The winner of the 2020 Summer Olympic bid is going to be announced by the IOC in Buenos Aires next month. The three finalists for the bid are Istanbul, Madrid, and Tokyo.
The one of the three (according to Wikipedia) that seems to be the furthest shot right now is Madrid. There seem to have been some scandals of a sort that have lessened its chances for getting the bid.
So that leaves Istanbul and Tokyo. Go Tokyo. Ganbatte!!
I said it a few years ago on this same blog, but what I said then still holds: If Turkey ever decides to go the way of a country like Venezuela or Bolivia, and breaks off all its ties with Israel, then I am going to formally renounce my Turkish citizenship. The Islamic fundamentalist crackpot running the country has been in charge now for almost 10 years. Why has the military there been unable to overthrow him as they've done in the past with extremist leaders since the republic's founding in 1923?
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
PED's
While on the subject of PED's in baseball, the questions keep coming back...how does this put a handle on the subject of the top players in this era getting/not getting into the Hall of Fame? Will Bonds, Sosa, Clemens, Rodriguez, etc. ever have a shot?
First of all, after this year's vote, the HOF to me now is irrelevant. As one sportscaster put it:
"By keeping out those players suspected of using PED's, what about the one's you never suspected? Take Derek Jeter as an example. No brainer, 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Now, what if in 30 years, it comes out that Jeter was on some sort of PED program - only he just had better doctors than A-Rod? What do you, retroactively remove him after he'd been enshrined 25 years earlier? Not so easy to do."
After this year's vote, someone (I think a voting writer) was asked: "At some point we're probably going to inadvertently elect someone who used PED's regularly who at the time, we just didn't suspect. What happens then?"
The writer's response?
"I think we may already have."
First of all, after this year's vote, the HOF to me now is irrelevant. As one sportscaster put it:
"By keeping out those players suspected of using PED's, what about the one's you never suspected? Take Derek Jeter as an example. No brainer, 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Now, what if in 30 years, it comes out that Jeter was on some sort of PED program - only he just had better doctors than A-Rod? What do you, retroactively remove him after he'd been enshrined 25 years earlier? Not so easy to do."
After this year's vote, someone (I think a voting writer) was asked: "At some point we're probably going to inadvertently elect someone who used PED's regularly who at the time, we just didn't suspect. What happens then?"
The writer's response?
"I think we may already have."
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Family
I sometimes wonder how many of my family members all across the world have taken a moment to check out this blog.
Now mind you, I really do have family spread out all over the world. And not to spill too many secrets, but not all of them traditionally were altogether there mentally. I do not mean to talk a lot about it here in this forum. But at the same time, I would love the opportunity to discuss this with more than a few family members.
On the other hand, they are partly what has made me who and what I am today. I didn't grow up really knowing a lot of them. And frankly, I think more than a few of them were (and maybe still are) in some ways, afraid of me.
If one of you is reading this, do know that I'm not out to hurt you. I may be out looking for answers, but I'm definitely not out to hurt you. If you in any way try to provoke me though, that's an entirely different story.
Today for lunch, I had half a tongue sandwich, a cup of sweet and sour cabbage soup, and a cream soda. The sandwich came with potato salad and pickles. For dinner, I had the other half of the sandwich along with a couple of fruits. Sorry to say -- the sandwich was not up to par at all with what I remember growing up on the East coast.
Now mind you, I really do have family spread out all over the world. And not to spill too many secrets, but not all of them traditionally were altogether there mentally. I do not mean to talk a lot about it here in this forum. But at the same time, I would love the opportunity to discuss this with more than a few family members.
On the other hand, they are partly what has made me who and what I am today. I didn't grow up really knowing a lot of them. And frankly, I think more than a few of them were (and maybe still are) in some ways, afraid of me.
If one of you is reading this, do know that I'm not out to hurt you. I may be out looking for answers, but I'm definitely not out to hurt you. If you in any way try to provoke me though, that's an entirely different story.
Today for lunch, I had half a tongue sandwich, a cup of sweet and sour cabbage soup, and a cream soda. The sandwich came with potato salad and pickles. For dinner, I had the other half of the sandwich along with a couple of fruits. Sorry to say -- the sandwich was not up to par at all with what I remember growing up on the East coast.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Circus Elephant
When I was growing up, I remember one time when I was about 14 or 15 staying up very late (not uncommon) and in the days before everybody had cable, watching TV. I don't remember what time it was, but it was late enough so that the only thing that held my attention was an infomercial. The salesman on the infomercial was hawking some sort of positive subliminal message tapes. A good portion of the infomercial was dedicated to him explaining exactly what is subliminal messaging, and how it works. I actually found it to be quite interesting (still do).
Anyway, he was describing at one point his experience growing up and being taken to the circus as a child. While there, he happened to come upon one of the circus elephants being kept in the back with its trainer. What he noticed immediately was that the only thing securing the elephant was a flimsy rope tied somewhat loosely to its foot (and perhaps not even attached to anything else). This guy said he asked the trainer how he could be sure such a weak rope could hold such a large powerful animal, who it seemed could break free of its "bondage" and run off as it pleased.
