tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358842257978290852024-03-19T01:48:31.006-07:00SHADOW OF A DOUBT Normalcy ReconsideredKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comBlogger891125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-15366621253948599282024-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-17T11:49:07.814-07:00Photo Finish (Repatriation Redux Edition)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXLVChSvwOD_nK8M7N9tFqnDN2AedvrjXcscRh2qDG-Q4ZXTx3A0q-Wop8N3d6_H6V5GyaE7tNEUWo8OYqDY-D0W3WWbfyx-rbX1VTpan3jpVbZBrlIyg1-chr_ACoUiQEcGFimL-7vBeuy9IntSxlUNeaRubP1T2MtpamqIzyCdOB-w8LijnIN-0rc7U/s1200/Burst%20of%20Joy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1200" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXLVChSvwOD_nK8M7N9tFqnDN2AedvrjXcscRh2qDG-Q4ZXTx3A0q-Wop8N3d6_H6V5GyaE7tNEUWo8OYqDY-D0W3WWbfyx-rbX1VTpan3jpVbZBrlIyg1-chr_ACoUiQEcGFimL-7vBeuy9IntSxlUNeaRubP1T2MtpamqIzyCdOB-w8LijnIN-0rc7U/w400-h311/Burst%20of%20Joy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkCczciv8j-HDalBhhKqQnj7-wZjdYZsRMN_9MFIA_L6zCGXGfwzbUSZyqSASLX3J9HC-TfWd9-Ggdvd6KmHmGoJTGepD6kUPG2xVNGZl8jMC8QalWvir_ssTScLBLwoO2zb-K52XHNhWXK87hYPAer4kwSrPC__Lsm18xbBnQTZmYns2scOth8P9U9yC/s1000/2-5-1000x600.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a></div>As has been observed and commented upon often, those who fought in Vietnam, unlike their World War II counterparts, returned to civilian life with very little fanfare, which can happen when the enemy forgoes an unconditional (or any kind of) surrender. Yet there was a notable exception to this lack of enthusiasm: Operation Homecoming, the 1973 Paris Peace Accords-negotiated return of 591 prisoners-of-war that began on February 12 and ended about two months later. Whether it was because of so many men in uniform coming back to the U.S. in such a relatively short amount of time (unlike non-POW servicemen, whose return from 'Nam was spread out over several years), or because it was a more agreed-upon hellish experience that better fit the requirements of a pro-America morality tale (unlike, say, My Lai); the POWs' repatriation was a major media event, best exemplified by the above Pulitzer Prize-winning picture, titled <i>Burst of</i> <i>Joy</i>, snapped by Associated Press photographer Slava "Sal" Veder on March 17, 1973 at Travis Air Force Base in Salano County, California. <p></p><p>On the left is USAF Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Stirm, whose plane was shot down over Hanoi in 1967, upon which he was taken prisoner and not released until three days before this picture was taken. Running toward him with arms stretched is Stirm's 15-year-old daughter Lorrie. I haven't been able to track down ages of his other children but suffice to say I think they're all minors and were even more so minors when their father was shot down. That's son Bo Stirm (Robert L Stirm Jr) right behind Lorrie; daughter Cindy, wife Loretta (soon-to-be Stirm's ex as the absence failed to make her heart grow fonder), and lastly son Roger. Upon winning his Pulitzer, Veder made sure that everyone depicted received a copy of the photo.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLvbvxQppGmb6lRb7zAL9ZJTYtAbgArN7LkUOQxCIxsYTi16t1nOqrpwHRVGDVNEeIXzfLMIFVxWc1Z55hGQwAencioAn3cstP2cZRtUcJwogz371qKrgTC-JbFcrSXwnI5XrAl4wLOFDWUlLUbYjhd13WzdSJAuYhy1Ne9q45w28UcY6h_lANiWDKrW3/s460/Image-Daily-Herald%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="460" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLvbvxQppGmb6lRb7zAL9ZJTYtAbgArN7LkUOQxCIxsYTi16t1nOqrpwHRVGDVNEeIXzfLMIFVxWc1Z55hGQwAencioAn3cstP2cZRtUcJwogz371qKrgTC-JbFcrSXwnI5XrAl4wLOFDWUlLUbYjhd13WzdSJAuYhy1Ne9q45w28UcY6h_lANiWDKrW3/w400-h299/Image-Daily-Herald%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Speaking of dollar gains, it's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but is it worth a thousand $$$$$$$? We now go to that bastion of capitalism, PBS, for an answer to that question: </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5yInvz73m_8" width="320" youtube-src-id="5yInvz73m_8"></iframe></div><br /><p>Watching that, I get the distinct impression <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lorrie Stirm Kitching never had any attention of selling either the photo or her father's POW mementos. She just wanted to share with us some of that picture's thousand words.</span></span></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-54770140398505480212024-03-14T00:36:00.000-07:002024-03-14T08:47:18.010-07:00I.D. Please<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6vshFct2cmfxk3h8oqFIJVGbtPTPRyEaLa_TY9D-LoPoeBjIO4ZFqBSwbwsp0wCEU9C9tb2CBhj7beKXPTqsEB0El_RuU4uV_9pRfBTd_ZBYN1XhirGHxXh2p7t1HmBC9_GNmsl7U18EEkD-N8dfOf8it-Vwb6qRqKXO5R1LHhIrEYzwmKEsLOTLpbRu/s461/Screenshot_14-3-2024_0425_www.lgbtqnation.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="461" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6vshFct2cmfxk3h8oqFIJVGbtPTPRyEaLa_TY9D-LoPoeBjIO4ZFqBSwbwsp0wCEU9C9tb2CBhj7beKXPTqsEB0El_RuU4uV_9pRfBTd_ZBYN1XhirGHxXh2p7t1HmBC9_GNmsl7U18EEkD-N8dfOf8it-Vwb6qRqKXO5R1LHhIrEYzwmKEsLOTLpbRu/w400-h330/Screenshot_14-3-2024_0425_www.lgbtqnation.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>There's been several posts going back to last summer in which I described the year 2023 as being, or having been, a MAGA-induced horrific one for LGBTQ folks in these United States. Perhaps I should have struck a more positive note and written instead about the resiliency of those same folks in the face of such Proud Boys-Oath Keepers-Trump-DeSantis-Boebert-Greene-Musk-Gaetz-Rowling (yes, she's British but read by Americans)-Putin (yes, he's Russian but a source of inspiration for Republicans)-Hannity-Carlson-Justice Thomas horrors, if the above poll put out by the Gallup Organization is any indication. As you can see, the percentage of Americans who now identify as LGBTQ has risen slightly over the past few years, and now hovers at 7.6% of the population. And "now" does not necessarily mean forever. According to Gallup,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;">“<i>If current trends continue, it is likely that the proportion of LGBTQ+ identifiers will exceed 10% of U.S. adults at some point within the next three decades</i>.”</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Why this increase? Are microplastics in the water supply turning people queer? Or is this the 21st century psychosexual equivalent of the Tennessee Valley Authority, gay power now having reached even the most rural parts of the country? Nobody is saying, but keep in mind this is just people willing to state their sexual orientation or gender identity over the phone to a Gallup pollster. At least as far as sexual orientation is concerned, some people won't admit anything to a pollster, or...</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCvyIMwsAym1gIxaRzre3wdabZLFEa4Mxe324MZHQru2yDyyyBSVMM8TwEeH5kvonZed1uE-F0gsvpPS8tXPD9RG6xEZdjkgfJGqFOrBKeWqu5QB1fJrW3fvv2trv4BQw992ub2BOgpMsWrsToDsaa7Shci5g-D_ObR7b7rd5hQfpJw_aJAhtyCehLsm1/s2560/bridger-ziegler-does-not-back-down-scaled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="2560" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCvyIMwsAym1gIxaRzre3wdabZLFEa4Mxe324MZHQru2yDyyyBSVMM8TwEeH5kvonZed1uE-F0gsvpPS8tXPD9RG6xEZdjkgfJGqFOrBKeWqu5QB1fJrW3fvv2trv4BQw992ub2BOgpMsWrsToDsaa7Shci5g-D_ObR7b7rd5hQfpJw_aJAhtyCehLsm1/w400-h181/bridger-ziegler-does-not-back-down-scaled.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;">...anybody else.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Whatever the final tally ends up being, whether its 7.6%, 10%, some number in between, or--dare I hope? --some number greater, I suspect it will be the number that it's always been, even if we didn't know it at the time, and not just for America but the world at large.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6-HEuVDTDGJJ-ltGX6TQVDTAYoraFElP_0-jo1MMyTBVAUUfb9V2P1E79QWW9rMEnMmnYULtyUbyU0NseRiBx4FXYhigftIvYJApzFlnhyphenhyphenfLNEPwcMEe4sfQRbOSXoNG7Ycs3KBSgRnkR7J08giGd1dZv2VzZQ9hlylvss5rgLU37uk9LC39gTfkO_D1/s900/image.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6-HEuVDTDGJJ-ltGX6TQVDTAYoraFElP_0-jo1MMyTBVAUUfb9V2P1E79QWW9rMEnMmnYULtyUbyU0NseRiBx4FXYhigftIvYJApzFlnhyphenhyphenfLNEPwcMEe4sfQRbOSXoNG7Ycs3KBSgRnkR7J08giGd1dZv2VzZQ9hlylvss5rgLU37uk9LC39gTfkO_D1/w400-h300/image.webp" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-505325026247011832024-03-09T23:00:00.000-08:002024-03-09T23:02:12.539-08:00Nothing from Nothing Leaves Something<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdsNGjx-O9ty3hoZ5IId8bjsp24tM0axyhzlO8123BUtTvdrR3YEwi0vTXap-cASiyk6n0tzDNEDAT-yiuwVZ5ol1lHQNn0ne-ZylUdTmCJ_VE4O9LuSoYuuDpAhgkba3h6uWYtixbMGsjykAdgDFPcAWv7sxPdU0OkeTzPRgSjRdsPRa_y0Dez-XtSMf/s497/Screenshot_7-3-2024_122216_www.facebook.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="497" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdsNGjx-O9ty3hoZ5IId8bjsp24tM0axyhzlO8123BUtTvdrR3YEwi0vTXap-cASiyk6n0tzDNEDAT-yiuwVZ5ol1lHQNn0ne-ZylUdTmCJ_VE4O9LuSoYuuDpAhgkba3h6uWYtixbMGsjykAdgDFPcAWv7sxPdU0OkeTzPRgSjRdsPRa_y0Dez-XtSMf/w400-h349/Screenshot_7-3-2024_122216_www.facebook.