CNN: 'OJ Simpson On The Run- Ford Bronco Chase: June 17th, 1994'

Source:CNN covering the most famous Ford Bronco chase in American history. Well, at least in Los Angeles history.

Source:The Daily Journal

"Football and film star O.J. Simpson led police on a low-speed chase along the Los Angeles freeways shortly before his arrest for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. This video, aired on CNN, features the sound from OJ's phone conversation with Homicide Detective Tom Lange. Listen as the accused killer tells Lange that he is the one who "deserves" to be hurt."

From Z-Facts 

The Los Angeles Police Department following what would become the most famous white, Ford Bronco in American history, because in the Bronco had perhaps the most famous two-time murder suspect in it, O.J. Simpson.

Source:CNN covering the most celebrity auto chase in American history. Or at least in the history of Los Angeles.

 I remember this very well, because I had just graduated from high school. And was in Delaware vacationing with my family and I believe I was watching the NBA Finals on NBC. And then of course NBC News breaks in with live coverage of this chase which was different from other Los Angeles car chases, which of course aren’t rare in Los Angeles.

What made this care chase different was that it involved a celebrity and NBC News and other news organizations breaking into a championship series, or whatever they were showing and stopped showing, to cover this tabloid story.

This is just another example and perhaps the biggest example of what news has become in America. At least TV news, where it’s not what’s important to cover that is important, but what is popular to cover and how you make the most money. Covering that story to spend so much time and energy covering one murder trial. Not that it shouldn’t of been covered, which of course the supporters of the coverage will say. But to cover it basically at the expense of every other news story thats going on.

So-called reality TV, which of course isn’t reality TV, but tabloid TV, didn’t start in the late 1990s or 2000s, with Survivor on CBS. It started in the mid 1990s in 1994 with OJ Simpson. And his famous duel murders and his Trial of The Century. Before social networking and before Google, but right in the early days of cellphones and the Internet. And when cable news was becoming very important with the 24 hour news cycle.

You also have to remember that OJ, was not just an actor, but an accomplished one and perhaps not someone you want doing your taxes for you, but smart enough and with the personality to get people’s attention and put the focus on him. He knew he was going to jail and perhaps never coming out and had money and a gun in his truck. And I guess was going to make a run for Mexico, but perhaps smart enough to know he probably wasn’t going to make it.

The Ford Bronco Chase, was the ultimate publicity stunt and so-called reality TV. But it wasn’t what is called reality TV, which is not reality TV, but tabloid TV. Where producers of those shows encourage people to act out to get the most ratings possible.

But this chase was real reality TV. A grown man, who up to this point was a very well-liked and respected man. Who had a Hall of Fame NFL career and one of the top 5-10 running backs of all-time. Who put together a solid sportscasting career with NBC Sports and acting career and did commercials. Who was going through a horrible time, I imagine and perhaps feeling horribly guilty about his two murders and perhaps lost it and didn’t know what to do about it. But again, we are talking about an actor here and this could’ve simply been a publicity stunt. But this was real reality TV and not made up.

Kelly’s Life: Fall Outfit of The Day- Skinny Denim Jeans in Boots

Source:Kelly Loves Beauty in skinny denim jeans in boots.

Source:The Daily Journal

“Fall Outfit of the day: Blouse, Boot, Skinny jeans”

From Kelly Loves Beauty

Denim is so versatile now that American women can not only go to ballgames in their skin-tight jeans and boots, but can dress like they’re going to the club or a nice restaurant, instead of a ballgame, or going to the club or a party or a nice restaurant after the game. Instead of just wearing t-shirts or jerseys, with sneakers at the ballgame, with the baggy jeans or running pants. As you see with the woman in this photo as she’s sort of dressed up her skin-tight jeans, with a nice top and her brown riding boots.

Source:The Daily Journal- Going to a game, or going to a nice party, one of the advantages of denim jeans, is that they're so versatile. You can dress them down like you are just picking up the kids at from school or going to the grocery store. Or you can dress them up and even dress skin-tight, denim jeans up, looking very sexy with your legs, butt, and crotch, while also looking dressy and looking like you are going out or going to the office in them. And they go perfectly with boots, just like shorts with sneakers.

This is a closer look at Kelly in her skinny-denim jeans in boots. And I have to say for a "like totally awesome valley girl, whose also as cute as a little girl, she's very sexy in those jeans in boots.

Source:Kelly Loves Beauty in skinny denim jeans in boots.

As far as this outfit and to be completely serious (nothing new or no new or real risk taking here) not to put Kelly down, but skinny jeans in boots have been around for about ten-years now. A common look for sexy women especially in the fall and winter for both practical as well as stylish reasons.   

