6.06.2016

Playlist Compiled By The Ultimate Statistics Gurus




Seriously. Those boys do a ton of number crunching.
at 12:10 PM

Texas Congressman Not Happy With Trump



at 11:02 AM

Random Ad In Texas Monthly That Makes No Sense

I don't know how much it costs to advertise in Texas Monthly, but it is not uncommon to see ads in the back for ranches or huge acreage which will always be for millions of dollars. Here's an example:


So someone explain to me how you can pay for even a 1/4 page ad for a place that lists for $70,000? It probably cost $3,000 - $4,000 which is a chunk of change for one real estate ad.



at 8:55 AM

Random Monday Morning Thoughts



  • Ken Starr continues to make news: (1) He had an incredibly awkward interview where his PR person (who is being paid way too much even if she is working for free) interrupted and told him how to answer. It was followed by Starr acting like he had never been in front of a camera before as he turned to her after answering the question again and asking if that was "better", (2) Some goofballs took out a full page ad out in the Austin American Statesman thanking him for his time at Baylor.
  • I'm very interested in this 30 for 30 mini series on O.J.  that is debuting this Saturday.
  • My probable award winning photo of the Lake Bridgeport spillway from yesterday is here.
  • Donald Trump sent the GOP into a panic this weekend as he continued to make racist comments against the judge in his seedy Trump University lawsuit, and he referred to a guy in one of his crowds as "my African-America".
  • I saw a headline that Miss California USA "flubbed" a question during last night's pageant but it wasn't even close to the famously funny "because they don't have maps".  I was more interested to learn that the "20-year-old model is the daughter of 1990s one-hit-wonder singer Gerardo, known for 'Rico Suave.'"
  • Texas Monthly has another story of over-zealous prosecutors and the prosecution of an innocent man. This time it is about Kerry Max Cook who has been fighting the good-old-boy system in Tyler for decades. (The magazine single-handedly caused the change in Texas law where we defense lawyers can now actually get a copy of the prosecutors file because of their story on Michael Morton a few years back.)
  • There an NFL player who was shot in the leg at a strip club in Dallas over the weekend. I liked one of the reviews of the place on Yelp: $40 parking, $40 cover, 30 minute wait when there was no line, and drinks only by the bottle for around $150. 
  • I'm not sure I've seen any case which impacts what police officers can do during traffic stops more than the Supreme Court's decision of Rodriguez vs. United States from last year. I read it again this weekend and even listened to the oral arguments (with the worst defense lawyer ever). Nevertheless, he won the case. Police are now on shaky ground if they prolong a traffic stop because they are snooping around and asking unrelated questions simply because of a hunch. 
  • The story behind the photo below (including who the guy is who can be seen between Ali's legs and how he ended up there.)
  • But I don't know anything about an almost identical photo taken from a slightly different angle:



at 8:37 AM

6.05.2016

Two Acres? "Thousands" Flee?


at 8:28 AM

6.04.2016

Ali Has Died



And I won't mention that less than two weeks ago I posted a picture of him being knocked down by Joe Frazier. The Liberally Lean curse continues.

It is hard to explain what a big deal Ali was back in the day.  Boxing was a golden sport and Ali was a showman who took it to an unbelievable level. I stopped down many years later when he lit the Olympic Torch in Los Angeles*. He was a  trembling, shuffling shell of himself -- a man slowly giving way to Parkinson's.

But you have to wonder how a flamboyant and trash talking Muslim who refused to be drafted would have fared in American society these days.
________
* A faithful reader points out it was in Atlanta.


at 10:33 AM

6.03.2016

Above The Fold


Readable full page in pdf.
at 4:59 PM

It's The Weekend, Let's Get Out Of Here

View post on imgur.com





at 3:00 PM

Trump Supporters Out-manned By Unruly Crowds In California








at 12:21 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts




  • Art Briles statement yesterday had one subtle bombshell. In the middle of a carefully crafted (and kind of boring) statement, he threw in that the outside investigation was not "independent."  (The Ticket completely missed that this morning during a segment while WBAP amazingly locked onto it.)
  • It's only early June but Hillary and Trump are already throwing verbal nuclear missiles at each other 
  • Crazy story out of Rowlett that doesn't have a lot of details made public yet. But the lead is gripping: "Days before his planned wedding, the groom-to-be paid two convicted sex offenders to kill the 37-year-old Rowlett mother he was set to marry, officials say."
  • When did local news become dominated by viral Internet videos?
  • Mississippi State showed two errors of judgment yesterday: (1) They suspended an incoming star recruit for one whole game for beating up a woman, and (2) the AD decided to defend the decision by showing up in shorts and pulling up a chair in front of the press. He got roasted.
  • I did my first window screen replacement the other day. That may be the easiest project in the history of ever and was dirt cheap. (My only error was to not get all the slack out.)
  • One of the great all time courtroom lunges by a victim's family member at a defendant occurred in Ohio yesterday. Watch. Screenshot below:
  • Weather prediction has been dicey as of late, but the National Weather Service is predicting not a cloud in the sky for Sunday through Thursday.
  • Every drug case by DPS (and even for most agencies that use the DPS drug lab) are analysed in Austin. This year, the lab said "they will not test for misdemeanor drugs even when it is DPS filing a case with a local Criminal District Attorney's Office......unless the prosecutor personally sends a letter to the Lab requesting analysis." Heck, DPS doesn't even care about the War on Drugs when it is a misdemeanor.
  • A guy was arrested south of here for driving around a barricade and ending up on dry ground but surrounded by flood waters. The offense for disregarding a lawfully placed barricade is punishable by a fine only yet they arrested him which took about five officers as five emergency workers looked on. Note: Fox 4 says "Drivers can be jailed for up to six months and face up to a $2,000 fine for going around low water crossing barriers."  That's not was Texas Transportation Code 472.022 says. (Screenshot of arrest below with red dots over the government workers)



