Sunday Morning Coming Down

Jerry Herman's music was cheerful and uplifting.  I saw Carol Channing in "Helo Dolly" in St. Petersburg, Fl.  You left the theater happy. I don't know how deep the grooves were dug on that record.  It was played a lot at home.  Mr. Herman donated $300,000 to the "U" and the Ring Theater became the Jerry Herman Ring Theater. Along with Hello Dolly, he did the music and lyrics for Mame, Mack and Mabel, and La Cage Aux Folles and other shows. 

Edward VIII was the King of England and Dominions of The British Empire from January 20th 1936 until he abdicated the throne on December 11, 1936.  Ostensibly "to marry the woman he loved".  He didn't seem to fit in the Royal Family.  A second meaning of the term relates to refusal or avoidance of a position.  Resignation is very similar to abdication.  Impeachment is a form of removal from which according to our Constitution for cause by the Senate.  This removal process needs a 2/3 majority which is very unlikely at best at this time. Obviously voting a person out of office is the preferred route to take, it always has been, and it will be.  Both houses of congress should consider impeachment carefully and their roles in government as well. The House and the Senate both have roles in overseeing how government is functioning and complying with laws that are passed and signed by the President of either party. Oversight should be bi-partisan and on go...

Or it might have been: "I read the news today oh boy.  The front page of the Miami Herald above the fold is the NYT story about impeachment, 2) a follow up story about a prison beating that left a Florida woman prisoner with a broken neck and spinal cord, 3) the Miami Herald story of an armed robbery in Coral Gables that became a car jacking and car chase, that ended with a shootout that left four dead. Below the fold 1) a continuing story about sea levels rising in Florida faster than earlier projections,2) a teaser for a story on page 10 about possibly moving 5,000 to 7,000 troops to the Middle East to deter Iranian aggression, and finally 3) a teaser about "free and low cost events " at Miami Art Week. The Footer is an six column ad for the new Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. $2.00 at your local newsstand.

 I'm sure I will be discouraged by the outcome of the current impeachment proceedings because the current political atmosphere has deteriorated so much that there is little chance of a vote related to conscience related to the facts related to the whole   From the vary outset of the Trump campaign for the presidency I have had my concerns.  It started with questioning President Obama's place of birth and citizenship.  If you can believe that narrative and act to promote it as the truth for your own benefit and purposes, you will do anything if it fits what is happening at the moment. Where do we go from here?  I wish I knew but during the last ten years there have been few compromises on climate change, health care, foreign affairs, housing, public finance, taxes, immigration and other issues.  We don't even agree that in a democracy the goal should be to encourage people to vote. In the background fund raising and special interests run rampant. ...

“[Thirty] seconds of direct sunlight injection to the anal orifice is equivalent to being outside in the sun all day!” From the New Post.

The Harvard -Yale football game was delayed because a demonstration at half time by students regarding climate change.  The Ivy League Championship was on the line for the Yale Bulldogs but the game will be remembered for the half time show that featured an on field walk on by approximately 500 students and 42 arrests. “They’re all supposed to be intelligent people. It looks like there’s a lot of common sense that has missed their generation,” said Chuck Crummie, 68, who attended the game with his son, a former Yale football player. “It goes to show that this generation is all about themselves and not a football game.” I suspect these types of protests may spread to other campuses. I was accidentally watching the game and saw the students "rushing" the field".  The sound was off and the action on TV switched to the WVU game.  The crawl on the bottom of the screen announced the Ivy League would be delayed. It's Sunday Morning, I almost understand what happ...

About forty years ago I took the Foreign Service Officer Test.  I passed but my score wasn't great and so I kept working for Miami Dade County. I've met two Ambassadors, who was smart, hard working, with some serious credentials in business, law and government service on the local and national level. Yes, you can become an ambassador if you are an ace at fund raising for the President but the job is more than attending soirees. In most countries with which it has diplomatic relations, the U.S. maintains an embassy, which usually is located in the host country capital. The U.S. also may have consulates in other large commercial centers or in dependencies of the country. Several countries have U.S. ambassadors accredited to them who are not resident in the country. In a few special cases–such as when it does not have full diplomatic relations with a country–the U.S. may be represented by only a U.S. Liaison Office or U.S. Interests Section, which may be headed by a ...

