Congress can take up all manner of grandstanding by creating a committee. They can hold hearings on essentially nothing. They can pass bills that are politically motivated but which they know won't go anywhere (like a bill that prevents states from banning gas stoves….whaaa?)
And yet, they can't be bothered to take a few minutes and vote on allowing us to stay on DST and no longer changing our clocks.
This is an easy one that most states are ready to implement, but for which we need a vote.
So annoying.
Friday, June 16, 2023
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Ted Lasso (or “the Richmond Way”)
It's a show about soccer. But it's really not. Soccer provides the context and there is some soccer in it. But I think they did a good job of presenting it in a way that worked. So if you are a fan of soccer, there's just enough to keep you happy. But if you're not, it's short enough to not get bogged down.
The story really is about the human experience. They cover a lot of ground, and the characters all grow throughout.
They run the gamut of things that make us human, from family, to personal issues, to self entitled athletes, to social issues, and on and on. It's emotional at times, more like a drama. And it's very funny at others.
At the heart of it is Ted. He's a guy who coached American football and gets hired to coach soccer in England because the owner wants to run the team into the ground.
But he grows, too, and shows heart and a determination all the while demonstrating it’s all about how you motivate the team. And in the end, he does something remarkable.
Personally, I could identify with Ted. I took up coaching youth soccer when my kids were little and stayed with it for about 12 years. Only leaving when my kids outgrew it, or moved on to different activities.
I both loved and despised it. But I grew as a person. I learned a lot about myself. And as I watched Ted Lasso, I realized that my philosophy was very much like his. I didn't know the sport, really, but knew how to lead the kids, got them to learn to play and have fun. In short, I helped them to BELIEVE (a theme in the show).
I identified with him and the show on a different level. And that made a great show even better.
Thanks to the writers, actors, and producers for putting together something so heartfelt.
I'll miss you. Kind of like I miss coaching on Saturdays.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter
Donald Trump was indicted on federal charges, related to his handling of classified documents after he left the office. There are some who defend his actions for whatever reason, suggest that this is all political, or worse, try to suggest that its "no big deal" or "others have done the same or more."
But here's the thing: he took highly classified documents with him after he left the White House. These included information about nuclear capabilities, troop movements, and other sensitive types of things. He was asked to return them, but ignored the request, lied about that, and then proceeded to brag about keeping the documents. They were kept in fairly public places, shown to people with no security clearance, and otherwise left unattended.
The outcome of all of this is that the Department of Justice brought in a Special Prosecutor to review the facts at hand, and decide what to do / how to proceed. The reason for a Special Prosecutor is, essentially, to make this less political and remove any sort of inherent bias. The person independently makes a determination about what happened, and can (and in this case did) make a recommendation on filing charges.
This had to be vetted by various levels of lawyers and analysts and ultimately was brought before the Attorney General. After that, charges were filed in Federal Court.
Getting to this point isn't done lightly. It takes a lot of review, examination, grand juries, interviews/depositions, and so on.
And now there's a case that will be heard. I would suggest it doesn't look good. But in our system of jurisprudence, Trump is innocent until proven guilty in a court. We can't assume this or that will happen, though of course, getting to the point of filing charges and realizing how many counts were filed suggests that there is a likelihood that he is guilty of something.
We will know more in the coming months.
Now as an aside, related to the idea that "others have done the same." As far as we know, no one had taken this large a cache of documents, that they had the specific types of information, or that they left them in a sort of public location. And most importantly, they were returned or otherwise accounted for in some way without any sort of malfeasance.
And I would remind those that want to defend this that Trump defined himself as the "Law and Order" guy, and vowed to not things like this go unchecked. Let the process play out, and lets see where it lands.
During June, we celebrate many things, including gay pride. There are celebrations and events in many places. In my humble opinion, Its an opportunity for people to simply be themselves. Whatever some might think about gay rights, and pride, I think its a great opportunity to bear in mind that we're sometimes two nations. Why are people so passionate in taking an anti LGBTQ stance?
I was thinking about this season of Ted Lasso, where a player (Colin) comes out to his team. Everyone says its cool, and they don't care. And that's when Ted goes full on Ted and says:
"The point is Colin, We don’t not care. We care very much. We care about who you are and what you must’ve been going through. But hey, from now on you don’t have to go through it all by yourself."
