BobbyLayne
Footballguy
tim,
Please tell me how I should feel about the Every Student Succeeds Act.
TIA
Please tell me how I should feel about the Every Student Succeeds Act.
TIA
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timschochet's thread- Mods, please move this thread to the Politics Subforum, thank you (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter timschochet
- Start date
This is extremely stupid reasoning.timschochet said:
As long as the Cowboys continue to suck, the Giants have no flaws. As long as McDonald's burgers continue to suck, Burger King burgers have no flaws. As long as Pepsi tastes like garbage, Coke has no flaws...
Why isn't it possible for, say, Trump to be a 1 on the 1-10 scale, Clinton to be a 3, Gary Johnson to be a 7, and, for argument's sake, me to be a 10? Obviously, it's entirely possible.
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Thanks, I'm hesitant to join that thread. Smart people in there on both sides and I admit to not being fully informed.msommer said:
But the environment is an issue for me, it frustrates me to no end my city which is so at the environment's mercy is so thick-headed when it comes to this stuff. I am involved in a group that drives recycling efforts and ideas though so maybe I will pop in to see if I can learn something.
As for China - problem is they are an authoritarian dictatorship which has quasi-fascistic similarities in the sense that government and large industry are typically joined. There is no FOIA, there is no real regulation as we understand it, there is no enforcement of accounting principles, there is no Clean Air Act or whistleblower statute, there is no democracy whereby citizens can seek facts or sue for bad air or water. In short China can say whatever it wants to say about what it is, has or will be doing with regard to the environment but absolutely none of it is enforceable or verifiable. If the mayor or governor or party chairman in some region or some colonel or some apparatchik and his cronies own a plant or some piece of some industry absolutely no agency or group is going to make them do anything to clean up their plant or industry.
eta - I will say that if there is one concern for China it is that the foulness of their environment is probably one major driver for democracy there so if they want to keep the populace calm probably the no. 1 thing they can do is clean up the environment to keep civic activism down. Having said that autocracies rarely act rationally when it comes to this, it's always something. Autocracies are going to autocrat, it's what they do. This is the same regime that damned up the Yangtze, an absolute environmental disaster on part with anything the Soviets did.
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msommer
Footballguy
The fact is, that they are investing heavily in renewable energy. They did not spend 83 bn dollars (in 2014 alone) for getting nothing in return.
They are indeed a dictatorship and like most dictatorships those in power wants to stay there.
If people can't breathe in the capital (and other cities), there are no jobs where people live and the consumer politics (I'll refrain from calling it market reform as that has specific 'freedom' connotations that may not exist in China) do not produce enough improvement in standard of living, the dictatorship will fall (possibly to be replaced by another).
Frankly it is in the Chinese elite's own interest to do something to reduce their pollution (and consequently CO2 emissions) which is why I think it will happen.
If a global agreement will speed that along (as well as reduce the emission of US and India among others) why not embrace it?
They are indeed a dictatorship and like most dictatorships those in power wants to stay there.
If people can't breathe in the capital (and other cities), there are no jobs where people live and the consumer politics (I'll refrain from calling it market reform as that has specific 'freedom' connotations that may not exist in China) do not produce enough improvement in standard of living, the dictatorship will fall (possibly to be replaced by another).
Frankly it is in the Chinese elite's own interest to do something to reduce their pollution (and consequently CO2 emissions) which is why I think it will happen.
If a global agreement will speed that along (as well as reduce the emission of US and India among others) why not embrace it?
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Ok, so how do we verify this?
This is a bit like arms control.
In the US our books are open, we can see what corporations spend, we can see what the air is like, there are independent inspections by citizens groups and the EPA and other regulatory agencies.
How do we know that China is spending what it is spending and what the effects are, where and how like we do in the US?
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tom22406
Footballguy
msommer
Footballguy
India needs to improve as well
ETA: Their investment level in renewable energy is still pretty low. About 7 bn in 2014 which seriously needs to improve. The problem there is that they are NOT a dictatorship, rather they are a fairly dysfunctional democracy so even if the government started being serious about the environment it will be a lot slower for them to ramp up than China
ETA: Their investment level in renewable energy is still pretty low. About 7 bn in 2014 which seriously needs to improve. The problem there is that they are NOT a dictatorship, rather they are a fairly dysfunctional democracy so even if the government started being serious about the environment it will be a lot slower for them to ramp up than China
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msommer
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
Its a good point. On the other hand, have you noticed that everyone who participates in this thread, even those who profoundly disagree with me, is willing to have a back and forth dialogue of ideas that is rarely interrupted by idiotic pronouncements and insults? If only that were the case in other threads I would be back in them. I probably will at some point anyhow I guess, but for now I enjoy the quieter, more reasonable discussion no matter how meandering the topics get.
squistion
Footballguy
That is also my take. The problem with vanity threads like this and GMTAO is that are multiple topics being discussed, very few of interest to me and it is not worth the effort to go back and try to find and follow a discussion and then realize that it is already over and people have gone to such thrilling topics as Tim's top 20 favorite songs beginning with the letter D. No one has to hijack a discussion in this thread, as it happens automatically. Threads that are of topics I don't care for, I can skip over in this forum, but can't do that here without extensive scrolling. I have to wade through things I just find superfluous and it is just not worth the effort. Sorry, Tim.
roadkill1292
Footballguy
I noticed that, too, Tim. So let's take this quiet opportunity to talk about the dirty rotten cheaters at Clemson, who just may have found a loophole to pay players that the NCAA can't close.
