15 Minutes Are Over
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Arizona students stage hunger strike to urge Sinema to support voting reform
the spell check suggestion for small-c christmas is masochist
@ChristianWalk1r should ask Milo Y. what will happen when his 15 minutes are over
BREAKING: Damien Kyle thrown out of house by Boyfriend Paul Canon
I could definitely do a scene with a girl it wouldn’t be hard for me
How Many Advertisements Are We Exposed to Daily? 6k – 10k by some estimates
The American Addiction to Speeding How we became obsessed with driving fast …
Lacking Indictment Prompts Judge to Order Bond for 2 in Murder for Hire Case
Lifelines: The life cycle of a psychic, from ‘talented’ kid to clairvoyant life coach
spell check suggestion for warhol is warhorse ~ i saw an all caps meme about bell hooks
a theory is a hypothesis that passed the test ~ can white people say “denigrate” ?
Six Bay Area Men Arrested For a Staggering 70 Attacks on Asian Women
Understanding Multiracial Whiteness And Trump Supporters
the spell check suggestion of pfizermectin is imperfection
Robert Wright joins the party, rings out a year of the Blob
Loudoun Co. FOI Request #1: The Equity Collaborative Documents
How to pray to a dead God The modern world is disenchanted. God remains dead. …
More Than Skin Deep let actors act, let racial and cultural lines continue to blur
Glenn Loury, Chicago born, on woke policy feeding violent urban crime
Jason Isbell Is Tired Of Country’s Love Affair With White Nostalgia
Online Culture YouTuber StanChris’ everyday videos have real world impact
The “Middle Ground” Between Trans People and Transphobes? | Kat Blaque
Dr. McCullough Describes ‘Ways’ Doctors Are Restricted From Treating COVID
Joe Rogan’s Interview With Dr. Peter McCullough | A Doctor Explains
mccullough ~ flappy bird ~ claudine longet ~ hangout ~ bee
winston ~ ivor cutler ~ shirl nix ~ mattilda ~ velvet underground
mortimer durand ~ snl ~ amos swank ~ magic city ~ ts madison
con law ~ virus total ~ battle of britain ~ rivian ~ 2g1c reaction
2g1c reaction ~ matthew allen smith ~ clairmont road ~ clairmont road ~ 😤
mahones ~ rock paper scissors ~ weapons ~ bell hooks ~ ben franklin
boot ~ peter mccullough ~ ogelthorpe hotel ~ gandhi religion ~ repost
elon musk ~ venire ~ mackenzie phillips ~ know panter ~ greek ~ ogden nash
ogden nash ~ x theater ~ justin smollett ~ camp gordon ~ commander cody ~ democrats
The monday morning reads here have been missing for a while. The chamblee54 monday morning reader continues. If GeorgiaPol is interested, this could be the new monday morning reads. ~ @jk_rowling War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman. ‘Absurdity’ of police logging rapists as women ~ @SethAbramson Sorry, J.K., but if a self-described trans (alleged) rapist is indeed a trans person, there’s no harm or foul here—the policy just ensures proper recordkeeping. And if the suspect *falsely* claims to be trans, that lie will be used against them at their rape trial. No issue here. ~ @SethAbramson Let me be crystal clear: no part of the TERF position on this has *anything* to do with protecting women. It has to do with erasing the existence of trans people. Women are being used as rhetorical human shields by misogynistic bigots and it’s f****** backward and embarrassing. ~ The original lyrics to “Georgia On My Mind” said “Just a little song.” Hoagy Carmichael changed little to old sweet. No one is sure whether Georgia is a girl, or a state. ~ It is estimated that the average person is exposed to 6,000 – 10,000 ads per day. We are constantly being fed information, motivation, and exasperation. Well meaning memes contribute to the onslaught. Even if you ignore it, you have been exposed to it. Some of these memes are worthwhile, and some are not. Even if your consciousness is elevated, your peace of mind is affected. One way to look at meditation is as a way of clearing out the mind. Instead of pouring information in, you enter a quiet space, and let the fire cool down. If someone is trying to improve you with memes, this gets in the way. ~ @WokeTemple I wouldn’t say lies. I would say manipulation of truths. This professor takes the FOX-News/MSNBC/CNN approach: We seldom lie outright, but we cherry-pick facts, ignore other facts, and twist facts to create a narrative. Yes, in a way it’s a lie. It’s lying without lying. LOL. ~ Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock. Ben Hecht ~ Vesania madness, insanity, mental derangement ~ “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” Hunter S. Thompson, “Fear and Loathing at the Super Bowl” Rolling Stone, 28 February 1974 ~ p.24 They are not mad. They’re trained to believe, not to know. Belief can be manipulated. Only knowledge is dangerous. – Frank Herbert ~ @chamblee54 “he probably got twice as much air time as i got but i probably said twice as much content as he said” thats what she said ~ “didn’t believe that n$$$$$ for a minute” ~ The Theme “My Halo isn’t Broken” … my halo is still in the box. the styrofoam packing absorbed the luster ~ pictures today are from The Library of Congress. ~ selah
The Durand Line
The United States is spoiled by the acceptance of our international frontiers. The Rio Grande, and the oceans, are obvious. While the Canadian border was a matter of contention at one time, it has been accepted for many years. In many parts of the world, where one country ends and another begins is casus belli, or reason to start a war.
