Random Monday Morning Thoughts

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• Late Saturday night, I saw a car in my lane backing up on Loop 820 to get to an exit ramp. Mrs. LL saw it before me and almost had a heart attack. We had enough time to react but just by a few seconds. I thought of the The Butterfly Effect.
• Ran across Night Shift last night. Still one of the funniest movies ever. "Love brokers!!!!"
• "MIAMI –  A Florida jury has slammed the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. with $23.6 billion in punitive damages in a lawsuit filed by the widow of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer in 1996." Not only is the lawsuit crazy, so are both of the numbers in that sentence. 
• At least 70 children have died from Israeli missiles. Hey, I appreciate Israel as an ally, but this blind "they can do no wrong" makes no sense. 
• Mrs. LL is stunned by the cost of some fabric (she's doing some curtain project.) She had a very confused look on her face when she thought she had ordered two "rolls" and then two "yards" showed up in the mail .
• I remember the family rushing home from church to watch the moon walk on Sunday evening (or was it Saturday and Vacation Bible School?) 45 years ago, but I don't remember watching the actual event. I may have fell asleep.
• A story which you would think would have received more press:  "GRAND SALINE – A 79-year-old Methodist minister who died after setting himself on fire on a busy street in this town of about 3,100 residents left behind a suicide letter asking the community to repent for its racism."
• The Sixth Grader In The House is at camp this week. There will be 1,000 less questions asked in the house this week.
• Speaking of, try to explain the Royal Family and their role in England to the Sixth Grader.
• Mrs. LL cleaned out the garage before I could get to it. 
• Not sure what I think about wisecountywashers.com
• I could have sworn I saw Ronald Reagan on a tarmac after the USSR shot down the Korean jet using the term "Evil Empire".  I guess I'm wrong about that. 
• Dang air conditioner tripped the breaker again. Time to call the expert. 
• I'm completely confused about Colby Lewis' rant about a bunt on Saturday night.
• It's hard not to look like you are full of hatred if you are holding up a sign that says, "Illegal kids go home!!!"
• The Family Pig had been very tentative on his feet. Now he'll run five feet and buck like a bull out of happiness while he does it. Maybe one of the funniest things I've ever seen. 
• I've got a buddy who loves the USC Song Girls. And he's not ashamed to admit it. 
• One of the Sophomore In The House's friends had posted a "postcard" on Facebook asking, somewhat disturbingly, "If there were ten handguns in front of you and only one had a bullet, would you pick one of the ten guns up, point it at yourself, and pull the trigger if you would receive $1 million if the gun did not have the bullet?" Ok, she's a good kid. But when she was over at the house last night we told her that was weird. (Although I will admit we created a game out of ten pieces of paper which degenerated into Deal or No Deal.)
• You have to be deranged like me, but if you want to hear two guys from The Ticket spend over an hour telling about their trip to find the Alabama Leprechaun Tree and play audio from the experience. here it is.  
• I'll watch the Tour de France only to hope to see helicopter views of the landscape. 
• I bought a ton of home grown tomatoes at a road side stand on Friday. One of life's greatest pleasures. 

Above The Fold

OK, One More British Open

He could have won big money with this: "I bet I can hit this out of the bunker onto the green and have it come back and approach from me behind."

When Fox Wants A Perfect Union Worker, They Find One

The 1960s Would Be Ashamed Of Our Protest Abilities

PROTEST: Small group demonstrates against Dallas Co. Judge Clay Jenkins plan to shelter "border kids" outside office. pic.twitter.com/gjvFl3CUbs
— Carla N. Wade (@CarlaNWade) July 18, 2014

Counter Demonstration: More people showing up in support of Jenkins & plan to shelter "border kids" in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/5V3D3T80SD
— Carla N. Wade (@CarlaNWade) July 18, 2014

The Ol' Swing On A Rope Almost Get Killed Trick

Youtube: My sisters attempt at the ole rope swing in key west florida. Her foot got caught in the loop and slammed hard into the rocks. She Split her head open and got pretty banged up but she walked away from it with no broken bones or serious injuries.

Ok. Calm down. She's fine. But, man, that trip back towards the shore would be terrifying. And thumbs up to the puppy dog for at least being concerned. Thumbs down to the guy who must be on his way to rob a train.

