I spent the afternoon yesterday walking to a minimart about a mile from the hotel. I had become tired of spending$3 for a 20oz soda. Some parts of the Willemstad area are really built up and a few feet away they're not. Very quickly I left the resorts behind, trudged along a dirt path on the side of the road as cars whipped by me.
The minimart was run by a man of Chinese heritage. It was a hole in the wall with much of the inventory visible in piles in the back. I thought about either flying to the sun or visiting hell to experience some relief from the swelter of the store's bowels.
I marched past the mostly Dutch vacationers at Mambo Beach proid that I had 8 drinks, cookies, cassava chips, and gummies for only $16. There have been Americans here, but we're outnumbered by the Dutch. There are lots of Dutch children here which makes me wonder about the school schedule in the Netherlands.
Today was a lowkey day: all you can eat tacos and a trip to the resort's fake beach. The beach is extremely rocky and my feet are raw as a result. I went swimming in the sea and both babies started crying hysterically because they thought I was swimming away forever.
We've seen a lot of iguanas on the island. It had been my goal to eat iguana, but so far I've only heard of one restaurant that serves them and it's in Westpunt. The iguanas have tended to be a little skiddish, maybe because they keep getting eaten, but some are more social.
In Curacao, the word dushi is very popular. My kids have been called dushi. It's pronounced like douchey, so I call Candace it all the time. Even when I mean it like douchey, I have cover. It's cathartic and yet sweet at the same time.
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019
Otrobanda: A Bridge too Far
The babies, Candace, and I took a shuttle into Punda this morning. The famous Queen Emma Bridge was our drop-off spot. The bridge had been swung open to let boats cross, so we decided to walk around and go back on the bridge before it was time to leave.
We first walked to the Mikveh Israel-Emanuel Synagogue. It is the oldest synagogue in use in the Western Hemisphere. The synagogue is in the Sephardic style with the him a in the middle and the seats facing it. The floor is sand. It was fun to be there with the next generation of Jews but Abie and Tali were grumpy and just want to get at the Torah platform which was off limits.
We left and fed them plantain chips before coming back to visit the museum. There was a Torah scroll smuggled out during the Inquisition and the yellow star or a Dutch Jew during the Holocaust, among many other items. Bake wanted to be a Daddy hat, meaning sitting on my shoulders, so we couldn't see it as thoroulhly as we would have liked.
We then went to the old market for some food. A woman shoved a menu in our face after we circlee around and wen to the upper level via a ramp. It worked and we blew most of our cash on the local meal. Tali stuffed herself with mashed potatoes and Abie ate rice and polenta. A woman from the shuttle over ran into us and had purchased shirts for the twins that were in their favorite colors this week : Abie yellow and Tali blue.
We next saw the floating market. Venezuelan merchant dock their boats and set up stands on land to sell their fruit. We found the bridge again just in time to hear the alarm and see the gates close. We never made it to the bridge, but we got to see it swing open. It rests on floats and at least one is motorized. So we spent out last 25 minutes staring at the iconic colorful houses from across the St. Anna Bay.
We first walked to the Mikveh Israel-Emanuel Synagogue. It is the oldest synagogue in use in the Western Hemisphere. The synagogue is in the Sephardic style with the him a in the middle and the seats facing it. The floor is sand. It was fun to be there with the next generation of Jews but Abie and Tali were grumpy and just want to get at the Torah platform which was off limits.
We left and fed them plantain chips before coming back to visit the museum. There was a Torah scroll smuggled out during the Inquisition and the yellow star or a Dutch Jew during the Holocaust, among many other items. Bake wanted to be a Daddy hat, meaning sitting on my shoulders, so we couldn't see it as thoroulhly as we would have liked.
We then went to the old market for some food. A woman shoved a menu in our face after we circlee around and wen to the upper level via a ramp. It worked and we blew most of our cash on the local meal. Tali stuffed herself with mashed potatoes and Abie ate rice and polenta. A woman from the shuttle over ran into us and had purchased shirts for the twins that were in their favorite colors this week : Abie yellow and Tali blue.
We next saw the floating market. Venezuelan merchant dock their boats and set up stands on land to sell their fruit. We found the bridge again just in time to hear the alarm and see the gates close. We never made it to the bridge, but we got to see it swing open. It rests on floats and at least one is motorized. So we spent out last 25 minutes staring at the iconic colorful houses from across the St. Anna Bay.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
In Curacao
The twins haven't had much pool experience and both nearly drowned to death on multiple occasions in the kiddie pool. They haven't quite figured out how to stand up after tripping in the pool.
We sauntered over to the Mambo Beach area which was extremely touristy. The faux cabanas at the man-made beach, the beach-side bars playing all the current hits like Ginuwine' s Pony, and the overpriced restaurants aren't exactly my idea of paradise, but it's what's nearby.
We're near a bunch of resorts, so there isn't a place to get cheap food or drinks close by. In the morning I walked a couple of miles to a grocery store, loaded up my backpack, and another bag, and trudged back to the hotel. The groceries' weight increased as I progressed, and the sun beat down on me.
