Friday, November 23, 2012
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Obama & Martin Luther King
President Obama will be inaugurated on the day we celebrate the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Colorado & Washington State
I'm waiting to see how many of my friends will move to Colorado & Washington State
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Monday, November 05, 2012
Election 2012
Alright it's time to talk about the 2012 elections. I have been strugglin to make sense of this election. At first glance, the question immediately arises: How is it possible for anyone who isn't in the 1% to imagine Mitt Romney as president of the U.S. But then the the answer becomes obvious. As Charles M Blow writes in the NYT, "We have a very racially divided electorate." He refers to a report in the WaPo, which says: "Obama has a deficit of 23 percentage points, trailing Republican Mit Romney 60 percent to 37 percent among whites. According to the latest Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll." He also says: "The report also says that nearly 80 percent of non-whites support Obama, while 91 percent of Romney's supporters are white". ("The Company Romney Keeps", NYT, 10/27/12) This argument is echoed by University of British Columbia political scientist Bruce Baum in a letter criticizing a NYT book review (10/14/12): "But [Mark] Lilla [the reviewer] is looking for answers in the wrong places as he misses the obvious: conservative responses to Obama are mediated - sometimes unconsciously - by the legacy of racism and white racial myopia in the United States. That is the 'something else.'
"Public opinion researchers have found that because Obama is identified - and self-identifies - as Black, he has become a lightning rod for white racial resentment and status anxieties despite his moderate policies. Moreover, as a Democrat, Obama is leading a party that has lost a majority of white votes in every presidential election since 1968, largely because many white Americans associate Democrats with support for minority interests and welfare dependency."
It's incredible that nearly 50 years after the march from Selma to Montgomery. (March 7, 1965) the U.S. is still as racially divided. And this election will ultimately turn on this. We can't let that happen.
There is another aspect to the election which needs to be taken into account. This election is, according to some analysts a choice of what kind of capitalism we want to define our country. The version represented by Romney and, particularly Ryan, which has been characterized as "a more cutthroat form of capitalism than most other industrial nations" have adopted. And "our cutthroat approach to capitalism has extracted high social costs". "Yet though we seem to suffer more than our fair share of social ills, by the O.E.C.D. Calculation our public spending to address them is smaller as a share of the economy than in any other country in the developed world." The alternative version of capitalism, offered by Obama sees "the government as an agent to assist" those who have been left out of the so-called American success story (ie. the 99%). Although it may be clear to many of us (perhaps a growing number) that neither form of capitalism can work for the vast majority of the American people and it's very unlikely that the version of capitalism favored by Obama would in any way mirror even European Social Democracy. But as with his relatively weak & lackluster response to the latest capitalist crisis, something is sometimes better than nothing.
To top it all off Romney/Ryan are reduced to arguments like this. "The country's economic problems are large and deeply rooted in overreaching Washington policies." (Jonathan M. Trugman, NY Post, 11/4/12) or perhaps the killer of all:
The Republicans in order to defeat Obama have stood in the way of all attempts by the President & the Democrats to compromise & pass needed legislation. Now they have the unmitigated gall to argue that if Obama wins it will be impossible to arrive at any compromises, but if Romney wins compromise will be possible. That used to be called a protection racket. "If you vote for Obama, we'll break your legs."
So all this leads me to reluctantly support Obama. But next time no "lesser of two evils".
But ultimately what is most important is to remember is, as Robert Reich has said, "In my experience, nothing good happens in Washington unless good people outside Washington become mobilized, organized and energized to make it happen. Nothing worth changing in America will actually change unless you [we] and others like you [us] are committed to achieving that change." ("Beyond Outrage: What has Gone wrong with our Economy and our Democracy, and how to fix it").
"Public opinion researchers have found that because Obama is identified - and self-identifies - as Black, he has become a lightning rod for white racial resentment and status anxieties despite his moderate policies. Moreover, as a Democrat, Obama is leading a party that has lost a majority of white votes in every presidential election since 1968, largely because many white Americans associate Democrats with support for minority interests and welfare dependency."
It's incredible that nearly 50 years after the march from Selma to Montgomery. (March 7, 1965) the U.S. is still as racially divided. And this election will ultimately turn on this. We can't let that happen.
There is another aspect to the election which needs to be taken into account. This election is, according to some analysts a choice of what kind of capitalism we want to define our country. The version represented by Romney and, particularly Ryan, which has been characterized as "a more cutthroat form of capitalism than most other industrial nations" have adopted. And "our cutthroat approach to capitalism has extracted high social costs". "Yet though we seem to suffer more than our fair share of social ills, by the O.E.C.D. Calculation our public spending to address them is smaller as a share of the economy than in any other country in the developed world." The alternative version of capitalism, offered by Obama sees "the government as an agent to assist" those who have been left out of the so-called American success story (ie. the 99%). Although it may be clear to many of us (perhaps a growing number) that neither form of capitalism can work for the vast majority of the American people and it's very unlikely that the version of capitalism favored by Obama would in any way mirror even European Social Democracy. But as with his relatively weak & lackluster response to the latest capitalist crisis, something is sometimes better than nothing.
To top it all off Romney/Ryan are reduced to arguments like this. "The country's economic problems are large and deeply rooted in overreaching Washington policies." (Jonathan M. Trugman, NY Post, 11/4/12) or perhaps the killer of all:
The Republicans in order to defeat Obama have stood in the way of all attempts by the President & the Democrats to compromise & pass needed legislation. Now they have the unmitigated gall to argue that if Obama wins it will be impossible to arrive at any compromises, but if Romney wins compromise will be possible. That used to be called a protection racket. "If you vote for Obama, we'll break your legs."
So all this leads me to reluctantly support Obama. But next time no "lesser of two evils".
But ultimately what is most important is to remember is, as Robert Reich has said, "In my experience, nothing good happens in Washington unless good people outside Washington become mobilized, organized and energized to make it happen. Nothing worth changing in America will actually change unless you [we] and others like you [us] are committed to achieving that change." ("Beyond Outrage: What has Gone wrong with our Economy and our Democracy, and how to fix it").
