Ten years from now there will be no comics like Joan Rivers because the world will be so politically correct, our vocabulary will be reduced to 50 words that don’t offend people.
*******
Happy Red Friday! For the first time in ages we get to celebrate the Chiefs being that “other team.”
*******
This is first year in decades when I feel compelled to dig up my old Royals jacket.
******* Continue reading
What’s wrong with Sporting Kansas City?
On Wednesday, playing at the New England Revolution, KC’s boys in blue gave up three goals and dropped their third game in a row. The former league-best defense has not recorded a shutout since June 27th – a span of 13 games – and the defending MLS Cup Champions need to find some answers fast.
Granted, the last few weeks third-stringer Jon Kempin has been forced into action after starter Eric Kronberg and backup Andy Gruenebaum went down. Kempin’s just not ready.
And I don’t think anyone’s going to try and seriously debate that.
However Gruenebaum – who’s been the best of the lot all season – was back for the New England game and turned in a solid all around performance and the team still lost. Continue reading
Hard choices remain in the Middle East as to who Americans should ally themselves with in the fight against ISIS…
Sometimes in life there are no good choices, consequently, a practical choice based on the situation in the current time frame is the only option.
Journalist James Foley was beheaded by ISIS a few weeks ago and a video was released earlier this week showing the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff.
British authorities believe they have identified Foley’s murderer and if so he needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.
The USA’s reputation thus far is that they will discover who the murders are, find them, and eliminate them. This is the only kind of response ISIS and other groups respect. Continue reading
The weekend after Labor Day is traditionally THE worst period for moviegoing of the entire year…
Why?
Simple, the mindset just isn’t there. The public is sidetracked by other weekend activities like Friday night high school football. Saturday college games. Sunday’s NFL start—and other fall like activities.
All that changes by mid-September when the fall movie season kicks in.
Of course the major film companies are painfully aware of this annual low gross phenomenon when the bottom drops out of the box office and respond by not releasing anything new of value.
And this year’s first post-summer weekend is no different.
About the only new title in wide release is THE IDENTICAL. Not that this faith-based little picture is bad—it’s not. But it sure doesn’t break any new ground or, in my opinion, offer enough incentive to plunk down 10 bucks at the box office.
THE IDENTICAL is NOT a true story.
Instead it tells a tale of what (maybe) COULD have been. Continue reading
How dumb can you be?
Excoriate Perez Hilton, come down on 4chan (an image board website where users usually post anonymously) but what I want to know is why these celebrities have nude photos on their phones to begin with?
Maybe I grew up in the dark ages, when you had to go to the porn shop to buy European magazines to see naked ladies, when it was a breakthrough when Penthouse printed pictures of women below the waist. But despite being aged, a veritable antique, I’m fully aware that if you don’t want anybody to know anything, don’t put it on the Internet!
No, let me restate that. If you’re going to do anything illicit, do it alone, in the bathroom, in the dark.
Is it any wonder the public is interested in nude photos of celebrities?
Isn’t that what they’re selling? Continue reading
New album you should listen to:
Delta Spirit – Into the Wide
It drops on September 9th. If you are unfamiliar with this San Diego – now NYC – band, check out 2010’s excellent History From Below. Lead singer Matthew Vasquez‘s distinctive vocals carry the day, but the song arrangements themselves are deeply layered without being busy, conveying an almost gospel type feeling at times.
Do it.
I stream, therefore I am…
I have a confession – nothing earth shattering – but while I hardly consider myself a reprobate, I still buy CDs and Vinyl music albums.
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m not like Craig Glazer or that Stomper character.
I’m actually quite adept at using my smartphone and computer and I can stream Netflix, YouTube and Amazon with the best of ’em. I’m also a bit of an electronics buff and have forged a part time career helping friends and acquaintances sort out their audio-video, electronics and computer purchases and problems…free of charge.
Yeah, I’m that kinda guy.
