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Friday Night Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Fri Feb 06, 2015 at 08:04:41 PM EST
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Our last open thread is full, here's a new one, all topics welcome.

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    Friday Night Open Thread | 112 comments (112 topical)

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    OMG (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by Politalkix on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 09:15:13 AM EST
    Lindsey Graham has taken to lecturing Chancellor Merkel. link

    "Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who appeared on a panel, accused Merkel of making a big mistake by refusing to supply Kiev with better weapons

    "She can't see how arming people who are willing to fight and die for their freedom makes things better," he said. "I do."

    Graham asked Merkel to remember how the world helped Germany recover from the ashes of World War II and said it was Europe that courted Kiev to reject an economic deal with Russia in the first place, precipitating a full-blown crisis 14 months later.

    Perhaps Graham ought to remember himself ... (5.00 / 3) (#15)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 09:45:00 AM EST
    ... what happened the last time a Russo-German military confrontation occurred. Merkel obviously does, having come of age in a Soviet-occupied East Germany.

    Parent
    Graham (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by jondee on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 11:57:20 AM EST
    is a walking, talking argument for the revival of that "old fashioned values" tradition of tarring and feathering and transporting out of town on a rail..

    And what a horrible time for those who should know better in the U.S to promote a new Cold War..

    If you want to stimulate a paranoic, circle-the-wagons, siege mentality in a recently defeated and humiliated nation, what better way to do it than to relentlessly demonize it's leaders, encircle it with bases and missile systems and take unbending, hardline sides in it's territorial disputes..

    Now I see that the WMD-hawking "paper of record" is essentially claiming that Putin is clinically insane..  

    Parent

    Perhaps he's practicing his (5.00 / 1) (#52)
    by nycstray on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 07:13:37 PM EST
    Presidenting . . . .

    Parent
    Well, if McCain (none / 0) (#17)
    by KeysDan on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 10:48:38 AM EST
    is ready to bomb, you know Lindsey is not far behind.   However, it looks like lethal arms is coming to a war theater near Kiev.  On this one I am on Mrs. Merkel's team--and hope that President Obama is able to elide the bipartisan nostalgia for return to a cold war, and risk a hot one.  And, a risk that is likely to achieve neither a military solution nor peace and stability. But, is likely to extract Putin from the morass of his kleptocracy and enshrine him in nationalistic fervor.  

    Parent
    Obama better grow a pair (none / 0) (#21)
    by jondee on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 12:15:59 PM EST
    in this particular situation with the Ukraine. And by "grow a pair" I mean be a strong voice and force for sanity and fairness when dealing with Russia/Ukraine..

    And who the hell are we really to go on and on about The Great Satan Putin anyway?

    A nation, sorry to say, of knuckle-walkers who said Saddam attacked us on 9/11 and don't believe in man-made greenhouse gases..

    Parent

    Speak for yourself! (none / 0) (#87)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 05:45:51 PM EST
    I've never been a knuckle-dragger. Why would I ever want to undo all that fabulous work by my manicurist?

    Parent
    In this day and age of computer-generated ... (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 10:42:12 AM EST
    ... graphics and animation, we ought to pause for a moment and marvel in amazement at the hand-drawn artistry of the 1940 Disney animated feature Pinocchio, which was first released in theatres 75 years ago today -- only to subsequently bomb at the box office, despite its near-universal critical acclaim.

    Indeed (5.00 / 5) (#18)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 10:58:10 AM EST
    and remember To credit the people who did the work and not the union busting slave driving Fascist sympathizer who signed the checks and got famous and rich.

    Parent
    And remember this more recently (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 11:16:56 AM EST
    According to former Disney animator Tom Bancroft on Twitter, Disney gutted their hand-drawn animation division this afternoon, and laid off nine veteran animators, including some of the studio's biggest names: Nik Ranieri, Ruben Aquino, Frans Vischer, Russ Edmonds, Brian Ferguson, Jamie Lopez and Dan Tanaka. Two of the animators who still have jobs are Eric Goldberg and Mark Henn. The news of cuts in their animation division was leaked last week, but I, for one, did not anticipate that all these top animators would be let go. We've reached out to the studio for comment.

    UPDATE: According to Aaron Blaise in the comments, Alex Kupershmidt was not among those laid off.

    UPDATE #2: The Animation Guild reported that 9 veteran animators were laid off today so there are still two names that are unknown.

    UPDATE #3: And now the Animation Guild is reporting in the same link above that, "Other veterans are being called in to meetings to discuss pay cuts and/or buyouts."

    UPDATE #4: In light of Disney's dismantling of their hand-drawn animation division, this Animation Guild post from last October suggests that Disney execs, including Lasseter, had decided a while ago that hand-drawn animation was no longer a part of Disney's gameplan. In the post, an anonymous staffer at Disney lodges the following complaint to union rep Steve Hulett:

    Steve Hulett was also my Union rep.  This was hard for him too.

    Parent

    This is my idea of animation: (none / 0) (#28)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 01:46:41 PM EST
    Quasi.  I saw it at an animation festival, with a bunch of people equally buzzed, when it came out.  I used to wonder what happened to Sally Cruikshank.  The first episodes of the Simpsons reminded me of Quasi, but that was way before youtube.  When I finally did watch Quasi again I realized how memory impaired I had been.  Anybody remember Fantastic Planet? The worm stampede episode of Rocky & Bulwinkle?  I love toons.

