Leg!

To avoid unwanted Civil War associations, Midland, Texas's Robert E. Lee High School had to change their name to Legacy High School recently.  They changed their football helmets accordingly, and I am not making this up!

Before. 

After.

The Yellow Jacket Gets an Update!

See "The Yellow Jacket Through the Years!" This is a more contemporary Marvel-like mascot, done by a student at the time named Ben Davis!

 

2015: The One Ring Gets Kermit National Attention

From Newswest 9:
Posted: Feb 02, 2015 by Justin Kree
(Additional information from Rawstory)

Photo from New York Daily News.

(Here's a post I worked on in October of 2015 and just never finished. To be fair, the telling of this story will always be unfair because Kermit ISD could and can never tell their side of this story because of privacy concerns. - DK)

KERMIT- The Kermit School District tells NewsWest 9 that they have received phone calls from all over the nation about a fourth grader who was suspended from Kermit Elementary School (my wife's former employer - DK) because of a movie reference.

However, the question remains, is there more to this disciplinary action then what the press has been reporting?

News out of Kermit last week claims 9-year-old Aiden Steward was suspended for making "terroristic threats" after he told a classmate he could make him disappear with a magic ring -. a reference to the movie The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

According to the New York Daily News, the family recently watched the movie and Steward was just playing make-believe. Aiden’s father, Jason, told The Daily News that his son “didn’t mean anything” when he told his classmate he was in possession of the “one ring to rule them all.” “Kids act out movies that they see. When I watched Superman as a kid, I went outside and tried to fly,” he said. “I assure you my son lacks the magical powers necessary to threaten his friend’s existence,” he added. “If he did, I’m sure he’d bring him right back.”

Kermit Elementary Principal Roxanne Greer told the Odessa American that she could not comment on the suspension, because “all student stuff is confidential,” but Steward said that she told him that any and all threats to a child’s safety — including magical ones — would be taken seriously by the school. He also said that he requested, in writing, a detailed explanation as to how his son’s statements constituted a “terroristic threat,” and that he was told by a representative of the Kermit Independent School District that the school would mail him a letter.

The story spread nationwide getting parents in Kermit talking. "It's kind of crazy that he got suspended from school because I don't think it was worth getting suspended," Kermit parent, Tammy Broaddus, said.

"It's Kermit, it's a great community. I've been here 43 years and it's a small town, everybody knows everybody. It's sad what's happening in our schools that it's being splashed over national news, it's even made the New York Post," Kermit parent, Mary Hellen Pando, said.

Kermit Superintendent Bill Boyd could not talk on camera because of the school district's policy. However, in a statement to NewsWest 9 he says: "We like to emphasize that our teachers and administrators are well-trained and have properly implemented the District's policy and student code of conduct and certainly do not base disciplinary placement decisions on literary or cinematic references as reported by the Odessa American."

The school district won't talk about the suspension. The statement went on to read, "The discipline of any KISD student is confidential under the Family Educational Rights of Privacy Act (FERPA). There are many good things going on in Kermit ISD that deserve far more attention than this matter, and for that reason, the district will provide no further comment," Boyd said.

With school violence on the rise around the nation, the district felt it was justifiable to take the action they did.

"It's good the district is proactive but they need to be proactive in the areas of bullying. This to me is imagination, they're just playing," Kermit parent, Sandra Bonilla, said.

(No children were reported to have disappeared because of the magic ring. -DK)



This, believe it or not, is the profile picture for Kermit Elementary's Facebook page to this very day. At least they have a sense of humor about it. -DK

Hello Again!

Hello! Here I am again, at a place I haven't been to for awhile.

Why, you ask?

Going back to find a simpler place and time, with apologies to Gladys Knight?

Things seem to be relatively intact around this place, thankfully. There are a few cobwebs, which can be cleaned out, and dead links, which I can work on.

In my town of Kermit, the water tower has long been painted over, the sand that surrounds us is worth some money now, we have a Holiday Inn and a McDonald's....

It feels awfully good to be back!

Photo by Bianca Polanco, caption by me

Let's see where we can go...

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.

Lubbock's Tattooed Jesus

From examiner.com:

According to Fox News on Oct. 10, there are 59 billboards around Lubbock, Texas showing Jesus covered in tattoos.

