Does Spanking In School Work?

In recent weeks the Ennis Daily News – along with other media sources throughout the metroplex – reported on corporal punishment in Texas schools.
It was reported in the 2006-2007 school year 49,197 Texas public school students were spanked as a form of punishment. The Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union claimed in the state of Texas, children between the ages of 3 and 19 are routinely punished for what they believe to be minor infractions and that in both Texas and the other 49 states, special education and black students are punished at unequal rates as compared with other students.
Growing up I don’t remember clearly what my school’s policy was on spankings. I do not ever recall having a friend telling me about the principal spanking him for misconduct. I do however remember the threat being there.
The first day of sixth grade I can still remember sitting in class with the teacher explaining what the wooden paddle – with colorful markings and holes cut in for maximum effect – sitting on the rail of the blackboard would be used for. I was a pretty well behaved child and therefore never gave her an excuse to use the paddle on me, but I also don’t ever think the paddle moved. It may have simply been a tool used to threaten us into submission. And to tell you the truth, it worked for me.
Whatever your feelings toward corporal punishment in public schools, the rules for when a spanking would be issued should be clear and consistent for all children. Yet, spankings don’t work for every person as a deterrent, especially for high school students. Corporal punishment might be an effective penalty for the average Joe male student, but what about for football players who put their bodies through the equivalent of 30 car crashes a day in practice? A few swats from the principal are most likely going to have the jocks laughing about the chastisement and how useless it is for their kind.
High school females also might not be the best candidates for spankings. This is not because she won’t feel the pain of a paddle smacking her on the behind, but instead because of the inappropriate shame the girl might feel from a male principal spanking her rear end.
I’m not one of those broadminded hippies who think children shouldn’t be punished for their bad behavior, but I am just not sure spankings are the best option for everyone. The football player might need to be suspended for a game (like that would really happen though). Detention is sometimes worse in a child’s mind than any other punishment because they are missing out on time they could be with friends or at work.
The punishment should fit the crime and the intensity of punishment shouldn’t be determined by a child’s skin color or his parent’s income level.
It’s not a perfect world and I don’t have an ideal answer to the problem, but whatever solution is in place for students’ misbehavior, it should show results that deterrence is working.

Olympics Full Of Memorable Moments

Which was the bigger story this Olympics, Michael Phelps winning eight gold medals, Usain Bolt breaking Michael Johnson’s “fastest man alive” record, the United States regaining its crown as the best basketball team in the world or the Chinese government supposedly forging records to allow underage girls to compete in gymnastics?
It is a tough choice. There were so many great moments from this year’s Olympic Games and I am glad I tuned in to check out so many wonderful achievements from the world’s top athletes.
It got me to thinking about some of the great moments from past Olympics that I have had the pleasure of viewing. Here are the highlights from my lifetime that I can remember experiencing with the rest of America.
As a boy I wasn’t that into sports of any kind, however, once professional athletes were allowed to compete at the Olympics and the 1992 Dream Team competed in Barcelona, I was interested. The Dream Team was made up of an illustrious collection of talent that included several men who have been labeled the greatest to play the game. This included Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin and Charles Barkley. The only non-professional athlete on the team was Christian Laettner of Duke University.
At the tender age of 12 I was enthralled by the all-star caliber this team had to offer. The dominance this team showed in Barcelona will never be forgotten and it is that spirit and supremacy this year’s Redeem Team was hoping to renew, which in my humble opinion it did.
My single favorite moment from any Olympic Games – even including the ones before I was born – is gymnast Kerri Strug winning the U.S. a gold medal in team competition. Strug was a member of the “Magnificent Seven” at the 1996 games in Atlanta.
You might have seen this epic moment highlighted in a commercial narrated by Morgan Freeman during this year’s competition.
Strug – being the last to vault for the United States – under-rotated the landing on her first attempt and injured her ankle. She needed a high score to cover for the Russian team’s floor exercise score, which was projected to be a good one. Strug’s first score of 9.162 points would have been good enough to secure the gold but the U.S. team couldn’t be sure of that and sent her out for another vault.
Strug had 30 seconds to limp back to the end of the runway for her second attempt. I still get chills thinking about that little girl (who was three years older than me at the time) flinging through the air with only one working ankle knowing the landing is going to be one of the most painful feelings she has ever endured. Having that expectation run through her mind as she spins and flips in the air is what makes her landing even more extraordinary.
Strug landed briefly on both feet, almost instantly raising her hurt foot from the mat. She raised her arms, saluted the judges, hopped around and raised her arms again. She had done what she need and scored a 9.712, ending all doubts about where we would finish in the medal standings.
The scandalous story of Nancy Kerrigan being clubbed in the knee prior to the 1994 U.S. National Championships in Detroit was all I remember from the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Viewers including my mother were completely engaged in the ice skating competition to see how the United States’ team would fare.
At 14 years of age I didn’t know who the women were and I hated watching ice skating, but I was captivated by the idea that a person would go so far as to attack a rival for a chance to participate in the Olympics. I truly didn’t comprehend how important it was to these athletes to have their shot at competing for their country.
The bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park that killed two and injured 111 others marred the Atlanta Games in 1996. I couldn’t believe a bombing had occurred on American soil because in my sheltered brain that sort of thing was only supposed to take place in war-torn areas like the Middle East and countries split into northern and southern lands such as Korea and Vietnam.
One of my last favorite moments is a little bittersweet because I think I came up with this idea before the Olympic Committee did. What I am talking about is the Olympic Flame Lighting during the opening ceremony for the 1992 Games in Barcelona. Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo fired a burning arrow toward the cauldron sending the flames high into the air.
When I was about 7 years old I had the idea that it would be neat to send an arrow above the crowd into the cauldron. Of course in my version of events I was the archer and I spent many days in my backyard attempting to build a bow in order to begin practicing the amazing deed I would bestow upon the world later in life. Somebody must have been spying on me and took my idea for the 1992 Olympics.

Stressful Days Can Pay Off Big

It was a hectic time last week between having a blowout on my recently repaired car, getting engaged to my longtime girlfriend, hosting my daughter’s first birthday party and spending a night out with my family for my birthday. Getting engaged and celebrating Emery’s birthday were the two most exciting moments from last week, but preparing for each had me wanting to rip my hair out at the root.
The engagement came two Thursday nights ago. The event included candles, flowers, me down on one knee holding the ring and a web of lies to assure my fiancée Joanna would be out of the apartment so I could set the mood. Joanna was supposed to be spending the evening with her mother, but on Wednesday she threw the first – and certainly not the last – kink in my plan by telling me she was not leaving her apartment on Thursday.
Adding to my stress of purchasing the votive candles and candleholders, flowers and a vase to keep them alive and finding a box to hold the ring (we are using my grandmother’s engagement ring and it didn’t come with a box) I now had to come up with a plan to get her out of the apartment for 15 minutes while I moved things around, lit candles and made sure she walked in on the biggest surprise of her life. I eventually decided on the old “my car broke down and can you come and get me” routine. It worked and her exit gave me the time I needed.
The other snag in the night was after I called her to tell her my car was okay and I would meet her at the apartment. She told me she was hungry and wanted to go get something to eat. Of course I said that was fine because if I didn’t she would become wise to my game. The reason I didn’t want her to go get food though was because then I would have no clue as to when she would be back at the apartment and I didn’t want to light the candles too early.
It all worked out though when she called back two minutes later and said the restaurant she tried calling didn’t answer. I told her to meet me at the apartment and we would go get food together. She complied, walked in on the romantic setting and told me she wouldn’t marry me, which was her way of paying me back for lying to her about the broken-down car. Of course she immediately retracted her answer and all was well in our newly engaged world.
The next day I left work early to go set up for Emery’s birthday party at my mom’s house. Working in 100-degree weather to set up tables, chairs, baby pools, water slides and other party assortments was enough to make me say I will never host another birthday party again. Little Emery was about to experience her first and last birthday party ever with her dad.
Lucky for her, however, once the festivities began and I saw how excited she was to play in the water, destroy the cake and take part in all the other celebratory activities, I had a change of heart and decided all the sweating and hard labor was worth it.
Between the stress of getting Joanna’s proposal just right and the hard work of making Emery’s first birthday a special day I wanted to give up on anything requiring more than five minutes of prep time, but the payoff for both occasions made all the mental and physical strain worth it.

If You’re Not Careful, All You’ll Be Left With Are Fleeting Memories

As every day passes by I realize more and more how much of an old man I am. All I lack really is using terms like “whippersnapper” and eating dinner at 4:45 in the afternoon.
The reason I mention this is because of the advice I am about to bestow on all you readers. Most of you aren’t going to be blown away by this. In fact, everybody pretty much over the age of about 24 already knows this, but I’m going to throw it out there to remind us all of this fact. Here it is: “Embrace the now.”
You might comprehend this life lesson as “seize the day” or maybe you like the quote, “Live like there is no tomorrow.” Whatever your translation, enjoy the precious moments in your life right now because they will pass in the blink of an eye and all you will have left are fleeting memories and even those won’t last forever.
This topic is on my mind today because my daughter’s birthday is tomorrow. She turns a year old and I will spend most of Friday thinking about what has to be done to get the party ready, setting up the water slides, decorating the house and then fretting over what should come first, the cake or the presents. I’m leaning toward presents first so that she isn’t covered in icing when the clothes are pulled out of the boxes and bags. Because I will be distracted by the insignificant details of my child’s birthday parties I am most likely going to miss out on the entire purpose of the day, celebrating the birth of my beautiful baby girl.
A year has passed and it seems like it was only a few weeks ago when I got the phone call to get up to the hospital. So many things have happened since then, so many “first” milestones, and I didn’t fully appreciate each small moment for what it was worth.
I remember her first solid food being avocado (I know, I have a weird kid) but I don’t fully remember the instance when she ate it. With every new trick (the word her mother and I use to signify landmark moments of development such as waving, talking, laughing) Emery learned in the past year I should have been basking in the moment, taking in every thought, every sight, every smell even, to appreciate and remember the occasion.
Pictures and video recordings help to preserve our memories, but what a beating it is to carry around the camera everywhere you go to pick up each individual moment from a child’s life. And in all honesty, how many people make a point to go back and look at photo albums or tapes of graduation? It is great to have photo albums around when your kids ask about grandma or what their third birthday party was like and we always appreciate the person who took the time out to document these moments of a person’s life, but few want to be that person.
So I will say it again, cherish each precious moment you have. Not to sound like a downer, but it is only going to get worse. Being a kid was great because you had scheduled naps and when you were awake all you did was play. College is said to be the best time of our lives, and for me it wasn’t far from the truth. Getting married and starting a family is a tough thing to wrap your head around, but it is always such an exciting and new time. Grandchildren are a blessing that almost no human being can avoid spoiling.
These are all wonderful moments in a person’s life and if you don’t watch out it will pass you by in the blink of an eye, just like the last year of my daughter’s life has passed by me and I feel like I didn’t fully appreciate it.

