#Robert W. Merry

[deadpresidents]

What have you been reading since the last time you posted your latest reads?

It's been a few months since I updated my latest reads, so I'm probably going to forget a few titles, but here's what I've been reading since then:

•The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Pancho Villa: A Revolutionary Life by Paco Ignacio Taibo II and translated by Todd Chretien (BOOK | KINDLE)

•The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship That Saved Yosemite by Dean King (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day by Garrett M. Graff (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Too Rich: The High Life and Tragic Death of King Farouk by William Stadiem (BOOK)

•The House Divided: Sunni, Shia, and the Making of the Middle East by Barnaby Rogerson (BOOK | KINDLE)

•Glad to the Brink of Fear: A Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson by James Marcus (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Founders' Curse: James Monroe's Struggle Against Political Parties by Brook Poston (BOOK | KINDLE)

•Decade of Disunion: How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War, 1849-1861 by Robert W. Merry (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Age of Reconstruction: How Lincoln's New Birth of Freedom Remade the World by Don H. Doyle (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty by Alexander Larman (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis by George Stephanopoulos with Lisa Dickey (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Devils Will Get No Rest: FDR, Churchill, and the Plan That Won the War by James B. Conroy (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Ballyhoo!: The Roughhousers, Con Artists, and Wildmen Who Invented Professional Wrestling by Jon Langmead (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Rivals: William Gwin, David Broderick, and the Birth of California by Arthur Quinn (BOOK)

•The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives by Adam Smyth (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•A History of the Muslim World: From Its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity by Michael Cook (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Thought of Pope Benedict XVI: An Introduction to the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger, Third Edition by Aidan Nichols (BOOK | KINDLE)

•Avignon and Its Papacy, 1309-1417: Popes, Institutions, and Society by Joëlle Rollo-Koster (BOOK | KINDLE)

[sean-gaffney]

What's Left of the Looney Tunes?

So you’re a Looney Tunes fan, and you’re waiting with baited breath (Greetings, Bait!) for the cartoon list for the next Collector’s Choice Blu-Ray.  And as you wait to see if they add that 1953 Friz Freleng or 1958 Robert McKimson cartoon, you must be thinking:  Surely they’ve released every single cartoon at SOME point since the 1980s, right?  Well, except for the really racist ones.  Right?

Nah.  There’s 129 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies that have never been officially released, restored or unrestored, on home video at all.  And, to be honest, most of them are unlikely to be on the Collector’s Choice sets.  Let’s take a look at the last bastions against having all 1000 LT/MM cartoons available.

Bosko.  Now, there are a few Bosko cartoons available.  There’s 38 Bosko cartoons from 1930-1933, not counting the weird ones like the Talk-ink Kid pilot or whatever Bosko and Honey was.  Of those, 11 have been released officially.  This leaves 27 in limbo.  This is a shame, there are some really good Bosko cartoons.

Buddy.  Even worse, to be honest.  23 Buddy cartoons were made, 5 have had some official release.  That leaves 18.  Now, there’s a reason for that.  They’re awful.  (Also, two of those 18, Buddy of the Apes and Buddy in Africa, also fall under one of the later categories we’ll get to.)

Seven B&W Merrie Melodies.  Two of these, Hittin’ the Trail for Hallelujah Land and Goin’ to Heaven on a Mule, are basically banned for content.  Those Were Wonderful Days, Why Do I Dream Those Dreams, The Girl at the Ironing Board, The Miller’s Daughter, and Rhythm in the Bow, are simply not available, possibly as they’re dull.  However, they have been restored.  (As has HtTfHL.)

Seven B&W Looney Tunes.  Mostly the same as above.  The Daffy Duckaroo and Tokio Jokio are banned for content, though we may see Duckaroo someday (Native American caricatures have traditionally been less banned than Black and Asian caricatures).  Saps in Chaps also has some Native American gags, I think.  As for The Fire Alarm, Joe Glow the Firefly, Gopher Goofy and Nutty News, they’ve been restored but never released.

