Monday, August 07, 2023

Truest statement of the week

The global heatwave continues, with its devastating death toll extending over the affected areas. At least 249 people have lost their lives in Mexico since March due to extreme heat, with the vast majority attributable to heat stroke. The rest died from dehydration. In the last month 12 states reported blackouts.

This came as a result of record temperatures, with some Mexican states topping 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius). 

The heatwave is a result of the inability of the ruling elite to address capitalist-caused climate change, with the record-shattering heat signaling a tipping point entailing an acceleration in the number of climate-change-caused disasters. The worst effects of this are being borne by the working class, poor and elderly.

-- Chase Lawrence, "Hundreds of heat deaths across US Southwest and Mexico: A capitalist crime" (WSWS).  



 

 

 

Truest statement of the week II

Protesting this kind of event was never in the cards, since the announcement of Christian Faith and Family Day was met with a collective shrug by the LGBTQ community. There are bigger political fights to have than with a baseball team’s promotional day. In addition, LGBTQ people have been marginalized for so many years that I think it has led to a live-and-let-live attitude.

And yet, if any group had good reason to protest on Sunday, it would be LGBTQ people objecting to honoring Christians. This is a group that is not marginalized (64% of Americans are Christian) and has many denominations and leaders that have demonized LGBTQ people for decades and continue to do so. Most major Christian denominations still don’t recognize same-sex marriage and many of the people pushing anti-LGBTQ laws do so while citing religion. For many people coming out, reconciling their religious upbringing with their sexuality is a key source of anguish and churches have done little to combat that.

Dodgers Christian Faith and Family Day went off without a hitch and I’m fine with that. The Dodgers and pretty much every sports team have promotions geared to all sorts of groups. Getting bothered because a team has a special promotion honoring Japanese, Hispanic or Irish Americans or first responders or military members or Christians or Harry Potter fans or LGBTQ people makes no sense.

These teams have to cater to a diverse fan base and it would be stupid to make such events divisive and inject a political litmus test into what is at its core a push to sell tickets and gain new fans. It’s sad and infuriating that the LGBTQ community is the only one facing a backlash for simply being celebrated and having to justify their inclusion.

 

-- Jim Buzinski, "Dodgers held Christian Faith and Family Day and no gay people protested"  (LOS ANGELES TIMES).

 

 

 

A note to our readers

Hey --

Sunday 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?

 

 

Chase Lawrence gets a truest.

As does Jim Buzinski.

Ava and C.I.'s latest.  This week, they tackle a 'preacher' that FOX NEWS is trying to turn into a victim to rally around.

Our Iraq feature for the edition is a video this week, a report on the heat.

 

The grifters are getting very nervous about their beloved Donald Trump.

Ava and C.I. talk two books with Ruth.

Look! I did a Jim's World.  Only because I turned on TCM three times today and found Debbie Reynolds each time -- so I promptly turned it back off.

Another important show from Olay.

Our list of notable deaths of this year.

Jacquie Luqman.

List of the books covered in the community so far this year.

List of the people -- 'left' and right -- who are selling hate and grifting.

What we listened to while writing this edition.

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


 

Peace.

 

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

 

 

 

 

TV: FOX "NEWS" serves up another still-born media creation

Grifter Glenneth Greenwald was on YOUTUBE Friday.  A friend called us because we had spoken to him about a topic we were planning to cover.  Glenneth, he said, was calling out the media over their coverage of Jack Smith who, he insisted, they were trying to glorify.


Smith is the Justice Dept prosecutor that is tackling Donald Trump in court.  And you know Glenneth loveth Donald and MAGA.  So this angers Glenneth.


Our topic was the media as well.  Specifically how FOX "NEWS" was trying yet again to create a media sensation.  They do that repeatedly.  Sometimes they succeed.  They helped sell  Joe The Plumber -- someone who actually wasn't a plumber -- to the country back in 2008.  More recently, they've been all over the freak from the UK Oli London.  The nutcase has ended up being too much for them but Megyn Kelly's still trying to make him happen.  FOX "NEWS"?

 

They've moved on.  They're now pimping a 'preacher' and trying real hard to make him happen.


 

3 JESS
 
 
 
 
Deeply, deeply stupid. That's the only term for 'preacher' Marcus Schroeder.  Are you asking, "Who?"  If so, you're lucky you missed it.  FOX NEWS spent last week repeatedly attempting to turn him into a hero.  So you know, right off, Marcus is a nut job.  The thing about the deeply stupid is, as we've noted before, they never get that they are the stupid.  

