Caddickisms

2theadvocate.com | Suburban | Deputies: Owner shot out man’s tires when he couldn’t pay for gas

People are so screwed up. Take a second and write down the guy’s license plate and driver’s license. Pulling a gun seems a bit over the top.

LIVINGSTON — Deputies arrested a store owner accused of shooting out two tires on a customer’s vehicle after the customer said he had no money to pay for the gasoline he had pumped, spokesman Jason Ard of the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

A verbal confrontation occurred after the motorist went into the store on South Satsuma Road and told the owner that he had pumped $36.50 in gas, then discovered that he didn’t have money to pay for it, Ard said.

When the motorist tried to leave, the grocery store owner fired a shot that hit one of the customer’s tires, then fired a second shot into another tire after the driver pulled back into the parking lot. deputies said.

Deputies booked Nardeep S. Bhullar, 25, the owner of Singh’s Grocery, with aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and illegal discharge of a firearm, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Deputies also booked Chaz R. Watkins, 18, 27210 Charles Methvin Road in Holden with theft of gasoline, Ard said.

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(Originally posted Jul 31, 2005 on my older blog)

I’ve been watching Justice League and Justice League Unlimited lately. This is good stuff.

Mike got me hooked. I’d caught it while flipping channels from time to time, but never really followed it well, and certainly never knew the episode order. Now I’ve seen all four seasons in order and … wow.

This Justice League is way beyond any previous incarnation. (Actually I suppose I should say “these Justice Leagues,” since the first two seasons are the seven member “Justice League” followed by the next two seasons of “Justice League Unlimited” featuring a whole host of heros led by the original seven.) While still mostly “kid-friendly,” these stories deal more seriously with their subject matter than most cartoons. I’d say it’s pretty close to animé in that respect.

One thing I really like is that actions in one episode have consequences in the remaining episodes. Relationships are affected, both on a personal and global (really, literally universal) scale. The consequences of gathering what amounts to an army of super-powered individuals is explored, and is actually the main theme of the fourth, and likely final, season.

I don’t know that there are plans for a fifth season, or even a related new series, but I really hope so. It’s nice to see some smart animation on the tube.

By the way, it’s worth pointing out that these series’ are the latest in a remarkably consistent and interrelated set of series, starting with Batman: The Animated Series, its two (I think) successors whose titles escape me (but undoubtedly start with “Batman”), Batman Beyond, and Superman: The Animated Series. It also seems to be tied in to Static Shock, which seems to be a much lighter show, but I haven’t really paid much attention to that one so far.

While I really love all that depth of story that’s been (and is being) developed, it’s really not fair—I have a lot of catching up to do. The only other of those series I’ve watched is the original Batman: TAS. Off to the DVDs!

[Update: They did go on to make a fifth season (3rd of JLU), and it was good, though not as good as previous seasons. The final episode though, was awesome. For me, it was worth going through the full 5th season to get to that one episode. Oh, and I've since watched all the Superman: TAS shows. Also very good.]

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(Originally posted Aug 06, 2005 on my older blog)

Sci-fi western with an attitude, and a healthy dose of mystery and character building.

I am catching Firefly on DVD. I didn’t watch more than a few minutes of it when it aired a couple years ago. It didn’t grab me then, but I really didn’t give it a chance. Now that I’m paying attention… this show is pretty impressive.

At first the mixture of “wild west” and science-fiction seemed too reminiscent of other shows (Wild Wild West and The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., to be specific), but I’ve been won over by superior writing and an excellent ensemble cast. Plus it has one thing that always sucks me in: an overarching plot.

In this case, that plot is primarily about two of the ships passengers. Simon, the genius doctor who gave up everything to break his sister out of a high security “medical” facility, and his even more genius sister, River, who was being subjected to horrific and torturous experiments (and probably conditioning) at said facility. She has been rendered into an unpredictable enigma, at times docile and scared, and at others violent and uncontrollable. As we learn more, it is becoming clear that the experiments were meant to shape her into something, though I haven’t finished watching the series yet, so I’m not sure what that something is.

The characters’ attitude on the show is mostly “noble theives flying by the seat of their pants” with a bit of Star Wars rebellion thrown in (mostly in the person of Captain Reynolds, who is reminiscent of Han Solo). It’s not only an engrossing story, but it’s fun to watch.

The intent here is not to present a synopsis of the show, though I am tempted, but to simply say this: this is a show worth watching that was canceled unfairly (much like Babylon 5: Crusade). I’m glad the story is getting its chance to be told in the new movie Serenity.

[Update: Hopefully I'll review Serenity at some point. Here's the short version: GREAT FLICK!!!) ]

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My wife’s opinion differed a bit from mine (as usual… ). Like me, she wanted to know more about what he was like after beating the addiction. The text said he never used heroin again, but did he substitute another drug? How did his behavior change otherwise?

The lack of answers for those and similar questions, while disappointments for me, ruined the movie for her.

She also wanted to hear a song or two in its entirety. That is apparently part of the extended edition, but we watched the theatrical version (’cause that is one long movie…).

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