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veritas_poet
I didn't want to know anything about it, so I did not listen to his full comments. I very rarely go in blindly to any movie these days. But I trust Andrew's judgement. Has anyone else seen it? It's playing for $6-something at one of the theaters. Maybe I will catch it tomorrow. I need a good movie. I'm not into the franchise at all. I vaguely remember watching one of the movies at some point, but that's about it. (Wow, 2011!)
veritas_poetSeeing these images of these poor women with these horrific sacks on makes me seethe with rage.
Where are you, "feminists", protesting for them? Where are you, Hollywood?
Vile hypocrites, one and all!
Where are you, "feminists", protesting for them? Where are you, Hollywood?
Vile hypocrites, one and all!
Stuff being taught to kids these days!
Mar. 4th, 2017 04:15 pmveritas_poetYes, it was posted.
It's my review of a children's book called, How to Be a Hero Hardcover by Florence Parry Heide:
I'm a nanny and I'm always looking for books for my kids. I read this in a bookstore today and was so surprised and disappointed.
SPOILER ALERT:
It was a promising start. Gideon is a little boy who admires heroes and wants to be one. But the lesson taught here is that heroes don't have to really do anything to earn that title. You just have to be in the right place at the right time.
The worst part is the last portion. He's in the grocery store and a woman holding a baby slips on an apple or something and the baby goes flying. Another person catches the baby. She's the real hero here! But the focus is still on Gideon. He does not see the almost accident or the other person saving the baby. Instead, the focus is on the fact that he wins a prize for being the XYZ number customer! So the person who actually DID something heroic (though I think that simply doing the right thing is not necessarily "heroic") gets zero credit and he's the hero, simply by chance.
What an awful lesson to teach kids. Not only does it not inspire a child to excel and strive to be a better person, but it also takes away from those who do aspire and strive to be better! Not only is heroism just a matter of being in the right place at the right time, but even if you DO something heroic like catching a falling baby, no one will care. Even worse, the person who happens to be just standing there doing nothing but "in the right place at the right time" gets more credit and is more of a hero than the person who actually DID something worthwhile, like saving a baby's life.
Horrible! I actually had to read the last few pages a second time, just to be sure I was reading it correctly!
(no subject)
Mar. 4th, 2017 09:13 amveritas_poetGood grief, aren't there any coffee shops in the world that DON'T push politics or social issues at you all the time?! If there was at least equal time given to liberal AND conservative causes, that would be tolerable. (As long as it was not too obnoxious/in your face.) But no. It's ALWAYS leftist causes! I gave up on Starbucks because they are so openly leftist. I found another place that I really loved, only to see a tip jar for the ACLU and one of the employees telling a customer something about "fighting hate". I wasn't close enough to hear the whole thing, and it was obviously not a spot where I could jump into the discussion. I wrote them a polite email (which they ignored) and haven't been back.
I just want a good cup of coffee or tea and a quiet place to read! Is that too much to ask?
And why do these companies always assume all their customers think just like they do on every topic? The arrogance of that attitude is what gets me! It's like they can't even conceive of the possibility that not everyone who walks through their door 1) agrees with them or 2) even WANTS to deal with that in a coffee shop.
Sometimes, even if you agree with a cause, you need time away. Sometimes you just want a cup of freaking coffee!
I just want a good cup of coffee or tea and a quiet place to read! Is that too much to ask?
And why do these companies always assume all their customers think just like they do on every topic? The arrogance of that attitude is what gets me! It's like they can't even conceive of the possibility that not everyone who walks through their door 1) agrees with them or 2) even WANTS to deal with that in a coffee shop.
Sometimes, even if you agree with a cause, you need time away. Sometimes you just want a cup of freaking coffee!
Don't let the door hit ya on the way out!
Mar. 3rd, 2017 04:29 pmveritas_poet
UPDATE: DREAMer Arrested After Speaking Out At News Conference To Be Deported Without A Hearing
"On Wednesday, illegal immigrant Daniela Vargas, 22, was arrested after speaking openly about her illegal status at a news conference in Jackson, Mississippi. Now her attorney says she is scheduled to be deported without a hearing. "
One down, umpteen thousand more to go!
