The President Hasn't Been Watching The Google

Response of Press Secretary Tony Snow in response to a question of whether the President had seen the video of the hanging of Saddam Hussein. (Source.) Considering the way it was carried out will probably cause the civil war to escalate even further, it might want to give it a look-see.

My Engineering Brain . . .

. . . has concluded that the Decatur square is now too narrow for traffic ever since it was re-worked last summer. At least it is at the corner where Matties used to be (now Sweetie Pie's Cross Eyeds or something like that.) It's hard for two cars, going opposite directions, to get past one another.

Now I Know Why The Flags Are At Half Staff

And may the surgeon be mindful that swimsuit season is right around the corner. Godspeed, Lindsay. Godspeed.

Please . . .

. . . for the love of all things sweet and clean, let this be Bill Parcels final year. He can single handedly suck a team into a black hole with his negativity and lack of energy. And I believe he possesses the most dangerous trait known to man: He thinks he has nothing else to learn. Back to New Jersey, sir. Back to New Jersey.

I'm Insane . . .

. . . now.

Hot Skillet Killer

As far as I know, he is still on the run. I think everyone at the Star-Telegram is still on vacation because I haven't seen a single story about the incident. The Wichita Falls Time Record News has a small article about it. A big news event on Wednesday morning is poor timing for the Messenger. They have to wait until Saturday to cover it in print.

She's Bringing Sexy Back . . . . What?

Limited Interest

For a lengthy new article on how Texas Tort Reform has hit the plaintiffs' attorneys, check this out. I, amazingly, have been a lawyer for over 20 years. No where has there been a greater change in the legal atmosphere than in personal injury litigation. Back in the 1980s, people could get sued (successfully) for anything (an employer sued for sending a worker home who showed up drunk and then got in a wreck, an electric company sued for a kid touching an electrical line with a makeshift metal pole, etc.) and there were no statutory limits on how much they could collect. Moreover, the Texas Supreme Court was made up of ex-plaintiffs' lawyers and they never saw a claim or a dollar amount they didn't like. But all that is over now. Statutory tort reform limits recovery. And the all-Republican and conservative Texas Supreme Court is ready, willing and able to beeeyotch slap any claim that seems unreasonable or any award that seems too much. Just ask any plaintiff's lawyer if he'll take a "slip and fall" case these days. It's not a good time to be The Texas Hammer or The Tough, Smart Lawyer. And everyone is surprised to learn I've never been a big fan of personal injury law. In fact, my first five years out of law school involved working for two large law firms in the area of insurance defense. I really liked it. But, man, I was simply amazed at how much the system was out of control.

The Fab Five

The North McKinney High School cheerleading "scandal" (old news around her) has made it to Newsweek and The Today Show this week. Haven't heard of it? Suffice it to say that cheerleaders need to be careful not to have their pictures taken in full cheerleading outfits in a Condom to Go store. Someone pointed out that one of the former cheerleaders pics are here. (Source.)

Poll Results

"Did You Have A Good Christmas?" . . .

. . . has been asked waaaaaay too much this week.

"Putting Wax On Bricks"

This all happens pretty fast. The clip starts with an overweight adult telling some skaterboyz to get off the property. That's followed by some bad skateboarding. That's followed by the overweight adult engaging in a borderline assault of a skaterboy. And one F Bomb to boot. Good times.

As You Struggle To Pay Your Christmas Bills . . .

. . . consider this news over the last three days: - The CEO of Home Depot, Bob Nardelli abruptly resigned today, but will receive a severance package of $210 million. - J.C. Penney fired its COO right before the new year (after six months on the job) only to have to pay her "about $10 million in severance ." - Today, the University of Alabama hired Nick Saban for 8 years and $32 million (guaranteed.)

Great "Letter To The Editor" In The DMN Today

"With Saddam Hussein's execution, the only person who didn't lie about weapons of mass destruction was hanging from the end of the rope." - John R. Cobarruvias, Houston Preach on, bruther, preach on.

Who's Your Daddy?

Tom Craddick, the Texas speaker of the House of Representatives, is getting a lot of heat as other reps have decided to take his job. Being a hardline conservative ain't what it used to be. But I was glad to see this note today from out own right winger Rep. Phil King: "I have no intention of running for speaker on Jan. 9. Additionally, I would like to publicly reaffirm my strong commitment to Tom Craddick." Source here and here. Until, of course, he loses the speakership.

Soooo Immature Part 2

Jessica Alba was at the beach last weekend. And not a single guy there noticed. Source.

Soooooo Immature

Link. ("Deadspin", by the way, is the premiere sports-crazy-talk blog on the Internet.)

National Politics

If you kinda like Barak Obama and think the Fair and Balanced Network's morning show is full of a bunch of numbnuts, you gotta check out this.