Barry Dadon's Blog
Barry Dadon: HBO’s Vinyl rocks!
If you haven’t had a chance to start watching the new show Vinyl on HBO, you should start catching up.
The show, which features a crazy druggie who runs a rock and roll record company, is the latest work of Martin Scorsese, the legendary director of Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, The Departed and Wolf of Wall Street, just to name a few of his flicks.
This isn’t Scorsese’s first TV show. He was also the executive producer of Boardwalk Empire, another HBO that recently concluded an amazing five-year run.
Scorsese and fellow Vinyl executive producer Terence Winter were the brains behind Boardwalk Empire. Their newest work, however, has more star power with Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones also an executive producer.
The show is kind of like watching a rock and roll version of Goodfellas and Wolf of Wall Street. So far there have been cameos by actors portraying Alice Cooper, Elvis, David Bowe, John Lennon and other rock stars of the 1970s. You never know who’s going to pop up on a weekly basis.
Like many of Scorsese’s film, the show takes place in New York City. It’s a roller coaster of a ride, and with only two episodes left in the first season, I, Barry Dadon, am curious to see what’s in store for record exec Richie Finestra and his crew.
Ray Romano is also featured in the show and plays a good role as a supporting actor.
Finestra is played by Bobby Cannavale, who is well known as the gangster Gyp Rosetti in Boardwalk Empire. He’s an amazing actor, who is really good at acting psychotic.
Richie runs his company while doing drugs and getting drunk and is quite a character. He’s certainly no role model, but he’s very entertaining.
After tonight’s episode, I’m curious to see show the rest of his story plays out.
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Barry Dadon living in an on-demand world
It seems like just about everything is available on demand these days.
You can get whatever you want, whenever you want, where ever you want.
Movies are available on demand on via Neflix and food deliveries are available on demand whether you want someone to go to the store for you or bring you home your own take out.
Car washes are also available on demand and so are dog walkers. Even valet parking services are available on demand.
And now flower deliveries are, too, thanks to the company I work for.
I, Barry Dadon, am the CEO and a co-founder of Ziply, an on-demand delivery and courier service that specializes in business logistics. We recently launched in the Los Angeles area.
Ziply is available via goziply.com and only takes two minutes to sign up for! All you have to do is enter your pickup address, dropoff address, some basic contact information and some comments for the delivery driver and your order is completed in no time.
Ziply is a great way to have flowers delivered to a friend or loved ones home, office or party. Some people even ship flowers via Ziply to dinner to surprise their spouse.
Ziply isn’t just a flower-delivery platform, though. Ziply also delivers jewelry, medical prescriptions, cold salads, caviar and more. Ziply also offers an oversize service, which is great for people who need to move beds, couches and other large items that fit in a pickup truck.
Ziply is available any time, any day and anywhere in Los Angeles.
If any of my followers have any questions about using Ziply, please feel free to comment on my blog and I’ll get back to you. We’d love to help you out with your next delivery!
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Barry Dadon: Remember to draft Pittsburgh Steelers this year
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a big offensive goal this season: to score 30 points per a game.
While that might sound like a rather high number, Big Ben and Co. did average 27.3 points per game last year. So really, we’re just talking about an extra field goal per contest. And when put it those terms, that certainly doesn’t sound out of the realm of possibilities.
It does, however, mean that you might want to draft Big Ben and a few other Steelers for your 2015 fantasy football team.
Big Ben is coming off a career year, recording 4,952 passing yards and 32 touchdowns in 2014. There’s no reason to think that he can’t put up those type of numbers again. Can he, however, top last season?
I, Barry Dadon, am not so sure. I do think Big Ben is a safe QB1 in all leagues, though. And I’m also thinking about drafting Le’Veon Bell, who is reportedly looking more explosive than ever, rather early.
In the wide receiving corps, Antonio Brown is always a legit threat. I’m also considering taking Martavis Bryant.
Now I just need to hope that nobody in my league is reading my blog. And if my friends are reading this blog, they might want to consider the fact that this could all just be a decoy and that I don’t actually plan on taking any Steelers this year because I don’t think they’re actually going to score 30 points per game.
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Barry Dadon: I was hoping Brady’s suspension would be cut
I don’t know about you, but I, Barry Dadon, was sure hoping that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s suspension was going to be cut in half.
And that’s not because I am a fan of Touchdown Tom and the Patriots. Rather, I was hoping that Brady would come back in time for Week 3, suiting up in time to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But National Football League Commissioner wasn’t on board with my plan.
You see, my brother-in-law is a huge Jacksonville Jaguars fan. I know, you’re probably thinking those don’t exist. But there is at least one.
If you’ve ever met a Jags fan, you probably know that it’s fun to make of the Jaguars. It’s too easy. So I was hoping Brady would come back just in time to take on the Jaguars, routing them in the process to show he’s back and ready to try and defend his fourth Super Bowl title.
But, for once, the Jaguars are catching a break. They get to avoid playing Tom Brady. They’ll still have to take on Bill Belichick’s team nonetheless. And the likely outcome isn’t going to be favorable for the one Jaguar fan I know.
And if by some chance the Jaguars upset the Patriots, I’m sure they’ll still have a lousy season and I’ll have plenty of reasons to remind my brother-in-law that he’s a fan of a really, really bad team.
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Barry Dadon can’t wait for NFL to start
It just came to my attention that the NFL season officially starts in 14 days, kicking off with the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 9. This is a day I’ve been waiting for for a very, very long time. Like the moment the Super Bowl ended.
