Yearly Archives: 2011

Ernest Istook of the Heritage Foundation speaks in Little Rock on 6-22-11 (Part 1)

June 22, 2011 – 2:26 pm

The third monthly luncheon with featured speaker Ernest Istook was excellent. First, we got to hear from Dave Elswick of KARN   who came up with the idea of this luncheon, and then from Teresa Crossland of Americans for Prosperity.

Below is a portion of Istook’s biography from the Heritage Foundation:

Ernest Istook 

Ernest Istook

  • Distinguished Fellow

Ernest J. Istook Jr. brings extensive congressional experience to bear on public policy issues as a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

Istook served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before joining Heritage in 2007.

In Congress, representing Oklahoma’s 5th District, he engaged in a wide and robust range of issues as a member of the Appropriations Committee –where he chaired multiple subcommittees– and the Homeland Security Committee.

Istook and his wife, Judy, have five adult children and are active in church work. They live in Alexandria, Va., though he still considers himself an Oklahoman.

________________________________________

I am starting a series today that reviews several things that Istook said in his talk. Ernest Istook noted that a very important annual study by the Heritage Foundation on how many Americans are dependent on the government would be coming out next week, but it appears that our dependency on government went up by at least 13% this year. In comparison our economy is growing by less than 3% which presents a very disturbing trend for the long-term. Below is a great article from the Heritage by Rachel Sheffield concerning the numbers released last year:

One in six Americans now receives some form of government assistance, reported last week’s U.S.A Today.

Fifty million are on Medicaid, a record high and a whopping 17 percent increase since December 2007. Food stamp enrollment has climbed nearly 50 percent since 2008 and now stands at 40 million, or one in seven people. Ten million Americans receive unemployment benefits, and 4.4 million get direct cash assistance, an 18 percent increase from two years ago.

And these are the numbers from only four of the more than 70 welfare programs funded by the federal government.

While some of the growth in welfare can be attributed to the current recession, government-assistance programs were growing far before the economy began to decline in December 2007. In fact, welfare spending has been climbing since the 1960s, when Lyndon B. Johnson declared his “War on Poverty.”

However, President Obama’s increases have been the most dramatic of any President in the nation’s history. As he completes two years in office, he will have added roughly $260 billion to government welfare spending, a jump two-and-a-half times greater than any previous welfare increase in the nation’s history.

And don’t expect welfare spending to decrease once the recession ends. The Obama budget makes it clear that the majority of these spending hikes are permanent. As a result, beginning this year, taxpayers will contribute approximately $1 trillion every year to federal means-tested programs. (This amount will be even greater once Medicaid enrollment jumps in 2014 as a result of the health care bill.)

Needless to say, such spending will only add to the massive national debt. Yet even more detrimental perhaps, will be the growing culture of dependency it creates.

Congress needs to get welfare spending under control. Practical steps would include such things as capping welfare spending at 2008 levels, restoring the requirements embedded in the successful welfare reforms of 1996, and adding similar aspects of personal responsibility to other welfare programs, such as food stamps and housing assistance. Also, marriage education programs should be reinstated if the government is serious about tackling poverty, considering that nearly 80 percent of long-term poverty takes place in homes headed by single parents.

The growth in welfare spending during the current economic recession is not necessarily surprising, yet most of the growth has taken place independent of the economic downturn. As the national debt continues to balloon, the Obama Administration should look for ways to rein in spending instead of significantly adding to its growth.

Other posts about Heritage Foundation:

Brummett: We need to tax the rich more (Real Cause of Deficit Pt 12)

John Brummett asserts that liberals are right about the cause of the deficit. He asserts in his article “Harry let us down,” Arkansas News Bureau, April 4, 2011: He is right that the actual deficit is caused by direct government spending exceeding income, an imbalance mostly caused, he will tell you with some justification, by […]

Ernest Istook: “it’s time to put away childish things” and tackle deficit, will Senator Mark Pryor do it?

U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor at the 2009 DPA J-J Dinner U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor at the 2009 Democratic Party Jefferson Jackson Dinner, Arkansas’s largest annual political event. (Did you notice that besides Mike Ross, EVERY OTHER DEMOCRAT THAT PRYOR MENTIONS DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB IN WASHINGTON IS NO LONGER IN OFFICE, SNYDER, LINCOLN, and BERRY)

What does the Heritage Foundation have to say about saving Social Security:Study released May 10, 2011 (Part 4)

“Saving the American Dream: The Heritage Plan to Fix the Debt, Cut Spending, and Restore Prosperity,” Heritage Foundation, May 10, 2011 by  Stuart Butler, Ph.D. , Alison Acosta Fraser and William Beach is one of the finest papers I have ever read. Over the next few days I will post portions of this paper, but […]

What does the Heritage Foundation have to say about saving Social Security:Study released May 10, 2011 (Part 3)

The problem with social security   David John, a Senior research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, explains his position on Social Security as it relates to taxes and health care. He suggests it would be a good solution for the government to raise the age of retirement. “Saving the American Dream: The Heritage Plan to […]

Who was Milton Friedman and what did he say about Social Security Reform? (Part 4)

Arnold Schwarzenegger did  the opening introduction to the film series “Free to Choose” by Milton Friedman, but then  Arnold abandoned the principles of Friedman!!!! Ep. 4 – From Cradle to Grave [4/7]. Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose (1980) Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect […]

What does the Heritage Foundation have to say about saving Social Security:Study released May 10, 2011 (Part 1)

What is the future of Social Security and Medicare?  Congresswoman Virginia Foxx talks with Alison Fraser of the Heritage Foundation about the state of Social Security and Medicare. “Saving the American Dream: The Heritage Plan to Fix the Debt, Cut Spending, and Restore Prosperity,” Heritage Foundation, May 10, 2011 by  Stuart Butler, Ph.D. , Alison […]

Max Brantley thinks there are three reasons we have huge debt: 1. Bush Tax cuts for rich 2. Bush’s wars 3. Recession (Real Cause of Deficit Pt 11)

The Laffer Curve, Part I: Understanding the Theory The Laffer Curve charts a relationship between tax rates and tax revenue. While the theory behind the Laffer Curve is widely accepted, the concept has become very controversial because politicians on both sides of the debate exaggerate. This video shows the middle ground between those who claim […]

Pat Lynch: We need to bring tax rates back up for Rich (Real Cause of Deficit Pt 10)(If you love Milton Friedman then you will love this post)

The liberal Pat Lynch in his article “Worry Inc.” Arkansas Democrat- Gazette, April 4, 2011 commented: While the budget cutters are busy going after programs that help mere citizens, any notion of bringing taxrates for the wealthy back to the levels of the Clinton era, when there was a federal surplus, is off the table. […]

John Brummett:Cause of deficit is we don’t tax rich enough (Real Cause of Deficit Pt 9)(Famous Arkansan Wayne Jackson)

John Brummett asserts that liberals are right about the cause of the deficit. He asserts in his article “Harry let us down,” Arkansas News Bureau, April 4, 2011: He is right that the actual deficit is caused by direct government spending exceeding income, an imbalance mostly caused, he will tell you with some justification, by […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Latest from the scene of crash that killed Ryan Dunn and Zac Hartwell

June 22, 2011 – 10:27 am

WPVI Action News 6.20.11 – Report on the death of Ryan Dunn and friend Zac Hartwell from the scene

Daredevil Ryan Dunn and his passenger died from the impact of the violent car crash and the resulting fire, according to a coroner’s report Tuesday.

