August 17, 2009
Fifth person pleads guilty to passport snooping

When someone pooh-poohs your concern over having your medical records put into a government database through National Health Information Technology, remind them of dear Mr. Kevin Young, who worked for the State Department for 22 years and as of today, pleaded guilty “to illegally accessing more than 125 confidential passport applications for celebrities, professional athletes and a politician”

Once your private medical info has been divulged to the world, no amount of prosecution of the leaker (or lack of prosecution as we have often seen) can restore your privacy and dignity.

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August 15, 2009
GEICO Sends a Message to Glen Beck Viewers

GEICO Sends a Message to Glen Beck Viewers


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July 9, 2009
“ You simultaneously ban and tax soda the same way you do with smoking…tobacco. Can’t smoke it anywhere these days, but they’ll let you buy it with much of the price going to the government.

— DemFools commenting on Riehl World View’s post titled “More On Health Care Reform,” which asks how you can simultaneously ban and tax soda

We continue:

BTW, anyone else notice the odd phenomenon of a rash of “legalizing for the sake of taxing” marijuana stories these past couple days? It looks like many of the very same people that take the time to exhibit their displeasure whenever there’s a whiff of smoke around (manufacturing disapproving coughs and waving their hands at imaginary smoke curls in the air) do not fear the primary or secondary smoke of wacky tabacky. There’s a cloud of hypocrisy wafting in from the horizon.

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“ Pete Rawlings comments “I’d rather have someone who agrees with me 50-70% of the time than another Schumer, Boxer, or Franken.” But liberal/moderate Republicans will be voting with Schumer, Boxer and Franken much more often than with you.

— DemFools commenting on Riehl World View’s post titled “Republicans Recruit Stimulus Advocate Ayotte?”

We continue:

Look at CQ Politics’ Vote Studies of 2009 To Date. Snowe and Collins vote with Obama 92% of the time and with the Republicans 42%/44% (respectively) of the time. A Democrat in their seat would be a far better bet—especially since it would force the Republicans to put someone up to run against the traitors. Why would you hope to use Republican time and money to get another Snowe/Collinsesque liberal vote? That’s just surrendering your liberty and freedom willingly. Fight for what you believe.

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June 25, 2009
NYC Could Require Anti-Smoking Signs At Retailers

The story, at wcbstv.com, says:

The New York City health department is moving forward with a plan that would require about 12,000 cigarette retailers to post large anti-smoking signs.

It’s billed as the first such regulation in the United States.

The eye-level signs would have information about the harmful effects of smoking, possibly with an image.

The assistant commissioner for tobacco control, Sarah B. Perl, says it can be effective to display gruesome health effects such as amputations and throat cancer.

The city’s Board of Health is now seeking public comment. At the earliest, it would vote in September.

If the proposal is passed, the department says it’s poised to fend off lawsuits.

We have a better idea:

All NYC government offices, council chambers and the like should have giant signs (posted at eye level with gruesome photos) warning constituents of the dangers that government poses to their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.


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May 31, 2009
“ There are “more problems than we thought,” Obama told a man who asked him about his first months in office.

— from “Obama stops at Five Guys for cheeseburger” at msnbc.com

Good grief. Just what did he “think” it was going to be? Sitting behind a big, pretty desk bored and twiddling his thumbs during the morning; heading out with the limo for some local afternoon adoration at a burger joint; and then firing up three planes and hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses in the evening to jet off for a little date night?

 

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May 24, 2009
Ballad of a Soldier (USSR, directed by Grigori Chukhrai, 1959) This sensitive WWII tale washes over the screen in artfully composed frames of poetic photography. The look of the film subtly replicates the baby-faced, gangly self-assurance of the good-boy hero. They both exude a freshness—anxious to prove themselves to be worthy of the high standards and expectations of their superiors (and their mothers). Although it’s commonly classified as a war film (how could it not, with the title and all), the war serves only as background noise. Our young protagonist (Alyosha) has defied all odds and, through a random miracle, crippled two German tanks that were coming for him—the last man standing on the battlefield. When the general back at camp goes to issue him a medal, Alyosha blurts out that he’d really prefer a day’s leave to go see his mother and repair her leaking roof. Knowing how Russian transportation is in chaos due to the war, the general generously grants him six days to go home and get back. And the journey of the movie begins. Our Alyosha befriends anyone around him—taking time to assist them to their homes and sweethearts, delivering messages and presents to the loved ones of the strangers he meets, and falling in love with an equally fresh-faced and boldly innocent Shura. He misses trains and catches the next one. He loses people and then finds them again. He stands up for right, he confronts wrong, all the while running later and later for home—drastically cutting short the time he’ll have to spend with his mother. Ultimately, the core of the movie remains apolitical on the value of war, as far as the modern-day preference for debating which side has the moral authority is concerned. This film instead focuses on the value of this one man, so early on in his promising life. Chukhrai, the director and co-screenwriter, doesn’t go for the cheap grandstanding and lecturing that we see in today’s American movies on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He’s painting a portrait of a person we’d all be proud to call son or husband or father or friend. He’s filling our hearts with love for this boy, not inciting petty political divisions and hatreds. He’s making us feel a sense of unity, that amid all the calamity and disorder and heartbreak, Alyosha represents our national spirit of “can-do.” He is who we aspire to be and aspire to raise. Except for the sad fact that Alyosha is not American, and in the past eight years, the American film industry has thought it unnecessary—or even distasteful or worse—to provide us with positive portrayals of the American soldier, the youth of our current time. This is the type of propaganda that Hollywood should be strivng to at least equal. Pay no attention to the 9-part version that some comrade in the Communist Party USA/Russian Federated Labor uploaded to You Tube. It’s been dubbed into English, which also destroys the balance of the emotional musical score. Plus, the beauty of this film’s images deserves to be seen on as large a screen as possible. We highly recommend the well-preserved DVD edition produced by The Criterion Collection, which is available for purchase at Amazon or for rent through Netflix—or in the wee hours of Memorial Day 2009 on Turner Classic Movies. For more information on the cast, crew and other tidbits (such as it was an Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay), see the IMDB, Wikipedia, DVD Times and AllMovie entries.

