TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalGoin On Highatus—A Catnip Thred Fur My DU Frends
Hello Fellow DUers,
The long anticipated move from Brenham to Irving occurs tomorrow. I'll only have limited access to the Internet for the next few weeks while I stay at an extended stay hotel and finalize plans for an apartment. I’m looking forward to moving back to a more liberal area of the state after residing in this overwhelming “red” county that didn’t have a single Democrat in any of the local races. I’ve done my best to report the local news from the events at the Blue Bell creamery to the LaRouche crazies at the post office along with being an active participant in several other groups on DU.
However, rather than say goodbye I decided to declare that I’m on highatus during this transition. I’m looking forward to meeting a few of my fellow DUers when I’m in the Metroplex and on a few other road trips. So in order to leave an impression on everyone, I wanted to do what I do best--leave the gift of another catnip thread! I’ll resume posting on a more frequent basis once I secure my next residence, but I’ll also try to check in occasionally via cell phone. Take care, thank you for your support and friendship, and keep up the good fight!
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Teh catalog of my life beginning with teh pre-catnip combustion era.
No, my catharsis isn’t breaking mews fur my DU friends.
I’ve gato significat hisstory about my recreational purrsuits.
Once I’m meowster of my apawtment it’ll purrvide reason to celebrate.
On the apawtment catio pawtaking in catnip.
I may only have enough scratch to afford a studio apawtment…
…but getting away from teh kindle became my purrpose.
I only hope the landlord won’t find a claws to revoke my apawtment lease.
And since it is Friday, I'll conclude with some Friday Night Catnip!
Poor penmanship costs doctor $380,000
SAN ANTONIO — A local physician whose illegible handwriting led to the fatal overdose of an elderly patient was ordered by a civil court jury Thursday to pay $380,000 in damages to the woman's family.
Dr. Flavio Alvarez, a kidney specialist, initially had prescribed 10 millimoles of potassium to dialysis patient Dalia Hernandez, 72, who was admitted to Northeast Baptist Hospital in November 2011 for amputation of a toe on her left foot.
Three days after that procedure, her right foot also had to be amputated.
Alvarez changed his mind about the dosage, intending to increase it to 20 millamoles, testimony during the weeklong trial indicated.
However, instead of scratching out the original amount on the form or starting over, he attempted to write a “2” over the “1,” the doctor acknowledged.
More at http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/health-care/article/Jury-Doc-s-sloppy-handwriting-factored-in-fatal-4866905.php .
Rep Pete Sessions: Speaker Boehner won’t rely on Democrats to raise debt ceiling
WASHINGTON — Speaker John Boehner reportedly told House Republicans this week that he won’t let the country default, even if that means enlisting help from Democrats to round up the votes needed to raise the debt limit.
But Rep. Pete Sessions of Dallas, a member of the GOP leadership, said Friday he doesn’t see Boehner taking that step.
“I have no reason to believe that’s a direction the speaker is heading,” Sessions, chairman of the House Rules . “We are going to have solid bills which reflect our entire conference. We’re not playing this against each other.”
Boehner has generally been guided by the Hastert rule – a policy named for former GOP Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, who typically refused to let any bill reach the House floor without support from most Republican lawmakers.
More at http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/10/republicans-stand-firm-in-the-shadow-of-debt-deadline.html/ .
FEMA workers recalled from furlough for storm prep
Source: AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says the Federal Emergency Management Agency is recalling some furloughed workers to help prepare for Tropical Storm Karen.
White House spokesman Jay Carney says President Barack Obama is being updated about the storm. He says Obama directed his team to ensure staffing and resources are available to respond to the storm.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed by to the partial government shutdown. It's unclear how many FEMA workers are being brought back.
Tropical Storm Karen is the first named tropical system to menace the U.S. this year. A hurricane watch is in effect along the Gulf Coast.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/article/FEMA-workers-recalled-from-furlough-for-storm-prep-4866283.php?cmpid=hpbn
TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau may avoid jail due to gov't shutdown
CHICAGO (AP) — A television pitchman accused of misleading viewers about his weight-loss books during his late-night infomercials could avoid jail — for now — because of the partial federal government shutdown.
A U.S. judge in Chicago was set to decide Friday whether to jail Kevin Trudeau, 50, for failing to pay a $37 million civil judgment. But the court agreed to delay the hearing after Federal Trade Commission attorneys said they weren't getting paid.
To counter Trudeau's claim he's destitute and so can't pay, the FTC lawyers presented evidence he has recently spent $920 on cigars and $359 on two haircuts. After a brief stint in jail last month, they argued he still is not being forthcoming about his global assets.
