From the NYTimes:
On Saturday night, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences here will give Harry Belafonte an Oscar for his long fight against injustice, racial and otherwise, at its annual Governors Awards banquet. And one thing is sure: Mr. Belafonte, true to form, will speak his mind.
“I do think things have to be said,” Mr. Belafonte promised in an interview last month. He added, “There are lot of things it will be wonderful for the industry and my colleagues to hear.”…
Mr. Belafonte, 87, makes clear that his deep gratitude for this Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which honors his fight for social justice, is salted with the memory of wrongs that helped motivate his quest for industry changes that are only now arriving.
Mr. Belafonte’s activism showed the way for a post-McCarthy generation of progressive-minded performers — Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn and Jane Fonda, among others — who put aside career risks and found a strong political voice…
On his mellower side, which is considerable despite his political engagement, Mr. Belafonte has been a good-will ambassador for Unicef and worked to raise money to fight AIDS and famine in Africa.
But he has never avoided controversy. During last year’s mayoral campaign in New York, he supported the winner, Bill de Blasio, who distanced himself from some especially caustic remarks by Mr. Belafonte; he had referred to the conservative Koch brothers, Charles and David, as “white supremacists,” comparing them to the Ku Klux Klan…
************
Apart from honoring the warriors, what’s on the agenda for the day?
burnspbesq
University handegg.
WereBear
Mr. Belafonte is an awesome man, and I am happy for him.
Looking forward to his remarks, as well.
beltane
I am looking forward to Harry Belafonte speaking his mind.
My plant for the afternoon is to get out of the house. I just polyurethaned the dining room floor and the fumes are starting to get to me.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
Gophers are ahead 35-7 against a decent team (Iowa). Not a great opponent, but decent. I am pleasantly very surprised. Where was this team two weeks ago against Illinois?
mai naem mobile
John Roberts would like to have a word with Harry Belafonte. Give him a moment while he takes the pointy whitr burka off.
raven
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): In the cauldron that is a Memorial Stadium that is less than half full.
Meanwhile, Woof.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
@raven: Must be.
I’m just kicking around this afternoon waiting to travel the famed Blakros Museum this evening with Delphix Gostapholagus, Beloved or Kurgess.
I’m still feeling really stressed out about the job and novel situation. My editor is supposed to get back to me by the 21st with her notes on the first pass. I’m seriously considering sending her an email asking what her opinion of it is on her reading, nothing more, just so I can remove wondering whether the first professional to look at it thinks its any good from the list of things I’m worrying about. Enough other people have liked it that I’m confident that she will, too, but I’m still nervous about it.
gogol's wife
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):
No, let her do it on the announced schedule. She’ll like it, don’t worry. (Or at least just assume that until you know otherwise. I have the same problem.)
gogol's wife
I’m waiting for my husband to get back from his power walk so I can send him to the store. I need one cup of liquid for my brisket, and I just opened two defective boxes of chicken broth in a row — both of them were already open. I hate Stop and Shop! It used to be a good store but now it’s junk. I can’t go to the store myself because I have to turn the oven on in a few minutes. He has to exercise even when we’re expecting guests! (And I use any excuse not to exercise.)
raven
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): The waiting is the hardest part. I know the ex-mayor and I asked her this morning if I was doing the right thing by playing it cool on our now 20 month wait for the sewer. She said, “yep, you are doing the right thing and raising hell at this point will do more harm than good.”
gogol's wife
@burnspbesq:
What does that mean?
Never mind, I googled it.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
Well deserved award to Belafonte.
In less happy news, Zandar talks about possible results of SCOTUS’s possible/likely decision in the King v. Burwell case (PPACA federal subsidies):
That certainly seems like a possible outcome.
Tom Goldstein’s commentary about the case from July is a (perhaps far too sanguine) counterpoint. I think that as strong as the opposition is to the PPACA on the Teabagger side, we can’t take anything for granted with the Gang of 5 on the Court.
We’ll see.
:-(
Cheers,
Scott.
