Friday, November 29, 2019

Linky Links

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

- So potentially the two lasting symbols of the Hong Kong Protests might be the Tweet from Daryl Morey and the photoshop of Trump on Rocky's body

- 7 ways to thank people in your life

- Heh Heh

- Cool - AR Swim Googles. I could use a heads up display as I always lose track of how many laps I've swum

- Good question - why hasn't Canada come out in support of the Hong Kong Protesters?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Teddy Roosevelt thought Thomas Jefferson was an awful President and especially thought Jefferson deserved no credit for the Louisiana Purchase. Roosevelt argued that US settlers moving into the territory would have forced the matter anyway. It was far cheaper for France to sell us the "rights" to the land than to defend it militarily... This remains perhaps my favorite painting of President Obama... I'm still upset that Andre the Giant wasn't even nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Princess Bride... Who knew? Urban Meyer was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1982 and spent a couple of years in their minor league system... The Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory). They were born of Memory so their arts cause the soul to remember a higher plane of being. The Ancients seem to have had a better grasp of what the arts do then we moderns... Baseball-Reference.com says that one of the nicknames for Lou Gerhig was "biscuit pants." There has to be a pretty good story behind that... One of my dream cars - Reggie Dunlop's GTO from Slap Shot... Quote for the day: George Bernard Shaw when asked to name a deceased man he missed the most said, "The man I miss most is the man I could have been"... 

George Harrison



Hard to believe but George Harrison passed away 18-years ago today. Above is one of his hits that seems mostly forgotten today. Here's perhaps his greatest song performed by friends after his passing (and featuring one of the best guitar solos in history). Sad that the song was supposed to be a tribute to George but now also serves as a tribute to both Tom Petty and Prince as well.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Sexy Pilgrim



Who says there's no Thanksgiving song.

You're welcome!

Gratitude



This is a short film that hopefully puts you in the proper frame of mind for the day. Not just for Thanksgiving but for any in your life.

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues



It being Thanksgiving the radio stations will now turn to playing Christmas music. For my money Fairytale of New York is the best Christmas song ever made.

Bar none.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving


Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Linky Links

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

- If you want to save the world, veganism isn't the answer. Soil erosion is arguably a much bigger problem than climate change.

- Mass State Police have tested out Boston Dynamics Spot the robot dog and even have used the robot on a couple of instances. I'm of two minds on this.

- Heh Heh

- Neil Gaiman's 8 rules for writing

- Celtic's Jayson Tatum saves every dollar of his NBA salary and lives off his endorsement money. Gronk was the first pro athlete I heard doing this but it seems like it's becoming a trend.

- The UK has called on China to allow UN observers "immediate and unfettered access" to the Xingjiang region where over a million Uighur Muslims are being held in "camps."  I'm afraid the words "Never Again" have lost their meaning.

- Fascinating look at the beating heart of a Blue Whale

Dystopian Futures

A look at some of the celluloid predicted futures.

The 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner was set in the future of November 2019. Things today aren't exactly as advertised in the film though we're now close to having the Cybertruck and sex robots.

The movie Escape from New York came out in 1981 and was set in the future of 1997. The script was written and the movie was filmed while Jimmy Carter was President. After a few years of Ronald Reagan being President the Hollywood view of New York was replaced by movies like 1987's Wall Street.

The envisioned world ravaged by greenhouse effect and overpopulation of 1973's Soylent Green was set in 2022 which is now just 2-years away. Things aren't going to be as bleak as portrayed in the movie though we do now have the Impossible Burger.

The Biological Chernobyl

In 1979 about two shot glasses worth of anthrax was released into the air around the Soviet military facility in Sverdlovsk. The deadly biological agent was released due to a filter not being replaced. Around 105 people died because of the anthrax leak. If the wind was right that day the agent could have killed more than 100,000.

Scary history that is not discussed much if at all. Even scarier is the fact that the facility at Sverdlovsk is still open and active.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Monday, November 25, 2019

Adam Schiff's New Impeachment Target

Adam Schiff has his next Impeachment target:

Adam Schiff: Mr. Kringle this impeachment inquiry believes you engaged in a clear quid pro quo for generations. We have numerous instances where you promise toys - aka a payoff - to children if and only if they are "good." For my first witness the Chair would like to call upon Krampus.

