Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Red Sox traded Shane Victorino yesterday. I may be in the minority but I never warmed to Victorino. Sorry. I still insist that Boston would have been much better off signing Torii Hunter three years ago... Just in time for breakfast - Medieval art's top 10 butt licking cats... Over the past 3-years Hunter has played 374 games (and counting) while Victorino has been on the field for just 185 games over that same period of time... George McGovern having a child out of wedlock is again news. I have to mention that I pointed this out more than 3-years ago... So which Boston team ends up making more trades this week - the Celtics or the Red Sox? So far it's tied at 1-trade apiece... Dry ice and dishwashing soap... Baphomet's Hangover would be a good name for a fantasy football team or a band... Cool video on Nate Boyer's unique path to the NFL... Do the Red Sox win the World Series in 2013 without Shane Victorino? I don't know - therein lies the rub as to why he's so beloved... The "answer" to why Amazon has passed WalMart...

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Top 5 - Stanley Kubrick Movies

Stanley Kubrick would have been 87-years old today. In his memory here are what I consider his five best movies.

1. Dr. Strangelove
2. Paths of Glory
3. A Clockwork Orange
4. Full Metal Jacket
5. The Shining

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Mazzy Star - Fade Into You



Mazzy Star - Fade Into You. Song seems a good fit for today.

DeflateGate

Tom E. Curran has a good article on the corner Roger Goodell has painted himself into.

Meanwhile Dan Wetzel points out that DeflateGate has been nothing short of a three-ring circus.

My prediction all along is that Tom Brady sues Roger Goodell and the league for a nine figure sum for defamation. The argument will be that Goodell and the NFL created DeflateGate out of thin air as a distraction to get attention away from Goodell's handling of Ray Rice. The suit will allow a discovery process that will show just how out of control the NFL Commissioner's Office has become. If the suit makes it to a court of law then Goodell definately loses his job (and even if it doesn't - my guess is Goodell is now a short-timer).

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- This chart explains why traditional TV is going to be phased out

- Archer's tribute to George Coe (Woodhouse)

- Interesting overview of Sir Richard Francis Burton - and if you enjoyed that brief article on the man then this biography will blow your socks off

- Nice article on what's going on with the old Tiger Stadium

Friday, July 24, 2015

Jon Stewart

Interesting couple of articles today on liberal icon Jon Stewart.

One suggests he's a bullying racist.

One comes right out and says he's anti-union.

I wonder how many stories like this we will see once Jon Stewart is fianlly gone from The Daily Show.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Hemingway's Top 5 Books

Today would have been Papa's 115th birthday. May have a drink or two in his honor today. Here's what I consider my 5 favorite Hemingway books.

1. The Old Man and the Sea
2. A Moveable Feast
3. The Sun Also Rises
4. By Lines (Journalism for the Toronto Star)
5. To Have and Have Not

Monday, July 20, 2015

Amtrak - a Modest Proposal

Amtrak served over 30 million riders last year and brought in over $2 billion in revenue - yet they still needed another $1.4 billion from the Federal Goverment to jusy stay in business. That yearly infusion in Federal cash the past few years has ranged from $1.565 billion in 2010 to a low of $1.374 in 2013.

Here's what I suggest:

Let's say Amtrak continues to require another $1.4 billion per year for the foreseeable future. The IRS handled 14 million individual tax returns last year so if each individual tax return was billed an extra $100 then that $1.4 billion is covered. If you were supposed to get a $1,000 return then you'd only get a $900 check back plus a $100 Amtrak voucher good for travel on their "nationwide" rail network. If you were supposed to pay an additional $1,000 in taxes then that tax bill just became $1,100 (but hey you'd also get a $100 Amtrak voucher).

If this plan was adopted - how long do you think there'd be support for continued Amtrak funding?

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Foo Fighters

Went to see the Foo Fighters last night at Fenway Park. It was agreat concert. They opened up with guitars wailing and the crowd screaming. I took that opportunity to fart. Really just let it loose. Nobody was able to hear it above the noise. So for the first few songs of the night the girls behnd me were fighting my foo.

Dave Grohl from his throne said last night that Queen's performance at Live Aid was the apex of rock. Re-watching it is hard to argue against him.

