GOP Lawmakers Want to Force-Feed Students Anti-Abortion Video, Heart Disease is Number One Killer of Women in US, Michigan GOP Lawmaker's Racist 'Great Replacement' Post, Dusty Springfield Sings
Kareem, should we send an ark to rescue you? Looks like Cali is getting crunched. Stay dry, and remember this rain during the next drought/wild fire season.
Another wonderful article. You are the writer I read first on Substack. I am informed, entertained,(love the videos and music) and educated by your writings. I consider your work a personal letter from a friend who shows up just for me. You speak to me . Thank you, I think your writings should be required reading by educators.
I support a number of writers on Substack. But, you are the one I read first. I know your going to be serious, humorous and I will be happy when I’m finished. I love the film clips and music. You have kindness and news and education in your presentations. You are a friend who shows up and speaks to me. Thank you. I want to present when you host a speech, I’m sure you will get a standing ovation. Love you work.
Your newsletter is always informative and well thought out. I like it better than others I read because you cover so many important topics. Your video breaks and music breaks are always something to look forward to. To comment on the “womens section”. I was in the medical profession and years ago read about a blood pressure med tested on men and mice. It was not tested women. It had undesirable side effects on women when prescribed. Many meds are not tested on women, which is beyond ridiculous. The FDA and medical profession need to drastically up their game.
“I’ve often heard rich people philosophize on TV about how they deserve all they have because of their hard work while those who have less deserve what they have because of their lack of drive.”
I don’t think that actors should be fired from a show for their opinions except under rare circumstances, like whentheir words put people in actual physical danger. With that said, Sara Ramirez’s character on And Just Like That was tedious and unlikeable; it appears that the powers that be decided to add a queer character to the cast without making the character have any trait to endear them to the audience. I doubt Ramirez was fired for voicing her opinions.
We have wonderful starling murmurations here in Marin County, north of San Francisco. There is nothing like laying on the ground, face up, and seeing in the darkening sky swirling clouds of birds. It’s magic.
In addition to movie/show producers not wanting to appear supportive of an actor who is racist, anti-semitic, anti-LGBT, I suppose it also comes down to the bottom line. A celebrity voicing hateful views risks a low-grossing movie because the public is too turned off to pay to see it. Theaters also lose.
The actor's controversy overshadows the movie like Sarah Palin overshadowed John McCain. If the producer = boss, and actor = employee, doesn't the right to fire them exist? Charlottesville marchers surely got fired from their jobs. They would bring bad publicity to their companies, and coworkers would refuse to work with them, some out of fear. Being racist is not a point of view that should be tolerated – certain views in and of themselves constitute harassment.
I see miniature versions of murmurations of starlings in my neighborhood (NW corner of the city of Milwaukee). It's not nice to have them around; they're invasive, and I'm not thrilled to have them, but those group formations and movements are quite beautiful.
The term “pro life” needs to go the way of the dodo. It’s not pro life. It’s not pro anything. It’s against accepting that women are complete and equal citizens whose freedoms are not contingent on a belief system. It’s profoundly dehumanizing to us all.
I would like to point out that even though the sharks are well-fed, Jimmy is wearing a chainmail dive suit.
Jimmy seems to believe that even the well-fed can be powerful. So, the position of the Republicans in power seems to be: Let's give them just enough sustenance to keep them passive, but not enough to give them the strength to change the status quo or do something else that we are opposed to. Above all, do not let them vote Jimmy out of office.
However, we may have miscalculated, so we still must armor-up and be prepared for a revolution.
Schriver gets stripped of his budget and I think Kareem approves of that and wants him to lose his job; but actors who say similar things shouldn't get stripped of their roles in movies or tv shows? I found that a little contradictory... that's all. Yes, politicians are different from actors and I have no problems with Schriver being stripped of his budget. But I don't necessarily have a problem with Carano losing her role either given what she said
I do think it's a tough area. Studios have the right to fire workers (within union rules). But yes, sometimes people are fired for things I don't consider "that bad". What about when an actor criticizes China's human rights policies? that could lead to the movie being banned in China. I'm on the actor's side. but ... It's difficult and complicated.
My mind is filled with thoughts about today’s column.
First, the war on the poor has been going on for decades. TANF, the cash assistance to poor families, was converted from an entitlement to a block grant in 1996 by Bill Clinton. The legislation allowed states to set the levels of assistance and to spend portions of the federal funding on things like drug testing parents, making them take parenting classes, monitoring their children’s school attendance and more. Block grants and benefits ended up being essentially frozen for a quarter century, while rent and family homelessness skyrocketed.
Even now, benefits are so far below the federal poverty level that it’s hard to see how families can subsist. 15 states offer benefits of 11-15% of FPL; 18 are at 20-29%FPL and 17 provide “generous” benefits equal to 30-60%. None offer more. The lowest benefits are offered by southern and red states. Not surprising.
This ties nicely with your comments on women’s stress levels. Longer-term stress overload is associated with many illnesses and even a shorter lifespan. Living on TANF would count as a daily stress for poor parents (mostly women). People of color have been shown to have more stress - and people of color are disproportionately affected by the levels of TANF benefits.
I often wonder if this is the secret Republican “platform.” The war in women’s and the poor….and of course LGBTQ, disabled, etc. who don’t “deserve” a safety net.
That was very clever the way you slipped in the murmurations video as a metaphor for the harmonious and exquisitely coordinated efforts of our elected officials of both parties to support and advance the goals of our national government as set forth in the preamble of the the United States Constitution--to "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."
Starlings don't get enough good press. Thanks for posting the most amazing murmuration I've seen yet!
