George Hussein Entenman wrote on Fares Bencib’s timeline.
Happy Birthday on Sunday, Feres.
George Hussein Entenman
I’ve seen many assertions by women that a woman can’t be elected because of sexism. I haven’t been sure how to take these assertions because they seemed to be based on feelings rather than evidence.
The article below compares Sanders/Clinton votes in 2016 and Sanders/Biden in 2020 and concludes that sexism and anti-Clinton sentiment hurt Clinton and helped Sanders.
“The explanation [for Sanders’ poorer performance against Biden than against Hillary] isn’t that Sanders became less popular with these folks [in wealthier suburbs] over the last four years, but that he was never all that popular in the first place. A large percentage of his vote was cast not for him, but against Bill and Hillary Clinton.”
“Clinton’s toxic standing among wide swaths of the electorate was the gravitational force causing the phenomenon Bernie fans misread.”
This finding is discouraging to women and their supporters as well as to Sanders supporters (and me). This reality (if it is) unfortunately doesn’t seem to have a particularly liberal bias.
The article below compares Sanders/Clinton votes in 2016 and Sanders/Biden in 2020 and concludes that sexism and anti-Clinton sentiment hurt Clinton and helped Sanders.
“The explanation [for Sanders’ poorer performance against Biden than against Hillary] isn’t that Sanders became less popular with these folks [in wealthier suburbs] over the last four years, but that he was never all that popular in the first place. A large percentage of his vote was cast not for him, but against Bill and Hillary Clinton.”
“Clinton’s toxic standing among wide swaths of the electorate was the gravitational force causing the phenomenon Bernie fans misread.”
This finding is discouraging to women and their supporters as well as to Sanders supporters (and me). This reality (if it is) unfortunately doesn’t seem to have a particularly liberal bias.
Updated Mar 11, 2020, 11:31 PM
George Hussein Entenman
I was put off by the title of this opinion piece, but finally read it today and find myself agreeing with much of it. Here’s one quote:
“The thing is, progressive activists are right about public opinion on some of these issues. Most Americans do favor higher taxes on the rich, marijuana legalization and additional gun control. But too many progressives aren’t doing an honest analysis of the politics.”
Even Sanders himself has admitted that he misjudged the willingness of young people to actually vote, and I think that many of his supporters have too optimistic a view of the American public. (I wish they were right.)
I’d like to hear from my Bernie friends, especially @[530250164:2048:Rebecca Hill], someone with a profound knowledge of history. (If you can’t read the article because of the paywall, @[530250164:2048:Rebecca], I’ll send you a copy.). The article may be too simplistic or something - I don’t know - but it feel correct to me.
Leonhardt concludes by pointing out that “black voters, especially those middle-aged and older” “… though hardly monolithic, tend to be more pragmatic and less wishful than progressive activists. They also tend to be culturally moderate, as many swing voters are.”
Personally I think that these black voters understand our society better than either I or my idealist friends do. I intend to follow their lead.
“The thing is, progressive activists are right about public opinion on some of these issues. Most Americans do favor higher taxes on the rich, marijuana legalization and additional gun control. But too many progressives aren’t doing an honest analysis of the politics.”
Even Sanders himself has admitted that he misjudged the willingness of young people to actually vote, and I think that many of his supporters have too optimistic a view of the American public. (I wish they were right.)
I’d like to hear from my Bernie friends, especially @[530250164:2048:Rebecca Hill], someone with a profound knowledge of history. (If you can’t read the article because of the paywall, @[530250164:2048:Rebecca], I’ll send you a copy.). The article may be too simplistic or something - I don’t know - but it feel correct to me.
Leonhardt concludes by pointing out that “black voters, especially those middle-aged and older” “… though hardly monolithic, tend to be more pragmatic and less wishful than progressive activists. They also tend to be culturally moderate, as many swing voters are.”
Personally I think that these black voters understand our society better than either I or my idealist friends do. I intend to follow their lead.
Updated Mar 9, 2020, 2:33 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Click on the ENTER button on this web page to go to a video of an event called The Lost City of New York: Stories of Growing Up in the 1950s and ’60s. You should watch it all, but if you go to 23:00 you will see @[528507806:2048:Iris] talk about her childhood in Brooklyn.
Updated Mar 1, 2020, 11:29 PM
George Hussein Entenman
I’m ready for Bernie to be right about the youth vote. The youth vote in SC was only 11% of the total and only 52% of that 11% was for Bernie.
I’ll wait through Super Tuesday, kids. Get out and vote!
— George (too old to be a Boomer) Entenman 😤
I’ll wait through Super Tuesday, kids. Get out and vote!
— George (too old to be a Boomer) Entenman 😤
Updated Mar 1, 2020, 1:21 PM
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Looking through my gun magazine, I think I found one of several answers to my Bernie-supporting friend who asked the other day, “…how is Bloomberg a better choice than Trump?”
I’m not voting for Bloomberg, but this kind of Nader-like failure to see distinctions strikes me as dangerous. (Hey! I just realized that I’m non-binary!!)
(BTW, I just read the magazines so far. No guns yet.)
I’m not voting for Bloomberg, but this kind of Nader-like failure to see distinctions strikes me as dangerous. (Hey! I just realized that I’m non-binary!!)
(BTW, I just read the magazines so far. No guns yet.)
George Hussein Entenman
If Bernie wins in SC, we Dems who don’t (yet) support him will be able to cry “rigged”, whine about the “establishment” and feel sorry for ourselves, too!
You won’t have to listen to more than the first few minutes of this to see why.
You won’t have to listen to more than the first few minutes of this to see why.
Updated Feb 26, 2020, 1:53 PM
George Hussein Entenman
I went to Denise Allen’s photography exhibit this afternoon at the Carrboro Century Center, where Ms Allen gave a wonderful talk about her life and work.
In the back of the room was an African-American gentleman (for some reason, I feel like using this expression, which I’ve NEVER used before, perhaps because it’s not quite correct to use it in this case).
After the talk I went up to him and asked him:
ME: Are you who I think you are?
GENTLEMAN: That depends. Does he owe you money?
ME: Yes! You ARE Barry Saunders!!
It was wonderful to meet one of my favorite columnists in person. He gave me his card and told me to subscribe to The Saunders Report, which I have done. You should, too.
In the back of the room was an African-American gentleman (for some reason, I feel like using this expression, which I’ve NEVER used before, perhaps because it’s not quite correct to use it in this case).
After the talk I went up to him and asked him:
ME: Are you who I think you are?
GENTLEMAN: That depends. Does he owe you money?
ME: Yes! You ARE Barry Saunders!!
It was wonderful to meet one of my favorite columnists in person. He gave me his card and told me to subscribe to The Saunders Report, which I have done. You should, too.
Updated Feb 23, 2020, 6:18 PM
George Hussein Entenman
This interview is well worth reading. Reid has a lot of very clear and correct things to say IMNSHO.
I like this prediction:
We hear this every Presidential election cycle. At least every one I’ve been involved in for these many decades. “The party is moving too far to the left. It’s just terrible. What are we going to do about it?” Well, when the primaries are over, the candidate moves back to the middle. That’s how it works out.
I like this prediction:
We hear this every Presidential election cycle. At least every one I’ve been involved in for these many decades. “The party is moving too far to the left. It’s just terrible. What are we going to do about it?” Well, when the primaries are over, the candidate moves back to the middle. That’s how it works out.
Updated Feb 23, 2020, 1:23 PM
George Hussein Entenman updated his status.
Hate the sin, not the sinner
Wikipedia says there were 621 American billionaires in 2019. I took a quick look through the list to see if they’re all as evil as the leftists in my party seem to think.
I made a quick list:
I have a good impression of these billionaires
Bill Gates
Elon Musk
George Soros
Jim Goodnight
Steven Spielberg
Warren Buffett
I’m not sure about these billionaires
Jeff Bezos
Sergey Brin
Steve Ballmer
Larry Page
MacKenzie Bezos
George Lucas
Eric Schmidt
Mark Zuckerberg
I have a bad impression of these billionaires
Carl Icahn
Charles Koch
Larry Ellison
Rupert Murdoch
Sheldon Adelson
I haven’t decided about this billionaire
Michael Bloomberg
My takeaway
It bothers me to hear Bernie and Elizabeth demonize billionaires as if being one is some kind of character defect. Some billionaires do tremendous good and others terrible evil.
I imagine that most of them advocate low taxes on their wealth the way Bloomberg does, but that’s an effect of having that much wealth. Our personalities and values are affected by our circumstances even if we all like the illusion that we have some kind of “true self”, a fixed set of values and morals that are unaffected by our friends, family, mob, class, wealth, ethnicity, sexuality, etc.
I generally agree with Elizabeth and Bernie that the rich skew our political process in ways that increase general suffering and inequality. But I don’t think that saying that wealth is a character defect is either very accurate or very helpful except perhaps to galvanize people on the left to hate the rich.
