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NOVEMBER 23,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

ESPN NOSEDIVES – FROM BLOOMBERG:  ESPN lost 2 million subscribers last fiscal year, underscoring the challenge owner Walt Disney Co. faces attracting young people who don’t pay for cable.  The network, one of the most watched on the cable dial, had 88 million U.S. subscribers at the end of September, including people paying for online versions, Disney said in its annual report Wednesday. That’s down from a peak of 100 million in 2010 and marks the lowest total since 2003.  To ensure the long-term future of one of its most profitable businesses, Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger is negotiating to include ESPN in new digital forms of pay TV, such as Sling TV and DirecTV Now. He’s also planning the rollout of an online-only ESPN subscription service that would include live games that aren’t available on the network’s regular channels.  Hopeless thinking.  ESPN has become politicized, and until the politics is taken out of its programming, it will continue to fade.

ENCOURAGING TREND – FROM DAILY MAIL:   The abortion rate has dropped to an historic low in the US, the latest data reveals.  A new CDC report released on Wednesday confirmed the rate dropped two percent from 2013 to 2014, continuing the steady decline seen over the past few years.  In 2014, there were 12.1 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age - down from 19.4 in 2008.  The biggest decrease was seen among teenage pregnancies, and now more abortions than ever are performed before 8.5 weeks' gestation.  While the drop mirrors the closure of abortion clinics nationwide, experts say the figure is likely down to more effective use of contraception and the falling pregnancy rate.   No matter how you feel about abortion, the fewer abortions the better.

AND NOW HOCKEY – FROM CITY NEWS SERVICE:  LOS ANGELES >> The man who appears at Los Angeles Kings games as team mascot “Bailey” was sued Wednesday by a dishwasher for allegedly groping the defendant’s buttocks in a Staples Center elevator in 2016.  Maso Griffin’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit names as defendants Tim Smith and his employer, Kings’ owner Anschutz Entertainment Group Inc., as well as Levy Restaurants Inc. and Compass Group USA, which both provide food services to Staples Center. The suit seeks unspecified damages.Smith did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.  Even hockey is contaminated.  What is next?  Chess?

November 23, 2017       Permalink

THE PARTY POOPERS SHOW UP – AT 11:24 A.M. ET:   Leave us alone for a day, would you?  From London's Telegraph: 

Healthy eaters may have something to feel extra smug about.

Fried fatty food not only has an impact on waistlines, it is also affecting our weather systems, according to scientists.

Chemists at the universities of Reading, Bristol and Bath have discovered that when droplets of cooking fat are released into the atmosphere they form complex structures which attract moisture and form into clouds.

In large cities like London, cooking fat is known to be responsible for 10 per cent of small particles in the air, so researchers believe frying food could have a noticeable impact on cloud formation and rainy weather.

In fact, the effect is so large it could even have a cooling effect on the planet, and potentially slow down global warming.

“I think it could he having an impact on cloud formation,” said Dr Christian Pfrang, Associate Professor of Physical and Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Reading.

COMMENT:  I'm having my turkey.  Period.  Stuffing, too.  And apple pie.  Try to stop me.

November 23, 2017       Permalink

ECONOMIC SURVIVAL – AT 10:52 A.M. ET:  Thanksgiving is a time for joy, but for the employees of brick-and-mortar stores, it's also a time for apprehension.  Will these stores still be standing next year?  From AFP: 

New York (AFP) - The photo op with Santa Claus has long been a holiday mainstay for American children. But this year, shopping malls in several states are scheduling glamour shots for man's best friend.

As the Christmas shopping season kicks into high gear on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, portraits of St. Nick with a family's beloved dog are just one way retailers are looking to attract customers in the face of exploding e-commerce.

Brick-and-mortar stores have expanded their bag of tricks -- and gotten increasingly bold -- as they look to lure shoppers who might otherwise be happy to stay on the couch and pick up gifts while still in their pajamas.

The flagship Bloomingdale's store in New York has held yoga classes, and Nordstrom has displayed Tesla cars near the section for men's suits.

A number of shops now ply visitors with food and drink.

For the holiday shopping season, malls are hosting gingerbread decorating sessions, visits from the Grinch -- Dr. Seuss's beloved Christmas villain-turned-softie -- and ugly Christmas sweater nights.

