Hey, Now

(Not So) Breaking News

We have had a plane crash near Slidell. Looks like the Messenger is doing a pretty good job covering it. Fort Worth Star Telegram story here. Channel 5 story here. (Including a crazy 28 photo slide show.) Channel 8 story is here. (Includes video)

Personal Message To Newspaper Guy

I don't know who you are, but you have a job that involves putting the Dallas Morning News in the coin operated machine across from the Messenger office. I normally pick the paper up there around noon. Here's my message: PUT MORE PAPERS IN THERE!!!!!! Half the time they are all gone and the other half of the time I get the last one. When you restock the machine the next day and you see that there are ZERO papers left over, the odds are very high that someone wanted a paper but the machine was empty!

Shake It Like

For the handful of you that are familiar with Outkast's "Hey Ya" from a couple of years ago, you'll get a kick out of this on youtube.com.

The Very Hot Elizabeth Shue . . .

. . . is 43 today.

I Don't Want To Know

But if you do.

Fergie Friday

Grasslands = Less Liberty

If you suffer from insomnia, you read an opinion from the Fort Worth Court of Appeals that was handed down yesterday that held a United States Forest Service Officer, if authorized by his boss, may set up a traffic "checkpoint" to request "driver's licenses and proof of insurance, to remind drivers not to litter, and to inform drivers of proper safety gear to wear while hunting" on Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands. No probable cause or reasonable suspicion required.

The People You Know

In the Dallas Morning News today, I noticed this headline with this opinion piece. I took a look at his picture and decided, yep, that's Bridgeport's own Allen Vaught. His biography on his web site is here. Ironically, he's trying to unseat incumbent Bill Keffer who I used to work with back in my insurance defense days in downtown Dallas. And Allen, a lawyer as well, worked briefly in Decatur while I was D.A. He was working on a court appointment case one time as we were negotiating a plea deal. I was impressed with him. But I still remember telling him, as we spoke of his incarcerated client, how "I expect a lot of myself but very little of others." We talked at length about whether that philosophy was good or bad.

This Is A Children's Book

And it is not a joke.

Got My Attention Tonight
A big hit in the TCU game.

What The?

Quick story: In 1997 I thought it would be a great idea to invest $700 in Netscape which made Netscape Navigator, a browser software selling for $35 which allowed people to search the new thing called the Internet. Genius, I thought. Everyone will need the software to browse the Internet! Little did I know, Microsoft had invented Internet Explorer and had just begun to give it away. (Nice research on my part.) Anyway, the stock plummets. AOL buys Netscape. Time Warner and AOL merge. AOL is worthless so Time Warner gets rid of it. And I'm left with a stock now worth $328. I gave up on it six years ago. Here's the point: I bought the stock before online trading became the way to go. I have no idea how I found the brokerage house, but (I thought) they continue to send me statements of my failed stock. I finally opened one of the envelopes today and guess what: I am being charged a $35.00 "Inactive Account Maintenance Fee." (Scanned statement is above but still small.) A fee to manage an "inactive" account? So I'm mad at the brokerage house but, for the life of me, I couldn't remember how I had found them in the first place. But I also knew that their envelopes had changed a few years back, so I finally looked up on the Internet who exactly "SIPC", the name on my statement, was. OH MY!

I Do Not Understand . . .

. . . the fascination people have with this show.

The Most Famous Non-Criminal In The History of Ever

Story.

In Some Parts Of The Country, You Hear Of Church Fires

But in Waco, things are different.

The World Would Probably Be A Better Place If We Were All Amish

He Resigned Over A Prank?

And just because you were IM'ing somebody who was fooling you doesn't necessarily make it any better. Drudge is here.

Uh, Oh

I'm sorry to announce that the police and local media have seized some of my IM messages. To do damage control, I'll release the following. BGStud1: So what up? FB4All: Nothing. Working. BGStud1: Me too. But I don't want to. So, what are you wearing? FB4All: Uh, what? BGStud1: Come on, describe it. FB4All: Well, kakhis and a dress shirt. BGStud1: Oh, baby. That's kinky. I was kinda hoping for that new skirt. FB4All: Uh, Barry. This is Bob. Your pastor. BGStud1: Oh, man. Sorry. Wrong IM. TTYL. Let's just keep this between us, Ok. Bless you. [BGStud1 has signed off] ------------------ Concept stolen from here.