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 ProblemThe 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 anguishParents 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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Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, October 7, 2020


Vice-President Pence doesn’t want to speak behind a plexiglass barrier at tonight’s debate. Here, the Trump campaign has a chance to build a literal wall and they won’t don’t it. Heck. I’m sure Mexico will even pay for this one.


The Lincoln Project continues to impress me, and I won’t forget about them after this election. I typically vote straight ticket, but if a Lincoln Party Republican winds up on a ticket in a future election, I will first consider them before anyone else. The reason is simple; they demonstrated they will put the country first above all politics. It’s a true profile in courage, and they have won my respect.


Mark Cuban and Senator Ted Cruz got into a Twitter fight yesterday. The funniest comment I saw about it was, “If Cuban ever wants to get on Cruz’s good side, he should try insulting is wife.”

If case you have forgotten, Cruz tried to defend his wife by stealing Michael Douglas’ lines from The American President. So, according to Cruz, the best way to defend your wife is to bum lines from a movie and hope no one notices.

I’ve said it once, and I shall say it again, I’d rather have Donald Trump as president than Ted Cruz.


I don’t think Biden will win Texas (I’m reverse jinxing myself), but not only does his campaign think it’s in play, but so does the Lincoln Project and a Democratic super PAC .

Biden targets Texas with $6M advertising blitz

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign will spend $6 million on television advertisements in Texas as Democrats sense a new opportunity to gain substantial ground in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to a statewide office in a quarter century.

Biden’s campaign is not alone: Forward Majority, a Democratic super PAC, has committed $6.2 million in spending aimed at flipping the state House.

Lincoln Project plans Texas offensive against Republican Donald Trump, steps up Hispanic outreach

On Tuesday the Lincoln Project will announce Operation Sam Houston, a million-dollar effort that includes television and digital ads, according to a strategy shared with The Dallas Morning News.

The initiative comes a week after the Lincoln Project bolstered its mobilization of Hispanic voters in Texas, including hosting a Spanish language roundtable last week co-sponsored by the voting rights groups Mi Familia Vota and UnidosUS Action Fund.


My state may be flooded with conservative Christians, but their leadership are Trump-level insane. I’m already embrassed to be a Hardin-Simmons graduate, this guy isn’t helping.

Texas megachurch pastor Jack Graham, 70, – who sat next to two people at Rose Garden superspreader event who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 – holds maskless service and is NOT isolating because he’s ‘totally, ridiculously healthy’

The 70-year-old was sitting next to California mega-church pastor Greg Laurie, who tested positive for coraonvirus on Monday, and directly in front of former New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, who tested positive on Saturday.


Any song on a loop, but some are worst than others.

OKC jailers face cruelty charge; playing ‘Baby Shark’ on loop is ‘inhuman,’ prosecutor says


Man dressed as Hulk charged with smashing Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star


Employee accused of stealing at least $1.3 million in printer toner from Austin Public Library and re-selling online

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Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, October 6, 2020


I noticed when President Trump was walking towards Marine One for his trip to Walter Reed, he did this tap on his right thigh before he boarded. I saw him do the same thing yesterday after he exited the doors of the hospital, but it was a double-tap. It’s time for a good ol’ conspiracy theory. This is like something out of the first season of Homeland. I bet it’s a signal to Putin that he understands his instructions and that he successfully carried them out.


Here’s a house for any of you local Dallas folks that love playing sports.

Meticulously landscaped 18-acre gated retreat is a sports lovers paradise complete with a turf baseball field w. adjustable mound & baselines, dugouts, & covered seating. Plus batting cages, a basketball court, putting greens, firepits and a stocked pond with cabana and outdoor kitchen and that’s just the beginning. The single-story custom home was specifically designed for the property and wraps around an 85K gal. resort style pool with cooled cabana, multiple outdoor living spaces, solar screens, fireplaces, and outdoor kitchen featuring Wolf appliances. What the sellers love: the privacy with all the open spaces, Lovejoy schools, effeciancy, location – it’s a short drive to The Star & Dwntwn Dallas.


For any fans of the old Las Vegas “Star Trek: The Experience” at the Hilton, you may enjoy this old behind-the-scenes footage.


Owned.


Former Hardin-Simmons University football player reportedly killed by police after intervening in domestic fight


Health Canada recalls eye drops that claimed to contain human placenta from Edmonton business


It’s nice to see the official Twitter account for the Trump Campaign welcome the president’s return to the White House with dignity and grace.

As liberal as San Francisco is, you know their fans are fuming at this.


Don’t cry for my Covid-tina…..

Be it as it may, he’s still ill and having difficulty breathing. That walk up the stairs did a doozie on him.


A couple secure in their marriage.




Hurdles.


https://twitter.com/buitengebieden_/status/1312517129753645056?s=09

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