Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrat
Individual Freedom For Everyone
Showing posts with label The Daily Journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Daily Journal. Show all posts

Saturday, August 4, 2018

The Lip TV: Allison Hope Weiner- Interviewing Dr. James Fallon: 'The Brains of Serial Killers'

Source:The Lip TV- The brain of a serial killer, on Crime Talk. 
Source:The Daily Journal 

"Dr. James Fallon joins Crime Time to talk about the neuroscience that sets a psychopath's apart from other brains. He talks about the testing that is done to see the neurological patterns of serial killers, how those are distinguished from "normal" people, and what can be done with the... 

From The Lip TV

I would love to go in the mind of a serial murderer ( as I call them ) to see how can someone be either so sick or evil which is different that would drive them to take the lives of innocent people and in some cases enjoy murdering people. As a lay person here I would say that you would have to be a person who lacks a conscience to put it simply. Someone who simply doesn't give a damn about anyone other than perhaps them self who gets off on hurting people because they don't care and get pleasure from that. People like Ted Bundy who was a famous serial killer as well as rapist from the mid and late 1970s who enjoyed raping women to the point it was the only kind of sex that he enjoyed. And he enjoyed killing them as well.

Source: Psychodocs- Dr. James Fallon, on Crime Talk 
So, when you have someone who perhaps doesn't fit in well in mainstream society for whatever reasons, who perhaps has a temper and low tolerance for negativity and criticism and has an out of the world view of them self that they don't believe they have any flaws and there also psychopathic, someone like a Charles Manson from the late 1960s and his Manson Family cult and his young soldiers who murdered the people he wanted them to murder, you have a very dangerous person who a normal person has no business being near, because their life can be in jeopardy from this person as a result.

Source: Skalan- Dr. James Fallon, on Crime Talk 
Psychopaths and psychopathic killers, can seem normal on the outside and even have positive characteristics like intelligence, charm, physical attractiveness as well. Ted Bundy, from the 1970s was someone with all of these characteristics and they use these characteristics to bring them in so they can make their moves on theory victims and eventually murder them. Charlie Manson, who wasn't physically attractive. Very short and slightly built, but who was very smart even though he didn't have much of a formal education, but had a pretty good idea of how the real world worked and spoke to people in a way ( his followers ) that got those young people to not just follow him, but to do for him whatever he wanted. The Manson Family, could be responsible for up to a 100 murders or more in the Los Angeles area and we only know about 10-20 of them.

The serial killers ( or serial murderers, a term that I prefer ) that I mentioned are people who murdered in private life as private citizens and as horrible as a Ted Bundy, Charlie Manson, Richard Ramirez from the 1980s were, they're almost minor players compared with dictators who ran countries with their regimes around the world who've simply murdered people because they saw them as threats to their political power. People like Saddam Hussein, Joesph Stalin, Mao, and other dictators around the world. Serial murderers, aren't reserved just for people you hear about on crime reports or the local news, but for people in government who run countries and use their power to eliminate people they see as threats to their regime.

Sunday, June 10, 2018

AlterNet: Will Doig: 'Tampa: Screwed Up Tampa- Is Home To The GOP Convention'

Source: AlterNet- Tampa Florida, the home of the GOP, Christian-Right, and porn-
Source:The Daily Journal

The adult entertainment capital of the United States, is hosting the Christian-Nationalist political party that is the Republican Party in name only, ( or RINOS ) since a lot of them don't even believe in the concept of the republic at all and would prefer a Christian-Theocracy for the United States.

Source: Good Ole Woody's Blog- Mitt Romney's, new girlfriend?
I make the old joke you would have a better shot at seeing prostitutes at a Southern Baptist Convention, than fill in the blank. Whatever fill in the blank is at the time, like you would have a better shot at seeing prostitutes at a Southern Baptist Convention, than the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series, the Cleveland Browns even playing in a Super Bowl. Or a hurricane in the Arizona. ( If you want to be more age appropriate )

But since Southern Baptists dominate the so-called Republican Party now and with Mitt Romney having to pretend he's actually not a Yankee ( New York or otherwise ) and trying to convince people he's really just from down South and has never had the progressive or liberal views that he's had in the past about American culture and social issues in general, the so-called Republican Party or Southern Baptists at a porn convention, no longer sounds like an Onion story.

It still sounds like a joke and something that you would read from The Onion, but they're actually going to be in the porn capital of the United States, if not the world for their summer national convention. Which sounds as ridiculous as seeing Kanye West perform at a Ku Klux Klan rally country music singer Kenny Rogers performing in Compton, California. Something just seems off about that story and looks like who ever prepared this convention didn't do their homework. And didn't stop to realize that probably most if not a majority of Republicans would like to outlaw pornography altogether ( not just Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum ) And yet the GOP is going to the biggest city in America if not the world where pornography is not just legal, but performed all over town and in multiple ways.

Source: Christians For Donald Trump- The Christian-Right, all aboard the Trump Train 
It would be like a gamblers anonymous group, having their convention or meeting in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Or an alcoholics anonymous group having their convention or meeting in Boston or New Orleans. A gay therapy conversion group having their convention or meeting in San Francisco. Something just seems really off about this and it's like you need a punch in the face to make sure you're not dreaming about this when you see this news and story.

