A Large Regular

So Simon & Schuster gave controversial Milo Yiannopoulos a $250,000 book deal. Good for Milo and good for Simon & Schuster.

I've heard Milo speak on the Joe Rogan and Adam Carolla podcasts and he comes off as a witty, intelligent guy. He also comes off as an attention whore. But that just makes him the perfect foil to expose the Social Justice Warriors for just what they are - pompous attention whores. Battling fire with fire!

Milo (I call him Milo not because I know him but because his last name is so long) might be best known for being banned by Twitter and for having some speaking engagements cancelled by snowflake factory colleges. But what the SJW's don't get is the more you try to silence him the more people what to hear what he has to say. And the more you want to silence him like human windbag Howard Dean - the more defenders of free speech will take up his cause.

All this is good for Simon & Schuster. There is no need to advertise Milo's new book. The outrage will fuel the success of the book! The $250,000 advance to Milo might turn out to be one of the biggest bargains in publishing history. Simon & Schuster is a private company but if they wanted to go public now would be the perfect time. Just to fans of Ernest Hemingway they could sell all the stock they wanted.

Hey Howard Dean - you know that Simon & Schuster published Hemingway's books right? Why not call for a boycott of Hemingway too? Sales of The Old Man and the Sea would go through the roof. Simon & Schuster would appreciate it if you could.

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- KG's "Cuss Button" is the greatest invention of 2016

- My guess is what Bill Murray did to Jon Hamm's hat was not good-natured

- 10 common words you should try to stop using. You should also try to do this with the most common swear words. More creativity in 2017!

- Prime example of how the modern society is often focused on the wrong things

- Heh Heh

- Back in 2008 Obama needed the Jewish vote - 2016 not so much

- Simple plan to read more. I am already doing this.

- Why reunification may be in Ireland's near-term future

Today is Theo Epstein's 43rd birthday. Happy birthday Theo!

I am seriously curious about what he'd want for his birthday. What do you get for the man who has everything? Seriously - what does the man who ended the "curse" for both the Red Sox and Cubs desire for his birthday?

I'm guessing there are some billionaire Cubs fans out there that would absolutely get Theo whatever his heart desired (especially this year). Although it is more likely than not that Theo would just ask for donations to his favorite charities.

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- If the Blue Jackets don't give this guy a pair of tickets for all home playoff games they are missing a great good will gesture.

- Fantastic!

- She should have won a Nobel Prize!

- All fathers of daughters take note (literally)

- Cool - a Godfather scene-to-script comparison

- 4 tips for never going broke in poker

Carlton Fisk (who is celebrating a birthday today) was drafted by the Red Sox in 1967. He was the 4th choice overall. Who went ahead of Fisk?

1. Alec DiStaso P Cubs
2. Michael Flanagan P Yankees
3. Ken Singleton OF Mets
4. Carlton Fisk C Red Sox

Can you imagine if Fisk had been taken by the Yankees? Do you think the Cubs wish they had a do-over on this draft? Ken Singleton was good (3 All Star games) but he was certainly no Pudge Fisk.

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- 27 of the most amazing science photos from 2016

- Another Christmas gone by without getting something I really wanted

- This is awesome! "Give me yer belt Joe Rogan!"

- I agree - for those who know recent Irish history this might be Tweet of the year!

- 45 podcasts from TedTalks. Has to be a couple there I'd enjoy.

69 years ago today - Carlton Fisk was born. Happy birthday Pudge!

Bill Belichick singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Awesome! 

Here are what I consider to be the Top 5 Otters in US history. Otter from Animal Housedid not make the list because he's fictional. List in reverse order of significance:

5. Obadiah Otter - he was a curious otter who happened upon the Donner Party in 1846. These were the first humans Obadiah ever encountered and as it worked out also the last. He is historically significant because he kept the Donner Party from resorting to cannibalism (for an additional 36 hours).

4. Jeremiah Otter - his wife and adopted son were killed by a Crow Indian raiding party. He spent the rest of his life tracking down Crow Indians and ripping out their necks while they slept. He became a Rockie Mountain legend and some say a myth. Some even say he's up in those mountains still.

