Category Archives: Education

Tuesday, May 3, 2016 – Happy Teachers’ Day – Who Do You Think You Are?

Posted on May 3, 2016 | 4 comments

Tuesday, May 3, 2016 – Happy Teachers’ Day – Who Do You Think You Are?

“Write a 1000 word paper telling me ‘Who Do You Think You Are’” Can you name the movie in which that was the assignment? Hint: a movie from the 1980’s.

While you are thinking, here are some remembered education quotes from teachers, friends and colleagues from years past. I am only attributing one quote to one teacher – my major advisor, dissertation advisor Dr. Frances E. Clark, who went to the Big Classroom in the Sky last week. For you, Dr. C. – Here!

From the Department of Redundancy Department – Dr. Frank Clark.

You can guess at the contributors for the rest.

The children are not negotiable.

You can lead a student to water, but you can’t make him think. But you can make him awfully thirsty.

You can take a good teacher and make them great, but you cannot take a bad teacher and make them a good one.

I am from the Texas Education Agency and I do not have anything to do with assessment or PEIMS or curriculum. (1989 – Present day)

From Conroe High (Conroe ISD) from the 1970’s – “Teachers, pardon this interruption. Will the following pupils report to the Vocational Building for the FFA yearbook picture…? The pupils participating in UIL events tomorrow will meet at 8:30 in the cafeteria.”

From J. L. McCullough High School (McC) (Conroe ISD) from the 1980’s – “Teachers, pardon this second interruption for the morning announcements … please review the Do Not Admit List and do not admit these students to your class until they have an excuse from their counselor. And don’t forget to keep looking for the pony.”

From Magnolia High School (Magnolia ISD) May 2, 2016 – “Teachers, pardon this interruption, the testing period has ended. You may now return your students’ cell phones.”

I bet you can add so many other quotes. Happy Teachers’ Day to all of us! Thank or think of one of your teachers. You can read this, can’t you? Then do it. It is because of us that you can!

And the assignment question?

“Saturday, March 24, 1984 Brian Johnson [although unknown at this point] Shermer High School Shermer, Illinois 60062

“Dear Mr. Vernon:

We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong, but we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us… In the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain… …and an athlete… …and a basket case… …a princess… …and a criminal. Does that answer your question?

Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.

4 Comments

Posted in Education, Texas Aggies

Tagged Conroe High School, Conroe ISD, Education, J.L, K-12 education, Magnolia High School, Mc, The Breakfast Club

Sunday, May 1, 2016 – It’s May! It’s May! The Lusty Month of May! Vote for Von!

Posted on May 1, 2016 | 1 comment

Sunday, May 1, 2016 – It’s May! It’s May! The Lusty Month of May! Vote for Von!

Since I will be out tomorrow hopefully making the world a better place, enjoy a special edition of HWIT and vote for Von!

Here’s What I’m Thinking. Von Miller, his partner and all the male dancers on Dancing with the Stars should dance to The Aggie Song from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Video at the end. YEE-HAW!

Better than an Aggie football game?

They’ve never seen a body quite like this!

Right between the goals!

75 miles until we get to heaven;

75 miles until our plans are laid,

75 miles until we get to The Chicken Ranch

Where history and Aggie Boys get made.

1 Comment

Posted in College Football, Education, Misc., Native Texan, Politics, Texas Aggies, Uncategorized

Tagged Dancing With the Stars. Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Aggie Song, The Chicken Ranch, Von Miller

Friday, April 29, 2016 – May I Please Be Excused?

Posted on April 29, 2016 | 3 comments

Friday, April 29, 2016 – May I Please Be Excused?

May I please be excused from Here’s What I’m Thinking today and possibly Monday? I am out trying to make the world a better place. Details to come.

