UConn James

I did? Hmm.... Would you care to highlight where I wrote that? You're aware that riots/unrest (and to clarify, "unrest" is a broad distinction) occurred before 1968, right? You mistake yourself that I'm defending that rioting, or the LA riots. Note that I confined my remarks to while MLK was alive, not what happened after he was killed.

This man was at a party at the neighbor's house earlier that evening. It wasn't the neighbor. Having a dog probably would've prevented this whole situation. Even for a drunk, a dog's snarl makes for a great motivator to get the hell out.

You can't really expect an honest appraisal of the man, any more than one can expect an honest appraisal of George Washington. What we revere is the myth and simplification / five-second soundbyte of some of his public words and deeds, not who he really was. By necessity, that gets lost when a mythical/archetypal figure is created. Yep. He had some large flaws. But I don't know about "motivat[ing] the opponents of equality" as much as the supporters of civil rights. Bigots would hate whoever was among the leadership. Despite the nonviolence message, in many cities a few days or weeks after MLK left there were riots/unrest. I don't blame him personally for this, nor to a large degree, the rioters. If the political system that claimed to be democratic denied me the right to vote and other freedoms, I'd pick up a GD flamethrower! Back to the topic, tho, this governor is exactly the type of individual who creates a dangerous sidetrack for the Republicans. To broaden their base, they need to stop being the party of the Crazy Baptist Minister and focus on the economy/jobs, defense/national security, cutting spending and taxes, and balancing the budget. Whenever they've gone off their core and gotten sidetracked into religious and social issues, they've lost at the voting booth. People want good governance --- not good religio-moralizers.

I think that was when the Commie sub captain said, "Go to 110 percent on the reactor" in "The Hunt for Red October."

What's most annoying to me is not phrases, as such, but stupid trumped-up job titles. Stuff like, 'Business Acumen Enterprise Development Recruiter - Retention' or 'Associate Senior Initiative Application Strategist.' Does someone sit there and make these things up, or is it more like a lottery system where they have a cage full of vague business words, pull out six and mash them together? What the f--- does a 'General Regional Structural Compliance Risk Consultant - Claims' do? Why does everyone's business card have to sound so self-important d--che-baggy? Then again, when I worked construction b/w semesters of college, I was 'Vice President of the Men's Room' at the shop.

After what happened in Cheshire, Conn., I would NEVER vote guilty to anyone shooting someone who came forcefully and uninvited into their home.

OK, I preempted my line-up to watch "The King's Speech." It was good and I think Rush will be the most memorable part. I have an inclination to not like Ms. Carter --- I can't explain it, but there it is. Colin Firth was very good, just as he's been in many roles (he is the best Mr. Darcy ever captured on celluloid in the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice). Certainly two thumbs up, but I wouldn't put it as best even for this year. Just, as I wrote previously, not sure it broke much new ground from "Bertie & Elizabeth." And that film was able to go a little deeper into the succession crisis (this placed a lot of stuff on Rush's character to both egg on and shoot down the notion of any "vaulting ambition" and the politics of Edward VIII's abdication was much more complex than what they papered over in this new treatment), showing the progression through the war until George VI's death. James Wilby really personalized Bertie much more than I got the sense in TKS. I'm sorry, I just don't need starpower to be wowed, and often in biopics like this, starpower is often a detriment.

Well, there is the 'CBS Scene' plaza in the Paytoilet* stadium. If the team were to start to slide and attendance drop, the network loses money. Conflict of interest much?!?

Perhaps people should just wait until this is properly adjudicated. And then, offer forgiveness. We are none of us without sin. Dink's Song - Bob Dylan/Jeff Buckley When a woman gets in trouble Everybody puts her down Looking for a good friend And none can be found

Toss-up b/w Goldfish crackers and cheese puff balls. It's been a while since I've had either --- I cut out snacking during the fall/winter to compensate for an increase in cold-weather 'comfort food' and less outdoor exercise.

So, after all the talk about cooling the political tensions, one week later a Tucson shooting victim is arrested for yelling at a Tea Party leader "You're dead!" and has been sent for a mental health evaluation. That new era for political civility didn't last very long, did it? It's hard not to sympathize with this guy... probably suffering from several conditions. From what we know of the shooter, tho, his anger is seriously misplaced.

Don't forget his illegal use of double- and triple-coupons at checkout!

*GASP* I thought that was lost in the Great Rosen Crash of '08!

I haven't seen it yet, but I just wonder what's in "The King's Speech" that wasn't in Masterpiece Theatre's treatment of the same subject with "Bertie and Elizabeth" (2002). Besides all the therapy swearing I've heard about....

I've always used one space. We're better-educated here in CT.

I was a little worried at the tri-split screen right at the very beginning... that it was going to be like a "24" kind of cinematography... but that was fleeting. The camcorder stuff was very touching and I wonder if they used Aron's actual words from that, or whether it was written up a bit. I said right away when he was trying to chip away at the stone that anything he was doing there (not much) would just make the stone jam even tighter. But I guess we'll try anything when there is an alternative to what he eventually has to do to get free. Favorite line was where he derides the "Made in China multi-tool" b/c it's so true about all the cheap crap imports that we're surprised about when it doesn't hold up (they use cheap alloys to water down metals (this is especially frustrating when screws strip so easily these days b/c of that)) or do anything like what it's supposed to do. One question: when he was rewinding the camera to the part with the diving with the two chicks and he paused on Kate Mara's ta-tas.... What was that? Was he trying to ummm... slap the monkey there? All told, the most important thing to take from this film is the last line. Always tell someone or leave a note where you're going.

