How Many Ways Can You Say Fraud? And Ageless or Airbrushed Super-Models of Lore

The Schloss-Blog is reading all about the ridiculous number of ways Trump has claimed fraud or inaccurate vote counts, tabulation machines tampered with and outright cheating.

It's a lot.

Plus, we have a take on "aging" super-models: are they aging, or, as the NY Times asks, airbrushed?

***

Before we get to Trump, couldn't help but notice Carli Lloyd's critical commentary on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, which got disappointingly bounced early from the Women's World Cup.

The former international player of the year and Olympic and World Cup champ with the United States National Team was critically insightful on the team after it scored just 4 goals in 4 games and got bounced from the tournament.

Among her criticisms, The Athletic reported, were, "The team was disjointed, was not a unit, and the coaching was not what this team needed." She didn't stop there, but enough said about her feelings, which she expressed on the Fox Sports telecasts.

She took some heat for it on Twitter - uh, X - but never backed down.

So, is her job as a TV analyst for the home-team broadcast to be a cheerleader for the tournament favorites or to call them out for their shortcomings?

You tell me.

***

According to the NY Times, Trump has repeatedly mischaracterized the voting and counting process thereof, made false claims about verifications, put out baseless charges about fraud and fallen back on any number of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

He also tried to illicitly reverse the legitimate election results and overthrow his own government, which was validating it.

Any wonder he's been indicted 4 times now?

***

The local authorities were upset that the Marion County (Kansas) Record was going to report something they didn't like.

So they arrived with a warrant and took everything, including at the home of the paper's 98-year-old founder, who subsequently passed away, possibly from the stress.

The authorities wound up returning everything when their misguided effort was publicized and a local prosecutor said it wasn't kosher.

And the entire journalism community came and stood at the shoulder of the paper. And rightly so.

***

Ageless? Or Airbrushed?

These gorgeous super-models of '90s fame came together and recreated a vintage Vogue cover  for which they all had posed so long ago.

So, the NY Times asks, are they ageless? Or airbrushed?

Check out their picture and you tell me.

***

Quick takes:

• Harrison Ford, who, as Indiana Jones, declared that he hates snakes, had one named for him. Kate Winslett, by the way, had that honor bestowed on a beetle.
• In a survey, only 37% of respondents said they have faith in Joe Biden's handling of the economy, which is thriving. Huh?
• Anthony Richardson, a first-round draft pick rookie, will start at quarterback in week one for Indianapolis. Let's see, risky? Ask Andrew Luck. Or Peyton Manning.
• Trump's legal faults prevent him from holding office, let alone run for it, says the Constitution's 14th Amendment and Professors William Baude (U of Chicago) and Michael Stokes Paulsen (University of St. Thomas). Maybe we'll see what the Supreme Court says, huh?
• You've heard about all the water shortages plaguing the American Southwest. So how come, Axios reports, water usage in the greater Phoenix area is down from ... wait for it ... 1957?

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you Mrs. Robinson.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.

Buying a Car, Trading With Mexico and No More Erros in Baseball - Wow!

The Schloss-Blog is noting some trends - car buyers are paying more for their cars; the United States is trading more with Mexico and baseball is seeing its fewest errors ever. So far.

What else could go wrong? Or has it?

***

Inflation may have cooled but car payments apparently have not.

Not everywhere.

In Texas, the Houston Chronicle reports, car buyers are financing their purchases at an average monthly payment of more than $1,000.

One. Thousand.

Only Wyoming, according to the report, ranks at that level for new-car buyers.

What's going on?

It's a combination of post-COVID prices being high, demand for new cars being up as we continue to be in a post-pandemic world, and interest rates being as high as they are in the wake of the Fed raising them to mitigate against inflation.

Why in Wyoming and Texas?

Other than those states are overrun with baskets of deplorables, who knows? OK, that wasn't fair.

Yes, it was.

***

It's true, Mexico has taken the lead.

No, not as the leading source of migrants at the border.

As the leading country with which the United States trades, surpassing ... China!