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Halloween
From our house to yours "Happy Halloween" may life provide you with many more treats than tricks
Halloween 👻👽 cancelled 😢😱
N.J. Idiot governor, Chris Christie, cancelled Halloween. But god didn't get the message, yesterday was one hell of a trick
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Thursday, October 04, 2012
A Nationally-Televised Presidential Fail
I didn't watch last night's debate but all I hear is that Romney lied his way through it and Obama let him get away with all the lies. And that Jim Lehrer behaved like a substitute NFL referee
A Nationally-Televised Presidential Fail
A Nationally-Televised Presidential Fail
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Barry Commoner & Eric J. Hobsbawm
In the last few days we've lost two giants of the people's movements: Barry Commoner on Sunday and Eric J. Hobsbawm on Monday.
Commoner (1917-2012) was probably the better known partially because he was American and because he was
Influential in several important moments in our history. "His work", according to the NYT, "on the global effects of radioactive fallout...contributed materially to the adoption of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963." He also was a key mover in establishing the first Earth Day in 1970. Although with little success (234,000 votes), he also ran for president on the Citizens' Party ticket in 1980. He also founded the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems first in St. Louis & then brought it with him to Queens College in 1981. What differentiated his thinking from many others on the Left was his understanding that Capitalism was at the core of our problems (racism, inequality, male domination and our destruction of the earth on which we live). His view that all things are tied together and can't be dealt with separately - although the Times attributes it to an understanding of Marxism - also mirrors the world view of indigenous people that all things form a circle. Stephen Jay Gould is quoted saying of him: "Although he has been branded by many as a maverick, I regard him as right and compassionate on nearly every major issue." That sounds to me like a perfect epitaph.
Hobsbawm (1917-2012), being British and a Communist academic, is less known in wider popular U.S. circles. But just as Commoner transformed the study of ecology, Hobsbawm and his cohorts in the historians group in the British Communist Party brought the study of history into the 20th century. As did Howard Zinn in the U.S., they focused on people's movements to explain historical change. This group included Christopher Hill, E.P. Thompson, and Raymond Williams. Hobsbawm's major contribution is contained in his 4-volume history of the development of capitalism: (1) "The age of Revolution, 1789-1848"; (2) "The Age of Capital, 1848-1875"; (3) "The Age of Empire: 1875-1914"; (4) "The Age of Extremes: 1914-1991." His most recent book is "How to Change the World/ Reflections on Marx and Marxism." There is one more still to be published, "Interesting Times". Many of us who were in college and graduate school in the 60s and 70s learned history from the work of these scholars.
There is at least one point on which Hobsbawm and Commoner would agree. Hobsbawm writes in his latest book: "As the spectacular expansion of the global economy has undermined the environment, the need to control unlimited economic growth has become increasingly urgent. There is a patent conflict between the need to reverse or at least to control the impact of our economy on the biosphere and the imperatives of a capitalist market: maximum continuing growth in the search for profit. This is the Achilles heel of capitalism. We cannot at present know whose arrow will be fatal to it."
Commoner (1917-2012) was probably the better known partially because he was American and because he was
Influential in several important moments in our history. "His work", according to the NYT, "on the global effects of radioactive fallout...contributed materially to the adoption of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963." He also was a key mover in establishing the first Earth Day in 1970. Although with little success (234,000 votes), he also ran for president on the Citizens' Party ticket in 1980. He also founded the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems first in St. Louis & then brought it with him to Queens College in 1981. What differentiated his thinking from many others on the Left was his understanding that Capitalism was at the core of our problems (racism, inequality, male domination and our destruction of the earth on which we live). His view that all things are tied together and can't be dealt with separately - although the Times attributes it to an understanding of Marxism - also mirrors the world view of indigenous people that all things form a circle. Stephen Jay Gould is quoted saying of him: "Although he has been branded by many as a maverick, I regard him as right and compassionate on nearly every major issue." That sounds to me like a perfect epitaph.
Hobsbawm (1917-2012), being British and a Communist academic, is less known in wider popular U.S. circles. But just as Commoner transformed the study of ecology, Hobsbawm and his cohorts in the historians group in the British Communist Party brought the study of history into the 20th century. As did Howard Zinn in the U.S., they focused on people's movements to explain historical change. This group included Christopher Hill, E.P. Thompson, and Raymond Williams. Hobsbawm's major contribution is contained in his 4-volume history of the development of capitalism: (1) "The age of Revolution, 1789-1848"; (2) "The Age of Capital, 1848-1875"; (3) "The Age of Empire: 1875-1914"; (4) "The Age of Extremes: 1914-1991." His most recent book is "How to Change the World/ Reflections on Marx and Marxism." There is one more still to be published, "Interesting Times". Many of us who were in college and graduate school in the 60s and 70s learned history from the work of these scholars.
There is at least one point on which Hobsbawm and Commoner would agree. Hobsbawm writes in his latest book: "As the spectacular expansion of the global economy has undermined the environment, the need to control unlimited economic growth has become increasingly urgent. There is a patent conflict between the need to reverse or at least to control the impact of our economy on the biosphere and the imperatives of a capitalist market: maximum continuing growth in the search for profit. This is the Achilles heel of capitalism. We cannot at present know whose arrow will be fatal to it."
Monday, October 01, 2012
Presidential debates
ABC has the greatest commercial ever. "Wednesday, the first presidential debates" followed immediately by a screen that says: "Comedy Wednesday." Best description ever of Tbe presidential debates.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
This is this morning's Democracy Now. It does two things(1)It debuts Bill Moyers expose of ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), one of the most dangerous weapons in the Republican arsenal and (2)It broadcasts Julian Assange's message to the UN and discusses WIKILEAKS,after doicuments are said to show it was designated "an enemy of the people". Clearly the U.S. government & vampires share at least one characteristic - neither can stand the sunlight.
http://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/wbai_120927_080006dn.mp3
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
"Romney seeks to sharpen message on his Agenda"
From today's NYT: "With the time dwindling for him to gain an edge😃 in the presidential race and with an outbreak of finger-pointing👎 signaling trouble in his campaign 😃, Mitt Romney plans to begin an offensive this week, his aids said, seeking to give voters a clearer picture of where he wants to take the country"
Well! If he provides even a remotely honest "picture of where he wants to take the country," an action I'm not sure he is capable of doing, he will clearly alienate any sane voters still considering voting for him.
