C-SPAN: Q&A With Brian Lamb- Charles Krauthammer: April 22nd, 2005

Source:C-SPAN- Brian Lamb, interviewing Charles Krauthammer in 2005.

"Charles Krauthammer was interviewed about his syndicated column in the Washington Post and the policies of President Bush in his second term. He also talked about his life and career, political philosophy, and observations about American politics and culture." 

From CSPAN

I could just start with the first couple minutes of this interview on Charles Krauthammer's comment on positive liberty versus negative liberty, because this is one issue where I agree with Krauthammer as a Liberal myself who believes in negative liberty over positive liberty and make that this whole piece. But I saw this interview last week when C-SPAN replayed it and there are a few other things I would like to talk about well like right-wing Progressives, which I believe Krauthammer was one and get into that as well.

Source: The Truthseeker- Charles Krauthammer quote 

As far as positive liberty versus negative liberty: positive liberties are things that government are supposed to provide for the people that they promise, when a political party that believes in positive liberty over negative liberty comes into power. Which is basically the freedom for people to not have to make decisions for themselves and not take control over their own lives. Not have to decide how to finance their kids education and where to send them to school. Choose which hospital to go to and send their kids. Not have to decide where to get their health insurance, because government would provide that for them. Not to have to plan their own retirement, because government will take care of that for them. Things that Socialists both democratic and communistic believe in.

Source: WFAA-TV- Charles Krauthammer quote

What Charles Krauthammer described as negative liberty, is probably the same definition that former Senator Barry Goldwater from Arizona ( Mr. Conservative ) would give for negative liberty, which is the right to be left alone from government short of hurting innocent people with what they're doing. That goes for both economic as well as personal freedom. The right for people to make their own financial decisions like with health care, health insurance, education, retirement, starting their own business and making their own business decisions. Just as long as they personally pay for their own decisions and take personal responsibility for their own decisions.

But that negative liberty also covers personal decisions and personal freedom as well. Again, to go back to the right to be left alone short of hurting innocent people with what they're doing. If romantic couples want to live together and even have kids together before they're married, that's their business. If adults want to smoke and posses marijuana, that's their business. If they want to gamble their own money, that's their business. If they want to image in pornographic activities and watch and read porn themselves, that's their business. And these are just a few examples, just as long as they're not forcing their personal adult activities onto minors or even adults that choose not to engage in them.

The main different between supporters of positive liberty which tend to be Socialists both democratic and otherwise, versus supporters of negative liberty which are Liberals, ( Classical Liberals, if you prefer ) and Conservative-Libertarians has to do with the right to be left alone short of hurting innocent people with what they're doing. Socialists, tend not to believe in risk and investment, unless of course it's government that's doing the investing and tend to see freedom as the freedom to make mistakes. Liberals and Conservative-Libertarians, view risk and private investment, as the necessary tools and resources to have a truly free society.

Like I said, I could've made this whole piece about positive liberty versus negative liberty, but there was one other aspect here about Charles Krauthammer that I would like to get into as well which is his definition of Neoconservative people who I call right-wing Progressives, not former Liberals, but right-wing Progressives. The Nelson Rockefeller's, George Romney's, Newt Gingrich's, of the world, people like Representative Paul Ryan today before he became Speaker of the House. And I know right-wing Progressive sounds crazy sort of like how a Libertarian-Communist would or even Libertarian-Socialist would sound in today's crazy American politics, but I'll explain what I mean by that.

According to popular American political and political pop culture, a Progressive today is essentially a statist, both democratic and communistic. Someone who believes in the state ( meaning government ) over everything else and that it's the job of government to manage people's lives for them and that there is a big government solution to solve everyone's problems for them. And to get back to one of my points about positive liberty, that freedom to too risky and is dangerous and you need big government to limit individual freedom so everyone in society is taken care of. But that is not what Progressives are what progressivism is about.

The best and easiest definition of Progressive, is someone who believes in creating progress through government action, but through limited government action. That government can't do everything for people, but needs to be there to help people are struggling get onto their own feet. With things like temporary financial assistance and a broader safety net, but who wants to use that safety net to help people get on their own feet and become economically self-sufficient and free. With things like education, job training, job placement into good jobs, infrastructure and encouraging economic development into low-income community with large populations of low-income and low-educated people.

You have the right-wing Progressives that I've already mentioned and then you have left-wing Progressives who again aren't Socialists and who also puts real limits on what government should try to do for the people. Left-wing Progressives like former President Barack Obama, who believed government could be used to help people and empower people to be able to take control of their own lives. And people like former President's Bill Clinton, Lyndon Johnson, Harry Truman, Franklin Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt. Center-Left Progressives, who believed in positive government to empower people who are struggling to take control over their own lives.

Charles Krauthammer was a Progressive, but on the Center-Right a Center-Right Progressive, people who would be called Neoconservatives today. People who are very hawkish when it comes to national security and law enforcement and don't tend to trust international organizations like the United Nations and international rule of law. Who even believe in what's called America First, but who aren't Nationalists, but people who believe that America should step in whenever they believe is necessary even by themselves, to protect innocent people from authoritarian regimes and to remove those regimes so democracy can takeover. The 2003 Iraq War, perfect example of that.

