…und alles Gute!

Heute hat ein ganz besonderer Mensch Geburtstag, und zwar… Miley Cyrus!

Mag kein Guitar Hero

Die als “Hanna Montana” bekannt gewordene Jungschauspielerin und äußerst talentierte Sängerin wird heute 17… Äh.. wie bitte? Oh! Entschuldigung, die Regie sagte mir gerade, dass ich über eine andere berühmte Persönlichkeit schreiben soll, die heute ein Jahr älter wird.

Und zwar Billy the Kid!

Nicht verwand mit Bill Kaulitz!

Mit seinen 150 Jahren hat er sich schon längst zur Ruhe gesetzt, aber.. Was? Der ist auch nicht gemeint?
…

Öh tja liebe Leser, da hab ich die wichtigste Person doch glatt übersehen! Haha, na sowas. Und dabei hab´ ich mich erst gestern noch mit ihm über Fernseher auf dem Klo unterhalten. Die Rede ist von *Tusch*

Fatal Error!

(Archivfoto)

Der Ausnahmefehler und – Gitarrist feiert heute runden Geburtstag und ist somit nun wieder so alt wie ich. Das hebt das Durchschnittsalter der Band auf genau 18, damit können wir also ab jetzt verstärkt über Nutten, Alkohol und Gewalt singen, was Euch bestimmt erfreut.Also noch mal herzlichste Glückwünsche und schick mir endlich deine Podcastspur!!

Liebe Grüße,

the G.O.D.

On November 23:

1644  Areopagitica, a pamphlet decrying censorship, and written by John Milton was published.

1859 Billy The Kid, American outlaw, was born.

1869  the clipper Cutty Sark was launched – one of the last clippers ever to be built, and the only one still surviving.

1887  Boris Karloff, British actor, was born.

1888 Harpo Marx, American comedian, was born.

1889 The first jukebox went into operation at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco.

1936  The first edition of Life was published.

1947 A civic funeral was held for the 41 victims of Ballantynes fire.

1949  Sandra Stevens, British singer, member of pop group Brotherhood of Man, was born.

1955 The Cocos Islands were transferred from the control of the United Kingdom to Australia.

1963 The BBC broadcast the first ever episode of Doctor Who, starring William Hartnell.

Sourced from NZ History Online and Wikipedia.

VERDICT:
7/10 Wallflowers

A fascinating and often uncomfortable look into one very unique kid’s life and the condition he struggles with.

Billy the Kid is surprisingly enough not about cowboys. It’s in fact a documentary that follows 15-year-old Billy P., a bright, yet socially awkward teen living with Asperger’s syndrome as he tries to fit in with his peers, find himself a girlfriend, and tell the world his story by way of a seemingly endless wealth of obscure movie quotes.

I like this kid.

Sought this movie out after seeing posters for it all over the place in NYC two years ago on those POST NO BILLS walls. Normally this kind of marketing doesn’t do jack crap for me, but there’s just something about that poster and that great title plastered over it. You know what, it’s probably just the bow tie and Billy’s numbing gaze. Kid is hot shit.

Anyway, it’s a pretty interesting movie on a couple levels.

I dig documentaries like this that focus on everyday people going through their everyday lives, kinda like Anvil! The Story of Anvil. No frills, nothing fancy, just Billy and a camera for the most part, and that was more than enough to keep me interested. This is the only directing credit of Jennifer Venditti’s and she does a good job of keeping it simple and letting her subjects do the work for her. 

It also helps that Billy eats up the attention from start to finish. He’s a very entertaining kid to watch and listen to for the most part, but at other times the opposite kicks into effect and your heart sinks for the guy. From the moment you see his rat tail and his Three Wolf Moon T-shirt, you can tell that Billy probably doesn’t fit in with The Plastics at his school. But the thing is that Billy is proud of who he is, rat tail and all, and you can’t help but admire that. The kid’s got spunk, dammit.

