Salma Hayek Taking You Into The Weekend

Garth Brooks Will Have Seven Shows At The AAC?

Seven?

What? You Like Me? I Had No Idea

Dates:

And I never notice the resemblance:

Obscure Donald Trump Story

I have no idea why this showed up on my timeline:

"Donald Trump has swung back at a golfer who allegedly clubbed an exotic black swan to death." pic.twitter.com/ALCFC96BIK

— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) July 24, 2015

But this may sway me on the guy. I, too, support the Black Swan.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• A guy opened fire in a Louisiana theater last night killing two, wounding nine, and then killing himself.  He was 59 years old. 
• Had a big religious discussion last night. Genesis 1:26 says, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."  Us? Our? I'm not sure I had ever noticed that before.  Most people explain the terms as referring to The Trinity. 
• But I did sidetrack the discussion by asking if Adam and Eve had belly buttons. 
• Trump still leads in the Republican polls.  I thought he was just doing this run as a bit, but now I think he believes he can actually win.  It's the Angry White Male constituency last stand. 
• And he threw out a huge threat yesterday by implying he might run as an independent. Think about that. He just explained to any Republican candidate who opposes him that he holds his fate in his hands. Trump would at least take  3% to 5% of the Republican vote and single handedly guarantee the Republican candidate would lose. This is shaping up to be the most bizarre presidential campaign in history.
• There's a "confederate" flag flying on College Street in Decatur but it has a symbol of a motorcycle in the middle of it. 
• Southwest posts best quarter profit ever, American Airlines posts best quarter profit ever, and Amazon made a net profit of $92 million causing its share price to jump a shocking 17% in after hour trading.  Tell me again about how our economy/employment is really in the dump?
• The medical examiner concluded Sandra Bland died of suicide. All signs point to that. But, as I rant about this for the millionth time, isn't the only thing the corner can conclude is that she died from asphyxiation? 

Road Rage

Was that an Easton or a Mizuno?*
______________
*There has to be someone out there who laughed at that. 

Dallas Morning News Expose On High School Athlete Transfers

I wonder if Bridgeport will be mentioned . . . . Uh, oh . . . .

And that's just the beginning. Full story.

Edit: And I don't know if the following was a response to the story by Hawks, but it certainly has a "Well, allow me to retort" feel to it if it is:

pic.twitter.com/s9FUlKfFDK

— Neal Hawks (@nhhbbfan) July 23, 2015

For Those Who . . .

 . . . don't care about America's Funniest Home Videos of guys being hit in the crotch, this news is heaven:

An expert’s must-see guide to the half-a-million amazing historical videos AP just put online http://t.co/yJwCeAvWvV

— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 23, 2015

But, man, the AP youtube channel is an absolute mess. Almost all of the videos aren't labeled.

Maypearl, Texas Police Chief Arrested

Story.

Hey, has anyone seen TCU coach Gary Patterson? Even the towel is similar!

Trump In Danger! Forges On To The Border!

.@realdonaldtrump: Border Patrol agents in Laredo “silenced directly by superiors in Washington" pic.twitter.com/zN3Lfg3EzM

— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) July 23, 2015

Be safe, buddy. There were THREE murders in Laredo in 2013.

Dallas Police Give Helpful Hint To Avoid Them Killing You

Obeying police instruction is easy first step to avoiding tragedy http://t.co/ByB7VniNX5

— Dallas Police Assoc (@DPA_PoliceAssoc) July 23, 2015

Bear vs. Idiot Woman: Who Ya Got?

(AP) - A male polar bear named “Blinky” at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage grabbed and badly injured an Australian tourist on Saturday. 29-year-old Sydney woman Kathryn Warburton had climbed over two protective fences in an attempt to take close-up photographs. Evidently, she encroached too close for Blinky’s liking. He leaned forward, grabbed Warburton with his paws and dragged her towards him. Warburton sustained a broken leg and bite wounds and has undergone surgery. 

