Jul. 2, 2022 Summer 2019 TV show reviews:
Blood and Treasure:
"An antiquities expert teams up with an art thief to catch a terrorist who funds his attacks using stolen artifacts."
Blood & Treasure (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb
Pros:
1. There is a good opening: This is Egypt. These archeologists find a passage and a soldier with with them. They get shot at. A grave coffin is missing and it's Cleopatra's coffin. They kidnap the archeologist Anna and blows up the pyramid.
2. The cast:
Matt Barr- as the former FBI agent Danny McNamara. He was on Harper's Island.
Sofia Pernas- as the art thief Lexi Vaziri. Lexi and Danny dated.
Katia Winter- as Gwen who's in Interpol.
Mark Gagliardi- as Father Chuck, their friend.
Oded Fehr- as Karim Farouk.
John Larroquette- as Jay Reece who funds this mission.
3. Good dialogue:
Danny: These objects have value because they connect us with our past and reflect who we are.
4. Good action scenes. Danny and Lexi first met when he tries to arrest her, and they fight.
There are shootouts, like on cars and moving trucks.
5. There is good writing. Lexi's dad is in witness protection. He opens a box and it blows up, and it kills him. Lexi and Danny saw the explosion. Farouk killed him.
Farouk steals treasure to fund terrorism.
Danny: It took $1 million to pull off 9-11.
6. Good writing: This is fast- paced with comedy and action. They travel internationally.
7. Ethnic diversity.
Cons: None.
My opinion: I watched the whole first season and it was good. They got renewed for a 2nd season, but it's only available on Paramount +. I may pay for the streaming service.
This took awhile to produce and release the 2nd season because of the Covid- 19 pandemic. If there wasn't one, it would have been released in 2020, or even 2021.
Grand Hotel:
"A look at the professional and personal lives of people working at a family-run hotel in Miami Beach."
Grand Hotel (TV Series 2019) - IMDb
Pros:
1. There is a good opening. The Riveria Grand Hotel. There is a huge hurricane and they're all in the ballroom.
Gigi confronts Sky.
Sky: You can't touch me unless you want everybody to know what your husband did.
Sky is being followed and knocked out. She's killed.
1 month later.
2. The cast:
Roselyn Sanchez- as Gigi Mendoza. She's now on Fantasy Island.
Demian Bachir- as Santiago Mendoza.
Eva Longoria- as Beatriz Mendoza. She's only in a few episodes and is a producer. She's from Desperate Housewives.
Beatriz and Santiago were married. Beatriz died and Santiago then marries Gigi.
Denyse Tontz- as Alicia Mendoza. She's smart and graduated out of university and was to run the hotel.
Bryan Craig as Javi Mendoza. He lost his right leg and isn't really achieving anything.
Justina Adorna- as Yoli, Gigi's daughter.
Feliz Ramirez- as Carolina, Gigi's daughter.
Wendy Raquel Robinson- as Helen who is head of housekeeping.
Chris Warren- as Jason, Helen's son. Server.
John Marshall Jones- as Malcolm, Helen's husband. Handyman.
Anne Winters-as Ingrid. Housekeeper.
Lincoln Younes- as a server Danny and here to solve his sister Skye's murder.
Arielle Kebbel- as Sky, the cook who was murdered. She was on Midnight, Texas.
2. There is good writing. There is drama, conflict, and tension as the hotel was to be sold and made into condos. They would all be laid off.
Alicia was to manage the hotel, and learns that she won't be.
The hotel was losing money for years, so Santiago was going to sell it.
Ingrid finds out she's pregnant by the worker Mateo, and he wants her to have an abortion. She later decides to convince Javi that he's the father.
There is a murder mystery. Danny wants to find out who would kill Sky and why. Everybody is a suspect.
Carolina was to get married to Byron. She hooks up with the rapper El Ray as he stays in the hotel. Alicia knows about it. At first, Alicia wasn't going to tell, but then she decides to.
Cut to the wedding.
