Donald Trump

I find I enjoy politics more these days if I imagine Donald Trump as Count Chocula and Joe Biden as Frankenberry. To follow through on the analogy - I think it would be cool if instead of Trump's Apprentice program there was instead The Next Renfeld where people competed to be Donald "Count Chocula" Trump's new crazy, bug-eating assistant.

Is it me or is it strange that Donald Trump not only has his own IMDB page but it has lots of credits. He's been on things as varied as The Jeffersons, Spin City and Zoolander where he's credited as an actor (some would argue that his running for President as a Republican should be credited as an actor's role as well). Plus there's 189 things where IMDB credits Trump as appearing as himself. This includes multiple WestleMania and WWF Raw appearances starting back in 2004 - showing Jon Stewart to be a Johnny Come Lately to the world of wrestling compared to the Donald.

Linky Links

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

- EPA knew beforehand about risk at mine. It disgusts me that no one will even lose their job over this

- US Soldier: How We Stopped the Train Gunman

- Peter Gammons is the King of Butt Tweeting. Some of the comments are gold.

- Heh heh - speaking of Subway spokesmen

- For all those Firefly fans out there - that hat does make you look like an idiot (but we still love the hat)

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

People keep wondering if Donald Trump would run as a Third-Party candidate but the real question people should be asking is if Bernie Sanders would run as a Third-Party candidate... Why there should be no deal with Iran... Praise the Lord! I've now been stigmata free for over 40-years!... When asked to name their favorite movies people rarely list The Princess Bride but when reminded almost all add the classic to their list...  Interesting look at Notre Dame football... As a reminder of how important air pressure is to the "integrity" of  NFL games - the NFL has yet to issue teams their new pressure gauges... 15 facts about daddy longlegs. Missing is the fact that if you kill one you will cause it to rain... If the ads for Hai Karate cologne were true then I when was young I would have spent all my energy beating off the advances of swarms of women - instead I just beat off. There's no truth in advertising...

2016 Election Parallels 1968

Hill-Err-Ray, Hill-Err-Ray - How many emails did you release today?

Maybe not as dramatic or as serious a charge (maybe) as;

L-B-J, L-B-J - How many kids did you kill today?

But I keep thinking that 2016 feels a lot like 1968 as far as the Democratic Presidential nominating process is concerned. Hillary Clinton is the presumptive Democratic Party Candidate but as the scandal of her unsecured private email server (among other things) continues a drip drip of bad news she is looking very vulnerable. Bernie Sanders is gaining ground and proving much more popular to the Party's hard left.

In 1968 it was Eugene McCarthy that was the darling of the far left and who eventually forced sitting President Lyndon Johnson from the race. Will Hillary eventually also decide that discretion in dropping out is the better part of valor like Lyndon Baines Johnson decided 47-years ago? In 1968 it was sitting Vice President Hubert Humphrey who eventually carried the Party Standard in the November election but not until after a lot of contentious primaries. Will Joe Biden likewise take on the role of Hubert Humphrey in 2016?

Only half-kidding but who will be the Republican Richard Nixon in 2016?

No matter what happens it will be great theater but my only hope nobody has to play the role of Robert Kennedy.

Linky Links

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

- From the mouths of babes.

- How much does your local sports bar pay for NFL Sunday Ticket?

- This is awesome! Guy at Foo Fighters blows Dave Grohl away with his Tom Sawyer

- Heh heh - Donald Trump through the Ages

- Interesting - should anyone be given a blood transfusion?

Ronda Rousey vs Floyd Mayweather

The day after the Manny Pacquiao - Floyd Mayweather fight I said that the UFC should have Ronda Rousey challenge Mayweather to a $100 million winner-take-all fight. Mayweather would have to either refuse or no-comment the offer which would make him look afraid of a woman and make boxing look like a joke. Nothing but upside for the UFC though.

Now that Ronda Rousey is saying that she could beat Mayweather in a "fight" - could this actually be something that could come to fruition? If it did - I'd pay money to watch it and so would millions of others. It would be by far the biggest pay-per-view event in history!

But it won't happen.

It won't happen because Mayweather could lose. That would be the end of Mayweather and the final nail in the coffin for boxing. No matter what the potential payday - the risk is too great.

