Go OUT To the Movies

 A BIG Screen
   We are fortunate to live one block away from an independent theatre - the Hyland Cinema. If you click on that link you can see what they have to offer and they will keep you informed via email. It was one of their messages that prompted this post, which is meant to encourage to go out to a movie, rather than stream one to your couch. Independent cinemas have had a difficult time since television was invented and the covid pandemic didn't help. 

For the Kids
   The message sent by the Hyland indicated that on the Saturday morning, they were going to provide cereal to the children who came to watch cartoons. 

For the Oldsters
   The Hyland has to try many things to continue to lure viewers and once you arrive you can donate a little extra to help pay for the new projection equipment required these days, or 'buy' one of their 400 seats and have a plaque with your name inscribed on it. On Mondays, older people can come for movies that are subtitled. 

   The Hyland tends to offer films not found at the major cinemas, which is a good thing since most of the movies shown in them appear to be made for very young customers. Here I will provide one link that will take you to five movie venues in London, where you can see what is available on the many screens. The Cineplex Odeon Westmount, for example has 8 cinemas with 3 VIP screens. See: London Showtimes. 
   By the way, if you have not gone out to a movie in a while, you may not know that the seats are now often very comfortable, with recliners and BarcaLoungers available to reserve. In some locations, wine is even served. If you prefer a solitary experience to a shared one because of the tendency of some in the audience to be talkative these days, the Hyland is still an option because during the previews it is announced that people are expected to be quiet and not use their phones. 

   

Drive-ins
  They still exist and the days are getting shorter so you don't have to wait, here in the north, until 10 for the feature to show up on the very big screen. Here are some options:

   The Mustang Drive-in is on Wilton Grove Road and is open seven days a week. 

The Oxford Drive-in is not far away, on Highway 2 on the way to Woodstock.

 You can go to The Boonies Drive-in Theatre in Tilbury and for an extra $10, camp overnight. They are open Thursday to Sunday, 

  If you are going to the cottage up Muskoka-way, you can go to The Muskoka Drive-in, which has two screens showing four movies each night.  According to this article, it opened in 1952 and is the longest continually operating drive-in in Canada. "Looking for a Unique Drive-in Movie Theatre Experience? Here are 15 Things to Know About the Muskoka Drive-in," Brent Cooper, Gravenhurst Banner, Aug. 14, 2025. 

The Bonus:

   There was recently a fine photo essay about drive-ins in The New York Times. I won't provide the photos, but here is some of the information from: "The Enduring Appeal of the American Drive-in: Has Anyting Really Changed at Drive-in Theatres Across the Country?" Janie Osborne, May 22, 1925.

   "It doesn’t take long to see that no two drive-ins are alike. The American Dream features original 1950s speakers, a vintage auto night and cheese fries. The Motor Vu touts an enormous movie screen (approximately 6,400 square feet), an expansive parking lot (470 spaces) and a packed community night with a bouncy house for kids. The Silver Bow has beautiful mountain views, twin screens and a longstanding place in the community (it opened in 1977).

   One commonality, it seems: Every drive-in claims to have the best popcorn. And all three of the theaters I visited are family owned and operated.

HISTORY

   Richard Hollingshead opened the first drive-in theater in New Jersey in 1933. By some accounts, he was inspired by an effort to accommodate his mother, who was uncomfortable in traditional theater seats. The invention — he patented the idea — gained popularity with the introduction of in-car speakers, and by the 1950s and ’60s there were more than 4,000 drive-ins throughout America.

   Today that number has dwindled to around 285 theaters, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association."
                       Go out to a movie and help save a theatre.

Banning Burqas?