Today you can watch House all day long. “The patient may not be forthcoming with information secondary to embarrassment or possibly psychiatric issues,” the report said. “Providers must express empathy and compassion while maintaining nonjudgmental composure.” I had an uncle who was famous for colorful language. Be careful and don't lose stuff or you might really get an earful.

Saturday's $6,000,000 Classic at a mile and a quarter was to be an interesting race.  The morning line favorite was Mckinzie, trained by Bob Baffert. The winner was Vino Rosso trained by Todd Pletcher.  Unfortunately, the biggest story to come out of the race was the death of Mongolian Groom. "“If horse racing cannot be conducted in a safe and humane manner that protects the life and safety of horses and jockeys,” she wrote, “it may be time to reexamine the future of this sport in our state and in our country”, so says Diane Feinstein, Senator from California. Horses have broken down on the track and in races since they began racing.  I'm a fan of horse racing.  I have been a fan for a long time.  I know people who train race horses and care for race horses.  I've scrubbed horse's feed buckets, mucked out stalls, and watched horses recover from minor injuries like cuts ad bruises.  I've also seen the screen come out and horses vanned off ...

President Trump( through his Chief of Staff) had announced that his Trump International Golf Course would be the venue for a G7 Meeting in June. The Washington Post reported this morning that the president's golf course in was no longer the venue of choice for the G7 Meeting. "Trump was buffeted by two straight days of allegations of self-dealing and exasperation from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including some Republican allies who said the selection of Doral as the venue for a gathering of world leaders was indefensible." How the Trump Resort was ever under consideration for the economic summit is a great question and how it was chosen is even a better question.  I would like to see the request for proposals (RFP or RFQ) by the government for the conference and meeting services. For security purposes the selection of a site is an important consideration.  Denver, Houston, Sea Island, Williamsburg, San Juan PR and Camp David have hosted previous meetings. No ...

Petersen, a former season ticket holder, wrote a letter to Penn State player Jonathan Sutherland saying that his hair looked "awful" and wished he were more clean-cut like players from years past. He also made a comment about "disgusting" tattoos. In an interview with the Tribune-Democrat posted Tuesday, 1966 Penn State graduate David Petersen said making a racial or cultural statement "was not the intent at all. I would just like to see the coaches get the guys cleaned up and not looking like Florida State and Miami guys." The obvious thing is you are entitled to have an opinion.  The New York Yankees have had an appearance "policy" for over forty five years that included short hair and no beards.  It works for them.  The Miami Marlins under Jeter banned facial hair in 2016 and lost 100 games this year. PSU is 5-0 in the Big Ten and the alumni should be happy.

The Chicago Cubs will miss the playoffs this year.  According to Five Thirty Eight;  as of September 3, 2019 they were projected to have a record of  88-74.  Comfortably ahead of the Brewers. It's September 24, 2019 and now the Cubs are projected to win 85 games while the Brewers are a lock on making the Playoffs and are projected to win 89 games.

I'm going to watch the All American Futurity on Labor Day.  That is if Dorian goes far enough away from Miami that the electricity and internet are not fouled up.  This year's race will have a few issues that should be as big as the $3,000,000 purse. 1) Trey Wood, the trainer of 31 horses that were scheduled for the trials that lead up to the AAF was suspended because one of his horses tested positive for albuterol.  At first it was thought that none of his horses would be able to run in the trials.  But: “Under advisement from the attorney general's office, after reviewing all the facts, it was felt this was only fair to allow these owners to have their horses transferred to other trainers,”. “The stewards will come in tomorrow to process trainer transfers for these horses.”. And here are the final ten qualifiers: One Hot Habit (5-1) Eduardo Nicasio One Famous Beau (10-1) Cody Jensen Magical Jess (15-1) Jaime Parga Leos Koolnfamous (15-1) G.R. Carter Jr...

