And Another - Florida

We've had a setback. Link.

Just When Baylor Had Turned The Corner

Baylor announced today that the team would wear new uniforms during the conference and NCAA Tourney. What the heck? My eyes!!!

That reminds me. Where's my highlighter?

"I Work Out"

I've always heard people talk of Jimmy Fallon's impression of Neil Young, but I've never paid much attention because Neil Young's voice has always been like nails on a chalkboard to me.  But there's been quite a bit of buzz about his recent performance of "I'm Sexy And I Know It" the other day with Bruce Springsteen.

I'll say this, his Young impression is spot on.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• The trial of the Texas Bernie Madoff has quietly been going on down in Houston over the past couple of weeks. Now that trial of alleged ponzi scheme mastermind Allen Stanford may end up in a mistrial as jurors say they are unable to reach a verdict. I thought the Feds had him. 
• I'm getting back into audiobooks and have begun Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase For Lincoln's Killer.
• A boxcutter was found on a commercial plane in Texas yesterday, so Fox 4 had an "aviation expert" on last night to talk about it. He opined there was no way the object could have gotten past TSA screeners. I opine he ain't much of an expert.
• It's Super Tuesday. It sounds like it is all about Ohio. (And I'll hear that "four dead in O-hio" song all day long in my head.)
• When I went up to Montague County the other day, the place was littered with huge campaign signs for District Attorney and District Judge. What's going on up there?
• News broke over the weekend that NFL coach Gregg Williams used to put "bounties"/bonuses out for big hits causing injuries to other players. Yesterday, most sports talking heads said such a practice was "common knowledge" around the league. Really? I've never heard them talk about it.  I think they all just jumped on the common knowledge bandwagon because to do otherwise would make them seem out of the loop. 
• This morning: "ACCIDENT (Irving/Dallas) Major accident involving motorcycle has WB 183 at Elm Fork Trinity River main lanes closed." Fatality?
• You know what looks like fun? A small cruise through the harbors of New England. 
• From the Update: Chico's second year athletic director has been offered a new job. True or not, the school board believes they will have to give him a raise about his $67,980 salary to keep him. He coaches football and only went 4-10 last year, but those four wins came after watching 26 loses in a row. Tough call.
• People have begun signing up for the Liberally Lean NCAA Tourney (and the funny team names have returned once again.)  Hey, the tournament will start in about a week so sign up. 
• Sudan won the Girls 1A Texas UIL Basketball Championship last weekend. It would be cool if they nicknamed themselves "The Lost Girls." 
• The UIL boys basketball tournament is this weekend. That's something I've always said I wanted to go but have never remotely made the effort to do so.
• I'll admit I'm not rationale or objective when it comes to this Rush Limbaugh controversy. I want that radio empire figuratively burned to the ground. 
• We used to have trouble with the Neighbor Boys but somehow that war has ended. They even waved the other day. Hope and Change. 

Seen On The Decatur Square Today

What's Spanish for "Texas Hammer" or "Strong Arm"?  I've got to one up this!!

(Thanks, emailer.)

"Pizza!!! I said PIZZA!!!!"

It took me a second to figure out why dad was yelling "pizza", but then it came to my world-class-athletic brain that he was telling the kid to point the tips of his skis together to get a snowplow effect.  Little Junior didn't listened to well, did he?

Everyone who has watched this video is concerned about the kid but not me. I'm worried about the dad. Either that kid is giving up skiing for life and will turn to life of solitude, books and the arts, or he's going to realize that experience he just had was kick arse, and he'll be back up that mountain within 15 minutes.

Hope little Jean-Claude Killy does the right thing. A father's joy depends on it.

Dog Is Killing It

Autotune that, run it through a synthesizer,  and add Lady Gagas vocals and you've got a #1 hit there, puppy.

And Now The Number Of Advertisers Who Have Left This Guy Is Up To Eight

• Sleep Number
• The Sleep Train
• Quicken Loans
• Legal Zoom
• Citrix (gotomypc.com)
• Carbonite
• ProFlowers
• AOL Edit: Which Owns The Huffington Post
• Edit: Tax Resolution Services has bailed since this was posted.
• Edit: Sears announced this afternoon it was suspending ads.
• Edit: Now ad Vitacost
• Edit: All State Insurance joins the crowd late this afternoon.
• Edit: As of Tuesday morning, the list is up to 20. Updated list here.

And the list grows.

Seriously?