Candace and I went to an Indian restaurant for Valentine's Day and we both enjoyed it. We walked back along the hotel's seawall and freaked out her sister by whispering "Red rum" before letting her in on the gag.
We sauntered over to the Mambo Beach area which was extremely touristy. The faux cabanas at the man-made beach, the beach-side bars playing all the current hits like Ginuwine' s Pony, and the overpriced restaurants aren't exactly my idea of paradise, but it's what's nearby.
We're near a bunch of resorts, so there isn't a place to get cheap food or drinks close by. In the morning I walked a couple of miles to a grocery store, loaded up my backpack, and another bag, and trudged back to the hotel. The groceries' weight increased as I progressed, and the sun beat down on me.
Candace and I went to an Indian restaurant for Valentine's Day and we both enjoyed it. We walked back along the hotel's seawall and freaked out her sister by whispering "Red rum" before letting her in on the gag.
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Miami to Curacao
Things have exactly broken our way thus far. Apparently American Airlines charges to check a travel crib. When you have twins, that’s double the fee. A TSA agent in Baltimore said, “One at a time,” when we tried to all go together. I tried to give him the passports and then take the babies back to the line. “One at a time,” he snapped sharply. So I tried to look for Candace’s passport. “Give me the passports!” He grunted. “You said, ‘One at a time,” I answered exasperated. Apparently, that made me the bad guy. He saw my name and kept trying to “eaze” the tension in a way that people do when they’ve been given the upper hand after being rude.
Abie sat on my lap on the plane. He watched Blippie several times and tried to kick the seat in front repeatedly, but the man next to me gave him a good review. With car seats and cribs, getting to the rental car center in Miami was difficult. It didn’t help that a sea of people were frustrated that the Miami Mover stopped moving for an hour. We couldn’t get on the train and when it finally came and we had our shot, everyone rushed past the stroller and the wheelchair onto the train. That tels you something about about those people. We somehow missed the next one and I gave the doir a swift pound in frustration. The maintenance man yelled at me not to hit the door. I explained my frustration and her answered in a way that explains why he works with his hands and not with people. Words to the effect of “I don’t care about your situation, don’t hit the door.” I glared at him until we left. Tali and I made the next train, but Candace, her sister, and Abie still missed the next train. Needless to say I was fairly close to saving “Climate Change” the trouble and wiping out all of Miami myself.
We visited my Grandma in Coconut Creek. It was great to see the babies interact with her. The both loved each other very much. Tali read with her and Abie played in her walked. Tali injected occasionally with “more food” elongating the f and then exploding into the oo because she’s just learning the f sound.
Grandma’s community is protected by a gate with security. The first day I gave them my driver’s license and ygey gave me a pass, bodda-bing bodda-boom. When Candace put the license down on the cupholder lid or door or whatever it’s called in the rental Dodge Grand Caravan. Then the license disappeared. Apparently it slid into the nether rehions if the cupholder console. When we back to Grandma’s the next day, the guard wouldn’t accept my passport as ID. She kept telling me to get the license. Candace and I tried to explain that we’d love to get it but it’s trapped. The guard asked if I had a copy of my license. My just fell a little. Finally Candace thought to show the guard yesterday’s pass. That was sufficient. The guard said, “Try to get your license,” to which I replied, “ Obviously!” Because I didn’t want to scream “No shit!” With the babies in the car. I left saying, “ID is ID.”
We went to the beach in Pompano and had a good time. I felt like we left for the airport today withe plenty of time. 3 hours and 40 minutes before our flight. It was supposed to be a 45 minute drive. It wasn’t. It took about 2 hours. The rental car people saw a dent in the back of the car. I have no idea how it got there but they’ll charge us.
We got to check in and the man said the flight’s baggage closes in 20 minutes. Then there was a problem with the infant tickets. We got to cut the long security line, but it took a long time for someone to check Candace and her chair. I ran ahead. Abie only wanted to be with me, so I carried him what seemed lie the breadth of Miami or at least tge airport. “Daddy hat,” he demanded as he wanted to be on my shoulders. I made it and the gate agent said, “The others have 15 minutes.” They made it and the plane ride was. Except Abie had his first day ever without a nap. Tali napped a bit on the plane.
We got to cut the passport line, but waited forever to get a taxi. Other drivers shaed a driver into taking us in Papiamentu. Candace had booked a taxi, but they emailed us today that they couldn’t pick us up. The resort said we can only have four in our room, but I tried to plead that yhe babies shouldn’t count. They’ll make a decision tomorrow. We ate at the restaurant here and Abie and Tali were tired and not on their best behavior. The babies cuddled me in the room. We were supposed to have a partial sea view, but I maybe that means we can only view part if the sea because the view is pretty awesome.
