Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• The news was all abuzz over the weekend about a man dragged to death behind a pickup by three men in Milford, Texas. Then we hear last night that it wasn't true at all.
• Got home last night to a dark house, candlelights, three smiling people, and a surprise lasagna dinner. Yeah, my life is pretty much the same as it has always been.
• Courthouse Pet Peeve:  Courthouse regulars engaging in third party light hearted conversations while someone they are there to help/direct/process is looking on with anxiety because its the first time they've ever been through the court system. (If that makes sense.)
• Monday's coverage of the Denton No Body Murder Trial. Still the silliest prosecution ever.
• UTA and UNT set records for enrollment this Spring? I wonder if that's because of the slow economy. And I wonder what the total student loan figure it.
• Decatur Street Sweepers were out in force around the courthouse this morning. I think their main purpose is to blow dust in the air. 
• I'm not saying that the Wise County Courthouse bomb threat was the most exciting news in the world, but you'd think it would at least get a mention on some of the local TV stations. (I didn't see it at all.) In fact, a google news search only turned up this odd little article about it.
• Stopped by to get a haircut late yesterday afternoon and, while waiting, got to hear a 14 year old provide her mother with some hot opinions on abortion. You know, standard stuff about rape and incest that we all hear about while waiting.
• Speaking of, the proposed Texas bill that would require a sonogram before an abortion has the strange exception for pregnancies that are the result of sexual assault or incest or if the fetus has an "irreversible medical condition or abnormality."  So what's going to keep every woman from simply lying and claiming the exception?
• Back to the haircutting place, a guy getting his hair cut beside me mentioned to his "stylist" that he just got a $10,000 raise. I gathered that the last time he got his haircut there he was going for a job interview. Hmmmm.
• The Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition is out. I think it was last relevant twenty years ago. 
• Visa had a pre-Super Bowl commercial about four guys that had traveled to every game (which, incidentally, sounds like a  beating.)  Well, one of the guys became sick shortly before the "big game" in Dallas, had to miss it, and then died last weekend.
• I'm helping with jury selection in an Intoxication Manslaughter case this morning. The alleged incident occurred in 2003.

Iran Ain't Egypt

It's one thing to protest in Egypt, but it's another thing to do it in Iran. The police today coming from a distance is quite the show of force, but I don't know if they are firing weapons or tear gas.

Source.

Updated picture

Lady detained in bomb threat (title edited)

Breaking: Bomb Threat At Wise County Courthouse

Evacuation ordered.

Courthouse was notified by Decatur PD and Fire Marshal.

Developing . . .

Edit: At 10:30 people were allowed to go back in (which one have been one of the quickest bomb searches ever.)  Lots going on up there this morning: Commissioners' Court, Divorce docket (on Valentines Day) and a felony criminal docket.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I was completely out of the loop this weekend - I may need you guys to update me this morning.
• Ate at Nuevo Leon at Northside on Friday. Not bad. But it was one of those weird experiences where we were going to try something new only to walk in the door and realize that we had been there before.
• And I'm not a complainer, but the service was bad.  I've noticed that in so many places in the last couple of months -- which is odd because with jobs at a premium, you'd think people would work hard to keep them.
• Lady GaGa arrived at the Grammy's last night in an egg. Yep, an egg. Since she arrived one time in a dress made of meat, she's halfway to a Grand Slam Breakfast. (Stolen line.)
• I don't relate to the Grammy's any more. I had no idea who Arcade Fire (best album) or Esperanza Spalding (best new artist) were.
• I actually planned Mrs. LL's Valentines's Day gift three weeks ago.
• WBAP was talking about how much the average guy spends on his significant other on Valentine's. They sited one study that said $116. Really?
• Caught some of Desperado last night. Sucks me in every time.
• Also saw an old episode of To Catch A Predator which reminded me that one time Mrs. LL left me a phone message composed entirely of drops from the Chris Hansen soundboard. Funny.
• The Messenger reported this weekend that redistricting might cause Wise County to be cut out of Rep. Phil King's district. Everyone gripes about him, but he's been unbeatable and that's the only way he won't represent us. 
• Ann Coulter thinks New Jersey governor Chris Christie could be President Obama in the next election. In all seriousness, I don't think a fat guy could ever win the presidency. It's a shallow reason, but that's the way we are.
• The No-Body-Murder-Trial in Denton was put on hold all of late last week because of weather and because the judge had "other obligations." 
• Wrong way driver in Dallas last night (but he was stopped once a cop rammed him). Man, that would be terrifying to see on a highway.

Say What?

There's some speculation that she might have actually have been having a stroke last night.

News Junkie Humor

Credit.

How Not To Push Someone Into The Pool

I've seen this a couple of times today, and keep getting drawn back into it. We, of course, don't condone people acting-like-a-fool and almost ruining the spine of their buddy, but since it's the Ruskies, it's OK.

