Spring Is Here....

...which is why life sucks?  

I am not a big fan of spring. My allergies kick in which inevitably leads into a cold. Which happened this week. 

I had a big allergy attack on Monday. 

Tuesday, I began experiencing the symptoms of a cold and missed most of the day from work. 

I was back at work on Wednesday but took a turn for the worst on Thursday. 

I took the whole day off Thursday from work, hoping to at least keep my voice in shape for Thursday evening when I was scheduled to sing a solo for a pre-Easter service. I managed to push through with that more or less okay but a couple of higher notes got the better of me. 

Friday, the aches and congestion were worse than ever and now lets had nausea to the mix. 

Spring is here and life sucks.  

I am by now doing a little bit better. The aches and congestion have subsided enough that I'm getting some rest. And the nausea appears to have gone away.   

Here's hoping your spring is off to a better start. And remember to be good to one another.   

Olive Garden

While our daughter Randie was in New York City eating at some fine Italian dining establishments that I’m sure were not frequent meeting places for the Big Apple’s criminal elite, Andrea and I decided to venture forth from our Fortress of Ineptitude to seek some fine Italian dining for ourselves.

 

Instead we went to Olive Garden.

 

<RIM SHOT!>

 

OK, I know, Olive Garden gets ragged on a lot by snobbish foodies which makes it an easy target. I can honestly say I have never had bad food at Olive Garden.


However, I can't honestly say I've had great food at Olive Garden. But what do I know from good food and great food?


Last week, I had chicken parmesan. The chicken breasts were tender with a tasty breaded crust. The spaghetti was tender with an appropriate amount of sauce. 


I'd ordered chicken parmesan at a different, local restaurant about a month ago where the spaghetti was swimming in sauce which was also too salty. So in this case, I can judge my chicken parmesan experience at Olive Garden was superior.


What was not superior was the dining atmosphere. 


I remember dining at Olive Garden as a kind of upscale occasion. Not "I need to wear a tuxedo and drop a $100 on a bottle of wine" kind of upscale. Still, you put on a nice pair of pants, a good shirt and leave the babies at home.


Saturday night was more like dining at a cafeteria with children screaming and a lot of people whose fashion sense is dictated by which sweat pants are the cleanest.


Andrea and I were seated next to a long table filled with the loudest people on the planet. Which required me to be a bit louder to be heard by our waitress.


MY WIFE WOULD LIKE A GLASS OF CHARDANAY AND I WOULD LIKE A GLASS OF THE CALVIT PINOT NOIR FROM ITALY!


Yeah, that would sound more sophisticated if it wasn't in all caps. 


Our waitress, God bless her, took good care of us, despite also being on call for the long table filled with the loudest people on the planet. I was so impressed with her, I tipped her 25% instead of 20%.


It's not her fault that Olive Garden is now apparently fair game for barn dwelling barbarians.


Yeah, I know I sound very snobbish. Perhaps I should climb down from my snooty pretentious high horse.


It is, after all, just Olive Garden.  

Fly, Thanos! FLY!!!!

So we are about a month away from the much anticipated debut of Avengers: Infinity War, the feature film gathering of every super hero introduced to date in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). All the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther and Spider-Man and Doctor Strange and Ant-Man. It’s gonna be EPIC!

An epic spectacle or an epic mess? As much as we are all psyched for this movie, let’s admit, that’s a lot of characters to juggle which means there’s a lot of risk that something like character development or a coherent plot might get shortchanged. Still, I’m hoping just the sheer thrill of seeing all these characters come together will smooth over any shortcomings.

And all these heroes are needed because the big bad threat is THANOS, baby!

I said, Thanos, baby.

It’s Thanos.

Thanos, anyone?

OK, in the comics, Thanos is some serious shit with cosmic power and an obsession with death.

In the MCU, Thanos made an underwhelming cameo in the mid-credits scene in the first Avengers movie. 