Abie sat on my lap on the plane. He watched Blippie several times and tried to kick the seat in front repeatedly, but the man next to me gave him a good review. With car seats and cribs, getting to the rental car center in Miami was difficult. It didn’t help that a sea of people were frustrated that the Miami Mover stopped moving for an hour. We couldn’t get on the train and when it finally came and we had our shot, everyone rushed past the stroller and the wheelchair onto the train. That tels you something about about those people. We somehow missed the next one and I gave the doir a swift pound in frustration. The maintenance man yelled at me not to hit the door. I explained my frustration and her answered in a way that explains why he works with his hands and not with people. Words to the effect of “I don’t care about your situation, don’t hit the door.” I glared at him until we left. Tali and I made the next train, but Candace, her sister, and Abie still missed the next train. Needless to say I was fairly close to saving “Climate Change” the trouble and wiping out all of Miami myself.
We visited my Grandma in Coconut Creek. It was great to see the babies interact with her. The both loved each other very much. Tali read with her and Abie played in her walked. Tali injected occasionally with “more food” elongating the f and then exploding into the oo because she’s just learning the f sound.
Grandma’s community is protected by a gate with security. The first day I gave them my driver’s license and ygey gave me a pass, bodda-bing bodda-boom. When Candace put the license down on the cupholder lid or door or whatever it’s called in the rental Dodge Grand Caravan. Then the license disappeared. Apparently it slid into the nether rehions if the cupholder console. When we back to Grandma’s the next day, the guard wouldn’t accept my passport as ID. She kept telling me to get the license. Candace and I tried to explain that we’d love to get it but it’s trapped. The guard asked if I had a copy of my license. My just fell a little. Finally Candace thought to show the guard yesterday’s pass. That was sufficient. The guard said, “Try to get your license,” to which I replied, “ Obviously!” Because I didn’t want to scream “No shit!” With the babies in the car. I left saying, “ID is ID.”
We went to the beach in Pompano and had a good time. I felt like we left for the airport today withe plenty of time. 3 hours and 40 minutes before our flight. It was supposed to be a 45 minute drive. It wasn’t. It took about 2 hours. The rental car people saw a dent in the back of the car. I have no idea how it got there but they’ll charge us.
We got to check in and the man said the flight’s baggage closes in 20 minutes. Then there was a problem with the infant tickets. We got to cut the long security line, but it took a long time for someone to check Candace and her chair. I ran ahead. Abie only wanted to be with me, so I carried him what seemed lie the breadth of Miami or at least tge airport. “Daddy hat,” he demanded as he wanted to be on my shoulders. I made it and the gate agent said, “The others have 15 minutes.” They made it and the plane ride was. Except Abie had his first day ever without a nap. Tali napped a bit on the plane.
We got to cut the passport line, but waited forever to get a taxi. Other drivers shaed a driver into taking us in Papiamentu. Candace had booked a taxi, but they emailed us today that they couldn’t pick us up. The resort said we can only have four in our room, but I tried to plead that yhe babies shouldn’t count. They’ll make a decision tomorrow. We ate at the restaurant here and Abie and Tali were tired and not on their best behavior. The babies cuddled me in the room. We were supposed to have a partial sea view, but I maybe that means we can only view part if the sea because the view is pretty awesome.
Saturday, January 05, 2019
2019 NFL Playoff Predictions
AFC
Wild Card Round
5 LAC (12-4) over 4 Bal (10-6) 24-9
3 Hou (11-5) over 6 Ind (10-6) 20-17
Divisional Round
1 KC (12-4) over 5 LAC 34-31
3 Hou over 2 NE (11-5) 27-16
AFC Championship
KC over Hou 35-17
NFC
Wild Card Round
6 Phi (9-7) over 3 Chi (12-4) 12-9
5 Sea (10-6) over 4 Dal (10-6) 21-20
Divisional Round
1 NO (13-3) over 6 Phi 27-10
2 LAR over 5 Sea 38-21
NFC Championship
NO over LAR 41-33
Super Bowl LIII
New Orleans over Kansas City 38-24
Friday, January 04, 2019
New Format Final Standings
If the NFL moved back to two divisions per conference, we would get fairer and more exciting playoff games.
NFC South and East
1) New Orleans 13-3
2) Dallas 10-6
3) Philadelphia 9-7
4) Atlanta 7-9
5) Washington 7-9
6) Carolina 7-9
7) NY Giants 5-11
8) Tampa Bay 5-11
NFC North and West
1) LA Rams 13-3
2) Chicago 12-4
3) Seattle 10-6
4) Minnesota 8-7-1
5) Green Bay 6-9-1
6) Detroit 6-10
7) San Francisco 4-12
8) Arizona 3-13
The playoff seeding would look like this:
1) NO, 2) LAR, 3) Chi, 4) Sea, 5) Dal, 6) Phi.
In the new format, Seattle would have the home game in the wild card game as they beat Seattle earlier in the season.
AFC North and East
1) New England 11-5
2) Baltimore 10-6
3) Pittsburgh 9-6-1
4) Cleveland 7-8-1
5) Miami 7-9
6) Cincinnati 6-10
7) Buffalo 6-10
8) NY Jets 4-12
AFC South and West
1) Kansas City 12-4
2) LA Chargers 12-4
3) Houston 11-5
4) Indianapolis 10-6
5) Tennessee 9-7
6) Denver 6-10
7) Jacksonville 5-11
8) Oakland 4-12
The playoff seeding would look like this:
1) KC, 2) NE, 3) LAC, 4) Hou, 5) Bal, 6) Ind.
