Month: November 2021

Adrastos, Comedy, Film, Fog Of History, Fog Of Scandal, Law/Justice, Legal Docket, Political Crack, Q, The Darnold2 Comments

Never Give A Sucker An Even Break

Peter Adrastos Athas

It will be no surprise to our readers that I think that Trumpism is a con, scam, and grift. Fleecing suckers is the Impeached Insult Comedian’s lifetime avocation, make that vocation. Sometimes the con job is legal: casinos in Atlantic City. Sometimes it’s not: Trump University. But it’s always a con.

That brings me to two of Trump World’s most blatant con artists: disgraced General Mike Flynn and professional asshole Steve Bannon. They both received pardons in the waning days of the Trump regime. They’re both out there shaking down Trumper suckers. Only one of them has been indicted again but I wouldn’t bet against Flynn joining Bannon in the dock.

We begin by going in like Flynn. I really should stop using the Errol Flynn trial line but I’m incorrigible. In the early days of the Mike Flynn scandal, I had some sympathy for him because of his distinguished military record. I’m a sucker for a guy in uniform. More importantly, he originally pled guilty and agreed to take his medicine until MAGA lawyer Sydney Powell took over his defense. That’s when shit got weird.

As you may recall, Flynn’s withdrawal of his guilty plea was supported by Bill Barr and eventually led to a presidential* pardon. I told you this shit was weird.

Since the pardon Flynn has become a QAnon hero. He’s been cultivating the most gullible group in the country and making a living off them. Nice work if you can get it.

I feel a musical interlude coming on:

Flynn is back in the news because of a phone call between him and MAGA shyster Lin Wood who is on the outs with some Q-types or is that Q-Tips?  I get the two confused.

Lin Wood has a nasty habit of recording phone calls. He did it again with Flynn:

In the call, Wood complains to Flynn that his QAnon supporters had attacked Wood online. But Flynn attempts to disown QAnon, claiming it’s a “disinformation campaign” created by the CIA.

“I think it’s a disinformation campaign,” Flynn said on the call. “I think it’s a disinformation campaign that the CIA created. That’s what I believe. Now, I don’t know that for a fact, but that’s what I think it is. I think it’s a disinformation campaign.”

Later in the recording, Flynn called QAnon “total nonsense.”

“I find it total nonsense,” Flynn said. “And I think it’s a disinformation campaign created by the left.”

Since Flynn was in military intelligence, one would think he knows from disinformation. He does not. Q-Anon is strictly a right-wing phenomenon with rhetoric straight out of the Bircher handbook. Besides, the CIA may have started life stuffed with lefties, but those days ended with the rise of Allen Dulles and James Jesus Angleton. Jeez, General, you oughta know that. He sounds like a guy who doesn’t know the difference between a mole and mole poblano…

As of this writing, Flynn hasn’t denied the story but I’m sure he will. QAnon is his golden goose. He’ll do anything to salvage a tie to the most gullible people in the country. It’s hard to find marks that easy to con. Why do you think the Kaiser of Chaos has always refused to denounce them?

The reason I used the title of the surreal WC Fields classic Never Give A Sucker An Even Break is our second MAGA con artist, Steve Bannon. I’ve long thought of Bannon as WC Fields’ evil twin. The sardonic and bibulous comedian was a Republican who threatened to run against FDR in 1940:

Continue reading “Never Give A Sucker An Even Break”

COVID-19, Shapiro, Travel

Cry The Beloved Almost Visited Country

shapiroout

South African Flag

So while everyone waits with baited breath on the results of the further tests on the Omicron variant of COVID I have a selfish reaction to the news.

Fuck, there goes my vacation. Maybe.