Byron: While I was writing my vows last night, I learned that you slept with El Ray.
He starts fighting El Ray.
There is a huge fight at the wedding, and Danny stops a fight.
Question: If you know that one of the bride and groom cheated on the other, the night before the wedding, would you tell the person who was cheated on?
My opinion: Yes. This looks like a bad marriage. You either stop this at the wedding, or they end up getting an annulment or divorce later on where there is more time, effort, and money being spent.
At least you may have wasted that on the wedding.
Spoiler alert: Who killed Sky? It was the handyman Malcolm. Santiago and Helen slept together, and Jason is Santiago's son and not Malcolm's. Sky was going to tell everybody. Malcolm had to keep this a secret.
3. This was in Miami and it was beautiful. I like the hotel and it was nicely decorated.
4. Ethnic diversity.
Cons: None.
My opinion: The first season was good. It was fun and funny to watch, with a good mystery.
Jul. 4, 2022 Table Topics Daily: I asked this question over the weekend.
Y- an East Indian woman in her 50s said she would talk to the bride first and see what the reason is for cheating. Probably won't tell the groom.
J- an Asian guy in his late 20s said he would talk to the bride first.
The Simpsons: The episode called "Lisa's Wedding" where Lisa learns her fiancé Hugh doesn't accept her family and decides not to marry him. The wedding was called off in the middle of it.
Lunch Lady Doris: Who wants cake?
Everybody goes to get a slice.
The Inbetween:
"A woman with the ability to speak to the dead helps detectives solve murder cases.
The InBetween (TV Series 2019) - IMDb
Pros:
1. Cassie is grocery shopping. She is magically transported to the beach. There is a shipping container. A dead woman wakes up, and she doesn't have eyes.
A 7 yr old boy: I can't wake up my mom.
2. The cast:
Harriet Dyer- as Cassie Bishop who can see and speak to dead people, and can experience the deaths.
Paul Blackthorne- as Det. Tom Hackett. He's her dad and he's gay. He was on Arrow.
Justin Cornwell- as Det. Damien Asante. He was on the TV show Training Day.
3. Good writing: I was surprised when there was this 10 yr old girl Abigail talking to Cassie. She walks right through someone and is revealed as a ghost.
There is a lot of drama, conflict, and tension to solve these murders.
It's dark and disturbing.
There were really good visuals and special effects.
4. Ethnic diversity.
Cons:
1. I find at times, it was too dark and disturbing for me.
My opinion: The first season was average. Solid.
The Red Line:
"Follows three Chicago families as they journey toward hope and healing after an unarmed African American doctor is shot by a white cop."
The Red Line (TV Series 2019) - IMDb
Pros:
1. There is a good opening:
Dr. Harrison Brennan is in the convenience store and it's being robbed by a Black man. Nathan than sits down and the robber runs away.
Nathan goes to the Store Clerk and he was hit in the face. Nathan gets shot.
2. The cast:
Noah Wyle- as Daniel Calder. He's married to Nathan. A teacher.
Aliyah Royale- as the daughter Jira, of Daniel and Nathan.
Emayatzy Corinealdi- as Tia Young. She is Jira's biological mother. She is married to a LRT conducter with a 6 yr old son.
Noel Fisher- as Paul Evans, the white cop who shot Harrison.
Corey Reynolds- as Dr. Harrison Brennan.
3. There is good writing: a lot of drama, conflict, and tension as the characters deal with the grief.
Paul feels guilty about the shooting. The charges were dropped by the feds.
There was a press conference and Paul does a speech. The audience boos him.
Paul saves a woman who was pushed onto the train tracks.
Paul's cop partner Victoria stole the security tape at the store, and destroyed it. Paul does find the tape. A Latino cop finds the tape and mails it to Daniel to watch.
Daniel watches the tape and cries. Jira watches it and records it on her phone and posts it online.
Paul and Victoria both suspended and no pay.
Jira wants to find her birth mom. She does find her and they reunite and will be in each other's lives.
