8 Things that made me go hmm...
Nov. 20th, 2018 09:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Bobby Bones won the Dancing with the Stars Competition.
To put this in context? He was the lowest ranked dancer among the professional judges, and the least improved. He just jumped around most of the time and made faces.
After the semi-finals, I more or less predicted it...and decided not to watch any longer. I'll admit he was the most entertaining from a purely non-professional dancing perspective. But the man can barely dance. And he didn't really improve at all.
As Neil Patrick Harris put it -- "this result has reminded me why I don't watch DWTS." And I thought, yep. Ditto. I hadn't watched until this year. And the result sort of validated it. The contest is pointless. They should just do it like a figure skating competition and have it judged, kick the viewers votes out of the equation.
2. "In Life it is important to know when to stop arguing with people and simply let them be wrong," posted by Janis Ian on Facebook.
ME: Very true. Have yet to learn this lesson (unfortunately) but very true. (If I had, I'd still be friends with some people on Dreamwidth.)
3. Romaine Lettuce
Family: Do not eat Lettuce for Thanksgiving, you will die!
Me: You do realize there are other types of Lettuce out there besides Romaine, right?
Apparently a particularly nasty strain of E Coli has been discovered on Romaine Lettuce. (I feel validated, I haven't eaten it in years. Not a fan. Prefer "power greens" - such as bok choy, shard,
argula, watercress, and mustard. Romaine has not taste.)
4. Congresswoman Alexandria-Cortez: Why is the GOP financing War and not Healthcare or Tuition?
Me: Because The Defense Industry and the Insurance Industry are major lobbyists and campaign donators? And the Education and Health Care Industries have next to no money to fund lobbyists or campaigns?
Seriously, people should intern with Senators and Representative prior to running for office. The Government is organized chaos. And money speaks loudly.
5. Speaking of Money Talking...
Mother: (Sisterinlaw) was funny tonight. She said that the city was shut down with six inches of snow on the ground, because the Sanitation Department hates the Mayor. And refused to do their job.
Me: Probably true.
Mother: The sanitation department is mob run and you have to bribe them and he hasn't, apparently.
Me: Yeah, ..it certainly would explain why Long Island, New Jersey and Brooklyn were fine, but Manhattan and the George Washington Bridge was a mess. What can I say? The City is a beast to govern.
They have to contract out the sanitation to outside firms, most of which are owned by organized crime which jacks up the price and expects to be paid off.
Although to be fair, the mob isn't the only group who hates the Mayor. A lot of people hate him.
Mother: Yet he got re-elected.
ME: What can I say? No one better ran against him. It was the lesser of two evils. Sort of like the Governor. And yes, NYC is riddled with organized crime.
6. Favorite niece (okay only niece...but she's an adorable little pixie that appears to have come from fairyland and not my brother, sometimes I think she may be a changeling) is staying the night with my mother. (Alone, her parents are staying at their condo.) My Mother, as you can well expect, is over the moon with delight. This is probably the highlight of her year. She hasn't seen her grand-daughter in 12 months...and it is her only one. Niece is 14, although she has the brain of an 18 year old. Kid is wickedly smart.
Mother: She is helping me put up the Christmas Tree and decorate it.
Me: It's not even Thanksgiving yet. You couldn't have waited until after Thanksgiving?
Mother: Why? Other people put it up before Thanksgiving.
Me: No they don't. They wait until two days after Thanksgiving. (Except for maybe 2016. But that doesn't count.)
Mother: Well, they won't be here then. And she may not get to decorate her own tree -- she's trying to talk her parents into getting her one but they are leaving for Hawaii.
Me: When are you going to Hawaii?
Neice: I don't know, I think the 18th, they haven't gotten the tickets yet. (My family isn't exactly much into pre-planning trips.)
Mother: I told her (my niece) that you will be helping me take down the tree this year.
ME: Wait. What?
Mother: I'm not leaving up until New Year's because I'm old and I decided I'll have you help me take it down.
Me: I don't own or decorate a Christmas Tree for a reason. No.
Mother: Yes, this is a really good idea.
Me: Uhhh.
