Author: justmytake.net

The Hanoi Hilton.   A Contingency.   Fish Kill.   Real Estate Woes?  The United Factor.  Thanks.

Shot down over enemy lines, he spent five years in hell, or what the North Vietnamese called prison.  He had a tremendous run, making his mark in the world of politics and took a very hard stance with protecting all Americans.  RIP John McCain.

There is the usual air of confidence surrounding the Atlanta Falcons heading into their season opener September 6th against the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.  Not that results in the preseason mean anything but the 0-3 Falcons look marginal and have yet to play Julio Jones or Devonta Freeman.  At a minimum, and to many of us way more enjoyable, we have Atlanta United to fall back on as they make their late season run to the Supporters Shield and the Major League Soccer playoffs.

Heads up.  If you and the family are planning a trip to the West coast of Florida be aware of the two emerging tides……and I am not referring to the high and low tide.   The Red tide may now be joined with the Brown tide – in a word nasty stuff killing fish and preventing people from enjoying the Gulf of Mexico. A sad situation on what are usually incredibly beautiful beaches.

Is the soft real estate business typical seasonality or a sign of a pending slowdown or correction in the marketplace?  Wells Fargo, still recovering from their sleazy customer on boarding practices, has now told as many as 700 employees in their mortgage practice to find a new job “to better align with current volumes”.  Interesting dichotomy with the stock market’s bull run.  

Not a common thread for professional athletes.  Think about Manchester City, Barcelona, Liverpool, and Toronto FC.  Each with a great player, small in stature, who has dominated the playing field with tremendous skill, tactical awareness, and the ability to take 50/50 chances and convert them into goals.  Now take a look a #JosefMartinez, Atlanta United’s 5’6″ striker who on Friday night, before a raucous crowd at Orlando City Stadium, set the Major League Soccer season scoring record with his 28th goal.  Martinez brings it every game, holding off defenders with his fierce playing style and ability to strike the ball with either foot.  A more interesting statistic is his nine goals with his head, a bit crazy considering he is sometimes going up against defenders who tower over him.  He is on 28 goals and still has eight regular season games to play.  Any guess on the number he ends up with?

Today’s blog marks two years of Just My Take.  I appreciate all the comments, rebuttals, and pure disagreements from all the readers.  I will continue on with the blog and make every attempt to stay away from religion and politics.  Your response to my take is always welcome.

Adios and have a Funday Sunday!

Another One Gone.  Make Up Your Mind.  Viral Elimination.  Stand For The Flag. Mom, Why Are There Horses Boarding The Plane? Sarasota Soccer In The Summer.

Last Thursday she passed away of pancreatic cancer a the age of 76.  Born to a musical family in Memphis she became famous in the ’60s for her one-of-a-kind gospel-style music that covered many topics including love and feminism.  Aretha Franklin, called by many the “Queen of Soul”, had more than 100 singles on the Billboard charts and was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  She was one of the most decorated Grammy winners of all time and performed at sold-at venues across the world.  You all remember ‘Respect’ and ‘You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman’…..and her incredible diner scene in the #BluesBrothers.  RIP Aretha Franklin.

It seems that doctors can not make up their minds.  Recently reported by researchers at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, people on low-carb diets who replaced their carbohydrates with protein and fats from animals, such as with beef, lamb, pork, chicken and cheese, had a greater risk of mortality than those whose protein and fats came from plant sources, such as vegetables and nuts.  Well OK……it is now time to go to the food intake of the Paleolithic era.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is so dangerous that humanitarian groups are no longer allowed to go to that region of Africa.  A very sad situation and someways unbelievable that the #CDC and their vast resources can not solve this serious issue.  Hypothetical question:  ‘Would a vaccine come faster if the affected region was not in a third-world country?”.   Makes me wonder.  An awful situation.

