Christmas

Here is Judy Garland's recording of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," from 1944.  

She introduced the song in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLnjvEUJ_FA

Merry Christmas...

If you are celebrating the holiday...

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Chanukah...

Some Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving.

Here (if you are, or might be, inclined) are some vegetarian and vegan recipes for the holiday, from The Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2020/11/20/vegetarian-vegan-thanksgiving-recipes/

"New Yorker" cover, by Bruce McCall

This very funny, enjoyable cover of The New Yorker--the November 22, 2021 issue--is by the artist and humorist Bruce McCall, and is titled "Season’s Special.” 

(Please click on the image, to enlarge it.  Still, some of the signs, in the illustration, might not be entirely legible, because of the reduced size of the image.  One reads, "Xtra-Stale Popcorn."  Another is "Bagel Bits."  A third reads: "Crumbs," followed by "Yum!")

Here, too, is a link to a brief conversation between Mr. McCall and Françoise Mouly, the art editor of The New Yorker, posted on the magazine's website on November 15th.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cover-story/cover-story-2021-11-22

("Season's Special," © Bruce McCall and The New Yorker)

 

Brian Williams, and "The 11th Hour"

I was sorry to read, on Tuesday night, that Brian Williams has decided to leave his weeknight MSNBC program, The 11th Hour--and will be leaving NBC News altogether--at the end of the year.

The 11th Hour has aired since 2016. I've been something of a latecomer to the program--having mostly watched it during the past couple of years. Mr. Williams is a very fine (and often very witty/wry) conversationalist and host.  

In addressing his end-of-December departure, on Tuesday evening's broadcast, he said: "The 11th Hour is way bigger than any one man or woman. The truth is, our secret has always been: it's always about our guests. That will never change."  

His guests (more often than not, recurring) have, indeed, been routinely superb--journalists, historians, political and social analysts, legal analysts, law enforcement, military, and intelligence experts, and, during the grim era of Covid, medical professionals. Yet despite his modesty regarding his role on the program, as expressed last night, it is Mr. Williams who establishes, each evening, the program's distinctive and pleasing tone. His stewardship of The 11th Hour will be missed.

Liz Cheney

Republican Representative Liz Cheney, of Wyoming, gave a speech in New Hampshire on Tuesday.

She said, in part:

"We are...confronting a domestic threat that we have never faced before: A former president who's attempting to unravel the foundations of our constitutional republic, aided by political leaders, who have made themselves willing hostages to this dangerous and irrational man." 

The CNN.com report, below, noted that Cheney--known for her conservatism--said she disagrees "strongly with nearly everything President Biden has done since he has been in office."  The report continued:

But while she [has] opposed Biden's policies, she repeatedly took aim at the former President, calling him a "liar" who "tragically misled" Americans and "provoked violence" on January 6.

 

"I love my party. I love its history. I love its principles," Cheney said. "But I love my country more. I know this nation needs a Republican Party that is based on truth."

 

"We need a Republican Party that is led by people who remember that the peaceful transfer of power is sacred," she added. "We need Republican leaders who remember that fidelity to the Constitution, fidelity to the rule of law — those are the most conservative of conservative principles."

The CNN.com story included the following:  "Her comments are sure to prompt speculation about a 2024 presidential run, which could potentially be against the former President." 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/09/politics/liz-cheney-trump-reaction/index.html

Colin Powell

Colin Powell--who during his career was chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State, four-star general--was a noble, honorable man.  

At his funeral, this past Friday, Madeleine Albright--Mr. Powell's immediate predecessor as Secretary of State--paid tribute to her longtime friend.

She said:  "As I grew to know him, I came to view Colin Powell as a figure who almost transcended time--for his virtues were Homeric:  honesty, dignity, loyalty and an unshakable commitment to his calling and word."

She said that "beneath that glossy exterior of warrior statesman was one of the gentlest and most decent people any of us will ever meet."

Alan Kalter

I always enjoyed watching (and listening to) Alan Kalter, on David Letterman's Late Show, on CBS.

He was the program's talented (and funny) announcer--from the fall of 1995, until the show left the air in May of 2015.  He was also regularly featured in comedy segments on the program.

Mr. Kalter died this past Monday, at age 78.

Here is an obituary, from The New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/arts/television/alan-kalter-dead.html

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah--the Jewish New Year--starts this evening, at sundown.  

The holiday is the beginning of Judaism's Days of Awe, the ten-day period which culminates in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

If you are observing the High Holidays, my best wishes to you.

The Bird of the Week, from the American Bird Conservancy

The "Chipping Sparrow."

https://abcbirds.org/bird/chipping-sparrow/

From The Washington Post: " ‘It was riot and mayhem’: Biden, honoring police, warns against distorting Capitol assault"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-capitol-congressional-gold-medal/2021/08/05/1033968c-f5f7-11eb-a49b-d96f2dac0942_story.html

Good wishes for Juneteenth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The anniversary of George Floyd's death

You think about the killing of George Floyd, a year ago today--and it remains breathtaking, and heartbreaking: the tragedy and sadness of it, the terrible cruelty of it.  Mr. Floyd's killing remains (and will always remain) a deeply sickening event in America's history.

George Floyd

Someday, I would like to travel from New Jersey, and visit the location, the place on the street, where George Floyd was killed--to pay tribute to him, to honor him.

Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney: "I will vote to impeach the President"

From the statement, today, by Rep. Liz Cheney, the 3rd-highest ranking Republican in Congress:    

"Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution

 

"I will vote to impeach the President."

 

https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000176-f8dc-d367-a17e-fefc40700000

"Six hours of paralysis: Inside Trump’s failure to act after a mob stormed the Capitol"

The story, below, is by Washington Post reporters Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey, and Philip Rucker.  It appeared on the newspaper's website Monday night.  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-mob-failure/2021/01/11/36a46e2e-542e-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html 

The report includes this:  

(A)s senators and House members trapped inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday begged for immediate help during the siege, they struggled to get through to the president, who — safely ensconced in the West Wing — was too busy watching fiery TV images of the crisis unfolding around them to act or even bother to hear their pleas.

From the story:

“It took him awhile to appreciate the gravity of the situation,” [Senator Lindsey] Graham said in an interview. “The president saw these people as allies in his journey and sympathetic to the idea that the election was stolen.”

The reporters write:

The man who vowed to be a president of law and order failed to enforce the law or restore order. The man who has always seen himself as the protector of uniformed police sat idly by as Capitol Police officers were outnumbered, outmaneuvered, trampled on — and in one case, killed. And the man who had long craved the power of the presidency abdicated many of the responsibilities of the commander in chief, even having to be prodded into belatedly calling up reinforcements from the National Guard.

One of the writers of the story, Mr. Rucker, along with Post reporter Carol Leonnig, wrote the excellent book A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America (Penguin Press, January, 2020).

https://www.amazon.com/Very-Stable-Genius-Testing-America/dp/1984877496/

From columnist George Will: "Trump, Hawley and Cruz will each wear the scarlet ‘S’ of a seditionist"

The column by Mr. Will is from The Washington Post.  It appeared on the Post's website Wednesday evening.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-hawley-and-cruz-will-each-wear-the-scarlet-s-of-a-seditionist/2021/01/06/65b0ad1a-506c-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html

Resignation

President Trump is a deeply disturbed and uniquely dangerous man.

Conservatives, moderates, and liberals alike have called for him to resign, following the assault on the Capitol.  Those suggesting resignation include the editorial board of the conservative Wall Street Journal.  President Trump should take this advice.