I think that the wealthy should be much more heavily taxed on income and accumulated wealth, not because they’re evil but because it gives these individuals too much power and deprives too many others of theirs.
I think that corporations should not have individual rights because that gives them too much power.
I think that some monopolistic corporations should be broken up in some cases because that gives them too much power to stifle competition, charge unreasonable prices and influence our political processes. (I think some monopolies, particularly regulated ones, do provide a benefit that only monopolies can provide.)
My $0.02
Wikipedia says there were 621 American billionaires in 2019. I took a quick look through the list to see if they’re all as evil as the leftists in my party seem to think.
I made a quick list:
I have a good impression of these billionaires
Bill Gates
Elon Musk
George Soros
Jim Goodnight
Steven Spielberg
Warren Buffett
I’m not sure about these billionaires
Jeff Bezos
Sergey Brin
Steve Ballmer
Larry Page
MacKenzie Bezos
George Lucas
Eric Schmidt
Mark Zuckerberg
I have a bad impression of these billionaires
Carl Icahn
Charles Koch
Larry Ellison
Rupert Murdoch
Sheldon Adelson
I haven’t decided about this billionaire
Michael Bloomberg
My takeaway
It bothers me to hear Bernie and Elizabeth demonize billionaires as if being one is some kind of character defect. Some billionaires do tremendous good and others terrible evil.
I imagine that most of them advocate low taxes on their wealth the way Bloomberg does, but that’s an effect of having that much wealth. Our personalities and values are affected by our circumstances even if we all like the illusion that we have some kind of “true self”, a fixed set of values and morals that are unaffected by our friends, family, mob, class, wealth, ethnicity, sexuality, etc.
I generally agree with Elizabeth and Bernie that the rich skew our political process in ways that increase general suffering and inequality. But I don’t think that saying that wealth is a character defect is either very accurate or very helpful except perhaps to galvanize people on the left to hate the rich.
I think that the wealthy should be much more heavily taxed on income and accumulated wealth, not because they’re evil but because it gives these individuals too much power and deprives too many others of theirs.
I think that corporations should not have individual rights because that gives them too much power.
I think that some monopolistic corporations should be broken up in some cases because that gives them too much power to stifle competition, charge unreasonable prices and influence our political processes. (I think some monopolies, particularly regulated ones, do provide a benefit that only monopolies can provide.)
My $0.02
« Êtes-vous un intellectuel de gauche ? – Je ne suis pas sûr d’être un intellectuel… Quant au reste, je suis pour la gauche, malgré moi et malgré elle. » (Entretien du 14 décembre 1959, Albert Camus avec François Meyer, université d’Aix en Provence.) |
« Êtes-vous un intellectuel de gauche ?
— Je ne suis pas sûr d’être un intellectuel… Quant au reste, je suis pour la gauche, malgré moi et malgré elle. »
(Entretien du 14 décembre 1959, Albert Camus avec François Meyer, université d’Aix en Provence.)
— Je ne suis pas sûr d’être un intellectuel… Quant au reste, je suis pour la gauche, malgré moi et malgré elle. »
(Entretien du 14 décembre 1959, Albert Camus avec François Meyer, université d’Aix en Provence.)
George Hussein Entenman
I just donated.
Updated Feb 21, 2020, 12:07 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Superdelagates
I copied the list of Superdelagates from Wikipedia and pasted them into a Google Sheet. I marked delegates who were not listed as DNC*. That left a minority of Superdelagates who are elected officials, Distinguished Party Leaders. These leaders include people like Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carter, etc.
I have no problem with such Superdelagates because they were elected by far more people than Superdelegates who are simply DNC members elected, I assume, by small groups of party members at regional gatherings. People who attend party meetings, become officers, run to be delegates, etc., are self-selected - they show up; they canvas; they phone bank, etc. They’re fine people, but in my opinion they don’t represent large numbers of voters, certainly far fewer than, say, my local Congressman, David Price.
Of the 774 Superdelegates listed on the Wikipedia page, roughly 337 are or were elected officials (there are some exceptions). I’m glad to have such people vote at the nominating convention. As for the 437 Superdelegates listed as DNC members, I’m less sure that they are representative.
Plurality vs Majority
Sanders wants the President to be nominated by a plurality of votes at the DNC Convention. I agree with the other candidates who want there to be a majority, but I won’t argue for that here. I mean, I don’t really have an argument, but a strong feeling.
On the other hand what happens if no one wins a majority on the first round of voting? Then Superdelegates can vote and the delegates elected to support specific candidates can vote for whom they want, as I understand it. (I haven’t checked before writing this.) This ability feels undemocratic since the delegates second choices are their own, I believe, and not those of their voters. This strikes me as a very good reason to let voters vote for their choices in order of preference - then the delegates could be bound to that.
Here’s my spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rb-M1tVGdSs4lSe-0v-PcuqJ6vaX6RGotiNB0VT_PRo/edit?usp=sharing
I copied the list of Superdelagates from Wikipedia and pasted them into a Google Sheet. I marked delegates who were not listed as DNC*. That left a minority of Superdelagates who are elected officials, Distinguished Party Leaders. These leaders include people like Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carter, etc.
I have no problem with such Superdelagates because they were elected by far more people than Superdelegates who are simply DNC members elected, I assume, by small groups of party members at regional gatherings. People who attend party meetings, become officers, run to be delegates, etc., are self-selected - they show up; they canvas; they phone bank, etc. They’re fine people, but in my opinion they don’t represent large numbers of voters, certainly far fewer than, say, my local Congressman, David Price.
Of the 774 Superdelegates listed on the Wikipedia page, roughly 337 are or were elected officials (there are some exceptions). I’m glad to have such people vote at the nominating convention. As for the 437 Superdelegates listed as DNC members, I’m less sure that they are representative.
Plurality vs Majority
Sanders wants the President to be nominated by a plurality of votes at the DNC Convention. I agree with the other candidates who want there to be a majority, but I won’t argue for that here. I mean, I don’t really have an argument, but a strong feeling.
On the other hand what happens if no one wins a majority on the first round of voting? Then Superdelegates can vote and the delegates elected to support specific candidates can vote for whom they want, as I understand it. (I haven’t checked before writing this.) This ability feels undemocratic since the delegates second choices are their own, I believe, and not those of their voters. This strikes me as a very good reason to let voters vote for their choices in order of preference - then the delegates could be bound to that.
Here’s my spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rb-M1tVGdSs4lSe-0v-PcuqJ6vaX6RGotiNB0VT_PRo/edit?usp=sharing
Updated Feb 20, 2020, 9:58 PM
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Tracy L. Dunning’s timeline.
Happy Birthday and much love from NC!
Simone de Beauvoir borrowed The Years on April 12 and returned it the next day. I guess she didn’t like this book by Virginia Woolf. I think I’ve started it several times without finishing it either, much as I’d like to like it.
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Simone de Beauvoir borrowed The Years on April 12 and returned it the next day. I guess she didn’t like this book by Virginia Woolf. I think I’ve started it several times without finishing it either, much as I’d like to like it.
George Hussein Entenman
@2m57 one of the speakers says how many pundits seem afraid of Bernie but that few of the voters - even people who didn’t support Sanders - were not so worried about him.
The whole discussion is worth listening to.
The whole discussion is worth listening to.
Updated Feb 17, 2020, 6:51 PM
George Hussein Entenman
MoveOn gets it right: “By its very nature, caucuses are undemocratic.” It’s as simple as that, and it bothers me when people who win them argue differently. Yes, I’m going pack to 2016 here, so I’ll stop, but Iowa has to be stripped of its disproportionate role in the Democrat nominating process. NH, too.
Updated Feb 8, 2020, 10:33 PM
George Hussein Entenman
When you see what I’m writing below, you may start yelling “Ok, Boomer!” Problem is that I’m too old to be a boomer! If your mind isn’t open enough to consider anyone for President besides Bernie, Warren, Biden, Klobuchar, Buttigieg, etc., then chalk my post up to dementia and move on.
Let me say that I have not made up my mind for whom to vote in the NC Primary next month. I started out supporting Elizabeth Warren, even giving her more money than I remember giving to any candidate up until now. I like her policies and commitment to making this a better country. I thought that Medicare for All might be okay although I tended to agree with Pelosi and Biden that fixing Obamacare - fully funding it for one thing - would make more sense. But when she said that she would take away private medical plans, I balked: (1) it’s political suicide and (2) I have Medicare now and still need my private plan - a variant of Medigap, I think - to supplement it.
I won’t go over my impressions of the other candidates except to say that the one person for whom I’m truly enthusiastic is Yang, but he appears to have no chance.
On to Bloomberg.
I still don’t know too much about him but I loved that he ran a gun control ad during the Superbowl! That takes political guts. He’s fought tobacco, sugar, guns, and more.
