Off the cliff

 Since I have been remiss in posting, I may as well do a double today...quite quiet actually.  Rested -- low blood sugar meant no cardio (up two pounds, ugh), but that is probably good -- I woke up about 2 last night and I could feel my upper calf getting a charley horse.  Obviously, two days of concerts standing around and not drinking much had affected me.  Normally, I would jerk my leg and risk the cramp, but this I was able to clamp down on the muscle, get out of bed, drink some water, and walk it off, so to speak.  It was tender for a bit but this morning, it seems, all is normal -- though I have tried to stay more than hydrated to be safe.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/27/us/arizona-republican-primary.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220727&instance_id=67796&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=99757&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f

I find this fascinating; even in AZ -- home of Barry Goldwater and John McCain, two varying strains of conservatism -- we see this populism taking hold.  Again, I like it, but it is certainly causing strains in our party.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/28/alito-mocks-foreign-critics-of-ruling-00048607

This is awesome...I remember in the movie "Jesus Camp" how they had all of the kids in the camp line up and pray in front of a cardboard cutout of W (who would have one of those?) and pray that he would choose the right justice...well, I think we can say that those prayers were answered.

https://www.outkick.com/cleveland-guardians-struggling-to-attract-fans-ratings-after-name-change/

Interesting... on the one hand, attendance is up over the COVID era, but... it's down quite a but since 2019.  And, if this is to be believed, the TV ratings are down.  In both cases, it's... well, not quite precipitous.  Now, of course, no one in the city's media community is going to ask them about it -- much less even ask a tough question, but -- a drop of double digits in TV ratings and attendance is sort of a big deal.  Mind you, I am certainly NOT surprised by this; in my circle of family and friends, interest in the clevelandbaseballteam is practically zero...

Concerts

 So. Friday night I went to see A Day to Remember at Nautica... I have never seen them -- it has been a while since they were in town -- and as they are one of my favorites...well, I couldn't resist.  It was awesome; getting there was a traffic catastrophe, so I missed the first band, but the other two -- Beartooth and The Ghost Inside -- were pretty solid; I may have to check them out more extensively.  ADTR was...incredible.  Played a long set -- over an hour -- and aside from the fact that I couldn't get any video from the rambunctious crowd... they rocked out hard.  Have said it once, said it again...the older I get, the harder I rock.  

Anyways, due to the traffic catastrophe getting out of the Flats, I decided to meander around (lots of people, lots of cops) and I discovered the Harbor Inn.  Never been, and it was on my list of places to visit... I went in.  It was...nice?  I mean, it's just an old dive bar, but it seemed nice and friendly -- eclectic mix of people in there.  If I had been around for my grandfather's bar, it would have reminded me of that.

So yesterday...I was chilling at home, planning a night of double gym day and catching up on some work...when a friend called.  He had an extra ticket to Elton John, and some transportation difficulties... and would I like to go?  So...on the one hand, no, on the other hand, how often do you get to see Elton John (despite my jokes he will do a tour next year)...so there I was, hauling ass to Lakewood to pick up my friend.  

And it was...fine?  I mean, it's not quite my favorite genre, but...I guess he did have some good songs, and while I am not quite a fan of the stadium appearance...it's not like I was paying for the tickets.  I am glad I went, mostly...it was funny; I had planned on parking west of downtown, but my friend was convinced you could park closer.  Once I stopped laughing, and he saw the $50 spots by the stadium...we ended up at E. 21st for $10.  Fine...except, of course, when it was time to go home, and we had to cross downtown (and the traffic) to get back to Lakewood...I told my friend I don't want to hear about his carbon footprint...

Musings

 Interesting news about the Build Back Better News, and the whole "Manchin is back in the Democratic Party" news.  I wonder... was he ever really as far out as indicated?  Did he hold this off until the last second to help Democratic prospects for the midterms?  Is there a secret deal in the works (the Cornhusker Kickback, wasn't that it?) that will come out later?  To be sure, it still has to get through, and with the crowded schedule... it probably will, but... will it help?  Maybe; the Senate just might not flip after all, though I think that is due to the GOP gifts we are handing out...

