Random Front Page Observations

I'm a big fan of newseum.com which allows you to see the front page of today's newspapers from America and around the world.  This cover was from yesterday which immediately got my attention because it dealt with the courts, the War of Drugs, and some hot girl. Turns out, she's the former court administrator (a court dedicate to drug cases) who is alleged to have stolen funds.

I love the photo. The fact that she is smiling while leaving court absolutely sells it due to the irony. It wouldn't surprise me that what actually happened was that she knew the local photographer who asked her for a picture as she was leaving but she  laughed him off. It may have been the only time she smiled all day, but the moment in time captured in a photo can tell a completely different story.

The other great thing about the photo is the completely unrelated lady who was captured and not cropped out. Some would call it distracting but to me it gives a sense of realism to the moment. It convinces you that it's a real courthouse hallway.

(Sorry to go all Joe Duty on you.)

British Petroleum At It Again?

Traffic Nightmare On One Of Our Favorite Roads Takes You Into The Weekend

At 4:30 p.m. on a Friday, Highway 114 including service roads is shut down right as it goes through Grapevine.  No way it'll be 15 minutes. What a nightmare. (FM 1709 is Southlake Blvd.) If you went through it, let me hear from you.

Heck Of A Picture Of A Heck Of A Wreck In Dallas This Morning

I-30 in far east Dallas. (Stolen from Fox 4's Newsdesk Facebook page.)

Brownsville ISD Prank Arrest Is Crazier Than The One Yesterday

The offense: 

The students threw toilet paper onto the trees behind the school and wrote phrases like “Porter rocks,” “Seniors” and “Class of 2011” with shoe polish on school windows . . . . 

And they may miss graduation. (Story). I keep telling you, it's not hard to get arrested these days.

My Nemesis Ann Curry Analyses This Morning's Unemployment News

And in other news, former presidential candidate John Edwards just got indicted because if you have an affair on your cancer stricken wife in front of the whole country, the feds are gonna get you for something.

Edit: The campaign money he used to allegedly cover up the affair (with the gal pictured below) came primarily from the now dead Dallas Plaintiff's lawyer Fred Baron who made a fortune suing asbestos companies.   I've ranted so much over the years about how sleazy those lawsuits were that I can hardly do it anymore.  (His high profile wife drives me nuts, too.)

Threw It All Away For This

Idiocracy In Our Own Back Yard?

Anyone know anything about an official being attacked after a Decatur/Bridgeport little league baseball game last night?

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• I heard that the Mavs were down big late in the fourth quarter so I flipped over to see what was going on. I'm glad I saw it because otherwise it is hard to believe.
• The headline in the Miami paper reads, "Collapse." It was.
• And WBAP's sports guy Steve Lamb kept saying this morning that "Dirk made the final two baskets with his injured left hand."  That's true if you count the three pointer he made with his right hand as a score with his left hand.
• Speaking of Dirk, how about a German "hey, now" model on the beach? Edit: Link fixed.
• Someone made a comment yesterday that it is impossible to be completely or absolutely apathetic about anything. I thought about that all day and tend to agree. You always have some emotional response, no matter how small, to everything.
• The Update reports that the popular owner of Decatur Tire Store was in an auto accident in Durant, Oklahoma yesterday and was careflighted to Plano. No details were available so does anyone have any? (I was going to mention that seemed like a long way to transport him, but it's only 77 miles.)
• It's not an interesting read, but a Houston appellate court reversed a conviction yesterday for Criminally Negligent Homicide of a young girl whose passenger died when she got in a wreck while texting. It was kind of a smack down of a growing trend by prosecutors to make simple accidents a criminal offense. 
• A name synonymous with assisted suicide has died this morning: Jack Kevorkian. 
• Over 3,000 federal workers in Texas make more than $150,000 a year. And I bet their benefits, health coverage, and retirement plan is fantastic.
• Tell me this heat is not a preview of the summer. 
• We've got a kid in the house this weekend (Mrs. LL's relative) while the normal kid occupants are gone. I'm not sure how that happened. 
• A metroplex car dealership gave a kid a $35,000 BMW for perfect attendance in school. Reminds me of the line, "Why do we bribe kids to do what they should do anyway?" (And what's his income tax bill going to be?)
• Unemployment numbers released moments ago: It has edged up to 9.1%.  President Obama probably needs it to get to the high 8% range to be a shoe-in for re-election. That would be enough to show it's headed in the right direction. (It was 9.6% last May.)
• A black man is thinking about running for the new Congressional seat that will include southern Wise County and Decatur? 

Did The Mavs Just Play?

More pics.

That Crazy Sarah Palin Bus Tour

Today in New Hampshire she met up with an impersonator. Guess the real Palin.

I'm Torn On This One

Confusing story:

Then the video of the incident in general (can't tell when a teacher got hurt):



I've got my "Hey, Dumb Kids. Cut it Out and Go Back to Class!" side vs. my "Did The Cops Really Have To Resort to Force To Stop This Beach Ball Throwing Mob?" side.