Marcus was arrested and we'll get into that in a moment.  But let's note that we're about to go over the speech he gave to the Watertown, WI City Council.  We need to note that, in case you missed it, because when someone wants to impose their so-called 'morality' on others, we feel the need to note basic rules.  For example?  Men remove their hats indoors.  There was no reason to wear that ballcap while addressing the city council.  It was disrespectful and indicates that Marcus -- who wants to tell us all how to live -- was raised without manners.  

Now let's go over what he said -- his remarks will be in bold.



I just wanted to ask you a simple question.  I know, you know, a Nazi group showed up at the event Saturday and people were talking about that.  

The Saturday event was at a park.  It was a permitted event.  Nazis and creeps like Marcus showed up to protest.  Marcus wants to draw a line between himself and the Nazis but there's no line to draw. They're the same as he makes clear in his idiotic comments.


And I just wanted for all of us to really think about this. What's wrong with Nazism?  


Way to win over the crowd?

He will note in a bit that he 'studied' debate and apparently he felt the best way to address the city council was with rhetorical flourishes.



Like, seriously, what's wrong with Nazism? Because imagine for a moment that there is no God above us, no hell below us, no heaven to live for -- as John Lennon wanted us to imagine.

Okay . . .  John Lennon wrote the song with Yoko Ono -- that's been known since before John died and she's had official credit on the song for five years now.  Marcus is a 'pastor' of some kind who honestly looks like a sexually confused young man.

He's completely confused about "Imagine."  John and Yoko wrote:
 
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky.
 

 

There is no line about "no heaven to live for" and there is no line that states "no God above us."  But, hey, Marcus is a liar.


We're sorry but you're the one standing in front of a city council choosing to evoke "Imagine" so it's on you to get the lyrics right.


If we are truly the result of evolved stardust and our ancestors were fish and we're the descendants of monkeys, then where do we find our values as human beings?  


Marcus seems on the verge of tears when he whines about this.  For a moment though, we thought he was going to launch into Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," singing, "We are stardust, we are golden, We are billion-year-old carbon, and we've got to get ourselves, back to the garden."  Instead, he wanted to utilize his poor grasp of the Socratic method.


What's wrong with Nazism?  Unless if you understand that the God of scripture says that we are made in his image and so to murder innocent people is a violation to God's commands.  As a Christian, I can say that Nazis -- what the Nazis did in Nazi Germany was completely horrific and that they should have been resisted. 

 
Really?  You want to couch your opinion that the Nazis were "completely horrific" in Christianity?  You are unaware that non-believers, agnostics, Jews and many other non-Christians can also say that the Nazis were "completely horrific"?  We know you're young but how truly uneducated are you?



In fact, that the number one people group that resisted the Nazis were Christians.  

Oh.  You're that uneducated.  


"The number one people group" -- what were the other groups resisting?  Was there a "number one monkey group" or a "number one fish group" resisting?  

 
You're a 'preacher' which means you're Protestant.  You're not trying to claim that was the number one group, right?  Among the religious openly objecting in Germany to Hitler and his policies, the Catholic Church was first and foremost.  German resistance also included Jews, Jehovah Witnesses, agnostics, atheists, and many more.  You seem to think you're scoring points.  Did high school teach you nothing?



And the -- and the reason why -- the reason why was because they had a worldview that says that people are made in God's image and that they have worth and value.  

 
What?  They really don't educate well in whatever school he squeaked by in.

Let's talk Socrates since he's attempting to deploy the Socratic method.  Socrates was not a Christian.  Socrates was a philosopher and his work -- like the work of many others -- is in ethics and does not require Christ to address right and wrong.  Plato and Aristotle, students of Socrates, also did not require Christ to delve into issues. There's King Hammurabi who came up with The Code of Hammurabi which he stated was given to him by a Babylonian God name Shamash.   And that was not the first code of laws the Sumerians had was Th Also predating the birth of Christ, Maat.  That was the name of the Egyptian code and also the name of the Goddess of justice.  We could do this all day.

We're sorry that the education system failed you but your ignorance really isn't our problem.




That's why Nazism is wrong. 
 

Nazism is wrong because it's hate and it calls for hate against people.

You don't grasp that which is why you're basically a Nazi. 
 

But if we're going to reject the Christian worldview and we can't hold on to the fruit that comes from the Christian worldview while  denying the actual foundation.  

 
The fruit?  Are you quoting your Galatians again -- 5:22 to 23?  The words you were screaming into a microphone at the park?




Intolerance is an interesting word.  

 
We're glad you find words interesting -- we just wish you understood a few.


Tolerance, intolerance, hatred, love, bigotry -- things like that.  


Things like that?  Do you see all five words as the same thing or are you just bulls**ting in front of everyone and wasting time?


Because really every culture has something that it's intolerant towards and something that it's tolerant of.  