The billboards show Jesus wearing a crown of thorns with his arms outstretched. Across his bare chest and arms words such as 'outcast', 'addicted', 'jealous' and 'hatred' have been tattooed on his skin.

Needless to say, these billboards are shocking and offensive to some. However, there is an explanation behind the image.

Instead of insinuating that Jesus was tattooed, the group behind the billboards says it's part of a campaign to bring the message of Jesus’ love to everyone.

The aim of the billboards is to show how Jesus took on our sins on his body on the cross. Then after His death those sins were removed. However, it doesn't seem that way by merely seeing the billboards.

The billboards direct people to the website Jesustattoo.org, where a video shows people coming to Jesus to have their sins cleansed.

During the six-minute video, a woman is seen having her tattoo of 'self righteous' changed to 'humbled' and a boy on crutches having 'outcast' changed to 'accepted' are among those who visit the tattoo parlor.

The video then shows the negative tattoos appearing on the body of Jesus, whose skin had been unblemished at the start of the film.

Jesus Tattoo Volunteer Jay Corner says:

“There is controversy when our Lord and Savior was on this Earth, and one of the things He said and the things He did, and I know some people see this as a little bit of a controversy. What’s really cool about it is that it’s really a love story. As you get involved in it and you look at the video, I believe it draws you into that story.” 

The billboards are upsetting to many Christians living in the areas where the billboards are located because they see only the billboards without knowing the explanation behind them.

Some residents call the billboards blasphemous. However, David Wilson, pastor of Southcrest Baptist Church has praised its message:

"I thought that it was cleverly done because, basically, it's a visual of Jesus taking the sins of people and covering them and taking them from an outcast or something and giving them a new start, which is what the gospel is about."

The group behind the campaign that put up the 59 billboards across Lubbock in the past nine days, say they are not trying to sell anything.

According to the Daily Mail, Ashleigh Sawyer, the group's spokesman, said: "The message is a simple one, Jesus's love is transformative. He loves us unconditionally and no matter what you've been marked with, faith in Him and love for others will transform us."

The group plans to extend its billboard campaign to other regions.

Unfortunately, people are reacting to the billboard alone without knowing it is an object lesson to a much deeper meaning. Perhaps the billboard was not the right method for this message.

A Frog's Eye View Isn't Always Pretty ...

 

From Fox News:

 

A still camera on a sound trigger captured this intriguing photo of an airborne frog leaping for his life as NASA's LADEE spacecraft lifts off from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

In a caption listed along with the photo on NASA’s Instagram page, the space agency writes that the frog was captured in a single frame by one of the remote cameras used to photograph the launch.

The condition of the frog, however, is uncertain.

 

IN OTHER NEWS:

Brenda Chapman explains why she chose to start her new mystery novel in Kermit.

Bring the Marshmallows Part 2!

Liz and Robert are visible above.

My camera's battery was iffy here, so lucky for me that Creating Memories documented the entire homecoming parade and bonfire.  Be sure to see all 324 of their pictures.

 

Robert and a friend.

 

My shadow.

This was Kermit's first bonfire since 2010, due to burn ban issues.  This year, the county granted an exemption for one night only.

The football team arrives.

Of course, this is all entirely safe.  No one ever throws aerosol cans or bullets or anything in the fire.  Everyone acts responsibly.

Looks like a fire to me.  Yup.

 

 

Bring the Marshmallows!




From Winkler County News.

Click to enlarge.

Also in Grandfalls ...

From collectintexasgal.

 

This is a unique horse fountain in Grandfalls.

You can guess where the water emerges.

 



Fight Like a Girl!

 I saw this today in Grandfalls, TX, but I didn't have my camera.  So thanks Yahoo images!

From a Facebook page. Used without permission.

It's a breast cancer awareness tow truck from Neal Pool Rekers in Odessa.

 



From Neal Pool Rekers' Facebook page.
Used again without permission.

 

The back of the truck says "Towing for Tatas". 

Man's Best Friend 2

From Animal-Space.

Man's Best Friend

From Geeky Girl Engineer.

Obvious Question

From Bizarro.

Roger Waters Turns 70!

 

Link.



You Had Us at Hello!