Source:The Daily Journal

We knew ( we, meaning anyone who follows American politics objectively ) that there was serious hypocrisy amongst the so-called Christian-Conservative movement in America as early as 2005-06. With Christian Pastors who claimed that homosexuality is a sin and would then be caught cheating on their wives with men and sometimes even boys. U.S Representative Republican Mark Foley, having to resign from the House in 2006, because he had an affair with a Congressional male intern. That these so-called Christian-Conservatives would have one view in public that was against what they saw as threats to American culture like homosexuality, adultery, and pornography, but then in private would engage in the activities that publicly they would put down and even call for the government to outlaw them.

Source: The Critical Mind- Donald Trump, in bed with the Christian-Right 
But now take it up ten years and we have a Republican that is still in bed with the Christian-Right and in the House has seats drawn up for them so they can’t get reelected without the support of the Christian-Right, but who ignore or are completely unbothered when a Republican is caught doing the acts that they claim to hate. Republicans running on draining the swamp in Washington in 2016, throw all their political support around a man who has built his own personal swamp for himself and his allies just as long as they don’t question anything that he does and deliver on the polices that he ran on. Of course I’m thinking of President Donald Trump and his EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Using taxpayer dollars who further their own business’s in President Trump’s case and on Administrator Pruitt’s case, flying first class on taxpayer’s dime, when coach is always available for him and giving his staff extra financial bonuses that aren’t deserved on taxpayer dime and there’s whole other list of Pruitt corruption that I’ll save you from, for now.

Source: Bilgrimage- The Christian-Right for Donald Trump 
We have a Republican Party that claims to be a Christian-Conservative party, who twenty years ago believed that President Bill Clinton, should not only be impeached for lying about sex, but should’ve been impeached for adultery alone. Who now twenty years laters have no issues with adultery and lying, just as long as the serial liar and adulterer is a Republican they approve of. And of course I’m talking about President Trump once again and his multiple affairs and bad behaviors that he always gets caught lying about. And then attempting to cover it up with either made up conspiracy theories, or trying to deflect and blame someone else.

Source: Salon Magazine- Stormy Daniels, President Donald Trump & FRC President Tony Perkins 
The modern Republican Party, is now Donald Trump’s latest reality show. That from looking at it you would think it’s filmed in either Manhattan, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, or Hollywood, but instead from my hometown of Washington coming to you at taxpayers expense. Publicly the Republican Party might still be the a Christian-Conservative party, but privately when no one else is looking is where it still counts. People tend to be their most honest for good and bad when they believe no one else is looking or listening. And in private the Republican Party has no issues with the issues that they saw as threats to American culture and molality just ten years ago, just as long as the people engaging in those activities aren’t loyal to Donald Trump and come from his Tea Party Nationalist wing of the party.
Source: The Young Turks

Monday, April 23, 2018

The Daily Beast: Gore Vidal's- Fighting Words

Source:The Daily Beast- Writer & political humorist Gore Vidal.
Source:The Daily Journal

What I respect probably most about both Gore Vidal when it came to debating and their senses of humor was the way he was able to make points without stating the obvious. He could say things similar to Margaret Thatcher on the right. Where she said that the problem with socialism, is that you eventually run out of other people's money, when a lot of other anti-Socialists would say things like, the problems with socialism is that it spends, taxes and controls too much, that sort of thing.

Whereas someone like a Margaret Thatcher would use humor and get right to the point of it. Gore Vidal and Bill Buckley had similar styles when it came to debating, even though they came from the opposite side of the political spectrum. They could put someone down or crack a joke at their expense, not to destroy them or hurt their feelings but even make them laugh as they were doing it. They could punch their opponents without calling them names. Ron Reagan same thing. He didn't call his political opponents as he called them, not political enemies which is different. He didn't call them idiots, he just said that they know so much that isn't actually true. They believe their own hype and rhetoric and actually take it seriously, which can be a problem in politics.

That's the style of humor and debate that I prefer and practice even though I'm not perfect at it. I try to stay as close to facts as possible, especially when I'm critiquing the opposition, which for me would be right-wingers, whether they are Republican or not. And lately when I'm critiquing the Right, it's been Neoconservatives for the most part unfortunately. Classical Conservatives the Bill Buckely's of the World, seem to be MIA in the Republican Party, which is unfortunate.

But it's not just the right that I critique but I write satires about the, lets say farther left, ( to not offend any of my oversensitive Socialist friends ) while right-wingers have a tendency to call Progressives Communists or Islamic Fascists or any of these labels that aren't true. When it comes to so-called Progressives, ( locked in the closet Socialists, in actuality ) Socialist is accurate except for the Barack Obama's of the world who actually is a Progressive and not a Socialist. ( Newsflash for the Tea Party ) More of a RFK or FDR classical Progressive than anything. I say things like Socialists want to take care of people by spending their money for them.

I try not to make it personal, especially when I'm critiquing the opposition and you can do that by staying as close to the facts as possible. By not name calling, not making it personal, instead of calling someone and idiot or ignorant, try saying something like they would make a great fiction writer. Which is a great way to describe most of the speeches of Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann, rather than trying to insult them by name calling.
Source:The Daily Beast

Monday, November 24, 2014

NFL Films: NFL 1958-Championship-Baltimore Colts @ New York Giants

Source:The Daily Journal

Was the 1958 NFL Championship game the best game ever played, well if you look at the 5-6 turnovers in that game and both teams getting in the red zone and not scoring and other mistakes like that of course not. The 1967 NFC Championship between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Back Packers especially if you consider the weather conditions and where the game was played in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was a much better played game. 

