Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"This increasing intimate connection between explaining the world and controlling it is no accident, but is part of the deep structure of the world." - David Deutsch

"I'm in Vermont and there are more Black Lives Matter signs than black people." - Zuby

"People with mental illness are dying early deaths. Some people think it's their fault. Others blame the pills they are prescribed. I believe it's a biological part of their "illness" and that we can improve their health and prevent these early deaths." - Chris Palmer MD

"Biden won't be serving a second term. That question has been answered. But watch the faces of the Democrats defending Biden today. It's hilarious and educational." - Scott Adams

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The original childhood obesity test... Everyone seems to be saying that Joe Biden is bringing back all the things from the Carter Administration like gas lines, war in the Middle East, inflation, etc. I can deal with those and the inevitable bellbottom pants but really not looking forward to the return of naturally hairy vaginas. Seriously not looking forward to that... Can anyone remember when half a million people attended the Sturgis motorcycle rally last year and there was basically no Covid related issues either before or after?  Yeah funny how the media seemed to skip over that event after warning that everyone was going to die... Who knew? Hollywood actually started as a Christian community planned with a Methodist church on every block... Truly random aside - I would be greatly amused if the legal name of Vermont was changed to "Vermonth." Pronounce ver-month. Or failing that "Vermouth" would also do...  

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Why can't Type II Diabetics sue Kellogg's for making Pop Tarts and McDonalds for Super-sized sodas the way lung cancer patients sued the tobacco companies? Would it surprise anyone if there were class action lawsuits down the line?... Vermont making billboards illegal really adds to the aesthetic of the state. Next they should outlaw just randomly leaving old tires on every other street. That would be nice... Was a little surprised at the news Elon Musk would be hosting SNL and "what's in it for him" is a valid question. I guess it's a cool thing billionaire geniuses get to do. I think if Tony Stark was a real life character he's host SNL too... Not sure where he'll end up but I find myself pulling for Mac Jones. Heard that he comes from a tennis background and that makes me think of Drew Brees who at one point was one of the top amateurs in the country and who was a training partner to Andre Agassi. Brees was picked 32nd in 2001 and he turned out pretty good... 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Serious question - can the autopen be used for all Presidential signings or do some things require both an original signature and witnesses? It is truly sad that its come to this... Really think Danny Ainge should purposefully leak that he inquired with the 76ers about the availability of Joel Embid at the trade deadline just to mess with Philly fans...  He's got a good point... Route 15 in Vermont is officially The Grand Army of the Republic Highway. I believe local history classes teach that's the route Abraham Lincoln used to lead his Union Army to Gettysburg... Checking the Internet to see if Dr. Larry Nasser was killed in prison. - Disappointed with the result of the search... 

Linky Links

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

- Heh Heh 

- Interesting look at the guy who bought Green Mountain College in VT

- AKA the Saddest Christmas ever (wonder if Mario Lopez will cover this too)

- Daniel Knauf answers what it's like to be a show-runner

- A dire warning from a restaurant owner on Long Island

- Wait what? A Galactic Federation? Peak 2020.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If he were still playing - would Tony Romo be one of the top 15 QB's in the NFL? Seeing some of the people starting these days - I'd have to say YES... I admit to being bothered by the election results in Vermont. Kanye West only got 1,269 votes (0.34% of the total) while white write ins received 1,942 votes (0.53% of the total). Clearly the only explanation is that Vermont is racist!... Who will be our Moses who stands up to the petty tyrants and says, "Let my people go (out to dinner and maybe see a movie)"... Have you seen that commercial about the couple chasing their runaway dog in the rain in their car? Yeah - those people shouldn't have a dog. They really shouldn't have a kid either... There's an outside chance that Tom Brady could lead the NFL in either passing yards or passing TD's - he's currently 4th in both categories. Equally intriguing is the chance that new Patriots QB Cam Newton could lead the NFL in rushing TD's (he's currently tied for 3rd) despite missing time this season due to a positive COVID-19 test... 

Top 5 List - Reasons Kayne May Win Vermont

 Kayne West has gotten on a number of official State ballots for the November Presidential election, including the State of Vermont. Here's my Top 5 reasons why Kayne may actually win Vermont.

1. White guilt is palpable in Vermont. The State is just under 95% white and Vermonters are well aware of that. Maine has similar demographics but Mainers don't care.

2. Many in the State feel hometown hero Bernie Sanders was robbed of the Presidential ticket top spot by the Democratic Party machine twice now. Kayne West could be a protest vote for them.

3. Orange Man Bad - Black Man Good

4. Vermont has an aging population and many of them know the clear signs of someone being mentally diminished. So between Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Kayne West - Kayne may appear as the most sane choice on the ballot.

5. Black Lives matter!

There's less than 700,000 people in the entire state so a victory in Vermont by Kayne might not be that far-fetched. I'd even be willing to bet money on it (of course I'd need at least 100-1 odds).

