Nobody 814

Sunday, April 11, 2010
Nobody # 814

Nobody Asked Me But:

Deep thought for the week: A clear conscience is usually the result of a poor memory.<<<

In case you missed it, here is the latest from the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI says: The Catholic Church takes pedophilia very seriously. From now on, for every priest who is found guilty of sexual abuse, we will excommunicate an uppity nun.<<<

Wasn’t that a great National Championship game last Monday? Butler almost pulled off an upset that would fall into the “one for the ages” category. Luckily, I no longer hate Duke or Coach K, so that softened the outcome.<<<

And as I look back on my woebegone effort to pick the winners in tournament, I remember these words from one of America’s greatest philosophers, Yogi Berra, who said, "Prediction is difficult, especially about the future."<<<

The wisdom of Mary Todd Lincoln: While being courted simultaneously by the bright, clever, penniless Abraham Lincoln and the bright, dull, wealthy Stephan A. Douglas, chose Abe saying, "I decided it was more important to laugh than to eat.<<<

Which brings me to the first episode of What Matters Now, which is entitled, “Letting It All Out.”

If you want to laugh or cry, “Let it all hang out.” Don’t settle for a smile or hide your tears behind a wall of “bravery.” Some people hold back the tears, lest they fall apart. It is my experience that tears can do the opposite. They often help a person “fall together.” And, since laughter can make you live longer, check this out:

Little Johnny attended a horse auction with his father.

He watched as his father moved from horse to horse, running
his hands up and down the horse's legs, rump, and chest.

After a few minutes, John asked, "Dad, why are you doing that?"

His father replied, "Because when I'm buying horses, I have to
make sure that they are healthy and in good shape.

Johnny, looking worried, said, "Dad, I think the UPS guy wants
to buy Mom.<<<

I am sure you remember my writing about how much I liked the Swedish novel, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.” I saw the film version Wednesday, and it was excellent. Rarely have I seen a movie be as true to the book and still be this good.

However, with modern technology, is it still necessary to have white on white subtitles?<<<

I have written several times about the sheer beauty and romance of a sunset drink at The Inn at Spanish Bay, as the piper crosses the dunes and then the grass playing his tribute to the fading day. I am finally able to show you in the picture above, which is part of my ongoing project of scanning all of our old pictures.<<<

When Abe Lincoln shut up – from “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.”

Abe Lincoln and his friend Jack Armstrong, no, not that Jack Armstrong, were walking to Chicago to kill a vampire. Abe was in love and couldn’t shut up about it, to the point that Armstrong wanted to throttle him. When they finally found their vampire Jack smashed him and smashed him, as though in a rage.

“Jack, why do you carry on so?” Lincoln asked.

“I was pretending it was you,” Armstrong answered.

Abe was unusually quiet on the walk back to New Salem.<<<

Mel Gibson, if he is sober, must be smiling this week. The Pope just named Archbishop Jose Gomez to take over the Los Angeles archdioceses when Cardinal Roger Mahony retires next year. Gomez is a member of Opus Dei, the far right sect that worships the pagan god Yesterday and thinks Dan Brown is not just a rich, lousy writer but the Devil’s number one guy.<<<

As you read this, try not to forget that - atheism is a non-prophet organization.<<<

In 1988, American Heritage Magazine ran a fascinating piece on the most overrated and underrated persons in our history. You can Google it if you want to read more. One of the strangest entries was that of then Texas governor, Frank Vandiver whose choice for underrated was Jefferson Davis.

It seems to me that it is pretty difficult to underrate a traitor.<<<

Time Magazine published the following list of athletes who have fallen from grace. How they could list Tiger ahead of O.J. is beyond me. Since when is adultery more serious than murder?

Tiger Woods
Mark McGwire
O.J. Simpson
Jack Molinas
Mike Tyson
Pete Rose
Ben Johnson
Michael Vick
Tonya Harding
Marion Jones

The top three on my list would be Simpson, Vick and Harding.<<<

To count the things about science I do not understand you would need all your fingers and toes PLUS the fingers and toes of everyone else in America, so it is not surprising that our ability to see 13 billion years back into time just boggles my mind. That is within 700 million years of when it all began.<<<

Isn’t it time to get rid of the one-and-done players in college basketball? The NCAA and the NBA should jointly agree to adopt the baseball rule. A player either goes directly to the league from high school or, if he chooses college, is ineligible to be drafted until after his junior season or third year of eligibility, whichever comes first.<<<

Action: David Brooks recently wrote favorably about the communal, “back to the village” movement in America.

Reaction: There are things I like and dislike in it. I think small is nice, but it is also a wonderful hiding place in which to ignore our society's great problems.<<<

Action: Bart Stupak won’t run for reelection.

Reaction: Chalk one up for the Brown Shirts.<<<

Here’s a quick look back at earlier NCAA tournaments:

In 1944 Utah spurned an invitation to the tournament and chose instead to play in the more prestigious NIT where they lost in the first round. Then, when an automobile accident forced Arkansas out of the NCAA, Utah replaced the Razorbacks and won it all.

Some of us remember when basketball shorts were short, but how about when they had belt buckles?<<<

Let’s listen in on Augusta National chairman Billy Paine:

WHAT HE SAID - "It's not simply the degree of his conduct that is so egregious here, it is the fact he disappointed all of us and more importantly our kids and grandkids.”

WHAT HE REALLY SAID – “Damn! I wish we had never integrated this place.”<<<

And, finally, here’s Tiger’s friend (Sir) Charles Barkley giving him some excellent advice. Tiger should tell the press and everyone else:

“Hey listen, I’m not going to walk around on eggshells anymore. I understand that I messed up. I own this. This is my fault. I’ve apologized to my wife and I’ve apologized to my kids. The rest of ya’ll can kiss my ass.”<<<

Really, really finally: So Tiger slipped up yesterday on the 16th and said the F word. So he gets mad when me makes a bad shot. So what? At least give him credit for choosing a “vulgarity,” with which he is intimately familiar.<<<