I suggest you start by reading The NC Case for Mike Bloomberg: https://www.politicsnc.com/the-nc-case-for-mike-bloomberg/.
Even more informative is this report from The 1A (https://the1a.org/segments/on-the-trail-michael-bloomberg-edition/), which is very thorough and helps explain why he’s apparently getting endorsements from many mayors around the country.
And please don’t disown me for considering Bloomberg, the way two of my Bernie friends did in 2016. We all - okay mostly - want the same sort of outcome for our country. Besides, I’m too old to know better.
Peace and love,
ge
Let me say that I have not made up my mind for whom to vote in the NC Primary next month. I started out supporting Elizabeth Warren, even giving her more money than I remember giving to any candidate up until now. I like her policies and commitment to making this a better country. I thought that Medicare for All might be okay although I tended to agree with Pelosi and Biden that fixing Obamacare - fully funding it for one thing - would make more sense. But when she said that she would take away private medical plans, I balked: (1) it’s political suicide and (2) I have Medicare now and still need my private plan - a variant of Medigap, I think - to supplement it.
I won’t go over my impressions of the other candidates except to say that the one person for whom I’m truly enthusiastic is Yang, but he appears to have no chance.
On to Bloomberg.
I still don’t know too much about him but I loved that he ran a gun control ad during the Superbowl! That takes political guts. He’s fought tobacco, sugar, guns, and more.
I suggest you start by reading The NC Case for Mike Bloomberg: https://www.politicsnc.com/the-nc-case-for-mike-bloomberg/.
Even more informative is this report from The 1A (https://the1a.org/segments/on-the-trail-michael-bloomberg-edition/), which is very thorough and helps explain why he’s apparently getting endorsements from many mayors around the country.
And please don’t disown me for considering Bloomberg, the way two of my Bernie friends did in 2016. We all - okay mostly - want the same sort of outcome for our country. Besides, I’m too old to know better.
Peace and love,
ge
Updated Feb 7, 2020, 7:58 PM
George Hussein Entenman
This story claims that there’s a bar chart showing that Pete has 50x more delegates or something than Sanders. That’s just a highlight. If this isn’t just incompetence, it must be fake news supporting Bernie.
Ali Zabouti has comments there. I’m Ali Zabouti.
Ali Zabouti has comments there. I’m Ali Zabouti.
Updated Feb 6, 2020, 10:01 AM
George Hussein Entenman
What is wrong with Bernie supporters? This article makes absolutely no mention of “rigging” or “stealing” anything in 2020. It’s all past grievances. They feel as sorry for themselves as Republicans, for goodness sake.
How about this paragraph:
“But fellow Bernie Sanders supporters hear my plea — we gain nothing by playing into the idea that the process is so stacked against us that we can’t win. For one, saying that elections are all “hacked” or manipulated nowadays is a great way to encourage working people not to come out and vote. Why bother supporting an insurgent candidate, if the outcome is already assured?”
But isn’t that what this Sunkara person is doing with this headline? Maybe he didn’t write his own headline?
How about this paragraph:
“But fellow Bernie Sanders supporters hear my plea — we gain nothing by playing into the idea that the process is so stacked against us that we can’t win. For one, saying that elections are all “hacked” or manipulated nowadays is a great way to encourage working people not to come out and vote. Why bother supporting an insurgent candidate, if the outcome is already assured?”
But isn’t that what this Sunkara person is doing with this headline? Maybe he didn’t write his own headline?
Updated Feb 6, 2020, 3:12 AM
George Hussein Entenman updated his status.
I’m glad to be an American but I fear for my country when the leadup to the Superbowl reminds me of the Zeppelinfeld.
George Hussein Entenman
A sad day for those who love Tunisia. I’ve followed her blog for several years.
Updated Jan 30, 2020, 7:50 PM
George Hussein Entenman posted in PiXimperfect Patreon Family.
Does Unmesh have any tutorials on the Ps frame tool?
Cecil Entenman, my father, would have turned 108 today.
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Cecil Entenman, my father, would have turned 108 today.
George Hussein Entenman updated his status.
It’s 0300h on the first morning of 2020. Time to go to sleep.
Someone sent me this startling clip yesterday. Read it for yourself.
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Someone sent me this startling clip yesterday. Read it for yourself.
George Hussein Entenman
Updated Dec 19, 2019, 11:36 PM
There IS justice!
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There IS justice!
You tagged Iris Tillman Hill
Looking through old photos and found this one of when @[528507806:2048:Iris] and I were much younger.
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Looking through old photos and found this one of when Iris and I were much younger.
George Hussein Entenman
The DTH has done a fascinating story about the SCV, the group that the UNC BOG gave $2.5M dollars to. It’s fairly complicated, so I won’t try to summarize it here except to say that it hints at a takeover of the SCV by various racist groups over the past few decades and suggests that this change has alienated long-time members who reject racism.
You be the judge.
You be the judge.
Updated Dec 15, 2019, 12:15 AM
I wonder if I’ll periodically come back to life on FB after I die. It feels good to refriend a long-dead friend even if I know it’s not them.
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I wonder if I’ll periodically come back to life on FB after I die. It feels good to refriend a long-dead friend even if I know it’s not them.
George Hussein Entenman
Updated Dec 10, 2019, 11:34 PM
George Hussein Entenman
I love capitalism. Not the giant multinational kind, mind you, but the entrepreneurial kind like this business created by a Taiwanese immigrant. They’ve created a special bottle of champagne celebrating Trump’s impeachment with a bottle with a fake presidential seal on it. Plus $10 goes to the ACLU with each purchase.
The website is a masterpiece of ultracoolitude. It makes me wish more than ever that I was young, sexy and multicultural all over again. Go enjoy it. The champagne is too expensive for me and it’s not a good IPA. I already donate directly to the ACLU, as should you.
The website is a masterpiece of ultracoolitude. It makes me wish more than ever that I was young, sexy and multicultural all over again. Go enjoy it. The champagne is too expensive for me and it’s not a good IPA. I already donate directly to the ACLU, as should you.
Updated Dec 10, 2019, 8:37 AM
George Hussein Entenman
This list will amaze you.
Updated Dec 8, 2019, 2:57 PM
George Hussein Entenman
I kinda miss Christianity….
Updated Dec 7, 2019, 10:29 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Nancy Pelosi continues to show how tough and impressive she is in the face of yet another right-wing a**hole. (BTW, I don’t hate him. 😇)
Updated Dec 7, 2019, 6:41 PM
Cymbalic Art at the Nasher Museum
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Cymbalic Art at the Nasher Museum
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Josh Davis’s timeline.
Happy Birthday, Josh!!
George Hussein Entenman
On 2019-11-27 I sent a Letter to Editor of the Duke Chronicle about their “Ok, Boomer” article
Dear Editor,
The Chronicle’s November opinion piece entitled “Big Boomer energy” by “The Community Editorial Board” begins:
“Last week, former President Barack Obama condemned the leftward shift of the Democratic party at an event in D.C. Pointing the finger primarily at young “activists,” he argued that such a shift would alienate crucial moderate voters prior to the 2020 election. Considering the insistent emphasis on electability this election cycle, Obama’s call for a more palatable and centrist Democratic party appears reasonable. But in doing so, Obama is reproducing an ideology that actively excludes dissenting voices, especially those of young people, in the name of civility.“
Read it again: notice how”electibility” is changed into “civility”? This is a perfect example of creating a “straw man” argument.
Look at the article cited as “pointing the finger primarily at young”activists“. The word”young” does not appear in the article, and the word “activists” is used once: “[Obama] … cautioned that the universe of voters that could support a Democratic candidate — Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans — are not driven by the same views reflected on “certain left-leaning Twitter feeds” or “the activist wing of our party.” Obama raises an empirical question, and I submit that none of us will know the answer until voting actually begins.
The editorial does a good job of expressing young people’s frustration over gun violence and climate change. And it’s honest enough to admit that some (young) Duke students have “internalized traditional values of success”: jobs, security, etc.
But why write a whole editorial just to find a target for the ad hominem epithet, “Ok, Boomer!” when it would be better to address the problems that worry you?
Some of us older folks agree on the issues you raise here. We’re no smarter than you, but we actually have gained a little wisdom in the past by supporting candidates who were too left-leaning for the majority of Americans to vote for. I freely admit that I’ve “thrown away my vote”, and I’m deeply sorry for it.
Please don’t take this as a put-down of young people but as a sincere attempt to make sure we beat the same forces that you oppose.
Sincerely,
George Entenman
Too old to be a Boomer, ha, ha!!
2019-12-04: Still no letter
I think the Duke Chronicle is chicken or ageist.
