I noticed in the Morning News today that Denton High School had three "co-valedictorians" and and four "co-salutatorians". Denton Ryan High School had four "co-valedictorians".
Can we please carry out the grades to the 1000th of a point so we can have a winner?
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6.10.2006
Let's Give Everyone A Trophy
I noticed in the Morning News today that Denton High School had three "co-valedictorians" and and four "co-salutatorians". Denton Ryan High School had four "co-valedictorians".
Can we please carry out the grades to the 1000th of a point so we can have a winner?
Posthumously Indict?
I almost spit out my grilled chicken last night when this Fox 4 news clip told me that a Dallas grand jury had declined to indict James Roberson "posthumously". What? A grand jury considered indicting a dead man? I thought they had to have their facts wrong.
Until the Dallas Morning News confirmed it.
The only thing I can think of is that it was to do with "clearing" him so that he can be buried in a VA cemetery. Still, that is odd.
The World Cup
Starting yesterday, the World Cup began (that's soccer matches amongst countries) which will take the world by storm - except in the U.S.
Despite the fact that every guy and girl in America under 35 grew up playing soccer, it just cannot catch on as a spectator sport. Can't say I blame us.
From ABC News last night: The World Cup will be viewed by 32 billion people - 300 times more than the Super Bowl.
[Edit: I commentor questioned how 32 billion could watch the World Cup when that number exceeds the world's population. Good question. But that's what ABC said: 10 second video is here. And if you think he says "million" - nope - he says that the number is 300 times more than the number that watch the Super Bowl which would get you to 32 billion.]
6.09.2006
16 Year Old Friends Don't Let Their 16 Year Old Friends . . .
. . . fly to the other side of the globe to meet a guy they met on MySpace.
Incredible.
Another Reason I'm Against Ann Curry of NBC
She dances like me....uh....a middle aged white guy. (And welcome to the debut of some new Blog technology).
Losing Life Force....Can't Breathe...(Gasp, Cough, Wheeze)
I just walked past the new Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes on the square. I am sad to announce that the restaurant has installed outdoor speakers and from those speakers came . . . . . . . . Elvira by the Oak Ridge Boys
Biggest Movie of the Year
I won't go see it, but I bet today's release of Cars begins the biggest box office draw of the year.
Crazy Lunch Time Reading
Gordon Keith on a fictional news conference involving dueling Dallas and Miami mayors.
The Onion's story of "Mavericks To Incorporate Machetes Into Hack-A-Shaq Defense"
Star Telegram Coverage
The Star-Telegram obituary on the death of Leroy Burch is here.
It bears the unfortunate title of: "Former sheriff convicted in extortion schemes dies"
As Observed by D Magazine
Okay, hang on. I'm not sure Channel 8's decision to broadcast the news live from the AAC [after the Maverick's game] was the smartest.
Gloria: "The Veterans Administration has denied a request to bury James Roberson in the National Cemetery. Roberson murdered his wife in a mercy killing. He had terminal brain cancer."
Background Mavs fans: "WHOOOAAA! YEAHHH! JASON TERRY! WEEEAAARRLLL!"
Food Rage
The restaurant in Decatur named Snooky's (which used to be Roly Poly's but confusingly continued to serve the same food as Roly Poly's) has mysteriously been closed. (Despite a note promising to re-open).
If so, that would be the second restaurant to go out of business at the location that used to house Grandys.
Funny
Al Gore was on The Tonight Show last more promoting his new movie about global warming.
On his new found "hollywood" status, Jay Leno asked him what it was like.
Gore: "Well, you know, it's kinda tough. I'm in this big feud with Lindsay Lohan right now."
Leno: "Really. What's it about?"
Gore: "Well . . . she knows what she did."
6.08.2006
Technical Difficulties
For those two or three people out there who care (thanks, Mom), the lack of postings today are due primarily to the host of The Blog being "down".
It's a service provided by Google. It's free. Who would complain?
Me.
As smart and as rich as those boys are at Google, the Blogger hosting service is a little more than they can apparently handle.
A Bit High Tone
One of my many nerdy qualities is to look at all the new Texas cases handed down by the Texas appellate courts. Of course, I'm interested in criminal cases but every now and then a civil case will get my attention.
