The Times covers and FrontPageMag mocks, Hillarity!'s record at State.
The Times article is filled with punchlines, but I will highlight this creative use of polling data:
She took on the job at a time when the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had given rise to widespread anti-Americanism abroad. In 2006, favorable opinions of the United States had fallen in most of the 15 countries surveyed, including France, Germany, Russia and Japan, according to the Pew Global Attitudes Project.
President Obama’s victory in 2008 and Mrs. Clinton’s frequent personal visits helped mend tensions, and by mid-2009 favorable opinions of the United States in Western Europe, Asia and Latin America were almost as high as before President George W. Bush took office.
Mid 2009?!? What about after she had spent a few years in office, hmm? Don't ask:
Global approval of President Barack Obama’s policies has declined significantly since he first took office, while overall confidence in him and attitudes toward the U.S. have slipped modestly as a consequence.
...
There remains a widespread perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally and does not consider the interests of other countries. In predominantly Muslim nations, American anti-terrorism efforts are still widely unpopular. And in nearly all countries, there is considerable opposition to a major component of the Obama administration’s anti-terrorism policy: drone strikes. In 17 of 20 countries, more than half disapprove of U.S. drone attacks targeting extremist leaders and groups in nations such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
Geez, if the Times had a subscription to Google they could unearth stuff like that. Times are tough...
Does this mean the return of Sid "Vicious" Blumenthal? Drudge is rubbing his hands with glee:)
Posted by: Jack is Back! | November 29, 2013 at 10:27 AM
Funny, looking at that Pew poll, they never ask citizens of Israel their opinion and no mention of the NSA eveasdropping.
Posted by: Jack is Back! | November 29, 2013 at 10:33 AM
Given the old but accurate saw that among countries there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests seems to me one first should determine whether a favorable opinion in a generally hostile world full of competing interests is a good thing.
Machiavelli's own old saw that it's better to be feared than loved supplies a little guidance to the answer, IMO.
Posted by: Ignatz | November 29, 2013 at 10:46 AM
Oh, wow.
Take a look at footnote to the graphic on the question about "Unmet Expectations for Obama".
The question "Will (2009)/Has (2012) Obama consider your country's interest" directed US Respondents to instead answer whether Obama would consider OTHER country's interests.
That's gonna make the results a bit meaningless, isn't it?
Posted by: AliceH | November 29, 2013 at 10:50 AM
Happy Iron Bowl Eve, y'all!
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Blumenthal...Blumenthal...say, isn't he the fellow with the wife-beating problem?
And wasn't there a DUI in there somewhere?
Posted by: Danube on iPad | November 29, 2013 at 11:07 AM
Add her accomplishments with this and the total is: not much.
http://minutemennews.com/2013/11/obama-claims-hes-among-accomplished-presidents-ever/
Posted by: pagar56 | November 29, 2013 at 11:08 AM
She should have stepped down. She was a failure as Secretary of State. Embassies all over N.Africa, the ME, and Asia were attacked...she lost our flag at our Egyptian Embassy & the enemy raised theirs. And then Benghazi.
It was all a disgrace. Not prepared on an anniversary of 9-11? I would have known to beef up security.
and then the lies. Not only the video...but lies about criminal conduct at State. An ambassador soliciting child prostitutes....
It will be unbearable to have to listen to the MFMers celebrate the phony 'great Hillary'....while calling us women haters.
Posted by: Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself | November 29, 2013 at 11:30 AM
TM: Times are tough
or: The Times is tough.
Posted by: 1sbw1 | November 29, 2013 at 11:35 AM
Shouldn't the magnificent results of Arab Spring be the measure of her tenure as SoS? After all, a military dictatorship in Egypt was successfully overthrown using only peck and droolers tweeting up democracy. An election was held and the results "certified" by respected foreign observers and the Egyptian constitution was revised in a manner designed to perpetuate democratic rule forever.
I don't see how we can avoid giving credit to Secretary of State Clinton and the President for the outcome of their valiant efforts in Libya and Syria as well as the resounding success achieved in Egypt.
