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RIP...

flwinoflwinoMember
@The Old Man posted:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Good news Mitch McConnell will certainly follow his own actions and not entertain the idea of stuffing the court. As he said, the American public must be given a chance to speak.

So you believe Mitch?  I believe he will go back on his word.  RBG was one of a kind.  No replacement for her intellect can be found, or for the passion of justice for all.  Will miss her

mneeley490mneeley490Member
@The Old Man posted:

I guess I've been too deadpan. I knew he would do this even before she died. He has already said, in his sympathy statement of all places, that he's going forward. I can only hope, that the country reacts to this outrage by finishing off the former Republican Party for good.

The former chairman of the WA state Republican Party, who these days would be viewed as a moderate, and is a "never Trumper", recently said that the only way now to save the GOP is to burn it to the ground, and start over.  Interesting point of view from that side of the aisle, I thought. 

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irwinirwinMember

Well, Old Man, I didn't say "when he runs" I said "in case he runs."  It would not be irrational for the Republicans to try to find a fiscal conservative, who has a brain, who can reach out across the aisle, who can attract moderate voters, independents, and Democrats.

But, they might well not be rational.

steve8steve8Member
@azwiese posted:

Damn.  Just saw that.  These guys were a bit before my formative years, and I don't tend to listen to a lot of music before my teenage years, but I'd be hard pressed to find a guitar riff intro that I like more than "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"

You don't listen to a lot of music before your teenage years? That's a helluva lot of excellent music you are not listening to.

RIP EVH. I was never a big fan of them, mostly because the singer was a tool, but Eddie could definitely play the guitar with a style and sound of his own. My 15 year old self thought his ex-wife was hot too.

A azwieseMember
@steve8 posted:

You don't listen to a lot of music before your teenage years? That's a helluva lot of excellent music you are not listening to.

That's what I've been told.  Just as an example, I walked into my favorite deli in college and the guy had the A.M. radio on the speakers.  "Under My Thumb" was playing, and I looked to a buddy with a quizzical look and asked,"why are the Rolling Stones covering a Social Distortion song?" Oops.  

billhikebillhikeMember
@steve8 posted:

You don't listen to a lot of music before your teenage years? That's a helluva lot of excellent music you are not listening to.

RIP EVH. I was never a big fan of them, mostly because the singer was a tool, but Eddie could definitely play the guitar with a style and sound of his own. My 15 year old self thought his ex-wife was hot too.

Which singer? 

They were my first concert - 1980 I believe. 13-year old me was looking forward to a possible glimpse of Valerie Bertinelli (didn’t happen) as much as the show.

B brucehayesMember
@steve8 posted:

You don't listen to a lot of music before your teenage years? That's a helluva lot of excellent music you are not listening to.

RIP EVH. I was never a big fan of them, mostly because the singer was a tool, but Eddie could definitely play the guitar with a style and sound of his own. My 15 year old self thought his ex-wife was hot too.

I was always jealous of him 'cause he was married to my girlfriend Valerie.

steve8steve8Member
@arsenal4ever posted:

I'm nine years older than you. Still ski 30-40 days a year. Hoping to go to Lake Louise again in Feb; will your government let us in?

It was your posts about skiing that made me think you were younger.

I'm supposed to go skiing at Taos in February. While we're still doing better than you guys wrt Covid the second wave has started and the number of cases is rising, to even higher numbers than April in some parts of the country (i.e. Alberta). At this point I wouldn't bet on the border being re-opened by February so we might both be out of luck. I'm not even sure ski resorts will be allowed to operate here unless things settle down before winter arrives. Or operate with lift restrictions so onerous the lines will be ridiculously long?

A arsenal4everMember

I've been skiing for almost 50 years, so yes - I'm that old. Taos and Jackson Hole are the steepest I've skied. Hope you get to go. The two companies that control some of the best/ largest ski areas (Vail/ Epic and Alterra/ IKON) have both said they will limit the amount of skiers by eliminating ticket window sales and going to an on-line reservation system. Pass holders will have priority. I'm keeping my figures crossed for the upcoming season, but I too don't have much hope in getting to Lake Louise.

W wine+artMember
@steve8 posted:

It was your posts about skiing that made me think you were younger.

I'm supposed to go skiing at Taos in February. While we're still doing better than you guys wrt Covid the second wave has started and the number of cases is rising, to even higher numbers than April in some parts of the country (i.e. Alberta). At this point I wouldn't bet on the border being re-opened by February so we might both be out of luck. I'm not even sure ski resorts will be allowed to operate here unless things settle down before winter arrives. Or operate with lift restrictions so onerous the lines will be ridiculously long?

Steve, I hope you and J are well.

Be careful on spending any non-refundable money. D and I just got back a couple of days ago from Colorado and New Mexico. New Mexico is taking the virus seriously and still has a 14 day quarantine in effect for 37 states ( Texas included) and other countries.