The Chester County coroner listed blunt force trauma and thermal trauma as the official causes of death for both men. Toxicology results will take four to six weeks to complete, coroner’s office spokeswoman Patty Emmons said.

The 34-year-old Dunn and passenger Zachary Hartwell died early Monday, shortly after leaving a pub in West Chester where Dunn had tweeted a photo of the pair and a third man drinking just hours before the crash. The photo has since been taken down.

Barnaby’s of America manager Jim O’Brien declined through an employee to speak to The Associated Press. He told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Dunn was drinking with several friends at the bar but didn’t appear drunk.

West Goshen Township police declined Tuesday to discuss the ongoing investigation in detail but believe speed may have been a factor in the suburban Philadelphia crash.

A preliminary examination of the crash site suggested that Dunn’s Porsche might have been traveling more than 100 mph in the 55 mph zone when it jumped a guardrail, flew into a wooded ravine, struck a tree and burst into flames.

The 30-year-old Hartwell was credited as a production assistant for the second “Jackass” movie.

Dunn’s brother, Eric Dunn, said in an emailed statement to the AP that his family was “devastated.”

“We appreciate the support of Ryan’s fans during this time, and we are grateful for your thoughts and prayers,” he said. “Ryan will be greatly missed, but he will forever remain in our hearts.”

Mourners placed flowers and took photos at the accident scene in West Chester, while Facebook and Twitter were buzzing Tuesday with condolences from fans around the world and friends from Hollywood to Chester County.

Among those expressing their sorrow online were Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden, reality TV star Brody Jenner and Dunn’s “Jackass” movie and TV cohorts Bam Margera, Stephen “Steve-O” Glover and Jason “Wee Man” Acuna.

Margera, who was in Arizona at the time of the crash, visited the crash scene Tuesday evening and was visibly overcome with emotion, rocking back and forth in agony at the guardrail that the car crashed through, WCAU reported.

“I’ve never lost anybody that I cared about. It’s my best friend,” he told WPXI, weeping. “He was the happiest person ever, the smartest guy. He had so much talent, and he had so many things going for him. This is not right, not right.”

Margera stood at the guardrail that Dunn pierced with his Porsche Monday morning with such force that the car slammed through about 40 feet of trees before exploding into flames.

Dunn was born in Ohio and moved at age 15 to Pennsylvania, where he met Margera on his first day of high school, according to a biography posted on his website.

Glover tweeted, “I don’t know what to say, except I love Ryan Dunn and I’m really going to miss him.” Glover also canceled six upcoming stand-up comedy shows in Sacramento, Calif., and the venue said it was issuing ticketholders refunds.

There was also criticism, most notably after movie critic Roger Ebert posted on Twitter that “friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive.” Margera erupted in expletives on his own Twitter page. Ebert’s Facebook page was flooded with derogatory posts and briefly taken down; Facebook apologized a few hours later and said the page was “removed in error.”

Ebert responded Tuesday that he didn’t mean to be cruel and was “probably too quick to tweet” after the crash.

ryan dunn Jackass dead in crash

Bam Margera’s First Interview After Ryan Dunn’s Death

Ryan Dunn and his friends moments before they died.

Flickr user Eric Lewis posted the image below with a caption that says the photo shows what’s left of Dunn’s car.

Related posts:

Latest from the scene of crash that killed Ryan Dunn and Zac Hartwell

WPVI Action News 6.20.11 – Report on the death of Ryan Dunn and friend Zac Hartwell from the scene Daredevil Ryan Dunn and his passenger died from the impact of the violent car crash and the resulting fire, according to a coroner’s report Tuesday. The Chester County coroner listed blunt force trauma and thermal trauma […]

Roger Ebert’s comments on Ryan Dunn’s drunk driving gets loud response

  Roger Ebert’s tweets on “Jackass” set Internet on fire   Roger Ebert and Ryan Dunn (Credit: CBS/Getty) (CBS) Maybe this is what happens when friends let film critics tweet. In the hours after news broke of “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn’s death by fiery car accident, film critic and prolific Twitter user Roger Ebert tweeted, “‘Jackass’ […]

Ryan Dunn part of statistic: “Drunk Drivers are responsible for 50% of highway fatalities” (3 reasons I don’t drink)

Ryan Dunn seen on Sunday night. This shot was removed from his tumblr site. Ryan Dunn tweeted a picture of himself drinking from a bar. At 2 am he left the bar and a few minutes later he was killed after running off the road in his car.There are three reasons that I do not […]

Ryan Dunn had “3 Miller Lites and 3 shots over 4 hr period before leaving bar”

Buzz driving is drunk driving. This is a popular advertisement run by our local law inforcement office. Does the Ryan Dunn case prove their point?   Published: Celebrities with diseases reported June 20, 2011 Given the crazy nature by which they lived it was perhaps inevitable that one of the “Jackass” cast would eventually wind up on […]

Ryan Dunn’s last picture was of him drinking

Ryan Dunn dies in car crash   Jackass movie star Ryan Dunn died in a car crash in Pennsylvania early Monday morning. He was 34. Hours before the crash, Dunn posted a photo to Twitter, by way of his Tumblr blog, that depicted him drinking with friends. An unidentified passenger also died in the crash. […]

Picture of car that MTV Star Ryan Dunn was killed in

Video clip with picture of car Ryan Dunn was in before being killed this morning: ‘Jackass’ Star Ryan Dunn Killed in Car Accident By DavidOnda Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:25:50 GMT Ryan Dunn, star of MTV’s “Jackass,” was killed this morning in a one-car accident in West Goshen, Pennsylvania. The first reports began pouring onto […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 14, Henri Matisse)

June 22, 2011 – 5:54 am
I am currently going through the characters referenced in the Woody Allen movie “Midnight in Paris.” Today I am looking at Henri Matisse.
Below is a press release from a museum in San Francisco:
 the steins were known for their saturday evening salons, where artists, writers, musicians, intellectuals, and collectors gathered to discuss contemporary art, culture, and ideas.  the stein salons have even been described as ‘the first museum of modern art’!
 midnight in paris transports you to the stein salons in paris during the 1920’s.
in one scene, gertrude stein (played by kathy bates), is seated in the salon of her residence at 27 rue des fleures in front of the picasso portrait of gertrude stein from the exhibition.
stein and picasso (played by argentinian actor, marical di fonzo bo) are discussing a (faux) portrait of picasso’s (fictional) mistress, adriana (played by marion cotillard).
kathy bates as gertrude stein | midnight in paris
gertrude stein | oil on canvas | pablo picasso | 1905-1906
metropolitan museum of art | new york, NY
photo by metmuseum.org
 gertrude stein in her salon writing | black and white photograph | man ray | 1920
beinecke library | yale university | new haven, CT
in another scene, stein and matisse (played by french actor, yves-antoine spoto) are negotiating the purchase of a painting.  for 500 francs!
woman with a hat | oil on canvas | henri matisse | 1905
sfmoma | san francisco, CA
photo by ben blackwell
tHenri MatisseHenri Matissehe midnight in paris cast of characters also includes gertrude stein’s brother, leo stein (1872-1947), her partner, alice b. toklas (1877-1967) (who answers the front door), and other avant-garde artists, writers, or musicians who could have frequented the stein salons in paris during the 1920’s.
cameo appearances include:
artist  
salvatore dali (played by adrien brody)
photographer
man ray (played by tom cordier)
writers 
 ernest hemingway (played by corey stoll)
f. scott (and zelda) fitzgerald (played by tom hiddleston and alison pill)
t.s. eliott (played by david lowe)
filmmaker
luis bunuel (played by adrien de van)
and, musician  
cole porter (played by yves heck)
the chronology isn’t always art historically accurate.  but, midnight in paris is a woody allen film, so being in the right place, doing the right thing, at the wrong time just becomes part of the fantasy.
maybe you will enjoy this unexpected combination of art and entertainment as much as we did!
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Henri Matisse Biography

Born: December 31, 1869
Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France 
Died: November 3, 1954
Cimiez, France 
French painter and sculptor

Matisse
Huge selection of
Matisse items.
Yahoo.com

The French painter and sculptor Henri Matisse was one of the great initiators of the modern art movement, which uses the combination of bold primary colors and free, simple forms. He was also the most outstanding personality of the first revolution in twentieth century art—Fauvism (style of art that uses color and sometimes distorted forms to send its message).

