#don’t ask me about Hamilton. It’s what got me into American/military history in the first place. i literally have so many thoughts. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

myupostsheadcanons · 3 years

Text

Books “Read” in 2020

Previous entries: 2019, 2018, 2017

I don’t rank these based on actual literary quality, but by how much i enjoyed reading/listening to them. Hopefully with Audible’s new “Premium Included” feature it would cut down on so many Average/Below Average books next year, it’ll give me more of a choice on what kind of books/podcasts i want to listen to rather than given a handful to pick from a month.

The “Top 10″

Forging Hephaestus / Bones of the Past: Villains' Code Series - Drew Hayes has became one of my fav authors over the past couple years, from his Vampire Accountant series, 5-min Sherlock, and his Spells, Swords, and Stealth books. FH is one of the few times he wrote Adult Fiction. This is the second time Drew created a world of super heroes (the YA Superpowereds), thus previous experience in dealing with the nuisances and meta of super meta dynamics. I love the main character, Tori, and especially love many of the side characters (like Ivan) and the comedy is the right tone of dark and not-in-your-face (not quite as well -written as something like The Venture Bros or The Tick, but being adult fiction you can get away with having characters named Johnny Three-Dicks and Captain Bullshit)

Dreadnought / Sovereign - the second super hero series I’ve placed on my top list this year, this one is Young Adult. This one is far more serious and deals heavily in issues like trans and women’s rights, mental abuse, and social acceptance. The main character is full of angst, but that should be a given for a 15 yo with lots of mental baggage and new social pressures. The main character is the main draw, most of the side characters are a bit more one-dimensional.

The Trouble with Peace: Age of Madness, Book 2. It isn’t a “First Law” book if you don’t want to strangle half of the main characters. Many are stepping outside of the shadow of the previous generation and finding themselves falling flat on their faces. If they aren’t at each other’s throats, they would soon have to deal with rebellion in the streets and the constant looming presence of Bayaz, who waits to sweep the board clear and rearrange the pieces the way he sees fit.

Michael J. Sullivan’s: The Riyria and Legend of the First Empire Books.

Riyria Revelations: Theft of Swords / Rise of Empire / Heir of Novron

Riyria Chronicles: The Crown Tower / The Rose and Thorn / The Death of Dulgath

Age of Death / Age of Empyre, Pile of Bones

After finishing the Legend of the First Empire books that came out earlier this year, I went ahead and read the prior series that takes place in the same world. I would suggest reading the entire series by Publish order, but they can be read Chronologically. I read the Legends books first, and it helped me see where Sullivan was heading and when he started to plan out the Legends books in more detail. (The early cameo of the Main characters from Legends in a mural in Heir of Novron, and knowing who is behind the events in Dulgath)

The Dresden Files: Peace Talks / Battle Grounds - They really should be read as one book, because that was how they were written. It is a Feast of Crows / Dances with Dragons situation, where the book got too long and got split up. The fans are pretty divided by the book(s) ending and how some of the main characters are handled, but these are Jim Butcher’s characters not theirs and he can drop bridges on whom ever he wants.

What Lies Beyond: Cycle of Galand, Book 6 - This is a “mythology” book (like Sullivan’s Age of Death was) where it introduces most of the Pantheon of their religion and corrects much of the mythology that had been lost over the decades. They seek a weapon to vanquish the Litch and save their world and the afterlife from oblivion, but not all of their Gods are happy about it.

Will Destroy the Galaxy for Cash - Yahtzee (Zero Punctuation!) has to be one of my favorite internet personalities for the past 10+ years, and I eat up every book he puts out and because he wrote the books, and is an actor himself, he could deliver the lines as they are intended to be. The sequel to Will Save the Galaxy for Food does not disappoint and even ups the stakes from the previous book.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon - This has to be one of the most charming books I’ve read. It is magic and wonder at it’s finest, no need for long explanations on how the world works. If you like Ghibli movies, you’ll be interested in this book. It has its dark moments but isn’t outside of what you’ll find in something like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Nausicca.

The Goblin Emperor - the youngest son of the Elf King finds himself emperor after the death of his father and brothers in an assassination. The only problem is, that he is only half-elf... his late mother was a Goblin, and he had been in exile as an embarrassment to the family for most of his life. He knows nothing of how the courts work and what’s left of his own family work against him just for being who he is.

Lost Gods: Brom - I liked this book more than I did American Gods (which I read a few years ago). It is darker and bleaker by the bucket loads. One of the few books with a downer ending that I actually liked. I would compare this book to books like All the Pretty Horses and No Country for Old Men-- but it is a Fantasy!

Above Average.

Siege Tactics (Spells, Swords, & Stealth. Book 4) - What happens to adventurers after they retire? A fun concept that is explored with our party of NPCs running across a town full of epic-level characters that no longer have a player.

The Arthurian Saga - The Crystal Cave / The Hollow Hills / The Last Enchantment / The Wicked Day - A more realistic version of the Arthurian tales, taking the POV of Merlin, bastard son of a princess, as he earns notoriety as a scholar and wizard. The Wicked Day takes the POV of Mordred, making him far more sympathetic than other iterations of his character.

Arc of a Scythe - Scythe / Thunderhead / The Toll - Science and Technology eliminates death and in order to prevent over population and complacency an order of grim reapers are chosen to randomly deal out quotas of permanent deaths. An example of what happens when every need and want is satisfied by a higher force and the apathy that causes rot in human society and the superiority complex of those in charge of life and death.

The Diviners / Lair of Dreams / Before the Devil Breaks You / The King of Crows - Horror during the Roaring 20��s. Tackles issues as Racism, Poverty, Government Secrecy, Christian-Evangelical Cults, Nationalism Cult Mentality, Communism, Labor Unions, Eugenics, Post-WW1 trauma... It could almost pass as an adult fiction book. I wouldn’t recommend giving it to someone under High school age.

Ancillary Justice / Ancillary Sword / Ancillary Mercy - Artificial Intelligence takes over human bodies as a form of capital punishment, controlling ships and space stations. The dominate human empire outgrew the need to label any gender, using “she” to refer to everyone rather than the vaguer “them/they” pronouns, and only outlying colonies stick to the binary ideals. Think of “The Left Hand of Darkness” but on a more broader scale and as the default majority/ruling empire. Toss in a solid military action novel on top and it isn’t nearly as boring as Left Hand.

Children of Time / Children of Ruin - War destroys the human population of Earth and those that remain are the ones that headed out to the stars on tera-forming missions. A virus created to advance life forms to prepare a world for human habitation runs amuck with out its overseers, creating intelligent arachnids, crustaceans, and squid.

The Licanius Trilogy - The Shadow of What Was Lost / An Echo of Things to Come / The Light of all that Falls - It is very heavy on info overload, there is a lot to keep track of, so much so there is a summary of book one and two at the start of the third. I like the twist at the end of the first book and that the villain is actually trying to help save the world, and you spend most of the second stuck between who thinks they are doing the right thing and who is actually doing the right thing - a lot to talk about doing the lesser of two evils.

Mythos - Steven Fry - A humorous retelling of Greek mythology. I read Mythology - by Edith Hamilton prior to this book, which is a more scholarly take on the myths, and helps if you are unfamiliar with classical mythology prior to reading Fry’s take on it.

Iron, Fire and Ice: The Real History That Inspired Game of Thrones - a nice history book about Iron Age royalty. It is actually refreshing to read after going through so much faux fiction that is in Philippa Gregory’s books.

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? - Children ask questions to a Mortician about death and what happens to bodies after people die. I listened to her autobiography last year/year before and it is worth picking up this one along with it.

Average, but still good.

Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet Universe: Triumphant (Genesis Fleet, Book 3) / Tarnished Knight: Lost Stars, book 1 - The realistic space battles just drag me back in each and every time.

The Case of the Damaged Detective: 5-Minute Sherlock - Drew Hayes can’t write a boring book. It isn’t quite on point as his other series, but still fun to read. Hayes is really good at making YA books with Adult Protagonists. It is a road-trip book, the main character is a washed-out operative that is getting his second chance playing bodyguard and future assistant to the 5-minute Sherlock.

Locked In / Head On - Do you remember “Surrogates”? that Bruce Willis movie where people walk around in robotic avatars, well... it’s almost the same thing. A virus kills millions, save for a select few that experience “lock in” syndrome and are able to connect to robots via their brains and the internet. The main character is gender neutral and you get a choice to listen to the book with a male or female reader.

Murder by Other Means: The Dispatcher Book 2 - more John Scalzi! The first book was in my top list a few years ago, and i enjoyed the sequel just as much. Between Scalzi’s The Dispatcher and Locked In series, i like the Dispatcher more.

The Shattered Sea Trilogy: Half a King / Half the World / Half a War - Joe Abercrombie’s attempt to make Young Adult books. It keeps all the grim dark, but lacks all the swearing and humor that made The First Law books more enjoyable. Many of Joe’s favorite character tropes are still present and is one of the better “Fall to Darkness” stories I’ve read. It also has different POV characters each book and is one of those “faux fantasy” settings.

Mage Errant: Books 1, 2 & A Traitor in Skyhold: Book 3 - If you are wanting to get away from Harry Potter, pick up this book series. It takes place in magic school, but it is its own world and setting and not just a hidden world within our own. The main group of kids are misfits among the school, unable to master their powers, that get taken up by the badass librarian to be trained in more unconventional ways.

Dawn of Wonder: The Wakening Book 1 - the main character has ptsd from growing up in an abusive household, and i thought it was handled rather well. He would be rather competent and cleaver most of the time until he gets triggered into an episode, he fights really hard to overcome this short-falling of his. Standard classic affair else wise, family leaves home because the local authority figure doesn’t want them around anymore, goes to big city, kid wants to do good and avenge the deaths he was accused of, joins the badass school of hard knocks... big powerful evil thing trying to consume the world.

The Rage of Dragons - It shares a lot of tropes and story points with Red Rising... just in a fantasy setting, not in space. If you are wanting fantasy with POC main characters and a non-European-centric culture, that doesn’t pull any punches, give it a shot.

Earthsea - Tehanu and Tales from Earthsea - I had read the first three books several years back, and i did re-read them in order to refresh myself prior to reading the final two.

The Secret Garden - I absolutely loved the movie from the 90′s as a kid, and finally got around to listening to the book.

Six of Crows - A heist book in fantasy world with the magic users being heavily “Jewish / Slavic” coded by how they are treated and persecuted. I might have thought more favorably about the book if i hadn’t read other books with “street rat slum” main characters. (Seriously, after spending six books with Royce in Riyria someone like Kas is just second bananas)

Unconventional Heroes / Two Necromancers - Comedic Fantasy, the humor’s not on par with say MogWorld, and has more jokes than Fred The Vampire Accountant. It is still a parody of villains and heroes in fantasy worlds. I would find it safe for a 12/13yo to read, cursing and all, though they might not be aware of many of the tropes that are being deconstructed. The reader of the book did better in this one then he did with Six of Crows and Beezer, still the audio needed some editing because it repeats itself a few times.

Once More Upon A Time (Free Audio Book) - I don’t always care to read romance stories. I like the idea behind it however, to trade their love for each other in order to save their partner’s life, then learn to re-love one another again.

Monster Hunter International - If you think Dresden is too liberal, this takes a hard turn to the right.. replace the magic with GUNS, lots and lots of GUNS. An organization that hates the government but hunts monsters for government bounties. The main cast is multi-ethnic and they do make fun of that at one point. There isn’t a lot of thought into the plot, because action is #1, but it is fun enough to ignore the politicking.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Collection - i bitched about there not being an omnibus last year, and then Audible uploaded one. The ending is still one big clusterfuck.

Stephen King’s Insomnia - this book is the bridge between Steven King’s two universes. It is a sequel to IT and brings up the Darktower often. IT dealt mainly with childhood fears, Insomnia deals with Elderly and feminine fears.

D’Arc / Culdesac: War with No Name - I liked D’Arc more than i did Mort-e, and Culdesac is more on track with Mort-e. The virus that mutated the ants and animals reminded me of the virus from Children of Time/Ruin, even though i read Mort-e first, reading D’Arc after CoT let me notice it.

Michael McDowell’s: The Amulet / The Elementals / Gilded Needles / Blackwater - From the guy that wrote the screenplay of Beetlejuice, and the pioneer of the Southern Gothic Horror. Gilded Needles is a bit out of place, taking place in 1890′s, and is more of a social horror rather than a super natural horror the other books are.

Gardens of the Moon: The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 1 - high fantasy dark fiction. if you really want some CHONKY door stoppers, there’s over 10 of them in this series. Could’ve done less with the manipulative bastard mage that speaks in 3rd person. I had read The Willful Child, an attempted comedy science fiction novel by the same author, and it showed that the author was unfamiliar with that kind of genera and should stick to grim fantasy.

The Knife’s Edge / Citadel of Fire: The Ronin Saga - This is one of those series that I’m always going “oh, that reminds me of [insert another better series]” At times it reminded me of The Licanius Trilogy, Shades of Magic, Arc of Scythe, Riyria, Korra... It is just shy of being as good as them, and is rather firmly in that Sci-Fi Fantasy Ghetto and has a bit of “anime” feel to it with their magic users having ‘power levels’ and the power creep.

In Calabria - My only problem with the book is the massive age-gap between the Main character and his love interest. Outside of that, the whole Unicorns in the modern world concept is done very well.

Pout Neuf (Audible Free Book) - Journalism and romance during WW2. A quick read and the book really shows that research had been done about the setting and time period.

Nut Jobs: Cracking California's Strangest $10 Million Dollar Heist: An Audible Original - Not only does it talk about the heist, it actually touches on the subject of migrant farmers and slave labor, as well as the desertification of the California Valley.

The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel (Free Audio Book) - a neat little informative podcast if you are looking for an introduction to some of the harder science fiction.

Mythology - by Edith Hamilton - Text book about Greek Mythology. Like “used in schools” text book. It is a good read if you don’t want to go through Ovid, Virgil, Homer, and all the other classical writers on your own.

The Space Race: An Audible Original - America didn’t win the Space Race. Russia did just about everything first. The only thing we did first was put people on the moon. It also goes into detail about how the inventor of the Nazi’s V2 rockets became employed with the US Space program. As well as the government’s announcement to let space travel become privatized.