The rest of the “Censored 11”, of which Hittin’ the Trail for Hallelujah Land was the first.  As most cartoon fans know, this is not a catch all of all racist WB cartoons, it’s just the ones that were owned by Associated Artists productions.  So yeah, Sunday Go to Meetin’ Time, Clean Pastures, Uncle Tom’s Bungalow, Jungle Jitters, The Isle of Pingo Pongo, All This and Rabbit Stew (a Bugs Bunny cartoon), Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs, Tin Pan Alley Cats, Angel Puss and Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears.  They’ve all been restored.

The dog cartoons.  There are a bunch of one-shots that have no regular characters but all involve dogs, and (likely as they don’t have a “star” and aren’t really great) they’ve never come out.  Pappy’s Puppy, Mixed Master, A Waggily Tale, Dog Tales.  All but Pappy’s Puppy are restored.

Miscellaneous “banned for content” cartoons.  Which is Witch (a Bugs Bunny cartoon), Tom Tom Tomcat (a Tweety and Sylvester cartoon), and two REALLY late cartoons, Hocus Pocus Pow Wow and Injun Trouble.  None of these have been restored.

Random missing 50s stuff.  A Bone for a Bone (Goofy Gophers), Sock a Doodle Doo (Foghorn Leghorn), Easy Peckin’s, Quack Shot (Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd), Trick or Tweet (Tweety).

60s stuff that’s still actually Warner Brothers.  There��s about 10 or 12 early 60s cartoons that just aren’t very good, and that’s why they’re not out.  They’ve all been restored except Unnatural History and What’s My Lion, which are two of the worst LT/MM shorts that ever came out – not for content, they’re simply pathetically unfunny.

All the post-64 stuff.  There’s a pile, I won’t break them down one by one.  Mostly Daffy/Speedy cartoons, the nadir of both characters.  A few of the Roadrunner cartoons that weren’t stuffed onto that one DVD a while back.  They’re here as no one wants to watch them.

The post-67 stuff, aka the nightmare years.  Cool Cat, Merlin the Magic Mouse, Bunny and Claude… those.  (Though actually, both Bunny and Claude shorts HAVE been released.)  They’re here for the same reason – unpopularity.

Note this doesn’t even get into the cartoons which were fine to release in the 1980s on VHS but *aren’t* fine to release now (all the Merrie Melodies that weren’t banned but have racial stereotypes, such as the Inki cartoons, a huge number of cowboy and Indian cartoons, and Bugs Bunny’s unfortunate wartime cartoon).  Or all the stuff that’s restored and out on Max, but has never hit a DVD or Blu-Ray (half of the 30s Merrie Melodies).  Or the stuff that’s unrestored, not on Max and has never hit a DVD or Blu-Ray (the other half of the 1930s Merrie Melodies).  Or Holiday for Drumsticks, what’s up with that?

In any case, when they announce the cartoons for the 4th set in a week or so, you can look at this list and see if it has any of those.

[tomorrowusa]

Excuse me while I yawn about the pardon for Hunter Biden. 🥱

MAGA Republicans are hyper-hypocritical with their criticism of the pardon and some liberals are being severely naïve with their own criticisms.

John Dean was White House counsel to Richard Nixon. He was a major whistleblower in the Watergate scandal. He is the one who made the famous comment to Nixon about a cancer growing on the presidency.

Mr. Dean remembers how Nixon tried to use the government against perceived enemies. He thinks that Biden should go much further with pardons to protect government employees from a hostile Donald Trump.

The president, who had previously vowed not to pardon his son, is facing criticism from both the left and right over the move. But Dean said he didn’t go far enough ― and urged Biden to issue blanket pardons to everyone President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to target when he returns to the White House next month. That list includes those who have investigated Trump ― including Robert Mueller and Jack Smith and their teams ― as well as “all on Trump’s enemies list.” Biden should keep going with his pardons: Trump, Jack Smith & team, Mueller & team, and a blanket pardon for all on Trump’s enemies list for any and all political statements before December 25, 2024! Merry Christmas:-). Take the wind out of retribution/revenge! — John W Dean (@johnwdean.bsky.social) 2024-12-02T02:37:58.073Z Trump has repeatedly talked up revenge and retribution and, over the summer, threatened to jail adversaries he accused of “unscrupulous behavior.”

