oscarsear

Any comments on removing the dollar as the main global currency? Less concerned with a US conflict with Russia as I am where Russia may take its own aggression as it is again flexing a more directly assertive militaristic stratagem. Russia is certainly getting more autocratic placing more decision making power in the hands of a few. The Middle East is a consequence of western meddling since before WW1 and, of course, the modern Israeli strife(s). I see no quick or easy solutions and the possibility of the whole mess unravelling into a wider regional conflict.

Roger that........

Can I assume they are taking new on new projects? I just got assigned a new case here locally that really could be ideal for this show. It is a 72 y/o male now wheelchair bound with multiple sclerosis who was once a serious hot rodder. He will never be able to drive again but expresses a lot of desire to get his one remaining car ready for his grandchildren. He can't do a thing. The car is a 44' Ford Coupe and already somewhat modified. But it needs real work inside and out. The car is a beauty - all steel - all original - no major body problems that I can see.

Need a little help here. I no longer subscribe to cable entertainment. Last I knew the Overhaulin' car restoration show was still in production. Is it still active? Are they still soliciting new car projects?

Personally I look anywhere and everywhere to learn more about racial topics. They are very sensitive and frequently discussions enter personalities more than substance. BUT these really are critical and current topics. Where else can one access such a diverse group? Klipsch should take some semblance of pride in its forums being a place for intellectual conversation on this and many issues.

That thread was not shut down. I enjoy Marks perspective as well. When you clicked on it, it showed a "Data base error" There was no "lock" next to the thread title. Chad is trying to figure the problem out. It has something to do with mis copied or changed URL links I believe. Nice to know.............. thanx

In general, threads aren't closed solely based on subject matter. Threads are closed when they descend in one personal attack after another and there's no productive reason to let the thread continue. I think most Moderators let threads go on as they have a way of coming back around given time and the personalities involved. Once the train is off the tracks though there's no reason to keep pouring on the coals. Certain subjects are prone to go astray and politics is just about the worst one. Seems like cats and dogs are right up there too Y'all shut down the 'off the record' thread which I found most unfortunate. Mark(mdeneen) was sharing some very needed perspectives there as were others. Yes, we were discussing a very sensitive topic but one which really needs to be examined. Sometimes it is easier and more expedient to shut down a thread than to actually moderate it. Please try to be more circumspect.

Very regular. At least once a day and oftentimes more. Especially after listening to Debbie Boone music. You light up my life Thebes............

Well this is not a problem for me. Ya see...... my town got one of the few Kroc Centers. What's a Kroc (did I hear you ask)? Y'know Ray and Joan Kroc, founders of McDonalds coupled with the Salvation Army and endowed 7 of these massive community centers across the country. We have one close by and this is where I do my work out stuff. The place serves many purposes but it is mostly gymnasium. 2 indoor pools, indoor tennis and basketball and squash? Indoor track. Indoor rock climbing. And enough gym equipment to sink a ship. It is also a church, a daycare center, a theater, etc, etc...... The music is always toned down and always religious oriented. Every now and then we get a Debbie Boone selection. The place is pretty calm and there are lots of elderly patrons. And there are lots of not so elderly patrons. We get the clanking of weights but that is pretty much the worst of it (except for a few grunters). All of the specialty classes that can be noisy have their own enclosed spaces, so none of the yelling from the 'spin class' interferes with my daily routine. My BMI is right on target. How's yours?

Do you know how Loan Officers make their living? They gouge. They gouge anyone and everyone. They do not, they CAN NOT - ask a prospective borrower what their race is and then modify the terms accordingly. Name me one instance where a lender learned about the race of a borrower and then altered the loan terms in any manner because of their ethnicity. They did not give white better terms. They did not seek out blacks to hammer with worse terms. They did not care who they snookered. AND.............. the borrowers all signed the for the loans. AND................. every borrower had their 3 day right of recision. Even after signing the loan documents they could have rescinded the loan within 3 days time........... stopped the loan w/o any penalty. At the end of the day uninformed borrowers got the worst loans. You want to infer that blacks were the most uninformed......... well you may well be correct. But the term 'predatory' implies premeditation, targeting. Is there a case of marketing to a black community where the loan originators met and said, "we've got a bunch of blacks here so let's hammer them"? Yes, indeed, predatory does mean targeting and premeditation. EXAMPLE 1 - Targeting Ex-loan officer claims Wells Fargo targeted black communities for shoddy loans http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/former-wells-fargo-loan-officer-testifies-in-baltimore-mortgage-lawsuit/2012/06/12/gJQA6EGtXV_story.html EXAMPLE 2 - Premeditation Former Chase Banker Admits His Bank Pushed Minorities Into Subprime Mortgage Loans One of the most pernicious practices in which the nation’ biggest banks engaged during the lead up to the financial crisis was pushing minority borrowers into subprime loans, even when many of them qualified for prime loans. Wells Fargo had perhaps the most horrifying practices in this department, calling the subprime loans that they pushed in poor, black neighborhoods “ghetto loans.” http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/12/01/379332/former-banker-subprime-pushed/ EXAMPLE 3 - Targeting and Premeditation Bank Accused of Pushing Mortgage Deals on Blacks As she describes it, Beth Jacobson and her fellow loan officers at Wells Fargo Bank “rode the stagecoach from hell” for a decade, systematically singling out blacks in Baltimore and suburban Maryland for high-interest subprime mortgages. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/us/07baltimore.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Well, there's three. If I do ALL your homework all the time, you'll lose self respect. I can't begin to imagine how so many people here become so totally clueless about what is going on, and yet claim to be such total experts. The mtg industry is not revered for its ethics. What is odd about these events is that the banks in question are still open for business and still offering home loans. If they were guilty of the statements offered they'd be closed down. Give a lender an inch and they will take 10 miles. This is especially true for independent brokerages. The one lady testified that she alone earned $700K in one year doing these subprime loans. Guess what her bosses made? So, is the industry any different today? No not really. No loan officer is required to give you the best terms for your credit rating and various qualifications. They still do their utmost to gouge every borrower for as much as they feel they can. They work on commission.... the more they gouge the more they make. The more the loan officers make, the more their bosses make. If the feds want that ended.......... and I fully agree it should end....... then regulate the industry better. Title insurance is another racket altogether and it is even more entrenched. The feds opened the door to these subprime loans so that under qualified borrowers could obtain financing. Lower income borrowers were who the feds had in mind. The mtg industry was handing a money making bonanza and left to run with it. Do you feel that the mtg industry has any scruples to this minute? Nope they don't. Obama just let the health insurance industry write the guts of the ACA. Health costs go down as promised - or up? Did the coverage get better or worse? Did these people predate on blacks? Put them in jail if they did. Any loan officer who wrote loans for whites with favorable rates and intentionally wrote loans for blacks that were less favorable because of skin color should be in prison. I will say that the same loan officer would scalp them all, his own mother and probably his own kids too. I do not hold loan officers in high regard. Will iterate that every borrower interacted with the lending process regardless of race or credit standing. Every borrower made their own choices and decisions. Home lending is an industry that merits intense regulation and every borrower has got to that for themselves then, as now. I wish the feds wold clamp down on many things........ and this is one of them. Do keep in mind that if kept to truly qualified borrowers that blacks would again find the assignment less than attractive not because of their race but because of their qualifications. High risk loans means higher fees.

I don't think, as an American, I could agree to pay restitution to the descendants of slaves anymore than I could expect to receive a check from England for the abuses of King George to my ancestors. As we speak, and as I am trying to explain the existing racism, there are political activists all over the South (primarily) trying to dream up new clever ways to disenfranchise blacks. So, we can't even begin to find solutions when so many people are still creating new problems. As we speak, 1200 AM radio stations across the nation are blurting out a non-stop propaganda campaign designed to denigrate blacks and lift whites to new levels of Guilt Free Virtue. As we speak, cops all over the country are looking for more opportunities today, right now, to harass blacks, deny their rights, embarrass them with their families, beat them, and if needed, shoot them. As we speak, businessmen all over the country are dreaming new schemes to lower their wages, prey on their lack of financial sophistication, and further reduce their wealth in ways they wouldn't apply to whites. This is a heady accusation. If blacks have nothing what is there to take away from them? Who are these racist conspirators? Why are they so industriously trying to harm blacks? This borderlines on hysteria.

Do you know how Loan Officers make their living? They gouge. They gouge anyone and everyone. They do not, they CAN NOT - ask a prospective borrower what their race is and then modify the terms accordingly. Name me one instance where a lender learned about the race of a borrower and then altered the loan terms in any manner because of their ethnicity. They did not give white better terms. They did not seek out blacks to hammer with worse terms. They did not care who they snookered. AND.............. the borrowers all signed the for the loans. AND................. every borrower had their 3 day right of recision. Even after signing the loan documents they could have rescinded the loan within 3 days time........... stopped the loan w/o any penalty. At the end of the day uninformed borrowers got the worst loans. You want to infer that blacks were the most uninformed......... well you may well be correct. But the term 'predatory' implies premeditation, targeting. Is there a case of marketing to a black community where the loan originators met and said, "we've got a bunch of blacks here so let's hammer them"?

What is the racial strategy in our justice system? Can you name any authority where it is written that blacks are selectively sought out for special treatment? Agreed black history needs to be properly taught in our schools. So does that of the Amerindian. I can name 5 direct ancestors who died fighting to end slavery. Can I obtain restitution for their personal sacrifices and the loses their families suffered because of their premature deaths? I know for certain that I'd be personally far wealthier had they lived.

What will you accept as proof? Let me know. You are conflating two very different issues. First, is the Community Reinvestment Act of the late 1970s. Second is the predation that occurred in the sub-prime lending craze of the 2005 era, when banks encouraged retail brokers to help borrowers pass the lending restrictions because all such fraudulent loans were being securitized and sold to a vast market hungry investors that the banks also defrauded by securing phoney ratings by the rating institutions. Those are to distinctly different operations. I did not say that the mtg industry did not take advantage of the loosened fanny mae/ freddy mac/fha guidelines. It is well understood that the mtg industry is lacking in ethic. Still that industry could not underwrite loans for which the feds defined the lending guidelines. It was the feds that gave the mtg industry carte blanche and then failed to conduct any oversight until the bubble was beyond any hope of salvation. Barney Frank, et al........ felt that minorities could gain a financial toehold if they could get into the housing markets. It was a noble idea but like most gov't programs it was far too simplistic and way under scrutinized. BTW this same type of approach is once again gaining momentum at the federal level. Hope they do better this time.

Mark....... You are as myopic on these issues as you do accuse others. Banks did not predate on blacks. It was a liberal congress that lowered lending standards and insisted that banks lend to minorities. No bank would dare deny a black person a mtg if there is any chance they qualify. There are many successful blacks who have demonstrated that the systems in place can and do work. Many posts' back I offered the name of Dr. Ben Carsen and wondered why he is not routinely touted by Al Sharpton and the entire black community. Yet blacks who have excelled via the orthodox systems are not revered by mainstream black America. They are vilified as being "Oreos", black on the outside and white in the inside. Why? Why are the successful black leaders not on the daily pedestals for blacks? You have consistently wailed that blacks are victims up until this very moment. But today any black with any serious proof of racial discrimination can find legal remedies and obtain judgments. Much of what you contend seems fairly exaggerated. I have asked as have others: How to make it better? How can blacks become motivated, reset, unwound, whatever............? Your answer is basically 'fix it'. Please give us specifics. It is a tragedy to have this population wasted. Generation after generation after generation wallowing in self pity instead of working to 'overcome'. If what you say is true we'd have millions of adequately educated blacks because nearly all of todays blacks have had access to free basic education. All they need to do is study. There'd be millions of work ready, articulate, intelligent blacks unemployed because of rampant discrimination - if we're to believe you. But that is not the case........ is it? Can you explain the black high school drop out rate, the black single parenting conundrum, the cultural catastrophe blacks not only suffer from but are actually making worse?

