Atlas Shrugged, you know the parts I mean!
got any others?
<edit to add 3/11> The Lives of Others
Science is STILL not a religion
yeah, another aggregation or aggressive agrievement (yes, it’s a word)
OUT: SCIENCE. IN: SACRIFICE TO APPEASE THE GODS OF WOKENESS. Harvard researchers claim COVID-19 wouldn’t have been so bad if US paid reparations.
BUT IF WE DID IT WITHOUT BUREAUCRATS DOES IT EVEN COUNT?
ME? I YEARN TO BREATHE FREE: Masking the Science
We must never surrender to the New Normal
An update on coronavirus from an Arizona doctor.
Johns Hopkins Medical Professional: Herd Immunity Will Be Here By April
We may NEVER know: Wuhan Lab Was Cause Of COVID-19, Claims Award-Winning Scientist In New Study Citing 600 Pieces Of Evidence.
U.S.C.A. Article II section 1 clause 2.
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress; but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
And this is the part I don’t get. In over half a dozen states this was violated. Openly. No argument. And POTUS has, to date, refused to give a hearing on the issue, claiming it is moot. Which it is. So they’re kicking the can down the road. But this does NOT instill “confidence in the electoral process.” If THIS rule no longer applies, why do any of the others?
Would it have made a difference? Maybe. Maybe not. But it doesn’t matter. It’s a clear violation and should be treated as such. And lower courts are finally getting around to ruling on the merits of many of these issues. Virginia Rule Allowing Late Ballots Missing Postmark Was Illegal, Court Rules. And for those of you telling me Trump lost all but one of his cases: Trump Won Two-Thirds of Election Lawsuits Where Merits Considered. “Of the 22 cases that have been heard by the courts and decided on their merits, Trump and Republicans have prevailed in 15.”
And then there’s the January 6 debacle. Part and parcel of the “legitimate election” story. Fences, concertina wire and 5,000 armed troops do NOT say “fair and legitimate election” OR “return to normal.” Even an avowed leftist like Glenn Greenwald is noticing: The False and Exaggerated Claims Still Being Spread About the Capitol Riot.
And remember when dark money in elections was bad? Mark Zuckerberg Meddled In Battleground State Elections: Here’s How Capital Research Center (CRC) has a comprehensive listing, rich with details and definitely worth keeping for future reference. And virtually NONE of this includes a consideration of DMC mis/mal/information: Trump would have won 311 Electoral Votes if media wasn’t biased: Survey. 311? Probably not. But enough. Enough.
But what happens next? Why Do the Election’s Defenders Require My Agreement? The purpose of voting today is to give a democratic veneer to an undemocratic regime—not to give the people a say in the direction of their government. Will your ballot be safe? Computer experts sound warnings on America’s voting machines. This was BEFORE the election of course.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled (mis-)education
Hey look! I made a meme!!
Not getting any younger
About five or six years ago I realized I couldn’t do back-to back workouts anymore. I didn’t mean killers. I meant that if I did what qualifies as a workout (be it LSD, full weights, or speed work) I couldn’t do another “qualifying” workout the next day. So I adapted.
Then about three summers ago I realized that I was gonna hafta rethink my approach to running in the heat. Back in the 80’s I’d had a mild heat stroke. That’ll happen doing a 14 miler in 90+ degree weather. Ever since then I’d set a heat/humidity index ceiling of 100 and would cut way back or stay indoors when that magic number hit. That’s not working anymore. Body can’t take that stress. So my number is now 90. And I don’t like that at all. Oh, I’ll still go for a walk to burn some calories, or workout inside if need be but it’s an accommodation this cranky old man doesn’t like.
And this winter? It’s been pretty mild here in Ohio but I NEVER liked running in the cold. Takes too long to get dressed. Sometimes longer than the run itself it seemed. So here’s what I did. I set a wind chill factor of 32 as the floor until after Thanksgiving. Then I’d lower it one degree a day through December until it got to 0. Hold it there through January, then raise it one every day through February back up to 32 in March. And NEVER run if the wind’s over 15 mph. HATE running in the wind. HATE it. Although my only (Masters) state title came on a damned windy day just off of Lake Erie. This year? I didn’t have the heart. Between the lockdown, the election, the general ennui I just didn’t wanna DO it. So I didn’t. New rule? Thirty two WCF is the limit which means I’ll be taking most winters off or working indoors.
