Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, October 13, 2020

I decided to watch a particular episode of The West Wing on Netflix. Back in the day, I used to record it on my VCR and re-watch an episode several times before a new episode aired. While watching it yesterday, I cracked up at some old muscle memory which was triggered immediately after the opening credits. I had the remote in my hand and immediately started to fast-forward through the expected commercial. But, in this case, there was nothing to fast-forward through because Netflix streams episodes without commercials. For a moment, I was transported 20-years in the past and felt like I was living alone in my apartment watching an episode on my VCR.

And, I can’t believe I never knew CJ’s last name was spelled “Cregg”, I always thought it was “Craig”. But, thanks to a larger television and HD technology, I was able to read her name plate. And, I wasn’t away CJ stood for “Claudia Jean”.

I’m Billy Graham’s granddaughter. Evangelical support for Donald Trump insults his legacy.

By supporting Donald Trump, evangelical leaders are failing us and failing the Gospel. Christian women must step up where our church leaders won’t.

Americans shouldn’t have to wait this long to cast a vote. Ridiculous. Early voting starts today in Texas, I hope it goes well.  I have a feeling the first day will be pretty busy, so I’ll try to go the next day or so.

The Surprising Origin of Fried Chicken – Fried chicken is as emblematic of the US South as collard greens and sweet potato pie. But it may be more Scottish than Southern.

Tourist returns stolen artifacts to Pompeii after suffering ‘curse’ for 15 years

The woman, identified only as Nicole, sent two white mosaic tiles, two pieces of amphora vase and a piece of ceramic wall to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, along with a letter explaining her decision.
“I wanted to have a piece of history that couldn’t be bought,” wrote the woman, who said she was “young and dumb” at the time.
Since returning to Canada, she said, she has suffered two bouts of breast cancer, resulting in a double mastectomy, and her family has also been in financial trouble.

Halo-Gravity Traction

Inside Disney’s Ugly COVID Reopening Battle in California

Disney is firing workers by the thousands while its executives cling to their exorbitant bonuses. And the battle to reopen Disneyland is getting more desperate.

I kept hearing reporters state that a compound fracture meant bone broke through the skin. I thought they were wrong, that they were confusing the words “compound” and “open”, and that a compound fracture only meant a complete break. But it turns out I’m wrong, and “open” and “compound” can be used interchangeably.

Dak Prescott of the NFL Dallas Cowboys suffered a severe season ending ankle injury during week 5 of the NFL season. The star quarterback appeared to dislocate and fracture his ankle and is already on his way to get surgery. In this video we’ll review the footage and discuss the mechanism of how something like this happens, the relevant anatomy, and then touch on the on field management and some important aspects of Dak’s recovery.

Wife of Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor called racist slur at grocery store – Gisele Barreto Fetterman, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s wife and a formerly undocumented immigrant from Brazil, said the incident happened Sunday after she was recognized at the store.

Watch A Guy Does His Best To Handle A Cougar Stalking Him For Six Minutes Straight

The cat starts to get really aggressive at the 2:48 mark.

This guy followed what to do by the book.

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Bag of Randomness for Monday, October 12, 2020

For anyone who has any sorry for Dak Prescott because of his devastating ankle injury and how bad 2020 has affected you on a personal level, just take a moment to consider that Dak’s brother succumbed to suicide earlier this year.

Michael Gallup made the most impressive back-to-back catches in Cowboys, and probably NFL history, and no one will remember or be talking about it.

We took the kids to the drive-thru haunted experience held at one of the American Airlines Center’s parking garages on Saturday. Every time I asked BoyGeeding how he was doing, he’d simply respond with, “Terrified.” It didn’t phase DaughterGeeding at all.

I was most surprised passing all the restaurants and bars and seeing how packed the parking lots and insides were. Ain’t nobody caring about social distancing or wearing masks.

Promotion of the Senator John Cornyn and MJ Hegar debate was poor, I had no idea it occurred until after the event. I heard more about the lead-up to the South Carolina debate between Lindsey Graham and his opponent than I did for the one in my own state. The South Carolina got more coverage after the event especially because of the following remark by Graham, “f you’re a young, African American or an immigrant, you can go anywhere in this state, you just need to be conservative, not liberal”.

