WILL EPSTEIN’S GHILSANE MAXWELL GET TRUMP OFF?
Now Dept of Justice wants to question Ghislane Maxwell about the goings on Lolita Island. Somehow, I see a pardon for Maxwell since Trump declared the entire thing a hoax. Remarkable that there is still a fanatical support base of MAGA keeping Trump away from accountability. In the 2000 election cycle I remember the GOP demanding decency back in the White House after the Bill Clinton administration. What happened to these GOP values?
OVER THE MOUNTAIN. RIP OZZY.
We got the news yesterday of the passing of rock n’ roll super hero Ozzy Osbourne. Amazing that he just did a farewell concert in the UK just a few weeks ago. What a legacy! Do you remember your first introduction to Ozzy? I knew about Black Sabbath, but not Ozzy specifically until my Junior year in High School. One of my friends in math class that sat behind me would tap me on my shoulder and he’d show me his ball point pen tattoo of OZZY on his four knuckles. “OZZY!” His solo material was great. Over the Mountain, Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley. During my senior year I remember finding a Velcro wallet in the parking lot of our local Burger King. There was no money or ID, just a bus pass and a General Admission ticket to Ozzy Osbourne at the Cow Palace. Hell yeah! I went to the show and worked myself to the front of the mosh pit in front of the stage. Energy was off the charts. I destroyed by white Vans slip-ons, but it was worth it. Great show, but the encore seemed to malfunction. At the start of the encore a giant metal hand emerged from the fog and then it stopped… nothing happened… then the house lights came on. It was weird. What happened? It’s been fun seeing Ozzy go from rock star to reality TV star and back to his rock star glory. What a career! What an artist! What an entrepreneur! Rock on Ozzy. You will always be remembered.
IS SUGAR COKE SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE?
RFK and his MAHA followers are celebrating Trump’s demand of Coca-Cola to use pure cane sugar rather than fructose corn syrup. Is this net positive health wise or just another culture war battle to fire up Trump’s base? I remember having sugar coke from Mexico and we all made a big deal of it. The part of this story that is often not understood… America tariffs imported sugar and subsidizes domestic corn syrup. FRUCTOSE! With tariffs going up on nearly everything, you can now celebrate your sugar coke, but at a higher price. Imagine how the market would be different if tariffs on sugar and subsidies on corn did not exist. Which sweetener would work in a free trade taste test? You know the answer.
LONESOME GEORGE WAS THOROGOOD.
The fine wife and I joined good friends at the Belly Up Tavern last weekend to see George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers. George was something else. Still kickin’ ass at 75. He said he’s gonna milk every last second doing what he loves. He and his band sounded great. So many great songs had me saying “Hey I remember that one!” Who Do You Love? I Drink Alone. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Bear. Bad to the Bone. It’s wild seeing these senior rockers (15 years older than me) putting on a show. It was a celebration! These guys were clearly doing what they loved and having fun doing it. Who Do You Love? I loved Lonesome George!
WHY IS PUBLIC RADIO STILL A THING?
After decades of threatening to shutdown funding of NPR and PBS, the GOP finally did it. I like NPR’s programming. I grew up on PBS children’s shows. But why are taxpayers supposed to subsidize Sesame Street? We wouldn’t want to force taxpayers to subsidize Sean Hannity, would we? Apparently the greatest “victim” in all of this are folks that live in rural areas that depend on NPR for emergency information. With smart phone technology we have more information available to us in the palm of our hand than radio could ever deliver. NPR and PBS already get most of their funding from corporate sponsors and individual donors. They should fund it all privately, just like every other media. We need a separation of media and state!
WNBA: PAY US WHAT YOU OWE US.
Did you see these WNBA All Star warm up shirts demanding more money from the league? Hey, I’m all for athletes getting what they deserve. If there is big money flowing in the sport to see these athletes, then those athletes deserve to be properly compensated. But what exactly are these athletes “owed”? They have a contract that spells out what they are owed. This whole thing strikes me as political grandstanding rather than a rational discussion of economics. My understanding is that many WNBA teams are not profitable. What exactly are these athletes owed when their contract is fulfilled, and the companies are not profitable? Seems they are getting what they are owed right now. Meanwhile, to see these financial demands from players while they simultaneously try to kill the Golden Goose in Caitlin Clark is just idiotic. Again, no understanding of how business works. The future looks bright for the WNBA. I’m a fan!