Well! If he provides even a remotely honest "picture of where he wants to take the country," an action I'm not sure he is capable of doing, he will clearly alienate any sane voters still considering voting for him.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Akin for the Truth: How Are US Religious Fundamentalists Any Different Than Middle Eastern Ones?
I have thought for some time: "Why are U.S. fundamentalists different from Middle Eastern fundamentalists?"
Akin for the Truth: How Are US Religious Fundamentalists Any Different Than Middle Eastern Ones?
Akin for the Truth: How Are US Religious Fundamentalists Any Different Than Middle Eastern Ones?
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Paul Ryan Goddam! | The Nation
Melissa Harris Perry is one of the best analysts here's her take on Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan Goddam! | The Nation
Paul Ryan Goddam! | The Nation
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Guardian.co.uk - Julian Assange asylum: Ecuador is right to stand up to the US
Julian Asange has been granted asylum by the Ecuadoran govt. This move is intended to avoid his
extradition to Sweden
from where he would most likely be turned over to the U.S. to be tried for treason. The Swedish gov't has been offered the opportunity to question Asange about alleged sexual crimes in the Ecuadoran Embassy - they have refused. It would seem as if both Britain & Sweden are acting as agents of the U.S. in this case
Guardian.co.uk - Julian Assange asylum: Ecuador is right to stand up to the US
Low hanging clouds over Mt. Chocorua
Low hanging clouds over Mt. Chocorua (from the Chocuroa Heights Development down the road from World Fellowship)
Sunday, August 12, 2012
World Fellowship - outside Lloyd Lodge
When all is said and done, this is why I come to World Fellowship 
"Occupy Obama" @ World Fellowship
Chris Owens led a lively discussion of Obama at World Fellowship this morning
About those who can
For a while I've been leaning toward a new version of an old saw:
Those who can do,
Those who can't go into politics.
But after a rousing World Fellowship discussion of Obama this morning which veered into a discussion of teacher evaluations I have a new version:
Those who can do,
Those who can't evaluate those who do
Those who can do,
Those who can't go into politics.
But after a rousing World Fellowship discussion of Obama this morning which veered into a discussion of teacher evaluations I have a new version:
Those who can do,
Those who can't evaluate those who do
Friday, August 10, 2012
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
"Hope Springs"
"Hope Springs"
Directed by David Frankel
Written by Vanessa Taylor
Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones & Steve Carrell
Last week we saw "Hope Springs" at a NYT Film Club screening. The first thought that entered my mind while watching it was wow, an American movie about people over 25 without a gun or a badge, amazing. But then you will be swept away by two of the best performances we'll see this year. Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones are at the absolute peake of their form. I doubt that any other American actors could have done as great a job as they do. If Jones and Streep are not nominated for Oscars this year, the awards won't be worth a damn. One more word about the acting: I think both have often used aspects of the character to create their performances (Streep is famous for her accents) in "Hope Springs" they are fully exposed with nothing between each of them and the camera except their talent and basic human understanding.
The story is essentially very simple. After 30 odd years of marriage Kay (Streep) and Arnold (Jones) have grown apart (to say the least). They don't talk, they don't touch, they don't even sleep in the same room. Kay grows tired of this situation and wants more. She finds a couples therapist (Steve Carrell) on the shelf in a bookstore and virtually demands that an extremely reluctant Arnold join her for therapy in the furthest reaches of Maine. I don't think it will give anything away to say that the rest of the film deals with Their struggle to either save or destroy their Marriage. Kay is unwilling to settle for the status quo and Arnold wants to keep everything as it is. Who wins and how it turns out for their marriage is what the film is all about. And it's a struggle that's worth sharing with them even if at times it might make you a bit uncomfortable. It did me.
"Hipe Springs" is a very real story about real people - not the usual Hillywood fantasies - struggling to find a way to live in a very complicated and destructive world. We need more films like this.
Directed by David Frankel
Written by Vanessa Taylor
Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones & Steve Carrell
Last week we saw "Hope Springs" at a NYT Film Club screening. The first thought that entered my mind while watching it was wow, an American movie about people over 25 without a gun or a badge, amazing. But then you will be swept away by two of the best performances we'll see this year. Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones are at the absolute peake of their form. I doubt that any other American actors could have done as great a job as they do. If Jones and Streep are not nominated for Oscars this year, the awards won't be worth a damn. One more word about the acting: I think both have often used aspects of the character to create their performances (Streep is famous for her accents) in "Hope Springs" they are fully exposed with nothing between each of them and the camera except their talent and basic human understanding.
The story is essentially very simple. After 30 odd years of marriage Kay (Streep) and Arnold (Jones) have grown apart (to say the least). They don't talk, they don't touch, they don't even sleep in the same room. Kay grows tired of this situation and wants more. She finds a couples therapist (Steve Carrell) on the shelf in a bookstore and virtually demands that an extremely reluctant Arnold join her for therapy in the furthest reaches of Maine. I don't think it will give anything away to say that the rest of the film deals with Their struggle to either save or destroy their Marriage. Kay is unwilling to settle for the status quo and Arnold wants to keep everything as it is. Who wins and how it turns out for their marriage is what the film is all about. And it's a struggle that's worth sharing with them even if at times it might make you a bit uncomfortable. It did me.
"Hipe Springs" is a very real story about real people - not the usual Hillywood fantasies - struggling to find a way to live in a very complicated and destructive world. We need more films like this.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Guardian.co.uk - Wealth doesn't trickle down – it just floods offshore, research reveals
This study of the amount of tax dollars that are stolen from the nations where the wealth is made is almost surely one of the main reasons Romney refuses to release more than a piddling two years of tax returns. Where is Romney's wealth?
