Oh my

Big Tex Has Left The Building

Friday Night Lights

Krum (8-0)    45
Decatur (3-5) 34

Holiday (5-2) 41
Alvord (1-6)  13

Chico (4-3)    13
Lindsay (5-2) 40

Pilot Point (6-2) 29
Paradise (0-7)    6

Fox 4 May Be A Little Dramatic.

Texas Tech Taking You Into The Weekend

And Another: Oklahoma

Story.

Strong week for our friends north of the border.

Meanwhile, In Aggieland

Big Tex Just Caught Fire!!!!!

Edit:

A close up of Big Tex's belly from the photo directly above. Is that a face? Two faces?

Developing . . . Here's a video of the whole thing -- start to finish. Five minutes.

Edit: The initial smoke . . .

Edit: And we'll wrap it up with some on-the-spot comedy:

Edit: Ok, one more. As with other great American disasters, the mayor needs to show up. And tweet about it.

"I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the 

people who burned Big Tex down will hear from all of us soon."

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• If you get a chance to see either the President or Mitt Romney's comedy routines at the "Alfred E.Smith Dinner" last night, do so. Both guys were really, really funny. I actually stumbled upon it live and I had no idea what was going on when Romney zinged the President and then they cut to the President laughing. 
• I stumbled upon Guys With Kids on NBC this week and it was absolutely awful.  There are some comedy shows that seem written by really unfunny people. It's night and day when compared with "Modern Family" and the like. 
• The district judge in cheerleader-religious-banner case yesterdat said the banners could stay. What did you expect in that small county? The judge was appointed by Rick Perry last year after trying to unseat the sitting district judge who thereafter died before his term expired. There's no way the new judge is angering the conservative voter base. That case needs to get in federal court. 
• Before this week, the Northpark Mall area was getting a reputation for being dangerous despite being next to Highland Park. Two days ago, a lady was allegedly kidnapped from its parking lot, put in a  trunk, and driven to Nacogdoches (see story below). And the murder/robbery at Shamrocks early yesterday morning occurred right across North Central Expressway from Northpark Mall. 
• I didn't get a full physical yesterday, but the beginning of it has begun. It started off badly when I think I gave the nurse a heart attack when she saw my high blood pressure. Is 162/96 bad? Apparently so. I'm now on blood pressure medicine. 
• In case you didn't see, they found the boy's body in Eagle Mountain Lake.  Edit: Ugh. Wrong lake again. 
• Tom Hanks dropped and F Bomb on Good Morning America this morning and was really embarrassed afterwards. 
• Got a call from Citibank (my credit card company yesterday shortly after 5:00 p.m.) The computerized message said my account had been frozen until I called in because of possible fraudulent activity. I went on line and found a new charge of around $1,100 to woot.com out of Carrollton and a small $3.50 charge out of Canada.  So I called and verified the woot charge was unauthorized -- the live person on the other end said it had been made at 5:03.  No problems, they would reverse the charges. But one thing I didn't get an answer to: How in the world did the woot charge get flagged? I've had that card for over 15 years and have made purchases bigger than that without an issue. So how did they know there was something wrong with that one? Anyway, kudos to Citibank security. 

Northpark Mall Is Getting Dangerous

But, wow, find the sentence in this story that jumps out at you.

Something Is Going On At Terminal E At DFW

No one is really sure yet.

Edit:

(I bet that Cynthia Vega is the same one who used to work at WFAA.)

