “Crimson Tide”, “Man on Fire”, etc.) committed suicide yesterday. (LAT. A/V Club.)

Kevin Caruso’s Suicide.org website. For what ever it may be worth.

A bunch of random links.

Sunday, August 19th, 2012

Here are a bunch of random links that I promised various people, collected in one place, so I can email one link rather than half-a-dozen.

“Stupid Idea Of The Day: Let’s Nationalize Facebook!”. This was also in TMQ Watch, but buried, so I’m breaking it out here. Note that this goes to Forbes and not Slate, because I refuse to give Idiot Boy any linkage.

Obit from EE Times for Hans Camenzind, inventor of the 555 timer IC.

Rap music is becoming less homophobic.

“Many hip-hop artists, too, noticed when Jamaican dance hall artists such as Buju Banton, whose lyrics are violently anti-gay, saw lucrative tour dates canceled as a result.”

The latest in Buju Banton’s legal case, or “You got 10 years. Would you like to go for 15?”

“What will 2011 (the Year of the Rabbit) hold for Buju Banton?” Somehow, I don’t think the answer was “Federal prison”.

“I ride a Flying Pigeon. It’s an obscure bicycle, imported from China. You’ve probably never heard of it.”

Cheesecake.

Sunday, August 19th, 2012

I have mentioned in the past that I don’t like linking to stories already on FARK, unless it is something that just demands coverage and comment.

I’m not sure this qualifies as an example of that, but I feel compelled to link anyway.

The Seattle Times has a profile of Dolores Erickson, who is 76 years old and doesn’t look that bad for 76. We’d happily take her out for a chaste dinner and movie.

Most of you probably see this coming, especially if you’re music buffs (Weer’d Beard, I’m looking at you). For the rest of you: who is Dolores Erickson?

After the jump (picture may be mildly NSFW. depending on where you work)…

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TMQ Watch: August 14, 2012.

Sunday, August 19th, 2012

We were expecting TMQ to start up again soonish, and actually noticed that the first TMQ of the season went up last Tuesday. Unfortunately, some personal issues kept us from getting back into the swing of things until now. Future TMQ Watches will be posted on the same Tuesday as the TMQ, barring unusual and unforeseen circumstances.

And with that, let’s fill the chainsaw’s gas tank with two-stroke mix, pull the starter cord, and get going. Winter will be here sooner than we think.

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Woo hoo woo hoo hoo…

Sunday, August 19th, 2012

This is CNN SportsFirings.com, after all.

The Houston Astros fired their manager, Brad Mills, their hitting coach, Mike Barnett, and their first base coach, Bobby Meacham.

The dismissal of Mills was made just short of three years of his tenure that ended with a 171-274 record. With losses the last two nights to the Diamondbacks, Mills was on the losing end of 59 of his last 76 games.

The Astros are currently at .322, 39-82. If they keep up this pace, they should lose 110 games this season.

How informal can we get?

Sunday, August 19th, 2012

A while back, I noted that the University of Texas had shut down the popular “informal classes” program as a money-saving step.

I found out, by way of today’s Statesman, that the classes are back.

I did not know this. Perhaps there is a reason for that:

…there’s a perception that the program — which offers instruction in fly fishing, painting, dog obedience, digital photography and GarageBand for songwriters — remains kaput.
There are a couple of reasons for that. For a few months, it was. And those ubiquitous paper course catalogs you used to see all over town are no more. Watson and program director Monica Mercado say they rely on email and social media to get the word out.

I could snark on the whole “let’s use social media” thing, but guess what? Enrollment has gone up 23 percent between 2010 and 2012.

I could also snark on the classes that are being offered…but they’re actually pretty good. (“The World of Vincent Price” sounds like it could be fun, but I’m not sure I’d be willing to shell out $68 for it.)

(“Finally, students will look toward the future of food and food blogging, and delve into sustainable food systems and sustainable blogging systems.” What the heck is a “sustainable blogging system”?)

Edited to add: After I wrote this post, I had breakfast with two friends of mine. Both are more active on social media than I am, and one is actually a grad student at UT. Neither of them knew the informal classes were back, either.

The Butler’s Revenge.

Saturday, August 18th, 2012

I have written previously about the “dirty DUI” case, as the SFChron puts it. In brief, Christopher Butler and his PI agency were taking money from women involved in divorce/custody cases to set up their husbands on DUI charges.

One of the people who provided evidence against Butler and his cohorts (including former Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriff Stephen Tanabe) was a reserve officer named William Howard. Howard has been a reserve officer with the sheriff’s department for 19 years.

He was fired on Tuesday.

A department spokesman, Jimmy Lee, described Howard’s release as an internal matter and declined to discuss it.

And even more things I did not know….

Friday, August 17th, 2012

An office discussion led to the misguided The Legend of the Lone Ranger movie from 1981. (Not to be confused with the misguided Lone Ranger movie currently in production.)

You remember that one, don’t you? The one where the Wrather Company went after Clayton Moore for making public appearances in a mask? The one starring Klinton Spilsbury?

I’m sure you haven’t been wondering, “Hey, what ever happened to Klinton Spilsbury?” But: what ever happened to Klinton Spilsbury?

Answer: he’s never worked again.

Kind of makes me go “Wow”. I mean, surely he could have gotten a part in some direct to video/DVD piece of crap? Or if they were really desperate, a part in a SyFy channel movie? “Anaconda 5: Anaconda vs. Bigfoot”?

Is it just me…

Friday, August 17th, 2012

…or does P90X sound more like a product of FN (probably a bullpup chambered in .250-3000) or a Volvo sport-utility vehicle than an exercise program?

Updates.

Friday, August 17th, 2012

I’ve added Steven Raichlen’s blog and Twitter feed.

Also added: Mick Vann’s “Gustidude”. Mr. Vann is one of a small number of local food writers I trust: I would say that even if it were not for the fact that he did a nice profile of the SDC many years ago.

And Gustidude came to my attention because he has a blog entry up about eating at Franklin’s BBQ with Raichlen.

Obvious headline is obvious.

Friday, August 17th, 2012

So instead, I’ll link to this:

and this:

and let my readers fill in the blank.