He was slightly more of a presence in the first Guardians of the Galaxy. Yeah, we’re told repeatedly Thanos is bad, Thanos is terrible, Thanos does not bathe regularly, Thanos borrows garden tools but doesn’t bring them back, Thanos is all powerful and EVIL. But all we see is Rogaine the Hairless…er, Ronan the Accuser defy Thanos and gets away with it.  Ronan steals an all powerful thing from Thanos and suffers no retribution from Thanos. Instead, Conan the O'Brien.....er, Ronan the Accuser is defeated after a dance off with Star-Lord.

Thanos is a big ol’ pussy.

Maybe Avengers: Infinity War will fix that.

But if you want to know of Thanos at the peak of his power, of his cruelty, consider the tale of his quest for the Cosmic Cube and paltry efforts of the Amazing Spider-Man and Hellcat to thwart his ambitions, his destiny, his helicopter!

His what now?

Back in the day, in the 1970s, Marvel published a comic book on conjunction with the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) called Spidey Super Stories. This series was based on the Spider-Man segments that appeared on the CTW show, The Electric Company. These were simple stories about life lessons like sharing, honesty, helping others… you know, that sort of crap.  Into this world of childlike wonder entered Thanos!

In his helicopter!

Now Thanos may be evil but he has no need to steal a helicopter. That helicopter is HIS! It has his name on it! 

Enter, the Thanoscopter!

How did THAT come about? Well, I have some of the unpublished script right here. 

BEHOLD, humans of Earth! I AM THANOS! And I have come to claim as my own the INFINITE POWER of the Cosmic Cube as is the right of THANOS, harbinger of DEATH, ruler of WORLDS, owner of....

Er, can some one lend me a Sharpie? Thanks.

<squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak>

OWNER OF THIS HELICOPTER!!!!!!!!

Another thing about this story: because it was a comic book for pre-schoolers, Hellcat could not be Hellcat and instead was referred to as The Cat.  

Still, let the the world beware and tremble before the might of Thanos in his Thanoscopter!

Fly, Thanos!! FLYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

This (Non) Sporting Life: Farewell, Duke

Hi there!

 

Welcome to another installment of This (Non) Sporting Life, a blog post about sports written by a guy who knows very little about sports.

 

Today: No joy in Mudville. Or in Durham. Or in the Fortress of Ineptitude where I call home,

 

The Duke Blue Devils are now out of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, falling to the Kansas Jayhawks.  

 

I kind of resigned myself to the idea that #1 seeded Kansas would likely advance to the Final Four again #2 seed Duke. But in the last minute of the 2^nd half, there was hope that maybe Duke could pull this off. They led Kansas by 3.

 

But Kansas’ Svi Mykhailiuk had other ideas, draining a three pointer with 30 seconds left.

 

Still, 30 seconds can be an eternity in basketball. All Duke needed was, well, anything, just one point from a free throw, to retake the lead and win the game. But despite my earnestly shouted basketball wisdom of “PUT THE BALL THROUGH THE HOOP”, Duke did not put the ball through the hoop in the time remaining. Why, oh why, did they not listen to me? And we’re off to overtime.

 

Whereupon Kansas put the ball through the hoop more times than Duke put the ball through the hoop. Kansas won in OT, 85-81. 

 

The top-seeded Jayhawks held off No. 2 Duke in overtime, 85-81, in a classic Elite 8 battle between two of the sport’s most storied programs.

 

Kansas will face Villanova in San Antonio on Saturday night in the national semifinals and blah, blah, blah, who really cares at this point? My wife Andrea’s interest in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was deflated when North Carolina got knocked out last week. And now, my interest in this is likewise gone. Kansas can go on to play the Kaiju from Pacific Rim for all I care.

 

Sunday, Andrea and I went out to lunch after church. Andrea was wearing her beloved light blue Carolina Tarheels coat. I had my dark blue Duke Blue Devils coat; in all fairness, my dark blue Duke Blue Devils coat is really a Duke Blue Devils coat, it’s just dark blue. Anyway, this prompted a conversation with our waitress about how we support two different teams that are typically reviled on both sides. This usually astonishes people but it’s really not that big of a deal to us. It’s just a game of putting a ball through a hoop and there is nothing to gain by me gloating to Andrea that Duke stayed in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament one week longer than Carolina. That would be wrong and petty with nothing to gain by it.

 

Well, that’s that for today. Remember to be good to one another and also remember that Duke stayed in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament one week longer than Carolina.

I Think My Computer Might Be Depressed

Uh oh....

I think my computer might be depressed.  

Are We Now, At Last, Well and Truly Fucked?

Thursday, H.R. McMaster was dismissed as Li'l Donnie Trump's National Security Advisor and replaced him with John Bolton.


Which leads us to this question:  Are we now, at last, well and truly fucked?


Consider this:   we have in Li'l Donnie Trump an "alleged president" with zero patience for diplomacy and multi-national cooperation with other nations.


Last week, Li'l Donnie Trump replaced Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State with Mike Pompeo, a man with zero patience for diplomacy and multi-national cooperation with other nations.


And now, Li'l Donnie Trump wants his National Security Advisor to be John Bolton, a man with zero patience for diplomacy and multi-national cooperation with other nations.


As an Army lieutenant general, H.R McMaster hardly fit the old of a soft hearted mulinationlist but by all reports, was a voice of a caution against Trump's small minded America First myopic desires to move away from multi-national cooperation.


Whatever his faults as Secretary of State (and by all accounts, there were many), Rex Tillerson still favored a more pragmatic diplomacy as opposed to Li'l Donnie's more grandiose and bellicose colorful threats.  


Both McMaster and Tillerson reportedly were in favor of finding ways to maintain the Iran nuclear treaty, a deal that Trump has frequently maligned throughout his campaign and his "presidency". In Pompeo and Bolton, he has two people who are in favor of walking away from the deal.


Bolton, in particular, has been a frequent proponent of using American military might first and foremost  as opposed to any diplomatic solutions. "Shoot first and ask questions later" is giving Bolton too much credit. More like "shoot first and who the fuck needs questions?" 


Specifically, Bolton has written op-ed pieces espousing solutions to North Korea and Iran that can be summed up in one word: Invade!


If we had any hope that there were grown ups in Trump's White House trying to keep in check Li'l Donnie's worst impulses, that hope is gone. In Pompeo and now Bolton, we have people who only echo and reinforce Li'l Donnie's worst impulses. 


Which leads us once more to this question:  Are we now, at last, well and truly fucked? 

In Whose God Do We Trust?

Legislation sponsored by Rep. Susan Lynn (R) overwhelmingly passed the Tennessee state House on Monday with 81 of the 99 members voting in favor of requiring Tennessee schools to prominently display the national "In God We Trust" motto.

 

The Tennessee State Senate unanimously passed the "In God We Trust" in schools legislation earlier this month, sponsored by Sen. Paul Bailey (R).

 

The bill requires schools display the motto in a prominent location where students are likely to see it, like a school entryway, cafeteria or common area. It offers more freedom on what form it takes, suggesting that it could be a mounted plaque or student artwork.

 

The Tennessee legislation is not alone with similar bills under consideration this year by state lawmakers in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wyoming with laws requiring the display of "In God We Trust" in schools are already on the books in other states.

 

If you’re a Christian person, you would probably greet such legislative action with an understanding nod of the head and a fervently whispered “amen”.

 

Question: In whose God do we trust?

 

I’m assuming it’s the generally accepted Christian concept of God is what Rep. Lynn and Sen. Bailey had in mind when they sponsored this bill. 

 

Yeah, we’re OK with proclaiming our trust in God on the sides of our money and on our schools as long as it’s OUR God. Not your God.

 

But what if a similar bill had been proposed by someone named Ahmed Mahmoud Abdul (D)? What pray tell, Christian person, would be your reaction?

 

There would be such a litany of rage and fury, cries about the evils of “Sharia law” would echo across the land.

