Question For U.S. Supreme Court

After a day of hearing United States Supreme Court Justices question lawyers about Presidential Immunity, I have a really basic question for all of the Justices. 

Where were you all during the 3 hours 11 minutes of the January 6th Attack On The U.S. Capitol?

Were you all still in your Washington D.C., Supreme Court Building chambers doing business as if the attackers were not there for you? Could you see or hear the mob, or did you tunein to live coverage of the attack? Did you all have or need additional security? Were you all escorted to a secure alternative location? Were your families worried for your safety? 

I am trying to understand how you Justices could have been 1,523 feet from the Violently Attacked Capitol on January 6, 2021, a five minute walk, and not feel it your duty today to protect the U.S. Constitution from an criminally indicted former President, instrumental in planning, inciting, and supporting the attack by refusing to order any combative response to the attackers. The National Guard were on standby waiting for the order to deploy.

Do the Justices not see the fault of their not wanting today to address a Presidential coup immunity question? Why are they tiptoeing around what the entire country and world witnessed on “Live TV” when this former President’s supporters, at his direction, marched to and stormed the U.S. Capitol not 5 minutes away from them.

I want to believe the Supreme Court Justices take their duty of interpreting the meaning of law, finding relevancy in the law to a particular set of facts, or ruling on how laws should be applied, very seriously and professionally. But much of what I heard today makes me question if perhaps the Supreme Court is compromised in some say. Something to me just didn’t feel genuine and sincere in the way many of the Justices, not all, were carrying out their duties. It almost felt like a staged production of “Inherit the Wind” or “12 Angry Men.”

I, and I am sure many of my fellow U.S. citizens are left feeling as if today’s Supreme Court Justices’ questions on Presidential Immunity was a farce. Why? What is behind the decision for the highest court in the land to ignore the obvious Presidential coup of Jan. 6th, and choose instead to debate Immunity of hypothetical official and unofficial Presidential acts. And then take weeks/months to decide on a ruling or no ruling. One must ask if they are serving the country or the individual who was named Wednesday as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the Michigan fake elector scheme.

Maybe it is time to seriously consider term limits for Supreme Court Justices. When the wife of a Justice is in touch with some of those indicted for trying to overturn the election, and said Justice does not recuse himself from hearing any arguments related to the case, it’s time for a change.

U.S. Supreme Court Could Soon Face Key Trump Decisions,  

                                                                         VOA News  Jan. 01, 2024

Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Trump Immunity Case,

                                                                         CNN Politics  April 25, 2024

                                                           Bill Hennessy

 

Twas The Night Before Draft Day

 A Visit from St. Nicholas

BY CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds;

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,

Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,

When what to my wondering eyes did appear,

But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,

With a little old driver so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

Football fans will tell you; NFL Draft-Eve can be the most exciting anticipation since waiting on Santa Claus to deliver Christmas Eve gifts when you were a kid. Questions swarm around in your head about what impressive new toys will be left under the Christmas tree for you. Will you get Tonka, GI Joe, Rock'em Sock'em robots, or what. Perhaps a Hot Wheel racing car track.

Mind you I'm a child of the 60's-70's era. Tonight is the night that grown men like me become as children, hoping and praying for that special gifted football player. For tonight is the eve of the NFL Draft, and if I don't get a top prospect added to my teams' roster, it'll feel like a Charlie Brown Christmas or Halloween, choose your pick.

The difference between Christmas and the NFL Draft is the drawn-out anticipation. Because you don't get to play your new toys on Draft Day. You see, after the draft, the gifts your team acquires will not play in a meaningful NFL game for another six months. So, you are left waiting to see if the toy you got can actually satisfy and fulfill you and your teams' needs. Can it take the bruising playing of NFL football, or will it break easy and be useless after one or two games. Or worse, will it not make the cut.

