HMS Jersey

On this Memorial Day it is good to remember not just those who have given their last full measure in the past few generations but also the earliest Americans who gave their all. The story of the HMS Jersey is a good place to start:

One of the most gruesome chapters in the story of America’s struggle for independence from Britain occurred in the waters near New York Harbor, near the current location of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. From 1776 to 1783, the British forces occupying New York City used abandoned or decommissioned warships anchored just offshore to hold those soldiers, sailors and private citizens they had captured in battle or arrested on land or at sea (many for refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to the British Crown). Some 11,000 prisoners died aboard the prison ships over the course of the war, many from disease or malnutrition. Many of these were inmates of the notorious HMS Jersey, which earned the nickname “Hell” for its inhumane conditions and the obscenely high death rate of its prisoners.

Abraham Clark of New Jersey was a signatory of  Declaration of Independence. Both of Clark's sons were captured and held prisoner on the HMS Jersey. His eldest son died there of STARVATION! More that twice as many Americans died aboard those British prison ships that actually died in battle during the Revolutionary war.

Goodnight Saigon - Billy Joel

Seemed like a good day to post this song.

Linky Links

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

- Gregg Allman was a one-of-a-kind talent. The world is a poorer place with his passing.

- These freediving photos are really cool

- Juno spacecraft finding Jupiter not as predicted

- Heh heh

- Scientists are learning more and more about what actually makes up the Earth's crust and core.

- Big fan of Donald Rumsfeld

George W. Bush

From the moment he left office, I have long said that history was going to be kind to George W. Bush. And I continue to see no reason to doubt my prediction.

Most people don't know or want to acknowledge just how damn smart George W was and is!

In performance of his duties of President, George W. was closer to Ronald Reagan than his own father. Both Reagan an Bush were called "cowboys" by a mocking media but both Presidents embraced the title as a compliment not an insult.

Nobody did more to end the threat of world communism than Ronald Reagan. Nbody has done more to stem the spread of HIV in Africa than George W. Bush - yet neither was even considered for a Nobel Peace Prize (which are worthless awards at this point).

Yes indeed - history will be very kind to George W. Bush. Both for his accomplishments in office and in comparison to those who followed him in the Office of President.

88 Lines About 44 Women - The Nails

Haven't heard this song in quite some time.

Top 5 - John Wayne Movies

Today would have been the Duke's 110th birthday. here are what I consider his top 5 movies.

1. True Grit
2. The Quiet Man
3. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
4. Red River
5. (tie) Rooster Cogburn (tie) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Missing the list are both The Shootist (a sentimental favorite of mine since it was his last movie) and The Searchers (because I still haven't seen it). 

Linky Links

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

- Heh Heh

- I hope Mitt Romney does run for the Senate in Utah. Politics really needs more people like him.

- Heh Heh II

- I know this is cheesy but I love it! Go Preds!

- Heh Heh III

- This is awesome!

- Heh Heh IV

- Interesting metaphor for just how small the Planck Scale actually is

The Mindset of Seattle vs the Mindset of New England

Fascinating read about how Richard Sherman can't let go of Malcolm Butler's interception in the Super Bowl two years ago. The story fills in the gaps as to why Sherman was very publicly on the trade block by the Seahawks this past offseason. The story also helps highlight how great the New England Patriots really are.

I could not help but think while reading the article that you'd never hear a player on the Patriots' defense criticize Tom Brady (even in private I assume) the way Richard Sherman rips QB Russell Wilson. I also kept thinking about all those interviews I've seen over the years of veteran players coming to the Patriots and how surprised they are to see coach Bill Belichick rip into Brady as if he was just another player.

Not like that in Seattle. Not by a long shot.

Personally I love Pete Carroll's credo for interviews of "no negatives". That seems to be a great example to emulate for a happier life but for building a football dynasty? Maybe not so much. The Patriots won the Super Bowl in February but as a team they are already on to the season opener vs the Chiefs in their mindset. Meanwhile the Seahawks' mindset seem stuck on the last game from 2015.

The Patriots have the mindset of a dynasty and that makes all the difference.

Linky Links

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

- Excellent Roger Moore story

- IT basics - why you sometimes need to reset a router

- Seriously - has anyone seen this guy and Nick Saban in the same room? How cool would it be if there was a drummer who looked just like Bill Belichick?

- The next generation of free over-the-air TV

- Myron Rolle is the man!

