A Closer Look … (NEWEST!)

Wildfire relief
Let’s take a closer look … @ contributing to the L.A. wildfire relief !!

with Anthony Newcombe

January 15, 2025

Wildfires and more wildfires: How YOU can help …

Considering the death and destruction of this month’s Los Angeles area wildfires, we are dedicating this month’s A Closer Look to the affected residents, tireless emergency personnel – as well as those who may not live in L.A. but are contributing with their time, attention, and financial donations – to a successful recovery effort.

WHERE YOU CAN DONATE

Below, please find some reputable links for information and/or donations:

  1. American Red Cross
  2. Los Angeles Firemen’s Relief Association
  3. CoreResponse
  4. EIFoundation

Of course, we will likewise provide a convenient QR code below for those who wish to donate directly upon completion of reading today’s post.  As a lifelong resident of the area, we send our sincerest condolences to those who have lost their homes and will do all we can to share in the efforts to uplift their spirits and rebuild their new homes.

https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/3843

We are a strong, vibrant and resilient community.  Let’s all step up and continue to prove ourselves as “the gold standard!”

Until we meet again.

-A.N.

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He can reached for appearances via our CONTACT PAGE.

Related posts by this author

Maui

A Closer Look … (NEWEST!!)

with Anthony Newcombe 

A Closer Look
Let’s take a closer look … @ ELECTION SEASON!

October 24, 2024 

This month’s topic

DON’T YOU THINK THE ELECTION PROCESS IS TAKING TOO MUCH ENERGY, TIME (AND CASH) FROM OUR LIVES? 

I don’t know about you, but I am more than a bit concerned about the time, effort and patience, etc. that are tossed upon us during the extended process demanded of us to participate in. I get it, we are doing our civic duty, and we care tremendously about the success of the country. That said, what more can we be asked of/ demanded to do here?  

DONATION TEXTS

Why are most of my new texts for donations? Is there NO AMOUNT of money that will fill the political bucket? Record numbers have been donated up til now, but you’d think all the candidates were dead broke. What is that all about? I mean, do we need to start funding the issues ourselves, or what?! 

MAIL

I haven’t seen a piece of “wanted mail” in many months.  All that appears is “candidate mail” – vote for this guy, that guy, this initiative, that initiative, blah blah blah. Face it, it’s just tons of extra paper for my shredder to slice and dice up. 

COMMERCIALS

There were probably reruns of the same commercial 3-4 times in minutes interrupting a sports event I really wanted to watch. Why? Don’t they know we got the message once or twice? Do we need all these stimuli? We’re not busy enough?! 

RALLIES

Have you ever seen so many rallies going on?! It’s impossible to keep track of them all these days. And who is keeping track of all the messaging?  It looks to me like some of the rallies are doing some things that may be, shall we say, illegal … 

MY FINAL VERDICT 

In a nutshell, I think we have gotten a little too romantic looking at our candidates. We need to rein in some of the fantasy and refocus on some of the more obvious issues that need attention right here and right now! 

Your turn now.  What do YOU think can be done? 🙋 

Hope your fall season is off to a great start! 🍁 

-A.N. 

PROFILE 

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer.  He can be reached via our CONTACT PAGE for appearances.   

A Closer Look (Aug. 2024)

with Anthony Newcombe

Let’s take a closer look … at CHIA stuff!

August 7, 2024

This month’s topic: How did “Chia” become edible?

This month’s topic: How did “Chia” become edible?

Good morning/afternoon/evening wherever you may be. I was thumbing through our provisions cupboard the other day when I noticed something very, very odd. Let me digress a bit first: not to “date” myself too much, but I recall as a youngster that we were inundated with television commercials about a new toy: the Chia Pet.

You’ve probably heard of it too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzY7qQFij_M

Don’t quote me on it (it’s been a minute) but I believe the goal was to sit it on any desk, hope chest, G.I. Joe© builder set, etc. and sprinkle the chia seeds on a bald-backed beast (a goat, bear, dog or something), add a lil’ water and …VOILÁ …sometime later, that thing would sprout … HAIR!!

Fast forward to the other day in the cupboard. After all these decades, I ran into something called “Chia seeds!” What made it so strange is that nowadays, well, it appears that young people (I house a few of them part-time during the hottest months) have chosen to EAT the same seeds that we sprouted hair with. In fact, I had NO IDEA my Chia Pet was so healthy! Did you?!