Pale Blue Dot / Cosmos: A Personal Voyage - It’s Carl Sagan. Come on! Everyone should be reading them. Pale Blue Dot was being turned into an Audiobook in the 90′s but with Sagan’s death, only the first few chapters were read by him and his partner reads the rest of it (she does a decent job, and i understand why they wanted her to read it, it should’ve been done similarly to Cosmos, with guest readers doing each chapter)

Thicker Than Water (Free Audio Book) - start up pharmaceutical company scams people out of millions with promises of a miracle machine that was ahead of its time. Story told from the whistleblower himself as he recounts what his job was within the company and how he knew the owner/founder of the company and how coming out about what was going on ruined his relationship with his family and friends.

Don't Panic: Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - biography on Douglas Adams and the history behind the creative process behind the Hitchhiker’s Guide series.

The Genius of Birds - It reminded me a lot of “The Soul of an Octopus” in quality. It is rather informative about birds, how they behave, and how we judge intelligence in non-human animals.

It’s “ok.”

Les Miserabes - I can see why people favor movies and theater versions because of how dense the book is, getting the cliff notes version of the book instead of reading several chapters about the Battle of Waterloo.

Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons (Audible Free Book) - It’s cute, and I spent the next several weeks humming that freaking song.

Challenger Deep - A book about mental illness by the same person that brought us The Arc of a Scythe series. It isn’t a bad read, but if you are prone to get panic attacks and have mental illness yourself, you might get too into it and make you uneasy. It can help with neurotypical people with understanding how some illnesses work.

Into the Wilds (Warriors, Book 1) - Ah, the cat book. It is prob because there are soooo many books in this series that it over-saturates the kids impressionable minds.

House of Teeth (Audible Free Book) - I read this book prior to Monster Hunter International, and thinking back on this one, i am reminded about the other. Save for this one is PG. So... the kid friendly version.

The Martian Chronicles - Space Horror, on Mars. If you like old science fiction, like Classic Trek, Wells, or Forbidden Planet stuff. There is a lot of zerust.

Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection - The third superhero series I’ve read this past year. It is not as ground breaking nor subversive as Villain’s Code or Dreadnought. The humor is a bit too forced and parts of it falls into “we can be more offensive because it is an adult book” category.

Interview with the Robot - Don’t really care for books or programs that are set up in the “interview” format where it is two people talking to one another. (I have no fucking idea how this book got top Kids book of the year on Audible, it is more of a YA book... it must been because it was Free and lots of people picked it because the rest of the choices that month were complete garbage)

Micromegas - perhaps one of the oldest examples of Speculative Science Fiction. Written by Voltaire, it is about a giant from another solar system that is so big that humans and life on Earth are microscopic. “what value are the lives of ants to a man?”

The Three Musketeers - i had forgotten how much espionage there was in this book. I would say this is a good companion book to Don Quixote, as it takes its fair share of inspiration from and even name-drops the character a couple times.

Charles Dickens: Oliver Twist / David Copperfield / A Tale of Two Cities - DC is the standout IMO among the three, it is Dickens’ Magnum Opus. Les Mis did a far better job with the Revolution than Tale did as well. I felt rather obligated to reading these books because of the subplot in the Age of Madness books being about Poverty during the Industrial Revolution and Workers Revolts against the Ruling Class.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - the version i listened too made most of the Americans sound like GWB... which is funny because one of them is Canadian, and the Comic Relief character about how boorish Americans are.

Stuck (Free Audio Book) - it is a neat idea, getting jarred free of time but everybody else isn’t and doesn’t remember. It gets a little heavy for a kids book near the end, edging into YA territory as the character gets older mentally and the people around him age physically.

Phreaks (Free Audio Book) - i knew a lot about Captain Crunch and other phone hackers of the 60′s. There is a subplot of the big radioactive corporation covering up causing cancer to their workers, and the father (voiced by Christian Slater) being in the closet but still homophobic about it.

Silverswift (Free Audio Book) - If you like fairy tales set in modern times, it is worth a look. It is similar to In Calabira in that way. The mom being the nonbeliever and thinking grandma is off her rocker, but the granddaughter knows it in her bones that grandma is telling the truth.

Sleeping Giants - alien mechs from the distant past, once mistaken as the titans and gods form mythology, now being studied and experimented on by the government. This is another “interview style” story telling.

Celtic Mythology: Tales of Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes - there is a lot of names and stories, it is worth prob getting a physical copy of the book to keep things straight and to use as a reference.

How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps - A love letter to The Legend of Zelda’s Ocarina of Time and other RPG games.

Casino Royal: James Bond - the movie was rather faithful, including the part of being tied to a chair. I do wish they kept more of the book’s ending where Bond was ready to retire prior to his secret-spy love interest gets killed.

Aliens: Bug Hunt - a compilation of Alien stores about people landing on various planets and encountering aliens, not always the Xenomorphs we know, but the term “Bug” came synonymous to any dangerous alien lifeforms encountered.

Macbeth: A Novel - retelling the story of Macbeth but in a novel form. If you can’t get past the language of the original play, this would help. It sets it more firmly in historical fiction.

Hannibal: A Novel - I went ahead and re watched the tv show after finishing the book. I’ve seen the movie a dozen times, and i understand why they changed the ending to the movie. The book is the main one that characterizes Hannibal and the show uses a lot of the plot. Hannibal Rising wasn’t really needed because Hannibal (in this book) does think/talk about what happened to his sister and home, and i can see why Harris didn’t want to write that book either. The audiobook is rather poor quality, they talked too fast in places and i don’t really care for their acting...

The Power of Six - I read I am Number 4 several years back and this one popped up on sale so i nabbed it. I like Neil Kaplan, and i think this one is better than the first one and actually gets into the meat of the story.

Cut and Run: A Light-Hearted Dark Comedy - body parts harvesting.... mmmm.

Calypso - non-Fiction, biography of the author. Talks about his family, his life with his partner, and what he does. Much of it is charming and it is read by the author. this was prior to him loosing his marbles about retail workers and becoming a karen.

Our Harlem: Seven Days of Cooking, Music and Soul at the Red Rooster - the history of Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance. I didn’t mind this podcast so much because i was reading The Diviners during the same time.

Malcolm and Me - another biographical book. one of the free books i got during Feb’ Black History Month.

History of Bourbon (Free Audio Book) - Informative about the liqueur industry in America.

Junkyard Cats: Shining Smith Book 1 - post apocalyptic action science fiction novel. the moment that guy showed up i was “that’s your bf.” and it was so... the plot wasn’t hard to figure out, it’s all about the action and setting.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - One of the better Heinlein books. The man can’t write romance and he is rather big on casual polygamy and open marriages. An anarchist-revolution book written by someone that is more on the Libertarian side of the aisle. Mycroft (the computer) comes off as rather antiquated, an AI that runs on a closed server, communicating through the telephone lines and printed paper, makes me wonder what Heinlein would’ve done if he was told about the internet and Deep Fake tech. (the book takes place in like 2075, but written in 1966)

Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World - the production of coffee and it’s prevalence around the world.

The Life and Times of Prince Albert - Exactly what it says on the can. *rimshot*

The Real Sherlock: An Audible Original - a biography of Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Design of Everyday Things - using psychology to improve the design of systems, products, and the modern business model. It gives proper terminology for several common design features and how to improve on existing structures.

Bottom of the Barrel.

The Pagan World: Ancient Religions before Christianity. I was hoping there would have been something in there about European Religions, there isn’t, and the book was mostly Greek and Roman life styles and how gods are worshiped. It let me know where the word “auger” came from and why it was used in the Licanius Trilogy.

Life Ever After - disjointed at best. a couple that aren’t good for each other spend the next several hundred years in a crappy relationship.

Beyond Strange Lands: An Audible Original - The audio was complete crap on half of the voices. Which is bad because this could’ve been better. It is a Pod Cast Show and the director couldn’t make sure everybody had decent recording equipment and the sound effects often drown out the actors.

Henrietta & Eleanor: A Retelling of Jekyll and Hyde: An Audible Original Drama - They were going for a modern telling, but the language used is archaic. They speak like Dickens characters even though they talk about cellphones and computers.

A Crazy Inheritance: The Ghostsitter book 1 - The concept is there, but it is too nerfed. It was made for the 8-12yo crowd in mind by people that don’t know how to write for children.

Tell Me Lies (Free Audio Book) - It really wants to be smart. Who’s playing who and who is the actual villain of this story? If you want a quick “who done it?” maybe look into it.

Evil Eye (Free on Audible Plus) - told through phone calls between a mother and daughter. The whole genera of evil boyfriends/husbands isn’t really my cup of tea, and the boyfriend’s actor was too fake and the set up to the meat of the story was annoying.

The Half-life of Marie Curie - I didn’t mind learning stuff about Marie Curie... falls squarely in “made for TV lifetime movie” quality though. You should not carry around a vile of uranium where ever you go.

Alone with the Stars - A girl in Florida hears the call for help from Amelia Earhart, but nobody listens to her. Part fiction, part biographical. It would’ve been better as a biography and talking about various conspiracy theories about what happened to her and finding the pieces of the airplane.

Beezer - The son of the Devil learning to become a good person with a found family... however, most of the characters are annoying.

The Year of Magical Thinking (Free Audio Book) - very heavy on the subjects about loss and death.

Complete Garbage.

The Getaway (Free Audio Book) - A man being a POS by stalking and abducting women. It broadcasts just about everything that is going to happen.

Agent 355 (Free Audio Book) - Do you like “American Mythology?” Like the whole “the founders are the greatest people in the world” kind of vibe? I don’t. I also hate the main character for being one of those “i’m smart, because i read books that women aren’t supposed to” girls when she doesn’t really think for herself at all.

#myu reads #books read in 2020 #audiobooks #booklr #Audible #long post

3 notes · View notes

quakerjoe · 4 years

Note

You do realize that one of two people will be the President of the United States on January 20, 2021–yes? Either the incumbent or the Democratic nominee will hold the office, and that’s a legacy as old as Jefferson and Hamilton. If you can not stop trashing both aspirants to the office may I suggest that you pursue the acquisition of a passport as well as some means of leaving the country? Your laments are so doleful as to finally become comedy.

You know what’s really funny? Everything about YOU. I’ll tell you why, since you bothered to ask. I at least owe you that much since you didn’t ask anon.

I get this sort of banter every now and again so I thought I’d display it and answer the question at hand.

First off, this “#Murica, love it or leave it!” horseshit has two facets to it in response.

ONE: “Go fuck yourself. If you’re so willing to lie down and take it in the ass for one of the parties constantly screwing you, you’re pretty useless. Why don’t YOU leave since you’ve clearly given up the fight? “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” comes at a price, sometimes a high one, and you have to FIGHT for it. If you’re willing to just bend over and take an elbow deep fist in your ass from the Democrats so it can jerk off the GOP while its dick is constantly forced down your throat, then perhaps YOU are the one who needs to pack up and fuck off to Saudi Arabia or North Korea. Maybe Russia or China are more your speed.

TWO: Are YOU going to pay my way if I decide to give up on America and abandon my home and the nation that I love? I may not love your precious politicians, but I’m still proud to be an American. I served, am a vet, but THIS is not the nation I signed up to defend. This era of US history is the Big Sellout, and you, dumbass, are a part of that.

You people had chances and opportunities to make this a better place than when you found it, but over the five decades I’ve been alive all I’ve seen is people fighting to get in line to buy the government snake oil like it’s a Cabbage Patch Kid or the new iPhone. It’s pathetic how much the US lacks vision or has any real pride or dignity worth talking about. We’re not #1 at fuck-all anything worth bragging about unless it’s how bad the education system has gotten or that we’re the TOP nation in the world for incarcerated citizens per capita and it’s mostly geared towards men who happen to have a dark complexion.

The rich and powerful exist here because WE ALLOW it. People like you, you defunct Fox “News” fan, are either a cheering fan for the status quo of yesteryear with Biden who wants to turn back the calendar to a time that BROUGHT US TRUMP in the first place OR you’re a trump fan who has NO IDEA… well, no ideas or thoughts about anything. Trump’s shown us who we really as a nation apparently- deluded, self-centered, selfish assholes, and the WORLD can see it. Not all of us, granted, but as a generalization, we truly suck. Such a waste of enormous potential, especially given all the resources we’ve had over the years.

As a result, we’re being overwhelmed by a virus that’s killing us by the thousands and perhaps millions some day. But, since we no longer believe in or do science anymore, nothing much is coming to save us. If/When the time comes that its run its course and should we find a vaccine, there are still anti-vaxxers who’d rather die than take a cure. Then there are the religious zealots who think Jesus will protect them. You know; the ones who are dropping like flies these days? Those assholes; the hypocrites who think they’re part of ‘the faithful’ who, if you believe in that sort of thing, do Satan’s bidding more than Jesus’.

If you’re not boiling mad at the GOP for literally doing everything they can to go out of their way to keep the US a hateful, racist, peddler of death nation bent on keeping its citizens poor and undereducated, you’re not a part of the solution. If your fucked-up solution is to have those not happy with the butt-hurt they peddle move to another country, it shows you’ve got no pride or respect for your country or yourself. You’re weak, ignorant, selfish and stupid all rolled into a big burrito of go fuck yourself.

If you’re not making a fist so tight that your nails are digging into your palms when you hear that the Democrats are literally forcing us to choose one racist sexual predator that can’t hold a thought or form sentences as the “champion” to replace the incumbent one, you’re DEFINITELY not a part of the solution. Also, you’re an idiot, an asshole, and totally a Biden Bro.

What will it take for YOU to open your window and shout out “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” eh? You people rolling over for Biden are pathetic weaklings who sold out women and #MeToo and sold your souls to #MeTooExceptBiden, allowing the bar to be set to the same, low, cesspool standard that the GOP glorifies in. You sold out party, country, woman, minorities, and everything that was once even remotely good about the party that allegedly represented the working class so that the party leaders can keep their cash flow from Big Pharma, the Insurance lobby, Big Oil and the Military Industrial Complex. You’ve turned the Democratic party into yesterdays feckless, weak and worthless GOP while the current GOP drags the country even FURTHER to the fucking right. You’re aiding and abetting the foulest elements of the nation’s existence.

Your attitude has cost us our place on the world stage and most of our allies while we crawl under the covers with bedfellows we once considered enemies because they treat their people like shit. Now WE are one of those shithole countries you people used to rant about… AND YOU’RE PROUD OF IT and unwilling to stand up and fix it. Instead, you prefer those who are willing to do your job FOR you to just move elsewhere. Loser. Listen, if you’re too much of a wuss to stand up to the establishment that’s using your tax dollars to bail out the rich while pissing table scraps down upon you, that’s on you. You’re too stupid to know better. I get it. But until YOU get off YOUR ASS and hold your government accountable, you’ve got no room to criticize those who ARE doing it.

