#Jim haskins

[fatehbaz]

In 1913, a year before the Panama Canal was completed, the journalist Frederic J. Haskin wrote that “the conquest of the Isthmian barrier was the conquest of the mosquito.” This was a period when America [had] [...] by 1902 taken control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam. [...] The connection between mosquito control and the United States’ imperial conquest can be seen in the work of William C. Gorgas, the Alabama-born Army surgeon who led efforts to eradicate yellow fever and malaria -- both mosquito-borne diseases -- during the first US occupation of Cuba (1898–1902) and was subsequently appointed Chief Sanitary Officer of in Panama. [...] Gorgas claimed that he had “made sanitary discoveries that will enable man to return [...] and again live and develop in his natural home, the tropics.” [...] In particular, the dwellings erected for the Isthmian Canal Commission (ICC) conjoined the management of mosquitos with manipulating the interactions between people of different races and social classes. [...]

Gorgas arrived in Panama in 1904 [...]. Gorgas and others saw sanitation work as indistinguishable from the military occupation in Cuba and the success of the canal construction in Panama. [...] Spraying was largely carried out by mosquito brigades, which checked households for compliance [...]. But [...] these brigades also policed the activity of local residents. [...]

---

There was much debate not only about who to enlist to build the canal, but also how to prevent organized resistance and revolt among them. 

As one official testified to the US congress in 1906, “there must be on the Isthmus a surplusage of labor. Otherwise, we will have interminable strikes.” [...] 

Furthermore, rather than one vulnerable workforce, Chief Engineer John Stevens believed that having several different nationalities and ethnicities would be easier to divide and create competition, compelling them to work harder.

In order to do this, the ICC created a segregated, dual payment system: the gold and silver rolls. [...] [W]hite workers from the US were mostly hired for skilled positions and received payment in gold. These “gold-roll” employees could spend leisure time in segregated clubs [...]. West Indians and Black workers from the United States were mostly assigned to the silver roll. [...]

[T]he gold- and silver-roll system constituted an apartheid society, a perverse reincarnation of the contemporary Jim Crow system that was in full effect at the time in the United States. [...]

---

Although the ICC offered free housing to all its gold-roll employees, silver-roll employees paid rent. [...] As late as 1910, Galician workers on the silver roll were still living in boxcars ventilated only by a few small punched openings. [...] When West Indians requested basic amenities like blankets and shelter to keep their clothes from being soaked in the rain, the US government responded that they didn’t even need sheds. [...] For white workers [...] Type 13 [housing types] not only features a wraparound screened porch as a circulation space, but also a prominent band of empty space surrounding the enclosed bedrooms [...].

The distinctions associated with the categorical, systematic definition of different domestic architecture for different classes of people follows a history of typology in architecture and criminology that was closely associated with scientific racism, social Darwinism [...]. 

George W. Goethals, who took over as Chief Engineer of the project from Stevens in 1907, responded to requests for mosquito nets and screens for West Indians by repeating a common and racist misunderstanding: “It is generally admitted … [t]hat the colored people are immune.” Yet in 1912, “as many as two-thirds of all West Indians reported sick or required medical attention … [m]ost of them catching malaria several times [...].”

---

Structured by prejudice, anti-mosquito architecture allowed malaria to continue spreading while reinforcing racial hierarchies. [...] US imperial concepts about the tropics as a place [...] “[...] divided the civilized, temperate North from the heat, humidity and backwardness of the tropics.” [...] While managing the laborers through their relationship to insects -- and each other -- this low-cost architecture was crucial in the broader effort to turn the Isthmus into an imperial outpost and render the landscape tropical.

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All text above by: Dante Furioso. “Sanitary Imperialism”. e-flux (Sick Architecture series). May 2022. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[lindsaywesker]

Deaths In 2023

January

1: Fred White (67, American drummer, Earth Wind & Fire)

3: Alan Rankine (64, Scottish musician/producer, The Associates)

6: Gianluca Vialli (58, Italian football player/manager)

10: Jeff Beck (78, English guitarist, The Yardbirds/The Jeff Beck Group/Beck Bogart & Appice)

11: Yukihiro Takahashi (70, Japanese singer/drummer, Yellow Magic Orchestra)

12: Robbie Bachman (69, Canadian drummer, Bachman Turner Overdrive)

Lisa-Marie Presley (54, American singer/songwriter, daughter of Elvis, mother of Riley Keough)

16: Gina Lollobrigida (95, Italian actress)

18: David Crosby (81, American singer/songwriter, The Byrds, Crosby Stills Nash & Young)

27: Sylvia Sims (89, English actress, ‘Ice Cold In Alex’)

28: Barrett Strong (81, American singer/songwriter, co-wrote ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’/‘Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone’

Tom Verlaine (73, American musician/songwriter/producer, Television)

Lisa Loring (64, American actress, ‘The Addams Family’)

