Hello, Substack

Anybody who follows my work - the whole dozen or so of you - is probably aware of the extensive archives hosted on the Blogger platform where I've done most of my work since around 2003.

Some of that is going to change.

I'll probably not be creating the Money Daily posts on Blogger any more, since I've made a decision to move my work to Substack, which offers more monetization possibilities, plus, their editor has a better spell-checker inline, which the current Blogger platform does not (at least not in raw text form).

So, another blow to Google, and a boost for independent journalism. The world will become a better place if people wake up a little bit and the folks at Google kind of calm down on their plans to take over the world and censor things they don't like.

We'll see how it goes.

Happy New Year,

Fearless Rick, aka --FR

Massive Website Re-Organization Underway

I am rebuilding the entire site, www.dtmagazine.com, starting with the Playboy pages in the Price Guide section.

Look for faster loading pages, updated prices and better ads in coming weeks and months.

This is a long-term operation, so please be patient.

It will be better than ever.

Thanks,

Fearless Rick

Fearless Rick's Advance Lines for AFC, NFC Championship Games

Playoff possibles:

Here's a concept that I got from the pickers at Doc's Sports. Make your own line before the game(s).

We know Tennessee is going to play the winner of the Kansas City - Houston game and the Titans will be on the road, and that San Francisco will host either Green Bay or Seattle.

Fearless Rick makes the line for the AFC Championship:
Tennessee at Kansas City (-4, 51)
Tennessee at Houston (-2 1/2, 44 1/2)

For the NFC Championship:
Seattle at San Francisco (-3 1/2, 48)
Green Bay at San Francisco (-5, 54)

It's Back, Baby! The Greatest Deal on Beer, EVER!

I had to go into the village (Sodus) this morning to mail a package ($$$, profit!), so I decided to get some ice, since it's getting very hot and my two bags bought Sunday were almost completely melted.

While I was at the store, I thought, "well, since I'm here maybe I'll get something else."

Cruising the beer aisle, I spotted it: the greatest deal on beer ever, $4.99 for a six-pack of 16-ounce Labatt's Blue cans. Awesome!

I remember when Labatt's did this back a few years ago, probably 2011. I found the deal at Rite-Aid on Titus Avenue in Irondequoit. I believe the original price was $4.49 for six 16-ounce cans. I did some math (yes, it's true, drinking beer makes you smarter) and emailed my friends, explaining why, on a cost per ounce basis, can for can, the 16-ounce Blues are one great beer-drinking deal.

Here's the math:

Quick... how many ounces of beer are there in a case?

Answer: 288 (24 12-ounce cans).

So, if the best price you can get on a case of Labatt's Blue is $18.00 (which would be pretty good - try Aman's on Ridge Road. They usually have great beer prices), here's how the cost per ounce works out:

$18.00 ÷ 288 ounces = 0.0625¢ per ounce

For the 6-pack of 16-ounce cans:

$5.00 ÷ 96 ounces = 0.0521¢ per ounce

That's a whopping 16.64% saving, and, when it comes to beer (or anything for that matter), more volume for less money is always the way to go.

$20 buys 4 six packs, a full case of 16 ounce cans. That’s 384 ounces, compared to a measly 288 ounces in the typical 12-ounce case. Blue heaven!

I advise to check around at local stores. I found mine at Patton's in Sodus, but you shouldn't have to travel more than a few miles to find a similar deal if the Labatt's people are putting this out there.

This deal popped up unexpectedly in the nick of time, because I was running out of the 12 cases I bought back in March. It was an awesome deal on 12-packs of Leinenkugel, Blue Moon, and Saranac variety packs. I bought 12 cases for something like $130.00. I expected them to last the summer, but, as strange as it may sound, I am on my last case. Should I be castigated for drinking almost a case a week? Hey, I shared with friends, plus, my booze budget was nearly zero for over three months. Not bad, I'd say.

Now, some people don't like the 16-ounce cans, saying that the beer gets warm or flat. Obviously, those people are drinking far too slowly. Besides, if you're not a grand guzzler, the 16-ounce size is ample enough to share with a friend. Be creative, and drink wisely. Geez.

