In Houston This Weekend

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Never thought of this: Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant is taxed by Somervell County and will bring in $8.75 million in property taxes. And don't we forget that thing is even there?
• My assistant saw Gravity this weekend in 3D. She said the "in space" experience was so intense that it made her nauseous. Her friend actually got up and left for a bit. (I'm guessing that the movie is similar to the feeling of  Open Water -- still one of my favorite films -- with high tone special effects.)
• From the Update:  "A 14-year-old horseback rider was injured when he was hit by a minivan about 8 p.m. Friday on Texas 114 near Old Base Road in Aurora. Department of Public Safety Trooper Zeb Siebeneck said the boy and three other kids were crossing 114 on horseback and misjudged the distance of oncoming traffic . . . The horse’s injuries required that it be euthanized at the scene." Well that makes you sick, right? 
• What's "Zeb" short for? 
• Sports: (1) Richie Whitt described yesterday's Cowboys game as one "they’ll be talking about for decades." Nope. Only wins and playoff losses are remembered. (2) But he also said the Cowboys should have let the Broncos score at the end of the game. Absolutely. Pro coaches need to watch an arena league game every now and then. (3) SMU had the greatest two point conversion in history on Saturday even if the crowd that saw it was smaller than one which shows up for a Boyd game. (5) Bridgeport is 0-6 and lost 55-0 to Graham on Saturday. That comes on the heels of a 68-0 loss the week before. Didn't they re-assign their offensive coordinator before the season? (6) TCU is as good this year as they were when the beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. They're just in the Big 12. (7) Ben and Skin might be the worst sports talk show ever. I'd rather listen to Race Week. (8) I'd pay to watch a camera on Jerry Jones all game long. (9) I'll say it again: I don't know how anyone can be emotionally invested in a team of paid players. You care more than they do.  (10) Baylor hasn't had a three and out in four games. 
• Learned this weekend: Replacing a microwave for a predefined space may require rocket science to accomplish. I finally turned all my research over to Mrs. LL and said "handle it." I spend hours on the computer. She'll go to a store and talk to someone. 
• How long before the Republicans realize this government shutdown was a disastrous idea? 
• I'm amazed at the accuracy of weather forecasts, but did anyone predict that brief line of storms on Saturday night? 
• Middle Aged A's Fans Fights All The Cops Before Getting Tasered. Good times. 
• A flight out of DFW to South Korea had an engine blown shortly after takeoff and spent 40 minutes in the air to dump fuel before returning to land. WFAA's Shelly Slater was on board. Does that fuel hit the ground or does it evaporate?
• Walked out this morning with the cool air surrounding me and a a bird chirping loudly. I almost went back in the house, took off the suit and put on shorts, and sat on the bench on the front lawn  (There will come a day when I will regret that I didn't.)
• Dallas District Attorney DA Craig Watkins is accused of "pushing" staff to run for judgeship positions. Note to those being "pushed": He wants you out of the DA's office because he's not bold enough to fire you. 

This May All Come Crashing Down, But Enjoying The Moment

Yahoo Sports - From 1996 thru 2009, Baylor was 43-117 overall and 14-98 in Big 12 play. That's an average of one conference victory a season. There was a stretch when the Bears went 6-76 in the league. There was a seven-year run in there that Texas beat them 362-38. In 1999, they lost all of their eight Big 12 games by an average of 35.7 points.

The Baylor media guide is a real page-turner if disastrous sporting carnage is your thing.

"We had some lean years there," school president Kenneth Starr said with a laugh. [BSG note: Coach Art Briles said a couple of weeks ago, "These teeth aren't real. They've been kicked in a few times."]

All of which makes this so utterly astounding.

It's not just that Baylor is good – 4-0 on the season after a 73-42 blitzkrieg of West Virginia and sure to continue climbing from its No. 16 ranking. A lot of teams can get "good" and the schedule hasn't been particularly arduous.

It's that Baylor is something that nobody could've imagined possible … cool, exciting, cutting edge, wild, brilliant, pyrotechnic. It's one thing to have a generational local talent such as Robert Griffin III fall through the cracks of the Longhorn recruiting net, show up and win a Heisman. That was a great story.

This is even better because Baylor is even better. More athletes. More skill. More speed. More depth . . . . This is everything Baylor never was. 

(More to the story.)

The older I get, the more I believe in "enjoying the moment." Hey, this isn't Vince Young scoring on fourth down in the Rose Bowl, or TCU beating Wisconsin at that same venue, or Tech's "Crabtree! Breaks free!" moment, but it's fun. But it won't last. Nothing does. Just be smart enough to love it while it happens.

But for now Baylor is the equivalent of Walter White in Waco with a machine gun in the trunk.

Well, This Makes Sense

BREAKING: House passes bill to pay federal workers who are furloughed during government shutdown: http://t.co/GjYIXOnczm -AB
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 5, 2013

Ok, the Republicans who control the House decided to shut down the government unless a budget was passed that defunds Obamacare. When that didn't pan out (which everyone predicted) they now want to spend taxpayer dollars to pay all of those government employees who haven't worked? So the public is deprived of services but at no tax savings?

Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave.