Summary -- Clemson guy starts crowdfunding site that lets people pledge money to high school recruits and pitch them on their schools. After recruit commits, funds for him are locked. After eligibility expires, money is distributed to athlete regardless of which school he attended.
Why the schools may not be able to stop it -- the money is not contingent (ha ha, see below) on which school the kid ultimately attends and he doesn't collect until after the schools relinquish any authority over him.
How boosters will use it to cheat cheat cheat -- "Tell me that you'll sign with Auburn, son, and a hundred thousand dollar pledge with your name on it hits UBooster tonight."
Who would have thought Clemson fans, of all people, could have come up with something so fiendishly clever and disobedient? It's liable to make Dabo renounce Christ.
Summary -- Clemson guy starts crowdfunding site that lets people pledge money to high school recruits and pitch them on their schools. After recruit commits, funds for him are locked. After eligibility expires, money is distributed to athlete regardless of which school he attended.
Why the schools may not be able to stop it -- the money is not contingent (ha ha, see below) on which school the kid ultimately attends and he doesn't collect until after the schools relinquish any authority over him.
How boosters will use it to cheat cheat cheat -- "Tell me that you'll sign with Auburn, son, and a hundred thousand dollar pledge with your name on it hits UBooster tonight."
Who would have thought Clemson fans, of all people, could have come up with something so fiendishly clever and disobedient? It's liable to make Dabo renounce Christ.
Courtjester
The Town Drunk
I agree. I miss you in the Trump thread. At least you have coherent arguments to support your point. A lot of the posters in there believe that just calling people names and dismissing people based on their level of education will somehow magically make Trump go away as well
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B-Deep
Footballguy
B-Deep
Footballguy
China Burns Much More Coal Than Reported, Complicating Climate TalksBy CHRIS BUCKLEY
NOV. 3, 2015
BEIJING — China, the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases from coal, has been burning up to 17 percent more coal a year than the government previously disclosed, according to newly released data. The finding could complicate the already difficult efforts to limit global warming.
Officials from around the world will have to come to grips with the new figures when they gather in Paris this month to negotiate an international framework for curtailing greenhouse-gas pollution. The data also pose a challenge for scientists who are trying to reduce China’s smog, which often bathes whole regions in acrid, unhealthy haze.
task of meeting that deadline by reducing China’s dependence on coal will be more daunting and urgent than expected, said Yang Fuqiang, a former energy official in China who now advises the Natural Resources Defense Council.The Chinese government has promised to halt the growth of its emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse pollutant from coal and other fossil fuels, by 2030. The new data suggest that the
NOV. 3, 2015
BEIJING — China, the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases from coal, has been burning up to 17 percent more coal a year than the government previously disclosed, according to newly released data. The finding could complicate the already difficult efforts to limit global warming.
Officials from around the world will have to come to grips with the new figures when they gather in Paris this month to negotiate an international framework for curtailing greenhouse-gas pollution. The data also pose a challenge for scientists who are trying to reduce China’s smog, which often bathes whole regions in acrid, unhealthy haze.
task of meeting that deadline by reducing China’s dependence on coal will be more daunting and urgent than expected, said Yang Fuqiang, a former energy official in China who now advises the Natural Resources Defense Council.The Chinese government has promised to halt the growth of its emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse pollutant from coal and other fossil fuels, by 2030. The new data suggest that the
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roadkill1292
Footballguy
Between constant little nibbles at the system like this plus the threat of a Missouri-like boycott in the future, the old crappy system is about due to crumble.
timschochet
Footballguy
All right! The ayes have it, I have been persuaded.
I will continue to post in this thread the different things I'm working on (McCarthy narrative, favorite books, song lists) but I will take part in the political threads.
I will continue to post in this thread the different things I'm working on (McCarthy narrative, favorite books, song lists) but I will take part in the political threads.
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
The UN EP is not going to challenge China on its government, its transparency or its bureaucracy or its inherent corruption and intertwining with its own industrial base.
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Why corruption (and democracy) matters:
- These are among the reasons you cannot trust any claims of regulation of the environment out of China.
If they implement it they can get around it.
If they manage to implement it without corruption or bribery (fat chance, again would you trust Dow's numbers if they regulated themselves?) then you have no way of reliably verifying their numbers or hold the corporations or governmental agencies to account.
China could say they are spending $6 trillion on cleaning up the environment, doesn't matter.
http://www.transparency.org/news/feature/fighting_corruption_in_china
- These are among the reasons you cannot trust any claims of regulation of the environment out of China.
