Musings

 No post yesterday as I treated myself to a concert and saw Rise Against at the Agora.  Good show; played a lot of B-sides (or, at least, songs they don't play often), as well as some old favorites.  Got an hour of music, which was good.  The two bands in front were fine two -- Spiritual Cramp and Microwave.  Quite a bit of punk in the first, and the second was more of a Strokes vibe.  One amusing moment...they were giving a "get out the vote" speech, which was fine, and of course they drifted into... how they (and we) needed to be LGBT allies, supporters of women's rights to choose... and in my section of the crowd, there was a decided silence, and even a few boos.  I was amused, of course.  But it was good to get out, and I guess I should go out and spend some money and do what I enjoy myself once in a while.

Yesterday we also had Mass for my parents -- quite nice -- and then we (myself, my sister, my aunt, uncle, and cousin) went to brunch at LA Pete's; I had not been there in 20 years, and it was good.  Bit pricey, but good.  I seem to recall my Mom didn't like going there because it was pricey, but we wanted a table for five, which is a stretch at the Chimney...then off to the volunteer appreciation lunch at Church, which was fairly celebratory, as we had a good Festival, and I think we made good bank.  Of course, we needed to, as the big Raise the Roof fundraiser is up next...

Dare I say the Deshaun Watson injury was...wildly, and widely celebrated?  I was rather fascinated by this; on the one hand, Myles Garrett is correct, and no one should be pleased by this.  On the other hand...well, Deshaun is Deshaun, having not exactly performed well this year, and with his history... to be sure, they can't boo (more) the Haslams, so... I am not sure the Browns know what to do anymore, save for maybe going 1-15?  Or does Jameis rally them to something approaching .500?

Speaking of football...Notre Dame is, what, 11th/12th in the football rankings, and if they win out, will make the expanded playoffs.  I find this interesting, because... well, if this was hoops, wouldn't they be considered something of a bubble team?  I ask because unlike the other teams, they have a rather glaring loss -- NIU, who is 4-3 and 1-2 in the MAC.  (Vandy is ranked, so 'Bama has that in their favor, and it seemed that tOSU lost one spot from its loss.)  In college basketball, we would be calling this out, examining their SoS, etc.  Different sports, different perceptions, but I find it interesting that in football, the NIU game is forgotten, but in hoops, a November loss can have immense relevance five months later.

Trump’s Interview With the Economic Club of Chicago Was Epic – PJ Media
More, Please: 'Bussin' With the Boys' Answers Serious WaPo Inquiry Re Their Trump Interview – HotAir
I listened to both of these things, and while it was not exactly hostile territory, these -- like the McDonald's appearance -- show why he is a good candidate.  He's funny; not terribly so, but... in the first one, he is sparring with a semi-hostile interviewer (and a friendly crowd) and he is... gently sparring with the guy?  It's impressive.  The second... I wouldn't exactly say it was awesome, but it was humorous, and if you are not exactly a politically aware guy, you would definitely get a good vibe...given the general trend of the campaign, and its need to attract male voters, this isn't the worst way to do it.

Saving lives and reducing crime: Insights from peer-reviewed studies of 24/7 Sobriety and ideas for future research - Niskanen Center
Interesting.  I like it.  The study rightly points out the social costs of crime and drinking, and this could be one way to get people off the drink and into productive (economically and socially) lives, which would also save money.  I am not surprised it would be tried in the Dakotas, given their blue-collar/independent/GOP ways, where it might not be the best to be shoving a hunk of your blue-collar workers in the clink every other week (without good reason).