[VIDEO] Before delving into how Vince McMahon created a "sports entertainment" empire I wanted to share this clip from this past week's episode of SmackDown Live. This was the 1000th episode and it started off with this offbeat segment known as TruthTV. While in his zany character R-Truth (aka Ron Killings if you want to find him on Twitter) he notes a lot of memorable moments on TruthTV over the years before Carmella his cohost reminds him that there have only been one episode and they got cancelled (which was the result of a match against The Miz).
Anyway towards the end of this segment they get interrupted by the McMahon family starting with Stephanie McMahon and then Shane McMahon and then finally by their father and the man who started it all Vincent K. McMahon. Who closed that segment with another trademark of the short-lived TruthTV, the seven-second dance break. LOL!
All the same this underscores the importance of McMahon's vision of a major nationwide - if not worldwide - wrestling promotion. While McMahon prefers the term sports entertainment he literally did bring pro-wrestling (which he might say was something his father Vincent J. McMahon was most associated with) into the mainstream. You might see that noted in the third video in this post.
I remember watching the first episodes of SmackDown. It was a special on the old UPN network (known for Star Trek & Black sitcoms mainly) and then later in 1999 became a long term program for UPN until it became the CW and then moved to MyNetworkTV then SyFy and finally USA Network. Next year SmackDown will be shown on the FOX network - broadcast TV again!
Meanwhile over the years Business Insider did two videos on Vince McMahon and his success in the arena of sports entertainment. Let's get to it!
[VIDEO] New York politics has often fascinated me. Probably began with what happened with former governor Eliot Spitzer who only served about two years before giving the office up.
What I know about the Empire State is that it's a solid blue state and there's little indication that this'll change in the near future. I often try to relate New York with Illinois both are large states population wise and both have a huge city NYC and Chicago respectively. And I would imagine the largest cities in their respective states feud with the rest of the state.
Today we see John Stossel speak with libertarian Larry Sharpe who wants to be New York's next governor. Hmmm the ideas most would reflexively reject such as using corporations to pay for building and maintaining bridges. Better yet utilizing subway lines for freight which is an old idea as the Chicago L had been used for freight.
If I believe Stossel, Mr. Sharpe has serious support more than any other previous Libertarian candidate (if not other 3rd parties in NY at least). All the same, it still appears the incumbent governor Andrew Cuomo could run away with a third term next month.
BTW, I should really do a new post about Illinois' governor's race.
[VIDEO] "Lives are gonna to be in Waylon Mercy's hands"
Waylon Mercy is one of those characters from 1990s World Wrestling Federation that I barely remember if at all. Inspired from Max Cady of Cape Fear, Mercy is a performer that comes into the ring shakes everyone's hands and once the bell rings becomes a maniac. You can see it when he finishes off his opponents with a sleeper hold.
[VIDEO] As I share one of his matches with you, in this case from WWF Superstars - syndicated throughout the nation in the 1990s - you see Vince McMahon put Mercy over. Yeah that Vince McMahon who became a wrestling character in his own right as the megalomaniac owner of the now WWE was in the early years a play-by-play man. And he put over Mercy as a maniac one the match starts which is what a play-by-play & color commentator are supposed to do.
Unfortunately as with many of the vaguely memorable characters of the WWF of the mid-1990s Waylon Mercy - as portrayed by longtime wrestler Dan Spivey who also wrestled in WCW - was nothing more than a mid-card act. WWF Superstars was a program that mainly showcased squash matches and often the matches rarely featured anyone of great note. I can't even tell you if Mercy even wrestled on Monday Night Raw (actually he wrestled another memorable character from 90s WWF Doink the Clown on Raw).
[VIDEO] The thing is I saw a shoot interview with former WWF champion Sycho Sid who noted Waylon Mercy. McMahon had been trying to get that character over for years and started with Mercy and then ultimately developed into Bray Wyatt. So Sid sees a connection between those sports entertainment characters.