We’re in the middle of a pandemic and the ONE GUY who has been fighting for his decades-long career for UNIVERSAL health care was someone YOU opted out. American apparently hasn’t suffered enough to grow a pair of whatever motivates it to stand up to the wealth inequality. The US idolizes the rich and instead of fighting for a chance to live at least a DECENT life without having to worry about going tits-up and pear-shape because of hospital bills or job losses, they’d rather just piss away their fortunes and futures so that people with more money than they can spend in a lifetime of ten could possibly spend, all while THEY pay little to ZERO taxes, leaving YOU stuck with the bill. That’s on YOU if you’re willing to bend over and just take it in the ass and take it dry; no kiss, no lube, not so much as a feel-around. That’s YOU.

You, sir, are the problem. Clearly, with people like you, the US is simply BEGGING for 4 more years of trumplefuckery. Perhaps you even deserve it. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but who am I? I’m just one of the few willing to call anyone out on their bullshit, from the GOP overall to Pelosi’s feckless approach, to Schumer’s “kid who gets beaten on the schoolyard daily” approach to trying to appear useful. I’ll shit on Liz Warren for not backing a Progressive approach and getting behind Sanders EARLY; screwing her friend and ally AGAIN like in 2016. I’ll call out all the other “candidates” who say one thing while their track records show that they’re pretty full of shit. I’ll DEMAND that we have a party that’s transparent and willing to fight to drag us BACK to the Left instead of the “oh, let’s settle for plutocracy and oligarchy because it’s better than fascism” route. Fuck that, fuck them, and of course fuck you too. Thought I forgot about you? Oh, this is all about you, you spineless goon.

So let me know if you and your ilk are willing to throw your precious few dollars into a GO FUND ME to finance my move to another country. This includes my family, all our belongings, and of course a home once we get there. Naturally, you’ll be finding us ALL gainful employment there and the costs for the passports, visas, and whatnot and you’ll of course be lining us ALL up with jobs. I’ve got a big family, so it’s going to be pretty goddamn expensive. Shit, just ME moving is going to cost more than you’d be willing to cough up.

In the mean time, I’m going to remain here, giving the finger to the GOP, the Establishment/Corporate owned Democrats, and people like you. Seriously, you’re an idiot.

@ imall4frogs He’s talking about people like YOU.

#imall4frogs

15 notes · View notes

official-wizarding-america · 6 years

Note

Hey were American wizards and witches mainly for the abolitionist movement? What were witches and wizards doing during the trail of tears? And were there any secret found father wizards?

Lots of great questions! First, I’d like to specify – when you say “witches and wizards” in this question, you actually mean witches and wizards of European descent. There were plenty of African American and Native American wizards, respectively, so obviously they were in the Trail of Tears or pro-Abolition, respectively.

Abolitionist movement

MACUSA itself was not for or against Abolition, necessarily. Rather, they allowed people, magical and not, to do what they wanted. In other words, they did not do anything about slavery. Many wizarding families across the States were slave owners. They were just as bad as, if not worse than, their No-Maj counterparts towards those they considered lesser. In fact, the oldest European families had both house elves and blacks as slaves. They, of course, were very against Abolition (see the shady history of RPI to see this).

Meanwhile, free African American witches and wizards in the North (and what few there might have been in the South) fought long and hard for the freedom of their enslaved brethren. And of course, this went towards wizards and No-Maji alike. They reminded MACUSA officials of the No-Maj Revolution, in which MACUSA did not take part but left it to the common witches and wizards to protect and save lives. Those who intervened were regarded as heroes. So, MACUSA would be praised if it would help to free the blacks. Eventually, shortly after Lincoln published the Emancipation Proclamation, MACUSA passed an Abolition law of their own. Naturally, violence ensued.

Witches and wizards took great part in the Civil War. However, rather than a rift in states themselves, it was simply MACUSA and pro-Abolitionists vs. magical slave owners and their families and supporters. For the first time since its creation, the Allegiance Academy supported MACUSA (more on that in a moment) and allowed the fortress to be used as a military stronghold in the South. Battles were fought and won by both sides, with wizards helping the No-Maji in their battles but focusing primarily on their own. Eventually, MACUSA won, African Americans were freed, and slavery was ended – but only in regards to humans. House elves remained enslaved for many years, until relatively recently, when the Civil Rights For All Beings Law was passed (note: this still has a lot of trouble being enforced).

Now, before the Civil War, or in the Wizarding World, the American Wizarding War, the Underground Railroad was formed to help African Americans escaped. Many (and I mean many) witches and wizards joined the Underground Railroad in order to help people escape. In fact, one of the major wizards helping the Railroad, Elias Johnson, secretly helped Harriet Tubman directly in many instances with his magic. (Please note really quickly, I said in another post that Tubman herself was witch. I was wrong, please don’t kill me! My sources lied!) He was later put on trial for breaking the Statute of Secrecy, but after a lot of uproar, the Magistrates ruled that his use of magic in front of No-Maji was necessary.

And the Allegiance Academy – you see, the Academy was founded by escaped slaves. During its early years, the Academy was actually at war with MACUSA, who was trying to return the escaped slaves to their owners. Eventually, MACUSA decided to leave the academy alone, but relations remain hostile until the Civil War, as we already discussed.

Trail of Tears

There were, of course, Native American witches and wizards on the Trail of Tears. However, there were others who saved whoever they could from the Trail and removal, and thus was Di'dando-A'isvi created (check out its own post for more info).

Basically, this was another glaring instance of MACUSA keeping its hands clean because they were afraid of getting a little Stinksap on them. People were being oppressed, and MACUSA could help (or at least allow others to help), but it stayed as far away as it could. This is why Natives did not trust many Whites for a very long time. The only redemption we got was from the few who dared to intervene. And in the case of Native oppression, it was an even sadder amount of help than what the wizarding world usually gave.

Founding fathers

Here is a very good lesson in philosophy, ethics, and No-Maj studies, day moreso than in magical history: none of the Founding Fathers of No-Maj America were wizards. Especially not the ones you think of when you hear that term, like Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, etc. Wizards worked behind the scenes a little bit, particularly in order to help hide the wizarding world and protect its citizens, but none of the famous ones were wizards!

That just goes to show you, No-Maji are not weak or lesser. Magic does not equal might. Yes, No-Maji are certainly quite different from us, but they are better in many ways than we are. Just as we have magic, No-Maji have their technology and inventive minds! So all you insisting that wizards and witches are superior, just get off your high Hippogriff.

Thank you so much for asking! I hope you all learned a lot from this!

~Selwyn

5 notes · View notes

gibsongirlselections · 4 years

Text

The Populist Radio Host Who Really Was Trump Before Trump

Somewhere in New Jersey, on the border of Trenton and Hamilton, just a few miles from where critical battles during the Revolutionary War were fought, just a block down from a German restaurant, nestled inside a blue-collar neighborhood of police officers, firefighters, and war veterans, was a barbershop right out of central casting.

It was here that I was introduced to the strong voice of Bob Grant, “the King of Conservative Talk Radio.” He was the only alternative many of us had to the Star Ledger, the Trenton Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Times, and other left-leaning media organs. There’s not much left of that world, the one before the internet gave conservatives a voice, which is why the memories of that barbershop linger.

The center of attention there was “Angelo,” the kindly, short, stocky, sharp-witted Italian barber. Angelo cut my father’s hair, just as Angelo’s father had cut my father’s father’s hair. I never knew my grandfather who came to this country from Mayo, Ireland, in search of opportunity and found it first in New York and later at the Trenton railroad. I would sometimes hear Angelo and Dad talk about how proud he was to be an American and lament how hard it is now for anyone to immigrate legally from Ireland to America.

When I came home from college, that was when I got to know “old Ang,” as Dad would call him. Oftentimes he had Grant’s program on, heard live starting at three in the afternoon on WABC-AM radio. I realize now that I was catching the tail end of a special moment in the life of the “Greatest Generation”—the one that served in World War II and lived through the Great Depression. They never expected to live to see the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Desert Storm was a bookend to that period and Grant lent his voice to the cause. I remember stopping in one day and hearing Grant unload on Senator Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat, who became New Jersey’s longest serving U.S. senator.

“And let’s be heard!” Grant would say. “Good afternoon everyone, the telephone lines are open, in a program dedicated to the free and open exchange of ideas and opinions. And what is on your mind this afternoon?”

It was Lautenberg who was on Grant’s mind this particular afternoon. Lautenberg had been showing up at rallies expressing support for the troops during Desert Storm. Yet he’d also voted against providing the president with the authority he needed to apply the “use of force” against Saddam Hussein and his army.

I’m just going from memory with this quote, but it’s close: “I understand Lautenberg, Frank Lousenberg, doesn’t like me reminding the public that he voted against authorizing the use of force in Desert Storm. Well I’m going to keep on reminding them, Lousenberg, you phony.”

Grant got under Lautenberg’s skin. There was only one time he was in any serious danger of losing his seat and that was in 1994 when the Republicans won both houses of Congress. Grant helped almost pull off an upset, but the radio host ran smack dab into the perpetual enemy of the conservative movement—polite, genteel, moderate Republicans who were unwilling to fight.

Angelo’s shop was prime Grant territory, in that it was an Old Right shop, if you follow me. Capital O and Capital R. The patrons were defined by their opposition to the New Deal, their affinity for the founding period of the United States, America’s heroic role in history, and a fervent belief in American exceptionalism.

On a Saturday, the usual drill was for Dad and his friends to linger after their haircuts and talk horseracing, sports, and, of course, politics. There was one particular Saturday when the focus was on the perfidy of the United Nations and the heroism of General “Stormin Norman” Schwarzkopf, the U.S. Army general who led coalition forces to victory in Desert Storm. A Trenton native, Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf, a highly decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, oversaw the extensive air campaign followed by a 100-hour ground offensive that liberated Kuwait from Iraq.

At the time, the news media was expressing skepticism over the idea of an unambiguous American military victory while U.N. officials were working feverishly to block the U.S.-led ground campaign that ultimately routed Hussein’s army. There are several conversations I recall, but I’ll just pick one.

In his favorite seat at the back of the shop was “Shady,” a retired Trenton police officer, World War II veteran, and a mountain of a man who I have to say looked a lot like Schwarzkopf. Shady related to Grant because he too was concerned about “mass immigration” and uncontrolled borders. But during this visit, he was most concerned with the “transnationalists” at the U.N. and was suspicious that some American politicians were complicit in efforts to subordinate the U.S. Constitution to U.N. charters. He supported Desert Storm, but wasn’t sure what Bush had meant by a “New World Order.”

Apparently, Shade knew the Schwarzkopf family in some way. He explained to me that Schwarzkopf’s father was the founding superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and had taken on a prominent role in the investigation into the 1932 kidnapping of the Lindberg baby. There’s a lot of history packed into a small state.

Like I said, this was an Old Right barbershop.

After Desert Storm came and went, Grant returned to what I think was his central focus—the need to unwind and reverse the changes to immigration policy that Senator Edward Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson had set into motion.

Here’s one segment that was typical of Grant’s commentary:

Do you know that the Immigration and Naturalization Reform Act of 1965, which was signed in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty by then President Lyndon Baines Johnson, our 36th president standing there with Hubert Humphry smiling, standing there with Teddy Kennedy smiling, Bobby Kennedy smiling? But I looked up at the face of the lady holding the lamp and I don’t think she was smiling. Do you know why? That Act changed America forever because it said henceforth only 15 percent of our legal immigrants will be allowed to come from Europe. The other 85 percent shall be dispersed from Asia, Africa, and South and Central America. And that’s what it is, folks. Teddy Kennedy said not to worry, this is not going to change, no pun intended, the complexion of America. I leave it to you. Did it?

Anytime a caller with rough, uneven English protested Grant’s views on immigration, he’d ask, “Hey, just where are you from, pal?!!” If they continued to protest, he’d do an impersonation of the caller that could bring down the house in that barbershop. We all knew what was coming next: “Get off my phone, you fake, you fraud, you phony!!”

Grant was tough, entertaining, insightful, articulate, knowledgeable, patriotic, and incendiary. He could be highly effective as a foil to the left in academia and the media. At his best, he was a fearless truth teller who defied political correctness while opening up honest discussions on race relations eschewed by the mainstream press. In his most undisciplined moments, he made himself the issue with overheated rhetoric that was not helpful to the conservative cause.

Grant has been somewhat lost to history since he died in 2013, but he is highly relevant to today’s politics and instructive to conservatives in the Age of Trump. We can only imagine what Grant’s tweets would have been like. He might even make Trump appear moderate and restrained by comparison.

Like Trump, Grant was an effective communicator who operated deep inside enemy territory and knew it. But what made both men effective in their preferred mediums (Grant on radio, Trump on Twitter) also brought some baggage.

If you want to understand Trump, his brand of populism, and how he appeals to conservatives who may not be with him on every issue, then go back to Grant. He was not optimistic about America’s future and made it clear to listeners that in his view, the 1965 Immigration Act would lead to a radical transformation of the country’s culture and institutions. On Grant’s broadcast, there was no talk of Ronald Reagan’s “shining city on hill.” He described America as a “once great country.”

Is that too bleak? Consider today Grant’s home state of New Jersey. There, Governor Phil Murphy and other top Democrats are pushing for illegal aliens to acquire driver’s licenses. Murphy has also signed off on legislation that would allow for what his administration and its allies term “undocumented immigrants” to qualify for financial aid.

In many instances, illegal aliens already receive in-state tuition at colleges and universities, giving them a leg up on legal citizens who seek higher education in states other than their own. Let’s also not forget that many Democrats sound serious about providing free health care for illegals while plotting to torpedo private insurance for citizens.

Meanwhile, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, a former Democratic presidential candidate, was last seen escorting migrants from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, where they can process asylum claims.

Standing in opposition to permissive immigration policies that do not put “America first” is President Donald Trump who has made an issue out of illegal immigration in a way that no other recent president has. Like Grant, Trump has demonstrated a willingness to get down in the mud and fight elitists and globalists in both parties who are unwilling to protect America’s borders and to prioritize American sovereignty over international agreements forged at the U.N.

