Brexit, Super Bowl, and Elections, Oh My!

I have mentioned one of the best follows on Twitter, @iowahawkblog, and he had this funny tweet the other day:

I mean, c'mon, that's funny stuff. Turns out he had been in Twitter jail for a while, not for his tweets, but as he put, stupidity rather than malfeasance. The password on his email used to sign up for twitter expired, so it locked him out. I noticed, although he says no one did. :)

The comments have been great, lots of "I dunno, I'm still dead from net neutrality," or WW3 (that Trump started a few weeks ago by killing a terrorist), or Coronavirus, or the Paris Accords, or the Tax Cuts, etc, plus great jokes about how the Brits killed a lot of beers, ciders, and bitters! Humor wins.

That being said, it was a great point, good jokes so often are.

OK, next, I downgraded my website from a business to a personal site, but didn't actually save any money, because the Gsuite cost was free the first year only, as was the domain cost, and I had gotten 30% off the first year price as well. Oh, well, if I make some money with photography ever, it'll go to that.

Man, I was right with the culture vultures about the Super Bowl halftime show, I was like, "well, I guess J Lo wants us to look at her private parts" with the sliding towards the camera on her knees and all, and that's all over the internet now. Seriously, I've been complaining about how the NFL broadcasts with commercials for Two and a Half Men that had Charlie Sheen in bed with several women, etc, aren't appropriate for children (future fans) for years, and this was no different. Shakira's golden mic looked so much like a phallus when she did her uulation that I had to check to be sure it hadn't been photoshopped (and I think it had in some stills going around). Best comment I've seen so far has been another tweet that said something along the lines of "why must women be sexualized like this, we don't do that with men?" Some idiot replied that Adam Levine took his shirt off last year and no one said as much. Duh, doofus. The other idiot I saw replied that "well, your president grabs by the p*$&y, so..." as if that's at all related. Oy. People are not very smart. I'd actually suggest that it's the other way around: a culture that glorifies sexualization of performers in the way that the halftime show did leads to girls and women letting male celebrities get away with grabbing them and more. I've already written about it, but groupies exist, I've seen it, you've seen it, Kobe's seen it (too soon?), and that's what the Trump-BillyBush tape was about. Just because they were famous, women let them...fill in the blank. And the idiot commenter doesn't see the connection between celebrity worship, stripper pole shows at halftime and the casting couch? Wake up, wokesters.

Well, lastly, the Impeachment is going down in a whimper, as it should. Still, one of the best examples of the "one screen, two movies being watched" illusion I've ever seen. People calling Adam Schiff a hero are seeing a movie I've never seen.

New Year, New Job, New Post

Sorry that it's been so long since I've posted on here, what with the election and all, and another new job (that seems to be an issue in my life, a lack of job satisfaction (not a lack of security, I tend to leave of my own volition mostly)), but it's time to talk about a few things that are on my mind.

Firstly, let's talk about an avocation of mine, acting. I don't perform very frequently, although I have representation, but I have gotten the odd job here and there, including some barely-noticeable-paid-extra work on actual movies shot here locally (but not as many as I would like). I've seen a couple of "Urgent casting for volunteer extras" posts on Facebook from a local casting agent and shared them, but I personally won't do those. Why? I value what I do. I gladly volunteer at church and school, but if they are going to make money on the movie (it is a capital project, no?), why should it expect my labor to be free? I understand it's not a big deal, and there are many that will happily volunteer to be a part of a film, but if I'm doing this work for pay (thanks, agency), it devalues me to do it for free.

Trump derangement continues unabated all over. I've been clear about my feelings about the guy, but, boy am I enjoying the derangement. Seriously, to see him poke the hive successfully over and over again is pretty amusing. Maybe, just maybe, some of his opponents will see the merit of advocating for a smaller government. Ok, just kidding, they won't.

There have been openings in the freakouts, however. A Jewish H.S. classmate of mine actually posted a blog from a guy saying "my Dad was obsessed with Hitler and the Nazis, and he was a killer and maniac from day one. Trump isn't and isn't going to suddenly become one," which was perfectly timed for me to read, as I had been pondering that very line of logic. Did Hitler "grow" into Hitler-ness, or was he like that all along? Because, to say that Trump is a modern Hitler leading us down the same path ("I have studied Nazi Germany and this is how it started" say so many idiots), means that he actually wants to KILL A BUNCH OF PEOPLE RIGHT NOW, right? 

Scott Adams of Dilbert fame (among his many accomplishments) has been on fire explaining the persuasiveness and success of the Trump campaign, if you haven't read him, do it. He's all over Twitter, too.

I still say the best line about the new Prez is that progs and libs take him literally rather than seriously, when it should be the other way around. He also continues to play the press like a fiddle, which is hilarious. One NBC person has it right (I can't find the tweets), that covering his rantings (specifically, it was the "under reported terror attacks story) only brings attention to the issue (and she was totally correct), but the media can't not cover him, just like it couldn't during the campaign. It's worse for them now that he's POTUS! That's how he won, right? Well, that, and his opponent was the worst Dem prez candidate since Mondale.

