Sunday Biking at River Legacy Park

I'm convinced there is something good happening in my zone of Texas. As in there is a big increase in the number of Texans going outside and getting exercise.

When I first discovered River Legacy Park in Arlington, soon after my exile to Texas, I was amazed such a nice park with such good trails had so few users. That is no longer the case. Today there where hundreds of Texans out biking, walking, roller blading and jogging.

A couple years ago River Legacy Park built a bridge across the Trinity River to connect to new paved trails and a new parking/picnic zone on the north side of the river. This added about 4 new miles to the trails. It was a good addition, going through old growth oak trees that I call the Emerald Forest of River Legacy. That's part of the new trail and the bridge across Hurricane Creek, in the photo.

The long range plan for this Metro zone is to supposedly have paved trails along the Trinity River running all the way between Dallas and Fort Worth. Fort Worth needs to add some more miles of trails to get to the Arlington trails. Dallas needs to head further west with its trails on the Trinity. Grand Prairie, that is a town between Dallas and Arlington, just opened a section of trail along the Trinity. So, piece by piece it is slowly coming together. Likely not to be completed in my lifetime, but maybe by the time my grandchildren, if I had any, are my age.

Fannie Mae Freddie Mac Attack

I am not too embarrassed to admit I really don't understand any of this current Wall Street mess. Or why the Federal government, meaning the taxpayers, are about to bail out the mess with 700 billion bucks. That's $2000 for every man, woman and child in America.

I remember the first time I ever heard of Fannie Mae was way back in Economics 101 in college. I thought it an odd childish sounding thing to call what I think then was a federal agency. I'm probably wrong about that. I did not get good grades in economics. I don't think Freddie Mac had been invented yet.

I know Fannie and Freddie have something to do with shoveling out money to those who lend money to those who can't afford the money they are borrowing.

Back when the flood of foreclosures started up I don't recollect there being any sort of emergency program proposed to help those caught up in bad loans.

So, Mr. Bad Debt loses his house, the bank then takes possession of the house. The value of the house may have taken a hit, but it is still able to be sold to a new buyer. So, the banks loaned out all this bad credit, that didn't get re-paid, putting the banks in jeopardy. I guess that's it. But how did it add up to almost a trillion dollars?

I really don't get it. Why is 7/10s of a trillion dollars needed to rescue the money lenders? And why is there this rush to get this legislation passed in record time? Where did all the money that got loaned go? Why hasn't there been some sort of effort to fix the bad loans, as in re-structure the loans that suddenly had their monthly payments go way up to the point the home buyer could not afford the mortgage payment? Why wasn't/isn't that where the fix is?

Like I said, I did not do well at economics in school. It was very confusing to me. Still is.

Sunday Protest Against Fort Worth Mayor Moncrief

Incoming from Don Young. Get yourself downtown to protest Fort Worth's Mayor Mikey and his outrageously corrupt conflicts of interest regarding natural gas drilling in his town, from which he receives revenue in a criminal conflict of interest that would have had him booted out of office and serving time in jail had this taken place in more enlightened locales in America.

Below is the Protest Information.....

Who among you are willing to exercise your right to protest the Mike Moncrief administration?

You can do so today...

When: Sunday, 9/21/08. Noon - 2 pm

What: Mayor Mike Meat & Greet (fundraiser)

Where: Railhead Smokehouse (on the sidewalk around the building)
2900 Montgomery St. (just south of I-30 behind the Shell station)
Parking on the street

Bring: A picket sign with your message for Mayor Mikey.

Many people believe that Moncrief with the support and collusion of his "Seventh Street Gang" of good old boys, his Oil and Gas buddies and hand-picked elected officials are DIRECTLY responsible for an out of control gas drilling ordinance that affects YOUR health and safety, YOUR property values and YOUR parks and quality of life.

In Fort Worth, the buck stops with Mike Moncrief.

Hiking and Picnicking at Rockledge Park on Lake Grapevine

It seems like I'd just gone to Rockledge Park on Lake Grapevine. But it was way back on Memorial Day, at the start of summer. It was hot and crowded on Memorial Day. Today there were a lot of people playing in the water, but the park was not crowded. And it was hot.

Today me and my entourage mainly stayed on the beach, with one renegade taking the upper trails.

There were several people fishing. Unlike some lakes in Texas you can eat fish you catch in Lake Grapevine. Even clams grow in this lake. I saw a lot of clam shells today. I doubt there are any fresh water crabs in the lake. But I wouldn't be too shocked if there were.

Lake Grapevine is a legitimate Army Corps of Engineers flood control project, unlike the dubious Fort Worth Trinity River Vision. The Army Corps of Engineers built several nice parks on the shores of Lake Grapevine. There are dozens of miles of mountain bike and hiking trails. Well maintained by the Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association (DORBA) people.

I believe Lake Grapevine is my favorite outdoor place in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. I used to live way closer to it and played there way more often. Now it's only a few times a year.