A three horse stakes race at Saratoga.  The Lake George Stakes: $130,000 GIII and all three horses were trained by Chad Brown.   I can only imagine the instructions to the jockeys and what the owners were thinking in what could have been potentially a merry-go-round race. Something is very wrong with this picture.  According to the   Bloodhorse all the other runners scratched.  If this can happen at Saratoga, similar races are happening at other tracks.  Horses are entered so races are filled and then scratched.  At best the trainer may looking for a softer field or it has rained or possibly it is just a straw entry Folks in Chicago would have seen a sweep of Arlington Park's signature races by Chad Brown winning the Pucker Up, Beverly D, and The Arlington Million. Chad Brown is a really good trainer and he has a stable full of really good horses.  He found three good races. The number of throughbreds foaled in 2019 is less than half the n...

Well at least the new immigration regulations didn't say anything about public education. The idea of restricting permanent residence to those able to stand on their own two feet and not become a public charge has a certain appeal. Ironically, you already need a physical exam to get a green card.  I believe it is called an I-693. Undocumented immigrants are generally not eligible to receive public benefits.. Generally no. Undocumented immigrants, including DACA holders, are ineligible to receive most federal public benefits , including means-tested benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, sometimes referred to as food stamps), regular Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and are prohibited from purchasing unsubsidized health coverage on ACA exchanges. So I guess that the issue is re...

Boycotting stuff is a choice at this time.  There may come a time when your choices are limited and a boycott may not be practical.  I've been told you only have one mother and the absolute truth is you have very little choice in this matter. As a rule I'm not in favor of boycotts because of the tangled nature of stuff that is related to the the parties in a boycott. How many things in life are: : categorical , unequivocal , absolute , uncompromising , unconditional , unqualified , unambiguous , clear , clear-cut , positive , straightforward , definite , or definitive. The owner of the Miami Dolphins Football Team has been called out for being a supporter of Donald Trump.  Steven Ross is also a major stock holder in Equinox and Soul Cycle and The Related Group. Soul Cycle's Mission: " Our mission is to bring Soul to the people. Our one of a kind, rock star instructors guide riders through an inspirational, meditative fitness experience that’s designed to bene...

It's the "Hurricane Season".  There are a long disorganized band of showers to the southeast of Miami and they are moving north and east with a good chance of further organization.  Six days or so away from Florida the detention center's residents were evacuated according to a report from the Miami Herald. The population has been going down as visits have increased.  There have been many questions about where these kids have been moved.  I don't want to go down the conspiracy rabbit hole which is the follow up to my earlier concern about "And how are the Children". A potentially really unmanageable situation can focus the bureaucracy or contractors. It's the "Hurricane Season" and the NOAA Hurricane Center is now on my homepage,

A high school classmate went on a rant about free tuition, free health care, free abortions, free housing .... The gist being that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are possible, but that nothing is free.  I get it.  Government can't do everything and individual effort is essential. How anybody could use the term "snowflake" as related to affordable education, a woman's right to choice, affordable health care for everyone, and affordable housing, is out of touch with the reality many people face. " Snowflake is a 2010s derogatory slang term for a person, implying that they have an inflated sense of uniqueness, an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or are overly-emotional, easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions. " In some ways the idea of entitlement is a pejorative term in this context.  As if all entitlements are earned when in fact they are not.  Opportunity is often restricted, artificial barriers established and pr...

The President wasn't the first to say "love it or leave". I even remember the bumper sticker : will the last American leaving Florida please bring the flag. From the Miami Times June 11, 2010. "Uh oh. Here we go again. Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law the state's first Hispanic license plate this week. People are already taking sides. Some say it's good, others bad, and still others are convinced it will bring out the racists among us. The plate reads "UNI-DOS" (UNITED) with a Santa Maria -type ship in the middle of the word. At the bottom, it states "Hispanic Achievers," and in even smaller type, "Since 1513 Helping Communities Prosper," which is as confusing as it is asinine. We had to look it up, but that was the year when Ponce de Leon's expedition first visited Florida. How he helped the community prosper is less certain." I remember the draft during the Viet Nam War.  Some left for Canada to avoid...