[VIDEO] Well I have a tough time seeing it. Mercy I couldn't even see as a cult leader as Wyatt was. If Mercy had developed the way Wyatt had who knows what direction the gimmick could've gone. Perhaps it's possible that Waylon Mercy was ahead of his time. Of course I also learned the character didn't last long because Dan Spivey got injured and was ultimately forced to retire from in-ring competition.
[VIDEO] Gloria Alvarez talks about socialism. As we've seen here in America the idea itself has been gaining some steam under the banner of "democratic socialism". However, recognize that this video isn't to talk up socialism.
On the contrary we see some aspects of the negative aspects of socialism. The shortages, the lack of respect for businesses, and unfortunately violence. A blatant example you can look up these days is Venezuela for example what's mentioned in this video is inflation .
I'm not solid on my economics, so as explained in this video when the money began to run out in Venezuela the gov't just printed more. The price of food for example increased as a result. And also if you were a business owner who raised prices to keep up with inflation (and surely to be able to continue making money) the gov't would take that business away.
I look forward to Alvarez's next video on this subject of why socialism - a centrally planned economy - is often a bad deal.
[VIDEO] YouTuber Mark Dice discusses the craziness on Saturday when Judge Brett Kavanaugh became Justice Kavanaugh after the successful confirmation vote in the Senate and inauguration. During confirmation hearings Kavanaugh was subjected to questions about his teenaged drinking and allegations of sexual assault.
The vote in the Senate on Saturday was said to have been a very narrow margin to which the now Justice was confirmed.
[VIDEO] I sat on this post for a number of months and it's time to share. This is one of my favorite films of all time and have only seen it on the big screen once. The year is about over so it doesn't look like I'll find a 50th anniversary screening of this Stanley Kubrick classic anytime soon.
I had a psychology teacher in high school - GO FALCONS - who gave me a basic explanation of this movie. Well it disappointed me at the time, but now I get it - that man has become the tool. Man has grown dependent upon the tools he created.
Let's think about this it starts with our primate ancestors after encountering this mysterious object known as a monolith they use a bone from a dead animal carcass to not only hunt, but to assault another group of our primate ancestors. This primate ancestors throw this bone in the air and suddenly this bone becomes a satellite. So the tools of humanity evolves and become technology that we depend on.
Thankfully we haven't created this all-powerful human like computer that could prove capable of killing its own human creators. Hopefully 2001 with is slow pace, pre-Star Wars special effects, lack of dialogue, or even stunning visuals will be cautionary tale about the evolution of the computer. The computer which is just another tool created by man.
Here's an homage to 2001 from the YouTube channel VideoSpaceFX who recreates the intro of this classic film. You see an eclipse from a perspective beyond the moon. [VIDEO]
[VIDEO] This happened on Saturday. Hadn't commented much on this, however, Judge Brett Kavanaugh is now Justice Kavanaugh. He's part of the SCOTUS now having been confirmed by the US Senate after some contentious Senate hearings which exposed allegations of sexual assault. As it turns out it was all for naught and the new Supreme Court Justice will now take his seat on our nation's highest court.
[VIDEO] And adding to the video I shared yesterday. The left will eat its own if their own doesn't adhere to for example identity politics. Or as Dave Rubin learned he lost friends because he was no longer part of the leftist clique.
Since he moved to the right however long ago that was, as you will see in this latest video from John Stossel, you have people saying we don't want you in the LGBTQ community. Oh yeah, Rubin is a gay man and he doesn't hold the right views for a gay man. Ah so in a way he's an "Uncle Tom", it's crazy that you can be ostracized only for expressing a different political opinion than what is considered the prevailing point of view you should have.
Let's say whoever should decided as a gay man what Rubin should think? Rubin must be left he's part of another oppressed minority, there's no way he could even be considered a "classical liberal".
I find that this idiocy is nothing, and have occassionally found such during the course of this blog. Even better there have been times I have been subjected to it. A Black man shouldn't be a conservative, he's oppressed by white society thus he needs to go left. Speaking for myself, why should I go left? Why is being a liberal/left/progressive the only way for a Black man?