What's going on? Why should it matter to you?

(Full disclosure - basic tenet of teaching journalism for 23 years, as I did at the college level: tell people why it matters to them.)

So, it all started with Trump (who else and why isn't he on trial for this?). When he commenced his famous tariff war with China, things started to sour between us and them. Today, we impose more than a 19% tariff on Chinese goods while they impose, in retaliation, more than a 21% tariff on us.

This is not good. It's so not good that the Biden administration left it in place. Hmm...

Anyway, one shot-down balloon and a lot of nasty words later, Mexico has ascended to the top spot.

It's easier to trade with Mexico. No tariff restrictions. Easy proximity. And even most illegal drugs come through the main portals anyway (not through the wall that Trump never built and Mexico never paid for not building).

Of course, if Trump gets re-elected, he'll re-establish trade and relations with China by raising tariffs even more and waving around classified documents in front of visiting Chinese diplomats. 

And serving them that incredible, beautiful chocolate cake.

***

It's easier than ever to watch to Major League Baseball.

Games are quicker thanks to the pitch clock. Fewer pitching changes, less time between pitches and keeping hitters in the batters box all go a long way toward our enjoyment of the game.

But how do you feel when you watch one of your favorite players on your favorite team boot an easy ball hit right at him?

A costly error, right?

Not these days. Official scorers are ringing up fewer errors than ever. Plays that look routine and you know your grandmother could've made still get booted and are being scored more than ever as - hits.

What's going on? (I read that somewhere before in this blog post.)

Official scorers are grading more and more balls as hits and fewer and fewer as errors, at a pace that will leave MLB with fewer errors committed than ever before.

Why?

Are media members who double as official scorers courting player favor? Are pitchers clamoring for more errors to be made to protect their earned run averages? And how would you like to be the teammate of a pitcher who is clamoring for more errors to be declared.

It's a conundrum: pitchers' ERA's versus position players' fielding percentages.

Which should win?

To me, if they can get their hands on it, they should catch it. Period.

***

What's a galette?

The NY Times referenced making one in a recent article. It was carmelized. It had cracked black pepper and gruyere.

But what is it?

I read the article and I'm still not sure. Someone help me out. Before I go to France next year.

***

Robbie Robertson is dead and the music world has lost a legend. He reportedly had prostate cancer.

He was 80.

Lil Tay is dead and Hip Hop and the world of influencers has lost an emerging legend.

She was 14.

No one knows what took her life.

Will we ever?

What's with Hip Hop? Great music and great artists, but we know as much about Lil Tay's death as we know about who shot Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac.

Maybe, as B.I.G. said, violent death is as inevitable, as - "...the black talons loaded in the clip, so I can rip through the ligaments, put the f'ers in a bad prediciment..."

He didn't say "f'ers."

***

If Trump doesn't lie, John Lauro lies for him.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show. 

And welcome aboard at RFP. Mike McCoy. Shazam!

David Hughes, all the best. You'll be missed.

DeSantis, Slavery and Stealing Cadbury Creme Eggs

The Schloss-Blog is wondering if slavery was as good for the Jews in Egypt as DeSantis and the Republicans in charge of education in Florida think it was for Blacks.

We're also looking at invading or bombing Mexico and what fuel-efficiency standards set down for 2032 mean for EV development between now and then.

***

Does Ron DeSantis really believe that slavery taught Blacks useful skills?

DeSantis needs some useful skills, like how to lower insurance rates in Florida, how to stop the population loss in Miami-Dade and how to win an arm-wrestling match with a mouse.

He also needs a personality.

And he needs to stop throwing the Florida educators who wrote that disgusting curriculum, at his direction, and take responsibility for it himself, racist that he is.

***

Did you hear the one about the guy who got 18 months in prison for stealing 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs?

Because he did.

Really.

***

Hey, I'm as much for EV development as the next guy (the "next guy" is for it, right?).

I mean, Volkswagen is supposedly going to only build electronic vehicles as of 2030.