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>There's been much in the entertainment news of late about this being the 12th and final season of<i> Curb Your</i> <i>Enthusiasm</i> (which due to a monetary reluctance to become too entangled with the more elite forms of television viewing, I probably won't see until a couple of years from now) but it's hardly <i>Curb</i> auteur Larry David's first experience in television. Waaay back in 1989--when the above photo was said to have been taken--the standup comedian and a standup comedian friend of his named Jerry Seinfeld got together and dreamed up <i>Seinfeld</i>, the now-legendary "show about nothing," which aired on free TV throughout much of the 1990s. Other than occasionally lending his voice to an only-seen-from-the-back-of-his-head Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, David didn't act on the show but was its producer and head writer for most of its run. Also, Jason Alexander has stated that he basically patterned his George Costanza character after him (David once got back on<i> Curb</i> by playing David playing Alexander playing David.) Just look at the smiles on those two guys in that photo. They know they're about to revolutionize that boob tube mainstay, the sitcom, and can barely curb their enthusiasm.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sXYWZhN8Yks" width="320" youtube-src-id="sXYWZhN8Yks"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Jw6mKmozjM" width="320" youtube-src-id="4Jw6mKmozjM"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-2835787116634961432024-03-08T00:00:00.001-08:002024-03-08T10:33:55.415-08:00Air Biden<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9JVSfVEOR6WZP6xjGPVIQOBd0hdS1NG2kYSv7AbCTcbHvEhxmIEymBizK3ok0JG1b3LHJeNg_C7AzD0zH-LuJkDbnCIi1QCal0ZALj3yECRwHa3sZEpLAx_fB1-kiKS6RuEu0Y9PDHQtb2yQ0HY9gvsYD9ODiJozSHAc-1Op11sJF-RqztIL8OFQaEgF/s3200/72890175007-xxx-news-state-of-the-union-2024040.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1801" data-original-width="3200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9JVSfVEOR6WZP6xjGPVIQOBd0hdS1NG2kYSv7AbCTcbHvEhxmIEymBizK3ok0JG1b3LHJeNg_C7AzD0zH-LuJkDbnCIi1QCal0ZALj3yECRwHa3sZEpLAx_fB1-kiKS6RuEu0Y9PDHQtb2yQ0HY9gvsYD9ODiJozSHAc-1Op11sJF-RqztIL8OFQaEgF/w400-h225/72890175007-xxx-news-state-of-the-union-2024040.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Well, I watched the State of the Union address, and can now...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRwGEH2P1dGSQpvtw6M1ywbkv_f3952ZRMUixi5A6fuZLqLu8th4JSLU8EQ9kwVwJXceoztgz02-oBRCep5il53W6prI2cizr2mcrmO68zGGUsB1F0M0o_pQLXfEcCSe_bSgIHvmOFjAimIX0Z8exfABjF-kU57hfVTVU86M7SO5BC6I5Ayw2qfCiy8G8/s900/81-817564_lungs-cartoon.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="900" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRwGEH2P1dGSQpvtw6M1ywbkv_f3952ZRMUixi5A6fuZLqLu8th4JSLU8EQ9kwVwJXceoztgz02-oBRCep5il53W6prI2cizr2mcrmO68zGGUsB1F0M0o_pQLXfEcCSe_bSgIHvmOFjAimIX0Z8exfABjF-kU57hfVTVU86M7SO5BC6I5Ayw2qfCiy8G8/w400-h346/81-817564_lungs-cartoon.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>...breathe a little easier.</p><p><br /></p><p>That said, I think it's best I keep this at hand:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CVshp4SCpfw3ie5GT-UthNV0WNrSWP8yZCP8L9eyDvN8k-humLf9uAromjXBjd4pNVwy9kaGMS3DSGTRNHJjaeuB4vr6ENmyoeUM6Q8AnxwN4WfeO67KQNV8bflikbV8T-6Cyu9qRL2vkZ6_novYXeWNM7119GAqyI1cguXk39YRHQUm_yap_CjLQ-wT/s479/istockphoto-646032166-170667a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="359" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CVshp4SCpfw3ie5GT-UthNV0WNrSWP8yZCP8L9eyDvN8k-humLf9uAromjXBjd4pNVwy9kaGMS3DSGTRNHJjaeuB4vr6ENmyoeUM6Q8AnxwN4WfeO67KQNV8bflikbV8T-6Cyu9qRL2vkZ6_novYXeWNM7119GAqyI1cguXk39YRHQUm_yap_CjLQ-wT/w300-h400/istockphoto-646032166-170667a.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>November is still a long way away, and one needn't get complacent.<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><p> </p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-89702493204891005092024-03-03T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-03T06:15:34.729-08:00Vital Viewing (Great Depression Stimulus Package Edition) <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZCPel_IowR6EE0qsRubwRRxH6trAaS-nDxDKVTtQiH-U6dCc7LSLhyphenhyphenrRAXxhi-jF5btZg0a7tQcQLN9AA9ERc50iLhdo5LNfHUZv4tKZUOnHorKxs99tM_L8MaqP9gKVHyfK523_9pWKtr0tHsOxPPTAfV0D5PC3rN2QHAblHiSkL63RBGLoAVpgYxh0/s1024/jean%20harlow%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZCPel_IowR6EE0qsRubwRRxH6trAaS-nDxDKVTtQiH-U6dCc7LSLhyphenhyphenrRAXxhi-jF5btZg0a7tQcQLN9AA9ERc50iLhdo5LNfHUZv4tKZUOnHorKxs99tM_L8MaqP9gKVHyfK523_9pWKtr0tHsOxPPTAfV0D5PC3rN2QHAblHiSkL63RBGLoAVpgYxh0/w400-h300/jean%20harlow%206.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Actress Jean Harlow was born on this day in 1911 (prone to bouts of influenza at a time when penicillin was not yet widely available, she died of kidney failure at age 26 in 1937.) Let's start out with a few home movies:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_ZuV8H8PMcY" width="320" youtube-src-id="_ZuV8H8PMcY"></iframe></div><br /><p>Watching the above you might get the impression Harlow was a silent film star. In fact, she was a major star of early talkies, as well as a major sex symbol of early talkies. In this scene from 1932's <i>Red Dust</i>, she tries her best to break the ice by talking up dairy products with a major <i>male</i> sex symbol of early (as well as later) talkies, Clark Gable (speaking of which, Gable's behavior at one point probably wouldn't pass a present-day #MeToo test, but keep in mind it's not the present day but 92 years ago):</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zgiNpllxoxg" width="320" youtube-src-id="zgiNpllxoxg"></iframe></div><br /><p><i>Red Dust</i> was a drama, though the above scene was obviously one of the film's lighter moments. Now, while I won't pretend it was the first and foremost reason she or later blond bombshells as Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield were such box office draws, Jean Harlow was in fact very good at comedy. Here's a comic scene from another movie that was otherwise dramatic, 1933's <i>Dinner at Eight</i>. I've shown it before (in a post about Marie Dressler, who also appears) and it never fails to make me chuckle:</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/seGEsRQCtPs" width="320" youtube-src-id="seGEsRQCtPs"></iframe></div><br /> Take that, Sam Altman!<p></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-36472391864006014142024-02-29T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-29T05:01:42.958-08:00Ice Escapades<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRk9zvGjZ0ct6q9xBJgzXEYzNmL4Ozab6bOBYEOYnkWiSuit6IMxGGTrZih7rus4Bm4WFdF9Ml-S8dwb3MnNANESzKA9Anj_m2dcpnKg28PXcq6sNHojqnVW7FTiEkelBnCmk00JAsAyYHq9I-r_V2_qO8hPG8jf1soKNXWhFoUnTDV5xwYQ6_5Ntic5j/s1024/Alabama-Supreme-Court.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRk9zvGjZ0ct6q9xBJgzXEYzNmL4Ozab6bOBYEOYnkWiSuit6IMxGGTrZih7rus4Bm4WFdF9Ml-S8dwb3MnNANESzKA9Anj_m2dcpnKg28PXcq6sNHojqnVW7FTiEkelBnCmk00JAsAyYHq9I-r_V2_qO8hPG8jf1soKNXWhFoUnTDV5xwYQ6_5Ntic5j/w400-h266/Alabama-Supreme-Court.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>As you no doubt have heard, the Alabama Supreme Court recently ruled that frozen embryos are human beings. I confess to not having given the matter much thought before, but now that those judges have set me straight, me and my...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tKOOb-LhYLSXZWroSslwI9oB__sG1pfbH2hJgxzBQ6k4gF1Y91h5KCg_hyfPdmJsc_6Ail9P2WSj2m7QUEW3gFcfUlBA_jOFbQsNUUtzS5-HYfJhlwDYvJXKDxmZlw3vhoTpDd0k9s2lKcVWfdQRzMjY4P2qduZtboU4kPBsXYmruJjcOO2tEmrnEiod/s600/Commando_Rambo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="600" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tKOOb-LhYLSXZWroSslwI9oB__sG1pfbH2hJgxzBQ6k4gF1Y91h5KCg_hyfPdmJsc_6Ail9P2WSj2m7QUEW3gFcfUlBA_jOFbQsNUUtzS5-HYfJhlwDYvJXKDxmZlw3vhoTpDd0k9s2lKcVWfdQRzMjY4P2qduZtboU4kPBsXYmruJjcOO2tEmrnEiod/w400-h210/Commando_Rambo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>...elite team of commandos have taken it upon ourselves to infiltrate...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-0sTG9Z1Q4s0J9SweGbGCZmLWFL6-PDB-l76rDvwuILsNSnrGFf3vuw-CDf1GVdLx9eMXvrpGM4DYy7rVN-o_ei3HR9dSLFQDxIf9yHeMGFBQYTheGoLwg9NIOaBFIOgHGF07KWzsY6h8WSOL8kxohYpaNdMhByrSCDBMhKb3SEldwoYiT78KnqXooWs/s740/industrialfreezer-lg%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="740" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-0sTG9Z1Q4s0J9SweGbGCZmLWFL6-PDB-l76rDvwuILsNSnrGFf3vuw-CDf1GVdLx9eMXvrpGM4DYy7rVN-o_ei3HR9dSLFQDxIf9yHeMGFBQYTheGoLwg9NIOaBFIOgHGF07KWzsY6h8WSOL8kxohYpaNdMhByrSCDBMhKb3SEldwoYiT78KnqXooWs/w400-h216/industrialfreezer-lg%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>...this secret freezing facility and rescue any and all embryos before they are forced to endure the unfathomable cruelty of <i>in vitro fertilization!</i></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIkaUDClLcdE_ok7njgmegAq9e4sTZWB-E1_pTkk3qbLNzdhKluXUIT2uhxURQTqsQS12LTnVyO7KJvoUYpegjJYMC0g_E2zgUfLMgrh26W82r1qBAIRtN0f7Xxa1M4CyyVjY3WtPBTaIZAk6KS_nqpmeLLuw5qzQDnLzAhxiqtx4eHOq16_06TlbnQ8R/s635/Screenshot_28-2-2024_18560_www.bing.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="635" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIkaUDClLcdE_ok7njgmegAq9e4sTZWB-E1_pTkk3qbLNzdhKluXUIT2uhxURQTqsQS12LTnVyO7KJvoUYpegjJYMC0g_E2zgUfLMgrh26W82r1qBAIRtN0f7Xxa1M4CyyVjY3WtPBTaIZAk6KS_nqpmeLLuw5qzQDnLzAhxiqtx4eHOq16_06TlbnQ8R/w400-h296/Screenshot_28-2-2024_18560_www.bing.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Of course, we first have to immobilize the evil scientist and his henchmen who run the place.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5mL5Wxcnjdy4I9PSnjjfCX1K9r0JhFVs1PKRkvkHPYjqtgV9u6S2JoHpgPi_MEYuxTZqqBwyCrE_vBDf-A0yDEIo5PSAP2XjB3QvTzntI4FsjB7V6S5-DxrPOEubsZ0Xdjveks8sswOVxG2MBNpqky3SRM1EZA3s5r9iFcCnHcJB6mhK3zS75tb6EEwB/s510/serie_pow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="510" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5mL5Wxcnjdy4I9PSnjjfCX1K9r0JhFVs1PKRkvkHPYjqtgV9u6S2JoHpgPi_MEYuxTZqqBwyCrE_vBDf-A0yDEIo5PSAP2XjB3QvTzntI4FsjB7V6S5-DxrPOEubsZ0Xdjveks8sswOVxG2MBNpqky3SRM1EZA3s5r9iFcCnHcJB6mhK3zS75tb6EEwB/w400-h309/serie_pow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-q1diDh88sRLEYbAN0_QMV0BaaViw5GSRJv_TyaEzLhox0GFpBncNnAb1iLBKFLjzmUdFWzaInM8KlJBhkhE_h2fVA2QcnwnviLBmmhFn08cpO3mKUQz60WwdnlheRKHIfVxTYT15vgqdG1ddPtr6aO-lPMscNbVZ-Q3axsOBwF5Njk9RT3X8T6sxNtn/s475/50314480.