Jane Lives On

201 years ago yesterday, Jane Austen left this Earth.

In her lifetime, she published four completed novels: Sense And Sensibility, Pride And Prejudice, Mansfield Park And Emma. Persuasion, her last completed novel and Northanger Abbey, her first completed novel were published posthumously.

I sometimes wonder if she had any inkling of her pending immortality. Though her mortal bones have long since returned to the Earth, her name lives on. She is as famous as any contemporary author. Her books are read for pleasure and for academic purposes. There have been more than a few film, television and stage adaptations of her works (some which are better than others) and while many modern authors have tried to replicate Jane’s style as a writer, only a handful have succeeded in doing so.

Her work lives on because they still speak to us 200 years later. Above all else, she wrote about the human condition and the ordinary experiences that we all live through.

Wherever you are Jane, thank you.

Throwback Thursday-No One Would Tell (1996)

The statistics about spousal/partner abuse can only be defined as scary. 1 out of every three women and one out of every four men have been physically abused by their spouse or romantic partner.

In the 1996 television movie, No One Would Tell, Stacy Collins (Candace Cameron Bure) is a shy teenage girl who somehow attracts the attention of Bobby Tennison (Fred Savage), one of the most popular boys in her high school. What starts out as a fairy tale high school fantasy come true turns into a nightmare. Bobby becomes possessive of Stacy and starts physically abusing her. Can Stacy walk away from Bobby before it’s too late?

While there are some “message” movies that get on their soapbox instead of using the narrative to get their message to the audience, this television movie does not fall into that category. Spousal and partner abuse is an epidemic that has existed for most of human history. The message in the movie reaches the audience in a way that hits home without said soapbox.

I recommend it.

Two Podcasts You Should Be Listening To If You Aren’t Already: Can I Just Say & Unorthodox

These days, everyone and their mother has their own podcast.

But for me, there are two podcasts that I count myself as a fan of: Unorthodox and Can I Just Say.

Unorthodox

There is an old inside joke about Jews: For every two Jews, there are three opinions. From my perspective. is the backbone of Unorthodox. Created by Tablet Magazine,  the podcast is hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz. Every week they talk about news relating to the Jewish world and have two guests: one Jewish and one not Jewish. What I appreciate about this podcast is that Mark, Liel and Stephanie not only mesh well together, but their unique world views allow all three to stand out in their own way. I’ve been listening for a couple of years; it’s a pleasure to wake up on Thursday morning knowing that the week’s episode is waiting for me.

Can I Just Say

Pop culture podcasts can sometimes get a little dull. Either they can veer too much into the fan boy or fan girl lane or they are just a tad too intellectual.

Thankfully, Can I Just Say is the perfect pop culture podcast. Hosted by Daphne Olive and Elizabeth Stevens, the ladies have unique and stimulating conversations about everything from Star Wars (their newest podcast about The Last Jedi was very interesting) to novels and their various adaptations (their comments about Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility got me thinking) to a hand-picked selection of Baz Lurhmann films opened my eyes to his abilities as a filmmaker. They also host a podcast entitled Fathoms Deep: A Black Sails Podcast, an equally interesting podcast about the television series Black Sails.

I recommend both.

 

Dear Mark Zuckerberg: A Response To Allowing Holocaust Deniers To Stay On Facebook

Dear Mark Zuckerberg,

You’re a Jew. I’m a Jew. You believe in free speech. I believe in free speech.

But I also know that the internet and your creation, Facebook, allows hate speech and lies about The Holocaust to spread at a rate that is quite scary from my perspective.

I don’t know about your family history, but I lost family in The Holocaust.

One of the reasons I am alive today is because members of my family took a chance when they left their homes and families for a new life in America in the early 20th century. I suspect your family at about this time in history did the same thing.

While I respect that Facebook is supposed to be a social media platform for all of us, a line has to be drawn when it comes to hate speech of any kind.

There should be no place for hate speech in this world in 2018. Unfortunately, Facebook allows hate speech to flourish.

Sincerely

A Concerned Facebook User

 

 

 

The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life Book Review

Unless one is living under a rock these days, it’s hard to ignore the fact that immigration is a hot button issue these days. The problem with the debate is that there are nuances and real human beings behind the debate that are more often than not, overlooked.

Last year, journalist Lauren Markham published her new non fiction book, The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life.

Born in El Salvador, Ernesto and Raul Flores were growing up in the midst of their homeland’s civil war. At the age of seventeen, as gang violence mounted, the boys knew that they had no choice. They had to leave their home and family for the United States. Surviving the treacherous journey to America, Ernesto and Raul face new challenges. In addition to the growing pains that every teenager deals with, the boys must deal with immigration courts, adapting to a new life in America and living with an older brother whom they had not seen for a number of years.