Mother: It's too late. You already have your plane tickets and you are staying long enough to help me with it.
(Note to self, next year, make sure you leave the day after Christmas. It should be noted that it's a small "fake" Christmas tree not a big Evergreen.)
Me: You're doing a great job of finding things that make me look forward to visiting you, aren't you?
Mother: I try.
Me: Do you like Theater? Because if you'd like -- maybe I could take you to see a play or a musical sometime.
Niece: Yes, I think it is really interesting. But my parents are really grumpy about taking me to see any Broadway shows for some reason.
Me: They aren't grumpy. They just don't like it. Your Dad has never liked it -- since he was 15 he didn't like it. And your Mom doesn't either. Live Rock or Music Performances they love, or Performance Art, but they've no patience for plays or musicals. I'm the exact opposite. They don't like watching dance either that much. But watching someone sing -- they do enjoy.
Niece: Oh, I didn't know that. That's sort of funny.
7. Real History of Thanksgiving According to Native Americans or National Day of Mourning for Native Americans regarding Thanksgiving
Basically those pesky Europeans (aka many of which just happened to be mine and possibly your ancestors) invaded the American continents, slaughtered (either deliberately or unwittingly through plague) or enslaved the inhabitants, and somehow managed to settle there and survive a rough winter with no Harvest. Thanksgiving was the meal after surviving that first tough year.
Europeans have a lot of blood on their hands. If they'd just stayed put...but then I wouldn't exist, so never mind.
I knew most of this already. Our grade school and high school text books might have been scant on the details..but my parents got National Geographic and my father had a Masters and Post-Doctorate in History. So, I got some of the details.
What I didn't know was that there really wasn't a peaceful dinner between two cultures. And that the Native Americans don't look at Thanksgiving the same way others did.
Basically the Buffy Episode "Pangs" got it right. Watching this makes me want to go and watch PANGS again.
8. There's a Sick Racoon in the Fort Hamilton Subway Station...Apparently
Me: Really? In the Subway Station? Okay. They might want to do something about that. Because that's just a law-suit waiting to happen.
Plaintiff: The kid got bit by the Raccoon in the subway and got sick.
MTA Defense Attorney: And how is this the MTA's fault, exactly?
Plaintiff: You are expected to keep the subways clear of wild animals at all times. Hello.
To put this in context? He was the lowest ranked dancer among the professional judges, and the least improved. He just jumped around most of the time and made faces.
After the semi-finals, I more or less predicted it...and decided not to watch any longer. I'll admit he was the most entertaining from a purely non-professional dancing perspective. But the man can barely dance. And he didn't really improve at all.
As Neil Patrick Harris put it -- "this result has reminded me why I don't watch DWTS." And I thought, yep. Ditto. I hadn't watched until this year. And the result sort of validated it. The contest is pointless. They should just do it like a figure skating competition and have it judged, kick the viewers votes out of the equation.
2. "In Life it is important to know when to stop arguing with people and simply let them be wrong," posted by Janis Ian on Facebook.
ME: Very true. Have yet to learn this lesson (unfortunately) but very true. (If I had, I'd still be friends with some people on Dreamwidth.)
3. Romaine Lettuce
Family: Do not eat Lettuce for Thanksgiving, you will die!
Me: You do realize there are other types of Lettuce out there besides Romaine, right?
Apparently a particularly nasty strain of E Coli has been discovered on Romaine Lettuce. (I feel validated, I haven't eaten it in years. Not a fan. Prefer "power greens" - such as bok choy, shard,
argula, watercress, and mustard. Romaine has not taste.)
4. Congresswoman Alexandria-Cortez: Why is the GOP financing War and not Healthcare or Tuition?
"We write unlimited blank checks for war, we just wrote a $2 trillion check for that tax cut, the GOP tax cut, and nobody asked those folks how are they going to pay for it," she said. "So, my question is why is it that our pockets are only empty when it comes to education and healthcare for our kids."
Me: Because The Defense Industry and the Insurance Industry are major lobbyists and campaign donators? And the Education and Health Care Industries have next to no money to fund lobbyists or campaigns?