February

2: Calton Coffie (68, Jamaican singer, Inner Circle)

3: Paco Rabanne (88, Spanish fashion designer)

8: Burt Bacharach (94, American songwriter, co-wrote ‘Walk On By’/‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’/‘A House Is Not A Home’/‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’)

10: Hugh Hudson (86, film director, ‘Chariots Of Fire’)

12: David Jolicoeur a.k.a. Trugoy The Dove (54, American rapper, De La Soul)

15: Raquel Welch (82, American actress)

16: Chuck Jackson (85, American soul singer, ‘Any Day Now’/‘I Keep Forgettin’’)

18: Barbara Bosson (83, American actress, ‘Hill Street Blues’)

19: Richard Belzer (78, American actor, ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’/’Law And Order: Special Victims Unit’)

Dickie Davies (94, British television personality, ‘World Of Sport’)

23: John Motson (77, English football commentator, ‘Match Of The Day’)

March

2: Steve Mackey (56, English bassist/producer, Pulp)

Wayne Shorter (89, American jazz saxophonist, Weather Report)

3: Carlos Garnett (84, Panamanian jazz saxophonist)

Tom Sizemore (61, American actor, ‘Saving Private Ryan’)

5: Gary Rossington (71, American guitarist, Lynyrd Skynyrd)

8: Topol (87, Israeli actor, ‘Fiddler On The Roof’/’Flash Gordon’)

10: Junior English (71, Jamaican reggae singer)

12: Dick Fosbury (76, American high jumper)

13: Jim Gordon (77, American drummer, Traffic/Derek & The Dominoes)

14: Bobby Caldwell (71, American singer/songwriter)

15: Greg Perry (singer/songwriter/producer)

16: Fuzzy Haskins (81, American singer, Parliament/Funkadelic)

17: Lance Reddick (60, American actor, ‘The Wire’/’Oz’/’John Wick’ films)

23: Keith Reid (76, English songwriter, Procol Harum)

Peter Shelley (80, English singer/songwriter/producer, ‘Gee Baby’/’Love Me Love My Dog’)

28: Paul O’Grady a.k.a. Lily Savage (67, English comedian)

Ryuichi Sakamoto (71, Japanese musician/composer, Yellow Magic Orchestra, composed theme to ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’)

29: Charles Sherrell a.k.a. Sweet Charles (80, American bass player/singer, The JBs, ‘Yes, It’s You’)

April

5: Booker T. Newberry III (67, American singer, Sweet Thunder, ‘Love Town’)

6: Paul Cattermole (46, English singer, S Club 7)

8: Michael Lerner (81, American actor, ‘Barton Fink’)

12: Jah Shaka (75, Jamaican sound system operator)

13: Dame Mary Quant (93, English fashion designer)

14: Mark Sheehan (46, Irish guitarist, The Script)

16: Ahmad Jamal (92, jazz pianist)

17: Ivan Conti (76, jazz drummer, Azymuth)

22: Barry Humphries a.k.a. Dame Edna Everage (89, Australian comedian/actor)

Len Goodman (78, English TV personality)

25: Harry Belafonte (95, American musician/actor/civil rights leader)

27: Wee Willie Harris (90, English rock & roll singer)

Jerry Springer (79, English-born, American TV host)

28: Tim Bachman (71, Canadian guitarist, Bachman-Turner Overdrive)

May

1: Gordon Lightfoot (84, Canadian singer/songwriter, ‘If You Could Read My Mind’)

3: Linda Lewis (72, English singer/songwriter, ‘Rock-A-Doodle-Doo’)

18: Jim Brown (87, American football player/actor, ‘The Dirty Dozen’)

19: Pete Brown (82, poet/singer/lyricist, ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’/’White Room’/’I Feel Free’)

Andy Rourke (59, English bass player, The Smiths)

24: Bill Lee (94, American jazz musician/composer, Spike’s dad, scored ‘She’s Gotta Have It’/‘School Daze’/’Do The Right Thing’

Tina Turner (84, American-born, Swiss singer/actress, ‘River Deep Mountain High’/’Nutbush City Limits’/’What’s Love Got To Do With It?’)