Ch-ch-ch-CHIA! https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-chia-seeds

Are they aware of this?  If so, do they even care?  I’m hesitant to ask because I don’t want to have to mop my kitchen floor after they hear they are unknowingly ingesting “hair growth products” and proceed to yak all over the joint.

Do I need to tell them? Or should I do what the parents did in our day … either just say nothing or tell them to “go out in the street and PLAY!”

What do YOU THINK?

Hope your summer is going as effin’ boiling hot as mine is!

Peace,

-A.N.

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He can be reached for appearances via our “CONTACT US” PAGE.

A CLOSER LOOK … 

with Anthony Newcombe 

Let’s take a closer look … hey, what am I watching?!!

JOIN US FOR SOME SUMMER FUN!  

Publishing Date: June 19, 2024 

CATEGORY: SPORTS

ISSUE: WHO DECIDES MAJOR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP T.V. SCHEDULE ? 

I love golf a lot, but I can’t help after the U.S. Open this past weekend to ask: why do they think that showing the players that have ZERO CHANCE of winning is a good idea? 

I mean, if we’re already playing on a diabolical course, with a par 71, why the heck are we covering players who would have to shoot, well, 51 (Note: never accomplished to date in golf history) to compete with the leader who’s still asleep in his rented, golden bungalow at –7? 

Seriously, I just turned it off and did a bunch of yard work until the guys with any chance teed off like 6 hours later! At least there was no “chores guilt” with my decision.  

I’m trying, as usual, to keep open-minded on this subject. But I just can’t wrap my head (cover) around the concept of asking me to sink into my couch for all morning plus all day coverage involving players who have looks on their faces much like MINE on the back 9 during our “weekend hack-a-thons.”😕 😕

TIMEOUT ….

>>> Swing thought💭💭 when behind by 20 strokes >>> When is this whole thing going to be OVER so I can get back to the clubhouse and drop a cold one (or six) in my belly?! 🥤🥤🥤🥤🥤🥤

Luckily for the network(s), they had an interesting finish. Hang in there “Rors,” and congrats to those who actually COMPETED in the darn thing! Let’s keep trying to improve … ALL OF US! 

What do YOU think?

H.A.G.S !! 🌞🌞

-A.N. 

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He can be reached for appearances via our CONTACT PAGE.

“SURGE PRICING,” “DYNAMIC PRICING,” ETC. 

WHAT ‘CHA GONNA DO ABOUT IT!!

(And whether they all perhaps are just different terms for, well, “GOUGING”) 

I don’t know about you, but I think this one might be well worth a shout down. Just imagine being a businessperson and suddenly being able to decide at what time(s) of day (or night) that you would choose to charge for a price for your product or service? 

First, I completely understand the “wish” for this to occur, but what makes no sense whatsoever is how it all fits into a lawful and fair process for those who PAY YOU for your product or service. 

Let’s take a closer look … @ some PRICE SURGES!!

Case Study: The Donut

Peering in from the customer side of things, I would think that a customer who buys a donut at 5 a.m. (before the morning rush) would expect that, with surge pricing, he or she should obtain the BEST price for the donut purchased. This, not only because said donut is certainly “fresher” at 5 a.m., but also because LESS people are competing to purchase the donut at the time.  A different argument could say that the customer should pay MORE because it was just made and will taste best at this hour.

So, where does that leave us? Should the donut be MORE expensive at 5 a.m.? Or, should it be MORE expensive around 7 a.m. when the traffic numbers are much higher? At any rate, trying to even give intelligent answers to these questions seems like a recipe for disaster and it looks like the only places these matters will end up in are the courts!

RELEVANT LINKS

UBER 🚗

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/03/business/dynamic-surge-pricing-nightcap/index.html

Wendy’s  🍔

https://apnews.com/article/wendys-surge-pricing-tanner-burger-dynamic-9417bc235bbcd13d82966d04a6ba42bd

Jet Blue’s Latest: ✈️

https://viewfromthewing.com/desperate-jetblue-ups-ante-with-new-record-high-dynamic-pricing-for-checked-bags/ 

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He can be reached directly via our CONTACT PAGE.

3 … 2 … 1 … TRANSFER! 🏈

A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe

3...2...1...TRANSFER!
Let’s take a closer look … @ the transfer portal and NILs

January 12, 2024

Yep, it’s another year combined with another reset.  Be it your personal resolutions, professional goals, bucket list aspirations, or something else involving much less angst and/or effort.  The point is people: it’s time to GET MOVIN’!!