In the new format, the Chargers would have a home wild card game instead of a road game. In the current format, Kansas City is more likely to face the Chargers (the team with the second best record in the conference) in the divisional round than any other team. The current format is no only unfair to the Chargers, but also Kansas City, the number one seed.
NFC South and East
1) New Orleans 13-3
2) Dallas 10-6
3) Philadelphia 9-7
4) Atlanta 7-9
5) Washington 7-9
6) Carolina 7-9
7) NY Giants 5-11
8) Tampa Bay 5-11
NFC North and West
1) LA Rams 13-3
2) Chicago 12-4
3) Seattle 10-6
4) Minnesota 8-7-1
5) Green Bay 6-9-1
6) Detroit 6-10
7) San Francisco 4-12
8) Arizona 3-13
The playoff seeding would look like this:
1) NO, 2) LAR, 3) Chi, 4) Sea, 5) Dal, 6) Phi.
In the new format, Seattle would have the home game in the wild card game as they beat Seattle earlier in the season.
AFC North and East
1) New England 11-5
2) Baltimore 10-6
3) Pittsburgh 9-6-1
4) Cleveland 7-8-1
5) Miami 7-9
6) Cincinnati 6-10
7) Buffalo 6-10
8) NY Jets 4-12
AFC South and West
1) Kansas City 12-4
2) LA Chargers 12-4
3) Houston 11-5
4) Indianapolis 10-6
5) Tennessee 9-7
6) Denver 6-10
7) Jacksonville 5-11
8) Oakland 4-12
The playoff seeding would look like this:
1) KC, 2) NE, 3) LAC, 4) Hou, 5) Bal, 6) Ind.
In the new format, the Chargers would have a home wild card game instead of a road game. In the current format, Kansas City is more likely to face the Chargers (the team with the second best record in the conference) in the divisional round than any other team. The current format is no only unfair to the Chargers, but also Kansas City, the number one seed.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Top Ten Pound-For-Pound
Here's my pound-for-pound list. I take into account ability and accomplishment. The previous list was posted on October 6, 2018.
1. Vasiliy Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs) [1]
2. Saul Alvarez (51-1-2, 35 KOs) [2]
3. Gennady Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) [3]
4. Terence Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs) [4]
5. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (47-4-1, 41 KOs) [5]
6. Naoya Inoue (17-0, 16 KOs) [7]
7. Leo Santa Cruz (35-1-1, 19 KOs) [6]
8. Olexandr Usyk (16-0, 12 KOs) [10]
9. Errol Spence (24-0, 21 KOs) [8]
10. Mikey Garcia (38-0, 30 KOs) [9]
Lomachenko moved up to lightweight in 2018 and beat two of the better guys in the division. Hopefully 2019 brings a super-fight for Loma.
Canelo maintained the legitimate middleweight championship with a win over GGG in September and the former welterweight beat a top ten super middleweight with ease two months later.
I thought Golovkin won the first fight with Canelo, but I thought Canelo deserved a close decision last September. Both guys showed they were among the best boxers in the world in both fights.
Crawford stopped the undefeated but untested Jose Benavidez in October. Crawford's best win was in 2016 against Viktor Postol to become the legitimate junior welterweight champion. But the supremely talented Crawford has mostly feasted on a certain class of fighter. Hopefully he fights a top welterweight soon.
SSR, the legitimate super flyweight champion, places #5 on this list due to his two wins over Chocolatito and his victory against Juan Francisco Estrada. There aren't a lot of boxers who have three wins so recently as good as those.
Inoue is blowing his opposition away. In two 2018 fights, Inoue didn't see the second round. He destroyed Juan Carlos Payano, his World Boxing Super Series foe, in the opening round in October. Payano has a win and a close loss against 3-time Olympian Rau'shee Warren.
Santa Cruz has a win over and a close loss to Carl Frampton and two victories against Abner Mares. He's beaten a lot of fighters one notch below as well. A big featherweight fight in 2019 would do wonders for his ranking.
Usyk, the undisputed cruiserweight champion, already has amassed a solid resume. Wins over Glowacki, Gassiev, Briedis, and Michael Hunter were all impressive. In November, he stopped Tony Bellew.
Spence faces Mikey Garcia in March. It's a bit of a no-win situation for Spence, who is the naturally bigger man. An impressive win against Garcia should keep him where he is on the top ten list. Anything less could hurt his standing. Despite his undeniable talent, Spence's resume isn't as full as some other top guys.
Garcia is taking on a herculean task of facing Errol Spence. Garcia has a lot of wins over good fighters, but no signature win. A win over Spence would vault him up the rankings.
Honorable Mentions:
Gvozdyk's stoppage of Adonis Stevenson for the legitimate light heavyweight championship put him into contention for the top ten. He had a nice win over Isaac Chilemba and a few over guys just a step below Chilemba, but his resume is a bit thinner than those above. He's in a rich division and another win against a top 5 guy will surely force his inclusion in the top ten.
The winner of Eleider Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev in February will warrant consideration in the top ten. Hopefully the winner will be an opponent for Gvozdyk in the near future.