Temporary ice skating rinks and magical winter decor are also being used to draw customers intent on an in-person holiday experience.

Wal-Mart Stores plans to throw more than 20,000 "holiday parties" at which children can pose for "selfies with Santa."

"All of these retailers are desperate to get people into their stores," said analyst Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail..."

COMMENT:  I would hate to see the big stores go.  There is still something wonderful about viewing and feeling an actual, physical product, and mixing with real people.  But I have to concede that I do most of my buying online because it's so convenient, so I'm violating my own argument.

November 23, 2017       Permalink

THANKSGIVING IN NEW YORK – AT 10:33 A.M. ET:  A time for joy and parades, but also a time for vigilance.  From Fox: 

The NYPD is doubling down on a new breed of security to defend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade: an elite team of Labrador retrievers specially trained to detect explosives on roving targets in large crowds.

The dogs have completed the 18-month patent-pending "Vapor Wake" training program, which was developed at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Unlike normal bomb-sniffing dogs, which are adept at identifying explosives in stationary objects such as trash cans, Vapor Wake dogs keep their noses up and look for mobile threats.

The Labradors are dialed into the "thermal plumes left behind in a person's wake," Paul Hammond, the president of Vapor Wake training program VWK9 LLC, told Rolling Stone.

The dogs, which are trained to avoid the distractions of large crowds and loud noises typical of large events, can sense explosive particles and even firearm residue in this wake, Wired reported. 

Hammond told Wired that the NYPD will deploy 14 of the Vapor Wake dogs to the parade, along with its usual contingent of traditional bomb-sniffing dogs.

COMMENT:  The NYPD is on its game, but frustrated by obstruction from leftist judges and New York's profoundly leftist mayor.  I hope the police are permitted to do their jobs.

November 23,  2017     Permalink 

NOVEMBER 22,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:53 P.M. ET: 

NFL RATINGS KEEP SLIDING – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   The TV audience for NFL games steepened its slide in week 11, losing a million viewers versus last year’s season-to-date average.  The 6.3-percent slump — worsening from comparable declines between 5.6 and 5.7 percent during the previous three weeks — plagued a week whose off-the-field drama made gridiron tackling seem almost tame by comparison.  The league doesn't seem to be doing much to solve the problem.  Indeed, it acts as if the NFL's problems are small and temporary.  We may be seeing the slow fade of America's favorite sport.  Not only is the audience smaller, but the passion just isn't there.  Playing to a half-empty stadium dents the morale. 

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE LAWSUITS – FROM CBS CHICAGO:   Companies are taking a cautious approach to holiday parties this year, given the recent climate of sexual harassment and misconduct.  The vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based human resource consulting company, says human resource executives across the country are feeling some trepidation about the annual company holiday party in the face of countless reports of inappropriate sexual contact in the workplace.  “It’s just such a big topic, it’s on everybody’s mind, and it’s particularly on the minds of HR executives that are often planning these parties,” Andrew Challenger said. “So they’re taking measures to create a safe environment for their employees, and I think it’s laudable, and it’s also a little disappointing.”
According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ annual survey on holiday party plans, 11 percent of employers will not hold a holiday party, while 80 percent will. However, fewer of those parties will serve alcohol, use caterers and other such services, or invite guests of employees to attend.  What's really on the minds of executives is lawsuits.  This current flood of sex charges may produce a new industry, and probably three new TV series, each about a "selfless, crusading lawyer determined to make the world safe for women and football players."

CASH-POOR DEMS – FROM DAILY WIRE:   The anti-Trump "Resistance" may still be active in some communities, but it's definitely not cutting any checks to the Democratic Party.  According to fundraising numbers released on Tuesday, the Democratic Party — and it's leader, Tom Perez — managed to raise only $3.9 million in October, one-third of the $9.2 million raised by the Republican National Committee. That's the worst October the DNC has had in more than 15 years.  October took the Republican Party out of debt; it's now raised $113.2 million for the year, with around $40 million ready in the bank for the 2018 mid-term elections. Democrats, meanwhile, have raised approximately half that — $55 million — and have only $5 million available for 2018 races. They're also still struggling with a whopping $3.2 million in debt from the 2016 campaign.  Maybe Hillary could write a check, in exchange for the 2020 nomination.