After getting the ice and beer packed away, I headed back to Camp Alpha and my trip got even better, when I spotted a turtle on Cheetham Road. While I was stopping to pick the little guy up, warning him about crossing the road so slowly, I decided to take him home, but, as I was getting back into the party van, I noticed a beer can on the side of the road, and then another. OK, 10 cents for the beer fund.

Remember when we were kids and they used to sell the little turtles at Neisner's or Al's Pet Shop for about fifty cents? I now have my very own turtle. It's just a matter of how long he wants to hang around, I suppose. I got some water and lettuce for him, and put some ice in the water to cool it down. He' seems pretty content, lounging in the shade. If I get ambitious (fat chance), I may break out the kiddie pool I have and make a nice little home for him with some rocks and grass and stuff.

While I was preparing this post, I left the turtle alone, but when I went to take a picot of him, he was gone!

I looked around a little and the guy had found some shade and soft ground (lots of that around here) and dug himself in. Guess he knows how to cool himself off better than I do.

I don't know what to call him. Dirtle?

Yes, I have way too much time on my hands. But now I have beer. And a turtle.

Sky's the limit...

How We Almost Got Into A Donald Trump Rally

The Donald came to Rochester, NY on Sunday, April 10, flying in for a rally at a private hangar across the tarmac from the airport.

Three of us braved the cold temperatures (it was in the high 30s, but not windy), had secured our tickets online and dutifully printed them out, so off we went in search of a new president.

The rally was supposed to begin at 3:00 pm, and people were instructed to park at the Rochester Technology Park on Elmgrove Road. People who've been around Rochester for a while would recognize this as the old Kodak Campus in Gates. Folks would then be shuttled to the location of the rally on school buses.

Upon arrival at the Tech Park around 2:15 pm, we were directed around the back of the parking lot and huge building. The line to get on any bus stretched from the front of the parking lot, snaked around the building to the back of the building, probably a distance of nearly a mile.

Seeing that, we (correctly, it turns out) figured we'd never get on a bus and into the event in time; further, none of us wanted to stand in line. I commented that I get upset when there are more than three people in the bank, sharing my hatred of being a follower.

A decision was made to drive back around and take some photos, then head over to Scottsville Road on our own, find a place to park and walk to the gate, thinking this was a superior strategy. While we were on the right track, it turned out that we would eventually be turned away, as would everybody else, including thousands standing in line for buses.

Following are some photos detailing our failed attempt at seeing and hearing Donald Trump.

This was the bus line, which actually stretched through the parking lot, probably another 1/4 mile.

Same line, at the corner of the building (note clock, we were on time)

Same line going towards back of building.

The line just kept going, around the back of another building.

The line going around the back of the second building.

Once we found a spot to park, off we went toward the event.

The cops and horses were friendly, but we could not get in.

A small, unruly group of protesters were across the street from the entrance.

Yes, I had brought my copy of Playboy, March 1990, hoping to get the Donald to autograph it.

Turned away, we went back to the car, and saw the Donald flying in (on time, BTW).

The Donald, heading for a landing.

 ...And that's how we almost got into a Donald Trump rally. Primary Day is April 19 in New York. Trump is polling at 54%, which, if it holds up statewide, would award him all 95 delegates.

Reading List: Playboy October 2004 Donald Trump Interview

Playboy October 2004

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you have heard of the tumultuous campaign of one Donald J. Trump, real estate developer, author (Art of the Deal, others), golf course operator, TV star (The Apprentice), and potential US president.

For the first installment of a series to be known as "Reading List" we present excepts from this interview with Playboy magazine.

For those interested in the magazine itself, here's our listing in the Price Guide

Downtown Magazine has a few copies, but we're holding onto them. They are not currently for sale, but, if you can locate a copy, it's sure to become a collector's item.

The Playboy interview - even though it's 12 years past - offers a unique glimpse into the man who may or may not become the next president, but certainly has had a dramatic impact on the political process.

On page 66 of the magazine, the topic turns to alcohol and drugs:

PLAYBOY: Is it true you've never had a glass of alcohol?

