Random Notes from a Crank

There's an extensive article in The New York Times about carbon-capture technologies that are being backed my large conglomerates. It's titled, "Can We Engineer Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?"

The short answer is No. But you can mash the link and read for the various opinions on these ventures. 

Here's a noteworthy statement about these moves: 

“This is a new wave of denial, deception and delay,” said Lili Fuhr, director of the fossil economy program at the Center for International Environmental Law. “You have the fossil fuel industry trying to say we can engineer our way out of this without any major changes to business as usual.”

I discovered that Hulu now has the MLB Network. I'm watching baseball like a drunk on a bender since I haven't had the network since we switched from DirectTV many years ago. 

Of course, I still can't get Marquee Network to watch the Cubs because of Ricketts working with the evil Sinclair Broadcast Group to create the Marquee Network. If I ever switch allegiances to a National League ball club, it'll probably be the Brewers. They were one of my favorite AL ball clubs back when they were in the American League.

Or I guess I could just more closely follow AL teams I like: the Royals and the Twins.

It's hard to switch from the Cubs for me though because I've been so emotionally and intellectually attached to them for so long.

Being a Cubs fan brings with a certain mindset, what one might consider a positive fatalism. You have hope, but you're realistic. The mindset fits with me being a highly skeptical agnostic.

Based on this article in The Washington Post, "Cancun, Cabo, or Puerto Vallarta: Which Mexico Resort Is Best for You," if we go to Mexico again, I'm thinking Vallarta is place to be.

Random Notes from a Crank

I featured a Mother Jones article in my recent Stay Positive post, but here's another one that takes a somewhat deep dive into comparing Trump's impeachment to drunk-ass, racist, corrupt Andrew Johnson: "Trump's Not Richard Nixon. He's Andrew Johnson: Betrayal, Paranoia, Cowardice. We've Been Here Before." 

Via Forbes, those crazy leftists at Goldman Sachs say "A National Mask Mandate Could Save the U.S. Economy $1 Trillion." 

In Biden's address today, he intimated similar points, but he focused more on caring about one another and protecting each other. What a concept.  

Currently Americans are banned from traveling to the European Union. 

Before this whole thing hit, we had planned on traveling to Mexico during the week of Thanksgiving for a family vacation. I don't think that'll be happening. 

Random Notes from a Crank

When Mrs. Nasty and I were in Cancun, we ventured out of the hotel premises and checked out the Mayan ruins of Tulum. When compared to Chichen Itza, one of the largest Mayan sites in the middle of the jungle, Tulum is a much smaller site, but it certainly was interesting. After our tour, we ventured back to the shopping and eating area outside the site, and in that area, there's a Quiznos, a Subway, and a Starbucks. If you know anything about Tulum, it's the ruins of a city during the last gasps of the Mayan civilization after they had used up the environment around them and finally crafted a smaller city by the coast. For all the deep thinkers out there, you can ponder about mass-market chains being close to the last vestiges of a dead civilization and what that all means. 

Mrs. Nasty and I were also talking about how we need to go on some family vacations starting next summer. With my daughter's annual dance competition, we go to some manner of resort during the summer, but we want to start seeing some sites. Here are some early ideas for future summer travels:

• Washington D.C./Virginia area (Mount Vernon, Monticello, Revolutionary War and Civil War sites
• Great Smoky Mountains
• Lake of the Ozarks
• Redwood National and State Parks
• Seattle
• Kansas City 

My son's baseball practices started yesterday. I'm working as an assistant coach again. Once again I'm living vicariously through my kids. 

My poor Cubs have lost two games in a row to the damn Cardinals. I hate the Cardinals.

I've thought of supporting a St. Louis ball club though because I've contemplated purchasing a St. Louis Browns hat. "First in Shoes. First in Booze. And Last in the American League." 

That cap would complement my Baltimore Orioles hat I have because that's what the St. Louis Browns became.