But, Neoconservatives are not anti-government even when it relates to the economy and tend to believe in commonsense regulations, a safety net for people who truly need it that encourages work and self-sufficiency. So Neoconservatives tend to support the American safety net like the New Deal and Great Society, but who again are very hawkish when it comes to national security and law enforcement and tend to not believe in civil liberties for suspected criminals and terrorists.

I'm just as sad as anyone else who didn't personally know Charles Krauthammer, but who respected him even though I tend to disagree with him especially on foreign affairs and national security, because he was really sharp and honest. Wasn't a political hack for anyone who just defended someone just because they were a Democrat or Republican, but instead spoke his mind and told people what he thinks and believes regardless of who and how to may have benefited or hurt someone.

Charles Krauthammer was brilliant at using humor to make his political arguments to point out the stupidity in American politics and government. He was a breath of fresh air in an American political culture that's dominated by polluted air like FNC and MSNBC, that is only in the business to back their side and try to destroy the other side. And he'll be missed indefinitely, especially by people who simply just want to know what's going and what people think about, instead of how the news can be used to hurt or benefit one side or the other.

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What Show R U Watching: The Facts of Life- 'Blair Warner Tribute: Perfect Isn't Easy'

Source: What Show R U Watching- Blair & Jo, on The Facts of Life.

"Blair Warner Tribute ✰ Perfect Isn't Easy"

From What R U Watching

Source: Zetaboards- Lisa Whelchel as Blair Warner, on The Facts of Life

Blair Warner ( played by Lisa Whelchel ) on her gorgeous, adorable baby-face, comes off as someone who looks down on people who drive Mercedes instead of Rolls Royces and owns one vacation home, instead of at least two, as people who are poor. As a very snobby, self-centered, narcissistic person, who looks down at middle class and even upper middle class people which is most of the students at the Eastland School where all these girls went. And that for anyone at this school or who comes across there, that it's their honor to just be in her presence. But if you're familiar with the cliches you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, or appearances can be deceiving, you know those cliches could've been written for Blair Warner.
All the snobby, selfish, self-centered, narcissistic characteristics about Blair Warner, are true. Except for perhaps the selfish characteristic. If you're familiar with The Facts of Life, you know that Blair is a very caring and feeling person, who would've given her right arm to save Jo Polniaczek ( her arch-rival on the show ) and if you watch these two characters on that show, you might get the slight impression that they hate each other.

Especially Jo ( played by Nancy McKeon ) because Blair represents everything that Jo hates, because Blair wasn't born with a silver spoon, but with a collection of silver spoons for each vacation home that the Warner Family owns. And has been given everything that she's ever wanted materialistically, while Joe comes from a broken home with her father being in prison and her mother working 2-3 jobs just to able to support herself and her daughter.

On the surface, Blair Warner looks like a goddess princess, perhaps the Queen of the Goddesses from Paradise World, who couldn't do anything wrong even if she tried or even wanted to and yet is a very adorable sweetheart who is always interested in what people around her are going through and tries to help others whenever she can and perhaps even especially Joe, even though they seem to hate each other on the show.

And yet Blair goes through the same issues that middle class and even upper middle class teenagers go through. Including self-doubt and knowing if they're good enough. Her parents get divorced on the show and her parents send her to Eastland at least partially to get away from her. Her father rarely if ever visits her on the show. Her mother seems more interested in starting a new life, than visiting her daughter at Eastland. Blair gets caught plagiarizing a poem, things that happen to middle class students and people struggling just to get by in school all the time. Blair seems to be perfect and yet is never able to find that one guy on this show even while they're in and out of college.

Blair goes through experiences that most if not all teenagers perhaps especially girls go through, in their adolescence. Things that happen to middle class kids all the time and yet Blair with her background and ability to get just about anything that she ever wants at any given time, goes through the same struggles and pains that everyone else goes through and is in need of the name support system that we all need. Which are people around us to support us when we're going through the rough waters of life not sure if we're going to make it through or not.

Blair Warner is my favorite character on The Facts of Life, not because she comes from a wealthy family and seems perfect on the outside. Yes, she's this gorgeous, baby-face adorable princess, with the personality and body to match and if anything is overly adorable and comes off as a little girl in many cases and if you look at Lisa Whelchel 30-40 years later today, she doesn't look much if any older. She still has that gorgeous baby-face and can still come off as a big little girl. But what I really love about this character is that she's real and honest. There's a real person and human inside of that goddess appearance that goes through the same struggles that almost every other middle class American goes through, especially when they're growing up. 

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The Express Online: 'Raquel Welch- Through The Years'

Source:The Express Online- The Red Hot Raquel Welch.

"Raquel Welch through the years. Delve into Raquel Welch's career SUBSCRIBE for more at:The Express Online...

From The Express Online

Source: Wooden Boat- The Red Hot Raquel Welch 

Every generation at least in Hollywood, has that one woman and perhaps man as well, that the rest of that generation is defined by and becomes the standard for how that generation is judged. And I'm talking both in a physical as well as professional sense. Rita Hayworth, who was not only perhaps the best and most famous actress, as well as most popular, and perhaps best look actress of the World War II Generation. Marilyn Monroe, is certainly the most popular and famous actress in the Silent Generation. But to me at least Sophia Loren is not only better looking than Marilyn, hotter, sexier, grown up and doesn't come off as a little girl both as fas as her face, but personality as well. But that's me.

