Potpourri Sunday September 28, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Jewish Stuff, Photography, Politics, Religion, Videos.Tags: Paul Newman, Rosh Hashonah, Sarah Palin, Tina Fey
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It was a wild week. The financial crisis, the soap opera called McSame, the on again off again first debate and the sad news about Paul Newman. Lots to think about and talk about. It is also the Jewish New Year. It is 5769. Time flies. L’shana Tovah to one and all.
Tina Fey reprises her role as Sarah Palin on SNL – watch it before NBC takes it down.
NBC has already removed the video. Try this link instead.
- What can I say about Paul Newman? He gave millions of people around the world joy through his many great movie roles. His foundation contributed over $250 million to charities throughout the world. Here is a tribute from his foundation
- I do not know about the choice of song but the tribute is certainly sincere.
- Happy New Year to all of you out there. Here is a funny atonement political video. The presidential candidates for 2008 atone for their sins for the New Year. Happy Rosh Hashanah
Debate One – the day after September 27, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Photography, Politics.Tags: debate, Jack Cafferty, letterman, Maddow, McCain, obama, Olbermann
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Thank goodness for Tivo. We were able to watch the debates on our own left coast timetable. What do I think? I think that I want my President to be level headed, clear minded, cool, calm and articulate. I do not want a President who is nasty, disagreeable, vindictive and stuck in a 20th century mindset. Conjuring up the policies of dead Republican Presidents, like McSame repeatedly evoked does nothing to change anyone’s mind. I thought Obama clearly won the part of the debate about the economy. McSame seems to feel all of our problems will be solved if we could just cut out pork, continue to cut taxes and I guess, go along the same path as Bush and his thugs have followed. Doe anyone think those policies have sucked? Yes, I would have liked to see Obama throw out a cutting remark or two, but he is not that type of guy. He is always respectful of his opponent and consistent in his temperament. When McSame got into the part of the debate about foreign policy I found myself yelling at the TV. His nastiness came pouring out as he accused Obama of being naive, lacking understanding and of being inexperienced. Obama did not get in the jabs I wanted him to get – but what I did see was a man who does not lose his cool and I think that is very cool indeed. Score Obama 1 – McSame 0. Next week, October 2, we get to see Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. I cannot wait.
- Instant polling – or as I like to say – your knee jerk response to what you just witnessed:
- Not only do I find McSame a frightening prospect as loony in charge, I am more frightened of Sarah Palin being so close to that Oval Office. Watch Jack Cafferty Tells Us How He Really Feels About Sarah Palin
- If you think there are no outside factors effecting the selection of our next President, do not dis David Letterman.
- And speaking of disrespect, I could not help but notice that McSame is a testy, nasty man. He treats the opposition as if they do not deserve to be on the same platform as him. It seems the talking heads agree.
- In an unrelated news item – check out this Repugnant Bozo and his idea.
THE GREAT SCHLEP & BUMPER STICKERS September 26, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Jewish Stuff, Photography, Politics.Tags: bumper stickers, florida, great schleo, obama, sarah silverman
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I am hanging out in Northern California this week with family. I am driving their car that proudly displays the above bumper sticker. Since I like themes, thought you might want to also watch this very funny video by the irreverent Sarah Silverman. The Great Schlep aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor. Don’t have grandparents in Florida? Not Jewish? No problem! You can still become a schlepper and make change happen in 2008, simply by talking to your relatives about Obama.
The Keating Five, not the Jackson Five September 26, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Photography, Politics, Videos.Tags: economy, Maddow, McCain, torture, War Crimes
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The world is in a sorry state. The headlines are more eye-popping each day. Washington Mutual is bought out by JP Morgan Chase. The Repugnants are storming the gates in order to distance themselves from Bush as the election creeps ever closer. The election process gets more dizzying and nuttier with each news cycle. And the news cycles are shorter and shorter. It is hard to pinpoint the latest outrage. Can you imagine the voter who does not pay attention? How does this all effect his vote? Could you ever have imagined the insanity that is going on over tonight’s debate? Will he show up? Won’t he show up? Will the VEEP debate happen? It is like a soap opera and sadly we re all participants in this nightmare. Stay tuned.