Almost done with Symonds' World War II At Sea.  It's an interesting read -- he spends a good deal of time discussing naval logistics, and quietly debunks the notion that the Allies followed a "Germany first" strategy; certainly, for much of the war, we spent as much -- if not more -- in the Pacific front against Japan.  It's also a fast read.  One, because I know a lot about it, and two, to cover the entire was in 650 pages, is a tall order.  But I have enjoyed it and found it to be educational, which is more than enough, especially when I have that Russian history tome looming.

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/bishop-paprocki-on-abortion-communion?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Interesting.  I have heard all of this before, of course, but not all at once, and not with the same nuance.  I also listened to one of the speeches given at the Michigan Right to Life Dinner where Coach Harbaugh spoke.  (I should have bookmarked the link.)  The priest in question used the Ray Rice video to point out that it defined what domestic violence was for a lot of people... yet you can see videos of abortions, or even hear testimonies as to what the procedures entail, but not in the mainstream media... like we have to wonder why,,,

Absence

 Definitely NOT going to wait three days before posting a blog this time.  :)  Good day today, albeit one with low blood sugar all day (I should probably talk to the doctor about this), so no gym.  Alas.  I did finally cut the grass and ran the string trimmer; this was a mixed blessing.  One the one hand, I did all of the front yard and it looks good.  On the other, I used it to cut down the tall weeds on the side of the house, which smacked up the string in the trimmer.  If you think I can't tie shoes, you ought to see me with the string in the wheel.  Anyways, cutting down the tall weeds really tore up the string -- I had it at the perfect length for grass -- and I will have to unwind it and reset the next time I need to weedwhack.  Alas.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/07/will-republicans-shut-out-the-press-in-2024

This could be me, but why on earth would ANY Republican want to consort with the press?  As the one commentator noted, you used to be able to get a fair shake, but not now, so... as with so many other groups, they brought it on themselves, so... learn to live with it.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-the-gop-freakout-over-jd-vances-senate-campaign?ref=home

This was true before the latest contretemps... now, it could be that he is stockpiling money for the fall, and intends to bury Ryan then, which is doable...especially if things are craptastic.  On the other hand, no one seems to have any evidence that this is happening, and Ryan is defining himself, so now Vance will have to un-define him...would have been easier to define him on your own terms.  Oi.  I have still have hope and faith in the guy, but... we need to get the campaign going.

Catching Up

 Quite the hiatus in blogging -- and not intentional, I assure you.  Saturday I just sort of caught up on stuff and chilled.  Sunday was quite nice; after Mass and gym I did some chores -- cleaned the basement bathroom (why do I let the shower go so long?), moved stuff -- all is ready for the plumbing crew to go in and fix everything there.  I even completed a couple of minor paperwork projects -- not exactly huge, but good to see a couple of paper piles disappear.  Even took a brief nap!  The productivity ended when a friend called me and invited me to dinner -- he made fish and pasta (new dish) and since the wife was out...he invited everyone else in his life.  And it was a good time; good chow and interesting conversation, what could be better?  The only downside was my friend just finished a 650-page book on Russian history, and offered it to me to read, given I love the subject... as I have a shelf full of books, I will work it in, but...  oi.  I did finish The London Cage Sunday, which discussed the British efforts to get info out of German POWs during the war.  Good read.  24!

Today I went with a former co-worker to see "Nope," the Jordan Peele film.  It was...ok?  Good?  Not quite my genre, and I had incredibly low expectations about the film going in, and it was...enjoyable enough?  I wouldn't go Logan Paul about it, but it was...fine.  Humorously, we went to the Capitol Theatre, to which I had not been.  It was $5 night, but considering my drive...well, you get the drift.  The place is nice -- old, you can imagine how grand it would have been back in the day, but now... well, honestly. it was nice to see a film in traditional settings -- no lean back vibrating rotating seats, that sort of thing.

