that last good morning sunrise

 Every step of the way we walk the line

Your days are numbered, so are mine

Time is pilin’ up, we struggle and we scrape

We’re all boxed in, nowhere to escape

City’s just a jungle, more games to play

Trapped in the heart of it, trying to get away

I was raised in the country, I been workin’ in the town

I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down

Got nothing for you, I had nothing before

Don’t even have anything for myself anymore

Sky full of fire, pain pourin’ down

Nothing you can sell me, I’ll see you around

All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime

Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme   (Dylan)

my thoughts and prayers today are with the recently departed and the grieving families and friends he left behind, of which i consider myself one.

idiot wind

 blowing every time you move your teeth

You’re an idiot, babe

It’s a wonder that you still know how to breathe  (Dylan)

the speech that never was.

"someday soon this conflict will end, the Ukraine will be rebuilt and the world will go back to normal.....but do you know who is never going back to normal life ?  Russia......do you know who will never be allowed to rejoin society ? Russia.....do you know who will be surgically extricated from the G20 and all the trade partners of the west ? Russia........the world is watching and the world will never forget. To the Russian people i say to you, Putin is dragging your children to hell with him, but  i sure hope you like eggrolls...because the only international trade you will ever see is with CHina......the only foreign investment you will ever see is from the Wuhan Clan....no more Starbucks or Mcdonalds for you........to the Oligarchs I say to you , i sure hope you like Chinese Ballet and have a condo in Bejing and can house your yachts in the South China sea because when this is over you will be banned from the Med and the French Riviera.....say goodbye to Manhattan High Rises and the Russian Tea Room....Forget London, Paris and Rome...no more Olympics or World Cups for you , you'll be watching ping-pong for eternity....you will be isolated from the world and left only to roam the Steets of Moscow and live and die with other Russian peasants......you can use your rubles to repaper that guest bathroom because your currency has no value beyond your walls..........and you traded all this with your silence and inaction against a dictator and tyrant and genocidal maniac , you watched your cousins get slaughtered and butchered, and  you traded all this and 15,000 of your young men so far,  for Odessa and the rubble of Mariopul .....to you the world bids Adieu "

That's the speech i would have written for demntia Joe to deliver yesterday in Brussel Sprouts.

One day you’ll be in the ditch, flies buzzin’ around your eyes

Blood on your saddle

somethings burning, baby

something's in flames

There’s a man going ’round calling names

Ring down when you’re ready, baby, I’m waiting for you

I believe in the impossible, you know that I do (Dylan)

thirty days in, who woulda thunk it ?

supposed world power russia is stuck in the mud, bogged down on the roads to Kyiv .

a pro Kremlin news agency mistakenly released the real casualty numbers over the weekend ....10,000 DEAD Russians...contradicting Putins claim of 498.,,,,,the Ukraine claims Russia's losses are 15,800 people, 530 tanks, 1,597 armored combat vehicles, 280 artillery systems, and 47 anti-aircraft weapons.

Russian forced to use hypersonic missiles at a staggering financial cost because the Ukranians are intercepting traditional missiles and Russia still does not have air superiority.

Last Night the Ukraine release footage of a Russian Large Paratroop ship in the port of Berdyansk smoldering after being bombed......the Ukraines Tweeted that the occupiers are "BURNING WELL, GLORY TO UKRAINE".

I remember hoping in the early days of this invasion that the Ukranian Capital would survive the first weekend....never thought for a second we would be watching this turn around 30 days in.

next topic....vaccine mandates.

how would you feel if you were a city worker....Police, Fire, Sanitation or Teacher....and you lost your job because you refused to put the vaccine into your body at the insistence of a simpleton like Bill Debozo.....and now the new mayor...Eric Adams is expected to exempt Athletes and performers from this mandate ?   so Kyrie Irving can play for the Nets and the Mets and Yankees, Broadway performers, and other performers are free to choose what;s right for their own bodies......but you ? you are still without a job.

