Not that I needed the reinforcement of how evil people are, but right now I am taking a class on genocide. I cannot tell you how draining mentally this class is. Each week there is a new book of 300-400 pages to read on a different genocide or multiple genocides. Some are the well known ones that took place in the 1930’s under Stalin’s rule. Those were horrific enough. Then of course you have the Nazis and the genocides they undertook. The one that will stick with me though is the colonial German army in Southwest Africa (SWA) and the genocides of two different peoples in the Herero and Nama. As a Christian I think of the absence any ethics or morals displayed by General Lothar von Trotha against these two people in particular. His goal with them was racial annihilation and eradication. Now we’d just simply term it a genocidal action. Chasing them into the Omaheke Desert and leaving them there to die knowing there was no oasis for them. The Nama were heavily dependent upon milk as a people and they were deprived of that by the Germans in charge. Not all, but enough looked at these two groups of people in Africa as being below Europeans. It led to wholesale slaughter in what is now modern day Namibia. The Germans and their lack of humanity did not start with Hitler. They were they way they were 60 years before Hitler took power and this early 20th century extermination attempt was on brand for how they operated as a military. Just some real unpleasant stuff. Their populations were decimated between 1904-1908. The Herero lost an estimated 80 percent of their total population while the Nama lost 50 percent. That is an incredible loss of people to both of those cultures. This class has been a mentally exhausting one that even the professor says is “onerous” and difficult to make it through because of the subject matter. It just leaves me as a Christian and human being thinking how do human beings do this to others on a basis of race, skin color, religion? It really leaves me asking some deeply philosophical questions about humanity or the lack thereof. Now we’d have some of these same maniacs in positions of power here and abroad that would love to do such things all over again. I never get mad at or fault anyone that questions where God is at or if they just don’t believe in anything at all. People can just be outright horrible to one another just because they can be and no one stops them.
It would be horrific to know the true number. There are plenty of women out there 18 and above, but no there are guys who still want to go after those under that age because, well, they’re pedophiles just like the president is. “He likes ‘em young just like we do!”
He’s been coaching for too long. If you are at the point he is where you say things like that to a reporter it’s probably time to retire. He won’t, but he should.
BYU with more window dressing at the end to make a non-competitive game against a good team look closer than it was. Still yet to beat a quality opponent (Nova and Clemson are decidedly not that) and the only chance they have to do it is now to beat a Tech team at home at the end of the regular season with no Toppin. I’ll take Tech to win that game short-handed. They are a 10 seed and should be done by the first weekend at the latest. Also that really sucks for Tech to lose Toppin like that. Leaves four teams now capable of a deep run in the tournament from the Big XII.
I met a couple a couple of weeks ago out here celebrating their 40th anniversary. Just two really laid back nice folks. They’re originally from Ohio, but live in Florida. They both looked younger than their ages, but they were just so kind-hearted. They visited where I work three times and they tipped well above what most people do. I told them on the 3rd time I saw them to please not tip me and just use that money to do something kind for someone here before you go back home to Florida tomorrow. They still tipped anyhow, but I gave each of them something I had bought for them to thank the for being so kind. I talked to them for a bit each day and the last day I had the most time. I told the what I’m doing with my life and that occasionally I like to add folks to my Instagram to keep up with them and vice versa. We did that, but when the woman got up to leave she says “I come from a big Italian family and you have treated us like we are family. Is it okay if I give you a hug because it’s what we do in our family?” I told her sure that’s cool. She sent me a message later thanking me again, but I think they helped me more with their kindness than I did them. There are some good folks left in this country and it’s nice to be able to cross paths with them when we can.
Watch the 8th best coach in the Hurley family get another contract extension for this win. Haven’t watched them play a single game this year. Just send Hurley on his way and get someone interested in attempting to win a few games and maybe occasional appearances and a win or two in March.
Really nice win for Iowa State. The top five in the Big 12 are as good as any other conference, if not better. 6-16 are all either average, overrated or flat out dumpster fires, but those top 5 could all go on a final four run.
I’m cool with whatever Mamdani tries in NYC. He was elected to attempt to remake the city and have it be a place where people can both enjoy their life and not have to work two or three jobs just to break even. These are noble goals. I hope he succeeds. Not every idea will work out and not everything he proposes to do will actually get done, but it’s clear that NYC needs to change. Also I am equally tired of the word socialism being a word used as a scare tactic. European socialism is good for the most part and America needs to at some point understand that the tenets of socialism are good. Might not fully happen in our lifetime, but one can hope it does so that future generations will be less selfish and more about helping out collective society.
I saw it right around when it was first released because I like to see the animated movies sometimes. I enjoyed it and I think it’s cool to never completely forget what it’s like to enjoy movies like this as an adult.