From The River To The Sea?

“No one can take pleasure from seeing bayonets in an American community or on a college campus, but the arrival of the (National) Guard with bayonets brought total de-escalation of hand-to-hand fighting and violence.” — California Governor Ronald Reagan on sending in both the California Highway Patrol and the National Guard to quell escalating rioting at UC Berkeley, May 15, 1969

“Today, our university held firm, enforcing our rules while protecting the constitutional right to free speech. Peaceful protests within our rules are acceptable. Breaking our rules and policies and disrupting others’ ability to learn are not allowed. The group that led this protest stated it was going to violate Institutional Rules. Our rules matter, and they will be enforced. Our university will not be occupied.” — University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell, April 24, 2024

Wondering why the word Progressive became synonymous with Antisemitic?

Are some research university presidents finally standing-up and being counted, when it comes to actually defending the teaching of the best and brightest? How long has it taken for coordinated student campus occupiers to meet their match?

Did university leaders learn from the cashiering of former Harvard president Christine Gay and UPenn president Liz Magill, both guilty of not standing up against raging Antisemitism on their respective campuses.

Is there a growing societal response finally taking a stand against permissive counterculture? Do these peaceful occupation/riots help or hurt the campaign of former President Donald Trump?

Hearts and Minds

Almost DailyBrett grew up during the student riots against the Vietnam War. The conflict was not as simple and clear as the response to the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

Vietnam was never adequately explained to the American public. The draft was literally pulling hundreds of thousands out of society and packing them off to Southeast Asia. The student protests questioned American foreign policy in the 1960s and 1970s.

Some of these gatherings (e.g., most notably UC Berkeley) were completely out of control. California Governor Reagan deployed the National Guard. The peaceful protesters, sympathetic faculty and elite media didn’t approve, but the public was overwhelmingly supportive.

The same scenario is being played out for Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The decision to send in the National Guard is never easy, but it’s part of the job. The primary responsibility of government is to provide protection and to ensure safety for its citizens.

Remember the peaceful protesters four years ago? Will campuses likewise burn, if the adults in society don’t or won’t intercede?

Today’s campus riots … err protests from Columbia University on the east coast to your author’s undergraduate alma mater, USC, on the west coast — and many universities in between — concern the actions of a long-time ally beyond America’s borders, 10-time-zones away.

USC has now canceled its university graduation ceremony. Who won? How about student storm troopers, practicing horrific Antisemitism?

Students Supporting Hamas?

“College life today is a day spa, combined with a North Korean re-education camp. It’s a daycare center with a meal plan, except the toddlers can fire the adults. The fact that college presidents, who like to speak out about anything, couldn’t find their voice to condemn the worst attacks since the Holocaust says a lot about who really controls colleges.” — Bill Maher, “Real Time With Bill Maher,” host

Almost DailyBrett attending a football game last November was greeted by dozens of student agitators chanting “From the River to the Sea” as in from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Translated: Israel will cease to exist.

Aren’t the termination of Israel and by extension, America, the stated goals of terrorist Hamas (Hezbollah, Iran)? Didn’t they all start the conflagration last October?

Are these Antisemitic students familiar with the Teutonic compound noun, Sturmabteilung? These illiberal campus Braunhemden are knowingly or unknowingly calling for the extermination of Jews, and many of them just don’t understand the evil meaning behind these benign sounding words.

As a former tenure track professor of public relations, marketing, corporate communications and investor relations, Almost DailyBrett clearly comprehends the mission of Research 1 universities: Educate Z-Gens (born 1997 to 2012) and provide them with the skill sets and credentials to succeed in the marketplace and life.

If campuses become unsafe for particular students (e.g., Jewish) and the learning experience is severely diminished/curtailed because of narrow-minded political agendas, society must intercede to restore the beautiful purpose of our university environments.

Ronald Reagan was severely criticized back in the 1960s for sending in the National Guard. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is the target of media elites today.

Guess that goes with the job.

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/04/25/free-speech-ut-austin-protest-greg-abbott-tweet-response-protests-contrast-2019-stance/73447192007/

https://www.foxnews.com/us/ut-austin-president-defends-shutting-down-anti-israel-protests-our-rules-matter-enforced

https://www.thejc.com/news/usa/us-university-students-do-not-understand-full-meaning-of-from-the-river-to-the-sea-chant-survey-reveals-bq5o3sz7

‘Writing About The Jews Again’?

Bi-Coastal Elites Abandon Israel

“Journalists” Telling Their Truth, Not The Truth

When Was It Past-Time For The National Guard?

Permissible Plagiarism? Acceptable Anti Semitism?

Kicking Elite Universities In The Endowment?

Bi-Coastal Elites Abandon Israel

Who Started It?

Never Acknowledge, Admit Or Concede

“The man who does nothing cuts the same sordid figure in the pages of history, whether he be cynic, or fop, or voluptuary. There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of the great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder.” — President Teddy Roosevelt, ‘The Man in the Arena,’ The Sorbonne, April 23, 1910

There are no critics on Mt. Rushmore.

