We have seen the quote. Especially, when it's told by a sports figure whose name is being shopped around in a trade. But its specifics pertain to many things that confuse us and piss us off. Because there are few things that make us more uncomfortable than not having control.
I understand that this is a business. I can only control what I do on the field (court, ice etc.) Otherwise, I have no control over the business aspect of it.
Powerful corporate interests are pushing the U.S. Congress to pass the Fast Track portion of the TPP or Trans Pacific Partnership. As with many international agreements we sign, it appears to benefit everybody but US as citizens. After all, why should we pay attention to it? It appears that implementation of this bill will not spur productivity, create more good paying jobs in this country or benefit workers in any tangible way. I believe the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 90's (NAFTA) was promised to be such a boon but clearly, has not met that expectation.
So, when we talk about job creation, job enhancement, increased revenues and strategic partnerships, trust your gut: where there's a smell, there's bullshit.
New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie's inauguration is going to be covered by the cable news networks, who have chosen sides and are invested in droning on and on about both the GWB story and now, the allegations by Dawn Zimmer, mayor of Hoboken, that she was pressured by two Christie administration officials to approve a commercial project in order to receive promised relief funds to abate the damage done to Hoboken by Hurricane Sandy. What a continuing bore! I think I'm washing my hair at the time of the inauguration so unfortunately, will miss it.
Couldn't sleep last night and found myself practicing the line from The Godfather, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Because I love politics, (but I don't really know why), I find it essential to keep my enemies closer. So I found myself watching portions of O'Reilly, The Independents and Hannity. On occasion, when I am truly masochistic, I also watch The Five. That's where my in laws get all their news, so it's important to know what Rush Limbaugh is thinking. The Independents is an unbelievable show in terms of content.
As a younger man, I had a terrible crush on Martha Quinn when she was hosting her MTV show. I also watched Kennedy (Lisa Kennedy Montgomery). She also had a hip show that catered to the Music TV generation. I think Kennedy had Martha rubbed out or something- not that I watch MTV as much as I used to, but when I see the antics of Kennedy and her panel and the way they cover "news" in their "fair and balanced way", I get a little sick. I was always much more interested in Martha telling me how much damage Rod Stewart did to his hotel room, but I digress. I can only take these people in very short doses. Just let me be the head of the FTC for a short time. I will clean up Dodge. By the way, a note to Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kennedy, the Obamas paid for Michelle's birthday bash out of their own pockets. Just like Nancy Reagan did when she spent $210,000 dollars for a party for 220 people in the 1980's. Adjusted for inflation, the cost would be over $400,000.00 today. OH, wait, she didn't pay for it? NO? The taxpayers did? OOPS.
Richard Sherman is a lion and therefore, a lion has no use for the opinions of lambs. I'm paraphrasing.
Just add the Cubs' selection of Clark, the new mascot and you can see why it's always the cherry that weighs down the cake.
And what were we talking about today??? CONTROL???
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
A sports weekend worth watching (by me at least)
By now you may surmise I live in the Chicago area. This past weekend and upcoming week, ahead of the winter Olympics, was and is important to my "boys" the Chicago Blackhawks. They beat the hottest team in the world on Friday, the Anaheim Ducks and in a rematch of last spring's Stanley Cup Finals, beat the Boston Bruins yesterday in double overtime, sometimes referred to as the "shootout." This week, two road games, one in "Hockeytown" against the Red Wings and then on to Minnesota to face the Wild. It's the mid season doldrums and the Hawks had been less than their usual. This week will give the boys a good perspective as they enter the second half of the season. I may be mistaken, but Hockey is still the least tainted of the major sports. ANd I think that's why I appreciate the ethos of it.