The practical reasons are perhaps less obvious. They keep women warm in bad cold weather. Their legs that is especially the skinny denim because how tight they are and do not leave much in any room for cold air get air to get in. And the boots are great to walk around in bad weather, because you get better traction.    

The stylish reasons are obvious. I mean seriously what better way for a sexy woman to show off her legs than in skinny jeans. Whether they are denim or leather, because again how tight they are and how they show off your legs.   

And then you throw in boots either over or under the jeans and you have a very sexy stylish look, that will make women who aren’t as sexy or dressing much more conservatively jealous. And have guys checking you out especially when you’re on the move.

C-SPAN: Professor Eric Foner- Lectures in History: Socialism in America

Source:C-SPAN- Columbia University History Professor, Eric Foner.

Source:FreeState MD

“Columbia University history professor Eric Foner examines the rise of socialism in America in the early 20th century. He talks about the Socialist Party in New York City and Milwaukee, and looks at the Socialist Party of America presidential campaigns of Eugene Debs.”

From C-SPAN 

I actually saw this lecture from Eric Foner back in the summer of 2012. And I would love to see a lecture from Eric Foner in person at some point. But what I want to do in this post is to explain why socialism hasn’t quite caught on America. And the history of it in this country and where it is today. Which is actually alive and doing well considering how individualistic of a country America is both Liberals and Conservatives. And I write about that as a non-Socialist, as a Liberal (or Classical Liberal, if you prefer) whose interested in political philosophy and political history.

I agree with Eric Foner that socialism in the early twentieth century became about the Progressive Era of Teddy Roosevelt. And then later became the New Deal with his cousin Franklin. And actually got some, let’s call them socialist welfare state or safety net programs into law. And then moved to the Fair Deal with Harry Truman and then later the Great Society with Lyndon Johnson with more welfare state or safety net programs. And that socialism essentially became about the welfare state.

In the mid-20th Century, American socialism became about government doing the basic human services that Socialists do not trust the private sector to do. But that the private sector and American capitalism was here to stay. That they should make the best of capitalism. And not try to destroy it, which is basically how Scandinavia deals with capitalism as well.

But where I disagree with Historian Foner, is that socialism in the twentieth century graduated and became what we now know as liberalism today. That liberalism is somehow about the state and government and what government can and should do for the people.

Everywhere else in the developed world, at least, Social Democrats, people that Americans might call Socialists, are considered center-left in the country. Countries like Britain, France, Germany, (just a few examples) the Social Democrats are the center-left party in their country. Whereas Liberals, especially in Germany, are considered to be the center-right party. Germany for example, it’s the Liberals who believe in liberal democracy. Whereas the Social Democrats obviously want Germany to be a social democracy. But Germany at least since the 1950s, has been a functioning, center-right, liberal democracy.

American leftists always talk about how America should be like the rest of the developed world. Well, they should start with political labels and how they label Americans politically, including themselves. Make sure that they correct that, because Liberals believe in liberal, not social democracy. And Progressives believe in progress, not big government and a big national state.

The Ring of Fire: ‘RFK, Jr: How To Save American Democracy’

Source:The Ring of Fire- Robert F. Kennedy JR. talking about American democracy.

Source:FreeState MD 

“Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. gives a speech to a crowd at Mass Torts Made Perfect about how to save our Democracy from Republicans, the Tea Party, and corporate raiders.” 

From The Ring of Fire

Robert F. Kennedy is essentially talking about the Tea Party Right in America. These so-called Conservative populists, that have a big hold on the Republican Party today and essentially labelling them for what he believes they are, which are corporatists, who believe in a corporate state in America, that would replace our liberal democracy, that’s based on individual rights, not corporate rights.

I actually agree with a lot of what Bobby Kennedy isa saying here. I’m sure there a lot of blue-collar, prop-union, voters, in the Tea Party movement. But their leaders are corporatists. You see that now in all of these Republican controlled legislatures that are now controlled by Tea Party people, like in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Republican legislatures that want to make it harder for Americans to vote, at least young Americans, who tend to vote Democratic. As well as make it harder, if not impossible, for workers to organize and bargain collectively.

The Doors: Live at The Roadhouse (1968)

Source:The Doors Live At The London Roadhouse (1968)

Source:The Daily Journal

“Rare color footage of The Doors performing at the Roundhouse, London, 1968-09-06. Not the same show filmed for “The Doors Are Open” documentary. An awesome close-up of Jim Morrison singing When The Music’s Over.”

From La Fantasque 

I’m thinking the cameraman, or perhaps the camerawomen, really liked Jim Morrison and was really attracted to him. Because in the first two minutes of this show alone, you see several closeups on Jim Morrison’s leather legs and leather suit, sitting on the stool with his legs sticking out in his skin-tight black leather jeans and black leather jacket, with his concho belt. And that’s exactly the reaction that The Lizard King (also known as Jim Morrison) wanted. Of course he wanted to be known for his music, but he was playing a character as well which was The Lizard King, a cowboy, rock and roll hero, where his superhero uniform was his skin-tight, black leather suit, where he wanted people to listen to his music, but also bring attention to his skin-tight leather legs and butt. For about two years, the man must have smelled like a luxury car, being in head-toe black leather almost everywhere he went, including to church, weddings, airplanes, the beach, even, etc.

