Harris Online Blog
Daily throughts from Paul Harris
Best Thing I’ve Read Today
I am not one bit surprised that Larry King — long renowned for doing no homework on his guests — could be so easily conned into doing Chinese propaganda. Kudos to Renee Dudley and Jeff Kao for their ProPublica piece.
POTD: Ricky Jay
For the Picture Of The Day, let’s take 15 minutes to watch the late, great Ricky Jay show off his skill with cards and con games.
Best Thing I’ve Read Today
Derek Thompson writes about why you don’t have to worry about wiping down your mail or touching surfaces others have touched, and that businesses that promote how well they’re cleaning are offering nothing more than “hygiene theater.”
Random Thoughts
Quickies about The Chicks’ new album, our unused Global Entry passes, that message on every website about accepting cookies, and a couple more.
Book Review: “Weird”
Here is my review of a fascinating book by Olga Khazan, “Weird: The Power of Being An Outsider In An Insider World,” which includes a great story about The Beatles.
As I Tweeted
In the real world, the 14 Florida Marlins who tested positive for #COVID19 this weekend wouldn’t even know their results for 8-14 days because of the backlogs at testing labs. Why do pro athletes get preferential treatment while millions of other American wait?
Remembering Regis
When I think of Regis Philbin, I think of three words: A Great Broadcaster. Here are some of my memories of him, including the first time he guested on my radio show.
POTD: Super Bad Transmittable Contagious Awful Virus!
Picture Of The Day: I missed this song parody when it was posted in March — at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis — by a music educator from Pennsylvania. Sadly, 4 months later, it’s still just as relevant and clever.
Reel Spoilers: “Dirty Dozen: The Next Mission”
While I enjoy discussing great movies, sometimes it’s even more fun to talk about bad ones. So, I returned to the Reel Spoilers podcast to discuss “The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission,” a 1985 TV movie sequel to the original 1967 classic.
Three Corporate Fails
Here are stories of corporate failures I have encountered in the last few days from streaming service Peacock, publishing house Hachette, and social media giant Twitter.
POTD: Annie Ross, “Twisted”
I always thought Joni Mitchell had written this song for her “Court and Spark” album, until I read an obit today about Annie Ross, who not only wrote it, but recorded it 2 decades before Joni. Here she is performing it on a Hugh Hefner TV show.
We’ll Leave The Thermometer On For You
Doing temperature checks at entrances to casinos, airports, restaurants, and office buildings — to supposedly reduce the spread of COVID-19 — reminds me of the security façade at our house, where we keep exterior lights on all night long.
Reel Spoilers: “The Dirty Dozen”
I returned to the Reel Spoilers podcast this week to talk with hosts Tom O’Keefe and Kevin Brackett about the classic World War II movie, “The Dirty Dozen.” Here’s the link — plus a story about my tiny connection to its director.
POTD: “Feelin’ Alright”
For the Picture Of The Day, here are Dave Mason and fellow classic rockers (known collectively as the Quarantines) with an updated-from-home version of his 1968 hit, “Feelin’ Alright.”
What I’m Re-Watching
As we continue looking for video content to consume while we’re stuck at home, Martha and I have gone back to watch a few classic movies recently, including these three, which I’ve added to my Movies You Might Not Know list.
Best Thing I’ve Read Today
I couldn’t care less about baseball, but Ken Levine is a big fan of the game (and former broadcaster) whose message to everyone involved in the upcoming short season is DON’T DO IT!
More Random Coronavirus Thoughts
More coronavirus-related thoughts, including teachers who don’t want to go back to school, nonsense from Missouri’s governor, an unnecessary vote-by-mail obstacle, too long a wait for test results, and another country that has banned Americans.
POTD: Not My Child
This anti-Trump ad about the push to re-open schools in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the best I’ve seen — a serious gut-punch.