#StarWars.... in 1701? Yes, sort of. [Stephen Abbott's blog]

Check out this passage from a 1701 magazine that uses rather modern language in places ("hold 'em"?) to criticize a treaty, but THEN goes on to suggest  that their crafty enemies MIGHT JUST COLONIZE OTHER PLANETS, if given the chance!

"They must be permitted to march through your Territories, you must furnish 'em with Provisions; nay, you must permit 'em to plunder too, if they have a mind to it; but the Enemy must not be suffer'd to touch an Ear of Corn, nor so much as to tread upon your Holy Ground,'tis a Breach of the Neutrality a Violation of Promise. The Refusal of the Investiture is a Crime that will never be forgotten, if France and Spain should prosper, which Heaven forbid. For then, this World would be too little to hold 'em — They wou!d be scaling the Moon, and storming all the Seven Planets to find out new Regions, and more Room for their Ambition." From "Historical and Political Monthly Mercury" for August, 1701, p.283.

From our "the more things change" department...

"#MostUsedWords App" CEO Launches #PR Media Offensive After Criticism

Not that giving all one's personal data to a third party has ever been safe, and not that Facebook "quizzes" have ever been safe, either, but the firestorm around the new Facebook app "Most Used Words" really struck a chord with the 17 million Facebook users gave it permission to use its data.

And after the Comparitech blog did a breathless take-down of the Korean-based Vonvon, creator of the App, on its site Sunday, Nov. 22 in which it called it a "privacy nightmare." Comparitech specifically attacked the App's "oxymoronic privacy policy And called the company and the App a "shady data dealer" but not the only one to "masquerade behind a viral quiz mill."

The "nightmare" angle spread like a virus, shared across Facebook, becoming a trending topic there and also on twitter, where many accused the App of "stealing" personal data.

By Tuesday, the company had already sprung into action.

It posted updated language on its website that it was, as of Tuesday, Nov. 24, acting to "proactively" address the concerns by "significantly" reducing "the magnitude of access privilege" required by the App. It also clarified that the App does not collect users' email addresses, "so there is no way we can spam you." It also note

It's CEO Jonghwa Kim also took to the battle to Comparitech itself, sending a rather predictable legalistic and threatening message to the firm (noting that he was "deeply concerned about your false accusation") but also mentioning the positive steps it had taken, and explaining that the information collected, "is never stored in our databases." Comparitech published his letter as an update to the original post.

As for emails, Kim notes bluntly that, "As we do not store any personal information, we have nothing to sell. Period." He swears that the App never deals with Third Parties.

The company has been in existence for less than a year, but says it has more than 100 million unique users from US, UK, France, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, etc. and operates in 15 languages.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

It remains to be seen whether this coverage will damage this Korean startup. It also remains to be seen whether this App is any more damaging or dangerous than any other Facebook App.

But the PR response by Kim and his company seems on point, and an effective demonstration of how crisis management is done: directly address both the alleged technical and ethical problems, then let people know.


By Stephen Abbott, Principal of Abbott Public Relations, a division of Abbott Media Group, which creates written messages which inspire, inform, educate and engage, in mass media, publishing and public relations. On twitter and Facebook.

#OurBrandIsCrisis #Movie #Review: Great Fun & Insight Into Political Consulting

(This contains *minor* SPOILERS, even though I was careful)

Well, I just saw "Our Brand Is Crisis" (how could I not see it, it's about political consulting, which is what I do!) and it was as good and as bad as I thought it would be. Good, because it does indeed show how political campaigns are run, for the most part, but bad because it has a stupid, but predictable, ending, and a Left-leaning bias throughout - which I guessed correctly was coming and simply chose to discount in my judgment of the film.

The film is based on, and takes its name directly from, a 2005 documentary about the 2002 election in Bolivia, in which a former president won the election with the help of an American firm led by legendary consultant James Carville. Billy Bob Thornton in the film resembles Carville in appearance, but here works for the opposition candidate.

