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berniesrevolution · 5 years

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They call themselves the “Squad.” From climate changeto student debt to migrants in detention, progressive House Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley have been energetic and outspoken since getting elected last November — and, as a result, have become inured to constant attacks from congressional Republicans and, of course, Fox News.

But how about from their own boss?

In an interview with the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the Squad as “four people” who have their “public whatever and their Twitter world” but don’t “have any following.”

Ouch. This isn’t the first time Pelosi has trolled the left-wing quartet. In April, when she was asked by Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes” to comment on the newly emboldened progressive wing of her party, Pelosi responded: “That’s like five people.”

In the wake of November’s midterms, Pelosi mocked calls from AOC and her allies for a Green New Deal: “The green dream or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but they’re for it right?”

To be clear: None of these freshmen Democrats have personally attacked Pelosi, and all four of them backed her bid for the speakership. As CNN’s Nathan McDermott tweeted, “It is pretty notable that the most vocally anti-Pelosi Democrats (ala the moderates in swing districts who opposed her leadership) don’t get as much criticism from her as the left-wing of the party.”

How about Donald Trump? Pelosi is willing to criticize Trump — “I’ve never encountered, thought about, seen within the realm of my experiences as a child or an adult, anybody like this” — but only criticize. Nothing more. Not impeachment, that’s for sure. The top Democrat in the House told Dowd that the president has engaged in criminal behavior but — wait for it — “you can’t impeach everybody.”

The New York Times interview is yet another reminder for liberals and leftists that if they want to oppose Trump, they have to oppose Pelosi too.

Think I’m exaggerating? Consider three recent — and shameful — episodes.

First, the rape allegations against the president. On June 21, New York magazine published a cover story from the famed advice columnist and writer E. Jean Carroll, in which she documented in excruciating detail how Trump, back in the mid-1990s, forced “his penis halfway” inside of her in the midst of a “colossal struggle” in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room.

Pelosi’s response to a reporter who asked her for comment a whole six days later? “I don’t know the person making the accusation … I haven’t paid that much attention to it.”

Now, she tells Dowd: “I respect the case she has but I don’t see any role for Congress.”

The sitting Republican president has been credibly accused of having committed a sexual assault and yet Congress, says the Democratic speaker of the House, has no “role” in holding him to account for it. Oh, and the speaker herself hasn’t been paying “attention to it.”

This, my dear liberals, is your (feminist) champion.

Second, the crisis at the border. One of the reasons Pelosi cited for not being familiar with the E. Jean Carroll story was that she was “busy worrying about children not being in their mothers’ arms.” Yet on that same day, as the New York Times reported, Pelosi “capitulated to Republicans and Democratic moderates and dropped her insistence on stronger protections for migrant children in overcrowded border shelters” by signing onto a bill from the Republican-led Senate, giving the Trump administration $4.6 billion to tackle the situation on the southern border.

Last time I checked, though, this administration’s horrific decision to separate migrant children from their parents had nothing to do with a lack of funds. “The cruelty is the point,” as the Atlantic’s Adam Serwer so memorably put it. Plus, 18 so-called “centrist” Democrats pushed Pelosi into dropping her objections to the Senate bill and yet in her New York Times interview, the speaker decided to level her attack on — you guessed it — the Squad. They made themselves irrelevant and shouldn’t have voted against “our bill,” she told Dowd, adding: “They’re four people and that’s how many votes they got.”

Yet they were far from alone in opposing Pelosi’s decision. “The final vote, 305 to 102,” reported the Times on June 27, “included far more Republicans in favor, 176, than Democrats, 129.”

(Continue Reading)

#politics #the left #the intercept #democratic party #nancy pelosi #the resistance

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tabloidtoc · 5 years

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National Examiner, September 16

Cover: Pretty Woman bombshell -- the truth about Julia Roberts and Richard Gere’s love affair

Page 2: The true story behind True Grit

Page 4: Marilyn Monroe’s own tragic story

Page 7: How to be prepared with a will

Page 8: Dream Doctor -- Forgive and move forward

Page 9: Have the smarts for Jeopardy?

