Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• There's a Michael Jackson Funhouse at the State Fair this year. I wonder if the carnies obtain the appropriate licensing to use his likeness?
• Jennifer's Body looks horrible but has received very good reviews. But I hate horror movies.
• Tony Romo might be a modern day Danny White.
• The "clouds" off of Eagle Mountain Lake, visible from Rhome this morning, were gorgeous.
• One of the convicted Charles Manson family members has died after 38 years in prison. Still probably the most fascinating crime story ever.
• "Imagine the Byron Nelson Pavilion on steroids. And ecstasy. Then, about every 10 minutes, a fight breaks out." - Dallas Observer article describing UFC 103 at American Airlines Center last Saturday night.
• It probably looked like an Affliction T-Shirt convention.
• The State Fair of Beat Down opens today.
• The UN speakers this week proved the world is crazy.
• Why male runners should put band-aids over their nipples before running a marathon: What?
• I've got a buddy that wants me to feature more "thick girls" on the Random Girl of the day pics.
• I saw an energy drink in a convenience store in Fort Worth called "Drank." No kidding.
• Here's a picture of the lone NCAA female football official. I bet she'd clean up pretty well.
• Every girl on Facebook was talking about Grey's Anatomy last night.
• Is that synthesized voice box contraption used on every song on the radio?
• Man, the news coverage of the "thwarted terrorists attack" (see post below) makes you think we almost had a 9/11 on our hands. By a teenager. By a teenager that the FBI was able to discover in a public Terrorist Chat Room.
• The courthouse still plays that goofy "screeching bird" tape to scare of, uh, birds. It pierces the peaceful morning air every day.

Still Trying To Figure Out . . .

. . . if this is huge news or typical government over-hype. Developing.

Edit: I can't tell you how much this is EXACTLY like an episode reported on NPR's This American Life. In today's news, you have a nutcase that hates America but with no support group and no real means to do any damage. So the FBI meets with him, invests a ton of time and effort, gets him to talk about how much he wants to blow stuff up, and then supplies him with a fake car bomb that the guy could never put together himself.

In that This American Life episode, it was the same thing but with a fake hand held missile that the government provided instead of a fake car bomb. It's all part of the government's new role of being pro-active in stopping terrorism. But things are not always as they seem. Instead of catching those which might do us harm, they spend time chasing those who, although they have evil intentions, are so inept and isolated that they could never pull anything off (in addition to being ignorantly oblivious to the fact they are in the middle of a sting operation.) I know none of you will listen to the hour long episode of This American Life. I understand. But it was so eye opening for me, I've listened to it twice.

Thursday Afternoon Pick Me Up

(You have a brief commercial to suffer through.) But the "public reaction" comments are pretty funny.

She's Ok! She's OK!

This is a couple of days old, but it'll stop you down like nobody's business. Watch for the little girl on the sidewalk and prepare to gasp. Those poles next to her saved her life. And I bet those poles are there to keep people from breaking into the place by smashing through the cinder blocks.

50,000 Muslims Expected In Washington D.C.

This sure is getting everyone riled up on talk radio.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• When did Dennis Miller turn into an angry old man?
• Anybody else have weird audio issues with Cowboy game on NBC last Sunday night? It sounded like the crowd was drowning out the announcers.
• I like the Cowboys playing on Sunday night. Waiting until Monday, not so much.
• The right wing is complaining about all the Obama "Czars" but the first one I ever heard of was the "Drug Czar" under Ronald Reagan.
• Uh. Oh. I just did one of those "Oh, yeah? What about you!" arguments, didn't I?
• I haven't had a home printer in three or four years. With cell phones doing what they do, anything I need I simply email to myself and look at it later.
• Richie Whitt of the Dallas Observer suggested that Kayne West interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs to praise Beyonce's video was all pre-planned by West, Swift, and Beyonce. You know, I don't rule that out. At all.
• Got a few emails yesterday alerting me to a Tyler teacher stabbed to death by a student.
• The anti-big government folks have been complaining about how detailed the census questions are this year. That's why it's so disturbing that a census worker in rural Kentucky has been found hanged with "Fed" written on his chest. Good lord.
• Hot Sports Prediction: Clemson beats TCU this weekend.
• Viral Video Yesterday: A guy at Texas A&M throws a basketball off the upper level at Kyle Field and through a basketball goal. Fake? Everyone is split on it. It could be done by first throwing the ball and see where it lands, move a goal to that spot, and then try again until you pull it off.
• I'm 100% certain that the opening of Fox 4 News was different last night: Steve Eagar opened the show with the normal teases but in a very dramatic hushed tone.
• In case you think your day is pretty tough, just remind yourself there's some Indonesian woman that just gave birth to a 19 pound baby.
• I blew by Glee last night and saw a high school football scene. They had a #34 on an offensive lineman. I was out.
• Oh, and if you've never seen Glee, all you need to know is that a football team, on the last play of the game with the play clock running, can break into a full dance rendition to Beyonce's "Put A Ring On It" and then still have time to throw a touchdown pass. Yep.

