Monday, February 3, 2025

Deep Thoughts Vol 7

Like a good Quaker, know the value of silence.

Being alive is bad for your health.

It’s good to get out of the house daily. We are usually able to do that just with clinic visits.

I walk or bike ride with a friend once a week. He is unfailingly upbeat and positive. That's good for me but it's baffling.

As I age, I find the days are long but the weeks are short. 

Remember, everything speeds up when it's going downhill.

Blood thinner meds are both life saving and life threatening.

I learned a new word recently, two actually. Epistaxis & RhinoRocket.

What’s the deal pulling 70+ year old former football coaches out of retirement for choice head coaching jobs? Give the next generation a chance. Same for politics.

Total LA rainfall from May - Dec 2024:  0.16” (note the decimal point)

Polar Vortex in action. Simultaneously, California on fire and heavy snow in the Deep South. Colder colds. Hotter hots. Wetter wets. Dryer dries. Stormier storms. Wilder wildfires. Your future. 

I suspect Minnesota Nice will in the not too distant future be tested by an influx of climate refugees.

Archeologists are reaching consensus that the end of the Bronze Age was due to extended drought due to climate change. 1177 B.C.

The lights are out at WaPo.

The Iceman Cometh.  Eugene O'Neill

When I ask what can I do, I am told "we do what's possible".  Pretty limiting.

Terunofuji, the 73rd yokozuna, has announced his retirement as an active rikishi.

I'm quite certain you don't understand tariffs.  Here's a short course. 1) An importer (US company) purchases a product, e.g maple syrup, fruits and vegetables, automobiles, electronics etc... and then pays a duty, 25% of the cost or whatever to the US Govt  2) The importer then raises the retail price of the product to cover the tax  3) Consumer (you) pay the extra cost. 

e.g  a product that costs $10 and sells for $20 now costs $12.50 and sells for $25. Any questions?

Elon Musk's every action is designed to further his own interests and ego.

e.g. Musk Foundation .. According to recent reports, the Musk Foundation typically grants around $100 million annually, with most of the funding directed towards a small number of organizations closely tied to Elon Musk's interestsoften falling short of the required donation amount based on IRS guidelines

Donate to the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity. They do good stuff. Eradicating diseases, building affordable homes.

The CDC, NIH, HHS, FDA represent the best and most valuable of government services.  Millions of lives have been saved.

The postal service is exactly that, a service, not a business. It doesn’t lose money, it has a cost of service. Compare to the $800B in losses our military sustains each year.

Pity the nation that knows no other language but its own and no other culture but its own. Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Pundits that confidently predict the future are ... well, you know ... add an earthy phrase.

Football has personal fouls. Baseball has the sacrifice.  George Carlin

The game of life is hard, and a lot of us are playing hurt.  Anne Lamott

I fear United States as a beacon of freedom and opportunity is largely behind us.

Freedom fighters don’t always win, but they are always right.  Molly Ivins

From now on, in order not to offend, all my jokes shall feature Ole the Hittite.

I deny I said all those things that I said.

More and more people don't consider themselves angry, just right - and then indignant when challenged.  

Someone please explain to me how Christian values and Donald Trump are connected.

Christians who side with hate and cruelty read a different Bible than I. 

Oh, Canada. God keep your land glorious and free!

ol·​i·​gar·​chy   Look it up.


Copyright ©  2025  Dave Hoplin


2 comments:

  1. Yes. Too many of the ideals we grew up with are on hold. I hope young people demand better.

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    1. Jeannine Churchill: As to Christian Values and Donald Trump, remember that he did carry a Bible across the street for the cameras. Of course, he held it upside down, but that didn't seem to bother too many people. On the other thank, he did not put his hand on the Bible at his swearing in ceremony in January. Might that mean he has now stepped away from Christian Values?

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