Marathon Sunday

4th Avenue, Brooklyn. Reuters photo by Maye-E Wong:

Interesting and amusing headline from nypost.com: “Prominent white supremacist Richard Spencer endorses Kamala Harris.” Let speculation about motive begin.

WTF? Excerpt from an NYP article by Terry Newman: “Non-Catholic churches are burning as well; in total nearly 120 churches in Canada have been vandalized, set ablaze, or burned to the ground, with a married couple living above one of them dying as a result. Yet, as of January 2024, only 12 people had been charged in relation to these — and just one person had been convicted.”

Another one, from an NYP article by Brooke Kalo: “Gen Z has coined a new dating term for people who date less for love and more for social status: ‘Throning.’” And now there’s “micro-cheating.” Here are examples laid out in an NYP article by Helen Robertson: “Maintaining a dating app profile, secret communication with an ex, building an emotional bond with a colleague, engaging in flirtatious online interactions.”

Headline from newsmax.com: “In-Person Early Voting Surpasses 2020 by 3 Million.” Are more Republicans voting or are they simply voting early? Have Republicans who sat out 2020 or said “Never Trump” learned their lesson after four years of Biden-Harris?

Among today’s celebrations, it’s Cliche Day. My favorite: “It is what it is.” It has always seemed so logical, especially on the golf course when counting and recounting strokes several times because it seems impossible to have scored a double or triple bogey… Is it a cliche to complain about how early it gets dark now?

Sports betting is big business, no longer the sole province of bookies. Navy, 5–1, was a 12.5 favorite at Rice, 2–5. The Midshipmen lost 10–24. It raised the ire of those who lost money on the game, who ranted on social media, prompting this message from the X account of Navy Athletics: “Just so we are clear, we do not care who you bet on or who is involved in your parlays. That’s an instant block. WE DO NOT CARE.” That’s why it’s called gambling, fools.

Deadly serious stuff from an article by Benjamin Weinthal at foxnews.com: “An Iranian student stripped down to her underwear to protest an assault on her because she was allegedly improperly wearing the mandatory hijab.” (Courtesy: Iran International). The brave, rash young woman has been arrested and her fate is bleak. Blessings, Madam.

And on to the trivial. Moving the clock back worked out well for the Anti-Inflation Book Shop, as the sun slid over the nook within a half-hour, taking the bite out of the drop in temperature. There were only three customers today, but each bought in bulk. My thanks to the gentleman who purchased seven hardcovers in Russian, and to the lovely young mom who took home three massive tomes by Stephen King: Under the Done, Dreamcatcher and End of Watch, and Broken Prey by John Sandford; and to the woman who overcompensated me for four pieces of 3D art. And best of all — no incoming!

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