    The weirdest bit of Disneyfication I've seen is the statue of Winnie the Pooh in the tiny town in Ontario near where the bear cub that inspired AA Milne was found.  He was a real bear, but back in the late 80s White River announced plans to erect a Winney the Pooh statue and Disney stepped on them.  Eventually, because of embarrassment and utter pointlessness, Disney gave the town its statue but somehow bought the rights to the bear's likeness, or something, from the little town, on the edge of Lake Superior, in the middle of nowhere.  So now, instead of a bronze bear cub that looks like a bear cub, there's this. I can't find anything about this online; I read this or something vaguely Brian-Williamsy like this at White River's museum.  An even weirder aside, The Stones' Brian Wilson died in A.A. Milne's old house.

    Parent

    Nit picking, I know (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by sj on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 11:01:37 PM EST
    but you mean Brian Jones. Brian Wilson was with the Beach Boys.

    Parent
    Quasi is wonderful (none / 0) (#30)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 02:03:23 PM EST
    Fantastic Plante is next level.  I have the DVD and it's the second I've owned I wore one out.  Rocky and Bullwinkle were my best friends as a child.  Also Beeny and Cecil, remember them?

    If you haven't there is a 2014 film you should see Song of the Sea I have not seen it because an animator friend ripped it and sent it to me.

    Parent

    s l o w l y (none / 0) (#33)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 02:46:29 PM EST
    I HAVE seen Song of the Sea because a friend......

    It's  brilliant.  It has still not been a theater closer that about 150 miles.   Lego Movie, yes.  Also you probably know this guy, Sylvain Chomet. Triplets of Bellville is just a masterpiece.  All his films are great.  Triplets is social IMO.  Most have almost no dialog.  There are about 10 or 20 spoken words in Triplets.

    Parent

    Much like Umbrellas of Cherbourg, (none / 0) (#38)
    by oculus on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 03:38:22 PM EST
    I couldn't really get into Bellville.

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#34)
    by Zorba on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 03:32:54 PM EST
    I absolutely loved both "Rocky and Bullwinkle" and "Beany and Cecil" when I was young.
    And both of those shows had a lot of topical satire that adults liked, too.
    I also liked "Tom Terrific," seen on "Captain Kangaroo" for a couple of years in the late 50's.

    Parent
    They did not talk down to me (5.00 / 2) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 03:36:38 PM EST


    Parent
    Same with me. (none / 0) (#41)
    by Zorba on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 04:07:36 PM EST
    ;-)

    Parent
    I hadn't thought about Beany and Cecil (none / 0) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 03:44:11 PM EST
    for a long time so I googled.   I did not remember it in color so I like the idea of posting a you tube video the way many remember.  

    "You steal from the rich and GIVE to the poor"

    "I'm the poorest guy I know."

    LINK

    Parent

    Sorry (none / 0) (#40)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 03:49:31 PM EST
    this was supposed to go too

    No Bikini Atoll

    Parent

    That goes without saying. (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 04:33:26 PM EST
    I've mentioned here before that my great-uncle was a veteran cartoonist and graphics artist with Disney Studios, from the mid-1930s until his death in 1961. He worked on "Pinocchio," and his last completed project before he died was "101 Dalmatians." My grandmother was never a fan of Mr. Disney in my lifetime, because she believed that the man's workplace environment and increasing demands had consigned her brother to a premature death at age 57.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    One of the best (5.00 / 2) (#45)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 05:19:26 PM EST
    i worked on 102 Dalmatians.  It was a death march.  Here's the pitch.  
    Just to show how super duper amazing our art department is we are going to make a movie about a Dalmatian with NO spots but we are going to shoot it with a regular Dalmatian and through the magic of compeeeeeuuuuuters we are going to vanquish them.
    Fine.  About two hundred people spent a year removing spots.  It was honestly the most thankless and grueling work in my entire career.  And I was very lucky because coming off Dinosaur I had done lots of difficult shots so I was one of the people that got the "fun" shots. You would find people with dark circles under their eyes wandering the halls way muttering.

    Parent
    I don't remember how many scenes (none / 0) (#51)
    by nycstray on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 07:09:34 PM EST
    the spotless pup was in, but I hope they at least got some lightly to almost spotless ones. After 101, there were so many crappy breeders trying to make a buck, there were enough of them (poorly spotted). I hope you weren't removing spots from ones like mine! (although it sounds like it with the size of the crew . . .)

    Parent
    No such luck (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 08:46:44 PM EST
    it was a regular dog with the normal number of spots.  They wrote this software that did a pretty good job of tracking a painted out spot for a few frames as long as it was on a mostly flat surface.   The hell was around the nose and eyes that was the higher lever shots some of us got.  But it was awful for them.  You make a box you track one spot out of thousands for 5 or ten frames of 24 frames a second.   Then pick another.  It was like factory work.  There was a white CG dog but it was only in about a half dozen shots.
    There are some in this 2007 work reel of mine.

    Complete up with Dixie Chicks backup.  Heh.

