Sunday Morning Coming Down

Derek Carr QB Oakland Raiders broke his leg against the Colts last week.  The backup is warming up for the final week of the season and the playoffs.  It must be a slow news week because there is talk that he "could possibly" return for the Superbowl. It's a nice story that the Raiders have made it to Playoffs but it would be too much to ask a kid that is 25 years old to risk the rest of his career for a chance to play in the Superbowl. In all likelihood it is a stretch that the raiders will get to the Superbowl without Carr but that doesn't stop sports talk radio from a full fledged discussion less than a week after Carr had surgery to repair his leg.

One thing I firmly believe is that everyone who wants to work should be able to find a job.  Whether it is the the job they want is less important than not working when they could or should be working.  It is easier to look for work while you have a job. Showing up at your job is important but if you are working part time or at minimum wage workers should be encouraged to look for jobs with more hours, better benefits, and higher wages.  Employers who provide entry level positions and they get promotions should be encouraged with tax credits for their efforts of getting and keeping folks in the labor market.  If folks can see a path forward in their jobs everyone can benefit. Economic activity from youth entering the job  market, the long term unemployed, homemakers looking to earn some money, students needing part time employment, and those working under the table moving into regular employment benefits all. A job is a good social program and a better job...

It's Christmas Eve and I walked to the bank to get some money so I can pay for some cookie dough to do some holiday baking this afternoon.  The walk is about 2500 steps and on the way I bought a can of beer and a lottery ticket.  It's Saturday and this is what I do.  The baking cookies is an add on, just like going to Church will be this evening and I will be up on Sunday morning bright and early for church again.  The crowd at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami will be bigger than average this evening and probably an intimate group tomorrow even though it is Sunday.  Christmas Carols tonight for sure, not too sure about Sunday Services this week. Today I read a story and wonder if you can be almost honest, somewhat crooked, or slightly abusive and still be a Unitarian Universalist in good standing . The UU Denomination believes in the inherent worth and dignity of every person.  This isn't easy, but I'm up to date on my pledge for the fis...

There was a horse in the latest Breeder's Cup that tested positive for a very small amount stanozolol in his system.  According to the current system the drug was administered legally and according to the trainer should have out of they horse's system prior to the race.  The drug was administered more than 68 days prior to the Breeder's Cup race and it was anticipated that there would be no problems. The presence of stanozolol in a horse's system is reason for disqualification and redistribution of purse money. It is anticipated that there will be a disqualification and redistribution of purse money soon. According to the trainer the horse had problems maintaining his weight while training and was administered this steroid type of drug to maintain weight while training.  Obviously if timed "properly" the horse is able to be trained at a higher level, recover faster, and maintain conditioning right up to the race. The trainer has apologized, whether he ...

According to a report from the Miami Herald $3.6 million dollars has been siphoned from The City of Miami Beach from one of  their checking accounts by someone who got their banking information and set up automatic fund transfers to other banks.  City employees that should have caught this have resigned and the automatic transfer accounts have been closed. I think there are a lot governmental agencies that should read this article and then make sure the expenditures are monitored and accounts are reconciled.  In the name of convenience debit cards, and credit cards are out there and so is the banking information. The City Manager admits that this didn't happen overnight or in one month. This is a public service of "the media".  What can happen on the Beach could happen at any governmental agency that receives and spends tax money.

Much has been made about who won and who lost in the last presidential race.  The bench for both parties was weak or maybe not so weak as old.  The process for nominating the party's candidates took too long, cost too much money, and resulted in relatively fewer folks voting which was might have been intentional.  Pandering to the base was something  I kept hearing.  The group in the base that votes in primaries or goes to a caucus is an even smaller group of folks. Moving forward I doubt there will ever be a a constitutional amendment to get rid of the electoral college.  There may need to be new coursework for political scientists to develop less gerrymandered districts for congressional and state districts.  Meanwhile the Democratic Party will have to develop programs that speak to the more rural parts of the country.  Urban and rural poverty, poor access to medical care, and economic development, housing and environmental problems can happen...

4,129 children were born last year in Iceland. The fertility rate was measured at 1.81 children for every woman over a lifetime—a figure which has never been lower since records began being kept in 1853. The figures were released this week by Statistics Iceland, RÚV reports. The average fertility rate needs to be 2.1 children per woman in the long term for sustainable population levels.

The $12,000,000 Pegasus World Cup is coming to Gulfstream Park on January 28, 2016. I wish I had $1,000,000 that I could burn.  I wish I owned a really good horse.  As an old race tracker once said "that is why they call it gambling".  If you bought a spot in the starting gate and you think your horse might be step or two slow you can sell your spot or lease a faster horse if you can find a willing owner. In College Football, think of the President of the University of Alabama betting  $3,000,000 to insure a place in the NCAA Football Playoffs.  Ditto Ohio State, Clemson, and Washington.  And maybe the 4th seed could sell their place in the field to another institution of "higher learning" for a softer spot in a lesser bowl game.  How the $12,000,000 might be divided: $7,000,000 1st Place, $3,000,000 2nd Place and $1,000,000 for 3rd and 4th Place. I hope the field is filled with worthy horses that will give the public a good race.  There is ...