Anybody who Trump or his henchmen has ever threatened for doing their jobs honestly should get a pardon. It doesn't matter if they're totally innocent. The pardons will protect them from trumped-up charges in the future.

The list should definitely include people during the Trump administration who chose to speak out about his corruption and abuse of power.

If the pardon does not include several thousand names then it's too small.

[ahedderick]

i think its so cool u farm ur own meat!!! i rly try to stay away from the stuff j bc the industry is so messed up so i wish i had a farmer or invasive species-hunter buddy (saw a video of a guy who traps feral pigs who said hes "totally bored of bacon") so i can have a lil feast w/o feeling so guilty. how do you think eating an animal you personally knew is different? like, does it feel sad, or better because you know they had a nice life? sorry for all the questions per my username i am a vegan and i dont ever rly get to talk to ppl like you!

Ok, hi! Thanks for the questions. I have a dear friend who is primarily vegetarian, and only eats meat if it is either raised in good conditions (like my farm) and humanely killed or wild game. So I understand your position. I grew up on a farm and have been living this way all my life, so I'm sure that affects how I view butchering.

The beef and turkeys I have raised for butcher did have excellent lives and the quickest of deaths. The deer or squirrels we hunt follow the same pattern. I would be thrilled to know someone who hunts feral hogs, but I guess we are fortunate that those are extremely rare (or just rumors) around here. I would like to raise more of our own meat, because I agree that the farming industry is atrocious. It is mildly sad in some cases, or a relief if the animal is a mean one (side-eyeing the murderous turkeys)

I have a book I want to cite, Wild Animals I Have Known by Ernest Seton Thompson, copyright 1898. I'll have to scan the forward later and reblog this with it. It is relevant because he notes, from his own naturalist observations, how tragic the natural deaths of animals often are to our human sensibilities. Quick, painless deaths are precious few in nature.

"The worst that can happen is you can be hanged. No, a merry life and a short one shall be my motto." Black Bart Roberts

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: The Scary Book

L. Marie Wood: Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call the tale of the book that kills people Lovecraft: o-oh! i like that Lovecraft: b-books that kill, that's totally my jam! Robert W Chambers: whose jam?

Wood: anyone who reads this book of esoteric stories will find themselves driven mad by the revelations of horror Wood: and then die horrible, bloody deaths Wood: as this innocent-looking book cuts a swathe of destruction across the country Wood: leading us on a merry, madcap chase!

L. Marie Wood: and that book? the one that kills people? Wood: why, it's this collection of short stories right here! [holds up 'The Tales of Time'] King: Poe: Barker: Koontz: Lovecraft: Lovecraft: w-why did you bring the killer book here King: wait, so the book that kills you is real? Wood: yes, i wrote it King: King: does it King: does it actually kill you

Barker: christ steve of course it doesn't, it's a bit Barker: are you actually falling for this Wood: oh yeah? maybe you'd like to take a look inside then Barker: Barker: yeah you know reading's not really my thing Barker: edgar you love books, why don't you read it Poe: yeah i don't think so

Wood: what's wrong? you're not actually scared are you?Wood: you don't actually believe that these stories could kill you? Wood: why it's just an ordinary short story collection Wood: or is it??? Koontz: are we going to die

Wood: no dean no one's going to die Wood: just as long as you don't succumb to the otherworldly compulsion to open this infernal tome and read the cursed words within Koontz: Koontz: i want to read it now King: dean no!