3.  Sergeant York Otter - while it was widely reported that the Navy experimented with strapping bombs to dolphins it is lesser known that the Army had a similar project utilizing otters. Sergeant York Otter was named after the WWI hero and died during a training accident.

2. Sacajawea Otter - the only female otter on the list. She was the mascot of the Lewis and Clark expedition party until she was killed by Meriwether Lewis and her pelt was exchanged for some corn meal.

1. Bedford Otter - this otter is significant because as a youth he used to live in a pond in Bedford Falls and one winter when he was young he was poking around under the ice to the point where he caused a few cracks.  These cracks broke when a young Harry Bailey was sledding onto the ice. In one timeline Harry's older brother George was able to save Harry but in another timeline George wasn't around to save Harry. In a third less publicized timeline - Bedford Otter didn't nose around under the ice and Harry never fell into the icy waters. In that timeline George Bailey was a whole lot less necessary to the happiness of Bedford Falls.

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- This was fantastic.

- Your morning coffee is more endangered than you might know.

- 2016 was a pig of a year. At least we didn't lose Brian May.

- Panda Bear vs Snowman - who ya got?

- New found respect for Barry Switzer

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Awesome

- Excellent Anthony Bourdain interview

- The self education of Louis L'Amour. Why you should always carry a book.

- 20 things leaders need to be thinking in 2017

- Funny story but I visual I could have done without

- An interesting idea for truly appreciating all of human history

Joe Strummer died 14-years ago.

History says that basketball was invented on this day by James Naismith in Springfield, MA. That's the generally accepted history.

What's little known is the more accurate history may show that basketball was actually invented in Plainfield, MA which was home to Naismith at the time he was developing the rules to the game. But what chance has tiny Plainfield (population 648) have against the City of Springfield?

Yesterday the Red Sox traded pitcher Clay Buchholz to the Phillies for second baseman / DH prospect Josh Tobias. Before I give my thoughts on the "trade" I have to confess two things; when I saw Buchholz was pitching for Boston most times my first thought was "take the over!" and my second thought usually was "hey Buchholz does kinda look like Hilary Swank".

This was a "trade" only in the sense that Philadelphia included a player on their end. This really was a straight salary dump on the part of the Red Sox. Buchholz's $13.5 million contract had to come off the books to give Boston some in-season flexibility and to get the team under the salary cap. The trade happened now because Dave Dombrowski wanted the Red Sox front office to wrap business up before the holidays.

Buchholz as a player was maddening to most Red Sox fans. He would have seasons like 2010 (17-7 with a 2.33 ERA) or 2013 (12-1 with a 1.74 ERA) but he'd also have seasons where he just sucked or was hurt (which was often). And Buchholz has the potential to continue to be maddening to Red Sox fans. If he pitches effectively for the Phillies there's a real potential for him to be traded for a much better prospect than what the Red Sox got in Josh Tobias. And if the team that trades for him is say the Toronto Blue Jays (Buchholz has a career 11-3 record and a 2.63 ERA at the Rogers Centre) - can you imagine how Boston fans will react if he beats them in a big second half game next season? Maddening!

Even though he could be maddening - I wish Clay Buchholz the best of luck with his new team. Maybe a change of scenery will help him to finally reach his potential. And I'd be remiss if I didn't say "Thank you Clay for being a big part of the 2013 World Series champs - there's so few members of that team still on the roster."

Rick Porcello won the 2016 AL Cy Young Award but how does his season stack up in Red Sox history? Well his 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA and 145 ERA+ doesn't come close to cracking the top 5 seasons by a Boston pitcher.