Human ‘microevolution’ sees more people born without wisdom teeth and an extra artery – Australian researchers found our faces have got shorter over time and our jaws smaller.

The Atlantic – Schools Aren’t Super-Spreaders – Fears from the summer appear to have been overblown.

Since early last month, I’ve been working with a group of data scientists at the technology company Qualtrics, as well as with school-principal and superintendent associations, to collect data on COVID-19 in schools. Our data on almost 200,000 kids in 47 states from the last two weeks of September revealed an infection rate of 0.13 percent among students and 0.24 percent among staff. That’s about 1.3 infections over two weeks in a school of 1,000 kids, or 2.2 infections over two weeks in a group of 1,000 staff. Even in high-risk areas of the country, the student rates were well under half a percent.

Illinois Woman Takes Bar Exam While in Labor, Gives Birth, Then Finishes Test  – She doesn’t know yet if she passed the exam but she’ll find out in December

Sounds like the setup for a Trump joke – Venomous caterpillar that looks like a walking toupee sighted in U.S.

Recycling was a lie — a big lie — to sell more plastic, industry experts say
Social Sharing – Less than 10 per cent of the plastics we’ve used have been recycled. A new documentary reveals why

The Most Haunted Places in America by Thrillist

Here’s the entry for Texas.

Texas
Yorktown Memorial Hospital
Yorktown (about 75 miles from San Antonio)

The old beds, gurneys, mirrors, chairs, and other medical equipment are still inside, this decrepit abandoned hospital, where more than 2,000 patients died before it shuttered in 1988. Today, vsitors have described inexplicable apparitions, whispers, shadowy figures in the hallways, wheelchairs rolling unpushed, and a particularly terrifying talking doll in the nursery that asks, “Do you love me?” So um. Go check it out! The owner allows for regular tours and paranormal investigations. —Keller Powell

 

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Bag of Randomness for Friday, October 9, 2020

Feds say plot was bigger than kidnapping Gov. Whitmer. It was civil war attempt.

The Wolverine Watchmen militia group didn’t just plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, but they were on a mission to attack the state Capitol and target police officers at their homes as part of a broader mission to instigate a civil war,  authorities said Thursday in announcing felony charges against 13 militia members accused in a sensational case of domestic terrorism.

Kidnap. Civil War. Target police – at their homes.

There’s no need for Russia to interfere in our elections, we do enough damage to ourselves. But then again, they probably did a lot to provoke this sort of thing, and it doesn’t help that Trump asks these types of people to “stand by.”

And to think most folks are worried about Muslim terrorists. These were white American citizens.

On Wednesday, Chevron became the biggest oil company in America. It’s the first time Exxon and its predecessor, Standard Oil, haven’t occupied the throne since the late 1800s.

I read a discussion thread about people’s ability to visualize a story as they read. I fall in the category of not being able to do this. It’s something I’ve tried to connect with the material I’m reading, but as soon as I start visualizing my mind gets distracted and then I do that thing in which I follow the words on the page but can’t tell you anything about what I just read.

MLB’s American League Division Series started earlier this week at Petco Park in San Diego, which is 2,789 miles from the Yankees’ home field and 2,470 miles from where the Rays play.

This sounds too risky, something zombie or Jurassic Park crazy is about to happen.

Well preserved 2,000-year-old brain cells found in Vesuvius victim

Brain cells have been found in exceptionally preserved form in the remains of a young man killed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago, an Italian study has revealed.

I discovered the preserved neuronal structures in vitrified or frozen form at the archaeological site of Herculaneum, an ancient Roman city engulfed under a hail of volcanic ash after nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.

Other than this tweet, I know nothing about this Arlington’s high school drive-thru play, but it looks fun and creative and they are making the most out of what they can considering the circumstances. Good for them.

https://twitter.com/TView_Theatre/status/1313861144143163392

The Sports Industry’s Gen Z Problem – The next generation of consumers isn’t following in the footsteps of sports-hungry millennials

  • 53% of Gen Zers identify as sports fans, compared to 63% of all adults and 69% of millennials.
  • Gen Zers are half as likely as millennials to watch live sports regularly and twice as likely to never watch.
  • Esports are more popular among Gen Z than MLB, NASCAR and the NHL, with 35% identifying as fans.
  • Kobe Bryant and LeBron James ranked as Gen Z’s favorite sports figures with 11% and 10% of selections, respectively.