I’m not much of a Pittsburgh Steelers fan or the Minnesota Vikings. But it’s football. So I’m excited to see the two teams take the gridiron in what will essentially be a meaningless game.
It does, however, mean we are one step closer to the regular season starting. That means Sunday football, Monday football, Thursday football and fantasy football are coming.
We likely won’t see much of Adrian Peterson or Big Ben during the Hall of Fame Game, but we’ll see football being played in America. Sure, Canadian football is currently in season. But let’s be honest: Their games aren’t very interesting.
While glancing at the 2015 NFL calendar, I, Barry Dadon, also took a peek to see who my Oakland Raiders are playing. Apparently we start the year off on a Friday, facing the St. Louis Rams in Oakland on Aug. 14. The Raiders then head to Minnesota to take on Adrian Peterson’s Vikings on a Saturday. The following Sunday we get to entertain the Arizona Cardinals before our final preseason tuneup at Seattle vs. the Seahawks on a Thursday night.
Regardless of the day, I’m always ready for some football.
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Barry Dadon: Uber CEO Kalanick takes on Empire State
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, is voicing his opinion against the New York City Council’s upcoming decision to limit new licenses for Uber drivers.
Well, sort of.
Kalanick is retweeting scores of anti-Mayor Bill de Blasio tweets on his personal Twitter account, reaching his 87,000 followers and then some because reporters are writing news stories about his retweets.
Kalanick is sharing just about every story about Blasio and the New York City Council in regards to their upcoming legislation on Uber. Most of them aren’t very positive for the city.
One of the most interesting tweets on his feed says that when the New York Post, New York Times and New York Daily News all agree something “is a bad idea” … it probably is. And it’s not often that those three New York papers, all trying to grab the attention of the same readers, are on the same page.
But when it comes to the claim that limiting Uber will end congestion on the streets of the Big Apple, the three newspapers all disagree.
I, Barry Dadon, am curious to see how this whole situation plays out because New York is the biggest city in America. What happens in New York often sets a precedent for what happens in the rest of our country.
I’m also going to be paying more attention to Kalanick’s tweets, or retweets, in the future. You can’t go wrong when you see tweets that read: @levie 80% sure this election will be won by whoever takes the most Uber rides.
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Barry Dadon: No rest for Uber on Sunday
Sunday was another rough day for Uber.
The bad news for the global ride-sharing app was delivered by the New York City Council and Hillary Clinton.
Clinton plans on blasting contractor-fueled companies in a speech on Monday in the Big Apple. Nearby, a new New York City Council bill is aiming to cap the amount of for-hire licences Uber is allowed to add to just 200 cars next year.
Those are two major hits for what is normally a relatively slow news day.
Clinton reportedly will be addressing her opinion of how companies like Uber are repressing middle-class wage growth during a speech to lay out her economic policies. Part of Clinton’s presidential campaign focus is to raise middle class income. She’ll be giving her speech at The New School in Manhattan.
Clinton will argue that if big job creators offer only contract positions that don’t come with benefits and job security, they won’t be contributing to building a nation with sustainable growth.
Meanwhile, the NY City Council’s bill could force Uber to retroactively can some 700 drivers who recently received their licences. Some drivers are claiming they had to pay thousands of dollars for their licence and insurance just to get started with Uber, potentially leaving many in debt and jobless.
Some of the would-be drivers spent months obtaining a TLC licence to work for Uber.
The city currently has about 19,000 Uber drivers in its fleet. The City Council is going to vote on the bill later this month.
I, Barry Dadon, am curious to see how it all plays out.
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Barry Dadon: French taxi drivers go violent in anti-Uber protests
Last week I was blogging about how Uber seems to always be in the news these days. Well, that trend is continuing. And perhaps in a very shocking way.
On Thursday, French taxi drivers went on a rampage, overturning cars, blocking access to airports and burning tires throughout the streets of France. So what exactly riled up the cabbies?
Uber.
Apparently hundreds of licensed cabbies aren’t happy with the ride-sharing service, which is dashing into their income and putting their jobs at risk.
Sure, these French drivers have families to support. But their response may not exactly be the best one. There has to be other ways to respond to competition, right?
These are interesting times for the San Francisco-based company. Regulated cabs service all around the world are trying to figure out ways to stay in business with Uber clawing into their profits. In Paris, riot police resorted to firing tear gas to clear protesting cabbies.
Like I said, there’s got to be a better way to resolve this issue. I, Barry Dadon, think that eventually Uber drivers are going to have to start following some sort of rules, regulations or laws like other cab drivers.
Taxi drivers have to pay up to $270,000 to get their licenses, according to the Los Angeles Times. Uber drivers don’t have to pay anything because they are considered amateurs. Most Uber drivers also don’t have to pay taxes, giving them an unfair advantage in the transportation industry.
It’s incidents like this that make me believe the business model for Uber could be in for a major change real soon.
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Barry Dadon: Can Uber track passengers after they get dropped off?
It seems like Uber just can’t stay out of the news these days. Every time I read the Los Angeles Times online, there’s a new article about the ride-hailing company.
And it’s always something interesting. Sometimes it is about how Uber isn’t allowed at Los Angeles International. Or how the ride-sharing app is making billions of dollars around the world, changing the transportation business model as we know in the process. There was even a story in the past week about how Uber’s drivers, who are independent contractors, may be treated like full-time employees in the future.