Like today.
The second paragraph of Johnson v. Baylor University, 188 S.W.3d 298 (Tex.App. - Waco 2006) reads: "Johnson, a pilot for Baylor in the [early 1990's], was fired for chronic obesity and poor grammar and diction, which Baylor believe diminished its image to people who flew on Baylor's aircraft."
WWJD?
Sports Nuggest #3
"Houston Texans rookie Mario Williams, the top pick in the draft [taken ahead of Vince Young and Reggie Bush], will be sidelined for the rest of the week after having the toenails on his big toes removed."
Ouch.
Sports Nugget #2
The Tennessee Titans have traded starting quarterback Steve McNair.
That leaves #3 pick in the draft, Vince Young, as the starter.
Prediction: He'll be awful - not because he will be an NFL failure (who knows) - because being a rookie QB makes even the best athletes look awful. Ask Troy Aikman and Payton Manning.
Nugget From The Sports Page #1
During the British Open in July, Tiger Woods will stay in the Hillbark Hotel.
Uh....he and his entourage will be the only people in the 19 room exclusive hotel because he has rented the entire place out for $265,000 for five days.
Sports Brain Prediction
I write this as Dallas leads 68-67 in the third quarter of Game One.
You heard it here (but probably not first): Miami wins the series in six games.
Edit (after the game): Trust me, I'm a sports genious.
Weird
From the Update: "FORMER SHERIFF DIES — Former Wise County Sheriff Leroy Burch died in Fort Worth last night, according to Mike Bement, the county’s former fire marshal. No other details were available."
It is so odd I posted this a few days ago. I hadn't thought about the former sheriff in years.
I'm Your Ice Cream Man
So odd. Ex-Van Halen leader David Lee Roth is part of a new album called "Strumming With The Devil" which is composed of most of the group's greatest hits put to blue grass music. Apparently, there are some big time blue grass musicians behind it.
He performed "Jump" on the Tonight Show two nights ago - blue grass style. (YouTube clip here).
I can't believe I'm saying this: Not bad.
Dead of Death: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
And the President was smart enough to take advantage of this news - he was in front of the cameras at 7:30 a.m. Washington time.
6.07.2006
Legal Rant
(Some) JP Courts and Municipal Courts drive me nuts.
Whenever you get a traffic ticket, a pre-set "fine" will be printed on the back. What a travesty!! Every traffic ticket carries with it a "range" of punishment which is normally from $1 to $200. Legally, there is no "set" fine. For a ticket to tell you that you "automatically" owe X amount of dollars for speeding is simply an outright lie.
A little known fact: For every traffic ticket, you are entitled to have a jury assess your fine. If that jury wants to give you a $10 fine, they can. (Not to mention that you have the right for the jury to determine whether you were guilty in the first place.)
Love Field
I've been seeing a lot of commercials supporting the repeal of the Wright Amendment (bought by Southwest) and against the repeal (bought by American). Question: Why the commercials? We don't vote on the issue.
Come to think of it, when is Congress ever going to vote on it.
It gives me Confused Head.
Somehow, Our Country Is Still Functioning
Despite the President's urging this week, the Senate failed to pass the no-gay-marriage constitutional amendment. In fact, it didn't even get a majority (it needed 2/3 to pass).
But, never fear, the two Texas senators voted in favor of the sanctity of marriage, including the once divorced Kay Bailey Hutchison.
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"Marriage is not in trouble because of 50% of marriages ending in gayness." --Jon Stewart
The Devil Made A Funny
The remake of The Omen opened yesterday and earned:$12,633,666.
They totally made that up, right?
Source: Box Office Mojo
From Another Blog - But Still Interesting
Well, score a victory for small-minded bureaucracy and a huge loss for common sense and decency.
Veterans Affairs has decided that James Roberson is not worthy of being buried in the local VA cemetery. In an act of mercy, Mr. Roberson shot his elderly, incapacitated wife rather than see her go to a nursing home after his impending death.
I guess his distinguished military service was not enough.
(Source)
So Weird.
William Shatner + Elton John's Rocket Man = William Shatner doing his interpretation of Rocket Man.
The most unintentional comedy in the history of ever.
YouTube video.
On TV Last Night . . .
