Kids in Professional League

Just read a 13-year-old kid Vaibhav Suryavanshi was bought by Rajasthan Royals for $130,500 in the mega IPL auction.

Let us take NFL. National Football League of USA. There used to be a rule that anyone who wants to play in NFL must have gone through 4 years of college. Then the players union protested and they came to an agreement that a player must be at least 20 years of age to become a pro. 

Another one is NBA. National Basketball Association of USA. Per agreement between the players union and NBA, the minimum age limit was set at 19. (LeBron James became a nationally known basketball player at the age of 14. But he has to wait until he is 19 years old to become a pro.) 

I am totally against selecting under age kids in professional sports. Why? 

Just stripped the childhood away from this kid. 

The kid’s self esteem is tied to sports performance. 

The kid cannot handle unhealthy performance pressure. 

The kid will not perform for his own sake but to please his parents and not to upset the coach. 

He will make more money than his friends who are not in colleges yet. So he will lose his childhood friends,

Other players in the team will have occasional alcohol parties and late-night entertainment. What will this kid do at that time? Some unscrupulous team mate will introduce the kid to all of these. 

Do the clubs think there are no adult players better equipped physically and mentally than a child? 

PS: I can hear someone mentioning the name of Sachin Tendulkar. He was 16 when he played for the country. He joined the IPL professional league when it started in 2008 at the age of 35. Playing for a country is different from playing in a professional league. You win a lottery (Sachin Tendulkar) once in a billion years.

Leave USA?

Before the 2024 election a few celebrities, especially in Hollywood, said they would leave USA for good if Trump was elected because they cannot stand him. How many have left so far? I can name only 2 who have actually left. 

Ellen DeGeneres. She has left for UK blaming Trump. But the papers have said she moved into a mansion in UK which she bought in 2019. 

Eva Longoria. She has left for Spain. Newspapers and TV said she left for Spain because she did not like Trump’s victory. But she gave a statement that she moved because of her work and wanted to live near her relatives in Spain.

 

Some of the others who said they will leave but not yet bought their tickets are: Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct movie actress), Cher (Music Icon), Raven-Symone (Actress, Singer), America Ferrera (Actress), Minnie Driver (Actress), Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Streisand, and others I cannot remember their names now. 

They have not left so far and will not leave. My own reason for their not leaving USA and we are stuck with them: 

USA made them rich.  Not that much income in other countries.

Other countries have higher tax rates then USA. 

They will still have to pay US Income Tax unless they relinquish US citizenship. 

They don’t want to leave their enormous homes in USA. 

They just want attention by making this dramatic statement. 

One guy who said he is leaving USA moved to Hawaii. That is his worldly knowledge. 

I was watching the Bill Maher show a few days ago. He asked an author (don’t remember her name) her view when some of the Kamala Harris supporters declared “no sex, no dating, no babies, no marriage” until Trump leaves office. She said then conservatives will produce more kids.

Trump's Cabinet Members

Here are some members of cabinet appointed by Trump. All cabinet appointments have to be approved by the Senate. 

Department of Government Efficiency – This will jointly lead by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. They are going to remove wastage from the government and save 2 trillion dollars. But the question is does it need 2 people to head for an agency. Also, Musk and Ramaswamy both are very intelligent with huge ego. There are people complaining that Musk is behaving as if he is the co-President of USA. I think one of the 2 will be given another post very soon. . 

Secretary of State – Marco Rubio. He is currently a senator from Florida. He is very well versed in foreign affairs. He will be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat. 

Border Czar – Tom Homan. He will be in charge of USA’s border including Southern and Northern Borders, all maritime, and aviation security. During Trump’s first term, Mr. Homan had the same job. He is considered very ruthless. Now he is responsible for deporting 15 million illegal immigrants. 

Defense Secretary – Pete Hegseth. A surprise pick. He was a Major in the military. Served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Graduated from Princeton and Harvard. Won many awards for bravery. Retired Generals and senior politicians are disappointed that one of them was not selected instead of this 44 year old Major who knows nothing except the military. 

Attorney General – Matt Gaetz. Big disappointment in both parties. He is now a congressman from Florida. He is a bully. He created such a problem that in 2023, the House had to have 11 ballots before selecting a Speaker of the House. All cabinet appointments have to be approved by the Senate. Republicans have 54 members in the 100 member Senate. I think he will have difficulty in getting approval from the Senate because a few Republican Senators will vote against him. (If the opposition to him is strong, Trump may withdraw his nomination and nominate someone else.)

Director of National Intelligence – Tulsi Gabbard. Many people think she is of Indian origin because her first name is Tulsi. Her parents followed Hinduism and therefore named her Tulsi. She served in the Military and saw action in Iraq. She is a Lieutenant Colonel. She is loved by both Republicans and Democrats. Many people thought she would be nominated as Defense Secretary. (When Trump had debate with Biden and Kamala, Tulsi coached Trump.).  She takes oath of office with Bhagavad Gita in her hand.

Department of Homeland Security – Kristi Noem. She is currently Governor of North Dakota. This Department is responsible for anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cyber security, and disaster prevention and management. She is a tough cookie. She was in the short list to be the Vice President nominee. But the news came out that she shot her dog because it was “dangerous” and “untrainable”. Then she killed her family goat because it was nasty and mean. Trump then dropped the idea of picking her as his VP.

America Delivered

It’s a Boy. 

Total Electoral College Votes 540 

Electoral College Votes to win 270 

Trump 277 

Kamala 224 

Yet to be Declared 39 

Trump elected 47th President of United States despite all the TV Networks (except Fox News), all the print newspapers, and the entire Hollywood movie industry against him. Congratulations Donald. 

(Sarcasm). Now that Trump is elected, the borders will be closed and all illegal immigrants will be deported. No unemployment in USA. Dow Jones (stock market) will rise by 10,000 points. Milk and honey will now flow in the streets of San Francisco. The Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East war will end immediately. On hearing Trump’s victory, Putin, Xi Jinping and the Ayatollah are shaking in their boots.

All In A Day

It happened today. 

I take 2 medicines daily. I got my refill on October 17 but could not find it in my house. I must have misplaced or lost. Therefore, I went to my Pharmacy and asked for replacement. The Pharmacist told me my “renewal” is due end of December because I got my 90-day refill supply only on October 17. I told her I cannot find my medicines at home. 

The pharmacist said she will call my insurance company and tell them the situation and ask for an “override” – that means giving me another 90 day supply without asking me to pay the full price. (Under my insurance, I do not pay anything for my medicines.) 

She called. She came to me and said the insurance company wants you to call them personally and explain the situation. 

Since I had my cellphone with me, I called the insurance company right away. A lady answered. I explained that I misplaced my medicine I got on October 17 and I need a refill right now. I got a reply in a sweet southern accent. 

“I understand honey. I misplace my medicines sometime. Please hold on for a few minutes”.

I was holding on for about 10 minutes listening to the boring recorded music. Then she came on the line and said “honey, your override request is approved. You go to the pharmacy and get your medicines. Anything else I can help you with today?” 

I said thanks a lot. (I wanted to say thanks a lot honey. But since I am not from the southern part of USA this “honey” stuff does not come to me automatically.)