The mayor of Miami Beach wants to terminate a lease and end funding for an independent theater that’s screening this year’s best feature documentary Oscar winner, No Other Land. The Miami Herald:
Last week, in a letter to O Cinema CEO Vivian Marthell, [Miami Beach Mayor Steven] Meiner urged the theater to cancel scheduled screenings of the film, citing critiques from Israeli and German government officials. According to Meiner’s newsletter, Marthell initially responded that the theater would not show the film. “Due to the concerns of antisemitic rhetoric, we have decided to withdraw the film from our programming,” Marthell wrote in a letter to Meiner on March 6. “This film has exposed a rift which makes us unable to do the thing we’ve always sought out to do which is to foster thoughtful conversations about cinematic works.”
The next day, however, the O Cinema CEO reversed course. Marthell confirmed to the Miami Herald on Friday that the film would continue with its scheduled screenings. After receiving media attention for the film controversy, the theater sold out screenings and added two more dates later in March. “But let me be clear: our decision to screen NO OTHER LAND is not a declaration of political alignment. It is, however, a bold reaffirmation of our fundamental belief that every voice deserves to be heard, even, and perhaps especially, when it challenges us,” Marthell said in an email to the Herald late last week.
Well, not in Miami Beach. According to the article, city commissioners share the mayor’s view of the film.
“A religious Jew was voted as Mayor, along with a Zionist city council. Unlike other cities, we have zero tolerance for pro Hamas/ terrorist propaganda,” [Miami Beach City Commissioner David] Suarez wrote in a text message to the Herald. “The City of Miami Beach will continue to stand up for our Jewish population, home to holocaust survivors, and while most people use ‘Never Again’ as a platitude, we mean it.”
At least one of the commissioners, Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, agrees in principle but believes canceling the theater’s lease and funding would subject the city to lawsuits that she suspects it would lose.
The Herald notes the two directors who accepted the Oscar for No Other Land are Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham. From the speech:
“We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together our voices are stronger,” Abraham said from the Oscars stage. “We see each other in the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end, in the Israeli hostages brutally taken in the crime of October 7, which must be freed. When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal.”
I haven’t seen No Other Land. The only Oscar nominated film I’ve seen so far this year was Conclave. I am not now and never have been a Catholic, but for some reason, I find movies and TV shows about Vatican intrigue fascinating. (The Young Pope and The New Pope on Max are both excellent!)
I wondered briefly what would happen if Catholic officials tried to punish a publicly subsidized theater for screening Conclave since it portrays the Catholic Church in a less-than-flattering light. Then I remembered reading about something similar that used to happen a lot in Massachusetts decades ago, only the targets were books, magazines, plays, songs, etc., that were considered lewd or otherwise offensive.
It was a cultural phenomenon known as “Banned in Boston,” and it didn’t go quite the way city officials hoped. The Warren Court had to sort that bunch out. I don’t know if the Roberts Court is up to the task.
Open thread.
Baud
I thought the last election would convince people that American Jews don’t fall for fascist rhetoric no matter who it’s directed against.
Chief Oshkosh
@Baud: Did I miss the “/s” ?
brantl
Six of the Roberts’ Court couldn’t find their ass in the dark with both hands.
Baud
@Chief Oshkosh:
No. Jews, along with black people and LGBT were our top demos last year. Like 80%+.
Belafon
Muzzled in Miami
Baud
Dow is down 1.5% but Tesla down 4.5%.
New Deal democrat
I have been telling people that, just as with the mob, and Putin,, after successfully extracting tribute from large corporations, the next step would be the T—p family taking, “voluntarily” or not, an ownership stake in some of them. It appears that step has now begun.
Per Justin Wolfers:
https://bsky.app/profile/justinwolfers.bsky.social/post/3lkbdjzmkxh2k
Doug R
The Oscar winner for live action short I’m Not A Robot is on YouTube via the New Yorker magazine.
New Deal democrat
Here’s something else. A link to a letter to the editor from a reinterred B-52 pilot grieving “AWasted Life” due to the US’s falling into despotism:
https://bsky.app/profile/petersagal.bsky.social/post/3lk535abv5k2x
Betty Cracker
@Baud:
What do we want?
A MARGIN CALL!
When do we want it?
NOW!
(Shamelessly lifted from Bluesky.)