I was blown away by this book. It read more like a fiction novel than a true story. Above all, what I loved about this book was that it put a human face and a human story on a subject that many in this country do not see eye to eye to.

I absolutely recommend it.

 

A VERY STABLE GENIUS – Randy Rainbow Song Parody

Genius is usually a title that others confer on you. It is not a title that one usually confers on oneself.

You know who has often referred to himself as a “very stable genius”.

Earlier today, Randy Rainbow released his latest video,  “A Very Stable Genius”. With his usual wicked and satirical sense of humor, Rainbow uses the song “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” from the musical, The Pirates of Penzance, as the basis of his latest song.

Laughter is often the best medicine, especially when life gets a little rough. Given our current political climate, Randy Rainbow has become a doctor of laughter, allowing the fans to think, breath and laugh, even when we want to do the opposite.

Thanks, Randy.

It’s Treason, Pure And Simple

In 1778, during the height of the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold jumped ship to fight for the British.  Since then, his name is synonymous with treason.

Today, was have a new name to link to treason against America: Donald Trump.

Despite recent undeniable proof (and indictments against Russian agents) that Russia meddled in the 2016 Presidential election, Trump continue to deny the truth during the dual press conference in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I don’t know (though it seems likely and has seemed likely for a while) if Putin has something on Trump or he is just so dam egotistical that he can’t see what is happening in front of his eyes.

I’m not a legal scholar, but for me, this would be more than enough of a reason for me to start impeachment proceedings. We’ve been sold out to Russia and Putin knows it. The only person who doesn’t know it is Trump.

Even those who have supported him have called Trump out on what he did and said today.

So much for America First.

 

 

The Great Alone Book Review

Growing up is never easy. Especially when the relationship between one’s parents is tumultuous and your growing up at the end of the world.

In Kristin Hannah’s new novel, The Great Alone, Leni Allbright is a young lady growing up in the 1970’s. Her father, Ernt, survived The Vietnam War, but came home a changed man. Her mother, Cora, loves her husband passionately and will follow him to the ends of the Earth. The ends of the Earth is a small town at the edge of the Alaska wilderness. In the beginning, their new home is nirvana. It is a chance for the family to start over. But the past is never far behind and as winter approaches, Cora and Leni must face the truth about Ernt.

The only thing I can say about this book is wow. Kristin Hannah has done it again. The narrative was tense, dramatic and I was on the edge of my seat until the final page.

I absolutely recommend it.

Thoughts On The NYC Specialized High School Controversy

We all know that receiving a solid education when we are young sets us up for life. Unfortunately, many students, for a variety of reasons, do not receive the education they should ideally be receiving.

Recently, New York City Bill de Blasio announced that a plan was in place to change the admissions process to the city’s specialized high schools. Currently, students who wish to attend these schools must take a rigorous standardized exam to determine if they will be granted admission to the school of their choice. For some, the problem is that these schools have student population of mostly Caucasian and Asian-American students. There are only a handful of African-American and Latino students whose scores quality them for entrance.

Some officials and parents are stating the fact that the students who attend these schools get in because of their test scores. The test is fair because it creates a level playing field. These students (and their parents by extension), took the time and energy to prepare for these exams. If they qualified (based on their test scores) for admission, they got in because of the hard work they put in beforehand.

But at the same time, I understand the argument that there needs to be greater diversity in these high schools.

I personally believe that if the parents of the African-American and Latino students who want to attend these schools cannot pay out-of-pocket for the test prep needed, the city should step in. Why should these kids not have the same opportunities because their parents do not have the funds needed for the expensive test prep programs? They deserve the same opportunities to prepare for the tests as their peers whose parents pay out-of-pocket for the test prep programs.

While I very much appreciate the Mayor’s thinking outside of the box, I don’t believe that changing the admissions process is the best way to fix this problem.

 

Flashback Friday-Rock Of Love (2007-2009) & Flavor Of Love (2006-2008)

Among the more popular sub-genre that lies within the reality television genre, the celebrity dating show is an interesting one.

For a few years in the mid to late 2000’s, VH1 dominated this sub-genre. Two of their more popular shows were Rock Of Love (2007-2009) and Flavor Of Love (2006-2008).

The concept was like any reality show dating contest, with the difference being that the man at the center of the show was a famous musician. In Rock Of Love, the musician was Poison front man Bret Michaels. In Flavor Of Love, the musician was Public Enemy hype man Flavor Flav. Both men had around twenty to twenty five women vying for their affection. As the season wore on, one woman would be eliminated at the end of every episode until one was chosen as the winner.

If nothing else, these shows were mindless entertainment. Brain cells were not needed to watch the train wrecks that Rock Of Love and Flavor Of Love.

Do I recommend them? Not really.