Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

So Tyson quit on his stool in the sixth round? Shame on any of you who paid $49 for the pay-per-view for that "fight". Shame on you - you're just encouraging him... Speaking of boxing - I meant to link to this picture of Jeremy Schapp earlier in the week. Do you remember that interview that Schapp did with Bobby Knight a few years ago? Something tells me that the more time passes Knight will look less of a jerk in people's eyes and Schapp more of one... Afleet Alex is one awesome horse. Not sure if I agree with the folks who call horses athletes but Afleet Alex certainly is something special... If you only read one thing today (well besides my blog) - make sure it is this commencement address by Ben Stein. It is an address he gave this month at Ithaca College. If you don't get a bit misty reading it, if you don't feel a surge of heart full of gratitude for being born in America, well then I just don't know about you... More Ben Stein (he's been on quite a roll lately). This is a piece I meant to link to yesterday (if you only read two things today beside this blog - make the first thing his commencement address and make the second thing this article)... Today would have been Jaques Cousteau's 95th birthday (he died in 1997). Cousteau was a pioneer in underwater photography and scuba diving (he literally invented it). Sadly, like Joe Foss, Cousteau seems destined to be a person we think about less and less as the years pass... Speaking of things that we are probably going to forget more and remember less - there was a time when half of Europe was not free. There was a time when Eastern Europe fell behind an Iron Curtain. 17 years ago today Ronald Reagan said these immortal words:

Secretary General Gorbachev, if you seek peace--if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe--if you seek liberalization: come here, to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.

It will be interesting to see if there is any mention of this anniversary anywhere in the Main Stream Media.