But what about America's street corners? Will charging stations replace gas stations as the principle places to stop, "refill" and keep your car running?

I doubt it. In fact, the government just released its new fuel-efficiency standards for 2032 that automakers are supposed to live by.

We are supposed to be living in, by then, a 58-mile-per-gallon world by then.

But not a 58-mile-per-volt world.

When all those street corners are recharge stations instead of gas stations, I will purchase an all-electric automobile.

Until then, maybe a hybrid.

Maybe.

***

Republicans reportedly are floating suggestions to bomb and/or invade Mexico to get after the cartels that control the drug traffic so prevalent in this country.

Really.

If they are successful in waging war with Mexico, but lose that war, rumor has it we'll be giving back Texas.

Which means Ted Cruz and family can go to Cancun tax free.

***

Couldn't help but notice that my Giants finally signed Saquon Barkley to a new contract, a franchise tag at an adjusted $11 million.

Daniel Jones, meanwhile, who had a decent year and helped the Giants even win a playoff game, got a 4-year, $160 million contract.

I'm thinking, considering what Saquon means to the offense and the fact that the Giants offense runs through him, not Jones, Saquon should've got the $160 million and Jones the franchise $11 million

***

Donald Trump's Save America PAC has spent virtually all of its money on his legal fees and is now, says the NY Times, "...broke."

He will likely spend the campaign season of the election running from courtrooms in Florida to New York to Washington, D.C.

Couldn't happen to a nicer, more-deserving defendant.

***

Commander, the resident White House dog, is that no more, after reportedly biting as many 10 Secret Service agents.

Who says the Secret Service doesn't protect the president with its blood.

Does it do that for Trump?

***

All I want for Christmas is a Kencore T-shirt.

Not really, but...

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.

Take the GOP and Shove It

The Schloss-Blog is looking at the GOP and thinking it sucks.

Also got some thoughts on Barbie, Verizon's Sadie and the judge who texts and gif's while her court is in session.

But first, back to the GOP. As they continue to support the master criminal running for president, the GOP is proving what it stands for.

The GOP stands for restricting people's right to vote, by restricting their access to the vote, especially people of color.

The GOP stands for restricting women's reproductive rights by passing laws in Red states that outlaw abortion outright or the privilege to one after six weeks of pregnancy, when most women don't even know if they're pregnant.

The GOP stands for restricting the rights of LGBTQ+ people. It stands for restricting the privileges of trans people.

Yet, millions of people still vote for these guys. And these guys continue to support a master criminal for president.

Hillary Clinton was right: the GOP and those who vote for it? Basket of deplorables!

***

I like "Losers."

No, not that those losers, but "Losers: Dispatches from the Other Side of the Scoreboard," the Mary Pilon and Louisa Thomas-edited book of articles and essays about those who lost the championship game, those who came in second at the Olympics or those who committed the error that enabled the other team to ring up the winning score.

"Losers..." (Penguin Random House, 2020), celebrates those who celebrate those who didn't win but came so darn close.

And Pilon and Thomas are just the editors to assemble all that. Pilon is an author, a former NBC Sports producer and former NY Times and Wall St. Journal reporter who has covered the Olympics, as well as so many other major sporting events. Thomas, also an author and a New Yorker staff writer, has contributed to everything from the NY Times to The Atlantic.

They haven't met a second-place finisher they don't like. And face it: do you remember who finished second in the greatest Olympic relay race ever? Do you remember who the losing team was on the only two home runs to ever end a World Series.

That’s who comes to mind for me, but Pilon and Thomas focus on those who write about Floyd Patterson, not a loser but a fighter who lost a big bout. They look at Jeremy Taiwo, the decathlete who finished second to Ashton Eaton, one of the great decathletes of all time. They look at being a fan of cursed teams or cities that had perennial losers, like the streaks in Boston and Philadelphia. It’s not just the stories you know, however. It’s the stories you don’t know but will grab you.

Like the Cubs did all those years. Like the Red Sox did.

After reading this, you'll appreciate them. And their fans.

