Archive for May 24th, 2013

Random notes: May 24, 2013.

Friday, May 24th, 2013

Obit watch: Steve Forrest. NYT. A/V Club.

Forrest knocked around movies and TV for a long time, but he is perhaps most famous for this:

I am not ashamed to admit: I loved that show when I was a kid. And I still think it has one of the greatest themes ever, right up there with the original Hawaii 5-0 and Mission: Impossible.

NYPD blues, part 1:

A veteran New York City police detective once assigned to the mayor’s security team was convicted of attempted murder and reckless endangerment on Thursday for shooting a man while off duty, the Queens district attorney said.

Part 2:

“Opening 50 cases is a herculean task,” said Pierre Sussman, a defense lawyer who represents two of the men whose cases will be reviewed. “The first challenge will be culling information from files that are two or three decades old and trying to find witnesses who were hard to find even then. These are not people with bank accounts, library cards and Facebook pages.”

(Previously.)

And for Robert Hill to win release from his cell at the Fishkill Correctional Facility, prosecutors would have to reconcile why he told a parole board that he was remorseful for a murder he now swears he did not commit.

That part seems easy to me. In the wrongful convictions I’ve read about, a recurring theme involves the wrongfully convicted being offered a chance at parole, and being turned down or refusing because they are expected to admit their crime and show remorse. If you didn’t do the crime in the first place, but you’re offered a shot at getting out of prison, do you maintain your innocence even if it costs you that chance? Or do you tell the parole board what they want to hear?

Posted in 1970s, Clippings, Cops, Law, Obits, TV | 2 Comments »

Consumer note: Pocket Hose.

Friday, May 24th, 2013

You know the Pocket Hose, right? Extensively advertised on television?

My mother moved into a smaller place at the end of March, and bought a Pocket Hose around that time so she could water her plants without bucking around a big garden hose.

It lasted about two months. The hose now seems to have some sort of internal break such that, instead of water coming out the nozzle, it flows out from just below the faucet connection. It isn’t leaking at the connection, like it is improperly tightened or missing a gasket, but leaking in the hose portion below the connection.

Of course, this being cheap Chinese made crap imported by Telebrands, it doesn’t have any kind of warranty. Luckily for her, she bought it at Home Depot with her Home Depot credit card, and they’ve agreed to refund her money when she brings it back.

Seriously, guys, less than two months? Put that in your social media pipe and smoke it.

And just in case you think I’m being a crank, it sure looks like the Amazon reviews support my position.

Posted in Consumer | Comments Closed