Truly, truly disturbing

I figured I'd end an absence from blogging with some seriously f****d-up s***t:

GRAND PRAIRIE — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killed himself after an armed standoff with a police officer and three colleagues, Grand Prairie police said Wednesday.

Police discovered a suitcase full of pornography, a flag with a swastika and more than a half-dozen weapons after finding Mark Juvette dead early Wednesday.

Juvette, 40, worked for the agency's Dallas Office of Detention and Removal.

Agency officials did not comment.

No commentary at this point. Just raising awareness.

A couple of thoughts for Valentine's Day

Bah.

Humbug.

Not as sucky as some

The unofficial results are in: the new Texas license plate doesn't totally suck.



I'll be following this story closely, dear readers.

It's hard out here for a pimp

Rich dudes on business trips beware--Dallas women may drug and rob you:

Well-dressed men at posh Dallas hotels and bars are being targeted by a ring of flirtatious women who may be drugging them before swiping their watches and other expensive items, police said.

One man was injured when he was beaten, possibly by a high-heeled shoe, police said. Another lost his wallet while in his car with his pants around his ankles.

*****

The stylish W hotel in downtown Dallas is among the places where the scheme is said to have been run. Authorities said the women knew what they were looking for; several of the victims wore Rolex watches.

In one case, police said a 37-year-old Tampa, Fla., executive lost his iPod, laptop and $4,000 watch after accepting a beer from one of the women.

The women may be slipping drugs into the drinks of their victims, police said.

In addition to business travellers, Dallas police "suspect there are others too embarrassed to file police reports." Way to take all the fun out of hotel bars.

Go Texas go 2!!!

Mary Mapes at HuffPo expounds on Texas' sudden possible political relevance. She also makes some great observations about my confusing-as-hell home state:

Texas is not the South. It is not the West. It is not the Southwest.

Texas is all those things, a heady blend of magnolia blossoms and masa harina; a place big enough and complicated enough to treasure both the Alamo and the dreams of millions whose lives began in Mexico. It has memorials to Civil War heroes and civil rights legends, border towns without running water and the latest thing from Barney's.

Texas is home to both big oil and big hair; sometimes to big, oily hair.

Anyway, just read it.

Go Texas go!!!

Burnt Orange Report has some thoughts today on the possibility that Texas may actually be relevant in determining the Democratic nominee this year:

Barack Obama's strong performance on Super Tuesday all but guarantees that Texas primary voters will play a key role, maybe the key role, in selecting the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.

Few saw this coming. Ever since efforts failed to move up the Texas primary, we thought we were sidelined. Then Michigan and Florida broke the rules, taking two big-state delegate counts off the table. Then Obama's captivating campaign of hope interrupted a Clinton coronation.

Until the last few days, most old Texas pols, and new pols for that matter, hadn't given much thought to the possibility of a historic Texas presidential primary. Now, here it comes, and early voting begins in 13 days.

To put this in perspective, Texas voters have never played this role in a Democratic primary. Good luck on your targeting, and good luck exit pollsters. It's a first-of-its-kind election in more ways that one. The universe of likely voters just got much, much larger.

Of course, I doubt it will ultimately matter, as this is one of the reddest of the red states. The Republicans could nominate this thing for president and still carry Texas:



That's a giant isopod, Bathynomus giganteus, a close, albeit bigger and scarier, relative of the doodlebug.

To get back to my actual point, hooray for Texas. Don't muck this up.

Help Texas license plates not to suck

The Texas Department of Transportation is allowing Texans to vote on what their new license plates will look like. Please vote so we don't end up with a field of bluebonnets on every license plate! (I love bluebonnets, but I don't want to see them all the time.) Voting ends on February 11, 2008.

Unfortunately, there does not appear to be a write-in category, so many of Texas' other lovely natural resources (e.g. Amber Heard) will go unrecognized by the state, alas.

When times were simpler...and bubblier

I did not watch the Superbowl, as I don't particularly care about the Giants, the Patriots, the NFL, or the game of football all that much. I also no longer find the commercials all that entertaining--the secret formula is out, and there is really no way to surprise us anymore.

Still, it is worth remembering the glory days, when Superbowl ads were unusual and edgy, and the idea of a ".com" company held endless promise. I think this was from the 2000 Superbowl:



At least E*Trade survived the crash, abeit with some problems.