Sleepless in Midland

A couple of cool videos

First up, the Houston Ship Channel as seen from a ship. It's either stop action or a sped up video, and it's a view of the Houston Ship Channel that most of us haven't seen. The crane goes down, the deck lights go off, and a tug pulls the ship out into the channel for a journey to the Gulf. Click to watch it. Via.

Next up, a cool made for TV explosion on a San Francisco overpass. Here's a link to the video. And here's a link to some still shots. Via Heather Tompkins.

Also at Heather Tompkins's site is this attention-getting arm cast painted to look like a skeleton. Click Cast Away to see it. It's certainly a good example of making the most of a bad thing.

Obama campaign gear on sale

Good news for Obama fans! They're having a sale on Obama campaign leftovers. Bumper stickers 50 for $2.50, buttons 50 for $5.00. But wait, there's more!

A disturbing infatuation with the Che Guevara myth

These two grad students became enthralled with the Che phenomenon while visiting Cuba, and as they traveled the globe they began noticing Che posters, T-shirts, graffiti and merchandise everywhere they went. So they started a website where they could post their Che Spotting photos.

A site search at Che Spotting didn't turn up any pics of a Don't be a DouChe T-shirt, though. Too bad.

Guevara was a ruthless killer, and among his accomplishments was the Cuban missile crisis. Comandante Guevara was said to have been instrumental in getting the Russians to ship missiles to Cuba in the early '60s, and if Che had had his way, the world's first nuclear combat may have resulted, so the story goes. But people seem attracted to the myth of the character. An interesting phenomenon this fascination with killers is.  Maybe Freud had a name for it.

Via.

End of month close out

We've reached the end of May, so in the next few entries I'll be posting a bunch of miscellaneous items that caught my attention throughout the month but never quite made it to these pages. Maybe they will catch your attention, too. Or maybe not.

National Running Day

Start by putting out one foot, shift weight to that foot, then do the opposite, repeat, then crank up the speed. Simple, huh? I'm not sure what it does to the joints long term, but it will definitely get the heart rate up, and hopefully, keep the arteries open.

So June 3 is National Running Day, and running organizations are promoting this inaugural event to get everyone up and running. See you on down the road.

President Obama's rose colored glasses

"The U.S. will remain a super power;
The national debt is under control;
The U.S. is a good credit risk;
Taxes will fall;
There is no hyperinflation risk;
Our enemies love us.
Hey, I want every American to get
a pair of these rose colored glasses!"

[Photo credit: Pete Souza.]

So you're smarter than a 5th grader, now go take the 6th grade sex ed test.

Go here to take the test. Is if safe for work? Probably not, but if you should be working anyway then it really doesn't matter.

Via Neatorama.

Remedial reading.

On the lam? Don't forget to update Facebook.

Those social network sites really must pull the users into them. Maybe it's a sense of obligation to the network friends. Or maybe it's the feeling that someone out there really wants to know what was for breakfast.

Anyway, in this particular case, the Facebook poster had New Zealand cops on the trail, and the cops figured out that the fugitives were in China from Facebook entries.

A New Zealand gas station owner named Leo Gao had his bank overdraft application approved, but the decimal point was misplaced a couple of zeroes. Mistakes happen, but they always seem to favor the bank. Not in this case, though. Instead of NZ$100,000 the amount was NZ$10 million. Now there's a toxic asset!

So he promptly took out about a third of it and disappeared along with his girlfriend and some members of both families.

But the girlfriend's sister had a monkey on her back. An addiction. She couldn't resist the lure of Facebook update. So authorities figured out they were in China.  Not that it helped much, though.  As of the latest report these new millionaires are still on the lam.

Links: Fans cheer couple who took the money and ran and Sister of accidental millionaires returns to New Zealand.

Another gun goes off in a guy's pants

Ananova reported that the fellow had his gun in his pocket, and oh my, that accidental discharge had to hurt.

He told paramedics that a masked mugger had blasted him in the crutch in a bungled robbery. But police found a hole in his statement when they saw that the gunshot had miraculously left his trousers intact.

(Maybe a German "crutch" is an American "crotch.")

The photo accompanying the article shows what appears to be a Beretta with an adjustable rear sight and a non-factory grip. And it has a manual safety. I'm a strong proponent of manual safeties on firearms, and they should make guns safer. But the theory goes out the window if gun owners ignore them. And this episode demonstrates once again that proper handling is crucial in all instances involving firearms.