The trainer explained that when the elephant was a baby, it had been secured at all times by a tough wire-rope, which the baby elephant at that time, could not have broken out of. Therefore, in the adult elephant's mind, it now "accepted" that as long as there was something like that rope around its foot, it would not be able to move or escaped as it pleased.
How many of us (including myself) are still to this day tightly bound/secured to the imaginary ropes in our minds that were instilled upon us growing up?
Anyway, he was describing at one point his experience growing up and being taken to the circus as a child. While there, he happened to come upon one of the circus elephants being kept in the back with its trainer. What he noticed immediately was that the only thing securing the elephant was a flimsy rope tied somewhat loosely to its foot (and perhaps not even attached to anything else). This guy said he asked the trainer how he could be sure such a weak rope could hold such a large powerful animal, who it seemed could break free of its "bondage" and run off as it pleased.
The trainer explained that when the elephant was a baby, it had been secured at all times by a tough wire-rope, which the baby elephant at that time, could not have broken out of. Therefore, in the adult elephant's mind, it now "accepted" that as long as there was something like that rope around its foot, it would not be able to move or escaped as it pleased.
How many of us (including myself) are still to this day tightly bound/secured to the imaginary ropes in our minds that were instilled upon us growing up?
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Chabad
It's really a shame that over the course of the last several years, I've had the unfortunate opportunity to acquaint myself with some of the more arrogant extremist Moshichist forces within the Chabad community. It's really too bad, because so many of them do such wonderful things all around the world. Well, as they say, it takes all types.
The Sox won again today, but Tampa Bay is keeping right on their heels. The added teams to the playoff race does make things more interesting. However, it is now a whole lot less likely that the team which was probably best during the regular season is going to end up winning (or even making it to) the World Series. Just like I see no reason to begin following either hockey or basketball before April, now for me baseball has some of the same characteristics. I like to watch it in April, just because of the long drought of not having it in the off-season. But for me now, May-July is really not worth the time or effort to follow it. Nothing to me of interest regarding the race for the playoffs (it's really no longer a "pennant" race) really starts to happen anymore before the beginning of August.
The Sox won again today, but Tampa Bay is keeping right on their heels. The added teams to the playoff race does make things more interesting. However, it is now a whole lot less likely that the team which was probably best during the regular season is going to end up winning (or even making it to) the World Series. Just like I see no reason to begin following either hockey or basketball before April, now for me baseball has some of the same characteristics. I like to watch it in April, just because of the long drought of not having it in the off-season. But for me now, May-July is really not worth the time or effort to follow it. Nothing to me of interest regarding the race for the playoffs (it's really no longer a "pennant" race) really starts to happen anymore before the beginning of August.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Eye of the Tiger
Special addendum must be made to my post earlier in the week about first favorite songs. Although I didn't become a regular music listener until later in the fall of '82, a song that summer captured me like no other ever had. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor served as my anthem for many years, and to this day is at or near the top of my all-time favorite tunes.
Back to a Weight Watchers meeting next week.
I feel as if I got quite a lot accomplished today.
Need to make my bed before Shabbat.
That's all for this week folks. Russians, you still plagiarizing my work?...
Back to a Weight Watchers meeting next week.
I feel as if I got quite a lot accomplished today.
Need to make my bed before Shabbat.
That's all for this week folks. Russians, you still plagiarizing my work?...
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Sadaharu Oh
How do I think Sadaharu Oh might have fared were he to play in the Major Leagues? I imagine he would have probably attained about the same level of success (maybe more, actually) as Matsui. Assuming he wasn't on any kind of performance enhancer, I could see him as probably a .300/30 homer type of guy.
We are into August, and the Red Sox are still hanging on to 1st place. Two months to go in the season, and they're only four wins away from tying their win total for all of last season.
So funny to think that people are actually surprised to find out the NSA was tracking any/all website activity from the very get-go. Come on people, 9/11 notwithstanding, did you really think that the powers-that-be would have released a force like the World Wide Web/Internet out into the general public back in the 90's if they did not also put in place a system to carefully monitor it?...Remember, this whole thing was developed as a tool for the U.S. military to provide it with a communications system that would still work error free in the event of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union.
We are into August, and the Red Sox are still hanging on to 1st place. Two months to go in the season, and they're only four wins away from tying their win total for all of last season.
So funny to think that people are actually surprised to find out the NSA was tracking any/all website activity from the very get-go. Come on people, 9/11 notwithstanding, did you really think that the powers-that-be would have released a force like the World Wide Web/Internet out into the general public back in the 90's if they did not also put in place a system to carefully monitor it?...Remember, this whole thing was developed as a tool for the U.S. military to provide it with a communications system that would still work error free in the event of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union.
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