But the main selling point to Billy the Kid is the inside look it gives to Asperger’s in terms of how it effects the people who have it and how others react to it in turn. The main way this effects Billy is that it practically gives him split personalities. In the privacy of his own home, Billy is incredibly well-spoken and has a lot of insightful things to say about his outlook on life. But then when he’s in public spaces trying to make friends or ask a girl out on a date, everything just seems to fall apart for Billy.

I don’t have a whole lot of experience being around people with Asperger’s, and I’m no doctor, but from the little time I have spent, this last part about Billy’s difficulties in social settings is dead on. It’s absolutely heartbreaking when you see Billy trying to make conversation with strangers and not being able to find the words to make everything click together. Made me cringe not only because it sucks watching Billy put himself through this, but also because it seems perfectly normal to him.

Luckily, there are a number of scenes where Billy hits it out of the park in these situations, but for the most part, it’s like watching a sinking ship.

Not sure how many people out there have heard of this movie, let alone seen it, but it’s a pretty insightful watch about a pretty endearing kid. Might not be everyone’s thing, but I dug it. Come on, just look at that poster, how could you not want to find out more about Billy?

Are you really gonna kill Billy the Kid? – Billy the Kid

1200 AD:  Outlaw gangs go as far back in history as the beginning of man, with the word “thug” (Thugz) dating to 1200 A.D. when gangs in India were pillaging many of the country’s towns. These gangs often had their own hand signs, rituals, symbols and slang, as they clustered together for means of force and protection.

 1800s: Billy the Kid

William H. Bonney, better known as Billy, The Kid. An authentic picture of the famous outlaw from an original tintype, which, showing the object in reverse, made him appear left-handed, causing much comment by writers as he is known to have been right-handed. The print is reversed fro the original to show him as he really appeared. Famous Southwestern Outlaw. Began his career of crime at the age of 12 years in Silver City. N. M. Was one of the gang in the notorious Lincoln County wars between rival factions of “Cattle Kings” of the 1870’s. Many books have been written describing his checkered career. He was killed by Sheriff pat Garrett in the old pete Maxwell house, fort Sumner, N. M. in 1881, and his grave may still be seen at Old fort Sumner.

mid-19th Century–1880s (New York): The intentions behind most of the Irish Gangs were economic. A gang would control a specific area and thus control all the employment in that area. The gangs were frequently groups of men who had no jobs or men who helped those who had none. The Irish Gangs would try to force employers to give them work. However, do to the lack of available jobs, Irish Gangs were always fighting each other. There were many gangs, each with Irish from a different neighborhood. They would fight each other for the limited jobs available. In addition to this fighting for employment, there was also a lot of hatred between the Irish of different neighborhoods. For the most part, there was great deal of hostility between the Irish of the northern neighborhoods and those of the southern neighborhoods.

The Whyos, a collection of the various post-Civil War street gangs of New York, was the city’s dominant street gang during the late 19th century. The gang controlled most of Manhattan from the late 1860s until the early 1890s, when the Monk Eastman Gang defeated the last of the Whyos. The name came from the gang’s cry, which sounded like a bird or owl calling, “Why-oh!”

late-1890s–1900s: Italian Gangs (Mafia=common in the Borgo section of Palermo means beauty, charm, perfection, excellence. Not found in any Sicilian dictionary).  Mafia Word Origins:Sicilian Culture http://www.sicilianculture.com/mafia/mafiawords.htm.

Five Points Gang (New York): The most significant to form in U.S. ever with their home turf situated in the five points (Bowery) section of Lower Manhattan and changed the mold of American outlaw forever. 

1921-1934 (Chicago): Johnny Torrio, Alphonso (Scarface) Capone, Lucky Luciano molded the American gangster experience 

After being ran out of New York, Capone moved to Chicago to assist Torrio and went down in history as the most violent and prolific gangster that Chicago law enforcement ever experienced. .