There are those who contend that a manual safety might slow them down too much, and to them I recommend watching some videos of guys drawing, cocking and firing a single action revolver like the old cowboy actors did. Here are a few video links to get started.

Chris Gordan demonstrates technique. He mentions "Gunsmoke" star James Arness, so here's Mr. Arness. And don't miss Howard Darby's fast draw demonstration.

These guys were probably naturally quick, but it took plenty of practice to develop the fast draw you see in the videos. And the point is that a manual safety is going to slow someone down only if he/she is not willing to put forth some effort and practice.

Finally, a note to DIY gunsmiths -- use the proper screwdriver. The person who changed the grip on this handgun probably used a standard hardware screwdriver with a tapered point, and you can see how it messed up the screw head. Most gun screws have deep slots, and a tapered screwdriver will slip and mar the screw head and maybe even the gun surface itself. The proper screwdriver would have parallel, not tapered, sides. These can be bought, or the true do-it-yourselfer might use a grinder to modify a standard screwdriver.

There are people looking for excuses to take guns away from citizens, so let's not give them any ammo. Be safe out there now, hear?

Man on Wire -- the movie

It was a daring balancing act when wire walker Philippe Petit stunned watchers by walking on a wire stretched between the World Trade Center towers in 1974. (Oops, I just gave away the plot. Sorry about that, but don't worry. I watched it twice and it was just as exiting the second time.)

They made a documentary about it last year titled Man on Wire using some contemporary interviews, archived clips and still shots.

Mr. Petit has a superhuman ability to balance. We see him juggle, we see him ride a unicycle, we see him juggle on a unicycle, and we see him walking a high wire, a very, very high wire. But as impressive as that particular stunt was, there was a gripping subplot of the heist-like scheme to get into the building with almost a ton of equipment, get it onto the roof undetected, set it up, and get Mr. Petit out on the wire before someone showed up to stop them.

The towers had been topped off in 1970, but by 1974 the upper floors were still under construction. So late one August afternoon the two teams were able to get into the buildings with fake IDs. And they spent the night hiding near the roof. In the early morning hours when they thought it was safe the team in the South Tower hauled the cable up to the roof inadvertently walking right past a guard. They must have seemed like they were doing what they were supposed to be doing, and the guard didn't bother them.

The North Tower team shot an arrow tied to a fishing line onto the roof of the South Tower, and Philippe tied it to a larger string which the North team pulled back. That string was tied to a larger string, then a rope, then a wire, then a 7/8 inch cable which they anchored to each roof.

The sun was up, and the elevator wheel started to turn. Mr. Petit placed one foot on the cable and had to make a momentous decision. Once he shifted his weight to that foot either the wire held or he would fall to his death. It held, and he walked out between the buildings putting on a show New Yorkers would never see again while causing no small amount of anxiety to the Port Authority Police.

Eventually, the police convinced his friend on the roof that they would use a helicopter to pluck him off the wire, and Philippe walked back to the roof to surrender.

It's a great movie and well worth the rental fee. And it's a wonderful story to add to whatever memories anyone may have about the Twin Towers.

Mayors Gone Wild

Most people have some gripe about their local city governments, and some have more reason to do so than others. But city dwellers across the nation probably heard about former San Angelo Mayor J. W. Lown and said to themselves, "I sure am glad my mayor didn't abandon his job to go to Mexico to chase after his gay lover."

Shhhh, don't ask, don't tell.

The folks in San Angelo seem sympathetic to former Mayor Lown. The position of mayor in a small town is usually a second, low paying job. But most mayors probably expect their role as mayor to help them in their primary occupation. So it's really kind of touching to see not the mighty dollar but romance stealing the attention of a town leader.

Just goes to show, when that old love bug bites, there's nothing you can do about it.

Links: Lown’s surprise move is talk of the town;
Lown answers questions about resignation;
Weighty decision led to mayor's resignation.

What to expect: A test of whether a gay marriage can bestow U.S. citizenship.

Oh those local blogs!

Visits to this site dropped off this past week, and I'm wondering if it might be due to all the exiting action up town. (It's old news now, Jessica's Well taking the Midland Development Corporation to task over the MDC's decision to award two million bucks to a company for a parking garage.)