What To Do With America’s Youth?

I don’t usually respond to letters to the editor sent to my newspaper, but since the following subject is directly linked to an article I wrote, I thought I would make an exception.
Going into this you should know that Yvette Clark, who was arrested July 20 for slapping a juvenile she apparently didn’t know, doesn’t refute the fact that she hit the 15-year-old boy.
It should also be noted the boy’s reaction is not known for sure. It has been rumored he was cussing at several people at the time, but that information hasn’t been confirmed and was not listed in the police report.
Yvette Clark’s response to the article “Fight over smoking lands woman in jail” was thus:

This is not about a woman assaulting a juvenile. After it was over, the grandmother said to me, “You need God.” She didn’t know who I was. And grief filled my heart as I thought to myself, “that was God.”
Cigarette smoke is killing you and rebellion is killing your grandson. And God is trying to save the both of you. What’s ahead for them?
This case is not about a woman assaulting a juvenile.
It’s about a mother disciplining a teenager before it’s too late. But now, in this day and age, any chastising is against the law. I thought to myself, “Why is he with his grandmother? Where are his parents? Whatever happened to old fashion whippings that taught our youth to respect their elders, parents, teachers, principals and officers of the law?”
This fight is about real love, the “this is going to hurt me more than it’ll hurt you” kind of love. Nobody recognizes real love because they haven’t seen it in such a long time.
God help us for what we’ve allowed our own children and teenagers (to do). God help this whole nation because now we allow same-sex marriage and lesbianism, removing prayer out of our school districts, and allowing children to divorce their parents. Yes, it pains me to see so much bad.
Signed
Yvette Clark

Have you found yourself a little taken aback, trying to decide at what point you stopped agreeing with her rationale? Or do you whole-heartedly agree with Clark?
Although I agree with her that some youth need disciplining, where we differ is when she took disciplinary action into her own hands. It was not her place to slap, spank, yell at or discipline another person’s child in any way.
That responsibility should be reserved for the parents or grandparents, even if they aren’t going to do anything about it. The lack of a disciplinarian in certain juveniles’ lives does not give just anyone the right to assume that authority.
Clark is very upfront with the fact that she is a minister and that she believes her response was God working through her to show that boy obedience and authority. But I am almost positive that is not the way to accomplish that goal.
We are not here to judge others or punish those we consider “wicked.” That is for God to sort out through His divine intervention, not for us to decide.
It pains me also to see a world that is driven by money, sex and lies. Yet, slapping a 15-year-old boy isn’t going to fix the world’s problems. It isn’t even going to make that child see things as you would like them to. We could argue all day long about the solution to the disobedience of youth, but having a stranger slap a kid most certainly isn’t the answer.
Clark truly thinks God was working through her that day to rectify the wrongs that were taking place at Jaycee Park. I hope someday God works through someone else to show Mrs. Clark that there is a better way to handle the problems in society and that we are all His children who should seek to follow the example He set while He was on this earth for 33 years.

Under Pressure

Growing up in the 90s there was a clothing fad that ran for about a year or so that involved shirts with the statement “NO FEAR” on them. The shirt usually included a brief summary of some sort of athletic game that was down to the wire and the winning goal, shot or hit was resting on your shoulders. It would have been something like this: “Bottom of the Ninth, Full Count, Bases Loaded, down by 3…No Fear.” I found myself in one of these types of situations in a softball game a few weeks ago that wasn’t quite this tense, but the game certainly came down to my hitting ability. Time had expired – which means the game is over after the current inning in recreational softball – bases were loaded, two outs and we were down by one. I had to get a hit that scored at least one run to take it to extra innings, but a double would win us the game.
You might be thinking to yourself that isn’t that terrible of a spot to be in because as long as I just don’t hit an out then the hitter after me would have the pressure to get a hit and drive in the winning run. Well in theory that is true, except the hitter after me was my 57-year-old mother.
That’s right, this is a co-ed league. I was short a girl that night and the only person who would step up to the plate – literally – was my mom. She is Parent of the Year after that night, not because of what she produced on the field but because she helped out her son when he needed her most. The reason I say that the pressure was solely on me was because in my mom’s two previous at bats she hit the ball and fell down spinning – producing an easy out at first base – and went down swinging the second time. Nobody was expecting her to get the winning hit with so much on the line, so therefore I felt the pressure mounting as I walked up to the plate.
Every little boy dreams of being the guy the team lifts up on their shoulders at the end of the game because of some great play they made that won them the championship, whether that is hitting a much needed home run or diving to catch a ball that would have helped the other team win had it fallen to the ground. We want to make an impact that is celebrated and recognized by all. However, when growing up and having that dream as a child I never factored in the sweat and anxiety that goes along with being in that situation. It’s not necessarily about having the ability to get a hit when it matters, but being able to rise above the pressure to make it happen.
The great ones who go down as legends in sports history and perform their best when under pressure are people like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and numerous Olympic contestants throughout history. When I see archived footage of Jordan sinking a shot at the buzzer for the win I go crazy wishing I was just a fraction as skilled as he was in his prime, but I don’t consider that it wasn’t just his athletic ability that won him championships. It was his ability to focus when it mattered and become better when his team needed him most that made him one of the best. I don’t want to state whether or not I got the hit we needed to win the game because I don’t want this column to be about me, but rather about how our childhood dreams don’t factor in all of the problems that go along with the results we want. Oh I can’t help myself, I smashed a grounder between first and second that resulted in the double needed and we won the game. Go me!

WALL•E Is Funny, Smart And Sincere

I saw WALL•E Friday night and loved it. It was an innocent enough story that kids will love the robot characters but it had so many more layers.
Besides the obvious "green" issue about saving our planet so we don't need a robot to clean up Earth there were some other adult themes that were dealt with. The writers issued a warning of Corporate America taking over the nation and our democracy becoming a business. Another warning the writers touched upon was how we are taking technology so far to make life easier that people will become lazy blobs.
WALL•E is my fourth favorite Pixar movie but I think it was the smartest movie they have made yet. I will be seeing it again in the theaters and hope it stands up just as well with a second viewing.

My new rankings of the Pixar movies are this:
1. The Incredibles
2. Toy Story
3. Finding Nemo
4. WALL•E
5. Ratatouille
6. Monsters, Inc.
7. A Bug's Life
8. Toy Story 2
9. Cars

Winehouse Is New Poster Child For Harm Drugs Can Do

Amy Winehouse is exactly what parents have been waiting for since Elvis Presley’s hips first gyrated on television screens in 1956.
Rock and roll music and musicians have always been at the forefront of arguments between rebellious youth and their uptight, out-of-touch parents.
Whether swinging provocatively to the beat, giving intoxicated or drug-laden performances or recording the “devil’s music” so that when played backwards it expresses Satanic messages, musicians have been under the parental microscope for generations.
Although the music industry has lost some mighty fine artists due to drug use and debauchery, it hasn’t produced many icons whose drug-crazed antics have been as prolonged as those of Amy Winehouse, the appropriately named British pop star now angling for an early grave at age 22.
But the possibility of dying hasn’t deterred her. To fast-living youth who hang on their musical idol’s every words –– and acts –– the prospect of death is also just part of the appeal of the “lifestyle.”
Of course, Winehouse isn’t the first horrifying example of drug use by musical heroes. We have had the members of the 27 Club, Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison of The Doors and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana.
But none of them lived on the edge long enough to cause such widespread negative reaction as Winehouse has inspired.
Strangely, the loss of a Presley, Hendrix or Joplin hasn’t been enough to steer all kids to the path of good. Instead it has taken Winehouse, sitting on top of the world only to come crashing down due to drugs, to make teens and parents alike sit up and take sober notice.
While Winehouse is no Presley, she was on her way to becoming a superstar. Her album Back to Black sold more than 1.5 million copies in the UK and more than 1.3 million in the U.S. The multi-platinum album spent 57 weeks in the top UK album chart.
Back to Black was the biggest-selling record in the UK for 2007, quite a feat considering it was released in October 2006.
Going into 2008 Winehouse was a rising star with loads of potential and an ever-widening fan base. She had suffered a hiccup or two along the way with show cancellations due to “exhaustion,” and paparazzi photographs of Winehouse and her husband in an alleged domestic disturbance. But it wasn’t until the past few months that she experienced –– and we have had to witness –– the brunt of what excessive drug use can do to a person, and to a singing career.
In and out of hospitals and rehab facilities, Winehouse has started a downward spiral of health and legal issues.
As recently as Sunday, it was reported Winehouse had been diagnosed with early stages of emphysema, resulting in her lungs operating at 70 percent capacity. She also reportedly has an irregular heartbeat. The singer’s father stated these problems were caused by chain cigarette smoking and crack cocaine usage.
It’s been rumored that if Winehouse keeps up her downward trek she may be forced to wear an oxygen mask to live. Although the singer is worth an alleged £10 million she is quickly fading away – literally and metaphorically. The constant controversy is not only firing up the usual conservative groups who would veto the woman’s music, but it’s causing some of her most loyal fans to disavow her.
As long as Amy Winehouse continues to destroy her life and career with drugs she will remain the poster child for a human train wreck across the globe.

