Doctor Mike on You Tube (video published 07/26/2020)

Comment posted:07/26/2020


Due to a lack of effective leadership in Washington DC, we have 50 states with wildly divergent levels of infection and death from COVID-19. Betsy DeVos has not been very helpful (https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/07/12/do-what-i-want-betsy-devos-tells-school-districts-trying-open-2020-2) in giving us a workable program for school re-opening. By default it falls to each state to set up a tracking system for the spread of this disease, balance with the stats and re-evaluate schools being open at a central meeting several times a week. I disagree about a blanket (send all the children back to school) edict. As was said in this video, a hybrid of in-school and at-home learning is necessary. After decades of increasing pupil quantity per class, now we have to jump backwards to class sizes of 15 (perhaps 20 depending on room size) students per classroom. Ironic, sad and this situation we find ourselves in did not have to happen. We (the U.S.) need to swallow our pride and study how other nations have coped with this situation and not try to waste previous time "reinventing the wheel".  THANK YOU Doctor Mike for another invaluable video. Logic, science and patience seems to be in short supply along with COVID-19 infection and antibody tests.

Philip DeFranco
YouTube video posted July 13, 2020

comment posted 07/13/2020:


Ordinarily for a sports team, I would suggest the state bird or something pertinent to that state. However, since this is a Washington DC team and home to  countless politicians, lobbyists, and attorneys one word comes to mind, "Spinners". When I think of Washington DC, truth and intelligent discourse is (unfortunately) not what comes to my mind. I am not so much outraged about where Mr. Stone will be spending the remainder of his life. What bothers me is the control the office of the president over what should be separate and independent judicial matters. Sadly the Dr. Fauci spin (see what I said earlier), will convince the Trump acolytes while making the rest of us just shake our heads. All I can say is VOTE on November 3, 2020 (USA national elections).

LegalEagle
comment (on 07/12) posted to LegalEagle video published 07/12/2020 on YouTube.

RE: ideas for future videos.




Possible Topic #1:
State's rights vs. Federal  rights as in what trumps (pun absolutely intended) presidential over gubernatorial in something like, well let's say a pandemic with medical and economic factors being tested.
Possible Topic #2:
You open up a box of what you think are legal pads, instead a Judgy Jinn pops out and gives you THREE wishes with the only stipulation is that they have to be legal in nature. What 3 legal things do you wish for (can be global, U.S. only, the universe (as in law applicable off-planet as Elon Musk may be planning a Martian vacation).
Possible Topic #3:
Trial by jury vs. Trial by judge.  Positives and negatives.
Possible Topic #4:
How to behave as a juror and/or as a foreperson (BTW how does the person leading the jury get chosen? In cinema it seems so random.)
Possible Topic #5:
Impaneled Juries - necessary or punitive (as in jurors are so tired and stressed they will be less than thorough in deliberations).

Artemis Fowl

Watched on Disney+ streaming service June 13, 2020.

This comment was posted to Dan Murrell's June 12 video channel on June 13 - 14 2020


I,  like probably thousands of others,  bought Disney+ to see The Mandalorian. When I heard about this movie being made (seems SOOOOO long ago), I read the first (it's a series) book. It seemed like it would lend itself better to an animated series, but whatever, I had hope. Since I already pay for Disney+ I will satisfy my curiosity and watch Artemis Fowl, however my only liquid of choice will be a latte.

Just saw the movie. Without reading Book 1 (or its wiki), this movie is a mess story-wise. The editing is VERY choppy. I was shocked to see it was directed by Kenneth Branagh (#ReleaseTheBranaghCut) who is an expert director and actor so it is hard to believe that he had no control over the final cut. In an alt-Earth world of Hollywood legalities who knows. My final impression is that Artemis Fowl is not a movie, it is all the illustrations ripped out of the book turned into video images. One is left with interesting images, but no story. Josh Gad's "Hagrid-lite" did not bother me. I had rather imagined him with a deep gravelly voice when I read the novel. The characters were definitely "softened" in their temperaments which weakened their presentations on screen. However the actors themselves seemed to be doing a decent job with the material they had. Too bad, this could have been a great Netflix (or of course Disney) series. Sad.

--------------------------------                      ----------------------------           -------------------------------

I only read Book 1. Basically the movie is only illustrations (aka unconnected scenes) from the novel with none of the world building and strong personalities.  Artemis Fowl (the main character) has undergone a transformation from sociopathic genius to a slightly on the spectrum genius with strong loyalties to his father and a few new friends. Perhaps that is how his character evolves in the book series? The actors all tried, but the movie is a choppy mess. The most shocking thing to me about this movie is that Kenneth Branagh is the director.  I know that Jeremy Jahns was joking, but seriously I would love to see the Branagh cut.

Internet Today -  uploaded 05/29/2020 to You Tube



my comment:

While I am glad to hear that those Minnesotan police officers were fired and at least one charged with committing a crime, they are only a symptom of this scourge. To get to its source, examine the superiors of these individuals in their local station, Minnesotan lawmakers and academy methods of screening and training cadets. My hypothesis is that self-control, martial arts and decision making skills are not properly taught or absorbed. Judging by all the recent examples, this hypothesis can be applied to most of the U.S.  Prejudice is part of it but the major problem is giving the power of a badge and a gun to individuals who should not be put in that position.

My Favorite Movies

My favorite movies are mostly deep, dark, fantasies and my reasons are not as erudite as Dan's. In no particular order some of my favorites are: Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), Jane Eyre (1943), The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) Rear Window (1954), Seven Samurai (1954), Vertigo (1958), North By Northwest (1959), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Blade Runner (1982), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), The Matrix (1999). I am leaving off any 21st century movies deliberately as I still need time to mull them over.

Coronavirus -  COVID-19 (aka SARS-CoV-2)

March 30, 2020

There is more fiction coming out of the White House (Dr. Fauci excepted) then in the entire inventory at Amazon's book department. Ashamed to say I watched Trump's reality show, The Apprentice, for about 2 seasons, I found it funny. However now I find it chilling. The confabulation, pitting team members against each other, demoting successful team leaders while appointing the weakest link as new team leader, boasting about his ratings and making up reasons in the infamous, "you're fired" segments. Sound familiar?


Late Night with Seth Meyers - You Tube published April 2, 2020

I had heard about the broken generators , oops I mean ventilators. being shipped to states like NY.  I did not realize that the repair contract had been canceled by, SURPRISE, The Trump administration.

I know that the comment attributed to Marie Antoinette "Let Them Eat Cake" may not be true, but its meaning concerning the incompetent and clueless aristocracy of France in the late 18th century, seems eerily repeated in Trump's comment about wearing scarves as protection against a virus.



Jimmy Kimmel's Quarantine Monologue -- posted 05/12/2020

While I had always assumed Pence was joking, what I found really amusing was Pence pushing the cart containing some "real" boxes maybe 6 or 7 feet from the back of the van to just outside the doors to the building.  Forget the empty boxes, photo ops are for re-election campaigns not pandemics. Photo ops do not:  help the sick, develop a vaccine for the healthy, alleviate the pain of those who cannot breathe or assist any one financially due to job loss...because THEY ARE PHOTO OPS. The height of the cluelessness was asking for a public apology from Jimmy Kimmel instead of trying to prove the competence and compassion of the current U.S. administration. They just don't know and worst of all, they just do not care.