Is there time to call of the VP debate?

Uh, and how old is McCain?


Watch CBS Videos Online

A t-shirt (and ad) for all lovers of The Big Lebowski

Clicked on this ad for an election year t-shirt promoting the (fake) candidacy of The Dude and Walter for the presidency.

The Dude and Walter, of course, are the two main characters in the Cohen Bros. movie The Big Lebowski.

While the t-shirt is okay, what's more funny are all the comments left by people who saw the digital ad -- all memorable comments taken from the movie, if you liked the movie, that is.

Banjo says check it out.

Slampo returns

After a mysterious absence that lasted nearly two months, the Houston-based blogger known as Slampo has returned.

We did not pry into the reasons for his long absence as we have retreated a few times from the fast-paced "blogging scene," but admit to sending him one gentle missive advising him that Bloggerville missed him.

Bottom line: Bloggerville's a better place now.

Banjo-crest OUT.

A bourgeois, micro view of our faltering economy

I have two personal examples experienced within the last 24 hours.

At Outback Steakhouse, where I haven't dined in a couple months, I ordered a house salad. It had to be 20 percent smaller. I said nothing in the way of a complaint and otherwise enjoyed the meal.

At Panera Bread, I ordered a pecan braid pastry. Again, obviously smaller than in previous outings. Perhaps 15 percent smaller. I noted the smaller size to the woman behind the counter. She said, "Oh, it depends on the baker." Yeah, right.

I really shouldn't be surprised. In times like these, merchants resort to such manuevers so they can still charge the same price as they do during the normal course of business and still make a profit.

I don't have to like it, though.

Banjo-crest OUT!

quote/unquote: (Wall St., Mao, Wasilla, Palin )

(Another installment of a continuing series made in St. Louis)


"Worst Crisis Since '30s, With No End in Sight" & "The End of Wall Street" & "Wall Street No Longer Exists"
*--- headlines in The Wall Street Journal Sept. 18 and Sept. 23

"Just because we won the victory, we must never relax our vigilance against the frenzied plots for revenge by the imperialists and their running dogs. Whoever relaxes vigilance will disarm himself politically and lands himself in a passive position."
*- Chairman Mao Zedong, 1949 (see "Mao Seeing Red" portrait by Andy Warhol, above)

"There is no center here. There is no sense of identity. There's nothing to ground the town. In fact, when I first came here, I got lost looking for the town until I realized I was in the town."
* Jim Holycross, native of Oregon and current city planner for the city of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin's hometown where she was mayor.

"It was so sweet. It was so Wasilla."
*- Sarah Palin, commenting on the '99 wedding she presided over as mayor that took place in the aisles of Wal Mart between two Wal Mart employees

Rear Window

The Web site nerve.com voted this blog post #1 in its compilation of "The 50 Buzziest Blog Posts of All Time."

It's rather shocking if you're not accustomed to fornicating same-sex couples exchanging favors for crack right outside your rear window. So you're warned.

Galveston, oh Galveston

The island will be open tomorrow.

And Gaido's is scheduled to open Saturday, writes Laura Elder of the Galveston Daily.

Don't buy the idea that Galveston will never be the same. It'll just be a little different. For awhile. Maybe even better, eventually.

Here's the overview from AP National Writer ALLEN G. BREED.

Questions posed 6 six years about Iraq now take on a new meaning

Six years ago Ron Paul asked if the US was willing to take on a $100 billion war against Iraq.

"...we have already burned through around $550 billion in Iraq, at a rate of about $2 billion per week. Economist Joseph Stiglitz’s estimates are even higher, at $12 billion a month. It is a total price tag quickly heading into the trillions..."

Here's the rest of the Favorite Son's message for today.

Ron Paul on the humongously big bailout -- "This won't be the last one"

If you are a Ron Paul hater, and we know you're out there, your feelings about our Favorite Son presidential candidate might not be so harsh now in light of what the federal government has been doing on Wall Street.

US News & World Report chatted with him here.

Next bailout? The US auto industry, Paul says.

Vinyl chloride leak @ Dow Chemical

Like we reported yesterday in Hairballs, the petrochemical industry is cranking things back up all over southeast Texas now that Ike is gone, but things aren't going entirely peachy at Dow Chemical, where at 2:13 a.m. this morning a vinyl chloride leak was sprung.

As you may know, vinyl chloride has been identified as a carcinogen by our government.

What happened?

It says here that
"A heat exchanger leaked vinyl chloride into the cooling water system which vented to the air."

An estimated 39.8 pounds of vinyl chloride was released, but by 8:58 a.m. today it was all over and everybody went on about their business. wondering when their power would be restored.

