Random Monday Morning Thoughts

Hot weather is often a topic. That's from the front page of the Star-Telegram on July 10, 2012.

---

• Speaking of:
• ERCOT wants you to conserve electricity during the hottest part of today:
  
  
  
  
• That announcement from ERCOT came right about the same time last night as parts of Houston started getting hit with electricity outages. 
  
  
  
• Somehow Wise County is out of the warning area for today, but there's no way you will feel any difference. Waco and College Station both hit 109 yesterday. And those southwest of us are really getting scorched today.
  
  
  
• DFW Airport has had 8 consecutive days of 100 or higher, and 17 total days at that level. In case you were wondering what the records look like:
  
  
  
• A lady gets stopped in the HOV lane in Plano and decides that she should fight the ticket using the argument that she should be considered to have "two people" in the car since she is pregnant. There are some weird things about all of this: (1) The story went nationwide overnight despite only appearing in David Lieber's pretty boring "Watchdog" column about it in the Dallas Morning News. (2) In interviews, she completely dodges Roe v. Wade questions and won't even state a position despite the Dobbs angle being the only reason the story is going national. (3) She sure is willing to pose for pictures for everyone. So what exactly is her angle?
  
  
  

  

  Posing for WFAA

  
  

  

  Interview with CNN on Sunday

  
  
• Elon Musk, as I told you he would do from the start, has backed out of this $44 billion Twitter deal. 
• He just posted this. This will not end well for him, and the child is not smart enough to realize it. 
  
  
  
• He has a major problem. Some people think he can just pay a $1 billion "penalty" and walk away. That's not true. There is a $1 billion penalty clause in the contract, but that only comes into play if Twitter allows him to use it. More importantly, the contract requires specific performance and gives venue to the Delaware Chancery Court which enforces that remedy all the time. And Twitter isn't playing around . . . 
  
  
  
• Fox News says an AR-15 wasn't the cause of the Highland Park Massacre, this was: 
  
  
  
• The police are definitely not being defunded in Fort Worth. 
  
  
  
• It's flat out weird that a small group of right-wing, part-time Texas lawmakers have decided to proactively play cops, judge, jury, and executioner. I mean really weird. (And one of them tried to be D.A. in Tarrant County.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Trump was in Alaska this weekend. 
• Good lord.
  
  
  
• Guess who was there?
  
  
  
• This gal was a mess. Video.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I doubt if you paid attention to 15 people being gunned down in a tavern in Johannesburg yesterday.  But that comes on the heels of another incident (below) in South Africa -- which probably should catch a few more headlines than it is  -- and where the motive is also unknown. Something's going on down there.
  
  
  
• Here's the Wikipedia entry for the Luby's Massacre for those who have forgotten . . .

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

The judge actually got suspended for the remainder of his elected term over this. Story about it here. Video (turn the volume down a bit) is here.

---

• Gun violence is almost non-existent in Japan. But not today.  
  
  
  
• Here's a video of the shooting from some distance. Those two blasts sounded like they were from a shotgun.
  
  
  
• But it turned out to be a homemade hand cannon. 
  
  
  
• Photos of the immediate apprehension of the guy:
  
  
   
  
  
  
• Well, they finally disclosed it. 
  
  
  
• New job numbers released moments ago.  So is a recession not coming? 
  
  
  
• Alabama's George Wallace was a moderate until he figured out that being a Klansman in Alabama was the way to become really popular with the masses.  Greg Abbott has found his playbook.  (But note that in this new "policy", Abbott uses to words "to the border" and not "across the border.")
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Texas Democratic reply pulled no punches.
  
  
  
• This is surprising. "The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.30% in the week ending July 7, down from 5.70% the week before."
  
  
  
• No one has ever experienced buyer's remorse more than this nutcase. 
  
  
  
• This Twitter thread of multiple future headlines has a disturbing feel of accuracy to it.
  
  
   
  
  
  
• That makes two of us. 
  
  
  
• Misery is criminally under-rated. As is Honeymoon in Vegas.
  
  
  
• Just as soon not be. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Time which has passed since the Wise County Sheriff's Office, despite having a full male DNA profile, has failed to solve the murder of Lauren Whitener in her home at Lake Bridgeport: 3 years and 3 days.
• Messenger: Above the Fold

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

There were all sorts of accolades given a decade ago, but I noticed that I posted this Youtube clip of him explaining to Opie, with a great deal of indignation, that he couldn't listen to a secret recording between an attorney and his client. 

---

• The right wing leader of Britain who had odd hair, constantly lied, broke norms, and was never qualified for the job, has resigned after his own party revolted against him. That's kind of refreshing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• No warning signs here.
  
   
  
  
  
• Uvalde news yesterday.
• Another failure revealed. Texas Tribune story. 
  
  
  
• A teacher played dead while laying in blood for an hour. 
  
  
  
• From the home page of the Dallas Morning News right now. The police chief probably needs to rethink that smile considering the backdrop and the anniversary. 
  
  
  
• Oil has dropped from a high of $122 a barrel on 6/8/22 to $99.50 yesterday.  And I'm seeing gas prices at the pump to be dropping below $4.00 this morning.   
  
  
  
• A Southlake couple found shot to death in their home has led to some extremely tight lipped reporting.  Reading between the lines, it sounds like a murder-suicide although no one will come out and say it.   And I think it's odd that the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office, which will report a deceased's name on its public website as soon as they get the body, isn't doing so here. 
  
  
  
  
• Here's an example of the ME's website. This morning they are already identifying someone who died at 5:45 a.m. It's normally just routine for them.
  
  
  
• This story, which was only promoted by the local DFW CBS affiliate, said it happened in Wise County.  However, I'm 100% sure there was no one booked into the Wise County Jail on or around July 5th with those charges. No names were given in the story. This is weird. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Yesterday, for the first time in months, I told you that I thought the COVID numbers were beginning to trend upwards and no one was paying attention. Then yesterday afternoon Dallas County announced this:
  
  
  
• The QAnon Republican representative shared this false image yesterday.
  
  
  
• This is wild. Last Monday, a Florida resident videos a cop in a patrol car driving erratically. Calls 911. Cop's buddies show up and find him to be hammered drunk. Video. 
  
  
  
• The head football coach at Chico resigned last week, but I loved this line as reported by the Messenger that said he "led the Dragons to a 4-26 record" but still "qualified for the playoffs twice."