JUST MY TAKE

A Bridge Too Far.  Random Thoughts for Mid-March.

Growing up in a middle-class neighborhood of Miami, with the southwest section surrounded by Coral Gables to the east, Calle Ocho to the north, the Everglades to the west and Kendall to the south, my friends and I were able to use Tamiami Park and the brand new Florida International University (FIU) soccer fields to tone our skills.  FIU has grown to be a massive University, with world-class educational facilities supported by both private and public funds.  The school has helped the “Miami turnaround”, from the dark days of the “cocaine cowboys” to what is now one of the most vibrant metropolitan areas in the world.  Massive construction, new developments, and leading edge design have put Miami back in the media spotlight.  Unfortunately, the lack of due diligence, responsibility, testing, and oversight has again brought negative attention to South Florida.  On the heels of the Parkland tragedy, a pedestrian bridge, designed for rapid fabrication and installation, crashed onto a busy street last week killing six people and injuring many.  950 tons of steel and concrete crushing cars below as the ‘engineers’ were adjusting tension cables that support the bridge.  One engineer’s phone call to the State Authority mentioned cracks at one end of the bridge but stated that ‘no danger was imminent’ with adjusting the cables.  Sad, unfortunate and more importantly unnecessary sadness around the FIU campus and the Miami area for all the wrong reasons.  Was it too much pressure to get the bridge built, the lack of engineering, or the tactic of fabricating the bridge in one piece and ‘swinging into position”?  More importantly, when adjusting the cable tension of a new bridge, why was the road below not shut down for the hour or so when these adjustments were taking place?  Miami will overcome this tragedy – one that was senseless and avoidable.

The season started off with a bit of an alarming loss, but Atlanta United, led by manager Tata Martino’s shift in formation (or shape), has dominated their last two opponents in two easy wins.

One person in Pennsylvania is very happy this morning.  $457 million happy.

The NCAA tournament got off to the usual crazy start with Virginia, the #1 seed, crashing out to minnow UMBC.  March Madness true to the word.

Speaking of madness, are we already done with 2.5 months of 2018?

I thought most sectors of retail were stabilized and in some cases making a bit of a comeback?  Not so much.  Goodbye Toys “R” Us.

Pets on planes arriving in the wrong continent – so wrong.

86 degrees today in Orlando.  Summer has started.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday!

 

 

Call It What You Want.

Trump & Kim Jong-Un:  Megalomaniacs

The 2nd Amendment: Confusing

Elon Musk:  Ballsy

March Madness:  Fun

BitCoins: Confusing

Putin: Shrewd

Syria: Hell

Chicago: Crime

Silicon Valley: Done

Stormy Daniels & Donald Trump:  Meh

Alexa: Obedient

Puerto Rico:  Forgotten

Atlanta United: Win

Daylight Savings Time: Thankful

Odell Beckham:  Bizarre

Spring Training Baseball:  Interesting

Regular Season Baseball:  Dull

Atlanta:  Traffic

Atlanta Hawks: Rebuild

Traffic:  I-4

Stock Market:  Uncertainty

International Women’s Day:  Passion

Canine Companions for Independence:  Amazing

Salvatore:  Entertaining

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday!

 

 

 

Just My Take.

Assault rifles are now coming out of the racks and cases at many retailers.  I support the Constitution including the 2nd Amendment but why did it take the tragedy in South Florida for these retailers to take action?

Major League Soccer, opening up it’s 23rd season today, has come a very long way.  Twenty-three years ago, USSF President Alan Rothenberg sat in my living room in Atlanta watching the inaugural MLS match on TV as his Atlanta hotel did not receive Univision.  The league has come a very long way.

A “Nor’easter” creating havoc this weekend in the New England area.  People killed and over a million people without power.  Thoughts and prayers for all of you dealing with this storm.

Tonight is the 90th Academy Awards.  Here is hoping that the Academy Award winners only thank the people who helped them and then get off the stage without political rants that dominated last year’s ceremony.   Maybe this time Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty can open the envelope and announce the real winner for best motion picture.  Meh.

