Chris Christie isn't completely awful (revisited)

By Michael J.W. Stickings

He isn't just not an anti-Muslim bigot and isn't just not cruel to rape victims, as we've seen, he's also not a global warming denialist:

In case anyone had any doubts on where Gov. Chris Christie stands on
climate change, he made his position crystal clear this afternoon: It's
real and it's a problem.



In vetoing a bill (S2946)
that would have required New Jersey to stay in a regional program
intended to curb greenhouse gases — a program Christie plans to leave by
the end of the year — the governor said "climate change is real."



He added that "human activity plays a role in these changes" and that climate change is "impacting our state."

Well, okay. That's a lot to acknowledge -- for a Republican.

Still, it's not clear that Christie actually intends to try to do something meaningful about climate change. He appears to have put his skepticism behind him, seems to respect climate science (and the clear consensus within the scientific community), and for the most part acknowledges the problem ("we know enough to know that we are at least part of the problem"), if not the full extent of the crisis -- and all that certainly distinguishes him within his head-up-the-ass party -- but words, needless to say, even truthful ones, aren't enough. They're a start, and for that he deserves some credit, but the test is whether he puts the state's money where his mouth is.

Chris Christie isn't completely awful

By Michael J.W. Stickings

He's a bully and a blowhard, but New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has actually done a couple of admirable things recently.

First he appointed a Muslim judge, rejecting fears of the imposition of sharia law and slamming those -- on the right, of course, and distinctly Republican -- who opposed the appointment on ignorant and bigoted grounds:

It's just crazy, and I'm tired of dealing with the crazies. It's just unnecessary to be accusing this guy of things just because of
his religious background. I'm happy that he's willing to serve after
all this baloney.

That's awfully refreshing coming from a Republican, that is, from a prominent member of a party that seems to run on bigotry these days. Indeed, it's like he was rejecting his own party, or at least a huge part of it. See the clip below.

And now he's come to the defence of rape victims:

Health care providers in New Jersey can no longer bill sexual assault victims for forensic evidence collection.



Gov.
Chris Christie signed a bill into law Thursday that prevents victims
from being bill directly for medical screenings, medications for
sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy tests after an incident.



Christie
says sexual assault victims must be treated with respect and
compassion. He says this will help ensure their needs are met.

This was a pretty easy call, to be sure, given that victims aren't supposed to be billed directly. But they often are, and, needless to say, that's hardly what a rape victim needs.

Still, as easy as it may have been, or should have been, to sign this bill, the fact is that rape victims all too often aren't treated with respect and compassion, including by those in the political arena, and especially by some on the right.

At least this time, as with his rejection of anti-Muslim bigotry in appointing a Muslim judge, Christie did the right thing.

Eli Manning's 25 INTs in 2010, with hope for better things to come

By Richard K. Barry (with Michael J.W. Stickings)

From time to time this year we are going to amuse ourselves and hopefully others by writing about football (the American variety) at The Reaction. (You may already have noticed that we are also writing about that other game that many call football.)

And though it is still August, the National Football League regular season is really only a few weeks away. If you visit this site at all, you may know that I am a New York Giants fan. I have suffered with them over the years and celebrated when appropriate. (It seems as well that a Pittsburgh Steelers fan posts here every now and then, but he's not around this week so we don't have to worry about that).



Actually, I got back from vacation yesterday evening -- just in time to watch the Steelers trounce the detestable Eagles, a team both of us loathe. (And I'll get back to regular blogging soon.) -- MJWS



I like the Giants' quarterback, Eli Manning. I don't love him. But I like him well enough and think he is a solid, top-tier quarterback. Maybe no Tom Brady, but top-tier.



Wait... what? Top-tier? He's not even top-tier at a family reunion. I can name 28 QBs who are better than he is. Okay, maybe not that many. But he's not top 15 for me, or maybe just barely.



Last year Eli had 25 interceptions. That's a pretty big number. A bunch of these were tipped balls and blown routes, but a bunch more were just bad decisions.



Bad, very bad. Same old story, year after year.



Some helpful soul put together a video of all 25, which I post below. If you dislike the Giants, you may enjoy it for that reason. If you are a fan, it may remind you that with fewer INTs and fumbles in 2011, the G-Men should contend.



I don't dislike them all that much, but I'll certainly enjoy this, being not a fan of the Mannings.