I have stated many times that I am a football fan.  All three:  American pro and college football and the football played with the round ball.   So let’s forget politics and the 1st Amendment for a nano-second and get back to reality:  if you don’t stand for an Honor Guard, the National Anthem, and the Flag, you are showing disrespect to every active and retired military veteran, as well as our military who have been killed in action.  Disrespect in my workplace is not tolerated.  To the people who run the NFL Players Association (#NFLPA):  all of you are spineless to relent and let some of your membership behave this way.  Spineless is lenient – I have a more descriptive word for your weakness in dealing with your Association members.

Sources tell me Mr. Ed is very teed off.  After decades of having to travel America in a horse trailer, Mr. Ed has learned that Southwest Airlines will now allow miniature horses to come aboard their aircraft.  Sure, miniature horses are recognized as service animals by the American Disabilities Act, but all of us who travel completely understand what could be a smelly situation at 30,000 feet.  Mr. Ed was last seen huddled with his attorneys working through a possible endorsement deal with Southwest.  Perfect.

I just finished playing in a 7 v 7 soccer tournament in Sarasota, Florida. Great fun but the Southwest Florida heat is a bit overwhelming. We fortunately did not make it through to the Final which would have had us playing 200 minutes in under two days. I am checking out now, looking for an IV, a cold pool, and a massage therapist.  I promise your Sunday is going to be way more fun than mine.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday.   

1800 Sorties.  It Started With the Ottoman Empire.  Hate Not.  Kane & Progba.  Six Innings of Fun.

The real question to be answered is the ability for any unauthorized person to get into the cockpit of a commercial airliner, taxi out to a runway, and takeoff.  We will look to the authorities at the Sea-Tac airport, NTSB,  and TSA to find these answers.  The backstory to this Friday night incident is Operation Noble Eagle, put into place shortly after 9/11.  We all know it as NORAD which is the acronym for the North American Aerospace Defense Command.  #NORAD is the combined organization of the U.S.A. and Canada charged with aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for North America.  Under Operation Noble Eagle, it is alarming that NORAD has had to deploy 1,800 intercepts of non-military aircraft since 9/11.  For Friday night’s mission, NORAD directed two F-15 fighter jets to fly at supersonic speed from Portland, Oregon to intercept this rouge jet to prevent the pilot from crashing into a populated area or nuclear power plant.  The directive to shoot down the plane comes from NORAD, based near Colorado Springs and commanded by a 4-Star General.  The good news is that the pilot had no intention of terrorism and ended up crashing the plane onto an uninhabited island in Puget Sound.  A very sad scenario for this sick young man but fortunate that he was only looking for a thrill ride.  The real life situation for that 4-Star General at NORAD becomes a bit of a different situation when a jetliner is filled with passengers and crew, with terrorists taking over the plane similar to the scenarios of 9/11.  Giving the ‘knock-down’ command in that scenario has to be gut-wrenching.

Inhabited since the 15th century B.C. this strip of land later became part of the Ottoman Empire.  This Palestinian territory, only twice the size of Washington D.C., sits on the Mediterranean Sea and is bordered by Egypt and Israel.  Coined “the intractable conflict”, the #Gaza strip conflicts are inflamed by Jewish immigration and settlements, sectarian uprisings between Arabs and Jews, and Israeli occupation of the West Bank.  Fifty-one years of continuous conflict and war has also been fueled by many terrorist groups based in Gaza.  The Army of Islam, Hamas, and the Palestine Liberation Front come to mind but are also supported by foreign-based terrorist groups including ISIS.  Unfortunately there is no answer for this ongoing conflict as it dovetails with inevitable battles surrounding the Middle East.  2000 years of disagreement and conflict seems like it will never go away.

A year ago yesterday, in a beautiful town anchored by the University of Virginia, racial uprisings resulted in violence and several deaths.  Charlottesville, Virginia received worldwide attention as neo-Nazi sympathizers and counter protesters clashed at what was called a White Nationalist Rally.  America and Civil Rights go hand-in-hand but racial and religious discrimination is in one word sickening.  I guess you have a right to be a bigoted moron but why not find your way to a faraway place to vent your racial bias?  I know you are too stupid to figure out where to go so I will pick a destination for you:  how about the Danakil Depression, which straddles Ethiopia and Eritrea, with many considering it the hottest, lowest, and least livable place on Earth.  Sounds like the perfect fit for all of you.

