Jane Speaks!

But what about the your gig at Channel 5? Edit: Answer.

I'd Like To See Her Birth Certificate

There's no more of a time waste than Fox 4 having Clarice Tinsley read the Facebook screen in studio for viewer reaction.  You know they have to delete all objectionable content, but I keep waiting for something to slip by.  So far it hasn't happened. But at least Shunetria had some shtick.

Jumping Jackie Flash

I'm so sure why Mr. Filmmaker is so worked up over this. What was it? Twenty feet into sand?

But I guess that was a tough decision.  Try to ride out one nasty storm or jump back to the ground where those people who seem right out of Jersey Shore are hanging out. Pick your poison.

The New Miss Texas

She competed last week as "Miss Dallas."  In 2010 she was second runner up as "Miss Frisco" and she finished in the same slot in 2011 as "Miss Lake 'O The Pines." In 2009 she was first runner up as "Miss Carrollton." Gal has been married a lot.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• I'm not sure if we would get along if you sat down to watch the Home Run Derby last night. I take that back. I am sure. 
• One of the two guys that were killed because of a crane accident in Dallas over the weekend was named Terry Weaver. I was going to post about how that the name reminded me of Ruby Ridge and was curious as to who in the heck would know what I was talking about. But my memory failed me again because Ruby Ridge involved a Randy Weaver. 
• Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was "arrested for resisting arrest" (the most confusing phrase ever which I've seen time and time again in reports about this story) in Houston over the weekend. He then hired Rusty Hardin who recently defended Roger Clements in the silly perjury prosecution.  Hardin is fantastic but I hope he doesn't commit his own crime by charging an outlandish fee for that misdemeanor case. It's going no where. I can see that from here. 
• Re the Voter ID lawsuit: How many people who don't have an ID actually vote? Heck, the most responsible people in society don't vote in shockingly high numbers.
• I probably use way too much salt.
• On the radio yesterday afternoon (The Ticket's Hardline) one of the hosts said that cops are scrutinized so closely these days that if they make one false statement in a police report that it will cost them their job.  It must be Fantasy Month on the radio.
• I appreciate simpler things in life as I get older.
• I have no interest in the Cruise/Holmes divorce.
• A federal judge was none too pleased with Lance Armstrong's lawsuit against a doping organization since his pleading might have had some extra "stuff" in it: "Contrary to Armstrong’s apparent belief, pleadings filed in the United States District Courts are not press releases, Internet blogs, or pieces of investigative journalism." Ouch.
• Heck, I may go vote for Ted Cruz and then go eat Chinese food in a vote of ultimately protest against Dewhurst.
• Funny Mark Cuban parody I heard yesterday about the current horrible state of the Mavericks' roster: "Why should I care? I've got a title and a TV show." You know, that may not be far from the truth.

Snapshot of America

This may not be the most exciting video in the history of the Internet, but I couldn't break away from it.  We've got a little bit of everything here: All races, young, old, people over-reacting, people trying to be level headed, cops, a guy with a cane, and some lady yapping over all the commotion. And  unlike your late night Denny's free for all fight where you cringe as you watch some guy or gal get beaten senseless by a bunch of punks, this was a classic middle-class / out-of-shape fight.

And, is it just me, or did that video have a weird feel to it. Kind of like Oliver Stone was at a little league game.

Background.

Gov. Perry Turns Back On $$$$

I'm not smart enough to know what this means but I fear it isn't good news for poor people who are sick.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I turned on Wimbledon for a second yesterday and caught Mrs. LL staring intently at the screen. Tennis fan? Nope.  She wanted to know why it was necessary for the ball boys to sprint to get the ball once play stopped. 
• If you were interested in the Denton prosecutors-being-fired story, you have got to read this from the Record Chronicle from over the weekend. At least one of them got a raw deal. 
• Here is Channel 8's coverage of the teenager killed by a train in Alvord on Saturday. Photos included.
• Got caught in the weird rain storm when the sun was brightly shining yesterday. I've mentioned before that the weather oddity was referred to as "The Devil must be beating his wife" when I was a kid. 
• I saw most of Road House for the first time yesterday.  It may be the greatest bad movie of all time. Never have so many fights broken out in so many places.
• Chinese guy walking a tightrope backwards while blindfolded.What could go wrong?
• My next yard project was to put limestone edging around a tree.  We're talking about a 10 foot by 10 foot square that is on a pretty good slope.  Let's just say that after working on it all day Saturday I discovered that I am not an engineer.
• I've never seen players scramble off a baseball field like they did last night at the Ballpark in Arlington after the lightning strike. But it is funny to watch all the reactions. 
• I may have lots of flaws but not being disciplined is not one of them. 
• Mrs. LL will text one of the kids who is in another room from time to time. I guess it's better than yelling. 
• Denton cops have now killed someone.  Do you kill someone for simply not dropping a rifle when ordered?

An Update

She and two guys were going to burglarize a home and she got shot when "gunfire was exchanged"?

