Entertainment overnight -- A Change-up

The commentary makes it:

Question for The Kansas City Star

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch rather quickly--and wisely, I think--ended publishing Right Wing columnist George Will after his first article on rape that was strongly anti-women.

Now, Mr. Will is at least "doubling-down" on his comments and defending them:

George Will Stands By His Incendiary Sexual Assault Column

I love that he also tries to blame, in this video, the Obama administration for his situation.

So the question is, Star, how soon until you do the same?

It's not about following the "big brother across the state" or that big competitor or anything like that.

He has defended rape and rapists and belittled the situations of rape and possible rape.. Additionally, there are plenty--plenty--of Right Wing, Conservative columnists out there to choose from, heaven knows.

What part of this man's writing could or would you possibly want or want your readers to have now?

Entertainment Overnight -- Stay with me

Sam Smith.    Quite the voice.

How Americans like their politics

Americans seem to like our politics rather Captain Kirk-like--all emotional and "go get 'em!", clearly.

Between Fox "News" and now all the mainstream media outlets--CBS, NBC and ABC. If there are yelling and interrupting sessions and exclamation points and rude outbursts.

Sure, more of us could watch PBS and get good, intelligent, calm, two-sided information but, no, we want our screaming sessions.  We want to be entertained.

And we know it.

I am reminded of this nearly daily, if/when I am ever exposed to today's media.

Then I read things like the following, from The New York Times or nearly any news program on PBS, especially and including the Nightly News and/or Charlie Rose.

So with all the emotional hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth at and by Fox, it's always nice when I run across something far more logical, analytical, calm and logical--Spock-like---as here:

A Balancing Act on Iraq

President Obama has, so far, struck the right note on Iraq, where Sunni extremist militants are seizing territory and threatening the existence of the state. He has been cautious — emphasizing the need for political reform in Iraq and reaching out to other countries that could have an impact on its fate.

Trouble is, we don't want hard facts, really. We want conclusions. We also want articles and columns that already support our pre-supposed conclusions, sans supportable, actual data.

If Americans really wanted to learn about Iraq, Iran, Syria and the Middle East, as we should, they should watch this film clip, in full, totally undistracted.

Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell - Businessweek

Most Americans won't watch it, but they should.

Missouri State Rep Allegedly Tweets What?

This:

GOP State Rep. Denies Tweeting Giant Penis Photo

Earlier this week, the Twitter account of Missouri state representative Mark Parkinson accidentally sent his followers an image of a comically large penis, along with a caption joking about the difficulties of men waking up in the morning.

He reportedly is quoted saying "Is that so WRONG??"

(not actually.

Hopefully the Kansas City Star will follow suit

This was announced yesterday:

Saint Louis Post Dispatch dumps columnist George Will

Seems Mr. Will defended rape and rapists by males so the Post-Dispatch  dropped him.

As I said, hopefully the Star will be as inciteful.

At long last.

Entertainment Overnight

How I love these people's work.  Such soul:

Article and video on Wichita, KS and the Koch brothers in NYT today

First the video:

Koch County, Kansas

The Koch brothers have their name on a lot of things in Wichita, home of Koch Industries - a zoo exhibit, a YMCA, a basketball arena. But even in a city they've given millions to, there are skeptics.

And then the article:

In Wichita, Koch Influence Is Revered and Reviled

For residents of the Kochs' hometown, Wichita, Kan., the brothers are known less for their political agenda and more for their extensive philanthropy, which some see as a mixed blessing.

Entertainment overnight -- Kagemusha

I love these guys' work.  The sound quality here is far from the best since it was done with a cell phone but at least it's a live performance.



Much better sound quality here:

Demonizing the oppostion

I just saw the movie trailer for this movie coming out soon:



Funny thing, I can absolutely see people in America on the Left and Right, both, imagining the "Apes" as their political opposition in this country, each so certain the other is wrong.

So wrong. So totally, utterly, even demoniacally wrong.

We don't see each other as Americans any longer.

Big mistake.  Big problem.

Notes on a Kansas City Weekend

Things noticed over the weekend;

1)  Prairie Village seems to want to become either Kansas City, Missouri or just more like them.  If you've driven 75th Street headed West lately, you know what I mean.  I don't think any one Kansas City street has ever had any more construction plates on the road than that city (town?) does now;

2)  Meanwhile, in nearby Mission, Kansas, holy cow, people. Johnson drive is a God-awful, bumpy, crowded, narrow, nearly dangerous mess. I suppose that's the only way it can be repaired but what a driving nightmare.  As an additional note, I can't imagine how the businesses on the South side of that street are able to continue. I don't know how long it's been torn up but it's clear it won't be done any time soon;

3) And speaking of Mission, how about that mall, eh?  Seems only two questions come up:  First, will that thing ever be redone? And second, wouldn't it be terrific if they just hadn't torn down the old one?

And finally,

4)  What on Earth would get someone--anyone--who's sane, anyway, to move 1/2 way across the country---all the way to Virginia, for pity's sake---but to STILL, after all these years, focus on our city, Kansas City, and whether or not we build light rail?  What sick, twisted disease must be running around your body or mind to make you fixate like that? It has to be a combination of outrageous egotism and OCD, don't you think?

And I refuse to mention that person's name in any way here, ever, but the surname rhymes with *ss-stain.

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day

Having met and known someone--well--who didn't/doesn't respect his own father (or mother, for that matter) helps me value and appreciate my own father (and yes, mother) that much more.

Happy Father's Day out there to all the dads.  Enjoy your day.

