Monthly Archives: January 2012

“Woody Wednesday” Allen nominated again for best director:”Midnight in Paris” may be his best effort yet

January 25, 2012 – 9:47 am

No other website in the world has given more insight into the movie “Midnight in Paris” than mine. Judge for yourself!!!

Now Woody Allen has been nominated for another academy award for best director (7th so far).

Oscar nominations: Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese top list for best director

January 24, 2012 |  6:02 am
Martin Scorsese is among nominees for best director 2012Veteran filmmakers Woody Allen (“Midnight in Paris”) and Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”) will compete for the best director Oscar at the 84th Academy Awards, it was announced Tuesday morning. Also nominated for the director prize were Michel Hazanavicius for “The Artist,” Terrence Malick for “The Tree of Life” and  Alexander Payne for “The Descendants.”

For his romantic roundelay set in the City of Light, the 76-year-old Allen picked up his seventh Academy Award nomination in the director category; Allen also was nominated for his original screenplay.

He won the director prize 34 years ago for “Annie Hall,” the best picture winner that also netted Allen and Marshall Brickman the original screenplay Oscar.

FULL COVERAGE: The Oscars

Allen already has won the Golden Globe and the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for his “Midnight” screenplay, and he is nominated for WGA and BAFTA Awards in the screenplay category. He is also nominated for a DGA award for his direction of the film. He was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.

Scorsese, one of the most influential directors of the last 40 years, also collected his seventh nomination for his direction of the Paris-set valentine to cinema. Scorsese, 69, earned his first director Oscar nomination for 1980’s “Raging Bull” and won the award five years ago for gangster film “The Departed.” Scorsese won the Golden Globe, the Boston Society of Film Critics and the National Board of Review honors for directing “Hugo.” He is also nominated for a DGA Award and the BAFTA. Scorsese also earned a nomination Tuesday as one of the producers on the film, which is nominated for best picture.

For his black-and-white silent movie, 44-year-old French filmmaker Hazanavicius earned a director nomination, and also was nominated for his original screenplay. (The last director to receive a director Oscar for a silent film was Frank Lloyd for “The Divine Lady” at the 1928-29 ceremony.) Hazanavicius already has won a number of awards for the charming tribute to the early days of the talkies — including the Critics’ Choice Movie Award and the New York Film Critics honor. He is nominated for DGA and BAFTA Awards, and will compete at the Independent Spirit Awards in the director and screenplay categories.

Payne, though, also could pull through with a victory in the category. The 50-year-old writer-director earned his second director Oscar nomination for “The Descendants,” a family drama set in Hawaii. He was previously nominated in this category for 2004’s “Sideways,” for which he won the Oscar for adapted screenplay. He also was nominated Tuesday as a producer on the film, which was nominated for best picture prize, and for the film’s adapted screenplay penned with Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Payne also is nominated for DGA and WGA awards. “The Descendants” won the Golden Globe for best motion picture drama.

For his existential drama about a Texas family, the iconclastic Malick, 68, earned his second director Oscar nod. He also was nominated for his original screenplay. Malick previously was nominated in the director category for 1998’s “The Thin Red Line,” for which he also earned an adapted screenplay nomination. Malick won the Palme d’Or last year at the Cannes Film Festival for “The Tree of Life” and has won several critics’ honors for his direction of the film, including honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn., the National Society of Film Critics and the Toronto Film Critics Assn.

The following clip is from the recent Envelope Directors Roundtable. Here, filmmakers Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”), Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”), George Clooney (“The Ides of March”), Stephen Daldry (“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”) and Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”) talked about how nerve-racking it can be to start a new film, and how they deal with it.

Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway in "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

Other posts concerning Woody Allen’s latest movie “Midnight in Paris”

What can we learn from Woody Allen Films?, August 1, 2011 – 6:30 am

Movie Review of “Midnight in Paris” lastest movie by Woody Allen, July 30, 2011 – 6:52 am

Leo Stein and sister Gertrude Stein’s salon is in the Woody Allen film “Midnight in Paris”, July 28, 2011 – 6:22 am

Great review on Midnight in Paris with talk about artists being disatisfied, July 27, 2011 – 6:20 am

Critical review of Woody Allen’s latest movie “Midnight in Paris”, July 24, 2011 – 5:56 am

Not everyone liked “Midnight in Paris”, July 22, 2011 – 5:38 am

“Midnight in Paris” one of Woody Allen’s biggest movie hits in recent years, July 18, 2011 – 6:00 am

