Wednesday, June 14, 2023, Delray Beach, Florida


Notes From My Journal

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Pickleball. Where Did It Come From? How Long Will It Stay

The first time I saw a pickleball court was about five or six years ago. Half the size of a tennis court, it was clearly invented for older people. And then, when I saw the game being played, with the plastic ball and fiberglass-covered paddle and the distinctive “pwock” each time the paddle made contact, I thought, “This will never last.”

But it did. Last year, nine million Americans were playing pickleball regularly. That makes the sport almost as popular as running! In fact, the last time I visited Rancho Santana, they were building two pickleball courts, right next to our two tennis courts. Who woulda thunk?

Whatever pleasure these millions of people are finding in playing pickleball, there is a growing number that want to see it gone. Or if not gone, reengineered. The problem is that pwocking sound. It’s louder than the sound from the collision of a tennis racket and ball. It can produce a decibel level of +/- 70 dBA at 100 feet from the court. (Compared to tennis at 40 dBA.)

And that’s upset a lot of people… particularly those that live in one of the 10,000 communities that have pickleball courts.

Read this to find out what one engineer is doing about that, and how his work has created another industry.

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Fun and/or Interesting

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No matter what you think of the PGA/LIV merger… 

If you like golf, the following might amuse or edify you. PW, a Myrtle Beach friend, sent it. (I think he did the research himself.) Other than seeing my high school buddies once a year in Myrtle Beach, my interest in golf is about the same as my interest in pickleball. Thus, I read this with the expectation of being bored silly. But I found some of the facts quite interesting. So, if you like golf, you may find it fascinating!

Click here.

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News & Views

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Is it Just Me, or Is the Cold War Getting Warmer? 

Am I the only one that fears the US is getting closer to a nuclear war with Russia? Or could it be that everyone else in America believes that a nuclear war is one that we can survive? Or even win?

In some circles, it feels like Americans are looking forward to more hostility. Meanwhile, it seems like every week there is some disturbing new event or announcement that moves us closer to direct conflict.

For example, just last week I read that US intelligence believes that Iran is sending Russia materials to build a drone manufacturing facility east of Moscow, which could be fully operational by next year. They believe the facility will likely be used to build drones for Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Also: Vladimir Putin announced on television last week that Russia will be deploying nuclear weapons to Belarus in July. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, neighbors Ukraine to the north. (They  share a 700-mile border.) Russian forces have used Belarus as a staging ground since the beginning of the war.

 

A 400-Year Prison Sentence for What? 

This exoneration story is outrageous in at least three important ways:

  1. Other than a dubious witness identification (notoriously unreliable), there was no evidence connecting this man to the robbery he was accused of committing, and good evidence that he was not even at the scene of the crime.
  2. Even if he was the getaway driver for a robbery, how could he have received a 400-year prison sentence for that?
  3. In this case, it wasn’t the Innocence Project (which I’ve written about many times) that proved the innocence of the accused, but a conviction review office of the state attorney’s office. That, in my experience of reading about false convictions, is very, very rare.

Read the story here.

 

More ABCs on EVs 

There’s a big investment play on this verboten fact. Click here.

 

Are “Karens” a thing of the past? 

Judge for yourself. Click here.

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Worth Reading

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From the Smithsonian – a New Book: My Friend Anne Frank 

Hannah Pick-Goslar, who died last year, was a childhood friend of Anne Frank. In 2021, she partnered with Dina Kraft, to write an autobiography of her life as a child in Germany and then in Amsterdam, where she met Anne Frank. The book was half-finished when Pick-Goslar died, and Kraft finished it. It was published last week.

Click here.

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Arts & Letters

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“Things Worth Remembering: T.S. Eliot and the Passage of Time”

In a recent Sunday column for The Free Press, Douglas Murray shared a literary gem he has memorized and the story of how it shaped his life.

Click here.

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Worth Considering

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The COVID Response: What We Got Wrong

Moderna and Its Investors Made Billions Selling a Fake Vaccine 

I’ve been critical of our government’s handling of the COVID epidemic since the beginning. And I think every criticism I had in year one was validated when the facts came in.

I was reluctant to criticize the vaccines, but I was reading a lot of smart people (and talking to some, too) that were very critical of them from the start. And as it turned out, they did not do what Fauci and the government health establishment said they would do. They did not give us immunity from catching COVID. Nor did they keep us from spreading it.

As for the claim that they lessened the symptoms, I am doubtful. There is no scientifically valid way of determining whether or not it was true. And we know that even before the vaccines, the symptoms ranged from mild to terrible.

In looking at the research and the arguments that drew from them, I often encountered accusations from critics that the entire overreaction to COVID by the government and the media was purposeful and planned by the drug companies that made the vaccines and supported by their advertising. (Which paid for lots of commercials and research subsidies.)

So, now I’m starting to think that, yes, this huge overreaction could have been the work of Big Pharma – which, by the way, made billions from it.

Here’s one little piece on this.

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Introducing...

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John Mulaney

He’s a stand-up comic. And very smart. He has a unique style, a unique way of telling stories, and a unique imagination. Plus, he wears a suit.

Click here to enjoy a collection of some of his bits.

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Readers Write

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Re my observations about Richmond, VA, in the June 9 issue… 

“Richmond is one of our favorite cities! Things we love about it are the people, the river, the wonderful world-class art museum (of course), central location (between DC, the mountains, and the beach), four seasons (but a mild winter), the natural beauty, and that it’s just big enough to have real city stuff, but not so big that it has big city congestion and other problems.” – DD

 

“I am a 3rd generation Richmonder and lived there for many years…. I have always found race relations to be cordial for the most part, barring the occasional Radical from out of town stopping by to stir things up. As for the ‘Southern Hospitality’ you experienced, I think you will find it throughout the South. I always do. But then again, I am a native of Richmond and may be carrying it around with me!

“I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip to Richmond! Y’all come back now, ya hear!” – KM

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