 

And Other Assorted Head Gear and Garments 
  In some places people are compelled to wear certain things, while in others they are sometimes forced to remove them. The question in more "liberal", secular  countries is whether the banning of, say the burqa can be reasonably justified. Such issues are usually avoided because they are controversial and perhaps, more so, because they are complex - and they are. It is easy to say that a hijab doesn't hurt anyone, but to admit that a kirpan could. Masks may not be menacing when worn by Zorro or the Lone Ranger, but they can be threatening when worn by a man entering a bank or an ICE man in the U.S. Keffiyehs don't cover faces, but they are now prohibited in some instances. The debate over such issues is real in both France and Quebec. The debate everywhere is generally more about politics and religion than the philosophical problems.
   The question - "Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?" has been examined by Brandon Robshaw and he provides a fine example of how philosophy can be applied in such instances. I will simply introduce you to his work and provide some suggestions about how it can be found. 
   He has written a book and you can find it at Bloomsbury Publishing or on Amazon, where there is this description of: Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?Reconciling Liberalism, Multiculturalism and European Politics:

   Debates about whether the Wahhabist practice of face-veiling for women should be banned in modern liberal states tend to generate more heat than light. This book brings clarity to what can be a confusing subject by disentangling the different strands of the problem and breaking through the accusations of misogyny and Islamophobia. 
   Explaining and expounding the ideas of giants of the liberal tradition including Locke, Mill, and Rawls as well as contemporary thinkers like Nussbaum, Kymlicka and Oshana, the book considers a variety of conceptions of liberalism and how they affect the response to the question. Directly addressing issues facing many of today's societies, it unpicks whether paternalism on grounds of welfare can be justified within liberalism, the value of personal autonomy and the problem of whether a socially influenced choice counts as a genuine preference. 
   Covering the role of multiculturalism, gender issues and feminism, this comprehensive philosophical study of a major political question gets to the heart of whether a ban could be justified in principle, and also questions whether any such ban could prove efficacious in achieving its end.

[as an editorial aside, close readers around London may recognize the name "Kymlicka", which in this case refers to a son of Kym, who was well-known on the Western campus.]

The TOC is helpful:

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Reflections on the French ban
3. The liberal position on habitual public face-covering per se
4. What kind of liberalism?
5. Paternalism considered
6. Personal autonomy and the burqa
7. Adaptive preferences and the burqa
8. The burqa and multicultural theory
9. Gender and the burqa
10. The effect of the burqa on others: Offence
11. The effect of the burqa on others: Harm
12. Conclusion
Bibliography

Unfortunately, the price is $272.57

Another Approach
  If you are not that interested in this subject, go to this article by Robshaw which reveals why he became interested in the subject and his rudimentary thoughts about it. The entire article is available for free at: Philosophy Now: A Magazine of Ideas (Issue 135 - "Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?".)
   Mr. Robshaw was so interested in the issue he decided to use it as a proposal for a PhD dissertation and that ultimately became the book and a review of it is found here: "Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?: Book Review," Andreas Matthias, Daily Philosophy: Making Sense of the World (nd)
"A very clear, instructive and carefully argued book that shows off applied philosophy at its best."

The Bonus: 
  If you don't have $272, I will hint that the entire dissertation (296pp) is available for free. Here is the abstract:

