Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

The Supreme Court is corrupt. Democrats must win in November and force court reform.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Days Since JD Vance Insulted Women Across America: Zero

The words do not have to be perfect.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

“But what about the lurkers?”

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Open Thread)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Open Thread)

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In a recent Sunday night Medium Cool post that focused on autobiographies, several people mentioned that The Autobiography of Malcolm X had had a profound effect them.  That was a pivotal book for me, too, and the following week I announced that we would have a Medium Cool dedicated to talking about the book, and how we were impacted by what we read, and by the man himself.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

I would like to be able to say that I am clever enough to have scheduled that post to coincide with Black History Monty, but I am not; the timing is just a happy accident.

The discussion of The Autobiography of Malcolm X is scheduled for Sunday, Feb  12 at 7 pm Eastern.

Some folks said they planned to read the book again before the discussion, myself included.  Have I done that?  Sadly, not yet!   There’s obviously no need to read the book, or to read it again, in order to participate in the conversation.  But for any who wants to reacquaint themselves with the book, I found an audio recording of the book that’s free to listen to on YouTube without a subscription.

If the first few minutes are any indication, the narrator, Joe Morton, is really excellent.  And I say that as someone who is really picky about narration.

Totally open thread.

Reader Interactions

147Comments

  1. 1.

    narya

    Joe Morton starred in “Brother from Another Planet,” IIRC, which is a wonderful early-John-Sayles movie–and not unrelated to the Black History Month themes.

  2. 2.

    Steeplejack

    Thanks for the reminder. Ordering it for my Kindle. I don’t think I’ve read it since high school, along with Eldridge Cleaver’s Soul on Ice and some others. (Hmm, I wonder how that one holds up.)

  3. 3.

    MisterDancer

    @narya: And many people’ll know him as Dr. Dyson, the inventor of Skynet from Terminator 2.

    Great actor! And thanks, Watergirl, for doing this!

  6. 6.

    cmorenc

    “Autobiography of MalcolmX” is exactly the type of book DeSantis seeks to prevent Florida students from being exposed to in schools and libraries.  OTOH I’ll bet books by Booker T. Washington will pass muster, since BT Washington’s message about black adaptation to Jim Crow legal/political regimes is comfortably compatible with the sort of hard core anti-woke vision of society and race RWers are intent on imposing in Florida.

  8. 8.

    Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg

    Behold a Dick Cavett debate wherein James Baldwin destroys an effete Yale professor and shows how and why out of touch academics are incapable of addressing institutional, systemic racism as it affects individuals.

    This is probably illegal to view in any school in Florida, all the way through Masters’ programs.

    Link

  9. 9.

    Old School

    @Cameron:

    I just sent this link to a friend in South Carolina as a little pick-me-up (she’s not feeling so hot).  If it’s already up here somewhere, please delete my post.

    Was that the correct link?  Or why would a Miles Davis album be posted already?

  10. 10.

    Old School

    @Cameron:

    I just sent this link to a friend in South Carolina as a little pick-me-up (she’s not feeling so hot).  If it’s already up here somewhere, please delete my post.

    Was that the correct link?  Or why would a 1971 Miles Davis album be posted already?

  11. 11.

    zhena gogolia

    @narya: Yes, I love Joe Morton. I loved that movie when it came out, but haven’t seen it since. And I loved the Autobiography of Malcolm X, but I do not have time to reread it right now or even listen to it.

  12. 12.

    Eduardo

    One of the most influential books of my early youth and the most riveting for sure.

    In Cuba you could read a lot of boring stuff and the classics (including Jules Verne kind of books) and also, funny enough, some of the realism socialist was actually entertaining.

    They made the exception with Malcom X’s autobiography and I just could not stop readying it until I finished.

  13. 13.

