Football afternoon

It’s 2:30 and the big college football games are about to begin.
The 102nd Red River Shootout between the University of Texas and Oklahoma University is about to kick off from Dallas and in 25 minutes or so, my alma mater University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (#2) takes on their arch-rival Hardin Simmons (#21).
If I remember correctly, UMHB has one 4 of the last 5 match-ups. This game will take place in Abilene, home of HSU, and the HSU Cowboys have already lost 2 games (almost 3) this season so it should be a great match-up.
I’ll be listening to that game online while watching the UT-OU match-up.
Here’s the preview from d3football.com:

No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (4-0, 3-0) at No. 21 Hardin-Simmons (2-2, 2-0): Usually this ASC showdown is a toss-up coming in. But the teams’ performances to date make the Crusaders the clear favorites this year, even on the road. Mary Hardin-Baylor has rolled over opponents by Mount Union-like scores while Hardin-Simmons has two losses and two victories by one score. The Cowboys’ hopes rest on the right arm of Justin Feaster who comes off a huge game against Mississippi College (495 yards, five touchdowns). But to beat the Crusaders, the Hardin-Simmons’ defense (43.8 points per game against) will have to play much better against Mary Hardin-Baylor’s offense (53.8 points per game).

Another note:
Mary Hardin-Baylor has one of the longest current conference winning streaks (16 consecutive ASC wins, last loss at Howard Payne, 24-20, Oct. 8, 2005)

There’s a reason it’s a product ‘party’

I started to tell Laurie about this NPR story tonight but I think my typical opening, “I heard this story on NPR today…” turned her off. So I ended up not telling her. Yeah that will learn her – I’ll just post it on my blog instead 😉
Anyways, Marketplace reported this morning on the growing numbers of product parties in recent months/years.

The words “product party” usually conjure up images of old ladies selling Tupperware. But Alex Goldmark discovered there were some out there that managed to be fun — and profitable.

According to the report, twenty-five to 40 percent of all sales at these product parties go to the “comfort specialist.” And by the end of the particular night NPR reported on, where almost everyone made a purchase, hostess Lisa Gillette, a rep for with Jockey, made $1,300. Not bad for a part-time job once or twice a month.
I know I have several friends who are rolling in the money with Arbon and others who are working there way through Mary Kay.
But the whole idea of a product party just brings to mind exactly what the story suggests, Tupperware or Amway. But I spose it’s working for some.
Listen to the story

You’re voting for Giuliani

Moby comments on Giuliani’s presidential campaign – and like him, I’m really surprised Rudy Giuliani remains at the top of the GOP presidential candidates

in the 90’s he had a radio show wherein he spoke directly to new yorkers.
he had an ongoing battle with a guy named david, who was the head of the ferrets rights association.
this quote from giuliani makes me laugh out loud.

“david, your compulsion, your excessive concern for weasels is a sign of something wrong in your personality,”
-rudolph giuliani

elsewhere in his radio program he:
a-lambasted the nra
b-expressed support for hillary clinton’s health care program
c-bragged about how nyc gave free health care to illegal immigrants
and so on.
and he’s the republican front runner?
awesome.
i kind of want to support his bid for the presidency just because he’s insane and would be a really entertaining president.
ok, i don’t really want to support his bid for the presidency.
but he is insane and he would be really entertaining as president.
i really do love that the republican front runner is a cross-dresser who has publicly supported gay rights and has called for a ban on private gun ownership.
it’s kind of amazing that the republicans are supporting a guy who used to live with 2 gay men and was for most of his political career to the left of hillary clinton.
again, awesome.
mo

But hey – he’s electable right?

A Day That Will Not Live In Infamy (But Should)

KERA ran a commentary by local (Midlothian) writer Tom Dodge this morning.
Pretty interesting. In it he talks about the killing of undercover Midlothian PD Officer George Raffield by two MHS students.

October marks twenty years since the world saw a news helicopter aerial video of a body lying face-down in the woods beside a red pickup. It was a young narcotics officer, murdered by Midlothian High School boys.
It was a tragedy but also an important story, important because the victim, George Raffield, was an undercover police officer and the assassins who planned it and carried it out were only sixteen and seventeen years old. It was also a huge story because it signaled to a complacent country during the Reagan “Just Say No” era that drugs were no longer just a big city problem, no longer just an inner-city problem, no longer just a minority problem. Drugs had come to the white middle-class, church-going, family-values-espousing, small-town suburbs.

Even though I grew up in East Dallas, I don’t recall this story personally, but it was mentioned several times in the newsroom when I worked at the WDL. Interesting history considering the impact it left on folks.
Read the full commentary or listen to the story.