Can I Just Say...

I am so excited about WALL-E coming to theaters on Friday. Like almost every self-respecting human being on the planet who has a heart, I adore everything Pixar releases. Since they captured our attention with Toy Story the animated features released under the Pixar name have continued to exceed the viewer's expectations.
I consider every movie they release a hit, but obviously I like some more than others. Here is my rankings for all the Pixar movies.

1. The Incredibles
2. Toy Story
3. Finding Nemo
4. Ratatouille
5. Monsters, Inc.
6. A Bug's Life
7. Toy Story 2
8. Cars

I will re-post this list later to add in WALL-E once I've seen it.

It is a geek’s world

Not too long ago according to the popular standards set by the media and our own ways of thinking, growing up there was almost nothing worse than being a geek.
You might have called this person something else, such as nerd, dweeb, creep, twerp, dope, jerk or, maybe, just a plain loser.
Today’s age is quite a different story though. In fact, one could say the geek will inherit the earth.
With comic book movies ruling the summer box office, television shows like Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Lost and The Office being the new water cooler talk and businesses embracing the tech-savvy movement by creating departments, like the Geek Squad at Best Buy, dedicated to installing and repairing household computers and entertainment centers, to be a geek is divine.
Whereas 20 years ago the world of a nerd was idolized as getting revenge on the jocks that tormented them, such as Revenge of the Nerds, today’s films show nerds as not just getting the best of their popular counterparts by seeking revenge, but rather by besting them in competition, as seen in Napoleon Dynamite.
Napoleon and his socially challenged friends created a cult following throughout 2004 as Pedro was able to achieve greatness as he beat the popular cheerleader in the school’s student body presidential election. They achieved this not through some popular method of beating up the mean jock or humiliating the cheerleader, but rather with Napoleon executing a one-man dance that emphasized his geekiness.
It is no secret that characters from Marvel and DC comics’ vaults are raking in the money, These characters who are web-slinging across Manhattan and leading double lives at night as a caped crusader were once considered nerdy to be interested in. Comic books for children were okay, but if you didn’t grow up and let those graphic novels go you were the nerd of the group.
Production companies have latched onto the geek movement by casting sexy women and dreamy men in nerdy, space shows. Women like Tricia Helfer, Jeri Ryan, Ali Larter and Kristen Bell have been the topics of plenty of forums for the uber-geek, but those women have also brought in audiences who would not have normally been interested in the Star Trek world and other space/fantasy programs.
In May, David Tennant, the latest star of Doctor Who, was named sexiest man on television, according to dailyrecord.co.uk. David Boreanaz now plays a FBI agent, but throughout the late 90s and early 2000s he was a reformed vampire fighting evil on the Buffy spinoff Angel.
Another hunky star that convinces the ladies to tune into a geek’s show is Nathan Fillion, who starred as the captain on the short-lived space series Firefly. These guys make the language of geek sound sexy.
Another sign that geeks are taking over is that nerd paraphernalia is becoming sexy. One such item would be glasses on a woman. The Aphrodite of glasses-wearing celebrities would be Tina Fey, who has created a new category for wearing geek clothing that is called geek chic.
With the release of the iMac, the iPod and the iPhone, Apple has started a revolution to own the latest piece of technology that shows how geek-greedy we really are.
We live in a geek paradise now and it is so much nicer to be able to embrace your inner-dork than to keep running from its inescapable clutches.

Arlington Vehicle Accident Hits Close To Home (Part 3)

I’ve never done a three-part column before, but if this is your introduction regarding a truck driving through my cousin’s house I would suggest checking out the previous entries to catch up on the action.
After giving the rundown on what happened in part one and talking about how fast street talk can spread – inaccurately at that – in part two, today I will focus on a more private facet of this bizarre story, and that would be my spot on the nightly news attempting to give an account of the event.
While standing across the street from my cousin’s house helping with the kids and trying to keep things calm, I noticed a female reporter with a camera guy speaking with my cousin (Kristyn). The reporter didn’t get anything from Kristyn, partly due to the fact that she was still shaken up from the crash and partly that the responding officers telling her to not speak with the media because she could give some false information that would hinder their investigation.
Being in the business I am, I sympathized with the reporter and asked Kristyn if she cared if I spoke with the reporter as long as I didn’t give any information that we weren’t sure about, to which she gave her blessing. I promised to stick with only her tale of the events and stay away from speculating on what could be going on involving the police department’s case.
I spoke with the reporter and told her I would give her a sound bite from the family of the victim. Going into this I had one goal and one goal only: not to end up on YouTube with the heading of “You’ve got to see this idiot!!!”
Things didn’t start off well as the reporter asked if I wouldn’t mind pulling my shirt up to reveal the white undershirt I was wearing. All that ran through my mind was the YouTube title change to “You’ve got to see this redneck hick!!!”
The woman noticed my reluctance to undress for the camera (that’s how it starts for celebrities and then three years later there is a naughty tape available for $29.95 at some seedy website) but explained it was only a temporary costume change, as she needed a white balance for the camera.
I asked if we could do a run through of the interview before taping, but she assured me it would seem forced and unnatural if we didn’t go with the first take. I wasn’t happy about it but I agreed to no rehearsal.
Things went pretty smooth after that. She threw some questions at me about Kristyn and where she and the kids were in the house at the time of the accident. I felt somewhat natural with my answers, that is until she started asking questions I had promised not to answer.
The reporter asked about what we thought had taken place to lead up to a truck driving through my cousin’s living room. I should have just stuck with “I don’t know,” but instead I tried to get fancy and say things like we weren’t at liberty to guess what was happening outside of the home prior to the crash. On paper it sounds like an educated answer that gives her nothing, but that is because I’ve had 90 seconds to think it through and type it out. With a spotlight shining on my face and the knowledge that a large amount of the metroplex would be watching I stumbled on my wording and threw in a lot of “uh’s” and “well’s.” Not exactly my finest hour.
I never got to see myself on the news but I heard I did make it on one of the networks. I haven’t heard any rumors that I was terrible and made a complete fool of the family, so I guess I achieved my goal and got the information out to the masses without ending up on YouTube.
Mission accomplished!

Arlington Vehicle Accident Hits Close To Home (Part 2)

Last week I described a shocking scene that took place on my cousin’s street after a truck drove into her living room and then attempted to drive off. Things ended with one man hospitalized and another in jail, and as I write this column the man is still in custody on charges of criminal mischief, deadly conduct and assault with bodily injury.
For part two of this story I think I’m going to talk about how quickly rumors are spread on the street after an event like this, which in turn will show how hard reporters and news anchors work to separate fact from exaggerated street talk.
When I arrived nearly every neighbor and many passersby were standing around asking one another what was going on.
We’ve all been a part of that group. Down the street we see fire engines and police cars and start trying to gather all the information we can from the most irrelevant people that know as little as we do. Whatever inconsequential piece of trivia we happen to get from one person is linked with another portion of the story – whether it’s true or not – we heard from some other random guy we’ve never met until that moment in time, until finally we have an incoherent story that makes about as much sense as an Ed Wood film. Somehow what really turns out to be a smoke scare from a grease fire morphs into a story involving a bomb placed in the home because the housewife is really a drug dealer who is giving the local Chinese mafia too much competition in this Dallas suburban neighborhood.
Okay, maybe that story was a little too half-baked to be spread around the neighborhood while smoke is barreling out of the house and firefighters are dousing the home with water, but you can certainly understand the sort of embellishment that I am talking about.
So you can see why it would be problematic for a reporter to speak with a witness about what they know, because honestly they probably know more fiction than they do fact.
Obviously the reporter is going to speak with the fire chief or police officer at the scene, but for some reason we think some commentary from an unknown face in the crowd regarding what they think is happening will confirm any lingering questions the television audience or readership might have.
With my cousin’s particular situation, what really was a fight over a girl inside a truck between the driver of the vehicle and a man hanging from the side of the truck was told among the neighbors as both men inside the vehicle fighting with the girl between them and one of the men fled the scene, jumped over some fences and police were still looking for him.
Clearly the truth didn’t turn into something involving turf wars between the Jets and the Sharks, but it was exaggerated somewhat by the ill informed spectators.
Because of where I work I like to make sure the public is aware of the truth and that is why I volunteered myself to speak with a news anchor on the scene. I will go into more detail about my experience in front of the camera for my three-second sound byte in next week’s column, but I can say I avoided spreading any false information by simply telling the reporter that our family wasn’t sure of what had happened prior to the truck being inside my cousin’s living room and I couldn’t give any possible details regarding that part of the incident.
Next time you are standing outside a house on fire or watching an arrest take place in front of some restaurant, you might want to wait until that night to watch the news or read your local newspaper and get the facts before calling the people in your five and blabbing some falsified story that turns out to be anything but true.

Arlington Vehicle Accident Hits Close To Home

Like many of my Thursday entries, this is my column from this week. I sometimes read through it and make some changes for the blog, but because it will be a multi-part installment I have left it alone.