With Americans now attuned to Grant’s prescient warnings about the dangers of mass immigration without assimilation and its impact on the rule of law and the nation’s finances, Trump’s appeal to key voting blocs in 2016 is easy to understand. Like Trump, Grant understood that elites in both major parties were unwilling to step up enforcement of existing immigration laws while failing to press ahead with necessary reforms.

Grant was an ardent supporter of California’s Proposition 187, which prevented illegal aliens from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits. Voters approved the measure in 1994 after it was championed by then-Republican governor Pete Wilson. Grant was sharply critical of conservative stalwarts Jack Kemp, a former congressman, and William Bennett, a former education secretary, for opposing the law. Kemp and Bennett argued that the economic benefits of immigration outweighed the costs. Grant didn’t agree with their math and expressed enthusiasm for Wilson as a presidential candidate to take on Bill Clinton in 1996. Wilson ultimately ran into trouble with social conservatives in his party who felt some of his views were too permissive. Wilson was, for instance, pro-choice on abortion. But then again, so was Grant.

So what did it mean to be a conservative when Grant was at the peak of his fame and popularity? He dominated the airwaves in the New York market beginning in the late 1970s and continuing through the 1980s and 1990s. He was not exactly a Christian conservative and went so far as to express doubts about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Grant also had some sympathy for the use of euthanasia in certain circumstances and he seemed open to some form of gun control. But Grant was also an enemy of the left and consistently challenged the political establishment in his home state of New Jersey and in New York. He was a proponent of constitutional limited government who celebrated the ideals of America’s founding. Grant also had a keen appreciation for the dangers of judicial activism, a topic he discussed at length.

Conservatism is a much bigger church today than it was when Grant first became ascendant. There are economic conservatives, cultural conservatives, Christian conservatives, libertarians, neocons, traditionalists, and subdivisions thereof. But even in his time, Grant understood the necessity of finding common cause with average Americans who might have differed on cultural questions but were united in their opposition to runaway taxes, oversized government, and unaccountable bureaucracies. In many ways, Grant was the ultimate fusionist who brought together seemingly disparate groups to achieve larger goals beyond single-issue concerns.

His approach hit a high water mark during the 1993 gubernatorial race in New Jersey. Christine Todd Whitman, a former Somerset County Republican freeholder, was running to unseat Jim Florio, the incumbent Democratic governor. The 1993 Florio-Whitman contest occurred on the outer fringes of the Gingrich Revolution that was to deliver the House to the Republicans for the first time in 40 years. The New Jersey race was widely and correctly viewed as one with national ramifications and a bellwether for what might happen the following year. James Carville, President Bill Clinton’s campaign operative, nicknamed the “The Ragin’ Cajun,” came in to save Florio, and Ed Rollins, the former Reagan campaign manager, intervened for Whitman. After forcing through a $2.8 billion tax hike, Florio had become extremely unpopular.

A grassroots movement known as Hands Across New Jersey (HANJ) brought together a broad cross-section of state residents who felt victimized by the high costs imposed on them. Grant amplified the scope and reach of the movement on radio. Think of HANJ as a prototype for the Tea Party movement that emerged in 2010. Bumper stickers that read “Florio Free in ‘93” were widely dispersed throughout the state. But by the time 1993 came around, Florio had found a way to put Whitman on the defensive, attacking her as an out-of-touch elitist who could not relate to average people. He also, remarkably, moved to her right on issues like welfare reform.

But Whitman found her footing after making repeated appearances on the Grant program where she reminded voters how costly and damaging Florio’s tax hikes had been. She also embraced a Reagan-style tax cut package co-authored by businessman Steve Forbes and economist Larry Kudlow. After trailing by double-digits in some polls, Whitman pulled off an upset victory on the back of her proposed tax cuts. She also received more than a little help from Grant who provided her with a powerful media platform.

Fred Lucas, author of The Right Frequency, details in his book what happened next: “It was not until Bob Grant’s show had a clear impact on political contests that Democrats and Democratic operatives decided to smear him.” In 1994, Lautenberg knew he was in trouble for the first and only time in his career. He had been losing ground to Republican Assembly Speaker Garabed “Chuck” Haytaian. Like Whitman, Haytaian had gained notoriety by calling into Grant’s program. But when Lautenberg accused Grant of racism and seized upon what Lucas describes as “insensitive comments,” Whitman and Haytaian quickly turned on Grant. Whitman joined in the criticism while Haytaian headed for the tall grass.

Lautenberg was able to put his opponent on defense and shift the public’s attention away from his voting record, which was not friendly to taxpayers. He ultimately won re-election. That’s the short version of what went down. The lesson for today is that if you want to win a tough election, then make it about your opponent’s defects. In 1993, Grant made the election about Florio. In 1994, Lautenberg made the election about Grant.

Today, with a pandemic raging and issues of police brutality rising to the fore, there are plenty of avenues open to the Democratic nominee to make the Trump the issue in this year’s election. The president could do a lot worse than to label the Democratic Party as a giant advocacy group for illegal aliens. In fact, now would be a great time for Trump to revisit Grant’s commentaries on immigration policy and other issues where the radio host was ahead of his time.

Did Trump and Grant ever meet?

Apparently, there’s a photo on the walls of the Reo Diner in Woodbridge, New Jersey, that says they did. Grant, who was a resident of Woodbridge for a time, would occasionally broadcast from the diner. He died on New Year’s Eve in 2013 at the age 84. But as one of his final acts, Grant anticipated an opening for Trump before anyone in the punditry took the real estate mogul seriously.

“There is only one potential candidate who has demonstrated he is not afraid,” Grant wrote in a commentary published in April 2011. “And if you people are looking for someone different; if you are looking for the right man at the right time, then you don’t have to look any further than the man who stands beside me in a photo on the wall at the Reo Diner Restaurant…Donald Trump!”

Angelo died shortly before Bill Clinton was elected. I think Dad and I went to get one of the last haircuts. Just three years ago, our friend “Shady,” the Trenton police officer, passed away. Dad is the last one left from that group. Recently, we drove past Angelo’s old neighborhood. Many of the homes had been redesigned with new facades. The German restaurant, my old landmark, is gone. I couldn’t even tell which one was once the barbershop.

We were on our way to an Irish pub, one that Dad has been going to for as long as I can remember. He asked me why it’s so hard now for the Irish to immigrate legally into the U.S. I reminded him of Grant, the conversations he’d had with Angelo, and the 1965 Immigration Act.

The rest of the ride was subdued and quiet.

Kevin Mooney is a journalist and investigative reporter for the Commonwealth Foundation in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

The post The Populist Radio Host Who Really Was Trump Before Trump appeared first on The American Conservative.

0 notes

my-dear-hammy · 6 years

Text

Falling Through Time: Book 2

Masterpost

Jamilton Series Masterpost

Basking in Firelight

Part Thee

New Horizons

----

Warnings: None

----

Hamilton's house was officially sold, along with all his furniture. It was a weird feeling, knowing you don't have anywhere to go back home to, nothing keeping you tied to a town or a city or a single place. It was an odd sensation that not everyone could handle, it was exhilarating and scary, yet oddly freeing. It was a feeling Hamilton was familiar with, he had it before when he left Nevis for New York. Now he was on the move again. Nothing to return to, not knowing what the future holds. It was terrifying knowing that his entire life, everything he had accomplished so far was now hanging in the balance of this one risky decision, but it wasn't anything Hamilton couldn't handle. He was willing to take that risk and if it fell through, Hamilton could just start again until he got it right.

He had no strings. He could do anything he wanted, anything at all. Except maybe go to the moon, that was definitely out of the cards. Unless he went to another country. Maybe he'll go to England someday, he always had a respect for England. That had such a wonderful financial system. Plus, their nation wasn't currently undergoing a low-key civil war just after a high key and explosive civil war.

Hamilton was waiting for the seatbelt sign to turn off and for the announcement that he could disembark. The airplane was getting stuffy. Finally, the sign clicked off and the disembodied voice announced they could leave. Hamilton practically leaped from his seat, grabbed his carry-on and bolted. He was out the door before anyone else had even gotten up. Baggage claim was packed full of people, unluckily for him, but he managed to grab his belongings and find his way back out of the crowd and to a taxi. Apparently, civil wars didn't shut down airports. That seemed like something that would be shut down first. Maybe it was airline companies raking in the cash from fleeing refugees, trying to escape the tyrannical oppression and the radical rebels. That sounded about right.

The taxi dropped Hamilton off at the hotel he'd be staying at for some time until he could find a place to rent. Hopefully, that would be soon, because he couldn't afford to stay at a hotel for long. He may have to consider getting a roommate or something. For now, Hamilton just had to set up his life again. He'd need a job. Preferably one that would earn him cash and fast.

He stepped up to the front desk, "Reservation for Hamilton," he stated.

The man looked up at him, took in his clothes and bearing all in one long look before recognition crossed his face, "You're Hamilton?! The Hamilton?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Hamilton asked.

"You're Alexander Hamilton, leader of the rebel forces during the war!" the man said happily.

Hamilton laughed nervously, "Yep, that's right." He was praying that this guy wasn't a Govey, if he was, Hamilton was going to be having a hard time.

"I think your work is fantastic, you should publish your story, talk about the battles and the riots!"

Not a Govey then, a fan. Great. Well, at least Hamilton didn't have to worry about being strangled in the middle of the night. "Maybe one day, I didn't know people in Virginia knew my name," Hamilton said skeptically.

"Of course! Your efforts in New York paved the way for the entire nation's revolution!"

"Some would call it a civil war."

"Whichever," the man waved him off, "Oh! I'm so sorry, you probably want your room key. You must be very tired after traveling all this way. What are you doing in Virginia if I might ask?" The man handed Hamilton his key.

"Getting into politics," Hamilton replied before waving goodbye and making his way to his room. It was nice to have fans, but too many got to be a hassle because then you couldn't get anywhere or do anything without being flooded by people. It got to be exhausting after awhile. Hamilton let himself into his room, his luggage was already there waiting for him. He'd unpack later, for now, a bed had his name written all over it.

***

Jefferson liked to think he was a well-traveled man. He spent many years traversing other countries, he's been everywhere in Europe, lots of places in Asia, he's even hit a couple countries in Africa and South America. He'd been to Australia too. Now he was standing in the house of George Washington. Mount Vernon. It was a beautiful place. So much history here. History was a passion of his, his favorite era was the American Revolution. So much happened during that time. War, the Declaration, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Louisiana Purchase, the French Revolution, just so much. And the people that had lived, oh the people! What really interested him was the story between his namesake, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton. There was so much mystery wrapped around the two. There were so many different versions and accounts that there's no telling what really happened. Jefferson remembered learning about it college what seemed like a lifetime ago, back when the country was still somewhat functional.

Somewhat.

The professor had talked about how they were enemies and then friends. Most people say that they were always enemies and that Hamilton backing Jefferson in the election was just strategic politics. Jefferson had his own beliefs.

Not that it mattered.

Jefferson left Mount Vernon several hours later and returned to his home in the capital of the nation, Washington D.C. He owned farmlands way out in the Midwest, but there wasn't much that he needed to do to take care of them. Mostly paperwork. He was well set off financially. He inherited the land and a fair fortune when his father died when he was only fourteen. He missed them dearly.

The city was abuzz with news. People were muttering quietly to each other about it and glancing around like it was a conspiracy. Jefferson approached a couple people.

"What'd I miss?"

The people turned and looked at him, immediately recognizing him as Thomas Jefferson, one of the leaders of the revolution. "Jefferson!" one said, wide-eyed. He was hard to miss, the way he was dressed. He may not have fought physically, but everyone knew his name from the political efforts he put forth, going as far as to straight up demand a reformation of the current government with a great amount of help from John Adams. Cool guy.

"What's going on?" Jefferson asked.

"Oh, rumor has it that Alexander Hamilton has come all the way from New York to here, Washington D.C."

Jefferson raised his eyebrows, "Hamilton? You mean the leader of the New York Revolts at the beginning of the war?"

"That's the one."

"Where's he staying?" Jefferson asked.

"No idea, they say he just got here a couple days ago. Some lucky hotel worker recognized him and told his friends."

Jefferson nodded along, made sense, secrets were hard to keep when you're famous. "Thanks for telling me, if you find anything else out, make sure to let me know," Jefferson winked, handing over his email, "now don't go and share that with anyone," he whispered, and grin across his face. The person almost fainted as Jefferson walked away, whistling.

Alexander Hamilton, here in Washington D.C. Who would've guessed. Hamilton was known for his bravery during the war, leading mass amounts of people against the government. Jefferson was known more from the political side. If there was one thing Jefferson knew, it was that Hamilton was known for causing riots and mob rule by riling the people.

Sounds a lot like a certain pamphlet author Jefferson knew.

Hamilton was going to have to be careful, government loyalists, Goveys, would be all over him no time and they'd do everything in their power to rip him to shreds. And not just the loyalists, but if the military decided it was worth the risk, they might decide to make a move to kidnap Hamilton. Maybe Jefferson too. And other important iconic leaders of the rebellion. Jefferson hated the man's methods, but he did do a lot of good for the war. Perhaps a visit was in order.

----

#jamilton

7 notes · View notes

my-greatseo-love · 5 years

Text

latest politics headlines america

Netanya, Israel - The Authentic History of Israeli Krav Maga in the United States has just a single truth. In what capacity can such a basic history be twisted by such huge numbers of individuals. It is straightforward, as you will see.

Krav Maga has accomplished overall prevalence, particularly, in the United States. Krav maga's prominence ought to be credited to its originator's genious - Imi Lichtenfeld's inheritance - no one individual or association. The accompanying record is the genuine history of the occasions that occurred in the 1980's and past. best of politics america

It is significant for perusers to welcome that three Americans were instrumental in creating krav maga's development and fame in the United States. Alan Feldman, Rick Bltstein and Darren Levine came back from Israel in 1981 in the wake of finishing the initial multi week long universal teacher's course under the immediate supervision of Imi Lichtenfeld. Daniel Abraham supported an American assignment of twenty three Americans to go to the course. Alan, Rick and Darren filled in as minister's for the Israeli Association. Alan Feldman framed the offshoot Krav Maga Association Eastern Region, Rick Blitstein the Central Region, and Darren Levine the Western Region.

