https://duckduckgo.com/?q=7+economic+fundamentals&t=osx&ia=videos&iax=videos&iai=utuX4_uD5lE
Summer movie fun list
Here is a short list of stuff that I intend to enjoy for the month of June, some of them are already playing and others will be showing soon. I got the links to the trailers off of the FANDANGO movie site, for some reason youtube no longer functions for trailers, so sad.
Any way, this is my movie wish list, so I hope you enjoy the trailers. Stay cool and enjoy a movie this summer, in air-conditioned comfort.
https://www.fandango.com/videos/player/Gotti-1055330883744?autoPlay=true
https://www.fandango.com/superfly-2018-210599/movie-overview
https://www.fandango.com/solo-a-star-wars-story-203806/movie-overview
https://www.fandango.com/oceans-8-208432/movie-overview
https://www.fandango.com/deadpool-2-200520/movie-overview
https://www.fandango.com/hotel-artemis-211142/movie-overview
A SOLEMN OCCASSION (MEMORIAL DAY)
FOUR SCORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO OUR FATHERS BROUGHT FORTH ON THIS CONTINENT A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY AND DEDICATED TO THE PROPOSITION THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL •
NOW WE ARE ENGAGED IN A GREAT CIVIL WAR TESTING WHETHER THAT NATION OR ANY NATION SO CONCEIVED AND SO DEDICATED CAN LONG ENDURE • WE ARE MET ON A GREAT BATTLEFIELD OF THAT WAR • WE HAVE COME TO DEDICATE A PORTION OF THAT FIELD AS A FINAL RESTING PLACE FOR THOSE WHO HERE GAVE THEIR LIVES THAT THAT NATION MIGHT LIVE • IT IS ALTOGETHER FITTING AND PROPER THAT WE SHOULD DO THIS • BUT IN A LARGER SENSE WE CAN NOT DEDICATE~WE CAN NOT CONSECRATE~WE CAN NOT HALLOW~THIS GROUND • THE BRAVE MEN LIVING AND DEAD WHO STRUGGLED HERE HAVE CONSECRATED IT FAR ABOVE OUR POOR POWER TO ADD OR DETRACT • THE WORLD WILL LITTLE NOTE NOR LONG REMEMBER WHAT WE SAY HERE BUT IT CAN NEVER FORGET WHAT THEY DID HERE • IT IS FOR US THE LIVING RATHER TO BE DEDICATED HERE TO THE UNFINISHED WORK WHICH THEY WHO FOUGHT HERE HAVE THUS FAR SO NOBLY ADVANCED • IT IS RATHER FOR US TO BE HERE DEDICATED TO THE GREAT TASK REMAINING BEFORE US~THAT FROM THESE HONORED DEAD WE TAKE INCREASED DEVOTION TO THAT CAUSE FOR WHICH THEY GAVE THE LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION~THAT WE HERE HIGHLY RESOLVE THAT THESE DEAD SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN~THAT THIS NATION UNDER GOD SHALL HAVE A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM~AND THAT GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THE EARTH •
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
HAPPY MAY DAY! aka. (International workers day)
People have forgotten that May Day is an international affair celebrated in most of Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.
America’s fear of the word socialism, harkens back to the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. The main reason why we have separated labor day from May 1st, is because the communist in Russia and in China celebrated May Day. However, the communist are not the only ones that celebrate the old pagan holiday, many socialist democracies, (most of which are prosperous), throughout western Europe, also celebrate International workers day. Free higher educations and health care as a right, are just two of the many benefits of socialism. Only the greedy, selfish, exploiters of the poor and middle class object to social programs, that benefit the rest of us. They get tax breaks, subsidies and special compensations, they take most of their money off shore and then call the rest of the population takers.
Anything that threatens the status quo, is branded as dangerous and untenable. Many Americans shudder at the mere mention of Socialism. They think that any system that isn’t free market capitalism, is pure evil; even though America had more success, under the Roosevelt socialist programs, than under Ronald Reagan’s trickle down, reverseRobin Hood economics. Even in the golden age of the Republican party, the Eisenhower years; the Democrats were not only better at Social programs, but much better at keeping the economy Healthy and thriving. (see graphs below).