Too bad because I would have put my money on Rousey.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Not sure how I would feel about a possible Deadwood movie. Loved the show but it will more than 10-years passed if a movie does come out... I think the Jets are much better off with Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB. I also think Geno Smith will never start another game for the Jets... 18 Game of Thrones moments improved by Monty Python and the Holy Grail quotes... Growing up Catholic if a priest kept a mass under an hour he was a "good" priest. If he was consistently at 45 minutes - that priest developed a cult following... The idea of bringing back original Johnny Carson Tonight Show episodes in their full length is genius. So glad the hurdles were cleared to make this happen... All of you NFL fans who call the Patriots cheaters - time to move out of your glass house... You have to wonder how the Red Sox would have done this season if they had both Jon Lester and John Lackey in the rotation... Unbelievable - letter to the editor predicted EPA spill a week before it happened...  A Red Sox outfield with Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Rusney Castillo would be the best defensive OF in MLB - time to move Hanley Ramirez to first base... When Tom Brady sues the NFL for defamation and the damage done to his reputation I hope this post is listed among the exhibits... Just saying but Hanley Ramirez can't be any worse defensively at first than Kevin Millar was... Heh heh...

Linky Links

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

- Will the NFL's blatant lies about Ted Wells' independence even hurt them?

- Bob Cousy turned 87 on Sunday. It is hard to come up with a player who impacted his pro sport as much as Cousy but somehow has gone more under-appreciated. We still love ya Cooz!

- Heh heh. I like places that look nice and I'm not even British!

- Just became a fan of Dr. Roy Spenser and his views on Climate Change.

- Very cool photos - underwater mangrove trees and salt plains after rain.

- Heh heh

- If you've ever wanted to be a screenwriter or were ever curious about the process read this!

DeflateGate Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations on DeflateGate.

Not sure when I realized this but Roger Goodell is actually a Phil Hartman sketch come to life - the Unfrozen Caveman Commissioner... Heh heh - Fundamentally Honest Man Railroaded by Arrogant Ginger... Sources say Tweet by @mortreport denying Roger Goodell three times before the cock crowed has been deleted... When the NFL finally fires Roger Goodell - they should ask Condolezza Rice to be the next Commissioner... Roger Goodell's Fatal Mistake: Tom Brady an Innocent Man... Sources says @mortreport Tweet saying Roger Goodell has accepted Baphomet as his Lord and Savior has been deleted... Is Roger Goodell from Pennsylvania because he sure acts like a Keystone Commissioner... Agree with this 100%... Actually Goodell was born in New York and I'm not sure if anyone will get the dated Keystone Cops reference... Random and arbitrary decisions seem to be Roger Goodell's modus operandi ... Could the Colts and Ravens look any more whinny and duplicitous in this whole affair? And I'm guessing more damaging emails are forthcoming if this farce isn't ended soon... Sources say @mortreport has deleted Tweet accusing NFL VP Mike Kensil of having a detatchable penis... 

Heh Heh

Deadliest Catch crew (and huge Seahawks fans) react to final minutes of the Super Bowl.

Radiohead thinks the crew of the Deadliest Catch are a bunch of crybabies.

Linky Links

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

- Chris Mortensen reporting 11 out of 12 ESPN on-air personalities have head lice!

- This is why the Colts are the Colts

- This Harry Potter fan theory is very interesting for all you Harry Potter fans out there

- Heh heh

- Cecil the Lion

- Mark Hamill has a healthy sense of humor

- Very cool

DeflateGate Updates

Here's a roundup of just some of the developments in DeflateGate over the past few days.

- Could Brady case result in a reduction of Goodell's power? Personally I think it will result in Goodell losing his job once the eventual defamation case costs the NFL millions upon millions of dollars.

- Yes the NFL did correct that pretty quick. Which means they didn't want to correct Mortensen's 11 out of 12 balls 2 PSI under regulation report because it served the NFL's purpose of defaming the Patriots (see above).

- NFL's own new procedures on ball handling and now officials saying that sometimes balls just have slow leaks are undermining the Commissioner. If the ice caps eroded as quickly as Goodell's integrity then everyone would believe in Global Warming.

- Keep in mind that the NFL picked the Second Circuit Court. This may prove to be a fatal mistake.