Page 10: Grandson takes his grandma on an epic road trip

Page 11: Your Health -- Shake the salt habit

Page 12: Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt together again

Page 14: Dear Tony -- Good communication is the key to understanding, Tony predicts Diane Keaton will become a fashion icon for women over 70

Page 16: Meryl Streep soaring at 70

Page 17: Bob Newhart still funny after all these years

Page 18: An Uber driver from Buffalo, N.Y., helped Christmas come early when she picked up a dress and a gift card for a passenger who didn’t have the cash for an outfit for church

Page 20: Cover Story -- Julia Roberts and Richard Gere’s love affair

Page 22: Grandma gives birth to grandson

Page 24: Trooper Chris Mahoney bought a meal for a man in need

Page 25: Vacationers prefer food poisoning to no internet

Page 26: Happy Days star Anson Williams helped develop Alert Drops to keep people from falling asleep while driving

Page 27: The Good Doctor -- you won’t believe what your insurance will cover

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Barbara Eden and Dyan Cannon and Terry Moore, Elliot Gould and Roslyn Kind, John Travolta has remained close to his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John who is enduring her third bout with breast cancer, Kurt Russell is still gaga over longtime love Goldie Hawn, Joan Collins disagrees with equal pay in Hollywood

Page 45: Robert Downey Jr., Scott Bakula, Donny and Marie Osmond, country musician Drake White has been diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation (AVM), Taron Egerton will be the voice of the audiobook of Elton John’s upcoming memoir Me, Maureen McCormick who played Marcia Brady still holds her late TV dad Robert Reed in her heart, although he’s retired from public duties Prince Philip joined Queen Elizabeth for an engagement at Balmoral Castle, Dylan McDermott calls his 35 years of sobriety his greatest achievement

Page 46: 40 million married Americans have no sex at all

Page 47: Kate Middleton’s style -- she gets it right every time

#tabloids #pretty woman #richard gere #julia roberts

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newsfromthequillpen · 6 years

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KUCI’s music show: Ladies Of Voice Entertainment & Music 2018 several playlist August 7 to September 11th.

Show Name: Ladies Of Voice Entertainment & Music DJ Hosts: dj #6 and dj CK Date: 2018 September 11th Show Time: 6am to 8am. Show Playlist Blog: https://newsfromthequillpen.tumblr.com/ UC, Irvine KUCI 88.9FM www.kuci.org Playlist Format: Artist Name – Song Title – CD or LP Name – Genre – Website Links *** New Releases. dj CK Playlist

dj #6 Playlist Breatrix Players {Amanda Alvarez (cello), Jess Kennedy (piano, vocals) & Amy Birks (vocals)} — Lady Of The Lake — Magnified — Folk, quasi-classical baroque chamber — https://beatrixplayers.bandcamp.com/ Breatrix Players — Ophelia — Magnified — Folk, quasi-classical baroque chamber — http://www.beatrixplayers.co.uk/ Breatrix Players — Roses — Magnified — Folk, quasi-classical baroque chamber — http://www.beatrixplayers.co.uk/ Beau {Heather Golden and Emma Rose} — Oceans — That Thing Reality — Folk, Electronic, Synth-Pop — https://www.numero.com/en/music/beau-band-kitsune-EP-Heather-Golden-Emma-Rose Beau {Heather Golden and Emma Rose} — Soar Across The Sea — That Thing Reality — Folk, Electronic, Synth-Pop — https://www.discogs.com/Beau-That-Thing-Reality/release/9224744 *** Shannen Moser — Baby Blue — I’ll Sing — Folk, Blues — https://shannenmoser.bandcamp.com/ *** Shannen Moser — Your Window Seat — I’ll Sing — Folk, Blues — https://www.facebook.com/shannenmoserphl/ *** Ciive {Jacqui Hunt} — Bleed Your Love — My Giraffe — Electronic, Jazz — https://www.chaoscontrol.com/ciive-interview-my-giraffe/ *** Ciive {Jacqui Hunt} — Stay — My Giraffe — Electronic, Jazz — https://www.facebook.com/ciive/ *** Anna Calvi {Anna Margaret Michelle Calvi} — Away — Hunter — Indie Rock — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Calvi *** Anna Calvi — Eden — Hunter — Indie Rock — http://annacalvi.com/ Nina Nastasia — Regrets — Run To Ruin — Folk, Indie Rock, neo-Gothic — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Nastasia , https://pitchfork.com/artists/3003-nina-nastasia/ Nina Nastasia — On Teasing — Run To Ruin — Folk, Indie Rock, neo-Gothic — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run_to_Ruin La Luz {Shana Cleveland, Marian Li Pino, Alice Sandahl, and Lena Simon} — Call Me in the Day — Damp Face — Surf Music, neo-psychedelia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Luz_(band) , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shana_Cleveland , https://laluz.bandcamp.com/album/damp-face