When workers do better, the economy does better. Socialism works, the war on poverty wasn’t a failure, but the war on drugs is. Republicans are directly responsible, for the loss of thousands of jobs to outsourcing; union busting has created stagnation and lower wages, for everyone, while the cost of living continues to climb. We as a nation are floundering under neo-conservatism and neo-liberalism, both ideologies favor Wall Street and not Main street. So fear not good people, but embrace true democracy, social justice and workers rights. Just remember that, right to work is just Orwellian double speak for, the right of corporations to exploit workers.
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HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WORKERS DAY!
The walking Stupid, (TWD)
The longer that the walking dead lingers on our small screens, the less sense it makes. I can see why it is steadily losing viewership. For me the answer is simple:, some characters that everyone wants dead, are still alive and others that viewers are attached to are senselessly killed off. Glenn, Abraham and Carl are the prime example but there have been many other characters that were killed off by walkers, or by bad guys, just as we were beginning to become attached. We root for these people and hope for their continued survival, yet they continue to die in the most heart breaking ways. For a while now I have been aware of the dead bro walking trope, which still tarnishes television and movies. Characters of color on the Walking Dead don’t last very long with the notable exception of Father Gabriel, that useless knucklehead that left the gate open at Alexandria, stole food and weapons for the Trash people and spouts hypocritical nonsense, while endangering the people who have protected him. Michonne should have cur his head off. His behavior fits the old stereotype of the shifty, untrustworthy, cowardly negro, Shame on you writers room.
There have been many other noteworthy characters, that deserved to be survivors and were actually and logically more suited to be survivors, than father Gabriel; for instance Noah a courageous young man who had survived on his own, for a long period of time in a zombie infested apartment building. He was killed off in a really despicable manner by a cowardly Alexandrite, who then blamed him for his own death. The Death of Noah was to me, as heart breaking as the death of Carl. The young people that use their brains to survive deserve to live, they are the real future.
Another senseless death on the series, was that of Sasha. Her irrational plan for vengeance was too stupid even for her, especially after she had started pulling herself together. One of the earliest unwarranted deaths on TWD, was that of Shane Walsh, Ricks old partner on the Police Force. From my point of view, it was Rick’s cheating spouse who instigated the murder, if Shane had been the victor I have no doubt that Mrs. Rick Grimes would have happily continued shagging Shane.
Shifting gears, lets talk about the disposable Doctors on TWD. I truly doubt that people in this type of predicament, would be so unconcerned about killing anyone, who has the skill to keep people alive. By my count six healers have been killed off, Negan killed one of them, Dwight killed another, one of Negan’s Henchmen killed a third. If Negan were actually as smart, as they try to portray him, he wouldn’t have killed any one that had medical expertise, no matter how angry he was and anyone who did kill a doctor or healer would be severely punished.
Let’s talk about the sanity of both Rick and Morgan. These two are all over the map when it comes to illogical behavior; to call them erratic is an understatement. Morgan actually callously murdered an ally in a fit of rage, that should have been focused on the enemy, a good beatdown would have sufficed. Both men appear to have lost their moral compass and can not distinguish between those who deserve mercy and those who do not. We have even seen Carl, murder an unarmed teen who was no longer a threat, obviously the influence of his brutal and unstable father; now we’re are expected to believe, that Carl has suddenly had some kind of unseen epiphany, making him the arbiter of peace between to murderous maniacs. Ricks brutal murder of the sanctuary survivors, after promising them safety, when he only had to kill the one Negan loyalist, that actually deserved killing, was an act that made him more of a villain than a hero. I know that letting Negan live follows the graphic novel, but it is no longer logical, considering Rick’s behavior.
It is obvious, that some of the saviors, were only cooperating with Negan out of fear of being brutally beaten to death. This is why some of the fighters were so easily turned after being captured. This brings me to the subject of Maggie who randomly killed a prisoner who stood up to her, instead of the snickering, taunting, jackanapes that was Jared who led the escape from Hilltop. I was hoping beyond hope that Maggie would put a bullet in his skull, ever since Jesus saved him and the rest of the prisoners from Maggies wrath. Her misplaced distrust of poor Alden, who is trying so hard to prove his worth, by remaining behind as a prisoner, instead of running back to Negan; is both cynical and unfounded and shows a lack of understanding and compassion. In my opinion the only choice for Hill top leadership is Jesus and the only choice and the clear choice of the Alexandria group is Michonne. She is strong as a warrior, level headed and has the trust of her friends, without all of the crazy drama of Rick.