For those who want to give her a pass because she was brought here as a child, I say this: If she had kept her head down and was pursuing legal citizenship, I'd say there might be an argument to be made in those situations. Maybe. My current view is that parents commit all sort of crimes and go to jail, and it's always the innocent kids who suffer. But I'm willing to think this through and perhaps come to a different conclusion.
But in this case, this grown woman is boldly and publicly flouting our laws! Like so many other leftists, she was so used to the lawlessness of the Obama regime that she thinks she can do whatever the blazes she wants and nothing will happen to her. To her and all those like her I say, GET LOST. We've got enough home grown lawless people here already. We don't need to add more to the mix!
Don't even get me started on the fact that now so many followers of Christ have jumped on the bandwagon in favor of these criminals. Don't even.
(no subject)
Nov. 3rd, 2012 07:26 pm![[identity profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
coldblossom.livejournal.comSorry to throw up two posts in such a short time, but I was thinking we should have a chat room on Election Day. I found a few sites that I think could work for us. I can start it, however I am AZ time and won't be able to start it until at least 7:45 EST after I get home from work. I am checking to see if any East Coasters would like to start it up earlier, or if not I'll plan to do it. You can name it whatever and set a password and post the info here as a "members only" post so we don't get any uninvited guests.
Good idea? Takers? Bueller?
Edit: I am updating the list of possible chat hosts. If you're thinking of starting the chat, please check these sites out.
https://chatstep.com/
http://www.chatzy.com/faq.htm
http://www.disposablechat.com/
There is also LJ Talk/Jabber, which is something that comes with LJ but everyone has to install a chat client (such as Trillian) to use it, and I'm not sure how setting up chatrooms would work.
Good idea? Takers? Bueller?
Edit: I am updating the list of possible chat hosts. If you're thinking of starting the chat, please check these sites out.
https://chatstep.com/
http://www.chatzy.com/faq.htm
http://www.disposablechat.com/
There is also LJ Talk/Jabber, which is something that comes with LJ but everyone has to install a chat client (such as Trillian) to use it, and I'm not sure how setting up chatrooms would work.
(no subject)
Nov. 3rd, 2012 12:47 pmcoldblossom.livejournal.comMaybe this isn't the right time, or maybe its the perfect time, but a thought occurred to me about what's happening now in the Northeast, and what happened in Katrina, etc. This thought is how woefully unprepared the USA is to handle the loss of our first-world resources.
Its a bit crazy, I know, but look at shows like "Revolution" or reality-based shows like "Doomsday Preppers" (or even "Survivor" to an extent) which try to address this topic. People probably thing the "preppers" are crazy, but I'll bet there were many "preppers" who were caught in this storm (and Katrina, LA earthquake, etc) who did just fine because they were ready for it. Not a catastrophic storm specifically, but just the general idea that they could be cut off from all of the resources most people take for granted.
And it doesn't even have to be a natural disaster, something that we can see coming for the most part. It can be anything, from a foreign country hacking and disabling our electrical grid to an EMP attack. I cannot fathom Hurricane Sandy/Katrina etc on a national scale. The USA simply wouldn't survive the anarchy.
There are "prepper" conventions here in AZ. I am not sure if they're fueled by the large population of Mormons we have (I was first alerted to their existence by a Mormon friend) or the "wild west" independent nature that Arizona still claims. Arizona isn't prone to natural disasters but we are extremely vulnerable to having our water and electrical supply disrupted. Say someone attacked the Hoover Dam or the Palo Verde nuclear plant...it would be crippling. Things like this make me take a second look at the "prepper" conventions. In fact, even in the local supermarkets they're starting to sell home "survival" kits, such as dehydrated meals for a family of four that will last for several months, or seed kits, etc. Again, not sure if this is just to appeal to the local Mormons or if it is in response to a more general demand for these things.
