Things I'm wondering on Wednesday
I have a confession to make. I like watching Storage Wars. For those who haven't seen it, storage lockers are sold at auction when the owner of the contents fails to pay the monthly storage fees for a period of time.
If there is a villain to be found on the program, it is this guy.
It isn't just his "yuuup" that gets annoying. It is his insistence on bidding for units where his sole purpose is bidding is to make the other people pay more. It's one thing to bid on a unit because you think you can make money by winning the auction. It is another entirely when you're bidding just to make others pay more.
I'm wondering if Comcast is bidding for the assets of 21st Century Fox to start a bidding war or because they think they can make back the additional amount they offered. Disney had already entered into a deal to buy those assets, but the Comcast offer is 19% more than what was offered by Disney.
Disney and Comcast are in competition on other fronts. They also face competition going forward from Netflix, whose market capitalization has exceeded that of Disney.
This will be interesting to watch.
* * *
The cable channel Heroes & Icons (H&I) has changed their programming schedule on weekdays. They are running 8 hour blocs of one show on each day of the week. On Wednesdays, they run JAG. Today they ran the final episode of the program's first season, "Skeleton Crew."
It doesn't get shown often. That's because it contained a cliffhanger involving the show's main character being arrested and charged with the murder of someone he was close to. Then NBC canceled the show. CBS picked it up and recast the female lead role. There was no way to resolve the cliffhanger, so they just ignored it.
It reminded me how I hate unresolved cliffhangers.
Southland was a gritty cop drama. Maybe the best cop drama since Hill Street Blues. It ran for five seasons. One of the main characters gets shot and we never find out if he lives or not.
The final episode of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman ends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent/Superman finding a baby with a red cape and a Superman symbol. Was he their descendant from the future? If not, who was he?
The reboot of Dallas ended with Christopher Ewing's car exploding. We never find out if he lives or dies (I wasn't a big fan of that one anyway).
I really was a big fan of Las Vegas. But NBC canceled it with 3 episodes left in what would be the final season. Does Delinda survive? We'll never know.
Quantum Leap was a great show. Sam Beckett winds up lost in time. Does he ever get home?
When Soap ended, Jessica Tate was about to be executed by a firing squad. Did she survive?
In a way, TV show cliffhangers are a lot like life. We want closure, but we don't always get it.
* * *
TV and radio personality Lauren Sivan joked on Twitter today about the ballot initiative we will vote on in November to break California into three separate states.
My initial reaction was pedantry. To point out that it is Wakanda, not Wokanda. But someone beat me to it.
So I suggested alternative names.
My three suggestions are about as preposterous as the notion that the break-up of California will ever happen. Do you believe that other states, let alone the Republicans currently in control of the Congress will allow something to transpire that will add four more members to the U.S. Senate? That will give Californians four more electoral votes?
* * *
Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders planning to leave the White House? She says she isn't. Her principal deputy, Raj Shah is also reportedly on his way out the door (according to CBS News).
I don't know how she can do what she does, day in and day out. I wonder if she's a good poker player.
But here's the thing. It is very easy for her and other White House press people to label this as "fake news" because the story doesn't identify their sources other than to say "Sanders...has told friends..."
That's not unusual. You won't last in the news biz if you identify your sources for stories when those sources want to remain anonymous. That doesn't make it "fake news." I just watched an interview with another deputy WH press secretary who described this item as just that. Now in fact, he was referencing another news outlet reporting what CBS reported. CBS did report that item. The local newscast on which this spokesperson was appearing reported accurately what CBS is claiming. That is accurate reporting, folks.
* * *
While we were reading all about the moves by Jeff Sessions to force immigration judges to deny requests for asylum based on domestic violence and announcing the Justice Department would not defend the pre-existing condition limitations contained in the Affordable Care Act, we weren't reading about another action he took.
The DOJ filed a brief supporting a lawsuit filed by Speech First (a so-called campus free speech group) against the University of Michigan. The university maintains "Bias Response Teams" which deal with the following types of incidents:
"A bias incident is conduct that discriminates, stereotypes, excludes, harasses or harms anyone in our community based on their identity (such as race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or religion).
Campuses need to be safe environments. We don't like hate speech, but the speech itself is protected in almost every instance. The answer to hate speech is not to prohibit it, but to shine a bright light on it. To expose its falsehoods.
I think that rather than trying to disrupt events on campus where you don't agree with the views of the sponsors of the events, peaceful protest is to be preferred. Let them say what they want to say. Counter their words with your own, in a peaceful, respectful manner.
* * *
If there is a villain to be found on the program, it is this guy.