Lake Grapevine was made 50 or 60 years ago when a giant earthen dam blocked a little creek. I think the name is Denton Creek, but I'm not sure. You drive across the dam to get to Rockledge Park from the town of Grapevine. Part of the road across the dam goes over the dam's flood spillway. I don't know if the lake has ever gotten flooded enough to go over the spillway. I have seen Lake Grapevine high enough to flood the parks and cover the picnic tables. If it got high enough to go over the spillway, this would be a bad thing. Grapevine Mills, a mall on steroids, is in the shadow of the dam. I think it'd get wet if water went over the spillway.

Today when we first got to Rockledge there were dozens of what appeared to be students of some sort, with clipboards, climbing all over the cliffs. I don't know what they were doing. The photo does not do justice to how odd it looked.

After the hiking, Costco pizzas were our picnic. It was a good picnic. After the picnic I went to my favorite grocery, Sprouts Farmers Market, in Southlake. Got all sorts of good stuff. Sprouts is opening more stores in this metro zone, with one rumored to be in Fort Worth. I hope it is in my zone of Fort Worth. That'd be a good thing.

The Morbidly Obese Perplex Me

I'm probably going to be treading on dangerous ground here. Verbalizing my opinion about those who are obese.

Obesity is fresh on my mind due to going to the Super Bowl Buffet yesterday for lunch. Sitting right by me were two totally morbidly obese women. It was not difficult to see why they were obese. First off, going to a buffet? Not a smart choice. Second bad choice? The stuff those two put on their plates and in their mouths. Mounds of everything deep-fried. And they did not miss a single item from the dessert area.

From my personal up close observations of obese people they all seem to have some things in common. Emotional issues beyond the eating disorder is one. Low self-esteem is another. Self-indulgence in areas beyond food is another. A lack of self-discipline in other parts of their lives is another. As in they are usually slobs. Yes, I know that's harsh, but, it's the sad truth.

When you get so fat that you have trouble putting shoes on, trouble getting up from a sitting position, trouble breathing, your doctor having told you that you are morbidly obese, how and why do you make the decision to put more bad stuff in your mouth? What makes you reach for that cookie or donut or ice cream or fudge? I can't understand this type of out of control self-indulgence. Is it a mental illness?

Now, I've never been what one would think of as fat. I have weighed more than I do now. As in I think at my heaviest I was somewhere in the 220's zone. That would have been when I lived in Washington. Of course, I thought it was all muscle. It wasn't.

Now I weigh in the 160's zone. So, I know what it's like to lose weight. It isn't that hard to do. It makes a huge difference in how you feel to be leaned out. I've always hated flying. I did not realize that being skinnier would make such a difference til I flew north in July and back in August. Best flights ever. Never felt uncomfortable and squeezed in.

When a person gets to the point of morbid obesity they are so fat that their body needs way more calories than does a normal sized person just to maintain. As in, to support all that weight a person who is 300 or 400 pounds over their ideal weight probably needs 5 or 6 thousand daily calories just to stay even. If the fat person ate a normal calorie load they'd lose a pound or more a day. Particularly if they are still able to be somewhat mobile.

I've known a couple of surgeons who talked about what it's like to operate on smokers and fat people. With the smokers as soon as you cut them open you can smell the smoke. With fat people it makes operating way more difficult due to the fat making everything greasy and slippery.

Okay, I'm done talking about obesity for now. Now, next time you want a cookie reach for a carrot instead.

Inexcusable: Taking Advantage of Old People

How does someone become such a lowlife human being that they could rationalize taking advantage of old people like this guy in my former state of Washington did? Appalling......

LONGVIEW -- At his sentencing hearing, Tom Sigea described himself as a simple man inept at finances. But investigators say Sigea squandered his elderly parents' money.

Judge Jill Johanson sentenced Sigea on Thursday in Cowlitz County Superior Court to 28 months in prison on four counts of first-degree theft. Sigea had earlier entered a modified guilty plea, in which he did not admit guilt but acknowledged he likely would be convicted if the case went to trial.

Sigea lived with his parents -- who were in their 80s and suffering from dementia-- for three years in their $400,000 Kalama home. Investigators say he lived well while his parents, who had $1 million in assets, lived downstairs in filth and poverty.

The 53-year-old had full power of attorney over his parents' affairs after he persuaded his brother to give up his share of that privilege.

Sigea's mother Lila Sigea has died. His father Albert now lives with a grandson in California. Deputy Prosecutor James Smith told the judge that Albert Sigea wanted his son to receive a severe penalty.

Sarah Flohr, the Cowlitz Bank trust officer handling the Sigea estate, says the stolen cash, legal costs and other expenses amount to about $850,000.

Cancel Your Citibank Credit Card Before You Die!

Alma, the Songbird of the South, sent me this and it seems too ridiculous to be true, but then again, it matches some of my experiences with calling various customer service centers....

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00 when she died, but now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank.

Here is the exchange:

Family Member: 'I am calling to tell you she died back in January.'

Citibank: 'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'Maybe, you should turn it over to collections.'

Citibank: 'Since it is two months past due, it already has been.'

Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'

Citibank: 'Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'

Family Member: 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'

Citibank: 'Excuse me?'

Family Member: 'Did you just get what I was telling you - the part about her being dead?'

Citibank: 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'

Supervisor gets on the phone:

Family Member: 'I'm calling to tell you, she died back in January with a $0 balance.'

Citibank: 'The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'

Citibank: (Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'

Family Member: 'No, I'm her great nephew.' (Lawyer info was given)

Citibank: ' Could you fax us a certificate of death?'

Family Member: 'Sure.' (Fax number was given )

After they get the fax:

Citibank: 'Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help.'

Family Member: 'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not , you could just keep billing her. She won't care.'

Citibank: 'Well, the late fees and charges do still apply.' (What is wrong with these people?!?)

Family Member: ' Would you like her new billing address?'

Citibank: 'That might help...'

Family Member: ' Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69.'

Citibank: 'Sir, that's a cemetery !'

Family Member: 'And what do you do with dead people on your planet???

Super Bowl Buffet in Fort Worth

It has now been a month since I escaped the verbal and physical abuse Tacoma inflicted on me. And the conspiratorial attempts to fatten me up.

A month of being back where everyone treats me nice has restored me to my former pre-traumatic stress syndrome state of mind. As in I'm happy again.

Just in the last week I've had a nice lady from Dallas tell me that talking to me lifted a burden from her shoulders and made her feel so good she had to call her mom to tell her. In the past month I've been asked if I'm a newspaper columnist and have twice been told I should write a book. I've been told I've lifted the spirits of an Ike survivor. I've been told I'm too easy-going. These are all things I would never hear in Washington. I know really nice people in Texas.

But then, today, a bad thing happened here in Fort Worth. Someone here must be thinking I'm too skinny, just like those who tried to fatten me up in Tacoma. I was taken to the Super Bowl Buffet against my will. This is across the street from where I live. You don't drive there unless it is too hot or too cold or raining or snowing or ice storming. Today was none of those, so we walked.

The oddly named Super Bowl Buffet used to have an even odder name when it was called Super Asia Buffet. It's the best Chinese Buffet I've been too. I've been to a lot of them. Real good sushi too. I ate only the healthy stuff and avoided the deep-fried shrimp and other goodies of a like sort. I'll no more gain weight from this lunch indulgence than any of the attempts to pork me up when I was up north.

Tomorrow I'm going to Sprouts. That's my favorite grocery store. Tacoma needs a Sprouts Farmers Market. There really are no good grocery stores in Tacoma. There is one the Tacoma locals think is good, called Metro, and it is just awful. Way over priced for bad looking produce in a dinky store with narrow aisles that reminded me of Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. I shouldn't say there are no good grocery stores in Tacoma, there is a Trader Joe's. But I didn't get to go there. They do have a Top Foods which is like a downscale version of its parent Haggens store, but it's no Haggens. Tacoma needs a Haggens. And a couple Super Wal-Marts.

The State Fair of Texas and the Ku Klux Klan

The State Fair of Texas will be starting up in about a week, running from September 26 through October 19. It's in Dallas at what is called Fair Park. That's where the Cotton Bowl is. Football gets played in the Cotton Bowl. During the Fair, Texas plays Oklahoma in what always seems to be a big deal here.

The Cotton Bowl has had millions of bucks spent on it to renovate it from its run-down state to a new shiny state of near perfection with more seats, more restrooms, more room and more places to eat.

If you've never been to the State Fair of Texas you should make the effort. It'll be good for you to do something non-sedentary for one day of the year. Wandering around the Texas State Fair can be exhausting. Wear comfortable shoes.

Below is a video about a couple who did research into the history of the State Fair of Texas. Interesting info about Elvis that I pretty much already knew, but I did not know that way back in a different era the State Fair of Texas had a Ku Klux Klan Day......

An American Carol & An Innocent Man in Texas

A Texas woman is trying to exonerate a dead man she wrongly accused of raping her 23 years ago. The innocent man died in prison from complications of asthma that his family claimed were not properly treated. DNA testing proved the dead man did not commit the crime. Another inmate confessed.

Meanwhile there will soon be a movie in theaters called An American Carol. In this movie ghosts of America's past give Michael Moore a tour of what the world would look like today if America never went to war. The ghosts do this because they are annoyed that Michael Moore and moveon.org are trying to ban the 4th of July.

George Washington, George Patton, John F. Kennedy and others give Michael Moore his tour.

To his horror, Michael Moore learns that if the Union had not decided to preserve itself that he would be a modern day slave owner with a huge plantation. I don't know, but I'm guessing in this movie a lot of the world is controlled by Nazis. Or maybe the Soviets defeated the Nazis without our help, which would make a lot of the world controlled by the Soviets.

Sounds like an interesting movie. That David Zucker guy who made the Airplane and Naked Gun movies is the maker of An American Carol. I'm sure much hilarity is involved.

They are still trying to decide whether or not to include the current ending, which has Gary Coleman washing cars and passing a cleaning rag off to someone off screen who he calls Barack.

Below is a movie trailer for An American Carol....