Wood: any unfortunate soul could fall victim to this sinister book - a flight attendant, a barista, an old lady... Lovecraft: i-i don't understand Lovecraft: t-those don't sound like reedy academics Wood: no i'm saying ANYONE could get got Lovecraft: Lovecraft: t-those don't sound like reedy academics

[czolgosz]

list of pdfs on my phone because i know everyone wants to find out

race, discourse, and the origin of the americas: a new world view (many authors. i'm not writing all that)

what is to be done? (vladimir lenin)

"chemistry and the 19th-century american pharmacist" (gregory j. higby)

the torture garden (octave mirbeau)

"the vane sisters" (vladimir nabokov) + questions for discussion

"the tell-tale heart" (edgar allan poe)

"the lottery" (brainerd duffield)

slideshow about different english cities during the industrial revolution

the compleat works of nostradamus

"terms of endearment in english" (julia landmann)

"speech reflections in late modern english pauper letters from dorset" (anne-christine gardner)

"slopjank prographilose" (rose q. drifting & magnesium oxide)

a few pages of the 1897 sears, roebuck & co. catalog + some other related things

orientalism (edward said)

"in event of moon disaster" (bill safire)

ragtime (e. l. doctorow)

enough to make you blush: exploring erotic humiliation (princess kali)

"you're a mean one, mr. grinch" (dr. seuss) + close reading questions

merry muses of caledonia (robert burns)

"women and the english civil wars" lesson outline

"the concept of the left" (leszek kołakowski)

"kids in the early 1900s" (betty debnam)

"heterosexualism and the colonial/modern gender system" (maría lugones)

"for heidi with blue hair" (fleur adcock)

"flowers for algernon" (daniel keyes)

excerpt of the beginning of m*a*s*h (tim kelly)

tristan tzara poetry collection

"the nature of the beast: the portrayal of satan in the ballads of seventeenth century england" (christopher bailey)

"all the king's horses" (kurt vonnegut)

"conditional divorce in ottoman society: a case from seventeenth-century erzurum" (bilgehan pamuk)

"gender oppression in the enlightenment era" (barbara cattunar)

who's afraid of virginia woolf? (edward albee)

"visual difference & disfigurement in the arts"

"trans-misogyny primer" (julia serano)

the brothers karamazov (fyodor dostoyevsky)

the other victorians: a study of sexuality and pornography in mid-nineteeth century england (steven marcus)

the mistborn trilogy (brandon sanderson)

"the life of an unknown assassin: leon czolgosz and the death of william mckinley" (cary federman)

the brothers karamazov (fyodor dostoyevsky) again

spanish idioms with their english equivalents: embracing nearly ten thousand phrases (sarah cary becker & federico mora)

a sensation novel (w. s. gilbert)

basic principles of marxism–leninism: a primer (jose maria sison)

russia under the old regime (richard pipes)

tristan tzara: dada and surrational theorist (elmer peterson)

pan tadeusz (adam mickiewicz)

psycho nymph exile (porpentine heartscape)

1984 (george orwell)

neath to reach zine: the traveler's guide to [illegible] (i am not writing all that!!)

the dada painters and poets: an anthology (i continue to not write all that)

machine of death (still not writing all that)

"merchants, proto-firms, and the german industrialization: the commercial determinants of nineteenth century town growth" (gavin greif)

"introduction to the history of mental illness"

"girl detective & the mystery of the sap-stained skirt" (porpentine heartscape)

gadsby (ernest vincent wright)

feeling very strange: the slipstream anthology (authors galore.)

english women's clothing in the nineteeth century (c. willett cunnington)

socialism: utopian and scientific (friedrich engels)

the waste land (t. s. eliot)

"debility and disability in edith wharton's novels" (karen weingarten)

death of riley (rhys bowen)

"the black vampyre: a legend of st. domingo" (uriah derick d'arc)

raoul hausmann and berlin dada (timothy o. benson)

flight out of time: a dada diary by hugo ball

art and production (boris arvatov)

"the culture industry: enlightenment as mass deception" (theodor adorno & max horkheimer)

a gilded lady (elizabeth camden)

"changing narratives of martyrdom in the works of huguenot printers during the wars of religion" (byron j. hartsfield)

112 gripes about the french

"the spelling of the country name "romania" in british official usage: from uncertainty to standardization" (paul woodman)

"sarajevo 1914: trial process against young bosnia – illusion of the fair process" (veljko m. turanjanin & dragana s. čvorović)

[necarion]

My original setting of the ghost story by Robert W. Service.