On Monday, I, Barry Dadon, found another interesting article about Uber. This time it was about how Uber could very soon be able to track passengers after they leave the car. Well, at least one privacy group is claiming that to be true.
Uber plans on releasing a new privacy policy next month.
The LA Times is reporting that, “In a 23-page complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission, the Electronic Privacy Information Center called for the agency to investigate Uber and halt possible privacy invasions ahead of a revised policy set to take effect July 15.”
Epic says Uber’s new policy is risky for American consumers. If this is true and goes into effect next month, I hope all of my friends are really nice to their Uber drivers. Because if they aren’t, the driver might be able to track you down and treat you the same way you treated him/her.
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Barry Dadon: Monday was an interesting day for sports headlines
There’s no football going on. Or basketball or hockey. But there were still some pretty interesting headlines in the sports world that didn’t involve baseball.
For instance, did you know that Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles Kings was charged with felony drug possession? Stoll, who helped the Kings win two Stanley Cups in recent years, was arrested in Las Vegas back in April for suspicion of cocaine and Ecstasy possession. I guess it wasn’t just a suspicion after all.
In the football realm, hip-hop mogul Diddy was arrested on the UCLA campus. How exactly does this relate to football? Sean Combs’ son plays football for the Bruins. Diddy was cuffed at the school’s athletic training center. Apparently he may or may not have assaulted somebody with a dead weapon (AKA a kettlebell). Keep in mind he was only arrested on the suspicion that he assaulted somebody with the deadly weapon.
On the hardwood front, the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly trying to steal DeMarcus Cousins, the only good basketball player in Sacramento, away from the Kings. That would be a great move for my Lakers, giving Sacramento fans another reason to hate Los Angeles.
I, Barry Dadon, found these stories to be pretty interesting. But it’s only Monday. And on Tuesday, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is going to be meeting up with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that there will be some headlines about deflated footballs or something like that.
Don’t quote me on it, though. It’s just a suspicion.
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Barry Dadon: Cleveland Cavaliers can still win NBA Finals
The Golden State Warriors may be the favorites to win it all this year. But I, Barry Dadon, still think the Cleveland Cavaliers can win the NBA Finals. Even though they squandered Game 1 on the road in Oakland.
No, really. I’m not even kidding. Cleveland still has a really, really good chance.
That’s because the Cavaliers have LeBron James, the greatest player on Earth. Sure, Stephen Curry was the MVP of the league this year, but LeBron is the only player who can single-handily win a game himself.
He almost did it in Game 1. But the King made a poor shot choice as time was expiring in the series opener, forcing his team to play in overtime before going on to lose.
If LeBron and the Cavs would have taken Game 1, there’d be a whole lot less people thinking this series was already over. Some Warriors fans seem to think that this series is going to be a sweep. There’s no way LeBron won’t win at least one game himself.
But imagine if LeBron and Co. can win Game 2 at Oracle Arena, then they’ll be going home where LeBron will want to put on a show for his hometown peeps.
If the Cavs can split their first two games on the road, there’s a chance they could take a 3-1 lead in the upcoming days, leading to another championship for LeBron James.
If could happen. It may happen. And you read it here first.
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Barry Dadon thinks new Indianapolis Colts banner is just sad
So football fans, you remember the 2014 season? You know, the one where Tom Brady and the New England Patriots edged the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl because the Seahawks didn’t feed Beast Mode near the end zone?
You might also remember it, sadly, as some fans do as the season of Deflategate, where Brady used deflated balls and rolled the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game by a really lopsided score that nobody remembers.
Well, while the Pats have dealt with a bunch of offseason nonsense, the Colts are finding a way to celebrate their AFC Championship Game loss. That’s right. They are celebrating a loss. And they didn’t even make it to the Super Bowl.
The Colts recently hung up a new banner inside their dome, claiming to be 2014 AFC Finalists. Yeah. That’s great. Let’s celebrate because we lost that game to make it to the Super Bowl.
I, Barry Dadon, am wondering if each player on the Colts also got a participation trophy. You know, like the ones they give to little kids who are playing Pee Wee football or Little League baseball.
If this happened during the regular season, you know the Colts would be prominently featured on ESPN’s C’mon Man!
I mean, come on. In the history of the NFL this has to be one of the biggest jokes ever. An even bigger joke, in my opinion, than Deflategate.
Anybody else think Andrew Luck should be suspended a few games for this scandal? It’s basically a disgrace to the game.
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Barry Dadon upset New York Rangers lost
The New York Rangers’ Stanley Cup hopes officially came to an end Friday, falling 2-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Unfortunately, New York’s crash also means my Stanley Cup hopes have also come to an end. I, Barry Dadon, would have been going to the Cup if the Rangers were to have matched up against the Anaheim Ducks.
Last season, my father-in-law and I had the privilege of going to the Cup, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing. His Rangers were matched up against my Los Angeles Kings. With my Kings not playing for Lord Stanley’s Cup this season, I was rooting for my father-in-law’s team.
Sadly, the Rangers didn’t even score a goal Friday night, blowing their home-ice advantage and the opportunity to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals. Now that the Rangers are out of it, I certainly won’t be going to Anaheim just to see the Ducks.
Anaheim, after all, is my team’s main rival. So from now on, I’m rooting for whatever team plays Anaheim, whether it be Chicago or Tampa Bay.
And now that the Rangers are out it, it’s almost time to start looking forward to football season. Maybe my Raiders can make it to the Super Bowl.