    Parent

    200 people removing spots... (none / 0) (#73)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 12:07:21 PM EST
    I've often wondered how complete the automation has become; I guess that answers the question.  It's a weird reversal of the way it was supposed to be, with humans doing the tweening or what amounts to tweening.

    Recently I read Kip Thorne's "The Science of Interstellar."  He mentions that the British FX house that handled the black hole had 1200 employees.  Dunno what else they handled; I haven't seen the movie yet.  Once in a while I sit through the credits on a CG intense movie and I'm amazed at the multitudes of people involved.

    (I remembered Beany and Cecil after you mentioned them.  Swallowed in the mists of time, that was.   I don't even know if there are Saturday morning cartoons anymore.  We were lucky.  Bugs Bunny, Flintstones, Jetsons, Tom & Jerry, Tex Avery.  Somewhere I read that Tom & Jerry had been de-violenced.  There's no end to violence in prime time, but can't have those kiddies knowing the truth about their parents, no way.)

    Parent

    The programming guys (none / 0) (#81)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 02:54:24 PM EST
    will tell everyone, who will believe them because they don't under stand the process, their magical software was responsible for those white dogs.  And the very talented people pulling digital rabbits out of their ass twice a day to make It actually work do not expect to get mentioned.  
    It sort of goes with the territory and it does suck.  It's the kind if effects that do not look like effects and usually is there to fix some kind of a screw up someone important made so you don't expect fanfare but this was sort of a nightmare through the looking glass version of that.

    But yes of course.   It was all automated.  It's not that much of a lie.


    Parent

    Ya know, I don't think I've seen that one! (none / 0) (#75)
    by nycstray on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 01:13:07 PM EST
    I'm going to have to watch it with my spotty gal and think of you :)

    Nice reel. Yeah, Dals should have good eye and nose trim. Plus, they should also have fairly dark eyes, so I wouldn't want to do that much eye clean up! Rox's eyes would be a b!tch to do, as hers are masked with spots.

    Parent

    EZZZ (none / 0) (#80)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 02:39:08 PM EST
    zzactly!

    Parent
    That wasn't clear (none / 0) (#82)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 03:16:51 PM EST
    the dog in my shots is not digital.  The CG dog was only in a few shots mostly ones like a bird attack I think for obvious reasons but the dog in my shots is a Dalmatian.   Spots vanquished by yours truly.  There's a lot of stuff in there that needs explanation to know what I did precisely but not those.   Digital effects and compositing all me.

    Just being clear. Reading that comment it seemed like I was saying it was only in a few shots some are on the reel.

    Parent

    Oh got it :) (none / 0) (#83)
    by nycstray on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 03:43:17 PM EST
    Plus, I understand the process due to my work/skill set. ;)

    Want to make her a spotless wonder?  :P

    Parent

    She's lovely just the way she is (none / 0) (#112)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Feb 11, 2015 at 09:22:34 AM EST


    Parent
    Great point (none / 0) (#29)
    by Slado on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 02:02:42 PM EST
    As enjoyed by the Slade clan on movie night as was Wreck it Ralph.

    Parent
    It bombed at the box office? (none / 0) (#62)
    by sj on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 10:45:07 PM EST
    I didn't know that. But the whole thing creeped me out as a kid.

    Parent
    It's made a lot of money since then, obviously. (none / 0) (#65)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 04:53:59 AM EST
    But its 1940 rollout coincided with the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during the Second World War.

    Western Europe was a lucrative market for American films at the time, and had accounted for well over half the gross of Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," which was released in 1938. The German occupation of the region in the spring of 1940 and their subsequent aerial assault on Great Britain brought an abrupt end to that.

    Coupled with surprisingly week domestic ticket sales, and "Pinocchio" -- which at $2.3 million in production costs (in 1939 dollars) was an expensive film to produce -- was initially considered a huge financial disaster for Disney Studios. It initially recouped less than half of those costs, and only eventually turned a profit with a late 1945 postwar reissue, when it received a much more favorable public reception.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    "When there are 9" (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 01:12:26 PM EST
    Notorious RBGs response to the question 'when will there be enought women on the court'

    Nebraska's Second Amendment (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by KeysDan on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 01:42:09 PM EST
    Solution to same sex marriage.   The Nebraska legislature recognized same-sex  military spouses for purposes of carrying a concealed weapon (without first having to live in the state for 180-days to establish residency.)

    Anyone receiving federal benefits of a military spouse qualifies.  When the question was raised to the proponent of the gun amendment if same sex spouses were covered, he responded "is not the second amendment sex blind? Color blind? What great evil would come from saying a partner of somebody in the military is entitled to exercise their second amendment rights to carry a concealed weapon in this state."  

    Another senator commented, "I think we just recognized gay marriage--using federal standards for who uses marriage benefits."   Looks like the "Shot-gun marriage act of 2015" may arrive in Nebraska before the Supreme Court rules."  

    An update:  A deputy clerk of the US Supreme Court informed lawyers yesterday, Fed 6, that the SC will not respond to Alabama Attorney General, Luther Strange's appeal for a stay to  US District Judge Callie Granade's ban on Alabama's same sex marriage.