- Interesting interview with Jim Al-Khahili about Quantum Physics and Quantum Biology

Roger Moore RIP

The always classy Roger Moore has passed away at age 89. To me Moore will always first and foremost be Beau Maverick. As James Bond? In hindsight Moore might have said it best, "Daniel Craig looks like a killer. Whereas I look like a decrepit lover." That wasn't true of course. Moore's Bond was a suave, man of humor and class - just like Moore in real life.

The Dutch are Awesome!

The Dutch are awesome! How cool is it that their King leads a double life as an airplane pilot.

Also keep in mind that the Dutch have always remembered and honored the sacrifice made by US servicemen on their soil in Word War II.

The only logical conclusion to be drawn is - the Dutch are awesome!

F Greenpeace

There's a logging company that is suing Greenpeace and if they are successful there might not be a Greenpeace any longer. I say good! Screw Greenpeace!

I haven't forgotten the marketing stunt they pulled 2.5 years ago that permanently scarred a world heritage site.  Screw Greenpeace! Especially since their eco-terrorism just got a slap on the wrist. Screw Greenpeace.

The lawsuit in Canada says Greenpeace is an illegal organization whose only goal is to raise money. Spot on! Screw Greenpeace.

And screw you too if you donate money to these assholes.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

"Not now Gisele - I have a concussion!" Come on - who among us hasn't used that excuse to get out of sex with a supermodel?... George W just wants to say "hey!"... My iPhone has started identifying some unknown calls as "Scam Likely" which I love! Also Scam Likely was my porn name... It's been 25-years since Larry Bird last played for the Celtics. Damn I feel old... Such a great time waster... If you think of it Sam and Frodo basically through-hiked the distance of the Appalachian Trail to get the ring from the Shire to Mount Doom...

Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains the Big Bang to Adam Carolla

Neil: Once there was a single point in the universe that was unimaginatively small and dense. So dense that all the matter in the universe was contained in that single tiny point.

Adam: Whoa, whoa whoa!  How could it be unimaginatively small if you egg-heads imagined it? Sorry but you can't sneak those things by me because of my hyper-vigilance.

Neil: OK! OK! Now suddenly this incredibly small point explodes. Trillions and trillions of atoms burst forth. Atoms of matter and anti-matter. The atoms of matter and anti-matter annihilate each other. For each 400,000 billion atoms of matter and anti-matter just a single atom survives the annihilation. And those surviving atoms are what end up making up the universe - you, me, the planets, the stars, everything.

Adam: So what you're saying is the Big Bang was like if God farted...

Neil: Dude - what?

Adam: Yeah imagine God's unimaginatively small clenched sphincter. Then suddenly boom! The universe's biggest fart. The air outside annihilates the air from the fart and all that is left over is a tiny bit of fecal matter. You, me, the planets, the stars, everything - we're God's leftover fecal matter.

Neil: Well I guess that's one way to look at it but Adam you know I'm an atheist right?

Adam: Me too - but if you can imagine that other shit why not this?

NFL Draft

Here's an idea that I've had for some time regarding where the NFL Draft should be held. This year the draft was held in Philadelphia. Why not hold the NFL Draft in the city of the winner of last season's Super Bowl?

I know there would be some logistical challenges since the draft is held at the end of April and the Super Bowl is in early February. I agree that's not much time. But if the league started the process during Conference Championship week there would be almost another month to prepare and just 4 possible cities to worry about.

Getting the NFL Draft would be a great economic boom to the host city. What better way for the NFL to reward success?  Every NFL city has the facilities and the hotel rooms to host the event so why not make the location based upon performance?

Heh Heh

In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University . On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot.

The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Mbembe was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.

Linky Links

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

- But I thought the science was settled? Scientists argue Big Bang vs Big Bounce

- 10 lessons from Tim Ferris

- Charlie Munger: The Psychology of Human Misjudgement

- Interesting kettlebell workout routine

- Another workout routine from Outside Magazine

- While we are talking workouts - the secrets of Tom Brady's personal trainer

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Yesterday was National Hummus Day. This giving a "day" to each little thing has gotten ridiculous... US States renamed for countries with similar GDP's... Quote of the Day: "Death is my exit strategy," - Craig Newmark founder of Craig's List... Who knew? The Flat Earth Society has members around the globe... I thought they were saying after dinner and the movie and I'm like "Why wait?"... Just a reminder but Red Auerbach won just a single NBA Coach of the Year Award. That was for the season in which the Celtics won their eighth  of nine consecutive championships... The media reacting to Trump be like...

