Formula One is run by two people - Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley. For a long time, Mosley was the unquestioned dunderhead of the pair. I suspect there's never a good time to get caught having Nazi-themed BDSM parties in your basement, but when your father was the founder of the British Union of Fascists, it looks particularly bad.
However, Mr. Ecclestone is making a charge at the title in recent days. First, while giving an interview about Formula One's troubled future, he suddenly decided to go off on a tangent praising Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein and the Taliban.
(Did I mention that Max is the son of the founder of the British Union of Fascists? I'm sure he'd be a great Prime Minister.)
So that wasn't good. Today, in an attempt to do damage control, he actually said "Many of my closest friends are Jews."
Also, when it was pointed out to him that the president of the World Jewish Congress had called for his resignation, he responded that he thought the WJC should be "sorting out the banks", because "they have a lot of influence everywhere."
However, Mr. Ecclestone is making a charge at the title in recent days. First, while giving an interview about Formula One's troubled future, he suddenly decided to go off on a tangent praising Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein and the Taliban.
"In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done."
"I prefer strong leaders. Margaret Thatcher made decisions on the run and got the job done. She was the one who built this country up slowly. We've let it go down again. All these guys, Gordon and Tony are trying to please everybody all the time ... Max would do a super job, he's a good leader. I don't think his background would be a problem."
"Politicians are too worried about elections. We did a terrible thing when we supported the idea of getting rid of Saddam Hussein, he was the only one who could control the country. It was the same with [the Taliban.]"
(Did I mention that Max is the son of the founder of the British Union of Fascists? I'm sure he'd be a great Prime Minister.)
So that wasn't good. Today, in an attempt to do damage control, he actually said "Many of my closest friends are Jews."
Also, when it was pointed out to him that the president of the World Jewish Congress had called for his resignation, he responded that he thought the WJC should be "sorting out the banks", because "they have a lot of influence everywhere."
Eleven months ago, I made a post that described the ugly end to Nancy Lieberman's coaching career in Detroit.Most of the post was an excerpt from a Sports Illustrated story about a confrontation between Nancy and the team over her relationship with point guard Anna DeForge.
This morning, almost a year after the post was made, someone left the following anonymous comment:
This morning, almost a year after the post was made, someone left the following anonymous comment:
I was in that locker room during that meeting, and on that 2000 team.. And I will be damned if it wasn't the absolute truth. Period.
They put this together in 36 hours. Granted, it is a maximum-security prison, so they don't have to worry about labor laws or eight-hours days, but still...
Geni.com can be totally addictive if you work on your family tree at all. I've literally found thousands of relatives through this site. Granted, most of them are 27th cousins twice removed, but still.
An obituary from the 1956 edition of the Wisden Cricket Almanack - the bible of cricket for well over 100 years:
"Leslie George Hylton died in Jamaica on May 17, aged 50."
It makes you wonder. Was it cancer or another terrible disease? Did he die in a car accident? Was he killed in a tragic cricket mishap?
No, he wasn't.
He was, and there's no way to put this delicately, hung. For shooting his wife to death. He claimed that he was trying to shoot himself and missed. The prosecution took the understandable position that this was unlikely, given the fact that he had shot Mrs. Hylton seven times. With a six-shot revolver. Which meant he had stopped to reload.
However, in the fluffy-duffy Dickensian world of charm that was cricket in the 1950s (SEE ALSO: Fry, Stephen), this was considered unseemly. So Leslie George Hylton "died".
Leslie George Hylton died in Jamaica on May 17, aged 50. He played in six Test Matches for West Indies. A fast bowler for Jamaica, he helped in the winning of the rubber against R. E. S. Wyatt's team in the West Indies in 1934-35 when, in four Tests, he dismissed 13 batsmen at an average cost of 19.30. In 1939, he visited England under the captaincy of R. S. Grant, being chosen for two of the Test matches, but met with moderate success.
"Leslie George Hylton died in Jamaica on May 17, aged 50."
It makes you wonder. Was it cancer or another terrible disease? Did he die in a car accident? Was he killed in a tragic cricket mishap?
No, he wasn't.