Every time a tepid soul journalist would ask Almost DailyBrett to acknowledge, admit or concede, the answer was an automatic, ‘no.’

The reason is simple: There was and still is a 99 percent chance that anything and everything acknowledged, admitted or conceded will be immediately seized by a carnivorous partisan reporter, correspondent, editor or anchor.

It’s the beastly nature of the nattering nabobs of negativism.

Ever wonder why Donald Trump refuses to apologize, and never will? Acknowledging, admitting or conceding — let alone apologizing — demonstrates sniveling weakness to be immediately devoured by predatory cat-nip journalists.

Would you rather be seen in the vain of Teddy Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” or appeasing Neville Chamberlain?

What about the truth? A Man or a Woman in the Arena should always tell the truth. That does not mean allowing reporters with prescribed political agendas to put incendiary words into your mouth. Part of the 1st Amendment Rights to Free Speech is the prerogative to disagree and to actually displease the Fourth Estate.

As Almost DailyBrett has repeatedly lamented about political reporters taking sides. They will advance stories that work against you, and ignore those that advance your cause. If they can put words in your mouth that coincide with their litmus-test, they will happily do so.

As a former Republican press secretary for eight years, your author knows the vast majority of journalists wanted us to fail big time. The undeniable fact that California is now a one-party basket case is partially attributable to the loss of objectivity in the Sacramento Press Corps. That has not always been the case, but it’s true right now.

Almost DailyBrett pointed out the journalists of yesteryear (e.g., 1980s and earlier) were better, fairer and open to both sides. They gathered the facts and reported the news.

Analysis, Commentary and Interpretation

“I’m certain that the truth exists for you and probably for the person sitting next to you. But this may not be the same truth. This is because the truth of the matter is very often, for many people, what happens when we merge facts about the world with our beliefs about the world. So we all have different truths.” — NPR chief executive officer Katherine Maher

Different truths?

Is Ms. Maher saying that all truths are not created the same or that some are more equal than others? Are elite media beliefs and infallible truths the same? At least they don’t cause a distraction to getting things done.

Isn’t the job of fair, objective, both sides, professional journalists to separate truths from beliefs and report on the real truths whatever they may be? It’s used to be called, fact-based Journalism.

Ever heard of editorials in drag? They’re all around you, particularly in this age of digital/social media.

Who decides? Increasing it’s those who arrogantly craft analysis, prepare commentaries and offer interpretations as in their own analysis, their own commentary and their own interpretations. Who elected these journalists? Where are their statues?

At their best they are Devil’s advocates posing questions to elicit quotable responses. That’s fair game.

When they are trying to infuse incendiary language on to the lips of message developers/spokesperson to advance their self-serving analysis, commentary and interpretation that practice is further contributing to the record loss of American trust in today’s so-called journalists.

https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Learn-About-TR/TR-Encyclopedia/Culture-and-Society/Man-in-the-Arena.aspx

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/npr-ceo-calls-first-amendment-the-number-one-challenge-in-america/ar-BB1lOi3s

Were Yesteryear’s Journalists, Better People?

“Dirty Debutantes”?

“Independent Journalism for Independent Thinking”

Defund Police? Yes! Defund NPR? No!!

MSNBC Knows Best

Collapse in Public Trust In America’s Media

Do “Student” Athletes Need To Go To School?

“He’s (Texas QB Quinn Ewers) got to park where he’s supposed to park. He wasn’t where he was supposed to be parking on gameday.” — Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian, September 5, 2022

It’s really a summer bummer having your Aston Martin towed by University of Texas Parking and Transportation Services, especially when you’re making $1.9 million or presumably more in annual NIL contracts.

What’s a student athlete supposed to do?

Almost DailyBrett is still cursing having his own James Bond car towed by USC parking enforcement during his days as the football manager for the Men of Troy. Alas the bespoke vehicle — worthy of Sean Connery — did not include a cardinal and gold leather interior.

The above is more than a tiny fib. Yours truly did not have a car in college, let alone a multi-million-dollar Names Images and Likeness (NIL) deal. Class was required along with tests, papers, reading assignments and presentations.

Let’s back up: Texas’ starting quarterback with reportedly $1.9 million in NIL contracts, includes his burnt-orange leather interior Aston Martin. His backup Arch Manning is pulling down $3.7 million to sit on the bench.

His uncles are named, Peyton and Eli.

Wait! The two Tejas signal callers are collectively receiving $5.6 million to wear the burnt orange and white on Saturdays?

Will Arch eventually enter the transfer portal to secure playing time? How much will that cost? Maybe — just maybe — he’s overvalued and simply not that good. Heck, he may actually make more in college than the NFL, assuming he even has a pro football career.

Almost DailyBrett remembers not-so-fondly being the manager of the office co-ed softball game. We never won a game. It seemed that all of our opponents sported “ringers,” great players, who couldn’t find the men’s room, let alone accounting at the corporate headquarters.