The Texas Open Beaches Act is about to come under yet another round of endless debate

As far as we can tell, the Associated Press is the first to raise the ugly, post-IKE specter of the Texas Open Beaches Act, but the lede of their story is unfortunately and laughably wrong.

GALVESTON, TX -- Hundreds of people whose beachfront homes were wrecked by Hurricane Ike may be barred from rebuilding under a little-noticed Texas law. And even those whose houses were spared could end up seeing them condemned by the state.

Millions of pounds of newsprint have rolled through the presses to bring the public never-ending stories about the open beaches law.

It happens after every storm.

And nothing ever gets resolved.

The law never is vigorously enforced. The homeowners never understand. The beaches continue to erode. The Storms come, the storms go, the building goes on... and, oh yeah, A.R. "Babe" Schwartz continues to provide angry quotes.

Zzzzzzzz ....

quote/unquote ...

(Ed. note: Another in a continuing series from St. Louis, MO)

"The credit system, which has its focal point in the allegedly national banks and the big money-lenders and usurers that surround them, is one enormous centralization and gives this class of parasites a fabulous power not only to decimate the industrial capitalists periodically but also to interfere in actual production in the most dangerous manner * and this crew knows nothing of production and has nothing at all to do with it."
*- Karl Marx (fanciful portrait, above), "Capital", volume 3, chapter 33

"It thrashes your guts and your lungs and your thighs. That's why I like it."
* Sarah Palin, whose father was a high school cross country coach, on why she likes running up steep hills


"At times like the present, when the evils of unsound finance threaten us, the speculator may anticipate a harvest gathered from the misfortune of others, the capitalist may protect himself by hoarding or may even find profit in the fluctuation of values; but the wage earner * the first to be injured by a depreciated currency and the last to receive the benefit of its correction * is practically defenseless."
* President Grover Cleveland, circa 1888

"Other campaigns have lied, and yes, Democratic ones as well as Republican. But none I've ever covered has lied like this one and told lies about the lies and then gone and played the victim to its base voters and then, as a parting shot, shut off all serious press inquiries so that it didn't really have to answer any difficult questions about its lies. John McCain, of 'straight talk' fame, hasn't spoken with the reporters on his plane in more than a month....But you can't have an argument with people who play according to these rules. They enforce no code of decency upon themselves, and no one exists to enforce it. The 'objective' media? Stop joking. They're powerless to stop it; all they really do, as NPR did this morning, is give more air time to the victim-playing about the lies about the lies. We're down the rabbit hole. If these people win, we'll be in a worse place than that."
* Michael Tomasky, Manchester (UK) Guardian, Sept. 17

"The Kentucky coach (Adolph Rupp) was stiff, formal, and predictable. He liked Lawrence Welk and dark Cadillacs and, even if he had not been bald, never would have let his hair down. He was notoriously thrifty and loved to discuss his many accomplishments. "(Rupp) was the biggest egotist that I've ever known," said Kentucky's president John Oswald.. His suits were always brown, his pajamas were always red and his teams, with only two exceptions in 42 years, were always white.
"(Texas Western Coach Don) Haskins hunted, fished, gambled and could drink most men under the table. He fussed and fidgeted so badly his friends had difficulty imagining him asleep. "Tarzan with his loincloth on fire," is how Eddie Mullens, then Texas Western's sports information director, described him. He tipped well, he drove pick-up trucks, and had no detectable ego or fashion sense. "What you see is what you get," said friend Jimmy Rogers. "He is the most unpretentious person you'll ever meet."
--"And the Walls Came Tumbling Down *Kentucky, Texas Western
and the Game That Changed American Sports" by Frank Fitzpatrick
( Haskins died last week.)

A virtual visit to San Leon, TX

After reading this story by John Nova Lomax, I feel like I spent the whole afternoon in San Leon, Galveston County, TX -- a place where some folks rode out Hurricane Ike on a ferry-converted-to-a-bar and lived to tell about it.

If you can stand to view more images from Hurricane Ike, here's a varied collection

The blog operated The Houston Press called Hairballs has it.

Photos from Galveston's Terramar Beach don't look so bad

Some frustrated people with property on Terramar Beach on far West Galveston Island sent us these photos
to show that portion of the island's far west end made it through Hurricane Ike pretty well.

Lucky for them, they were on the so-called "dry side" of the hurricane, being located so far west of Galveston proper, and they didn't get the same kind of tidal surge that Bolivar Peninsula got. At least that's our armchair, amateur explanation.

Terramar, for the most part, is located north of FM 3005, the main road through the west end, and thus is on the bay side of the island.

Apparently, the amateur photographers took a boat to their subdivision to circumvent the authorities.

They also sent us a rather peculiar message with the photos, which came to us via the "comment section" of our previous post.

