Find Something Beautiful Today

Lightning storm in the Grand Canyon. (Photo via) Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Linky Links

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

- VDH: Our Animal Farm - The Left's 1960's dream is America's 2021 nightmare

- SpaceX's Starship vs NASA's Space Launch System

- Matt Taibbi: The War on Privacy

- Parking at the Grand Canyon in 1914. My how things have changed.

Einstein at the Grand Canyon

Albert Einstein and his wife Elsa at the Grand Canyon in 1931. Just thought it was a cool photo.

Via

Confession

This morning's confession is prompted by this post Heights: fear of falling or urge to leap plus a recent conversation with friends.

Let's start with the recent conversation.

Last Saturday I was playing cards with some friends at a bar. I had just returned from a trip to the Grand Canyon and talk turned to the recent people who had died from falling/jumping into the canyon.

I said that I wasn't surprised because some people get the sudden urge to jump just from being so close to the edge. I admitted that I know because I'm one of those people. There were four of us and two of my friends looked at me like I was crazy. "Why would you think like that?" they wanted to know. Before I could answer my friend Brian admitted, "Yeah I'm the same way."

Neither one of us is suicidal but if you put us too close to the edge we think of jumping. Neither one of us suffer from anxiety as that post I linked to would have you believe. Brian has a great life and I'm about as relaxed a person as you'd be likely to meet. Yet both of us feel the urge to leap. Always have.

I remember reading that Winston Churchill admitted that he didn't trust himself on the top decks of navy destroyers and other ships because he'd often get the urge to jump into the sea. I also get that same feeling sometimes when I'm on the top deck of a ferry or cruise ship. (And yes I did just compare myself to Winston Churchill.)

There's probably a reason people like Brian, Winston and myself get these urges to leap but the answer isn't close to what is suggested in the post I linked to. 

Linky Links

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

- David Goggins: 6 lessons from the toughest man alive

- A hard NO from me

- Cool - SLUSH the Europa deep drill

- Wow- what a difference

- 11 things you might not know about the Grand Canyon

- Rethinking President Grant

- Behind the curtain of "Hollywood accounting"

Linky Links

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

- Grand Canyon visitors may have been exposed to radioactive materials for more than two decades

- David McMillan of Joe Beef discusses how stopping drinking has changed and bettered his life and relationships. He also recently discussed this at length on a podcast with Joe Rogan.

- Heh Heh

- CBO estimates on Obamacare were way off. The CBO projected that 14 million would go without healthcare due to Republican changes but that number turns out to be just 2.5 million - who it should be noted voluntarily decided against making the purchase. Of all the topics the Democrat candidates have been pushing in order to get attention the individual mandate is no longer one of them. That in itself is very telling.

- Cool - the birth of a planetary system.

- Meanwhile in Canada a corruption scandal could cost Justin Trudeau his job. Polls show Liberal support dropping. Maybe Trudeau can get a job as a yoga instructor? Amusing to think Trump might outlast Trudeau when you look back on all the fawning that was done over the young Prime Minister.

- This is all you need to see to understand the Jussie Smollett hoax.

Linky Links

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

- It's near impossible to fully appreciate the good JJ Watt did in Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey but this Yahoo! article is a good start.

- This thread is awesome. The story has such a great punchline that I literally "laughed out loud" and the comments are just as good.

- And speaking of awesome (in the literal sense) - the Grand Canyon

- Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass) was 80-years ago this week.

- I love Ben Franklin

- This is a sad recognition of the state of things. Description of things that could be reports of today's news but 2200-years earlier. And a reminder - Kristallnacht was only 80-years ago.

- Ford may be "teetering" on the edge of a Junk Bond rating but I feel confident in the management and products of the company. I drive a Ford and I would recommend it to others.

Linky Links

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

- Every year I post the best Christmas song of all time - The Fairytale of New York. But this year Borepatch beat me to the punch.

- Cool - Iconic aerial photo of Muhammad Ali vs Williams 1966

- This is both funny and sad - The real life of Julia (under Obamacare)

- 11 of the richest people in history

- Tips for Jesus - Jack Selby seems like a genuinely nice guy

- The Grand Canyon like you've never seen it before