I came across this e-mail from a cousin that is timely.  He is currently rebuilding after losing his house and possessions during a  wildfire about a year ago in Redding, California.  I'm forwarding a part of the e-mail. "We are old but we are strong and still competent. We have and will continue to survive. I draw inspiration from my ancestors that lived through devastating volcanic events, loss of pastures and livestock in Iceland, not to mention economic exploitation by the Danes. They traveled across the Atlantic to new nations, learned a new language, lived in small, hastily built, crude little cabins occupied by multiple families served by a single wood stove. They survived smallpox, cleared marginal land, were initially not well fed and damn near froze to death. The  average family in the 1875 group brought with them an average of 6 Canadian dollars per family. And look at the contribution they made to both Canada and the United States. They were i...

Several weeks ago I drove past a temporary overflow facility for unaccompanied minors that crossed the border that is located in Homestead, Florida.  A UU Church Service in June made me take a slight detour past the facility which is part of the Homestead Reserve Air Force Base and a former Job Corp Center. The drive by disturbed me. I have known adults who have been in detention and by all reports at the time, I can only imagine what kids between the ages of 12-17 might be going through in a prison like facility. I went to the Homestead Facility last Monday arriving at 10:00AM with some church members, a follow up, and to show my displeasure with a broken immigration policy.  At least that is what I thought I was doing on the ride down to Homestead.  Standing on a ladder waving a heart and watching kids being lead outside while others were marched back into buildings for classes was weird.  After about an hour on the ladder, I stood outside the entrance to the f...

"And How Are The Children"? According to Masai this is a traditional greeting and the traditional response  would be:" All the children are well".  This could mean it's all good or something similar. You really have to wonder what motivates the current administration of the President, Senior Advisers, Homeland Security, I.C.E., the Border Patrol, H.H.S., the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and Caliburn International, and Comprehensive Health Services that has the contract to manage the Homestead Overflow Detention Center. "And How Are The Children"? The conditions  could be, should be and must be made better at the border and the various detention centers around this country.

June 13, 2019, Eyeonthewind broke her maiden with a win in the 1st Race at Canterbury Park.  The filly's Dam was Zoominthewind and the Sire was Fly the Red Eye and the baby was foaled in Minnesota in 2016. The owner/trainer is Randy Weidner.  I've been a partner with Randy in a couple of Quarter Horse ventures and overall I can say horse ownership has been crossed off the bucket list.  You can make more money flipping burgers.  Working however, is not as much fun as going to the track and it is even more fun if you can hang out with horses in the morning and see them run in the afternoon or evening. Fly the Red Eye stands in Texas for $2000.00.  Zoominthewind is a mare Randy trained for Bill Price at Hialeah and she was given to Randy after the vet bills and rehab got up there.  Fly the Red Eye is an AQHA Supreme Champion.  AQHA's Supreme Champion title encompasses the versatility and athleticism of the American Quarter Horse. The title requires a...

Boy, did I screw up.  I like golf and I watch it on TV on weekend afternoons and sometimes on the Golf Channel on Thursdays.  A friend, drinking buddy and long time golfer has me participating in a golf pool for the U.S. Open and we almost always have a side bet on the fate of Tiger Woods. The Thursday golf discussion almost always meanders around the Doral Tournament that has been around a long time.  My friend Dan has been a marshal, carried the sign that showed the group's scores for the round and the tournament.  I used to go to the Doral with my Dad and in the old days if you bought a season pass for the tournament you could play a round for free during the off season. I looked up how much it cost to play a round of golf at Doral now.  The fee starts at $149 and it includes a room.  Not sure if the fee includes a cart and it probably isn't that low on the weekends, but it seems like a good deal. The bad news is the Trump Doral Advertisement is no...

