Truest statement of the week

Aside from the Vietnamese, Panamanians, Iraqis and Haitians who directedly suffered at his hands, Black people were most negatively affected by him. By the time Powell came to prominence the notion of liberation came to mean little more than having access to those places where only white people had been allowed. If one of those places entailed being a decision maker when bombs rained down and coup plots were hatched, so be it. Black politics had diminished to such a point that Black people turned against their own ethos and were no longer averse to aggression and criminality if someone who looked like them was a party to the wrongdoing.

The people who excused Powell’s actions ended up excusing Barack Obama when he destroyed Libya, a country they previously viewed in a positive light and defended when no one else would. The destroyer in chief was not to be questioned because his very presence in office seemed to validate them and as such he gave them a dangerously false feeling of comfort. That inclination has not dissipated ever since Powell worked for presidents or Obama was one himself.

-- Margaret Kimberley, "The Many Crimes of Colin Powell" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).  

 

 

Truest statement of the week II

The late Libyan leader supported independence and national liberation movements right across the world, including groups such as the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Irish Republican Army, the Black Panther Party, and many more. In the 1970s, he tried to merge Libya with Egypt and Syria to form a unified Arab state. In 2009, he proposed that African nations adopt a single currency: the gold dinar. The Libyan Central Bank, which was 100% state-owned, had reserves of 144 tons of gold that he intended to use for this purpose. Gaddafi proposed that African countries buy and sell their resources exclusively in this new pan-African currency. This would enable them to transition away from the US dollar and the Central Africa (CFA) franc – a colonial currency used in 14 countries and controlled entirely by France.

This was Gaddafi’s biggest sin. In wanting African nations to adopt a single currency, to control their own resources and have true independence, he posed a threat to Western monetary hegemony, so he had to go.

Western governments were well aware of this plan. A look at the emails  of then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, show discussions around Gaddafi’s gold reserves and his plans for a single currency. It became clear to the West that African countries switching away from the US dollar or CFA franc, and controlling their own currency and monetary policy, would undermine American and French influence over Africa. It would weaken the Western monopoly over African resources and the international banking system, rendering neo-colonial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund less effective in manipulating developing nations. 

Not that we needed further confirmation; but written clearly in those emails was evidence that this plan to provide an alternative to the CFA franc “was one of the factors that influenced President Nicolas Sarkozy’s decision to commit France to the attack on Libya.”

Sarkozy decided to bomb Libya because he knew full well that West African and Central African countries abandoning the CFA franc would minimise France’s sphere of influence over its ‘former’ African colonies and fulfil its “desire to gain a greater share of Libya oil production” – that is, plunder Libya’s wealth.

Gaddafi foresaw this in 2011, when he said, “There is a conspiracy to control Libyan oil and to control Libyan land, to colonize Libya once again.”

 

 

-- Richard Medhurst, "The Killing of Gaddafi 10 Years ago has Resulted in the Death of the Nation of Libya and the Destruction of its People" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).

 

 

 

A note to our readers

Hey --

It's Monday night.


Let's thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen, Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.

And what did we come up with? 

 

• Truest statement of the week

Another truest for Margaret Kimberley.

• Truest statement of the week II

And a truest for Richard Medhurst.

• Editorial: Hmmm

Why can't we know the convicted's name?

• TV: How difficult is it in 2021 to do a special ab...

Ava and C.I. did a lot this edition.  As Kat's noted, "It should be called the Ava and C.I. edition."

• Remembering Mort Sahl (Ava and C.I.)

Along with their piece on NETFLIX's sex special, Ava and C.I. also covered this passing.

• KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)

And they sat down with Kat to talk KINDLE and a book . . .

• KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)

And they sat down with Betty to talk KINDLE and a book . . .

• KINDLE UNLIMITED (Ann, Ava and C.I.)

And they sat down with Ann to talk KINDLE and a book . . .

• KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jim, Ava and C.I.)

And they sat down with me to talk KINDLE and magazines.

• Magazines (Jim)

KINDLE UNLIMITED does let you borrow magazines, as I explain in this piece.

• Mort Sahl serves up some truth about Gloria Steinem

 

Ava and C.I. did a great job on their Mort Sahl piece but they weren't happy with it.  They cut so much out.  I asked if there was anything we could run as a stand alone and they said his take on Gloria Steinem.

• Video to stream

Diana Ross' THANK YOU is released this Friday.

• Books

The list of coverage in the community.

• This edition's playlist

What we listened to while writing.

• Highlights

 

 Mike and the gang wrote this and we thank them for it.

Peace.