I've abridged the poem for length; the original has 15 verses and I cut it to 7.

Merry Christmas, and stay warm…

- - - - -

The Cremation of Sam McGee (1907)

- Robert W. Service - Abridged by me

There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queer'st they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge I cremated Sam McGee. Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows. Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows. He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell; Though he'd often say in his homely way that "he'd sooner live in hell." On Christmas day we were mushin’ our way, and Sam says with a moan: "It's the cursèd cold, and it's got right hold till I'm chilled clean through to the bone. Yet 'tain't being dead—it's my awful dread of the icy grave that pains; So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you'll cremate my last remains." Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code. In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load. For upon the sleigh Sam raved all day of his home in Tennessee; And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee. It was to the marge of Lake Lebarge that I brought my frozen chum; And with coal I found that was lying ‘round, built his crematoreum. The flames just soared, and the furnace roared— such a blaze you seldom see; And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee. And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar; And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: "Please shut that door. It's fine in here, but I greatly fear you'll let in the cold and storm— Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm." There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge I cremated Sam McGee.

Unabridged poem:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45081/the-cremation-of-sam-mcgee

Full poem, read by Johnny Cash Absolutely worth a listen (Note, he says "toil" instead of "moil")

[dorothydalmati1]

Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies 1936 Episode 25: Toy Town Hall

Score by Carl W. Stalling

Directed by Friz Freleng

Animated by Robert McKimson & Sandy Walker

Voice characterizations by Berneice Hansell, Tedd Pierce, Peter Lind Hayes, Billy Paye, Cliff Nazarro & Jackie Morrow

[frenchcurious]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year All!. - source Robert W. LaDuke.

[double-j]

*STARDUST REBLOG CHALLENGE OCTOBER WEEK 4 MASTERLIST*

[FOR ALL FICS, CHECK THE STARDUST REBLOG CHALLENGE TAG]

*reminder to please heed the author’s warnings on individual fics!*

~ reposting september and october by week because the links were only working on mobile ~

TGM: JAKE HANGMAN SERESIN FICS

same boat from @winchesterandpie​ 

signed away p. 1, p. 2, p. 3, & p. 4 from @seresinhangmanjake

erotic photos from @someplace-darker​ 

beep from @princessmisery666

except for maybe you, and your simple smile from @theharddeck

i don’t start shit but i can tell you how it ends & autumn leaves and pumpkins, please? (from the better man universe aka heaven on earth) from @sweetlittlegingy​ 

as it was p. 4, p. 5, p. 6, & p. 7 (please read this series, it is so heartbreaking but so perfect) from @ereardon​ 

the professor p. 1, p. 2, p. 3, p. 4, p. 5, & p. 6 from @topguncortez

we picked a time like this to fall in love & haven’t felt like this my dear, since can’t remember when (1940s AU) from @/sweetlittlegingy

imagine me & you p. 6 from @thebirdandthebee

earned it & fine line p. 1 (from the look away universe aka sugar daddy jake) from @fuckyeahhangman

operation apollo p. 3 from @/sunlightmurdock

tensions (from the best benefits series) from @writercole

zipper p. 1 from @a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all​ 

silenced from @/wildbornsiren

lay all your love on me from @bussyslayer333​ 

this moment & safety blanket (from the only thing universe that you need to read!!!) from @justfandomwritings

out of the blue, clear sky p. 5 from @/theharddeck

TGM: BRADLEY ROOSTER BRADSHAW FICS

parting gift & cyrano from @hotgirlmav

pick your battles & p. 2 from @milkathedudz​ 

fight or flight from @/topguncortez

meet you all the way p. 1 from @top-hhun

have yourself a merry little rooster from @roosterforme

five more minutes from @/roosterforme

flight risk p. 3 from @hufflepuffprincesse

pushed to the limit from @/topguncortez

ceasefire p. 5 from @sunlightmurdock

dry lightnin' cracks across the skies (those storm clouds gather in her eyes) (from the storm warning series) from @/hufflepuffprincesse