OK, since she lived, I don't feel guilty for smiling when I saw the bear holding her tennis shoe.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• While you were sleeping: Five people found stabbed to death in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and two teens are in custody.
• Another crazy and random conversation last night -- this time about chloroform. Can you dab it on a rag and "knock someone out"? No. Can you buy it over the counter? Yes. (The family member who was googling all of that has set herself up for a false accusation if one of the other family member decides to go crazy with chloroform.)
• I found some candy on the counter in a package and ate it. I then learned the Senior In The House bought it on vacation for a friend. That may have been my biggest Homer Simpson moment ever. 
• I finally watched the Sandra Bland video, and I can't get past the trooper turning into a maniac after she wouldn't put out her cigarette. Why did he ask her to do that? Was this a DWI investigation? No. Did he fear it could be a weapon? No. He did it because he arrogantly thought he could demand anything. Give the lady credit (or at least we could if she wasn't dead) for standing up for herself. 
• And before I hear from the "just comply with the police" crowd, think about this: The government stopped and detained an American citizen for changing lanes without signaling - the horror!!! The government told her to stop smoking. The government ordered her out of her car. The government pointed a taser at her and told her they would "light her up." The government physically put her on the ground. The government arrested her. The government put her in a cage for three days. 
• She may very well have committed suicide while in jail. But, man, this is weird. She seems like the kind of person who couldn't wait to get out of jail because she would want to raise hell about that arrest. 
• As I was falling asleep last night, I watched a portion of Gone Girl.  Oh, my. 
• Someone emailed me about an underrated Natalie Wood movie: Splendor in the Grass.
• Does the flag code apply to private citizens? Heard that issue come up on the Mark Davis Show, and he was so off base. If it is your flag on your private property, you can do anything you want with it. 
• An assistant county attorney in Kentucky was fired after anti-gay and/or racist remarks because his apology letter used the always odd phrase of, "If I have offended anyone."
• Trump is coming to the border today!!! Trump is coming to the border today!! Edit: It was just cancelled!! It was just cancelled!! Double edit: It's back on!! It's back on!!
• I saw an obituary notice for Martha Hughes in the Update. I'm guessing that is the widow of the late Wise County District Judge and Fort Worth Court of Appeals Justice W.A. Hughes. (A Google search about Judge Hughes turned out to be shockingly frustrating.)
• Denton police taser a guy on a motel balcony for not "backing up" as they subdue a naked woman. (That's  a crazy sentence.) I didn't know they could mandate an arbitrary distance.  Story. Video. 

It's a Republican Thermonuclear War

Wow, Rick Perry is going OFF pic.twitter.com/bi14m3Vadc

— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) July 22, 2015

Trumpin'

.@GovernorPerry in my office last cycle playing nice and begging for my support and money. Hypocrite! https://t.co/axPAVsLEqx

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2015

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I had an impromptu (very random) discussion about Natalie Wood last night. I had forgotten that Christopher Walken was on the boat that she fell off of and drowned (or did she!?) Sadly, I was able to remember her last movie, Brainstorm, but then realized I have never seen Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without A Cause, or West Side Story.  
• I explained the plot of Brainstorm to Mrs. LL, but this morning I looked it up and realized I had mistakenly explained the plot of Dreamscape.  I began to feel senile then it dawned on me that those are two spare movies which I saw one time over thirty years ago. 
• Shin-Soo Choo hit for the cycle last night which again reminded me of how overrated that "achievement" is. Four home runs would be better. Four triples would be as well. Heck, four doubles is an equivalent number of bases. 
• I've not watched the Sandra Bland traffic stop video yet, but I've heard the trooper gets aggravated because she wouldn't put out her cigarette as she sat in her car. (If only she had invoked Basic Instinct and said, "What are you going to do? Arrest me for smoking?")
• But this may be the biggest news: "Texas Department of Public Safety authorities said late Tuesday they were looking into alleged edits to a 52-minute dashcam video of the traffic stop and arrest of Sandra Bland." First, I don't want DPS to investigate themselves. I don't even want the Texas Rangers (also DPS) to investigate it. Can we have someone independent without a law enforcement bias? And if it turns out that DPS edited a video and represented it to be true, DPS Director Steve McCraw should pay dearly. Edit: Here is DPS current position on the matter where they blame it on a technical issue. 
• I find it absolutely amazing that people try to defend Donald Trump. (Radio guy Mark Davis is among those.)  Even if you have only a passing interest in politics, watch what is going on right now. I been preaching for years that demographics would be the death of the Republican Party on the national level. It is now coming to fruition at warp speed. 
• I was told by a very reliable source that the Wise County Sheriff's Deputy accused of "improper photography" was actually charged in federal court.  I'm working on confirmation. (And, by the way, that seems prosecutorial overkill.)
• While trying to confirm it, somehow I came across the DEA "legal notice" filed yesterday listing various money and property they have seized. It's shocking. 
• Duck Dynasty: Cleburne Edition . . . 

Random Look At Lifelock's Stock Right Now

But you promised me!!!!!!

(I actually don't own a dime of the stock. But a 40% drop in a stock in a matter of moments will get a guy's attention.)

Donald Trump Just Went Full Throttle Again

Pretty much called Rick Perry stupid, and gave out Sen. Lindsay Graham's phone number (at 2:30).

And To Think This World Once Needed A Genius Like Don Draper As An Ad Man

Bird Steals Joint

I had a wild cat steal my Sonic chicken sandwich when I was out at Lake Bridgeport one time. I was equally upset.

Can They Put A Barbed Wire Cage Around The Stage?