1910-1932—>Jewish Gangs (Detroit): The Purple Gang

Morton, James, Gangland International: The Mafia and Other Mobs. Little Brown & Company, 1998.

Nash, Jay Robert. 1995.Bloodletters & Badmen: A Narrative Encyclopedia of American Criminals from the Pilgrims to the Present.

early 1940s-1950s—> Mexican Gangs formed along the West Coast.

–Latin Kings and Vice Lords (Mexican gangs in Chicago)

I’m absolutely smitten with this video. By the way, if you haven’t heard the pint-sized punk’s The Lost Cause EP, you’re missing out. It’s one of my very favorite records. And it was produced by Our Lady Peace’s frontman Raine Maida.

You can catch Billy The Kid (aka Billy Pettinger) live this Friday, September 25 at St. Augustines (8680 Hudson Street) here in Vancouver.

I’m posting two of the tattooed princess’ songs here. The first is “Drown” and the second is “The Drugs.”

February 2005. Reno, Nevada. National High School Honor Orchestra.

Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid orchestral suite opens with a serene piccolo solo, evoking a sense of the open prairie from which the story emerges. Throughout the National Orchestra Festival, we spent seven hours a day (at least!) in rehearsal, preparing for our final concert at the end of the week. Our piccolo player consistently botched the solo, his instrument cracking on the high note. High schoolers that we were, we giggled at the sound, and then as the week went on, we rolled our eyes. (Will he ever get this right??)

Our conductor looked at us sternly and said, “You are an orchestra. During this part of the piece, the piccolo might be the only one playing, but we are all in this together. You all need to be hearing the song in your head and envisioning the melody beforehand. And when we start to play, I want you to give him your undivided attention and silently cheer him on. No matter what happens, we are in this together.”

Four and a half years later, I remember that speech clearly. I remember taking his words to heart and holding my breath at the opening of the song. I don’t, however, remember whether or not the piccolo player nailed his solo. I guess it didn’t matter.

As I played in the Cobb Symphony Orchestra last week, I couldn’t help but marvel at what a wonderful thing it is to play in an orchestra. In what other context can 100 people come together so singlemindedly to create such beauty? There is a certain kinship — a camaraderie — that arises from playing music together. We speak a common language and are bound together by what can sometimes become a transcendent experience. For that reason, although I definitely missed the familiar “Shreveport circuit” musicians, I felt more at home last week than I have so far in Atlanta.

I can’t help but wonder if the orchestral experience is perhaps one of the truest expressions of the body of Christ? Allow me to take a little bit of liberty with 1 Corinthians 12:

Now the orchestra is not made up of one instrument but many. For if the whole orchestra were only made up of percussion players, then where would the melody be? Or if the whole orchestra was just a trumpet player, what would happen after the fanfare finished?

But God has placed each of the players within the ensemble, just as he desired.

The violinists cannot say to the clarinetist “We do not need you.” Because who will take her place for Rhapsody in Blue? Nor can the tuba players make fun of the piccolo player when he misses a note.

On the contrary, the old adage is true: An orchestra is only as strong as its weakest player.

God has composed music for this ensemble, orchestrating the melodies to weave in and out through the various sections of the orchestra, so that each part is essential to the whole. And if one player makes a mistake, the whole orchestra suffers with him or her. And if one player nails a particularly difficult or beautiful solo, the whole orchestra applauds.

You are each individual musicians, and together, you are the orchestra of Christ.

I’m watching this right now. It’s painful and fascinating. Eep.

by Lewis Manalo

There’s nothing like a variation on the photo-a-day montage to trivialize a 4500 kilometer trek across the bulk of China. You have to respect Christoph Rehage’s journey, even if he didn’t make his goal of walking home to Germany; however, his photo montage boils down the hardship of walking across the Gobi desert into: “I grew a beard.”

