Quote of the Day!

From Gail Collins in the NY Times:

Newt has framed his sexual history — the parts he isn’t totally denying — in terms of a redemption story. (“I’ve had to go to God for forgiveness.”) Everybody likes a story of the fallen man who rejects his wicked ways and starts a new life. Remember how well George W. Bush did with the one about renouncing alcohol on his 40th birthday? There is, however, a lot of difference between giving up drinking on the eve of middle age and giving up adultery at about the time you’re qualifying for Social Security. Cynics might suggest that Newt didn’t so much reform as poop out.

Go Niners!

I underestimated our local lads. A tremendously exciting and impressive win yesterday. So now what?

I shall, after 8 years, bring back from exile my two Niners caps from the glory years. They have been stored in a drawer and not allowed on my head since the humiliating 2-14 season in 2004. It was a puny and seemingly futile action to protest incompetent ownership and management in the post-de Bartolo years. In addition to putting my beloved team in the competitive toilet they were intent on exhorting and extorting San Francisco to give them a new stadium or – threat – we’ll move to Santa Clara. Good riddance, said I. No way should public money be spent to keep a for-profit sports enterprise in town. The baseball Giants built a new ballpark with private capital (and a few appropriate tax breaks). These absentee owners from Ohio can do the same – or go ahead and move.

In honor of this year's miraculous resurrection I shall – for now – proudly wear my caps. What I’ll do in 2014 when they open their new stadium in Santa Clara is not clear. Root for the turncoats? Maybe. Cheer for the Raiders – if they’re still in Oakland? Not likely. Feel sorry for the taxpayers in Santa Clara who are footing the bill for an $800 million bond issue? Ha!

In the meantime – Go Niners!

Comments!

Charlie Ross becoming a host on the CBS Morning show is nuts. I can only figure that someone convinced him to let his ego trump his common sense. For years he’s had the best talk show on TV – rivaled only by some of the work that Bill Moyers did. I can’t imagine he can double his workload, get up in the middle of the night for his morning gig, and maintain the level of quality that we’re accustomed to from him – let alone stay healthy. Remember – not long ago he almost died because of a bad heart valve. I wish him well, but this isn’t going to work.

Are robots getting smart enough to supplant us? I think the answer is ‘yes,’ but not yet. I’ve concluded that the current version, let’s call it “Human Robot 1.0” is Mitt Romney. There’s no other way to explain his Teflon veneer, patent insincerity and eagerness to please at any cost. But this one is no threat to humans. A good try, but it needs a lot of work.

Football: The Bowl Championship game was marginally more watchable than the Bore Bowl between LSU and Bama the first time around. The operative word is ‘marginal.’ Still boring. Tebow’s most recent God-inspired heroics were good enough to almost make me a believer. The operative word is ‘almost.’ Can the Niners beat the Saints on Saturday? Not likely, but I’ve been wrong about our local lads more than once this season. Operative word is ‘maybe.’ So don’t bet your house on it, even if your mortgage is underwater.

Real Football: The Spurs are on roll in England. Good. Juve is on a roll in Italy. Good. Barca is not on a roll in Spain. Not good.

The carnage continues unabated. Bombs in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan. Bloodbaths in South Sudan, Nigeria, Mexico, Congo, Somalia. Burning monks in China. Multiple killings by angry and/or insane people several times a week in the U.S.

Feel good story of the week: U.S. sailors rescue Iranian fisherman being held by Somali pirates without firing a shot. The key: A sailor talked in Urdu to the Iranians about a rescue strategy. The Somalis listened to the conversation but didn’t have a clue what was being said.

Gentle Humanity!

Some have asked why I, a cynical curmudgeon and avowed atheist, would recommend that you spend seven minutes immersing yourself in this amazing video.

The answer is simple. This is not about religion or mindless myths followed by the masses. This is about humanity, gentle humanity, available to every person on this planet.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/6518109?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0

Happy New Year!

Guesses:

If I were to compare today’s headlines with headlines from a year ago today I suspect I’d find that the more things change the more they stay the same:

I’d find examples everywhere of man’s inhumanity to man. Bombings. Shootings. Violence. Cruelty. Everywhere.

I’d find headlines about football in this country. Bowl games. The professional playoffs on the horizon. American football of course. Which gives rise to scornful references to the football treasured in every other country on the planet – the beautiful game. A perfect example of American Exceptionalism. We’re the best. No one has ever been as wonderful as we are.

Wait – I hear echoes of the same sentiment. In Rome as their empire was declining. In Greece as their empire was declining. Among the Ottomans, as their empire was declining. From the Soviets and the Nazis, before their empires ever really ascended. We had a wonderful moment in history. A moment to be admired and honored. But we’ve turned it into a God-given right to extol ourselves and diminish others. God chose us, so we must deserve it.

Headlines from politicians – telling us ‘I am the one who will make this country great again.’ Oops. ‘I done mean to say we’re not great. Don’t misunderstand me. I mean our leaders are taking us in the wrong direction. If we don’t stop them before it’s too late they’ll defy the will of God and we’ll lose our rightful place as #1.’

Headlines about people having a hard time. They’ve lost their job. They’ve lost their home. Their health is failing. They’ve lost faith in their government. They’ve lost faith in their community. They’ve even lost faith in themselves. Things are getting worse, not better, they say.

Will it be different a year from now? Will the headlines be different? What do you think?

Happy New Year!

Good, Bad & Ugly!

Good: In two days it’ll be the Winter Solstice. The sun heads the other way. Yes!

Good: No jail time for Barry B. Pursuing him was a waste of time and money from the beginning.

Good: The bums, addicts and seekers of new places to pitch their tents are mostly gone from public spaces. The people who really had something to protest left long ago.

Good: Gingrich and Romney are going after each other. Keep at it, boys.

Good: Tebow and God didn’t pull another miracle, so the Broncos got beat.

Why Am I Not Surprised:

Iraq is wasting no time in starting to fall apart.

Assad continues to kill his people.

The military and civilian leaders in Pakistan are on a collision course.

The Republicans in Congress want to stop the government again.

People are dying on the streets in Egypt and Yemen and Bahrain.

Boats overloaded with refugees are sinking in Asia.

Many Russians are mad at Putin.

Will be missed:

Christopher Hitchens

Vaclav Havel

Warren Hellman

Won’t be missed:

Kim Jong-Il

Total Enjoyment:

Watching the Magicians from Barcelona bewitch Santos

It Would Be Nice, But:

I don’t think the Niners can beat the Steelers tonight.