(Part 32, Jean-Paul Sartre)July 10, 2011 – 5:53 am

 (Part 29, Pablo Picasso) July 7, 2011 – 4:33 am

(Part 28,Van Gogh) July 6, 2011 – 4:03 am

(Part 27, Man Ray) July 5, 2011 – 4:49 am

(Part 26,James Joyce) July 4, 2011 – 5:55 am

(Part 25, T.S.Elliot) July 3, 2011 – 4:46 am

(Part 24, Djuna Barnes) July 2, 2011 – 7:28 am

(Part 23,Adriana, fictional mistress of Picasso) July 1, 2011 – 12:28 am

(Part 22, Silvia Beach and the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore) June 30, 2011 – 12:58 am

(Part 21,Versailles and the French Revolution) June 29, 2011 – 5:34 am

(Part 16, Josephine Baker) June 24, 2011 – 5:18 am

(Part 15, Luis Bunuel) June 23, 2011 – 5:37 am

(Part 1 William Faulkner) June 13, 2011 – 3:19 pm

I love Woody Allen’s latest movie “Midnight in Paris”, June 12, 2011 – 11:52 pm

https://i0.wp.com/www.awardsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/19.jpg

Alison Pill as Zelda Fitzgerald and Tom Hiddleston as F. Scott Fitzgerald in "Midnight in Paris." 2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics

Alison Pill as Zelda Fitzgerald and Tom Hiddleston as F. Scott Fitzgerald in “Midnight in Paris.”

Owen Wilson as Gil in "Midnight in Paris." 2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics

Owen Wilson as Gil in “Midnight in Paris.”

Marion Cotillard, Alison Pill, Owen Wilson and Director Woody Allen on the set of "Midnight in Paris." 2011 Roger Arpajou / Sony Pictures Classics

Marion Cotillard, Alison Pill, Owen Wilson and Director Woody Allen on the set of “Midnight in Paris.”

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

An open letter to President Obama

January 25, 2012 – 7:59 am

Barack Obama (Photo by Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images)

 

January 25, 2012

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

I noticed that you took credit for saving General Motors. I think it would have been best for everyone if you had allowed the free market to work. GM would have gone out of business but other automakers would have picked up the pieces and become stronger and hired more workers. 

Below is the conclusion Daniel J. Ikenson of the Cato Institute:

The objection to the auto bailout was not that the federal government wouldn’t be able to marshal adequate resources to help GM. The most serious concerns were about the consequences of that intervention — the undermining of the rule of law, the property confiscations, the politically driven decisions and the distortion of market signals.

Any verdict on the auto bailouts must take into account, among other things, the illegal diversion of TARP funds, the forced transfer of assets from shareholders and debt-holders to pensioners and their union; the higher-risk premiums consequently built into U.S. corporate debt; the costs of denying Ford and the other more worthy automakers the spoils of competition; the costs of insulating irresponsible actors, such as the autoworkers’ union, from the outcomes of an apolitical bankruptcy proceeding; the diminution of U.S. moral authority to counsel foreign governments against market interventions; and the lingering uncertainty about policy that pervades the business environment to this day.

GM’s recent profits speak only to the fact that politicians committed more than $50 billion to the task of rescuing those companies and the United Auto Workers. With debts expunged, cash infused, inefficiencies severed, ownership reconstituted, sales rebates underwritten and political obstacles steamrolled — all in the midst of a recovery in U.S. auto demand — only the most incompetent operations could fail to make profits.

But taxpayers are still short at least $10 billion to $20 billion (depending on the price that the government’s 500 million shares of GM will fetch), and there is still significant overcapacity in the auto industry.

The administration should divest as soon as possible, without regard to the stock price. Keeping the government’s tentacles around a large firm in an important industry will keep the door open wider to industrial policy and will deter market-driven decision-making throughout the industry, possibly keeping the brakes on the recovery. Yes, there will be a significant loss to taxpayers. But the right lesson to learn from this chapter in history is that government interventions carry real economic costs — only some of which are readily measurable.

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your committment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

 

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, President Obama | Comments (0)

Keith Green Story (Part 4)

January 25, 2012 – 12:33 am

The Keith Green Story pt 5/7

Keith Green had a major impact on me back in 1978 when I first heard him. Here is his story below:

Tribute Recordings

In 1992, several artists joined together to re-record many of Green’s best-known songs for a tribute album called No Compromise: Remembering the Music of Keith Green under the Sparrow Records label. Artists contributing to the recording include Petra, Charlie Peacock, Susan Ashton, Margaret Becker, Michael Card, GLAD, Rich Mullins, Steven Curtis Chapman, Steve Green, and Russ Taff.