In 1893, what is now Pakistan was known as India, a part of the British empire. The Foreign Secretary of this government was a gentleman named Mortimer Durand. In 1893 a border was drawn between Afghanistan and India, which became known as the Durand Line. There are stories of British dirty deeds. Much of what is today Pakistan arguably belongs to Afghanistan, or an independent Balochistan. This is a repost, with photographs from The Library of Congress.
Philosophy Of 2Girls1Cup
A few years ago, the video “2girls1cup” was the rage of the day. A trailer for a trash Brazilian movie, the featurette shows two buxom young ladies sharing a plastic cup. The contents of the cup are supposed to be human waste … many suspect it is chocolate ice cream. Later, one of the players shares a technicolor yawn with the other. A plastic supply tube may be a prop.
The video is not in wide circulation today. If you go to the original site, you see 2girls1cup.com nothing but porn, another opportunity to buy smut. It is just as well. Before posting a live address, it is time for the DISCLAIMER.
It is not suggested that you watch this. If you are sensitive, have a heart condition, or have just eaten (like, in the last month), you may want to look at something else. It is gross, disgusting, and without redeeming social value. It is not safe for work, and has great danger for play.
The original film is available at a .ca web address. This commentary goes with it: What is Two Girls One Cup ? Two girls one cup (aka 2 girls 1 cup & cup video) is a trailer that was released in 2007 for the artistic film “Hungry Bitches” made by MFX Media. The daring work of art is an allegory for the concept of spiritual awakening. It examines the prevalent ideologies that are internalized in our culture, and in true post-modern form; the thematic piece tends to raise more questions than answers. The philosophical film has varying interpretations, which is why the 2 girls 1 cup film is still analysed and debated about to this date.
Chamblee54 has weighed in on this “matter” before. If you google “2girls1cup snopes,” Philosophy Of 2Girls1Cup is result number five. The dreaded “number two” result was from the Urban Dictionary, 2 girls 1 cup scam. “It’s probably a mixture of coffee cream cake filling and crunchy peanut butter”.
PG doubts that the creators of this epic had a message. They just wanted to make a bit of cheesy scat porn. Just because the creators of a work don’t intend for it to be a myth, that doesn’t stop the determined believer. Did the Council of Nicea intend their church canon to be taken as the inerrant Word of G-d? The texts in that canon were often allegorical stories, not literal truth.
Is there a deeper truth inherent in a tawdry vignette of snacking sisters? Maybe the cup is the Christ figure. The deposit in the cup represents the sin of mankind, forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus took the sins of man on his shoulders, and paid the price for these sins, just as the cup received the product of a young lady’s digestive system.
The trouble is, the girls then ate the forbidden flop. This compares to the way the church of Jesus Worship recycles sin. The poisonous anger and rudeness that Jesus paid for on the cross are fed back to the eager believers every Sunday.
After the excremental dessert, the actress hurled onto the breast of her willing dining companion. This stands in for the verbal abuse showered on worshipers every Sunday. Professional Jesus Worshipers project a vile output on the pew warmers. They think they are going to heaven as a result. Was this the message the producers of this video intended? The best course of action might be refusing to partake of the product. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
A Cynic
“A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.” ― Oscar Wilde. This quote is one of Oscar’s greatest hits. If you think about it for a minute, it is not totally accurate. You are not supposed to think. Quoting Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde is about sounding clever, not making sense. Did he really create that definition of a cynic? This is a repost.
Oscar Wilde is a quote magnet. This is more than something you put on your refrigerator. When people hear something clever, odds are good that Oscar will get the blame. As Dorothy Parker wrote: “If, with the literate, I am, Impelled to try an epigram, I never seek to take the credit; We all assume that Oscar said it. [Life Magazine, June 2, 1927]”
Wikiquote says this line is from Act III of Lady Windermere’s Fan. It was spoken by Lord Darlington. Did the play write intend for the line to be taken seriously, or was he making the character look foolish by saying it? With Oscar Wilde, it could be both of these things at the same time.