I’m also the kinda guy that got great seats to Ed Sheeran at Sprint Center last night and who drove all the way to Des Moines this past weekend to see an alt rock band out of Baltimore called Future Islands. And then was blown away buy a new band called Operators that opened for Future Islands.
But when my wife went to the merch table to buy Operators album reality set in. Continue reading
This past weekend, it came to light that several A List women entertainers were hacked hacked and intimate photos of them were stolen from Apple’s iCloud...
The horror of it all!
Or so you would think by the rabid reactions from the pseudo-feminist celebrity defenders out there. Defenders who have gone so far as to compare the viewing of said photographs to the raping of these poor women!
Really?
Where was all this outrage when Edward Snowden came out with his revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) was not only doing this to all the citizenry of this country, but to basically everyone on the planet with an internet connection? Continue reading
Buy nimotop and Generic Nimodipine tablets online for cardiovascular diseases. Available without prior prescription. Continue reading
General Curtis LeMay had the right idea during the Vietnam War…
And in my opinion, LeMay’s thoughts on bombing enemies are applicable today where ISIS is concerned. There’s just no justification by anybody with any Common Sense for not bombing ISIS, a group who’s method of retaliation is beheading people.
Last time I checked we were no longer in the Middle Ages.
ISIS still seems to think we are.
Like the kamikaze pilots of Japan during World War II, ISIS seems dedicated to the destruction of their enemy no matter the cost to themselves.
It’s impossible to negotiate with people with this type of philosophy. Continue reading
Many moons from now when we look back to the movie summer of 2014, we’ll still be asking ourselves, WHAT HAPPENED?
However, the answer is really quite simple. As a wise man so brilliantly put it:
“IF PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO SEE IT, THERE’S NO STOPPING THEM.”
It goes without saying that the movie industry—primarily the exhibition side—has just come off one of the most blistering summer seasons in ages.
Depending on who you believe, the domestic, hot weather box office from May through Labor Day was down some 20 to 25% from the summer of 2013.
Not a single film hit the magic $300 million domestic breakthrough. Continue reading
Downtown Des Moines, so pristine it looks photoshopped!
Trust me on this…
You wouldn’t want to have to live in Wichita. Just being from there must be a downer, judging from the folks I’ve in Kansas City who run successful bars, restaurants or businesses that practically apologize for being from the land down under.
And don’t get me started on Topeka.
I think I’ve made myself clear on how lame the capital of Kansas is and you know how much I hate to repeat myself.
Omaha?
Doable, I suppose, if one had to.
Although after suffering through two years in Lawrence, Kansas’ KU basketball cult, I’m pretty sure 24/7 Cornhusker Mania would be equally insufferable.
And despite the physical charms of Omaha’s Old Market, my experience was the people didn’t appear much different than the folks at Sam’s in Topeka. I know I’m being catty, just trying to keep it real.
Like most rural cities, cooler dudes like Nebraskans Kevin Collison and Greg Hall usually find a way to escape the gravitational pull to places like Kansas City or Denver.
Which brings us to the topic of the day, Des Moines, Iowa.
And while this may represent a rush to judgement, I have to say, I think I could actually handle living in Des Moines. Seriously.
It was one of the most anticipated bar openings in Lawrence in ages…
And on a frisky Friday late last month – in the midst of the Lawrence Busker Festival – a “speakeasy” called the John Brown Underground quietly came into this world at 7 East 7th Street in downtown Lawrence.
A speakeasy, you say?
My dictionary defines speakeasy as “a saloon or nightclub selling alcoholic beverages illegally, especially during Prohibition.”
And since Prohibition has long since passed, and pretty much all of the liquor I saw at the tiny basement club appeared to be of the “legal” variety, I’d say John Brown’s speakeasy reference has a lot more to do with the fad of retro style bars hustling classic cocktails than any illegal activities.