I'd agree that this echelon of the well-connected certainly exists and that it is an elitist group. It most certainly does impact blacks. But it does not benefit all whites or other ethnicities. There are many like our Jim and myself who through our own industry managed to overcome significant obstacles. We have had generations of affirmative action programs devised to offer some offset of this imbalance. Not discounting your input. There is a lot I do not personally know. Yet I attended the same schools as many blacks, had the same educational foundation. Even in these schools blacks generally did not seize the opportunity where rabidly poor hispanics did and asians excelled. You'd have to admit that blacks are afforded a lot of support and are not working industriously hard at striving to do better. It is going to require more than a simple rethink of just our educational system. It is an old tight knot of racial anger now compounded by political machinations (more recently). I only gave a minor glimpse of the dominant system in the interest of brevity. This dominant system creates a massive statistical advantage to the dominant class. Higher income, higher wealth to pass on, higher and better education, longer job security, social pull to leg up children, wider and better connections, real political power. There are many excellent works and studies of these effects that easily demonstrate how this overpowers the underclass. The prosecution and persecution of the class chews them up from the bottom, making sure that disproportionate number are caught up in the CJ system. On top of those economic, social, and legal disadvantages, they must also have the temperament to put up with rampant bigotry and racism too. "The Welfare Queen" mythology of the massive right wing media propaganda machine, for example. 1200 radio stations blasting this filth out 24/7 across the country. All of this forms a huge statistical burden. That's what you see when comparing their accomplishments to those of the white dominant class, and seeing it is less. Clearly I do recognize some of these deficiencies. But I do not entirely adopt the notion of all whites born with privilege and that all blacks are born disenfranchised. There are many tales of poor people coming into this country and applying hard work and excelling and most do find self sufficiency. As Jim notes there are entire swaths of blacks who readily embrace an entitlement mentality. This is not what I am sold via any media. This is what I have personally observed. This is what gov't statistics reflect. This is what has degraded communities far too often to be some outlying behavior. The chicken and the egg conundrum applies but it is somewhat moot as well. We have what we have. Society acknowledges the wrongs. The systems in place offer access to growth, knowledge and opportunity. Every American child, of all races has opportunity presented to them for free. What do you feel blacks want? What to they require? How can what we have today be converted into stuff that will actually reignite blacks into wanting to become contributing citizens? Give them stuff? Sit them in a classroom and give them passing grades that may not be deserved? Give them jobs and not expect them to function at them? There are roughly 45 million blacks in America today. Do we pay them all massive redress for the anguish their 400,000 ancestors earned under slavery? Do we allow them to commit crimes and skip punishments? The notion of generational advantage is nothing new. Nepotism exists. Unions of today more readily accept the offspring of union members (no racial boundary, but privileged access) than non union members. Blacks will have to earn their gains, plain and simple. They will have to comply with the same laws we all have to comply with. Todays generation of blacks were never enslaved and todays generation of whites never owned any slaves. If the gov't set up a black youth work program for teens along the lines of the WPA would it be overwhelmed with black youth thirsting for growth and achievement ready to work hard?

I'd agree that this echelon of the well-connected certainly exists and that it is an elitist group. It most certainly does impact blacks. But it does not benefit all whites or other ethnicities. There are many like our Jim and myself who through our own industry managed to overcome significant obstacles. We have had generations of affirmative action programs devised to offer some offset of this imbalance. Not discounting your input. There is a lot I do not personally know. Yet I attended the same schools as many blacks, had the same educational foundation. Even in these schools blacks generally did not seize the opportunity where rabidly poor hispanics did and asians excelled. You'd have to admit that blacks are afforded a lot of support and are not working industriously hard at striving to do better. It is going to require more than a simple rethink of just our educational system. It is an old tight knot of racial anger now compounded by political machinations (more recently).

Slavery certainly has existed in many countries and in many cultures, and for more than just blacks. America does hold one uniquely distinct history in regard to slaves. We're the only country that disemboweled itself with a massive war to resolve the issue. That civil war seeded tons of racial resentment that did not exist in England or Spain or anywhere else. Blacks in America got a double dose of inhumanity. 1st with slavery and 2ndly with Jim Crow laws that'll really make anyone who studies them in detail puke. In the early 60's little blacks girls were escorted to public white schools and they were taunted with the most vile death threats not from the other students but from their parents. No......... blacks in America got a pretty raw deal. At the same time I believe the American Indian suffered worse in other ways. Yes, but are they being segregated today? Are they not allowed to go to the same schools and use the same education system? Are they not allowed to start their own companies? Are we still to be held responsible for what happened in the past? When are they going to be held responsible for their own actions? Or are we to continue to look at the plight of the poor race and continue to give to them? Jim......... I am not suggesting any solutions. If I had any suggestions I'd offer them up. It is a mess. What I am saying to you is that blacks in America have a unique history which is incomparable to other countries who also once held black slaves. When those countries peacefully ended slavery blacks were allowed to integrate starting way back then. Blacks in America were not only held back they got hammered. That cannot be ignored or set aside. It does impact what we have today. It does not render any solutions, but it is a huge factor.

