#Rick Kellman

[fullmetalfisting]

Here is what I read in the month of October.

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard ⭐⭐⭐

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan ⭐⭐⭐⭐

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison ⭐⭐⭐

American Rapture by CJ Leede ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways by Eve Kellman ⭐⭐

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio ⭐⭐

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel ⭐⭐⭐

Gay Club! by Simon James Green ⭐⭐⭐

This Girl’s a Killer by Emma C. Wells ⭐⭐⭐

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wilderness Reform by Harrison Query and Matt Query ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[heartsbreaking]

WANTED CONNECTIONS ( mutuals only )

if you write one of the muses and are interested in interacting or plotting feel free to send some memes or hmu in the ims/on disco

these are 99% platonic, if you want shippy dynamic i have ideas on my muse's info pages

KÀRA HRAFN : i would love interactions with loki, thor, maybe sif or even odin. also i would love to write with wanda or strange, or legit any magic user in the mcu. would love some threads with the young avengers too (especially cassie, kate and wiccan)

ALEKS VASILYEV : would love to write aleks against either of her brothers anatoly & vladimir. would also love to write against any of the defenders and street level heroes in the mcu

MARINA REYES : robbie reyes. give marina her older brother. also any agents of shield muses

CLARY STARK : gimme tony, gimme pepper, gimme peter, mj, ned, flash, gwen, harley, riri, give clary friends.

KITTY CARVER : jason carver, give me sibling things and angst, also give me more interactions with adult muses in hawkins

MADELYN & VIVIAN KELLMAN : someone write gerri for the girls pls i'm begging.

VIVIAN KELLMAN : gimme friends from college, influencer girlies, gimme chaotic ships for her

OPHELIA WAMBSGANS : i would LOVE to have a tom or shiv to write with but i'm incredibly hesitant to approach someone first. i'd also love a kendall, connor or willa.

RAFAELLA FLORES & SOFIA LENNOX : gimme more members of the richmond wfc and plots with other ted lasso muses, i'd also love some interactions with people's other athlete muses

EMILY CRIMM : gimme emily interacting with the richmond team and staff, gimme her dad, give emily friends

ALEJANDRA ROJAS : would love some threads with her getting to know the richmond team/staff, and generally making friends with her older brother's friends. (would pay in cute instagram reels for a dani too)

ALICE LAHEY : more teen wolf muses come interact with her i miss this fandom

BEATRICE DE MARTEL : more interactions with legacies muses (generally begging for this love her or hate her for being a weird lil girly she needs friends and enemies), gimme mikaelson muses too! would love a klaus but i will accept anyone. also if anyone writes aurora and doesn't ship her with her fucking brother come write with me.

CECELIA DE MARTEL : same thing as above, someone find me an aurora to write with that doesn't ship her with her brother so that cece can have her older sister. also same goes above for mikaelsons. i would also love to throw cecelia at more witches

CARRIE DAVIS : gimme more interactions with the yellowjackets thanks

KAT HARRISON : literally any twd muses carl, enid, daryl, rick, alden

CARLY SIMPSON : someone write gwen (carly's co-pilot), give her more interactions with top gun muses in general

DANA CORTELL : give her more interactions with top gun muses,

JACK HARDING : if anyone writes bill, find me. also any twisters muses i would love to put jack in more situations

SABRINA TYLER : gimme brina interacting with the 118 and becoming friends with them through buck, also i will find a way for her to interact with the 126, i'm not sure how but i will

ALYSIA DIAZ : generally would love to see alysia interacting with the 118 & 126, would love a main eddie. would also love interactions with people's musician ocs

SOPHIA DIAZ : would love a main eddie, would love threads with the 118 and also threads with other people's like legal/crime based muses.

STEVIE BURTON : more threads with the 118 :)

LUCIANA SCARCELLA : give me vampire interactions, i would love to build up luciana's history with other vampires (both friendly and unfriendly dyns)

YASMIN KARA-HANANI : i would love to throw yasmin at y'all's muses who are more business and crime based. come love my nepo baby finance girlie

CALYPSO : would love some interactions with other pjo muses, the gods ect

GABRIELLE GAO : gimme bullet train characters, gimme people who know here as an heiress and not an assassin

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

WANTED CONNECTIONS ( mutuals only )

if you write one of the muses and are interested in interacting or plotting feel free to send some memes or hmu in the ims/on disco

these are 99% platonic, if you want shippy dynamic i have ideas on my muse's carrd pages

KÀRA HRAFN : i would love interactions with loki, thor, maybe sif or even odin. also i would love to write with wanda or strange, or legit any magic user in the mcu. would love some threads with the young avengers too (especially cassie, kate and wiccan)

MARINA REYES : robbie reyes. give marina her older brother. also any agents of shield muses

CLARY STARK : gimme tony, gimme pepper, gimme peter, mj, ned, flash, gwen, harley, riri, give clary friends.