Source: Got Celeb- Hollywood Goddess Raquel Welch 

Raquel Welch born in 1940, if you put her in the Baby Boom because she was born in the 1940s at the start of World War II, even though she doesn't officially qualify as a Baby Boomer ( according to the Census Bureau ) I believe would have that title for the Baby Boomers. As the best looking actress of that generation. Every generation in Hollywood at least has that one actress that every other actress is judged by. Both in a physical, as well as a professional sense. How the look and how good of an actress that they are.

Source: Daily Mail- Hollywood Goddess Raquel Welch 

Raquel Welch is certainly not the best actress of either the Silent Generation or the Baby Boom. But who from either generation is better looking than Raquel? What woman from either generation is hotter, cuter, and sexier, than Raquel. There women who are cuter than Raquel. There women who are sexier than Raquel. But hotter? Perhaps Sophia Loren, but anyone else? When I think of red hot, Raquel Welch is at or near the top of the list.

I also think of women from her era like Jill St. John, Stefanie Powers, Mariah Carey from today. These hot, gorgeous, sexy redheads, who are also all tall, who are also all baby-face adorable. So cute to the point that you could just focus on who cute they are. And if they weren't also gorgeous and sexy, they would all be too cute.

You look at Raquel Welch from 1966, 1970, 1978, 1985, the early 1990s, mid and late 1990s, at any point in the 21st Century and what in each of these years and eras there are a few things about her that are always there and still there. She's not just gorgeous, but hot. She's not just cute, but adorable and baby-face adorable and still is. And she's very sexy and has a great body in each period as well.

There are actresses that come out of nowhere and perhaps appear in a commercial or reality TV program, who suddenly become famous, but after their first 2-3 movies or TV shows flop, or or they end up in jail or on rehab, or someone else who is more popular at the time comes along, the first pop star is never seen or heard from again. Or comes back 10 years later with a new look and persona. And there are actresses who stand the test of time who make a real life for themselves with all the ups and downs of any real life for anyone who has actually lived in life and makes a great career for themselves and is as beautiful today as they were fifty years ago.

Raquel Welch is a Hollywood Goddess, because she has lived a real life and made the best of it for herself and the people who care about her and depend on her. We're not just talking about a great actress, but a great comedic actress, satirist, comedian even, who has used her incredible sex appeal and physicality to make fun of people who only judge her by her physical appearance. As well as someone with her own successful fashion line and has become a successful fashion designer and bestselling author as well. Raquel Welch, the Hollywood starlet who is also a star, because she's had one of the best careers as a Hollywood actress ever.  

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Marcia Clark Investigates: The First 48- The Billionaire Boys Club

Source:Underground LA- Sue Horton's The Billionaire Boys Club..

“World famous prosecutor, Marcia Clark, investigates one of the world’s most infamous cases: The Billionaire Boys Club. Was the leader of the club, Joe Hunt, so obsessed with money and power that he became a cold blooded killer? Or was Joe Hunt scammed by one of the world’s best con artists? Marcia will examine the First 48 and dive into the world of greed, money and power to unweave the tangled web of ambition and lies that strangled The Billionaire Boys Club.”

From A&E

“Marcia Clark Investigates The First 48 – 8: Billionaire Boys Club …

Source: A&E- Former LA prosecutor Marcia Clark. 

From A&E

Source: Sue Hunt- The Billionaire Boys Club 

I don't want to compare the Billionaire Boys Club to the Hollywood Rat Pack or even the Hollywood Brat Pack, because the two Hollywood entertainment groups were actually talented and have real accomplishments on their resumes. Also, neither of them are currently in jail or are doing a life sentence in prison for anything. But the BBC does have few things in common with The Rat Pack at least.

Source: Picmog- Murder made Joe Hunt famous 

Both groups were based in Los Angeles. Both groups lived the high life by having great times and spending a lot of money on their social lives. The difference being The Rat Pack could afford to live the way they did because they brought in a lot of money for themselves and the people they worked for. TRP included both Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, as well as several other great people like Sammy Davis and Peter Lawford. Money was never an issue with these guys.
Where the BBC separates with TRP and successful social clubs in Los Angeles and I'm sure several other places, is for one the other social groups were legitimate businesses. And because of that and that they were successful they brought in a lot of money again for themselves, but the people they worked for which just meant that money was always coming in for them. They lived the high life, but they also invested their money wisely and didn't spend everything plus more than they were taking in. And that is where I mercifully drop the Billionaire Boys Club-Rat Pack comparison.

Now, who were the Billionaire Boys Club? Think about Bernie Madoff and Ponzi schemes, but then add murder to that and then go back 25 years. The Madoff scans were going on during the late 2000s ( 2007-09 ) in that time period during the start of the global financial crisis and at the start of the Great Recession. The BBC were operating during the early and mid 1980s and by late 1983 the American economy was booming again and the BBC wanted that action ( to use a catch phrase ) and be part of that, but not do the work and come up with a business where their clients would benefit from it. They saw their business as a zero sum gain where they would get everything, instead of seeing their investments as exactly that as investments and transactions where both sided would invest and then benefit from those investments mutually.