***

People want Donald Trump to be president. This is insane,

***

Trump says the government underwrote the Jan. 6 riot to cover up its fraudulent elections.

Do you ever wake up and wish he was dead? Except DeSantis would be the Republican frontrunner.

Please see my comments about the GOP, above.

***

Does anyone think 'X' is going to become the all-in-one app that Elon Musk wants it to be?

Neither do I.

Neither does my phone, which still says "Twitter" on the the logo. Elon Musk has a lot of work to do.

***

Barbie asks, "Did you guys ever think about dying?"

I've got to go see the movie.

***

America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, admitted in a court filing that he lied and that he defamed when he said poll workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss cheated in the Georgia presidential election vote counting in 2020.

He's also in the process of losing his law license altogether.

Donald Trump sycophants are as big losers as Trump is. Trump doesn't care.

As long as they lie for him.

***

Judge Traci Soderstrom, in Oklahoma, was caught texting and gif'ing while her court was in session, a murder trial no less.

Trump wants her to oversee one of his upcoming trials.

***

Oh lord, I'll be back in overheated Arizona in a few weeks.

It's too hot to play golf. It's too hot to go for a walk. It's too hot to dine alfresco.

It's too effin' hot.

***

Hope you listened this morning when I was on the air on Radio Free Phoenix, subbing for Joe Catanzaro.

Joe’s a golf lover, so he’ll appreciate that Jocelyn won the Women's Division of the famous Benes Family Open Golf Invite on Saturday. She also won the women's long-drive competition.

Our team, with individual men's runner-up Alex Janco, who shot 80, finished second. Joe Bartosch's son J.J., who hits the ball a country mile, was the winner (73).  I shot a very respectable 93 on the difficult Hughes Creek course, contributing to our team's second-place 94.

Just another typical day on the golf course.

***

Are a "phubber?" That's someone who puts his or her relationship at risk by paying more attention to his or her phone than his or her partner.

Think about it.

*** 

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.

 

  

Lake, Bake, Wake (Up)

The Schloss-Blog is unfortunately once again having to look at the wake of Kari Lake, even as she gets slapped around by Arizona's courts.

Also, got a gripe with Peacock. And a few other things, as usual.

And congrats to Jordan, my wonderful grandson, on a great soccer tournament performance in Minnesota.

***

Kari Lake, the unsuccessful and defeated Republican candidate for Arizona governor, has seen her attorneys sanctioned this past week for, according to the Arizona Republic, "filing a baseless lawsuit attempting to ban the use of voting machines prior to the November election."

Problem is, everything she does is baseless, like her claim that she won the gubernatorial election in 2022 (she didn't), echoing Donald Trump's long-ago proven-false claims about the 2020 presidential election. Lake's claim has been rebuffed in Arizona courts over and over again.

The bitchy little former Phoenix TV newscaster spends much of her time now kissing up to Trump, hoping to become his vice-presidential selection on the Republican ticket. You can tell because her lips are permanently pressed to part of his body where the sun doesn't shine.

***

Speaking of Phoenix, it's getting hot and hotter there.

It has been more than 110 degrees hot there for 21 consecutive days as of Saturday, when that record was set. Low temperatures have not been below 90 degrees, with a record "high" low temperature of 97 degrees one night.

Kind of makes me laugh though when I read reports that the area weather is an advantage for those seeking employment there, especially in tech and semiconductor manufacturing.

Maybe A/C manufacturing would work out better.

***

Police served a warrant in the investigation of the death of Tupac Shakur, the rapper shot dead in Las Vegas.

Twenty-seven years ago.

Apparently, the man who says he was the only witness, Duane Keith Davis, aka Keffe D or Keefy D, 60, had his residence searched, reportedly for "...computers, hard drives and pictures from the 1990s that apparently show individuals who might have been connected to people directly or indirectly involved in the drive-by shooting." 

Hmm...

Or maybe, is somebody planning on publishing a book on this, what is now the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop?

Ain't no statute of limitations on murder, is there?