  "This thesis concerns the problem of whether a liberal state should – for liberal reasons – ban the wearing of the burqa in public. The core of the problem is that liberalism appears to pull in two opposed directions on this question. On the one hand, liberals strongly support religious tolerance and the burqa is seen by many, including most of those who wear it, as a religious commitment; and even if it is not a religious commitment it may still be a personal choice, and liberals strongly support enabling personal choice. On the other hand, liberals are committed to supporting equal rights and freedoms for both sexes, and the gender asymmetry of the burqa (women wear it, men don’t) combined with the fact that habitually covering one’s face in public is liable to cause disadvantages in personal, social and professional life, look like good reasons for opposing it; moreover liberals value personal autonomy, which may be compromised if the burqa is worn in response to cultural pressure. The issue thus exposes a tension within liberalism. A central element of my approach is the disentangling of a number of connected but separate strands of the problem. Thus I consider: different conceptions of liberalism and how they affect the response to the question; whether paternalism on grounds of welfare can be justified withinliberalism and if so whether it would justify intervention in the specific case of the burqa; the value of personal autonomy within liberalism and whether a concern to safeguard or promote it couldjustify a burqa ban; the problem of adaptive preference and whether a socially influenced choice counts as a genuine preference; the role of multiculturalism in liberalism and to what extent it could justify exemptions; gender issues and feminism; the problem of coerced wearing of the burqa; and the problem of how likely it would be that a ban, even if justified in principle, would prove efficacious in achieving its end. 
[the additional bonus]
  The conclusion to the thesis is that banning the burqa in a liberal state is unlikely to be justified. It could not be justified in terms of the welfare or autonomy of the individual who voluntarily wears it. It could only be justified on the grounds of harm to others. It might, for example, theoretically be justified if coerced wearing of the burqa were widespread. This would be regrettable, however, as it would override the free choice of those who wore it voluntarily. Empirical evidence that such coercion was occurring would be necessary; and such a ban could only be justified if there were no other, equally efficacious and better targeted means of preventing coercion. My aim is to bring some clarity to this often heated and confused debate, and to supply clear principles on which to base any decision."

                                     [How unique and refreshing.]

Miss Universe

   Miss Palestine 

   I generally make fun of the use of the phrase "breaking news", but will attempt to provide you with some now, under a title many will think devised only to attract readers. Although the news will soon be full of stories about the Miss Universe Contest, which will be held in Thailand in November, the breaking news is that one of the contestants apparently has a connection to both London, Ontario and Western University. Her name is Nadeen Ayoub. 
  I do not follow beauty pageants and this is the first mention of them in MM. I do, however, often present posts related to Western, since I live close to it and both studied and worked there. That is how I ran across Ms. Ayoub, not because I was looking at beauty pageant pictures. 
  This news has just broken and this is likely a "scoop" for London readers who no longer have a local newspaper. I am choosing not to investigate it further, but will leave it to reporters with more time, resources and talent. It is also the case, that I don't want to bother to access some of the newer social media sources, like Ms. Ayoub's Linkedin or Instagram accounts where surely some quality information will be found. It is also the case that the word "Palestine" is mentioned in the references I will now provide and I choose to avoid that controversial topic. I did take a quick look at some local sources and found no mention of Ms. Ayoub.

  Here are some of the "breaking news" stories:

"Canadian Living in Dubai Says She Will Represent Palestine at Miss Universe Pageant: Nadeen Ayoub, 27, Shared News on Social Media Earlier This Month While Wearing Miss Universe Palestine Sash, Denette Wilford, Toronto Sun, Aug. 26, 2025.
  "It is unclear how she was appointed to be the representative of a country that most nations don’t recognize, though no competition appears to have been held, according to the New York Post. Ayoub, however, is listed as founder and manager of the Miss Palestine Organization, the group behind her title, the outlet reported. The organization only registered its website in May and features black and white photos of Ayoub holding a crown."
   It is in The Post story cited above that I learned of the Western/London connection.
"The Mysterious Case of How a Canadian in Dubai Became ‘Miss Palestine’ — and Will Compete in the Miss Universe Pageant," Isabel Vincent, Aug. 26, 2025.
   "Remarkably, for a beauty queen, there is little official biographical information about Ayoub on her social media or the Miss Palestine Organisation website. The model and wellness coach reportedly grew up in Canada and studied English literature and psychology at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. She also went to high school in the same area, according to her LinkedIn page....
She taught at the Friends School in Ramallah and has worked with United in Humanity, a Washington-state nonprofit that organized humanitarian missions in Gaza, according to public records....Ayoub also runs the Dubai-based Olive Green Academy, a company that offers workshops on how to become an influencer."

  The picture above appears in The Express Tribune on August 15, under this title:
"Nadeen Ayoub to Represent Palestine at Miss Universe for the First Time: Nadeen Ayoub Will Mark the Country’s Debut at the Global Competition Since it Began in 1952."
Ms. Ayoub in Person: "Nadeen Ayoub represents Palestine for the first time at Miss Universe."