RaflW
I suspect Ms Cracker is better positioned to survive sea level rise, but days like this I find myself uncharitably open to Miami Beach, Palm Beach etc just getting all their real estate wrecked by tide + storms. Anyone of good conscience might want to be getting their barrier island homes/condos sold, because the combination of fascism and mother nature is going to be something else entirely in those spots.
lowtechcyclist
The FBI is seeking criminal charges against a bunch of climate groups for accepting Federal environmental grants under Biden.
If I had a Republican Senator, I’d be calling their office and saying, “You voted to confirm Kash Patel. This is your doing.”
Jeffro
@New Deal democrat: this is one of those things that needs to be an automatic resignation trigger in Our Next Republic
Everyone filing to run for federal office must include 10+ years of tax forms with their application.
Everyone elected to federal office must divest all investments, accounts, etc by their swearing-in or forfeit the office to their opponent.
Everyone in office must not take a dime, a Tesla, or an ownership in anything (not even a neighborhood corner lemonade stand) for the entirety of their term, or they forfeit the office.
I’ve got more…
endaround
We know exactly what a Catholic protest looks like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtylq5kltPE
Omnes Omnibus
@endaround: Sometimes they look more like the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre though.
LeftCoastYankee
‘We believe in Never Again, so we’re suppressing this film codirected by an Israeli.’
If you don’t listen to how you sound, its not surprising you don’t hear anyone else’s point of view.
trollhattan
Stuff gets worse before it gets better. Get a load of this Big Brain.
Albatrossity
I look forward to the day when criticism of the Israeli government is not automatically classified as anti-Semitic. This is what happens when governments and religions become commingled, and it should be a warning to us all.
eclare
@RaflW:
And sometimes those high rise condo buildings collapse. I still can’t believe that one.
Captain C
@trollhattan:
He continued, “Obviously it’s their fault we can’t get our shit together, or for that matter, understand the laws of science.”
Reporters from the FTFNYT and WaPo nodded sagely in agreement.
–the rest of the story, probably
catclub
@New Deal democrat: remember how quaint it was in 2017 when Trump pretended to put his holdings in a blind trust, run by his sons?
The DOJ is his law firm and the Treasury is his bank.
trollhattan
@Albatrossity:
Like a lot of the world views Trump-led America with disdain and horror, for many legit reasons, it’s no different than pondering Likud-led Israel.
They can, have and could again do better than this. Will they? What if the answer is no? The latest.
A Ghost to Most
Pissing off religious supremacists is a badge of honor.
trollhattan
@catclub: Hey now, little Barron did his best.
Suzanne
@Albatrossity:
Absolutely.
It also re-demonstrates to me that some members of any and every cohort, no matter how persecuted…. are just assholes. That suffering and discrimination don’t in and of themselves make anyone wiser or more empathetic or more honest.
catclub
I was surprised to hear that Zillow thinks there is more
real estate at risk of wildfires ($9TR) than flooding ($7Tr). The main reason was lots of California – with high real estate values- has been found to be at risk of wildfires.
Deputinize America
@lowtechcyclist:
Youngest daughter’s archaeology job became untenable due to clear cuts to EPA enforcement. She was doing NAGPRA certifications on Plains States construction projects that were regulated through the EPA, and the company figured that even though the regs and statutes were in place, nobody was going to enforce anything anymore, so why bother.
Was talking to an old friend this morning whose career prior to retirement was essentially all environmental mitigation as a chemical engineer. He felt like the big players would still mind their behavior as it didn’t look like the regs and statutes are going to disappear, and would be a civil and criminal sticky trap in the future.
UncleEbeneezer
The BDS movement is ALSO protesting this film because it “normalizes” the IDF control of the disputed territories. My understanding is that the movie urges Palestinians and Israelis to find common ground, and work together for a two-state solution to let both people to live in their ancestral lands, in peace. So naturally the biggest assholes on BOTH sides are against it. BDS is more interested in a real peace solution for the region than assholes like Bibi are.
u
Personally — I am not now, but once was a Catholic until I was 17. Understanding Vatican intrigue is about my station in life, but I can attest that there is plenty of dishonest intrigue even in small, local Catholic churches. To paraphrase George Carlin, it’s a big club and I was once in it!
gene108
@Albatrossity:
In our case, conservative religious fanatics play a major role in the Republican Party. They believe the Jews need to occupy Biblical Israel to bring about the End Times.
Our Middle East foreign policy is heavily influenced by radical conservative Christian beliefs, and not by facts or our own interest.
Being religious fanatics, these are not people that can be reasoned with.
I really do not see how their influence ends well for either the U.S. or Israel.
WhatsMyNym
@Baud:
Tesla is the NASDAQ-100 not in the DOW, so it doesn’t effect it.