Mr. T and Mother's Day

Mr. T says to treat your mother right!

The founder of Mother's Day later tried to have it scrapped. I find the last paragraph ironically funny.

Linky Links

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

- One of the best boxing comebacks of all-time.

- Good for him! Two decades later Marcus Camby gets his degree

- Who knew Scotland could be so colorful?

- Troublesome facts

- Cool but how would it fare against a fire hose?

- Samuel Whittemore the original American badass

- Good question - why don't we just throw garbage into active volcanoes?

- Racist fan at Fenway finally identified

Sihugo Green

People talk about Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan as the biggest draft day mistake in history but for my money Sihugo Green was a much bigger mistake.

In the 1956 NBA draft, the Rochester Royals had the first pick and the Boston Celtics had the second pick (via a trade with St. Louis). With the first pick Rochester selected 6'2" Sihugo Green of Duquesne. With the second pick, the Boston Celtics selected Bill Russell of San Francisco.

The rest is history.

In case you never heard of Sihugo - he ended up playing 9 season (his last with the Celtics BTW) and averaged 9.2 points per game and 3.3 assists for his career.

The Talented Mr. Putin

You may have seen the video of Vladimir Putin playing hockey (again). I know it is silly but not as silly or vain as that video of Putin trying to sing Blueberry Hill.



Impressive but not Mitt Romney fighting Evander Holyfield impressive.

Top 5 - Things That are (Much) Bigger on the Inside

Finally saw Fantastic Beasts over the weekend and I enjoyed it very much. The movie made me think of this list.

1. The Tardis from Doctor Who (you knew this would be number one)

2. Newt Scamander's suitcase

3. Oscar the Grouch's trashcan

4. Barty Crouch Jr's trunk (where he imprisoned Mad Eye Moody)

5. Madonna's vagina (couldn't resist)

Just Like You - Ian Brown

I really love this song.

Linky Links

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

- In defense of Kelly Olynyk

- I don't agree that something named after Robert E. Lee has to be changed but this is pretty funny.

- Awesome!

- I love this type of art! Love it!

- I love Bert Kreischer

- Blast from the past - Hunter S. Thompson on the Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby 2017

One of the big questions to be answered at today's Kentucky Derby is if Rob Gronkowski attends - can he top this outfit from 2015? If Tom Brady attends it goes without saying that he'll be one of the coolest dressed men at Churchill Downs.

Chrysippus

Ancient Greek philosopher Chrysippus died of laughter. He got his donkey drunk and then couldn't stop laughing while watching the donkey trying to eat figs. That was the ancient equivalent of watching drunk David Hasselhoff eat a cheeseburger I guess..

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

So let me get this straight - Obama wanted to take the man who could have prevented the Civil War off the $20 bill?... Heh heh... I swear - George H.W. Bush must have made a sacred oath not to die until Ross Perot kicked the bucket first... Vengeful Farts would be a good name for a punk band or a fantasy football team... Wow - Jim Carey really let himself go... Vodka Monkeys would be a good name for a band... Kiss cam wants you to pretend that's your stepmom... Emojis are turning texting into a modern game of Concentration... While Pablo Sandoval is on the DL - the Red Sox should send his picture to every Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts with the message "Don't sell this man donuts"... Roger Goodell is a monster... All the whores and politicians look up and shout "save us" and Mitt Romney looks down and whispers "No"... Heh heh...

The Mattoid - Party Time

(NSFW) Song is just stuck in my freaking head.

Linky Links

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

- Heh heh

- Half of the US is basically sitting on a massive lake of molten lava

- Very cool!

- This is not what Al Gore predicted

- Heh Heh

- Excellent advice

- Ummm - are we still doing phrasing? Maybe he's advertising for a date?

- Wow - this is a real thing

- Cool conversation between KG and Paul Pierce

Isaiah Thomas

After Isaiah Thomas dropped 53 points to help Boston beat the Wizards in game two of their NBA playoff match-up last night - I thought it was timely to remind people just how the Celtics came to have the All-Star point guard.

In 2015 Danny Ainge as part of a 3-team trade sent Tayshaun Prince and Marcus Thornton plus a 1st round pick out and received back Isaiah Thomas and Jonas Jerebko back. Talk about highway robbery. Prince didn't even play in the NBA this season and Thornton had a total of just 219 points all season for Washington (or 80 less than Jerebko). Did I mention highway robbery?