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• A Sheriff Joe tweet from late last week: "My condolences to the family of conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart who passed away 4 hours after he called me."  Let me translate: "Hey, everyone who is talking about that guy who died. He called me! He called me!" 
• Look at the state of the construction at Allen High School's new stadium. Wow.
• Another police car was struck over the weekend -- this time in Carrollton. It was demolished.
• And we had a motorcycle death in the metroplex (but I only heard about it because the TV was going in a different room last night. No link yet.) Edit: Link.
• I watched a documentary yesterday on the late chess champion Bobby Fischer who basically went nuts in his later years. I then immediately watched a 60 Minutes segment online about the new modern day Fischer: 21 year old Magnus Carlsen.  If you want to see one of the most amazing feats of mental strength ever, watch the first three minutes of that 60 Minutes segment.
• Threw the softball yesterday afternoon. That's one of life's great joys. 
• I finally found at least one report of arrests in the Traffic Ticket Roundup. 32 in Waco and 39 in San Antonio. The article doesn't say if those were the result of home visits or if they were just random traffic stops - a huge distinction. And those numbers are tiny.
• I saw The Lorax this weekend at the Movie Tavern in Bedford and, you know, not bad. Some have criticized for its "green" message, but that's downright silly.
• Hey, go northbound on Central in Bedford, go under 183 and make a left westbound to get on 183. Due to the construction, you'll get a chance in about four miles. 
• Mavs coach Rick Carlisle on goofball Lamar Odom:  "It’s not about his numbers. It’s about his energy, the engagement in the game and the full commitment."  Really? You don't care his numbers? If you are only looking for energy and engagement then just pull some season ticket holder out of the stands.
• Early notice: We'll do another Liberally Lean March Madness Tourney this year. (Don't worry about the fact that I still haven't gotten a trophy to last year's winner, County Attorney James Stainton.) You should be able to sign up here. I tried to send out a group email this morning to those which joined last year. 
• I did touch up spot painting on the house walls this weekend. I finally found an activity where the Family Cat would follow me everywhere I go -- her head goes back and forth with the brush like she's watching a tennis match.
• Then I spent a while making some type of concoction to get the ashes out of the grout in front of the fireplace since the dang cat decided to kick a bunch of ashes out of it. 
• While you were sleeping:  "A gang of gunmen disguised in military-style uniforms and carrying forged arrest warrants killed 25 police Monday, then hoisted the battle flag of al-Qaeda in a carefully planned early morning shooting spree in western Iraq, officials said." Seems to be going well over there. 
• Parker County incumbent judge's campaign literature: " I am working to make Parker County safe from those who threaten our way of life." Hey, what if your duty of enforcing a person's constitutional rights does not equate making Parker County safe? What will you do then?

Scorned Woman?

Just flew by the end of the Honda Classic (that's golf) to see Rory McIlroy win, hug his father, and then walk by this lady.

You kill her dog?

Random Craziness: Batman and Robin Chased By Teletubbies

More.

Messenger Above The Fold

Taking You Into The Weekend

Rush May Be The Democrats Greatest Weapon

Some Georgetown student testified before a Democratic panel regarding the need for insurance to cover the cost of contraception.  She said that obtaining it through her school was too costly.

So what does Rush Limbaugh, the leader of all things conservative, say?

"What does it say about the college co-ed [Sandra] Fluke who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex -- what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex."


Democrats, Republicans, and dang near everyone else criticized him.  And President Obama (showing why he will win in the Fall) called Sandra Fluke this morning to offer words of support.

Limbaugh is at it again today, but there's no way he can win this.  It's a joy to watch a man filled with hate and lies finally squirm a little.

Edit: On Saturday, with advertisers bailing left and right, Rush apologized. Not because he's sorry but because he fears a loss of income. Pathetic.

Senior Citizens Whack Kid With Golf Ball Retriever -- Now With Video

NWF - Two 71-year-old men have been arrested and charged with child abuse after they were accused of striking a teenager with metal golf ball retrievers. Ronald E. Richardson and Donald E. Nieto were arrested after a video of them striking the 15-year-old was shown to law enforcement by the father of the teenager, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrest reports. The incident, which took place early Saturday afternoon at Shalimar Pointe Country Club, began after a group of four teenagers blew an air horn at golfers teeing off at the ninth hole, the report stated. According to Richardson, he and Nieto went to approach the teenagers, but they ran off. The 15-year-old eventually returned because he had left his jacket behind. When he did, the two men “responded by striking (the teenager) with the golf ball finder to keep him from being able to pick up his jacket,” the report stated. Richardson said he hit the teen three or four times on “his back side area … and maybe on his arm.


These two events should cancel each other out, right? The old "airhorn during the backswing" trick has some solid comedy merit. Heck, the use of an airhorn in any practical joke normally makes it a pretty good practical joke. But if you're going to do it to a couple of 71 year olds, you know there's a chance they are going to play whack-a-mole with you if they catch you. It's a basic risk/reward analysis.

When I first read the story, I thought the kid had left the jacket and came back for it like an hour later -- all the while the golfers were hiding in some nearby bushes. That would've been awesome. 

And Another - Florida

The book-in photo was a little disappointing but she rallied strong in the black dress. Story.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Finally found Siri on my iPhone, and it is wildly fascinating. I speak "Tell my wife that I'm on my way home" and a text message appears of "I'm on my way home" with Siri now asking if I want to send it right away to Mrs. LL. I mean, it actually works.
• I really didn't follow much of Andrew Breitbart but from what I saw yesterday, he wasn't exactly a kind soul.
• Star-Telegram shuts down its Austin bureau (although I didn't know it had one.)
• Shocking joke by a federal judge. Shocking story because the lady is kind of hot.
• It's Texas Independence Day.  The signature page of the Declaration of Independence had a squiggly line down the middle of it like a doodle.
• George Will says neither Romney or Santorum "seems likely to be elected" President this Fall. As of right now, I think he's right. 
• Why is half of my DVR taken up with Dance Moms?
• The Mav's emotionally crippled Lamar Odom will play on the team's "D-league" team in Frisco over the weekend "to get his legs back" before rejoining the team.  If the guy pouts like a third grader left for summer camp when he plays at the American Airlines Center, what's he going to feel playing in that spare league?
• The Messenger has a lot of ticky-tacky rules about what they will put in obituaries, but I'm stunned that they print them for free. 
• Shattered dreams: Records show 1,265 college football players have hired agents for the upcoming NFL draft. Approximately 255 will be drafted. 
• Everyone else in my home to me: "Did you see the scary clown in Walmart who was hiding from gay guys?" Me: "No." Them: Uncontrollable knee-slapping laughter.   (There were so many things wrong with that moment, I can't begin to list them.)
• I'm not sure I understand the bus drivers at Northwest (who work for Durham Transportation) taking a vote to unionize. If there are only 125 of them, it seems like Northwest could look for other alternatives to Durham if they try to get strong armed.