Man, losing the Cold War has really changed that place. One minute you've got Dolph Lundgren threating to break Rocky, and the next minute they've turned into the real life cast of Jackass.

More Idiocracy

A faithful reader sent me this cell phone pic of an office sign in Denton promoting "Extreme Personal Injury."

(In the movie Idiocracy, a bad comedy about what happens to the U.S. in the future, almost every product had "Extreme" or "Xtreme" in its name to show how kick arse it was.)

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• I'm not sure how the Egyptian President has remained in office for thirty-something years because he knows nothing about public relations (That is, try anything for one day and then abandon the idea: i.e. kill the Internet, send in goons, say the protesters are instigated by foreign interests, say you'll step down, arrest journalists).
• But there is a report that he has fled Cairo this morning. And for all this talk about promoting democracy, the U.S. has supported this guy for decades. 
• Trees will be blooming within 30 days.
• There's a book coming out later this year on the Mike Leach/Texas Tech divorce called Double T - Double Cross. Hmmm, I wonder which side it will take?
• The Family Cat made a break for it out the back door so I sent the Family Pup out there to go get her last night. I'll be dang if they weren't wrestling on the back porch in about five minutes. (Yeah, it's fenced.)
• Blockbuster is putting itself up for sale. I can't imagine anyone who would want to buy it.
• DallasNews.com's paywall is now flexing its muscles. At one point this morning, of the nine "latest news" stories, seven of them were for paid subscribers only.
• The NFC has sent 10 different teams to the Super Bowl over the last 10 years. That means Dallas is one of six teams not to make it.
• The face value of Super Bowl tickets were $800 to $900 and, as greedy as the NFL is, there is no question that is significantly less than the fair market value. 
• I wouldn't call it depression, but I suffer the emotional blahs every year at this time. It's like clockwork. 
• A 77 year old woman was robbed of her $22,000 fur coat and $65,000 ring outside of Nordstrom's at the high tone Northpark Mall in Dallas. Is it wrong it those prices taint my perception of the story?
• I get a little beaten down by someone saying "pitchers and catchers" report in x number of days. Hey, they'll be running around in windbreakers for two weeks. Nothing to get excited about. 
• This is 1970s humor, but I've found the next president of Egypt.
• I couldn't find an update on the No-Body-Murder-Trial. It's the defense's turn but there's no reason for them to put on a single witness -- simply argue the State has failed to prove its case. Yeah, there's a chance a crazy Denton jury could convict but there is no way it would hold up on appeal. No. Way. 
• -28 in Oklahoma yesterday?

More School News

The Dallas ISD Superintendent  is holding a conference at this moment about planned budget cutbacks.  Like the Arlington Superintendent, he is all about gloom and doom.

Above is his preliminary budget reduction plans (just announced.)  $209 million dollars in salaries is a lot of salaries.  Assuming an average salary and benefit of $65,000 (which may be too high or too low), that's a layoff of over 3,200 people.  Or I guess you just slash the salaries of tens of thousands of employees.

Wow.  He said the worst case scenario was losing 20% of the total budget and the best case was 10%.

And how would you like to be graduating this Spring with a degree in education?

Odds

I wonder what the chances are of the "rock hauler" being from Wise County. Is 75% too high?

Full story.

Random Video

All I know is that it's a train in India.  The video may have been around forever, but I've never seen it. Oh, my.

Our traffic jams don't seem so bad.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Guitar Hero will no longer be manufactured? How did that thing run out of steam so fast? Maybe if the game involved killing a few people in a violent manner then it would have survived. 
• For such a big buildup, the Blizzard of 2011 II turned out to not be much of anything. 
• But I did get out and walk around the block yesterday morning, and that's as cold as I've been in a long time. 
• Fort Worth ISD is seeking a waiver from the state to avoid having to make up the lost school days over and above the two make-up days already built in. Do Wise County schools seek waivers?
• If I develop a country, I think I'll make one that takes Wednesday off. 
• The judge telling Lindsay Lohan that he'll revoke her bond if she violates the law -- and he's really serious -- is almost comical.  If I ever practice criminal law in another state, it'll California.
• When I asked last night which dog we were rooting for when the family of girls was watching The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, I was met by the sound of crickets chirping. Tough crowd.
• The more I read, the more it seems that local school districts are about to get killed due to state budget reductions. And I mean devastated. The Arlington ISD Superintendent (I just stumbled upon this last night), sounds like Armageddon is coming.
• Random sports observation: (1) A team won on a last second four point play last night, (2) I'd like to see a Duke/North Carolina game because there is no similar environment in Texas, (3) Spud Webb dunks 25 years later but obviously uses a step ladder out of camera range, and (4) the Baylor's women team may not lose a game over the next two and a half years.
• The weather guy on WBAP a second ago: "We did hit a record low of 15 but we're already up by 10%. It's now 17 degrees."  I'm at a loss. 10%? (And could you ever have a percentage change in temperature since theoretically there is no minimum or maximum temperature?)
• Between the Glee and Modern Family episodes this week, there sure has been a lot of gayness on TV.
• Rumors yesterday that Twitter might be the target of a takeover by either Facebook or Google. The price, it is speculated, would be between $8 to $10 billion.
• Motorcycle death yesterday in Fort Worth. Why in the world would someone be on a motorcycle yesterday?
• A New York Congressman has resigned after posting a photo of himself on Craig's List while trying to pick up a woman. Other than being married, a father, and a Republican, there was nothing wrong with that. 