As an aside - is "Pizza Guy" really a nickname for Isaiah Thomas? Nobody calls him that.

Joey Moss and the Oilers

Such a great article. My respect for Wayne Gretzky was already high but now through the roof. I'm also now rooting for the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. I think if Edmonton came out with an official NHL Joey Moss jersey then it would easily become one of the top 100 selling jerseys in the US and Canada.

My respect for Steven Tyler has also gone up several notches.

Linky Links

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

- Love this move by the Patriots

- Excellent interview with Neil Gaiman

- This dog is awesome!

- New study says humans may have been in North America 130,000 years ago. I think I need more evidence.

- Val Kilmer on doing the movie Heat

- WTF!?!

- Well that's one way to make golf exciting.

- Heh Heh

- Love this move by Johnny Depp

- It saddens me that the person with this tattoo basically cancels out my vote

Bill Burr on NFL Draft

(NSFW) Bill Burr's the reason I don't watch the NFL Draft (some comedy hits close to home).

I've been shamed by this bit into never watching the draft live ever again (or reading those stupid draft prediction columns).

Linky Links

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

- Heh heh - good question

- I agree - England has lost its way

- Good advice. Mental model - Hanlon's Razor

- Holy F*CK! This would never work in Massachusetts

- Speaking of good questions

- Tips to get a perfect credit score.

Happy April 25th!

From the movie Miss Congeniality.

A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift's Modest Proposal involved starvation and surplus Irish babies. My Modest Proposal involves oil, Panera Bread, market economies and Bitcoin. Let me explain.

Venezuela is a complete mess - which is the ultimate end of all state run economies. I have a modest proposal to put the country back on the right track in just a few easy steps.

Step One - Venezuela sells the state owned oil company. Panera Bread was recently sold for $7 billion. If Panera is worth $7 billion then based upon the 4 economics classes I took in college then Venezuela's oil should be worth at least $17 billion.

Step Two - Supposedly there is a total of $17 billion in Bitcoin circulating on the Internet. Venezuela buys all the bitcoin with that oil sale money.

Step Three - There are roughly 31.5 million people in Venezuela. The government of Venezuela doles out all the bitcoin to each resident over a period of 5-years (60 months). Bitcoin becomes new state currency and each resident gets about $9,000 per month over the next 60 months. Residents under 18-years old could have their funds go into a trust that can be used for college education at age 18 or be given in full at age 21.

Boom! Instant market economy and prosperity! Plus the college degree incentive would help cement success for generations to come. What's not to like?

So let it be written - so let it be done!

Shakespeare

Today is not just the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth (1564) but also his death (1616). On top of that - today is also Talk Like Shakespeare day. One of my favorite facts about Shakespeare was the fact that perhaps the greatest writer of all-time was married to a woman who could neither read nor write.

- 21 phrases people use without realizing they are quoting Shakespeare

- 11 strange Shakespeare adaptations. I'm actually interested in checking out The People vs Friar Laurence.

- 7 of Shakespeare's best dirty jokes

- The New York Public Library celebrates Shakespeare.

- How Shakespeare changed everything

- The Shakespeare insult generator

- The Big Lebowski written as a work of Shakespeare's

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Fire Grilled Turtles - band name or hipster entree?... Impressive!... Does it bother anyone else that nobody in the press seemed to ask where Syria got the poison gas in the first place? Didn't George W. Bush say that Iraq sent some of theirs into Syria to avoid inspectors? Why isn't that a bigger story?... Heh heh... Cult of Inhibitions - band name or all-inclusive resort?... This is going to put Match.com out of business... Just a reminder that one of the reasons the Broncos ran Josh McDaniels out of Denver was because he traded clubhouse cancer Jay Cutler... Sex Melon - band name or hipster cocktail?... I love the fact that Steelers fans have to live with the fact that Tim Tebow beat them in the playoffs...

Linky Links

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

- Heh heh

- Belichick's 5 rules of effective leadership

- Boston sports fans - love em!

- Ah Dougie Hamilton so glad the Bruins traded you

- Heh heh - footage of the MOAB

- Phrasing!

Happy Easter from Kate Upton

Happy Easter from Kate Upton.

Hippity Hop!

Linky Links

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

- Flying cars are coming closer to reality.