i fully expect all the Park Slop liberal mommy's to mobilize and protest outside the Barclays Center when Kyrie makes his season debut......yeah, well

next topic....Broadway Blueshirts

In case you missed it...Chris Drury had a very good trade deadline......for years the Rangers and Knicks have mortgaged the future of prospects and draft picks for a Big Name , aging superstar at the trade deadline.....but Drury managed to add a cache of solid players for depth and defense without subtracting 1 player from the current roster , he traded 1 prospect and a few mid round picks and got back 4 guys that should play a role in what may be a deep run into the playoffs......and last weekend the team showed they can go on the road and beat two of the best in the Eastern Conference with solid (playoff like) wins at Tampa and Carolina........there's definitely something special brewing in the worlds most famous arena.

lastly......in what has become a longstanding tradition, two members of the Sweater Nite Family will join the line and March as Deputy Grand Marshals of the Bayridge St Patrick's Day Parade. Steve Mcevoy and Krissy Woods-Hansen will don the sash walk in the footsteps of Dano Woods, Chris Cogs, Richie O'Mara and John Ti Jean Caddotte...the white marvin hagler ( and Maura Cogs and Denise B) ....Slainte' well done, well deserved !

I can feel it in the dust as I get off the bus on the outskirts of town

I think when my back was turned

 The whole world behind me burned

Maybe today, if not today, maybe tomorrow

Maybe there’ll be a limit on all my sorrow ( Dylan) 

just to recap.....the NY Post broke a story about a recovered laptop that was turned over to the FBI and belonged to the son of a Presidential candidate...it was a month before the election.....the laptop contained emails that linked the candidate and his son to illegal payments from Russia/China/Ukraine...."hold 10 million for the BigGuy".

the mainstream media sprung into action.....Twitter suspended the NY Post account.....Facebook prevented users from sharing the Posts' story and 50 current/former intelligence offficers signed a letter calling the laptop as Russian Disinformation....Candidate Biden snapped at press questions and called the story "GARBAGE"....this isn't a silly tom cruise movie....this really happened....

now 16 months after the election the liberal NY Times has declared that the laptop and its' contents are real.....not one signer of that infamous letter would even comment yesterday...let alone apologize...

The White House Press Secretary has said that Hunter Biden doesn't work for the United States and so they won't comment.....seemingly unaware or unfazed by the fact he is the Son of the President or that the President himself is on record discrediting the story...a clear lie.

i bring this up today because so many Americans are shocked that citizens within Russia are not aware of the origins of the Russian invasion into Ukraine or have seen the daily horrors of attacks on civilians, schools and children's hospitals. ......well friends when the media controls the story and discredits stories that are unfavorable....this is what you get.....the funny thing about free speech is that it is supposed to be right for everyone....not just the ones that agree with you.

side note..same story.... a group of Yale law school students Stood, Heckled and shouted down speakers at a bipartisan panel on free speech ( of all subjects). DC Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman was so disgusted that he sent an email to all US Federal judges advising them of the incident and asking that they "think twice" before hiring any of these students.......stop and think about it......these are not college freshman teenagers , trying desperately to be relevant on the planet.....these are adults in Law school...these are people who wish to one day be considered as judges.......the job of a Judge is to sit and listen to Both sides of the case before them .........these snowflakes are so fragile that they can't even listen to a panel of bipartisan discussion.....and they want to sit in judgement of their peers one day ? 

So much for tears
So much for those long and wasted years.

I went to an Alehouse, i used to frequent

 I told the landlady my money was spent

I ask her for credit, she answered me nay

Such a custom as yours I can have any day (Dubliners)

the older we get , the more Saint Patricks' Day morphs from a wonderful celebration to a day of sad remembrance.......the Giants of March 17th have all moved on......long gone are the childhood shenanigans, the great gatherings of family in fine spirits and all the comradery that followed. But just like Tim Finnegan we find the will to rise and shine.....for the Whiskey and the Beer still need to be drunk.....that bottle of Jamesons won't drink itself......the hardened stoic race of people that the Irish are, we bury those feelings and raise a glass or two many. Today thousands will march in NYC for the first time since the china flu....millions will belly up to the respective bar and slake their thirst with pint of Stoudt....we will sing the songs and quietly think of the family and friends that aren't here, and we'll drink another round for them for fucks' sake. 

