Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Pi Day Mini-Links

I hope you had a great Pi Day.  I figured I would throw a few links up, especially since the first one involves a high seed that might not be in the tournament very long:

The Nun in Loyola-Chicago’s Huddle Has a Few Things to Say – New York Times 

Why No. 1 Virginia’s Plodding Pace Makes It Ripe for an Upset – Wall Street Journal

The EU Is Going After the U.S. Cranberry Industry – Bloomberg.  Targeting Paul Ryan's home state.

The Number of Monarch Butterflies Wintering in Mexico Is Down AgainModern Farmer. For what it's worth, I've been avoiding the milkweed when mowing waterways and scrubland.  I've noticed more Monarchs the last couple years than I saw in previous years.

When Twenty-Six Thousand Stinkbugs Invade Your Home - The New Yorker 

Stephen Hawking Is Still UnderratedThe Atlantic  

Pi Day 2018: the math of pi explained, as simply as possible - Vox

Trump's mining giveaway – Politico.  There is no better example of the ineptitude and corruption of Congress than the fact that a law as shitty as the General Mining Act of 1872 is still the law of the land after 146 years.

Canadian Amateurs Discovered a New Type of Aurora.  It’s named Steve. - The Atlantic  



Tuesday, March 13, 2018

The Papermaker

The Papermaker from Kings&Kongs on Vimeo.

I'm Getting a Bad Feeling About This

I have to say that my fear that we will end up in a war with Iran or North Korea or both increased significantly today.  I can't say that Mike Pompeo is as dumb as Trump, considering his extremely impressive resume, but the fact that he agrees with Trump about North Korea, Iran, climate change and environmental regulation is absolutely terrifying.  I didn't really think our country's future was tremendously bright before today, but it got quite a bit darker in this spin on the earth's axis.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Chart of the Day: Looming Farm Crisis Edition

From AgWeb:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: unfortunately, it is going to get worse before it gets better.  As the chart on the left shows, debt-to-income is at the highest level since the late '80s, and guys are still throwing $8,000-12,000 an acre at land in this area.  This will not end well.  Also, if you are looking for a stock to short, I'd suggest you take a look at Farmland Partners (I am not a financial advisor, and would recommend that you should never short a stock).

NCAA Bracket

First Four: LIU Brooklyn, St. Bonaventure, NC Central, Syracuse
South Region
First Round: Virginia, Creighton, Kentucky, Arizona, Loyola-Chicago, Tennessee, Nevada, Cincinnati
Second Round: Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Cincinnati
Sweet Sixteen: Virginia, Cincinnati
Regional Final: Virginia

West Region
First Round: Xavier, Missouri, Ohio State, Gonzaga, Houston, Michigan, Providence, North Carolina
Second Round: Xavier, Gonzaga, Houston, North Carolina
Sweet Sixteen: Gonzaga, North Carolina
Regional Final: Gonzaga

East Region
First Round: Villanova, Alabama, West Virginia, Wichita State, Florida, Texas Tech, Butler, Purdue
Second Round: Villanova, Wichita State, Florida, Butler
Sweet Sixteen: Villanova, Florida
Regional Final: Villanova

Midwest Region
First Round: Kansas, Seton Hall, New Mexico State, Auburn, Syracuse, Michigan State, Rhode Island, Duke
Second Round: Kansas, Auburn, Michigan State, Duke
Sweet Sixteen: Kansas,Michigan State
Regional Final: Michigan State

Final Four: Villanova, Gonzaga
Champion: Villanova


Also, since the Irish ended up in the NIT, I'll forecast the Final Four there:
Notre Dame, Louisville, Western Kentucky and St. Mary's, with St. Mary's knocking off Notre Dame in the final.  It's not going to happen, but I'll dream.