The story was all over the news. On May 11, 2009, a 72 year-old woman, Kathryn Winkfein, was pulled over by a Travis County deputy constable for driving 60 mph in a 45 mph construction zone. The woman refused to sign the citation. She became belligerent with the officer, and she was warned 5 times that she would be arrested. Then, she was tasered.
Sounds a bit horrific at first, doesn’t it? Hold on a second - you are going to taser a 72 year-old, 4-foot-11 great-grandmother? Did I hear that correctly?
Winkfein was deemed to be in the wrong, under the laws that protect us all, and an officer did what he felt was necessary within his responsibility. An internal investigation found no policy violations. The deputy constable in question was cleared of any wrongdoing. Should be over, right?
Well, it’s not quite so simple. Take a look here:
Touchdown! Field Goal! We Want The College Bowl!
At least that’s what we always used to say during football season. That was back in a bygone era in which the Canadian university football championship was, indeed, called the College Bowl.
Yes, in Canada they understand the value of a football playoff system, which has been in effect for as long as I can remember. The BCS and some annoying college presidents would do well to take a visit to the north to witness how great it actually works. A fine perspective by writer Andrew Bucholtz can be found here.
But I digress. Back to today’s excitement!
The Vanier Cup, the trophy given to the Canadian university football national champion, is now on it’s way to Kingston. The Queen’s University Golden Gaels, my alma mater, beat the Calgary Dinos 33 – 31 this afternoon. They were down 25 – 7 at halftime, and stormed back to lead 33 – 25 late in the fourth quarter. Final: 33 – 31. It was a 17 year wait, but it was well worth it.
Rock and roll started as a branch of the blues tree. It was built with the same three chord structure and the same raw emotion as the blues from the Delta. The roots can be found in Robert Johnson, and the tree limb spread out up the Mississippi to Chicago, and points far beyond.
I don’t think that anybody ever really envisioned rock and roll being complex – three chords and lyrics that mention the basic desires driven by testosterone, sweat, and fun. It began in the juke joints, and ended up appearing in the censored gyrations of Elvis’ hips. But the beauty of the genre is its elegance in its own sheer simplicity. And there are still some practitioners of what I would call the “art” of rock and roll – those that remind us of how raw and simple and powerful and fun good, straight-up rock and roll really is.
AC/DC at the Frank Erwin Center – 36 years after they started – was a not-so-subtle reminder of the beauty and power that is primal rock and roll. Angus Young and friends reminded me of this after all these years. Rock doesn’t have to be intellectual, nor does it have to be epic – it can be simple, guttural, visceral – and AC/DC sure know how to get it done.
I never imagined that a squirrel would provide some valuable life lessons. That’s certainly what I thought - until one fateful day not that long ago.
Wilber was his name. Wilber the squirrel. In all reality, he probably wasn’t called Wilber in the animal kingdom. I am sure he was nameless in the squirrel world, until he received the moniker from me.
Wilber and I would have not had any reason to meet. Wilber’s world hadn’t crossed mine - until he fell out of a tree. I am sure it’s not that rare for a squirrel to fall out of a tree, land on it’s feet, and scurry off to new adventures. But as I soon found out, he was a baby squirrel, and I don’t think he’d fully understood the concept of how to jump and fall safely. I found him in the yard, obviously scared and unable to move his hind legs. He was barely the size of my palm.
It was a Sunday morning, and a quick online search revealed a contact email for Wildlife Rescue. Email sent. Waiting. Waiting. More waiting.
It’s been three long weeks since the last time I posted anything about the beloved Longhorns. They had a rather challenging road trip – first to Missouri, and then off to Oklahoma State for what was supposed to be the biggest remaining hurdle in the Longhorns’ schedule. So what happened? It was pretty simple - great defense, consistently inconsistent offensive play calling (Greg Davis at his “finest”), a non-existent running game, and a jump back up to number 2 in the BCS. Two solid victories, though it can be debated how convincing they really were. But at the end of it all they now own the state of Oklahoma for 2009, having beaten both Oh-Who? and OhEss-Who?. Today saw the Horns take on Central Florida. It is a strange oddity to have a non-conference game in November. Although it was a 35 – 3 Longhorns victory, always a good thing in the Longhorn Nation, it left a very bitter taste in my mouth.
It all started back in 1983 in Kingston, Canada – and after 12 albums and 26 years of playing together, it is readily apparent to me: the Hip have still got it.
It’s fair to say that the Tragically Hip are relatively unknown in the US, though they are one of the greatest Canadian bands to grace the planet. In Canada, it’s an afterthought that they sell out stadiums and open air venues within hours of tickets going on sale. But the “Live Music Capital of the World”, Austin, has always had a connection with Das Hips.
I’ve been fortunate to watch their growth and evolution over the years. They were students at Queen’s University when I was doing my undergrad degree there. The early days had them playing on campus at Alfie’s and off-campus at places like The Manor. In 1987 they recorded their first EP, and I distinctly remember the talk on campus that the Hip were doing a video for their first single (I think it was “Small Town Bringdown”) at the Manor, so everyone should show up. They were a good cover band, and the first inklings of their own material were solid. The Hip were the real deal in Kingston. Ahhh I remember those days well.
Moving to Austin in 1990, I got to see them in some very small clubs, something that was unheard-of for them in Canada. Friends used to lament that I was able to see them in a small venue, and they couldn’t get tickets to see them anywhere in Canada. I was able to see them at classic venues like Liberty Lunch. One of the most notable was the show at the Lunch in which they were in town to do a live test of upcoming material. Austin has been one of the few US cities that really “get” the Hip.
It’s true that no matter how you cut it, a win is a win. The score could be 1 – 0 or 50 – 0. Either way, it’s a win.
The Longhorns have somehow managed to find a way to go 6 – 0 this season. Yesterday, they managed to find a way to struggle past the Sooners 16 - 13. Once again, they didn’t arrive to really play until the second half. Maybe they got stuck at the fried butter booth. Or perhaps it was too many pre-game funnel cakes? Or maybe they were just a little awestruck to be in the presence of Big Tex?
Mack Brown and Colt McCoy both made post-game comments to the effect of “we’ve not played our best game yet”. The problem is, one of these days, the ”not-showing-up-until-the-second-half” syndrome is going to bite them in the butt. And then, it won’t matter if they still haven’t played their best game because the season will, for all intents and purposes, be over. Thirty minutes of football isn’t going to get it done, more often than not.
Why would a one loss team be out of the equation, especially with the current season being as unpredictable as it’s been?
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.