Things within the state are also still shutdown in many ways, and I would expect things to worsen over winter. As you may know, NM doesn’t listen to the orange fool and his total BS.

The first six restaurants we wanted to dine at were closed. Outdoor seating was our savior but their season will soon be ending also, obviously. If you have specific questions, just email me.

Take care!

mangiaremangiareMember
@steve8 posted:

It was your posts about skiing that made me think you were younger.

I'm supposed to go skiing at Taos in February. While we're still doing better than you guys wrt Covid the second wave has started and the number of cases is rising, to even higher numbers than April in some parts of the country (i.e. Alberta). At this point I wouldn't bet on the border being re-opened by February so we might both be out of luck. I'm not even sure ski resorts will be allowed to operate here unless things settle down before winter arrives. Or operate with lift restrictions so onerous the lines will be ridiculously long?

I'm getting offers from some backcountry cat and heli operators that are usually booked solid years in advance. No foreigners in 2021.

Even smaller groups than usual and 20% discount to Canadians.

The Old ManThe Old ManMember

"Bernard Cohen, Lawyer in Landmark Mixed-Marriage Case, Dies at 86. With Philip J. Hirschkop, he brought Loving v. Virginia to the Supreme Court, which struck down laws against interracial marriages." NYT.

At least this was one case that Judge Barrett said was settled law. I'm sure there's a bunch of Trump followers in VA who liked to see it reinstituted.

jabe11jabe11Member
@brucehayes posted:

Eddie Van Halen, 65, from cancer.

Hard to put this into words, but there are certain songs you hear that can put you in a place and time in your past life.  Such is the case with Van Halen.  While I wasn't a huge fan, I can remember, first hearing them in a back alley in Mission Beach in '80 or so on an 8-track, first time hearing Dancing in the Streets in a VW fastback with some guy who spent way too much time and money on his audio, to the sound rooms at MB high watching a senior guy tap out Eruption.  Hell, my family sat down to watch One Day at a Time every week.  Songs like Ice Cream Man and Hot for Teacher are imprinted on my memory.

Do your self a bit of rock musical recognition, put on some headphones, turn it up to 11, and cue up Dancing in the Streets.

Last edited by jabe11
irwinirwinMember

Dr. J. David Lane.  Age 84.    He was one of the pioneer scientists who developed the smallpox vaccination, and, because in those days people actually believed in science, basically everyone globally lined up for smallpox inoculations.  Thus, smallpox was eradicated.  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/1...chael-lane-dead.html

Maybe we could learn something useful from this man's life-story for today's application.

sunnylea57sunnylea57Member
@The Old Man posted:

From the LA Times: "Cecilia Chiang, the person largely credited for introducing regional Chinese dishes to the United States and transforming the way Americans think about Chinese cooking, was all of those things but still, somehow, underappreciated."

She was 100.

She was featured not long ago on an episode of Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi. What an amazing life. (And the TV series is very good, BTW. Worth seeking out.)

A arsenal4everMember

I remember well that day. Today's media would have annihilated JFK. The list is long: The Bay of Pigs fiasco, Vietnam involvement, Exner/ Giancana, Monroe along with many others, his anti-semitic father ("Democracy is Dead") who helped him get elected, appointing his brother AG although he had never argued or tried a case. IMHO, the media today would have had him impeached. Instead, they called it Camelot.

The Old ManThe Old ManMember
@arsenal4ever posted:

I remember well that day. Today's media would have annihilated JFK. The list is long: The Bay of Pigs fiasco, Vietnam involvement, Exner/ Giancana, Monroe along with many others, his anti-semitic father ("Democracy is Dead") who helped him get elected, appointing his brother AG although he had never argued or tried a case. IMHO, the media today would have had him impeached. Instead, they called it Camelot.

Blah, blah, blah, thanks for your critical "insights." I didn't know that the media impeaches presidents, I thought that was Congress. You sure are smart.

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The Old ManThe Old ManMember
@arsenal4ever posted:

Hi TOM - Thought you might be old enough to remember these "insights". Too bad they cast doubt on Camelot. By the way, go fuck yourself (again).

I remember Kennedy standing up to the USSR and getting the nuclear missiles out of cuba. I remember when presidents could speak in full grammatically correct sentences and actually told Parade Magazine what books they were reading. Casting doubt on Camelot, on no! I don't think that most Americans even know that it's the title of a popular, so-so movie of the time, let alone what it means in regard to Kennedy. (Unless you're given to watching CNN documentaries, which the great majority of the country does not.) In case you're not aware of it, the legacy of JFK has been pretty well dissected at this point. Your "insights" are common knowledge to educated people.

By the way, did I ever mention you can't spell arsenel4ever without starting with an arse?

