A promo gone wrong

Or right, depending on what your point of view is.

KSAT-12 reports:

SAN ANTONIO -- A promotional campaign for an upcoming movie prompted the evacuation of one local television station and some anxious moments across the city.

San Antonio police, along with the fire department and the bomb squad, were called to KENS-TV at 5400 Fredericksburg Road Tuesday morning after a viral marketing campaign item was delivered to the station to promote "The Dark Knight." The building was evacuated for a brief time as bomb squad officials investigated the cake's contents.

...

The cake, also delivered to KSAT 12, was delivered in a white box and had a cell phone charger coming out the bottom of a cake with a hollow center. Attached to the cable was a cell phone inside a plastic bag that contained promotional materials for the upcoming film.

...

The fire department's arson bureau opted not to file charges in the case, but suggested to Santikos [Theaters] officials they re-think further promotional campaigns.

Yeah, the fire department doesn't like to make unnecessary calls.

"Car Crashes Into House During Shooting"

OK, this one may not be the car's fault.

From KSAT-12:

SAN ANTONIO -- A car crashed into a home during a shooting Sunday afternoon on the city's east side.

Police said a Chevrolet Caprice was traveling west on Martin Luther King Drive at 4 p.m. when someone in another car came up behind it and opened fire.

The Chevrolet crashed into the side of a home at the intersection of Wheatley and MLK Drive, police said.

Only minor injuries were involved.

"S.A. Man Builds Motorbikes"

WOAI reports on a wonderful new invention that can save you lots of money at the gas pump.

One San Antonio man is fighting high gas prices with motorized bicycles.

Mark Morales, a UTSA graduate, started a company called Spike's Motorbikes.

He says the bikes weigh about 40 pounds each. To start one, you pop the clutch and the motor kicks on. The bikes can go up to 30 mile per hour and get 100 miles per gallon.

"It's a good thing for anybody on a tight budget," said Morales.

What a great idea! I wonder why no one has thought of this before!

Oh, wait ...

Strutting the alley

If you've ever been strolling down Navarro Street in downtown San Antonio, you might have stumbled upon Peacock Alley.

















And the name might have conjured up images of an iridescent bird, a beautiful fowl courting his mate with a pretentious display of plumage.



















And then you might have actually looked down Peacock Alley.




















Oh well, I guess one name's as good as another for alleys.

"Business As Usual For Popular Downtown Restaurant Following Fire"

This is a bit odd.

From WOAI-TV:

The owner of a popular Downtown Mexican Restaurant [sic] doesn't plan to let his customers miss a meal, despite an early morning fire.

The flames at the Piedras Negras de Noche restaurant lit up the sky around 2:30 a.m. Friday. The restaurant, which is located on Laredo street, has been around for nearly 30 years.

...

"We had to force entry into the building. Uh, the fire had advanced up to the second and third floor. Uh, it was pretty deep seeded by the time firefighters arrived on the scene," said District Fire Chief Neil Ague.

The fire was caused by an electrical short and is being ruled accidental.

Despite the fire, it was business as usual for the front restaurant, which serves breakfast.

How can a restaurant open for business after a major fire with damages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars? Would the health department really think this was a good idea?

On the other hand, I think the waitresses were fully clothed, so they don't have to worry about the city shutting them down.

Stylin' on the bus

I've seen these bikes around, but I think this is the first time I've seen one on the front of a bus.

Chupacabra lady is back!

And she's selling more than ever!

Remember Phylis Canion, the lady who killed a mangy coyote and wants it to be a chupacabra really bad? Now she has convinced KSAT-12 to do some advertising for her!

CUERO, Texas -- Phyllis Canion and her family used to joke about the legendary creature chupacabra.

Little did they know that one day the mythical creature would inspire Canion to start a business in Cuero, southeast of San Antonio.

Nearly 10,000 people across the United States and 21 countries own T-shirts with the image of the coyote-type animal printed on them that were manufactured by Canion.

"We ... make them inexpensive because I want everybody who can, to have one," said Canion. "And help to show that the chupacabra is from the area of Cuero."

If she really wanted everybody to own a shirt, she could just give them away.

Just an idea.

Rabies in town

A case of rabies has been reported in Leon Valley. Watch out!