26: Reuben Wilson (88, American jazz organist, ‘Got To Get Your Own’)

June

1: Cynthia Weil (82, songwriter, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’/’Here You Come Again’)

6: Tony McPhee (79, English guitarist, The Groundhogs)

12: Treat Williams (71, American actor, ‘Hair’/’Prince Of The City’)

14: John Hollins (76, English football player, Chelsea/Arsenal/England)

15: Glenda Jackson (87, English MP/actress, ‘Women In Love’/’Sunday Bloody Sunday’)

27: Julian Sands (65, English actor, ‘A Room With A View’)

29: Alan Arkin (89, American actor, ‘Catch 22’/’Little Miss Sunshine’)

30: Lord Creator (87, Trinidad-born, Jamaican singer/songwriter, ‘Kingston Town’)

July

3: Vicki Anderson a.k.a. Myra Barnes  (83, American soul singer, Carleen’s mum)

Mo Foster (78, English songwriter/musician/producer)

5: George Tickner (76, American guitarist, Journey)

16: Jane Birkin (76, French/English actress/singer, ‘Je t’aime … moi non plus’, banned by the BBC in 1969)

21: Tony Bennett (96, American singer, ‘I Left My Heart In San Francisco’)

22: Vince Hill (89, English singer, ‘Edelweiss’)

24: Trevor Francis (69, English football player, Birmingham City/England)

26: Randy Meisner (77, musician/songwriter, Poco/The Eagles, ‘Take It To The Limit’)

Sinead O’Connor (56, Irish singer, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’/songwriter, ‘Mandinka’)

30: Paul Reubens a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman (70, American actor/comedian)

31: Angus Cloud (25, American actor, ‘Euphoria’)

 August

4: John Gosling (75, English keyboard player, The Kinks)

7: DJ Casper (58, DJ/artist/songwriter, ‘Cha Cha Slide’)

William Friedkin (87, American film director, ‘The French Connection’/’The Exorcist’)

9: Robbie Robertson (80, Canadian musician/songwriter/singer, The Band)

Sixto Rodriguez (81, American singer/songwriter, subject of 2012 documentary ‘Searching For Sugar Man’

13: Clarence Avant (92, owner of Sussex Records/Tabu Records, film producer, ‘Jason’s Lyric’)

Magoo (50, American rapper, Timbaland & Magoo)

16: Jerry Moss (88, music executive, the ‘M’ in A&M Records)

17: Bobby Eli (77, guitarist, MFSB/songwriter, ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait’)

Gary Young (70, American drummer, Pavement)

19: Ron Cephas Jones (66, American actor, ‘This Is Us’)

24: Bernie Marsden (72, English guitarist, Whitesnake/songwriter, ‘Here I Go Again’/’Fool For Your Loving’)

29: Jamie Crick (57, English radio broadcaster, Jazz FM)

31: Gayle Hunnicutt (80, American actress, ‘Dallas’)

September

1: Jimmy Buffett (76, American singer/songwriter, ‘Margaritaville’)

4: Gary Wright (80, American singer/songwriter, ‘Dream Weaver’/’Love Is Alive’)

Steve Harwell (56, American singer/rapper, Smash Mouth)

8: Mike Yarwood (82, English comedian/impressionist)

13: Roger Whittaker (87, Kenyan-born English singer/songwriter, ‘Durham Town’)

16: Sir Horace Ove (86, Trinidadian-born, English film director, ‘Pressure’)

Irish Grinstead (43, American R&B singer, 702)

25: David McCallum (90, Scottish actor, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’/’N.C.I.S.’/musician)

28: Michael Gambon (82, English actor, ‘Harry Potter’ movies)

30: Russell Batiste Jr. (57, American drummer, The Meters)

October

2: Francis Lee (79, English football player, Manchester City/England)

8: Burt Young (83, American actor, ‘Rocky’)

11: Rudolph Isley (84, American singer, The Isley Brothers/songwriter, ‘That Lady’)

12: Michael Cooper (71, Jamaican musician, Inner Circle/Third World)

14: Piper Laurie (91, American actress, ‘Carrie’/’The Hustler’)

19: DJ Mark The 45 King (62, DJ/musician/producer, ‘The 900 Number’)

20: Haydn Gwynne (66, English actress, ‘Drop The Dead Donkey’)

21: Sir Bobby Charlton (86, English footballer, Manchester United/England)

24: Richard Roundtree (81, American actor, ‘Shaft’)

28: Matthew Perry (54, American-Canadian actor, ‘Friends’)

November

12: Anna Scher (78, founder of the Anna Scher Children’s Theatre)

19: Joss Ackland CBE (95, English actor, ‘White Mischief’)

22: Jean Knight (80, American soul singer, ‘Mr. Big Stuff’)

25: Terry Venables (80, English footballer, Chelsea/Tottenham Hotspur/England manager)

26: Geordie Walker (64, English guitarist, Killing Joke)

29: Sticky Vicky (80, Spanish dancer and illusionist)

30: Shane MacGowan (65, English-born Irish singer, The Pogues/songwriter, ‘Fairytale Of New York’)

December

1: Brigit Forsyth (83, Scottish actress, ‘Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?’)