REDSKINS AND ORANGESKINS.
Here’s your latest example of Con Man Trump dangling a shiny object to get your attention away from the Epstein Files. Squirrel! Now he wants to make the Washington Commanders change their name back to the Redskins. This is classic Trump pushing MAGA culture war buttons to change the media cycle. But this of course got me thinking about the Redskins-49ers rivalry in the 1980s. Remember Joe Theismann, Joe Riggins, Art Monk, Russ Grimm, Daryl Green, Joe Gibbs? What a squad. Say what you will about the politically correct cancelling of sports team’s names over the past few decades, but the Redskins name was really the worst of them all. I know the tribes supported the name. I know the fans still love the name. But c’mon man. In America we should be celebrating content of character rather than color of skin. I was happy that market forces rather than authoritarian politicians drove the team to change its name, although Commanders is a real dud IMHO. If the politically correct police kept on the warpath, the Braves and Chiefs would certainly be next. Meanwhile my San Diego Padres and San Diego State Aztecs would be looking over their shoulder. Aztecs have already dialed back their Monty Montezuma and Aztec Warrior mascots. Sheesh. Back off Trump. I don’t want politicians to manipulate sports. Sporting events already are too much of a celebration of nationalism.
SELF DRIVING WAYMO WAS WAY COOL.
I was in San Francisco a few weekends ago and my friend and I tried out a Waymo taxi for our drive to the House of Prime Rib. I must say, this self-driving car was VERY impressive. It showed up on time and at the exact location in a tricky hill section in North Beach. We were able to easily hop in and take the ride. Trippy to see the steering wheel turning with nobody in the driver’s city. I must say, it went very well! There were numerous tricky situations with nearby cars and pedestrians, but our Waymo handled it exactly right. My buddy was barking that the car was taking an inefficient route, but I didn’t care. I thought the tech was great. Imagine what urban and suburban communities would be like where self-driving cars are the standard? Less accidents, better traffic flow and a radical change in the demand for parking. Imagine how your community would look if there were no parking lots, parking garages, street parking or home garages? Think of all the new real estate that would be available and put to better use. Self-driving cars could help the housing crisis? I think so. This vision of the future rings truer to me than the romantic love affair with 19th century train technology. Why build all that new infrastructure when instead you can simply take advantage of the roads already in existence but use them more efficiently. BTW, we took Uber back to North Beach and it was half the price of the Waymo, even with a tip to the Uber driver. I still love it, and I will do it again next time I visit. Human ingenuity, innovation, and technology continue to lead humans to greater flourishing.
Is IN-N-OUT OUT OF CA?
The cult burger chain’s CEO and Heir, Lynsi Snyder, is moving her family (and a portion of its headquarters) from California to Tennessee. Snyder says California is just too difficult of a state to do business in. She ain’t wrong. But it is interesting how a burger chain that made its mark in the State of CA now claims it is too difficult. She claims that California is a difficult place to raise a family as well. There’s a lot to unpack there. Surely, she can’t be too troubled by the cost of living in CA. She can afford it after all. Perhaps it is a comment about California culture. Is she fleeing CA for a more Christian lifestyle in TN? Or is this simply a financial decision moving to a zero-income state? It’s wild to me that Californians would be so bent out of shape on her decision to move. Heck, I can’t blame her. California is a wonderful place to live, but it’s not easy or inexpensive. Wherever you choose to live there will be pros and cons. It’s all a matter of tradeoffs.
POWAY BLAMES BLAIN?
This recall of Poway City Councilman Tony Blain gets weirder and weirder. First, he gets censured twice by City Council for harassment of city officials and vote trading with other council members. Then while a recall effort is set up by John Couvrette, John Mullin, and Anita Edmondson to get Blain out of office, he starts to campaign for Mayor in 2026. Now, the latest… security cameras have caught Tony Blain in broad daylight tearing down Recall Blain signs on private property at a home in Poway. The first still shot I saw was blurry and the perpetrator looked like Odo the Constable Changeling from Star Trek Deep Space Nine. But then video was released, and the guy is caught red handed. The Recall Campaign has already submitted their signatures to the San Diego Registrar of Voters for a recall election. Does Tony Blain survive this? It makes you wonder how this guy sees the world. What is good and what is evil?