I fear it will take supernatural powers to stay on the wagon through November 3 … So good luck with that, Rachel! Read more.
Archives for February 2020
Belated Grammys Update: Billie Eilish: a Star Is Born…?
As so often happens these days, I took a lot of flak for my original commentary. I see no point in rehashing what caused so much offense, especially because the title to that commentary speaks volumes: “The Grammys: Not Only Irrelevant but Rigged!” January 26, 2020. (Yeah, priorities.) Well, here’s to vindication: Viewership for the… Read more.
Trump Forgoes Salary Only to Enrich Himself in Other Ways a Thousandfold
Like me, you probably thought Donald Trump was joking when he boasted that his supporters are so stupid, they’d still support him if he murdered someone on 5th Avenue in broad daylight. Well, the joke’s been on us ever since they elected him president of the United States. Now he seems hell-bent on playing us… Read more.
Boy Scouts Is a Plucking Ground for Pedophiles — Like the Catholic Church
Alas, it seems big men having sex with small boys is just another form of Boy Scouts training; you know, like learning first-aid and survival skills. Catholic Church set the precedent Of course, the Catholic Church set the abominable precedent for child sex abuse. Revelations about the scourge of pedophilia in that institution have caused irreparable reputational damage. Indeed, the damage… Read more.
Time for another US presidential election; so, the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming
Putin’s Puppet is at it again, taking Russian help for himself. He knows he can’t win without it. And we can’t let it happen. — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 21, 2020 Related commentaries: Putin’s puppet… Read more.
Social-Media Anonymity Just Gives License to Menace
I have no illusions about ending the social menace of cyberbullying, trolling, or fake news. But each would be greatly reduced if bullies, trolls, and fakers of all stripes were required to use their real names … like everyone else; alerts were required to rate news sources and highlight lies, misinformation, and disinformation; and networks… Read more.
Coronavirus? Makes More Sense to Quarantine People with the Flu, No?
First reports on this coronavirus outbreak in early January gave the impression that it posed the greatest viral threat to human kind since the Bubonic Plague (a.k.a. the Black Death). Like this virus, the plague originated in Asia. The latter killed over 50 million people in Europe between 1346 and 1353. Reports suggested the former… Read more.
And the Oscar Goes to…
First, a little gripe: No offense to screenwriters, cinematographers, makeup artists, et al, but I cannot overstate that most viewers watch only to see who wins the big six awards. Those, of course, are the ones for actor and actress in a supporting role, actor and actress in a leading role, achievement in directing and… Read more.
Hey, Democrats, Time’s Up to Out Republicans!
There’s virtually no end to the things that disgust me about politics in America these days. And I trust it will surprise nobody that creatures from the Trumpian cult – masquerading as the Republican Party – feature in most of them. Democrats have been all over TV lately regaling viewers with tales about how their… Read more.
The Oscars: My Picks
As usual, I feel obliged to begin with my annual lament, which I first presented over a decade ago in “My Review of the 2008 Oscars,” February 25, 2008: ____________________ With all due respect to critics and members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Academy), how much a film makes, not… Read more.