5: Denny Laine (79, English musician, The Moody Blues/Wings, songwriter, ‘Mull Of Kintyre’)

7: Benjamin Zephaniah (65, English poet/writer/actor, ‘Peaky Blinders’)

8: Ryan O’Neal (82, American actor, ‘Love Story’/’Barry Lyndon’/’Paper Moon’)

Nidra Beard (71, American singer, Dynasty)

11: Andre Braugher (61, American actor, ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’/’Brooklyn Nine-Nine’/’Glory’)

Richard Kerr (78, English singer/songwriter, ‘Mandy’)

15: Bob Johnson (79, singer/songwriter/musician, Steeleye Span)

16: Colin Burgess (77, Australian drummer, AC/DC)

17: Amp Fiddler (65, singer/songwriter/producer)

[thealmightyemprex]

Disney VHS review Treasure Island

So I have a fondness for old home media formats and have a bunch of Disney movies on VHS ,thought it would be fun to let my mutuals pick which ones I watch .And to answer your question ,I am watching these specific films on VHS ,cause it legit adds to the nostalgic feel

Requested by @ariel-seagull-wings our first film is :Treasure Island

The plot of this 1950 film is Jim Hawkins (Bobby Driscoll ) comes into a poessesion of a Treasure Map ,and joins an expedition lead by the foolish Squire Trelawney (Walter Fitzgerald ) who hires a one legged sea cook named Long John Silver (Robert Newton ) who becomes fast friends with Jim…..Not knowing Silver is a trecherous pirate

So withthese VHS reviews I wanna talk about my personal relationship with these films,talk about my nostalgia for them …..Yeah this one I dont have any .I hsve nostalgia for the book which I read twice as a kid and funnily enough ,I have nostalgia for two other Disney film versions :Muppet Trasure Island (Which I shall review next month ) and Trasure Planet (Which I reviewed not long ago ). I knew of the film,the trailer was a bonus feature on the Treasure Planet DVD ,but I could never find it ,untl say about 2010 I think when I found the VHS at aflea market ….And the first time I tried watching I fell asleep cause I was tired and just never tried rewatching this VHS ..It wasnt till Disney+ that I finally saw the film in full a few years ago

Now this is a very important film ,being Disney's first totally live action film ,the sucess of this film ,lead to more adventure films shot in England then eventually to a big budget adventure film with 20000 LEagues Under The Sea which solidified Disney as maker of live action films as well as animation .Its also highly influential as Robert Newtons take on Long John Silver is SO iconic ,pirate talk we use now is just an impression of Newton.This film is certainly a classic…But for me its just missing something

My feelings of the film is it is a good adventure movie but its missing a spark . I think Byron Haskin (Later Director of War of the Worlds ) does a competent job directing ,the action scenes are decent , and the supporting actors do their job ,I especially like Ralph Truman as traitorous pirate George Merry (Also Patrick Troughton is a pirate here but you have to keep your eyes out for him cause he is basically an extra ) .However its kind of just a good movie ,I wouldnt even say its the best film based on the book cause it leaves out a bunch of good stuff (Poor Billy Bones ,Doctor Livsey,Captain Smollet and Blind Pew just feel kind of there.They even cut Pews death scene ) .I think the film became a classic beause the two central performances are really damn good .The central performances /central relationship is so good it elevates it

Now we get to the requestees questions,sopics they specifically want me to cover

1.Bob Driscoll and Robert Newton's performances as Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver , and their contrast with the side actors/characters

Bobby Driscoll I think is a great Jim Hawkins.Yes he is the solo American in a British cast but its not too distracting and Hawkins is kind oof a view point character ,but I think he nails the role ,I compare him to the two other straight adaptations of the book I have seen the 34 film where Jackie Cooper played Jim and the 1990 film where Christain Bale played Jim .Where I thought Cooper was too overthe top naïve and Bale too damn serious,Driscoll is how I see Jim ,a bit naive but a smart and brave kid .My favborite scene in the film is when he has to shoot Mr Hands , cause the look on his face shows both fear for his own life (If I dont shoot this guy he will kill me ) and the fear of can he pull the trigger (Do I have it in me to take a mans life ).Also while I like other takes on the Jim and Silver relationship ,I lkike the conflict in this version which is ,is the friendship real,I am micxed on the ending but I do like the moment where Jim is prepared to be shot but Silver cant do it (Though Muppets did it better )

Robert Newton is not a favorite actor of mine ....But Hot DAMN is he MAGNIFICENT here .He almost carries the movie .While Tim Curry is my favorite Silver ,Robert Newton is hands down the BEST .A key to Silver is he is a villain you just LOVE ,and boy is Newton a lovable rogue .You know he could stab you but at the sametime you wanna hear him tell you tales of his adventures .Im not surprised Newton reprised the role a few times cause he is excellent,he nealrly carries the movie and his performance is so gooo it elevates the film.ANd up to the end I love how ambiguious he is ,you dont know if he really cares for Jim or is just using him .Definately one of the best live action villains Disney has ever had