We shall eat the corned beef....although the symbol of immigrant Irish/America  has nothing to do with the traditions or cuisine of the country of Ireland. The Irish found themselves in an unloving british settlement of the new world 1762....before America declared her independence......work was scarce (irish need not apply) . they were broke and they missed home .....the cheapest cut of meat was the corned beef.....so they bought in bulk and adopted it as their own, washed it down with Beer and MARCHED.......they Fucking marched right up the dirt road that was 5th Ave in NYC and paid homage to the Patron Saint of the Catholic Church....SAINT PATRICK......and 260 years later .....they'll do it again.....no race has ever overcome so much , so fast; they came to the country unwanted and within a generation they were running the fucking show. The joined the military and created the Police and Fire Depts....all they asked for was a hand up...not a hand out. We owe our ancestors a great deal of thanks for showing the way....just roll up your sleeves and get to work...for this is still the land of opportunity for those "willing" to put in the time.

so today we walk the tightrope.....try to balance the feeling of loss, while still celebrating that legacy.....i'll raise my share of glasses and hopefully find my way home safe and sound before the Moon begins to rise.......Slainte' to All....Top of the Morning.....time to raise a glass

I brought from me pocket ten sovereigns bright

And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight

She said:'I have whiskeys and wines of the best

And the words that you told me were only in jest'

And it's no, nay, never

No, nay never no more

Will I play the wild rover

No never no more

you take my hand

 I'll take your hand.

Together we may get away. (N. Young)

how do we escape from this planet ? i wish i knew.

87 year old woman that worked as a speech coach for this disabled was pushed to the ground for no reason by a stranger in NYC over the weekend and yesterday she died from her injuries.

homeless being shot dead as they sleep on the streets of the Nations Capital and NYC.....family of the shooter say HE is the victim because he had issues and needed help.

teenager working in Burger King shot to death for not emptying the register fast enough during a street induced wealth redistribution program (Robbery to you and me).......2 kids working in Mcdonalds stabbed over the weekend by a nut.

two workers at the MOMA were stabbed by a madman who was angry because his membership to the museum was revoked, his family says he too is a Victim....had issues / needed help.

and the bombs keep raining down on the Ukraine.....apartment buildings, childrens hospitals, nurseries and schools.....makes no difference to Putin.

This much madness is too much sorrow.

It's impossible to make it today.

The Best things in life are free

 

But you can keep them for the birds and bees

Now give me money, (That's what I want) ( Berry Gordy writing credit..Lennon/Mcartney)

so i dumped my Mcdonalds and Pepsi stock last week before they eventually announced that they were pausing business in Russia.....not a sacrifice on my part....truth is i didn't own much and i enjoyed a nice profit and fair dividend the past 8 to 10 years that i owned both.....it was a symbolic gesture on my part.....same as when i sold my Coca-Cola stock when they offered training to their employees on how to be LESS WHITE.......i'm just grateful that JPM and XOM didn't force me to make a decision(they both quickly announced they were distancing themselves from and unwinding their russian assets), those two stocks are the staples of my self directed IRA. The truth though is that in every situation around the globe, money talks.......if more people spoke with their wallets, i think many of these corporations would be less likely to spit in the face of their loyal customers.......less likely to spit on America while cozying up to our enemies.....less likely to jump on that soap box and preach to the choir.

everybody's bragging

 and drinkin that wine

I can tell the Queen of Diamonds by the way she shine

Come to Daddy on an inside straight

I got no chance of losing this time

No, I got no chance of losing this time (Hunter-Garcia)

well i think our friends in Poland overplayed their hand......flushed with pride from all the goodwill the world was showering upon them; they swung for the fences. Poland was floating the idea of sending MIG fighter jets to the Ukraine, and as a sovereign nation nobody could or would try to stop them. They then announced to the world that they would be delivering the MIGs not directly to the Ukraine but rather to the US air base in Rammstein Germany, for the USA to hand them over to Ukraine after a crash course on operations.......and that the USA would be replacing these MIGs by giving Poland newer fighter jets from our fleet. This is a European standard move to lure the USA to the front lines and ensure that we are knee deep in the fight. Now we can debate whether we should be involved and ultimately our Congress should debate and decide, but for Poland to try to shame us into joining the war directly/indirectly was not cool. In my opinion the US was justified in rejecting this plan. If we were fighting Mexico and the USSR was behind a move that gave Venezuela weapons so that Maduro could supply Mexico with Jets to attack our boys.... well i would consider that an act of war on behalf of Russia. 

