Gene, I see that my wife and I were not the only ones who watched The Wizard of Oz on HBO this past weekend. Unfortunately, we missed my favorite scene of the movie, where the guards of the Wicked Witch's castle are marching in formation and signing, "Oooo-Eeeee-O..."
I can't figure why the song hasn't been used as a walk-up by a Major League Baseball Player. The entire ballpark would sing along.
I could not answer the poll. I only know what I *want* the answers to be.
Do I think it's possible that a majority of the Republican-controlled Senate will vote to confirm one or more of them? Well, it's certainly possible, but saying that it will or probably will happen feels kind of like obeying in advance.
The settlemt actually seems pretty damaging to T because it means that what he was actually found to have done has been repeated over and over again in graphic detail. And it’s not part of a larger story about the trial that people might not read, it’s the main point in a lot of the articles about the settlement. Plus, the fact that the settlement is all about semantics makes him seem guiltier than ever. How can he continue to (plausibly) say it nothing ever happened when he settled over the characterization of what was found to have happened?
Is getting knocked out and tied-up being “ cowed into submission?” As was pointed out here recently, Kentuckians elected a Democrat governor who will be able to appoint a Democrat to replace Mitch McConnell once he finally realizes he has passed on. Maybe that newspaper ad was printed in the Charleston, West Virginia paper.
(Google): "Winston Churchill is often misquoted as saying "Never, never, never give up!". The correct quote is "Never give in—never, never, never, never, except to convictions of honour and good sense". Churchill said this in a speech at Harrow School in 1941, which is considered one of his most famous World War II speeches."
(Later on he said: "Unless you really have to." But we can also resist now. And it really may be a "win / win" situation for us. Either the Senate prevails and we get good people in these jobs and they tell Trump to stand down, or he gets the clowns and crooks he wants and they all collectively mess us so bad with inflation and all, that nobody with a Republican tag will be ever be reelected. I call this WIN/WIN.)
Into the discussion of preemptive surrender I would add this wrinkle: does the pre-established proclivities of the person waving the white flag have a bearing on whether we judge their behavior to be surrender? To wit: I have a well-earned reputation for speaking my mind (sometimes it works out, other times not so much). Recently, as I was about to drive through Trumpistan, I peeled the TRE45ON bumper sticker off my rear bumper — out of my (wife’s) concern that some MAGAt in a pickup truck would take aim at me, Easy Rider style. I feel like a coward, but if I’d never been one to sport that bumper sticker, would I still be a coward?
No. You would be saving your vehicle, and maybe yourself as well. Back in 2004 I put a bumper sticker on my car that read "Lick Bush. Beat Dick." My car got keyed on election day while I was voting. I now restrict myself to flipping off vehicles displaying tRump stickers. Still, I recall that flipping the bird was what got Peter Fonder and Dennis Hopper shot.
“ I think critics on the left should go gentler on the kowtowers than they have been. These people stand to lose billions, and even more, if they don’t cozy up to Trump.”
Uhm, they’re still going to have billions left though. But I guess that’s devastating to them if that is their only measure of self worth.
Of course Demento agreed to settle the ABC suit and for largely a charitable contribution no less. He would have had his fat ass handed to him in court. From the publicly available information, the possibility of him meeting the burden of proof to prove defamation of a public figure was slim to none. The Stephanopoulos misstatement would have been irrelevant in the scheme of things and especially with Judge Kaplan's subsequent clarification of sexual abuse vs. rape, despite it not being an actual element of E. Jean Carroll I, where Demento was found liable for the sexual abuse. A jury would almost certainly have sat up and taken notice. Demento got lucky. As an executive of ABC said on a condition of anonymity: "This problem needed to go away.” Of course by settling, the problem not only won't go away, but will undoubtedly be repeated now many times over with other media outlets --- and maybe even ABC again. Never give a bully an upper hand...unless it's a hook or a right cross.
In your comment about dealing with your pharmacist by phone, you used "subscription" where I think you meant "prescription"...Would Freud have anything constructive to say about that?
With some welcomed help here, I am trying to cope with the Washington Post new comments procedures, and I really want to pull back to Frederick for my comments, and let the Post go down the social drain, so to speak. But so many have done so much in that past that I want it to prevail. What to do?
