Messi, Anatoly & Metallica. Answers Please. Prince At His Best.
- Quote of the Week: Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. – Henry David Thoreau
What does it feel like to be revered? The word ‘revered’ comes from the Latin word ‘revereri‘ which literally means to greatly fear. While that is the pure definition, being revered usually relates to someone or something being held in high regard. Dignitaries, sports icons, and to my despair, politicians have been revered by the millions. It is interesting that some people who are held in high regard are not necessarily those we feel most comfortable around. Sometimes we are too busy holding them in awe.
Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Ghandi, Norman Schwarzkopf, Albert Einstein, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Biles come to mind when I think about the word revered. Here are three random examples.
- There are no words to describe how the people of Argentina and millions of others around the world feel about Lionel Messi, and his accomplishments on the field. It is noteworthy to mention how Messi’s off-the-field family life stays out of the tabloids. The world’s most famous athlete and a great family person.
- Vladimir Shmondenko, known as “Anatoly”, has turned ‘gym pranking’ into a mega-business. You can usually see him on Instagram reels, portraying a janitor cleaning a gym’s floor before he throws down his mop and dead lifts five hundred pounds in front of astonished weightlifters. Shmondenko, born and raised in Ukraine, was once revered as pound-for-pound the strongest man in the world. He weighs 155 pounds and, in this video, completely startles the bodybuilders on Muscle Beach. Honored and revered by men twice his size. Shmondenko’s YouTube site has six million subscribers.
- The total collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a surprise. Their economy was on the brink of collapse and their military in disarray due to their own Soviet policies, the Cold War dynamics, and the United States policy of containment to curb communism. It is also interesting that the Soviets yearned for music, and in this case the band Metallica, who agreed to play the Monsters of Rock concert in Moscow just days before the Soviet Union’s collapse. You only need to watch the crowd of 1.6 million for a few minutes to realize the level of appreciation, honor, and reverence at this Moscow venue. Side note: I am not sure why the Soviet helicopters were ‘divebombing’ the crowd.
Metallica: “that’s cute”
Random Questions for The First Sunday of August:
- The United States has deployed warships and fighter jets to the Middle East. The deployments include ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers. Is Iran’s threat with Israel coming to fruition?
- Regarding Iran, how vulnerable is their Revolutionary Guard? It seems Mossad enlisted agents from with the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to plant explosives in the Tehran guesthouse where Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was staying. Last Wednesday, a massive explosion at that guesthouse ended Haniyeh’s life.
- Boeing keeps saying that the two Starliner astronauts are not stranded at the International Space Station (ISS). Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have now been at the ISS for eight weeks after a planned eight-day mission. If they are not stranded, then why not bring them home? Boeing: swallow your diminishing pride and enlist SpaceX to get them back to earth.
- I barked very loud regarding the situation in Haiti, and I will do the same with the situation in Venezuela. When will the United States, already stretched thin with the issues in the Middle East, step in to oust Nicolas Maduro?
- Due to my schedule, I have had to pick and choose what Olympic events I can catch. What do you think about the television coverage?
- Does anyone have any insight on why Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway slashed its stake in Apple by 50%?
- What should the Olympic committee and other sports entities do about the gender eligibility issue?
- Is the Affleck and JLo ordeal just unfortunate and sad?
- Pure Talent. This performance was only three years ago but, in that time, we lost tremendous talents, including Tom Petty and Prince. This rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps‘ was performed in 2021 as an honor to George Harrison. It is 2024, and for the 100th time I am again watching Prince’s amazing guitar performance. By the way, Prince was snubbed by Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 100 guitarists. They got that very wrong. Pure Talent.