The crime that put Joe Hunt ( the leader and founder of the BBC ) in life for prison without the possibility of parole, has to do with their murder of Ron Levin. Who was just a much better, more experienced, more accomplished scam artist than Joe Hunt could ever be in his best drunken fantasy. There are a few expressions that seem very app here intaking about the BBC. You don't exchange verbal jabs with a wiseass, unless you're also a wiseass. You don't get into a fist fight with the world heavyweight champion, unless you're also an accomplished pro heavyweight boxer. And you don't try to con a con artist or even work with one, unless you're an accomplished con artist yourself. And can tell when that person is being real with you, or just scamming.

Joe Hunt and his partners murdered Ron Levin, because he was scamming them and they couldn't get their money back from Levin and needed that money back. The BBC were at best a talented but lazy group of high school seniors headed to some preppy Ivy League school, or another great school in the Northeast or Pac 12, who wanted everything now and didn't have the patience to wait or do the work themselves and pay the price needed to be successful investors. Like getting a degree in business management, to use as an example and then getting a job on Wall Street or working for some other investment firm and learning the tricks of their trade. And then commit their last amateurish act by murdering a fellow scam artist, because that person scammed them.

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Biography Channel: The Facts of Life'

Source:Click Americana- The Facts of Life is Americana.

"About ‘The Facts of Life’ TV show & stars – plus the theme song & lyrics (1979-1988)"

From Click Americana

"The Biography Channel Facts Of Life."

Source:Jessie Britany- Actress Molly Ringwald, part of the first season of The Facts of Life.

From Jessie Britany

Looking back at the time I grew up in and the generation I'm a member of, I feel really good about and perhaps even lucky. The 1980s wasn't the perfect decade to grow up in, but that decade doesn't exist, but it was a great decade to grow up. I was only 14 by the time 1989 ended, but I remember the whole decade including Ronald Reagan being elected President in 1980.

And it was a great time for entertainment and television. If you look at the shows from that decade, you had Dallas which came out in 1978, but ran into the early 1990s. The Dukes of Hazzard which came out in 1979 and ran into 1985. Newhart which came out in 1982 and ran into 1990. The Cosby Show, ( named after guess who ) Different Strokes, Family Ties,  Cheers, The Fall Guy with Lee Majors that comes out in 1981, Magnum PI, with Tom Selleck, great decade for prime time soap operas like Dallas, but Dynasty, Falcon Crest, and Knots Landing.

It was a great decade for TV and the 1980s was probably the last decade in America where families actually got together and not just ate dinner together, but watched TV together. Cable TV wasn't a major player yet and the networks which back then was really only CBS, ABC, and NBC, were still dominant when it came to entertainment in America.

But then comes one show that was made for one particular generation about growing up in the 1980s and what that generation went through as kids and young adults. At a time when NBC needed a hit show and was actually in third place out of the three networks. The Facts of Life comes out at a time when NBC needed a hit and when Generation X deserved a show that was about them and what they go through growing up in America as this generation.

The Facts of Life is not the only sitcom about Generation X and for Generation X. Saved by The Bell from the early 1990s and Beverly Hills 90210 for the entire 1990s, Living Single,  and I'm sure other shows that follow were also about Generation X, but Facts of Life was the first show about this generation and also the first hit show about this generation. And it The Facts of Life was exactly as the title of the show suggests which was being about The Facts of Life and what life was like and everyone goes through in life and what life was like growing up during this era and time period.

That life wasn't always great or awful, but it was always real and there were always challenges and struggles that people especially kids and teenagers go through in life. And that life growing up was a learning curve and a time for people to try to learn and figure out what life was like.

That we make good decisions, but we also make a lot of mistakes and with all of those mistakes are opportunities to learn and improve. About each other, but about people around us as well. People that we are close to and have good relationships with, but also about people we don't know as well, or people we know well, but don't like and perhaps even learn about people we don't like and find things in common with those people as well.

What The Facts of Life did through both comedy and drama as well and in some cases dramatic comedy by using humor to address difficult situations and show people what life was like and what it was like growing up as teenagers.

But at the heart of the show it was a sitcom. Great funny writers, with a very funny cast that all had great comedic timing that was on to entertain people by making then laugh and even when they would go through tough situations like dieting, or even suicide, they would do it with humor and always look for the light side of life, because even in our worst situations in life except for perhaps the death of our relatives and friends, there tends to be a point where we can look back at it and laugh about. Which happens when people learning about The Facts of Life ( pun intended ) and what real life was like.  

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Professor Noam Chomsky: The Nanny State

Source:Chomsky's Philosophy- Uncle Sam's Big Government.

“Noam Chomsky – The Nanny State”

Source:Chomsky's Philosophy 

Noam Chomsky’s definition of a nanny state, is what almost every else including people who favor the nanny state on both wings of the American political spectrum, would call corporate welfare. Where government at taxpayers expense subsidizes wealthy successful corporations and individuals. That is not a nanny state, but corporate welfare.

A nanny state is big government that tires to do too much for the people themselves. Make decisions for individuals that they ( meaning big government ) believe should be left to big government and not individuals. Like how much and what people should and can eat, or what and how much they can drink. (tT use as examples) Big government telling people who they can sleep with and marry, when romantic couples can start living together, would be other examples of a nanny state.

