Frog Gone

"And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people." (Exodus 8:11)

Photo ftom Pinterest.

Second only to the courthouse, it is the most photographed structure in Kermit, Texas. It is mentioned in at least two travel books, this one and this one. And it's about to be painted over. And only a few of us, it seems, are sad about it.
From CBS7:
Posted: Friday, July 18, 2014 7:13 pm | Updated: 1:27 pm, Mon Jul 21, 2014.
by DeAnn Lopez

(Watch the video here.)

KERMIT - It seems that Kermit the Frog has over stayed his visit in one West Texas city.

The Muppets star's face was painted on the city's water tower nine years ago when Kermit came down to celebrate his 50th anniversary of being in the entertainment industry.

City officials have been planning Kermit’s departure for a little over a year now.

Even though it won't be cheap to paint over the Muppets star, it's a price they’re willing to pay to show their community pride.

Back in 2005, Kermit Texas was the first stop that Kermit the Frog made while on his 50th Anniversary World Tour.

As part of his visit, Disney was given permission to paint Kermit’s face on the city's main water tower.

But, in just a few weeks the high school’s mascot will be buzzing its way back on to the tower.

"It's been the desire of many citizens that we make this change," Mayor Jerry Phillips said.

The water tower isn't the only thing that Kermit the Frog left his mark on.

Kermit the Frog Boulevard, which runs directly in front of City Hall, will once again be named South Tornillo Street.

CBS7 photo.

During Thursday night’s city council meeting, council voted to re-paint not only the Kermit the Frog tower, but their other water tower, which is going to cost them $123,500.

But not all residents agree with council’s decision.

 "I kind of don't see the point of them wanting to recover the Kermit the Frog, we got a lot of attention even with the Kermit the Frog festivities that still go on, I mean the Kermit Celebration Days, which they call now,” Kermit resident Letecia Garcia said. “It brings in a lot of publicity for Kermit."

Long-time resident Jaime Morales says he can't wait until those paint brushes hit Kermit the Frogs face.

"I know Yellow Jackets has been up for the longest time, I came to school here (Kermit High), I was proud to be from this school, it doesn’t make sense why we would still have a Frog,” Morales said. “It’s time to let go and let our bee come back."

If all goes according to plan, both towers will be painted sometime in mid-August.

(I just found this: About a month after Kermit's visit in 2005, a UFO was reported near Kermit. Muppets from Space? - DK)

Prada Marfa

Photo from A.Addison's blog.

(Previously we told you about a piece of Playboy artwork in Marfa.  Well, that was only the beginning of Marfa's troubles with outdoor art.)
From the Huffington Post:

Prada Marfa, a destination for fashion, art and road trip-loving folks alike, might be closing up "shop." We use the term lightly, of course, since the West Texas storefront isn't a retail shop at all, but rather an art installation set up by Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset back in 2005. The beloved Prada building is now being called out by the Texas Department of Transportation, which has deemed the structure as an "illegal outdoor advertising sign," the New York Times reports.

The main issue is that the Prada logo, prominently displayed on the 15-foot-by-25-foot "store," is considered a sign under state and federal law, thereby violating the 1965 Highway Beautification Act (even though technically Prada Marfa sits on private property). Between the countless numbers of Instagram and Facebook photos taken at the locale -- not to mention Beyonce's viral personal snap -- since its erection eight years ago, we're not really sure why lawmakers are deciding to act on this now (though the Times names a Playboy installation in Marfa as catalyst).

We are sure, however, that we'll miss Prada Marfa if the state decides on a forced removal. After all, Miuccia Prada approved (not commissioned) the project and picked out the 20 shoes sitting in the front window. The message Elmgreen and Dragset set out to convey with their installation, a commentary on the mushrooming influence of luxury brands and consumerist culture, is one that Miuccia herself subscribes to. "I'm completely against the idea that we do fashion for an elite," the designer, who has eschewed money-making, mass-market designer collaborations, has said. "That would be too easy, in a way."