1. Vasiliy Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs) [1]
2. Saul Alvarez (51-1-2, 35 KOs) [2]
3. Gennady Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) [3]
4. Terence Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs) [4]
5. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (47-4-1, 41 KOs) [5]
6. Naoya Inoue (17-0, 16 KOs) [7]
7. Leo Santa Cruz (35-1-1, 19 KOs) [6]
8. Olexandr Usyk (16-0, 12 KOs) [10]
9. Errol Spence (24-0, 21 KOs) [8]
10. Mikey Garcia (38-0, 30 KOs) [9]
Lomachenko moved up to lightweight in 2018 and beat two of the better guys in the division. Hopefully 2019 brings a super-fight for Loma.
Canelo maintained the legitimate middleweight championship with a win over GGG in September and the former welterweight beat a top ten super middleweight with ease two months later.
I thought Golovkin won the first fight with Canelo, but I thought Canelo deserved a close decision last September. Both guys showed they were among the best boxers in the world in both fights.
Crawford stopped the undefeated but untested Jose Benavidez in October. Crawford's best win was in 2016 against Viktor Postol to become the legitimate junior welterweight champion. But the supremely talented Crawford has mostly feasted on a certain class of fighter. Hopefully he fights a top welterweight soon.
SSR, the legitimate super flyweight champion, places #5 on this list due to his two wins over Chocolatito and his victory against Juan Francisco Estrada. There aren't a lot of boxers who have three wins so recently as good as those.
Inoue is blowing his opposition away. In two 2018 fights, Inoue didn't see the second round. He destroyed Juan Carlos Payano, his World Boxing Super Series foe, in the opening round in October. Payano has a win and a close loss against 3-time Olympian Rau'shee Warren.
Santa Cruz has a win over and a close loss to Carl Frampton and two victories against Abner Mares. He's beaten a lot of fighters one notch below as well. A big featherweight fight in 2019 would do wonders for his ranking.
Usyk, the undisputed cruiserweight champion, already has amassed a solid resume. Wins over Glowacki, Gassiev, Briedis, and Michael Hunter were all impressive. In November, he stopped Tony Bellew.
Spence faces Mikey Garcia in March. It's a bit of a no-win situation for Spence, who is the naturally bigger man. An impressive win against Garcia should keep him where he is on the top ten list. Anything less could hurt his standing. Despite his undeniable talent, Spence's resume isn't as full as some other top guys.
Garcia is taking on a herculean task of facing Errol Spence. Garcia has a lot of wins over good fighters, but no signature win. A win over Spence would vault him up the rankings.
Honorable Mentions:
Gvozdyk's stoppage of Adonis Stevenson for the legitimate light heavyweight championship put him into contention for the top ten. He had a nice win over Isaac Chilemba and a few over guys just a step below Chilemba, but his resume is a bit thinner than those above. He's in a rich division and another win against a top 5 guy will surely force his inclusion in the top ten.
The winner of Eleider Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev in February will warrant consideration in the top ten. Hopefully the winner will be an opponent for Gvozdyk in the near future.
Sunday, December 30, 2018
World Leader Power Rankings: Year in Review
Below are the power rankings for world leaders for the overall year. Some explanation of the chart is probably necessary. In this the first year of the World Leader Power Rankings, there were ten top ten lists. 28 world leaders from 27 countries made the list at some point this year. Xi Jianping swept the top spot; Asia countries in general were well-represented.
The "Score" is based on the leaders' ranking on those lists- 10 points for a 1st place finish on a list and so on, then the total score divided by 10. "on List" is the number of times a leader made the top ten list. Only Xi, Kim, and Putin made the top ten list each time. "High" is the leader's highest rank on any one list and "low" is the lowest rank. Since only three leaders made the list each time, the other leaders' low was off the list indicated by a dash.
1. China was indisputably the most influential country in 2018 as the United States looked inward. Many countries jumped at the chance to do business with China, and Xi consolidated his power within his party this year.
2. Kim transformed his international image from crazy despot to a shrewd and legitimate leader on the world stage. For some reason, the hundreds of thousands of people in concentration camps and the rampant starvation inside North Korea didn't matter as much in 2018.
3. Putin oversees an autocratic kleptocracy in Russia. But he won an election convincingly in 2018 and had the President of the United States eating out of his hand.
4. Though his popularity in South Korea started to turn downward a bit, Moon's relentless efforts toward peace ont he Korean peninsula were tremendously admirable/
5. Aytollah Khamenei and the hardliners inside Iran were emboldened when the United States pulled out of the JCPoA rendering the moderates' attempts at rapprochement with the West a waste of time.
6. Macron did his damnedest to uphold the liberal order and seemed to be succeeding early in 2018. But by the end, Macron was forced to concede on some of his domestic principles as protesters filled the streets. His efforts to keep the United States in the JCPoA and the Paris Climate Accords failed.
