Today’s Word of the Day is “perfervid.” According to Merriam Webster’s it means “marked by overwrought or exaggerated emotion.” But if you read the derivation below, it comes through as “thoroughly boiling hot.” Pretty cool, eh?
Did You Know?
The adjectives “fervent,” “fervid,” and “perfervid” all derive from the Latin verb fervēre, meaning “to boil.” This suggests a bubbling up of intense feeling. “Fervent” was the first to enter the English language in the 14th century. It stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth and zeal. As in “Her colleagues expressed fervent good wishes.” The next to emerge was “fervid” in the late 16th century. It too suggests warmth but adds an element of spontaneity and feverishness. A lover might write a fervid billet-doux to his beloved, for example. With its first known appearance in print dating back only to 1833, “perfervid” is a relative newcomer to English. But it implies the most extreme or exaggerated expression of emotion. Its intensity comes from “per-,” a prefix meaning “thoroughly.”
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Used in a sentence: “Supporters of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tend toward perfervid idealism when discussing the potential for change she brings to politics-as-usual in the DC swamp.”
Photo Credit Patrick Semansky / Associated Press – Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, first made news when she won her primary election over a 10-term incumbent.
I love stories like this one from today’s Sacramento Bee. It’s about the plea deal reached between prosecutors and Jeffrey R. David, former chief revenue officer for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. Not just because of the audacity of the crook. Not only because justice is finally being served. And not even because of the business-sports tie-in. Though in fact all of these things contribute to the glorious whole of this sordid story. No, what I like most is doing the math.
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Follow along with me here if you will: Mr. David embezzled $13.4 million from the naming-rights sponsors of the King’s new arena, The Golden 1 Center, in downtown Sacramento. He then used that money to buy beachfront real estate in the southern California communities of Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Once he was caught – this came after someone found a folder labeled “Turbo tax” which detailed his schemes on a company computer he’d left behind – Mr. David “agreed to cooperate fully and completely.” This, according to his defense attorney, Mark Reichel:
“…he has since spent every day working to ensure all of the monies were repaid and, in fact, the funds were repaid at lightning speed. The money has been invested in high-end real estate in Southern California and was not at risk and was very liquid. The properties have been sold, the government has had the money for over a month and Mr. David accepts responsibility for his conduct and looks forward to continuing to show his remorse. He understands what he did was wrong.”
Here’s the kicker, and this is where the math comes in:
Federal officials moved to seize the properties, but allowed them to be sold in recent months for a total of nearly $14.8 million. After deducting Realtor costs and other fees, the team expects to recoup the entire amount it lost.
Aside from the amount Mr. David spent on chartering private jets (>$100,000) and miscellaneous expenditures charged to his personal AMEX (<$100,000), and taking into account the commissions paid to realtors (typically in the 6% range), it appears that Mr. David’s return on investment – that is, the difference between what he paid for these properties and what he sold them for – was well in excess of a million dollars. And all over the course of just a couple of years. For those keeping score at home, that’s in the 10 percent range. That’s not too shabby even in boom times.
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OK, so the guy’s a sleaze. And, he got caught with his “Turbo-tax” down around his ankles. And, he’s going to jail: Most likely for a term somewhere between 2 and 8 years. Most likely in minimum security. Most likely with other white collar criminals rather than with hard core rapists and murderers. But still, with good behavior he could be out before Michael Cohen. And, last I checked, there was a Chief of Staff position still unfilled in DC. Might be just perfect for a guy who clearly knows his way around a deal – and a courtroom. If you’re a Chief Executive willing to cut a few corners in pursuit of the Art of the Deal, you could do worse – just sayin’.
😉
Jeffrey R. David, 44, the former chief revenue officer for the Sacramento Kings who currently holds the same position with the NBA’s Miami Heat – well, at least until he surrendered to authorities he did.
Alfred Nobel was the Swedish inventor of dynamite and other high explosives. In his will, he directed that the bulk of his vast fortune be placed in a fund in which the interest would be “annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” He offered no public reason for his creation of the prizes. But it is widely believed that he did so out of moral regret over the increasingly lethal uses of his inventions in war….
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This 1936 Nobel Peace Prize medal sold at auction after appearing in pawn shop.
