Sneak Preview and A Random Newspaper Thought

The Messenger has a pretty good front page pic tomorrow of a child being rescued from a car during the thunderstorms. I doubt if the kid was ever in danger, but the angle of the pic makes it look pretty dramatic. I dog the Messenger all the time, but it's a really good newspaper for a small community. And photographer Joe Duty is one of the big reasons. And they've responded to the Internet age in dramatic fashion. Back in 1997, publisher Roy Eaton (who I think is both annoyed and amused by me) gave me permission to republish the Messenger's Update online since the paper didn't have a web site. So every night (yep, at the end of the day), I'd scan in the Update and convert it to text in a horrible "OCR" program. (I'd spend 30 minutes looking for errors.) I was just trying to call attention to www.wisecounty.com for a reason I still hadn't figured out. I'm still working on that.

All Together Now: This Rain Is Beating Us Down

Watershed Update

That purplish thing has been moving slowly over the watershed (or what I think is the watershed) for the last hour or so. Is it out of the question to think that we might have flooding at Lake Bridgeport after it was 18 feet low just a few months ago? When is the last time it flooded? 1982?

It now sits at one foot low and rising. Fast. Monitor it here.

Edit: I've been reminded of around 1991 when the bridge at Runaway Bay was under water.

The Official Strip Club Of The Blog . . .

. . . which has had four killings this year, almost had another one last night. Instead it was just an armed robbery.

But I don't think I'd be sitting by myself in a car in that parking lot after midnight.

Slidell Storm Damage . . .

. . . as reported by the Dallas Morning News.

I Think I've Figured Out . . .

. . . when the Anti-Christ will be born. I just didn't know there were going to be two of them. (Her marriage/baby story here.)

Paris Hilton Says,

"One of the first things I plan to do now that I'm out of jail, is to check out Catfish O'Harlies in Bridgeport's new 'upscale strip mall' on 380. Me would loves me some hush puppies right now."

KXAS Channel 5 Now Covers The Katrina Like Storm That Struck Wise County

A fence gets knocked down in the Brookhollow area in Decatur!

Man describes how a street was underwater.

She said, "It looked like an ocean"

And fence destruction was not limited to Decatur. This fence met its maker in Rhome.

The Heck With Flooding

Fox 4 stopped me down with this 37 year old that didn't like her belly button and underwent surgery to fix it. (That's a "before" pic above.) The cost? Around $3,000 to $4,000.

Vanity. The hottest of sins.

All Water. All The Time.

Fox 4 led with the flooding in Wise County tonight with the great Brandon Todd covering the story. But I'm not real sure it was all that newsworthy. I'll get screenshots and links up in a bit. I've got to eat my nutrisystem dinner before I pass out.

By the way, 3.32 inches of rain in Decatur this afternoon.

Edit:
The pavement got wet around Eagle Drive in Decatur:

This lady's front yard was flooded in Paradise but I found out that she has a Hummer in her driveway.

FM 3259 got flooded which probably inconvenienced 25 people.

Mobile blogging

I'm pulled over on the side of the road on 287 with a bunch of other cars. It is insane. The northbound lanes going into decatur are shut down due to flooding. And the southbound lanes are getting dicey.

Edit: Home. Safe at home.

National News Covering The Devil Hatin' On Decatur?

Just got a really good tip that Fox News (the national one) will be running with the "I Hate Victory Family Church - The Devil" story.

The local affiliate (Fox 4 . . . . News) ran the story yesterday so maybe we'll see it on the flagship network for all things conservative. The No Spin Zone perhaps?

Edit: Still waiting to see it on Fox, but it has become an official AP story which means it will be all over the country.

Edit: This Google news search I created should catch all the stories.

Our Own Personal Evan Almighty

Edit: Sheesh, it's raining. Hard.

Edit #2: It's still coming down at 5:20 and I bet Decatur has had two inches in the last 45 minutes and I might be seriously underestimating that. Somebody chime in with an accurate count.

Edit #3: We (Wise County was the only one mentioned) just got a National Weather Service flash flood warning issued until 9:15 p.m. (Uh, 9:15? That's some accurate weather forecasting.)

Edit #4: At 5:31 p.m. , WBAP was reporting that water was flooding over 51 and 114 in Boyd.

A Lot Going On There

Ashton checks out Demi's daughter with daddy's face on a poster in the background.

Tim McGraw . . .

. . . outside a Toronto restaurant. I'm guessing Faith will not be pleased.

Art? I'm Talking Art?

Some guy named Ron Mueck is having his sculptures displayed at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth. (There's an article about it in today's DMN.)

I saw this picture of his work over the weekend. I stared at it for quite some time because I really like it. It's called "In Bed" (2005-06) in "mixed media." I think it's mixed because the lady in the bed is a sculpture and the person in the chair is real. So I guess it's an artistic photo (taken in 2006?) of a sculpture (created in 2005?) thereby making it "mixed." (ButI have no idea what I'm talking about.)

Random other works are here (and since it's art there is also nudity. Calm yourself.)

Freedom Of Speech.....Uh, Not So Much

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court ruled against a former high school student Monday in the "Bong Hit 4 Jesus" banner case -- a split decision that limits students' free speech rights. Joseph Frederick was 18 when he unveiled the 14-foot paper sign on a public sidewalk outside his Juneau, Alaska, high school in 2002 . . . . "It was reasonable for (the principal) to conclude that the banner promoted illegal drug use-- and that failing to act would send a powerful message to the students in her charge," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court's majority.

Edit: A commenter has made a brilliant point. The entire opinion is based upon the sign advocating illegal drug use. So what if the sign said "Prescription Bong Hits 4 Jesus" or "Medicinal Marijuana 4 Jesus"?

Rule #1 Of Parenting

Never give your kid a Lexus before the day of the birthday party. That will mess her up and possibly scar her for life. Everyone knows that.