Saturday, April 30, 2022

Russia Doll, Naomi and Batwoman

3 TV shows to cover.  First, Russian Doll.  We did finish season two and loved it.  There had better be a season three.  If you haven't already streamed it, go check it out at NETFLIX.


Second, The CW's Naomi.  Her parents are aliens.  I don't eman her biological parents, we knew that already.  I mean Naomi's 'Earth' parents Jennifer and Greg.  Finding out, Naomi leaves in a huff.  This show gets more and more childish when it should be adding maturity.  I'm about to take a break if things don't get better.  There are way too many characters and they serve no real purpose but apparently to be Naomi groupies.  


So she moves in with Anabelle. (The most unique and interesting of the too big youth cast.)


Greg heads over to Zumbado's to tell him that military is still searching for aliens and using a new machine that can track them (thanks to when Naomi used her powers a few episodes back at Star Labs).  Greg and Zumbado know each other and they also know what Naomi's destiny really is.  Zumbado thinks its time to tell her and Greg doesn't.

Later Zumbado and Akira save Naomi but they still can't agree on much of anything else.

When Naomi confronts Zumbado and Dee about not telling her that her Earth parents are aliens, Dee maintains he did not know and that even with his wings, he can only detect aliens who have powers.  Zumbado admits that he knew Greg and Jennifer back on the planet they come from (Earth 29).  Wanting to know more, Naomi drags Anabelle off to where baby Naomi was found and she discovers a box which glows in her hands.  What to do?  School or an alien bar?  Alien bar.  She can't get in so she flashes the box in front of the bouncer and she's a mini-celebrity.  Akira is suddenly there and telling her the glowing box allows you to travel through dimensions and that she, Akira, came up with it to allow Earth 29 people to escape their dying planet -- it works the other way too, it can treturn them.

As the show might be interesting, the principal of Naomi's school shows up and someone's busted for skipping.  At the principal's office, Greg and Jennifer show up but Naomi refuses to go home with them.


Naomi instead ends up at a school party where you realize that the show has way too many characters.  Including the girl who tries to kiss Naomi but she's still with her boyfriend.  Naomi steps outside when alien assassin Mac shows up determined that Naomi join her and Brutus.  Otherwise?  Mac threatens to take out all the kids inside.


Is it wrong that I was hoping she would?  Again, the cast needs to be thinned out.


Instead Akira and Zumbado show up to save Naomi.  


Yes, she did need a lot of saving this episode.  Maybe that's why we're supposed to be happy that she then returns home?


This could be a great show but there are way too many characters.


Now for the third show: Batwoman.


The CW had cancelled it.  


Good.


It needed to be.


The first season starred Ruby Rose and Kathy Kane who is the Batwoman.


Ruby left because she got seriously injured and was forced to return before she should have been back to work.  They then brought on season two's Batwoman, Javica Leslie.  


Bad storylines are not Javica's fault.  Agreeing to that ridiculous wig is her fault.  If she's going to wear a wig learn from Tina Turner who became an Amazon on stage in the 60s and did so with long, sleek, flowing wigs that accented movement.  Javica's Batwoman wigs looked like a short shrub.  


The ratings fell because so many of us loved Ruby Rose.


Not grasping that, season three was doomed by some members of the cast deciding it was time to trash Ruby.  Really?  That's how they were going to improve ratings?  By attacking the actress we all missed?


Bad storylines and attacks on Ruby (especially from the acting failure Dougray Scott) doomed the show.  They should have tried to improve the storylines, improve the costumes and tell certain cast members to shut the f**k up about Ruby Rose because the fans didn't want to hear them attacking her..


BATWOMAN had a great season one.  


Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


Friday, April 29, 2022.  Turkey contines its acts of war against Iraq, the political stalemate continues in Iraq, is Joe Biden already a lame duck president (can't seem to get an ambassador nominee approved), and more.



Iraq remains targeted by the government of Turkey who, this week, upped their attacks by using a drone to attack the Iraqi military.  Turkey claims that they are in Iraq to 'clean up' the PKK -- a Kuridsh group that arose after years and years of systematic persecution of the Kurds in Turkey and surrounding areas.  Gone are the days of ceasefires or attempts to address very real grievances.  Instead, Turkey has invaded Kurdistan and set up military bases.  They drop bombs on civilians, they destroy forests (terrorist sould be playing hide and seek in them according to Turkey) ad create more and more hardships for the people of Kurdistan.