Yes, the wife (Cruella) and I were going to be heading to South Africa in about six weeks. Why South Africa? The beauty and wonder of a land so far from our own. The chance to leave winter behind and regale in the warmth of the southern hemisphere. And, ironically, it had until last week, one of the lowest COVID infection rates IN THE WORLD. The U.S. has a rate of 25 cases per 100,000 people. South Africa has a rate of less than one per 100,000. In a country of 59 million that means, hold on let me get the calculator out, let’s see divide by 100K, multiple by one percent, oh crap the calculator battery ran out, anyway that means like 59 people in the entire country diagnosed as COVID positive.

Those are the kinds of odds I’ll take a chance on. Besides I wanted to photograph lions and hippos and elephants oh my.

I’ve been on the side of vaccination, social distancing, mask wearing, et al throughout the pandemic. Do I think the world is overreacting to Omicron? Hell no, until we know more everything should be shut down. Seal off any country where it rears it’s spikey little head. That includes those European countries that relaxed their testing and sequencing efforts (looking at you Belgium, you frivolous Flemish fop).

Here’s the thing about Omicron, at the moment hospitals aren’t overrun with Omicron variation patients. As a matter of fact, few have gone to hospital and even fewer have ended up in Intensive Care and those who do tend to be (say it with me) unvaccinated. The symptoms that present seem to be along the lines of general achiness and a bad cough. Um, I don’t know about you, but that’s how I wake up each morning. And yes, all those who have tested positive for it are on the younger side so are more likely to be able to fight it off with relative ease, but compare that to original COVID-19 where people got it and ended up on a ventilator eventually.

Here’s a thought. What if Omicron is the end stage mutation of COVID? What if it is like the mutation that turned the Spanish Flu of 1918-1920 from deadly killer to winter time annoyance? I have no epidemiology training and I don’t play a doctor on TV, but the fact that no one is dying of it suggests that there is at least the possibility of this being true. And if that’s the case, don’t you actually want that variation to reach as many people worldwide as possible? Is there a lab somewhere in the world where an original strength COVID molecule is being put into the proverbial ring with an Omicron microbe to see who bests who? I mean even Coke and Pepsi did that.

And now from the beautiful Sands Hotel in fabulous Las Vegas Nevada, it’s fifteen rounds to determine the heavyweight virus championship of the world!

Drizzle drazzle drazzle drome click the link for more

Continue reading “Cry The Beloved Almost Visited Country”

Donald Trump Is, Elections, Jamie O, So Called Liberal Media

Waking Up? Or Soon To Fall Back Asleep?

JCO

Media Watchdog Jay Rosen, an NYU professor, has been one of the Eyes on the Fails regarding how our American media is largely, well, failing to properly cover our march into autocracy. His writing is a must-read. Yesterday, he actually saw a glimmer of hope in the form of a CNN appearance by Juicy Trump Book Author Jon Karl, who is also a Well-Respected White House Correspondent with ABC News. You can read it here. Rosen is a realist and not one to get snookered easily into false hope. So if he sees some good news here, that’s pretty huge. … Continue reading Waking Up? Or Soon To Fall Back Asleep?

Current Affairs, Free Republic, Law/Justice, Legal Docket, Tommy T1 Comment

Today on Tommy T’s obsession with the Freeperati – “The hits just keep on coming” edition

Tommy T

Short one this week, everyone – took a helluva fall in my studio, and right hand/arm are only semi-operational.

First up – Convicted of being white!

Jury reaches verdict in trial of three men in killing of Ahmaud Arbery [all 3 guilty of murder]
NBC ^

Posted on 11/24/2021, 12:28:00 PM by janetjanet998

1 posted on 11/24/2021, 12:28:00 PM by janetjanet998
.
Damnit, janetjanet!
.
To: janetjanet998

McMichael Sr knew Arbery and knew his record. Arbery wasn’t jogging in work boots and there had been a rash of thefts and break-ins, of cars AND houses. They knew a gun had been stolen from a car. The police WERE called and they intended to hold Arbery until the police got there. Arbery grabbed McMichael Jrs gun and fought him for it. Arbery lost. They aren’t guilty but may be convicted of being white.

48 posted on 11/24/2021, 12:42:24 PM by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)

To: janetjanet998

Regardless of the verdict, riots will ensue.