The other glaring weakness of Rick, is his gullibility. Jadis and her flighty and predictable double-crossing, has put him and his group in jeopardy three times; Simon was correct in his response to the Heapsters betrayal. No one needs these clowns at there back, because they will only run away, or stab you in the back. Jadis should have been killed, after her first betrayal, yet Rick continued to Knock on her door seeking help, only to be betrayed again. This behavior fits the definition of crazy.
This brings me back to my main point, that the wrong people are killed off and that unlikable and useless characters, are left to muddy up the story with pointless drama,that does not progress the story at all. The season finale was not satisfying or conclusive and the end scene with Maggie, Darryl and Jesus makes less sense than leaving Negan alive. Jesus is very much against cold blooded murder, Darryl let Dwight go proving that he can change and he bears some of the responsibility for the death of Abraham; so his vendetta against Negan is empty and selfish. Maggie is the only one that really has an ax to grind, being Glen’s widow, she should have been allowed to vent her rage by bashing Negan’s brains out with Lucille, now that would have been a satisfying ending.
So Long Gunny
Everybody’s favorite hard core kick ass Gunnery sergeant R. Lee Ermey has passed away. He will be greatly missed, by Marines and civilians alike, who embraced the charismatic Gunny for is lovable demeanor and his numerous movie roles.
After living in the Philippines and acting in several movies there, he began his American movie career in 1978 as Sgt. Loyce, in The boys in company C, he then appeared in an uncredited role in Apocalypse Now in 1979. His next military role was in the 1984 B movie Purple Hearts; but his most memorable role was as Gunnery sergeant Hartman in Full metal Jacket, in which he was nominated for a Golden globe. Personally I think he should have received an Oscar, although he was literally playing a part that he was perfectly suited for.
His filmography is long and varied and his voice work was featured in many animated series. There was no mistaking that booming voice of his and it will be sorely missed in this world. He was a source of pride for many old Marines and I am positive that I am not alone in this sentiment. So Semper fidelis and God bless Marine, I will miss you.
SLEEP NUMBER BED (Review)
I was going to start this review with a bunch of swear words, but I’ve decided to keep a cool head and approach this as objectively as possible, for a dissatisfied customer. First off I was welcomed at the Sleep number store with open arms; they made me feel important as a valuable potential customer. After testing a variety of beds at different sleep settings and of different sizes, I was ready to buy.
My old mattress was well over twenty years old and was no longer comfortable and causing me a lot of pain. The sleep number ad campaign is very effective at pushing its product; unfortunately, actually trying to sleep on the bed is not very satisfying. In the store my sleep number was determined to be 35 but on my bed this is not a good number. I have tried every number from 25 to 100 with no appreciable effect. Further more my bed is too short. I am average height so I did not think that there would be a problem. However the bed that I purchased is a double, which means wider than a twin but not as wide as a queen size bed. I was foolish to make the assumption, that all beds would be long enough to accommodate the average adult.
Somewhere in the paper work I got the idea that if I was not happy with my bed there was a 100 night trial period in which to return it. Apparently this is not the case; all sales are final once you’ve taken possession of the product. The problem with this policy is that, until the bed is full assembled, you can not discern what the actual length and width of the bed is. I asked about moving the bed around and was assured that they would put rollers on it, they didn’t; I called and complained about it and was told that I would have to purchase the rollers, which cost me another twenty six bucks. Incidentally my bed didn’t have casters on it either they arrived a week later with the rollers.
As soon as I saw what the size of the fully assembled bed was, I realized that I had made a monumental mistake. I called the dealer the very next day and what I got was a stern all sales are final talk. I was told by the person that delivered the bed that I could upgrade to a bigger more expensive bed but that also wasn’t true. So I am stuck with a bed that doesn’t fulfill its promise of a good nights sleep and is also a nuisance because I can’t stretch out with out my heels hanging off the edge of the mattress. I called the store two more times and couldn’t get a hold of the person who sold me the bed to let her know that I was not a happy camper. I haven’t been able to get a hold of her yet and she hasn’t returned my calls. I called the customer service number but they are not open on Sunday. I will continue to try but I am not very optimistic about the outcome.