Plus, Miuccia has a soft spot for the art world, integrating Surrealism components into her groundbreaking fashion collections and even commissioning a three-story slide from German artist Carsten Höller that runs from her window to the outside of Prada's Milan headquarters. We're sure Miuccia, along with the rest of the camera-happy travelers in West Texas, will be sad to see the art-meets-fashion monument go if Prada Marfa is torn down.

Roger Waters Turns 70!

 

Link.



The Day the Clown Cried

 

Okay, we live in an age that has survived Sharknado and Jar Jar Binks.  So what could be so terrible about this show?

 

Harry Shearer claims to have viewed the whole film, and here he discusses it with Howard Stern.

 

MORE BANNED FUNNIES:

• This Dennis the Menace cartoon actually ran in 1970, resulting in many complaints.
• These two Opus strips, here and here, in which Lola Granola's spiritual search leads her to embrace jihad, were censored by "a large number"of newspapers.
• A list of censored Looney Tunes.  Happy browsing!

 



Is Kermit Getting Tired of Kermit the Frog?

(We at Frogtown have long celebrated the now-fading images of Kermit the Frog which first appeared in 2005 when he visited our town. See here, here, here and here. But some residents and former residents of Kermit may be feeling differently ... )

From NewsWest9:
Posted: Jul 24, 2012

From Kermit on Tour.

By Sylvia Gonzalez NewsWest 9

KERMIT - It's not easy being green in Kermit.

Several people in the small town of Kermit have taken to Facebook to express their disgust for Kermit the Frog. Some want to see him permanently removed while others like having the amphibian around.

"We were proud to be the fighting Yellow Jackets, we've never been the frogs," former Kermit resident, Allen Vinyard, said.

The Facebook page, Kermit Memories, has been seeing more comments than usual and it all revolves around Kermit the Frog. There are people who believe they're seeing too much of him in town.

Vinyard lived in Kermit during his school years, and even though he no longer lives there, he says its embarrassing the reaction people get when he reveals where he is from.

"It's insulting to me when I tell someone where I grew up and they say oh like Kermit the Frog, and I say no like Kermit Roosevelt, which the town was named after," Vinyard said.

Many of the residents that NewsWest 9 spoke to didn't have any negative feelings towards the frog, as a matter of fact they are proud of it.

Austin Williamson is the starting quarterback for the high school football team and he says when he plays in other towns he actually likes hearing comments about Kermit the Frog.

"I take it as a compliment because I want a lot of people to know what Kermit is, but you have to tell them what it is, what it actually is. It's more than just a frog. I think it is just a little design, there's nothing wrong with it just being there," Williamson said.

Some of the comments on Facebook read, "The stupid frog was nothing until some California hippies got lucky. Kermit, Texas is way more important than the stuffed sock."

Another one read, "death due to an allergic reaction to a yellow jacket."

Lane Nutt is a business owner and he says he uses the frog as a conversational piece.

"In my business, I have lots of calls and they always make some comment about Kermit the Frog, it's kinda like a conversational piece, it doesn't bother me," Nutt said.

Nina Huda is a former resident of Kermit, who says the Facebook comments is just the beginning of what they plan on doing to get rid of the frog.

"We are going to be doing petitions and sending them to the City Manager's office," Huda said. Many residents say they're subject is clear. "Get rid of the frog," Huda said.



What a Couple!

From the Odessa American:
BY NATHANIEL MILLER

They’re known as Whataburger’s biggest fans.

At least, that’s what the orange and white T-shirts that Karl and Carol Hoepfner wore had printed as they sat down for breakfast Tuesday morning at the Whataburger restaurant on East Eighth Street.

The couple’s morning stop was No. 671, Karl Hoepfner said, on their trip to visit the chain’s 735 stores in 10 states. Stops No. 672 and 673 were to come later Tuesday as the couple visited the locations on Andrews Highway — Whataburger’s first ever A-frame restaurant — and East 42nd Street.

Traveling in their van full of Whataburger memorabilia that they’ve collected since their trip began, the Rockport, Texas, couple and retired U.S. Army master sergeants have been checking in at every store since starting their journey April 2011. To document their trip, the couple has been putting their receipts from the restaurants and other items, such as postcards and pictures, in different three-ring binders to document their trip.

