Ray Castro
@rpcastro.bsky.social
https://www.substack.com/@raycastro
Looking to examine and share ideas about music, sports, leadership and culture. Home base is Cincinnati; The Wife and The Cat keep things warm, sane, and tidy.
Looking to examine and share ideas about music, sports, leadership and culture. Home base is Cincinnati; The Wife and The Cat keep things warm, sane, and tidy.
Unlike Moses, Bezos has gotten his Lower Manhattan Expressway through, with all the predictable destruction. There are no Jacob types to save the Post. And maybe a free press. Maybe a "Welcome to Wrexham" scenario saves it?
#WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
#WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
February 6, 2026 at 6:41 PM
Unlike Moses, Bezos has gotten his Lower Manhattan Expressway through, with all the predictable destruction. There are no Jacob types to save the Post. And maybe a free press. Maybe a "Welcome to Wrexham" scenario saves it?
#WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
#WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
Reposted by Ray Castro
You can hire questionable brofluencers as pundits about perfect squats and protein loading (wrong!) or you can stick with the sassy lady with facts and science to help the rest of us live happier, healthier and smarter. variety.com/2026/tv/news...
Kara Swisher to Explore Longevity, Anti-Aging in New CNN Documentary Series
Technology journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher will explore anti-aging and longevity technology in a new CNN documentary series
variety.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:35 PM
You can hire questionable brofluencers as pundits about perfect squats and protein loading (wrong!) or you can stick with the sassy lady with facts and science to help the rest of us live happier, healthier and smarter. variety.com/2026/tv/news...
Reposted by Ray Castro
Iran's IRGC to carry out live-fire exercises in Strait of Hormuz, Press TV reports reut.rs/3ZrkUfP
Iran's IRGC to carry out live-fire exercises in Strait of Hormuz, Press TV reports
Iran's Revolutionary Guard naval forces will carry out live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on February 1 and February 2, Press TV reported on Thursday.
reut.rs
January 29, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Iran's IRGC to carry out live-fire exercises in Strait of Hormuz, Press TV reports reut.rs/3ZrkUfP
When asked about his influences, King famously told Rolling Stone, "Nobody. Everything I do is wrong." Leaning against the wind.
#Music #Guitar
#Music #Guitar
Upside-Down Genius
There may be no greater example of the American imagination and Black Excellence than a guitar played upside-down.
open.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:57 PM
#MLK #religion
"As powerful as King’s movement was as a referendum on the Constitution, perhaps its power to force an internal look and examination of one’s relationship with God and faith was even more important."
"As powerful as King’s movement was as a referendum on the Constitution, perhaps its power to force an internal look and examination of one’s relationship with God and faith was even more important."
Bullies and Pulpits
Martin Luther King Jr Day and our secular America
open.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:30 PM
When Nothing Remains
Arsène Wenger, culture and the value of a clean break
open.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:37 PM
Well, considering today's events, I feel the need to revisit this-I mean he is a FIFA Peace Prize winner.
#Venezuela
#Trump
#Venezuela
#Trump
Bread & Circuses
Berlin 1936, Mexico City 1968, Argentina 1978, and...USA 2026
open.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 11:47 PM
Well, considering today's events, I feel the need to revisit this-I mean he is a FIFA Peace Prize winner.
#Venezuela
#Trump
#Venezuela
#Trump
Reposted by Ray Castro
My god that goal was delicious. What a thrill for Gabriel Jesus. All those endless days of rehab. Imagine how wonderful it feels for him. 😍
December 30, 2025 at 9:54 PM
My god that goal was delicious. What a thrill for Gabriel Jesus. All those endless days of rehab. Imagine how wonderful it feels for him. 😍
The NYT story about Sears made me think about 1970's Christmas. These things were common under our tree. Yeah boxing gloves-very common in toy stores back then. 4 boys who beat the crap out of each other. Our home.😋
#Christmas #toys
#Christmas #toys
December 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
The NYT story about Sears made me think about 1970's Christmas. These things were common under our tree. Yeah boxing gloves-very common in toy stores back then. 4 boys who beat the crap out of each other. Our home.😋
#Christmas #toys
#Christmas #toys
You may know what Guernica looks like, but if you haven’t visited Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid…you haven’t seen it. We are facing a similar dilemma in film.
#movies
#movies
Watching, Not Seeing
What we lose with the decline of the movie theater.
raycastro.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:39 PM
You may know what Guernica looks like, but if you haven’t visited Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid…you haven’t seen it. We are facing a similar dilemma in film.
#movies
#movies
I've been reading the recent Jerry Garcia bio, and this ad was mentioned re: the place he had as a figure of 60's counterculture. Perhaps Niall Ferguson is right-Trump is Nixon's revenge. You could run this ad today.
#Trump #MAGA
#Trump #MAGA
Nixon for American Youth 1968
YouTube video by rfkmustdie
youtu.be
October 25, 2025 at 1:09 PM
In the end, Heartbeats confirms one of the essential truths about celebrities: we really don’t know anything about them. Be it OJ Simpson or Alice Munro. After 304 pages do we “know” Björn Borg? Sort of. The Iceborg has thawed just a bit.