sometimes this world throws a monkey wrench in that is just impossible to accept or figure out...last night was one of those nights.....i don't try to understand anymore.....i stopped trying long ago....i blog for my own sanity.....i wake each morning in a good mood (until i turn on the tv) all we have is today....so let's try to make the most of it.

Don't you push me baby,because I'm moaning low

I know a little something, you won't ever know

Don't you touch hard liquor just

a cup of cold coffee

Gonna get up

in the morning and go

go ahead and drink your whiskey

 Run around and stay high all the time,It's your body and your soul

You save yours and I'll save mine

A man should never gamble, A man should never gamble

A man should never gamble, More than he can stand to lose ( David Bromberg)

let's take a break from the war this friday morn and talk a little hockey....if you are a gambling man you can probably drink your whiskey and shake your head today....last night the team with the worst record in the league beat the team with the best record......how does that happen ? 

The lowly depleted Coyotes of Arizona somehow knocked off Colorado , the top team in the NHL thus far . 25 yr old rookie goalie Varel Kameljka faced an Avalanche of shots (43) and somehow walked away with a 2-1 win.

slightly less surprising but still a huge upset was the Canadians De Montreal going into the Saddledome in Alberta and knocking off division leading Calgary in overtime. This is a fierce North of the Border rivalry, so anything can always happen; and the Habs are playing better of late.....BUT the Flames are considered by some ( mainly me) to be the best in the League and the eventual Cup Winner in June.....(Flames over Canes is my prediction).......just two more reason to love this game.....can't wait to watch On the Fly this morning and Jackie Redmond this afternoon.

locally the fishtix continue to slide into oblivion......the first year in their new arena may come with missing of the playoffs...ouch.......they lost at home to the Canuckleheads , and the two teams they are chasing for the final playoff spots won (Caps & Bruins).

with the trade deadline looming on March 21.....i just hope Chris Drury does not make any stupid "Go for It" moves........sure we could use another pure goal scorer...everyone could.....but i don't see that guy out there on the cheap......add some more muscle, maybe another veteran for the locker room but please don't mortage the future....

side note....CCM has decided to stop featuring Russian born players in their ads....namely alex ovechkin......they will still honor the current contract and pay him....but he will not appear in print adds or commercials.....the world has turned.

no politics today.....it's friday......treat yourself to a cool refreshing beer and keep praying for the Ukraine.

So sing your song and sip your sham pain

Dance a dance with Diamond Lil

You don't have to pay the piper

Just have him put it on your bill

well my shoes they come from singapore

 My flashlight’s from Taiwan

My tablecloth’s from Malaysia
My belt buckle’s from the Amazon
You know, this shirt I wear comes from the Philippines
And the car I drive is a Chevrolet
It was put together down in Argentina
By a guy makin’ thirty cents a day  (Dylan)

Mister Dylan was actually taking aim at the unions in this early 80's gem, but it could just as easily been a rant against the supply chain.....in any event his lament about imports has stood the test of time....once again Bob was right.

I was critical of the President for not banning Russian oil......but i should not have been...here's why.

First and foremost we should NOT be buying Russian oil.....but as a capitalist and someone who is most concerned with Government overreach...I should have instead made the case for the Private sector to do the right thing.....I have always complained about Big Govt sticking its' nose where it does not belong....from vaccine mandates to affirmative action...and so just because i like the outcome, i can't suddenly be okay with the Govt telling big Oil how they should do business. Even though the Central Govt does have the authority when it comes to National Defense, it is still better when private citizens arrive at the right decisions by themselves....it is counterproductive when a heavy hand of govt dictates to the people.

