I HAVE A REALLY BIG DREAM, THE BEST.

The President gave another speech tonight, and I watched it while eating sweet potatoes, pasta, and salad. I've had a number of requests to summarize it, so here you are. Technically, it's more of a transcript than a summary. There may be a couple typos.
____

"It's good to be here, America. This is where it all started. You remember? Nobody said we could do it, and we did. I'm President now. A really good one, probably one of the best. I don't know, I don't know, that's just what people are saying. You know what I love? Love. I LOVE Love. I love you people. I love Americans. I love everyone who is American. We're a family. We're better than a family. We're a team.

Can you believe what the losers on the other team are saying about what I said about Charlottesville? I own a home there. Built it myself. The media didn't want you to know that, but I do. I really do. I wanna set the record straight about Charlottesburg. You know what they keep saying? The fake media? The best they can come up with is that I was LATE. That I was late. I COMPLETELY condemned bigotry and bigamy and the bad people who were doing violence, I condemned in THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS and the BEST THEY COULD COME UP WITH IS THAT I WAS LATE. And I wasn't late. In fact, I was early. I was almost ready to give my speech BEFORE the alt left protesters brought their hate in and started the violence that led to George Washington's statue getting yanked down by the fake media and the anarchists. I condemn, and what do they do? The fake media says 'oh, he didn't condemn it soon enough.' Well, I have a piece of paper in my pocket that proves that I was ready with my condemning speech immediately after the violence. There's a handwritten date if you don't believe me. Really good penmanship too. Printed. Not that socialist cursive junk like your Grandma's birthday cards you can't read. If you don't believe me, get out. Seriously. Leave. Go join the fake media. There's only about eight of them left. Look, they're turning their cameras off! Look! They can't handle the truth.

Notice how there's no protesters here? I prefer to call them anarchists. This crowd is so huge. So huge. And no anarchists. I hope the fire marshal can get everyone in. This place is packed. There's no losers in here. Except for the media. The fake news. See those cameras up there? See them? They're losers. Losers and liars. They don't want you to hear what I'm saying, they really don't. That's why I use Twitter, otherwise, you'd never know the truth. The media is losers. I'm a truthful person, you can know when I say something that it's true, and if it's not, then you can trust me that I have a really, really good private reason that for national security or personal reasons, I can't tell you. You're safe here. You're at a Trump rally. You're safe. And I love you. We started a movement. And people didn't get it. The media didn't get it. Because we started a movement built on love. That's what we're about. Love. We're a team. Doesn't matter who you are...

...unless you're CNN. CNN is such a loser. Do you know how bad their ratings are? They are so bad. So bad. What about the failing New York Times? They are failures. Not like Sheriff Joe. I don't want to cause any controversy, so I'm not going to pardon him tonight and appoint him to a Cabinet post, but you know it's gonna happen. Not tonight though. Gonna happen. Just not tonight. I don't like to cause controversy. And speaking of love, who else hates the Washington Post? I do, and that's okay, because they're not really American. Who else hates Wonder Woman? Let me tell you, that movie sucked. Really, really bad, so bad I didn't even see it, and why would they cast a woman in an action movie? I love unity. Isn't unity great? Let's fight for unity, okay? If we fight for unity, and for the filibuster rule, than we can have unity and keep the Democrats out, and that way we'll have a real team without the obstructionists. I like to call them anarchists. So let's be unified and build a wall, and how about everyone in this room - besides the fake media - pick fifty people you'd like to stick on the other side of that wall? I'll go first: I choose, the Obamas, the Clintons, and Gal Gadot. Let's get them on the other side of the wall and make America greaterer. Shall we? Shall we? As long as we're unified - and let me say, you people here are the most diverse group of people anyone could ever find - let's take our united, diverse voices and go ahead and vote now for the next Presidential election. What do you say? Streamlining. I'm a problem-solver. I solve problems. So let's solve the problem right now of having to have another election when I'm doing a perfectly good job. Fantastic job. I promise you now, I will do everything I can over the course of my next seventeen years as your President to do really good things, which is the opposite of what one of your Arizona politicians has done, and I'm not even going to say his name, because he's a loser and no one knows who he is. But I'm gonna build a wall, a big wall, and I'm going to destroy Obamacare. Destroy it, with love, or enough votes, or my military. It's mine and they'll do what I say because I have experience, I've studied military things and the generals trust me, and the ones that don't are losers and are probably on Amazon's payroll. Anybody notice all the women and un-white people here? Just look behind me. Take your eyes off me for a second and look. I'm serious, look. I'm guessing there's a black fellow and probably some beautiful conservative women with pearl necklaces and some blue collar men with facial hair and a veterinarian. I tried to get some Civil War vets up here but I just learned they're dead. I look good with gray behind me. They love me. They all want to be part of this team. They do. They don't want to tear down statues of George Washington. You know who was a loser? Martha Washington. He coulda done so much better. Just sayin.' Don't get me started on Ellen Roosevelt. And speaking of that, we are getting out of one of the worst deals in history: NAFTA. We are done bargaining with Mexico and Canada. In fact, we might just stop trading with them. Both of them. I might just build a wall between us and Canada too. And us and Paris. Can you believe France? That tower is so lame. No gold! No gold on it at all. None! Plus it's not even tall. Those Paris Accords the fake media lies about, the one with all that environmental boohoo junk...those people just don't get it. You can't spell ENVIRONMENT without MEN, and I am a big man, a really big man if you know what I mean, so if I say the environment's gonna be okay, then trust me Team America, it's gonna be okay. Trust me. Trust me.