Seriously, people should intern with Senators and Representative prior to running for office. The Government is organized chaos. And money speaks loudly.
5. Speaking of Money Talking...
Mother: (Sisterinlaw) was funny tonight. She said that the city was shut down with six inches of snow on the ground, because the Sanitation Department hates the Mayor. And refused to do their job.
Me: Probably true.
Mother: The sanitation department is mob run and you have to bribe them and he hasn't, apparently.
Me: Yeah, ..it certainly would explain why Long Island, New Jersey and Brooklyn were fine, but Manhattan and the George Washington Bridge was a mess. What can I say? The City is a beast to govern.
They have to contract out the sanitation to outside firms, most of which are owned by organized crime which jacks up the price and expects to be paid off.
Although to be fair, the mob isn't the only group who hates the Mayor. A lot of people hate him.
Mother: Yet he got re-elected.
ME: What can I say? No one better ran against him. It was the lesser of two evils. Sort of like the Governor. And yes, NYC is riddled with organized crime.
6. Favorite niece (okay only niece...but she's an adorable little pixie that appears to have come from fairyland and not my brother, sometimes I think she may be a changeling) is staying the night with my mother. (Alone, her parents are staying at their condo.) My Mother, as you can well expect, is over the moon with delight. This is probably the highlight of her year. She hasn't seen her grand-daughter in 12 months...and it is her only one. Niece is 14, although she has the brain of an 18 year old. Kid is wickedly smart.
Mother: She is helping me put up the Christmas Tree and decorate it.
Me: It's not even Thanksgiving yet. You couldn't have waited until after Thanksgiving?
Mother: Why? Other people put it up before Thanksgiving.
Me: No they don't. They wait until two days after Thanksgiving. (Except for maybe 2016. But that doesn't count.)
Mother: Well, they won't be here then. And she may not get to decorate her own tree -- she's trying to talk her parents into getting her one but they are leaving for Hawaii.
Me: When are you going to Hawaii?
Neice: I don't know, I think the 18th, they haven't gotten the tickets yet. (My family isn't exactly much into pre-planning trips.)
Mother: I told her (my niece) that you will be helping me take down the tree this year.
ME: Wait. What?
Mother: I'm not leaving up until New Year's because I'm old and I decided I'll have you help me take it down.
Me: I don't own or decorate a Christmas Tree for a reason. No.
Mother: Yes, this is a really good idea.
Me: Uhhh.
Mother: It's too late. You already have your plane tickets and you are staying long enough to help me with it.
(Note to self, next year, make sure you leave the day after Christmas. It should be noted that it's a small "fake" Christmas tree not a big Evergreen.)
Me: You're doing a great job of finding things that make me look forward to visiting you, aren't you?
Mother: I try.
Me: Do you like Theater? Because if you'd like -- maybe I could take you to see a play or a musical sometime.
Niece: Yes, I think it is really interesting. But my parents are really grumpy about taking me to see any Broadway shows for some reason.
Me: They aren't grumpy. They just don't like it. Your Dad has never liked it -- since he was 15 he didn't like it. And your Mom doesn't either. Live Rock or Music Performances they love, or Performance Art, but they've no patience for plays or musicals. I'm the exact opposite. They don't like watching dance either that much. But watching someone sing -- they do enjoy.
Niece: Oh, I didn't know that. That's sort of funny.
7. Real History of Thanksgiving According to Native Americans or National Day of Mourning for Native Americans regarding Thanksgiving
Basically those pesky Europeans (aka many of which just happened to be mine and possibly your ancestors) invaded the American continents, slaughtered (either deliberately or unwittingly through plague) or enslaved the inhabitants, and somehow managed to settle there and survive a rough winter with no Harvest. Thanksgiving was the meal after surviving that first tough year.
Europeans have a lot of blood on their hands. If they'd just stayed put...but then I wouldn't exist, so never mind.
I knew most of this already. Our grade school and high school text books might have been scant on the details..but my parents got National Geographic and my father had a Masters and Post-Doctorate in History. So, I got some of the details.