Childhood and art education

Henri Matisse was born on December 31, 1869, in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France. After the war of 1870–71 his family moved to Bohain-en-Vermandois, France. Matisse’s father was a corn merchant, his mother an amateur painter. Matisse studied law from 1887 to 1891 and then decided to go to Paris, France, to become a painter. He worked under Adolphe William Bouguereau (1825–1905) at the Académie Julian in Paris, but he left in 1892 to enter the studio of Gustave Moreau (1826–1898) at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied until 1897. Moreau was a liberal teacher who did not interfere with the individuality of his pupils. He encouraged his students to look at nature and to paint outdoors, as well as to frequently visit the museums. Matisse copied paintings in the Louvre and painted outdoors in Paris.

Begins with impressionism and moves to Fauvism

About 1898, under the influence of impressionism (an art form using dabs of paint in primary colors to create an image representing a brief glance rather than a long study), the colors Matisse used became lighter, as in his seascapes of Belle-Île and landscapes of Corsica and the Côte d’Azur (coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea). Although impressionist in character, these early works of Matisse already showed a noticeable emphasis on color and simplified forms. Matisse married in 1898 and visited London, England, in the same year to study. On his return to Paris he attended classes at the Académie Carrière, where he met André Derain (1880–1954). Matisse created his first sculptures in 1899.

From 1900 Matisse struggled financially for years. In 1902 the artist, his wife Amélie, and their three children were forced to return to Bohain. In 1903 the Salon d’Automne was founded, and Matisse exhibited there. From 1900 to 1903, under the influence of Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), Matisse produced still lifes and nudes. In 1904 he had his first one-man show at the gallery of Ambroise Vollard in Paris and spent the summer in Saint-Tropez, France. In 1905 Matisse painted with Derain at Collioure; the works Matisse created there are excellent examples of Fauvism in their bright colors and flat patterning.

Fauve period

Matisse’s Fauve period extended from 1905 to 1908, during which time he completed a brilliant series of masterpieces. At the 1905 Salon d’Automne these paintings, known as the Fauves, made their first public appearance. In 1906 Matisse’s Joie de vivre was exhibited at the Indépendants; the painting gained him the title of the “King of the Fauves.”

Matisse made his first trip to North Africa in 1906. His Blue Nude, or Souvenir de Biskra (1907), is a memento of the journey. In this painting he experimented with contrapposto (an S-curve pose), and he used the same form in the sculpture Reclining Nude I (1907). He had established a studio in the former Convent des Oiseaux in 1905; this became a meeting place for foreign artists. He developed into the leader of an international art school with mainly German and Scandinavian pupils who spread his ideas. His “Notes of a Painter,” published in La Grande revue in 1908, became the artistic handbook of a whole generation. Matisse was a pleasant man who looked more like a shy government official than an artist. He never accepted any fees for his teaching so that he was not obligated to staying in one place. He did not want commitments to interfere with his creative activity.

Change in style

Between 1908 and 1913 Matisse made journeys to Spain, Germany, Russia, and Africa. In Munich, Germany, he saw an exhibition of Islamic art (1910), and in Moscow, Russia, he studied Russian icons (1911). Russian collectors began to buy his paintings. He produced five sculptures—heads of Jeannette—during 1910 and 1911, which show a resemblance to African masks and sculptures. His Moroccan journey of 1911–12 had a positive influence on his development, which is seen in Dance, Music, the Red Fishes, and the series of interiors recording his studio and its contents. They show a stern and compact style with blacks and grays, mauves, greens, and ochers (brown tones). Great Matisse exhibitions were held in 1910, 1913, and 1919.

Henri Matisse. Reproduced by permission of the Corbis Corporation.

Henri Matisse. 
Reproduced by permission of the

Corbis Corporation

.

By 1919 Matisse had become an internationally known master. His style at that time was characterized by the use of pure colors and their complex interplay (harmonies and contrasts); the two-dimensionality of the picture surface enriched by decorative patterns taken from wallpapers, Oriental carpets, and fabrics; the human figures being treated in the same manner as the decorative elements. The goal of Matisse’s art was the portrayal of the joyful living in contrast to the stresses of our technological age. Between 1920 and 1925 he completed a series of odalisques (female slaves), such as the Odalisque with Raised Arms; this period has been called an oasis of lightness.

Last years

In 1925 Matisse was made chevalier, the lowest ranking member of the Legion of Honor, and in 1927 he received the first prize at the Carnegie International Exhibition at Pittsburgh. After a visit to Tahiti, Matisse was a guest at the Barnes Foundation at Merion, Pennsylvania, and accepted Dr. Barnes’s commission to paint a mural, The Dance (1932–1933), for the hall of the foundation. During the next years he produced paintings, drawings, book illustrations (etchings and lithographs), sculptures (he made fifty-four bronzes altogether), ballet sets, and designs for tapestry and glass. In 1944 Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) arranged for him to be represented in the Salon d’Automne to celebrate the liberation of Paris from Nazi rule.

Matisse considered the peak of his life-work to be his design and decoration of the Chapel of the Rosary for the Dominican nuns at Vence, France (1948–1951). He designed the black-and-white tile pictures, stained glass, altar crucifix, and vestments (ceremonial robes). At the time of the consecration (declaration of sacredness) of the Vence chapel, Matisse held a large retrospective exhibition (a look back at the work he created) in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

The ultimate step in the art of Matisse was taken in his papiers découpés, abstract cutouts in colored paper, executed in the mid-1940s, for example, the Negro Boxer, Tristesse du roi, and Jazz. The master died on November 3, 1954, in Cimiez, France, near Nice.

