TEST1 2018

IN TWEET: A RE-VERSE IS A REVIEW WRITTEN IN VERSE. FOR THE FIRST OUTING OF THIS NEW RONTHINK FEATURE, WE CHOSE “GAME OF THRONES” FROM HBO. Sometimes when you want to write a negative review, turning it into a poem can make the bitter pill go down a little easier. I know many of my fellow geeks love the HBO series GAME OF THRONES . Alas, I’m not one of them. GAME OF THRONES has everything I dislike in one hugely overblown snoozer of a package: dragons, dirty looking characters wearing pelts, storylines that are deliberately confusing for no valid reason, a deep well of smug self-importance, ugly people having kinky sex, fantasy novel roots , excessive violence and Peter Dinklage . So, without further pontification, here is the inaugural RONTHINK RE-VERSE! GAME OF THRONES A DARK SONNET OF RHYMING COUPLETS Tonight White Walkers march once more. Hark! Here comes that crashing bore! As GIRLS lays waste to comedy This is death by fantasy. The cast be large, the critics mused. ...

IN TWEET: INDIE ARTIST PHOENIX NORMAND IS “RUNNING” WITH AN INFECTIOUS DANCE TUNE THAT WILL MAKE YOU MOVE . WE DARE YOU TO RESIST THE HOOKS OF THIS UBER CATCHY SINGLE. As a rule, we don’t cover mainstream, major label music on RONTHINK but when we stumble across a great indie voice, we’re all over it.  Today we’re sharing a couple of tracks from an artist we really like: San Francisco-based singer/songwriter Phoenix Normand. If you’ve been looking for new music that'll get you off your ass and help you shake the winter blues, Normand has you covered. NOTE: IF YOU ARE USING A BROWSER OR MOBILE DEVICE THAT DOES NOT SUPPORT THE HTML5 MUSIC PLAYERS FROM SOUND CLOUD EMBEDDED BELOW, PLEASE  CLICK HERE FOR A LINK TO PHOENIX NORMAND'S FULL SOUND CLOUD LIBRARY. I’m listening to the LFB RADIO MIX of RUNNING as I write this post and I can’t get enough. It’s infectious, full of great hooks and offers a sweet balance of smart lyrics and an irresistible dance beat. Of the two re-mixes, i...

IN TWEET: GET OUT YOUR SLINGS AND ARROWS…I’M TAKING DOWN SOME SACRED TV COWS! Picking the worst scripted shows on TV seemed like a far less interesting task than knocking off some of the most wildly overrated and “why is this show still on?” veterans. So, that’s why you won’t see crap on this list like SMASH , WHITNEY , SULLIVAN & SON , THE NEIGHBORS , RULES OF ENGAGEMENT , 1600 PENN , CHICAGO FIRE , THE MINDY PROJECT or countless other outright duds. Instead, here are ten scripted series (from broadcast and basic cable networks only) that need to be taken down a few pegs or taken off the air entirely. The list is presented in alphabetical order. AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX) No one loves this overly violent, overwrought mess more than series creator Ryan Murphy . Murphy, an egomaniac who never misses an opportunity to let us know how fab he is, has created a repellant vision of horror that’s the TV equivalent of a bowl of steaming viscera.  There’s a sequence in season one dur...

IN TWEET: ORAL ARGUMENTS BEFORE THE SCOTUS TODAY CAST DOUBT ON THE FUTURE OF DOMA. ANALYSIS, OPINION, REFLECTION ON HARVEY MILK AND AUDIO OF THE PROCEEDINGS. I can think of no better image to anchor this post than that of civil rights icon Harvey Milk . No matter how the Supreme Court rules on the two marriage equality cases that were argued this week, I have no doubt that we wouldn’t be where we are today were it not for the fearless activism of Milk. Anyone who supports marriage equality and full civil rights for LGBT Americans owes Harvey Milk a huge debt of gratitude and my writing today is humbly dedicated to this great man. I was living in San Francisco the first time I saw the documentary THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK . It was a stunning, transformational experience that changed my life. If you have not seen it, do yourself a favor and make some time to watch right here! There is a full video player from Hulu at the close of this article and additional options if you are on a brows...

