“Shaken, Not Stirred”. Hello Darkness You Are Not My Friend. No To Qatar. Thoughts.

Never once, asking women what actor they admired, did this gentleman’s name not come up. With respect to Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, in my book nobody carried the part of James Bond like Sir Sean Connery. Handsome, tough, and with that Scottish brogue, Sean Connery’s career was massive, appearing in seven James Bond movies along with countless roles as a leading man or supporting actor. Sir Sean Connery passed away Friday night at the age of ninety. Good luck to any one man who tries to walk in his shoes – an impossible task. RIP Sir Sean Connery.

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Later on this Sunday afternoon is never acceptable. As if 2020 has not brought on enough of the enduring saga and sadness of Covid-19, we now face over four months of extenuated darkness. This annual event has been known to affect people in many ways and none of them very good. It is like the world now decides to turn off an hour earlier to shorten our day, use more energy, and make interstate highways like I-4 in Orlando more of a roller coaster than road. Those 7:30pm walks at sundown, early evening boat rides, and just simple things like working in your yard unceremoniously go away. We now drift to the abyss of darkness and must wait until mid-March 2021 for daylight savings time to resume. This begins 18 weeks of hell and I am being very clear that I don’t deal with it well. Do you? With all due respect to Simon & Garfunkel, darkness is not my friend.

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It is held every four years and is the world’s most marketable sports property. According to SportsPro’s inaugural report, the FIFA World Cup has been named as the most marketable sports property with the competition beating the likes of the NBA (third), the NFL (19th) and the UEFA Champions League (Seventh). As a simple comparison, 99 million people tuned into Super Bowl 2020, while the 2019 World Cup final averaged 517 million viewers, with 1.1 billion people, at some point, tuning into the ninety minute game. It’s huge, it is a spectacle and it is a marketing bonanza for many brands.

Here’s a not so random thought. Cancel the 2022 World Cup. Yes, cancel the tournament. Most of us remember and are often reminded of the unscrupulous dealings of the governing body of football (FIFA) and the awarding of the 2022 tournament to of all countries Qatar. Hundreds of deaths of workers living in squalor who work twelve hour days for nominal wages to build the stadia and infrastructure necessary to host the tournament. Secret deals to allow sponsors to sell their products (beer for one) in a country where alcohol is basically banned. Then moving the always summer tournament to the December time frame to allow the players to perform in 90 degree weather instead of an average temperature of 115 degrees during June-July.

Now news agencies are reporting that Qatar Airways, the country’s national airline, performed unauthorized strip searches of women passengers who had boarded a plane in Qatar heading to Australia. Enough is enough. Time for a reset so cancel the tournament and let Qatar continue to be nothing in the world’s perspective. This video is disturbing to say the least. Go to the six minute mark to see the workers’ living conditions. FIFA, you should be ashamed.

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Thoughts:

• Todd Gurley, a week ago, after your quarterback tells you NOT to score a touchdown so that the clock can run down allowing your team to kick a field goal and win the game, you score a touchdown giving your fellow UGA alumni Matt Stafford an opportunity to drive his team down the field to score the winning touchdown. Todd Gurley, in Thursday night’s game against Carolina, all you had to do is NOT stop the clock by running out of bounds to basically secure a win on the road. You run out of bounds. Maybe you and I should have a discussion?
• Speaking of football, it is quite obvious that perspective has gone down the toilet. The pundits, the fans, and the TV networks are so concerned about Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and not because he contracted Covid-19. Are they asking about his health and welfare? No, they are asking if he will be ready to play against Notre Dame this Saturday with having to isolate for ten days minimum. Perspective? There is none.
• Any ideas of how to persuade, influence or take down the person who thinks it is a good idea to fly above LAX using a jetpack? Moron.
• Have you seen the new Borat movie? Don’t. Moron #2.
• If you think petting a black leopard inside the leopard’s cage is a good idea, you deserve to be scalped and have one of your ears torn in half by ‘your new friend’. On top of this great idea, you paid $150 to make this happen. Moron #3.
• On a brighter note, I leave you with a tribute to everyone has fought Covid-19, and to those people and their families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. This is a version of one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time, Stairway to Heaven. The Wilson sisters (Heart) performed this tribute to Led Zeppelin many years ago at the annual Kennedy Center Honors show. Ann’s vocals, Nancy’s guitar, Jason Bonham, son of drummer John Bonham, and a massive choir. In the audience are Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones. This version of Stairway to Heaven is INCREDIBLE.

Adios, enjoy the darkness, pay it forward, be safe and have a Funday Sunday!!