Above The Fold

Taking You Into The Weekend

Her post wave attitude increased her "Hey, Now" factor.

Help A Guy Out

I know you're probably sick of Supercat, but this family picture has been floating around.

Question: Who does she look like? It's driving me nuts.

I thought it might be former Channel 5 reporter Kim Fischer . . .

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Metroplex Lawyer Glut

.@TAMULawSchool first spring graduation where more than 170 will get law degrees. Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card is keynote.
— Monica S. Nagy (@MonicaNagyFWST) May 16, 2014

And by the looks of things it'll get worse. (That law school is based in Fort Worth -- it's the former Texas Wesleyan Law School).

The glut seemed to begin about 10 years ago, and Wesleyan was largely responsible. And this will happen this fall  . . .

This Guy Just Served One Up For The Prosecution

Cedric Ricks: I don’t want everyone to look at me like I’m a monster. I tried to kill myself 2 or 3 times. But I can’t even do that right.
— mitch mitchell (@mitchmitchel3) May 16, 2014

Cedric Ricks' criminal trial is going on in Fort Worth at this moment where the defendant is testifying in the punishment phase of his capital murder case. The issue before the jury is life in prison or the death sentence. A reporter has been tweeting various quotes from the defendant during his cross-examination.

He'll hear this quote again in closing.

Edit: Maybe he's using double reverse psychology . . .

Cedric Ricks testified at trial for killing mother and her son: I turned down the life without parole because I didn’t want to live.
— mitch mitchell (@mitchmitchel3) May 16, 2014

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• That gal who stormed off that spare Dallas talk show over the NFL gayness controversy didn't have any trouble appearing with male exotic dancers.
• Sean Hannity had two of the four women of that talk show on last night and got mad at them since they both disagreed with him. He cut away from them by saying they should "Share a glass of wine and make some friends." That's a very dismissive Kathy Lee and Hoda comment. (Mrs. LL had to explain it to me.) 
• Two doctors in Decatur were disciplined but it doesn't sound too bad. 
• A highway most of us will never take is that new tollway between Fort Worth and Cleburne. It seems a little strange to me that it was even built. 
• For those interested in criminal law, check out this story of a man who was found not guilty in Brownsville yesterday. How in the world was he charged with anything? 
• The Sophomore in the House who just turned 16 is showing very little interest in getting her driver's license. That's one of the oddest thing I've ever seen. I kept a calendar counting down the days to my sixteenth birthday and took my driving test in Decatur on the day of. (The DPS office was in the basement of the courthouse at the time. )
• This still exists: If you steal a penny or an aluminum can in Texas, it is a felony.
• Nancy Grace wore a necklace adorned with a small set of handcuffs last night.
• Lake Bridgeport broke the 22 foot low barrier yesterday.
• The Ticket had Lucinda Williams, who is headlining a music festival in Fort Worth this weekend, on for an interview yesterday. I had never heard of her but they made it sound like I should know her. 
• I don't know who the Bakersfield Blaze baseball team is, but the Supercat who saved the kid will throw out the first pitch at a game next week. (That is so 'merica that it hurts.)
• The first item in the Update is a pronoun oddity. First, there is a reference to "White" with no first name. Then later in the story, there's the very casual reference to "Terri" and "Craig". EDIT: I'm not crazy. They changed it to add White's first name. It's not a big deal, but here's the original.

I Think I Like This Snarky Lawyer

I'm not completely familiar with the incident (although proof is certainly out there), but some porn star was hired by Hustler to get thrown off of a roof and into a pool by Dan Bilzerian who is described in places as "a millionare poker playing playboy."   And it happened. But she didn't quite make it, hit the side of the pool and may have broken her foot.

So she then has her lawyer send a demand letter since she wants $85,000 from Bilzerian.

This is Bilzerian's lawyer's response. (I'm guessing it's real. But I'm not sure why his name would be blacked out.) Man, there are some gems in there.

Edit: AboveTheLaw.com has the background of the letter and the censored video.

Here's The Supercat From Yesterday

Not real sure what the purpose of that interview was, but that cat still has its head on a swivel. Just looking for an excuse to pounce on an evildoer.

(And she's about three times as friendly as The Family Cat.)