Show Name: Ladies Of Voice Entertainment & Music DJ Hosts: dj #6 and dj CK Date: 2018 September 4th Show Time: 6am to 8am. Show Playlist Blog: https://newsfromthequillpen.tumblr.com/ UC, Irvine KUCI 88.9FM www.kuci.org Playlist Format: Artist Name – Song Title – CD or LP Name – Genre – Website Links *** New Releases.

dj CK Playlist Opera Arias: 1. "Trumph March", from Opera "Aida"\ 2. "Un bel di" from opera "Madam Butterfly" 3. "Love Duet" from opera "Madam Butterfly" 4. "Sempre Libra"from opera "La Traviata" 5. "Brindici" from opera "La Traviata" 6. "Vissi d'arte, Vissi d'amour" from opera "Tosca"\ 7. "Merry Widow Waltz" from operetta "Merry Widow" dj #6 Playlist Angel Olsen — Woman — My Woman — Folk, Indie Rock Angel Olsen — Sister — My Woman — Folk, Indie Rock *** Beach House {Victoria Legrand & Scally} – Dark Spring – 7 – Dream Pop, Indie Rock – http://www.beachhousebaltimore.com/ *** Beach House {Victoria Legrand & Scally} – Last Ride – 7 – Dream Pop, Indie Rock – http://www.beachhousebaltimore.com/ Jennifer Castle — Tomorrow’s Morning — Angels Of Death — Indie Rock Jennifer Castle — Tonight the Evening — Angels Of Death — Indie Rock Jennifer Castle — Rose Waterfalls — Angels Of Death — Indie Rock Tiffiany Austin — Resolution — Unbroken — Jazz Jesca Hoop — Memories Are Now — Memories Are Now — Indie Rock Jesca Hoop — Songs Of Old — Memories Are Now — Indie Rock Gabriella Cohen — Music Machine — Pink Is The Coluor Of Unconditional Love — Indie Rock Gabriella Cohen — I Feel So Lonely — Pink Is The Coluor Of Unconditional Love — Indie Rock

Show Name: Ladies Of Voice Entertainment & Music

DJ Hosts: dj #6 and dj CK

KUCI Intern and aspiring KUCI DJ: Daniel

Date: 2018 August 14th

Show Time: 6am to 8am.

Show Playlist Blog: https://newsfromthequillpen.tumblr.com/

UC, Irvine KUCI 88.9FM www.kuci.org

Playlist Format: Artist Name – Song Title – CD or LP Name – Genre – Website Links

*** New Releases.

Daniel’s Playlist:

Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Liquid Lady - Until the Hunter

Lights That Change - Happy Space - Rainbow Over Your Shoulder (EP)

Tamaryn - Sugarfix - Cranekiss

Cocteau Twins - Iceblink Luck - Heaven or Las Vegas

Panda Riot - Ghosting - Infinity Maps

Dubstar - Love Comes Late - One

Owl Eyes - Closure - Nightswim (EP)

Boy Harsher - Country Girl - Country Girl

Be Forest - Wild Brain

dj #6 Playlist

Fear Of Men {Jess Weiss, Daniel Falvey, Michael Miles} – Island – Fall Forever – Dream Pop, Indie Pop – https://fearofmen.bandcamp.com/

Fear Of Men {Jess Weiss, Daniel Falvey, Michael Miles} – A Memory – Fall Forever – Dream Pop, Indie Pop – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_Men_(band)

Beach House {Victoria Legrand & Scally} – Depression Cherry – Space Song – Dream Pop, Indie Rock – http://www.beachhousebaltimore.com/ , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_Cherry

Show Name: Ladies Of Voice Entertainment & Music

DJ Hosts: dj #6 and dj CK

Date: 2018 August 7th

Show Time: 6am to 8am.