Reducing the experience to one of casual speed diminishes the significance of the setting, undermines the significance of the trip. Places flash by unexamined. Supporting “characters” last a few frames, then drift away leaving no impact but some sign of affection lightly given to Rehage. I’m not trying to say that Rehage doesn’t appreciate China and the hardship of his journey, I’m saying that telling us about it in such a glib format makes his journey appear inconsequential.

And maybe it is. Does the proliferation of images make each image less important? The life photographed in vanity may be a life recorded, but sometimes the results appear even less examined than the life photographed only once.

The only documented photo of Billy the Kid helped spawn a legend:

Here’s the proliferation of technology making your world, and your life, a smaller, more trivial place:

 A lot of beers in your memory Kid.

I have yet to check out the new film Adam, a romance involving a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. As a burgeoning psychologist myself, I’m extremely interested in and skeptical of films that decide to throw in a mental disorder as a plot/character device. Now, after having watched Jennifer Venditti’s Billy the Kid, I’m curious how similar this new fictional counterpart will end up being.

The 2007 documentary follows Billy, an odd and heartbreakingly sincere high school misfit, as he develops a relationship with a girl at the local pizza joint. The phrase “Asperger’s” never appears within the film (supposedly because it was only after filming that he was diagnosed), and it is to the film’s benefit that he is never reduced to a label. This is not a film about Asperger’s Syndrome or psychological issues; it is a film about Billy and how he views the world. The relationship arc is key and I find it extremely fortuitous that Venditti was able to film Billy at a point in his life where he acquires his first girlfriend and ultimately his first real heartbreak. At first I questioned the validity of such a development in a “documentary,” but the director obviously cares for her subject a great deal, so perhaps my skepticism is unfounded.

Overall I enjoyed the in-depth examination of Billy and found him extremely endearing and, while odd, very relatable. Billy is extremely intelligent and sensitive, a combination that does not fare well in the average high school. Add to that a love of slasher films and KISS, a “rat tail” that reminds me of pictures of my brothers from the 1980s, an interest in serial killers, and the inability to understand that it may be inappropriate to visit his new girlfriend every single day where she works, and you have Billy.

The film is exceedingly simple, as Venditti just lets the camera follow Billy around for a few months, and it can get tedious at times. At points you want to feel more of her presence, to feel like this film has a larger point than just being a home movie of this kid from Vermont. At other times, however, you’re completely satisfied with the simplicity. There are a few interviews with Billy and his seemingly-too-good-to-be-true mother (other than her poor taste in husbands, she’s a pillar of strength and understanding: She completely loves and respects Billy and you believe her when she says that he’s her best friend) and an odd interview with Billy’s girlfriend after their ultimate break-up. While their relationship lasts barely a few days (as most first relationships often do), it really breaks your heart when it doesn’t work out between them and it makes you wonder what the hell the girl thought she was even getting into in the first place… was she even listening to Billy while he rambled on about karate and horror movies? Did she understand anything about him, or was she just going along for the ride since not many boys probably ever made the effort with her (due to an unfortunate impairment with her eyes)? I found myself getting angry at her flippant reaction to the break-up, but when I really thought about it, I realized that I had been pulled into Billy’s world and the way he viewed it; looking at the situation objectively, the girl did exactly what any other teenage girl would do. But to Billy it was tragic, something deeply felt when you hear the phone call his mother made to the director, telling her that Billy wished for any footage of him declaring that he would die for the girl to be deleted from the film after their break-up.

“These years of loneliness have been murder,” Billy exclaims to a bunch of men hanging outside of the restaurant where his girlfriend works. It’s both hilariously earnest and sad, because yeah, when you’re a sophomore in high school who’s never had a girlfriend, those years feel like murder. All of the awkwardness and raw emotion that comes with being a high schooler is amplified in Billy due to the way he says exactly what’s on his mind at all times with no social filter whatsoever. It’s not a pleasant experience, but it makes for an interesting study of a kid who isn’t as weird as you initially suspect.

