Unmoored

Very sleepy...not really resting well, work is the usual, other stresses...and you can feel it.  Alas.  Here I am now...

Anyways, up to 592 on the film list.  Watched "Black and Tan," a short from 1929 (starring Duke Ellington) today -- interesting, a bit maudlin, but it was 1929.  I also watched "Wuthering Heights," which was...well, I was not a fan of the book, and really didn't like this one, either, even though they cut the story off at the death of Catherine, which at least solved the problem of its length.  I will admit it was well done, and the acting was first-rate...

The 40-man machinations are interesting; not sure Brandon Barnes is the answer; I do like the pitchers today that were added, not that anyone is really going to replace Shaw, but someone like Neil Ramirez could move into the McAllister role (he moves up, oi) or be another Dan Otero -- they have been successful at finding back-end relief, the front office, and that is not a bad skill to have..

https://www.vox.com/2016/5/16/11684776/elizabeth-warren-pocahontas

One reason, I think, that Trump does is because...well, a certain bunch of GOPers do not think the party fights back enough (the Franken and Conyers thing are an opportunity, for instance) and this is one case -- against a leading light, to boot -- where he is attacking... and the base, while they may like the guy, they do like him when he does this...

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/27/16678584/bill-clinton-sexual-misconduct-liberals

What?  I prefer hypocrisy as the reason, myself...

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-11-29/keep-churches-tax-break-with-strings-attached

I think this is largely correct, but her first footnote -- see my previous comment -- is what I think inflames a certain bunch on the GOP side (I am not saying the racist fringe, though it does; I think it is more the people in the 52/48 communities who have trouble winning elections as it is) is one reason why this is a problem; everyone knows the role the church plays in boosting African-American turnout, and the rules are seldom enforced against them...  like it or not, they should be... so if the rules are not to be enforced, then take advantage of them, and thus derive your own advantages...

Links

https://theathletic.com/160121/2017/11/20/hoop-thoughts-getting-rid-of-one-and-done-would-hurt-the-game/

I am not sure this is quite true; I mean, sure, for the 20 or so who make this decision, yes, it would suck.  But...for one thing, everyone said the one and dones would ruin the game, and it hasn't.  So having truly talented players around for two years would be bad? I think not.  And, truth be told, I think in some cases these guys would benefit from an extra year of college coaching and age-appropriate competition.  Also... given the FBI scrutiny, which, I think, would dampen the sort of extracurricular activities (at least the most brazen)... wouldn't this be a good time to try something new and put the rule in, when coaches and staffs are on somewhat better behavior?

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/28/no-republicans-arent-hypocrites-on-family-values-215873

We're also better people, too.  :)

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/christinerousselle/2017/11/27/cokie-roberts-oh-we-all-knew-to-avoid-getting-in-an-elevator-with-rep-conyers-n2414826

For all the talk of the Project Veritas scandal -- and let's face it, they really shit the bed here -- this, I think, should be getting MORE publicity.  Also, this sort of thing underscores the need for Project Veritas, because...well, reading this story, one would think that the average reporter exists only to dig dirt up on and attack GOPers; I don't know...as I said during the last gubernatorial race, if John Kasich had been with a chick in a parked car, we;d know everything about her...but a Dem from Cuyahoga County...silence.

Missteps

So, I watched "Musketeers of Pig Alley" tonight -- D.W. Griffith short, fairly interesting... I thought it was #589, but I counted the films I have not seen...and came up with 103, which means I have seen 597... hmm..  I think I will reprint the list when the next round of 25 comes up and re-audit the whole thing...  It would be funny as hell if I tried to push through to 600 and surpassed it by mistake...

https://www.amazon.com/Legends-Club-Krzyzewski-Valvano-Basketball/dp/0804173176/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511840378&sr=8-1&keywords=the+legends+club+john+feinstein

Am reading this right now; quite interesting (Duke just won its first national title); lots of famous names, lots of interesting stories, and, well, I do sort of like sports history; not sure why.  Funny; a friend of mine came over this weekend; he is half-Jewish, and sure enough, he saw the pile of WWII books on the shelves and the library offerings about Nazi Empire-Building...well, he knows me well enough to not offer me up for fawning NYT profile, but it is close.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-27/in-greenwich-and-manhattan-tax-hike-fears-fuel-talk-of-exodus

I get a kick out of these articles, because, well, if your economy is sooo dependent on these revenues in the first place, it would seem to me that yes, you would be susceptible to...shock, if you will, if people moved away.  Call me crazy, but some diversification, if you will, might be wise.

