The remnants of Isaac are upon the Northeast and likely to linger through Thursday. I have the rainy day blues. Here are some numbers that will surely make some people blue. First on the political front, a recent poll showed that blacks prefer Obama to Romney 94% to 0%, with the rest undecided. Given that unemployment has risen among blacks during the President’s term, pundits are scratching their heads at the statistic. Currently, joblessness among blacks is 15.3%, as opposed to 8.3% overall. I am not surprised by the approval rating. It is cultural. If Obama were white, he wouldn’t stand a chance in November, whether one attributes the economic woes to him or not. Elections have always followed the bottom line.
Here are the latest box office numbers for the anti-Obama film, 2016: 18.3 million, robust for a documentary. To give it perspective, Michael Moore’s anti-Bush Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) earned more than 224 million worldwide. His second best money-maker, Bowling for Columbine (2002), made 58 million. I doubt the rest of the planet will be as interested in a film with a conservative bias. Still, 2016 continues to build an audience here in the America, finally forcing the left to respond. Is it merely preaching to the choir or will it convince independents to vote Republican? Stay tuned.
Turning to sports, Tiger Woods has become the first pro golfer to surpass 100 million in earnings. This must really rankle his detractors, including my golfing partner of 25 years, Cuz, who is the most even-tempered person I’ve ever known in just about all things excluding Tiger. He will not use a Nike golf ball because it is endorsed by Woods.
And on the baseball front: Pirates fans must be going to the Pepto Bismol. The Bucs have not had a winning record since 1992. Just a month ago they seemed a lock not only to break the streak but to make the playoffs. They have lost ten of their last 13 games, four straight, and stand at six games over .500. If they flop, they will not face the heat that will be leveled at the Nationals if their pitching falls short in the post season. Washington will soon shut down phenom Stephen Strasburg, who is 15-6, 2.94 ERA, and leads the NL is strikeouts. Strasburg, who is coming off major surgery to his valuable pitching arm, has been limited by the organization brain trust to about 170 innings. He is up to 156. The team has a shot to win it all and that figures to be more difficult without its star. From an economic standpoint, the move is understandable, as millions have been invested in the young man, but the team may never have a better opportunity to win a championship than at present, although it seems certain to contend for the next few years. This is another issue that gets Cuz’s goat. He is not big on pitch counts.
Visit Vic’s sites:
Vic’s Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic’s Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic’s Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic’s 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic’s 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic’s Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
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