Belafon
I saw a chyron this morning that China is pushing back on Walmart’s urging suppliers to absorb the cost of tariffs.
catclub
@UncleEbeneezer:
Now _that_ is an extremely low bar.
gvg
@catclub: California is more than twice as big 100 million acres as opposed to Florida’s 34.7 million. and I don’t think quite all of Florida is supposed to be flooded, wheras it looks to me like the entire western half of our country may become subject to fire, tho not equally. It’s hard to say in the end. I do think California may have more high cost real estate too, because it’s an economy that produces a lot. Florida hasn’t diversified enough IMO. We have some agriculture and tourism. The agriculture that is citrus is really under threat.
chemiclord
@Captain C:
He also added, “We’ll have plenty of help pushing this narrative by “independent journalists” on social media eagerly waiting for something to bash Democrats over the head with.”
eclare
@gvg:
Due to higher temperatures, Florida oranges haven’t tasted good the past several years. They’re not juicy and too pithy. I quit buying them.
oldster
“…and while most people use ‘Never Again’ as a platitude, we mean it.”
oh, the irony.
Betty
@trollhattan: Amazing how he was able to find and enlist this crew of no-nothing thugs.
trollhattan
Recall how Zuck has recently wrapped himself in the flag and 1st Amendment, protecting “free speech” above all else, lies and disinformation being the happiest recipients? Well Buckos, free speech only goes so far under the Meta Big Tent.
Her Beeb WS interview is fascinating and horrifying in equal measure.
Snarki, child of Loki
My own End Times prophesy, which is mine, requires 100% of the GOP to be relocated to the Nevada Test Range.
…after which a 1Mt air-burst hydrogen bomb instantly relocates them to Hel.
Yes, there will be a bit of a mess to clean up afterwards, but it’ll still be worth it. AND it will make America Great Again.
catclub
@eclare:
I have had some great tangelos recently. I wonder they they come from.
prufrock
A couple of years ago, I went to the Bar Mitzvah of the son of two of my closest friends. To go in the temple, I had to pass through a metal detector manned by Hillsborough County deputies, even though this temple was located in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in South Tampa.
That security wasn’t because the congregation was afraid of random Palestinian terrorism (in fact, the Bar Mitzvah occurred before the Hamas attacks and the genocidal Israeli response). I think the Zionists have lost track of who the biggest threat to American Jews happens to be.
Suzanne
@prufrock: Some people align their politics not by their values, but by who they want to be aligned with. They want to be in coalition with the strong, or they don’t want to be in coalition with those they find annoying. It’s exceedingly gross and cynical.
Betty Cracker
@eclare: I’ve noticed a decline in quality too. The citrus industry is in real trouble here. Our local grocery chain sells Florida oranges in season. I bought a bag a while back that was so good! Just as juicy and delicious as I remember them being back in the day. But the next bag I purchased was crappy. It’s hit or miss, apparently. This winter has been colder for longer than any I can remember, but I don’t think we had a sustained hard freeze, at least not where I am.
chemiclord
@Snarki, child of Loki:
We may need to collect their souls and send them to another planet far away and drop them in a volcano, Lord Xenu.
trollhattan
@chemiclord:
Finally, a use for $cientology I can support!
chemiclord
@trollhattan:
I’ve occasionally bemused myself with the idea of Xenu actually being a largely benevolent ruler casting out the irredeemable assholes of his society.
prostratedragon
@catclub: The name “Minneola tangelo” refers to a town in Florida, where I guess they were developed. They have been terrific this year.
Gretchen
When I was a Catholic kid in the 1960s, the Catholic Legion of Decency rated films:
A1- Morally unobjectionable
AII- Morally unobjectionable for adolescents and adults
B-morally objectionable in part
C-Condemned
The ratings were published in the Catholic newspaper and we had to check the ratings to know whether we could go see a particular movie.
RevRick
@A Ghost to Most: As many opportunities I get, I love pointing out the origin of white Evangelicals: they are descended from the churches that vociferously defended slavery, advocated for secession and Civil War, and supported Jim Crow and its violence. Just Google Waco lynching to get a gander at the “good Christians” in the mob.
The heartland of opposition to slavery was the Puritan settlements of Greater New England.
prostratedragon
My day is now made.
Elizabelle
@trollhattan:
That would be Scott “Half Billionaire” Bessent. Remind people how much he has in common with “the American worker.” (Did you and your sister give Yale a library?)
He is a former hedge fund manager and, interestingly, gay; married with two children. He seems to be a China hawk.
