Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope many resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller." - Steve Jobs

"The world is not driven by greed. It's driven by envy." - Charlie Munger

"Think of how stupid the average person is and then realize half of them are stupider than that." - George Carlin

"Show me a man who gets rich by being a politician, and I'll show you a crook." - Harry Truman

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"You will never be criticized by someone who is doing more than you. You'll always be criticized by someone who is doing less. Remember that." - Denzel Washington

 "It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." - Terry Pratchett

"The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know." - Harry Truman

"Hell can't be made attractive, so the devil makes attractive the road that leads there." - Saint Basil the Great

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic." - James Clear

"You will never be criticized by someone who is doing more than you. You'll always be criticized by someone who is doing less. Remember that." - Denzel Washington

 "It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." - Terry Pratchett

"The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know." - Harry Truman

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Did you ever start reading a book and suddenly realize, "Wait I've read this before." Just had that experience with James Ellroy's LA Confidential. Only once the book was in my hands did I realize I had already read it (remembered reading The Black Dahlia but forgot I read this one too)... Porn Stache Donald Trump would be a good name for a lesbian Gordon Lightfoot cover band... Once I got a hundred pages into a biography of Jack Dempsey before realizing I had already that book... Not sure about you but I find myself actively avoiding any news or articles about Afghanistan because they are just making me sad and upset. It's a mental health thing. My condolences to anyone who served there or who had family members who did. This must be an extremely bitter pill to swallow... Having said that I feel I must comment on people noting that Joe Biden saying "the buck stops here" during his Afghanistan speech doesn't mean what he thinks it means. Most people get this wrong. As Truman meant it - it is a poker term meaning the dealer's "buck" (aka puck) stops here. That meant it was Truman's turn to pick a game (aka strategy or policy) and he wasn't going to shy away from that responsibility and pass the deal. Sadly the way Biden is going if he does pick a game I'm afraid it will be "Crazy Eights" while all the other world leaders are playing poker...   

More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Glenn Reynolds: Mask bullies don't want to persuade you - but to humiliate and rule you.

- Harry Truman's finances weren't what we were led to believe. Slightly disappointed by this revelation but hardly surprised. (HT Newmark's Door)

- Steven Pressfield: Write the Big Moment Big

- Holy crap! Bambi is a stone cold killer if you mess with Thumper!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry S. Truman

"I, and I alone, am responsible for everything I think and feel." - Naval Ravikant

"You can suck 'em and suck 'em, and they'll never get any smaller." - Willie Wonka

"Twitter is toxic. I don't think it helps you at all. You have to be careful of what you're looking at there." - Chris Petersen

"It is my heritage to stand erect, proud, and unafraid; to think and act for myself; enjoy the benefits of my creations and to face the world boldly and say - This I have done, and this is what it means to be an American." - John Wayne

"There is no distinctly native American criminal class - save Congress." - Mark Twain