 

-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial: Hmmm

Omar Tweets:

one of the men who pulled the trigger killing the journalists below were brought to justice. He confessed to having received his orders from #Khamenei of Iran through fatwa. Khamenei openly tweeted for his followers to crack down on protesters using force. #EndImpunity #iraq

 

 

 And he reTweets:

يعتبر انتصار للحريات في #العراق، وهي بداية للكشف عن أسماء الأحزاب والميليشيات التي أعطت الأوامر للقاتل المجرم علينا أن نستمر بمطالباتنا بالقصاص من القتلة والفاسدين، لحين تحقيق العدالة #إنهاء_الإفلات_من_العقاب #Endimpunty

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3:45 PM · Nov 1, 2021

As THE COMMON ILLS asked Monday morning, is there a reason we're not allowed to know the name of the convicted killer?  He was found guilty in court.  Is there a reason to hide his name from the public?  Who are they protecting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TV: How difficult is it in 2021 to do a special about sex?

How hard is it to do a special talking about sex in 2021? NETFLIX makes it seem a lot harder than it should be.



SEX UNZIPPED is a new NETFLIX special, not to be confused with FX's IMPEACHMENT which is about a historical unzipped sex act. This one is hosted by rapper Saweetie who really makes the show with her personality. In fact, she and the puppets she interacts with deserve a better show. For example?

For one thing, it could acknowledge non-binary persons. For another?

How about a special that's body positive?

Now we're sure the women, the talking heads that pop up, who share on the special feel that they are body positive and they are -- if it's their body. But . . .

THE CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY defines body positivity as:

the fact of feeling good about your body and the way it looks:
Body positivity is rooted in loving your body and gaining self-confidence.

So why are you shaming someone else's body?

That's what the women -- with the exception of Dr. Ruth -- do, the ones who show up to share.

That nasty penis, for example, we're told, should be pulled out and washed at the sink every time a guy washes his hand. And ears. Oh, if the ears aren't taken care of, then you know the guy's not taking care of other things. And . . .

What a bunch of bitches.

If that seems harsh, get real or watch the special. The vagina, we're told, does not even need soap and water. This is what the same women who rag on men's bodies insist in the special. One of them goes so far as to insist that the vagina is a self-cleaning oven and needs nothing introduced to it.

She seems high on her own fumes, doesn't she?

THE HEALTHY tells us that the groin is one of ten parts that men and women are not cleaning enough:

 

Take care of those private parts -- they tend to get warm and have folds and creases, so they can harbor harmful bacteria that can lead to ingrown hairs, funky odors, and infections. Always use a gentle soap because the skin around your genitals can be quite sensitive, Dr. Glatter advises, and use a washcloth for a more thorough and effective cleansing. Cleansing the area once a day should be enough, but if you exercise, it’s a good idea to shower immediately afterward to prevent sweat from drying, which can lead to irritation, he says.

In fact, the most often provided advice on washing from medical doctors is:

You really only need to wash three parts of your body with soap daily: your armpits, groin, and feet. The rest of you? A simple rinse with water is all you need.

The vagina, sorry, does fall under the groin, the vulva does fall under that area.

And more apologies but REPHRESH spoke to two experts who begged to differ with the claim of a self-cleaning oven. We'll note one:

 

Dr. Lauren Streicher, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University's medical school and author of the newly published book "Love Sex Again: A Gynecologist Finally Fixes The Issues That Are Sabotaging Your Sex Life"
"There is a misconception that the vagina is always self-cleaning, and that women who have vaginal issues must be doing something wrong. Not true. The normal vaginal pH balance of 4.3 can be easily disrupted by everyday occurrences like menstruation, intercourse and normal hormone fluctuations," says Dr. Streicher. "In other words, the 'self-cleaning' mechanism for some women is not adequate to withstand pH elevations, so feminine odor and other issues can result - even when women are doing everything right."
"We need to stop stigmatizing this problem," Dr. Streicher explains. "While most women's bodies can tolerate episodes of pH elevation, in some women even a slight imbalance can tip the scales, causing a funny odor or other vaginal issues. It's normal - it happens - you take care of it. It's nobody's fault."
Dr. Streicher explained there are some things women should avoid and things that they can do to maintain their vaginal health. Dr. Streicher warns, "Maintaining healthy pH and a good balance of beneficial lactobacillus is the key. This is the body's natural 'self-cleaning' mechanism."

We do get the issue involved. We read Nora Ephron's classic essay on vaginal sprays ("Dealing with the, uh, problem"). We agree that women have been made to feel unclean.

Our point is, why would we do the same to men?

Make no mistake, women are doing that to men.

From a roundtable this site did back in February:

Isaiah: And let's include Whitney Cummings on that.

Ann: Good, I'm glad you're bringing this up.

Isaiah: Body shaming is wrong. Whitney has taken it upon herself to weigh in on the odor of men's testicles -- not out of concern, mind you, but to make a buck. I know because my 11-year-old nephew had a freak out over it. Does he smell? He was freaking out and we were all like, "Where did you get this notion?"

