Isaiah "Elite Buckets" Rhodes - Nov 24th NBA Podcast

Isaiah Rhodes, of Elite Buckets and I discuss the Derrick Rose media storm, the idea of Who is Next? with regard to the post LeBron era - with a smattering of classic sports knowledge and philosophy. Regular people, regular talk - all GOOD.

Sports Podcast with Isaiah "Elite Buckets" Rhodes

In our first podcast, Isaiah and I discuss NBA drafting practices of late, coaching and philosophy.
Isaiah's "Elite Buckets" wordpress site:  https://elitebuckets.wordpress.com

Calling The Shots - Earl Strom - Book Review

One of the unspoken secrets in the sports book world is that the referee / umpire books are usually really good.  My own theory, for which I have no basis other than the books themselves, is that the arbiters of the game weren't coddled since childhood and thusly have to actually learn English and communication skills.  Earl Strom's book Calling the Shots, My Five Decades in the NBA, is one of those hidden gems that has flown under the radar for 25 years.

Earl Strom, while he was active, was seen as the best referee in the NBA.  He was seen by players and coaches as the referee who would make the right call, no matter the venue.  This gave him the reputation as an 'away' ref because he wouldn't cop out at the end of games and make the hometown call.

Calling the Shots give the reader a history lesson of the NBA that is unparalleled in its uniqueness.  Hearing about the St. Louis Hawks and the Buffalo Braves and the Syracuse Nats - what their fans were like and what the arenas were like - is something that you'll not find through modern channels.  Strom gives you a walk through of the early days of the league, through the supernova growth of the 80's.  Listening to the referee's perspective is different enough, but Strom, who called his first NBA game in 1957, lets you visualize how different and third rate the early basketball was.  The arenas were small and smoky, the fans were on top of the players and refs, fights were everywhere, and you never knew what would happen on any given night.  There was no glitz, no agents, no marketing to speak of, and little money for anyone.

Strom took a detour in the ABA (American Basketball Association) in the 1970's.  The red white and blue ball league was the wild west, but it also birthed Moses Malone, George Gervin and Julius Erving.  Strom was there.  He saw all of these guys play up close.  Because he was a chatty fellow, his dialogues with these people are were numerous and worth preserving.  Strom, who was all about honesty and making the correct call, was almost driven out of the NBA when he came back from the ABA and its dollars.  Because he was rabidly independent, and constantly spoke his mind about the game and the state of refereeing, he made enemies in the NBA and ref hierarchy.  It is these same qualities that make this book worthwhile, even after all of these years.  Strom ends the book with ways to improve the game and the refereeing systems.  Even after 25 years, they still ring true.  Perhaps the oddball loudmouth - which some would say is a kind way to describe Strom, should've been listened to back then because his reforms would work today.  This is a high level sports book, devoid of jargon and cliche.

Sports - G. Stanton $325million and D. Rose at 50

Derrick Rose injures his hamstring and sits out.  This is not a big deal.  He is coming off of two wasted seasons due to knee injuries, and being cautious makes sense.  What he said about it doesn't make sense: "I know a lot of people get mad when they see me sit out or whatever,”Rose said Tuesday. “But I think a lot of people don’t understand that … when I sit out it’s not because of this year.

“I’m thinking about long term. I’m thinking about after I’m done with basketball. Having graduations to go to, having meetings to go to, I don’t want to be in my meetings all sore or be at my son’s graduation all sore just because of something I did in the past. [I’m] just learning and being smart.”

There's more - he clarified his comments: “I was just worrying about myself. “Just worrying about my future, like every player in the league does. I probably just think different. It’s only my seventh year, but I think further on into my career, further on into my life. Just trying to plan things out. I think people took it out of context. It is what it is, but I was being myself, and that’s all I can be.”

These are the comments I discuss below.  They are unforgivable. It isn't just that Rose makes $18 million a year.  That's fine.  Unlike many, I respect his ability to get paid for his dedication and talent, and the market will pay that.  But what about the fan who takes his son to the game to see him play?  Why does that guy always seem to lose in these equations?

Perhaps Grantland has jumped the shark. Here's a distressing bit of apologia: "This is where it gets complicated, though. Even if the reactions to Hinkie (Sixers GM) and Rose are predictable, can you really blame either one of them? If two years of rehabbing triggered some fear of a forever-injured future, I can’t get that upset with Rose for doing his best to avoid it. His explanations are clumsy and tone-deaf, but he’s not even hurting the Bulls’ title chances. Resting now is smart, because having him available and comfortable five months from now is more important. As Joakim Noah said after Thursday’s game, everyone needs to chill the **** out."

"Complicated" is code for "journalist who wants to be 'down' and so he'll never criticize a player."  How can you translate Rose's comments (and Noah's for that matter -- uuuggghh) for anything except what they are - the comments of stars who care little for the average fan.  I understand them however.  No matter what they say or do, the fans keep coming.  The only recourse the fan has is to stop paying huge money to attend or pay for pro sports on TV.  Mike Francesa is the only major host to reiterate this point, and he's right.  Therefore, said behavior will continue.