Alan and Rick never self-advanced and have dependably been serene with their educating. The blog has gotten numerous inquiries concerning the history in the United States, in this way, it is constrained to accentuate some underpublicized realities about Alan Feldman and Rick Blitstein. Alan and Rick were cultivated military craftsmen before their preparation in Israel and would turn out to be some of Imi Lichtenfeld's most capable supporters and teachers. Alan had a solid foundation in Kenpo while Rick contemplated Kung Fu.

In 1981, Alan Feldman touched base back in the place where he grew up of Philadelphia with what he thought would be little exhibition. However, quickly on his arrival, the Jewish War Veterans called the Jewish Exponent which speedily distributed a generally welcomed article. The following day, Alan got more than fifty telephone calls asking about krav maga preparing. Alan did not yet have an instructional hub, be that as it may, one liberal and good natured woman offered Alan her storm cellar as an end-result of training her children educational cost free.

Inside two months, running three classes consecutive every night of the week, Alan had more than seventy understudies to rapidly exceed his storm cellar studio. He found a private area to exchange his seventy understudies. In 1984, subsequent to ending up always well known, Alan, moved to a 5000 square foot office on Roosevelt Boulevard. Alan before long gotten his first degree blackbelt from Imi in 1985. Alan educated at this area for a long time. Alan enjoyed a reprieve in the mid 1990's expected some restorative issues, be that as it may, before long returned in power to instruct at one of the bigger Jewish Community Centers and afterward the Newtown Athletic Club. In 2006, Alan joined David Kahn in the Israeli Krav Maga U.S. Preparing Center situated in Hamilton, N.J.

Rick Blitstein lived on Kibbutz Ein Harod Me-Uchad and met Imi Lichtenfeld in 1977 and moved on from the Israeli Krav Maga Association's first universal teacher's course in 1981. Rick rehearsed Kung Gu on the kibbutz. A portion of the kibbutzniks were watching and moved toward him. They said that his Kung Fu looked decent however what might Rick do against coordinated assaults?

In Rick's words "They brutalized me with stifles, bearhugs, blade assaults - all with speed and power." Rick solicited them what [ype from fighting] style they were utilizing. They reacted, "Goodness, this is from the military." Rick discovered later that these folks were in top commando units and very proficient at battling. Rick's commando companions took him to prepare and there were some more seasoned men viewing. One of those men was Imi. Rick Blitstein keeps on instructing respecting Imi's heritage in Miami Beach, Florida.

Darren Levine likewise had a combative techniques foundation and was welcome to prepare with the Israeli Krav Maga Association. Darren started instructing at his mom's school, the Heschel Jewish Day School, in Los Angeles, California. Darren Levine got his first degree dark belt in 1984. In this way, all around situated in Los Angeles, Darren built up an enormous understudy body and was effective at advancing krav maga. latest politics headlines america

Darren skewer headed the diversifying, be that as it may, was ineffective in trademarking the name krav maga. Darren succeeded in trademarking the Israeli Krav Maga Association's (IKMA) kuf-mem logo against the IKMA's desires. The IKMA restricted the unapproved use and trademark application in any case, as a non-benefit, couldn't bear the cost of the fight in court. Be that as it may, the IKMA still contradicts the Association of America's utilization of its image which is as of now enrolled to the IKMA. The kuf-mem image is enlisted in both Israel and the European Union as an enrolled Trademark of the IKMA. The IKMA, Alan, Rick, and numerous other noticeable teachers including the majority of the chip krav maga affiliations contradicted the endeavored trademark.

In two separate meetings, Rick Blitstein and Alan Feldman examined their first experiences and musings concerning krav maga. They were asked what it resembled to turn into a teacher in the most punctual long stretches of krav maga's developing global fame.

What is your most loved Imi story?

Amid my 1985 visit with Imi in Netanya, my significant other left to do some window shopping. Beside his place of business, there was a table set back in disengagement. Imi asked, "Where is your better half?" I said I didn't have even an inkling. Imi stated, "Is she there or not?" Imi quickly got up to scan for her by and by. To his alleviation, he saw her window shopping. Imi realized when to look; he was constantly alert. You never knew precisely what he was considering, however you realized he was thinking about security. Here is another. Amid an exhibit with Rick and Alan in Cleveland in 1984, I asked Imi how old he was. Imi addressed 76 years of age and the group of onlookers heaved. He moved like a trapeze artist; you could see he was as yet a functioning man. Imi reacted, "You don't need to praise me, I realize I am great."

Contact the Author Robb Hamic for more data on this and other Authentic Israeli Krav Maga themes or preparing. Visit This Website=>https://americamaga.weebly.com

0 notes

treehugginglibrarian · 7 years

Text

Puerto Rico, You Lovely Island

My mother and I went to Puerto Rico recently and, as I usually do, I figured I would impart any wisdom or knowledge gathered for travelers who come after me. We went at the beginning of June, which sounds insanely stupid because of the heat, but really only makes a big difference at night. Puerto Rico is pretty warm no matter when you go, but if you go in the summer that warmth is more likely to cling through the night time hours. In the fall and winter, it gets cooler in the evening. To that end, pack clothes that you don’t mind sweating in and that will generally let the breeze pass through. People in Puerto Rico seem to wear a bit of everything, so there’s not a particular item or style that is a “faux pas,” so to speak. Pack for hot weather, and for the activities you will be partaking in, knowing that whatever you’re wearing is going to be appropriate culturally.

Prior to going, we had multiple people express concerns about our safety. We heard about how dangerous Puerto Rico was, how horrible things might happen to us, blah, blah, blah, “you’ll get mugged!” In general, Puerto Rico is no more dangerous than any other place in the world. There are certain neighborhoods that are more dangerous than others but, largely speaking, those neighborhoods are only going to be dangerous to you if you’ve decided to get yourself involved in the drug trade there. Just be smart, as you would when traveling anywhere else, and you should be fine. Don’t leave your things lying about where it is easy for someone to grab them. If you carry a purse, wear it across your body. If you’re carrying a larger bag, use a tote or carry it on your front, where it’s easier to see and hold on to. Literally, the same shit you would do when traveling anywhere else. Sparkly objects will not make you a target, expensive clothes will not make you a target, and nice shoes will not make you a target. The only thing that makes you a genuine target is participation in the drug trade, since that’s where the worst crimes take place. In fact, being an obvious tourist is going to keep you safer in Puerto Rico.

This is because Puerto Ricans love tourists. There's really no better way to phrase it. They don't care if you don't speak Spanish, will happily teach you any words you want to know, and will gladly recommend food, drinks, dance clubs, or really any other thing you could possibly need or want while there. Having traveled to a lot of places in my time, this fondness for tourists is both odd and refreshing. In many countries, if tourists should happen upon a "local" spot, the locals are frequently annoyed. Not so in Puerto Rico. They'll tell you where the locals hang out and then, when you get there, the locals will ask all about where you're from and why you're there, and they'll want to suggest places for you to go. They're proud of their country and they want more Americans to know about their culture. Which makes sense since, technically, they are American as well. They are also smart enough to know that the bulk of their nation’s GDP sits in tourism and tourism related activities, which means it behooves all of them to ensure that the tourists keep coming back. As I said, though, they do like to talk to their tourists and they WILL ask you questions!

My mother and I got asked, a lot, where my father was. On the occasion that I got hit on by a man who spoke no English, it quickly became apparent that he was confused as to where my own husband was, as well. I was wearing both my engagement and my wedding band, making it obvious I was married. My mother was wearing her wedding band. I look like my mom. It was clear we were mother and daughter and yet, not a man anywhere in sight. Men were confused by this. Sometimes concerned, even, as though we might find ourselves in trouble without a man to look over us. Women were surprised, sometimes pleasantly so, and often expressed the sentiment that there was simply no way their father or husband would let them travel alone. It wasn't an option. It wouldn't happen. That said, they don't treat women like they are invalids who can't function on their own and, blessedly, I was only catcalled once during the entire trip. I definitely get the impression that they view women as precious beings that need to be protected from life as we know it. Owing to their nature, and their general disinterest in being innately pervy (at least to us), their concern mostly came across as sweet. If I was living with a father or a husband like the ones described, however, I'm certain we'd be making each other completely batshit.

I went on this trip with my mother, but I get the impression that it’d be perfectly acceptable for me to travel to Puerto Rico with my wife. I can't say if we saw any queer male couples in Puerto Rico, but I can say with relative certainty we either saw many queer female couples, or Puerto Rican "gal pals" are a lot closer to each other than they are on the continent! In general, women holding hands, cuddling, even kissing on the street, seemed to be something that was completely dismissed if not viewed as totally normal. We didn't see this with any male couples, though. Lesia and I could travel through Puerto Rico without any issues, near as I could tell, though we'd likely face a great many questions about where our husbands were before they figured out that the word "husband" just doesn't exist in our vocabulary. I suppose we could always lie and claim out husbands are “at the hotel still” or “parking the car, they’ll be right along!”

My mother and I are both *technically* white, though in my mom’s case that really is a mere technicality. In the summer, she gets an impressive shade of dark mahogany that makes you question where she’s from and, on multiple occasions, had the locals speaking to her in rapid fire Spanish. The fact that my mother is so dark might explain why, on multiple occasions, we had people discuss openly, with distress, the "race relations problem on the mainland." Racism actually seems to confuse the Puerto Ricans. Slavery existed in Puerto Rico, but was a concept that generally lacked support among the natives and whose abolishment was met with gratitude by most everyone there. Moreover, it's a history that is talked about, routinely, with immense shame. There is no attempt to sugarcoat the slavery that took place in Puerto Rico, and there is no demand that the descendants of those enslaved simply "move on." What was done is documented in museums, talked about on tours, and acknowledged by the citizens, which seems to have altered the path the race conversation has taken there. While I'm certain there is racism there, as there is almost everywhere, it's nowhere near as overt as it is on the continent. Racism isn’t the only thing about the United States that seems to confuse Puerto Ricans at times.

In order to understand their attitude towards the United States, I think it's first necessary to understand their placement within the United States. Puerto Rico is a territory, gifted with the right to request military protection but, other than that, possessing basically no rights within the United States. They cannot vote in Federal elections. They pay Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security, which means they can claim those when needed, but otherwise pay no Federal income tax. This means the Federal government owes them, essentially, nothing on a financial level. Which might go some way towards explaining the outright begging Hamilton's writer was doing when Puerto Rico was looking at declaring bankruptcy (which they did at the beginning of May). Technically, the Federal government owes them very little because it takes very little from them in strict monetary form. As is explored in a section on food, however, the Feds hardly need to be collecting income taxes from the island nation to get their cut of the dollars spent there.

All of that said, their attitude towards their position within the United States is confusing and fraught with a combination of historically induced annoyance and fear. Every so often, as happened, while we were there, an election will be called in which the Puerto Ricans will be asked to decide if they want to be a state, become completely independent, or stay just as they are. The vast majority of native Puerto Ricans are in favor of either statehood or stasis, citing the island's ignorance on most governmental tasks necessary to go-it-alone as one of a number of reasons for this stance. Unsurprisingly, Americans who have moved there and now call it home are desperate for the island nation to claim it's complete independence. Part of this is undoubtedly the American spirit of "we can do it!," combined with a large dose of "gimme my land" and a dash of "YES! If the island becomes its own country I will have left the United States without any of the hassle of actually leaving the United States."

While my mother and I were there one of these votes was called and it was, as any news agency reporting could tell you, overwhelmingly unsuccessful. Many of the news organizations attempted to spin the election as a sure sign that Puerto Rico desperately wanted statehood, emphasizing that 97% of voters opted for such. When only 22% of the population bothered to vote, however, the results can definitely be called into question. Where were the other 78% of Puerto Ricans that were supposed to be voting? On the beach. No. Seriously. They were on the beach, engaged in what has to be the most tropical form of mass protest I have ever born witness to. Had we not been stuck in the traffic this protest created, I probably would have thought it the greatest thing in the world. But... Why?

Because the vote was, and will always be, completely fucking useless. No matter how many Puerto Ricans show up and vote for statehood, a change of that magnitude would have to be vetted and approved by Congress before coming to fruition. Puerto Rico is not necessarily a socially liberal space, but it's far from being a Republican bastion and, given the manner in which many Republican candidates speak about anyone who isn't white (or male) these days, Puerto Rico would not be a Republican stronghold. At all. This means that, as long as the Republicans hold the lock over Washington that they do, there is no way in hell Puerto Rico's quest for statehood will ever gain any traction. These votes are the dictionary definition of wasting peoples' time, because even if an overwhelming majority of the country wanted to become a state, nothing would come of it. Thus, most people protested the vote by not participating, effectively making the result precisely as "null" as it would have been anyway. Why participate in a senseless election when you can party and eat, right?

Food isn't quite life in Puerto Rico, but it seems to come pretty close. It doesn't matter how small the town is, you will find a restaurant there, and the food will likely be amazing. You'll find a little bit of everything there- we ate both Italian and Mexican during our trip- as well as some stuff that's harder to find in the states. Plantains and avocados are both in abundance and used in ways most Americans probably aren't accustomed to seeing them. I prefer my plantains fried but you can, of course, get them prepared damn near any way you'd like. All that said, there are a couple quirks you should note about food in Puerto Rico.

Restaurants in Puerto Rico are not a quick and easy affair. There seems to be an expectation that you will happily spend an hour or more tending to a meal you sit down for, so if that's not the type of time you have either opt for fast food or swing through a grocery store and grab something at the deli. In large part, the wait is worth it, as it seems to stem from the fact that absolutely everything is made from scratch. Also, it's hotter than hades there and the wait in a restaurant gives you some time to cool off and rehydrate!

Possibly one of the strangest things we learned while in Puerto Rico had to do with food. Despite being an island that is completely conducive to growing most everything it could possibly need, most of its food is imported. A lot of this has to do with restrictions placed on it because it is an island nation that is a territory of the United States. Heaven forbid the US government not get a sizable chunk of any and all food monies spent in the country, right? Suffice to say, the regulations on imports and exports make it so that most of the food that's grown in the country is either consumed by those growing it or is highly processed prior to consumption (coffee and chocolate, for example). Fruits, vegetables, and even most dairy products, are all produced off the island and delivered by the merchant marines, and enjoy the mark-up that comes with that fact. Except for the ones that are produced on the island, shipped off the island, packaged and processed, and then shipped back. Because that nonsense totally makes sense.

