OK Go - The One Moment

This is out there all over the place, but in the event you've not seen it, it is worth the view.

These guys to make incredible music videos:

Somali Immigrant on Murderous Spree at The Ohio State University

Another incident in which a nice, peaceful immigrant went a little askew occurred again yesterday.  His plan of mowing down people in his car after pulling the fire alarm was ingenious, but resulted in not nearly enough infidel deaths.  However, we shouldn't worry, as this was undoubtedly an isolated incident, and Islam is a religion of peace.

We pretty much knew right away that this was Islamic terrorism once the story broke, didn't we?  Any time there is a story of this magnitude, but one in which the perp is not immediately described, much less named, you can pretty much guarantee that a guy screaming " allahu akbar" will ultimately be the guy behind it.  That certainly was the case in the "breaking" news yesterday.

When are we going to call Islam what it is - a religion not of peace, but of brutality, death, and subjugation?

How Good Are the Gophers in Basketball? We're About to Find Out

The latest iteration of the Gophers men's basketball team appears, on paper, to be a sea change from previous seasons.  Refreshed by a youthful team (we're starting two freshmen, and zero seniors), the team has hustled and shot its way to a perfect 6-0.

Unfortunately, they've done it against dubious competition.  They've also done it in the friendly confines of Williams Arena.

Tonight, our boys head down to Florida State to face a strong Seminole crew that was ranked in the top 25 last week.  While the competition is not as tough as some that will be faced in the Big 10, the Seminoles represent the best test yet this season of how good these Gophers truly are.

Regardless of the outcome, up to now it has been an entertaining season.  This team plays hard - really hard.  Amir Coffey is the real deal, and has flat dominated some games as a true freshman.  Finally, Richard Pitino appears to have a team that is executing to his program's expectations.

We'll see tonight if it is real or a mirage.

Thoughts on the Recount

On its face, the call for the recount by the irrelevant Green party (which has subsequently been joined by the Democrats) seems so pointless.  Nothing will be found, yet millions will be spent, and the seed of "the election was stolen" will continue to germinate.  All it is doing is to continue to divide the country and move things further along the stages of grief.

The five stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are a part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with loss.  For liberals, there is no bigger loss than the one they suffered on election day when a shoo-in candidate was trounced by a blowhard amateur. 

We've seen these stages play themselves out on our social media pages and in our streets.  Anger has been all the rage (please forgive the pun), and the move to recount seems like we're firmly moving to the bargaining stage.  

Will the count help our country heal?  Not by a long shot.  Living in Wisconsin, we've seen what a protracted attack against a legal election can do to a populace.  The recall attempt on Governor Walker drove a wedge in this state that still has ripple effects, up to and including flipping the state to Republican during the presidential election.

Yet the liberals will not learn.  They're doubling down on the wedge.  Instead of trying to win at changing hearts and minds through dialog and conduct, they're clinging to conspiracy theories and anything that could possibly explain how in the world Hillary could have been beaten by him.

We're a long way away from acceptance, and I fear for what our country will have to endure to get there.

Saturday Song Share: Silversun Pickups - Substitution

Grain Belt Premium Beer Song

This one is for my buddy Fuzzy:



And there's another:

Happy Thanksgiving

There is so much to be thankful for that it is hard to begin.  It is easy to get distracted with nuances in life which, while important to us, matter not to 99% of the human population with whom we share this planet.  We truly want for nothing here, in the truest sense of that statement.  

God has indeed shed His grace on thee, America.  Let's take some time to realize that, and be truly thankful for all we have.

And as long as we're there, I'm thankful for all of you.  Thanks for your readership.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Musicians that Died in 2016

David Bowie.  Glenn Frey.  Maurice White.  Leonard Cohen.  Leon Russell.  Prince.  Now Sharon Jones.

Enough already.

The Tolerant Left

I've actually seen a couple of screeds like this in my Facebook feed:

Bigot is an easy word to say, but a tough one to consider for oneself.

Fire Brian Kelly

I know that Brian Kelly has restored the football program to levels that Notre Dame has not seen since Lou Holtz.  I get it.  But something has turned with this program.  Mental mistakes abound.  Players don't play hard.  Plays are called which have zero chance of achieving what they need to achieve.  Penalties are everywhere.  As a result, the Irish flat suck this year.

That is hard to write, but true: The Irish flat suck.

Behind it all stands a red-faced, yelling Brian Kelly, and despite all that yelling and scowling are the players that aren't playing for him or the program anymore.  Hence, it is now time for Kelly to go, especially with a coach like Les Miles looking for a job.