Posted by: Account Deleted | November 29, 2013 at 11:37 AM
The knowing lie, uttered directly to the families of those four murdered men in the presence of their flad-draped coffins, would be sufficent in a sane world to end the career of any politician. But this is not a sane world.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | November 29, 2013 at 11:38 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh4WppuMdfk
She lost the colors.
at about 1:00 it happens
at about 3:40 on is the consequence.
Posted by: Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself | November 29, 2013 at 11:55 AM
Janet,
That takes me to the main page of you tube. What are we watching?
Posted by: Sue | November 29, 2013 at 12:02 PM
Sharpe's Eagle part 7
Lost the King's colors & then advised to blow his brains out. It ends with Wellington's orders to the scum.
Posted by: Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself | November 29, 2013 at 12:08 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh4WppuMdfk
Posted by: Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself | November 29, 2013 at 12:09 PM
al qaeda flag over US Embassy in Egypt.
She should have been fired.
Posted by: Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself | November 29, 2013 at 12:13 PM
IMO, more than fired!
Posted by: pagar56 | November 29, 2013 at 12:16 PM
Damn you Thai pad!
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 12:20 PM
Hillary will never be president.
Her dreams, such as they were, were buried in the sands of old Carthage.
Hillary delenda est.
Posted by: Ignatz | November 29, 2013 at 12:25 PM
Ya know...who cares about all these black friday stories? The poor people have probably never touched a big screen tv before. Anyway, is stealing wrong?...or is trampling others wrong? Who says so? What are we basing that belief on? Maybe the tramplers inner-compass says it's okay to beat someone up for the newest Barbie doll.
I'm for being nonjudgmental. Put on a helmet & start grabbing if you want!
Survival of the fittest.
Posted by: Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself | November 29, 2013 at 12:27 PM
Don't go shopping with Janet!! lol
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 12:30 PM
It's wrong to be judgmental.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | November 29, 2013 at 12:31 PM
-- Maybe the tramplers inner-compass says it's okay to beat someone up for the newest Barbie doll.--
Isn't that what Barry told us a sin was; "being out of alignment with my values"?
Posted by: Ignatz | November 29, 2013 at 12:36 PM
The NYTimes tells us of the miracles that await Obama's millions of ecstatic new Medicaid enrollees:
"Dr. Ted Mazer is one of the few ear, nose and throat specialists in this region who treat low-income people on Medicaid, so many of his patients travel long distances to see him.
"But now, as California’s Medicaid program is preparing for a major expansion under President Obama’s health care law, Dr. Mazer says he cannot accept additional patients under the government insurance program for a simple reason: It does not pay enough.
“'It’s a bad situation that is likely to be made worse,' he said.
"His view is shared by many doctors around the country. Medicaid for years has struggled with a shortage of doctors willing to accept its low reimbursement rates and red tape, forcing many patients to wait for care, particularly from specialists like Dr. Mazer.
"Yet in just five weeks, millions of additional Americans will be covered by the program, many of them older people with an array of health problems. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that nine million people will gain coverage through Medicaid next year alone."
I predict widespread and intense rage among a huge majority of Americans as the effects of this legislation unfold.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | November 29, 2013 at 12:36 PM
How does one say Wah, in Algerian accented French, that is Jess Bravin's task in the Journal, as he echoes the complaint of a Wilmer Cutler certified member of the gitmo bar, Kirsch something or other, that one of his clients is being sent to Algeria, where innocent lamb that he is, will take up basket weaving or something,
Bravin, is known for being bamboozled by other detainees like Ould Slahi, who was the first rung on the way to finding the Courier,
OTOH, Anne Bernard at Carlos Slim's notes how the unfriending by the Optician's top men, has taken it's tole on the willingness to join the Syrian rebels.
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Black Friday...a Viking pillage...what's the difference.
Abby D. Phillip / ABC News:
Obamas Might Stay in Washington After Presidency Ends
is his tenure going to end?