KAREN PAGE : gimme gimme gimme an exclusive frank so we can write kastle and have a damn good time about it

KITTY CARVER : jason carver, give me sibling things and angst

MADELYN & VIVIAN KELLMAN : someone write gerri for the girls pls i'm begging

VIVIAN KELLMAN : gimme friends from college, influencer girlies, gimme chaotic ships for her

OPHELIA WAMBSGANS : i would LOVE to have a shiv or tom to write with but i'm incredibly hesitant to approach someone first. i'd also love a kendall, connor or willa

RAFAELLA FLORES & SOFIA LENNOX : gimme more members of the richmond wfc and plots with other ted lasso muses

KAT HARRISON : literally any twd muses carl, enid daryl, rick, ANDREA (give the girl her mamma), amy

CARLY SIMPSON : someone write gwen (carly's co-pilot), give her more interactions with top gun muses in general

GABRIELLE GAO : gimme assassins trying to kill each other who fuck on the side

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY AND ANDY GRIFFITH

S6;E8 ~ October 29, 1973

Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Robert O'Brien

Synopsis

When Lucy meets a charismatic man (Andy Griffith) raising money for underprivileged youth in the park, Kim decides to investigate to see if he's really who he says he is.  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter)

Guest Cast

Andy Griffith (Andy Johnson) was a former music teacher.  He began his screen career in 1948 on variety shows hosted by Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen.  In 1955 he was nominated for a Tony Award for his appearance on Broadway in No Time for Sergeants. He also appeared in the 1958 film version of the play.  In 1960 he appeared with Danny Thomas on “Make Room for Daddy” as Sheriff Andy Taylor and the character was spun-off into his own series “The Andy Griffith Show.”  He stayed with the show until 1968.  That same year he appeared on “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Special” on NBC with Lucille Ball.  He also appeared as Andy Taylor on two episodes of “Gomer Pyle: USMC.” In 1971 he starred in “The New Andy Griffith Show” which lasted only one season.  He had another hit series in 1986 with “Matlock” which ran until 1995. Griffith died in 2012 at age 86.

Sid Gould (Policeman) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” all as background characters. This is one of his nearly 50 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton.  

Randall Carver (Henry, left) began his career in 1969 and is best remembered as John Burns on the first season of “Taxi” (1978-79). This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball. He was 27 years old when he appeared in this episode.

Rick Kellman (Jerry, above right) played Lucille Ball and Bob Hope's son in the film Critic's Choice in 1963. He started acting at age 6 and is best remembered for playing Randy in “The Dennis O'Keefe Show” (1959-60) and Tommy in “Our Man Higgins” (1962-63).  A year after this appearance on “Here's Lucy” he left show business.  

The character's name is not spoken aloud, just listed in the final credits.

Hank Stohl (Bill Adams) began his career in 1959 and was the voice on the radio on “The Waltons” from 1977 to 1980. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.  

Bob Whitney (Stage Manager) appeared with Lucille Ball in The Facts of Life (1960). This is the second of his five appearances on the series.

The character has no lines. He tallies the donations on a chalk board at the end of the episode.

Marl Young (Conductor) was the musical director for “Here's Lucy” as well as making several on-camera appearances when the shows included live music.  

Vocalists: Nancy La Mar, Rosemary O'Brien, Dave Anderson Stuart, and Marvin Robinson

The musicians and others in the park and restaurant are played by uncredited background performers.

In March 1965, Lucille Ball interviewed Andy Griffith for two installments of her CBS radio show “Let's Talk To Lucy” while he was still playing Sheriff Andy Taylor on TV.  

Six Degrees of Lucy! Although none of Lucille Ball's TV incarnations ever came face to face with Sheriff Andy Taylor, they traveled in the same TV world:

In 1959, the year before Andy Taylor met Danny Williams on “Make Room for Daddy”, Danny Williams and family met Lucy Ricardo and family on a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”  

Keith Thibodeaux, who played Lucy Ricardo's son, Little Ricky, played Opie's pal Johnny Paul Jason in 13 episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” between 1962 and 1966.  

Gomer Pyle, who lived in Mayberry, joined the Marines and was spun off in his own series “Gomer Pyle USMC” when he made a brief appearance on “The Lucy Show” in 1966.  

“The Andy Griffith Show” had a sequel series titled “Mayberry RFD” starring Ken Berry, a protégé of Lucille Ball's who had appeared on “The Lucy Show” in 1968.  

All of these shows were filmed on the Desilu backlot (formerly RKO, later Paramount).  