- John McCain is dissembling before our eyes. His campaign is in free fall. He and his managers are nuts and I cannot imagine another four more years of insane, incompetent leadership at the top.
- While the financial markets are in free fall the crimes of the Bushies are finally slipping out. Check out this piece on the torturers in the thug house.
- Anyone remember the Keating Five? Not the Jackson Five, the Keating Five.
Airforce One, JetBlue, McCain and Letterman September 25, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Photography, Politics, Videos.Tags: air force one, jet blue, letterman, McCain
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Sitting on the tarmac at JFK we hear the mellow voice of our Jet Blue cptain telling us that we re going to be 30 minutes early on our trip to California. The general tone is happiness inside the airplane. We belt up, ready ourselves for an uneventful flight and what happens? We re told that we have an unexpected delay for an unknown amount of time. A collective groan can be heard throughout the cabin. After what seemed like n endless silent wait we were told if we look out the left side of the plane we can see Air force One getting ready to leave JFK. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Yes, The thug on chief stopped all air traffic t JFK for 40 minutes as he left the Big Apple.
I watched the unraveling of the McCain campaign on the little Jet Blue TV. What a turd.
Letterman skewers McCain for ‘dissing’ him, his campaign suspension and essentially gets busted as he is seen prepping for the Katie Couric show.
One more thing before I go… September 23, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Animal Videos, Dogs and cats, Photography, Politics, Videos.Tags: cats, Marcy Kaptur
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One more thing - listen to Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D- Ohio) as she addresses the financial boondoggle.
And just because it is fun, watch this very tolerant cat:
Sleazy, queasy and uneasy September 23, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Photography, Politics, Videos.Tags: bailout, fool me once, McCain, paulson
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Sleazy, queasy and uneasy – that’s how I feel about the ‘fix’ that is being proposed by the gang in this mother of all administrations. Why should I trust the same gang that brought us this debacle? I know Bush does not know how to say ‘ Fool me once, shame on you – Fool me twice, shame on me.’ How many times do we need to be fooled into blindly trusting this gang of incompetents, liars and thieves? Let me see – just in case you forgot — we were bullied, threatened and lied to about entering a war with Iraq? How did that turn out? We allowed these thugs to spy on us, strip us of some of our inalienable rights in the Constitution. We abandoned an entire city called New orleans. We became a nation of torturers and ignore the Geneva convention. We have become a joke around the world and now are on the brink of bankruptcy. So why are we rushing into believing these fools and war criminals are going to do the right thing?
This offering by Secretary Paulson includes this little item: “Section 8. Review. Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.” What does that mean? It means we have no recourse if this doesn’t work out. Sorry buster – we win, you lose. By the way – Goldman Sachs, formerly run by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, and Morgan Stanley, stand to be among the biggest beneficiaries of a $700 billion US bailout. Ironic you say?
The dunderheads in Congress are scrambling not to be caught in the headlights and ‘blamed’ for any further mess. They also want to get home to fight for their Congressional seats so they can continue to screw us for two or six more years.
So who benefits from this plan? As I see it, the major banks and investment houses who caused this mess, are going to be relieved of their problems with the hopes that things will work themselves out. The fear of the word ‘recession has big men in suits falling to pieces. But what about us? The queasy and uneasy on Main Street? Hello? Hello?
Intervention, regulation and a cease and desist order for all of the financial gimmicks that got us into this mess need to happen and happen soon or these thieves will start looting and pillaging very quickly.
Anyone see this clip?
A picture is worth a thousand words September 23, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Politics.Tags: economics, new dollar bill
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Movie Review: Ghost Town September 23, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Movie Reviews, Movie Trailer.Tags: Movie Review: Ghost Town
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Movie Review: Ghost Town
Alternate Title: Rest in Peace.