Over the past three years I’ve let my readership know that some column topics must be hunted down during the week and aren’t submitted until just a few hours before the deadline, and then there are some topics that come crashing down on me … literally. This week’s is one of the latter.
You might have heard last week about trucks crashing into two separate Arlington homes. The incidents were unrelated, but it just so happened they took place seven miles apart in less than an hour’s time from one another. If you did hear about these two accidents you most likely remember the one involving an off-duty Duncanville police officer, but what I will be talking about today is the other house-pummeling incident. I choose the other one because it involved my cousin’s house.
I got a call a little after 7 p.m. Tuesday night after eating dinner out from my mom who told me to get over to my cousin Kristyn’s house due to an emergency. I figured the answer to what the emergency could be would be answered when I walked in the door. Either I would arrive with the entire family sitting in a circle in the living room with an open chair in between my mom and another family member ready to start some sort of intervention (not that I’m really sure of a social sickness I am currently suffering through) or I would see bloodshot eyes and puffy faces as somebody was going to drop the cancer bomb on us.
However, when I pulled onto Kristyn’s street a fire engine and dozens of neighbors watching some sort of congested scene down near Kristyn’s house blocked me. I got out of the car and started power walking toward the epicenter of the action.
I passed by a man in handcuffs laying on the trunk of a police car and about six or seven police officers trying to keep the peace. I’m not sure if the officers let me walk by without any sort of reason to be near the scene of whatever had happened or if I completely ignored their orders to stay where I was but I found Kristyn, her two children, my mom and my roommate standing across the street from Kristyn’s house that had a new addition to it.
What we have now learned is a truck was driven through the garage into the living room of her house due to two guys fighting over a woman, but I’ll get into that part of the story next week.
You see, I have several things to talk about that came out of this tragic event. I am not sure how many columns I can get out of this one accident, but I do know there will be multiple parts to it.
Sorry this doesn’t give you much to enjoy, but I needed to set the story up for at least two more columns that couldn’t be done quickly. See you next week.

17 Things A Grown Man Shouldn't Have (According To Somebody Else)

Getting inspiration from all over helps with a weekly column, such as this week’s little gem.
I was yet again surfing around on the Internet and came across an article on MSN listing 17 things a man should have left behind in his adolescent days (it really was a list of 18 things, but my publisher or editor deleted the one about a penis). I thought the article was somewhat humorous considering I found myself checking off a few of these items still at 27 years old.
This list also comes on the heels of a small tremor on the home front with my girlfriend Joanna about hanging posters in our future home.
Here we go with the list.

1. A black eye. Unless the rim hits your face mid-dunk, your peepers should remain unblemished. You’re smart enough to talk your way out of any fight you're going to lose.
I have somehow avoided any fights since high school, which is a good thing considering my size and lack of muscular strength.
However, that doesn’t mean my mouth hasn’t tried its best to get me in a fight with some heavyweights who would have given me more than just a pair of black eyes.

2. A witty e-mail signature. Quotes and song lyrics should be heard during toasts and karaoke performances, respectively. Don’t let your electronic correspondence become the digital version of a motivational poster.
Not counting a forum among my friends that has since been taken down, I can safely say I have no signatures out there floating in the electronic world.

3. An empty refrigerator. Your larder should be amply stocked, your pantry provisioned. Always aim to be ready to create an on-the-fly, three-course dinner for her ... along with breakfast in bed.
Joanna is a terrific cook and outside of pizza rolls and Rice Krispy Treats, I couldn’t make out the difference between a skillet and a saucer pan. Therefore I feel it is okay that I fall into this category still.

4. PlayStation thumb. When they’re relaxing, grown men can behave like children. But if you devolve long enough to cause calluses or button-shaped bruises, you’re assuredly missing out on life.
Missing out on life I’m not, but spending a couple of hours listening to John Madden tell me how absurd my play calling is and having the cops chase me around Vice City as I carjack people and rob videogame businesses I do partake in. Don’t judge me.

5. A key chain with a bottle opener. This bauble is both a gauche reminder of your college days and proof that you don’t know how to apply leverage using available, impromptu bottle openers: a lighter, the back end of a fork.
I don’t drink so therefore I don’t need to worry about this one.

6. A lucky shirt. Every shirt is lucky when worn by a man who knows that the harder he works the luckier he’ll be.
Apparently MSN and I don’t see eye to eye about what a lucky shirt means to us. I guess they are talking about good fortune befalling a person when wearing a certain clothing article and I’m thinking of the shirt that I wore the first time … Oh, nevermind.

7. An unstamped passport.
My passport, which I lost at some point in the last three years, does have one stamp on it. So take that MSN.

8. Olympic dreams. Exceptions: curling and archery.
I can forget this category altogether. I don’t think sliding through a coat-hanger is ever going to be an Olympic sport.

9. Less than $20 in his wallet. Fiduciary nudity is negligence. A real man should always carry a business card and enough dough to pick up coffee, bagels, and the Sunday paper without whipping out the plastic.
Well aren’t we well off Mister MSN writer. Not every journalist can be so lucky.

10. Any beer that costs less than $20 a case. And no exception for the grand-slam 30-pack that crosses that price threshold.
Again, don’t drink.

11. The need to quote The Big Lebowski/Caddyshack/Super-bad. Reciting someone else's lines reminds people that you haven't the wit to write your own.
Whew! They didn’t include Swingers or The Office. Oh wait. Those were just examples. Ah man! Mark me down for another one then.

12. A futon. Sure, beds are for sleeping. But such a meager, slouchy spread has never, in the history of sex, inspired a woman to say, “Take me on your futon.”
I’m safe here, but I do sport my grandmother’s furniture so I guess I’m not doing too much better.

13. Code words for ugly women. Actually, code words for anything.
Don’t take that away from me MSN. Don’t you dare take that away from me.

14. A Nerf hoop in his living room. Keep the adolescent accoutrements where they belong: in the rec room or above the wastebasket in someone else’s office.
I don’t have one of these in the house, but I do own a foosball table that’s kept in the garage. Does that get me off the hook?

15. A secret handshake.
Not since college have I had one of these when I was kicked out of the Skull and Bones group for taking the title a little too seriously with the members I didn’t like.

16. Drinking glasses with logos. Especially those kitschy McDonald’s Hamburglar ones.
The absence of drinking thing applies here again, but I have never desired a drinking glass with the Hamburglar on it more than I have right now.

17. A recent story with the phrase “So I said to the cop…”
I’ve sat here for 10 minutes trying to think of something clever to say but I just don’t have it in me to mess with my beat at the police department. Sorry for the anti-climactic ending.

Ennis Elections: Interesting And A Wee Bit Disappointing

I can’t imagine any person in town was able to avoid talking about the close races Ennis had over the weekend concerning the school district’s $48.985 million bond and the Ward 1 Commissioner’s seat, both decided by the slimmest of margins.
Being I work for the local newspaper it might be more common for our employees to discuss the goings on of the city, but I just refuse to believe these two elections were not the topic of water cooler conversation all across Ennis on Monday.
Plenty has been said regarding the 32-vote differential in the school bond election, including an excellent editorial in Monday’s edition – which for the record was not my work; I am not tooting my own horn. I’m sure the clouds of doubt are forming above the naysayers of the bond, questioning how accurate the vote count was in such a close race.
Those against the bond for whatever reason need to take from this year’s election that advertising and public support for your side is extremely important. The P.A.C. group in support of the bond were extremely active in getting the word out about why citizens should vote in favor of the bond, including signs abundantly placed in front yards and along rights-of-way, a bombardment of advertisements in local media outlets and letters to the editor written on a regular routine. The school district was also busy visiting local service clubs and city entities – like the Chamber of Commerce – to get the word out about the bond and recruit members to their following to get the number of votes required to approve the bond package.
It wasn’t until only a few days before the election that some publicity started picking up in an attempt to convince those tired of more bonds to pay for new buildings to be sure and stop by the polls and let their political voice be heard.
The group in favor of the bond’s passage was rewarded for spending the extra time and money necessary to get the bond approved. They will now reap the benefits of fewer children per classroom, better facilities and newer, updated technology at both new and old campuses.
In the other election between Byron Walker and James N. “Red” Sanders it wasn’t the outcome that was so shocking – although there was a big question mark over my head when asked who would win – but rather the amount of indifference that seemed to be going through the Ward 1 residents regarding who would be their voice at City Hall.
I made some phone calls following the election results being released and discovered there are 1,841 registered voters in Ward 1. This means 1,841 people cared enough about politics at one point in their lives to make their way to the Elections Office in Waxahachie and fill out the proper paperwork in order to do their democratic duty. So why did only 150 people actually cast their vote?
This accounts for merely 8.15 percent of the registered voters in that area of Ennis.
I’m not sure what to make of that statistic. Does it mean less than 10 percent of those willing to have a say about what goes on in Ward 1 cared enough to vote or is it more of a reflection on what they were voting on?
In a way this year’s elections were more interesting with less to choose from than last year’s City Marshal race when six candidates were campaigning for the top spot. Whatever your opinion regarding the outcomes of the city and school elections, it was most certainly a much-talked about and anticipated event.