Show Playlist Blog: https://newsfromthequillpen.tumblr.com/

UC, Irvine KUCI 88.9FM www.kuci.org

Playlist Format: Artist Name – Song Title – CD or LP Name – Genre – Website Links

*** New Releases.

Love Spirals Downwards – Misunderstood (I‘ll Always Love you remix) – Temporal – Goth Ethereal

Love Spirals Downwards – Above the Lone – Temporal – Goth Ethereal

Love Spirals Downwards – Subsequently – Temporal – Goth Ethereal

Cello {Maureen McDermott, Sachi McHenry, Caryl Paisner, Stephanie Cummins} – Eleanor Rigby (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – Cello – Classical

Cello {Maureen McDermott, Sachi McHenry, Caryl Paisner, Stephanie Cummins} – The Visionary (Jeff Beal) – Cello – Classical

Gabriela Montero – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in C minor Op. 18 (Moderato) – Gabriela Montero: Rachmaninov – Classical – Sergei Rachmaninov composer

Gabriela Montero – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in C minor Op. 18 (Adagio Sostenuto) – Gabriela Montero: Rachmaninov – Classical – Sergei Rachmaninov composer

*** Helena Hauff – Qualm – Qualm – RPM {Electronic Music}

*** Helena Hauff – No Qualms – Qualm – RPM {Electronic Music}

Joy Donner – Caught In Your Spell – Radio Dreamer – Rock

Joy Donner – You And I Coollide – Radio Dreamer – Rock

Les Poules À Colin – La Volerie – Morose – World French Pop

Les Poules À Colin – Belle Exodina – Morose – World French Pop

*** Snail Mail {Lindsey Jordan} – Heatwave – Lush – Indie Rock

*** Snail Mail {Lindsey Jordan} – Stick – Lush – Indie Rock

*** Emily Donahue – Mistakes – Melancholia – Indie Rock

*** Emily Donahue – It Doesn’t Matter, I Love You – Melancholia – Indie Rock

Julia Botelho – Bigger Than This (Acoustic) – Brazilian Vernal Equinox – Folk

Julia Botelho – I Need Shelter – Brazilian Vernal Equinox – Folk

Sarah Borges – I’m Going to Live the Life I Sing About in My Song – Silver City – Country

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redsoapbox · 3 years

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MY TOP TEN CHRISTMAS MOVIES

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Now that December is finally here, the McGrath household can upgrade the nightly Christmas movie from Hallmark seasonal romance to accepted Christmas classic. (Although in admitting defeat on winning the girls over on Miracle on 34th Street - either version) - I have to acknowledge that the list of films that we can all agree on as festive classics is a little shorter than I would like.

Here is my list of top ten Christmas movies -

10. The Santa Clause (1994) - John Pasquin

John Pasquin’s cinematic debut, he had previously worked on numerous T.V. shows including Newhart and Thirtysomething, opens with the risky gambit of having Santa fall to his death from the roof of Scott Calvin’s home. Calvin (Tim Allen), believing his home is being burgled, confronts Santa and startles him into plummeting to his doom. Before you know it, and after much urging from his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd), Calvin has donned the big red suit and his transformation into Santa has begun.

The Santa Clause combines rather broad comedy - there is much fun to be had with Calvin’s overnight weight gain and Charlie’s class presentation on how his Dad is actually Santa - with the usual Christmas sentiment. In this particular case, the healing of Scott’s relationship with Charlie and ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson).