Coffee is basically Puerto Rico's replacement for water. Not really, but yes really. You can find it just about anywhere, and even simple requests are treated with the seriousness of a life-threatening medical condition. Coffee plantations dot the island in an almost manic fashion, with every bag purchased detailing exactly where the beans came from. While this obsession with coffee would, in most normal places, make coffee an expensive commodity and a lucrative line of work, that's not really the case in Puerto Rico. It may well be a lucrative line of work, but coffee isn't expensive as the prices are literally regulated by the government. Coffee beans are only allowed to get passed a given price point, depending on the quality of the beans, and are allowed to go no higher. Despite this fact, coffee is so prized it's more commonly stolen than cigarettes or alcohol. Which is why, I'm not joking, it is kept locked in glass cases by the cash registers in the stores that sell it. Coffee is basically liquid gold in Puerto Rico.

Chocolate isn't hard to come by in Puerto Rico, it's just hard to come by Puerto Rican chocolate. That's in large part because Puerto Rican chocolate just barely exists these days. A series of unreasonably awful hurricanes basically destroyed the cocoa crops in Puerto Rico for a number of years, and it wasn't until recently that they started to recover. The biggest purveyor of Puerto Rican chocolate seems to be a chocolate shop called "Loiza," which has a fancy website, amazing reviews, and is impossible to find in person. We tried five ways from Sunday, before finally giving up and fleeing. Loiza chocolate is available at certain tourist locations and in select SuperMaxx grocery stores, but is otherwise difficult to come by. If you should happen to snag a bar, savor it. It's fucking incredible. Alternatively, indulge in some almost-as-incredible Costa Rican chocolate, which is very easy to find and surprisingly inexpensive.

I get the impression that when Puerto Ricans aren’t eating amazing food or drinking amazing coffee, they’re tending to their often amazing appearances. If ever you're feeling short on face cream, hand cream, or any other slippery substance designed to disguise your age, just walk through Old San Juan and that shortage will dissipate quickly. From sparkly baubles to expensive lotions, bottles of hair grease to hair that stretches all the way down ladies backs, this is a culture captivated by all that glitters. Which means, of course, their people must glitter as well. Every make-up shop we walked past attempted to convince my mother and I that they had the fountain of youth contained in the glass vials just inside their shop, pressing samples into our hands and imploring us to smear them around our eyes at night. Women were frequently impeccably dressed, with make-up that seemingly defied the humidity and heat, and figures clad in all black despite both of these weather annoyances. While tourists were typically in little more than swimsuits, seeking out air conditioning and windy spots as though our very lives depended upon it, natives strolled around in long sleeves and acted as though it was but a balmy spring day. These people are completely insane.

The men seemed almost as invested in their appearance, even if they didn't seem inclined to devote as many fancy bottles of moisturizers to this obsession. Hair that is coiffed and gelled, shirts that match pants that match belts that match shoes, and cologne. All the time. No matter where you are. Puerto Rico is where the word "metrosexual" was invented or, at the very least, where men every where go when they're having trouble embracing that term. It works for them, though. If short, dark, handsome, and only nominally interested in your intellect level is your type, I highly recommend a trip to San Juan to track down your next boy toy.

We had three areas that were really the focus of our trip: San Juan, El Yunque, and Ponce.

We spent most of our time in San Juan in Old San Juan, which is a fun rabbit warren of cobblestone streets, old buildings, churches, and ancient forts. Play in the forts, because they're super awesome and the National Park personnel who tend to them are incredibly kind and incredibly knowledgeable. The rabbit warren is bigger than you think, so however many days you've allotted yourself to explore it, you'll have to allot yourself at least one more. There are many museums, many coffee shops, many little trinket shops, at least one store devoted completely to flip flops, and a rather huge green space where the wind is wonderful and the kites are numerous. I'm sure there is much to do in San Juan besides just play in the older sections of the city, but my mother and I didn't find it. We found Old San Juan, with its history, its art, and its blue cobblestones far too fascinating to leave.

Do, bring a tote bag with you. You'll want to carry things like water, sunscreen, and snacks. Do, wear a hat! No seriously. Don't wear a skirt! The wind in San Juan is a little insane in certain areas, and you'll be going full Marilyn Monroe more times than you can count. Don't wear "cute" shoes. Between the hills, the stairs, and the cobblestones, go for the comfy Birkenstocks, not the adorable gladiators.

Ponce (pronounced Pon-say) is a full "skip." No, I'm not even kidding, you don't even need to stop in Ponce. I won't say don't go to the southern coast, because the beaches on the Caribbean side are truly lovely. Just skip Ponce. Shoot straight past it for somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes, and then start following the signs for the beaches out that way. If you do feel compelled to go to Ponce for some godforsaken reason, don't show up in the middle of the afternoon. Or during rush hour. Or really, any time other than late evening after everyone who works downtown has left. There won't be many options besides actually staying downtown if you don't want to have to drive into the city while you're there. If you are staying in Ponce, you will have to drive to the beach. Not that the beaches in Ponce have a whole ton to offer. Seriously, between the traffic, the traffic, the traffic, the lack of parking, the lack of anything to do, and the traffic, just skip it. If you're still insistent, I suggest the art museum. It's a pretty solid museum for a city of that size. As it has a parking lot and isn't in the city center, though, you can totally just stop at it on your way to the beaches past Ponce. Thus allowing you to, effectively, skip Ponce. You have been warned.

The rain forest we visited, El Yunque, is on the eastern side of Puerto Rico and is super tourist friendly. There's a paved road that goes all the way up the mountain with lots of pull-offs and parking lots so that you can stop and see the sights. It's great if you or someone in your group is active, but not quite up to the "let's hike ten miles" standard of activity. That said, it's not a place to visit if you have trouble walking, have a fear of heights, or don't like being wet. It's a rainforest. Even if there's no rain in the forecast, it's probably going to rain. You will get wet. Wear clothing that dries easily or that, at the very least, wears comfortably when damp. Wear shoes that won't give you blisters if they get wet. Wear a sports bra if you've got boobs that need support. Make sure you are essentially water ready. Many of the trails hug cliff faces or large hill scares, so if heights aren't your schtick you might not be comfortable hiking them.

If you are the type who likes to hike ten miles in a day just for the fuck of it, this rainforest is for you, too. There are hundreds of miles of trails that you can access pretty easily from the same parking lots, from the visitors’ center, and occasionally, from peoples' backyards. With the right maps, enough food and water, and a good pair of shoes, you could probably explore a fair bit of that tropical jungle if you gave yourself two or three days to do it in. My mom and I stuck to the more civilized route. When my wife and I go, we're hiking the whole damn thing. There's a blue tarantula living in that forest somewhere, and I am going to find him!

While there is a public bus system in Puerto Rico, it’s schedule is chaotic and unreliable on a good day. Which makes the best option for getting around, a car rental. Driving in Puerto Rico is essentially like playing a game of Frogger, but in real life. You will be dodging people, cats, dogs, other drivers who are swerving to avoid potholes, the potholes they are swerving to avoid, drivers who are merging and will not pay attention to your presence, drivers who are turning and assuming you will stop, and drivers who will just generally go where they want without bothering to signal. Driving in Puerto Rico is drastically different from driving Stateside, as the drivers are prone to assuming that everyone else is looking out for them. It's a very offensive driving method that seems to work for them, but would get most of them arrested for reckless endangerment if they ever came to the continent!

If someone wants to turn, they're simply going to turn into traffic to do so, as they assume you will stop because they know they would stop for you. And it's true, when it's your turn to turn, someone will stop if you just go. Even if you don't "just go," even if you sit there for a few seconds, it won't take long before someone will realize you want to turn and they will stop traffic for you. It's just the way they are. They are like this with everything on the roads, which means you really have to pay attention to the people around you.

A fact that is magnified by their disinterest in using turn signals for basically anything. The only saving grace is that they are not prone to trying to fit themselves into spaces they won't logically fit (looking at you, fucking Ohioans), so even if they get in your lane on the highway without telling you they're coming over, you're unlikely to find yourself slamming on the breaks. It's a strange combination of politeness and a general expectation of telepathy. Once you get used to it, it's not bad for the driver. If you're an anxious passenger, however, being in Puerto Rico will make you completely miserable and, in turn, make the person driving completely miserable. So, if you're an anxious passenger, either skip cars completely, or be the driver.

The roads in Puerto Rico are so ridiculous they plunge into the comical. The highways are riddled in potholes so large they can blow out your tires, eventually making you grateful the speed limit is rarely above 60 and the drivers themselves are rarely going faster than 55. When you're not on a highway, roads are often barely more than one lane, even when designed for two cars. This is particularly fun when you are climbing up a mountain, on a road that is hugging a cliff, and a car comes flying at you from the other direction. Because a lot of regions have a limited number of road systems, when road ways get washed out or damaged simply detouring to a different road to go to the same location isn't always an option. Instead, completely new roads will be invented traversing the path of least resistance. Which is how you may find yourself staring at the top of a mountain and uncertain if there is actually a road on the other side or if you are about to drive the car directly off a cliff.

Like anywhere else in the States, construction is rampant and orange cones proliferate. Unlike most other places, they treat construction sites, and merging spaces, as items that need to be dodged around quickly. Rather than a half mile of cones leading to a construction site, you'll be given five cones and then you'll be stuck. There are no real signs telling you to merge or that a lane is ending, you just find yourself forced to merge or sitting on the side of the road. It's an awkward system to adjust to if you're from out of town, but if you're a local who's grown accustomed to telepathy being a required part of your driving experience, I'm sure it seems normal. Sort of like the foot tall bumps in the road all through out San Juan. Super fucking weird to people who aren't from Puerto Rico. Totally normal if you are. Just don't drive fast over them, because you will quite literally total your car doing so.

In major cities or populated areas, traffic is pretty horrific. Sometimes stand-still-for-forever horrific. Shockingly, there aren't that many horns, though. I think it's because people drive into those areas expecting to be stuck in traffic, and because their offensive driving style insures that the most impatient among them end up getting where they need to go pretty quick simply because they'll "just go." I have a feeling that once you're more comfortable with their style of driving, getting stuck in traffic in Puerto Rico is probably actually better than getting stuck in other places, just because you can get out if you really need to. Drivers will let you move if there is a path you are trying to cut. For those who are more accustomed to the defensive driving style required in Ohio, though, Puerto Rico's traffic jams are just a nightmare.

Undoubtedly one of the strangest, but most pleasant, surprises we came across in Puerto Rico was the country’s obsession with four legged furry friends. Cats and dogs are basically everywhere, and being cared for with varying levels of success. Cats in Old San Juan have all been adopted by an organization within the city, as well as many of the city workers themselves. New cats that are dropped off there will be spayed or neutered, and then set free to join the rest of the pack. Food and water are routinely laid out, and many of them are very friendly and will come up to you demanding attention. In other parts of the country the cats are less numerous, but frequently just as well tended.

Often, because the weather is nice year round, cats are kept as outdoor pets. They know what porch belongs to them and can be found lazing about in the same spots every day, they'll even make it to their annual veterinary appointments, but they'll never come inside. The overwhelming logic here seems to be that the cats are more pleasant than the rats that would flourish without them, so the cats get to stay. Sometimes in large quantities. And always well fed. Truly, there is nothing more amusing than going into someone's home and realizing that, though they have a huge bag of cat food, they don't personally own a cat. They're just one of a dozen people who feed the two dozen cats keeping the neighborhood vermin free.

The big thing we noticed with the dogs is the number of pit bulls the nation has. Breed specific legislation either doesn't exist in Puerto Rico, or is completely ignored, as basically every dog we saw was at least part pitty. And there were a LOT of dogs. Like cats, because of the weather many of them seem to be outdoor creatures. They come home to get fed, get love, find shelter on a porch or in a garage, but they never make it into the house. Dogs are a routine obstacle while driving, as they like to laze about in the middle of the road and frequently won't move until they realize that, no, you are not going to stop the car and get out to pet them. Be them dog or cat, the strays in the country seem overwhelmingly docile and accustomed to humans and human interaction. This trip resulted in an entire photo album titled “Cat of Puerto Rico.” I think the next one will mandate an album titled “Pitties of Puerto Rico!”

Overall, Puerto Rico is a wonderful place, with kind people, amazing food, spectacular coffee, and beautiful views. The driving is a little terrifying at first, but it’s a small price to pay to get around an island that offers so much. I enjoyed my time there, adored our AirBnB hosts, and truly hope to make it back with my wife sooner rather than later. There is, after all, a bright blue tarantula that is calling my name...

1 note · View note

weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

Text

The Weekend Warrior Home and Drive-In Edition July 3, 2020 – HAMILTON, THE OUTPOST, JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE and more!

Well, it is 4th of July weekend and in most years, I’d be scratching my head about how the 4th falling on a Saturday might affect the movies opening over the course of the week. This 4th of July lands just as a bunch of states start rolling back their reopenings, including some percentage of the hundreds of movie theaters that have reopened, not that any of them would have had much impact. Even so, there’s some great stuff hitting screens of all sizes including lots of stuff you can watch from home.

First and foremost, Disney has decided to release the filmed documentation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Tony-winning musical HAMILTON onto the Disney+ streaming service this Friday, months in advance of its planned holiday theatrical release, but appropriately, just in time for the 4th of July. I was lucky enough to see the musical on Broadway last year March, although by then, all the key players had pretty much left to be replaced by equally talented performers. I thought it was terrific, basically as good as everyone had been saying, but I was still a little bummed I didn’t get to see Miranda or Daveed Diggs or some of the others who had been in the show since it premiered off-Broadway.

Wisely, Miranda had one of his last performances in 2016 filmed and Disney bought the rights to release it theatrically before the pandemic hit. Obviously, Miranda knew that people were starting to go a little stir crazy from lack of entertainment and releasing Hamilton early for 4th of July weekend was a way he could give back to the fans, while giving people yet another reason to subscribe to Disney+ while there are no new ongoing series ready to go. (Apparently, Disney+ has shut off the one-week free trial so people don’t subscribe just to watch Hamilton and then cancel after doing so.)

In fact, I was quite surprised to get a screener for the movie to review it, although I feel that Hamilton is almost review-proof at this point, even in this new filmed format. I’ll admit that at first, I was skeptical that watching a live performance even on a very large TV set could possibly capture what it’s like to be in the Richard Rogers Theater on Broadway watching Hamilton live, but boy, was I wrong!