Restaurant’s Handling Of Situation Leaves Customers With A Bad Taste

A minor altercation that recently took place at a large chain restaurant in Mesquite has turned me off to the eatery, which is upsetting since I really liked one of their sandwiches.
A friend of mine who was visiting the restaurant after a day of shopping at a nearby mall left her credit card at the restaurant. We’ve all come close to doing it before. We start chatting with our friends after writing in the tip and signing the little piece of paper and the next thing you know you are 10 steps away from the table and you starting thinking, “Did I put the card back in my wallet?”
My friend was telling me the story while at work about having to completely rearrange her schedule and drive back up to the restaurant to pick up the lost card. I felt bad for her and decided to help out a little bit. I just so happened to be going to Dallas that night and I told my friend I would swing by the restaurant and pick up the card for her. She was thrilled and called the restaurant to verify an authorized person could retrieve the lost card, which a manager told her was okay as long as I showed some identification proving who I was. Everything was set.
I arrived at the location and after explaining who I was to the door-holding/name-calling 16-year-old girl at the front and what my business was she fetched a manager and I was informed of some distressing news.
Apparently the business’ policy is to only allow the cardholder permission to recover the lost item with corresponding identification. So therefore I was not able to retrieve the card and my friend was back in her original predicament.
I exchanged a few unpleasant words with the manager and exited the building knowing nothing would be done on their end to rectify the situation because the reality in today’s world is the customer is no longer right. To our face they may let us feel in control but when our backs are turned or once the waiter is behind closed doors revenge takes place and we do not want to know about it.
You may be thinking I don’t appreciate the company’s policy to verify the cardholder so that identity theft doesn’t take place. That is just not true. My problem wasn’t the policy, it was that the policy isn’t understood and acted upon by all employees.
If you are going to have a rule you want your company to follow, make sure all of your employees are aware of it and also make sure they follow it. Don’t let misinformation get out that your business will allow something when a different manager tells the consumer something completely different.
Although this time it only cost me some extra gas to drive 20 minutes out of my way for what ultimately turned out to be no good reason, in the future this same restaurant could hoodwink a customer into buying a high-priced gift card that isn’t accepted later on down the road.
So here is my advice as an eating-out aficionado to all of you self-employed business owners or anyone planning to open their own business, make sure all your employees know what to tell a shopper when asked a question. And if an employee tells us they don’t know, that is okay. We’d rather not have a clear answer than be given a false one.

Ready To Take My Order? Oh Really!?

I have started to notice a new trend in the fast food drive-thru line. I don’t know when it began, but it has made my grease-laden food ordering experience a little more difficult. What I’m talking about is the message that greets you as your vehicle comes to a stop next to the intercom and menu. It usually sounds something like, “Welcome! How can I help you?” or maybe like, “Howdy! Can I take your order?”
It’s not the greeting I have a problem with. The welcome really isn’t all that bad, except for certain food industry execs who think every person in Texas says “Howdy” to one anther. What bothers me is the fact that it is an electronic message greeting me, and now I’m not sure if the person on the other side of the electronic box is really ready to take my order.
I never worked the fast food drive-thru window and haven’t had to fight through the headset with a customer so I don’t know what it’s like on the other side, but as the customer I don’t want to do anything to make employees mad for fear they might alter my specially made burger with some homemade sauce. If I begin rattling off my order because Computerized Chatty Cathy just welcomed me to your establishment, asked how she could help me and the real order-taker isn’t ready yet, then I have to be reprimanded when he or she comes on the intercom and says, “One moment, SIR!” It’s not that I’m in a rush or want to make the order-taker’s life harder. It’s just that the greeting asked what I wanted, so I began giving my order.
When I first started noticing the computerized greeting in the drive-thru lane I thought it was just two people working the headset. No big deal. However, then I started noticing that the first person was saying the same thing every time. The words and delivery never changed. At this point I started wondering when it was appropriate to start giving my order. Again, we go back to what if the employee taking my order isn’t ready. I don’t want to rush them.
Here’s another question. Why is the computerized greeter always a woman? How come we never hear men’s voices greet us in the drive-thru? Is this a coincidence among all food establishments or did the Women’s Association of Electronic Greeters go on strike until a deal was made to monopolize the drive-thru lanes?
All this may seem trivial to you and your response to me might sound something like “Why don’t you just stop eating those fatty foods and try a more healthy diet?” Well, here’s my answer to you. When you have the figure of a 10-year-old girl and everything you eat has no effect on you in the short term, then you take advantage of it for as long as possible. As soon as my clogged arteries begin to give me a shortness of breath and pain in my left arm then I will stop pumping my body full of the seventh – and lesser known – food group: grease.
Besides, I get a very healthy and delicious meal each week at the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Retirement Center in Ennis when I attend Kiwanis Club. I know what you might think, “An old folks home? Yuk!” No way. It is delicious. Trust me.

Kids and dogs: Same thing?

To those young couples or you ladies who want nothing more than to be parents but don’t yet have the children needed to test whether or not you would have the patience, time or proper nurturing characteristics required of such a person, I suggest getting a pet to use as a litmus test of your parenting skills.
I suppose any pet will do but to get a true assessment of yourself I recommend a dog as the animal of choice, and for a true test of your parenting abilities I think picking out a puppy would give some real results of how good a parent you could be.
Although I am already the parent of a beautiful baby girl I still consider how I handle certain situations involving Joanna's dog (named Mona) as a nice analysis of how I will react to my daughter’s potentially destructive ways as she grows up.
In recent months I have had to cope with the perils of dog ownership that resulted in some vehicle and home maintenance repairs.
The first incident took place during a fundraiser auction in Ennis. A friend’s sister was hospitalized and ended up dying that weekend and Joanna was at the hospital with our friend while I covered the event. Because we had left Mona alone all day I decided to bring her with me. That was a big mistake.
After being left in the car a little too long I came outside and from a distance saw in the moonlight Mona’s head peeping above the back seat and what looked to be hanging jungle vines dangling from the ceiling of my car.
As I walked closer, I could see what had happened. Despite having plenty of air with the windows cracked, Mona apparently thought she was trapped and tried to claw and chew her way out of the roof, resulting in the fabric of my ceiling, the headliner and my passenger-side visor being destroyed.
Now I’m not one of those people who think their vehicle is an extension of their anatomy, but my car has been very good to me for the past seven years and I felt like I had let her down as an owner.
Since catching Mona in the act of her disobedience I justifiably punished her and it was one of the longest and quietest drives home I have ever had. It took me several minutes just to even turn the radio on because I was too mad to want to hear music. I just festered and kept questioning Mona about why she would do such a thing to my car, hoping she would suddenly learn to communicate with me and explain her actions.
I spent the following week visiting salvage yards to get replacement items for the car before the ceiling’s fabric is replaced, but the second accident involved repairs that were needed on a much faster timetable.
Joanna came home on a Saturday night to find Mona with blood on her face. She searched the apartment to figure out the cause of Mona’s cut and found her bedroom window shattered. I was phoned and upon arriving we cleaned Mona up and checked to see whether she needed to make a visit to the veterinarian. It was decided she wasn’t in such bad shape that we couldn’t wait for my sister-in-law, who works for the SPCA, to look at her the next day. Following that, I inspected the damage and determined some sort of event on the outside caused this damage and Mona stuck her face against the broken glass.
For me, Sunday afternoon was spent purchasing glass and materials needed to repair the window while Joanna and my sister-in-law patched up Mona’s cuts and gave her some antibiotics.
As you can see this is not exactly how I had imagined spending my weekend but when you have a pet sometimes these sorts of things happen and you have to deal with the consequences. If you can’t imagine altering your schedule for your pet or having the patience required to get through the destructive times then it is completely unfathomable to think you are ready to raise a child. I’m not saying dogs and babies are the same thing, but the analogy in raising them is not that ridiculous.

The Woes Of Working Out

As I type this, I am huffing and puffing after a heated battle on the tennis court with my brother, knowing tomorrow I will pay for it all with cramps in my legs, a shoulder that feels as if it is on fire every time I take a breath and a blister that wraps all the way around my thumb. As terrible as that sounds you might think I am wasting my time playing tennis if I feel so terrible the days following.
I am okay with these aches and pains because I know I earned them by being active and not sitting around the house being lazy on a beautiful evening like it was Tuesday.
In my opinion, working out, playing a little too hard with your friends or taking part in some sort of activity that gives you a sense of accomplishment is worth a bit of soreness in the end.
While not near as much fun, it is kind of like working in the yard or painting a room. They are dreaded chores that hardly anyone looks forward to, but those who do enjoy these tasks do so because they can look at their work in the end and realize what a good job they did, despite some throbbing in their back or pain in their knees.
Since I’m sure to be nursing some small tenderness throughout my body from my sporting fun I began to think about a few of the other pains I’ve recently acquired in my life that I didn’t receive through hard work or fun activities.
I am 27 years old and by no means do I think of myself as old. In fact, in today’s day and age a person can be in their golden years and still be as lively as – if not more than – teenagers who play video games all day and live through their computers.
Recently I have noticed my body telling me I did something to hurt it when I don’t recall any such injury. My ankle will feel as if I rolled it and I can hardly walk when all I did for the previous few hours was sit on my couch watching television or working at my desk. When I wake up in the morning, sleeping in the same positions I have slept all my life, my back and neck will crackle as I stretch and move, which is a fresh addition to my list of soreness.
I can never seem to remember doing anything to make my body resent me so much, but I guess I have to expect these sorts of occurrences as I age.
I figured to have at least until my mid-30s before I would have to worry about changing my diet due to high cholesterol or exercising more because of excess pounds gained – not that anybody would ever guess that could happen to my small frame.
Although these aren’t necessarily the problems I’m currently facing, I feel as if I can’t stop the inevitable from occurring, which is that someday I will be using a walker or eventually need one of those motorized chairs to get up and down staircases.
I guess playing tennis, Frisbee, golf or recreational softball is a step in the right direction to keeping my body in tip-top shape, but it would be nice to not have to deal with living in temporary pain now to know I won’t live in constant pain in the future.

What’s in a name?

While playing on the Internet this weekend I came across an article about where musicians got their stage names. I decided to share this with some of you because it is part trivia and part music history, so why not. I haven’t listed them all but I did put the well-known artists.

Bono
Born: Paul David Hewson
Supposedly named after a Dublin hearing-aid shop called Bono Vox – Latin for “good voice.” His U2 bandmate the Edge got his own nickname from either his sharp facial features or his fearlessness of heights, depending on which version you believe.