The War on Christmas is real!

Linky Links

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

- I'd so love to try this roller coaster

- Really hope President Trump signs this bill

- Eddie Gallagher controversy: Esper fires Navy Secretary, SEAL will keep Trident pin. Have to say I'm on Team Trump on this one.

- Ex-Vikings kicker Fred Cox, inventor of the Nerf football passes aged 80.

- Two black holes merging into one.

- Chinese National who worked at Monsanto indicted on Economic Espionage charges. About time we started stopping the theft of our intellectual property.

- Very Cool

Sunday, November 24, 2019

3 Reasons to Feel Good About Today's Patriots Victory over Cowboys

On the cover of the GameDay magazine Lt US Navy Reserve and Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona was honored as part of today's "Salute to Service."

Before today's game the Patriots honored the memory of Worcester firefighter Lt. Jason Menard who recently gave the last full measure of devotion saving others in a four-alarm fire.

During the game each member of the Patriots wore decals of the initials of a military service member who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The were 26 fallen service members total who were honored. All had family ties to New England. Patriots did this in partnership with the Tragedy Assistance  Program for Survivors (TAPS).

Tesla Cybertruck

I have to admit that when I first saw the new Cybertruck my mind recalled the unveiling of the Segway. That too was a "revolution in transportation" that utilized superior technology.

You don't see many people still riding Segway's these days.

I know that I'm probably wrong and that my initial disappointment probably stems from expecting a pickup truck from Tesla that looked like this.

It would be no surprise whatsoever if within 3-years the Cybertruck is the best selling pickup in the USA. Especially given the sheer numerical superiority of the Cybertruck over the competition. Or as Elon Musk puts it, "Better truck than an F-150, faster than a Porche 911." You can put your order in for a Cybertruck with just a $100 deposit.

There's been some poking fun at the Cybertruck and I certainly did not expect its unveiling to make me think of the Segway but I think the truck will be a roaring success.

And let's not forget that Elon Musk also unveiled an all-electric ATV at the end of the event. An ATV that couples nicely with the new Cybertruck.

Go Pats!


When there was only one set of footprints in the sand - that's when Tom carried the team. Go Pats!

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Really disappointed that the question "Can biological males get their periods?" wasn't asked at this week's Democratic candidate debate. There's no telling how that question would have been answered by the various candidates... Who knew? In the early 1970's North Korea actually had a higher GDP than South Korea. Tell me again how socialism/communism is better than capitalism... Good look at why the NBA TV ratings are down. I have to wonder if the words Hong Kong and China were deliberately omitted... Starchy Tubers would be a good name for a band - especially a brass band... Funny because its true!... Who knew? Bill Parcells was once the head coach at the Air Force Academy for one season. He had a 3-8 record... So Barack and Michele Obama were paid by Netflix lots of money a year and a half ago. If the Obama's never actually produce any content - would that payment be consider a bribe?...

On This Day in 1963


Friday, November 22, 2019

Truth

Via

Rodney Dangerfield


Today would have been Rodney Dangerfield's 98th birthday. Some of my favorite Dangerfield one-liners.
My wife was afraid of the dark... then she saw me naked and now she's afraid of the light.
Yeah, I know I'm ugly... I said to a bartender, 'Make me a zombie.' He said 'God beat me to it.'
I come from a stupid family. During the Civil War my great uncle fought for the west
I worked in a pet store and people would ask how big I would get.
I remember the time I was kidnapped and they sent back a piece of my finger to my father. He said he wanted more proof.
I was so depressed that I decided to jump from the tenth floor. They sent up a priest. He said " on your mark ......"

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Linky Links

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

- Groundbreaking trial in US rapidly cools trauma victims with catastrophic injuries to buy more time for surgery. The more click-baity are calling this "suspended animation."

- Too funny!

- From cooling to heating - a startup backed by Bill Gates has achieved innovative "solar oven" capabilities about equal to a quarter of the surface of the Sun. Concentrated solar energy.