A pre-Buzz Lightyear Allen gives a virtuoso performance as the would-be St Nick, and that went a long way to making the film a hit at the box office, spawning two sequels The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3 (2006).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpzB4ubEqIE

9. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) - Bharat Nallur

I reviewed this thought-provoking film on how Charles Dickens’ saved Christmas at the time of it’s release -

https://pardontheglueman.tumblr.com/post/169301253898/the-man-who-invented-christmas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx3ctBjG6yI

8. Get Santa (2014) - Christopher Smith

When the always over-generous Empire film magazine only gives a movie two stars, then you know that you are going out on a very thin limb indeed. Still, a lot of what I want from a Christmas movie - a story about redemption, likeable characters with likeable lead actors, a splash of humour, a touch of Christmas magic, and, finally, a guaranteed have-to-make-a-quick-exit-to-the-kitchen-to-compose-myself ending - are all present and correct here. And Get Santa really delivers - like a hard-working postman trudging through six feet of snow on Christmas Eve just to make sure that your Auntie Maureen’s card can take its proper place on your mantelpiece.

Get Santa has a best of British cast too; Rafe Spall as ex-con Steve, Jodie Whittaker as his estranged wife and Jim Broadbent as a banged up Santa. Throw in Stephen Graham, Warwick Davis and Joanna Scanlan and you have the second best cast Christmas movie ever (nothing is ever going to beat Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Henry Travers in IAWL).

This may be the film on the list that you are most likely to have not seen, so in an effort to shore up support for this selection, I call my star witness - Mark Kermode who had this to say in his three-star Guardian review ‘It’s sweet -natured fare, boosted with spirited comic performances (Broadbent is a particular treat) and served up with plenty of DIY sparkle’.

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7. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Henry Selick

Tim Burton’s unique vision of Christmas/Halloween is brought to life by Henry Selick, a gifted animator who had worked for Walt Disney Studios and in a freelance capacity before making his name with this masterpiece. I simply didn’t get this on release (my admittedly old-fashioned notion of what constitutes a Christmas movie forming a great big mental road block to a full appreciation of the imagination, visual style, black humour, gothic charm and exquisite pathos on display here), and it was only through a recent viewing with my children as part of our Halloween movie get togethers that I finally saw the light. Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon) is a captivating character, brought to life by Danny Elfman’s songs and Selick’s ground breaking animation, and his desperate quest for belonging is one that we can all sympathise with, especially at Christmas.

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

6. Remember The Night (1940) - Mitchell Leisen

This is a golden-age of Hollywood classic screwball comedy, starring the legendary Barbara Stanwyck, arguably the greatest comedienne in Hollywood history, Fred MacMurray, arguably the nicest guy in film history (at least until his turn as the murderous Walter Neff in Billy Wilder’s terrific noir Double Indemnity), and penned by arguably the funniest man in film history, Preston Sturges.

James Harvey in his 700-page opus Romantic Comedy in Hollywood (From Lubitsch to Sturges), which is, arguably, the best ever book about Hollywood, reveals that it was the shabby treatment (in Sturges’ not so humble opinion) of his screenplay, and the slow pacing of Leisen’s direction, that drove the screenwriter to extraordinary lengths to gain control of his own movies - basically making a deal with Paramount that he would sell them his next screenplay for a nominal sum of ten dollars as as long as he got to direct the picture. That deal changed movie history, setting the precedent of a writer / director that Orson Welles was soon to follow with Citizen Kane (1941).

The plot is a unique one, not that it truly matters in a Sturges movie, and centres around hardboiled career criminal Lee Leander (Stanwyck) having to choose between spending jail in Christmas or being released into the custody of her prosecuting attorney John Sargant (MacMurray). Hey, I didn’t say it made any sense! Of course, the season works its magic and, hey presto, one reformed criminal later Christmas love is in the air!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKcLcT9dOFk

5. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - Brian Henson

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the greatest Christmas story ever written, and arguably the main reason that Christmas in Britain is celebrated in quite the way that it is today (see The Man Who Invented Christmas above). There have been all manner of adaptations down the years, and here it is re-imagined as a vehicle for Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzy and co in a way that works beyond anybody’s wildest expectations.

