Martin Luther King Jr.

Another Martin Luther King Jr. quote worth remembering today, "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars."

This is also worth contemplating today.

Linky Links

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

- The seven most exciting space missions of 2020

- And speaking of space - Elon Musk and SpaceX have really big plans for Mars

- Very true!

- Reading Conor McGregor's Mind

- Navy to name aircraft carrier for Pearl Harbor hero Doris Miller

Richard Feynman

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations..

Watched the first ten minutes of the Aaron Hernandez documentary on Netflix then I turned it off because why should I waste my time on that piece of shit. Especially as it seemed that the documentary was somehow going to make excuses for Hernandez's behavior... "Page 3 of 2" would be a good name for a blog... "What's true isn't new and what's new isn't true" a phrase from a recent Eric Weinstein Portal podcast that really made me think... Maybe the best synopsis of the McGregor / Cerrone fight last night... What are the odds that the Astros Jose Altuve leads MLB in getting hit by a pitch next season. I'd like to bet on that... Tobacco Cologne would be a good name for a band or an actual joke product you could give to the smoker in your life... What ever happened to the Dreamers? Have the Democrats completely abandoned the Dream Act as an issue? Wasn't it an upmost priority just a little while ago?... "It is capitalism that pulled billions out of poverty. Not vapid virtue signaling." - Nassim Nicholas Taleb...

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Linky Links

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

- This is a fantastic political ad. If I lived in her district I'd definitely vote for her.

- Every sign has a story behind it. I really want to know the story behind this one.

- The Astros cheating scandal has betting and legal implications for MLB

- Speaking of the MLB cheating scandal - the day baseball lost its mind.

- How to become a park ranger

-  How fisheries could be sustainable and profitable

- Iran's theocracy will collapse because of people like Kimia Alizadeh

Phase One China Deal

So this week a "Phase One" trade deal with China was signed. For those paying attention this is a clear win for the US and President Trump.

The deal basically breaks down to China agreeing to buy $200 billion in new American goods while the US agrees to not raise any more tariffs. We didn't give up anything and the Chinese agreed to buy more stuff - especially agricultural products.

When Trump instituted his trade war tariffs the Chinese responded by cancelling billions of orders from the US especially food stuffs. They thought this would make the US farmers put pressure on Trump to reduce his tariffs. But the unintended consequence for China was they no longer had enough food for their people. They tried alternative markets like Russia but to no avail. The Chinese learned that the US truly is the breadbasket to the world.

The deal is such a win for the US that the MSM is silent about it. Or if they do speak they have to admit, like CNBC's Jim Cramer that the tariffs worked. And now President Trump gets to campaign in the Midwest with this victory for the farmers under his belt. 

Dalai Lama's 5 Keys to Happiness

Muhammad Ali

Some items to remember the great man that was Muhammad Ali who would have turned 78 today.

- Great story of how Muhammad Ali's biggest fan finally got to meet him

- One of the greatest sports photos of all-time

- How Muhammad Ali wanted to be remembered

- Interesting - why Ali never went to prison for avoiding the draft 

Linky Links

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

- Anger is temporary madness: The Stoics knew how to curb it. "...other vices affect our judgment, anger affects our sanity."

- Google wants the Supreme Court to ignore copyright law. I'm going to have to go back and read that first link again because companies and people that keep thinking and acting as if the law doesn't apply to them makes me angry. And I'm not alone in that.

- 12 Fucking Rules for Success

- I'm an awful person for laughing at this - a woman passes out after having 12 Heinekens (I hope she's OK)

- This is a pretty damning stat.

- Why LBJ's Great Society failed and what it means for the 2020 election.

Battle of Cowpens

Today is the anniversary of one of the most significant battles in the history of the United States and nobody seems to notice. A short history of the Revolutionary War could read like this:

- The British surrendered at Yorktown after being surrounded by the Continental Army on land and bottled up by the French fleet at sea.
- The British were stuck at Yorktown because they had been so long occupied in the South by battles like the disaster (for the British) at Cowpens
- Cowpens was made possible by Valley Forge and the victory over the Hessians at Trenton
- The French navy was brought into the war because of the overwhelming victory over the British at Saratoga.
- Trenton was made possible by the Continental Army slipping out of Long Island where they really should have been trapped and destroyed by the British
- Long Island was made possible by the victory over the British in the siege of Boston which in turn was made possible by the guns taken from Fort Ticonderoga and by the start of the war at Lexington and Concord.

Of the above - the Battle of Cowpens (which happened 239 years ago today) is probably the least remembered.

If it is remembered it is probably the version that was put forth in the Mel Gibson movie The Patriot. In the movie there is a battle without a name in which Gibson's character asks his irregular infantry to get off two shots and then retreat to trick the British into chasing after them. This is the same basic "plot" to the Battle of Cowpens. The Jason Isaacs character of the dark-hearted Col. Tavington is loosely based on Col. Banastre Tarleton who led the British troops at Cowpens. Unlike the battle in the movie, however, in real life Tarleton (nee Tavington) escapes to fight another day.