If they implement it they can get around it.
If they manage to implement it without corruption or bribery (fat chance, again would you trust Dow's numbers if they regulated themselves?) then you have no way of reliably verifying their numbers or hold the corporations or governmental agencies to account.
China could say they are spending $6 trillion on cleaning up the environment, doesn't matter.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
squistion
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
McCarthy era, continued
Sometimes a single incident may illuminate an entire era. The appeal of Dorothy Bailey sheds considerable light on this one. A graduate of Bryn Mawr and the University of Minnesota, Miss Bailey was 41 in the spring of 1948. She had worked for the US Employment Service for 14 years and was regarded as an exemplary employee; her only public activity was in the United Public Workers of America, an organization not cited by the attorney general. Miss Bailey was president of her UPWA local, which may have inspired jealous gossip, though she had no known enemies. On the strength of unsupported charges that she was, or had been, a Communist and had "associated with known Communist Party members", she had been haled before the DC regional loyalty board.
The prosecution presented no evidence. No witnesses testified against her. She categorically denied all charges, presented several character witnesses- and was fired anyhow. During her appearance before the board, the chairman said that "5 or 6 of the reports against you came from informants certified to us by the FBI as experienced and extremely reliable." Miss Bailey's attorney demanded that the chairman name these experts. The chairman refused, and then admitted that he had no idea exactly who they were anyhow. The following exchange took place:
CHAIRMAN: Then this report says it first came to the informant's attention around 1936, at which time you were a known member of the so-called "closed group" of the Communist Party operating in the District of Columbia.
MISS BAILEY: First of all, I didn't know, or don't know, that there is a "closed group." The terminology is unfamiliar to me. I can only say under oath and with the strongest conviction that I was not then and have never been a member of the Communist Party.
BOARD MEMBER: Here is another report that says you were a member of the Communist Party, and he bases his statement on the knowledge of your association with known Communists. That is part of the evidence that was submitted to us.
BAILEY'S ATTORNEY: It is part of the allegations. I don't think that can be considered evidence.
CHAIRMAN: It is evidence.
And so forth. Her appeal was denied. Reminded that the board's procedures were in flagrant contempt of constitutional guarantees, the chairman took refuge in the meaningless cliche that government service is a "privilege, not a right." Miss Bailey was dismissed, removed from her position.
It is important to note, and cannot be stressed enough that THESE WERE DEMOCRATS. The attorney general, appointed by Truman, was a Democrat. The loyalty boards, under a Democratic administration, were stacked with Democrats. It had no connection either to HUAC or to McCarthy's committee in the senate later on. Why is this so important? Because in later years liberals have fostered the myth that what we now think of as the McCarty era was pushed on the country by Republicans and fought against by Democrats. That's not what happened. Both parties were heavily involved. Both parties were equally guilty of ignoring the Constitution and going on a paranoid witch hunt.
Sometimes a single incident may illuminate an entire era. The appeal of Dorothy Bailey sheds considerable light on this one. A graduate of Bryn Mawr and the University of Minnesota, Miss Bailey was 41 in the spring of 1948. She had worked for the US Employment Service for 14 years and was regarded as an exemplary employee; her only public activity was in the United Public Workers of America, an organization not cited by the attorney general. Miss Bailey was president of her UPWA local, which may have inspired jealous gossip, though she had no known enemies. On the strength of unsupported charges that she was, or had been, a Communist and had "associated with known Communist Party members", she had been haled before the DC regional loyalty board.
The prosecution presented no evidence. No witnesses testified against her. She categorically denied all charges, presented several character witnesses- and was fired anyhow. During her appearance before the board, the chairman said that "5 or 6 of the reports against you came from informants certified to us by the FBI as experienced and extremely reliable." Miss Bailey's attorney demanded that the chairman name these experts. The chairman refused, and then admitted that he had no idea exactly who they were anyhow. The following exchange took place:
CHAIRMAN: Then this report says it first came to the informant's attention around 1936, at which time you were a known member of the so-called "closed group" of the Communist Party operating in the District of Columbia.
MISS BAILEY: First of all, I didn't know, or don't know, that there is a "closed group." The terminology is unfamiliar to me. I can only say under oath and with the strongest conviction that I was not then and have never been a member of the Communist Party.
BOARD MEMBER: Here is another report that says you were a member of the Communist Party, and he bases his statement on the knowledge of your association with known Communists. That is part of the evidence that was submitted to us.
BAILEY'S ATTORNEY: It is part of the allegations. I don't think that can be considered evidence.
CHAIRMAN: It is evidence.
And so forth. Her appeal was denied. Reminded that the board's procedures were in flagrant contempt of constitutional guarantees, the chairman took refuge in the meaningless cliche that government service is a "privilege, not a right." Miss Bailey was dismissed, removed from her position.