1. Pedro Martinez - 2000 - 18-6 / 213 IP / 313 K / 2.07 ERA / 285 ERA+ 

2. Cy Young - 1901 - 33-10 / 371 IP / 158 K / 1.62 ERA / 216 ERA+ 

3. Pedro Martinez - 1999 - 23-4 / 217 IP / 284 K / 1.74 ERA / 245 ERA+ 

4. Roger Clemens - 1990 - 21-6 / 228 IP / 209 K / 1.93 ERA / 211 ERA+ 

5. (tie) Pedro Martinez - 2003 - 14-4 / 186 IP / 206 K / 2.22 ERA / 211 ERA+
    (tie) Smokey Joe Wood - 1912 - 34-5 / 344 IP / 258 K / 1.91 ERA / 180 ERA+ 

Notes: Cy Young's 158 K's may seem small but it led the league that year and his ERA+ is smaller than what Pedro had in 1999 but keep in mind that Cy pitched 154 more innings - so I think we can give him a break on the ERA. Roger Clemens finished second in Cy Young voting in 1990 to Bob Welsh of the A's who had a 27-6 record with an ERA that was a full run higher than Roger (2.95 to 1.93). Joe Wood had a great 1912 but his K's and ERA were still second in the league to Walter Johnson of Washington. You could also argue Pedro's 2002 and I'd be OK with that.

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Of all the words of tongue and pen / the saddest are / I started the wrong Tight End (lost my Fantasy Football playoff because I started Jordan Reed and his 0 points instead of Cameron Brate and his 13 points)... Heh heh... For the record - despite never using performance enhancing drugs the rumors of such use seem to be keeping me out of the Baseball Hall of Fame... This Dunkin Donuts commercial was pretty funny... Just as a reminder - Britney Spears is an anagram for Presbyterians... Crap - Batmania is so much cooler than Melbourne...

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- On this day in 1998. Turns out he did have sex with that woman.

- I would agree with this.

- TNT's touching video tribute to Craig Sager

- Prince Charles is a gold-plated douchnozzle

- Interesting take on the future for people in the Global Warming business

- Mental toughness tips

- Leon Powe has always been a Celtics favorite of mine. After reading this profile of what he's had to overcome my respect for Powe is off the charts.

- Now that's an obituary! Irishman dies from stubbornness, whiskey.

I'll be enjoying tidings of comfort and joy later today. Let us spring out of our sober selves and soar like drunken eagles!

- I believe in the soul, the Roll Tide, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the strong side sweep, high fiber, good scotch, and that the teams of Auburn are self-indulgent, overrated crap. Roll Tide
- In Soviet Russia - Tide Rolls you
- Oh Mandy, you came and you gave without taking - and then I gave you Roll Tide - Oh Mandy
- I see Roll Tide people. Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're Roll Tide.
- E = Roll Tide Squared
- Confucius say Roll Tide is Erik Estrada - all else is Larry Wilcox. Roll Tide
- Me Roll Tide - you Jane
- Of all the words of tongue and pen - the awesomest are Roll Tide!
- Latin: "Audio, video, disco, Rolltideo" English: "I hear, I see, I learn, I Roll Tide"

Just another reminder of how great Bill Belichick is. Graph via USA Today

Say a State changes its drinking age from 18-years old and moves it to 21-years old - people aged 18, 19, and 20 would be "grandfathered" and not subject to the new 21-year old drinking age. People 17-years of age? Well they're screwed.

The term "grandfathered" has become well known and pretty benign but the origin of the term "grandfathered" has some serious racist overtones.

After the Civil War many of the Southern States instituted some new voting restrictions aimed at making it difficult for newly freed slaves to vote. Poll taxes, literacy tests and other nefarious rules were put in place but these new requirements had to also apply to poor whites. How to get around these new rules then? Add another one that said "if your grandfather could vote so can you". Of course prior to the Civil War only whites could vote and if your grandfather could vote - that means you're white too and thus it's A-OK for you to vote.

That's how the term "grandfathered" was born. As I said before the term is pretty benign now and at some point you have to just accept your past and move on but honestly now knowing the origin of "grandfathered" will make me second guess using the term myself.

This is NASA Astronaut Leland Melvin's OFFICIAL portrait! Awesome!

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Just saying but the cure to the common cold and the answer to who let the dogs out are the two most enduring mysteries of our age... The great Sally Jenkins on DeflateGate II... I can't wait for Donald trump to name the Iron Sheik ambassador to Iran. It will break the Internet... A reminder of what Goodell said about deflated balls... There's a niche available for a magazine covering cool stuff and technology now that Boing Boing has abandoned those subjects in favor of Trump Derangement Syndrome... Thanks Obama!... Joe Biden just raised his speaking fees by 200% by intimating he'd run for President in 2020... I'm calling it right now - Tony Romo is the starting QB for the Miami Dolphins next season...

