I'm sure you've heard by now that close to 4,000 people have signed a petition to have England's Prince Harry and his wife, actress Meghan Markle (ex-Suits), stripped of the royal titles as the Duke & Duchess of Sussex, which Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, conferred upon the couple when they were married.
Of course, the royal couple attract the attention of tabloid journalists on both sides of the ocean, that's just par for the course, and what charity work they do is overshadowed, then, by malicious, and mostly fabricated, puff pieces in the tabloids. Bad enough that the American tabloids now are mostly fabricated articles, but what did they do to offend the citizens of Sussex? Articles I've read have shed zero light on the rationale for the petition. One thing is clear, though. Only the Queen can rescind those royal titles, and I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.
In the words of Queen Victoria, we are not amused.
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What was once a go-to destination in Albany is no more.
I'm not sure exactly when Coulson's News Center went out of business, or at least, shuttered its Broadway location, but passing by the other day, I felt sad that no one has thought of taking a lease on the space. Declining business, obviously, did Coulson's in. as with others before it. Sign of the times, y'all.
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Across the river and back at home, the Uncle Sam Parking Garage is going to need some repairs after a beam dropped from the ceiling on December 14. The entrance on the 4th Street side will be closed for a bit so repairs can be completed in a timely fashion. I can remember when the garage actually hosted flea markets when my family & I first moved downtown 40 years ago. Those were good times, and the garage, under current owner David Bryce, who also owns the neighboring Atrium, needs to be renovated yesterday.
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During ESPN's telecast of the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl on Friday, the announcers amused themselves by poking fun at monotone-voiced referee Ken Antee, and likening him to Ben Stein, who became a pop culture icon in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" 33 years ago, leading to books, a self-titled game show, and years of shilling for Visine.
If you don't remember "Day Off", here's a clip of Stein's most famous line:
To think that he was also once a speechwriter for Richard Nixon..........!
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It's just a matter of time.
After President Trump was impeached earlier this week, the editor of Christianity Today published an editorial calling for Trump to be removed from office. It's not that simple, however. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is waiting until the Senate can (willingly) provide the proper framework for a trial, which would start next month.
Christianity Today, founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham, has, in turn, been accused by Trump of leaning far left. It isn't. For a man who professes to be a Christian, as Trump has claimed for 3 1/2 years, though he is perceived in the media as behaving like anything but a Christian, it appears he's being called out for hypocrisy, in addition to the power abuses which led to impeachment.
Let's lay this on the line.
Trump is a businessman first, a political neophyte with even less political experience than the man he succeeded in the White House (and so viciously despised), Barack Obama. He has used his position as if it's just another business holding, and the Oval Office a boardroom, trading on the persona crafted for NBC's The Apprentice more than a decade ago.
Since Christianity Today has come out against Trump, how long will it take before the Bible Belt evangelicals finally realize they've been duped the entire time? While Trump campaigned for, and succeeded in, moving Israel's capital back to Jerusalem, most of the good he's done to keep the evangelicals in his pockets are kept off mainstream media, which he misperceives, purposely, as "fake news". No, Mr. President, your friend, David Pecker, trades on fake news, not CNN or NBC or anyone else that might offend you.
The Bible warns against pride and ego. Grammy winning composer Quincy Jones, in assembling his all-star group for "We Are The World" 35 years ago, trumpeted that point with a simple message:
"Check your ego at the door".
Unfortunately, as the media perceives it, Trump doesn't know how.
Just as unfortunate is the fact that the GOP-controlled Senate, while it will likely exonerate Trump, and continue enabling his Ugly American brand of politics, are accessories just by enabling Trump, who is also being sued by the NY Attorney General's office, likely because of his withholding his tax returns.
Here's the real issue. Trump, pre-Presidency, likely has done business with not only Russia, but North Korea as well, and for that reason, is more than willing to use their leaders as role models for himself. He will not get the term limits abolished that have been in place since the days of FDR. Instead, assuming he actually does get a 2nd term, his next place of residence, Palm Beach aside, would be in a sanitarium.
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