Another March Madness and the NCAA basketball tournament – so fun to follow and watch the minnows upset the giants of college basketball.

Just when you think that our entire world has been discovered, a satellite has uncovered a “colony” of penguins living on an island located on the north side of Antarctica.  Maybe the word colony is the understatement of the year.  Scientists, who visited the remote island after the satellite’s discovery, found an estimated 1.5 million penguins enjoying the frozen tundra.  Sounds like this “colony” has found their paradise.

You would think Arsene Wegner, who has been Arsenal’s manager for 23 years, would like to leave his long tenure with the Club with dignity. Not that I really care about Arsenal but it is bit painful to see this man crashing out without significance.

The decision to “cord-cut” has now become mainstream.  In one of my earlier posts I had mentioned that cable operators were in disarray dealing with the number of monthly cancellations for cable service.  The more I talk with people, especially the under-40 crowd, the more I learn that services like YouTube TV,  Hulu and Netflix are becoming the go-to way to watch television content.  This practice will undoubtedly grow over time once fiber is installed nationwide.

Atlanta United:  the second season started similar to the inaugural season, with a loss at Houston.  Not much to discuss here but there is a silver lining to the 4-0 loss.  Thirty-three more games to go and yesterday’s game was a wake up call,  making the departures of Carlos Carmona and Yamil Asad a serious issue.  Focused training and NO more ball-watching will be a good start to correcting some of yesterday’s issues.

Trade wars and tariffs.  Per my no politics mantra, I will not go there……

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday! 

 

 

 

 

 

They Make It Look So Easy.  The Second Season.  Daylight Savings Time.

The “men of machismo” don’t always put men’s figure skating in the best light.  Maybe it is the costumes or the elegant flair that must be shown to differentiate your performance from others.  Maybe it is just the fact that the men are ‘simply’ ice skating and not competing in ski jumping, the luge, or on a 2-man bobsled team.  Though my baseline is zero as I have no clue how to even stand up on skates, I am one to hold these athletes in high regard.  Similar to gymnastics, the training begins early on and continues for many years.  Due to the lack of available ice time,  their first training session begins before dawn with the day ending in another late evening session.  The competition is fierce and culminates with the U.S. National Championships which is the qualification competition to make the Olympic Team.  One miscalculation, one chip in the ice that leads to a stumble, and after ten years of training, your chances of success go right down the drain.  They perform the infamous triple Salchow and the triple Axle….on ice.  I would enjoy seeing our infamous NBA, NFL, and MLB players trying these moves on a hard surface.  Maybe then the sport would receive the respect it deserves.  Scott Hamilton, a former gold medal-winning figure skater, who has survived four battles with cancer, estimates he fell over 4,000 times between training and his many years of competition.  He jumped back up 4,000 times.  Just for reference, here is the description of the Salchow move, named after figure skater Ulrich Salchow:  The Salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge of one foot. The rotation in the air is made in the direction of the curve of the take-off edge. The landing is made on the back outside edge of the foot opposite the one used for take-off.  Really?  No thanks.

Speaking of lack of respect, I have heard many over the last two weeks crap all over the sport of curling.  “Shuffleboard on ice”, “stupid sport” and “what a joke” are some of the blurbs I have heard.  I will go down the same path as figure skating though the physicality necessary to figure skate and ‘curl’ are way different.  The technical aspects of curling are mind-boggling.  The ‘rock’ or ‘stone’ is sent down the ice with the designated pace and spin along with ‘sweepers’ warming the ice to move the stone down the targeted path. The objective is relatively simple: you want your stones to come closer to a bulls eye than your opponent when all the stones are thrown.  It sounds simple until you realize that the stone weighs 44 pounds and you must send it 150 feet down the ice to hopefully circumvent your opponents stones, or hit them out of the way to leave your stone closer to the bulls eye.  A bit weird to watch but it looks like a lot of fun to play.  That is, if you can stand and balance yourself on ice.