It is important to note, and cannot be stressed enough that THESE WERE DEMOCRATS. The attorney general, appointed by Truman, was a Democrat. The loyalty boards, under a Democratic administration, were stacked with Democrats. It had no connection either to HUAC or to McCarthy's committee in the senate later on. Why is this so important? Because in later years liberals have fostered the myth that what we now think of as the McCarty era was pushed on the country by Republicans and fought against by Democrats. That's not what happened. Both parties were heavily involved. Both parties were equally guilty of ignoring the Constitution and going on a paranoid witch hunt.
timschochet
Footballguy
88. Crazy In Alabama
Mark Childress
1994, 384 pages
Historical fiction, humor
This is really 2 novels in one, with alternating chapters. The time is the early 1960s. In the first story, an 11 year old white boy in Montgomery becomes involved in an effort to desegregate a public swimming pool, leading to protests, riots, and appearances by Martin Luther King and George Wallace. Serious and dramatic, somewhat similar in tone to To Kill A Mockingbird, this is a great narrative drama of the Civil Rights era.
In the other story, the kid's totally hot aunt, sick of her abusive husband, chops his head off, sticks it in a hatbox, and drives to California where she auditions for a part in The Beverly Hillbillies and becomes an instant television star, all the while with police on her trail.
Oddly enough, these two very disparate tales, completely unconnected except for the family relationship, work well together. The serious civil rights struggle actually works better when counterposed with the aunt's hilarious journey, and vice versa. I understand that a movie was made in the late 90s starring Melanie Griffith as the aunt (which is good casting) but I never saw it. The book is a great and very enjoyable read.
Up next: She convinced two high school stoners to kill her husband...
Mark Childress
1994, 384 pages
Historical fiction, humor
This is really 2 novels in one, with alternating chapters. The time is the early 1960s. In the first story, an 11 year old white boy in Montgomery becomes involved in an effort to desegregate a public swimming pool, leading to protests, riots, and appearances by Martin Luther King and George Wallace. Serious and dramatic, somewhat similar in tone to To Kill A Mockingbird, this is a great narrative drama of the Civil Rights era.
In the other story, the kid's totally hot aunt, sick of her abusive husband, chops his head off, sticks it in a hatbox, and drives to California where she auditions for a part in The Beverly Hillbillies and becomes an instant television star, all the while with police on her trail.
Oddly enough, these two very disparate tales, completely unconnected except for the family relationship, work well together. The serious civil rights struggle actually works better when counterposed with the aunt's hilarious journey, and vice versa. I understand that a movie was made in the late 90s starring Melanie Griffith as the aunt (which is good casting) but I never saw it. The book is a great and very enjoyable read.
Up next: She convinced two high school stoners to kill her husband...
timschochet
Footballguy
20 great songs that begin with the letter E:
1. "Early Morning Riser"- Pure Prairie League
2. "East of Eden"- Lone Justice
3. "Eastbound Train"- Luka Bloom
4. "Easy"- Barenaked Ladies
5. "Easy"- The Commodores
6. "Eight Line Poem"- David Bowie
7. "The Elephant's Graveyard"- The Boomtown Rats
8. "Elstree"- The Buggles
9. "Emerald Street"- Eliza Gilkyson
10. "European Son"- The Velvet Underground
11. "Ever Fallen In Love"- The Buzzcocks
12. "Every Road I Take"- Sue Foley
13. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"- Neil Young & Crazy Horse
14. "Everybody Loves You Now"- Billy Joel
15. "Everything I Own"- Bread
16. "Everything Merges With the Night"- Brian Eno
17. "Everywhere I Go"- Junior Kimbrough
18. "Excitable Boy"- Warren Zevon
19. "Eye In the Sky"- Jonatha Brooke
20. "Eyes"- North Mississippi Allstars
1. "Early Morning Riser"- Pure Prairie League
2. "East of Eden"- Lone Justice
3. "Eastbound Train"- Luka Bloom
4. "Easy"- Barenaked Ladies
5. "Easy"- The Commodores
6. "Eight Line Poem"- David Bowie
7. "The Elephant's Graveyard"- The Boomtown Rats
8. "Elstree"- The Buggles
9. "Emerald Street"- Eliza Gilkyson
10. "European Son"- The Velvet Underground
11. "Ever Fallen In Love"- The Buzzcocks
12. "Every Road I Take"- Sue Foley
13. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"- Neil Young & Crazy Horse
14. "Everybody Loves You Now"- Billy Joel
15. "Everything I Own"- Bread
16. "Everything Merges With the Night"- Brian Eno
17. "Everywhere I Go"- Junior Kimbrough
18. "Excitable Boy"- Warren Zevon
19. "Eye In the Sky"- Jonatha Brooke
20. "Eyes"- North Mississippi Allstars
timschochet
Footballguy
Much like Scrabble, I can already see that Q, X, and Z are going to be a challenge...
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Eleanor Rigby needs to be on your list.
timschochet
Footballguy
These aren't my 20 all time favorite songs that start with E though. Just 20 songs I happen to really like.
And anyhow, no.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Ah, I see you tokened the Commodores on this one.....but with THE whitest song Richie ever did (and that's saying something).