    E&C’s Dad

    I wish I had deep thoughts on the Autobiography of Malcolm X. Alex Haley is talented of course and deserves credit. In my reading of it, the book worked in large party because it eventually chronicled his breach with the Nation of Islam and his trip to Mecca.  The Malcolm that comes of out Mecca is an extreme contrast to the Malcolm who was the public face of NOI. It didn’t lessen the power of his critique of American life—he was no less radical—but it felt like his vision was clarified.  Definitely worth the read.

    It’s disappointing to me that you can basically only get it as a trade paperback if you want an actual book.

  15. 15.

    WhatsMyNym

    Anybody out there who has experience with e-readers?  Have you tried more than one

    ETA: I have difficulty focusing both eyes on the words because of cornea issues.

  19. 19.

    hueyplong

    @narya: I clicked on this thread to see if anyone mentioned Brother From Another Planet and, boom, it’s in the very first post. Well done.

    zhena gogolia: Rewatched Brother during covid and it held up fine.

  20. 20.

    Jerry

    @WhatsMyNym:  Anybody out there who has experience with e-readers?  Have you tried more than one?

    I’ve tried the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. The Paperwhite is really, really good. Easy on the eyes while reading and holds loads of books.

  21. 21.

    WaterGirl

    I don’t typically watch any of the news shows, but I am happy to see this as part of Ron Klain’s goodbye tour.  (Speaking of diversity.)

    The most diverse WH team in history has also been one of its most successful. That is not a mere coincidence. Bringing everyone to the table means better insights, better teamwork, better results. https://t.co/TxWFei9bKe

    — Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) February 2, 2023

  28. 28.

    Amir Khalid

    @E&C’s Dad:

    That trip to Mecca was in fact Malcolm X’ haj, which greatly broadened his understanding of Islam; it was an essential part of his break with the Nation of Islam and embrace of mainstream Sunni Islam. (The Nation of Islam itself became a Sunni organisation in the 1970s, under Elijah Muhammad’s son and successor Warith Deen Muhammad.)

    I attended a screening of the film that was organised by the US Embassy. Denzel was brilliant as Malcolm.

  29. 29.

    rosalind

    so the best thing i’ve ever done is volunteer with the 826LA organization, a tutoring program for the children of the working poor (founded by writer Dave Eggers). my favorite thing was working with high school juniors and seniors on their college application essays. one day a young man came and sat at my table and we began a journey that stays with me still. he had a physical disability that caused other kids to tease and bully him, but he had finally forged a small group of friends. he was then forced to move in with his father and start over at a new school where the bullying escalated. without his support group, in despair, he began hiding out in the library at lunch where one day he discovered “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”.

    it’s not an exaggeration that the book transformed his life. it spoke to him, and sparked a curiosity and passion that led him to my table that day. together we shaped his essay that got him admitted to a great college, where he went to study film to be able to tell his own story. the power of one book…

  30. 30.

    Qrop Non Sequitur

    Thanks for the addition for my interminable reading list. I was looking for a good use for my book store gift card.

    I’ve been taking a serious interest in the black panthers since I saw Judas and the Black Messiah.

    Since open thread, I saw on the NY Post today that Hunter Biden “finally” claimed ownership over that laptop.  I have, therefore, consulted my inventory of fucks and have decided that I still have none available to allocate for this purpose.

    Also wouldn’t surprise me to learn somewhere down the road that the Post was being somehow shady with that headline. They get no dollar from me to confirm myself.

  31. 31.

    Scout211

    @WhatsMyNym:

    I have used my Kindle app on my phone and iPhone and would not recommend that for e-reading with your vision issues.  It’s too full of glare.  My husband tried to read a book on an iPad with the Kindle app with his vision problems and hated it.

    I have had 3 Kindles over the years, the original, the paperwhite and the oasis.  All three have many adjustments (fonts, font size, line spacing, background shading, light to dark background, night adjustments, etc.) so I think you could comfortably read with any of them after finding the right adjustments.

    The cheapest Kindle is fine, but the paperwhite is likely the best choice for your needs.

    The oasis is the very best, but kind of pricy.  I love it but it is the highest priced one.