53 posted on 11/24/2021, 12:43:12 PM by gov_bean_ counter (Eccl10:2 – The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.)

(Tommy T looks around for riots – none in sight as of Thursday)
To: janetjanet998
These verdicts go against the original intent of the Founders.

That must be the “Kill all the Negroes” clause in the Constitution, right?

There is no way this would have happened during the Founding era.

68 posted on 11/24/2021, 12:49:58 PM by PatriotarchyQ

.
To: PatriotarchyQ

Well they didn’t have trucks (during the ‘founding era”). And the victim would have been a slave and they could have done whatever they wanted to him without fear of punishment. So you are correct.

83 posted on 11/24/2021, 1:01:30 PM by bigdaddy45

.
To be fair, there are a few posts like this one :
To: bgill

These guys are morons.

No one to blame but themselves.

43 posted on 11/24/2021, 12:41:07 PM by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)

But for every one of those, there are two of these :
This gets said over and over :
Arbery wasn’t jogging in work boots
Nice to know that choice of footwear is grounds for justifiable homicide.
To: DJ MacWoW

He was wearing Nike running shoes, not work boots. That’s not in question, it was in the trial.

162 posted on 11/24/2021, 2:24:21 PM by jimnm

Oops
To: Az Joe

First, I absolutely concur with this verdict but Trespassing? Being in Real Estate for thirty years, I have to say, I have “trespassed” hundreds of times into homes under construction, as have my clients and many other potential buyers. The builders love it because they want to sell it or get a prospective custom build. People love going into houses, under construction and open, I don’t know why but they do. But not once has a neighbor ever questioned me or called the police.

139 posted on 11/24/2021, 1:46:13 PM by Toespi ( )

Gee.
I wonder why?
One more thread at the “read more”….

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s obsession with the Freeperati – “The hits just keep on coming” edition”

Random Ruminations, Science, Tommy T

Today on Tommy T’s obsession with random ruminations – “Big Pharma doesn’t cure” edition

Tommy T

“Big pharma doesn’t cure….” I’m sick of people saying that “Big Pharma doesn’t cure diseases”. Cures are few and far between (the most recent cure is the one for Hepatitis),because once the damage is done, it’s done. It’s a little like saying that regular oil changes don’t fix a cracked engine block – of course they won’t, but they might have PREVENTED the hung valve that broke the engine block. The Eliquis I take keeps me from having multiple AFIB-generated strokes like the ones that struck down my Mom and destroyed her brain, (and the ones that paralyzed her Mom … Continue reading Today on Tommy T’s obsession with random ruminations – “Big Pharma doesn’t cure” edition

Adrastos, Diary, Film, Fog Of Scandal, Law/Justice, New Orleans, Odds & Sods, Television, Twitter

Saturday Odds & Sods: Name Of The Game

Peter Adrastos Athas
Clown at a diner on Thanksgiving in Reno, Nevada by Thomas Hoepker.

The New Orleans weather yo-yo continues as temperatures rise and fall. Making matters worse is that it’s happening in the middle of the night. We’ve had more than a few days where the high or low was at the stroke of midnight. Oy, just oy.

The weird weather has led to some weird dreams. The most puzzling one involved staying with two friends who were married in my dream but don’t know one another IRL. They refused to change bathroom lightbulbs or allow me to do so. I am not a fan of showering in the dark. I did it after Hurricane Ida but didn’t like it. I have no idea what this dream means but it’s sufficiently weird to share.  Oh well, what the hell.

Our Thanksgiving was pleasant and low key. We didn’t get the turkey dinner at the drug store because such a thing is impossible in 2021. We had a quiet dinner at home then visited some friends we hadn’t seen since the lockdown. It was an exercise in Gamalian normalcy. Not bad for a guy who has developed a crowd phobia. It’s a far cry from the rock and roll infused days of my wayward youth.