Dear Editor,
The Chronicle’s November opinion piece entitled “Big Boomer energy” by “The Community Editorial Board” begins:
“Last week, former President Barack Obama condemned the leftward shift of the Democratic party at an event in D.C. Pointing the finger primarily at young “activists,” he argued that such a shift would alienate crucial moderate voters prior to the 2020 election. Considering the insistent emphasis on electability this election cycle, Obama’s call for a more palatable and centrist Democratic party appears reasonable. But in doing so, Obama is reproducing an ideology that actively excludes dissenting voices, especially those of young people, in the name of civility.“
Read it again: notice how”electibility” is changed into “civility”? This is a perfect example of creating a “straw man” argument.
Look at the article cited as “pointing the finger primarily at young”activists“. The word”young” does not appear in the article, and the word “activists” is used once: “[Obama] … cautioned that the universe of voters that could support a Democratic candidate — Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans — are not driven by the same views reflected on “certain left-leaning Twitter feeds” or “the activist wing of our party.” Obama raises an empirical question, and I submit that none of us will know the answer until voting actually begins.
The editorial does a good job of expressing young people’s frustration over gun violence and climate change. And it’s honest enough to admit that some (young) Duke students have “internalized traditional values of success”: jobs, security, etc.
But why write a whole editorial just to find a target for the ad hominem epithet, “Ok, Boomer!” when it would be better to address the problems that worry you?
Some of us older folks agree on the issues you raise here. We’re no smarter than you, but we actually have gained a little wisdom in the past by supporting candidates who were too left-leaning for the majority of Americans to vote for. I freely admit that I’ve “thrown away my vote”, and I’m deeply sorry for it.
Please don’t take this as a put-down of young people but as a sincere attempt to make sure we beat the same forces that you oppose.
Sincerely,
George Entenman
Too old to be a Boomer, ha, ha!!
2019-12-04: Still no letter
I think the Duke Chronicle is chicken or ageist.
Updated Dec 4, 2019, 4:05 PM
George Hussein Entenman updated his status.
On 2019-11-27 I sent a Letter to Editor of the Duke Chronicle about their “Ok, Boomer” article
Dear Editor,
The Chronicle’s November opinion piece entitled “Big Boomer energy” by “The Community Editorial Board” begins:
“Last week, former President Barack Obama condemned the leftward shift of the Democratic party at an event in D.C. Pointing the finger primarily at young “activists,” he argued that such a shift would alienate crucial moderate voters prior to the 2020 election. Considering the insistent emphasis on electability this election cycle, Obama’s call for a more palatable and centrist Democratic party appears reasonable. But in doing so, Obama is reproducing an ideology that actively excludes dissenting voices, especially those of young people, in the name of civility.“
Read it again: notice how”electibility” is changed into “civility”? This is a perfect example of creating a “straw man” argument.
Look at the article cited as “pointing the finger primarily at young”activists“. The word”young” does not appear in the article, and the word “activists” is used once: “[Obama] … cautioned that the universe of voters that could support a Democratic candidate — Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans — are not driven by the same views reflected on “certain left-leaning Twitter feeds” or “the activist wing of our party.” Obama raises an empirical question, and I submit that none of us will know the answer until voting actually begins.
The editorial does a good job of expressing young people’s frustration over gun violence and climate change. And it’s honest enough to admit that some (young) Duke students have “internalized traditional values of success”: jobs, security, etc.
But why write a whole editorial just to find a target for the ad hominem epithet, “Ok, Boomer!” when it would be better to address the problems that worry you?
Some of us older folks agree on the issues you raise here. We’re no smarter than you, but we actually have gained a little wisdom in the past by supporting candidates who were too left-leaning for the majority of Americans to vote for. I freely admit that I’ve “thrown away my vote”, and I’m deeply sorry for it.
Please don’t take this as a put-down of young people but as a sincere attempt to make sure we beat the same forces that you oppose.
Sincerely,
George Entenman
Too old to be a Boomer, ha, ha!!
2019-12-04: Still no letter
I think the Duke Chronicle is chicken or ageist.
https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/11/duke-community-editorial-board-ok-boomer
Dear Editor,
The Chronicle’s November opinion piece entitled “Big Boomer energy” by “The Community Editorial Board” begins:
“Last week, former President Barack Obama condemned the leftward shift of the Democratic party at an event in D.C. Pointing the finger primarily at young “activists,” he argued that such a shift would alienate crucial moderate voters prior to the 2020 election. Considering the insistent emphasis on electability this election cycle, Obama’s call for a more palatable and centrist Democratic party appears reasonable. But in doing so, Obama is reproducing an ideology that actively excludes dissenting voices, especially those of young people, in the name of civility.“
Read it again: notice how”electibility” is changed into “civility”? This is a perfect example of creating a “straw man” argument.
Look at the article cited as “pointing the finger primarily at young”activists“. The word”young” does not appear in the article, and the word “activists” is used once: “[Obama] … cautioned that the universe of voters that could support a Democratic candidate — Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans — are not driven by the same views reflected on “certain left-leaning Twitter feeds” or “the activist wing of our party.” Obama raises an empirical question, and I submit that none of us will know the answer until voting actually begins.
The editorial does a good job of expressing young people’s frustration over gun violence and climate change. And it’s honest enough to admit that some (young) Duke students have “internalized traditional values of success”: jobs, security, etc.
But why write a whole editorial just to find a target for the ad hominem epithet, “Ok, Boomer!” when it would be better to address the problems that worry you?
Some of us older folks agree on the issues you raise here. We’re no smarter than you, but we actually have gained a little wisdom in the past by supporting candidates who were too left-leaning for the majority of Americans to vote for. I freely admit that I’ve “thrown away my vote”, and I’m deeply sorry for it.
Please don’t take this as a put-down of young people but as a sincere attempt to make sure we beat the same forces that you oppose.
Sincerely,
George Entenman
Too old to be a Boomer, ha, ha!!
2019-12-04: Still no letter
I think the Duke Chronicle is chicken or ageist.
https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/11/duke-community-editorial-board-ok-boomer
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Kane D Smego’s timeline.
Happy Birthday, my friend!
George Hussein Entenman
@[528507806:2048:Iris Tillman Hill] will be speaking this Thursday at the Nasher. Go.
Updated Dec 3, 2019, 1:59 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Our neighbor, @[774261336:2048:Michael Galinsky], has just republished his book on the decline of American Malls.
Updated Nov 30, 2019, 2:13 PM
My favorite author and thinker on the beach with her brother-in-law in 1910.
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My favorite author and thinker on the beach with her brother-in-law in 1910.
The Nature Conservancy is going to protect 253K acres of Appalachian Forest. This is beautiful country. You can see from the map that much more land needs to be set aside if animals are to be able to travel safely for any distance. Go to nature.org/cumberland for more information.
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The Nature Conservancy is going to protect 253K acres of Appalachian Forest. This is beautiful country. You can see from the map that much more land needs to be set aside if animals are to be able to travel safely for any distance. Go to nature.org/cumberland for more information.
George Hussein Entenman
I’M CONFUSED. I’M REEVALUATING MY LIFE.
Today’s Wall Street Journal has a front page story on artificial meat: How to Get Die-Hard Meat Eaters to Try Impossible Burgers: Trick Them. The online article is behind a paywall, I’m afraid.
The article describes people’s reluctance to even try fake meat. Many actually become angry when fooled into eating (and usually liking) it.
“On April Fools’ Day this past spring, a Burger King in St. Louis served Impossible Burgers to unsuspecting guests. ‘I’m confused. I’m reevaluating my life,’ an unnamed customer said….”
Why do so many people fear fake meat and act so strangely around it? Maybe because we ARE meat we are afraid of being replaced.
Discuss….
Today’s Wall Street Journal has a front page story on artificial meat: How to Get Die-Hard Meat Eaters to Try Impossible Burgers: Trick Them. The online article is behind a paywall, I’m afraid.
The article describes people’s reluctance to even try fake meat. Many actually become angry when fooled into eating (and usually liking) it.
“On April Fools’ Day this past spring, a Burger King in St. Louis served Impossible Burgers to unsuspecting guests. ‘I’m confused. I’m reevaluating my life,’ an unnamed customer said….”
Why do so many people fear fake meat and act so strangely around it? Maybe because we ARE meat we are afraid of being replaced.
Discuss….
Updated Nov 13, 2019, 9:29 AM
Robert Huls takes the stage
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The cleanup crew springs into action!
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The 8th Annual Pumpkin Bombs
Our neighborhood’s 8th Annual Pumpkin Bombs
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Our neighborhood’s 8th Annual Pumpkin Bombs
I cut this out of a French newspaper while in the Peace Corps in southern Tunisia in 1964-5. I love this crazy thing. It’s probably too late to cure me.
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I cut this out of a French newspaper while in the Peace Corps in southern Tunisia in 1964-5. I love this crazy thing. It’s probably too late to cure me.
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Elvis lives!!
Ernest PickElva lives….elvis is turning in his grave
Nov 3, 2019, 7:06 PM
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Elvis lives!!