Getting a kick out of the Schiano thing; as I suggested (as did others!), the KSU job would be ideal for him -- smaller school, desperate for a winner, and he could rebuild his...well, reputation?  I don't know; he did make Rutgers decent (decent enough?) for a while (5-1 in bowl games); I would think the KSU people would kill for that.  I think the main issue is that he hasn't really erased his bad rep from Rutgers and Tampa Bay in being a jackass... to say nothing of the fact that at times the OSU offense has not exactly looked stellar...  If I was agent, I would have told him to pipe down for a couple of years and wait for something that might not have been better, but would have been...well, easier to manage...

Turkey Post-Mortems

It was an interesting weekend... Turkey Day was fine; ate too much, but lots of QFT, as always. Hung out with friends Thursday night and Friday; went to the West Side Market and Rising Star Coffee (good but pricey, so not sure I would run back).  Went to an OSU party yesterday and today I have been sitting around, doing nothing, and checking emails and catching up on things... also figuring I should start cleaning the house soon, because, well, I should.  Rah.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/how-entitlement-programs-ruined-our-politics/article/2641405

I think this is correct, but as someone who will never receive Social Security (or Medicare)...well, maybe we just have to reduce the current obligations, or, better yet, reduce government spending so that we can cover what we have and maybe reduce some of that debt?  Crazy talk, but it might just work...

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/25/want-to-know-why-roy-moore-might-win-blame-the-media-215863?lo=ap_c1

I thought this was largely but not entirely true yesterday, and today...we have Al Franken keeping his seat for now and Nancy Pelosi calling John Conyers an icon...now, the latter may be true, but for a lot of people, of course, he is also Exhibit B in sexual hijinks in Washington gone amok, and thus the argument for keeping Roy Moore -- which was always one of realpoltik  -- has been greatly strengthened.  Alas. 

On to more important news...short of OSU putting 70 on the Badgers -- and getting help elsewhere -- they are not making the playoff.  I don't think this is the worst thing in the world, but I can see how some others would...

It's A Wonderful Film

Turkey Day has came and almost went; as always, ate too much, had quality family time, and didn't have any fights, so it was a good day (also, Duke won, which helps).

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-11-21/wait-you-mean-voting-can-violate-the-voting-rights-act
The title says it all, amusingly.

Am up to 588 on the Movie List; I viewed "A Time Out of War," a short, a few days ago -- it was ok -- and Tuesday I violated a personal pledge to watch... "It's A Wonderful Life," which I had sworn never to see.   I was hanging out with some friends/coworkers, they couldn't believe it, and we watched...

While it wasn't the worst movie I've seen...well, for all of the hullabaloo about it...well, it was a little maudlin/cheesy/gay/saccharine.  Ok, a lot.  I realize it's a holiday movie, but...two hours of it was a little much.  It also took a while to develop, and, like a lot of Capra films, the deux ex machina ending was...forced.  Like many films I've seen, I expected... more.  Alas.  But... it also wasn't awful, I did get a kick out of some parts, and for people who are somewhat less hard-hearted than myself (94% of the population, conservatively estimated).. I can see how they would like it, of course.

Two in a row

Snow!  I have to admit, I was surprised to see it, even if wasn't that much...the principle, I guess.  Let us hope it stays away the rest of the week. 

Performed some minor home repair...the toilet was hissing, and after a quick google search, I discovered I needed a new fill valve and that I could do it myself.  So, today, after Mom duty, off I went to the hardware store, bought the fill valve, and put it in...for now, it works.  I think I need a new toilet (mine is 25 years old, at least) and I prolly could use a snaking, but... so far, I feel...special.

Up to 586 on the film list.  Watched "The Thin Blue Line" a few days ago (didn't shake my faith in capital punishment, I can assure you) and today I watched "Woman Under the Influence," which was... well, a long slog.  I can see how it was interesting, but...well, enough said.  I still intend to hit 600 by the end of the year...though I also think I need to maybe recount.  Anyways, I have a bunch coming in to the library, and thanx to the wonders of Netflix...methinks we will make it.

I am very tired today; maybe all the work, or maybe all the lack of sleep, but I was dead most of the afternoon and today... I will of course soon be going to bed, where I can then lie awake for a couple of hours or so.

Back to the white water...