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="475" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-q1diDh88sRLEYbAN0_QMV0BaaViw5GSRJv_TyaEzLhox0GFpBncNnAb1iLBKFLjzmUdFWzaInM8KlJBhkhE_h2fVA2QcnwnviLBmmhFn08cpO3mKUQz60WwdnlheRKHIfVxTYT15vgqdG1ddPtr6aO-lPMscNbVZ-Q3axsOBwF5Njk9RT3X8T6sxNtn/w400-h303/50314480.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZXuS3rAq2RzzZvWKieL-z05E8EVsu8WzavxEJSU35BQsiHQVoLQfEuOocMbOsJgJ6DKOZAYiYh2unwQ1f6c04yKodDkiEtLat_9Pq22ggyzwtm0-GdiQETMZfwAU_DcELCkgRNNa-uqzv6z_S1MScfFcuU7BDC_3FAlI6zsQIbo7yEMQLVX-cKobIxpP/s480/hqdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZXuS3rAq2RzzZvWKieL-z05E8EVsu8WzavxEJSU35BQsiHQVoLQfEuOocMbOsJgJ6DKOZAYiYh2unwQ1f6c04yKodDkiEtLat_9Pq22ggyzwtm0-GdiQETMZfwAU_DcELCkgRNNa-uqzv6z_S1MScfFcuU7BDC_3FAlI6zsQIbo7yEMQLVX-cKobIxpP/w400-h300/hqdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>OK, it looks like they're immobilized. Now let's open up that freezer and rescue those embryos!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0_QqVbtxkoKpPl56jeFQsWKtvLCj7wC-xoowUVXCQ2xxoZHp8kXSMI_ABzXsMBfCB-sEnwEV6Srx_ppSME1l1bSdNPpUDF6Q6shsVtbjCchctFoPPDI4C5CxN9HNl_KFCiYMfzJ1R09R8YCvZdcTTgf_9j17rHtgsEr0jhjK1KLwyi2jT-lvS0UzSmzO/s1200/MV5BMjIxMTUyNjc5OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjMwNjYwNA@@._V1_UY1200_CR153,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0_QqVbtxkoKpPl56jeFQsWKtvLCj7wC-xoowUVXCQ2xxoZHp8kXSMI_ABzXsMBfCB-sEnwEV6Srx_ppSME1l1bSdNPpUDF6Q6shsVtbjCchctFoPPDI4C5CxN9HNl_KFCiYMfzJ1R09R8YCvZdcTTgf_9j17rHtgsEr0jhjK1KLwyi2jT-lvS0UzSmzO/w336-h640/MV5BMjIxMTUyNjc5OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjMwNjYwNA@@._V1_UY1200_CR153,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg" width="336" /></a></div><br /><p>Um...I'm afraid he doesn't count. His embryonic days are long past.</p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-532401166684947012024-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-25T11:37:07.751-08:00Smart Art (Eat, Drink, and Be Quarry Edition) <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MAQ7Nm0M6I96SAzwhl6E72sTFh6Ak9LHbOfhfJO4aa50WiYRelly8M2Jg2ZNjhGuw23Kj2eXXiaFXszofxZBsXPks_LpQRkmcZceQA7jJhMZF0Mv86Cy2aOqnp_3RkEratmItAfE8mMsKOg8EdX_qBaeSqZv_pdBA6QsjKUvqg4XPj_t-SB4bxkg4nep/s854/Pierre-Auguste-Renoir-e1501730003625.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MAQ7Nm0M6I96SAzwhl6E72sTFh6Ak9LHbOfhfJO4aa50WiYRelly8M2Jg2ZNjhGuw23Kj2eXXiaFXszofxZBsXPks_LpQRkmcZceQA7jJhMZF0Mv86Cy2aOqnp_3RkEratmItAfE8mMsKOg8EdX_qBaeSqZv_pdBA6QsjKUvqg4XPj_t-SB4bxkg4nep/w360-h400/Pierre-Auguste-Renoir-e1501730003625.webp" width="360" /></a></div><br /><p>French artist <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pierre-Auguste </span></span><span>Renoir was born on this day in 1841 (he died in 1919.) Let's take a brief look at what's probably his most famous painting, along with a quote from someone who seems intent on combining his screen image with his passion for art:</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xfXhl5qq9F5qEpBRypXQCo-gS-BT2KXx7zSlThdLDhEU4bGFKYdsozO761xUyxcbd_BMnSVpYnBH9EFX-_oCYOn47rAFwXIm8bwpUXmVXlT4xOp0b76l23NdFMXvP9GIt63fNUaS9gRJrqffJ6h-Y2c99zSkymUveIBkRQGKCMP1BGWsgGabC48ACqLx/s800/Pierre-Auguste_Renoir_-_Luncheon_of_the_Boating_Party_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="800" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xfXhl5qq9F5qEpBRypXQCo-gS-BT2KXx7zSlThdLDhEU4bGFKYdsozO761xUyxcbd_BMnSVpYnBH9EFX-_oCYOn47rAFwXIm8bwpUXmVXlT4xOp0b76l23NdFMXvP9GIt63fNUaS9gRJrqffJ6h-Y2c99zSkymUveIBkRQGKCMP1BGWsgGabC48ACqLx/w400-h295/Pierre-Auguste_Renoir_-_Luncheon_of_the_Boating_Party_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;">For over thirty years I made periodic visits to Renoir's </span><span style="background-color: white;">Luncheon of the Boating Party</span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;"> in a Washington museum,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;"> and stood before that magnificent masterpiece hour after hour, day after day, plotting ways to steal it.</span></span></p><p><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">--</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Edward G. Robinson</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRCX47NNsWPM_KjoXuF0SWEFpXfe81LAIFcnFTW7rMSM2si60GSm_GUroKtSdQAbyViYdJT7BMzS4En3EgGNUc_64Vbyut_aXo52pXSqsZ2_jkN15MpHAmj3hcVDf1SFk7FEQB35FnBlnvVmZyCxDqS9fU7Ito-yDNLX_V9EKrjeLGyNbc2JTMeiVAvP6/s1067/59fe8f9326f4dda17028b77204ef1c35.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRCX47NNsWPM_KjoXuF0SWEFpXfe81LAIFcnFTW7rMSM2si60GSm_GUroKtSdQAbyViYdJT7BMzS4En3EgGNUc_64Vbyut_aXo52pXSqsZ2_jkN15MpHAmj3hcVDf1SFk7FEQB35FnBlnvVmZyCxDqS9fU7Ito-yDNLX_V9EKrjeLGyNbc2JTMeiVAvP6/w276-h400/59fe8f9326f4dda17028b77204ef1c35.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><p>Robinson leaving the museum after a guard noticed him. </p><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><p></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-1034264302159769152024-02-18T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-18T00:00:00.242-08:00Quips and Quotations (Current Affairs Edition)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkYM4WHO1DAizgSmDXCsVuPrrJsw6X3eiXR49cIkiAaJeKCwLsq8avQ80PH0Hy0bbxnu5N49nOD2kMGlzza1OtPTIiDdWdXGAkSz7pciJ9kMC1cps_vGu8G4aA-4Q0ZOszsNpi2zpZlBSd7z-uMyK9c1GgEXoYu9aaDLao8ZH-skEYuEDDRLhC0KkSNaX/s578/Screenshot_17-2-2024_31829_study.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkYM4WHO1DAizgSmDXCsVuPrrJsw6X3eiXR49cIkiAaJeKCwLsq8avQ80PH0Hy0bbxnu5N49nOD2kMGlzza1OtPTIiDdWdXGAkSz7pciJ9kMC1cps_vGu8G4aA-4Q0ZOszsNpi2zpZlBSd7z-uMyK9c1GgEXoYu9aaDLao8ZH-skEYuEDDRLhC0KkSNaX/w442-h640/Screenshot_17-2-2024_31829_study.com.jpeg" width="442" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I never felt easy till the raft was two mile below there and out in the middle of the Mississippi. Then we hung up our signal lantern, and judged that we was free and safe once more. I hadn’t had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens – there ain’t nothing in the world so good when it’s cooked right – and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time. I was powerful glad to get away from the feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">--Mark Twain,<i><b> The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</b>, first published on this day in 1885.</i></span></span></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-22951431968406112872024-02-08T01:22:00.000-08:002024-02-08T08:22:30.738-08:00The Greening of America<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO17RfrbijALz5Ypg3oglh50-S-oGyLov5fMir75MjHMZHlMWHcthogIE08RB1xsK2zwSPV5NsWYcn-00liTf0Meg4lV8W0UMXFTegvatYgGP6o-PIEj6z8SjqPAq-nie0oNI35uoUWvllLJq0E2gHKWPE5PvA3cKRlc7aKhIvgXnb_eh4uhEcl5wYrh9D/s1114/800px-The_Negro_Motorist_Green_Book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO17RfrbijALz5Ypg3oglh50-S-oGyLov5fMir75MjHMZHlMWHcthogIE08RB1xsK2zwSPV5NsWYcn-00liTf0Meg4lV8W0UMXFTegvatYgGP6o-PIEj6z8SjqPAq-nie0oNI35uoUWvllLJq0E2gHKWPE5PvA3cKRlc7aKhIvgXnb_eh4uhEcl5wYrh9D/w460-h640/800px-The_Negro_Motorist_Green_Book.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4Yl27ajdlp-eBM7gpJfK4udusGvqZbVsbGRQhpwzKk43w4zGpU1sHi-VRwGgPEol5ejHUTp49CziU82xnRV6J7ROaf6VvkYz_WujN_fHryPSQsf8qmd0BmUTf1RdubixKODaCj71kLjgVLDhlI72kHVXoKsGqMU1Jc2DGwJAo8gUozMJJTtxPJWr1XYZ/s1200/green%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="875" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4Yl27ajdlp-eBM7gpJfK4udusGvqZbVsbGRQhpwzKk43w4zGpU1sHi-VRwGgPEol5ejHUTp49CziU82xnRV6J7ROaf6VvkYz_WujN_fHryPSQsf8qmd0BmUTf1RdubixKODaCj71kLjgVLDhlI72kHVXoKsGqMU1Jc2DGwJAo8gUozMJJTtxPJWr1XYZ/w466-h640/green%20cover.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgquC7oGeHWjndxkICAILxo9Kd492P8r9waJS1jAOyeIhkXFnq04F8ip3vqnhx7UBtJm9ywF_8qM4LpablkGTD-3cR1p5UVbYBBb-y1wcQEf1dg4pMHVa6Oo8tyMRzALyApEVK6_AzGmgVY-Cil6QrWgKzmnCS-j8dcd2il6YJezzO8aGdDGX4TFszxbB/s500/s-l960%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgquC7oGeHWjndxkICAILxo9Kd492P8r9waJS1jAOyeIhkXFnq04F8ip3vqnhx7UBtJm9ywF_8qM4LpablkGTD-3cR1p5UVbYBBb-y1wcQEf1dg4pMHVa6Oo8tyMRzALyApEVK6_AzGmgVY-Cil6QrWgKzmnCS-j8dcd2il6YJezzO8aGdDGX4TFszxbB/w426-h640/s-l960%20(1).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8eJHcvf_OQCe-gopwDqls3Hfg_V6wG1FE1lW-6jltnlGkN20NFH8HMPZEy_CxacVzJmFi5ksaVJOlSTDyrR7Yi9-2H0Oh5iwAcmPYO6V3TvlHOyGl_nWDfkvZK7M96hcV75Q1bNi6Xg-qisJpgYdVJb1BFTxMhef3MCCzsmt5Bvf-wPRoI4pUHhagc7e/s760/Green-Book-Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="579" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8eJHcvf_OQCe-gopwDqls3Hfg_V6wG1FE1lW-6jltnlGkN20NFH8HMPZEy_CxacVzJmFi5ksaVJOlSTDyrR7Yi9-2H0Oh5iwAcmPYO6V3TvlHOyGl_nWDfkvZK7M96hcV75Q1bNi6Xg-qisJpgYdVJb1BFTxMhef3MCCzsmt5Bvf-wPRoI4pUHhagc7e/w488-h640/Green-Book-Cover.jpg" width="488" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2lhcTPWoy2LN8KrUsdqS5c6eDfonhdmjodbMsLVvKD4_KhBZpUOwpgojQrrE3Pdr7pHqazu4Yeh9nLJVZOwjFZX843SH6p5fy_W53LQkZBHZo1XQ0KRCKQ6Xlco3MZOnThmo2Ek1T2E9jUSDz8xlxqk7Ba60tA-Kd0CCFKKasKhbZaaLRUKeZ5laRTZp/s1686/green-book-travel-guide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2lhcTPWoy2LN8KrUsdqS5c6eDfonhdmjodbMsLVvKD4_KhBZpUOwpgojQrrE3Pdr7pHqazu4Yeh9nLJVZOwjFZX843SH6p5fy_W53LQkZBHZo1XQ0KRCKQ6Xlco3MZOnThmo2Ek1T2E9jUSDz8xlxqk7Ba60tA-Kd0CCFKKasKhbZaaLRUKeZ5laRTZp/w486-h640/green-book-travel-guide.jpg" width="486" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4fhNZg0l6CBf5iUi0KgciiHi4IAakHP1FXGKP37AdYkgbxSTNJYMlmUi_XBF2RcjbVCWcCsLUJISv-NBdP8rV4x8-kPBE7worpstY-Q1Q7ZwqrLJDqcviNSsX9PN6UgUgBNObpQIpjdKq1d92EeUDXxgKbQqvCFuNmnrbdET6MLTAu_VS7ZwNU2f3RY9/s914/Victor_Hugo_Green_(1892-1960)_in_1956.