Whether he be a lineman, running back, wide receiver, quarterback or defensive player, your gifted player is all hype and speculation until he suits up and participates in live game action. Until then, all you can do is talk about what Santa delivered on Draft Day. Until then, you are back to hoping and praying that your gift will be as good or better than predicted. And unfortunately, like Christmas, there's always a mean Grinch in the equation just begging to trade away or steal your joy.  

So, for now, enjoy the hype, the promise, the anticipation, the dream. For tomorrow is "the day the lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Tomorrow is Draft Day!

April 25 - 27

Nuggets Buzzer Beat Lakers

Nugget’s beat Lakers on buzzer beater by Murray

Footage of shot seen from every angle

Incredible!

What I enjoy from every angle isn’t just Jamal Murray’s buzzer beating walk-off, but also Lakers Antonio Davis getting gobbled up in the Denver Nuggets bench afterword. Some angles look as if the whole Arena mobs AD, swallowing him up like some alien Blob monster. The shot sent Ball Arena into such pandomonium that any visiting opponent could easily have been trampled and buried in the celebration. 

Davis survived the celebration, but the Lakers go home defeated and down 0-2 in the series, to face a charged up Nuggets team. If Jamal Murray continues to bring clutch shooting fire like he displayed in this comeback win, no Lakers lead is safe. Lebron and AD are gonna need more than homecourt advantage to stop this determined defending champion. Denver is on fire!

Final Score

Lakers 99

Nuggets 101

Knicks rally to beat Sixers 104-101

Great Quarterback Roman Gabriel

 

NFL's First Filipino-American quarterback, dies at 83

I remember the name more than watching him play in the 1970's. It's a name when spoken or heard, automatically exudes strength and heroism. Who knew back then that Roman Gabriel had Filipino roots. And to be honest, who really cared just as long as he could sling the football and lead his teams to victory. 

2018 NBC News Article by Sheng Peng:

Gabriel headlined at North Carolina State before being drafted second-overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1962 NFL Draft.

"Once you become an athlete, you're a little more accepted," Gabriel said. "As I became more proficient as an athlete, I wasn't a Filipino, I was just an American."

But he was more than just any All-American athlete. At 6'5", 220 pounds, Gabriel was the tallest quarterback in the history of the NFL when he started playing in 1962, according to data from Pro Football Reference. Cont'd . . .

When you think of a Roman Gabriel you think of a courageous man standing strong in the face of oncoming danger and fighting the good fight. You think of someone gifted with the skills and mindset to lead men to victory come hell or high water. You think of someone with a "never retreat, never surrender" competitive philosophy, and you are motivated to follow his lead without question.

Roman Gabriel, there's just something in the name that begs honor and reverence. And the man who made the name recognizable, lived up to the respect and admiration of its thundering mythological sound.

            Roman Gabriel

         1940 - 1924

A Union Soldier Asks Equality & Protection For Southern Blacks

Excerpts from the book "A Private's Reminiscences of the Civil War," written in 1882 by Rev. Theodore Gerrish. The book chronicles his experiences as a Union Soldier during the American Civil War. Here in the final Chapter XXII, it appears he wrote to the U.S. Government asking/demanding equal rights and protection not be deprived the blacks who did all they could to save the nation and help its Union Army defenders against Confederacy rebels who fought to destroy it from 1861-65.

Chapter XVII

Pages 364-65

“OUR BROTHERS IN BLACK.”

There were some facts developed in regard to the negroes in that bloody strife which appear remarkable when we consider their moral condition and the positions in which they were placed. When our white brothers in the South look in haughty disdain upon the negroes, and question as to what rights they should expect to exercise under our Government, I think it would be wise for “Uncle Sam” to whisper these facts, thus developed, in the ears of his proud spirited sons. In all those eventful years no negro was ever found in a traitor’s uniform. The “stars and bars” had no beauty for them; they had not forgotten the old “stars and stripes.”

There were plenty of white men in the South who were willing to shoot and starve Union prisoners, but no black man was found base enough to do such work, although slavery had kept them in ignorance and degradation, although their virtues had been debauched to gratify the passions of their owners, although the Government itself had allowed them to be placed on a level with the common animal. But notwithstanding all this, beneath each black skin there was a human heart that disdained to descend to depths of infamy that would permit them to so treat their fellow creatures.