But the Cowboys and Packers still manages to play very well in that game. Even though it was played under those conditions. And the Hall of Fame head coaches Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi coaching that game and all the Hall of Fame players that played in that game. Cowboys DT Bob Lilly, WR Bob Hayes, CB Mell Renfro. For the Packers QB Bob Starr, OT Forrest Gregg, OG Jerry Kramer, DE Willy Davis, LB Ray Nitchke and others. I believe thats the greatest game ever played as far as the quality of the game.

And that's different from the most important game ever played. Because the 1958 NFL Championship had more to do with the future of the NFL as well as pro football. It made it easier to form the American Football League because of the attention that the 58 NFL Championship got, because now it was clear that there was room in America for more than twelve Pro football franchises, that were all in the NFL. And the NFL wasn't looking to expand, but instead consolidate the revenue that it had. 

The NFL had just survived the Korean War where it lost players to that war, World War II obviously same thing the Great Depression and somehow survived financially from that and came out better and on top from where it was before. What makes the 1958 NFL Championship and yes it was a very well played game and even a great game to watch as far as how entertaining it was, was for one it was the most important game ever played. You're talking about the two best teams in pro football playing for the NFL Championship in New York at Yankee Stadium in front of a live national televised audience, with two great football teams that had great coaching. 

For the Baltimore Colts coached by Weeb Ewbank who's in the Hall of Fame. For the New York Giants, forget about their head coach Jim Lee Howell and (I know with a name like Jim Lee Howell how can you forget that name) but you got Vince Lombardi as the offensive coordinator and Tom Landry as the defensive coordinator. As they say in Brooklyn, forget about it! That's all you need to know about the Giants coaching staff.  

And then you Hall of Famers for the Colts like QB John Unitas the greatest ever, RB Len More, RB Alan Ameche who scored the winning TD in the game, OT Jim Parker maybe the greatest OT of all time. WR Ray Berry one of the greatest possession WR of all time. DE Gino Marchetti maybe the greatest DE of all time, CB Johnny Sample and many others. The 1958 Giants as far as Hall of Famers, on offense RB Frank Gifford, on defense DT Andy Robostelli, DT Rosey Greer, MLB Sam Huff. 

These are three of the greatest defenders of all-time and they had the best defense in the NFL as well and scored enough points to win. With  Frank Gifford, FB Alex Webster, WR Tobin Rote and QB Charlie Connerly who could both run and pass and do them well. Anytime you get a matchup like that, under those conditions in a championship final on network TV and radio with all the major newspapers covering the game, you got something special, the NFL at this point was a major sports league. 

But Major League Baseball was still number one and college football was probably number two as far as team sports. But this game set the stage because of the audience it drew, still one of the highest rated programs and intended games in pro sports history, for the NFL by the early 1970s to be the dominant sports league in America if not the world. 

What the 1958 NFL Championship Final did, was set the stage for the NFL and the AFL to become the number one sports league in America because of the teams that played it, the players that played in it, how well they played. And of course the audience it drew, because now America could see how great of a sport pro football was and decided they wanted to see a lot more of it. 

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Frank Russo: Captain: The Thurman Munson Story


Source:The Daily Journal

I'm not an expert on Thurman Munson, he died in 1979 and I didn't start watching baseball until 1983 but what I've heard about Thurman Munson, is that there's not nearly enough information or reporting about him one of the most underrated and under appreciated baseball players of all time. We are talking about one of the best all around Catchers of the 1970s, right there with Carlton Fisk and Johnny Bench. Same skills as both players but ran better and could hit for a better average. 

This was a catcher who was a 300 hitter and back then that almost never happened. Besides I'm a Baltimore Orioles fan and the New York Yankees are our arch rivals and Orioles fans hate the Yankees and we had a very good rivalry with each other in the 1970s and 80s and the Yankees cost the Orioles a three division titles in the mid and late 1970s, 76-78. But again what I've heard and know about Munson, is a great all around catcher who was headed to the Hall of Fame. 

And even though he only played eleven seasons 1969-79, again since he was one of the best all around catchers of an entire decade that alone should be enough to give Thurman Munson consideration for the Hall of Fame. Anytime you're one of the best players at your positions and one of the best players in the game for an entire decade, that alone should give you strong consideration to be in the Hall of Fame. But thats not up to me but it took a plane crash in the Summer of 1979 to keep Thurman Munson out of the Hall of Fame because he's a player that played in pain constantly, similar to Mickey Mantle another great Yankee and who was headed to the Hall of Fame.

If you want to know if Thurman Munson was a great baseball player or not, you need to know what makes a great baseball player. To me thats someone with no glaring weakness's and at least with a few glaring strengths and you show these skills consistently for a solid period of time, 5-7 or ten years to me for a catcher to be a great Catcher, you can't just be a guy that calls a great game, defends his position well and throws the ball well, Rick Dempsey of the Orioles did all of those things very well. 

And for about ten years about as well as they could be done. But he was basically a 230 hitter with very little if any power and not much of a run producer his entire career. But he was a good clutch hitter in the playoffs but that alone even with being a great Defensive Catcher. Doesn't get you in the Hall of Fame, the reason why Thurman Munson was a great catcher because he did everything that Rick Dempsey could do if not better. 

But he was also a 300 Hitter who drove in runs. Who also had solid power but not great power but definite threat to go deep. In the American League the two best catchers in the 1970s were Carlton Fisk and Thurman Munson and you could go either way and for that decade I would lean towards Munson, because he played through injuries without losing production. Fisk missed a lot of time because of injuries. When I think of the term captain as it relates to sports, I think of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers who his teammates called Cap. 