  32. 32.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    There’s a YA book called “Deadline” by Chris Crutcher set in a small town in, I believe, Nebraska. This high school boy somehow reads The Autobiography of Malcolm X and decides that for his government class project, he’s going to get one of the two streets in town renamed Malcolm X Blvd. His teacher refuses to accept it as a project but the kid is ride or die on doing this. It’s a good book

  36. 36.

    JoyceH

    @WaterGirl: Lawrence O’Donnell’s entire hour was devoted to Klain. I was interested to see the real WH Chief of Staff’s office – it seemed to be as big as Leo McGarry’s. I’d always had the impression that, contrary to West Wing, real WW offices were basically cubbyholes.

  38. 38.

    eclare

    I have not read the book, but I plan to.  I did take my mom to see the movie.  Requisite DENZEL WAS ROBBED!

  45. 45.

    Brachiator

    @WaterGirl:

    The fact that Hunter Biden owned a laptop says nothing about what was on it.  Once they start messing with the contents, nothing can really be confirmed to have been on there to begin with.

    There could be classified documents stored on the laptop and it would still be a nothingburger of a story.

    It’s ridiculous the the GOP insists on pushing empty conspiracy theories and wasting taxpayer money.

    @eclare:

    Requisite DENZEL WAS ROBBED!

    Totally agree.

  47. 47.

    JoyceH

    Not an autobiography, but has anyone else read Replay by Ken Grimwood? All the talk on the previous thread about Groundhog Day made me think of it. Basic concept is that a middle-aged discontented man has a heart attack in his office and – wakes up back in his dorm room, 19 again. If you could live your life all over again, this time you’d do it right, right? That’s the concept. Guy takes another stab at life, reaches middle-age, starts all over again. Each replay trying another strategy for living a happy life – is it money, is it love? And so on. I started reading it one evening when I was supposed to be studying for a final, and read the whole thing in one sitting. Next day after taking the final, I read it again.

    New subject. Did you folks know there’s a distilled water shortage? My last two grocery orders refunded the water item, so I googled, and sure enough there is. Not as bad as the famous toilet paper shortage, but it’s irksome to have to boil water for my sinus rinse.

  48. 48.

    Scout211

    If any of you are looking for a less expensive version of the book, don’t forget to check your library’s book sales room or Friends of the Library book sales.

    When I volunteered at the library, one of my jobs was sorting through all the donations.  Each year there were a few copies of this book donated because high schools were still assigning it.  (At least a few years ago, before the scary SEE ARE TEE monster appeared out of nowhere).

  50. 50.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jackie:

    I got a chuckle over Klain pointing to “the fireplace Meadows burned documents.” Heh

    Oh, how did I miss that! please tell me somebody made a twitter meme. That needs amplifying.

  54. 54.

    WaterGirl

    @JoyceH: Distilled water… You can buy it on amazon.  I bought this a couple of years ago for my AeroGarden lettuce grower, and it’s still available.  I like that it’s in individual bottles, too, which would seem helpful if you ever travel with a cpap machine or need to rinse while you are on the road.

  55. 55.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    Joe Morton is a criminally underrated and under-appreciated actor with a commanding voice and a commanding presence.

  57. 57.

    JoyceH

    @Brachiator: ​
     

    There could be classified documents stored on the laptop and it would still be a nothingburger of a story.

    It’s ridiculous the the GOP insists on pushing empty conspiracy theories and wasting taxpayer money.

    What irks me is when the news commentators wonder naively why Hunter Biden is changing tactics now. Well, DUH! Because the GOP has taken the House and plans to make him the centerpiece of their attacks on the Biden administration. Good on him (and Abbe Lowell) for going on offense. Put the House Repubs on notice that it’s not going to be a free ticket witch hunt.

    As for empty conspiracy theories, did you guys see Empty Greene yesterday claiming that one Illinois elementary school got five point something Billion with a B for diversity training? As it happens the entire federal funding to Illinois schools is a bit over four billion.

  62. 62.