First day of school in Magnolia, Texas 1956. Headed to Mrs. Shannon’s 2nd grade classroom. Notice: already had my tablet ready for word processing, math, art and all the other uses of a tablet today. Except this one did not run on electricity.

image8 (586x800)

3 Comments

Posted in Education

Wednesday, April 27, 2016 – Here’s What I’m Thinking (HWIT) and Welcome to the New Girls and Boys

Posted on April 27, 2016 | 2 comments

Wednesday, April 27, 2016 – Here’s What I’m Thinking (HWIT) and Welcome to the New Girls and Boys

I noticed some new faces on Facebook and decided I needed to channel in Madeline Hunter, Patron Saint of Education to do some reteaching about HWIT. So pay attention because this is Texas education you know there will be an assessment at some point down the road.

Two years ago I created a blog called Here’s What I’m Thinking (HWIT). Last year I connected HWIT to Facebook. In spite of many and seeming non related postings it is spiritually based and inspired. It was indeed a leap of faith to put your daily journal online.

The purpose of HWIT is to make at least one person smile/laugh and/or think five days a week. One does not have to agree with anything I think about. It is not called Here’s What I Believe.

The business plan to attract readers is “If I have known you in the past or know you in the present, I WILL write about you in the future.” When I do, you better hope you fall into the statistical bell shaped curve within one standard deviation that what I write you is positive or that I change your name. Everyone in my family reads it on a daily basis in fear. Many of my friends and all of my enemies have become regular readers.

Ninety-nine percent of HWIT is my original work. My photographs or my father’s extensive collection of photographs. My writing. My brain. My brain’s unique ability to make weird and hopefully humorous connections for the amusement of others.

When I do have to get a photo from a website, I try to remember to give credit. For example, I do not have a photograph of a tiger. It is difficult to write about LSU without a tiger and I want a photo that I take of a tiger. I was unable to get to Conroe recently to photograph the tiger, tiger burning bright that was captured near Panorama. You just never know what might wash and walk out of East Montgomery County. Sorry, Dr. Madeline was bird walking.

During the first several reads, the topics appear to be random as though the brain is locked into random access mode. If one reads the postings long enough, you can see the logical sequential brain is working and patterns emerge.

During the seasons there is much ado about college football and college basketball. Year round there is much ado about The Fighting Texas Aggies. This also encompasses Baylor, Oklahoma State, THE University of Texas in Austin, LSU, the entire Big 12 or what remains of it and the entire Southeastern (SEC) and teams playing any of the above mentioned. For example, last year I wrote about Uncle Will Muschamp bringing his then Florida team to College Station. I suggested he stay in Hearne. This year when you bring your exploding anger head from South Carolina, I suggest you stay in Bremond.

Because my state of Texas is the boldest and grandest, withstanding every test, you can always count on Texas Our Texas as a topic.

Texas Wall 2 (800x592)

I often discuss the Texas public education system, or what is left of it. Also falling under education you can find the scarlet letter A for ASSESSMENT, B as in Board of Education, C for Common Core and D for Dumbass Leaders. Wait that goes under L for Legislature.

From the File “You cannot recover from being a bureaucrat,” comes politics. This topic is often tied to education. More often, however, it is closer related to the lack of an education. Please know in the current reality TV show known as The US Presidential Election, I display bipartisan viewpoints on all of the candidates. For example, assuming Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump become the Democratic and Republican candidates, I think they should debate dressed as Maud in those long, you know what they are hiding jackets and Archie Bunker. Weren’t Maud and Archie cousins?

Check for understanding. Is there any feedback? I will wait for prescribed number of seconds for your response.

Sign (800x530)

It used to be eight seconds, but has increased over time due the daily challenges of an educator.

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Posted in college basketball, College Football, Education, Misc., Native Texan, Politics, Texas Aggies

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 – The Big Rich

Posted on April 26, 2016 | Leave a comment

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 – Once I built a railroad; I made it run; I made it race against time. Once I built a railroad, but now it’s done, Buddy, can you spare me a dime?

In this case, “Once I found an oil well…” The Big Rich – The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes by Bryan Burrough takes the story from there.