I am definitely not a racist, in fact, I am the biggest non-racist you have ever known. I am not a racist like Barack Obama, who did not create one billion jobs, like I personally have done since entering office. For everyone who voted for me, I am giving you all a raise, I am guaranteeing that Congress will give you money. In fact, I might have the IRS give you ALL YOUR MONEY back at tax time, because of love. Because you're Americans, at least if you voted for me then you are, and you deserve to not pay taxes. Let the Democrats pay taxes. My people, my family, my team, shouldn't have to pay taxes, should they? Should they? Let's vote on it. A vote for me is a vote for love. I promise.

Can you believe the fake media? They're turning their cameras off. Off. Can you believe it? You know who's treated me fairly? Fox News. Who thinks Sean Hannity is a great guy? Yeah, yeah. Fox tells the truth. They might not always, and if they ever stop, then I'll tell you, so you'll know. You know who else is overrated? Audrey Hepburn. No style. Those hats? Ridiculous. Never win one of my pageants.

The elite? You always hear about them. Huh? What? I went to better schools, way better schools, and I live in a better apartment, and also a little house called THE WHITE HOUSE, and guess what, they're not the elites! We are! WE are the elites! When one of us hurts, we all hurt. We're in this together. United. As long as we remember the strength we have when we lovingly go after my dreams. This is our moment, our chance to build my dynasty and future and ensure our values will grow and thrive and succeed like nothing anybody besides me could imagine. I will make it happen. I promise.

With your help, and your love, and your hate for those I hate - remember, CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, Gal Gadot, Democrats, John McCain, Steve Bannon, and Mr. Rogers, we will make America really, really strong, and when I retire as President in a decade or two, then history will prove me right, these words I invented a long time ago: ASK not what your country can do for you...

...TELL them what to do, because people only deserve a democratic republic if they can be trusted to vote correctly. So tell your fellow countrymen what they can do for me. For us. Because we're a team. A team of love.

Amen."

ROCK THE VOTE, AND, A PERFORMANCE: Lanessa "Nel cor piu non mi sento (from La Molinara)

I'm really proud of myself for voting! Again! I feel pretty good - I think I got a bunch of them right (or rather, correct), but then again, I felt good about that one calculus test in college that didn't turn out so well. I handed my ballot over, and just like previous years, they don't take credit cards. She did give me a big smile and a sticker, so I think she suspected I did exceptionally well. Cross your fingers; we'll find out soon! If you feel like giving it a try, there's some good deals on it for the next few hours, so it might be worth it. 

Every vote doesn't necessarily count, because some of them get tossed out for poor penpeopleship or misattention to directions or simply poor choices, but you never know: yours could be the one that counts, like those old firing squads where only one rifle was actually loaded. So go vote now! The future is you. Or, it might be.

Happy right to vote, peeps. If you don't make it count, someone else will (passive-aggressive guilting strategy with a hint of paranoia).
____

screen capture video from Lanessa's vocal recital at CalArts. Beautiful, Sister!

ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE: THE YOUTH SHALL HAVE THEIR SAY.