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Next Wednesday if the sky is clear in your neck of the woods you may want to get outside to see potentially both a super moon and a meteor shower

- Fantastic story on Annie Glenn - an American hero in her own right

- Speaking of John Glenn

- Scary - accidental poisonings (aka drug overdoses) vs firearm deaths

- Heh heh

- Interesting story - also has implications regarding life on planets or moons that don't have much sunlight

- What a fantastic idea!

- The Feynman technique for learning anything

It's a Wonderful Life is a staple of Christmas and a tradition for many on Christmas Eve but just thinking of it make me need to nitpick on this one little thing that has always bothered/amused me. 

When Jimmy Stewart is alive and him and Donna Reed are busy making kids - her eyesight is perfect. No eyeglasses for Donna Reed. But when Jimmy never existed - all of a sudden the librarian / spinster Reed needs eyeglasses. What happened? 

Now you can argue that she needs glasses because as a librarian she reads more books but I'm not buying that. I think Frank Capra was trying to send out a pro-sex message. Sex is so good it makes your eyesight better! Jimmy Stewart's cure for nearsightedness (that would be a good name for a band - well maybe not). 

Happy birthday to Larry Legend. The video above helps show why he's so beloved in Boston.

So the Red Sox pulled the trigger on a trade for White Sox ace Chris Sale. That now gives them a rotation of Sale, David Price, reigning AL CY Winner Rick Porcello, Edwin Rodriguez and probably Clay Buchholz with Drew Pomeranz being insurance in the bullpen. That's a hell of a rotation. Easily top 3 in baseball (Cubs fans and Mets fans can argue the order). Knuckleballer Steven Wright might be on the outside looking in despite going 13-6 with a 3.33 ERA last season because that's how knuckleballers seem to be treated in MLB.

In order to get Sale the Red Sox gave up perhaps the top prospect in baseball in Yoan Moncada, fireballer Michael Kopech and lottery tickets Victor Diz and Luis Basabe. Much less than I was willing to give up in my hypothetical trade a few days ago. I LOVE the trade!

Some people are concerned about Sale's weight and delivery. Such talk just reminds me of the trade that brought Pedro Martinez to Boston with Carl Pavano and Tony Armas going to the Expos in exchange. Pedro was too thin they said at the time. His delivery is an injury waiting to happen they said at the time. Well that trade worked out OK.

Now I don't mean to compare Sale to Pedro - or to Randy Johnson for that matter (even though height and lefthandedness make that the first comparison that comes to mind). This trade is all about winning now and I like that. I don't care if Moncada goes on to win an MVP in Chicago - as long as Boston gets to the World Series in the next three years. If that happens this trade is a win for Boston.

Since I predicted this trade a few days ago so why not try my hand at a couple more predictions:

1. The Clay Buchholz experience will be traded before the start of the season (maybe even this week)
2. Boston fans and writers will come up with a much better nickname for Chris Sale than "the condor".  That's a mediocre nickname at best. (I also predict some hack Boston writer will use "Condor No Big Unit" after Sale's first loss with the Red Sox.)

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- I like that West Virginia is paired with New Zealand. That just seems to fit in my mind.

- Very thoughtful interview of Jon Stewart on Trump, the election, fake news, etc. Well worth the read.

- With this "tease" - Joe Biden just raised his speaking fees 100%

- The best recommendation General Mattis can get as Secretary of Defense in my opinion.

- So only the Panthers and Raiders have spent less than the Patriots these past 4 years?

- The science is settled

There's Christian Rock but no Christian Wrestling - I say we change that.

This time of year I always think of the following Bible verse:

"As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all those who trust in him" - Psalm 18:30

I got to thinking that "The Buckler" would be a great name for a Christian wrestler. I went out to to dinner once when this idea first hit me and there was a non-alcoholic beer on the menu called - you guessed it - Buckler. Vince McMahon has to make this happen.