Maybe university athletes should be regarded as “ringers.” Instead of playing in the NFL, they are pretending to be students at SEC schools in particular. They are paid big NIL bucks to represent the university for at least one year on the basketball court or three years on the football field.

Do ringers really need to go to class?

Why go to class, if you are set financially for life? Aren’t your credentials for employment, your TD/Interception ratio or three-pointer percentage? Who cares about grade-point average, while majoring in football or basketball? Your stats are your GPA.

Can you imagine Arch sitting in class with a professor having the audacity to call on him in front of all of the other students (e.g., Socratic Method). Perish the thought about Arch writing papers, taking fill-in the blank exams (sorry no multiple guess) and participating with mere mortal students on assigned team projects.

How pedestrian.

Is the NCAA going to enforce school attendance policies at university football factories? Lack of institutional control has already been lost with NIL contracts, player tampering, transfer portals and conference realignments, spurred by a manipulative evil sports network (Disney’s ESPN).

Is Almost DailyBrett favorable to permitting student athletes to drop the adjective preceding the noun, as in student modifying athlete? Having sweated out two degrees, your author believes strongly that college students should go to class and do the work.

Hook ’em Horns

What happens if the only assignment is beating Alabama on Saturday?

University-paid athletes — the ones with impounded Aston Martins, the ones pulling down seven figures annually (even to ride pine), the ones threatening to enter the transfer portal — are not students (okay maybe at Vanderbilt … but who cares about Vanderbilt football?).

Let’s be real: They’re ringers. To be more precise these university athletes are professionals. The campus football field or basketball court are exclusively for marketing their credentials to Dr. Pepper, Subway Sandwiches and AT&T.

What about the real students on campus? Where are their Aston Martins? Who is paying for their name, image and likeness? Heck, they run the risk of being suspended from school for non-performance.

Almost DailyBrett is saying that real student athletes should take full advantage of their scholarships and pursue a genuine degree from a bona fide university. The vast majority will not make it in the NFL or NBA. It would be more than a good idea for them to attain a college degree, and maybe even go to graduate school.

Having said all that, let’s acknowledge the obvious: We live in an age of student ringers. Some are already monetarily set for life. “College” is just a stepping stone. They don’t care about going to class. Why force them, if they are not student athletes?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34518846/texas-longhorns-qb-quinn-ewers-car-towed-debut

https://www.law.uchicago.edu/socratic-method

In The Name Of Social Justice

Are ESPN and Fox Sports Guilty of Racketeering?

Be True To Your School?

Why Are ‘Lily’ and ‘Flo’ So Annoying?

“Dirty Debutantes”?

“I’m not going to let you attack young people, and there were some things in this commentary that you should be offended by as women. It was so sexist. It was good versus evil in that game today. Evil? Called us dirty debutantes? Are you kidding me?” — LSU Women’s Basketball Coach Kim Mulkey

“Words matter. As a journalist, no one should know this more than me. Yet I have failed miserably in my choice of words. In my column previewing the LSU-UCLA women’s basketball game, I tried to be clever in my phrasing about one team’s attitude, using alliteration while not understanding the deeply offensive connotation or associations. I also used metaphors that were not appropriate.” — Public apology by Los Angeles Times columnist Ben Bolch

FILE -LSU’s Angel Reese reacts in front of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark during the second half of the NCAA Women’s Final Four championship basketball game April 2, 2023, in Dallas. . (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

Are today’s divisive journalists leading America’s race to the bottom?

Can a columnist be sexist and racist at the same time with just two words? Where are the guardrails? Where are the editors? Who controls the alliterations and metaphors?

How can any elite mass media outlet tolerate publishing or broadcasting, “dirty debutantes” about a women’s basketball team in which the majority of its players are African-American? Is there any wonder why public trust in American journalism continues to plummet regardless of which quantitative research firm conducts the survey?

Almost DailyBrett is not taking aim exclusively at the Los Angeles Times. The publication has already removed the offending references from the online version of Bolch’s column, saying they did not meet Times’ editorial standards.

What happened to these same standards last Friday in publishing: “Commentary: UCLA-LSU is America’s sweethearts vs. its basketball villains?” Is Bolch exclusively at fault or should the blame also apply to everyone in charge, who works under the august masthead of the Los Angles Times?

Have the inmates taken over the asylum?

Sweethearts?

Was society advanced with this particular commentary?

When the “profession” eschews accuracy, debunks news gathering and dismisses old-fashioned objective reporting of both sides, and replaces it with supposed clever interpretation and opinion — Houston, we have a problem.

Why did Ben Bolch apologize (a trait not normally associated with journalists or Donald Trump)? The columnist was clever on Thursday/Friday, and underwent a personal epiphany during the weekend.

Even though Almost DailyBrett is not an attorney, he knows that Mulkey and her team are public persons. Absolving Bolch from charges of actual malice (New York Times v Sullivan) is a hill the lawyers at the Times may not want to climb.

Is there anyone in charge in Romper Room?