Posted by: rich@gmu | November 29, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Some of these details, including the downside of Reid 'cunning, cunning plan, and the abbreviated two minute hate, are summarized here.
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2013/11/29/efforts-to-close-gitmo-hit-snag-dewey-leaders-hit-with-trustee-complaint/
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 12:44 PM
Nobody can drain a case of Coronas like Rodham.
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 29, 2013 at 12:45 PM
This has to be one of Taranto's you don't say columns;
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/health/2013/11/employment-is-good-for-your-health-an-expert-tells-us-senate.html
Also in Rupert's Gazette, the wurlitzer churns out the unexpected news that Top Men stick together, shocker.
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 12:50 PM
That Politico piece, is the most ridiculous since one of Ezra's interns, tried to decontextualize free will;
Choosing health coverage is particularly challenging. Humans have difficulty making optimal choices under conditions of uncertainty, when weighing probabilities of long-term risks and benefits, and when analyzing complex products with multiple components of unclear relative values. We’re bad at assessing the likelihood of low-probability events, like winning the lottery or getting in a car accident. We overestimate our ability to repay loans and spend more with credit cards than we would with cash. We struggle with decisions about how to invest our retirement savings and are highly susceptible to the number and types of 401(k) plans we’re offered. In short, we have trouble with precisely the types of issues involved in choosing the right health coverage.
h/t the Horde
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 12:54 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if Obama's toadies work overtime to make sure Hillary doesn't even get the nomination.
President, First Lady Visit Activists Fasting for Amnesty...
yea, just what we need.
Posted by: rich@gmu | November 29, 2013 at 12:54 PM
"widespread and intense rage among a huge majority of Americans"
Sadly, I expected to see this from the NSA violations, the IRS crimes, the Benghazi lies, the Obama lawlessness and the general dishonesty writ large.
I fear that we've become yielding and submissive, forced to endure long TSA lines in virtual silence, subject to speech codes, expected to tolerate and even celebrate "diversity," and groomed to accept The State.
Is there a silent majority? Do we even have a majority?
Posted by: MarkO | November 29, 2013 at 01:03 PM
I predict widespread and intense rage among a huge majority of Americans as the effects of this legislation unfold.
I hope idiots like Steny Hoyer keep insisting that 404Care is outstanding and that everybody should love it.
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 29, 2013 at 01:03 PM
Nebraska just took a fair catch at the 3. Oops.
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 01:05 PM
Obamas Might Stay in Washington After Presidency Ends
There's a new bldg. down by the Kennedy Center called the Institute for Peace (or something like that). Big ol' fancy bldg.
Maybe he'll "work" there. It sounds evil, doesn't it? The Institute for Peace
When we drive by I always think - boy, they're up to no good.
Posted by: Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself | November 29, 2013 at 01:07 PM
Janet-
That push fits with the mindsets and values to be cultivated via education to supposedly finally engineer the Great Transition.
Posted by: rse | November 29, 2013 at 01:14 PM
Buck Sexton, a former CIA analyst, filling in for Beck, points out this speech in the link, as the real reason Lara Logan was fired;
http://voices.suntimes.com/arts-entertainment/the-daily-sizzle/chicago-speech-helped-land-60-minutes-correspondent-lara-logan-in-hot-water-with-cbs/
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 01:16 PM
lol...it does seem like Dr Evil's secret lair.
Posted by: rich@gmu | November 29, 2013 at 01:17 PM
Hillary delenda est.
I sure hope so, Ignatz, but I'll believe it when I see her in those ruby slippers curl up under Auntie Em's house from Kansas.
Posted by: Barbara | November 29, 2013 at 01:18 PM
Irony, has a crunchy taste, doesn't it;
http://us4palin.com/irony-democrats-clamor-to-restore-gov-palins-aces/
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 01:19 PM
Yet another round of Vizzinisms
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/iranian-centrifuge-advances_769141.html
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 01:21 PM
"Do we even have a majority?"
