Intractable

Another long day -- a good day, but a long one nonetheless.  I had our quarterly District Presidents' meeting for SVDP today, and one of the things we discussed was the increasing number of calls for help we are getting.  I was of two tracks -- on the one hand, yes, we have to help as many people as we can, but on the other hand, we don't quite have the resources to do this.  It was mentioned that we could spent ALL our money this week and next week the call volume would be worse!  I do not have a solution for this, but while everyone wants to help...a lot of our parishes (especially mine) can't carry the load themselves.  I don't think we can carry it all together, as well.  Much of this is outside of what we do -- the economy, systemic poverty, etc.  To be sure, maybe it is something we should try to do...

The Voting Rights Act is now a ‘dead letter’ after latest Supreme Court decision - POLITICO
This is pretty big!  There is the whole Act II of redistricting (it worked so well for us the first time, so let's do it again), but I also think there is something to be said that we are NOT the same society as we were in the 60s.  Indeed, you can say that it is a little offensive to assume that we have not evolved.  I realize getting rid of the whole kit and caboodle is a no-go, but maybe it should be...

The Morning Briefing: Brandon Gill Gives a Master Class on Questioning an Abortion Ghoul – PJ Media
This is brutally effective, and we need more of it!

The Jevons Employment Effect From AI | The Daily Spark
This is interesting but if you think of it not that surprising.  It is just that the transition is difficult for people on the other end of the spear; true we didn't need that many blacksmiths after the car was mainstreamed, but what did we do with them while it happened?  Again, there are a host of problems that I don't know how to solve, but it is a bit irregular, to put it mildly, to not have a plan for them.

Popping Up

Yet another hiatus, so...let's fill in.  Thursday night I was just tired -- long day of work -- and then I went to bed early.  Friday night I did not go to bed early.  Continuing with the theme of the long week, I decided to treat myself to a night out and went to Mahall's in Lakewood for Emo Night.  It was only $10 -- not too bad -- and despite the rain I found a close parking spot.  And...it was glorious.  All of the favorites from back in the day.  The only problem was that I closed the place -- 2 AM -- and did not get to bed until almost 3.

This was an issue, as I had OC duty the next (the same) morning.  Thankfully, it was not too bad -- 121 clients.  We were a little short of volunteers, so I was moving around -- in front, packing bags, a bit of everything.  It was nice to do that, and as the crowd was quiet and below par, it was good.  Then gym, errands, home a bit, and then I met some friends for dinner.  It was funny; everyone was discussing their favorite restaurant, I really didn't have one, and they wondered why not...I dunno, I guess I am cheap and prefer to eat in.  I could not help but note that not only were my friends on a first-name basis with the servers, but also the bartenders, leading me to wonder if they were also alcoholics.  :)

Sunday was fine -- Mass, gym, errands, and then home for some work.  Took a nice long walk -- it was quite the beautiful day -- and tried to be productive, but I was tired and crashed.  Sort of the same yesterday, and here I am now; a bit tired but not enough to hit the hay.  Oi.

Coalition repairs, red-meat speeches and personnel moves: The White House jumps into midterms mode - POLITICO
Um, I would say that they have much to be concerned with, and I am not sure that meetings alone will solve it.
Everyone Is Lying to You About the Palestinians
You would think that if the press doesn't do this, people would do it for them, but, of course, they do not.  

Capital control: States strip power from cities, counties - POLITICO
Interesting that both sides are doing it now; I always thought of this as a GOP thing, but if Dems are doing it... they really can't complain about it later.  OK, they will, but...  funny thing is you can easily see why the GOP wants to do it, as the blue areas do weigh us down on reform efforts.  So culling them and force-feeding the issue is not, to me, unwise.

Mattie Vents

Is it me, or did people not think through what a national fight about redistricting would entail?  I mean, right now it seems a wash; red states went there, and so did the blue ones, and in an average year, it would break even.  But now we have a looming blue wave, and....the idea seems less good.  To be sure, I didn't like it even if it was a red year, but... there may be a few extra seats the GOP could round up, but at the end of the day, it seems we created a hot meh that achieved very little.  

Battleground Republicans are starting to worry about the Senate - POLITICO
This could be me, but we as the GOP should be smarter about this?  It shouldn't be that hard to clear a field to get the candidates we want (and need).  It shouldn't be that hard for Jon Husted or any GOP candidate to have all the cash they need.  It shouldn't be that hard for the GOP to get people lined up properly, and yet we do it every time.  I find this fascinating and appalling.  It's not like this is 1856 and we are a new party...