Granted, it's a pretty big deal, and observers may be wondering why the complainers are doing nothing but complain about it. What else could they do? Initiatives and referenda are authorized by the City Charter -- see Article VII, and why should Californians have all the fun? It takes a committee of five plus signatures on petitions of at least 10% of the qualified voters, which comes to a little more than 7,000 signatures needed.

Aside:  I don't mean any insult by this, but I just can't stop smiling at the image of a petition table manned with people with bags over their heads.

And one more tiny bit of irreverence. The other day we had the opportunity to observe the remarkable spectacle of a newspaper man planting a big wet compliment on Jessica's Well. It's enough to make one speculate that there may be a job offer pending between them. But to show just how far out of the loop I am, I didn't even know Jessica's Well was hiring.

Man with 30,000 bullets arrested in Massachusetts

He said he planned to use them for target practice, but cops arrested him anyway, and bail was set at $100,000, according to the news. It goes on to say he was a native of the Dominican Republic and had planned to become a U.S. citizen on the day after he was arrested. Welcome to the U.S.A. (Early report via Madville.)

Maybe there is Massachusetts law prohibiting possession of that many bullets, but it appears that the authorities merely suspect that he planned to sell the bullets in the Dominican Republic.

They seemed astonished that someone would have that many bullets, but shooters would disagree. It isn't unusual for someone serious about handgun competition to shoot as many as a couple of thousand rounds a week. So to imply some nefarious intent merely because he had a bunch of bullets seems overly aggressive on the enforcement side.

Handgun ammo is in short supply right now, and both brick and mortar stores as well as online selers are sold out. Factories are running full bore to meet the demand, but they can't keep up. Shooters are hoarding what they have, and even reloaders can't restock their supplies. Shooting ranges are probably very quiet these days. Ammo has become a rare commodity, and no one wants to use those precious bullets.

So my question is this: Where the heck did he buy that much ammo?

In any event, it certainly seems risky to be a gun owner in a community with high anti-gun sentiment and which, by the way, is not exactly crime free.

Hospital bond issue, well it's all over but the accountability

I was undecided when I last addressed this issue. The bond proponents targeted areas they thought contained vulnerable people, and heck, even my late father got a post card. The bond was approved by voters, and now the bond supporters are congratulating themselves over their success.

I eventually voted "for" the bond issue, but I haven't seen my reasoning expressed anywhere else, so here it is, short and sweet -- it was the "mafia effect." The medical profession has communities like ours by the throat. Many local doctors won't give the time of day to people who aren't already established as patients. Then there are the problems faced by uninsured patients whether they can afford to pay or not, but we'll leave that issue for another day.

So we had a hospital district that was actively involved in land deals and which wanted a bigger building. They got private pledges and sought voter approval for massive borrowing. But there was an implied threat. "If you deny us our desires you'll be sorry." If the bond failed we would be hearing it as an excuse every time someone complained about the health care, the hospital bills, or anything else involving the hospital. It was the mafia effect, and they scared enough people that it passed.

My concern now is that with so many people out there who were gung ho for the thing there is no one left who will hold them accountable for all that money.

West Texas Nocturnal Lizard

Look at the eyes on this little guy -- big and round, drawing in the light. My camera flash probably didn't suit him well. Sorry fellow.

He had a large moth in his mouth when I spotted him on an outdoor wall yesterday at late dusk. And by the time I got back with the camera there wasn't much left of the moth.

Looks like a Mediterranean Gecko.

A convenient list of Joe Biden's gaffes

Joe Biden's most recently reported gaffe was supposed to have occurred at a Gridiron Dinner in which he revealed the location of the undisclosed location where Dick Cheney was stationed immediately after the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks.  Nice going, Joe.

Biden is wealth of material for bloggers, and for our convenience, Fox has compiled a "list of 14 amusing yet cringe-worthy 'Bidenisms' made during the vice president's more recent political career." Link.

My favorite:

-- At a Sept. 10, 2008, town hall meeting in Nashua, N.H., Biden said, "Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me."

Runner up:

-- On Jan. 31, 2007 -- the day Biden announced his presidential bid -- the Delaware Senator was roundly criticized for calling Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man."

Say it ain't so, Joe. Via Madville.

Of course, Biden's main job is to be ready to take over as President should Obama die, resign or be removed. Picture that, President Joe Biden, leader of the free world, with no one around to shush him up.

