Texas Obscenity Law, or Not

The Obscene Device Law is a Texas statute dealing with obscenity. In 1973, the Texas Legislature passed Section 43.21 of the Texas Penal Code which, in part, prohibited the sale or promotion of "Obscene device[s] mean[ing] a device including a dildo or artificial vagina, designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs."

In an appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the statute on February 12, 2008, by a vote of 2–1, holding that "the statute has provisions that violate the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution".

On November 4, 2008, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel released a two-page document dated October 29, 2008, in which he stated that the Texas Attorney General's Office notified him that they would not file a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court.

The following month, on November 13, Yeakel filed a "joint status report" that noted the parties had come to an agreement. "Texas Penal Code §§ 43.23, to the extent that it applies to “obscene devices” as defined in Texas Penal Code § 43.21(a)(7), is declared to be facially unconstitutional and unenforceable throughout the State of Texas," the report read.

John Wayne Day

A few years ago, Texas declared a statewide John Wayne Day to commemorate the iconic actor’s birthday on May 26th for his cinematic contributions to the culture of America.

Texas also named Wayne an honorary Texan, though Wayne, born Marion Mitchell Morrison, was actually born in Iowa. Many films that he starred in were filmed in Texas and for many Texans he has always been an honorary son of the Lone Star State.

Uses for Aloe Vera

A friend recently dropped off some Aloe Vera for the garden. I knew it had some great medicinal properties, but found more on the web. Also found it survives the winter in Texas. It is antibacterial and contains vitamins and minerals. Here are a few topical and other uses.

• Slice aloe leaves lengthwise and use the inner sides as a biodegradable body scrub in the shower
• Rub on to treat burns from grease splatters or hot utensils
• Rub on to reduce sunburn sting
  
• Rub on to eliminate sting or itch from insect bites and allergic skin reactions
• Rub on to fight Athlete's Foot
• Rub on as moisturizer for dry skin, remove makeup, or for shaving
  
• Soothe Psoriasis, Rosacea, Eczema, blisters, bruises, and rashes
  
• Prevent scarring and stretch marks
• Reduce facial wrinkles
• After washing, apply to eliminate acne
  
• Decrease skin pigmentation and dark spots
• Drink to relieve indigestion, but not too much or can cause diarrhea
  
• Take aloe orally to relieve heartburn, arthritis, and rheumatism pain
• Boil leaves in a pan of water and breathe in the vapor to reduce affects of asthma

Size of England and UK

England makes up about half the total area of the UK. It is also about the size of the state of Alabama. You could fit about three of the entire United Kingdom in the state of Texas.

Twenty Texas Facts

The great state of Texas is interesting and its people have always liked to brag. Here are some interesting facts about the great state.

1. Beaumont to El Paso: 742 miles - Beaumont to Chicago: 770 miles
2. El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas.
3. World's first rodeo was in Pecos, July 4, 1883.
4. The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America that was built over water.
5. The Heisman Trophy is named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach for Rice University in Houston.
6. Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America.
7. Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.
8. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.
9. The first word spoken from the Moon, July 20, 1969, was "Houston."
10. King Ranch in South Texas is larger than the state of Rhode Island.
11. Tropical Storm Claudette brought a US rainfall record of 43 inches in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July, 1979.
12. Texas is the only state to enter the US by treaty, known as Constitution of 1845 by Republic of Texas to enter the union, instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height as the US flag, and allowed to divide into 4 States.
13. A Texas Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1,500 years old.
14. Caddo Lake, a 25,400 acres lake and wetland located on the border between Texas and Louisiana, in northern Harrison County and southern Marion County in Texas and western Caddo Parish in Louisiana is the only natural lake in the State.
15. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. (There is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper)
16. Texas has had six capital cities: Washington-on-the-Brazos, Harrisburg, Galveston, Velasco, West Columbia, Austin.
17. The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S. that is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. (by 7 feet).
18. The name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas.
19. The State animal is the Armadillo. Armadillos always have four babies. They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females.
20. The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston.

Texas Trivia

The Republic of Texas was an independent sovereign nation in North America, which existed after gaining independence from Mexico March 2, 1836 and lasted until February 19, 1846. It was bordered by the nation of Mexico to the southwest, the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast, the two US states of Louisiana and Arkansas to the east and northeast, and the United States territories encompassing the current US states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico to the north and west.

