Category: government

This American Life – Betsy DeVos

On By Rick McIn education, ethics, governmentLeave a comment

If you want a good overview of the history of Betsy DeVos, Trump’s particularly terrible appointee for education, listen to This American Life.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. So is This American Life producer Susan Burton. During Devos’s nomination hearings, critics accused her of never having set foot in a public school. But it turns out that years ago she did—as a volunteer mentor. Susan returned to Grand Rapids to find out what DeVos’s experience in a public school in her hometown can tell us about her vision for education in this country. (29 minutes)

LISTEN NOW

The Bridge (U.S. TV series) – season 2

On By Rick McIn government, human rights, travel, travel Mexico, TVLeave a comment

I loved season 1 and had high expectations for season 2.

Many critics liked season 2 better. I found it muddled. Disjointed. There were too many characters. Plot too fuzzy.

Still … for me it was well worth watching. But I’m not surprised there was no season 3.

I’ll next watch Bron, Broen … the Scandinavian crime television series on which this American version was based. It’s headed into it’s 4th season.

 

Stephen King – The Stand

On By Rick McIn books, government, things getting worseLeave a comment

Stephen King has 7 book adaptations coming to TV or film in 2017. He’s bigger than ever.

This may be the second Stephen King book I’ve read after 11/22/63: A Novel. Millions love The Stand, many considering it to be his best.

Obviously King’s a great story teller with mass appeal.

There are some terrific characters in this book. King understands people. He understands Trump voters, I’m sure.

Stephen King hates Trump. That might be one reason I read this book.

The Stand is a post-apocalyptichorror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. …

… the total breakdown of society after the accidental release of a strain of influenza that had been modified for biological warfare causes an apocalyptic pandemic which kills off the majority of the world’s human population. …

The novel was originally published in 1978 in hardcover, with a setting date of 1980. … The book was later re-released in 1990 as The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition (the longest book published by King at 1152 pages); King restored some text originally cut for brevity, added and revised sections, changed the setting of the story to 1990 …

The miniseries was broadcast in 1994 … In February 2016, The Stand movie had been put on hold …

Some criticize the book for being racist. I didn’t feel that way. It’s an epic of Good v Evil. The evil guys are racist.

I didn’t love the book. But liked it enough to download Stephen King – It: A Novel (2016).

related – Zack Handlen – What I Learned From Re-Reading Stephen King’s The Stand

the real damage done by Republicans

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, governmentLeave a comment

The real goal of the GOP — rich get richer — very successful under Trump. Follow the money.

Noam Chomsky is right:

The United States doesn’t just interfere in elections. It overthrows governments it doesn’t like, institutes military dictatorships. …

What’s going on is a very systematic two-tiered operation. One of them is Trump, Bannon, the effort to try to make sure you capture the headlines, that you’re top of the news, one crazy thing after another just to capture people’s attention. …

Chomsky essentially believes that the contrived pseudo-scandal that is Russiagate, serves as a distraction from the actual scandalous things that take place on a daily basis in Washington, D.C., and only serve to better the “rich and powerful.”

While everything is focusing on that, the Paul Ryan republicans, who are, in my view, the most dangerous and savage group in the country, are busy implementing programs that they have been talking quietly about for years. Very savage programs, which have very simple principles. One, be sure to offer to the rich and powerful gifts beyond the dreams of avarice, and [two], kick everyone else in the face. And it’s going on step by step right behind the bluster. …

“Trump Is A Distraction, Used By The Deep State To ‘Systematically Destroy’ America!” Says Chomsky

The Bridge (U.S. TV series)

On By Rick McIn government, travel, travel Mexico, TV1 Comment

Important issues in the era of Trump’s hateful America.

Yes, there are detectives and, yes, there is a killer. But the true mysteries of The Bridge lie in the great swaths of land and stories surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border. …

Episode 7 Recap: The Defiant Weirdness of ‘Destino’

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

The Bridge is an American crime drama television series … based on the Danish-Swedish series Broen/Bron. …

The show stars German actress Diane Kruger and Mexican actor Demián Bichir in pivotal roles.  …

The complete series consists of two seasons of 13 episodes each. The series debuted on FX in the United States on July 10, 2013, and the series finale aired on October 1, 2014. …

The American version takes place on the U.S. and Mexican border where a murdered body on a bridge between El Paso and Juárez (the Bridge of the Americas) bring together El Paso detective Sonya Cross (Kruger) who is mentored by Hank Wade (Levine) and Chihuahua State police detective Marco Ruiz (Bichir). …

Detective Sonya Cross has undiagnosed Asperger’s syndrome or a similar autism spectrum disorder. She’s awesome. Meticulous, direct and prickly. No empathy.

Many of the minor characters are excellent too. Casting is great.

Cult-figure Steven Linder (Tom Wright) is my favourite. Wright’s been compared to Daniel Day-Lewis.

Linder believes that he has a calling to help people, including the women and girls in Ciudad Juarez, hundreds of whom have been killed or disappeared since 1993.

I got the series from Warren. And will continue watching season 2. And then the Danish-Swedish version.

the world needs more immigration, not less

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, governmentLeave a comment

Steve Jobs was the son of a Muslim Syrian immigrant.

The progressive case for immigration

That’s legal immigration with support in place on arrival.

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

100,000 Banned Books To Build A Full-Size Parthenon

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, governmentLeave a comment

Heinrich Heine:

“Where they burn books, at the end they also burn people,”

Argentinian artist Marta Minujín, 74, has created a monumental replica of the Greek Parthenon from 100,000 copies of banned books. According to the artist, it symbolizes the resistance to political repression.

The Parthenon of Books in Kassel, Germany is part of the Documenta 14 art festival. With the help of students from Kassel University, Minujín identified over 170 titles that were or are banned in different countries around the world, and constructed the full-size replica of the iconic temple from those books, plastic sheeting, and steel. …

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