The start of a weekendaul

 A weekend is upon us, and I am sort of looking forward to it.  I mean, if I can catch up on some stuff, get some stuff done, maybe do a little cleaning and organizing -- and get some reading in -- and I will consider it a raging success.  Had a good workout at the gym -- aside from the tight hamstring and the bumping my diaphragm on the weight bench -- and a nice and healthy dinner... still a bit fat, but... 

https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/the-wreck-of-bidenomics

This could be me, but plenty of people saw this coming -- some of this, at least, in part, and others, like Joe Manchin, as it was happening -- and no one of course believed them.  Now, of course, we are all suffering, and as like to say, no one is going to suffer because of that.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/21/jan-6-riot-trump-capitol-00047018

This is hilarious!  And ironic, of course.  I do wonder, more seriously, what the GOP will do with the committee once they re-take the House.  I mean, they could just jettison it, though it appears they will go off and use it to investigate some of their own favorite flogging Mollies.  I wonder what would happen if they decided to look at the underlying factors of the riots, and then decided to look at, say, abuses by elites -- Nancy Pelosi's husband and his DUI and stock trades, for instance.  This way you could generate positive publicity while of course "Investigating" actual abuses.  Given how GOPers tend to fritter advantages away all the time, I am sure this one will go the same way of all things...

A New Not-So-Miserable Experience

 So, yesterday I drove to Columbus, met the boys, and then we all drove to Dayton to see Toad the Wet Sprocket/Gin Blossoms/Bare Naked Ladies.  Ok, we bailed early from the last one, but it was good to see all of the bands and, more importantly, the boys.  It was fun, and I have not seen them for a while.  The venue was nice, and it was clearly an older crowd -- I should get used to this, but I am not.  Perhaps the only bad thing was I decided to drive home after the show (from Cbus).  I didn't need a coffee break or anything -- one can go almost 80 with no one on the road, but it was 2 when I got to bed, and while I slept in a bit... I was tired all day.  Plus, given I have a bunch of Cbus restaurants on my food list... I should have stayed over and hit one.

Dinner with the sister today -- we are trying to do this every month or so, just because... we do get along fabulously well, so this is no big deal.  We met at Si Senor around the corner from me (sort of) and it was quite good...I should go back there, as they had a few items I wouldn't mind trying.  Caught up on the family news, discussed stuff -- the apartments where Mom rented from now start at $1,100 a month for a one bedroom -- and it was wonderful.  

On the one hand, I have the prospect of a weekend with very little to do... on the other hand, that is not true, as there are many things I could be doing, and should be, like cleaning, organizing closets, moving stuff, throwing stuff out, getting the basement ready, organizing some files, etc.  Hell, there is also the matter of the grass that needs to be cut.  If I can pull three of the above off I will be the overachiever of the year...

Moderate amusement

 Interesting day -- woke up during the night with low blood sugar (sort of stayed there all day), felt droopy all day, took two hour nap after work... nodded off after Jeopardy, too, so now, of course, I can't sleep.  Sigh.  I guess it is fine -- I needed the rest, in the end -- but I know my biorhythms are off, I feel fat, and of course I could have been more productive during the day.  Sigh. 

Watched "Cooley High" today -- 796.  Billed as the Black version of "American Graffiti," and it sort of was, complete with the text bios of what happened to everyone at the end of the film.  It was ok; some parts of it were amusing, some were not, and while I know I am not the target audience... well, at least the soundtrack was pretty good.  Funny and sad; all that classic music of the Motown era -- and before that -- is pretty much all but a memory, and a fading one at that. 

Watched some of the compliance stuff for the food pantry from the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.  One thing they stressed, of course, is that eventually the "emergency" funding they get from the federal government is going to end, and they will lose funding...um, yeah.  I mean, while the country is not back to where it was, COVID isn't as much of a problem as other things -- such as inflation, which is only going to be exacerbated by more government spending.  I didn't want to email them a comment along the lines of they can do what everyone else is doing and cut back on expenses, but I was sorely tempted...