From KSAT-12:

SAN ANTONIO -- Pet owners in the San Antonio suburb are being warned to keep a close eye on their animals and watch for strange behavior after animal control officials found a rabid skunk.

The rabies scare began Thursday when a resident called Animal Control officials to report a skunk that was acting strange.

"We went to observe and noticed it was paralyzed and biting on itself," Animal Control officer Kendall Webster said. "We gathered it up and took it in for testing for rabies, and we found out yesterday it came back positive."

Just to remind you: If you ever see a wild animal acting strange, leave it alone. And then call Animal Control. It's not worth it to have to get a rabies treatment.

"Police Call Woman's Death Suspicious"

This is a strange crime scene.

WOAI-TV reports:

Officers were called to a home near the intersection of Brook Hollow and Oakshire, on the far north side, for a possible overdose. But police aren't sure if that's really how the woman really died.

Police say it all started when the woman's husband ran to his next door neighbor's home. The man was bleeding, and claimed his wife had overdosed.

Police say the neighbor ran inside and called 911. But when he went back outside, the woman's husband was gone. The neighbor then went next door, that's where he found Brenda Miller, 27, dead inside.

Police say she didn't have any apparent wounds on her body, but the scene inside was suspicious. Miller was found in the living room, but it had been flooded with a water hose. There was blood all over the house. Police say it looked like there had been a struggle.

The husband came back, but it's not clear what, if anything, the police have done with him yet.

Screwing with the Beetle

I saw this old Volkswagen today. Besides the dull paint job, something about this car caught my eye.
















It was the unique details that had been added on the hood and along the sides. They prompted me take a closer look.















And then my suspicions about these details were confirmed. They were screws.
















And not just screws, but a mix of standard and Phillips-head varieties.

Ah, uniqueness, thy name is Beetle.

Independence Day

I hope your celebrations this day are safe.

R.I.P. Dan Cook

Nothing strange here. Just noting the passing of legendary sportscaster Dan Cook, as reported by the Express-News.

Dan Cook, a San Antonio legend whose career as a sports columnist and broadcaster spanned more than a half-century, died Thursday after a long illness. He was 81.

Insightful, humorous, colorful and brutally honest, Cook spent 57 years in the newspaper business — 51 of those at the San Antonio Express-News — interviewing sports’ greatest legends, from Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey to Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Tom Landry.

...

In addition to print journalism, Cook worked as a sportscaster at KENS-TV for 44 years, from 1956-2000. It was there in 1978 that Cook uttered the famous phrase, “The opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” which is listed in Bartlett’s “Familiar Quotations.” He later said he first used the phrase in a column about two years before.

Requiescat in pace, Cook.

UPDATE: You know, after watching some old video of Dan Cook, it amazes me how much his style of speaking is similar to Hank Hill's. I wonder if Mike Judge found any inspiration there, or if it is just a Texas coincidence.

People who should think a little more

OK, folks, babies are not pets. Remember that.

From WOAI-TV:

A baby left all alone in an apartment is now with her father. That little girl was found by maintenance workers in The Broadstone on Medical apartment complex on the northwest side.

Those maintenance workers called police and EMS after they found the girl alone. Paramedics say the 9-month-old was perfectly fine. Police couldn't reach her mother for several hours. They were able to get a hold of the baby's father, who does not have custody of her.

...

Police allowed the father to take the baby for the night. They're now trying to find the mother and investigate why the little girl was left by herself.

I wonder if the father will now get custody.

"Helotes Fireworks Enforcement Upsetting Police, Customers"

Helotes officials are being jerks about fireworks.

From KSAT-12:

Since 2007, a stretch of Highway 16 past the city limit markers was annexed into the Helotes city limits, but the fireworks vendors currently set up off the roadway are outside the city limits. The highway prevents people who purchased fireworks legally from transporting them outside the city limits, and Helotes police have been cracking down.

"The fireworks stand (previous to 2007) would tell people to turn left and go outside our city," Helotes Police Chief Morton Ault said. "They're (going to) get a ticket as soon as they pull onto the street." [emphasis added]

Really, do the cops have to be so literal on the law? Even people who purchase the fireworks legally and are taking them away from town are being ticketed. That's stupid, and it's not going to make Helotes seem dear to too many people.