Snoop Dogg
Born: Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr.
Dogg was nicknamed “Snoopy” by his mom for his love of the “Peanuts” comic strip. If the original Snoopy was, in fact, a little bit gangsta, “Doggystyle,” we presume, was not quite what Charles Schulz had in mind.

Marilyn Manson
Born: Brian Hugh Warner
Marilyn Manson combined Marilyn Monroe with Charles Manson, of course. His bandmate Twiggy Ramirez (Jeordie White) combined the names of the slender ‘60s fashion icon and the serial killer Richard Ramirez. Most of the various band members have taken similarly titillating monikers – Daisy Berkowitz, Madonna Wayne Gacy, Gidget Gein…

Tina Turner
Born: Annie Mae Bullock
Tina Turner got the last name, of course, by marrying her bandleader, Ike Turner. But he also changed the soul queen's given name as well, appropriately yet obliquely inspired by his fandom of comic-book wildwoman Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.

Billy Idol
Born: William Michael Albert Broad
A teacher once marked a report card for young Bill with the comment, “William is idle.” After his career went multi-platinum in the 1980s, this textbook bad boy fell off the map, going 12 album-less years before a 2005 comeback. Once again, Billy was, in fact, idle.

Elton John
Born: Reginald Kenneth Dwight
Sir Reg's early band was Bluesology, featuring saxophonist Elton Dean and frontman Long John Baldry. In 1972, he legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John, despite never having shared a band with any Hercules.

Macy Gray
Born: Natalie Renee McIntyre
There’s Macy Gray, and then there’s Macy Gray the neo-soul singer. The latter pinched her stage name wholesale from a man who lived in her Canton, Ohio, neighborhood. No word on whether Mr. Gray ever mistakenly received any of his namesake neighbor’s royalty checks in the mail.

Sting
Born: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner
Playing in a jazz band, the young Gordo once wore a black-and-yellow striped shirt that made him look like a bumblebee. “My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting,” he once joked, after being addressed by his given name. “Who is this Gordon character?”

Moby
Born: Richard Melville Hall
Childhood nickname bestowed by his parents; Richie’s great-great-grand-uncle was ‘Moby-Dick’ author Herman Melville. Sadly, this connection to the great whale tale had nothing to do with Moby’s brief stint in the band Flipper.

Iggy Pop
Born: James Newell Osterberg Jr.
His first high school band was called the Iguanas, earning Iggy Pop another colorful nickname – the Rock Iguana. Unhappily credited as Iggy Stooge on the Stooge’s first few records.

Dusty Springfield
Born: Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien
Let’s say you start a group with your brother called the Springfields, he adopts the moniker Tom Springfield – and you’re Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien. Suffice to say it didn't take a lot of arm-twisting for Dusty – a childhood nickname – to change her surname as well.

Bo Diddley
Born: Ellas Otha Bates
Bo Diddley might’ve swiped his lyrical stage name from a variety of sources. A diddley bow is a homemade, one-stringed instrument often used by sharecroppers. Maybe more to the point for this master of the good-natured put-down is the old-timey insult: “That ain’t bo diddley.”

Freddie Mercury
Born: Farrokh Bulsara
Born in Zanzibar to a Zoroastrian family of Indian descent, the man who would be Queen began calling himself Freddie while at boarding school near Bombay, where he started a band called the Hectics.

Johnny Rotten
Born: John Joseph Lydon
The head Sex Pistol is said to have earned his nickname through the dubious distinction of his prematurely decaying teeth. Rotten’s nickname for his pal John Simon Ritchie was dentally inspired, too – “Sid Vicious” was borrowed from a particularly nippy pet hamster.

Flea
Born: Michael Peter Balzary
Like Sting, another product of the Flying Pest school of rock nicknames. The Red Hot Chili Pepper’s stage name was bestowed for his high-strung nature by high school buddy Anthony Kiedis on a ski trip.

Elvis Costello
Born: Declan Patrick McManus
Originally performed as D.P. Costello, using his great-grandmother’s surname (not inspired by the American comedian Lou Costello). Costello later took his manager’s advice and adopted the first name Elvis. Further confusing the matter, he legally added Aloysius to his given name in the ‘80s.

Alice Cooper
Born: Vincent Furnier
Original band the Spiders switched their name to Alice Cooper, conjured, according to the record company, through a Ouija board encounter with a medieval witch of the same name. In 1974, Furnier legally adopted the name, keeping it for his solo career.

Meat Loaf
Born: Marvin Lee Aday
The “Bat Out of Hell” blockbuster’s first band was called Meat Loaf Soul; he debuted, oddly, with Motown, as half of a duet called Stoney and Meat Loaf. Recently changed his given first name, which no one knew anyway, to Michael.

Not quite the most wonderful time of year – but it sure is close

When I first got into football two years ago – my gateway sport into all things sports related – I found at the end of the season as the Super Bowl approached my friends groaning about what a terrible life they would lead once football wasn’t there every week.
Following the first season I bought into this mentality that football reigned and everything else was filler until the preseason came around. My sports brain went into a comatose state until August when fantasy football talk started up again and the gridiron game was back in full swing. It’s funny how the people you call friends and rely on most for pertinent information regarding your personal life can be so horribly wrong.
There is so much to look forward to following the post-season of football, which I have fully taken advantage of this year.
The Super Bowl came and went on February 3 but that was not the end of sports as we know it for early 2008. By this time, basketball and hockey are in full swing with many fans starting to get an idea of what the playoffs will hold and a few teams wondering whether a post-season will present itself depending on how close the competition is in their conference – which has been compelling for the Western Conference.
March continues basketball and hockey action but sprinkles in college athletics as the NCAA Tournament – more appropriately known as March Madness – begins. Although it isn’t until the middle of the month when the tournament starts, there are plenty of conference tournaments deciding the fate of several teams on the cusp of receiving a ranking high enough to be selected. Even teams not making March Madness still find their way into the less popular event – the National Invitation Tournament.
The end of March and beginning of April is the time when sports fans are bombarded with action as March Madness is in full swing, professional basketball and hockey are still going strong and the baseball season starts up.
I’ve always found baseball to be a slow sport, especially when watching it on television, but I now appreciate it as a thinking game. The players in the infield and outfield and the runners on base are sort of pawns in a chess game between the pitcher and batter.
It is quite enthralling to see a runner in scoring position with two out and sweating it out as the pitcher has to either strike out the batter or force him to put the ball in play where a defenseman can get an easy out.
Another joy of April is that’s when the playoffs for basketball and hockey start. The Dallas Stars have shown they will be a force to be reckoned with and we can only hope the same for the Dallas Mavericks as they take us on a rollercoaster of emotions since losing the 2005-2006 NBA finals to Miami.
A sport some find boring but I recently learned to enjoy watching – or I should say re-learned to enjoy watching – is tennis. My friends and I took up the sport recently as a way to get some exercise and enjoy the night air at our local park. This isn’t my first foray into the world of tennis however. My mom used to watch tennis a lot when I was a kid and I remember having to suffer through the sport when all I really wanted was the television so I could watch a cartoon or play a video game.
With the Davis Cup being played out throughout the year, the quarterfinals were held this past weekend. The French Open is scheduled for May and June with Wimbledon following in June and July.
Golf fans can also get excited during the month of April because the Masters gets under way, giving everyone their first chance to see Tiger Woods attempt to dominate the field, which did not happen this year. As a true fan of many sports I spent much of my weekend wondering how Tiger was doing and who the leader was – due to being out of town camping I had no access to this information until Sunday. I spent the final day flipping between the Masters, the Texas Rangers and the Davis Cup Quarterfinals.
By the way, to the guy who says he is a golf fan but would rather go fishing or find something else to do if Tiger isn’t in the hunt on the final day of a tournament, that isn’t a real fan of the sport. That means you are a Tiger Woods fan, not a golf fan.
For those of you who complain about the absence of football this time of year, I say get over it and enjoy the surplus of sports that is offered. You are missing out on some seriously great action.

Keeping Watch On Stupid People

There is a movie out called “Idiocracy” with a premise that rivals a Beavis and Butthead episode, but it stars Luke Wilson so I suggest you take a peek at it sometime. The reason I bring the movie up is because the plot –– which involves two average humans being frozen for 500 years and waking up to find stupid people have overpopulated –– makes me think that, given enough time, we might turn out like this.
The idea is that the uneducated have nothing to divert their attention and end up breeding an exuberant amount of children. As intelligent folks on the planet focus on their careers instead of procreating, the result is their group diminishes to nothing.
I love to people watch. I consider it a sport. In college I would go to the clubs in town –– I use the term club loosely since I was living in Nacogdoches –– and enjoy the sights around me as guys attempted to find a mate to take home at the end of the night and the girls aggressively dodged most advances made toward them.
By the end of my five lovely collegiate years I had even turned into a professional “people watching” sportscaster, mocking the knuckleheads with my cousin with a play-by-play of the potential hook-ups throughout the night; the “riffing” conversations performed rivaled the best Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes.
The time spent honing my skills as a “people watching” broadcaster has stayed with me over the years. I still pay attention to what is happening around me –– often ignoring the people I am with in the process –– in order to observe the morons who come in and out of my life.
Now I’ll bring these two differing topics together.
Just recently, while walking my dog, I noticed a young man drive into a gas station parking lot across the street, his vehicle’s windows rolled down.
It was hard to not be aware of this guy coming my way due to the fact that his music was at full blast and the bass meter was set at about a +11.
I heard him coming from seven blocks away.
I couldn’t tell you what song was playing but I assure you it wasn’t my cup of tea. It was loud, it had no melody and the lead singer screamed a lot.
Why is it that when the guys – and it mostly is guys – who do this choose heavy rock that makes nobody happy or hardcore rap that doesn’t censor the language?
Why do we never hear Bob Dylan or the Beatles blaring at deafening volumes?
I’m thinking about buying a Michael Bolton or Kenny G album for just these types of instances.
When some punk pulls up next to me at a stop light with loud music coming from his car I will pop in some “How am I Supposed to Live Without You.”
See what that does for the guy’s listening pleasure.
Moral: The next time you roll down your car window and think about blasting whatever song you’re into at that time, consider this: from the outside of your car it isn’t that cool. It’s kind of the same as peeling away in a parking lot or stop sign.