Football was also very much worth watching. Peyton Manning and the Broncos beat the Pats in a game where Manning was really good. I'm not crazy about the Mannings, but for football enthusiasts, his performance was one more step in getting the icing on the cake and tying his brother Eli for Super Bowl championships. Rumors are that he will retire at the end of this season. I think that's a good idea for someone who may be one of the best quarterbacks they game has seen, but more important than that, so that he can turn his head ninety degrees when he's driving Buicks and wants to change lanes 10 years from now, when he's no longer famous. He has undergone and continues to have neck problems and while the glow of fame burns bright, we need to remember that football is a violent game that exacts a great toll upon the human body.
And in Seattle, last minute end zone breakup ( and tipped interception) of a Colin Kaepernick pass to Michael Crabtree gave Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman an opportunity to vent on national TV. I'm really tired of players who get stupid, go off on national TV and blame it on adrenaline. Sherman is a great player and reportedly a good guy in the community, as well as a good team mate. But his rant is symbolic of a society that reacts and doesn't think before speaking (only one of many behavioral choices that are made) and then figures he'll come back when he's calmed down to lower the boiling water a little. I enjoyed his play yesterday, but didn't feel the same about his mouth.
And I'm glad a judge deemed the settlement reached between the NFL and the Players Association too small a payout. It's just another case of the owners letting their lawyers do their bidding against an aggrieved but important party, the players. Shirts vs Skins, 1% vs the 99% (even though they make a lot of money), oligarchs vs the worker bees. This whole economic "justice" notion really pisses the haves off. But until the have nots are treated better, don't expect the conversation to end.
So shortly we'll watch the whole money go round thing with SB48. The less things change, the more they stay the same. And you can print that.
Football was also very much worth watching. Peyton Manning and the Broncos beat the Pats in a game where Manning was really good. I'm not crazy about the Mannings, but for football enthusiasts, his performance was one more step in getting the icing on the cake and tying his brother Eli for Super Bowl championships. Rumors are that he will retire at the end of this season. I think that's a good idea for someone who may be one of the best quarterbacks they game has seen, but more important than that, so that he can turn his head ninety degrees when he's driving Buicks and wants to change lanes 10 years from now, when he's no longer famous. He has undergone and continues to have neck problems and while the glow of fame burns bright, we need to remember that football is a violent game that exacts a great toll upon the human body.
And in Seattle, last minute end zone breakup ( and tipped interception) of a Colin Kaepernick pass to Michael Crabtree gave Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman an opportunity to vent on national TV. I'm really tired of players who get stupid, go off on national TV and blame it on adrenaline. Sherman is a great player and reportedly a good guy in the community, as well as a good team mate. But his rant is symbolic of a society that reacts and doesn't think before speaking (only one of many behavioral choices that are made) and then figures he'll come back when he's calmed down to lower the boiling water a little. I enjoyed his play yesterday, but didn't feel the same about his mouth.
And I'm glad a judge deemed the settlement reached between the NFL and the Players Association too small a payout. It's just another case of the owners letting their lawyers do their bidding against an aggrieved but important party, the players. Shirts vs Skins, 1% vs the 99% (even though they make a lot of money), oligarchs vs the worker bees. This whole economic "justice" notion really pisses the haves off. But until the have nots are treated better, don't expect the conversation to end.
So shortly we'll watch the whole money go round thing with SB48. The less things change, the more they stay the same. And you can print that.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Dear Phil
Short one today. Work has precluded writing. But----
As if I actually know Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, but, Phil if you're listening, I think the constant coverage of Chris Christie is whiny bullshit. Your network is trying to imitate FOX and that turns my stomach.
There's an old saying about when someone you don't particularly care for is in trouble. "If he was on fire in the street, I wouldn't walk across that street to piss on him and put him out." That's how I feel about it anyway. Chris Christie is burning all by himself. It's a big fire that doesn't need more gasoline poured on it. Our charred hero is at Ken Langone's (One of the founders of The Home Depot) house in Florida this weekend, meeting with nervous mega donors. Horrors, where will they spend their money if Chris is seen as non viable?