I hope and pray.



Go Steelers!

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

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Site owner,
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THINGS I LIKED THIS WEEK....

Why should we respect politicians who don't answer the questions they are asked?

By Richard K. Barry

Among the many things wrong with how the media covers politics is the way they so often give up on fairly simple "yes or no" / "A or B" type questions when their first attempt to get a straight answer from a politician is batted aside.

Recently, CNN's Wolf Blitzer was interviewing Nikki Haley, the Republican Governor of South Carolina, about the current field of contenders for the GOP presidential nomination. One of the questions was about the "disagreement" between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry on whether or not climate change is man made.

As the Washington Post reports the divide:

Apparent front-runner Mitt Romney believes the world is getting warmer and that humans contribute to the pattern. Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday called that "a scientific theory that has not been proven."

Okay, Perry doesn't like science. He knows this view will appeal to a lot of idiots who also call themselves Republicans. I don't care.

But when Governor Haley was asked which side of this debate she came down on, she did what many politicians, of all stripes, do all too often. The way she answered was to say something like "what Americans really care about are jobs."

I know why she avoided the question. Giving a direct answer would have perhaps suggested support for either Romney or Perry, and she's not ready to go there. I don't even know if she has a stated opinion on the matter, which, if she did, would only make her answer more foolish.

It is well known that politicians are trained to say whatever they want to say no matter what question is asked. It even has a name. It's called "message discipline." I'm not sure, though, why any self-respecting journalist would embarrass himself by having a direct question ignored.

Think about how you'd feel if in the real world you asked someone what time it was and they answered by saying that it was supposed to rain this afternoon. Welcome to the world of politics.

Perversely, we even consider good message discipline to be the mark of a talented politician and the approach of answering questions too directly the sign of a political neophyte.

When Haley dodged the question, Blizter should have quickly said, "would you mind answering my question?" And then, every time she failed to answer, he should have stopped and respectfully asked that she try again.

I think we could even give this approach a name. It would be called "question discipline." Whenever a politician came on an interview program they would be told what to expect, that they answer direct questions or the interview would not move on.

I know some in the media already do this, but not nearly enough.

I also know I'm dreaming and that this will never happen, but our political discourse would be better if it did. And the only way it will ever change is if journalists start doing their jobs differently.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

[Release]Panzerkampfwagen VIB "King Tiger"

Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?7m8h8xmb6kdob04

Studio visit with Fran Shalom

Savoire Faire
2010
Oil on Wood
12" x 12'

 " I am a modernist abstract painter with a pop sensibility. My works balance the formal with the playful, paring down shapes and ideas into their most basic forms. It is a search for clarity and humor, as is evidenced by the shapes and colors in my paintings: cartoony, bright, blobby. But, like life itself, there is an undercurrent of conflict beneath the whimsy, as reflected in the tension and interaction between the shapes. Ultimately, it is important that the viewer becomes involved with the paintings, tempting them to stay long enough with the images to connect to a narrative that is at once ambiguous yet taps into the specifics and subtleties of their own lives."

 I was in Chelsea a few months ago at the Nancy Margolis Gallery seeing the Abstraction show. I particularity liked the color, quirkiness and ambiguity of Fran Shalom's work. I looked her up online and found out she lives 15 minutes from my studio so I arranged a visit. What a treat to have someone who speaks my language so close!

Her studio is up in the attic with plenty of light and room for her to work.

She is a collector so notice in many of the photos the shelves of "stuff".

I love this one above her painting wall. 

All of the work shown in this post is work in progress so don't get attached.

 

Here are her rolling tables with everything ready and close at hand. You can see her inspiraton wall to the left. Here is an upclose view:

 

 

Work in progress, oil on board

Works in progress, oil on board

This is a finished painting untitled at the moment (I love the relationship between the painting and the wire with the pink tags. )

We had some laughs

 

Everywhere I  looked I found echoing shapes and colors. Look at those funny creatures in the windows.

Work in progress, oil on board

 

Work in progress, oil on board

 More cards and images 

The bookshelves

She is a practicing Buddhist.

 

This is Jazzy's viewing chair. Notice the painting hanging up over the radiator. That is a painting by Brenda Goodman.

Troubled Waters #3 20 x 24 2009 Brenda Goodman

Untitled, 2010, Oil on Wood 12" x 12"

Fran has two shows coming up. 