You can add Venezuela to the list of Central America's Northern Triangle of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to countries experiencing migration issues.  According to the Miami Herald about 4 million people have left Venezuela for Peru, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, and Argentina. Ironically, or maybe not surprisingly Doral, Florida, home of the Trump National Golf Course is also the home of "Little Venezuela".  This town has had a Venezuelan - American Mayor, Luigi Boria. President Trump is now considering granting TPS for Venezuelans.  Temporary Protected Status is granted to people from countries affected by natural disasters or war and lets them remain in the U.S. until the situation improves back home.   How many this will affect is unclear. President Trump has no use for Maduro of Venezuela and is one of several countries that has recognized Juan Guaido, head of the National Assembly as the Interim President. The situation in Venezuela is...

From the Washington Post: "The Trump administration is canceling English classes, recreational programs and legal aid for unaccompanied minors staying in federal migrant shelters nationwide, saying the immigration influx at the southern border has created critical budget pressures. The Office of Refugee Resettlement has begun discontinuing the funding stream for activities — including soccer — that have been deemed “not directly necessary for the protection of life and safety, including education services, legal services, and recreation,” said Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Mark Weber." And the other response is to blame Mexico and threaten to raise tariffs. The amount of money being spent to house these asylum seekers could be better spent helping Mexico, and working with these asylum seekers in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador before they get to the U.S. Border and work with NGO's to make sure legal assistance and sponsors can help...

On Father's Day, June 16th, there will be a multi-faith action at the Homestead Detention Center.  If you are able, it is important that you be there to make a statement that our country must not be known as one that breaks up families or locks up children in militaristic camps!

On Sunday, At Church, I Heard A Talk About A Detention Facility In Homestead, Florida. On Tuesday I drove by the facility.  The following is from NPR.  "The Trump administration continues to detain unaccompanied minors for indefinite periods in unlicensed and military-style facilities in violation of a decades-old legal settlement governing the treatment of immigrant children, according to court documents filed Friday in California. The allegations come in a motion filed in federal court in Los Angeles by attorneys for the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law and other groups. They say that the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement is detaining as many as 2,350 unaccompanied minors in a secure facility in Homestead, Florida, and routinely failing to transfer the minors to a licensed facility or release them to adult sponsors as required. Under the settlement known as Flores , reached in 1997, unaccompanied minors c...

“After training this morning we noticed him cough a few times,” Mandella said. “It caused us to scope him and we found an entrapped epiglottis. We can’t fix it this week so we’ll have to have a procedure done in a few days and probably be out of training for three weeks. "  And so it goes for the favorite in the 2019 "Run For The Roses".

It would be nice to hear from a few people in person before there is a great rush to judgment on impeachment. It is almost a forgone conclusion that there are enough Republican votes in the Senate to derail any conviction for obstruction or anything else that President Trump has done. Only one President left office after impeachment votes.  Nixon resigned only after prominent Republicans counted the votes. The current actions by the President to stonewall may work in the short run but the 2020 election won't be a cakewalk.

This is from WHD's internet page.   The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) enforces some of our nation's most comprehensive labor laws. When we find violations, we often recover unpaid wages on behalf of employees. The agency makes every effort to locate and notify all employees due back wages. If we cannot find an employee, we hold their back wages for three years while we continue our efforts to locate them. After three years, if we remain unable to find the person, we are required to send the money to the U.S. Treasury. If you think you may be owed back wages collected by WHD, you can search our database of workers for whom we have money waiting to be claimed. If you find that you are due money, you can submit a claim. Begin by entering the employer’s name, then click “WOW Search”. I wonder if and how this federal agency will deal with all the complaints that will arise from the  "partial" federal shutdown, furloughs and who must work.  This isn...

The college and professional football coaching ranks might be something like Jacob's Ladder from the Bible or the Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin.  There are 130 Division I schools from the biggest conferences and 32 Teams in the NFL. Being the head coach of any of these teams is a big deal.  The average salary of a head coach is a reported $1.64 million dollars.  The average salary of an NFL head coach is about $3.5 million dollars. The competition for these jobs is intense and the price for experienced and successful coaching talent is an expensive proposition for a university or NFL Franchise.  The apprentice coaches might start as former player as graduate assistants at their Alma Mater after their playing days are over or a smaller college with a history of coaches moving up the ranks to bigger schools that recruit blue chip players. In the end recruiting better coaches gets better players and the best coaches are able to get the best players. Temple U...