- I shouldn't laugh at this (and I can't help but hear it in my head in Christopher Walken's voice)

- Billionaire Guy Laliberte (founder of Cirque du Soleil) in trouble for growing marijuana on his private island in Tahiti 

- Interesting interview of Al Pacino (in which Bob DeNiro sometimes participates)

China and Hong Kong

Yesterday the US House of Representatives passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. The vote was 417-1.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously and now awaits the signature of President Trump. The overwhelming support for the bill from both the House and Senate make the bill veto proof.

As the British would say, China is not best pleased with these actions. The bill has some teeth and some real penalties to China if the freedoms in Hong Kong are trampled. And to think real attention to the plight of protesters in Hong Kong only really gained high visibility in the US after Chinese officials completely overacted to Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey's Tweet of support for Hong Kong.

Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, was the lone dissenting vote in the House although it seems Massie approves of the sentiment of the bill.

Dianne Feinstein's Chinese spy driver could not be reached for comment.

Truth


Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Movie Idea

Movie idea - a re-boot re-boot re-boot of Charlie's Angels. Hear me out.

The latest re-boot is a "woke" bomb at the box office. But they missed a golden opportunity.

If you really wanted to empower women the right way to do it would be to cast the voice of Charlie and the Bosley character as strong women. They can be smoking hot and smart as hell and they're in charge! Say Jessica Walters as the voice of Charlie and Jennifer Aniston as Bosley with the same attitude she brought to her role in Horrible Bosses.

The Angels could be three men - a cop, a special forces operator and professional male model who also happens to be a world class computer hacker. The three would have a hard time making it in today's world because they're too good looking and too macho and too heterosexual.

Also make the villain a hot looking woman and go full Airplane! and Naked Gun on the woke culture and you'd have the comedy hit of the year.

I'd pay to see that (but no way am I paying to see the latest Charlie's Angels bomb).

2020 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

Here's who I'd vote for (in order of my level of support):

- Derek Jeter - no brainer

- Curt Schilling - I've made the case for Curt Schilling and the Hall of Fame in the past. Suffice it to say that Schilling is 15th all-time in strikeouts and every player ahead of him (except Roger Clemens) on that list is in the Hall. Schilling is being punished for his politics.

- Omar Vizquel - 11-time Gold Glove winner. He was basically the equal of Ozzie Smith (but without the back-flips).

- Larry Walker - Former MVP and 7-time Gold Glove winner. He suffers from people biased against Coors Field but he was as good a hitter as Edgar Martinez and as good a fielder as Dwight Evans. He's a Hall of Famer.

- Todd Helton - his career batting numbers are comparable to George Brett. He's easily one of the Top 10 First Basemen of all-time and perhaps the Rockies greatest player ever.

- Jeff Kent - Former MVP and all-time leader among second basemen in HR. Wasn't exactly likable which I think has hurt his Hall chances.

My feeling is that the steroids guys traded their eligibility for the Hall of Fame for the bigger paychecks they received for their cheating ways. They cashed those checks and did those steroids - so tough luck that's the bargain they made.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Linky Links

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

- Over 140 "new" Nazca Lines discovered in Peru

- Interesting look at how the American Bison shapes its environment

- Paint me like one of your French girls Jack

- Slate's list of the 50 best nonfiction books of the past 25-years. Love book lists but puzzled by this one. I've only read one book on this list (and I wouldn't recommend that book to another person)

- How NBA executive Jeff David stole $13 million from the Sacramento Kings. "David was earning a low-to-mid-six-figure salary. But he had a desire for more." Greed is an awful thing. 


Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Out of curiosity - will the Democrats be asking families to talk about healthcare at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year?... And speaking of Thanksgiving - an oral history of the infamous WKRP turkey drop episode... Even with all my success - I'm still just Chris from the Hood...  FootballReference.com has one of Tom Brady's nicknames as "The Pharaoh". Nobody calls him that. I think someone on the site's staff just randomly adds a ridiculous nickname to see if anyone notices... You have to think that the reason President Obama did not give Joe Biden his endorsement was because he knew his buddy Deval Patrick was going to run. Now it seems like Obama's endorsement will be going to waste... The Monarch butterfly egg more beautiful than a Faberge Egg...  Instead of saying "You're welcome" I'm going to try saying "Epstein didn't kill himself" instead. Will be interesting to see if I get any reactions...