Fire Kelly.  Hire Miles.

That actually felt good to write... 

Every TED Talk, Ever

This parody is completely on the mark:


*humble head nod*

Hat-Tip: My bro

Mike Rowe Posts on the Election

Mike Rowe, the host of TV's great Dirty Jobs, made the most insightful post about the election that I have read.

I post it here, in its entirety as I believe it to be that good:

Hi Carol

Last Friday, my dog posted a video that featured a man licking a cat with the aid of a device that’s designed for the specific purpose of making it easier for people to lick their cats.I’ve been silent ever since, because frankly, I couldn’t think of a better way – metaphorical or otherwise - to express my feelings about this election cycle. The entire country it seems, has been preoccupied with finding a way to lick a cat without actually putting their tongue on it.

Too oblique? Too weird? Ok, how about this analysis:

Back in 2003, a very unusual TV pilot called Dirty Jobs, Forrest-Gumped its way onto The Discovery Channel and found an audience – a big one. For Discovery, this was a problem. You see, Dirty Jobs didn’t look like anything else on their channel. It wasn’t pretty or careful. It took place in sewers and septic tanks, and featured a subversive host in close contact with his 8-year old inner child who refused to do second takes. Everyone agreed that Dirty Jobs was totally “off-brand” and completely inappropriate for Discovery. Everyone but the viewers. The ratings were just too big to ignore, so the pilot got a green-light, and yours truly finally got a steady gig.

But here's the thing - Dirty Jobs didn’t resonate because the host was incredibly charming. It wasn’t a hit because it was gross, or irreverent, or funny, or silly, or smart, or terribly clever. Dirty Jobs succeeded because it was authentic. It spoke directly and candidly to a big chunk of the country that non-fiction networks had been completely ignoring. In a very simple way, Dirty Jobs said “Hey - we can see you,” to millions of regular people who had started to feel invisible. Ultimately, that’s why Dirty Jobs ran for eight seasons. And today, that’s also why Donald Trump is the President of the United States.

I know people are freaked out, Carol. I get it. I’m worried too. But not because of who we elected. We've survived 44 Presidents, and we'll survive this one too. I’m worried because millions of people now seem to believe that Trump supporters are racist, xenophobic, and uneducated misogynists. I'm worried because despising our candidates publicly is very different than despising the people who vote for them.

Last week, three old friends – people I’ve known for years - each requested to be “unfriended” by anyone who planned on voting for Trump. Honestly, that was disheartening. Who tosses away a friendship over an election? Are my friends turning into those mind-numbingly arrogant celebrities who threaten to move to another country if their candidate doesn’t win? Are my friends now convinced that people they’ve known for years who happen to disagree with them politically are not merely mistaken – but evil, and no longer worthy of their friendship?

For what it’s worth, Carol, I don’t think Donald Trump won by tapping into America’s “racist underbelly,” and I don’t think Hillary lost because she’s a woman. I think a majority of people who voted in this election did so in spite of their many misgivings about the character of both candidates. That’s why it’s very dangerous to argue that Clinton supporters condone lying under oath and obstructing justice. Just as it’s equally dangerous to suggest a Trump supporter condones gross generalizations about foreigners and women.

These two candidates were the choices we gave ourselves, and each came with a heaping helping of vulgarity and impropriety. Yeah, it was dirty job for sure, but the winner was NOT decided by a racist and craven nation – it was decided by millions of disgusted Americans desperate for real change. The people did not want a politician. The people wanted to be seen. Donald Trump convinced those people that he could see them. Hillary Clinton did not.
As for me, I’m flattered by your support, but grateful that your vote was not enough to push me over the top. However, when the dust settles, and The White House gets a new tenant, I’ll make the same offer to President Trump that I did to President Obama – to assist as best I can in any attempt to reinvigorate the skilled trades, and shine a light on millions of good jobs that no one seems excited about pursuing. http://bit.ly/2fG1SxI

Like those 3 million “shovel ready” jobs we heard so much about eight years ago, the kind of recovery that Donald Trump is promising will require a workforce that’s properly trained and sufficiently enthused about the opportunities at hand. At the moment, we do not have that work force in place. What we do have, are tens of millions of capable people who have simply stopped looking for work, and millions of available jobs that no one aspires to do. That's the skills gap, and it's gotta close. If mikeroweWORKS can help, we're standing by.
If not, I suppose we'll just have to find another way to lick the cat.