But captain also fits Thurman Munson of the New York Yankees who was not only the captain of his teams but the leader the quarterback, the on field coach of that team that his teammates knew they better do their jobs or the captain was going to get on them. Who always did whatever he could to make sure his players were in the best position that they could be so they could play as well for the Yankees as possible. Thurman Munson was the Captain of the New York Yankees.

Monday, November 17, 2014

1987-88 Los Angeles Laker Back to Back


The Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s were a great dynasty for several reasons and more reasons because they had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin Johnson and Pat Riley as their head coach and Jerry West as their general manager. They had the best center of all-time, the best point guard of all-time, one of the best head coaches of all-time in Pat Riley, one of the best executives of all-time in Jerry West. And a great chief executive in Jerry Buss, again one of the best ever. All these people are Hall of Famers and in Jerry West a Hall of Famer as one of the best players of all-time as well as one of the best general managers of all-time.

And you add in James Worthy another Hall of Famer and a guy who played both small forward and power forward at 6'9 225 pounds the size to play both positions and you throw in their fast break, I believe the best ever with their ability to defend, rebound, run the floor. Kareem, Magic, Riley and their fast break is what they are known for, but these are just some of the reasons why they were a great dynasty. 

You had Jerry West putting the teams together, Pat Riley leading the teams and then Kareem and Magic, both two of the best players of all-time not just at their positions and you can make a good case for both of them that they are the best basketball players of all-time period as their lead players, with Worthy backing them up, who on most other teams in the NBA would be the best player on the team, but since he played for the Showtime Lakers he was the third best player.

The Showtime Lakers had three of the best players in the league all on the same team with the best head coach in the league at least at the time in Pat Riley with their three franchise players. One or two of them even could have a bad game, not in a championship game, at least not two of them and the Lakers could still win. Because two or just one of them was great enough to pick up the slack for one or two players. The Celtics back then were the only other team in the NBA that had that.

With all that, that's still not enough to be NBA champions, that's most of the pieces, but not all of them. They had great role players as well, Byron Scott great outside shooter and defender, Michael Cooper the same thing and with the ability to play both guard positions and small forward. Kurt Rambis excellent post defender, rebounder and ran the floor very well and a great hustle player. AC Green another excellent rebounder and post defender who ran the floor very well and could score a little as well. Mychal Thompson a great third big man, the ability to play both center and power Forward. Could rebound defend, score and ran the floor very well as well.

The Showtime Lakers are known for their fast break, but what doesn't get mentioned is why they are a great fast break team. Back then the Lakers were also one of the best defensive teams if not the best defensive team as well as a very good rebounding team and the best passing team in the league. Their defense and rebounding led to their fast breaks, with Earvin Johnson the best Point Guard the NBA has ever seen running the Laker show. 

But with Kareem, Magic, Worthy, their outside shooters, they were also a great half court team. The Showtime Lakers were like a great movie or TV show with a great producer, director, great lead actors and great character actors with everyone knowing their roles and playing them up to their best ability. Which is why I believe the Showtime Lakers are the best NBA dynasty of all time. 

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Larry King Live: Bill Maher Remembers George Carlin (2008)

Source:CNN- comedian Bill Maher on Larry King Live in 2008, talking about comedian George Carlin.

Source:The Daily Journal 

"Bill Maher remembers George Carlin" 

From Van 

"Bill Maher remembers George Carlin" 

Source:CNN- comedian Bill Maher on comedian George Carlin.

From Van  

This photo is from a YouTube video by someone who goes by Anti-Conformist. But the video that this photo is from not currently available right now online because it was either deleted or blocked. 

Source:CNN- comedian Bill Maher on Larry King Live in 2008.

George Carlin isn't my favorite comedian but he's one of them. I don't consider him to be the best comedian but definitely one of them. But he's my favorite satirist and I consider him to be the best ever at that at least the best I've ever heard of. 

I guess all comedians are satirists, they all get their material from what they see in life. But Carlin to me is a satirist first, a great political satirist and a fair political satirist. He takes on both sides, that alone doesn't make him fair but the fact that he takes on the weakness's of both sides does because he hits people regardless of party where they deserves to be hit.

I try not to listen to political satirists from the right or left, unless they say something ignorant. Sarah Palin and yes thats what she is, she's a satirist and pretty funny one. But she's may favorite target on the Right. But I prefer to listen to satirists like George Carlin, Jon Stewart, Dennis Miller (a real Conservative) , Adam Carolla, a Libertarian satirist people who take on the establishment but in satiric form. 

If you're going to take on the establishment, you shouldn't pick on one side and treat them like the Devil. People who are completely incompetent and treat your side like its a God not capable of making mistakes. You should be able to hit both sides when they mess up, especially when they are hypocritical, perfect example of this. 

When someone like Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann, both have a future in comedy if they want it. Rush Limbaugh a big fat target, that a blind person could hit would be another one, when Sarah, Michele and Rush go off on Democrats for supporting Big Government, whether the Democrats they targeting support Big Government or not, they're generally being hypocrites. These folks may want big government out of our wallets, but then put big government in our homes to make sure we're living what they would call a moral, Christian life. 

