Will The Injustices In This Country Ever End?

Slavery. Women's suffrage. Racism.  Prohibition. The Drug War.

Now Prom Dresses.

The Days Before Photoshop

The story behind the 80 year old photo.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• One thing I missed from the small-Kentucky-towns-lawyer-suicide story yesterday: "All were men, their average age 53, and most were trial lawyers."
• Fleetwood Mac is at the AAC tonight. If Stevie Nicks is with them, I'd actually be interested. 
• At my high school graduation, I didn't have any feeling of a sense of accomplishment. I did, however, know my life was changing forever. 
• Our TV was locked on to the first game of the College Softball Championship last night and never once flipped over to Heat/Pacers. And it was fantastic.
• Two incredibly funny pictures from the Heat/Pacers game, though: (1) Flo Rida's massive Jesus necklace, and (2) Justin Bieber looking like Justin Bieber (I swear The Fourth Grade Girl In The House could beat him to a pulp in under a minute.)
• The Texas Lottery had to suspend its "All or Nothing" game because -- get this -- too many people were winning. Isn't there supposed to be a couple of math whizzes who work there?
• The owners of GoGo Gumbo in Boyd have opened up a lunch place simply named "Canteen." Edit: Menu.
• Ice and water dispenser in the door of the refrigerator? Greatest invention ever? But a question: The fridge has a stainless steel like finish. Any special tricks to clean it? Streaking seems to be an issue. 
• So "America's Deadliest Sniper" claimed to have killed two guys at a gas station after they tried to steal his truck (an account that cannot be verified), and after Hurricane Katrina he allegedly "set up on top of the Superdome, and proceeded to shoot dozens of armed residents who were contributing to the chaos"?  
• Dallas County is considering replacing its 24 year old courthouse. Wise County's courthouse is what? 116 years old?
• The Dog In The House has now, after three years, decided to wake me up at 5:00 a.m. by standing on my chest and pawing my hair. 
• I've never watched a single episode of Game Of Thrones but whatever happened on this week's episode caused the Internet to explode. 
• The former strip club in Arlington called Fantasy Ranch will become a "Southern comfort food" restaurant named Bootay's House of Soul. Coincidence or comic genius?

The Face Of A Man Whose Career Is Probably Over

Ramon Ortiz, 40, spent all of 2012 in the minors working toward one more shot at the big leagues. He got it this year with Toronto, but he's been ineffective. Last night, after delivering a pitch, he felt his elbow go. Then, tears. More.

He didn't need a trainer or a doctor to tell him. He just knew.

Cymbal Player Is 100% Money

Thinking on his feet like a boss.  (Around the 1:00 mark)

Arianny Celeste Monday Pick Me Up

Caught My Attention

Last Week's Cover Of Newsweek:

Today's Dallas Morning News:

And another story:

One Of Life's Great Mysteries

Man lifts t-shirt over his face. Drinks beer through it.

Interracial Couple In Cheerios Commercial Brings Outrage

How dumb is America?

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Somehow Mrs. LL got hooked on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. She had some Reunion shows on and at first I thought they were acting. Then a came to the conclusion they are authentically crazy. 
• We sold the new puppy over the weekend. I was expecting a house full of crying girls but it went off smoothly. 
• I don't know anything about basketball, but the chances of the Mavericks landing Chris Paul or any other free agent in non-existent. Mark Cuban is like the guy who thinks all the cool kids will want to hang out with him even for less money. That's fatally flawed thinking.
• From the email bag: "Hey Barry, just got this from a very reliable source that DPS will be doing a massive DOT sweep in Wise County June 4,5 & 6. All 18 wheelers, dually pickups (even empty) and any vehicle (including cars) pulling a trailer will be subject to being stopped and undergo a DOT inspection. A lot of companies are shutting down for this 3 day fund raiser."
• Mrs. LL and I jumped on the trampoline together. Not for long, though. Laying down on it afterwards may he been the best part. 
• There's quite a bit or irony of the Messenger putting behind a paywall a story which is headlined: "County Activates New Emergency Alert System." Pay or die?
• If you are a storm chaser, you're asking for death. 
• Most awkward moment ever: We went to the pool with six kids this weekend (ours and friends) and played some goofed up keep away game with the football. Mrs. LL came over to me about halfway through: "You might want to kid get that kid off your back. She's not in our group or a friend of the group." Panic. 
• Jean Stapelton (Edith Bunker) died over the weekend. I'm still remember as a kid when ABC brought her in to do color commentary during a Harlem Globetrotters game. Really. The sad thing was that they had her act in Edith Bunker's character. Even then I was offended. I wanted to know what she was really like. 
• Dennis Prager: "I've never met any one who doesn't love -- absolutely love -- a genre of music." His circle of friends has to be, say, two. 
• I thought military trials were quick and led to injustice. So what's the deal with the alleged Fort Hood shooter? Californian would have been done with this thing by now. 
• I read a long article from the New York Times this weekend about how the drug trade moved from Columbia to Mexico. Fascinating stuff. And with the billions of money being involve,  the arresting of some American sap for possession under a gram just screams futility. 
• Josh Hamilton's awful performance (8 home runs and 18 RBIs) this season has earned him $5,825,245 in paychecks. 