Guardian.co.uk - Wealth doesn't trickle down – it just floods offshore, research reveals
Guardian.co.uk - Wealth doesn't trickle down – it just floods offshore, research reveals
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Farewell, Alex, My Friend » Counterpunch
It was possible to have often disagreed with Alex Cockburn and still believe it's important to recognize his contribution to our struggle and know he will be missed.
Farewell, Alex, My Friend » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Farewell, Alex, My Friend » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Recent right-wing nonsense
Mitt Romney: "To say something like that is not just foolishness, it's insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in America."
What is "that"? Obama said that if an entrepreneur succeeds in business that he or she doesn't do it on his or her own but with the help of others and a government built infrastructure. Romney says that's insulting to every entrepreneur. I wish we could just LOL. In any sane society this man would be made to sit in the corner with a dunce hat on his head. In this society he is running for president.
Michael Goodwin in today's (7/22/12) N.Y. Post: "It was inevitable that a left-leaning news organization would be the first to inject politics into the Colorado massacre story."
Which "left-leaning publication" could he be talking about? He goes on: "ABC News performed down to type..." It certainly is nice to welcome ABC into the family of "left-leaning publications".
"I believe it was all god's plan and for me to second guess it or judge it...." So said George Zimmerman about his shooting and killing unarmed teen Trevon Martin. it would seem, if Zimmerman was carrying out amyone's plan, it was much more the devil's plan he was carrying out. But I suspect it was his own.
How much more insanity do we have to put up with before we collectively say Basta! Enough insanity.
What is "that"? Obama said that if an entrepreneur succeeds in business that he or she doesn't do it on his or her own but with the help of others and a government built infrastructure. Romney says that's insulting to every entrepreneur. I wish we could just LOL. In any sane society this man would be made to sit in the corner with a dunce hat on his head. In this society he is running for president.
Michael Goodwin in today's (7/22/12) N.Y. Post: "It was inevitable that a left-leaning news organization would be the first to inject politics into the Colorado massacre story."
Which "left-leaning publication" could he be talking about? He goes on: "ABC News performed down to type..." It certainly is nice to welcome ABC into the family of "left-leaning publications".
"I believe it was all god's plan and for me to second guess it or judge it...." So said George Zimmerman about his shooting and killing unarmed teen Trevon Martin. it would seem, if Zimmerman was carrying out amyone's plan, it was much more the devil's plan he was carrying out. But I suspect it was his own.
How much more insanity do we have to put up with before we collectively say Basta! Enough insanity.
Monday, July 16, 2012
"Fuel on the Fire": Author Greg Muttit on Oil and Politics in Occupied Iraq.
If you remember in 2004 & 2005 (and Chelsea neighbors even now)at every anti-war demonstration there were signs declaring "No Blood For Oil" and all the administration denials. Now we learn in Greg Muttit's new book "Fuel on the Fire" & in this interview from Democracy Now this morning that the spilling of American, allied & mainly Iraqui blood was in fact spilled to
enrich the oil companies. They seem to be the main beneficiaries of the invasion & occupation.
"Fuel on the Fire": Author Greg Muttit on Oil and Politics in Occupied Iraq, Arab Spring
enrich the oil companies. They seem to be the main beneficiaries of the invasion & occupation.
"Fuel on the Fire": Author Greg Muttit on Oil and Politics in Occupied Iraq, Arab Spring
Friday, July 13, 2012
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Woody Guthrie at 100: Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, Will Kaufman Honor the "Dust Bowl Troubadour"
Who better to acknowledge the founding of the U.S. than Woodie Guthrie & Pete Seeger. Who better to cut through the triumphalism that pollutes the air on July 4th. Here they are:
Woody Guthrie at 100: Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, Will Kaufman Honor the "Dust Bowl Troubadour"
Woody Guthrie at 100: Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, Will Kaufman Honor the "Dust Bowl Troubadour"
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Democracy Now! Live Coverage of U.S. Supreme Court Healthcare Ruling: Tune in Thursday 10-11am EDT
Despite the obvious inadequacied of the health-care law, it is a desperately needed 1st step needed by most of the 99%. If the Supes decide against it they will be acting to defeat Obama not uphold the Constitution, which of course is their sworn duty.
Democracy Now! Live Coverage of U.S. Supreme Court Healthcare Ruling: Tune in Thursday 10-11am EDT
Democracy Now! Live Coverage of U.S. Supreme Court Healthcare Ruling: Tune in Thursday 10-11am EDT
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Opinion: Some Dems turning on Obama - by Juan Williams (TheHill.com)
The Republicans can't hurt Obama without help from right-wing Democrats. It seems that now they have it. Of course, it's been there all along, remember the congressional fight over the health-care law - Blue Dog Democrats were fighting Obama even then, but it seems to be getting worse.
Opinion: Some Dems turning on Obama - by Juan Williams (TheHill.com)
Opinion: Some Dems turning on Obama - by Juan Williams (TheHill.com)
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Luke Kirby last night
Luke Kirby, one of the stars of "Take This Waltz", last night at The Sunshine Cinemas (on East Houston St.) after a Q&A following the NYT Film Club screening of the film
(photo by Dan Cohen)
(photo by Dan Cohen)
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
PACBI-Letter from Alice Walker to Publishers at Yediot Books
This is a letter from Alice Walker to an Israeli publisher explaining why she won't let them translate "The Color Purple" into Hebrew and publish it.
PACBI-Letter from Alice Walker to Publishers at Yediot Books
PACBI-Letter from Alice Walker to Publishers at Yediot Books
Friday, June 08, 2012
Who are the immigrants?