The English Premier League started off on Friday.  Already we have Jose Mourinho smiling and three points for Tottenham.  Arsenal and Manchester City go at it later this morning capping off a good first weekend of the EPL.

It is has been a long time since I sat in front of a television to watch a Major League Baseball game.  I am not a hater of baseball, I just don’t like the monotonous pace as well as the length of the game.  Yes, I have proposed changing the game a bit, including reducing the number of innings to seven, but I doubt that my suggestion will ever happen as it will reduce the amount of commercial and promotional spots.  On the flip side, I took in a Little League World Series regional game yesterday.  The kids are no older than thirteen and show great skills and passion for the game of baseball.  Fun to watch and the game at this level is six innings.  Perfect.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday!

The Miracle of Durango. Football & Football.  Weed and the Jetsons. Judgement Day.  Johnny Be Bad.  A Wager.  Thanks.

Amazing that an aircraft filled with 100 passengers lifts off the runway at Mexico’s Durango airport only to be pushed back down by the force of wind shear.  The plane is slammed back down and the pilot steers the plane off the end of the runway….where it then catches fire.  Injuries, yes.  Fatalities, no.  Kudos to the passengers, many who are climbing back on planes to finally head to their destinations.  Extremely lucky.

Thursday night’s Hall of Fame game officially kicked off the start of the National Football League season.  Tomorrow’s Community Shield gets us ready for the start of the Premier League.  College football is three weeks away and Major League Soccer’s season is heading into it’s final third of the season.  Let’s get ready for some football!

Marijuana production and the private commercialization of space.  Who would have thought that these two industries would ever evolve? Marijuana companies across the globe are on pace to raise a record $8 billion by the end of 2018 as more companies go public and scale to meet growing demand.  When you think about who’s in charge of cutting-edge spaceflight in 2018, #SpaceX is probably the first name that comes to mind. Maybe Orbital ATK; or Blue Origin, owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.  Fueled by legislation, these two industries are poised for amazing growth over the next decade.  Unthinkable ten years ago.

Unfortunately power, money and control sometimes affects people and leads to very poor judgement.  These factors come into play with business, sports, church, and school administrators.  Now Ohio State University’s head football coach, the second highest paid college football coach in the country, is caught up in a serious issue relating to one of his former assistant coaches.  I truly believe in due process so let’s allow the six members of the investigating committee to come to their conclusion.  Let’s hope that a clear and transparent investigation yields a clear and transparent decision.  At a minimum, a very sad situation for #Urban Meyer.

Great debut #JohnnyManziel.  Four interceptions – in the first half alone.  Sometimes, what goes around comes around.  At least you are hanging out in the great city of Montreal.  Bonne Chance, Johnny.

Thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down the federal ban on wagering outside of Nevada, you can or soon will be able to bet on sports in a variety of other states. That decision has led to a constantly changing climate for sports gambling around the country, with states moving forward on legal wagering or starting to talk about the issue.  Outside of Nevada, you can now wager on sports in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Mississippi, and Rhode Island.  In New York, the law did not change but you can wager at the State’s four commercial casinos.  Other states are bound to follow which should turn the illegal gambling industry upside down.

This post marks my 90th blog.  A great challenge for me, especially with avoiding politics and religion.  Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.  

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday.

Who Would Have Thought?   Walmart Television.  Service This.   What Should We Cover Now.  Welcome Juventus to Atlanta.

