BagOfNothing.com

• Our extended Fourth of July weekend was spent going to the Perot Museum of Natural History, bowling, and watching fireworks from our house put on by the cities of Coppell and Lewisville.
• Yesterday the family decided to visit the grandparents in East Texas for a few days so I decided to catch up on recorded television and watched 12 Angry Men.  That’s a phenomenal piece of film-making.  It wasn’t until the end that I caught no name was mentioned at all until the last few sentences of the movie.  I suppose there may be some symbolism at the end when the only woman in the entire movie is walking outside the courthouse wearing white.
• I also watched the pilot episodes of two series that have been highly recommended to me – ‘Orphan Black’ and ‘Humans’.  There was so much hype given ‘Orphan Black’ that I was scared I wouldn’t like it, but I found it creative, unique, and a real sense of it captivating my attention.  ‘Humans’ is every bit a science-fiction show one should be, and I like how it addresses the start of the singularity.  Sidenote: One of my closest college friends goal is to live long enough to witness the singularity.
• After finally watching the ESPN ’30 for 30: No Más’ episode I’m left with the conclusion that no male or female from the Eighties has aged better than Sugar Ray Leonard and Christie Brinkley.
• On her way to East Texas, WifeGeeding decided to drop by the new Buc-ee’s just to see what the hype was about and she was highly impressed.
• I was invited by a neighbor to come by and pop fireworks in his backyard, but I declined as I’m a real stickler for not popping fireworks in city limits.
• Texas Megachurch Minister Ed Young Under Fire for Inviting Mormon Glenn Beck to Speak at Church
• I thought it was pretty darn cool of the U.S. Navy to support the U.S. women’s national team in yesterday’s World Cup with this impressive tweet.
• The Internet can be a fun place, here’s a screen-print I took of Carli Lloyd’s Wikipedia page after her third goal yesterday.  I noticed she scored her first goal with her left foot and the other two with her right, which makes me wonder how many people have scored a goal with both feet in a World Cup finale.
• A bit of an eww factor – @darrenrovell – Brandi Chastain rejected offers in the $200K+ range for her used bra. She told me she’d give it to her son, now 9. 
• HBO’s ‘Ballers’ has two former ‘West Wing’ cast members.
• Anonymous donors give $3 million to fund scholarships after Charleston shooting
• Tennis GIF of the day – The perfect return
• Today’s dose of ‘MURICA!
• Today’s dose of ‘MURCIA! World Cup Edition
• Today’s dose of ‘MURCIA! World Cup Edition Part 2
• He just wanted a sign
• Buzzfeed – Where In Texas Should You Actually Live?

A day after the Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776—yes, July 2 —Adams wrote a letter from Philadelphia to his wife back home in Boston commemorating the day.

His letter to Abigail Adam, dated July 3, 1776, read in part:

But the Day is past. The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.

I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

The Declaration of Independence was transposed on the next day, which we now celebreate (it would take weeks for all the delegates to sign it).

Why fireworks on the Fourth of July? John Adams, that’s why

• Ah, a three-day weekend full of FREEDOM and ‘MURICA is right upon us.
• I do get a little worried about a terrorist attack on the homeland during Independence Day because of the significance of the day.  But I tend to think if such a thing were to happen, it would be some carefully planned attack but by the lone wolf variety.
• My father never let me play or buy with fireworks for two reasons. (1.) He thought they were too dangerous (though I think he probably thought I wasn’t very sharp) and that I’d end up doing something really dangerous unsupervised. (2.)  He said it was nothing but money going up in smoke, and since he was a Depression Era child, I could reason with that.  However, looking back at things, he was a smoker for most of his life so that’s a bit of a hypocritical comment.  Part of me wishes I would have asked him about the double standard as a child, but then again, I don’t think I’d want to piss off the old man.
• A man that has a love of flags has flown the Nazi flag outside his house for years, even though he states he hates Nazis and not racist.
• Buzzfeed – This Husband Is Planning His Wife A Second Wedding After She Lost Her Memory In A Car Crash
• Interactive maps: How Texas counties are handling same-sex marriage licenses
• The movie Airplane! premiered 35-years ago today.
• A quick interactive test that measure your color vision sensitivity.
• This GIF reminds me of the President Benson Presidential Library dedication in Hot Shots! Part Deux where Ford simply falls down because all the other presidents fell down.
• I’m sure we’ve all heard of the Butterball Hotline, a free turkey cooking service provided by Butterball.  But yesterday I learned Ball Park Brands has a similar hotline for cooking hotdogs – Just call 1-844–4FRANKS,  tweet them @BallParkBrand using #MakeItFinest, or text them at 57872.
• Saudi prince to donate $32bn fortune to charity
• The only member of ZZ Top to not have a beard is named Frank Beard.  The band almost went by the name ZZ King as a tip of the hat to BB King.