But what separates George Carlin from everyone, is his honesty, bluntness and credibility. He has all of those things, he goes after everyone he believes deserves to be critiqued. Both Democrats and Republicans, as well as Independents and the voters as well. He doesn't blame politicians for the problems in the country. But the people that voted for those politicians and then voted for their reelection. Which is what separates George Carlin from the pack.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Inside the Actors Studio: Kevin Spacey's Impressions


Source:The Daily Journal

People have asked me what's my style of humor, my sense of humor and how I come up with lines and so-forth. I'm not saying I'm a professional comedian or anything (at least I haven't gotten paid for being funny, yet) . But I have been able to make people laugh hysterically, intentionally and unintentionally in the past. And I've told them simply my sense of humor is off the cuff, I say what's on my mind when I'm thinking it. Rather than "that sounds funny and use it two weeks later". To me humor has to be fast and relevant. Example of a bad joke. Cracking jokes about Priests at a football game, is probably not a smart play.

First of all you're likely to offend a lot of people there and not seem funny, but insulting. Which to me are two different things, but you're going to get strange looks (or end up wearing someone else's lunch) like making a Catholic joke at a football game when some half-naked moron runs on to the field during the game and people will look at you like "what does a drunk Priest in Church have to do with the guy who ran on the field". You're humor needs to be relevant and needs to make sense. And what I do is, I see myself as an analyst of life, we all are and I make judgements and comment on things that I see whatever is that interests me. If you watch the sitcom MASH or Seinfeld, that's exactly what they do. Here's the situation, what you think about it and they would look for the funny side of it.

Alan Alda who played Hawkeye Pierce, my favorite sitcom character of all time. If not in TV in general would be performing surgery and cracking jokes as he's doing it while saving the patients life. One to relax the people he was working with in that stressful environment, but also to relax himself. "This is the situation and this is what's funny about it was their approach to comedy". To give you a personal example, I use to work in customer service, have about twelve years experience of that. And we were surrounded by people, customers mostly for whatever reason, they were nervous or whatever. But would go brain dead when they would approach you and ask the dumbest questions possible.

No joke when I worked at a movie theater, we had to wear these loud maroon colored red polo shirts. With the name of the movie theater on them, with these corny name tags on them. I'm Joe or Sally or whatever, with your name on them obviously, (what was the first clue). We just got a lot of customers that were either, drunk, high or both or perhaps just had brain surgery, but their doctor actually removed their brain by accident.

Smart answers to dumb questions

Customers would constantly walk up to me and ask, do I work here. And seriously this is no joke, I would always reply with a smart ass answer and I never got in trouble for it. And I would say no, I stole this shirt or I'm a member of the theater fan club.

"Do you sell popcorn?" No we are the only movie theater in America that doesn't sell popcorn. We sell Chinese food instead, but sorry no chopsticks you have to eat with your hands.

Again true story, one day I'm in a ticket booth, selling tickets, naturally. (If you would guessed I was selling sporting equipment, you would be wrong). And someone asked, me where do you buy tickets, I told them three blocks down the street at the gas station, but if you want your oil changed or need gas, you have to buy it here.

Another person asked what size is the small popcorn. I said small we aren't trying to fool you with false advertising even though that would be very tempting because of the quality of our customers. "Well what does it look like"? It looks small. Again no joke someone asked how much are free refills, I told them five bucks, but we only take travelers checks. Again this is the situation in front of me and that's what I was thinking right at that moment.

That's the style of humor that you get from Kevin Spacey the actor/director/writer, but I would throw in comedian as well. The guy could've been a full-time professional comedian if he wanted to. Watch the movies Swimming with The Sharks and Hurley Burley, The Big Kahuna and you'll see what I mean. I would add Chris Walken and Tom Hanks to that list because their humor is so spontaneous, off the top of their heads, they don't need scripts or writers. They do that for themselves which is what all great comedians do and is a style of humor I've patterned mine behind.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Chris Early: Dallas: The Best of J.R. Ewing


The J.R. Ewing character played by Larry Hagman is one of my favorite characters of all time on TV. Because he was so real, didn't try to be the nicest guy in the World and wasn't the meanest. But he was one of the best, let's say dick's of all-time, not because he was the meanest, but because of how clever and funny he was. And the words he chose to at other peoples expense. J.R. Ewing was a dick, but he played by Larry Hagman was so good at it, that you almost had to respect him for it. "That asshole can really put you down". 

J.R. is one of those people that you always knew where you were with him. And if you weren't on the top of your game, he would be more than willing to let you know about it. Kinda of like that judge mental parent or perhaps uncle, where nothing is ever good enough for them. So what you always do is everything you can to try to please that person, to keep them from criticizing you. Which helps you in a way, because it gives you incentive to improve and be at your best. The constructive critic. 

I call J.R. Ewing who was played by Larry Hagman of course and I'm not sure anyone could've played J.R. better, because their sense of humors matched up so well, the funniest prick in the Southwest. Because he knew how to put someone down, or put them back in their place, especially when they were out of line. But he was accurate and direct. Someone who would tell you the way it is and make you laugh at the same time.  

Golden Girls: The Best of Sarcastic Dorothy

Source:The Daily Journal

I was never a huge fan NBC's Golden Girls, a sitcom about senior single women sharing a house together. But I did love the Dorothy character played by Bea Arthur because she reminded of my maternal grandmother. Who I believe is where I got my flip off the cuff sense of humor, a wiseass who has very little tolerance for stupid questions. My grandmother was very similar and when my grandfather would say something lets say not real bright, or ask a dumb question, she would nail him for it every time even with company.