7. MBS was initially touted as a reformer inside of Saudi Arabia and a player on the international stage. The U.S. turned even more pro-Saudi and anti-Iran in 2018. But by the end of the year, MBS's reformer image largely dissipated, his war in Yemen was an utter disgrace, and he became a pariah after ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
8. Despite leading the most power country in the world, Trump has done everything in his power to erode the United States's credibility and prestige on the world stage. His foreign policy is a mishmash of ideas from whomever was the last person he talked to on a given day. he seems to have committed crimes as a presidential candidate and many of his advisers have pleaded guilty during the ongoing Mueller investigation. According to the country's preeminent journalist and an anonymous senior adviser, his advisers within the administration actively work to thwart his most dangerous impulses. Now part of the American government is shutdown because Congress won't fund a wall on the border with Mexico that he promised Mexico would pay for.
9. Ahmed has begun to transform Ethiopia into a more liberal and democratic country. He's faced assassination attempts in doing so, so you know he's on the right track. Ahmed's leadership has been a rare bit of good news in 2018.
10. Theresa May managed to crack the top ten despite having an even worse year than Donald Trump. He had a good week when she stood up to Putin after it was determined the Russians poisoned people on British soil. But Brexit has been a disaster and she nearly was outed from office over her proposed deal. Britain continues to make themselves less relevant under May's watch.
11. Modi oversees an improving economy in India, but he couldn't seem to stay on the top ten list consistently because of his Hindu nationalist ideology. India has the second largest Muslim population in the world, and Modi's record with Muslims has been poor.
12. Netanyahu briefly entered the top ten when Trump backed out of the Iran nuclear deal. It was a win for Netanyahu, but a loss for Israel as it made an Iranian nuclear bomb an inevitable reality. he also managed to convince Trump to shift the embassy to Jerusalem in order to stir the pot a bit.
13. Sisi's main highlight from 2018 were that goofy orb picture with MBS and Trump, winning an election with 105% of the vote (+/- 8%), and according to a report, overseeing a populace that actually believes the government has the best interest of the people at heart.
14. Merkel didn't have a good year. Her battle in favor of immigrants finally seemed to sap her political capital. She announced that this would be her last term as German chancellor.
15. Lee's moment in the sun came when Trump and Kim met face to face in Singapore.
16. Trump still believes it's the 1980s and is taking out his anti-Japanese fervor on Abe. But Abe managed to forge a major trade deal with the EU int he summer.
17. Kagame is a technocratic autocrat. Rwanda has one of the highest female representation in parliament in the world. You don't want to get on his bad side, but he won't drop you into a tank of man-eating sharks or anything.
18. Erdogan has become more dictatorial as the Turkish economy plummets. But he's trying to help refugees and stood up to MBS during the Khashoggi murder.
19. Niinisto made the list twice. he hosted the summit between Trump and Putin and then later denied that Finland prevents forest fires with rakes.
20. Grabar-Kitarovic entered the global stage during the World Cup. She came across has a humble and passionate advocate for Croatia.
21. Mahathir became the oldest leader in the world this year, he also tried to stamp out corruption in Malaysia.
22. Alvarado became president of Costa Rica this year and is hoping to push through tax reforms.
23. Trudeau seemed posed to take command of the liberal order, but a couple of minor gaffes hurt his standing. he stood up to Saudi Arabia briefly putting him in the top ten.
24. Abdullah II was honored as an advocate for inter-religious harmony and peace.
25. Rouhani and the Iranian moderates managed to improbably find some common ground between the United States and the Persian nation. But Rouhani was neutered when Trump tore up the JCPoA and emboldened the Revolutionary guard and its allies.
26. Sanchez allowed a ship filled with refugees into Spain, which gave some hope that he would take over the pro-immigrant lead in Europe.
27. Imran Khan completed his unlikely journey from cricketer to Pakistan's prime minister in 2018. As with every Pakistani prime minister, he came in with high hopes behind him which were quickly dashed.
28. Many people in Nigeria believed President Buhari had died and was replaced be a look alike. Turns out he's alive.
The "Score" is based on the leaders' ranking on those lists- 10 points for a 1st place finish on a list and so on, then the total score divided by 10. "on List" is the number of times a leader made the top ten list. Only Xi, Kim, and Putin made the top ten list each time. "High" is the leader's highest rank on any one list and "low" is the lowest rank. Since only three leaders made the list each time, the other leaders' low was off the list indicated by a dash.