Trudeau's case is one of several in the Chicago-area U.S. court system delayed by the shutdown, and courts in the other 93 federal districts around the country have faced similar delays, said Tom Bruton, the clerk for the Northern District of Illinois — one of the nation's busiest courts. There are nearly 10,000 civil and around 1,000 criminal cases pending in the district, he said.
More at http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/TV-pitchman-may-avoid-jail-due-to-gov-t-shutdown-4866302.php?cmpid=hpts .
Honorary Cat Mayor of Alaska Town Slow to Heal
The popular and oh so social feline mayor of an Alaska town is limited to a life of solitary confinement these days as he slowly recovers from severe wounds sustained in a vicious attack by a loose dog.
Before the attack, Stubbs, the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, had free reign of the quirky town that elected him in a write-in campaign 15 years ago. He greeted visitors to his home at Nagley's General Store and enjoyed his wine glass of catnip-spiked water at the next-door bar in the community of 900.
"He's not walking very well," Nagley's assistant manager Skye Farrar said Tuesday. "He's tired and he's weak."
The 16-year-old orange cat must be kept quiet so he can mend from injuries that included a fractured sternum, punctured lung and a deep gash on his side.
More at http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/honorary-cat-mayor-alaska-town-slow-heal-20447181 .
Related thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018474886
Ted Cruz Blasted by The GOP; In All-Out War Against His Own Conservative Colleagues
It's tough being the new kid in town. Especially if you have an ego the size of Ted Cruz's, and the complete recklessness and immense disregard for all fellow Americans in trying to force your own country to shut down it's government.
The rumors of Ted Cruz's fallout with the rest of his party began last week when Fox News Sunday's host Chris Wallace informed the public that as soon as Senator Ted Cruz was booked as a guest for their program, Wallace began receiving "unsolicited" research against Cruz. The research was being peddled to him, not by Democrats, but by fellow Republicans.
But now with a hugely toxic government shutdown in their hands and only themselves to blame for it, Republicans are no longer holding back on their animosity against the junior Senator.
POLITICO is reporting Ted Cruz faced a barrage of hostile questions Wednesday from angry GOP senators, who lashed out at the tea party freshman for helping create a government shutdown crisis without any idea of how to end it.
More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14167/ted-cruz-blasted-by-the-gop-in-allout-war-against-his-own-conservative-colleagues .
Restaurant contaminated her drink with bacon, Muslim woman says
GARLAND, TEXAS — Nicole Queen never wanted the attention; only to make a simple statement on how she felt she was being treated.
A converted Muslim, she said it was supposed to be a casual lunch with a friend at TGI Friday's at the Firewheel Town Center in Garland. She said her lunch date started with a very cold reception from the server.
“It was kind of like being taken care of behind bars,” Queen said.
She said the server was put off by a request to remove bacon from her Cobb salad because it is forbidden for Muslims to eat pork.
More at http://www.kvue.com/news/state/Restaurant-contaminated-her-drink-Muslim-woman-says-226292361.html .
$1.4B I-35E Expansion Breaks Ground Thursday
A new highway project that will eventually alleviate rush-hour congestion for thousands of drivers who commute on Interstate 35E between Denton and Dallas begins Thursday.
The $1.4 billion I-35Express project will have its groundbreaking ceremony late Thursday morning.
Crews will begin by adding lanes to several bridges in Denton County to widen I-35E to three lanes. As construction workers continue south, they'll keep adding lanes and repairing overpasses.
TxDOT will build a new southbound bridge across Lake Lewisville.
The I-35Express project will also add two toll lanes down the middle of the interstate. The toll lanes will have "dynamic pricing" that will change throughout the day depending on traffic.
More at http://www.nbcdfw.com/traffic/stories/14B-I-35E-Expansion-Breaks-Ground-Thursday-226290161.html .
[font color=green]Estimated completion date is early 2017.[/font]
The Not So Perfect Margarita: 30,000 pounds of limes roll onto San Antonio highway (US 90)
SAN ANTONIO -- A trailer-truck carrying produce flipped over on its side Thursday morning, sending 30,000 pounds of limes rolling across Highway 90, according to police.
The incident happened just before 3:15 a.m. on the entrance ramp of Highway 90, coming from Interstate 37, south of downtown.
Police said the driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle and flipped over. The driver and passenger were not injured, according to investigators at the scene.
The cleanup is expected to take over four hours; police do not expect the road to reopen until 10 a.m. Cleanup crews were manually filling crates full of limes and loading them onto another truck.
Source: http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/30000-pounds-of-limes-roll-onto-San-Antonio-highway-226289711.html
[font color=green]Just add road salt and tequila...[/font] 
:cheers:
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
Number of posts: 112,167