And this morning I am happy to say the private sector is "doing the right thing".... First it was British Petroleum and Shell and yesterday Exxon followed suit. (that is my biggest stock position in my IRA  and so i am glad i do not have to think about selling, i bought 1,000 shs at the onset of the pandemic between the price of $38 and $50....would hate to sell tday at $82) 

I also found an article on Bloomberg that said Banks are rethinking loans to Russian oil exploration....tanker shipping companies are refusing to ship Russian Oil, and finally American Oil companies are refusing to accept delivery. (Weds there was a tanker filled with Russian oil selling for $20 below the market rate of $106 a barrel, and there were no takers) I will even begrudgingly afford some credit to the "Cancel Culture" , as i think these big corporations have seen how individuals have been cancelled for their decisions of the past (right or wrong) and so they may be afraid that down the road they will face backlash for the economic decisions made today. (Being slow to join the boycott)

8 days in.....russia is digging their own grave with each passing day....last night a news anchor seemed shocked at a report that Gigi Ping Pong asked Putin to wait until after the Olympics before invading....thankfully there was no mention of Sweater Nite.

They used to grow food in Kansas
Now they want to grow it on the moon and eat it raw
I can see the day coming when even your home garden
Is gonna be against the law

Been walkin' all mornin', went walkin' all night

 I can't see much difference between the dark and light

And I feel the wind and I taste the rain

Never in my mind to cause so much pain (Hunter-Garcia)

in these disturbing times it can be difficult to see the difference between the dark and light, but one needs to look no further than Poland to see the LIGHT. The response of the Polish Govt can be explained as a necessary move as they see themselves as the next domino should Russia succeed in taking control of the Ukraine, But the response of the Polish people is nothing short of heartwarming. An incredible and unprecedented outpouring of support for the refugees. As the Nation opened their border to all, the People took it many steps further.... greeting refugees at the border and train stations with food, water, clothing and support. Those with homes or spare bedrooms opened them to strangers, and some who did not have space to house people instead rented apartments or hotel rooms in the cities with their own $$ on behalf of refugees. These are people that have not forgotten what it is like to live under the Russian fist of oppression, these are people with compassion for their fellow human beings. Imagine how scared and frightened these refugees must be.... most of them women with young children ...their husbands remaining in the Ukraine to fight; and they arrive at the border on foot with just an overnight bag.... and then to see warm , welcoming people on the other side. If you believe in God, you believe that God sees this too.

As the russian convey, some 40 miles long; crawls along the main roads at a snail's pace....one has to imagine their utter destruction and annihilation if the Ukraines had a few F14-Tomcats at their disposal...like the ones we stupidly sold to Fucking IRAN in 1973 before they revolted against the Shah.......as Bob Dylan reminds us "Man has invented his doom" and the US government never fails to confuse and disappoint.

The next 48 hours will be interesting.......have to think this war is unpopular in Moscow.....the Kremlin prevented a stock sell-off by simply closing their stock exchange yesterday..can't do that forever....the Ruble is worth pennies.... interest rates are north of 20%.....British Petroleum and Shell have cut ties to Russia at a great expense to themselves.... others should follow. Russian access to SWIFT has been greatly restricted...but the oligarch's still buy Gucci leather goods from the Gindaloons. ..Sadly the US is still buying Russian Oil....Joe Biden is so worried about the midterm elections and so afraid of the progressive wing of his own party that he refuses to allow the American Oil and Gas industry to bail us out of this crisis.....if Biden were to make an announcement tonight during his State of The Union address....and simply state to the American people "Hey , Gas Prices are gonna skyrocket for a while and we may indeed have gas shortages for a while until we get back up and running, But we need to support the Ukraine as Leaders of the free world and we are not going to buy Russian oil effective immediately ",,,if he said that tonight....i think the American public would give him a pass on the issue high gas prices....i honestly do.....that, along with .more and more talk of War crimes and trials at the Hague would have some of the people in the Russian Military thinking twice about targeting Ukranian civilians.....lets just hope that someone wakes up sleepy Joe when and if the Nukes start flying.

Comes a time when the blind man takes your hand
Says, "Don't you see?