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–Please Choose Frame Size–                   16×20 (40x50cm)                   20×24 (50x60cm)                   24×36 (60x90cm)                   30×40 (75x100cm)                   36×48 (90x120cm)                   48×72 (120x180cm)                   Special Size
Henri Matisse Breakfast oil painting picture
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Midnight in Paris 
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard
Written & Directed by: Woody Allen
Release Date: May 20, 2011
Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and smoking

After a string of misfires in the past ten years, including The Curse of the Jade of Scorpion,Scoop, and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Woody Allen finally recovers with an exceptionally funny film. Owen Wilson leads the cast as Gil Pender, a struggling writer who feels that he’s sold his soul to Hollywood by writing nothing but crappy screenplays. His latest work is a novel that he feels is his first attempt at serious work he can proud of. His fiancé, Inez (Rachel McAdams), doesn’t support this and tells him to give it up, so he can keep whoring out for the film studios (not quite in those exact words). On their trip to Paris, they spend time with her parents, played by a hilarious Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy, and her pretentious friends, Paul (a brilliantly funny Michael Sheen) and Carol (Nina Arianda). They go dancing and wine tasting, but all that poor Gil really wants to do is experience culture from the 20s and take in the beautiful architecture. In fact, his dream is to live in Paris in the 20s and meet his writing influences, Hemingway and Fitzgerald. That’s precisely what happens when he wanders the streets past midnight. He gets in a strange car and meets Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Hemingway (Corey Stoll), and Zelda Fitzgerald (Alison Pill) at a party. When the night is over, he’s back in present time and bored again. When the next night comes around, he goes back for more fun and gets caught up in the magic of the time period. Woody Allen always rounds up a great cast for his films, but this bunch of talented actors collide and create an amazing experience. Adrien Brody plays Salvador Dali, David Lowe plays T. S. Eliot, Kathy Bates plays Gertrude Stein, Marcial Di Fonzo Bo plays Picasso, and Marion Cotillard plays Adriana, Gil’s love interest and Picasso’s girlfriend at the time. Allen has a certain style that shows only a little bit in this film, but it’s something different for him. Rather than focusing on the realities of life, death, and sex, he makes this film fun to watch. It’s not a cynical film about people ruining their lives, it’s a feel-good, smart romantic comedy. Midnight in Paris is a can’t-miss for the thinking man.

A Christian Manifesto Francis Schaeffer

Published on Dec 18, 2012

A video important to today. The man was very wise in the ways of God. And of government. Hope you enjoy a good solis teaching from the past. The truth never gets old.

The Roots of the Emergent Church by Francis Schaeffer

How Should We then Live Episode 7 small (Age of Nonreason)

#02 How Should We Then Live? (Promo Clip) Dr. Francis Schaeffer

10 Worldview and Truth

Two Minute Warning: How Then Should We Live?: Francis Schaeffer at 100

Francis Schaeffer Whatever Happened to the Human Race (Episode 1) ABORTION

Francis Schaeffer “BASIS FOR HUMAN DIGNITY” Whatever…HTTHR

 Other posts with Woody Allen:

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 15, Luis Bunuel)

Belle de Jour Presentation In a film class my partner and I did a video presentation on the film Belle de Jour and the filmmaker Luis Bunuel. Bunuel was a surrealist, so if the video doesn’t quite makes sense, its not supposed to. ___________________________________________________ I am presently going through the characters referenced in Woody Allen’s […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 14, Henri Matisse)

I am currently going through the characters referenced in the Woody Allen movie “Midnight in Paris.” Today I am looking at Henri Matisse. Below is a press release from a museum in San Francisco:  the steins were known for their saturday evening salons, where artists, writers, musicians, intellectuals, and collectors gathered to discuss contemporary art, […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 13, Amedeo Modigliani)

Adriana and Gil are seen above walking together in the movie “Midnight in Paris.” Adriana was a fictional character who was Picasso’s mistress in the film. Earlier she had been Modigliani’s mistress and later Georges Braque’s mistress before moving on to Picasso according to the film story line. Actually Picasso had taken girls from others […]

The characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 12, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel)

An article from Biography.com below. I am currently going through all the personalities mentioned in Woody Allen’s movie “Midnight in Paris.” Today I am spending time on Coco Chanel. By the way, I know that some of you are wondering how many posts I will have before I am finished. Right now I have plans […]

The characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 11, Rodin)

The Thinker (1879–1889) is among the most recognized works in all of sculpture. In fact, below you can see Paul who constantly is showing up Gil with his knowledge about these pieces of art. He shows off while describing Rodin’s life story when all four of them are taking in “The Thinker.” However, he is […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 10 Salvador Dali)

Artists and bohemians inspired Woody Allen for ‘Midnight in Paris I love the movie “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen and I am going through the whole list of famous writers and artists that he included in the movie. Today we will look at Salvador Dali. In this clip below you will see when Picasso […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 9, Georges Braque)

2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics Lea Seydoux as Gabrielle in “Midnight in Paris.” Adriana and Gil are seen above walking together in the movie “Midnight in Paris.” Adriana was a fictional character who was Picasso’s mistress in the film. Earlier she had been Georges Braque’s mistress before moving on to Picasso according to […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 8, Henri Toulouse Lautrec)

How Should We Then Live 7#3 2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics Owen Wilson as Gil in “Midnight in Paris.” Paul Gauguin and Henri Toulouse Lautrec were the greatest painters of the post-impressionists. They are pictured together in 1890 in Paris in Woody Allen’s new movie “Midnight in Paris.” My favorite philosopher Francis Schaeffer […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 7 Paul Gauguin)

How Should We Then Live 7#1 Dr. Francis Schaeffer examines the Age of Non-Reason and he mentions the work of Paul Gauguin. 2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics Kurt Fuller as John and Mimi Kennedy as Helen in “Midnight in Paris.” I love the movie “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen and I am […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 6 Gertrude Stein)

Midnight In Paris – SPOILER Discussion by What The Flick?! Associated Press Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas in 1934 This video clip below discusses Gertrude Stein’s friendship with Pablo Picasso: I love the movie “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen and I am going through the whole list of famous writers and artists that […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 5 Juan Belmonte)

2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics Gad Elmaleh as Detective Tisserant in “Midnight in Paris.” I love the movie “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen and I am going through the whole list of famous writers and artists that he included in the movie. Juan Belmonte was the most famous bullfighter of the time […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 4 Ernest Heminingway)

  Woody Allen explores fantasy world with “Midnight in Paris” 2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway in “Midnight in Paris.” The New York Times Ernest Hemingway, around 1937 I love the movie “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen and I am going through the whole list of famous writers […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 3 Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald)

What The Flick?!: Midnight In Paris – Review by What The Flick?! 2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics Alison Pill as Zelda Fitzgerald and Tom Hiddleston as F. Scott Fitzgerald in “Midnight in Paris.” 2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics Owen Wilson as Gil in “Midnight in Paris.” 2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 2 Cole Porter)

The song used in “Midnight in Paris” I am going through the famous characters that Woody Allen presents in his excellent movie “Midnight in Paris.” This series may be a long one since there are so many great characters. De-Lovely – Movie Trailer De-Lovely – So in Love – Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd & Others […]

The Characters referenced in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (Part 1 William Faulkner)

Photo by Phill Mullen The only known photograph of William Faulkner (right) with his eldest brother, John, was taken in 1949. Like his brother, John Faulkner was also a writer, though their writing styles differed considerably. My grandfather, John Murphey, (born 1910) grew up in Oxford, Mississippi and knew both Johncy and “Bill” Faulkner. He […]

I love Woody Allen’s latest movie “Midnight in Paris”

I love the movie “Midnight in Paris” was so good that I will be doing a series on it. My favorite Woody Allen movie is Crimes and Misdemeanors and I will provide links to my earlier posts on that great movie. Movie Guide the Christian website had the following review: MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is the […]

Solomon, Woody Allen, Coldplay and Kansas (Coldplay’s spiritual search Part 6)

Here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago: Solomon, Woody Allen, Coldplay and Kansas What does King Solomon, the movie director Woody Allen and the modern rock bands Coldplay and Kansas have in common? All four took on the issues surrounding death, the meaning of life and a possible afterlife, although they all came up with their own conclusions on […]

Insight into what Coldplay meant by “St. Peter won’t call my name” (Series on Coldplay’s spiritual search, Part 3)

Coldplay seeks to corner the market on earnest and expressive rock music that currently appeals to wide audiences Here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago about Chris Martin’s view of hell. He says he does not believe in it but for some reason he writes a song that teaches that it […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Book of Mormon is not historically accurate, but Bible is (Part 31)

June 22, 2011 – 5:11 am

The Book of Mormon vs The Bible, Part 5 of an indepth study of Latter Day Saints Archeology

The Book of Mormon verses The Bible, Part 5 of an indepth study

With the great vast amounts of evidence we find in the Bible through archeology, why is there no evidence for anything writte in the Book of Mormon?