"A fitting response to AZ's desire to repeal the 14th Amendment"
This photo, I stole from Emma's Revolution's website, says it all
Monday, June 04, 2012
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Maple Spring: Nearly 1,000 Arrested as Mass Quebec Student Strike Passes 100th Day
Here's the full story from this morming's "Democracy Now"
Maple Spring: Nearly 1,000 Arrested as Mass Quebec Student Strike Passes 100th Day
Maple Spring: Nearly 1,000 Arrested as Mass Quebec Student Strike Passes 100th Day
Maple Spring: Nearly 1,000 Arrested As Mass Quebec Student Strike Passes 100th Day
Have you seen/heard anything about this on our corporate-owned media? No, quelle surprise!
Maple Spring: Nearly 1,000 Arrested As Mass Quebec Student Strike Passes 100th Day
Maple Spring: Nearly 1,000 Arrested As Mass Quebec Student Strike Passes 100th Day
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Eugene Polley, 1915-2012
The next time your sitting on the sofa and turn on the TV or change channels or, most importantly, silence a commercial look at the device in your hand and think of Eugene Polley, its inventor. Mr. Polley died on Sunday. Yes, it's sadly true that he got paid only a thousand dollar bonus by his employer Zenith (capitalism, anyone) & his invention was replaced by one more like the remote in your hand developed by another Zenith employee, Robert Adler. It has also, as the NYT suggests, "caused decades of domestic discord." (We solve that problem by having two remotes.)
Ultimately Mr. Polley provided his own eulogy (NYT again): "The flush toilet may have been the most civilized invention ever devised, but the remote control is the next most important. It's almost as important as sex."
Let's applaude the creator of one of the only twentieth century inventions that doesn't kill people or bring down the economy. Something very rare indeed.
Ultimately Mr. Polley provided his own eulogy (NYT again): "The flush toilet may have been the most civilized invention ever devised, but the remote control is the next most important. It's almost as important as sex."
Let's applaude the creator of one of the only twentieth century inventions that doesn't kill people or bring down the economy. Something very rare indeed.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Maurice Sendak has gone where the wild things are😱
After giving us many years of pleasure both as children 👫and then again as adults👨👵 Maurice Sendak has gone where the wild things are😪💔
Monday, April 30, 2012
The Republican alternate reality/fantasy
It's becoming abundantly clear that the Republicans live in a reality quite different from the rest of us. In some worlds this is called insanity, in the U.S. today it's called the "Republican brain" (an oxymoron?)
A pox on one of your houses
A pox on one of your houses
Friday, April 20, 2012
Emily Montague @ Tribecca Film Festival
Since I live around the corner from the Tribecca Film Festival I always take my camera with me when I go shopping. Here's Emily Montague one of the stars of "Resolution"
Occupy This Album
I just heard a number of cuts from this album - "Occupy This Album" (due out May 15) - on Delphine Blue's "Shocking Blue" on WBAI. Matt Pless wrote & performed this song at Zuccotti Park during the occupation.
Occupy This Album
Occupy This Album
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Ann Romney: Not exactly "Wages for Housework"
The latest campaign kerfuffle, which has occupied all the empty space in the corporate media, after a somewhat silly Obama supporter said of Ann Romney that she "hasn't worked a day in her life." When you first hear the comment it sounds like a put down of women who stay home to care for children. But then let's remember who we are talking about: Ann Romney, wife of multi-millionaire, presidential candidate Mitt Romney. When she says: "My career choice was to be a mom." We're not talking about most women in this society, who work at full-time jobs and then go home to their second "career" being a mom.
The question the corporate media and, unfortunately, the Democrats aren't asking is, how much did Ann Romney actually work in her chosen career? That's essentially what separates her from the few other women who are even able to make that career choice. This is not exactly akin to "wages for housework." I suspect that quite a number of people worked hard keeping the Romney's house and taking care of the Romney boys, but I doubt very much that it was Ann Romney. In fact, as an accomplished equestrian, who has won a number of Grand Prix awards, she has spent as much of her time with her horses as in her chosen career. Now let's talk about the growing inequality in this country and the Republican/Tea Party orchestrated war on 99% of women.
The question the corporate media and, unfortunately, the Democrats aren't asking is, how much did Ann Romney actually work in her chosen career? That's essentially what separates her from the few other women who are even able to make that career choice. This is not exactly akin to "wages for housework." I suspect that quite a number of people worked hard keeping the Romney's house and taking care of the Romney boys, but I doubt very much that it was Ann Romney. In fact, as an accomplished equestrian, who has won a number of Grand Prix awards, she has spent as much of her time with her horses as in her chosen career. Now let's talk about the growing inequality in this country and the Republican/Tea Party orchestrated war on 99% of women.
Inequality in the U.S.
93% of all the wealth created bt. 1009-10 went to the top 1% in U.S.
(Sen. Bernie Sanders, "Breakfast with Bernie", The Thom Hartman Show)
(Sen. Bernie Sanders, "Breakfast with Bernie", The Thom Hartman Show)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Ozzie Guillen suspended for speaking his mind
Manager Ozzie Guillen was suspended for at least five games by the Miami Marlins and Major League Baseball for saying:
"I respect Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that mother fucker is still here."Clearly if you work for Major League Baseball and the Miami Marlins, the U.S. Constitution doesn't apply to you.
This isn't Guillen's first time in hot water for speaking his mind. And it hasn't always been positive. He's used a homophobic slur against a sportswriter, praised Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and declined to join his former team’s traditional post-championships White House visit, among other flare-ups.
I suspect that this isn't the end of the story. The Gusanos in Miami won't let it go until they get their pound of flesh.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Gil Noble, "Like It Is" will be no longer
For 44 years there was virtually one sane voice in the corporate-owned media. That voice, Gil Noble died today. He became ill last summer and left "Like It Is" the oasis in the desert of Sunday talk shows.
Noble joined WABC in July 1967 as a reporter, and starting in January 1968 became an anchor of its Saturday and Sunday night newscasts. In 1968, he began as co-host of "Like It Is." Until last Summer, at 1PM Sunday, there was only one place to be, if you were at all concerned with the latest developments in the world-wide Black liberation struggle. There was almost no one who was too radical for Gil Noble to interview. He was determined to make the struggle understandable to anyone willing to hear the truth, and maybe even change some minds.