Eric Swalwell Thought He Was Untouchable — Until He Wasn’t - POLITICO

Again, if this has been going on for such a long time, it should not have taken so long for all of this to get out, and the GOP -- for many reasons -- should be off and hanging all of those involved out to dry about this.  Of course, we will not, but it is very troubling that we don't.  And then we wonder why we lose elections.

Retiring

I wanted to blog yesterday, but ended up not doing so, as I was doing things -- plowing through links, answering emails, cutting through paperwork -- and then I got tired about 11, and decided that valor was the better part of valor, and off to bed it was for somewhat more sleep than usual.  Today, of course, I am not exactly tired -- though getting there -- and here we are.  Honestly, there is no reason why I should not start getting an extra half hour of sleep every night...I wouldn't exactly notice it at first but over time it would add up.  Of course, there is just the matter of doing all the stuff I need to.  

‘It’s all we have to run on’: GOP looks to tout tax cuts as war overtakes Hill agenda - POLITICO
‘They’re not getting what they voted for’: Jesus meme lays bare GOP frustrations with Trump - POLITICO

To me, these are the two sides of the same coin.  On the one hand, he has not done what he promised to do -- control costs, stay out of wars -- and while there are good reasons for this, that is not exactly beneficial to the voters.   I am against the Iranian regime as much as anyone, but all of the tariffs and the Iranian War...someone should have seen this coming.  To be sure, there is time to fix this, but sooner is better than later.  In some ways the military action needs to continue; that AND the blockade -- as well as the continued targeting of the Iranian regime and its police -- would do the trick.  It seems odd to say that you cannot kill your way to peace, but as a student of history.... it works.

Column: Duke men’s basketball should retire Grayson Allen’s jersey - The Duke Chronicle
Interesting.  The standard of being a Duke graduate means that few, if anyone, will ever have their numbers retired again -- as evinced by the 19 years since the last retirements.  So that would be an argument for it, as well as his numbers.  But, they aren't that good.  Did you ever think he was one of the greatest of players while there?  I am not sure that I did -- pretty good but not great.  Though he does check most of the numbers -- National Championship, solid stats.  I am a small-Hall guy but I can be convinced, I guess I am saying.

Catching Up

Seven days -- almost -- without a post!  Inconceivable.  Tuesday I had a meeting that went long, and Wednesday and Thursday I worked late.  By the time I had done all of the other things that needed to be done, I was pooped and went to bed.  Last night I wanted to blog but after the gym, catching up on J! episodes, cleaning my bedroom, and answering most of the email backlogs I had... it was late and off to bed.  

Today I woke up early, hit the gym, did some errands, played some money games, dropped off stuff for my sister, and came home.  I caught up on a few things, and then off to have coffee with a friend and help another friend move some stuff.  That was fine -- my friend has been improving his home, and it looks nice -- but it was long.  It was also interesting, as he has two Yorkshire Terrier puppies, and while they are nice, I am not getting any, especially as these things were of the bark a lot and crawl on you types, and as we know, I am not exactly a dog person.  Let's just say that my plan to do laundry tomorrow has been changed to now.  My friend offered to take me to dinner, and we went to Salmon Dave's in Rocky River (he is something of a regular there).  It was good, but a bit pricey; my friend must be doing better than I thought if he is a regular!  To be sure, he is not wrong -- you should do things you enjoy, but I am made of slightly different stuff, and I do want to pay down some bills and fix my house.  Anyways, it was a late night when I arrived, and with the laundry done... well, here we are. 

Why the U.S. Spends So Much on Healthcare - WSJ
This could be me, but if we are serious about controlling costs -- and I suspect we are not -- we need to talk about reducing salaries.  Now, no one will want to cut salaries, but the way around it is to increase the supply of medical workers.  Considering we have a shortage of medical personnel, I would a plan that created more doctors would be advantageous across all fronts.  Of course, the existing medical professionals were crap their pants over ting, but, it is not as if they have any solutions, and if war is too important to be let to the generals...

A Blast of Fresh Air

One downside of having windows that can open:  I opened both of the bedroom windows last night and luxuriated in the breeze.  Well, about 2:30, the storms started, the windows picked up, and breeze slammed the bedroom door completely shut with a loud racket.  I woke up, of course, and figured I was being attacked/bombed/visited by Marley's Ghost.  After a few seconds -- amidst the thunder and the wind -- I realized what happened, but it was still amusing....later on.