Certainly Coach Mulkey and her taunting, brawling and mocking team are difficult to love. They are not paragons of virtue. The Washington Post also published a hit piece against Mulkey at approximately the same time that Ben Bolch’s commentary hit the streets.

Was the timing intentional? Sure. Women’s basketball is gaining strength and viewership. How can you miss Coach Mulkey?

Almost DailyBrett is not advocating a chilling remedy to out-of-control Journalism, thus endangering the First Amendment. What your author is saying is the profession is now despised by even the people it particularly states it’s trying to protect under the auspices of Social Justice: Women and People of Color.

How “dirty debutantes” even made it past the copy desk onto the front of the sports page is beyond this humble reporter. Hopefully it will never happen again.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2024-03-29/ucla-lsu-america-sweethearts-versus-basketball-villains

https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39855695/la-s-reporter-apologizes-mulkey-rips-column

https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaunharper/2024/03/31/dirty-debutantes-and-other-racist-mischaracterizations-of-lsu-womens-basketball-team/?sh=2d60f50a1be1

Were Yesteryear’s Journalists, Better People?

The Public Won’t Pay For Journalism

MSNBC Knows Best

“Republican Journalists:” An Extinct Species?

“Journalists” Telling Their Truth, Not The Truth

Journalism’s Blind Faith

A Kinder Gentler Donald Trump

Former President Pivots Toward The General Election, Employs a Dramatic Attitude Adjustment to Retain Straying Republicans, and to Attract Discerning Independent Voters

Mar-a-Lago, Florida — After securing his third GOP presidential nomination, former President Donald J. Trump announced he underwent a personality transplant after weeks of isolation, meditation and self-reflection.

Previously, Trump’s modus operandi has always been: 1. Relentless attack, 2. Mock political opponents, 3. Never apologize. All of these persona characteristics have changed beginning today and will run through election day, Tuesday, November 5.

The former President cited as inspiration former Cal-Berkeley quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former President George H.W. Bush for his 180-degree deportment transformation.

“After spending five days in total darkness in spartan accommodations in Oregon, and reflecting on former President Bush’s ‘1,000 Points of Light’ campaign, we decided to eschew conspicuous consumption and to govern in the first-person plural: we, us and our,” said the former president.

“For example, We are Stronger Together.”

President Trump announced he would no longer employ mocking names for his political adversaries including in alphabetical order: “Sleepy Joe” (Biden), “Crooked Hillary” (Clinton), “Ron Desanctimonious,” “Birdbrain” (Nikki Haley), “Governor Newscum,” “Crazy Nancy” (Pelosi), “Choke Artist” (Mitt Romney), “Little Marco” (Rubio), “Crazy Bernie” (Sanders), and “Pocahontas” (Elizabeth Warren).

Besides personally apologizing to all of these outstanding public citizens the former president mocked with mean-spirited nicknames, Trump also pledged he will be Semper Fi with former First Lady Melania Trump. Always.

There will be no more galivanting with porn stars (e.g., Stormy Daniels).

A Modern Day St. Francis of Assisi Feeding The Doves?

“Integrity is priceless. And in the end, that’s all you have. I plan on keeping mine.” — former President Donald Trump announcing the completion of his personality journey, now identifying as a nice guy.

When it comes to Mar-a-Lago, Trump Tower in Manhattan and all of his other properties, Trump is now embracing: “Mi casa, su casa.”

With an estimated net worth of $6.8 billion, a portion of that coming from the $8.3 billion raised from last week’s IPO of Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT: NASDAQ), Trump announced he is taking a vow of poverty.

He will graciously donate his considerable wealth to charities doing good deeds.

“I like the new me. I hope America finds favor with the new Donald J. Trump as well.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nicknames_used_by_Donald_Trump

Trump Issues Mea Culpa; Suspends Campaign

UO Restores Pioneer Mother

California’s Rarefied Air Tax

UC Berkeley Announces Nation’s First Cannabis Turf Football Field

Burying The 109-Year-Still-Young Pac-10

When it comes to a beloved centenarian, your heart wants them to go on and on, but your intellect says it’s time to accept the inevitable.

For Almost DailyBrett last Saturday provided moments of joy and despair.

The Oregon Ducks beat UCLA, Arizona and Colorado on three consecutive nights to make it to an improbable berth in the NCAA Tournament. It was another of Dana Altman’s late-season masterpieces.

Hanging over the green and yellow confetti coming down from the Las Vegas hockey arena rafters was the brutal undeniable reality of the official burial after 109-years in business of the Pac-10, The Conference of Champions.

Yes, yes, there is still beisbol and track and field in the spring, but football and basketball are easily the main revenue sports. They’re done. The conference ist kaputt.

Your author acknowledges we the verdict was in, when USC and UCLA left for the Big 10 Conference in 2022.

Under the Kübler-Ross Model five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance — some long-tenured Pac-10 fans are still in depression, others finally completed the journey to acceptance.

The final spade of dirt was shoveled Saturday on the casket of the once proud member of the Power-Five. The saddest part of this woeful tale is simply, it didn’t have to be this way. There were many sinners in this sad story. There were no saints to be found.

