2017 Current Events Study Guide

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Blue Lion
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

Post by Blue Lion »

Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul", announced that she plans to retire after this year. Franklin is working on a studio album, with several songs produced by fellow Detroiter Stevie Wonder. She will go on one final, limited tour later in the year.

A Dog's Purpose (2011), by W. Bruce Cameron, returned to the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list this year, and held down the #1 spot for two weeks (and counting), after the film adapted from it was released. Cameron also wrote 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (2001).
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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Blue Lion wrote:Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul", announced that she plans to retire after this year. Franklin is working on a studio album, with several songs produced by fellow Detroiter Stevie Wonder. She will go on one final, limited tour later in the year.
By all accounts, her voice has been absolutely shot for at least a decade.
Blue Lion wrote: A Dog's Purpose (2011), by W. Bruce Cameron, returned to the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list this year, and held down the #1 spot for two weeks (and counting), after the film adapted from it was released. Cameron also wrote 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (2001).
The later was also the source for a John Ritter TV show he was starring in at the time of his death.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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IronNeck wrote:
Blue Lion wrote:Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul", announced that she plans to retire after this year. Franklin is working on a studio album, with several songs produced by fellow Detroiter Stevie Wonder. She will go on one final, limited tour later in the year.
By all accounts, her voice has been absolutely shot for at least a decade.
We read different accounts...
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/ ... rican-soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHsnZT7Z2yQ
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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What journalist in his/her right mind would dare to criticize Aretha Franklin, one of the most beloved, legendary, greatest vocalists to ever live? She's practically a living demigoddess; did you see the reaction of the crowd to her being on stage, before a single note was sung? There isn't going to be much objectivity there from any journalist who values his reputation or even job.

We can debate on how good her singing was ("shot" by her standards is still superior to what many mid-level talents are capable of), or how involved the back-up singers were (compare to the two videos below), but is there any argument that it's vastly inferior to what she was capable of even 20 years ago?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktavNLJyS9k

Or in her youth?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEzamlW-wJc

I would argue it's slightly insulting to claim that Aretha Franklin at 73 years old (in your video) is anywhere close to as good as she was in her heyday. Does anyone, for instance, claim that Michael Jordan at 40 was the same player he was at 25-30?

Anyways, end tangent.

I just hate seeing any great musical act hold on for too long. The worst is 60's and 70's bands populated by old geezers with grandkids singing about sex, drugs, and rock n' roll, but it applies to legendary vocalists, too.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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IronNeck wrote:
What journalist in his/her right mind would dare to criticize Aretha Franklin, one of the most beloved, legendary, greatest vocalists to ever live? She's practically a living demigoddess; did you see the reaction of the crowd to her being on stage, before a single note was sung? There isn't going to be much objectivity there from any journalist who values his reputation or even job.

We can debate on how good her singing was ("shot" by her standards is still superior to what many mid-level talents are capable of), or how involved the back-up singers were (compare to the two videos below), but is there any argument that it's vastly inferior to what she was capable of even 20 years ago?


I would argue it's slightly insulting to claim that Aretha Franklin at 73 years old (in your video) is anywhere close to as good as she was in her heyday. Does anyone, for instance, claim that Michael Jordan at 40 was the same player he was at 25-30?
I don't know of anyone making these arguments; not David Remnick, who runs the magazine and writes whatever he wants, including the concert in Windsor was a shadow of her stage work a generation ago. It's gratuitously insulting to claim she didn't know when to get off the stage. Good to know you've revised the meaning of "absolutely shot," however...
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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davey wrote: It's gratuitously insulting to claim she didn't know when to get off the stage.
You mean the same struggle that every legendary singer, musician, and performer has gone through? The crowds that show up still adore you, the money is good, and you still have a tremendous pride that allowed you to scale the heights of greatness to begin with. Even if you're a 70+ year-old, arthiritic grandpa badly strumming a guitar to songs about sex and drugs.

Who are these ubermensch that wouldn't be swayed by this?

And if you agree that Aretha Franklin's voice is nowhere near what it once was, why are you arguing so earnestly with a single line of my post?
davey wrote:Good to know you've revised the meaning of "absolutely shot," however...
Except I didn't. You apparently just don't know what it means.

When fans referred to Kobe Bryant as "absolutely shot" during his last injury-plagued season, he was still far better than the average NBA player. When Muhammed Ali was "absolutely shot", getting knocked out by Larry Holmes and clearly outpointed by Trevor Berbick, he was still one of the top 20 heavyweight boxers.