. . . I heard:
"We're here tonight cause we got immigration problems spiralling out ofcontrol . . . . Mexicans flocking into this place like some giant %$#& pinata was shattered . . . It's tragic. On the Statue of Liberty it says 'Give me your tired, your hungry, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.' It does not say give me your shiftless, your greedy, your indolent, your criminals, looking for a free ticket. We're here tonight to show the government how we feel about minorities taking over our country.The treat us like criminals while they reward them with jobs and *&^% welfare checks. And it's only getting worse."
CNN? Fox News? Nope. It was uttered in the movie American History X by the skin head played by Ed Norton.
Random Thought
An "ozone action day" simply means there will be little wind.
I hate it when mayors of say, Miami and Dallas, make a "bet" in connection with a sporting event.
I started watching Gone With the Wind for the first time last night. I had no idea the term "white trash" was used back then. And, from what I can tell, I really like Scarlett.
Crazy People
I am of the firm belief that there are very, very many people like this guy. (3:24 video clip from YouTube.com).
6.06.2006
Baseball Draft
The number three person taken today in the MLB draft was Evan Longoria.
I'll stop there.
Cowboy Nugget
Bill Parcells (who I wish failure upon because of his arrogance) took over after the 2002 season.
Of the 22 starters that season , only three players remain: Flozell Adams, Roy Williams and Greg Ellis (who is barely hanging on).
Kasey Kiker . . .
. . . is an 18 year old kid from Alabama who has just become the Texas Rangers #1 pick in the MLB draft.
Interestingly, one of his buddies has this myspace.com graduation farewell to him:
"Kasey Kiker / DAMN LOOPER J/K J/K YOU KNOW I DO THAT TO MAKE YOU ANGRY LOL. DUDE YOUR THE QB OF THE BASEBALL TEAM.. SO0O BLUE 42 HUTT HUTT LOL DANG MAN WHERE DO I START ATM? ME STAYING THE NIGHT AT YOUR HOUSE 06' SPRING BREAK JEEZ DUDE YOU COULD BE POSSIBLE THE CRUNKEST NIGGUH FROM THE KICK OFF.CAMPIN IN THE WOODS BEHIND MY HOUSE. I ENJOYED PLAYIN BALL WITH YOU MAIN. YOU KNOW IM HERE IF YOU NEED ME MAIN. TRIPOD DUDE LOL COLD CUT TRIO HAHA.FISH FRY AT BOBS. FIGHT WITH CORY. DUDE GONE GET DRAFTED 12TH PICK OVER ALL OKAY!! LOVE YA DUDE, YOU MY BRO. "
I need an interpreter.
Maverick Tickets
You can get tickets through StubHub.com (I've used it in the past).
For Game 1, your choices are here.
My couch is looking good.
It Has To Be The Most Dangerous City In The World - Since We Arrived
"1,400 Iraqi civilians died in a wave of targeted killings in Baghdad last month." (Story)
4/20 Silliness
I didn't know that possessing a "small amount" of marijuana in Alaska had been legal due to a 30 year old Alaska Supreme Court decision holding that the right of privacy trumps the government's need to outlaw pot.
I also didn't know that a new law has been passed in Alaska re-criminalizing pot possession of any amount. (How a new law can overrule a court decision based upon constitutional grounds is beyond me, but I leave that alone). And why Alaska is going back in time is beyond me as well.
In Texas:
Under 2 oz. is a Class B misdemeanor (up to 180 days in jail)
2 to 4 oz. is a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year in jail)
4 oz. to 5 lbs. is a State Jail Felony (up to two years in a "state jail")
Ann Coulter - Rant Part 2
Ann Coulter's new book (released today) has this passage on some widows of 9-11:
"These self-obsessed women seem genuinely unaware that 9-11 was an attack on our nation and acted like as if the terrorist attack only happened to them. They believe the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony. Apparently, denouncing bush was part of the closure process. These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband’s death so much."
She is slowly catching Nancy Grace on my all-time-most-hated female list.
Ann Coulter . . .
. . . was on the Today show this morning promoting her new book "Godless: The Church of Liberalism".
Something was wrong with her. She seemed distracted and would pause for several seconds before answering a question.
And what was up with the slinky black dress?