Last edited by The Old Man
A arsenal4everMember

TOM - We need to find common ground (besides not agreeing with each other on politics) We are probably nearly of the same age, and we both know a little bit about history. We're both probably well read, and your encyclopedic movie knowledge is uncontested. I believe you live in Carlsbad. I grew up in Solana Beach where I lived for 25 years. High School in Encinitas; college in San Diego. Traded the ocean for the mountains around Tahoe. Bury the hatchet?

The Old ManThe Old ManMember

Buried.

I first moved to California from Chicago about thirty-three years ago and lived first in Carlsbad, then an apartment in Encinitas, then a house in La Costa (or as they like to say the best part of Carlsbad) then an apartment in Encinitas and now I'm in beautiful Vista without a vista, and in Grandview Terrace without a grand view. I think there was a view here about 50 years ago.

A arsenal4everMember

You live in a beautiful part of the state. I had to leave Solana Beach because my skin was becoming prune-like from all the time I spent on the beach. Today I'm helping my dermatologist pay off his house in Maui. My wife is from Naperville, IL and we go back every couple of years. Love going to Ravinia. Missed Beethoven's 9th this year when they cancelled the series. So it goes under Covid. Hope you and your family are safe.

The Old ManThe Old ManMember
@arsenal4ever posted:

You live in a beautiful part of the state. I had to leave Solana Beach because my skin was becoming prune-like from all the time I spent on the beach. Today I'm helping my dermatologist pay off his house in Maui. My wife is from Naperville, IL and we go back every couple of years. Love going to Ravinia. Missed Beethoven's 9th this year when they cancelled the series. So it goes under Covid. Hope you and your family are safe.

I was supposed to go back to visit my sister in Chicago in May--she lives a mile from Wrigley Field--but the pandemic cancelled that. If you still have relatives you visit in Naperville be sure to say hi to my pal billhike. He's not a such a bad guy either.

steve8steve8Member
@italianwino posted:

His Hand of God goal in 1986 is a moment that is iconic and outrageous at the same time. It is hard to argue that he isn't the GOAT.

IW

I'd argue against that. He was a special player but imho there are two players currently still playing who are better than him. Yes, both Messi and Ronaldo have been part of stronger teams than Maradona was but their stats are way beyond what he did.

irwinirwinMember

Paul Sarbanes— former senator for Maryland.  brilliant man , scrupulously honest.  Hard working son of Greek immigrants.  His parents owned a small restaurant.

He was a graduate of Princeton, a Rhodes Scholar, and then graduated from Harvard Law School.

A wonderful public servant. Age 87.

(His son, John Sarbanes, is one of 8 persons in Congress from Maryland now)

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The Old ManThe Old ManMember
@billhike posted:

Leslie West of Mountain.

Saw them in 1971 and it was great. We always said West was the great guitar over 300 pounds. Better is that he was really Leslie Weinstein and he bought his first guitar with his Bar Mitzvah money.

And if you've never read the story behind the title Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin). Click his name to read the unbelievable tale.

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irwinirwinMember

600,000 died in the US civil war.  Obviously, that war lasted more than 4 years, but the total population was much lower.  The 1918 flu killed about 675,000 Americans and the population was just over 100 million, so fewer than 1/3 of today’s population.
This pandemic is pretty awful also.  
meanwhile we need to distribute the vaccines and administer them way faster.  

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The Old ManThe Old ManMember

Michael Apted. While Coal Miner's Daughter, an OK movie, is perhaps his most well know film (though I do love Levon Helm in this movie) and his Up movies are known to even casual followers of documentary films, I love him for his work on both Rome and Masters of Sex. Unfortunately he was not able to pull off translating the unique Gorky Park to the theatrical movie screen.

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B brucehayesMember

Former British diplomat James Cross at 99.  If you are a Canadian of a "certain" age (like me) this is a big deal.

His October 1970 kidnapping by the radical Quebec separatist group the FLQ, as well as the subsequent kidnapping and murder of Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte, resulted in the federal government invoking The War Measures Act, suspending civil liberties and sending soldiers into the streets.

The Old ManThe Old ManMember

Blacklisted screenwriter, Walter Bernstein, 101
From CNN: Bernstein was best known for being blacklisted during Hollywood's "Red Scare" of the 1950s. Caught up in the anti-communist movement punctuated by Sen. Joseph McCarthy's notorious allegations against the US State Department, Bernstein wrote under pseudonyms for years. He also published with the help of friends and associates known as "fronts," who listed their names as the supposed authors of Bernstein's work.

Bernstein's highlighted works throughout the 1960s and '70s included "Fail Safe," "Paris Blues," "The Molly Maguires," and "Yanks." Bernstein also worked on "Something's Got to Give," the ill-fated Marilyn Monroe picture that was never completed due to her death in August 1962.

He gained a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for "The Front," a 1976 film starring Woody Allen that satirized the McCarthyism-era impact on writers in the industry.