Stores have also been giving up their plastic order number bearing the couple’s permanently assigned waiting number: 13.

“In our hometown, you can’t even get that number,” Karl Hoepfner, 75, said.

Earning the title “biggest fans” happened in November 2010 after an essay contest from Whataburger was brought to Karl’s attention asking people for submissions on why they felt were the organizations biggest fan A published author, Karl Hoepfner said he submitted a 400 word essay about the couple’s first trip to Whataburger in San Angelo in 1963 while the two were still in the Air Force and how Carol and himself have had visited Whataburger restaurants at least 7,000 times since then.

“We’ve been all over the world and we haven’t tasted a better burger,” Karl Hoepfner said.

The trip to visit all the stores started in April 2011 after Carol, 73, was diagnosed with eye cancer and underwent 17 treatments in 23 nights in Houston, her husband said. Karl Hoepfner also said his wife’s cancer is in remission and she has a hard time seeing.

The couple then decided to visit each store in the Houston area, 90 in total, and decided to visit them all. Karl Hoepfner said the company didn’t start taking notice until their 200th stop.

“I just enjoy seeing the people and talking to them,” Carol Hoepfner said.

A meal for the couple usually consists of their favorites, a Whataburger for Karl and a Justaburger — a Whataburger Jr. with only mustard, pickles and onions — for Carol Hoepfner. Carol also said she likes the organization’s chicken strips.

To keep from gaining weight from the large amount of Whataburger the couple consumes, the couple tries to avoid items things such as onion rings while ordering. Karl Hoepfner also said the couple walks all the time and he rides his bike at least once a day. His wife however, has an easier time keeping weight off then him.

“She weighed 113 pounds when I met her and she hasn’t changed since,” Karl Hoepfner joked.

Karl Hoepfner also said the company was big on giving back to the community, citing the work the Whataburger Family Foundation did after Katrina, and he and his wife try to do the same.

Winning $8,000 after his essay was picked by Whataburger, The Hoepfners decided to send $7,000 back and got 1,000 $7 gift cards instead. The couple then handed out their gift cards to help feed homeless people. Karl Hoepfner said it took them about a year before they finally ran out of cards.

The couple’s next stop will be in Midland and then move on to the Dallas area June 23, Karl Hoepfner said. After that, the couple plans on taking a cruise to Alaska for their 55th anniversary.

Karl Hoepfner also said he has a book in mind about the experience and plans to titled it after the license plates on their vehicle, “MSGTS 2.”

“It’s all about our life in the service and our trips,” Karl Hoepfner said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

You might be a Ron Paulblican

(Thanks as always to Rawhide for the text. I found the pictures everyplace.)

1.  You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

You believe that the Federal Reserve kills puppies.

2.   You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

 You came to believe after being bitten by another RP supporter.

3.   You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

You think that Rick Perry is the anti-Christ.

4.   You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

You refer to amendments 11-27 as the Bill of Wrongs.

5.  You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

 You support RP for fear of being abducted, again.

6.   You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

You believe that Satan is the patron saint of IRS agents, Washington politicians, and diet soda.

7.   You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

You believe IRS stands for I Represent Satan.

8.   You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

Every conversation you have eventually returns to Ron Paul and his midi-chlorian level being off the charts.

9.   You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

You believe that fiat money is the root of all evil.

10.   You might be a Ron Paulblican if:

You believe that Ron Paul is actually 9 feet tall, but the weight of his conscience makes him look shorter.

The Future is Back!

Robert sees a DeLorean for the first time in Odessa.

Wow!

From the Pakistan Daily Mail, which all Kermit residents read
by Andrew Thompson

Twenty-six-year-old Cameron Wynne is a champion wakeboarder and fan of the electro-funk band Chromeo. His long hair, tanned skin and girlfriend-who-works-in-fashion go a long way toward completing his cool-kid persona. But his beyond-exotic ride provides the finishing touch. “When I was at the Roosevelt in L.A., they moved a Lamborghini Murcielago so they could park it in front of everything—a Murcielago!” Wynne says. “And they didn’t charge me anything. All week.” “It” is Wynne’s 1981 DeLorean DMC-12. Yes, that gull-wing stunner best known as the time machine in the 1985 Robert Zemeckis film, Back to the Future. (Wynne’s edition is wrapped in black, with matte shard effects that were a 2009 limited-edition design for The Hundreds clothing line.)