The end result is the same. “Buddy, can you spare me a dime?” Just as Can You Spare a Dime? came to be viewed as an anthem to the shattered dreams broken by The Great Depression of the 1930’s, The Big Rich – The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes tells the story of the shattered dreams and fortunes broken by oil.

If you are a native Texan, grew up in Texas, got to Texas as fast as you could or live in Texas now, this book explains a lot. What is it about? “Oil, that is. Texas tea!” (From The Ballad of Jed Clampitt) and the big four who made the state and possibly the country what it is today.

It will take you from Spindletop (January 10, 1901) in Beaumont to the political landscape of Texas today. From Dallas, we have H.L Hunt and his THREE bigamists families, the eccentric Sid Richardson (this is where the Bass Brothers from Dallas come in), and Clint Murchison, Sr, whose son, Clint, Jr. would own the Dallas Cowboys. The Cullen Family from Houston creates the fourth family of the Big Four. And gushing oil and squandering incomprehensible sums of money in between we find the Conroe, Texas oil fields and George Strake, Glen McCarthy and the Shamrock Hotel in Houston and many more names on buildings we drive by daily. Plus there are more lawyers and lawsuits than students attending Roy Cullen’s beloved University of Houston today. In 1938, Hugh Roy Cullen donated $335,000 (equivalent to $5,631,643.03 in 2015) (2) for the first building to be built at the location of U of H today.

Those waiting in lines at the gas stations in the 1970s and organizations with letters like OPEC become clear. That cornering the silver market thing no body understood at the time (and I did not until I read this book) gives insight into The Middle East and the resulting economic and political policies in place today. And yes, it becomes clear why Jerry Jones’ purchase of the Dallas Cowboys hurts so badly even today. And how and why did Houston get an NFL team that was once called the Houston Oilers in a new football league called the AFL? It is all in this book.

The foundations of anti-federalism (Big Government, States’ Rights, Right-wing ultra-conservative thinking) begin with these four families. The link between the views and values of these four, Ted Cruz (Senate- R-Texas) and Donald Trump and the presidential election today is strong.

Nothing exhibits the age of the great, Texas oil boom and bust better than the Cadillac Ranch(1) outside Amarillo, Texas.

Palo Duro Canyon Trip 4.15 2015-04-21 007 (800x600)

Photo by me – Amarillo, Texas 4.15. 2015

From 1949 to 1963 the caddies buried nose down, fins up correspond almost exactly to the decades of the Texas oil booms and busts that resulted from Spindletop and all of the others. It was when the big and rich from Texas oil bragged and bought Cadillacs, airplanes, big houses, hotels, islands, politicians, radio stations, newspapers and as always, more oil wells. By the mid 1970’s it was nose down and fins and belly up for it all.

Two footnotes to history:

The Republicans of the 1930’s and 1940’s tried to get Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime banned from radio play because it was “Anti-capitalist propaganda promoted by the Democrats and President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal.”

The Nieman-Marcus Christmas Catalog was created for the families of the Big Four.

Sources

Cadillac Ranch is not a ranch but a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, USA. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm. It consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of mid twentieth century Cadillacs: the tailfins) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. (Wikipedia)
“Discover UH’s Heritage & History”. UH Alumni Organization. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-16. From Wikipedia

Wednesday, April 20, 2016 – Yes, We Will and Other Comments from Yesterday’s News

Posted on April 20, 2016 | Leave a comment

Wednesday, April 20, 2016 – Yes, We Will and Other Comments from Yesterday’s News

Here’s What I’m Thinking

Buddy Glasses

“Yes, We Will” is Ted Cruz’s new campaign slogan. Will What? That is the best your team could up with? Sounds a little like “Yes We Can.” In other Cruz quotes…

Cruz also made an unusual analogy to wrestling or yoga, depending on which mat you prefer.

