Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I bet Joe Rogan gets at least a good five minutes of material for his next stand-up special from the ridiculous "controversy" of him "endorsing" Bernie Sanders. Can't wait I'm sure it will be great stuff... Put me in the camp that thinks the coronavirus flu should be know as Xi's Disease going forward. Not the Kung Flu... Something tells me there's no way the movie Silver Streak could get made today. As great as Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor were together this scene just does not get made today... It is truly amazing that Bill Belichick has now been the coach of the New England Patriots for 20-years. What he's accomplished in that time is otherworldly... "We suffer from knowing the numbers." A quote from Sam Zell heard in his recent Tim Ferriss podcast. The quote in context really resonated with me... I'm on the waiting list for one of these bad boys...  Haven't watched a single minute of the Impeachment hearings and I'm a better person for it...

Diet of Worms

Today is he anniversary of the start of the Diet of Worms. This was actually a formal deliberative body in Worms, Germany assembled in 1521 to discuss Martin Luther. To most people unfamiliar with history or steeped in religious theology Diet of Worms sounds more like the title of a Stephen King short story.

It is one of the most important dates in the history of Western Civilization but one of the least known. It is important because it is the formal beginning of the schism between the Catholic Church and what was later to be known as Protestantism.  

Challenger Disaster

On this day in 1986 the space shuttle  Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch. One of the very few times in my life where I could tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing.

 It is worthwhile to (re)read President Reagan's remarks on the tragedy of the Challenger disaster.

Linky Links

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

- Jackie MacMullan on the passing of Kobe Bryant. So many tributes to Kobe today there's not time enough to read them all.

- Interesting - what you should know before signing up for a Tesla Solarglass roof

- Laughed hard at this. Taxes!

- The conspiracy theory issues surrounding the coronavirus flu continue to mount. I'm half expecting to learn that "coronavirus" translates into Chinese as "Captain Trips"

- Tom Peters' habits a person should practice daily

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day and today I'd like to remember a hero you might not know - or not know was both a Holocaust victim (his father died at Auschwitz) and a hero.

Marcel Marceau was renown as perhaps the foremost mime in the world. But during World War II he also led hundreds of Jewish children to safety in Switzerland as a member of the French Resistance. He also almost single-handedly got 30 Germans to surrender by pretending to be the advance guard of a much bigger French force.

You can read about his heroic exploits here.

I Heard You Paint Houses

Recently read the Charles Brandt book I Heard You Paint Houses. This was the book the movie The Irishman directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Robert DiNero and Al Pacino was based upon. The book was very well done and I highly recommend it.

Charles Brandt tells an incredible story weaving his historical knowledge and context with direct quotes from Frank Sheeran as Sheeran tells his story and how it interacted with some of the major historical events of the 60's and 70's. Brandt also makes Sheeran a somewhat sympathetic character. Frank Sheeran was in combat for 411 days in World War II a number that seems insane given that Sheeran participated in some of the most violent action in Italy. He learned to take orders which many time were to simply kill the guys in front of you. Skills he would use in later life.

After reading the book I'm convinced that Sheeran killed Jimmy Hoffa, that the mob killed JFK, and that Joe Biden only won election to the Senate because of Frank Sheeran (who I mentioned above killed Jimmy Hoffa).

Top 5 - Paul Newman Movies

Today would have been Paul Newman's 94th birthday. Here's my 5 favorite Paul Newman movies - not saying they are his best just MY favorites.

1. Slap Shot - perhaps the best sports movie ever.
2. The Sting - a classic but these days seems a little long
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
4. Cool Hand Luke
5. (tie) The Verdict (tie) Absence of Malice

Just missing the list was The Hustler.

Linky Links

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

- This was quite good.

- Nassim Taleb - How to Be Rational About Rationality

- Beautiful - Time lapse photography of light through stained glass at the National Cathedral (HT Execupundit)

- Hanns Scharff master German interrogator. Interesting and entertaining slice of WWII history.

- Very nice gesture by the 49ers George Kittle

- Simple chart explains why Trump will be re-elected in 2020

Farnam Street Knowledge

- Good Science, Bad Science, Pseudoscience: How to Tell the Difference. I kept thinking of this Michael Crichton quote while reading the article.

- The Inner Game: Why Trying Too Hard Can be Counterproductive

- Resonance: How to Open Doors for Other People. The "listen, summarize, show" advice is particularly important.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Earlier this week I listened to the Joe Rogan podcast with guest former CIA Operative Mike Baker. This is the episode where Joe's "endorsement" of Bernie Sanders occurred. The problem is if you listen to the episode Joe clearly said his first choice as a candidate was Tulsi Gabbard... Whoever runs the Wendy's Twitter page should get a raise... Joe Rogan also admits that in 2016 he voted for Gary Johnson (full disclosure so did I). How did Joe's "endorsement" work for Gary Johnson? Thinking the Bernie "endorsement" probably will have the same impact mostly because Joe Rogan's audience is mainly made up of people who think for themselves...  50 years of failed "eco-pocalyptic" predictions. I keep thinking "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me." What's the saying for fool me 50 times?...  This took me a second... Jon Lester has averaged a 15-8 record in Chicago since being traded away from the Red Sox. Forcing Jon Lester out was when the current ownership started appearing unlikable to many Boston fans....  Oh an Jon Lester has a great sense of humor...