I’d love to take my father-in-law to see that … because he doesn’t like the Raiders very much. I’d take him to the Super Bowl if his team, the Jets, made it. But that’s never going to happen.
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Barry Dadon: Don’t drink and drive on Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a special occasion in the United States. It’s meant to remember those who died fighting for our country, paying the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy the freedoms we have.
For some Americans, however, Memorial Day has become a day to barbeque with friends and enjoy some adult beverages on a Monday when they don’t have to go to work. Sometimes they have a few too many drinks. And a few too many drinks can sometimes lead people to drink and drive.
As a former luxury transportation service provider, I, Barry Dadon, know that luxury transportation is in high demand on Memorial Day, as people want to avoid drinking and driving at all costs.
I highly advise anybody and everybody to stay safe on Memorial Day. From Party Buses to Limo Buses and Limousines, there are plenty of options for people to stay safe and avoid being behind the wheel on Memorial Day. While those options can be expensive, there are also modes of public transportation in Los Angeles I recommend people to use that don’t cost as much money, including taxis, Uber, Lyft and the Metro.
Basically, you should do whatever you have to do to avoid drinking and driving. It isn’t worth it. Especially on a day when we should be honoring those who lost their lives fighting for us to enjoy the privileges we have.
With that being said, I wish everybody a safe Memorial Day.
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Barry Dadon is tired of hearing about Deflategate
Is it just me? Or am I the only one who is tired of hearing about Deflategate?
I, Barry Dadon, have heard enough of this so-called scandal involving Tom Brady. I, do, however, find it comical that a new support group of New England Patriots is trying to free Tom Brady. Good for them.
On a “Free Tom Brady” Facebook page, people claim they are going to hold a “peaceful rally to protest the unjust football arrest of half God half man Tom Brady."
The NFL is suspending Tom Brady for four games. That’s a pretty harsh punishment, unless you play in the same division as the Jets, Bills and Dolphins. Even if Tom Brady misses four games, the Patriots are still going to win the division. Brady owns the AFC East.
The funny thing about Deflategate is that we’re still talking about an AFC Championship Game that the Pats won by like 50 points. So if the Patriots didn’t have a “competitive advantage,” the Pats probably would have won by 35 points. Doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me.
Anyway, I’m guessing that when NFL Boss Roger Goodell hears Brady’s appeal he’s like to reduce the suspension. The way I see it, Brady will probably get suspended for just two games.
And he’ll come back just in time to beat my brother-in-law’s favorite team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Of course, the Patriots could probably do that without Brady. But having a “half God” for a quarterback certainly is a great competitive advantage.
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Barry Dadon: Ride-hailing services should accommodate to disabled customers
I read an interesting article in the San Diego Union-Tribune the other day. I check out the newspaper every now and then because I used to be a business owner in San Diego before I moved back to Los Angeles.
The article says some handicapped people in New York are currently trying to push for legislation to make sure that ride-hailing services like Uber will have more vehicles in the future that are accessible for wheelchairs.
As a former luxury transportation service provider, I, Barry Dadon, think this is a wonderful idea. As ride-hailing services are becoming increasingly more popular, they should accommodate to all types of customers, including the handicapped.
Those pushing for such services argue that transportation needs to be regulated under the Americans with Disabilities Act. I agree.
In New York, there are about 1.2 million people throughout the state who have disabilities, according to the Associated Press article I was reading. Some people in the Big Apple have to wait extra long periods of time to get wheelchair-accessible rides. That’s not fair in my opinion.
People who are handicapped shouldn’t have to wait any longer than the rest of us for a taxi.
There are reportedly about 14,000 yellow taxis in New York. Apparently half of them will be handicapped-accessible by the year 2020. That’s a step in the right direction. Hopefully ride-hailing services will also continue to add more handicapped-accessible vehicles to their fleets in the near future.
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Barry Dadon: Ride-sharing services should be allowed at LAX
Did you know that you can’t catch a ride-hailing ride at LAX? I didn’t. Not until I recently read an article published in the Los Angeles Times titled, “L.A. pushing regulators to legalize ride-sharing services at LAX.”
It’s crazy to think that some people are actually taking a short bus ride away from the airport just to be able to use a ride-hailing service. That’s pretty bizarre when you think about it.
According the informative article, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti promised airport patrons will be able to use ride-hailing services “by the summer.” I, Barry Dadon, hope that’s true.
As a former luxury transportation service owner, I believe that people should be able to use any form of public transportation they want. If customers want to get a cheaper ride using Uber or Lyft, they should be allowed to do so.
Sure, the 2,361 taxis in Los Angeles aren’t going to be happy. They’ll be losing business. But if they can lower their rates, they can compete with the ride-hailing services. Though taxi fares are set by the city and can’t fluctuate, Long Beach’s City Council recently decided to allow city taxis to offer lower prices and even referral programs like the ride-hailing services do.
I mean, think about it: If somebody trying to leave the airport can go from LAX to downtown for $30 with a ride-hailing service, why shouldn't they have the option to not pay $50 via a yellow cab?
Well, apparently it’s a little more complicated than that. Google the article if you’d like to learn more about the issue.
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Barry Dadon approves of Oakland Raiders’ 2015 NFL Draft
Commitment to excellence. That’s what I, Barry Dadon, feel that my Oakland Raiders showed during the 2015 NFL Draft.
With the No. 4 overall pick of the draft, the Silver and Black landed quite possibly the safest and greatest player in this year’s crop, wide receiver Amari Cooper of Alabama.