Principle Four, of the four principles of quotations, reads “Only quote from works that you have read.” In the case of Lady Windemere’s Fan, this would mean a youtube video of the play. There is a posh BBC production available. You don’t have to watch the cell phone recording of high school players.
Lady Windemere’s Fan is a production where upper class Brits say clever things in glorious costumes. Nobody ever goes to the bathroom, or looks less than perfect. Lady Windemere’s six month old child is neither seen, nor heard. Lady Windemere finds out her husband, Lord Windemere, is having an affair with a Mrs. Erlynne. The Lord proceeds to invite the floozy to Lady Windemere’s birthday party.
After the party, the men go to their club, then to Lord Darlington’s room. There are five men in the conversation, beginning with Lord Windemere. Lord Darlington has just told Lady Windemere that he loves her, and wants her to run off with him. Lady Windemere said no. Lord Augustus is a suitor of Mrs. Erlynne, and is begging her to marry him. Cecil Graham, and Mr. Dumby, wear their splendid costumes with conviction.
The scene starts with the men saying clever things, most of them insulting to someone. Lord Augustus, or Tuppy, is the butt of many jokes. Before long, we get this exchange:
Dumby. I don’t think we are bad. I think we are all good, except Tuppy.
Lord Darlington. No, we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Dumby. We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars? Upon my word, you are very romantic to-night, Darlington.
Cecil Graham. Too romantic! You must be in love. Who is the girl?
Lord Darlington. The woman I love is not free, or thinks she isn’t. [Glances instinctively at Lord Windermere while he speaks.]
A few minutes later, we hear another famous Oscarism.
Lord Darlington. What cynics you fellows are!
Cecil Graham. What is a cynic? [Sitting on the back of the sofa.]
Lord Darlington. A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Cecil Graham. And a sentimentalist, my dear Darlington, is a man who sees an absurd value in everything, and doesn’t know the market price of any single thing.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Ansel Adams And Dorothea Lange
The facebook feed has recently had links to a story, Dorothea Lange’s Censored Photographs of FDR’s Japanese Concentration Camps. Miss Lange was the photographer of the iconic Migrant Mother. After Pearl Harbor, Miss Lange took a job with the War Relocation Authority, documenting the “relocation” of Japanese-Americans to interment camps. The photographs did not please the authorities. They were censored, and only appeared recently. This is a repost.
Ansel Adams also took photographs at the Manzanar, California, camp. In the current stories, he is literally a footnote: quotes were used from a book about his photography. Why is Dorothea Lange receiving attention, while Ansel Adams is ignored?
One answer is that Miss Lange was hired early on, and shows the harsh reality of relocation. “On July 30, 1942, the WRA laid her off “without prejudice,” adding that the cause was “completion of work…. the WRA impounded the majority of her photographs of Manzanar and the forced detentions, and later deposited 800 image from the series in the National Archives without announcement.”
“After Lange’s departure, Manzanar’s director Ralph Merritt visited renowned environmentalist and landscape photographer Ansel Adams and suggested he document the camp — Merritt and Adams were friends from the Sierra Club. Lange, also friends with Adams, encouraged him to take the job. (Coincidentally Adams printed “Migrant Mother” for her ) …Ansel Adams made several trips to Manzanar between October 1943 and July 1944 for this new personal project, and, as Alinder writes, he was primed to try the kind of documentary photography regularly practiced by Dorothea Lange and the Farm Security Administration that he had earlier shunned. Unlike Lange, a white woman who had been viewed with suspicion by her subjects, Adams was welcomed by the incarcerees, even greeted as a celebrity in a cultural community that had a deep appreciation of nature — many incarcerees at Manzanar literally opened their doors to him dressed in their finest clothes. … By 1943, Manzanar’s incarcarees had had time to settle in and enjoy the fruits of their collective work. In less than ideal surroundings, they had collectively built their own post office, town hall, library, auditorium, co-op store system, police station, jail, cemetery with memorial, published their own newspaper (the ironically named the Manzanar Free Press, which was regularly censored by the military), and even their own YMCA.”
“As for Lange, looking at the historical record, it appears that she was treated differently from the other WRA photographers. She was discouraged from talking to the incarcerees, was constantly followed by a censor, and faced harassment. She was refused access to areas after being given clearance, and she was often hounded over phone charges and receipts. … After being discharged, Lange expressed in letters her dismay that her work was ineffective in helping the people she documented. Her assistant Christina Clausen later noted the ferocity of this body of work also marked the beginning of the photographer’s bleeding gastric ulcers. Lange was unable to work for a number of years after her harrowing experience at Manzanar. She died from esophageal cancer in 1965.”
