Nebraska Bus Ride

Video  shows an assault which occurred on a public StarTran bus in Lincoln, Nebraska.  According to the Lincoln Journal-Star, driver Troy Fischer, 43, was cited with misdemeanor assault, and has been fired following a city investigation of the incident. Fischer punched a 40-year-old man several times and physically dragged him off the bus, throwing him into the street and driving away.

A man can only put up with so much idle chit chat. 

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Justin Beiber visited the Anne Frank House and signed the guestbook, “Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.”
• When Australian Adam Scott won the Masters yesterday, did I hear one of the commentators call him, "The Wizard Of Aus?"
• I understand Tiger Woods being penalized for the illegal drop, but the PGA has to do something about the timing of violations. Every other sport has a violation called on the spot, whether right or wrong, and then the game goes on. To have a violation called the next day is silly. 
• One of my most embarrassing moments: When in my 20s I asked my buddies, "Where's the Masters being played at this year?"  I still remember the stunning silence.
• The Natalie Merchant concert was very good only because my expectations were lowered. Ninety-five percent of the concert was composed of songs I had never heard before. The encore, at least, had the crowd come alive as she sang These Are The Days. 
• But I heard people silently weeping during a song called, My Beloved Wife. 
• She initially walked out on stage to muted applause because most of the crowd didn't recognize her (me included.) A few more pounds and graying hair was the culprit.
• As great as the Bass Hall is, they flash the lights to signal the show is about to start by having a lady with a long stick push a button by leaning over the bar. 
• A man shoots himself at the NRA 500 yesterday. Only in Texas. 
• Paradise model update.
• The Mavericks celebrating by shaving their beards because they got to .500 is a testament to how far they have fallen.
• You wake up one day and suddenly everyone is younger than you. And you really don't change that much from, say, 25?
• Tourism alert: "Six strangled, one decapitated in Cancun."
• My daily Dennis Prager rant: He had a show on Friday with this premise: "If you lower your expectations, you'll be happier."  Despite being an obvious observation, he treated it like he had discovered electricity. And it's a childish basis to live your life by. 
• If that's all they've got on the Kaufman ex-JP who is a "suspect" in the Kaufman murders, they've got a long way to go. Here's the best coverage.
• That Wise County wreck over the weekend makes me amazed at how safe cars are these days. 
• 60 Minutes had a great segment last night on Marfa, Texas. There's a Prada shoe store on the highway which is always locked up.
• What does this mean from the Update: "PARADISE CITY COUNCIL — A typing error will force the Paradise City Council to revisit last month’s decision to pay off the mortgage on City Hall at its regular meeting in that very building 6 p.m. tonight."
• Steve Williams, the former caddie of Tiger, always knows where the camera is. 

I Can't Stop Reading This

As speculation grows that a former JP might be behind the DA killings in Kaufman County (I'm very skeptical by the way), Mrs. LL found this story about the JP's conviction from a couple of years ago.

Please grade the writing skills of the reporter. It's like a crash between John Grisham and a First Grade Reading Book.

They Wear The "White Hats" - Or So They Tell Us

Link.

Above The Fold

Louisville Cheerleaders Taking You Into The Weekend

Not Texas Girls

More.

I Had Nothing To Do With This

Story.

But I bet within 24 hours he will be milking the publicity out of this like nobody's business.

Johnny Football Was Slaying It Last Night

I bet that kid's gonna be a problem before all is said and done.

Source.

Texas Congressman's Tweet Of The Day

Our campaign bumper sticker: If babies had guns, they wouldn't be aborted. stockman2014.com #gosnell #tcot twitter.com/ReElectStockma…
— Rep. Steve Stockman (@ReElectStockman) April 12, 2013

