A couple of weeks ago I went to see
Jurassic World. I went on a Sunday afternoon and the theater was
packed with people. I haven't seen that many people at a Sunday
afternoon movie since I was a kid! I hadn't heard much about the
movie, except what I had seen in previews. But along with so many
others I remember the first movie, Jurassic Park, which was one of
the best movies made of that genre, so I was hoping for the best
with this sequel.
I thought it was good, even very good
compared to some out there, but there was something I couldn't quite
put my finger on that bothered me. It didn't quite make that A+
rating that a great movie would deserve. Having went back and
looked at some of the scenes from Jurassic Park I think I may have
come up with what was bothering me.
We all remember that great T-Rex scene
in Jurassic Park, don't we? Here, let me refresh your memory.
What I think I loved the best about
that scene was that the main character was just a normal guy thrust
into a situation where rushing in and being a hero wasn't what he would do lightly, and he was a good enough actor so that
you could see it on his face. I will not mention anything about the lawyer being eaten. Contrast that with this scene from
Jurassic World.
What bothered me about this scene was
that they made this guy larger than life. He just went sliding
under that gate far too easily for my taste. Some people think he
could be the next Harrison Ford. Well, maybe. But they'll have to
ruffle him up a little, because right now he's too perfect, too much
a macho man, to be a character I can empathize with.
So this illustrates my first problem
with Jurassic World. It seems to have sacrificed good character
development for the superficial. Frankly, I wonder if this is not
what is wrong with our world today.
But what I really missed was the
lighter moments that were sprinkled all through Jurassic Park. What
does every good action movie have? Oh, you know, it's a car chase
scene, of course. But what Jurassic Park did was take a car chase
scene to a new level by having it take place in a tree.
Now, seriously, that was one of the
best nail biting scenes I've seen, with an ending dialogue that
had to make you laugh a little. :)
A great movie pulls you in and makes
you identify with the hero/heroines of the movie. Wonderful action
scenes sprinkled with a little humor and creativity combined with a talented cast go a long way to
giving a movie that certain something that will rank it among the
best of the best. Jurassic Park had that, Jurassic World just
missed.
The one thing, though, that Jurassic
World did right, was keep the theme song. :) I loved this version with John Williams.
So, if you want to see a good movie, see Jurassic World, but if you want to see a great movie, see Jurassic Park. ;)
127 comments:
Velociraptors were actually heavily feathered, secondarily flightless (which means they were descended from flying dinosaurs), and about the size of a domesticated turkey or a large goose.
Lynnette: "It seems to have sacrificed good character development for the superficial."
The whole film industry has. There are a few directors left like Tarantino and the Cohen brothers who can be trusted to put the characters first. But the rest is Superman, Avengers, Captain America, Transformers, etc. etc.
Which is one reason many, myself included, have switched to TV-series instead. There they have the time to let great actors build up complex characters. I watch fewer movies today but look way more at series.
That said, I would like to go see Jurassic World just to see it in 3D on the big screen. And like you did I loved Jurassic Park way back when.
Velociraptors were actually heavily feathered, secondarily flightless (which means they were descended from flying dinosaurs),...
Hmmm...they probably thought feathers wouldn't be menacing enough so left them off. That's Hollywood.
...and about the size of a domesticated turkey or a large goose.
Yup, would have been like being attacked by a feather duster.
But the rest is Superman, Avengers, Captain America, Transformers, etc. etc.
Huh! Tell me about it. I know they want to appeal to kids who they think will go see movies multiple times, but, seriously, there are other people out there.
I watch fewer movies today but look way more at series.
It's strange, I hadn't been to a theater in ages until just the past few months. I don't know why, other than the last movie I had seen was just so dang loud I couldn't stand it. But now a friend of mine and I go whenever either of us find a movie we think might be good. It's a nice relaxing break.
Some of the best movies I've seen have been based on true stories. I really enjoyed Woman in Gold.
I think with a TV series it is easy for me to lose interest and drift off into a book. :) The one I stayed with the longest recently was Downton Abbey. Although I will admit to a sneaking affinity for Once Upon a Time. It's just so unusual. But then I was one of those "Lost" fans too. :)
"Huh! Tell me about it. I know they want to appeal to kids who they
think will go see movies multiple times…"
Actually, for all that Americans are popularly derided for being shallow by the rest of the world, Hollywood's blockbuster movies are now filmed with an international release and international market in mind.
Lynnette: "I think with a TV series it is easy for me to lose interest and drift off into a book. :)"
What you need to do is either to (legally) download the entire series or buy the box on DVD. I can't keep any interest up if I have to wait a week between episodes. But to watch 3-4 episodes at a time at my own convenience is great.
There are many series that are finished and you can get the complete box for a pittance. I could recomend several but "The Wire" would probably rank highest.
Lee: "Actually, for all that Americans are popularly derided for being shallow by the rest of the world"
That's mostly bitchin' for bitchin's sake. The world still watch them.
"Hollywood's blockbuster movies are now filmed with an international release and international market in mind."
I am sure they are. I remember when I was a kid and we had to wait sometimes up to a year before american movies screened over here. And during that time we had a strange obcession with "video violence" and our versions were often heavily edited. Today anything goes and new films more often that not have a world release date.
"Jeb Bush leads the crowded field of Republican presidential
contenders in New Hampshire, according to a Suffolk University poll
released Tuesday. Donald Trump is in second."
Hollywood's blockbuster movies are now filmed with an international release and international market in mind.
Yes, I think I had read that too somewhere. They make more money overseas than here. Well, look at the market in China. It's huge. And once more people move up into the middle class they can afford movie tickets or videos.