It isn't just his "yuuup" that gets annoying. It is his insistence on bidding for units where his sole purpose is bidding is to make the other people pay more. It's one thing to bid on a unit because you think you can make money by winning the auction. It is another entirely when you're bidding just to make others pay more.
I'm wondering if Comcast is bidding for the assets of 21st Century Fox to start a bidding war or because they think they can make back the additional amount they offered. Disney had already entered into a deal to buy those assets, but the Comcast offer is 19% more than what was offered by Disney.
Disney and Comcast are in competition on other fronts. They also face competition going forward from Netflix, whose market capitalization has exceeded that of Disney.
This will be interesting to watch.
* * *
The cable channel Heroes & Icons (H&I) has changed their programming schedule on weekdays. They are running 8 hour blocs of one show on each day of the week. On Wednesdays, they run JAG. Today they ran the final episode of the program's first season, "Skeleton Crew."
It doesn't get shown often. That's because it contained a cliffhanger involving the show's main character being arrested and charged with the murder of someone he was close to. Then NBC canceled the show. CBS picked it up and recast the female lead role. There was no way to resolve the cliffhanger, so they just ignored it.
It reminded me how I hate unresolved cliffhangers.
Southland was a gritty cop drama. Maybe the best cop drama since Hill Street Blues. It ran for five seasons. One of the main characters gets shot and we never find out if he lives or not.
The final episode of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman ends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent/Superman finding a baby with a red cape and a Superman symbol. Was he their descendant from the future? If not, who was he?
The reboot of Dallas ended with Christopher Ewing's car exploding. We never find out if he lives or dies (I wasn't a big fan of that one anyway).
I really was a big fan of Las Vegas. But NBC canceled it with 3 episodes left in what would be the final season. Does Delinda survive? We'll never know.
Quantum Leap was a great show. Sam Beckett winds up lost in time. Does he ever get home?
When Soap ended, Jessica Tate was about to be executed by a firing squad. Did she survive?
In a way, TV show cliffhangers are a lot like life. We want closure, but we don't always get it.
* * *
TV and radio personality Lauren Sivan joked on Twitter today about the ballot initiative we will vote on in November to break California into three separate states.
Splitting California into 3 states will now be on the November ballot:— Lauren Sivan (@LaurenSivan) June 13, 2018
1) Northern California
2)Southern California
3)California
YAWN!
Can't we at least name one WOKANDA?
My initial reaction was pedantry. To point out that it is Wakanda, not Wokanda. But someone beat me to it.
So I suggested alternative names.
How about Malacandra, Perelandra and Thulcandra?— Brian Milinsky (@cyclist1959) June 14, 2018
My three suggestions are about as preposterous as the notion that the break-up of California will ever happen. Do you believe that other states, let alone the Republicans currently in control of the Congress will allow something to transpire that will add four more members to the U.S. Senate? That will give Californians four more electoral votes?
* * *
Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders planning to leave the White House? She says she isn't. Her principal deputy, Raj Shah is also reportedly on his way out the door (according to CBS News).
I don't know how she can do what she does, day in and day out. I wonder if she's a good poker player.
But here's the thing. It is very easy for her and other White House press people to label this as "fake news" because the story doesn't identify their sources other than to say "Sanders...has told friends..."
That's not unusual. You won't last in the news biz if you identify your sources for stories when those sources want to remain anonymous. That doesn't make it "fake news." I just watched an interview with another deputy WH press secretary who described this item as just that. Now in fact, he was referencing another news outlet reporting what CBS reported. CBS did report that item. The local newscast on which this spokesperson was appearing reported accurately what CBS is claiming. That is accurate reporting, folks.
* * *
While we were reading all about the moves by Jeff Sessions to force immigration judges to deny requests for asylum based on domestic violence and announcing the Justice Department would not defend the pre-existing condition limitations contained in the Affordable Care Act, we weren't reading about another action he took.
The DOJ filed a brief supporting a lawsuit filed by Speech First (a so-called campus free speech group) against the University of Michigan. The university maintains "Bias Response Teams" which deal with the following types of incidents:
"A bias incident is conduct that discriminates, stereotypes, excludes, harasses or harms anyone in our community based on their identity (such as race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or religion).
Bias may stem from fear, misunderstanding, hatred or stereotypes. It may be intentional or unintentional."
Campuses need to be safe environments. We don't like hate speech, but the speech itself is protected in almost every instance. The answer to hate speech is not to prohibit it, but to shine a bright light on it. To expose its falsehoods.
I think that rather than trying to disrupt events on campus where you don't agree with the views of the sponsors of the events, peaceful protest is to be preferred. Let them say what they want to say. Counter their words with your own, in a peaceful, respectful manner.
* * *
posted by me at 8:19 AM
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