Against all expectations—and possibly common sense—the DeLorean is back in limited production, and with it has come a boomlet in DeLoreaniana. Last November Nike’s 6.0 Dunk SE DeLorean sneakers sold out online in minutes. A DMC-12 holds a prime spot in Xbox’s bestselling Gran Turismo videogame. Next month Mattel’s Hot Wheels DeLorean edition will begin its fifth product run in the past year. Not to mention the car’s popularity in the music and film communities. Pop singer Ke$ha drove one to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards; will.i.am owns one; Kanye West and Die Antwoord are vocal fans. The British band Neon Neon devoted its entire 2008 album, Stainless Style, to DeLorean. At least four movie projects—some backed by DeLorean’s children—are making the rounds in Hollywood.

The DeLorean DMC-12 features gullwing doors, unpainted stainless steel body panels, and a rear engine.When John DeLorean launched the original as a challenge to the Corvette in 1981, its 130hp, 2.8-liter V6 went from 0mph to 60mph in 10.5 seconds. It cost $25,000. Since then the car has garnered both favor and contempt. It became notorious in 1982 when DeLorean, desperate to generate cash (a $27 million stock issue had fallen through), became the target of an FBI investigation into drug trafficking. When the Feds caught him on camera in a Los Angeles Sheraton transferring a suitcase filled with 220 pounds of cocaine and famously saying, “It’s as good as gold and just in the nick of time,” their case seemed made.

Now, 30 years later, the brand is making a comeback based on its own merits. “People like the car for the car,” emphasizes Stephen Wynne, the 54-year-old CEO of DeLorean Motor Co. Along with son Cameron and 16 employees, Wynne is building and restoring DeLoreans at a 40,000-square-foot facility in Humble, Tex., 30 miles north of Houston. A former mechanic with long caramel bangs, a Carolina Herrera shirt and Prada loafers, Wynne grew up in Liverpool obsessed with cars—his parents’ trick to calm him as a toddler was to put him behind the wheel of the family sedan. Wynne moved to California in 1980 and developed an expertise in repairing DeLoreans, since the intricacies of their French-made Peugeot-Renault-Volvo (PRV) engine and Lotus-designed chassis were second nature for someone used to European vehicles. It didn’t hurt that he could “talk the same language” when tracking car parts across Europe—back in the day DeLorean cars were assembled in Northern Ireland, thanks to millions of dollars in development incentives from the British government.

While in California Wynne heard that a company called Kapac had DeLorean engineering data and thousands of spare parts lying fallow. In 1997 he bought out Kapac’s stocks for under a million dollars and by 1999 was the proud owner of all DeLorean branding rights and subsidiaries. Today’s DeLorean Motor Co. makes about six “new” cars a year—they have stainless-steel reproduction chassis and a combination of new-old stock (NOS), original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and reproduction parts. DMC also sells about 60 certified used DeLoreans annually. (The bulk of the business comes from service, repairs and restoration—and, increasingly, from licensing agreements.) The $57,500 new builds have a few modern options—like a CD player, GPS and iPod/Bluetooth—but their look is identical to those built in the 1980s.

They’re fun to drive, too. A DMC-12 is not going to win many drag races (though it will be challenged to them often), but it is nimble enough and feels smooth cruising at 70mph down the interstate. Speed aside, the steering is slightly stiff (power steering is not available); the clutch, brake and accelerator pedals are narrow and sit closely to one another, which requires some adjustment. Stateside quality control and retooling on the doors worked out the kinks in subsequent generations, and the new DeLoreans are built on a lighter chassis and can be wrapped in any color or pattern to protect the steel panels.

