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OPINIONOPINION

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 6, 2025

RICH JOHNSON

ODD FACTS FROM AN ODDBALL

PUT THE LIGHTS ON

STUART TOLCHIN

MOUNTAIN 
VIEWS

NEWS

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson

PASADENA CITY 
EDITOR

Dean Lee 

SALES

Patricia Colonello

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John Aveny 

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Peter Lamendola

CONTRIBUTORS

Lori A. Harris

Michele Kidd

Stuart Tolchin 

Harvey Hyde

Audrey Swanson

Meghan Malooley

Mary Lou Caldwell

Kevin McGuire

Chris Leclerc

Dinah Chong Watkins

Howard Hays

Paul Carpenter

Kim Clymer-Kelley

Christopher Nyerges

Peter Dills 

Rich Johnson

Rev. James Snyder

Katie Hopkins

Deanne Davis

Despina Arouzman

Jeff Brown

Marc Garlett

Keely Toten

Dan Golden

Rebecca Wright

Hail Hamilton

Joan Schmidt

LaQuetta Shamblee


WHAT I KNOW ABOUT BASEBALL AND DO 
NOT KNOW ABOUT ANNYTHING ELSE

Literally, one of my literary heroes is a fellow named Louis Malcolm 
Boyd. L. M. was a newspaper columnist. He wrote over 
10,000 columns in his writing career. If you run into him, it will 
be in heaven. Still, if you do run into him, call him “Mal”. (And 
say hi from me)

Mal wrote a book coincidentally entitled, “Boyd’s Book of Odd 
Facts”. This incredible publication is a cornucopia of useless and fascinating bits 
of trivia. In fact, I have requested of my two wonderful children, that when I pass 
onto the next level of existence, adorn my gravestone with the expression: “Useless 
and Fascinating”. So, let’s dive in, shall we?

Chopsticks were most likely invented during the Shang dynasty (1766-1122 
BCE). Nevertheless, you should know the Chinese also invented knives and 
forks. In fact, the ‘cha’ (fork) was a dining tool before the ‘kuaizi’ (chopsticks). 
Critical information here!

Now this is important to know: Do you ever swallow while asleep? Yep. Exactly 
7.6 times per hour on average. Research done by Dr. Clement S. Lear, of no less 
prestige than a member of the faculty of the prestigious Harvard School of Dental 
Medicine. 

“It was in 1935 when the first knock-knock jokes popped up…Last one that 
comes to mind: “Knock Knock” “Who’s there?” “Highway cop.” “Highway cop 
who?” “Highway cop every morning with a headache.”

This is important: “Zebras in a herd never all sleep at the same time. Always there 
are a few lookouts.” Like at my house (just kidding!)

The three most famous catnappers in the world history were Thomas Edison, 
Winston Churchill and Eleanor Roosevelt. Edison dozed at his workbench. 
Churchill dropped off from time to time in his desk chair. And Ms. Roosevelt 
napped anywhere. In fact, once, while being introduced as the featured speaker 
before a huge Madison Square Garden audience, the moderator had to go over 
and shake Eleanor awake (on stage) so she could take the podium and give her 
speech. Refreshed I’m sure.

97.137 per cent of all water is salt water. 2.24 per cent of water is ice and snow. 
Another .6129 per cent is underground. So, figure .009% of water is in freshwater 
lakes. And .0001% is in the rivers. That leaves .001% in the atmosphere.

Cambridge University Library in England has one shelf of books devoted to the 
works of deranged writers. (editor’s note: I hope to be there someday)

Among the favorite books of novelist Ian Fleming was one called “Birds of the 
West Indies”. Care to guess the name of the author? Yep. James Bond.

So, when actually do the Chinese fortune cookie makers put that little slip of 
paper into the cookie, before or after? After. The cookie is baked flat and the slip 
of paper is put in the middle while it’s still warm. Then the cookie cooker twists 
it into shape.

This is important: The television code of the National Association of Broadcasters 
forbids any scene wherein somebody gargles. It’s strictly not permitted.

Actor Humphrey Bogart was not the first choice for his roles in: “The Petrified 
Forest”, “Casablanca”, “The Maltese Falcon” and “The African Queen”. Nope. 
“The Petrified Forest” would have starred Edward G. Robinson, “Casablanca” 
would have starred Ronald Reagan, “The Maltese Falcon” would have starred 
George Raft, and “The African Queen” would have starred Gregory Peck if the 
original producers had their way. Go figure.

In closing, let me tell you how the great British actor Michael Caine got his stage 
name. He was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite. His early stage name was Michael 
Scott. He was up for his first big movie role when he returned a frantic call 
from his agent. It seems there was another actor in England already using the 
name “Michael Scott”. Michael, calling from a payphone outside the theaters at 
Piccadilly Circus, had to come up with a new stage name right there on the spot. 
Frantic for ideas, Michael noticed the marquee on the theaters were playing two 
movies. He got his name from the movie “The Caine Mutiny” and the rest is 
history.

The other movie on the marquee you may ask? Had he gone that direction 
he would be known today as Michael Dalmation! The other movie was “101 
Dalmations”.