31 Year Old Longview Woman Enrolled In High School

Fox 6 - A woman is behind bars after allegedly pretending to be an East Texas high school student. Charity Anne Johnson, 31, was enrolled at New Life Christian School in Longview as a sophomore. More.

Wait a second. She's also a master of disguise:

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Wise County now has a trooper named "Zebadiah". Nothing wrong with that, but I think it's the most unusual law enforcement name I've seen. (No offense, Adolfo.)
• Family Ties ended its network prime time run twenty-five years ago. When I was in my 20s, I had strangers tell me I looked like Michael J. Fox. Mrs. LL says she doesn't see it.
• A 17 year old female conservative has won the Republican primary in West Virginia for a state House seat. If she doesn't adopt a slogan of "I'm A Different Kind of Wild and Wonderfully White Girl From West Virginia", she's doing it wrong. (Documentary reference.)
• On my jog the other day over a creek bridge, a group of kids stopped me to asked me how to remove a fish hook from a turtle they had caught. (There it was on the ground.) I told them it's basically impossible.
• I wonder if there has ever been a race horse named "Liberally Lean"? Hey, they have crazy and catchy names. (I saw a preview of the Preakness on ESPN and thought about that.)
• I almost ran out of gas yesterday, panicked when I realized I didn't have my wallet,  but luckily was close to a convenience store and a clerk who had seen me so often that she authorized free gasoline based upon my promise I'd pay them back. And I did so within thirty minutes. Try and do that in the metroplex.
• I can't imagine not buckling my seat belt.
• A bunch of North Texas students were all over the news last night after they designed an ad campaign for the acceptance of breastfeeding. Some of them look like they are in high school. 
• Maybe it was all about the oil: Ross Perot Jr.'s company is ramping up its oil production in Iraq. 
• What got my attention regarding the Duncanville High School dress code controversy is that the kids can't wear denim. They can't wear jeans?
• Sports: (1) I refused to see Draft Draft day simply because the NFL endorsed it. And Mrs. LL even tried to get me to go see it one day. (2) Baseball Nemesis? What did I predict about Rangers pitching? The fill-ins wouldn't be able to handle it? Yep. That the injured starters wouldn't necessarily return injury free? Yep. "I am the one who knocks is a sports predicting genius." (3) I don't know how you guys can watch one second of the NBA.
• To the commentor who keeps posting comments accusing a person of a crime: Hey, buddy, you are anonymously accusing a specific person of committing a specific crime with no evidence to back it up. Think I'm going to post that?
• The Wise County Grand Jury handed down over 70 indictments this month? That's insane. I doubt if grand juries serve the purpose that our forefathers intended -- to be a safety net between us and the government. They have the absolute right to ask for witness testimony and to explore every case in depth, but they never do. Sol Wachtler, a  former New York State chief judge once said that District Attorneys now have so much influence on grand juries that "by and large" they could get them to "indict a ham sandwich."  
• Yeah, I saw the Dallas TV talk show host walk off the set over the ESPN gay kiss controversy. But my mind was numb from all the cackling. Although the "No, I'm going to Midland" may be an all time exit lines. 
• A 19 year old Springtown kid met a gay guy online and invited him over just to attack him? Am I reading between the lines correctly?

I Think Fox 4 May Have Just Been Trolled

Duncanville High School cracked down on its dress code this morning and sent a bunch of kids home. There were some reports that the students were none to pleased. Some kid sent Fox 4 the above photo and it lead their 5:00 p.m. newscast. Based upon the reaction, someone may have put one over on the news department.

Mack Brown?

More.

Get Me This Cat!

From Youtube: My cat defends my son during a vicious dog attack and runs the dog off before he can do additional damage. Thankfully, my son is fine!

What in the world is going on? First we had the disabled cute cat the other day and now we've got a superhero cat.

Hey, Mrs. LL, kick the Family Cat out right now. It's time for her to go off to cat college or get a cat job. I've had enough of her. We've got a new Attack Kitty that we're getting.

(Side note: That kid doesn't get enough credit. I didn't know it at first, but that was a heck of a bite. And, upon further review, after mom checks on him it looks like he and the cat are going after that dog to seek some revenge. No sitting around crying simply because he had his skin devoured.)

I Have Two Serious Questions

I saw this story of a judge striking down a city's requirement that someone take a drug test before being employed because it violates the Fourth Amendment. "The ruling is the third in the past year to invalidate drug testing policies in Florida. Last May, a federal appeals court invalidated a state-wide requirement that Florida employees be subjected to random drug testing. And in late December, a federal judge struck down blanket drug testing of Florida’s welfare applicants."