Sheriff Joe keeping us safe! What a buffoon.

	Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe)
6/1/13, 1:42 PM During Our Tent City Shakedown on Friday, this is just a small amount of the contraband discovered. pic.twitter.com/7fSZMFVeVG

Above The Fold

TCU Taking You Into The Weekend

Today the Big 12 announced it would split up a record $198 million in sports revenue earned from last year. Each school gets $22 million except for TCU and West Virginia who get $11 million each as part of their agreement to join the conference. Don't feel bad for TCU, it had never earned more than $2 million in its prior conference.

Friday Court Ruling Impacting Texas: Hide yo wife, Hide yo guns

More.

First North Korea Then Decatur High School

Based upon a Facebook report, it looks like we had a rocket launch at Decatur High this morning.  First they had a school board shake up, and now we've got some saber-rattling missile launches directed at Bridgeport. Probably some nuclear warheads in that red bucket.

Call the U.N. Trouble's brewing.

Prancersise? How Have I Missed This? And Why Hasn't Mrs. LL Been Doing It?

Amazon – Prancercise®: The Art of Physical and Spiritual Excellence, is a whole new way of thinking and approaching fitness. To be really fit we need to consider more than just ourselves; we need to also consider the conservation of the environment (as through vegetarianism), and non-violence, through our thought process and behavior. This book is a true literary resource well researched and documented, not just propaganda. It’s a recipe for fitness, health, and self-fulfillment!

If Mrs. LL does prance herself into the kitchen to make me a sandwich this evening, it's going to be a long weekend. Time for her to step up her game if she wants to keep up with grandma there.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• There is  a commercial running on the radio advertising former Monkee star Peter Tork's appearance at the Granada Theater tomorrow. But the background Monkees song being played wasn't sung by Tork. I don't know why that bugs me so much. 
• Have we ever had a Wise Countian compete in the big time National Spelling Bee? (It was on yesterday and I meant to watch part of it.)
• And if you ever get a chance to see the documentary on the Spelling Bee, be sure to see it: Spellbound.  Still love the girl from Indian competing in the American competition, "In India we don't get second chances." She was speaking in the broader sense instead of competition specific.
• A reporter for The Oklahoman was arrested for taking upskirt pictures of high school girls at the Moore graduation (the same town hit by the tornado.) He allegedly deleted the photos when confronted. But they better have fantastic proof that he did the deletion or that case is going no where. 
• We say "thank you" a lot in the house. I like that. 
• Iraq death toll will break 500 in May. And over 400 were killed last month. There going to have to keep updating the Bush Library aren't' they?
• There have to be lots of administrators/teachers who watch high school graduations and thank god that some of those troublemakers aren't coming back. 
• "IRVING -- Irving Independent School District is investigating how a yearbook photo was altered to include a sexually-offensive remark. The caption 'Ugly Hoe' appeared instead of a cheerleader's name in a group photo." I don't know how any yearbook gets published without some prankster tricking up at least one page. 
• Lots of press yesterday about a guy being sent to prison for 50 years for stealing $35 worth of ribs in Waco. That crime normally carries with it a maximum of 180 days in jail but Texas laws allow for some crazy enhancements if someone has a criminal record and/or threats made at the time of the theft. 
• Ricin letters were sent to the President and the New York mayor over the last couple of days. Why does no one get bent out of shape about whether to label the act as "terrorism"?
• Kansas City and St. Louis' game last night was delayed over five hours and the final pitch came at 3:14 a.m. Here's a look at the seats behind home plate. 
• Hey, cops are killing citizens in Waco, too:

Everyone Seems A Little Up Tight Today

Let's just all go relax and see a well made movie. (It's real.)