| Rank | Leader | Country | Score | On List | High | Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xi Jiangping | China | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Kim Jong-un | North Korea | 8.1 | 10 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | Vladimir Putin | Russia | 6.1 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Moon Jae-in | South Korea | 4.8 | 8 | 3 | - |
| 5 | Ali Khamenei | Iran | 4.7 | 7 | 3 | - |
| 6 | Emmanuel Macron | France | 3.7 | 6 | 3 | - |
| 7 | Mohammed bin Salman | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 7 | 4 | - |
| 8 | Donald Trump | United States | 2.7 | 9 | 6 | - |
| 9 | Abiy Ahmed | Ethiopia | 1.9 | 4 | 5 | - |
| 10 | Theresa May | United Kingdom | 1.4 | 2 | 2 | - |
| 11 | Narendra Modi | India | 1.3 | 3 | 5 | - |
| 12 | Benjamin Netanyahu | Israel | 1 | 2 | 4 | - |
| 13 | Abdul el-Sisi | Egypt | 0.8 | 2 | 7 | - |
| 14 | Angela Merkel | Germany | 0.7 | 2 | 7 | - |
| 15 | Lee Hsien Loong | Singapore | 0.7 | 1 | 4 | - |
| 16 | Shinzo Abe | Japan | 0.6 | 1 | 5 | - |
| 17 | Paul Kagame | Rwanda | 0.6 | 2 | 6 | - |
| 18 | Recep Erdogan | Turkey | 0.6 | 2 | 8 | - |
| 19 | Sauli Niinisto | Finland | 0.4 | 2 | 9 | - |
| 20 | Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic | Croatia | 0.4 | 1 | 7 | - |
| 21 | Mahathir Mohamad | Malaysia | 0.3 | 2 | 9 | - |
| 22 | Carlos Alvarado | Costa Rica | 0.3 | 1 | 8 | - |
| 23 | Justin Trudeau | Canada | 0.2 | 1 | 9 | - |
| 24 | Abdullah II | Jordan | 0.2 | 1 | 9 | - |
| 25 | Hassan Rouhani | Iran | 0.2 | 1 | 9 | - |
| 26 | Pedro Sanchez | Spain | 0.1 | 1 | 10 | - |
| 27 | Imran Khan | Pakistan | 0.1 | 1 | 10 | - |
| 28 | Muhammadu Bahari | Nigeria | 0.1 | 1 | 10 | - |
1. China was indisputably the most influential country in 2018 as the United States looked inward. Many countries jumped at the chance to do business with China, and Xi consolidated his power within his party this year.
2. Kim transformed his international image from crazy despot to a shrewd and legitimate leader on the world stage. For some reason, the hundreds of thousands of people in concentration camps and the rampant starvation inside North Korea didn't matter as much in 2018.
3. Putin oversees an autocratic kleptocracy in Russia. But he won an election convincingly in 2018 and had the President of the United States eating out of his hand.
4. Though his popularity in South Korea started to turn downward a bit, Moon's relentless efforts toward peace ont he Korean peninsula were tremendously admirable/
5. Aytollah Khamenei and the hardliners inside Iran were emboldened when the United States pulled out of the JCPoA rendering the moderates' attempts at rapprochement with the West a waste of time.
6. Macron did his damnedest to uphold the liberal order and seemed to be succeeding early in 2018. But by the end, Macron was forced to concede on some of his domestic principles as protesters filled the streets. His efforts to keep the United States in the JCPoA and the Paris Climate Accords failed.
7. MBS was initially touted as a reformer inside of Saudi Arabia and a player on the international stage. The U.S. turned even more pro-Saudi and anti-Iran in 2018. But by the end of the year, MBS's reformer image largely dissipated, his war in Yemen was an utter disgrace, and he became a pariah after ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
8. Despite leading the most power country in the world, Trump has done everything in his power to erode the United States's credibility and prestige on the world stage. His foreign policy is a mishmash of ideas from whomever was the last person he talked to on a given day. he seems to have committed crimes as a presidential candidate and many of his advisers have pleaded guilty during the ongoing Mueller investigation. According to the country's preeminent journalist and an anonymous senior adviser, his advisers within the administration actively work to thwart his most dangerous impulses. Now part of the American government is shutdown because Congress won't fund a wall on the border with Mexico that he promised Mexico would pay for.
9. Ahmed has begun to transform Ethiopia into a more liberal and democratic country. He's faced assassination attempts in doing so, so you know he's on the right track. Ahmed's leadership has been a rare bit of good news in 2018.
10. Theresa May managed to crack the top ten despite having an even worse year than Donald Trump. He had a good week when she stood up to Putin after it was determined the Russians poisoned people on British soil. But Brexit has been a disaster and she nearly was outed from office over her proposed deal. Britain continues to make themselves less relevant under May's watch.
11. Modi oversees an improving economy in India, but he couldn't seem to stay on the top ten list consistently because of his Hindu nationalist ideology. India has the second largest Muslim population in the world, and Modi's record with Muslims has been poor.
12. Netanyahu briefly entered the top ten when Trump backed out of the Iran nuclear deal. It was a win for Netanyahu, but a loss for Israel as it made an Iranian nuclear bomb an inevitable reality. he also managed to convince Trump to shift the embassy to Jerusalem in order to stir the pot a bit.
13. Sisi's main highlight from 2018 were that goofy orb picture with MBS and Trump, winning an election with 105% of the vote (+/- 8%), and according to a report, overseeing a populace that actually believes the government has the best interest of the people at heart.
14. Merkel didn't have a good year. Her battle in favor of immigrants finally seemed to sap her political capital. She announced that this would be her last term as German chancellor.
15. Lee's moment in the sun came when Trump and Kim met face to face in Singapore.
16. Trump still believes it's the 1980s and is taking out his anti-Japanese fervor on Abe. But Abe managed to forge a major trade deal with the EU int he summer.