“In 1944, Adams’s photographs were published as a book, “Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese Americans,” and shown at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Nativists took offense. They saw Adams’s work as a slur on the war effort. He was a “Jap lover.” This quote is from a 2016 article, Let’s be honest, Ansel Adams’s images of a WWII internment camp are propaganda
“Adams visited Manzanar to take photos in 1943 at the request of camp director Ralph Merritt, who was a personal friend. “They don’t look quite as dusty and quite as forbidding as Dorothea Lange’s photos … Indeed, the place that looks barren and depressing in Lange’s pictures manages to look beautiful in Adams’. You get little sense that it was even a detention center, in part because Adams, like other photographers, was not allowed to shoot the guard towers or barbed wire…
There are scenes from a baseball game, kids walking to school, a gathering outside a chapel. Lots of smiles, too, and portraits of camp residents cropped so close, you can see every blemish and stray hair. In Adams’ vision, Manzanar comes off as a place where Japanese-Americans, dignified, resilient and optimistic in spite of their circumstances, built a temporary community in the desert.
(Skirball Cultural Center director Robert) Kirschner said that if Adams’ photos appear to sugarcoat the indignities of life in an internment camp, it is because he did not see himself as a social activist the way Lange did. Still, Kirscher says, Adams was challenging internment in his own way, by depicting its victims as patriotic, law-abiding Americans. Unlike Lange, Adams was given permission to publish his photos. Before the war ended, he did so in a book called “Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese Americans,” in which he warned about the dangers of letting wartime hysteria justify depriving U.S. citizens of their freedom.”
The NPR article mentions a third Manzanar photographer. “Before World War II, Toyo Miyatake had a photo studio in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo. When he learned he would be interned at Manzanar, he asked a carpenter to build him a wooden box with a hole carved out at one end to accommodate a lens. He turned this box into a makeshift camera that he snuck around the camp, as his grandson Alan Miyatake explains in the video below, which is featured in the exhibit.
Fearful of being discovered, Miyatake at first only took pictures at dusk or dawn, usually without people in them. Camp director Merritt eventually caught Miyatake, but instead of punishing him, allowed him to take pictures openly. Miyatake later became the camp’s official photographer.”
Pictures for today’s feature are from The Library of Congress. These are pictures that Ansel Adams took at Manzanar. They have been posted at chamblee54 before. The ladies in the bridge game are Aiko Hamaguchi, Chiye Yamanaki, Catherine Yamaguchi, and Kazoko Nagahama.
Thanksgiving Letter to the Family
Margaret and Helen, against all odds, still have a blog. Naysayers insist that it is concocted by a computer savvy grandson. Never mind that most of those types have gone cell phone crazy, and left their blogs behind. One of the traditions at M&H is the Thanksgiving Letter to the Family. Here is the 2018 version. Pictures for this holiday season are from The Library of Congress. The men were Confederate soldiers, from the War Between the States.
Dear Family, As we gather again for another Thanksgiving, I’d like to set up some house rules. I know I’m not the head cook anymore, but I’m still the head of the household so listen up:
No cell phones at the dinner table. No feet (big or tiny) on my furniture. No jello-salad.
Parenting is a full-time job. You don’t get the holiday off. Watch your kids and make sure there is some food on their plate that has color. Carrots. Green beans. Yams. Something more than just mashed potatoes. They might not eat any, but it’s never too soon to introduce them to each other. It would be easier if I was still the cook and everything had a little bacon grease to help it go down, but in this age of vegavegan-gluttenfree-halffat-lesssodium-nosugaradded, I can’t be responsible for how the food tastes anymore. Gone are the days of the three master spices: salt, pepper and bacon grease.
No jello-salad. I’m serious about this. The only thing that jiggles at my house this Thanksgiving will be your Aunt Trudy after a few glasses of wine.
I’ve lived a long life and along the way, I’ve collected a few nice things. I don’t put them away for company and I don’t put them away for family. Eventually your child needs to learn the meaning of the word No. Let’s make that happen today. We watch football in the family room on TV. We throw footballs outside on the lawn. And when you do go outside, shut the door behind you. I don’t need to air condition the whole neighborhood. And if Mr. Briggers next door tells you to stay off his lawn, tell him to stay off my last nerve. That man is the one bad bulb that ruins the whole string of lights.
If you want to talk politics sit next to me, but if you own a MAGA hat be warned. Your President is an asshat and I’m old enough to speak my mind regardless of your precious feelings. If I were you, I’d practice don’t ask, don’t tell because even when I mind my Ps and Qs, I can still spell bullshit.