Post Script:
   There was some real "breaking news" at Western earlier in the week when the London Police responded to a call about a man with a gun around Weldon Library. It turned out to be a hoax and "swatting cases" were reported at other universities: " "Swatting Hoaxes on College Campuses Spark Panice and an FBI Probe," The Washington Post, August 27, 2025. 
  My posts about Western are typically less sensational, like this one about trees:
Pawpaw Redux. 

The Bonus: (For younger readers)
Over 40 years ago, Karen Baldwin of London, Ontario was crowned Miss Universe.

More Generational Malarkey

I have already shown some skepticism over the overuse of generational abstractions as the title of this post indicates: "Millennial Nonsense: Generalizations about Generations." In it, I provide a list of titles of books and articles as evidence. More evidence is provided here in a list of "GEN" titles noticed over just the past few days! As I have also written,

"Genug Shoyn" or "Enough Already."

This was all prompted by another "GEN" headline encountered in The

Washington Post, "These 8 Gen Z Habits Are Baffling. Let Us Zoomers Explain," (Aug. 20) Which begins, bafflingly enough, with this sentence. "It's impossible to pin down the essence of an entire generation."

Here are 75 that were quickly found. They have also been quickly pasted

and I did not bother with capitalization, since the people who wrote them

didn't either. I also did not provide the sources, since the list would have been too

bulky. They exist, I assure you, and I did include the source for the

CANCON example to show you. It is unfortunately the case that this

generation thing is a global phenomenon.

1. 3 Jewellery Staples Every Gen Z Closet Needs for an Instant Style Upgrade

2. 10 best cities in the world for Gen Z to live in 2025:

3. 93 percent of Gen Z loses sleep because of social media. But changing that isn’t a dream.

4. A Little 'Workcentrism' Is Good for You, Gen Z

5. AI falters at physical work, driving Gen Z into trades

6. AI not evolving quickly enough for Gen Alpha

7. As Gen X Near Retirement, Challenges Lie Ahead

8. Are Gen Z's habits for real?

9. As Gen-Z hungers for sexiness, eroticism starves

10. BAN SEX NOW' Shock rise of the ‘boy-sober’ movement as Gen Z women reveal the REAL reason they’ve quit sex – despite feeling horny