“America has always been best when she is lying down with her back on the mat,” he said. http://www.salon.com/2016/04/20/america_has_always_been_best_when_she_is_lying_down_with_her_back_on_the_mat_what_was_ted_cruz_talking_about_last_night/

Photo by me – Helicopter Ride New York – 1986

Where did your speech writers learn to write your lines? – From Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?

In Mr. Trump’s acceptance speech from New York, he said – we will get rid of Common Core and provide education locally. The exact quote “Local communities are going to take care of their education need.”

Just exactly how is that going to work? Especially if local communities do not want federal education funding? Are you planning for local communities to change their schools’ names to something more like “By God (mine, not yours) Independent School Districts and Local Communities?”

And Hillary and Bernie – Kiss and make up. Bernie, I am certain you will get a nice spot somewhere in her administration. However, watch out for one of those Castro twins from Texas to be the Veep.

Regardless of the candidates, their metaphors, similes, analogies, quotes and ideas create images in my brain that are not pretty. What are those Caribbean Island coordinates? I think I can think more clearly there.

Sunday, April 3, 2016 – Why you should vote. Or Read Who Else is on the Ballot. Mary Lou Brunor

Posted on April 3, 2016 | 2 comments

Sunday, April 3, 2016 – Why you should vote. Or Read Who Else is on the Ballot. Mary Lou Brunor

A little something to discuss tomorrow – post STAAR Hangover Monday.

This is long, but if you care about what children learn and what teachers teach then keep reading and know this name – Mary Lou Brunor.

This is for those of you who have stated “I do not like the candidates running for president so I am not going to vote.” I would ask that you reconsider especially if you teach and/or have children or grandchildren in school or pay taxes. Here are some reasons why you should exercise your right to vote.

It is a right given to us in our democracy.
Men and woman across the world have sacrificed their lives and continue to sacrifice daily to ensure our right to vote and to provide and protect this so others are able to vote.
When you do not vote, it is a vote of sorts and Candidate Apathy always wins.
Another idiot is about to leave her village and make decisions in Austin, Texas about education.

It is these other races on that ballot that should be examined and voted on. Membership on the State Board of Education is an example. One wonders how “we” as an educational institution got into this mess. Not voting is one way of how and why.

The 15-member elected State Board of Education (SBOE) sets policies and standards for Texas public schools. Its primary responsibilities include:

setting curriculum standards,
reviewing and adopting instructional materials (textbooks and other resources),
approving all things assessments and the testing corporations who administer the tests,
establishing high school graduation requirements,
overseeing the Texas Permanent School Fund,
praying and bible thumping, and
other duties as defined by the elected governor and the elected legislature.

As said, the SBOE’s responsibilities include all things assessment related. So please put the majority of the STAAR SNAFUS on the State Board of Education , the Texas Legislature and of course the testing company and not the Texas Education Agency.

This November there will be a ballot in East Texas, SBOE District 9. This is DEEEEP East Texas behind The Pine Curtain where dueling banjo music can still be heard in the twilight zone and rattlesnakes can be a part of a church service.

https://mlb4sboe.com/

The ballot will have the presidential candidates running for election, local candidates running for local offices and candidates running for state offices. The name Mary Lou Brunor will appear as a candidate to be elected to the State Board of Education. This woman if elected will have significant say in to what the textbooks, policies and standards are used in schools across the nation. This could include public schools, charter schools, home schools, private schools and all other entities that use K-12 educational resources. The chance of her being elected to the SBOE is a distinct probability and possibility.

From her website, let me share some of her beliefs and I really wish I was making this up.

George W. Bush is a closet homosexual.
Barack Obama worked his way to pay for his drug habit as a gay prostitute.
Rick Perry is a closet homosexual.
School shootings are a result of The Ten Commandments being removed from school buildings.
Global warming is a “Marxist hoax.”
Dinosaurs and humans roamed the earth at the same time humans and Noah took dinosaurs on the ark. The dinosaurs were baby dinosaurs and did not live to reproduction age and that is why they are extinct.
“Islam is not a religion. Islam is an inhumane totalitarian political ideology with radical religious rules and laws and barbaric punishments for breaking the religious rules. If Islam is a religion it is a cult religion .…The USA should ban Islam and stop all immigration from Muslim countries because Islam’s stated goal is to conquer the USA and kill the infidels (nonbelievers).” From her web page.
Terrorists mass murderers are results of Liberals and Democrats.