Which I thought was a pretty good assessment. Kudos to the writers for stating it this way.
You can watch the whole segment here:
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Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Bitchin Dave's Newsletter
I find it intriguing how as humans we keep learning new things, even when it seems to contradict things we thought we knew. Take the James Webb Space Telescope, and consider that it is providing some unexpected things. And as a result, maybe the universe isn't exactly what we assumed.
But that's the point of a scientific theory. As scientists, we come up with a plausible explanation based on available evidence. It has been tested and repeated to become widely accepted as a scientific theory.
The cool part though is that it is always subject to review and modification. Sometimes, these theories can be challenged by new evidence. And then the revised theory will be tested until it becomes widely accepted.
I know not everyone quite gets that, but its one of the things that is at the core of science and discovery. We continually learn and update what we know. There are very few absolutes, and there is no clinging to "this is how its always been."
The JWST can point us to new theories and new ways of looking at the world.
This past weekend was the "Wear Orange Weekend" to commemorate the victims of gun violence.
Its unconscionable when you consider that roughly 43,000 people are killed each year in the US due to gun violence, and another 76,000 are wounded. That number alone should give us all pause to consider just how pervasive this is, and one would think it SHOULD lead us to have a rational and honest discussion about the Second Amendment and its full context.
Perhaps the lack of an Oxford comma is a concern, but the word "well regulated" do appear. Can we talk about it?
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
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Monday, June 5, 2023
Saturday, June 3, 2023
Soarin challenge: update #3
By far and away #1 right now.
It's possible the guy at #2 will suddenly make a run and take over the top spot. But no matter. I'll still be the first to get that many points and should always remain far removed from any other competitors.
It was fun, and I enjoyed it. But I'm done.
My real player dropped to #9 by the way. I guess people got active again in the lower part of the top 10. Still. I'm happy with how this went.
Friday, June 2, 2023
What do you think you're doing, Dave?
I'm thinking about starting a newsletter on topics that I find interesting.
There's work to be done with stylizing it and having a little more of my thinking. But here's volume 1, number 1.
A bi-weekly newsletter about topics that I find fun, interesting, or relevantJune 1, 2023Talk of the townSouth Florida is *THE* hotbed for sports. Live it up 305 and beyond!Man, what a season for South Florida sports! Well, except for the 20th century perennial powerhouse football teams (the Dolphins and Hurricanes).You had Nova Southeastern (or whatever they call it these days) win the D2 college basketball championship. Both FAU and UM went to the final 4 in the NCAA tournament.Now the Panthers are playing for the Stanley Cup in hockey. By the way, this is their second trip to the finals, maybe this time they can win it all?And the Heat, led by Jimmy Buckets and Bam are in the NBA finals. This collection of who dat's and undrafted players is remarkable. They just squeaked into the playoffs and have been very good....but they've been streaky all year. What happens next? Who knows!
Weird / Funny NewsMiami often celebrates notable events by banging pots and pans. But...why?CBS Local has you covered.
In other newsThere was an interesting story coming from the world of college football. LSU is partnering with a company which developed, essentially, a portable air conditioner for football helmets? Whaaaa? That's crazy but, ahem, cool.Science NewsSometimes I'm simply amazed by how little we actually know about our world, and nearby space. There was an article about an object that has been in orbit around Earth for a very long time, and yet we didn't actually know about it. How does that happen?Don't miss thisMaybe its just me, but the story about Walt Disney World shuttering the Galactic Star Cruiser hotel/immersive experience after a little over a year is just odd.The idea for the experience mostly came from the previous CEO, and it was (a) expensive and (b) met with some early negative reviews. So maybe its not a surprise. Or then again, maybe its simply another political piece in the ongoing feud between Disney and the Florida governor.And finally...One little spark, for your imagination....For some reason, we seem to be all about banning books because they are deemed "inappropriate" by someone, somewhere. Its rising in the level of absurdity...But I am reminded distinctly of "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, which was published in 1953. In this fictional work, Bradbury talked about a futuristic dystopian society where books were banned, and firefighters were used to burn books.Who would have guessed that he was actually predicting a future 70 years out?This book is recommended reading, and you don't even have to go to a library to get a copy. Just go here:
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