Source:The Doors Live At The London Roadhouse (1968)

It has been said that Morrison, wore the skin-tight leather pants, (leather jeans. really) with the concho belt, because he wanted to highlight his crotch. Which makes a hell of a lot of sense, because if you watch this show, or Live at The Hollywood Bowl, or The Doors in Copenhagen, or The Doors in London, The Doors on Ed Sullivan, just to use as examples, there are several closeups upfront of Morrison in his leather suit and right on his legs, butt and crotch. I mean if you’re actually attracted to the man, watching all of this footage is a great way to see him.

As far as this show, I think it’s The Lizard King as it his best. Just wish this show was in color and since it was done in 1968, that would’ve been a fairly easy thing to do. But with Morrison, you get great vocals and his role-playing and acting and moving around and the dancing.

And Ray Manzarek, if anything who had a better singing voice than Morrison, at least singing blues, doing a great job on the keyboards. When The Music is Over, and Love Me Two Times, I think are their best songs in this show.

Love Me Two Times, comes with a great music video as well. And you have Morrison going off the cuff and doing a little story telling as well. And they finish with, well The End, what else. Which is their great war song, even though it wasn’t written directly for the Vietnam War. But considering this was 1968, the timing of this song was simply perfect.

As what can be said about a lot of The Doors performances, I just wish they were shot in color. Which is one reason why Oliver Stone’s version of The Doors, whatever you think of the movie, is actually very important. Because it gives you a very good idea of what The Lizard King was like in color. Even with Val Kilmer, being a much larger and taller man than Jim Morrison.

But it would be nice to see a colorized version of a lot of these performances. But the sound of these performances and how Morrison sounded and how the band played, is very good, even in black and white. Which doesn’t affect the sound of these shows. But the shows would’ve been better had they been done in color. Like with The Hollywood Bowl, Ed Sullivan, Smothers Brothers, Jonathan Winters. And maybe a colorized version of this show, will be available at some point.

Laura Flanders: Richard Woolf’s Cure For Capitalism

Source:Laura Flanders talking to proud Democratic Socialist Richard Woolf.

Source:FreeState MD

“Employment’s up, wealth’s up, but the benefits of both are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few. Welcome to capitalism, says GRITtv regular, Richard Wolff who suggests some alternatives, including “worker self-directed enterprises” if we want to democratize the economy, and US society.

GRITtv regular, Richard Wolff is the author of Capitalism Hits the Fan (Olive Branch Press, 2009) and, most recently, Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism (Haymarket Books, 2012). Watch the entire conversation, about the state of capitalism, WSDEs (worker self directed enterprises) and democratizing the US economy at GRITtv.orgDistributed by OneLoad.com.”

From Laura Flanders

I think when most Americans (perhaps not most Europeans) when they think of a Socialist, they think of someone whose against private enterprise and wants the national government to be in complete control of the economy. But the fact is today in 2013, most Socialists, including Socialists in China and Cuba, believe in at least a certain amount of private enterprise, individual freedom and choice, as well as private ownership.

Richard Woolf has an excellent definition of a Socialist: “Someone who believe in socializing, believes in the community when it comes to the economy and economics.”

This basically means a Socialist believes that everyone in society has a right to live and be treated well and not to have to go without the basic necessities of life. And that it’s the job of the national government to see that everyone has what they need to live well in society.

CBS News: Walter Cronkite- Announces The Death of President John F. Kennedy

Source: FRS Daily Journal Plus- Longtime CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite-

Source: FRS Daily Journal Plus

Newscasters and journalists in general are trained to never show their feelings and give commentary. That old Joe Friday saying of just the fact. For all of you Dragnet fans, but these people are exactly that, people and they have feelings too. And when you’re reporting on the death and not just death, but the assassination of someone you personally know, like, respect and even admirer, all things that Walter Cronkite felt about John Kennedy and then throw in the fact they were the same age and from the same generation, how you not show your human side in this situation.

And you’re reporting on the assassination of someone who is just 46 and you’re same age, to go along with all the other factors, I would’ve been disappointed had Cronkite not given people at little into what he was feeling about this horrible tragedy. Cronkite was at the top of his game during CBS News’s coverage of the JFK assassination that he anchored. And part of Cronkite’s greatness was that he was a human being the whole and not afraid to let others know that.
CBS News: Walter Cronkite- Announces The Death of President John F. Kennedy