And Another: Virginia

2012. Just killin' it.

But to call the "victim" a "victim" in this case might be stretching it according to Gawker.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Wow: Newsweek will go all digital at the end of the year. The print version of the magazine will be dead.
• Liberally Lean will do the same. 
• The same bar (I think) where Josh Hamilton allegedly got drunk and had a tryst was also the location of a murder/robbery last night. Victim is 20. Suspect fled.
• A trooper shot a DWI suspect in Dallas last night as he drove away. (But there was an altercation before he took off.)
• This article is long (and very Dallas Observer like) but if you think you might be interested in a reporter spending a few days with the very wheels off Democrat nominee for DA in Houston, you'll really like it. And, due to straight ticket voting, there's a chance he might win in November. 
• I'm having a full physical this morning. If I told you the last time that happened you'd personally escort me there to make sure it happens. 
• I think I might actually have a personal escort. 
• The "local" Tea Party in Wise County has disbanded?
• From Facebook this morning: "Since when did Attorney Consultations become $75 or more.. Is it a Decatur thing or what! Geeze I remember when it was free. WTH."  Probably depends if it is just a one-time meeting for advice or if it is an initial meeting to determine if it will lead to long term representation. 
• Those anti-Wendy Davis ads are just weird. 
• I dreamed I was bullied in McDonalds by three guys. That is also weird. 
• Someone wrote about hearing gunshots in Bridgeport last night around 9:00 p.m. 
• A small reference about Bridgeport, Texas in a New Mexico paper.
• Kind of a slow news day. If you don't believe me, take a look at today's Update.

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss

Whether a Republican or Democrat is in charge, it's the same old, same old. The details aren't out yet but let me guess: The feds find some dumb guy on the Internet who likes to type "Death to the USA" and then they suck him in, set him up with what looks like a complicated bomb that he never in a million years would be able to create himself, and then arrest him when he tries to detonate the fake bomb.

It's the same routine used in Dallas a few years back.

I first heard of this "catch the dumb guy as part of the War on Terror" trick on This American Life.  I listened to that episode about it three or four times and I was always struck with how over-the-top zealous the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case sounded. It was only when I went back and listened to it the last time that I caught his name: Christopher Christie. Yep, that Chris Christie.

And Another: Sealy, Texas

Story.

2012 has a pretty good resume for the "And Another" annual competition so this one qualifies as just running out the clock.  2012 didn't need a big comeback, just has to hold the lead.

(But she gets bonus points for being from Sealy -- home of the great Eric Dickerson.)

Hey, look at this guy mugging for the camera. We've got an educator in the hoosegow and this kid just wants to get into the fray. Run on home to momma, Caleb.  Nothing to see here.

 

Wednesday Afternoon Pick Me Up: Right Winger Edition

Hey, Our Texas Attorney General Is Grandstanding Again

Greg Abbot will probably ride into town on a horse.  He's a David Dewhurst starter kit.

And for people to say that those signs are exclusively controlled by the cheerleaders is malarkey  You think they can put anything on there without consequences? Curse words? Racist remarks? A nude picture? No way. There has to be a school censor (and that means "the government") who has the authority to control the content of those signs. And if there is a school censor, he or she  is approving of the bible verses by not taking any action.

What was it I heard the other day? They are trying to turn Texas into Teapartyistan?

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• "Breaking: US home construction jumps 15 percent in September to 4-year high of 872,000." Told you I thought the housing crash had bottomed out.
• I had to remove a wounded mouse from the garage yesterday. I would have preferred that it already be dead. 
• I watched one of the Paranormal Activity movies (the second one I think.) As simplistic as those things are, I really get a kick out of them.
• The guy who killed the Arlington pastor received a death penalty verdict yesterday and then went nuts and flooded the courtroom. There's a fine line between evil and insane. I mean, that guy appears to be a monster but was he just born a monster?
• Working. Resentment. Relaxing. Guilt.  Anyone else understand that? 
• It's harder to follow the Aggies since they've joined the SEC. And that's just weird. But there's something about Tech, UT and Baylor not being on their schedule that takes them off the front page. (But they do have a fantastic freshman quarterback who has been nicknamed "Johnny Football.")
• If you are interested in the mindset of anonymous commentors referred to as "trolls" and the dark areas of the Internet, you might be interested in a story about an Arlington man who was "outed" by Gawker.com and who was fired from his job yesterday. 
• Major cold front coming in later. 
• Whatever happened to the Garland officer who fired 41 shots at a an unarmed guy and killed him after a car chase in August? (By the way, the guy shot by the Denton County deputy a couple of days ago has died.)
• Dark days for Lance Armstrong. As evidence now mounts that he was involved in doping during his Tour days, Nike has cut ties with him and, shockingly, he has stepped down from "Livestrong". Cut off your yellow bracelets. 