That is one thing about this movie and other action films, they do play better on the big screen.
But to watch 3-4 episodes at a time at my own convenience is great.
That's what I did with "Downton Abbey" when I first got into it. I did like that much better than waiting.
For a while I was also watching "Madam Secretary" like that. I'll have to get back to it again, I really liked that show.
"The Wire"
I'll have to remember to look for it.
Donald Trump is in second.
That's gonna scare some people no end. As it happens I was just discussing The Donald with someone just the other day...
Name recognition will do that for you. Probably how Jesse(The Body) Ventura actually got elected as governor of MN.
"That's gonna scare some people no end."
I find it a little bit spooky.
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Fun facts:
"39. Sweden’s Left Party has campaigned to make men sit when they pee.
"40. (The campaign isn’t going very well.)
***
"88. Homosexuality was still classified as an illness in Sweden in 1979.
Swedes protested by calling in sick to work, claiming they felt gay."
Tal Abyad after ISIS withdrawal.
IS ups the scare factor against those that would fight it in and around Mosul:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/world/middleeast/grisly-isis-video-seems-aimed-at-quashing-resistance.html?_r=0
Lee: "39. Sweden’s Left Party has campaigned to make men sit when they pee.
"40. (The campaign isn’t going very well.)
Sounds like a joke but it isn't. They really came up with that idea. The background is we've got a new political party fighting for the crazy left, F!, Feminist Initiative. They had a pretty big success in the last EU-elections and got a seat in the EU parliament. That sort of spooked the traditional crazy-left, the commies and the greens, and both those parties mobilized to show they were indeed feminist enough and there was no need to leave them for F!. So we got some pretty insane suggestions as a result. Perhaps it worked because F! performed poorly in our national elections and never made it into parliament here.
***
"88. Homosexuality was still classified as an illness in Sweden in 1979.
Swedes protested by calling in sick to work, claiming they felt gay."
I had no idea about that. Neither that homosexuality was classified as an illness so recently nor the funny and clever campaign mentioned against those rules.
I in no way feel threatened by homosexuality and I'm all for gay rights. But I do hope we can keep the trend from going so far as to regard heterosexuality an illness....
Yes, I had heard about that. I have not watched the video. As horrible as it is I have a feeling it may be a sign that ISIL is starting to panic just a little. Fear is their biggest weapon.
You noticed the article mentioned about the Kurdish advances in Syria? I think that may be more significant than people may realize. Not just because the ISIL fighters withdrew fairly quickly.
ISIL has been forcing Kurds in Raqqa to leave. By advancing in Iraq they may have left their rear lines exposed to being picked off.
But I do hope we can keep the trend from going so far as to regard heterosexuality an illness....
lol!
The United States Supreme court prevents the Republicans from shooting their constituency in the wallet.
ISIL attacks Kobane.
You may want to scroll down to the bottom and then read up.
Brave they are.
On this day in 1876 General George Armstrong Custer attacked a large encampment of Sioux, Cheyenne, and some random Arapaho at a place the Indians called the valley of the Greasy Grass River (the Little Big Horn to the whites). There he met an Indian named Crazy Horse (probably not face-to-face, although he probably did get a good look at him).
"The United States Supreme court prevents the Republicans from
shooting their constituency in the wallet."
I'm actually surprised they got three votes against it. The rules for ‘construction’ when there's this sort of inconsistency in a federal statute are fairly clear--the challenge never had a real legal shot (although it did have a real political shot; the Supreme Court has been getting rather more political of late). I figured when it became clear that it wasn't gonna get the politically motivated resolution none of the conservatives who'd have hoped for such a resolution would still have the gall to go ahead and vote as if they actually believed in it. (If you're gonna lose anyway, don't make worse with seriously bad legal arguments written down on paper to haunt your legal legacy afterwards.)
"I in no way feel threatened by homosexuality…"
I have been threatened by a homosexual, but I suspect that's not the same thing
"The United States Supreme court prevents the Republicans from
shooting their constituency in the wallet."
After just a little thought… This means that Republicans running for Prez now have to campaign on repealing ObamaCare, at least in the primary, probably also in the general election. I think this also means the Republicans will have to keep on refusing to come up with a replacement policy, as any replacement policy will likely split their base into shards; certainly any sane policy will do so. We will therefore necessarily see a return to the Republican policy of ‘NO’!; end of policy.
Lynette: "Yes, I had heard about that. I have not watched the video. As horrible as it is I have a feeling it may be a sign that ISIL is starting to panic just a little. Fear is their biggest weapon."
You think? I'm not so sure.
Lynnette: "You noticed the article mentioned about the Kurdish advances in Syria? I think that may be more significant than people may realize. Not just because the ISIL fighters withdrew fairly quickly.
ISIL has been forcing Kurds in Raqqa to leave. By advancing in Iraq they may have left their rear lines exposed to being picked off."
Yet IS made an attack again on Kobane just today, the town the kurdish militias were supposed to be holding. OK, so IS didn't re-take Kobane, but they're still there.
Lee: "I have been threatened by a homosexual, but I suspect that's not the same thing"
Really? But they're supposed to be so gay and happy.
I've only ever been stroke on my ass by a supposed gay, but that was when I went into a gay club so...
The Battle of the Little Bighorn. It may have been Custer's last stand, but in the end it didn't really work out too well for the Indians either.
Although Crazy Horse did have a monument built(started) in his image.
If you're gonna lose anyway, don't make worse with seriously bad legal arguments written down on paper to haunt your legal legacy afterwards.)
Maybe they felt stronger about other things.