Doug Roberson is the Atlanta Constitution and Journal’s beat writer who does a great job of covering #AtlantaUnited.  His peers at the AJC include Steve Hummer, an award-winning sports writer who has been with the AJC for over 24 years.  Hummer’s background and credentials have provided him with the opportunity to cover most of the great sporting events Atlanta teams have participated in (a.k.a. the World Series and Super Bowl), or events hosted in Atlanta.  He was a soccer naysayer, maybe for the right reasons, but his piece below is a tiny thread of evidence of how Atlanta United, led by owner Arthur Blank and President Darren Eales, have turned Atlanta into a legitimate Soccer City, USA.  Nice piece Steve Hummer!: https://www.myajc.com/blog/further-review/atlanta-soccer-city/tmzu29DZ0l8HsaB93CluPP/

Hulu, Netflix and Amazon streaming services.  Now Walmart is seriously considering a new streaming service at low, low prices (sound familiar?).  In a few posts I have written about the cord-cutting precedent that is sweeping across the U.S.A. This wave of cord-cutting is led by those who have no desire to pay cable service providers their outrageous fees for a lot of content they are not interested in (can you say Comcast?).   I now have a very low cost provider for television and internet but when I move next, it will be easy to cut the cord with cable service providers.

I am a dog lover.  From the crazy Maltese I grew up with to the woman-loving, three-legged white lab/Shepard mix Montana, I enjoy being around dogs and enjoy their company.  With that said, many restaurants and other private entities have allowed dogs on their premises.  Now we have morphed into the availability of ‘service dogs’, who when trained properly, can give the disabled and the elderly incredible guidance and safety.  It is remarkable when you see a trained service dog guiding and leading someone less fortunate through a mall or airport.  It is unremarkable to see dogs designated as a service dog riding in a stroller or shopping cart under the premise of assisting and guiding someone.  Kudos to the Publix grocery chain who has now come out strongly against the morons who put their so-called service dogs in their shopping cart while they stroll through the grocery aisles.  Again, I love dogs but their is a time and place for their presence at restaurants, grocery stores, and airports.

No politics, no religion in this blog.  I will only state that news outlets in the U.S. must be wondering what content, other than the terrifying fires in Northern California, they will cover once the Trump-Cohen battle subsides.  Can you say Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon?  Yes, I can.

Wednesday night.  Atlanta.  Mercedes Benz Stadium.  The Major League Soccer All-Star Game.  #MLS All-Stars v. Juventus.  75,000 people.  Soccer-City U.S.A.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday.   

 

E-Commerce.  Dog Track.   No More Uber.   GE Sad.  The Euros.  Zeke.

The success of Amazon and their bold and aggressive strategies have changed the commerce model in the United States, if not the world.  Then we learn more about Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant with 552 million active Chinese-based consumers.  What Jack Ma has done with Alibaba is mind-boggling as his empire expands and shifts into technologies related to the Cloud.  With that in mind keep your eyes on JD.com, another e-commerce enterprise with annual revenues approaching $60 billion.  Their model is a bit different than Amazon and Alibaba, with focus on online direct retailing.  For me the telling-tale of their successful model is Google, who recently invested $550M in JD.com, and Walmart, who recently inked a multi-year partnership with this up and coming e-commerce giant.

I respect the game of golf for many reasons.  Basically a sport that uses more mentality than physicality (which is why I cannot shoot under 85).  I enjoy watching the major tournaments of golf, a.k.a “Majors” including this week’s #TheOpen.  This year’s Open is at Carnoustie, where golf has been played since the 16th century.  Located on the coast of Scotland, Carnoustie Golf Links is the prototypical links course, way different than most of the courses we have played in the United States.  Now I will say my take on what many stay away from due to the ‘storied’ history of Carnoustie:  the course, burned out brown due to the lack of rainfall, is playing like a bit of a dog track.  Thursday and Friday’s rounds had players hitting 2 irons off the tee, with some of those shots rolling out past 300 yards.  On the first hole of yesterday’s third, Jordan Spieth had a 8′ putt for eagle because he hit a 380 yard tee shot that rolled out 100 yards after the ball landed.  Carnoustie has the ability to water and green up the fairways…they elected not to to “let nature have it’s way”.  To me, the beauty of a golf course is the layout, the lushness of the trees, greens and fairways, and the demand of having to use all the clubs in your bag.  Oh, I know you golf purists think I am dead wrong, but The Open, as well as the U.S. Open, the PGA, and the Masters usually meet my criteria for great courses.  Carnoustie is not.