They never misused a Union prisoner, but were to them angels of mercy, aiding them in their terrible flight for life from those prison pens, giving the last crumb of bread and meat in their possession, guiding them through the trackless forests and across the bayous and rivers, concealing them by skillful devices when the hoarse deep baying of the pursuing blood-hounds came too near. They fought heroically when marshaled under the stars and stripes, so that, when the war closed, they had nobly earned the ballot that the Government placed in their hands.

With deep interest and much gratitude the old soldiers have watched their struggles and rapid development in all the elements of good citizenship since the close of the war. As these two races march beside each other in the struggle of life, we only ask and demand that those who, in their poverty, did all they could to save the nation and assist its defenders, shall not be deprived of their sacred rights by those who fought to destroy the nation, and rejoiced in the death of its soldiers.

Give the “brothers in black” an equal chance with other citizens. Let the general Government protect the rights of every citizen, without regard to color or race. That is all we ask, and that we have a right to demand.

Chapter XVII

A Review

Page 350

It is fitting that one chapter in this volume should be devoted to a review of the record that our soldiers made through those eventful years of the war. This is of special importance, as we are living in an age that is concentrating its thoughts and energies in the present and the future, and is too rapidly forgetting the events of the past, while, consequently, the rising generation is but very imperfectly informed as to the great events of the civil war, of the situation in which the government was placed at its outbreak, and the sacrifices that were made to preserve its life.

About the Author:

Theodore enlisted Company H of the 20th Maine Regiment when he was just 16 years old. He was with the regiment from its founding in 1862 through its mustering out in 1865 except for the summer of 1863 when he was sick in a hospital in Philadelphia and in 1864 when he was recovering from a wound suffered in The Wilderness. After the war he wrote several books including "Army Life: A Private's Reminiscences of the Civil War" which is the only history of his famous regiment written by a member of it.

After the Civil War, he became a minister before moving to the Dakota's where he became wealthy through land speculating. He died in Tennessee in 1923.

The Black Congressmen of Reconstruction: Death of Representation - Mobituaries

Army life in a black regiment : Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

A Great Running Back Passes

Today it was announced one of the best running backs in football history passed away. Orenthal James Simpson played professional football nine seasons for the Buffalo Bills, during which he executed some of the most amazing, jaw-dropping runs ever recorded by NFL Films. He was the first running back to rush for 2,000+ yards in a season and is one of only nine Heisman Trophy winners to win an NFL MVP.

I grew up in New York State watching #32 O.J. run around and through defenses as if he were a sleek cat gracefully alluding wild dogs. He was built to run in the mode of a Gale Sayers before him, and a Barry Sanders to follow. Throw in Adrian Peterson down the road and you have the gift that is a once in a generation running back. 

And we're not talking unstoppable power and size like Earl Campbell or Derrick Henry. We are talking juke-spinning, tackle-slipping quickness and finesse. There's no real name for it, but you know it when you see it. Call it field vision with instinctive presence. They had moves! And the guys I'm talking about consistently delivered those moves.

To watch these athletes create spectacular, escape artist runs on the football field was like watching poetry in motion. I'm sure there are others who could and should be included, but these four, playing mostly on bad teams, were undeniably the most entertaining and untacklable (if such a word exists) running backs to ever step on the gridiron. 

Thanks for all you gave us on the field of football OJ. 

Rest Juice, Rest!

July 1947 - April 2024

Was OJ Simpson THAT Good? - Heisman Season USC Football Highlights - YouTube

Buffalo Bills player will wear O.J. Simpson's No. 32 for first time in more than 40 years | Fox News

Warriors 26-Threes Eclipse Lakers

One day after a rare Solar Eclipse blotted out sunshine across the globe, the Golden State Warriors darkened Crypto.com Arena with a historic long-range shooting performance over Lebron James and his Lakers in Los Angeles. 

