Liberally Lean From The Land Of Dairy Queen: 5/20/12

5.26.2012

Alvord Girl Killed In Accident

Story.

Facebook page.

This guy was arrested for "criminally negligent homicide" -- no allegation of drugs or alcohol -- just a sad situation.

5.25.2012

Hula Hoop Girl Taking You Into The Weekend

Taking You Into The Weekend (Part 1)

Bono Waitresses

Edit: Be nice.

Edit: Bud Kennedy on Facebook is on to this.

For Ticket Fans Only (Seriously. No One Else Will Care.)

As a joke, someone sent the producer/board op of the Norm Hitzges Show a copy of "Out" magazine.

Then someone got a picture this morning of Norm holding it.

For some reason, I like it when people post vacation pictures on Facebook while they're there. (At least if it is some place cool.) One guy I follow is making me jealous as he walks around Paris. He went into the Louvre and posted this picture of the Mona Lisa. Look how little it is.

Sadly, I'd be thinking, "So this is the scene of the murder in The Da Vinci Code?"

Another Umpire Giving Strike Three The What For

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

A train outside of Decatur yesterday had about 10 of those giant windmill fans on it. Seems a smarter way to transport them than by mega-truck.
The Taliban has one American soldier being held captive: Bowe Bergdahl. The U.S. was close to cutting a deal for his release (but couldn't label it a "deal" since we "don't negotiate with terrorists") but it fell through earlier this year.
If you went to a theater at Northpark Mall last night and dropped your cocaine, the police have it.
Best anti-drug movies: Less Than Zero and Requiem For A Dream.
Mrs. LL tells me that some of my former softball players have been asking about me. That's perfectly normal and not unusual, but I think it's so cool.
Local newscasts always refer to DWI as DUI. In Texas, DUI is reserved for minors who have consumed alcohol but who are not intoxicated while driving. It's the equivalent of a traffic ticket.
Dallas is having a "no refusal" weekend. Once again, you can refuse a breath or blood test. However, the government will take your blood by force.
The TCU baseball team gave up 11 runs in the ninth inning yesterday. And still won
I always vote in the Republican primary. At the alternative, there aren't many choices and it's kind of lonely.
Mrs. LL was a volunteer for someone who was getting trained to apply spray-on tan. It turned out well. except the Mrs. might have touched an area of her body as it was bring applied leaving handprints in a very funny/awkward place.
Learned a softball rule: What happens if there are two strikes and the batter swings but the ball deflects off her hand. Foul ball? Take your base? Strike? (Answer below.)
Just heard a sound bite from Tony Romo. He continues his five year streak of saying "work" and "get better" in every interview. Ever since he fired off that "if this is the worst thing that happens" quote after a playoff loss, he has shut the media out.
I'm really liking my terrorist book, but I'm struggling to learn anything significant that wasn't in a two hour National Geographic TV special (which I can't remember the name of and can't find.)
The Update makes reference to a new Texas Monthly article about great drives in Texas -- one of which ends in Decatur. Trust me, that tiny blurb in the Update is the only thing the article says about Decatur. It gets one small paragraph.
And the drive is from Paris to Denison to Gainesville to Decatur. Let me know if that excites you.
Answer: A strike.
That's a huge alligator . . .

Edit: Loved one of the comments about the gator. Paraphrasing: "What do you mean it's not self defense? It's an 11 foot gator! I'm scared of it and I'm two counties away!"

5.24.2012

Scenes From Bridgeport's "Every 15 Minutes" Program Today

Hey, you can even get a Grim Reaper outfit for $60 from the official "Every 15 Minutes" store.

Bill Is 100% Honey Badger

Source.

Edit: Sheesh. TMZ cropped some chick out:

Good Grief

It's a crazy world when a judge promotes the approval of nutcase who called a college student a "slut".

Background on this ad. And here's the judge's Facebook page (sigh) that he basis the ad upon.

(Side note: I've always thought it was ironic that Loftin is perceived as a "law and order" judge in Parker County when his dad was the defense lawyer in one of the county's most famous cases.)

Edit: This is beginning to make national news as Bloomberg has picked it up.

Catering To Demographics

The various morning shows start their summer concert series tomorrow.

