Entertainment | 01/30/2009 3:20 pm

Comments of the Week 1/24 - 1/30

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Editor’s Note: The following comments have been edited for length.

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Comment to The Question of the Day on January 28
By Carmel~by~the~Sea Pebble Beach on 01/28/2009 6:11 am

Entrepreneurialism, innovation and can-do spirit started this nation, it’s our ethos.

In the early 1950s, Walt Disney was turned down by 300+ banks before he got the loan to clear out Anaheim orange groves and build his ‘crazy’ idea, Disneyland. Imagine all that would have been lost had ‘Uncle Walt’ listened to naysayers, instead of just focusing full-force on his dream.

Those of us who cut teeth on “When You Wish Upon A Star” grew up with near magical belief in our abilities. And our generation created the richest civilization in human history.

I was the oldest of five, and left home at 17. Nothing gave me any clue that I would ever work, neither my mother nor grandmothers had. I started my first successful business at 21, and then was one of 2% of women nationwide in a man’s field, played every aggressive sport, and in every group I’ve belonged quickly assumed leadership roles.

All the men in our family for generations were successful entrepreneurs.

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Comment to a Poll on January 28
By Gianna Bracco on 01/28/2009 5:51 pm

Smoking for all the obvious reasons; but I gag at open mouthed chewing and spitting, especially. What is it with men anyway? They actually have to have signs posted around the track at the gym “no spitting on the track.” Huh? But just last week I walked around that track for 3 miles while navigating around a big wad. Another habit that seems to have caught on lately are people conversing with me and saying every other minute “do you know (or hear) what I’m saying?” Yes, I’m right in front of you and not only do I hear you, but I understand you, so get on with the story!

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Comment to a Post on January 27
By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 01/27/2009 6:22 pm

I feel as though I’ve lost a dear old friend, a brother almost. I have followed Updike’s ups and downs for decades––have read almost everything in his oeuvre and although I had trouble with his Christian stance I was a loyal reader. His "Couples" remain my favorite––a truly beautiful, stimulating novel. What puzzles me is that he was just on Charlie Rose and when asked about how he was faring mentioned pains in the knees and joints, but otherwise ok. Didn’t he know he had the cancer? Anyway, Frank–––your mention of Cheever whom I have written about before and touted his journals (you have read them?) makes me smile because he’s another writer that I feel akin to for many reasons. Once I went to Ossining and viewed the Cheever homestead––almost pulled in the driveway thinking I could just get out, introduce myself to Mary and we could have this long discussion about her husband. I was that connected––I was that romantic.

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Comment to a Post on January 28
By f p on 01/28/2009 11:42 am

Marjorie until we get to the bottom of this current econ crisis and how it all started how can we move on? I’m not praising the Dems—they’ve wasted a ton of time sitting on their fingers—but this crisis started with Reagan and the end is yet in sight—. So looking forward yes—but looking backward too to see where the mistakes were made, erasing as much as possible of them and then moving on from there. A good start has been made—but this isn’t going to be cured in a day or a year.

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Comment to a Post on January 27
By kermie b on 01/27/2009 12:45 pm

Back when I was in my 20s, I had an extraordinary boyfriend who would cheerfully ruffle the pages of The Joy of Sex, saying “Pick a page!” Looking back, I think we were gymnasts. Those experiences gave me a healthy respect for respectful men.

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Comment to a Post on January 27
By Karen Nagano on 01/29/2009 11:48 am

If NY Times wants to know about female desire, what about asking women? Women’s voices, women’s visions. That might clear up confusion.

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23 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

There was not included in the article selection this week by WOW a story of the upcoming elections in Iraq. The Sunni will not be boycotting this election as they did in 2005 so the competition is fierce. There are slightly over 400 offices to be filled and there are 14,000 candidates of whom 4,400 are women. This is amazing progress for all Iraqis but especially for the women. I will be anxious to hear if any of the women win seats into the Parliament; I am hoping some of them do if for no other reason than to show other countries in the Middle East that women are equal in the eyes of the law, if not yet in the eyes of all Muslim men.

By Bonnie Oliver on 01/30/2009 6:24 pm

wow, lots of different stuff to talk about. Yes, “Wish Upon a Star”. I can remember not being tall enough to get into the race cars at Disney land in the 60’s, but 20,000 leags under the sea was so cool! But then people were different. No one thought it werd when they saw a pickup with a shotgun in the rear window. People were not afraid of stoping and helping somone broke down on the side of the road. And when it said Made in America. You could trust it, and all of it was Made in America. And greed was subdued by a love for one’s country and family. And parents were responsable for what there children did. But in the middle east women are treated different. But have you ever thought that the reason may be because they are protecting there family’s soul? Think about it. We are born in the womb, connected to our Mother through nerve connections. Mind to mind. Isn’t it possable this is were we get family gifts of music, art, ect. Program our mind, or at least down load what our Mothers mind is able to down load depending on the males genetic makeup compatability to forming the mind. And if it’s the electrical flow of nerve impulses that is our soul, because it’s the only thing that leaves the body upon death, then its the woman who carries the families soul and should be cared for by her family.

By Mark Rowe on 01/30/2009 7:51 pm

e-mail alert

Is anyone else appalled and upset about the bankers who got a s…load of your taxpayer money and GAVE THEMSELVES BONUSES I mean talk about more nerve than a very bad toothache. Is anyone screaming about this?