Since I had never seen Lin-Manuel Miranda in the title role, that was special in itself, but so many of the other performances just burst off the screen. Leslie Odom, Jr. is absolutely amazing as Aaron Burr, and I was equally blown away by Christopher Jackson as George Washington, a character I barely remembered from my one time seeing the musical. Renée Elise Goldsberry was also quite brilliant as Angelica Shuyler, the woman who had to compete for Hamilton’s affections with her own sister Eliza, as played by Phillipa Soo. (I actually liked the women’s numbers quite a bit more in this format, as Goldsberry and Soo were fabulous.) Apparently, they got Jonathan Groff back as King George for this performance, and he’s deliciously evil as the antagonist of the piece, despite making just three appearances more as a narrator.

On paper, Hamilton’s 2 hours 40 might seem long but the first act (about an hour and 17 minutes) just flies by based on the amazing energy coming off stage. The second half is very different, but it also switches Daveed Diggs over to the role of Thomas Jefferson, creating another stopping block for Hamilton. This is also where Hamilton goes deeper into the politics of the time, framing political debates as rap battles, and delivering some of its biggest numbers. Knowing how this musical helped turn Odom and Diggs into superstars alongside Miranda, it’s great to see some of their numbers that really show off their talent.

All of that said, it’s almost impossible to separate Hamilton as a filmed stage musical from Hamilton the musical itself, because there’s a good reason why it was such a blockbuster hit – because it so damn fucking good. Hamilton (the film) is an exceptional documentation of this musical, which will probably stand the test of time as one of the finest musicals from the early 21st Century. Whether you’ve already seen it or have been dying to do so, it is to Disney and Miranda’s credit that they chose to finally give people all over the world a chance to watch it over and over from home at this particularly difficult time in our country’s history.

Hamilton will also kick off a weekly “Summer Movie Nights” program on Disney+ which will begin this Friday with live Q n As on Disney+ social media (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook). Besides Hamilton, the program will also include The Mighty Ducks, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Armageddon, Solo: A Star Wars Story and a lot more extending right through August. (You can read more about that program here.)

There are a number of other really good movies this week, but this week’s “Featured Film” is Rod Lurie’s return to filmmaking with the real-life war drama, THE OUTPOST (Screen Media), based on Jake Tapper’s book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor about the 2009 assault on Combat Outpost COP Keating in a valley surrounded by Afghanistan’s Kush mountains that was overrun by hundreds of Taliban in one of the Army’s deadliest battles, the Battle of Kamdesh.

A little review caveat: I’ve known Rod for almost 13 years, and I consider him a friend. Heck, he’s bought me a few nice meals over the years, and he gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever been given in my entire life… which of course I didn’t listen to. Rod also knows that I take my role as a film critic very seriously, since he was one himself, and that I wouldn’t lie if I didn’t like a film he made. The good news is that I loved The Outpost, and I think it’s one of Lurie’s best films to date. (For those who don’t know this, Lurie went to West Point, and his earlier film The Last Castle was a good indication of how in tune he is with the military and how to portray them in film. Oddly, that movie was also the very first movie I ever reviewed, if that’s ever asked in trivia.)

Of course, there’s another immediate caveat that needs to be said, because The Outpost is coming out after a couple decades of movies set in Afghanistan, as well as some great war films. It’s something Lurie surely must have been aware of when deciding to tackle this subject matter, and that’s something the movie has to work against since to many, they’ll feel that Afghanistan has been covered enough. Watching the movie makes you realize this is far from the case.

Another general problem with military films is that it’s often hard to determine who is who, partially since soldiers’ heads are shaved to level the playing field, but that also makes it hard to separate Scott Eastwood from Orlando Bloom from every other Joe

Through a number of preliminary situations, we learn more about the individual soldiers, although the commanding officers turn out to be as expendable as drummers in Spinal Tap in that they just don’t last very long. In fact, Lurie does such a great job with the tension and suspense, you never know when the shooting is gonna start or someone might get blown up, which must have been how the soldiers stationed at COP Keating felt. The movie isn’t entirely grim, though as the shocking horrors of war are well-countered by the jovial attitude between the soldiers as they wait for the next big attack.

Surprisingly, it’s Caleb Landry Jones who really stands out from this great ensemble as Ty Carter, who you immediately assume is the fuck-up of the bunch since very few of his colleagues like him. Turns out there’s a lot more to him as a character, and by the end of the film you realize this might easily be one of the best performances of Jones’ career. (I realized this even more on a second viewing.)

Where The Outpost really takes off is at about the halfway point as everything we’ve seen up until that point leads to the actual Battle of Kamdesh on October 3, 2009. At this point, it becomes a brutal battle sequence on par with Peter Berg’s Last Survivor or Ridley Scott’s Blackhawk Down. The amazing work done by Lurie and his camera and visual/make-up FX teams really pulls the viewer into battle with the soldiers. Honestly, I’m a little bummed that more people probably won’t be seeing The Outpost on the big screen where it deserves to be seen. It took many decades for Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket and others to be deemed classics in the way they displayed the horrors of war, and I feel that those who see The Outpost will hold it up fairly to those classics, even (and especially) by those who feel that the war in Afghanistan is “ancient history.”

You can find out exactly where The Outpost will be playing and places to download and watch digitally on the official Screen Media site.

Let’s get to a few of this week’s docs, and another wonderful movie that will be available via Virtual Cinema this week is Dawn Porter’s JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE (Magnolia/Participant), which showcases the life and political career of ‘60s Civil Rights activist and Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who has really seen a lot in his 80 years. Porter, who produced and directed Trapped and Spies of Mississippi, follows Lewis around during the lead-up to the 2018 election where winning the House back is crucial for the Democrats, superimposing that with chapters from Lewis’ long life, including some archival footage that even he hadn’t seen. (The title “Good Trouble” comes from a speech Lewis gives while on the campaign trail, saying that protesting and getting arrested is exactly that.) I don’t think I have a lot to say otherwise about this fantastic doc or Lewis himself other than the fact that Magnolia would have been wise to release this movie two weeks earlier, since Lewis continues to play such an inspirational role in the discussion about race and equality, but also about protesting peacefully but persistently to get the changes that need to be made.

Another really good doc that I recommend is Liam Firmager’s SUZI Q (Utopia Distribution), which if you’re over a certain age, you might immediately realize that it’s a doc about ‘70s rocker and feminist icon Suzi Quatro, who had huge rock hits in the UK and Australia, but didn’t really have an impact in the States until she appeared on the hit show “Happy Days” as Leather Tuscadero. There are definitely parallels between this film and the amazing Joan Jett: Bad Reputation doc from a few years back, and not just because Joan Jett plays a key role in the Suzi Quatro story, having been an avid fan who almost modelled herself after the young rock star. I’m sure I learned more about Suzi Quatro watching this doc than anything I knew beforehand, as I’m not sure I ever realized how far into the musical theater world she went in the ‘80s and ‘90s, nor did I know about how her sisters felt left out when she went off on her own and found huge fame. If you’re a fan of rock music or just rock docs, it’s worth your time to keep an eye out for this doc, which is having a one-night only virtual premiere with a QnA with Ms. Quatro. You can learn more about that on the Official Site.

Cannes award-winning Japanese auteur Kore-Eda Hirokazu (Shoplifters) shifts his gaze to France with his new film THE TRUTH (IFC Films), which I saw when it premiered at this year’s “Rendezvous with French Cinema” before this whole pandemic began, and the movie’s planned March release was scuppered. This one stars French legends Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche as mother and daughter, Deneuve as Fabienne, an aging French movie star who is about the publish her memoirs, as her daughter Lumir (Binoche) comes to visit her from New York with her actor husband (Ethan Hawke) and their young daughter.

Believe me, I really wanted to like this movie, but Hirokazu makes his first foray into Western filmmaking by making the kind of boring and pretentious French film withink the filmmaking industry that’s been done much better with Olivier Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria, also starring Binoche. I’m not sure why I couldn’t get into this, and it’s certainly not unwatchable if you’re into the cast and some of Hirokazu’s more noodly Japanese films, but there’s really nothing to this film that really jumps out and screams one to watch it, and trying to get through it a second time as a refresher was just a fool’s chore, so I won’t even be reviewing the movie persé. Either way, it will be available in “select theaters,” digital and cable VOD this Friday.

Opening in “select drive-ins” this Friday is Natalie Erika James’ RELIC (IFC Midnight), following its Sundance premiere where it received raves, but it will be available On Demand and digitally (and maybe even in other theaters) next week, so I’ll probably review it then. Oddly, this movie also involves three generations of women with Emily Mortimer playing Kay, who returns to her family’s country home with her daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) after Kay’s mother Edna mysterious vanishes. Just as they arrive, Edna reappears just as suddenly, but won’t say where she was as her behavior becomes more dangerous, possibly possessed by an evil spirit. Again, I’ll watch this later this week and have a review for you next week.

Now available on DVD, Blu-ray and digital is FORCE OF NATURE (Lionsgate), the new film from the prolific Michael Polish (of the famous Polish Brothers of Twin Falls Idaho). This one is an action-thriller starring Mel Gibson, Emile Hirsch and Mrs. Polish, Kate Bosworth, as a retired detective, a disgraced cop and a doctor who take on a gang of thieves as a Category 5 hurricane hits San Juan, Puerto Rico.

I have to say that I did not go into this movie without some trepidation, because the production companies involved have become almost synonymous with the VOD schlock that Lionsgate will release without any sort of theatrical push. In other words, Force of Nature was never meant to be seen in theaters. This one seems like a pretty simple premise with Hirsch being a disgraced police officer who ends up at an apartment complex as a hurricane and a couple crooks bear down, and he’s forced to team with a retired detective (Gibson) and his daughter (Bosworth) plus a couple others.

Of course, there’s also some trepidation by the decision to cast Gibson and Hirsch due to their various infractions over the years, Gibson’s having just been brought back to light recently. The thing is that their presence and that of Kate Bosworth brings more to what is not a particularly well-written thriller. This type of “bad cop” character doesn’t seem particularly well suited for Hirsch, as he’s still a bit of a “baby face,” but it also seems a little ill-timed to have that sort of character as a protagonist. The thing is that Hirch’s “Cardillo” doesn’t even stay in that mode for very long, as once he encounters Gibson’s character, he just can’t out-badass him. And honestly? Gibson is pretty funny in a role that could be his Lethal Weapon in his last days, but make no mistake that this is not a Mel Gibson movie since his character is discarded then quickly forgotten. On the other hand, Polish was wise to cast the great David Zayas from Oz as the film’s primary baddie, and some of the supporting cast like Stephanie Cayo and William Catlett offer more to the storytelling than the leads.

Even so, it’s hard to get past the bad writing like Bosworth’s character telling how she became a doctor when her father (Gibson’s character) shot up a bunch of turkeys, followed by an even weaker story by Cardillo on how he got his partner killed. These ho-hum moments really slow down any momentum created by Polish in the action pieces, but even those are hindered by the film’s overblown score.

Force of Nature isn’t great and it certainly has its problems -- did we mention the lion in the closet? -- but it also had the potential to be much much worse, especially if (for instance) I actually had paid to see it. Make no mistake that this is a very dumb action movie.

New York’s Film at Lincoln Center is upping its Virtual Cinema with a number of new programs, including John Lewis: Good Trouble (mentioned above), as well as Ulrich Köhler’s 2002 film Bungalow and the self-explanatory Four Shorts by Miguel Gomes from the Portugese filmmaker. These include Christmas Inventory / Inventário De Natal (2000), 31 (2001), Kalkitos (2002) and Canticle of All Creatures from 2006.

Downtown at the Film Forum, their Virtual Cinema is also showing John Lewis: Good Trouble, as well as Leontine Sagan’s Mädchen in Uniform (1931) and Jacques Becker’s Rendezvous in July (1949), which will be joined by Antoine and Antoinette next week.

Saturday Night Live’s Nasim Pedrad stars in LP’s Desperados (Netflix) playing a woman wh flies to Mexico with her two best friends (Anna Camp, Sarah Burns) to delete an angry Email she sent to her new boyfriend, but once there, she runs into her former boyfriend (Lamorne Morris).

A bunch of new series will debut on Netflix this week, so in order of my interest, there’s JU-ON: Origins, which is exactly what it sounds like, a prequel series to The Grudge movies, while Ben Dunn’s long-running Antarctic Press comic series Warrior Nun Areala has been adapted into the fantasy series, Warrior Nun. Now available on Netflix, Homemade is a quickly-produced anthology series of short films made under quarantine during the pandemic by a number of prominent filmmakers like Paolo Sorrentino, Pablo Larrain, Rachel Morrison, David Mackenzie and more. The Baby-Sitters Club is based on the best-selling book series with Sophie Grace, Malia Baker, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudoph and Xochitl Gomez as a bunch of middle-schoolers who start a babysitting business in their suburban Connecticut town. Also, that George Lopez stand-up special I mentioned last week actually opens this week.

I also want to give a thumbs up to the Jason Reitman-directed Home Movie: The Princess Bride, which premiered on Quibi earlier this week, spinning off of Reitman’s hugely successful live script readings. In this case, he has a number of big stars recreating the scenes and roles from the popular movie using whatever they have at home. So far, the recreations have included Tiffany Haddish, Josh Gad, Adam Sandler, Common, Hugh Jackman with more to come as different actors play the roles as the series goes on. Not sure how they’re gonna cover the entire movie over 10-episodes of 5 or 6 minutes each, but I guess we’ll have to see.

Amazon Prime will launch its own new crime series Big Dogs starting Wednesday that takes place in a number of underworld after-hour clubs called “Speaks.”

I probably should have included this in last week’s column but David (How to Survive a Plague) France’s new doc Welcome to Chechnya (HBO Documentary Films) debuted on HBO on Tuesday, which means you can probably still catch it on HBO Max. This one involves a group of brave activists who are risking their lives to confront the anti-LGBTQ persecution happening in the Russian republic of Chechnya, which includes detention, torture and death from the authorities.

Tonight, you can also catch the doc Born to Play, which will have its premiere on ESPN, following the Boston Renegades, a women’s tackle football team over the course of the season after losing their championship the previous year. I haven’t seen it but I like a good inspiration sports doc as much s the next guy.

Other movies hitting the digital airwaves that I just didn’t get time for this week include Skyman (Gravitas Ventures) and Homewrecker (Dark Star Pictures/Uncork’d Entertainment).

Next week, more movies mostly in drive-ins, you lucky people with cars! Oh, speaking of drive-ins, Amazon Studios is kicking off its “Night at the Drive-In” series tonight with the “Movies to Make You Fall in Love” double feature of Love & Basketball and Crazy Rich Asians. You can find out if there’s a drive-in near you doing this program on the Official Site. I really wish I drove or had a friend with a car.