Leading the well-intentioned Road to Hell are the inattention of university presidents, the negligent mismanagement of former $5.3 million per annum commissioner Larry Scott, the greed of all things evil ESPN, conniving and tampering predatory conferences, and the selfishness of individual Pac-10 members.

This perfect storm of events led to the Pac-10 Wall falling without a shot being fired.

Picking Up The Pieces of the Pac-10?

As we dig through the rubble of a perfectly balanced conference — two desert schools, two from LaLaLand, two from Frisco, two from Oregon, two from Washington — there was a serendipity that came from natural rivalries and relatively easy road trips for teams, alumni, students and fans.

And then the university presidents hired Harvard-head Larry Scott in 2009.

Is Larry the source of all evil in this story? No.

He deserves the lion’s share of blame for the demise of a major conference, which drew its roots from four charter members — Oregon, California, Oregon State and Washington — meeting in a Portland hotel room to form the Pacific Coast Conference in 1915.

Over time the conference filled out to include Wazzu in 1917, Stanford in 1918, USC in 1922, UCLA in 1928 and finally Arizona and ASU in 1978. Life was good.

Scott decided to add barely contiguous Utah and Colorado in 2011. Worst of all was the establishment of Pac-12 Networks broadcast from nose bleed rental One Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco. The biggest issue was that virtually no one could watch (e.g., second largest in the nation, Los Angeles) the troubled network through the landscape of the Pac-12 Conference.

The problem persisted until the end. It was never solved. No one could put Humpty Pac-10 back together again.

Greed and literal stupidity prevented the conference presidents, athletic directors and Scott from accepting a rescue line for Pac-12 Networks from ESPN and other networks run by adults. From the start to the pulling the plug later this spring, the conference never learned, never changed. They wanted to control all of the revenues.

What revenues?

Almost DailyBrett from the vantage point of history can conclude the Pac-10 ended on June 30. 2022, when coveted USC and wing-man UCLA announced their inexplicable departure for the Big 10 conference.

There is little doubt that ESPN (e.g., Southeastern Conference) and to a lesser extent Fox Sports (e.g., Big Ten) were scheming and conniving to raid the best and brightest from weaker conferences (e.g., Larry Scott’s Pac-12).

One year later, Oregon and Washington joined the two Los Angeles schools in the Big Ten. Arizona, ASU, Utah and Colorado are on their way to the Big 12.

Inexplicably academic oriented Cal and Stanford are headed to the East Coast only Atlantic Coast Conference. Only Land Grant notables Oregon State and Washington State are the only survivors of the carnage of a once-great conference.

Now that the Pac-10 is dead and buried, Almost DailyBrett can assign blame where it belongs, right on the feet of Larry Scott. His legacy is the final demise of a once-great conference.

The dead dog is on your doorstep, Larry. It didn’t have to end this way.

Larry Scott’s Last Chapter

Are ESPN and Fox Sports Guilty of Racketeering?

Pac-12 After Midnight?

“The Conference of Champions”?

Denny’s “Alma Mater” Billionaire

“I was probably Denny’s best dish washer … I washed the living daylights out of the dishes.” — NVIDIA founder Jen-Hsun Huang referring his “Alma Mater,” Denny’s

“No task is beneath me. I used to be a dishwasher. I used to clean toilets. I cleaned a lot of toilets. I’ve cleaned more toilets than all of you combined. And some of them you just can’t unsee.” — Huang speaking to the Stanford Graduate School of Business

“Billionaires should not exist.” — Millionaire (e.g., $3 million) U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont)

Trust Almost DailyBrett: Paris Hilton never washed dishes at Denny’s. The hotel chain heiress never cleaned a toilet in her life.

There are some — even those who graduated from Yale Law School … who believe all serious wealth is either inherited or a product of a scam (and said as much on social media).

Which of Robert Reich’s five ways to accumulate a billion or more apply to NVIDIA founder Jen-Hsun Huang?

Doesn’t Mr. Reich and his sycophants ostensibly celebrate immigrants — even those who came from Taiwan to America not speaking a word of English and working menial labor jobs at Denny’s — looking for opportunity and yearning to be free?

What’s ironic is that NVIDIA was founded at an East San Jose Denny’s, presumably over its Lumberjack Slam Breakfast (i.e., buttermilk pancakes, grilled ham, bacon strips, sausage links, hashed browns, bread), and all-you-can-drink, coffee.

Jen-Hsun as he tells the story envisioned a company that solves problems that a normal computer, powered by general purpose computing, just can’t. That became NVIDIA’s mission.

The results were GPUs (graphic processor units of silicon + software) for computational drug design, weather simulations, materials design, robotics, self-driving cars, video games and of course … artificial intelligence (AI).

Your author needs to acknowledge that he served for a decade as the director of corporate public relations at Jen-Hsun’s predecessor company, LSI Logic. He is a very happy NVIDIA shareholder, buying a tranche here and selling a tranche there.