When did businesses become so resistant to, good service, honesty and customer satisfaction. I went online to the consumer affairs web site to look at the reviews and make my own. I started reading some of the other reviews and was not shocked to discover that hundreds of other people gave them a one star rating and was not alone in my dissatisfaction with the sleep number staff and their lack of sympathy with customers. I also noticed that a lot of the people complaining were seniors like myself ,who remember the days when customer satisfaction was a real concern and not just an empty platitude. I would definitely not recommend Sleep Number beds to anyone. They are pricy, not that good and the customer service is appalling.
When will it be time Mr. speaker?
As usual, the pusillanimous lackeys of the NRA are regurgitating the same old puke, after another horrendous school shooting. Speaker of the house Paul Ryan dared to spit out those meaningless words “NOW IS NOT THE TIME” once again. I knew exactly what he was going to say before he opened his mouth, because he says it every time there is another mass murder. He said it after Sandyhook he said it after Las Vegas and every time in between. He is not alone in this phony money driven sentiment; Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority leader,stayed on script and spit out the same garbage. Marco Rubio, the Senator from Florida also said, “Now is not the time” this shows me that the language is scripted. These bought and paid for politicians are not representatives of the people, but agents of the gun lobby. The fact that they continue, to try and misdirect the conversation away from sensible gun control, proves that their agenda is not the safety of children, much less citizens in general, but to keep the guns flowing and the bullets flying for the sake of profit.
SUPER BOWL LII (52 ) in Minneapolis
Today is super bowl day
Fluffy Puffy Hallmark Christmas
Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2008)
lt’s that time again, time for those fluffy puffy, happy, sappy, hallmark Christmas stories. This time of the year, the Hallmark channel morphs into the most watched channel on cable and Satellite tv (yes satellite tv , it still exist for us poor folks). The Hallmark channel has been a guilty pleasure of mine for three years and I look forward to binge watching, throughout the month of December. There is a steady stream of re-runs and new movies to satisfy the most ardent fans of Holiday schtick, and they run all night long for the insomniacs.
If you are a veteran Hallmark watcher, then you will immediately know Lacey Chabert or Danica McKellar or Lori Loughlin and of course Candace Cameron Bure. There are also appearances from familiar males, like James Van Der Beek, Colin Ferguson and some cool codgers like Bryan Doyle Murray and Henry Winkler. The plots can be redundant, but Christmas romances usually stick to a specific formula. Be warned that Royalty might be involved in some stories. The Macguffin has to be saved, plot moppets have to be appeased, widows and widowers must find love and the Christmas haters will find the true meaning of secular Christmas.
The main character usually has some tragic reason for hating the holiday spirit, or perhaps they are just a cynical jerk. A cliche group of friends, bosses and antagonist orbit around the protagonist, creating humor, tension and roadblocks. Fear not dear viewer, all will be resolved in the last ten minutes. Miss Scrooge or Mister Scrooge will will come to their senses, love will bloom, old wounds will be healed, the widow or widower will find a replacement spouse; this is also the point in the movie where the villain is vanquished.
In between the beginning and the end there are snowmen, snowball fights, tree trimmings and tree lightings all wrapped up in the trappings of the local town festival. these Shenanigans always occur in the most christmassy town in the midwest or northwest or the northeast; where the folks are simple and the snow falls on cue when ever attractive lady or man start to feel romantic, I forgot to mention that sometimes Magical Santa guy makes an appearance to dispense wisdom. Santa Guy doesn’t always sport his signature red and white suit, sometimes he’s wearing natty looking business attire with red accents. Some times he hangs around the local diner or sits conveniently on a bench in the town park, or he could just magically appear at the office Christmas party to grant strange wishes.
All in all, the Hallmark channel in December is a place to suspend your disbelief, chill out and let your everyday worries disappear. These movies may be sappy and sentimental, even silly, but they’re good clean entertainment and an instant infusion of holiday fun.
sportyoldude 