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="569" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4fhNZg0l6CBf5iUi0KgciiHi4IAakHP1FXGKP37AdYkgbxSTNJYMlmUi_XBF2RcjbVCWcCsLUJISv-NBdP8rV4x8-kPBE7worpstY-Q1Q7ZwqrLJDqcviNSsX9PN6UgUgBNObpQIpjdKq1d92EeUDXxgKbQqvCFuNmnrbdET6MLTAu_VS7ZwNU2f3RY9/w124-h200/Victor_Hugo_Green_(1892-1960)_in_1956.png" width="124" /></a></div><br />Since it's Black History Month, we should be reminded that along with a host of other problems they had to deal with in the first six or so decades of the 20th century, African-Americans had to be very careful when it came to taking a simple vacation. Many hotels and motels wouldn't let them stay the night. In fact, there were whole villages and towns (especially in the South) that wouldn't let them stay the night, at least not if they still wanted to be around in the morning. So to make sure that the black traveler seeking a break from their concerns didn't end up running into even bigger concerns, a Harlem African-American postal worker by the name of the Victor Hugo Green scrounged some money together in 1936 and began publishing his own travel guides, invariably titled <i>The Negro Motorists Green Book</i> or <i>The Negro Travelers Green book</i>, or more informally, as the books became more and more popular (allowing Green to retire early from the post office), the <i>Green Book</i>. These books listed a variety of business, as well as whole neighborhoods and towns, that could be counted on not to give a hard time to black travelers. The guides were put out annually for 28 years, finally ceasing publication upon passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. These days, African-Americans are free to rely on the same AAA triptiks as white folks, as well as in more recent years the Internet. All well and good, though don't be too surprised if in the near future something very much like the Green Book makes a...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90935HzE5t28Lmv0Vemj3Ww955AGQmWIBzxvoTw0jaP3wxlaE_9exQ9MCF-Q8jEv2UJezzO5m6HA_pmrQoObN0vI0cw8F-cEIhKJE8lMCGDWs2dL2sBjdpJCyA1JbkmsbWlOwGe4DiPLhVucqmwpWzpl1-fsijfNyGAGgISlXxDtVRJ6BPrVp5aOkltVt/s1080/NAACP-Issues-Travel-Advisory-in-Florida.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90935HzE5t28Lmv0Vemj3Ww955AGQmWIBzxvoTw0jaP3wxlaE_9exQ9MCF-Q8jEv2UJezzO5m6HA_pmrQoObN0vI0cw8F-cEIhKJE8lMCGDWs2dL2sBjdpJCyA1JbkmsbWlOwGe4DiPLhVucqmwpWzpl1-fsijfNyGAGgISlXxDtVRJ6BPrVp5aOkltVt/w400-h400/NAACP-Issues-Travel-Advisory-in-Florida.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>...comeback.</p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-12726661811253085652024-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-26T07:23:28.442-08:00Graphic Grandeur (Spiraling Spirituality Edition)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHMLLTXHpGGDIZ8VJswLhvb66SlURESKtgGIxWbEyfMwXKcDGzCexFjDGnP_x_MDBoYt5tKSZbWsJADFL-T4ANoZV7FXH02emvT-bq5YLtYCM8R1xn-vmOo_ABPv73FjpL8cI7hJcEt4JAKANIVgCZVvAlzvhQ_C7_e8d_kWHTOTg80YATZrsG-kR_0CF/s915/cbe240128c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="915" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHMLLTXHpGGDIZ8VJswLhvb66SlURESKtgGIxWbEyfMwXKcDGzCexFjDGnP_x_MDBoYt5tKSZbWsJADFL-T4ANoZV7FXH02emvT-bq5YLtYCM8R1xn-vmOo_ABPv73FjpL8cI7hJcEt4JAKANIVgCZVvAlzvhQ_C7_e8d_kWHTOTg80YATZrsG-kR_0CF/w400-h269/cbe240128c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Clay Bennett on the possible perils of mixing religion and politics.</p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-90801922864769773922024-01-31T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-31T00:00:00.138-08:00Quips and Quotations (Footlights Forever Edition)<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopjYO8tY3Bb5x7pFFwsh5nLAqmNDr1zzi4udvI4X1Thc4TVGyL0HqEmGrp_KuiBJNLv0hgzXtrHL3KOrNLDx97PV_JxX1TfuBwRDMhR77xOkeF8ALG5CqixZ1QtgybMnfwpeAFAi57pQpAU45NEBXtL2_3iaJzxQ6fDQyxoIWL948YSsfJm1GMY_Ac32M/s641/Web%20capture_30-1-2024_165733_assets.vogue.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopjYO8tY3Bb5x7pFFwsh5nLAqmNDr1zzi4udvI4X1Thc4TVGyL0HqEmGrp_KuiBJNLv0hgzXtrHL3KOrNLDx97PV_JxX1TfuBwRDMhR77xOkeF8ALG5CqixZ1QtgybMnfwpeAFAi57pQpAU45NEBXtL2_3iaJzxQ6fDQyxoIWL948YSsfJm1GMY_Ac32M/w313-h400/Web%20capture_30-1-2024_165733_assets.vogue.com.jpeg" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1933-2024</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of the shows I danced in don't exist on film, but they do exist in the memories of those who were in the theater for that single moment in time. And nothing can replace that.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">--Chita Rivera</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Only in people's memories? Chita, darling, I know you're a Broadway legend and all that, but every Spider Woman must have her...</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72DA-xdSqQONbslsteZSrBIWEhqZQHI6BIinAxwnLYObBbBRHu04yaZv5tmNyc-FHwiy2EzuwG6iGN3txmOEYs5gCSX3TnCI23DLtv526mlFLuJXjWlXKC9IJ_USfkydwY5SZ4R1AATjDQAmw14jpCKn5eKUdSCIj9pVnHX3AnBo67xtUNLbmXwbGbHEV/s738/Web%20capture_30-1-2024_171925_www.bing.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="738" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72DA-xdSqQONbslsteZSrBIWEhqZQHI6BIinAxwnLYObBbBRHu04yaZv5tmNyc-FHwiy2EzuwG6iGN3txmOEYs5gCSX3TnCI23DLtv526mlFLuJXjWlXKC9IJ_USfkydwY5SZ4R1AATjDQAmw14jpCKn5eKUdSCIj9pVnHX3AnBo67xtUNLbmXwbGbHEV/w400-h309/Web%20capture_30-1-2024_171925_www.bing.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><i><br /></i></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>...Web!</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/60WEpHWaFKU" width="320" youtube-src-id="60WEpHWaFKU"></iframe></span></div><span style="color: #333333;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Did you catch what Katie Couric said at the end of that? I'd like to think even Little Miss Tuffet would stick around for these posterity-positive performances:</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7OGdj8ra8iE" width="320" youtube-src-id="7OGdj8ra8iE"></iframe></span></span></div><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><i><br /></i></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pcctZtYJOpM" width="320" youtube-src-id="pcctZtYJOpM"></iframe></span></span></div><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><i><br /></i></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_rHGayK4Ksg" width="320" youtube-src-id="_rHGayK4Ksg"></iframe></span></span></div><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><i><br /></i></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><i><span style="background-color: white;"></span></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ZldWwNZMmc" width="320" youtube-src-id="3ZldWwNZMmc"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tWHHat6Vlqg" width="320" youtube-src-id="tWHHat6Vlqg"></iframe></div><br /></span></div> </span></span></div><span style="color: #333333;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4w5tRzTrqrA" width="320" youtube-src-id="4w5tRzTrqrA"></iframe></div><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t5t-rQACSgs" width="320" youtube-src-id="t5t-rQACSgs"></iframe></div><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-84801458861941422892024-01-25T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-25T00:00:00.253-08:00Graphic Grandeur (America Faust Edition)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTA2MIYISnz-CasDYVuKuwjyx7dHNARqhuktaI3Qdn97WeKItCMqMg9KnbncsH7WuKC-yADeEYi8il2iJtCIXgY3g2HDFZ-rOUJOEzqF4Usxsty5awwxT1J5_CIpWJhumy2Vpq5bLGJpeq4nBh5P-PN5Gz-Nu_zicHlH_vcLCr3zHxiSH3FB0uR2w7lyn/s915/lk012124dAPR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="915" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTA2MIYISnz-CasDYVuKuwjyx7dHNARqhuktaI3Qdn97WeKItCMqMg9KnbncsH7WuKC-yADeEYi8il2iJtCIXgY3g2HDFZ-rOUJOEzqF4Usxsty5awwxT1J5_CIpWJhumy2Vpq5bLGJpeq4nBh5P-PN5Gz-Nu_zicHlH_vcLCr3zHxiSH3FB0uR2w7lyn/w400-h291/lk012124dAPR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm just hoping the rest of the country doesn't complete the sale in November.</p><p>Cartoon by Mike Luckovich.</p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-87320030147614938432024-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-23T05:36:27.885-08:00Quips and Quotations (When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie Edition)<p> </p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURipijENeYASGdESFddK1hI8qIyrpUwXMLh4rOFy9qAvCKxujhv_zlOefZ9XheJL6T7vgg-tb64f8uQqIeB9Qfbd7K-5ZGp4mHho1YsaZ5kuZoQSbZCbULjHyMxiDH0jb7SVOdJxfg8R3o47mGRsQh-yfp9t3bup2Zh8Q-w5H13Mnpdwepu-SQ37IgzpM/s1200/norman-jewison-filmmaker-XL.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURipijENeYASGdESFddK1hI8qIyrpUwXMLh4rOFy9qAvCKxujhv_zlOefZ9XheJL6T7vgg-tb64f8uQqIeB9Qfbd7K-5ZGp4mHho1YsaZ5kuZoQSbZCbULjHyMxiDH0jb7SVOdJxfg8R3o47mGRsQh-yfp9t3bup2Zh8Q-w5H13Mnpdwepu-SQ37IgzpM/w400-h225/norman-jewison-filmmaker-XL.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1926-2024</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I try to find stories that I would think that everyone would find interesting, and just a good entertaining story, and then if I can find a story that has a </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">raison d'etre</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> behind it that I feel is important then that's the best for me.