    JoyceH

    @WaterGirl:  Distilled water – I’ve looked on Amazon and it’s pretty darn expensive. I might go that route if I get too fed up with the boiling and cooling.

    Replay – I’d say he learned some things along the way, but there was not really One Conclusive Answer. Still, was quite intriguing.

  64. 64.

    JoyceH

    @Baud: ​
     

    I would work out more.

    Oh, me too! A few years back, I took swimming lessons at the Y – I’d never learned to swim before. It was a lot of fun, and I felt so Graceful in the water. The instructor was this tough old bird who does the two mile swim across the Potomac every year. He said it was a shame I hadn’t learned to swim when I was younger, “you’re a natural athlete”. Say WHAT? Why didn’t someone tell me that before I was in my sixties?!

  65. 65.

    Jowriter

    @WaterGirl: Me too.  The power of books is so great that fascists will first ban, and then burn them.  Thank you for your story, rosalind.  Great books, and the people who love them, and who love the people who love books, can keep this troubled world going, slowly perhaps, in the right direction.  That is my hope, anyway.  DeSantis and those like him who would try to obliterate that power  just hurt my heart and kindle my rage.

  66. 66.

    Alison Rose

    @eclare: Every time I see his name now, all I can think about is how his name is actually supposed to be pronounced differently. Last week, I saw a clip of him on Graham Norton’s show from years ago, maybe even like a decade, where he says that his name is actually “DEN-zle” with the second syllable sounding more like the end of candle. But he’s a Junior, and he said that his mother started calling him “Den-ZELL” the way we all say it, in order to distinguish between him and his dad so they’d know who she was calling for. And so he stuck with that pronunciation as an adult. But now when I see it, my brain only wants to say “DEN-zle”.

    ETA: Found the clip – it’s very charming :)

  67. 67.

    JML

    I really enjoyed The Autobiography of Malcom X. It’s a really good book about an important and complex leader that I felt like showed that complexity well (at least to a white kid from Minnesota). I ended up also reading the Playboy interviews that Haley conducted with Malcolm X as well, which are also really compelling and interesting, especially in the context of when they were given. (I remember reading the Malcolm was reluctant to do the interviews and would only do so on the condition that they printed every word he spoke, as spoken. Haley reportedly countered with “as long as you answer every question I ask”.)

    I think it’s an important book. Great educational tool. That there are people afraid of it makes me sad.

  68. 68.

    Geminid

    @Jackie: A CNN article said that Representative Omar “was defiant in a floor speech ahead of vote.”

         My leadership will not be diminished if I am not on this committee for a term. My voice will get louder and stronger. So take your vote or not– I am here to stay and I am here to be a voice against harms around the world and advocate for a better world.

    I think Ms. Omar will be proven right when she said she would not be on the committee “for a term.”

    The party line vote was 218-211, with Republican David Joyce voting “present.” So Mace, Spartz and Fitzgerald folded, saying the resolution submitted by freshman Max Miller (OH) satisfied their objections.

    Democrats did well to show a united front, despite disagreements with Ms. Omar back in 2019 when she started her first term. One of her sharpest critics, Brad Schneider of Illinois, told a reporter that this “seems like forever ago.” Omar has recounted her father’s advice: “It’s hard to hate up close.”

  69. 69.

    NaijaGal

    I read this as a teenager in Nigeria and it really influenced my perception of life in the US.

    I also thought Denzel deserved an Oscar for his role in the movie (wished he’d received it for Malcolm X, not Training Day, but that’s a whole other discussion).

  70. 70.

    hueyplong

    @WaterGirl: Mute extraterrestrial shows up in Harlem and interacts with various people. Morton is great and it’s part funny, part serious.

    My first John Sayles movie, which led to watching (and loving) Matewan and Eight Men Out.

  73. 73.

    Geminid

    @WaterGirl: I liked how the transition was handled. The announcement that Klain was leaving was made on a weekend, and his replacement was announced less than 48 hours later, I believe. There are people on the Democratic side who are always ready to whip up a fight about such matters, but they did not have time.