Ann: And it was Whitney Cummings -- truly more trouble than she's worth. Could you imagine the outrage if a male comic was going on about how women stink down there and then pushing a spray for them to buy and telling them that they didn't know how bad they smelled because their noses didn't reach down there?

Trina: Okay, I'm offended. For a woman to do that who presents as pro-woman is appalling. We know how women were shamed by Big Business to sell products like sprays for 'down there.' Nora Ephron wrote a famous essay about that b.s. So for Whitney Cummings to be embracing that? I just don't get that. It actually angers me. And I'm not anti-Whitney Cummings. I know she made some awful remarks about Roseanne but I also know she's tried to enlarge her view and is also trying to reach out to everyone. So I appreciate that effort but this is just stupidity and we should all be rejecting it as consumers, as citizens, as spokespersons.

Elaine: I am appalled by how so many people will whore themselves out in the name of Big Business. I will always applaud Lily Tomlin for refusing big money if it would mean whoring her character Ernestine out. We need more Lilys.

Whitney Cummings attacks the male body a great deal. She has a whole routine about how ugly the testicles supposedly are and how they should wear make up. We thought that was her stand up persona and weren't overly concerned about it. And we even noted her podcast over at THE COMMON ILLS. But we stopped that when we found out that she was body shaming.

As women who grew up being fed the message of unclean, what kind of humans would we be if we took part in doing that to men?

Now some of the talking heads in the special might have thought they were being cute and funny? We didn't find it to be that way. And if we need to be body positive for one, we need to be that way for all. Meaning that if you are shaming men, men have every right to shame you. Sorry, we believe in equality, not supremacy. Replacing a patriarchy with a matriarchy was never our ideal of perfection. (And, yes, we've read Merlin Stone's WHEN GOD WAS A WOMAN -- read it and recommend it -- and are aware of earlier times.)

It shouldn't be hard to do a special on sex but NETFLIX -- despite having Sweetie and some wonderful puppets as well as Dr. Ruth -- manages to mangle it and does so by including people more concerned with shaming one group than with advancing all.

 

 

 

Remembering Mort Sahl (Ava and C.I.)

 

 

Mort Sahl died last week, October 26th. If you expected a big outpouring, there wasn't one. In fact, you were wrong to expect a lot of coverage from the media on Mort's passing.

 
 

First, let's note who Mort was. He was born in Montreal, served in the US Air Force, attempted a career as an actor but ended up a stand-up comedian. His peer group included Woody Allen ("He made the country listen to jokes that required them to think."),  Joan Rivers and Jonathan Winters and he did a great deal of commentary on current events and politics. His persona was one of I'm-just-having-a-conversation-with-you. He was a trail blazer and many -- including THE DAILY SHOW and Samantha Bee -- owe a huge debt to him.

John F. Kennedy was a fan and requested material The friendship with President Kennedy is among the reasons Mort didn't receive the kind of coverage he deserved.

He bit the hand that fed him in some minds. In others, he gave JFK the treatment he gave everyone else. In 1976's HEARTLAND, Mort shared that JFK came to see him at the Crescendo Nightclub on Sunset Blvd and Mort told a joke ("I have a bulletin. Marilyn Monroe is going to marry Adlai Stevenson. Now, Kennedy can be jealous of him twice.") which led JFK to slam his fist down and curse.

CRAPAPEDIA -- who else, right? -- lies and tells you that Mort alienated his audience and did so by challenging the official findings in the assassination of JFK.

Lie from a liar.

Mort questioned the official findings all right -- he didn't believe them. Excuse us, like most Americans, he didn't believe them. Like most Americans then and most Americans now, he didn't believe them.

Masses didn't flee his act over that. The media boycotted him to a large degree and ridiculed him when not ignoring him. This is what harmed his career.

The media was part of the blacklisting of Mort.

NPR notes:

 

He wrote jokes for John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign speeches. After JFK was assassinated, Sahl was convinced the CIA was behind it. He got involved with New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison's investigation, trying to prove the conspiracy. After that, Mort Sahl's career began to stall. He recovered somewhat in later years, but he always stood fast to his belief that a satirist should give people the truth.

Mort was able to get bookings even when he was blacklisted. And, for the record, he believed -- and we have no reason not to believe him -- that the CIA was part of the effort to destroy his career.

The media will probably play fresh-faced golly-gee in 2050 as they at last tell the American people that the government killed JFK but there's more reasons for them to ignore Mort.

Mort was a media critic in the 60s and 70s. It's funny how many useless types think they've invented the wheel and never pay tribute to those who came before. Nora Ephron and Mort Sahl were two critics who came along in the second half of the 20th century. Of course, there were many before them. Probably, if we knew the real history of media criticism, it would be harder for us to pretend that we're so exceptional and novel and, most importantly, pretend that the corporate media ever had a golden age. It never did.