This week’s theme song was written in 1972 by Pete Ham for Badfinger’s Straight Up album. It marked Ham’s emergence as a songwriting force to be reckoned with. Sadly, Pete Ham killed himself just three years later. It was a great loss.

We have two versions of Name Of The Game for your listening pleasure: the Badfinger original and a recent cover by Susanna Hoffs and Aimee Mann.

It’s time for another trip to disambiguation city. Bryan Ferry wrote The Name Of The Game for his 1987 album Bete Noire.

Now that we’ve pondered names and games, let’s jump to the break,

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Name Of The Game”

Adrastos, Diary, Friday Cocktail Hour, Music2 Comments

For Once In My Life

Peter Adrastos Athas

As Shapiro said earlier, it’s DAT. And dat means I didn’t feel like writing anything other than my regular Friday features. Since it’s dat day, we can start drinking early. What’s a little day drinking among friends? If you’re a Who Dat you may have never stopped drinking after last night’s game in which the Buffalo Bills pantsed the New Orleans Saints. Ugh, just ugh.

On with the show, this is it.

For Once In My Life was written in 1965 by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown’s publishing company. It was conceived as a ballad but didn’t become a big hit until Stevie Wonder struck gold with an up tempo arrangement.

We begin with a singer who knows his way around a ballad, Anthony Benedetto d/b/a Tony Bennett:

Stevie Wonder took ownership of the song in 1968.

Continue reading “For Once In My Life”

Bigotry, Food and Drink, Shapiro

What’s DAT You Say?

shapiroout

Happy Day After Thanksgiving (DAT). I won’t refer to it by that other name. I won’t keep you long. Don’t want to put a crimp in your shopping day (only 29 of them left till Christmas). How was your Thanksgiving? Did you keep with last year’s mandates (oops, sorry, didn’t mean to bring up politics, at least not this early) and keep to just a few close friends and family? Or was this year a “return to normalcy” with everyone and their long lost cousin around the table? For the wife (Cruella) and I we fell somewhere in the middle. … Continue reading What’s DAT You Say?

Comedy, Donald Trump Is, Food and Drink, Jamie O

Take A Breath, It’s Just Thanksgiving

JCO

Hey there. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Enjoying your Thanksgiving coffee? Yeah, I know. Soon (if not already), you’re going to have to deal with family. Last year, even if you won’t admit it to anyone, was actually kind of nice. Thanks to COVID, it was just you and the people and pets you live with. No worries about the cringe-worthy political opinions of family members. But this year, it’s once more into the breach, my friend. There’s your one uncle, who two Thanksgivings ago told you that if Trump didn’t win 600 electoral votes, the fix was in. That was … Continue reading Take A Breath, It’s Just Thanksgiving

Michael F

Giving Thanks…

mmferry1965

Small thanks, but a year ago that guy was president, and now this guy is (not my first or even second choice, but a considerable improvement). And Biden’s dealing with an opposition party that’s not opposing, but committed, all-in, to sabotage — or worse — as well as calls coming from inside the house (OK, the Senate, i.e., Man of La Manchin and Sinemarama). Then there’s the corporate media, which just can’t quit their abject fealty to whatever GOP talking point wins their day Politico, the Drudge Report for this era. Sigh, I’m too old to hold out much hope, … Continue reading Giving Thanks…

Adrastos, Bigotry, Fog Of History, Law/Justice, Legal Docket, Political Crack, So Called Liberal Media

Quote Of The Day: Charlottesville Nazi Trial Edition

Peter Adrastos Athas

I’m about to indulge in what the late, great Greg Peters called “lazy quoting of better writers.” Nobody does legal analysis better than Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick: In no small part because the trial was not broadcast—listeners could instead dial in … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Charlottesville Nazi Trial Edition

Cassandra, Diary, Food and Drink

‘Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving

cassandraisright

Our main course this Thanksgiving is…rest. I have been juggling several big tasks at home, and my husband was just handed a mess at work to untangle. I’m still recovering from last week and hit the wall on Tuesday. I stopped cooking turkey as Thanksgiving dinner several years ago. We regularly eat turkey (did you know it’s a superfood?) during the year, and while I make a mean roast chicken, turkey is more unwieldy and less forgiving than chicken. My grocery store carries standing rib roasts at Thanksgiving and Christmas and deeply discounts them, so that’s become our standard fare. … Continue reading ‘Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving

Business, Economy, Shapiro

Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black Friday)

shapiroout

Black Friday Sign

As we head into Thanksgiving I want to make something very clear:

I hate Black Friday.