  76. 76.

    NotMax

    @JoyceH

    Almost brought it up in that thread but decided against it as the premise is similar but significantly different.

    Enjoyed it a lot when it first came out. Nominated for or won several awards. Grimwood was supposedly at work on a sequel when he himself keeled over from a heart attack at 59.

    Nitpick: primary character’s first time he wakes up at 18, as a freshman in college, not 19.

  77. 77.

    WhatsMyNym

    @JoyceH:  If you could live your life all over again, this time you’d do it right, right? That’s the concept.

    No, I would screw it up in another way.

  79. 79.

    sab

    @WhatsMyNym: I have had Nook e-readers for about ten years. In the Nook settings there are a lot of adjustments that you can make for size of fonts and brightness. I haven’t had to use them much except for the indoor/outdoor.

  82. 82.

    Jackie

    @Geminid: I watched it live. Her defiance ie: strong and determined voice earned her several standing ovations from her fellow Democrats.

    She WILL BE BACK. McCarthy and MTG’s victory seems very hollow.

  85. 85.

    Spanish Moss

    @WaterGirl:
    In this context “brother” means “black man”, not “sibling”. He is an alien who looks like a black man, and has all kinds of interesting encounters as he is chased through Harlem by space bounty hunters. He can’t talk but he can read minds. It is funny, moving, and thought provoking. This makes me want to watch it again!

  86. 86.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @rosalind: When did you volunteer at 826LA??  An author friend and former bandmate of mine (J. Ryan Stradal) used to volunteer there and our old band even participated in a couple fundraising events!  Small world.

  90. 90.

    UncleEbeneezer

    TW: Racism

    The National Review response to Hulu’s 1619 Project is as racist as you’d expect.

    “I am not giving oxygen to the rightwing media frenzy against the #1619hulu docuseries because I know they use the #1619Project for clicks, but I am so aghast and offended that the National Review would print this about this child just to make digs at this work.”

    PS- I’m two episodes and in so far, it’s very good.  Would be another great subject for a MediumCool discussion.

  91. 91.

    Paul in KY

    @Jackie: I think they all must have come from the absolute most dickish Frat/Sorority on their campus and within that bunch of scumbags, been the ‘Hell Week Coordinator’. Also a member of the College Repubs, etc. etc.

  96. 96.

    narya

    @hueyplong: Check out “Return of the Secaucus 7” (his first movie); it was made on a tiny budget, and is similar in plot to “The Big Chill” (which came later), but is MUCH better, IMHO. I first discovered him through his novels (“Union Dues” and “Pride of the Bimbos” ) and then later read his short stories (“At the Anarchists’ Convention”). “Baby, It’s You” has a young Roseanne Arquette AND a lot of Springsteen music, the latter of which massively delayed the release to DVD because of permissions. Yes, I am a huge John Sayles fan; why do you ask?

  97. 97.

    WaterGirl

    @Jackie: House GQP seem like petulant children who have taken over the classroom when the teach momentarily steps out.

    Except people elected these fucking people and they are now “governing.”

  100. 100.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @eclare: If you read the articles, it’s nothing new, but it’s still great to see how they bring it to life for television.

  102. 102.

    zhena gogolia

    @UncleEbeneezer: I thought the expression for the child’s hair could not have been used by a white writer. But this writer shouldn’t have done it either. Nauseating.

  103. 103.

    rosalind

    @WaterGirl: i had soo many amazing & heartbreaking moments with these kids. now i must tell how my day started with this student: he walked in with a friend who he instructed to come pick him up in an hour, then sat at the table with his armor up explaining he was smart, didn’t need my help and was there because his counselor made him. then his cell phone rang and he answered and had a long chat. once he hung up i explained i was a volunteer, had many other students who i could work with, and he could either hang up his phone and put it away, or i’d move on to another student.

    he turned off his phone. we began. it takes asking many many questions to start finding that student’s story. it took a while to reach the library and the malcom x book but once we did, and i sketched out how he could shape his essay around this moment, i saw the light go off. he hunched closer, eager to keep going. just then his friend came bounding around the corner and my student threw out his hand in a “stop! go away!” and the confused friend turned around. my student motioned me: continue.

    i’ve now moved to another State, and am struggling to find any kind of volunteer work like this (there are online versions, but i prefer in person).

