Hard to Argue
1
Insanity
“The gunman legally bought the two weapons he used in the shooting — a Glock handgun and an AR-15-style rifle — in April and June.”
If only more people in the parking lot and store had been armed. (satire)
215 Pounds
While doing Rice Street Thursday afternoon, the Former Guy was allowed to “self report” his vitals, including his weight.
This number was 24 pounds less than his doc last reported and 71 pounds less than the average “over/under” on betting sites.
This is a clarifying moment. We should allow widespread “self reporting” of all sorts of things. As just one example, think of the savings if we didn’t need any of those new Internal Revenue Service agents.
Just ask everyone, including the Former Guy, on a postcard, “What was your income for 2023?” Similarly, just ask the FG, “What did you make on 18 and how many under par were you today?” “Where do you rank among all Presidents?”
And think of the time and money savings if we just asked him to self report on whether he committed any of the 91 felonies.
Pull the Plug
The College That Refused to Die. I challenge you to find a more depressing case study of a liberal arts college on life support. I felt like I needed to take a shower after reading the story of its downward spiral.
Some situations are not salvageable. This is Exhibit A.
The Small-Town Library That Became a Culture-War Battleground
I’m going to begin my Multicultural Education class with this Washington State case study.
Book battles are raging nationwide. A WA library could be nation’s first to close.
The Small-Town Library That Became a Culture-War Battleground.
Podcast version. . . first 19 minutes.
Can someone make me a “Mom’s For Liberty?” t-shirt? Medium. Please and thank-you.
What The Hell Happened To Rudy Giuliani?
A lengthy New York Times article suggests a two-part answer.
First, he couldn’t handle going from being internationally renown following 9/11 to becoming completely irrelevant following his disastrous 2008 Presidential run. Long story short, he decided he’d do whatever was necessary, including help lead an attempted coup, to try to regain some modicum of his former relevance.
Second, he is an alcoholic.
Now, at age 79, he’s running out of money and facing serious jail time. Deserved jail time, not because he’s a threat to the public, but as a deterrent to the next wanna be dictator enablers.
Rudy’s demise is an unparalleled precautionary tale for anyone enamored with the bright lights of media fame. If only someone had slipped him some Marcus Aurelius when he was “America’s Mayor”.
Scratch That From The Record
For those scoring at home, give me an error. I would blame my editorial staff if I had one. I recommended ‘The Rich Men North of Richmond’ way too quickly.
Who is Oliver Anthony and what’s the deal with ‘Rich Men North of Richmond?’
Frank Luntz For The Win
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Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda
If I had a dollar for every time the GalPal told me I would’ve been a great coach, I could afford more Talenti gelato.
She may have been right. I dabbled back in the day when I assisted a high school swim coach for a few years and that went well despite our philosophical differences. I don’t know what kept me from committing more to it.
Which brings us to today’s vid of Taylor Knibb, probably the greatest female triathlete in the world. I’m a fan of the 25 year old. She is a charming mix of hyper-intelligent and super nerdy. In this vid she’s coming off a $100k victory at a 100k race in Milwaukee. This weekend she races in Paris in a 2024 Olympic qualifier.
I dig the way her coach adapts to her intelligence and unique personality. The story that illustrates that best begins at the 3 minute mark. All he wants to do is give Taylor the information she needs about the person behind her in second and then he trusts her situational awareness and decision making.
I also really like their rapport. He says her spirit animal is not the dog on the leash it’s a “grumpy bear” and she chuckles. He has a very soft touch and they seem completely in sync. That does not bode well for the world’s female professional triathletes.
If, in a different life, I had acted on the GalPal’s affirmations, he is the exact type of coach I would’ve wanted to be.
What I’m Reading and Listening To
A real one-two punch.
Pressing Pause 