 

There has been for a long time, a deep and abiding idea among certain people that American equals Christian. What makes one an American is not adherence to the Christian faith. Being American means you have the freedom to worship as Christian. Or as a Jew. Or as a Muslim. Or Hindu. Or even not at all. Being an American means having the right to gather at your church or synagogue or mosque or the privacy of your home or wherever to worship and pray.

 

Me, I have no problem with the concept that as a nation, we have a trust in God. Whether that is God specifically defined by the tenets of your personal faith or just the overarching idea of a power greater than our limited mortal perceptions, I think it is a good thing to consider our actions as Americans should answer to a calling beyond our own selfish needs, that we should look beyond ourselves in how we treat each other as fellow citizens and how we interact with the rest of the world.

In this age of Trump, brought about by the same evangelical Christians determined to engrave their trust in their God in everything, we have moved away from that ideal. Less trusting in God and more demanding, “What is in this for me? What do I get out of this? How can I make sure I’m getting what I am due? How can I make sure someone else is not screwing me out of what’s mine?”

 

The question persists: In whose God do we trust?

Joe and Li'l Donnie Down In the Schoolyard

So what is Li’l Donnie Trump up to now?

 

Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault. He doesn’t know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don’t threaten people Joe!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2018

 

OK, what brought that on?

 

Earlier this week, at a rally at the University of Miami attended by a sexual assault awareness advocacy group, former Vice President Joe Biden said he would "beat the hell out of" Trump if they had been in high school together and if he heard him demeaning women.

 

If we were in high school, I'd take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him," Biden said to applause. "I shouldn't have said that, but then I was told that's just locker room talk. Well, I've been in a lot of locker rooms my whole life, I'm a pretty damn good athlete. Any guy who talked that way was usually the fattest, ugliest S.O.B. in the room. For real!

 

The former vice president's comments were in reference to 2005 footage from "Access Hollywood" showing Trump bragging about crude and degrading behavior toward women. Trump later dismissed his remarks as just "locker room talk."

 

This is why it doesn’t pay to get clever with stupid people. 

 

Notice Li’l Donnie says that Biden “threatens me…with physical assault”, present tense.

 

Please review Bien’s remarks.  “If (supposition, not fact) we were (past tense) in high school (Joe & Donnie were not and are not in high school together), I'd take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him (proposition based on supposition that IF Joe and Donnie had been in the past in high school together, he would have at that time, not the present, beat the hell out of him). 

 

In response to Joe’s remarks on what a physically violent encounter in the past would have gone down, Li’l Donnie’s retaliation is “Actually, he is (present tense) weak, both mentally and physically”.  

 

Of the two remarks, only Li’l Donnie is making a present tense insult or a threat if you want to view it that way. 

 

While Joe Biden said “If we were in high school”, Li’l Donnie Trump acts like he’s still there.

 

No wait. That’s giving Trump too much credit. Let me try that sentence again.

 

While Joe Biden said “If we were in high school”, Li’l Donnie Trump acts like he’s still in kindergarten. No wonder Li’l Donnie feels threatened by Joe, that big ol' high school bully.

 

 

Sometimes The Past Will Not Let Go

Sometimes the past will not let go.

 

Today is the 2^nd day of spring. Winter should be in our past. Right now, outside my office window, snow is falling. 

 

Tomorrow, on the 3^rd day of spring, my daughter Randie is scheduled to be on her way to New York City. Meanwhile, winter’s determined to stick arouynd. A winter storm is heading yp the I-95 corridor towards the northeast, New York City in it’s crosshairs.

 

Sometimes the past will not let go.

 

About an hour ago, I received a call from my physical therapists office. Physical therapy is in my past. But it seems claims for my last few months pof therapy have been denied by my insurance. I’ve spoken with the insurance company about this. They need an authorization form to pay those claims. 

 

The physical therapists office insists they have sent the authorization form. 

 

The insurance company insists they have not received the authorization form.

 

Well, this is a lot of fun.

 

Sometimes the past will not let go.

A Different Kind of Comic Book Fame

I love checking in on comic book blogs and websites that look back at the history of the medium. I'm particularly interested in the comics that came out when I first began reading them myself as well as comics from just before I started my lifelong habit.  