As for Rubin, he was subjected as you see in this Stossel vid to college kids who want to silence him. Rubin's views were considered if not all of them certainly by some an "act of violence". As a result since they disagree with him he shouldn't be allowed to speak and they won't debate him. They think they're right anyway. Whether left or right, this is something that will prove problematic.
I know of Rubin, however, I never have followed his social media channels. I now will and even subscribed to his YouTube channel.
[VIDEO] What does this video explain? Basically the left eats it's own. We hear often about how the Democrats represent the working class or the left (liberals or progressives) represent the working class or the poor and instead they seem to represent something else.
Often it seems what the left advocates for is only identity politics. We have to respect different identities and groups and if we don't then expect to be attacked and shamed. Some of what is discussed in this video is quite convoluted and impractical and yet some SJW activist out there will get lost in a sea of offensiveness and sensitivity.
Another thing to be concerned about who are today's left/liberal/progressive activist speaking for? Are they speaking for the working class? Who do they really represent?
[VIDEO] Having seen the recent Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 11/9 a few points the movie made.
To start how did we get a President Donald Trump, I'm thinking Moore's point with that is the Democratic establishment blew the 2016 election. Besides the inevitable first woman President was expected to have it in the bag right. No one believed Trump could win it.
Next how did we get a President Trump if America is really a nation that trends to the left. We want universal health care for example. I could debate this I wonder what was the basis for the polls Moore cite to come to that conclusion about America's political leanings. And yes I know Moore himself is a lefty he's been around for years obviously.
Next and this is something I do agree with. I used to eschew this, but Michael Moore solidified this with me. America has a ruling class or perhaps a political class - I don't think Trump is part of that clique actually - regardless the influential who likely are very wealthy are the ones who are turning the levers of power in America. And I could conclude that they do this in a variety of ways perhaps economically and certainly through control of the media.
Here's another thing that makes sense to me the Democrats blew the 2016 the moment they "rigged" the nomination process to insure the inevitable woman President gets the nomination. I didn't know that although Sen. Bernie Sanders had won all the counties of West Virginia, the Democrat delegation to the 2016 convention threw their votes to Hillary Clinton.
Finally Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - a not quite ready for prime time congressional candidate from New York - is what Moore hopes is the future of the Democrat party. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is a Democratic socialist and is one of a number of candidates who are seeking seats in Congress. And Moore makes the case through media clips that the establishment (or the so-called ruling class) doesn't want them either. The Democratic socialists are too far to the left for America and seemingly those pundits even if they're not top Dem politicos are saying this on what I may consider liberal cable news networks.
I know that Moore makes more points than this in his movie. I think he made some great points to consider in addition to bringing to light more information on the Flint, Michigan water crisis which he claims was orchestrated by Gov. Rick Snyder. He throws in the activism of students who attended Florida's Parkland High School which unfortunately was the site of an active shooter. And of course promoting union activism - which is likely how Moore got his start in filmmaking.
One of the things Moore asks is how did a nation that trends left get Donald Trump? Perhaps America isn't that much of a leftist nation in the first place. Perhaps we could believe the hype that America wanted something different a President with very little political experience. Perhaps it was just Trump's time and it wasn't time for the first woman President. And certainly the inevitable first woman President Clinton and her team thought it was in the bag that she didn't have to really work for it. While on the other hand, Trump did the work he needed to do to win.
What this movie reminds me of is, some aspects of politics aren't as black & white. Perhaps a conservative in a red state probably has the same issues with the so-called ruling or political class as a leftist in a blue state. With that said, now we know why we do have a Ocasio-Cortez who defeated a longtime Democrat politico in New York.
With this film which is a take-off of Moore's earlier effort released during the Iraq War - Fahrenheit 9/11 - seems not to pull any punches. The label doesn't matter - Republican or Democrat - Moore didn't pull his punches.
