Friday Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Following the Deshaun Watson case is nauseating but if you've been paying attention it is clear now what the defense's strategy will be. They will be attacking the character of the women bringing the complaints. If they can prove one or two or more of these women gave "happy endings" to other clients it will bring into question the viability of all the complaints. Nauseating. Also sadly look for veiled or explicit reference to Robert Kraft at some point and how the NFL handled his "case"... If Gonzaga's Chet  Holmgren is the number one overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft he will be the first white American picked number one in the draft since 1977 when Kent Benson went first overall to Milwaukee. That's surprising to me. I don't think of the skin color of a player only how good they are and if they can help the team I root for but this stat was nonetheless somehow surprising... "A European war can only end in the ruin of the vanquished and the scarcely less fatal commercial dislocation of the conquerors." - Winston Churchill in 1901. A prescient comment made before the first World War that could equally be applied to the War in Ukraine today... Often wonder how many high school teachers today would be able to pass a high school entrance exam from 1950. People often say "follow the science" but that never seems to apply to following the decline in test results in education over the past few decades and the changing methods that have led to that decline... Of course the year after Kent Benson went first overall - Larry Bird was picked 6th over all by the Celtics as a Junior eligible pick. Genius move by Red Auerbach. Would have been interesting to see if Bird had to wait to 1979 if he or Magic Johnson would have been first pick overall... Any time you're feeling pretty full of yourself and how smart you are - remember that John Stuart Mill knew how to read and write Greek by age 3. By age 9 he mastered Latin... Historical fact that may interest only me: in the English House of Commons there are two red stripes beyond which no member of Parliament is supposed to advance beyond when addressing the House. The distance between the stripes was set at the length of two drawn swords. Not sure if this is the origin of the phrase "crossing a red line"... When going out instead of saying "Hello" to my friends I'm going start saying "Where's my free beer!" to see what reaction I get. You never know - may work out really well for me... Funny but just when you think Winston Churchill would be anachronistic in the modern world you learn that two of his earliest political stances were being against forced vaccinations and for Free Trade. Those would be two key characteristics I'd look for in a politician today... The Celtics losing last night sucked. No other word for it. Yes this Boston team went further than anyone had the right to expect just a couple of months ago. And yes it's a young team with all the key players under contract and will be a contender perhaps for the next few years. That doesn't take away the fact that last night sucked. Congrats to the Golden State Warriors and their fans... As always if this column has made you smile or think - don't be afraid to hit the like button. Also please subscribe (it's FREE) and share with your friends. Thanks in advance...