The Day Before The Start Of Summer Will Be The 8th Day In A Row Over 100 In North Texas

I went to bed early Sunday, which has me up early the day before the start of summer.

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at my destination in a few minutes hence, you can see Monday has dawned with yet one more blue sky morning in Texas.

Today is scheduled to be the 8th in a row where the temperature at the official measuring station at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport will go over 100 degrees.

Yesterday got to 102. Today is supposed to get to 103. Tomorrow the Heat Index will likely get in the 108 to 109 range.

Thousands in Fort Worth had their power knocked out yesterday. High winds knocked out some power lines.

I do not remember losing power during the air conditioning time of the year. That would be quite miserable. I need to knock on some wood.

And then go swimming.

I Needed Help To Kill A Computer Monster Today

This morning for the 2nd or 3rd time I managed to pick up an annoying piece of malware.

A rogue, fake security program that tries to make you think that suddenly your computer is under all sorts of attacks.

Offers to help keep popping up til you kill the monster.

The version that hit me today was called XP Security 2012. Other variations all start with XP and end with 2012, with words like 'Antispyware,' 'Antivirus,' 'Home Security' and 'Internet Security' in between XP and 2012.

The malware stops you from being able to open anything that might stop it. Like Malwarebytes. You can't open the registry, msconfig, notepad, pretty much any program you might use to kill this monster.

But, it does not stop you from Googling.

I remembered the last time I got this fixed by downloading Malwarebytes, again, and doing a fresh install. This time that did not work. The monster would not allow the install to run.

So, after a little Googling I found a blogspot blog called "Malware Removal Instructions" which had a page devoted to removing today's monster called, "Remove XP Antispyware 2012, XP Security 2012 (Uninstall Guide)."

The instructions had two methods to stop the monster from blocking program access. The first method worked for some. But not for me.

The second method, simply putting some code in notepad, naming it 'fix.reg,' saving it to the desktop, then clicking 'fix.reg' had me now able to run Malwarebytes, which found 11 infections by the time I got back from Village Creek Natural Historic Area.

The removal of those 11 infections fixed the problem.

Why is law enforcement not after the evil doers doing this? I am sure quite a few people fall for this scam and quickly fork over the $59.99 to make it stop.

And what is the point of the constant Microsoft security updates, one of which occurred a few days ago, plus running Microsoft Security Essentials, if something like XP Security 2012 is not stopped?

Apparently the criminals behind this have been running this scam for quite a long time. And are better programmers than those at Microsoft.

The solution from Malware Removal Instructions that did not work involved using a registration key to unlock the fake anti-malware program. Once it is unlocked, the fake program tells you all is hunkydory with your computer. You can then run an anti Malware program and kill the monster.

I suspect the evil doers figured out a registration key was being used over and over again. It did not take long after I had the registration key for the monster to pop up with its latest attack warning with the click here to activate XP Security 2012. I was then told "reg key invalid."

To get to the place where you enter the 'reg key' you have to go to the heart of this particular darkness. I was appalled at how legit the website looked. They wanted all sorts of info, including your credit card. You could take the $59.99 one year offer, or pay for multiple years at increasing discounts.

Could this possibly be a Norton Anti-Virus Rogue Operation?

A Windy Sunday Walk Among The Village Creek Ghosts Dodging Falling Limbs & Deciphering Cryptic Messages About Green Eggs Smoking

I had myself some computer woes this morning. More on that later. I did not get my computer woes under control til after noon.

I thought a sedate walk through the Village Creek Natural Historic Area would put me in a better frame of mind.

It did. Until I started being a bit concerned over the heavy wind blowing limbs off of trees. I do not like getting hit by a falling limb.

The Village Creek Natural Historic Area's Wildflower Area had lost all its color since I was in that location a few days ago. Drought related wildflower browning?

We have gone over 100 again. 101 to be precise. At the same time it is 101 in my zone of North Texas, in my old location in Mount Vernon, Washington it is currently 55.

Speaking of Mount Vernon, just minutes ago I got email from Mount Vernon with a very cryptic message I can't quite decipher about a Green Egg Smoking.

Below is the cryptic message.....

The Green Egg is smoking (ceramic smoker), cocktails at 3:30, dinner at 5-5:30, if there is anyone in town that is hungry for ribs and brisket, NW style.  Just a few of the ex-nice relatives will be there.  18066 State Route 9, Mount Vernon. That is, if you are in town.  Bring a rain coat.