Cooper was a stud for the Crimson Tide in college, shredding cornerback and safeties for tons of touchdowns and even more catches. Cooper is as close to a sure thing as there is when it comes to going from college to the pros.
I like the Raiders’ first pick so much that I may even buy a Mr. Cooper jersey.
Cooper should help revive the Raiders’ vertical passing game, leading quarterback Derek Carr and the rest of the team to just win, baby.
It was encouraging to see Oakland make a good first-round pick after taking the wrong guy so many times before in the past.
I’m also excited to see Mario Edwards, a defensive tackle out of Florida State, get picked up by the Raiders. Edwards, a 6-foot-3, 279-pound second-round pick, should be good up front for the Raiders.
The Raiders also addressed some issues with their offensive line, drafting Miami tight end Clive Walford in the third round and Miami guard Jon Feliciano in the fourth round. Hopefully Walford and Feliciano, both Hurricanes, can help the Raiders take the AFC West by storm during the 2015 season and in the years to come.
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Barry Dadon: Uber doing big things around the world
As a former luxury transportation service provider, it’s crazy to read today’s news about Uber, the ride-sharing app.
I, Barry Dadon, used to own a limo bus/party bus company. Unfortunately, I never created an app for people in San Diego to order a bus from me from the palm of their hand. It’s quite an invention.
To the average person, Uber is a great way to get from Point A to Point B using your cell phone and avoiding having to drive through traffic or while enjoying a night out on the town with friends.
But did you know that Uber is worth about $50 billion? According to several news reports released Monday, Uber is currently worth more than 400 companies in the S&P 500.
Also announced on Monday, Uber is now legal everywhere throughout the Philippines, which became the very first country to develop ride-hailing regulations throughout the entire nation. Uber was previously operating in the Philippines without formal regulations.
It’s interesting to note that Uber isn’t only popular in the U.S. The service is also highly used in India.
With Uber’s growing popularity around the globe, it should be interesting to see how standard cab services and even luxury transportation service providers adapt to the changes in consumer’s behavior.
These days, people don’t have to call a cab or stand at the corner and hoot and holler until a driver stops for them. All they have to do is push a few buttons on their cellphone and a driver will gladly show up at their door.
It’s a $50 billion idea that I wish I would have thought of first.
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Barry Dadon impressed by new San Diego Chargers running Melvin Gordon
I, Barry Dadon, may be an Oakland Raiders fan. But I was highly impressed by the San Diego Chargers’ 2015 NFL Draft picks.
The Chargers needed a running back. Everybody in the world knew that. The San Diego running game was awful last season. I wrote about how the Chargers needed a new running back to carry the load on my blog before the draft.
I figured the Chargers would take one of two running backs. I was right. The Chargers drafted Wisconsin stud Melvin Gordon, taking him 15th overall in the first round of the draft. For a team that couldn’t run the ball at all last year, the Chargers should be really happy with Gordon in the 2015 season.
He’ll improve the team’s average yards per carry and help Philip Rivers open up the passing game.
The Chargers also drafted four other players, including Denzel Perryman of Miami in the second round. The Chargers, who could use some help on defense, drafted Perryman, an inside linebacker, with the No. 48 overall pick of the draft.
Rounding out the San Diego Chargers’ 2015 NFL Draft picks were cornerback Craig Mager of Texas State, outside linebacker Kyle Emanuel of North Dakota State and defensive tackle Darius Philon of Arkansas.
While the Chargers used four of their five picks on the defensive side of the ball, I definitely expect their offense to improve with the addition of Gordon.
Certainly their defense figures to improve, too, with the addition of four new players.
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Barry Dadon: “Game of Thrones” fans should watch “Vikings”
If you’re like me and you really enjoy watching HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” I suggest you check out the History Channel’s “Vikings.”
While “Game of Thrones” is a fictional fantasy story based on George RR Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series, “Vikings” is a historical drama based on the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok.
On the TV show, Ragnar is played Travis Fimmel. Ragnar and Co. go on raids, pillaging European lands and bringing back treasures to their homeland.
It’s a great show, featuring battles and juicy plots. In this year’s season, the third of the show’s existent, Ragnar and the Vikings are trying to conquer Paris. They have previously made treks to English territories.
On Thursday, the season’s penultimate episode “Breaking Point” featured war, comedy and history. There’s a little bit of something here for everyone. Personally, I, Barry Dadon, am really excited to see what happens when the season ends next week in an episode titled “The Dead.”
While Ragnar is recently injured, I don’t suspect that he’s going to be among The Dead next week. He’s the main character and the show has been renewed for a fourth season.
While “Vikings” is somewhat similar to “Game of Thrones,” I don’t think we’re going to see a Ned Stark-like moment where the main character dies. And I’m not so sure a Ragnar-less “Vikings” would be all that interesting to watch.
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Barry Dadon weighs in on 2015 Oakland Raiders NFL schedule
The 2015 NFL schedules are out. And I, Barry Dadon, like the slate my Oakland Raiders have been given. Of course, the Raiders play their regular AFC West rivals twice. But there’s also some other intriguing games to check out.
The Silver Black open the season at home, hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are always a fun team to see, as they feature one of my all-time favorite players in Rey Maualuga. The Raiders follow that game with another one in Oakland against the Baltimore Ravens. It should be interesting to see what the Raiders can do against Joe Flacco and Co.