Sherparick
For a contrast to the noble Harry Belafonte, I would liike to conrast Betsy McCaughey, someone on every day could be nominated worst person in the world. http://mediamatters.org/research/2014/11/07/with-midterms-in-the-rear-view-fox-no-longer-te/201498
raven
Boy, Kentucky may not have quit but it sure looks like it.
Schlemazel
@raven:
They tore War Memorial Stadium down more than 3 decades ago. Now they play in “The Bank” (brought to you by TFC Bank) and while it is a smaller venue than either Memorial or the Metrodump (the interim home) they have been filling it pretty well since the arrival of the new coach.
Schlemazel
@Sherparick:
How can these fuckers not get severe whiplash?
I expected them to suddenly decry the filibuster and decide that a Presidential veto was an impeachable offence but man that is a real turn around.
Steve in the ATL
@raven:
This feels good after last Saturday. And Tuesday.
carolus
BTW. Belafonte at Carnegie Hall is a classic.
Schlemazel
In honor of Mr B I would recommend looking up “Buck and The Preacher” a 70’s cowboy movie with him and Poitier. It is not a great movie but it is a fun ride & there are two good characters filled out by two decent performances. A good couple of hours.
Kathleen
I’ve been a Harry Belafonte fan since I was a kid in the 50’s. My mom bought me a couple of “EP’s” with some calypso and folk tunes. This was before the age of stereo and dinosaurs powered the turn tables, but Harry’s renditions of “Mark Twain” and “John Henry” were masterful, that rich voice accompanied only by an acoustic guitar.
This morning I ran a 5K in honor of Disabled American Veterans. I always get teary eyed when the veterans (some of whom ride in from many states) parade on their motorcycles before the race; most of them are Vietnam era (my generation) and I always think of what they sacrificed. The other cool thing is that they line the last 1/2 mile or so before the finish line and I love high fiving them as I run by. I always run the race in memory of my grandfather, an Irish immigrant who fought in World War I and II and who broke his back during World War II in a jeep accident.
Also, too, as others commented downstairs, I’m totally freaked out by the election results but at least I’ve now been inspired to begin the second act of play I’ve been working on, which will be a Dystopian satire of the media and Rethuglicans. It is the only thing that will keep me halfway sane.
Schlemazel
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):
It’s a very good first novel, she’ll like it. She may want to cut it down a bit but the American novel has grown to average something close to 100k words now so probably not that much. She will like it.
The Other Chuck
I think it’s about time California put single payer back on the state ballot. 38 million people is I think enough to make that happen. The rest of the country voted to go fuck itself, so that’s exactly what they can do.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
(Home) Domain reconfiguration after my longtime fileserver assumed room temperature. Backups are your friend.
raven
@Schlemazel: I’m talking about Memorial Stadium at The University of Illinois. You know, where Red Grange ran for 6 touchdowns against Michigan. Sheesh.
Iowa Old Lady
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): Waiting is an enormous pain, and every step of the publishing business requires it.
Remember, if the editor says only good things, you wasted your money. You want to hear about ways to make the book better. And you’ve had enough feedback already to tell you that there’s a solid basis to work with.
Be hopeful. You have reason.
Villago Delenda Est
Geeze, the truth hurts, doesn’t it. David Koch has stated openly that he doesn’t like Obama because Obama is an “egalitarian”. Apparently Koch missed the part in the Declaration of Independence about “all men being created equal”, which was a slap in the face of European notions of an aristocracy, which Koch apparently subscribes to.
The Koch brothers are Birchite scum. Their father, Stalin’s oil man, helped found the vile organization.
The French used a famous approach to correcting attitudes such as Koch’s, and the Juiceitariat is familiar with my stance regarding “The French Solution.”
MomSense, I’m sure, is sharpening up her knitting needles to be ready to go when the word is given.
Mike E
@Villago Delenda Est: It still hurts me when I tune into Nova.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@Villago Delenda Est: Ramen, brother.
Poopyman
@Villago Delenda Est: Not to be pedantic, but I think the knitting needles are to be employed now to document the atrocities.