George Hussein Entenman added a new photo to Stephen White’s timeline.
I’m missing someone today.
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I’m missing someone today.
George Hussein Entenman
The latest Wired magazine has a long, thoughtful article, Inside Olympic Destroyer, the Most Deceptive Hack in History (https://www.wired.com/story/untold-story-2018-olympics-destroyer-cyberattack/). It is excerpted from the book SANDWORM (https://www.amazon.com/Sandworm-Cyberwar-Kremlins-Dangerous-Hackers/dp/0385544405), by Andy Greenberg, to be published on November 5, 2019.
One of the most difficult tasks besides preventing cyber attacks is figuring out where they come from. This article describes how a number of people and organizations worked to finally discover that a very sophisticated attack against the Olympic Games in Korea originated in Moscow.
The article is fascinating, particularly if you understand technology, but even if you don’t, there are at least two important takeaways, in my opinion.
The first reinforces something that I’ve been saying for years: STOP EMAILING WORD DOCUMENTS TO OTHER PEOPLE. Use PDFs or Google Docs instead.
“On a whim, Matonis decided to try a
different approach from much of the rest of
the perplexed security industry. He didn’t
search for clues in the malware’s code.
Instead, in the days after the attack,
Matonis looked at a far more mundane element
of the operation: a fake, malware-laced Word
document that had served as the first step
in the nearly disastrous opening ceremony
sabotage campaign.”
“The document, which appeared to contain a
list of VIP delegates to the games, had
likely been emailed to Olympics staff as an
attachment. If anyone opened that
attachment, it would run a malicious macro
script that planted a backdoor on their PC,
offering the Olympics hackers their first
foothold on the target network. When Matonis
pulled the infected document from
VirusTotal, the malware repository where it
had been uploaded by incident responders, he
saw that the bait had likely been sent to
Olympics staff in late November 2017, more
than two months before the games began. The
hackers had laid in wait for months before
triggering their logic bomb.”
If you want to read a Word doc that you received from elsewhere, try opening it with something besides MS Word. I use Pages on my Mac. I also open Word Docs in Google Docs.
The second takeaway is that Russia did indeed attack our political systems during the last presidential election. The article provides an extremely convincing case that the Russia hacked our systems with code very similar to the Olympic attack’s.
Both attacks planted numerous “false flags”, false clues leading to a maze of different sources. And they work:
“But false flags work here in the US, too
(https://www.wired.com/story/russia-false-flag-hacks/),
argues John Hultquist, the director of
intelligence analysis at FireEye …. Look
no further, Hultquist says, than the half of
Americans—or 73 percent of registered
Republicans—who refuse to accept that Russia
hacked the DNC or the Clinton campaign.”
One of the most difficult tasks besides preventing cyber attacks is figuring out where they come from. This article describes how a number of people and organizations worked to finally discover that a very sophisticated attack against the Olympic Games in Korea originated in Moscow.
The article is fascinating, particularly if you understand technology, but even if you don’t, there are at least two important takeaways, in my opinion.
The first reinforces something that I’ve been saying for years: STOP EMAILING WORD DOCUMENTS TO OTHER PEOPLE. Use PDFs or Google Docs instead.
“On a whim, Matonis decided to try a
different approach from much of the rest of
the perplexed security industry. He didn’t
search for clues in the malware’s code.
Instead, in the days after the attack,
Matonis looked at a far more mundane element
of the operation: a fake, malware-laced Word
document that had served as the first step
in the nearly disastrous opening ceremony
sabotage campaign.”
“The document, which appeared to contain a
list of VIP delegates to the games, had
likely been emailed to Olympics staff as an
attachment. If anyone opened that
attachment, it would run a malicious macro
script that planted a backdoor on their PC,
offering the Olympics hackers their first
foothold on the target network. When Matonis
pulled the infected document from
VirusTotal, the malware repository where it
had been uploaded by incident responders, he
saw that the bait had likely been sent to
Olympics staff in late November 2017, more
than two months before the games began. The
hackers had laid in wait for months before
triggering their logic bomb.”
If you want to read a Word doc that you received from elsewhere, try opening it with something besides MS Word. I use Pages on my Mac. I also open Word Docs in Google Docs.
The second takeaway is that Russia did indeed attack our political systems during the last presidential election. The article provides an extremely convincing case that the Russia hacked our systems with code very similar to the Olympic attack’s.
Both attacks planted numerous “false flags”, false clues leading to a maze of different sources. And they work:
“But false flags work here in the US, too
(https://www.wired.com/story/russia-false-flag-hacks/),
argues John Hultquist, the director of
intelligence analysis at FireEye …. Look
no further, Hultquist says, than the half of
Americans—or 73 percent of registered
Republicans—who refuse to accept that Russia
hacked the DNC or the Clinton campaign.”
Updated Oct 22, 2019, 11:45 PM
George Hussein Entenman
I just donated to Wikimedia. You should, too.
Updated Oct 22, 2019, 5:55 PM
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Jose Roberto O’Shea’s timeline.
Happy Birthday, José!!
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Robin Garrett’s timeline.
Still wishing you a happy birthday, old friend. If only …
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Alabama Beggs’s timeline.
Happy Birthday, M!!
George Hussein Entenman
Read - or better yet, listen - to this article. The implications will surprise and probably alarm you. It will certainly fascinate you.
Updated Oct 8, 2019, 9:56 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Damn! I may need to support her opponent.
Updated Oct 2, 2019, 11:12 AM
George Hussein Entenman
We’re doomed to never have peace and quiet again.
What?? Can’t hear me??
WE’RE DOOMED TO NEVER HAVE PEACE AND QUIET AGAIN!!!!!
What?? Can’t hear me??
WE’RE DOOMED TO NEVER HAVE PEACE AND QUIET AGAIN!!!!!
Updated Sep 28, 2019, 12:21 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Our neighborhood had a forum for CH Town Council candidates last Saturday, and I got a chance to hear and talk with a number of candidates. I respect CHALT’s opinions, so I was happily surprised to see that their endorsements mirrored my own.
Be sure to vote in our local elections if you’re lucky enough to live in Chapel Hill 🤩
Be sure to vote in our local elections if you’re lucky enough to live in Chapel Hill 🤩
Updated Sep 24, 2019, 3:11 PM
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BE THERE ON NOVEMBER 16th
I had no idea how impressive Durham’s history was until I saw Steve Channing’s video, Durham: A Self-Portrait. I even own a copy, to make sure that I can always rewatch it.
Durham was made by an inspiring group of people from unusually diverse backgrounds, who were able to work together to create a thriving city, one of the major African American cities in America. It had its own “Black Wall Street” and the largest Black-owned business in the US.
At 6 PM, Saturday, November 16, the follow-up documentary, Durham: A Self-Portrait 150, will be screened at the Carolina Theatre (you can see a photo of the theater below).
“Our 2008 Self-Portrait documentary told the story of tobacco, textiles, “Black Wall Street,” and the personal relationships that underpinned Durham’s early success. Today’s economic renaissance has brought prosperity and challenges: gentrification, inequity, and persistent poverty.“
”In this provocative 2019 update, we ask a wide range of Durhamites: How can we achieve a shared prosperity? Does our unique 150 years of history make a difference? See more at http://portraitofdurham.com/″
http://portraitofdurham.com/aboutreboot
I had no idea how impressive Durham’s history was until I saw Steve Channing’s video, Durham: A Self-Portrait. I even own a copy, to make sure that I can always rewatch it.
Durham was made by an inspiring group of people from unusually diverse backgrounds, who were able to work together to create a thriving city, one of the major African American cities in America. It had its own “Black Wall Street” and the largest Black-owned business in the US.
At 6 PM, Saturday, November 16, the follow-up documentary, Durham: A Self-Portrait 150, will be screened at the Carolina Theatre (you can see a photo of the theater below).
“Our 2008 Self-Portrait documentary told the story of tobacco, textiles, “Black Wall Street,” and the personal relationships that underpinned Durham’s early success. Today’s economic renaissance has brought prosperity and challenges: gentrification, inequity, and persistent poverty.“
”In this provocative 2019 update, we ask a wide range of Durhamites: How can we achieve a shared prosperity? Does our unique 150 years of history make a difference? See more at http://portraitofdurham.com/″
http://portraitofdurham.com/aboutreboot
George Hussein Entenman
This is a beautiful show at the NC Bot Gardens. The colors are much better than shown here. You can also visit nature a bit there, too!
Updated Aug 31, 2019, 9:37 AM
George Hussein Entenman added a new photo to Rebecca Hill’s timeline.
Saudades….
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Saudades….
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Ginette de Matos’s timeline.
Bonne anniversaire, chère amie!
George Hussein Entenman posted in Tunisia-America.
George Hussein Entenman posted in Peace Corps Volunteers in Tunisia.