NVIDIA debuted in 1999 at $12 per share. Today (NVDA: NASDAQ) stands at $903 per share with a total market capitalization of $2.30 trillion … give or take.

All Good Deeds Must Be Punished?

“I propose a minimum tax for billionaires of 25 percent, just 25 percent. You know what that would raise? That would raise (and immediately spend) $500 billion over the next 10 years.” — President Joe Biden State of the Union, March 8, 2024

Starting NVIDIA “was a million times harder than expected. No one in their right mind would do it.” — Huang on founding his company in 1993, and taking it public six years later

Pardon for the interruption: Almost DailyBrett loves this off-the-boat to $75.4 billion (give or shekel or two) rags-to-riches story. Does Jen-Hsun deserve to be punished for his hard work, tenacity and good deeds by the IRS and Franchise Tax Board?

Has Jen-Hsun paid his “fair share?” Yep, and then some.

Let’s see, NVIDIA designs GPUs for a wide range of applications for customers around the world. The company employs 26,000 in 35 countries. It generated $60.9 billion on the top line last fiscal year, up 126 percent year-over-year, $29.7 billion on the bottom line, an increase of 581 percent Y/Y.

NVIDIA shares are up 82 percent YTD and the company’s market capitalization is $2.30 trillion. Almost DailyBrett recognizes this story is more — much more — than clever innovation and impressive execution.

Similar to other billionaires who have given back to their academic alma maters (e.g., Uncle Phil Knight, Oregon and Stanford), Jen-Hsun provided $50 million to OSU for the Oregon State Research Center and $30 million more for the Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center at Stanford.

He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the former in 1984 and his master’s in the same difficult subject from Stanford eight years later. He also met his wife, Lori, an engineering school classmate in Corvallis. They learned more than just timing closure.

Almost DailyBrett knows our world is getting more complex. Data is the new oil. Machines are teaching machines.

We need smart people to make sense of it all, and give back to society as well. Our government should be rewarding and facilitating achieving, not looking for new ways extract even more punitive revenues from those who make the world a better place.

https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-boss-jensen-huang

https://fortune.com/2023/06/01/nvidia-started-dennys-now-worth-trillion

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1369574/nvidia-number-of-employees

https://investor.nvidia.com/news/press-release-details/2024/NVIDIA-Announces-Financial-Results-for-Fourth-Quarter-and-Fiscal-2024

https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/50-million-gift-nvidia-founder-and-spouse-helps-launch-oregon-state-university-research-center

https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/huang-center-dedicated-lauded-stanfords-engineering-anchor

https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/nvidia-corp-nvda-stock-investment-worth-today

https://nypost.com/2024/02/29/business/nvidias-jensen-huang-spoke-no-english-and-worked-at-dennys

The Lonely Guy Standing In Line For A Burger

When Oprah Made Her First Billion, Did Society Fail?

Punishing Achievement, Innovation and Job Creation

Taxing Uncle Phil to Death?

The Greatest Oregonian Of All Time: Phil Knight

Farewell LSI Logic

NVIDIA 4 FAANG

Chip Kelly Never Cared About Opinions

“I say it all the time, but the best part of football is football. “ — New Ohio State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chip Kelly

“I think my wife remarked, she’s like, ‘I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time.'” —  Former Oregon Head Football Coach with the best record ever (46-7) with the Ducks, Chip Kelly

“Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one.” — Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry

Those who don’t know Chip Kelly are mystified about his decision to give up the head coaching reins at UCLA to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State under the auspices of his protege Ryan Day. Those who just can’t or won’t understand are shocked by Kelly’s self-imposed “demotion.”

There is a deep dark secret about college football, which predates by decades 12-team playoffs, transfer portals and Wild Wild West NIL deals: Assistant coaches are the ones (and always have been), who actually prepare position groups to play big games.

Former Oregon Head Coach and earlier Duck offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, 60, completely comprehends this premise. As one approaches the sunset of a career, the mantra should be: ‘Do what you want to do, not what someone else wants you to do.’

Been there done that.

To a much lesser extent Almost DailyBrett learned about the vital roles played by position coaches to whether a team wins or loses on Saturdays.

Your author was a football manager at Oregon assigned offensive line coach John Marshall, and the following season at USC serving offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Paul Hackett.

Marshall would implore his big and uglies with his own memorable lines of poetry including: “You have to give blood, piss and snot on this play.”

Guess there is a different orifice for every snap of the ball.

Football is not a democracy. Each team is a strict line-of-command para-military organization, charged with acquiring territory at the expense of a given opponent. The head football coach is the exulted ruler. Behind the scenes are offensive and defensive coordinators and the position coaches, who actually take the players through the paces.

One could easily surmise never warm-and-fuzzy Chip Kelly had enough of kissing rings. What’s worse is today’s college football requires bribing little junior and his slobbering parents, tampering with other teams’ players (with even more NIL inducements) and then re-recruiting your own team again and again.