What I didn't know was that there really wasn't a peaceful dinner between two cultures. And that the Native Americans don't look at Thanksgiving the same way others did.
Basically the Buffy Episode "Pangs" got it right. Watching this makes me want to go and watch PANGS again.
8. There's a Sick Racoon in the Fort Hamilton Subway Station...Apparently
Me: Really? In the Subway Station? Okay. They might want to do something about that. Because that's just a law-suit waiting to happen.
Plaintiff: The kid got bit by the Raccoon in the subway and got sick.
MTA Defense Attorney: And how is this the MTA's fault, exactly?
Plaintiff: You are expected to keep the subways clear of wild animals at all times. Hello.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 04:31 am (UTC)I presume that when a candidate says "Why are we always able to find money for X, and but never money for Y" -- they full well know that there is lobbying...
But, it's not merely about lobbying. We've had decades of anti-tax propaganda on the right, and it's accepted like religious faith that tax cuts are good. The lobbyists shape the specifics of those cuts, but there's an entire ecosystem to promote tax cuts in general.
Just as there's an ecosystem of people pushing for defense spending independently of lobbying from Defense Contractors.
AOC's statement "why is it that our pockets are only empty when it comes to education and healthcare for our kids" - IMHO -- is the effort to build that infrastructure for her own favored issue. Perhaps the idea that if a high enough component of politicians on the Left said that clearly and consistently it would be accepted as correct by the beltway media that currently takes "We need entitlement reform (aka cuts)" for granted as sensible mainstream positions.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 01:46 pm (UTC)Possibly, but the lobbyists are fairly entrenched with their marketing/propaganda machines at the State and Federal levels. I remember that's what shocked me as a legislative intern in Kansas -- how Senators (regardless of their political leanings) relied heavily on lobbyists for research and funding. Granted this was in 1992, it may have changed a bit since then, but I highly doubt it.
So much of the media's view is affected by what is fed to it -- I agree with you there. But it's more than statements, it's also funded press releases and packaging. Say what you will about He Who Shall Not Be Named, he's an expert at media manipulation/baiting, branding, marketing and spin-doctoring. The Defense Industry has a lot of money invested in marketing, promotion, and lobbying. As does the insurance industry -- who hates Medicaid.
And the tax cut bit -- is firmly entrenched, and possibly among the few things the fiscal and social conservatives agree on. They are convinced that the government has no clue how to spend their money, and it's better if they figure it out themselves. That the government spends it on futile items and waste. And the media is partly to blame for that -- because they produce "those" stories. Also keep in mind who owns the mainstream media - corporate interests who are against tax increases, and anything that goes against their bottom line.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 02:37 pm (UTC)She is helping me put up the Christmas Tree and decorate it.
I still think in terms of real trees. I don't put up a tree just for myself, and if I did I wouldn't want that stuff around home till the week of Christmas. It wasn't so long ago that only the cheesiest stores in town had Christmas items for sale before Thanksgiving. Now many of them think if it's the day after Halloween it's time to put up a Christmas tree. Having her granddaughter there to share it, undoubtedly makes it all special for your mother and I don't blame her for that. But a home Christmas tree before Thanksgiving does feel crass for me. (Sharing taking it down with you will make her feel good, too!)
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 03:12 pm (UTC)I shared this with Lando (my co-worker, cubical wall mate) and he said, "Hey, you think that's bad? My wife puts up our tree in September and it stays up until April. The best I could do was convince her not to turn on the lights until November." Apparently in the Phillipines they start Christmas in September and don't let go until April.
My Dad can't help her any longer. Last year she bought a rather realistic looking fake small pine tree to put up. They just can't manage the real ones any longer.
I don't put one up. I have a tiny somewhat realistic looking fake one that I use.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 07:17 pm (UTC)I guess this is the season where they gave up and went for ratings over everything else. Which makes sense given that they used to be in the top 10 and are now in the top 30 for shows but their budget is clearly still high.