There is no majority willing to follow a leader on the GOP side who has risen by circumstance of birth, pull or connections. A GOP leader who has risen based purely upon demonstrated competence and ability may still be able to build a majority and overcome a leftie simulacrum relying upon a core of brainless pecking droolers responding to twitter commands.
I think of "majority" as hinging upon the very muddle 10% and see a decent opportunity to round them up for a bit after they've been tickled with the Obamacare cattle proud for a few months.
Posted by: Account Deleted | November 29, 2013 at 01:26 PM
We're in the best of all possible hands with the Solon of Scranton handling the negotiationz
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/29/china-scrambles-fighter-jets-us-japan-aircraft
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 01:29 PM
'Whadya think? What kinda question is that?!'
-- Bo Pelini at halftime
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 01:30 PM
Humans have difficulty making optimal choices under conditions of uncertainty, when weighing probabilities of long-term risks and benefits....We’re bad at assessing the likelihood of low-probability events....We overestimate our ability to repay loans and spend more with credit cards than we would with cash....In short, we have trouble with precisely the types of issues involved in choosing the right President.
Posted by: bgates | November 29, 2013 at 01:37 PM
--Maybe he'll "work" there. It sounds evil, doesn't it? The Institute for Peace--
It does. They should change it to something more benign and more in keeping with their real mission. Hmmm, how 'bout Ministry of Peace?
Posted by: Ignatz | November 29, 2013 at 01:45 PM
not to harp on it (pun intended), but George Weigel in today's WSJ has an excellent piece on Pope Francis and the brouhaha. Find if and read it if interested.
He makes one point I really liked.
"one of his recent daily Mass sermons praised Robert Hugh Benton's apocalyptic novel "Lord of the World" for raising important cautions against dictatorial utopianism, or what the pope called "adolescent progressivism."
Resonates, doesn't it?
Posted by: matt | November 29, 2013 at 01:50 PM
Why would anybody want to play for Pelini?
Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | November 29, 2013 at 01:54 PM
That falls in one of Taranto's other blocks, questions no one is asking;
'Turn those machines back on'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-e-mann/michael-mann-richard-muller_b_4313508.html
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 01:56 PM
That of course, is their best guestimate;
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-nuclear-freeze-start-january-envoy-135133273.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 01:59 PM
Barbara , that's the best Hillary! image of the day!
Rich, it's even worse. The entire band of robbers has been making its criminal pilgrimage:
btw - I denounce myself for anti-diversity beliefs: Cecilia Munoz *cannot* have her name written without a tilde.
Posted by: Frau Erntedankfest | November 29, 2013 at 02:02 PM
"I expected to see this from the NSA violations, the IRS crimes, the Benghazi lies, the Obama lawlessness and the general dishonesty writ large."
I didn't. Very few people felt any direct personal hit from those outrages. This one is vastly different in that respect.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | November 29, 2013 at 02:03 PM
No idea, Captain Hate. He's such as obvious jerk...
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 02:03 PM
The Horde is having too much fun, misidentifying Mann, with his namesake, behind
Miami Vice and Heat
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 02:04 PM
that MM piece is funny...Koch Brothers and the NYT oh my...
Posted by: rich@gmu | November 29, 2013 at 02:05 PM
And Bo just draws a 15 yard penalty. Loser. He should have been ejected.
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 02:06 PM
What we have is what the Greeks called, kakistocracy, rule by the worst, and not merely the type of inveterate sociopath that Machiavelli served like Cesare Borgia, but deluded arrogant popinjays, which even months in a Taliban prison, don't lead to any discernment;
http://blogs.reuters.com/david-rohde/2013/11/21/john-kerry-will-not-be-denied/
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 02:24 PM
Not surprising, she used to work for McClatchy;
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/buzzfeed-s-new-middle-east-correspondent-keeps-getting-israel-wrong_769148.html
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 02:27 PM
Humans have difficulty making optimal choices under conditions of uncertainty, when weighing probabilities of long-term risks and benefits
It's so fortunate that we have all those non-human supergenius robots to make these decisions for us. Wait, what?
