To the senate: no war with Iran!

Senator, might I remind you that the ongoing discussion by Mr Trump to authorize military action against Iran seems to be entirely motivated by his own hubris rather than by good policy or some rational thought about the future of the Mideast and its stability. 

I also would point out that the majority of Americans - including those who identify as MAGA - are opposed to such action. 

And as you are likely well aware, there is no existing congressional authorization for the use of force against Iran. So there is yet another constitutional showdown looming, should he decide to act. 

You need to take a firm stand and support other options, other than military action. 

To the senate: Elimination of programs to feed people

Senator,

I often volunteer at feeding south Florida. I live here and want to help my community, and can honestly state there is a need. And a growing one at that. With the cost of living compared against the wages, and the rising cost of food, people don't have a lot of options. 

The food bank gives them an option. But through various actions of this administration, I am seeing less food being brought in, and Florida and federal donations are lower. 

Now with the budget that eliminates SNAP and other programs, there will be even less. And our neighbors - your constituents who are legally here - will need to rely on food banks more than ever. But their funding will also go away. 

So essentially in approving this budget, you would be creating more issues than you'd be solving. I would think the proposed tax savings for the ultra wealthy would be insignificant in the big picture. 

People work hard and still can't make ends meet. They need a little help. Don't cut their benefits!

To the senate: Emoluments clause

Mr Trump is promoting some ridiculously overpriced phone that I guess his family is selling (it's confusing but he's definitely involved). 

And that means he stands to profit (again) directly from the office he holds. 

That is a clear violation of the emoluments clause. You need to hold him accountable for (again) not acting constitutionally. 

POV Walkthroughs of Disney attractions

This is pretty cool.  While YouTube has a significant collection of user-created content related to Disney parks - including ride throughs of most attractions - Disney itself has decided to make a series of POV attraction ride throughs.

The major difference is that the Disney versions are flawless.  No ride breakdowns.  Shots that highlight things they want to be sure you see.  No other guests blocking the view. And they take some parts slowly.

You can find the collection on Disney+, beginning with the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland.

https://gizmodo.com/visit-disneyland-from-the-comfort-of-disney-with-more-pov-walkthroughs-2000617143

Hailing frequencies closed

Many years ago, I met Curt at an event hosted by the Miami Dolphins. We had a little fun back-and-forth about who was first with a dolphins website (though I always knew it was him; he beat me by maybe a month or so). 

We became friends and had a some fun bonding over being long-suffering fans, and discovered we also shared a love of Disney. There were other things, too, but those always worked. 

He appeared on both my dolphins and Disney podcasts a few times, and we did the scavenger hunt in 2011. It was an absolute blast. 

Unfortunately, we lost touch shortly before the pandemic, and the emails and calls became more sporadic. 

Then, today I saw something about the dolphins I thought he'd enjoy seeing, so I thought maybe we could pick up again. 

Only… I learned from his daughter that he passed away in March. That gave me pause. 

Goodbye my friend. May you feast among the dolphins greats, and get an audience with Walt himself. 😁

This is one of those fun human interest stories

TL;DR dad offers his son a chance to take on a challenge that you see on the socials. Kid succeeds. That video goes viral, and ultimately leads to the son getting a chance to go on the field with a baseball player he wanted to meet. 

It's worth a read, and reminds us that there is still good in the world. 

https://people.com/how-a-viral-prank-led-boy-to-meet-his-texas-rangers-idol-exclusive-11740602

When Don Shula almost went to work for Donald Trump

This is a summary of Trump buying the New Jersey Generals and pursing Don Shula. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DI4gG_tzVpf/?igsh=eTM4cWZ2Z3ZzaXpy

A little more context: If I remember correctly, T-rump decided he wanted to win at all costs and made a run at Shula. 

Shula was flattered but not really interested. His situation in Miami was good but the money was tempting. And of course he and owner Joe Robbie had clashed a bunch by now.

I don't think they ever got far into negotiations, with Shulas representative doing the talking.

But it did give him more money from the notoriously cheap Robbie.

There are two rumors around this topic. First is that Larry Csonka (who played for Shula, and they remained friendly over the years) told reporters Shula "probably would have taken the money" if that other Donald hadn't gone public.

And the second is that the agent was trying to size up the real interest. Was this a publicity stunt? Would Shula have had control? Was it a legit offer without stupid clauses that would have made life difficult?

Part of how he negotiated was to ask for some ridiculous things, perhaps including the penthouse apartment.

It was to see what kind of a person that Donald was. And we all saw it.

Shula called it all a distraction and just moved on.