Sandra Bullock starts off the film having left the profession of political consulting because of a bad event we learn about later. Personal scumbag Billy Bob Thornton - who plays one in the film, too – is her capable adversary. Both are running presidential campaigns in Bolivia.

Here's what rings true: the professional rivalries between consultants (who, nonetheless can be civil to one another) the scenes of actual campaigning, the strategies, families being divided by politics, the stress of campaigns, the fun people have during them anyway, the candidate who doesn't listen to his consultants, the backroom intrigue, and the dirty tricks.

What's silly is the whining about money in politics (in the intro only, don’t worry) and the fact that someone who’s been in the business doesn't seems to know that people are mean or that politicians do, in fact, lie.

Some of Bullock's lines are hilarious. How she pulls one over on the Thornton character before a big debate is brilliant. How she pulls back and listens in the beginning (though admittedly, she was ill) is exactly how one SHOULD start off a campaign before crafting and announcing a strategy. And the need to sometimes change strategies in mid-campaign is also well illustrated here.

The scene where the two candidate's buses happen to be on the same road, leading to a hilarious "backside" joke, is just the kind of stunt campaigns pull on each other, and there are several "dirty tricks" shown as well that are MORE than plausible.

Bullock’s character, "Calamity Jane," shouldn't be as surprised and alienated by the process as is depicted here, given her long history in the profession. But in films about political consulting – like the excellent 1986 Richard Gere/Denzel Washington film "Power" which this resembles in many ways, and which I highly recommend – sermonizing about how bad things can get and what's wrong with politics and managing campaigns is typical, and expected. 

But still, they manage to get a lot right, and it’s nicely entertaining even if you aren't a political consultant, so I recommend it.

#Tomorrowland #Movie Review: Magical Visuals, Marred by Violence, Plot Holes & Absurdities

(This contains MAJOR Spoilers! Be Warned!)

In Disney's Tomorrowland, three police officers are shot and killed in cold blood. The fact that it's done by robots (and death rays, which vaporizes them) doesn't make it any more acceptable.

Which is sad, because I'd been VERY MUCH looking forward to this film for weeks, and it disappointed.

Some good first: The young actresses here are wonderful. We'll be seeing a lot more of both Britt Robertson (Casey Newton) and Raffey Cassidy (Athena.)

My opinion of Hugh Laurie (David Nix) is colored by his amazing role as the lead character on House, MD, but in truth his acting was only fair, and I believe any actor – known or unknown – could have better played Frank Walker, portrayed by George Clooney, who was wooden and whose role was poorly written.

The first act is magical, and spectacular. The discovery of the pin and the wonderful place it exposes is amazing. The visuals are captivating – and this is what appeared in the previews. The nostalgic and accurate-feeling 1964 World's Fair was beautifully rendered and Frank's youthful wonder (played sufficiently by Thomas Robinson) pours forth from the screen.

And then the film goes haywire.

For starters, the film's science is absurd, and the way they eventually get to Tomorrowland is even more absurd (no, it's not a bathtub, as hinted at in the TV ads, nor the devise that takes them to Paris, which could have simply beamed them to Tomorrowland!)

Instead, we get numerous plot holes and absurdities that destroy even the internal logic of the film.

Just a few of the mind-numbing number of unanswered questions and plot holes:

For WHOM is the negative/realistic Frank Walker and the optimistic Casey recording the video in the opener? And why is he so negative? Clearly he can't be negative after the events of the film have unfolded, because everything seemingly worked out and new animatronic children are being sent out to revive Tomorrowland. But if it's filmed beforehand, why is he recording a video at all, and again, FOR WHOM?

What has Tomorrowland ever done for the world? That seriously is never addressed. That's why I thought we were getting this movie. It never materialized. We learn instead that a rather bleak looking Tomorrowland now exists, and probably existed like that when Frank was expelled when he was a teenager (in the early 1970s?) So what has it ever done for humanity to warrant its existence?

If, in 1964, a friendly robot device existed that could create bridges in the sky (and fix Frank's jet pack early in the film) why wasn't such a device sent to earth to repair and build roads and sky-bridges HERE? The sad answer lies in the same depressing conclusion: Tomorrowland has helped no one. Ever.