Don Knotts, who played Andy Griffith's bumbling sidekick Deputy Barney Fife, guest starred in “Lucy Goes on Her Last Blind Date” (S5;E6). Some other “Lucy” actors who frequently showed up in Mayberry include Hal Smith, Parley Baer, Norman Leavitt, Amzie Strickland, Dub Taylor, Stanley Farrar, Will Wright, Herbie Faye, Jonathan Hole, Byron Foulger, Tol Avery, Reta Shaw, Lurene Tuttle, Ruth McDevitt, Ruta Lee, Jay Novello, Ross Elliot, Maxine Semon, Herb Vigran, and Sid Melton.

There are some very basic similarities between “The Lucy Show” and “The Andy Griffith Show.” 

Both Griffith and Ball used their own first names, which consist of four letters ending in ‘y’ and also appear in the title. 

Both characters have spouses that died before the series' begins. 

Both have children and faithful sidekicks. 

Both started filming in black and white and eventually aired in color. 

Both shows ended in early 1968 only to be re-born in the fall as newly-titled shows: “Here's Lucy” and “Mayberry RFD.”  

The Christian overtones in this episode are unusual for this series. A few weeks earlier Kim jokingly said that they missed church on Sunday!

When Lucy and Andy are in the same shot together it becomes visibly clear that Lucille Ball is being filmed by a camera with a filtered lens to soften her look, while the other camera remains unfiltered. The contrast is especially noticeable when Lucy is standing next to Andy in the motel room and goes in and out of soft focus depending on which camera angle is used.

The show opens with Andy and his back-up singers performing “I'll Fly Away” by Albert E. Brumley. First published in 1932 it has been called the most recorded Gospel song of all time. Andy passes the hat for donations for his Right Path Youth Camp in Northern California – only getting thirty eight cents.

At a local restaurant, Andy Johnson tells Lucy that after he came out of the service he became a Sheriff. Lucy responds with disbelief: “A Sheriff!” Although he had left the role of Sheriff Taylor in 1969, Griffith would play him again in the 1986 TV movie “Return to Mayberry.” He would play another Sheriff on “Adams of Eagle Lake,” a 1975 police drama that lasted just two episodes on ABC. The two episodes were later issued on DVD under the titles “Deadly Game” and “Winter Kill.”  

Andy tells Lucy his fiancee Alice ran off with his best man Charlie.

Dressed in her downmarket blue jeans, Kim says “What do I look like? Jackie Onassis.” Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1929-94) was first mentioned in “Lucy Visits the White House” (TLS S1;E25) in 1963, when she was First Lady of the United States. She married Greek millionaire Aristotle Onassis in 1968.  

On Bill Adams' TV show, Andy and his singers perform “I'm Gonna Write a Song” by Jerry Reed and released in 1973. They raise $464.00 for the Right Path Youth Camp – quite a step up from their initial take of thirty eight cents!

The TV camera is labeled ‘KBEX COLOR.’  KBEX were the call letters for fictional TV and radio stations. They were used in many TV shows and films, including in Desilu’s “Mannix” and “Mission: Impossible.”  They were first used on “Here’s Lucy” in “Lucy Is Really in a Pickle” (S5;E15) and most recently in "Lucy, the Wealthy Widow" (S6;E4). Starting in 2005, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) started using KBEX for actual broadcast stations. Similarly, the 555 telephone exchange is used exclusively for fictional numbers seen in films and television.  Here, the telethon number on the chalkboard is 555-8732.  

Lucy Ricardo also meet a charity organization in a public park in “Lucy's Last Birthday” (ILL S2;E25). They were called The Friends of the Friendless.  

Recycling! The exterior plaza where Andy sings in the first scene is the same one used for the gallery courtyard in “Lucy and Danny Thomas” (S6;E1). The red booth in the restaurant also makes the rounds.  It has been seen many different restaurants throughout the series.  

Character Consistency! Lucy says that Kim works for a talent agency.  In “Kim Cuts You-Know-Whose Apron String” (S3;E24) she said she worked for a Public Relations firm.

“Lucy and Andy Griffith” rates 1 Paper Heart out of 5 

This is an unusual and awkward episode – not funny or serious. The chemistry between Andy and Lucy is given short shrift in favor of Kim's suspicions about his veracity.  When she allows Andy (an older, single man from out of town) to bring her to his run-down motel room things just get weird. Then he turns her over his knee and spanks her with his slipper, and things turn from weird to uncomfortable. This sort of thing might have passed for funny in 1953, but not in 1973. She leaves the room through a window (luckily they were on the first floor) after writing on the mirror in shaving cream “You are a nice man.”  Huh? There's also an undertone of religion (gospel songs, mentions of 'the Lord'), something that Lucy meticulously avoided throughout her television career. The only exception to this unpleasantness is the brief scene where Lucy schools Andy in how to relax on television. This must have been something that Lucille Ball did when coaching young actors as part of the Desilu Playhouse. There are so many ways Andy Griffith could have been used on “Here's Lucy,” but this seems the least satisfactory showcase for his talents.  