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timschochet
Footballguy
It's a great song. And it's not nearly as "white" as some of his solo stuff.Ah, I see you tokened the Commodores on this one.....but with THE whitest song Richie ever did (and that's saying something).
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Relax. I'm funning you.It's a great song. And it's not nearly as "white" as some of his solo stuff.Ah, I see you tokened the Commodores on this one.....but with THE whitest song Richie ever did (and that's saying something).
timschochet
Footballguy
McCarthy era, continued
The universities were torn by a double allegiance, to the flag and to academic freedom. The flag won out. Legislature after legislature required teachers to take loyalty oaths, 11,000 of them at the University of California alone. UCLA fired 157 professors who balked. On the local level teacher oaths were administered by school board chairman, PTA presidents, and police chiefs. Legion and VFW officers in many communities studied classroom texts for subversive materials. Censorship was rampant.
If any occupation had to endure more than the teaching profession, it was show business. In New York 3 aggressive ex-FBI agents, egged on by vigilantes in the American Federation of Radio Artists, published Counter-Attack, a pamphlet listing 151 actors, directors, and writers whose names had appeared in the files of various congressional committees. Counter-Attack was circulated among communications executives, who were urged to fire anyone in it and to check it before hiring new people. Next the 3 issued Red Channels, a thicker directory of entertainers and announcers whose friends or "affiliations" we dubious. The industry trembled- Counter-Attack had described CBS as "the most satisfying network for the Communists"- and vice presidents kept copies of Red Channels in their bottom desk drawers. On Madison Avenue and throughout Hollywood it was rechristened "the blacklist."
Blacklisting was to be a feature of the entertainment industry for over a decade. It was a blunt instrument of blackmail, used to cow administrators whose livelihood depended on public opinion. Time has blurred many sharp contours of the McCarthy era, but no brief can be held for those company heads who permitted themselves to be intimidated. Often they knew that a star had been blacklisted by a jealous competitor, and at the other end of the wage scale they summarily dismissed stagehands and deodorant demonstrators on preposterous charges that they were "disloyal" or "security risks." If one executive had stiffened his backbone the counter-attackers' house of cards might have collapsed. None did.
The experience of Jean Muir was typical. One day she was the leading actress in The Aldrich Family, NBC's most popular serial. The next day her name was added to Red Channels. By afternoon the network had torn up her contract and put her on the street. NBC's explanation to the press set a new low in what had already become a low era, and established a precedent it's competitors soon followed. Of course Miss Muir wasn't a Communist, the network spokesman said blandly. She was loyal to her country and always had been. Unfortunately she had become "controversial". Controversy alarmed sponsors, stirred up the public, and hurt the product. In short, she had been fired because someone had lied about her. From then on, "controversial" was almost a synonym for "disloyal"- and just as likely to ruin a career. Eventually most people stopped trying to justify the blacklist. If questions were raised about its iniquities, there always seemed to be someone around who would shake his head and say maddeningly "where's there's smoke, there's fire."
Howard Fast, Dalton Trumbo, Lilian Hellman and many others were blacklisted because they were Communist or left-leaning. Some of these writers, and members of the "Hollywood Ten" (ten writers and directors who were asked to testify before HUAC and took the 5th Amendment rather than name Communists) continued to write for years under false names. Sometimes Academy Awards were actually given to fake writers when everyone on the "inside" knew that the real writer was blacklisted (as in the case of Roman Holiday.) Other actors, writers and directors disappeared, never able to offer their talents again.
On the other hand, there were well known celebrities who cooperated with the blacklist. Burl Ives testified before Congress about the subversive nature of his fellow folkies the Weavers, particularly Pete Seeger, which almost ruined Seeger's career. Adolph Menjou and Cecil B. De Mille both testified and named names. And John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and Lucille Ball among others vigorously defended the blacklist.
The universities were torn by a double allegiance, to the flag and to academic freedom. The flag won out. Legislature after legislature required teachers to take loyalty oaths, 11,000 of them at the University of California alone. UCLA fired 157 professors who balked. On the local level teacher oaths were administered by school board chairman, PTA presidents, and police chiefs. Legion and VFW officers in many communities studied classroom texts for subversive materials. Censorship was rampant.
If any occupation had to endure more than the teaching profession, it was show business. In New York 3 aggressive ex-FBI agents, egged on by vigilantes in the American Federation of Radio Artists, published Counter-Attack, a pamphlet listing 151 actors, directors, and writers whose names had appeared in the files of various congressional committees. Counter-Attack was circulated among communications executives, who were urged to fire anyone in it and to check it before hiring new people. Next the 3 issued Red Channels, a thicker directory of entertainers and announcers whose friends or "affiliations" we dubious. The industry trembled- Counter-Attack had described CBS as "the most satisfying network for the Communists"- and vice presidents kept copies of Red Channels in their bottom desk drawers. On Madison Avenue and throughout Hollywood it was rechristened "the blacklist."