I hate it the way you hate a former lover who you come to realize was just using you for one reason or another.

I hate it the way you hate that drunk uncle down at the end of the Thanksgiving table who keeps babbling about how “Trump was robbed”.

I hate it the way you can only hate something that you put up with for thirty plus years of retail life even though you hated it and thought it silly.

For the first part of my business career I was a retailer. I was a retailer because my family had been retailers. My father owned retail stores, my grandfather owned a retail store, I’m sure if I searched back far enough I’d find out my family tree is littered with pushcart peddlers peddling a plethora of profitable products particularly pots, pans, and pantaloons.

I get my alliteration gene from my ancestor Schmuel the schmaltzy schmoozing schmendrake.

The first time I heard the phrase Black Friday I was probably six or seven, visiting my father’s stationary store in Hempstead New York on the Friday after Thanksgiving which at the time was a day off only for students and teachers. Did I become aware of it from signs in the store advertising “Black Friday Sales”? Had I seen the phrase bandied about on television or radio? No, Black Friday was a inside joke, a knowing nod to how the rest of the year sales made accounted for our “nut”, the money you needed to earn just to keep the lights on, pay salaries, and give the government their cut. From the day after Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve the money made was the retailer’s profit for the year. Thus, we were going into the black, money wise, hence Black Friday.

Somewhere along the line our little inside joke became a national holiday/mania. Traditions among families sprouted left and right. Mom and her daughters getting up at 4AM to be at the mall, credit cards clenched tightly in their fists, for the incredible bargains that had been hinted at but never advertised during the weeks leading up to the third Thursday in November. This allowed Dad and sons to not only indulge in tryptophan induced coma sleep but to, upon awakening, indulge in the traditional post Thanksgiving breakfast of mashed potatoes and dressing formed into thick pancake like discs and fried. Serve with a side of jellied cranberry sauce. Extra points if the can’s ridges are still visible in the jelly.

Fess up, you’ve made it, just admit it and move on.

I’m sure your family had it’s own traditions, even if it was just the tradition of laughing at the lines of people waiting to get into Best Buy as you drove home from dinner on Thursday. That was my family tradition.

Clickity Clickity Clock, Press the button to read some more

Continue reading “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black Friday)”

Bigotry, Jamie O3 Comments

Deb Haaland And The History of Squaws

JCO

Deb Haaland, President Joe Biden’s Secretary of the Interior, is a Native American woman. And you’d probably be smart not to refer to her as a “squaw.” Last week, Haaland announced that the Department of Interior has formally declared the word “squaw” to be a derogatory term. The good news, I suppose, is there has so far been a limited amount of hysterics about “wokeness” or “cancel culture.” This is a pleasant surprise because there is a shocking amount of venom aimed at indigenous people when a simple request is made like asking for a term to be changed or … Continue reading Deb Haaland And The History of Squaws

Free Republic, Tommy T2 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “losing bigly” edition

Tommy T

Bad week for the Freeperati .

Let’s start bigly and work out way down, shall we?

Biden signs $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law
The hill ^ | 11/15/2021 | BRETT SAMUELS AND MORGAN CHALFANT939

Posted on 11/15/2021, 6:11:17 PM by ChicagoConservative27

President Biden on Monday signed into law a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill at a boisterous ceremony outside the White House, sealing a major accomplishment of his first term.