Speaking of the Bard, I am particularly fond of the "Baconian" theory of Shakespeare’s authorship. As you may know, Sir Francis was the first alternative author (of the more than 80 so far…) suggested for his works through tortured reasoning including — and this is my favorite — cryptographic cipher and code clues in the plays and poems. One often cited example is the 27-letter word honorificabilitudinitatibus in "Love’s Labour’s Lost," which has been rendered in Latin as, "These plays, F. Bacon’s offspring, are preserved for the World" Uh, okay…
But, more eye-watering is the conspiracy portion of the theory which has Shakespeare serving as a kind of beard for Bacon to protect the latter’s political career (wouldn’t do to be known to write plays for public consumption) and nearly everyone around the two men knowing this but keeping shtum. Actually, I prefer Archibald Mulliner’s explanation. In a P.G. Wodehouse story, he is told that Bacon wrote plays for Shakespeare and remarks that it was "dashed decent of him," but suggests he may have only done it because he owed Shakespeare money.
If you really want to go down a rabbit hole that involved the Bacon/Shakespeare cipher, google Riverbank, Colonel George Fabyan, and William and Elizabeth Smith Friedman. I spent the better part of a year reading about them (Bacon being one small part), because I thought I was going to write a TV show about it all. I just never found my way "in" to the story and how I would structure a series. But it all really deserves to be more well known.
Yeah, probably tough to sustain a series on just that. Maybe a few true-life style episodes at best. Other than the film "Anonymous" (2011) (and a documentary or two) not aware of any other movie or series focused exclusively on the authorship issue.
Actually I could see a one off about Fabyan's obsession with the Baconian theory (and other anti-Stratfordians) as an examination of conspiracy theories (and the origins of US cryptography). As you know there was a celebrated legal battle and controversial decision (subsequently thrown out) that Bacon was indeed the author. And of course Friedman was originally brought on by Fabyan as a Shakespeare scholar to help confirm the so-called ciphers pointing to Bacon were authentic. This in turn led to her groundbreaking and far more important crypto analytical work. Interesting juxtaposition.
Gene, I see that my wife and I were not the only ones who watched The Wizard of Oz on HBO this past weekend. Unfortunately, we missed my favorite scene of the movie, where the guards of the Wicked Witch's castle are marching in formation and signing, "Oooo-Eeeee-O..."
I can't figure why the song hasn't been used as a walk-up by a Major League Baseball Player. The entire ballpark would sing along.
Fans of the Baltimore Orioles sitting in the stands chant it often during the home games: "O-ree-OLES -- o-REE-oles."
Excellent idea. No, I didn't watch it on the weekend. It is burned into my brain, though.
I could not answer the poll. I only know what I *want* the answers to be.
Do I think it's possible that a majority of the Republican-controlled Senate will vote to confirm one or more of them? Well, it's certainly possible, but saying that it will or probably will happen feels kind of like obeying in advance.
Some not all I bet
The settlemt actually seems pretty damaging to T because it means that what he was actually found to have done has been repeated over and over again in graphic detail. And it’s not part of a larger story about the trial that people might not read, it’s the main point in a lot of the articles about the settlement. Plus, the fact that the settlement is all about semantics makes him seem guiltier than ever. How can he continue to (plausibly) say it nothing ever happened when he settled over the characterization of what was found to have happened?
Is getting knocked out and tied-up being “ cowed into submission?” As was pointed out here recently, Kentuckians elected a Democrat governor who will be able to appoint a Democrat to replace Mitch McConnell once he finally realizes he has passed on. Maybe that newspaper ad was printed in the Charleston, West Virginia paper.
Patrick Page is a legend! Love that guy. Saw him in King Lear in DC and he was great.
Also got to see him in Hadestown on Broadway. His deep bass singing voice is so cool. The audience was dead silent when he sang Hey Little Songbird:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hRGQqFfqps0
More trouble in paradise.
https://www.axios.com/2024/12/17/washington-post-executive-editor-candidates-withdraw
Thanks for "post'-ing this.
(Google): "Winston Churchill is often misquoted as saying "Never, never, never give up!". The correct quote is "Never give in—never, never, never, never, except to convictions of honour and good sense". Churchill said this in a speech at Harrow School in 1941, which is considered one of his most famous World War II speeches."
(Later on he said: "Unless you really have to." But we can also resist now. And it really may be a "win / win" situation for us. Either the Senate prevails and we get good people in these jobs and they tell Trump to stand down, or he gets the clowns and crooks he wants and they all collectively mess us so bad with inflation and all, that nobody with a Republican tag will be ever be reelected. I call this WIN/WIN.)
Into the discussion of preemptive surrender I would add this wrinkle: does the pre-established proclivities of the person waving the white flag have a bearing on whether we judge their behavior to be surrender? To wit: I have a well-earned reputation for speaking my mind (sometimes it works out, other times not so much). Recently, as I was about to drive through Trumpistan, I peeled the TRE45ON bumper sticker off my rear bumper — out of my (wife’s) concern that some MAGAt in a pickup truck would take aim at me, Easy Rider style. I feel like a coward, but if I’d never been one to sport that bumper sticker, would I still be a coward?