Antics

 I've decided my Saturdays are way too busy, and also that this is unlikely to change...I was supposed to meet friends for lunch, but forgot about a Christening...oops.  Oi.  It wasn't too bad; an afternoon in Tremont is wonderful, especially when you get in and out of there with dignity, wallet, and car windows intact.

I did have a free Sunday, which was nice.  I finished the book I was reading -- combat vignettes about WWI -- which is good, as we need to start polishing more off.  Met a friend for coffee, ate some leftovers, played with the budget; this is a thing, as Friday I had the issue of the "check engine" light solved -- two sensors, $800.  Yeech.  I mean, I can afford it, and one cannot drive around with the thing on, but... all of the progress made on debt reduction has been erased.  Alas.

I did go to the St. Paul's Greek Festival today with a friend... it was good, but the prices...yowza.  $15 for a lamb shank entree -- no sides -- and one of those was $4.  The rice pudding was $4 (and a decent portion), but at this pace, I am not sure I will be racing back next year.  My friend also noted that the back parking lot was (using my phrase, I love that) a WWI battlefield, so the Behemoth is now the official travel vehicle of such fest.

One of my (new) coworkers suggested I watch "Something Ventured," a look at the role of venture capital in funding and growing some of America's greatest and most famous companies.  It was interesting; the concept was quite new in the 50s and 60s (news to me), but I would have liked to have heard more about the misses --  there are far more of them, both in terms of companies that did not return their investments and companies that made it anyways.... that would have more exciting, to me at least.

Travels and Travails

 Interesting day.  Starting with the latest.  I was supposed to meet some friends at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel fest for dinner, but they baled -- COVID, I get it -- so I went their myself.  This was largely fine; I mean, much as I may hate walking 900 miles around Gordon Square, I am a fatass, so it's not the worst.  Anyways, the meatball sub was decent (I was starving; late dinner) and I ordered food to go.  I soon realized -- in the car, of course -- that they forgotten my cannoli (nor was the gun left) and that the pasta container was loose, so my bag of stuff was covered in the santorum of pasta sauce.  Oi.  On the one hand, I always get screwed (or they try to) at the Greek Fest in North Royalton when I go, so maybe I got that out of the way.  On the other... well, the pasta was pretty good, and if I can't afford an extra $5 for an urban ethnic parish...maybe I should just sit down and enjoy dinner. 

Earlier in the day I went out to Our Lady of Hope to see their food pantry in operation/visit the empire/meet the team.  It was quite nice -- very efficient operation.  They don't serve quite the volume of people we do at the OC, which is a good sign, if you will, but they seemed to have the proper Vincentian spirit, and they were all quite kind to me.  As always, I have a pageful of notes and ideas....

Finished off the Guelzo book (22) and started another.  As I have read two this week and will add about 6 this weekend to the list, I hardly find this a raging success...but it is progress of a sort.  Sort of like my bookmark list; a few days ago it was nearly empty, and now there are a dozen things on it, at least.   Oi...

Progress great and small

 Behold the Christmas miracle today!  I was surfing the TV Guide when I realized that "Bless Their Little Hearts" (a film on the NFR) was playing on TCM tonight...so I fired up the coffee and watched.  It was ok -- it's an African-American film from the 80s about a factory worker whose life is collapsing.  I am not quite the target audience, but the languid pace served it well, I think.  The camera work was also impressive; you could see in the little details how things were slowly unraveling.  Wasn't the best, wasn't the worst...795.  One takes what progress one can get.

Did a gym double today -- chest in the AM, legs in the PM -- and it felt good.  Even did a double of cardio, which was good for the reading.  Finished the Holmes pastiche -- decent, but a little long -- and started Guelzo's Reconstruction: A Concise History (which is what it is).  I guess I should read any of the other dozen longer books he has done on the subject.  I love listening to him on some of the various Civil War talks I listen to during the day; his sonorous voice could make the phone book seem scintillating.

https://www.outkick.com/bill-burr-rips-feminists-for-not-supporting-wnba-none-of-you-went-to-the-fing-games/

Hahahaha.  I have made this point many a time, often to "birthing people," and of course they look at me like I am insane.  Which, I am, but if women don't support women's sports...why should I have to?