One of my favorite sites for comic books is Diversions of the Groovy Kind which posts pages and some complete stories from the late 1960s and through the 1970s. 

Recently, the Groovester posted some splash pages from Gil Kane's run on the Flash which included the page below.

And lo and behold, what's Mark Evanier's name doing up there?

Mark is the writer of my favorite blog on the internet, News From ME. Mark has had a long and prolific career writing comic books and animated series as well as various TV shows. Mark has intricate web of connections to a lot of comic book writers and artists, animators, voice actors, comedians. It's amazing who this guy knows and he has so many cool stories to tell. 

Including how he wound as a character in The Flash#195 which went on sale in December 1969 which he writes about  here. 

While Robert Kanigher is credited as the writer, the names of the people the Flash encounter were inserted by editor  Julius Schwartz. These were people who wrote frequently to his letter columns: Irene Vartanoff, Peter Sanderson and Mark Evanier.

Ironically, all three would go on to careers in comics.

By the way, back in the day (uh oh, old man rant coming on), comic books featured letter columns. Yes, comic book fans would take a sheet of paper, write down their comments on a comic book they read, put that paper in an envelope, put a stamp on that envelope and put it in the mail. A few days later in New York City, a beleaguered editor or assistant editor would sift through these letters, pick a few good ones and maybe, just maybe, a comic book fan might get to see their name in print in a comic book a few months after they wrote their letter.

Letter columns are not that much of a thing anymore and you can blame the internet. I mean, who needs a single page of outdated commentary when there are comment boards and what not for instant feedback and gratification. 

But I think having that fan forum in the comic book itself gave a sense of sharing and community with that book that is now missing. I got to see my name in a couple of letter columns in my younger days and it was a pleasant surprise. 

Of course, finding one's name in a word balloon uttered by the Fastest Man Alive, well, that's a whole other level of a thrill. 

Trump Doth Protest Too Much

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks" is a quotation from the 1599/ 1600 play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. It has been used as a figure of speech, in various phrasings, to describe someone's too frequent and vehement attempts to convince others of some matter of which the opposite is true, thereby making themselves appear defensive, and insincere.

____________________________

Because Li’l Donnie Trump is a bad boy who just can’t help himself, he can’t make any statement or Tweet with lying about something.

 

For example, get a load of this Twitter shit from Trump:  

 

“The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!”

To quote the outgoing Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, "What a fucking moron." 

 

Where to start? Well, since Trump is stupid, let’s make this easy and start at the top.

 

The probe wasn’t started because there was collusion or a crime. The probe was started, among other things, to see if there was collusion or a crime.

 

And Mueller was only brought on board because Li’l Donnie fired FBI Director James Comey after he testified before Congress two months earlier that his agency had been investigating allegations that Trump's 2016 campaign might have contacts with Russian entities.

While Trump insists there “was no crime,” Mueller has charged 19 different individuals with crimes, including Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman (Paul Manafort) and 13 Russian nationals. In addition, five individuals have pleaded guilty, including Trump’s former national security adviser (Michael Flynn), a former top Trump campaign and transition official (Rick Gates) and a former Trump foreign-policy adviser (George Papadopoulos).



Trump says there was “no collusion” but even Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee call that into question. “What we said … is that we found no evidence of it,” Rep. Michael Conaway said.  



Damn! Back to the whole “fake dossier” shit again? Hell, Democrats and Republicans have both admitted the original inquiry began with George Papadopoulos’ conversation with an Australian diplomat that Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton. “The Papadopoulos information triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016 by FBI agent Peter Strzok.” That bit is from the memo Rep. Devin Nunes produced and no one is sucking on Trump’s tiny dick more than Nunes. 



Was the FISA wiretap of former Trump adviser Carter Page surveillance of the Trump campaign? The FISA court order to begin surveillance on Page took place after Page left the campaign. 

Trump’s constant criticism of the Mueller probe does beg the question: If Trump is telling the truth (Ha!) and there was no collusion or crime, then the probe would vindicate him, right?

Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, said if the president was innocent, he should ‘act like it’ and leave Mr. Mueller alone, warning of dire repercussions if the president tried to fire the special counsel.


Li'l Donnie doth protest too much, methinks.  

This (Non) Sporting Life: NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Welcome to another edition of This (Non) Sporting Life, a blog post about sports written by a guy who does not know a lot about sports. This post is on the NCAA Men's Basketball  Tournament. 

I know North Carolina is out of it, defeated in the 2nd round by Texas A&M. I know this from the overwhelming vortex of heavy dejected sighs that surrounds my wife, Andrea. She's a life long fan of the Tarheels and she does not cope well when they are defeated. She really takes it personally and when Carolina gets bumped out of the NCAA Men's Basketball  Tournament, we're talking "death of a close relative" levels of sadness. 

Never mind that Carolina did not get knocked out of the tournament last year but wound up winning the whole damn thing. But that was last year. 

The Duke Blue Devil's advanced in both rounds this weekend which makes me happy. Yes, this is a household that has a Carolina fan married to a Duke fan. How does that work? Well, I do try to be respectful of Andrea's feelings. Yes, Duke is going on to the Sweet 16 next weekend and in my heart I'm all like....

DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE!!!!

But because Carolina got beat and is now out of the tournament, I have to outwardly be all like...

duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuke!


Is that fair? Who cares? If I push too hard on this subject, i might be forced to defend why I'm a Duke fan. Since it all began many non-married years ago when I was working on getting inside this girl's pants who happened to be a Duke fan, I really don't think that would be a subject I should get into with my wife.  

And heaven help me if the subject did come up and then I have to answer if I succeeded in getting inside this girl's pants and if Andrea knows this person. Yes, this is a subject I should avoid. 

So Duke is going to the sweet sixteen? Yes and my response to that will remain...


duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuke!



Speaking of the number "sixteen",  the big story from this weekend's NCAA Men's Basketball  Tournament was a 16 seed beating a number 1 seed for the first time ever in the history of NCAA Men's Basketball  Tournament.   

Andrea and I saw history actually unfold as we watched 16th seeded UMBC defeat #1 seed Virginia. And it wasn't even close with UMBC defeating Virginia by 20 points. Wow!  

OK, what the hell is UMBC? 

UMBC is the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, a public research university, located in Baltimore County, mostly in the community of Catonsville. UMBC has been named the #1 Up-and-Coming University for six years in a row, since 2009, by US News & World Report which has also placed UMBC in the top ten for best undergraduate teaching six years in a row.  

I can imagine whatever bookie took a bet on UMBC winning against Virginia is one pissed off bookie.  

I actually watched the 2nd half of UMBC's 2nd game on Sunday against Kansas State where the magic came sadly to an end. But was cool while it lasted.  

That's it for this edition of This (Non) Sporting Life. Remember to be good to one another and don't forget: 

duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuke!

Doctor Who and the Queen's Paycut

Queen Elizabeth II makes less than Prince Phillip? And it’s all Doctor Who’s fault!!!

 

Two producers of Netflix's royal family drama "The Crown" admitted that Claire Foy, the actress who plays the lead character, Queen Elizabeth II, was paid less than Matt Smith who plays Prince Philip. 

 

Suzanne Mackie, creative director  on "The Crown”  said that Smith received a larger paycheck due to his fame as the titular character on the long-running BBC sci-fi series "Doctor Who."  Claire Foy was relatively unknown when she was cast to play the Queen.

 

Ok, it sort of make sense. Matt Smith was a marquee name from his four years on Doctor Who so it stands to reason that his compensation would  be impacted by that notoriety.

 

However, Queen Elizabeth II is the lead character in The Crown. It is her journey as monarch that drives the narrative. While Smith’s level of fame may have boosted his pay, it seems to me that Foy’s level of responsibility of carrying this damn show should  reflect a commiserate level of compensation.  

 

I can see how Smith’s fame may have driven up his salary in a supporting role to match the lead role but it should not exceed the lead actor’s pay. 