Mike

Want A Longer, Healthier Life? Go to Church

In a recent article published in the USA Today, a number of sources were cited which showed those that attended church regularly lived longer and with a better sense of meaning.  

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.  We all know examples of people in our lives who are deeply steeped in their religious life and how that overflows into their approach of their broader lives.  They're peaceful, happier, and I'd even go so far as to say more blessed than their non-religious counterparts.

Personally, church for me has become a haven.  In a life that feels hectic, harmful, and painful, that weekly church service has proved a bastion of peace, calm, and perspective.  Indeed, it forces a reflection on the bigger picture, and what is truly important.  That "adjustment" always leads to a calm and a comfort.

Good for one's mental health and overall health as well?  Sign me up.

Saturday Song Share: Vince Gill - Go Rest High on the Mountain

I hadn't heard this song before it was played at my uncle's funeral.  What a shame.  Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I do.

Voter ID and What Liberals Really Think

We've known what Liberals really think about race for a good, long while now.  This makes it really damned clear:

Polls Lie, Trump Wins

If one listened to the polls throughout this campaign season, Trump's win was either a stunning upset or completed by way of Russian hackers.  However, consider Wisconsin, the state from which I write this blog.  Here, Trump signs outnumbered Hillary signs by an easy 10 to 1 (note, I'm not in an urban part of the state, and my commutes through it are through rural sections).  Despite this, pollsters and pundits had this state as a landslide for Hillary.

They lied.

The candidates knew the state was in play, and that's why they spent so much time and money here; media polls be damned.

So why the lie?  Was it to disenfranchise Trump supporters so that they'd stay home on election night?  Was it to make them feel like insignificant outsiders?  Perhaps we'll never know.  All we do know was that data that was being reported in no way reflected the behavior we saw on election night.

Hillary "had" a double digit poll lead two weeks ago.  This morning, she rides off into the sunset.  The pollsters, I'm sure, will keep their jobs.  Hillary?  Not so much.

Just Vote

I know you don't want to, but just vote today.  I know both candidates are so wildly flawed that it is stomach-turning.  I know that your faith in the political process has been pushed to its limits.  I know you've likely had moments that make you wonder why it matters anyway.

Still, just vote.

The down tickets need you.  The senate is clearly in play, and multiple individual candidates' political lives are on a razor-thin edge.  

Likewise, a wise man once told me that if you didn't vote, then you didn't have the right to bitch.  And bitching, ladies and gentlemen, is what we are going to be doing a lot of in the coming four years.

So buck up, get out there, and vote.

See you at the polls.

You Can Never Have Enough Friends

At the celebration of my uncle's life last week, stories were shared about his massive personality.  A couple of his common catch-phases were shared, and "you can never have enough friends" was one of them.

What a wonderful way to go through life.

As I age, it seems harder and harder to have friends, and compared to the amount that I had when I was younger, my current list of friends is a mere fraction.  There are a lot of reasons for this.  We moved away from our home.  My job has me as a leader, which limits the amount of peers with whom I can socialize.  That same job requires massive hours, which eliminates much free time for socializing.  Our neighborhood is not at all conducive to being neighborly.  I could go on.

The bottom line?  If a crisis occurred, and I needed immediate emergency help from a friend, there is pretty much nobody here where we live whom I could call.  Nobody.

Pretty sad state of affairs, no?

That's why my uncle's catch phrase is so remarkable.  Life is better and easier the more friends one has.  

Simple stuff, but with profound results.

Proving God's Existence

Last week Fr. Don had a fabulous post about how we as Christians can somehow be mired in the need to be apologists and to prove God exists; especially in those instances where the conversation turns emotional and heated.

In his very learned style, Fr. Don asks us to consider if it matters, and offers a different approach:

In the long run we point to God's existence and goodness better by how we live and act than by how we argue. Honing our arguments for God's existence is much less important than echoing God's love in what we do and say.

Differently said, and to take liberties with the old church stand-by:

They will know God's existence by our love
By our love
Yes, they'll know God's existence by our love

Saturday Song Share: The Cult - Fire Woman

Great combination of song and band.  Rocks in way more ways than you can count.

Turn it up:

Gaelin Elmore - How a Community Helped Build a Man

Here is a great story.  It is one that could have headed a lot of different directions - most of them very bad.  See for yourself how it shakes out:

Hitler Finds Out the FBI Reopened the Investigation

I know the Hitler videos have really run their course, but this one is pretty darned rich.

Enjoy: