The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Occupation: Consultant

Posted on | May 8, 2013 | 11 Comments

Ace of Spades nails it down cold in two sentences:

“Most people have no idea what the hell they’re talking about, and that’s especially true in Hollywood. This guy has no idea what he’s talking about either, but neither did the people who paid for his services.”

There is a certain type of person who just has a knack for seeming to know what he’s talking about and who can convince people to pay him to tell them how to do whatever the hell it is they’re supposed to be doing. My problem — at least, insofar as explaining why I’m not pulling down the big bucks as a “communications consultant” or whatever — is that I know how to do what I do, but because I figured out how to do it via on-the-job training, it’s very difficult for me to teach what I know to anyone who isn’t committed to putting in the time:

“Go talk yourself into a job as a sports editor at a newspaper. Then spend five years busting your ass to meet deadline after deadline so they don’t fire you. And once you’ve put in those five years, you’ll be about where I was in 1991. Then . . .”

There’s no overnight shortcut or magic formula, and I’d feel silly trying to bullshit anybody into believing that there is one. Which is neither here nor there to the question: Does Vinny Bruzzese deserve $20,000 a pop for his “script evaluation” services?

Anything is worth whatever somebody is willing to pay for it.

Having a script vetted by an “expert” gives the people involved in the project a sort of credential that they can then display to investors — “Hey, Vinny rates this script highly” — so they’ll green-light the film. That way, if the movie loses money, the producers can at least say they did their due diligence in getting a “certified” good script.

And then they can blame the director for the flop.

 

Category: Hollywood

LIVE AT FIVE: 05.08.13

Posted on | May 8, 2013 | 6 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
HE’S BACK – BY POPULAR DEMAND

Congressman-elect Mark Sanford

Congressman-elect Mark Sanford

Former governor easily beats comedian’s sister with 54% of vote

Colorado Shooter To Pursue Insanity Defense
They put down mad dogs, don’t they?

Two-Thirds Of Senators Voting On Immigration Bill Have Never Seen Mexican Border
Marco Rubio: “It doesn’t help when you have [Napolitano] testifying that the border is already secure, and yet you have senators returning from weekend visits to the border as recently as this weekend and telling us that they personally witnessed people crossing, including people from as far away as Afghanistan.”



POLITICS
Bolton: Benghazi Could Bring Down Obama Administration

Former UN Ambassador John Bolton

Former UN Ambassador John Bolton

Says witnesses’ testimony to Congress likely to prove devastating, especially for former SecState Clinton
Related: Lindsey Graham says “Dam is about to break” on Benghazi

Louisiana Supreme Court Strikes Down Voucher Funding


Texas Looking To Expand Radioactive Trash Program

Appeals Court Strikes Down NLRB Ruling On Union Posters

Pentagon Survey Says Military Sexual Assaults On The Rise

Bill Richardson Claims Ted Cruz “Not A Hispanic”

Chris Christie Stomach Surgery Feeds 2016 Presidential Speculation

Vegan Students At California High School Accused Of Cyberbullying Agriculture Students



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Drops As Traders Eye Rising Supplies: NYMEX $95.62, Brent $104.40
PRC Reports Stronger April Trade Growth
Whole Foods Shares Surge As Growth Continues
US Consumer Borrowing Climbs Less Than Forecast
JC Penney 1Q Revenue Down Again
Theme Parks, Movies, ESPN Ad Sales Drive Disney Profit Growth
Symantec Forecasts Weak Results As Yen Depreciates
Southwest Airlines Begins Service To Richmond, Memphis And Pensacola In November
SpaceX Inks Lease With New Mexico’s Spaceport America
Google Glass Gets Smeared: 11 Improvement Ideas
Syria Disappears From The Internet
Gmail iOS App Now Opens Links In Chrome, YouTube, Google Maps
Seagate Enters SSD market
Google+ Hangouts On Air Now Process Videos During Recording, Allowing For Live Rewind & Immediate Publishing
Microsoft To Boost Office Web Apps Features
Cray Builds A Budget-minded Supercomputer
Pixelmator 2.2: A Legitimate Photoshop Replacement That Costs $15
Bethesda Announces Reimagined “Wolfenstein” Action-Adventure Game



SPORTS
Do The Blackhawks Have The Wild Tamed?

The Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp (middle) celebrates his first-period goal

The Blackhawks’ Patrick Sharp (middle) celebrates his first-period goal

Chicago takes 3-1 lead in series with 3-0 shutout

J.A. Happ Takes Line Drive Off Skull, Blue Jays Beat Rays Anyway

Penske Suspensions Reduced By Four Races On Appeal

Phil Jackson Nixes Nyets’ Coaching Job

Streit Scores Two For Islanders Against Pens, Ties Series At Two Apiece

CBS, TBS To Split March Madness Coverage In 2014

Turris’ OT Goal Lifts Senators Past Habs

Phoenix Suns’ Beasley Under Investigation For Alleged Rape

Sharks Score Power Play Goal In OT To Beat Canucks

Reds Rip Kimbrel For Pair Of Two-Out Homers To Stun Braves In Ninth

Twins Capitalize On Walk, Three Errors, And Three Hits To Put Down BoSox 6-1

Astros Remind Angels That Speed Kills With 7-6 Win

Tigers at Nationals postponed due to rain. 🙁



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Rachael Leigh Cook Pregnant With First Child

Rachael with hubby Daniel Gillies

Rachael with hubby Daniel Gillies

Child due in the fall

Carrie Underwood To Sing NBC’s  “Sunday Night Football” Theme, Replacing Faith Hill

Charlie Sheen And Denise Richards In Family Court Over Custody Of Brooke Mueller’s Twins

Tiger Woods Gets Drunk And Embarrasses Lindsey Vonn At Met Gala Afterparty

Lindsay Lohan’s Adderall On The Chopping Block At Betty Ford

Andrew Garfield To Star In Scorsese’s “Silence”

“Girls Gone Wild” Creator Convicted Of False Imprisonment, Assault

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Crowns A Winner – In Style!

Charles Ramsey: Unlikely Hero, Internet Sensation

Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman Rock Out At Justin Timberlake Concert



FOREIGNERS
Bank Of China Cuts Off Nork Bank Accused Of Weapons Dealing
Philippine Volcano Mount Mayon Erupts, Kills Five
Queen To Miss Commonwealth Summit For First Time Since 1971
Body Count Soars As Nigerian Army Hunts Down Boko Haram Jihadis
India Agrees To Demolish Border Bunkers To Thaw Himalaya Standoff With PRC
Dalai Lama Decries Buddhist Attacks On Burma Muslims
Former Chancellor Lord Lawson Calls For UK To Leave EU
Pentagon Plans For The Worst In Syria



BLOGS & STUFF
Three Beers Later: National Offend A Feminist Week Tuesday – Happy Women With Babies!
Breitbart: Dr. Emanuel Says We Must Brainwash Youths To Join Obamacare Exchanges
Lonely Conservative: Hey Kids, Obama Wants You To Fund Obamacare
Power Line: Sanford Wins In South Carolina
Jammie Wearing Fool: Donna Brazile (Former Bill Clinton Adviser) She Say, “Sanford Wins, Women Lose”
PJ Tatler: Five Benghazi Mysteries That Must Be Solved
The Blaze: Megyn Kelly Re-Signs With Fox News
Rush Limbaugh: The Idea That Amnesty Will Produce New Taxpayers And Wipe Out Its Costs Is Pathetically Wrong
Allahpundit: Two Studies Show Gun Crime Has Dropped Dramatically Over Last Twenty Years, And Most Americans Have No Idea
Bing West: Benghazi – Do As I Say, Or As I Do?
Washington Free Beacon: Boehner Opposes Online Sales Tax
Jim Treacher: Terry McAuliffe’s Wife Has A Great Life Because All Her Credit Cards Are Paid, Says Terry McAuliffe
Protein Wisdom: RIP Ray Harryhausen


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Category: Live at Five

The Russians Call South Carolina’s Media Trajectory A Molniya Orbit

Posted on | May 7, 2013 | 19 Comments

by Smitty

Twitter was awash in SC-1 Jubilation about Sanford’s win over Colbert-Bush:


IowaHawk captures the depth of the opportunity SC-1 has missed for redeeming itself in the eyes of our mainstream media betters:


The trajectory calls to mind something from the Cold War:

I suppose if Sanford has truly repented, and the voters have given him what amounts to a pardon at the polls, then maybe conservatives should think about walking back some of the epithets hurled at the dishonorable scoundrel.
Details at Rare.

