Another Reason Not To Go Partying Past Age 60

"FORT WORTH - A Fort Worth woman died Friday night after a sports utility vehicle struck her Kia as she pulled out of a parking lot in the 6800 block of East Lancaster Boulevard. Dorothy Tate, 63, died at the scene, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office. Fort Worth police Detective Trina Davis said Tate was leaving the Rogues Gallery nightclub when the accident occurred. " (Source: Star Telegram)

There Are Things I'll Never Understand

Billionare "hedge fund investor" (I've never been sure exactly what that is) Steven Cohen has paid Las Vegas casino owner Steven Wynn more that $100 million for two paintings: Van Gogh's Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat (1890) and Paul Gauguin's (who?) Bathers (1902). (Click on the painting's name to see them)

Football Junkies: Check Out Texas Tech Game Winning Drive Against Nebraska

1st-10, TXT33 [meaning from Tech's own 33] 5:02 C. Hodges passed to J. Filani down the middle for 31 yard gain 1st-10, NEB36 4:33 C. Hodges passed to B. Olomua to the right for 10 yard gain 1st-10, NEB26 4:06 C. Hodges sacked by B. Ruud 2nd-19, NEB35 3:22 C. Hodges passed to J. Hicks down the middle for 11 yard gain 3rd-8, NEB24 2:38 C. Hodges passed to B. Olomua down the middle for 6 yard gain 4th-2, NEB18 1:56 C. Hodges passed to J. Filani to the right for 6 yard gain 1st-10, NEB12 1:30 L. Smith intercepted C. Hodges for 12 yards. L. Smith fumbled. D. Amendola [for Tech] recovered fumble 1st-10, NEB18 1:04 C. Hodges passed to J. Filani to the right for 7 yard gain 2nd-3, NEB11 0:34 T. Henderson rushed up the middle for 1 yard gain 3rd-2, NEB10 0:27 C. Hodges incomplete pass to the right 4th-2, NEB10 0:19 C. Hodges passed to J. Filani down the middle for 10 yard touchdown. A. Trlica made PAT

Oh, The Pain

Texas 45, Oklahoma 12

Double Wow

"JOSHUA - Fire Chief Sandy Mason arrived at what appeared to be a minor traffic accident about 6:30 a.m. Friday. He quickly found out the situation was much more serious. Tammy Mallicote, eight months pregnant, was dead in the front seat of one of the cars. When a paramedic saw the woman's abdomen move, emergency personnel decided they had a chance to save the baby." Rest of the story is in today's Star-Telegram

Just Ignore Problems And They Will All Go Away

"GRANBURY BOOK CONTROVERSY Posted Friday, October 7, 2005 by countrynews. A Granbury woman says she plans to file a complaint with the school district over the contents of a book in the Acton Middle School library. Carol Sanders feels the book her 13 year old granddaughter read contains pornographic content. The book, 'Detour for Emmy' is about a 15 year old girl that becomes pregnant. Sanders says the descriptions of sexual relationships in the book were explicit and shouldn’t be on the shelves of a middle school library. Sanders intends to file a complaint with the Granbury School District. It will be up to the district's book committee to decide if the book should be removed from the school library." The book can be explored here. Most of the comments left by readers at Amazon.com speak of the book containing valuable lessons about the hardship of teenage pregnancy.

I Thinking About Getting A New Look

I Can't Wait . . .

. . . to be famous and impregnate a girlfriend outside the bonds of holy matrimony and tell all my fans that I'm so excited to be a father only to . . . . . . have to release the most uncomfortable press release ever.

Jessica Biel . . .

. . . is the "sexiest woman alive" according to this month's Esquire magazine.

I Keep Telling Myself, There Are Still Inventions To Be Made

Your dog gets neutered, he no longer has ..... er.....his "boys" as part of his anatomy. Do you think there would be a market for prosthetic....ok, i'll say it.....dog testicles? Yep, and this guy is getting rich off of it and, this week, has been acknowledged by Harvard because of his invention. I love this quote from him: ""Considering my parents thought I was an idiot when I was a kid, this is a great honor."

Random Flu Shot Thought (As I Watch Channel 5)

I have never received a flu shot, and I never get the flu. But then I see people who wouldn't think of going through the winter season without it. I hate needles, and I'll continue to press my luck. In fact, I hereby taunt the flu virus.