Tags: church false mormon christian bible book of mormon joseph smith cult LDS latter day saints

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From time to time you will read articles in the Arkansas press by  such writers as  John Brummett, Max Brantley and Gene Lyons that poke fun at those that actually believe the Bible is historically accurate when in fact the Bible is backed up by many archaeological facts. The Book of Mormon is blindly accepted even though archaeology has disproven many of the facts that are claimed by it. For instance, wheels and chariots did not exist in North America when they said they did.

Goats are mentioned three times in the Book of Mormon[54] placing them among the Nephites and the Jaredites (i.e. between 2500 BC and 400 AD). In two of the verses, “goats” are distinguished from “wild goats” indicating that there were at least two varieties, one of them possibly domesticated or tamed.

Domestic goats are known to have been introduced on the American continent by Europeans in the 15th century,[citation needed] 1000 years after the conclusion of the Book of Mormon, and nearly 2000 years after goats are last mentioned in the Book of Mormon. The aggressive mountain goat is indigenous to North America. There is no evidence that it was ever domesticated.

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Over the years there have been many criticisms leveled against the Bible concerning its historical reliability. These criticisms are usually based on a lack of evidence from outside sources to confirm the Biblical record. Since the Bible is a religious book, many scholars take the position that it is biased and cannot be trusted unless we have corroborating evidence from extra-Biblical sources. In other words, the Bible is guilty until proven innocent, and a lack of outside evidence places the Biblical account in doubt.

This standard is far different from that applied to other ancient documents, even though many, if not most, have a religious element. They are considered to be accurate, unless there is evidence to show that they are not. Although it is not possible to verify every incident in the Bible, the discoveries of archaeology since the mid-1800s have demonstrated the reliability and plausibility of the Bible narrative.

Here are some examples:

  • Clay Tablet, Ebla. Photo copyrighted.The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. The name “Canaan” was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The word tehom (“the deep”) in Genesis 1:2 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of the creation story. “Tehom” was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years before Moses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.
  • The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records were discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey.

How does archaeology conclusively demonstrate the Bible to be reliable and unique among all the holy books of world religions? Answer

For many more archaeological evidences in support of the Bible, see Archaeology and the Bible

[ If this information has been helpful, please prayerfully consider a donation to help pay the expenses for making this faith-building service available to you and your family! Donations are tax-deductible. ]

Author: Bryant Wood of Associates for Biblical Research

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Biblical Archaeology | Comments (0)

Senator Pryor asks for Spending Cut Suggestions! Here are a few!(Part 67)

June 22, 2011 – 3:44 am

Senator Mark Pryor wants our ideas on how to cut federal spending. Take a look at this video clip below:

Senator Pryor has asked us to send our ideas to him at cutspending@pryor.senate.gov and I have done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

On May 11, 2011,  I emailed to this above address and I got this email back from Senator Pryor’s office:

Please note, this is not a monitored email account. Due to the sheer volume of correspondence I receive, I ask that constituents please contact me via my website with any responses or additional concerns. If you would like a specific reply to your message, please visit http://pryor.senate.gov/contact. This system ensures that I will continue to keep Arkansas First by allowing me to better organize the thousands of emails I get from Arkansans each week and ensuring that I have all the information I need to respond to your particular communication in timely manner.  I appreciate you writing. I always welcome your input and suggestions. Please do not hesitate to contact me on any issue of concern to you in the future.

Therefore, I went to the website and sent this email below:

Here are a few more I just emailed to him myself.

Freeze discretionary spending in 2005. Discretionary spending leaped 39 percent between 2001 and 2004. Even after excluding defense and costs related to September 11, discretionary spending is rising 7 percent annually. Do these agencies need yet another spending increase this year? Congress and the President should do what millions of families do: set priorities and balance each high-priority spending increase with a low-priority spending cut.

Overall Spending Trends

Washington Spending on Households

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Transcript and video of Republican Debate June 13, 2011 New Hampshire (Part 9)

June 22, 2011 – 3:40 am

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, right, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich share a laugh as they wave before the first New Hampshire Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., Monday, June 13, 2011. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., is at left. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Republican Presidential Debate In New Hampshire pt.9

KING: Welcome back. Seven Republican candidates for president debating on the campus of St. Anselm Congress in beautiful Manchester, New Hampshire — St. Anselm College, excuse me. We want to turn to foreign policy now.

I want to move up to Hancock and Jean Mackin, and she’s got a question.

MACKIN: I’m here with John Brown from Swanzey, New Hampshire. He’s retired from the U.S. Navy, 25 years of service. Right now, he has three sons serving in the Navy. So you can imagine he has a very important question. What would you like to ask tonight, John?

JOHN BROWN, VOTER: Osama bin Laden is dead. We’ve been in Afghanistan for ten years. Isn’t it time to bring our combat troops home from Afghanistan?

KING: Governor Romney, take the lead on that one. ROMNEY: It’s time for us to bring our troops home as soon as we possibly can, consistent with the word that comes to our generals that we can hand the country over to the Taliban military in a way that they’re able to defend themselves. Excuse me, the Afghan military to defend themselves from the Taliban. That’s an important distinction.

I want to say, first of all, thank you to you for the sacrifice of your family and your sons in defending the liberty that we have and our friends around the world. Thank you for what you’ve done.

KING: Congressman Paul?

ROMNEY: Let me — let me continue. That is I think we’ve learned some important lessons in our experience in Afghanistan. I want those troops to come home based upon not politics, not based upon economics, but instead based upon the conditions on the ground determined by the generals.

But I also think we’ve learned that our troops shouldn’t go off and try and fight a war of independence for another nation. Only the Afghanis can win Afghanistan’s independence from the Taliban. Thank you.

KING: Congressman Paul, do you agree with that decision?

PAUL: Not quite. I served five years in the military. I’ve had a little experience. I’ve spent a little time over in the Pakistan/Afghanistan area, as well as Iran. But I wouldn’t wait for my generals. I’m the commander in chief.

I make the decisions. I tell the generals what to do. I’d bring them home as quickly as possible. And I would get them out of Iraq as well. And I wouldn’t start a war in Libya. I’d quit bombing Yemen. And I’d quit bombing Pakistan.

I’d start taking care of people here at home because we could save hundreds of billions of dollars.

Our national security is not enhanced by our presence over there. We have no purpose there. We should learn the lessons of history. The longer we’re there, the worse things are and the more danger we’re in as well, because our presence there is not making friends let me tell you.

KING: Governor Pawlenty, a growing number of Republicans are more skeptical of these foreign involvements. But I want you to take what Congressman Paul just said there. Let’s focus on one.

He said no bombing in Yemen. The strikes in Yemen have been targeted at al Qaeda leaders, at al Qaeda operatives, who the president of the United States, who happens to be a Democrat in his case, views as serious threats against this nation. Do you agree with Congressman Paul there or do you agree with President Obama and the strikes?