No jello-salad.
If your child still wears diapers, you will leave with the same number of them as you had when you arrived. Bag them up and take them with you. The trash man doesn’t come again until next Tuesday and the last thing I need is a trash can full of baby poop. No exceptions to this rule. You’re dealing with a woman who washed cloth diapers so this would be an argument you will lose.
You know I love you. And I am indeed thankful for my family. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke. Follow the rules and we’ll all get along just fine.
No jello-salad. I mean it. Really.
With love, Aunt Helen/Mom/Grandma
The Curious Score
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The Curious Score for John Cage’s “Silent” Zen Composition 4’33”
Joe Rogan asks Ted Nugent which hand he uses.
Zangeres Ari Lennox maakt excuses aan KLM voor gedrag op Schiphol
The Poisonous Left-Liberal Mentality on Dialogue and Race Glenn Greenwald
Some people’s idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like, but …
On Tim Pool And Ideological Capture And Online Cruelty
The Push for Equity in Education Hurts Vulnerable Children the Most
Expelled from my university course for holding gender critical views
MLB owners lock out players for 1st work stoppage since 1995
Did Catholic church oppose street lights? Some notes on Papal States in 1830s
The Emotions Recognized in Vocal Bursts Within this interactive map …
Anger, Shame, Sadness, and Race in America | Glenn Loury & John McWhorter
law enforcement agency’s arrest record of juvenile arrested for felony may be released.
specialized healthcare for transgender adolescents is a relatively new field
Stephen Glass, the most notorious fraud in journalism, decided he would live by one …
Ashford Dunwoody Road/Peachtree Road Intersection Improvement
Ben Roethlisberger expects this to be his last season with Pittsburgh Steelers
Waukesha Killer Feels “Demonized” After Murdering 6 In Cold Blood
Forced choices reveal a trade-off between cognitive effort and physical pain
James Crumbley’s ex says he left them strapped for cash, calls Jennifer a ‘monster’
russia avant garde ~ bob dole ~ s-town ~ James and Jennifer Crumbley ~ adam and andy
pussy tourette ~ artimus pyle ~ kamala ~ repost ~ don rickles
ethan crumbly ~ n-word ~ n-word ~ i’m not gonna rant here ~ pearl harbor
host/hostess ~ 741741 ~ @ShinigamiEyesT ~ Shinigami Eyes ~ maria callas
baby name wizard ~ repost ~ richard richards ~ delve immersive ~ baldwin
garbo ~ truist data breach ~ mathboifly ~ alvin lucier ~ hyphen
repost ~ ted nugent ~ 4’33” ~ swer ~ ari lennox
fauci ~ ari lennox ~ georgia vs alabama ~ Madeleine Albright
In May of 1996, 60 Minutes aired an interview with Madeleine Albright, who at the time was Clinton’s U.N. ambassador. Correspondent Leslie Stahl said to Albright, “We have heard that a half-million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And — and, you know, is the price worth it?” ~ Fact Check: Japan Did NOT Endorse Ivermectin As COVID-19 Treatment — Cases Plummeted For Another Reason ~ False Information Found in Your Post Independent fact-checkers at Lead Stories say information in your post is partly false. To stop the spread of false news, we’ve added a notice to your post. People who repeatedly share false information might have their posts moved lower in News Feed so other people are less likely to see them. Did Japan endorse the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19, sending cases plummeting in late August 2021? No,… All fact-checkers who partner with Facebook must be signatories of the International Fact-Checking Network and follow their Code of Principles. Learn more about how Facebook works with independent fact-checkers to stop the spread of false information. ~ @chamblee54 Replying to @GlennLoury and @JohnHMcWhorter “I’m not gonna rant here” Later in the show, Glenn says what the transcript calls [ __ ] . It was probably the magic word. one two @UNCHussman was going to pay @nhannahjones $180k for her services ~ @chamblee54 @GlennLoury @JohnHMcWhorter Increasingly, I find race to be boring Narcotizing disfunction is real. I hear sooo much about race, and the penalties for expressing an unpopular opinion are sooo severe Life is too short ~ pictures today are from The Library of Congress. ~ selah
Teachable Moment
PG was invited to view a zoom reading. A group of people submitted poems for an anthology. Some of the poems were selected for publication. Wednesday night, some of these poets read their work.
Before the linked video, a man spoke. He said that racism would not be tolerated. If you said anything racist, you would be kicked out of the presentation. PG found this a bit odd. Poets tend to be painfully woke. Telling poets not to say anything racist is like telling preachers not to worship Satan.