 

In 2001, BEC Records released a second, more modern, tribute record Start Right Here: Remembering the Life of Keith Green. Produced by Derri Daugherty, the album included performances by new contemporary Christian artists MxPx, Joy Electric, Starflyer 59, among others.

 

At the twentieth anniversary of Keith’s death, Sparrow Records released yet another tribute album, Your Love Broke Through: The Worship Songs of Keith Green. The 2002 album contains re-recordings by Rebecca St. James, Michelle Tumes, Chris Tomlin, Twila Paris, Darlene Zschech, Jason Upton, Martin Smith, Charlie Hall, Joanne Hogg, Matt Redman, Paul Oakley, and Sarah Sadler. The album contains contemporary Christian and mainstream artist Michael W. Smith’s version of the song There Is One, an unfinished work by Keith Green. Composition of the song was completed by Smith, along with British songwriter and Christian music artist Martin Smith.
Last Days Ministries
Green Hall dormitory, originally part of LDM property, was named after Keith Green when Teen Mania purchased the property in 1996

The LDM property was sold in 1996 and is now occupied by Teen Mania Ministries. Teen Mania has dedicated one of its dormitories, Green Hall, in memory of Keith. Melody Green continues to operate Last Days Ministries from Oceanside, California, and is a well-known speaker and author. With David Hazard, she authored a biography of Keith, No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green (Harvest House Publishers, 1989; revised and expanded in 2000; revised and expanded again and released by Thomas Nelson in 2008; also on the Compact Disc version of The Ministry Years, Volume Two album).
Honors

On November 27, 2001, Keith Green was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

 

On April 3, 2006, Green was honored with the ASCAP Crescendo Award at the 28th annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards presentation dinner. His widow, Melody Green, was present to receive the award for her late husband.

 

Quotes

 

“It’s time to quit playing church and start being the Church (Matt. 18:20)” ? Keith Green, as quoted by Melody Green in the introduction to A Cry in the Wilderness, Sparrow Press, 1993.

 

“I repent of ever having recorded one single song, and ever having performed one concert, if my music, and more importantly, my life has not provoked you into Godly jealousy or to sell out more completely to Jesus!” ? Keith Green

 

“You shouldn’t go to college unless God has definitely called you to go.” ? Keith Green, ‘Why YOU should go to the mission field’, 1982

 

“No Compromise is what the whole Gospel of Jesus is all about… ‘For I tell you…no man can serve two masters…’ (Matt. 6:24). In a day when believers seem to be trying to please both the world and the Lord (which is an impossible thing), when people are far more concerned about offending their friends than offending God, there is only one answer…Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him!” ? Keith Green, No Compromise album, 1978.

 

“He, being dead, yet speaketh.” ? Leonard Ravenhill, Keith’s mentor, borrowing from Hebrews 11:4 (KJV) in his 1990 2-page Memories of Keith tribute from a computer file, part of the Enhanced CD version of No Compromise by Melody Green with David Hazard.

 

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

A response to President’s comments

January 24, 2012 – 8:23 pm

I want to give the president credit for the trade agreements that he has signed to allow more free trade but I condemn his efforts for trying to start more trade wars.

Yes, we could learn from the army. Congress would accomplish a lot if they ran on orders. However, the  USA does not have a dictator. The army was built to react fast to orders and to not question them.

I do think that it is good that we are out of Iraq. It is also good that Osama is dead. Way to go. We have to give credit to the president here because he did have the guts to make sure that Osama bit the dust.

Now to his comments on fairness. He wants to talk about how to get the economy going, but he doesn’t realize that raising taxes on job creators is a very bad idea.

He noted that we lost 4 million jobs before he took office but he also admitted that his policies have done nothing to turn the corner. In fact, he should have just admitted that his stimulus was a total failure.  Take a look at these posts below:

Stimulus plans never work!!!

Government Spending Doesn’t Create Jobs Uploaded by catoinstitutevideo on Sep 7, 2011 Share this on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/qnjkn9 Tweet it: http://tiny.cc/o9v9t In the debate of job creation and how best to pursue it as a policy goal, one point is forgotten: Government doesn’t create jobs. Government only diverts resources from one use to another, which doesn’t […]

Stimulus plans do not work (part 2)

Dan Mitchell discusses the effectiveness of the stimulus Uploaded by catoinstitutevideo on Nov 3, 2009 11-2-09 When I think of all our hard earned money that has been wasted on stimulus programs it makes me sad. It has never worked and will not in the future too. Take a look at a few thoughts from […]

Stimulus plans do not work (Part 1)