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">--Norman Jewison, <i>filmmaker</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(I like all of the following movies, but see if you can guess which one is my personal favorite--Kirk):</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DA9AeDFv7-c" width="320" youtube-src-id="DA9AeDFv7-c"></iframe></span></span></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Cincinatti Kid</b><i> (1965)</i></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0ACDoxjj9WQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="0ACDoxjj9WQ"></iframe></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!</b><i> (1966)</i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d15DhX_ltls" width="320" youtube-src-id="d15DhX_ltls"></iframe></div><br /><b>In the Heat of the Night</b><i> (1967)</i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gsDP-90j9x8" width="320" youtube-src-id="gsDP-90j9x8"></iframe></div><br /><b>Fiddler on the Roof</b><i> (1971)</i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hIe8GA3VvYg" width="320" youtube-src-id="hIe8GA3VvYg"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Jesus Christ, Superstar</b> <i>(1973)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZc40YB5fN2eG-b1Dixz5UtE-4lbmG2VTz_OPqkK4bNP8uo_w6McIfE-nCuQcLsqk6tuAA1VX1UKfWkxQpI-gzxgfnZAaZMRHCrnj9WXvoFs2hH4Gw5OZd56QDsA2gY2by6f5fBDtaxf5MpLqo9GWEeL-IHRUnBzU1QDn8fdYFXemW_nrQgDHz6c83g1RN/s942/cher-norman-jewison-nicolas-cage-1987-billboard-1548.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="942" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZc40YB5fN2eG-b1Dixz5UtE-4lbmG2VTz_OPqkK4bNP8uo_w6McIfE-nCuQcLsqk6tuAA1VX1UKfWkxQpI-gzxgfnZAaZMRHCrnj9WXvoFs2hH4Gw5OZd56QDsA2gY2by6f5fBDtaxf5MpLqo9GWEeL-IHRUnBzU1QDn8fdYFXemW_nrQgDHz6c83g1RN/w400-h265/cher-norman-jewison-nicolas-cage-1987-billboard-1548.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M01_2CKL6PU" width="320" youtube-src-id="M01_2CKL6PU"></iframe></div><br /><b>Moonstruck</b><i> (1987)</i><p></p><p><i> </i></p><i><br /></i><p></p><i> </i></span></span><p></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-8715790756706246012024-01-20T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-20T00:00:00.140-08:00Graphic Grandeur (Man of Lithium Edition)<p><br /></p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR00isiCj8b387yM2MeVGt5V0JGZmeZ0YaInbEARaDMkDu3iUJ3mOKsisOB4hSkOoYqnU3_8-rc5FNHCWVfwpqKFSdJFwLWkySPwB_SokbJnPNYoYpmoUStr9xNllvcVK2K-b6s0BPTFhBEE3ZIw00Gq6pYFswc6MlrVHw1VtC9CDKDTZHPzaRwbiaHdhY/s763/419089930_887266466735781_1934172321540699425_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR00isiCj8b387yM2MeVGt5V0JGZmeZ0YaInbEARaDMkDu3iUJ3mOKsisOB4hSkOoYqnU3_8-rc5FNHCWVfwpqKFSdJFwLWkySPwB_SokbJnPNYoYpmoUStr9xNllvcVK2K-b6s0BPTFhBEE3ZIw00Gq6pYFswc6MlrVHw1VtC9CDKDTZHPzaRwbiaHdhY/w442-h640/419089930_887266466735781_1934172321540699425_n.jpg" width="442" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>DC house style art by Al Plastino</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Fears that AI will eventually replace humanity run rampant these days, but such concerns are nothing new. Back in 1957, long before Sam Altman was born, one of the chief worries apparently was that this technology could replace a superhero! </p><p>Of course, that fear has turned out to be unfounded.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5H3Bw0JcVwjfP5x5UrNUdVb_omUa9pE1s5h0qpRcZhZp3CqAABcgQkEw5iLBfseVxleeBPAaQE36ooHBVZAqSpDSl3PJOHXhP5w6clopR4hOvDoVwrTbOQsmI7tLci9gPgawcc6kHZR-L4XcynKb8NdqK1PKbCBlOa9-H6J8FvSIQiTWtKlybnH1ser0/s664/Web%20capture_20-1-2024_2941_metro.co.uk.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="664" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5H3Bw0JcVwjfP5x5UrNUdVb_omUa9pE1s5h0qpRcZhZp3CqAABcgQkEw5iLBfseVxleeBPAaQE36ooHBVZAqSpDSl3PJOHXhP5w6clopR4hOvDoVwrTbOQsmI7tLci9gPgawcc6kHZR-L4XcynKb8NdqK1PKbCBlOa9-H6J8FvSIQiTWtKlybnH1ser0/s320/Web%20capture_20-1-2024_2941_metro.co.uk.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Not a robot, just a younger actor.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><p> </p><p> </p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-88614370834781642122024-01-16T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-16T21:31:45.476-08:00Last Exit to Brooklyn<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3lMEkg24fzsW41YeZDFIeuYreaxNTgllOlw8uL9P4UvzN5kOXphSM39FctyDUQViZvqCSm7xXMLnSSWCkNY58Ei51RDKm_w-zKxKnDLkMkeBIoABKngarkO33CqxI84eplvXQnEaUvYwkpUyf8j9bvstLSuuj7xZOJs5nj2kBbF02GLv5fY61bneg-oO/s526/419886397_718279923731561_5838469520905887187_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3lMEkg24fzsW41YeZDFIeuYreaxNTgllOlw8uL9P4UvzN5kOXphSM39FctyDUQViZvqCSm7xXMLnSSWCkNY58Ei51RDKm_w-zKxKnDLkMkeBIoABKngarkO33CqxI84eplvXQnEaUvYwkpUyf8j9bvstLSuuj7xZOJs5nj2kBbF02GLv5fY61bneg-oO/w400-h400/419886397_718279923731561_5838469520905887187_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm sure all you<i> Honeymooners </i>fans out there recognize these three folks, even if they're attired a bit differently than usual. That's because it's just a rehearsal, and not even a dress rehearsal at that. Sitting is Art Carney, who played Ed Norton. Standing behind him is Audrey Meadows, who portrayed Alice Kramden. And as Trixie Norton we have Joyce Randolph (who died just this past Saturday at age 99-- RIP) But where's the big guy, Ralph Kramden, who Jackie Gleason so memorably brought to life? Turns out Gleason didn't like to rehearse, as he wanted his on-air performance to be spontaneous. That apparently was less of a concern to Carney, Meadows, and Randolph (whose own on-air performances were pretty good anyway) so they just rehearsed without him. I assume somebody read Gleason's lines to the other three. Maybe a producer, or a stagehand, or whoever took that picture. It all worked out in the end.</p><p>Still, a post about <i>The Honeymooners</i> minus Gleason just doesn't seem right! So here's what I'm going to do, folks. Through the magic of computerized special effects, I'll insert Jackie Gleason, aka, Ralph Kramden, into that long-ago rehearsal.</p><p>Viola! </p><p>Take a look:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiZQgrSGEeTQm9Wo1G6wCucT5C2lHC5wShWcayBbevDCZDrc8PilNcj1GEf0Iez3Yi2B8x9ufSJM62QveXv7eJSZfATq_SFcZoDv9y-egdHlFNbxNoXvbb6aCinDolyddiAzTo4WbLXJnKqHpj2YNIjRdpBfc5EsdjHQiTvLqqpQ5pGTmPyXUQOLSurYN/s553/Web%20capture_15-1-2024_15516_www.blogger.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="553" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiZQgrSGEeTQm9Wo1G6wCucT5C2lHC5wShWcayBbevDCZDrc8PilNcj1GEf0Iez3Yi2B8x9ufSJM62QveXv7eJSZfATq_SFcZoDv9y-egdHlFNbxNoXvbb6aCinDolyddiAzTo4WbLXJnKqHpj2YNIjRdpBfc5EsdjHQiTvLqqpQ5pGTmPyXUQOLSurYN/w400-h269/Web%20capture_15-1-2024_15516_www.blogger.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Well, that's as close as I could get.</p><p><br /></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-29952763166110746142024-01-14T00:04:00.000-08:002024-01-14T00:07:01.877-08:00Quips and Quotations (Simmering Simians Simile Edition) <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhVeDGz3NRSPAsHRhcS9DxabvU87fEVa-79ZUsGS8TXL5TOlTCaI3wSb6LUjHGei9Os3lOhyphenhyphenNu-ft4YIy0-0IGt9GFwzKWZGFmPzVI0s7GkfxznhfaNjHA0IOBarh5j9ZaY10JkE6dN7C0G8xkpsi2O3h5Q9CB0MY9hZq1K838GR4ykbmD_BxRjIljtRH/s500/artworks-000227582937-kf8amp-t500x500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhVeDGz3NRSPAsHRhcS9DxabvU87fEVa-79ZUsGS8TXL5TOlTCaI3wSb6LUjHGei9Os3lOhyphenhyphenNu-ft4YIy0-0IGt9GFwzKWZGFmPzVI0s7GkfxznhfaNjHA0IOBarh5j9ZaY10JkE6dN7C0G8xkpsi2O3h5Q9CB0MY9hZq1K838GR4ykbmD_BxRjIljtRH/w400-h400/artworks-000227582937-kf8amp-t500x500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">"More fun than a barrel of monkeys." Has anyone ever stopped to think how cranky, if not downright vicious, a barrelful of monkeys would be, especially once released from the barrel?</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">--Tom Shales,<i> longtime and widely syndicated TV critic for the </i>Washington Post</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPE3EwiP5yAZDIa3Kt1SiC6LQ-cVHQvebP4IE1N7r-xycQfbO-Ey6NrNqP6TzXM4jdfTpOaESvbz80KvNzIoox4gW0Ls3MQEFph4nBPF1sB9nZTn6tYFmdvNqLsISY0Cx11zbP4ZUzxKEtnJp5hnruSPWBzQF628-wGXO2_OfnPY8wYWLVn6fgcOQHcFF/s200/31089._UY200_CR46,0,200,200_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPE3EwiP5yAZDIa3Kt1SiC6LQ-cVHQvebP4IE1N7r-xycQfbO-Ey6NrNqP6TzXM4jdfTpOaESvbz80KvNzIoox4gW0Ls3MQEFph4nBPF1sB9nZTn6tYFmdvNqLsISY0Cx11zbP4ZUzxKEtnJp5hnruSPWBzQF628-wGXO2_OfnPY8wYWLVn6fgcOQHcFF/w320-h320/31089._UY200_CR46,0,200,200_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1944-2024</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-61905203141843428092024-01-12T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-12T00:00:00.162-08:00Corrections and Retractions (Supermajority Supermeddling Edition)<p><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFlJ_UMU7OXSIpr_MKfmgd3ADwHDocoh7UBLXojWaBQaIW6ROhuzNr_Une0V4P_-A_suNuOCrpbb8oVysd2YmewIIqdxeTQ9_DWz08VqL0Db_mav520Wlv_y4_9F5dcoIMPTlKnLC0k0bB7AfS8IHgmFvBL98mSWMJC0KUzwWiDwzzxXkHGRxCdYH3DSn/s746/Web%20capture_11-1-2024_13053_wwwshadowofadoubt.blogspot.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="568" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFlJ_UMU7OXSIpr_MKfmgd3ADwHDocoh7UBLXojWaBQaIW6ROhuzNr_Une0V4P_-A_suNuOCrpbb8oVysd2YmewIIqdxeTQ9_DWz08VqL0Db_mav520Wlv_y4_9F5dcoIMPTlKnLC0k0bB7AfS8IHgmFvBL98mSWMJC0KUzwWiDwzzxXkHGRxCdYH3DSn/w488-h640/Web%20capture_11-1-2024_13053_wwwshadowofadoubt.blogspot.com.jpeg" width="488" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div>The Ohio House of Representatives has overridden Mike DeWine's veto of Bill 68, banning gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers prescribed by a doctor, for those under the age of 18. In addition, the bill bans medical professionals from even <i>diagnosing</i> gender dysphoria in minors, and, going outside the realm of medicine, prohibits transgender females in K-12 and college from participating in girls' and women's sports. The Ohio Senate (currently on vacation) still has to sign off on it, but expectations are that it will.