[bountyofbeads]

Vivid details emerge on Ukraine as impeachment quickens

https://apnews.com/30c493831f4740debc7e8f3431830be2

Vivid details emerge on Ukraine as impeachment quickens

By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK and LAURIE KELLMAN | Published October 15, 2019 10:22 PM ET | AP | Posted October 15, 2019 11:20 PM ET |

WASHINGTON (AP) — The impeachment inquiry is revealing vivid new details about the high-level unease over President Donald Trump's actions toward Ukraine, and those of his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, as the swift-moving probe by House Democrats showed no signs Tuesday of easing.

The testimony from the witnesses, mainly officials from the State Department and other foreign policy posts, is largely corroborating the account of the government whistleblower whose complaint first sparked the impeachment inquiry, according to lawmakers attending the closed-door interviews.

One witness, former White House aide Fiona Hill, testified that national security adviser John Bolton was so alarmed by Giuliani's back-channel activities in Ukraine that he described him as a "hand grenade who is going to blow everybody up."

Another, career State Department official George Kent, testified Tuesday he was told by administration officials to "lay low" on Ukraine as "three amigos" tied to the White House took over U.S. foreign policy toward the Eastern European ally.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, despite intensifying calls from Trump and Republicans to hold a formal vote to authorize the impeachment inquiry, showed no indication she would do so. She said Congress will continue its investigation as part of the Constitution's system of checks and balances of the executive.

"This is not a game for us. This is deadly serious. We're on a path that is taking us, a path to the truth," Pelosi told reporters after a closed-door session with House Democrats.

With Ukraine situated between the United States' Western allies and Russia, Pelosi noted the inquiry raises fresh questions about Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"All roads seem to lead to Putin with the president," she said.

Democratic leaders had been gauging support for a vote to authorize the impeachment inquiry after Trump and Republicans pushed them for a roll call. Holding a vote would test politically vulnerable Democrats in areas where the president is popular.

Trump calls the impeachment inquiry an "illegitimate process" and is blocking officials from cooperating.

But several Democratic freshmen who are military veterans or had careers in national security before joining Congress spoke up during the meeting Tuesday, warning Pelosi and her leadership team a vote was unnecessary and would be playing into Republicans' hands, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private session.

The inquiry is moving quickly as a steady stream of officials appear behind closed doors this week, some providing new revelations about the events surrounding the July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. It is on that call that Trump urged Zelenskiy to investigate a firm tied to political rival Joe Biden's family and Ukraine's own involvement in the 2016 presidential election.

In a daylong session Tuesday, House investigators heard from Kent, who was concerned about the "fake news smear" against the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, whom Trump recalled in May, according to emails obtained by The Associated Press.

Kent told the lawmakers that he "found himself outside a parallel process" and had warned others about Giuliani as far back as March. He felt the shadow diplomacy was undermining decades of foreign policy and the rule of law in Ukraine and that was "wrong," said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.

Connolly said Kent described the results of a May 23 meeting at the White House, organized by Trump's acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, where three administration officials — U.S. ambassador Gordon Sondland, special envoy Kurt Volker and Energy Secretary Rick Perry — declared themselves the people now responsible for Ukraine policy.

"They called themselves the three amigos," Connolly said Kent testified, and they said as much to Zelenskiy in Ukraine when they visited.

Kent also told them that Trump, through the Office of Management and Budget, which Mulvaney previously led, was holding up military aid to Ukraine while pressing Zelenskiy to investigate a company linked to Biden's son.

"He was clearly bothered by the role Mr. Giuliani was playing," Connolly said.

In 10 hours of testimony Monday, Hill, the former White House aide who was a top adviser on Russia, recalled to investigators that Bolton had told her he was not part of "whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney are cooking up," an apparent reference to talks over Ukraine.

She testified that Bolton asked her to take the concerns to National Security Council lawyer John Eisenberg.

As White House lawyers now try to learn more about the handling of the Ukraine call, Eisenberg is coming under particular scrutiny, said one White House official. He was both the official who ordered that the memorandum of the call be moved to a highly-classified system, and the one who involved the Justice Department in a complaint from the CIA general counsel. The latter caught the attention of the president, according to the official.

Giuliani said Tuesday he was "very disappointed" in Bolton's comment. Bolton, Giuliani said, "has been called much worse."

Giuliani also acknowledged he had received payments totaling $500,000 related to the work for a company operated by Lev Parnas — who, along with associate Igor Fruman, played a key role in Giuliani's efforts to launch a Ukrainian corruption investigation against Biden and his son Hunter. The two men were arrested last week on campaign finance charges as they tried to board an international flight.