Blacklisting was to be a feature of the entertainment industry for over a decade. It was a blunt instrument of blackmail, used to cow administrators whose livelihood depended on public opinion. Time has blurred many sharp contours of the McCarthy era, but no brief can be held for those company heads who permitted themselves to be intimidated. Often they knew that a star had been blacklisted by a jealous competitor, and at the other end of the wage scale they summarily dismissed stagehands and deodorant demonstrators on preposterous charges that they were "disloyal" or "security risks." If one executive had stiffened his backbone the counter-attackers' house of cards might have collapsed. None did.
The experience of Jean Muir was typical. One day she was the leading actress in The Aldrich Family, NBC's most popular serial. The next day her name was added to Red Channels. By afternoon the network had torn up her contract and put her on the street. NBC's explanation to the press set a new low in what had already become a low era, and established a precedent it's competitors soon followed. Of course Miss Muir wasn't a Communist, the network spokesman said blandly. She was loyal to her country and always had been. Unfortunately she had become "controversial". Controversy alarmed sponsors, stirred up the public, and hurt the product. In short, she had been fired because someone had lied about her. From then on, "controversial" was almost a synonym for "disloyal"- and just as likely to ruin a career. Eventually most people stopped trying to justify the blacklist. If questions were raised about its iniquities, there always seemed to be someone around who would shake his head and say maddeningly "where's there's smoke, there's fire."
Howard Fast, Dalton Trumbo, Lilian Hellman and many others were blacklisted because they were Communist or left-leaning. Some of these writers, and members of the "Hollywood Ten" (ten writers and directors who were asked to testify before HUAC and took the 5th Amendment rather than name Communists) continued to write for years under false names. Sometimes Academy Awards were actually given to fake writers when everyone on the "inside" knew that the real writer was blacklisted (as in the case of Roman Holiday.) Other actors, writers and directors disappeared, never able to offer their talents again.
On the other hand, there were well known celebrities who cooperated with the blacklist. Burl Ives testified before Congress about the subversive nature of his fellow folkies the Weavers, particularly Pete Seeger, which almost ruined Seeger's career. Adolph Menjou and Cecil B. De Mille both testified and named names. And John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and Lucille Ball among others vigorously defended the blacklist.
timschochet
Footballguy
87. To Die For
Joyce Maynard
1991, 424 pages
Black comedy/thriller
So many more people have seen the great movie starring Nicole Kidman, but the book is just as good. It's based on the true life story of a local newswoman who got sick of her mundane husband and so convinced a couple of stoner high school kids to kill him. The novel, brilliantly narrated by alternating characters, is a disturbing take on stardom and the lengths that people will go to achieve fame. The pages fly by; its a great, captivating read.
Up next: One of John Grisham's best early thrillers...
Joyce Maynard
1991, 424 pages
Black comedy/thriller
So many more people have seen the great movie starring Nicole Kidman, but the book is just as good. It's based on the true life story of a local newswoman who got sick of her mundane husband and so convinced a couple of stoner high school kids to kill him. The novel, brilliantly narrated by alternating characters, is a disturbing take on stardom and the lengths that people will go to achieve fame. The pages fly by; its a great, captivating read.
Up next: One of John Grisham's best early thrillers...
timschochet
Footballguy
20 great songs that begin with the letter F:
1. "Farewell, Angelina"- Danu
2. "Farther On Down the Road"- Taj Mahal
3. "Fat Man"- Jethro Tull
4. "Father Christmas"- The Kinks
5. "Feel A Whole Lot Better"- The Byrds
6. "Feet of a Dancer"- Maura O' Connell
7. "Five Years"- David Bowie
8. "Fleet of Hope"- Indigo Girls
9. "Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall"- Simon & Garfunkel
10. "Foggy Notion"- The Velvet Underground
11. "Follow"- Richie Havens
12. "For My Next Trick, I'll Need a Volunteer"- Warren Zevon
13. "For No One"- The Beatles
14. "For You"- Bruce Springsteen
15. "Foreplay/Long Time"- Boston
16. "Forever Young"- Alphaville
17. "Fountain of Sorrow"- Jackson Browne
18. "Friend of the Devil"- Grateful Dead
19. "From"- Dr. Dog
20. "From the Morning"- Nick Drake
1. "Farewell, Angelina"- Danu
2. "Farther On Down the Road"- Taj Mahal
3. "Fat Man"- Jethro Tull
4. "Father Christmas"- The Kinks
5. "Feel A Whole Lot Better"- The Byrds
6. "Feet of a Dancer"- Maura O' Connell
7. "Five Years"- David Bowie
8. "Fleet of Hope"- Indigo Girls
9. "Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall"- Simon & Garfunkel
10. "Foggy Notion"- The Velvet Underground
11. "Follow"- Richie Havens
12. "For My Next Trick, I'll Need a Volunteer"- Warren Zevon
13. "For No One"- The Beatles
14. "For You"- Bruce Springsteen
15. "Foreplay/Long Time"- Boston
16. "Forever Young"- Alphaville
17. "Fountain of Sorrow"- Jackson Browne
18. "Friend of the Devil"- Grateful Dead
19. "From"- Dr. Dog
20. "From the Morning"- Nick Drake
Joe T
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
Do you want to join the chess tourney? We need one more.
timschochet
Footballguy
Um guys I need some help here.