nevermore p. 3 from @cherrycola27

boys night in from @/roosterforme

i like your voice from @/roosterforme

my future in you p. 9 & p. 10 from @/sunlightmurdock

destined (to fail?) p. 1 from @bucky-barmes​ 

one for the history books p. 13 from @pisupsala

change your ticket from @imjess-themess

a preview of the weekend from @/roosterforme

sounds ideal from @/roosterforme

benefits from @/roosterforme

are we still friends? p. 7 & p. 8 from @/perpetuelledaydreaming

cross my heart (hope to die) from @softspiderling

home from @honeysimagines​ 

chaos p. 5 from @ohtobeleah

close to where your feet pass & hidden in the holes of your couch (from je te laisserai des mots series) from @jupitercomet

TGM: ROBERT BOB FLOYD FICS

no one left behind from @/topguncortez

don’t touch my boots from @/thebirdandthebee

TGM: MISC FICS

double penetration from @wildbornsiren (jake hangman seresin x reader x bradley rooster bradshaw)

ivy p. 2 from @perpetuelledaydreaming (love triangle w/ hangman and rooster)

hate sex from @/wildbornsiren (jake hangman seresin x natasha phoenix trace)

steer the course from @chemicalalice (jake hangman seresin x reader x robert bob floyd)

NHL FICS

one love, one kiss, one drink, one song, all you (this has made me ugly cry on multiple occasions and i love it) & forever to go from @raysofcrosby​ (t.jost)

a night in paris from @comphy-and-cozy​ (t.jost & j.compher)

to sail beyond the sunset p. 2 from @spine-buster (s.crosby)

takin’ my time, let the world turn from @fallinallincurls​ (n.mackinnon)

OUTER RANGE/RHETT ABBOTT FICS

at the end of their rope from @/topguncortez

[deadpresidents]

JOHN TYLER •President Without a Party: The Life of John Tyler by Christopher J. Leahy (BOOK | KINDLE) •John Tyler: The Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) •And Tyler Too: A Biography of John & Julia Gardiner Tyler by Robert Seager II (BOOK)

JAMES K. POLK •Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter R. Borneman (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) •A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent by Robert W. Merry (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) •James K. Polk and His Time: Essays at the Conclusion of the Polk Project edited by Michael David Cohen (BOOK)

ZACHARY TAYLOR •Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest by K. Jack Bauer (BOOK) •Zachary Taylor: Soldier of the Republic by Holman Hamilton (BOOK | KINDLE) •Zachary Taylor: Soldier in the White House by Holman Hamilton (BOOK | KINDLE)

MILLARD FILLMORE •Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President by Robert J. Rayback (BOOK | KINDLE) •Millard Fillmore by Robert J. Scarry (BOOK | KINDLE)

FRANKLIN PIERCE •Franklin Pierce: New Hampshire's Favorite Son by Peter A. Wallner (BOOK) •Franklin Pierce: Martyr for the Union by Peter A. Wallner (BOOK) •Franklin Pierce: Young History of the Granite Hills by Roy Franklin Nichols (BOOK)

JAMES BUCHANAN •Worst. President. Ever.: James Buchanan, the POTUS Rating Game, and the Legacy of the Least of the Lesser Presidents by Robert Strauss (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) •Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King by Thomas J. Balcerski (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) •The Worst President: The Story of James Buchanan by Garry Boulard (BOOK | KINDLE)

[almackey]

CWTR Episode 2103: Decade of Disunion

This is a conversation between host Professor Gerald Prokopowicz and his guest, retired journalist Robert W. Merry, about Mr. Merry’s book, Decade of Disunion: How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War, 1849-1861. It seemed to me this book is an attempt to “blame both sides” for the Civil War, though that impression may be in error.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"FIRST IN 70 YEARS IS INEBRIATE'S PLEA," Toronto Star. July 7, 1934. Page 3. --- Gets Remand on Promise Not To Be Back for Another 70 ---- Short shift was given two of the thirteen "drunks" in early morning court to-day, when it it was learned they were on their "umpteenth" trip through the mill. The two, James Carr and Patrick Beattie, were fined the maximum - $50 or one month. With the exception of Lawrence Keogh, who, at the crown's request. was asked to stay around until Monday, the others were freed on remanded sentences.