Atlanta United opens up their second season next Saturday afternoon at Houston.  Some new additions will add some additional fire power along with Josef Martinez and Miguel Almiron.  Watch for the pace when the counter-attack is on with newbies Darlington Nagbe, Ezequiel Barco and Franco Escobar. This should be a lot of fun to watch.

DST alert:  two weeks from today!

Have a Funday Sunday!

 

 

 

 

Access and Security.

On December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the Constitution) were ratified by three-fourths of the States.  The second amendment is unfortunately top of mind these days with another school shooting, this time at a high school near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The Second Amendment reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.  Little did Thomas Jefferson know that when he authenticated and ratified the Bill of Rights, the second amendment would indirectly lead to many school tragedies including Sandy Hook, Columbine, Parkland, and many other shooting incidents at schools around the U.S.A.  Nor did he know how people of lesser minds would use the weapons allowed by the Second Amendment.

I will not comment on why a 19-year old possessed a AR-15 rifle, groups of gun activists or gun control, nor our divided political system.  What I will comment on is school security.  Don’t get me wrong, I put no blame on the high school administrators where last week’s massacre took place.  My bewilderment relates to the ability of someone, anyone, able to enter a school with little security in place.  As taxpayers, we support the use of schools using crossing guards to protect our students on a daily basis, but what about school security?  With the mental instability of so many, why are many schools left unprotected with the ability to enter a school with little deterrent?  I realize that based on the tax base every school system is different, but at a minimum, should we not employ off-duty police officers to protect our schools, no different than the school crossing guards who basically put their lives on the line every time they direct traffic?

I know these questions may be trivial, but not to the families and friends who lost loved ones last week.  No matter the politics, gun control will be an issue for many years to come.  So while our congressional leaders try to figure out what to do, can we not tackle the issue of security within our schools?

My heartfelt condolences to family and friends who lost their loved ones last week.  It should not be just another Funday Sunday.

Short Takes and DST Update.

Don’t let that measly ever-lasting smile alter your perception of her home ‘country’ of North Korea.  Kim Yo Jong,  sister of the young moron running that country,  has one purpose with her presence at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics – propaganda.  Detente?  Not a chance.

Nashville – great town, great music and now an MLS team coming on line in two years.  Definitely a destination anytime but especially when Atlanta United has an away game there.

Let’s hope that Tuscon’s maximum security prison provides Larry Nassar the misery and hell he deserves.

We all take it for granted.  You turn the faucet on and let it run for minutes while you rinse off dishes or scrub a pan.  Worse, we take showers that last way too long and use up way too much water.  No big deal until you understand that a few major cities around the world are now in a situation of water stress.  At first glance it does not make sense with 70% of the Earth’s surface covered by water.  Then we learn that only 3% of that water is fresh and that 3 billion people find water extremely scarce for at least one month of the year.  Cape Town is now in a precarious situation with their 4 million residents facing “Day Zero” as early as May.  “Day Zero” meaning all water is cutoff.  Someone way smarter than me (most) – please explain why the ocean’s water cannot be turned into fresh water to alleviate this problem.  My first thought: desalination – the process of removing salt from seawater.

It is maddening to get caught up in the craziness of the market over the last two weeks.  I hope what is happening is a ‘normal’ correction – the first correction in over two years.  Remember, the Dow was on a 7% rally year-to-date and enjoyed a record high on January 26th.  Let’s hope the correction corrects itself.

Early February is a rude awakening for many of us as we must wait until late August for the restart of football.  The silver lining:  only three weeks away from the start of Atlanta United’s season.  This is also the time of year that the Champions League match ups get interesting.  This week, check out Tottenham v. Juventus on Tuesday and PSG v Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Daylight Savings Time countdown:  4 weeks from today.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday!  

 

 

 

Apathy.  Patton & Schwarzkopf.  DST Update.

