Kyle Kuzma Dunks on Mamdani

 

The most interesting take I've read on NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's video diatribe against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which resulted in a knife wielding attack on the Upper West Side on a Jewish target is from Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma.

Yesterday, Kuzma, who turned 31 on Friday, took to X and wrote:

This is 2026. People cosplaying as things they don’t have the authority, the talent, or the track record to actually be. Just for content. A mayor playing president. A founder playing operator. A content creator playing one-on-one thinking he’s a pro. A 25yr old with a ring light playing economist. Everyone auditioning. Nobody building. Were raising a generation that learning the reward isn’t in doing the thing it’s in looking like you did the thing. The clip is the career. The pose is the product. The soundbite is the substitute for a life’s work. Don't fall for distractions.

Kuzma just dunked on Mamdani.

If nothing else, Kuzma's response is quite the contrast from San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama and Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks the latter of whom is well known for his hatred of Jews.

Kuzma's observations of Mamdani are quite perceptive. Mamdani was elected to be Mayor of New York not to be a mouthpiece for Hamas. Although perhaps Mamdani would be better suited going to Gaza and leading Hamas.

I can only hope other public figures will be as bold as Kuzma in taking Mamdani to task for his mendacity.

The Issue Which Could Cost Susan Collins Her U.S. Senate Seat vs. Troy Jackson

Over the weekend, Maine Democrats nominated Troy Jackson, a former President of the Maine Senate, to replace Graham Platner as their standard bearer in the U.S. Senate race against Republican incumbent. 

Earlier this year, Jackson had sought his party's nomination in the Maine gubernatorial race but finished a distant third behind Hannah Pingree, a former Speaker of the Maine State Legislature.

Frankly, I don't care much for Jackson. Earlier this month, Jackson claimed, "Anybody with eyes and a heart knows the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza."

Somehow, I doubt Jackson could find Gaza on a map. He is just going with wherever the wind is breaking. In so doing, he is fanning the flames of anti-Semitism. If I were a resident of Maine, I would support Collins.

With that said, I do not underestimate Jackson's chances against Collins.

For starters, Jackson doesn't sport a Nazi tattoo, nor has he been accused of committing rape. Jackson has been known to lose his temper in public but unless he repeats that behavior, I doubt most voters will hold that against him.

The one issue where I think Jackson has an advantage over Collins is on the question of ICE. The fact that ICE executed a man who wasn't even their target in broad daylight on the streets of smalltown Maine isn't going to help Collins given her vote for ICE funding.

Worse still is the man responsible for this heinous act has a long history of severe mental illness and violent behavior. So not only did Collins vote for ICE funding but that funding hired a man who was bound to kill someone. It also must be said that the perpetrator has not been and is unlikely to be charged for his actions. That is going to stick in the craw of a lot of voters, and those voters will support Jackson.

Collins and Jackson are going to debate, and Collins is going to have explain herself as to how she can justify voting to fund ICE if it results in people being shot to death on the streets of Maine. She'll try but I don't think Maine voters are going to buy it.

Unless Jackson loses his temper in public and makes himself the issue, the cold-blooded murder of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero could very well be what ends her career in the U.S. Senate.

The Family of Maude Hinds Should Sue The Massachusetts Parole Board

(Picture provided to Boston Herald by Greenridge family)

As much as I love living here in Massachusetts, there are some stories which just make your blood boil.

From The Boston Herald:

Shocked family members of a slain 87-year-old woman, who was strangled to death during a break-in, were blindsided when they found out in the Herald that her murderer was granted parole.

Roxbury’s Maude Hinds was beat and strangled to death by Dionicio Delvalle in 1991. He was 19 at the time of the killing, and the first-degree murderer was sentenced to life without parole in 2005.

Hinds’ family members left that trial 21 years ago thinking Delvalle would never see the light of day, but a state court ruling two years ago gave him and other “emerging adult” killers a chance for parole.

George Greenidge, the great-nephew of Hines, told the Herald that family members had no idea about the parole eligibility for Delvalle. So when Greenidge saw the Herald’s article this week about Delvalle’s parole, he screamed.

“Oh my God! This lady looks just like my sister! Oh no! It’s my great-aunt!” Greenidge told the Herald as he recalled his live reaction to seeing the news.

“Wait, but he got life!” Greenidge added. “What are you talking about?… We all are in shock!”

