Fun memes. Great ads. 4-year-old poet gets book contract. Ghislaine (ugh!) RBG (Yay!) "She Votes." Subversive teapot. New statue.
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #83 JULY 29, 2020
Some good news amidst the bad: more and more Republicans are defecting; the polls are encouraging; Ruth Ginsburg is on the mend; a spunky new podcast revisits the suffrage movement; the bronze ceiling is about to be broken in Central Park; and, as always, a coda of comic relief.
POLITICS
* This meme says it all:
* Force yourself to watch video of Agent Orange bragging about 24 things he knows better than everyone else. It's so cringe-worthy you'll want to do something, anything, to get out the vote for Biden.
* Honest Abe would be proud. Wish I knew the geniuses behind the great work of The Lincoln Project, a group of Republicans dedicated to dumping Trump and returning honor and dignity to the Presidency. LP's spot-on political ads are the best I've ever seen.
I wish her well," says POTUS of Ghislaine Maxwell," (above right) in an LP ad that asks, What does the woman who procured young girls for Jeffrey Epstein's sex ring have on Donald Trump? Why is he insulting to accomplished women but respectful of Maxwell?
* This beautiful ad recalls what decency, courage, & leadership look like. (John Lewis started young, above)
* Register for The Lincoln Project Virtual Town Hall webinar tomorrow night, Thurs, July 30 at 8 PM
* Speaking of decency and courage, raise a glass to Justice Ruth Ginsburg's good health
CELEBRATE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE
* Award-winning journalists Ellen Goodman and Lynn Sherr just launched a new podcast, She Votes, to mark the 100th anniversary of ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Our foremothers weren't "given" the vote, they won it after years of being vilified, arrested, jailed, beaten, and force-fed during hunger strikes (above). Understand women's battle for the ballot. Subscribe to She Votes!
* Central Park has 23 statues honoring historical figures, not one of whom is of a woman (unless you count Alice in Wonderland). This is about to change: Monumental Women has raised money from more than 1,400 donors, to erect a statue of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony on the Mall in the park. It will be unveiled on August 26, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that these and other brave women championed in the 19th Century. Donate to MW here.
GOTTA LAUGH
JEWS, JUDAISM (AND, SADLY, ANTI-SEMITISM)
- The hidden synagogue. Almost every ritual object associated with Judaism is layered into this incredible teapot whose contents made it possible for secret Jews to practice their religion during the Inquisition. Among the teapot's concealed items are a seder plate and a menorah (below). [ See all the pieces here. ]
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* Former NBA Superstar Charles Barkley called out four black celebrities -- Nick Cannon, DeSean Jackson, Stephen Jackson and Ice Cube - for their antiSemitic remarks. Barkley gained nothing, even may have lost friends because of his strong statement. He gets my thanks for speaking from his heart.
POETRY, LITERATURE, MUSIC
* Four-year-old Nadim Shamma-Sougen, son of a UK literature professor, lands a book contract for his unique poetry. Sample, "Coming Home:" Take our gloves off / Take our shoes off / Put them where they’re supposed to go. / You take off your brave feeling / Because there’s nothing / to be scared of in the house." How many of us take off our "brave feeling" when we come home?
The author with his father. (photo by Rogelio Cuéllar)
* Filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia writes a letter to his late father, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Colombian writer and Nobel Laureate. "Not a day goes by that I don’t come across a reference to your novel 'Love in the Time of Cholera,' or a riff on its title or to the insomnia pandemic in 'One Hundred Years of Solitude.' It’s impossible not to speculate about what you would have made of all this."
* After the tragic Parkland school shooting in 2018, Music Ascension founded a therapeutic arts program to help students give voice to their thoughts and feelings through songwriting and recording sessions. Their new project, THREAD, which mitigates adult traumas associated with the Covid crisis, proves that creative expression can transform anxiety and pain into meaningful art and emotional healing. More info: lane@threadconnects.org
STAY SAFE HELP SOMEONE ELSE SUPPORT BLM.
-- Letty
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R
Liked
* Funny fake news that threatens to become real
Due to the current financial situation caused by the Corona Virus and slowdown in the economy, the Government has decided to implement a scheme to put workers of 50 years of age and above on early, mandatory retirement, thus creating jobs and reducing unemployment.
This scheme will be known as RAPE (Retire Aged People Early).
Persons selected to be RAPED can apply to the Government to be considered for the SHAFT program (Special Help After Forced Termination
Persons who have been RAPED and SHAFTED will be reviewed under the SCREW program (System Covering Retired-Early Workers).
A person may be RAPED once, SHAFTED twice and SCREWED as many times as the Government deems appropriate.
Persons who have been RAPED could get AIDS (Additional Income for Dependents & Spouse) or HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel Early Severance).
Obviously persons who have AIDS or HERPES will not be SHAFTED or SCREWED any further by the Government.
Persons who are not RAPED and are staying on will receive as much SHIT (Special High Intensity Training) as possible. The Government has always prided itself on the amount of SHIT they give our citizens.
Sincerely,
The Committee for Economic Value of Individual Lives (E.V.I.L.)
PS - Due to Corona Virus, recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas and oil, as well as current market conditions, The Light at the End of the Tunnel has been tur