Now that legal lynching of young Black men is back in the picture, Gil Noble's ability to tell It "Like It Is" will be sorely missed.
Others will step up, but they won't have the national stage Gil Noble had. Times they are a changin' but not for the best.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The Hunger Games: a review
So we saw The Hunger Games last night. My short review: Don't bother. I haven't read Suzanne Collins novel, so I can't tell you how true the movie is to it, but as a movie The Hunger Games makes no sense. I'm guessing that since the 7PM show on Saturday night wasn't sold out, word-of-mouth isn't that great. Unless you've been hiding in a cave or on vacation on Mars, you know the basic story. Once a year each of the 12 districts that make up the nation of Panem sends two teens (one boy & one girl) selected by lottery to a fight to the death - historically only one gladiator survives - which is shown on television. It's sort of a modern electronic version of the ancient Roman arena. As soon as 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to replace her younger sister, Primrose, and a young man, Peeta Mellark, who has a crush on her, is chosen you will know almost everything that will happen over the next two + hours. Besides Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) all the other combatants are nameless figures that Katniss and Peeta have to hurdle to get to the end. The one exception is Rue (Amandia Stenburg), a young Black contestant who befriends Katniss at a crucial point in the contest.
The adults - except for the seemingly evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and Cinna, one of Katniss and Peeta's advisors (Lenny Kravits) - are basically clowns and not very funny ones at that. They just keep repeating the same shtick from beginning to end.
My editor (Ann) reminds me to mention the always delightful Woody Harrelson who plays Haymitch Abernathy, a former winning gladiator, who is now Katniss and Peeta's other advisor. Despite being an alchohic he plays a crucial role in assisting her through post-modern technology with things like salve to heal serious wounds. Harrelson does a wonderful job with this complex character.
Perhaps the theme of this movie should be "young love conquers all" or at least, the appearance of young love conquers gullible adults.
When the basic story is first introduced it is quite horrific, but unfortunately you become a bit inured to the horror of the idea and participate as part of the TV audience and root for Katniss to win and stay alive (since you know there are two more Hunger Games novels in which she continues to be the main character this seems like a pretty safe bet). The fate of Peeta is perhaps a bit less predictable for a while.
Panem seemingly has replaced the U.S. and its different regions fair well or badly depending where they are located. District 12, which is in the Appalachian coal mining area is the poorest. There are references to hunger but none if the teens looks like they've missed a meal.
At the beginning of the film there is another young man, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworrh) who seems to have a relationship with Katniss, but who disappears for most of the movie. But I suspect the triangle of Peeta, Gale and Katniss will reemerge in volume two (and given the money it's already made, this movie's sequel).
I have read in various places that the novels have political meaning, but it seems to me that - except for the obvious that the rich and powerful starve the poor to further enrich themselves and provide spectacles to distract the masses - there is very little else to enlighten even the most politically naive American.
One last thought. I fell in love with Jennifer Lawrence when we saw Winter's Bone in which she plays an equally intrepid female character. Of course, there she played against a real story and interesting characters, not the cardboard cut outs of The Hunger Games. So if there is any reason to see this movie it's Katniss Everdeen, who proves that brains and skill trump foolish arrogance every time, and Jennifer Lawrence, who I hope will soon display a wider range of her talents. Although I haven't seen her turn as Mystique in X-Men: First Class I suspect that's not much different, except that it's a villainous character rather than the hero of Winter's Bone and The Hunger Games.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Who presumed Trayvon's innocence?
When reading a letter in today's Daily News (3/30/12) from Gary Schmitt of Glen Cove, L.I. which says, in part, "George Zimmerman may have been acting in self-defense, and that doesn't require Trayvon Martin to have had his own weapon. Until Zimmerman is charged and convicted he should be presumed innocent," I couldn't help wondering if Zimmerman (or anyone else) presumed Trayvon's innocence."
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
"Out of Afghanistan"
"The murder in Panjwai of sixteen civilians, including nine children, by an American soldier on March 11 puts an exclamation point on ten and a half years of failed war in Afghanistan.
(The Nation editorial, 4/2/12)
(The Nation editorial, 4/2/12)
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Tin Man finally gets a heart
It's good to learn that the Tin Man finally got a heart. If it had happened right after 9/11, perhaps we wouldn't have invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. But it would probably require a brain-transplant as well to see the world as actually inhabited by human beings who also have hearts & minds.
This week in the War on Women: How about electing more, better women?
The Republican/Tea Party war on women's health may turn this election around, if the Dems can take advantage of it. As always a big
This week in the War on Women: How about electing more, better women?
This week in the War on Women: How about electing more, better women?
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
George Clooney arrested protesting human rights violations in the Sudan
George Clooney, his dad (Nick), NAACP Pres. Ben Jealous & Va. Rep. Jim Moran were arrested for crossing a police line at the Sudanese embassy in D.C. to protest human-rights abuses in the sudan.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
March 24: 12:30-2:30 PM: March & Vigil for Peace and Economic Justice To Mourn and Resist the Ravages of War
March & Vigil for Peace and Economic Justice - begins with March of the Dead mourning and resisting the ravages of war in commemoration of ninth anniversary of war in Iraq
Saturday, March 24, 2012 - 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Intersection Rt. 112 (Main Street) and Rt. 25A (blinking light, across from ferry) in Port Jefferson Village, LI
ncpeaceg@gmail.com [1], 631-331-3419
March & Vigil for Peace and Economic Justice To Mourn and Resist the Ravages of War
Participants dressed in black with identical white face masks will lead a "March of the Dead" lamenting and resisting nine years of war in Iraq and 10-plus years of war in Afghanistan
Speakers to include
Mac Bica of Veterans for Peace LI;
Lauren Carmichael of Occupy Port Jefferson;
Charlotte Koons of Code Pink LI;
Bill McNulty of North Country Peace Group;
and Greg Maney of LI Teachers for Human Rights.