Truth

 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

This article on what benefits Presidents get after they leave office reminded me that a significant political rift has existed in this country for a long time. President Eisenhower signed the Former Presidents Act mainly to help out Harry Truman who was financially struggling because he refused to cash in for simply being President. This dynamic is interesting because Eisenhower famously refused to enter the White House on Inauguration Day until Harry and Bess Truman had left. No handshake - no nothing.. Interesting bit of history of why there's 60 seconds in a minute and 360 degrees in a circle...  Another example of the political rift was when Chuck Yeager visited the White House after breaking the sound barrier - Yeager's father refused to shake Truman's hand because Truman was a Democrat and Yeager's dad was a staunch Republican... Wish I had bet on Alex Cora being named the new Red Sox manager after his one-year suspension. It was the easiest prediction I've made in quite some time... Civil Wart would be a good name for a band... George Washington wasn't perfect. He didn't like whiskey... 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Many people misunderstand the famous Harry Truman "Buck Stops Here" sign he used to keep on his Presidential desk. That was a poker term Truman liked. The "Buck" was the "puck" or disk or marker used to denote whose turn to deal it was. It was not slang for a dollar bill or anything else. The dealer had to decide what game he was about to deal. It was a metaphor for "decider" so he was the "Decider in Chief" as George W might have phrased it...  A little Lord of the Rings humor... It might be the hangover talking but I think the hardest thing to do in baseball is to bunt for the cycle... I wonder if in Adam Smith's wildest fever dreams he ever thought the "Invisible Hand" could be something as nefarious and pernicious as the Chinese Communist Party has been these past two decades... I think going forward it would be helpful that whenever you hear or read the word "expert" your mind adds the word "witness" to the sentence. It would be helpful because the phrase "expert witness" has become somewhat of a pejorative meaning the expert witness expounds whatever side or set of facts that suit the side that is paying them. It's no wonder that certain scientists and healthcare professionals can switch beliefs simply based upon what political party happens to occupy the White House... Not for nothing but nine days ago I wrote, "Wish I could get odds that Joe Biden's initial announced VP pick (whoever that ends up being) will have to be walked back and replaced (for whatever reason)." Now this happens and is immediately walked back. Let's see if a different person is later announced... 

Linky Links

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

- Israeli researchers find method to covert carbon-containing waste into hydrogen and methane.

-  Looking forward to this docuseries.

- You could have given me 100 guesses and I still wouldn't have guessed whose high school photo this was.

- Is truth stranger than fiction or almost the exact same thing?

- The United Kingdom is releasing nearly 60-years of UFO reports online.

- Democrats hate what Trump is highlighting about them. "Give 'em hell Donald." "I just tell the truth and they think it's hell."

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Watched the State of the Union last night and boy did Trump hit a home run with that speech. I kept having two thoughts during the speech; first this speech wraps up the 2020 election it was that good. Second I kept thinking of "Give 'em Hell" Harry Truman who famously said when someone told him to "Give 'em hell" - "I don't give them hell. I just tell them the truth and they think it's hell." Well the Democrats heard many truths last night and it was certainly hell for them... Is it true that Joe Biden has never won a primary or caucus when running for President? Really?... All of New England agrees... Maybe the app the Democrats used for the Iowa Caucus was coded by Aaron Rogers' agent?... Business idea - American made surgical mask with American flag and "Made in USA" stamped in large letters. Almost all surgical masks are now made in China. I think people would be wiling to pay a little extra for ones made in the US... Wow - Tesla now more valuable than Volkswagen and BMW combined!... The Iowa Caucus is a mess but just wait for the chaos when Tulsi Gabbard finishes in the top 4 in the New Hampshire primary. The DNC won't be able to pretend she doesn't exist any more after that showing... 

Presidential Poker

Probably the two best poker players to occupy the Oval Office in the 20th century were Harry S. Truman and Richard Nixon. However, before I can discuss them in poker terms I need to point out that I hold to the theory that poker players fall into four basic categories. 

1. Players who don’t know what they are doing. These of course are the best ones to play against. 

2. Players who try to judge the others players around the table. Amateur psychologists who play the person as much or more than the cards. They try to figure out who raises when they have nothing and who raises when they are loaded and play accordingly. They will stay in to the end with shit cards if they think the other guy is bluffing. 

3. Players who play the odds. They know the probabilities and do not stay in a hand unless the odds are in their favor. An extreme example of this type of player is the guy who will only stay in a 7-stud game if his hole cards are a pair or Ace/King. (If you just played the odds you are almost guaranteed to win but poker wouldn't be much fun.) 

4. This guy is a combination of the player who can player the other players around the table as well as know the probabilities involved with the cards exposed at the table. This is the most dangerous type of player to play against. Basically, anyone who has ever made it to the final table at the World Series of Poker would fall into this category. (By the way - just like everyone thinks they have a sense of humor - everyone who plays poker sees themselves as a category 4 player.) 