Thursday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Former WFAA sports reporter  Erin Hawksworth (who was here very briefly about four years ago).

Facebook Revelations

There's was a murder/suicide in Waxahachie last week and police finally identified the shooter.  I'm not sure this is the same guy's Facebook page (name matches, town matches, and he went to Red Oak High School which is near Waxahachie) but  if it is, the above quote is on his front page.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Court: No school sponsored prayer at Texas high school graduation this Saturday.  Texas Attorney General: Yahooty! A hot button issue I can get involved in and get in front of the cameras!
• Speaking of graduation, both Bridgeport and Chico will did not have guest speakers at commencement. If only the rest of us had been so lucky.
• Anyone know who left their Mercedes in a Frisco Walmart parking lot last night with a dead body inside? (Obviously, he forgot to call The Wolf.)
• Did Antoine Dodson get arrested in Denton?
• Not sure why the Messenger fired off a "Breaking News" alert yesterday afternoon about the funding for the 380 highway project.  It was the lead story on the front page of the paper edition of the  Denton Record Chronicle earlier that day and had been on their web site for over 12 hours.
• The new water park in Roanoke opens next week. (Talk about a town that has changed over the years.)
• I'm not sure how a story about helmet safety features a 27 year old Decatur cowboy on a Canadian web site.
• I'm about to get in the house rental business against my better judgment. 
• I've never been to the Bridgeport Off Highway Vehicle Park but it just received  $87,079 of your tax dollars "to renovate existing trails and add fencing to the [park] and to purchase hand tools and a rescue vehicle."
• I finally ran into the "you can't buy gas on a credit card, leave the pump, and then go try to use the same credit card inside the convenince store" problem. 
• I don't hate the Mavs. I'm completely apathetic. 
• Ticket fans only: You have to see morning guy George Dunham on the streets of Miami last night. 
• Over Memorial Day I learned that two men from Bridgeport and three from Decatur died during the Vietnam War. What are the odds of someone knowing one or more of their names and posting them in the comments?
• Ohio State's quarterback (who is not majoring in rocket science) drove up in a new Nissan on Monday to a players only meeting after the highly publicized resignation of their coach.  Now reports say he's driven six to eight new cars in his brief tenure at the school and the NCAA is investigating. I understand secret payments, secret drug deals, and secret gambling, but driving new cars isn't exactly something that no one notices.
• Want to see a cameraman get kicked in the head by a horse?

Alvord Mom Of Child Killed On 380 Was On Channel 11 Last Night

Breaking: The Fabulous Sunset Inn In Decatur Just Got Bulldozed

Before (sheesh, I was hoping to find a better picture):

Now:

Those online reviews didn't help it either:

(Thanks, James.)

LeAnn Rimes Hasn't Seen A Cheeseburger Lately

Blurb about her weight loss.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• It used to be motorcycle deaths happening all the time now it's guys running into cop cars: It happened again last night as someone hit not one but two parked cop cars in Richardson. Incredible. 
• The crazy guy who lied about his son being carried away in a homemade balloon in 2009 is now trying to sell the balloon for $1 million. With a straight face, he said all the money will go to charity. Where's my checkbook?
• Yesterday's viral video: Interrupting Man.
• I had to replace Mrs. LL's hard drive in her laptop and reinstall Windows from scratch. Color me shocked when it turned out to be a fairly easy process.
• The proposed Congressional redistricting map [Facebook link] unveiled yesterday in Austin places half of Wise County in a newly formed district and the other half with our neighbors to the northwest. Kay Granger would no longer be our rep. I'm sure I speak for all us when I say, "How can we possibly go on?"
• I glanced at the Mavs game last night and it looked like 2006 all over again.
• I'm kind of surprised Fox 4 ran with the "Dirk Engaged?" story. Then again, it was the most popular story on its web site over the last 24 hours.
• Heard a bunch of grumpy middle aged ladies go off on their lawyer yesterday on the courthouse steps. I'm not sure if the complaints were justified, but one of them was yelling "Ya got a stick of gum? Ya got a cigarette?" to the other as they walked away.
• WBAP Hal Jay's Screw-Up-Of-The-Day: He referred to Sean Penn's character in Fast Times At Ridgemont High as "Spinelli".
• Random old music thought: The Beach Boys were the ultimate beating for me. 
• In March, I praised  Congressman Anthony Weiner (D - New York) for the way he always stood up to Sean Hannity. But, man, he looked awful yesterday when he met with the press about the current controversy over how a "lewd pic" got sent from his Twitter account to a college student. 
• I dreamed I personally watched the (no longer in service) Concorde land in Tel Aviv last night. What the heck?
• I'm no financial guy, but if the federal government has a "Debt Ceiling" law that simply gets raised when that limit is reached, that's pretty much the same as having no ceiling at all, right?
• There are 174 pics from last weeks "Wolf Dance" posted here and there is no way that a ton of Wise Countians aren't in there. Point 'em out and I'll pull them and post them individually. (Side note: Why don't those guys have shirts on in pic #3, and pic #6 almost became the Random Girl[s] pic of the day.)