And it's one of the few times I've seen the use of the "felony murder" rule: "A person commits the offense if he commits or attempts to commit a felony [i.e. burglary] and in the course of and in furtherance of the commission or attempt, or in immediate flight from the commission or attempt, he commits or attempts to commit an act clearly dangerous to human life [exchange gunfire with someone] that causes the death of an individual." The key to that law is that the person doesn't have to intend to cause a death.

"Guy hit by train in Alvord"

Edit: Turned out to be a teenage in Alvord who was walking on the tracks. Sounds like he had earphones in. There was at least one witness.

I think this is the fourth teenager killed in Alvord in the last couple of years.

Edit: The Messenger apparently posted a picture which they subsequently took down. I didn't see it. 

Taking You Into The Weekend

Dallas pool party.

And Another - Fort Worth

Another strong entry. (Edit: Star Telegram story.)

Maybe her in 2003 (this is Lubbock where she used to live):

Puppies Wake Up

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Unemployment news announced this morning: It remains at 8.2%.  I wonder how many right wingers wanted more people unemployed for political reasons?
• Britney in a bikini with her kids in a living room. (Facebook.) Attagirl.
• Lots of Mark Cuban hating going on in the talk radio world. I can't wait for his first interview where he'll say something like, "Have you read section 11 of the collective bargaining agreement? You haven't?" And then he'll fire off a bunch of terms that he knows the interviewer doesn't understand to take control of the conversation. Does it every time. 
• Mrs. LL took the kids to watch fireworks along the Trinity River Wednesday night. I learned yesterday they grabbed inner tubes and actually got in the river. She's always had a certain glow about her, but now I wonder if it will be radioactively induced.
• The Running of the Bulls begins today. A few years back ESPN would carry those daily runs live (they last about two minutes each time.) Love that stuff.
• Shout out to Tara in the County Attorney's office who gave birth yesterday to Olivia Paige. (She strong-armed me into promising I would mention this day a few months back.)
• Absolutely worth a watch: DART bus plows into stopped cars on the Tollway last Friday. Whoa. 
• I wonder if I can talk Mrs. LL into seeing Savages?
• Some how, some way, Mrs. LL has completed the entire series of Lost in record time. About ten episodes from the end I asked her is she was just "riding it out." Her (defeatedly): "Yes. I've come this far."  Me: "Lots of people on the island?" Her: [Failed smile.]
• I love Fiona on Fox 4 but recently she's been tweeting and facebooking that we should watch her "antics" on the morning show.  Others can say a person does wacky "antics" but the person doing the "antics" can't. It violates some rule. 
• Sports Talk Radio: Take a listen to Chris Arnold on The Fan in the evenings. The former Ticket host and Mavs MC may be the most clueless guy on radio. (But you have to fight through Gavin Dawson's made up opinions to listen to Arnold.) 
• Still love this line: "Mitt Romney has an albatross around his neck of providing health care to poor people while governor." 
• Adrianne Curry "Hey, Now."

Remember This Morning When I Made Fun Of Mark Cuban . . .

. . . because he had to settle for signing Jason Kidd because he had missed out on every other free agent? Well, I spoke to soon.

(But, remember kids, watch Shark Tank!)

Edit: Man, the Dallas Morning News was all over this story at 3:00 this afternoon. (And the link was still good two hours later.) "Pretty much official" is not the same as "official", we've learned.

Edit:

Liberty And Stuff

It looks like we had six Vampire Blood Warrants issued in Wise County over the 4th of July.

(That's a picture of the construction at the World Trade Center site posted by someone within the last couple of hours while visiting New York.)

Idiocracy

I've never really understood "fan voting" for the All Star Game since there was no limit on the number of times you could vote.  Throw in a major market (LA, NY or even DFW) and, with proper marketing, how one of those teams couldn't get one of its players to the top of the list seems baffling.

Well, apparently we've ramped it up a bit. Now you can vote via Twitter without, once again, limitation. That's the official Texas Rangers twitter feed up there.  By simply tweeting with the "#VoteYu" hashtag, that counts as an actual vote recognized by Major League Baseball to get Yu Darvish into the All Star Game.  Do it as much as you want. See a tweet with that hashtag in it and simply hit the "retweet" button and that counts as a vote.

Have I done it? Noooooooooo. The Bush v. Gore case was more legitimate than this process. #PowerDown #Beating #TiredHead

Man With No Feet Qualifies For Olympics

South African 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius has made the Olympic team and will compete in London in the 400 meters. Qualifying run is here.

Since I'm a big fan of fairness, I'd like to state my let's-all-hug-and-come-together opinion as follows: This ain't right. Yeah, it's a heart warming story, he's overcome great hardship, blah blah blah, but those blades are like something a character in The Avengers might wear. How much does that improve his stride by? It's like launching yourself with each step.

Next thing you know they'll allow him to attach giant springs to the bottom of his legs and let him compete in the high jump.