So I tried to be more careful how I talked to her unless, I wanted a real good laugh because I new I could nailed for saying something dumb as well. Sarcasm when done right is the perfect tool to combat stupidity. And people who for whatever reason are having a brain camp at your expense and so what you get to do if you're up for to the task is show them how dumb they are being and how bad their lack of thinking is at that point.

I've been lucky to a certain extent. Because I've had jobs in the service industries where I have a lot of experience around people who for whatever reasons aren't thinking very well. And end up asking questions they should already know the answers to. Or are simply unaware that they know the answer to whatever question they are asking. So when I get a dumb question, I nail the person for it not to make them feel like an idiot. Just to let them know that they just asked a dumb question. And they should've put a little more thought into it before asking me that question again. 

And when I'm on, I can even get funny response out of the person who I just called out for not being very bright. 

For example lets say to make up a character, I tell Joe I'm flying to St. Louis from Washington. I've never actually landed in St. Louis, flown over it sure, but for the purpose of this example I've flown to St. Louis. And he says "so you are taking a plane?" And I say no Joe I've borrowed the wings of a bald eagle and going to fly myself. And Joe says something like "try not to run into any birds. I know how limited your flying experience is". Or something like that. 

Sarcasm when done right is a tool to combat stupidity. I prefer to use the term flip or off the cuff. Because sarcasm can be very mean, when you have someone whose overly cynical and whose always looking for the weakness in anything just to put someone down. Sarcasm at its best is a tool to let someone know. "You know what, thats' a real dumb question. You should know better and perhaps do and just aren't thinking very well right now". By showing that person how dumb they sound at that point.

My definitions of dumb questions are any question asked by someone who already knows the answer to the question they are asking, but not aware of it or someone who should know the answer to the question they are asking. But lacks basic fundamental knowledge and whose just being lazy. And my other definition of a dumb question is a question that has the answer in the question, but who's simply not aware of that. And I'll explain what I mean. My example of a dumb question where the person who asking the question should know better, but asks the question anyway.

Lets say you are driving to someone's friends house for a visit or dinner or whatever. And they call you while you are driving to get an idea when you'll be over and you say I'm on the road now. And I should be there in that about twenty minutes. And your friend says "you are driving now?" Of course you are driving now you just said you are on the road you told the person last night you are coming over. They know you drive and so-forth.

My other example of a dumb question, the question with the answer in it. I use to work at a movie theater and worked concessions a lot and someone would ask me. 

"What size is small"? Well its small obviously or we wouldn't call it small. And every time I was asked that question I would say well small and I never got in trouble for it. To go to my first example of a dumb question, when I worked at that theater I was always asked do I work there. What else would I be doing there wearing that cheesy maroon shirt and name tag if I didn't work there.

Again Sarcasm when used effectively is a tool to combat stupidity, "you sure you don't know the answer to that question". To let the person know they should've put a little more thought into that question. And when sarcasm is misused, it's the ultimate mental weapon to put people down and to try to make them feel worthless or stupid. So if you do have a quick off the cuff sense of humor, have a conscience as well because you'll make a lot of people laugh without sounding like an asshole.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Oliver Stone: The Doors (1991)


Source:The Daily Journal

The Oliver Stone 1991 The Doors movie was a very entertaining movie and worth watching and Val Kilmer did a very good job of playing an entertaining Jim Morrison aka the Lizard King. But other than the Miami concert and perhaps the New Haven concert and maybe the New Haven jail scene and the Lizard King's outfits, this wasn't a very accurate movie. And this is according to Doors band member guitarist Robby Krieger. First of all Val Kilmer is around 6'1 and 200 pounds, he's a big tall man. Where according to The Doors themselves, the real Lizard King was around 5'10 and slender. The Miami concert was crazy as it should've been with Morrison trying to perform drunk and getting frustrated and taking it out on the audience.

Jim Morrison trying to make it look like he pulled down his leather jeans (black or brown?) and exposed himself which according to the real Doors band, he never did, but wanted to make people believe he did. And the New Haven scene was fairly accurate, with the Lizard King getting maced in a hall closet before the concert when he was fooling around with a girl, by a cop. And then going out on stage and doing a good job, but then slowing down and getting frustrated and telling the audience about what happened to him in the closet.

And the jail scene was accurate too, with Morrison getting stripped down. And the movie nailed the Lizard King's outfit down, with over an hour of coverage with Val Kilmer wearing the Lizard King's go to skin-tight lambskin black leather jeans, which Val Kilmer pulled off very well. But the rest of the movie was an entertaining fiction novel with moving pictures. The Doors movie is very entertaining and if you're looking for an entertaining fictional rock and roll movie, then I suggest you watch Oliver Stone's The Doors. But if you want an accurate picture of Jim Morrison and The Doors, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Friday, September 5, 2014

NFL Films: Johnny Unitas- The Master of the Quarterback Position


Source:NFL Films- Baltimore Colts QB John Unitas. 
Source:The Daily Journal

When you talk about the greatest quarterbacks of all-time as well as greatest players of all- time who ever played, whether they are still playing, or not you have to talk about John Unitas as well or it's a meaningless conversation. Because John Unitas changed the way the game was played and introduced things that were never done before. He called his own plays, was the field coach, everyone on the Colts teams knew who was their most important player and the one guy they couldn't afford to lose, every team that played the Colts knew who was the one player that they couldn't let beat them.

Without Johnny Unitas, the Colts are a solid team perhaps a winning team but with Unitas the Colts were a championship contender from the mid 1950s until the early 70s, he was their Larry Bird or Earvin Johnson, Jim Brown whoever you want to put on that list. That one guy who was the Colts MVP every year he was there practically and a guy who could've won the NFL MVP almost every year he played, because he was that guy he was that great the difference in the Colts winning the championship or being a mediocre team.