Above The Fold (Inspired by?)

Another Odd Houston Texans Cheerleaders Video Taking You Into The Weekend

Bizarre

A Kansas high school player  and a commit to Kansas University (with offers from four other schools) scored a touchdown last night basically untouched and then became "dizzy and lost functioning."

News comes today that he had a stroke.

And he has died.

I, Robot

The interwebs are buzzing thanks to a video of Boston Dynamics' newest machine, a large four-legged robot called WildCat. Developed with money from DARPA, the cat-like machine is a more production-grade development of an earlier research droid called Cheetah that could run at over 28 miles an hour. More.

Everyone Is Going Nuts

Oregon State Police Thursday released a dramatic video showing the gun battle that unfolded in August on Interstate 84 about 100 miles east of Portland, ending in the death of a Portland motorist. (More)

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• The reviews for the new movie Gravity are off the charts good. Insanely off the charts. 
• Yeah, the lady who drove like a nutcase outside of the White House and the Capitol was dangerous behind the wheel but, once she wrecked out, did she really need to be gunned down? (And the cops are lucky they didn't kill the baby in the car.)
• Look at this cop car damaged in the chase. It wasn't hit by anyone. The driver ran into a concrete barrier in plain view.  (You can see the bizarre event at the 3:00 mark of this video).
• Wendy Davis declared her run for the Governor of Texas yesterday.  Even I don't think there's a chance in the world she can win. But, on election night, she'll provide concrete proof that Texas is getting closer to becoming a blue state. 
• And check out the press release by the Greg Abbott campaign released seconds after her announcement: "Once again, Texas Democrats are attempting to conjure support for California-style candidates that try to sell Obama’s liberal agenda and go against what makes Texas great." California? Obama? It's like Bubba Politics 101.
• Our microwave went out last night. What's next?
• Sports: (1) The Longhorn game was wildly entertaining last night although the horribly played win hurt, and did not help, the chances of Mack Brown keeping his job. (2) Which controls: When the referee makes his decision or when he blows his whistle a second later? Before you answer, think about this - If a ref is watching the play clock and sees it hit 0.00, the ball is snapped a half second later, and the ref blows his whistle a half second after that, the delay of game penalty is going to be assessed, right? (3) I mention that because of the controversial call at the end of the UT game. It's possible that the ref decided it was forward progress, the ball gets stripped, and then he blows the whistle. (4) It was either Emily Jones and Gina Miller on The Hardline yesterday who said that former Baylor coach Guy Morriss was the most sexist coach she ever knew. He wouldn't even acknowledge her in a room even though he shook hands with other male media members. 
• I don't know much about the Mark Cuban/SEC trial other than to know he was goofy enough to invest in a search engine called mamma.com. 
• If I don't mention a Wise County criminal justice story it's probably because I represent the person. I call it the Blog Immunity Perk. 
• I'm beginning to believe in the Breaking Bad finale theory that it was all a fantasy that begin in the stolen car. 
• Yesterday the Tarrant County Judicial Board (which sounds like some kind of Star Chamber) fired the magistrate who they had suspended last week. But they won't say why. (Someone email me and tell me -- I've got to know people who know.) 
• Remember the four people in Alabama who were mysteriously found dead in a car on a remote road? Turns out two were facing child pornography charges.
• Davis Love III rode around at the President's Cup yesterday with a baby squirrel in his lap, gave it to Tiger's girlfriend, who put it on Tiger's back. Tiger not pleased. 

Twitter Exploded Over A UT Cheap Shot This Evening

As the defensive player looks to see the Longhorn cross the goal line in the middle of the field . . .

Targeting this, targeting that. This is the worst late hit you'll see in college football this year: http://t.co/b7jZ4rXIBE
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) October 4, 2013

Big 12 office can't pretend to care about player safety if they don't suspend Texas WR Mike Davis for Red River Rivalry.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 4, 2013

Breaking

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said 1 person was injured in shooting on Capitol Hill, CNN's Dana Bash reports. http://t.co/DQjN2v2zPn
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 3, 2013

Literally was dragged in by cop as he heard shots fired come over the radio. Now this: pic.twitter.com/K1AJwIEV6G
— KateNocera (@KateNocera) October 3, 2013

Breaking: Someone tried to ram gate at the White House, then fled to Capitol Hill. Shots were fired, but unclear by whom.
— ABC News (@ABC) October 3, 2013

.@AFP photo: People take cover as gun shots were being heard at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC pic.twitter.com/mojq3uIHn1
— Michael Rusch (@weeddude) October 3, 2013

Bro witness pic.twitter.com/Wf3Xg3HH6q
— Matt Vasilogambros (@MattVas) October 3, 2013

Edit: Pretty crazy video footage

Northeast School Bans Kids From Saying "Hump Day"

Fox - With over 15 million views, the Geico 'Hump Day' commercial is one of the most memorable commercials to date. But the catch phrase has gone too far, according to one middle school.

You've seen the commercials either on your TV or on YouTube: The Geico commercial with the talking camel excited about what it day it is (hint: it's hump day). Now, students at Vernon Center Middle School in Vernon, Connecticut are banned from saying it.