The only thing that is certain in today’s ESPN dominated for confiscatory advertising rates college football era is uncertainty. High school recruiting, which used to be the bane of university coaching staffs, is now yesterday’s news. It’s now, how can we raid another school’s roster and how much will it cost?

Do Head Coaches Actually Coach The Team Anymore?

“I say it all the time, but the best part of football is football. As the game has changed at the collegiate level, we’ve talked about that, I think the head coaching role has turned a lot more into being a CEO than a coach. And I understand that and that comes with the territory. But I was at a point in time where I could make a decision about what I wanted to do.”

There’s a basic beauty that comes from teaching X’s and O’s.

When he came to Oregon in 2007 as the offensive coordinator under former Head Coach Mike Bellotti, he revolutionized college football with his high-speed spread offense. Kelly’s offenses would literally run the same play five consecutive times, and knew these formations would be successful because the gassed defenses never had the opportunity to substitute.

Kelly as a four-year Oregon head coach was 33-3 in the Pac-12. As a two-year offensive coordinator, the Ducks were 19-7 overall, including 12-6 in conference. Overall in six years on the sidelines at Autzen Stadium and on the road, Kelly was 65-14, including 45-9 against Pac-12 competition.

As a totally biased Oregon season ticket holder and Duck Athletic Fund member (and MA in Communication and Society), Almost DailyBrett always found Chip as an acerbic quick-witted, right-to-the-point, New Englander, who left zero doubt about what was on his mind.

He really doesn’t care what you think about him. If he wants to go back to actually coaching football players, who is going to stop him? At his refined age he is doing what he wants to do, not what someone else wants him to do.

Who needs boss-holes anyway?

https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2024-03-05/analysis-chip-kelly-didnt-want-to-coach-ucla

https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2024-02-09/chip-kelly-selfish-leaving-ucla-football

https://www.si.com/college/ohiostate/football/ohio-state-buckeyesi-just-want-to-be-happy-chip-kelly-reveals-ucla-departure-reason

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oregon_Ducks_football_seasons

Oregon Geography Matters

Oregon: Prime Destination Not A Stepping Stone

Dumping Notre Dame?

“The Grass Is Damn Green In Eugene”

Brilliant Lone Star State Political Stroke

“The border is secure.” — Vice President Kamala Harris, NBC Meet The Press, September 11, 2022

“No, it’s not. I haven’t believed it for the last 10 years. And I’ve said it for the last 10 years … give me the money.” — President Joe Biden upon being asked if ‘the border is secure,’ January 19, 2024

Sometimes well-intentioned self-fulfilling Virtue Signaling can come back to bite.

If there are zero migrants coming to piously anointed sanctuary cities, then there is absolutely nothing to report to federal immigration authorities. If a tree falls in the forest …

If there is an overwhelming influx of thousands of migrants (e.g., 100,000 so far from Texas’ “Operation Lone Star” alone), and the sanctuary city can’t contact the feds because of their own sanctimonious rules, then the reality of the border comes-a-calling.

It’s not just an overwhelming problem that Governor Greg Abbott and the Great State of Texas must fight alone at a cost of $10 billion, it’s been exported to elite bi-coastal high-income enclaves, including (gasp) Martha’s Vineyard.

How about 50 Venezuelans with your chenin blanc and brie?

Almost DailyBrett must ask: Did the sanctuary cities (i.e., New York, 37,000 migrants, Chicago, 30,800, Denver, 15,700, Washington, D.C, 12,500, Denver, 15,700, Philadelphia, 3,400 and Los Angeles, 1,500) paint themselves into a corner? Did they really believe there would be no consequences for their blatant irresponsibility?

Did they really believe Governor Abbott didn’t have the stones to shift the issue from the shores of the Rio Grande to the banks of the Hudson and/or Potomac? Those who ignored the issue and deep down inside have favored porous borders (and quite possibly new voter registrations) are now decrying Texas for its mean-spirited inhumanity.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott talks about Operation Lone Star during a press conference Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Weslaco, Texas. (Joel Martinez/The Monitor via AP)

Looking back upon Operation Lone Star (495,400 migrants apprehended, 453 million fentanyl doses seized, 38,300 criminals arrested) was the epitome of a stroke of genius by a sovereign state.

Yes, good government is indeed good politics.

“The Border Is Secure”?

Remember when Vice President Kamala Harris was dubbed the nation’s Border Czarina? She refused to visit the Rio Grande. She instead stated ex-cathedra: “The border Is secure.”

Nobody believes that, not even Mizz Veep’s own boss, who directly contradicted her. Did POTUS #46 make that assertion Thursday night? He believes even more federal money is the answer. He always believes even more federal money is always the answer.

Where were the elite Manhattan and D.C. privileged enclave concerns about the border during the last three years? Let Arizona, California and particularly Texas, eat cake.

Guess it was someone else’s concern until the problem was cleverly exported to America’s Virtue Signaling Sanctuary Cities.

https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/texas-transports-over-100000-migrants-to-sanctuary-cities

https://www.axios.com/2020/02/14/immigration-ice-cbp-sanctuary-city-crackdown

Texas As America’s Numero Uno

Getting Martha’s Vineyard Knickers In A Twist

White House Cutting Border Wire In Texas?