    Marriages (barring any reconsideration--I note this since it does seem curious that the SC did not respond and/or insertion of Alabama hurdles ) will start  on Monday, Feb 9.  Earlier this week, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a motion to stay by Mr. Strange.  

    The Supreme Court (5.00 / 1) (#89)
    by jbindc on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 08:27:28 AM EST
    Refused the stay.

    Take that, Judge Moore!

    Parent

    Yes, the Supreme Court (none / 0) (#93)
    by KeysDan on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 10:30:39 AM EST
    ruling was 7 to 2 (Thomas and Scalia in dissent).  The infamous Roy Moore's defiance needed to be tamped down.

    Parent
    It's secession by probate court (none / 0) (#98)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 04:31:37 PM EST
    One probate court at a time.  Couples married in Montgomery and Birmingham though today so all really is lost.  It's done.  Houston county (Dothan) would not issue licenses today as well as several other surrounding Southern Alabama counties but mine came through.  I don't know how or why but this county was willing and able to license same sex marriages.  I don't know if anyone took them up on the offer, but I'm pretty shocked...and proud.

    Parent
    They are cracking me up (none / 0) (#99)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 05:08:14 PM EST
    Most of the counties who refused would not issue ANYONE a marriage license today.

    If gays CAN then NOBODY CAN.  I have never in my life been around so many oppositional defiant suffering people.

    Parent

    I swear (5.00 / 1) (#100)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 07:38:19 PM EST
    a lot of these people are just against something for the sake of being against it. This is why lowest common denominator politics works so well in the south.

    Parent
    Some people will go through such ... (none / 0) (#43)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 04:39:32 PM EST
    ... epic contortions on this particular issue, I find it rather amazing that they haven't somehow slipped a disc.

    Parent
    The next illogical step is to legalize (none / 0) (#69)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 11:41:55 AM EST
    gay marriage, but only if and only if both parties pack heat at the ceremony or license bureau.  - And no court costs for Divorce if they can show ownership of a Treasury tax stamped full automatic weapon.


    Parent
    I got a big laugh out of (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by Repack Rider on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 06:21:43 PM EST
    ...Bill Maher rubbing it in on the Right that they finally got tired of Sarah Palin's schtick when she went all incoherent on them in Iowa.  Prominent former supporters started dumping on her for being exactly what I thought she was from day one.

    Like, what took so long to discover the obvious?

    Great title, The Emperor has no Clues.

    Also great line, [Bill Cosby says], "I wouldn't drug her with your drink."

    She's been (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 06:34:04 PM EST
    incoherent before. She was incoherent on election day back in 2012. Conservatives seem to be very naive and even the drunken brawl didn't turn them off her but this did? Strange.

    Parent
    But not John McCain (none / 0) (#50)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 06:55:20 PM EST
    He made a statement in support of her after this.  I don't know what to make of him anymore, he's just losing it 360.

    Parent
    John McCain-- (5.00 / 2) (#77)
    by KeysDan on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 01:47:26 PM EST
    "he is just losing it.."     Please permit me to fix this:  "he lost it."

     Yes, the Republicans are slow in coming to grips with the obvious. Not only Palin, but they did not notice anything odd about Rick Perry either in his speech to a conservative audience in New Hampshire (Nov 2011.)   Perry's overall loopy behavior pinnacled with his bizarre cuddling of, and fawning over,  a maple syrup bottle presented to him.  As Jon Stewart of the Daily Show said at the time of Perry's antics, "the best case scenario is that he was hammered; the worst case is that he was sober and every other time we see him he is hammered."   Perry/McCain 2016 (or McCain's Charlie McCarthy, Lindsey).  

    Parent

    John McCain (none / 0) (#53)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 07:50:24 PM EST
    I don't know either. Oh, well.

    Parent
    Maybe he;s kosing it ... (none / 0) (#56)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 08:51:22 PM EST
    ... because he's doing 360s.

    Parent
    Damned smartphone keyboard. (none / 0) (#57)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 08:53:21 PM EST
    I meant, "he's losing it."

    Parent
    "I welcome their hatred" (5.00 / 1) (#67)
    by Politalkix on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 11:15:18 AM EST
    link populism will be missing from the HRC campaign in 2016.

    From the NY Times article
    "With advice from more than 200 policy experts, Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying to answer what has emerged as a central question of her early presidential campaign strategy: how to address the anger about income inequality without overly vilifying the wealthy."

    "And she must convince a middle class that feels frustrated and left behind that she understands its struggles, even as she relies heavily on the financial industry and corporate interests to fund her candidacy."

    "It's not enough to address upward mobility without addressing inequality," said Lawrence H. Summers, a Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration who is among those talking with Mrs. Clinton. "The challenge, though, is to address inequality without embracing a politics of envy."

    If you are getting advice from Lawrence Summers, why would you need FDR! :-). :-). (Snark).

    Uh, politalkix...Something to be said for (5.00 / 1) (#72)
    by christinep on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 12:02:23 PM EST
    waiting until we hear what her economic message is when she speaks directly on the issue.  Right now, pundits and others need something to do to fill the time until any announcement ... so, they imagine and invent.  We all know that; no need to go the predisposition route.