So anyway, as we move further and further from our "roots" of living off the land, without electricity and modern medicine, etc, I am starting to think it becomes increasingly important that we all learn basic survival skills. The Boy Scouts used to cover this (I was a Girl Scout and I don't remember learning anything about tying knots or identifying toxic plants versus beneficial ones, etc) but I think that Scouting in general is nothing like it used to be and fewer people are participating. If people knew how to live without electricity, how to find food where it seems there is none, and how to create shelter from your environment, I think that there would be less of this panic that we see around natural disasters.
So what do you think? Should basic survival skills perhaps be added to school curricula, right next to history and PE? Or should there be a "public awareness" campaign to promote more "be prepared" thinking? Or maybe we just look the other way and pray that nothing bad ever happens?
Feel free to tell me I'm paranoid/crazy.
Its a bit crazy, I know, but look at shows like "Revolution" or reality-based shows like "Doomsday Preppers" (or even "Survivor" to an extent) which try to address this topic. People probably thing the "preppers" are crazy, but I'll bet there were many "preppers" who were caught in this storm (and Katrina, LA earthquake, etc) who did just fine because they were ready for it. Not a catastrophic storm specifically, but just the general idea that they could be cut off from all of the resources most people take for granted.
And it doesn't even have to be a natural disaster, something that we can see coming for the most part. It can be anything, from a foreign country hacking and disabling our electrical grid to an EMP attack. I cannot fathom Hurricane Sandy/Katrina etc on a national scale. The USA simply wouldn't survive the anarchy.
There are "prepper" conventions here in AZ. I am not sure if they're fueled by the large population of Mormons we have (I was first alerted to their existence by a Mormon friend) or the "wild west" independent nature that Arizona still claims. Arizona isn't prone to natural disasters but we are extremely vulnerable to having our water and electrical supply disrupted. Say someone attacked the Hoover Dam or the Palo Verde nuclear plant...it would be crippling. Things like this make me take a second look at the "prepper" conventions. In fact, even in the local supermarkets they're starting to sell home "survival" kits, such as dehydrated meals for a family of four that will last for several months, or seed kits, etc. Again, not sure if this is just to appeal to the local Mormons or if it is in response to a more general demand for these things.
So anyway, as we move further and further from our "roots" of living off the land, without electricity and modern medicine, etc, I am starting to think it becomes increasingly important that we all learn basic survival skills. The Boy Scouts used to cover this (I was a Girl Scout and I don't remember learning anything about tying knots or identifying toxic plants versus beneficial ones, etc) but I think that Scouting in general is nothing like it used to be and fewer people are participating. If people knew how to live without electricity, how to find food where it seems there is none, and how to create shelter from your environment, I think that there would be less of this panic that we see around natural disasters.
So what do you think? Should basic survival skills perhaps be added to school curricula, right next to history and PE? Or should there be a "public awareness" campaign to promote more "be prepared" thinking? Or maybe we just look the other way and pray that nothing bad ever happens?
Feel free to tell me I'm paranoid/crazy.
dustybinx.livejournal.comI've been thinking about presidents lately. How's that for an obvious statement? Many feel Romney would not be good for women. So, what kind of track record do recent Dem presidents have? Remember the Waco incident of President Clinton's administration? Remember when his Attorney General, Janet Reno took responsibility for the siege? President Clinton couldn't back away fast enough. He claimed he knew nothing about it. Fast forward to Benghazi. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton took the blame for the results of the attack there. President Obama (and the vice president) claimed they knew nothing about it. So, 2 Dem presidents, leaders of the free world, champions of women's rights are only too happy to let the women in their administrations take the fall when something goes bad. The buck stops.....with others when the President won't take responsibility.
The "family debate"...
Nov. 1st, 2012 09:29 ambrendala.livejournal.comI recently saw this article that trashed Mitt Romney and the Republicans' "family values" platform and said that it's invalid because the author's parents just happened to be abusive, unfit monsters.
I see this argument peddled out ALL THE TIME when the subjects of gay marriage and "traditional family values" come up and it just drives me up the wall! NOBODY on the right is claiming that ALL heterosexual married couples are inherently better suited to raise kids than ANY single mom or gay couple. And, if given the choice between handing an orphan off to Neil Patrick Harris or Phillip & Nancy Garrido, no right winger would ever choose to give the child to the crazy rapists just because they're straight and married.