Sponsored by the North Country Peace Group and endorsed by more than a dozen Long Island peace, justice, religious and Occupy groups,
the March will begin at the intersection of Rt. 112 (Main Street) and Rt. 25A (across from the ferry) in Port Jefferson. We will march through the village to a public park nearby, where a program featuring speakers, music, and the reading of the names of Long Island service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan will take place.
Saturday, March 24, 2012 - 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Intersection Rt. 112 (Main Street) and Rt. 25A (blinking light, across from ferry) in Port Jefferson Village, LI
ncpeaceg@gmail.com [1], 631-331-3419
March & Vigil for Peace and Economic Justice To Mourn and Resist the Ravages of War
Participants dressed in black with identical white face masks will lead a "March of the Dead" lamenting and resisting nine years of war in Iraq and 10-plus years of war in Afghanistan
Speakers to include
Mac Bica of Veterans for Peace LI;
Lauren Carmichael of Occupy Port Jefferson;
Charlotte Koons of Code Pink LI;
Bill McNulty of North Country Peace Group;
and Greg Maney of LI Teachers for Human Rights.
Sponsored by the North Country Peace Group and endorsed by more than a dozen Long Island peace, justice, religious and Occupy groups,
the March will begin at the intersection of Rt. 112 (Main Street) and Rt. 25A (across from the ferry) in Port Jefferson. We will march through the village to a public park nearby, where a program featuring speakers, music, and the reading of the names of Long Island service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan will take place.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Rush to get women back under the male boot
Although it's obviously clear, as Georgetown University student Sandra Fluke testified, that birth control pills are crucial ingredients of women's health care, their widespread availability has also been an important aspect of the struggle for women's liberation from male domination. According to Nancy L. Cohen (Delirium: How the Sexual Counterrevolution is Polarizing America):
There have been many aspects to male domination over the ages but control of the reproductive process has always been key. And when birth control shifted into women's hands, genuine equality between the genders became a real possibility. Women could for the first time really decide whether and when they would get pregnant. In other words, they finally could control their own lives - both at work and at home. Women's Liberation, not religious freedom, is at the center of the current brouhaha over birth control. The very language Limbaugh used in his diatribes - "slut" & "prostitute" - has historically been used to label any woman who stands up for women's rights to get her back under the male boot.
Enovid, the first birth control Pill, went on the market in 1960. Unlike any other previously available form of contraception, the Pill was both reliable and controlled by a woman herself, requiring neither the consent nor the knowledge of her sexual partner. .... The Pill made possible the sexual revolution of the 1960s. .... ...with the impetus the sexual revolution gave to a new feminism and a movement for gay liberation, it became one of the major catalysts of America's ongoing political delirium.It's the challenge to male domination that not only provoked Rush Limbaugh's conniption last week but also the recent outbursts of a number of male religious honchos. (see photo of Issa birth-control hearing)
There have been many aspects to male domination over the ages but control of the reproductive process has always been key. And when birth control shifted into women's hands, genuine equality between the genders became a real possibility. Women could for the first time really decide whether and when they would get pregnant. In other words, they finally could control their own lives - both at work and at home. Women's Liberation, not religious freedom, is at the center of the current brouhaha over birth control. The very language Limbaugh used in his diatribes - "slut" & "prostitute" - has historically been used to label any woman who stands up for women's rights to get her back under the male boot.
What These Popular Republican Phrases Really Mean
This should help clarify the current political debate (or not)
What These Popular Republican Phrases Really Mean
What These Popular Republican Phrases Really Mean
Friday, March 02, 2012
Fox News "fair & balanced" (LOL) Ignores Limbaugh Controversy
Fox News Ignores Limbaugh Controversy: pFox News devoted just a single segment to the escalating controversy surrounding Rush Limbaugh’s vicious attacks on Sanda Fluke, the Georgetown Law student whom Republicans wouldn’t let testify during a hearing on birth control, largely ignoring the controversy. The only mention over the past two days, according a search of a media monitoring service, was [...]/p
War on women's health: Sandra Fluke, called ’slut’ by Limbaugh, is ’stunned, outraged’
Has Rush Limbaugh, propagandist for the War on Women's Health, gone too far this time? There is a Twitter campaign to convince advertisers to pull out of the Rush Limbaugh show.
I'm sorry that Sandra Fluke has been hurt by Limbaugh's comments. I think she should be proud. It's kind of like being on Richard Nixon's "Enemies List." it's something about which to be proud. Fluke should wear a t-shirt that says: "Rush Limbaugh called me a whore; is that the pot calling the kettle black?" Limbaugh is a clown and the best we can do is to, let him go on exposing himself & the rest of the right-wing fools with him.
Woman called ’slut’ by Limbaugh is ’stunned, outraged’
Thursday, March 01, 2012
WikiLeaks: DHS Monitored Occupy Wall Street
If you've been wondering what the future of peaceful protest will be in the U.S., try this on for size. Less than a month after it's inception, OWL was designated "a significant problem for law enforcement" by Homeland Security. The U.S. Government is clearly throwing the Constitutional baby out with the "terrorism" bath water. The right to peaceably assemble & Freedom of Speech may soon be relics of the past. (Unless they are gone already)
WikiLeaks: DHS Monitored Occupy Wall Street
WikiLeaks: DHS Monitored Occupy Wall Street
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Chelsea History/Cookie History
"While many a New Yorker has ambled through Chelsea Market and been aware that it was once HQ to the National Biscuit Company, later called Nabisco, few know just what that means in terms of the vaunted annals of cookie history. It was there, 100 years ago, on March 6, 1912, that the Oreo cookie was born."
(by Hailey Eber, NY Post, 2/26/12)
(by Hailey Eber, NY Post, 2/26/12)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Oscar voters overwhelmingly white, male
With the Oscars about to be handed out on Sunday, it's worth noting the overwhelmingly white, male & aging composition of the voting membership. The voters "are nearly 94% Caucasian and 77% male," with the median age of the members 62. Black voters constitute 2%, Latinos less than 2% and 14% voters under 50.
