grommit2

Just finished a quick, insightful and surprising book: Buried Dreams, about the construction of the Hoosac tunnel through the Berkshire mountains in western Massachusetts. The author provides a succinct sweep of Massachusetts economic ups and downs, as it competes with the rest of the Eastern US states and global opportunities. This sets the context for the reason for building a railroad tunnel (intercept some of the Erie Canal trade and get it to Boston), and its associated financing challenges, plus the challenges of smashing through nearly five miles of rock using mid-19th century techniques. I found it fascinating how it echoed the issues of today: immigrant workers, safety, convincing the State to provide financing, finding engineering expertise, and covering up questionable decisions.

Just figuring things out. Case closed!

So Peaches...Lorelai would have been just about, lets see...16/17 with infant Rory, add 21 years when Rory graduates from Yale, then another 10 years to show the 4-episode series...that makes about 48 years old when she finally agrees to marry Luke. Also, Rory would be about 31 when she gets rejected for that web publishing job (by my all-time favorite whiney teen, Whitney from "The Affair".) Is that about right?

Oh Peaches..."gats a'blazin'...thanks, I really needed that for a good laugh. 😆

Hi Kemper... I would settle for Joe planning his questions in advance, then asking them in a concise, clear way. Avoid the rambling.

Fascinating. I am amazed at how many hours sports talk radio can commit to pretty much the same thing, over and over, every day. In Wisconsin, it's Aaron Rodgers. In New England, it's Tom Brady. In New York, it's, well, the Yankees and some Mets. What an interesting way to earn a living. Pick any town, it's the same thing. Just talk about the same thing every day for several months at a stretch.

The Sun Also Rises. Gads...I already know the major themes. And that Hemingway is lauded as a great writer. But, geez, I am struggling to find any redeeming value in this novel.

I'm a little confused. There seems to be a lusting after quarterbacks that can run and throw...Patrick Hahomes clones. Mahomes certainly is a game-changer and I would love to have him on my team. But, is this the real path to Super Bowls? Aren't most successful teams QBed by big, strong-armed folks who really do not run much. Brady, Brees, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, etc...do not strike me as really quick runners. And isn't the fear that when your franchise QB ventures outside the pocket, he is going to get crushed by a 300 pound sprinter playing middle line backer? But, what do I know, eh?

Hmmm...let's see...the games take too long. I wonder why. Could it be, possibly, maybe...that the pitchers take TOO LONG between pitches? Geez...they experimented wit the pitch clock all the way up to AAA level ball. They saw that it worked. Why not put it into play at the majors? Is MLB afraid the pitchers would stage a strike. Oh..."a strike"...see how I did that. Ha. I'm so clever. 🤪

Decided to try something lighter than tales of corporate greed and political shenanigans (Kochland, Dark Money), so I picked up Claw Enforcement by Sofie Ryan. Just the right thing for these troubling times, eh? Well, no. The cat featured on the cover does next to nothing to move the story along, unlike the dog, Chet, in the Spencer Quinn mysteries. The Claw book starts well, but then wanders around with digressive descriptions of refurbishing second-hand goods for a resale shop. There are some themes of potential love life, but they just did not grab me, nor did they move the mystery along. Oh well, maybe it's just me. <<<sigh>>>

Ok. Finally done with Jane Mayer's Dark Money. Only 380 pages. Thoroughly researched and documented. Tells the story of the wealthy Right's drive to turn government toward their two goals: minimize taxes on themselves and their businesses, and minimize regulations on their businesses. You can agree with their goals or not, but I believe you have to applaud their sharply focused programs, long range plans and programs. Their funding emanates from a relatively small, uber-wealthy group: fewer players helps keep things on track. They really, really played the long game. A good companion to Kochland. It would be interesting to read a similar book that addresses funding on the Left.

Hi Magog...my 2 cents: I find that there are some players who are truly fun and/or exciting to watch. Oh yes, Michael Jordan was certainly one of them. As was Bird, Magic, Cousy, West, Baylor, even Chamberlain. I might not root for them, but I certainly marvel at their skills. And Curry is also in that elite group. He shoots so quickly and from so far out that you just have to watch to enjoy the show. There does not appear to be any set up, step back...just grab and shoot. Amazing. Unfortunately, he also hurt his ankle...and continued to play through it. Hopefully this will be a short recovery.