Has anyone heard of the ALS challenge? The youth will not be denied their involvement.
Marc Gupilan, Koen (Brian Vistaunet), and Trevor Wister: do what you will with this...but you were his picks, unaided and unsuggested by us. Thanks mates 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10202479931584596&set=vb.1383908354&type=2&theater

Another one. From the heart.
You might find yourselves referenced in here, Kayden (Anna Kirkwood), Jeremy Long, Vicki Lund Nutter, and Sue Long.
Cheers and go to alsa.org/donate for more info...and to help be part of a worthy cause that could use not just a million videos, but some much needed money for research to fight ALS. 
Have a good one!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10202479949905054&set=vb.1383908354&type=2&theater

Here we go.
So many fun videos - a great way to raise awareness about ALS; please remember that what's really needed in helping make headway on this dreadful disease is dollars. Your dollars, my dollars, our dollars, or whatever currency you deal in.
I talk a lot in the video, so I'll stop writing now. alsa.org/donate is the place to go.
I am inviting the following gentlemen to participate, should they wish to:
- Brian Vistaunet
- Jon Ponder
- Dan Nicola
- Dr. Bill Cosby
Thank you. Have a most wonderful week ahead.
- Joseph
(Thank you for issuing the challenges, Dennis Nutter and Leanna Long Serrano)

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10202480302193861&set=vb.1383908354&type=2&theater

SUPER BOWL XLVIII: Seahawks vs. Broncos.

MY FIRST FIVE SUPER BOWL REMEMBRANCES.
1. First one. 1985. 49ers vs. Dolphins. Or, Montana vs. Marino. Joe got my allegiance then and I never looked back, though I did later meet Miami coach Don Shula, who was a fine and articulate gentleman.

Final: S.F. 38-16

2. At a 1990 pizza parlor in Bend, Oregon, watching San Francisco thump Denver 55-10. Went to the bathroom, came back two minutes later, and Jerry Rice had scored yet again. Pyrotechnics. Poor mile high.

2b. 2004. Janet Jackson's malfunction. There was a game, but I remember almost nothing about it, except that it was a very good one.

3. The 1991 heartache of Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood's wide right 47-yard field goal attempt with eight seconds left to dash the Bills hopes against Jeff Hostetler's Giants as they lost the closest Super Bowl ever. 20-19. The first of Buffalo's four consecutive S.B. losses. Whitney Houson National Anthem; New Kids on the Block halftime show. 

4. The 2000 heartache of Tennessee Titan wide receiver Kevin Dyson lunging for the goal line and coming up a yard short with no time left in a play that would have tied the game. Final: Rams 23-16. Greatest S.B. ending ever.

5. The calm and resolute three-minute march of the 49ers as the clock ran down and Montana hit John Taylor with 34 seconds left to top the Bengals 20-16. Jerry Rice: 215 yards receiving.

5b. 2003's Buccaneers vs. Raiders, in which I attend a massively fun party with a bunch of fellow film geeks and aficionados for a Super Bowl Commercial party; during which we discuss Sergio Leone westerns during the game, and wait for the commercials to actually tune in. I do remember that Oakland's Rich Gannon threw five interceptions, which is not generally helpful to your team when you're the quarterback.

Happy Bowling, all!

ELEVEN MINUTES BEFORE GAMETIME.
Anybody up for some afternoon Scrabble in the park? Meet up in about ten minutes or so?


#sportsismylife

THIS IS LOVE.
"I can never truly accept you or love you for who you are until you have a commercial in the Super Bowl."


- my wife

MY DAD: FOOTBALL ANALYST.
"What he needs to do is go around. He should have run AROUND them. Look! He would have had a first down if he had gone AROUND."


I agree.

FAIL.
Funny Volkswagen ad with the wings...but where are the female engineers? Seriously?!


Biggest sports event of the year, running a national spot, bunch of dudes only in lab coats. Don't get it. Little deal? Uhh, what am I not getting?

Alternate Super Bowl halftime show.

THREE MINUTES LEFT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER; POINT SPREAD ABOUT A BILLION: THE CRYING GAME (SPOILER).
I am watching on a 30-second time delay, so please delay any posts about who won until an hour after it ends, just to be safe. I like to be surprised.

Final of the Nailbiting Match.
Seattle Seahawks 43, Denver (not very bucking) Broncos 8

POLITICS: Thoughts on Edward Snowden

It's Friday night, which is great. The children are sleeping, and I am going to stick on some Philip Glass, dig up a bowl of leftover potato salad, and return here at 9.45 to chat about something light to close out the week. Specifically, Edward Snowden. Seriously. So I will be back here in 20 minutes. I will probably provide a very short rant, and if you judge silently without engaging, then that's fine, although I will be sad, and quietly leave. Thank you.
____

Two things. First of all, as of tonight, Edward Snowden has officially been offered asylum by Venezuela. Second of all, I am going to chat briefly about Ed for a few moments tonight, so you might want to adjust your News Feed settings accordingly if that is disagreeable to you. And if you have have something to say, say it. I will probably not argue a whole lot, because I am tired. This is really one of the most mindblowing stories of the last decade and worth chatting about. Especially in public. If nobody else has anything to say, then I will quietly go away and you can continue watching television. And being watched by the eyes in the sky. I will copy-and-paste everything to my desktop later to make sure there's an archive, just in case the NSA has taken the evening off.

