Beyond Beyond the Fringe category archive

Leonard Pitts, Jr., considers Texas’s rush to execute a man who is clearly mentally ill. A snippet:

In a rational place, it would not be news that Panetti was not killed. In a rational place, they would understand that state-sanctioned execution is a relic of frontier barbarism that leaves us all wet with the blood of the damned. In a rational place, they would say there’s something especially repugnant about applying that grisly sanction to the mentally ill, like Panetti.

But Panetti doesn’t live in a rational place. He lives in America. Worse, he lives in Texas.

They love their executions in Rick Perry’s kingdom.

State-sanctioned sadism. It’s a thing.

Many years ago when I lived in Northern Virginia, my roommates and I went out to a little backwater Mexican restaurant that my then-local rag said didn’t look like much but had great food.

While we were there, a rather large party came in, ordered and scarfed up lots of food, then picked a fight with the waiter. While the waiter was going for help, they left. In short, they bolted the check. We were quite taken aback at the effrontery.

On the bright side, at least they did not use explosives.

Authorities are seeking nine young patrons who shot off fireworks in the back of the (Philadelphia’s Dim Sum Garden–ed.) restaurant at 1020 Race St. Friday night, setting off a fire alarm and allowing them to skip out on a $90 check during the confusion.

In related gastronomic news, my two or three regular readers know that, after living in the greater Philadelphia co-prosperity sphere for over a quarter-century, I am fussy about my hoagies and cheesesteaks. Many eateries in these parts seem to think that putting some facsimile of beef and some cheese-like substance, along with random other ingredients of dubious lineage, between two pieces of bread somehow morphs the concoction into a “Philly Cheesesteak.” Usually, it’s something that, if you tried to sell it in Philly, would get you tossed into the Schuylkill after your knees were shot out.

Consequently, when I see “cheesesteak” on the menu, I ask the server to “Tell me about your cheesesteak.” If the response includes “sauce” or several other key words, I order the grilled cheese. You must be truly talented to screw up a grilled cheese.

I had a cheesesteak at a local Jersey Mike’s tonight. I must say, it was a proper cheesesteak, not just meat- and cheese-like substances on some bun-like thing.

It was almost as good as the one at Elias, which is exquisite and to die for.

I never watched the original, but I might watch this . . . .

Twits in meltdown.

Will Wheaton’s Panorama Ephemera Mashupa. From the YouTube page:

This work was created by combining audio and visual works obtained from the Internet Archive, at archive.org. The visuals are from Panorama Ephemera, which was found in the Prelinger Archives. The audio was remixed and processed in Audacity, and comes from several different sources, also originally found at the Internet Archive.

Betcha can’t watch it all the way through.

Kartrashians.

Via Sampler, an image site (some images NSFW).

This case of racist ebola profiling (there was, natch, no ebola, but there was a hell of a lot of racism, fed and nurtured by Fox News and CNN and many local rags) is vile beyond words.

Meanwhile, John Oliver tells you how to keep safe.

Video via C&L.

. . . is that Reg Henry is correct.

This is too stupid for words.

I akways knew that Philly was tough on parking.

“I pull up, take off my sunglasses, turn off the ignition and reach for a roll of quarters” he keeps in the car for dumb meters that don’t take credit cards.

He steps out of the car, “I hit my clicker,” the automatic door lock, “it makes a ‘hoo-hoo’ noise” and Yan heads for the curb to feed the meter. He sees a parking-enforcement officer writing a ticket.

“Where did you come from?” asks the startled parking-enforcement officer, Alfred Toto.

“From the driver’s seat,” Yan says, trying not to sound smart-alecky. “I assume you’re not giving me a ticket.”

“Your meter has expired,” says Toto.

Heh.

A man who police say had been drinking was involved in a road rage incident during a downpour Tuesday evening and was injured when he was run over by his own pickup truck.

Dick Polman marvels at wingnut opposition to a non-binding U. N. treaty designed to help disabled persons. A snippet (emphasis added):

And let’s not forget the right’s hatred of the U.N. Republican politicians have long been mining that emotion. Back in 2010, the GOP gubernatorial candidate in Colorado claimed that Denver’s Democratic mayor was bent on “converting Denver into a United Nations community” – all because the mayor was promoting a bike-sharing program. Meanwhile, in 2012, Ted Cruz (of course it was Ted Cruz) claimed repeatedly that the U.N. wants to “abolish” golf courses on American soil.

This is the kind of stuff that passes for deep thought in the fever swamp; nevertheless, most Republican senators owe their jobs to fever-swamp voters. Which means that the odds for ratification approximate the odds of the ’14 Phillies morphing into the ’27 Yankees.

Please do read the whole thing.

I have a quibble with the T-Mobile story. (Full Disclosure: I’ve been a satisfied T-Mobile customer since it was VoiceStream.)

Several years ago, I noticed that someone had “crammed” my T-Mobile bill with a $10.00 a month charge for something I didn’t want and hadn’t signed up for; the billing had appeared three months earlier. It appeared to be the result of my visiting a third-party ring-tone website and their using that visit to “make representions” to my carrier that I had purchased a subscription.

When I called T-Mobile, the customer service rep told me that there was indeed a problem with third parties’ fraudulently billing customers and volunteered to remove the charge retroactively without question.

Policing your finances isn’t a one-way street. Customers need to take some responsibility.

If you are a parent, don’t you dare let your kid to go out and play.

You’re not allowed.

Our copyright, patent, and trademark laws are insane. So are the persons charged with implementing them.

What Would Tyler Perry Do? Trademark “What Would Jesus Do,” evidently.

The Atlanta-based entertainment mogul has successfully trademarked the phrase whose initials have adorned the wrists of untold numbers of church campers or Vacation Bible School attendees.

Getting to the gritty-nitty:

Edward Holley, 59, now faces attempted-murder charges after he admitted to throwing a pot of greasy, scalding grits at Blacknell and severely burned the man.

According to Holley’s arrest report, The two men lived next door to one another. Holley and Blacknell fought regularly and their latest disagreement started Tuesday night. Police did not say what started the argument but a witness said it was over an insignificant issue.

Afterthought:

Properly cooked grits should not be greasy, at least, not until you add the red-eye gravy.