Posted by: jimmyk | November 29, 2013 at 02:27 PM
Ha, jimmyk!
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 02:31 PM
Buzzfeed hiring a Jew hating liar? What are the chances?
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 29, 2013 at 02:34 PM
"A GOP leader who has risen based purely upon demonstrated competence and ability may still be able to build a majority"
IMO, the leftists have no intention of allowing any GOP leader.
http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/11/29/government-union-boss-vows-fight-in-the-streets-over-voter-id-88033?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
"The American system of government is going to be violently attacked by its own employees. J. David Cox says so
J. David Cox is the AFGE president and appears to earn more than the President of the US
Posted by: pagar56 | November 29, 2013 at 02:36 PM
"kakistocracy"
Rule by the worst carp-heads
FIFY, narciso
Posted by: Frau Erntedankfest | November 29, 2013 at 02:37 PM
And you get nothing,
http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-freed-top-iranian-scientist-as-part-of-secret-talks-ahead-of-geneva-deal/
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 02:39 PM
Meanwhile the Iranians get to torture any Americans they want. The Obama regime does nothing.
https://www.google.com/search?q=christian+pastor+jailed+in+iran&oq=christian+pastor+&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.18525j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#es_sm=93&espv=210&q=christian+pastor+jailed+in+iran&tbm=nws
Posted by: pagar56 | November 29, 2013 at 02:48 PM
There was a time when the loss of freedom, corruption in government, oppression in daily life was a personal matter. I agree that many will feel this. My question is whether we have been trained to shelter in place.
Posted by: MarkO | November 29, 2013 at 02:49 PM
Dang! Waterfowl getting slattered at the lake on this fine bluebird afternoon. Sounds like WWIII.
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 02:50 PM
Embassies all over N.Africa, the ME, and Asia were attacked...she lost our flag at our Egyptian Embassy & the enemy raised theirs. And then Benghazi.
They are spectacular at moving the goal posts. Don't you know how much worse all those things would have been under Condi Rice?
Posted by: Jane-Rebel Alliance1 | November 29, 2013 at 02:52 PM
Don't you know how much worse all those things would have been under Condi Rice?
Yes, and imagine how badly W would have bungled the healthcare.gov website.
Posted by: jimmyk | November 29, 2013 at 02:54 PM
The drones who hang around sites like Breitbart and the Corner, cite attacks on consulates in Karachi and the attempt on the embassy in Sana, first neither breached the embassy compound, second they unwittingly bring up the detail the planners of these attacks, like the late Effendi Al Shehri would soon move on to larger
operations, notably the human bomb attack against Prince Nayef the Younger, and the Underwear Bomber plot.
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 03:00 PM
What is the source of the "Humans have difficulty..." quote? Is there a link to it?
Posted by: Danube on iPad | November 29, 2013 at 03:04 PM
That idiot Politico piece, by a future therapeuricrat, that York excerpted and
the Horde picked up on,
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 03:06 PM
DoT, Miss M linked it on the previous thread:
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2013/11/are-our-brains-just-not-wired-for-obamacare-100413.html?ml=m_b3_1
Posted by: jimmyk | November 29, 2013 at 03:21 PM
@ 2:24 - Rohde cleared that up for me. John "Don't you know who I am?" Kerry is *not* arrogant; he is awkward.
Posted by: Frau Erntedankfest | November 29, 2013 at 03:26 PM
Thanks jimmyk.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | November 29, 2013 at 03:30 PM
An Academic Cartel?
How is a tenured professor like a drug lord? How is a new Ph.D. researcher like a street-level drug dealer?
These are not riddles intended to amuse. Rather, they present the gist of an essay by Alexandre Afonso, who teaches political economy at King's College London where he holds the rank of lecturer. Taking off from a chapter entitled "Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?" in the bestselling-book Freakonomics, by economist Steven D. Levitt and writer Stephen J. Dubner, Afonso argues that academic departments have a lot in common with drug cartels: A few highly paid, permanent top dogs enjoy power and comfort while farming out the dirty work to large numbers of low-paid, mostly temporary underlings.