One other note that may only interest me. In the movie The Patriot, Gibson's character uses straw soldiers to convince the British to let captives escape. In real life this trick was used but it was used by the British to allow the "captive" loyalists to escape Boston via ships in the harbor under the cover of "troops" placed overlooking the city on Bunker Hill. The troops later turned out to be straw dummies.

One last aside - Daniel Morgan should be a household name in America but sadly, he like most of our history, has been mainly forgotten.

Watchmen

Recently completed watching viewing the HBO series Watchmen and I really enjoyed it. Then again I started off as a fan of the Alan Moore graphic novel and to a lesser degree the 2009 movie adaptation by Zach Snyder.

My girlfriend, not familiar with either the graphic novel or the 2009 movie, dropped out from watching after 2 episodes. Just too much information is assumed to be known by the viewer and without that knowledge the series could seem disjointed and weird.

Also understand that Alan Moore was not exactly best pleased with the re-imagining of his universe. Then again I think it would be bigger news if the curmudgeonly Alan Moore actually praised something.

Anyway - I give it two thumbs up. (Although not sure how they'll manage a second season based upon the ending of this one.)

Linky Links

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

- Africa's ghost Roman city buried in the sand for centuries.

- Analysis - True!

- Peter Thiel's 2019 Manhattan Institute's Wriston Lecture.

- This may be the end of free conference calling services.

- Individual neurons may be "smarter" than previously believed. Though I'm not enamored with the metaphor of the brain as a computer.

- Trudeau's administration has pushed government spending to the highest levels in Canada's history. As much or more than 40% of GDP - higher levels than during World War II. And the economy has nothing to show for it.

- Heh Heh

Truth

Via

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I truly believe that if Tom Brady plays next year in will be in a Patriots uniform. However, I have to mention that those who are insistent on making the case of Tom playing elsewhere keep missing a key ingredient. The next chapter of Brady's life will revolve largely around his TB12 Method and his gyms. He already has one in Boston and will be opening gyms soon in NYC and LA... New York Times actual headline; "Trump Signs China Deal, Halting Trade War That Hurt Global Growth" - hurt global growth for who? China?... Luke Kuechly absolutely should be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I would also say that in this age of CTE awareness nobody should be surprised with his decision to retire... Sometimes the truth is in plain sight (even if it was decades in the making)... Why I mention the new TB12 gyms is the Chargers are moving to LA and they desperately need a reason for fans to buys tickets and playing for an LA team can help Brady promote his new gym. Just saying... One of the great things about living in Mass is hearing people say the word "caucus." As in the Iowa "cock us." I have the sense of humor of a 12-year old boy...

Linky Links

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

- The danger of returning to the nuclear deal with Iran. Excellent video worth your time.

- Speaking of Iran - I laughed way too much at this.

- This re-election ad for Taiwanese President Tsai is very powerful.

- And speaking of Taiwan and President Tsai - this is also well worth your time.

- And just like that Alex Cora is out as Red Sox manager.

Dolores O'Riordan

It has been 2-years since the passing of Dolores O'Riordan. Such a great voice. Such a great talent. Gone so young.

I'll be listening to lots of music from The Cranberries today.

JFK, Trump and Joe Sr.

Many people have commented that JFK never would have survived today in the world of social media and hyper scrutiny. That JFK's womanizing would have kept him from reaching any real position of power in today's politics. Well if you want to buy into this magical time travel level of political reality - there never would have been a need for JFK to become President of the United States in the first place.

If Joe Kennedy Sr. were alive today he'd make the ultimate candidate for President. He was more ruthless than the Clinton's. He was richer than Donald Trump and would have been able to self finance the entire campaign. His moral flexibility was astonishing. And his political ambitions put them all to shame. The only reason JFK ran for office in the first place was because his dad was basically making him.

If Joe Kennedy Sr. were alive today he'd be the ultimate candidate. And you know what - I'd probably vote for him.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

With Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch first being suspended for a year by MLB then fired by Houston's owner Jim Crane, I'd look for the next shoe to drop being a heavy fine and suspension for current Red Sox manager Alex Cora. I'd also expect the Boston Globe (owned by Red Sox owner John Henry) to do a big expose on the Patriots in response... Q: What did the fish say when it bumped its head on a cement wall? A: Dam!... Why do I feel the phrase "Stuck on Stupid" is going to make a big comeback in 2020... "Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money." - Moliere... GOOP has a candle called "Smells Like My Vagina" while Burger King has a meatless burger called "Tastes Like My Ass"...

Podcasting

If you're thinking of doing a podcast (which I am) here's two good resources:

Full-Time Podcaster an e-book guide to starting a successful podcast. Note - I haven't read this guide yet but it comes highly recommended.

Tim Ferriss goes over the gear he uses for his broadcast and why he's chosen these items.