First Question: Why do conservatives get up in arms about decisions like this? They argue all the time against "big government" but when it comes to invasion of privacy, I tend to hear the tired old argument of "If you aren't doing nothing wrong, you shouldn't have anything to worry about." You hate the government taxing you but you don't care if they take your blood or urine without even a suspicion you use drugs?

Second Question: Anyone else surprised that Key West of all places had that policy?

Creative/Misleading/Underhanded Political Ad

I had Channel 5 news on last night when this ad aired during a commercial break. I wasn't really paying attention and didn't see the very quick disclaimer at the beginning. From there I was doing a double take while thinking, "Man, that sure is a biased newscast." I rewound it just to be sure, and that's when I discovered it was a political ad.

Look at the way how the news cast video ends but the audio keeps going as it cuts to photos of Branch.

KXAS is contesting the video. But I assume they took the money to run it.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• For the last two nights, NBC Nightly News has lead or almost lead with a deadly virus outbreak in the Middle East which has shown up in a couple of places in the U.S.  They make is sound like a real life Outbreak could occur.
• I heard lots of talk about the documentary Searching for Sugarman and even watched a segment on 60 Minutes about it. Now the director is dead at age 36. No cause released. 
• When I see people in public, I just assume they are well adjusted and have it all together. I suspect many, perhaps most, have issues coping with life. And most of those probably keep that a secret from everyone except those closest to them. 
• Karl Rove said Hillary Clinton had "brain damage" and White House spokesman Jay Carney actually had a good retort: "Here’s what I would say about cognitive capacity, which is that Dr. Rove was the last person in America on election night to recognize and acknowledge that the president won re-election." That was an all time great Fox News moment.
• Mark Cuban thought it was so funny that his young child accidentally flipped the bird that he posted a picture of it. Can't stand the guy. I actually went on a rant about him last Sunday during Mother's Day lunch. 
• I think one reason I despise Cuban is because he tries to win an argument fraudulently. He always challenges the other person with a question they couldn't possibly know the answer to and then acts superior when they can't. Case in point, he allegedly "schooled" Skip Bayless by asking him over and over again "How did we defend him?" after Bayless said one of the reasons the Mavs won the NBA Championship was that LeBron James simply disappeared. That would be like me "schooling" Justice Antonin Scalia by asking, "What is Judge Fostel's procedure for Motions to Suppress in the 271st Judicial District Court?"
• Robert "Bob" Goode, who is buried in Bridgeport, was the number eight overall pick in the 1949 NFL draft. 
• When an Appraisal District's change a land's value, they just do it across the board right? Like a 5% increase in one year for every home in the district  regardless of condition? They never go an actually look at property?
• Over the last week, 21 of the 24 area lakes have risen because of the rain. Of the three who did not, Lake Bridgeport is one of them. 
• College baseball (Stay with me here): Last night LSU beat Northwestern State 27-0 in a rain shortened game. It was also a no-hitter.
• I think I may never hear from my Baseball Nemesis again as Matt Harrison got shelled last night and left the game with back pain.  Over the last 15 games, the Ranger starters have a 7.12 ERA. Edit with a fun fact: "Since July 1, 2012, when Blackley beat Darvish, Oakland is 24 1/2 games better than Rangers. Oak: 178-107. Rangers: 154-132"
• "Wind gust sends ‘bounce house’ 50 feet in the air in upstate N.Y., seriously injuring 2 boys who tumbled to ground."
• Alec Baldwin got arrested for riding his bike the wrong way on a Manhattan street. Seems insane. 

Above The Fold

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me

This is some gal named Natalie Dormer who is on Game of Thrones (that I've still never watched.)

I have a shocking announcement: That haircut is hot. I may take a pair of shears to Mrs. LL when I get home.

And Another - Oklahoma

Story.

(Credit to a fine Tulsa reader.)

Ann Coulter Tries To Do A Bit

She tries to mock the First Lady.