The Warriors shot an historic 63.4% from 3-point range on 26-of-41 shooting against Lebron and company minus Anthony Davis. They led by as many as 18-points and although ‘King James’ put up 33-points, his efforts were OVERSHADOWED / ECLIPSED by a full cast of Warriors dropping threes in front of all the bright and glittery stars who come out to be seen at Lakers games.

It was a disappointing night for Lakers fans at Crypto.com Arena. They should of brought specially made eclipse sun glasses to experience a rare blotting out of L.A. stars and star athletes by a Warriors full moon.  When Warriors bad boy enforcer Draymond Green is hitting five threes in the first half, you knew the visiting team from the SF Bay Area was on a mission.  Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Podziemski all had long-range success to pressure the Lakers and spoil any talk for now of Lebron moving his team to up to 8th-seed.

As of this win the Warriors are the 10th-seed, a half game behind the 9th-seed Lakers. With the win the Warriors own the head-to-head win/loss record over the Lakers and will get the better (lower) seed should they end the season tied. The Warriors are a full game behind the 8th-seed Sacramento Kings. They need to win their remaining three games and have the Kings lose two out of three games left in order for the Warriors to grab the 8th-seed.

The 7th & 8th seeds need only to win one Play-in game, while 9th & 10th seeds must win two games. The Phoenix Suns are currently the 7th-seed, with a one game lead over the Kings.

The NBA Playoffs are right around the corner. And the Warriors have an opportunity to put on more rare and stunning performances as they focus their sights on another championship. They know they have a long road to travel to get there. No Play-in tournament team (7th-10th seed) has yet to win a championship.  The Miami Heat did reach the Finals last season as a 7th seed, but lost to the Denver Nuggets. 

Whatever is in the stars for the Warriors, I expect them to put on a show(s) to match or outdue last night’s galactic show in Los Angeles. The Playoffs are coming, time to get out the special viewing spectacles if your team is playing the Golden State Warriors. Because this Bay Area basketball team darkens skies and causes stars to magically disappear.

Final Score

Warriors 134

Lakers 120

https://fanarch.com/blogs/nba/has-an-nba-play-in-team-ever-won-the-finals

Today's Umbra w/Neil deGrasse Tyson & Co.

 

Solar eclipse 2024 explained: Times it’s visible, path of totality, why to wear glasses and more (nbcnews.com)

How the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Is Different than the 2017 Eclipse (nasa.gov)

Umbra | Solar, Lunar & Shadow | Britannica

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"

This video gives the perfect breakdown of the famous short story by Shirley Jackson. I remember first reading this story in grade school. It didn't hit me so hard at the time but did awaken questions.  Why? 

Why? was to become my battle cry when reading stories of senseless and/or cruel human behavior. Why do humans treat other humans with such cruelty at certain times, sometimes justified by laws supposedly enacted for the greater good? 

As an adult it still boggles my mind when I think of a civilization which appears to have advanced so far beyond the primitive, yet unable to rid itself of human illnesses such as greed, hate, prejudice, and tyrannical rule. It is as if the human race, for all its genius and innovation, has a flawed gene built into its DNA code which threatens the organism's progress. The old "two steps forward one step back" formula always seems to be in play when it comes to advancements in humanity. 

It just can't seem to get out of its own way. Is human civilization destined for self-destruction, or as in the Lottery, is it doomed to fearfully tread a dark road of isolationist tribal traditions? 

In the year 2024, with the brotherhood and bonding of humanity as close as ever due to a recent worldwide pandemic, why does it appear some peoples and nations continue down the dark path of cruel treatment toward fellow beings?  Is it the thought of having power over others, or perhaps the fear of others having power of them. Is it the supposed DNA flaw which brings human illnesses of greed, hate, prejudice, and tyrannical rule to the forefront, or was man never meant to be more than a primitive animal, living in wolfpacks and fighting amongst themselves and other packs for a measly patch of territory.