Early on rumors that the John Brown was to be a “gentlemen’s club” had some local lasses a titter over the prospect of scantily clad, lewd women cozying up to ungentlemanly gentlemen. That however was not to be.
Here’s the deal… Continue reading
Kansas City hates being looked down upon…
We don’t like playing second fiddle to St. Louis and don’t like getting lumped in with third rate “flyover” cities like Wichita, Omaha and Des Moines.
We hate it.
That’s why for the better part of more than 15 years, the thing that pissed off Kansas City Star readers of my column most were my tongue-in-cheek references to KC as “the cowtown.”
Hey, Kansas City is World Class with attractions like Major League Baseball, the NFL, Nelson-Atkins Museum and Country Club Plaza. We’ve got two – count ’em – Apple Stores and two – count ’em again – Trader Joe’s. We’ve got the Sprint Center, Sporting Kansas City and one of the finest stadiums in all Major League Soccer. We’ve got some killer local barbecue joints and most of the important fast food chains, with the exception of In–N–Out Burger.
Nothing third rate about us. Continue reading
Buy namenda and Generic Memantine tablets online for alzheimers and parkinsons. Available without prior prescription. Continue reading
In case you missed it, the Kansas City Chiefs did not have a very good preseason. In fact, it was pretty abysmal. This has caused uneducated football fans around the city to declare “THIS TEAM IS GONNA BE REAL BAD NOT GOOD OH GOD FIRE CARL PEDDERSON NOW!”
Now, before I receive scores of threatening hate-mail (by which I mean “comments on this blog“), please allow me to assure you that I do not expect big things from the 2014 Kansas City Chiefs. As a matter of fact, I think they will be a very disappointing team and will be quite lucky to amass seven wins. (And eight wins would take a miracle, I bet.)
But they won’t be bad because of their preseason struggles. Continue reading
Tyler Bray The Chiefs lone bright spot
Some of us watched the Kansas City Chiefs last preseason game last night…
And just like the other three Chiefs preseason games, the team stunk up the field. There’s precious little to brag about with this final, horrid example of what’s to come for our boys in red for the 2014 season. Clearly they’re one of the NFL’s worst teams.
And nobody who knows football will argue that anymore. Not now, anyway.
The Chiefs have shown nothing, zip. It’s a major step backward from last year’s unimpressive season end. Yep, another bad year for our Chiefs, coming right up. Continue reading
Unbelievable!
California Governor Jerry Brown said Thursday that illegal aliens are welcome in California and he’s going to extend state benefits, financial aid, and facilitate getting drivers licenses to help them.
California is already a sanctuary state and Brown is taking this concept to the highest level possible. He also said he’s going to find a way to make shorter wait times for people entering California at the Tijuana-San Diego crossing.
I’m sure the drug traffickers and people smugglers are gearing up for a great future!
Does Brown even know these types of crimes exist? Continue reading
Before I dig into this too deep bear in mind, Sprint’s No. 1 problem is churn…
Which results in eroding margins. And when you look at anything they do going forward, it has to be weighed against that as the base line understanding before you can judge any changes as positive or negative.
Unfortunately, in the end, Sprint’s latest effort may fall short.
The new plan claims to double the data offering, even though rumor has it your speed is actually throttled back on the cheapest plan.
Next, Sprint are offering a credit of up to $350 for customers switching from other carriers. Customer acquisition is expensive enough as it is, so where’s the $350 going to come from? Straight from the bottom line is the answer, which will further erode margins.
And bear in mind, keeping a happy customer – retention – is cheaper than getting a new one – acquisition. Continue reading
Sometimes I wonder that if whether it weren’t for cliches, this country would collapse...
Culturally. Just blow away. And as if we didn’t have more than enough of them growing up, every year we add more to the slag heap of our existences.
Take “Live by the sword.” Isn’t that really just a variation on, “Whatever it takes”?
And aren’t the “cup half full” and “taking it up the @$$” really just another way of quantifying “the 47 percent”?
The list goes on… Continue reading