On Fox and Friends:

On The Today Show.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

I think campaign ads must fund the budgets of local TV stations for the year. And I've yet to hear one that does not have "conservative" in the text.
I've got someone who promised to send me pics today from the "Every 15 Minutes" program being held at Bridgeport High School. (Although I think that program, in general, is a little over the top.)
The last time I went to the Colonial golf tournament I saw Tiger Woods walk up the fairway twirling his golf club. He's not been back since.
I don't know how the NHL survives. At least around here.
I've jogged injury free for about three years but I was stopped in my tracks by a cramp in my calf yesterday. But I wasn't going to get back home by just standing there.
Nicest email from an old friend yesterday: "I had to laugh the other day when my oldest, who's at UT, quoted me quoting you. I have always referenced you and your making sacrifices to keep up the A's. So when he skipped a party to study for a final and said he could only think of 'your friend Barry Green' it made me smile…hope it makes you smile as well!"
Having fun in college is something I never experienced.
Idiocracy: Bench pressing while doing a wheelie on a motorcycle. (But it's kind of impressive.)
Is Jane McGarry still off the air?
I don't think I mentioned that I watched the documentary Exit Through The Gift shop -- a documentary, in part, about the secretive graffiti artist Banksy. It got rave reviews, but I didn't think much of it at all. (But for some reason I did buy a t-shirt based upon Obey.)
Disturbing: It's almost impossible to get a dead body off of Mt. Everest. And pictures of them can be found here.
It's not the crime of the century, but the eighth cop in Fort Worth has been indicted for falsifying tickets to justify fake overtime. But it does send the message of the main problem with the Fort Worth PD: Dishonesty. And that's a problem if you're a cop. A big problem.
I'll try to find the source and update this, but I saw that Wise County only has about 50 more felony cases on the docket than it did ten years ago. I find that shockingly low.
The White Rock Marathon is now known as the "Dallas Marathon." That's bland. Why not the Dallas White Rock Marathon?
Members of the Dallas Cowboys had a home run contest yesterday at the Ballpark in Arlington and only one player was able to clear the fence. And the overall winner was coach Jason Garrett who got the most balls into the outfield. I think I've discovered their problem: The team has no athletes.

5.23.2012

Drunk Guy Falls Out Of Window In Background

And I kind of like the commentary from a guy who sounds like Stanley from The Office.

Oh, and the Pilot Point area is on fire (actual photo)

Edit: We've got something brewing here. Bridgeport has called for assistance. Cross street is Cuba Road.

Edit: And another

No!!!!!

And to think I scour the Internets and bring you Random Thoughts and Random Thought Girls for free.

Link.

This Is America, Right?

Fire the guy if you want, but arrest him? I've yelled about that silly statute for years. Note, this case doesn't involve nudity -- just taking pictures at a water park.

Tony Romo Trying To Curse The Boston Celtics?

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

There may be seven dead on Mt. Everest in a 48 hour period. It's Into Thin Air all over again. (Fantastic book, by the way.)
Dallas scooter death. (He was a Belo employee.)
The Kennedale mayor resigned over the weekend for allegations he had inappropriate contact with students as a substitute teacher. Turns out he is accused of patting one or two of them on the bottom. If convicted, he faces a maximum fine of $500 and no time in jail. Yep, it's the equivalent of a traffic ticket.
Went to an outdoor school band concert last night which is a horrible idea when you allow other class bands to turn the lawn behind you into a playground.
Order a pizza from Pizza Patron on June 5th and get it for free. That is, if you order it in Spanish. (That place is a marketing genius since everyone is talking about it this morning.)
A gal up at the courthouse wouldn't tell me what she ordered but did tell me it cost $99.99 for a 60 day supply, it would be delivered, and had nothing to do with weight loss. Driving me crazy.
Have you seen the video of the North Carolina pastor suggesting that gays and lesbians be rounded up and placed inside an electric fence so in a few years they will die out? And it looks like at one point he held back on what he really wanted to say.
Undercover cops in Dallas went to an apartment complex to buy drugs and end up killing a resident after he allegedly tried to rob them. Create your own crime for job security.
That John Edwards jury enters its third day of deliberations. You would think means they are leaning towards an acquittal, but it almost always turns out the other way after long deliberations.
I could have sworn I saw a crew from the City of Decatur doing lawn work around the courthouse this morning. I'm pretty certain that's county property normally maintained by the county (and normally with inmates.)
It was an incredibly slow 24 hour news period.

5.22.2012

Messenger Above The Fold

And Another - Arizona

I'm drawing the line of this one. She hid her dog in her car in the middle of the night and then told her husband she was going out to look for it. Oh, come on! Don't make the Family Pup an accomplice. It's the only friend the guy's got.

Guess Who This Is?

I know it is one of them.

After The Escape He Committed Crimes In Jack County And Montague County

Then things didn't go very well this morning.

It's A Genius Terrorist Or A Nutcase Who . . .

. . . has caused a jet inbound from Paris to be diverted to Maine.

I'm putting $20 on Nutcase.