Happy 6-6-06
I think I'll take Damien to Hurricane Harbor or something.
(And the interest rate for a 30 year mortgage is very disturbing. )
6.05.2006
I Couldn't Resist
As violence in Iraq escalates to an all time high, gas prices continue to rise, Iran rattles its sabers more loudly than ever about nuclear weapons, and immigration issues remain unresolved . . .
it's so comforting to know that your President spends his time today urging for a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. A proposition that, everyone agrees, stands absolutely no chance of passing the House or the Senate.
Smart Republicans should be insulted.
Jail Over Probation
This will probably interest only a handful of you, but here's an interesting short blog over why some people charged with misdemeanors would rather choose jail over probation.
Wise County is different in a very odd respect. In Tarrant and Dallas County, an inmate sentenced to the county jail for a misdemeanor receives 3 for 1 credit. That is, a 90 day sentence becomes 30 "real" days. This is automatic and is applied to every single inmate.
In Wise County, a person can receive 2 for 1 credit after 30 days if they become a "Trusty". (Don't laugh, that term, instead of "Trustee" is common in the justice system - just Google "trusty" and "inmate".)
An oddity of Texas law: It is completely within the discretion of the Sheriff whether an inmate receives 2 for 1 or 3 for 1 credit. The sentencing judge doesn't control it nor does the prosecutor.
I really wish we had 3 for 1 credit in Wise County. It gives those charged with misdemeanors a real taste of jail, but would prevent us from pouring millions into the facility to meet jail population standards.
And They Say The Print Media Is In Trouble
The Dallas Morning News' web site has had, on its home page, a story about how doctors have finally "defined road rage" and that 16 million Americans may suffer from it. (I refuse to link to it because I don't want you to die of pop up ads.)
Uh, it's called being a hot head who gets easily pissed off. (I'd like to pick up my doctorate as soon as possible.)
The funny thing is that the story is just some generic Associated Press story. It's not even home grown. Belo needs some guidance. Fast.
OK, Maybe An Unwanted Child Isn't So Bad
I constantly steal from BagOfNothing.com (I only feel right in giving him credit).
And, if any of you have ever been curious about a vasectomy, you might want to check out this blog entry of his. (Note: I'm not posting directly to the pictures. I'm linking to his blog that links to the pictures. Thus, you have to work to see pics that you want to yell at me about.)
I've got to go sit on a bag of ice.
Justice?
The Dallas Morning News has run a couple of stories on the 10 year anniversary of the killing of Darlie Routier's two boys.
Some have said the Rowlett PD rushed to judgment in the case. Well, this new quote from one of the stories doesn't help quiet those concerns:
"She got released from the hospital that Saturday, and when she came by [the police station], she was laughing and joking," Lt. Nabors said. "At this point, I already knew she did it. So I got a little graphic describing the boys to see what kind of response I could get out of her. She said, 'I know this must be hard on y'all.' She never shed a tear. At all."
More than you ever wanted to know about the case, from a slightly biased point of view, can be found at www.fordarlieroutier.org/ including the complete 911 tape.
I Don't Know How This Happens
I created and posted the hole-in-one clip by Fuzzy Zoeller on Saturday.
Today it was the #3 most viewed video on YouTube.com with a total of 124,771 views as I write this.
(Here is YouTube's most viewed video page).
Rumor Mill
Sounds like this guy was sentenced to 10 years in prison this morning at the courthouse in Decatur.
Sad
Remember the crazy story of the mix-up of the identites of two girls - one that died and one that survived?
The Blog of the family of the girl they thought had survived is here. The May 31st entry is the one where they acknowledge the mistake. The entries before that track the condition of the girl they thought was alive.
6.04.2006
Crazy Government Efficiency
I renewed my auto registration online on Thursday evening. On Saturday, I received the new registration sticker in the mail.
I think the government is monitoring me.
Sheesh
Denton County DA Bruce Isaacks has had a bad year. First he loses his job in the election primary, and now there is news that his 18 year old son has been arrested (for the third time) for stealing beer from a convenience store in Carrollton. (The story doesn't mention it, but the charge could have actually been robbery.)
I love this part: He was arrested on May 24th and as of June 3rd, he remained in the Dallas County Jail "in lieu of a $500 bond."