In summary… Was it better than a nap? This movie is not for everyone. It’s slow, quiet, and doesn’t contain a lot of action. If you’re in the mood for a close examination of a socially inept high school kid, then yeah, it’s better than a nap. If not, close the blinds and set your alarm.

We left Tucumcari, NM about 9:30-10:00 to head South. We couldn’t resist a stop at the grave site of Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner, NM. There’s a tacky little road side museum there. Does every 2-bit thug from that era get a roadside attraction? I wonder. I’m half-tempted to get into the roadside attraction business. Would welcome your ideas, of course.

The tacky museum didn’t have the grave site, that was down the road behind the tacky Ft. Sumner roadside museum. Ahem. It’s a sad little graveyard. And they surrounded his grave with a cage because it’s been stolen a few times before and/or maybe they wanted to put the little bastard in jail. Suspect that may be why his “real” grave signs are in quotes – the chain of custody is in doubt. Mystery.

We tried to visit the Indian monument behind the Billy the Kid grave, but we didn’t have cash on us when we walked up to the place. It’s too bad because this did not look like a tacky site. It documents the history of Ft. Sumner and the trials of the Navaho Indians/Trail of Tears story. Gail, who worked there, did load us up with plenty of brochures so we could get a sense of the place.

Next, we rolled into Roswell, NM to check out the UFO Museum. Needless to say, we don’t believe. However, we did make an effort to remember The Doctor as we traveled in the footsteps of aliens and alien abductees along the by-ways of Roswell. Some of the t-shirts were very amusing, things like “What happens in Roswell stays classified”, but none of them tempted us to buy.

We ate another crappy roadside meal, this time at Farley’s. I swear they hate vegetables in this part of the country. And fruit – they hate that too.

Right now we’re camping outside of Carlsbad and plan to hit the caverns tomorrow and then swing up to go through Truth or Consequences.

It’s 7:54pm.

Dear Diary,

I went to the Majestic today and saw “Billy the Kid.” I also saw the preview of “Caught in the Draft.” Bob Hope will really be terriffic in that picture—even more so than usual. In one scene he falls in a trench, gets completely covered with mud, only his big eyes and shiny teeth showing. What does he do? He stretches out his hands and says, “Mammy.”

Outlaw or lonely little boy? You be the judge. (American Stock/Getty Images)

It looks as though it may storm any second here in Atlanta, so I hope your weekend is off to a sunnier start. (But I’ll take this cooler weather over sweltering summer heat any day, even if the price I must pay is cloudy skies.)

The dancing plague podcast request was one of the most intriguing we’ve received. Researching the topic, I was certain I’d heard the story before — in a fictional form. I hadn’t, I realized. I was just conflating it with Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death, ” which is also about disease and frenzied people, but not about the dancing plague. Perhaps the most unbelievable (but true) part of the dancing plague story was the length to which authorities went to keep the people dancing. Or maybe you’re more fascinated by Katie’s discussion of penis thievery?

As we may have conveyed in the Billy the Kid podcast, the abbreviated biography of this outlaw is pretty sad. I’ve been reading Margaret MacMillan’s “The Uses and Abuses of History,” and she says that the contemporary analogue of Billy the Kid might be a gang member. We explained that Billy the Kid chose a life of crime because, as he saw it, there was no other way. His physical stature may have also been a great impediment to him in the Wild West, a lawless land where men looked out for themselves and made a living through hard, heavy labor.

Billy the Kid was kind of like the Marshall Mathers of the American West:  Tough talking and a nasty reputation guaranteed his spot in the pantheon of feared and admired outlaws. Is it because he was so thoroughly mean and immoral that we remember him today? Or is it because we sympathize with him?

More of the American West:
12 Renowned Women of the Wild West
Gold Rushes
How Dude Ranches Work

…on July 14th

Two years ago, people in Houston were still impressed by the rapid combustion of fossil fuels in customized automobiles! That’s hot!