Oakland then goes on a two-game road trip, taking on Johnny Manziel and the Cleveland Browns before heading to Chicago to take on Da Bears.
The Raiders will then tackle Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos before traveling to archrival San Diego. I’m hoping my Raiders can beat my wife’s Chargers twice this season.
The Raiders also have home games against the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Packers, Chargers and New York Jets, who are my father-in-law’s favorite team. I’m really hoping the Raiders can beat NY.
The rest of the Raiders’ road slate features trips to Pittsburgh, Detroit, Tennessee, Denver and Kansas City.
If all things go according to plan, the Raiders should be able to win more games than they lose this year. Maybe they’ll even make the playoffs. And if they happen to make it to the Super Bowl, I’ll be making a trek up to Santa Clara to catch the game.
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Barry Dadon: Where is Donald Draper going?
Well, that was interesting. In Sunday’s episode of “Mad Men,” the setup to the series’ penultimate episode titled “Lost Horizon,” Donald Draper went to “advertising heaven.”
The only problem is that it wasn’t exactly what Don was dreaming of when he thought about “advertising heaven.” Don, expecting to be the go-to creative director guy, was called to a conference room, finding himself in a meeting with dozens of other creative guys. Halfway through a meeting with the Miller beer company, Don randomly decided to get up and go.
And where did he go? To Wisconsin looking to find Diana, his new love from the start of this season. Don, however, finds himself unwelcome at Diana’s house, entering the household of Diana’s ex-husband and abandoned daughter. After this awkward scene, Don hits the road, seemingly never to see Diana ever again.
But where is Don going? Nobody knows. And who was that hitchhiker he picked up on the side of the road? Some say Bob Dylan. But it could just be some random guitarist. We’ll find out next week, I guess. If not, the week after.
That’s because there are only two more episodes left of “Mad Men.” Ever.
Meanwhile in “advertising heaven,” Joan appears to be heading toward an early exit. Her new co-workers are a bit sexist and don’t like taking orders from women. So she’s likely to get a big payday in the next episode, to keep her mouth shut and leave McCann forever. Maybe this is the end of her career and she’ll just become a full-time mom. Roger, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to like leaving SC&P, the office he built with his own name on it. Peggy was busy waiting and waiting to get her own office at McCann. She got it. But will she be treated in similar fashion as Joan at her new gig? Lastly, Pete seems to be fitting in just fine. But for how long?
I, Barry Dadon, am curious to see how all of this plays out in the next two episodes.
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Barry Dadon wondering what happens next to Tyrion in “Game of Thrones”
We are three episodes into Season 5 of “Game of Thrones,” and I, Barry Dadon, can’t wait until each next episode comes out.
“Game of Thrones” just seems to be getting better every season. In this week’s episode, titled “High Sparrow,” we were left with a cliffhanger: What is Jorah Mormont going to do with Tyrion Lannister?
Jorah, who was exiled by the Mother of Dragons, captured Tyrion in a brothel. Where else would the dwarf be spotted? Nonetheless, it is unclear what Jorah’s intentions are with the imp.
Is he going to kill him? Give him to Queen Cersei Lannister? Or Queen Daenerys Targaryen? I guess I’ll have to tune in next week to HBO to find out.
Of course, I could just look online at spoilers since the episodes were leaked weeks ago. I could even download them from a torrent site. Or try reading the books. But I think that I’ll just patiently wait and avoid all spoilers to see what happens next.
It’s going to be interesting to see if Tyrion makes it out of this season alive. “Game of Thrones” tends to kill off your favorite characters when you least expect it.
Other things I’m enjoying this season: Arya Stark’s adventures in Bravos, Sansa Stark’s return to Winterfell and Jon “Stark” Snow becoming the Lord Commander.
It seems like Jon Snow is starting to act more and more like his father, Ned Stark. That is, of course, if Ned Stark is actually his father.
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Barry Dadon is going to miss “Mad Men”
There are only three episodes of “Mad Men” left. No, not in this season. Ever. And boy, is this a show I’m going to miss when it’s all said and done.
From the epic Donald Draper to Peggy Olson and even Roger Sterling, “Mad Men” has some legendary characters for the ages. In this week’s episode, titled “Time and Life,” five characters found out there is going to be some change in store for the future that they thought would be awful but could actually turn out to be like “dying and going to advertising” heaven.
After receiving the news, Don and Co. go out and celebrate with a bunch of brews. Hopefully in the upcoming episodes we get to see Don create some Coca Cola ads. Unless, of course, something goes wrong. Like McCann stabbing Don and Co. in the back after forcing them out of their own building. Or Don dying. Or Don riding off into the sunset in California.
Barry Dadon Speaking of Roger Sterling, ,I Barry Dadon am really starting to like his new mustache. It’s a great reminder of the way people used to style their facial hair in the 60s and 70s. I wonder what Burt Cooper (RIP) would think of it?
It was also interesting this week to see Ken Cosgrove sitting across from Roger and Pete Campbell, working for another company and turning down their pitch to try and save their company after offering him a severance package just a few episodes ago. Anyway, I can’t wait to see what happens to Don, Pete, Roger and the rest of the partners when they “die and go to advertising heaven.”
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Barry Dadon weighs in on San Diego Chargers’ football schedule
At first glance of the 2015 San Diego Chargers’ football schedule, it’s interesting to note that the Bolts are playing in four nationally televised games. Yes, as in one, two, three, four.