  104. 104.

    Scout211

    @WhatsMyNym:

    @Scout211:

    Added:

    Holding a Kindle can feel awkward to some people, especially those of us with some arthritis.  I have  purchased cases for each of my Kindles over the years that turn the Kindle into more like a book, with a front and back and a cover that opens and closes over the screen.  When opened, it has two sides that you can hold and feels similar to a book, just much lighter.

    Like this one for the paperwhite:  Case for kindle paperwhite

  106. 106.

    lowtechcyclist

    @JoyceH:

    Not an autobiography, but has anyone else read Replay by Ken Grimwood? All the talk on the previous thread about Groundhog Day made me think of it.

    I read that a couple of decades back, I thought it was okay, worth reading once, but not memorable.

    One problem I have not so much with that book specifically, but with the genre in general, is: what about all the other people?  The protagonist knows he or she is living the same period of time over and over again, preserving the memories of those many trips through the same period of time, and has the opportunity to learn and grow from the experience.

    But all those other people – AFAWK they carry nothing forward, each time they think they’re living that period of time for the first time, they gain nothing from having relived Groundhog Day thousands of times.  They’re just props.

    And yeah, I know: the supporting characters in any piece of fiction are to some extent props.  Spear carriers, I believe the phrase is.  But as Tom Stoppard said, every exit is an entrance somewhere else, and there’s rarely any reason not to think that the supporting characters couldn’t be having complete lives elsewhere when they’re not onstage in the play/movie/book they’re in.

    But in this genre, there’s absolutely no question about it: their experiences are being thrown away, repeatedly wiped from their brains.  For the duration of the work, they really are just props.

  107. 107.

    AWOL

    @zhena gogolia: Most likely Insane House Negro and Token Homosexual Scold Armond White, of Russ Smith’s defunct, fascist NYPress, which helped destroy ‘The Village Voice.’

  108. 108.

    Paul in KY

    @Alison Rose: Think den-ZELL sounds better than DEN-zle.

    A DEN-zle sounds like some kind of tool. ‘Pass me that DEN-zle, need to caulk that baseboard.’

  110. 110.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Jackie:

    House GQP members celebrate National Gun Violence Survivors week by wearing AR pins on their lapels – or in one instance – his tie.

    Boy howdy, being assholes is what gives their lives meaning, isn’t it?

  113. 113.

    hueyplong

    @narya: I did see Secaucus, just not when it was released.  Brother was my first Sayles movie.  I pretty much like them all.

  115. 115.

    Joy in FL

    Thanks to this thread, I just got the movies Brother from Another Planet and Autobiography of Malcolm X and also I recently got the Malcolm X book. I’m looking forward to the discussion on Feb 12; it’s on my calendar.

  116. 116.

    lowtechcyclist

    @WaterGirl:

    Lovely way to say a big FUCK YOU to survivors.

    Pretty much.

    I suppose they are cheaper than jackets that say I Don’t Care, Do U?

    That too.

    Were all these people bullies when they were in school?

    Some kids who were on the receiving end of the bullying never get past just wanting to be the kids dishing it out instead, rather than getting to the point where they don’t want to be in either role, and would like to see less bullying altogether.

    My WAG is that a lot of them were that kind of kid.

  117. 117.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @lowtechcyclist: I loved Replay back in the day.  But I had pretty low-brow literary taste at the time and I’m guessing I wouldn’t be nearly as impressed nowadays.  Still, I always loved these works based on this premise.

  120. 120.

    Gravenstone

    @JoyceH: You should be able to buy gallon bottles of distilled water from any reasonably complete grocer near you. Example, online check shows $1.16/gal at Meijer here.