Or, as the Jewish rapper, Mickey Avalon says... 

It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder
That God must be one sick mother...
So I bust a nut in the sky
Spend another day waiting to die

No idea if that's relevant. You tell me...

***

Quick takes:

• The United States is experiencing a huge 12 percent drop in homicides, year over year. Republicans are saying it's because of all the guns on the streets and we need more.
• Tony Bennett passed away. Who Can I Turn To...?
• A Fast Company article says there are seven ways to spot an AI-generated resume - I say there's one - it's too freaking good to be true.
• Peacock stole the conclusion of one of the rounds of The Open golf tournament from England. It is also going to have exclusive rights to one NFL playoff game this season. It better not be a Giants game.
• Jason Aldean, are you kidding?

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.

 

Fast Company Too Fast, Claire Dederer's 'Monsters' and Congrats, Bruce Miles

The Schloss-Blog likes a lot of the articles we see on Fast Company, but some more than others. Oh dear, the others. And we check in with "Monsters" and "The Franchise," among other things.

***

Claire Dederer's "Monsters, A Fan's Dilemma," (Penguin, Random House), reminds us that people we perhaps perceive as evil or just plain ill-mannered also produce great works of art.

Woody Allen? Michael Jackson?

See where this is going?

Is it OK not to love their work or the work of others who have also sinned for all of us to see?

The Schloss-Blog will let you decide that question for yourself. We know how we feel. Dederer clicks off artist after artist though and challenges you to be able to do the same.

You might surprise yourself in this entertaining read.

***

Fast Company so often produces articles of insight, aplomb and just plain old logic.

And sometimes not.

An article by someone I never heard of at a company I didn't know existed, says to be a "dream employer" there are certain things to do: provide holistic experiences; provide best in-class tech stacks (huh?); and produce a culture of agility (so, hire gymnasts?). In another article, another such author explains things to avoid telling new graduates: to be or have fallback assets; to cut your screen time; to not sweat the small stuff; and to always work for a big company. 

I've had books telling me all that (OK, not the tech stuff) since I graduated from college. If I'd have listened, I guess I could've written those words of advice for Fast Company. I've had "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" forever.

Maybe Fast Company is not so fast, huh?

***

Got to give it up for my friend and colleague Bruce Miles.

The former longtime Daily Herald sportswriter, along with co-author Jesse Rogers, just had "The Franchise, A Curated History of the Chicago Cubs" published (Triumph Books, Chicago, 2023). It is a unique history of the Chicago Cubs, who Miles and Rogers both covered for decades.

This is no chronological storytelling, no sir. Miles and Rogers breakdown the Cubs by star players, headline managers, significant trades (good and bad), the team's "Loveable Loser" years and some oddities that even this veteran sportswriter wasn't aware of.

The stories are told with a first-hand attendance vision and will jog your memory of things long forgotten, especially for long-suffering Cubs fans (run into them all the time in Arizona). Even reviled Mets and White Sox fans will appreciate all this.

The book has gotten nice acclaim and a best-seller tag from amazon.  Bruce is his usual, humble self about the book but took the time to write me a nice inscription when I brought my copy to the gym to which we both belong.

It's always nice to see fellow sports scribes succeed. Bruce has always been someone I admire and his success is something I point to regularly for my former students.

A good storyteller will always find someone who thinks their ability is worth it.

Congrats, Bruce.

***

Quick takes:

• Wimbledon matches have mostly been fun and interesting to watch, but the Brits, with their stuffy all-white attire mandate and continued use of real people instead of reliable modern technology to call lines, are dependably passe. This year though, for the first time, they allowed the ladies to wear colored underwear instead plain white. One question: why aren't they mandating men to wear collared shirts? That would seem to be a stuffy British no-brainer. Although Jannik Sinner, the Italian star, was allowed to bring an off-white gym bag from Gucci onto the court with him before matches. The queen just rolled over.
• Seems that Donald Trump just might have had former FBI directors James Comey and Andrew McCabe audited by the IRS. They either weren't loyal enough to only him or they participated in investigating him. And they should have.
• Elon Musk's new company, xAI, will supposedly explore how the universe works. Good luck with that.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson.