Is there a point you're trying to make?


I mean there are things like murder and rape and-and you know stealing and just crimes that we are intolerant towards as a society.  

 
And-and we know.  And, sorry, but you still don't grasp that codes of law exist without Christianity. 


And-and so every society something that's intolerant towards.  The question is just what is our object of intolerance and what is our object of tolerance. 

That's your question anyway.


When I showed up Saturday, all I did was read from scripture on the sidewalk.  


You have the nerve to lecture us about your so-called morals and then you lie.  You didn't just "read from scripture on the sidewalk."

You went to a park where an event was being held to protest it.  You protested it with Nazis.  Now you drew a line between yourself and the Nazis but you're not God.  You don't get to make all the calls.



I read from the Bible -- Galatians, and by the way -- I wasn't reading Romans.  I wasn't reading any passage that spoke against homosexuality or anything like that.  I was reading a passage from the Bible about love and I was arrested.  

You were arrested. 

You were arrested for disturbing the peace.



No reason, not giving any warning, not told anything about my amplification need to be turning down.  
 

You broke the law.

You were arrested because you broke the law.


Here's a teachable moment for you: Ignorantia juris non excusat.  

Still on board with us?  That's Latin and it means "Ignorance is no excuse" as in -- long standing legal principal -- ignorance of the law is no excuse.

You still don't get what you did.  Or if you do get it, you're more vested in lying.

You disturbed the peace.  A realtor a street over was among the people complaining about you and the noise you were making -- she was showing a property and her clients were appalled by the noise -- and, so sorry, Marcus, they also weren't Christian. They were Jewish and they were bothered by your loudness and by your content.  That was not the only noise complaint against you specifically.  

There is a reason you're not supposed to be using amplification.  You broke the law.

You can spin it all you want but don't present yourself as so moral and such a great Christian when you're lying.

You broke the law, people complained to the police and they came out and did their job.  

Or do you also not understand how the police work?



I was arrested and taken into custody simply for reading the Bible on the sidewalk.  


No.  You were arrested for disturbing the peace.

Again, a realtor feels you screwed her out of a commission. You messed with her livelihood.  How about apologizing for that?  How about taking some accountability?  How about apologizing for lying about the police officers who, again, were just doing their job.

You brought this all on yourself and put people out with your loudness.  

It may not seem like anything to you but, we're guessing, you don't own a home in the area. 



You see, as we become more and more tolerant of sexual immorality in our culture, we've become more and more intolerant towards Christian morality, the more we're going to see lawlessness in our streets. The more we become intolerant of Christian morality, the more we're going to see Nazis, the more we're going to see people who don't hold to a Christian worldview, who think that everybody is a result of animals and, therefore, if we're all animals, then why can't we just act like animals?  



You sound like a hate merchant because that's what you are.  Doesn't your Bible say "Judge not lest ye be judged"?  

Matthew 7, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." 

Clear enough for you?

You are not God and you are not to sit in judgment of others -- even you should be able to grasp that.


You sure like to site Christianity when you want to hide behind it but we don't see you practicing any of it. 





We were called the hate group.  
 

You are a hate group of one.  Who is this "we"?  You and the Nazis?  That's the other thing.

Along with toying with Christianity -- as opposed to practicing it -- you also lack all common sense.

When you see a group of Nazis yelling at people, you need to walk away.  

If you want to stand up to them, great.  But you don't come across as brave.  So when you saw the Nazis protesting the same group of people you were attacking, you should have left.  You're an idiot to stay there.

The police do not have time to go through and identify every whack job disturbing the peace at a park.  They were going to speak to you because you were the one making the most noise.  By choosing to participate in a protest with a hate group -- that's what you did, stop lying unless you're trying to go to hell -- you caused all these problems.


You've been coddled and over-indulged your whole life.  That's clear, that's very, very clear.  


You broke the law and you ruined the day for the people at the park and the people around the park.  You refuse to cop to that, you refuse to take responsibility.
 

Don't lecture anyone else, you need to take a look at your own damn self.



We were told that we don't want to understand the other side and I just want to set the record straight. I am more than happy to have that conversation with the other side.  I did speech and debate throughout high school and one of the things we were taught in debate is that you can't make an argument for your side until you're able to make the argument for the other side.  I've sat down and had hours of discussions with LGBTQ activists. I completely understand the other side.


Nothing you said in your prepared remarks to the city council indicate that you have ever in your life "completely" understood anything.



I want to understand the other side but drag queens twerking on kids in lingerie is unacceptable.  And that's something that we have to notice as a culture.  We can have our disagreements.  But there comes a time when we have to understand that we are all going to stand before God one day and we're going to have to give an account for what we have done with the children in our society -- the innocent minds and the children who deserve to be protected.  