Government Spending Doesn’t Create Jobs Uploaded by catoinstitutevideo on Sep 7, 2011 Share this on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/qnjkn9 Tweet it: http://tiny.cc/o9v9t In the debate of job creation and how best to pursue it as a policy goal, one point is forgotten: Government doesn’t create jobs. Government only diverts resources from one use to another, which doesn’t […]

Stimulus did not work earlier and will not now (Part 1)

Government Spending Doesn’t Create Jobs Uploaded by catoinstitutevideo on Sep 7, 2011 Share this on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/qnjkn9 Tweet it: http://tiny.cc/o9v9t In the debate of job creation and how best to pursue it as a policy goal, one point is forgotten: Government doesn’t create jobs. Government only diverts resources from one use to another, which doesn’t […]

Obama has not learned that government stimulus will not work

President Obama just does not learn from the past. The Stimulus: The Government Job Creation Myth by Tad DeHaven   Tad DeHaven is a budget analyst at the Cato Institute and co-editor of Downsizing the Federal Government. Added to cato.org on August 2, 2010 This article appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on August 1, 2010 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in President Obama | Comments (0)

Newt is a poor excuse for a candidate

January 24, 2012 – 7:46 pm

I used to like Newt back in the 1990’s but a lot has changed since then.

Take a look at this fine article from the Cato Institute:

Gingrich Rise Is Triumph of Style over Substance

by Gene Healy

 

Gene Healy is a vice president at the Cato Institute and the author of The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power.

Added to cato.org on January 24, 2012

This article appeared in DC Examiner on January 24, 2012.

 

On the eve of Newt Gingrich’s landslide victory in the South Carolina primary, CNN’s Erin Burnett let the former speaker expound on the success of his “kick the moderator” debate strategy.

“I think there’s something going on here that’s very deep,” Gingrich said. “People want a leader who’s forceful… Part of it is, you know, if I’d said ‘The color is blue!’ — it’s the forcefulness… That delivery, that clearness is as important as the specific topic,” he explained.

Watching the interview, I had a disturbing thought: Has Newt Gingrich become self-aware?

I’ve never heard a better explanation for the former speaker’s ability to cloud conservatives’ minds. How, after all, did a man who’s the very model of a Beltway-consensus influence-peddler convince Tea Party voters he represents “real change”? It’s the “forcefulness,” stupid!

Unfortunately, what’s going on here is not “very deep.” Gingrich’s rise represents the triumph of rhetorical style over substance. In a way, it’s the ultimate tribute to Barack Obama.

The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein asked a good question on Sunday: “What are Newt Gingrich’s big ideas?” “I’m at a loss to name even one,” he admitted.

Gingrich has an enviable rep as a one-man think tank, but in his wilderness years, he made a sweet living as a “forceful” pitchman for utterly conventional center-left policies: Medicaid expansion, the individual mandate, cap and trade, “clean energy” subsidies, and the like. Newt does a great impression of a red-state firebrand, but when it comes to policy, “the color is blue.”

That’s not to say that Gingrich has never had an unconventional idea. This is a guy who bragged in a 2005 GQ interview that “I first talked about [saving civilization] in August of 1958” — when he was a rising sophomore in high school.

Some of Gingrich’s big ideas are charmingly batty. Given his worries about global warming, Newt has probably abandoned his 1984 plan for “a mirror system in space” that “could affect the earth’s climate by increasing the amount of sunlight.”

But the Trekkie zeal remains, judging by one of my favorite recent headlines: “Gingrich Said Freddie Mac Could Be Good Model for Mars Travel” (Bloomberg, Dec. 2, 2011).

Gingrich’s rise represents the triumph of rhetorical style over substance.

Some of Gingrich’s other fancies are less charming. The candidate who’s warned of a “gay and secular fascism” sweeping the country has an impressive authoritarian streak of his own.

As Klein notes, in 1996, Gingrich had the “big idea” of instituting the death penalty for anyone who brought more than 2 ounces of marijuana into the United States.

Today, Gingrich condemns the Stop Online Piracy Act as censorship, but in 2006 he supported empowering “federal judges who’ve served in combat” to shut down “jihadist” websites.

This December, he advocated sending U.S. marshals to arrest activist judges who rule against religious displays in public schools (maybe combat-hardened jurists will get a pass).

Say what you will about Gingrichian authoritarianism — at least it won’t be “gay and secular”!

At this writing, Gallup has Gingrich neck and neck with Romney for the Republican nomination. If he gets the nod, no doubt he’ll send a thrill up many a leg in the debates. But his odds of actually winning the presidency are slim indeed.