In 1839, Texas became the first nation in the world to enact a homestead exemption under which a person's primary residence could not be seized by creditors.

On March 1, 1845, US President John Tyler signed a bill that would authorize the United States to annex the Republic of Texas on December 29, 1845. On October 13, 1845, a large majority of voters in the Republic approved both the American offer and the proposed constitution. As part of the Compromise of 1850 Texas dropped claims to territory which included parts of present-day Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Wyoming. On February 19, 1846, power was permanently transferred from the Republic of Texas to the State of Texas.

John Tyler, born in 1790, has two living grandsons: Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., born in 1924, and Harrison Ruffin Tyler, born in 1928. He also fathered 15 children, more than any president in history. Thanks to Mike McCormick for the trivia addition.

The compromise also stated that up to four additional states could be created from Texas' territory with the consent of the State of Texas. In addition, Texas did not have to surrender its public lands to the federal government. It did not cede any public lands within its current boundaries. The land in Texas owned by the federal government was subsequently purchased by it. This means Texas has control over oil reserves and control over offshore oil reserves that run out to 9 nautical miles.

Myth: Earth is Close to Overpopulation

This is a myth has been around since the 18th century, but the world is a really big place with plenty of space.

Let's look at how much land it really takes to hold 6 billion people. To give you an idea, consider the small nation of Japan, which has about 143,000 square miles of land. One square mile has 27.9 million square feet. Japan has a total of about 4 trillion square feet, enough to give each person on earth 670 square feet. If we housed people in families of four in simple two-level buildings (8 people per building, one family of four per level), each building could be on a lot of over 5300 square feet.

Using the American average of 8,000 square feet to house four people, the entire population of the planet would fit into a space the size of Texas and Nevada combined or less than the state of Alaska. That leaves a bunch of unused space for growing crops, sailing, and going on vacations.

Amazon and Texas Taxes

July 1, 2012 Amazon will be collecting Texas state tax on items purchased online. If you live in Texas and are thinking of buying something soon, buy it before July 1 to save a few dollars on taxes. BTW, while you are there this might be the time to pick up a few of my books.

World's Biggest Happy Meal

Where else but in Texas could you find the world's biggest anything. Dallas is home to this one.

The McDonald's PlayPlace is in the box, and the building is adorned with gigantic hamburgers, French fries, Cokes, and a Ronald McDonald. The exterior is the only Happy Meal-shaped McDonald’s in the world. The interior has Austrian crystal chandeliers, Ralph Lauren wallpaper, granite floors, and mahogany booths. It is at 13105 Montfort Drive, Dallas.

How Many People Can Fit on Earth

Many more people can be accommodated on our planet than headlines would have us believe. For starters, there are now six billion people on earth.

The island of Japan has about 143,000 square miles of area. One square mile has 27.9 million square feet. Japan has a total of about 4 trillion square feet, enough to give each person of the earth 670 square feet.

For comparison, if we used the American average of 8,000 square feet to four people, the entire population of the planet would fit into a space as the size of Texas and Nevada combined. That would leave the rest of the world's land for food production, entertainment, and vacations. These calculations do not include the oceans.

Alamo and Red Baron

This week In 1836, Texas forces under Sam Houston with the battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!" defeated the army of Mexican Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at San Jacinto, Texas, opening the path to Texas independence.

This week in 1918, German World War I flying ace, Manfred von Richthofen, known as "The Red Baron," was killed by Allied fire over Vaux-sur-Somme, France.

Hack My Car

More than 100 drivers in Austin, Texas found their cars disabled or the horns honking out of control lat month, after a hacker used a web-based vehicle-immobilization system normally used to get the attention of consumers delinquent in their auto payments.

Police arrested a 20-year-old former Texas Auto Center employee who was laid off and allegedly sought revenge.

“We started having a rash of up to a hundred customers at one time complaining. Some customers complained of the horns going off in the middle of the night. The only option they had was to remove the battery.”

The dealership used a system called Webtech Plus as an alternative to repossessing vehicles that haven’t been paid for. The system lets car dealers install a small black box under vehicle dashboards that responds to commands issued through a central website, and relayed over a wireless pager network. The dealer can disable a car’s ignition system or trigger the horn to begin honking, as a reminder that a payment is due. The system will not stop a running vehicle. Honk if you love technology. Who says there is no big brother.