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Lynne Tillman’s timeline.
Happy Birthday, Lynne!!
George Hussein Entenman
Chers Amis,
Je m’excuse de vous écirir en Anglais, mais tot ou tard, nous devons l’aprendre!
- ge
Many Europeans now speak English fluently. This does not mean that they will understand us native speakers:
“Most people now learn English to communicate with other nonnative speakers — and even many of their teachers aren’t native — so they acquire few expressions and idioms. The linguist Jennifer Jenkins describes a British TV interviewer asking a perplexed Italian opera singer whether his trip to England is “going swimmingly.” She writes that, at European Union conferences, nonnatives who can easily understand each other’s English switch on their translation headphones when someone from Britain or Ireland takes the stage.“
”The French are still among Europe’s worst English speakers, but they are desperate to improve.”
Je m’excuse de vous écirir en Anglais, mais tot ou tard, nous devons l’aprendre!
- ge
Many Europeans now speak English fluently. This does not mean that they will understand us native speakers:
“Most people now learn English to communicate with other nonnative speakers — and even many of their teachers aren’t native — so they acquire few expressions and idioms. The linguist Jennifer Jenkins describes a British TV interviewer asking a perplexed Italian opera singer whether his trip to England is “going swimmingly.” She writes that, at European Union conferences, nonnatives who can easily understand each other’s English switch on their translation headphones when someone from Britain or Ireland takes the stage.“
”The French are still among Europe’s worst English speakers, but they are desperate to improve.”
Updated Aug 11, 2019, 4:20 PM
BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN WHINING I just got an email from the Sanders campaign with the subject line THEY HAD TO EXCLUDE BERNIE (I put it in all caps to make it visible in FB). What do you think when you see that subject? If you’re like me, you figure that “They” have done something unfair to exclude Bernie from a debate, an election or something, and I’m going to click on that email be be outraged at what I read! Nope. That’s not it. They refer to a NY Times article that excludes Bernie from a map in order to show who has fewer donors than he does (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/02/us/politics/2020-democratic-fundraising.html). I think we should leave all whining or even semblance thereof to the Republicans. (And to me, if I’m whining here.) |
BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN WHINING
I just got an email from the Sanders campaign with the subject line THEY HAD TO EXCLUDE BERNIE (I put it in all caps to make it visible in FB).
What do you think when you see that subject? If you’re like me, you figure that “They” have done something unfair to exclude Bernie from a debate, an election or something, and I’m going to click on that email be be outraged at what I read!
Nope. That’s not it. They refer to a NY Times article that excludes Bernie from a map in order to show who has fewer donors than he does (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/02/us/politics/2020-democratic-fundraising.html).
I think we should leave all whining or even semblance thereof to the Republicans. (And to me, if I’m whining here.)
I just got an email from the Sanders campaign with the subject line THEY HAD TO EXCLUDE BERNIE (I put it in all caps to make it visible in FB).
What do you think when you see that subject? If you’re like me, you figure that “They” have done something unfair to exclude Bernie from a debate, an election or something, and I’m going to click on that email be be outraged at what I read!
Nope. That’s not it. They refer to a NY Times article that excludes Bernie from a map in order to show who has fewer donors than he does (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/02/us/politics/2020-democratic-fundraising.html).
I think we should leave all whining or even semblance thereof to the Republicans. (And to me, if I’m whining here.)
George Hussein Entenman updated his status.
I just got this email from Richard Burr:
Record-Breaking Number of Conservative Judges Serving on Federal Bench
This week, the Senate continued to shape the direction of our court system for decades to come by confirming 19 well-qualified judges. Since President Trump has taken office, the Senate has confirmed:
2 Supreme Court Justices
43 Appellate Court Judges
99 District Court Judges
Despite delays and obstruction from across the aisle, I have been proud to support the confirmation of 114 qualified judges to the federal bench who are committed to the rule of law. To put these numbers into perspective, nearly 25 percent of the current circuit court system was nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate. We’ve taken this responsibility seriously, and I look forward to considering even more judges in the coming months that will hold their positions with integrity and leave a lasting legacy.
——-
I don’t care if you aren’t thrilled by the eventual Democratic nominees for President, Senate, Congress and state offices.
If this doesn’t tell you that you HAVE to vote, then you’re dead to me.
Record-Breaking Number of Conservative Judges Serving on Federal Bench
This week, the Senate continued to shape the direction of our court system for decades to come by confirming 19 well-qualified judges. Since President Trump has taken office, the Senate has confirmed:
2 Supreme Court Justices
43 Appellate Court Judges
99 District Court Judges
Despite delays and obstruction from across the aisle, I have been proud to support the confirmation of 114 qualified judges to the federal bench who are committed to the rule of law. To put these numbers into perspective, nearly 25 percent of the current circuit court system was nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate. We’ve taken this responsibility seriously, and I look forward to considering even more judges in the coming months that will hold their positions with integrity and leave a lasting legacy.
——-
I don’t care if you aren’t thrilled by the eventual Democratic nominees for President, Senate, Congress and state offices.
If this doesn’t tell you that you HAVE to vote, then you’re dead to me.
George Hussein Entenman
C’est le moment d’épater mes amis encore une fois.
This article strikes me as spot on. I love Warren and her fellow lefties, but they are f*ckin nuts to attack Obamacare rather than to explain how it has been weakened by Republicans. Forcing people to abandon their private insurance may be better in some theoretical sense but it will not fly with most voters.
We have Medicare, and I can tell you that without our somewhat expensive private insurance, we would have had to pay a lot more for our care in the last few years because Medicare doesn’t cover everything 100%. Repeal and replace should remain the idea of Republicans, not Democrats, especially if we want to beat Trump.
This article strikes me as spot on. I love Warren and her fellow lefties, but they are f*ckin nuts to attack Obamacare rather than to explain how it has been weakened by Republicans. Forcing people to abandon their private insurance may be better in some theoretical sense but it will not fly with most voters.
We have Medicare, and I can tell you that without our somewhat expensive private insurance, we would have had to pay a lot more for our care in the last few years because Medicare doesn’t cover everything 100%. Repeal and replace should remain the idea of Republicans, not Democrats, especially if we want to beat Trump.
Updated Aug 2, 2019, 11:26 AM
George Hussein Entenman
A friend asked me what this article is saying. Here’s my take:
It’s saying that we write and read unencrypted messages, only encrypting them to transmit them. WhatsApp will apparently examine the unencrypted messages and provide a way for the gov’t to do so, too. If we use our own software to encrypt a message before giving it to WhatsApp to send, the message will be sent somewhere to be examined by powerful decryption techniques. I’ve had some great discussions on FB lately but I will not use it for messaging except when people DM me on it (and I can do that only on my computer, not on my phone, which demands that I use WhatsApp if I want to see the message.)
It’s saying that we write and read unencrypted messages, only encrypting them to transmit them. WhatsApp will apparently examine the unencrypted messages and provide a way for the gov’t to do so, too. If we use our own software to encrypt a message before giving it to WhatsApp to send, the message will be sent somewhere to be examined by powerful decryption techniques. I’ve had some great discussions on FB lately but I will not use it for messaging except when people DM me on it (and I can do that only on my computer, not on my phone, which demands that I use WhatsApp if I want to see the message.)
Updated Aug 2, 2019, 10:15 AM
George Hussein Entenman
Good news IMNSHO about young people.
(I do sort of wonder why they like Bernie who seems to have a constant angry tone. Maybe I’ve only heard him talk in situations that bring that out in him. I find myself reacting negatively to his delivery pretty often, even though I’m struck by how articulate he can be and how much he knows.)
(I do sort of wonder why they like Bernie who seems to have a constant angry tone. Maybe I’ve only heard him talk in situations that bring that out in him. I find myself reacting negatively to his delivery pretty often, even though I’m struck by how articulate he can be and how much he knows.)
Updated Aug 1, 2019, 9:37 PM
George Hussein Entenman posted in Case of the Mondays?
Will you have lots of IPAs on Mondays?
George Hussein Entenman
This is how I see the effects of impeachment attempts:
“Ed Kilgore provides some sobering observations at New York Magazine about the likely effects of failed impeachment. Kilgore explains that “it is as certain as anything in this life that the Republican-controlled Senate will not remove Trump from office under any foreseeable set of facts …. A failed impeachment effort — whether the House doesn’t formally take up articles of impeachment, or it takes them up and they are defeated, or the Senate acquits — would not only leave the president in office, but could even look like an exoneration (which is precisely how Trump would depict it). So what would be the point? A theoretical discharge of duty?…A reelected Trump would be rampant, vengeful, and (of course) unrepentant. The Supreme Court and the entire federal judiciary would likely become a confirmed enemy to progressivism for a generation. With one or two more Trump appointees to SCOTUS, reproductive rights would almost certainly be vaporized. Climate change might well become truly irreversible. Trumpism (or something worse) would complete its conquest of one major political party, and the other would be truly in the wilderness and perhaps fatally embittered and divided.””