Maybe if I can get the weight down AND put together about six good months of work so I can start thinking about racing again …. then MAYBE I’ll get back to it in the winter. But currently I’m a 1 on the 1-10 scale from “normal” to “world class for an old guy.” We’ll see if I EVER get back.
Edit to add: My alma mater maintains a list for its school athletic records. Almost ALL of the T&F records have been established in the last 20 years although there are a FEW that persist from the 90’s and even back to my era – mostly in events that are no longer contested (like my 600m.) They ALSO maintain a “top 10 by class” in each event. Sadly many athletes have GREAT freshman/sophomore seasons only to fade/vanish by Junior/Senior season. But I’m STILL ON THE LIST! 8th for senior 400m outdoors!
A little mid-winter ride sharing
First, an observation: most of the ride share movies (usually horror) are just not good. Just sayin’.
Second: Lyft has been missing the mark. Two weeks ago they had a slew of streak bonuses, often in the afternoon or early evening (read: ideal for me to take advantage of.) And I hit a bunch of them. LAST week we had bad weather virtually every day. No bonuses. So I didn’t drive. But when I DID I was only spoty-busy. A dozen $3 rides, some under half a mile. This week the bonuses are back but not until 5pm. And Uber is just Uber. It’s all been nice to have during snow days to keep my income steady.
Third: There’s a new sheriff in town. Or , rather, several. And it does NOT bode well for ride share divers OR passengers. Here’s the deal: when I turn 70 I’ll have sufficient funds to get by by subbing 1-2 days per week. If there’s no ride-share option in the summer I’ll do 3-4 days per week. And I’m good with that. I’ll be fine. But it’ll suck. What am I talking about? The PRO Act. Gig Economy Regulation Under Biden. It didn’t work in Cali. Is was soundly rejected when put to a vote in Cali. But Chuck, Nancy and FICUS are pushing for the other 49 nonetheless. The Democrats Just Reintroduced a Labor Law that Would Destroy Uber—And It Could Actually Pass This Time.
Fourth: with all of the deplatforming, canceling and denial of service going around I wonder what would happen if those of us who drive started asking potential passengers (on the way to pickup) who they voted for? Passengers of course could lie OR tell the truth. Could respond Trump, Biden or I didn’t vote. And if they respond Biden – I cancel the ride and tell them they’d better get used to not having Uber/Lyft around in the future due to their actions.
Don’t think it’ll impact you? The Personal Impact Of The PRO Act.
What am I consuming?
Computer: With the conclusion of the NFL season it’s time to get ready for …. the NEXT NFL season. My FFL software dropped so I’ve been spending time rolling it over and getting it ready for 2021 season.
Reading: Letters from the Birmingham jail. Just like every February.
TV: Realized we missed season 11 of Archer when it dropped last fall so we started watching THAT last night. Spoiler alert – seems he might still be in a come, ca 1980’s.
Movies: Watched Charade on VD. May follow it up soon with The Man Who Knew Too Much. And perhaps Blazing Saddles.
Music: Since today is Mardi Gras I’ve been hitting my Mardi Gras play list, after hitting love songs for the first two weeks of the month. Back to “normal” for a while.
And Kim has pointed out I’ve cut down on the chips.
Back to church
When did this start? This granting to the POTUS the position of “father” or “daddy?” When I hear it all I can think of is Republic westerns from the 40’s through the 60’s where the white men negotiating with Indians refer to the POTUS as the “Great White Chief.” It wasn’t Eisenhower. Perhaps Kennedy. He was the nations boyfriend. Johnson? Nope. Nixon/Ford? Noooohoooooo. Carter? Yup. Dad. Reagan? Actually yes, by BOTH parties. But not Bush. Then it hit BIG time with Clinton and Obama. DEFINITELY Daddies. No, “Papa In Chief” Is Not Going To Save This Crying Planet and It’s Time To Stop Feeding The Exalted Presidency
Some think this religion things is QUITE serious: The West is reverting to paganism.