  121. 121.

    eclare

    @UncleEbeneezer:   I can’t remember the name of it, maybe someone here does, but there was a Japanese movie released maybe twenty to twenty-five years ago that posed the question:  if you had one day in your life to repeat forever, what would it be?

    Off to teh google to see if I can remember!

    ETA>

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165078/

    After Life.  It was very good.

  122. 122.

    Jackie

    AOC ripped into the GQP before Omar was voted out:

    “Ocasio-Cortez also excoriated the GOP for its embrace of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), despite her record of spreading conspiracy theories and antisemitism.

    “Don’t tell me this is about consistency. Don’t tell me that this is about a condemnation of antisemitic remarks when you have a member of the Republican caucus who has talked about Jewish space lasers and a tired amount of tropes and also elevated her to some of the highest committee assignments in this body,” she continued.

    This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,” Ocasio-Cortez added. “Don’t tell me, because I didn’t get a single apology when my life was threatened. Thank you.”“

    https://www.rawstory.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-erupts-on-the-house-floor-after-republicans-boot/

  123. 123.

    trollhattan

    @JoyceH: Had not heard of this one. “How has Joe Brandon failed you today?” “Gots no water for my leaky radiator.”

    Our clothes dryer has a tank for capturing the condensate water it generates but I just discharge it to the drain. Maybe I should collect it and become rich, rich, rich!

  125. 125.

    Splitting Image

    @Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg:

    Behold a Dick Cavett debate wherein James Baldwin destroys an effete Yale professor and shows how and why out of touch academics are incapable of addressing institutional, systemic racism as it affects individuals.

    This is probably illegal to view in any school in Florida, all the way through Masters’ programs.

    Link

    Thanks for that. Mr. Baldwin did an admirable job maintaining his cool in that segment.

    While I was watching that piece, I couldn’t help thinking of a conversation with Irving Kristol that someone wrote down some years back. Kristol was happily telling a listener how he helped little Billy get his start as a political activist by putting in a good word for him with some of his cronies – and then decrying affirmative action because it allowed unqualified people to jump the queue and get a head start over other folks who might be more talented and more deserving. Completely clueless.

  126. 126.

    Martin

    Omar should sue the House of Representatives for violating her civil rights. Almost positive Congress itself isn’t covered by employment laws with respect to members, but people need to be reminded that discrimination due to national origin is a federal crime in the US.

  127. 127.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Splitting Image:

     Kristol was happily telling a listener how he helped little Billy get his start as a political activist by putting in a good word for him with some of his cronies – and then decrying affirmative action because it allowed unqualified people to jump the queue and get a head start over other folks who might be more talented and more deserving. Completely clueless.

    And there are millions if white men just as entitled and clueless as Kristol père was.  I mean, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” has been a truism a lot longer than I’ve been around, and plenty of them have benefited from that and helped their children benefit from their connections in turn.  And it never occurs to them that that isn’t earned.

  128. 128.

    Gravenstone

    @eclare: The ability to relive at least a portion of your life, either once or repeatedly until some “wrong” is corrected is a relatively common trope in Japanese anime as well.

  129. 129.

    Gravenstone

    @JoyceH: Odd because it used to be dirt common. People use it in steam irons and humidifiers, for example, in order to avoid having mineral scale build up.

  130. 130.

    Quiltingfool

    @JoyceH:  Distilled water shortage?  I wondered what was going on.  I use distilled water in my iron.  I use LOTS of water, but thankfully I don’t have to use full strength distilled.  My iron prefers 1:4 distilled to tap (well water actually).

    If  I use full strength distilled, the iron shows displeasure by vomiting copious amounts of water all over the fabric I’m attempting to press.  Respect the Iron Overlord.

  131. 131.

    NotMax

    @Gravenstone

    @Gravenstone

    Takes mere minutes to clean up he flat part of an iron. Scrub lightly with a crumpled up ball of aluminum foil which has been dipped in white vinegar. If it’s a Teflon coated iron, skip the foil and use a sponge instead.