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSvYcTMW01Zyb_6DcVyXt4vRCnfCgEvlsWywwXFizvh5nKlQTQN1p_McNCn1r6zHr0X76u7sVMfB4vjdSKwJRu6NCjFBc7DPhL-6L0hVqYOU3X-bGgpD5tm3f7CT629SdgvsyCLzpuKEnMghs8XY4VphtIor40LoMEwUIKAW_T9o0Ur43y5BNzbPbK5kQ/s390/Web%20capture_29-12-2023_23413_www.advocate.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="390" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSvYcTMW01Zyb_6DcVyXt4vRCnfCgEvlsWywwXFizvh5nKlQTQN1p_McNCn1r6zHr0X76u7sVMfB4vjdSKwJRu6NCjFBc7DPhL-6L0hVqYOU3X-bGgpD5tm3f7CT629SdgvsyCLzpuKEnMghs8XY4VphtIor40LoMEwUIKAW_T9o0Ur43y5BNzbPbK5kQ/w400-h334/Web%20capture_29-12-2023_23413_www.advocate.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>It's a setback for the LGBTQ community and its allies, but we've been set back before. And before. And before. </div><div><br /></div><div>The good fight continues.</div>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-21483456950506466142024-01-10T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-11T22:42:27.648-08:00Frosted Figurine<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zuj29aDTWFplp3phMEeFJofOqu4AHYbratBCrUbmoWdvtGJFd3QbzcepRkqAfS1CCp4IVn6BnkN4XCivjFPmniebwLb9Irr_bN-4vk6Hc2hT0Y804bpjGZHEtEBnhIsOyNjpLERj1craboYMXGX00o64_rqAKZodNO0WE-2l055MhmbgXgCp4H5tCm4j/s901/5hgrmezmuis51.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zuj29aDTWFplp3phMEeFJofOqu4AHYbratBCrUbmoWdvtGJFd3QbzcepRkqAfS1CCp4IVn6BnkN4XCivjFPmniebwLb9Irr_bN-4vk6Hc2hT0Y804bpjGZHEtEBnhIsOyNjpLERj1craboYMXGX00o64_rqAKZodNO0WE-2l055MhmbgXgCp4H5tCm4j/w454-h640/5hgrmezmuis51.jpg" width="454" /></a></div><br /><p>Such exquisite detail. What lifelike touches. A masterpiece of accumulation. The above photo first appeared in an 1892 edition of<i> Strand Magazine </i>(yes, Sherlock Holmes lovers, THAT <i>Strand Magazine</i>.) Folks back then understood and appreciated the aesthetic possibilities of snowfall.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaQYjIkF_jO4ptut2mPugqhX9YR_eGkedi8aVgTjmOlQr1Ei-9IuyTLyKbRiE2rGmeVhYSvpNYqUSNJJjXBX-QlwqKkEvAZvxEnjgd8KVXrtPH94KtrhnLZXX2X2F2qhE7N8ZrRJ97XJ2gCUCOBagZV4cN30x8YYHuN8_dBSfNjH_G629HzYGlAVAWJd8/s641/Web%20capture_9-1-2024_195650_empire-s3-production.bobvila.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="552" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaQYjIkF_jO4ptut2mPugqhX9YR_eGkedi8aVgTjmOlQr1Ei-9IuyTLyKbRiE2rGmeVhYSvpNYqUSNJJjXBX-QlwqKkEvAZvxEnjgd8KVXrtPH94KtrhnLZXX2X2F2qhE7N8ZrRJ97XJ2gCUCOBagZV4cN30x8YYHuN8_dBSfNjH_G629HzYGlAVAWJd8/w345-h400/Web%20capture_9-1-2024_195650_empire-s3-production.bobvila.com.jpeg" width="345" /></a></div><br /> So why did those abstract artists have to come along and ruin everything?<p></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-25035105150851622442024-01-06T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-06T23:30:45.773-08:00Quips and Quotations (Making Her Entrance Again with Her Usual Flair Edition) <p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVM-ZnJ61JnyE4Lsd7DFi-miuR8W0ckXLZaxKGLJL7l0vD_SvResW-qT4OsmsIWvW1bKPjQSAld1tr589PWiF5QUt1uYKQqYy-7SAzv8J4ks5cU4pjL3p9paA8WwXFWgyYlDOMKpjbCZmUPAYgbAAJM-2qDNlPLIi_1jphrTlbJO7a3RkRMl0YdJkBb5wi/s2048/675ae5bd2cd0e1afd4c404583b8e8524.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVM-ZnJ61JnyE4Lsd7DFi-miuR8W0ckXLZaxKGLJL7l0vD_SvResW-qT4OsmsIWvW1bKPjQSAld1tr589PWiF5QUt1uYKQqYy-7SAzv8J4ks5cU4pjL3p9paA8WwXFWgyYlDOMKpjbCZmUPAYgbAAJM-2qDNlPLIi_1jphrTlbJO7a3RkRMl0YdJkBb5wi/w300-h400/675ae5bd2cd0e1afd4c404583b8e8524.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1923-2024</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #202122; font-family: inherit;">In classical theatre in Europe, everybody plays all kinds of parts. Juliets go on to play the Nurses; they don't want to play Juliet again. I think we've got to remember to grab onto our perks, whatever is the good thing about each age. Each stage of life should be a progression.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #202122;">--Glynis Johns</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #202122;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #202122;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s3F7rLyVZlY" width="320" youtube-src-id="s3F7rLyVZlY"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><b>Miranda</b> (1948)</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C-GuqFYElKg" width="320" youtube-src-id="C-GuqFYElKg"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Court Jester</b> (1956)</span></div><span style="color: #202122;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #202122;"><br /></span></span></div></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L13b0t9aARY" width="320" youtube-src-id="L13b0t9aARY"></iframe></div></span><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Mary Poppins (</b>1964)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oOerswMvjOY" width="320" youtube-src-id="oOerswMvjOY"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>A Little Night Music (</b>1973)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0ZIWbEO5Xxs" width="320" youtube-src-id="0ZIWbEO5Xxs"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Superstar</b> (1999)</span><p></p></div>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-54913746118095146262024-01-04T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-04T06:34:45.270-08:00Free Mickey<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSofaLc0W6DTOacXPBvrg3IR4OSsp7SBT7ty-xbVdJshLoXhoCucsUmuMvzf7Z4aEp2P-UFmjKQR1hQa0yxt_D02zoWFYWxd-WiJ5_SBabsR4UPjpuur9-3GDwlH8D1LI57WWzvxWbfnai7KKPZtMlmHINh2y1fEHSUAzqpWF-usyV2PnecFNnKLLU8DDm/s333/Web%20capture_2-1-2024_115644_www.blogger.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="290" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSofaLc0W6DTOacXPBvrg3IR4OSsp7SBT7ty-xbVdJshLoXhoCucsUmuMvzf7Z4aEp2P-UFmjKQR1hQa0yxt_D02zoWFYWxd-WiJ5_SBabsR4UPjpuur9-3GDwlH8D1LI57WWzvxWbfnai7KKPZtMlmHINh2y1fEHSUAzqpWF-usyV2PnecFNnKLLU8DDm/w349-h400/Web%20capture_2-1-2024_115644_www.blogger.com.jpeg" width="349" /></a></div><br /><p>I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it! It's finally <i>legal </i>and I did it! No more extensions! No more infringement! No more lawyers! Hee, hee, hee! I did it! Ooh boy, was it fun! Was it liberating! Was it cathartic! Oh, what a rush! What a high! Yes! Yes! GOOD GOD, YES!!! <i>Ohhhhhh</i>... </p><p>As it is, I can hardly wait for<i> </i>Donald Duck to go into the public domain. Then Goofy, Pluto, Dumbo, Bambi,<i> the</i> <i>hippo in Fantasia...</i></p><p>Oh, and in case you're wondering, I drew the above picture digitally...with a <i>mouse.</i></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-66311528933192899082024-01-02T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-02T00:00:00.135-08:00Leaving Las Vegas<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLWjh7X_Pd1B6npUr_jwiYDzjIY7W9nWhwu9_TkxyKBr2MmS7DvoHIsxcVHcDdR15bQzUgrjZnp7IMa_fvLzz0AMu1ffLLHO7vwn5lSqxb6Rs9QQ66rEQizLYnBbmZecoqXS4g1c5InZu06NCszRj-_wBtLC2rtyQJS8_Ifk94haV54nUYNsOyX3r7Pso/s400/Web%20capture_1-1-2024_11939_www.newsfromme.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="400" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLWjh7X_Pd1B6npUr_jwiYDzjIY7W9nWhwu9_TkxyKBr2MmS7DvoHIsxcVHcDdR15bQzUgrjZnp7IMa_fvLzz0AMu1ffLLHO7vwn5lSqxb6Rs9QQ66rEQizLYnBbmZecoqXS4g1c5InZu06NCszRj-_wBtLC2rtyQJS8_Ifk94haV54nUYNsOyX3r7Pso/w400-h297/Web%20capture_1-1-2024_11939_www.newsfromme.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The Riviera Hotel and Casino opened in 1955, the ninth resort to do so on the legendary Las Vegas Strip. Mob-owned and Mob-run for decades, it featured top-notch entertainers, and was one of the bigger draws for those tourists who save up their money all year round so they can experience the pleasure of losing it at the tables or slot machines. The Riveria also popped up in movies such as the original <i>Ocean's 11</i> (the one with the Rat Pack, not George Clooney), <i>Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice</i>, and<i> Diamonds Are Forever</i>. Unfortunately, casinos aren't diamonds. Starting in the 1980s, multinational corporations began buying up most of the rest of the gangland holdings on the Strip, and proceeded to knock down the aging neon towers one by one and replace them with even larger indoor gambling theme parks, the nearby construction of which reduced foot traffic to the Riveria. Ownership eventually passed from the underworld to more legitimate groups of investors, and finally in 2015, the state-run Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Are we talking a unique form of American socialism here? Nothing so provocative, I'm afraid. The Riviera was just bought to be gotten rid of and the whole thing went through a series of "implosions" to make room for some kind of trade center expansion. Before any of that happened, though, there was first a liquidation sale...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsiKbvLQxYzxKfsINgocv-Pgv_oAPRkZS4H_Zt995J3JvqXvbUWcGE0sH1LziQmckoaZR6SxhQiytDGkLOt6gaUnPkRyMhyphenhyphen6pUGRFGPEuy6Fy_nm-JjR2gqmYspfWtUap1dodcX1FT6142fzjKwuEWb4foFnwBiHuL86ctmXS8FBNbyWrOH19XMp60Xvb/s651/Web%20capture_1-1-2024_15746_lasvegassun.