I think New England will beat Denver. Brady is is in Peyton's head and that may make a difference. Especially if New England can run the ball. Seattle is 3 1/2 over the 49ers, but that should be a great game.
A happy 60th birthday bash to my buddy Sherri in Pennsylvania. I cannot tell you how many people I know (including me) that are shocked we made it to 60- or beyond. Is it all gravy? I figure I'm playing the 13th hole. But golf analogies are not in dog years.
Have a great weekend and put the gas can away. Today's humstle is Billy Joel's, We Didn't Start The Fire
As if I actually know Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, but, Phil if you're listening, I think the constant coverage of Chris Christie is whiny bullshit. Your network is trying to imitate FOX and that turns my stomach.
There's an old saying about when someone you don't particularly care for is in trouble. "If he was on fire in the street, I wouldn't walk across that street to piss on him and put him out." That's how I feel about it anyway. Chris Christie is burning all by himself. It's a big fire that doesn't need more gasoline poured on it. Our charred hero is at Ken Langone's (One of the founders of The Home Depot) house in Florida this weekend, meeting with nervous mega donors. Horrors, where will they spend their money if Chris is seen as non viable?
I think New England will beat Denver. Brady is is in Peyton's head and that may make a difference. Especially if New England can run the ball. Seattle is 3 1/2 over the 49ers, but that should be a great game.
A happy 60th birthday bash to my buddy Sherri in Pennsylvania. I cannot tell you how many people I know (including me) that are shocked we made it to 60- or beyond. Is it all gravy? I figure I'm playing the 13th hole. But golf analogies are not in dog years.
Have a great weekend and put the gas can away. Today's humstle is Billy Joel's, We Didn't Start The Fire
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
How baby boomers screwed their kids — and created millennial impatience
How baby boomers screwed their kids — and created millennial impatience
This one was hard to read. But quite worth it. Like 6 degrees of separation, every one of us has a direct or indirect story to tell here.
This one was hard to read. But quite worth it. Like 6 degrees of separation, every one of us has a direct or indirect story to tell here.
Rip Off Tuesday
My head hurts from trying to interpret the 3,848 articles I read daily and from that, distill to you, my dear readers, in twitter style brevity. This is so typical of the Merlot infused thinking by that charming son of a barkeep from Ohio. This is the same guy that says his congresses should be known for the laws they repealed, not the laws they passed.Yesterday, a state legislator from West Virginia confirmed the fact that regulators go easy in these kinds of incidents- were they to do otherwise, industries would shop for low regulation states to move to. So is this corporate blackmail? If you regulate us we'll move jobs out of the state(s)? Read on.
So if there are ample regulations on the books, how does the Speaker's view jive with what happened in WV?
And have there been any other Presidents since 1991? Mr. Speaker, I have to put you on DB patrol.
So if there are ample regulations on the books, how does the Speaker's view jive with what happened in WV?
And have there been any other Presidents since 1991? Mr. Speaker, I have to put you on DB patrol.
Monday, January 13, 2014
War Weary Deux Deux
I have some simple questions.
But first a small fact. In 2008, President Bush negotiated the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government. It stated that U.S. troops would be out of Iraqi cities by the end of 2009 and all forces would leave Iraq by the end of 2011. Sometimes Wikipedia is incorrect but that is where this statement is coming from.
Now for the questions.
Should we have voided the SOFA agreement, defied the leadership of Iraq and left soldiers there? Are we responsible for a vacuum that all but guaranteed that sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia would resume? 8,000 Iraqis died from this violence in 2013
Is this fighting not an extension of an exercise in fatality futility that has gone on for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years, not only in Iraq, but other middle eastern nations with disparate Muslim sects as their primary population?