The Chargers host “Monday Night Football” games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to Qualcomm Stadium for a “Sunday Night Football” game and play at Oakland for a “Thursday Night Football” rivalry game against the Raiders.
That’s a lot of prime time for the San Diego Chargers. That means we’ll be seeing a lot of Philip Rivers this year … if the San Diego Chargers don’t trade him before the season starts.
Other interesting games for the Chargers include their season opener at Cincinnati against the Bengals and their season finale against Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Denver.
In between, the Chargers also play at Minnesota, Green Bay, Baltimore and Jacksonville, while they entertain the Browns, Bears and Dolphins. Surely, the Chargers will beat the Jaguars, my brother-in-laws favorite team. This will make my wife, a Chargers fan, very happy.
Still, it’s hard to tell whether the San Diego Chargers will be any good this season because they may trade their star/franchise quarterback. Who knows how good the Chargers will be if they start a rookie like Marcus Mariota or Brett Hundley instead.
I, Barry Dadon, am taking a wait-and-see approach with the 2015 San Diego Chargers before I make any predictions on their overall record, however, I am predicting that my Oakland Raiders will sweep the Bolts this year.
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Barry Dadon weighs in on San Francisco 49ers’ 2015 schedule
Before the 2015 NFL schedules were even realized, I knew the San Francisco 49ers were going to have to play at least two tough games.
That’s because the Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl losers, are in their division. One of those contests, on Oct. 22, has even been selected as a “Thursday Night Football” game on national television.
It turns out the 49ers have several other tough matchups, too. After opening the season against the Minnesota Vikings in Santa Clara, San Francisco has a tough two-game road trip, making stops in Pittsburgh and Arizona.
It doesn’t get any easier for SF when it returns home, hosting Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The Niners then have to go back to the East Coast, facing the New York Giants before returning home for a rough two-game home stand against the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks.
Before their bye week, the Niners will travel to St. Louis and entertain Atlanta. Following their idle week, the 49ers get right back at it, traveling to Seattle and then welcoming Arizona to Northern California.
The 49ers wrap up their rugged slate with three of their final five games on the road, trekking to Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit, while they draw Cincinnati and St. Louis at home.When I look into my crystal ball, I, Barry Dadon, don’t see a bright road ahead for the 2015 San Francisco 49ers. It figures to be a long year in the National Football League for fans of the Red and Gold.
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Barry Dadon thinks San Francisco 49ers will draft Arik Armstead
The San Francisco 49ers have had an interesting offseason. A lot more interesting than most teams. But not in a good way. They’ve lost players to free agency and retirement. Even early retirement.
Oh, and coach Jim Harbaugh left for Michigan.
Now, the 49ers, who have been a recent playoff contender, may be heading into a rebuilding mode after a disappointing 2015 season, finishing a mediocre 8-8.
Yet, with the 2015 NFL Draft looming, the Niners, like all other teams in the league, have the opportunity to add some solid new players to their roster.
I, Barry Dadon, think the Red and Gold are going to draft Arik Armstead, a defensive end with a lot of upside. Armstead, who has been playing for the Oregon Ducks, is big and athletic, giving the 49ers a solid replacement if/when Justin Smith retires.
Armstead, who graduated from Pleasant Grove High School of Elk Grove near Sacramento, would be a popular choice for the Northern California team. He already has a lot of fans who would flock to the Bay Area to see him play.
A 6-foot-7, 292-inch junior, Armstead helped the Ducks win the 2015 Rose Bowl, 59-20 over the Florida State Seminoles. The Ducks went on to lose the National Champion Game to Ohio State by a score of 42-20 in a game that Armstead recorded nine tackles, including five solo.
Armstead would be a good addition for the San Francisco 49ers. But then again, at this point in time, so would just about anybody.
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Barry Dadon excited to see what’s next for “The Walking Dead”
The Season 5 season finale of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” didn’t have quite the Alexandria showdown I was expecting. Nonetheless, it was still an amazing way to cap off a great season, ending with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) killing Pete, which he was about to do last week before Michonne knocked him out cold.
The final episode of the season had everything a “Walking Dead” fan could ask for, from the slaying of hordes of zombies to finally figuring out what all those Ws on the Walkers’ heads were all about, setting up next season's plot.
It even debuted the first trailer of a new “Walking Dead” spinoff, which was, perhaps, my favorite part of the episode. The new show, “Fear of the Walking Dead,” starts this summer with a six-episode season.
It essentially seems like it’s going to hit the reset button on the show and its characters, starting fresh in Los Angeles with a whole new cast. The great thing about the spinoff is that “The Walking Dead” will keep marching off, giving fans of the show two different stories to follow.
Personally, I found the first two seasons of “The Walking Dead” to have some of the show’s strongest storylines and surprises. Hopefully, the new show will start off strong, too. I, Barry Dadon, expect the new show to be a hit. And if it’s not, I’ll still be excited to watch Season 6 of “The Walking Dead,” which should start around October.
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Barry Dadon didn't see that coming on "The Walking Dead"
Talk about a curve ball. Sunday's penultimate episode of Season 5 on AMC's "The Walking Dead" titled "Try" certainly caught me by surprise. After the slow build up in Alexandria the last few episodes, it seemed like Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group were destined to clash with the people of Alexandria.
But after Rick got in a fight with Alexandria member Pete in the final scene ofthe episode, it was shockingly Michonne who broke up the scrum by knocking Rick out cold.
Michonne, who has never once shown even the possibility of betraying Rick, seems to have put her in a situation that fans of the show either like or dislike.
