Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Decades ago I recall someone asking Kirk Douglas how he remained in such healthy condition. Douglas said one of his secrets was to never use the elevator but always take the stairs instead. Such simple and profound advice that I've tried to follow ever since...  Kirk Douglas' service during World War II should also be noted... Today is an important day in US history - in 1778 France officially recognized the independence of the 13 colonies. Britain immediately responded by declaring war on France... Did you know Orson Welles did not win Best Actor for Citizen Kane and neither did Humphrey Bogart for Casablanca?... "I have as much authority as the Pope. I just don't have as many people who believe it." - George Carlin... China to cut tariffs on $75 billion of US goods. Medical supplies are among the items with new reduced tariffs. I'd also look for China to announce huge purchases of US food stuffs shortly. The Chinese leadership are struggling to deal with the coronavirus and the food stuffs are necessary because they can't afford for their people to be dying in the street from sickness and starving at the same time...  Congrats to Brigadier General Charles McGee...

Linky Links

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

- The Earth could be heading towards a "mini-ice age"as the Sun enters a decades long Grand Solar Minimum. The scientists saying the Earth is warming must be pissed at this news.

- How awesome would this be if it were true!

- Spotify is buying Bill Simmons The Ringer.

- Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas passes away aged 103. I did not know that Douglas hired Stanley Kubrick to direct Spartacus. If the Golden Age of Hollywood was the 1940's and 50's then Kirk Douglas is the last of that breed. If it also includes the 60's then Sean Connery and Clint Eastwood are still kicking.

- Steven Pressfield: Resistance = Fear

- Thomas Mann's American Democracy Lecture Tour. A bit of history that I was unaware of. Agree wholeheartedly with the idea that our democracy and history need to be cared for but I find it ironic that the author states "It is a lesson we are in dire need of today as we watch democracy slip away in Trump's America." Whereas those on the right would argue "It is a lesson we are in dire need of today as we watch democracy slip away as the Democratic party embraces socialism." Maybe the fears of both sides can help protect and defend the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and our historic legacy. (HT The Happy Curmudgeon)

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

What came first? Bill Cosby becoming a rapist or Bill Cosby becoming pitch man for New Coke? Just curious as to which caused him to first lose his soul... Has any NFL coach with a sub .500 record ever gotten more attention than Rex Ryan and his 48-51 record?... Interesting - here are 5 things Jeremy Affeldt won't miss about baseball after he retires on Sunday... After posting about Maureen O'Hara the other day - I got to wondering what other stars of Hollywood's Golden Age are still not quite bereft of life? Mildly surprised that Kirk Douglas still hasn't joined joined the choir invisible... Surprising gun statistics. Imagine what they would look like if you were able to remove the deaths from Chicago...  Would you consider Sean Connery a member of Hollywood's Golden Age? He's still alive and kicking... Speaking of still alive and kicking - George H.W. Bush is still going strong. I wonder if the 91-year old Bush continues to cling to life out of a stubborn resolve to outlive the 85-year old H. Ross Perot...

Oscars Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations about last night's Academy Awards.

Seeing the for some reason bald-headed Geoffrey Rush sitting behind Colin Firth I couldn't help but hope that for their next film together that Geoffrey Rush would play Colonel Klink while Colin Firth would play Colonel Hogan in a movie version of Hogan's Heroes... OK I'll say it - Gwyneth Paltrow the singer is to Gwyneth Paltrow the actress what Chris Gaines was to Garth Brooks... Peter O'Toole was nominated for Best Actor 8 times. He never won... Good for Christian Bale for winning Best Supporting Actor but he's really a leading actor while John Hawkes is the perfect supporting actor in my opinion. This is like Ichiro playing on a Triple A team just so he can win the International League Batting Title. Speaking of Hawkes - I wonder if he makes an appearance on Justified this season (reuniting Sol Star and Seth Bullock)... If the Oscars really want a Bob Hope type to host then they should get Rich Eisen from the NFL Network. Eisen started off as a stand-up comedian and he's always reminded me of Bob Hope... Billy Crystal is about to turn 63 in March but I'm guessing next year he'll look older than Kirk Douglas... OK I'll say it! Oprah has humongous boobs! Yeah boobs!... Last night they had a piece on people's favorite songs from Oscar winning movies. They never mentioned mine. My favorite movie song was It Puts the Lotion in the Basket from Silence of the Lambs (the Musical)... My WTF moment last night was when Cate Blanchette saying The Lord of the Rings would have been unimaginable without the person who did the makeup. Personally my imagining of the book was much better than what ended up on screen. I'm guessing that's the same for any LOTR fan... OK I'll say it! Am I the only one who forgot that Kirk Douglas was still alive?... Gabriel Byrne would make a great Oscars host but he's not hip enough. Too bad for some reason ABC thinks they have to cater to people who think Paddy Chayefsky is some sort an expensive Scotch whiskey. That's why we get James Franco... Did you know that Orson Welles did not win Best Actor for Citizen Kane and neither did Humphrey Bogart for Casablanca?