8.02.2005

Leaving The Army Has Treated You Well

Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, who was rescued in a crazy scene in Iraq about a year or so ago, is looking much better. She is entering college this fall.

That Looks Familiar.....HEY!!!!

"A Wise County woman on her way home comes across thieves pulling her trailer down the road and eventually recovers her own stolen property. "Debbie Singleton says she passed a black Nissan pickup truck that was pulling her Wells Cargo trailer that had been parked at her Cuba Road residence. Singleton called the Sheriff’s Office and continued to follow the vehicle until a Runaway Bay Police Officer stopped it. Three occupants in the pickup were placed under arrest for theft, 18 year old Lauro Delarosa, 21 year old Miguel Tovar and 21 year old Ditter Delgado. All three live in the Bridgeport area. Other stolen property was recovered from the trailer." Source: Country News

And To Think He Can't Shoot Free Throws Very Well

"MIAMI (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat agreed Tuesday on a $100 million, five-year contract, one that presumably will keep the 12-time All-Star center playing past his 38th birthday. "

Time Waster

To see the worst sports broadcast in the history of the world, check out college freshman Brian Collins struggle during this four minute clip. Perhaps the funniest part is, despite his struggling, he throws down a "boom goes the dynamite" comment (his signature line?) during his narraration of an NBA film clip. Great stuff.

I Want My Babyback Beer

From the Update: "DECATUR PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION meets tonight to consider a special use permit for a private club license for Chili’s restaurant which will open later this month. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at city hall." For years, wasn't it the belief that Chili's would never come to Decatur unless it could sell alcohol? But now, and only now, after they have essentially completed the new restaurant, they seek an alcohol license? Any chance of that being rejected? Don't bet your bloomin' onion on it.

8.01.2005

The Privates Will Be The Downfall of Society

It's a crazy world for criminal justice. Currently, there is a sensational case going on in Tarrant County involving Dawn Reiser who is accused of having sex with an underage male student at a private school. I noted that one of the prosecutors is Mitch Poe who was my misdemeanor court partner over 15 years ago. I also saw that the friends of Ms. Reiser have created a web site in her defense. That didn't happen 15 years ago. But then again, 15 years ago you didn't have a news site that had copies of the arrest warrant and search warrant (or took glee in publishing a picture of her running from jail after being released from jail).

Buy High, Sell Low.....or is it the other way?

In today's Morning News - in the Business Section - there is this question from a reader regarding personal finance in the "Ask The Motley Fool" area. It read: "I'm in an investment club. We own 13 stocks. How do we find out when each company's earnings reports are due? - Theresa Coursey, Santa Rosa, California". I know nothing about stocks. I don't know the significance of a Price/Earnings Ratio. I invested in WorldCom and Enron for crying out loud. But I do know this: If Theresa's investment club can't figure out when a company's earning's report is due (hint: Go to google.com and type in the company's name and "earnings report"), that club doesn't need to be investing in stocks.

It Was Almost Like Mayberry

You know what I miss? I miss that portion of the Update that met an untimely death due to privacy laws. Remember it? It was the "Admitted To Hospital" section. Without even waiting for a prayer chain to contact us, we were able to learn who was suffering from some ailment or injury. Now were just limited to deaths. That's depressing.

But The Football Team Is Supposed to be Good!

The TAKS results were released today. To find your school, check here: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2005/districtlist.srch.html If I'm reading that correctly, Bridgeport High School was ranked as "Unacceptable". Well that's just...just....unacceptable

The Average ...

...lifespan of a cricket is 8 weeks. Unfortunately, they all seem to be born every year in August.

Oops

Last year professional baseball player Raphael Palmeiro's made the following statement before Congress: "Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. My name is Rafael Palmeiro and I am a professional baseball player. I'll be brief in my remarks today. Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids. Period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never. The reference to me in Mr. Canseco's book is absolutely false. " Today he was suspended 10 days for violating the drug policy of Major League Baseball. I wonder what drug that was?

OMG, They Killed .....

There's hardly any TV show that I always try to watch. HBO's very weird, very odd, and always shocking Six Feet Under is an exception. For fans of the show, it came as a shock last night when they killed off lead character Nate. (But I guess that's what he gets for telling his pregnant wife that he's leaving her). But I then reminded myself its only a TV show. A very good TV show.

It Seemed Appropriate

I attended a memorial service the other day, and the following quote was printed in the program: To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yahooty

"SUNNYVALE, Calif. - ABC News and CNN.com plan to start providing video news feeds to Yahoo Inc. news site, the companies have announced. CNN.com will offer daily video clips and ABC will offer on-demand video content, Yahoo officials said in a statement late Sunday. Video will be available for free to Yahoo users and supported by advertising." Slowly but surely, video is becoming more common place on the Internet. And Yahoo, which seems to be one of the few web sites that understands that clutter = bad, is the perfect company to provide it.

Back When You'd Pay $100 For a Biscuit

"NEW YORK - The company started by the late nutrition guru Dr. Robert C. Atkins to promote a low-carb lifestyle has filed for bankruptcy court protection, a further sign of the waning popularity of the diet. " I always thought the diet was a little wacky, but I never dreamed those in charge would squander krillions of dollars.

7.31.2005

Maybe If Maverick Had Been The Pilot . . .

I think I'm pretty good about judging public opinion. But maybe I'm not. Take for example the movie Stealth which debuted this weekend. It's not exactly something I'm going to go see, but I would expect that the public would eat it up. It's big budget (cost over $100 million), it has a ton of special effects, it stars academy award winning Jamie Foxx, and has a huge advertising budget. So what does it do on opening weekend? It finishes fourth with an intake of $13.5 million. That has "bomb" written all over it.

It's Been That Long Ago?

It's been 20 years since a Delta plane crashed at DFW killing 137 people. I remember where I was when I heard the news (on I-35 in Fort Worth after driving back from Waco) . I was listening to Brad Sham's "Sports Central" on KRLD and it was amazing how long it took the news department to boot him off the air to cover the tragedy. I still think about the man who was killed by the plane - but he was not a passenger. He was driving on highway 114 very close to where the Marriott Hotel is when a portion of the falling plane killed him. Talk about fate. I learned this about him today from the Morning News: "William Mayberry died on his 28th birthday. He had arrived in the Dallas area six days before, looking for a better-paying job and a better life for his family. His wife and children, back in Vicksburg, Miss., planned to join him the following week."

And Most Kids Can't Commit to Dinner

The Morning News printed a list of "early commitments" for high school football players naming their school of choice for 2006. The University of Texas has 22 kids agreeing to play football for them while Tech has 11 and Baylor has, ugh, 4. TCU has only three but one of them was Colin Jones of Bridgeport.