Oscar voters overwhelmingly white, male
Oscar voters overwhelmingly white, male
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Secret, Corporate-Funded Plan To Teach Children That Climate Change Is A Hoax
CONFIRMED: Anti-Science Blogger Admits Heartland Institute’s ‘Special Project’ To Distort Temperature Data: pThe second in a series of posts about the Heartland Institute’s inner workings, from internal documents acquired by ThinkProgress Green. Questions about the authenticity of the leaked Heartland Institute documents are fading, as projects described therein are confirmed. Heartland’s senior fellow James Taylor confirmed the existence of the climate-denier classroom curriculum project to ThinkProgress Green [...]/p
INTERNAL DOCUMENTS: The Secret, Corporate-Funded Plan To Teach Children That Climate Change Is A Hoax: pInternal documents acquired by ThinkProgress Green reveal that the Heartland Institute, a right-wing think tank funded by the Koch brothers, Microsoft, and other top corporations, is planning to develop a “global warming curriculum” for elementary schoolchildren that presents climate science as “a major scientific controversy.” This effort, at a cost of $100,000 a year, will [...]/p
INTERNAL DOCUMENTS: The Secret, Corporate-Funded Plan To Teach Children That Climate Change Is A Hoax: pInternal documents acquired by ThinkProgress Green reveal that the Heartland Institute, a right-wing think tank funded by the Koch brothers, Microsoft, and other top corporations, is planning to develop a “global warming curriculum” for elementary schoolchildren that presents climate science as “a major scientific controversy.” This effort, at a cost of $100,000 a year, will [...]/p
Thursday, February 09, 2012
LGBTQ Rights Activists on Victories for Marriage Equality in California and Washington
This week has been a week of celebration for anyone who believes in equality & human rights. In both California & Washington state the right of lesbians & gay men to share in the basic rights that all human beings have to marry the people they love has taken a major stride. I have never been able to get my head around the religious right argument that one couple's getting married could have any adverse effect on our marriage. This is so bizarre. In fact, marriage will be strengthened as an institution if more people who are likely to stay together, unlike heterosexual serial marriages, get married. Here is a discussion of these developments from this morning's "Democracy Now".
LGBTQ Rights Activists on Victories for Marriage Equality in California and Washington
The New York Times misleading public on Iran - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
Do the words "Weapons of Mass Destruction" ring a bell. Well, the New York Times is leading the cheering section once again as it did in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. According to most people who actually know anything (and are not in the thrall of the Israeli propaganda machine) Iran's nuclear ambitions are as accurate as Iraq's WMDs were.
The New York Times misleading public on Iran - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
The New York Times misleading public on Iran - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
California Prop 8 declared unconstitutional again
A federal appeals court Tuesday overturned California Proposition 8 on narrow grounds, ruling that Californians took away a right from a minority group without justification when they approved the 2008 ban on same-sex marriage.
"The people may not employ the initiative power to single out a disfavored group for unequal treatment and strip them, without a legitimate justification, of a right as important as the right to marry," the court said.
Now the question is, will the U.S. Supreme Court hear the appeal from this decision.
Monday, February 06, 2012
Evolution? Not for the GOP
According to the New York Society for Ethical Culture: "Today, out of seven Republican presidential candidates, only one - [now defunct] John Huntsman - supports evolution. The remaining are creationists (Rick Perry: "God is how we got here.") and intelligent design advocates (Mitt Romney: : "I believe God is intelligent, and I believe he designed the creation."
I can't help but wonder how many Republican presidential candidates believe the world is round.
I can't help but wonder how many Republican presidential candidates believe the world is round.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Boehner from another planet
Quote of the week:
"We just come from two different planets."
John Boehner, House Speaker (R-Ohio) about him & President Obama
We have known for a long time that Boehner was from another planet (Planet GOP). Bit the question is what did we do to Planet GOP to make them want to destroy life on earth?
"We just come from two different planets."
John Boehner, House Speaker (R-Ohio) about him & President Obama
We have known for a long time that Boehner was from another planet (Planet GOP). Bit the question is what did we do to Planet GOP to make them want to destroy life on earth?
Friday, January 27, 2012
Gingrich's Extremist Anti-Palestinian Stance Follows Millions from Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson
Although Thom Hartmann said today that Gingrich (according to Florida polls) had imploded for the second time, it's still worth noting how easily he can be bought (although he doesn't come cheap). He is, in fact, the Israeli candidate for president. The real question is why doesn't he have to register as an agent of foreign government.
Gingrich's Extremist Anti-Palestinian Stance Follows Millions from Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson
Gingrich's Extremist Anti-Palestinian Stance Follows Millions from Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The New York Times today on Penn South: A positive view
The lead story in today's New York Times Arts Section "Towers of Dreams: One Ended in Nightmare" by Michael Kimmelman is very positive toward Penn South (our home), an attitude that's very unusual for Times' reporters. In this case Kimmelman is comparing the history of the late Pruitt-Igoe development in St. Louis (demolished in 1972) with the success of Penn South and trying to explain the differences which led to such different outcomes. The immediate peg for the story is a documentary, "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth."
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Egypt: Sharif Abdel Kouddous Reports from Cairo Marking 1 Year of Rebellion in Tahrir Square; HBO documentary tonight
HBO will mark the 1st anniversary of the uprising in Egypt with "In Tahrir Square" showing Democracy Now correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous reporting from Tahrir Square in the first 18 days of the rebellion. Unfortunately the discussion with the filmmakers at the end of the broadcast is cut-off.
Egypt: Sharif Abdel Kouddous Reports from Cairo as Crowds Mark 1 Year of Revolution in Tahrir Square
Egypt: Sharif Abdel Kouddous Reports from Cairo as Crowds Mark 1 Year of Revolution in Tahrir Square
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Sunday, January 08, 2012
GOP/Tea Party debate
Looking at photos from last night's Republican clown show it definitely looks more like a GOP event now that the five white guys got rid of the black guy & the woman
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