My Super Bowl memories go way back – think Jerry Kramer’s block allowing Bart Starr to sneak into the end zone with thirteen seconds left in Super Bowl Two.  This was, and is to this day called the ‘Ice Bowl’ as it was 13 degrees below zero during most of the game.  My recall is even better with the Miami Dolphins and their back-to-back Super Bowl wins – especially the  1972 undefeated season.  Now skip forward to the Atlanta Falcons – a loss in Miami in the 1999 Super Bowl after their starting safety, with his family in the team hotel, was arrested at midnight before the game soliciting a prostitute.  Then, of course, last year’s Super Bowl where the Falcons forgot that it was a 60-minute game.  Later today, the 52nd Super Bowl kicks off and I have never experienced so much apathy towards the Super Bowl.  Is it the teams, is it their coaches and players, or did the behavior of many NFL players disenfranchise the core audience?  I will be watching the game, and the commercials, hoping that the Eagles can pull off an upset of Tom Brady and his Patriots.  As for the ratings, who really knows as the commercials and JT’s halftime show my trump the actual game.  No pun intended.

Three of my favorite leadership and courage quotes:                                                  “No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.”        “Sure, we all want to go home. We want to get this war over with. But you can’t win a war lying down. The quickest way to get it over with is to get the bastards who started it. We want to get the hell over there and clean the goddamn thing up, and then get at those purple-pissing Japs. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. So keep moving. And when we get to Berlin, I am personally going to shoot that paper-hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler”.           “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.”

The Daylight Savings Time countdown:  5 weeks!

Adios and have a “Super” Sunday Funday.  

Turning a Blind Eye. Commercializing Space.  Ageless.  South Beach & Wynwood.

It all started with an email to the Indianapolis Star and their five-month investigation into the mishandling of sexual abuse allegations by the national governing body USA Gymnastics.  After reading the piece, Rachel Denhollander, with the emotion that many of us can never understand, wrote the email in which she painfully described how the USA Gymnastics’ team doctor sexually molested her under the guise of performing medical treatment on her back.  The IndyStar thankfully used all of their media power to publicize the email eventually resulting in 156 women coming forward to tell their story of sexual abuse by Larry Nassar, the team doctor of both USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University.  In last week’s sentencing hearing, it was fitting that Ms. Denhollander was the last of the 156 women to deliver a statement during Nassar’s seven-day hearing.  At the end of her statement, all of the courtroom gave her a standing ovation, saluting her courage for coming forward and ending the terrifying abuse delivered by this so-called doctor.   The fallout resulted in the entire Board of USA Gymnastics immediately resigning as well as the President and Athletic Director of Michigan State University.  As for Nassar, (note:  I will not dignify him by using the Dr. prefix in front of his name), the Judge in the case sentenced him to as many as 175 years in prison.  The Judge knows, as well as all of us, that Nassar will have limited days of life left once he enters prison.  Prisoners, as violent as their crimes may have been, have zero tolerance to ‘live’ with sexual predators, especially of children.  To Hell, Larry Nassar.

Falcon Heavy.  Nothing to do with the Atlanta Falcons and their failure to return to the Super Bowl.  Falcon Heavy is SpaceX’s newest rocket, the most powerful rocket currently in operation – and the second-most powerful rocket ever built. The most powerful rocket in history was NASA’s Saturn V rocket, which was used for the Apollo moon landings and was retired in the 1970s.  This is another Elon Musk effort to commercialize space, as once the Falcon Heavy accomplishes it objective of reaching deep orbit, many entities plan on using the Falcon Heavy to carry payloads and satellites into space.  Quite an accomplishment for Elon Musk, who in one word is quite the visionary.

Roger Federer.  After last night, his 20th Grand Slam win.  At 36-years old.  Enough said.

On the lighter side of things, a wedding in the Miami area provided for a wonderful weekend of fun and celebration.  To my daughter and son-in-law: all the best for a life of fulfilled with happiness and joy.  XO.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday!!

The Blog.  Look Mom, No Hands.  Saudi Drivers.  Portugal’s Leap of Faith.  He Is Really Good.