Another first -- in a while -- tonight: watching J! live at 7:30, instead of on Tivo.  I blew the final, which offset the fact that I scored 45, but... well, that is not going to last, but for tonight it was glorious.  Down to one serving of cabbage and noodles, which is about right... Aside from the dishes, it is actually not that hard and you do get several meals out of it, a not-unimportant consideration for a lazy-you-know-what like myself.

Donald Trump Pulls The Wabbit Season Trick On the Iranian Regime – HotAir
Funny...being the history nerd I am, I immediately recalled 1861, when Lincoln declared the southern ports blockaded -- which implied a state of war between hostile states -- instead of closed, and created a hot mess.  Or, 1962, when we "quarantined" Cuba.  Now, of course, all the pretense, and gloves, are off, and we have a blockade.  Dare I say that in some/many ways, this IS a brilliant move; if the Iranians want to close the strait, we will close off their oil, and if the US Navy is keeping watch, other ships can make free passage.  In the meantime, tankers are coming here to buy our oil.  If this works -- and it may drive them back to the peace table -- I think the man is...well, my faith, while not redeemed, is a bit more polished.

Then, of course, there is this:
How an Image Depicting Trump as Christ Sparked a Backlash on the Religious Right - WSJ
To be sure, if there is one man who can legitimately claim to not know anything about Christian iconography... it is the Donald.

The whisper network that caught up to Eric Swalwell - POLITICO
I -- and a lot of others -- mentioned this yesterday... in this day and age, why is there a whisper network, especially given that 1) These are Democrats, the people who invented cancel culture; 2) These are actual crimes the man committed; and 3) if the guy was a Republican, this would have been on page one.  Now, of course, I don't expect the real Fourth Estate to go after Dems (and to be fair, GOPers) as to what they knew and when, but in a world of Nick Shirleys, now is their time to shine.

Breeze

I have the windows open in my house and it is glorious.  All of it; from the fact that I can actually (and easily) open the windows, to the fact that there are warm breezes coming in, to the fact that it seems that spring has sprung.  I am a clean air guy, and I am looking forward to cracking these things open all week.

Good day today... Church was quite nice, even if there were a lot fewer people (and fewer bells and whistles at Mass).  Good gym session -- leg day and extra time on the bike (I read more, always good).  My friend to whom I take Communion asked if I could come later (1 PM instead of noon) so I had time for errands...then to go home and drop off groceries and stuff.  Eucharist and brunch, funny conversation, and then home.  I took a long walk -- beautiful out so why not -- and then caught up on a bit of work and a bit of dusting.  I have a few follow-up SVDP emails, but will get to them tomorrow (probably, though I am tempted to do it tonight).  Rah.  Quiet and simple, the way it should be...still have some cabbage and noodles left, but will finish it tomorrow, and then we will continue Operation Healthy Eating week.

The Mystery of Gene Bearden - by Luke Epplin - Good Grief
Interesting.  Sad.  One thing I am surprised about is that no one challenged this when he was alive; you would have thought someone from the Helena would have brought up he wasn't there.  I realize it was easier to say things like that long ago, but...such a story, and one from a famous ship (and the rescue of its crew), you would think someone would have said something...

Police responded to report of 'domestic dispute' at Ohio governor candidate's home in 2019
I note that this story -- which seems to have broke yesterday -- was NOT picked up by our hometown paper.  I wonder if it will be....though I think we all the know the answer.  And, if it is does.... out comes the whitewash.  Sort of like Swalwell, as people are saying his behavior was an open secret, but no felt the need to mention it until now....

Mattie heresies

Yet another hiatus of blogging... to be sure, I have been doing things!  Yesterday I made some cabbage and noodles (been a while, had a taste for it) and did some cleaning -- swiffered the floors and vacuumed.  I need to finish wiping off the countertops and dusting tomorrow, and the place will be... better.  it looks better, and the nice weather tomorrow means I can open the windows again/

Also caught up on some work and did some errands this morning, including getting my E-check done.  As a GOPer, I hate to say this, but I am not sure I want to see the program go away... I think there is some benefit here, as there are long-term costs for respiratory concerns.  Also, we have this apparatus devoted to it, and we should be careful about throwing people out of work.  Honestly, the problem with it originally was 1) the test was pretty intensive and 2) wasn't applied to everyone; good old Taxing Ted didn't want his fellow Appalachians having to fix their crappy cars....and of course was never called out about it.  Sigh. Anyways, now the program is...fine?  Not too bad?  I mean, I was out in five minutes.  There are government programs that are far worse.