Are you a pervert, Marcus?  We ask because of your obsession with kids.  We seriously ask that. Now we never bought into the idea that a man (Ted) in his 20s would be desperately trying to get married (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) and, in fact, thought that would kill the series early on.  So we can be wrong.  But just as we found Ted's behavior unnatural, we find your obsession with children to be unnatural as well.

We also, quite frankly, find it intrusive.  These aren't your children.  You are not their parent.  Their parent/guardian has the legal right to take them where they want to.  It's honestly not your business -- that's true in the Bible and it's true in real life.  

So you're bothered by "drag queen twerking on kids in lingerie," are you?  How many kids were wearing lingerie, Marcus?  

Oh, we forgot, you're the debate expert who doesn't know how to speak like a grown up.  You meant to say, "drag queens in lingerie twerking on kids is unacceptable" -- is that it?

If so, then is it okay for them to twerk on kids if the drag queens are wearing business suits?

Is it the lingerie that bothers you so?

No, we get your point, we're just trying to make it very, very clear that you are not a debate expert, you are not a wise person and you did not make a coherent argument.

You sounded like an idiot -- and you sounded that way because that's what you are.  

Maybe next time, take a breath?

None of this was any of your business.  

And, we have to make this point again, when you saw Nazis present, why did you stay?  We believe strongly in legal abortion.  But if we were rallying outside the Supreme Court for reproductive freedom and a group of Nazis came over, we'd leave immediately.  We don't break bread with Nazis, we don't make nice with them.

That was, please remember, our biggest complaint about a February faux action by some deranged 'leftists' (grifters) who rallied with Nazis.  


What does that say about your character?  That Nazis are present and protesting the same group that you are and you elect to stay and be part of the protest with them?  

You have no character.

You seriously need to grow up.  FOX "NEWS" is not helping you by fawning over you and providing  the one-sided coverage that's supposed to alarm everyone and have them screaming, "Look what they're doing to Christians!"

Being a Christian does not make you above the law.  Being a Christian does not allow you to disturb the peace.  You broke the law and you got arrested.  And you call yourself a 'pastor' and a 'Christian' yet you have failed to apologize to the people you disturbed or to the police officers you continue to lie about.


If that's your idea of Christianity, you're ever sicker than we thought.  But you do have to be sick to get FOX "NEWS" on your side.




Oh, the lies they resort to

Lying does not convince anyone, heads up to Victor Davis Hanson.   Hanson writes:



Two sets of laws now operate in an increasingly unrecognizable America.

Consider the matter of unlawfully removing and storing classified papers.

Donald Trump may go to prison for removing contested White House files to his home.

So far, Joe Biden seems exempt from just such legal jeopardy.

But as a senator and vice president with no right, as does a president, to declassify files, Biden removed and, as a private citizen, kept for years classified files in unsecured locations.

 

Apples and oranges, you liar. 

There are not two sets of laws.  Donald Trump knowingly removed material -- classified material -- and he did so without declassifying it.  When told to return it, he refused.  The FBI had to raid his residence to get the files back.  This it not what happened with Joe or anyone else.  You can lie and stomp your feet and look like the cry baby you are but you're not going to persuade anyone but the idiots already in your cult.
 
 

Books (Ruth, Ava and C.I.)

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As we did in 2021, we're attempting to again increase book coverage in the community. Since the last installment of this feature, we're speaking with  Ruth about her "Elizabeth Taylor -- two books" which covers Katy Holborn's ELIZABETH TAYLOR: AN ELIZABETH TAYLOR BIOGRAPHY and Gian-Luca di Rocco's WOMEN IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT: CHARTING SOCIETAL PROGRESS THROUGH THE FILMS OF ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND JANE FONDA 1944-1981.  You really did not like Holborn's book.

 

Ruth:  I did not.  First off, it was a superficial book that read like Cliff Notes.  Second, the writers knew very little about Elizabeth Taylor's career and clearly did not bother to brush up on it.


You're referring on that last point to Holborn's claim that Elizabeth had no iconic screen moments?


Ruth: Yes. My mother was a huge fan of Elizabeth Taylor and I grew up as her early films were being shown on TV in the 50s.  I had just finished high school when CLEOPATRA came out. It was the most covered film of my lifetime and I do not mean with reviews when the film came out.  Elizabeth Taylor had been married to Mike Todd but then he died in a plane crash.  Among those comforting her were Eddie Fisher who would leave his wife Debbie Reynolds for Elizabeth.  This was a huge scandal -- I was in junior high at the time.  It was one of the biggest celebrity scandals of that era.  That all paled in comparison to what was about to happen. After several starts and stops, CLEOPATRA officially began filming in September of 1961.  It was already news because it had changed directors in the process, because Elizabeth Taylor was paid one million dollars to play the part, and much more.  But it was about to capture the world's attention and hold it for months.  Richard Burton, who was married, and Elizabeth began an affair.  Eddie Fischer would leave the shooting.  It was called "La Scandal" and it was a big deal.  The Vatican condemned Elizabeth. Everyone talked about the affair, it was in the papers, it was on TV and radio.  Was it just an on-set romance?  In the end, no.  And it was the most publicized romance of its era.  And that is why CLEOPATRA was such a hit -- it had a huge budget that would take a few years to make back, but it was the number one film of the year in ticket sales.  Now all that media attention might obliterate Elizabeth's iconic film moments for those who discover Elizabeth after she passed away in 2011, but she had her screen moments, her iconic screen moments.  I list some of them in my post but there are so many more.   


Do you feel like she even understood Elizabeth's career?


Ruth: Not at all.  Films were something Elizabeth toyed with when not having sex -- that seems to be the author's attitude.  She had no concept of how, for example, Elizabeth dug deep to deliver the standout performance of Maggie in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF.  Watch that film and grasp that Elizabeth loses Mike Todd during the filming.  They were supposed to get on a flight together to New York where he would accept an award but she had a cold and Todd told her she needed to stay home and get some rest.  The plane he was on crashed.  She not only lost her husband, she also had to live with the survivor's guilt that was amplified by "I would have been on that flight if he hadn't stopped me."  Despite that, she delivered an incredible performance.  She was a very talented actress.  And she was good even when she made a bad film.


The other book, Gian-Luca di Rocco's WOMEN IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT: CHARTING SOCIETAL PROGRESS THROUGH THE FILMS OF ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND JANE FONDA 1944-1981, was one you liked.


Ruth: I did.  The premise is that the two actresses' film roles documented the changes in the lives of women.  I agree with that premise.  The author seems to feel that Elizabeth's films did a better job of demonstrating the changes.  I disagree with that.  I think in certain areas, it's Elizabeth's films and in other areas it would be Jane's films.  And Elizabeth's films of the early 70s -- even the bad ones -- say a lot about the status of women.


What are your top ten favorite films with Elizabeth Taylor?


Ruth: Oh.  Number one would be WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF? which resulted in her second Academy Award for Best Actress.  Then I would go with CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF with her and Paul Newman in the film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play.   A PLACE IN THE SUN with Montgomery Clift.   SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER with Clift again and with Katharine Hepburn. THE SANDPIPER -- I love the look and detail of the film that Vincent Minnelli brings as director and she and Richard Burton have solid chemistry.  X, Y AND ZEE with Susannah York and Michael Caine.  Elizabeth's married to Michael who is having an affair with Susannah and Elizabeth will do anything to keep her marriage.  I'd include NIGHTWATCH on the list and wish people would reconsider the film.  It's a suspense one where you have to wonder if Elizabeth's going crazy or people are tying to make her think she's crazy.  Laurence Harvey is appropriately creepy in the role of her husband.  GIANT teams her with Rock Hudson and James Dean in this George Stevens epic.  THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.  I have seen a lot of adaptations and homages to this William Shakespeare play and Franco Zeffirelli's version with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton is the best.  The tenth pick?  That is hard.  I will go with ANY WEDNESDAY which she stars in with Henry Fonda.  And it is hard not because there are so few other films she made that I like but because there are so many that I really enjoy.  REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE, BOOM, THE ONLY GAME, THE VIPS, HAMMERSMITH IS OUT, SECRET CEREMONY, THE MIRROR CRACK'D, THE COMEDIANS, FATHER OF THE BRIDE, IVANHOE, NATIONAL VELVET . . . I could go on and on.  And since I brought up Jane Fonda, let me note my top ten favorite films with her.  1) KLUTE -- a great film and the best performance by any actress in film in the 20th century.  2) COMING HOME -- a film that is a beauty for the eyes and ears.  3) THE MORNING AFTER.  4) BAREFOOT IN THE PARK.  5) 9 TO 5.  6) THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY.  7) JULIA.  8) FUN WITH DICK & JANE.  9) CAT BALLOU.  10) MOVING ON.  Again, my top ten favorite but not my only favorites starring Jane Fonda.  I really do recommend Gian-Luca di Rocco's book.


 

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

Previous book discussions this year.

"Books (Stan, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Mike, Ava and C.I.),"  "Books (Ann, Elaine, Kat, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Isaiah, Stan, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Trina, Kat, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Marcia, Ann and C.I.)," "Books (Ruth, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Isaiah, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Mike, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Kat, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Trina, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Rebecca, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Isaiah, Kat, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Stan, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Kat, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Ann, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Trina, Ava and C.I.)," "Books (Marcia, Ava and C.I.)" and "Books (Ava and C.I.)."