Twenty months ago I took a look at the amount of actual playing time in one quarter of play in the NFL:  “Some who read last week’s blog had quite a bit to say about my piece on baseball and the length of the game.  What most of them said was not so nice.  This week, I decided to take a look at the NFL.  I watched the first half of the Monday Night Football game and gathered the following metrics (love that word) regarding the 2nd quarter: 39 – # of minutes of the second quarter; 35 – # of plays during the second quarter; 4 minutes, 10 seconds – total play time from the snap to the end of play whistle; 10 minutes, 30 seconds –total time for six commercials/promo spots.  Extrapolate what you want from those numbers but the ratio of time played to commercial breaks is a bit concerning”.  Yesterday, I took a look at televised golf watching one hour, between 9:30-10:30am of the third round of The Open.   In that one hour, 31 minutes and 40 seconds showed actual golf activity.  Of that time, 4 minutes was taken up by two golfers, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, reviewing and over-reviewing their pending putts.  That leaves 27 minutes within the 60 minute time frame of watching the players play golf. The other 33 minutes was dedicated to commercial breaks, promotional spots, and back- story content.  You don’t have to wonder why the television rights and payouts are such massive money with professional golf.

Until last Wednesday night, I had never used a third-party food delivery service.  For whatever reason, I decided to use DoorDash, an app-based service that provides location-based restaurants, menus, credit card payments and the ability to track your order.  Though initially skeptical, the experience ended up being very good, with the delivery on-time and the food excellent.  A great app-based service that I am very high on – until I read that DoorDash hired Uber’s finance chief as their CFO.  If you read my recent blog, you know how I feel about Uber.  Oh well.

General Electric (GE), now only a slice of the mega-powerful conglomerate they once were – very sad.  Their Board is either asleep or on the take.

If you enjoyed the past 30 days of the World Cup, wait two summers for the “Euros”, the quadrennial European Championships which starts with all 55 European countries qualifying for the tournament.  Some say that this tournament, though European concentric, is a better competitive tournament than the World Cup.  I am one who agrees.

To Ezequiel Barco:  you are young, new to the Country and the Club.  We all make mistakes, act out, and most of us have to some level have misbehaved.  This is a lesson learned young man and hopefully you have peers, associates, and friends that can wake you up to get on the right path. Note: Atlanta United paid $15m for Barco, a 19 year-old from Argentina,  to help bolster the midfield and fill the void of Yamil Asad leaving for D.C. United.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday.

Note:  many readers have asked me questions about the blog and the website.  You may email me at the following address – please no spam as no one has time for that nonsense.   garyjustmytake@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Coast of Maine.   Cavemen.  Discriminatory Behavior – NO.   The Final.  Orlando City Wins!

If you are looking for an easy way to spend a long weekend, fly to Portland, Maine.  Within an hour of Portland, either south or north, the coastline, while different than the California coast, offers equivalent spectacular views and activities.  Try hiking on many coastline trails, take in a sail or enjoy the experience of fishing for haddock.  I don’t say this often but I would head back there often to enjoy what the Maine coastal areas offer.  Yes, you might want to get up there before the end of October.

We all look for ‘wins’ in life.  Positive experiences in today’s life are few and far between, but learning that the twelve soccer players and their coach were finally safe was fantastic.  The players and coach from the Wild Boars soccer team had visited these caves in the past, and had only planned on spending an hour exploring one of many caves in the Tham Luang region of Thailand.  Once inside, torrential rains flooded portions of the cave preventing them from returning to the entrance, a circumstance that kept them with little food, water, and no daylight for 18 days.  A tremendous effort from worldwide rescue crews, who after many days of planning and preparation, were able to ‘swim out’ the 12 players and coach in what really was a great deal of skill and luck.  A great story in the midst of so many negative vibes happening in today’s world.

Ride-sharing has become ubiquitous.  Led by Uber and Lyft, these companies provide car services to millions.  Uber’s mismanagement,  ethics, and lack of enforcement of discriminatory behavior from their executives  has put the company in a very precarious position.  These allegations started at least two years ago and unfortunately continue today.  If you have an option to use Lyft, do so, at least until Uber gets their act together.