Ennis Dentist Takes Plea Bargain

City Commissioner Stephen Durbin pleaded guilty Monday in a settlement agreement and will be placed on five years deferred adjudication, the maximum length of probation available for his crime of improper photography or video recording.
The plea bargain was reached between the County and District Attorney’s Office and the defendant after a request was made in affidavits signed by all eight of his victims, asking for deferred adjudication. As per the victims’ request, the plea bargain agreement requires Durbin to attend sex offender counseling at his own expense, his work and home computers be monitored for improper material and he be responsible for paying up to $1,000 in counseling expenses for the victims.
Durbin was indicted by an Ellis County Grand Jury on Nov. 26, 2007, on three counts of improper photography or video recording, a state jail felony. County and District Attorney Joe Grubbs said his office was ready to proceed to a jury trial, but after extensive meetings with the victims to ensure their wishes were met an offer was made to Durbin for the probation.
“When you have victims who have specific requests you have to weigh that in,” Grubbs said following Monday’s court hearing.
Grubbs also said it was important that the victims feel the criminal justice system provide them with a sense of satisfaction and justice for the trauma and violation they have suffered.
Durbin’s criminal case was resolved only a few weeks after a related civil case was settled. On March 19 at a 10-hour mediation, Durbin’s former employees received an undisclosed amount of compensation. The victims’ attorney Clay Jenkins said nothing in the terms of the settlement in the civil case affected the criminal case or its resolution.
“My clients are satisfied with the outcome and are appreciative of the hard work and support of District Attorney Joe Grubbs, Chief Felony Prosecutor Don Maxfield and Assistant District Attorney Lindy Tober, who remained in close contact with these women throughout this ordeal,” Jenkins said in a press release. “I am proud of my eight clients for standing up against Dr. Durbin’s abuse.”
City Attorney Toby Mash said with Durbin pleading guilty and taking the plea bargain, the City Commission could vote the Ward 5 Commissioner off the board. However, since Durbin has not filed for re-election and his term ends in May it is most likely the City will just let his term end and the unopposed former Ennis Police Chief Dale Holt will then take Durbin’s place.
Durbin turned himself in to authorities Aug. 18, 2007, after a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of improper photography or video recording.
The affidavit for the arrest warrant issued by Judge Bill Woody’s office reported a complainant contacted Ennis Police Chief John Erisman advising one of Durbin’s female employees had found a wireless color video camera hidden in the changing room of his office at 400 W. Ennis Ave. The report stated the camera was used to film the female staff while they were changing clothes.
The affidavit also states the employees later confronted Durbin about the camera and filming and recorded his admission to the crime on a digital audio recording. Det. Sgt. Mike Hopson confirmed police have the audio recording in custody.
If all conditions of the probation are met, Durbin is eligible to request an order of non-disclosure that would prevent criminal justice agencies from allowing his original arrest warrant or information from the court proceedings to be disclosed.

Cannes, Sundance... And Now Dallas

The AFI Dallas Film Festival begins today, which is extremely exciting to think that a film festival is in my area of the world. Growing up I always thought of film festivals as something like the circus coming to town in the Depression-era Midwest. I imagined an entire city shutting down and every resident piling in to the local theater all day long for a week straight watching movie after movie that starred no-name talent and had a budget the size of my savings account.
I have on my radar about eight movies to see but will probably only get around to three or four of them. My cousin Clint and I were going to see a vampire movie at midnight tonight but he has a family thing to do so we are going to see that Wednesday. My main goal this year is to see at least one movie at the event so I can know I've attended a film festival in my lifetime. It may not be France or the mountains of Utah, but the AFI Dallas Film Festival is something I could really get behind and would love to work for in the future.

Axe 'Em Jacks

The Stephen F. Austin State University Men's Basketball team just won the first game in the Southland Conference Tournament and will go on to play tonight's winner between Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana. Many readers who have stumbled upon this blog are probably scratching their heads saying "the what conference?" Well I don't care what you say. This is exciting stuff for ex-Lumberjacks because our football team sucks and this is all that we have going on that is special right now. I am extremely excited about this outcome and can't wait to see what the results are for tomorrow night's game.

80th Academy Awards Reaction

The day after the Oscars is so depressing for me. I should look at it as the begining of a time to look forward to the possibilities of Academy Award potential films being released and what could be, but instead I reflect on what took place the night before and whether or not those who won were deserving.
This year I would say there weren't a ton of surprises. I didn't see the Best Actress winner coming. I had never heard of her and didn't know she stood a chance, but congratulations to her. Although I liked Juno and Michael Clayton more, I was pretty certain No Country For Old Men was going to take home the award for Best Picture and Best Director. The more I thought about that movie and its casting, acting, direction, etc., the more I liked it. I'm okay with it winning all the awards it did. I was very happy to see Juno win something. I fully recommend seeing that movie. It is a joy.
At first I gave Jon Stewart a solid B for his effort at this year's ceremony. He had a few flops that pulled him down in the ranking, but then when I started reading some of the jokes from last night's telecast and remembering how hard I laughed at his material (especially the stuff he made up on the spot) I really liked it. I have since bumped him up to a B+.
I still hold a perfect record in the Animated Feature category. I am proud to have that, which makes up for tying Joanna this year in our game of picking the winners. We both picked 11, Clint scored 9 and my mom brought up the rear with 7. It was a good ceremony overall, but it would be hard for me to not enjoy the Oscars. Unlike a lot of people, I liked that they did montages of past Oscar winners. It made me remember what a great medium film is and how many wonderful films Hollywood has given us.

My Super Bowl Switcharoo

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you thought you knew what you wanted but your instincts and emotions revealed an opposite desire?
More than likely you have faced this sort of thing. At the very least you have seen it take place in the movies before. What I’m talking about is the classic romantic comedy plot in which a man and woman think they hate one another because of differing perspectives or altering motives, but after 90 minutes of verbal sparring and a far-fetched case of mistaken identity or eavesdropping on the tail-end of a conversation that seems to make one of the couple seem to be up to something devious it is realized that the two are actually in love and have to find each other before they leave on an airplane or marry some other person.
We sometimes believe with all our heart we want a chocolate ice-cream cone but once we see our little brother lapping up a vanilla cone we realize we made a mistake and begin coveting our sibling’s dessert.
I had this happen Super Bowl Sunday regarding what team I wanted to win.
Like many in Dallas I had a tough decision to make concerning the biggest football game of the year. Should I scream and get excited for the hated New York Giants who are division rivals and knocked us out of the playoffs or did I want a perfect season to take place with a win from the New England Patriots, led by the socially retarded, football mastermind Bill Belichick? It was a classic *@%#ed if I do, *@%#ed if I don’t situation.
Only seconds before kickoff did I make my final decision that I wanted the Patriots to have a perfect season and set history as one of the best teams ever with a win. It was a little before halftime I realized the decision my brain made was not what my emotions wanted.
With such a close score all game long I noticed I was mentally wishing the Giants defense to smother Brady in the pocket and give him no chance at completing the majority of his passes.
As the game went on that mental urging transformed to physical gestures such as fist pumping and verbal “woo-hoos” with each passing drive that resulted in no points for the Patriots.
By the middle of the third quarter I had completely reversed my pre-game disposition concerning the outcome of the game and had fully embraced a Giants victory.
I am sure many “true” – aka close-minded – Dallas fans will say I have turned my back on America’s team, but instead of looking at it as me cheering for the Giants try thinking of it as me wanting the team that beat us to win so we can say that had we beat the Giants then we might have gone on to win the Super Bowl.
During the final quarter of the game I was hooping and hollering in my mom’s living room as Eli Manning led his team to football immortality. Near the end of the game I even told my family that I hoped the Patriots would lose by three points so that Belichick would be blasted for not kicking the field goal on fourth down and 13 yards to go.
I guess Belichick had no confidence in Stephen Gostkowski and a 49-yard field goal attempt.
The point of all this is to say not everything we think we want is really what we desire most.
All the consideration and thinking in the world doesn’t always give you the clearest decision. Sometimes you need your emotions to weigh in.

Jan. 10 Column

I wouldn't say this is my triumphant return or anything. Just thought I would post something since it has been a while. Here is my column from last week in case you don't know how to type in www.ennisdailynews.com.