Weeks of talks and two trips to the Capitol from Biden culminated earlier this month in a bipartisan vote, with the House passing the bill 228-206. Thirteen Republicans crossed the aisle to support the measure, and six progressive Democrats bucked Biden and party leaders to oppose it.

1 posted on 11/15/2021, 6:11:17 PM by ChicagoConservative27
Boob shaka-laka.
To: ChicagoConservative27

Thanks Republicans.

2 posted on 11/15/2021, 6:12:25 PM by Col Frank Slade

Pobrecito.
So – what are you Trump-humpers gonna do now?
To: ChicagoConservative27

Let’s go Brandon.

4 posted on 11/15/2021, 6:15:52 PM by BipolarBob (I thought growing old would take longer.)

To: Col Frank Slade
The nerve of congressman Drew (R) on FOXBusiness accusing the Democrats of the inflation crisis while voting for this heinous crappy Bill. My mouth dropped to the floor

 

and I thought who the hell help them pass that ridiculous piece of *hit $$$$$$$$$$$$$ Bill? He needs to go we need to primary the bastard and kick them out.

21 posted on 11/15/2021, 6:39:01 PM by RoseofTexas

Good luck with that one, Rosie.
.
Next up – Recom-Pence!
.

Mike Pence “ashamed” of Trump, might poach his voters in 2024 election: ex-press secretaryUK Today ^ | 11/15/21 Posted on 11/15/2021, 12:59:57 AM by conservative98Mike Pence is “ashamed” of Donald Trump over the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and will run against him in 2024 for his base, said Alyssa Farah, who served as a press secretary for the former vice president from 2017 to 2019.[cut]There’s aspects of the record they did together that I know Pence is proud of, but I know he is ashamed of that [January 6], he is ashamed of how the former president conducted himself,” Farah said on CNN Saturday.

Asked if Pence will run against Trump in 2024, the former aide predicted that Pence would launch a presidential campaign and attempt to court the millions of Americans who voted for Trump last November, as well as Republicans voters who were “alienated” by Trump.

1 posted on 11/15/2021, 12:59:58 AM by conservative98
Freepers?
Thoughts?
To: conservative98

Buhbye you big floating head.

5 posted on 11/15/2021, 1:04:26 AM by Lazamataz (I feel like it is 1937 Germany, and my last name is Feinberg.)

To: conservative98
I need yet another traitorous backstabber like I need a case of COVID.

Why can’t you have both?

I hope Pence disappears under the rock he emerged from and never is seen again. Just hearing his name makes me sick to my stomach. All these horrible Biden-caused things coming upon us, and he was the pivotal point (a very weak one) upon which we depended. Drop dead, Pence.

7 posted on 11/15/2021, 1:06:57 AM by EinNYC

You first.
To: conservative98

Under no circumstance would I vote for Pence/Anybody to supplant Donald Trump on the GOP ticket. None…

34 posted on 11/15/2021, 1:54:54 AM by Gaffer

To: EinNYC; All
Yeah, he came across as a God-fearing Christian
If only he’d held a bible upside down and fucked some hookers….

yet stabbed Trump in the back and proved he is a traitor to America when he did NOTHING in the Senate to have states substantiate their ballots.Despite his slick, polished appearance, this guy is a slime ball.

41 posted on 11/15/2021, 2:24:53 AM by Cobra64 (Common sense isn’t common anymore.)
It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.
More after the you-know-what….

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “losing bigly” edition”

Random Ruminations, Tommy T, Travel3 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Random Ruminations – Brussels spouts edition

Tommy T

Spouting off

Barbara and I went on a snorkeling trip last time we were in Playa Del Carmen, but only for the boat ride and not to go snorkeling (Inah reef is pretty much dead now). The trip goes from Puerto Adventuras, North around 10 miles along the coast. The “Piratas de Tejas” is a 75-foot V-hull and not a catamaran, so it’s pretty susceptible to the wave action that is mostly nonstop in the channel between the Yucatan and Cozumel island, and it was a pretty rough ride.