____

Regarding Ed, 01. When there is a significant difference between two sides, both claiming to be right, then there are a few baseline questions that every critical-thinking person should start off asking: 1. What is the agenda of each party involved? Who has what to gain? 2. Who DIRECTLY answers the questions asked of them? (and the inverse: who sidesteps any direct question, reframing the question in favorable terms that they can answer)?

____

Regarding Ed, 02. I know that many people have their hot-button issues they feel strongly about and have difficulty recognizing how that particular issue is not a bigger deal to everyone else. So maybe it's my turn...but I don't understand how this not a big deal to everyone who's ever made a phone call, sent an email, or engaged in any kind of digital communication. Perhaps there's a certain amount of resignation about it; a certain expectation that this is merely confirmation of something we all suspected and therefore shouldn't be surprised. But how can we not be surprised - and outraged - at the institutional flaunting of basic protections given to citizens (that's us) by the highest laws in the land?

____

Regarding Ed, 03. "I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions, and that the return of this information to the public marks my end." - Ed ____ Who directs the Edward Snowden film? And who plays Edward?

____

Regarding Ed, 04. Good versus Evil is such a primitive and powerful concept. That's why television is a great distraction because there's a ready-made variety of heroes and villains in situations with easily-understandable ethics. The good guy does this; the bad guy does that, the conflict is clearcut and we know where the moral chasm is. And then there's situations like this. I understand the need for an intelligence community. I understand that not everything can be transparent. I understand that the freedom we have is frequently contingent on protections happening behind-the-scenes. I am supportive of law enforcement, the intelligence and counter- intelligence communities. But I am not willing to trade my rights as a citizen in exchange. There is a protocol that has been determined by the highest courts in the land and that has been agreed to and vetted by those responsible for our nation's security. And those are the parameters we have agreed to as a country. Not this.

____

Regarding Ed, 05: How to Frame the Story. First, the shift will be to focus on the person. Not the actual broken laws that were unearthed, the person who broke the law in unearthing them. Second, the shift will be to marginalize him as a person. Facts filled with evidence proving minuscule points of difference that "prove" that because some assertions were inaccurate, it can be extrapolated that he is therefore lying about many things. Third, the shift will be to gently find those character flaws that will make him a less digestible public folk hero. Digging up past acquaintances and people close to him to provide anecdotal evidence about his unreliability. Probably something in there about mental and/or emotional instability. Fourth, these will all help to slowly create the portrait of a traitor - possibly even in quasi-sympathetic terms, depending on what personalty flaws can be found to dig into. But it will not happen overnight. It will be a slow process. That is why this has to stay a story. This is not a story that should disappear next week, or next month. Because he is not the story, fascinating though he is. He is not the story. His story is gonna make a REALLY good film someday, but right now... ...the story is not about what he DID. The story should be about WHAT he exposed.

____

Regarding Ed, 06. Also, I have been very curious what Ed has been doing to relax. He's gotta have something for distraction. John le Carre novels? Sound of Music on iPad? Sesame Street reruns?

Instagram, etc.

Like many things rooted in hate, Instagram-haters fail to recognize that it is not merely a cute little photo sharing platform with one-click options for retro-chic pizazz. If you have any interest in the news, contemporary happenings, or global events across the world taking place in realtime, then Instagram should be on your radar. Sure, there's plenty of banal subject matter...but there's also a fascinating shotgun blast of images exploding from hotspots around the world - and often, fascinating conversations centered around those images that provide an intriguing pulse. Obviously, if you want insightful, curated analysis and coverage, you go to vetted outlets (read: NPR and affiliates  But for crowdsourced visual imagery from the trenches...so fantastic. When I'm chatting with my kids about what's happening in Egypt today, we can read op-eds and look at crisp hi-res images (which have their place)...but we're also looking at the multiple, fractured perspectives of the people affected and in the thick of it on Instagram: uncensored, multiple POVs. You wanna know what hashtags are? Time to learn. Seriously. 

Go check things out on IG under ‪#‎egypt‬ , ‪#‎tahrirsquare‬ , ‪#‎june30‬ or ‪#‎cairo‬ .

Thanks all, and happy Wodensday!

@josephivanlong