17. Kagame is a technocratic autocrat. Rwanda has one of the highest female representation in parliament in the world. You don't want to get on his bad side, but he won't drop you into a tank of man-eating sharks or anything.
18. Erdogan has become more dictatorial as the Turkish economy plummets. But he's trying to help refugees and stood up to MBS during the Khashoggi murder.
19. Niinisto made the list twice. he hosted the summit between Trump and Putin and then later denied that Finland prevents forest fires with rakes.
20. Grabar-Kitarovic entered the global stage during the World Cup. She came across has a humble and passionate advocate for Croatia.
21. Mahathir became the oldest leader in the world this year, he also tried to stamp out corruption in Malaysia.
22. Alvarado became president of Costa Rica this year and is hoping to push through tax reforms.
23. Trudeau seemed posed to take command of the liberal order, but a couple of minor gaffes hurt his standing. he stood up to Saudi Arabia briefly putting him in the top ten.
24. Abdullah II was honored as an advocate for inter-religious harmony and peace.
25. Rouhani and the Iranian moderates managed to improbably find some common ground between the United States and the Persian nation. But Rouhani was neutered when Trump tore up the JCPoA and emboldened the Revolutionary guard and its allies.
26. Sanchez allowed a ship filled with refugees into Spain, which gave some hope that he would take over the pro-immigrant lead in Europe.
27. Imran Khan completed his unlikely journey from cricketer to Pakistan's prime minister in 2018. As with every Pakistani prime minister, he came in with high hopes behind him which were quickly dashed.
28. Many people in Nigeria believed President Buhari had died and was replaced be a look alike. Turns out he's alive.
Friday, December 21, 2018
Apples and Oranges
People say "it's like apples and oranges, you can't compare," but they're wrong. You don't have to peel an apple. I've never had orange sauce. No one eats orange pie. Apples are better.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
New NFL Division Format Proposal
The NFL should have 4 division, two in each conference. That would prevent the possibility of the 2nd best team getting the 5th seed and starting out on the road and weak division winners from getting a home game when sometimes they shouldn't even make the playoffs.
In the AFC, the East and North merge and the South and West meld. Teams still play their current intra-division rivals twice and their new division rivals once. They play 2 teams from the other division and 4 from the other conference and two from the same Int he NFC, the East and South become a division and the North and West.
Current AFC standings
1) KC 11-3
2) Hou 10-4
3) NE 9-5
4) Pit 8-5-1
5) LAC 11-3
6) Bal 8-6
AFC in New Format
1) KC 11-3
2) NE 9-5
3) LAC 11-3
4) Hou 10-4
5) Pit 8-5-1
6) Bal 8-6
The current standings are absurd. The one ssue with the new format is the AFC NorthEast is unusually weak this year, so New England would be seeded ahead of two worse teams. Houston would prefer the current format, but it's certainly fairer for Los Angeles. In the Wild Card round, the home teams would have better records in the new format, but not int he current format. Pittsburgh, which is two and half games behind the Chargers, would actually get a home game against them.
Current NFC standings
1) NO 12-2
2) LAR 11-3
3) Chi 10-4
4) Dal 8-6
5) Sea 8-6
6) Min 7-6-1
NFC in New Format
1) NO 12-2
2) LAR 11-3
3) Chi 10-4
4) Sea 8-6
5) Dal 8-6
6) Min 7-6-1
In the AFC, the East and North merge and the South and West meld. Teams still play their current intra-division rivals twice and their new division rivals once. They play 2 teams from the other division and 4 from the other conference and two from the same Int he NFC, the East and South become a division and the North and West.
Current AFC standings
1) KC 11-3
2) Hou 10-4
3) NE 9-5
4) Pit 8-5-1
5) LAC 11-3
6) Bal 8-6
AFC in New Format
1) KC 11-3
2) NE 9-5
3) LAC 11-3
4) Hou 10-4
5) Pit 8-5-1
6) Bal 8-6
The current standings are absurd. The one ssue with the new format is the AFC NorthEast is unusually weak this year, so New England would be seeded ahead of two worse teams. Houston would prefer the current format, but it's certainly fairer for Los Angeles. In the Wild Card round, the home teams would have better records in the new format, but not int he current format. Pittsburgh, which is two and half games behind the Chargers, would actually get a home game against them.
Current NFC standings
1) NO 12-2
2) LAR 11-3
3) Chi 10-4
4) Dal 8-6
5) Sea 8-6
6) Min 7-6-1
NFC in New Format
1) NO 12-2
2) LAR 11-3
3) Chi 10-4
4) Sea 8-6
5) Dal 8-6
6) Min 7-6-1
The only difference is Seattle moves ahead of Dallas because they beat the Cowboys in week 3. But the playoff race would be far more competitive in the new format. Right now there is one division race in the NFC and the Wild Card race is a bit stunted.
In the new format Chicago and LA would be battling for the NorthWest crown. Dallas would be part of the Wild Card race. Seattle and Minnesota would be fighting with Dallas for a home playoff game. As of now, the best Seattle and Minnesota can hope for is a road playoff game int he Wild Card round, even if they finish ahead of whoever comes out of the East.
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