Here's most of what it said:

"Before media became a capitalistic controlled propaganda machine in modern times, reliable communications were among the citizens via word of mouth, smoke signals, etc, which has extended to CB radio and now the internet.

If the citizens would fulfill their ancient traditions the dysfunctional propaganda machine we call "media" would dissolve.

Here's an example of the citizen's media for Terramar Beach (West End) on Sunday when some responsible citizens at their own risk, and "illegaly" came in by boat and photographed their fellow citizens homes, relieving anxiety and neutralizing big media's reports that they were wiped out, that to this date the government controllers have not provided...."

Alrighty.

Power to the people and have a Nice Day.

Islanders scrounging around for Balinese souvineers

NPR did a story on the demise of Galveston's Balinese Room.

They called it perhaps Galveston's best-known landmark. The key word is "perhaps." Not sure it was but can't say exactly what would be.

They mentioned "Sicilian born" barber Sam Maceo founded the joint and noted the illegal casino that thrived at the end of Balinese til the Tx Rangers shut it down in the late 50s but didn't get into the seamier aspects of the Maceo operation, which is probably just as well.

Better to idealize long-lost landmarks, we suppose.

Oh, and they played a riff from the ZZ Top tune "Down At The Balinese" at the end of the piece.

Galv. mayor cracking under media pressure

From afar, I always got a good vibe from watching Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas, whose forbears played a major role in just about everything that ever went on in that place "near Texas."

It looks now, though, that Hurricane Ike and all its attendant difficulties are prompting her to make unwise decisions -- such as ordering all city employees (except her and the city mgr.) NOT to speak to reporters.

Hate the media, if you want, but it serves an important role, especially in times of disaster.

Houston daily confuses Galveston w/ Surfside again, but at least gets pretty good viddy

A Surfside volunteer firefighter is putting photos of Surfside Beach homes up on FlickR via the village's Web site, allowing homeowners to get a look at how messed up their homes might be from IKE.

Great idea since many of the homes are weekend/rent property owned by mainlanders who can't get down to Follett's Island.

In this video by the Houston Chronicle Surfside Mayor Larry Davison and Village Sec'ty Lisa Bailey explain it all, noting how the teeny town's Web site has received about 100,000 visitors.

Here's the volunteer firefighter Adam DeVaney's FlickR link.

Embarrassingly, the caption to the Chron video confuses Surfside with Galveston -- AGAIN.

Congressman Ron Paul visits Surfside

Why do politicians visit disaster areas?

Public relations, we guess, but a lot of them, we think, want to show they care.

The Houston daily caught up with US Rep. Ron Paul, our Favorite Son candidate for president who's gonna be on the ballot in Montana Nov. 4, who was wearing shades today, a look he doesn't typically favor.

The Houston daily flubbed the title of their video, saying the Grumpy Gynecologist was in Galveston.

Paul specifically mentions Surfside, even though Galveston is in his district, the Fightin' 14th. And, of course, Paul lived in Surfside many years.

Here's the link if you wanna watch (just don't believe the caption.)

The annals of Sarah Palin

The business of Petrochemical Underarm slowly cranking up again

Petrochemical facilities resuming operations post-Ike on this beautifully clear, crisp day:

Chocolate Bayou
Bayport Polyethylene
Bayport Sunoco

***
Gulf Coast Fracionators in Mont Belvieu reports flares smokier than normal due to power loss.

***
No plant startups reported in Beaumont region.

Updating IKE situation

** 80% of Bolivar Peninsula "wiped out" -- CNN

** Brazoria County: Military meals, ice and water are being distributed at the Alvin School District transportation center, the Kroger store in Clute, Freeport police station, Brazoria Junior High School and the Angleton Recreation Center... officials estimated that storm cleanup will cost the county and cities $46.9 million...only major Brazoria County roadway that remains closed is county road 257, also known as the Bluewater Highway, which connects Surfside Beach to San Luis Pass and Galveston along the coast.
Brazoria County Commissioner Dude Payne reported that several areas of the highway between San Luis Pass and Surfside Beach have been completely washed away. "It's taken the whole road base and all," he said. "There's only water there now." -- Hou. Chron.

** Tens of thousands of people are flocking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency aid stations set up around the Houston area.

At the road leading into the Pasadena station, a line of cars stretches as far as the eye can see and is moving at a snail’s pace. Reports are that some distribution stations are getting possibly tens of thousands of people in search of food and clothing. -- Austin Am.-Stat.

Places in Houston that are open today

This list was compiled by the Houston news professionals at Hairballs.