This means that Republicans running for Prez now have to campaign on repealing ObamaCare, at least in the primary, probably also in the general election.
Hmmm...maybe in the primary, but the general election may find that stance working against them. Unless, of course, they can gin up their propaganda machines to gloss over the elimination of health insurance for some of those Republicans who wouldn't have gotten it otherwise.
I think some have already come to realize that outright repeal may not be possible, that tweeking may be their only recourse.
We will therefore necessarily see a return to the Republican policy of ‘NO’!; end of policy.
Or they may just forget about it and move on to some other issue that they can rattle their sabers over...
[Lynnetter] As horrible as it is I have a feeling it may be a sign that ISIL is starting to panic just a little. Fear is their biggest weapon.
[Marcus]: You think? I'm not so sure.
I assume your comment is on the "panic a little" part of my comment? Well, I suppose that is debatable, but sweeping up people to try to intimidate others not to rebel against ISIL's draconian rule probably won't help stem intelligence leaks.
I still think fear is their greatest weapon, either through intimidation of the local populace under their control, or as some kind of attraction for those trolling social media looking for some kind of new thrill. For that last group of people those kinds of videos seem to portray strength, which is a complete misreading of ISIL's character.
Lynnette: You noticed the article mentioned about the Kurdish advances in Syria? I think that may be more significant than people may realize. Not just because the ISIL fighters withdrew fairly quickly.
ISIL has been forcing Kurds in Raqqa to leave. By advancing in Iraq they may have left their rear lines exposed to being picked off.
[Marcus]: Yet IS made an attack again on Kobane just today, the town the kurdish militias were supposed to be holding. OK, so IS didn't re-take Kobane, but they're still there.
Oh yes, they are still all sorts of places I'm sure. But that doesn't mean the quality of ISIL fighters is the same everywhere. Some of those facing the Kurds in Tal Abyad seemed quite happy to leave and scurried off to Raqqa. But apparently those in Kobane were quite willing to die for their cause, which many did, btw.
As your article mentioned ISIL seems to like to pop up where least expected. Perhaps it is time we take a leaf from their playbook? :)
Just got done listening (half-listening) to a BBC WorldNews piece on immigrants flooding into Europe. The crawler across the bottom of the screen said that last year Europe was hit with 150,000 immigrants (they called them ‘migrants’ which has a different meaning over here) from the war-torn areas of the Middle-East and Africa.
Not to diminish the burden this would place on small states like Italy and Greece, but that's a substantially lower burden on the EU overall than I was expecting to eventually hear about. (I recall asking for an annual EU total from Marcus once, and he couldn't provide one.)
From what I have read my guess is the majority of displaced people are in the Middle East, in countries like Lebanon, Turkey & Jordan, as well as the Kurdish region of Iraq. But I suppose they would be called refugees, as my guess is the majority of them would prefer to return to their home countries if they are ever stable enough, with a desirable, functioning government.
Those who reach Europe probably have relatives somewhere they want to hook up with. I saw the other day where they are attempting to close the border between France and Italy to prevent some the immigrants/migrants from moving further north. Which would kind of leave Italy holding the immigrant bag, so to speak.
Apparently someone has been busy overnight. I don't know if they were planned to be connected timing wise or not, but there were 3 attacks, one in Tunisia killing, as of the last count, 27 people at a tourist hotel, a bombing & beheading at an American owned factory in Lyon, France, and an attack on a mosque in Kuwait(no details on casualties).
"Apparently someone has been busy overnight."
I think I just heard there was a second attack in France (turning on the morning show on Radio-Right-Wing; didn't catch it all).
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"Or they may just forget about it and move on to some other issue
that they can rattle their sabers over..."
Don't think that's gonna happen. I meant to say that yesterday, but didn't get back to it. Overnight rantings from the wingers doesn't seem to change my mind on that any. Some of ‘em are even saying it's time to go back to regularly holding votes to repeal (that go nowhere), just to make it plain that they're not gonna move on.
The Patriot Act in action.
Ehud Barak on ISIS.
"They could be defeated in two days
I was reading somewhere that Israel is considering assisting the Syrian Druze. I don't know how true that is, but it would complicate things even further. To be clear, though, Barak's two day claim is in reference to Turkey intervening militarily.
I think I just heard there was a second attack in France...
If true, I guess I would be wary of another. Or was that Al-Qaida that was known for threesomes?
Some of ‘em are even saying it's time to go back to regularly holding votes to repeal (that go nowhere), just to make it plain that they're not gonna move on.
Now there's a good strategy, just keep beating a dead horse. *sigh*
Oh well, I guess they'll never learn.
I'm off to do my many errands and chores for the day...
At least 28 dead in Tunisia when a (at least one) terrorist arrived on a Jetski and fired on tourists with a Kalashnikov. That the second high casualty attack against tourists in Tunisia this year and presumably their tourist season for at least the rest of the year is dead.
Tunisia is the only country where the "Arab spring" can be said to have been successful and not resulted in civil war or counter coups. But it's also the one country that has seen the most terror-tourists going to join IS. And where security services has stopped about 10.000 would be jihadists from going. Those 10K are still on the ground in Tunisia.
One man decapitated and a car driven into a gas-tank at a factory in France causing a big explosion. IS banners left on the scene. Big headlines since it was carries out in the west.
A mosque in Kuwait terror bombed. I have no details on casualties so far, because it was not carried out in the west ad is therefore less newsworthy.
I read that the US supreme court legalised gay marriage in every state in the US (although a majority of states had already done so). Opinions?
I can start with my own opinion:
I think gays should be allowed to marry. I have no problems whatsoever with that.