All of his is a violation of Iraq's national sovereignty.  All of these are legally defined as Acts of War.  But the world looks away.  If only the Kurds were blue-eyed people that some Americans news personality thought looked "just like us" right?


Instead the suffering continues.  Layal Shakir (RUDAW) reports:

Turkey has eyes on certain Iraqi territories which it aims to regain control of through its military operations conducted in the mountains of the Kurdistan Region, a top Iraqi politician said on Thursday, while also highlighting Ankara’s role in Iraq’s political setback.

In a television interview with al-Ahad TV Channel, former Iraqi prime minister and leader of the State of Law Coalition Nouri al-Maliki said Turkey is “eyeing” Iraq and the Region as it continues to “search for excuses” to target the area.

Widely seen as a step to regain power over areas previously controlled by the Ottoman Empire, Ankara launched a fresh military operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Kurdish mountainous area of Duhok province on April 18.

“They [Turkey] have said that in 2023 the parts looted from Turkey will be taken back, and that is Mosul. Mosul includes all of Kurdistan,” Maliki stated referring to the Treaty of Lausanne that set boundaries for modern Turkey 99 years ago, which has been widely criticized by the Turkish President. 

Last year, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country is determined to enter 2023 as a “stronger, more independent, and more prosperous country economically, militarily, politically, and diplomatically.”


ANHA notes:


Since 17 of April the current annihilation attacks and an eradication campaign is launched by the Turkish occupation army with participation of Kurdistan Democratic Party, the PDK, against medya defense zones in Southern Kurdistan in a clear target of the Kurdish culture and identity embodied in the Kurdistan Freedom Movement.

Iraqi politicians and men of religion and notable figures expressed their rejection of the attacks of the Turkish army in Southern Kurdistan.

Head priest and the spiritual leader of the Sabaean-Mandeans in Iraq and the world, Satar Jabar Helo made a statement to ANHA.

Satar Jabar Helo confirmed that the ''attacks by Turkish troops on the Iraqi soil are unacceptable,'' saying: ''at a time where we reject the Turkish military operations on the Iraqi soil that is unacceptable, we lay much stress on the necessity of consolidating positive tries with Turkey based on the mutual interest of both countries, and solving the security related issues via cooperation and joint coordination, the sovereignty of Iraq should be respected''.  

Satar Jabar Helo confirmed that Turkish occupation forces in Iraq should withdraw from Iraqi territories, '' Turkey should withdraw its forces proper from Iraqi soil in a way that shows respect to the Iraqi sovereignty. Hostile acts will not create any sound ground for any sustainable solutions or complementarity in the face of security challenges that necessitates among other priorities increasing the security cooperation between the two sides as a successful way to meet all sought interests and stand up to challenges''. 


In Iraq, the political stalemate continues.  Remember, as May looms, that Iraq held elections October 10th.  Though they did manage to swear in members of Parliament and they did manage to name a Speaker of parliament, they have still not named a president or a prime minister designate.  Over six months after the elections, the political stalemate continues.  MIDDLE EAST EYE maintains:


Iran has begun piling pressure on Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani and the speaker of Iraq’s parliament, Mohammed al-Halbousi, hoping to convince them to abandon Muqtada al-Sadr’s political project and save Tehran’s Iraqi allies.

Six months on from Iraq’s October elections, and neither Sadr’s Save the Homeland alliance nor the Iran-backed Shia Coordination Framework, led by former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, have been able to form a government.

Sadr is currently taking a political timeout. The influential Shia cleric had sought to exclude his rivals by forming a majority government alongside Barzani’s KDP and the Sunni Sovereignty bloc, led by Halbousi. 

But abstaining Coordination Framework MPs have choked all progress in parliament, prompting Sadr on 30 March to withdraw from politics for 40 days and set his rivals a deadline to form a coalition of their own.

With two weeks to go, Iran believes Sadr's "tactical" retreat has given its allies an "irreplaceable" opportunity to dismantle his alliance, Iraqi politicians and observers told MEE.


If you're counting on US diplomatic effors to help with the process, forget it.  Matthew Tueller is on his way out as US Ambassador to Iraq. 