There are two ideological forms of the nanny state both in America and in the rest of the world. One coming from the Far-Left which seems to get more publicity than anything else when it comes to big government as it relates to personal issues, is very secular to the point that Far-Leftists would even outlaw religion if they could and have in most communist countries. Far-Leftists both democratic in a socialist sense and authoritarian in a communist sense, who believe they’re the only smart moral people and have all the answers to the point that even questioning them is somehow immoral and should be punished by government force. The Communist Republic of Korea ( which is what North Korea really is ) is a perfect example of that.

The other form of the nanny state in America and in other places in the world, tends to have Far-Right fundamentalist, theocratic, religious tones, as well as nationalist, tribalist, fascist tones. That they ( the supporters of this fascism ) are the real Americans or whatever nationality you want to use, that they’re the only real Patriots ( not from New England, necessarily ) and everyone who disagrees with then are immoral and hate their country. We saw this with Senator Joe McCarthy and his McCarthyism movement in the 1950s and backers of the so-called Un-American Activities movement in the late 1940s and early 1950s. And their religious and moral values are so superior to everyone and everything else, that their values and religion should be the law of the land. And that anyone who violates these values should be in prison or even worst. You see this in the Islamic Republic of Iran. (To use as an example)

Corporate welfare and the nanny state, even though they’re both related to big government and backed by big government, are two different things. One is about subsidizing wealthy individuals and corporations at the expense of everyone else. The other is about telling people what they can’t and can’t do and trying to use big government to manage people’s lives for them. Because they believe that personal freedom is dangerous and just the freedom to make mistakes and commit immoral acts, as they would see it. Corporate welfare and the nanny state, both come from big government, but aren’t the same things. 

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Firing Line With William F. Buckley Jr: The Equal Rights Amendment- Phyllis Schlafly Debates Ann Scott (1973)

Source:Firing Line With William F Buckley- Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly.

"Episode S0089, Recorded on March 30, 1973. Guests: Phyllis Schlafly, Ann Scott, Judith Areen, Father Edmund G. Ryan, Brenda Eddy. For more information about this program, see:Hoover Institution  

From Firing Line With William F. Buckley 

"The Equal Rights Amendment was on its way to ratification, when a funny thing happened: one of the states (to be followed by others) that had ratified it rescinded its ratification. The rescission had been mobilized, as WFB puts it, not "by sexist males but by women, many of whom on second blush are discovering in the amendment implications they regard as inimical to the best interests of American women." Like what? Like, replies Mrs. Schlafly, the draft. Wait a minute, says Ms. Scott: "if women are to be citizens and citizens are to be subject to the draft, then women should take the responsibilities as well as the rights of citizenship." Swords flash as we move from the draft to employment opportunities to child support. Whether or not our two guests will ever agree on anything, we do learn where the battle lines are drawn." 

Source: Firing Line With William F. Buckley- William F. Buckley, Ann Scott & Phyllis Schlafly. 

From the Hoover Institution

My issues with the Equal Rights Amendment is that everything that so-called feminists (who are really radical feminists, but people who view women as superior to men) what they want with the ERA is already in the U.S. Constitution and under Federal U.S. law. What they want which is for women and men to be treated equally which is what mainstream feminists really want, is already part of the U.S. Constitution and under Federal statue under the Equal Protection Clause and under our civil rights law. 

Before 1973 even, it was illegal for women to be discriminated against based on gender. Or for men to be discriminated against based on their gender, or for either gender to be rewarded based on their gender. So what radical feminists were fighting for in the 1970s, they already had.

My issues with radical feminism which is just a form of socialism and part of the broader socialist movement in America and outside of America, is that they believe that women are superior to men and therefor should be treated better than men. That it's not equal rights for women that they are seeking, since they already had those under the U.S. Constitution and under our civil rights  laws. But they want women to be treated better than men not just in the culture, but under law. 

Radial feminists want women to be the boss in general instead of women or men just becoming the boss based on their education, skills, and production, but just be treated better than men and having more power than men simply because they're women. Not because they earned that right simply because of their intelligence, qualifications, and productivity. 

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Joseph Sanders: 'Gloria Loring- The Facts of Life: Full Song'

Source:Joseph Sanders- Welcome to The Facts of Life.

“The Facts of Life. For more songs and song lyrics Check out the Gloria Loring site I created:Gloria Loring.

I must apologize to a few, I could have sworn I had gone though the description and corrected my errors about the video, but apparently (another error of mine) I had only posted it in a replied comment.

PLEASE NOTE. THE PHOTO OF MELISSA ETHERIDGE WAS INADVERTENTLY PUT IN WHERE A PHOTO OF LISA WELCHEL WAS SUPPOSE TO HAVE GONE. I DID NOT NOTICE THE ERROR UNTIL IT WAS POINTED OUT TO ME BY A VIEWER, BY THIS TIME THE VIDEO HAD MANY VIEWS AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH WORK TO ENTIRELY REMAKE THIS VIDEO BECAUSE OF THE ERROR. I MEANT TO NOTE THAT HERE IN THE DESCRIPTION BUT I MUST HAVE ONLY NOTED IN A COMMENT REPLY. SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION AND MY ERROR.”

From Jospeh Sanders

Source: New York Daily News- The Facts of Life cast 

I have to start this piece off on a personal note, because without it I'm not writing this today.