Recall that in 2004, after Obama’s GOP opponent for the U.S. Senate, Jack Ryan, imploded in a sex scandal, the party nominated Alan Keyes: another “forceful” debater with a weakness for loopy ideas. How’d that work out?

Keyes went on to run a short-lived cable talk show (the somewhat defensively titled “Alan Keyes Is Making Sense”) and a role as lead plaintiff in a birther lawsuit. Obama went on to the U.S. Senate and, in short order, the presidency.

Other posts on Newt:

Adrian Rogers’ sermon on Clinton in 98 applies to Newt in 2012

It pays to remember history. Today I am going to go through some of it and give an outline and quotes from the great Southern Baptist leader Adrian Rogers (1931-2005). Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times started this morning off with some comedy: From pro golfer John Daly’s Twitter account following last night’s Republican debate, […]

Newt and Clinton:Both were Southern Baptists living hypocritcal lives

EXCLUSIVE: Ron Paul Has A Secret Plan To Win America   I used to go to the Immanuel Baptist Church (Clinton was member there) Luncheon every week in Little Rock and in 1995 I visited the large Southern Baptist Church in the Atlanta where Newt was a member. Both men evidently shared some hypocritical habits […]

Should we still be making horse-drawn buggies today instead of cars?

The Arkansas Times jumped on this story as many other liberals outlets. Change in the marketplace is driven by the wants and needs of consumers. Are we to protect the jobs of those who work for companies that want to cling to the past? I posted about this before but I have decided to revisit […]

Republican delegate count and future primaries

Great website below tracks the delegates for the Republican nomination: The delegate race There are 2,286 delegates up for grabs. A candidate needs 1,144 to win the GOP presidential nomination. Total delegates won, by candidate Delegates needed: 1,144       Romney   20 Santorum   12 Paul   3 Huntsman   2 Perry   […]

Bain Capital record of Romney is excellent

Here is an excellent article: You can blame Mitt, but not for Bain By: Steven Rattner January 12, 2012 12:02 AM EST I’m all in favor of piling on Mitt Romney for any number of reasons: his come lately embrace of hard right conservatism, his periodic malapropisms (“I like being able to fire people”) and […]

 

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

Federal Budget Deficits Will Reach Levels Never Seen Before in the U.S.

January 24, 2012 – 12:45 am

Federal Budget Deficits Will Reach Levels Never Seen Before in the U.S.

Everyone wants to know more about the budget and here is some key information with a chart from the Heritage Foundation and a video from the Cato Institute.

Recent budget deficits have reached unprecedented levels, but the future will be much worse. Unlessentitlements are reformed, spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will drive deficits to unmanageable levels.

PERCENTAGE OF GDP

Download

Federal Budget Deficits Will Reach Levels Never Seen Before in the U.S.

Source: Congressional Budget Office (Alternative Fiscal Scenario).

Chart 25 of 42

In Depth

  • Policy Papers for Researchers

  • Technical Notes

    The charts in this book are based primarily on data available as of March 2011 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The charts using OMB data display the historical growth of the federal government to 2010 while the charts using CBO data display both historical and projected growth from as early as 1940 to 2084. Projections based on OMB data are taken from the White House Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The charts provide data on an annual basis except… Read More

  • Authors

    Emily GoffResearch Assistant
    Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy StudiesKathryn NixPolicy Analyst
    Center for Health Policy StudiesJohn FlemingSenior Data Graphics Editor

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events, spending out of control | Comments (0)

“Tennis Tuesday” John McEnroe part 1 (Greatest tennis match of all time, versus Borg)

January 24, 2012 – 12:05 am

From Wikipedia:

McEnroe won a total of 148 ATP titles (a record for a male professional) during his career — 77 in singles, 71 in men’s doubles, and 1 in mixed doubles (not counted as ATP title).He won seven Grand Slam singles titles. He also won a record eight year end championship titles overall, the Masters championships three times, and the WCT Finals,a record five times.His career singles match record was 875–198 (81.55%_. He posted the best single season match record (for a male player) in the Open Era with win-loss record: 82–3 (96.5%) set in 1984 and has the best Carpet Court career match winning percentage: 84.18% (411–346) of any player.

According to the ATP website, McEnroe had the edge in career matches on Jimmy Connors (20–14), Stefan Edberg (7–6), Mats Wilander (7–6), Michael Chang (4–1), Ilie Năstase (4–2), and Pat Cash (3–1). McEnroe was even with Björn Borg (7–7), Andre Agassi (2–2), and Michael Stich (1–1). He trailed against Pete Sampras (0–3), Goran Ivanišević (2–4), Boris Becker (2–8), Guillermo Vilas (5–6), Jim Courier (1–2), and Ivan Lendl (15–21). McEnroe won 12 of the last 14 matches with Connors, beginning with the 1983 Cincinnati tournament. Edberg won the last 5 matches with McEnroe, beginning with the 1989 tournament in Tokyo. McEnroe won 4 of the last 5 matches with Vilas, beginning with the 1981 tournament in Boca Raton, Florida. And Lendl won 11 of the last 12 matches with McEnroe, beginning with the 1985 US Open.