Whew! And we think it’s gonna be hot here in Big D at 104!

Things were pretty hot in France, July 14 in 1789:

1789 – This was the day the French Revolution began — at the fall of the Bastille. It is still celebrated in many countries throughout the world and is a public holiday in France; generally called Bastille Day or Fete National. It is considered the day freedom was born in France.

Also: 1946 – Dr. Benjamin Spock’s “Baby and Child Care” was first published. The book became one of the most widely-discussed books ever published — and one of the most widely sold. In fact, Dr. Spock’s baby book has sold more copies than any book other than the Bible.

From: http://men.style.com/news/blog

Five things worth knowing today:

1. It’s Bastille Day, celebrating the storming of the Revolution-era prison by the dispossessed Third Estate (i.e., the regular guys, not the many-titled noblemen). What’s that mean for you? Indulgence in estimable Gallic traditions like vin, pétanque, and yelling. We say: Vive la France!

2. For a more American celebration, of course, you could always check out the professional baseball All-Star Game, taking place this year at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium.

3. Or, for the Latin-American experience, there’s always Bravo’s latest exercise in reality-TV schadenfreude, Miami Social premiering this eve.

4. Today in 1881, frontiersman and outlaw Billy the Kid was killed at age 21 by Sheriff Pat Garrett —the same man, incidentally, who’d go on to write the Kid’s biography and bring him lasting fame.

5. And today in 1912, great American folkie Woody Guthrie, who influenced just about every musician to pick up a guitar after he did, was born. Below, a rare vintage clip of Guthrie performing “John Henry” with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.

Storm the structure’s aging walls, parapets—
a bold sedition—, armories beyond
the inner sanctum of the campanile.

Drop the oxidizing gates, gently, so
they do not break, after you have rid your
bicycles beneath their teeth. Struggle past

unbearded men, stained backs sliding down brick,
black in the corridor, hands unbracing
for the red stone impact. Smash the unlocked

wooden door; leave it, splinters. Snap the warped
and gnarled men chained behind me from their bonds.
Torch the beds as you set off. Execute

this as my final wish, and let it end
quickly, before the whole thing collapses.

Does This Type of Thing Really Advance the Debate?

GET A TAX DEDUCTION, HELP THE POOR-MAYBE WIN A HOUSE! COULD BE WORTH A LOT TO YOU AND OTHERS QUICK CHECK UP

On the other side, does this really advance the discussion?

I hesitate to even bring this up but the Global Warming debate continues and will continue to do so.  No news flash, right?  Temperatures have been quite hot in the Southern Plains and so people are tending to believe in global warming.  But, this article from Shreveport opines for folks to think again.   On the other side of the spectrum, Greenpeace urged politicians to fight Global Warming at Mt. Rushmore.   Then in the Northeastern US, people are wondering what happened to summer.  The UPI blames the cool stretch in the northeastern US on the solar cycle.  In India, the debate recently heated up in the Telegraph regarding malaria rates in Calcutta and how it relates to Global Warming.  Speaking of India, the Times of India reports that India and China resisting the call from the G8 to reduce Global Warming causing pollutants.  This raises the question of whether or not it will do any good whatsoever for everyone to curb emissions if the two fast growing economies don’t play ball.  So, the debate goes on as it should, in my view. 

This type of Hyperbole may sell magazines but I think it just creates divides and does not work toward proper analysis