Photography of Gravestones for a Historic Survey: A How-To Guide

How to take good gravestone photos:

The headstone that was being photographed in the image above.
The ideal gravestone or grave marker (not everything is stone, after all) photograph will include the entire face of the gravestone in one shot. This is best achieved by kneeling or crouching on the ground in order to line up your shot. Alternatively, you could use a tripod set quite low in order to achieve the same angle.

Getting a straight-on shot ensures minimal distortion in the photograph, which is especially important for not only reading the inscription, but to ensure that there is minimal distortion in your scale bar.

Somewhat related.

Bit a language warning for ya.

What would happen if I tried to explain what’s happening now to the June 2020 version of myself?

Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/Ms7capx4Cb8

Part 2 here: https://youtu.be/xdyDpP2s-og

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Bag of Randomness for Thursday, October 8, 2020

Somebody, please test the fly that was on the vice-president’s head for COVID.

You learn very early in debate school to answer the question you want to answer, not the question that was given. Mike Pence must have been an outstanding student.

Remember that time President Obama killed that fly during an interview?

I called a local business to get an estimate on a fireplace remodel. The teardown is already complete. They told me an estimate would involve a service call of $89, which they would wave if I wanted went forward with the work. That surprised me, it’s the first time anyone ever wanted to charge me for an estimate. I went back and looked at their website. They advertise to call them for an estimate, but nowhere does it state they are free or will cost anything.

I’m sure this isn’t only happening in my hometown.

‘Shocking number’ of Mineral Wells ISD students failing online learning, district says – “Several have never logged in or communicated at all in six weeks,” the district said in a letter to parents.

Trump’s medical bill would cost an average American citizen at least $100k, report says

17-year-old Maci Currin, of Cedar Park, Texas, is the brand new Guinness World Records 2021 book after being confirmed as having the world’s longest legs (female) and the longest legs on a teenager. She’s 6′ 11″ tall. Her left leg measures 135.267 cm (53.255 in), while her right leg measures 134.3 cm (52.874 in). And, she participates in high school volleyball.

On October 13, 1960, Nixon and Kennedy debated each other with one of them in L.A. and the other was in New York. It was a split-screen telecast. The same thing should happen with the next Trump and Biden debate for safety reasons. Not only for the candidates for to limit exposure to everyone who will make the broadcast happen. But Team Trump will never allow it, especially if the moderator has the ability to mute a participant’s mic. Trump thrives at being able to interject and interrupt, not complying by the rules, and bullying his opponent.

Court documents ask Parkland parents to prove mental anguish – Parents who sued a school district after their children died in a mass shooting at a Florida high school are being asked to turn over psychiatric records to prove they’ve suffered mental anguish

BoyGeeding took a study break and tried knocking down a wasp nest with his Nerf gun.

Wade Phillips still wants to work.

Sobering (and brought to you by the military publication the Trump administration wanted to defund) – Years after they fought in Afghanistan, US troops watch as their children deploy to the same war

Nineteen years ago on Wednesday, a generation of Americans deployed to Afghanistan to root out the terrorists behind the 9/11 attacks, believing that by fighting in the country more than 7,400 miles away, they would spare their children the need to do so too.

But as the U.S. war in Afghanistan begins its 20th year, some of those same service members have watched as their sons and daughters have deployed to continue the fight.

“When we started this, people asked why I was going, and my response was, ‘So my sons don’t have to fight this war,’” said Master Sgt. Trevor deBoer, who has deployed to Afghanistan three times with the 20th Special Forces Group since 2002.

Nearly two decades later, deBoer’s son, Spc. Payton Sluss, also served in Afghanistan — including at Forward Operating Base Fenty, north of the city of Jalalabad, where deBoer had served.

“My feet were walking the same land you were,” Sluss said to his father in a joint phone interview with Stars and Stripes.

Kayak put together a 29-stop, 7,500-mile road trip itinerary that connects the spookiest sites across the country. The only stop in Texas is the USS Lexington.

Ordinary People Caught On Camera Reacting To A 10-Meter High Dive

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