- Robert Kraft is finally taking the gloves off.

- And why did Bob Kraft release the emails?

- And if Mike Kensil was source of Mortensen's false report? He loses his job (along with Goodell).

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Had to tap out of watching the UFC last night around midnight to go watch live music instead. An overall very disappointing fight card... Six months ago yesterday... The movie Three Days of the Condor was based on the book Six Days of the Condor. Was it reduced to three days because of budget constraints?... Given how he doesn't seem to believe in the Ideal Gas Law - could Roger Goodell be the poster boy for climate change deniers?... Speaking of climate change - one of the biggest factors in climate change is the Earth's magnetic pole shifting from North to South. We still know so very little about the Earth's "magnetic personality" (so let's blame Americans who don't drive Prius' for climate change instead to make us feel better for our ignorance - better yet let's blame Tom Brady)... Holy crap - did the Garland Texas shooter buy one or more of his guns via the Fast and Furious "sting"?... Given how much credibility Chris Mortensen has flushed down the toilet in DeflateGate - someone should start a fake Twitter handle for him and report things like, "Multiple league sources confirm that Roger Goodell was eaten by wolves. And that he was delicious"... How can it be "Ultimate" fighting when biting and kicks or punches to the dick/baby-maker aren't allowed? Wouldn't that be the ultimate in fighting? Truly no holds barred...

Linky Links

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

- Cool a map of Britain and Ireland made from pub locations

- An oral history of my favorite Tom Cruise character

- I sometimes can't remember how old I am but Benedict Cumberbatch can recall 1,480 lines of Hamlet

- A list of the 100 greatest movies of all-time. Not saying I agree with the list but I will use it next time I'm looking for a movie on Netflix.

- Phil Ivey is counter-suing Borgata to get his $9.6 million in winnings. I'm fascinated by this story.

- The Pogues are launching their own brand of Irish whiskey.

- Interesting Hunter S. Thompson animated interview.

Tom Brady vs Roger Goodell

The Commissioner's opening salvo.

Tom Brady's response.



Get your popcorn. My money's on Brady.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Red Sox traded Shane Victorino yesterday. I may be in the minority but I never warmed to Victorino. Sorry. I still insist that Boston would have been much better off signing Torii Hunter three years ago... Just in time for breakfast - Medieval art's top 10 butt licking cats... Over the past 3-years Hunter has played 374 games (and counting) while Victorino has been on the field for just 185 games over that same period of time... George McGovern having a child out of wedlock is again news. I have to mention that I pointed this out more than 3-years ago... So which Boston team ends up making more trades this week - the Celtics or the Red Sox? So far it's tied at 1-trade apiece... Dry ice and dishwashing soap... Baphomet's Hangover would be a good name for a fantasy football team or a band... Cool video on Nate Boyer's unique path to the NFL... Do the Red Sox win the World Series in 2013 without Shane Victorino? I don't know - therein lies the rub as to why he's so beloved... The "answer" to why Amazon has passed WalMart...

Top 5 - Stanley Kubrick Movies

Stanley Kubrick would have been 87-years old today. In his memory here are what I consider his five best movies.

1. Dr. Strangelove
2. Paths of Glory
3. A Clockwork Orange
4. Full Metal Jacket
5. The Shining

Mazzy Star - Fade Into You

Mazzy Star - Fade Into You. Song seems a good fit for today.

DeflateGate

Tom E. Curran has a good article on the corner Roger Goodell has painted himself into.

Meanwhile Dan Wetzel points out that DeflateGate has been nothing short of a three-ring circus.

My prediction all along is that Tom Brady sues Roger Goodell and the league for a nine figure sum for defamation. The argument will be that Goodell and the NFL created DeflateGate out of thin air as a distraction to get attention away from Goodell's handling of Ray Rice. The suit will allow a discovery process that will show just how out of control the NFL Commissioner's Office has become. If the suit makes it to a court of law then Goodell definately loses his job (and even if it doesn't - my guess is Goodell is now a short-timer).

Linky Links

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

- This chart explains why traditional TV is going to be phased out

- Archer's tribute to George Coe (Woodhouse)

- Interesting overview of Sir Richard Francis Burton - and if you enjoyed that brief article on the man then this biography will blow your socks off

- Nice article on what's going on with the old Tiger Stadium

Jon Stewart

Interesting couple of articles today on liberal icon Jon Stewart.

