Archive for the Entertainment Category

“You Can’t Be Smarter” (August 10, 2015)

Posted in Bureaucracy, Courts, Entertainment, Journalism, Judges, Judicial Arrogance, Law, Law School, Newspapers, Personal Stories Series, Personal Story, Press/Media, Television on August 10, 2015 by e-commentary.org

. . .

P          “You might as well leave law school with some useful insight.  When you begin practice, ferret out the longest serving person at the firm.  That person likely will be female and the secretary for a senior partner.  Take her to lunch.  Ask for advice.  Listen carefully.”

. . .

SS          “Your biggest challenge?  You must accept that you can’t be smarter than the judge.  That will vex a person like you.  And don’t expect much civility or any humility from the bench.  Good luck.  You will need it.”

. . .

YL          “So it is like law school but with consequence.  It is like high school writ large.”

SS          “And I am downstream from the bullying and arrogance of the judges and the senior partner.”

. . .

YL          “Looking back, I realize that professors were and judges now are the greatest impediments to advancing sound ideas.”

SS          “They don’t teach you much in law school.”

. . .

[Jon Stewart left The Daily Show recently.  See the e-commentary at Brian, Jon And Journalism Today (February 16, 2015).]

Bumper sticker of the week:

Better to know the judge than the law

Brian, Jon And Journalism Today (February 16, 2015)

Posted in Entertainment, First Amendment, Journalism, Newspapers, Press/Media on February 16, 2015 by e-commentary.org

. . .

J1          “If you want to educate, you must entertain first.”

J2          “One of my most inspired, inspiring and insightful professors was a stand-up comedian who transitioned to entertaining and educating students.  Everyone wanted to come to class.”

. . .

J1          “If a person who styles himself an entertainer provides 27.4 seconds of insight and another person who lists ‘evening broadcast anchor’ on his (or perhaps her) tax return provides 8.3 seconds of insight, who provides more seconds of insight?”

J2          “The grand irony is that the ‘serious broadcasters’ are the comedians and the comedians are the serious commentators.”

. . .

J2          “So he later embellished his earlier exploits while embedded/‘inbedded’ with the troops who were embroiled in the actual belli. A misdemeanor.  He acted without the proper demeanor.  Not good form.”

J1          “Superficiality is the essence of integrity today.  The corporate broadcasters punish him for boasting but not for failing to provide 27.4 seconds of insight.  Image and perception are reality.”

J2          “That is the crime, the felony, grand theft ideas.”

. . .

J2          “Poetry, in addition to humor, must be injected into the discourse.  People love the unconscious symmetry, insight and joy of poetry, yet they will recoil and run if they see it coming.”

J1          “Humorous haiku.  That would allow a commentator to transmit 27.4 seconds of insight quickly.  But poets are only in it for the money.  Journalists are in it for the pursuit of truth.”

J2          “And the discernment of beauty.”

. . .

Bumper stickers of the week:

“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”  Edgar A. Poe.  “and listen for what you don’t hear and look for what you don’t see.”

“The illusion of freedom [in America] will continue as long as it’s profitable to continue the illusion.  At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.”  Frank Zappa