Eye on Faith: May 2016

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Russell Westbrook: Who's laughing now?

(Very Public Domain)

After Golden State took Oklahoma City for a ride, Russell Westbrook was nowhere to be seen. Rather than congratulating the Western Conference winners, he was sulking somewhere else.

Nothing wrong with privacy, especially when you can’t trust your own public displays. And Westbrook’s very public display of laughter over Curry’s defending abilities has now come back around.

As Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports wrote: Confidence in yourself is a big part of success in basketball, but sometimes it can backfire. When it does, look out: Instant karma’s gonna get you.

There’s a thin line between confidence and hubris. Pointing out someone’s weaknesses in an honest and direct manner is one thing, sneering is quite another.

It is said: He who laughs last, laughs best. Curry and the Warriors must have had a lot of good laughs last night.

Resources

http://nypost.com/2016/05/31/russell-westbrook-taunted-the-mvp-and-paid-a-steep-price/

Monday, May 30, 2016

Got an extra $62M? Fly SpaceX

SpaceX Hangar (Public Domain)

When carnival rides begin to lose their thrill, consider saving your pennies for a SpaceX flight.

Since a ride on SpaceX now costs $62 million, these pennies had better be rare ones. (Not to worry, a 1943-D bronze cent sold forS $1.7 million in 2010. Get enough of them, and you’re good to go.)

Why so expensive? First off, its “super-chilled” liquid oxygen really packs a whallop. The chilling allows for more fuel on board, which in turn permits the craft to “carry larger loads into orbit.”

Reviewing this competitively, Lockheed Martin and Boeing “charge about 100% more money to put 14% less payload into space.” What this means is that SpaceX could end up as the only such “game in town.”

That, plus SpaceX’s promised 30% fare reduction for “flying on a reused rocket,” adds up to substantially big savings. Let’s just say it’s all relative, as futuristic passengers may experience firsthand.

Resources

http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/05/28/spacex-raises-launch-prices.aspx

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Animal rights: Quit clowning around

Emmett Kelly in 1953 (Public Domain)

Although not every circus animal is abused, enough of them are in need of the solicitous attention they’re now getting.

On the mighty heels of elephants that no longer have to endure bull hooks at Barnum & Bailey Circus, activists are now trying to extend such compassion to other performing animals.

A recent proposal in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania seeks to ban most “wild-animal entertainment.” This was met by demonstrations of crying clowns, designed to convince the public that such a ban is downright evil.

Let’s face it: Clowns can be scary enough when they’re smiling. But what’s even scarier are the conditions in which many animals are kept. Brian Bonsteel of Humane Action Pittsburgh asserts: They perform out of fear of what will happen to them if they don’t.

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/news/circus-clowns-beg-lawmakers-not-ban-animal-shows-153435555.html?nhp=1