"Give me a chance your honor. I haven't been here for 70 years," pleaded John Cumming, one of the thirteen.

"Seventy years?" asked the cadi. "Yes, and I won't be here for an- other 70 years."

"All right, I'll take your word for it."

"I asked him to leave like a lady. but he answered like a bully, so I called a cop," protested a young woman, explaining why she had laid a charge of trespass against Archie Fordie.

Fordie and his boy friends, she told the court, used the alley beside her house for an open air club house. And when they started in to serve liquid refreshments, she said it was too much.

"That the trouble," added Inspector Guthrie. "They get a wine jug and go up there and get drunk."

Fordie was placed on a year's probation and told to seek his fun elsewhere.

The usual crop of youthful ride stealers lifted their tousled heads above the rail, and accepted $5 or ten-day penalties for riding gratis on the C.P.R.

The trio said they had come in from Hamilton.

Held on $1,000 Bail Held on a charge of breaking and entering a cigar store on Lake Shore Blvd., Elmer O'Donnell was held over to July 11, on $1.000 bail.

Other remands were granted to Victor Taylor and James Montgomery on charges of stealing a truck. Bail was allowed at $1,000 each.

Held on several charges of theft and receiving, Kenneth Stroud and Robert Prince were remanded to July 13 and released on $2,000 bail.

George Prince, charged with receiving in connection with the same crimes, was remanded in custody.

Defence counsel T. B. Horkins strongly protested against the crown's recommendation that George Prince be held, but Crown Attorney W. O. Gibson, K.C., remarked the police had already been put to the expense of bringing him back from Brockville.

"Besides this is not an ordinary case of auto theft," he said. "The car in question was stolen in Toronto. License plates for another car were taken out in Milton, and the driver's permit Smith's Falls."

Charged with Intoxication. Karrall Venn was found guilty and fined $50 or one month. Immediately after Magistrate Coatsworth had passed sentence, Venn's wife fell heavily to the floor in a faint. She was car- ried from the courtroom by two policemen.

Venn was arrested after he had been found attempting to "fix" a car, after the owner had been arrested for being drunk. Venn himself was so drunk, police officers testified, he "didn't know what he was doing." They didn't have the key, and they were trying to make it go, the court was told.

On $150 cash bail, Ronald Hirst was remanded to July 10. Hirst, facing a charge of keeping a betting house, was arrested yesterday, after leading Morality Officer Joseph Sunderland and Plainclothesmen Holden and Adie a merry chase through his house. Police allege they found Hirst conducting a $150 a day racing business.

Would Take Whole Blame "Last night I saw the two accused men, James Clark and David Cunningham, go up a lane on Lombardi St. with a bottle," said P.C. Phillips in liquor and traffic court to-day.

Clark and Cunningham came up on a charge of having as the result of their apprehension by P.C. Phillips last night.

"I searched the men and found a bunch of skeleton keys and a small hack-saw in Clark's pocket," the officer added.

Clark avowed that he had the keys for 25 years. "They are the keys of to trunks," he said. "I'll have break the locks if you keep them."

Clark pleaded guilty through his counsel, T. O'Connor. "I'm going to take the whole blame," he declared.

"No, you're not. I'll just give you $25 of it," Magistrate Jones said.

Cunningham, who guilty, was deprived of $10.

[ffcrazy15]

It Is Later Than You Think

By Robert W. Service

Lone amid the café’s cheer,

Sad of heart am I to-night;

Dolefully I drink my beer,

But no single line I write.

There’s the wretched rent to pay,

Yet I glower at pen and ink:

Oh, inspire me, Muse, I pray,

It is later than you think!

Hello! there’s a pregnant phrase.

Bravo! let me write it down;

Hold it with a hopeful gaze,

Gauge it with a fretful frown;

Tune it to my lyric lyre ...   