Lindsay Lohan Goes To Court This Afternoon On Theft Charges

Girl ain't right.

That's Like Me In Mrs. LL Shoes

Just kidding. She won't let me near her shoes.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Man, it's cold!
• I don't watch the Mavericks on TV, but I did hear that 70 year old color commentator Bob Ortegel was fired right in the middle of the season. "Sometimes you’ve just got to freshen things up and try some different things,” Mark Cuban said. In other words, Ortegel was fired for being old.
• Ortegel did offer one last bit of Mavericks analysis: “I sincerely believe that if this team stays healthy that they’ve got a chance [to win a championship].” -- Check that. He was fired for being delusional.
• Wise County government announced it would be closed today. And that announcement came Tuesday afternoon. They've now become the early-closing-entity that has de-throwned Alvord ISD.
• I'm pretty sure I could walk out the door for an hour when Glee comes on and no one in this house would ever know I'm gone. 
• But I'll admit I got a little nostalgic when the Glee guys started singing "Silly Love Songs" last night. And then it dawned on me that song is about 35 years old. Holy, cow. I mean, seriously. Holy, cow!!!
• Are there 80,000 abortions a year in Texas? A Texas Republican lawmaker says so. So what would those people do it it were illegal?
• I saw on Fox 4 that Dallas road crew had upgraded their preparedness to "Ice Force Two" because they had brought in extra trucks. Good grief. It's like DEFCON.
• Midget Mexican wrestler in gorilla outfit gets launched. How can you not watch that?
• The short lived required Arabic language course in Mansfield caused the whole country to go crazy. Man, I'd love to be able to speak Arabic. 
• A Steve Martin tweet last night: "I am looking at original cue cards written by Francis Scott Key: 'Twilight’s last greaming.'"
• The way I feel about my dog. (And that was before I took her outside last night to do her business only to have her go into a frenzy and take off chasing a blowing plastic bag down the street. That, of course, meant me chasing her in my sock feet.)
• Get me this cutest dog in the world!
• The 2nd Grader in the house will belt out singing "Nationwide is on your side!" on occassion. Somewhere there's an ad man smiling.
• I got up this morning, misread the clock, went downstairs and plopped in front of the TV to check the weather, and then saw the time: 1:54 a.m.  Beating. 
• Pete Delkus tweet this morning at around 5:00 a.m.: "snowfall totals will not be as high as i thought yesterday. drier air has moved into the system."  Uh, isn't it your job to predict that "drier air"?
• Then he fired off another one at 7:13 a.m.: "interesting forecast issues.. the models that have done well all winter screwed this one & the one that has been terrible was dead on." This guy is a snake oil salesman, no? 
• The State rested yesterday in the No-Body-Murder-Trial in Denton yesterday. Amazing. I'm not saying you can't be convicted if there is no body (although the chances are slime), but this case has three problems: The State hasn't proven she's dead, certainly hasn't proven that if she is dead she was murdered, and they haven't even gotten close to proving that if murdered, it is the defendant who did it. Whoever authorized this prosecution is either incompetent or a publicity hound or, more likely than not, both.  
• And those are the strongest words I've ever had about a criminal case in my 25 years of practice. 
• Channel 8 did a story last night on the horse hair thefts in Wise County. If you're a young Boyd girl, you might be featured.
• Been hearing that due to the Super Bowl crowds and the weather that "blood supplies are dangerously low" so we need to donate. I think that's just a ploy to get us to donate. 
• WBAP's Mark Davis' Dallas Morning News column is now behind a paywall. I wonder how he feels about no one reading what he writes anymore?
• There's a little bit of controversy about New York Jets' quarterback Mark Sanchez "dating" a 17 year old. Then someone reminded me that a thirty-something Jerry Seinfeld dated a 17 year old when his sitcom was at its peak. Didn't hurt him a bit.
• I just remembered there used to be a TV drama called Thirtysomething.
• A fantastic list of Dallas Cowboys' Dirty Deeds.
• I feel pretty good about today's Random Thoughts.