Toppling Like A House Of... Something

DATELINE: Hollywood–– This week streaming giant Netflix announced that due to numerous allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct, it was firing actor Kevin Spacey from their popular political series House Of Cards.

Filming of the series' sixth season was well underway when the allegations surfaced. Initially Netflix suspended production on the show, but later announced they severed their relationship with Spacey and planned to continue production without him.

This move will prove highly problematic for the network, as Spacey played main character Frank Underwood, the ostensible star of the series.

When asked how House Of Cards could possibly continue in light of these developments, a Netflix spokesman said they planned to replace Spacey with actor Dick Sargent, and simply never mention it or acknowledge the change in the show.

Happy Valentine's Day, I Suppose

I have little or no use for this miserable excuse for a made up greeting card company holiday, but without it our nation's economy would probably collapse between Christmas shopping seasons, so I suppose it's a necessary evil. Plus some people put great store in it, so... 

Have a Happy Valentine's Day, if you must.

And for all you Bewitched fans out there who are still hoping to find true love, rejoice! Here's a brand new dating site just for you, that I may or may not have just made up myself.

Where No Fan Has Gone Before

Just when I think I've seen pretty much everything on the internet it once again manages to surprise me. Behold, Star Trek Fan Dating Sites!

No longer do you have to worship your favorite show alone and unloved! Now you can find your perfect soul mate, be they voluptuous Vulcan or crass Klingon. Just be sure to warn all the guests at your authentic Betazoid wedding that they'll be required to attend in the nude!

The "Set Phasers To Something Amusing" tag line seems to be pretty popular among these sites.

Mind you I'm not mocking these sites or the people who frequent them. Far from it. Lord knows trekkies need all the help they can get in the romance department, so I'm all for this idea.

It's just that I'm a bit surprised that there are so many of them. I suppose I shouldn't be; after all Star Trek undoubtably has the highest concentration of fans of any other pop culture property. It just seems so... narrowly specific.

If there are dating sites devoted just to Trek fans, what other specialized websites are lurking out there? How about Ooh! Ooh! The Dating Site For Fans Of Car 54, Where Are You? Or Pufnstufers, the H.R. Pufnstuf Dating Site? What about Hang In There, the online dating site for fans of Then Came Bronson? The mind boggles!

Personally I'm gonna be hopping over to this one. Wish me luck!

Famous Business Cards

One of my many fascinating hobbies is collecting old business cards. Here are just a few from the collection:

Here's a card from the McMann & Tate Advertising firm. For many decades they were the number one ad agency in New York; none of their other competitors could touch them. No one could ever figure out the secret to their success. In fact one of their rivals said their ability to win over important clients and come up with innovative campaigns was almost "like magic."

A rare matching sets of cards from a now defunct California bank. It's unusual to find two cards in such good shape from the same business. The Commerce Bank was a cornerstone of the California financial system for many decades. Then tragedy struck as their largest depositor pulled his assets from the bank sometime in the 1980s, sending the institution into a downward spiral from which it could not recover. Tragically the C.E.O. took his own life by leaping from the roof of the bank when the F.D.I.C. arrived to take control.

Here's the story of this classic card dating from the 1970s. Phillips & Associates was a small architectural firm that produced few noteworthy designs. Many of their critics denounced their concepts as "out of date" and "stuck in the past." They limped along for many years, barely managing to survive, until sometime in the early 2000s. Suddenly their retro designs were "in" again, and the public went wild for their work, generating their greatest successes to date.