Was our original invasion of Iraq justified in your opinion? Do you believe that there truly were WMD's in that country? If not or if so, was the justification to invade based upon Iraq being a stronghold for Al Qaeda or other groups that were involved in the events of 9/11? Further, were we not aware of the pitfalls of invading Iraq and trying to inject ourselves into sectarian violence between Muslim sects. No I'm not forgetting about the Kurds.
Did the existence of massive amounts of fossil fuels have anything to do with the decision to invade?
2013 marked the 10 year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. If 6 1/2 out of every ten people say they've had enough, is this not a clear plurality of opinion that for the foreseeable future, we need to avoid war?? With the budgetary battles we continually have, why is the military exempt from living within its means? And if not one penny is taken from the military, then I would support 50% of every dollar go to honoring and treating the people who came home from these wars. I'm not sure we can ever show them the homage they earned by volunteering and fighting our millionaire politician's battles.
And Afghanistan is a whole 'nother story.
WTF???
Entire generations are living in the shadow of war. Very little is as important as the conscious decision to stop doing this!!!! Think of it--- Congressman Clay Aiken. Hell, Sonny Bono was bad enough
But first a small fact. In 2008, President Bush negotiated the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government. It stated that U.S. troops would be out of Iraqi cities by the end of 2009 and all forces would leave Iraq by the end of 2011. Sometimes Wikipedia is incorrect but that is where this statement is coming from.
Now for the questions.
Should we have voided the SOFA agreement, defied the leadership of Iraq and left soldiers there? Are we responsible for a vacuum that all but guaranteed that sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia would resume? 8,000 Iraqis died from this violence in 2013
Is this fighting not an extension of an exercise in fatality futility that has gone on for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years, not only in Iraq, but other middle eastern nations with disparate Muslim sects as their primary population?
Was our original invasion of Iraq justified in your opinion? Do you believe that there truly were WMD's in that country? If not or if so, was the justification to invade based upon Iraq being a stronghold for Al Qaeda or other groups that were involved in the events of 9/11? Further, were we not aware of the pitfalls of invading Iraq and trying to inject ourselves into sectarian violence between Muslim sects. No I'm not forgetting about the Kurds.
Did the existence of massive amounts of fossil fuels have anything to do with the decision to invade?
2013 marked the 10 year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. If 6 1/2 out of every ten people say they've had enough, is this not a clear plurality of opinion that for the foreseeable future, we need to avoid war?? With the budgetary battles we continually have, why is the military exempt from living within its means? And if not one penny is taken from the military, then I would support 50% of every dollar go to honoring and treating the people who came home from these wars. I'm not sure we can ever show them the homage they earned by volunteering and fighting our millionaire politician's battles.
And Afghanistan is a whole 'nother story.
WTF???
Entire generations are living in the shadow of war. Very little is as important as the conscious decision to stop doing this!!!! Think of it--- Congressman Clay Aiken. Hell, Sonny Bono was bad enough
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Kissing your what?
Picking scores is silly. How can anyone possibly know? I did know there would be a safety yesterday by Indianapolis. I forgot to predict it.
Today's predictions:
Carolina and Denver.
I'm .500%, and finishing 1 -1 is like kissing your sister. As a Bears fan, it's fun to see two Bear alums coaching against each other today. I was always a big Ron Rivera fan. so that's why I'm hoping for Carolina. Let's see what happens.
Did I miss it or did the vote to extend unemployment benefits not happen?
Is Bashir Al Assad the guy in the Carbonite commercial?
Enjoy your Sunday. And hey John McCain--- I'll deal with you later.
Today's predictions:
Carolina and Denver.
I'm .500%, and finishing 1 -1 is like kissing your sister. As a Bears fan, it's fun to see two Bear alums coaching against each other today. I was always a big Ron Rivera fan. so that's why I'm hoping for Carolina. Let's see what happens.
Did I miss it or did the vote to extend unemployment benefits not happen?
Is Bashir Al Assad the guy in the Carbonite commercial?
Enjoy your Sunday. And hey John McCain--- I'll deal with you later.
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