Medical Questions

The Ebola! Crisis has sent the independent media and free thinking community into high gear.  The CDC and other governmental agencies have been pushed into the forefront.  Possibly the best thing one can say about the CDC is that it is incompetent.  The alliance between the MSM and the CDC is particularly nauseous - as seen here.  What eventually happens among people who connect dots and recognize patters (a distressingly small percentage unfortunately) is that the focus then goes on to the governmental agencies tasked with keeping Americans safe.

Lately the vaccine debate has heated up again because of the health news in the forefront.  I used to believe all the standard boilerplate information on vaccines.  I had heard of the anti-vaccination group and their arguments, but I never took them seriously.  Those days are over.  Brian Hooker, a PhD holding biochemist, with skin in the game (his son has Autism), Dr. William Thompson, who works for the CDC, and a few others have come out saying that the CDC has doctored the data with regard to vaccines and bad health effects that are, statistically, caused by them.  I am at the stage where I am taking seriously the arguments put forth by these people.  They have a case.

For example:

• There are 25 micrograms of mercury in flu shot for women.  Proportionally those women should weigh 500 pounds.  A mercury free shot has been untested, and you are turning yourself into a guinea pig.
• There  has been a link found that directly links the MMR vaccine to autism in young black males.
• There are over 150 medically peer reviewed papers recounting the dangers of Thimerosal.  There are 14 that say it is safe.
• Remember during the WBush administration how people were ANGRY about the revolving door between corporations and government agencies?  Julie Gerberding was the head of the CDC.  Do you know what she does now?  She’s the head of the Vaccines division of Merck.
• The type of rhetoric used to attack the people who simply question the established narrative with regard to the CDC and vaccines is a dead giveaway.  Hooker has consistently asked that his work get looked over, and then debated.  No.  He is called a member of the "Mercury Militia", an "Anti Vaxxer" and other ad hominem attacks.  This is an automatic sign that an establishment faction is hiding something or angry or afraid.  

For more information that you won't find on the Establishment Grid:
http://www.redicecreations.com/radio/2014/11/RIR-141110.php

For the whistleblower from the CDC:

Ebola - part 2 - an update

You may have noticed, if you're a free thinking person, that the EBOLA CRISIS! is subsiding somewhat.  It was front page news, commandeering all of the Mainstream Corporate Media for a good 3 months or so.  It was getting to the point that for a while there, even someone like me was starting to wonder if there was anything to the story.  It turns out that my initial suspicions were correct.  EBOLA has gone the way of SARS, Swine Flu, Avian Bird Flu, Anthrax and whichever other "medical crisis that shall not go to waste" I've forgotten.

My buddy in Harlem, a conspiracy theorist from the old school, put me on to Michael Rappaport's explanation of the Ebola crisis.  I (and possibly you too by now) understand the idea to always keep the Herd nervous.  Fear is a great way to control the masses.  This is old news.  But what Rappaport is able to do, better than anyone else I've heard, is explain who wins.  There is always a faction that wins out, that makes money, that gets legislation placed in its favor.  The CDC is the tip of the iceberg, and Rappaport is able to pinpoint the rationale behind the Medical Elite and the Social Control aspect.  His explanations are very good.

Listen to him here on Red Ice Radio - the outfit that got banned from iTunes for telling too much truth. “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.”- Voltaire

 

Why I don't, won't, and didn't - vote

There are real reasons not to vote.
Philosophically, I don't believe that government is anything but force.  It is someone's opinion with a gun or a jail cell waiting for you if you don't comply.  You can sugar coat it any way you wish, but nothing can refute that fact.  If you refuse to follow government laws, you go to jail or get fined.  There are no exceptions, and no matter how noble the intent of the law, if the end game is a fine or a cell for you - that is force.
Practically, what are you voting for?  A person in a suit who will make laws for you to follow?  They're just people - no different from you or me.  Why do they get make the laws, but not follow them?  Please don't be naive - you know what I'm talking about.  Enough is enough - and how many laws are enough?  Do you know that you can't buy a car in Minnesota on Sundays?  That you need a license in many states to arrange flowers?  In NY you need a license to braid hair.  Really?  This is what you want for your children - someone dictating the rules for your existence, economic and otherwise?  Stop believing the 5th grade Civics Class platitudes - we're older now.
The parties?  Please explain the difference between the two.  Start with some tangible difference between the two administrations that were supposedly the polar opposites - the WBush administration and the Obama administration.  10 points per point.  Any takers?  I didn't think so.

School Options

Here is a short talk about WHY people are opting out of schools, particularly the bad ones. WHERE some of them go and WHAT they choose to study and HOW they study it.

Sites:

The Ron Paul Curriculum

Robinson Curriculum

Khan Academy

code.org