Here's the idea - a Christian wrestler who only wrestles to spread the Gospel. He' gets sponsored by Heineken (they make Buckler beer) and the other wrestler's make fun of his religion in order to get him to lose his cool. Can't you picture Brock Lesner getting the Buckler in a choke hold and saying, "Where's your Moses now?" (like Dathan from The Ten Commandments). Goldberg could pile drive him and ask, "Your God, your God - why has he abandoned you?"

The Buckler in turn could come out with a signature surrender hold called "the crucifixion." The Buckler's entrance music could be some gospel standard or something by Creed. You hear "Onward Christian Soldiers" over the PA and McMahon says, "Is that the Buckler's music I hear?"

It would be controversial and that's what wrestling thrives on. This could be huge.

So let it be written - so let it be done.

Every Christmas I make it a point to re-read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. If you just want to watch the holiday perrienial then here's my rankings:

1. Scrooge - with Alastair Sim
2. A Christmas Carol - with Patrick Stewart
3. Mickey's Christmas Carol
4. The Muppet Christmas Carol
5. Scrooged - with Bill Murray

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Sorry but I don't care what an actress wears on the red carpet or what cleats and NFL player is wearing today. Sorry just don't care... AKA the saddest Christmas ever... There should be a Cracker Barrel prevention hotline that gives people options of much better restaurants for those about to eat at Cracker Barrel... The type of man we need helping run the country... "Coming of age" stories are a little spot on if you reverse the those three words...Who knew? Barry Manilow's hit I Write the Songs was not written by Barry Manilow... So will Commissioner Goodell be in attendance as Tom Brady breaks the tie for all-time wins by an NFL QB today in Foxboro?... I'm an awful person for laughing at this...

Here's an idea for a TV show - take the format of the show Friends (including opening song and everything) but instead of the cast of Friends you'd have a real-life grown up versions of Charles Shulz' Peanuts characters.

Instead of a coffee shop - most of the action would take place at a piano bar with Schroeder being the "piano man". Lucy van Pelt, despite having a Ph. D in psychology, is the hostess at the piano bar restaurant (just to be close to Schroeder). Each week Lucy could give an psychoanalysis of whatever issue one of the gang is dealing with. Sort of a running gag. Schroeder could insist everyone call him "maestro" as a Seinfeld shout-out.

Charlie Brown's sister Sally could be played by a blonde hottie and the character would be sort of a slut. His best friend, Linus van Pelt could be played by one of The Big Bang actors who could geek slap big sister Lucy any time one of her on the spot psychoanalytical diagnosis makes no logical sense.

Peppermint Pattie and Marcie would, of course, be lesbians. Maybe Sue Lynch for Pattie and KD Lang for Marcie? Pig Pen could be a recovering drug addict. How could this not work?

And for Charlie Brown - I picture a bald Bill Burr or a younger version of Paul Giamatti. I would seriously watch this show if it were ever made.

It is the Christmas season which means soon holiday classics will be on TV constantly. I need to get off my chest the truth about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys. The thing about the misfit toys wasn't that they were squirt-guns that shot jelly or cowboys who rode ostrich's. The really strange thing about these "toys" was the fact THEY WERE ALIVE!

Now any high school biology student can tell you that life comes from life. These misfit toys were probably the offspring of some sick minded magic elves who must have gotten too "friendly" with some of the toys they were working on and fondling day after day. They were put on the Island of Misfit Toys probably as an attempt by upper management of Santa's Workshop to cover up some of the sick shit that was going on when the lights got turned off at night.

Let's be clear here - we aren't talking about misfit toys either - we are talking about FREAKS! If my kids got a choo-choo with square wheels that was alive - I would freaking BURN IT WITH FIRE! I would also then have to start spending thousands of dollars on therapy probably for the whole family. You could bet that Christmas and Santa would take on whole new meanings (and nightmares) from that day forward.

God help the children who ended up getting those freak misfit toys on Christmas morning.

And don't even get me going on the heroin backstory to The Little Drummer Boy.