For some reason, the crew were playing Spanish language rap and techno (as if any of the 20-odd passengers were going to be dancing around instead of just hanging on) all the way out. We stopped South of the reef, and the snorkelers were herded into a bait ball and led over to the reef. Barbara and I took advantage of the wind, stillness, and impossibly blue water to relax and chat with the other non-snorkelers, and have some ice-cold beers.

After the touristas were loaded back on and lunch served, we headed back.

That’s where it got a little strange.

More after the clickbait…

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Random Ruminations – Brussels spouts edition”

Adrastos, Books, Comedy, Diary, Film, Fog Of History, Food and Drink, Gret Stet Politics, Music, New Orleans, Odds & Sods, Television

Saturday Odds & Sods: Into The Lens

Peter Adrastos Athas
Noir et blanches by Man Ray.

New Orleans weather is as variable during the fall as it is unchanging in the summertime. It’s been cold and dry then warm and muggy, but I have not resorted to air-conditioning. So it goes.

The Orleans Parish runoff election is scheduled for December 11th. I’m supporting an old school NOLA pol in one race and a reformer who’s running against an old school NOLA pol in another. Sometimes I even confuse myself.

I voted to reelect Jay Banks as my district city councilmember. He ran first in the primary despite all the mud thrown at him by his “reformer” opponents. They lost me forever when I saw that they’d rented a billboard together to plug their primary candidacies. Collusion is a bad look.

In the Sheriff’s race, longtime incumbent Marlin Gusman just missed winning in the first round. He’s a terrible sheriff but an excellent politician. I’m voting for his opponent, Susan Hutson, but she looks like a long shot because of all the local political muscle massed against her.

Like many others on the left, Team Hutson seems to underestimate how conservative many older black people are. When I was a neighborhood leader, the most rabid people about crime were elderly black folks. They’re also comfortable with Gusman who is favored to stay in office despite all the outside money being spent on behalf of his opponent.

This week’s theme song was written by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes in 1980. It began life with the title I Am A Camera and was intended for the Buggles second album. Then Horn and Downes joined Yes, and it became Into The Lens, the first track of side two of the Drama LP.

We have the song in both incarnations for your listening pleasure. I prefer the Yes version because of Howe’s guitar and Squire’s bass, but Downes excels on keyboard on both versions.

There’s an oddball link between our theme song and this week’s Friday Cocktail Hour. Cabaret was based on John Van Druten’s 1951 play I Am A Camera, which in turn was adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel Goodbye To Berlin. It doesn’t get much odder than that.

Before we nod off like Lee Miller in the May Ray featured image, let’s jump to the break.

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Into The Lens”

Adrastos, Film, Friday Cocktail Hour, Music, New Orleans

Cabaret

Peter Adrastos Athas

I’m something of a Cabaret obsessive. I’ve seen the Bob Fosse flick as many times as I’ve seen Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Notorious, or Sunset Boulevard. I’ve seen the play several times over the years and enjoyed it mightily. Hence this Friday Cocktail Hour selection.

The song Cabaret was written for the 1966 play Cabaret by John Kander and Fred Ebb. The song is the grand finale of both the play and movie based on it. It’s also a swell and swinging song in its own right.

We begin with Liza Minelli with her Oscar winning performance as Sally Bowles in the 1972 Fosse film:

Satchmo knew a great tune when he heard it:

Continue reading “Cabaret”

Congress, Elections, Shapiro3 Comments

The Other Glimmer Twin

shapiroout

    I’ve been living with Jackie Speier for over 40 years. I don’t mean I’ve physically been living with the woman, but she has been a part of my life for all that time. I first became aware of her when she was laying beneath the fuselage of an airplane on a remote airstrip in the jungles of Guyana, five bullet holes in her body,  watching as her boss Congressman Leo Ryan was gunned down by the insane members of Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple cult. She was 28 years old. For most of you the name Peoples Temple brings … Continue reading The Other Glimmer Twin