Kareem, should we send an ark to rescue you? Looks like Cali is getting crunched. Stay dry, and remember this rain during the next drought/wild fire season.
Another wonderful article. You are the writer I read first on Substack. I am informed, entertained,(love the videos and music) and educated by your writings. I consider your work a personal letter from a friend who shows up just for me. You speak to me . Thank you, I think your writings should be required reading by educators.
I support a number of writers on Substack. But, you are the one I read first. I know your going to be serious, humorous and I will be happy when I’m finished. I love the film clips and music. You have kindness and news and education in your presentations. You are a friend who shows up and speaks to me. Thank you. I want to present when you host a speech, I’m sure you will get a standing ovation. Love you work.
Not a fan, but she made it to 91 today. Happy Birthday Yoko...I'm just sitting watching the wheels go 'round and 'round.
Your newsletter is always informative and well thought out. I like it better than others I read because you cover so many important topics. Your video breaks and music breaks are always something to look forward to. To comment on the “womens section”. I was in the medical profession and years ago read about a blood pressure med tested on men and mice. It was not tested women. It had undesirable side effects on women when prescribed. Many meds are not tested on women, which is beyond ridiculous. The FDA and medical profession need to drastically up their game.
Reading your newsletter has become important to me. Your perspective helps me understand the world better.
“I’ve often heard rich people philosophize on TV about how they deserve all they have because of their hard work while those who have less deserve what they have because of their lack of drive.”
“I always think it’s funny
Gets me every time
The one about happiness and money
Tell it to the bread line.”
- Mark Knopfler, “Get Lucky”
I don’t think that actors should be fired from a show for their opinions except under rare circumstances, like whentheir words put people in actual physical danger. With that said, Sara Ramirez’s character on And Just Like That was tedious and unlikeable; it appears that the powers that be decided to add a queer character to the cast without making the character have any trait to endear them to the audience. I doubt Ramirez was fired for voicing her opinions.
We have wonderful starling murmurations here in Marin County, north of San Francisco. There is nothing like laying on the ground, face up, and seeing in the darkening sky swirling clouds of birds. It’s magic.
In addition to movie/show producers not wanting to appear supportive of an actor who is racist, anti-semitic, anti-LGBT, I suppose it also comes down to the bottom line. A celebrity voicing hateful views risks a low-grossing movie because the public is too turned off to pay to see it. Theaters also lose.
The actor's controversy overshadows the movie like Sarah Palin overshadowed John McCain. If the producer = boss, and actor = employee, doesn't the right to fire them exist? Charlottesville marchers surely got fired from their jobs. They would bring bad publicity to their companies, and coworkers would refuse to work with them, some out of fear. Being racist is not a point of view that should be tolerated – certain views in and of themselves constitute harassment.
I see miniature versions of murmurations of starlings in my neighborhood (NW corner of the city of Milwaukee). It's not nice to have them around; they're invasive, and I'm not thrilled to have them, but those group formations and movements are quite beautiful.
The term “pro life” needs to go the way of the dodo. It’s not pro life. It’s not pro anything. It’s against accepting that women are complete and equal citizens whose freedoms are not contingent on a belief system. It’s profoundly dehumanizing to us all.
Kareem:
Regarding swimming with well-fed sharks:
I would like to point out that even though the sharks are well-fed, Jimmy is wearing a chainmail dive suit.
Jimmy seems to believe that even the well-fed can be powerful. So, the position of the Republicans in power seems to be: Let's give them just enough sustenance to keep them passive, but not enough to give them the strength to change the status quo or do something else that we are opposed to. Above all, do not let them vote Jimmy out of office.
However, we may have miscalculated, so we still must armor-up and be prepared for a revolution.
Schriver gets stripped of his budget and I think Kareem approves of that and wants him to lose his job; but actors who say similar things shouldn't get stripped of their roles in movies or tv shows? I found that a little contradictory... that's all. Yes, politicians are different from actors and I have no problems with Schriver being stripped of his budget. But I don't necessarily have a problem with Carano losing her role either given what she said
I do think it's a tough area. Studios have the right to fire workers (within union rules). But yes, sometimes people are fired for things I don't consider "that bad". What about when an actor criticizes China's human rights policies? that could lead to the movie being banned in China. I'm on the actor's side. but ... It's difficult and complicated.
My mind is filled with thoughts about today’s column.
First, the war on the poor has been going on for decades. TANF, the cash assistance to poor families, was converted from an entitlement to a block grant in 1996 by Bill Clinton. The legislation allowed states to set the levels of assistance and to spend portions of the federal funding on things like drug testing parents, making them take parenting classes, monitoring their children’s school attendance and more. Block grants and benefits ended up being essentially frozen for a quarter century, while rent and family homelessness skyrocketed.
Even now, benefits are so far below the federal poverty level that it’s hard to see how families can subsist. 15 states offer benefits of 11-15% of FPL; 18 are at 20-29%FPL and 17 provide “generous” benefits equal to 30-60%. None offer more. The lowest benefits are offered by southern and red states. Not surprising.
This ties nicely with your comments on women’s stress levels. Longer-term stress overload is associated with many illnesses and even a shorter lifespan. Living on TANF would count as a daily stress for poor parents (mostly women). People of color have been shown to have more stress - and people of color are disproportionately affected by the levels of TANF benefits.
I often wonder if this is the secret Republican “platform.” The war in women’s and the poor….and of course LGBTQ, disabled, etc. who don’t “deserve” a safety net.
That was very clever the way you slipped in the murmurations video as a metaphor for the harmonious and exquisitely coordinated efforts of our elected officials of both parties to support and advance the goals of our national government as set forth in the preamble of the the United States Constitution--to "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."
Very clever indeed.