For the last week, ever since the Senate passed the repeal of Obamacare, I have been ready to pay tommyboy for our bet. I am still ready to do so, immediately. But there are two problems:
1. I can't find any news, either on the internet or anywhere else, about what happened to this bill. Did it go to Obama's desk? Is he about to veto it? Is there something else going on here? If anybody knows anything, please let me know.
2. In searching for any news I could find on this issue, I came across this article from Investor's Business Daily, a conservative website:
http://news.investors.com/blogs-capital-hill/121415-785198-obamacare-repeal-would-cut-deficit-boost-growth-cbo.htm
It included this sentence:
To be sure, the Senate bill is a partial repeal of ObamaCare that keeps in place the hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicare spending cuts included in the law.
Say what? What does this mean? Is the bill a repeal of Obamacare or not?
It then included this paragraph:
The Senate passed its bill as part of the budget "reconciliation" process, which means that it can't be filibustered. The House passed a different version. Obama has promised to veto whatever version reaches his desk, and Republicans are unlikely to have enough votes to override the veto.
OK, so when does this bill reach Obama's desk? Are we talking weeks, months? Again, I am perfectly willing to pay tommyboy, immediately. I have the funds at PayPal ready to send. But I just want to make sure that I actually lost this bet.
For the last week, ever since the Senate passed the repeal of Obamacare, I have been ready to pay tommyboy for our bet. I am still ready to do so, immediately. But there are two problems:
1. I can't find any news, either on the internet or anywhere else, about what happened to this bill. Did it go to Obama's desk? Is he about to veto it? Is there something else going on here? If anybody knows anything, please let me know.
2. In searching for any news I could find on this issue, I came across this article from Investor's Business Daily, a conservative website:
http://news.investors.com/blogs-capital-hill/121415-785198-obamacare-repeal-would-cut-deficit-boost-growth-cbo.htm
It included this sentence:
To be sure, the Senate bill is a partial repeal of ObamaCare that keeps in place the hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicare spending cuts included in the law.
Say what? What does this mean? Is the bill a repeal of Obamacare or not?
It then included this paragraph:
The Senate passed its bill as part of the budget "reconciliation" process, which means that it can't be filibustered. The House passed a different version. Obama has promised to veto whatever version reaches his desk, and Republicans are unlikely to have enough votes to override the veto.
OK, so when does this bill reach Obama's desk? Are we talking weeks, months? Again, I am perfectly willing to pay tommyboy, immediately. I have the funds at PayPal ready to send. But I just want to make sure that I actually lost this bet.
I could be wrong, but I believe that the House passed one bill, while the Senate passed a similar (but not identical) bill. It is now in the reconciliation phase, where they rejigger the bill to match and then both houses vote on the reconciled version. After that phase is complete, it would go to Obama for approval.
If that's correct, and I'm not sure it is, then IMO you haven't lost the bet yet. Of course, if that's all correct, it's sort of like saying you haven't yet lost a bet that the Cowboys will make the playoffs.
If that's correct, and I'm not sure it is, then IMO you haven't lost the bet yet. Of course, if that's all correct, it's sort of like saying you haven't yet lost a bet that the Cowboys will make the playoffs.
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timschochet
Footballguy
Thanks. How long does the whole thing take? Maybe I'll get lucky and Obama will be out of office?
I think it took a month or so for the original ACA bill. If I remember correctly, by the time the reconciliation process had occurred, Scott Brown was elected, and would have been the filibuster vote for a new bill, meaning they had to use the reconciled bill at that point. I also think that reconciliation can only alter certain things (like funding?), not rewrite an entire bill. Anyway, I'd guess a month, maybe two?
timschochet
Footballguy
McCarthy era, continued
Finally we get to Senator McCarthy!
On January 7, 1949, the junior senator from Wisconsin dined at Washington's Colony Restaurant on Connecticut Avenue, halfway between the White House and Dupont Circle, with a Catholic priest, a professor of political science, and a Washington lawyer. He was, he told them, in desperate need of advice.
The past year had brought nothing but bad news to Joseph R. McCarthy. He had angered prestigious senators in both parties, and he had problems at home. Among other things, Wisconsin's State Board of Bar Commissioners had recently disbarred him in 1949 over a breach of ethics; he had run for the Senate while holding judicial office. The commissioners had let McCarthy off with a warning. As he himself paraphrased the ruling, "it was illegal- Joe was naughty- but we don't think he'll do it again."
They didn't know their man. In a crisis he would do anything, and he had reached such a crisis now. In Washington he had attracted public attention chiefly by his defense of some Nazi war criminals. A poll of Washington correspondents had chosen him America's worst senator. In two years, he reminded his dinner guests at the Colony, he would be up for re-election.