Trump's team won't comply with the Democratic inquiry. Giuliani and Vice President Mike Pence became the latest officials refusing to cooperate, saying through their lawyers they would not provide information requested by House Democrats as part of the impeachment inquiry.

The chairman leading the impeachment investigation, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said the stonewalling simply bolsters the charge that Trump is obstructing Congress.

"The case for Congress continues to build," Schiff said. He said Defense Secretary Mark Esper told investigators Sunday that he would comply with a subpoena request, only to be "countermanded" by a higher authority, likely Trump.

Sondland, whose text messages with other diplomats are part of a cache released by Volker and made public earlier this month, is scheduled to appear for an interview Thursday.

The interviews Monday and Tuesday, like the others conducted by House impeachment investigators, took place behind closed doors. Republican lawmakers have aimed their ire at the process, saying witnesses should be interviewed out in the open.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Democrats were trying to "cancel out" Trump's election with the march toward impeachment.

Five more officials are scheduled this week, mostly from the State Department, though it is unclear if they will all appear.

Michael McKinley, a former top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who resigned last week, is scheduled to testify Wednesday. McKinley, a career foreign service officer and Pompeo's de facto chief of staff, resigned Friday, ending a 37-year career.

Once Democrats have completed the probe and followed any other threads it produces, they will use their findings to help determine whether to vote on articles of impeachment.

__

Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Michael Balsamo, Eric Tucker, Matthew Lee, Padmananda Rama, Andrew Taylor and Alan Fram in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in Dallas contributed to this report.

[xtruss]

Palosi says Trump’s Ukraine actions amounts to ‘Bribery’!

By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick

Thursday 14 November, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are refining part of their impeachment case against the president to a simple allegation: Bribery.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday brushed aside the Latin phrase “quid pro quo” that Democrats have been using to describe President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine. As the impeachment hearings go public, they’re going for a more colloquial term that may resonate with more Americans.

“Quid pro quo: Bribery,” Pelosi said about Trump’s July 25 phone call in which he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a favor.

Trump says the call was perfect. Pelosi said: “It’s perfectly wrong. It’s bribery.”

The House has opened its historic hearings to remove America’s 45th president, with more to come Friday, launching a political battle for public opinion that will further test the nation in one of the most polarizing eras of modern times.

Democrats and Republicans are hardening their messages to voters, who are deeply entrenched in two camps.

Trump continued to assail the proceedings as “a hoax” on Thursday, and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy dismissed the witness testimony as hearsay, at best second-hand information.

The president, who said he was too busy to watch the initial hearing as it was televised, caught up in the White House residence Wednesday evening and tweeted along with a Fox News morning recap Thursday.

As the Trump impeachment hearings go public, House Democrats are refining the case against the president to a simple allegation: Bribery. Meanwhile, Republicans are dismissing the testimony so far as hearsay, at best second-hand information. (Nov. 14)

The president flatly denied the latest revelations. During Wednesday’s hearing a diplomat testified that another State Department witness overheard Trump asking about Ukraine investigations the day after his phone call with Kyiv.

“First I’ve heard of it,” he said, brushing off the question at the White House.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that a second U.S. Embassy official also overheard Trump’s conversation.

While Trump applauded the aggression of some of his GOP defenders, he felt that many of the lawmakers could have done more to support him and he pressed that case with congressional allies ahead of the next hearing, according to Republicans who were not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations and were granted anonymity.

On Friday, Americans will hear from Marie Yovanovitch, the career foreign service officer whom Trump recalled as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine after what one State Department official has called a “campaign of lies” against her by the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

At its core, the impeachment inquiry concerns Trump’s July phone call with Zelenskiy that first came to attention when an anonymous government whistleblower filed a complaint.

In the phone conversation, Trump asked for a “favor,” according to an account provided by the White House. He wanted an investigation of Democrats and 2020 rival Joe Biden. Later it was revealed that at the time the administration was withholding military aid from Ukraine.

“The bribe is to grant or withhold military assistance in return for a public statement of a fake investigation into the elections,” Pelosi said. “That’s bribery.”

It’s also spelled out in the Constitution as one of the possible grounds for impeachment -- “treason, bribery or other and high crimes and misdemeanors.”

During Day One of the House hearings, career diplomats William Taylor and George Kent delivered somber testimony about recent months.

They testified how an ambassador was fired, the new Ukraine government was confused and they discovered an “irregular channel” — a shadow U.S. foreign policy orchestrated by Giuliani that raised alarms in diplomatic and national security circles.

It’s a dramatic, complicated story, and the Democrats’ challenge is to capture voter attention about the significance of Trump’s interactions with a distant country.

