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Sunday, February 26, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/26 - Conflicts

In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, Kyle Smith writes: "What progressives need to defeat Trump is outreach, but all they have is outrage." He cites a “general strike” called for March 8th, the "Day without a Woman." In a manifesto published in The Guardian on Feb. 6th, those behind the movement are calling for a “new wave of militant feminist struggle.” The document was co-authored by Rasmea Yousef Odeh, a convicted terrorist. A Palestinian, she was convicted in Israel in 1970 for her part in two terrorist bombings, one of which killed two students shopping for groceries. She spent ten years in prison. She then managed to become a US citizen in 2004 by lying about her past. She was subsequently convicted, in 2014, of immigration fraud for the falsehoods. She has won the right to a new trial, set for this spring, by claiming she was suffering PTSD at the time she applied. Another co-author is the infamous Angela Davis, Stalinist professor and longtime supporter of the Black Panthers. She was acquitted in a 1972 trial after three guns she bought were used in a courtroom shootout that killed a judge. She celebrated by moving to Cuba. A third co-author, Tithi Bhattacharya, praised Maoism in an essay for the International Socialist Review, and says: “Maoists are back in the news and by all accounts they are fighting against all the right people.”

In a fun article, also in the Post, Robert Rorke highlights the Hollywood lore that has inspired a new miniseries, Feud: Bette and Joan, starring Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis. It focuses on the tension prevalent during the filming of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Davis had a knack for using a subtle, sly touch when twisting the knife. She had a Coca-Cola machine installed in her dressing room, since Crawford had been married to Pepsi CEO Alfred Steele. While filming, Davis spontaneously kicked her co-star in the head during a fight scene. Crawford got her revenge: Knowing Davis had a bad back, she wore a lead-lined weight-lifter’s belt under her costume for a scene in which Davis had to drag her across the floor. Love it! Although Lange and Sarandon are great actresses, I cannot picture them in the parts. I hope they fare better than Faye Dunaway did in Mommie Dearest (1981). If the show receives good reviews, I'll add it to my Netflix list once it becomes available on DVD.

"Rory McIlroy defends decision to play golf with President Trump." That's a headline from Yahoo Sports. I have no clue about McIlroy's politics. He may not even favor much of Trump's agenda, and yet he's expected to toe the radical leftist approach on all things Trump. What a crock.

The temperature dropped considerably but it was still a beautiful day. My thanks to the gentleman who purchased the compilation CD of 70's hits, and to the woman who bought Second Generation by Howard Fast, Jewel by Bret Lott, and Adieu, Volodya by Simone Signoret and Stanley Hochman, a novel released posthumously after the legendary screen actress' death in 1985 at 64. The hardcover version I sold is listed at Amazon from a penny to $55. I gave it up for two bucks.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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