All the human drama, the pathos, the cry from the heart for social justice that Dickens conveyed in his peerless book survives this, the most unlikely of screen adaptations. Much of the credit must go to Michael Caine, who despite sharing top billing with a bunch of muppets, emerges as a genuine contender for the crown of greatest screen Scrooge. Throw in a script by Jerry Juhl, which has The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens, narrating his ghostly tale with a straight face, and Paul Williams’ super sing-along songs “Marley and Marley” “One More Sleep ‘Till Christmas” and “Thankful Heart” , and you have an all time Christmas classic that can be enjoyed by everyone from 1 to 92. Bravo!

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4. ELF - (2003) John Favreau

Elf is the Shawshank Redemption of Christmas Movies - no matter who, where or when you poll an audience, this charmingly comic celebration of Christmas always punches above its weight, getting the better of some very famous films in the process. Elf finished 10th in the IMDB poll for Greatest Christmas Movie and came 2nd in both the Time Out and Radio Times polls. It’s A Wonderful Life always, always comes top, but as someone who is still reeling from Citizen Kane losing first place to Vertigo in Sight and Sound’s celebrated Greatest Movie poll, I can see a time when Elf goes one better too.

Elf has a career-best performance from Will Ferrell, a winningly elfin turn from Zooey Deschanel and a series of fine cameo’s from Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Faizon Love and Peter Dinklage as “angry” elf Miles Finch to recommend it, but it’s the hard to beat combination of laugh-out-loud set pieces, father and son second chances, and an opposites attract love story to top them all that makes this a genuinely affecting festive treat.

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3. A Christmas Carol (1999) - David Jones

Of the umpteen takes on Dickens’ grasping miser, of which Alastair Sim’s turn as Scrooge (1951) is by far the most celebrated, I just prefer Patrick Stewart in this excellent T.V. movie. This may seem a deliberately obscure choice, but that is far from the case. Firstly, there is an A-list cast featuring Richard E Grant, Saskia Reeves, Dominic West and, at the top the bill, Stewart himself.

As Screen Rant describes it, ‘Stewart plays a far more blunt, bitter and straight forward version of the miser... without feeling maniacal’. In short, he underplays the part, keeping the mugging down to a minimum. The clincher, though, is Stewart’s handling of the scene when he awakes to find it is still Christmas morning and that the spirits have granted him a second chance at life after all. He tries to emit a happy, life-affirming laugh, but is so unused to the sensation that he almost chokes himself. Wonderful stuff! There will be all the usual Scrooges to choose from this Christmas - Sim, George C Scott and Albert Finney amongst them, but the Stewart version will be there somewhere in the middle of the night on ITV3. If you peruse the Radio Times long enough you’ll find it.

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

2. Miracle on 34th Street - George Seaton (1947) & Les Mayfield (1994)

Okay, a bit of false accounting going on here in grouping the two films together. The original is the better version, but I’ve always loved the re-make too. After all, who can’t bring themselves to believe in Dickie Attenborough as Kris Kringle! Both films are perfectly cast - the romantic leads John Payne and Maureen O’ Hara are convincing enough in the black and white original, but are probably just shaded on the chemistry front by Dylan McDermott and Elizabeth Perkins. The unhappy children are sensationally cast, with Natalie Woods and Mara Wilson coming out even. The unthinkable happens, though, when it comes to the playing of Kris Kringle, because although Dickie scores a fab 9 out of 10 on my Santometer, Edmund Gwenn, who picked up a best supporting actor Oscar for his Kringle, scores a perfect 10.

The Oscar-winning original story, by Valentine Davies, must be known to just about everyone by now - a perfectly nice old man, given to the belief that he is really Kris Kringle, becomes, more by accident than design, Macy’s famous department store Santa. No sooner is he in post, than Kris begins to challenge the corporatisation of Christmas, directing customers to other toy stores all over town, where hard up parents can buy their presents at discount prices. He is about to face the sack, when Macy’s realise that he is a great loss leader for them, prompting arch rivals Gimbles to try and nobble him. Kris is committed to an institution for the insane on cooked up charges, and a battle rages to secure his release by Christmas Eve, so that the children of the world won’t be disappointed on Christmas morning! Each film uses an interesting plot device to allow a judge, desperate not to be seen as the man who gives a court ruling that Santa doesn’t exist, a way out without losing face, and there is a happily romantic final scene to round things off in the accepted festive manner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibDD8Y3IJrg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCNbTAtD-jU

1. It’s a Wonderful Life - Frank Capra (1946)

I reviewed this seasonal great for Wales Arts Review last Christmas -

https://www.walesartsreview.org/rewatching-its-wonderful-life/

The next best Christmas films - The Bishop’s Wife, Arthur Christmas, A Christmas Story, Christmas in Connecticut

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Merry Christmas to all.