    Anyway, the comments in the NYT (as you cited) are rather generic in that all major politicians, candidates face the same challenge.  The Citizens United case deepened that problem.  Yet, somehow, I'm guessing that all serious candidates will--in fact--address the income-gap reality with some degree of "populism."  (The growing and bettering economy, under President Obama, makes the next step of populism quite possible on a number of levels.)

    I'm certainly looking forward to Hillary Clinton's announcement :)

    Parent

    Didn't someone run an almost (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by nycstray on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 12:44:14 PM EST
    1Billion dollar campaign? Kinda setting a high bar there . . .

    Parent
    Heh (5.00 / 3) (#85)
    by Yman on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 04:50:22 PM EST
    If you are getting advice from Lawrence Summers, why would you need FDR! :-). :-). (Snark)

    What???  The article says he is one of 200 people who are talking to her.  It's not like she named him a key economic adviser in her administration ...

    ... like Obama.

    Parent

    In (none / 0) (#68)
    by Politalkix on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 11:33:42 AM EST
    Daily Kos there are 2 articles already about this NYT article. "Inclusive Capitalism" is becoming a punch line there as much as "Compassionate Conservatism".

    Parent
    200 policy experts to form one "opinion" (5.00 / 3) (#71)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 11:52:22 AM EST
    "There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party . . . and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt -- until recently . . . and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties." - Gore Vidal, The State of the Union, 1975

    Parent
    So what? (5.00 / 3) (#91)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 10:00:50 AM EST
    Daily Kos got fooled by Obama. They all said Obama's playing 11 dimensional chess and Obama's "got it handled". Mostly they are just taking out their frustration with Obama on Hillary. The fact that Obama treated them like chumps is not Hillary's fault.

    Parent
    Yeah (5.00 / 1) (#92)
    by jbindc on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 10:22:09 AM EST
    Pretty much when people post with "Daily Kos", I instantly feel the same way as if someone posted "Newsmax".  Both need to be taken with a grain of salt and the rest of the story needs to be sussed out.

    Parent
    Uncle!!! (5.00 / 1) (#96)
    by CST on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 01:02:15 PM EST
    I've had enough snow.  Make it staaaahp.

    Nothing new around here but snow.  Neverending snow.  I feel like the city is collectively going through the 5 stages of snow grief.  Right now we're in the depressed state.  Passed bargaining with God, passed anger, passed denial, not yet at acceptance.

    TV is saying (none / 0) (#1)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Feb 06, 2015 at 08:28:07 PM EST
    justice department is charging 6 U.S. residents with material support for the ISIS terrorist group.  5 apparently in custody one more to come.  

    LINK

    ISIS AND al-qaeda AND al-Nusrah (none / 0) (#13)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 09:08:39 AM EST
    The fighters "fought with and in support of" the Islamic State group, al-Qaida in Iraq and the al-Nusrah Front, the indictment says

    Parent
    Soderbergh, Tatum (none / 0) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Feb 06, 2015 at 08:33:39 PM EST
    together again.  Will I be there?

    Mmmmm.....yeah.

    I love this trailer

    If you missed the first one here is some of the good parts

    Your welcome

    Ha! great trailer (none / 0) (#24)
    by ruffian on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 01:25:03 PM EST
    I'll be there too!

    Parent
    So (none / 0) (#31)
    by Slado on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 02:08:52 PM EST
    Is that the girlfriend on stage with them at one point?  Apparently she comes to peace with his second profession and they are still a couple?

    Was wondering how that storyline was going to play out.

    Are you watching the new season of Girls? Loving it so far. I love seeing Hannah had her destructive full force wreaking havoc on the poor folk of Iowa. Also her gay former boyfriend being the voice of reason is hilarious.

    Parent

    Girls starting today (none / 0) (#32)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 02:23:05 PM EST
    i just got HBO for The Jinx.

    Parent
    I'm watching but have not seen the latest (none / 0) (#35)
    by ruffian on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 03:36:00 PM EST
    episode yet. I have enjoyed  it so far - thought the Iowa party scenes last week were so funny. And liked Adam's holding his own with ..the girl whose name I can never remember...

    Parent
    Me too (none / 0) (#88)
    by Slado on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 06:46:22 AM EST
    You can just see the self destruction coming with Hannah and the Dad in the preview confirms it.

    Won't be surprised if she's not back in NYC by thanksgiving break.

    Parent

    MKS posted some interesting things about memory (none / 0) (#3)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Feb 06, 2015 at 10:08:39 PM EST
    And how fallible it can be.  One of the most interesting items concerning this story for me is that a few soldiers on the damaged Chinook also remembered at first Brian Williams being on their attacked aircraft.  They had to be reminded by others that he wasn't. Everyone on the Chinooks got caught in a two day sandstorm together and they were in a very vulnerable position and had to be protected by the 3rd ACR on the ground.  And somehow for some of the soldiers on the damaged Chinook, they remembered Brian Williams being with them on their aircraft.

    oops..wrong thread (none / 0) (#4)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Feb 06, 2015 at 10:09:33 PM EST


    Parent
    Interesting twist.... (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by MKS on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 12:31:26 AM EST
    The soldiers thought he was there too....

    Emotional need can distort a memory....