Brooke Lewis, a student at the school says it's common to hear it in the halls. 

"Everybody's walking around in the hallways and saying its hump day in that weird voice." More.

There is no way this story would have even remotely gotten my attention but for last night. Right around 9:00 p.m., both of the Kids in the House locked on to saying "Hump DAY!" and, although cute for a bit, it went on to the point of almost driving me crazy. They just echoed off one another as they gathered up their things to shut down for night. "Hump DAY!" said one in the kitchen. "Hump DAY!" replied one walking up the stairs.

So while I normally think schools are mini prisons these days with all their rules (good training for some of those hellions, by the way), I totally support this school banning that catch phrase.  I cannot imagine what it's like to have a krillion middle schoolers just beating you down with it all day.

Messenger Going All "50 Shades of Grey" On Us?

A faithful reader pointed this out.  There was a story earlier this week of a former teacher in the Midland area who got arrested in Decatur in an Inappropriate Relationship type of case while she was employed there.

This is how the local media in West Texas referred to one of the incidences:

And this is how the Wise County Messenger described the same event:

Hot Mic Pics Up Republican Strategy

Hey, there's nothing wrong with what they are doing here, we just never get to see it.

There's no question that both the Republicans and Democrats gather secretly and separately to map out their "talking points" and party line for upcoming media interviews. We just never get to see it.

Here the Republicans want to seize on the Democrats position of "we won't negotiate" in the midst of the federal government shutdown.  

From Mashable:

The 40-second video shows Rand Paul approaching Mitch McConnell, asking if he has a second to talk.

"I'm all wired up here," McConnell replies. Paul continues anyway.

"I just did CNN, and I just go over and over again, 'We're willing to compromise; we're willing to negotiate,'" he says in the video. "I don't think they [the Democrats] poll-tested 'We won't negotiate.' I think it's awful for them to say that over and over again."

McConnell responds: "Yeah, I do too, and I just came back from the two-hour meeting with them, and that was basically the same view privately as it was publicly."

"I think if we keep saying, 'We wanted to defund it. We fought for that, but now we're willing to compromise on this,' I think they can't - we're going to win," Paul says. "I know we don't want to be here, but we're going to win this, I think."

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I never read a Tom Clancy book, but I loved the movie Clear and Present Danger.
• A jury is deliberating a consensual sex assault case between a 17 and a 13 year old in Collin County. It sounds like the defense is jury nullification -- and the jury is thinking about it. 
• After learning he'll be paid for the rest of the year even if he quits, Randy Galloway will put his radio show out of it misery on Monday by retiring. He said, “It was either, ‘You can do three more months of radio, five days a week, three hours a day, or you don’t have to do radio, and you’ll still be paid by ESPN.’ So there really wasn’t a lot of decision to make.”  And you question whether he's been mailing in it? 
• I'm almost through with my first bottle of testosterone treatment. Is it possible that it had more of a mental effect than a physical effect? 
• I keep reading that if Speaker John Boehner put up for vote a resolution to fund the entire government that it would pass? If true, who is running the Republican Party up there?
• "Texas High School Tried Not To Run Up The Score, Won 91-15 Anyway"
• What a beating this year: We've replaced the refrigerator, an a/c unit, the Gangsta mobile's transmission, part of the Gangsta mobile's a/c (after running over a big hunk of metal), bought a flute, and now the dishwasher may be on its last legs.  And we've just reached October. It's always something. 
• Someone sent me this Lewisville book-in photo and asked me if it was Random Thought girl worthy. Not sure about that. But the expression on her face makes you think she's being booked in for murder instead of speeding. 
• D Magazine did a feature on the Kennedy Assassination Bus Tour yesterday. Mrs. LL and I had actually talked about doing that. 
• In this space on 9/17: "Tomorrow, Lake Bridgeport should break the twenty foot low mark." The Bridgeport Index's front page on 9/26: "It's Official! Lake More Than 20' Low." 
• I saw the video of "biker attack" in Manhattan on Monday morning but didn't post it because I was so confused by what happened at around the 50 second mark. I didn't know if the soon-to-be-beaten driver was fleeing because he feared for his life or if he just decided to plow through the bikers. 
• Don't forget: The Update mentions that The 23rd Annual “Bare As You Dare” Cross Country 5K is on Saturday. (A cold front moves in on Friday evening.)

Anyone Ever Heard Of Silk Road?

The Feds are all giddy about shutting down a famous "deep" website called Silk Road which, according to Wikipedia, was the Amazon.com of illegal drugs.  And you didn't use conventional money, you paid for it with bitcoins which is a "virtual currency" -- something else that is hard to wrap your brain around.  (Buying dope online from a site that can't be detected by search engines and paying with a virtual currency is a far cry from the way I learned it was done on The Wire.)

A lot of stories about the raid give the impression that the existence of Silk Road was common knowledge. I had never heard of it in my life.

And the government seized $3.6 million in bitcoins. It may be virtual, but apparently the government can get its grubby hands on it.

Britney Has A New Music Video

In these divisive times of political disagreement, finger pointing and name calling, we can always rely upon the official Liberally Lean Gal to bring us all together. (Link.)