With a hostile Russia its border, Ukraine is a young democracy relying on the U.S. as it reaches to the West.

Trump’s reelection effort raised more than $3 million on the first day of public impeachment hearings, and campaign manager Brad Parscale announced it now hopes to raise $5 million within a 24-hour span.

A spokesman for the national Republican Party, Rick Gorka, said there’s been a surge of volunteers and the response “we’re receiving from the field has been tremendous.”

Trump, who was set to headline a rally Thursday night in Louisiana, remained out of sight for most of the day and was monitoring a mass school shooting in California, according to aides.

Behind closed doors this week Pelosi reminded Democratic lawmakers of the importance of presenting a “common narrative” to the public as the proceedings push forward, according to a Democratic aide.

“We’re in Chapter One of a process,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., a member of the Intelligence Committee conducting the inquiry. The challenge, he said, is educating Americans about what happened “and then explaining why it matters.”

Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire, Laurie Kellman and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.

— Associated Press

[calartsdesignschoolarchive]

Item Title: Box (A Quarterly) Vol 1 No 1, 1971

Subject: Contains 19 student works in various sizes and shapes, 2 color overlays

Location: Series 4 Publications and publicity, 1971-1972, B7:Oversize

Item Dimensions: 12 x 12in

Original Format: Serigraph Publication. Limited edition of 3000 numbered copies; This Copy is # 1601

Creation Date: March 1971

Location: Los Angeles

Credits: Harry Auslander, Elana Nachman, Bob Walter, David Stuehim, Deborah Culter, Pam Kellman, Arthur Wright, Waleed Al-Fadhly, Jody Dramond, Jo Fieler, Brett Gollin, David Guss, Noel Norskog, Michael Roberts, Mary Ufford, Noel Williams, Ben Lifson, Roger Hardy, Michael Aldrich, Dick Banks, Lolly Nedenfield, Paul Broeker, Carol Kirby, Rich Newman, Jon Rome, Rick Siegert, Capitol Industries, Capitol Recods, Kirk Paper Company

[investmart007]

PHOENIX | McCain's final statement: Americans have 'more in common'

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/teWiVU

PHOENIX | McCain's final statement: Americans have 'more in common'

PHOENIX— Sen. John McCain expressed his deep gratitude and love of country in his final letter and implored Americans to put aside “tribal rivalries” and focus on what unites.

Rick Davis, former presidential campaign manager for McCain who is serving as a family spokesman, read the farewell message Monday at a press briefing in Phoenix.

In the statement, McCain reflected on the privilege of serving his country and said he tried to do so honorably. He also touched on today’s politics.

“Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here,” McCain wrote. “Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.”

McCain died Saturday from an aggressive form of brain cancer. Plans taking shape called for McCain to lie in state Wednesday in the Arizona State Capitol on what would have been his 82nd birthday. A funeral will be conducted Thursday at North Phoenix Baptist Church with former Vice President Joe Biden speaking. In Washington, McCain will lie in state Friday in the Capitol Rotunda with a formal ceremony and time for the public to pay respects. On Saturday, a procession will pass the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and arrive for a funeral at Washington National Cathedral. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama are expected to speak at the service.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell paid tribute to John McCain on Monday by recalling their own legislative battles while echoing the late senator’s belief that there’s more that unites than divides Americans.

Speaking from the Senate floor, McConnell says that while McCain served the state of Arizona in Congress, “he was America’s hero all along.”

He spoke near McCain’s desk in the Senate, which has been draped in black and adorned with white roses in his honor.

McConnell and McCain tangled over several issues, including McConnell’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which failed on McCain’s surprise “no” vote. McConnell says serving with McCain “was never a dull affair.”

McCain will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda on Friday. A private funeral is planned for Sunday afternoon at the Naval Academy Chapel followed by a private burial at the academy cemetery.

President Donald Trump was not expected to attend any of the services.

McCain was a noted critic of Trump, and Trump’s response to McCain’s death has been closely watched.

The flag atop the White House flew at half-staff over the weekend in recognition of McCain’s death but was raised Monday and then lowered again amid criticism.

Trump said Monday afternoon that he respects the senator’s “service to our country” and signed a proclamation to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff until his burial.

When asked about Trump’s response to McCain’s death after the flag was raised Monday, Davis said that the family is focusing on the outpouring of support from around the world instead of “what one person has done or said.”

“The entire focus of the McCain family is on John McCain,” Davis said. “There really is no room in the McCain family today to focus on anything but him.”

In Arizona, high-profile campaigns announced that they have suspended some activity this week.

McCain was just one of 11 U.S. senators in the state’s 116-year history, and on Tuesday, primary voters will decide the nominees in races across all levels of government. There’s also the sensitive question of who will succeed McCain.