- Very cool - Saturn peeking out behind the moon

- Heh Heh

- Love Secretary Mattis

- Did not know this

- 10 podcasts that will make you smarter

- Damn - so sad to hear of the passing of J. Geils

Whither Jimmy Garoppolo

Here's what I think the Patriots will be doing with Jimmy Garoppolo.

First off they will not be trading him. The Patriots know what they have in Garoppolo and know he's both great insurance for 40-year old Tom Brady and also potentially their QB of the future. New England is the defending Super Bowl champions and their roster has actually gotten better this off-season. There is nothing a trade of Garoppolo would bring in return that would be more valuable to the team than what Garoppolo already represents.

The first two rounds of the NFL Draft are normally where teams find immediate starters. The Pats don't have any starting roles that really need to be filled. Maybe there's also no players that Bill Belichick thinks are worth trading into the first or second round to obtain either.

The third round on is where teams normally find roster depth. The Patriots are already a deep roster and they have picks from the third round on. No need to trade for "assets" here.

Now I've seen multiple sportswriters suggest that if New England wants to keep Jimmy Garoppolo after 2017 - then they "franchise tag" him after next season. I disagree with that view. Instead why wouldn't Bill Belichick offer Garoppolo a first round tender just like they did for Malcolm Butler?

If someone gives him an offer sheet then the team has the option to match it. Chances are great that the offer would be for multiple years at much less money than the franchise tag price. The teams who are most likely to make an offer are also likely to be the worst teams in the NFL with high first round draft positions. The Pats would then have the choice of matching the offer or getting a high first round draft pick which is more or what they could get if they traded Garoppolo today.

I could be all wet but this is what I see the Patriots doing with Jimmy Garoppolo.

Linky Links

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

- Can't explain why but I loved this

- Interesting

- Heh heh - don't mess with Texas

- I want to hike the Appalachian Trail through Massachusetts this summer. Lyme disease will be something on my mind the whole time I'm doing it.

- US strike on Syria

- Heh heh

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I did not watch a single second of last night's Gonzaga/UNC game. Looks like I didn't miss much... Heh heh... I don't know how Tony Romo will do as a football announcer but I do know he has to be better than Phil Simms... Doesn't seem right but it is true... It needs to be asked - are the Harlem Globetrotters the best professional basketball team in NYC right now? Looking at you Knicks and Nets... I think one of the reasons I did not watch the game last night is because neither Gonzaga nor UNC covered the spread when I bet on them Saturday. Screw those guys...

American Gods Title Sequence

I'm going to get Starz just to watch this. Big fan.

Linky Links

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

- Pornhub had the best April's Fools joke.

- UNC has some very special fans 2,000 miles from Phoenix

- This is why I don't skateboard

- 5 things you should know about Congress' ISP vote

- I seriously want this

- Heh heh

Speaking of Christopher Walken

Christopher Walken reads Where the Wild Things Are.

Top 5 - Christopher Walken Movies

Happy 74th birthday to Christopher Walken. My favorite Walken movies:

1. The Dead Zone
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Suicide Kings
4. Biloxi Blues
5. The Deer Hunter 

His role in the 2002 Man on Fire almost makes the list just for the fact that the last thing he says in the movie is "I have nothing else to say." He meant that he had no more lines in the script but the director left it in the final cut. 

Rene Descartes

On this day in 1596 Rene Descartes was born. There aren't many Rene Descartes jokes but this is my favorite:

Rene Descartes walks into a bar. The bartender asks, "Can I get you a drink?" Descartes replies, "I think not" and disappears.

The Importance of a Single Vote

On this date in 1867 the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for the price of $7 million which worked out to about $.02 per acre. This purchase was known at the time as Seward's Folly after Secretary of State William Seward who arranged the purchase. Seward was also in charge of trying to get the Senate to ratify the treaty authorizing the purchase. The treaty was ratified on April 9th but it passed by a single vote. 

Think of that. If one person changed their vote from yes to no - Alaska might not be part of the US today.

Linky Links

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

- Holy crap! Giant python swallows Indonesian farmer whole!

- Heh heh

- Just how long did these guys practice this?

- Heh heh

- 8 Amazon Prime perks you might be missing out on. I need to take advantage of the music service.

- Douchebag out shown by old guy shooting free throws

Schwartzenegger as Darth Vader

Heh heh.

Happy 3-28

Iwo Jima

On this day in History in 1945, US Marines repel a last ditch 200-300 man Japanese suicide attack on Iwo Jima and the battle for the island is over.