The Abortion Issue Is Overrated

Texas Winning, California Losing

The Last Real Republican Nominee?

“I would not protect you (NATO). In fact, I would encourage them (Russia) to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.” — Former President Donald Trump to NATO nations not reaching the required 2 percent of national gross domestic product (GDP) defense expenditure requirement

“This is to Russia, this is, without question, our number one geopolitical foe. They fight every cause for the world’s worst actors. The idea that (the White House) has some more flexibility in mind for Russia is very, very troubling, indeed.” — Senator Mitt Romney perceived media ‘gaffe’ in his third 2012 presidential debate with President Barack Obama, October 22, 2012

Former GOP presidential standard bearer Senator Mitt Romney wrote-in his wife Ann for the White House in 2016, and once again four years later. We know for certain he is not casting his vote for Donald Trump in 2024.

Another write-in vote for Ann?

Wonder if Almost DailyBrett should write-in his wife Jeanne? She’s not a Republican, but neither is Donald Trump.

The last time your author as a four-decade Republican pulled the lever for the party nominee was for Mitt in 2012.

To make it clear, there was no vote for the Clinton Restoration in 2016. There was zero nod four years later for doddering Joe Biden and his scary heartbeat-away-from-the-presidency running mate Kamala Harris.

Can’t stand the upcoming choice this November 5. Sure wish there was an option to vote for Mitt Romney again.

Having finished “Romney: A Reckoning” by The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins, your author came away with a renewed appreciation of Romney as a flawed, but principled over-achiever. Consider Romney’s curricula vitae: Boston Consulting, Bain Capital, Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games rescuer, Republican Governor of Massachusetts, GOP presidential nominee and now retiring Utah U.S. Senator.

As Reagan would say: “Not bad, not bad at all.”

His Reaganesque character — appealing to our best hopes, not our worst fears — is one of Romney’s strengths. Mitt received a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his lonely Republican vote to convict Trump for abuse of power.

Caroline Kennedy praised Romney as a senator, who “reminds us that our democracy depends on courage, conscience and character of our elected officials.” Amen.

As a mackerel snapper, Almost DailyBrett is well versed in the 1960 concerns about a Papist occupying the Oval Office. Your author did not even blink in voting for a Mormon (Romney) in 2012. It not escape this strategic communications blog’s attention that both Coppins and Romney are BYU alums.

Moms have told their children for eons about the perils of publicly discussing politics and religion. It was no surprise the Secret Service repeatedly briefed Romney on the credible threats on his life.

“Romney asked them to stop unless there were specific precautions he could take. He rather not think about of the people who were plotting his death: The Ron Paul wackos, the crazed anti-Mormons, the crazed anti-Romney Mormons, the Muslim jihadists, the Russians, the Chinese, the conspiracy theorists, the union thugs — once he started listing them, it was alarmingly easy to keep going.” — Coppins’ listing the litany of threats outlined by the Secret Service, even before he voted to convict Donald Trump.

“Chaos Follows Him”

“You (media) guys are exhausting. You are exhausting in your obsession with him (Trump). The normal people are not as obsessed with Trump as you are. Life would be a whole lot different, if the media stopped its obsession with Trump.” — Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley interview with Jonathan Karl of ABC News

Unfortunately Coppins’ book falls into the same Trump obsession. He goes overboard when it comes to All Things Trump. Considering the historical overlap and how Trump sucks all the oxygen out of the room, some poetry about the former president and most likely 2024 (ostensible) Republican nominee is to be expected.

Almost DailyBrett many times pondered: ‘Is this book about Romney or is it about Trump?’

The Donald delights in labeling Romney as a RINO (Republican in Name Only), only failing to take a gander at his comb-over face in the mirror.

Your author was embarrassed for Romney reading the account of how Trump led him into a frog legs and lamb chops trap at the three-star Michelin restaurant Jean-Georges with the prospects of serving as Secretary of State (and media photographers) on the menu.

Shocking, the dinner was not private. Predatory Trump sported a Cheshire Cat grin on his face. Romney was the prey. Your author winced reading Coppins’ account of how Romney was set up for public humiliation.

The caper says more about Trump than Romney.

As Almost DailyBrett concluded, Romney is not without his flaws. He is not the second coming of Ronald Reagan, no one can be so charming, so genuine. Mitt is a real Republican, despite what his troglodyte critics may contend.

Mitt is an overachieving American patriot of proven accomplishment, character and integrity. He is a real Republican in the Reagan mold. The world would be better off with more Mitt Romneys populating the landscape from sea-to-shining sea.

https://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2016/11/dinner-for-3-trump-romney-and-reince-231976

Trump Is The Anti-Reagan

Republicans Are Not Monolithic

Donald Trump Is A Rhino

Biden vs. Trump: Who Sucks Less?

Back In The Sane Lane

Trump Issues Mea Culpa; Suspends Campaign