Notes about IKE

** Beachfront erosion severe. Estimates of at least 200 feet...11 people rescued from Flagship last night. They've been there this whole time... -- Leigh Jones, Galveston News

** Dozens of area residents suffered carbon monoxide poisoning or burns from the use of portable generators over the weekend, including relatives of a 4-year-old boy who died in north Houston.
In the 24 hours after Ike passed over, Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center treated more than 30 carbon monoxide poisoning cases in its emergency center.
St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital took care of about 10 patients Sunday in the Medical Center, including a few burned by generator fires. -- Houston Chronicle

** in Houston, some gas stations have bags over pumps. "Have a nice day," one Chevron station wrote on the bags, with a smiley face.-- Marty Toohey, Austin Am-Statesman

Anyone want to post Ike photos?

Power still out all over, unless you're in a secure location like us, but if you wish we'd like to see whatever photos you want to upload HERE.

IKE : 3 dead on isle and everthing else is pretty much a mess

3 confirmed dead in Galveston. No details. Galveston News

The Galveston Causeway buckled during the hurricane and southbound lanes remain closed. Galveston News

60 homes gone in Surfside Beach. The Facts

Most power out south of FM 1462 in Brazoria County and may take 2 weeks to restore. The Facts

Interstate 45 South is closed in both directions between Loop 610 and Beltway 8 and large sections of Interstate 10 are impassable because of high water. Houston Chronicle

IKE survivor stories

A man and woman from Bolivar Peninsula floated on staircases and anything else to could grab for 4 hours before they were rescued. They said few homes and none of the businesses withstood the storm. [link]
***
"Can you imagine me being so smart-alecky that I thought, 'It's just a hurricane?'
"God has sent me this to teach me a lesson, and a bunch of other people too. I'm never going to mess around again." -- Fletcher Harris, 85, of Galveston. [link]
***
"I'm stupid. I had a front-row for Hurricane Ike, but I'm stupid...There was all kinds of debris. Water started about four steps from the concrete and then it went up to almost the second floor...I ran out of beer before the hurricane got here. It hasn't been fun since," -- Ray Wilkinson, 67, of Surfside Beach. [link]

Babe Schwartz's son writes in the NY Times about growing up in Galveston

Cue the music ... "The Way We Were"?

Just kidding.

I lived in Galveston for 5, 6 years in the '80s, so I can appreciate some of what John Schwartz (Babe's son)
writes in the NY Times today.

But if you're not Born On The Island, you'll never be a "BOI," and that relegates you to the status of an outsider.

You can't, for instance, wear a BOI necklace. Oh, I guess you can try to fake it, but that would be frowned upon.

That's why some who live on the island call it "Galveston -- near Texas."

They consider Galveston special, in and of itself, and if you're not from there, well, you just can't understand.

Oh, it's an interesting place to live. Lots of characters walking around, sometimes raucous City Council meetings, marvelous architecture in parts and an abiding appreciation of its long history.

But, too many tourists and daytrippers, too much crime and a bit too insular.

Winter time was the best. Traffic thinned out. Beaches were deserted. Things got nice and quiet. And there was no threat of hurricanes.

17 structures down but nobody found dead in Galveston (at least so far)

Looks like no one in Galveston was killed by Hurricane Ike, Isle officials say, based on what they know so far.

...as of 2 p.m., authorities had searched 42 building for survivors and found about 27 people who needed to be sheltered. Seventeen structures in the city have collapsed, 10 of them because of fire, officials said. There is no power or running water on the island.

CIty manager Steve LeBlanc said no Galveston resident was killed in the storm “that we know of at this point.”

LeBlanc said the island remains closed and that a citywide curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m will remain in place for at least two more days.

The mayor said she has been most struck by the damage to the western end of the island where more than 40 percent of the city’s residents live.

Souvenir hunters sifting through Balinese Room remains; no sightings of Billy Gibbons

Reporters from the Austin American-Statesman are tweeting from Galveston.

A few highlights:

*A couple of people were sifting through large piles of debris from the remnants of the Balinese Room. A man walked way with a Tiki guy. #Ike about 1 hour ago from web

* Devastation along sea wall is massive, but does not compare to what we saw along the causeway. Many historic buildings lost to ocean about 1 hour ago from web

*The Moody Gardens pyramids are intact. 21 minutes ago from web in reply to clutterdiet

Here's the photos the Austin crew has posted.

They're shooting video now, they say.

Houston Congressman Culberson does his Texan schtick on Fox News Channel

US Rep. John Culberson, R-TX, helps perpeturate the Texas myth in a live interview on Fox in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike:

"Most of my constituents I know follow the rule the Culberson family follows....to stock up on lots of food, water and ammo as good Texans. We're very self reliant..."

Sheesh.

BASF in Freeport starting up plant

BASF isn't wasting anytime.

Conditions in Freeport must be improving rapidly.