 

 

Jim's World

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Every now and then an e-mail comes in about some celebrity expressing astonishment that they ever got famous to begin with.  This often happens after someone passes away and the media seems to overindulge in an extended mourning.

I do get the question, though.  


For example, today, TCM wasted hours on one celebrity: Debbie Reynolds. 


Movie after movie, film after film.  And she really does not have a lot of films worth watching.  Nor is she herself worth watching as she gives the same performance over and over and, most importantly, since she's so unattractive.


Long before I was born, she was married to Eddie Fisher and he left her for Elizabeth Taylor which became one of the big stories of the 50s.  Confusing to me because the fact that he or any man would leave Debbie seems less news and more obvious.


She's a boner killer.  


That giggly, little girl at 40-plus?  That face.  And, yes, that body.


Sometimes, I'm surprised because she'll look almost pretty (SINGING IN THE RAIN).  Often that results from her hair looking natural or close to it.  But even when she's almost pretty, there's still that line between her and pretty that she can't cross. 


Late in life, that's not an issue -- when she's playing Bobbie Adler on WILL & GRACE or Albert Brook's mother in MOTHER -- but when she's being cast in films where men like Frank Sinatra, Glenn Ford, Dick Van Dyke, etc are enthralled with her.


Her face is too thick and her eyes are too close for me -- and I don't mean wide cheekbones that taper off as you move towards the jaw, I mean she looks like she has the mumps and her lower face is about to explode.


This is all before my times, but I'll read something about how, for instance, Barbra Streisand was considered iffy for films because of her looks and I'll just be puzzled.  Barbra's to great eyes, great lips and a beautiful face.  She's also got a nice body and she comes across as very sensual onscreen -- yes, in THE WAY WE WERE but check out her chemistry with Ryan O'Neal in both WHAT'S UP DOC? and THE MAIN EVENT or the heat between her and Jeff Bridges in THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES. 


As an elderly performer and a character actress, Debbie's inability to leave the box of her own character -- she never seems to interact with others in most scenes -- is often funny. 


Shoving that into a leading lady slot in the 50s and 60s?  I don't know how they got away with it.




 

 

 

 

2023 Passings

These are the deaths community members found worthy of noting this year.

 

Lisa Presley -- Elaine noted her passing.


Christine McVie -- Kat covered her passing.

 

Adam Rich -- Marcia noted his passing.

 

Jeff Beck -- Kat noted his passing.

 

Lance Kerwin -- Rebecca noted his passing.


Barrett Strong -- Ruth noted his passing.

 

Lisa Loring -- Rebecca noted her passing.

 

Burt Bacharach -- Rebecca noted his passing.

 

Raquel Welch -- Elaine noted her passing.

 

Stella Stevens  -- Rebecca noted her passing.

 

Richard Belzer -- Ruth noted his passing.  

 

Kevin Alexander Gray -- C.I. notes his passing.

 

Pat Schroeder -- Kat noted her passing.

 

Lance Reddick -- Mike notes his passing.  

 

Darcelle XV -- Elaine notes his passing.

 

"Mark Russell" -- Ruth notes his passing 

 

"Elizabeth Hubbard" -- Trina notes her passing.

 

"Mary Quant and more Peabody nominations" -- Elaine notes a passing.

 

"Harry Belafonte" -- Kat notes a passing.


"
Gordon Lightfoot" -- Kat notes a passing.

 

"jacklyn zeman, rose schlossberg, john travolta and..." -- Rebecca notes the passing of Jacklyn Zeman.


 

"Iraq snapshot," "Tina Turner (1939 to 2023)," "The groundbreaker Tina Turner," "Tina Turner," "Lauren Boebert gets burned by AOC," "MAX and NETFLIX, Eva Longoria," "Tina Turner, Eric Swalwell, John Roberts," "They've ruined their reputation," "Hate merchant Tulsi Gabbard," "tina turner passed but the hideous gop lingers," "Tina " and "The wrong people are dying" -- The community notes the passing of Tina Turner.

 

 "Gay actor George Maharis has died" -- Stan notes the passing. 


"10 great songs that Cynthia Weil co-wrote" and "Cynthia Weil" -- Marcia and Kat note Cynthia Weil's passing.


"Hate merchant Pat Robertson has passed away" -- Kat notes the end of Pat Robertson.


"Glenda Jackson" -- Ruth notes the actress's passing.

 

 

"Iraq snapshot" -- C.I. notes the passing of Daniel Ellsberg.