In 1863, Nobel invented a way to control the detonation of nitroglycerin, a highly volatile liquid that had been recently discovered. It was previously regarded as too dangerous for use. Two years later, he invented the blasting cap, an improved detonator that inaugurated the modern use of high explosives. Previously, the most dependable explosive was black powder, a form of gunpowder.
Nitroglycerin remained dangerous, however, and in 1864 Nobel’s nitroglycerin factory blew up, killing his younger brother and several other people. Searching for a safer explosive, Nobel discovered in 1867 that the combination of nitroglycerin and a porous substance called kieselguhr produced a highly explosive mixture that was much safer to handle. He christened his invention “dynamite,” for the Greek word dynamis, meaning “power.” Securing patents on dynamite, Nobel acquired a fortune as humanity put his invention to use in construction and warfare.
In 1875, Nobel created a more powerful form of dynamite, blasting gelatin. In 1887 he introduced ballistite, a smokeless nitroglycerin powder. Around that time, one of his brothers died in France. French newspapers printed obituaries in which they mistook him for Alfred. One headline read, “The merchant of death is dead.” Alfred Nobel in fact had pacifist tendencies. In his later years he developed strong misgivings about the impact of his inventions on the world. After he died on December 10, 1896, the majority of his estate went toward the creation of the prizes. These were to be given annually in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.
Really? Winter Park was just named “the best ski resort in North America?” That’s what it says here. Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s cool that Winter Park got the honor. And I will usually go there for my one annual trip to the slopes because it’s close, it’s less expensive (notice I didn’t say “cheap”), and it’s familiar. Oh, and also, we know a family there with a cabin for rent that’s time-tested, tried-and-true, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg – maybe just an arm.
But tell me this: If somebody said you could have 2 free passes to any resort anywhere in North America… and you’d choose Winter Park over, say… Breckenridge? Vail? Aspen? Whistler? Sundance? Taos? Park City? Durango? Telluride? Steamboat? Hell, even Monarch? I mean, c’mon, man.
Look, I get it, okay? According to Steve Hurlbert, director of communications and public relations for Winter Park:
“What makes Winter Park unique is its atmosphere…. The vibe here is so much different from some of our neighbors and other resorts. It’s just a low-key, authentic vibe that you get and it comes from the people who work here and live here. Guests pick up on that. It’s not pretentious.”
Yeah, that and the “Mary Jane” side of the resort has great Blue runs perfect for an old guy like me who never was a Double Black Diamond kind of skier even on my best day.
And no, that name (Mary Jane) was not chosen based on recently legalized recreational weed in Colorado. Rather – this according to Winter Park’s own promo:
What began as an innocent settlement of miners, rail yard workers and loggers in the late 1800s, would later mark the “peak” of a woman named Mary Jane and her clever business sense for supply and demand. A well-known madam and local lady of the evening, Mary Jane’s good fortune for services rendered would turn what was once a lonely sheep trail used for grazing into a highly sought-after winter playground.
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Winter Park, Colorado
So, anyway, congrats, Mary Jane – and Winter Park too.
Interesting read, here, in today’s DP business section. My guess is, older (non Millennial) folk have some other name than “Side Hustle” for this. Back in the 80’s I think we called it “Moonlighting.” But, wow, talk about narrowing down your target audience, eh? https://www.foodnotfuckboys.com – You’d pretty much have to be a full-bore Millennial to go with a website name like that!
Cybill Shepherd & Bruce Willis, for those too young to remember!
The folks @ the Good Project on Midstream Lane sure do love their wreaths.
Which one do you like best?
408 Midstream Lane415 Midstream Lane420 Midstream Lane416 Midstream Lane428 Midstream Lane423 Midstream Lane392 Midstream Lane391 Midstream LaneLove the smell of eucalyptus @Christmas timeThis one wasn’t on Midstream but it did make me wonder how long it takes to drink that much wine!
: one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest
: one who is opposed to especially technological change
“The Luddite argued that automation destroys jobs.”
Ned Ludd.
Did You Know?
Luddites were the first victims of corporate downsizing. The Luddite movement began near Nottingham, England, toward the end of 1811 when textile mill workers rioted for the destruction of the new machinery that was slowly replacing them. The exact origin of the name is uncertain, but it may derive from a (probably mythical) person known as Ned Ludd. According to an unsubstantiated account in George Pellew’s Life of Lord Sidmouth (1847), Ned Ludd was a Leicestershire villager of the late 1700s who, in a fit of rage, rushed into a stocking weaver’s house and destroyed his equipment. From then on, his name was proverbially connected with the destruction of machinery. With the onset of the information age, Luddite gained a broader sense describing anyone who shuns new technology.