The only other two guys that I would compare to Unitas after he retired as as far as what they meant to their teams and how great they were would be, Joe Montana and John Elway. You take those two guys away from the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos and you can make a very good case that both franchises are still looking for their first Super Bowl Championship.If you judge players by whether they were great or not and should be in the Hall of Fame or not, I have four standards that players have to pass just to be eligible with me.

Was the player one of the best players at his position during his career?

Was he one of the best players in the league during his career?

Would he be a great player in any era that he played and was he a great player based on the previous standards for a long enough period of time?

Typically great NFL Players play around 10-13 seasons. So for me, most players aren't great as soon as they walk in the league. They need about three seasons to see whether they can be a great player or not, sometimes longer than that. And a lot of great players aren't great towards the end of their career, Jim Brown would be an exception to that. So for me if a player is great 6-8 years lets say, as well as meeting the other standards I just laid out then they are a Hall of Famer as far as I'm concern. But John Unitas had all of that plus so much more. You're not going to find a tougher QB or a better QB in the clutch. Plus the fact that he was the Colts offensive coordinator on the field. He called their plays, he invented the two minute drill and made fourth quarter comebacks popular and exciting.

John Unitas wasn't a QB but a great player who played QB. "What do I have to do to win the game", that's all he cared about. If you took the lead late in the fourth quarter against the Colts in the fifties and sixties with Unitas, you were probably going to lose. Because now you have to face the master and you have to figure out how to defend one player with eleven and most teams couldn't do that. The New York Giants found that out the hard way in the 1958 NFL Championship. They tried to take away the pass and Unitas calls a trap play up the middle and Alan Ameche runs for 20 plus yards that put the Colts in field goal position. Which would've won the game in overtime. But they had Unitas and were thinking touchdown and that's why the Colts won the most important game in NFL history.
Source:NFL Films: Johnny Unitas

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Real Time With Bill Maher: New Rule - Stupid People

Source:The Daily Journal  

Bill Maher loves to make fun of the Christian Right, or does a damn good job of impersonating someone who loves to make fun of the Christian Right, so good he should win an Oscar. Why not they are big easy target, kinda like aiming at an ocean from a beach. So why not shoot, instead of comedians and bloggers actually sitting down and putting their hand to their chin and going "hum what should I write about now". How about just listen to ignorant people talk and make fun of them instead. Thats what I always say anyway, or just said it actually thats the first time I just said that, but who's counting, well I guess I just did.

I mean think about who's easier to make fun of then ignorant people, especially when they're in charge like I don't know in the White House, or Congress.

Examples of doing dumb things-

Sending the country to war based on false intelligence to use as an example. Trying to link Iraq with Al -Quada, which is like trying to link a prostitute with the Southern Baptist Convention. They don't go together, sure there are Southern Baptists that like Prostitutes, but they generally don't go together. Or trying to link homosexuality with the 9/11 Attacks. If these people weren't so stupid, I might be mad at them just because of their hate. But since they are so stupid, its hard for me not to feel anything, but sorry for them. They are victims of our public education system and not being raised right.

And because of this, the rest of society gets to laugh at them and put up with them. Here's another one, Catholics can't go to heaven because they aren't Baptist. Isn't Heaven meant for good people. When we don't raise our kids right, or make sure they get a good education, they suffer the consequences of that of course. And a lot of them end up in our criminal justice system generally as guests. But the rest of society, sure gets some new easy big targets to shoot at, like a blimp over a stadium. (In other words Rush Limbaugh) But we have to deal with their stupidity, their lack of intelligence. Like what we had on Iraq before we went to war. Especially when they are pressured to run for high office to help their party. Because of their name recognition and who their father is and they end up having to make decisions.

The presidency isn't  ignorant politicians, or it sure as hell shouldn't be.  Can you imagine what it must of been like for Condolezza Rice to explain intelligence reports to George W. Bush. She must of had to use drawings or try to compare military combat with football games or something. This whole idea, or attacking another country because they may attack you in the future. First of all our national defense is so strong that would never happen. Because any foreign fighter plane or planes or warships that attempted to invade the United States because of our radar system would first be warned before they got close or could launch an attack. And then we could blow them away as well. The rest of the world knows this, which is why we haven't been attacked by a foreign military inside America since 1941.

Ignorant people on the Far-Right and Far-Left are fun to make fun of, lets just admit that. We can't or shouldn't be nice to everyone. For every Saint that we have, we need a few (pardon the term) assholes to keep it real. So most of the country can stay within striking distance of reality. (When they aren't high) But we need to remember that we pay a price for ignorance as a country, especially when it reaches high office. Because we as a country or state lets say, have together paid a price for their stupid decisions. So lets do our part to prevent as many future ignorant people in the future as we can.

Friday, July 25, 2014

The Lizard King: The Doors Live in London (1968)

Source:The Lizard King- Jim Morrison & The Doors: Live in London (1968)
Source:The Daily Journal

At least the early part of this concert sounds like the Oliver Stone version of The Doors from 1991 with Val Kilmer playing Jim Morrison. With The Lizard King drunk and wasted and barely being able to stand up and move around without losing his balance. And giving an awful performance in Miami, Florida and finally getting frustrated and starts cursing at the audience. Which is a true story and one of the few things that the Oliver Stone movie portrayed accurately. The New Haven concert would be another one.

