Some Wednesday Reads

 The worst avalanche in modern California history happened yesterday when at least eight, and likely nine, skiers on a backcountry outing were killed.  Six people survived the ordeal.

There has been a shit ton of snow hitting the region.  In southern Oregon, after weeks of little or no snow, we who live here have been hit with an onslaught, but whether it makes up for the dry spell remains to be seen.  Most of February was unseasonably warm here.

Snip from the article about the Tahoe tragedy:

The skiers, including four guides, had been finishing up a three-day backcountry expedition in a rugged but popular recreational area near Castle Peak. The six survivors were able to use a combination of emergency beacons and iPhone S.O.S. functions to contact rescuers, who braved treacherous conditions to reach them.

Two of the six survivors were taken to a hospital for treatment after being evacuated, Nevada County officials said in a news conference. One has since been released, and the other is still being treated with non-life-threatening injuries.

Searchers were unable to remove the bodies of the eight confirmed dead, officials said, and it was unclear on Wednesday when they might be able to return, with more significant snowfall in the forecast through the weekend.

Report:

From the NYT:

Multiple skiers who died after being caught in the avalanche were members of the Sugar Bowl Academy community, a private boarding school and ski club near Donner Summit, according to school officials, who said they were not releasing names out of respect for the families affected.

Obituary: Jesse Jackson

 Longtime civil rights leader and sometime presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.,  died early today at the age of 84.  He was also the founder of the Rainbow Coalition and Operation P.U.S.H., later consolidated,  and was heavily involved in Chicago issues.

Jackson was known as a very good orator.  My mother loved his speeches back when he was running for president in 1984 and in 1988.  He didn't have a reasonable shot at the nomination either time, but he made his mark.

As a young man, he was an associate of Martin Luther King, Jr.; however, there was some controversy over claims he made over the day King was assassinated in Memphis in 1968.  He, like King and other associates,  was at the Loraine Hotel at the time of the murder.  

Jackson's cause of death wasn't disclosed, but he had been afflicted with progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological disorder.  He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's prior, but it wasn't the cause of his health issues.

Snip:

Jackson was born Oct. 8, 1941, in a tiny house in Greenville, S.C., where he began his lifelong work fighting for civil rights.

While visiting home for Christmas break during his freshman year at the University of Illinois, Jackson needed to borrow a book but couldn't get it from the town's white-only library. Six months later, on July 16, 1960, he and seven other students held a sit-in at the library and were arrested for protesting. After his experience as a member of the "Greenville Eight," Jackson transferred to North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College, a historically Black school in Greensboro, N.C.

His burgeoning activism would bring him in 1965 to march alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and others in Selma, Ala., answering King's call for supporters of a local voting rights campaign. Jackson became a close ally of King — eventually leaving his graduate studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary to join King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He became the Chicago coordinator and a year later, in 1967, the national leader of the SCLC's Operation Breadbasket, which was dedicated to improving the economic conditions of Black communities in the U.S.  

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Obituary: Robert Duvall

 Acclaimed actor Robert Duvall, 95, has died, which was confirmed by his wife on his Facebook page today.  He gave numerous memorable performances throughout his long career.  He was one of those actors who seemed to be incapable of ever turning in a bad performance.

His peak years were probably the 1970s, with roles in films such as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now.  He was great in his role in the great film Network, one of the best films of the past 50 or 60 years.  However, there is one role that is often overlooked when critics review the career of Robert Duvall, and it wasn't a movie role.  It was his performance in an hour-long Twilight Zone episode called "Miniature."  I don't think he ever gave a better performance than that part of a young man, who would probably be labeled as on the autism spectrum these days, who never seemed to fit in anywhere.  He didn't fit it at his job, he didn't fit in at home.  The only solace he ever found in his life was to visit the  local museum and watch for hours the action (which was in his mind) of the dolls in a 19th century-era dollhouse.  Without saying how the plot was resolved, Duvall was just great.  Everybody could identify with his character, and nobody but Duvall could have pulled off such a believable performance.  He should have won an Emmy for it.

Snip:

Duvall was born January 5, 1931, in San Diego. His mother was an actor and his father was a U.S. Navy admiral. 

Duvall was known for his ability to play a wide array of characters, from tough guys to those dealing with personal trauma. 

He was a seven-time Academy Award nominee, winning his only Oscar for his leading role in "Tender Mercies" in 1984. He played a washed up country music singer who finds himself falling in love with a widow who runs the hotel he wakes up in one day and must eventually decide whether to keep his new life or go back to his career. 

Some Sunday Reads

 More and more single women are finding men are more trouble than they are worth.

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There are no words about this bizarre thing.

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Some Saturday Reads

 Mifepristone has more uses than being an abortion method.

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Taxation without representation is making a comeback in the US.

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Horse Racing Obits to Note

 Afleet Alex, 24. who won the 2005 Preakness and Belmont Stakes, was euthanized due to the infirmities of old age.

Thanks to his performances at three, he won his division's championship.

2005 Preakness, where Alex's talent for tenacity was on display.  He nearly went down but recovered to win:

2005 Belmont:

Snip:

Bred in Florida by John Martin Silvertand out of the Hawkster winner Maggy Hawk, Afleet Alex was acquired by trainer Tim Ritchey on behalf of Bob Brittingham and Chuck Zacney for $75,000 during the 2004 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The colt made an immediate impact on the track, winning his debut at Delaware Park by 11 1/4 lengths. He would string together four consecutive victories at 2 that included the Sanford Stakes (G2) by 5 1/4 lengths and the Hopeful Stakes (G1). Afleet Alex wound up his juvenile season with runner-up performances in the Champagne Stakes (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), where he was less than a length behind Wilko.

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Two weeks later, Afleet Alex entered the gate for the Preakness and delivered one of the most iconic performances in Triple Crown history. As he launched his drive at the top of the stretch, Afleet Alex clipped heels with rival Scrappy T, stumbling badly. Despite nearly falling to his knees, Afleet Alex recovered and powered down the Pimlico Race Course stretch to win by 4 3/4 lengths.

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The trainer of top thoroughbreds Zenyatta and Giacomo, John Shirreffs, has died at the age of 80.

Snip:

Born June 1, 1945, in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Shirreffs served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War before obtaining his trainer's license in 1978. He settled at Santa Anita and developed a reputation for a patient, horse-first approach that produced 596 victories from 3,589 career starts.

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He most recently trained top horse Baeza, named for the famed jockey Braulio Baeza.

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Some Reads for Wednesday

 The Gallup Organization turns completely chickenshit when it comes to presidential "approval" ratings.  One can only guess they can't seem to be bothered with telling the truth Trump's numbers are in the ditch and getting even lower.

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