Messenger Above The Fold

We Haz Entertainment in Debate: The Sequel

"Socialist!"                          "You gonna bet me $10,000 on that?"

Conversation is made up but you get the idea.

Edit!! Look out guys, I'm a game changer!!! Last question of the night!!!

Well, That Should Do It

(If interested.)

Wrong Way Driver Mugshot

Hang on, girl. I'm coming to help! (Story).

Penn State May Be Cursed

Story.

Afternoon Pick Me Up: Britney In A Wig

Let's go to the Internet for a reaction . . .

It Sank?

How does a 26 foot boat "sink" because of a "large wave" in Eagle Mountain Lake. And even though there was an obscene number of people on it (at least 12 passengers), you wouldn't think that would cause it to go under.

Civil Trial Going On In Decatur

This photo will not win a Pulitzer

I have no idea what it's about, but I bet I counted twenty lawyers, paralegals and/or participants.  I'll try to find out what's going on but I've got a vague memory that has something to do with oil and gas.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Del Frisco's Restaurant Group reported a quarterly loss of $2.3 million. That can't be good.
• That's awful (and strange) that they can't find the body of the kid at Possum Kingdom Lake. 
• A deputy shot a guy near Krum  yesterday but for some reason we don't know the names of either the shooter or shootee.
• I finally watched the end of the Cowboy game after everyone was yelling about the time management. Holy, cow. I see why.
• But someone came up with this Flavor Flav idea to help Jason Garrett with time management. 
• I watched Bernie over the weekend. If you grew up a protestant in a small Texas town, it is a must see.
• If you looked up and saw that the Chargers led the Broncos last night by a score of 24-0 and went to bed, you'll be very surprised by the result.
• Do some people get ill so gradually that they don't realize it?
• For some reason, I'm not particularly interested in the presidential debate tonight.
• The Family Pup got a high tone haircut. She almost pulled a John Edwards yesterday. 
• The Mavericks suspended a player for going haywire in the locker room during a preseason game? That had to have been bad.
• I heard once that if a helicopter lost power that it could still be landed safely. I wonder if that is true? Not all the time of course, but that it could be done.
• Just how many people attended those Wise County Fossil, Rock and Mineral Society meetings?
• Last week a couple of kids were mauled by some Rottweilers in Fort Worth. The headlines the next day were that the dogs "might" be put down. Might? Is there any question.
• This so called "Libya-gate" just won't get any traction and deservedly so.  I bet every embassy everywhere routinely asks for more security. 

Police Brutality?

