Displaying 1,471 To 1,500 Of 3,237 Comments Oscar Night- When “not boring” is high praise My friend sent me to this article and several others for “balance” http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-08/bottle-to-throttle-a-short-history-of-drunk-pilots However, you make a strong case for the impact of the pressures on pilots (and their crews) and the lack of proper training, procedures and oversight of some of the airlines. I just found Flight so over the top that I could not give it a lot of space in my consideration. As to the Bond tribute…did not know about those who were unwilling to participate- shoots a hole right through it. The tribute- I have not looked at the TCM tribute. I will now. I found this list of Honorary Awards (which includes what is usually called Lifetime Achievement) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Honorary_Award I think this is the list of the Honorary Awards for 2013 (which actually get presented much earlier) http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/09/05/honorary-oscar-recipients-named-for-85th-academy-awards/ And yes, I clearly enjoyed the Awards more than you, but that is what makes for a variety of opinion. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On February 25, 2013 @ 9:23 pm Get your point and agree with it but who would watch the show you suggest (ratings) and who would sponsor such a show (paying for it and making money off of it). I know I am being crassly commercial here but money drives the bus in this. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On February 25, 2013 @ 7:53 pm McFarland is a talented entertainer. AND he did the job the Academy hired him to do. I have read that the host’s material is reviewed like a Congressional bill markup. So he was the image of what they wanted. Edgy, irreverent, saucy, sexist, and willing to give up the floor to the really big names. I think he succeeded. I have to admit that for me he night’s entertainment was the music program (background music, musical tributes, blockbuster songs and the talent for those really had their A game at work). I enjoyed Life of Pi as a fable and a fabulous visual experience. My heart was torn and my mind elevated by Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Amour. I loved the drama infused into Les Miserables which for most musical lovers has become a comfortable old shoe and needed a fresh approach. Argo was involving and “fun”. Django was weird (like Bastards last year) in taking history and twisting it such that it provides the stuff of irony and macabre inspiration as historical fantasy. Zero Dark Thirty was beautifully done in its detailed telling of 80 percent of the story of the Killing of Bin Laden and a total distortion of the truth for a vital 20 percent- which is why the film deserved to be shutout. And Lincoln….I think this film will grow on me. I really liked it when I saw it the first time because I admired the artistry and the accuracy (while knowing that the drama portrayed is a bit of a sham…the amendment was going to pass the question was by how much). BUT, when I saw it a second time I just let Lincoln be Lincoln and I became entranced by the power of the film and of Daniel Day Lewis’ entering into the heart of the emancipator. Lastly I have to recommend two documentaries: Searching for SugarMan about Rodriguez and How to Survive a Plague about the Aids Epidemic. TRUTH was on display in both in as raw a form as I have seen. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On February 25, 2013 @ 7:51 pm Hi Sally, I am with you in having enjoyed the show. I have a hard time deciding how a show compares with others once it moves into the “not boring” category. The ones in the boring category are dismissed but ranking the others is so dependent on how interested I was in the films that year. I thought this year was a relatively simple show and I liked that. Emphasis on the people which is why the Bond Tribute just did not seem to work. Had they assembled all of the Bonds, a bunch of the villains, and those beautiful ladies…NOW that would have been something…..it would have been its own show….so hard to see that happening. Now, the show did say it was going to salute great film music and that it did rather well- that was everywhere. One gets the impression that early on someone said “BOND at 50” and they got stuck with something that was not very doable. This is the first show I recall where I liked every musical number and I was touched by Barbara’s beautiful rendition of Memories (which ended up, for me, being a salute to all of those who have passed on). Why no “Andy”- actually why no “whole bunch of people” BECAUSE it is a BIG list….so what they do is pick a sampling from all of the categories. Think of how many people are involved in just one film. I liked the simplicity of it. Amour- see it. But I warn you, it hurts. For me Amour was very real and Flight was not. I had SO many problems with the premise. I have a friend who is a pilot and says that they are so watched and so tested that someone like this guy would have had any number of people blowing the whistle on him. AND his confession at the end did not just put him in jail- it would have led to ruined lives all around….so he is no hero, no way. Just my opinion of course. May I also recommend The Impossible (a film of mother/son love that is deeply moving AND real), Searching for Sugarman about Rodriguez touched my 60’s radical soul, and How to Survive a Plague put me back in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. I thought it was a very good year for film. And this Oscars was carried by that. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On February 25, 2013 @ 7:36 pm As always, Sue, you sound the trumpet that calls us to consider the deeper morality in the everyday. I actually I agree with you on the cases you list. Still I look at what the academy has done to elevate a variety of communication crafts and I respect that. I also look at the growing effort by the Academy to promote the arts more broadly. The Academy has become more socially aware and a number of the abuses you cite would be taken on today (I think). I have found the efforts to elevate the importance of documentaries especially important. And this year in the top picture categories the Academy has soluted several important films of conscience (head on – Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Les Miserables and at an angle Django and Zero Dark Thirty). Yes, the whole thing celebrates all the Me’s, Myselve’s and I’s out there for whom being a celebrity is the essence of being, but that comes with the territory and film culture seems to require that in a significant part of its universe. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On February 25, 2013 @ 7:20 pm WHAT I SAY WHEN I WALK AWAY FROM GROUPS THAT PURPORT TO BE OPEN AND COMMITTED TO DIALOGUE, BUT ARE NOT…….FEEL FREE TO CO-OPT ANY PART OF THIS THAT YOU MIGHT FIND OF USE…. “I have lost interest in groups like yours. The members are ill informed, narrow minded and combative driven by ignorance, fear, anxiety playing into mad conspiracy theories and faith in those who would bring down the Republic by undermining democratic institutions and supporting insurrection. I regard much of the membership as beyond redemption. Every moment spent on them is a moment when I could be moving forward and doing my best to to engage the like minded hoping to call them to action.” For What It’s Worth FEEL FREE TO BORROW FREELY FROM MY EFFORTS AND MAKE THEM YOUR OWN » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On June 6, 2022 @ 7:00 am State Rep. Ann Kelley, the Republican lawmaker from Lamar forgot that Thursday is the anniversary of last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol. It a coincidence that Kelley reserved the rotunda at the Missouri State Capitol for a rally hosted by Douglas Frank, a teacher from Ohio who claims he can prove the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. Can prove, he says, but never has. Frank and his supporters are big peddlers of the Big Lie. There is no proof to suggest “phantom voters” circumvented election results, as Frank falsely believes. The leaders of the State Senate and House of Representatives were among the many members of the General Assembly present for the presentation. Of note, no member of the executive or judicial branch attended. As they were gathering 100 volunteers from across the state were gathering at the State Democratic Party Office for the first of a series of training sessions for those who organize other volunteers to staff polling places and to report on irregularities. It was also a gathering for those who will be organizing the Democratic campaign in the state. They ended a packed day at 2nd Baptist Church of Jefferson City, a historically black congregation that is multi-racial, and cross socio-economic lines, in a culturally sensitive prayer service attended by several hundred. I was there along with half a dozen of fellow association members. No one thinks the Dems will win in Missouri. Democrats have systematically been pushed out of contention with labels like “socialist radicals”, “supporters of infant (pre-natal) murder, “unAmerican,” etc. It has been over a decade since Dems have done well in statewide elections and in most local elections. A careful process eroded their base and gerrymandering changed electoral representation. SO…why is the GOP doing so much to tilt elector law, organization, and structure such that the popular will can be circumvented? The GOP battle plan calls for Tidal Wave Wins in Red States; the GOP wave undermining Democrats in tossup states, a GOP wave encroaching on solid Democrat strongholds. They are ceding nothing. Democratic efforts in those state is to effectively counter that wave. » Posted By MurphtheSurf3 On January 7, 2022 @ 6:36 pm Birx is of the mind that it is best to give way to live to fight another day. I think her greatest fear is that only the idiots, fools, and madmen will remain as counselors to a man’s whose power is literally world ending. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On April 24, 2020 @ 3:39 pm If the critical mass of support in the House can be reached (which will have to include the Blue Dog Democrats*) that will be as a result of their belief that public support is sufficient to bolster their own reelection chances (which in turn bolsters the chances of holding onto the House and the Speakership), and the belief that such support will also put pressure on Senate GOP who are in vulnerable positions (and whose loss will weaken, or perhaps, maybe, fingers-crossed, end McConnell’s Dictatorial Hold on the Upper House)…..then the effort to create and pass articles of impeachment will move forward. That is how I see it and that is how nearly all of my politically minded and involved associates see it as well. *The Blue Dog Coalition, commonly known as the Blue Dogs or Blue Dog Democrats, is a caucus of United States Congressional Representatives from the Democratic Party who identify as fiscally-responsible, centrist Democrats. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 23, 2019 @ 6:47 am I am in agreement with this article re. Impeachment as it offers ideas that fit in with my own. Rubin’s Principal Argument re. why Pelosi has been slow walking the impeachment process raises an idea I had not given much consideration. Getting the public on board not only drives more members of the house to favor impeachment it also changes the game in the Senate. Rubin argues that a simple, easy to comprehend, egregious “crime” that can be sold easily to the public, be manageable by the public, and outrage the public is needed. She suggest we are the tipping point now. A particularly impressive paragraph stands out. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 22, 2019 @ 10:55 am How does the whistle blower protect himself given how the Trump Admin is handling the complaint….seemingly neutering its protections…..one idea….take the matter to the FBI….and lay it at their door……put it on the record…… Another related thought….where is the President of the Ukraine in all of this…surely he has a recording? Imagine if he were to come out…esp. as the man is a champion of the democratic principle. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 21, 2019 @ 9:16 am I AGREE WITH YOUR SENTIMENT! After the events of the last two weeks (with Lewandowski’s testimony, and the Ukraine Scenario foremost in my mind) I think the man needs to be impeached just as a matter of principle right now and to shape the presentation of his crimes for the electorate. But…..Of the 31 lawmakers from districts Trump won in 2016, only two — freshman Reps. Lauren Underwood of Illinois and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire — have backed impeachment The lack of movement among Trump-district Democrats is problematic for impeachment proponents: » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 21, 2019 @ 9:14 am Of the 31 lawmakers from districts Trump won in 2016, only two — freshman Reps. Lauren Underwood of Illinois and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire — have backed impeachment during the six-week-long congressional recess, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. “People in my district are wanting us to pass bills, and they fear that if we go down this path of impeachment, we’re not going to be working on the things that affect their lives, their pocketbooks, their kids,” said freshman Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who represents a Trump district and has yet to back an impeachment inquiry. The lack of movement among Trump-district Democrats is problematic for impeachment proponents: Senior Democrats have long considered such members to be a bellwether for broader impeachment sentiments. THERE ARE 235 DEMOCRATS IN THE HOUSE…MINUS 29 IS 206. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 21, 2019 @ 9:07 am Thanks » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 5, 2019 @ 8:38 am Sorry, I thought I did it the right way. I did not plan to remove any content but my own. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 5, 2019 @ 7:38 am I replied to these thoughts further down the thread to Kalima. You and another person are countering in the same vein. If interested please take a look. I left a response to this yesterday but it could be considered spamming since it was a repost of what I left for Kalima. I have removed it. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 5, 2019 @ 6:44 am I am suggesting a format under which she makes clear every aspect of the matter that might (and likely will) come up if she faces Trump in the General Election. It is what Obama did on race. It is what Hillary did not on a number of matters. The option to refer to such a statement is a weapon in the arsenal of rebuttal. This too is my opinion and when challenged to say explicitly what I believed she should address, I created a statement that I labeled as a proposal. I think there has been enough discussion of this from my perspective here so I am moving on. P.S. I mistakenly posted the core of this comment to you and two others who made a similar posted. This could be seen as spamming. Not my intention just an effort to keep from having to rewrite the statement in theree different ways. I have removed those posts. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 5, 2019 @ 6:42 am Not much speculation in this if its Trump and Warren on the same together. Trump will use the Pocahontas slam and Warren is well served by a ready, strong, and complete reply. And one that she has made a number of other times when asked so that it is part of the record and not something cobbled together for a debate. You want media playing the clips of her previous statements and the print media printing the quotes. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 4, 2019 @ 4:53 pm I bring it up because I see the issue as one that will trouble her campaign. I use as my marker in this the way that Obama handled the Jeremiah Wright “crisis” in his 2008 campaign. If you recall he made several precise statements, had his campaign release a position paper and then made a natioally televised address. From that point on when question he referred to his previous and full commentary. It worked. Ducking the story, hiding from the story, pretending the story does not have real impact and the potential for more is not wise approach in my opinion and from my experience. That Native Americans generally are supporting her is no surprise given her positions on many issues. Now perhaps I missed the statement where she addressed the issue in a way that picks up on several elements in the matter that have not been addressed. I would be happy to read it or view it. I need to say that I do not think that such a statement will neuter Trump or his allies/disciples but it will provide the base for a response to thse who are not in that camp and whose attention will be drawn to this. I think they will want answers. BTW the reply I wrote is actually what I have been saying (and writing) to those I know. I think it addresses all of the issues including those you cite in your comment. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 2, 2019 @ 10:04 am I bring it up because I see the issue as one that will trouble her campaign. I use as my marker in this the way that Obama handled the Jeremiah Wright “crisis” in his 2008 campaign. If you recall he made several precise statements, had his campaign release a position paper and then made a natioally televised address. From that point on when question he referred to his previous and full commentary. It worked. Ducking the story, hiding from the story, pretending the story does not have real impact and the potential for more is not wise approach in my opinion and from my experience. That Native Americans generally are supporting her is no surprise given her positions on many issues. Now perhaps I missed the statement where she addressed the issue in a way that picks up on several elements in the matter that have not been addressed. I would be happy to read it or view it. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 2, 2019 @ 9:52 am A Biden Win Could Create Long Term Trouble for the Dems The most convincing argument I have read for giving Biden a Pass in 2020. Sure……the former veep is “better than Trump.” But his presidency could sabotage the Democratic Party’s future. https://planetpov.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/image.png » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 1, 2019 @ 2:34 pm https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/5c990a586b526549100aec56-1136-568.jpg I have already seen the nickname “Fauxcohontas” at several sites in reference to Elizabeth Warren’s clam of Native American Heritage…..This newest “handle” is apparently meant to focus on the false nature of her claim. I have been asked WHAT WARREN COULD SAY that I think would be stronger, fuller, more complete. Well…. Warren’s most recent statement is this one: “Like anyone who is beng honest with themselves I know I have made mistakes. … I am sorry for the harm I have caused. I have listened and I have learned a lot, and I am grateful for the many conversations that we’ve had together,” (August 20 in Sioux City, Iowa) At that event she offered a series of propals related to indigenous peoples. Afterwards reporters asked what mistake is she referring to and what was the nature of the mistake Here is a statement that, in my opinion, would deal with all of these concerns……… “Look, when I was growing up family lore said that we had a lot in common with Indian neighbors because we had Indian Blood. The facts are that Houston Crawford’, my great grandfather, had on and off troubled relationships with the native peoples here. My mother, Pauline Reed, heard a different story from her mother and she passed it on to me, and I grew up with that version of our family history. I never questioned it. Now I knew that the relationship was I beleived to be tangential and distant….(which is why I never made claims that would have an impact on my status as a student, as an attorney and as an academic.) It is in running for the nomination that i did the research that has led me to include that if there is any genetic connection between myself and native peoples it is not provable and minor, in any case. I do understand that there are those who have consciously made false claims in order to gain advantage from them. That is very harmful and I deplore it. I never did this but I want to take the opportunity here and now to condemn it. “ WHAT DO YOU THINK? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 1, 2019 @ 10:22 am SMALLEST TRUMP RALLY EVER? LIKELY Don Jr likes to brag about his crowd sizes and to mock those of others. His latest in Kentucky for Matt Bevin who is running for another disastrous term as governor had an itty-bitty crowd but there were lots of people willing to mock it like me….CHECK IT OUT AT HP. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 30, 2019 @ 9:53 am I am interested in how those who are championing Elizabeth Warren would suggest she handle the issue presented in this post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elizabeth-warren-cherokee-apology_n_5d5ed7e6e4b0dfcbd48a1b01 Elizabeth Warren Has Spent Her Adult Life Repeating A Lie. I Want Her To Tell The Truth. by Rebecca Nagle, Guest Writer Key lines: “In all of her apologizing, Warren has never let go of her family story. After spending her entire adult life repeating a lie, I simply want Warren to tell the truth…..The story of Warren‘s family traces the history of Cherokee Nation, but we sit on opposite sides of that history. Like many other white families, Warren’s ancestors replaced the truth of their complicity in Cherokee dispossession with a tale of being Cherokee. If that’s not wrong, if that’s not racist, I don’t know what is….The center of this controversy is not Warren’s political career, it is Cherokee sovereignty and self-determination. I do not fault Warren for believing what she was told as a child. But in 2019, Warren isn’t a kid anymore. She is a United States senator running for president. If she is not in a position that demands accountability and truth, who is?” MY QUESTIONS: Is this a real problem for her? If it is, what should she do about? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 23, 2019 @ 2:24 pm https://miro.medium.com/max/495/1*UVW2aPIcoIc2NZQ3hStoXQ.png We are nearly three months into the post-Yabberz years. NewYabz on Facebook is up and running. So is a redesigned PlanetPOV. I am happy that a number of Yabberz Folk are finding NewYabz a good place to stay connected. I have seen some thoughtful posts. What I have seen little of is robust conversation. I find Facebook’s structure challenging in this regard. I generally find navigation at Facebook is designed to keep people bouncing off of each other as a way of expanding the crowd. And that does serve a purpose but it does not seem to promote serious discussion and complex interactions. PlanetPOV has the structure to support both serious discussion and complex interactions. You click on a story/article and you go to a page that is mostly that post. You can engage in a long conversation running 100 plus comments. There are some challenges there. 