McEnroe, however, played in numerous events, including invitational tournaments, that are not covered by the ATP website. McEnroe won eight of those events and had wins and losses against the players listed in the preceding paragraph that are not reflected on the ATP website.

Grand Slam finals (11)

[edit] Singles: (7–4)

Wins (7)
Year Championship Surface Opponent in final Score in final
1979 US Open Hard United States Vitas Gerulaitis 7–5, 6–3, 6–3
1980 US Open (2) Hard Sweden Björn Borg 7–6(7–4), 6–1, 6–7(5–7), 5–7, 6–4
1981 Wimbledon Grass Sweden Björn Borg 4–6, 7–6(7–1), 7–6(7–4), 6–4
1981 US Open (3) Hard Sweden Björn Borg 4–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–3
1983 Wimbledon (2) Grass New Zealand Chris Lewis 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
1984 Wimbledon (3) Grass United States Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–1, 6–2
1984 US Open (4) Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–4, 6–1
Runner-up (4)
Year Championship Surface Opponent in final Score in final
1980 Wimbledon Grass Sweden Björn Borg 6–1, 5–7, 3–6, 7–6(18–16), 6–8
1982 Wimbledon (2) Grass United States Jimmy Connors 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 6–7(5–7), 4–6
1984 French Open Clay Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 5–7, 5–7
1985 US Open Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–7(1–7), 3–6, 4–6
By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Answering pro-abortion questions

January 23, 2012 – 12:55 pm

Richard Dawkins comments on Tim Tebow pro-life commercial.

_________________________

On the Arkansas Times Blog, a person with the username “November” posted:

You dont have the “choice” to kill and innocent child in the womb. No one gave the child a trial before killing it. The child is innocent, and the U S Constitution says you cant deprive someone of their life without due process. I always love it when someone has learned they are having a little one coming into their life….they dont say, “we are having a fetus!”…they say “we are having a BABY.!” because it is a child loooooong before it is born and you can see it. Thank God for Representative Griffin!!!!

A response came from username “Verla Sweere”:

I’m old enough to remember what it was like before Roe/v/Wade. And we’re heading down that road again. How sad, that women are willing to be treated like chattel. And why are anti-abortion people also against contraception, aid to women and children, public schools, etc.? Do they not see the connection? While they see abortion as the road to hell, they believe Gingrich has been redeemed. ?????

Later a response from username “Outlier”:

Me too, Verla. I asked Sam in the Romney thread where he would draw the abortion line—no response from him yet. Sam would allow abortion for a 12 year old rape victim with severe health problems. I posed some hypothetical situations for him and now I repeat them for November (I see his punctuation key is stuck again!!!!!). As some one once said, “If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.”

“Sam, I would like to know where you draw the abortion line. It seems like you want it both ways, as long as you get to decide where the line should be
drawn. Is abortion okay if a woman is carrying an anencephalic (no brain except for a primitive brain stem) fetus which can only live a few hours or a day or two at most if carried to term? What if a woman is carrying conjoined twins with two heads and one torso and no hope of surgical separation? What about a woman who practiced birth control faithfully and had a failure? Keep in mind that most b.c. methods do not prevent conception; they merely prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall. How about a young widow with two kids already who can’t afford to take the time off from work, even if she is willing to put the baby up for adoption? How about a woman with mental illness or severe depression who is simply incapable of carrying a pregnancy to term?”

My response was as follows:

The issue is not the intelligence but the issue of personhood. Here is a great quote from J.P. Moreland:

“When do I become a full person? What is it about me that makes me only a potential person? The bad news is that for anything you say–for example, having rationality–it becomes real difficult not to say that real smart people are not more persons than uneducated people, because whatever criterion you use, if it’s quantifiable, it’s pretty tough to justify everyone having equal rights based on that. Maybe you could posit some threshold, or something. Joseph Fletcher says the minimum threshold rationality is 85 on an IQ test, I think it is. That’s enough to allow Down Syndrome to fall just below the line, I think, of personhood for him…

“What I’m trying to surface is, that if you’re of the view that there is such a thing as potential personhood–I’m not saying that everyone on the pro-choice side agrees with that; indeed they don’t–but if you think there is such a thing as potential personhood, so that personhood is the thing that, number one is what gives me value, and number two something I can have more or less of, then you do have to draw lines because that becomes a sliding scale that becomes terribly problematic. What you’ve got to do now is try to show why your view does not entail the idea that very self-aware, good, language-using people with a good self-concept aren’t more persons than plumbers that are out of touch with themselves and can’t speak very well.

