Tuesday, the 12th day of February, 2013

My grandson at 10 weeks old

My grand niece at 2 years old

Personal…
My grandson at 10 weeks old and my grand niece at 2 years old…

Local happenings… Not much happening… Went out fishing a couple of times; the first time I got skunked: not even one nibble! The second time was much better and I caught more fish than I’ve caught in the last five years altogether! Good stuff! Also, while looking for bait to go fishing with (minnows), I finally got to visit the Rock Island State Park: what a beauty! It has cabins for rent, fishing, boating, hiking, swimming. And the river (Rocky River) is just impressive… They built a dam and created a lake; very pretty. However, once you pass the dam, the natural river takes over and the rock formations are impressive; the water rapids are outstanding… Eventually, downstream the river eases up and one can launch boats and go fishing… Worth visiting!

Local Politics. So, I've received no responses to date regarding the duplicity of political entities in the county (Double mayor, double commission and double police force)… I thought this could be a really active point of discussion… I still hope…

Sports. I believe that, in its current form, American Football days are counted…! Here is why: “Brain scans performed on five former NFL players revealed images of the protein that causes football-related brain damage Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy -- the first time researchers have identified signs of the crippling disease in living players” (from an article in The Atlantic this past Feb 4th). And here is the rationale: if they really learn how to diagnose CTE, they will be able to say exactly how common it is for football players to develop it. This is when you start thinking about football and an existential crisis. You tell a parent that their kid has, say, a five percent chance of developing crippling brain damage through playing football, and you will see the end of pee-wee leagues and probably the end of high school football. Colleges would likely follow. Unless they change the sport and make it helmet-less (the helmet is currently used more as a weapon than a protection device), it is bye-bye football… Don’t think so? How common are college boxing teams these days?

Food for Thoughts…
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

- H. L. Mencken

So, keep your mind and eyes open, my friends…