First World Disappointments

 Met a friend for dinner at Blue Habanero today.  Yes, I had already been, but he had not (nor does he know how much I love Gordon Square) and so there we were.  It was... ok?  My dinner was a bit spicy, and the rice portion was a lot larger than that of the meat.  Service was spotty, too; I had to literally beg for refills, which was more problematic, given the old spicy factor...  Alas.  At least parking was only crappy -- it was a Monday, after all.  I will try to steer our next rendezvous to someplace more suburban, with little hope of success...

https://www.steynonline.com/12632/this-butcher-yard-michael-caine-and-zulu

You know, I love this movie!  I mean, I know it is problematic now, but... it's like Bunker Hill, but if the colonists had 1/10 the men and the British had three times as many.  Who doesn't love the "Dewey Defeats Truman" or "Rocky" story?  The acting is solid, the story is...well, inspirational, and it is just a tale of pluck and courage against incredible odds.  

Speaking of love, who doesn't find the latest Elon Musk caper to be hilarious?  Now he doesn't want to buy the company he thought was so worthy of his expert attention?  They can sue him to force him to go through with the sale?  Not that anyone loves a lawyer fight, but this one will make the Theranos trial seem like tiddlywinks.

I ordered some books and a movie on the NFR from the library today...and that is a problem, as it is the last one in the Ohiolink system that I can find (and access).  A few are in the system but local use only, which is a damn shame...  Anyways, I can peruse youtube aggressively to find a few, but the rest I will have to catch as catch can, or purchase... and we all know how I feel about that.

Sunday Funday

 Long day yesterday, so today I... took a nap.  Guess I needed it.  More seriously, it has been good.  I finished book 21 -- To Keep and Bear Arms -- which concerns the historical development of the right to bear arms, first in the UK, and then in the US.  Basically... well, it evolved/changed from monarch to monarch and Parliament to Parliament, but at no point in English history between 1603 and 1789 did the right mean that Englishmen did NOT have the right to bear arms (at least for home defense); such stuff as hunting or carrying arms outside could change.  But it was never proscribed in the UK (until modern times).  In the US, of course, the first thing that the colonies/states did was to erase any limits on gun ownership; indeed, in many cases, it was required, as was service in the militia.  My kind of state...

Funny; I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch, didn't really feel like it, then heard Fr. Paschall's sermon (it was the parable of the Good Samaritan for the Gospel) about how being Christlike is being there for someone, so...after the gym I decided to make sure I saw him.  He, amusingly, texted me -- tired after a double and wanted a rain check.  But I am definitely on track for later in the week.

https://www.thebulwark.com/can-democrats-find-their-fear-and-rage/

https://amgreatness.com/2022/07/07/republican-voters-want-blood-will-their-leaders-deliver/

This bodes poorly for the future, right?  A nice fear-based election; reminds me of 1860.  To be sure, nothing like fear to gin up the base on both sides.  I am not that the GOP leadership and its base are in line; I can't imagine them demanding hides for the past two or four years, but a lot of GOP voters are pissed and want blood, and, in some cases, I think it is more than justified...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-glaring-contradiction-of-republicans-rhetoric-of-freedom/ar-AAZlRsc?li=BBnb7Kz

This could be me, but freedom to kill a child is a freedom that I don't think anyone should have...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/is-the-catholic-church-under-attack/ar-AAZlMew?li=BBnb7Kz

The Church is often under attack!  Indeed, one can argue that its Truths are most upheld when it is under the greatest pressure!  Think of the martyrs of Rome, those in Mexico during the 20s (Socialism in action), even those missionaries like Fr. Damien.  More seriously, I can't help but think that a bunch of pro-murder advocates running around attacking churches would be ideal for GOP electoral prospects...