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

What fresh hell is this? Stayed at a big brand name hotel in Vermont the other night and was told there was no morning coffee. Was told the communal coffee stations would not be reopened until October. Bed and breakfasts from now on it is... Mike Rowe is the best... "If you must study for an exam, you will never really know the subject matter." - Nicholas Nassim Taleb... I too would like to publicly announce that I am launching a bid to buy the New York Mets. All the cool kids seem to be doing this so I thought I'd jump in too (with probably an equal chance at success)... Providence RI Mayor launches reparations process. "How much, what form, how long are all legitimate questions, but questions for another day. It's important to go step-by-step through this," said virtue signalling Mayor Elorza who just guaranteed Worcester remains the second largest city in New England by launching massive white flight from his city... In a surprise move Sesame Street announces a new progressive Muppet named Senor Gonorrhea to be introduced to warn children about the dangers of venereal disease... "The conscience is that part of the psyche which is soluble in alcohol." - William Ober... 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Great life advice - Life is Short. You should actively be trying to cut out the BS in your life because indeed life is too short... Still say that the player harmed most by inflated steroids era power number is Fred McGriff. In any other time he would have been a sure-fire Hall of Famer except his number are just shy of the ballooned numbers of people like Bonds, A-Rod, Sosa and McGwire... Awesome!... Would love to see Venn diagram of people who oppose fracking and those people who support Elon Musk's plan to bore huge holes to create a giant underground high speed transportation network. My guess is there would be many people who are in both groups. Hypocrites... Cool - the best and weirdest heists of 2017... Would love to do a trip like this Green Mountain Gravel Growler a 248-mile bike loop that links 13 Vermont breweries (but sadly I know I'll never do it)... You learn something new every day (or at least you should)...

Linky Links

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

- Yeah I think I'm going to eliminate Vermont maple syrup from my diet after seeing this.

- I love Arnold

- This is hilarious!

- Very cool! I'm sure we will hear much more about this new star as we get closer to 2022.

- It was only a matter of time. For the first time streaming eclipses disc sales in 2016.

- How to live a creative life

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

No I did not watch the GOP debate last night. I wasn't around a TV. And if I was I probably would have been watching the Boston Bruins game instead anyway... Great - just what we need! More signs of the Apocalypse... Saw a pregnant gal yesterday with thigh-high leather boots with 6-inch heels. My immediate thought was "She'll make a great mother"... Seriously - the GOP Presidential field makes the Cleveland Browns QB situation look stable in comparison... Food That Looks Like Dongs would be an awful name for a band (or for an early bird dinner special)... Trump is polling at 38% vs Hillary Clinton. Here's what 38% looks like... Not for nothing but if Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is allowed to participate in the debates against Hillary and Trump (if it comes to that) - then Johnson has a real chance to win the election. Nobody really wants to vote for Hillary or Trump... Heh heh... The GOP's new slogan should be "The Republican Party: Embrace the Suck". Have the bumper stickers been made up yet?... Where have you gone George W.? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you... I'm all for marijuana legalization but I am afraid that legal weed could just be a gateway drug to the Metric system... Heh heh - Hillary says she speaks to God daily, but won't reveal her fee...

Red Sox Magic Number - 27

If you played word association with a Red Sox fan and said the word "Twenty-seven" the most likely reply would be "Carlton Fisk". Back in 2000 the new Red Sox ownership group retired Fisk's 27 (Fisk wore 72 when he went to the White Sox as a free agent in 1981). It was a very good PR move as Fisk remains very popular among New Englanders. It also helped heal an old wound. Fisk never should have been allowed to leave in the first place. The old ownership screwed the pooch on that one and the relationship turned contentious. The old ownership waited a whole year before handing out Fisk's 27 to the immortal Mike Brown. Including Brown - 9 other players wore 27 after Fisk left.

I don't have a problem with the Red Sox retiring Fisk's number. He was a local icon. He won the Rookie of the Year and was a 7-time all-star in his 9 full seasons with Boston. I would have issues if the Red Sox wanted to retire the number 26 though.

That number once belonged to Wade Boggs. However, since Boggs left to play for the Yankees 11 players have donned a 26 jersey. The circumstances between Fisk leaving and Boggs leaving were completely different (especially in the mind of fans - no way Fisk ever even thinks of playing for the Yankees). To understand why this is significant consider that when Jim Rice retired - the Red Sox never gave out his number 14 ever again.

Back in June of 2005, Peter Gammons wrote in his ESPN column:

This summer, the number 26 will be retired in Fenway Park and put up on the roof with 1, 4, 8, 9 and 27.

Well it's been more than 6-years and that hasn't happened. And it won't happen. Nobody is out there complaining that Boggs hasn't had his number retired. In fact I think if you asked the average fan they would have a hard time remembering what number Boggs wore. When Boggs played it all about him. His stats, his talking about himself in the third person, his Barbara Walters appearances. Is it any surprise that the only one to care about Boggs at this point is probably Boggs? Personally - I hope to see someone wearing the number 26 next spring training.

As an aside - many people think Carlton Fisk is from New Hampshire and that's understandable since he's lived much of his life in the Live Free or Die state but he was actually born in Bellows Falls, VT. I mention this as a way to bring up the recent damage in the state from Hurricane Irene. If I were President I would redirect all the money that the Department of Transportation is going to waste on "high speed rail" projects and immediately send it to repair the destroyed roads in Vermont. I think if you looked at the pictures I linked to - you'd probably agree.