 

"Andrea Evans" -- Kat notes the passing of a soap opera icon. 

 

"Tony Bennett" -- Kat notes the passing of a great singer.

 

"Paul Reubens," "Pee-Wee's Big Holiday" and "One more time on Pee-Wee Herman" -- Betty and Marcia note the passing of Paul Reubens.




 

 

 

 

 

Tweet of the week

 

Books

 

1summerread

 

"Mafia Wives (Susan Williams' WHITE MALICE)" -- C.I. reviews this book.

 

 "The Sewing Circle" -- Marcia reads Axel Madsen's THE SEWING CIRCLE.

 

 "Ellen Sander's The Lifestyle That Classic Rock Unleashed" -- Trina reviews this book.


"Phyllis Diller 1917 – 2012: News, Quotes, Interview" -- Ann reviews this book.


"Call Her Heroic (Ava and C.I.)" -- Ava and C.I. review this book.


"Boze Hadleigh's Hollywood Gays" -- Marcia reviews this book.

 

"Robert Sellers wrote a book of garbage" -- Kat reviews HOLLYWOOD HELLRAISERS.   

 

 

"SCREAM VI and THE BOYS" -- Stan reviews Ron and Clint Howard's THE BOYS.

 

 

"the world according to joan" -- Rebecca reviews this book.

 

 "Elton John and Whitney Houston" -- Kat reviews Elton John's autobiography and a biography on Whitney Houston.


"DON RICKLES: THE MERCHANT OF VENOM" -- Isaiah reviews this book.

 

"Crispy Calamari in the Kitchen" -- Trina reviews  AIR FRYER COOKBOOK FOR BEGINNERS: EFFORTLESSLY GRILL, ROAST AND BAKE HOMEMADE MEALS: YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS WITH QUICK, TASTY & HEALTHY RECIPES.

 

 "Vincent Price and Universal" -- Marcia reviews John L. Flynn's 75 YEARS OF UNIVERSAL MONSTERS and Vincent Price's I LIKE WHAT I KNOW: A VISUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY.

 

"3 books to skip" -- Kat reviews  Bertill Nordahl's CAT SEVENS, CARLY SIMON AND LEONARD COHEN AND ALL THE OTHERS, David Redford's NEIL& JONI: 2 LIVES, 21 ALBUMS and Ellen Sanders' ROCK AND ROLL WOMENHOOD: CASS ELLIOT, GRACE SLICK, LINDA RONSTADT, FANNY AND MORE.

 

"THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: AN UNNATURAL HISTORY" -- Mike reviews Elizabeth Kolbert's THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: AN UNNATURAL HISTORY.


"Paul Kupperberg's DIRECT CONVERSTIONS: TALKS WITH FELLOW DC COMICS BRONZE AGE CREATORS" -- Isaiah reviews this book.

 

"JOAN BAEZ: THE LAST LEAF" -- Ruth reviews  this book by Elizabeth Thomas.

 

 "A JOYOUS TRANSFORMATION: THE UNEXPURZGATED DIARY OF ANAIS NIN, 1966 -1977" -- Ruth reviews a book by Anais Nin.

 

"An aging queen writes a bitter book about The Way We Were" -- Marcia reviews a bad book about THE WAY WE WERE.

 

 

"Travis Stewart's bad book supposedly on Stevie Nicks" -- Kat reviews a bad book supposedly about Stevie Nicks.

 

"Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day"-- Trina strongly recommends this cookbook.


"GET LOST" -- Isaiah looks at this comic magazine


"Lucille Ball and HERE'S LUCY" -- Stan reads up on the second half of Lucille Ball's life.


"Melody Thomas Scott's Always Young and Restless: M..." -- Ann reviews this autobiography.


"ROCK AND ROLL NIGHTMARES" -- Elaine reviews this book about crime in the music world. 


"ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN" -- Kat reviews this book about the Mamas & the Papas.


"SAPIENS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANKIND" -- Mike reviews a science book.



"Stephen Rebello's DOLLS! DOLLS! DOLLS: DEEP INSIDE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, THE MOST BELOVED BAD BOOK AND MOVIE OF ALL TIME" -- Stan reviews a book about the making of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS.

 "Elizabeth Taylor -- two books" -- Ruth covers Katy Holborn's ELIZABETH TAYLOR: AN ELIZABETH TAYLOR BIOGRAPHY and Gian-Luca di Rocco's WOMEN IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT: CHARTING SOCIETAL PROGRESS THROUGH THE FILMS OF ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND JANE FONDA 1944-1981.

 

Hate merchants

 

This is a list of people who attack the LGBTQ+ community.  They're hate merchants and should be avoided at all costs.