11. British banks feel Gen Z consumers are less brand loyal

12. Can You Guess The World’s Best Place for Gen Z to Live?

13. Consumer Insights Gen Z Isn’t Broke. They’re Smarter With Money Than You...

14. The Devil Wears Prada 2: A Gen Z fashion insider breaks down the new looks

15. Disney Wants Gen Z Men Back In Cinemas

16. Finfluencers get Gen Z hooked on angling

17. Forgotten Gen X now quietly fuels trillions in consumer spending

18. Football leagues seek new Gen Z audiences

19. Gen Z, Gen X, Or Gen Y: Which Generation Witnesses The Most Drastic Tech Boom? Experts Weigh In 

20. The Gen Z Dictionary: Slang words everyone needs to know

21. Gen Z brings resurgence to seaside arcades

22. Gen Z driving boost in book sales, according to Waterstones

23. Gen Z fuels surge in spiritual travel, brands allocate up to 30% of budgets

24. Gen Z Is Officially Retiring Gym Leggings And Getting Hooked On Oversized Sweatpants

25. Gen Z loves to live in Edinburgh

26. Gen Z: Moving from atheism to faith

27. Gen Z & Gen Alpha need subtitles for parents? Decoding ancient slang

28. Gen Z drinking trends: 5 things to think about when targeting this key demographic

29. Gen Z drives surge in value-based consumption

30. Gen-Z Hitchhikes To Cut CO2 Footprints

31. Gen Z needs new ways to socialize

32. Gen Z parenting guide: Why connection matters more than control

33. Gen Z redefines reading through screens and apps

34. Gen Z says smacking children is unacceptable amid calls for ban

35. Gen Z is fnally growing up - and discovering the joy of cask ales

36. Gen Z slang explained as 'skibidi' and 'delulu' are added to Cambridge dictionary

37. Gen Z skips dating costs: over half spend $0 on romance, sparking 'romance recession'

38. Gen Z thinks ‘marrying rich’ is the easy option – trust me, it’s not

39. Gen Zs must join political parties ahead of 2027

40. Gen Z verpasst den besten Zeitpunkt zum Investieren

41. Generational war erupts on social media over the 'Gen Z stare'

42. The Great Crypto Migration: Why Gen Z is Both Entering and Exiting Web3

43. Homeware trend Gen Z won’t give up

44. How does Gen Z feel about the current state of America?

45. How Gen Z are boosting Nigel Farage’s ‘Mega’ movement

46. How Laufey remade jazz for gen Z:How Laufey remade jazz for gen Z

47. How marketers can embrace Gen Alpha’s spending power

48. How the Latin Mass is Bringing Gen Z to Christ

49. How tourists, Gen Z affect the local accent; Professor details patterns in Nashville, the South

50. I know why Gen Z has become antisocial, but how do we fix it?

51. I'm a family law attorney. I've found my Gen Z clients are more willing to talk openly about finances — and prenups

52. Is Gen-Z really drinking less, or just being choosier when they indulge?

53. Millennials And Gen Z: Why Tongue Cancer Risk Isn’t Just About Tobacco?

54. Monzo ramps up the banking battle for Gen Alpha

55. Netanyahu says Israel has 'work' to do to win over Gen Z

56. Online secrets haunt Gen Z woman: Gritty debut novel paints bleak picture of the young working poor.

57. Sussex’s seaside arcades under threat but Gen Z steps up to save the fun

58. The exciting Gen Z stars that can put athletics back into mainstream

59. The New American Dream: Why Millennials and Gen Z Can’t Afford Homes

60. The new Gen Z clubbing trend: no phones

61. TikTok isn't enough to stop Gen Z from drifting to AOC. Trump must do 3 things next

62. Topshop’s return to the high street must appeal to gen-Z to succeed

63. US Survey Reveals Startling Insights Into Gen Z’s Work Habits

64. We Asked Teens to Test This New Gen Z-Approved Skincare Brand

65. What Is Gen Z So Nostalgic for?

66. What Do Gen Zs Really Want From Love? Between Confusion, Clarity and Commitment

67. What kids don’t want you to know about Gen Alpha culture

68. When a Gen X-er Watches ‘Stranger Things’ With His Family

69. Why Gen Z are flouting tradition with ‘fake’ Indian weddings

70. Why Gen Z is binning cookbooks - and turning to TikTok

71. Why Gen Z women are falling for older men

72. Why Gen Zers eat like OAPs

73. Why kinky braids, locks are setting Gen Z males against police

74. Youthful leap of faith; Gen Zers turning to Catholic Church

75. CANCON

"Gen Z doesn’t need a year of national service. They’re already drafted into decades of service for older Canadians; Their service is baked into housing markets, government budgets and the deteriorating health of our planet," Paul Kershaw, G&M, August 23, 2025.

The Bonus:

If, like me, you have no idea of the ages of those residing in the various cohorts, that illustration might help. It may be a little outdated since it doesn't mention the ALPHAS. I now confess that I just discovered another post I did on this subject about a year ago. The confession is made because, if you put all of the citations I have provided into your own bibliography, all you will have to do is the dissertation part and you will be granted a PhD. See: "Generational Gibberish.". Of course, see also the closely related post: "ON Bullshit".

Wisdom from Woody

  "More than at any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly."