TRUMP: I've never had drugs and never had alcohol and never had a cup of coffee. I have had other things that perhaps other people wouldn't like. And I certainly love women in abundance. And I enjoy my work to the point that I don't even consider it work.

Page 68 offers some insight into Trump's politics and what the mainstream media found so hard to believe (that he was against the War in Iraq):

PLAYBOY: Let's talk about that. You were considering a run for the presidency in 2000. How would a Trump candidacy have been different in 2004?

TRUMP: First let me say that although I got ridiculously high poll numbers, ultimately I didn't want to run primarily because I would have had to do it on the Reform Party ticket, and I thought the Reform Party was a total disaster. You would go to a meeting, there would be fistfights, and it was ridiculous. So that wasn't for me. But things would be a lot different today, from what I've been witnessing. If I were president, I would call Saudi Arabia in right now and say, "You get those fuel prices down or you're going to pay a heavy price," because they're ripping us off left and right. Fuel is at an all-time high. I would get Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in line. We saved Kuwait. Those guys were sitting in London in the most beautiful hotels when Saddam Hussein took their country away from them. We put them back into power and now they're ripping us off for oil. I'll tell you one thing: If I were president, a whole different negotiation would be going on right now.

PLAYBOY: You've said the first Gulf War contributed to your financial problems in the 1990s. What will this war do?

TRUMP: The Persian Gulf war was a different thing. You couldn't get gasoline - that was a big difference - and interest rates got up to 21, 22 percent. But this war is a total catastrophe. We never should have gone there. You could have done spot hits instead of sending in the troops. In all fairness, it's horrible on both sides. I see beautiful Iraqi children being killed and maimed, walking around with no legs and no arms. Then I see soldiers coming home with one arm and one leg, and they're going to have to live that way - and for what? Say anything you want, but Iraq wasn't heavily into terrorism. Saddam didn't allow terrorists, because he didn't want people blowing the hell out of his country. And of course, it turns out there were no weapons of mass destruction.

PLAYBOY: What do you think should be done now?

TRUMP: It's a catastrophic situation because there's no way to get out without losing face. As soon as we leave, the country will be taken over by the next dictator and then the next one. If we leave Iraq with a wonderful new government in place, it will be overthrown in about 15 seconds, just as the Saudi government would be overthrown in about 15 seconds if we weren't protecting Saudi Arabia.

Well, that's it for the reading list, for now. If you want to read the whole interview, you'll just have to buy a copy, because we're holding onto ours... or, you can make us an offer.

Downtown Magazine Lists Hundreds of Playboy and other magazines on eBay

We've put up a number of attractive auctions for Playboy, Sports Illustrated and other magazines on eBay this week, with most of them ending on Sunday, February 12 or Tuesday, February 14.

We list under two separate IDs on eBay, but you can find all of the auctions under either idle-assets or magsmedia.

Among the auctions listed is the highly-sought-after May 1974 Playboy issue with centerfold favorite, Marilyn Lange, along with many anniversary issues and an assortment of Newsstand Specials and Special Editions.

There are currently over 200 auctions listed, though due to time restraints, some of the auctions are not ready for sale just yet. Information on these "placeholders" will be added over the next few days, so make sure to check back for items that just might help fill out your collection.

Overstocked with Magazines

Having completed a number of large acquisitions in the past few months, Downtown Magazine is currently pleased to be overstocked with Playboy magazines dating from the late 50s to the present, plus a large collection of Playboy Special Editions with a grand assortment of the popular Book of Lingerie series, College Girls and other more obscure early titles, when they were known as Newsstand Specials, such as Working Women, Wet & Wild, Bathing Beauties, Girls of Summer and many more.

Anyone with an interest in expanding a Playboy collection or acquiring single issues of Special Editions, should contact Rick Gagliano by email, or check for frequent eBay auctions under the IDs of magsmedia and idle-assets.

Many of these magazines are also featured at Downtown Magazine's Mostly Magazines Online Store.

Downtown Magazine is always interested in acquiring collections of any size, and our unique financing method allows us to pay more than most traditional book and magazine dealers.