1) Marjorie Taylor Green

2) Ron DeSantis

3) Lauren Boebert

4) Anthony Monteiro

5) J.K. Rowling

6) Kristi Noem

7) Kim Reynolds

8) Marco Rubio

9) Rand Paul

10) Tucker Carlson

11) Greg Abbott

12) Ron Johnson

13) Todd Aiken

14) Doug Lamborn

15) Dan Burton

16) Candace Cameron

17) Kirk Cameron

18) Jonathan Turley


19) Tulsi Gabbard


20) John Stauber 

 

21) Kid Rock

 

22) Matt Taibbi 


23) Riley Gaines

 

24) Anya Parampil

 

25) Matt Walsh

 

26) Gregg Abbott


27) (Butt Ugly) Moms For Liberty (aka Moms For Bigotry)

 

 28) Tiffany Justice


29) Tina Descovich

 

30) Bridget Ziegler

 

31) Megyn Kelly

32) Ana Kasparian

 

 33) Ben Burgis

 34) Jesse Singal

 

 ----------

 

Illustration is Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY "Bigot Becky Barks."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights

a park painting 11
 

This piece is written by Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude, Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix, Kat of Kat's Korner, Betty of Thomas Friedman is a Great Man, Mike of Mikey Likes It!, Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz, Ruth of Ruth's Report, Marcia of SICKOFITRADLZ, Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends, Ann of Ann's Mega Dub, Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts and Wally of The Daily Jot. Unless otherwise noted, we picked all highlights.

 

 

"Iraq: Al-Shorta advances in the King Salman Cup, a..." -- most requested highlight of the week.

 

THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Pride of the Boomers, Pride of the Senate," THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Alito Does Not Work For Ma Bell," THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Junior Topless, Nips To The Wind," THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Trump Charges Result In A GOP Slap Fight"  and THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Country Soft and Squishy" -- Isaiah's five comics for THE COMMON ILLS last week.

 

 "Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," "Iraq's government ignores climate change," "Iraq snapshot,"  "Crooked Clarence and a funder of SOUND OF FREEDOM facing child kidnapping charges," "Could we send the hate merchants off to their own island?," "NEW COMIC BOOKS RELEASING AUGUST 9th 2023 MARVEL COMICS & DC COMICS PREVIEWS COMING OUT THIS WEEK," "Hate merchants," "Bad economic news and those who betray faith," "Doo-Doo DeSantis is destroying Florida's economy," "Doo-Doo DeSantis remains a Nazi," "The turd becomes a sinking ship," "Crazy Marjorie Taylor Greene is screaming "Communist!"," "Lily Tomlin," "Isaiah on the boomers and RFK Jr. lies so more,"  "O'Shae Sibley's killer remains at large," "Sorry, I'm ok with the death penality for this one," "Yea Kamala! Boo Tuberville!," "Kamala," "Pee-Wee's Big Holiday," "Tara Reade's credibility problems," "The con artists exhausted themselves this weekend," "the continued decline of greenwald's mind," "tulsi garbage," "Alito and the corrupt Court," "One more time on Pee-Wee Herman," "Paul Reubens," "Why does FOX "NEWS" hate parents?,"  "Idiot of the week,"  "How badly will he destroy Florida?,"  "Trial junkies,"  "What is going on with audiences?," "O'Shae Sibley's murder," "Can we charge DeSantis too?," "The lousy and evil (Lorie Smith and the corrupt Court) and the good (Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith)," "Trump and his disgusting co-conspirators," "the awful ana kasparian, katie halper and dianne feinstein,"  "they're miserable so they want to destroy all of our rights,"  "The corruption and stupidity of Samuel Alito,"  "Doo-Doo Ron Ron becomes a sadder figure," "That crazy GOP," "THIS JUST IN! TRUMP TALKS DOO-DOO RON RON AND ENTERS NOT GUILTY PLEA!," "Casey is a work in progress as a female," "How much make up does it take to make Casey DeSantis look like a woman?," "He married a woman, he swears he did" and "THIS JUST IN! CASEY'S ALMOST READY FOR REAL TV!" -- news coverage in the community.

 
 
 
 "Elizabeth Taylor -- two books" -- book coverage in the community. 


"Flamy Grant,""Collecting vinyl," "Hideous Jason Aldean," and "THE BLUE ALBUM: 1967 - 1970" -- music coverage in the community.

 

 

"MEG 2: THE TRENCH," "Julian McMahon does a guest spot on JUST JACK & WILL," "Hasan Minhaj is the best we can do?," "Dumb Stephen Amell and Joe Rogan's crazies attack Jim Gaffifan" "Weekend box office" and  "minx" -- TV and movie coverage in the community.