No. You would be saving your vehicle, and maybe yourself as well. Back in 2004 I put a bumper sticker on my car that read "Lick Bush. Beat Dick." My car got keyed on election day while I was voting. I now restrict myself to flipping off vehicles displaying tRump stickers. Still, I recall that flipping the bird was what got Peter Fonder and Dennis Hopper shot.
“ I think critics on the left should go gentler on the kowtowers than they have been. These people stand to lose billions, and even more, if they don’t cozy up to Trump.”
Uhm, they’re still going to have billions left though. But I guess that’s devastating to them if that is their only measure of self worth.
It means that they value money more than integrity.
Brent Terhune is a national treasure.
Of course Demento agreed to settle the ABC suit and for largely a charitable contribution no less. He would have had his fat ass handed to him in court. From the publicly available information, the possibility of him meeting the burden of proof to prove defamation of a public figure was slim to none. The Stephanopoulos misstatement would have been irrelevant in the scheme of things and especially with Judge Kaplan's subsequent clarification of sexual abuse vs. rape, despite it not being an actual element of E. Jean Carroll I, where Demento was found liable for the sexual abuse. A jury would almost certainly have sat up and taken notice. Demento got lucky. As an executive of ABC said on a condition of anonymity: "This problem needed to go away.” Of course by settling, the problem not only won't go away, but will undoubtedly be repeated now many times over with other media outlets --- and maybe even ABC again. Never give a bully an upper hand...unless it's a hook or a right cross.
In your comment about dealing with your pharmacist by phone, you used "subscription" where I think you meant "prescription"...Would Freud have anything constructive to say about that?
He would call me an Arschloch, which is german for asshole. Changed.
What I question is the current habit of calling then "scripts." Actors all?
With some welcomed help here, I am trying to cope with the Washington Post new comments procedures, and I really want to pull back to Frederick for my comments, and let the Post go down the social drain, so to speak. But so many have done so much in that past that I want it to prevail. What to do?
Speaking of the Bard, I am particularly fond of the "Baconian" theory of Shakespeare’s authorship. As you may know, Sir Francis was the first alternative author (of the more than 80 so far…) suggested for his works through tortured reasoning including — and this is my favorite — cryptographic cipher and code clues in the plays and poems. One often cited example is the 27-letter word honorificabilitudinitatibus in "Love’s Labour’s Lost," which has been rendered in Latin as, "These plays, F. Bacon’s offspring, are preserved for the World" Uh, okay…
But, more eye-watering is the conspiracy portion of the theory which has Shakespeare serving as a kind of beard for Bacon to protect the latter’s political career (wouldn’t do to be known to write plays for public consumption) and nearly everyone around the two men knowing this but keeping shtum. Actually, I prefer Archibald Mulliner’s explanation. In a P.G. Wodehouse story, he is told that Bacon wrote plays for Shakespeare and remarks that it was "dashed decent of him," but suggests he may have only done it because he owed Shakespeare money.
I believe in the apparently controversial notion that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were, in fact, written by William Shakespeare.
Killjoy! 😊 Although, there is evidence that Will did collaborate with other dramatists on several plays.
If you really want to go down a rabbit hole that involved the Bacon/Shakespeare cipher, google Riverbank, Colonel George Fabyan, and William and Elizabeth Smith Friedman. I spent the better part of a year reading about them (Bacon being one small part), because I thought I was going to write a TV show about it all. I just never found my way "in" to the story and how I would structure a series. But it all really deserves to be more well known.
Yeah, probably tough to sustain a series on just that. Maybe a few true-life style episodes at best. Other than the film "Anonymous" (2011) (and a documentary or two) not aware of any other movie or series focused exclusively on the authorship issue.
The series was going to be more about Riverbank. The Bacon cipher thing would have been a tiny part of it.
Actually I could see a one off about Fabyan's obsession with the Baconian theory (and other anti-Stratfordians) as an examination of conspiracy theories (and the origins of US cryptography). As you know there was a celebrated legal battle and controversial decision (subsequently thrown out) that Bacon was indeed the author. And of course Friedman was originally brought on by Fabyan as a Shakespeare scholar to help confirm the so-called ciphers pointing to Bacon were authentic. This in turn led to her groundbreaking and far more important crypto analytical work. Interesting juxtaposition.
Gene, Gene, Gene You used soooooo many big words today! I can't wait to use them in conversations with my friends. Marc
FYI, I'm a former Miami Guy
Some of which were the words of the original humbug from the famous film!