Harry S. Truman fell into this forth category. Truman was a regular at Vice President John Nance Garner'’s poker game when Truman was a Senator. (Interestingly – Truman would later replace Garner as VP. Garner is also the man who described the job of VP not being worth a warm jug of spit.) At these games Truman became friends with Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn and members of the House from both parties. Truman’s reputation as honest, smart and humorous came in large part from participating in these poker games. 

Truman would often play poker a few nights a week. The games could be with friends from back home in Missouri, newspapermen when he was traveling or other Senators back in Washington. Poker is something Truman did for fun and relaxation. It is a habit he kept throughout his time in Washington including all his time as President. (I should note that although poker may have been a habit with Truman – losing was not. Truman was an excellent poker player.) 

Richard Nixon was a very different person from Truman and they also differed greatly when it came to poker. 

Nixon was raised a Quaker but that did not stop him from either joining the Navy or from making a tidy sum playing poker in the service. 

Nixon was poor (as was Truman) but didn’t have Truman’'s ease with people. Nixon, however, had a great analytical mind. At his height, Nixon was a category four player but in his heart he was really a category three player. Nixon knew the odds and liked to take advantage of them when they were in his favor. 

Nixon was such a good poker player that he was able to finance his first run for Congress with $10,000 he won playing poker in the service (that was quite a bit of money back then). The higher Nixon rose, however, the less poker he played. By the time he became Vice President – Nixon had stopped playing altogether, 

I have to think that if Nixon had kept his wit and person reading/interaction skills sharp by playing poker that his Presidency would have had a much different ending. 

Richard Nixon

Love this picture of Richard Nixon playing the piano (via Super 70's Sports).

It's right up there with the iconic picture of Nixon bowling.

Or even his Nixon meets Elvis.

But it's still only second best in terms of photos of Presidents playing piano. That top spot belongs to Harry Truman with a young leggy Lauren Bacall (I don't care that Truman was only Vice President at the time of the photo).

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Just asking but do you think President Trump's recent jump in approval ratings among black males resulted more from Kanye West's words or black guys watching Stormy Daniels porn videos?... Jim Beam made its own Alexa and all it does is pour whiskey. I want one... Disappointed with the end of Infinity War - really wanted to see Rocket end up with the Winter Soldier's arm... Who knew? LeBron James is an investor in Fenway Sports. LeBron is definitely not one of those athletes who goes broke once they retire. Smart investor... According to the Bible - Noah's ark would have been about half the size of the Titanic. Thank goodness Noah didn't run into any icebergs... Harry Truman was a good man... Say what you want about North Korea but they don't have statistically significant income inequality like we do here in the US...

Linky Links

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

- Heh heh

- Harry Truman was a good man.

- Samuel Whittemore was a badass!

- Heh heh

Top 5 - Presidential Marriages

On this day in 1919 - Harry Truman married Bess Wallace. Their marriage was absolute and the epitome of love honor and obey (Harry obeying Bess that is). Here are what I consider the top 5 love affairs between Presidents and first ladies in US history.

1. Harry and Bess Truman
2. Ron and Nancy Reagan
3. George and Martha Washington
4. John and Abigail Adams
5. (tie) Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter (tie) George and Barbara Bush

Lauren Bacall

Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall has passed away. The news of her death was not greeted with the shock of news of Robin Williams' suicide. Sadly for many it was more of a "oh she was still alive?" reaction. It must be said that Bacall lived a life fully lived which is why the news of her passing has been greeted more with an appreciation of her joie de vivre than sadness. And that's the way it should be.

Some have said she was the "last of the Hollywood Golden Age stars" but that's not correct. At least not while Maureen O'Hara and Olivia de Havilland still draw breath.

I can't think of Bacall without thinking of her in this photo with then Vice President Harry Truman. Give 'em Hell Harry really caught hell for that photo from his boss. Not FDR the President - his real boss - Bess Truman his wife.