Before I sign off, I must share I ran into a very smart and knowledgeable individual 
who advises those of us Medicare aged fossils on Medicare options. He 
was extraordinarily helpful. His name is Mark Spiro and he can be reached at 
fiatlux91750@gmail.com.

This is Richard Dalmatian signing off. 

P.S. JJ Jukeboxe’s next rock and roll concert is Saturday night, January 3rd at 
Nano Café. Reservations (626) 325-3334. Call Wednesdays through Saturday after 
4:00pm to make reservations. Come one come all…well maybe not quite all.

First of all, I know the 
rules of baseball; at 
least I did before the 
powers that be started 
messing around with 
them. I think these 
rule changes are made in the belief that 
shortening the time of the games will make 
the games more appealing to fans. There 
are now time limits between pitches and 
limitations on attempted pick-off throws, a 
ban on defensive shifts, and the three batter 
minimum for pitchers, reduced mound 
visits, and strange extra-inning rules. 

To me, this is a great misunderstanding 
of the appeal of baseball to avid fans like 
myself. The great thing about baseball was 
that I KNEW THE RULESs. I knew those 
rules even before I was in Little League. Of 
course there are many other great things 
about baseball. The players are not all covered 
up with equipment and padding and 
helmets. I can tell that guys out there are 
regular human beings just like me, except 
for the fact that they happen to be very 
good at baseball.

 Next in baseball I can tell what’s 
going on just by watching. Compare this 
with football, which has a bunch of unidentifiable 
players having different responsibilities 
all moving around at the 
same time. All a baseball spectator needs 
to do after a ball is hit is to watch the runner 
and the ball. In football, there are 22 
players on the field running in all directions, 
and the ball often disappears. If 
you go to a game, it really is confusing 
In order to practice the skills of baseball 
all you need is a little space and a few guys 
to throw the ball back and forth; or even 
one person can hit the ball to the others. 
Compare that to football where there is 
much more happening besides pitching 
and catching, and I have no idea how one 
actually prepares. Let’s face it; football is 
brutal and confusing muck like the rest of 
life. 

Certainly, other sports are less complicated 
than American football. Soccer, which 
is called football in the rest of the world, 
involves players who are not all covered 
up with pads and equipment. To practice 
soccer all that is needed is one ball, a couple 
of players, and a little space. Perhaps 
that is one of the main reasons why soccer 
is the most popular sport in the world; but 
not here. I think the reason for that is that 
as Americans we DID NOT LEARN THE 
RULES at an early age or any time thereafter. 
It’s also much like life.

What about basketball? Practicing basketball 
is pretty easy. You don't need anyone 
else; just a ball and a basket. Professional 
basketball players are not all covered with 
equipment and are out there playing in 
shorts. They are easily identifiable and 
perhaps that is the problem. Pro basketball 
players are almost always individuals 
very different from normal folk like you 
and me. Tall six-footers are short guys 
in basketball, and it is difficult to identify 
with them. Yes, I know Kobe and LeBron 
have had great appeal, but it is very different 
from the appeal of Sandy Koufax, 
a baseball player not a person of unusual 
size or physique.

Speaking of Sandy Koufax for me suggests 
Judaism. Sandy was a Jewish guy who famously 
refused to play on Jewish Holidays. 
I consider myself to be a Jewish person as 
both my mother and father were Jewish. 
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, neither 
of them had any contact with Jewish 
principles or teachings. Still our family 
identified as Jewish despite rarely celebrating 
all but one or two Holidays. On those 
days my sister and I were not allowed to go 
to School and just played handball against 
the garage walls. 

 I have always been an atheist and that, 
for me at least, is not inconsistent with 
my identification as a Jew. For me being 
a Jew has little to do with belief. That does 
not matter; what is important is what one 
DOES with their life. Staying home from 
work or School and being with family is 
not a bad idea but being compassionate 
and caring and striving for Fairness and 
Justice is what makes a Jew. One can do 
that alone, no matter your physique or 
athletic ability. Maybe understanding 
other rules might have contributed to my 
ability to lead a more satisfying life; but the 
only rules I knew about were the rules of 
baseball. There are, I’m sure, other rules 
and guides that might just contribute to a 
satisfying life. I just want you and I to have 
the opportunity to keep searching and 
hope that no one changes the rules so as 
to make them even more difficult to locate 
and understand. Times are tough enough 
as it is!

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HOWARD Hays As I See It


At the end of the day, it's all about the money." - Russian Opposition 
Leader Garry Kasparov

 I wrote last week of two billionaires, real estate developer 
Steve Witkoff and equity fund manager Jared Kushner, representing 
the United States in negotiations on Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal 
came out with their own article on the subject (not wanting to be 
scooped by the Mountain Views News). It identified a major topic 
with the Russian representative - the $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, and the prospect 
of it being used to finance joint Russian/U.S. business ventures. Russia would get 
what it wants in Ukraine, while insiders like Witkoff and Kushner could make a bundle.