Wynne says he has enough original parts to build 500 more new-old cars, including a limited-edition Final Run of 50 to commence production this June. So far, so good: Wynne demurs when asked about profit totals but says DMC revenue has grown to six times the totals of the early 1990s, and last year had an 8% increase in net profits over 2009.

Liz Writes a Play!

(Liz was dared by her second-grade students to write a play featuring Justin Beiber.  This is the wonderful result.  Some of these lines are actual quotes attributed to Mr. Beiber, and I have rendered these in red for your convenience.)

Justin Bieber: A Play
By
Mrs. Kirk’s Second Grade Class

Narrator: Our play begins with meeting Brittany, who just learned that she has won a date with Justin Bieber before his big concert in Kermit, TX at Walton Field.
BRITTANY: OMG, I have a date with Justin Bieber!!! What will we do? What will I wear? What if….
GRANDMA: What are you talking about, silly girl? You ain’t going on no date with no Justin Bieber, and you sure ain’t going to the concert at Walton Field.
BRITTANY: But Grandma, I won the date fair and square, and he’s expecting me to go out with him and go to the show.
GRANDMA: Then plan on me comin’ along, just to make sure he doesn’t hurt my sweet Brittany’s feelings!!!
BRITTANY: But Grandma….
GRANDMA: Young lady, either I go with you on the date and to the concert, or NOBODY’S going!
BRITTANY: OK (sighs).
GRANDMA: Guess I’ll go see which church dress will look best at the concert. Don’t want to call attention to myself. (walks out the door)

BRITTANY: What am I going to do ? I can’t have Grandma coming with us….but
(At this moment, the doorbell rings. Brittany runs to answer the door. Standing at the door is Justin Bieber, along with his bodyguard, Gus).
GUS: Are you Brittany?
BRITTANY: (nods, unable to speak)
GUS: Brittany, this is my boss, Justin Bieber.
JUSTIN: Hello, Brittany. (hands her a single rose). I am so happy to see you.
BRITTANY: (still unable to speak)
JUSTIN: Are you ready to go?
(Just then, Grandma comes out of her bedroom in a brightly-flowered dress, straw hat, and white shoes. She sees Gus and Justin).
GRANDMA: Are you that Bieber that my granddaughter can’t stop talkin’ about?
JUSTIN: Yes ma’am.
GRANDMA: And who is that guy with you?
GUS: I am his bodyguard, Gus.
GRANDMA (looking both of them up and down): Not much body to guard, is there?
BRITTANY: GRANDMA!!!!!
GRANDMA: I have just a few questions for you, Bieber.
JUSTIN: Please…my friends call me Justin.
GRANDMA: Bieber, what is your favorite thing in the world?
JUSTIN: Nothing gets my pulse racing like hockey. Well, nothing except Beyonce, but that wasn’t until I was 12 or so. It’s like I opened my eyes and noticed the world is full of beautiful girls, and I’ve had a hard time thinking of anything else ever since.
GRANDMA: SO…is my granddaughter Brittany pretty in your opinion?
JUSTIN: I haven’t seen any other girls here in Kermit. So…I guess she’s pretty….for a Kermit girl.
BRITTANY: (angry) A KERMIT GIRL!!!!
JUSTIN: Don’t get upset…I mean….I haven’t seen any girls that look like you.
BRITTANY: What does that mean?
GRANDMA: Settle down, Brittany! I have just one more question: What do you look for in a girl?
JUSTIN: A girl has to have a beautiful smile, beautiful eyes and she should have a good sense of humor. It would be a shame to go out with a hot girl you can’t have a decent conversation with.
BRITTANY: WHAT?????
JUSTIN: Just letting Grandma know what I like in a girl.
BRITTANY: Then you go out with Grandma! I’m not going!!! (Runs to her room)
GRANDMA: Are you ready to go to Allsup’s for a chimichanga?
JUSTIN: (Swallows hard)

GUS: Guess you have a date for Allsup’s.

Lucas Believes World Will End in 2012

(Thanks to Rawhide.)  From the Toronto Sun:

Funnyman Seth Rogen was left stunned by a recent encounter with his moviemaking hero George Lucas - because the Star Wars director spent 20 minutes telling him the world would end in 2012.