PAWLENTY: Let me first say to John, thank you for your family’s commitment to our nation, to your service, to the sacrifices that you made and to the burdens that you bear. I know I speak for everyone in this room and all across this country when we say we’re grateful to you. We wouldn’t have the country without people lie you and your sons. Thank you very much.

Beyond that, John, I start with this perspective. On September 11th, 2001, individuals and groups killed 3,000 or so of our fellow Americans. They would have killed not 3,000, but 30,000 or 300,000 or 30 million if they could have. If they had the capability to do that in their hands — and as soon as they get it, they’ll try.

The first duty of the president of the United States, as the leader of this nation and commander in chief, is to make sure the nation is safe. You bet. If there are individuals I have intelligence on, or groups in Yemen that present a threat to our security interests in that region or the United States of America, you can bet they will hear from me and we’ll continue the bombings.

KING: Let’s stay on foreign policy. I want to move the questioning. Tom Foreman up in Rochester. Tom. We lost him.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: I’d like to know your opinion on your involvement with Libya.

KING: Congresswoman Bachmann, should the president have supported and jointed more U.S. presence, but now a NATO operation? Was that the right thing to do? Is that in the vital national interest of the United States of America?

BACHMANN: No, I don’t believe so it is. That isn’t just my opinion. That was the opinion of our defense secretary, Gates, when he came before the United States Congress. He could not identify a vital national American interest in Libya.

Our policy in Libya is substantially flawed. It’s interesting. President Obama’s own people said that he was leading from behind. The United States doesn’t lead from behind. As commander in chief, I would not lead from behind.

We are the head. We are not the tail. The president was wrong. All we have to know is the president deferred leadership in Libya to France. That’s all we need to know. The president was not leading when it came to Libya.

First of all, we were not attacked. We were not threatened with attack. There was no vital national interest. I sit on the House Select Committee on Intelligence. We deal with the nation’s vital classified secrets.

We to this day don’t yet know who the rebel forces are that we’re helping. There are some reports that they may contain al Qaeda of North Africa. What possible vital American interests could we have to empower al Qaeda of North Africa and Libya? The president was absolutely wrong in his decision on Libya. KING: Mr. Speaker, address the same question. Was it in the vital national interest of the United States? As you do so, I had a conversation with a soon-to-be candidate who is not here tonight, Governor Huntsman, recently, who said he didn’t think when it came to vital national interest. And he also said we can’t afford it right now.

Should the price tag be a factor when you’re the commander in chief of the United States?

GINGRICH: Sure. The price tag is always a factor, because, as General Eisenhower once he was president pointed out, as Abraham Lincoln understood, as George Washington understood, that’s part of the decision.

But I think what Congresswoman Bachmann just said ought to really sober everybody about how much trouble we’re in. Ten years after 9/11, our intelligence is so inadequate that we have no idea what percent of the Libyan rebels are, in fact, al Qaeda. Libya was the second largest producer of people who wanted to kill Americans in Iraq.

I think that we need to think fundamentally about reassessing our entire strategy in the region. I think that we should say to the generals we would like to figure out to get out as rapid as possible with the safety of the troops involved. And we had better find new and very different strategies because this is too big a problem for us to deal with the American ground forces in direct combat.

We have got to have a totally new strategy for the region, because we don’t today have the kind of intelligence we need to know even what we’re doing.

KING: Mr. Cain, take 30 seconds, please. People might say he’s a businessman. He has no experience in government. How would you look at your responsibilities, draw that line, vital U.S. national interests as commander in chief?

CAIN: It starts with making sure we understand the problem, which I don’t think we did. We didn’t have the intelligence. Number two, is it in the vital interest of the United States of America? If the answer is no, then we don’t go any further. If it’s not in the vital interest of America, To paraphrase my grandmother, with the situation in Libya and many of these other situations, they’re not simple situations. It’s a mess. It’s just an absolute mess.

And there’s more that we don’t know than we do know, so it will be very difficult to know exactly what we do until, like others have said, we learn from the commanders in the field.

KING: Let’s stay on how you would all focus as a commander in chief. Let’s move down. Jennifer has a voter with a question.

VAUGHN: Staying on this topic, John, thank you. I’d like you to meet Greg Salts, who lives here in Manchester, New Hampshire. What’s your question tonight for the candidates? GREG SALTS, TRUCK DRIVER: Well, I support the U.S. military. But frankly, we’re in debt up to our eyeballs. We have nation building going on around the world. We’re the world’s police force. World War II is over. The Korean War is over. But we still have military bases all over Europe, all over Asia.

We have something like 900 military bases all around the world. I want to know if there’s a candidate on the stage who is willing to shut down the bulk — not the bulk of these bases, but the bases that aren’t vital to our national security, and take that money to pay off our national debt?

KING: Senator Santorum, why don’t I start with you on this one?

SANTORUM: We have actually closed down a lot of bases overseas. Look, what we’re dealing with is a failure of leadership on this administration’s part to actually put together a strategy where we can confront our enemies. And our enemies are asymmetric threats: terrorism.

That means that they are not just the positioned in the Middle East, but around the world. That means we have to have the ability to confront those threats from around the world, which means we need basing around the world.

So number one, we do need that basing. We do need to be able to be nimble and to be able to attack where we’re attacked because it’s not just a threat. We don’t need to build bases in Germany for a threat from the Soviet Union.

Its much broader threat, number one. So we have to engage our allies and have our allies know that we have their back. The president has not done that. He’s done everything he can, whether it’s Israel or Honduras or whether it’s Colombia or whether it’s Czechs, the Poles — he has turned his back on American allies and he has embraced our enemies.

Our enemies no longer respect us. Our friends no longer trust us. And we have a foreign policy that unfortunately now we’re probably going to need more of a presence, because we’ve created such a vacuum. Thus, all the contingency operations you’re seeing here as a result of America’s fecklessness in dealing with the threats that confront us.

KING: I need to step in on time here. We have to take our last break of the evening. I know a lot of you have a lot of things to say. We’ll get to more issues.

As we do some, if you take a look up here, you’ll see the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. A lot of good questions. Would you have released the bin Laden photos? Would you support Israel at any cost if they’re attacked by surrounding hostile countries.

Good questions from our viewers there. We’re here on the campus of St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. Seven Republican candidates for president. We’ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL: BREAK)

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Kate Middleton and Prince William: Marriage made in Heaven? (Part 58)

June 22, 2011 – 3:29 am
photo

The Official Royal Wedding photographs

The Royal Wedding Group in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace on 29th April 2011 with the Bride and Groom, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the centre.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Love Story

In this video clip mentions that Kate and William lived together in college. There is comparison of Kate and Diana.

I really do wish Kate and William success in their marriage. I hope they truly are committed to each other, and if they are then the result will be a marriage that lasts their whole lifetime. Nevertheless, I do not think it is best to live together before marriage like they did, and I writing this series to help couples see how best to prepare for marriage.
I read an article recently that was very helpful on this subject. “The Seven Myths of Cohabitation,” by Patrick & Dwaina Six is an article that I will be sharing in this series the next few days. Here is the second portion:

The first myth says, “By living together, we can see how we’ll get along when we’re married.” Heard this one? It’s not true. Couples who live together outside of marriage are generally less favorable of marriage and more accepting of divorce. They tend to act more like dating partners or roommates than a husband and wife. They typically maintain separate finances, schedules, and lifestyles. They usually don’t feel an obligation to “check with their mate” before making major decisions. Married couples, on the other hand, rely on each other more and are less likely to walk out because they’ve made a permanent commitment to each other. Living together does not accurately imitate a married relationship.