If you do not vote, your county or parish could send one more of these koo koo birds to join others in making decisions about the content of what children are taught.

Just a reminder to educators in Texas, the current Chair of the SBOE has never taught in the public school system and home schooled her children. The governor appoints the chair of the SBOE. Of course he or she must be approved by the legislature.

The Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency is appointed by the governor. The current commissioner is a proponent of vouchers – known in some circles as “economic busing.” If you have the funds, you can send your child out of those schools that are not performing well, are high minority and have bad football teams. Yes, the football team transfer is true.

If you wonder how we as an educational institution got into this mess, not voting is one of the ways. Please reconsider and exercise your right to vote. Makes you miss the Gablers from Longview, doesn’t it? And we thought they were crazy.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/schooled/2016/03/02/mary_lou_bruner_extremist_who_thinks_obama_was_a_prostitute_heads_to_runoff.html

https://www.tumblr.com/search/mary-lou-bruner

https://www.mlb4sboe.com/about-mary-lou/endorsements.html

2 Comments

Posted in Education, Native Texan, Politics

Tagged Mary Lou Brunor, SBOE, STAAR tests, state board of education

April 1, 2016 – My New Part-Time Position

Posted on April 1, 2016 | Leave a comment

April 1, 2016 – My New Part-Time Position

Here’s What I’m Thinking.

Buddy Glasses

I have been thinking getting a part-time job. I noticed a need in school districts across Texas during the Spring Assessment Periods which began this week called STAAR. This is how springs are now spent in the public education system in Texas. Poor children expressing high levels of anxiety in fear of having to take, then possibility retake the assessment exam as a result of so much Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, I cannot even begin to describe.

Apparently school districts are going to have to keep tract of when, and for how long a student is gone while he or she goes to the bathroom during STAAR testing or as I like to call it – Academic Lockdown. This critically important data point in data analysis is part of the never ending stream of data the TEA is required to collect by the Village Idiots under the Dome as part of the “Let’s make them count the minutes in a school day.” And you thought the end of cursive writing was the downfall of public education.

I updated my resume to include more recent work experience to display my experience in bathrooms and urine. I believe this to make me uniquely qualified for such a position – which by the way – my position is sitting, which I understand is not allowed during test monitoring.

Experience

I go to the bathroom. Frequently. Usually when I want to, but on occasion, when I am not ready.
TT Toter – worked as temp in an urologist office in Austin, Texas during my unfortunate unemployment that was Perrily induced when $270 million annually generated revenue was taken from school districts, public libraries and institutions of higher education.
- Responsibilities included: I actually filed files and faxed prescription renewals for Viagra to pharmacies, but there were times I did tote the TT. The TT doesn’t just flow to the lab on its own. Somebody has to walk it down there.
Dr. Bathroom Nazi in large urban school district in Central Texas.
- Responsibilities included, but not limited to: driving to four campuses at 15 minute intervals to relieve the person guarding the bathroom so he or she could go potty. (Please note: I have a PhD and was being paid an exorbitant salary to do this on your dime, Mr. Taxpayer. Given the number of assessments, this was a responsibility for about 20 days each spring.
Actually worked for an unnamed assessment company scoring (we do not grade) a bazillion Fifth Graders responses to a single question, making $11.50/hr – also resultant of my unfortunate Perrily induced unemployment.

Non negotiables

Must make a very high and impressive salary to waste my time and your tax dollars.
Must have an Impressive Title – Examples:
- Chief of Urine and Ur Not In
- Number One in Charge of TT
- Chief Executive Officer of Urine Patrol
- You’re in Control Patrol
- The Executive Director of Urinalysis Analysis Data Collector or
- Something like that that has a certain stream or flow about it.