Poopyman
@Poopyman: OK, I guess that was to be pedantic. Knit that down.
Ruckus
@Poopyman:
The needles would document the atrocities.
Pointedly.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
@Iowa Old Lady: I don’t want her to say nothing but positive things. I just want to make sure that overall it’s good and worth going ahead with all of the pain of self-publishing. And, no, I won’t actually write her but I’m in one of those states where I need reassurance.
And having no hockey this weekend isn’t helping.
James E Powell
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:
This can’t happen unless Democrats let them do it.
I expect that they will.
gelfling545
Baking bread from my mother’s recipe which is, I think, based on the 1950 Betty Crocker recipe. This would never be mistaken for an artisanal type but is a real comfort food. Other than that the dog is asleep on my lap, the electric fire is going & I have a Ngaio Marsh mystery to re-read. Perfect for a dark, damp day.
Iowa Old Lady
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): I understand. Last night, I messaged a friend that if she would say I was a good writer, I’d tell her anything she wanted to hear.
MattF
Morning taken up with figuring out how to make my iPhone into a wifi hotspot after my ancient DSL connection died. And it works! And since I’m already paying for data usage in my mobile account, it actually also makes budget sense. So, a not-wasted morning.
JPL
Yesterday a comment on the NY Times mentioned that one of the conservative members argued against the ACA because subsidies applied to both state and federal. The commentor said you just use the judges words against him.
burnspbesq
FT: Syracuse 10-27 Duke.
Big fourth quarter for the Blue Devils.
Hal
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: I am not putting anything past this SC, but I’m also not convinced this is the end of the ACA. It only takes 4 justices to hear the case. If it’s the four suspected, then perhaps this is their attempt to gut the law, but I really have to wonder about Roberts. Why vote to uphold a law that he also wasn’t a fan of, and then take this action?
Also, while my faith in the American electorate isn’t enormous, I just don’t think this is going to be Obama’s fault. People said the same thing about the shutdown and with a little push back, blame went were it belonged, on Ted Cruz and the Republicans. The SC ripping away health insurance for millions of people is not going to be greeted as liberation by most. No matter how they spin this, Republicans can be squarely blamed if this does happen.
Howard Beale IV
@Hal:
Actually, you can blame just one man.
NotMax
As the Governor’s Awards are not telecast, we’ll have to get second-hand accounts.
Segments, though, are usually aired during the annual Oscar telecast. Shall be interesting to see what is shown and what is not.
BTW, the other Governor’s Award recipients this year will be Jean-Claude Carrière (50 years of screenwriting, often together with Luis Buñuel), Hayao Miyazaki, and Maureen O’Hara
Schlemazel
@raven:
Damn land grant colleges in the midwest! every one of them built a football stadium to memorialize murdering millions in the trenches for no apparent reason. can’t tell one from the other.
Bex
@Schlemazel: I thought the actual name was Zupke Field.
SiubhanDuinne
@gelfling545:
I’m a big Ngaio Marsh fan. Which one are you revisiting?
raven
@Bex: “The field at the University of Illinois’s Memorial Stadium is named Zuppke Field in his honor.”
also
“Heavy rain during the construction resulted in a bulldozer sinking into the field. It was decided that the expense of removing the bulldozer would have been greater than leaving it buried under the field. It remains there today.[8]”
SiubhanDuinne
I’m very happy about the Belafonte news, but I just realized consciously that for the past hour or however long it’ stern since I first read this post, I’ve had the “Banana Boat Song” in my head and it has turned into a most annoying earworm.
Steeplejack
Thank you! I am late to this thread, but when I looked in earlier this afternoon I realized that, while I think Harry Belafonte is an incredible human being, whenever I hear his name I think of that damn song, followed immediately by “Fuck the Yankees!” For some arcane reason it is a fixture at all their home games.
Bex
@raven I once said to someone that it was Zuppke Field. She said, “you knew Zuppke?” I basically said the same thing as efgoldman @41.