    Parent

    Why job approval ratings nowadays (none / 0) (#5)
    by Politalkix on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 12:04:28 AM EST
    reflect less on the job a President is doing than the state of polarization the country is in (thanks to talk radio and social media).

    link

    Obama's more polarized ratings are attributable mainly to lower support from the opposition party than his predecessors received. His average 13% approval rating among Republicans is 10 points lower than Bush's 23% approval rating among Democrats and 13 points below Clinton's 26% approval among Republicans. All other presidents had approval ratings of at least 30% from the opposition party.

    Obama's approval rating from Democrats, 83%, almost exactly matches the average approval ratings that the prior four presidents received from supporters of their own party.

    Obama's overall job approval ratings have improved modestly to the high 40s in recent weeks, but if he cannot boost his support among Republicans, it is unlikely that his overall approval ratings can go much above 50%. By comparison, during Clinton's last three years in office, when he averaged better than 60% approval overall, his support among Republicans exceeded 30%.

    Heh, heh ... (5.00 / 2) (#7)
    by Yman on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 07:54:50 AM EST
    Polarization doesn't mean his ratings "reflect less" on the job he is doing as POTUS, not is there anything in the link suggesting this is due to talk radio or social media.  Approval rating have always included member sof the opposite party, as well as independents, where Obama's rating is only 45%, which is actually an improvement from just a few months ago (34%).

    But keep looking for excuses!

    Parent

    OK, I'll Bite (none / 0) (#8)
    by RickyJim on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 08:09:13 AM EST
    What is the main thing about Obama that makes Republicans hate him more than the opposition disliked the previous two presidents?

    Parent
    Charlie sez (none / 0) (#9)
    by FlJoe on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 08:34:28 AM EST
    It's not about race, it's never about race.

    Parent
    Well (none / 0) (#11)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 08:43:39 AM EST
    there is some truth to that but you also have to realize that the GOP is smaller these days and most of the moderates have left the party than was going on 20 years ago.

    So the real key difference is the independents which there are more of these days.

    Parent

    Drunk driving is down (none / 0) (#10)
    by jbindc on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 08:34:53 AM EST
    But marijuana and other drug impaired driving is up.

    The Jinx (none / 0) (#12)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 08:46:29 AM EST
    i think I may have to break down and plug back into HBO today.  I think I have to see this.

    HBO's true crime documentary The Jinx is as riveting as it is revolting

    Hayes fascinating interview with the film maker

    Well (5.00 / 2) (#95)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 12:17:37 PM EST
    that was about as good as it gets.

    Especially of you understand based on what I've read that the first two hours are mostly about all the reasons why you would think Robert Durst guilty and the other four are more, or at least as much, about OTOH maybe this is the most unlucky person alive.  The Jinx.  Which would be the reason the alleged victims and their families are not happy about the project.

    Could you believably make up the sandwich?  Srsly.

    And my new favorite person is Deborah Lee Charatan.

    After you bailed him out where did he go

    (Chuckle) I'm in NY he's in Gavalston (which I never heard of) he probably went to the bail bondsman.

    Parent

    I plugged back in to see this too (none / 0) (#97)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 04:23:39 PM EST
    Then fell asleep in the middle of it.  I can watch it tonight though.

    Parent
    Me too ;-) Need to watch the last part of (none / 0) (#102)
    by ruffian on Tue Feb 10, 2015 at 01:43:34 PM EST
    the first episode again tonight. It was interesting, I was just too tired...can't wait to see the flip side, if that is what is coming up in the final 2 episodes.

    Deborah is awesome.

    Parent

    Final 4 (none / 0) (#104)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 10, 2015 at 03:29:17 PM EST
    six hours.

    Parent
    When did Deborah Lee enter (none / 0) (#101)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 10:01:43 PM EST
    His life?

    Parent
    I don't wanna say only in Texas.. (none / 0) (#105)
    by jondee on Tue Feb 10, 2015 at 03:42:02 PM EST
    but, really? A deranged billionaire dismembers his next door neighbor and is acquitted with a plea of self defense..

    I'm having flashbacks to the Cullen Davis case..

    And more, recently the fortunate son down there who killed a few people in a DWI incident and basically walked..

    Parent

    Based on what little I know (none / 0) (#106)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 10, 2015 at 04:27:03 PM EST
    you might want to wait with that judgement.   He never admitted killing him AFAIK.  Only dismembering him.  Should be a good story anyway.

    Parent
    I'm pretty sure he plead (5.00 / 1) (#107)
    by jondee on Tue Feb 10, 2015 at 04:37:27 PM EST
    self defense, which is hard to do if you haven't killed anyone..

    If only the alleged victim had survived the dismemberment (as rarely happens) and could tell us what really happened..

     

    Parent

    Co-rection (none / 0) (#110)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 10, 2015 at 04:41:09 PM EST
    Durst never denied killing Black, but testified at his trial the following year that he did so in self-defense after struggling to recover his gun from Black. The jury acquitted him, though he did serve time for bail-jumping and weapon charges.

    Sorry.  Thought I read he only admitted to carving him up.   Still should be a good story.

    Parent

    May be wrong about that (none / 0) (#108)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Feb 10, 2015 at 04:38:22 PM EST
    i know very little about it but what I've read about the show.  Attempting a Google.  