“Ed Kilgore provides some sobering observations at New York Magazine about the likely effects of failed impeachment. Kilgore explains that “it is as certain as anything in this life that the Republican-controlled Senate will not remove Trump from office under any foreseeable set of facts …. A failed impeachment effort — whether the House doesn’t formally take up articles of impeachment, or it takes them up and they are defeated, or the Senate acquits — would not only leave the president in office, but could even look like an exoneration (which is precisely how Trump would depict it). So what would be the point? A theoretical discharge of duty?…A reelected Trump would be rampant, vengeful, and (of course) unrepentant. The Supreme Court and the entire federal judiciary would likely become a confirmed enemy to progressivism for a generation. With one or two more Trump appointees to SCOTUS, reproductive rights would almost certainly be vaporized. Climate change might well become truly irreversible. Trumpism (or something worse) would complete its conquest of one major political party, and the other would be truly in the wilderness and perhaps fatally embittered and divided.””
Updated Jul 29, 2019, 12:06 PM
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Ali Zaabouti’s timeline.
It’s 2019. Another year has rolled around, and I still miss Ali Zaabouti
George Hussein Entenman
This reinforces my instinctual distrust of tech giants’ smart speakers, cameras, voice controlers, etc.
Updated Jul 25, 2019, 2:06 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Dear Leftist Friends - We are not so smart
In a new national survey, members of each major American political party were asked what they imagined to be the beliefs held by members of the other.
Guess what they found?
In their survey answers, highly-educated Republicans were no more accurate in their ideas about Democratic opinion than poorly educated Republicans. For Democrats, the education effect was even worse: the more educated a Democrat is, according to the study, the less he or she understands the Republican worldview.
“This effect,” the report says, “is so strong that Democrats without a high school diploma are three times more accurate than those with a postgraduate degree.” And the more politically engaged a person is, the greater the distortion.
If you’re one of my Facebook friends, chances are you are well educated and somewhat politically engaged.
If you read my post about Barney Frank the other day, you surely noted his contention that the only major difference between, say, Nancy Pelosi and The Squad is that they have different perceptions of the electorate’s position, not that they have different goals. In other words, our ability to understand Republicans is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT if we are to win political power.
Let me rub it in: if you are educated, be humble when you state that Democrats have to be more centrist or more leftist in order to win votes. We probably know less than we think.
In a new national survey, members of each major American political party were asked what they imagined to be the beliefs held by members of the other.
Guess what they found?
In their survey answers, highly-educated Republicans were no more accurate in their ideas about Democratic opinion than poorly educated Republicans. For Democrats, the education effect was even worse: the more educated a Democrat is, according to the study, the less he or she understands the Republican worldview.
“This effect,” the report says, “is so strong that Democrats without a high school diploma are three times more accurate than those with a postgraduate degree.” And the more politically engaged a person is, the greater the distortion.
If you’re one of my Facebook friends, chances are you are well educated and somewhat politically engaged.
If you read my post about Barney Frank the other day, you surely noted his contention that the only major difference between, say, Nancy Pelosi and The Squad is that they have different perceptions of the electorate’s position, not that they have different goals. In other words, our ability to understand Republicans is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT if we are to win political power.
Let me rub it in: if you are educated, be humble when you state that Democrats have to be more centrist or more leftist in order to win votes. We probably know less than we think.
Updated Jul 23, 2019, 10:55 PM
George Hussein Entenman
A giant camera that is kind, friendly, sharing and fun.
Updated Jul 19, 2019, 8:55 PM
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Jacer Omri’s timeline.
Dear Jacer, I haven’t forgotten you or what you’ve done for me. So I truly wish you a great and happy birthday!
George Hussein Entenman
THE DIFFERENCE IS YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE ELECTORATE’S POSITION
Barney Frank retired from the US House of Representatives in 2013 as one of the first Congressmen to come out as gay and as the first Congressman to marry his same-sex partner while in office.
If you don’t think that gives him good lefty creds, read what [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Frank#Political_positions_and_votes) says about his record in Congress.
Frank spoke at UNC several decades ago. He has a funny/wonderful way of speaking that I find mesmerizing. He is one of those happy warriors who fights the good fight while not losing his sense of humor and his clarity.
I’m posting this in the hope that those of my friends who currently attack Nancy Pelosi - some in very nasty ways - will have the courage to read what Frank says about her. I know it takes courage to read things that threaten to change our minds - I don’t like doing it either - but please do it this time. Frank makes it easier by being very passionate and, I think, funny.
Some key quotes:
“Four. You greatly exaggerate Ocasio-Cortez’s [numbers] - there’s four of them. There aren’t very many, including many of the younger people. By the way, the Democrats that Pelosi is most concerned about are younger ones. She is working very hard with the thirty- and forty-year-olds who won the marginal seats. The difference is not age. It is your perception of the electorate’s position.”
“If you believe the electorate is raring to go with all this left agenda - as I said, much of which I agree with, the difference I have with them is more strategic - then you take some of their positions. If you believe that it is a much harder sell, then you have a different approach…. But if you look at the freshman, by definition the younger ones, overwhelmingly, they are on Pelosi’s side. But they won Republican or marginal seats.”
Barney Frank retired from the US House of Representatives in 2013 as one of the first Congressmen to come out as gay and as the first Congressman to marry his same-sex partner while in office.
If you don’t think that gives him good lefty creds, read what [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Frank#Political_positions_and_votes) says about his record in Congress.
Frank spoke at UNC several decades ago. He has a funny/wonderful way of speaking that I find mesmerizing. He is one of those happy warriors who fights the good fight while not losing his sense of humor and his clarity.
I’m posting this in the hope that those of my friends who currently attack Nancy Pelosi - some in very nasty ways - will have the courage to read what Frank says about her. I know it takes courage to read things that threaten to change our minds - I don’t like doing it either - but please do it this time. Frank makes it easier by being very passionate and, I think, funny.
Some key quotes:
“Four. You greatly exaggerate Ocasio-Cortez’s [numbers] - there’s four of them. There aren’t very many, including many of the younger people. By the way, the Democrats that Pelosi is most concerned about are younger ones. She is working very hard with the thirty- and forty-year-olds who won the marginal seats. The difference is not age. It is your perception of the electorate’s position.”
“If you believe the electorate is raring to go with all this left agenda - as I said, much of which I agree with, the difference I have with them is more strategic - then you take some of their positions. If you believe that it is a much harder sell, then you have a different approach…. But if you look at the freshman, by definition the younger ones, overwhelmingly, they are on Pelosi’s side. But they won Republican or marginal seats.”
Updated Jul 17, 2019, 9:49 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Friends, Please support James and Chloe. They’re part of our extended family.
Updated Jul 17, 2019, 4:33 PM
George Hussein Entenman
“I’m most scared by Elizabeth Warren,” he said.
“I think she’s the one who’s actually talking about the economy, which is the only thing that I think matters by far the most.”
“I think she’s the one who’s actually talking about the economy, which is the only thing that I think matters by far the most.”
Updated Jul 16, 2019, 9:28 AM
George Hussein Entenman posted in Peace Corps Volunteers in Tunisia.
Great story from former PC Director in Tunisia
George Hussein Entenman
Please support our extended family members, James and Chloe!
Updated Jul 5, 2019, 3:04 PM
George Hussein Entenman
I encourage you to support @[774261336:2048:Michael Galinsky]’s Kickstarter project. You’ll get a wonderful book.
Updated Jul 3, 2019, 8:00 PM
George Hussein Entenman
This may be a “conservative” source, but it makes a very convincing, very troubling case that our greedy corporate overlords have happily sold our defense capabilities to the Chinese.
“Wall Street’s outsized control over defense contracting and industry means that every place a foreign adversary can insert itself into American financial institutions, it can insert itself into our defense industry.”
“Wall Street’s outsized control over defense contracting and industry means that every place a foreign adversary can insert itself into American financial institutions, it can insert itself into our defense industry.”
Updated Jul 1, 2019, 11:41 AM
George Hussein Entenman
I don’t think I’m ever going to use GrubHub
Updated Jun 28, 2019, 5:05 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Elizabeth Warren throws her water away and never has anything in her pockets when she goes through airport security. https://t.co/83MCc19MCX
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) June 27, 2019
Something nice!
Updated Jun 27, 2019, 8:28 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Paul Krugman writes of Elizabeth Warren:
“Now, none of this means that Warren will be the nominee. Many Democratic voters clearly prefer Biden’s affable conventionality, and many others share Sanders’s tear-the-whole-thing-down instincts. All we really know is that there turns out to be a significant constituency most pundits probably didn’t even realize was there: voters who want a significant policy move to the left, but also want a candidate who really seems to have thought things through.”