Being photoshopped never crosses her mind.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Marshall (Texas) ISD transformed its seventh grade football program into flag football? I would have thought that would have received more press. 
• What's keeping the NBA owners from voting to kick out Donald Sterling like the commissioner urged them to? Scared to be sued into oblivion? (Although they might after seeing how crazy he is in the interview with Anderson Cooper.) 
• My news nemesis, Ann Curry (who I really don't talk about much anymore), broke her ankle on a mountain and had to be carried back by Boy Scouts last month. This has an episode of South Park written all over it.
• Major League Baseball is being besieged with the need for pitchers to have Tommy John surgery  -- seventeen since the start of spring training. And news came yesterday that rising Miami Marlins phenom Jose Fernandez will be added to the list. 
• Odd: Dallas PD tweeted last night that former assistant chief "Chief Greg Holiday critical missing & poss suicidal."
• We had a visiting judge yesterday in district court who would do multiple pleas with multiple defendants at the same time. I'd never seen that before. 
• NPR says Lake Bridgeport is over thirty feet low. Hey, it's bad but not that bad. 
• Tiger Woods ex-wife takes nine years to graduate college and we're supposed to be impressed?
• I got to break out the Makita drill last night to hang blinds and, amazingly, didn't screw anything up. 
• "Porsche Sued Over Paul Walker Crash." Good grief. 
• I'm not sure what I think about our response to the Nigerian schoolgirl kidnappings. Help, I suppose, but there's some type of crisis every day in all parts of the world. 
• A house explodes while the cameras roll.
• Arkansas had it's first gay marriage over the weekend and, you know, the two gals were borderline "Hey, Nows."

News From The Email Bag

Someone has alerted me to a "well fire" in New Fairview.  I'm no Red Adair, but I'd think that would be difficult to put out.

Edit from the Morning News: "Meanwhile, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office confirmed at 4:15 p.m. that the Bridgeport Cowboy Church is on fire, according to our media partners at NBC DFW."

This Headline Short Circuits My Brain

Link

Anyone seen this guy?:

Random Denton Book In Photos

DA-runk:

DA-runker:

Charge of the Week:

Pete Delkus Is Back And He's Predicting A Bad Monday!

Edit @ 3:39:  This guy nailed it again.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Michael Sam is drafted in the NFL, kisses his boyfriend, and Case McCoy expresses his displeasure (while not a single UT player gets drafted -- the first time since 1937). That's a lot to process.
• Amazing: There is actually a daughter of a Civil War vet who is still alive and she receives $73.13 a month as a pension payment from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• The last of the Texas Aggie bonfire lawsuits have been settled nearly fifteen years after the incident. I suppose the check will cure all the pain now?
• After the bonfire tragedy, I remember a very graphic picture of a kid with a mangled leg being on the cover of the Star-Telegram or the Morning News. But a quick Google images search didn't turn it up.
• It took just 193 votes to become the mayor of Bridgeport. And only 34 was needed to get a place on the Newark city council.
• I wrote myself in for the mayor of Bridgeport when I was eighteen and the Index revealed that at the end of an article on the election. My mom was not happy. 
• The NFL Draft as always struck me as a modern day slave auction. A player goes to whichever picks him and he's stuck with a five year salary which basically isn't negotiable.
• If this happened to Clarice Tinsley while she's reading Facebook on the air, my life would be complete. 
• I had a family member tell me that I've really "lightened up" on my Random Thoughts since I became "domesticated". I don't think that's true at all. 
• Hey, Baseball Nemesis: Ross loses again and Perez is so bad that he has to do a Rodney Dangerfield "Oh, my arm!" Caddyshack routine. 
• Mrs. LL understands I've got a very weird desire for solitude. But it didn't come before she had lots of "Why does he just wander off sometimes?" moments. 
• Some personal injury lawyer donates $1 million to the aTm School of Law and they put his picture on their home page looking like a mafia boss. 
• The BagOfNothing guy dogged Cowboy draft pick and Baylor safety Ahmad Dixon predicting he'll get fined for a dirty hit and get arrested. Hey, he might be guilty of almost killing TCU wide receiver Trevone Boykin on the field, but there are no off the field character issues with that guy. 
• Former Baylor player and perhaps the best receiver in the NFL, Josh Gordon, faces a year suspension for testing positive for marijuana (again).  The rule is idiocy but he's an idiot for getting caught. 
• Uh, you can't be a male "and another" and then marry the sixteen year old to escape prosecution. 

Sent To Me. Worth Posting.

Link