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="651" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsiKbvLQxYzxKfsINgocv-Pgv_oAPRkZS4H_Zt995J3JvqXvbUWcGE0sH1LziQmckoaZR6SxhQiytDGkLOt6gaUnPkRyMhyphenhyphen6pUGRFGPEuy6Fy_nm-JjR2gqmYspfWtUap1dodcX1FT6142fzjKwuEWb4foFnwBiHuL86ctmXS8FBNbyWrOH19XMp60Xvb/w400-h271/Web%20capture_1-1-2024_15746_lasvegassun.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>...and Las Vegas mainstay Shecky Greene, who had played at that and every other hotel on the Strip, was on hand to salvage what he could.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here's Shecky at home:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/btArOr7-gWc" width="320" youtube-src-id="btArOr7-gWc"></iframe></div><br /><p>What happens on the Web, stays on the Web.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxv9CmjBIk65SBbi8N02-H0-_Ex1EEuOV-Hg-n2pxZ2TJR4hmgxZV60GjCDKrmnyrndrjVRl6EAdAYMAM7G4Fw0kglIZwmY7bRzVl6VLBslxTKqDBwp_FwT0yxoN71sEexTRsPvJTh3_srVT5K1QapR2aSmiqXMC_g3u69-Ickx_bILc684spDFnWFTaY/s768/9baed43c897a8dfadd59ae1f02ad8b79.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="674" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxv9CmjBIk65SBbi8N02-H0-_Ex1EEuOV-Hg-n2pxZ2TJR4hmgxZV60GjCDKrmnyrndrjVRl6EAdAYMAM7G4Fw0kglIZwmY7bRzVl6VLBslxTKqDBwp_FwT0yxoN71sEexTRsPvJTh3_srVT5K1QapR2aSmiqXMC_g3u69-Ickx_bILc684spDFnWFTaY/w351-h400/9baed43c897a8dfadd59ae1f02ad8b79.jpg" width="351" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1926-2023</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-55382507943871860422023-12-30T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-30T07:52:24.678-08:00Quips and Quotations (Buckeye State Checks and Balances Edition)<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-jPIVAcmYHj1VPAZ10huTYm1nuTNQrA1tfdthyphenhyphenlv5xWmP4MvdffBhMs2ubWTT31QTCcJMhyICH__-Tbb0_uu_S1Dl4Xl7s2o2exNBhKUEW1wnRZQj2h03yFTYtvr-qZcxtrZXxpacmxlqjsnTPZS9-DhkswIGGBmVq9p8vNVzgEZnkue3D0faXEwAwuV/s1920/AA1md8xY.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-jPIVAcmYHj1VPAZ10huTYm1nuTNQrA1tfdthyphenhyphenlv5xWmP4MvdffBhMs2ubWTT31QTCcJMhyICH__-Tbb0_uu_S1Dl4Xl7s2o2exNBhKUEW1wnRZQj2h03yFTYtvr-qZcxtrZXxpacmxlqjsnTPZS9-DhkswIGGBmVq9p8vNVzgEZnkue3D0faXEwAwuV/w400-h225/AA1md8xY.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This bill [</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">a ban on transgender health care for minors</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">] would impact a very small number of Ohio's children. But for those children who face gender dysphoria, the consequences of this bill could not be more profound. Ultimately I believe this is about protecting human life...Many parents have told me that their child would not have survived, would be dead today, if they had not received the treatment they received from one of Ohio's children's hospitals...</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">These are gut-wrenching decisions that should be made by parents and should be informed by teams of doctors who are advising them. Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government, knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most: the parents.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">--Mike DeWine,<i> Republican Governor of Ohio</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(I fully expected DeWine to sign this bill into law, but people sometimes surprise you. Go, Mike! Not that this is the final word on the subject. HB 68 passed the state's House and Senate by a supermajority, and that same supermajority could override the governor's veto. And even if that doesn't happen, DeWine has said he wants some kind of prohibition or restriction, just not what landed on his desk. Nevertheless, it's a ray of hope at the end of a very harrowing year for the LGBTQ community, both inside and outside of Ohio--Kirk)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiautWB8meL0FGRgwZqLBQjHv8zVGbEIOIg7atQrdslwgkP0DljrchVbnY8Fb1GQvwHOqLl82Ww3kpRHQHRZ2w_1TiDknU2W3I3LcodWjPqyXYETGMcADWqnHTB0SwePMjJqXu_peQbwCCjhj19E2R5gB1pH3vjnzlXLySk1b1pryNdk1opnM9DP7hAErcC/s390/Web%20capture_29-12-2023_23413_www.advocate.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="390" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiautWB8meL0FGRgwZqLBQjHv8zVGbEIOIg7atQrdslwgkP0DljrchVbnY8Fb1GQvwHOqLl82Ww3kpRHQHRZ2w_1TiDknU2W3I3LcodWjPqyXYETGMcADWqnHTB0SwePMjJqXu_peQbwCCjhj19E2R5gB1pH3vjnzlXLySk1b1pryNdk1opnM9DP7hAErcC/w400-h334/Web%20capture_29-12-2023_23413_www.advocate.com.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /> <p></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-14919742492955105092023-12-28T01:49:00.000-08:002023-12-28T08:11:04.309-08:00Vital Viewing (Siblings Soapbox Edition)<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJwW34ckJlQJfrsB22Mz8J-MhWr8vxzzHUGeysL4migJkcnZkCtEXImEBre78p6OO6g6hN4TS9OOx38l5IGbkSW-Nm8_-D1lyJT9HMZUMAjhayhkplKmR-nEhbPUhyphenhyphendOfU2N0qSEoYKuWlfcag35pm5Dth5zxwxQTkGYI9cRLTlrlcF5P9HB98zvmh5wH/s1200/Smothers-Brothers-Everett.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJwW34ckJlQJfrsB22Mz8J-MhWr8vxzzHUGeysL4migJkcnZkCtEXImEBre78p6OO6g6hN4TS9OOx38l5IGbkSW-Nm8_-D1lyJT9HMZUMAjhayhkplKmR-nEhbPUhyphenhyphendOfU2N0qSEoYKuWlfcag35pm5Dth5zxwxQTkGYI9cRLTlrlcF5P9HB98zvmh5wH/w400-h400/Smothers-Brothers-Everett.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dickie and Tommy Smothers</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>A couple of weeks ago I did a post on writer/producer Norman Lear, lauding him for making TV comedy safe for sociopolitical content. However, a death in the news now has reminded me that there was a predecessor, <i>The Smother Brothers Comedy Hour</i>, a show that, if it couldn't for <i>itself</i> make TV comedy safe for sociopolitical content, may have at least secured a beachhead for Lear's later, more successful assault on network Standards and Practices.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoyfOJUo68lSxp37MSmjcgMqf2JRIKq-NRwb0O3N-y6fN5rwuTjGLiXDbQQ9T8qKABc3pfxuC0wHvGYlLwCGPSOgL63owk0wQ4CUmoMpM_2f-vvDVEBdFU_wgbWthEd7DN4St1ABFQ2B2F39ugI59pckPTpSGiluQAZpV9ZEbGEpkFsXNMrlqvWSiefki/s250/The_Two_Sides_of_the_Smothers_Brothers.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="250" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoyfOJUo68lSxp37MSmjcgMqf2JRIKq-NRwb0O3N-y6fN5rwuTjGLiXDbQQ9T8qKABc3pfxuC0wHvGYlLwCGPSOgL63owk0wQ4CUmoMpM_2f-vvDVEBdFU_wgbWthEd7DN4St1ABFQ2B2F39ugI59pckPTpSGiluQAZpV9ZEbGEpkFsXNMrlqvWSiefki/w200-h199/The_Two_Sides_of_the_Smothers_Brothers.gif" width="200" /></a></div><br />Inspired by The Kingson Trio and the folk music revival it helped launch starting in the late 1950s, brothers Tom and Dick Smothers decided to take part in the revival themselves. With Tommy on guitar and Dickie on base, the duo at first just performed straight-ahead folk. At some point in time, Tommy introduced a song by cracking a joke, and Dickie good-naturedly rebuked him for cracking the joke. Though both were decent musicians, they soon found audiences seemed to prefer that comedic rapport to the actual songs being played. The brothers weren't about to disappoint them, Dickie assuming the role of a straight man who couldn't get a folk ditty in edgewise thanks to his lamebrained brother's obstinance. In a few short years as the '50s gave way to the '60s, not only were there increased night club and concert bookings for the duo, but several Top-40 comedy albums as well, along with television guest shots on shows hosted by Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and Judy Garland:<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4LEfWjHCPVY" width="320" youtube-src-id="4LEfWjHCPVY"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In 1964 the brothers got their own situation comedy, called simply <i>The Smothers Brothers Show. </i>The concept was less than simple as Tom played an angel apprentice trying to earn his wings with the reluctant help of his mortal brother, Dick. It lasted just a single season. CBS wasn't about to give up on them. In 1967 the brothers were offered their own comedy-variety hour. This time around Tommy demanded something that he didn't have with the earlier series: creative control. Scheduled opposite the highly rated western <i>Bonanza,</i> <i>The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour</i> didn't start out as anything radical. Like most variety shows of that era it was a mixture of comedy sketches and music, with the type of guest stars such as Jimmy Durante and Jack Benny who seemed to go from variety show to variety show. Kate Smith was once a musical guest. Tommy, though, wanted the show to have more of a countercultural bent. Rock acts like The Who and the Jefferson Airplane were booked. The sketches became edgier, much more topical. Pat Paulson, a writer-performer for the show ran for President. There were references to the Vietnam War and race relations. Drug humor made its debut on American television. Viewers, particularly college-aged viewers, began to abandon the seemingly safe environs of <i>Bonanza</i> (though that series also dealt with social ills such as racism, albeit through an 19th century lens) for the wilder-than-Wild West Smothers: </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/08DnYRJhHks" width="320" youtube-src-id="08DnYRJhHks"></iframe> </div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4-5i1agG0Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="Y4-5i1agG0Y"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>By the end of their first season, the Smothers Brothers were winning the hour. It wasn't a permanent victory, as <i>Bonanza</i> eventually regained its former footing. Nevertheless, by some math that's beyond my comprehension, both shows remained in the Top Ten for nearly the rest of the decade. No doubt some people were put off by the rabble-rousing Smothers