I have had inquiries from people I don’t know about how and why I started this weekly blog.  It is not very complicated as I like to challenge myself with things that are out of my comfort zone.  So I got a bit of advice from Doug Roberson and Jeff Schultz, both excellent journalists with the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, and looked to journalists who have inspired me over the years:  Peter King, Sports Illustrated; Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated; Dave Barry, Miami Herald; and Hunter Thompson, Rolling Stone.  I have no ulterior motives with the blog other than to write content and stay away from religion and politics.  It is not easy for me but I enjoy the challenge.

Robot taxis. I want to know the first people who, in a major city, decide it is OK to get into an autonomous automobile and sit comfortably while the car, with no steering wheel, takes you to your destination.  It seems that General Motors has decided to enter this market of autonomous automobiles in a big way and they are all good with the no driver and no steering wheel concept.  I know that it is inevitable that driver-less cars will dominate our highways and roads sooner than I think, but my vision of these types of cars in downtown LA, Charlotte, Atlanta, or Orlando only leads me to believe that big time issues will occur.  But then again, no one even knew what an automobile was 120 years ago.

Saudi Arabia.  Progressive in many ways including petrochemicals and oil, and at the same time so 17th century with it’s behavior toward women.  I won’t bore you with all the archaic rules that govern a Saudi woman’s behavior in public but no one could ever understand why Saudi Arabia prohibited women from obtaining a driver’s license.  Maybe a devout Muslim would understand why not, but most people are clueless about Sharia Law.  I won’t go down the path of religion but Saudi Arabia ranks 141 out 144 countries in gender parity and much of that ranking is tied to Sharia Law.   I am not sure if things are changing in Saudi Arabia, but it was announced last week that Saudi Arabian women, for the first time, will be able to apply for a driver’s license.  To keep it all in perspective, it was not until 2011 when women in Saudi Arabia were finally allowed to vote.  Meh.

It’s climate mimics California with it’s beautiful coastal cities and towns, and it’s hilly and mountainous countryside.  Portugal now has become a mecca for marijuana production focused on producing medical marijuana similar to many areas of the United States.  One major difference: Unlike the United States, drug overdose is almost unheard of in Portugal.  The main reason: 16 years ago, Portugal took a risk and decriminalized the possession of all drugs — everything from marijuana to heroin. By most measures, the move has paid off. Today, Portuguese authorities don’t arrest anyone found holding what’s considered less than a 10-day supply of an illicit drug.  I will never condone the use of drugs but what Portugal has done makes you think that there are other answers to the massive U.S. drug problem.

With the signing of Ezequiel Barco, Atlanta United’s starting eleven for this upcoming season is crazy good. Barco is just 18 years-old and is considered one of the world’s top young midfielders. Just as important, United’s bench is much stronger than last year allowing them to rest players at opportune times (note:  unlike last year’s ridiculous September schedule due the Mercedes Benz stadium delay, this year’s schedule is in relative balance). Darren Eales, Carlos Bocanegra, and Tata Martino continue to set a standard that most clubs can only dream about.

Eight weeks to daylight savings time.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday.   

 

What We All Look Forward To As We Head Into 2018.

For those of us still watching the NFL, an interesting playoff scenario. Can the Falcons win at Philadelphia?

Tomorrow night’s College Football Championship Game.  Can the Dawgs take down Saban?

A new tax plan – if our favorite CPA can figure it out.

Getting rid of this weather and temperatures that align more with Siberia.

A very special wedding.

The Middle East and detente.  Probably not.

A World Cup summer (unfortunately without the U.S.A.)  – We should all support Iceland, a country of 320,000, and our neighbor, Mexico.

Easter, The Master’s, and Passover, which means we finally get into Spring.

Winter Park & Hannibal Square, downtown Alpharetta, downtown St. Pete, and Delray Beach.

Making Iran and North Korea behave.  Doubtful but hopeful.

The Winter Olympics in South Korea.  At least the ski jumping competition.

Figuring out the South Sudan where 7.7 million people depend on aid from all of us to survive.

The start of Atlanta United’s season – and the long-term contract Miguel Almiron will sign.  Doubtful.

Space Tourism.  Think SpaceX.

Daylight savings time – nine weeks and counting.

Adios and have a Funday Sunday!