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" gives a great example of a community living comfortably with a cruel tradition of killing one member for the "greater good" of the community. Why? Perhaps to appease the Deities of Harvest found in most agricultural cultures of the past. Or maybe to ward off evil spirits of unexplained calamities in nature, like earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, and such. It seems when communities of men have no answers for failed crops, plague, or natural disasters, it turns to looking for someone or something to point the finger of blame. And should that finger point toward an evil spirit or aggrieved almighty deity, fearful superstition can overtake a community, thus instigating cruel and unusual treatment of a member(s). A sacrifice, for the greater good.

"The Lottery"

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o'clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 27th. But in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner. cont'd

The Most Outraged Reactions to Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" (earlybirdbooks.com)

Salem Witch Trials - Events, Facts & Victims | HISTORY

"Final Solution": In Depth | Holocaust Encyclopedia (ushmm.org)

Historical Context: Facts about the Slave Trade and Slavery | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Dr. Erich Fromm on Wellness (1960)

 

On my bookshelf sits Dr. Erich Fromm's book "Escape from Freedom." I can grasp it at any time, open to any page, and while reading feel as if I have opened my thoughts to what man is capable of mentally (good and bad). Dr. Fromm has a gift for stripping away the blinders acquired by our humanity and revealing to us an honest reflection of our minds, our societies, our potentials and our shortcomings. If we as a human civilization truly want "Peace on Earth and Goodwill for All Men & Women," we can begin with addressing our own mental wellness and rehabilitating/rediscovering what it means to be well (mentally, physically, spiritually, socially).

What I take away from Dr. Fromm is not the absence of illness, but the cultivation of wellness as the key to a healthy and purposeful life. A wellness of one can be reciprocated and shared with a community of many.

Imagine if you were given a community garden to cultivate and maintain. Over time, you decide to only water and maintain what you have labeled your favorite plants, vegetables, and flowers. Eventually, through lack of nourishment, neglected plants and such die. 

The once community garden has become fitting only for your own personal tastes, appealing more to yourself than others who might want to share in the garden. Not only might you have lost certain high-level vitamins and nutrients of vegetables, fruits, beans and greens you have let fester and fail, but your ignorance of their nutritional value for human consumption has compromised your own personal health. What you thought space consuming, distasteful, and unappealing plantings were actually important to your very well-being and that of others. 

The effects a vibrant, colorful, sweet-smelling flower can have on individuals whose lives might be lacking love and beauty can be healing and transforming.  The taste of a ripe, juicy and sweet strawberry can force even the most irritable neighbor to close his/her eyes and dream of pleasantries once experienced, perhaps a young love or favorite dessert.  

The varieties of beauty and nourishment found in the sights, flavors, and aromas a diverse garden produces are endless, if only the gardener is open to its full potential. This is the gardener's responsibility and what he is accountable for as a cultivator and caretaker. 

Wpowell

Escape from Freedom is a book by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, first published in the United States by Farrar & Rinehart^[1] in 1941 with the title Escape from Freedom and a year later as The Fear of Freedom in UK by Routledge & Kegan Paul. It was translated into German and first published in 1952 under the title Die Angst vor der Freiheit (The Fear of Freedom). In the book, Fromm explores humanity's shifting relationship with freedom, how individual freedom can cause fear, anxiety and alienation, and how many people seek relief by relinquishing freedom. He describes how authoritarianism can be a mechanism of escape, with special emphasis on the psychosocial conditions that enabled the rise of Nazism.

note: The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells (1904)

Giants Baseball is B.A.C.K. Baby!

The San Francisco Giants are in the midst of their season-opening series against the San Diego Padres. And so far, it looks as if they're executing the old tried and true formula of "Get'em On, Get'em Over and Get'em In" perfectly. In other words, the hitting is there, and runners are being driven in at a high rate. Higher than what we saw much of last season anyway.

I know it's just opening-weekend baseball, but seeing the Giants put runs on the board right out the gate gives promise to a magical season ahead. Even in their 4-6 opening day loss, the Giants matched the Padres in hits. Games 1, 2, and 3 saw the Giants with 9, 13, and 9 hits. 