On one side of the coin, Michonne stepped up and handled the situation, halting Rick from killing Pete. On the flip side, as I, Barry Dadon, see it, Michonne betrayed Rick. Rick was taking care of a potentially dangerous situation (Petelikes to beat his wife).
Up to this point, I haven't been the biggest fan of Michonne. Although, she has had her moments, killing The Governor and a hordeof Walkers with her samurai sword. But Rick Grimes is the main character on this show and the one I tend to root for the most.
Now that Michonne has somewhat turned her back on Rick, it's going to be hard to root for her moving forward. Michonne, however,may have the opportunity to win back my support if she helps improve Rickand/or the group's situation in the Season 5. That's a big maybe. Somethingcrazy is about to go down, though, in the season finale. I just have no cluewhat it will be. Perhaps it will be another curve ball.
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Barry Dadon looking forward to “Better Call Saul” finale
Monday’s episode of “Better Call Saul” titled “Rico” was a perfect setup for the stretch run of the show’s inaugural season.
Heading into the season’s penultimate episode and finale, Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) and brother Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) appear to have a major case on their hands that could jump start Jimmy’s career and revamp Chuck’s life.
There’s one thing, I, Barry Dadon, however, will miss if Chuck returns to his normal ways: his infamous space blanket. So far, that has been absolutely one of my favorite parts of the “Breaking Bad” prequel. But at the end of episode eight, Chuck went outside into broad daylight without his cape and appeared to not be affected by the sun as in prior episodes.
Either way, Chuck and Jimmy seem like they are on the verge of striking gold.
Speaking of “Breaking Bad,” it seems like ticket booth operator Mike Ehrmantraut could be joining up with the legendary Gustavo Fringe in the next few episodes. In case you forgot, Fring is the owner of the famed Los Pollos Hermanos in “Breaking Bad.”
After Mike said “You tell me what you got. I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” at the end of “Rico” while seeking some gig, you can’t help hope but think he’s going to start working for Gus this season.
With two episodes remaining, things look like they are about to start getting even more interesting for Jimmy McGill and Mike Ehrmantraut. Chuck McGill, too. I just hope that doesn’t mean of the end of the space blanket.
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Barry Dadon recommends watching “Better Call Saul”
When the NFL season ended in February, I was left pondering one question: What am I going to watch now that “Monday Football Football” is no longer on TV? Luckily for Barry Dadon and millions of others, AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” a “Breaking Bad” prequel, kicked off its inaugural season the following week and is now a Monday night staple.
While I was a big fan of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and “Breaking Bad,” I always wanted to learn more about the show’s other beloved characters, including Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), the crazy lawyer, and Mike Ehrman traut (Jonathon Banks), the former policeman-turned-hit man.In just six episodes, especially last week’s look at Mike’s back story, “Better Call Saul” has already quenched my thirst.
But I’m hungry for more. Sadly, there are only four more episodes left this season. Nonetheless, I am expecting the season to go out with a bang before it hits the shelf until next year. Coming down the stretch of the season, I’m hoping to see more of the infamous space blanket and learn more about Jimmy McGill’s past. I’d also like to see Jimmy make the full transformation into Saul Goodman in the season finale.
But if I have to wait until next year, it’s all good, man.
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Barry Dadon and Wife Want NFL To Return to LA
There are rumors swelling that the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams could all be moving to Los Angeles soon. I, Barry Dadon, am certainly hoping at least one of those teams relocates to Los Angeles as I recently did.
While I have lived in San Diego since going away to college, I grew up in Los Angeles as a big Raiders fan. And now that I'm back in Los Angeles, I'm hoping the Raiders follow me here. Ironically, there has been talk that the Raiders could share a stadium with their long time rival, the Chargers.
While I lived in San Diego, I wasn't the biggest Chargers fan around. That title would belong to my wife, Ashley.
Ashley and I certainly wouldn't mind if the Chargers and Raiders shared a stadium in Los Angeles, because then we would both get to see our favorite teams play twice a year at the same venue. If it were up to me, Barry Dadon, the Raiders and Chargers would both be moving to Los Angeles ASAP and Ashley agrees.
Barry Dadon: California Labor Commissioner’s Office makes big ruling on Uber drivers
Did you know that Uber drivers can now be considered employees of the company rather than independent contractors?
I didn’t until I just read an informative article in the LA Times. The California Labor Commissioner's Office ruled this month that Uber’s business “would not exist” without drivers. Sounds about right to me. The cars don’t drive themselves.
But I was surprised to learn that a San Francisco-based Uber driver for the ride-hailing service was entitled to received some $4,000 for mileage toll expenses because her “services” are an important part of Uber’s business model.
The decision was made earlier this month. Uber appealed on Tuesday.
This could, however, be a precedent-setting decision if it goes all the way to the California Supreme Court. If an Uber driver is an employee, wouldn’t other independent contractors that work at start-ups be considered employees, too?
Uber is growing at a rapid pace and its unusual business format is forcing legal changes throughout the world. Uber’s labor practices have been under close scrutiny lately because of regulatory challenges across the globe.
Apparently Uber is exploring its options, considering giving some of its employees full-time status while others would be part-time contractors.
This would hurt Uber’s business, though, forcing the company to reimburse drivers for gas, tolls and insurance. Then there’s also workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, Social Security and other benefits.
I, Barry Dadon, think it should be interesting to follow this story and see how it all plays out.
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