IN TWEET: NEW VA ASSISTANT SECRETARY TOMMY SOWERS FACES THE MUSIC (AKA RACHEL MADDOW) AND ANSWERS SOME TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DISABILITY CLAIMS BACKLOG. Yesterday I wrote extensively about the train wreck currently hobbling the Veterans Administration . Men and women returning from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan (along with Vietnam Veterans trying to file Agent Orange -related claims) are waiting a year or more in some cases before the VA makes a decision on their case. Up until last night, most of the little we have heard from the Veterans Administration has come from poorly received public testimony and a single appearance by Erik Shinseki on CNN this past weekend. We now have a new voice to add to the mix, thanks to the dogged persistence of Rachel Maddow. Tommy Sowers , new to the VA , sat down with Rachel Maddow last night for a a tough round of Q&A. I have to say, the guy does seem sincere. He’s a vet himself and the 2010 Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of R...

IN TWEET: ORAL ARGUMENTS IN THE PROP 8 CASE BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT ARE OVER. WE’VE GOT “ONE-STOP” LINKS TO THE BEST EXPERT ANALYSIS PLUS AUDIO OF THE PROCEEDINGS.  Today the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Hollingsworth v. Perry, better known as the Prop. 8 case. It’s semi-pointless to try and second-guess the SCOTUS . Of course, that doesn’t stop the media from trying. Here’s "best of" analysis from those who heard or have since listened to the arguments made by lawyers on both sides of the case : CLICK HERE for analysis from the Huffington Post. CLICK HERE for analysis from Mother Jones. CLICK HERE for analysis from The Los Angeles Times. CLICK HERE for analysis from The Boston Globe. CLICK HERE for analysis from The Maddow Blog. Of the two same-sex marriage cases being heard by the SCOTUS this week (the other, United States v. Windsor , is on the docket tomorrow), today’s was always the more murky of the pair. Court observers have noted the thorny issues of t...

IN TWEET: THE BACKLOG OF DISABILITY CLAIMS AT THE VA IS A DEBACLE THAT REQUIRES PRESIDENTIAL INTERVENTION NOW. OUR TAKE ON THE CRISIS AND WAYS YOU CAN HELP. NOTE: THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO MY DAD, AN ALL AROUND COOL GUY AND A VETERAN. I GREW UP HEARING STORIES OF HIS DEALINGS WITH THE VA. I WISH I COULD SAY LESS-THAN-WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES LIKE HIS WERE A THING OF THE PAST. SADLY, WHERE THE VA IS CONCERNED, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GONE FROM BAD TO MUCH WORSE. Meet Allison Hickey , Undersecretary for Benefits for the Veterans Affairs Department . Her Aqua Net hair and frozen grin aside, this is one do-nothing bureaucrat with little to smile about . She presides over a backlog of disability claims from veterans that is staggering in size . If you were less than inspired by her appearance in front of a House panel last week , you’re not alone. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL), chairman of the House Veteran’s Affair’s Committee, called for Hickey to resign . It’s probably the only time I’d be in...

  IN TWEET: TO MARK THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE START OF THE IRAQ WAR, SOME ARE TRYING TO RE-WRITE HISTORY. WE’RE NOT GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN. BOONDOGGLE (noun): a project that is considered a useless waste of both time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy motivations. Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. While anyone who is awake and has at least one foot planted in reality knows the truth, there are some folks who are clearly hell bent on re-writing history. Just so we’re all starting at the jumping off point, here are the facts:   There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Despite assertions to the contrary, there was no credible evidence that Iraq was actively producing or trying to start production of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons . There was no connection between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 attacks . Despite assertions to the contrary, there was no credible evidence of a link bet...