THIS JUST IN

I'm nothing if not up to the minute.  I guess now people won't think of us as that liberal state.  Tsarnaev got the death penalty though his actual death is likely years off.  I admit to being a bit surprised and hope to avoid all the comments likely to be in the Globe tomorrow about WHAT THIS MEANS.  Those who died are still not with us and the injured still have damaged bodies. Each of us will have our own take on it. Personally, I would have gone the super max route---but more personally, I am glad I was not on the jury.

I am also very glad I do not live in Nepal.  They got hit again early this week with another massive earthquake isolating villages which already were isolated.  Can only watch and donate money.  Which makes it even stupider that some of the Pats fans are trying to raise money to help Kraft pay the NFL's fine he received.  Perhaps they should consider what is or is not important--helping a gazillionaire pay a fine is not even on the radar of what is important.

I am also very lucky I don't have to take a unworthy boat across the Mediterranean or across whatever body of water is near Malaysia.  Immigrants paying all sorts of money to escape their countries and then getting aboard boats which are either overcrowded or both--topped off by nearly criminal crews who are in it for the money.  My mother got on one of those boats over 100 years ago and got off in NYC.

Kudos and congrats:  to T and T up there in the great white north who have ushered Levi into the world; to P whose most recent book was reviewed in the NY Sunday Times; and to A for her recent promotion. That's a lot of good news, folks.

Ends and Odds:

--Netanyahu continues to call the deal with Iran a "grave danger".  The reality is that the absence of a deal is a graver danger though Benny prefers trying to scare the bejezzus out of us all.  He needs to zip it up.
--The Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, does not believe in climate change so he will not help the cities along the east coast of his state.  Alas and alack, those cities now flood regularly due to rising ocean levels.  This includes St. Augustine, a historically significant city.  Let them get wet.
--The election is way too far away but Hilary came out with a really positive and strong statement on immigration which went even further than any of Obama's statements about the rights of folks who are getting on boats (so to speak) to get here.
--Anyone notice that the unemployment rate is better than it has been in over 8 years.  Hmmmm--but it must have been a button Georgie pushed before he left office.  Obama's handling of the economy cannot be the cause or can it?
--That Zimmerman character (another Floridian) got busted again.  Really, he should have been in jail right after he shot and killed Trayvon.
--Call me a Luddite if you must but I have been listening to lots of Otis and Ray and Smokey and the 4 Tops and anyone from the Motown stable of the 60's and even the Beach Boys.  Oh my, you can call me anything when I listen to that stuff.
--Another story from the great state of Florida.  Two parents were arrested for giving cocaine and grass to their adolescent children if they would attend school and do household chores.  Can someone kick those folks to the curb?
--An urban anecdote.  got on the subway Saturday night at about 10.  The car was full of youngish adolescents (looked to me to be about 14-16) having a good old time with music and plans and flirting and not bothering any of us civilians.  Then bam--a real fistfight broke out between two of the guys.  Broken up quickly by their friends.  But later, we wondered, what if one had a weapon, what if........
--Finally no sports talk but here comes my bit on Mr. Brady.  He knew something goofy was going on. How the Players union allowed the Commissioner to be judge, jury, and executioner in their last negotiations is beyond me. This league, like the NBA and MLB, regularly has players arrested on drug charges, domestic abuse, child abuse, weapons charges, and all sorts of very ugly behavior.  They get two game suspensions.  But woe is you if you besmirch the integrity of the game--4 games.  He got, in the parlance of the game, a personal foul penalty and Goodell was the ref.

Sayonara