Your Bag of Nothing for Wednesday, January 15, 2025

  • I caught a bit of a break yesterday. I’ve mentioned some problems and concerns with the Chevy Bolt I purchased and the undisclosed prior damage. Thankfully, the dealership is trying to make right and loaned me this Alpha Romero with just a little over 2,500 miles while they work on my car. It drives a lot different than my old Nissan Leaf. I forgot what it’s like to ride, much less drive a luxury sports car. I was so scared to drive it off the lot since the service employee was anal, documenting every little possible mark. I’m amazed at how smooth it drives and how surprisingly comfortable it is, especially for a car sitting so low to the ground. I’m not used to the impressive acceleration, and when I turn on a dime, I don’t feel the sensation of compensating by leaning in the opposite direction. The stereo sounded great, much better than I expected. And I cranked that sucker up. Oddly, the max volume level is 38. That’s odder than 11, I suppose. And yes, I was rocking to Celine Dion and singing at the top of my lungs because, for the first time in a long time, I was really, really, really enjoying myself. I can’t recall the last time I felt so giddy. When you go without nice stuff for a while and then get a taste of it again, you sure do notice all the little things.

  • Thomas Edison was so upset with his son’s ineptitude in business that he paid him $35 a week to use a different name (Jr to then use Thomas Willard). The senior Edison then set him up on a mushroom farm with the hope that he would eventually become self-sufficient. Instead, Thomas Jr. wound up in a sanitarium.
  • Millionaire who wants to live forever stops taking longevity drug over concerns it sped up aging

  • Incredible footage by a KTLA helicopter at the badass firefighters working their asses off to contain the new fire that flared up last night in Jurupa Valley

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    — WuTangIsForTheChildren (@wutangforchildren.bsky.social) January 14, 2025 at 5:37 PM

  • Rep. Derrick Van Orden: “We are closer to World War 2 than we have been in my entire lifetime.”

    (Who wants to tell him?)

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    — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 14, 2025 at 3:17 PM

  • Republican Uses Misspelled Sign During Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing

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Your Bag of Nothing for Tuesday, January 14, 2025

  • Troy speaks the truth, as hard as it is to accept.

  • Save the dolphins:
  • The National Archives is looking for volunteers who can read cursive.
  • Speeches by politicians banned at 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation
    • Director of the memorial says he wants the focus to be on the last survivors of the Nazi concentration camp
  • Users worried about TikTok ban appear to be downloading a different Chinese social media app
    • RedNote, or Xiaohongshu, as it’s known in China, is the No. 1 free app on the Apple app store as of Monday, followed by TikTok’s photo-sharing Lemon8 app and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
  • Coyote rescued from Aldi fridge section in Chicago

  • The Atlantic:  The Walmart Effect
    • “Walmart makes the places it operates in poorer than they would be if it had never shown up at all. Sometimes consumer prices are an incomplete, even misleading, signal of economic well-being.”
  • That’s an impressive real-life takedown.

  • Pat Riley on coaches wearing suits:
    • “I think all coaches should conduct themselves, if you are running the most important part of building. A multi-billion dollar organization, their frontman has to not only present themselves in a manner that people respect, but in press conferences and everything.”
  • Over the weekend, I became familiar with the great Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the Father of the Nuclear Navy. Surely, he was teased as a kid with a first name like that. How important was this admiral who preferred not to salute or wear his uniform? Well, he only served in the Navy for 63 years and was forced to retire at the age of 82. He was sharp-tongue, combative, and abrasive. But get this: former President Jimmy Carter served under him and stated other than his father, Rickover was the most influential person in his life. Check out this old 60 Minutes interview. It’s well worth your time; you’ll be shocked, amazed, and entertained. After discovering this interview I did a deep dive into all things Rickover and learned quite a bit.
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Your Bag of Nothing for Monday, January 13, 2025

  • This was a nice way for Habitat For Humanity to Honor President Carter.
  • While watching the first half of the Cotton Bowl from AT&T Stadium, my screen would randomly freeze or become out of focus. It was very similar to what the Tyson/Paul fight looked like on Netflix. That stadium is cursed. The Longhorns certainly don’t play well in it; they are 1-2 in games there.
  • Any Longhorn fan complaining about Quinn Ewers is a bonafide idiot. All the guy did was go 27 straight games with a Passing TD (longest active streak in the FBS), go 21-5 over the last 2 seasons, and returned the program to relevance by taking them to the College Football Playoffs two straight years. Also, beating Alabama and Michigan in their home stadiums is a pretty big accomplishment, even if Michigan wasn’t as strong a last year. It is crazy that his former roommate at Ohio State sacked him and caused a fumble that he was able to run back for a touchdown. It amazes me how life can be more unbelievable than fiction. If you saw that written in a story or in a movie, you’d roll your eyes.
  • I understand it’s only January, but this will be the best run in all of football for 2025.

  • I think Ed Werder might be on to something.
  • This man is a genius.

  • I’m not sure why I found this old video about checking frozen ground so interesting, but I did and wanted to share it. I guess I just never thought how it was done.

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Your Bag of Nothing for Friday, January 10, 2024

 

  • This video of the LA wildfires is insane.

  • There’s nothing like a state funeral for a president. Solemn, sacred, pomp religious overtones, and the pageantry and distinctive elements of military tradition get me every time.
  • What was distinct about President Carter’s funeral was that two of his eulogies came from people who died in 2006 (President Gerald Ford) and 2021 (Vice-President Walter Mondale). Their respective sons delivered both. People forget how much Carter and Ford disliked each other and then became close friends post-presidency.
  • When I took BoyGeeding and DaughterGeeding to Washington, DC, two summers ago, I made sure we took in the National Cathedral. It was moving to stand on the spot where many dead presidents in coffins were placed for their funerals. It was also interesting to sit and pray in the pew seat sitting presidents have used to attend ceremonies and take in the history.

  • In case you didn’t know, the National Cathedral is an Episcopal Church. During the tour, the tour guide and I got into a fun conversation, and he mentioned that he thought one day I would be part of the Episcopal Church. And, in 2024, I was confirmed in an Episcopal church.
  • I had to research the friendship between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and Garth Brooks, who sang at both their funerals and celebrated his 100th birthday with him. It’s bewildering that John Lennon’s Imagine, the song that literally starts with “Imagine there’s no heaven,” was sung for one of the most devoutly religious presidents in history who taught Sunday school at his Baptist church for decades. This is what I found.

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood developed a close friendship with President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, through their mutual dedication to humanitarian efforts, particularly their collaboration with Habitat for Humanity. Over the years, the couples worked together on numerous projects, fostering a deep bond rooted in shared values of service and community building. – People

Their performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” at both Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter’s funerals was a tribute to the Carters’ appreciation for the song. Despite its secular lyrics, including the line “Imagine there’s no heaven,” the song resonated with the Carters’ vision of peace and unity. It’s reported that President Carter had a particular fondness for “Imagine” and had requested Brooks to perform it at his funeral. – Tennessean

While some observers noted the contrast between the song’s secular message and the Carters’ devout Christian faith, the choice reflects the Carters’ broader humanitarian ideals and their hope for global harmony.

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