BASF is telling
the state regulators that the 4 day start-up process of the Oxo Alcohols/SynGas unit began at noon today.

Per usual, the emissions associated with the startup will be directed to a flare, and the contaminants released are lengthy:

Contaminant .........Amount Released
Butyraldehyde....... 400.0 lbs (est.)
Carbon Monoxide ........2800.0 lbs (est.)
Isobutanol........ 100.0 lbs (est.)
Isobutyraldehyde............150.0 lbs (est.)
Nitrogen dioxide...........50.0 lbs (est.)
Nitrogen oxide............ 400.0 lbs (est.)
Propane .........1100.0 lbs (est.)
Propylene (Propene) .......... 2850.0 lbs (est.)

Reliant Stadium roof partially ripped off; game called off

The Houston Texans game against Baltimore, rescheduled for Monday night due to Hurricane Ike, has been called off.

"The facility will not be usable," said Shey Guinn, president of SMG, the company that manages Reliant Park.
"There's some structural damage to the roof. Part of it is off," Guinn said.
"There's also some other damage on the property caused by wind and water. We're in the process of assessing the damage," he said. "As far as the game being postponed again or played, that will be up to the NFL."

[houston chronicle]

IKE takes out isle's Balinese Room

Galveston reporter Leigh Jones is filing reports via Twitter.

The latest:

*Firefighters trying to reach site of big fire at 51st and K. Not sure whether it's still burning. Fireball last night was huge.
1 minute ago from web
*partial pieces of the 61st St fishing pier still intact. 3 minutes ago from web
*12 Galveston firefighters managing injured at Ball High. Municipal water supply completely out of commission. 5 minutes ago from web
*First responders reporting city hall roof collapsed. 7 minutes ago from web
*Several rescues in Fish Village area. Still no fatalities reported. 12 minutes ago from web
*Boats washed up against the causeway and on I-45. They're most likely from dry storage facilities near by. 14 minutes ago from web
*Crews responding to a structure fire at 63rd and Stewart. They think it's a church. Don't know if they can make it through the flooding. 21 minutes ago from web
*Flagship severely damaged. Murdoch's and Balinese Room are completely gone. Crews pulling people from high water. 25 minutes ago from web
*Crews out searching for people. No fatalities yet. Muc of the city is still flooded. Wind is still very high. Water too. 30 minutes ago from web

*****************************************

****************************************
Lyrics to the ZZ Top song, "Balinese":

Deep in the south of texas
Not so long ago,
There on a crowded island
In the gulf of mexico

It didnt take too much money,
Man, but it sure was nice.
You could dance all night if you felt all right,
Drinking whiskey and throwing dice.

And everybody knows
It was hard to leave.
And everybody knows
It was down at the balinese.

Yeah, I remember ruby,
She always dressed in red
Wearing skintight pants, lord, and how she could dance
With a rag wrapped around her head.

And everybody knows
It was hard to leave.
And everybody knows
It was down at the balinese.

And everybody knows
It was hard to leave.
And everybody knows
It was down at the balinese,
It was down at the balinese,
It was down at the balinese.

Black Panthers report for Ike duty in Houston; plus, reporter's truck damaged, prose runnin' purple in BRAZORIA CO.

Guess this is part of the famed Houston "Can Do" spirit in times of emergency.

The blog that the Houston daily is running during Hurricane Ike reports that the Black Panther Party is providing security for convenience stores in the East End, North Houston and Third, Fourth and Fifth wards.

Shannon Buggs of the Houston Chronicle reports:

Owners asked the group to provide private security for their property, said Major Kenyha Shabazz, chairman of Peoples Party No. 3, the Houston affiliate of the Black Panther Party.

``These are the places that service our communities with food, water and fuel,'' Shabazz said. ``We don't want these places torn up.''

Too bad these guys weren't around New Orleans for Katrina, eh.

``Times have changed and African Americans have progressed and now work for police departments and mayors and governors,'' Shabazz said. ``So now it's about the totality of the people and to bring all people together.''

No word on if these H-Town Panthers are packin' like the Panthers Of Old (see photo.)

Guess somebody might find out.

MEANWHILE ...
the Chronicle hurricane blog is divulging anything and everything it can get its digital hands on, including a shocking occurence at the Brazoria County Courthouse in Angleton, where some debris blew off the roof and ... and ... damaged the pickup truck belonging to Brazoria County Bureau Chief Richard Stewart. (pictured right, w/ his poodle)

As reported by the Chron blog:

...Stewart couldn't immediately tell how much damage was done to his truck, but it appeared to be minor damage to the passenger side front.
Stewart was able to start the truck and move it to another parking place...

Whew.
Now that is good news. The media should report more happy news.