Supposedly Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale is on the trade block. If you're Dave Dombrowski, President of Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox, who do you offer up in exchange for a top pitcher under team control for another 3-years?

Nobody is asking me but here's what I'd offer:

- Yoan Moncada 2B/3B - considered by many to be baseball's top prospect
- Eduardo Rodriquez SP - only 23-years old, MLB ready and who has shown flashes of being a rotation mainstay (somebody has to make room for Sale)
- A top Single A prospect that is mutually agreeable.

For the White Sox - that's a pretty good haul. For the Red Sox - what fan wouldn't be excited about a rotation that features aces Sale, David Price and Cy Young winner Rick Porcello.

So let it be written. So let it be done.

Many people look at the firing upon Fort Sumter as the spark that lit the Civil War but I think the real spark came back in 1859 when John Brown and his "army" of 21 attacked and occupied the armory at Harpers Ferry, VA.

The next day, US Marines under the command of US Army Colonel Robert E. Lee (how's that for irony) attacked Brown and his men. When the gun smoke cleared, 10 of Brown's men were dead (including 2 of his sons) and Brown was taken prisoner and shortly thereafter he was hanged. In fact on this very day 157 years ago.

I find it slightly amusing that most history books and mentions of Brown on the Internet either gloss over or omit completely the fact that Brown was almost certainly insane.

I'm not making any moral judgments on Brown's actions. I'm just saying that he was crazy. Seriously. When I first saw a picture of John Brown - I thought I was looking at Charlie Manson circa 1850.

The John Brown / Charles Manson analogy isn't that bad. Brown raided the armory because he wanted to arm slaves to start a full-fledged slave revolt. Charles Manson has said that he killed those folks in the Hollywood Hills because he hoped that blacks would be blamed and that would spark a race war in the US. This may be one of those things that I only find interesting. 

It has been 11-years since the Boston Bruins traded Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks. It was a trade that caused me to try and cancel my cable TV because I was so pissed about it (I didn't want any of my money going to NESN which is co-owned by the Bruins and Red Sox).

Jumbo Joe, the former first pick of the NHL draft was traded for Wayne Primeau, Marco Strum and Brad Stuart. Can you see why I was pissed?

If Thornton played his entire career in Boston, his 900 points would put him 4th on the all-time Bruins scoring list (2 points ahead of Rick Middleton but behind Hall of Famers Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk and Phil Esposito). Can you imagine if Joe Thorton on the front line had been coupled with Zedeano Chara on the back line this past decade? I can - that's why I'm still pissed off about the trade.

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Heh heh

- Death of an American hero

- In my mind July 9th (7-9) will always be Jeff Fisher day. I agree with Tom E. Curran - how does Fisher still have a job?

- This is probably true

- Cool - for $129,000 you can own Dangerfield's yacht from Caddyshack

- Heh heh

- This holiday season - please keep this in mind

- One dose of magic mushrooms can stop depression for months

Let the Christmas rumpus begin!

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Kiko Alonso is my new favorite (non-Patriot) NFL player

- Thanks to the "ferocity and swiftness" of "cowboy" George Bush there was no follow-up attack after 9/11. The source of this claim would be the one to know.

- The Eagles are an enigma to me. I don't like their songs but know all the lyrics. I don't like the musicians but can't get enough stories like this.

- Heh heh

- 10 Irish pub rules for proper drinking etiquette. I agree 100% with these rules.

- Why Titan might be the only habitable world in our solar system

Heh heh.

So the Arctic ice sheets are melting. But the Antarctic ice sheets are growing.

The skeptic in me wonders why the loss of ice mass in the North Pole is attributed to Global Warming (the science is settled) but the explanation for the ice gains in at the South Pole has many theories. Doesn't quite seem like proper science to me.

The historian in me wonders - hasn't this happened before? Isn't the Arctic ice melting before where stories of a semi-mythical Northwest Passage came from? And didn't the opposite effect of the Arctic ice growing so much that the Bering Straits were frozen solid give rise to the theory of that's how the first people originally came to North America come from?

