…keep in mind that most of them don’t know the difference between a Kenyan and a Keynesian.
Note that the only one leftist in the clip who actually knows what a Keynesian is. He is also clearly stoned off his gourd, so he is probably enjoying the protest more than most.
Tags: Barack Obama, economics, economy, ignorant and proud liberals, Keynesian, Obama economy, Politics
The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783-1789 by Edward J. Larson
A well researched book on the period of George Washington’s life between the end of the Revolutionary War and when he became President. What he did during his ‘retirement’ from government service, and how we was drawn in to leading the effort to come up with a replacement for the failing Articles of Confederation. Good insight into the process of compromise that went into coming up with a working constition that both the large and small states could agree on.
Tags: American History, George Washington, History, Monday Book Pick
On July 2, 1776 the Continental Congress voted for Independence from Great Britain. An effort lead by John Adams of Massachusetts.
Two days later, they started signing the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia.
Tags: America, American History, History
Blade: Trinity
Long before the Black Panther movie, there was the Blade Trilogy staring Wesley Snipes. A series based on the Marvel’s Blade character. A half breed Vampire, who can withstand sunlight, thus the nickname, “Day Walker.” Watch the first one, ignore the second, and then enjoy the 2004 trilogy wrap up. The third and final Blade film, and a good B-Movie to boot. Not only is Snipes a cold, hard, bad-ass in this movie (as he is in all the Blade films), the director made some interesting casting choices. Blade is assisted in this film by two other Vampire Hunters, played by Ryan Reynolds, and Jessica Biel. My take on Reynolds character is this could have been a post college Van Wilder who made some really bad life choices. Jessica Biel doesn’t talk much, but seriously, she doesn’t have to. Comninic Purcell is the chief bad guy, but supporting villains played by Parker Posey and John Michael Higgins just add moments of joy for anyone who has seen Best in Show or A Mighty Wind. Parker Posey even has a nice serious dramatic scene. There is even an actress best known for her work in the American Pie movies. I kept waiting for her to talk about double clicking her mouse. Fire up the popcorn and enjoy.
Tags: action movie, Friday B-Movie, Marvel, Movie, SciFi, Vampire
“I’m not crazy about reality, but it’s still the only place to get a decent meal.” — Groucho Marx
Tags: Humor, quote, Quote of the Day
Black Panther
There are reasons the Marvel superhero movies make money hand over fist. The built in fan base of nerds is nice, but they are actually producing good actions stories with some serious star power (Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker for example). The conflict within the royal family is sort of stuff that old Billy S. was writing to put paying butts in seats of the Globe Theater. Like DC’s Wonder Woman, this movie was a labor of love and it showed. The set and costume designing were outstanding and the action scenes were top notch. Plus this film took the formula for a good James Bond Movie to heart. The better the villain, the better the movie. Michael B. Jordan, as the unknown member of the royal family coming home to stir up trouble, was fornicating excellent. Right up to his final scene, he just owned the total bad assness of his character.
Tags: action film, Friday B-Movie, Marvel, MCU, Movie
Yup, it’s time for the annual Lenin’s Birthday post!
For those of you coming in late to the party, Earth Day” is on Lenin’s Birthday. Not a coincidence, given that the “founder” of Earth Day was much more a “Watermelon” than an actual environmentalist. Watermelon: Thin layer of green of the outside, red to the core.
Let’s review the predictions from the very first so called “Earth Day” back in 1970.
“Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.” — George Wald, Harvard Biologist
“Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make. The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.” — Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist
“By…[1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.” — Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist
“It is already too late to avoid mass starvation,” — Denis Hayes, chief organizer for Earth Day
“Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions….By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.” — Peter Gunter, professor, North Texas State University
“Scientists have solid experimental and theoretical evidence to support…the following predictions: In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution…by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half….” — Life Magazine, January 1970
“At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, it’s only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our land will be usable.” — Kenneth Watt, Ecologist
“Air pollution…is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone.” — Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist
Ok, Ehrlich was sorta right on this, if you restrict his predictions to modern Communist China, where they are showing the typical communist/socialist contempt for the environment.
“By the year 2000, if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate…that there won’t be any more crude oil. You’ll drive up to the pump and say, `Fill ‘er up, buddy,’ and he’ll say, `I am very sorry, there isn’t any.’” — Kenneth Watt, Ecologist
Now we get to my personal favorite, although probably not Al Gore‘s…
“The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years,” he declared. “If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.” — Kenneth Watt, Ecologist
2014 Update: Wired Magazine publishes this article: Renewables Aren’t Enough. Clean Coal Is the Future
It wouldn’t be Lenin’s Birthday with out this clip of the late George Carlin discussing “Saving the Planet.”
Tags: Earth Day, History, leftist hypocrisy, Lenin's Birthday, Politics
Killing Gunther
Going deep into the B-Movie roots of this list with this Drive In Theater worthy entry, Killing Gunther. This documentary style straight to cable flick is about a group of young assassins who want make their mark in the field by killing the top man in their field, i.e. Gunther. Gunther is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who doesn’t appear until two thirds into the flick, and promptly steals the movie. The only other people who you probably recognize are Hanna Simone and Cobie Smulders. Simone is mostly known for the New Girl TV series, so this was a fun summer flick for her. Smulders on the other hand is doing action movies with Tom Cruise and racking in the cash for her continuing Maria Hill character in the Marvel movies. The answer to why she was in this turkey is simple, the writer/director/star of the film, Taran Killam, is her husband. You may ask Arnold Schwarzenegger did this as well. Probably because he thought was a goof, and is at the point in his career where he can do what he wants. In all, not a bad B-Movie, for a B-Movie. The acting is deliberately over the top (it’s spoof on documentaries, so that is kinda required), the action is actually not horrible (again, B-Movie here, so don’t expect John Wick level action), and it is laugh out loud funny at times. It was shot as an action comedy, and it delivers on both. Definitely worth the popcorn and rental.
Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Friday B-Movie, Movie
The Terror in the Navy by Kenneth Robeson
Let us set the way back machine to 1937 for this classic Doc Savage adventure. Bonus points for his cousin Patrica being involved! U.S. Navy ships are being destroyed in a mysterious fashion. A fellow named Braun says he can protect the Navy’s ships for a cool hundred million dollars (That’s $1.7 Billon in 2018 dollars). The action is fast and dangerous. So much so that even Patrica says it may too rough.
Tags: book, Doc Savage, Monday Book Pick, Pulp
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