Tag: Independence Day

I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir Book Review

There are two ways to look at life. The first is a series of potholes that we stepped in and learned from. The second is to always be the optimist. My view is a combination of them both. Life is a combination of good experiences and bad experiences. What matters is how we deal with the outcomes of those events.

Harvey Fierstein‘s new autobiography/memoir, I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir was published in March. Born in 1952 to a Jewish family in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst, he knew from an early age that he was a born performer. He also knew that he was not like other boys.

His life and career is nothing short of a roller coaster. As an LGBTQ activist, Fierstein has paved the way for this generation of queer young people to be out and proud of who they are. As a writer and actor, he has become well known and respected for his body of work: Independence Day, Newsies, Mrs. Doubtfire, Hairspray, etc.

Fierstein’s story is one of acceptance, change, and dealing with both the highs and lows that come with living a colorful life on your own terms.

I loved this book. In his trademark voice, Fierstein is funny, sarcastic, open, heartbreaking, and real. This is a man who has been to Hades and back and still finds joy in the little things. He is more than an icon in this book. He is a human being who has inspired us, made us laugh, made us cry, and most of all proved that we can be ourselves and thrive.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir is available wherever books are sold.

Harvey Fierstein GIF by Hairspray Live! - Find & Share on GIPHY

I Want to Celebrate Independence Day, But I Can’t

Today is the 4th of July and America’s Independence Day. I want to celebrate our freedoms, but I can’t.

I am not free today.

My right to my body and my future was taken away from me. I am no longer equal, I have been reduced to being once again, a second-class citizen. If some people have their way, I will be forced to carry and birth a child, regardless of how it was conceived. I will be nothing more than a walking, talking uterus. My wants, my desires, my abilities, and my flaws, will be meaningless.

I want to celebrate today, but I can’t. Instead, I mourn and I fight.

Flashback Friday: Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

When the sequel to a highly successful film is released, the expectation is that this second narrative will hold up on its own while giving proper respect to its predecessor.

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) is the follow-up to the blockbuster 90’s movie Independence Day. It takes place a generation after Earth was nearly obliterated by an invading alien army. Humanity has taken thorough advantage of the advancement in technology. When the aliens return with revenge on the mind and a military force that has doubled in size, our heroes must once again save the day.

Two generations combine forces. the newbies Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth), Patricia Whitworth (Maika Monroe), and Dylan Hiller (Jessie T. Usher) eagerly join the fight. Backing them up are veterans David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), Julius Levinson (Judd Hirsch), former President Whitmore (Bill Pullman), and Jasmine Hiller (Vivica A. Fox). It will take all of them working together to repel the attackers and keep our world going.

I love the first movie. It is everything a film of this nature should be. I wish I could say the same about Independence Day: Resurgence. While the visuals are fantastic, they cannot make up for the meh storyline and unimpressive character arcs. The emotions that I felt while watching Independence Day are missing. It was as if the screenwriters and creative team lost the spark. Unfortunately, it comes off a soulless easy cash grab based on nostalgia, which doesn’t always work.

Do I recommend it? Not really.

Independence Day Explosion GIF by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment - Find & Share on GIPHY

Thoughts On the 4th of July

Today is America’s Independence Day.

I wish today was an ordinary 4th of July. But as we all know, 2020 is not an ordinary year.

If nothing else, the protests following the murder of George Floyd and the issues created by Covid-19 has revealed the cracks in American society. If none of this was happening, it would be easy to ignore them. But one cannot ignore long standing issues if they are in your face 24/7.

We are at a precipice. We can either put our rose colored glasses on or we can finally start the process of becoming the nation that we could be. This is not the first time we have been at a crossroads. We can move forward as country. We can heal and accept that collectively, we have made mistakes. We only need to step up to the plate and learn from the past.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing this weekend, have a happy and safe Independence Day.

Thoughts On Independence Day

For most of the world, the 4th of July is just another day. But for the United States, is our Independence Day.

I am proud to be an American, in spite of our flaws. I am proud to live in a country in which my rights as an individual are respected. I am free to worship as I choose, to ask questions of my government and freely protest when I disagree with their actions. I am free to speak openly without fear of reprisal. This is the land of opportunity, a country in which someone who is born poor has the potential to die rich.

This is a land that opened her door and her arms to million of immigrants (including members of my own family) who were fleeing poverty, persecution and lack of freedom. This is a land in which generations of soldiers have fought and died for.

This is a land that after speaking of the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.We have and continue to right the wrongs of our past by protecting and opening doors to those who in past generations were denied because of who they were.

Happy Independence Day, wherever you are.

Thoughts On Independence Day

Today, the 4th of July, is America’s Independence Day.

242 years ago today, the Declaration of Independence was adopted and ratified as the backbone of the new American democracy.

While this country and her citizens is far from perfect, I am proud to call this country home. I have written in the past about my immigrant forebears, who like millions of others, left their families and homelands for the freedom and opportunity that America represents.

Whatever you’re doing today, whether it be the beach, a barbecue, a family reunion, watching the fireworks or simply hanging out at home in the air conditioning, have a safe and happy Independence Day.

Musings On The 4th of July

Today is the celebration of America’s Independence Day. Today we go to the beach, we barbecue and watch as the fireworks explode across the night sky.

But 4th of July is more than just another day off. It is a reminder of the struggle of generations of Americans who have fought and died for the freedoms we hold dear.

This country opened it’s arms to my immigrant great-grandparents more than a century ago. Escaping poverty and persecution, they came to America looking for freedom, security and opportunity. Their struggle, like millions of immigrants then and now was far from easy. But with hard work comes success and that success has made the United States the country that it is today.

While we as a nation are far from perfect, we still hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (and women) are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

G-d Bless the USA and Happy 4th of July.

Sybil Ludington

Today, as we celebrate Independence Day, we talk about and remember the Founding Fathers.

One of the more memorable events that led to the revolution was the announcement by Paul Revere that the British were coming.

Unknown to many Americans, there is another one that made a similar ride. Her name was Sybil Ludington. The teen-aged daughter of Colonel Henry Ludington, a hero of the Revolutionary War in his own right, young Sybil rode to alert neighbors about the impending British invasion. Legend states that she rode farther and faster than the men who took similar actions.

She was only 16 years old.

When we speak of history and heroes who had a hand in shaping the future, we often only speak of men. We rarely speak of women or young girls.

It’s time to change that. We need to honor the women in our collective past who did not confirm to what it was to be a proper lady. In taking that ride, Sybil Ludington, in her own small way, paved the way for future generations of women to do what is right, as opposed to what is proper.

Happy Independence Day.

4th Of July

Today is the 4th of July, America’s Independence Day.

On this day many of us will be at the beach, perfecting our barbecue recipes and watching the fireworks.

We have a lot to be grateful for.

While millions around the world struggle for the most basic of human rights, Americans wake up every day with the knowledge that they have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Today we honor the countless members of our armed forces, who over the past 240 years, have given everything, including their lives, for the freedoms that we take for granted.

Happy 4th of July, America.