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lawandajallenrealtor · 4 years

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Congratulations to my client on the closing of their beautiful new home! It was such a pleasure working with this family. Special thanks to Maureen McDermott and Gabriel Maldonado (Team M&M) of Veterans United for ALL of your hard work and dedication to this file. You two are amazing and I can't wait to work with you again. These two know VA loans hands down! Also, special thanks to T.J. Hollis and Amanda Stanford of Lee, Black and Hollis for a great closing. Each closing is always a pleasure and very informative. 💥💥💥Congratulations 💥💥💥 https://www.instagram.com/p/B7J_PI6A6aZ/?igshid=1ge2dles4xt27

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dailygeekette · 7 years

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The Fortress at the End of Time: An interview with Joe M. McDermott.

The Fortress at the End of Time: An interview with Joe M. McDermott. #scifi @JMMcDermott

Does space travel and the possibility of discovering new worlds interest you? What about the unending ethical dilemmas of cloning? If you also appreciate Science Fiction when it focuses on personal inner conflict and the day-to-day aspect of life in at the lonely edge of the galaxy, then Joe M. McDermott‘s The Fortress at the End of Time might be right up your alley. Cover art by Jaime Jones.…

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#book release #book review #Dino Buzzati #fantasy writers #future #gender #Joe M. McDermott #Julian Gracq #Maureen McHugh #military sci-fi #sci-fi #sci-fi writers #science fiction #space #space travel #the dogsland trilogy #the fortress at the end of time #tor books

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peckhampeculiar · 4 years

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Down our way... Grove Vale Youth Club

IN THE FOURTH PART OF OUR SERIES ON PECKHAM’S COMMUNITY SPACES, WE WENT ALONG TO THE GROVE VALE YOUTH CLUB.

The long-running space on McDermott Road has been visited by three generations of some local families since it opened in 1946

WORDS: MIRANDA KNOX; PHOTO: ALEXANDRA WAESPI

With such a loyal group of volunteers and members, the Grove Vale Youth Club on McDermott Road must have been doing something right for all these years.

The traditional club was set up just after World War Two and has maintained its popularity for more than 70 years – even achieving the impressive feat of attracting members from several generations of some local families.

Grandparents initially joined when the club first started, followed by their children and their grandchildren, who still attend or volunteer, even now.

Among the most longstanding volunteers is retired insurance manager and club leader John Young, 82, who lives in Peckham.

He says: “We’re very close knit – most of us have grown up together, and we encourage our younger club members to help.

“A lot of our helpers met through the club and got married. We have second and third generations who come – four or five children’s parents came to the club, and so did their grandparents.”

Costing just £1 a session, the club – which was established in 1946 by Ethel and Arthur Wellsted, who ran Sunday schools initially from their house on Oglander Road before later moving to their current location in the 1950s – can even claim to be award-winning.

The group – which is closely affiliated to Christ Church next door – won the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award for voluntary service by groups in the community earlier this year.

The highest honour given to local volunteer groups in the UK, it was presented to Grove Vale Youth Club for its work in “helping young people develop moral, social and physical capabilities”.

The aim of the club, which is run by 24 volunteers, is simple. John says: “Our club provides a place where young people can attend in a safe environment with dedicated staff. We aim to provide moral and social development along with physical and education facilities that will provide a firm foundation for young people’s lives.”

John, whose children and grandchildren have all been club members, has attended the club since he was 15.

It was here he met his now wife Joan, 77, who also volunteers and helps run the club.

He says: “I belonged to another club in those days and we played Grove Vale at football, table tennis and cricket, and then I saw the club leader and one of the founders, Bert, and he said to come along.

“Most of our helpers originally came to the youth club. It was something to do. There weren’t so many educational places to go to at that time. There were other clubs, like the Bradfield Club [on Commercial Way], who I played as a 14 year old at table tennis.”