4. Ethnic diversity.
Cons: None.
My opinion: The Red Line means the LRT. The first season was average.
Jul. 13, 2022 Prevention: I got some more to say on this:
Question: If you know that one of the bride and groom cheated on the other, the night before the wedding, would you tell the person who was cheated on?
Safety: There is a lot of info about don't do these bad actions to prevent bad consequences:
Don't smoke cigarettes: If you smoke, you will have increased your chances of all kinds of cancer and not only lung cancer.
Don't drink and drive: If you do, you can hurt or kill yourself or someone else. You will get into a car accident.
Don't smoke pot and drive: The same consequences.
Read reviews before you do something fun like: watch a TV or movie, restaurants, traveling, etc.
You got the information that your partner cheated on you.
Do you still want to get married?
Do you have a pre nuptial agreement?
Is this an open marriage?
I would still tell the person who is being cheated on in private. At the wedding, the minister usually asks: "If there is anyone who thinks these 2 shouldn't get married, say so now or forever hold your peace."
This week's theme is about TV:
"The CW CEO Mark Pedowitz Confirms WarnerMedia & ViacomCBS Exploring “Strategic Opportunities"/ "Upfronts 2022: The CW Downsizes As It Faces Transitional Year Amid Ownership Change & Business Strategy Shift"
"Fall 2022 Primetime TV Grid: No Fox (Yet) As Nets Play It Safe With Much More Of The Same"/ "Fall TV preview: What's old is new again, and expect plenty more of the same"
My week:
Sandra Lindsay, a New York critical care nurse, also received the honor.
“Sandra, as I’ve told you before, if there are any angels in heaven they are all nurses, male and female,” the president said as he introduced Lindsay. “Doctors make you live. Nurses, male and female, make you want to live.”
As director of patient care services in critical care at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, N.Y., Lindsay served on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her hospital was located in one of the nation’s ZIP codes hit hardest by the virus during the first wave of the pandemic.
On Dec. 14, 2020, she also became the first American to receive the COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials. Since then, Lindsay has become a vocal advocate for easing vaccine hesitancy and has raised awareness of the need for mental health support for nurses and all health care workers in general.
In an interview with Yahoo News shortly after receiving her medal, Lindsay said she was honored and “overwhelmed with emotions.”
Lindsay told Yahoo News that though our country has made significant progress in the battle against COVID-19, there are still many Americans who remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to the virus.
“We still have some people left to get vaccinated, and I’m hoping that they haven’t given up, that they’re still having those conversations that are needed for them to make that decision,” she said. “Unfortunately, we lost over a million people, but we saved so many more lives. Thanks to health care workers who stayed the course, stayed committed and, you know, are still committed to this day.”
Finally, Lindsay, who immigrated to the United States at the age of 18, said receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom was a great honor for the immigrant community as well.
The pair also spoke on FaceTime after Brody Ridder, from Colorado, came home from school with the yearbook.
Brody, who signed his own blank yearbook with the message: “Hope you make some more friends,” had reportedly been repeatedly alienated and bullied by his classmates.
But after his mother, Cassandra, posted about the incident in a Facebook post that went viral, the school pupil struck up a friendship with his favourite superhero.
Ant-Man star Rudd, 53, made contact with the family and arranged a FaceTime call, in which the pair bonded over their shared interests in chess, fencing and dinosaurs.
Rudd then followed up with a signed Ant-Man helmet and letter, in which the former Clueless star reassured Brody that “things get better” and to remember the many people who love him.
“Dear Brody, it was great talking to you the other day. It’s important to remember that even when life is tough that things get better,” he wrote.
“There are so many people that love you and think you’re the coolest kid there is – me being one of them!
“I can’t wait to see all the amazing things you’re going to accomplish. Your pal, Paul.”
The actor also included a handwritten note on the front of the Ant-Man helmet, in which he encouraged Brody to “take on the world”.
“To my good friend Brody for when he takes on the world!” he wrote.