Source: The Mental Floss- The Facts of Life cast 

About a year ago perhaps a year ago exactly it was in early June last year, I wasn’t feeling well one night and I couldn’t sleep and decided to just get up at that point until I felt well enough to go to bead. Which I’m sure sounds strange, because why would someone have to feel well enough to go to bed. People generally go to bed because they’re sick and aren’t well enough to be up and around, but I’m lying in bed and I can’t sleep and I feel like I have a bug ( not a bedbug ) and I get up to try to feel better.

Source: Like Totally 80s- The Facts of Life cast 

I’m still in my room and I go to my couch and turn the TV on ( it’s a big room ) and find a Facts of Life marathon on and for you Facts of Life junkies it was the series of shows that were in France or took place there.

The Facts of Life in a lot of ways if not most ways is about Generation X. I grew up with The Facts of Life being born in the mid 1970s and this show is about my generation in many ways if not most ways. People going to high school and college in the 1980s The girls on this show are all born in the 1960s, so they’re a bit older than me, but same generation and they would be my older sisters or first cousins if we were related, except I would be about a foot taller than all of them, but so what.

But I hadn’t watched this show even the reruns of it in I don’t know 20 years. I caught the theme song on YouTube a couple of years ago but this not a show that I kept up with at all since I’ve been an adult at least. Seeing this marathon one very late night early morning when I wasn’t feeling well brought this show back to me.

As far as theme songs, is there a better 1980s theme song than The Facts of Life ( by Gloria Loring ) at least a song with lyrics? Growing Pains was great, not sure it's better. Cheers was great, not sure it was better. Different Strokes was great and might be as good or better. The show is not as good but that might up for debate. The Family Ties theme song is a great but not as good. The Unknown Stuntman theme song that was actually delivered by Lee Majors himself, might be better than The Facts of Life. But when your'e talking about lyrics and delivery I think The Facts of Life might be the best sitcom theme song ever.

Source: Genius

"You take the good
You take the bad
You take them both and there you have
The facts of life
The facts of life

When the world never seems
To be living up to your dreams
Then suddenly you're finding out
The facts of life are all about you

When there's someone that you care about
It really isn't fair
They're out to slow you up
When you're growing up

When you let them flirt
And then you hurt
A waiting when your date is late in showing up
Then you're growin' up

When it's more than just the birds and the bees
You need someone telling you please
There's only one conclusion
There will always be confusion over you
It takes a lot to get 'em right
When you're learning the facts of life"

It’s not just a beautifully written, commonsensical, well-delivered song, but it’s so spot on. That without The Facts of Life, we’re really nothing. Forget about freedom and how great that is, because without The Facts of Life, we’re just a bunch of idiots going through the motions, because we don’t have the information that we need to make the right decisions for ourselves and live a great life.

“You take the good, you take the bad, there you and there you have.” That life is neither heaven or hell but it’s real and that sometimes life will be great and sometimes life can really suck and really test you to see if you’re worthy of moving on and strong enough to get through the deep valleys of life and work your way back to the top. That: “it takes a lot to get life right when you’re learning The Facts of Life.”

That is what I get out of this great beautiful theme song and a lot of what this show is about which is teaching these teenage girls in the 1980s about what life was really about. And that the best way you learn is though experience and actually doing things and not just reading about them and hearing what others have to say about it, but physically experiencing those experiences yourself.

That if anything you get more out of life from bad experiences, from losses, from mistakes. Because those are tools that people need in order to get better and prevent us from thinking too much of ourselves and that life is just one great stop on top of a hill where we never get knocked down. That is what The Facts of Life represents to me.

You can also see this on WordPress. 

You can also see this post at FreeState Now, on Blogger. 

You can also see this post at FreeState Now, on WordPress.

Mariah Carey: Make it Happen- Tribute To The NHL 2018 Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals

Source: ISportsWeb- Your 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals-

“Music video by Mariah Carey performing Make It Happen. YouTube view counts pre-VEVO: 21,232 (C) 1991 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT”

Source:Mariah Carey- The voice of a generation 

From Mariah Carey

I was in eighth grade and for you non-math and school wizards that would be junior high back in 1990 when Mariah Carey first broke onto the scene and I still hadn't heard of her at that point. It wasn't until a year later ( when I was a freshman in high school, which would be ninth grade ) when I first saw her video Someday that I actually heard of her and thought she has a great voice and is also great looking and everything else and started becoming a big fan of her.

Source: Wikipedia- Mariah Carey's Make it Happen 

When I think of the voice of my generation and I'm now 42 years old and at the tail end of Generation X, I only think of two people. Whitney Houston, ( who tragically died at 48 in 2012, RIP ) and Mariah Carey who if anything is now more popular at the age of 48 today then she was even 20 years ago. And if you look and listen to her, what has she missed?

Source: Mari Angels- Mariah Carey's Make it Happen 

Nothing, she might be curvier now but in a good way. Not saying she's even cuter now, but has she lost anything in that department? She's still this hot, sexy, baby-face adorable goddess, who can still come off as a kid with those big beautiful adorable eyes, cheeks, and smile, and yet she still has not a great voice, but she still has the voice. Which is beyond great, because she has the voice that other singers are measured to. Are you as good as Mariah Carey or not.

And maybe Beyonce Knowles will replace her at some point and not be the voice of Generation X, because's she's not a Gen-Xer, but be not just the voice of her generation but the voice that everyone is measured by regardless of age and generation. Sort of how Frank Sinatra is viewed as the voice at least for male singers regardless of their age and what generation they're from.