Speaking of presidential succession (PDF), should anything happen to both Obama and Biden then the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, takes the job. Should anything happen to all three, then the President Pro Tempore of the Senate becomes President. So 91 year old Robert Byrd, currently residing in a hospital, is three heart attacks away from the presidency.

Take your vitamins, Mr. Obama. And ditch the cigarettes.

Borrower in Chief

On Thursday, May 14, 2009, President Obama made a remarkable statement. Here's the link to his online version of it, and here's the key part:

But the long-term deficit and debt that we have accumulated is unsustainable. We can't keep on just borrowing from China, or borrowing from other countries -- (applause) -- because part of it is, we have to pay for -- we have to pay interest on that debt. And that means that we're mortgaging our children's future with more and more debt, but what's also true is that at some point they're just going to get tired of buying our debt. And when that happens, we will really have to raise interest rates to be able to borrow, and that will raise interest rates for everybody -- on your auto loan, on your mortgage, on -- so it will have a dampening effect on the economy.

This is such a remarkable admission. It's something everyone knows by now, and it seemed that the only one who didn't was the president himself. Did he learn this only now or has he known it all along but gone ahead with the monumental spending anyway? This is one wild and crazy guy.

This statement has been around for a couple of days, but it's so remarkable that I just had to copy it and save the link for future use the next time Mr. Obama hits the cookie jar.

Addendum: If Obama's Morning Joe fans think this is significant then it's either a major revelation or a gaffe. Then again it may simply be another case of Obama telling his audience what he thinks they want to hear at the time.

More White House photo fun

President Obama believes that his conversational skills will deter enemies. Here he talks with a pirate.

Notice: Each time I've used photos from the White House Flickr site the guidelines for use of the photos had been changed, however I've followed them as they were at the time. They've changed again, and now they don't want any manipulation of the photos. I believe these photos belong to the people. But to accommodate them anyway, I've avoided adding anything to the photo itself.  Furthermore, to avoid any doubt, I do not suggest approval or endorsement from the President, the First Family, or the White House. Link to the photo.

"Stranded" on PBS

Who could resist the temptation after this Dorothy Rabinowitz review (near bottom):

It isn't often that people get to explain, on national television, why they ate their companions. Still, that, exactly, is what the survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash get to do on "Stranded" -- an Independent Lens film (airing Tuesday, [May 19] 10 p.m. [E] to midnight on PBS, check local listings).

This ain't "Survivor."

A few years after this event happened a best selling book about the experience left people hungry for more (information). The rugby players on that plane were physically fit to begin with, but it was an ordeal for everyone involved when they found themselves stranded on a snow covered mountain. Once they came to terms with the realization that no one would ever find them they decided that someone would have to hike through the miles of snow to find another living human being.

And there was the lack of food, but you'll learn all about that if you watch the program.

These would be real torture devices, Ms. Pelosi.

According to Reuters a collection of very old torture devices will be sold at auction.  Excerpt:

"It's almost what's your pleasure, what part of the body would you like to hurt, which is a terrible thing to say," Ettinger said of the devices. "As brutal as these things are, it's history and if these items get dispersed that would be gone."

The collections includes items like an arm clamp with spikes, a chair with spikes, heavy iron masks, and a metal mitten that could be made red hot in a fire and then put on someone's hand.

Ettinger said the collection was exhibited in Britain and the United States in the late 19th century. It was eventually bought by a Norwegian Holocaust survivor living in the United States in the 1950s and is now being sold by heirs.

Makes water-boarding seem tame. The problem with historical torture was that the people who performed it seemed to be doing it for some weird purposes. Extracting life saving information is a slightly more acceptable purpose, but it's still creepy.

Via Dangerous Meta.

Men at work, in space

It will either bore you or rivet you to the screen. It's Nasa tv live from a helmet mounted camera as astronauts work to get access to and repair the Hubble Telescope.

Updated: If this can be believed this fascinating photo is of the sun in which Atlantis and Hubble are visible as tiny dots in the foreground. Source: Discover. Photographer: Thierry Legault.

"Obama tells a joke" -- the cartoon

Here's the setup: After a successful performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Obama tries to tell a joke on his own. Click here to watch it at Goanimate.