Category: South Carolina

Cleveland ‘House of Horror’ Neighbors Called 911; Police ‘Didn’t Take It Seriously’

Posted on | May 7, 2013 | 15 Comments

Cleveland kidnap suspects Ariel Castro, 52, Onil Castro, 50, and Pedro Castro, 54

The first reports about the rescue of three Cleveland kidnap victims suggested that nobody in the West Side neighborhood ever saw anything out of the ordinary at 2207 Seymour Avenue.

The disturbing news from USA Today:

Elsie Cintron, who lives three houses away, said her daughter once saw a naked woman crawling on her hands and knees in the backyard several years ago and called police. “But they didn’t take it seriously,” she said.
Another neighbor, Israel Lugo, said he heard pounding on some of the doors of Castro’s house, which had plastic bags on the windows, in November 2011. Lugo said officers knocked on the front door, but no one answered. “They walked to the side of the house and then left,” he said.
Neighbors also said they would sometimes see Ariel Castro walking a little girl to a neighborhood playground. And Cintron said she once saw a little girl looking out of the house’s attic window.
Israel Lugo said he, his family and neighbors called police three times between 2011 and 2012 after seeing disturbing things at the home of Ariel Castro. Lugo lives two houses down from Castro and grew suspicious after neighbors reported seeing naked women on leashes crawling on all fours behind Castro’s house.
Lugo said about two years ago his sister told him she heard a woman pounding on a window at Castro’s home as if she needed help. When his sister looked up, she saw a woman and a baby standing in a window half covered with a wooden plank. His sister told him and Lugo called the police.

So there were reasons to be suspicious and neighbors did complain to police as early as 2011, but for some reason these reports didn’t lead to serious investigation . . . why? Maybe because it’s a low-income neighborhood where police get all kinds of calls, and “somebody pounding on doors” doesn’t necessarily sound like anything really serious. But it turned out to be very, very serious:

Horrifying details emerged Tuesday of the abuse suffered by three women who were kidnapped and held captive for a decade in a Cleveland home where the victims — two of them taken when they were still teenagers — were rescued yesterday from their captors. Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC-TV reported that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were repeatedly raped, became pregnant and lost their babies as a result of the abuse. A 6-year-old girl, believed to be Berry’s daughter, survived the gruesome ordeal and was rescued along with the women.

https://twitter.com/BetsyKling/statuses/331802284524728320

Cleveland kidnap victims Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus

One awful aspect of a case like this: The victims were identified — and two were the subject of substantial publicity — when they first disappeared, and now that they have been found alive, the details of their ordeal will necessarily become public, in ways that victims of sexual assault are seldom identified. It can’t be helped, but at least these women survived. It’s quite possible we may learn that there were other victims who did not survive, and then maybe liberals will start telling us about the “rights” of these criminals.

READ MORE:

AT VIRAL READ:

 

Category: Crime

‘House of Horrors’: Kidnapped Sex Slaves Held in Chains by School Bus Driver

Posted on | May 7, 2013 | 23 Comments

Amanda Berry (left); Ariel Castro (center); Gina DeJesus (right)

Emerging details about what happened at 2207 Seymour Avenue in the West Side home of Cleveland kidnap suspect Ariel Castro:

“I’m not the only one on the block that feels ashamed to know that we didn’t notice anything,” neighbor Juan Perez told Cleveland ABC-TV affiliate News 5. “He was a nice guy, he would come around and say hi. He gave the kids rides up and down the street on his four-wheeler.” . . .
Chains and bondage equipment were reportedly found in the basement of the home at 2207 Seymour Avenue. News accounts describe as a “house of horrors” where three women were held captive as sex slaves after being kidnapped as teenagers. Amanda Berry was 16 when she was kidnapped in 2003; Gina DeJesus was 14 when she disappeared in 2004; Michelle Knight was 18 when she went missing in 2002.
Ariel Castro had been arrested for domestic violence and disorderly conduct in 1993, and had also been stopped several times for traffic violations, News 5 reported.

Expect further updates at Viral Read. And hug your kids today.

 


Category: Crime

To Quote Inspector Harry Callahan …

Posted on | May 7, 2013 | 7 Comments

“Well, I’m all broken up about that man’s rights.”