Achievement

It was a good day today!  I actually finished some things.  One, I cleaned up a pile of paperwork that I had been putting off/got sidetracked on.  The room already looks cleaner, and if I can handle some more tomorrow and Sunday...such adulting.  At work I finished entering data into a spreadsheet set that I was charged with doing; I will fully update it Monday (and do so regularly going forward) but all were pleased that I finally finished that (the finally is my addition; all of the other stuff to do pushed the spreadsheet to the back burner).

I also finished the "Cocktails With a Curator" series of lectures (just those; not the associated ones, which are next) put out by the Frick Museum (let's not discuss his incredible legacy of shitting on the American worker, thank you very much).  They were quite informative -- a lot of times, the piece in question was highly tangential to the discussion, which was fine -- but the cocktails...I suspect everyone in the art world is a raging alcoholic.  It would, at least, explain the popularity of modern art. 

One thing I need to do is return to gym doubles; none were done this week, as I slept in a bit or recovered sleep from low blood sugar.  Grrr.   I do need the cardio, I need to burn calories, and I need to get more reading done.  Alas.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/red-states-winning-post-pandemic-economy-migration-11657030536?mod=hp_lead_pos10

I am shocked, shocked, by this.  Next you're going to tell me that Joe Biden is doing a crappy job as President and can't even read a teleprompter....

https://www.newsweek.com/expand-supreme-court-lot-opinion-1721105

This is hilarious; I mean, this is something the GOP should consider -- if only in jest -- in 2025, when President Desantis should have a GOP Senate and plenty of quotes from progressives about packing the Supreme Court.  I can only imagine how he would call them out on their hypocrisy in opposing such a move at that time...

Sadness

 Pub Quiz tonight, and...we lost.  We were close going into the Final J! round, and -- betting it all, as we do -- we proceeded to blow a 50/50 question, and that was that.  Very sad.  Somber and morose, as I told one of my friends after, to which he responded by asking how I react when confronted with actual tragedies.  Poorly, I assured him.  I also had the indignity of having to answer questions with the answers of "Jane Fonda" (I booed loudly) and "The Dixie Chicks" (I snorted contemptuously).  Much sadness all around.  Alas.

I was sort of surprised to see BoJo go.  Not saying he shouldn't have, but he was -- to me -- the ultimate political survivor.  Like another certain politician with three wives, ethical scandals, bad hair, and a problem with truthiness, his problems were mainly caused by himself, but I would have thought he could have been able to put together a leadership team to withstand this.  Alas.  Not to be.  

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/07/07/desantis-trump-democracy-00044494

I think this is quite right, but...ever notice that with liberals, the current GOP President is always exponentially worse than the last one?  In Trump's early days they were saying they missed Bush, and I am sure before a month is out in President DeSantis' term they will be saying they miss Trump -- mainly for the reasons in the article.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/07/dr-oz-gop-pennsylvania-senate-00044483
They mention the OH race in this one, and... they're right.  This IS a problem.  Newsweek had an article saying that Ryan is up 9, which seems high, but as he is on the air -- defining himself, attacking Vance -- and JD is not... that's an issue, putting it mildly.  I would like to think that the GOP should NOT be outfunded in battleground states, and given the Biden/Dems polling situation, this is ridiculous.  It is toxic for them but if they can drum up the base, you have to appeal to more Election Day voters, and that isn't necessarily a given.

Completion

 So, yesterday I didn't blog -- I was instead doing two things that I had been putting off for a while.  First, I finally watched "Nightmare on Elm Street."  I had planned to watch it over the weekend, but was with other things...anyways, as we know, I am not exactly a fan of horror films, so I never watched it -- or any of the 42 versions subsequent -- til it was added to the NFR for 2021.  It was...not bad.  I mean, I will never be a fan of the genre, but it was...not as bloody as I thought.  (Several have told me that later films are gorefests, but the earlier ones were...more normal.)  Like "Halloween," there was more suspense and drama involved.  Special effects were interesting.  One certainly cannot doubt the cultural significance of the film, either.  I wouldn't watch the rest, but...there have been many far worse films.  794!