   These days many who are religious see signs of the “End Times", while many more have good reason to believe we are living in the “Grim Times”. I suggest that our era could be characterized as the “Whim Times” since citizens all around the world are affected by the capriciousness of one unstable and powerful autocrat in one country. As Dylan might say, “The answers, my friend, are blowin’ in the whim.”
   “Weltschmerz” might be the word that the Germans or the more learned would use to describe the general consensus held, at least, by the non-MAGA people, that things are not good. Given that things are bad, one might think that the wisdom of Woody was revealed very recently. That is not the case.
   Woody’s thoughtful remark was written at the end of the 1970s, a decade which would not generally be defined, by even the most nostalgic, as one containing a large number of the good old days. Still, 1979, the year of the Woody quote, must have been better than any since, say the inauguration of 2017. While many of the religious are anxiously wondering “What Would Jesus Do?”, I think the much more interesting question is now “What Would Woody Say?”

Source:
(And much, much more since my wife insists you don’t look at this part.)

The quotation is found in, “My Speech to the Graduates,” by Woody Allen, The New York Times, Aug. 10, 1979.

   I wondered if a closer look at his speech and the entire issue of The New York Times on Aug.10, of 1979 might reveal why Woody was feeling so glum. Many of the headlines then were similar to ones found now. Israel was an issue even at that time: “Giving Up Sinai is Deeply Painful to Israelis There” and “Mideast Plan is Offered and Quickly Disclaimed in Bonn,” are examples. Some things were simpler in the summer of ‘79. When the 24,000-member American Academy of Pediatrics announced that “The Girl Athlete” was to be the subject of a seminar at their next meeting, no mention of gender (trans or all the others) was made and the discussions were to be about such matters as athletic injuries. Woody could have been upset about the athletic endeavours of the NY baseball teams since the Yankees lost to the Sox, 5-1 and the Mets to the Cardinals by 4-0.
   Some things were better back then. At least for that one day in August in 1979, there was no mention in the NYT of the crook from Queen's, who in the 80s was to be often referred to as the “short-fingered vulgarian", and in this century to be elected as President of the United States - twice!

   Like Woody, I was around in 1979, but in Canada where maybe things were better than they were for Woody in the U.S. But, I doubt that he ever thought the situation there would be as bad as it is now. He does offer us some additional wisdom at the end of the article which does make one feel better:
“Summing up, it is clear the future holds great opportunities. It also holds pitfalls. The trick will be to avoid the pitfalls, seize the opportunities, and get back home by six o’clock.”
 ----
                               "Making Light of Heavy Things Since 2016"

Sports and Money

     Having just written about BOOZE, I will now turn to two subjects which are even more important. Sports are infrequently mentioned in MM and I have generally lost interest in watching most of them, but I am sure you remain interested and will read on because of the mention of money. Although they are often related, they are treated separately here since I have already covered gambling and betting. Short bits are offered while we await the return of the muse who will produce lengthier and very thoughtful posts. (Note: If you actually make it to somewhere near the end of this post, there should be some mention of a guy who owns 7,000 cars.)

Event Planning:
  You are reminded here to start putting games in your calendar since many fans already have. These were noticed a while back in a Facebook post:

Those are college football games, but don't forget about the NFL. As Jason Gay noted in the Wall Street Journal: “Everywhere I look, the page has turned, and turned long ago — to football, football, football. Forget what the calendar says. The N.F.L. media is now the pharmacy that puts out its Christmas stuff during the first week of June.”

And before you do your Christmas shopping, do buy tickets for Dec. 25 for basketball games.

"NBA Christmas Day, Opening Night games feature Lakers, Warriors, Thunder,"
"The first NBA game on NBC in 23 years will feature the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder against perhaps their chief competition in the West, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are back on Christmas Day for the first time since the LeBron James era, league and network sources confirmed to The Athletic on Friday....
This coming season is the first of an 11-year, $75 billion national TV contract for the NBA, which features a new partnership with Amazon and a reuniting of the league with NBC. ESPN and ABC remain partners — and will carry Christmas Day games per usual...
ESPN was the first to report NBC’s opening night slate as well as the five Christmas Day games, which are:
Cleveland at the New York Knicks
San Antonio at Oklahoma City
Houston at the Lakers
Dallas at Golden State
Minnesota at Denver.