Granted, the Padres have swung the bat decently against our pitchers, but with their big money line-up its expected. Speaking of pitching, the Giants seem to have a lot to work with. Giants' pitchers have the stuff to compete. The 2024 NL West, with last year's NL champion D'Backs and Ohtani's Dodgers, is gonna be a blast.

Today is game 4 of the Giants-Padres series. And win, lose, or tie, I'm very satisfied with the upgrades and additions I see so far on the Giants, including new manager Bob Melvin. You gotta have a manager who knows when to hold'em and when to fold'em. So far, Bob's 'Kenny Rogers act' is looking good. Because it's all really just a gamble, "when the dealing done!"

Giants 4  Padres 6  game 1

Giants 8  Padres 3  game 2

Giants 9  Padres 6  game 3

Giants     Padres     game 4

SF Giants Renel Farewell

R-e-n-e-l

Thank You Renel for being the wonderful voice of our San Francisco Giants at the Ballpark these past 24 seasons. You helped educate me on what it means to adjust and welcome change in sports. I love baseball, I love the SF Giants, and I love the fact that women like yourself have pioneered in a new, inclusive era of sports. 

I once wrote about memories of watching NFL Football sportscasters Phylis George and Jayne Kennedy paving the way in a field exclusively occupied by men up to that time. Both proved beautiful and bright, delivering Sunday football sportscast with style and substance. What you brought to Giants baseball Renell was a fresh, upbeat sound to go along with a fresh, spanking new, state-of-the-art ballpark. 

You showed up with the Giants only a few years removed from old, decrepit Candlestick Park. We fans remembering the old "Stick" were still pinching ourselves to see if it was all just a dream. Then came three golden years of winning baseball, along with your winning, upbeat voice introducing our beloved players. You celebrated then suffered along with us fans through that horrible 2002 World Series heartbreak. But it would be a heartbreak which made what was to come in 2010, 2012, and 2014 that much more Jubilant. 

My best recollection of the 2002 World Series today is the JT Snow play at the plate with little Darren Baker.

I could now say without hesitation Renel, your voice welcoming my return back to the ballpark each season was like family welcoming home a prodigal son. Football and Basketball seasons gave much sinful excitement during the fall/winter off-season. But there's nothing like returning to a venue as accommodating and familiar as your home baseball park come opening day. With the Public Announcer giving warm greetings, excited about having you and baseball back for another season.

And so, I thank you Renel Brooks-Moon for making our Giants Baseball Park (Pac Bell, SBC, AT&T, Oracle) a place of community, camaraderie, and good sportsmanship. A place where upon returning you realize how much you've missed it all. And how much of your heart stays behind each time you leave it behind. Home truly is where the heart is, when you care about home and home cares about you. Thanks for caring so much for so long!

Best to you Renel

Always a Giant

[Verse 1]

The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay

The glory that was Rome is of another day

I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan

I'm going home to my city by the Bay

[Verse 2]

I left my heart in San Francisco

High on a hill, it calls to me

To be where little cable cars, climb halfway to the stars

The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care

[Verse 3]

My love waits there in San Francisco

Above the blue and windy sea

When I come home to you, San Francisco

Your golden sun will shine on me

note: At 25 yrs. old, Darren Baker is a top prospect in the Washington Nationals farm organization.

Darren Baker on focus in 2024 Spring Training (mlb.com)

Caitlin Clutch Surpasses Pistol Pete

Why watch 76ers vs Mavericks this Sunday morning when Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark are running the court. After hearing of all the "hoopla" surrounding Caitlin, I had to finally get a look-see for myself. Just so happens the game this morning, still in progress, features Caitlin surpassing "Pistol" Pete Maravich for most points scored by a Division I basketball player, men's or women's.