    Parent
    Shades of "Serial Mom": (none / 0) (#22)
    by oculus on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 01:08:41 PM EST
    daughter fails Regents test

    Tax filing did not end in tears like last year (none / 0) (#25)
    by ruffian on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 01:29:35 PM EST
    It's a good Saturday!

    I saw 'Selma' last night...honestly, on a scale that starts from the base point of the sheer drama of the story and the characters, I did not think it was a great film. I fell asleep at one point. I think you would be better off learning about these events by reading the wonderful Taylor Branch books about the civil rights movement, which I found both more riveting and more emotional than this film.

    Maybe it is that the dialogue in these historical movies is sometimes so stilted and explanatory.

    Are you going to watch The Jinx? (none / 0) (#26)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 01:30:51 PM EST
    i just got HBO.

    Parent
    Oh yeah, it looks intriguing. (none / 0) (#37)
    by ruffian on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 03:37:37 PM EST
    Will you keep HBO for Game of Thrones season too? You better!

    Parent
    Of course (none / 0) (#46)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 05:31:48 PM EST
    i @@$$¥££%#ing hat the way they have it set up.  I'm barely saving enough from the "everything" package to make it worth it but there isn't much on I care about right now.  I love that I can do it with the remote.  But soon I'm going to want MAX for Banshee and at thatoint I would actually be paying about the same as if I got every premium channel.  I hope I live to see the cable industry dry horribly.

    Parent
    I'll watch just for (none / 0) (#60)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 09:40:36 PM EST
    Dick DeGuerin, he was Durst's lawyer and will be in some parts of the series. He's an outstanding defense lawyer and a good friend. Here's an interview with him on the case (Dan Rathers interviews him at home, great scenes of the horses, etc.)

    Parent
    Look forward t you take (none / 0) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 10:00:58 PM EST
    it seems a lot if it is about haw badly the whole thing was handled.

    Parent
    In general I mean (none / 0) (#64)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 11:28:17 PM EST
    not by Mr DeGuerin

    Parent
    I found "Selma" to be an ... (none / 0) (#44)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 04:56:01 PM EST
    ... intriguing film overall, and I thought David Oyewolo's performance as MLK was outstanding. But I can also see why some viewers would feel as you do, because the film itself really verged on ponderous at a couple points. I thought much the same about "The Butler" last year. When I feel compelled to glance at my watch in the theatre to see how much time is left, the movie I'm watching generally loses a star in my ratings. I didn't check the time during "Selma," but I thought about it.

    Parent
    Ponderous is a great word (none / 0) (#59)
    by ruffian on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 09:25:55 PM EST
    I had hoped for a little more electricity. Oyewelo was good, but I thought his accent sounded too much like Kevin Spacey in  'House of Cards'.  Maybe that's what happens when I have to 'rest my eyes' too much!

    What did you think about Wilkinson's LBJ? I didn't buy it for a minute. I wish Bryan Cranston had done it. I thought Roth was excellent as Wallace though.

    I guess I was just had higher expectations because I had heard so many good things.

    Parent

    Actors tread a fine line between character and ... (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 05:07:41 AM EST
    ... caricature when playing well-known historical or contemporary figures. I think that sometimes as a viewer, you have to set aside expectations that the actor will resort to mimicry. I thought Tom Wilkinson did a credible job as LBJ, even though he neither looked or talked like him as we remember. Same thing with David Oyewolo, who bears little resemblance to Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Parent
    Meanwhile in a parallel universe (none / 0) (#47)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 05:39:39 PM EST
    jussssst painting some happy Bobs

    The Bloomberg Economy (none / 0) (#54)
    by Politalkix on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 08:41:32 PM EST
    and trickle down economics in action. When his sole focus was enticing billionaires from across the globe to live in NYC in the hope that some of their spending would trickle down to the city, is it really surprising that so much shady money from all parts of the world would get invested in high end real estate in the big Apple?

    link

    We should listen to Chancellor Merkel (none / 0) (#58)
    by Politalkix on Sat Feb 07, 2015 at 09:06:30 PM EST
    link

    It is easy to get into a war but very difficult to extricate from it.

    I am very disappointed in Michelle Fluornoy. She was touted as one of the leading candidates for Sec of Defense recently and will remain so in a future Democratic administration.

    Agreed. (none / 0) (#78)
    by KeysDan on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 02:05:26 PM EST
    McCain's one-word response to our ally, the Chancellor of Germany's speech as  "foolishness"     McCain does seem to know a bit about fools--I think he was heard asking someone how mirrors work.  

    Parent
    A comparison of "Boyhood" and (none / 0) (#70)
    by oculus on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 11:42:06 AM EST
    "Seven Up":

    NYT

    The longitudinal aspects of (none / 0) (#79)
    by KeysDan on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 02:26:40 PM EST
    'Boyhood' were, perhaps, not novel, but I saw more in the film than time moving along with date stamps on characters and environs.  It would arguably have remained an interesting rite of passage story even if the actors were artificially aged.  

    Although, it is clear that the filming of Mason and his family over 12-years is its Academy calling card. Moreover, the plot was more free-form than plot-free.  My criticism of 'Boyhood' is in the editing--it dragged in parts, annoying not owing to boredom, but to delay and anticipation of what may be coming next.  

