A few stories of interest from the past week....
Earlier this week came the not totally unsurprising news that Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees was tied to a clinic that allegedly provided him with performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). If confirmed this would be the second known instance where he had taken PEDs. He previously admitted to taking the drugs from 2001 to 2003 but when he made the admission in 2009 he proclaimed himself to be clean. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports suggested that A-Rod is finished. I tend to agree. Even if the PED story isn't true it's hard to see how A-Rod will be able to rehabilitate his image. Age and injuries have caught up with the slugging third baseman and his career has nowhere to go but on a continued downward spiral. This might be a good time to consider retiring rather than trying to slog through these allegations any further.
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This week marked the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Few novels or novelists have developed such a strong following as Austen or her most famous novel. The BBC has an interesting look at why Americans are drawn to the British author.
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Speaking of British entertainments, Downton Abbey has been causing quite the stir on the American side of the Atlantic. The Wall Street Journal has an interesting interview with series creator Julian Fellowes that provides some surprising insights into the hit series.
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Having a daughter about to graduate high school has caused me to think (and read a lot) about the changing face of higher education. Arthur C. Brooks offers some interest insights into the college dynamic in a New York Times column entitled My Valuable, Cheap College Degree. Peter Berkowitz offers 10 Ways Liberal Education Fails Students - and Society. Finally, Mark Cuban boldly declares that Colleges are Going to Start Going Out of Business (language warning).
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Robert Epstein, author of The Case Against Adolescence, has a thought-provoking interview with Psychology Today about the problems facing modern teenagers. Among his more interesting assertions is that teenagers spend too much time with other teenagers. He makes several good points in the interview and while I don't necessarily agree with everything he says it's worth a read. (Hat tip: Joe Carter)
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Twitter surprise of the week: I am constantly surprised by the people I find on Twitter. This week's great discovery is that Dick Van Dyke is tweeting. He's @iammrvandy and definitely worth a follow.
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Finally, the oddest story of the week: A group of men have been playing a game of tag for 23 years.
Showing posts with label Wall Street Journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wall Street Journal. Show all posts
Saturday, February 02, 2013
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Back to Blogging
It's been a long time since I've posted her regularly. Hopefully I will be able to get back on track. A few random thoughts that have been rolling around my brain......
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This election cycle is shaping up to be the second straight presidential election in a row where I am seriously considering not voting. Much will depend on who Mitt Romney chooses as a running mate. John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin made me feel comfortable enough to cast a vote for him even though I still had serious reservations about him.
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Speaking of politics, it seems to me that politicians are more and more concerned with maintaining power than abiding by principles. This has always been true to a degree but seems to be more prevalent these days than ever before. Part of the reason I don't follow politics as closely as I used to as I find myself increasingly frustrated by members of both parties. The country seems poised for a major reformation in its politics but only if principled leaders will stand up and be counted upon to be agents of change.
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Most of my free time of late (what little there has been) has been devoted to baseball. Although my team, the Chicago Cubs, are having a typically frustrating season I still enjoy the sport. In fact, I became a fan of the game before I became devoted to my team. More on that in an upcoming post over at Eephus League. That's where I have been doing what little blogging that I have been involved in lately.
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Not long ago I ran across an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that Wrigley Field be torn down. The author is, of course, wrong for a lot of reasons. One of his assertions is that the Cubs were a better team before moving to Wrigley than afterwards. That's true, however, he failed to look at the club's won-loss record at Wrigley. Through the 2011 season, the Cubs had a +435 win differential at the park. So clearly it's not the home park that's the problem.
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From the Useful Links Department: the Random P. G. Wodehouse Quote Generator.
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It was a really big deal at the time: it turns out Dan Quayle was right. And you read about it in the Washington Post of all places. Dan Quayle might not have been the brightest or most effective politician but at least he was willing to stand up and speak about what he believed.
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Quote to ponder: "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived." - George S. Patton
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Finally, I have held out as long as I possibly can but have given in and decided to join Twitter. I don't really plan on tweeting much (we'll see how that goes) but I've already found it's a great way to quickly check news sources that I like to follow. Feel free to follow me (for what it's worth).
******
This election cycle is shaping up to be the second straight presidential election in a row where I am seriously considering not voting. Much will depend on who Mitt Romney chooses as a running mate. John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin made me feel comfortable enough to cast a vote for him even though I still had serious reservations about him.
*****
Speaking of politics, it seems to me that politicians are more and more concerned with maintaining power than abiding by principles. This has always been true to a degree but seems to be more prevalent these days than ever before. Part of the reason I don't follow politics as closely as I used to as I find myself increasingly frustrated by members of both parties. The country seems poised for a major reformation in its politics but only if principled leaders will stand up and be counted upon to be agents of change.
*****
Most of my free time of late (what little there has been) has been devoted to baseball. Although my team, the Chicago Cubs, are having a typically frustrating season I still enjoy the sport. In fact, I became a fan of the game before I became devoted to my team. More on that in an upcoming post over at Eephus League. That's where I have been doing what little blogging that I have been involved in lately.
*****
Not long ago I ran across an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that Wrigley Field be torn down. The author is, of course, wrong for a lot of reasons. One of his assertions is that the Cubs were a better team before moving to Wrigley than afterwards. That's true, however, he failed to look at the club's won-loss record at Wrigley. Through the 2011 season, the Cubs had a +435 win differential at the park. So clearly it's not the home park that's the problem.
*****
From the Useful Links Department: the Random P. G. Wodehouse Quote Generator.
*****
It was a really big deal at the time: it turns out Dan Quayle was right. And you read about it in the Washington Post of all places. Dan Quayle might not have been the brightest or most effective politician but at least he was willing to stand up and speak about what he believed.
*****
Quote to ponder: "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived." - George S. Patton
*****
Finally, I have held out as long as I possibly can but have given in and decided to join Twitter. I don't really plan on tweeting much (we'll see how that goes) but I've already found it's a great way to quickly check news sources that I like to follow. Feel free to follow me (for what it's worth).
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