For one pretending to be such an expert, you should learn the usage of a common term.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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In response to notice of her retirement, you expressed your opinion backed "by all accounts." I pointed to a different account. You chose to argue. I don't even know what you think I'm pretending to be an expert on.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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And if we could keep the banter to a minimum here, that'd be great. J! isn't going to ask about our opinions.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

Post by MattKnowles »

Getting back on topic here...

Al Jarreau, seven-time Grammy-winning jazz singer dies at 76. His last big hit was the theme to television's "Moonlighting."

Melissa McCarthy gathers acclaim for her SNL impersonation of Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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The film Hidden Figures was #1 at the box office the first two weeks of 2017, and the book Hidden Figures (author: Margot Lee Shetterly) has been #1 on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the past three weeks.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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Blue Lion wrote:The film Hidden Figures was #1 at the box office the first two weeks of 2017, and the book Hidden Figures (author: Margot Lee Shetterly) has been #1 on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the past three weeks.
...in the combined Print and Ebook Nonfiction List. J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy currently tops the Hardcover Nonfiction list.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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MinnesotaMyron wrote:
Blue Lion wrote:The film Hidden Figures was #1 at the box office the first two weeks of 2017, and the book Hidden Figures (author: Margot Lee Shetterly) has been #1 on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the past three weeks.
...in the combined Print and Ebook Nonfiction List. J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy currently tops the Hardcover Nonfiction list.
This brings up an interesting question. In an era where even the giant brick and mortar stores are going out of business, Amazon and Amazon Prime are king, and the NYT list is far from accurate, are there still as many Jeopardy questions as ever referencing NYT bestseller rankings?
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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Blue Lion wrote:The film Hidden Figures was #1 at the box office the first two weeks of 2017, and the book Hidden Figures (author: Margot Lee Shetterly) has been #1 on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the past three weeks.
Just read an article about that in the local newspaper last week. The script for the movie and the book were being worked on simultaneously by different people who shared a lot of their information.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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Grammy notes:
Album of the Year - 25 (Adele)
Record and Song of the Year (but they are different awards, WE SWEAR!) - "Hello" (Adele)
Yes, Adele broke her Best Album award (really a stage prop. Those aren't the -real- awards on stage apparently), and yes, she said Lemonade was more deserving but no, she did not give part of the award to Beyonce.

Best New Artist - Chance the Rapper, who also won Best Rap Performance ("No Problem") and Best Rap Album (Coloring Book)

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Twenty One Pilots, received their awards for "Stressed Out" in jackets and underwear.

David Bowie snagged four posthumous awards:
Best Rock Performance - "Blackstar"
Best Rock Song - "Blackstar"
Best Alternative Music Album - Blackstar
Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) - Blackstar (...well, if I said four)

Best Urban Contemporary Album - Lemonade (Beyonce)
Best Music Video - Formation (Beyonce)

Other possible clues
Best Country Duo/Group Performance - "Jolene" by Pentatonix featuring Dolly Parton
Best Reggae Album - Ziggy Marley by Ziggy Marley, son of Bob Marley
Best Spoken Word Album - In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett
Best Comedy Album - Talking for Clapping by Patton Oswalt

Complete list here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Grammy_Awards
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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Michael Flynn resigns as Trump's National Security Advisor after 24 days.

Details here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/us/p ... flynn.html

Partisan comments: elsewhere. Thank you for your cooperation.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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Rumor the five year old German shepherd wins Best in Show at the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... -good-dogs
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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In a modern day version of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, jboard.tv is down nearly all day on 2/14/2017
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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BobF wrote:In a modern day version of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, jboard.tv is down nearly all day on 2/14/2017
Can we add a thumbs up or like button on Jboard? This would gets 5 thumbs up for me; I would have to borrow a few.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

Post by Volante »

Should add this one, given the sometimes California centric nature of clues

The Oroville Dam (tallest in the US)'s normal spillway started falling apart after heavy rains, resulting in an evacuation order for 200,000 people downstream.
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Re: 2017 Current Events Study Guide

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Volante wrote:Should add this one, given the sometimes California centric nature of clues

The Oroville Dam (tallest in the US)'s normal spillway started falling apart after heavy rains, resulting in an evacuation order for 200,000 people downstream.
And to add it's apparently in Northern California, I initially saw "California" and thought it was in SoCal where most of the people live.
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