As it turns out, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in 2024 in Commonwealth v. Mattis that people convicted of crimes who were between the ages of 18-20 could not be sentenced to life in prison without parole because they were deemed as "emerging adults." By this logic does this mean that any person in Massachusetts who commits a felony between the ages of 18 to 20 is tried as an emerging adult as opposed to an adult?

Well, because of this ruling Delvalle was now eligible for parole and the family of Hinds was unaware of this change in circumstances until after the fact.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts claims that an exhaustive effort was conducted to contact members of Hind's family and that they achieved contact with "a direct descendant" concerning the decision and the parole hearing but did not hear back.

Given how little trouble it took for the Boston Herald to contact members of Hind's family, the state's claims don't pass the smell test. Under the circumstances, Hind's family ought to sue the Massachusetts Parole Board. The discovery process would determine the extent of their diligence or lack thereof.

Now it is entirely possible that Delvalle may have been paroled even if Hind's family was duly informed of his parole hearing, attended it and voiced their opposition to his release. 

Regardless of the outcome, the Massachusetts Parole Board had an obligation to notify Hind's family and provide ample time for a response. Because of their negligence, the Hinds family is reliving the trauma of their matriarch's murder.

The Significance of Salvador Perez Passing George Brett on the Royals All-Time HR List

 

Yesterday, longtime Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez hit his 318th career HR passing George Brett to become the franchise's all-time HR leader. 

Perez, 36, hit his record-breaking HR against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park to tie the game in the 7th inning. The Royals went on to win the game 3-2.

This is a big highlight in an otherwise disappointing season for the Royals who are in last place in the AL Central some 11½ games back of the Chicago White Sox. It has also been a down season for Perez who is batting a career low .208 while his 15 HR and 44 RBI are typically below his average production following back-to-back 100 RBI campaigns in 2024 and 2025.

But anytime a Royals player surpasses anything achieved by George Brett it is a big deal. Although Brett retired after the 1993 season, he is still the team's all-time leader in hits (3,154), runs scored (1,583), doubles (665), triples (137), RBI (1,596) walks (1,096) and extra base hits (1,119).

The Venezuelan born Perez has played his entire 15-year MLB career with the Royals and was named team captain prior to the 2023 season. Perez has earned 9 AL All-Star Team selections, 5 Silver Sluggers and 5 Gold Gloves. He is also one of three Royals Presently Perez is signed with the Royals through next season. One can only hope he will remain a Royal. It will improve his already strong chances for baseball immortality at Cooperstown.

Thoughts on the Islamist Terror Attack at Berlin Pride

(YouTube screenshot from Global News Canada)

Yesterday a ramming attack took place at Berlin Pride which claimed the life of a woman while injuring 29 other people.

Today, German authorities shot and killed man who responsible for the attack. He has been identified as Abdul Ballout. He was born and raised in Germany and is of Lebanese descent. Ballout has been on the radar of authorities for Islamic extremist activities.

I have several thoughts on the attack.

For starters, this is at the least the ninth ramming attack in Germany over the past decade. Not all of the occurrences in question were Islamist in nature. Whatever the motivations, these attacks keep happening and German authorities seem unable to find a way to stop them. 

Second, I saw a New York Post video concerning the attack and the comments are distressing. Their audience doesn't care much for Muslims but likes LGBTQ people even less. One of the most grotesque comments I read stated, "Not all heroes wear a cape. Hope the car didn’t get AIDS." This is MAGA nihilism on full display.

Nevertheless, it is true there has been a surge in anti-Semitism in the German LGBTQ community since October 7th. In the days prior to the attack, the local government in Berlin issued a report indicating the Pride events were filled out with anti-Semitic rhetoric up to and including the justification of violence against Jews. In the hours before the attack, one of the Berlin Pride participants accuses Israel of being the aggressor in the Middle East.

It remains to be seen, however, if Germany's LGBTQ community will have been mugged by reality and realize Israel is not the enemy or if they will pretend this event didn't happen. To do the latter would dishonor those who were killed and injured in the name of Islamic extremism.

The Film Adaptation of "Reading Lolita in Tehran" is a Stark Reminder of Iran's Repressive Regime

This evening I went to the Somerville Theatre to attend a screening of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir of Books.

I was among the very few patrons who chose to see this film as there was a long lineup outside the theatre to see The Odyssey which would be held in the main theatre which holds approximately 900 people. I'm glad that I arrived at the theatre before they seated the audience for The Odyssey because getting to the bathroom and to the concession stand before the start of the movie might have been an odyssey unto itself.