Media critic Mort Sahl performed media criticism in his act, on the radio and on TV when he could get booked on TV. Dick Cavett was a brave soul during this period and frequently featured Mort on his late bight talk show. For example, March 13, 1970 Dick opened his show with Jane Fonda and Native American activist Lanada Means, then he brought on the Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey (who took offense to Jane's question of why a brotherhood of man didn't include everyone), then Mort came out and spoke with Dick and Jane, then Peter came out and Mort moved over so Peter could sit next to Jane, then Henry Fonda and Amy Fonda came out to join everyone.

During Mort's time, he talked about the media and the CIA and how the CIA was overthrowing countries and how Tricky Dick Nixon was insisting that the US had no ground forces in Laos but he reads the name of a man who was shot down in a US plane and whose widow told the press her husband was providing protection to US forces in Laos. In addition, he notes what so many can't, which is that the press serves the powerful and always has. He gives an example of a NEW YORK TIMES headline about the sinking of the Titanic "John Jacob Astor and 500 others lost at sea." When Jane brought up that she had just spoken with some students who didn't know what the blacklist under Senator Joe McCarthy was, Mort was able to repeat his well known joke about the blacklist during the McCarthy era, Every time the Russians threw an American in jail, the House Un-American Activities Committee would retaliate by throwing an American in jail too." Jane, for the record, noted that under McCarthy you lost your job but, by 1970, if they didn't like you, they killed you.

He also addressed the overthrow of a government on that show. As he recalled on KPFA to Alan Farley:

I was on THE DICK CAVETT SHOW a few weeks ago. I said on Friday, I picked up THE NEW YORK TIMES. I said this is available to everybody. [Norodom] Sihanouk is going to be deposed in 72 hours. As a matter of fact, it was about 84. and a puppet will arrive, a general, and he will invite us in. We will have access to Cambodia. It'll be presented as a fait accompli to the President. It's his job to explain it to the people. And it's a CIA operation. Anybody who is now blind to the CIA and the generals, I am quite amazed by that.

He never shied from telling the truth; example, Walter Cronkite? "He isn't a reporter at all," he noted. "He was set there (to interview LBJ) because we know, and CBS knows, that he will not expose those people. He's in bed with those people. It's quite ironic."

In 1998, he released the audio recording MORT SAHL'S AMERICA (available on CD at AMAZON) in which he continued telling his truth -- it did not make everyone happy (Robert Redford, we're looking at you).

He was, like Jimmy Dore today, someone who made the hard calls.

And there were those who worked to punish him for it.

Johnny Trash Carson (MeToo should really focus on him and we're not referring to when he picked up Sally Field) had Mort on four times. The last time mere days before Johnny Trash lied on air and attacked guest Jim Garrison. (Trash brought Garrison on to discredit Garrison. That's what NBC wanted Johnny today and he was a toady who did his masters bidding.) But Johnny was done with him (this despite the fact that Mort appeared on 15 episodes of THE TONIGHT SHOW before Johnny Carson took over as host) and Johnny told him that, "You will never be on my show again.".

In fact, let's clear up a lie that a lot of the press insisted upon telling. He did not guest host THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JOHNNY CARSON. He was a guest host before Johnny Carson started hosting THE TONIGHT SHOW (October, 1962). Sloppy writing or just a bunch of liars? We have no idea but we saw one error after another in what passes for remembering Mort.

He could -- and did -- appear on other talk shows. After Johnny had forbidden Mort from ever appearing on the show again, Mort would appear nine times on Dick Cavett's talk show (that's not counting Dick's summer show), he'd appear on Helen Reddy's show, Dinah Shore, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Tom Snyder, David Letterman (on both his NBC and his CBS shows), etc.

 They couldn't control him, so they tried to silence him.  That's the key sentence that should have been in every obit last week.

 

 

 

KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)

 

 

In 2018, community sites took turns covering a book every week.  You can see "In 2018, we read books" to review that coverage.  We didn't want to repeat ourselves in 2019 or 2020.  So when Marcia came up with a way to cover books but with a twist, we were all for it.  Marcia's idea was for us to digital books -- we're largely a printed text crowd -- and to use AMAZON's KINDLE UNLIMITED.  So for 2021, we'll be trying to do a book a week and trying to just use KINDLE UNLIMITED. This week, we're speaking with Kat about her "THE PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE BIBLE as written by Laurence Myers."

This your fifth book review for 2021. Your previous book pieces this year were "I'm With The Bland,"  "ERROL FLYNN: THE QUEST FOR AN OSCAR,"  "HEARTBREAKER: TWO MONTHS WITH JUDY" and "How Mabel Normand's many scandals (at least five) destroyed her career."  Did you plan to do so many?