Doctoratomic: Moving it back a foot or so? Wouldn't that make the breaking pitches (curve, slider, screwball) even more effective?

Oh man...saw the Pearl (actually...you need to say the whole thing: "Earl the Pearl Monroe", with a New York accent) when he played for the Bullets. He and Walt Frazier of the Knicks went at it, one on one, in the playoffs. Fabulous competition. EVERY kid on the playground developed spin moves followed by a fade-away jumper. Epic.

Small items: The person who rejected Rory for the web publisher job (in the 10 years after show) was played by the Julia Goldani Telles, who had played Whitney Solloway in The Affair. Whitney was my all-time favorite whiney brat in all of TV. And here she stomps on the all-time nice girl. Interesting casting choice. Rory went to Yale. Smart, smart, smart...studied hard...but somehow did not learn how to adjust to contemporary news business shifts (unlike the trust fund kid, who studied just hard enough to get by, then demonstrated that he had learned how to adjust to the contemporary shift quite well). Hmm...is there a message here? The most frustrating part about this series is the way that Lorelai could never make decisions without throwing a hissy-fit. Good grief: Max, Christopher, Luke...geez...enough already! Probably the most honest part of the series was the Yale seniors who acknowledged they had little idea of how to translate their majors into post-college careers. Yes, Art majors do not seem to make the same income as a Finance major. But those Finance majors can acquire lots and lots of art. Hmm... The Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) character was infuriating. Sullen, very smart, but incapable of communicating his thoughts. Really different role in The Art of Racing in the Rain. The Max Medina character (Scott Cohen) has 111 acting credits. Busy man!

Ah geez...Yes, Jim Brown played in 12 games each of his seasons in the NFL. Ok...I will now go sit in the back of the room.

Hi ScoobieDoobs... Consider the challenge that Rachel faces: she is in the media business, which demands attracting viewers. We may not agree, may not like it, but...well, it's a business. Remember the old rubric? "If it bleeds, it leads"? Gaetz, Chauvin trial...riots, fires, car crashes...these will draw viewers. Outrage, anger...more viewers. Sad, disappointing, but, well, it is a business and these are the proven money makers. <<<SIGH>>>

Wow...17 games. I remember when there were only TEN games in the regular season. And outstanding players like Jim Brown were able to run for 5+ yards PER CARRY. And 104 yards PER GAME.

JTMac99...excellent! Thanks: clear and concise. And I didn't even need to program some Excel formulas. Ha.

Hi DannyFranks...I still remember Pats Coach Belichick saying that Jimmy Garoppolo could do everything that Tom Brady could do. Not sure if Bill was just poking TB12, propping up JimmyG, or having some fun with the reporters.

Hi Fukui San...Numbers...that's what we need. Thanks!

So here's the question: what is the correlation between draft number versus actual professional performance? That is...do all the top picks actually perform as a top player (barring injuries). This is a data-rich world, so there must be a statistical analysis somewhere. Opinions are wonderful, but I am looking for actual statistics. 🤪

Help? I recently read Kochland, the story of how Koch Industries funded various political initiatives designed to minimize their tax and regulatory burdens. Now I am reading Dark Money, which expands on the political funding story by incorporating many more of the similar-minded funders. Each donor clearly wanted to minimize their tax and regulatory burdens. I understand that motive, but it raises the question: are there books that spell out how "the other side" contributes to political campaigns? Note that, while these books are thoroughly researched and meticulously presented, they leave me with a sense of utter despair. I really need to go back to something a bit lighter, such as Spencer Quinn or Sofie Ryan.

Hi Lantern7...the curious part about this is that pitchers tended to be one of the star hitters in the feeder system (little league, legion ball, high school,...even college.) But, I guess all that specialization eroded their skills. Except for ONE major leaguer (there may be others)...but Babe Ruth started as a superior pitcher, and eventually settled on being one of the best hitters ever.

Hi Madding Crowd... Room was a great book with intense scenes. Left me rooting for the mom and kid to escape and get their lives back.