The Gettysburg Address



156-years ago today.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Sunday, November 17, 2019

New Vehicle Sales

Saw this chart (left) with this "explanation" for slowing vehicle sales:

"Vehicle sales falling in almost every major market while GDP grows. New territory.

At some point we're going to have to acknowledge that either:

1. New mobility models and generational shifts are having a real impact.
2. There's a global recession coming
3. Both 1 and 2"

I see global vehicle sales falling and I assume it is mainly for three reasons (and none of them are related to a global recession):

1. Vehicles are built to last these days. Growing up if a car hit 200,000 miles it was cause for a newspaper story and maybe even a commercial by the car manufacturer. Today it is pretty common for cars to hit 200,000 miles. People are holding on to their vehicles longer than in the past.
2. It used to be that new college graduates were a big segment of the new car market but with the explosion of college related debt many new graduates are loath to add to their monthly nut.
3. People have come to realize that a new car loses a significant amount of value the minute to leaves the dealer lot. Many have decided to forego the new car market for a used car instead.

That's what I see when I see the above graph.

Linky Links

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

- Nice interview of Shane Parrish by The Economist

- Cool - the mass of a super-massive black hole measured in suns

Six steps to getting into shape. Common sense things but also easier said than done.

- It seems that China is definitely engaging in "nonvoluntary" organ donation. Scary!

- Personally I thought this was a fantastic dig.

- Cambridge scientists reverse aging in rat brain stem cells. Could have major implications in treatment of MS.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Sports Illustrated

When layoffs were announced at Sports Illustrated less than a month ago and Twitter was abuzz with people bemoaning the fate of the magazine they loved growing up - I kept quiet. Forty people were about to lose their jobs. It did not seem right to comment under those circumstances.

Now with the announcement that Sports Illustrated will become a monthly magazine with five special issues (one being the Swimsuit issue) in 2020 - I felt it was time to say what was on my mind.

When the 40 layoffs were announced people on Twitter denounced the move while at the same time reminiscing about the "old" Sports Illustrated they grew up with. And especially the writers they loved back then. It bugged me that the realization didn't seem to dawn on these folks that the writers being mentioned no longer wrote for Sports Illustrated and many were even no longer alive.

People seemed to be ignoring reality. And it bugged me. Sports Illustrated is a shell of what it once was. Name a magazine popular 35-years ago that isn't.

It was no surprise that the new management moved to cut overhead by cutting staff by 40 and now move to further cut overhead by reducing the print (and delivery) costs to just 17 issues a year. I would also expect the new management to try to upgrade their online presence and the hiring of Pat Forde seems like just such an attempt. I would also look for the new management to leverage the vast vaults of past SI issues. Bring back some of the best works of their best writers of the past.

Make the most of the nostalgia so many were praising just  weeks ago. Good business.

Truth


Thursday, November 14, 2019

Linky Links

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

- A brief history of Disney

- And speaking of Disney - Disney+ gets over 10 million subs just two days after launching. Goal is 60-90 million subs.

- I've always been skeptical of UFO's but now I'm starting to believe.

- Verizon and Motorola are bringing back the Razor Flip Phone. I do miss my old Razor but I'm not paying $1,500 for a new one.

- Entitlement liabilities are a graver threat to the next generation of Americans than climate change. And if they live in a Blue State wait till they learn that many of those generous pensions given out to public unions are also under or unfunded (and they are expected to pay the bill)

China and Coal

China tells the outside world that they are going "green" and are committed to renewable energy sources. But the truth is what they are committed to is burning coal. China now burns more coal than almost all the industrialized nations combined.

Part of me understands. Coal is a source of energy available domestically. "China's dependence of energy imports rose from 9% in 2014 to more than 20% in 2016." There seems to be no end to the demand for more energy in China. So why not try to maximize what resources you have at hand?

But China is also a signatory to the Paris Climate Accords. And it bugs me that I'm supposed to give up plastic straws while much of the world seems content to let China slide on saying they are committed to "green" energy and "clean coal".

