If the “mainstream” commercial news media would like to know why its reader/viewer ship is plummeting, it could look no further than its coverage of Syria over the past 10 days.
Remember how they promised never, never, to collude with the most belligerent and reactionary elements of the government to trick us into an hysterical stampede into calamitous war?
Well, they had their fingers crossed.
Read Smith in Salon about the “lapdog media.”
. . .than I remembered. I found her card and it reads thusly:
“GOD, STARTING WITH A BANG. . .
THOSE POWER TRIP PEOPLE ARE
ALL INSANE . . . DAMN THEM.
WELL, NOW THAT I’VE SAID THAT:
JOEL, DARLING. . . .”
Her sentiments could not be more timely, of course.
To begin with–
Renee Fleming was outstanding moderating the panel. She spoke slowly and distinctly, and her questions were specific and substantive. She allowed enough time for personal remembrance and sentiment, but always returned to issues of art and artistry.
Tucker’s son Barry joined Neil Shicoff and Justice Ginsburg. When Fleming interjected a comment or observation from her own career, it was always relevant.
Toward the end of January, 1991, right after we invaded Kuwait, Linda sent me one of the exquisite New Year’s cards she hand crafted each year. I saved all of them, I thought, but I was looking for that one yesterday and couldn’t put my hands on it. But I’ll never forget her message, which went something very much like:
“TALK ABOUT STARTING THE YEAR OFF WITH A BANG!
THE POWER TRIP PEOPLE ARE INSANE!!”
Isolated on the world stage, alienated from public opinion at home, he prepares to take what could be the most reckless and foolish act in a presidency marked by repeated bids for self-punishment and defeat.
Here we go again with all the euphemistic, weasely language about “limited,” “proportionate” strikes against whichever country we’re about to bomb.
Remember hearing this back in 2001 re: Afghanistan? And we’re still deeply there.
At least the British Parliament has said Nay.
Despite Syria, I was in something of a light-hearted mood today.
Probably had something to do with that 9:00 a.m. oil change.
Why it is that after an oil change the car just feels like it’s driving better?
Was also looking forward to the Richard Tucker panel today, which turned out to be great. It was filmed and I hope it’s televised. It attracted a healthy crowd, but it should be sampled by anyone interested in singing of any kind.
OK, the screen was pretty big at the 1998 New York City Ballet gala honoring her, and the 2001 memorial tribute.
But considering that as a girl she was offered a long-term contract by Paramount, that she said in 1949 interview that she might want to pursue acting after ballet, that as it was she WAS the Grace Kelly/Audrey Hepburn of ballet–
All the more reason to cheer that Nancy Buirski’s documentary is being shown at the New York Film Festival.
You’ll want to go to the September 30 opening so that you can see it for a second time October 11.
After reading Jon Queally at Commondreams.org, you have to wonder if a U.S. bombardment of Syria is a way to provoke Iran into war–thus giving the neocons what they’ve craved for well over a decade.
You can count on one thing–
should our government launch another catastrophic, horribly expensive misadventure in the Middle East, we citizens of the United States will again be subject stateside to a rising clamor of calls for cuts to Social Security–cuts that will be taken as serious policy proposals by the “mainstream” commercial media.