Texas Execution #14

Ronald Ray Howard was executed last night for the killing of a trooper during a road side stop thirteen years ago. "Howard told a grand jury [comment: his lawyer sent him in front of a grand jury?] that he was listening to Soulja's Story by Tupac Shakur before he shot Davidson. The song makes references to a young black male being pulled over by police, remembering Rodney King, then opening fire on an officer." "As the drugs were administered, he lifted his head from the gurney and mouthed that he loved them, urged them to be strong and said, 'I'm going home.'"

Random Tidbit From The Business Section

Some guy named David Duffield wants to build, get this, a 72,000 square foot home in Alamo, California - and he even has to demolition an 8,000 square foot home on the lot to make room for it. Who is this guy? He's some billionare who used to own PeopleSoft, Inc. (some software company). By the way, Bill Gates has to manage with only a 40,000 square foot house in Seattle.

Color Me Confused

New York City was placed under alert this afternoon about a possible terrorist attack on the subway system. Two oddities: (1) The "National Terror Alert" color scheme was not raised. (2) Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference (video here) to warn New Yorkers about the threat but then said "I'm going to take the subway going up town and tomorrow morning I'm going to do what I always do: get on the train and go to work . . . . " So just what is it that New Yorkers are supposed to do?

I Promise This Pic Is Just A Pic - It's Not Moving - Or Is It?

Ok, Funny Girl, Take A Hike

"NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Southwest Airlines kicked a woman off one of its flights over a political message on her T-shirt, the airline confirmed Thursday . . . . Lorrie Heasley . . . was asked to leave her flight from Los Angeles to Portland, Ore., Tuesday for wearing a T-shirt with pictures of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a phrase similar to the popular film title 'Meet the Fockers.' " -------------------- For what it's worth: I don't have any problem with the gal being booted off the plane since Southwest is not associated with the government. Now if she had been kicked out of a public college, a public library, or arrested for wearing it in a public park, that would be completely different.

Not That I Want To Die In Any Particular Way . . .

. . . but this isn't one of them: "FORT WORTH - A contract worker was killed this morning when he was struck and dragged beneath an asphalt paving machine during a project at South Hulen Street and Overton Plaza." (Source: Star Telegram online addition posted today at 10:56 a.m. )

OU/Texas

It's this Saturday. Noon. Texas is now favored by fourteen. Fourteen!!!! I'm popping Paxil like candy because I'm so depressed.

Giggle

Maybe I'm Not Liberal After All

I've never been a fan of personal injury lawsuits. I don't mind people being "placed back into the position they were in" before they were wrongly injured, but I hate people trying to get rich off our much maligned justice system. Which brings me to this story. Fox 4 News cameraman Larry Rodriguez has finally filed his lawsuit against (former) Texas Ranger pitcher Kenny Rogers. As much whining as he was doing after the incident, you knew it was coming. But get this: He also sued the Texas Rangers claiming they should have known Rogers boneheaded tirade was going to occur. Triple sheesh.

I Wonder . . .

. . . whatever happened to Phoebe Cates?

$2.99

I saw this gas price everywhere today. (And it's odd that we'll feel "good" when the price drops - I hope - to $2.55 or some such). And with winter on the horizon, I do not like the chatter I'm hearing about the price of natural gas.

Legal Stuff: Tired Head Warning

Today the Supreme Court heard arguments about the legality of Oregon's law that allows doctors to assist in suicide. (You are close to death, you want to get it over with, and you ask your doctor to provide you drugs to facilitate your impending death). If you ever heard the word "federalism", this is the perfect case to define it. The people of Oregon elected their state representatives. Those representatives decided that the people of Oregon would like a law passed that would allow doctor assisted suicide. They passed that law. Then the federal government came in and said "nope", that law violates a statute passed by Congress. The fight before the Supreme Court is simply one of semantics: Does the wording of the federal law prevent the people of Oregon from doing what they want to do? Of course, the bigger question is this: What business is it of the federal government to tell states what they can't and cannot do in this area? The Bush administration told the Court that the federal law should prevail over the wishes of the people of Oregon. Sheesh. So much for "state's rights".

A Worldwide Phenomenon

Fifteen year old golfing phenom Michelle Wie turned pro today. Her initial reward? A $20 million, four year, Nike contract. She also has signed a deal with Sony for an amount I haven't been able to determine but it should be in the same ballpark as the Nike deal. (And we haven't begun to count the money she will win from...er...golfing). Since the Asian markets appear to be ripe for capitalistic exploration, she may become the biggest worldwide star we've ever seen. (Or at least that is what ABC News said tonight).