Top 5 Songs with the Word "Under" in The Title

1. Under My Skin - Frank Sinatra

2. Under My Thumb - Rolling Stones

3. Under My Wheels - Alice Cooper

4. Under Pressure - David Bowie and Queen

5. (tie) Under the Milky Way - The Church (tie) Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Southern California and North Korea have roughly the same populations (about 24 million) and it could honestly be argued that Southern Cal actually is the bigger existential threat to America... What was the worse preseason bet - Mitch Trubiski as NFL MVP or Kyrie Irving as NBA MVP? (Note just asking I didn't make either of those dumb wagers)...  The 9 most badass Bible verses... It should be remembered that perhaps the main reason ESPN purged itself of any politics a while back was to protect the launch of their new streaming service Disney+ (they didn't want to give any excuse for half the country to not want to buy a Disney product). It's amusing that many who loudly decried the "muzzling" of people like Jemelle Hill at the time are the same people who remained oddly silent over Daryl Morey's right to free speech when it came to the NBA and China... When I find myself in times of trouble or doubt I ask "What would Tim Tebow do?" and the path is made clear... I don't own any sports jerseys (because I'm a friggin adult) but I might make an exception for a Number 6...

Quote for the Day


Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Still Makes Me Chuckle

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

"Epstein didn't kill himself" might just become the real-world version of Ayn Rand's fictional "Who is John Gault"... Marine fighter pilot Ted Williams describes crash-landing his jet during a combat mission in the Korean War (1953)...  Little known fact - Sweden once invaded the Americas landing in what is now Delaware Bay in 1638... It still bothers me that Joe Thornton was traded from the Bruins. And that all Boston got back in exchange for Jumbo Joe from the Sharks was Brad Stewart, Marco Strum and Wayne Primeau was just salt in the wound... In the 17th century hat makers used mercury to separate fur from felt which often led to mental illness and also to the phrase "mad as a hatter"...  If I owned a bar or restaurant I'd post pictures of Greta Thunberg scowling on the inside door of all bathroom stalls. Maybe that's just funny to me... 

Truth


Sunday, November 10, 2019

Linky Links

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

- This looks delicious

- I was not aware that there was a controversy about the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. I also thought the article was going to be about the underrated Genesis song The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (no idea why I confuse the two songs)

- Heh Heh

- Interesting - has science begun to unlock the secrets of reversing aging?

- Heh Heh

- Cool story of fame, romance, and a second chance on the PCT

- Why prime-aged men are not in the labor force. Could not find work is perhaps the smallest factor.

Happy 244th Marines


Today is the 244th birthday for the United States Marine Corps.  In honor of the Marines - here's my favorite Ronald Reagan quote:
"Some people live their entire lifetime and wonder if they ever made a difference to the world. Marines don't have that problem." -- January 1995

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald



Happened 43-years ago today.

Saturday, November 09, 2019

Today is the Red Bandanna Game at BC



Keeping the memory of Welles Crowther alive. Never forget!

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The descent into our world of "fake news" really accelerated when The Daily Show with Jon Stewart became the defacto source of news for many young people. Snark became a replacement for facts...  This is beautiful to me (Trinity College library, Dublin)... This may sound strange but I'd really like to hear what Adele could do with a cover of Ted Nugent's Stranglehold... "Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work" - Thomas Edison... Interesting rundown of some of the discoveries of the past decade in archaeology. We know so little about our past but hats off to those who are piecing together the puzzle of humanity's history... You have to hand it to Trump's media people. I haven't seen anything from the Democrats that's even close to being this good at messaging... If you're looking for a family movie I recommend the vastly underrated Kubo and the Two Strings. Its a couple of years old and came and went with little fanfare but it has a 97% critics rating and an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes...

Saturday Morning Revelations


Friday, November 08, 2019

Linky Links

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

- Former Patriots defensive end thriving as an Army Ranger (subscription may be required)

- Interesting look at how sanctions are effecting Iranian oil exports.

- Yikes - is China harvesting the organs of political prisoners?

- Advice on negotiations from James Altucher

- Interesting discussion between Dr Gabor Mate and Tim Ferris on empowerment and reframing situations

- The Spectator (no Trump fanzine) tears apart the Democrats running for President. My favorite was Joe Biden "all hair plugs and no purpose."

