I FEEL LIKE CHICKEN LITTLE

I think Chicken Little was the character from my childhood who always thought the sky was falling.  And even if it was not Chicken Little, it was some dumb character that I feel like right this very minute. As if Nice was not enough, we now have the attempted coup in Turkey.  Now a wise person once told me that the Turkish military was one of the most democratic sectors of that government.   The generals were all apparently trained here and believe, more than the politicians, in a democratic state.  Meanwhile, over the last year, the politicians leading the country (especially Erdogan) have taken a turn into the land of right wing repression. And this from a country which is part of NATO, which wants to be part of the EU, and which is our strongest ally in the area. Internationally, all of this came on the heels of terror attacks in Bangladesh and Iraq. I worry.

Domestically, we have witnessed the killings by police of African American men in Louisiana and Minnesota and the murder of Dallas policemen.  It frequently feels as if things are out of control both here and abroad.
It seems as if both institutionally (i.e. the military/police) and intra-personally (i.e. we the people), there is a belief that the only recourse is violence.  That violence gets fueled by easy access to weapons and mixes with fear of "the other" to deliver a volatile brew. This is not a safe country if you are a young person of color or if you are a cop. I worry.

Items of Note:
--All of the above plays right into the messages of the candidate whose name will not be mentioned.  People want simple answers and he is giving it to them like a good demagogue.  Hilary is way too nuanced and way too complicated for these folks.
--Yet, Nate the Great still believes she wins even though she has slipped after the DOJ investigation and in advance of the Republican convention.
--It took Bernie long enough before he got off his fat ass and endorsed Hilary.  As if he had some other better choice.  Now he just better get moving and motivate all his followers to get off their asses and vote for her.
--Ruthie, my most beloved Supreme, really needs to shut up and be a Justice.  And Mr. Bill needs to stop meeting people on airport tarmacs.  Both of these stupid "foot in the mouth" events play right into that guy whose name won't be mentioned and his already paranoid supporters.
--Saw the Yo Yo Ma documentary about his work as a member of the Silk Road Ensemble.  In the context of all this violence, it was especially reassuring to see these eclectic musicians (who first of all are superb at their craft) playing together in so many different locales--including refugee camps.  And who knew that Yo Yo is virtually a stand up comedian.
--Another great BBC detective show with a leading woman. "Marcella" is more tense than the "Americans" and the lead (Anna Friel) is just terrific.
--Spent a wonderful day in Newport with friends one of whom is a friend from kindergarten.  Very, very comforting.
--You wont have me to kick around until the fall.  Have a great summer.

SPORTS TALK
Brady's case is done and who knows what it means for the Pats.  This is what it means for other fans--Confirmation that the Pats cheat and an opportunity to hate the Pats and Brady some more. Claude Julien is still the Bruins coach and they seem to be bringing in some younger more skilled and less defensive minded players.  Let's see how Claude ruins their careers.  Serena Williams, a la Lebron, is so dominant when she is on that it is almost unfair.  Finally, my suggestion to Brian Cashman:  time to deal and get younger.  Eat some contracts if anyone will take Texeira or even ARod because the Yanks are going nowhere.

Adios

NATE'S BACK AND I'M GLAD HE IS

That would be Nate Silver--he of the 538 blog/website; he whose father was Jewish but not his mother so despite the misleading name, he is not a member of my tribe; he who is "owned by ESPN"; he who nailed the 2012 presidential election getting every state; and, finally, he who got every Senate seat accurately in 2012 except for N. Dakota.  But who ever gets anything right about North Dakota and now that oil and coal prices are depressed, their boom town mentality and resurgence is about to go sideways.  So, right out of the gate, Nate says Hilary has an 80% chance of winning.  He just warms my heart that boy.  But I will not get complacent--I will fight on with words, money, and perhaps some work for Hilary.  Moving on....

--Congrats to ML for the publication of her second novel--a coming of age story set in Philadelphia.
--McCain "misspoke" when he said Obama was responsible for Orlando.  He may be a hero (and he is) but God almighty, blame is cheap.  Thoughtful interactions cost plenty and none of the Republicans pay that price.
--Passing by the Boston Police station after the murders in Orlando, I noticed that they put up, at half mast, the LGBT flag.  What a message even if the violence against the LGBT community is not changed an iota.  A message is sent to the LGBT community in Boston, and God forbid, to members of the force who may be gay or transgendered.  I kinda felt, you know, a bit proud.  BTW, our mayor who has seen two of his staff indicted this week, has been terrific about LGBT issues.
--And even after Orlando, our fine U.S  Senate could not see fit to pass the remotest and most minimal gun control legislation.  So it is quite fine with the NRA for people to own automatic rifles--for no purpose what so ever and don,t even tell me about hunting.
--This is quite ugly and even awkward but bear with me.  The German National soccer team coach was seen on video doing the following:  sticking his hands down the front of his pants and then SMELLING THEM.  Not bad enough?  Then shown sticking his hand down the back of his pants ( I mean way down)  and then SMELLING THEM.  Gross stuff but they keep winning.
--You may want to keep Obama's latest nominee to the Supremes off the court but, come on, how many 4-4 votes can you tolerate.  Speaking of which, they decided 3 cases from Texas (which I am beginning to think is starting to become the worst member of the Confederacy and perhaps the one with the most lawyers with nothing better to do). The court tossed out its restrictive abortion law, supported the used of race in an affirmative action case from UT; and let stand an immigration case which limited Obama's executive right to make certain decisions.  Except for a close relative, that state is so fucked.
--And how could I end this without the following from a Globe headline:  "Firefighters rescue donkey stuck in hole".  Really I could not make this shit up.

SPORTS TALK
--So, Iceland has a total population of about 330,000--fully 10% of them went to France for the Euro soccer championship.  In their last game 98% of the population remaining watched the game on tv.  You go, boys.  Or national soccer team just plain sucks--we need a do over in terms of who is on the team. I just hope Ainge has a big signing in his back pocket--the media and the fans are really all over him.  Truly, he could fully man two NBA teams when you combine his recent draft picks with his existing roster.  The following are the averages more or less for the 3, 4, and 5 hitters in the Yankees line up:  .220, .230, .190.  I cannot even write their names.  But in the rare instances when they have a lead, their bull pen is lights out.

Adios