Why have the robots kill ANYONE if the world was ending in a month or so, anyway? Didn't they get the memo?

If Gov. Nix could have expelled Frank to a deserted island (where he would have died in a few years) using that transporter device, then why didn't he do that years ago, instead of putting him in a house and using the threat of killer robots to pacify him?

Tomorrowland was clearly being built in the 1960s. So HOW and WHY was the Eifel Tower being constructed in the 1880s as an inter- dimensional ship? And WHERE was it going, exactly? This ship's very existence is completely illogical and seemingly exists only to insert a bit of cool-looking Steampunk into the film.

If Nix could see the future, surely he could have seen his own demise, and Frank's return?

The moment when Casey has the revelation, standing in front of the portal to the island, I thought INSTANTLY that this film would make a wonderful U-turn, giving Nix and Tomorrowland a chance to redeem themselves. If spreading gloom and doom about humanity's problems doesn't work (and we see it NOT WORKINqG all around us) why don't they simply change the message of what's being sent out to the earth? But "destroy the array" is the answer, leading to two deaths almost instantly. What a way to end the film on a downer, making the later 'new army' of robot recruiters a poor "Plan B."

Finally, how did the 30-odd-day "end of the world" get fixed, by Casey wishing it away? By her positive energy? That's magic, not science. That someone has Midichlorians that can affect the universe is from another franchise, even if Disney DOES now own it.

Overall, the film's second and third acts are a huge disappointment, marred by unnecessary violence and numerous absurdities. Which is a shame, since the film could have shown the world being positively affected by those working together in harmony to build a better future. THAT was Disney's vision, after all, not just one more stupid movie-themed ride at the parks' Tomorrowlands.

This review appears on IMDB.com here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1964418/reviews-271

"Age of Adaline" #Movie #Review: Ageless Film Hampered By Invasive Narration

(Minor Spoilers, though I'm careful here!)

So, I saw "Age of Adaline" Friday. It was very good, but not perfect. A bit of a chick flick, but the subject, extreme longevity without aging, is something I've written about in my flash fiction.

(Yes, this review definitely contains spoilers!)

Any fan of the show "Forever" or perhaps even the 90s show "Forever Knight" or the Twilight series will understand the concept of extreme longevity explored here, and I'm a very big fan of both those shows and the concept, so I was eager to see this.

Blake Lively was amazing as Adaline, and Harrison Ford performed well, too, in all his flustered brilliance. His character here has great depth, as I think only he could pull off.

In a minor but amazing role, newcomer Anthony Ingruber plays Ford in a flashback as a youth and just NAILS his looks and mannerisms (which he's actually done for years on YouTube before being discovered by the director!)

In Ford's great film "Blade Runner," the original, theater release had a voice-over, which was later cut by the director on DVDs. There, it was an under-appreciated homage to 1940s Film Noir movies. In Age of Adaline, however, the ever-present narration seems pointless at best, demeaning and overly expository at worst. And while it may have seemed necessary to fill out the story's scientific details, it's often talking down to the audience in a way that's unnecessary. Verbal exposition often took the place of something that would have been better acted. And everyone who saw the previews already knew she lived a long time. It should be cut in the DVD.

That said, the story progresses well, though I wished for more flashbacks and more rye indications that she had acquired vast knowledge of her hometown - elements that add charm and a bit of humor. A date at an old movie theater, for example, was a charming scene.

It's beautifully filmed, and Lively's wardrobe is a painful reminder that women used to dress elegantly in their daily lives. I wish they still did (Adaline never gave up dressing well for 100 years and it added to Lively's already stunning looks.) I could have done without the pet storyline, but only because it struck a personal chord, as it will for any pet owner. It illustrated her sense of loss quite beautifully, and asked, without actually asking: How would it feel if everyone you had ever known had died, decades ago, and you were afraid to get close to, or even date anyone, as a consequence? Great post-date or dorm room discussion material here!