Whether a soccer fan or not, the World Cup final is must-see TV.  France, with it’s relative all-star team, faces the blue-collar men of Croatia in a final few would have predicted.  Close to 1.2 billion people will tune in later this morning (11am EDT) to watch the culmination of what has been a fun and exciting World Cup tournament.  Here is to hoping that the final is as intriguing as the semi-finals.  I guess the reality is that it all boils down to country pride and money.  Speaking of money: today’s winner between France and Croatia will take home $38 million in prize money.  Yes, $38m! The runners-up in Sunday’s showpiece at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium will receive $28m.  Nice payday for both.

Congrats to Orlando City, who beat Toronto 2-1 last night.  Finally a complete effort from the team and their new coach, who made a few changes in the starting lineup that resulted in Orlando City’s many chances.  Kudos to the supporters, who came out and were very loud for all ninety minutes.  Orlando City had lost nine straight games until last night’s win.

Adios and have a Funday Sunday!

Short Takes on the Lighter Side of Things.

It has been a tough ten days and a couple of serious takes over the last two weeks. It is probably time to lighten up the blog a bit.

Jameis Winston – an NFL quarterback and after many years of your antics at Florida State…..can you just go away?

A high school administrator in Miami cannot understand the backlash from law enforcement, the media, and the parents of their high school kids.  If you allow a tiger to attend the high school prom you must be a moron to think that people would not go crazy.  The Principal of Columbus High School was perplexed at the outrage stating that he felt like a jungle-themed prom would be exciting.  You cannot fix stupid.

Researchers in Hungary, using a $100,000 grant, found that normal and overweight dogs behaved differently in tasks involving food. They say the dogs’ responses were similar to what might be expected in normal and overweight humans.  The country:  Hungary.  The subject:  food.   Enough said.

In another brilliant move, this time in Bulgaria…..prosecutors agreed to spare the life of a the cow after plans to kill her for crossing European Union borders without paperwork triggered an international outcry.  And we thought we had problems here in the U.S.A.

If you are an FBI agent and you decide to go to a bar….and decide to dance like a wild man…..and wear your holstered gun……and while trying to perform a back flip to impress everyone……you let your gun fall out of the holster…. don’t fire the weapon while trying to pick up the gun on the crowded dance floor.  I am sure that this behavior and action will be updated in the next FBI manual.  Another moron.

It is the end of the first week of World Cup 2018.  Some great games, some surprising results, and some seriously disappointing efforts (can you say Argentina?).  My favorite moment so far has to be Brazil’s coach, in his mid-fifties and wearing a suit without a tie, tumbling to the ground celebrating Brazil’s late goal that ended up being the winner against a tough Costa Rica.  A face plant of epic proportion.

And for all of you Atlanta United and Orlando City fans – the bad news for the World Cup is that Marc Geiger is there refereeing some of the matches.  The good news:  Marc Geiger, at least for the next couple of weeks, won’t be in the middle overseeing a game involving Atlanta United or Orlando City.  Mark Geiger and the very old TV show Dark Shadows have a lot in common.

To my readers:  I am getting comments and questions from readers.  Many of you have asked me about sponsors or “How much money I make off this blog?”  While I am open to a company / brand(s) sponsoring the blog, the intent of the blog is a challenge to me to write content on a weekly basis that avoids religion and politics. If you have direct questions or have ideas for me regarding sponsorship/endorsement, please use the COMMENTS section of the blog and provide a valid email address for me to reply to you. Please don’t spam me – no one has time for that nonsense.  I appreciate your readership and support – Gary.

Adios and have a Funday Sunday!!

A Good Man.

My sole sibling lived to love his wife, his dogs, the New York Yankees, and soccer.  In many ways we could not have been any different from one another though sports was definitely our tether.