Happy Flag Day

“What struck me as I began to study history was how nationalist fervor--inculcated from childhood on by pledges of allegiance, national anthems, flags waving and rhetoric blowing--permeated the educational systems of all countries, including our own. I wonder now how the foreign policies of the United States would look if we wiped out the national boundaries of the world, at least in our minds, and thought of all children everywhere as our own. Then we could never drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, or napalm on Vietnam, or wage war anywhere, because wars, especially in our time, are always wars against children, indeed our children.” 

―-Howard Zinn, American historian, author, playwright, and social activist. from his book

A People's History of the United States: 1492 – Present

Entertainment overnight -- a new love

I don't know where I've been on these two.

Entertainment overnight -- song and dance

For the kids out there, go Google Bob Hope and James Cagney

HUGE news yesterday

It hit late last afternoon:

Eric Cantor Loses GOP Primary. 

Wait, What!?

That is some big, even incredible news.

The ultra-Right Wing of the nation, of the Republican Party, the Tea Party and all of their ilk just keep cannibalizing the Republican Party and each other.

Outstanding.

What they don't seem to know is that it weakens them. What they also don't know is that it strengthens the opposition party.

What they also don't know is that all this is better--far better--for the nation, too.

And I love this.  The guy who beat Cantor is named Brat.

That seems to me worthy of Charles Dickens.

And why did the Brat (you should have seen that coming) defeat Mr. Cantor?

Turns out, it may have been due to Cantor's nod to possibly accepting immigration reform. That's bad news for the mainstream Republican Party, also, because the core of the Party realized, rather reluctantly, that they need more and more of the Hispanic vote if they expect to both grow, as an organization, and most importantly, win future elections.

One more thing good for America here is that Mr. Brat only raised an estimated $150,000 in his campaign.

Mr. Cantor?

It's estimated Mr. Cantor raised $5.5 million.

The big money got tossed.

Even though it's the Tea Party, I'll still take that as a bit of a small win for America.

So, the coming 2016 election?

Entertainment overnight -- Out on the Weekend

Enjoy your time and weekend, y'all.

Health care in America

It's not about you. It's not about me. It's not about people.



For the businesses, the corporations, the insurance companies,

it's about the money.

We know that.

Now tell me how much we don't need the Affordable Care Act.


Yeah, Obamacare.


Statistics to back it up:

U.S. healthcare at $8,508 per capita -- most expensive

Medical Bills Are the Biggest Cause of US Bankruptcies

New Health Rankings: Of 17 Nations, US Is Dead Last

The American Slaughter

Here we go again, America. It happened again, just yesterday:

Las Vegas Shooting Kills 2 Metro Police Officers Total 5 Dead

So 20 children--innocent, grade school children--were slaughtered, assassinated, in mere moments all that long ago and what did we do? What did America do?

Not a damn thing.

Changed nothing. Zip. Zilch.

In the meantime, between then and now, more shootings, more killings, more assassinations of innocents. College campuses, more children, all kinds. Heck, even a member of the House of Representatives.

And while so many think this is either okay apparently or just not that bad or wrong or repugnant, let's never lose sight of this:

No other civilized, industrialized, educated, First World nation in the world lives or has incidents like this, let alone repeated ones, the way we in our country, here in the US does.

It is shameful.  It is irresponsible. It is, in fact, repugnant.

And that we have done nothing, to date, and that we continue to do nothing whatever about this is an obscenity and additional tragedy.

Face it, gun freaks, we're never taking your guns.

We know that. You should know that but the fear helps you whip up more frenzy and gun purchases, doesn't it?

But losing more and more of your fellow Americans--innocents, in this case, police officers--concerns you not a whit?

Work with us, for Christ's sake, for anything and everything that's good, work with us. For the good of America and for the safety of most Americans, let's reign in the weapons just a bit. There's only three things we really need to do. They are:

1) Do a background check on ALL for-profit purchases, including gun shows, for criminal history;

2) Do the same for mental stability and finally,

3) Put a top limit, per clip of 10 shots to any and all weapons, nationwide, starting now. You'd still have your weapons and we'd have a smidgen of restraint.

It's not complicated. It's very possible. They'd be effective, they'd be helpful and they'd be productive.

They'd be for the good of the nation and for the people.


Lots of data here:  Homicide | Harvard Injury Control Research Center

Entertainment overnight

New, young artist, beautiful voice, great talent.

Entertainment overnight

I love these guys. Good music but great performance art.

Recommended viewing

With the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landing having been just this last week, there can be no better time than to see the still-fairly-new "Monuments Men" movie.

It's a fantastic story, beautifully shot and told and has a terrific, very full, even fun, cast to it, too. The first sight of Bill Murray is perfect, more of his tongue-in-cheek style.



This movie feels like a privilege to watch, the story is so good, so well told and so well done. I also think it tells more of the true horrors of war because, besides the war scenes, which every war movie naturally has, it shows more and better than ever before, possibly, of the horrors for the average person, the people, in this case, too, the Jews, of what exactly what they went through and the horrors. It shows, again, more personally, on the civilians' level, to the average working person, what a psychotic maniac Hitler was and the incredible damage Germany and Germans, at the time, did. It also better gives the scope of what Hitler and Hitler's Germany did.

I would go so far to say it's even an important film people need to see. It is one of those rare, terrific films you, again, feel privileged to have seen and are sorry when it ends.



Have a great weekend, y'all.

Quote of the day -- on war

Entertainment overnight -- Flashback

Huge flashback

Quote of the day -- on Iraq and Afganistan

And from an authoritative voice:

qq

Entertainment overnight -- tongue deeply in cheek

These guys do it all. Classical music, holiday, hip-hop and more.  And all good.  No. Very well.

Entertainment overnight -- the Republican Party

The Royal Scam

Entertainment overnight -- Blue Bayou