The club got its name when it moved to Grove Vale School, which is now Goose Green primary.

In the late 1950s it obtained permission to build a clubhouse on a derelict piece of land on McDermott Road, which had been bombed during the war, and it has been based there ever since.

Famous former members include Kung Fu Fighting singer Carl Douglas, as well as Arsenal football player Gavin McGowan.

The sessions – held every weeknight – are split into age groups and boys and girls are also divided, only mixing for their annual summer camp.

On Mondays the 11 to 15-year-old girls’ session takes place, with boys of the same age attending on Wednesdays. Activities for both include team sports such as netball, football, hockey and table tennis, as well as computer games.

Every Tuesday three girl groups divided into age groups of three to seven, seven to 10 and 16- plus have sessions – each play games, and there are storytelling sessions for the youngest.

The middle group have occasional cookery lessons, and the older teens play sports such as volleyball and badminton.

In addition to the 11 to 15-year-old session, the 16-plus boys’ group also takes place on Wednesday, and boys aged between three and seven play football and games on a Thursday, with similar activities for boys aged seven to 10 on a Friday.

Every summer, without fail, the group – which receives a small annual grant from Southwark Council – also runs a two-week summer camp on Hayling Island in Hampshire for the seven to 10 group and the 11 to 15 group.

John says: “With helpers we had about 55 people this year. I’ve been doing that for over 60 years.

“We do a senior camp too, and take a few over- 15s to Devon for three weeks. The helpers pay the same fees as the children, which enables us to keep the fees down.”

John’s wife Joan says: “I have come here since I was 10 and just kept coming!

“I haven’t missed a summer camp for the last 50-odd years because I took my kids with me.

“It keeps you fit, and it’s nice to keep in touch with parents, and see the kids grow up. I have someone in my section who is seven whose mum used to come when she was little.”

John and Joan’s granddaughter Hannah Chapman, 19, also volunteers after attending the club her whole life, generally leading the games for three to 10 year olds.

She says: “I didn’t start officially until I was three, but I’ve been coming here since I was born – because my whole family were here I got a bit of special treatment.

“The group was much bigger back then. We played games and there was the tuck shop for sweets.

“The camps were good for building confidence and I’ve been every year.

“I met so many people and growing up with all these kids has helped me – I’d like to become a teacher and it made me realise I had a passion for that.

“Some kids don’t have much to do, and it’s an outlet for everyone.”

Volunteer Maureen Moore MBE, 80, is from East Dulwich. She started attending the club when it was a Sunday school, soon after the war.

Since then she’s gone full circle – leaving Peckham and working on and off for 36 years as a medical missionary in Uganda, before coming back to volunteer once again at the club.

Speaking about how she got involved in the first place, she says: “Mrs Wellsted came to the flats on Dog Kennel Hill where I lived, and I was one of the original children who came for Sunday school.

“When we were growing up there weren’t the after-school or breakfast clubs there are now.

“I was what was known as a ‘latch key kid’ – in those days you could leave the key on a piece of string behind the letterbox at home and let yourself in.”

Now, Maureen helps lead the three to seven-year-old section on a Tuesday. She says: “Some of the teenagers started in my section and it’s rewarding when we see young people coming from three years old to their teens and then some coming into the church too.

“I like to think it gives them a sense of stability and community, so they’ve got somewhere to go. We’re always on hand to speak to the parents too.”

It was Maureen’s missionary work that earned her the title of MBE, and she was awarded the honour by the Queen in 2000. She says: “I was a hands-on nurse midwife, teaching nurses and eventually became matron of a hospital.

“People wanted to learn and I taught them basic skills – and now many of them are more qualified than I am.

“Now that I’ve retired I’ve still gone out every year for the last 16 years to see them. It’s rewarding to see their children now having the education that they didn’t have.”

Terron Evans, 15, has attended the club since he was three and has just started volunteering there now too.

He says: “I enjoyed it from the beginning. It has made me more confident.

“A club like this is important – it gives young people a place to go.”

To contact the club, email GroveValeYouthClub@ outlook.com

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