Rogen was left speechless when Lucas and Steven Spielberg joined a movie meeting he was a part of - but the encounter has left him worried his life will be over next year.

He recalls, “George Lucas sits down and seriously proceeds to talk for around 25 minutes about how he thinks the world is gonna end in the year 2012, like, for real. He thinks it.

“He’s going on about the tectonic plates and all the time Spielberg is, like, rolling his eyes, like, ’My nerdy friend won’t shut up, I’m sorry...’

“I first thought he (Lucas) was joking... and then I totally realized he was serious and then I started thinking, ’If you’re George Lucas and you actually think the world is gonna end in a year, there’s no way you haven’t built a spaceship for yourself... So I asked him... ’Can I have a seat on it?’

“He claimed he didn’t have a spaceship, but there’s no doubt there’s a Millennium Falcon in a garage somewhere with a pilot just waiting to go... It’s gonna be him and Steven Spielberg and I’ll be blown up like the rest of us.”

CAN'T WAIT TILL 2012?

Harold Camping's ministry says the world will end on May 21, 2011.

Lost and Found in Odessa: Dusty Hill's Hat

From the Odessa American:

Hat gone from dressing room before Odessa concert
January 19, 2011 4:40 PM
BY LYXAN TOLEDANES

Missing: Gray-brown Stetson. Reward: $150 worth of ZZ Top merchandise.

After more than a month of waiting, ZZ Top’s bassist and vocalist, Dusty Hill, is ready to get his beloved Stetson back. Hill’s hat went missing a few hours before ZZ Top’s concert at the (Odessa) Ector County Coliseum Dec. 9 (which we attended - DK).

“You travel all over the world and then it comes up missing in Texas,” Hill said. “It just killed me.”

In an attempt to recover his hat, Hill and the ZZ Top team are offering up a $150 reward to spend at the ZZ Top merchandise website to the person who currently has the Stetson.

“We’re going to give that person the key to the ZZ Top website,” Bob Merlis, ZZ Top’s publicist, said.

Merlis said there will be no questions asked of the person, and they can even remain anonymous.

Hill has worn his Stetson, trimmed with a ribbon of black horse hair, to most of the shows for the past two ZZ Top tours. Fans at the Coliseum, however, may have noticed that instead of the cowboy hat, Hill wore a baseball cap.

The day of the concert started out normally for Hill, spending that Thursday afternoon performing a sound check with the rest of the band and crew. Shortly thereafter, Hill went back to his hotel room, leaving his hat in his dressing room. He returned later to find the hat gone.

“About 30 minutes before the show, my hat’s (still) not there. Everyone was scrambling around trying to find it,” Hill said.

Hill said he tried looking again after the concert, but the search turned up empty, and Hill left Odessa the next morning, hatless.

 “Dusty Hill walked into Ector County Coliseum wearing his hat, and when he left the hat was gone,” Merlis said. “It sounds silly, but it’s a big drag separating a Texan from his favorite hat – that’s harsh.”

Hill’s attachment to the hat is reasonable, considering the fact that it’s was custom made for him when he had a cameo appearance on the third season of HBO’s “Deadwood.”

“I went and had one made by the people who do that show. It’s not shaped like your everyday rodeo hat, it’s more round,” Hill said.

Hill hopes that the person in possession of his Stetson will return the hat as soon as possible. He even wants to thank the person, should they choose to return it.

“The thing is, if I were that person, I wouldn’t get my satisfaction out of wearing it or showing it to people under the circumstances,” Hill said. “It’s not going to create a lot of enjoyment in their hands.”

UPDATE 1/24 - ZZ Top bassist's Stetson returned

ZZ Top’s bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

After more than a month of searching for his missing Stetson, the custom-made hat was found and is now sitting in the Odessa American office waiting to be returned to its owner.

Hill lost his hat just hours before ZZ Top’s Dec. 9 concert at Ector County Coliseum. The OA reported the hat’s missing status last week and that a reward to spend at the ZZ Top website was offered.