But I also think priests/clergymen who for religous reasons are against such unions should not be forced to marry gays.
That's been the issue here of late. Most priests are OK with marrying gays but some aren't and for some reason some gays of the more activist variety seem to seek them out and attempt to force them to perform such marriages against their beliefs. This I believe is wrong.
I've never been able to get particularly worked up on the subject of ‘gay marriage’. I can understand the ‘equal protection of the laws’ argument, I even find myself convinced by it, but that could be taken care of by the simple expedient of legalizing an equivalent legal status for gay couples. It doesn't necessarily have to be called ‘marriage’, although I can't see that it does any damage to call it that either.
I always thought the gays and the religious fundies ought to be able to compromise and each go along with maybe calling it a ‘domestic partnership’ or some such other thing as the gays might be able to go along with. Then I noticed that the fundies were trying to also outlaw ‘domestic partnerships’ in those states where they were introducing those ‘defense of marriage’ laws.
So, basically it boils down to both sides were having this fight because they wanted to have this fight. The gays weren't interested in having ‘domestic partnerships’, so it wasn't really about them having ‘equal rights’ in the first place; it was about them demanding that the fundies publicly concede on the question of their equality. (Which the fundies will never do.) The fundies weren't actually upset about them calling it ‘marriage’; they were upset about letting the gays actually have equal rights in the first place, which is why they were trying to outlaw that too. I wasn't much interested in getting in on them having that fight for no better reason than because they wanted to. (Although, if both sides were going to draw that same line to fight on, I'd probably have to side with the queers over the fundies.)
I do not believe any of our courts will ever force any religious organization to perform such marriages and I happen to know that certain religious organizations now claim the right to refuse to perform traditional (male/female) marriages of which they might disapprove. Nobody thinks anything of it. I can't see any chance that any ‘activist variety’ homosexuals will ever win on that one. Surely some of them will try for a while, but I don't think they'll ever get that done.
^Sounds reasonable to me.
Minnesota had already legalized gay marriage, so this is just kind of anti-climactic.
I have no problem with gay marriage. I think I had a debate about this once with Petes and argued for it.
It looks like they lit up the White House in rainbow colors to commemorate the event.
That the second high casualty attack against tourists in Tunisia this year and presumably their tourist season for at least the rest of the year is dead.
I hear that the Brits were thinking of evacuating British tourists from Tunisia, some 20,000 of them. That might be a little extreme, I'm thinking, but I suppose it is up to the tourists if they want to leave or not. In any case, it doesn't look good for the tourism industry in Tunisia.
Apparently tourism accounts for 15% of GDP in Tunisia. That's an extremely high number and the impact from losing a significant chunk of that would be dramatic. The sector must employ lots and lots of people there.
This will hurt a country that has actually been a relative success story for the Arab Spring movement.
It looks like many of the tourists that were staying at the hotel are leaving the country. You can't really blame them for that, they were too close to what happened to continue on as normal, I should think.
They are saying on the news now that the gunman was a student and didn't really exhibit any signs of extreme behavior in the past.
If this fellow was doing this as some sort of reaction to ISIL's call for jihad then this type of attack may not be so unusual in the future. They are calling to all the people out there who are willing to act out their own violent feelings.
It's frustrating for those who would try to build a decent country to have to combat such anarchistic behavior. It only takes a few incidents to make people hesitant to, in the case of Tunisia, visit.
Lee,
I haven't been following too closely the issue with the Confederate flag. Do you know why this has suddenly become an issue?
"Do you know why this has suddenly become an issue?"
It's been simmering for quite some time. But, it was the discovery of YouTube (or Facebook, I forget which) videos by Dylann Roof, the Charleston, S.C. shooter, decking himself out in the apartheid flags of Rhodesia, South Africa, and most especially the Rebel flag, and spouting crap about starting a race war that brought it to the tipping point.
It suddenly became impossible to deny that a major component of its ‘message’ was about allegiance to old-line Southern racism.
Lynnette: "It looks like many of the tourists that were staying at the hotel are leaving the country. You can't really blame them for that, they were too close to what happened to continue on as normal, I should think."
Well I am pretty far away but I'm scared off too. Wouldn't travel to any of the arab spring countries these days. I might could still go to Turkey but that's about it.
There was also the "incident" where after the Charleston shooting the US flag was flown at half mast but the confederate flag was at full mast at the state capitol senate building. That was seen as insencitive and an insult and pissed some people off. At least that's what I've read 'bout it.
Ahh, I guess I hadn't been paying too much attention to the back story on Dylann Roof. I had heard that about his wanting to start a race war, but I had already written him off as a nutjob so wasn't listening too closely about anything else he did.
It suddenly became impossible to deny that a major component of its ‘message’ was about allegiance to old-line Southern racism.
Upon reflection I suppose that is really what it stood for, since slavery was an integral part of the south.
When you think about it it is rather odd that government buildings still fly it today. Even without the race issue being a factor. The southern states are part of the United States and the Confederate flag really has no place here anymore, except as a historical artifact.
Wouldn't travel to any of the arab spring countries these days. I might could still go to Turkey but that's about it.
Sad to say but I too would be hesitant to travel to that region of the world. I am actually a little surprised that so many Europeans were at that hotel in Tunisia. I think I would go to Greece first. I should think you could find some good deals there right about now and they must have some lovely beaches. The Middle East and Africa are just so unsettled and they have ISIL crawling all over the place.
There was also the "incident" where after the Charleston shooting the US flag was flown at half mast but the confederate flag was at full mast at the state capitol senate building.
The Confederate flag isn't an official flag of anything now. It is a symbol of a bygone era.