He was, and there's no way to put this delicately, hung. For shooting his wife to death. He claimed that he was trying to shoot himself and missed. The prosecution took the understandable position that this was unlikely, given the fact that he had shot Mrs. Hylton seven times. With a six-shot revolver. Which meant he had stopped to reload.
However, in the fluffy-duffy Dickensian world of charm that was cricket in the 1950s (SEE ALSO: Fry, Stephen), this was considered unseemly. So Leslie George Hylton "died".
This is one of the funniest places I've seen one of my pictures - Jail sentence for hentai owner raises First Amendment issues
I know how the guys in this video feel. A few years ago, I was covering a match between the Williams sisters at the Palace. Venus - one of the nicest people in sports - was about to win, and they told us to wait behind the court and grab them as they came off for interviews.
While the three of us were kneeling behind Serena's end of the court, Venus served an ace that hit a guardrail about a foot from Krista's head. She barely had time to flinch. It was actually frightening.
While the three of us were kneeling behind Serena's end of the court, Venus served an ace that hit a guardrail about a foot from Krista's head. She barely had time to flinch. It was actually frightening.
Last night, as I was driving to the Shock game, I was listening to CNN on satellite radio. I almost always listen to the BBC World Service, but they were doing "World, Have Your Say", which I can't stand, so I decided to try CNN.
Just as I flipped it on, Wolf Blitzer said they had a new theory on the Air France crash, so I kept listening. When they came back from commercial - 99% of commercials on Sirius are for debt-reduction plans - they went to their aviation expert, who explained this stunning new possibility to explain the crash.
The theory? That the plane might have been flying too fast or too slowly through the thunderstorms, because of a failure of speed sensors known as Pitot tubes.
On what planet is that a new theory, much less a surprising one? I'm not exactly an aviation expert, but I've heard people speculating about icing in the Pitot tubes since the day after the crash. If you had asked me why the plane crashed on Sunday, 24 hours before the CNN report, I would have said "Apparently, there's these little airspeed sensors called Pinot tubes (I always want to call them that) and they can ice up in really bad weather, and that would cause the pilots to fly the wrong speed, which would be very bad."
(If I were trying to impress you, I might have even mentioned the "Coffin Corner", which is ... well, I'm not entirely sure. It has something to do with thin air at high altitude and how it means you have to fly in a very narrow speed range or you'll stall. I just know that Miles O'Brien mentioned it in his blog.)
Anyway, the fact that CNN was treating this as some kind of world-exclusive breaking news reminded me why I listen to the BBC.
Just as I flipped it on, Wolf Blitzer said they had a new theory on the Air France crash, so I kept listening. When they came back from commercial - 99% of commercials on Sirius are for debt-reduction plans - they went to their aviation expert, who explained this stunning new possibility to explain the crash.
The theory? That the plane might have been flying too fast or too slowly through the thunderstorms, because of a failure of speed sensors known as Pitot tubes.
On what planet is that a new theory, much less a surprising one? I'm not exactly an aviation expert, but I've heard people speculating about icing in the Pitot tubes since the day after the crash. If you had asked me why the plane crashed on Sunday, 24 hours before the CNN report, I would have said "Apparently, there's these little airspeed sensors called Pinot tubes (I always want to call them that) and they can ice up in really bad weather, and that would cause the pilots to fly the wrong speed, which would be very bad."
(If I were trying to impress you, I might have even mentioned the "Coffin Corner", which is ... well, I'm not entirely sure. It has something to do with thin air at high altitude and how it means you have to fly in a very narrow speed range or you'll stall. I just know that Miles O'Brien mentioned it in his blog.)
Anyway, the fact that CNN was treating this as some kind of world-exclusive breaking news reminded me why I listen to the BBC.
Everyone in Detroit was all a-flutter today when it was announced that the city had begun the final demolition of Tiger Stadium. In what was clearly a PR move, they worked for about an hour and accomplished very little:
On the other hand, moving to Comerica Park, a foul ball almost did rapid destruction on my head on Wednesday night. Luckily, the glass is very thick:
On the other hand, moving to Comerica Park, a foul ball almost did rapid destruction on my head on Wednesday night. Luckily, the glass is very thick:
This is what's left of the Tiger Stadium press box. The "X" marks the seat where I covered games from 1990-1999.