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• From the email bag: "Hwy 114 between Boyd and hwy 51 is shut down. Roll over at 8:00 am"
• The high school coach who was run over by a golf cart at Cowboys Stadium has sued Jerry and Company for $1 million and cites "embarrassment" as part of his injuries. Hey, you PI lawyers: (1) Isn't it still unethical to make a claim for a specific dollar amount in the Original Petition, and (2) is "embarrassment" compensable in a negligence case?
• That was a horrible bus accident in Irving yesterday, but I've never understood the relative lack of media coverage when 24 nursing home patients died after a bus caught on fire South of Dallas during the evacuation for Hurricane Rita. Yeah, it was covered that day, but its rarely mentioned despite being (and I'm guessing here) a top five death event in the metroplex?
• I hate Facebook, but can't help blowing through it about once a day. I did it last night. Uh, based upon the number of pictures posted, was everyone in Wise County at the Jon Bon Jovi concert? 
• Obscure sports note: Chris Davis used to play for the Rangers and had a more than frustrating experience. He'd catch on fire in the minors and then be sent up to the majors only to not be able to buy a hit. Near the end of his Rangers experience, I had an interview with him which actually had me think, "What a great guy." Well he has a little redemption: After nine games this season with the Orioles, he has a .400 average, and leads the majors in RBIs (19) and home runs (6).
• Big sports note: A brawl (video) between the Dodgers/Padres last night left Dodger starting pitcher Zack Greinke with a broken collar bone. Greinke, who gets paid regardless of how long he is out, will receive $19 million this year. 
• If you understand Bitcoin, you are smarter than me. But it sounds like something I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. 
• I'm a little worried about my Natalie Merchant concert tonight. I didn't realize her most recent album was comprised of 26 songs "adapted from 19th and 20th century British and American poetry about childhood." And she told the Star-Telegram that the album is a "majority of the concert." Oh, my. 
• I finally started using an online password manager. Verdict: What took me so long?
• Odd note from the Update: "Amigos of Wise County will have a comedy night for adults 18 and older from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday at The Bridgeport Stage." What's "Amigos for Wise County"?
• Something I do all the time now: Take a photo of a piece of paper if it has something on it I need to remember. 
• "Morgan Freeman Nuzzling RG3". What a funny photo. And, man, RG3 has such and Eddie Murphy smile. 
• Why the high tone Augusta National Country Club (do I need to say "site of the Masters"?)  might not be so bad after all: They'll kick you out for yelling, "Get in the hole!" after a tee shot. (Unrelated side note: Did you know the theme of the great music associated with The Masters has lyrics?)
• That Jodi Arias trial may never end. 

Someone Lost An Oilfield Generator In Boyd Today

Edit: I think I found that truck on Facebook . . . 

From The Email Bag

You can see the fighter jets. Really. 

"This jumbo jet was being escorted by 5 fighter jets this morning around 7:15. I was on 287 N at the Wise/Tarrant county line. Air Force One?"

My Occasional Glance At The Courthouse Guest Book

Edit: It just dawned on me that I mentioned Memphis this morning in Random Thoughts.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Fox 4 had a segment last night about how $4,000 was raised to bring a dog bag from Afghanistan. That prompted Mrs. LL to yell, "And those people on the blog claim I'm running a puppy mill! Why don't the gripe about that."   I just told her that she ought to be mad that a Muslim dog was adopted when we have so many red-blooded American dogs that need homes.
• The Mavs were officially eliminated from the playoff last night. Check back in a decade. 
• The Thanksgiving game between UT and Texas Tech will be shown on Fox Sports 1 -- a network that doesn't exist yet. 
• Stolen line: "The Masters golf tournament starts today in Augusta, Georgia. It's like Burning Man for the 1%."
• Agree with this line I heard: I hate it when I watch a DVR'd program, forget it is DVR'd, and then start watching the show after the one I recorded only to be quickly interrupted with "Would you like to delete the recording?"
• I'm going to Memphis in the fall. Never been there. 
• There was a comment yesterday supporting Accidental Racist. I've seen everything now. 
• "Finally, TABC has an app to tell you when you're drunk."  The spokesperson for TABC was on the radio this morning and she sounded sooooo beaten down and defensive about this silliness.
• I've heard people rant and rave about the upcoming technology of the 3D printer (which sounds more like a computerized machinist tool than a printer, but I haven't seen a video of it yet.) I've been recording some program called Vice because I was told they had a fascinating segment on it but no such luck so far. 
• A story yesterday proclaimed "PC Sales Plummeting".  I believe it. Tablets have to curtail the market, and it seems, at least to me, PCs built in the last two years seem more reliable and less subject to being bogged down. 
• That new Baby Pup will be cuter won't it? Say once it does something, like, get up and walk!? 
• Dennis Prager is still a nut to me. And his stance against public education (or any type of "secular" college or university) makes him sound like the preacher out of Footloose. And a couple of days ago he said, "I can tell when one of my callers has been home-schooled."  Realizing what he said could be taken two ways, he quickly had to stammer out the words "because they are more polite and more intelligent." 
• The other day I saw a recent report created by the Secret Service after they did a forensic analysis on a cell phone. Think about every text, every phone call number incoming or outgoing, your contacts, any photo, and more being printed out. 