STILL, one can't help but be overwhelmed by feelings of being and nothingness if you're one of the Chronicle bloggers stuck in a motel in Lake Jackson, cultural & economic hub of Brazosport, during a major hurricane.

We'll let Dane Shiller explain it in his own words:

As Hurricane Ike rages ashore, the night sky here is filled with massive, swirling dark clouds that look as beautiful as they do evil.

The power has been out for about five hours as we "hunker down" in a motel that offers few options. Leave the door open, and you let in the beast. Close it and you swelter.

Yikes!
[snip]

Although this dawn is dark, Dow Chemical's massive plant here is illuminated by generators that power what looks like thousands of bulbs.

Mmmm, pretty lights.
[snip]

As guests at this hotel try to open and close their doors _ depending on which direction the winds are blowing in from _ some try to sleep, others watch the storm. The smell of a burning joint lingers from one darkened room.

whoa
[snip]

Adding to the mix, a television correspondent at a neighboring hotel can be seen every so often running out on to a patch of grass by waving trees as she does a stand-up. She's well lit by a light running from a generator. She wears a red rain jacket and appears to be broadcasting all but alone as her microphone and her photographer's powerful zoom lens mean she's the only one that has to dash into the storm.

HO-LY SHiT.
Pass the hemlock.
No, wait, whoever was smokin that doobie in the darkened room, pass it to Dane.
Oh, that wuz Dane's room?

Reporter twittering from Galveston Island

Leigh Jones, a reporter for the Galveston Daily News, is filing fairly regular news reports via TWITTER.

Update, about 3 hours later:

Guess Leigh's outta power. Nevermind.

Awaiting Hurricane Ike aboard the majestic Poop Deck in Galveston, Texas

Going into the Poop Deck in 1983 for Hurricane Alicia was pretty much like it was today for Hurricane Ike.

The difference is, if you're a print reporter, like I was 25 years ago, you just grab a few quotes, maybe even have a beer, share a few yuks with the local barflies, then get out ... BUT if you're a TV guy live on the air, you've got to show your deep, deep concern and warn the bar patrons that certain death awaits if they don't come to their senses.

Actually, I can't remember if I had a beer there in 1983 while waiting for Alicia, but I got a few quotes.

Rule # 1 in media storm coverage: always look for people drinking. They give good quote, if they're still coherent and are not armed.

Yeah, Fox news anchor, these people aren't the brightest numbnuts around, but it's a free country, and if they die, you can say you told them so when you pry the sand-encrusted beer mugs from their cold, cold hands.

Here's the viddy I put together. (Special Thanks to Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb and the Fox News Channel.)

Geraldo DOWN!

I was waitin for this to happen.

Geraldo Rivera, the bombastic Fox reporter, has been hanging out on the Galveston Seawall all morning, down by the Balinese Room, daring Ike to do something.

Go ahead, Ike. Bring it on, bitch!

Ike did.

A wave splashed over the lip of the seawall and Geraldo hit the deck.

He came up smiling, and appeared to mutter what may have been the beginnings of an F-Bomb, but the sound was muffled, so no need to alert the FCC language police.

Million accomplished.
***********************
update:
It's now on the YouTube.

What Galveston would look like after a Category 3 or 4 hurricane

Click here for what the Governor's Division of Emergency Management envisions.

Did Galveston need "convincing" to call for an evacuation for Hurricane Ike?

We're hoping everyone in Galveston is staying calm.

The reason is, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst makes it sound like state officials had to engage in some persuasion to get the mayor of Galveston to call for a mandatory evacuation of the island for Hurricane Ike.

Interviewed on CNN around 2 p.m., Dewhurst said:

"We've just convinced earlier this morning the mayor of Galveston to order an evacaution, so we're trying to get everyone out ..."

It wasn't just his words. His tone also made it sound like Galveston officials were reluctant to call for an evacuation.

The lieutenant governor added: "This water that comes in could be almost be like a tsunami. If it's a Category 4 it could be 15, 16 feet. And in some of our computer models, the entire island of Galveston (could be) under water. That's why as we speak we're moving people out of the hospital there and getting everyone off the island," Dewhurst told CNN.

Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas ordered the evacuation around 11 a.m. today.

All of this makes us harken back to 1983, when Hurricane Alicia hit Galveston.

After the storm came ashore, there was no power -- not even at City Hall, where the council members convened in candlelight to sort out what to do next.

Why no power?

Isn't there an emergency generator at City Hall just for times like these?

Why, of course there is.

But no one had bothered to put any oil in it ... for God knows how long.

Gus Manuel, mayor of Galveston at the time, took some flak for the oversight. He didn't call for an evacuation of Galveson at the time, either, which turned out to be the right call, we guess, since of the 22 people killed in the storm, none lived on the island.

Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than smart.

Speaking of Hurricane Alicia, SciGuy notes that one of the two tracks Ike is now likely to take will closely follow Alicia's path.

SciGuy, (pictured here) says there are differences between the two storms:

The biggest difference between Alicia and Ike is that the latter storm is larger, and has been over the Gulf of Mexico longer, and therefore has the potential to deliver a much greater surge. How much? Potentially as much as 20 feet in some locations, but more likely 12 to 15 feet along Galveston Island.

ABANDON SHIP...repeat... ABANDON SHIP ...

Based on the current forecast track, Brazoria County is within the potential impact zone of dangerous Hurricane Ike. Brazoria County Judge Joe King is issuing a mandatory evacuation order for the entire county at 8:00am on Thursday, September 11th, 2008.

For additional information residents should contact their local emergency management office.

(Stay advised through the Brazoria County website as information will be posted as it becomes available. In the event you are unable to connect to the Brazoria County website important information for our community will be posted on the Bell County Emergency Management web site as well. )

Plants around the Petrochemical Underarm of Texas are in the process of shutting down. Add Dow Chemical and BASF in Freeport, Chevron Phillips in Sweeney, Du Pont in La Porte and Chevron Phillips in Baytown to those listed earlier today on Hairballs.

Meanwhile, hurricane expert SciGuy is surprised Galveston County hasn't told its people to split, noting the latest track shows Ike hitting Freeport.

God bless us all.

UPDATE ... THURSDAY A.M.
Brazoria County Judge Joe King's call to get out of town last night appears wise given the latest update from SciGuy:

...Hurricane Ike maintains a landfall centered upon Brazoria County, near Freeport.


What's been surprising overnight is that the storm's maximum winds have not increased, remaining at 100 mph this morning. The central pressure, after falling Wednesday evening, has settled at 945 millibars. The official forecast now brings a strong category 3 hurricane to Texas.

UPDATE ... Mid-day THURSDAY:
Official word from the City of Lake Jackson, the culturual & economic hub of Brazosport:

The eye of Hurricane Ike is expected to pass directly over Lake Jackson late Friday, early Saturday. We expect winds in excess of 60 mph for almost 24 hours and hurricane winds for a period of 12 – 14 hours. We expect Tropical Force Winds of 40 mph beginning 1:00 PM Friday. You need to be on the road well before this time.

The highest winds are expected to be 120 mph. This is a very dangerous situation. All residents are urged to leave the city immediately. Evacuation of Individuals with Special Needs and those needing a ride will end at 6:00 PM. today.

Damage to the city could be extensive.

quote/unquote

(Another in a series from St. Louis)
"Tradition is the illusion of permanence."
*- Woody Allen in "Deconstructing Harry"

"The worst thing ain't so bad, once it happens."
* actor Walter Huston at the end of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (see picture above)

"And all the stars that never were
are parking cars and pumping gas..."
*- Burt Bachrach, "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"

"In the 1980 campaign, we were able to make the establishment, insofar as it is bad, the government. In other words, big government was the enemy, not big business. If the people think the problem is that taxes are too high, and government interferes too much, then we are doing our job. But, if they get to the point where they say the real problem is that rich people aren't paying taxes...then the Democrats are going to be in good shape."
*- Lee Atwater, 1986 (he was the 1988 Republican campaign manager)

Bob

To see the new video for Bob Dylan's "Dreamin' Of You" go here.

Harry Dean Stanton is in it.

Bob's promoting "Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Volume 8."

You can download the single for free by going here.

This picture of Bob you see on the right reminds me of the actor Richard Boone, aka "Paladin," from the old TV western Have Gun Will Travel.

The annals of online presidential "buzz"

This is what Nielsen says:


*As they were in the TV ratings, Barack Obama and John McCain are essentially tied in online "buzz." Obama has a slight edge over McCain in the volume of bloggers who mentioned him during during the two respective conventions. Sarah Palin trailed the two major candidates slightly with an 80% index rating -- which was about three times as large as Joe Biden's.

*Web traffic to JohnMccain.com was up dramatically during the last week in August, but it was still only half of the traffic generated to BarackObama.com.

*Similarly, the McCain campaign stepped up its online advertising during the month of August but it still lags far behind the Obama campaign.

If you want more , you can check the Nielsen blog.

A modest proposal for the Houston paper

The Houston Chronicle is fixing to lay off a bunch of people if they don't get enough voluntary retirements. It's happening all over the USA.

Things must be pretty glum around the paper. I just read a blog written by the paper's "reader representative," who, after answering a subscriber's question, signed off by saying, "I hope you all have a great weekend. I think I'll be back next week."