Via @nbcnews: Who makes the 8/6 debate as of today, based on last 5 national polls pic.twitter.com/3RVc0ptYup

— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) July 21, 2015

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Over a week ago two people were shot and killed outside of an "after hours club" in Fort Worth named "Liquorville". What are the odds?
• Donald Trump: Keep talking, buddy. If I'm Hillary, I'm sitting on a beach for the next three months as I watch the implosion on the other side. 
• And I keep hearing Trump doesn't have the ready cash to keep the campaign going. Why does he need to spend a dime? He gets his message our for free. 
• I'm slow to the news of Sandra Bland, but it sounds like we'll have some info today. 
• Whatever happened to the case about the Wise County Sheriff's deputy accused of "improper photography" of registered sex offenders. The arrest was one year ago this month. (A civil case was filed against the county under cause number CV14-12-924 but it looks like it was removed to a federal court earlier this year.) 
• As the Dallas Mavericks were getting embarrassed by losing free agent DeAndre Jordan, Mark Cuban was firing off hot opinions on an app he has invested in and constantly promotes. Twitter was full of screenshots of Cuban's comments from the app -- an app which has one job: Your messages should disappear into history. Oh, the irony.
• You can buy the home of the pastor of First Baptist Decatur for $324,900.
• Two greatest investments for hiking I've ever made: A trekking pole and Merrell hiking shoes. 
• Dez Bryant gets a new deal for five years with $45 million guaranteed. You think that's a lot? It is. But consider that the NFL distributes $7.2 billion among the teams to start each year and that doesn't even count stadium/parking/concession/other revenues. Dez may be the best receiver in the NFL. Terrance Williams, by comparison, averages $750,000 a year. And his career will be over by age 30. 

Denton Dixie

Someone painted "this is racist" on memorial to #Confederate soldier in #Denton #TX #WFAA pic.twitter.com/fVxTTdqs0S

— Sebastian Robertson (@wfaasebastian) July 20, 2015

The Back Door To The Evil Empire

Story.

Monday Morning Pick Me Up

@BUFootball #Big12Hardware #Big12Trophy #SicEm pic.twitter.com/jJ2P3YTj0C

— Baylor Spirit Squads (@BaylorSpirit) July 20, 2015

And In Tour de France News

Back To The Grind

Attorneys attack former prosecutor in another high-profile murder trial http://t.co/VSWiQUJ2ro

— TDCAANews (@TDCAANews) July 20, 2015

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I go away for a week and Donald Trump single handedly sends the Republican Party into oblivion? (But I can't wait to see the new poll numbers.)
• Cue the orchestra music, but walking five miles into a jungle and not seeing a soul is one of my life's greatest joys. (Whenever I left at the crack of dawn, I'd leave an email for Mrs. LL as to where I was going with the subject line reading "Coroner Info".)
• I also drank water out of a fresh spring river and then became violently sick for a day and half. But staying all that time in bed, which I loathed, might have been the greatest blessing in disguise I could have received. 
• I became an odd fan of Kermit Tyler on my vacation -- a plaque I read said he was "abused by history". 
• I watched last year's Baylor/TCU game on Fox Sports Southwest's "No Huddle" yesterday. I'll say it again: I have no idea how Baylor won that. And that may be one of the greatest games ever. 
• Random British Open Moment from this morning: Phil Mickelson hit a ball onto a hotel balcony. Photo. Video.
• Dallas Cowboy play by play man Brad Sham will miss the opening game due to a Jewish holiday. (He's either very faithful or wants a "look at me" moment.)
• I almost had a heart attack when I saw that George Will wrote a column suggesting that the Goofy Twittering Texas Supreme Court Justice should get a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Side note: George Will is great on TV but an incomprehensible writer.) 
• Same sex marriage has been legal for about a month and the world didn't end. 
• There has been an insane number of ATM thefts in Dallas over the last few weeks but it went over the top last night when one was stolen from the Angelika.
• The hook-up-while married site AshleyMadison.com was hacked overnight. (Everyone walk away. Nothing to see here. Nothing to see here.)
• Tarrant County DA Sharen Wilson celebrated on Twitter an anniversary of Apollo 11 by posting a photo with her name next to Neil Armstrong's foot print.  (Who is her PR person?) 
• I let the soon to be Senior In The House (groan!) download some music on my laptop. One of her choices: Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon. Attagirl!
• A new photo of Pluto that I can't get out of my mind. 
• I watched a ton of sunsets over the last week, and I appreciated every single second and moment. 

In Random Surfing News

He's OK.

Bauum! I'm Back!

But give me a few hours.  After spending several days sharing one room with all the Females In The House, a man needs time to recover. (I think my portion of the luggage took 3%, I think hair and skin products took the rest.)