In a Facebook post, Cassandra called Rudd an “amazing human being”, while revealing that she and her son had continued to stay in touch via text message.
“Guys, more tears. Paul Rudd is an amazing human being. Brody and Paul are on texting terms now. The text message got me,” she wrote.
Speaking to the Independent, she said the exchange and gift had left her son “ecstatic”.
As well as sparking a friendship with Rudd, Brody’s story has prompted an outpouring of support from other pupils, including older pupils from his school.
According to the Washington Post, after hearing that his classmates had declined to wish him well, a group of older students visited Brody in his class, filling his yearbook with impromptu signatures and compassionate messages.
‘You’re the coolest kid’: Paul Rudd writes letter to bullied schoolboy | Paul Rudd | The Guardian
The school year may be over, but a team of staff and volunteers at Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids is sorting granola bars and other snacks for children attending summer camps in the city.
Like many charities across the country, demands on the organization have never been higher as inflation costs put a squeeze on many families who are already on a limited budget. During the last school year, the number of kids requiring food from the charity rose almost 20 per cent from September to June to about 5,400 children everyday.
At the same time, those rising prices are impacting charities themselves.
Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids receives some food donations, but still spends more than a million dollars a year to provide nutritious lunches.
Even at wholesale prices, the organization says many costs have soared such as celery up 114 per cent, carrots up 29 per cent, and turkey up 12 per cent.
"Kids need fruit and veggies and protein and whole grains. Our costs went up for those items across the board. We're committed to continue to purchase those," said Bethany Ross, the organization's executive director, during an interview at its kitchen in downtown Calgary.
"We know that gas prices, utility prices, food prices, housing costs, all of those things are up and that just creates a lot of pressure on families."
Canadian charities hit by double whammy of rising costs, more demand | CBC News
Bank of Montreal is raising the minimum wage for its US branch and contact-center employees to US$20 an hour, its second such pay bump in less than a year, as companies fight for workers in a tight labor market.
The increase from US$18 an hour takes effect Aug. 7, the Toronto-based bank said in a statement Monday. The boost applies to current full- and part-time workers as well as new hires.
Financial institutions are increasing pay for frontline workers to attract and retain staff as labor markets in Canada and the US hover near historically tight levels. US employers added more jobs in June than forecast, and the unemployment rate held near a five-year low.
In October, Bank of Montreal raised its US workers’ minimum hourly base pay 20 per cent to US$18 an hour. The company also raised base pay for a majority of its workers -- including those affected by the latest increase -- by 3 per cent in June.
Bank of Montreal “continues to monitor and will adjust compensation accordingly to align with the shifting banking market,” it said in Monday’s statement.
"Gap CEO Syngal fired after failing to rescue struggling retailer": Today I found this article by Jonathan Roeder on BNN Bloomberg:
Gap Inc. fired Chief Executive Officer Sonia Syngal after 2 1/2 years, with rising costs and deepening discounts threatening to wipe out this quarter’s operating profit.
Chairman Bob Martin is taking over immediately as CEO on an interim basis, according to a statement. The stock has been battered amid missteps such as a clumsy implementation of expanded women’s sizes at the company’s Old Navy chain, which caused inventory levels to swell just as demand may have crested. Gap already announced the departure of Old Navy’s top executive earlier this year.
Back in early 2020, it was Syngal, now 52, who stepped in to replace a CEO who abruptly departed amid operational problems. Predecessor Art Peck left after a scrapped plan to spin off Old Navy and failing to reignite sales growth. Syngal had been the head of Old Navy, which generates more than half of the company’s revenue.
Gap CEO Syngal fired after failing to rescue struggling retailer - BNN Bloomberg
My opinion: I feel a little sorry for Sonia Syngal because she got fired. However, it's okay, because it doesn't matter who is put in the GAP CEO position, because it's so hard to make money at a clothing retail store during the pandemic. I really don't see anyone being successful in this position in this company during the pandemic.
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