Yes the Miami Marlins need a closer.  The owner of the Miami Marlins had his cell phone number published on the web and a sports reporter from Deadspin called him to ask how he felt about getting turned down by at least a few closers who were free agents.  The reporter got hung up on. The owner's search for a closer continues. The fans search for a winning team in Miami will rest in the hands of the Miami Dolphins and a back up quarterback who hopefully will be able to get the job done this week against the Jets.  The last victory was a win but not very convincing. The Panthers fired their coach in mid season and the team looked really bad in its last game. The Heat won last night but are mired in last place in their division.  It's a young team and with a lot of upside but I wonder how much patience Miami fans will have.

I'm not a fan of Notre Dame but they beat the Canes this year. And the "U" is going to play a Bowl Game this year. 30 For 30 is on ESPN Tonight Go figure. Catholics can be substituted for Criminals.

 This is a letter I received from a Ron Du Bois of Stillwater, Oklahoma.  (A relative) Dear Electors: I am a WW2 Veteran who landed at Omaha Beach and saw action in France and Germany. Exploding shrapnel in hedgerow country ended further combat. After removal of shrapnel and hospital recuperation I was awarded the Purple Heart. Recently the French government awarded me the Chevalier de la Legion D’Honeur and to all American soldiers who saw combat on French soil in gratitude and appreciation for liberating France from Nazi domination. Later during tenure as a university professor I applied for and was awarded three research grants under the auspices of the enlightened Fulbright Program... enabling research and educational film documentation in Korea, India, and Nigeria… As a young person I witnessed the rise of Hitler and the 3rd Reich. Seventy years later, from the  perspective of a senior citizen, I see the threat of a similar repetition of h...

This is comes from HUD. Families who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care. An estimated 12 million renter and homeowner households now pay more than 50 percent of their annual incomes for housing. A family with one full-time worker earning the minimum wage cannot afford the local fair-market rent for a two-bedroom apartment anywhere in the United States.  $14,500 is 2000 hours@ $7.25 not enough money for a single person.  It is also just about the amount of the average retirement benefit from Social Security.  A living wage is close to $45,000 for a family of four.  Yes, we may need a pediatric neurosurgeon as the head of HUD.  Did we get the right one?

“Our jobs are here. Our kids go to school here,” said Renescha Coats , among a handful of Hall’s neighbors fighting their evictions in court. “It’s not that we want to stay here. Where else are we going to go?” Folks that lived in old apartment buildings in the Grove Area near Grand Avenue are facing eviction from their apartments.  The owners are about to cash in as new development is approaching. It's not like the City of Miami is building a bunch of new affordable housing and actually what qualifies for affordable housing is probably not very affordable for the folks in the West Grove. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article118514978.html#storylink=cpy

Jim Delligatti who "invented" the Big Mac" died at age 98 on November 28, 2016.  It was reported that Jim ate a "Big Mac" once a week. Twoallbeefpattiesspecialsauceletticecheesepickleonionsonasesameseedbun. There is now a McDonald's on Irving Park Road in Bensenville, Illinois.  Leaving Bensenville in June, 1971, I really don't remember a McDonald's in Bensenville.  I remember other greasy hamburger joints that were Mom and Pop drive ins and a chain called Yankee Doodle that was hangout my parents were leary of because it had become a hangout. There was a McDonald's across the street (Business 66) in Normal, Illinois.  I ate dinner there on Sunday Evenings because the dorm cafeteria was closed and a burger and fries were cheap. In Miami, at the U, Burger King was closer to campus but it was cheaper to eat and live at home and I was always busy with part time jobs. Poverty and inconvenience made fast food one of the last things on my mi...

Joke of the day.... About 91 years ago Fidel Castro's mom, Lina, went to the nearest convenient store and asked the owner to please help her by giving her 150 pesos. Unfortunately the owner didn't have 150 pesos to spare ... About 30 years later that same store owner went to visit Lina, he asked her to please talk to her son and change his mind about taking his store away, its a family business that has been growing through the years. Lina with a sad face told him she couldn't help him. Then she reminded him of those 150 pesos she so desperately needed years ago, he remembered, well, she said, it was for an abortion.

Things are standing on their heads these days in politics these days.  The winner of the popular vote for POTUS is out walking her dog and the guy who carried the electoral college is still out there  campaigning like it is November 7, 2016. Dwight Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States.  He felt that life long professional soldiers should abstain from seeking high political office.  In spite of that reluctance to run for office immediately after WWII he was elected president in 1952 and re-elected in 1956. Eisenhower was prophetic in his concerns about the development of a "military industrial complex" and the need for an alert and knowledgeable citizenry to make sure that things did not go wrong. Donald Trump has indicate he will nominate Marine General James Mattis.  This breaks a streak of keeping the generals from running the Department of Defense that goes back to General George Marshall who was Secretary of Defense for a short period...