Kat: No.  I didn't even plan to do one this weekend.  I was just browsing AMAZON -- for vinyl actually -- hit the home page button and then a list of suggestions came up and this was one of the suggestions in books,  HUNKY DORY (WHO KNEW?): THE BEST I CAN REMEMBER FROM TWENTY YEARS AT THE HEART OF THE '60S AND '70S ROCK AND POP by Laurence Myers.  It promised to be about music so I thought I'd enjoy it.  But I didn't.

Give us some background on the author Laurence Myers.

Kat: Born in England in 1936, he became an accountant and had a number of celebrity clients -- including the Rolling Stones.  He ends up a music executive of a minor label who has best selling albums in England, where he's based, but it's not their albums.

Meaning?

Kat: His company's best selling albums, for example, include Donna Summers' 70s catalog.  She didn't record for them.  She recorded for CASABLANCA in the US.  In the UK, Laurence just had the rights to release those albums.  An executive, not much of a music person.  He admits that he made his money off of others -- raiding others works, assembling them into K-TEL type records -- where you get a bunch of tracks that are hits by various artists and you make one lp out of them.  He's not an artist and that comes through over and over.  He has no respect for the artistic process and no respect for any artists.

You note that he insults pretty much everyone.

Kat: Yeah, in a passive-aggressive manner.  He's very bitchy.  I felt bad that David Bowie even had to interact with this man.  His tales, such as they are, are unimportant and would make poor dinner gossip.  Somehow he thinks they were worthy of a book.  He was wrong.

It's clear that you didn't like the book but you also did not like the author if we understand correctly?

Kat: You are correct.  Remember, I told you about his KTEL type records?  Well as the industry woke up to how much money was being made from those, it became harder for him to license tracks.  So he turns to classical music.  He issues a costly, multi-CD volume boxed set.  And he admits in the book that the recordings used were abysmal but, hey, he insists, people bought it more as a coffee table book -- more to display to friends than to actually listen.  That's his justification for charging an arm and a leg for what he knew was bad music.  He fleeced the listeners and he thinks he should get credit for that.  Again, he's not an artist.  He's just a con man.

 

So what are you thinking about KINDLE UNLIMITED?

 

Kat: Pretty much what I thought all along.  Really not worth it.  That said, I might do one more book review before the end of the years.

-------------------

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Isaiah, Ava and C.I.)" 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

" KINDLE UNLIMITED (Trina, Ava and C.I.)"

 

 "KINDLE UNLIMITED (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Ruth, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jess, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jim, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)" 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Stan, Ava and C.I.)" 

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Isaiah, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Elaine, Dona, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Mike, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Trina, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Stan, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Rebecca, Ava and C.I.)"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)

 

In 2018, community sites took turns covering a book every week.  You can see "In 2018, we read books" to review that coverage.  We didn't want to repeat ourselves in 2019 or 2020.  So when Marcia came up with a way to cover books but with a twist, we were all for it.  Marcia's idea was for us to digital books -- we're largely a printed text crowd -- and to use AMAZON's KINDLE UNLIMITED.  So for 2021, we'll be trying to do a book a week and trying to just use KINDLE UNLIMITED. This week, we're speaking with Betty about her ""John L. Williams' AMERICA'S MISTRESS: EARTHA KITT, HER LIFE AND TIMES."

 

Betty, you previously did two reviews this year, one of Alice Walker's "THE COLOR PURPLE"  and the other a memoir about working with Prince,"Kim Berry and Andrea Williams' DIAMONDS AND CURLZ."  This time round, you went with Eartha Kitt.

Betty: I did.  This was an accident.  I happened to see it and I was interested in it.  It's not via KINDLE UNLIMITED.  It was $1.99 and it was more than worth it at that price.  What struck me the most was that Diana Ross should have played her.  If they made the film today, it would be Rihanna.  But for most of the 80s, Diana was attempting to get a film about Josephine Baker off the ground and that might have been a better film, I don't know.  I mean it might have fit movie screens better, Josephine's life story, what with WWII and all of that.  But Eartha and Diana shared a similar sexiness and a similar vocal style at times.  And I just feel Diana would have been perfect for Eartha.

But not Josephine?

Betty: She's a talented actress, I'm sure she would have been fine in the role. But I just felt Eartha to be more real.  Josephine was more ethereal, for lack of better terms.  

Since we're talking Diana, we should note that Diana Ross' first studio album since 2006 comes out this Friday, November 5th, and is entitled THANK YOU.  

Betty: And let's note "All Is Well" the latest single from that album.

  Absolutely.  Now what did you make of Eartha Kitt?