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This post was crafted using the last known iPhone 3 in existence. The guys at the Genius Bar in the Apple store just shook their heads as I, whistling a little tune, walked out of the mall with this gem in my shopping bag …
OK, everyone knows I assiduously avoid most things political on this blog, with good reason. But this one also falls into the category of “Fashion Sense” so I’m throwing caution to the wind and including it forthwith. Read on if you dare.
In the semi-weekly conversation between Gail Collins (a liberal) and Brett Stephens (a conservative) in the NYTimes Opinion Pages, there was this hilarious exchange about the all-red Christmas Trees Melania has erected at the White House this year. Full account here. Excerpt to follow.
Trees made from red berries line the East Colonnade during the 2018 Christmas Press Preview at the White House on Nov. 26, 2018. Photo Credit: Leah Millis/Reuters
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Gail: … Speaking of trees, I have to admit I’ve never been more fascinated with White House holiday decorations than this year. Those blood-red pseudo-firs are truly memorable. And sort of perfect for an administration that so frequently makes the nation go, “Yipes!”
Bret: This is the new third-rail of American politics: Melania. And Melania’s taste. For reasons I don’t quite get, liberals and conservatives seem to have made some kind of tacit pact not to criticize her or her choices as first lady….
But here goes: That was the tackiest White House Christmas display ever. Of all time. It looked to me as if Derek Zoolander had been brought in as style consultant. And that he, in turn, had subcontracted the task to Imelda Marcos. It looked like a staging for an avant-garde version of Federico García Lorca’s “Bodas de Sangre’ (Blood Wedding). If looks could sing, it looked as if “White Christmas” were being performed by Ozzy Osbourne just as he bit the head off a bat. It looked as if John Bolton had been chosen to perform an exorcism – sadly, not on the president. Otherwise: Pure class!
Gail: OK, that is the best interior decorating critique of the year.
On December 3, 1979, the last Pacer rolls off the assembly line at the American Motors Corporation (AMC) factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin. When the car first came on the market in 1975, it was a sensation, hailed as the car of the future. “When you buy any other car,” ads said, “all you end up with is today’s car. When you get a Pacer, you get a piece of tomorrow.” By 1979, however, sales had faded considerably. Today, polls and experts agree: the Pacer was one of the worst cars of all time.
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The first car I ever bought and paid for myself was not an AMC Pacer, but it was a 1972 AMC Gremlin. The paint job was somewhere between fern green and aquamarine. I’m pretty sure it’s not a tint that’s available anywhere now, at least not outside of certain junkyards. I loved that car for the freedom it gave me. But, like the Pacer, it was a butt-ugly little tin can. It was definitely a piece of something, but NO WAY was it a “piece of tomorrow!”
What was YOUR first car?
<C’mon now, it can’t be any more embarrassing than a Gremlin!>
Not actual car, not actual tint, and not actual girlfriend.
Nice little profile on the Denver Bronco’s nice little RB Phillip Lindsay – by Mark Kiszla – in today’s DP. You can read it all, here.
Excerpt:
Born in Denver, Lindsay is as Colorado as the “Native” bumper sticker on 1994 Ford Bronco. Devoid of ego, Lindsay lives in the basement of his parents’ house. Offered a game ball by coach Vance Joseph after a victory that evened the team’s record at 6-6, Lindsay didn’t really want it, because the offensive line deserves the accolades, he said.
“I don’t like the attention,” Lindsay said. “It’s not about me, it’s about the team. That’s how it’s always been in my life. When you have family, and you’re in the middle of two older sisters and two younger brothers, it’s about them. It’s about your family. That’s what it’s about.”
He has rushed for 937 yards. Only one of the 256 rookies drafted ahead of him has run farther. Saquon Barkley, selected No. 2 in the opening round by the New York Giants, has gained 954 yards on the ground. The Giants are paying Barkley $21 million. Lindsay’s salary is $495,000. You tell me: Who’s the better value?
Oh, and also: The Giants are 4-8 while the Broncos are 6-6… just sayin’.
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Still, a nice little review of Barkley and the Giants’ overtime win over Chicago yesterday, here.