That was seen as insencitive and an insult and pissed some people off.
If the flag was a sore spot for some people, then I can see why.
"When you think about it it is rather odd that government buildings
still fly it today."
It enjoyed a resurgence during the Civil Rights movements of the 1960's. After a long absence after The South lost the Civil War, the Rebel flag was put back up in South Carolina in 1962, then flying over the State Capitol Building. (It's actually not a Confederate flag, but was rather the battle flag of Robert E. Lee's Army of Virginia.) It was later moved off the top of the Capitol Building, to the flagpole out front, and the South Carolina legislature then passed a law that said it couldn't be moved or taken down without the approval of the legislature and a ⅔'s majority required. It flies 24/7; spotlight lit after dark. That's why it wasn't at put at half mast after the church massacre--the legislature was not in session to approve it being lowered to half mast. Most of the other instances of the Rebel flag in official state business, all across the South, are also relics of the white backlash to the Civil Rights movements of the 60's.
Ain't no doubt but that its resurrection was in response to racist sentiments. I got no doubt anyway, never did have.
Army of Northern Virginia to be technically accurate.
The Confederate Flag was Always Racist
The Spacex rocket that was being sent with supplies for the space station exploded just after take off. Not good. The supplies were needed.
That was a very interesting article, Lee. I have never really given much thought to the Confederate flags people have chosen to fly in the south. For me they just seemed like a symbol of a war that people just couldn't forget. But in retrospect I can see where the idea that they are a racist symbol is valid, considering that slavery was an integral part of the south. It is long past time for their removal, except in history books or museums, lest we forget our beginnings.
One of the many books in my pile of reading material is The Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson. One of these days I will get to it. :) Here is an excerpt from the preface:
Both sides in the American Civil War professed to be fighting for freedom. The South, said Jefferson Davis in 1863, was "forced to take up arms to vindicate the political rights, the freedom, equality, and State sovereignty which were the heritage purchased by they blood of our revolutionary sires." But if the Confederacy succeeded in this endeavor, insisted Abraham Lincoln, it would destroy the Union "conceived in Liberty" by those revolutionary sires as "the last, best hope" for the preservation of republican freedoms in the world. "We must settle this question now, " said Lincoln in 1861, "whether in a free government the minority have the right to break up the government whenever they choose."
Northern publicists ridiculed he Confederacy's claim to fight for freedom. "Their motto," declared poet and editor William Cullen Bryant "is not liberty, but slavery." But the North did not at first fight to free the slaves. "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with slavery in the States where it exists," said Lincoln early in the conflict. The Union Congress overwhelmingly endorsed this position in July 1861. Within a year, however, both Lincoln and Congress decided to make emancipation of slaves in Confederate states a Union war policy. By the time of the Gettysburg Address, in November 1863, the North was fighting for a "new birth of freedom" to transform the Constitution written by the founding fathers, under which the United States had become the world's largest slaveholding country, into a charter of emancipation for a republic where, as the northern version of "The Battle Cry of Freedom" put it, "Not a man shall be a slave."
The Battle Cry of Freedom - Union version
The Battle Cry of Freedom - Confederate version
That's not to say that Lincoln wasn't solidly anti-slavery; he most certainly was against slavery. However, he wasn't interested in going to war with the southern states to end it. He figured to eliminate it rather more slowly, and with considerably less bloodshed.
The best laid plans...
For all his good intentions the American Civil War caused around 620,000 casualties. No other single war caused as many American lives. I don't know if that was a lesson in tenacity or bullheadedness. In any case, it was in the end a war that ended a practice that never should have begun.
Greece Shuts Banks
So you can only withdraw $67 a day. How do you pay your mortgage, your utility bill, insurance bill, etc.?
Theoretically, the mail still moves. You write the checks to your creditors and mail them. If they run into delays in getting them cashed…. That should work until your account hits zero, or until your bank hits zero and officially doesn't honor the check.
US Congress has decided the US should not arm the ukranian Nazis (that Lee C believes are not Nazis):
"“I am grateful that the House of Representatives unanimously passed my amendments last night to ensure that our military does not train members of the repulsive neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, along with my measures to keep the dangerous and easily trafficked MANPADs out of these unstable regions.”
Ukraine’s Azov Battalion is a 1,000-man volunteer militia of the Ukrainian National Guard that Foreign Policy Magazine has characterized as “openly neo-Nazi,” and “fascist.” Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, who oversees Ukraine’s armed militias, announced that Azov troops would be among the first units to be trained by the Pentagon in Operation Fearless Guardian, prompting significant international concern."
http://conyers.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=0DC46F90-801E-433D-B565-5E8A67C81A83
I'm a bit late on that piece of news and only came across it since Canada just now also decided not to arm Nazi-militias in the Ukraine.
It should be added to the story that Asov and similar groups were the ones who brought down the former government. Not any pro-democracy protesters. There were pro-democracy protesters, but they were not the ones who mattered.
"…a 1,000-man volunteer militia…"
Out of a Ukrainian population of about 46 million, that wouldn't be a surprise.
"It should be added to the story that Asov and similar groups were
the ones who brought down the former government. Not any pro-
democracy protesters."
I see your embrace of Putin's faerie tale history continues.
(For what it's worth, he could probably get an amendment outlawing the transfer of strategic nuclear missiles too, at least at this stage of the legislation. Little prospect his amendments will appear in the final legislation.)
The Texas Attorney General has issued a written opinion holding that county clerks may refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. FoxNews
You write the checks to your creditors and mail them.
Looks like they are only shutting the banks until July 6th, so hopefully people have timed it right.