Photos of an unidentified man wearing the hat were emailed to the OA over the weekend.

Several people called and emailed about knowing the whereabouts of the hat through the weekend. On Monday morning, one person, who declined to give his name, discreetly dropped the hat off outside the OA office.

The Stetson will be shipped back to Hill later in the week, per arrangements with ZZ Top’s publicist, Bob Merlis.

Merlis said Hill was “over the moon” on hearing his hat was
found.

The hat was made for Hill during a cameo on HBO’s “Deadwood.”

Maybe He Overspent ...

... on that Hawaiian trip!

Darth Vader's Hawaiian Vacation

From Hawaiian Seamonkey by way of Neatorama:
Even the Dark Side takes a break every now and then, and Darth Vader’s choice of getaway is Hawaii! Jill Ulander caught a series of photographs of the Dark Lord kicking back on the Big Island.

Time Traveller?

Higher Being?

(From the Sacred Sandwich.)

You Might Be A Democrat

(Compare and contrast with last year's post.

The text came mostly from about.com.
I found the pictures everywhere.)

1.  You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You own something that says, "Dukakis for President, " and still display it.

2.  You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You've ever said, "We really should call the ACLU about this."

3. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You think Carter should be on Mt. Rushmore.

4. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You think Ralph Nader makes a lot of sense.

5. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You don't understand why anyone was bothered by Jane's trip to Hanoi.

(Tote bag for sale at shop.janefonda.com)

6. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You think public housing is great, but just NIMBY.

7. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You got teary-eyed during the film "The American President."

8. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You've never been mugged.

9. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You want to protest something but don't know what.

10. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You've named your kids "Stardust" or "Moonbeam."

11. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

All of your 1970's "Beware of Global Freezing" signs now have "Beware of Global Warming" on the back.

12. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You are giddy at the prospect of the return of bell bottoms.

13. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You think solar energy is being held back by those greedy oil companies.

14. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

You keep count of how many people you know in each racial or ethnic category.

15. You Might Be a Democrat if ...

After looking at your pay stub you can still say, "America is undertaxed."

Under West Texas Skies

The beautiful Winkler County Courthouse is normally a quiet and stately place where smiling men in fashionable hats once hung out.

It's home to a dead cat (that used to live in the county clerk's office)

and a time capsule (to be opened soon, I see).

Well, forget all that, because it's time for "Under West Texas Skies." On July 30 (Yes, I'm way behind on blogging!), one of Midland/Odessa's TV stations, NewsWest9, came to town and did much of their 4 PM, 5 PM and 6 PM newscast live from the courthouse lawn. This was their first trip to Kermit in about seven years. Robert is interested in possibly being a newscaster someday, so we like to go to these things.

The chase van, so named because it's mainly used in the pursuit of storms, beams a signal 56 miles back to the station. Robert is also interested in stormchasing.

If I stand here long enough, I'll be on TV!.

A rare shot of Liz with three of her supervisors. From left to right: Kermit Elementary Principal Mr. Gabe Espino, KISD Superintendent Mr. Santos L. Lujan, Jr., Liz, and Kermit Elementary Vice Principal Ms. Sonia Gonzales. I think they were waiting for an interview that unfortunately never happened.

Kermit has no county fair, so I guess events like this fill a void ... or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about but I won't stop yammering!

The sports guy plays Frisbee with the "yutes" (youths).

These are some of the contestants in the Ugly Dog Contest, although IMHO none of them are ugly, just distinctive-looking:

There are larger rats in Kermit than the above chihuahua!

This was the eventual winner, owned by Don and Vida Simpson.

The mayor, Ted Westmoreland, gets interviewed.

Correspondents Crystal Crews and Michael Stafford.


Robert the autograph hound! Did I mention he might want to join the ghostbusters someday?

The mandatory ice cream eating contest.

GAAA! It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man! No, just an ice-cream cone from the local DQ, handing out free treats!

The hot dog eating contest.

Finally it's time to pack up the pineapples and go home.

This looks ... expensive ... and ... unguarded ... hmmm ...

One happy kid.

For a minute.