Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Melbourne Cup and Grey Lion and Oral Historia



“George Eliot was so like a horse
That bookies on the Gatwick course
Shouted the odds against her when
She came there with some gentlemen;
And there was always quite a stir
When bookies put their shirts on her.

“But doubt creeps in. The Mill on the Floss
Was never written by a hoss.”



Epilogue: we are such good losers as Grey Lion  did not even get a place ...

Instapundit and it was not moi.... 






Matt Cumani-trained Grey Lion enjoys a morning at the beach ahead of the Melbourne Cup.
Chapter 61: verse 1 Matt Cumani-trained Grey Lion enjoys a morning at the beach ahead of the Melbourne Cup. Photo: Jason South
Australian Generations oral history theme issue of Australian Historical Studies
“The latest theme issue of Australian Historical Studies (AHS), edited by Katie Holmes and Alistair Thomson, features seven articles by members of the Australian Generations team in which we use the project’s oral history interviews to illuminate a range of topics in Australian social history, and to discuss innovations and issues in oral history. The open access online editorial on ‘Oral History and Australian Generations’ by Katie and Al introduces the project and the articles. Katie and Al also discuss the articles in this video clipon the AHS Facebook site. Use this link to access all the articles



There's $1.1 billion worth of reasons showing how hard global horse racing giant Godolphin is trying to win the Melbourne Cup. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the billionaire Dubai ruler, United Arab Emirates Prime Minister and Godolphin owner, is yet to win a Cup in 18 years of trying and has five runners in Tuesday's race, led by the $5 favourite Hartnell. He has spent $1.1 billion in pursuit of racing glory in Australia alone, and has won more than 3500 races in at least 14 countries - yet the $6 million Melbourne Cup still eludes him. But this year, Sheik Mohammed has more horses in the big race than ever before Godolphin's $1.1 billion racing dream, but no Melbourne Cup yet

Melbourne Cup 2016: Almoonqith bid a family affair for David Hayes


Almoonquith at the Lindsay Park Stables, Creightons Creek. Picture: Nicole Garmston.
Trainer David Hayes already has a Melbourne Cup trophy courtesy of 1994 winner Jeune
but admits victory this time around would be something special.
Almoonqith represents the stable that is now a family partnership of Hayes, his son Ben and nephew Tom Dabernig.
“Part of the reason I started the partnership a couple of years ago was because the stable was on the rise and I wanted Tom to be part of it,” Hayes said.
“This year Ben joined and I thought he might as well come along for the ride and he’s doing a great job in Adelaide.


 Encore Wants to Make It Easy to Book a Musician or Band for Your Event

     Spooky ... Today is the big dress-up day in America, but last night was “Beggar’s Night” in Des Moines. We had visits from superheroes, witches, goblins, and even a Starbucks barista, complete with apron. But nary a little pretend IRS agent

While certainly frightening, IRS agents don’t show up on the list of popular Halloween characters. A Kansas man last week learned that there are drawbacks to playing IRS agent. From a Department of Justice press release:
A Lenexa man was sentenced Tuesday to five months he already served in jail for harassing former girlfriends and business partners by sending them letters on Internal Revenue Service letterhead saying they were under investigation for tax evasion, Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Some practical jokes are funnier that others.
Jeffrey Nickerson, 56, Lenexa, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of impersonating a federal employee. In his plea, Nickerson admitted he was an acquaintance of a woman who worked at the IRS Service Center in Kansas City, Mo. She brought IRS letterhead and IRS publications home. He used the information to send letters to former girlfriends and former business partners. The letters said the victims were under investigation as a result of reports being filed to the Internal Revenue Service Fraud Investigations Hotline.
To be sure, there’s no law in dressing up in an IRS agent costume, though if it’s too good you probably will get kicked out of the party. Dress up as you please, but remember, it’s all fun and games until you get your hands on IRS letterhead.
Related: Jim Maule, Beyond Scary: Tax-Based Halloween Costumes.