Ballad of a Soldier (USSR, directed by Grigori Chukhrai, 1959)

This sensitive WWII tale washes over the screen in artfully composed frames of poetic photography. The look of the film subtly replicates the baby-faced, gangly self-assurance of the good-boy hero. They both exude a freshness—anxious to prove themselves to be worthy of the high standards and expectations of their superiors (and their mothers).

Although it’s commonly classified as a war film (how could it not, with the title and all), the war serves only as background noise.

Our young protagonist (Alyosha) has defied all odds and, through a random miracle, crippled two German tanks that were coming for him—the last man standing on the battlefield. When the general back at camp goes to issue him a medal, Alyosha blurts out that he’d really prefer a day’s leave to go see his mother and repair her leaking roof. Knowing how Russian transportation is in chaos due to the war, the general generously grants him six days to go home and get back. And the journey of the movie begins.

Our Alyosha befriends anyone around him—taking time to assist them to their homes and sweethearts, delivering messages and presents to the loved ones of the strangers he meets, and falling in love with an equally fresh-faced and boldly innocent Shura.

He misses trains and catches the next one. He loses people and then finds them again. He stands up for right, he confronts wrong, all the while running later and later for home—drastically cutting short the time he’ll have to spend with his mother.

Ultimately, the core of the movie remains apolitical on the value of war, as far as the modern-day preference for debating which side has the moral authority is concerned. This film instead focuses on the value of this one man, so early on in his promising life.

Chukhrai, the director and co-screenwriter, doesn’t go for the cheap grandstanding and lecturing that we see in today’s American movies on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He’s painting a portrait of a person we’d all be proud to call son or husband or father or friend. He’s filling our hearts with love for this boy, not inciting petty political divisions and hatreds. He’s making us feel a sense of unity, that amid all the calamity and disorder and heartbreak, Alyosha represents our national spirit of “can-do.” He is who we aspire to be and aspire to raise.

Except for the sad fact that Alyosha is not American, and in the past eight years, the American film industry has thought it unnecessary—or even distasteful or worse—to provide us with positive portrayals of the American soldier, the youth of our current time.

This is the type of propaganda that Hollywood should be strivng to at least equal.

Pay no attention to the 9-part version that some comrade in the Communist Party USA/Russian Federated Labor uploaded to You Tube. It’s been dubbed into English, which also destroys the balance of the emotional musical score. Plus, the beauty of this film’s images deserves to be seen on as large a screen as possible. We highly recommend the well-preserved DVD edition produced by The Criterion Collection, which is available for purchase at Amazon or for rent through Netflix—or in the wee hours of Memorial Day 2009 on Turner Classic Movies.

For more information on the cast, crew and other tidbits (such as it was an Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay), see the IMDB, Wikipedia, DVD Times and AllMovie entries.