Different Kind Of Afternoon Pick Me Up

Plane Crash At Bridgeport Airport?

As with all my breaking news, this is extremely unconfirmed.

Star-Telegram Story

Link.

Mayor Outlaws Police Chases And Blesses Reporter

More Decatur Dining Carnage

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• The "Estrada" commercial makes me laugh. (It's hard to explain if you haven't seen it.)
• The new FBI "terror warning" about stadiums being hit seems silly since there isn't any "specific threat." Haven't we always assumed that stadiums would be one of the most likely targets?
• Ant killer granules always work for me. And when I spread them, I always like watching the little suckers pic them up and taking them down into the ground.
• There probably is a Swine Flu case in every single school in the county.
• There was an 80+ year old Wise County woman arrested last week on a Class C (equivalent of a traffic ticket) offense of Assault-Offensive Touching. Normally, that's an assault that didn't cause any pain. (I've got her book-in photo. Should I post it?)
• NFL: The two year prison sentence for ex- NY Giant Plaxico Burress for shooting himself in the leg at a club seems incredibly excessive.
• Just try to watch Ann Curry and not cringe. (And you get the extra video bonus of watching cops execute a search warrant by playing video games on the suspects TV.) Credit: BagOfNothing.com
• During Attorney General Child Support Court up at the courthouse the other day, I saw a young girl sitting in the hallway with a baby. And she was pregnant.
• Did a double-take on the suspect arrested yesterday in Dallas for capital murder. His name was Gary Green.
• I don't have the links, but I'm 100% sure that in the last month there have been three separate incidences in the U.S. where 4 or more family members have been killed in the same home by an acquaintance.
• I post a picture of the "Low On Funds" truck and somebody wants to make an Obama comment? Sheesh, man, give it a rest.
• The 17 year old girl that The Knack's My Sharona was written about is now a high tone real estate agent in Los Angeles. (Back story.) And at 47, she's smoking hot. (But it's more shocking that My Sharona was released 30 years ago.)
• Pick up a Messenger today and you'll see the Bridgeport Bulls with play Argyle this weekend at "XXX Stadium."
• Happy Denton County DWI suspect?

The Internet Is Gold Today

Man, it would be so easy to be a parent these days. I'd just plop Barry Jr. down in front of the computer and show him this clip. And then, bam! The kid's never going to be abducted. He also may be socially retarded the rest of his life because he would fear every other human, but at least I'd know where he was. But I'd would have to make one change. If a chick like the one at the :16 second mark needed help, Barry Jr. would be instructed to lead her to daddy for assistance -- you just can't be too careful.

Burned Decatur Apartments Being Leveled

But I'm not sure what the "Low On Funds" is about --- it's written in red paint on the base of the bed of the truck. (Thanks, Jenny.)

More Proof Of Economic Apocalypse In Decatur

Thanks emailer, Matt.

This Was Played On The Big Screen Before The Baylor Game

Edit: Video has been removed. I'll try to track down another copy. Edit: It was a version of this but better produced. I try not to whip you with Baylor football stuff because I know, well, it's a whippin'. But just a tad bit of background: For long over a decade Baylor has been awful. Just awful. Year after year I refuse to get my hopes up because I'm tired of them being dashed upon the shores of the Jordan River. (The last time I had my hopes up was in 2002 and then Cal hung 70 on Baylor in the opening game. Good call on my part.) All that said, this year was supposed to be different. A stellar coach in his second year. The second coming of Vince Young at QB. And a win in the first game of this season over Wake Forest who had beaten Baylor the year before and then went on to a bowl. All was right in the Baptist world. And then came last weekend. Connecticut flew into Waco a 10 point underdog and, in a three short hours, Baylor was 1-1 and looking as bad as they always have. (I stayed in depression until Decatur PD woke from a drunken stupor, handed me my blood and tear soaked Baylor pennant, and told me that someone had posted my bond.) But now I've learned what went wrong last weekend: Baylor actually played the above video on the big screen before the game. And now the Evil Empire has discovered this embarrassing fact and the beat down has begun. Have I not suffered enough?

What The Party Pass Got You Sunday Night

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up: Katy Perry In Honor Of The Rain