I don't own a rain coat, so how can I bring one anywhere? I know where State Route 9 is. I'd turn off 9 onto Waugh Road, then a left on Apache, then a right on Pawnee to turn left into my driveway. The streets all have Indian tribe names because the neighborhood is called Thunderbird. I think.

Whilst doing my wind walking I called my dad to do the obligatory Happy Father's Day greeting. I got the answering machine. So, I left a Happy Father's Day message.

The Day After Betsy Price Is Elected Fort Worth's Mayor It Is Father's Day

Looking skyward above the bars of my patio prison cell it appears Father's Day has dawned with a brilliantly blue sky in North Texas.

A HOT brilliantly blue sky currently heated to 83, heading to a predicted high of 102 this 3rd Sunday of June.

We had a mayoral election in Fort Worth yesterday.

I forgot to vote.

Had I remembered to vote my vote would have made no difference in the outcome. Betsy Price beat Jim Lane by way more than one vote.

I think I will go swimming now and do some thinking about my civic irresponsibility.

104 At My Texas Location With 3 Days Til The Start Of Summer

My computer temperature monitoring device is indicating we have hit a new high for the year.

104.

(UPDATE: 2 hours later we hit 105)

We are 3 days from the start of summer and the longest day of the year.

I fear this is going to be one long hot summer in Texas.

Meanwhile in the town I lived in before moving to Texas, Mount Vernon, Washington, it is currently a chilly 57 degrees and cloudy with rain in the forecast.

Next Saturday, at about the time shown on the Mount Vernon temperature graphic, I am supposed to be about 10 miles north of Mount Vernon at a ranch in an unheated, I assume, barn.

I am having a little trouble convincing myself this is something I want to do.

Note the humidity in Mount Vernon is 93%. Currently in Fort Worth the humidity is 22%.

The Tandy Hills Guerrilla Art Installation Has Been Removed As Seismic Testing Spreads All Over East Fort Worth

Does my one longtime blog reader notice what is missing in the picture?

Yes, you are correct, the Tandy Hills Guerrilla Art Installation, called Orange Flags in Feces, has been completely removed, including the orange ribbon that was tied to the adjacent bush.

Was the removal of this Art Installation an act of counter eco-terrorism?

I do not know if the orange flags are associated with the Barnett Shale Natural Gas Seismic Testing that seems to be spreading all over East Fort Worth.

It is very odd. Every day I seem to see cable in new locations. But I have yet to see anyone laying the cable. One would think I would, since it is quite an effort the cable layers go through.

Duct tape secures the cable across driveways, more elaborate cable covers are used where the cable crosses a street. And then there are the prong things that get stuck in the ground and the above ground testing devices.

I know the gas drillers own the mineral rights below the ground, but how is permission granted for this above ground activity? It seems like the property owners should be able to charge the gas drillers a fee for using their ground.

It's very perplexing.

Fort Worth Wins The 2011 All-America City Award

A couple minutes ago I saw an incoming email come in from Anonymous.

I finished what I was doing and then clicked on the Anonymous email....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Saturday Morning Of June 18 Dawns Windy & Warm...":

You are now a resident of a 2011 All-America City. Congrats Fort Worthians! Seattle will be green with envy when they hear the news!

Can this possibly be true, I wondered? I think the All-America City Award is a legit, respected type award, unlike the Most Livable City Award Fort Worth got a few years ago from a D.C. lobbying group.

That bogus Most Livable City Award set off city-wide celebrations and much boasting about Fort Worth causing cities and towns far and wide to be Green with Envy.

I Googled "2011 All-America City" to quickly learn that Fort Worth was one of the 2011 winners. By what criteria I can not imagine. The city-wide celebration is likely to be HUGE.

From the All-America City website.....

The National Civic League announced the ten winners of the All-America City Award tonight in Kansas City, Mo. They are (in alphabetical order by state):

Kenai, Alaska
Dublin, California
Lakewood, Colorado
Belleville, Illinois
South Bend, Indiana
Scott City, Kansas
Tupelo, Mississippi
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Eden, North Carolina
Fort Worth, Texas

These communities give us hope and new ideas about what can be accomplished when ordinary people work together to address the difficult challenges that lay ahead,” said National Civic League President Gloria Rubio-Cortés. “Year after year, I never fail to be inspired by their outstanding stories of positive civic change.”

Fort Worth gives us hope and new ideas? About what can be accomplished when ordinary people address difficult challenges?

What new ideas? Inner tubing in the polluted Trinity River? Taking down perfectly performing flood preventing levees? Closing community swimming pools? Cutting back public library hours?

