The news doesn’t always have to be serious. Sometimes it can be funny.
Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me has been part of the WNYC and NPR schedules since 1998. Currently hosted by Peter Sagal, it is part interview show and part comedic news program. Both panelists and contestants are quizzed about the latest headlines while laughing along the way.
I’ve listened to the show a couple of times. It’s entertaining, but not enough to keep me coming back for more.
Do I recommend it? Maybe.
History is full of lessons that are there for us to learn from. The question is, can we learn from the past or are we too stubborn/afraid to see it?
Code Name Edelweiss, by Stephanie Landsem was published this month. Liesl Weiss is a single mother living in Los Angeles in the early 1930s. Without her husband, she is the sole caretaker of the young children and aging mother. Though her younger brother lives with them, he cares more about himself that the family. When she loses her job, everything goes to pieces.
A wanted ad leads her to Leon Lewis, a Jewish lawyer who believes that Nazis have infiltrated Hollywood and are planning to use it to spread their message. But the powers that be are putting their focus elsewhere. Without any other options in sight, Liesel accepts his offer to spy on her friends and neighbors. What starts out as a mere paycheck turns into a realization that there is a dangerous undercurrent that could destroy the country.
Based on a true story, this book is amazing. Part spy thriller and part historical fiction, it is one hell of a ride. From the word go, the danger is in the reader’s face. I love Liesel as the main character. She is a woman walking a tightrope that could tear at any moment. Torn between her conscience and doing what she needs to do to keep her family afloat, Liesel has to make a choice that could put everyone she loves in danger.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely. I would even go as far as to say that it is one of my favorite books of 2023 so far.
Code Name: Edelweiss is available wherever books are sold.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC review copy.
Conspiracy theories have existed for as long as humanity has been conscious of the wider world. What matters is if they are allowed to flourish or sent to the shadows.
Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America, by Fever Dreams co-host Will Sommer, was published last month. After diving into the world of QAnon, he reveals what built it up to the movement it has become and what can be done to stop it.
The narrative is a combination of first-person interviews and an examination of the elements of this perspective. Built up since the 2020 Presidential election, the internet (and social media by extension), a number of influential politicians, and world events, QAnon’s influence has spread across the globe.
My first thought is to laugh at these people. Anyone with a brain can see the holes that a truck can go through. But then it becomes a problem when those with influence start to believe the theories and follow through on them.
What gives me hope is that it is possible to stop QAnon. We just have to buck up and do what needs to be done.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely.
Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America is available wherever books are sold.
The purpose of a democracy is to allow differing opinions to exist in one space. The point is to allow everyone to speak without fear of retribution. But once all is said and done, the hopeful end is sort of agreement.
Last week, the sound of gunfire was heard in a mall in Texas. One person was killed and three were injured. Where is Greg Abbott? I know it is foolish to ask, but it has to be said. Is so concerned about his base and his donors that the lives of ordinary Texans are secondary?
One of the major headlines of the past week was the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The long-term environmental impact of the hazardous chemicals that have seeped into the ground and the town’s water supply is unknown at this moment.
While other politicians immediately stepped forward, the state’s newest Senator, J.D. Vance took his sweet time to speak up. This makes me wonder where his priorities are. Is his focus on the voters and making sure that the regulations are in place to keep them safe and healthy? Or is he prioritizing the lies and half-truths of the Republican party?
The big revelation coming from the right over the last few days is that the good people at Fox News knew that the claim that the 2020 Presidential election was rigged is a lie. Instead of admitting to the public what they knew, they went ahead with it. Their ratings are more important than anything else.
And finally, the opening bell of the 2024 Presidential election has been rung. Former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley have announced that she is running for President. While on paper, she comes off as reasonable and closer to the political center than others in her party.
The problem is that the paper is far from opaque. Specifically, when she called out the 1619 Project while confusing Danielle Moodie with the project’s creator, Nikole Hannah Jones. Anyone with a brain can see that they look nothing alike.
G-d help this country if the right gets their way.
I would hope that no one joins a law enforcement body with the goal of purposefully oppressing and killing their fellow citizens. It is one of those professions that in a perfect world, we would admire and lift up those who make it their life’s work. But we live in the real world, where police brutality has become just another headline.
The new three-part Hulu documentary, Killing County was produced by Colin Kaepernick and Ben Meiselas of the MeidasTouch podcast. It follows the news coming out of Bakersfield, California, where a number of men (mostly with a darker hue) were killed by police. The audience follows the investigation into their deaths and why the cops immediately reached for their weapons instead of using other tactics.