1) It can be hard to figure out who is talking to who. 2) Writing a short post is very easy but writing a long one, an article, requires basic mastery of the WordPress design page. That can seem very daunting. It takes a bit of study. It takes some patience. It takes practice. But once you have done it a few times, it’s easy. AND you can publish really sharp, good looking articles with great images, color, lots of graphic and text choices. The thing is that only a handful of people are doing it. I have done a bit of research. It seems that sites like The Planet are disappearing (as Yabberz did). Political blog activity is shrinking. Everywhere. Sites that I have participated in that were robust are trudging along and quite a few are gone. This search page provides a number of articles addressing the issue: I have been searching for a blog that has the attributes that made Yabberz as inviting and as active as it was (at least for a few years). So, far I have found nothing close. Ad Lib, a Founder and Administrator at The Planet, is continuing to work on design elements but functionally The Planet is currently a very versatile platform with a great notification system that utilizes e mail. Is Medium as an alternative? Well, it is a good design platform. Easy to use and good looking but as to interaction. Hard to find much at all. Very hard. Maybe I am looking for something that is past its time. Maybe I am missing something of vital importance. But, for me, dialogue, serious and highly interactive discussion, is vital in a republic. So, I ask you……where are you in this? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 19, 2019 @ 8:13 pm From the Baltimore Sun’s FIERY Sunday Editorial in response to Donald Trumps attack on Elijah Cummings and the City he represents….. “We would tell the most dishonest man to ever occupy the Oval Office, the mocker of war heroes, the gleeful grabber of women’s private parts, the serial bankrupter of businesses, the useful idiot of Vladimir Putin and the guy who insisted there are ‘good people’ among murderous neo-Nazis that he’s still not fooling most Americans into believing he’s even slightly competent in his current post.” I intend to post this at every opportunity. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On July 29, 2019 @ 2:06 am And in recent days that stark reality has been laid out several times by several parties. He is pretending he has a card hand full of kings and aces, when, in reality, there is no one else sitting at the table. Their cards are laid down and out….and he cannot beat them. Game over I think. Only he appears to be in denial….what the hell is wrong with the conservatives! » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On July 26, 2019 @ 6:19 pm https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Matador.JPG » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On July 25, 2019 @ 8:51 am And the Trump administration has permitted one exception after another that have undermined the ACA, the supplementary nutrition for families program, worker protections and so much mmore. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On July 25, 2019 @ 8:19 am Point well taken. If his government is seen as one that is not responding to the nation’s sentiment on this matter then opposition parties will be emboldened to challenge his government and call for votes of confidence….since Prime Ministers are like Speakers of the House (named by their Parties to lead) holding their majority is essential and the ultimate test of their leadership. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On July 25, 2019 @ 7:36 amComments Posted By MurphTheSurf3
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I have shared this with several individuals here in conversation about decisions to leave groups that purport to be diverse socially and politically but are, in fact, the opposite of that. Most recently I have resigned from “Dabiscan” and “The American Conservative.” When asked why by members of those groups who have contact with me on other channels here is how I reply…….
FWIW
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/22/passing-tipping-point-impeachment/
“Given all that, impeachment may look very different. A single article of impeachment based on an incontrovertible abuse of power would make Democrats’ job much easier. The difficultly that at-risk Republicans face in explaining to voters why they countenance such conduct begins to outweigh any downside for Democrats in pursuing impeachment, even if the eventual outcome is acquittal in the Senate.”
1) Senior Democrats have long considered such members to be a bellwether for broader impeachment sentiments.
2) But there is another problem, a bedrock problem…..435 members of the House. 218 needed to pass impeachment articles. There are 235 Democrats in t he House. Right now there is nowhere near enough members favoring impeachment AND, presuming that most of 29 Red District Dems will not back the effort…..that leaves 206 Dems AT MOST who would vote for it.
THERE ARE 435 MEMBERS SITTING IN THE HOUSE. A MAJORITY IS NEEDED TO PASS ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT…1/2 PLUS 1 IS 218.
ELIZABETH WARREN AND THE “INDIAN” QUESTION
POST YABBERZ: WHERE ARE WE AND ARE WE WHERE WE WANT TO BE…………
https://www.google.com/search?q=serious+blogging+is+dying&oq=serious+blogging+is+dying&aqs=chrome..69i57.7488j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
There are plenty of places to post comments but there is very little energy anywhere.
Now maybe I am missing something obvious. Maybe, I just don’t know how to get around at Facebook and I am missing great, serious conversation among a number of community members. If so, enlighten me, please.
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