Men like Jacklyn Lucas and those who raised the flag in the most iconic World War II photo shown above should be well known names in America. Unfortunately they are mostly forgotten.

Linky Links

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

- Heh Heh

- These portraits are unreal (or to be more precise - amazingly real)

- How NASA's photo of the "Pillars of Creation" came to be

- A year after Garry Shandling's death - Kevin Nealon looks back

- Something sadly overlooked at the White House yesterday - 25 Medal of Honor winners were honored

- Arnold is the best!

- Heh Heh

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

It was bad for Pat Kelsey to leave UMass at the altar for both Kelsey and UMass. My guess is word came to Kelsey that another higher profile opportunity with interest in him will be surfacing after the tournament... Faster please!... I think the word "disseminate" should refer to when a man jerks off to climax... I love these stories (I would have loved a Bruins win last night just as much)... If another job isn't handed to Kelsey after the tournament then you can be sure that AD's across the country will long remember what he did to UMass... If Disturbed can cover Sound of Silence - why not have Metallica cover Dianna Ross' Do You Know (Where You're Going To)... Therapeutic Cunnilingus would be a good name for a band... If the Saints need a CB so badly - wouldn't it have been better for them to have signed Stephon Gilmore? Trying to work a deal with the Patriots for Malcolm Butler will end up costing them much more...  Try our new grandma (she's delicious!)... Who knew? Ulysses S. Grant is the only person on regularly used US currency that actually graduated from college... Heh heh - train don't give a damn... I also think the word "orgasm" should be replaced with the word "culminate"...

Good Advice

From the desk of Coach George Raveling

Linky Links

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

- The galactic scale of things

- Chuck Barris RIP

- Suck it Goodell!!

- A well deserved award for Gary Sinise

- Cool - laughing parrots are my spirit animal

- Chuck Berry reviewing punk songs - awesome!

- The Buffett Formula - how to get smarter by reading

- Heh heh - awesome!

- CNN has gotten to the point where you wonder if this is real

Happy Birthday to Bobby Orr

Happy 69th birthday to #4 Bobby Orr. Not only one of the 3 greatest hockey players in history but arguable the greatest MAN to play hockey.

Here's a reminder of the type of person Robert Gordon Orr is.

David Hasselhoff - Hooked on a Feeling

I love this video so much!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Here are my Top 5 Songs for celebrating Saint Patrick's Day (because Oh Danny Boy is shite).

1. Rocky Road to Dublin

2. If I Should Fall From Grace with God - The Pogues

3. Four Green Fields - Makem & Clancy

4. The Foggy Dew - Sinead O'Connor and the Chieftains

5. I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphy's

Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam (and Mishead Lyrics)

Admit it - not even Eddie Vedder knows what words he's singing.

Linky Links

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

- Heh heh

- The truth about Ty Cobb

- More evidence that Serena is indeed the best athlete of all-time

- Really conflicted by the announcement by The Who

- The 15 largest container ships pollute more that all the cars in the world combined.

- I would really like to own this Castle.

- Cool story of a high school student coming up with a fantastic solution to reduce phosphate pollution

- 20 pieces of great outdoors products for less that $20

The Ides of March

Today is the Ides of March - famous because it is forever connected with the murder of Julius Caesar back in 44 BC. Less well known is the fact the Caesar was only murdered because Lucius Vorenus wasn't there to protect him

Linky Links

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

- I know I'm surprised as well.

- Mark Sisson the pied piper of Paleo

- Here's a quote I need today

- Interesting - Why Americans pay triple the world price for sugar

- Seems about right

Saint Cornelius of Ireland

Though not widely remembered today - at one point Saint Cornelius of Ireland (not to be confused with Saint Cornelius of Antioch) was second in popularity on the Emerald Isle only to Saint Patrick. 

Saint Patrick is remembered for driving the snakes out of Ireland. Saint Cornelius was said to have driven the squirrels out of Ireland. This "miracle" of Saint Cornelius later proved to be his undoing. During the Great Potato Famine starving Irishmen and women wished they had tasty squirrel meat to eat and they cursed Saint Cornelius for driving out the furry rodents. In response to this outrage - Pope Pius IX removed Cornelius from the roll of official Catholic Saints.