April Fool! I am not going to back to work.

Too bad the timed urine breaks during assessment and data collection are not part of an April Fool’s joke. One would think it would be, given all of the fools that created this legislatively and politically contrived mess call K-12 public education.

Ship wreck 2 (800x537)

Don’t forget – the only money maker in education is assessment!

Remember: Keep your voter registration card current; vote early and vote often; and God Bless Texas and teachers and school children of the state.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016 – International Women’s Day and the Women’s Basketball Division I Tournament.

Posted on March 8, 2016 | 3 comments

Tuesday, March 8, 2016 – International Women’s Day and the Women’s Basketball Division I Tournament.

Today is International Women’s Day. We celebrate and sing “I am woman; hear me roar in numbers too big to ignore.” (Helen Reddy).

First female leader of the Texas Aggie Corp of Cadets. photo by me.

What better way to celebrate than to watch amazing young women play collegiate basketball at the highest level.

# 1 Courtney Willis – Senior – Texas A&M; Major: Computer Science; 3.8 GPA with Khaalia Hillsman- Texas A&M “Big” – sophomore business major who is already taking graduate courses in TAMU’s school of business. Photo by me.

The teams for the 2016 NCAA women’s basketball tournament will be selected next Monday. Sixty-four teams will be selected to play in this tournament. In April one team will be crowned National Champions and will cut down the nets as confetti streams to the court.

Whether you are a fan of basketball or not, take a time out to watch some incredibly gifted and talented woman play basketball. Listen to a few of the amazing stories of the leaders of tomorrow who are currently dribbling a basketball upon and down a court.

Here are some examples of the stories you will hear about these women and the many others like them who will be the decision-makers for our future. I mixed many examples, but each one of them represents real stories and examples of the female student athletes.

The women’s broadcast teams are pretty awesome too. If you tune in to a game, you will hear another group of incredible women who played and or coached the game. Here are some examples of the comments you might hear.

Sally is a 6’ 7” Senior and hails from French Lick, Indiana where she was four-year all state and twice McDonalds All-American. She graduated from high school with over 30 hours of college credit. She graduated in December with a degree in nuclear physics and is working on her Masters in molecular biology. She has been accepted by Johns Hopkins Medical School and will enter this fall. She said she grew up listening to her grandfather tell stories about watching Larry Bird play in high school and college.

Princess is a 5’9” sophomore aerospace engineering major, with a minor in Russian. She was a National Merit Scholar and completed an internship with NASA last summer. She helped design a soft landing system for the Mars study. Her brother is a two-time All-American basketball player at Duke.

Natasha’s is a six-foot small forward. She and her parents escaped some horrible place in the world and came to the United States when Natasha was ten. She spoke no English and found that basketball, like all sports, has no language barriers and soon began playing street ball in some horrible place in inner city Chicago. When she was twelve she got involved with the Dawn Staley Foundation. She credits this experience as life-saving. When Coach Staley offered her a scholarship, there was no hesitation. She was coming to South Carolina to play for her idol and mentor.

The starting five for Princeton refer to Otisha as Miss B. She is the only one who made a B last semester. She made a B in folk dance giving her a 3.9 GPA while the other four all boasted a 4.0 GPA for last semester. Otisha is majoring in environmental design and international women’s studies. She wants to help bring clean drinking water to remote villages throughout the world.

Carla is a junior point guard from Atlanta. Carla’s team mates refer to her as “Lashes” because of her long eye lashes. Carla credits her success to her high school AVID program and her middle school teacher, Karen Young. Carla has a double major in Sports Managements and Communications. Her goals include attending law school and one day becoming president of ESPN.

In honor of women throughout the world today and for those making the tomorrows let’s get ready to Celebrate, celebrate; Dance to the music. I am woman; hear me roar in numbers too big to ignore …

3 Comments

Posted in college basketball, Education, Misc., Politics, Texas Aggies

Tagged International Women's Day, NCAA basketball tournament

Monday, February, 29, 2016 – LEAP YEAR! The Eve of Super Tuesday! Will Trump Take Texas Tomorrow? FRUITCAKES!

