70sEraVet

70sEraVet's Journal

November 23, 2022

"Ancient Apocalypse is the most dangerous show on Netflix"

I've noticed this series listed in Netflix's Top Ten list this past week, and have been momentarily tempted to check it out. But then I remember reading a couple of books based on pretty much the same premise -- that there was a great, prehistoric civilization, that has somehow gone unnoticed by every archeologist in the world except, of course, for the book's author. The books were always a waste of time, and I suspected that this series would prove to be the same. Then I saw this article in 'the guardian' that reinforced my suspicions:

The thrust of Ancient Apocalypse is as follows: Hancock believes that an advanced ice-age civilisation – responsible for teaching humanity concepts such as maths, architecture and agriculture – was wiped out in a giant flood brought about by multiple comet strikes about 12,000 years ago. There are signs everywhere you look, he says. To prove this, he spends an entire television series looking everywhere.

That’s the danger of a show like this. It whispers to the conspiracy theorist in all of us. And Hancock is such a compelling host that he’s bound to create a few more in his wake. Believing that ultra-intelligent creatures helped to build the pyramids is one thing, but where does it end? Believing that election fraud is real? Believing 9/11 was an inside job? Worse?

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/23/ancient-apocalypse-is-the-most-dangerous-show-on-netflix

I have to say, that given today's political climate, a well-crafted series that challenges the body of knowledge of every scientist in the world, IS much worse than merely a waste of one's time; it is a DANGEROUS waste of time.

November 15, 2022

Just watched this great film on YouTube.

https://m.

Description on YouTube:

The Negro Soldier is a 1944 documentary created by the United States Army during World War II.[1] The film was produced by Frank Capra as a follow up to his successful film series Why We Fight. The army used this film as propaganda to convince Black Americans to enlist in the army and fight in the war. Most people regarded the film very highly, some going as far as to say that The Negro Soldier was "one of the finest things that ever happened to America".[1] Due to both high reviews and great cinematography, The Negro Soldier proved to be a breakout film influencing army members and civilians of all races. In 2011, it was chosen to be preserved in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress

This was before Truman called for the military to be desegregated.
The part about the Tuskegee Airmen gave me the chills a bit, knowing what we know now.

November 15, 2022

The Electoral College system has screwed Democrats (and, arguably, the country) on two elections.

Close call on the last one.
Time to do away with it, but we probably wouldn't be able to get the votes for the next couple of decades. But there does seem to be a way to make the Electoral College more democratic: the National Popular Vote interstate Compact.

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among a group of U.S. states and the District of Columbia to award all their electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide is elected president, and it would come into effect only when it would guarantee that outcome.[2][3] As of June 2022, it has been adopted by fifteen states and the District of Columbia. These states have 195 electoral votes, which is 36% of the Electoral College and 72% of the 270 votes needed to give the compact legal force.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Popular_Vote_Interstate_Compact

Passage of the Act is currently pending in two more states, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which would reach 241 votes, if my math is correct.
I gave the link to the wiki page, because its good about giving the pros and cons.

November 12, 2022

"Young voters blocked the 'red wave'. Biden must deliver on student debt cancellation"

An intriguing article on how a more forceful stand on student debt cancellation would further energize young voters, and clinch the Senate race in Georgia for Warnock. Its also suggesting that Biden use a different tactic to achieve debt cancellation.

Biden has the power to make this happen. As things stand, his debt relief plan is sabotaged by bad-faith litigation. While the president has rightly blasted the Republicans behind these lawsuits, the real story is more complicated. Biden could have directed the education secretary to cancel people’s debts using the “compromise and settlement” authority granted in the Higher Education Act of 1965, but instead his administration invoked a different and more limited legal authority. (It was this limited authority that the Texas judge formally took issue with.)

They also chose to make borrowers apply for the program, instead of automatically issuing cancellation – a slow-moving process that bought their billionaire-backed opponents valuable time to cook up legal arguments, find plaintiffs, and line their cases up with sympathetic, Trump-appointed judges poised to toe the conservative line.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/11/young-voters-blocked-the-red-wave-biden-must-deliver-on-student-debt-cancellation

November 10, 2022

Well, I guess its official; my Maga-Qanon-loving cousin has been on FB, professing her undying love

for Ron DeSantis. And she lives in Tennessee.
"...this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
No doubt, tfg woke up last night and called Malignant in the room down the hall.
"Did you hear a bird? I heard a bird. Made this awful sound THREE TIMES! Never heard anything like it!!"

Profile Information

Member since: Fri Jun 7, 2019, 10:14 PM
Number of posts: 3,495