I mention all this to just completely waste your time. Actually, there's a more substantive reason for that which goes to Make it Happen from Mariah Carey which now 26 years later and yes I was still in high school when it came out is still a great inspirational song. A great spiritual or even religious song as well and if there were more preachers who talked this way and chose to inspire people, instead of divide people based on lifestyle and sexuality, I might attend church now and then, because I would really get something out of even though I'm Agnostic.

Source: Mariah Carey

"If you believe in yourself enough
And know what you want
You're gonna make it happen
(Make it happen)
And if you get down on your knees at night
And pray to the Lord
He's gonna make it happen
(Make it happen)
You're gonna make it happen, oh yeah
I know life can be so tough
And you feel like giving up
But you must be strong
Baby just hold on
You'll never…"

Again, I'm Agnostic so I don't believe in getting on my knees and praying to whatever Lord there may or not be, but the basic message of this song is right. That if you believe in yourself enough and know what you want, you're going to make it happen. It's obviously not that simple and you need to have more than self-confidence because your self-confidence has to be justifiable. You have to be as good as you believe you are when you're confident and not just believe in yourself, but know that you're good at what you do and then execute those skills to accomplish your goals.

As well as know what you're up against and what they're capable of and what they might do to try to stop you. And then be at your best when you have to be in order to accomplish your goals. Be as good as you possibly can be and not just believe in yourself, but know yourself as well as possible and then execute those skills when the time comes.

Source: Getty Images- The Great Eight, finally hoisting the Stanley Cup 

And yes this is about the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Champion Capitals and no, I'm not a sportswriter and don't have beat, so take this piece about Capitals and NHL hockey in general for what it's worth. But pre-2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Capitals didn't make it happen. This is a club that every season under Barry Trotz which now goes back to the 2015 season, had exceptions of winning the Stanley Cup. Which at any point would've been their first Stanley Cup ever. This for a franchise that has won just one conference championship ( 1998 ) and played in one Stanley Cups Finals, also in 1998. And until 2018 have even only played in two conference finals and yet a good season for the Capitals during the last ten years or so was to get to the 2nd round of the playoffs which would be semifinals.

Source: NBC Sports- Alex Ovechkin & Nick Backstrom 

The Capitals would traditionally enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs at least as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference Finals, or at least get there and for several seasons to win the Stanley Cup Finals and yet pre-Barry Trotz would generally be eliminated in the quarterfinals. ( The 1st round ) Because again they didn't make it happen, because they were either overconfidence or overrated. They would get bad goaltending when they needed good goaltending the most. Or their offense would simply not show up and would get shut out during an elimination game. Which happened to them both to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Lightning in the last few years during the playoffs.

The 2018 NHL season was different for the Capitals. They were no longer expected to win it all and probably for several reasons. They hadn't done it yet or even advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with the current crew and head coach. They were getting older and the Penguins and Lightning were still there to beat them.

Like I said, 2018 was different for the Capitals than 2015-17 when they were eliminated in the semifinals in each season by either Pittsburgh or Tampa. They played the Penguins in the 2nd round and the Lightning in the EC Finals and beat both clubs. Eliminated the Penguins in six games, instead of losing in seven or being swept. They beat the Lightning in seven games, including winning the final two games by shutouts. And then beat the Las Vegas Golden Knights ( a 2018 NHL expansion team ) in five games where really only two of those games were close. The first and last game and the Capitals could've easily won the first game as well and swept Las Vegas.

The 2018 Capitals not only believed in themselves and knew what they want, but knew how to get what they want. To quote the former great pro wrestler Ric Flair, to be the man, you have to beat the man. Which means you have to become the man and not just be your best when it matters most , but be better than your opposition when it matters most. Be better than the man when it matters the most. Winning a playoff game here or there and even playing your best in those games, is certainly and accomplishment and something to feel good about. But it means nothing if you don't even show up when it matters the most. When you're playing an elimination game and not just an elimination game, but a championship elimination game.

The Capitals could've lost the next two games against Las Vegas and still have won the Stanley Cup, but had the Cup in their sights and simply just took it by winning game 5 and beating the Golden Knights for the 4th straight time in that series. They made it happen by being their best when it mattered the most which was good enough to win the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. And head Barry Trotz and the whole Washington Capitals organization, deserves a lot of credit for that. 

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Inside Edition: Ali Rosen- 'Legendary Chef and Traveler Anthony Bourdain Dies At 61'

Source: Inside Edition- Legendary chef and traveler Anthony Bourdain.

“Anthony Bourdain, an American chef and television personality, has been found dead of an apparent suicide. He was 61. His body was found in a French hotel room by close friend and chef Éric Ripert, according to CNN. The pair had been traveling together for the filming of Bourdain’s CNN show, “Parts Unknown.” As part of his Emmy Award-winning program, which premiered in 2013, Bourdain traveled the world, uncovering lesser-known cuisines.”

From Inside Edition

Source: USA Today- Legendary chef and traveler Anthony Bourdain 

When I first heard about Anthony Bourdain's show Parts Unknown coming to CNN in 2013 or 14, I thought this was another one of those so-called reality TV shows where the lead character is some loudmouth who makes an asshole out of himself ( to be frank ) in order to gain ratings. I'm not a fan of what's called reality TV generally, except for what's actually reality TV which are documentary programs even documentaries about Hollywood, so I was thinking Parts Unknown is not something I'm going to be interested in.