This is a must-see film. The hardest interviews to watch were those of the family members of the victims. Through their eyes, we were seeing their loved ones as human beings, not a name on a police report or a quick sound bite on the evening news. What I took away from it was the right that we, as citizens, have to tell the law and the judicial system when they have gone too far.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely.
Killing County is available for streaming on Hulu.
When someone says who they are (specifically in politics), we should believe them. Whether we believe it or not, they hold our collective future in their hands.
The recent Republican fuckery from Florida is as follows:
There is a debate going around as to whether or not high school-age female student-athletes should be required to provide details about their menstrual cycles. Aside from the anti-transgender laws, the consequences of the potential loss of a woman’s right to privacy cannot be ignored. Whether it is a question of the ending of an unintended pregnancy or forced birth (a la The Handmaid’s Tale), we should not be looking away.
Adding insult to injury, teachers in the state are being forced to make a choice that no educator should be forced into. They can either remove books from their shelf/curriculum that have been labeled as “woke”. If they choose to ignore the law, they face a possible jail sentence of five years. And then, there is the proposed legislation to allow anyone to buy a gun without requiring permits.
I don’t know about you, but DeSantis’s priorities are seriously screwed up.
I am going to end this post with two Instagram posts from Danielle Moodie (co-host of The New Abnormal podcast) and actor Leslie Jones.
Among the 6 million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust were 1.5 million young people. This cumulative experience of the lost generation speaks to us via The Diary of Anne Frank.
In 1955, the book was turned into a play. The new 7-part podcast, Playing Anne Frank, tells the behind-the-scenes story of how the play was made and its impact on everyone (both the audience and the creators) involved. Mixing historical media with interviews of surviving cast members, it brings the drama to life and reinforces the importance of the work.
I have enjoyed listening to the first 3 episodes. For obvious reasons, both the original text and its various stage/screen incarnations are still relevant, even after all of these years. What I am appreciating is the insights of the cast and that they understood the necessity of sharing Anne’s story.
Do I recommend it? Yes.
New episodes of Playing Anne Frank are released every Tuesday.
Every generation has its own musical artists that define the era. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, boy bands were everywhere. Many young girls (myself included) screamed our lungs out for our favorite performers.
Frosted Tips with Lance Bass is the newest podcast on the nostalgia block. Hosted by former NSYNC member Lance Bass and his husband, Michael Turchin, the guest in each episode is a member of one of the boy bands that specifies that time period.
I am loving this podcast. I am laughing, I am smiling, and I am enjoying myself. It is the perfect time machine that for a brief time, takes me back to when life was not so complicated.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely.
New episodes of Frosted Tips with Lance Bass are released every Monday.
As I get older, I find myself getting more and more nostalgic for a time when life was simpler. Adding to this nostalgia is the flow of media that delves into the past for content.
The new podcast, Hey Dude… The 90s Called! is hosted by Hey Dude (1989 to 1991) stars Christine Taylor and David Lascher. In addition to reminiscing about the time on this 1990s Nickelodeon show, the actors take a plunge into the last decade of the 20th century.
I am two episodes in and I am loving it. The behind-the-scenes aspect is so far most the fascinating aspect of this rewatch podcast. Hearing the stories of the experiences of the cast and creative team makes me appreciate the program even more.
Do I recommend it? Yes.
New episodes of Hey Dude… The 90s Called! is released every Monday.
The only thing that is guaranteed in life (as we all know) is death and taxes. Everything else is up in the air.
Last week, after multiple years of BS, the former guy’s tax returns were finally made public. In a nutshell, he lied. He cheated and told numerous untruths. This, as expected, was for his benefit, and not for the voters. For more details, I highly recommend a recent episode of the MeidasTouch podcast.
What gets me angry is that there are millions of Americans who pay their taxes on time and whose income is far beneath what he claimed it was. Who does he think he is that he does not have to pay his taxes?
This money that we all pay in is not for nothing. It pays for schools, libraries, hospitals, the upkeep of infrastructure, and other important public works. I can only imagine how much better this nation would be if we all paid our fair share.
P.S. Did you hear that Kevin McCarthy was not voted in as Speaker of the House earlier today? I saw that coming a mile away. The way the Republicans are acting these days, it’s no wonder that they are infighting. Let them, the Democrats will actually do the job the voters hired them to do.
Writergurlny 
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