His knowledge of baseball was remarkable.  At one time before the onset of free agency, he could name every starter on every Major League Baseball team and at an instant recall statistics from most.  The Yankees were his passion, especially since the Yankees’ cable network was carried on his cable system. He coached youth baseball for many years, tutoring youngsters in the Miami area whose parents came from all walks of life.  He touched the lives of Rafael Palmeiro, Jose Canseco, and Alex Rodriguez, who went on to massive Major League Baseball careers.  His pet peeve with youth baseball was not the kids he coached but the parents,  whose behavior to him was unacceptable…..and most of us would absolutely agree with his assessment.

He supported and followed my soccer career starting early on at Coral Estates Park.  My brother had a way about him, his pure size sometimes intimidating but always the demeanor that I still wish I had.  He processed quickly and though he never played, his ability to watch and absorb the game often surprised me.  Our father worked long hours and most of my high school games were in the late afternoon.  Often, minutes into most of my high school games, I would take a quick look to the sidelines and notice that my brother was there, with his presence felt by most on my team.  He watched me closely, and though he criticized me, he was always positive and very supportive.  Only once did he come down hard on me and I will never forget that moment.  At halftime of a game that I thought had gone well, and after our coach had addressed us about a tactical change for the second half, my brother waved to me to come speak with him.  Instead of the supportive speak he often offered up, he went off on me about my work rate, inability to hold the ball, and lack of effort to track back.  It was one of those moments where you realize that my massive brother could have picked me up and crushed me with one hand.  That moment stuck with me throughout high school and college, especially the comment about my lack of effort during the first half of that game.

My brother was liked by everyone.  He was smart, kind, and opinionated.  He had passion for the Miami Hurricanes, the Miami Dolphins, and the New York Yankees.  His passion carried over to soccer.  My last text to him, yesterday afternoon, was to try and get a reaction from him on the effort Iceland put in yesterday against Argentina.  He never saw the game but I know that the effort Iceland played with would have put a smile on his face.

RIP Alan Levitt.

Happy Father’s Day to all.  

 

 

 

 

We Will Never Really Understand.

It was a wake up week for everyone.  Two people of great stature, success, and fame decided that it was time to take their lives.  One a designer who parlayed her talents into creating a worldwide brand.  The other, a culinary legend who had the presence and talent to show us the world through travel and food.  I am not diminishing the sadness of other suicides, merely pointing out that this past week may have made the cause of suicide a top of mind subject.

Anthony Bourdain openly discussed his previous substance abuse and mentioned that at one time he was a “very unhappy soul”.  Like millions of people, Kate Spade sought out help to fight depression.  Early indication of tipping points with both were relationship issues.  I guess that it is easy for many to wonder how and why a bad relationship would lead to someone taking their life, but statistics show that this issue may be the leading cause of suicide.  Other documented reasons for suicide include crisis and the inability to cope, substance abuse, and financial problems.  From my point of view, these documented causes, dovetailed with the “live up to the Jones’s syndrome”, ever-ending family and friend comparisons, and the lack of connection to others may put people over the top.

Reality:

• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
• In one southern state, suicides take more lives than homicides.
• In a seventeen year period between 1999 to 2016, suicide rates increased in almost every U.S. state- some states as much as 30%.

Suicide has unfortunately touched all of us in one way or another – and all of us ask why or “how could they do that to their loved ones”.   When the subject of depression comes up, we usually tell our family and friends to “get over it”.  At a minimum, this week has told us that being happy and content with life has nothing to do with fortune, fame, and glamour.  I have no answers to prevent suicide, but at a minimum, it may be time to reallocate the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on physicality and focus on mentality.  I have faith though I am not religious – but I am pretty sure that we were not created to be miserable, or in Anthony Bourdain’s case be unhappy souls.  If you need help, get help.  If your relationship has gone sideways, fix it or move on.  There are many avenues to pursue for help so don’t wait for a family or friend’s intervention.  If depressed, take some time away from tennis, yoga, bar class (whatever that is), and Pilates and go get some mental health help. If you have family or friends that seem disconnected and distant, reach out to them early and often. Don’t wait and wonder – just make it happen.

Many other top of mind topics  were on my list for today.  I will leave today’s take alone.

Gary