The poets spoke. There was one Latino, no African Americans, and White People. Anything they read had been chosen for publication. Did the editors include a racist poem in the anthology?
Facebook had another well intended meme. It was about a teacher, telling her class about the Salem witch trials. PG does not know the full story of the SWT. He suspects the legend does not accurately describe the real event. However, the SWT story provides a “teachable moment.” It is easy to substitute “racist” for “witch”.
“One of my friends told me about a powerful lesson in her daughter’s high school class this winter. They’re learning about the Salem Witch Trials, and their teacher told them they were going to play a game. “I’m going to come around and whisper to each of you whether you’re a racist or a normal person. Your goal is to build the largest group possible that does NOT have a racist in it. At the end, any group found to include a racist gets a failing grade.”
The teens dove into grilling each other. One fairly large group formed, but most of the students broke into small, exclusive groups, turning away anyone they thought gave off even a hint of guilt.
“Okay,” the teacher said. “You’ve got your groups. Time to find out which ones fail. All racists, please raise your hands.” No one raised a hand. The kids said the teacher had messed up the game.
“Did I? Was anyone in Salem an actual racist? Or did everyone just believe what they’d been told?” And that is how you teach kids how easy it is to divide a community. Keep being welcoming, beautiful people. Shunning, scapegoating and dividing destroy far more than they protect. We’re all in this together.” Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
Podcasts 2021
People who like to share opinions have been posting “Best podcasts of 2021” pieces. PG is a podcast consumer, and has written on the subject before. (one two three) This is a good time to catch up on 2021. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
The sport of downloading podcast files continues to evolve. If a show is no longer available, there will be a dozen more. Sometimes, you are not smart enough to find a link, and must listen to the show at a website. Another option is the megaphone feed. This is a page, with many lines of code. You scroll down the page, and see title, and the name of the episode. You scroll a bit further down the page, and see an .mp3, usually in blue letters. Highlight this file, left click, select Save Link As, and click ok. These shows depend on support from listeners. If you want to help, all these shows will offer you a way. If you support a show, you are a wonderful human being.
Blocked and Reported comes out at 10 am, EST, on Monday. It is a star podcast for 2021. Perpetrated by Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal, BAR tracks various instances of internet wierdness. K&J have a good natured antagonism which borders on obnoxious, but does not go over the line (yet.) K&J cover many social justice embarrassments, with quotable results.
Once Upon a Time… at Bennington College is a sequel to OUAT … In the Valley, which chamblee54 discussed here. The current show is about the college adventures of Bret Easton Ellis, Jonathan Lethem, and Donna Tartt. Host Lili Anolik has a slightly tacky style, which works well for a slightly tacky story. Bret Easton Ellis is heard from, unlike Donna Tartt. She has sent lawyer letters, telling the players to take down the show.
Bret Easton Ellis has his own podcast, which has long been a PG favorite. That is, when BEEP is available for free. Bret plays the paywall game, which is tons of fun. BEEP was available on stitcher earlier this year, then it wasn’t. PG got into the habit of googling BEEP rss, hoping to find the show. A few weeks ago it turned up on Stitcher again. Who knows how long it will last.
PG was delighted to see BEEP return because of The Shards. This was a 27 part serial about the high school days (daze) of young Bret. TS has sex, drugs, high school drama, murder, more sex, much more drugs, conspicuous consumption, money, more sex, and more drugs. One BEEP disappearance was 13 episodes in, so when BEEP returned, there were 14 episodes to binge on. Mental health is overrated.
Blog pioneer Andrew Sullivan has a show. A few of the episodes were great. The Glenn Greenwald episode had two aging queens taking potshots at each other. Michael Wolff goes on about the mental illness fueling Donald Trump, and never bothers to mention his racial attitudes. The Democrats did America a disservice by making “the resistance” all about racism.
Bari Weiss has a dandy show. The first edition that PG heard was about Amy Cooper, the “Central Park Karen.” That story has a lot of details that never got widespread circulation. Ms. Weiss is someone that PG takes a cafeteria approach to. Many of her podcast episodes are excellent. OTOH, some of her opinions about Israel are beyond horrible. Another opinion comes from The Root: “Bari Weiss, a fellow white woman who is in the running for Kareniest Karen who ever Karened in the history of Klanned Karenhood.”
Cocaine & Rhinestones returned for season two, and it is a doozy. Many shows last over an hour, and open with a discussion of topics ranging from bullfighting to refrigeration. This season focuses on George Jones, and Tammy Wynette. There is so much to wade through here.