ETA: FWIW, Bessent is probably a billionaire. Just going by what he has divulged in government filing.
Downpuppy
Miami Beach will be underwater in 20 years, unless a hurricane kills it sooner.
Elizabelle
@prostratedragon: OMG. We need to learn how to make those headdresses. I hope they are not headache inducing (for the wearer).
Could loop a long red tie around the raised finger, lest anyone wonder who gets the middle finger salute.
Amalthea1
@Betty Cracker: it’s the same with the strawberries in Plant City. They’ve been too tart, and we haven’t had a sweet batch yet. We need at least one or two good freezes and we didn’t even come close to freezing this year.
cain
@Downpuppy:
They literally wouldn’t know what hit them because the feds have shut down weather monitoring.
WTFGhost
I found this over at Digby’s which has a few good bits today, but this was really one of the best enunciations of our problems:
https://digbysblog.net/2025/03/13/qotd-michelle-goldberg-3/
Short form, “with Trump, how can you pretend there’s American greatness, when he’s soiling and destroying all of the things we used to brag about?”
prostratedragon
@Elizabelle: Origami? With light cardboard weight paper.
Harrison Wesley
@RevRick: Also Mennonites. Pastorius issued his manifesto 100 years before the American Revolution.
Geminid
I saw a couple interesting Israel/Palestine stories today. One was a Times of Isrsel article titled, ” Egypt praises Trump for saying Gazans won’t be forced to leave.” The Egyptions responded to some news made yesterday:
Another story reported by Times of Israel Washington correspondent Jacob Magid:
The story is that Ron Dermer, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s chief diplomatic weasel, complained long and hard about Boehler’s role to a U.S. official and was told that he and “Bibi” could like it or they could lump it.
* These days diplomats and diplomatic reporters like to talk about “files.” Those relate to the particular countries or areas being engaged. For instance, Turkiye and Greece might hold talks about their trade or security files separately from their more problematic Aegean energy rights or Cyprus files.
Suzanne
I am having fun at work today. Can I just say: THE WOKE MOB IS HERE, AND THEY ARE MAKING YOUR BATHROOMS SPIFFY AF.
chemiclord
@RevRick: Don’t worry, the Puritans had their own sick hangups.
Ruckus
@trollhattan:
Even with this, still not supportable.
I had a relative in it for decades. I used to pick this person up for family events. I’ve stood at LRon’s office door, (he had passed a fair time prior) and I was standing there wondering if I should walk in and leave something on the desk…… Use your imagination…..
WTFGhost
@cain: They’ll insist that DeSantis told them to evacuate, but a bunch of folks will be checking the national weather service, and wonder *why* they’re supposed to evacuate, so they’ll all order shrimp boots to wear someplace other than a shrimp boat, because it seems like something DeSantis would be stupid enough to do, and if stupidity got them *into* the problem, who says it can’t get them out?
That said, I don’t think Forrest Gump wore shrimping boots, even on the boat, which I think makes him a bit smarter than DeSantis, who wore them *off* the boat. Is there anyone who wants to see shrimping boots on a man like DeSantis who buys his shrimp frozen, for shrimp cocktails?
Melancholy Jaques
I’m kind of surprised that the stock market plunge is not a bigger story. It isn’t yet huge, historically speaking, but (iteration number 327) if a Democrat were president, it would be the top story. There would be shouting.
Is it because the looming death of democracy overwhelms little stories like a 10% declines in 401ks?
Gretchen
@prufrock: I’ve read that security is a standard expense at Jewish weddings here.
My grandson went to the Jewish Community Center preschool here. He was on a first-name basis with the security guard there. At the preschool. There was a shooting there that killed 3 about 10 years ago.
sentient ai from the future
So Anna bowers is following the case on USAID on blue sky. Judge chuang requested documents showing who ordered the various elements that shut it down, and the doj responded with a bunch of nonresponsive shit.
Sounds like there’s gonna be an injunction granted.
Of course all that stuff is available in their slack chats, which they told everyone at doge to stop using for fear of anyone seeing their discussions under public record laws.
Someone gonna be held in contempt.
Old School
@Melancholy Jaques:
The gains under Biden was because the market was anticipating another Trump presidency. The current losses are from the failed Biden policies.
mrmoshpotato
@lowtechcyclist:
Wow. Holy fucking horseshit, Batman.
lowtechcyclist
@Amalthea1:
Oh my, that hits close to home. My wife was born and raised in Plant City, and we visit regularly because she still has family there. I’ve had a lot of Plant City strawberries over the years.