One suggests he's a bullying racist.

One comes right out and says he's anti-union.

I wonder how many stories like this we will see once Jon Stewart is fianlly gone from The Daily Show.

Linky Links

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

- Donald Duck playing billards. I remember seeing this as a kid in school and always wanted to see it again (Donald playing billards is around the 16 minute mark)

- 10 things you might not have known about the Nixon White House

- The new David McCullough book on the Wright brothers looks really interesting

- Am I an awful person for laughing at this?

Hemingway's Top 5 Books

Today would have been Papa's 115th birthday. May have a drink or two in his honor today. Here's what I consider my 5 favorite Hemingway books.

1. The Old Man and the Sea
2. A Moveable Feast
3. The Sun Also Rises
4. By Lines (Journalism for the Toronto Star)
5. To Have and Have Not

Amtrak - a Modest Proposal

Amtrak served over 30 million riders last year and brought in over $2 billion in revenue - yet they still needed another $1.4 billion from the Federal Goverment to jusy stay in business. That yearly infusion in Federal cash the past few years has ranged from $1.565 billion in 2010 to a low of $1.374 in 2013.

Here's what I suggest:

Let's say Amtrak continues to require another $1.4 billion per year for the foreseeable future. The IRS handled 14 million individual tax returns last year so if each individual tax return was billed an extra $100 then that $1.4 billion is covered. If you were supposed to get a $1,000 return then you'd only get a $900 check back plus a $100 Amtrak voucher good for travel on their "nationwide" rail network. If you were supposed to pay an additional $1,000 in taxes then that tax bill just became $1,100 (but hey you'd also get a $100 Amtrak voucher).

If this plan was adopted - how long do you think there'd be support for continued Amtrak funding?

Foo Fighters

Went to see the Foo Fighters last night at Fenway Park. It was agreat concert. They opened up with guitars wailing and the crowd screaming. I took that opportunity to fart. Really just let it loose. Nobody was able to hear it above the noise. So for the first few songs of the night the girls behnd me were fighting my foo.

Dave Grohl from his throne said last night that Queen's performance at Live Aid was the apex of rock. Re-watching it is hard to argue against him.

One of the few cover songs they played last night was AC/DC's Let There Be Rock. You don't hear that song much any more.

Looking at the two live performances videos above - you can really see where the Foo Fighters are coming from.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Most of the attention has been on Gawker and their abomidible actions but this story from the UK has much more potential privacy related impact. Can you imagine if the NSA started to be used for political purposes the way the IRS has been corrupted?... Heh heh - so true!... Catholic nuns have to take vows of poverty while priests do not. Tell me again why we should be listening to the Pope on issues of income inequality?... Yes and I want to know that story... If I owned a pharmaceutical company I'd hire Alex Rodriguez to do genital herpes commercials just so I could hear A-Rod say, "I'm Alex rodriguez and I have genital herpes"... 10-years ago the Yankees rotation was Small, Wang, Brown, Johnson (insert your own gay Asian porno joke here)...

The Day Mary Jo Kopechne Died

On this day, 46-years ago, Mary Jo Kopechne died. She had been riding with the married Ted Kennedy when he plunged his Oldsmobile into a pond at Chappaquiddick Island. Kennedy did not report the accident for 10-hours. Kennedy received a two-month suspended sentence, and had his license suspended for a year for his actions.

Mary Jo Kopechne did not live to see her 29th birthday.

Linky Links

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

- Kenny Stabler was pretty bad ass

- Cool - the reaction when blood meets 30% hydrogen peroxide

- I think time and historians will look very favorably on George H. W. Bush (and George W for that matter).

- Cool - the 10'x15' wooden shed where Harley-Davidson was started.

- Despite revisionist history - the Civil War was absolutely about slavery.

- Heh heh - Game of Thrones

Linky Links

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

- 101 years ago - Rickenbacker then went on to be the leading American Ace in WWI, found an automobile company, buy the Indianapolis 500, and own Eastern Airlines among other things.

- Cool  - Ben Affleck set to co-write and direct stand alone Batman movie.