Friday Afternoon Thought

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

15-years ago the New York Times actually had the headline "Can Angelina Jolie Really Save the World?" And it was in the business section! Just in case you were wondering if the NYT giving up on being a serious news organization was a new thing... This is the sort of thing that makes you believe peace in the Middle East is actually possible... Who knew? Richard Nixon and Otis Nixon shared the same birthday... A Christopher Hitchens quote that seems very relevant to the Impeachment hearings, "That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence"...  A racial crisis may materialize in two years for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Both steroids tainted Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have two years of eligibility left to be elected to the Hall. If the white Clemens gets somehow elected at the last minute while the black Barry Bonds does not then the cries of "Racism!" will be loud and clear. And probably not wrong...  If the DNC really wanted to stick it to Bernie Sanders they could insure that someone at the next Democratic Debate asks Bernie if he's elected would he make his wife Secretary of Education...

Carmelita - Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon would have turned 73-years old today. Carmelita is one of my favorites.

Linky Links

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

- Tim Tebow gets married in South Africa to the 2017 Miss Universe. Interesting detail - his groomsmen's tuxedos were by Indochino. Nice endorsement deal there I bet.

- Holy crap!

- Heh Heh - Kirk Cameron to star in new Jason Bourne film: Bourne Again

- Say what you want about Tulsi Gabbard she's got a good sense of humor and doesn't seem afraid of a fight

- Interesting interview with Terry Jones. And a fond remembrance of the sort of person Terry Jones was even to strangers (although a very attractive one in this case)

US Pond Hockey Championships

Today marks the start of the 15th annual US Pond Hockey Championships in Minnesota. This is actually something I'd like to attend at least once in my life. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Linky Links

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

-  Sad day as Terry Jones, aged 77, one of the founders of Monty Python's Flying Circus passes away.

- I think it would be the ultimate hilarious troll move if Derek Jeter found out who the one baseball writer who voted against him and sent that man's wife one of his infamous alleged gift baskets

- Cool - Ian McKellen's diaries from filming The Lord of the Rings

- 4 steps to achieve greatness. Actually 5 steps and I think I've posted it before but worth repeating and reinforcing.

- Tim Ferriss' latest blog post - Finding the One Decision that Removes 100 Decisions (or, Why I'm Reading No New Books in 2020). I rarely read a newly published book as it is but good advice.

Trump at Davos

Pretty extraordinary speech given by President Trump at Davos. Be sure to read the whole thing but this is the part that stood out for so many:

This is not a time for pessimism; this is a time for optimism. Fear and doubt is not a good thought process because this is a time for tremendous hope and joy and optimism and action.

But to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow, we must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse. They are the heirs of yesterday’s foolish fortune-tellers -- and I have them and you have them, and we all have them, and they want to see us do badly, but we don't let that happen. They predicted an overpopulation crisis in the 1960s, mass starvation in the '70s, and an end of oil in the 1990s. These alarmists always demand the same thing: absolute power to dominate, transform, and control every aspect of our lives.

We will never let radical socialists destroy our economy, wreck our country, or eradicate our liberty. America will always be the proud, strong, and unyielding bastion of freedom.

Day the Democratic Party Died and New Democratic Party Was Born

Today is an anniversary that I expect will pass with little fanfare. The historical significance of the anniversary should not be underestimated though.

On January 22, 1973, former president Lyndon Johnson died and with him died the old ways of the Democratic Party. The backroom deals and arm twisting. The acknowledgement that the Democratic Party was first and foremost the party of the working man and his family. "God, country and a fair wage" could easily have been the motto of the old Democratic Party.

On that same day, 47-years ago the new Democratic Party was also born. On that day, 47-years ago, the Supreme Court handed down its Roe v Wade decision which in effect decriminalized abortion and magically turned it from a medical procedure into a woman's right in the process. Since Roe v Wade the Democratic Party has never been the same. Where do you stand on abortion is the first and foremost question any candidate for any office is asked. The abortion party has also become the protest party. "Judge - you and your wife have kids - so you obviously are against having abortions - therefore we must protest you and we must do it naked while throwing pies." Make no mistake this new Democratic Party is about abortion first (although immigration is creeping up the list) - every other issue is secondary - including the economy and national defense.

Since January 22, 1973 the Democratic Party has not run a candidate for President who has not been pro-abortion. This includes John Kerry who said he's a Catholic but that doesn't make sense since the Catholic Church is staunchly pro-life. I'm not optimistic that I'll see a pro-life Democratic candidate in my life.

The fact that the anniversary of the death of the old and birth of the new Democratic Party does not get any recognition is not surprising. Nobody celebrates or notes May 30th as the birth of the Republican Party.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Maybe, just maybe, and hear me out here - maybe the reason no shots were fired at the Virginia Second Amendment Rights protests is maybe because legally owning a gun isn't a sign of mental illness. It's like maybe, just maybe, the image of crazy, bitter, clingers is just a media creation. Gun Grabbing Democrats on the other hand - yeah that's very real... "The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." - Isaac Asimov... Heh Heh - too funny... Out of curiosity has Kate Upton commented on the Astros cheating yet? I mean she comments on everything else it seems. And her being married to Astros ace Justin Verlander would make this a subject she might know something about... If I were a player in the Super Bowl I'd answer every question on media day with "Hodor" and nothing but "Hodor." And I'd be the star of the day... Thank God he's out of Boston. Seriously thank God... The Babylon Bee is on a roll!... If CNN just replaced their "news" coverage with a live camera showing a banana taped to a wall - would their ratings improve? I think we all know the answer to that...

Naval Knowledge

Pearls of wisdom from Naval Ravikant:

- Finding Time to Invest in Yourself

- "Tears are just attachments pouring back out." - Naval Ravikant

- The Essential Naval Ravikant (summary of his 2019 podcast appearances and teachings).

Don't try to go through that last link in one sitting. It should be one of those things you bookmark and go back to periodically because there is so much knowledge to take in. I'd also recommend rewatching or listening to Naval's appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience at least twice a year (it's that good).