He will be back. After being ousted from power on Saturday after a 12-year reign as Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear he will be back. Per the NY Times, “Given Mr. Netanyahu’s record as a shrewd political operator who has defied many previous predictions of his political demise, few Israelis are writing off his career. Even out of government and standing trial on corruption charges, he remains a formidable force who will likely try to drive wedges between the coalition parties. He remains the leader of the parliamentary opposition and a cagey tactician, with a sizable following and powerful allies.” This story line sounds very familiar to me.
We lost a good one today as Ned Beatty passed away at the age of 83. Beatty was introduced to us in his role in “Deliverance” where he co-starred with Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, and Ronny Cox. It was a gut-wrenching movie in which Beatty had a scene that I have never forgotten. After Deliverance he had a career that spanned four decades including an Oscar nomination for his role in Network. I always felt if he was in a movie, it was worth watching.
As reported in the University Record, The University of Michigan will launch a new Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention to generate knowledge and advanced innovative solutions that reduce the health crisis that leads to more than 100 deaths per day across the U.S. Per Rebecca Cunningham, vice president for research, “We have an incredible opportunity here with this new institute to really address the problem head on through collaborative research and scholarship. By partnering with the rural and urban community leaders and other key stakeholders, we can leverage our expertise and resources so that together we achieve our common goals of decreasing firearm injury and death, all while respecting American’s Second Amendment rights.” I wish them great success as this is a crisis that is killing us at a rate that is beyond logic.
Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece to win the French Open on Sunday, coming back from two sets down for his second stunning triumph in less than 48 hours. The 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory lasted more than four hours and capped a stirring tournament for Djokovic, who beat Rafael Nadal, a 13-time French Open champion, in a thrilling semifinal Friday night. It was the second triumph in a Grand Slam event this year for Djokovic, who won the Australian Open in February, and the 19th in his career, just one behind Nadal and Roger Federer, who are tied for the career lead among men with 20. I am always amazed at the physical and mental condition of elite tennis players. To be able to compete for 4 hours at the highest of all levels every other day, is incomprehensible to me.
Stay safe. Wash your hands regularly. Social Distance. Wear your mask properly. Schedule your vaccine.
Orchid of the Day: Novak Djokivic. See above story.
Onion of the Day: Me, for jinxing the Tigers. They have not won a game since I spoke highly of them on Friday.
Quote of the Day: “I played a lot of tennis in the past 48 hours against two great champions,” Novak Djokovic