Arizona law requires the governor of the state to name an appointee of the same political party who will serve until the next general election. Since the time to qualify for November’s election is past, the election would take place in 2020, with the winner filling out the remainder of McCain term until 2022.

Possible appointees whose names circulate among Arizona politicos include McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl and Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s chief of staff Kirk Adams.

Throughout the weekend, Arizona politicos across all levels of government offered remembrances of McCain. Noting McCain’s death, several candidates, including Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Rep. Martha McSally, who are expected to win their party’s races for the state’s other U.S. Senate seat, on Sunday evening said they would suspend their campaigns on Wednesday and Thursday. Ducey, whose office is coordinating services at the Arizona State Capitol for McCain, will not attend any campaign events between now and when McCain is buried.

Tributes poured in from around the globe. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted in English that McCain “was a true American hero. He devoted his entire life to his country.” Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said McCain’s support for the Jewish state “never wavered. It sprang from his belief in democracy and freedom.” And Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, called McCain “a tireless fighter for a strong trans-Atlantic alliance. His significance went well beyond his own country.”

McCain was the son and grandson of admirals and followed them to the U.S. Naval Academy. A pilot, he was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner of war for more than five years. He went on to win a seat in the House and in 1986, the Senate, where he served for the rest of his life.

“He had a joy about politics and a love for his country that was unmatched,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told CNN’s “State of the Union.” ”And while he never made it to the presidency, in the Senate, he was the leader that would see a hot spot in the world and just say, we need to go there and stand up for that democracy.”

By MELISSA DANIELS and LAURIE KELLMAN ,  Associated Press ___

[caveartfair]

This Nonprofit Is Willing to Bet That Art Can Change the World

2017 ABOG Fellows (clockwise, from top left): Freeman Word. Photo: Jennifer Korman Photography; Aviva Rahmani. Photo: Joe Gaffney; Ashley Sparks. Photo: Courtesy the artist; Rick Lowe. Photo: John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Ronny Quevedo. Photo: Argenis Apolinario; Stephanie Dinkins. Photo: Courtesy the artist; Hello Velocity. Photo: Courtesy the artists; Jackie Sumell. Photo: Courtesy the artist; Courtesy of A Blade of Grass.

“The artists we’re working with are interested in actively engaging with structures that impact people,” says Deborah Fisher, the executive director of the non-profit A Blade of Grass (ABOG). That’s a fairly concise way to describe much of the work generated by the group’s fellowship program, which has, since 2013, awarded a total of $580,000 in stipends to artists like Dread Scott, Simone Leigh, and Rulan Tangen.

These artists don’t simply critique power from a distance or within the safety of a museum’s walls—they engage with institutional structures out in the world. That makes the financial support of ABOG even more vital: Socially engaged art comes with its own logistical, financial, and conceptual difficulties. While there is a growing infrastructure to bolster this type of work, the support network is still relatively small; a little money can go a long way.  

On Tuesday, ABOG will announce its 2017 class of fellows—solo artists and one collective—chosen from a pool of hundreds of applicants. Each will receive a $20,000 stipend along with additional support for their projects (access to a network of fellows, for example). Proposals include everything from incubating sustainable immigrant-run businesses in Athens as part of Documenta 14 (Rick Lowe) to a “musical car race” that explores identity through performances in small Southern towns (Ashley Sparks).

Dancing Earth community artists in performance installation at Hunter Arts and Agriculture Center in Española, courtesy of Moving Arts Española, NM. Photo by Paulo T Photography. Courtesy of A Blade of Grass.

Among the 2017 winners is Freeman Word, who plans to use the funds to develop the Zakatu Madrasa, a community space that will be sited in a to-be-determined location in St. Louis’s North Side. Not linked to any single religion, his madrasa is an educational space, with a library and the opportunity for intergenerational mentorship within the community, with younger members creating and exhibiting artwork in the space (and being paid for their efforts).

Beyond the ABOG award money, the madrasa will depend on book sales and financial pledges from community members. “People will only continue to pay for what they believe is providing valuable service or output to the community,” he says. Word has already received the additional necessary commitments to ensure funding—an important achievement given a concern with socially engaged art is that the projects can leave participants in the lurch if the seed grant dries up.

Word drew inspiration from, among others, W.E.B. Du Bois, Carter G. Woodson, and scholar Jessica Gordon Nembhard, whose book Collective Courage charts the history of African-American economic cooperatives, like mutual aid societies, back through slavery. “There’s a very real tradition I’m borrowing from,” Word says. “It’s not innovation, even if it feels like innovation.”