I think the problem with the supporting cast is they just feel like they are playing parts ......While Newton is embodying a character, I feel like there is a history to him before and after the film . All the other characters feel one note ,though they play those notes well .Trelawney is a blowhardt,Livsey is a nice smart guy,Smollet is stern,Hands is brutal,George Merry is rebelious ,Ben Gunn is kooky .They all are good,I especially like Geoffrey Keen as Hands ,Ralph Truman as George Merry and Walter Fitzgerald as Trelawney ......Ive jus seen other takes where some of these characters are better

2.The passing of the movie in the context of being a 1950 production

I think its very good in its time. I honestly think it is a very good adventure film ,and I see why it was a hit

Its legacy among Disney live actions films, and why it doesn't have a bigger following like 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mary Poppins or Bedknobs and Broomsticks

In comaprison to those films,its not as grand.It has a great villain,good story ,fine action and there is some emotion .....But there is no SIGNATURE scene.This is a very dry talky film ,with one GREAT character . With the three you mention you get many great setpieces (Kirk Douglas and James Mason fight a Giant Squid ,Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke singing in a cartoon environment , Angela Lansbury on a broom stick leading an army of armor against Nazis ,etc )as well as great charcters and stories .When I think of Disney I think of my favorite scenes

OVerall,I want to stress ,I reccomend it ,it is a very good movie,I enjoyed it watching it and by Thunder ,Newton is amazing as well as Driscoll ....But I dont love it ,and I wish I loved it

@ariel-seagull-wings @goodanswerfoxmonster @princesssarisa@the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @filmcityworld1

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 7.19

Beer Birthdays

Adrian Tierney-Jones

Five Favorite Birthdays

Benedict Cumberbatch; English actor (1976)

Edgar Degas; French artist (1834)

Anthony Edwards; actor (1962)

Max Fleischer; animator (1883)

Brian May; rock guitarist (1947)

Famous Birthdays

Yael Abecassis; Israeli model and actress (1967)

Muhammad al-Bukhari; Persian scholar (810)

Marianna Auenbrugger; Austrian composer (1759)

Paule Baillargeon; Canadian actress and director (1945)

Theo Barker; English historian (1923)

Buster Benton; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1932)

Heinrich Christian Boie; German author and poet (1744)

Lizzie Borden; accused murderer (1860)

Vicki Carr; singer (1941)

Allen Collins; guitarist and songwriter (1952)

Samuel Colt; inventor (1814)

Mark Crispin; computer scientist (1956)

A.J. Cronin; writer (1896)

Friedrich Dessauer; German physicist and philosopher (1881)

Atom Egoyan; Egyptian-Canadian director (1960)

Michael Fekete; Hungarian-Israeli mathematician (1886)

Thomas Gabriel Fischer; Swiss musician (1963)

André Forcier; Canadian director and screenwriter (1947)

Helen Gallagher; actress, singer, and dancer (1926)

Keith Godchaux; rock keyboardist (1948)

Alan Gorrie; Scottish singer-songwriter (1946)

Kevin Haskins; English drummer and songwriter (1960)

Joseph Hansen; author and poet (1923)

Samuel John Hazo; author (1928)

Pat Hingle; actor (1924)

Florence Foster Jenkins; soprano (1868)

Richard Jordan; actor (1938)

Gottfried Keller; Swiss author and poet (1819)

Aleksandr Khinchin; Russian mathematician (1894)

Lisa Lampanelli; comedian (1961)

Bernie Leadon; guitarist and songwriter (1947)

Robert Mann; violinist, composer, and conductor (1920)

John Martin; English artist (1789)

Charles Horace Mayo; surgeon, clinic founder (1865)

George McGovern; politician (1922)

Tim McIntire; actor and singer (1944)

Freddy Moore; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1950)

Ilie Nastase; tennis player (1946)

Alice Dunbar Nelson; African-American poet (1875)

Garth Nix; Australian writer (1963)

Jim Norton; comedian (1968)

Mark O'Donnell; playwright (1954)

Steve O'Donnell; screenwriter and producer (1954)

Jayne Anne Phillips; writer (1952)

Edward Charles Pickering; astronomer and physicist (1846)

Martin Powell; English keyboard player and songwriter (1973)

Arthur Rankin Jr.; animation director, producer (1924)

Tom Raworth; English poet (1938)

Miltos Sachtouris; Greek poet (1919)

Campbell Scott; actor (1961)

Elizabeth Spencer; writer (1921)

Percy Le Baron Spencer; microwave inventor (1894)

Sue Thompson; singer (1925)

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow; physicist (1921)

[project1939]

200 Films of 1952

Film number 169: Denver and Rio Grande

Release date: May 16th, 1952 

Studio: Paramount 

Genre: western 

Director: Byron Haskin 

Producer: Nat Holt, Harry Templeton 

Actors: Edmond O’Brien, Sterling Hayden, Kasey Rogers

Plot Summary: In 1870 as work begins on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, a rival group, led by McCabe, hopes to complete their own railway in the same area. McCabe is willing to resort to any means, including deadly violence, to sabotage the D & RG. Jim Vesser, one of the D & RG’s head men, fights back with his own extra-legal plan. 

