Look What They've Done To My ... Why I Love To Blog -- October 30, 2016

World Series Vs Sunday Night Football

Cleveland could close it out tonight and then on NBC it's NDSU's Carson Wentz for the Philadelphia Eagles vs the Dallas Cowboys.

So which game do I watch (both, lots of "back and forth" on the remote)? Who do I root for in the football game, Carson Wentz or Dallas Cowboys?

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For the World Series, I'm neutral. Although I would like to see it go another game. 1 - 0, top of the 4th. Wow, wow, wow. Chicago has come alive. Bases loaded, bottom of the 4th with one out; and Cubs lead 2 - 1. How can I go ever switch back to see Dallas? Chicago still hanging on, 3 - 2, top of the 7th. Without question, this is what makes America great -- the 7th Inning Stretch -- and the singing -- wow -- did "they" do it right tonight. Tears in my eyes. I'm thinking of the guys in Afghanistan / Iraq who are watching this game tonight/their morning -- and really knowing the important things in life. Regardless how it goes, Chicago folks can be proud of their team tonight -- and their city. And the crowd goes wild. Chicago wins. On to game 6. Wow. Fans going wild.

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With regard to the NFL, it's a no-brainer: the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys started strong, but now looking sluggish, behind 13 - 10, and Eagles look ready to score again. In that fake punt, in which Dallas Cowboys punter ran about 40 years, Jerry Jones (owner of the Cowboys) looked genuinely happy. Good for  him. Cowboys now playing like they don't to lose; late in the third, Dallas behind 20 - 10.  Somehow got to a tie game. In overtime. Wow, wow, wow: Witten wide open; defenders collided into each other; Witten runs to far side of end zone -- on the TV screen, these is absolutely no one in the area. Dallas QB himself needed to scramble; the result was that the "delay" gave Witten extra seconds to go to the far left, and at same time, defenders run into each other, taking them out of the play. I was sure the Cowboys were going to lose this game early in the third quarter and thought this was going to be quite a feather in Carson's hat to have taken on and defeated the Cowboys. Tony Romo must be getting really, really eager to jump back in.

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Update On GE - BHI

Link here to The Wall Street Journal. New entity would be publicly traded, GE controlled. $30 billion deal. Could create a company with $25 billion in revenue.

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The Sweet Spot

For several months now I have opined a number of times on the blog that for the US, the sweet spot for the price of oil is $46 to $52 or something like that, maybe $48 to $56, somewhere in there.

So, now, this evening over at CNBC, "why an analyst thinks we've just entered the 'sweet spot' for oil prices."

I haven't read the article. So, now I can read it. And not much there, except this:

"There's probably a sweet spot between $50 and $55, but I think we're setting ourselves up for some sort of a disappointment at the OPEC meeting," explained Tom Kloza on CNBC. "I think the language is probably going to be thoroughly bullish. They'll pay lip service to some sort of a freeze."

$50 to $55 is certainly not going to help Saudi Arabia much. So, we'll see.

Look What They've Done To My Song, Melanie Safka

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A Note to the Grandchildren

I've never understood the "importance" or the "significance" of the title of one of Shakespeare's comedies, A Midsummer's Night's Dream, until tonight, while reading Gerhard Herm's The Celts. There are many definitions of the seasons.

At the time of the Celts, May 1 -- the first day of May -- was the day they took the cattle up to the mountain meadows -- it was the first day of summer. The midsummer was the solstice -- June 22, or thereabouts. From wiki:

The Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr St John the Baptist, and the observance of St John's Day begins the evening before, known as St John's Eve. These are commemorated by many Christian denominations. 

In Sweden the Midsummer is such an important festivity that there have been serious discussions to make the Midsummer's Eve into the National Day of Sweden, instead of June 6. It may also be referred to as St. Hans Day.

Apparently in the 16th century, in England, midsummer was an incredibly important day, important enough that Shakespeare titled a play after the date. 

While stationed overseas, I remember well the days we went up in to the Alps, saw the little "chalets" and the importance of taking the cattle up to the mountain meadows for the summer.

"Alp" is a Celtic word: it gave the mountain range its name, but it also refers to the mountain meadows to which the cattle were taken.