- Never thought of it before but I guess it's just logical that it has to end somewhere

- How did milk become a staple food of the western diet?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

As people are arguing over what the Red Sox should do with Mike Napoli and 1st base - it should be remembered that the Red Sox gave up All-Star Anthony Rizzo for 282 games of Adrian Gonzalez... Cool history lesson - the last battle of the Revolutionary War actually happened in India... Thinking of writing a series of books called The Adventures of Olive Picasso. It would be about an anorexic world famous artist and her yacht enthusiast boyfriend... Who knew? 666 may be the mark of the beast but 01360 is the Zip Code for Satan's Kingdom... Now that we've taken care of the Confederate flag - can we finally address how racist Nabisco Cheese Nips are?... Well played Ted Cruz. Well played... Booze tip - hard apple cider with a shot of cranberry vodka over ice makes for a delicious summertime drink... It's funny because it's (painfully) true...

Bill Cosby as Frank Booth

I found this funny. But I think Bill Cosby would be much better in a different movie remake. Let me explain.

This train of thought began when I learned today that Quaaludes were named for the "Quiet Interludes" they were supposed to create. My mind then leapt to "Quite Interludes with Bill Cosby". Which led to the idea that would make a great title for a remake of David Lynch's 1986 classic Blue Velvet with Bill Cosby taking over the Dennis Hopper Frank Booth role. You could even keep much of the dialogue exactly the same:

Frank Booth: "In dreams, I walk with you. In dreams, I talk to you. In dreams, you're mine, all the time. Forever. In dreams..."

Frank Booth: "The candy-colored clown they call the Sandman."

Of course I'd want to change this classic dialogue slightly:

Frank Booth: "What kind of desserts do you like?"
Jeffrey Beaumont: "Apple pie."
Frank Booth" [Shouting] "Apple pie? Fuck that shit! Jello Pudding Pops!"

Linky Links

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

- Greeks apologize with huge horse.

- Jerry Weintraub was one of a kind. If you haven't seen the HBO documentary on his life - His Way - give it a watch.

- The town in Brazil that embraces the Confederate flag

- 15 things you might not know about Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle.

- A Revolutionary War hero you've probably never heard of.

Top 5 Songs Inspired By Super Heroes

Here's my choices for the Top 5 songs inspired by super heroes. 

1. Crash Test Dummies - Superman's Song 
2. Kinks - Catch Me Now I'm Falling (Captain America) 
3. 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite (Superman) 
4. Queen - Flash's Theme (Flash Gordon) 
5. (tie)  U2 - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (Batman) (tie) Foo Fighters - My Hero (Spiderman) theme

Just missing the cut - Spin Doctor's - Jimmy Olsen Blues (Superman).

Pissing Contests

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase, "I don't want to get in a pissing contest over this"? Have you ever stopped to think about what that really means? 
  
Now I've been in both literal and metaphorical pissing contests so let me wax on / wax off for a moment. 
  
Real pissing contests usually coincided with drinking lots of beers with my friends. Not sure if it is a competitive survival thing or if it's a nature's clock syncing up type of thing (like girls who live together all getting their periods at the same time)  but next time you are out with the buds wait for a lull in the drinking and then go to raise your glass - almost guaranteed your friends will also lift their glasses too. Also notice that when a friend gets up to go pee - many times you will suddenly realize that you have to pee too. What does this have to do with pissing contests? Nothing - but this is a rant and rants have tangents. 
  
Whether you are out in the woods or crossing swords in a men's room - pissing contests are won by the guy who pisses the longest (as opposed to writing your name in the snow contests which are won by the guy with the shortest name). The key to winning a pissing contest is to relax and be sure not to exert any un-needed pressure. 
  
The same is true in metaphorical pissing contests (especially on the Internet). Relax - let the other guy blow a hole in his helmut. Don't apply too much pressure - people reading or hearing your comments will be impressed by how cool and calm you are. Your opponent will conversely develop a brain clot. 
  
End of Rant - Yankees Suck 

Ancient Riddle

Here's an ancient riddle that hardly anyone ever seems to get. 
  
"What we catch we throw away. What we don't catch we keep. What are we talking about?"
  
The answer is body lice. I know ewww - but few ever answer this correctly.