Slavery certainly has existed in many countries and in many cultures, and for more than just blacks. America does hold one uniquely distinct history in regard to slaves. We're the only country that disemboweled itself with a massive war to resolve the issue. That civil war seeded tons of racial resentment that did not exist in England or Spain or anywhere else. Blacks in America got a double dose of inhumanity. 1st with slavery and 2ndly with Jim Crow laws that'll really make anyone who studies them in detail puke. In the early 60's little blacks girls were escorted to public white schools and they were taunted with the most vile death threats not from the other students but from their parents. No......... blacks in America got a pretty raw deal. At the same time I believe the American Indian suffered worse in other ways.

Okay....... Get the perspectives clear. Between 1525 and 1866 some 12.5 million blacks were taken from Africa to the new world. Of those just under 400,000 landed on the shores of what was to be known as America. The newly founded America ended all importation of slaves in 1808. Sadly black slave labor did become the economic labor engine of the agrarian southern states. Though new slaves could not be imported the existing slaves and their families could still be held and sold as property. Slavery did not end with their emancipation but with the passage/ratification of the 13th amendment in 1865. Their stories are horrific. Their stories are horrific all the way through to the mid 20 century. In the early 20th century lynchings were not uncommon rarities. Hard to believe, but less than 100 years ago blacks were hung for being black. There is now escaping this ugly factual history. Wanna know why many of todays black churches also serve as political forums? It is because blacks were not allowed to gather and discuss politics. It was illegal. But they could gather in their own churches where they could discuss politics. So the 2 purposes melded into one and they still work that way. So......... what to do about what we have today? THAT'S the tough question. It is incredibly complex and emotional and palpable. Nurturing a sense of entitlement is not the answer. It does not result in self respect or self support. It is a real mess.

IMHO most routine care can easily be delivered by NP's. Even some specialized care works better when done by NP's. Diabetes care is one notable example because the NP can afford to take the time really needed to tailor a care plan for each patient. I'd say that the medical tier of Family Practitioner should be retired and most intake could run through NP's and PA's. There is no defense for how our health system has evolved but it is quite the mess economically and politically. Insofar as where America healthcare sits internationally keep in mind that much of the world still relies upon America for military defense. They do not turn to Switzerland or Norway for such assistance. We have way too many irons in the fire and seem to be looking around for more before addressing our own needs.

Um......... what is a 'black' educational system like? Don't mean to sound cheeky and I do appreciate the racial conundrums faced by blacks currently and historically. Specializing in respiratory medicine we have the understanding that you can drown a person in oxygen but unless they physically breathe they will still die of suffocation. To learn a person still has got to apply themselves. Despite any system disparities and real or perceived racial animus blacks actually can learn in the existing system. We have seen this. Why more do not do better or even excel is the challenge. So what is a 'black' education system about, how does it differ, why will it motivate and succeed where the existing system does not? Are there any examples? In and of itself this statement is racist, implying that some racially structured system must be contrived just for blacks. Dr. Ben Carson.......... can he perhaps be the next great black inspirational leader? Why or why not?

Seems like this may be and apples to oranges problem. We have a large group suffering from generational poverty that is most certainly anchored in racial boundaries starting for long ago. They do suffer from illiteracy and remain unmotivated. They have access to education. They are transported to schools and even fed by the school systems. Yet as a group they generationally continue to flounder. Are we expecting an education solution to a social illness? Not sure what the best approach might be but we've attempted education for several generations and have not made adequate headway. It is quite the mess and not unique to blacks and ghettoes either. There are enclaves of rural whites and other ethnicities who suffer a similar plight. Is it reasonable to expect everyone to fill a minimum standard?

Cro Mangnum lawyer. Tanto, Tarzan and Frankenstein. So much more, he was great. In the opening where they show him, there is a woman sitting across from him with the back of her head to the camera, her earing is swinging. This was his wife (GF?) who killed him. She wanted to be in the camera shot and they had to keep telling her to turn around, hence the swinging earing. She wanted all of the success that he was achieving. Sad story. He was great as Frank Sinatra: "I got chunks of guys like YOU floating around in my stool!"

Loved Phil Hartman's stuff. He died way too early.