Random Wise County Courthouse Guest Sign Ins

There's a guest book on the first floor of the courthouse that I rarely look through. Just for grins, I glanced through it today and 99% of the "Remarks" are things like "beautiful courthouse", "love the building" and the like.

But I found a couple that provide some advice for judicial system and road grading.

Someone told me there was an entry or two about a child ghost that was seen, but I couldn't find that one.

Bet Miami! Bet Miami!

Story.

Edit: The Mavericks say, "Un. Uh."

(Thanks, Michelle.)

Obviously, A Country's Justice System Is Screwed Up

Nope, just a headline to catch a reader's eyes.You would think the story would be about how some Sunni government pasing judgment on this gal and then taking her to the courthouse square for a ritualistic stoning. But that's not true at all.

It happened in the Ukraine where three thugs not associated with the government killed this girl and left her in a forest.

And anyone else think this paragraph is horribly written?:

.
Finally, a comment on the story:

Hippies Arrested For Dancing At Jefferson Memorial

I saw this clip floating around over the weekend, but didn't watch it. There was just too much to think about: Free Speech, Dumb and Useless Dancing Which Technically Is Speech, and Potential Police Over-Reaction all happening right under the marble nose of a Founding Father on Memorial Day Weekend. It was just so, well, American.

But you knew there had to be a back story: The hippies were protesting an appellate ruling upholding the cops' right to prevent silent dancing without a permit at the Jefferson Memorial in order to celebrate Jefferson's birthday. Of course, now we need another court case: Do the cops have the right to prevent silent dancing at the Jefferson Memorial when that dancing is to protest instead of celebrate. And I'm only half joking.

Cue: Little pink houses for you an me.

Hot Model Crashes Through Window Of High Toned Hotel

Missed this one from the weekend. (Thanks, Dan.)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Prosecutors vs. Tea Party? A proposed bill (with Wise County ties) that would allow Justices of the Peace to issue search warrants for blood and other evidence got killed big time near the end of the legislative session when conservatives, of all people, raised Big Government concerns.
• You know somewhere there was a new boat owner who excitedly gathered up everything and went to the lake this weekend only to realize that high winds and a boat is the ultimate beating.
• I spent hours working on the Limestone Edging Project for the flower beds. Killing me. But I might have lost my mind when I got to the point where I was filing down the sides of the brick and bought a chisel for more detailed work. Texted Mrs. LL during the middle of it that I think I had the Statue of David just about completed.
• New home rule: We're not starting a new project until we finish the last one. 
• State Senator Wendy Davis stopped a Texas school budget bill by going into a filibuster as the session wound down so now Texas has no school bill nor a budget. Not sure what that accomplished since a special session, which has already started, will now get it passed.
• Some say it would be an "injustice" if Dirk Nowitzki does not win an NBA title. If earning $141 million over the course of his career for playing a game is an injustice, then hit me with it.
• And as tons of local media head to South Beach this week for the NBA Finals, they might want to take note of the gunfight that just took place during "Urban Beach Weekend" on the famous Collins Street. (Six years ago I went to South Beach during that exact same weekend. You could have picked me out even if you didn't know me.)
• Weird Tony Romo wedding note: The bridesmaids were Cowboy Jason Witten's wife, former Cowboy spare Bobby Carpenter's wife, and Tony Romo's sister. That gal got any friends of her own? (More details.)
• Former Texas Governor Bill Clements died over the weekend. He had been out of the news forever until last year when ESPN's 30 for 30 on the SMU recruiting scandal came out, and his son became the victim of a bizarre murder. 
• The Ticket covered the Decatur Walmart Upskirt Photographer this morning and spent most of the time discussing why in the world he would pick the Decatur Walmart.
• A couple of folks who probably didn't properly observe Memorial Day weekend: (1) Carrollton man gets into wreck, gets naked, drives off, and then crashes into a tree and dies, or (2) Dallas guy takes drugs (allegedly), talks of walking on water, then drowns in a pond 
• A video of a crazy texting while driving wreck looks more like a drunk driver than a texter. (Language warning.) How someone wasn't killed is amazing. 
• Dreamed the U.S. was under a missile attack. It was so real and so bizarre: You could see the incoming warheads from miles and miles away and then hear the explosions in the distance.
• The Decatur car/pedestrian collision on Saturday night mentioned in the Update sounds a little weird. 

And Then There Was A Golf Tournament Over The Weekend

Let's Work On That Trajectory, Fella

Or you can watch a Baylor softball player foul a ball off into her face.

Memorial Day

This one has always stuck with me.