Baby, Baby, From The Moment We Met

The Church of Scientology is getting larger.

Why Helicopters . . .

. . . should not fly too close to each other. (Video)

For Political Junkies Only

This Supreme Court stuff is getting good. Now George Will jumps on the President for the Harriett Miers nomination.

Time Waste

Link

Focus On The Family

More about Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. . . From today's New York Times: "By day's end, [head of Focus on the Family's James Dobson], one of the most influential evangelical conservatives, welcomed the nomination. 'Some of what I know I am not at liberty to talk about,' he said in an interview, explaining his decision to speak out in support of Ms. Miers. He declined to discuss his conversations with the White House. " How is that James Dobson knows more about Harriet Miers than the Senate will ever know?

OK, I'll Leave Bush Alone For A While After This

From yesterday's press conference about nominee Harriett Miers: "THE PRESIDENT: Correct. And I'll say it again: There is no litmus test. Q But she is not someone you interviewed for the job that you didn't know. You've known her a long time. Have you never discussed abortion with her? THE PRESIDENT: In my interviews with any judge, I never ask their personal opinion on the subject of abortion. Q In your friendship with her, you've never discussed abortion? THE PRESIDENT: Not to my recollection have I ever sat down with her -- what I have done is understand the type of person she is and the type of judge she will be. " He's never discussed abortion with her? No way.

Trust Me

President Bush continues to take a grilling over whether Harriet Miers is conservative enough to serve on the Supreme Court. Since she has served as many days as a judge as I have (zero), there is no track record for the hardliners to rely upon. In essence, Bush said today in a news conference, "Trust me, this nomination will be fine." The far right wing is apparently not willing to do so. I wonder why?

It Just Seems A Little Weird

Fox 4 News ran a story last night about the Attorney General's office "cracking down" on those in Internet chat rooms "searching" for underage girls. They had an AG representative show how their undercover operation works and he tells the camera, as he looks at a computer screen with Yahoo Messenger activated, "I've logged on as 'CheerQueen95'". Then the camera panned back and there were about three or four AG agents doing the same undercover work. It just seemed weird that a bunch of grown men spend their time posing as teenage girls on the Internet while collecting a salary from taxpayers.

There Is A Special Place Somewhere For Those . . .

. . . "Nine Charged With Stealing Katrina Funds".

Debra Messing . . .

. . . is-a-good.

Nerd Alert

Sun Microsystems and Google have announced they are teaming up in the are of office software. The field, currently dominated by Microsoft's Office 97/2000/XP, might become actually competitive. Sun is behind "Open Office" a little known, and free, software package that includes word processing, a spreadsheet and a "powerpoint" equivalent. It's great for those that don't want to shell out big bucks for MS Office or for those that just hate Microsoft. Open Office info is here (you can download it for free - but it's a huge file so you'll need a high speed connection - or buy the CD for 10 bucks on Ebay).

I Know You All Hate Sports . . .

. . . but did you see that the Texas Rangers hired Jon Daniels as General Manager? But that's not the big story. It is Blog-worthy because he is 28 years old. That makes him the youngest GM in the major league.

Commander in Chief

Anybody checked this out yet? Looks promising.

This Completely Changes My Vacation Plans

"MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Half a dozen Mexico City prostitutes have been arrested for using eye drops containing a sleep-inducing drug to knock out and rob their clients, leaving at least five men dead, a newspaper said on Monday. "

In The Internet Age . . .

. . . even a questionnaire filled out in sixteen years ago can come back to bite you. Harriett Meirs, in her run for city council in Dallas, said she supported same civil rights for gays as non-gays. (While, oddly, she would not want to repeal a portion of the Penal Code - like a councilperson has anything to do with it - criminalizing homosexual conduct). The form is here in pdf format.

Money, Money

"BANK EMPLOYEES THREATENED — Robbie Clyde Thompson, 34, of Chico was arrested yesterday morning after officers said he threatened to kill employees of the First State Bank in Chico." More in the Update. He thought "Severe Penalty For Early Withdrawal" applied to the bank, not him.

Happy 29th Birthday to . . .

Alicia Silverstone.

They Have Got A Point

It looks like the hard line right-wingers are upset about the selection of Harriet Miers as the next Supreme Court justice. Their position: We've whipped the Democrats all over the place and we control the presidency and both houses of Congress. So why doesn't Bush take advantage of it and appoint a known conservative, hard line, anti-abortion, and law and order judge?