Obama tells a joke

Goanimate makes it very easy for those of us who can't draw to make cartoons. But I'm not sure snarky political jabs like this one fit very well in that community, so I'm looking for alternatives.

Pop quiz: Which Chicago preacher has been flying an American flag upside down lately?

No, it's not Jerry Wright. It's Michael Pfleger who had his 15 minutes of fame as he campaigned from a pulpit for Barack Obama, or if memory serves, against Hillary Clinton, in the run-up to the 2008 Democratic primary.

He's flying the U.S. flag upside down. Chicago:

Pfleger said he decided to fly the flag upside down outside St. Sabina Church on the South Side as a "distress signal" to raise awareness of how many children are being killed by gun violence.

Pfleger referred to Wednesday's fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ramone Morris on the West Side and the slaying of 15-year-old Alex Arellano, who was found beaten, shot and burned over the weekend.

Apparently, Mr. Pfleger expects young Chicago gang members to see the upside down flag, absorb the message, reflect on their murderous ways, and elect to discontinue violence as a tactic in their gang's ways of achieving its goals.

Or maybe he's merely posturing for a payback bailout from his fellow Chicagoan.

Obama and a cute little baby

The White House dropped its demand that the government photographers be given credit when the photos from the White House Flikr site get recycled. So we no longer have to say, " Pete Souza took that photo." In celebration of that relaxation of a rule which was probably unenforceable, let's make some more gags.

No politician can resist a photo opportunity with a baby, but who really knows what the baby thinks about it? Well, we do. And through the miracle of Photoshop we all get to see thoughts come alive.

Click the photo for a larger popup. See more like that in Those White House Photos were begging for captions.

Texas Journalist Shield Law -- poor journalists hit hardest

The bill is sitting on Governor Perry's desk right now awaiting his signature (or veto), according to Texas Legislature Online.

If it gets signed into law it offers journalists a limited privilege against testifying in state courts. But there are exceptions, and the journalist has to testify in a civil proceeding if the requesting party can convince a court that he really, really needs the info and has exhausted all reasonable efforts to get it elsewhere.

In a criminal case the journalist has to testify about a confidential source if the journalist witnessed the crime; heard a confession; probable cause exists of a felony crime but law enforcement has exhausted all reasonable efforts to get the information otherwise; or disclosure of a confidential source is reasonably necessary to prevent someone from getting killed or seriously injured.

You can read the whole thing by clicking here.

To me the most interesting piece of this legislation is the definition of "journalist." The main stream media have been lobbying for a shield law in Texas for years, so they are the ones who get the privilege, not that bloggers would expect any special privileges anyway.

It's all about how the journalist makes income. A "Journalist" is someone who is earning a "substantial portion" of his/her livelihood by obtaining or preparing information for dissemination by a news medium or communication service provider.  No income, no privilege.

Any part time journalists out there may need to ask for raises or quit the other job to fit under the "substantial portion" part of this shield.

Thanks for the heads-up to MyWestTexas.com which is brimming with journalists that fit the definition, so any tattlers out there who expect to be shielded by this law might want pay them a visit. Read the whole thing first as there are other exceptions not mentioned here.

Updated 5/15/09. The governor signed it on May 13, and the bill takes effect immediately. See Governor's news release.

Happy 100th Birthday Midland Fire Department

The Midland, Texas, Fire Department is a century old this year. It began in 1909 as an all volunteer fire department. Their first fire truck cost a thousand dollars in 1912 and was powered by one hay eating horse. Today they have trucks costing $800,000. Here's more from the news release:

The Midland Fire Department was first organized on a volunteer basis in 1909 in response to two disastrous fires, which almost destroyed the downtown business district. Initially, the department's equipment consisted of a Hose Cart stored in a shed at the courthouse. In 1916, the city purchased its first modern engine from American LaFrance which was delivered June 20, 1917.

Today the Midland Fire Department employs 174 firefighters and 22 administrative and support staff. What was once a small volunteer department is now a professional fire and EMS service with nine stations (including a Crash/Rescue station at Midland International Air Terminal), 11 fire engines, two ladder trucks, nine ambulances, and several other special purpose apparatus.

This afternoon at a ceremony in the Central Station garage the department unveiled a commemorative coin, and each firefighter will get one. According to military folklore, members of a unit which had its own coin would use them on occasion to determine who picked up the bar tab. Tap tap tap, someone would rap his coin on the table, and each of the others would then show his coin. If someone couldn't produce a coin he got to pick up the tab. But that was another time and place. Our sober firefighters will no doubt use their coins to reflect on the department's long and proud history.