November 22,  2017     Permalink

ON THIS DATE – AT 2:52 P.M. ET:  If you were born 54 years ago, on this date, you were born the day President Kennedy was assassinated. 

The memory is fading.  Far more Americans alive today were born after November 22, 1963, than before.   Only those who are, oh, about 60 or older even remember the images of Kennedy.

We reflect on that time, 54 years ago, not to glorify it, for there was both good and bad, but to note a single difference.  In 1963, an American soldier who entered service in 1945, toward the end of World War II, would be only 35 or 36.  We had millions of them, men and women still young and vigorous, who anchored this society and knew what sacrifice really meant.  It didn't mean forgetting to charge an iPhone.

Those veterans, still young – the earliest enlistees brought in after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor would be only 38 or 39 in 1963 – provided a stability, and a national memory, that we lack today.  The youngest American veteran of World War II would, this year, be approaching 90.

We miss that stability.  We miss their stories.  We miss the idea of noble national service in a time of crisis.

On the day of the assassination it was the generation that fought through the depression and World War II that we turned to for guidance and solace.

What do we have today?

America has always been lucky to have a reserve – an" unending line of patriots," as FDR called them, who would step forward, cut through the chatter and pseudo-intellectual posturing, and go to work.

I hope they're still there.

November 22, 2017      Permalink

THE PROFESSOR SPEAKS – AT 9:49 A.M. ET:   Jonathan Turley, of the George Washington University Law School, has emerged as a major legal commentator, with needles and fairness for all.  Now he speaks some truths about the Clinton administration and its effect on current politics.  From Fox: 

George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley said that Congress is now answering for putting its ethics "on layaway" during the Clinton presidency.

"Many in Washington put their ethics on layaway during the Clinton presidency. That bill is finally due," he said.

Turley said Washington's single "great specialty" is "managing scandal."

"They're world experts at it. You know there's something wrong when so many politicians in Washington are standing on principle," he said of the aftermath of several sexual misconduct allegations against legislators and candidates.

He said the members' indignation is "not very convincing," adding that President Trump's reaction to Judge Roy Moore (R-Ala.) was "devoid of any moral foundation."

"He gives a total denial," Trump said on Tuesday afternoon. "I do have to say 40 years is a long time. He's run eight races and this has never come up."

Turley said the numerous allegations against Moore are "compelling" and "credible." He noted that although Moore denies the allegations, but so does Bill Clinton when it comes to his own accusations of sexual misconduct. 

"That's not the standard. The standard for adults is to look at the allegations and decide if they're credible."

COMMENT:  Well said.  But the hypocrisy and phoniness of both Washington and Hollywood are on display now, simultaneously.  Oh, add broadcast journalism to the list.  The smallness oozes.  The double and triple standards are evident.

Charlie Rose's female co-hosts are now telling us he doesn't get a pass.  Where have they been all these years?

November 22, 2017       Permalink 

ONE SMALL EXCUSE FOR A WOMAN, ONE BORING STEP FOR MANKIND – AT 9:17 A.M. ET:  It seems incredible, but Hillary Clinton has managed to come up with still one more excuse for losing last year.  She is demonstrating more creativity than she ever did during her long and bleak career.  From Fox:

Hillary Clinton said in a new interview that her inability to run on an "agenda of change," coming off of President Barack Obama's two terms, was a significant problem for her 2016 campaign.

"It is true that when you run to succeed a two-term president of your own party, you have a historical headwind blowing against you," Clinton told radio host Hugh Hewitt. "It’s not just this campaign can be set apart from everything that’s ever happened in our politics. It is a challenge."

"If you are both the candidate defending a lot of the areas of agreement, but also putting forth an agenda for change, which is what I tried to do, it is often difficult to get the second part of that message through," she added. "So I do think it was a problem."

"I was proud to serve in the Obama administration. I did not agree with everything that President Obama decided, but on balance, I really think he did what had to be done to rescue the economy, which as we all remember, was in desperate straits," Clinton told the conservative radio host. "He did chart a course in the world that favored diplomacy and negotiation, something that I think is important."

COMMENT:  Every time she speaks she convinces us that she never should have been president.  She should retire, write a book, and become a college president.  She might be able to make a contribution somewhere if she'd just shut up.

November 22,  2017     Permalink