No Offense To You Grand Jury Members Out There

CHRIS MATTHEWS: What do you think he showed the grand jury to convince them to indict? TOM DELAY: You don't have to — what do I know? You know, grand juries, it's all one-sided. It is all what he presents to the grand jury, how he spins, how he presents it. Everybody says you can indict a ham sandwich with a grand jury. MATTHEWS: Yes, I have heard that term. DELAY: This is a ham sandwich indictment without the ham. Source

President Bush Don't Care About Hispanic People

(Please tell me you get the joke from the headline). The story: "President Bush's decision to make White House counsel Harriet Miers his second Supreme Court nominee upset Hispanic groups that had hoped to see the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice. 'President Bush has again ignored highly qualified Latino judges, attorneys and law professors who could serve the nation ably on the United States Supreme Court,' said Ann Marie Tallman, executive director of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, after Miers' nomination was announced Monday." Source

Actual FEMA Chart . . .

. . . from its official web site (not joking). It starts with a disaster and ends in disaster. (Credit: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart).

OK, Even I'm A Sucker For Baby Ducks

They Are So...Uh....Krunk

I actually saw these shoes today. As you walk and put pressure on the heel, the "rim" embedded in the ankle portion of the shoe spins. For my next court appearance, I'm gonna wow the jury. (Order info.)

Chances Are Good A Wise County Resident Could Have Been Hit

"FORT WORTH - Police are searching for a man suspected of shooting his wife's ex-husband at a north side bar late Sunday. Lt. Dean Sullivan, police spokesman, said the shooting in the 1200 block of North Main Street at about 10:30 p.m. resulted from an apparent 'domestic situation.'" Source: Star-Telegram

Made Me Want to Distance

I was half watching the NFL Sunday night game last night between Arizona and San Francisco when I learned ESPN had the Arizona QB, Josh McNown, equipped with a microphone. So it was time for them to throw us the audio/video of all his great quotes throughout the night. I expected to hear the obligatory "This is the big stage, babeeeee!" or "It doesn't get any better than this!" or "It's Sunday night, baby, Sunday night!". Instead they showed him throwing a touchdown pass and pointing to the sky and saying, quite plainly, "Thank you, God! Thank you, Jesus!". They then cut to him on the sideline firing up his teammates by yelling "Let's step on their throats! Let's step on their throats!" (In Christian love, of course).

That's Billion With a "B"

Andy Rooney of "60 Minutes" went on a rant last night: "I'm not really clear how much a billion dollars is but the United States — our United States — is spending $5.6 billion a month fighting this war in Iraq that we never should have gotten into. We still have 139,000 soldiers in Iraq today. Almost 2,000 Americans have died there. For what?" . . . rest of rant is here.

Random Pic To Start A Work Week

Those Liberal Photographers

Bush speaks in front of a "No Child Left Behind" banner. But to the religious right, it also has a double meaning.

The Rangers Were Still Playing?

Texas Ranger Michael Young has quietly won the batting title in the American League.

Here We Go Again

President Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. After years of looking at her face in the Texas Bar Journal, she always came across more as a politician than a lawyer (not that that's a bad thing). But I was perplexed by Bush's introduction of her which included the line: "She has been recognized by the American Law Journal as one of the most powerful lawyers in America." I have never understood what that meant.

As I Still Recover . . .

. . . from Baylor's overtime loss to the Aggies on Saturday, I took no comfort from this comment from Baylor Coach Guy Morriss: "Just playing close is like showering with your sister. It's no good". (Source: Star Telegram).

Another Girl Back On The Market

Paris Hilton has cancelled her engagement to Paris Latsis. I wonder if she gave back the 24 carat, $5 million engagement ring?

Maybe She Swallowed Her Dip

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Country singer Gretchen Wilson has rescheduled one tour date and canceled another after being advised by her doctor to take a vocal rest.

Strangest Story Of The Morning

OU and Kansas State played last night. In the second quarter, a bomb went off outside the stadium (only 100 yards away) killing one man. Police suspect it may be suicide but a "second device was found in a courtyard by Cross Hall, near the first explosion, and was detonated by a police bomb squad, police said. " (I suppose Cross Hall is a place, not a person). The Morning News Story is here and the Sports Illustrated story is here.