Reading Lolita in Tehran was screened in Theatre 2 which is situated in the basement and holds just over 60 people. I was one of six people in attendance for this screening.

The film, which was originally released in 2024 but only now released in this country, is an adaptation of Iranian born writer and academic Azar Nafisi's book of the same name which was released in 2003. I recall reading the book the year after its initial release. Of course, two decades have passed since reading the book and specific details have receded into the recesses of my mind.

I had given some contemplation to re-reading the book before viewing the film. However, this would have meant either having to buy the book or borrow it from a library. When I moved to New York in 2018, I surrendered my books and nearly all of my possessions. With all the other things on my plate, I opted not to re-read the book. In retrospect I probably should have done so because I think it would have probably helped me appreciate the film in a broader context.

With that being said, I did not need to re-read the book to remember its premise. Nafisi returned to Iran with her husband shortly after the 1979 Revolution to accept a teaching position teaching English literature. Needless to say, teaching Western literature was frowned upon by certain elements within the university including some of her students particularly her male students who believed books like The Great Gatsby were decadent

Of course, there was also the matter of the Iranian regime mandating women wear the hijab which Nafisi strongly resisted. How she managed not to end up in Evin Prison like her students is no small miracle.

During the mid-1990s, Nafisi hosted several of her former female students at her home on Thursday morning where they would discuss books like Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was in Nafisi's apartments where these women could literally let their hair down and speak their minds - something they could not risk doing in the presence of their husbands, fathers, brothers or even sons. These sessions would ultimately have the effect of spurring Nafisi to leave Iran and return to the United States with her family.

Directed by Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis, Reading Lolita in Tehran stars Iranian born actress Golshifteh Farahani as Nafisi. Farahani does bear a slight resemblance to Nafisi when she was younger and certainly shares her defiant spirit as a critic of the Iranian regime forced to live in exile in France.

The release of Reading Lolita in Tehran in this country is a reminder of the inherently brutal nature of Iran's repressive regime when it comes to freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and particularly the rights of women by the regime's morality police. Several of Nafisi's female students were punished by the morality police for alleged illicit behavior with one student being executed in Evin prison. 

It is well worth remembering the protests sparked in Iran after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, was killed while in custody of the morality police with some women burning their hijabs. Indeed, women were at the forefront of Iranian protests which took place in late 2025 and early 2026 before they were brutally put down by the regime.

Unfortunately, while Reading Lolita in Tehran is a reminder of repression in the Islamic Republic of Iran, there were only six people in the theatre tonight and I suspect most of the people already held the regime in contempt. Alas, it is far more fashionable to accuse Israel of genocide and to physically accost Zionists.

It must also be said that Iran's brutality has also been overshadowed by President Trump's incoherence and malevolence in prosecuting the War in Iran. Trump went from exhorting the Iranian people to take back their government to saying he never cared about regime change in Iran. Because of Trump's mendacious nature, the behavior of the Iranian regime is ignored and even excused. This cannot stand. 

Reading Lolita in Tehran is both an important book and an important film. Unfortunately, the growing segment of the American public neither enamored with President Trump and Israel will not likely receive Azar Nafisi's message with an open mind.

Marlins Flounder With 10th Straight Loss

The Miami Marlins have lost 10 games in a row falling 4-2 to the San Diego Padres this evening.

Just 15 days ago, the Marlins were 52-42 and tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for second place in the NL East only 3 games back of the Atlanta Braves. They were on a 6-game winning streak, had won 8 of their last 10 games and were 26-8 since June 1st. For good measure, the Marlins had hooked of the NL Wild Card spots.

Since then, the Marlins have been swept by the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros before tonight's loss to the Padres. In 15 days, the Marlins have gone from 3 games back of the Braves to 9½ games back in the loss column. 

The Marlins are now at the .500 mark tied with the Washington Nationals and are at a crossroads. 

What is interesting is that last season the Marlins swam their way to the .500 mark in early August after a sweep of the New York Yankees with a plausible chance at the NL Wild Card. The Marlins would then lose 10 of 13 games before I saw them have a comeback win against the Boston Red Sox at my first game at Fenway Park in 7 seasons. In 2025, the Marlins would finish strong winning 9 of their last 12 games and finishing just under .500 at 79-83 with first year manager Clayton McCullough, a 17-game improvement over 2024.

As for this current losing streak, the Marlins offense has dried up with Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez and Liam Hicks mired in slumps. In 7 of their 10 losses, the Marlins scored 3 runs or less.

The question now is whether the Marlins will sink or swim.