“If this is your view–if you hold the potential person view–it becomes very difficult to justify abortion and not infanticide because the reasons that a person will give for justifying abortion will also apply to the two-week old child as well, and there are some philosophers that are in fact drawing that conclusion.”

dividerJ. P. Moreland, Ph.D. is Professor of Philosophy at Biola Unviersity.

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

Prolife March in Little Rock has 20 to 1 ratio more than abortion march of previous day

January 23, 2012 – 8:33 am
marchers-arrive-at-the-state-capitol-on-sunday-after-beginning-the-arkansas-march-for-life-in-downtown-little-rock

PHOTO BY STATON BREIDENTHAL

Marchers arrive at the state Capitol on Sunday after beginning the Arkansas March for Life in downtown Little Rock

As in the past, the pr0-life March in Little Rock had at least twenty times the people in attendance that the pr0-abortion march did the previous day. In fact, last year Channel 16 had a very distorted news story that tried to imply that both crowds were about the same size.

Below is the article from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette:

LITTLE ROCK — As an instrumental version of “Amazing Grace” blared over loudspeakers on the Capitol steps Sunday afternoon, a banner with the words, “America God is Watching” emerged from the fog, followed by a crowd of abortion opponents.

Despite the cold, misty weather, approximately 2,000 people gathered in downtown Little Rock for the 34th annual March for Life.

“They’re humans, and people are always talking about murdering children, and it’s the same thing,” said 11-year-old Noah Harrison of Pine Bluff, who marched with his mother, Sandy Harrison, and two of his six siblings.

The event drew prominent religious leaders, such as Bishop Anthony Taylor of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, and Republican leaders, including U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, state Rep. Donna Hutchinson of Benton and state Sen. Eddie Joe Williams of Lonoke.

The walk stretched about 13 blocks and ended at the state Capitol. The Rev. Paul Roberts, pastor of East Union Missionary Baptist Church in Hensley, was among those who spoke. “We pray today would be the beginning of change … we recognize the importance of protecting the most innocent.”

Keynote speakers for the event were Griffin and Benton resident Jean Garton, author of the book, Who Broke the Baby? What the Abortion Slogans Really Mean. Garton, who has spoken against abortion since the 1970s, quoted Martin Luther King Jr.: “There is nothing more powerful to dramatize a social evil than the tramp, tramp of marching feet.”

“Abortion is an inhumane, barbaric attack against a human being,” Garton said to the crowd. “The right to choose is a politically correct way to cover up torture, violence and death.”

Garton emphasized that life begins at conception. “Every guy who’s ever bought a package of condoms knows when life begins,” she quipped.

The annual march took place on the 39-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Arkansas’ second abortion-rights Rally for Reproductive Justice on Saturday drew about 100 people. At the rally, speaker Loretta Ross had several comments for antiabortion protesters.

“I mean, will these people get a life and stop trying to take over mine?” she said.

Rose Mimms, executive director of Arkansas Right to Life – which sponsored Sunday’s march – said, “What about the life of the unborn child?”

“We don’t say women don’t have a right to their reproductive decisions … adoption is a loving option,” Mimms said. “Rape and incest, they always bring those up, and those are tragic, tragic situations, but that child has to pay for it with his life. The child is totally innocent … there’s no justice in abortion.”

No protesters were present at Sunday’s event, and police reported no disturbances.

John Emmons of Hot Springs Village, whose sign said, in part, “Save our children!!! Stop Abortion Now,” said he has participated in the march for about 10 to 12 years.

“I would hope it would wake more people up to what’s occurring and the [legislators] that are not on board with life to get on board with life … and listen to what the people are saying,” Emmons said.

In 2013, Arkansas Right to Life aims to cut off public funding for abortions, ban the use of telemedicine abortions and ban abortions on unborn children capable of feeling pain, which begins at 20 weeks, Mimms said.

The year-long petitions for these causes were available to sign at Sunday’s march.

According to the Arkansas Department of Health’s website – healthy.arkansas.gov – there were 4,532 induced abortions in Arkansas in 2010, 48 less than in 2009.

“We don’t want our tax dollars used for something we’re totally opposed to,” said Bob Fines Sr., who attended the march for the first time.

