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Austin Dispatches
No. 117
Sep. 15, 2008

A blind, weakening phenomenon destroyed achievements, undermined denizens, and wrecked that which was settled. And it didn’t even live up to its hype.

But enough about the Libertarian Party.1 

Hurricane Ike inconvenienced my friend Chris in Houston and actually improved my life during the weekend. For once, idiots stayed off the roads, and events like the UT football game were postponed.2 The skies were overcast with a few sprinkles until the sun reemerged around 4 p.m. on Sep. 13. The only negative impact was the lack of choices in the bread aisle and a dearth of skim milk pints at the supermarket. In the near term, gas prices are expected to rise again.3 But the hurricane took its sweet time getting to Texas, which allowed the Statesman to hype it on the front page for about a week straight.4 


Cultural Canapés

During the same weekend I braved the theaters to see “Righteous Kill,” the new crime drama starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Ain’t It Cool-News summarized it thusly:
[M]ore often than not, this film is about fully loaded emotions, screaming, near violence, and overacting (and that's just the scenes between the cop characters). In other words, it ranks the highest on the Ham-O-Meter for 2008. It's kind of scary to think that 50 Cent turns in the film's most subtle performance.5
Not that that’s a bad thing. If I’m paying $6.75 – and matinee price at that – damn it, I want to see some excessive emoting from scenery chewing New York Method actors.

Neighborhood News

Someone broke into an apartment in my apartment complex.6 The Chronicle reports personnel turmoil at KEYE-TV.7 Today, KUT-FM reported an auto collision at the intersection of MoPac Expressway the Capital of Texas Highway.

Notes
1 AD No. 115n41 (Aug. 22, 2008); AD No. 116 (Sep. 7, 2008).
2 Barnes, Michael. “Hurricane Fests Fill the Air as Locals, Guest Wait Out Storm.” AAS 14 Sep. 2008, final ed.: A8; Loyd, Chris. "Endure: Hurricane Ike." 14 Sep. 2008 Blog: Chris Loyd <http://chris-loyd.blogspot.com/2008/09/endure-hurricane-ike.html>.
3 Koenig, David, and Stephen Manning. AP. “Houston Not Yet Ready for Business as Usual.” AAS 15 Sep. 2008, final ed.: A9.
4 Ward, Mike. “Get Ready for Ike.” AAS 11 Sep. 2008, final ed.: A1+.
5 “Capone Says RIGHTEOUS KILL Has the Best Ham of 2008!!” 12 Sep. 2008 Ain’t It Cool News <http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38303>.
6 AMLI Stonehollow. Letter to residents, 8 Sep. 2008.
7 Brass, Kevin. “KEYE on the Blink?” AC 12 Sep. 2008: 24.