and that necessitated a return to the Ponderosa. Allegedly both the Johnson and Nixon Administrations were displeased with the young upstarts. Affiliates sometimes preempted the Smothers or deleted certain sketches when things got too heated. Soon, CBS itself started chopping away, cutting a lyric from Pete Seeger's performance of "Waist Deep in Big Muddy", an allegorical song about the Vietnam War; and delating a segment which had Harry Belafonte singing against a backdrop of footage of the riots that surrounded the 1969 Democratic Convention in Chicago (footage that had come from its own news division, though with Walter Conkrite rather than Belafonte in the foreground.) An entire show that featured Joan Baez paying tribute to her then-husband David Harris who had been jailed for refusing to submit to the draft was replaced with a rerun. The Smothers, particularly Tommy Smothers, was outraged by all this censorship. He refused to submit the finished shows to the network before being aired. Of course, at the end of the day--the day being April 4, 1969--it was the network that had, and that made, the final refusal:<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ma0z1EZ81PY" width="320" youtube-src-id="ma0z1EZ81PY"></iframe></div><br /><p>The Smothers were down but not particularly out. All this took place before I entered the third grade, yet they were still a familiar presence on TV while I was growing up, guesting on other people's shows and on commercials and whatnot. In 1988, even CBS, however temporarily, welcomed them back into the fold:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TeBB1_dSeDM" width="320" youtube-src-id="TeBB1_dSeDM"></iframe></div><br /><p>One thing that's always puzzled me. A little under two years separate the cancellation of <i>The Smothers</i> <i>Brothers Comedy Hour</i> and the debut of <i>All in the Family</i> in 1971. Both shows were on CBS, with no major changes in network brass in that time. If anything, <i>AITF</i> broke even more taboos, was even more controversial, than the Smothers. According to his autobiography, Norman Lear had the same run-ins with the bigwigs from CBS as did the Smothers. Yet Lear's show ran three times longer (four times if you add <i>Archie Bunker's Place</i> into the mix) than the Smothers. How did he succeed where the brothers failed? I can't locate it on YouTube, but I once saw an interview where Tommy Smothers was asked that very question. His theory was that a nonfictional Carrol O'Connor portrayed a fictional Archie Bunker. O'Connor wasn't speaking for himself, so everyone accepted it as make-believe. Whereas the nonfictional Tommy and Dickie Smothers portrayed a nonfictional Tommy and Dickie Smothers. Even that involved a good deal of make-believe--the real Tommy wasn't anything approaching lamebrained--but not when it came to politics. Speaking for oneself always involves a certain amount of risk. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94UhzcquCGLVm1NIlzBYDNFmEVQjfiHuSrX9bjYzkjYwAErs_bqMIGg6JuHv9X67lUMFYCTKiy4JBfphEs0g7_PwADg_K2mxpUQ1kjfTe2TZ9zDYThOQUoc7vklhuJhOXov5g_N_osA4vtQJ9oxm_cVZZtSDgV4sskQ9Q0Y1kr8X7-nZwa7iM683xicJ1/s600/tom-smothers-everett-450x600.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94UhzcquCGLVm1NIlzBYDNFmEVQjfiHuSrX9bjYzkjYwAErs_bqMIGg6JuHv9X67lUMFYCTKiy4JBfphEs0g7_PwADg_K2mxpUQ1kjfTe2TZ9zDYThOQUoc7vklhuJhOXov5g_N_osA4vtQJ9oxm_cVZZtSDgV4sskQ9Q0Y1kr8X7-nZwa7iM683xicJ1/w300-h400/tom-smothers-everett-450x600.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1937-2023</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p></div>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-31825582396532575732023-12-24T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-24T00:00:00.134-08:00Smart Art (Nonrepresentative Nick Edition)<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwStYiECIqcIxcheH-1wKG0GX-6rJ8Es4YQ8QisZkldahvk5VfVkB5wC_bzQ4hFHNI9wyQ4hUlZwMXjrYBuOb0iC10pfVWIzqOOc1C8QQcLRSUCsC90n2LWq6x4aZnflZcvEPjPD53TYX_fKnFAfbqucHLIEjjr7BF97ddmt0mVYJxbC8rEAOVwP59juUm/s550/pic531307_picasso_94e_005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="550" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwStYiECIqcIxcheH-1wKG0GX-6rJ8Es4YQ8QisZkldahvk5VfVkB5wC_bzQ4hFHNI9wyQ4hUlZwMXjrYBuOb0iC10pfVWIzqOOc1C8QQcLRSUCsC90n2LWq6x4aZnflZcvEPjPD53TYX_fKnFAfbqucHLIEjjr7BF97ddmt0mVYJxbC8rEAOVwP59juUm/w400-h398/pic531307_picasso_94e_005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Pablo Picasso (seen here with son Claude and daughter Paloma) may have been a great artist, but he just couldn't decide what Santa Claus looked like!<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSg3LugpQUImz2uWX0S1CddVdmznIPXAcbio1YfximPwPZkyxB6h0lE__IbG4zhTJV4hY8C1-nepNtbHgP4qA2MCoe_BJkNn8jPM6XxV4yDzLGEBS_PVoPtN6roZ2JAo_7r9hqqasa1LNLOCf4lxty9BnkfnwyesgSG6II1m9cUO6mnMhUytT8BPKabvs/s3200/p1kd6wbny0g91.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2171" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSg3LugpQUImz2uWX0S1CddVdmznIPXAcbio1YfximPwPZkyxB6h0lE__IbG4zhTJV4hY8C1-nepNtbHgP4qA2MCoe_BJkNn8jPM6XxV4yDzLGEBS_PVoPtN6roZ2JAo_7r9hqqasa1LNLOCf4lxty9BnkfnwyesgSG6II1m9cUO6mnMhUytT8BPKabvs/w271-h400/p1kd6wbny0g91.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><br /><p>Picasso drew this in 1959. I like the nose-eyes combination.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UqppmffOo-6pdhBzLfcKFYIQVFSYy_2XVhOAVqrK0BqhxKMT665cfubtSfG3VKcjL1nptS1OyTXFhUXVjFCpZyEHQ0EKu4BtFGYp2pmGgCluRW1Snki3f14BJTgw4BOHF-RKY6l448EW4_AI-PqLg_b0I44kMhLKL247TOcl-sYgdeveX44DYFcHwGwm/s470/pablo-picasso-p%C3%A8re-no%C3%ABl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="339" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UqppmffOo-6pdhBzLfcKFYIQVFSYy_2XVhOAVqrK0BqhxKMT665cfubtSfG3VKcjL1nptS1OyTXFhUXVjFCpZyEHQ0EKu4BtFGYp2pmGgCluRW1Snki3f14BJTgw4BOHF-RKY6l448EW4_AI-PqLg_b0I44kMhLKL247TOcl-sYgdeveX44DYFcHwGwm/w289-h400/pablo-picasso-p%C3%A8re-no%C3%ABl.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><br /><p>From the same year. Kind of a shifty-eyed Santa, don' cha think? I'm not sure whether this should hang in a museum, or the post office.</p><p><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXa3EwB4hEZzLl3H2iINET5BlGxlV49vuVZEFe2RxxYfQU2Ramh61myl3YeDbwceGjxqfOZM-sdGisNJK-SWj3SJhxRXlbTuJ8M8FFEfilN2p9n-UiY01WIj4qApnZRP-ZQVpMHnFzQXAKxA9kWfsfkAhd5dNhelzY5tQ2c_A74IIgt4K7tElPoLR_l-Qp/s1024/f5438cc5bd94528e0d789d2326b45651.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="820" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXa3EwB4hEZzLl3H2iINET5BlGxlV49vuVZEFe2RxxYfQU2Ramh61myl3YeDbwceGjxqfOZM-sdGisNJK-SWj3SJhxRXlbTuJ8M8FFEfilN2p9n-UiY01WIj4qApnZRP-ZQVpMHnFzQXAKxA9kWfsfkAhd5dNhelzY5tQ2c_A74IIgt4K7tElPoLR_l-Qp/s320/f5438cc5bd94528e0d789d2326b45651.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><p>From 1960. Unlike most celebrities, this Santa could go out in public without being mobbed, since I doubt anyone would recognize him.</p><p>In the end, I suppose it doesn't matter what Santa Claus looks like as long as he comes through on the presents. What kind of present might a Picasso Santa bring?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9hgZozhyA-AIuXHHfoN3X_MCJqy0fPXVkDlrCp9PLKJ0j8TBTw9C-sC3BqsAOZlW3d2TpKK9O4PjUn9G60VRSfLG42KhJwTvoUS1uCJBzEXyagkIx3LmTsIV0v4f7xKot7Ty0gGyZX806ICRqIBFQwJ8BDNTiPAi9gt7QVgLqBPpIKVFdbCAYRWDNWD1/s447/istockphoto-523318725-170667a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="447" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9hgZozhyA-AIuXHHfoN3X_MCJqy0fPXVkDlrCp9PLKJ0j8TBTw9C-sC3BqsAOZlW3d2TpKK9O4PjUn9G60VRSfLG42KhJwTvoUS1uCJBzEXyagkIx3LmTsIV0v4f7xKot7Ty0gGyZX806ICRqIBFQwJ8BDNTiPAi9gt7QVgLqBPpIKVFdbCAYRWDNWD1/w400-h344/istockphoto-523318725-170667a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Give me enough time, and I bet I could turn it into <i>Guernica.</i></p><p><br /></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635884225797829085.post-79443961459047205502023-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-21T00:00:00.135-08:00Vital Viewing (Pulp Christmas Edition)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuO7Cja5UBI05MuKnI9o3Ks9ZqRmorjNVSG1H7vIyW9UhFhF4s9SNCS6YR607gVdPxQ19sfShHhsUxT1mCaNXvLEE40XKAo9IpBhDhu4_O1v3sLzTCWHSt-aoxd4nfblY3bPKh9Ps8dzltWISQ-FXcGzEmaJAl3mNc8MAL6nWoSD8s_kvqaE79IGRqe2Ih/s539/Web%20capture_15-12-2023_25456_www.redbubble.com.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuO7Cja5UBI05MuKnI9o3Ks9ZqRmorjNVSG1H7vIyW9UhFhF4s9SNCS6YR607gVdPxQ19sfShHhsUxT1mCaNXvLEE40XKAo9IpBhDhu4_O1v3sLzTCWHSt-aoxd4nfblY3bPKh9Ps8dzltWISQ-FXcGzEmaJAl3mNc8MAL6nWoSD8s_kvqaE79IGRqe2Ih/w398-h400/Web%20capture_15-12-2023_25456_www.redbubble.com.jpeg" width="398" /></a></div><br /><p>Only four days left to get your official Samuel L. Jackson holiday T-shirt. Hesitant? Not sure it's the right look for you? Perhaps these videos will help you decide:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sqpnRyfz_aY" width="320" youtube-src-id="sqpnRyfz_aY"></iframe></div><br /><p>OK, Jackson couldn't get an F-bomb in edgewise there. At least not one that was picked up by the mike. Samuel is seen and heard to much better effect in this yuletide presentation from the good people at Capital One:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uFDgAIhjVKw" width="320" youtube-src-id="uFDgAIhjVKw"></iframe></div><br /><p>Don't feel too sorry for Jackson. He's paid handsomely every time he references maternal incest in a movie, and that more than makes up for whatever coal he gets in his stocking. As for that other fellow in the commercial, it's proof, as if any was needed, that in this great capitalistic system of ours, even a Sweathog can achieve sainthood.</p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com13