Is it the Fort Worth Independent School District that helped make Fort Worth an All-America City?

Is one of the new ideas being the first big city to allow natural gas drillers to poke holes and lay pipe all over town, except in wealthy neighborhoods?

Is an example of an ordinary person addressing a difficult challenge something like Fort Worth's Steve Doeung fighting Chesapeake Energy and Fort Worth to stop a non-odorized natural gas pipeline from being run under his property?

Is an example of Fort Worth giving the rest of the country hope the way the community rallied to the defense of Paradise Center when it was attacked by a Tarrant County agency, MHMR-TC?

Yes, now that I have put some thought into it I can clearly see why Fort Worth would be chosen as an All-America City.....

The Saturday Morning Of June 18 Dawns Windy & Warm In Texas

You are looking at what I look at when I look up when I step outside to retrieve my swimming suit.

You can't quite tell it from the picture but it is very windy this morning of the 18th of June.

Very windy and a chilly 79 degrees, heading to a predicted Saturday high of 102.

Up north, at my old home location, it is currently only 22 degrees above freezing, heading to a balmy high of 62. With rain.

No rain is on the menu in my current location. I believe we are currently in drought mode.

I am fairly certain the drought has not drained my swimming pool. I think I will go check on that right now.

Questions About Bobby & Marie's Ordeal With MHMR-TC's Institutional Incompetence

On Wednesday Paradise Center sent me a video of an incident that happened the day before, on Tuesday, June 14.

I then blogged the Tale of Bobby & Marie's Ordeal With MHMR-TC on the Paradise Center Scandal Blog.

The aforementioned video is getting a lot of attention. With a lot of people asking a lot of questions.

Like this question....

Who is/are the elected officials who are responsible for this type of reprehensible behavior on their watch? I would certainly like to know who to help ease out of office during the next election cycle.

The above question was asked by Big Ed. Then County Veteran answered Big Ed's question in detail. You can read that answer and the other comments about the Tale of Bobby & Marie's Ordeal With MHMR-TC on the Paradise Center Scandal Blog.

You can view the video that has amped up the Paradise Center Scandal below...

Hitting The Texas Streets Paved With Bricks At 103 Degrees

We've hit a new high for the year at my location in the Texas oven, as measured by my computer temperature monitoring device.

103.

Meanwhile, up in Washington, in the town I grew up in, Burlington, it is 63 degrees.

Changing the subject from the all important temperature to streets paved with brick.

I get a lot of email feedback from my Eyes on Texas website. There are 100s of pages on that website, some made as long as 10 years ago.

So, sometimes I'll get an email from Eyes on Texas and have no clue why someone is saying what they are saying.

Like this morning. Donald W. Williams sent two emails saying the same thing...

Viewing your page a few minutes ago, I read your note about streets paved with brick. Such streets are the pride and joy of residents of Merkel, Texas (between Abilene & Sweetwater).

I think I was in the pool when the light bulb came on. Fort Worth has a road called Camp Bowie Boulevard. Camp Bowie Boulevard, for the most part, is paved in bricks.

When I first drove on Camp Bowie Boulevard it was in really bad shape, a really rough ride. I could not imagine why a big city would have such a road.

I think Mr. Williams must have been on my webpage about the Ennis National Polka Festival.

Apparently I saw a street paved in brick, in Ennis, and wrote the following...

Above note the brick paved street the boy and his dog are walking on. In Fort Worth there is a brick paved street called Camp Bowie Boulevard. It is rather rough in places, although it is gradually being renovated, block by block. In articles in Fort Worth's Star-Telegram about the ailing Camp Bowie bricks reporters have actually written that it is so hard to fix because brick paved streets just don't exist anymore and so the skills to repair them are hard to come by. When asked why such a rundown street is allowed to exist, the ears of Eyes on Texas have actually heard native Fort Worthers say that Camp Bowie Boulevard is unique and such things don't exist elsewhere. A stunned look occurs when the native is told by the non-native Texan that many small towns in Texas have brick paved squares and streets. Pike Place and Pioneer Square in Seattle have brick paved streets, albeit always in good condition, so in that way they are different than Fort Worth's Camp Bowie Boulevard. Maybe all the skilled paved brick workers moved to the west coast. Or to Ennis.

I've told people, who have commented on my alleged snarkiness on my blog, that it used to be worse and that I've toned it way down. The above paragraph is sort of proof of that. And the fact that I've learned to make use of commas. And much shorter sentences.