So, it's been a long week, with work going swimmingly, so...it;s been a while.  OC duty this month -- the last two weeks we were incredibly busy, not quite records but close, and while it was good to get rid of things, like the winter blankets, and most of the produce, it was still sort of a zoo... so I am not sad to see duty come to an end.

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/11/reckoning-with-bill-clintons-sex-crimes/545729/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_daily202
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/%e2%80%98what-about-bill%e2%80%99-sexual-misconduct-debate-revives-questions-about-clinton/ar-BBF1tmr?li=BBnb7Kz

These stories amused the hell out of me, of course... I mean, it is a little late, you know, especially for those of us who mentioned this before... More to the point, I think that the response of the left to this issue 20 years ago has really lived on to this day....

1)  The idea of "He is a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch" quickly became legitimized (at least moreso; I am not sure it was ever NOT a principle), but it now became a standard defense...such as Roy Moore. At the very least, it removed the "principled objection" rider that party members could use.

2)  The fact that it was feminists who were defending a rapist and a sexual harasser and rode him into the last ditch...not that men really trusted them in the first place, but for a lot of people, this was a bit much... so I think for a lot of people, the idea that feminism was a real and important thing...well, it is, but not as that espoused by feminists.  

3)  There is also three, which is the class thing... I told my coworkers that Democrats want to be the party of "Friends" (and "Will and Grace,"), but the problem with that is then the people who are "Roseanne" and are already somewhat alienated from the party....    well, they are now going to more likely to vote for GOPers for cultural reasons, etc...    this is fine, but as we learned in 2016, more of them are located in the swing states, where they weren't, you know, wasted...

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/13/16642458/roy-moore-doug-jones-poll-alabama-senate

This also amused me, as, well, after a while, if you keep attacking people and their beliefs (and I think this is happening, even if not by intent), well... people will reasonably conclude they ARE hostile to you and ignore you and attack you back.  Alas... not.

Conclusion

A long week of work is sort of over; I have a mandated off day tomorrow for the holiday, but I have some work to catch up on at home, so.... alas.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/12/conservatism-without-bigotry/544128/

I think both are right here, though I again refer to my previous points, and two... it's not prejudice to point out that something that costs a lot and might not work and thus might not be done...  well, I realize it is racism for some people, but for others...

http://victorygirlsblog.com/poor-dont-pay-enough-taxes/#more-66153

True, in that you have to have some skin in the game to play...

My own take on the elections is:  Yes, it was bad for the GOP, but it was also expected, particularly at the big races at the top.  On the other hand, it is also hard for GOP voters to get excited; you need more achievements than a Supreme to get people to the polls.  Repealing Obamacare -- I know there are RINOs who are causing this -- is a start.  Tax reform could work; I for one wonder why infrastructure has been neglected (it worked for Kevin Spacey on "House of Cards," you know; or is that too soon?)...  the optics, at least, are favorable, and no one cares about debt if you see guys in hard hats, you know, actually working.

Roy Halladay's death was a shocker, especially since he was my age and he was pretty damn good; I wonder if he has the numbers to get in the HOF; he does have the Koufax argument in great but short peak and a lot of CGs, as well as the no-no in the postseason.  And, now, a tragic death as well...

Bakeries

After all the blogging progress... well, here we are.  Work has been and will be going swimmingly, if you get my drift.  Pub Quiz was third...

Also...went to Dayton Thursday nite; my college roomie's mother died, and you know my policy there... so there I was, giving support.  One thing I liked about the town; the radio stations were solid, music-wise.  Another interesting thing (if not surprising); we went to BW-3 to hang out post-wake, and, well, during the national anthem...the bar stopped.  Most impressive.  My Mom would have loved it.  Also....BW-3 has gotten pricey; I mean, it used to be cheap to eat there, and now... well, not so much.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/where-to-draw-line-on-free-speech-wedding-cake-case-vexes-lawyers/ar-AAuux7T?li=BBnbcA1

This could be me, but it really shouldn't vex the lawyers....if you look at it from a market perspective.  Quite frankly, if a business announces such a policy, and survives...more power to them (or the reverse).  My own theory is that most bakeries and such would make it, as there are a lot of Christians in the US, to say nothing of GOPers like me who would go to Jesus cakes just to piss off the village liberals... and the mere existence of said bakery would piss off the village liberal.  It would be a win-win situation -- they have their outrage, I get my cookies -- but no one quite sees it that way, do they now?