More Sunday night, as always on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.

Who's Next For Adidas and Happy Birthday, Joey Chestnut

The Schloss-Blog is wondering with whom will be adidas's next marketing alignment and we're wishing Joey Chestnut a happy birthday, with mustard on top.

Adidas, having already split with Kanye - uh, Ye - has also disassociated with Beyonce, whose line with them was underperforming at best, they claimed.

Who's next? Adidas had a stable of athletes who are well known and solid, from soccer's Mohamed Salah to basketball's Donovan Mitchell.

But where should they turn for a celebrity who's not already contracted elsewhere? Or, perhaps who they could poach? Nike, meanwhile, maintains a boatload of celebrity endorsers to complement its many top-shelf athletes.

Do you make decisions about your kicks based on who else is wearing them, other than your closest friends and associates? Does it matter to you what Drake is wearing? I talked about it all on my rock 'n' roll radio show tonight (Sunday, July 9) on Radio Free Phoenix (dot com).

As for me? Give me my No Bull brand at the gym and on the pickleball court and get out of my way.

***

Couldn't help but wonder, as I watched Coco Gauff and Venus Williams play on TV in virtually parallel matches at Wimbledon, was Donald Trump watching? Was Ron DeSantis?

Were they rooting for their fellow Florida residents? Gotta' wonder, because they both seem to favor voting restrictions and manipulations that would make it harder for Blacks and other minorities to vote.

Yes, Coco Gauff and Venus Williams live in Florida now. Venus' longtime support for more Blacks in tennis and equal prize money with men, plus her tearful reaction to George Floyd's death pretty much tells you where she stands politically. Coco has also spoken out on racism discrimination and equal opportunity.

Unfortunately, so have Trump and DeSantis.

***

Hey Floridians, how's the water?

Full of sharks, that's how it is.

Sharks were spotted in shallow water in Florida, causing lifeguards to hustle people out of the ocean and for those people to scramble like that shark-bait that they had become.

And did we mention New York as well? Beaches were closed down in some cases because of reported attacks and definite spottings.

I have a lot of friends and family in both Florida and my native New York. I'd like to see them all again, so please, friends and family, use Bat shark-repellent. 

***

Joey Chestnut, god bless your stomach lining.

The native Kentuckian won his 16th Nathan's Famous Hot Dot Eating Contest in Brooklyn this past week. He consumed 62 dogs in 10 minutes.

60. 2!

At 39, he's at that age where most pro football, baseball and basketball players have already retired. He looks like he's just getting started.

Women's champ, Miki Sudo, consumed, odd coincidence, 39 dogs in 10 minutes to successfully defend her crown. 39 - Chestnut's age.

Chestnut, by the way, weighs 229 pounds and stands 6-feet, 1-inch. By Centers for Disease Control standards, he is obese at more than 227. He shouldn't weigh more than 181 at his height.

If he wants to be around to win 16 more, he better hit the gym.

***

Quick takes:

• Britney Spears says she tapped Victor Wembanyama on the shoulder. His handlers said she might as well have been attacking him. Basically, the rock diva hit herself in the face. It was a nothing incident but the media ran with it.
• Mark Zuckerberg won round one of his fight with Elon Musk, tapping 30 million enrollees for his Threads social outlet, designed to rival Musk's $44 billion Twitter. Musk says Zuck did it with employees he poached from Twitter and is threatening to sue. Those would be rounds 2 and 3 and Zuck would win those too.
• Been watching the Women's U.S. Open Golf from Pebble Beach? The course is winning. And it was difficult to watch Michelle Wie West and Annika Sorenstam, two great champions I admire and respect, struggle mightily, shoot 12 over par and miss the cut.  The U.S. Open is supposed to allow golfers to display their skills, not embarrass themselves, but that's what the USGA and NBC did, especially to Hall of Fame talents Michelle and Annika.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Michelle and Annika. More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.