The question that Levitt and Dubner answer is why street dealers and mules—or, in Afonso's retelling, grad students and postdocs—accept miserable pay and working conditions when they could be earning more in less annoying and dangerous, more secure endeavors. "Yet," Afonso writes, "gangs have no real difficulty in recruiting new members"—and neither do academic departments. "The reason for this is that the prospect of future wealth, rather than current income and working conditions, is the main driver for people to stay in the business: low-level drug sellers forego current income for (uncertain) future wealth. Rank-and file members are ready to face this risk to try to make it to the top, where life is good and money is flowing. It is very unlikely that they will make it (their mortality rate is insanely high, by the way) but they're ready to 'get rich or die trying.'"
The same goes for academe—minus, of course, the firepower and risk of arrest, he continues. "The academic job market is structured in many respects like a drug gang, with an expanding mass of outsiders and a shrinking core of insiders. Even if the probability that you might get shot in academia is relatively small (unless you mark student papers very harshly), one can observe similar dynamics."
Posted by: Neo | November 29, 2013 at 03:35 PM
Did Rohde mistakenly submit a parody article? Even by the standards of al-Reuters, that was horrible.
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 29, 2013 at 03:38 PM
the fact that a decent oligarchs keeps him afloat, doesn't enter into it;
http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/washington-post-columnist-aligns-obamas-agenda-christs
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 03:38 PM
Not really,
http://blogs.reuters.com/david-rohde/2013/11/27/john-kerry-has-not-yet-saved-or-destroyed-the-middle-east/
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 03:49 PM
we're just not smart enough for Obamacare...lol...would help if they had a working website (are thye going to make the deadline?).
brings to mind an Friedman article a few weeks back, where the supergenius discovers the magic of pushing the number 3 on his touchtone as he is navigating the reservation menu of Hertz
Posted by: rich@gmu | November 29, 2013 at 04:08 PM
Yes, and imagine how badly W would have bungled the healthcare.gov website.
Posted by: jimmyk
******
Is there no limit to his wickedness?
Posted by: rich@gmu | November 29, 2013 at 04:10 PM
Jimmy K-
Humans have difficulty making optimal choices under conditions of uncertainty, when weighing probabilities of long-term risks and benefits
That is why the Obamabots feel they are better able to decide what is better for the rest of us defective humans.
Posted by: boricuafudd | November 29, 2013 at 04:17 PM
The ones who are most enthused about it, aren't affected by it;
http://dailycaller.com/2013/11/29/us-extends-iran-oil-sanctions-waivers-to-china-india-korea/
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 04:23 PM
"A few highly paid, permanent top dogs enjoy power and comfort while farming out the dirty work to large numbers of low-paid, mostly temporary underlings."
Are you referring to Wal-Mart associates or the Chinese slaves makin' shit to buy at Wal-Mart?
Posted by: Wages of Sin | November 29, 2013 at 04:29 PM
Frederick and I are back from seeing "Catching Fire". Full disclosure, I asked him if he wanted to see this movie or Frozen. He chose "Catching Fire".
I have never read The Hunger Games or even saw the first movie so I had to play catch up in the first 15 minutes just by intuitiion but I think I got the gist of it so I could understand the rest of it. Still deciding whether I liked it overall or not because it does have its moments of allegorical instruction of the importance of freedom from government control.
The actress who plays Katniss Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence, does an incredible job and does more to keep the movie together than the rest of the cast combined. BTW, I kept trying to figure out who Hamitich was being played by. At first I thought it was John Gruden:) but later in the credits I wee it was Woody Harrelson. Funny that he would play a character trying to form an alliance to overthrow a totalitarian government of socialistic mind control.
Frederick who had seen the first movie found this one boring in his language but he left understand more about totalitarianism and lose of individual and collective liberty than I thought he would know. And the way it ends only tries to sell tickets to the sequel.
I give it 3 stars out of 5 but for some it could be more if they look at the esoteric parts as being as good as the action parts.