The Texas Attorney General has issued a written opinion holding that county clerks may refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
I wonder how that will fly against a federal ruling? Sounds like they are setting up a case for a fight over state's rights.
I believe they're going to try to cloak it as a matter of religious freedom.
It looks like the Kurds have, but not before ISIL had killed over 200 civilians.
I wonder if Turkey realizes that to the world it would appear that there is something worse than a Kurdish state on their border?
I believe they're going to try to cloak it as a matter of religious freedom.
Religious freedom is meant for each individual. It does not give anyone the right to force their religious beliefs on anyone else.
"Religious freedom…does not give anyone the right to force their
religious beliefs on anyone else."
They seem intent on claiming that it does.
(I didn't get your point about the Kurds.)
"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged never to allow
Kurds to establish their own state in northern Syria.
"'I say to the international community that whatever price must be paid,
we will never allow the establishment of a new state on our southern
frontier in the north of Syria,’ he said at a dinner on Friday night."
BBC
(I didn't get your point about the Kurds.)
lol! That's because I deleted the part of my comment that contained the link, because for some reason it kept giving me a 404 error, and then neglected to insert the proper verbiage to make it make sense. That's what I get for being in a hurry. It was the same BBC article you linked to.
I meant to say the the Kurds had apparently cleared Kobane. Unfortunately it looks like ISIL managed to kill a number of people before they were eliminated.
"'I say to the international community that whatever price must be paid,
we will never allow the establishment of a new state on our southern
frontier in the north of Syria,’ he said at a dinner on Friday night."
And I say Erdogan is a fool. He's so worried about the Kurds in Turkey that he can't see that ISIL may be just as much, if not more, of a threat to Turkey.
He may find that price to be very high, indeed.
[Lynnette]: Religious freedom…does not give anyone the right to force their
religious beliefs on anyone else.
[Lee]: They seem intent on claiming that it does.
Maybe they should move to Raqqa and see how that works.
"…he can't see that ISIL…"
You don't seem to understand. Erdoğan is, philosophically, on their side; he's also an Islamist. He is not hostile to their basic message. (No doubt they disagree on whether Baghdadi should be the Caliph or whether it should be Erdoğan, but they don't disagree on the basic idea of reestablishing a Caliphate.)
More to the point, Erdoğan is well aware that the ‘the world’ as you put, or the ‘international community’, as he put it, considers ISIS to be the most important enemy, worse than another Kurdish state arising from the wreck that is Syria. He knows that's what others think. He does not agree--and he wants us to know he doesn't agree. Hence his Friday statement.
(No doubt they disagree on whether Baghdadi should be the Caliph or whether it should be Erdoğan, but they don't disagree on the basic idea of reestablishing a Caliphate.)
So he thinks he can come out on top in the end after the dust has settled. Rather like the Baathists that are involved with ISIL and who are using Baghdadi as a front.
I am not so sure that that will be the case.
Anyway, if Erdogan is that closely allied with ISIL ideologically perhaps we need to rethink our alliance with him.
I don't think Erdoğan is allied with ISIS so much as he's independently committed to the same end.
In any case… Turkey is a NATO member state. You're generally a supporter of maintaining our current NATO alliances.
And, here's why Greece will now be allowed to default on its debts:
"Most of [Greece's] debt is now held by other countries rather than
banks, limiting [bankers'] concerns."
Politico.com
Taxpayers take the bite.
Here's an interesting read about IS:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/28/isis-strikes-back.html
Maybe a tad sensationalist, but it does seem like IS are adapt at striking a tactical retreat only to re-appear with force in another location soon thereafter.
Lee:
------------
And, here's why Greece will now be allowed to default on its debts:
"Most of [Greece's] debt is now held by other countries rather than
banks, limiting [bankers'] concerns."
Politico.com
Taxpayers take the bite.
------------
Again I believe you're right about that. But I think that today it's the better option with a Greece default and a Greece exit from the Euro, which they should never have been allowed into, or rather which should never have been created in the first place.
It would have been better if the default came in 2010 and those "masters of the universe" were left with the bill for it. They created and lent the money so they should take the hit. But we're beyond that now and they rarely take hits anyway because they run the show.
So now it's a matter of damage control. And my opinion (based on gut feeling mostly) is that it's better to bite the bullet. Better for Greece and better for European taxpayers. I read it'd cost the average Eorozone taxpayer about 1000 Euros each if the debt was completely written off. But some repayments might be squeezed out of the Greeks yet so maybe it will be a bit less than that.
But to loan Greece ever increasing amounts mainly to cover repayments of previous debt seems to me like digging the hole even deeper.
Better let Greece default and go back to the Drachma. That would mean their currency would plummet but it would also mean they could get their economy rollin' again.
"So now it's a matter of damage control."
I take it the off-loading of Spanish debt from the financiers and onto the general public has been proceeding apace?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
It appears from your Daily Beast article that the Kurds may have developed a certain mystique among ISIS fighters (at least when accompanied by U.S. air power)
You're generally a supporter of maintaining our current NATO alliances.
This is true. But the definition of an ally is someone who is on one's side.
If Turkey's goal is some sort of caliphate led by Turkey then the other NATO members may want to rethink that alliance unless they are okay with that scenario.
I know alliances can be, and probably for the most part are, marriages of convenience, but if they are no longer convenient they should be re-thought.
(Yes, yes, I know what you are thinking, Lee. That is your reasoning with Europe. But I haven't gotten there yet with those countries. :))
But to loan Greece ever increasing amounts mainly to cover repayments of previous debt seems to me like digging the hole even deeper.