Mississippi is set to execute a man Tuesday night without testing available DNA evidence from a hair sample in his case. ThinkProgress reported last week that a 5-4 court upheld the decision not to test the evidence, in spite of a prosecutor’s inconclusive logic linking the hair sample to Willie Jerome Manning simply because they were both deemed African American.

Readers of that Think Progress article might be under the impression that this was the only evidence in the case, or even that DNA was crucial to proving Manning’s guilt. Wrong:

Manning was handed two death sentences for the slayings of Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller, whose bodies were discovered in rural Oktibbeha County on Dec. 11, 1992. Each was shot to death and Miller’s car was missing. The vehicle was found the next morning.
Prosecutors said Manning was arrested after he tried to sell some items belonging to the victims.

So, Steckler and Miller were shot to death, and Manning was in possession of items stolen from the murder victims — two students at Mississippi State University, ages 22 and 19.

It is interesting how the victims of murder seem to magically disappear whenever liberals are arguing about death penalty cases. More than 20 years after Steckler and Miller were murdered, the man convicted of murdering them is still alive, but liberals would have you believe that the killer is the real victim, as if the deaths of Steckler and Miller never happened. Only criminals have “rights,” according to liberals.

“Well, I’m all broken up about that man’s rights.”

 

Category: Crime

Death by Heartbreak: TV Psychic Told Mom Her Missing Daughter Was Dead

Posted on | May 7, 2013 | 7 Comments

The dramatic rescue of three missing women in Cleveland is all over the news this morning, but amid the joy that they have been found alive, there is a heartbreaking loss to be remembered:

The cases of the missing Cleveland girls took heartbreaking turns over the years. In 2004, Amanda’s mother Louwana Miller went on a national TV show to discuss the case and was told by a psychic her daughter was dead:

Desperate for any clue as to Amanda Berry’s whereabouts, and tired of unanswered questions from authorities, Miller turned to a psychic on Montel Williams’ nationally syndicated television show.
The psychic said what the FBI, police and Miller hadn’t.
“She’s not alive, honey,” Sylvia Browne told her matter-of-factly. “Your daughter’s not the kind who wouldn’t call.”

Miller died in 2006 at age 44; family members blamed the agonizing loss of her daughter for Miller’s death.

Read more at Viral Read. And hug your kids today.

 

Category: Crime

LIVE AT FIVE: 05.07.13

Posted on | May 7, 2013 | 2 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Former Italian PM Giulio Andreotti Dead At 94

Andreotti at an appeals trial in 2002

Andreotti at an appeals trial in 2002

Led seven post-war governments as head of Christian Democrats; died of respiratory problems

Three Women Missing For A Decade Found In Cleveland Home
Homeowner arrested


JP Morgan Chase Accused Of Rigging Energy Markets
Federal probe likely to result in FERC fines



POLITICS
Schumer Joins Israel’s Call To Halt Plastic Guns Made With 3D Printers

No! No guns for anybody! Well, except our body guards...

No! No guns for anybody! Well, except our body guards…

OH NOES AMATEUR GUN MAKERS

GOP Ready To Rumble Over ObamaCare

FBI Agents Tout Rep. Mike Rogers For Director

Senate Passes Bill Authorizing States To Collect Sales Tax On The Internet

Sen. Menendez Introduces Bill To Arm Syrian Opposition

Pentagon Upgrades Bunker-Buster With Iranian Nukes In Mind

Representatives Challenge Homeland Security Buys, Say Agency Using More Ammo Than The Army

Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention Unit Leader Charged With Groping



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Ends Higher As Mideast Tensions Surface: NYMEX $96.16, Brent $105.46
Wal-Mart #1 Again On The Fortune 500
Japanese Stocks Surge, Nikkei Index Up 2.7%, Passes 14K For First Time Since 2008
Business Group Credits Imports With Supporting 16 Million American Jobs
PRC Cops Seize 20,000 Tons of “Beef” And “Lamb” – Actually Fox, Rat And Mink
Monster Beverage Sued By San Francisco Over Marketing
Inergy, Crestwood Merge To Tap Shale Gas Boom
California May Fine PG&E $2.25 Billion Over San Bruno Explosion
Corn Futures Drop 3.7% As Planters Roll; Wheat, Soybeans Also Drop
Adobe Ditches Creative Suite For Creative Cloud
EU Officials Say Motorola “Abused Position” In Apple Patent Dispute
YouTube To Launch Subscription Plan For Some Channels
Apple Fails To Connect To Accessories Market
“The Sims 4” Coming To PC And Mac Next Year
Bill Gates: iPad Users “Frustrated”
B&N Drops Nook Tablet Prices For Mother’s Day
Game Stop Not Taking PS2 Trade-ins After June 1
Microsoft: XBox 720 Won’t Require Always-On Connection For Games
“Plants v. Zombies 2” Arrives In July