The actual Live in London concert was very good and you get to Jim Morrison and The Doors (as I call them) at their best. With The Lizard King at his best in his classic rock and roll uniform the black leather suit, concho belt and cowboy boots that he put on the rock and roll map himself. Which is about an hour long that I have on DVD. They play everything and Morrison is brilliant on the vocals and very entertaining as well.


Thursday, October 17, 2013

NBC Sports: MLB 1986-5-03-GOW-Anaheim Angels @ Milwaukee Brewers: Full Game


Source:NBC Sports- MLB Game of The Week.

Source:The Daily Journal 

"1986 05 03 NBC GOW California Angels At Milwaukee Brewers" 


Source:NBC Sports- the Angels and Brewers from 1986.

The 1986 Angels were a very good, if not great all around team: hitting, pitching, and defense that should’ve at least gotten to the World Series. But of course lost three straight games in the ALCS after having a 3-1 lead in that series.

The Angels, who contended both in 84 and 85 in the AL West, which was back before the wildcard came into both leagues, looked like the team to beat in the AL West both seasons. 1986, they weren’t expected to win the AL West, especially the way that they did by being in first place most of the season. But in 86, they put it together for the whole season, both with their offense and pitching. And managed to avoid fading in August and September like they did in 84 and 85. 

The 1986 Brewers, were somewhat in transition. Especially with their pitching and weren’t contenders at all and about a 500 ball club.

Monday, October 14, 2013

NBC Sports: MLB 1985-GOW-6/22-New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers: Full Game


Source:The Daily Journal

1985 is the perfect example of why MLB should’ve went to the three division format in both the American and National League with the playoff wildcards well before 1994. Because you had four ninety win teams in 1985 and each division champion would’ve had at least ninety wins. The Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, Kansas City Royals in the AL Central, and the Anaheim Angels in the AL West. The New York Yankees as a wildcard team in 85 would’ve have more wins than every division winner except for the Blue Jays. If you go with two wild cards in each league, the Detroit Tigers would’ve just barely misses the AL Playoffs in 85 with 84 wins, a game behind the Chicago White Sox. 1985 was a great year for MLB and the Yankees and Tigers were both in the playoff race that year. And played each other on NBC which is this game.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Retro Jeans Network: 1980s Jordache Denim Jeans For Women Commercial



The music might sound corny thirty-years later, but those Jordache denims on that women certainly do not look corny. If anything those designer jeans and that type of designer denim is even bigger today. I’ll never understand why women’s denim jeans went from dark wash designer denims from the late 1970s all the way to 1985 or so, to acid wash denims from the late 1980s and even into the early 1990s. And then back to the designer denims of the late 1990s that we are still going through today with the jeans in boots look coming back into style ten-years ago, that is still with us especially in cold weather. The designer denims of this era and now with the low-rise skinny denim look are perfect for sexy women. Especially the dark wash jeans, because of how they highlight women’s legs and butts. Without the women having to show skin when she sits down or stands up.   

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Michael Rother: Point Blank (1967) Walker Comes Back



Source:The Daily Journal -

Source:The Daily Journal

For the life of me I still don’t know what the women in this scene was trying to say and what point she was making. Not sure Walker did either, but this is an important part of this movie, because Walker is back in town which is San Francisco. And he is back in town for a real reason, he wants the money that he stole that his partners took for him. It is obviously not his money because he stole it, but in a criminal’s mind money you take is yours. Except when another criminal takes your money. And Walker first stops by his wife’s apartment and to see if one of the men he’s after one of his former partners is there. Because one of them was sleeping with his wife. And that is really what this scene is about trying to get one of the men that can get him the money that he stole.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Movie Clips Trailer Vault: Point Blank (1967) Lee Marvin & Angie Dickinson Star

Source:Movie Clips Classic Trailer Vault- Point Blank (1967) with Angie Dickinson and Lee Marvin.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“After being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the rather inconsequential sum of money that was stolen from him.

Welcome to the Fandango MOVIECLIPS Trailer Vault Channel. Where trailers from the past, from recent to long ago, from a time before YouTube, can be enjoyed by all. We search near and far for original movie trailer from all decades. Feel free to send us your trailer requests and we will do our best to hunt it down.” 


Source:Warner Brothers- Angie Dickinson and John Vernon.
A great movie about a guy who was simply after what was owed to him and didn’t want anything else. Lee Marvin plays a burglar who was jacked out of his share of the loot that he and his crew ripped off. And was left for dead, yet his former crew didn’t manage to kill him. And Walker played by Lee Marvin goes after the guys who ripped him off to get what was owed him.

Lee Marvin doesn’t play a good man in this movie. He plays the opposite, a career criminal, a thief who will kill people if he feels threatened. Yet he’s managed to stay out of jail or prison for the most part and if anything is more valuable to law enforcement outside, than inside jail or prison. That is where Keenan Wynn comes in, his character, who I believe is a San Francisco cop, but they don’t make that very clear in the movie. And his character Yost uses Walker played by Lee Marvin to put his former gang down.

Angie Dickinson has a big role in this movie as Walker’s sister-in-law, but his husband, her sister dies in this movie from apparent suicide. And Chris played by Angie is very useful to Walker. And becomes a good tool os his to get his money back. Because she has connections inside of the San Francisco mob that his former crew now works for, including one of her lovers. And Walker uses her to get to the people he needs to pay him what is his. One of the best action thriller crime dramas of all-time.