Money!

Sometimes, I'm just not in the right place at the right time!

From KSAT-12:

Police said about $100,000 in cash was tossed from a vehicle about 3:15 p.m. near North Star Mall by San Pedro Avenue on Loop 410, and people were stopping their cars on the highway to pick up the loose cash.

Drug enforcement agents, along with San Antonio police, were working on a sting of a suspected drug dealer, according to San Antonio police spokesman Sgt. Gabe Trevino, when the driver took off, starting a chase. When the driver neared the entrance to Loop 410 from the access road near North Star Mall, somebody inside the vehicle threw a box containing cash outside the window.

The chase was immediately called off by a SAPD sergeant for safety reasons, Trevino said, but undercover DEA agents continued to follow the driver, who struck two vehicles near the intersection of Broadway and Wetmore roads. The driver left the vehicle and was immediately arrested by DEA agents, Trevino said. Nobody was injured in the two collisions, Trevino said.

If you were one of the lucky ones that snagged some cash, watch out. That money apparently was used in the sting and is marked. It would probably be better if you turned it in.

"Teacher Claims Racism, Discrimination At St. Philip's"

This is odd.

From KSAT-12:

SAN ANTONIO -- An instructor at St. Philip's College is making claims of racism and discrimination after he said he was called offensive names and campus administrators have failed to act.

Rayford Richardson said when he was approached to teach one of the automotive classes at the college, he was happy to accept since he runs his own auto repair business and restores old vehicles as a hobby.

Richardson said the racist remarks from fellow instructors came quickly and often, including a remark made to him by another instructor in front of Richardson's students.

"I've had one of the directors of the Diesel department say I will never fit in because of the "good old boys" system at the main campus," he said.

This is strange because the man is black, St. Philip's College is a historically black college, and the campus is on the East Side of San Antonio, which is known for its African-American heritage.

I think there's a lot more to this story.

Two cars crash into house

More vehicle on domicile violence on the West Side. A car swerved to miss another car, hit a third in the driveway, and then ended up hitting the house.

From WOAI-TV:

Be careful out there.

UPDATE: I had embedded the video from WOAI in this post, but the video played by itself and kept looping. That annoyed me, so I just made the text above into a link to WOAI's media center. The script for the relevant video is below, with strategic spaces added to make it display as normal text.

< language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://woai.img.cdn.dayport.com/dayportcore/dpm/DayPortPlayers.js">< /script>< language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">DayPortPlayer.newPlayer({articleID:"562389",bannerAdConDefID:"5",videoAdObjectID:"4",videoAdConDefID:"2",playVideoAds:"true",autoPlay:"true",accPos:"CCTVI.VIDEO.LOCAL",accSite:"WOAI",rootCategory:"0",playerInstanceID:"27574A89-06D1-CD92-4444-22719C5099EC",domain:"video.woai.com"});< /script>

Bull riding in front of the Alamo

Argh! How could I not know this was going on? How cool and bizarre at the same time.

From the The Downtown Blog at the Express-News:

I didn't know what to expect when I heard the Houston Street Fair & Market would host bull riding in front of the Alamo.

I have to say, that was a lot of fun.

The biggest obstacle Saturday was the heat. But nobody seemed to mind from my vantage point on the bleachers during the 2 p.m. session.

Organizers handed out fans. There were plenty of places to grab drinks. There were people everywhere.

My only criticism was that organizers should have opened the viewing area even more. The gaps in between and around the bleachers were clogged with people. At least everyone was extremely polite.

Check out the cool pictures at the link. Here's one:

The Unity Straw?

Is there anyone else out there who thinks this is a scam?

[Found in the June 23, 2008 issue of the Express-News]

Take the "sip of change"!

"Mother Shot Son, Police Say"

Some families need to work on their conflict management.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- A mother shot her son at a home early Friday on the city's northeast side, police said.

Martha Sam, in her 50s, and her son, in his 30s, got into an argument when she refused to make him a pizza at their home in the 300 block of Cresham at 2 a.m.

Sam told police her son became angry and they started arguing, and he pushed her down.

Fearing for her life, Sam grabbed a pistol and shot her son in the abdomen.

I bet there's a lot more to this story than just a pizza.