Love is a Crime tells the story of Joan Bennett and Walter Wanger. The latter was known to say “Everyone talks about agents, but I’m the one who did something.” LIAC was co-hosted by @KarinaLongworth. She is the host of You Must Remember This, and perhaps the ad reader in podcast land. YMRT is continuing to crank out shows, with Sammy and Dino telling the story of Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. YMRT is well crafted, and fun to listen to.
No Place Like Home tells about the disappearance of the Ruby Red slippers, worn by Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” To Live and Die in LA returns for a second season, full of slimy characters doing awful things. This is another show that PG stumbled onto after a few episodes, and spent a few lost days binge listening to all the criminality. There are lots of other shows out there … and out there is the appropriate phrase to use. Just remember to eat, and get enough sleep. You will be ok.
Racist Romance Writer Smackdown
In twitterland, there is a list of trending topics. The other day, the top trend was #IStandWithCourtney The trend topping #ISWC tweet: Jingle Elle Maruska (they/them) @ellle_em “#IStandWithCourtney Calling out racism is not being racist Pointing out someone’s unethical behavior is not being unethical I stand with Courtney because white feelings are in no way more important than fighting for marginalized people’s right to exist in any & all spaces” If you think you know where this is headed, you are probably correct. This is a repost from 2019.
Perez Hilton puts it all in a nutshell. “What’s it all about? It’s about racism, injustice, and of course erotic tales of ribald fantasy. Yep, it’s drama in the world of romance novelists! This month the Romance Writers of America suspended author Courtney Milan (presumably asking her to turn in her badge and her quill) over what they called a violation of their code of ethics.”
“So what had Milan, the author of such historical Harlequins as A Kiss For Midwinter … done to deserve this literary excommunication? Apparently fellow novelists Suzan Tisdale (Secrets of the Heart) and Kathryn Lynn Davis (Too Deep For Tears) filed a formal complaint over a twitter thread … in which Milan — a Chinese American author — called out one of Davis’ books for being racist.”
Smart Bitches Trashy Books, LLC has more on this bodice-ripping badass, with documentation galore. (Davis complaint, Tisdale complaint I, Tisdale complaint II) “… whether it’s a publishing house deciding that a contract with a white supremacist is a good idea, or a writer’s organization deciding that white supremacy is the right decision ethically … “
The twitter thread is can’t-miss reading. @courtneymilan read a sample of Somewhere lies the moon. There was a twitter reaction, that will live in infamy. @courtneymilan “And we’ve been talking about Sue Grimshaw? Someone sent me a link to a book written by the other editor, Kathryn Lynn Davis, and is a fucking racist mess.”
The Davis complaint notes that the Milan opinion is based on reading a sample of SLTM. By her own admission, @courtneymilan did not finish the sample, much less read the book. @courtneymilan “Here’s the book. I didn’t finish the sample. I didn’t need to.”
Racism smackdown fans are probably asking, what was so fucking racist messy about SLTM? The accuser is Chinese-American, as is the racially besmirched character. No forbidden words, beginning with N, were used. It is not that type of racism.
The damning nanoagressions are documented in a series of tweets. Here are a few. The part following a link is by @courtneymilan. Transcribed screen shots are identified as (SS). If you click on the link, you can see the entire screen shot. This might help you understand the situation better.
@courtneymilan “This book is like a bingo card of OH GOD DID YOU REALLY. Start out with the heroine, who is the obligatory blue-eyed half-Chinese woman.” (SS) “Lian was twenty-five, tall and lithe, with the thick black hair and bronze skin of the Chinese”@courtneymilan “I mean…. that doesn’t really happen. (Genevra is half-Indian and also blue-eyed.) But also… like. Of course. This is like such a standard racist trope. WHY.”
@courtneymilan “Here is our half-Chinese woman remembering her past, where she is explicitly told that the future is the West, and that for Chinese women, compliance is the rule. SIGH.” (SS)”I am a captive of my own history, but I have raised you to be free, to move forward toward the future – and the future is the West.” “I was no’ askin’ what your parents wanted, but what ye want for yourself” “It is not important. It is not a question I ask myself. In China Shun, compliance, is the rule for women”
@courtneymilan “Here she is, meeting another Chinese family in London. I’m gonna be honest: I don’t know how I feel about “bronze” as the “standard” for Chinese skin (prior tweets), but I *do* know how I feel about “yellow.” And about almond eyes.” (SS) “…their thick blue-black hair and bronze faces, turned slightly yellow by the London climate, were unmistakably Chinese, as were their slanted almond eyes” @courtneymilan “Note that this in Lian’s point of view. She was raised in China. She only describes the Chinese people by skin color/eye slant, not the white people. She’s literally describing absolutely normal people to her as if she were a white woman talking about a foreigner.”