Source: The Chive- One of Anthony Bourdain's best quotes 

But so-called reality TV is wasn't Tony Bourdain's show and what he wanted to communicate to people. He was a food and cultural documentarian who traveled the world to show people what other people eat and how they live. Who brought people together over good meals and got to learn about them by experiencing them, what they eat, the sites and sounds of their countries. And then he would show everyone else what he learned about Vietnam, Italy, Ecuador, Cuba, and wherever else he would travel to.

In a country and world where we're so divided mainly on political and cultural grounds and now unfortunately even by race, ethnicity, and class, Bourdain brought different together with food and cultural. And showed millions of Americans and people outside of America, that even with all of our differences that we can still share a great meal together, get to know each other and realize we're not that strange from one another after all.

I'm not a cook and all I know about food and cooking is that food can taste really good, it can taste really bad, and generally somewhere in between, in less you what you're doing or where to eat and have the resources to eat great food on a regular basis. But I know what I like and how to cook for myself and what I got from Bourdain was that not all good food has to taste alike and look alike. That good food comes in all different forms made from all different types of people in different countries.

The other thing that I got from Bourdain which I already knew, but hopefully now millions of other Americans and people outside of America hopefully also know, is that it isn't okay to be yourself, but that being yourself is the only person you should be. Because you're the only person you know really well. When you try to be someone other than yourself especially a famous celebrity that you look up to, all you're doing is acting. And I realize some people do that for a living and even do it on so-called reality TV. But the non-reality actors are professional actors. And when everyone else tries to be someone other than them self, they're not only not just actors, but now they're amateurs and amateurs actors.

In a country and world where so many people especially young people feel the need to be like their favorite celebrity and in many cases reality star, Tony Bourdain taught so many people how to be themselves and why they should always be them self. He taught us about individualism and how to be an individual. I think Ayn Rand would've loved Anthony Bourdain even if was just for that reason. And if you don't like yourself, maybe it's because you have character issues, or you suffer from low self-esteem, which is something that perhaps Bourdain also had issues with.

But that we're the only person we know really well and the only person where we always know what we're thinking and what we know. And when we try to be someone other than ourself, we're just pretending. Anthony Bourdain's belief in individualism and his ability to bring different people together with food and culture, is what I'm going to miss about him.

You can also see this post at The Daily View, on WordPress.

Vanity Fair: Julie Miller- Is Reality TV To Blame For President Donald Trump? Yes!

Source: Vanity Fair- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at The White House reality TV show-

Source: Vanity Fair: Julie Miller- Is Reality TV To Blame For President Donald Trump?

You can't blame reality TV for everything that is wrong with America, ( trust me, I've tried ) but without this facts don't matter, everything is relative, what you can get away with to accomplish whatever your goals are celebrity culture that we're living in, Donald Trump is the king of that. No one uses that lifestyle and culture to his advantage better than The Donald Trump.

Source: Vanity Fair- President The Donald Trump 

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at The White House, is the biggest reality TV show in the history of universe. It's on 24 hours a day even when most people in country ( except for your addicted insomniacs are asleep ) and it's like one of those TV's that don't have an off button and even a mute button and to get away from it you have to be in a different room on a different floor. You can't turn it off, but simply try to get away with it. Like turning your i-phone off while in search for a life outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at The White House.

Source: Vanity Fair- The Donald 

It's not that we live in a reality TV universe, but that we live in Donald Trump's reality TV universe. Where he's the king of it and where they're no rules at least that govern him. Where he never has to ever worry about being kicked off his own show ( unless Congressional Republicans grow a set off balls, or Democrats win back Congress ) because it is his own show. Unlike a reality TV show when the ratings start to slip and they believe that has to do with one character or several characters, those people are simply fired.

Firing the President of the United States, is about as easy as landing a 747 plane blindfolded without landing wheels, or pushing an elephant up the hill with just your arms and legs. Those things can only happen in extreme cases. And knowing this and the fact that The Donald has so little knowledge or respect for how American government works ( perhaps his father arranged for his son to not have to take social studies or American history in order to graduate ) The Donald views himself as a king or dictator even who can pretty much do whatever the hell he wants to without any real consequences.

Why not? He's got a 90% approval rating inside of the so-called Republican Party and a Republican Congress that by enlarge doesn't have the balls to hold him accountable for the most part, with a handful of Republicans Senators ( the last few Republicans who are actually still alive being the exception to this rule. Even though privately Congressional Republicans will tell you off the record that they know how irresponsible President Trump and his behavior is.

You can't blame reality TV for anything and again I know because I've tried, but reality TV does has a lot to do with what's wrong with America which is a subject for a future blog post. Personal responsibility with people taking the time to figure out the differences between what's not reality TV but celebrity life TV where perception is more important than actual reality, has to be imaged here by every American especially the fans of celebrity life TV. But that's the life that Donald Trump lives in and uses it to the max to advance his career goals like becoming President of the United States and being President. With 60 plus million Americans voting for him with about 90% of those voters still with him even with his low approval rating for a first term president.

Source: The Film Theorists: Film Theory- How Donald Trump is Winning With Reality TV- Donald Trump, meet Uncle Sam