Both teams shoot the long ball very well, but when you add in the style and grace of Caitlin's shooting, along with Iowa's team chemistry on offense and defense, it's no wonder they've led majority of the game. Once I saw Caitlin's step back three-point shot, I was convinced she is deserving of all the "Hoopla." She is a stone cold, sharpshooting basketball assassin. Sound familiar?

So now I know who "Ponytail Pete" refers to, and I'm sure the late, great Pete Maravich would be proud to have such a talented and inspiring basketball player break his collegiate record. She's broken not just Pete's record, but all sorts of collegiate basketball records throughout her young career. 

Ohio State 69  Iowa 82:  6:26 4th QTR.

Looks like Caitlin will continue to be the talk of basketball throughout the rest of the 2024 collegiate and professional seasons. What a leadup to the NCAA postseason that is March Madness. These two teams will likely meet again in their upcoming Big Ten Conference Tournament which runs March 6-10, 2024.

Final Score

(2) Ohio State 83

(6) Iowa 93

Caitlin Clark Iowa tracker: Path to the NCAA scoring record - ESPN

Caitlin Clark Record Tracker: Points, assists, rebounds and award milestones for Iowa superstar - NBC Sports

Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Central - March 1-4 - Big Ten Conference

National Team Career

Clark represented the United States at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She came off the bench and averaged 8.8 points per game, helping her team achieve a 5–0 record and win the gold medal.^[141] Clark played at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand. In seven games, she averaged 5.3 points per game and won another gold medal, as her team finished with a 7–0 record.^[142] Clark competed at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary and led the United States to the gold medal. She averaged a team-high 14.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game, was named Most Valuable Player and made the All-Tournament Team.^[143]

Phonemic Paraphasia Haunts Republican Presidential Candidate

The thought of a leader of any nuclear armed country suffering from dementia is alarming. Forget the calls of “lock him up” for crimes against his country. There should be rallying cries of “get him treatment” for a debilitating cognitive disorder we have watched get progressively worse over the years. A serious professional mental health assessment (MHA) is in order.

In the midst of writing this post my alarm went off signaling to move the car for morning street cleaning. I immediately saved my posting, bounced up out of my seat with the vigor of a twenty-year old, ran to the hallway and commenced putting on my beanie hat to brave the cool winter winds of February in San Francisco. Mind you I turned sixty-one my last birthday.

Upon seeing my coat hanging, yet before reaching for it, something felt out-of-kilter to me. Where the brain fails, intuition of habit reminds. As I hurriedly looked down to pick up my shoes the sad realization of a cognitive failure hit me. I was standing at my coat & shoe rack with my beanie on, in a tee-shirt, in my underwear. The thought of, "I never put my hat on first when dressing," hit me like a ton of bricks. Another look, down at my bare feet and briefs, brought first terror then complete laughter to my morning.

So perhaps the moral to this blogpost is from an old quote, "people living in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones." But then again dear reader, I am not running for a government office that puts my finger on the launch button for nuclear weapons of mass destruction. I'm just a sometimes forgetful 61-year-old senior blogging in his underwear, and not potentially standing on the White House lawn looking down at bare feet and briefs. 

The good doctor John Gartner in the video above thankfully distinguishes between normal aging forgetfulness and a cognitive disorder from brain injury/aging called Phonemic Paraphasia. Based on the doctor's explanation my mental lapse is normal for my age. I've been given a reprieve, for now. 

Oops! there's goes my afternoon alarm reminder of a luncheon appointment today. Slowly I Turn!

Choking Victim Sign - #22 Kershaw

 

Dodgers Pitcher #22 Clayton Kershaw Saving Lives 

First Responder Step 1:  ASK "ARE YOU CHOKING?"

San Francisco Giants Fans should be proud of restaurant owner in Brooklyn hanging this "Choking Victim" warning sign in his establishment. He's a native San Franciscan who's in step with all SF Giants fans; he just can't stand the frick'in dodgers.

An article today on SFGATE.com gives the full story about the restaurant owner, the sign, the dodgers fan horror on social media, the rivalry. My take on it is if you can't handle the truth stay out of the restaurant. 