 Another plus for the Russian side would be widening the rift between us and 
our NATO allies, who still see Russian President Putin as a threat and still refuse to accept 
the targeting of civilians in an armed invasion of a sovereign state. According to 
the article, Putin has already dispatched his own billionaire bros to set things up with 
American companies in joint ventures, whether oil/gas pipelines or rare earth materials 
mining - all to be signed, sealed and ready to go when the time comes. Poland’s Prime 
Minister Donald Tusk noted, “We know this is not about peace. It’s about business.”

 Former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum described the deal as, “betray 
Ukraine in exchange for privileged business benefits for Trump insiders.” Garry Kasparov 
added, "It’s how Putin turned Russia into a mafia state and it’s been Trump’s goal 
from day one of his new unleashed administration".

 It was reported over twenty years ago that while President Bush would be warning 
of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, Vice President Cheney would 
be going over maps with oil execs making plans for divvying up Iraqi oil fields. Now, 
instead of Iraq and Hussein’s supposed weapons, it’s Venezuela and President Nicolas 
Maduro’s supposed drug connections. Both rationalizations for invasion are similarly 
lacking in legitimacy, while both situations are similarly all about oil and the money to 
be made from it (with Venezuela having twice the oil reserves as Iraq).

 The fentanyl Trump talks about mostly comes up through ports of entry from 
Mexico, distributed by U.S. citizens. Cocaine mostly comes from Venezuela’s neighbor, 
Colombia. Those boats we’re blasting apart aren’t equipped to make it to the U.S., 
anyway. If they did carry drugs, they’d more likely be on their way to being prepped for 
shipment to Europe.

 Going to war against Venezuela is more about opposition leader Maria Machado’s 
intent, post regime-change, to privatize oil holdings and open them up for business. 
Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) was giddy at the prospect; “We’re talking about the largest 
reserves of oil in the world that will be doing business with American companies . . . 
American companies in Venezuela for the next 100 years.”

 For a real case of a national leader partnered with drug lords, there’s former 
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, sentenced to 45 years for taking millions 
in bribes from the Sinaloa cartel, among others, to facilitate their shipments. Rep. 
Norma Torres (D-CA) posted, “I spent years fighting corruption in Latin America. Hernandez 
ran a cartel-backed criminal empire that trafficked 400 tons of cocaine into the 
U.S., used his office to steal U.S. taxpayer dollars, and bought political power with drug 
money.” 

 He's now been pardoned by President Trump. Some speculate it was to help the 
election chances of Hernandez’ party-member Nasry Afura, boosted by Trump. But 
again, it’s all about the money. Three of Trump’s wealthiest backers had an ongoing 
project with Hernandez, and Trump wouldn’t want to risk their support by not doing 
them this favor.

 Billionaires Peter Thiel (who’s protégé, J.D. Vance, became Vice President), Marc 
Andreesen and Sam Altman of Open AI had Hernandez on board for the creation of 
a techie-ruled, crypto-based autonomous zone in Honduras where they could do their 
thing without having to bother with customary regulations. The current Honduran 
government wasn’t all that supportive, so the billionaire techies wanted Hernandez back 
on the scene. Trump then pardoned the man who, according to court testimony, had 
bragged that while pretending to cooperate with the DEA, he’d instead “stuff the drugs 
right up the noses of the gringos”.

 The Trump family’s crypto holdings have been reported as having more value 
than their real estate. Trump will do whatever he thinks would enhance the value of 
these assets – such as springing Hernandez so he can return to help protect the crypto-
bros’ project in Honduras. Another example was the pardoning of Ross Ulbricht, serving 
time for his “Silk Road” dark web enterprise. Ulbricht brought in some $200 million 
from his operation, primarily through online sales of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. But 
he was regarded a martyr by the Bitcoin crowd, so Trump let him off – on his second day 
in office.

 In trying to figure out why we’re selling out Ukraine to Putin, threatening war 
against someone without evidence of drug involvement while pardoning those who’ve 
been convicted of it, Garry Kasparov has some advice: "politicians and pundits spend 
too much time looking for complicated motivations from ideology or psychology or 
blackmail. It’s money. It’s always money. They’re crooks. With immense power, but still 
crooks. Don’t overcomplicate things."

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

JULIUS STEPHEN MURPHY

CASE NO. 25STPB13080

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may 
otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of JULIUS STEPHEN 
MURPHY.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by CARL BROWN in the Superior 
Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that CARL BROWN be appointed as 
personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent's WILL and codicils, if any, be admitted 
to probate. The WILL and any codicils are available for examination in the file 
kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent 
Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal 
representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before 
taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will 
be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice 
or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority 
will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition 
and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 12/18/25 at 
8:30AM in Dept. 67 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing 
and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the 
hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must 
file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed 
by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of 
first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 
58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or 
personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate 
Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. 
You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested 
in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-
154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition 
or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special 
Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner

SCOTT T. HOLMAN, ESQ. - SBN 315487

HOLMAN LAW GROUP, APC

316 W. FOOTHILL BLVD.

MONROVIA CA 91016

Telephone

(626) 358-1218

11/29, 12/6, 12/13/25

CNS-3989107#


Mountain Views News

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Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com