I am amazed at the cognitive dissonance on both (all) sides of the aisle. Most recently, this Nordstrom Dropping Ivanka's Clothing Line Flap has me chuckling at the lefties that actually believe that it was a business decision. Seriously. It was political, as is TJMaxx's, and my wife is pissed off about it because she actually like the quality of some of the clothes in her line! 

Everyone thinks they are thoughtful, everyone thinks they have formed their opinions based on reflection and education, but, as has been described well by others, that's just not true. I give people the benefit of the doubt, but there's just so much stupid out there, and the Internet makes it inescapable. Alas.

Photography continues to amuse me, so if you aren't already, follow me on instagram. I get the honor of an episode of the Hashtagged Daily Podcast here in a week or so, look for episode 77. If you like instagram and photography, it's an interesting podcast! 

Nothing To See Here, People, Keep Moving....

The National Park Service has closed privately run marinas, restaurants and inns throughout the country and in some cases even posted guards to keep people from using them during the government shutdown, arguing that it doesn’t have the money, manpower or authority to let them operate.

Views to Mt. Rushmore blocked......

Or, you could get kicked out of your home.

Not surprisingly, Wisconsin and it's eeeeevil republican governor said "nope, not gonna do it" to some NPS demands.


Oh, it's the House's fault. Not the kind, gentle, wise, educated, master of locution.

These folks beg to differ.....

Bread and Circuses

Seriously, folks, what is your red pill? What does it take for you to recognize the level of political theatrics BOTH SIDES of the aisle will go to to manipulate you?

The Parks are close because of the "Shutdown," but we can staff the placement of signs and barricades for open air, 24-7 accessible, non-staffed war memorials? In the interest of reaching across the aisle, here's part of CNN's version of the story, read the rest at the link you just skipped over.

Veterans break past World War II Memorial barricade

Posted by

CNN's Laura Koran and Ashley Killough

Update 1:45 p.m. ET: House GOP leadership sources tell CNN they plan to vote on a series of bills to fund the government, beginning Tuesday with three measures–spending for veterans, the District of Columbia and the Park Service.

Washington (CNN) – Busloads of World War II veterans, many in wheelchairs, broke past a barricade Tuesday morning to cross into the World War II Memorial, as onlookers applauded and a man playing the bagpipes led the way.

Moments earlier, a few Republican members of Congress had removed a section of the black gates that surrounded the site, allowing a line of veterans to roll past security officers, who willingly stood aside.

Follow @KilloughCNN Follow @laurakoran

Veteran Donald Quinn of Pascagoula, Mississippi, said he was pleased with his visit to the memorial, despite the initial blockade.

"I'm surprised to see so many people here and so many important people, but I've enjoyed it," he said. "At first I didn't think I'd come, but I'm glad I did."

Photo by Laura Koran

The National Park Service closed all of its parks, including national memorials, as a result of the federal government shutdown that went into effect at 12:01 a.m ET.

But a spokeswoman from the National Mall and Parks Service said efforts were no longer being made to hold anyone back.

"These are important visitors," Carol Johnson told reporters, adding that they're seeking guidance from the director's office on "where we go next."

"Obviously we did not want to do anything to mar the trip of these people," she said, saying the visitors came from Mississippi and Iowa. "They've come here specifically to see the memorial that was built for them."

Some Republican members of Congress and a Democratic senator were on site, blasting the federal government for fencing off the memorial. Outraged and baffled, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, crossed through an opening in the railing earlier in the morning–before the breach–and got on the phone to try and reach the secretary of the Department of Interior.

"I don't get it. I'm furious. I'm trying to get a hold of people," he said, standing on the other side of the barricade and looking around for help. "But I can't seem to get a hold of anybody."

.......

Read the rest at the link.

Rhetoric

Wow. It never ceases to amaze me how people will fall for rhetorical tricks and manipulations as long as it's used by someone they already agree with. Are there so very few folks that can listen to all sides in our political cultural landscape and use the skills they were taught to decode? Oh, wait, that's right, RHETORIC ISN'T TAUGHT.

What am I talking about?

Well, how about the President saying the trite, tired line "if we save even one life,.. blah blah blah?" Pretty much every speech he has made about this is so filled with junk that any 9th grader should be able to catch, but we live in the age of the "low information voter."

A friend on Facebook shared this WSJ article about Lincoln's use of rhetoric. When will someone decode Obama's? Oh wait, it happens all the time. Unfortunately, my Facebook friends that think he's so wonderful don't read those stories.

Also, two separate posts over on that social network really got my hackles up: one was based on the premise that if a bunch of slave owning, women-right-denying white founders said we should have guns, well, obviously they were wrong. The other was crap history that the 2nd amendment was all about keeping slaves and protecting the slave patrols' status as "militia." I couldn't even compose a sentence in reply, nor would I, because if you believe that, you are beyond reason.