Back in December, US President joe Biden nominated Alina L. Romanowski to be the ambassador to Iraq.   Is he a sitting duck president?  He's a Democrat.  The Senate is controlled by Democrats.  The confirmation hearing was some time ago.  This will be the first ambassador he's named to Iraq as president and he was sworn in at the start of 2021.  


Is there a reason he can't get his nominee approved when his own party control the Senate?


Dilan Sirwan (RUDAW) reports:

No agreements have been reached and no meetings have been held with the rival pro-Iran Coordination framework, the Sadrist bloc said on Thursday, insisting on a national majority government yet again.

Almost seven months after Iraq held snap elections, the country is yet to form a new government amid disagreements between the two largest Shiite blocs.

“There have been no political understandings or meetings between us and the Coordination Framework, and we still insist on a national majority government,” read a statement from the Sadrist bloc, which won the most parliamentary seats in the October elections.

The remarks from the bloc comes after late last month, its leader Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said that he would temporarily step back from the government formation process, giving his rival Coordination Framework a chance to form a government without him. 

However, Sadr’s time off is coming to an end, and former parliamentary sessions attempting to form a new government have proven that the Coordination Framework would not be able to achieve the quorum required to elect a president, who in turn will task a new prime minister to form a cabinet.


As Iraq continues to scramble to put together a government, the country suffers.  THE WEATHER CHANNEL notes:

Iraq's Lake Sawa is no longer.

The lake, which was located west of Samawa in Iraq's Muthana Province, has disappeared due to climate change-induced drought and groundwater harvesting for agricultural and industrial purposes.

Lake Sawa existed in a closed basin, meaning it wasn't fed by any river or stream, which helped to make a rise in salt concentration and encroaching sandstorms detrimental to the lake's existence. Once home to at least 31 bird species and a hub for fishing and recreation, now all that is left cracked, dry soil with a small pond in the middle. Abandoned hotels and tourist facilities speckle the shoreline.

“In previous years, the water area had decreased during the dry seasons. But this year, for the first time, the lake has completely disappeared," environmental activist Husam Subhi said. "This is a clear indication of the impact of climate change on the region.”


NATURE WORLD NEWS adds:


According to Aoun Dhiab, a senior advisor at Iraq's water resources ministry, rainfall in the region has dropped dramatically. The dramatic decline in precipitation in the region has depressed the already low subsurface water table.

Meanwhile, officials have prohibited the construction of new wells and are attempting to shut down all unlawful wells.

Dhiab, who has spent the last decade working to improve environmental consciousness, recalls going to Lake Sawa on school excursions or holidays with his family.

"The lake would not have evaporated at this rate if the government had taken an interest; it is amazing," Dhiab remarked in an interview with AFP. "I'm 60 years old, and I grew up next to the lake; I assumed I'd outlive it, but it tragically outlived me."


THE NATIONAL offers a picture slide show on the lake.


We'll wind down with this from Disabled American Veterans:


August 6-9, 2022 | Hyatt Regency Orlando

This year, the DAV national convention returns to sunny Orlando, Florida. A city known for its attractions and entertainment, the City Beautiful ensures visitors of all ages have an experience they’ll never forget.

The convention is an opportunity to advocate for ill and injured veterans, to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow DAV members, and to take ownership of this organization and its yearly agenda—while allowing for a hearty dose of fun in this premier vacation destination.

Orlando offers something for everyone: family-friendly attractions; world-class dining and entertainment; top-notch golf courses and other recreational activities; and, of course, beautiful weather.

After spending time working alongside fellow veterans to help shape DAV’s future, an array of one-of-a-kind experiences awaits you. Convention-goers can experience the magic of Walt Disney World, the sights and sounds of Universal Orlando, the wonders of the marine life at SeaWorld, the world-class shopping at Pointe Orlando or the breathtaking views atop the 400-foot Wheel at ICON Park, just to name a few. Florida’s world-famous beaches and Kennedy Space Center are also only an hour away.

Attendees enjoy a special room rate at the Hyatt Regency Orlando of $149 per single or double. Additional hotel reservation information is available at bit.ly/3kqZR8X or by calling 1-800-233-1234. Be sure to tell them you are reserving under the Disabled American Veterans room block if making reservations by phone.

To learn more, visit dav.org/events/2022-national-convention.