 

Suzanne Mackie  did note that "going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen.” 

 

The show is recasting roles as the characters age. Starting in Season 3, the Queen will be portrayed by Olivia Colman. New casting for Prince Phillip has not been announced. 

 

Meanwhile, Claire Foy and Matt Smith are off to decidedly less royal and less glamorous roles with Patient Zero, a horror film Smith shot in 2015 finally set to be released sometime this year and Claire Foy will be seen in Unsane, a psychological horror-thriller film by Steven Soderbergh due to be released next weekend. 

This May Not Be Where You're Going

If you're going where I think you're going.....

...you may be in the wrong place.   

How To NOT Succeed In Business

Hi there! Welcome to the I’m So Glad My Suffering Amuses You Business Report, brought to you by Mattresses.

 

I’m Dave-El and I wanted to touch base on a couple of recent developments in the world of business.

 

Toys "R" Us is going out of business in the U.S. which involves shutting down 735 stores which will put about 33,000 people out of work which is a serious bummer. 

 

Toys "R" Us declared bankruptcy in September last year but was unable to convince creditors to refinance its more than $5 billion in debt. 

 

This dire end for Toys "R" Us did not happen overnight. The chain was hobbled by debt stemming from a 2005 leveraged buyout, a deal placed it at disadvantage against Amazon, Walmart and Target which have really dominated the market for toys and games over the last decade. 

 

I know from personal experience that I have not been in a Toys "R" Us in years. When I did go there, it was often against my will when Andrea said it was time to go shopping for our daughter’s birthday and Christmas. In recent years, we have made toys and game purchases through Amazon, Walmart and Target.  

 

My issues with Toys "R" Us mostly stemmed from my own distastes for overstimulating environments with too much stuff, too much light and noise. If Toys "R" Us was competitive when it came to prices  I would’ve been more tolerant of the excess but I personally never saw a significant savings in buying toys from Toys "R" Us as opposed to purchasing stuff from Amazon, Walmart and Target. 

 

Nonetheless, I am still sad to see Toys "R" Us heading to extinction. It was always fun to see what could be found in the Toys "R" Us overstuff sales catalog for Christmas. I will even miss the Toys "R" Us commercial jingle.

 

And there’s that whole  <insert word here> "R" Us thing it was fun to name businesses after.  

 

Lookheed-Martin becomes Airplanes "R" Us.

Whole Foods can be Overpriced Food "R" Us.

Oscar Meyers would be Luncheon Meat "R" Us.

Smith & Wesson could be Guns "R" Us.

 

You get the gist.  

----------------------

 

I was interested to hear that iHeartMedia filed for bankruptcy.

 

Talking in less money than the debt is going up, iHeartMedia reached an agreement to restructure more than $10 billion in debt.  

 

The company has struggled with falling revenue in recent years, as it competed with streaming rivals like Spotify and Pandora.

 

Also contributing to its woes is iHeartMedia’s mission to suck the soul and joy out of radio. Basically, an iHeartRadio station in Massachusetts will sound pretty much like an iHeartRadio station in Alabama which will sound like  an iHeartRadio station in Nebraska which sounds like every iHeartRadio station everywhere.

 

Radio works best when it can relate its local or regional audience. On iHeartRadio stations, play lists are homogenous, on air talent is irrelevant. There is little incentive to listen to radio instead of a music streaming service that sends you music designed specifically for you.

 

When I was younger and imagined I might have a career in radio, there were opportunities to establish a point of view, a personality whether it was the afternoon drive guy, the night time DJ or the overnight graveyard shift. Now, the only timeframe that allows anything resembling a distinctive on air identity is morning drive and even there, unique shows compete with syndicated packages broadcast over different stations. Since there is little to draw ears to traditional radio and  iHeartMedia is determined to erase what’s left, it’s no wonder iHeartMediais struggling. It is a struggle that it has helped to bring upon itself. 

This has been the I’m So Glad My Suffering Amuses You Business Report, brought to you by Chicken.