I agree. There is a basic flaw in how Greece is operating its economy and until that is fixed more money won't help.
Lee: "It appears from your Daily Beast article that the Kurds may have developed a certain mystique among ISIS fighters (at least when accompanied by U.S. air power)"
I though it was ineresting, if it's indeed true, that other anti-IS factions are siding with the Kurds in part becausse the Kurds have a monopoly on calling in US airstrikes.
I can see that it could be true too. The US (or the west) has few reliable allies on the ground in the region. But the kurds have been reliable, and may well continue to be reliable. So siding with then makes sense, even if Turkey are extremely hesitant.
I didn't realize that Puerto Rico was in such dire economic straits as well. It doesn't look like they are going to get any federal bailouts. The Politico.com article author seemed to think it would be a black eye for the US. Hmmm...maybe, but we let Detroit file bankruptcy. It is what it is.
"The Politico.com article author seemed to think it would be a
black eye for the US."
The Masters of the Universe always claim to think that it'll be a black eye for the US when they assume, incorrectly, that the feds will jump in to guarantee their loans.
Marcus,
That was an interesting piece.
Whatever ISIL's ideology really is, its military wing seems to be run by a smart tactician. My guess, a former Baathist from Saddam's Iraq. I noted that some of those ISIL fighters that infiltrated Kobane used disguises, which not only managed to fool people there, but in the long run will make people hesitant on who to trust in the future. They were Iraqi Kurds.
ISIL knows it can't beat American air power face to face, so to speak, but it can use Saddam's tactics of divide and conquer to make the battle field less optimum for its opposition. As long as that opposition has divided loyalties and fights for themselves, rather than something greater, ISIL will have the ideological advantage.
ISIL won't be able to function as a state, there are too many people against it. But what it can do is act as an anarchic entity disrupting the region for years to come and splashing its violence across the world, as we saw this weekend in Tunisia and Kuwait. It can also inspire all of the people who will resort to violence for whatever reason, such as what happened in France.
"There is a basic flaw in how Greece is operating its economy and
until that is fixed more money won't help."
If the more money keeps coming from the IMF and the ECB then that will help the financiers get the rest of their money out of Greece. Remember, the IMF and the European Central Bank haven't been bailing out Greece here; they've been bailing out Germany's bankers.
The Masters of the Universe always claim to think that it'll be a black eye for the US when they assume, incorrectly, that the feds will jump in to guarantee their loans.
Everyone always tries to drag the US into solving their problems.
Wall Street doesn't spend all that money on politicians on the assumption that they'll be left holding the bag when their loans go sour.
Remember, the IMF and the European Central Bank haven't been bailing out Greece here; they've been bailing out Germany's bankers.
Transferring the liability from the bankers to the taxpayers, yes. Again a situation where the financial regulations in place were too loose, then. If they are not corrected it will happen again.
And just where does the IMF get the bulk of its funds from?
Wall Street doesn't spend all that money on politicians on the assumption that they'll be left holding the bag when their loans go sour.
Nobody does.
"And just where does the IMF get the bulk of its funds from?"
Members of the United Nations. IMF funding
Trying again: IMF funding
ISIL beheads two women accused of sorcery.
Seriously?
Members of the United Nations. IMF funding
17.68%...*sigh*. Germany doesn't even come close.
Well, the ECB was bailing out the banks too. Germany's in that and we're not. I'm not sure how much we've really got in Greece; not a lot I don't think. I think the IMF was late to the party, dragged in after Merkel decided it was time for Germany to get tough (read: major German banks had cashed out).
Well, they don't seem too worried about Greece it seems.
I noticed there is a new bank in town. This one is apparently designed to help Asian countries with their infrastructure needs.
"…a new bank in town…"
Yeah, I been keeping an eye on that and wondering why it's been making so few headlines.
Lynnette: "ISIL beheads two women accused of sorcery. Seriously?"
How come you're surprised Lynnette? Beheading "witches" is standard shariah practice and not limited to terrorist groups. Here's an example from your ally Saudi Arabia:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/13/world/meast/saudi-arabia-beheading/
It's in the Koran. If you're a witch, off goes your head.
"…from your ally Saudi Arabia:"
@ Lynnette:
If ya wanna challenge him on that, I'm pretty sure we can show that the EU in general and Sweden in particular both get a greater percentage of their imported oil from Saudi Arabia than we do.
Stratfor on the Greek financial mess. Friedman's opinion is that Merkel has overplayed her hand here, and Germany isn't gonna like the result.
Yeah, I been keeping an eye on that and wondering why it's been making so few headlines.
Yes, it could prove to be a substantial rival on the world stage. Perhaps the start of a dual world economy? Although I also noted that China's stock market took a beating the other day, down 20%. I haven't looked too closely at the back story other then that the person who mentioned that said it wasn't because of the Greece default. Possibly a correction for China as has been anticipated by some?
How come you're surprised Lynnette? Beheading "witches" is standard shariah practice and not limited to terrorist groups.
It wasn't so much surprise at the beheading of someone, in this case a woman, they have shown they have little regard for human life, after all. It was surprise that anyone would actually believe in witchcraft in this modern era.
The belief in sorcery is like believing the earth is flat. Outdated.
Here's an example from your ally Saudi Arabia:
Yes, I can see where those who want to maintain control over other people would use it as an excuse to trump up fraudulent charges.
If ya wanna challenge him on that,...
I think you just did. :)
Germany has so far avoided an extreme crisis point by coming to an endless series of agreements with Greece that the Greeks couldn't keep and that no one expected them to keep, but which allowed Berlin to claim that the Greeks were capitulating to German demands for austerity. This alleged capitulation helped Germany keep other indebted European countries in line, as financially vulnerable nations witnessed the apparent folly of contemplating default, demanding debt restructuring and confronting rather than accommodating the European Union.