Get Me This Goat Trying To Stand On A Bean Bag

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• They will be selling beer at UNT football games this year. (SMU has already announced it would do so.) Something that seems unheard of only a few years ago now hardly gets any attention. 
• You know, I was a little surprised at how easy it was to take a jetliner out from 33,000 feet with a missile launched from the ground. Most experts believe this is the type that was used.
• One of the most bizarre stories about the Malaysian aircraft disaster was the Dutch passenger who made a pre-flight joke (about the still missing MH370 flight from March) by taking a picture of the plane and posting it with the caption  "If it disappears, this is what it looks like."
• Random money thought: Google's last quarter revenue increased 22% when compared to last year. That would be $16 billion in a quarter. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced it will lay off up to 18,000. 
• I can't find it anywhere, but I saw a clip of a commercial for the "Undertaker Brothers" which was created by the owners of  the Johnson Family Mortuary in Fort Worth where a few unburied bodies were found this week. It was gold.
• I'm about to clean out the garage but first I've got to give notice to the Ladies In The House that I'm going to do it. Why? I will throw dang near anything away unless I think it will be used within the next year. 
• I finally heard Sean Bergin, the New Jersey reporter who was demoted for saying that "young black men growing up without fathers" were the cause of a recent wave of violence. The guy thinks a lot of himself and is trying to make himself into a martyr. And he now claims that he made the statement knowing it might cost him his job because he cares for all the young people being killed and someone "had to have the courage to say it." Riiiiight.
• Yesterday evening might have been the greatest July evening weather-wise ever.
• I've lost a ton of money on individual stock bets over the years (something I no longer do) but, on a lark, I actually bought 100 shares of American Airlines when it dropped to about three dollars ten years ago. There were rumors of bankruptcy, and I thought "no way". Some how, some way, despite finally declaring bankruptcy, those shares survived. They now sell at $42. 
• Am I smug about that stock? Nope. I only bought 100 shares -- a massive mistake. And I also bet on Enron and WorldCom. I would have had better luck at a roulette table. 
• Fox Southwest has been replaying major Big 12 football games from last year with basically every play but edited down to one hour. It is fantastic. 
• I don't think anything will reveal a person's "true colors" more than than the opinion they have on the "border crisis". (Which may not have been a "crisis" after all.) 
• Someone honked at me yesterday (not in a friendly manner) and for the life of me I don't know what I did. 

And Everyone Of Them Would Admit They Have No Idea What They Are Doing

The @dallas_da welcomes a new class of #prosecutors to the Misdemeanor division. #dallasda #criminaljustice pic.twitter.com/D9Y6opQstk
— Dallas DA (@dallas_da) July 17, 2014

Random financial thought:

The average starting salary for an incoming assistant DA in 2007 (best numbers I could quickly find) was $56,000. Let's adjust it conservatively upwards to $60,000. You're looking at $1.2 million a year in salaries alone.  Throw in benefits, retirement, support staff, office space, and supplies and that's a ton of taxpayer money.

I was curious what the total budget was for the Dallas DA's office, but for the life of me I couldn't find it.

And Another - Connecticut

2014 is making a heck of a comeback in the summertime.

Story.

Random DPS News

Off-duty Texas trooper accidentally shoots self http://t.co/s4fHbg3Cjs
— WFAA TV (@wfaachannel8) July 17, 2014

The Real Evil Empire At It Again? Or A Ukrainian Screw Up?

Flashback:

Edit!:

Probably My Only British Open Post Ever

Ernie Els three putting from point blank range:



Tiger Woods hitting some guy in the noggin' (on the one hop):



Tiger Woods not honoring one of the Ten Commandments:

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Per Channel 4, Sanger received 11.3 inches of rain last night (shutting down parts of I-35 this morning.) And, they claim, Decatur received 7.4. And Fort Worth and Dallas received nothing. How weird. 
• More accuracy of the Israeli missiles: Four dead kids on a Gaza beach.
• "If there were 2,000 puppies on the border that needed temporary homes, I wonder what our reaction in Dallas would be." - Tim Rogers of D Magazine.
• College football next year: On the same day, 9/3/2016, we have Alabama vs. USC in Arlington, UCLA at Texas A&M and Notre Dame at Texas. Wow.
• I was walking around the block last night and exchange greetings with a couple of kids as they got in their car. Less than a minute later and less than 200 yards away they pulled out in front of another vehicle and a wreck occurred. No injuries, but that sound of screeching tires and metal colliding is one of the worst sounds ever. 
• A Longview chiropractor went on a diving trip off the coast of Florida and didn't return to the boat. They believe a shark got him. 
• I watched a little of the EPSY's last night hosted by Drake. Is that guy supposed to be cool? Musicians shouldn't try to be comedians. Comedians shouldn't try to be musicians. 
• President Obama plans a 16-day Martha's Vineyard vacation on a $12 million, 10-acre forested estate. (I smile just thinking of the reaction out there.)
• That first surveillance photo of a guy that Decatur PD is looking for looks like some type of art work. That's beautifully done. 
• The Family Pig is still well behaved. I hadn't planned on this. Figured he'd be gone by now. 
• "The Christian Wrestling Federation will be at Movement Church in Rhome (1194 CR 4651) at 10 a.m. Sunday." Almost seems like a headline out of The Onion.
• Ron Howard will direct a Beatles documentaries about their touring years. Yes, please.
• Funny: An Arizona Congressman raced to the scene of an incoming bus of migrant children to protest and tweeted that accepting them was not compassionate because he saw the "fear" on their faces. Turns out it was just a regular school bus of local kids heading to a YMCA camp. 