Gavin Newsom’s Empire of Fraud
Like these!  Will he be called out about it?  Not bloody likely.  Hell, the allegations about Eric Swalwell haven't exactly exploded out there; I give the GOP reps trying to get him expelled from the House credit, as turnabout is fair play...  As always, I wonder why it all came out now...

Long-Term Money · Collaborative Fund
Interesting approach, and one I largely agree with, but you have to admit, we have a massive sense of recency bias.  I think it explains why we study history and why people love (or some of them) like to go to places like Hale Farm; we like the old ways, but only to visit.  Like a few weeks ago, when my 20-year old cousin was fascinated that our grandparents played cards in a small dining room and the kids all watched TV (black and white, only 3 channels) in a small living room...without a smart phone to entertain them.  I was amused.

The creation of instant coffee
Interesting!

Mattie Catches Up

Three days without posting... oi!  Anyways, Easter was quite good.  Mass at 8:30 was quite full -- lots of new faces.  If there is a religious resurgence in this country, I can see it here.  To be sure, this is good, and let's hope some of them keep coming to Mass at the Shrine.  Mass was beautiful; I told the musicians that while I am not exactly a music guy, it does add something to the ceremony.  Homily mostly on point, and the extras -- incense, blessings, etc. -- were quite good.  I hit the gym (also quite full) and then came home to finish putting the living room together -- hung the drapes, moved the furniture back, vacuumed -- and it was wonderful.  It looks less cluttered, and with an unbroken window... well, it is good.  Just need to pay this down and then we start the next (smaller) project.  Rah.

After that I drove to Westerville, where Favorite Niece hosted Easter (as always).  We ate, watched the women's National Championship (no coach explosions), was surprised by the SC blowout, hung out a bit, and came home.  Bit hard to drive four hours in a day, but it wasn't too bad, and it is always good to see the family...

The past two nights I have been buy -- lots of work, other things, and then I just crash.  Alas.  Tonight I am making sure the blood sugar is just right before I go to bed.  My sister and I met for our monthly dunner today, and I selected El Arepazo y Pupuseria in Fairview Park.  It was pretty good -- not great -- but quite solid.  I had the seafood arepa with the fried plantains.  It was a good portion, and while the plantains were a bit dry, it was otherwise good.  Parking lot is a bit small so I parked on the street.... the place only has 8 tables but seems to do a lot of DoorDash -- but who doesn't nowadays.  My sister can pick next month...

I don't doubt that the moves in Iran were done to bring gas prices down -- hopefully before the fall election -- but the people who complain about the Trump TACO are also the ones who were complaining about him destroying a civilization, which seems odd.  You cannot have it both ways, not that the press is going to call them out...

Alleluia! He is Risen!

I went to bed an hour ago,, but am now awake due to low blood sugar (I thought I had hit it just right on the evening dose of insulin, but obviously not), so I am now snacking... and deciding that the Lord wants me to witness His Resurrection by posting.  Anyways, busy morning -- gas, gym, two banks, home to get the Easter Basket for blessing, Church for said blessing (one of my favorite traditions!), the pharmacy, Aldi, and home.  All before one.  Phew.  After a consecrated lunch, I took a walk on what was a beautiful spring day and then fell asleep a bit.  Alas.  I then did some work and did some work around the house.  Rah.  And here we are.  I kicked around going to emo night, but the weekend, the rain, and my need to do things here -- even if catching up on the J! episode backlog -- won over.  

Why Catholicism is drawing in Gen Z men
This could be me, but I wonder if one of the reasons why the media is trumpeting this is because they fear what it portends -- namely, the MAGA bros may not be so enthused about Trump and the GOP, but if you are willing to convert...well, all of these new Catholics might be a bit more culturally conservative, and if you have a new bloc of voters who are against infanticide, same-sex marriage, etc...well, we certainly can't have that now, so... this is not so much news but a clarion call for action.  May the spirit of Deus Vult be with us -- and them.