This is all that was left of Tiger Stadium as of Thursday morning, June 4. The demolition equipment has been moved back into place, so there might not be anything left by the weekend.
Mike Rosenberg is always good, but this column is hilarious without losing its point.
Recently, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to lay off one of our children. Of course we did not want to do this to a "member of the family," but the fact is that when we decided to have two kids, we were living in a different economy.
Recently, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to lay off one of our children. Of course we did not want to do this to a "member of the family," but the fact is that when we decided to have two kids, we were living in a different economy.
OK, the concert and fire-spinning pictures are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/davehogg/s
However, being the nice and kind LJer that I am, I shall give you some samples:
However, being the nice and kind LJer that I am, I shall give you some samples:
We just got back from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
s00j's concert/fire-spinning show. It was spectacular. If she comes within 100 miles of you, GO.
(And kudos toshadowriderhope for doing an incredible job of promoting the show. The crowd was amazing!)
More thoughts and lots of pictures tomorrow, but right now, I'm a vegetable.
s00j's concert/fire-spinning show. It was spectacular. If she comes within 100 miles of you, GO. (And kudos to
shadowriderhope for doing an incredible job of promoting the show. The crowd was amazing!)More thoughts and lots of pictures tomorrow, but right now, I'm a vegetable.
I'm reading the actual California Supreme Court decision, and I'm fascinated by the way that the opinion goes out of its way, over and over, to stress that the reason they are upholding the vote of the people is that same-sex couples aren't losing any legal rights, they are only losing the term "marriage".
I understand what they are saying, and this reads like the most reluctant court decision ever. You get the strong sense that what they really wanted to say was "Look, we don't want to do this, but we live in a state that lets 50.01% of voters change the Constitution on a whim, and the Prop. 8 people did a good job of writing the measure, so we don't really have a choice. Sorry."
That said, I'm still upset by the decision, because saying "you can have legal partnerships - not the quite the same as mixed-gender couples, but still very nice," strikes me as much the same logic as "you can have schools - not the same schools as the white kids, but still very nice."
So, in the battle for same-sex marriage, we've reached the Plessy vs. Ferguson moment. That means we're almost to the end of the 19th century. Only 58 years until we get to Brown vs. Board of Education.
I understand what they are saying, and this reads like the most reluctant court decision ever. You get the strong sense that what they really wanted to say was "Look, we don't want to do this, but we live in a state that lets 50.01% of voters change the Constitution on a whim, and the Prop. 8 people did a good job of writing the measure, so we don't really have a choice. Sorry."
That said, I'm still upset by the decision, because saying "you can have legal partnerships - not the quite the same as mixed-gender couples, but still very nice," strikes me as much the same logic as "you can have schools - not the same schools as the white kids, but still very nice."
So, in the battle for same-sex marriage, we've reached the Plessy vs. Ferguson moment. That means we're almost to the end of the 19th century. Only 58 years until we get to Brown vs. Board of Education.
I just stumbled across a 2005 story from The Oakland Press about people who committed murder as teenagers and were sentenced to life without parole.
Here's a quote from the story, which has been used several times to bolster the argument that people under 18 shouldn't be sentenced as adults in murder cases.
I can't speak to any of the other cases mentioned in the story, but I have quite a bit of knowledge of this one. As many of you know, I was the foreman of Pruitt's jury back in 1993, and have written a lengthy diary of the case.
You can argue for and against sentencing teenagers to life without parole, but that quote is a bit misleading. First, there's a factual error - Pruitt was 16 when the crime took place, although she had turned 17 by the time the case came to trial.
One of the main reasons we found her guilty of murder instead of manslaughter was that we thought the defense proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she did not simply watch. Her "girlfriend" (there was no mention of a sexual relationship at the trial) testified that Pruitt had knocked down the elderly victim with a kick to the ankle when he tried to defend himself, and the autopsy showed he indeed had a large bruise in that location.
