SIGNS OF THE TIMES

 

KROENKE IS AN IDIOT

Recently one of my cousins opined that I really wasn't much of a Curmudgeon, so I thought I had better pick it up a few notches.  Recently one of the things I am fond of is taking the Denver Nuggets ownership/"leadership" to task.  As in this guy:

Josh Kroenke

That image in and of itself should tell you something - this 34 year-old guy did not become president of the Nuggets because of his abundant knowledge of and expertise in basketball.  Daddy supposedly made his billions on his own, but it doesn't hurt that mommy is a Walton. 

You can click on the Nuggets Group Topic on the right hand side of this blog, but I believe that I correctly analyzed the Nuggets season after they played just two game - read it here. 

Kroenke's post-season analysis, as reported in the Denver Post - "Kroenke happy with Nuggets."  I guess when you have boatloads of money, you can still find happiness in abject failure.  A few  comparisons:

                            2012-2013                                                   2013-2014

Record                 57W - 25L                                                  36W - 46L
At Home              38W - 3L  [Best in NBA]                          22W - 19L
Conference          3rd of 15                                                     11th of 15
Playoffs               Yes                                                              No [first time in 10 years]

Kroenke gives the usual platitudes about how great the first year coach and the first year general manager did their jobs, that the team would likely have done much better if it had not been for injuries, and that sometimes you have to take some steps backward to move forward. Well, as I noted, they certainly did take the steps backward, and I can't see that there will be much forward movement for next season.  At least there are a lot of former Nuggets participating in post season play this year - in fact, a team made of former Nuggets coached by Karl would likely have whooped this years Nugatory Nuggets.  Let's hope Josh doesn't dismantle the Avalanche as he did the Nuggets.

PEACEFUL EASY FEELING

VINCENT HARDING

 

Vincent Harding at Goshen College

 

DENVER -- In March of 1967, taking note of anti-war protests at his alma mater, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sent a telegram care of Vincent Harding to the "men of conscience" at Morehouse commending their courage and calling them his inspiration.

Days later in New York, King delivered one of his most stinging criticisms of American involvement in Vietnam. Harding, at the time an adviser to Morehouse students as well as to King, is credited with writing that speech. Harding, 82, died Monday at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, according to Denver's Iliff School of Theology, where Harding taught for many years.

In Denver, Harding's home since coming to Iliff in 1981, he was remembered for his commitment to justice and peace, and for his modesty. Former Denver City Council president Elbra Wedgeworth said he never spoke much of his ties to King or other prominent civil rights leaders.

"He was just a real old school gentleman who experienced a lot, but never let it make him bitter," Wedgeworth said. "He just used those experiences to help other people."

Harding and his first wife, Rosemarie Freeney Harding, who died in 2004, met King when they traveled from Chicago to Atlanta to continue the civil rights work they had begun in the Mennonite church. Harding became an adviser and friend to both King and Coretta Scott King. He later served as the first director of what is now known as the King Center in Atlanta.

"He was a great voice for human and social progress, very much in keeping with Dr. King's and Mrs. King's advocacy for social and civil rights," Steve Klein, spokesman for the center, said in a telephone interview Wednesday. He said Harding should be remembered as a "cutting edge" historian of the civil rights movement.

In a New York Times review of Harding's 1981 book, "There is a River: The Black Struggle for Freedom in America," historian Eric Foner wrote that it was "more than a history of black protest: It is also a personal testament of hope and a brief for a view of the black experience as a saga of resistance." Harding wrote several books.

Howard Zehr, who heads the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice at Virginia's Eastern Mennonite University, remembers Harding as a visitor to his home. Zehr's father was, like Harding, a Mennonite pastor. Hearing the two — one black, one white — in conversation helped shape the younger Zehr's thinking. In 1966, Zehr became the first white student to graduate from Morehouse.

For many years, Zehr said in a telephone interview Wednesday, "I could sort of see Vincent on my shoulder, keeping me committed. He had a quiet way of doing that."

Harding had been visiting the East Coast, including speaking at Eastern Mennonite University, when he died.

In 2012, Vicki Crawford, director of the Office of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection, brought Harding back to Atlanta as a visiting professor. In the 1960s, Harding had taught at Spelman, the women's college near Morehouse. Crawford said she was struck by the rapport Harding had with students.

"He was an incredible listener," Crawford said. "His classes would be very quiet, punctuated by long periods of silence, reflective silence."

The New York-born Harding taught at Denver's Iliff until his retirement in 2004, and his legacy there includes a research center on social change that he and Rosemarie Freeney Harding founded in 1997.

Iliff president Thomas Wolfe said he had asked Harding to deliver the commencement address scheduled for June 4. Instead of a traditional speech, Harding suggested the kind of Socratic discussion he favored in class. Three Iliff students had been recruited to take part.

"Vincent was saying, 'This is how we pass the mantle from teacher to student, so the student becomes the teacher,'" Wolfe said.

Instead of finding a replacement speaker, Wolfe said the three students would share their memories of Harding.

Harding is survived by his second wife, Aljosie Aldrich Harding; daughter, Rachel Harding; and son, Jonathan Harding. Funeral plans were not yet set.

DES -  For more information on Vincent including audio and video, please visit here.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/21/4129635/vincent-harding-activist-king.html#storylink=cpy

"ACADEMIC" SALARIES

NATIONAL TRAIN DAY

I will make a small wager that many of you did not know that last Saturday, May 10, was National Train Day.  I admit that I did not know this fact until we were invited to accompany a friend to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden for a combo train viewing/classic car gathering/birthday party!!  It is a very good thing that it was on Saturday, because Sunday's weather 'went south' with a good 8 inches of snow in Boulder!  We rode the steam engine locomotive train for several loops around the museum grounds, and examined locomotive, cars, the roundhouse and turntable, the miniature railroads, and a variety of railroad memorabilia - some of my favorites are shown below.  We enjoyed a nice lunch catered by Dickies BBQ and then toured some train cars that are not generally open.  A hearty thanks to LG for a great day!!