( Read more... )
The Crusades
Oct. 30th, 2012 09:40 pmlady-lirenel.livejournal.comI don't usually post here, but I was so pleasantly surprised by this documentary that I had to share, for any of you who might be history fangirls as well.
Usually, I never watch anything about the Crusades because it's always about the 'evil' Christians who fought the innocent, 'good' Muslims for greedy, manipulative reasons. However, I was bored and decided to watch a BBC programme called 'Crusades' narrated by Dr. Thomas Asbridge.
I was extremely impressed. First of all, Dr. Asbridge made sure to differentiate Western and Eastern Christians (there wasn't a lot of detail on the Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Christians, but at least he made it clear that the Western Christians were the ones Crusading). Secondly, while he talked about the atrocities committed by the Crusaders (and they did happen), he then calmly went on and talked about the atrocities committed by the Muslims, taking care to put to rest the myth that Saladin was a peaceful diplomat. There was no demonizing on either side, just talking about what actually happened.
What I found most interesting was that Dr. Asbridge derided the idea that the Crusaders were only in it for the money. He made it clear that most of them truly believed in the righteousness of what they were doing, that they were devout believers who sacrificed a lot for what they believed was right. He didn't condone the actions, but he also made them understandable.
Interestingly, too, while at the very end he mentioned the upswing in the use of 'crusade' and 'jihad' in modern speech, Dr. Asbridge just said that using those terms in modern times was ridiculous, that they described specific times in history, and that they should stay in history, and we should really just get over it (my paraphrase). Which, personally, I thought was nice. Sometimes I think we don't think beyond the past. While history does shape our present, it doesn't have to shape our future, and we sometimes tend to hide behind it.
Anyway, thought I'd share in case there are others who enjoy medieval history but are sick of the highly politicized, or highly liberal readings of that time period.
Usually, I never watch anything about the Crusades because it's always about the 'evil' Christians who fought the innocent, 'good' Muslims for greedy, manipulative reasons. However, I was bored and decided to watch a BBC programme called 'Crusades' narrated by Dr. Thomas Asbridge.
I was extremely impressed. First of all, Dr. Asbridge made sure to differentiate Western and Eastern Christians (there wasn't a lot of detail on the Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Christians, but at least he made it clear that the Western Christians were the ones Crusading). Secondly, while he talked about the atrocities committed by the Crusaders (and they did happen), he then calmly went on and talked about the atrocities committed by the Muslims, taking care to put to rest the myth that Saladin was a peaceful diplomat. There was no demonizing on either side, just talking about what actually happened.
What I found most interesting was that Dr. Asbridge derided the idea that the Crusaders were only in it for the money. He made it clear that most of them truly believed in the righteousness of what they were doing, that they were devout believers who sacrificed a lot for what they believed was right. He didn't condone the actions, but he also made them understandable.
Interestingly, too, while at the very end he mentioned the upswing in the use of 'crusade' and 'jihad' in modern speech, Dr. Asbridge just said that using those terms in modern times was ridiculous, that they described specific times in history, and that they should stay in history, and we should really just get over it (my paraphrase). Which, personally, I thought was nice. Sometimes I think we don't think beyond the past. While history does shape our present, it doesn't have to shape our future, and we sometimes tend to hide behind it.
Anyway, thought I'd share in case there are others who enjoy medieval history but are sick of the highly politicized, or highly liberal readings of that time period.
Frankenstorm
Oct. 28th, 2012 06:00 amjacobs-muse.livejournal.comI'm sure some of you live in the path of this beast, so I hope 1) nothing major happens to you/your home, and 2) you guys will check in to let us know you're alright.
Sex and the Democrats
Oct. 27th, 2012 08:47 pmbrendala.livejournal.comConsidering the fact that the Democratic party now expects us girls to vote with our vaginas instead of our brains, I think this ad is timelier now than it was 4 years ago (the video can't be embedded. So you have to go to YouTube to see it)
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
litlover12.livejournal.comI'm starting to think Obama's PR people hate his guts. First the Dunham ad and now this.