I’m here!! I want a significant, well thought-out move to the left.
“Now, none of this means that Warren will be the nominee. Many Democratic voters clearly prefer Biden’s affable conventionality, and many others share Sanders’s tear-the-whole-thing-down instincts. All we really know is that there turns out to be a significant constituency most pundits probably didn’t even realize was there: voters who want a significant policy move to the left, but also want a candidate who really seems to have thought things through.”
I’m here!! I want a significant, well thought-out move to the left.
Updated Jun 18, 2019, 10:38 PM
George Hussein Entenman updated his status.
Holly Ewell-Lewis nailed it when she said, “…it grieves me that brothers and sisters who claim to follow Jesus … would be so loud on things that Jesus is so quiet about and so quiet on the very thing Jesus is so loud about.”
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Elizabeth Burns’s timeline.
Hey, Elizabeth! I tried sending you a birthday greeting via email (we’re old enough to remember email, right?) But just in case, I thought I’d try FB. Happy Birthday!
George Hussein Entenman wrote on Chie Narita’s timeline.
Happy Birthday, Chie!!!!
George Hussein Entenman
George Hussein Entenman
Updated May 22, 2019, 1:37 PM
George Hussein Entenman
From May 19, 2019, 6:00 PM to May 19, 2019, 8:00 PM
Updated May 19, 2019, 12:30 AM
George Hussein Entenman
I want this Brazilian translation of Huck Finn by our friend @[100002151873786:2048:Jose Roberto O’Shea]!
Updated May 1, 2019, 10:19 AM
George Hussein Entenman
US Grant became our hero after we read Ronald C. White’s “American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant.”
A chief insight in the reappraisal of Grant is the recognition that, at the beginning of the post-Civil War period of oppression, he acted courageously to protect the rights of freed men and women. As a Republican president, when states refused to act, Grant used the power of the federal government to battle domestic terrorist organizations, particularly the Ku Klux Klan (as The Post’s Charles Lane depicts in his new book “Freedom’s Detective”), even as his own party was growing tired of the struggle.
A chief insight in the reappraisal of Grant is the recognition that, at the beginning of the post-Civil War period of oppression, he acted courageously to protect the rights of freed men and women. As a Republican president, when states refused to act, Grant used the power of the federal government to battle domestic terrorist organizations, particularly the Ku Klux Klan (as The Post’s Charles Lane depicts in his new book “Freedom’s Detective”), even as his own party was growing tired of the struggle.
Updated Apr 25, 2019, 4:08 PM
George Hussein Entenman
“We in the southern hemisphere may suffer from a sort of political debauchery, but I don’t think it does more harm than the unbending puritanism that has kept recreational drugs illegal for decade upon decade.”
You’ll also enjoy here take on English and Spanish.
You’ll also enjoy here take on English and Spanish.
Updated Apr 24, 2019, 12:31 PM
George Hussein Entenman
From May 19, 2019, 6:00 PM to May 19, 2019, 8:00 PM
Here’s your chance!
Updated Apr 21, 2019, 8:07 PM
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Wildacres Retreat. The studios.
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Wildacres Retreat, on the Cascade Trail with Anna and Mike.
George Hussein Entenman
This egregious example of crony capitalism is supported by both Democrats and Republicans. It makes me sick.
Updated Apr 10, 2019, 12:22 AM
George Hussein Entenman posted in Dr. Marc Dollinger: anti-Israelism, Zionism and Semitism.
I didn’t think there should be a comma after “Black”. The title is “Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s”
George Hussein Entenman
I’ve always admired Elizabeth Warren for her precise knowledge of how individuals are exploited by the “system”. I remember her fight to stop Congress from weakening people’s ability to declare bankruptcy in order to extricate themselves from debt. She became a Senator partly to get the power she needed to help protect consumers.
But I worry about her as she runs for President. Will others see her as I do? Should I support someone who is “more electable” according to how I imagine other people to feel?
Then I stop and realize experience has shown me that my ideas about how other people feel are often wrong, so I’m giving up: I hereby like, admire and trust Elizabeth Warren and am supporting her for the Presidency.
Nevertheless, I do worry about her ability to connect with “the people”.
For this reason, I was thrilled to read this account of how Warren was received by the National Action Network recently.
The other candidates reportedly listed their plans to fix everything wrong with our country. I wince at such lists, remembering how John Kerry, Hilary Clinton, etc., liked to refer to their websites and their plans rather than drilling down and showing what motivates them.
I recommend that you read the article for yourself and learn how Warren skipped the lists and concentrated on affordable child care, a problem too often ignored by politicians. (Having worked indirectly in the child care field and directly as a guardian ad litem, I can say that far too many children are mistreated in our country.)
But I worry about her as she runs for President. Will others see her as I do? Should I support someone who is “more electable” according to how I imagine other people to feel?
Then I stop and realize experience has shown me that my ideas about how other people feel are often wrong, so I’m giving up: I hereby like, admire and trust Elizabeth Warren and am supporting her for the Presidency.
Nevertheless, I do worry about her ability to connect with “the people”.
For this reason, I was thrilled to read this account of how Warren was received by the National Action Network recently.
The other candidates reportedly listed their plans to fix everything wrong with our country. I wince at such lists, remembering how John Kerry, Hilary Clinton, etc., liked to refer to their websites and their plans rather than drilling down and showing what motivates them.
I recommend that you read the article for yourself and learn how Warren skipped the lists and concentrated on affordable child care, a problem too often ignored by politicians. (Having worked indirectly in the child care field and directly as a guardian ad litem, I can say that far too many children are mistreated in our country.)
Updated Apr 6, 2019, 2:24 PM
You tagged Iris Tillman Hill
Iris and I are incredibly fortunate to have @[578721956:2048:Shehzad] and Huma Sheikh and their two amazing children as next-door neighbors. Even since they moved in about seven years ago, we’ve been welcomed into their family as friends and as sort of godparents to their dogs. Shehzad was more than happy when I suggested that he put the electronic dog fence around both our yards - it allowed Vince, his beloved Golden Retriever, recently deceased, to roam a larger area and spend more time outdoors while we watched over him. We got great dogs without great responsibility! The latest arrival is Jax, their new boxer puppy, who we met today for the first time. Since he’s so small, we will often take care of him when Shehzad and Huma are at work (and they both work very hard!). It will be so much fun to have a puppy around. We two seniors couldn’t be more fortunate, surrounded as we are by the Skeikhs, the Bosmans and the Baers at the end of a dead-end street with a creek and a botanical garden a few yards away. |
Iris and I are incredibly fortunate to have Shehzad and Huma Sheikh and their two amazing children as next-door neighbors.
Even since they moved in about seven years ago, we’ve been welcomed into their family as friends and as sort of godparents to their dogs. Shehzad was more than happy when I suggested that he put the electronic dog fence around both our yards - it allowed Vince, his beloved Golden Retriever, recently deceased, to roam a larger area and spend more time outdoors while we watched over him. We got great dogs without great responsibility!
The latest arrival is Jax, their new boxer puppy, who we met today for the first time. Since he’s so small, we will often take care of him when Shehzad and Huma are at work (and they both work very hard!). It will be so much fun to have a puppy around.
We two seniors couldn’t be more fortunate, surrounded as we are by the Skeikhs, the Bosmans and the Baers at the end of a dead-end street with a creek and a botanical garden a few yards away.
Even since they moved in about seven years ago, we’ve been welcomed into their family as friends and as sort of godparents to their dogs. Shehzad was more than happy when I suggested that he put the electronic dog fence around both our yards - it allowed Vince, his beloved Golden Retriever, recently deceased, to roam a larger area and spend more time outdoors while we watched over him. We got great dogs without great responsibility!
The latest arrival is Jax, their new boxer puppy, who we met today for the first time. Since he’s so small, we will often take care of him when Shehzad and Huma are at work (and they both work very hard!). It will be so much fun to have a puppy around.
We two seniors couldn’t be more fortunate, surrounded as we are by the Skeikhs, the Bosmans and the Baers at the end of a dead-end street with a creek and a botanical garden a few yards away.
George Hussein Entenman shared an episode of CNN Replay.
Updated Mar 29, 2019, 11:24 AM
George Hussein Entenman
Updated Mar 29, 2019, 11:20 AM
George Hussein Entenman
This is a very good summary of what’s happened in Tunisia since 2011 and the complex issue of women’s equality. There are some very interesting arguments against giving women equal inheritance with their brothers - it has to do with keeping tracts of land intact.
Updated Mar 24, 2019, 9:15 PM
The Buddha and Death
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The Buddha and Death
George Hussein Entenman
Uh Oh! I may be a mutant!
Updated Mar 17, 2019, 1:49 PM
George Hussein Entenman
Updated Mar 12, 2019, 5:05 PM
We just got back late last night and I’m already missing Mexico City!
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We just got back late last night and I’m already missing Mexico City!