He needed a campaign issue. Did they have any ideas?
Finally we get to Senator McCarthy!
On January 7, 1949, the junior senator from Wisconsin dined at Washington's Colony Restaurant on Connecticut Avenue, halfway between the White House and Dupont Circle, with a Catholic priest, a professor of political science, and a Washington lawyer. He was, he told them, in desperate need of advice.
The past year had brought nothing but bad news to Joseph R. McCarthy. He had angered prestigious senators in both parties, and he had problems at home. Among other things, Wisconsin's State Board of Bar Commissioners had recently disbarred him in 1949 over a breach of ethics; he had run for the Senate while holding judicial office. The commissioners had let McCarthy off with a warning. As he himself paraphrased the ruling, "it was illegal- Joe was naughty- but we don't think he'll do it again."
They didn't know their man. In a crisis he would do anything, and he had reached such a crisis now. In Washington he had attracted public attention chiefly by his defense of some Nazi war criminals. A poll of Washington correspondents had chosen him America's worst senator. In two years, he reminded his dinner guests at the Colony, he would be up for re-election.
He needed a campaign issue. Did they have any ideas?
timschochet
Footballguy
86. The Pelican Brief
John Grisham
1992, 436 pages
Legal thriller
Because John Grisham has been such a popular best selling writer, he gets derided by critics and fans of "real literature." The argument is that his novels are formulaic, and there is some truth to this. Yet Grisham is a compelling novelist to me not only because he tells great stories, but because unlike many other legal thriller writers, he is determined to explore some very important topics. The Pelican Brief, his third novel, is about the environment, and the lengths a big corporation will go to abuse it. Along the way, the reader learns a lot about Louisiana business and national politics, the Supreme Court, and journalistic ethics. And as almost aways, Grisham maintains the suspense all throughout.
Up next: Ken Follett's epic novel of a Pan Am Clipper in 1939...
John Grisham
1992, 436 pages
Legal thriller
Because John Grisham has been such a popular best selling writer, he gets derided by critics and fans of "real literature." The argument is that his novels are formulaic, and there is some truth to this. Yet Grisham is a compelling novelist to me not only because he tells great stories, but because unlike many other legal thriller writers, he is determined to explore some very important topics. The Pelican Brief, his third novel, is about the environment, and the lengths a big corporation will go to abuse it. Along the way, the reader learns a lot about Louisiana business and national politics, the Supreme Court, and journalistic ethics. And as almost aways, Grisham maintains the suspense all throughout.
Up next: Ken Follett's epic novel of a Pan Am Clipper in 1939...
timschochet
Footballguy
20 awesome G songs:
1. "Galileo"- Indigo Girls
2. "The Gallery"- Joni Mitchell
3. "Gallows Pole"- Led Zeppelin
4. "Garden Party"- Ricky Nelson
5. "Get Back In Line"- The Kinks
6. "Get Me Out of Detroit"- Otis Gibbs
7. "The Ghost In You"- The Psychedlic Furs
8. "Ghosts"- Randy Newman
9. "Gin Soaked Boy"- Divine Comedy
10. "Girl From the North County"- Bob Dylan
11. "Girls In Their Summer Clothes"- Bruce Springsteen
12. "Girls Talk"- Dave Edmunds
13. "Glitter In the Air"- P!nk
14. "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!"- The Staple Singers
15. "God Bless the Child"- Billie Holiday
17. "Going Through the Motions"- Aimee Mann
18. "Gone Daddy Gone"- Violent Femmes
19. "Gonna Move"- Paul Pena
20. "A Good Heart"- Feargal Sharkey
1. "Galileo"- Indigo Girls
2. "The Gallery"- Joni Mitchell
3. "Gallows Pole"- Led Zeppelin
4. "Garden Party"- Ricky Nelson
5. "Get Back In Line"- The Kinks
6. "Get Me Out of Detroit"- Otis Gibbs
7. "The Ghost In You"- The Psychedlic Furs
8. "Ghosts"- Randy Newman
9. "Gin Soaked Boy"- Divine Comedy
10. "Girl From the North County"- Bob Dylan
11. "Girls In Their Summer Clothes"- Bruce Springsteen
12. "Girls Talk"- Dave Edmunds
13. "Glitter In the Air"- P!nk
14. "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!"- The Staple Singers
15. "God Bless the Child"- Billie Holiday
17. "Going Through the Motions"- Aimee Mann
18. "Gone Daddy Gone"- Violent Femmes
19. "Gonna Move"- Paul Pena
20. "A Good Heart"- Feargal Sharkey
This seems like such a great point on the surface, until we remember that we actually NEED some less motivated people to fill those Wal-Mart and McDonalds jobs, and that in the end we are paying all sorts of subsidies and end-around to ensure their survival anyway.
It's kind of like those who argue against universal health care....in the end, we are paying for those folks anyway in a ridiculously convoluted and inefficient way that make absolutley no sense
msommer
Footballguy
The inspiration behind the climate deal?
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35096475
Now that's funny!
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