 

And, my favorite car at the gathering [besides LGs wonderful Ford]?  Hard to say, but I would take one like this if someone is giving it away!!  I might be able to afford the Franklin Mint Model.....

1933 Duesenberg

MARISOL MALIBU

If you have a few million dollars lounging in your bank, you may want a home here:

OBSCENE

IF I NEEDED SOMEONE

There I some Beatles songs that I like a lot, some that are OK, and some that don't strike my fancy.  The latter is a rather small group; so, here is one of their songs that I like a lot, from an album that I like a lot, Rubber Soul.  Great harmonies against a fairly constant backbeat.

 "If I Needed Someone"

If I needed someone to love
You're the one that I'd be thinking of
If I needed someone

If I had some more time to spend
Then I guess I'd be with you my friend
If I needed someone

Had you come some other day
Then it might not have been like this
But you see now I'm too much in love

Carve your number on my wall
And maybe you will get a call from me
If I needed someone
Ah, ah, ah, ah

If I had some more time to spend
Then I guess I'd be with you my friend
If I needed someone

Had you come some other day
Then it might not have been like this
But you see now I'm too much in love

Carve your number on my wall
And maybe you will get a call from me
If I needed someone
Ah, ah

2014 BIRTHDAY HOROSCOPE

 

Even though no rational person accepts astrology as having any validity, why is it so fun to read one's horoscope??  So it is with me, so here goes for my annual review of what the year ahead will bring.

Synopsis:  Play to win.  Don't stop short of reaching your goals.  Stand up and be counted.  It's the fight in you that will help you go the distance and prove your abilities.  You don't have to go overboard; you just have to harness what you do best and focus on making the biggest impact in a strategic and pointed manner.  Your numbers are 7, 16, 21, 30, 34, 42.

Lottery, here I come!!  A more detailed 'analysis':


The Sun in harmonious aspect to the Moon in your Solar Return chart is a pleasant aspect, suggesting that your domestic and career needs are not in competition with one another this year. Your inner needs tend to be mirrored by external events, and vice versa. You are likely to be on top of your game this year for the most part, and positive connections with others can be made fairly easily. A comfortable level of personal popularity helps keep conflict to a minimum. With the ability to handle your emotions successfully, there will be less stress on both your mind and body. Your self-confidence and positive attitude will reward you! 

With Pluto continuing its harmonious transit to your Sun this year, you want your objectives to reflect what you're really about, and you are likely to rid yourself of unsatisfying goals at this time in your life. Your ability to concentrate and focus helps you to achieve what you set out to do. A new project or goal begun this year has a good chance of being successful and long-lasting. Your sexual and physical activities tend to be more intense, passionate, and focused. It's an excellent year in which to make a lifestyle change, as your ability to concentrate on what really matters to you is enhanced. Temper and impatience are the things to avoid most - these will surely trip you up.

Your energy levels run high possibly to the point of excess this year, however, and you should watch for hasty or impetuous behavior. Remember that haste makes waste. You could be rather wilful and impassioned, and it would be best to channel excess energy into healthy physical outlets. Others might find you temperamental. If you suffer from frequent headaches, it is likely that you are not dealing with your own anger or desire to take the lead appropriately. You feel a great need for action, but if you don't know where you're headed, you might take the wrong turn. As long as you channel the excess energy constructively, instead of wasting your time arguing or getting yourself into conflicts with others, you can accomplish much. 

With energy channelled positively, you could move mountains when it comes to pushing your projects ahead. If mishandled, however, you could be argumentative, stressed, and hell-bent on having your way! The bottom line is a tendency towards obsessive or compulsive behavior. Avoid taking extreme measures to make things happen your way, and avoid people who might be doing same. Deliberately trying to maneuver things in order to get the upper hand will be a lesson in frustration. 

Some difficulties and delays with communications are possible this year. Your thoughts are quite sober at times, and you should do your best to avoid negative thinking. It's a strong year for recognizing flaws and errors, however. As long as you don't forget the "big picture", you could find you are motivated to channel your mental energy into tasks that require structured and organized thought, tackling projects that you may have found too mundane or downright boring in other years. It's a strong year for polishing your skills and formal learning. 


The year ahead is one of new beginnings and initiatives. Independence and enterprise are highlighted. However, watch for impulsiveness and rash decision making. Impatience can be costly this year. Your desire nature is strong, but can also trip you up if you don't find healthy avenues for channeling excess energy. Cooperation brings the most rewards. New and invigorating opportunities come into your life, and it's a very strong year for making important lifestyle changes.

2014 is a Number Six year for you. Ruled by Venus. This is a year of relative contentment. It is a time when love is the easiest to attract, and partnerships formed under this vibration have a better chance for longevity. You are able to attract others, and material things as well, this year. This is a good year for establishing harmony in the family and in the home. Advice - develop existing relationships, be positive and receptive because these kinds of energies help you to attract what you desire.

2015 will be a Number Seven year for you. Ruled by Neptune. This is a year of preparation, chance, and refinement. It is not a time of dramatic changes. Instead, it's a year when reflection on the past is helpful, and when refinements to your life path should be made. It's a good year to study and analyze. Unexpected twists to your life story and "chance" meetings are probable. Advice - take stock of your life in order to prepare for more exciting years to come, examine the past and plan for the future, get in touch with your deepest needs and uncover your personal power, don't strain yourself or actively try to expand.