My reluctance to even bring this to you is because, when I do so, someone always incorrectly calls me a “global warming denier,” which is not accurate.  My suggestion is that all data should not be ignored and not dismissed even if it does not fit your preconceived notions.  But, alas, there are those unethical types out there that insist on printing borderline libelous things if you don’t walk in lock step with your position, regardless of where you fall.  Do you  know that there are people out there who will take your private conversation and then print it on line with ommissions and additions and present it as truth without your knowledge or consent?  They often masquerade as journalists.  Probably not illegal but certainly not ethical, cool or honest.  For the record, I have never said that I am a Global Warming Denier.  All I ask for is a complete and open discussion by all sides and I say it raises red flags when one side wants to cut off all discussion.  And there is no reason why it cannot be a civil discussion. In fact, that would probably be helpful.  I tend to get a little po’d when I am attacked falsely.  It’s hard not to do so and I should do better at that, especially considering there are those out there who use clever techniques to create illusions out of truth.  I think that qualifies as propaganda.  Anyway,   I also think that it would be politically expedient for all sides to agree that developing alternative energy sources is a great idea…for different reasons to different people, but it is an answer to many questions.  Regardless of which side you fall on, I’d encourage not sticking your head in the sand. 

Ironic photo-Topekans Work to Save the Water Works from Water

On This Date In History: 

These days, whenever there is a case of flooding somewhere, then immediately people start pondering whether or not it is the fault of global warming.   Truth is, flooding has been going on in the nation since it’s inception and if there were any Native Americans around who lived before the Europeans landed on the shores, they too would probably have flood tales to tell. For instance,  on This Date in 1951, rivers in Eastern Kansas crested at what was their highest levels to that time.  Some 25 inches of rain fell across the region from June through July 13 with the final 6 inches between July 9 and July 13 being the nail in the coffin.  Two million acres of farmland was flooded as rivers crested between 4 and 9 feet above flood stage.  Manhattan, Topeka and Lawrence were greatly affected.  The photo above is from Topeka.  On the Kansas river refinery storage tanks caught fire and exploded and travelers on trains were stuck on board for as many as four days.  The flooding resulted in the development of reservoirs and levees which were credited with lessening the affects of the next record flood in 1993. 

Flooding in the Midwest is not new.  In fact, I would submit that development along the rivers have more to do with any increased flooding than climate change.  All across the nation, less rain in more time have been known to cause greater flooding than previous events due to development that simply wasn’t there during previous events.

Here is a photo gallery from the 1951 flood in Kansas City, Topeka, Manhattan and Lawrence.

Famous Billy The Kid Photo

On This Date In History: While I’m not certain that it was a Friday, July 13 was still unlucky for William Henry McCarty. He is thought to have been born around 1860 in New York. It is unknown who is father was. His mother, Catherine McCarty moved to Indiana in the 1860’s and to Wichita Kansas in 1870 where she was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. She moved to the warmer and drier climate of Santa Fe where she married William Antrim. Since there were two people named Billy in the house, she called her son Henry. His mother died in 1874 and his step-father wanted nothing to do with him so he sent him to a foster home where he had to earn his own keep. He wasn’t too keen on washing dishes and such, so he turned to the dark side. He fell in with horse thieves and such and eventually got into a fight with Windy Cahill, whom he shot dead. Rather than face murder charges he fled. He teamed up with a man named Jesse Evans and went to Lincoln County, New Mexico and took up with forces pitted against John Henry Tunstall. He changed his name to William H. Bonney. Tunstall ended up taking in “the kid” as he thought he was just the product of a troubled life. Billy the Kid ended up killing Sheriff Brady, among others and became a notorious outlaw. Pat Garrett became sheriff of Lincoln County and at one time was friends with Billy the Kid. It is known “the kid” was shot in the dark, but it is said he was shot in the back by Garrett, who by then I suppose was a former friend, on this date in 1881. That event didn’t prove too lucky for Garrett either.

The Dapper Pat Garrett

Garrett wrote a semi-successful book on his nabbing the notorious teenage outlaw but then failed at just about everything else he did. The public didn’t really embrace his celebrity too much as it was accepted he had shot “the kid” in the back. He ran for office several times for the Senate and various places for sheriff but lost every time. He had become friends with Teddy Roosevelt and in 1901 the President appointed Garrett as customs collector in El Paso. Roosevelt found out that Garrett had associated with some unsavory fellows and did not re-appoint him. Garrett became financially destitute and while working on a real estate deal of sorts, was shot to death…in the back of the head.

