On Chrisrmas morning, a large explosive device was detonated in downtown Nashville. The foreign press that I have seen (Italian and UK) are using the terms “car bomb” and “terrorist attack”, which seems accurate. Neither the press nor the police are using these sorts of words in the US. Even more bizarrely, the local newspaper was forced to apologize in July for running a full page advertisement claiming there would be a July 18 nuclear attack by Islamic extremists, based on Biblical prophesies. A July article from RT (not my favorite news source) below explains. Will be interesting to see where this one goes. My money is on White Supremacists, but I suppose there is no shortage of crackpots capable of this sort of thing these days.
Timburrr!
Cutting back some oaks. Planned to drop the big branch on the deck. Only missed by a little bit. Bigger than I thought, too.
Dave Barry Recaps 2020
Is it already that time of the year?
Dave Barry’s Year in Review: 2020 was a year of nonstop awfulness
Maiden Voyage
Bolted the batteries down and attached the controller under the dash. Had hooked up some wires temporarily just to test things out. Decided to bolt the seat on and see if I could make it go. The chain kept coming off but tightening the bolt that held the pulley / gear on seems to have mostly fixed it. The gearing is probably too low, but I’m not in a hurry. Bought some parts to make a better dashboard. Going to start thinking about the blades.
One More Steak and Egg Ramen
Two minor variations. The egg is from my neighbors chickens (thanks, James!) and adds a new level of deliciousness, and looks good too. Had some leftover celery I chopped up and added which gave a nice, fresh taste. All the usual ingredients: garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, carrot, onion and sauerkraut. Topped with green onions and togorashi.
Alabama
From the Paris Review:
On John Coltrane’s “Alabama”
Bloomberg 2020 Jealousy List
Every year Bloomberg publishes it’s “jealousy list”. A list of news stories so good they make other news reporters jealous. Basically a list of the best news articles of the year. Way too much stuff to read (but I’m going to try) Best quote so far: “It’s grifters grifting grifters all the way down,”
Bloomberg 2020 Jealousy List
You Can Bet On It
Not a great headline, but a good read about betting markets in the last election. I spent some time at the track with my grandfather when I was a kid and learned a few things about betting. I saw the Trump odds before the election and wondered if it was an accurate reflection of the election or just a reflection of Trump supporters being more likely to place bets on the outcome.
How Offshore Oddsmakers Made a Killing off Gullible Trump Supporters
TheyWork
A good article, and probably a good book. from Unheard.
Steven A. Guccione 