Albert Einstein

Today is Albert Einstein's birthday. Just a reminder that even though E=MC2 is perhaps the most famous scientific equation in history - Einstein never received the Nobel Prize for coming up with it. The reasons for this slight were mostly because Einstein was Jewish. The committee eventually gave Einstein the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his 1905 explanation of the photoelectric effect but that was really too little too late.

As smart as Einstein was it makes me chuckle to remember that when Einstein graduated from our equivalent of high school - he finished second in his class. The name of the person who was valedictorian is lost to history but I couldn't help but think of someone back then saying something like, "Yeah Einstein was pretty smart in high school but you should have seen this other guy!"

Also when Albert Einstein first visited the US in 1921 - the US Senate saw fit to debate the validity of the Theory of Relativity - seriously. The Theory of Relativity just turned 101 years old. In this video uber biographer Walter Isaacson explains the Theory of Relativity in under 3 minutes.

Random Albert Einstein trivia; when Einstein lived in Princeton he had a small 17-foot sailboat he named Tinef which is Yiddish for "piece of junk". I find that endearing.

Finally - 10 Myths about Albert Einstein debunked

Black Death

Ooh, fleas on rats. Ooh, fleas on rats.

Daylight Savings

If I were elected President, one of the first things I'd do is put a bill in front of Congress to repeal Daylight Savings. It is a stupid idea and nobody likes it. My approval rating would go through the roof on both sides of the aisle.

Linky Links

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

- I wonder if this new technology could also be used on football helmets?

- Floyd Mayweather comes out of retirement and calls for June fight with Conor McGregor. I know that this could turn out to a one-sided stunt but I also know I will watch it

- Heh heh - good advice indeed!

- Fuck Nancy Pelosi.

- Heh heh

- Holy crap - man crosses the Atlantic on a freaking high tech paddle board.

I Love Things Like This

A little girl gives coins to a street performer and gets the best surprise in return. Like I said - I love things like this.

Brexit Explained by Hooliganism

I recently read Bill Buford's fascinating 1990 book Among the Thugs. The book is a captivating look at the 8 years Buford spent learning the behavior and motivations of the world of English football (soccer) hooliganism. Three of the main motivations for acts of violence by club supporters were loyalty, patriotism and helplessness. On page 301 Buford writes:

Many things fell into place. This chant [England! England! England!]; it was the only one I had heard in a day otherwise characterized by its enforced sullen silence. And now: this declaration for England. It was such a simple but enormous thought: these fools, despised at home, ridiculed in the press, incapable of being contained by any act of impulsive legislation that the government had devised, wanted an England to defend. They didn't want Europe: they didn't understand Europe and didn't want to. They wanted a war. They wanted a nation to belong to and fight for, even if the fight was this absurd piece of street theater with the local Italian police.

That single paragraph helps in large part to explain why the Brexit vote was so successful.

Pick up the book if you have a chance. It's worth the read.

Mega Linky Links

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

- Interesting - why your dog can get vaccinated against Lyme Disease but you can't

- Bill Clinton really fixed North Korea's nuclear program didn't he.

- Cool - an interactive journey to the center of the Earth

- Heh heh - the kid's now an Internet star

- Enormous cavern containing a Knights Templar church found under farmers field in England

- Heh heh - babysitter's jobs safe for now

- Interesting look at how many NASCAR teams are hurting for sponsors

- Wow - sped up Bruce Springsteen really does sound like Stevie Nicks

- An oral history of NewsRadio one of the most underrated TV shows in history

- This is pretty badass

- The dog does look like Patrick Stewart

Historical Footnote

General Douglas MacAuthur’s first marriage had a big wedding. Over two hundred guests were invited but because of political and family considerations – MacAuthur was only able to invite one close friend. The friend’s name? Buck Wheat (seriously).

No word on how the rest of Our Gang took the snub.

Sir Bors

In Arthurian Legend Sir Bors (aka Bohort), Sir Galahad, and Percival go on to achieve the Holy Grail and accompany it to a mystical island in the Middle East called Sarras. Both Galahad and Percival die on the island while Bors is the only one to return. Thus Sir Bors is the lone survivor of the Grail Quest.

In the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Sir Bors is played by Terry Gilliam and is the first knight to fall victim to the killer rabbit.

Worst Part of St. Patrick's Day (Beside the Hangover)

Maybe the worst part of Saint Patrick's Day is the fat guy in a kilt - you run into one every year. You know the guy who talks about the "breeze" no matter the weather and of "dangling shillelaghs" all in an attempt to get you to ask if the guy is wearing any underwear. You know the guy.

