Go Ahead, Make My Day. Parents Not Parenting. The GOAT. Winds Of Change.
- I am not going to be ignorant to the fact that poachers kill animals for profit. I assume this disgusting practice has been going on for hundreds of years. With that said, we have reached a new low. Earlier this month, three orphaned chimpanzees were kidnapped from the J.A.C.K. Primate Rehabilitation Centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The kidnappers have now demanded a six-figure ransom, sending a photo of one of the chimps with her hands tied above her head. It is time to draw the line. It is time for a no-tolerance stance, and time to throw due process out the window with people who abuse animals. Look at Hussein below – what kind of sick individuals would do harm to this animal? The answer: people who no longer belong in our basic society. In the early 1900s, over one million chimpanzees roamed the forests of western and central Africa. Today, that number has sadly dwindled to approximately 150,000.
After wondering what authorities could do to try and rescue the three chimps, I came across this video of Kintasha, a massive silverback gorilla weighing in at 550 pounds. These massive silverbacks are up to nine times more powerful than average humans and can run at a speed of twenty-five mph. So, there is your answer. Hire two silverbacks for way less than the ransom fee, drive them to where the chimpanzees are being held, and just let them loose. The crisis averted and CSI in the Democratic Republic of Congo would need to run DNA tests as the kidnappers are all of a sudden unrecognizable. Yea, I know, too much coffee this morning.
I will never forget being in a Marlowe’s Tavern, a family-oriented restaurant in the suburbia of East Cobb, in Marietta, Georgia. Behind me sat a family of four – typical for that time of the evening. The two kids, around the ages of 5-7, were up and racing around the table while the parents glared not at them, but at what must have been very interesting content on their phones. Screaming and yelling, the manager of the restaurant finally had to come over and tell the parents to get their kids under control, and most importantly get them seated. I know this parent behavior is systemic, but my sensitivity to these types of occurrences stemmed from my father, who had a zero-tolerance policy when our family was at a restaurant (which was not often). The no-tolerance carried over to me with my daughter. There were many times I picked her up and took her outside at restaurants – whether it was a Waffle House or nice Italian restaurant, as being seen, not heard, continued from my upbringing. Sebastian Maniscalco never said it better.
- Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have more Grand Slam titles, but no one has had the full attributes of Roger Federer. Federer played his last match on Friday after an incredible twenty-four-year career where he won twenty Grand Slams and 103 ATP tournament titles. He professionalism, demeanor, and competitive nature will never be replicated, as he earned the respect of his rivals, especially Rafael Nadal. Their competitiveness on the court was unmatched, very different than John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, as the Federer -Nadal relationship developed into an off-court friendship which is relatively rare among tennis stars. As stoic and focused as Federer was on the court, the video below shows us the real Federer – giddy, fun-loving, and just enjoying the banter with his friend Rafael Nadal. Roger Federer – thanks for the memories.
- They are from the 403rd Air Force Reserve and sometimes fly just five-hundred feet above the water. They collect vital data for the National Hurricane Center, providing the information needed for the forecasting of potentially dangerous storm systems. They are the NOAA’s hurricane hunters, which is a job not for the faint of heart. Here is a quote from one of the hurricane hunters on a mission two-years ago: “That was when the hurricane was intensifying from a Category 5 to a Category 5+. I felt like a feather in the wind that day,” Dunion recalled, adding, “I think we had about three to four G forces. That’s something that someone who’s getting launched into space would feel.” The next time you feel the need to bitch about your job responsibilities, watch this video…it should cork your whine.
- Short and simple: Long live the king! Rest in peace, Her Majesty!