  • It's the College Softball World Series this weekend and the Females In The House will be locked in. (It's really amazing.) Sports Genius Prediction: Take Oklahoma. (Bracket.) Of the eight teams, seven are from warm weather schools, six are from the South, and only Michigan is a cold weather school. And that's your fun fact for the day which you can use to impress your friends

at 8:35 AM

6.02.2016

There For The Air Force Academy Graduation

The Thunderbird pilot survived . . .

The death was in connection with a Blue Angel jet practicing in Tennessee:


Edit: There was also more tragedy related to Fort Hood . . .

at 4:59 PM

Trump University + Trump + Greg Abbott = Political Seediness


at 11:30 AM

Another Random Poll

Who will you vote for?
Hillary Clinton (D)
Donald Trump (R)
Gary Johnson (L)
David French (I)
I'd pass and vote for none of the above
make a quiz
at 9:06 AM

Random Poll

What is your health insurance status?
Covered through employer
I buy my own policy
I'm uninsured
Do Quizzes
at 8:52 AM

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts



  • I watched 80% of A Streetcar Named Desire. Its ending was revealed in 1947, but I don't know what it is. But I finally understand the screaming of "Stella!!!!"
  • Texas vs. OU will be moved to Fox Sports 1.  It can't even make an 11:00 a.m. kickoff on Fox's main network any longer?
  • Pete Delkus proves he's only doing a bit with his prediction for additional rainfall through Saturday: He says Sherman is expected to get 3.28 inches while McKinney is expecting 1.75.  Tell me how ridiculous that is. First, to give a prediction within a hundredth of an inch is insane, and the disparity between the two cities -- only 32 miles apart -- is dumbfounding. And I didn't even mention his prediction of 0.36 for Gainesville.
  • And the weatherman for Fox 4 this morning was more than defensive as he told the audience what a 30% chance of rain really means and then followed it up with: "I can't predict if it is going to rain at your house." 
  • "WASHINGTON — The largest health insurer in Texas [Blue Cross] wants to raise its rates on individual policies by an average of nearly 60 percent . . . ." Wow. Question: What do you guys pay out there for an individual policy not provided by an employer and what is the deductible? 
  • Why was a Sheriff's deputy running radar on 287 in the rain a few days back? We've got a slew of troopers to do that. 
  • Uber announced yesterday it had raised $3.8 billion from Saudi Arabia. What are they up to? Sidenote: You would think Uber wouldn't cost all that much to manage. They don't have to buy a fleet of cars and the company runs on technology. 
  • Buried under the Kenneth Starr resignation news at Baylor was the other news that running back Devin Chafin was kicked off the team for an alleged domestic assault in 2014 and that seven Baylor recruits who had signed letters of intent in February had asked to be released. I'm coming out the Stage One Denial: This is a disaster. 
  • And if that wasn't bad enough, I heard from a guy I trust yesterday who said there is a video in existence relating to a sexual assault that will rock this thing to the next level (if that's even possible.) I hope it isn't true. 
  • Ken Starr's interview yesterday was embarrassing. He seemed clueless, naive, and lazy. In that regard, did you know he never even spoke personally with Monica Lewinsky? The lead special counsel in one of the most noteworthy investigations in U.S. history never took the time to talk to the most important witness. As a prosecutor, you will be stunned by what you can learn from a witness if you meet with them, make it a casual and non-threatening environment, and listen instead of telling them what you need from them. 
  • Art Briles has issued a written statement this morning. He took the high road.
  • US 281 at the Jack County/Archer County line is under water this morning. Is that around Lake Bridgeport's watershed?
  • "Putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing." - Donald Trump to ABC in 1994.

at 8:42 AM

6.01.2016

Above The Fold


Full page readable PDF here.
at 4:17 PM

Going, Going . . . Gone


If there was a vision, there wasn't much strategy behind it.

Edit: Good grief . . .


at 11:49 AM

Decatur High School For Sale On Craiglist


Link.
at 8:43 AM
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