Check out the opening line of Brenda Chapman's new mystery, entitled My Sister's Keeper, which is scheduled for publication this month:

"It was the middle of a steamy August night in Kermit, Texas, and my bedside phone was ringing."

 

 

We've gotta read it!  Stay tuned!

 

 

For the Person Who Has Everything ...

The Power Nap Pillow.

Reminds us of something else ...

 



Matilda the UTPB Ghost

 

(Liz graduated from UTPB and for a summer she worked in the library, which at that time was housed in the Mesa Building.  She never experienced Matilda firsthand, but she can testify to the strange noises that occur in the building late at night, as well as the reactions of students and staff who had felt or heard something out of the ordinary ...

I briefly mentioned the Matilda legend once before in these pages.  The OA ran this article Sunday as part of the 40th anniversary of the university.)

From the Odessa American:

by Celinda Hawkins

I was doing some online perusing recently and came across an Odessa ghost story that I had never heard before involving a haunting in the hallowed halls of UTPB.

In 2009, the good students at the Mesa Journal did some digging and found out that yes, there have been stories about a ghost at UTPB for years and her name is “Matilda.” According to a story penned by Amber Batura, the most common legend claims that Matilda was the wife or girlfriend of a construction worker on campus while the Mesa Building was being built in the early 1970s. Legend has it (remember, this is legend and speculation, not fact) he may have killed her (although the circumstances are vague) and buried her remains somewhere in the building, perhaps somewhere in the foundation of stairwell six.

The legend of Matilda is alive and well — even if she isn’t. The “Matilda” part of the campus lore during orientation is always a favorite of new students. Last week, orientation students could not wait to get to stairwell six.

“They took a photo there and gathered around like they had their arms around Matilda,” said Jessica Zuniga, director of student life. Sadly, Matilda did not appear in the photo. Maybe she was there…in spirit.

Zuniga said there have even been strange orbs that have appeared in photos taken in the Student Union Building.

“If you ask any of the folks that work there or the students — everybody has Matilda stories,” Zuniga told me, especially the security guards who are there late at night. One said Matilda talked to him and may have even forced a soda out of the machine when he was thirsty, Zuniga said.

Some folks were talking about the story on Facebook: a woman said she had always heard about the legend of the ghostly apparition of a woman was haunting the hallowed halls of the Mesa Building at UTPB.

Michele Thompson posted that while she was a student at UTPB there were reports that the gal ghost was haunting the student union area and had been spotted on a stairwell in the building. She admitted hearing lots of different versions, but wanted to quash the rumor mill once and for all.

It was obviously no secret since lots of other folks weighed in. Cindy Wagnon Cole recalled in a post the tale of a UTPB officer in 1985 who said he saw the ghost as he was locking up the doors on the stairwell at the Mesa Building.

“As he is opening the door he saw a figure of a woman with long hair, arms with no legs, staring right at him and in an instant she moved to her right and disappeared,” Cole posted. “Within 2-3 seconds after that the large metal door to the stairwell where she disappeared SLAMMED open!”

She said the officer recalled feeling a bit like a jittery, bug –eyed Don Knotts because when he ran back to the office, he was shaking so bad he couldn’t get his keys in the door.

“…When the dispatcher came out and she said you look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” she posted. “without knowing he really did.”

According to Batura’s report, Matilda mostly haunts the Student Union women’s restroom, the fourth floor and the sixth stairwell. But the reporter also uncovered stories of hearing the voice of a sad and forlorn female in an eerie whisper beckoning him to “come here.”

Other former students and employees have heard of the Matilda legend too. “

I went to school at UTPB and later worked there for five years,” Janice Slaughter Golden posted. “I heard stories from staff members about seeing “Matilda.” One was the Chief of Campus Police at the time, who told a story about doing his security check of the gym building. He said no one was supposed to be in the building and all the lights were out, but he heard noises coming from the weight room. He went to check....no one there. I guess Matilda liked to work out!...”

So if you happen to be at the Mesa Building walking up or down stairwell six and you see an orb, feel a cold chill or see a soda coming flying out of the machine — don’t fret, it’s just Matilda saying hello.

Contact Celinda Hawkins on Twitter at @OAciti or call 432-333-7779.

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!