Betty: I liked the book but I would've liked more context and a slower pace.  At times it moved to quickly and didn't explore the moment.  I get that there's a lot of terrain to cover.  But some of the moments really called for further exploration or noting what was going on at that time in the world.  I recommend the book, I just felt like it should have been much longer.  Or else just focused on one period of Eartha's life.  And I felt for Eartha.  You're talking about a woman who grew up actually picking cotton.  And she wasn't wanted.  And there's a part where he has her being -- the author -- fanciful about her mother when she tells someone her aunt in NYC is her mother.  The writer dismisses that and I don't get why.  This is the woman who brought her to NYC, who got her out of a bad home.  And how do we know this wasn't Eartha's birth mother?  Eartha's father is a White man.  And this was the big secret.  So this nonsense of the author saying if it were Eartha's real mother, there wouldn't have been any reason to cover it up at that point?  Excuse me?  A wealthy White man could make a lot of trouble if the truth starts coming out.  And if it was Eartha's real mother, as Eartha said, what we've got is a woman who was so scared that she fled to NYC after her daughter was born.  Where do you get off pretending that it would be no big deal to say "I'm her mother."  Her father is unknown -- the author thinks he's tracked down some clues as to who it was.  I just didn't like that.  As a Black woman, I didn't like this British White man pretending to know what was what.  We're talking before WWII.  It's illegal for Blacks and Whites to marry one another.  And this British man doesn't grasp that a mother and daughter might feel the need to keep a secret?

Listeners who hear this in HILDA'S MIX will hear the very real frustration in your voice.  For readers, let us note that you're very upset.

Betty: I am.  And it's so stereotypical of a man to take a woman's statement and then ignore it and tell you instead what's what.  Even though he doesn't know what's what.  That's very frustrating.

Did Eartha's life seem frustrating?

Betty:  She had obstacles.  She climbed them.  For the most part, she climbed them.  She was in love with one man who wouldn't marry her because of his family -- he was White.  That was probably the only real obstacle she couldn't overcome.  She starts as a dancer and becomes a star.  She has to endure constant racism in the US and she goes to the less racist Europe.  Where she becomes a bigger star.  Her career should have died any number of times but she found ways to get over those obstacles.  It's truly inspiring.  She was a trail blazer.

How are you feeling about KINDLE UNLIMITED?

Betty: I'm used to the fact that we're not getting new, just published books.  And wondering if maybe I should have been looking for something else all along.  By that, I'm talking about books about people like Eartha Kitt.  I'd be interested in reading about a lot of other Black pioneers, for example, and I'm sure KINDLE UNLIMITED probably has some books on that topic.

Are you done with KINDLE UNLIMITED?

Betty: I'll probably continue to subscribe in 2022.  In fact, I may do another review before the end of the year.  America Selby's WHO IS THE GREAT EARTHA KITT is a KINDLE UNLIMITED book and I've put it into my cloud to read next.

 

-------------------

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Isaiah, Ava and C.I.)" 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

" KINDLE UNLIMITED (Trina, Ava and C.I.)"

 

 "KINDLE UNLIMITED (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Ruth, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jess, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jim, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)" 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Stan, Ava and C.I.)" 

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Isaiah, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Elaine, Dona, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Mike, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Trina, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Stan, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Rebecca, Ava and C.I.)"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KINDLE UNLIMITED (Ann, Ava and C.I.)

 

In 2018, community sites took turns covering a book every week.  You can see "In 2018, we read books" to review that coverage.  We didn't want to repeat ourselves in 2019 or 2020.  So when Marcia came up with a way to cover books but with a twist, we were all for it.  Marcia's idea was for us to digital books -- we're largely a printed text crowd -- and to use AMAZON's KINDLE UNLIMITED.  So for 2021, we'll be trying to do a book a week and trying to just use KINDLE UNLIMITED. This week, we're speaking with Ann about her "The 'Peyton Place' Murder."

 

 Your book was Renee Mallett's THE "PEYTON PLACE" MURDER.

Ann: Correct.  It's a non-fiction book that looks into the life of Grace Metalious who wrote the fifties bestselling book PEYTON PLACE.  But to look at Grace's life and bestselling book means to look at the region she grew up in since a lot of it -- including a murder -- pops up in PEYTON PLACE.

How would you classify the book?

Ann: I would honestly call it a detective story.  That's really what Renee has written, a detective story.  She's the one uncovering the details and what happened.  

It's a good read?

Ann: It's a solid read and a book I strongly recommend.  I know nothing about the bestselling book PEYTON PLACE, I've never read it.  But this book held my attention and I rushed through it as much as you can when you've got two small kids.  Every time I had to stop for the night or for a moment, I stopped with regret.  It really was a joy to read.  She covered such terrain and did so in a way that held your interest.  There's not a bit of fluff in this book.  

You were upset to realize that this was the first book review you'd done this year?

Ann: I was reading.  I thought I was writing.  Clearly, I didn't.  One did go to POLLY'S BREW, a book review.  But otherwise, I just didn't review.  I felt like I let the community down, to be honest.  

Well it wasn't supposed to be a chore so don't feel that way, it wasn't an assignment.  And everyone knew, for example, that Cedric and Wally probably wouldn't participate.  They can if they want -- even now -- but with the scope of their sites, we all knew they might not participate.  