The message on signs that dotted the crowd included one that said “Stop Unborn Pain” and another was a coffin-shaped box on a pole with the words “Product of Planned Parenthood.”

Mimms said she hopes supporters of abortion rights “understand life is precious” and “they were wrong.”

“I pray every day that that will happen,” Mimms said, “that they’ll have a change of heart.”

Arkansas, Pages 7 on 01/23/2012

Print Headline: 2,000 rally against abortion

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Prolife March in Little Rock has 20 to 1 ratio more than abortion march of previous day

PHOTO BY STATON BREIDENTHAL Marchers arrive at the state Capitol on Sunday after beginning the Arkansas March for Life in downtown Little Rock As in the past, the pr0-life March in Little Rock had at least twenty times the people in attendance that the pr0-abortion march did the previous day. In fact, last year Channel […]

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

“Music Monday”:Coldplay’s best songs of all time (Part 20)

January 23, 2012 – 8:31 am

Coldplay

This is “Music Monday” and I always look at a band with some of their best music. I am currently looking at Coldplay’s best songs. Here are a few followed by another person’s preference:

My son Hunter Hatcher’s 1st favorite Coldplay song is   “Yellow.”

Hunter observed, “First Coldplay song I ever heard. Loved it from the start and it never gets old. I used to look at the stars in iraq and hum this tune in my head.”

The Best Coldplay Songs Of All Time – And Why?

No one can argue that Coldplay is one of the best bands of today. Their music has been spread across the globe from the US to Canada, Australia to New Zealand, England to France and many more. Personally, I’m a huge Coldplay fan and when the question of “what are the best Coldplay songs of all time” came up amongst a few friends of mine while playing Rock Band it got the cogs in mind thinking…

I decided that there were too many great Coldplay songs so I narrowed it down to just five. Here’s what I came up with…

Trouble

Trouble is the song that made me fall in love with the band. A great starting piano tune that not only delivers an excellent chorus but then tops that with a remarkable ending. Not too many songs these days change total direction at the end and give their listeners something more at the finale. A gorgeous video combining stop-motion and digital effects. If you’re unfamiliar with Coldplay’s music then this is a great place to start.

Speed of Sound

Great beat. Great lyrics. Again, you have a beautiful piano part starting the song off. Where “Trouble” is a steady horse from start to end, Speed of Sound is more like a gallop that increases as the song progresses. Just when you think they’ve drawn you in with the ultimate hook they continue to deliver hook after hook in this song. And not just in the vocals. The guitars and piano are all throwing in their cool little hooky riffs. Its kinda like one of those russian dolls that you keep opening up to more and more cute little dolls. This song is guaranteed to fill your musical palette over and over again.

In My Place

In My Place starts with a rockin drum line with kick, snare and hi-hat by the ever-talented “Will Champion”. Then a beautiful guitar line comes in with Jonny Buckland leading us through the whole song. This is the first hook we hear in the song, played in the upper registers of the guitar with a combination of arpeggios and melodic note choices. I always find it funny to hear instruments in a song that don’t show up in the video. If you listen closely you’ll hear a gentle organ playing its way through the verse but in the video it’s not featured. And once again Chris does an amazing job coming up with the best hooks in the chorus providing not only a great Pop/Rock tune but a memorable song that will last through the times.

Clocks

I don’t think any piano line has been played more than the one from Clocks. You’ll not only hear this song in every romantic movie out there but the piano hook itself has been dissected from the song just to be featured by itself in many movies and tv shows. The song is a basic 4/4 form but what’s great is how they divide the meter. A constant division of 3-3-2 driving you throughout the entirety of the song. It provides not only a great rock feel but with such a rhythm it’s guaranteed you’ll find yourself alone in your room dancing like a freak until your mum walks in on you embarrassing you in the process.

The Scientist

No other song by Coldplay gives me goosebumps like The Scientist. A sweet and nostalgic tune that enjoys a long intro with Chris Martin on vocals and piano. It’s not until the 1:38 mark does the full band finally come in. That’s a big no no in the Pop world. You see, by Pop standards you’re supposed to hit the full chorus by at least the first 30 seconds. But that’s perhaps what I love about this song. They manage to go outside that box and provide a moving a wonderful musical tale. In the July 14th, 2005 edition of Rolling Stone magazine, Chris Martin is quoted as saying:”On the second album I was thinking there was something missing. I was in this really dark room in Liverpool, and there was a piano so old and out of tune. I really wanted to try and work out the George Harrison song ‘Isn’t It A Pity,’ but I couldn’t. Then this song came out at once. I said, ‘Can you turn on the recorder?’ The first time I sung it is what’s out there.”

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