THE TRANSFER PORTAL PROBLEM

black and white jersey shirt on red wall
Photo by Ricardo Esquivel on Pexels.com

First, let’s get the college athlete transfer portal stuff straightened out.  The author fully supports athletes finally getting both the college program they prefer to play for – as well as earning the income they deserve from risking their long-term health to quench the financial thirst of fans, bettors, university administrators, coaches, boosters, parents, etc.

CHAOS 101

What is difficult to support is the chaos this current process creates.  We need to figure out a more efficient path and timeline for the portal to work efficiently.  One suggestion floating around is to shift the process beyond the December bowl season and playoffs.  This will allow both teams and players to be able to postpone the decision process until everything is finalized on the field. That sounds less hectic and a pretty good start to me. 

Moreover, we can’t have players moving to and from multiple programs over a 4-5 season college stint.  One player – who shall remain nameless – has already transferred from the East to the West Coast and then back to the East Coast in just a few seasons!  That, to me, is a serious flaw in the system that requires immediate patching.  Personal freedom is fine, but chaos creation should be deemed “the red line.”

(NIL) NAME, IMAGE, & LIKENESS COMPENSATION PROBLEM

Regrettably, the current system mirrors the “Wild, Wild West.” Perhaps some form of “collective bargaining” should be created.  This could be a system which provides some guardrails for a more streamlined and fairer process. 

SOLUTIONS?

We all know college players aren’t “employees,” so it wouldn’t be structured the same as CBAs in the corporate world, but there still is room to introduce an unbiased committee – focused to ensuring fairness and some oversight – while also building a bridge for these young and financially naive players to invest and learn how to build lifelong security in their current NIL earnings.  They should be steered from nefarious characters who, let’s just say, might not have their best interests at heart.

What do YOU think?

Happy 2024 all!

-A.N.

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer.  He can be reached directly for appearances via our CONTACT PAGE.

IT’S TURKEY TIME! 

November 21, 2023 

WELCOME TO OUR 1ST ANNUAL … 

🥇TURKEY AWARDS 🦃

A Closer Look …

It's TURKEY TIME!
Let’s take a closer look … @our biggest turkey of the year award 

with Anthony Newcombe 

It’s finally here folks! We are announcing our selection of the biggest turkey of the year, and believe you me, the list is long and there are plenty of contenders for the title. Let’s get right to it … 

(Drum roll please) 🥁🥁

Our winner is: George Santos Panza! We affectionately call him “Santos Panza” due to his remarkably similar physical appearance (to Sancho Panza of Don Quixote fame) – coupled with his complete devotion to becoming “the sidekick” of greed, ignorance, and shameless self-absorption. Should we call him Quixote? No, we prefer Santos Panza. 

For more on Georgie, click here >> https://www.tiktok.com/channel/george-santos-memes?lang=en

What the hell was “Santos Panza” thinking?

In a nutshell, it’s practically impossible to believe that someone could think that the people of the United States of America could be so stupid that we would sit back and allow him to do what he intended. 

At some point, those running for office need to learn that we don’t put them there simply for fun and games. Most of us just know what generally needs to be done and hope that our selection (or that of the opposing party) will step in and honestly attempt to make things better. 

If, however, we intended to use our campaign budgets to fund our lavish lifestyle(s), don’t you think we might have just RUN for office ourselves?  You know, like if any of it were LEGAL?!

Georgie: Did you really think that we would never find out? Wow, you are so deserving of our title. Best of luck in your future endeavors. Hope you enjoyed your Salvatore Ferragamos! You won’t need ’em for your next outfit though!

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He never attended Baruch College and never played on its volleyball team either (see George: telling the truth is quite easy!) He can be reached for appearances via our CONTACT PAGE.

THE HOUSE SPEAKER VACANCY

A Closer Look …

House Speaker Vacancy
Open up and let’s take a look …
@ the House Speakership vacancy charade

WHAT’S GOING ON?

SPEAK UP A-HOLES!

OUR PROBLEM

The inept Congress, its vaudevillian cartoon characters, and a genuine potential for a coming crisis for the rest of us.  Thanks for your service guys!

I don’t know about YOU, but I’ve had it with these jokers.  We’ve been super-patient, participate in every voting cycle, and ALWAYS pay our fair share of taxes.