So…add avoiding shooting an outlaw in the dark to your list of things to avoid for the day.

SPC Severe Outlook Wednesday

Weather Bottom Line:  Yesterday, I suggested not ruling out storms if the boundary waffled a bit.  Well, it did and a short wave moved mainly west to east out of the bootheel of Missouri into our southern counties Sunday evening. Just south of the viewing area, there were a number of trees down.  I saw on tv someone trying to make it sound like it was our viewing area  but clearly, it was Bowling Green’s area.  That shortwave’s approach probably buckled the boundary somewhat but its passing should have given it a kick farther south so today should be dry.  The same tv person also tried to get all worked up about how steamy it would be….so it will be near 90.  So what? It’s July.  And, since we will be north of the boundary, I suspect that dewpoints will be relatively low…the 50’s perhaps? That’s not too steamy.  Anyway, enough of the critique.  Same story for tomorrow.  A fairly significant front will drop down on Wednesday and that is when the SPC is advertising the potential for strong storms, though the boys there are more interested in Louisville and points to the north.  While there may be some t’storm action, I think the most significant thing about the front will be that it will lower our temperatures to the low 80’s…perhaps upper 70’s to the north…and also lower humidity such that air conditioners may be able to take a break for the latter part of the week into next weekend.

DAY 3 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK RESENT 1
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   0556 AM CDT MON JUL 13 2009
  
   VALID 151200Z – 161200Z
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS LOWER GREAT LAKES/UPPER OH
   VALLEY…
  
   …SYNOPSIS…
   BROAD UPPER TROUGH IS FORECAST TO BECOME ESTABLISHED FROM THE UPPER
   MS VALLEY ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION AS SEVERAL SHORT WAVE
   TROUGHS MOVE ACROSS THE REGION.  PRIMARY SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO
   MOVE FROM NRN LAKE SUPERIOR/NWRN ONTARIO EWD ACROSS ONTARIO…WHILE
   A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND SWWD ACROSS THE LOWER
   OH VALLEY AND OKLAHOMA/NWRN TX. 
  
   …LOWER GREAT LAKES/UPPER OH VALLEY…
   STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE ONGOING EARLY IN THE PERIOD ACROSS PARTS
   OF LOWER MI AND INDIANA IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LEAD SHORT WAVE
   TROUGH AND MID LEVEL JET STREAK MOVING TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES.  LOW
   LEVEL MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE NEWD TOWARD THE LOWER GREAT
   LAKES IN CONJUNCTION WITH A SWLY LOW LEVEL JET THAT WILL SLOWLY
   SHIFT EWD DURING THE DAY.  AN ISOLATED SEVERE THREAT MAY PERSIST
   DURING THE MORNING…WITH INTENSIFICATION OF EXISTING CONVECTION
   AND/OR REDEVELOPMENT OF STORMS IN THE WAKE OF EARLIER THUNDERSTORMS
   POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON.  STRONG DEEP LAYER VERTICAL SHEAR AND
   SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY SUGGEST POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS THROUGH
   THE EVENING HOURS.
  
   …LOWER OH VALLEY ACROSS THE OZARKS INTO THE CENTRAL/SRN HIGH
   PLAINS…
   THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING NEAR
   THE SWD MOVING COLD FRONT FROM THE LOWER OH VALLEY INTO THE SRN HIGH
   PLAINS.  STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES COUPLED WITH VERY WARM LOW
   LEVEL TEMPERATURES DURING THE AFTERNOON WILL ENHANCE INSTABILITY.  A
   FEW STRONG/SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE BUT WEAK FLOW
   ALOFT/VERTICAL SHEAR SHOULD LIMIT OVERALL COVERAGE OF SEVERE THREAT.
  
   ..WEISS.. 07/13/2009

i was fortunate enough to hear this song a few months ago.
enjoy!