I have an idea on one way the paper can handle the layoffs. I don't think it would get rid of the entire 80 employees they're looking to shed, but it'd be a start -- eliminate the entire opinion section where the paper publishes its institutional view of the world.

Such a move could be couched in terms that a lot of mainstream media haters would love; tell them, it's not our business to tell you what to think, we'll leave that you. Think whatever you want. We don't care! We're just gonna report the damn news.

I don't know how many people are involved in producing the paper's editorials, but it's probably more than you think. Besides the paper's editorials (which are oddly liberal for a redneck place like Houston, which is beside the point, really), you could whack all the local columnists that appear on that page, too, and I'll bet not that many readers would complain.

More would complain if you cut down the comics section. Seriously.

Oh, you could keep whatever local columnists you felt were indispensible if you wanted, and put those all on one columnists page, along with the op/ed pieces from James A. Baker and Henry Kissinger and all those other people. That't be up to Mr. Sweeny, the publisher, or Mr. Cohen, the editor who has told his charges that he prides himself on his ability to develop top-notch columnists.

I tell you one thing. Whacking the editorial page would get noticed in the journalism world, which is always studying and commenting about what everyone else is doing in the journalism world.

It might even be construed as a bold move: "Newspaper Whacks Entire Opinion Section."

And it would save newsprint, too.

Ron Paul's alt convention

My, it's been a long, strange trip for our congressman, the Favorite Son candidate for president, Congressman Ron Paul.

Click here for a video interview with the Grumpy Gynecologist conducted by the NY Times.

Warning: the first citizen they interview at the Doc's convention in Minneapolis is wearing a coonskin cap. Not surprising. You wear a coonskin cap and journalists can't resist approaching you. It's just the way it works.

Now playing on TeeVees everywhere!

New York mag is keeping track of the Palin-related humor being circulated.

This is not intended to make you mad.

We just want you to remain informed.

USA! USA!! USA!!!

Local GOP delegate in NY Times says she likes moose-killin' guv's sense of humor

An Angleton woman who's a delegate to the Republican National Convention was quoted today about how Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin rocked the house last night with her speech.

"I think she’s great; she’s giving it back to the Democrats for all the sorry things they’ve said about her and about America," said Anita Bargas, a delegate from Angleton, Tex. "She’s a conservative, and she has a great sense of humor."

We like a sense of humor, too, Anita.

Which is why we think it's hilarious you wasted $500 on the clown who tried to oust the No. 1 Conservative in Brazoria County -- Ron Paul.

FREE: cardio workout in Angleton, TX; come as you are but wear comfortable shoes

Dems feelin' their oats in BrazCo

Democrats in Brazoria County have come out of hiding.

They're actually opening campaign headquarters and publicizing the locations. They have even contacted us for help, which is a first in the history of the official weblog for the Petrochemical Underarm of Texas. (The Republicans have never contacted us for help, either, but then they don't really need our help.)

We have no idea why this is happening, but here's the info they asked us to "advertise" -- which, of course, does not involve any transfer of funds in the normal sense of the word "advertise" -- but what the hell.

South Brazoria County:
South Brazoria Democrats will have the grand opening of their headquarters this Sunday, September 7, 2008 following a Meet the Candidates forum.

The Meet the Candidates forum will be held, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Civic Center, 333 Highway 332, Lake Jackson, TX 77566 (map). This is a free event with refreshments provided.

Candidates attending include: a representative from the Rick Noriega U.S. Senate campaign, Court of Appeals candidate Jim Sharp, State Senate candidate Chris Bell, Kay Mudd, Robert Pruett, Laura Ewing, Leslie Taylor, Cheri Pate, Martin Siegel, Bobby Smith and Jack Brown.

The grand opening of headquarter will run from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and is located at 528 Gulf Blvd., Freeport, TX 77541 77541. The phone number of the headquarters is 979-230-9540. The Young Democrats of South Brazoria County will also use this headquarters for their organizing efforts.

North Brazoria County:
North Brazoria Democrats announce the opening of Pearland Democratic campaign headquarters for the fall 2008 campaign. The headquarters is located at 5040 West Broadway, Suite. 5074, Pearland, TX 77581 next to the Pearland Cinema 6. The phone number is 281-412-9475.

The Grand Opening will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pearland mayor Tom Reid will attend the opening along with State Senate candidate Joe Jaworski, State House of Representatives candidate Kevin Murphy and Brazoria County Sheriff candidate Robert Pruett.

Candidates and representatives from other campaigns will also be in attendance. Refreshments will be served and campaign material and information will be available.

For more information, please contact:

Elizabeth McLane, Visibility Chair

Brazoria County Democratic Party

www.brazoriademocrats.com

832-567-1057

mclane_e@yahoo.com