    Parent

    Also in the fictional realm are the characters (5.00 / 1) (#84)
    by ruffian on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 04:03:41 PM EST
    on some of the better written long running TV series - I mostly think of Sally Draper on Mad Men. She has been so well written from the start, when we first see her around age 4, running into a room with a plastic dry cleaning bag over her head. (To which Betty Draper responds "I hope that dry cleaning isn't all over the floor".  God bless the 60's), and fantastically acted by Kiernan Shipka all the way through. Don's relationship between Don with his daughter has been the most important relationship to him all the way along, and I can't wait to see how it plays out in the final 8 episodes.

     I think if Matt Weiner had made a movie putting together all the footage of young Sally Draper growing up, he could easily have an Oscar winning film named "Girlhood".

    Parent

    Unlike Mason, Jr.'s parents, ... (none / 0) (#86)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 05:36:59 PM EST
    ... Don Draper and Betty Francis are classic antiheroes -- very interesting characters to be sure, but ultimately unlikeable as people. We tune into "Mad Men" because of them, not Sally.

    Were Sally the lead rather than Don, watching her having to constantly deal with a neurotic mother, narcissistic father and their respective spouses, all of whom are entirely self-absorbed, would be excruciating and likely depressing as all hell.

    Ultimately, they'd have to write in a character who's a professional psychotherapist, in order to serve as our poor Sally's confidante and periodically reassure her that it's her parental units who are messed up, and not her.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    LOL, true enough.... (none / 0) (#103)
    by ruffian on Tue Feb 10, 2015 at 01:48:06 PM EST
    I didn't find the parents on Boyhood to be much more exemplary though.

    Parent
    RIP, Dean Smith (1931-2015). (none / 0) (#76)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Feb 08, 2015 at 01:22:19 PM EST
    The legendary North Carolina men's basketball coach died yesterday at age 83 after an extended illness, leaving behind a staggering legacy of achievement from his 35-year tenure (1961-1997) at the helm of the Tar Heel program.

    Smith was among the very first coaches in any sport in the South to desegregate his team and offer scholarships to black athletes and overall, 95% of all his players at UNC would graduate. He compiled an impressive 879-264 career record, during which his teams won two national championships (1982 and 1993) and 17 ACC regular-season titles, while making 23 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament, including 11 Final Fours. More than 50 of his players would go on to play professionally in the NBA and ABA, among them Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Brad Daugherty.

    As a political liberal and devout Baptist, Smith didn't hesitate to parlay his successes in basketball-crazy North Carolina as social leverage to prod his adopted state to leave behind the Jim Crow era and become more tolerant, inclusive and accepting as a society.

    A longtime proponent of LGBT civil rights, he encouraged his parishioners in 1992 to license a gay man as a minister, and then helped lead that parish out of the Southern Baptist Convention and the North Carolina Baptist State Convention when those organizations objected. He also regularly spoke out in public against capital punishment, nuclear proliferation and a host of other issues in which he perceived an injustice occurring.

    Aloha to a good man, who tried to make North Carolina a better place.

    Might want to look at (none / 0) (#90)
    by jbindc on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 08:34:06 AM EST
    Those graduation rates again.

    This "paper class" scandal is about to get much larger and wider in scope.

    Parent

    That scandal really has nothing to do with ... (none / 0) (#109)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Feb 10, 2015 at 04:39:06 PM EST
    ... UNC's overall graduation rates for athletes. While most institutions won't admit it, all major universities have had a few so-called "courses" which were designed primarily to boost athletes' GPAs when needed.

    My own alma mater Washington was no exception. We had several classes such as COMM 120, Interpersonal Communications, which mostly consisted of role playing and a written summary of what we learned in that day's exercise. It was an academic joke and waste of time.

    But it should be noted that only a minority of student-athletes ever availed themselves of such fluff classes. For my part, I carried a dual major in biology and history, and generally maintained a pretty rigorous course schedule. We were expected to work hard and keep up in our studies at UW.

    If we ran into academic difficulty, our coaches were soon apprised of it, and then we'd be required to go to mandatory study hall three nights a week, where our attendance was duly monitored and reported. Failure to maintain our GPA led to our suspension and possible loss of our scholarship.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    When all is said and done (none / 0) (#111)
    by jbindc on Wed Feb 11, 2015 at 08:25:41 AM EST
    I think you are going to see that this involves HUNDREDS of student athletes, mostly from football and men's basketball. Who not only didn't actually earn a degree, but who shouldn't have been in college in the first place.  These weren't occasional easy courses the jocks got to take - they were entire curricula where no one had to go to class and has other people wrote their free papers for them and got their grades changed. It's called "academic fraud". So yeah, Dean Smith had an excellent "graduation rate" -but let's not kid ourselves that many of those kids actually earned those degrees.

    And yes, I think this is only the first shoe to drop and other programs are going to start sweating bullets.

    Parent

    Pony up, Seattle! (none / 0) (#94)
    by jbindc on Mon Feb 09, 2015 at 10:52:59 AM EST
    The 12th Man piper is about to come due.

    Friday Night Open Thread | 112 comments (112 topical)

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