Terunofuji!

Terunofuji has been promoted to become the 73rd Yokozuna.  Now, to those of you who don't follow sumo (which would be most of you) that sounds like jibberish.  Terunofuji?  Yokozuna?  What is he talking about?

In fact, its a great story.  A few years ago this up and coming giant from Mongolia is beating everybody.  Greatness is surely inevitable.  And then he is injured - badly.  An ACL that would require surgery.  He would probably be sidelined for a year.

But he refuses to have surgery.  He continues to fight - and loses a lot more than he wins.  It is painful to watch - and surely painful for him.  However, he's a stubborn guy and won't give in.  Over the next two to three years he falls down the ranks - from sumo's top division to Jonidan, next to the lowest of sumo's six divisions.

Somehow, even with his injured knee, he turns it around and starts winning, working his way up to toward the top.  Not only does he win, he wins big.  He wins championships.  He is again the up and coming giant from Mongolia.  And this month his grit and pain and talent are rewarded.  He is made a Yokozuna, sumo's highest honor.

Well deserved!

Wonderland!

It may be that my view is distorted from inside my San Francisco bubble.  It's like seeing the world through those weird mirrors in the fun houses at the amusement parks of my youth.  They made us look funny in many different ways and we couldn't resist them.

And so when I look at the outside world I see a different reality.  Wonderland!  What I'm seeing makes no sense.  Trying to figure it out rationally is a waste of time, because it is an irrational reality.  Wonderland!

What am I talking about?  Today's Wonderland is fixated on Covid - and our faltering attempt to make it harmless or get rid of it by getting vaccinated.  Its not a complicated conversation.  Vaccines are available.  Just go get a shot.  But about a third of my fellow Americans don't wanna.

And that's enough anti-vaxers to keep the pandemic going and endanger the rest of us.  They have reasons.  They have rationales.  "I don't trust the government.  I don't trust what the shot will do to me.  Its a plot by Biden to hurt Trump people."  Etcetera.  Whatever.  Wonderland!

Does this Covid nonsense exist in a vacuum?  No way.  It is but one example of the state of our country.  Distorted reality every way we turn.  Wonderland!  Politically - Socially - Economically - Medically.  Pick your poison, there's more than enough to go around.

So I stay in my bubble and observe the craziness from a safe distance.  Wonderland!

Reading

I usually read two books at a time - one fiction and one non-fiction.  And also usually, I finish both at about the same time.  So it was yesterday, when I finished "Agent Sonya" (non-fiction) by Ben Macintyre and "Deacon King Kong" (fiction) by James McBride.

I liked both of them.  "Agent Sonya" was the sixth Ben Macintyre book I've read, so obviously I like the way he writes and am drawn to his subject matter - spy stories.  Sonya (not her real name) was a German woman, a dedicated Communist, who ran spy rings for the Russians in China, Manchuria, Poland, Switzerland and England before, during and after World War II.  An incredible woman and a compelling story.

"Deacon King Kong" was my first James McBride book.  It won't be my last.  It's a shoot-em-up gangster tale set in the Brooklyn housing projects.  It is brutal, funny, and insightful about the neighborhoods in which the story is set and the characters who are featured.  I will long remember Sportcoat, Sausage, Elefante, Potts, Sister G, and their friends and enemies.

I've started on my next two books: "The End of the Golden Gate" (stories about San Francisco) and "At Night All Blood is Black" by David Diop.  

Hello Again!

I haven't sent a new post for a while.  No excuse or any particular reason - I just haven't.  But here I am, so what's on my mind?

Covid hasn't gone away.  Quite the reverse, the numbers are going in the wrong direction pretty much everywhere.  And the recommendations we're getting from those who should know, like the CDC, keep changing and are confusing.  Wear a mask.  Don't wear a mask.  Don't wear a mask outdoors, but wear one indoors, if we're in certain places, etc., etc.

The Olympics, which should have been cancelled, are going on - without spectators, with Covid and with one disaster after another.  I empathize with Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka.  If Simone's heart and mind aren't right she shouldn't compete.  And those who have heaped abuse on Naomi because they say she let the country down should be ashamed of themselves.  The Olympics are more about money and ego than sports, and money wins the gold.

