Day of the Week –
Friday. And this was another one of those weeks where every day seemed like it was meant to be Friday but none of them were…until today. And now it seems like Monday already. Never satisfied.
Correction –
I apologize for any typos that may be contained in my newsletter…or whatever kind of ___letter you may call it. But yesterday, I stated “And the world community recognizes that the PA is, in its current form, capable of playing any constructive role in Gaza on the day after.” Obviously I meant incapable, and I apologize for the confusion…that most of you must have missed.
Prop Betting –
I am undoubtedly behind the times here, but I just learned about “prop” betting. And for those of you who are equally as clueless, this is betting on the individual stats of a player rather than on a team. Shooting percentage, points/assists/rebounds, RBIs, earned runs, number of times grabbing one’s crotch…or someone else’s I suppose…well you get the idea. But this is apparently getting to be an issue for the NCAA who are trying to put a stop to that type of betting on college basketball players. And for someone like me who thinks that all betting on sports is a bit questionable, I was surprised that the NCAA did not have a total ban on betting. And maybe there is such a ban but not all that effective. But apparently some players whose performance is not conforming to the needs of the betting class are getting harassed or threatened. And many are feeling the stress of knowing that their individual accomplishments are becoming more important to some than their contribution to the team. Having recently returned from Las Vegas where multi-billion dollar hotels, auditoriums, sports stadiums, and more, are all based on the gambling industry, I know that given the vested interests, a ban does nothing other than drive this vice underground. And those who gamble will always find something on which to wager. When you combine that with the reality that college sports is in many ways indistinguishable from professional sports, there is really little room to argue that betting here is any more or less problematic than betting there. So my message is…get over it.
As the World Spins –
I have been feeling a bit lightheaded of late. I could not figure out why until I read this article. You see, the world is spinning a bit faster than usual. No, really, the Earth, our home planet, this pale blue dot, is rotating along its axis at an accelerated rate. And for the first time ever, instead of adding time to our calendars to maintain accuracy (think leap days, and leap seconds), we may need to subtract a second every so often to right the ship. And why would this be? What could possibly make the Earth speed up? Well, frankly having not read the whole article, I am interpolating here, but it may have to do with climate change. Oh, quiet. I hear my climate skeptics rolling their eyes and see them screaming at their screens…or seeing the rolling and hearing the screams, but you know what I meant. But bear with me, or bare with me depending upon you level of dress. You all know about angular momentum. No, yes you do. When you see a figure skater spinning and they bring their arms close to their bodies they spin faster, and when they spread their arms they slow down. This is due to the conservation of angular momentum.
Primer –
Ok, not that I am fully versed in this, but angular momentum is the tendency of a spinning body to maintain that balance of inertia and the torque that the spin creates. And when the object changes its shape or its diameter, that torque changes. And the laws of physics, which one should never fuck with, mandate that that angular momentum must be maintained. So as an object increases in size, the spin slows down to compensate, and speeds up in the event of a decrease in size. I could show you the math and all that except for the fact that I have no clue what the math is. But trust me…hehe.
The Point? –
Well, as our planet warms, and as our ice is melting, the distribution of water around our planet is changing. And as that happens the mass of that redistributed water changes the shape of Mother Earth (we all change body shapes as we age, so don’t make fun of her), and as it turns out, we are spinning a bit faster. Or I got it all wrong and just wrote a bunch of words for no reason.
Solar Eclipse –
On April 8, in about ten days, there will be a total solar eclipse that passes over a chunk of our great country. That is what makes America Great, the passing of a disappearing Sun over our country and none other. Only the orange man can make that happen, and for that we should all be grateful. Remember that last time it happened, or maybe just a partial eclipse, and all of the reporters and officials were warning everyone to make sure not to look directly at the sun even for a second, and the orange one was photographed just looking up. I thought that was funny…at the time and still. But the point here is that any of you who are looking to, well, look at the Sun as it glides silently behind the Moon, please make sure you do so only with the appropriate solar eclipse glasses. Your regular sunglasses will not do, nor will the rolls of old style camera film (although I remember in high school hearing that it was ok to use). You need specialized glasses that filter out all but one one-thousandth of the Sun’s light. That is how strong the light of the sun is. And it takes very little time for the Sun’s rays to damage your eyes in a way that could take months to recover, if you recover at all. So here is a guide as to what you need. Consider this a public service announcement…so proud of myself.
Russia’s Concert Massacre –
The massacre of attendees of a concert in Moscow was tragic. It was a horrific act that should shock everyone. Even in a world where we are all becoming numb to the constant barrage of such events, we cannot allow our revulsion to be diminished. Yet, we also cannot continue to allow these instances to be used to further a political or ideological agenda that is divorced from the truth of what is happening. But I flail at windmills, I spit into the wind, I pull the mask of the Lone Ranger, I tug on Superman’s cape, I need a life…sorry. The point here is that this act was perpetrated by a division of ISIS and was directed at Russia and their alleged subversion of Sunni Muslims in their support of Shia regimes and groups. Something like that. But Putin cannot help but put these heinous acts to use as a weapon against Ukraine and the West. Without any evidence or real argument as to why anyone should believe him, he accuses Ukraine of orchestrating this attack. Even when confronted with the truth, he cannot back down, he cannot allow for some other independent group to be solely responsible as it might either look bad on him or distract from his illegal and unwarranted invasion of a neighboring country. And while we can look at Putin and scoff at his transparent lies, we should also look within our own borders for instances where we also adjust the facts to promote our own narrative. Just an observation…
Russia & North Korea & the World –
Tons of sanctions on North Korea due to its nuclear weapons programs. And while somewhat effective in straining the North Korean economy and its ability to advance some of its weapons and ballistic missile programs, the fact is that they are still advancing all of the technologies for which they are being sanctioned. Lots of thoughts here on when/where sanctions work and not…what a globalized and ever increasingly connected world can do to hold itself together, but not now, for another day with lots of alcohol. But for now, you need to know that the UN has a group that oversees the sanctions on North Korea and looks for those who violate them. This group is called the “panel of experts” and their mission must be extended by vote at the Security Council every year. And it has been for the past fourteen years…until now. Two countries did not vote to extend…China abstained and Russia vetoed. Now remember that both of these countries had voted for the sanctions that are being monitored, but the world has changed since then.
Who is Violating? –
The use of the UN to poke a stick in the eye of one’s adversary is not new. And so with the current tension between the West and China/Russia, a move to make the world a bit more uncertain, a bit more unsettled, a bit more dangerous, is certainly in China’s worldview. But with Russia, it gives some cover for its complete violation of the sanctions against North Korea selling missiles since Russia is the buyer. So transparent that it should not surprise, but so dangerous that it should be addressed. And note that the sanctions are still in place, and any violations that come to light should be open for consequences. But without a group that actively investigates and monitors, it is hard for any definitive information to come to light. And the question is whether Kim Jong-un will now feel freer to ramp up his nuclear program, his ballistic missile development, and whatever else he is up to. It seems that past enforcement has not deterred his efforts, but now…? Thank you Russia.
Food for Thought –
Leftover curried chicken salad from the other night…good enough for us. And no new photo as the old one was good enough.
Conclusion –
Another week in the books. I trust it was as good for you as it was for me…or actually hope it was better as I spent the week trying to figure out what day it was. Confusing. Til next week…stay healthy and be good to each other.
Me.