This a tough one. Starting at 24 seconds.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I actually drove on the service road of the extended portion of the George Bush freeway that goes through Grand Prairie a couple of weeks ago. (It opened yesterday.)  No one was around me. Who is going to use the freeway?
• I've recorded, but have not watched, the Cowboy game. I miss the days when it was important to me. 
• I slept straight through the storms on Saturday night.
• Mrs. LL and the Fourth Grader In The House left at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday to go to a softball game only to learn it was cancelled once they got there. (Cancelled 15 minutes before they got there.) Talk about a beat down. 
• If you win a Nobel prize, is there a trophy?
• RG3 became the first player in NFL history to have a pass and a run over 75 yards in the same season. I wanted him back at Baylor on Saturday night. 
• I thinks Mrs. LL finally looked around yesterday and saw contented kids and sleeping pets and had a feeling of tranquility.
• I've been a "follow the rules" person all my life. I'm beginning to want to change that.
• That crazy guy who planned to jump out of a hot air balloon and break the sound barrier actually tried it yesterday. I know he lived. I don't know if he broke the sound barrier. Edit: He dropped 24 miles at a top speed of 834 miles per hour. (Was this on TV?)
• As a kid, I heard sonic booms all the time. Loved it.
• Mack Brown's first huge blowout loss to OU led to a Ticket drop of "I'd like to apologize to all Texas fans out there." That's been so long ago, I'm not sure a lot of people remember it
• I kind of get depressed after the Texas/OU game. The Fair will end soon and, although I won't go to it, it's a signal that Fall is coming to an end and the Holiday Season of joy/beatdown/hecticness is upon us.
• Mrs. LL put up a a family of tiny scarecrows in the front flower bed (the one that took me weeks to build with handcrafted stonewall making skills). The momma scarecrow, I noticed, was taller than the daddy scarecrow. 
• I dropped off three teenage girls at a Quinceañera this weekend. Seconds later, I tweeted that "I don't know who I am anymore."  But I felt very adult-like as I gave them some last second advice: "Be respectful. Don't do anything stupid."  Edit: There used to a book, I think, called Things I Learned in Kindergarten. If that advice is not in it, it should be. 
• There's a 17 year old missing after "cliff diving" at Eagle Mountain Lake. 
• New Order played in Dallas over the weekend. I always picture them as eternally young and eternally hip. And Bizarre Love Triangle may be favorite song. "I feel so extraordinary . . . "
• There was a picture in the Messenger this weekend of the guy who was convicted of Attempted Capital Murder and his lawyer. The guy was smiling. The lawyer (a friend of mine) had a look on his face of I'm-Stressed-I-Care-I'm-Worried-I'm-Hopeful-This-Is-Not-Just-A-Job.
• The Rolling Stones announced a concert tour over the weekend. In 1982 I was on a college campus where guys were telling me, after they had just purchased tickets to a Dallas show, "This will probably be the last time to ever see them live."
• Mrs. LL pondered what we would think if we "swapped places for a week".  That truly is a fascinating question. 

Random College Football Thoughts (Sports Intensive)

• UT fans and I share a common bond this morning: We are truly suffering from Beat Down Syndrome.
• For those unaware, it was OU 63 UT 21 and TCU 49 and Baylor 21.
• It's like mutual Blackjack, only different. 
• OU/Texas thoughts first . . . 
• The 95 yard run by Damien Williams was absurd. How does that happen. I took this picture off the television invention before he put on the after-burners. But how did he get out of that?
• You have to see OU's Trey Milliard hurdle a Longhorn while simultaneously knocking another Texas player to the ground. That was demoralizing. 
• I've always believed a National Championship will buy a coach five years regardless of what happens. Mack Brown earned some more credit by getting back to the National Championship game but losing against Alabama. Some UT folks are rumbling about him retiring, but I bet he can stay there another five years regardless of what happens to the program. I like the guy.
• I also like it when UT is really good. (Did I just say that?)
• The television coverage implied that UT fans were leaving the Cotton Bowl at halftime. I don't thing that's true. They may have bailed in the 4th but that half of the stadium looked pretty full in the 3rd.
• Now Baylor and TCU . . . 
• What a beat down of epic proportions. Baylor scores on the second play of the game and it was all downhill from there.
• Baylor turned the ball over six times which means there is no way you can win. But I believe Baylor would have lost with no turnovers. 
• The new TCU quarterback looked fantastic. Really fantastic. TCU might want to think about implementing the spread offense. Put him in the option read and they are scary.
• The TCU defense is already scary. I forgot the name of their freshman defensive lineman, but that guy is a beast. 
• Other thoughts . . .
• Texas Tech just kills West Virginia? I laughed earlier in the week about WVU only being a four point favorite. How does Vegas know what they know?
• How the Big 12 perceptions changed in just one weekend. OU, KSU, Texas Tech, and TCU are the major players. Baylor, UT, and WVU are average at best.
• Baylor plays Texas this weekend. I've not looked at the line, but I'll guess Texas by 7.5.
• They will win by more than that.
• I've never seen a game in Lubbock but I need to. I'm beginning to agree with everyone who says, "That's just a weird place to go into."
• The most important Big 12 game may have already been played: Kansas State over OU.

Messenger Above The Fold