Story: Yes, the disagreeable Bertram Pincus can see dead people after a botched colonoscopy and it turns out that dead people are very annoying. These ghosts all want something from him, so they can move on to another place. Co-writer and director David Koepp begins the film with a bang (actually a traffic accident) and the film stays engaging and fresh for the first 30 minutes. The, like a ghost, the formulaic material slowly emerges and the freshness evaporates before your eyes. How Betram Pincus falls in love, how he finds his hidden goodness and how he manages to help his ghosts fill the remainder of the film.
This film falls in the pleasant, though predictable category and Manhattan looks especially pretty in the late autumn. It would be a terrific movie to watch on an airplane.
Watch the trailer and see almost all of the funny stuff in 2 minutes:
Acting: Ricky Gervias has great comic timing but I did not believe his transition to the good guy. Greg Kinnear is a fine screen presence. He is steady, easy on the eye and gets better as he ages. Téa Leoni is always fun to watch. She is interesting, in a non-cookie cutter kind of way. There are a few fine, steady smaller roles by Aasif Mandvi and Kristen Wiig.
Trivia: Greg Kinnear lived in Greece for a time and can speak Greek. Aasif Mandvi’s one Man Show “Sakina’s Restaurant” was the first play written by a South Asian American to be produced Off Broadway. He is a regular on The Daily Show. Tea Leoni planned on majoring in anthropology and/or psychology, but dropped out of Sarah Lawrence College. She is married to confessed internet sex addict, David Duchovny and they have two kids.
Predilection: None, although I do like to see films that were shot in Manhattan.
Critters: A giant Great Dane
Food: A Curry dish.
Sex Spectrum: No sex.
Blatant Product Placement: The MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) has some big parts but they are not a good product placement, that’s for sure.
Soundtrack: Fun
Opening Titles: A sequence that introduces us to the three main characters to set up the plot. Well done.
Visual Art: Manhattan looks stunning
Theater Audience: Crowded for a Monday afternoon.
Weather: Sun and hail.
Sappy Factor: 2
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: 0
Drift Factor: 0
Predictability Level: High
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: No
Big Screen or Rental: Rental would be fine.
Length: Under two hours.
LOBO HOWLS: 5
The Debates about the Debates September 22, 2008
Posted by judylobo in Politics, Videos.Tags: debates, McCain, obama
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The (new) rules are set. Obama and McSame will have a more freeform setting with the candidates able to address one another in some direct exchanges. The McSame campaign won a victory (of sorts) by having the Veep debates more structured. They will have shorter questions and answers with little chance of direct exchanges. The McSame group felt it was not ‘fair’ for Palin, who is not an experienced debater to have to go along with the newer rules that the Presidential candidates are going to explore. At first I thought it was unfair, but after thinking about it, my candidate, the occasional loose lips known as Joe Biden, might also benefit from a more structured debate.
The structure of the debate was debated as well by the campaigns. Included in the decisions were: chairs, podiums and lighting. The conclusions made are: lecterns will be used in the first debate and at the third debate, the two will be seated at a round table, in the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions, with the moderator at 6 o’clock. The second debate is set in a town hall fashion. McSame’s camp was also concerned that the melanoma scar on his face would not be seen in the best light. The negotiators were Lindsay Graham for the McSame camp and Rahm Emanuel for Obama.
The candidates are starting ‘debate camp’ 101 tomorrow with Obama in Florida honing his already magnificent oratorical skills. Note to Obama: please remember not to lecture – look what happened to Al Gore. McSame’s camp has not released his ‘debate camp 101′ schedule but it is rumored that he will review highlights of previous debates. As often as he seems to change his mind on issues, I am not sure what difference studying will make to him. The contestants will be in their corners. It all begins Friday night at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. The first of three debates will be about foreign policy and national security, with moderator, Jim Lehrer. at 9PM (EST).
- Here is a primer on debates:
- If you did not catch this ABC ‘talking head’ round table yesterday, check it out (It IS the economy, stupid):