There were also questions raised as to whether the stabbing was done by two people or one person with two knives. We decided that she had met the criteria of murder either way, so we didn't need to make that decision, but it certainly isn't a given.
We didn't have any say in the sentencing, of course. The judge told us that he was leaning toward sentencing her as an adult, but didn't make that decision for three months after the verdict. Also, we never found that she met the criteria for first-degree murder, but under Michigan law, any murder committed during the commission of a felony (armed robbery in this case) is elevated to first-degree murder.
I've never doubted that we handed down the correct verdict. I've also never lost sleep over the sentence, given the fact that they robbed the man, went back to their house, discussed that he knew them and would certainly turn them in, and went back to kill him.
(There's another chapter to the story. In January of this year, Pruitt was one of 10 female prisoners who recently won a $15.5 million lawsuit against the state for sexual abuse by prison guards. Pruitt testified that the abuse started as soon as she was placed into prison, while she was still 17. I don't think that changes how she should have been sentenced, though.)
Here's a quote from the story, which has been used several times to bolster the argument that people under 18 shouldn't be sentenced as adults in murder cases.
And several of the cases feature participants who did not do the actual killing, though they helped cover up the crimes and shared in the stolen rewards. Some of these cases include:
Jennifer Pruitt, who was 17, watched as her 23-year-old girlfriend stabbed an elderly man 27 times - after they had returned to his home a second time, having already stolen $93, cigarettes and other items.
I can't speak to any of the other cases mentioned in the story, but I have quite a bit of knowledge of this one. As many of you know, I was the foreman of Pruitt's jury back in 1993, and have written a lengthy diary of the case.
You can argue for and against sentencing teenagers to life without parole, but that quote is a bit misleading. First, there's a factual error - Pruitt was 16 when the crime took place, although she had turned 17 by the time the case came to trial.
One of the main reasons we found her guilty of murder instead of manslaughter was that we thought the defense proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she did not simply watch. Her "girlfriend" (there was no mention of a sexual relationship at the trial) testified that Pruitt had knocked down the elderly victim with a kick to the ankle when he tried to defend himself, and the autopsy showed he indeed had a large bruise in that location.
There were also questions raised as to whether the stabbing was done by two people or one person with two knives. We decided that she had met the criteria of murder either way, so we didn't need to make that decision, but it certainly isn't a given.
We didn't have any say in the sentencing, of course. The judge told us that he was leaning toward sentencing her as an adult, but didn't make that decision for three months after the verdict. Also, we never found that she met the criteria for first-degree murder, but under Michigan law, any murder committed during the commission of a felony (armed robbery in this case) is elevated to first-degree murder.
I've never doubted that we handed down the correct verdict. I've also never lost sleep over the sentence, given the fact that they robbed the man, went back to their house, discussed that he knew them and would certainly turn them in, and went back to kill him.
(There's another chapter to the story. In January of this year, Pruitt was one of 10 female prisoners who recently won a $15.5 million lawsuit against the state for sexual abuse by prison guards. Pruitt testified that the abuse started as soon as she was placed into prison, while she was still 17. I don't think that changes how she should have been sentenced, though.)
First Dance
Originally uploaded by Dave Hogg.
My pictures from the ceremony and. more importantly, the reception are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/davehogg/s
Utterly Disturbing
Originally uploaded by Dave Hogg.
People had their small CHILDREN posing with these things. What is wrong with the parents of America?!?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davehogg/s
There aren't many - I had actual reporting to do.
There aren't many - I had actual reporting to do.
I've been devouring this Henry Ford biography - thank you so much for the recommendation, hannunvaakuna - and I think I've figured out the plot for my Zombie Henry Ford story. aiela thinks I should make it a short story and actually submit it places, but I've never done that.
hannunvaakuna - and I think I've figured out the plot for my Zombie Henry Ford story. aiela thinks I should make it a short story and actually submit it places, but I've never done that.I think Rachel Alexandra could have won the Triple Crown had her handlers had the courage to enter her in the Derby. She's not a super horse, but this is a terrible Triple Crown group.
So I'll pick her to win the Preakness, outdueling Big Drama in a wire-to-wire battle. Mine The Bird will fade back into obscurity.
