My Experience At The Kennedy Center

 Around March of 2011....I went to Madam Butterfly.  The ticket-price? Around $80.

Friday night....I got there early to get the full experience.

So....from a structure view....it's very 'AGED'. Marble cracks....where there was carpet....it needed replacement.

Bathroom?  Functional but you could tell....nothing had been renovated since the 1970s.

A week or two after this...I brought up the experience with a guy who'd been there five or six times...going back to the early 1990s.   His response.....the tickets basically pay for the salary of the boss/crew.....the show.....electricity, and general cost. He didn't think renovation cost was covered (he figured Congress was on the hook).

I watched a podcast recently....where several folks talked about the building from day-one.....that the original 'build' was crap.  No one was willing to sue for repairs.

The House/Senate stuck now? I'm guessing that experts will say to tear the mess down.

My impression of the night?   Half-way....we have a pause, and some 60-year-old lady (in a tight grown)....passed out about six feet behind me....ambulance crew arrived. I got nauseous....got a Coke, and decided it was best to leave.  Never knew how the show ended.

Which Came First? Domestication of the Human, or the Dog?

 99.9-percent of scientists will say that the human was all domesticated and later came the introduction of 'Rufus' (the dog).

I have a different theory (although admitting I'm not a scientist).  

I would suggest around 20,000 years ago....in some remote valley, Yorg (the cave-guy) walked over some hill, and here was a Border Collie who he affectionally named 'Marvin'.  

Marvin (the Border Collie) felt generally superior, and over the next week came to notice several traits about Yorg that needed improving.  

Namely?  Well....Yorg never walked in a straight line from point A to point B.  Marvin began to grasp this and 'bump' Yorg's leg....to keep him focused and walking in a straight line.  

Then there was the intense stare of Marvin upon Yorg....which unsettled Yorg a bit....causing him to scrutinize his habits and behavior.  

The herding business?  This also caused Yorg to change his daily actions.

If they didn't do the daily walks?  Well....Marvin would start to develop demanding tasks of Yorg, to keep him busy.

Hatred of lightning or thunder?  Marvin convinced Yorg to seek caves and shelter. 

As the weeks went by, Yorg became more domesticated and moved from number 8 status within the tribal unit.....to number one.  Tribal women began to notice Yorg and his faithful companion Marvin.  The women would compliment Yorg on his hygiene, analysis, and cleverness.....never grasping that Marvin was the cause.

As generations would come and go.....each went to a higher level of domestication....all triggered by the original Border Collie....Marvin.  

Anyway, that's my theory of human evolution.  

The Consensus Against Einstein

I will occasionally point out curious pieces of history, and things are quietly forgotten.

Today?  A book written in 1931 and released, entitled Hundert Autoren Gegen Einstein (One Hundred Authors Against Einstein).

It's a curious book, published out of the University of Innsbruck in 1931. Hans Israel was the chief author, although roughly ninety-nine other "scientists" helped to contribute to the criticism of Einstein, and his theory of relativity.

Roughly twenty-nine individuals wrote brief essays over their criticism, with nineteen additional folks making a comment or two, and the rest simply signed on as agreeing.

It is still sold today, at least in paperback version.  106 total pages.  Amazon has it listed, although it doesn't appear to have any commentary or reader observations, as you'd find with most documents that Amazon sells.

The hype against Einstein and the theory of relativity?  Well....you run into roughly three areas of thought.

First, scientists usually hate been left at the curb when new concepts arrive and it disagrees with their previous understanding of things.  They've bought into concept A, and they don't like being challenged to accept some type of change.

Second, in the way that some geeky guys stand around and argue for hours about the Marvel world being better than the DC world (Spiderman versus Batman)......scientists do the same thing.  If you dragged seven male frog scientists into a room, with lots of beer, lusty women, live NFL football on the screen, and ribs on the grill.....the likely topic of conversation would be frogs, and they'd debate the finer qualities of frogs over and over, and over.

Third, scientists hate when someone really pulls a rabbit out of the hat, and leap-frogs over them with a fantastic theory and tons of evidence to support it.  Competition.....in the mind of most scientists.....is a evil thing.

So, in 1931.....a group of guys stood up against this dimwitted Einstein character, and his stupid theory of relativity.  And they were wrong.

This kinda makes a person sit and ponder.....what else might we be debating in the wrong fashion, and finding some consensus being built in a stupid fashion?  And if we recognized it.....would we even be willing to stand up and comment publicly about it?

My Prediction

A judge ruled Friday....that Trump’s name has to come off the Trump Kennedy Center....so Trump said "I have instructed the Department of Commerce to make all necessary arrangements with Congress to allow a full and complete transfer of this Institution, giving them the responsibility for its Operation,  Maintenance, and Management.”

His view....dump the  'fix'.

So my three predictions.  First, Congress will dwell on this topic for remainder of 2026 and all of 2027...getting nowhere.  They will agree by spring of 2028....to a committee to review the repairs necessary....being shocked at the price-tag six months later.

The new 'boss' of the Kennedy Center?  He/She will demand a monthly salary of $100k, and a expense account of $100k a month as well.

Congress will eventually demand that it  MUST sustain a profit....meaning the cheapest tickets to a show will run  $90, and good seats will be in the range of $300 (each).

By 2035....the Center is shutdown for repairs, and people admit that it can never function as a legit show center.