Quick Takes

Midweek Musings

Dateline: Minnesota Privilege Anything Less Than the Best is a Felony Yo, first degree! Let's kick it.  Dylan Bryan Adams, a 33-year-old fiscal policy analyst for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, was arrested on March 29, 2025, for allegedly vandalizing at least six Tesla vehicles in Minneapolis, causing over $20,000 in damages. Surveillance footage from Tesla cameras captured Adams keying the vehicles, often while walking his dog, in incidents between March 18 and March 25, 2025, primarily in downtown Minneapolis, with one occurrence at a Northeast Minneapolis Target parking lot. The videos showed him casually scraping keys across the cars,…

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Standing by Saturday

Dateline: Holy Saturday Let’s embark on an exploration of Holy Saturday, a poignant pause in the Christian calendar that rests quietly between the raw grief of Jesus’ crucifixion and the radiant hope of His resurrection. Anchored in the Gospel accounts of Jesus lying in the tomb (Matthew 27:57–66, John 19:38–42), this day invites believers into a sacred space of waiting, reflection, and anticipation for Easter’s promise. Often called a liminal moment, Holy Saturday captures the tomb’s stillness while whispering of the resurrection to come. Across Christian traditions, it unfolds through a vibrant array of practices-vigils, fasting, and preparation-that bridge Good Friday’s…

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It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Comin’

Dateline: Good Friday It is Finished On this Good Friday, we stand in the quiet ache of Jesus’ crucifixion, our hearts pierced by the Gospels’ vivid tableau-His bloodied steps to Golgotha, the cross’s brutal weight, and the tender cry, “It is finished” (John 19:16–30, Matthew 27:32–56, Mark 15:21–41, Luke 23:26–49). Dust clings to the air, heavy with grief, as we fast and pray beneath a splintered cross that holds both sorrow and salvation. Judas Iscariot, with his silver coins and betraying kiss, haunts this sacred day, his story a mirror to our own faltering hearts (Matthew 26:14–50). Yet, woven through Gospel…

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Wink Wednesday

Dateline: Wholly Wednesday I was wondering what to write for Wednesday when two of our today today fell into my lap. Sometimes you write and sometimes a post writes itself. And with that, let's get get into Holy Hump Day. Holy Wednesday Holy Wednesday, sometimes called "Spy Wednesday," is a quiet, heavy day in Holy Week when we remember Judas slipping away to betray Jesus for a handful of silver (Matthew 26:14–16). It’s a moment that stings because it’s not just about Judas-it’s about all the times we’ve let Jesus down, too. Across churches, this day is for looking inward, thinking…

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Monday Minutes

Dateline: Holy Monday Edition Holy Week Traditions: Holy Monday On Holy Monday, the second day of Holy Week, Christians across various branches commemorate key moments from scripture, such as Jesus’ anointing at Bethany (John 12:1–11) or the cleansing of the temple (Mark 11:15–19), with practices that emphasize spiritual preparation for the Passion. Eastern Orthodox churches observe structured, mystical services like Bridegroom Matins, focusing on repentance and fasting, while Catholics blend liturgy-through Masses and penance-with regional traditions like Mediterranean processions, fostering reflection on Christ’s humility and sacrifice. Protestant denominations exhibit a range of observances, from the formal liturgies of Anglicans, featuring scripture…

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Markets Monday

The manufacturing post has been delayed due to technical difficulties, so let's change it to markets.  In the words of the great Levi Stubbs, "This one gon' be shoat!" I know what all the super smarty smarties said heading into Monday.  And then there's what the markets did, which was definitely not that.  At one point today due to a fake news report that President Trump was going to suspend the tariffs for 90 days, the markets spiked over 1,000.  Once that rumor was shot down, the boomlet quickly fell apart.  That tells me this is a largely media driven phenomenon…

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Sports Saturday

It's a cold rainy day in Texas after several rounds of thunderstorms this week that largely spared us as they strengthened and hit the South and Midwest hard.  We got a lot of rain and loud thunder, but the main thing we got is the cold.  It's approaching the upper 30s in North Texas on Sunday morning.  Just in time for the Rangers bats to heat up.  In the old days we usually had to wait until the June regression and the warmth of summer to get the bats going.  Tonight possibly signaled a sustainable breakout in a series clinching game…

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Thursday’s Tariffs Tome: The Jayjum Version

Here’s a heavily condensed Cliff’s Notes-style summary of the article, targeting around 800 words.  I call this the Jayjum Version because Jayjum is my friend who is perpetually on my case for being overly verbose.   The author reflects on how his views have evolved over 30 years, admitting to a contrarian streak that matured into iconoclasm—an urge to challenge idols, even his own ideas. He’s also an institutionalist, blending skepticism with a belief in systems. This duality frames his take on economics, particularly trade and taxes. Conservatives aren’t uniform, he notes. Once a conceptual free trader, he still is, but…

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Wednesday Wraps

As part of an effort to deliver content and keep my writing wits sharp, I'm going to post a daily series of Quick Takes. Some may carry more weight and be more serious than others.  Wednesday Wraps is a perhaps not so Quick Take. Tariffs The elephant in the room today was the brThe older I get, the more I realize how we make idols out of everything, including ideas.  Lately I've been thinking of my own views and how they have changed the past thirty years of relative adulthood.  I say relative because at the core of every man is…

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Monday Musings

As part of an effort to deliver content and keep my writing wits sharp, I’m going to post a daily series of Quick Takes. Some may carry more weight and be more serious than others.  Today's Monday Musings post began with a funny post in my Facebook timeline and ended up being an academic exercise in the dangers of consanguineous marriage resulting in a not-so-Quick Take.  Have a great day, everyone! One of my favorite page follows on Facebook is Terrible Maps. On Sunday they posted a map of states where it is legal to marry your first cousin.  I didn't…

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