One of the few cover songs they played last night was AC/DC's Let There Be Rock. You don't hear that song much any more.

Looking at the two live performances videos above - you can really see where the Foo Fighters are coming from.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Most of the attention has been on Gawker and their abomidible actions but this story from the UK has much more potential privacy related impact. Can you imagine if the NSA started to be used for political purposes the way the IRS has been corrupted?... Heh heh - so true!... Catholic nuns have to take vows of poverty while priests do not. Tell me again why we should be listening to the Pope on issues of income inequality?... Yes and I want to know that story... If I owned a pharmaceutical company I'd hire Alex Rodriguez to do genital herpes commercials just so I could hear A-Rod say, "I'm Alex rodriguez and I have genital herpes"... 10-years ago the Yankees rotation was Small, Wang, Brown, Johnson (insert your own gay Asian porno joke here)...

The Day Mary Jo Kopechne Died

On this day, 46-years ago, Mary Jo Kopechne died. She had been riding with the married Ted Kennedy when he plunged his Oldsmobile into a pond at Chappaquiddick Island. Kennedy did not report the accident for 10-hours. Kennedy received a two-month suspended sentence, and had his license suspended for a year for his actions.

Mary Jo Kopechne did not live to see her 29th birthday.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- 101 years ago - Rickenbacker then went on to be the leading American Ace in WWI, found an automobile company, buy the Indianapolis 500, and own Eastern Airlines among other things.

- Cool  - Ben Affleck set to co-write and direct stand alone Batman movie.

- Never thought of it before but I guess it's just logical that it has to end somewhere

- How did milk become a staple food of the western diet?

Thursday, July 09, 2015

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

As people are arguing over what the Red Sox should do with Mike Napoli and 1st base - it should be remembered that the Red Sox gave up All-Star Anthony Rizzo for 282 games of Adrian Gonzalez... Cool history lesson - the last battle of the Revolutionary War actually happened in India... Thinking of writing a series of books called The Adventures of Olive Picasso. It would be about an anorexic world famous artist and her yacht enthusiast boyfriend... Who knew? 666 may be the mark of the beast but 01360 is the Zip Code for Satan's Kingdom... Now that we've taken care of the Confederate flag - can we finally address how racist Nabisco Cheese Nips are?... Well played Ted Cruz. Well played... Booze tip - hard apple cider with a shot of cranberry vodka over ice makes for a delicious summertime drink... It's funny because it's (painfully) true...

Wednesday, July 08, 2015

Bill Cosby as Frank Booth

I found this funny. But I think Bill Cosby would be much better in a different movie remake. Let me explain.

This train of thought began when I learned today that Quaaludes were named for the "Quiet Interludes" they were supposed to create. My mind then leapt to "Quite Interludes with Bill Cosby". Which led to the idea that would make a great title for a remake of David Lynch's 1986 classic Blue Velvet with Bill Cosby taking over the Dennis Hopper Frank Booth role. You could even keep much of the dialogue exactly the same:
Frank Booth: "In dreams, I walk with you. In dreams, I talk to you. In dreams, you're mine, all the time. Forever. In dreams..."
Frank Booth: "The candy-colored clown they call the Sandman."
Of course I'd want to change this classic dialogue slightly:
Frank Booth: "What kind of desserts do you like?"
Jeffrey Beaumont: "Apple pie."
Frank Booth" [Shouting] "Apple pie? Fuck that shit! Jello Pudding Pops!"

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Greeks apologize with huge horse.

- Jerry Weintraub was one of a kind. If you haven't seen the HBO documentary on his life - His Way - give it a watch.

- The town in Brazil that embraces the Confederate flag

- 15 things you might not know about Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle.

- A Revolutionary War hero you've probably never heard of.

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Top 5 Songs Inspired By Super Heroes

Here's my choices for the Top 5 songs inspired by super heroes. 

1. Crash Test Dummies - Superman's Song 

2. Kinks - Catch Me Now I'm Falling (Captain America) 
3. 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite (Superman) 
4. Queen - Flash's Theme (Flash Gordon) 
5. (tie)  U2 - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (Batman) (tie) Foo Fighters - My Hero (Spiderman) theme

Just missing the cut - Spin Doctor's - Jimmy Olsen Blues (Superman).