Hmmm...yes, I can see where there may be problems ahead with a Greek default and withdrawal from the euro.
This article proposes a simple solution to the Greek crisis and a nice comparison to how American economic policy towards states who need a little help works.
The EU is not one country, so it is harder to use the American method. There are still too many internal interests in each country that take precedence.
An interesting story about one man's experiences on living in, and leaving, prison.
"I can see where there may be problems ahead with a Greek
default and withdrawal from the euro."
It's gonna be the subsequent Greek recovery that's gonna be the problem for Germany. It's gonna be a bitch for the Greeks either way, but they're gonna be better off quicker for having stiffed the German taxpayers on the debts. (And other taxpayers too, but Germany is the big dog in this pack.) Then the Germans will figure out that they bailed out their own banks, and their own leaders are the ones who left them holding the bag for the big banks, and that's not gonna go down well.
And, the other marginal economies will notice that the Greeks recovered quicker for having dumped the Euro and dumped the debts.
Next round may well be uglier.
At least the Obama administration got the TARP money back.
And, the other marginal economies will notice that the Greeks recovered quicker for having dumped the Euro and dumped the debts.
Next round may well be uglier.
Could be. I suppose it all depends on how things work out for the Greeks and if those struggling economies decide to follow suit.
At least the Obama administration got the TARP money back.
And in fairly short order too. They acted quickly to prop up the economy so that jolt helped. Now if we can ease back gradually enough on the pedal to not rock the boat maybe we will see a more stable economic future.
Although I have noticed that they are back to building huge McMansions again. I always look at those and see a waste of planetary resources. Which is, I know, a different issue entirely at this point, but still, it flits through my mind.
"Possibly a correction for China as has been anticipated by some?"
Business Insider says, ‘No, not a correction’. This is the bottom dropping out, and it would have been a full on crash already except that investors are expecting (probably mistakenly) that the Chinese government will step in with a bail-out.
"Although I have noticed that they are back to building huge
McMansions again."
Yeah, they missed their chance to fix the underlying problem. So, we'll have another crunch before folks finally figure out that real world macro-economics does not follow the Peter Pan Principle of just believing in faerie tales hard enough.
Supply side economics doesn't work; it never did; it never will.
It does look like China's market has become a collapse waiting to happen.
Cha Er Si, a young, first-time investor, said that he and his friends are even using margin financing, the practice of buying stocks with borrowed money.
When you see this, it is usually the nail in the coffin.
Also, the fact that the Chinese government seems to be setting foreigners up to take at least part of the fall seems to imply that even they are starting to get worried.
So, I wonder where this, on top of the unsettled status of the eurozone, will leave the world economy?
Supply side economics doesn't work; it never did; it never will.
Something China may be finding out even as we watch.
I'm not sure they're into the ‘supply side’ fantasies. It's more a matter of irrational exuberance. They just keep creating bubbles, can't seem to get the notion of market saturation through their ‘state capitalist’ skulls.
"If ya wanna challenge him on that,...
I think you just did. :)"
Funny because Sweden's oil imports sine 2004 have come mainly from Denmark, Russia and Norway, those three account for 80-85%.
Then in order of importance come Iran, Britain, Venezuela and Nigeria.
Saudi Arabia doesn't even get a mentioning on their own but are lumped together with the "rest of the world" collectively accounting for about 1%.
http://spbi.se/statistik/import-export/
So, just admit you were way off on that one and we can end this discussion right here.
"…Sweden's oil imports sine 2004…"
Yes, I see that; in the last decade Russian oil has largely, indeed almost entirely, replaced Saudi Arabian oil in Sweden.
So, your relationship the Saudi has therefore turned hostile has it? (I believe that was the point under discussion.)
No that was not the point under discussion and you know it, I know it and Lynnnette knows it too. There are no other folks here lest they be lurkin' so there's no use pretending.
The point was I called Saudi a US ally. Something you tried to not counter but obfuscate by claiming that Sweden gets a larger share of its oil imports from Saudi than the US does. Something I proved you very much wrong about.
So, now that the tangent of Swedens oil imports has come to definitive dead end, it's up to you to start over if you still wish to counter or obfuscate my initial claim: Saudi being a US ally.
"Something you tried to not counter but…"
Perhaps the counter was simply too subtle for your peasant mental processes to process. Perhaps I shall have to be more direct. See if we can help you get your clown car out of the ditch there. My guess is we'll have to take this step-by-step, ‘cause I don't expect you'll wise up suddenly. So, first step…
"The point was I called Saudi [Arabia] a US ally."
Against whom, or in support of what common goal?
Merriam-Webster
"ally
noun al·ly \ˈa-ˌlī, ə-ˈlī\
: a country that supports and helps another country in a war
***
: a person or group that gives help to another person or group
plural al·lies
Full Definition of ALLY
1: a sovereign or state associated with another by treaty or league"
So, ally against whom or in support of what common goal are you alleging here?
Nope, not goin' down that rabbit hole. You can just Google it for all that I care.
"Nope, not goin' down that rabbit hole."
So… I guessed wrong; you did wise up suddenly, figured out that tired old shibboleth wasn't gonna get ya anywhere except embarrassed should you try to keep it propped up. Good for you.
Although, I don't think trying to google up ‘what was Marcus alleging’? will turn up anything useful.
Greece voting is in; they voted "NO". Not interested in more intensive austerity therapy. 60/40 or there'bouts.
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