It sucks to hear that, but that’s the way things are going. And too many Floridians support the party that doesn’t want to do a damned thing about global warming.
mrmoshpotato
@sentient ai from the future: Hopefully this judge goes on a face-punching spree. Time to punch some Trump trash in their fucking fascist faces with contempt.
lowtechcyclist
@sentient ai from the future:
Won’t matter unless/until they’re jailed for it.
Betty Cracker
@Amalthea1: That’s too bad about the Plant City strawberries, which are usually the best in the state, IMO. I’ve had some really good ones this year from our local produce stand, but maybe that’s due to being farther north. (I’m a little closer to Gainesville than Tampa, but basically halfway between.)
It’s amazing how a fluctuation that feels fairly minor to humans affects crops so noticeably. We’ve had a few brief overnight freezes up where I am but not hard enough to knock back plants, etc.
Meanwhile, I’ve been perceiving it as the coldest damn winter in Florida that I can remember! It’s a relative thing, for sure, but usually there are at least a few days in winter that are warm enough to go swimming — sometimes a lot. Not this year so far!
lowtechcyclist
Just called my Senators’ offices, and urged them to vote NO on cloture.
planetjanet
@lowtechcyclist: thank you.
artem1s
@prostratedragon:
OMG! Want one!
Every fife and drum corp in the world needs to adopt those hats as standard uniforms.
trollhattan
@Ruckus:
Right there with you. I keeed about Xenu doing something good for a change and hold them and Mormonism in the same bucket–two religions who invented their own planets as a kind of deus ex machina, because how can you argue against a thing so far away it cannot be seen?
That one founder was a druggie and the other just wanted to get laid a lot, can be left for another day. Maybe toss in Jehovah’s Witnesses to pin them down on why only 144k ever make it to heaven, which necessarily is a really big place with lots of room.
Captain C
@lowtechcyclist: Or lose their law license.
trollhattan
Jesus wept.
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1900250067300229219
lowtechcyclist
@Captain C:
In the world of wingnut welfare, I’m not sure how severe a consequence that would really be. They’d just go from being paid to do legal stuff, to getting paid for blathering about it while working for one of the armada of RW ‘think’ tanks.
lowtechcyclist
@trollhattan:
See, even Jesus’ tears are watering California, but those damned libs are shutting off the pipes! And that’s why all the wildfires.
Soapdish
Hey, since this is an open thread…
I’m in need of some containers, some for person food/dog food storage, some for holding stuff like my running and cycling gear that I can put on a shelf. The easy thing to do would be to go to Amazon or Home Depot, but I’d like to know if there are other, better options.
Jay
@trollhattan:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tesla-products-bc-hydro-rebates-tariffs-1.7482501
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6681244
That “tap” might be turned off indefinitely.
Jay
@Soapdish:
Check out a Charity Thrift Store.
NotMax
@Soapdish
Costco (at least here) has a selection of varieties and sizes.
If there’s one near you, there’s also a chain called The Container Store (albeit a bit on the pricey side).
For food items, am partial to products from LocknLock (which I get through Amazon).
Jay
Until we know more, it looks like US Work Visa’s are worthless.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/canadian-detained-us-border-1.7483021
sentient ai from the future
Short fiction, finalist for a nebula or some shit, but if you’ve read “the ones who walk away from omelas” you should really enjoy this. Topical.
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kim_02_24/
UncleEbeneezer
@catclub: I meant to write “no more interested.” They demonize anyone who pushes for compromise.
YY_Sima Qian
@Jeffro: There will need to be a formal Second American Republic at the end of this dark tunnel. As Adam mentions in one of the Ukraine posts, de facto this would be the Fifth or Sixth American Republic.
YY_Sima Qian
@Belafon: Walmart is pressuring its Chinese suppliers to each the tariff increases, which has amounted to 20% since the start of the Trump 47, on top of the 25% that Trump 45 imposed & Biden kept. Walmart typically leverages its massive purchasing power to squeeze supplier margins to low single digits. Ringing 20% cost reduction will likely result in corner cutting in quality & work environment.
How much would you bet that, even if the suppliers do each the tariffs, Walmart will proceed to raise prices anyway, citing tariffs as the excuse?
The PRC government is now involved to push back against Walmart’s coercive negotiation tactics. The thing is, the PRC government no longer cares about the low end manufacturing involved in supplying most of the Walmart bound goods, & such manufacturing has been steadily shifted to SE Asia over the past few years.
WaterGirl
@Soapdish: The Container Store? You can find them online.