Tim Hawkins – Cletus Take the Reel

http://www.timhawkins.net

An epic tale of determination, friendship, and um… fish, from Tim Hawkins. A parody of “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood. To view this video in HIGH RESOLUTION, click on the above link

Chip Ingram – Three Ways to Improve your Conflict Resolution Skills (pt 2)

Why is conflict so hard to resolve? Whether in your marriage or other relationships – conflict can be a huge barrier that most of us would rather avoid. I want to share with you some common mistakes in conflict resolution and three important realizations that will bring fresh perspective to even the most difficult conversations. If you want to learn more, you can listen to the full message on conflict resolution from our guest speaker Tim Lundy here: http://www.venturechristian.org/files/sermons2/t032011.mp3

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By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Who was Milton Friedman and what did he say about Social Security Reform? (Part 7) (Friedman v. Bill Clinton Part B)

June 22, 2011 – 12:01 am
Milton Friedman congratulated by President Ronald Reagan. © 2008 Free To Choose Media, courtesy of the Power of Choice press kit

The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.
Milton Friedman

The Debt Bomb: A Decade of DC Spending is Driving America Closer to an Economic Apocalypse

Alexis Garcia reports on America’s exploding debt. Experts blame entitlements like Social Security and government spending. But what is the solution? Can we raise taxes without crushing the economy and the middle class? Does Obama really want to lower the debt, or does he support continued deficit spending? See interviews with Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Brian Riedl, Jason Peuquet and former Congressman Ernest Istook (R-OK).

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 Milton Friedman (Милтон Фридман)

In this series I want to both look  closely at who Milton Friedman was and what his views were about Social Security reform. Here is the sixth portion of an autobiography from Nobelprize.org:

As Rose wrote in our memoirs, “As we look back at the events chronicled in this chapter, it all seems like something of a fairy tale. Who would have dreamed that after retiring from teaching, Milton would be able to preach the doctrine of human freedom to many millions of people in countries around the globe through television, millions more through our book based on the television program, and countless others through videocassettes” (p. 503).

Monetary Trends in the United States and the United Kingdom, published in 1982, was the final major product of a collaboration with Anna J. Schwartz under the auspices of the National Bureau of Economic Research that lasted more than three decades. Money Mischief (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992) collects assorted pieces of monetary history, some of which I had published elsewhere, some of which appear first in this book.

I have continued to be active in public policy since 1977. I continued my tri-weekly column in Newsweek until it was terminated in 1983. Since then, I have published numerous op-eds in major newspapers. I served as an unofficial adviser to Ronald Reagan during his candidacy for the presidency in 1980, and as a member of the President’s Economic Policy Advisory Board during his presidency. In 1988, President Reagan awarded me the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in the same year I was awarded the National Medal of Science.

We have traveled extensively since 1977, including a trip through Eastern Europe in 1990, where we filmed a documentary on former Soviet satellites. The documentary was included in a shortened reissue of Free to Choose.

Perhaps the most notable foreign travel consisted of three trips to China: one in 1980 when I gave a series of lectures under the auspices of the Chinese government; one in 1988 when I attended a conference in Shanghai on Chinese economic development and had a fascinating session in Beijing with Zhao Ziyang, at the time, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, deposed a few months later for his unwillingness to approve the use of force on Tiananmen Square; and one in 1993 when I traveled with a group of Chinese friends from Hong Kong throughout the country. The three visits covered a period of revolutionary economic growth and development, the first stage of a shift from an authoritarian, centrally planned economy to a largely free market economy.

Ever since the 1950s, Rose and I have been interested in the promotion of parental choice in schooling through the use of vouchers. Finally, in 1996, when it became clear that our personal involvement would have to be limited, we established a foundation, The Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation devoted to promoting parental choice in schooling. We were fortunate in being able to persuade Gordon St. Angelo to serve as president. He has done an outstanding job. Progress toward our objective of universal vouchers has been distressingly slow, but there has been progress. The pace of progress shows every sign of speeding up, and our foundation has made a significant contribution to that progress.

In 1998, the University of Chicago Press published our memoirs, Milton and Rose D. Friedman, Two Lucky People.

Milton Friedman died on November 16, 2006.

Investing Social Security funds in the stock market would be a fine idea, wouldn’t it? President Clinton thinks so. Nobel laureate and Hoover fellow Milton Friedman thinks not.

President Clinton has proposed that a quarter of the funds set aside for Social Security be invested in the stock market—a truly radical plan…

Suppose the president’s proposed policy had been followed in its most extreme form from the outset of Social Security in 1937 (i.e., that the whole excess of Social Security tax receipts over Social Security benefit payments, not just one-quarter, had been invested in the stock market). Offhand, it looks as if the trust fund would own only about 5 percent of all domestic corporations ($656 billion out of $13 trillion).

But that is too simple. Most of the accruing funds would have been invested at far lower stock prices than those that prevailed at the end of 1997. Suppose that stock prices, dividend yields, Social Security tax receipts, and Social Security benefit payments had all been what they were—that is, not affected by the investment of Social Security funds in stocks instead of government bonds. On that assumption, the trust fund at the end of 1997 would have totaled not $656 billion but more than ten times as much, approximately $7 trillion. In that case, the Social Security trust fund would own more than half of all domestic corporations! To return to my socialist fantasy, full funding would long since have brought complete socialism.

That too is too simple. Neither stock prices nor other economic magnitudes could have behaved as they actually did, with so much extra money flowing into the market. But what this calculation demonstrates is (1) the widely recognized fact of how much better equity stocks are as an investment than government bonds and (2) how seriously the government purchase of private securities would threaten our freedom.

Have we not learned from the experience of the past century that private property is the key bulwark of personal freedom? Has that experience not shown how dangerous it is to transfer a larger and larger fraction of the productive assets of the country into the hands of a government bureaucracy?

If the corresponding sums had been accumulated by private individuals and not used to finance government spending, they would have been a real addition to the nation’s capital and not just a bookkeeping entry. Those sums would have been invested in ways citizens or their advisers chose. The end result would have been more productive investment, a larger stream of income, and a freer, more responsible, more productive society.

Milton Friedman, recipient of the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize for economic science, was a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution from 1977 to 2006. He passed away on Nov. 16, 2006. He was also the Paul Snowden Russell Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Chicago, where he taught from 1946 to 1976, and a member of the research staff of the National Bureau of Economic Research from 1937 to 1981.

Reprinted with minor editorial changes from the Wall Street Journal, January 26, 1999, from an article entitled “Social Security Socialism.” Reprinted with permission of the Wall Street Journal. © 1999 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

Available from the Hoover Press is the videotape “Social Insecurity: Reforming Social Security,” an episode of the weekly television program Uncommon Knowledge, jointly produced by the Hoover Institution and the San Jose PBS affiliate KTEH.

 

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Bill Clinton, Milton Friedman, Social Security | Comments (0)

Roger Ebert’s comments on Ryan Dunn’s drunk driving gets loud response

June 21, 2011 – 9:48 am

 

Roger Ebert’s tweets on “Jackass” set Internet on fire

 

Roger Ebert and Ryan Dunn

(Credit: CBS/Getty)

(CBS) Maybe this is what happens when friends let film critics tweet. In the hours after news broke of “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn’s death by fiery car accident, film critic and prolific Twitter user Roger Ebert tweeted, “‘Jackass’ star Ryan Dunn, RIP. His Porsche flew through 40 yards of trees.”