Red Chimney restaurant to be razed – NEOtrans
This is sad but not surprising.  I wonder what, if anything, will go up in its place.  We should put up housing there -- zoning be damned -- but I doubt it.  I certainly had my share of good meals and interesting conversation there.

Good Friday

I should be in bed -- I have much to do tomorrow in terms of errands, and much to do in terms of stuff here -- but I am not tired, have stuff to do, and here we are.  It was, of course, Good Friday, and I went to Noon Stations.  There was quite the crowd today -- I cannot remember a time when we had so many!  Work was fine -- lots of little things were handled -- and I left a little after 5 to get dinner at Holy Name, which was quite full.  To be sure, few parishes are open for grub on Good Friday, so bully for them... I talked to a bunch of people there, which is good, but also odd, given my introverted nature (and I want to be less involved in my parish as it is, and NOT involved in another).  Then off to the gym, Marc's for coffee and milk, and then home.  I went through a bunch of links and emails... and we know how much I love that. 

Another thing I loved is that my picture window was installed... without breaking.  Phew!  It was fine -- the same crew came as before, quick and easy, and there you go.  I should have came home and put my living room back together, but tomorrow (today) is another day.  I am not looking forward to rehanging the curtains, but I suspect that once I get through that...well, then it is just moving furniture.  Rah.  

Ohio’s death row stalemate: The political battle over 108 lives and millions of dollars - cleveland.com
AG Yost is exactly correct -- this is crap, and the governor really has no business standing in the way of this.  Given how the abortion vote went, no one on the other side can say they care about human life, so... 

UConn's Geno Auriemma questions NCAA tournament setup, prep - ESPN
Funny; I read this and thought he was completely correct about this (sort of like I did about Rick Pitino's comments about the post-game presser).  Then, tonight, Geno goes off the rails at Dawn Staley in the post-game handshake.  Now, I was watching the game in the background, so I wasn't paying the closest attention, but I think it is fair to say he had a case that the game was a bit physical and not going his way.  But it was... a bit petulant on his part to act the way he did.  I wonder if he senses that the baton is being... if not passed, ripped from his hand.  Alas.

Back in the Saddle

Yesterday I was a sleepy boy and crashed at, well, 11:30.  Today of course I am not quite so sleepy, but have much to do -- and am doing it -- so we power through.  I joked that the 30-degree shift in temperature would cause me to do more to stay warm, and it is not quite a joke.  It was a bit jarring to hear the furnace come on, and seeing the rain -- and feeling the bite in the air when I opened the door -- was hardly pleasant, but this is spring.

Last night Team Eleven returned to Pub Quiz action (my fault for dropping the ball and not getting us to play more).  We went to Saucy Brew Works in Ohio City for a J!-sponsored league.  It was funny, as I parked by St. Ignatius off Lorain, forgetting that I am 52 blocks from Detroit (last time I was in Ohio City, I parked on Franklin).  Oops.  It wasn't too bad -- the rain just ended when I parked -- but I guess it was a bad storm there, as the lights were out in many places.  But, the power was on at Saucy... good, as I had never been there and I wanted to try it out.  My chicken-and-waffles pizza was quite rich but good -- anything with that much syrup should be.  :)  As for the quiz, we came in 3rd -- not too bad.  The format was just like J! -- two rounds, 60 questions and a final, but the questions were somewhat easier.  (We overthought a few, hence the third place.)  I think we agreed we would go back, and that we should play more, as the Victory Banner need to be raised more often.  I concur!

Listened to the big speech tonight, and while I think it hit the points, I did not exactly come away convinced.  Not that we aren't winning, but... I guess I would say this reminds me of Japan in 1945; all they had to do was to make it so bloody to the US that we would come to the table.  Similarly, all Iran has to do is hold on, drive up oil and gas prices, and force POTUS to retreat.  Will he?  Will they?  I mean, if we and the Israelis keep killing their leaders, we may stumble into one who want peace, but that is hardly a winning strategery.

Gulf allies privately make the case to Trump to keep fighting Iran | AP News
All I have to say of course they do, as they really aren't fighting; we are.  Now, if the Saudis or someone else wanted to join in...more the merrier.

‘He’s lied about everything’: Iran war puts Trump on shaky ground with young MAGA men - POLITICO
Now this is a problem; again, one of our own creation, and one that needs to be resolved quickly.  I realize the youngins do not realize the history we have with them, but...

Democrats risk a historic upset in California - POLITICO
I will believe it when I see it, but it would be funny as hell if it happened...