By Eve Fulton on 01/31/2009 10:14 am

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Yes, Eve, President Obama is furious, and I am livid - so is everyone I know. The problem is how to recuperate any of that money that the greedy bas#$%ds took!

By Maurine H on 01/31/2009 1:03 pm

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Eve - Most everyone is angered. On the O’Reilly Show, he is identifying the criminals and the scoundrals ….with their photographs, company and crime or bad judgement. Slowly the weazels are becoming known to the public at large….and not just as the CEOs of Lehman, Bear Sterns, Merrill Lynch, Countrywide etc.

By Bonnie Oliver on 01/31/2009 4:44 pm

Oui, we, wee - of course, but more to the point, when are we going to boycott those scoundrels businesses, publicly by writing to their boards, copying letters to our editors (what’s left of them in most cities/towns, and the tv-radio shows that use them as sponsors. Until we hit them in their pocketbooks nothing will change. While we learn how to impact those seriously jeopardizing our nation, teach others how to do it, too - send out links to your email friends, and provide them on resource lists if you speak to groups (audiences are most appreciative). To contact all elected in the nation: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/ To copy the media, that link is in the left frame, down toward the center: “Media” It is very convenient.

By C jay on 01/31/2009 11:14 pm

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This is to f p……If he doesn’t see this, no big deal. Reagan started with double digit unemployment. He created 20 million new jobs. Stop looking back at what caused what. Your boy Obambi is now the top dog. Its all on him, and the people of this country are already getting tired of him. 800 million for a dope. Way to go.

By alex harvey on 01/31/2009 2:08 pm

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Reagan started deregulation which has led to the current economic mess—And gee I don’t see you right wing lunatics caomplainingabout the 6 trillion bucks spent by BushCo and his mafia. Get a life Harvey and a brain.

By f p on 01/31/2009 5:18 pm

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Alas Frank, the trolls thrive on depositing their little word piles of (excrement) onto these threads and counting the responses they are able to evoke with their hateful pointless ignorant flaming. They surely have neither lives nor brains…..sad pathetic little cretins with nothing better to do than disrupt the conversations of those they envy. Probably more to be pitied than condemned?
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By ~ countrywoman ~ on 02/01/2009 2:03 am

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Little cretins is sooo true :-)

By f p on 02/02/2009 8:57 am

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Ah, Alex and Frank, with your name calling and selective facts, my dears. Reagan fired Chairman Volker and Glass-Steagall was repealed by Clinton. Neither party is blamelss in this mess, and no revisionism on either of your parts will make it so.

By Mommy Dearest on 02/01/2009 11:08 am

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So you’re telling me something I don’t know—nice try .

By f p on 02/02/2009 9:33 am

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O can’t possibly be as bad as Bush-II, who was - without question - this nation’s worst president.

By James the Game on 01/31/2009 11:55 pm

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For those folks who wish to blame the late President, Ronald Reagan, for the economic woes of today - I can only laugh at such lunacy and wonder why some haters will always envy one of the last century’s greatest Presidents. Oh, naysayers will always blame the other political party when times are tough. Well, that is simply childish and I seem to recall the current President recently asking folks to put away their childish habits and, basically, to look to themselves as the cause of the economic crisis. Perhaps some folks do not want to listen…. even to a man representing their party. Haters are so boring. Haters always have a reason to hate or they will make up a reason to hate. Bush haters are some of the worst but the Clinton haters were not far behind. Perhaps it really is time for those folks to grow up and put away their hate or, at least, keep it away from the rest of us.

By Bonnie Oliver on 02/01/2009 2:13 am

Bonnie: From my files: Reagan’s entire presidency was geared to exploit his strengths as a visionary communicator and steer him away from energy-consuming operational details. He established two top priorities: To rebuild America’s military strength and to rebuild America’s economic strength[which resulted in the deregulation mess we are dealing with now] All other issues, important as they may be were relegated to the sidelines. He made people feel good. He was in his own movie and he played the part well until the end when he faltered because of his disintegrating memory and failing health. He was a flawed man with an optimist’s heart. Except for Nancy he probably didn’t know anyone intimately, not even his own children. He seemed bigger than life and radiated a Capra hope and pride. Most people that knew him liked him, but they didn’t respect him. It was the narrowness, too, of his executive agenda and attention that nearly killed his presidency.[and may I add here that because he refused to deal with Aids, he stalled important preventions–-some hold him responsible for thousands of deaths because of this] Yesterday in the New York Times Edmund Morris, author of “Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan” and “Theodore Rex,” wrote a piece re: the CBS’s canceled mini-series about Reagan that has gotten so much flap lately. I found his metaphorical description of Reagan so appealing and apt: The sweetness, silvery voice and deceptively gentle manner of Ronald Reagan used to remind me of soft fur that enwraps stored phosphorous. He seemed so easy to bruise that your instinct was to protect him from anything sharp, in way of questions, criticisms, legal process or just plain discourtesy. But beneath the softness was solid metal: a moral and political philosophy of considerable mass, formed over a half century, and (like phosphorous) capable of bursting into sudden flame. I then remembered an essay I had read some years ago on this 13th element and looked it up in my science files: The 13th Element: Phosphorous-John Emsley July 19=01 Emsley says phosphorous is the source of one of the most terrifying means of mass destruction ever devised and one of the most useful aids to humanity ever discovered…”the supreme ruler” of life on earth. Not bad for a metaphor

By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 02/01/2009 8:57 am