The Star Wars prequels were excellent other than Jar-Jar Binks and Hayden Christensen's at-times wooden delivery of the dialogue. I left Part III feeling drained that something that was so anticipated for so long (albeit, for me, a little longer) was over. And, combined with seeing "Black Swan" shortly after, I hate seeing Natalie Portman [white-fonted for spoiler] die on-screen. I also watched the redone IV-VI and I don't quite understand all the hostility toward them. Word is that all 6 are coming out on Blu-Ray in fall 2011 with loads of previously unseen extras, including several full-treated scenes that were dropped at the last minute for time consideration, including one showing Luke making his green lightsaber. Next up are "300" and "We Are Marshall."

I've been watching several of these films while catching up on a lot that I've missed in the past ohhh... 10 years of not having time, having other media dedication (LOST), $, or interest level (e.g. I just watched the Star Wars prequels for the first time last week). So, I've been on a bit of a tear here since there's now not much quality of teevee. That scene in Toy Story 3 lost a lot of its poignancy by their up-tempo music choice. It took a few moments before I got that they were all resigned to burning and decided to go out holding their friends' hands. A slower Michael Giachhino-type score would have worked much better there. I don't know what month it came out (November?) but I just watched "127 Hours" and wow. There've been several pretty much one-actor movies in the past several years (starting with "Cast Away") and James Franco holds his own with any of them. "Into the Wild" was one that I saw near its release, and I have to say that Emile Hirsch blew me away in that. How he didn't at least get an Oscar nomination.... Anyway, in "127..." we know the outcome, but it's about the journey. And I think it helps that it has a much happier conclusion and the lesson of not cutting oneself off (so to speak!) from the rest of the world/those who care about us.

Just saw this thread this a.m. and said a little prayer. So happy there was a good resolution! As far as pulling, etc. we got a Gentle Leader collar for our stubborn GSP and it's worked wonders. Also using a training collar for the first time. We've had 5 GSPs and none of them have been as pig-headed as this little boy (he was reportedly the bully of the litter), but he's doing a lot better now wrt whining in the box, staying on the bed during dinner, and stay/come. It may be a matter of us getting him at 4 months instead of 9 weeks like the others... but he needed a good home. And we needed to move on after losing two of the best dogs ever a few years ago. As for the Aussies, my uncle had one named Specks back in the day and he and my dad always laugh when talking about it. My dad could not sneak up on the house b/c the dog gave notice when the car was still 1/2 mile away. My uncle says, "I could always tell if you or dad were coming over. If it was dad, he'd jump this high [gesturing at hip level]... if it was you, he'd jump this high [gesturing at chest level]." One of my former English instructors at the U said, "All good dogs are a little loopy. If they weren't, they'd just be moving furniture." Anyway, glad Bernie's back home....

Dude, there's a link and quote from the NYT article in the 10th post in this thread where someone who knew him from classes described the suspect as "quite liberal." WTF!?

I wrote the same thing upthread, that from the reading list you can tell there's obvious loose wiring. Some people are just continuing to parrot the false assumption that the shooter must've been a rightie or affiliated with Republican groups b/c the victims were left-of-center. It can't compute to them that what was on display was the politics of Crazy.

As someone who listed the Communist Manifesto as one of his favorite books as soon as three weeks ago, I'm going to guess that he wasn't a member of the Young Republicans, as much as some on the left would like that to be so. I dunno. I'm not going to deny that the Tea Party has attracted a lot of different people who think it's something it's not. As the old axiom goes, "25 percent of people will like you for the wrong reasons." Much as yesterday's attacks go into the "25 percent of people will dislike you for the wrong reasons." I don't think it's fair to say that a small smattering of lone-wolf crazies define the Tea Party and its political process goals any more than David Duke represents the Democratic party's goals in race issues. Trying to pinpoint this kid on anything is probably going to be like hammering a nail into Jello. The roots of Crazy run deep and spread far out.

The far-right does not have a monopoly on those views, particularly anti-Israel / anti-semitism (see Sheehan, Cindy and a media that bends over backwards to report on the Palestinian plight --- including the specious 'They targeted PLO ambulances!' to-do that was disproved to anyone with eyes --- and ignores daily rocket launches into Haifa, Tel Aviv, etc.).

Posted it yesterday in the main thread. It went noticeably ignored, as it seems unconscionable to many that a liberal would try to kill a Democrat. Just as, back in '96 to everyone's chagrin, Yitzak Rabin's assassin was a fellow Jew. People were almost disappointed that it wasn't a Palestinian / Arab b/c that would've boiled the pot over; since it wasn't, it was quite forgotten w/in a few months. And I'm sure that once it's widely know the shooter is a leftie, the blame game ride will come to a quick stop. Just goes to prove that line about assumptions. I guess Sheriff Dupnik, like many others, has yet to learn that Hate and Crazy don't carry a political party affiliation. NYT: Arizona Suspect’s Recent Acts Offer Hints of Alienation

Despite evidence to the contrary, you keep making the inference that b/c it was a Democrat who was shot, that the shooter was Republican or subscribed to the political right. I'll write it again for you: The NYT is quoting source who describes the shooter as "very liberal." It's questionable whether he saw those political ads, and it's specious to suggest that a "very liberal" person shot someone because a conservative used this trashy graphics and phraseology. See, you're looking to pinpoint a root cause, and putting your thumbtack onto cheap political marketing. 'He saw this picture and there's a lot of political rancor, so that's why he killed.' That's crap. Cain didn't kill Abel b/c he saw an ad saying that farming was great and hunting/nomadism was on the outs. He killed b/c it's in some people's nature/nurture to hate and destroy.