 

TRAVEL ASSISTANCE

The Transportation Security Administration can facilitate the screening of injured or wounded veterans. After making flight reservations, veterans or their care coordinators should contact a TSA Cares representative by calling toll-free 855-787-2227 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time. A representative will either provide screening information relevant to the veteran’s disability or refer the veteran to experts at TSA for help through the screening process.




The following sites updated:


 


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Thursday, April 28, 2022

First horror movie I remember

After writing about What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? last night, I was asked about the first horror film I remember seeing?

I'm sure I saw Dracula films as a kid and Frankenstein. And I remember -- non=horror -- some woman running across blocks of ice in the water in a silent film that was playing at some pasta food place my parents took me to as a kid and my father telling me it was Lillian Gish. But the first horror movie I remember is The Exorcist. Remember Linda Blair as that bad little girl Regan? Stabbing herself with the cross? Telling that astronaut that he was going to die up there (in space)? Spewing pea green soup and her head spinning around?

All of that was scary as a kid and probably more so because it was little kid. As a kid, that really registers -- even when you're watching a movie like The Bad Seed. And then there's the fact that she was possessed by the devil. So this was all very scary when I was a little kid. The combination made it terrifying. I was convinced for months after that I would end up possessed. And that I would break my neck. I thought I'd end up with the spinning head like Regan but even though it didn't break her neck -- I just knew, just knew, if it happened to me, it would break my neck.

Another thing that was scary about the movie would be that Ellen Burstyn wasn't able to stop this. She was the mother and so that made it scarier as a kid -- that the mom wasn't able to protect you. It hit all the scary notes.

I also remember Escape From Witch Mountain and Return To Witch Mountain. I can write about those in a post on movies for kids. I loved Tia and Tony.

 

 Now be sure to read Trina's "Kick Instacart Out Of The Kitchen" because I thought WalMart was bad.


Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


 Thursday, April 28, 2022.  The bloom's falling off Barack's rose and the persecution of the Kurds gets some international attention.



Building on comments Rebecca ("follow it back to barack") and Elaine ("Joe Biden continues to hurt other Democrats") made last night, let's note how much self-inflicted prominent Democrats have done to the party.

Due to his extreme youth upon being first sworn in as president, it was always doubtful Barack Obama was going to be able to cast through to a natural death on the whorish press he got.  A historical reckoning was due and would likely be forthcoming many years before his state funeral.  

But Barack appears to be hastening his own reckoning.  


Joe Biden's questionable actions as vice president with regard to raking in money via Hunter Biden's corrupt deals?  We would not be talking about it now if Barack hadn't fixed the process so that Joe got the nomination.  


The press had willfully and gladly looked th other way in real time.  They had pronounced Barack scandal free -- ignoring many problems that were visibile all along and I'd certainnly include releasing Iraqis that had murdered US soldiers in a trade for the dead bodies of some British soliders.  That was not in the interest of the US and it did not play well with the families.  THE NEW YORK TIMES, to their credit, did front page that.  No one else did.  But they -- and CNN -- made it a one day story.  Most Americanns still don't know about that to this day.


Or that the terrorist group who secured the release of their members them publicly mocked Barack to the Iraqi media repeatedly.  


Barack knew Joe wasn't up to the job which is why he refused to back Joe for the longest and why his mouth pieces made sure to hype others.  At one point, Barack was even willing to back Elizabeth Waren for the nomination.  But in his desire to stop Bernie Sanders, Barack conspired with others to deliver the blow to Bernie.  


And his thanks?  We now know just how corrupt his administration was.  We now know that Joe Biden was a part of Hunter's uethical schemes, that Joe was part of pay-to-play and granted White House access and face-to-face meetings to ensure that his family raked in millions.


Joe is the face of corruption.


And that's another reason that Anie Apples and all the rest don't want to get serious about Hunter today.


She's at THE ATLANTIC today but that's not where she was then.  And she wasn't overing reality back then.  She was whoring -- as a cheap whore will do.


For eight years they sat on their asses ad looked the other way over and over as Barack broke promises, as Barack ad his administration broke ehtical rules, as contempt of Congress was rewarded by Barack.


Someone lied to Cogress?  Well, Barack loves James Clapper.  And we all know David Peatraeus' downfall was not because of that affair and shared sectrets, it was because David was being asked to run against Barack in 2012.  