A two person show, April 24th at The Painting Center, NYC

and a solo show, October 2012,

at the John Davis Gallery in Hudson, NY.

Photo of the Day: Canoeing on the Terrington Basin, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador (Canada)

By Richard K. Barry

I'd like to say that I am in one of those canoes, but I am not. My wife is, though, which is appropriate because she grew up in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador. I came along to see this beautiful part of Canada, but was otherwise engaged when the group took to the river at dusk in early August.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

SPICE SKULLS

I have no idea what the backstory is, all I know is that each skull is completely made from a different spice and that I really really want one.

MILLET

LEMON GRASS

BLACK SESAME SEED

This day in history - August 18, 1920: The 19th Amendment is ratified giving women the vote

By Richard K. Barry

It really is quite incredible to contemplate the fact that women have only been able to vote in the United States since 1920. Specifically, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibited United States citizens from being denied the right to vote based on sex.

Up to that point, most states, having the right to determine qualifications for voting, disenfranchised women.

Thanks in large part to the women's suffrage movement, and women like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, women got the vote.

My parents were born in the 1920s. It was simply not that long ago. Positive change does come, just never fast enough.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

[REL]American soldiers from Call of Duty 2

V1

V2

V3

Password: modsbypaul98.blogspot.com

Blogging Problem

We still have problem with our internet connection thats why there's no update on this blog. Next week there will be new posts on Cool Mom and My A&B lifestyle blogs.

Blogging Problem

We still have problem with our internet connection thats why there's no update on this blog. Next week there will be new posts on Cool Mom and My A&B lifestyle blogs.

Will the real GOP establishment ever be comfortable with Rick Perry?

By Richard K. Barry

Rick Perry has been in the GOP presidential nomination sweepstakes for all of three days and he already looks like he might flame out quickly. It is possible that everyone was wrong about the quality of his political skills and that this guy was always going to be joke?

First he strongly suggests that President Obama doesn't love his country and that the men and women in uniform don't respect him. Then he calls Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke "almost treasonous" for adopting quantitative easing policy. Three days and he's making a complete ass of himself.

It's been widely reported that there is no love lost between the Bushies and Perry, but it's still interesting to watch the last crowd who knew how to win the White House land on the current Texas governor with both feet.

Here's Karl Rove on the Bernanke comment on Fox News:

It's his first time on the national stage, and it was a very unfortunate comment. You don't accuse the Chairman of the Federal Reserve of being a traitor to his country and being guilty of treason and suggesting that we "treat him pretty ugly in Texas" - that's not, again, a presidential statement... Governor Perry is going to have to fight the impression that he's a cowboy from Texas. This simply adds to it.

And former Bush White House official Pete Wehner writing in Commentary had this to say:

People shouldn't throw around the words "almost treasonous" loosely; and certainly a person running for president shouldn't do such a thing. To say someone is treasonous means he is a traitor to his country. In the long catalogue of crimes an individual can commit, there are not many that are worse than treason...[W]hat the Texas governor said about the Federal Reserve chairman is the kind of blustering, unthinking comment that Perry's critics expect of him. Why he would play to stereotype is hard to fathom. Or, perhaps he's simply being himself. We'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, Perry ought to offer a retraction and apology - then offer a serious intellectual critique of why he believes Ben Bernanke is pursuing injurious policies.

Interesting to me is Wehner's comment that when Perry screws up maybe he's "simply being himself." Seems like that's exactly what Wehner thinks. When Perry is just being Perry, it ain't pretty.

Maybe the point is that this is the first candidate spewing the Tea Party bile who may truly have a shot at the nomination and the Republican establishment is freaking out at the thought. Finally someone who could seriously challenge for the nomination while simultaneously alienating every independent voter in every swing state.

Let Palin say what she wants to say. Who cares? Let Bachmann have Iowa. How much further could she go? Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul? Give me a break.

But Rick Perry? Here we have someone to keep the real campaigners in the Republican Party up at night, and they may have to do whatever they can to discredit this jackass as quickly as they can. Not that he seems to need the help.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

[Release] Panzerkampfwagen V "Panther" (tank)

This is my first tank.

Special thanks to AceCombatFreak
Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?m69lkp1y11jbbf4

FRANCES BEAN COBAIN BY HEDI SLIMANE CONT.