I also finished Ian O'Connor's Coach K, the behind-the-scenes-yet-authorized bio of the awesomest coach of America's greatest basketball program.  (I couldn't resist.)  It was...good, of course.  Certainly, it was not unflinching -- discussing his temper, negative interactions with student press, that sort of thing.  The last 1/3 of the book discussed modern recruiting and the "perception" that there are two standards for NCAA punishment -- one for Duke, one for everyone else.  I am not unmindful of the perception, but... on the other hand -- and this was mentioned by several assistant coaches -- that it comes from the top to not cheat; indeed, the impression I got was that there was a reluctant to even come too close to the lines, if you will.  All of this, it seems, comes from Coach K.  Also... could be me, but I would imagine that many schools have simply created a different apparatus for this payola and cheating (OSU, for instance); the coaches and such don't necessarily have to know these things, only a vague (and thus untrackable) knowledge that stuff will be "taken care of."  I don't think this is right, of course, but... it's awfully convenient.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jun/28/do-we-need-a-new-theory-of-evolution

Interesting; my usual snarky comments about the science being settled notwithstanding...first, I would think that the theory of evolution should....evolve as scientific knowledge advances.  Second, more seriously...I think we all know that history -- and life -- is not a constant process of slow and steady change.  Things happen -- war speeds up the pace of innovation, new technologies force us to adjust -- so why should not the story of life not act in a similar way?  I would think these discoveries could be adapted into the the concept of evolution as a whole, and in a positive way...

The Glorious Fourth

 Yet another weekend of not blogging... funny; Saturday I was doing other things -- a fun housewarming, a hearty workout at the gym, and then Sunday I took a nice, four-hour nap in the middle of the day.  Today I went to my sister's and met some friends, then came home and did some work.  I have been doing a contract project for my old employer, and I finally finished it.  To be sure, there will be reviews and such, so this is not over, but... let's just hope it gets resolved soon.   The extra cash will be nice, but I do not want to do it again.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/07/happy-independence-day.php

I get a kick out of stuff like this; you'd think GOPers would be running around asking them exactly what it is that makes them hate American so much, or at least call them out more forcefully on it.  Yes, I know, when your opponent is drowning, you don't throw them a lifeline, but...  To be sure, with another mass shooting, one does feel slightly less hopeful, but most of our problems...as always, are of our own volition...

Earthquakes

 I was off today -- mostly; caught up on some stuff, slept in a bit, answered some emails... also went and paid the property taxes, always amusing on Independence Day weekend (especially those Cuyahoga County ones).  I went to the mall to pick up some books -- finally got the Coach K bio -- and then did a gym double (but only one cardio; low blood sugar, oi).  I weighed in at under 192 pounds today, which sort of surprised me.  I mean, I have been snacking less -- save for some ice cream -- but I have been eating lots of fish and veggies, which is most of it.  Might do some walking around this weekend, just to burn a few more...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-remains-of-thomas-jefferson-11656687364?mod=hp_listb_pos3

Interesting take; largely correct, too, I think.  I do think we have to come to terms with this issue, and... one thing people tend to forget was that -- prior to 1790, say -- slavery was not exactly unprofitable, but also...well, many slaveowners (including Jefferson and Washington) had plans to get out of the business, if you will; Washington freed his slaves (on death) and others did as well.  I don't think the slaveowners in 1789 would have agreed to end the importation of slaves if they had thought it was still a good investment.  Now, I don't think they wanted it go away (fully), but one could argue that they saw it going there (eventually).  Then the cotton gin was invented, and... all bets were off.

So, the college football world is ablaze with the big news about the Big Ten expansion...  I don't know, maybe this is me, but aside from the LA media market... what are they adding?  Two football teams that have been mediocre lately; maybe Lincoln Riley might move the needle some... men's hoops adds UCLA and USC, which is a historic area and some decent teams, but.. the Pac-10 has been down lately, there.  Not sure what else, aside from travel time and a devalued Rose Bowl.  Maybe if they add more schools, but... how the hell do you arrange them?