Posted on February 29, 2016 | 3 comments

Monday, February, 29, 2016 – LEAP YEAR! The Eve of Super Tuesday! Will Trump Take Texas Tomorrow? FRUITCAKES!

I was reading a FB question from one of my former McC students who started a strand “Will Trump Take Texas Tomorrow?” The emoticons did not come across. Only four small rectangles – or maybe that was the emoticons representing a wall of some sort.

My first response – Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! If he does I will be coming to live near you – in Geneva, Switzerland! Second response – No – going to the island of St. Rolene to live near Rhonda.

And now to answer your question Stacy – NOTE: This is only a prediction and not an endorsement for any candidate.

Senator Ted Cruz will take Texas, but not by a significant percentage. Texas Governor Greg Abbott endorsed Cruz even though he cannot name any legislation written, sponsored, endorsed, blocked, filibustered, etc. by the Senator.

At the national level …

Donald Trump will splinter the GOP. Certain demographics will not vote or will vote for the least crazy (I use the term loosely) candidate. Hillary Clinton will win. No one will be happy.

Whoever your candidate is or whatever your causes and beliefs are – VOTE!

From the great 20th Century philosopher, Jimmy Buffet – “I don’t want other people thinking for me! I WANT MY JUNIOR MINTS!!!”

“WE NEED PEOPLE THAT CARE!! I AM MAD AS HELL!”

Have a very fruitful day!

Good Night Austin (600x800)

“Fruitcakes”

[Chorus:] Fruitcakes in the kitchen Fruitcakes on the street

Struttin’ naked through the cross walk In the middle of the week

Half baked cookies in the oven Half baked people on the bus

There’s a little bit of fruitcake left in everyone of us

Paradise – Lost and found Paradise – take a look around I was out in California Where I hear they have it all They got riots, fires and mud slides They got sushi in the mall Water bars and Brontosaurs Chinese modern lust Shake and bake life with the quake The secret’s in the crust [Chorus]

The government – We lost our Martian rocket ship The high paid spokesman said Looks like that silly rocket ship Has lost it’s cone-shaped head We spent ninety jillion dollars Tryin’ to get a look at Mars I hear universal laughter Ringing out among the stars

Fruitcakes in the galaxy Fruitcakes on the Earth Strut naked towards eternity We’ve been that way since birth Half baked cookies in the oven Half baked people on the bus There’s a little bit of fruitcake left in everyone of us

Religion, religion. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa Where’s the church, who took the steeple Religion’s in the hands of some crazy ass people Television preachers with bad hair and dimples The God’s honest truth is it’s not that simple

It’s the Buddhist in you, it’s the pagan in me It’s the Muslim in him, she’s Catholic ain’t she? It’s that born again look, it’s the wasp and the Jew Tell me what’s goin on, I ain’t got a clue

Here come the big ones – Relationships – We all got ’em, we all want ’em. What do we do with’em? Here we go I’ll tell ya She said you’ve got to do your fair share Now cough up half the rent I treat my body like a temple You treat yours like a tent But the right word at the right time

May get me a little hug That’s the difference between lightning And a harmless lightning bug

Fruitcakes in the kitchen Fruitcakes on the street Struttin’ naked through the cross walk In the middle of the week Half baked cookies in the oven Half baked people on the bus There’s a little bit of fruitcake left in everyone of us

The future, Captain’s log, Star date 2000 and somethin’ We’re seven years from the millennium That’s a science fiction fact Stanley Kubrick and his buddy Hal Now don’t look that abstract

So I’ll put on my Bob Marley tape And practice what I preach Get Ja lost in the reggae mon As I walk along the beach Stay in touch with my insanity Really is the only way It’s a jungle out there kiddies Have a very fruitful day