My Rating (out of five stars): *** 

Although there is nothing spectacular about this film, I did find myself engrossed in it all the way through. I’m a big dork who has always found the history of building railroads and telegraph lines in early 19th century America kind of thrilling. In just a few years it totally transformed a country it was believed would take hundreds of years to populate. I also wanted to watch it because I love Sterling Hayden. Overall, it’s not a bad way to spend 90 minutes, even if it’s no cinematic masterpiece. (some spoilers)

The Good 

Kasey Rogers! She was the revelation of the film for me. She took a role that could’ve been boring and thankless and elevated it to one of the most interesting. I was really impressed with her acting. Reading about her in real life only increased my affection for her. She was on Bewitched in the 1960s, she was pretty liberal, and she wrote several books. Most badass of all, she got interested in Motocross racing in the 1970s and worked at getting more women into the sport! She helped establish the first association for a women’s pro-league! I found a new love! 

Sterling Hayden as a bad guy. I like him a lot as an actor, but he was so good at making me hate him in this! The gross fuzzy beard he wore definitely helped though! 

Edmond O’Brien. He was effective as a tough frontier dude- he really looked the part. He’s so much of a man’s man, I didn’t find him all that attractive personally, but I think a pretty boy type wouldn’t have worked as well in the role. 

I liked the hint of the romance that happened in it. We saw no kiss or direct evidence of it beyond a little flirting. A slight arm around the waist was more emotionally stirring than a smooch would have been. 

The story was interesting and filled with constant back and forth combat. There were several impressive explosions, and I’m not someone who’s really into that stuff. The movie didn’t give you time to get bored, even if you could fairly easily predict the final outcome. 

The use of real trains was also impressive. Most of them did not appear to be models. 

There was also a lot of nice location footage. 

Technicolor always looks better inside a studio than outdoors, but I thought it looked quite good here. 

The Bad: 

The “good guy” “bad guy” stuff was a little too simplistic at times. There weren’t many grey areas to add complexity.  

It wasn’t too difficult to predict how everything would turn out in the end. 

There were sooo many gunfights! Yes, I know it’s a western, and gun flights are obligatory, but I got pretty bored with them after a while. 

All the extra-legal stuff! It was brought up several times that Vesser should wait to let the law handle things rather than become a billboard for vigilante justice. I kept hoping the film wouldn’t reward him or glorify him for maneuvering outside the law. It did reward him, unsurprisingly. Worst of all, the Sheriff tried to give him some legal repercussions at the end, but when the General in charge of the whole project said, “You’ll have to arrest me too,” the Sherriff totally backed down. So not only did vigilante justice win in the end, it won by proving the law is less important the more power you have. That’s certainly true in real life, but I didn’t like that it was portrayed as a positive thing in this movie! 

The comedy relief characters fell flat to me. I like Zasu Pitts, but her escapades with the Irish engineer made me cringe instead of laugh. 

Re: the movie poster, who was Laura Elliot? Shouldn't the name Kasey Rogers have been there? Wait, I just figured it out- Rogers was billed under the stage name Laura Elliot earlier in her career. Huh.

[davidpwilson2564]

Bloglet

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Nice to be able to sit at the desk. Coffee. On the Spectrum music channel: Brahms/Schoenberg Piano Quartet, arranged for orchestra. A masterpiece of orchestration. And listen for that xylophone (because of its presence some people call this piece "The Looney Tunes Brahms").

Today there will be a vote for Speaker of the House. Jim Jordon, election denier and insurrectionist, is up for a vote. It is a sad for democracy, but here we are.

Later. They vote. Jordan doesn't have the votes. This is good news.

More demonstrations in the city. The "other" war.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Waiting for the plumber. Bracing myself for bad news.

There is a Union meeting today but I may not go. In the old days it was good to go and see a few friends. But most of those friends are now, alas, gone. "Passed" (as they say) or retired.

Note: Today there will be another vote for Speaker of the House. Again Jordan's hopes are up.

Later: Larry the Super and the plumber. It is described to me what I have to have done. I will agree to anything. Anything it takes. The plumber says he will get to me with an estimate. I am bracing myself for this.

An odd encounter: I am running errands and run into Dan Haskins. He is on a break from rehearsing. We chat for a while. The usual stuff. And then I am off to buy a pair of pants (my pants have become to big for me).

Good to walk a bit. Glad I met with the plumber. Ah, the ups and downs of the co-op owner. Good to have the Super's input in this. He's a good man.