 Fighting:
   UFC stands for "Ultimate Fighting Championship" and it involves men fighting in cages. Such brutality is reluctantly allowed up here as long as the affair is conducted in English and French. But, the political importance of the UFC has been noticed even in the Globe & Mail:

"All the Rage: How the UFC Became America’s Most Important (and Misunderstood) Political Powerhouse," Sam Egan, Aug. 8, 2025: 
   "The UFC played an unexpected role in the second election of Donald Trump to the White House. But politicians of all stripes in the U.S. should take heed of its followers if they hope to retain, or gain, voters."

  Wait, there's more:

"White House Cage Fight Is 'Going to Happen' --- Dana White's Octagon Behemoth Gets a $7.7 billion Deal with Paramount. Now the Promoter is Planning a South Lawn Event," Jason Gay, WSJ, August 13, 2025.
     
Fishing:
   I told you about the White Marlin Open in "Fishing For Money" and lots of money was won again this year as you can see from the chart below. "Catch 23" is the clever name for the boat owned by Michael Jordan, who flew in on his private plane to participate. His boat is an 82-foot Bayliss that costs about $15 million. The $389,377.11 should cover some of the fuel costs.

Boating:

   Some wealthy people just like to float around and a couple of large boats were spotted off Victoria: "Two Super Yachts Spotted in Oak Bay," Oak Bay News, July 28, 2025. 
"The vessels are owned by Las Vegas billionaire Lorenzo Fertitta....

The larger of the two vessels – the 87-metre Lonian – can accommodate dozens of passengers and crew, and even a helicopter."
    And, guess what: The UFC Again
"Two super yachts owned by 56-year-old Las Vegas entrepreneur Lorenzo Fertitta, who Forbes says sold his stake in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for billions in 2016 and 2017, were seen anchored in Oak Bay."

  

   If you are really into boating, why not just buy the shipyard:
"Superyacht-obsessed Gaming Billionaire Just Bought the Entire Shipyard Behind Some Very Iconic Vessels," Henry Kelsall, Superblondie.com. 

   "Gabe Newell has made billions from video games and also has a love for luxury superyachts. However, he has now decided to take that love to another level.

   Instead of just buying another yacht, he has bought the whole Oceanco group, one of the world’s largest superyacht builders, and now owns the company....

   He used to own the Dapple yacht, and recently acquired his $400 million, 367-ft Oceanco yacht, Project Y722.
   With so much money on hand, it’s no wonder that Newell has a net worth estimated to be $9.5 billion."

Flying:
   Avoid Air Canada and buy your own plane so you won't have to worry about your dog. Two examples involve a goldendoodle and a cavapoo, which are apparently some kind of new canine.

1.   "When Maxx Chewning sold his sour-candy business to Hershey for $75.5 million, the first thing he did -- before buying a Rolex or dream home -- was jet his wife and six friends to Vail on a Dassault Falcon 900.

   They skipped security lines, zipped straight to the runway and seated themselves in leather recliners with gold accents in the wood-paneled cabin. The price tag for this adventure: $100,000.

   Chewning's goldendoodle, Dood, sprawled at their feet. "The joke is, I had to get a private plane so I could bring my dog," the 35-year-old said. "I didn't really care what the price was."

 2.  "Tennille Holt, 44, retired in 2023 and now spends much of her time traveling the world with her husband and 8-year-old cavapoo, Hudson. Hudson has his own Instagram account documenting his life, including his private-jet flights, where he is often served his favorite: grilled chicken.

   She and her husband spent about $200,000 to fly Hudson from Australia to Los Angeles in a Bombardier Global 6000 and avoid the commercial flight. She recalls dreaming about this flexibility while working long days and nights as an entrepreneur.

  "The goal was to create the freedom to live life on our own terms, which now includes plenty of travel and the ability to fly privately whenever we want," Holt said. "It's the best and most comfortable option for Hudson."