Dogs gone wild

Most dogs owners have probably wondered how our canine companions would fare in the wild if they had to. An unintended experiment provided a glimpse at such a situation when numerous dogs were dumped into an environment with not enough to eat. It was "Lord of the Flies" for dogs.

Here's the story. Unwanted dogs were cast away on an uninhabited island off Malaysia on the theory that they could forage on their own and live in the wild. They estimated that over 300 dogs had been dumped, and after a few weeks the estimates were that around 200 had survived by feasting on the weaker dogs. It's a new definition of "dog food," and not a pretty picture to imagine.

Via Daily Rotten.

"Weaponizers" on Discovery channel

This show on Discovery channel certainly looks interesting. "Weaponizers" -- see a promo on Youtube:

Each team has one week to turn ordinary vehicles into remote control machines of destruction to face off in battle until only one team is left standing.

Premiers on May 11 at 8:00 Central. See schedule.

Via Neatorama.

Wanda Sykes at the White House Correspondents' Dinner

We knew it was going to be an Obama love fest, that was easy.  [See Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.]

At previous WHCDs the audience would expect to see the powerful get skewered. But what we didn't predict but should have seen coming was the attack on high profile conservatives. And the audience loved it when both Obama and Sykes took jabs at Fox News, Shawn Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney. [Watch the 2009 White House Correspondents' Dinner at C-Span.]

Early on in the Obama administration they demonstrated how much a threat they thought Rush Limbaugh was to them. And Wanda Sykes reinforced that theme last night when she joked to a friendly audience that Limbaugh should incur a life threatening physical impairment.

Her joke was about Limbaugh's proclamation that he hoped Obama would fail, clarified to mean that he hoped Obama's economic plan for the country would fail. Sykes didn't bother with the clarification but repeated that Limbaugh wanted Obama to fail and added that he wanted the country to fail, too. So she says about Limbaugh, "I hope his kidneys fail." The audience loved it.

My favorite part was the sight of Keith Olbermann in the audience. Ms. Sykes joked that Olbermann should waterboard Shawn Hannity, and as the audience laughed, the camera caught a partial glimpse of Olbermann. Olbermann immediately shifted position so that viewers could see his entire mug beaming like a full moon. What a ham, that one.

Mr. Obama is certainly basking in the adoration, and we should wonder what might happen should the media ever turn on him. Most likely he'll do whatever it takes to win them back. To paraphrase a line from a movie, the President is the head, but the media is the neck determining which direction to point the head.

Pop quiz: Who is the Texas Bluebonnet Queen?

Answer: Ashley Carruth Beal of Midland, Texas. It's official! Here's the Resolution:

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Ashley Carruth Beal of Midland has been named the 2009-2010 Texas Bluebonnet Queen; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 1964, the Texas Bluebonnet Committee promotes the state flower and recognizes young Texans who excel in their talents and in their community service endeavors; the daughter of Barry Ashley Beal, Jr., and Cliffy Beal, Ashley Beal is being honored at the 45th Texas Bluebonnet Queen Coronation Ceremony; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Beal attended Trinity School of Midland and was involved in various extracurricular activities, including the Commemorative Air Force Cadet Program and varsity cheerleading; she also participated in the National Youth Leadership Conference and was listed in the United States Achievement Academy, and she has dedicated her time to such organizations as the Museum of the Southwest, Midland Children's Rehabilitation Center, and the Breaking Bread Soup Kitchen of First Presbyterian Church; in addition, Ms. Beal has been a nationally ranked diver for the past six years, competing with City of Midland Aquatics and at the international level with the U.S. Junior Olympic Diving Team; a 2007 National Diving Champion, she received a diving scholarship and now attends Purdue University in Indiana, where she has been chosen as the Diver of the Week; and

WHEREAS, Ashley Beal has demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence as an athlete, a student, and a volunteer, and she may indeed reflect with pride on her achievements and contributions as she looks toward a bright future; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas hereby congratulate Ashley Carruth Beal on her selection as the 2009-2010 Texas Bluebonnet Queen and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Ms. Beal as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.

Signed by the Governor on May 6, 2009.