Friday, February 7, 2025

Who Will Win Super Bowl LIX? Here's Grok's Prediction

Hard to believe this will be the 59th Super Bowl. I know that a lot of folks don't care, but it's apparent based on the amount of money generated in advertising revenue, sports betting and media coverage that the Super Bowl is a pretty big deal.

For the individuals down on the field, winning has at least two significant perks. First, each player will receive a $171,000 paycheck. Second, and most significantly, each player and coach will receive a Super Bowl ring to show off for the rest of their lives. 

As for the two teams going head-to-head (or helmet-to-helmet) only one will carry hoe the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy.

If I had more time I'd digress here and share memories about the first Super Bowl games I watched on TV. The first two feaured the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. I kept a tally sheet of every play and even recorded the first on my Estey reel-to-reel tape recorded. I was rooting for the Chiefs, but Bart Starr and the Pack nailed their coffins in both of those games. 

The Super Bowl III has been dubbed by some as the greatest upset in NFL history. The New York Jets were 19 point underdogs going into the game. Joe Namath, however, predicted a Jets victory. And his team delivered. The Baltimore Colts, having lost only one game all season, was stymied by the Jets' stubborn defense, scoring only one touchdown near the end of the game.

* * *
And Here's Grok's Prediction for This Weekend's Big Game.

The Kansas City Chiefs are predicted to win Super Bowl LIX, set to take place on February 9, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Here are the reasons based on the latest analyses and expert opinions:

  • Historical Performance: The Chiefs have won back-to-back Super Bowls, showcasing their dominance in recent years. They are aiming to make history by achieving a three-peat, something unprecedented in the Super Bowl era. Their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, has been pivotal in these victories, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in the last game against the San Francisco 49ers. His performance, combined with the strategic coaching of Andy Reid, gives the Chiefs a strong edge.
  • Current Form and Odds: The Chiefs have shown resilience throughout the season, particularly in close games, mastering the art of one-score victories. They finished the regular season with a 15-2 record, and their performance in the playoffs, including defeating the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship, has further solidified their position as favorites. They are slightly favored over the Philadelphia Eagles, with odds reflecting this expectation.
  • Team Composition: Despite some changes, the Chiefs' core remains strong. The return of key players like Travis Kelce and Chris Jones, along with new additions like Xavier Worthy, supports their offensive and defensive strategies. The continuity in coaching and player personnel has been a significant factor in maintaining their competitive edge.
  • Opposition Analysis: The Philadelphia Eagles, while formidable with a strong running game led by Saquon Barkley and a top-scoring defense, face challenges against the Chiefs' dynamic play under Mahomes and the strategic depth of their team. While the Eagles have shown capability in high-pressure games, the Chiefs' recent playoff success and overall team synergy give them the upper hand in predictions.
  • Expert Picks and Public Sentiment: Experts like Bill Bender from Sporting News and posts on X suggest a strong lean towards the Chiefs, often citing their ability to perform under pressure, the strategic advantages they hold, and Mahomes' exceptional playmaking skills.

While these predictions are based on current performance, team dynamics, and expert analysis, the outcome of the Super Bowl can hinge on many factors including game-day performance, injuries, or unexpected tactical plays. However, as of now, the consensus leans heavily towards a Chiefs victory.

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Who do YOU believe will win this contest?

Feel free to go "on record" and leave a comment.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

On This Day In History, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Was Published

Robert Burns tribute, Milwaukee
When I was in high school I vividly remember two John Steinbeck books that we read and studied, One was his masterful and memorable novel Grapes of Wrath, the second was this powerful novella Of Mice and Men.

What I most remember is the insightful manner in which our English teacher Mr Harris drew attention to certain details that Steinbeck purposefully embedded in this tale of the Joad family as they were forced to leave their homeland during the Dust Bowl years of the Great Depression,  (A special shout out to English teachers in general and Mr Harris specifically for his lifelong influence.)

Of Mice and Men is a tightly packed story of two migrant workers. The writing is sensitve, and vivid, the story heartbreaking. Published in 1937 it certified that Steinbeck was the real deal as far as writers go.

The two main characters are George and Lennie. It's themes include the meaning of friendship, isolation and the quest to experience the American Dream, a place of one's own. Like all quest stories there is the dream or objective, and there are the barriers or obstacles to be overcome, The pair are displaced ranch workers striving to escape their fate, George being quick-witted and protective, Lennie being a large, incredibly strong but mentally disable man who needs a friend like Lennie to look after him.

The reality is that there are all kinds of Lennie's in this world. How do we best stand along side of them so they can find a place where they can be free to be themselves? They don't fit in to the business world of success motivation books and seminars. Misfits deserve a place to fit in, too.

The story opens with George and Lennie heading toward another job after things went bad in a previous one. The characters in the new situation have different ideas about life and symbolize the various ways working people approach what they do. There's also the unspoken rules of the various cultures we find ourselves in, with subsequent misunderstandings. In the end we seehow fragile dreams can be in a world that seems indifferent to our struggles.

The title comes from these lines from Robert Burns' poem, To A Mouse

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
          Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
          For promis’d joy!

(Trans: The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.
    And leave us naught but grief and pain, for promised joy.)

Times have changed but the story remains relevant. Though we're living in a different era, human nature hasn't evolved the way technology has. 

* * *

In 2021 I wrote about banned books. To my. surprise Of Mice and Men was banned in dozens of municipalities. You can find out why here: Do You Read Banned Books

Thanks for reading. Did you read this book in high school? Or later?  What was your take?

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

The Cathedral Light Show: Welcome to Super Bowl Week in New Orleans

Checkout these psychedelic, kaleidoscopic images projected onto St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. It's been a nightly extravaganza that will continue through Sunday.