[t-tex-edwards]

AUDIO: Jekyll & Hyde - T. Tex Edwards & The Swingin’ Cornflake Killers

Jekyll & Hyde (Jim Burgett) T. Tex Edwards & The Swingin' Cornflake Killers

Backing Vocals – Cricket Taylor* Bass – Paul Orr Cover – John S. Hancock* Drums – David Lee (28) Engineer – Mike Haskins* Guitar – Tom Battles Lead Vocals – T. Tex Edwards

https://www.discogs.com/T-Tex-Edwards-The-Swingin-Cornflake-Killers-Jekyll-Hyde/release/1539145

[intervalmagic]

17 books about magic in various sections at @sdsulibrary, not including the books in 793.8 in the juvenile section. Here’s a full list of them in the order pictured: Old Conjuring Books: A Bibliographical and Historical Study with a Supplementary Check-list, by Trevor H. Hall Sleights of Mind, by Stephen L. Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century, by Matthew Solomon The Magician and the Cinema, by Erik Barnouw Walter B. Gibson and the Shadow, by Thomas J. Shimeld Teaching and Learning with Magic, by Charles Windley The Blackstone Book of Magic and Illusion, by Harry Blackstone Jr. Miracle Mongers and their Methods, by Harry Houdini Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear, by Jim Steinmeyer Conjure Times: Black Magicians in America, by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson Magic: a Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theater, by David Price The Illustrated History of Magic, by Milbourne Christopher Magic: a Reference Guide, by Earle J. Coleman Magic: Scientific Diversions and Stage Illusions, Including Trick Photography, by Albert A. Hopkins The Books of Wonder, Vols. 1 and 2, by Tommy Wonder The Charlatan’s Handbook, by Sid Fleischman The Rise of the Indian Rope Trick: How a Spectacular Hoax Became History, by Peter Lamont Also pictured: one book about ventriloquism, an allied art of magic: Dumbstruck: a Cultural History of Ventriloquism, by Steven Connor #magic #magicbooks #reading #conjuring #library #sdsu #sdsulibrary (at SDSU Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjpJclSOa0k/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[airasora]

Q: Is Jim with Jane or Ariel? A: I can't decide, depending on the AU! Allow me to throw out this concept: Jim is a polyam relationship with both Jane AND Ariel and are all three in love

I've talked about it in this post, I assume that post was what made you send the ask?

I wouldn't say I didn't know what to "decide", it DOES depend on the AU 😁 All the AUs have differences, they're not all the same. Some characters' personalities varies, their story, their romantic partners, how they feel about their family, etc. I HAVE decided, I'm not "confused" or unsure who is Jim's main romantic partner, they just change depending on the AU 😊

In the college AU, Jane is Jim's professor in English literature, and that's how he meets her. She's his LI in that Hollina AU. Jim never has a crush on Lina in this AU.

In the high school AU, Jim has a crush on Lina, and while she's trying to figure out her sexuality and how she feels about Holli, they pretend they're dating. It's through Holli, that Jim meets Ariel, Holli's best friend's younger sister (Jessica). Jim pretending to be dating Lina, and crushing on her even though it's a lost cause, is a part of his character arc and his life story with Ariel.

In the high school spin-off though, Jim does pretend to be Lina's boyfriend for her sake, but doesn't actually have feelings for her. He's just being a nice dude, who knows what it feels to have to "hide" his love for not just one, but TWO GIRLS.

Yes, anon, your ask encouraged me to make this decision for this Hollina story 😁

I've always known that Jane was for the college AU and Ariel was for the high school AU, but I have been a bit unsure about the high school spin-off. It made more sense for that to be Ariel as well, because I didn't know how Jim would meet Jane since he's not in college, and she's his professor in the college AU. But for the high school spin-off, Jane is just a few years older, and a tutor for those struggling with English literature. Ariel and Jim happen to be two of the students she's tutoring 👀

It makes perfect sense for Jim, Ariel and Jane to be my first poly ship, I've shipped all of them before, and I'm surprised I didn't think of making them a polyamorous... group? Is that the word? I admit, I don't know what people in a polyamorous relationship call themselves, they're not a couple, so what is it called? 🤔

Either way, thanks for suggesting this! It kickstarted my brain, and let me finalize Jim's romance arc in the high school spin-off as well. College AU will still be Jane, high school AU will still be Ariel, but the high school spin-off will be both! 😁

[underthemoonbooks]

Rosa Parks: My Story by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins

4/5 ☆

188 pg.

This, as the title indicates, is an autobiography by Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks. Spanning from her childhood in Pine Level, Alabama to the later years of her life, Parks’ autobiography is a hard-hitting and vital read.

Her refusal to give up her seat in a segregated Montgomery bus in 1955 is of course one of the book’s most salient points, but equally important is the detailing of her activism PRIOR to this event. While this incident is what most associate with Rosa Parks, she was already seasoned in Civil Rights organizing by the time this had happened, having served as secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP. That work continued into her old age, too, post-Montgomery Bus Boycott. From girlhood on, Parks possessed a strong sense of justice - in her own words:

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true... No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” (pg. 116)

This is a great (and crucial) autobiography by an incredible woman. A must-read!