So I'll pick her to win the Preakness, outdueling Big Drama in a wire-to-wire battle. Mine The Bird will fade back into obscurity.
OK, here's my promised second photo post from yesterday.
After touring the Dequindre Cut, I decided to wander down to the river and see what I could find. First, I discovered this building with a lot of tubular towers, and decided to take 1,000 pictures of it.
There were other things too, but I'll put them behind a cut.( Read more... )
After touring the Dequindre Cut, I decided to wander down to the river and see what I could find. First, I discovered this building with a lot of tubular towers, and decided to take 1,000 pictures of it.
There were other things too, but I'll put them behind a cut.( Read more... )
Im Not That Short
Originally uploaded by Dave Hogg.
A short break from pictures of Detroit for something different.
How tall were high-school students in the 1920s? This is taken with me sitting normally in the front row of the balcony at what was Royal Oak Dondero HS.
I'm 5' 6.5", and I can't even see the band on the elevated stage. You'd have to be 5'10" to comfortably sit in those seats and watch anything, and how many kids in the 1920s were that tall?
Here's some photographic highlights from the first part of the day. As always, click on the images to see larger versions.
Why we were here:
The Dequindre Cut is a rail-trail that goes from near the Detroit River north to the Eastern Market area and will eventually go much further. The railroad was built below the level of the surrounding neighborhoods, so it is a little valley in the city.
Mayor Dave Bing was one of the speakers at the opening ceremonies. He had the funniest line of the day when he assured us that his administration was responsible for the entire project - he only took office on Monday.
Time for ( a LJ cut )
Why we were here:
The Dequindre Cut is a rail-trail that goes from near the Detroit River north to the Eastern Market area and will eventually go much further. The railroad was built below the level of the surrounding neighborhoods, so it is a little valley in the city.
Mayor Dave Bing was one of the speakers at the opening ceremonies. He had the funniest line of the day when he assured us that his administration was responsible for the entire project - he only took office on Monday.
Time for ( a LJ cut )
I'll do commentary and post a couple pictures to LJ later, but we have to go to Britt's band concert. In the meantime, all 55 pictures from the Dequindre Cut rail-trail opening and my subsequent stroll along the Detroit Riverwalk are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/davehogg/s
I just walked 5.42 miles, according to MapMyRun.com, over three hours. I started out attending the opening of the Dequindre Cut, a rail-trail that connects the riverfront with the Eastern Market area. After I finished that, I wandered down the Riverwalk as far as Cobo before heading back to my car.
I took about 325 pictures and a video of the Henry Ford High School Marching band, which led the parade. Those, though, will have to wait until after a nap.
The cut is fantastic - a great walk/bike trail in Detroit. They even left the graffiti up, which gives it an urban flavor.
I took about 325 pictures and a video of the Henry Ford High School Marching band, which led the parade. Those, though, will have to wait until after a nap.
The cut is fantastic - a great walk/bike trail in Detroit. They even left the graffiti up, which gives it an urban flavor.
Spark just walked past Kai, who was stretched out on the floor trying to sleep. Kai was upset by this, and swatted at Spark. It was just another mildly amusing moment in a household full of cats, except that I wanted Angie to see what had happened, and she was reading LJ.
So, without thinking, I hit the replay button on the DVR remote. That did cause Angie to look up, but she only got to see a repeat of the last ten seconds of CSI.
I'm now scared of myself.
So, without thinking, I hit the replay button on the DVR remote. That did cause Angie to look up, but she only got to see a repeat of the last ten seconds of CSI.
I'm now scared of myself.
Michigan's governor, Jennifer Granholm, is reportedly on the Supreme Court shortlist.
Not only would she be the foreign-born Justice since Felix Frankurter retired in 1962, she'd be the first Justice to have one of my photos featured on her Wikipedia page. Also the only one I've interviewed for AP, unless Rudy Giuliani gets onto the court before her.
Not only would she be the foreign-born Justice since Felix Frankurter retired in 1962, she'd be the first Justice to have one of my photos featured on her Wikipedia page. Also the only one I've interviewed for AP, unless Rudy Giuliani gets onto the court before her.