Taking You Into The Middle Of The Week

That odd pic is actually animated. And there's an explanation. Here.

Boring But Hot Legal Opinion: Our Patent System Is Broken

In 2007, a shocking 24% of all patent infringement suits were filed by "patent trolls." That is, entities that don't make anything with the patent -- they just acquire patents in order to sue those companies who may infringe upon it. Sound like a bad system? Well, in a study just released, in 2012 that number jumped to over 50% of all patent lawsuits.

How bad is it? Of the top ten patent infringement filers, nine of them were patent trolls.

I've mentioned this before, but one of the Top 50 valued houses in Dallas is owned by a guy who does nothing but buy patents and sues. (I'm too lazy to find the link.)  And I saw one of my old Insurance Defense Firm co-workers a few years back at the Decatur courthouse and he told me he was going into "patent law". I was confused about that then. I'm not now.

Firing Up The LL Radar

I hope Pete Delkus is in hiding today because those "severe thunderstorms" and "hail as big as your head" simply did not materialize. Get me all ramped up for a thunderstorm and not delivering is no longer acceptable.

Oh, I loved how they said the high would be in the mid-50s today. That's all well and good if you would have told me that would occur at midnight!  It's in the 30s out there right now. I'm surprised they don't have the sand trucks fired up.

(And remember kids. Rangers' first pitch is at 1:05 p.m.)

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I'm not sure I understand the pro-gun folks mockingly say "Ban knives!" in light of yesterday's stabbings at the community college near Houston. Don't they realize there's a little difference of no one dying in that attack?
• There was a bill presented to the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee yesterday afternoon which would legalize switchblades. That's some very bad timing. 
• Accidental Racist by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J may be the worst song in the history of ever. Its race relations lyrics are beyond childish and simple, and the combination of Paisley's "country" and LL Cool J's rap is a train wreck.  However, I can see how Paisley thought it was a good idea, but what in the heck was LL Cool J thinking? If he was still relevant in the rap community, he might get banned. 
• I've got a friend who had a Double Fake DEA agent call her yesterday and demand $1,800 in cash as a "fine" to be paid immediately via wire transfer. I heard the initial message and the boldness was shocking. 
• Funny tweet from Steve Martin yesterday about North Korea: "When I was 12, I wanted to fire a missile, too."
• The Dallas Morning News Local Broadcaster Bracket is genius in its simplicity. All those guys will talk about it driving web traffic. 
• The Navy's Blue Angels have been shut down in light of the Sequester. But at a cost of $25 million a year, is that a bad thing?
• Latest stat: "About 22 percent of births for Texas girls ages 15-19 were repeat births. The U.S. rate is 18.3 percent." Mind-boggling. 
• The Fourth Grader In The House has a new bit. For some reason she tends to hear the last half of a brief comment or conversation between others in the house and then is obsessed in knowing the whole story. "What did ya'll say? What? What was that?"
• Mrs. LL says she has the Baby Pup sold. After counting the vet bills and breeding fees, I pray we break even. 
• I don't know who Jacqueline and Maxwell Anderson are, but their split is apparently big news in Dallas. And D Magazine went so far as to link to a couple of "Hey, Now" pics of her. Edit: Link fixed.
• When I have to pick my year of birth from a drop down list on the web when signing up for something, it seems like I'm having to scroll pretty far down these days. 
•  I was going to write "What ever happened to Congressman Gary Condit?" Then I went on his wikipedia page and got sidetracked by learning that a guy was sentenced to 60 years in prison in 2011 for Chandra Levy's murder. No one got knocked off the front pages by 9/11 than Condit.