I have started to notice a new trend in the fast food drive-thru line. I don’t know when it began but it has made my grease-laden food ordering experience a little more difficult.
What I am talking about is the automated message that greets you as your vehicle comes to a stop next to the intercom and menu. It usually sounds something like, “Welcome! How can I help you?” or maybe like, “Howdy! Can I take your order?”
It’s not the greeting I have a problem with. The welcome really isn’t all that bad, except for certain food industry execs who think every person in Texas says “Howdy” to one anther as our hello.
What bothers me is the fact that it is an electronic message greeting me and now I’m not sure if the person on the other side of this electronic box is really ready to take my order. I never worked the fast food drive-thru window and haven’t had to fight through the headset with a customer so I don’t know what it’s like on the other side, but as the customer I don’t want to do anything to make you mad for fear you might alter my specially made burger with some homemade sauce.
If I begin rattling off my order because Computerized Chatty Cathy just welcomed me to your establishment, asked how she could help me and you aren’t ready yet, then I have to be reprimanded when you come on the intercom and say, “One moment SIR!!!” It’s not that I’m in some rush or want to make your life harder. Your greeting asked what I wanted and I began giving my order.
When I first started noticing the computerized greeting in the drive-thru line I thought it was just two people working the headset. No big deal. However, then I started noticing that the first woman was saying the same thing every time. The words and delivery never changed. At this point I started wondering when it was appropriate to start giving my order. Again we go back to what if the employee taking my order isn’t ready. I don’t want to rush them.
Here is another question. Why is the computerized greeter always a woman? How come we never hear men’s voices greet us in the drive-thru? Is this a coincidence among all the food establishments or did the Women’s Association of Electronic Greeters go on strike until a deal was made to monopolize the drive-thru lines?
All of this may seem trivial to you and your response to me might sound something like “Why don’t you just stop eating those fatty foods and trying a more healthy diet?” Well here is my answer to you. When you have the figure of a 10-year-old girl and everything you eat has no effect on you in the short term then you take advantage of it for as long as possible. As soon as my clogged arteries begin to give me a shortness of breath and pain in my left arm then I will stop pumping my body full of the seventh – and lesser known – food group: grease.
Besides, I get a very healthy and delicious meal each week at the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Retirement Center here in Ennis when I attend Kiwanis Club. I know what you might think, “An old folks home! Yuk!” No way. It is delicious. Trust me.

A Good Chuckle From My Co-Leader

I came across this from Gordon Keith today and thought it was great. Laughed a lot.

This instant-messaging stuff drives me crazy
By Gordon Keith

As part of my recovery, I must admit that I am the worst e-mail, IM, text message, phone-sex talker ever.

[Instant-message exchange]

GQuick: What' RU doin?

mdog22: nothing.

GQuick: whaz up?

mdog22: yeah?

GQuick: what RU wairin'?

mdog22: suit and tie.

GQuick: ooh dresed as man. I like that, baby.

mdogg22: I'm a man. My name is Mark Dogg, assistant district attorney.

GQuick: Sorry. wrong IM name. I feel horrible. This is Gordon Keith of Quick, please keep me anonymous. Oh, Gosh.

[E-mail exchange]

Betty: Hey Gordon. I liked your article on school finance.

Gordon: So did I. you sound pretty hot ...

Betty: My husband thinks so.

Gordon: [ignoring her nouns] why don't you send a pic

Betty: here it is. This is me holding our youngest son at his christening last month.

Gordon: wow, nice rack. Too bad that baby is in the way. Here's a pic of me.

Betty: ... well, I like your back yard. Is that a ball gag you are wearing? I take it you don't wear briefs.

Gordon: Thanks for the compliments. That's a lamp I'm using on myself. Wanna have lunch?

Betty: Actually I just lost mine.

Gordon: really? did you eat your food real hard for me.

Betty: I don't think you understood me.

Gordon: EPDAGR...

Betty: What?

Gordon: Easing Pants Down And Getting Ready

Betty: Freak! I am contacting your boss!

Gordon: Please don't! Oh my gosh, I am sorry! I misread this so badly! You sounded totally into it.

[Phone call]

Gordon: Hello?

Quick editor: Gordon, we need to talk.

Gordon: About what?

Quick editor: I've received several e-mails from readers and a couple of calls from cops about some unwanted conversations you've had with people that have bordered on threatening.

Gordon: I really don't know what you are talking about. And that Rachel girl is crazy.

Quick editor: Who is Rachel? Listen, I don't want to argue about it. You are on probation for one month.

Gordon: Hey, look, if I have been a bad boy, then I should be punished. Are you all dressed up as an editor right now? Hello?

[Dial tone]

Disney Strikes Again

I have never known a production company like Disney to so consistently manufacture such delightful movies that are then followed up with lackluster, embarrassing sequels.
“Cinderella,” “Bambi,” “101 Dalmatians,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King.” These are all great movies from our youth that have entertained multiple generations and stood the test of time.
“Cinderella II: Dreams Come True,” “Cinderella III: A Twist in Time,” “Bambi II,” 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure,” “The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea,” “Return of Jafar,” “Aladdin and the King of Thieves,” “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride,” “The Lion King 1 1/2.” What a waste of time and money for everyone these straight-to-video releases are.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy is another example of Disney cashing an enormous paycheck and laughing all the way home while giving little regard to the quality of work they had established with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.”
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” is a blundering mess of a movie filled with lackluster action and a convoluted story of characters continually making and breaking multiple deals with the collection of pirates, monsters and bureaucrats the producers and writers have created and not been able to get rid of.
In the third, and possibly final (nobody knows for sure), installment Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) leads a crew, including Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly) and other familiar faces, to fetch back Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker. Chow Yun-Fat joins the cast as Chinese pirate Captain Sao Feng, but adds nothing to the film except an easy way out for the writers to move the story along to a point that they can place the characters they need in the spot they need them.
Beyond a handful of scenes showcasing Johnny Depp’s prowess as an actor and his comfort in the role of Sparrow, the entire movie left me uninterested, confused and questioning who would find any of this almost three-hour tripe interesting. I think I even heard a few 8-year-olds in front of me question how much longer was left, which isn’t a good sign.
Nothing about the special effects is remarkable or original and the audience is left wondering whom to root for as allegiances are tested and relationships are questioned. The set pieces are rather disappointing, if not shamefully absurd.
However, of all that is wrong with this movie, which is quite a lot if you haven’t figured it out, the worst part is the writers’ complete disregard for physics and realistic combat. Viewing Sparrow and Davy Jones clash swords while they easily balance on a ship’s beam while the boat rocks back and forth in a whirlpool doesn’t get the entertaining response wished for, but instead begs me to ask, “Are these guys seriously wanting me to ignore the laws of gravity and other sound science simply to be amused?”
For entertainment purposes I will accept a curse that can turn pirates into the walking dead or a captain that will cut out his heart after being scorned in love and become commissioned to the seas forever as his penance, but what I will not tolerate is that a person can swing above a ship’s deck high among the sails, fight others who have somehow ended up in this unlikely situation of playing Tarzan while a colossal battle is taking place below and then casually land ready to pick up the fight again. Curses and black magic is one thing I will suspend disbelief for, but unrealistic fights and ludicrous action sets I will not.
“At World’s End” lacks the breathtaking action, laugh-out-loud comedy and mind-blowing spectacle “Curse of the Black Pearl” delivered several years ago. It is just a continuation of the downward spiral Disney is taking with this series.
Walt Disney said it best: “I’ve never believed in doing sequels. I didn’t want to waste the time I have doing a sequel; I’d rather be using that time doing something new and different.”
The world was a better place when he was here.

EISD Chief Of Police's Arrest Getting National Attention

If you haven't heard about Kevin Haynes, the Ennis Independent School District's Chief of Police, then I will give you a brief synopsis. Haynes was stopped for driving while intoxicated Saturday night and during the incident he became violent and attacked an officer, sending the man to the hospital. He was charged with a DWI, resisting arrest and assault on a public servant.
Apparently this story and some video from one of the dashboard cameras of an Ovilla cruiser is getting national media attention. I haven't seen the video yet but I heard you can see Haynes swing at an officer and somebody tells Haynes his career is over, which it's beginning to look that way.
Haynes has been suspended with pay from the ISD until an investigation is completed.

Days Turn To Weeks

Not wanting to be called a zombie movie, “28 Weeks Later” falls into the rhythm of many zombie movies to come before it.
With more time since the rage virus infected the United Kingdom, splitting its populace into thoughtless, ravenous creatures chasing those yet to be turned and fighting for their survival, comes more gore and less imagination from the filmmakers.
A prologue starts the film showcasing a husband and wife holed up in a cottage tucked away in the English countryside trying to avoid being attacked by the throngs of creatures roaming Great Britain. In a moment of cowardice the husband, Don (Robert Carlyle), leaves his wife behind, knowing she is doomed to be torn apart by the creatures. A brief history of the virus and how it spread is offered, describing how its victims become cannibalistic.
Things begin to settle after the American military quarantines a portion of downtown London from the virus. It has been several months since the creatures died off from starvation and snipers protect the perimeters of a society that must be rebuilt gradually as citizens return from the safety of outside countries. The latest wave of homecoming refugees includes the daughter and son of Don, a duo who secretly possess a key part in potentially understanding and possibly curing the virus.
Following this all-too-brief opening that exhibits remnants of a sequel just as original and accomplished as its original the story falls into the trap of the zombie genre with a small group of survivors, including a sniper questioning his orders and a doctor questioning her superiors, trying to run, drive, swim or fly from the “zombies” as individuals are picked off one by one in death scenes that get more and more graphic as the movie progresses.
“28 Weeks” lacks the innovation and realism its predecessor “28 Days Later” had, which wasn’t just a horror movie about infected, brainless creatures turning Great Britain into a battlefield, but instead was a surreal look at the breakdown of a society when faced with a life-threatening epidemic.
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland step down as director and writer this time, into the roles of executive producers, and are replaced by director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and a new collection of scribes. This roster change is probably to blame for the disappointing results found in “28 Weeks Later.”
Instead of making a follow-up that could highlight the aftermath of such a heart-wrenching, but potential, event, Fresnadillo and his crew take their moment of filmmaking to show an assessment of American autocratic government. I should give “28 Weeks Later” a little credit for being able to constantly flop back and forth from replicated zombie movie and explosive action movie.
The one element from its predecessor “28 Weeks” is able to keep and use successfully is the music. The repetitive and haunting score is a welcome return to the franchise.
After the first two reels of the movie are gone, the movie begins to go from bad to worse. If this is the direction future “28 Time Periods Later” movies are going to take then fans of the original shouldn’t be too excited about the potential for another sequel, which Fresnadillo made sure to leave as a possibility with his predictable ending.