About 40 minutes later, Ebert tweeted, “Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive.”

And then the Internet exploded. 

Perez Hilton writes on his site, “We certainly agree that driving after drinking is wrong, we think there’s no reason – especially RIGHT NOW – that anyone should be pointing fingers or poking fun at a truly tragic situation.”

Wow. When Perez Hilton is admonishing you, you may actually be wrong.

“Jackass” star and friend of Dunn, Bam Margera, was less kind than Hilton, tweeting, “I just lost my best friend, I have been crying hysterical for a full day and piece of s**t roger ebert has the gall to put in his 2 cents”[.]

He continues, “About a jackass drunk driving and [Dunn’s] is one, f**k you! Millions of people are crying right now, shut your fat f**king mouth!”

Since Ebert’s “drink and drive” tweet, he’s followed up with a note defending it, pointing out that most of Hilton’s readers agree with him. That appears to be true, but I’d posit that on the Internet you’re going to find more people talking tough under the cloak of anonymity than people expressing warm and fuzzy remembrances of the recently deceased. (Take a look at the comments on our story if you don’t believe me.)

This is not Ebert’s first time weighing in on alcohol and alcohol abuse. He’s written about his own struggles and in some of his film reviews has written about alcohol and alcoholism.

And the story continues. Moments ago, Ebert tweeted that Facebook removed his page, writing, “Facebook has removed my page in response, apparently, to malicious complaints from one or two jerks.”

Whether the Facebook page was removed over complaints about Ebert’s view on Dunn’s death isn’t clear. (But let’s be honest: It’s likely. More to come, probably.)

Behold the power of the Internet, readers. What once may have taken months to be fought over by film critics, friends, fans and detractors of the late “Jackass” star is now happening in a 24-hour news cycle.

Remember when Twitter didn’t exist and there was no one to hear every Tom, Dick and Harry’s opinion? Those days are never coming back. So here’s this: Assuming Dunn was drunk, Ebert’s correct. So are Margera and Hilton.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Ryan Dunn part of statistic: “Drunk Drivers are responsible for 50% of highway fatalities” (3 reasons I don’t drink)

June 21, 2011 – 8:14 am

ryan dunn Jackass dead in crash

Bam Margera’s First Interview After Ryan Dunn’s Death

Ryan Dunn and his friends moments before they died.

Flickr user Eric Lewis posted the image below with a caption that says the photo shows what’s left of Dunn’s car.

Ryan Dunn tweeted a picture of himself drinking from a bar. At 2 am he left the bar and a few minutes later he was killed after running off the road in his car.There are three reasons that I do not drink and here they are.First,alcohol has brought a social plague on our country not matched by anything we have ever seen in the past.  I will never forget the day I heard this statistic in 1975:  “Drunk drivers are responsible for 50% of highway fatalities.”My pastor Adrian Rogers shared that statistic from the pulpit. I was only 14 years old at the time, but I was looking forward to driving. It caused me to realize that I had to abstain from alcohol and try to convince my friends and family to do likewise.Second, the Bible does condemn alcoholic wine. There were three kinds of wine mentioned in the Bible (grapes, grape juice and strong drink). Wine in the cluster which is equal to our grapes. Isaiah 65:8 ” “As the new wine is found in the cluster…”  The point I am making here is very clear. The Bible does refer to nonalcoholic wine which is equal to our grape juice. Don’t take for granted everytime you read the word “wine” in the Bible that it is referring to the kind of wine we are used to today.Next we have the term “strong drink” which is equal to our wine today. Strong drink is condemned. .Proverbs 20:1 states, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. ”

  • WHAT WAS “STRONG DRINK” IN BIBLE TIMES?

Distillation was not discovered until about 1500 A.D. Strong drink and unmixed wine in Bible times was from 3% to 11% alcohol. Dr. John MacArthur says “…since anybody in biblical times who drank unmixed wine (9-11% alcohol) was definitely considered a barbarian, then we dont even need to discuss whether a Christian should drink hard liquor–that is apparent!”

Since wine has 9 to 11% alcohol and one brand 20% alcohol, you should not drink that. Brandy contains 15 to 20% alcohol, so thats out! Hard liquor has 40 to 50% alcohol (80 to 100 proof), and that is obviously excluded!

For documentation on this subject Google “alcohol” with the name of Adrian Rogers or John MacArthur. These theologians  have covered this subject fully with biblical references.

Third, Romans 14:21 states, “It is better not to eat meat (that had been offered to idols) or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.” If a person rejects all the linguistic arguments, there is still Romans 14:21 concerning not causing a weaker brother to stumble..

It is consistent with the ethic of love for believers and unbelievers alike. Because I am an example to others, I will make certain no one ever walks the road of sorrow called alcoholism because they saw me take a drink and assumed, “if it is alright for Everette Hatcher, it is alright for me.” No, I will choose to set an uncompromising example of abstinence because I love them. The fact is that 1 of every 6 drinkers in the USA are problem drinkers. Maybe if my family of 6 drank, that could be me or one of my children?

 

 

Billy Sunday told a story that illustrates this principle:

I feel like an old fellow in Tennessee who made his living by catching rattlesnakes. He caught one with fourteen rattles and put it in a box with a glass top. One day when he was sawing wood his little five-year old boy,Jim, took the lid off and the rattler wriggled out and struck him in the cheek. He ran to his father and said, “The rattler has bit me.” The father ran and chopped the rattler to pieces, and with his jackknife he cut a chunk from the boy’s cheek and then sucked and sucked at the wound to draw out the poison. -He looked at little Jim, watched the pupils of his eyes dilate and watched him swell to three times his normal size, watched his lips become parched and cracked, and eyes roll, and little Jim gasped and died.

The father took him in his arms, carried him over by the side of the rattler, got on his knees and said, “God, I would not give little Jim for all the rattlers that ever crawled over the Blue Ridge mountains.”

That is the question that must be answered by everyone no matter what their religious beliefs. Is the pleasure of drinking alcohol worth the life of one of your children?

Here is a scripture that describes what will happen to a person addicted to alcohol:

Proverbs 23:29-35
(29) Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
(30) They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
(31) Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
(32) At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
(33) Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
(34) Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
(35) They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

More alcohol statistics:

  • More than one-half of American adults have a close family member who has or has had alcoholism.
  • Alcohol is a factor in nearly half of America’s murders, suicides and accidental deaths.
  • The highest rates of current and past year heavy alcohol use are reported by workers in the following occupations: construction, food preparation and waiters/waitresses, along with auto mechanics, vehicle repairers, light truck drivers and laborers. 95% of alcoholics die from their disease and die approximately 26 years earlier than their normal life expectancy.
  • Up to 40% of industrial fatalities and 47% of injuries in the workplace are linked to alcohol consumption and alcoholism.
  • Absenteeism among alcoholics or problem drinkers is 3.8 to 8.3 times greater than normal.
  • More than three fourths of female victims of nonfatal, domestic violence reported that their assailant had been drinking or using drugs.
  • More than one third of pedestrians killed by automobiles were legally drunk.
  • About half of state prison inmates and 40% of federal prisoners incarcerated for committing violent crimes report they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of their offense.
  • Long-term, heavy alcohol use is the leading cause of illness and death from liver disease in the U.S.
  • Alcoholics spend four times the amount of time in a hospital as non-drinkers, mostly from drinking-related injuries.

Probably the most telling is the last statistic: 95% of alcoholics die from their disease and die approximately 26 years earlier than their normal life expectancy.

 

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By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Comments (0)