Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr. "Proposals for Welfare"

Who is Jimmy Carter?
After watching this most revealing 'Firing Line' you may have to rethink that question. The then-governor's (1973) views on social welfare, fiscal responsibility (particularly regarding the role of the federal government versus that of the states, but also touching on the personal inasmuch as he purports here to disdain the idea of public monies being handed out to the able-bodied as a byproduct of his belief in the 'Puritan work ethic'!), and racial politics are so measured, so reasonable (albeit within the Keynesian paradigm), it's difficult to believe you're listening to the same feckless Utopian who presided unapologetically over an administration (and compliant Congress) that ran the U.S. economy-- and its global prestige-- onto the rocks just a few short years later. You can draw only one of two conclusions: either he was being disingenuous in his responses to Mr. Buckley's pointed queries (perhaps engaging in what he deemed to be populist sophistry to make himself seem more...





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Spirit of the Pony Express

Amazing movie that capture the sprit of America during the time of the Pony Express.
I can't recommend this movie enough if you are a history buff or someone who is interested in how the American West was created and the amazing people who established a little thing called the Pony Express. Even today, there are many people who have dedicated their lives to preserving this part of history and it's showcased beautifully in this amazing film. Seriously, good stuff.

Excellent social studies support!
My students loved the information. Really held ten year old's attention. Real time and primary source material working well together.



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Flesh on Fire: Addicted to a Dream

Actors: Do you know who you are??
If you are an actor and want to come to Hollywood, you better know who you are...and you better watch this documentary. Be prepared. This film is raw and is as real as it gets when it comes to seeing what life is really like when trying to make it as an actor in Los Angeles. To watch the transformation of Donnie Faught and what he has to give up just to live his dream is, at times, heartbreaking. Yeah, the tears will come...they did for me. Yet for all the pain, I found myself truly inspired by his conviction to becoming a A-list actor. His love, his passion will move you to think about what you are truly "Flesh on Fire" for.





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A Firing Line Debate: "Resolved: That U.S. Industry Does Not Need Protection"

Interesting debate. Dated, but useful in historical sense.
This Firing Line Debate was not what I hoped it would be. First, WFB Jr takes almost a backseat in the discussions. The apporach to the debates in the '90s is to have 4 versus 4 with equal time to debate and represent their cases. Very balanced, very democratic. Because there are 4 on 4, each person has less time to talk and thoroughly get into discussion about topics. As a result, people are speaking hurriedly and often punctuate their points by giving minispeeches either while answering and sometimes while questioning their opponents. Because the opposition has less time to address what's being said, they find themselves forced to interrupt. Instead of a strong civil discussion, you have something which is much more contemporary (and undesirable to many) which is a lot of loud crosstalking instead of listening and responding. This is a universal criticism of this debate format for all of the debates I've seen from this period.

The debate over this issue is more academic...





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Quebec Magnetic

Heavy on "Death Magnetic" but with a few welcomed oldies! Frantic editing is a disappointment.
This is my fourth, yes fourth, Metallica Blu-ray from this tour. I have the shows from Mexico, France, Big 4, and now this one. Hey, for a fraction of what I pay for a concert ticket, I get to own a Metallica show in stunning Blu-ray quality video and audio, and this is what you'll get with this disc. No disappointments here. Video is stunning. Awesome black levels with minimal grain, evident only in shots using stationary cams of lesser quality. The laser show in the opening song gives evidence of the visual treat early on. The 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio is quite good also. Not the best I've heard, but overall well balanced and in-your-face.
With 8 out of the 10 songs from "Death Magnetic" on this one, it helps to like this CD, which I do. But the nicest surprise is the inclusion of the songs they don't play too often, such as Shortest Straw, Holier than Thou, Breadfan and Phantom Lord to name a few. I believe I enjoyed the Bonus Tracks and Footage portion more so than the full...

Nice! Rivals prior releases great sound quality
This tour has garnered quite a few live releases, and I have seem them all from Nimes, to Mexico to Sophia and on. I do not detract stars based on set lists, I simply review the product itself, set list is really a matter of opinion. Now down to the bolts: Great picture, viewed on a LG LED 55 inch tv via PS3 and it was amazing, the 5.1 DTS-HD sound was fantastic. I didn't really find the cam views a distraction, nor do I think it was frantic or manic. I've seen frantic filming and I didn't feel this concert had that, there are switches but they aren't anything that detracted from my viewing personally. AC/DC's River release had far faster changes and took some getting used to, but I still didn't feel it detracted from the experience, but again, this is really a personal preference, you'll have to watch to see if it's an issue for you (which you can view on MetallicaTV on youtube, full songs from this release)before purchasing. The extra songs included were a great addition, all...

Get a proper director next time
This is not about the music or the choice of songs.

What I find annoying about this DVD is the way it is captured.

The director thinks he has to change angle every two seconds just to prove how dynamic the show is.
Same with the shots from the crowd all through the show. I think I saw half of the audience in irrelevant close-ups all through the DVD.

Stick to te show and eventually throw in some crowd shots in between songs !!

While in Canada Metallica had better contacted Pierre an Fran

Letter of Introduction

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Death Rides a Horse / A Reason to Live, A Reason to Die - 2 DVD Set (Amazon.com Exclusive)

Massacre at Fort Holman
I bought this 2 disc DVD set for A Reason to Live...A Reason to Die AKA Massacre at Fort Holman (This is it's first Region One DVD release). Don't get me wrong, Death Rides a Horse is a classic, but if that's what you're after pick up the Wild East DVD release of that film which includes special features.
As for A Reason to Live...A Reason to Die the transfer is great and in widescreen. As for the film itself, well I had high hopes for it based on the fact that it starred James Coburn, Telly Savalas and Bud Spencer and was directed by Tony Valerii (Leone's protégé and director of MY NAME IS NOBODY). With those three headlining why wouldn't it be great? Sadly it was pretty run of the mill and was basically a Civil War era Dirty Dozen. I thought it would be interesting to see Bud Spencer as part of such a serious ensemble and I have to say he was the only fun thing about the movie and steals all his scenes. As for Savalas, he's not part of Coburn's Dirty Dozen and is...





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