There was always more than enough scandal to see if we had a functioning press.


Barack pimped Joe and secured the nomination for him.  And that's bad when you grasp how unfavorable Joe has become to the American people.  There's a reason you should be careful before writing a letter of recommenation for someone -- your support then reflects on you.  


But the other reason that Barack should be kicking himself regarding Joe is that all the rot of his administration may be exposed.  He brought it on himself.


And he's so unpopular himself today.


I twas always seen as the 'right' thing to support Barack.  So people lied.  They thought it was the socially acceptable thing to do.


When the corporate media is telling you that there is only good and evil, and we started noting this over a decade ago, and digging through the polling data to show the conflicting responses, you're not going to get honest responses.


The edia has repeatedly demonized Repubolicans for many, many years.


It's not enough that they have a different opinion than I do, they, the voters, have to be demonized.  They're evil.  They're racist, they're stupid, they're this, they're that.


That sort of garbage shouldn't take place.  But if it does, it should be from the rival major party.  


Instead, it came from what was supposed to be neutral and impartial media.


It's not just their lies about Iraq that tarnished the media's reputation.


It's garbage like Brian Stelter who pretends to do a media critique for CNN.  Howie Kurtz used to do that job.  And I could criticize him for being elitist.  But he was striving to be impartial when it came to partisan outlooks.  Not so with Brian Stelter whose mind must be as grotesque as his body.  


The corporate media has refused to take accountability for their consuences of their actions, they refuse to even acknowledge their actions.  


Their lack of accountability only further breeds mistrust in them from healthy portion of the public -- throughout the political spectrum.  


And, yes, a Special Counsel is needed.  And, Elaine is right, it is hurting the Democrats as they go into the mid-terms.  Don't be surprised, as Americans continue to face inflation, if the GOP doesn't use Hunter against incumbent Democrats in various races.  'Joe was getting fat while you're struggling to pay bills.  Unlike ____, if you elect _____, we will hold the corrupt accountable."


Turning to Iraq.  The beggar media has followed corporate media i dismissing any interest in the Turkish government's ongoing bombing of Iraq, setting up military bases in Iraq and targeting the people of Kurdistan.  Silence.  This has been going on for years.  THE NATION hasn't been interested.  JACOBIN hasn't been interested.  It's not a 'lifestyle' piece so you know THE PROGRSSIVE won't write about it.  DEMOCRACY NOW and all the rest of the beggars have refused to cover it.


That may change.  Their British poster boy has weighed in.


Ex leader of the #UK Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn condemns UK arms sales to Turkey for use against the Kurds and condemns Turkey's invasion of Iraqi #Kurdistan. medyanews.net/labours-jeremy
3:28 PM · Apr 27, 2022











  • 8 hours ago 



    • Shaun Yuan (ALJAZEERA) reports:


     Turkey’s latest military operation in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq began early last week, with Ankara launching an air and ground offensive targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in pockets of Duhok province on April 18.

    These operations against the PKK, an armed group fighting for the autonomy of Turkey’s southeast and considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara, have become a regular occurrence over recent years. However, they are growing more controversial in Iraq, and not just in areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

    “This operation is basically trying to intervene and establish networks of observation, monitoring, and bases,” Sardar Aziz, an analyst and former adviser to the KRG parliament, told Al Jazeera. “This time Turkey is planning to stay.”

    Only days before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the launch of the operation, dubbed Claw-Lock, he met with the KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, an apparent signal that the KRG was supportive, to a certain extent, of the operation. Erdogan has also said that the Iraqi government cooperated with the operation.


    Demonstrations took place in Kurdistan.


    Demonstrators gathered on Tuesday by the #UnitedNations offices in Iraq's #Kurdistan regional capital Erbil to protest against Operation Claw-Lock, a military operation launched by Turkey last week. medyanews.net/iraqi-kurds-in
    6:00 AM · Apr 28, 2022


    This is not about the PKK.  It is about targeting Kurds and the Turkish government makes that clear with their actions outside of Turkey as well as inside.  They persecute the Kurds and they've done it for decades.  The PKK is a rsponse to this persecution -- a detail a whorish media always 'forgets' to point out.  The PKK did not rise up because things were perfect for the Kurds in Turkey.


    The following sites updated:





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