However, the turkeys who we put there act like there’s nothing but time to do anything and everything.  How did they get so disconnected (for lack of another word) from our wishes?

First, it’s “let’s take extra breaks because we can’t get along,” and now it’s “That’s all folks, let’s vote a raise while you give us all the time in the world.”

THE SOLUTION:

Here’s an idea: How about YOU work on commission?  You know, get NOTHING unless and until you PRODUCE RESULTS!  I bet you cheap turds would QUICKLY find your stride.

And as far as whom should elect, just go with Scooby-Doo as your speaker, plug him into the wall, and get something (anything) done for once.

What do YOU think?

LINKS TO THIS ISSUE

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/live-blog/house-speaker-live-updates-steve-scalise-rcna119971

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/steve-scalise-struggles-to-build-support-for-house-speaker-post-99be48e6

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer.  He can be reached for appearances via our CONTACT PAGE.

The most qualified “write-in” candidate for House Speaker!(credit: Wikipedia “Scooby-Doo”)

Maui

A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe

Let’s take a closer look … @How could Maui’s fires happen?

Wildfires: How could this happen?

If you believe in attempting to tackle”the unimaginable,” well, now is your time. Imagine a warm, welcoming people in an historic, fun-loving town. Now, bring in a spectrum of colors on the roadsides, along the skyline, and, of course, in the ocean encasing it all. Next, swirl-in a palette of all types of people, gathering from many places of the world. Don’t forget the sounds of the birds, the music, the palms swaying in the gentle trade winds.

Heaven turns to HELL

Now, if you’ll bear with me, the unfortunate “unimaginable.” A spark creates a flame which instantaneously generates a full-blown blast one can only describe as some sort of “apocalypse.” No sirens, no alarms, no whistles, nothing. Just the hellish, furious, roar of death and destruction. Those who are even somewhat “aware” of what is happening have no time to think, but rather are forced to flee for their lives – even if that includes jumping into the ocean – to escape the heat and smoke barreling towards them.

The end result

In a flicker of time, all has been reduced to ash and rubble. There is little time to process what has happened. There is no one available to question or to provide answers. An historic town dating back to the kingdom of Hawaii stands no more. We must do all we can to pitch-in to help rebuild this place and its people. And the people need answers … NOW!

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He can be reached through our CONTACT PAGE.

If you’d like to donate with us to Maui, simply scan our PayPal QR code … many thanks!

How about an AI CEO?

Let’s take a closer look … for an A.I. CEO!!

A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe

This month: Here’s an idea: let’s build an A.I. replacement for CEOs!!

You’ve heard it, I’ve heard, we’ve all heard it recently.  “Artificial intelligence is going to replace me, and no one is going to be able to do anything about it!” Whether it’s Hollywood writers & actors, as well as other creators of duplicative content or services, it seems everyone is at risk of being replaced (substituted?) by AI.

WHY THIS MAKES SENSE

Call it alarmist, paranoid, or anything else you wish. The fact is that it’s coming – and FAST!  I recall when I was very young going to the movies and seeing Westworld with Richard Benjamin and a very intimidating Yul Brenner.  I might be too proud to say I was shaking in my boots, but let’s just settle on the fact that I NEVER forgot that movie. If only I’d  known that it was simply a precursor …

Fast forward to today.  It seems the only working people who are the most frightened by this concept are those whose decisions are being made on their behalf. Combine that with a general lack of trust for those in charge and BOOM – we are left with the anger, disbelief, and anxiety that is here.

CONTENT CREATOR P.O.V. VS. CEO P.O.V.

I think about things like this all the time.  As a content creator, I understand fully the importance of “having a say over my creation(s).”  Conversely, as a CEO, I understand the need to stay ahead of the business/technology curve and to keep costs in check, etc. However, in this situation, I’m going to side with the creators. I’m going to do this for the purposes of this blog entry simply BECAUSE-I-CAN!

THE WRAP UP

Finally, I’m going to propose that we embark on inventing a brand-new CEO in A.I.  It won’t be overpaid, it won’t chastise and intimidate its workforce, and it won’t force others to (Return to Office or “RTO”) drive to the office every day should they prefer to work from home (WFH).

Pretty cool, huh?  You’re welcome.

What do YOU think?

Hope your very hot summer is not so horrible. 

Stay hydrated.

-A.N.

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He can be reached for appearances via our CONTACT PAGE.