@courtneymilan “Oh, I was searching for something else and found this: In China, women didn’t learn anything.” (SS) “In China, no woman was taught much more than cooking and sewing and the graceful art of pleasing her husband.”
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Believe Your Way To Hell
These 666 words are a repost from 2010. It is based on a post at 22 Words. At that time, 22 Words was a quirky blog, with the emphasis on comments of 22 words or less. Today, 22 Words is a corporate blog. The top trending story now is “This Is Why You Should NEVER Put Toilet Paper On a Toilet Seat.” If you want to skip over the text, and look at the pictures, you will be forgiven. These monochrome pictures are from the FSA/PWI collection at The Library of Congress.
This post is about life after death, and belief. Originally, the comment was going to be about gaining life after death through belief in Jesus, but the comment was over the 22 word limit. To get to the limit, the reference to Jesus was taken out. Did this substantially alter the meaning of the statement? Is it the matter of belief that counts, or does it have to be a specific belief about Jesus? And why should this matter to living people?
PG feels the pain that Jesus has caused him on a daily basis. He is not likely to change his mind about this religion, no matter how many people talk about it. It is unlikely that very many Jesus worshipers have changed their mind either … questioning your beliefs is the opposite of “faith.” Many are scared of going to hell if they have the wrong opinions. This is not how PG wants to live.
22 Words is a regular stop for PG. The idea is to say what you need to say in 22 words or less. The owner of the blog does not enforce this rule, and few commenters practice it. The opening serve of the thread was “Do difficult times make you more or less empathetic? For me the answer is both. Some struggles I’ve faced make me more understanding of others. But sometimes I feel like: “I got over it; why can’t you?” (36 words). The comments took on the colors of Jesus Worship, which is to be expected at TwentyTwoWords.
Chamblee54/ “I feel that way about life after death obsessed Jesus Worshipers. Is there an etymological link between arrogant and air head?” Christen “Speaking of life after death, I’m just starting Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven and very convinced on the importance of being much more focused on our life after death. What did you mean by that, Chamblee?” chamblee54 “I feel the emphasis placed on life after death is mistaken. I disagree with the Jesus worship beliefs on life after death.” christen “Thanks for the reply, chamblee. I think I’m either inexperienced in “the emphasis placed on life after death” debate/issue (?) and “Jesus worship beliefs” or just don’t understand what you’re saying. Either way, I know I can’t wait to be in that place with that person!”
At this point, PG saw the dialog spinning off topic. This was his fault, to a degree, and he felt a responsibility to bring it back into line. The suspicion was that Christen was a Jesus Worshiper, who had never questioned a set of beliefs handed to her. A key portion of this was the life after death issue, which to PG is a fundamental flaw with Jesus Worship Religion. (PG disagrees with the concept of attaining life after death through holding certain beliefs about Jesus. PG also disagrees with the emphasis place on life after death in Jesus Worship.)
Chamblee54 “This is starting to get off topic. I suspect you have never questioned the concept of acquiring life after death through beliefs.” That clocks in at precisely 22 words. The original comment was about acquiring life after death through belief in Jesus. To bring this under the 22 word limit, PG decided to eliminate the reference to Jesus. And there was a realization that the fundamental meaning of the comment was not changed. If the status of one’s post-mortem soul can be changed by a belief during life … a highly suspect concept to PG … does it matter what the belief is?
Flying Spaghetti Monster
There has been talk about the flying spagetti monster. FSM was originally created in response to the Kansas State Board of Education. KSBE ruled that alternatives to evolution needed to be taught in public schools, including some contraption known as intelligent design. There was talk about whirlwinds rampaging through warehouses, and creating jet engines.
FSM is a satire religion, in the footsteps of the invisible pink unicorn. Bertrand Russell wrote of an interplanetary teapot, which can contain the beverage for the spaghetti supper. FSM is often used as a substitute for the G word, G-d. Whether or not Mr. Dammit approves is uncertain. OTOH, nobody ever said the FSM got an under-aged virgin pregnant.
In this rumble for the hearts and minds of the unwashed masses, G-d has an advantage over FSM. The G word is a marketing dream. It is short, easy to say, and understood by almost everyone who speaks English. While people have different ideas about G-d, everyone recognizes the name.
FSM, has eight syllables. Spaghetti is notoriously tough to spell. Unless you have heard about the antics of the FSM, you can expect some empty stares when you talk about her.
When PG was in school, he wrote a restaurant article. He did not know how to spell spaghetti. The dictionary showed nothing of value in under spe and spi, where logic tells you to look. Finally, PG got the yellow pages out, and looked for a spaghetti restaurant.
This is a repost, with pictures from The Library of Congress.
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