Ann: I honestly thought I'd be offering something.  And when I look at what's been covered -- classics, biographies, comic books, cartoons, erotica, you name it, it just especially leaves me a little embarrassed.  I only found out when I was looking over the list of books that I hadn't done one, the one you publish "Books" here.  And, I noticed something else.  Rebecca and Marcia did their joint-review this year and it's not noted.

That's a very good point.  And we should probably do an interview with them as well as include their book reviews.  We hadn't even thought about that.  Do you like KINDLE UNLIMITED?

Ann: I can't answer that this go round.  I'm still, honestly, embarrassed that I waited so long to do a book review. 

-------------------

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Isaiah, Ava and C.I.)" 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

" KINDLE UNLIMITED (Trina, Ava and C.I.)"

 

 "KINDLE UNLIMITED (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Ruth, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jess, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jim, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)" 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Stan, Ava and C.I.)" 

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Isaiah, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Elaine, Dona, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Mike, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Trina, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Stan, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Rebecca, Ava and C.I.)"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jim, Ava and C.I.)

 

In 2018, community sites took turns covering a book every week.  You can see "In 2018, we read books" to review that coverage.  We didn't want to repeat ourselves in 2019 or 2020.  So when Marcia came up with a way to cover books but with a twist, we were all for it.  Marcia's idea was for us to digital books -- we're largely a printed text crowd -- and to use AMAZON's KINDLE UNLIMITED.  So for 2021, we'll be trying to do a book a week and trying to just use KINDLE UNLIMITED. This week, we're speaking with  Jim about his "Magazines (Jim)."

So you're tackling magazines available via KINDLE UNLIMITED?

Jim: Right.  Did you know that the monthly subscription for KU entitles you to magazines.

No idea.  Not until we read your piece.

Jim: Yeah, Dona and I were surprised by that.  But what was more surprising -- and disappointing -- was how few magazines KINDLE UNLIMITED offers.  

To be clear, KINDLE -- on AMAZON -- offers lots of magazines.  But KINDLE UNLIMITED is the monthly service that you pay for and it allows you to read things for free.

Jim: Right.  So you're told "Choose up to 3 magazine subscriptions with your membership."  And then you look and you find: PEOPLE, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK, READER'S DIGEST, GOLF MONTHLY, FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, FOOD & WINE, BBC WILDLIFE, BETTER HOMES & GARDENS, FAMILY HANDYMAN, SHAPE, ALL RECIPES, COSMOPOLITAN, MEN'S HEALTH, MIDWEST LIVING, HOUSE BEAUTIFUL, BIRDS & BLOOMS, FOOD NETWORK, BBC HISTORY, REAL SIMPLE, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, CONSUMER REPORTS, PREVENTION, MARTHA STEWART'S LIVING, TASTE OF HOME, SOUTHERN LIVING, HGTV, IN STYLE, DO IT YOURSELF, WOMEN'S HEALTH, EATING WELL, POPULAR MECHANICS, COUNTRY LIVING, RUNNER'S WORLD, COUNTRY WOMEN, THE PIONEER WOMAN, BICYCLING, WOOD, WOMAN'S DAY, CAR & DRIVER, TRAVEL & LEISURE, ENTREPRENEUR, THIS OLD HOUSE, HEALTH, REMINISCE, ESQUIRE, VERANDA, SIMPLY CROCHET, ELLE, BBC HISTORY REVEALED, ELLE DECOR, BBC SCIENCE FOCUS, TOWN & COUNTRY, HARPER'S BAZAAR, COUNTRY, DIGITAL CAMERA, THE KNITTER, FARM & RANCH LIVING, PARENTS, BBC GOOD FOOD, COASTAL LIVING, WOMEN & HOME, BBC GARDENERS' WORLD, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, HOMES & GARDENS, COOKING LIGHT, PEOPLE EN ESPANOL, WOMEN'S WEEKLY, TRADITIONAL HOME, BBC MUSIC, RACHEL RAY IN SEASON, GARDENS ILLUSTRATED, BBC SKY AT NIGHT, CYCLING PLUS, IDEAL HOME UK, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?, SIMPLY SEWING, BBC TOP GEAR, OLIVE, BBC COUNTRYFILE, HOMES & ANTIQUES, GQ, HOMESTYLE and VANITY FAIR.  I believe I listed them all.

That's not a lot.

Jim: It's really not.  And no ROLLINS STONE or SPIN or diabetic magazines, in fact.  So for magazines, it's not really worth it.  But if you do have a membership to KINDLE UNLIMITED, you should be aware that you can read some magazines for free with that subscription.

 

 

-------------------

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Isaiah, Ava and C.I.)" 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

" KINDLE UNLIMITED (Trina, Ava and C.I.)"

 

 "KINDLE UNLIMITED (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Ruth, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jess, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Jim, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)" 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Stan, Ava and C.I.)" 