The slide of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban is gaining speed.  It is a predictable tragedy, and any attempts by the U.S., the EU, the Afghan government, and others to cover up the truth won't change anything.  But getting out is the right move and in the end what will happen is up to the people of Afghanistan, not us.

Locally, the Giants continue to overachieve.  Go Giants!  I'm concerned that the movement to recall Gov. Newsom is gaining strength.  Go Gavin! The drought continues, definitely bad news.  Come on Rain!  The wildfire season is coming and could be worse than ever.  If praying is your thing, pray this will not happen.  If praying is not your thing, hope that we'll catch a break.

Have a great day!

Good News Project!

OK, I've shown myself that it is possible to find some Good News if you look hard enough.  For 13 days in a row I've published a blog comment featuring Good News!

So I'm declaring the project complete and will revert to my default setting, which is to highlight what grabs my attention - good or bad.  OK, let's be honest, it is the outrageous stuff, the examples of man's inhumanity to man, that which should be corrected, etc. that usually tops the news.  And you can count on me not to let all this go by unnoticed.

But before I go, one more Good News nugget:  The Carters, Rosalynn and Jimmy, will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary tomorrow.  Good for them!

Earthquake - Good News/Bad News!

The headline that got my attention in today's Times is "The Dual Threats of Seismic Activity and Rising Seas."  A big picture of the San Francisco waterfront accompanied the article, so there was no chance I'd pass it by.

Experts say there is a 72% chance of at least a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurring here before 2043.  For reference, the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 was 6.9, and the epicenter was 60 miles away.  They point out we might not be so lucky next time.

I didn't know that our waterfront is held in place by a 19th century underwater sea wall that is already sinking into the bay and is being weakened by the rising sea,  Add an earthquake to the mix and the whole thing can slide into San Francisco Bay.

The good news is that the predicted quake hasn't happened yet.  The bad news is that it will.

Have a good day!   

Good News Declaration!

I can't remember the last time I read the Declaration of Independence, all of it from start to finish.  So I thought this would be a good day to remedy that.

Once past the soaring rhetoric of "All men are created equal" and have unalienable rights to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," the signers go on to list at length their grievances.  And there are many.  And they are specific.  And it is clear that these guys were really pissed off, so angry that they were willing to stake their lives on overthrowing their oppressor.

They direct their ire directly at King George.  He's the guy they're talking to.  For example:  He has been "waging war against us - He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people - He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages."

And on they go . . . Good News for them!  Bad news for George!

Finally, they "pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

We had a good start.  The unanswered question is will we live up to the example they set?

Good News Economy!

The latest news about the economy is good.  In June employers added 850,000 workers, the largest monthly gain since last August.  And wages jumped for the third month in a row.  The leisure and hospitality businesses provided the biggest share of the gains, so obviously people are getting out of the house as the Covid threat (real or not) is lessening.

I always take these macro economic numbers with a grain of salt.  No matter what the numbers say, if you have a job and are making enough to live comfortably then all is well in your economic world.  If you don't, the statistics for the whole country are meaningless to you.  Your economic world isn't doing well.

But - all this qualifies as Good News!  So hooray for today!

Good News Search!

Not so easy to find Good News today.  There is some Pretty Good News, like the Trump organization getting indicted (although the charges seem lame to me,) or the world deciding to tax all corporations no matter where they are located (although I would have been happier to see a higher rate) or the Washington NFL team, owned by Daniel Snyder, being fined $10 million because of sexual harassment by team officials (although it would have been better if the fine was higher and Snyder was kicked out), all of which could qualify as Pretty Good News, but they don't really measure up for me.

So I'll just accept the fact that Good News can sometimes be hard to find.  And recommit to continuing to look for it!

NCAA - Better Late Than Never!

Finally, the NCAA has emerged from its slave mentality and seen the light.  Good News!

Now, college athletes can profit from the names and images.  They had been prohibited from being paid to endorse products, earn money as social media influencers, license their images or even raise money for charity.  And if they broke these rules there were heavy penalties.

Finally, schools that reap millions off the backs of their unpaid labor will have to share the goodies.  It is about time.

Another Good News story!