The past and present fellows I spoke to made it clear that socially engaged art is something of a misnomer; it ignores the simple fact that in in most communities, art is always “created for someone other than yourself,” as artist Rulan Tangen puts it. (An ABOG fellow in 2016, Tangen used her grant for a project titled seeds:ReGeneration, which explored indigenous artistic practices in community gatherings, and culminated in a harvest ritual.)

ABOG stresses accountability and visibility—collaborating with artists to create videos and written materials that describe and document their work. While the organization stresses letting artists lead, the goal is to measure and quantify the success of the projects: Part of the criteria is that the artists are working with communities and stakeholders. ABOG engages in field research, working with the artist to find a third party (a professor, another artist) versed in any given subject area who can document events, speak with local residents, and report on how the fellowship is engaging its target audience.

Grassroots engagement is the hallmark of ABOG endeavours. For Higher Sales, Ronny Quevedo is working in the South Bronx with La Morada, what one might call a socially engaged restaurant (it features activist artworks and a lending library). A group of local teenagers will participate in a 12-week workshop to create a signage for La Morada, dissecting the neighborhood’s history as well as the pressures it currently faces.

The project, Quevedo says, is consciously informed by artists like Jenny Holzer, as well as the wheatpaste-postering efforts of past artist-activist groups. It’s also a refreshingly nuanced way of engaging with the Bronx itself, highlighting the long-standing creative talent that has always existed in a place the art world can often still think of as a “frontier” awaiting artwashing (see Lucien Smith’s maligned “Piano District” branding event, for one example).

Ronny Quevedo, Higher Sails sign for Sergio Grajeda Mechanic, Albuquerque, NM, 2015, digital print in dibond. Photo courtesy of the artist. Courtesy of A Blade of Grass.

Also among the 2017 fellows is Aviva Rahmani, who argues that many entrenched political issues can be addressed with artistic thinking and a focus on human relationships. “It’s a question of how you look at systems so that you’re taking the skills from conceptual art and social sculpture and applying them to a problem,” Rahmani says.

Her installation and performance work Blued Trees Symphony, which began in 2015, blends artistic and legal structures. She has painted trees along pipeline routes, in the hopes of using the Visual Artist Rights Act and copyright law to halt or disrupt the construction of oil infrastructure. (She and her legal team expect the first court case to unfold in Virginia.)

Engaging with the courts or other systems of power is a familiar tactic for ABOG-supported artists. Celebrating the lineage of someone like Mierle Laderman Ukeles—who, since the 1970s, has served as an artist-in-residence with New York’s Department of Sanitation— the group has worked with artists who have partnered with the city agencies and institutions, like the Department of Homeless Services (Jody Wood) and the AFL-CIO (Sol Aramendi).

Admittedly, not everyone is fully supportive of projects that aim for social engagement. Engaging with power poses its own questions, given that agencies and institutions can often be complicit in perpetuating systems of inequality. Critics see socially engaged practice as more of a band-aid than a fundamental shift.

Aviva Rahmani, Blued Trees Symphony, Rensselaer County, New York. Photo by Jack Baran, 2015. Courtesy of A Blade of Grass.

While noting that these points can be valid, Fisher says that “we don’t have the luxury of scrapping these huge institutional systems.” Art, she argues, can push and subvert ingrained systems of power in fresh directions. She points to the collective Hello Velocity, a 2017 fellow that is developing Gradient, a system that lets users pay for purchases on a sliding scale based on their income. “We’re all complicit in capitalism,” Fisher says. “In order to change that we have to reimagine it while we’re living in it.”

They recognize that engaging so overtly with capitalism and commerce is something artists—especially socially conscious ones—prefer to avoid completely. But, said Hello Velocity’s Lukas Bentel, “If you want to talk about something it’s always better to get your hands a little dirty.”

Then there is the additional benefit of deploying art to tackle these problems: It acts as shield for bureaucracies or commerce platforms that otherwise wouldn’t dream of experimenting. Take 2014 ABOG fellow Jody Wood’s project—a mobile van that provided empowering beauty care to homeless people in New York. Or Jackie Sumell, a 2017 fellow, who is creating a “mobile prison abolition unit” that looks to create dialogue between the incarcerated and the wider public. Or Stephanie Dinkins, who is planning to work with people of color to understand how algorithms tend to replicate the biases of society, before ultimately designing a fairer artificial intelligence.

Socially engaged art is always full of contradictions. Its practitioners strive to make an impact—but also tout their ability, and perhaps willingness, to fail. They challenge systems of power—but must work within those systems in order to have real effect. But these points of seeming fissure are actually the source of socially engaged art’s power, not simply as a strategy, but as a form. As Fisher puts it, “Art is a place where we can hold contradictions and tensions.”

—Isaac Kaplan

Cover image: Freeman Word and collaborator. Photo by Julie Kellman.

from Artsy News