[bsank0fa]

From “Voodoo & Hoodoo” by Jim Haskins

[80smovies]

The Cotton Club

[thisishaskins]

...and his tag team partner, today celebrating his birthday, mark haskins!

progress ch. 50: i give it six months

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 7.19

Beer Birthdays

Adrian Tierney-Jones

Five Favorite Birthdays

Benedict Cumberbatch; English actor (1976)

Edgar Degas; French artist (1834)

Anthony Edwards; actor (1962)

Max Fleischer; animator (1883)

Brian May; rock guitarist (1947)

Famous Birthdays

Yael Abecassis; Israeli model and actress (1967)

Muhammad al-Bukhari; Persian scholar (810)

Marianna Auenbrugger; Austrian composer (1759)

Paule Baillargeon; Canadian actress and director (1945)

Theo Barker; English historian (1923)

Buster Benton; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1932)

Heinrich Christian Boie; German author and poet (1744)

Lizzie Borden; accused murderer (1860)

Vicki Carr; singer (1941)

Allen Collins; guitarist and songwriter (1952)

Samuel Colt; inventor (1814)

Mark Crispin; computer scientist (1956)

A.J. Cronin; writer (1896)

Friedrich Dessauer; German physicist and philosopher (1881)

Atom Egoyan; Egyptian-Canadian director (1960)

Michael Fekete; Hungarian-Israeli mathematician (1886)

Thomas Gabriel Fischer; Swiss musician (1963)

André Forcier; Canadian director and screenwriter (1947)

Helen Gallagher; actress, singer, and dancer (1926)

Keith Godchaux; rock keyboardist (1948)

Alan Gorrie; Scottish singer-songwriter (1946)

Kevin Haskins; English drummer and songwriter (1960)

Joseph Hansen; author and poet (1923)

Samuel John Hazo; author (1928)

Pat Hingle; actor (1924)

Florence Foster Jenkins; soprano (1868)

Richard Jordan; actor (1938)

Gottfried Keller; Swiss author and poet (1819)

Aleksandr Khinchin; Russian mathematician (1894)

Lisa Lampanelli; comedian (1961)

Bernie Leadon; guitarist and songwriter (1947)

Robert Mann; violinist, composer, and conductor (1920)

John Martin; English artist (1789)

Charles Horace Mayo; surgeon, clinic founder (1865)

George McGovern; politician (1922)

Tim McIntire; actor and singer (1944)

Freddy Moore; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1950)

Ilie Nastase; tennis player (1946)

Alice Dunbar Nelson; African-American poet (1875)

Garth Nix; Australian writer (1963)

Jim Norton; comedian (1968)

Mark O'Donnell; playwright (1954)

Steve O'Donnell; screenwriter and producer (1954)

Jayne Anne Phillips; writer (1952)

Edward Charles Pickering; astronomer and physicist (1846)

Martin Powell; English keyboard player and songwriter (1973)

Arthur Rankin Jr.; animation director, producer (1924)

Tom Raworth; English poet (1938)

Miltos Sachtouris; Greek poet (1919)

Campbell Scott; actor (1961)

Elizabeth Spencer; writer (1921)

Percy Le Baron Spencer; microwave inventor (1894)

Sue Thompson; singer (1925)

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow; physicist (1921)

[auduna-druitt]

Alexander Sean Haskins

Alexander Sean Haskins

Faceclaim: Sean O’Pry

Age: 30

Caste: Four || Businessmen

Occupation: Cafe owner/Chef

Province: Hansport || Bar Harbor

Family Info:

Jerry Haskins || Father || Alive || Business Owner

Melanie Haskins || Mother || Alive || Housewife

Alixandra Haskins || Paternal grandmother || Alive || Business Owner

Personality: 

Athletic

Disciplined

Fun-Loving

Generous

Loyal

Cautious

Hesitant

Impatient

Opinionated

Willful

Likes: 

Beach 

Sunrises

Art

Coffee

Dogs

Spending time with friends

The night sky

Cinnamon

Crepes

Stargazing

Dislikes: 

People that are jerks

Ignorance

Disorganization

Dirty dishes piled up

Onion

Talents/Hobbies: 

Cooking/Baking

Swimming

Photography

Bio: Born to Jerry and Melanie Haskins of Hansport. An only child he grew up very close to his paternal grandmother who he was named after. He was on the swim team throughout high school and into his college years.

As a child growing up he had a love of cooking and enjoyed working alongside his grandmother in the kitchen. She was the reason he enrolled in culinary school and opened his own cafe in his hometown.

Fun Facts: 

Makes his grandmother’s infamous lemon scones. (Secret recipe)

His dad wanted him to play sports professionally.

His grandmother is his biggest supporter.

He loves the beach and has been tempted to take up surfing.

@princejamestkirk for The Selection of Jim Kirk