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May 22, 2009
Introducing… “Films for the Obama Generation” Re-education Series Cheryomushki (aka Cherry Town) [USSR, directed by Gerbert Rappoport, 1963] Just like Obama, we don’t want to scare you away from all of his fantastic programs by getting into the dull, drab details. So to start our film series, which will prepare you for your future life in Obama Land, we’ll begin with something bright and cheery. Just like us, those zany Soviets had their own little housing problems. This happy tale sings and dances about trying to finagle and backscratch your way through the local organizing committee’s red tape into a two-room flat (with a balcony and a garbage chute!)—and the convenient love matches made between flat-holders and homeless. Everybody wants one (even if it takes having your roof cave in to get moved to the head of the line for a housing coupon). And they too have reason to Hope for a Change in housing; Cherry Towns are blossoming throughout the Soviet Republic. As one song says, every old town is having a new town built in it. In these centrally planned Soviet condo communities (named Cheryomushkis for the cherry trees planted amidst the concrete high-rises), “every inhabitant will have all his dreams come true.” Ah, sweet mystery of government-dependent life. This screen adaptation of the musical comedy by world-famous composer Shostakovich even features a death-defying dance routine on a concrete slab dangling several stories above the condo construction site. [Pay no attention, comrades, to the poorly executed rear projection background as the lead actors nearly twirl off the slab.] You can relax and enjoy the thrill. You just know they can come to no harm, as the crane is being operated by the sexy, singing blonde comradette in a sensible headscarf, proof of her mechanical competence. Although Shostakovich eventually won two Order of Lenin awards, he himself feared for his life in 1936 after Stalin walked out of his Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk opera (something about disliking that the tyrant in the story was poisoned to death) and was thereby declared an enemy of the people by Pravda for writing “formalist” music. Shostakovich wrote Cherry Town after Stalin’s death. [Don’t worry, American artists. We know that Obama would never object to any type of criticism thrown his way. He has very thick skin and solidly supports freedom of expression and dissension.]

Introducing…

“Films for the Obama Generation” Re-education Series

Cheryomushki (aka Cherry Town) [USSR, directed by Gerbert Rappoport, 1963]

Just like Obama, we don’t want to scare you away from all of his fantastic programs by getting into the dull, drab details. So to start our film series, which will prepare you for your future life in Obama Land, we’ll begin with something bright and cheery.

Just like us, those zany Soviets had their own little housing problems. This happy tale sings and dances about trying to finagle and backscratch your way through the local organizing committee’s red tape into a two-room flat (with a balcony and a garbage chute!)—and the convenient love matches made between flat-holders and homeless.

Everybody wants one (even if it takes having your roof cave in to get moved to the head of the line for a housing coupon). And they too have reason to Hope for a Change in housing; Cherry Towns are blossoming throughout the Soviet Republic. As one song says, every old town is having a new town built in it. In these centrally planned Soviet condo communities (named Cheryomushkis for the cherry trees planted amidst the concrete high-rises), “every inhabitant will have all his dreams come true.” Ah, sweet mystery of government-dependent life.

This screen adaptation of the musical comedy by world-famous composer Shostakovich even features a death-defying dance routine on a concrete slab dangling several stories above the condo construction site. [Pay no attention, comrades, to the poorly executed rear projection background as the lead actors nearly twirl off the slab.] You can relax and enjoy the thrill. You just know they can come to no harm, as the crane is being operated by the sexy, singing blonde comradette in a sensible headscarf, proof of her mechanical competence.

Although Shostakovich eventually won two Order of Lenin awards, he himself feared for his life in 1936 after Stalin walked out of his Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk opera (something about disliking that the tyrant in the story was poisoned to death) and was thereby declared an enemy of the people by Pravda for writing “formalist” music. Shostakovich wrote Cherry Town after Stalin’s death.

[Don’t worry, American artists. We know that Obama would never object to any type of criticism thrown his way. He has very thick skin and solidly supports freedom of expression and dissension.]

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May 21, 2009
Guess what year this photo was taken. (via Boston.com) At the website, the photo caption reads: Russian BTR-90 Infantry fighting vehicles roll down the street in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 7, 2009, during a final rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade. It appears that the rest of the world is not buying into this whole “lay down your arms, ‘cause everybody’s our buddy” philosophy the White House is trying to popularize. Know what’s the best argument for why we don’t engage in our own displays of military awesomeness? It’s not that we shouldn’t be crass or intimidating to the world (and thereby create more jihadists against us). It’s that if we were to have tanks and missile launchers and such start rolling down our streets, the American people would run away screaming, fearful that the weaponry was aimed at them. Sad, but true…as proven by an Air Force One flight over New York.

Guess what year this photo was taken.

(via Boston.com)

At the website, the photo caption reads:

Russian BTR-90 Infantry fighting vehicles roll down the street in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 7, 2009, during a final rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade.

It appears that the rest of the world is not buying into this whole “lay down your arms, ‘cause everybody’s our buddy” philosophy the White House is trying to popularize.

Know what’s the best argument for why we don’t engage in our own displays of military awesomeness?

It’s not that we shouldn’t be crass or intimidating to the world (and thereby create more jihadists against us).

It’s that if we were to have tanks and missile launchers and such start rolling down our streets, the American people would run away screaming, fearful that the weaponry was aimed at them.

Sad, but true…as proven by an Air Force One flight over New York.

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Are we right to be unconcerned about a huge country that, in the year 2009, still feels the need to drag out a collection of Topol-M missile launchers and other heavy-duty military hardware for a Victory Day parade? Are we part of their intended audience? (via Boston.com)

Are we right to be unconcerned about a huge country that, in the year 2009, still feels the need to drag out a collection of Topol-M missile launchers and other heavy-duty military hardware for a Victory Day parade?

Are we part of their intended audience?

(via Boston.com)

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