Very few flaws or goofs to note here. Some include: Why did Ford's character need that photo - it didn't prove anything. She seems to remember an event in 1906 but she wasn't even born until 1908. Why did she keep going back to that same city, where she would risk being recognized by people just 25 years older than she had been on a previous sojourn there? And wait - wouldn't her new man be grossed out knowing what he finally learned about the Ford character, to whom he was RELATED?

The very end (comet) is deeply flawed and confusing, leaving the audience with a big "huh?" (I suspect that a 2031 scene was cut, or was never filmed) and the narration during the "accident" before it that changes her physical situation is again unnecessary. It's as if people are so dumb they'd miss what was happening.

Overall, a worthy film about an interesting topic, filmed beautifully. Go see this!

5 Ways to Fix America's Nightly Network "#News"

Network news - news programs shown on the original Big Three networks and other, newer, upstarts - is broken. Below are five examples, and what I believe they need to do to fix their news programs to better serve the American people:

More International Focus - A "world news" program that focuses solely on domestic news is not worthy of the name. And international celebrities getting into trouble or the latest plane crash overseas doesn't count as "news." Americans who are insular and insulated from the news of the world are suddenly surprised by trends both friendly and ferocious when they hit without warning. When that happens, that's a failure of the "world news" programs we watch. Network newscasts must rededicate themselves to covering the entire world.

More International Politics - Political trends are also vital to our full and complete awareness as voters and as citizens. It may not, at first glance, seem important that a new anti-American party is rising in the polls in a nation traditionally friendly to the USA, or that a certain governor was elected in a prefecture in Japan. But if that nation  turns hostile, or if that governor is more hostile to Americans remaining in a military base there than his predecessor, then that indeed is a problem that will have regional and international repercussions. Network newscasts should commit to covering international politics, because it's relevant.

The Weather Is NOT "news" - It's snowy in the winter in the Northern half of the United States. It's a fact. It's not, however, news. It's exciting to show cars skidding off the road, rivers frozen and, in other climes, wet summers, minor hurricanes and tornadoes. But aside from an in-depth analyses of how slowly the aid got there after the storm, or how we are adapting to changing weather patterns, it's not "news." Network newscasts should stop wasting time covering routine and expected weather, and blowing storms out of all proportion.

Less "Special Kid Plays On the Team" Stories - I love the stories in which a young person - who is disabled in some way or is a terminal patient - gets to play on their favorite professional sports team or on their high school team, especially when they actually score for the team! These stories (and there are many of them) are inspirational, interesting, heart-warming, and emotional. Note that none of those words are "news," and are not newsWORTHY. They should exist in a separate show, which I'm sure would get great ratings, but they should not be taking up time in the nightly newscast, crowding out actual news. Network newscasts should leave the "feel good" stories to other shows on the network.

Fewer YouTube Videos - What's truly shocking about today's American nightly "newscast" is the inclusion of actual YouTube videos. ABC News includes these (and the aforementioned "kids play on teams" videos) in its "Index" segment near the end of the program. It literally shows YouTube videos of animals doing funny things, near-miss car accidents and other hilarity, which we can see with better justification on shows like "America's Funniest Videos" or its cable show equivalents. The YouTubization (tm) of Network news must end. 

"If it bleeds, it leads" was the old saying about the nightly news and the local paper. National Network newscasts shouldn't fear though. There is plenty of blood in the political turmoil around the world to quench their viewers' hearts. Demonstrations, corruption, trade deals, hard-fought elections, coups and uprisings, and much of it with consequences for American voters and consumers.

That's one of the reasons why I founded "World Politics News," a news aggregation service that points American readers to the news they're missing on the nightly network newscasts.

American news organizations owe it to us to bring us the world, and to show us accurately and fairly what's happening THERE before it happens HERE. And if they begin to do this again, the nightly "World News" programs will once again be true to their names.

Stephen Abbott
Abbott Media Group
www.abbottmediagroup.com

Picture this: 1984

Picture this: It was #1984, and #Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” was blaring from the speakers at the local record store. (A record store is a place that sold records, which contained music and were like large vinyl CDs.