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

When I saw trending on Twitter was Emma Watson's "self-partnered" comment and the NBA's "load management" issue - I assumed they were related. Am I a bad person because my mind works like that?... This is such a tremendous way to get your message out... Boston pro sports are a combined 25-4-2 between the Patriots, Celtics and Bruins so there really should be nothing to complain about. Every other sports city in the USA would be celebrating their good fortune. Yet in Boston you'd never know how good things are if you only got your information from sports talk radio... Excellent quote "Your mind automatically generates thoughts related to the information you consume. Be Conscious of your information diet"... Do you remember when certain comedians and pundits tried to force the nickname of "Donald Drumf" on the President? It will be interesting if any of those now try to pass themselves off as non-partisan... Nice - Teen Jeopardy Champ donates $10,000 to cancer research in Alex Trebek's name...

Thursday, November 07, 2019

Trump, the Democrats, Syria and Iran

Interesting article that claims that President Trump may have prevented a war with Iran by withdrawing our troops from Syria. This paragraph really got my attention (and my blood pressure up):

"People should remember that in the height of the Nixon Watergate Impeachment tumult during late 1973/early 1974 culminating in Nixon's resignation in August 1974, the North Vietnamese reneged on the Nixon Paris Peace Accords, and Saigon fell soon thereafter, in April 1975. G-d only knows what will happen because of Democrats' paralyzing of an American President while the world is in flames."

Now I hesitate to draw any comparisons between Trump and Nixon and I would also hesitate to use the description that "the world is in flames" but there's a special place in hell for those of either political party who claim to be acting on behalf of world peace or downtrodden folks in foreign lands when they are only acting in the interests of their own domestic political agenda. A special place in hell!

Do you remember the plight of the "boat people"?

Remember how eager the press was to hear from General Mattis prior to his recent book tour when they thought he was going to speak badly about President Trump? Remember how quickly they dropped any interest in him when they learned it was President Obama who was slammed in the new book?

Remember the 24/7 news cycle about how "Trump was abandoning the Kurds" and the predicted horrors that awaited those poor people? Can you remember any of those horrors coming to pass? And you know if they did come to pass it would have been an orgy of coverage. Instead we got fake news footage from a  Kentucky shooting range

Remember how Libya is now a failed nation-state because of the actions of President Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? Slavery is now an accepted practice in what used to be Libya! Talk about horrors (horrors you won't learn about on the MSM).

I remember! And I hope you do too! A SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL!

Linky Links

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

- What happened when Voyager 2 reached interstellar space.

- Interesting article on the strange partnership between Keto evangelist Dom D'Agostino (Joe Rogan podcast favorite) and Patrick Arnold (the chemist who created "the clear" for BALCO)

- The shape of the universe - is it flat (like a sheet of paper) or curved in upon itself (like a sphere).

- A US Military video from 1943 explaining how to behave in a British pub (starring Burgess Meredith)

- Oldest known surviving Marine from Iwo Jima passes aged 103. (Hat tip Borepatch)

ABC Hires New Media Relations Professional


"No need to talk about Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing to see here."

Tuesday, November 05, 2019

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

How long before Hillary Clinton alleges that Amy Robach is a Russia asset?...  Meanwhile an important message from Dennis Rodman... I would really like to know how many people complaining about Kurt Suzuki wearing a MAGA hat at the White House also have a COEXIST bumper sticker on their car... Something I was wondering today - in what professional sports locker room do you think you'd find the most book lovers? My gut says the NHL but I guess it really depends upon the team and not the sport... I wish there was a Venn diagram of people who support #MeToo and those who still support Hillary Clinton so I could mute the people on Twitter who fall in the overlap... I think Mike Leach would make a good fit and a good hire as the next Florida State head football coach. He loves Key West, is an offensive savant and Gardner Minshew mania is going on in Jacksonville. He checks all the boxes to succeed in the State of Florida...

Linky Links

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

- Steve Jobs on the most important thing in life.

- Pretty cool Ted Simmons and Bob Seger story.

- Could the Province of Alberta actually secede from Canada? I would 100% welcome Alberta as the 51st State.

- 3 heuristics for decision making from Naval Ravikant. Excellent advice!

- How whiskey is made by Heaven Hill Distillery. They skipped the all-important Step 8!

- This is fantastic!

