Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

 

• Ten years later, I'm still wondering about how much money is in that fund. But I did find an update to that bullet point: In 2012, Theadora Ross was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $274,034 in restitution.
• Texas hospitalizations deaths: Hospitalizations are dropping which mean were are at the end of a cycle of the surge. The end of a surge also brings the apex of deaths. 
  
  
  
• The Texas GOP is out there lying in trying to say its slogan of "We Are The Storm" is not inspired by QAnon. It's efforts are comical:

  

  They tell us to look the slogan up.
  
  

  

  This guy did. It's a QAnon slogan.
  
  

  

  That's embarrassing 

  
  
  
  
• I'm not sure the last time I kept an eye on a stock price all day just for entertainment, but I did it yesterday with Gamestop which went up 134%.  
• The story isn't that complicated once you understand short selling. It gets a little more confusing in trying to figure out how the masses are using option trading to fuel the Common Man Uprising.  
• At its core, it's just like the old organized "flash mob" doing a dance routine at the mall. Except this time there are millions in the mob and they are focused on a stock. 
• You'll hear many in the mob talk about "how much money they've made" with the stock's price rising. Let me share words of wisdom from my father from years ago: "When it comes to stocks, you haven't made anything until you actually sell it."
• A side story is how this uprising is fueled by the site Robinhood which allows commission free stock and option trading. So how does it make money? As someone told me, it's like any free site which has people register: They are dealing in commodities as well but the commodity is your data.
• Edit: Whoa! This morning at around 7:30 a.m., the Robinhood app began preventing customers from selling Gamestop stock and options. I'm not sure what is going on, but the masses are mad as a hornet (and the masses include Trump Jr. and the Barstool guy.) The stock had been up in afterhours trading as much as 40% before the change. The stock just opened down 24% and then trading was halted. This will be a big deal. 
• Noooooooo!
  
  
  
• The little town of Stinnett, Texas is having a controversy with a police chief.  From this story on a site which amazingly collected documentation over the whole seedy thing, some women (including his wife) have allegedly discovered each other. Pull up a chair, it's juicy. 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
• I've noticed a trend that has developed over the last year: High profile crimes are being committed by teenagers. I mean, some pretty bad stuff being done by very young people. Keep an eye out for it. (Recall the Indianapolis five-person murder on Sunday was done by a teenager.)
  
  
  
• Normally I make fun of whenever the cops roll out a picture of a drug bust because it's so insignificant. Not with this one. That's a lot of meth.  But as for the DEA agent saying it was "a big dent" in the cartel's trafficking, he's blowing smoke. That's not even a ding. 
  
  
  
• See that telephone poll? I took these photos on the square in Decatur after a saw a guy in a cherry-picker installing something on Tuesday. I'm no detective, but I'm pretty sure we've being watched. And I've been told they have automatic license plate reading software hooked up as well. 
  
  

  

  
  
  
   
  
  
  
• Another Capitol police officer has committed suicide in wake of the Trump Supporters Storming of the Capitol on January 6th.