The scientist in me wonders if this might be caused in part by the Earth changing from a magnetic North Pole to a magnetic South Pole. What about the change in Earth's tilt being an explanation? Maybe a combination of both and possibly other factors? Truth is scientists just don't know. More research is needed. But true science is not served if every result needs to be pre-determined to point to a man-made global catastrophe.

The science is not settled. Mankind has just scratched the surface of the science of how our climate works and the history of past changes.

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Why does a QB say "hike" in football? What is he "hiking"? Seriously this little language nugget bugs me... I'm depressed that Florence Henderson has taken the secret of where Mrs. Brady buried the body of her first husband to her grave... What kind of monster was Fidel Castro? One interested in starting a thermonuclear war...  In my opinion - if you can't name the last two people to hold a Cabinet position you really aren't in a great position to complain about Trump's choices... WTF?!? Seriously - WTF?!?... Another language question - why is it that we say "slept like a lamb"? Why a lamb? Why not a sloth or a welfare recipient?... I only know Ron Glass from his work as an actor but he seemed like the nicest and coolest guy around. RIP Ron Glass... Bill Cosby says he plans to go back on tour. Most likely to countries without extradition treaties with the US...

Tom Brady goes for his 200th win today as a starting QB in the NFL. That would tie him with Peyton Manning for the most wins in NFL history. Brady could be reaching 200 wins in just 261 games. It took Manning 292 games.

Not only is this another data point in the argument that Brady is the greatest QB to ever walk the Earth - it also leads to some interesting drama. Will NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell be in attendance at the game against the Jets? Will there be a televised in-person congratulations from the commissioner if Brady wins the game? How cold will the reception be for Goodell in the Patriots locker room?

And even more interesting - would Roger Goodell dare to show up in Foxboro next week when Brady most surely will break the tie with Manning in the home game against the St. Louis LA Rams?

Fidel Castro had a law degree and when he was young he joined the firm of Azpiazo, Castro and Resende. He didn't do very well in the practice. Castro was a young lawyer without any clients.

I can't help but wonder how history could have been different if only Castro had been a better lawyer. Or if he happened to get a big case or client. Would Fidel have been so hot for communism if he was sitting on a pile of money?

But no - Castro was a shit attorney and a horrible monster. And any person praising him upon his death is an idiot. 

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- People whose feelings are so weak that they can be hurt by a Lynyrd Skynyrd song shouldn't be running anything - never mind the country.

- For Harry Potter fans

- The real war on science.

- Bob Newhart is the best

- Ethos, Logos and Pathos: the Structure of a Great Speech

- The Pope's 10 tips for living a happier life

- Two-years old but still makes me laugh every time

Today is traditionally not just the first shopping day for Christmas but also the day when most radio stations start playing Christmas tunes (although there are some out there that started playing them on November 1st- which really bugs me). Anyway - here are the top 5 Christmas songs by rocks stars in my estimation.

Happy Thanksgiving! You're welcome!

My favorite Thanksgiving story comes from Gabe Kaplan (of Welcome Back Kotter fame). 

When Gabe was a kid – his older sister was embarrassed about becoming a young woman. She used to have the young Kaplan go into the drug store to buy her Sanitary Napkins. Gabe was curious and asked his sister just what these things were. 

“Oh, they’re special occasion napkins,” she would reply. 

This explanation was enough for Kaplan and he didn’t give it another thought. 

Then one Thanksgiving morning – young Gabe was left alone at home while his parents and older sister drove to the airport to pick up his uncle. Gabe was left with the job of setting the table for Thanksgiving. Then it occurred to him, “what could be more of a special occasion than Thanksgiving?” 

Needless to say – his parents were confused, his sister was very embarrassed but his uncle couldn’t stop laughing when they came home and saw the creative way young Gabe had set the table for Thanksgiving. 

**WARNING - HERE BE TALK OF POLITICS**

As I've gotten older I've become less and less political. I think that's because I've come to believe that both parties are equally rotten to the core. The current kerfuffle over Donald Trump's "conflict of interests" regarding his businesses and his duties as President is a perfect example of this.

