Sunday Morning Coming Down

You might think that former Trump advisor Steve Bannon's and three others efforts to raise money to "build that wall" from Trump supporters would be a good faith effort from folks who are concerned about immigration policies. All four were arrested Thursday morning. Bannon was taken into custody at 7:15 a.m. by federal authorities while aboard a 150-foot yacht off the coast of Connecticut.   “As alleged, the defendants defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction," acting U.S Attorney Audrey Strauss said. As part of the alleged scheme, according to federal prosecutors, Kolfage, the founder of the campaign, "repeatedly and falsely assured the public that he would ‘not take a penny in salary or compensation’ and that ‘100% of the funds raised ... will be used in the execution of our mission and purpose.’...

 I don't remember much about the day except that I was a tour guide for a Department of Labor person who was on a visit to Miami during the Reagan Administration.  I'm not sure why I was chosen for this task except that I called and made appointments and knew my way around Miami so we were not going to waste time.  The Fed Rep was younger than I was and Black.  We were going to visit grant recipients in Liberty City, Little Havana, and Virginia Key.  All three programs served youth between the ages of 14-21. We went to O.I.C., SABER, and DMI.  The visits went well.  I thought attendance was good, the classes were interesting and the staff was able to answer questions about recruiting, payroll, management and possible placements. On the way back to the office she asked about the kids that were in the DMI.  The Dade Marine Institute trained kids to work with outboard motors, seamanship, scuba diving and academics.  I told her most kids were ref...

 Denny Velazquez is/was a jockey at Canterbury Park in Minnesota. Starts Firsts Seconds Thirds Earnings 265 47 40 35 $624,813 Yesterday, his career went "south".  "Canterbury Park stewards have handed a one-year suspension to jockey Denny Velazquez after   a buzzer and a loaded gun were found   during a search of his vehicle on track property. The stewards also issued Velazquez a $10,000 fine." "The ruling stated the presence of the gun and the buzzer “call into question the honesty and integrity of horse racing and the safety, health and welfare of the participants and the general public at Canterbury Park.” Last night I played the races at Canterbury Park and while scouting for the results of a race this morning the news of the suspension came up. Working as a jockey, trainer, groom, owner or almost any job at Hialeah Park required being licensed by the State of Florida.  I went through the process of being licensed so I could visit horses I had partnerships ...

 One of the simplest lessons to be learned from the pandemic is that the living wage is a lot closer to $15.00@hour. than the federal law which says the minimum wage is $7,25.  If the average monthly rent in the United States is $1200.00, you are working 80 hours @month to pay the rent. How many "families" need both parents or others in the household to pay for rent, utilities, and food. Back in the good old days both parents and kids looked forward to returning to school.  I'd like to see the results from that focus group today.

Yesterday in baseball was all about change.  I feel for the traditionalists but this year's shorter season will speed changes in the game that are long overdue.  I' tired of cardboard fans even if it raised money for charity. Seven inning doubleheaders are fine by me.  I even think single games could be shortened to seven innings. Pitchers facing at least three batters will speed up the game.  I never liked Tony La Russa and his pitching change methodology. Runner on 2nd base during extra innings might need some adjustment, like starting in the eleventh inning but with most games at night sooner rather than later is better. I'm not a fan of the DH but I do like scoring and bunting seems to be going out of style anyway. I like the idea of the short season.  Each game seems more important.  In the future maybe a second short season might work.  Fewer rent a player stuff.

I've read, I've started streaming new shows, I'm just getting back into going to the store for groceries. This weekend I was distracted by a near miss of a hurricane named after someone with a rather obscure name that started with the letter "I".  Isaias seems more like something I would make up after forgetting a password.  The weather folks down in Miami seem to just point at the map and guess it would be a near miss. I've bought books from Amazon, I got a book as a birthday present, and bought a book that a high school friend got published by a real publisher. I'm still working on reading a biography of General Grant who became President Grant.  It's a very long book.  The Road to Character by David Brooks is a series of stories about some interesting folks.  There was a short course in Black history which included Black Miami by Marvin Dunn, Forty Acres and a Mule by Walter Fleming, and Eight Years In Power by Ta Nehisi Coates.  Lincoln In the Bard...