#sports #tennis
#sports #tennis
Thawed, But Not Melted
Björn Borg's memoir "Heartbeats" provides us with just a crack into his life.
open.substack.com
October 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
#BillBurr #Riyadh #comedy
The comedians who played in Riyadh may have a tougher road to travel . There seems to be very little principle, and mostly a whole lot of cash. One wonders would this bunch have played Sun City?
The comedians who played in Riyadh may have a tougher road to travel . There seems to be very little principle, and mostly a whole lot of cash. One wonders would this bunch have played Sun City?
Unforced Errors
Arthur Ashe, Bill Burr, and the cost of money for nothing.
raycastro.substack.com
October 3, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Reposted by Ray Castro
Surprisingly lame excuse around obvious censorship coupled with a weird can-you-believe-they-are-not-all-on-camels naïveté about Saudi Arabia. Really a sad miss by Bill Burr www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general...
Bill Burr Defends Performing at Controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival: “They’re Just Like Us”
The actor-comedian details his experience at the event: "Definitely one of the top three experiences I've ever had ... I think it's going to lead to a lot of positive things."
www.hollywoodreporter.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Surprisingly lame excuse around obvious censorship coupled with a weird can-you-believe-they-are-not-all-on-camels naïveté about Saudi Arabia. Really a sad miss by Bill Burr www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general...
There is something Robert Moses-like in the manner of how from one position he has his hands on many things. I think one thing that will be debunked by historians is the belief that Trump isn't ideological. He and his father's past point to something more than "transactional."
#Trump #Project2025
#Trump #Project2025
The Man Behind Trump’s Push for an All-Powerful Presidency
www.nytimes.com
September 29, 2025 at 1:09 PM
There is something Robert Moses-like in the manner of how from one position he has his hands on many things. I think one thing that will be debunked by historians is the belief that Trump isn't ideological. He and his father's past point to something more than "transactional."
#Trump #Project2025
#Trump #Project2025
#PBS
Tax sports betting. I think getting that in front of voters-especially in blue states can win. "We fund stadiums but not Big Bird?!" Come on New Jersey.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/n...
Tax sports betting. I think getting that in front of voters-especially in blue states can win. "We fund stadiums but not Big Bird?!" Come on New Jersey.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/n...
NJ PBS, New Jersey’s Public Television Network, May Shut Down Next Year
www.nytimes.com
September 26, 2025 at 12:39 PM
#PBS
Tax sports betting. I think getting that in front of voters-especially in blue states can win. "We fund stadiums but not Big Bird?!" Come on New Jersey.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/n...
Tax sports betting. I think getting that in front of voters-especially in blue states can win. "We fund stadiums but not Big Bird?!" Come on New Jersey.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/n...
#JDVance
He's like the Energizer Bunny-he will not rest.
"Still, the fight between Mr. Favreau and the vice president — which devolved into Mr. Vance calling the podcaster a profanity — was just one front in a quickly evolving battle between the right and left."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/s...
He's like the Energizer Bunny-he will not rest.
"Still, the fight between Mr. Favreau and the vice president — which devolved into Mr. Vance calling the podcaster a profanity — was just one front in a quickly evolving battle between the right and left."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/s...
September 25, 2025 at 12:24 PM
#JDVance
He's like the Energizer Bunny-he will not rest.
"Still, the fight between Mr. Favreau and the vice president — which devolved into Mr. Vance calling the podcaster a profanity — was just one front in a quickly evolving battle between the right and left."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/s...
He's like the Energizer Bunny-he will not rest.
"Still, the fight between Mr. Favreau and the vice president — which devolved into Mr. Vance calling the podcaster a profanity — was just one front in a quickly evolving battle between the right and left."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/s...
#music #EricClapton
I have no doubt that at the moment of news of Eric Clapton’s passing, there will be a cascade of memes to the effect of, “God is dead.” You can bet the farm on that.
I have no doubt that at the moment of news of Eric Clapton’s passing, there will be a cascade of memes to the effect of, “God is dead.” You can bet the farm on that.
Deus adest, Deus nos reliquit
What to make of the legacy of one, Eric Patrick Clapton
raycastro.substack.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM
#music #EricClapton
I have no doubt that at the moment of news of Eric Clapton’s passing, there will be a cascade of memes to the effect of, “God is dead.” You can bet the farm on that.
I have no doubt that at the moment of news of Eric Clapton’s passing, there will be a cascade of memes to the effect of, “God is dead.” You can bet the farm on that.
Recent events should hopefully dissuade pundits from dismissing this as corporate America getting caught showing its ass in deference to Trump. To quote Kara Swisher from her book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story: "As it turned out, it was capitalism after all."
#Trump #FCC
#Trump #FCC
The 80 Years War
It has always been about one thing: destroying the New Deal
open.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 5:12 PM