SPORTS
Bulls Upset Heat In Game 1

Joakim Noah of the Bulls clasps hands with teammate Nate Robinson

Joakim Noah of the Bulls clasps hands with teammate Nate Robinson

93-86 shocker goes precisely as scripted by Chicago coach Thibodeau

Ragan’s Upset Win At Talladega Gives Boost To Front Row Motorsports

Shoulder Injury Lands Roy Halladay On 15-Day DL

NHL Bringing Outdoor Hockey To Southern California

Nyets Contact Phil Jackson About Replacing Carlesimo

Forbes Names Tim Tebow America’s Most Influential Athlete

Cabrera Homers Twice As Tribe Beat A’s 7-3

Bruins Crush Leafs 5-2

Jays Down Rays After 7-Run Rally

Rangers Break Through Against Caps, Win Game 3 4-3

White Sox Edge Royals 2-1 In 11th

Holding Hopes CPL Will Help Caribbean Cricket

Just Like The Weather, Nationals Offense Sure To Heat Up



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Lauryn Hill Gets Three Months In Club Fed For Tax Evasion

Mugshot.

Mugshot.

Also three months of house arrest and nine months’ supervised release, probably for lame comparison of tax code to slavery

“The Great Gatsby” Film Review

“Scarface” Actor, TV Newsman Mario Machado Dead At 78

Lindsay Lohan Already Begging To Leave Betty Ford Center?

Dame Helen Mirren Tells Drummers To Beat It

J-Lo’s Beach Video Shoot, Interview Interrupted By Gunshots

Beyonce Talks Career, Family, New Movie And “Shock” Over Reaction To Cuba Trip

Tom Cruise Signs Deal To Star In “Mission Impossible: 5”

Justin Bieber Attacked On Stage In Dubai

Shocker! Once Again, Chris Brown And Rihanna Have Parted Ways



FOREIGNERS
Taliban Bomb Kills At Least Twenty At Pakistani Islamist Rally
Abbas, Netanyahu On Separate Visits To PRC
Eight Arrested For Bomb Attack On Kenyan Church, Including Four Saudis
Former Pakistani PM Says Terrorism Can Be Tackled Only Through Talks
London Conference Looks To Build On Somalia Progress
Teen Dies In Toronto Marathon
IMF Report Praises Greece, Calls For More Reforms



BLOGS & STUFF
First Street Journal: Obama Endorses The Bush Doctrine
Michelle Malkin: Weather Underground Terrorist Bill Ayers At Kent State – Unrepentant As Ever
Megan McArdle: Why Is Amazon Supporting An Internet Sales Tax?
Legal Insurrection: Flashback – Ed Markey Called Benghazi Talking Point Concerns “Bogus”
Lonely Conservative: Diplomat Says Special Forces Ordered To Stay Out Of Benghazi During Attack
Babalu: Benghazi For Dummies
American Thinker: Clinton Sought To Keep State Department Counter-Terror Group “Out Of The Loop”
Weasel Zippers: Harry Reid Calls Ted Cruz A “Schoolyard Bully” On The Senate Floor
Conservatives4Palin: Lupica Column In NY Daily News Dripping With Vitriol
Jammie Wearing Fools: Lupica Says Those Attending NRA Convention “Mean, Dumb, Angry”
Elder Of Ziyon: Stupid “Depleted Uranium” Rumors Based On…Nothing
PJ Tatler: Kristen Powers Says On Abortion, Liberals Are “The NRA Of The Left”
Pirate’s Cove: NYT Declares Networking To Find A Job Is Now Racist
Vodkapundit: Now Even The Left Hates The Euro
Jawa Report: Obama Tells College Grads To Beware Those Who Warn Against Government Tyranny


Category: Live at Five
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