Pia Zadora and Anne Frank

Execupndit had a post on Anne Frank and specifically the question "Who betrayed Anne Frank?" The post made me think of this story about Pia Zadora (if her name doesn't ring a bell don't worry her 15 minutes have long passed).

An urban legend has frequently been circulated that Zadora once starred in a production of The Diary of Anne Frank, in which her performance was so bad that an audience member yelled "She's in the attic!" when the Nazis showed up. Zadora has, in fact, never acted in a production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

I'm an awful person.

Truth

Via

Monday, November 04, 2019

Bill Walsh - The Score Will Take Care of Itself

"However, a resolute and resourceful leader understands that there are a multitude of means to increase the probability of success. And that's what it all comes down to, namely, intelligently and relentlessly seeking solutions that will increase your chance of prevailing in a competitive environment. When you do that, the score will take care of itself." - Bill Walsh

Walsh also put it another way, "Most big things are simple in the specific, much less so in the general." Take care of the little things and the big things start to take care of themselves.

Bill Walsh may have been more detailed oriented than even Bill Belichick.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Donald Trump is now the only sitting President to attend a UFC event. Richard Nixon was the only sitting President to attend a Kentucky Derby... Think this picture encapsulates how much fun this Boston Celtics team is to root for (versus last year's team which was almost a burden to root for)... When I see all those Baker Mayfield commercials on TV I am reminded that a young just off a Super Bowl win Tom Brady had lots of offers to do commercials but he was very selective. And Brady always made sure to include either his offensive linemen or receivers in the commercials he chose to do. Baker Mayfield is no Tom Brady (on many levels)... Heh Heh... There's been some controversy over the extent Trump was cheered or booed at the UFC event but that misses the point. Can you think of any Democrat running for President who would have elicited any reaction from a UFC crowd at all?... Man can Drew Brees bring the pre-game speech or what!...

Sunday, November 03, 2019

Mike Leach on David vs Goliah

"I do kinda wonder if the Davis vs. Goliath story doesn't get misinterpreted sometimes. What David did was impressive, but it doesn't just illustrate that the little guy went out and beat the big guy, and it was a miracle! It's more an illustration of how if you find a way to master the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of your life, problems that previously seemed insurmountable suddenly don't seem all that big. Any problem is solvable if you allow yourself the clear-mindedness to find the solution." - Coach Mike Leach

Hong Kong

"I would like to offer this
work as a tribute to
Her Britannic Majesty,
Elizabeth II, to the people
of Her Crown Colony of
Hong Kong - and perdition
to their enemies."

- James Clavell's dedication page to the book Noble House.

I bring up the dedication page and this article from The Ringer on Hong Kong because it is important that the protesters not be forgotten.

... and perdition to their enemies.

Success


Lombardi easily could have been talking about Bill Belichick or Tom Brady.

Go Pats!

Friday, November 01, 2019

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

This is not the Photoshop picture of President Trump the New York Times should have made a big deal about. It should have been this one... I think the people who thought up this impeachment farce are the same people who thought America was hungry for a reboot of Murphy Brown... Reminder - "Joe Biden" is an anagram for "I need job"... "If I had a nickel for every woman who finds me unattractive, they would eventually find me attractive." The author of that quote is unknown but I really want to attribute it to Rodney Dangerfield... If the New York Times really wanted to generate controversy about that "photo" of President Trump giving the hero dog the Medal of Honor they should have questioned the timing because the story really took away from the impact of National Cat Day. That's a story that would have played well with the crazy cat ladies who make up a good portion of the Times readership... "Coming of Age" stories are a little too spot on if you just reverse the order of those three words... I still think that the word "orgasm" should be replaced with the word "culminate". I also still say that salad bars should be re-named "vegetable buffets"... 

Blade Runner

A reminder that the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner was set in the far off future of Los Angeles November 2019.

We don't have the life-like robots (yet), flying cars (yet) or the space colonies (much further out in the future) predicted by the movie.

But Los Angeles does have out of control traffic, a homeless problem and rolling blackouts. So there's that.

Also a government agent free to hunt for dangerous illegal aliens replicants? That might be the biggest sci-fi aspect of the movie. In real life Los Angeles would have been a sanctuary city and  those replicants on the run probably would have been welcome and given free healthcare.