Linky Links

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

- Heh heh

- I seriously want one of these trailers

- Blockchain could revolutionize the financial systems of the world in the next decade

- The two types of knowledge: the Max Planck/Chauffeur test

- Peeps flavored Oreos will turn your poop pink.

- Mensch on a bench

- Heh heh - and this is how the robot apocalypse started

Top 5 - J. Geils Band Songs

Today is Peter Wolf's 71st birthday. In his honor here are what I consider the top songs from the J. Geils band.

1. (Ain't Nothin' But a) Houseparty
2. Must Have Got Lost (best song into ever!)
3. Hard Drivin' Man 
4. Detroit Breakdown
5. (tie) Whammer Jammer (tie) Give It To Me

Of course you have to have the live versions of these songs because J. Geils was one of those bands that were just so much better live than in the studio. And if you think Centerfold or Freeze Frame should be on the list - I say that you really don't know the J. Geils Band. It also goes without saying that the J. Geils band was the best band ever out of Worcester.

As an aside - when J. Geils was playing at the Centrum on New Year's Eve - there was no better place to be on the planet.

I'm Amazed - My Morning Jacket

Just felt like listening to this today.

Linky Links

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

- Soar like and eagle (and kill a fox while you're at it)

- How alcohol and caffeine helped create civilization. Yay coffee! Yay alcohol!

- This is very true. Fantasy sports only go so far - you need legal betting for the NFL and MLB to survive.

- Cool - letter from the last surviving sailor from the USS Arizona to Arizona men's basketball coach Sean Miller.

- Cool

- How a deleted scene explains a major minor plot hole in Die Hard

Consistent Colon

I had my first prostrate exam a few years ago. It was an uncomfortable moment to say the least but the strangest thing was my doctor telling me that my colon had a "good consistency." Wait - what? Saying my colon had a good consistency might have been a throw-away line for my doctor but it's stuck with me.

"Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency." - Dwayne Johnson. Isn't that special. The Rock thinks my colon is successful.

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." - Oscar Wilde. Well not sure about you Oscar but my brain and my imagination are in my head - not my ass.

"True consistency, that of the prudent and the wise, is to act in conformity with circumstances and not to act always the same way under a change of circumstances." John C. Calhoun. Was the former VP of the US speaking of diet and bowel movements? Because that's what I think of now when consistency is mentioned.

Maybe having read this post, when you hear the words "consistent" or "consistency" - you'll think of my ass.

As an aside Consistent Colon would be a good name for a band or fantasy football team. Or maybe not.

Parachute - Chris Stapleton

Another song that's new to me but really sticks with you.

Linky Links

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

- How can you not like Tim Tebow?

- Just how much pee is in that pool? 20 gallons!?! I'm never swimming again! Oh it's only one-hundredth of one percent? Nevermind.

- I could watch this over and over (wait I just did).

- Because ESPN and unnamed league sources have been so reliable regarding the Patriots in the past

- Cool - how Robert DeNiro's landlord landed a role in Goodfellas.

- I would so love this if the "two private citizens" were a rich couple who wanted to be the first members of the "Moon High Club"

YouTube TV

YouTube announced a new ~40 channel TV package and unlimited DVR storage. The package is priced at $35 and comes with up to six accounts. My first two initial thoughts upon reading the announcement:

1. Being in New England it would have to include both NESN (Red Sox and Bruins) and CCSNE (Celtics) for it to be worthwhile for me. YouTube does say it includes ESPN, Fox Sports and Comcast SportsNet but for me specifically it would have to include NESN and specifically CCSNE.

2. Welcome to the sharing economy! The package includes six accounts. That would work for a family with 4 kids or.... I could use 3 accounts (TV, iPhone, iPad) and give the other 3 accounts to friends who in return might give me their pass-code info for say Netflix or HBO Go. It's a win-win! If one account covered all three of my devices - even better!

By sharing if for $35 you could get YouTube TV, Netflix and HBO Go - why would anyone keep their existing cable or satellite package? This could be the death knell for smaller cable channels who aren't being included in the various packages like SlingTV, DirecTV Now, Playstation Vue or the upcoming offering from Hulu.

Goodbye MSNBC - it's been nice knowing you.

Amnesia - Pousette Dart Band

Another one of those seemingly forgotten songs that always puts a smile on my face.