From: "Private-Jet Money Is New Wealth Yardstick," Gunjan Banerji, WSJ, August 54, 2025.

Golf:

  Rory McIlroy has had a pretty good year and decided to buy a house back in the UK, for which he paid $9 million. The neighbourhood competition is tough, however, and it is difficult  to keep up with the Joneses, when one of them is the Sultan of Brunei. "Meet Rory McIlroy's Billionaire Neighbor with 7,000 Cars, 39 Tigers and $15K Haircut Habit," Jackie Longo, The Sporting News, July 21, 2025. He probably won't be around much: "He primarily resides in the Istana Nurul Iman in Brunei, a residence considered the world's largest palace, boasting a staggering 1,788 rooms."

"A Tradition Unlike Any Other"

    Since that was more related to the Sultan than golf, here is a bit about The Masters. At some point soon, those who attend will need to be more like Members of Augusta than mere fans of the sport. This is from Dan Wetzel, ESPN, Aug 14, 2025:
"Let Them Eat Wings Somewhere Else: The Masters and Masses Part Ways."

  "Sporting events, including the venues that house them, were once designed mostly for the masses. Now they are increasingly being repackaged to deliver more and more luxury and exclusivity -- an understandable attempt to maximize profit, but with an associated cost nonetheless....

  Last week, Sports Business Journal detailed the 2026 "Official Masters Hospitality" program. It included offers of housing, transportation, catering and so on to the corporate and/or well-heeled. Consider the "Full Scale, Private Home Program," which will run you a mere $219,600 for the week.

  That bit of news came days after the announcement that a local Hooters restaurant, just a short stroll from Augusta National Golf Club, is closing.

   Nationally, the chain is known for its wings among, uh, other things. The Augusta Hooters, however, was very much a Masters week institution, a spot for the everyman to relax after a day at the tournament.
  It spoke to the dichotomy of Augusta, the club, and Augusta, the city. The former is the nation's most exclusive country club, located on formal and pristine grounds. The latter, especially on Washington Road leading from Interstate 20 to Magnolia Lane, is a snapshot of strip-mall, middle-American consumerism. Traffic lights and turn lanes, Taco Bells and tire shops.
  Maybe nothing comically defined that contrast as much as the Hooters, which capitalized on its location by setting up a huge tent to handle overflow crowds. It hosted a "Miss Green Jacket" contest and clung to the chain's slogan -- "Delightfully Tacky, Yet Unrefined" -- which is antithetical to the prim and proper country club.... [wasn't it worth reading the entire post, just for that slogan?]

   The Hooters was most famous for, in recent years, having John Daly park his RV outside, allowing fans to drink, smoke cigarettes and buy merch from golf's ultimate folk hero. The party, unsurprisingly, often raged loud and late. Daly once told me his presence was even written into the restaurant's lease -- "As long as they don't get mad at me for signing girls' asses, I'm OK," he joked....
   The club is famously secretive, but it wouldn't surprise anyone if the ultimate goal was an exclusive ramp from the highway to the club, lined with club-controlled housing and hospitality, bypassing Washington Road altogether.

   This is a trend where stadiums increasingly have built not just luxury boxes but numerous exclusive clubs -- from courtside to behind home plate.

    Sports is a business, so this isn't to condemn anyone from meeting a demand. Organizations are just cashing in on the "next door" phenomenon of people wanting something more special than what's already special."

  We visited The Masters a couple of years ago and the pimento cheese sandwich and beer were still affordable and one barely notices Berckmans Place along one fairway where the entry fee is around $10,000.

The Bonus:

  Even if you are a loyal reader of MM you likely missed all of The Masters information I have already provided. That is because it is cleverly hidden in this post - The Canadian Masters. Read it to find out what "The Canadian Masters" is, and what the sports commentator Gary McCord said to be banned from Augusta. And, if you look at "The Bonus" you will learn who committed suicide near Ike's Pond on the Augusta course.