Courtney Stodden Makes An Appearance At Capitol Hill Today

Passing out Veggie Dogs for PETA in a lettuce bikini.

Of course.

Remember That Tech Recruit Who Got Kicked Out Of School Before He Started . . .

. . . for slugging the school's best female basketball player? Well, they've released the video. I'm not saying it's earthshaking, but he definitely popped her really hard.

In related news, a grand jury declined  to indict him on a felony.  First, I'm not sure why it went to the grand jury because it looked like a misdemeanor assault. (Unless it caused some type of permanent disfigurement or impairment, then they could get it to the felony level.)  Likely, she doesn't want to pursue it and wants the whole issue to go away. The kid didn't walk away scot free because he has suffered  the consequences of losing a full ride to Tech. The prosecutors probably thought that was a decent disposition but had the grand jury "make" the decision for political cover.

Edit: Welp, had that wrong. He was reinstated late this afternoon.

American Ninja Chick

I mentioned American Ninja this morning and have since learned this clip is making the rounds. It is noteworthy because it aired last night, was filmed in Fair Park in Dallas (which has never looked so good), and features the first woman to complete the obstacle course. Pretty incredible.

(For the sticklers, you'll note the youtube timer and the timer on the screen do not stay in synch. Apparently, the show will edit out portions of a run which do not impact the outcome. Like resting.)

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Lowe's Markets has purchased both grocery stores in Jacksboro and shut one of them down.
• Boyd PD recently received/purchased five "trucks" for its police department. And, I've heard, they are all new. 
• The web site run by uber-election predictor Nate Silver says that the Democrats are perilously close to losing the Senate in the Fall. (The stuff they do is pretty interesting.)
• Something that isn't getting enough press is that discovery of a German U-Boat in the Gulf of Mexico. I heard so many people say yesterday that they had no idea that Germany was sinking ships in the Gulf during World War II. I'm right there with them.
• Deion's Prime Prep Academy was shut down by the state yesterday. The SMU recruit and Prime Prep graduate announcing he won't go to SMU one day before that is beginning to make sense. 
• In this day and time of drones, Israel and Hamas firing missiles at each other is very sticks and stones like.
• Thanks for all the tips on the A/C issue yesterday. I change the inside filters and took a hose to the outside unit as suggested. If the breaker trips one more time, we'll bring in someone who knows what they are doing.
• And for those that missed it, the funniest comment told me to open up the outdoor unit and start poking around in there. It was signed by Double Fake Coker Funeral Home.
• Sports: (1) I'd flip over to the All-Star Game last night every now and then but all that Derek Jeter fawning was too much to take. (2) The Mavericks will be average to slightly above average next year. No one is calculating in Dirk's decline which has already begun. They'll be a middle rung team -- exactly where you don't want to be. (3) The Big 12 Media Guide is now online so I checked it out because I wanted to see how Baylor is now doing in the all time records section. They weren't bad. But, man, those Mike Leach years at Tech dominate the passing categories. (4) The Longhorns are worried about four of its players dining with an agent. 
• On Saturday morning I came across a Batman marathon from the 1960s. I watched a couple of them and was very surprised by the subtle comedy injected in those shows. (Robin: "Trouble?" Batman: "Trouble? Oh, we've got trouble. Right here in Gotham City!") 
• The Texas appeals judge arrested for DWI finally had her mugshot released. Still pretty hot. 
• Man, the conservatives have to be careful in trying to justify their border security attack by basing it on the potential "diseases" that these migrant kids might have. Mark Davis has done it. Dan Patrick has done it. And Sean Hannity harps on it constantly. That's dangerously close to calling them "dirty Mexicans", no? 
• By my unofficial count of indictments handed down by the last Wise County Grand Jury, 27 of the 47 indictments were for drugs. There has to be a a better way. 
• The Girls In The House are a fan of American Ninja Warrior.
• Very, very late last night, the Denton City Council voted against banning fracking in the city. But regardless of that vote, the general public will vote on the issue in November. So why even mess with it last night?