The laser light show splashes across the Cathedral and neighboring buildings including the Cabildo and the Presbetere. Photos courtesy America's photographer Gary Firstenberg.

A kissing booth for Travis and Taylor each time he scores.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy being delivered by
former New Orleans Saints player Deuce McAlester.


Our intrepid photographer.

Check out more of Gary's work at Smugmug
And here are images from last year's Big Game in Vegas.
For more, Google >>Gary Firstenberg Ennyman<<
 
THANK YOU, GARY

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Where does the term Tenderloin District come from and what does it mean?

When our son got married, he and his bride moved to San Francisco, renting a small apartment in what was known as the Tenderloin District. He quickly found work within walking distance at a restaurant called Soluna where one of his sandwich creations became a menu item. 

When Susie and I visited (the following year?) the attraction of big city life was apparent. Everything you need is within walking distance. Big box retailers, eateries, City Lights Bookstore, night life--it was all around you. To the untrained eye it appeared to be thriving. 

This week I was doing research on a section of Duluth called Canal Park. To my surprise, there was also an area here called the Tenderloin District, and it made me curious.

The term originated in New York City. Purportedly, it was an area where police officers could afford to eat tenderloin steak using the bribes they collected from illegal activities there. Brothels, gambling dens and other forms of vice could all be found here. 

When similar characteristics begand to emerge in Frisco, the name was adopted, covering the area from Union Square to Van Ness and Market Sreet to Geary in the north. (While visiting stores on Market Street I watched some junkies across the street shooting up. They dispersed when one of the group noticed me observing.)

Duluth's vice trade was a well-known piece of Northland lore. Grandma's Saloon and Grill was formerly a brothel in this "red light" zone. Canal Park housed our own Tenderloin District. The term "tenderloin" refers to a choice cut of meat, a symbol of the wealth associated with illicit income from vice activities. Figuratively it signifies an area where one can indulge in forms of entertainment on the edge or beyond legal bounds.

One of the streets in Canal Park, called "Whiskey Row," purportedly had 22 saloons and brothels. The Twin Ports (Duluth and Superior) was one of the most active inland ports in the world, hence the preponderance of transient workers and sailors who these facilities catered to. 

For some eye-opening stories about vice and crooked cops, check out Nevada Bob Gordon's 50 Years with the Wrong Woman

Photo: Creative Commons 2.0 -- Flickr

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Gaza: It's Hard To Be Indifferent

King of the beasts in Florence, 2023
I had a traumatic experience when I was eight or ten years old. I was walking out near the woods behind Stafford Elementary School when a scene captured my attention in the bramble at the edge of the woods. Three teens were assaulting a fourth. I'd heard screams and out of curiosity altered my course to get a closer look at what was going on. 

At that time we always differentiated between "the big kids" (teenagers) and "us". The guy lying on his back made eye contact with me and began calling out for help. I was between 50 and 100 feet away, trying to process what I was seeing. The youth on the ground had evidently been stripped because his underwear, pants and shirt had been throw up into the branches of the tree above him. Of the three teens who were standing, two were holding the fourth down, and the leader of the pack appeared to be whipping the captive one on the groin area with a fistful of branches. This last one turned and made eye contact with me, making a direct threat if I said anything.

Over the course of a lifetime I have met several people who witnessed violence and did nothing other than regret later that they either didn't intervene or didn't say anything. It's a hard experience to process. 

* * * * *

The above story came to mind when I think about what is happening in Gaza. Can we really watch this horror and say nothing, do nothing? 

Here is an excerpt from Chris Hedges' substack that was published yesterday: 

Gaza is a wasteland of 50 million tons of rubble and debris. Rats and dogs scavenge amid the ruins and fetid pools of raw sewage. The putrid stench and contamination of decaying corpses rises from beneath the mountains of shattered concrete. There is no clean water. Little food. A severe shortage of medical services and hardly any habitable shelters. Palestinians risk death from unexploded ordnance, left behind after over 15 months of air strikes, artillery barrages, missile strikes and blasts from tank shells, and a variety of toxic substances, including pools of raw sewage and asbestos. 


Hepatitis A, caused by drinking contaminated water, is rampanr as are respiratory ailments, scabies, malnutrition, starvation and the widespread nausea and vomiting caused by eating rancid food. The vulnerable, including infants and the elderly, along with the sick, face a death sentence. Some 1.9 million people have been displaced, amounting to 90 percent of the population. They live in makeshift tents, encamped amid slabs of concrete or the open air. Many have been forced to move over a dozen times. Nine in 10 homes have been destroyed or damaged.   


I find the devastation in Gaza is heartbreaking. Yet, here in the U.S., life goes on, tra-la-la. From the beginning it seems there was nothing any ordinary citizen could do to persuade our government leaders to stop sending bombs.


Apartment blocks where families lived, schools, hospitals, universities and even places of worship have been obliterated. This destruction extends to cemeteries, local shops, and offices, leaving the community without vital structures that support daily life. 


One article I read mentioned the economic toll on Gaza. I couldn't imagine any kind of organized economy in the midst of this rubble. According to Hedges, unemployment is nearing 80% with the gross domestic product plummeting by nearly 85%. Here is an October 2024 report from the International Labor Organization that puts this in perspective.


Then there's the ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Israel has cut off a critical lifeline. This agency, which predicted that clearing the rubble will take 15 years, had been one of the few sources of basic humanitarian supplies, food, and services for the people of Gaza. 


Again, what disturbs many of us is this feeling of helplessness about it all. 


As for the future, what next? It's not going to be a cakewalk. 


* * * * *


Source and stimulus: The Chris Hedges Report

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