I really enjoyed that intro with the floats. But it made me realize that this season was 2 weeks shorter. Usually their finale is all Christmas themed but this one wasn't and they kept talking about Thanksgiving. Normally they have 3 people in the finale and before they've run it for 2 nights. I don't mind compressing it to 1 night (though they've also eliminated the return dances from eliminated contestants) but that extra double elimination also shortened things.
I do blame the show itself for the results. In past seasons they did a dance off to make sure that at least one if not both of the lowest rated dancers would be out before the semi finals. This time they just let them run. I'm sure Bobby would have been fine with being eliminated and it means Milo or Evanna could have won.
Stranger still is that both Bobby and Joe are going on the tour? What's Joe going to do? And how is Bobby going to do his show? I thought he was being run ragged schedule wise with that 4 AM to 10 PM schedule?
It didn't surprise me that Milo and Juan Pablo will be on the tour. I'm a little more surprised about John but I could see his schedule being open. Maybe it's just a short tour.
Regarding the final dances, they finally scored Alexis down, though too late for it to matter. I did like her freestyle and agreed with Carrie Anne that it was (in many ways) her best dance of the season. In fact having the Black Swan routine run again, this time without costume problems, revealed that it wasn't all that great a dance to begin with and that it was difficult to make the pacing work.
Bobby's two numbers were what they were. It made sense to give him the Greatest Show number but with memories of the movie in mind it was disappointing. I preferred the rerun of Hammer Time.
Evanna's Halloween tango was fine but it didn't seem any different to me. And her freestyle was ok. She got a little too loose at the end but given Bobby's 10s the judges had given up.
Milo was the one who stood out in every way. Not only was that subway Charleston as fun as it had been the first time, we finally got a freestyle that really stood out. It's been tough given that it hasn't been much of a wow factor for many seasons now because every week we're getting some really great show numbers. But this one was different. The judges stressed the contrast between his two dances, but really it was that the number did something a bit new. It's not that its elements hadn't all been used before at some time but they were combined in a really good way and he gave a good performance.
I thought Carrie Anne comparing him to Zendaya was interesting. Right now I think that's giving him too much credit because I think Zendaya really is very talented. I remember that the feature on Greatest Showman had a comment from the director that it was hard to tell if she was a better actress, singer, or dancer because she was so good at all of them. But I suspect his finale with Juan Pablo would have been a toss up and he may yet have won.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-21 11:26 pm (UTC)My mother, who used to watch it about five years ago...she gave up, said that it reminded her of the Love Boat and Fantasy Island in how it would showcase all these hasbeen celebrities trying to make a come-back. They are now digging at the bottom of that barrel.
Also, from what you state above and what I've read elsewhere -- the voting changed, it's skewed mainly towards viewers and benefits viewers who haven't watched the whole thing -- so skewed towards voting for your favorite performer, not the best dancer. So basically -- they are asking the viewers to vote for their fan favorite. Sort of like those online bracket popularity contests regarding celebrities and characters.
And Bones did a very good job of grabbing his fans devotion. He really knows how to play to his fanbase. Alexis tried to go the fake romance route a la the Bachelor, but it back-fired, her partner wasn't into it. And neither are good enough actors. It just made her more annoying. I think she's a good enough dancer, but she's so annoying -- it's very hard to vote for her. And I'm guessing that was Pablo's problem as well -- he didn't do enough to build on his fanbase.
The best performances were Evanna and Milo's Freestyle. Alexis..didn't do much for me either way, and Bobby can't dance. He was trying for Hugh Jackman. Why Carrie Anne compared him to Zendaya makes no sense. He did not do anything. I could have done that -- and I can't dance.
You're right the re-do's of the previous dances didn't really look all that different from what I saw. (I actually preferred watching the dances on Youtube, no interviews and none of the judge yammering.)
I'd have probably given it to Milo with Evanna second. I liked both their numbers. Alexis coming in third and Bobby last.
And really? Grocery Store Joe is doing the tour? I'm amazed he agreed to it. He doesn't enjoy dancing. Bones at least seemed to enjoy himself. But like Bones, Joe had the biggest fan base. I started voting just to get rid of Grocery Store Joe. (The Bachelor viewers are also huge DWTS viewers...which makes sense.)