But it’s a religion with NO grace and NO forgiveness. MODERN BLASPHEMY.
and one more, since it IS President’s Day: On This Presidents Day, Stop Worshiping the Imperial Presidency
This passes for diversity
Junior English class. Black History Month. Students were to select a non-fiction book by a black author. Twenty students. Selections: How to be an Anti-Racist (Ibram X Kendi), White Fragility (Robin D’Angelo) and something called This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell. The last one is written at about a fourth grade level but it checks the boxes so …
NO Ralph Ellison. NO James Baldwin. NO Thomas Sowell. NO Walter Williams. NO Frederick Douglas. NO Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. NO Coleman Hughes. NO Thomas Chatterton Williams.
And this is what passes for “diversity.”
Betting on the dark side
This post MAY contain extraneous information for some readers. My apologies. Just wanted to make sure those NOT familiar with some of the terms could still follow along.
At the craps table there are DOZENS of bets to be made, many of which pay off quite lavishly (30-1 on snake eyes or boxcars. True odds are 35-1 for a house edge of a whopping 13.89%.) What’s this mean for the bettor? over a large number of trials this number (either 1-1 or 6-6) should come up once every 35 throws. Assume you bet $1 per throw. You’ve invested $35. When it DOES come up everyone will cheer and clap and be excited and the casino will HAPPILY hand over $30, while keeping it’s $5 profit. That 13.89% is often referred to as the vigorish or “the vig.” One very popular low vig bet is the pass/come or don’t pass/don’t come bet. Vig is 1.36%. The shooter is either establishing a point or HAS established it (rolled a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10.) You win if he rolls a 7 or 11 before a 2, 3 or 12. There’s other stuff but that’s the basics. You can also bet the “don’t.” You can bet the shooter WON’T make his point before he rolls a 7 or 11. This is often referred to as “betting the dark side” because you’re hoping the shooter (and most of the table) to lose. You don’t cheer a lot doing this because you’re probably the only @$$hat at the table doing it. I’ve had some very good craps sessions betting the dark side and I always try to do it very quietly.
Which brings me to another betting concept. The Super Bowl is tomorrow and everybody and their grandmother (if she hasn’t already died from COVID [too soon?]) will be petting on propositions. How long will the National Anthem be? (I’m 2-2 on that one – no playing it this year) What will the coin toss be and what color Gatorade gets dumped on the winning coach? There are three standard bets that most football games offer and they’ll be played a lot to win as well. First is the pointspread. KC currently favored by 3, so if you bet on the Chiefs you have to “give” the Bucs three points. These are usually 11-10 propositions (YMMV) so there’s a 10% vig. The flip side would be taking TB PLUS 3, for the same 11-10. Assuming the bookie has an equal amount f money on each side, they’ll make about 5% of the total amount wagered. Second is the money line. You’re betting a team to win outright, but laying or taking odds. KC is currently -160 (bet $160 to win $100) while TB is +140 (a $100 bet wins $140.) No stated vig here as it’s incorporated into the odds. Third is the over/under. You’re betting on the total points scored. For this game it’s currently as high as 57.5 and as low as 55.5. Uusually a 10% vig. And just like it sounds you’re betting the final combined score will be over or under the number you’ve bet. I like the under in this game (barely) which brings me (finally) to the POINT of this post.
I listen to a LOT of podcasts but only 3-4 about football and most of those are oriented toward fantasy football. Two of them have been doing SBLV previews and dealing with the betting angles. They both went into lengthy diatribes this week on why you shouldn’t bet the under. The crux of their argument is that it’ll make you a party pooper. While everyone else is cheering for touchdowns and field goals, you aren’t. You want end zone drops and double doinks and stalled drives and red zone turn overs. You’ve bet the dark side. Just like betting the “don’t” at the craps table. But here’s the deal. I don’t wager based on who everyone else is cheering for. I wager on the side of the bet that’s most likely to going to increase my cash on hand at the end of the day. If I think a game’s going under, I’m betting that way – and only an IDIOT would bet the over just to be in the cool-kids club cheering for a score. So sharpen your pencil and if you’re so inclined place your wager on the outcome you think most likely – cheering be damned.
And remember to have fun. And don’t double dip.
Checking the Fridge for Leftovers 