Posted by: Jack is Back! | November 29, 2013 at 04:49 PM
Yes, and Phillip Hoffman's character is an oily lot, and who are they bringing along for the third section, when the resistance goes 'scorched earth' in retaliation for what happens offscreen in District 12, well take a guess.
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 05:27 PM
And this would be Pythonesque, if wasn't so serious:
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/365125/bullying-civil-society-jeffrey-h-anderson
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 06:00 PM
LSU!
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 06:05 PM
San Jose State and Fresno have over a thousand yards of offense in the first half.
Arkansas == choking piles of shit.
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 29, 2013 at 06:05 PM
LSU!
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 06:05 PM
Didn't mean to post it twice - don't like 'em that much!
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 06:06 PM
>Not even Miss Agatha, the piano teacher down the street, is not safe from the nanny state of the Obama regime.
[Could be behind the WSJ paywall. I'll try to cut and paste it if so.]
Its the absence of common sense, common courtesy and common humility that is more than missing. We have become a country of petty tyranny on the fringes and cardinal thuginess in the hard middle.
Eejits!
Posted by: Jack is Back! | November 29, 2013 at 06:13 PM
Taranto points there are eejits who want more of this;
So Zimmerman doesn't argue that Obama deserves a third term to continue his great success, only that "Barack Obama should be allowed to stand for re election [again]" and that "citizens should be allowed to vote for--or against--him." Where it gets funny is in Zimmerman's resort to the 22nd Amendment as an excuse for the failures of Obama's first and second terms.
Which bring to Goodwin's ostensible tandem bios of Taft and TR, but actually it's more a tribute to all of progressive's leading lights, Tarbell, McClure, Steffens et al
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 06:33 PM
That profile of McDonough, identified early on as one of General Jones's minders, who has found himself out of his depth;
In hindsight, of course, that confidence was misplaced. "It's not that they took their eye off the ball--they spent a lot of time on it," said John D. Podesta, who helped run Mr. Obama's transition and remains close to the White House. "The question is whether they spent their time on the right things. It wasn't centralized. You can decide that was Obama's problem or Denis's problem or Kathleen's problem. But it was a problem."
Posted by: narciso79 | November 29, 2013 at 06:36 PM
Here's a favorite Hillary quote:
Occasionally, I am a human being like everybody else."
It's the line she used to justify her lying about running across the Bosnian Tarmac under sniper fire.
I did misspeak the other day. This has been a very long campaign. Occasionally, I am a human being like everybody else."
She insisted it was the "first time in 12 years" she had spoken inaccurately about the trip.
So every once in a great while, she's a human.
Posted by: daddy | November 29, 2013 at 06:43 PM
"So every once in a great while, she's a human."
She claims. It would take a complete dissection to convince me.
Posted by: Account Deleted | November 29, 2013 at 06:47 PM
There are certain points around her neck and shoulders where you can see the outlines of the coupling plugs where the hoses are fitted at night.
Borg.
Posted by: Jack is Back! | November 29, 2013 at 06:58 PM
So, I made the mistake of leaving CBS News on after the football game while I was baking some croutons, and the report on ObamaCare was sickening. No pun intended. Every lowlight that begged for a critical eye, was followed by a puff piece attempting to assuage the stupidity.
A report about the upcoming shortage of doctors, was followed by a piece on how a new federal program would entice med school students away from specialty practice and, instead, entering into primary care - and having no student debt upon graduation. No follow-up on the future shortage of specialists, though. Or how the program would be financed.
Ugh.
Posted by: Beasts of England | November 29, 2013 at 07:01 PM
Good news for interns: http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/scarborough-election-candidate-office/2013/11/29/id/539199
Money
shotquote:Posted by: Captain Hate | November 29, 2013 at 07:10 PM
They have just announced the Obamacare website is going down at 9 for 11 hours for "routine maintenance".
I'm sure the re-launch tomorrow will be perfect.
Posted by: Jane-Rebel Alliance1 | November 29, 2013 at 07:17 PM