 

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Betty, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Isaiah, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Elaine, Dona, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Mike, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Trina, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Stan, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Kat, Ava and C.I.)"

"KINDLE UNLIMITED (Rebecca, Ava and C.I.)"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magazines (Jim)

 KINDLE UNLIMITED?  For 2021, the community sites have been using the AMAZON service and offering their take on it.  The service costs approximately $10 a month and allows you to read as many books as you want.  You don't own the books, you 'borrow' them.  You can borrow ten at a time.

What else can you do?

Turns out magazines.

How?

Not sure.  

I'm told that with our subscription, Dona and I can subscribe for free to three magazines.  But when I clicked on the three we selected it was talking about a trial period.  I have no idea.  We may end up getting billed at some point.

In terms of the three we selected?

Really Dona selected them.  

I'm not into golf and that was the only sports magazine offered.  MEN'S HEALTH always struck me as more of a jerk-off magazine for men too closeted to buy porn.  I like music but the only music magazine was from the BBC and it covered classical music.  

We went with ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY which we figured we'd both enjoy.  Our second choice was VANITY FAIR which does a bit of journalism from time to time (besides the celebrity covers).  For the third one, she chose ELLE.

When I say that there weren't that many, the complete listing is only six pages.  

I found that as surprising as the limited genres offered.

A real fan of magazines isn't going to gain anything with a KINDLE UNLIMITED subscription.

Mort Sahl serves up some truth about Gloria Steinem

A girl named Gloria Steinem who professes to be a worker for George McGovern but, as I understand it, well, I'm getting ahead of myself. This girl said in NEW YORK MAGAZINE, I asked her on the air, what she read. She said, "Well I only read New York. I would no more read RAMPARTS," she said, "than TIME because it has a preconceived bias." And I said, "Do you think RAMPARTS is penetrated on the basis of the fact that they were the first to point out what the CIA was doing at universities?" She said, "Oh. by now, the CIA must be penetrated." And she went on to ridicule it and generally draw a framework of paranoia and madness about me -- successfully. After the program, driven by guilt, she sent me a wire of apology. But the nine million people that saw the program didn't see the wire. That girl attended The Vienna Peace Festival, the Leftist festival which is what -- '59 of something? [. . .] The CIA bought her plane ticket. And I don't know whether she is merely an informant or whether she thinks it's a lark -- which is even more dangerous -- or that it's all funny. But it isn't funny to the bodies floating out of Cambodia certainly, needless to say.

 

-- Mort Sahl speaking on KPFA in 1970 -- you can order a copy of that broadcast from THE PACIFICA ARCHIVES.

Video to stream

 

 

That's "All Is Well" by Diana Ross.  It's from her album THANK YOU which comes out Friday.

Books

 

In 2021, we'll be covering digital books.  So far this year, the coverage includes:

 

Jim's "Magazines (Jim)"

 

Kat's "THE PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE BIBLE as written by Laurence Myers"

 

Ann's "The 'Peyton Place' Murder" 

 

Betty's "John L. Williams' AMERICA'S MISTRESS: EARTHA KITT, HER LIFE AND TIMES" 

 

Isaiah's "BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN"

 

Kat's "I'm With The Bland"

 

Trina's "Remember Hollywood Squares?"

 

Marcia's "Rock Hudson: Erotic Fire"

 

Ruth's "Margaret Atwood's THE HANDMAID'S TALE" 

Jess' "THE FEVER KING (Jess)"

 

Jim's  "STEPHEN CURRY: THE CHILDREN'S BOOK: THE BOY WHO NE..."

Dona's " book to avoid (Dona)"

 

Kat's "ERROL FLYNN: THE QUEST FOR AN OSCAR" 

Ty's "KINDLE UNLIMITED's gay erotica (Ty)"

 

Kat's "HEARTBREAKER: TWO MONTHS WITH JUDY"

 

Betty's "THE COLOR PURPLE"

 

Stan's "GOODBYE NATALIE, GOODBYE SPLENDOUR"

Betty's ""Kim Berry and Andrea Williams' DIAMONDS AND CURLZ""

Isaiah's "Marco Bonafede's WORDLESS COMICS"

Dona's "A SPY IN THE HOUSE OF ANAIS NIN (Dona)"

Elaine's "JOAN: FORTY YEARS OF LIFE, LOSS, AND FRIENDSHIP WI..."

Rebecca's "the mommie dearest diary: carol ann tells all"

Kat's "How Mabel Normand's many scandals (at least five) destroyed her career"

 

Marcia's "Paul Jay's bad Gore Vidal 'book'"

 

Stan's "Adrienne Barbeau's bad book THERE ARE WORSE THINGS I COULD DO"

 

Trina's "Mexican Casserole and a book in the Kitchen"

 

 Mike's "Book review CONVERSATIONS WITH CAPOTE"