And just in case some Dodgers fans think the Kershaw criticism of choking in the playoffs is "fake news," here's a bit of footage for your lying eyes:

"ARE YOU CHOKING?"

Giants Spring Training Tickets on Sale Now!

Pet Comedy

 

For Christians Caught in a Cult

 

I share this with my Christian Right fellows and others who choose to follow and support an unchristian-like political cult in these United States of America of 2024. Just a reminder of what may have once been a "firm anchor" in your lives. A reminder that it can be reattached to a drifting boat through faith.

In Conversation with God

Francis Fernandez

Pg.335

55.2 Christ is the firm anchor on whom we should rely.

When the Apostles heard Jesus, they were filled with peace. Then Peter shouted out a daring and courageous request:

Lord, if it is You, then command that I go out to You on the water.

The Master, who was still a few yards from the boat, answered:

Come.

Peter had much faith, and gave up the security of the boat out of confidence in Jesus’ words. Leaving the boat, he began to walk on the water towards Jesus. They were impressive moments. Moments of firmness and love.

Then Peter stopped looking at Jesus and began to notice the difficulties around him. Seeing that the wind was so strong, he became fearful. He forgot for a moment that the strength holding him up on the water did not depend on the circumstances, but on the Will of the Lord, who rules over heaven and earth, life and death, all nature, the winds and the sea . . . Peter began to sink, not because of the waves but because his confidence in him who can do all things wavered. He cried out to Jesus:

Lord save me!

Jesus immediately extended his hand, held him up and said:

Man of little faith, why have you doubted?

In moments of weakness or tiredness, when we see ourselves sinking, we should look to Jesus’ firm hand to steady ourselves. In our prayer we can cry out to him:

Lord save me!

Sometimes the Christians may stop looking at Christ and pay more attention to things that separate him from God. These things may endanger his faith and lead him to sink down if he does not react promptly. 

From the moment one begins to lose the clarity of his faith or the vocation received from God, he should make a sincere examination of conscience. He will not fail to see that – perhaps for some time - his life of piety has been a bit lax, his prayer less frequent or more distracted, he has been less demanding on himself. Is not a sin all the more detrimental when its seriousness is deliberately hidden from the sinner?

Surely, he does not struggle against his passions as before, and may even complacently consent to some. A feeling of resentment towards another that is allowed to fester, a lack of honesty in certain questions that interest us, a friendship that is too absorbing or simply the awakening of baser instincts that are not rejected with vigor: little else is needed to raise up clouds between ourselves and God. Thus, the light of faith becomes darkened.

 

 Peace & Blessings!

- shared by a sinner

Santa Cruz Warriors Mighty Mouse

 

Kendric Davis could and should be called up to give the Golden State Warriors a fresh look. He's been amazing in the G-League and just seems to have a feel for the game. Named G-League player of the week January 30th, the crafty shooting guard has inside and outside game. My only concern is his size. He's listed at 5'11, 180 lbs., but the eye-test makes that measurement suspect. Though, these days who can trust their own eyes when we are told by puppet politicians an insurrection was no more than a peaceful Capitol Building sightseeing tour. But I digress.

Bottom Line, I know the Warriors need size to defend opponents, but why not take a shot at unleashing what I see as an upcoming Mighty Mouse the likes of past little men phenoms (Monta Ellis 6'3 he's not.)  You can't teach size, but you also can't teach speed and quickness. I believe Davis has the quickness, accuracy, and smarts to help the Warriors contend down the stretch. If you can't slow down a bigger opponent, why not just run them off the court with overwhelming ball movement and scoring quickness of past Championship Warriors fame. 

Youth brings athleticism, quickness, and hustle. Davis brings all that and much more.  Let Mighty Mouse step in for Chris Paul and see if his G-league success carries over to the big league. Come'on Steve Kerr, make that call and see if you possibly have a missing puzzle piece lying under the table.  If it fits and the Warriors make the playoffs, who knows!