Monday, July 06, 2015

Pissing Contests

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase, "I don't want to get in a pissing contest over this"? Have you ever stopped to think about what that really means? 
  
Now I've been in both literal and metaphorical pissing contests so let me wax on / wax off for a moment. 
  
Real pissing contests usually coincided with drinking lots of beers with my friends. Not sure if it is a competitive survival thing or if it's a nature's clock syncing up type of thing (like girls who live together all getting their periods at the same time)  but next time you are out with the buds wait for a lull in the drinking and then go to raise your glass - almost guaranteed your friends will also lift their glasses too. Also notice that when a friend gets up to go pee - many times you will suddenly realize that you have to pee too. What does this have to do with pissing contests? Nothing - but this is a rant and rants have tangents. 
  
Whether you are out in the woods or crossing swords in a men's room - pissing contests are won by the guy who pisses the longest (as opposed to writing your name in the snow contests which are won by the guy with the shortest name). The key to winning a pissing contest is to relax and be sure not to exert any un-needed pressure. 
  
The same is true in metaphorical pissing contests (especially on the Internet). Relax - let the other guy blow a hole in his helmut. Don't apply too much pressure - people reading or hearing your comments will be impressed by how cool and calm you are. Your opponent will conversely develop a brain clot. 
  
End of Rant - Yankees Suck 

Sunday, July 05, 2015

Ancient Riddle

Here's an ancient riddle that hardly anyone ever seems to get. 
  
"What we catch we throw away. What we don't catch we keep. What are we talking about?"
  
The answer is body lice. I know ewww - but few ever answer this correctly.

Friday, July 03, 2015

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

It was all over the Internet that one of the reasons escaped (and recaptured) convict David Sweat was able to get the female jail employee to help him is because he has a huge Johnson. With that news out there - my prediction is that Sweat will find himself busy with lots of fan mail from lonely heart females. He may even get a marriage proposal or two... How cool would it be to be able to put a the body of this 1956 Buick Centurion on the chassis of a Tesla... You've probably done this already but if you haven't - ask Siri "what is zero divided by zero"...  The movie Airplane is now 35-years old. Here's 15 things you might not know about the awesome comedy... Few words scarier to a parent shopping than "I have to go potty NOW!" And those words always seem to come while in middle of the check out line...

Thursday, July 02, 2015

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Why do people buy into mythology of the Confederacy? Because our understanding of history is wrong!

- Dangerous animals. Holy crap - hippos are killers!

- Average cost of beer in cities around the world.

- I agree that George Bush should do the Daily Show before Jon Stewart departs. I think people would be surprised by how well Bush presents himself. Watch the Rumsfeld episode to see how Rummy owned the room because he was right and had the facts. Bush would do the same.

- Heh Heh

Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Bruins Offseason Moves

I fall into the camp of giving new Bruins GM Don Sweeney the benefit of the doubt. He's a Harvard educated guy who knows what it takes to make it in the NHL both from a skill point of view (over 1100 NHL games) and from a heart point of view (nobody played with more heart than Sweeney).

I was surprised as anyone by the trade that send Dougie Hamilton to Calgary for a 1st and two 2nd round picks. I didn't think that was enough and when I heard what he signed for - I wondered how come Boston didn't just offer similar money? Well it turns out the Bruins did make three offers of similar money and were rebuffed. And it is now clear that Hamilton didn't want to be here. Well in that case good riddance!

If the choices were waiting for a team to offer Hamilton an offer sheet and then matching it for a player who doesn't want to be here or not matching and instead maybe getting a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick next year in compensation and then being pilloried by the local media for being cheap - the third option of trading Hamilton as far away as possible makes perfect sense. Could be a case of addition by subtraction.

The Milan Lucic trade has been almost universally praised (Bill Burr being the exception it seems). The trade for Zac Rinaldo has been met with almost universal derision (although I haven't heard anyone who's played against Rinaldo chime in against the trade). Signing Adam McQuaid to his 4-year extension has been viewed as an over-pay but it gives the Bruins 5 out of their top 6 defensemen back for next season.

Boston still needs another defenseman, another forward and a back-up goalie. I trust Don Sweeney to put together the best possible roster with the restrictions he's inherited. This year's Bruins didn't make the playoff with Hamilton and Lucic. Let's see how next year's team does.