CDs, or "compact discs" were smaller plastic discs that played music on a special "CD player" at home, in your car or they could be carried, like a Sony Walkman.

A Sony #Walkman was a small device you could carry around and wear around your neck with a strap and headphones, like an #iPod.

An iPod was a device that played MP3s, like you’d find on the Apple iTunes and download to your #iPhone or other smartphone.

"Downloading" is the thing people used to do to capture music and play it later, before streaming services like Pandora, iHeartRadio​ and Spotify​.)

Anyway….  I lost my train of thought so just enjoy the music.

McDonald’s Announces It’s Abandoning Burgers, Introducing All Soy-Based Menu!

Cash-strapped and with sales declining, McDonald’s today (April 1, 2023) announced in a press release that they would stop selling meat-based hamburgers by May 1 this year, and would introduce a line-up of all-soy products by next year.

The Oak Brook, Illinois-based company announced several new soy-based products in the press release, which follows:

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwired – April 1, 2023) - McDonald's USA (NYSE: MCD) today announced new menu changes designed to revolutionize the American palate and remain in tune with growing trends in the food marketplace.

McDonald’s U.S. restaurants will stop selling all hamburgers by May 1, and introduce a larger line of chicken products by the end of the year, CEO Steve Easterbrook said. The company will feature an all-soy burger product line by January 1, 2022. It will greatly expand its line-up of chicken products throughout the current year.

"Our customers have been demanding healthier menu items and we’ve listened to their concerns. They want food they can feel good about eating, and for McDonald’s, that’s soy and other non-beef items."

Some of the new products we’ll be introducing are the Big MacSoy™, the Double McSoy™ and (starting in California and the American Southwest in 222, nationwide in 2023) the Soy McBurritto™. Several new chicken items will be introduced, including McChicken Bites in both “original” and “spicy” varieties.

###

The remarkable story of Dr. Alexis Carrel

Dr. Alexis Carrel had everything going for him. He had a great job in Chicago in which his scientific genius was put to work with the likes of Charles Lindbergh, with whom he created the first heart profusion pump (artificial heart) in the early days of the 20th Century. He worked on amazing projects, like keeping a chicken alive for decades by replacing and rejuvenating its cellular structure, thus showing that cells, in a sense, need never die.

Using a small needle and very fine silk thread, he had developed the first successful technique for suturing blood vessels together, for which (along with his groundbreaking work on organ and blood transplantation) he won the 1912 Nobel prize in medicine.

But when World War II broke out, he, being a patriotic Frenchman, returned to France, where he had grown up and where, during World War I, had gone straight to the front lines, where he put his genius to work with Henry Dakin to create the Carrel-Dakin Method, an antiseptic treatment of wounds consisting of regular intermittent irrigation through surgically placed rubber tubes to avoid infection in contaminated wounds and to hasten healing.

He returned again to France just before the German invasion and occupation of his homeland, and remained in the unoccupied southern part of France, where the government there was allowed to continue under the watchful eyes of the Germans, who occupied the north and west of the country.

Carrel created a foundation there that would study human problems and seek solutions to them so society could advance and individuals could lead healthier, more productive (and happy) lives. After the war, he was, briefly, accused of collaborating with the Nazis (as was half of France) but was acquitted of all charges just before his death, brought on by stress, in 1944.

He was a man of great contradictions - a man of science who believed in the miracle cures of Lourdes, and a deeply devoted Catholic with morally conservative views who was devoted equally, perhaps, to science and dramatic change, if necessary, to advance society and preserve the human race. He had just finished a work encompassing all of these contradictions when he died.

In the early 1950s, his wife Anne had his unedited and unfinished work published as "Reflections on Life." The 2011 Abbott ePublishing edition, titled "A Scientist Reflects on Life and Society," is that work, and it is perhaps one of the most beautifully written testimonies to the determination of the human race to survive and thrive ever written.

Out of print for decades, this newly-edited work will surely have an impact in today's conflicted and troubled world.

You can read more and buy this wonderful book for only $2.99 at http://www.abbottepub.com/carrel.html