“Planning a Pursuit”

Happy Saturday. Now that the waters have started to recede – and are doing so requiring no cleanup in our condo – yeeha! Having said that, I’m not gloating since for those affected, cleaning up basements and first floors filled by quickly drying sticky River mud it’s an awful job.

People that live in the flood-plain areas are a special breed. Almost all, to a person, they are totally aware that every decade or so they’re in for a horrible mess and cleanup. Yet, they love the views and thereby accept those infrequent disruptions. Bottom line: they wouldn’t trade their lifestyle.

After the wild market this week, let me post a line I picked up: “Economists were created to make weather forecasters look good.”

Coffee – Wouldn’t it be nice were I not to natter on and on about my morning affair with coffee? I’ve listened, and so instead, allow a few minutes for a co-production of the Erasmus Huis in Jakarta and the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam to properly recite a bit of the “story of Coffee”:

Quote – Today’s quote is from the library of the delightful and political satirist, P.J. O’Rourke  (1947-2022). I decided to quote O’Rourke to acknowledge last weekend’s visit to Miami University in Oxford (O’Rourke’s alma mater) and my study this week on what the whole Robert Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA movement is all about. Here are O’Rourke’s sage words:

“If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free”

Pan Rocks ’25 – Ever spent some time attending an event and wondered just how it happened that you got so lucky? Well. Last Sunday well over a thousand of us just got that feeling. As we worked our way to our seats it was a ‘sea’ of steel drums.

Additionally, the very large drum kit placed in the center was specifically set up to replicate the drums played by Rush drummer Neil Peart (1947-2020) – after all, the evening celebrated the music of the band Rush. As if that weren’t enough, add a couple of bass guitars, an old ‘60s vintage Moog synthesizer, and at one point introduce the Miami University Men’s Glee club – about 100 strong (jumping about as if they were in a Mosh Pit).

The sound explosion was AMAZING!!

For family members click on the link below to head for Adrianne’s video taken from the opposite side of the stage, from her vantage point she captured a closeup of Vaioleti and you see Vai play her double Alto pans. Click HERE

MAHA – Here in the ‘Nati we’re lucky to have a non-profit group called Empower U. Empower U is a free University with the bi-line of: Educate – Enjoy – Engage. This week I sat in on a presentation by Dr. Jay Rissover. Rissover, recently retired after practicing internal medicine for 36 years, has taught post-graduate medicine at a local hospital system, and is an activist.

He presented to us some of the history of our current Secretary of HHS, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Also doing a bit of a deep dive into some of RFK’s more controversial comments and positions. It was fascinating!

Should any of you also be interested the whole talk and Power Point can be viewed on Rumble (click here on Rumble to be linked directly). Scan past the short, 10-min, presentation shown first.

Here are a couple of sets of numbers which either correlate or juxtapose by happenstance. We don’t know, but that is exactly why we should look deeper – this is what RFK’s MAHA movement is about.

Slide on the left (click to enlarge) are the stats of reported cases of Autism over the years. Then click on the slide on the right to see the stats for Recommended Childhood Vaccinations over a similar timeline.

On the left I’ve placed the dates/numbers/percentages for Childhood Obesity and on the right Childhood Diabetes. Should these numbers correlate (and they seem to) then these numbers are beyond shocking.

Below is an easy to grasp JPEG detailing what RFKs MAHA principle are:

Matt’s Pursuit – Tomorrow morning I’ll join in on the 20th Anniversary 5K for this event. I love this event for two reasons. It generates funds for the purchase and training of K9 dogs for Police search and rescue (have provided funds for 117 K9 dogs to date). Even more, the whole event is held at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. Wonderful scenery, nice and hilly, and with over 44-miles of roadway the 5K route happens to go directly past the grave site of my parents – it’s an opportunity to check if all is ok.

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Remember those bell-bottom denim dungarees worn by U.S. Navy sailors like forever? Why did that style of trousers get started?

1) “as a patriotic mascot which appeared on boxes of Cracker Jack ”
2) “washing the decks of the bell-bottom pants rolled up quicker”
3) “maybe an 1813 Navy file about the arrival of Commodore Stephen Decatur”
4) “we really don’t know”
5) “ designed after popular 19th-century English sea shanty”
6) “designed in 1901 as an alternative to heavier wool pants”
7) “potential use as a life preserver”