    Works for stubborn scale build up on the tracks of shower doors too, although instead of vinegar pouring some Coca-Cola inside the tracks first and letting that sit for a stretch before using a clean foil ball will do the trick.

    There’s also a really good spray and rinse product for shower stalls and doors called Wet ‘n’ Forget for which Mom’s housekeeper has thanked me no end for introducing to her.

  132. 132.

    narya

    @Quiltingfool: While visiting my parents, my mom gave me her quilting frame. It’s in a box, I have no clue what it looks like–and I will likely never use it. If you know someone who would use it, I would happily send it along.

  134. 134.

    Matt McIrvin

    @JoyceH: I’ve been having intermittent trouble getting distilled water for my CPAP for the past few years. Sometimes the supermarket has it, sometimes they don’t. I tend to hoard a bit when it’s available.

  135. 135.

    brantl

    OT, but has anybody ever seen William Shatner do a STump imitation? I think it would be a RIOT.

  138. 138.

    StringOnAStick

    @Quiltingfool: OK, my iron does that too.  I know it said to not used distilled water but we used to live somewhere with really hard water; I didn’t think of just diluting it.  Now we live in a place with naturally soft water and I just use that straight, no more iron vomiting and no scale buildup.

  139. 139.

    AWOL

    @Steeplejack: Knew it. Thanks. Didn’t even have to click on that site. He’s been insane since the early 1980s. He’ll be dead soon and the world will be a better place.

    The NYPress, which published multiple fascist/anti-Semitic writers for decades, went completely under the media-watchdog radar, but it was a giveaway rag disguised as a free, edgy cultural publication.  The Village Voice fell for this, dropped charging for their issues, and went bankrupt after canning all their paid staff.

  140. 140.

    Princess

    @narya: my sister and I have a huge John Sayles thing that dates back to Baby it’s You. She ended up working on one of his films City of Hope, and even has a brief full-length shot in the film in one scene as an extra.

  141. 141.

    Matt McIrvin

    @AWOL: I keep thinking of edgy quasi-fascist stuff in the counterculture as a recent phenomenon but it seems like this kind of thing has been going on longer than we generally acknowledge.

    The libertarians have been into it, too–at one point in, uh, the Seventies? Reason magazine had a “revisionist history” issue that was basically full of Holocaust denial.

  142. 142.

    AWOL

    @Matt McIrvin: Not just the edge of culture. Neo-Nazis from the Holocaust-denying Journal of Historical Review infiltrated major publishing houses over forty years ago as in-house editors and outside freelancers. Some mainstream imprint publishers are also racist/anti-Semitic adjacent. Publishing workers are not only exploited, but they’re also forced to work on books that have a proposal to take away their own rights. Harper Collins. Murdoch’s house, has 200 workers on strike due to the fascist culture. He’s having no problem finding scabs.

  143. 143.

    Quiltingfool

    @narya: I’ll ask around at my quilt guild.  We are going to have a quilt show in October, and we do have a “boutique” to sell quilt items and quilt tools and equipment.  That may be our best bet, unless one of the guild members want a frame.  I have a frame, but I don’t do hand quilting much anymore – arthritis is a bitch!

  145. 145.

    rosalind

    @UncleEbeneezer : J Ryan! I (know of) him well. We met one time. He and I participated in the same literary reading series, Roar Shack, held in the 826LA Echo Park store. I love his book “Kitchens of the Great Northwest”. re: 826LA: I volunteered around 2007 – 20017.

  147. 147.

    J R in WV

    @WhatsMyNym: ​
     

    I’m really late to this, as usual, but I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab E 8″ notebook and I read a ton of Kindle books on the device. It’s sturdy, as in I’ve dropped on a tile floor more than once and it still works fine, even though the glass screen protector broke. I’ve had it so long the battery is beginning to not be perfect, but I think that’s typical of these devices. Eventually I’ll need to replace it, and I expect to get another Samsung device, tho Amazon’s paperwhite appeals to me also.

    Last again!

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