Will foreign nations try to curry favor by staying at Trump hotels and playing golf at Trump resorts? Absolutely! Will they also try to curry favor by trying to do other business deals with him? Again - absolutely! I don't mind this so much because it is more out in the open and transparent then say a gift to the Clinton Foundation for example. Recently it was revealed that Norway has cut their donations to the Clinton Foundation by 90%. Is this because the Clinton Foundation has stopped doing worthwhile charitable things or because the power and influence of the Clinton's were crippled when Hillary lost the election?

The Trump University settlement? During the campaign it was made clear by the media that Trump University was a scam from top to bottom. But maybe if that same media hadn't tried to portray Mitt Romney as a bigoted, misogynist, shady business man the public might have believed them when a real bigoted, misogynist, shady business man actually appeared. Besides - I'm glad Trump did the right thing and settled the case so it wouldn't be hanging over his Presidency.

Going back to Trump's hotel business - am I the only one who remembers the stories written with glee about how Trump's campaign was hurting his business? Who is really surprised the opposite is happening now that he won? Besides for every foreign delegation - there's an NBA team or Hollywood star boycotting Trump properties.

It's the nature of the beast. Get over it!
  

Four-years ago today.

Today would have been Rodney Dangerfield's 95th birthday. Some of my favorite Dangerfield one-liners.

My wife was afraid of the dark... then she saw me naked and now she's afraid of the light.

Yeah, I know I'm ugly... I said to a bartender, 'Make me a zombie.' He said 'God beat me to it.'

I come from a stupid family. During the Civil War my great uncle fought for the west

I worked in a pet store and people would ask how big I would get.

I remember the time I was kidnapped and they sent back a piece of my finger to my father. He said he wanted more proof.

I was so depressed that I decided to jump from the tenth floor. They sent up a priest. He said " on your mark ......"

I'm just saying but if you Google "Jeffrey Dahmer cannibal" you get about 128,000 hits.

If you Google "Harry Reid pedophile" you get about the same number of hits (if you include "Harry Reid pederast" it's over 141,500 hits).

Just a catchy tune for a blah Monday.

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- CERN physicist Brian Cox's talk on why we need science

- This is true (especially on days there is football on TV)

- Jaromir Jagr is amazing. I really wish the Bruins kept him.

- Given the success of the movie Doctor Strange - you would think there would be a resurgence in the Three Dog Night song Shambala.

- The (Russian) spy who added me on LinkedIn

- Why Arizona Ice Tea is cheaper than water

153-years ago yesterday.

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Trump should collectively nominate the cast of Hamilton to be Secretary of Education just to see leftists heads explode. "But they are not qualified" the media will point out. Then why are you listening to them Trump could ask... I love Mitt Romney. People who see cheap in that picture and not humble just don't get it... Quote of the day: "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."- Mark Twain...  A day late but still worth remembering... I don't want a drone. I want the mechanical owl from the first Clash of the Titans movie... This is true (and sad)... Reading Charlie Pierce's post election Tweets - I can't help but picture him going naked Howard Hughes peeing into glass jars insane because the election didn't go his way... Am I the only one who reads this report and immediately thinks of Breaking Bad?... I would love to hear Adele cover Ted Nugent's Stranglehold... I'm still disappointed that Conor McGregor wasn't signed to play Mad Sweeney in American Gods... This is also true (and sad)...

A nice young woman on a flight from Switzerland said to the priest beside her, "Father, may I ask a favor?"

"Of course. What may I do for you?"

"Well, I bought an expensive electronic hair remover that is well over the Customs limits and I'm afraid they'll confiscate it. Is there anyway you could carry it through Customs for me? ..Under your robes perhaps?"

"I would love to help you, dear, but I must warn you: I will not lie."

"With your honest face, Father, no one will question you."

When they got to Customs, she let the priest go ahead of her. The official asked, "Father, do you have anything to declare?"

"From the top of my head down to my waist, I have nothing to declare."

The official thought this answer strange, so asked, "And what do you have to declare from your waist to the floor?"

"I have a marvellous little instrument designed to be used on a woman, which is, to date, unused."

Roaring with laughter, the official said, "Go ahead, Father." "Next!"