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

#TheOutpost #JohnLewisGoodTrouble #Hamilton #ForceOfNature #TheTruth #Movies #Reviews #VOD #Streaming #TheWeekendWarrior

0 notes

biofunmy · 5 years

Text

Orlando Suero, 94, Dies; Photographed Notables, Including the Kennedys

He photographed Shirley MacLaine dancing with Rudolf Nureyev at a party in Malibu. He shot the actor Dennis Hopper and the singer Michelle Phillips during their eight-day marriage, including a joint-smoking moment in the bathtub (both were fully clothed). And he caught Princess Margaret all but swooning over Paul Newman as Alfred Hitchcock stared straight ahead.

The photographer Orlando Suero chronicled the lives of stars from 1962 to the mid-1980s, as the golden age of Hollywood dipped into its twilight. He took particular delight in capturing celebrities with each other, in their element or not. But he was perhaps best known for his portraits.

Among his more stunning photographs was one of an elegant Jacqueline Kennedy in a gown lighting candles at a formal dinner table in Georgetown in 1954. Mr. Suero called it his Iwo Jima photo — his career-defining shot.

Mr. Suero (pronounced SWEAR-oh) died on Aug. 19 at a nursing home in Los Angeles. He was 94.

His death was confirmed by his son Jim, who said he had survived a number of strokes.

Mr. Suero, a native New Yorker, started taking pictures at 14 with a used Kodak Jiffy camera given to him by his father. He was soon working at camera shops and photo labs, including a stint at Compo Photo Color in Times Square. There he printed images for “The Family of Man,” Edward Steichen’s monumental 1955 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.

He printed those large images for the exhibition more than a year in advance. By the time it opened, he was already moving up in the photography world.

While at Compo, Mr. Suero had received a side assignment to photograph a children’s event sponsored by Hanover Bank. Max Lowenherz, who owned the Three Lions Picture Agency, saw Mr. Suero’s photos in the bank window, asked who the photographer was and hired him.

It was Mr. Suero’s first professional job as a photographer, his son said, and he was eager to make his mark. So he proposed taking a series of pictures of the young Senator John F. Kennedy and his new wife, Jacqueline. Mr. Lowenherz was not interested because so many others were writing about the couple. But he said that if Mr. Suero could find a publication willing to run his pictures, he would agree.

Mr. Suero pitched the idea to McCall’s magazine, which loved it. The young photographer ended up spending five days with the newlywed Kennedys at their modest red-brick home in Georgetown, on the carefree cusp of an extraordinary period in American history.

His photos showed Jackie kneeling in the living room, sorting her record albums; Jackie weeding the garden while Jack, in a T-shirt, read the newspaper; and, of course, several images of Jackie lighting the candles at her dinner table, one of them a frame so perfectly composed and luminous that it looks more like a painting than a photograph.

Mrs. Kennedy herself was impressed and sent Mr. Suero a note. “If I’d realized what a wonderful photographer you were, I never would have been the jittery subject I was,” she wrote. “They are the only pictures I’ve ever seen of me where I don’t look like something out of a horror movie.”

Mr. Suero later gravitated to Hollywood, where he went on to make a name for himself photographing the beautiful people. His favorite subjects included Natalie Wood, Michael Caine, Sharon Tate, Claudia Cardinale and Brigitte Bardot, whom he photographed lounging on a bed by the ocean and, later, dressed as Charlie Chaplin.

His lens also caught Jack Nicholson, Julie Andrews, Faye Dunaway, Robert Redford, Diana Ross and many more.

He served as a still photographer on movie sets, including those of “Torn Curtain” (1966), “Hell in the Pacific” (1968), “Play It Again, Sam” (1972), “Lady Sings the Blues” (1972), “Chinatown” (1974) and “The Towering Inferno” (1974).

Mr. Suero struck up a particular friendship with Lee Marvin, who, like Mr. Suero, had joined the Marines during World War II. When they became acquainted in Hollywood, they realized they had met before: at a military hospital in New Caledonia, during the war in the South Pacific. Jim Suero said Mr. Marvin was his father’s “one true friend from Hollywood.”

In the midst of all the glamour, Mr. Suero suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He found comfort and joy in taking pictures, but when he wasn’t working he could sink into depression.

“When you come back, the war doesn’t end for you,” he wrote in “Orlando: Photography” (2018), a collection of his photographs.

“It stays with you for life for the most part,” he added. “Photography was my solace.”

Orlando Vincent Suero was born in Manhattan on May 30, 1925. His father, Vicente Andres Suero y Seoane, originally from Cuba, was a nightclub manager in Manhattan and Miami, and his mother, Ofelia (Dominguez Ayala) Suero, originally from Mexico, was a homemaker.

Orlando grew up in Washington Heights and attended P.S. 132. His first job was as a copy boy at The New York Times, where one day in 1943, at the age of 17, he got a surprising break.

He had been despairing at how clueless the older writers sounded in describing the red-hot trumpeter Harry James and his band, so the editors asked him to write his own story about a James concert at the Paramount.

“Jive, as a Hep-Cat Hears It,” read the headline, with the subheading, “17-Year-Old Beats Out a Panegyric to Its Glory,” conveying Mr. Suero’s frenetic style and liberal use of a vocabulary so baffling to the editors that they asked him to append a glossary of terms (“slush pump” = trombone; “coffins” = pianos; “coo for moo” = worked for his money).

Mr. Suero joined the Marines that year and headed to the South Pacific with the Sixth Marine Division. He was shot in the arm, received a Purple Heart and was discharged in 1945. He returned to New York and attended the New York Institute of Photography, now an online school.

Mr. Suero at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif., last year with a copy of his book “Orlando: Photography.” “He is very shocked that his photos have come back to life,” his son said, “because he never considered himself to be a great photographer.”CreditKaryl Nakamura Suero

He met his future wife, Margaret Ann Greenslade, after the war. They married in 1951. In addition to their son Jim, she survives him, as do their daughter, Wendy Breuklander; another son, Chris; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Despite the success of his Kennedy photos, Mr. Suero found that work in New York was spotty, so he signed on with the John Deere Company in Moline, Ill., where he took industrial photographs for advertising from 1961-62.

“It was horribly depressing, and, coupled with my dad’s PTSD, it was a real rough time,” Jim Suero said. He stayed in Moline for about a year before the move to Hollywood, where celebrities found him unassuming and easy to work with.

Many of his photos were never published. His son Jim and a friend, the producer Rod Hamilton, discovered them in boxes a few years ago and compiled them into “Orlando: Photography,” which reviews said finally gave Mr. Suero his proper due at 93.

“My father is very humble about his work,” his son wrote in the book. “He is very shocked that his photos have come back to life because he never considered himself to be a great photographer. Frankly, he never thought of himself as worthy of a book. But he is embracing it, that’s for sure.”

Sahred From Source link Fashion and Style

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2U7uGRJ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

0 notes

jackdoakstx · 7 years

Text

How do you top “Hamilton”? Author Ron Chernow is about to find out

NEW YORK — Ron Chernow’s timing is exquisite, even if it took six years and 25,000 index cards to get to this moment.

As Americans debate the continued reverence for Confederate general Robert E. Lee in the wake of the Charlottesville, Virginia, protests, the biographer of Hamilton — the “Hamilton” who inspired the theatrical juggernaut — delivers his latest brick of a book, “Grant” (publishing Oct. 10), to help rescue the Union commander and 18th president from the ash heap of history.

Ulysses S. Grant, you may recall, won the Civil War. He was the military architect who triumphed on multiple battlefields and vanquished Lee in Virginia after six other Union generals failed.

Yet after the South’s defeat, “Lee was puffed up to almost godlike proportions, not only as a great general, but as a perfect Christian gentleman, this noble and exemplary figure and an aristocratic example,” says Chernow, 68, sitting in his sun-splashed kitchen on the top floor of the 19th-century Brooklyn Heights brownstone where he rents two stories. “The glorification of Lee and the denigration of Grant are two sides of the same coin. We’ve created our own mythology of what happened.”

“Grant” is Chernow’s second successive book about an American general who became president, following the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Washington” (2010). It is also his first volume since Chernow became a household name — a claim few scholarly biographers can make.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s little play helped sell more than a million copies of “Alexander Hamilton,” making Chernow the rare historian of 900-page, footnote-saturated tomes who can claim that “teenagers all over the country want to take selfies with me.”

Now, he’s moved from the Founding Fathers on the one- and 10-dollar bills to the Civil War victor on the 50, a man adored by Walt Whitman and Mark Twain.

Yet, “I’m giving you every reason not to buy this book,” he admits, gesturing at the three-pound door stopper by his elbow. “It’s $40. Its more than 1,000 pages.”

It’s 1,074 pages, to be exact. But he’s grateful. “To my loyal readers, who have soldiered on through my lengthy sagas,” the dedication reads.

“This is a story unlike any that I have written, maybe one more people can identify with,” says Chernow, who has also written biographies of John D. Rockefeller (the masterful “Titan”), J.P. Morgan and the Warburg banking family. Those previous subjects, he says, “were built for success. They had a focus, a drive, an intelligence, and an ambition that when you begin the story, you know they’re going to succeed.”

October 6, 2017 “The Woman Who Smashed Codes” should be the next “Hidden Figures”

September 29, 2017 Tell a story in six words. Mystery writers dare you to try.

September 27, 2017 Book review: What scientists learn from footsteps of ants and elephants

September 27, 2017 Book review: Egan’s heroine dives into a love as dark as it is deep

September 27, 2017 Regional books: “Out Where the West Begins, Vol. 2”

Grant “goes through more failure and hardship and degradation I think than anyone else in American history who becomes president.” He notes, “I was so moved by the pathos of the story, of a bright, hard-working and fundamentally decent man who again and again is defeated by circumstance and seems destined to a life of complete obscurity.” Grant “becomes a hero despite himself.”

Grant’s grand ambition was to be a math professor — an assistant math professor — at the U.S. Military Academy, from which he graduated in the middle of his class. He was plagued by money woes until the end, fleeced by the Bernie Madoff of his day. Grant’s wife, Julia, the daughter of an unrepentant slave owner, had a pronounced taste for status.

“The psychological portrait is at the center of all these books,” says Chernow, a New York native – his schmear of an accent is a giveaway – with English degrees from Yale and Cambridge, who began his career as a freelance journalist. Most of his subjects had “an impossible parent.” Grant was doubly cursed, with an impossible father and father-in-law, both of whom lived well into old age.

“This man who had been a clerk in a leather goods store in Galena, Illinois, a man who was almost 40 years old,” Chernow says, a man no one marked for success. “And four years later, he’s a general with a million soldiers under his command. Is there a more startling transformation in American history?”

Grant is remembered as a heavy drinker, a president riddled by scandal, scoundrels and nepotism, all of which Chernow addresses.

“It was always Grant, the drunkard. I felt they got it wrong,” he says, describing the general as opposing two enemies during the war, the Confederacy and liquor. “He was Grant, the alcoholic.”

As recently as 1996, a poll of historians ranked Grant as an abject failure, scraping the bottom of the presidential barrel along with Warren G. Harding, Richard Nixon and James Buchanan. That assessment has begun to change.

Grant was the two-term president of the Reconstruction, an era of extraordinary if fleeting gains for African-Americans. It was also a time of relentless violence fomented by the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups, which Chernow deems “the largest outbreak of domestic terrorism in American history, where thousands of people were killed.” The Department of Justice, established during Grant’s presidency, brought 3,000 indictments against Klan members and other agitators.

For many American students, the war stops cold with Lee’s surrender at Appomattox and Lincoln’s assassination days later, on April 15, 1865. “We historians, in the wake of the controversy over Confederate monuments, we have to use this as a teachable moment,” Chernow says. “Reconstruction is the great black hole that remains to be filled. Even experts on the Civil War don’t really understand its full significance.”

Chernow’s wife, Valerie, a community college professor, died in 2006. He still wears his wedding ring. He’s “a pretty active cultural consumer,” he says, of all things that New York has to offer: the Metropolitan Opera, film, theater, art, the Yankees.

Tidy, too. His immaculate study displays the thousands of 4-by-6-inch index cards, amounting to 22 boxes, that he compiled in researching Grant. The task did not daunt him. “There were 900 books on Washington when I began writing on him,” he says.

“He’s a very happy writer,” says his friend, the financial writer Roger Lowenstein. “Ron often uses the phrase ‘Never underestimate the laziness of your predecessors.’ ”

Nine years ago, Miranda prophetically purchased Chernow’s “Hamilton” before going on vacation and envisioned — what else? — a hip-hop musical about the nation’s first treasury secretary. He enlisted the biographer as the show’s historical adviser. Chernow asked to experience the musical fully, to be as involved as he could be, to attend one performance seated in the orchestra pit and to sit in on the album recording. He estimates that he has seen the show “dozens of times,” the young cast becoming a second family. (Chernow has no children.)

He spent his days with Grant, his nights with Hamilton. He’s listed in the show’s playbill and, though he demurs on the subject — “I don’t go there” — he has a reported 1 percent royalty of the show’s adjusted grosses, which amounted to an estimated $900,000 in 2016. This year, with three additional productions, his return is substantially larger.

After the musical’s first week, Chernow called his longtime editor Ann Godoff and said, “Print up a lot of copies of ‘Hamilton.’ Everyone’s coming up to the theater and saying, ‘Mr. Chernow, I loved the show. I was embarrassed to realize how little I knew about the history of the country.’ ”

Godoff, Penguin Press president and editor in chief, says, “I remember thinking, ‘Ha ha ha.’ Then we went to the Public Theater, and there were a lot of people crying, and I was crying for my author. What this meant, watching his whole career and life, was knowing that I was experiencing this transformative experience.”

“Grant,” Godoff says, is an entirely different biography. “You feel his vulnerability, as well as his successes. He feels a figure much more capable of our empathy.”

Chernow hopes that with his book, people will reassess the hero of the Civil War and his presidency.

“There have been other good books on Grant, but in terms of dramatizing and humanizing this character, and making the character vividly come alive on the page, I feel that’s my comparative advantage,” Chernow says.

He only has to point to “Hamilton” to prove his point.

from News And Updates http://www.denverpost.com/2017/10/06/how-do-you-top-hamilton-author-ron-chernow-is-about-to-find-out/

0 notes

laurendzim · 7 years