Decatur Middle School Evacuated Due To Gas Leak?

I've got one unconfirmed report (which would even make the National Enquirer pause.)

"I'm So Pay-ul"

And the gal on the right is like Pam from The Office.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

Courtney Stodden has lost her mind as she acts like a cat.
An Ector County prosecutor died of cancer yesterday. I researched a little bit about him, and I learned in February of 2010 he was given 22 months to live. That was a sad, but shockingly accurate, prognosis.
I don't know anything about Kelly Hancock, but he's spent a shocking amount of money to beat Todd Smith in a Texas state Senate race.
Paradise ISD is spreading more computers around according to the Update but providing the "high school staff" with Macbook Airs seems excessive. But I might simply be jealous.
The Rangers don't look as invincible now. Yesterday Neftali Feliz was put on the disabled list, and Yu Darvish got rocked against Seattle. I'll save my Hot Sports Prediction for the All-Star Break.
I've started a new book: The Hunt for KSM: Inside the Pursuit and Takedown of the Real 9/11 Mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. I learned yesterday that his first visit to the United States was to enroll in a private Baptist junior college in North Carolina. (He's the guy that looks like Jim Belushi, by the way.)
Ann Curry tweeted this a couple of hours ago: "Morning. I love you." I wonder if she's about to be fired as co-host of The Today Show?
If I start a sentence off with "I wonder" should it end with a question mark? That's a statement and not a question, isn't it?
WBAP's Hal Jay told a pedophile joke this morning.
I watched a 10 and under girls softball game last night and the worst throw I saw came one hour later on TV when Josh Hamilton launched a ball into the dugout from centerfield in Seattle. (And did you hear that Fox Southwest had a technical problem last night that required the Rangers game to be commercial free? Same thing happened for Astros game as well.)
The more you hear about the plane crash in Wise County on Sunday the more horrible it sounds. The young girl who is in critical condition worked at Wise Regional and went to TCU according to her Facebook page.
I'm about to alter my policy on posting racist comments. After years, this blog seems to be getting hijacked.
Those two guys in the Sonic commercials used to be funny.

5.21.2012

Stop The Globe, I'm Gettin' Off

Still trying to get a story link, but apparently the parents put their toddler in a washing machine unaware that it would auto-lock. In all fairness, every time I've thought about doing the same thing I never considered that problem either.

Note: Yes, I'm aware of the race of the individuals. No need to remind us all.

Edit: Lots of people sent me the story. Here's the Yahoo version.

DFW sports radio rankings.
Tim Reiger of Decatur was mentioned by the Rangers broadcast team member Tom Grieve in the 9th inning on Friday night. But I forgot why.
Mrs. LL left me alone for the weekend as she ran off to Sea World. "No parties," she told me. Didn't have to worry about that.
I watched the first five episodes of Mad Men. I'm still not sure what I'm watching, but the feel of the show is very, very cool.
Young (and attractive) lawyer was randomly stabbed inside of a Dallas Target late last week.
Horrible misprint on a UT commencement program.
Is bull-nettle still prevalent in Texas? I haven't heard of anyone getting into it in a long time.
I'll say it again, those anti-Ted Cruz "he-represents-the-Chinese" aren't just borderline racist, they are racist. David Dewhurst should be ashamed of himself. Crus is the ultimate conservative Tea Partier, and I'm no fan of his, but he needs to win that race.
Good grief: Five people leave a Hooters off of Hulen last night and then proceed south on I-35. A car then pulls up next to them and unloads five gunshots into their car killing two of them. Not that it makes it any better, but I hope that wasn't totally random.
Saw a Trooper stopping a kid on College Street in the Decatur city limits this morning.
Lawyer stuff: The guy who represents Torii Hunter's son in the Prosper sexual assault case was in Wise County a couple of months ago representing someone in a criminal case. He actually stopped me on the street to ask me some questions about the ins and outs of our courthouse. Lawyer stuff #2: Denton lawyer Tricia Perry (who used to come to Wise County) is representing the kid accused of setting the dog on fire in Dallas. I heard her on 105.3 The Fan on Friday afternoon.
Watched a fantastic documentary on VH1: "Uprising: Hip Hop and the LA Riots."
I watch a lot of TV when Mrs. LL isn't around. (And throw the ball into the backstop a lot.)
She went to Sea World with what sounds like a ton of Girl Scouts who actually spent the night in the park. Mrs. LL says she tried to sleep while next to a glass wall which, on the other side, had a penguin who starred at her in the middle of the night.
Oh, and she reports the bypass around Austin is the greatest thing in the history of ever and has a speed limit of 80 miles per hour.