Ah! upon starvation’s brink,

How the words are dark and dire:

It is later than you think.

Weigh them well .... Behold yon band,

Students drinking by the door,

Madly merry, bock in hand,

Saucers stacked to mark their score.

Get you gone, you jolly scamps;

Let your parting glasses clink;

Seek your long neglected lamps:

It is later than you think.

Look again: yon dainty blonde,

All allure and golden grace,

Oh so willing to respond

Should you turn a smiling face.

Play your part, poor pretty doll;

Feast and frolic, pose and prink;

There’s the Morgue to end it all,

And it’s later than you think.

Yon’s a playwright — mark his face,

Puffed and purple, tense and tired;

Pasha-like he holds his place,

Hated, envied and admired.

How you gobble life, my friend;

Wine, and woman soft and pink!

Well, each tether has its end:

Sir, it’s later than you think.

See yon living scarecrow pass

With a wild and wolfish stare

At each empty absinthe glass,

As if he saw Heaven there.

Poor damned wretch, to end your pain

There is still the Greater Drink.

Yonder waits the sanguine Seine ...

It is later than you think.

Lastly, you who read; aye, you

Who this very line may scan:

Think of all you planned to do ...   

Have you done the best you can?

See! the tavern lights are low;

Black’s the night, and how you shrink!

God! and is it time to go?

Ah! the clock is always slow;

It is later than you think;

Sadly later than you think;

Far, far later than you think.

[laresearchette]

Saturday, December 02, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: THRILLER 40 (Paramount +) LADIES OF THE 80's: A DIVAS CHRISTMAS (Lifetime Canada) 8:00pm A CHRISTMAS SERENADE (OWN Canada) 9:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? CHRISTMAS ON WINDMILL WAY (Premiering on December 08 on CTV Life at 8:00pm) A NOT SO ROYAL CHRISTMAS (Premiering on December 09 on CTV Life at 8:00pm)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

CRAVE TV ALVINNN!!! AND THE CHIPMUNKS (Season 3) PAW PATROL (Seasons 4 - 5)

DISNEY + STAR DOCTOR WHO: WILD BLUE YONDER

2023 FIFA MEN'S U17 WORLD CUP (TSN4) 6:48am: Final - Germany vs. France

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 2:00pm: Lightning vs. Stars (TSN3) 3:00pm: Chicago vs. Jets (CBC/City TV) 7:00pm: Detroit vs. Habs (SN1) 7:00pm: Kraken vs. Sens (SN) 7:00pm: Bruins vs. Leafs (CBC/SN) 10:00pm: Canucks vs. Flames

NBA BASKETBALL (TSN4) 4:00pm: Warriors vs. Clippers (SN Now) 8:00pm: Hawks vs. Bucks (TSN4) 9:00pm: Thunder vs. Mavericks

A MERRY CHRISTMAS WISH (CTV Life) 6:00pm: An NYC advertising executive returns to her hometown to sell the family farm but instead reconnects with her childhood friend and gets involved with organizing the yearly Winter Wonderland, which takes place on the property.

NLL LACROSSE (TSN) 7:00pm: Rush vs. Thunderbirds (TSN) 10:00pm: Panther City vs. Warriors

CTV NEWS SPECIAL: RICK HANSEN: UNBREAKABLE 50 YEARS LATER (CTV) 7:00pm

IRON MAN 3 (CTV) 8:00pm: After a malevolent enemy reduces his world to rubble, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) must rely on instinct and ingenuity to protect those he loves as he searches for a way to avenge his losses.

LETTERS TO SANTA (W Network) 8:00pm: When young siblings receive a magic pen from Santa that appears to be granting wishes, they request a Christmas gift they want more than anything -- for their separated parents to reunite.

CHRISTMAS AT THE DRIVE-IN (CTV Life) 8:00pm: A property lawyer finds romance during the holidays while trying to save her town's local drive-in from closing down.

WILD BABIES OF AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARKS (Nat Geo Wild) 8:00pm: Baby animals in the National Parks struggle through a perilous first year.

CATERING CHRISTMAS (CTV2) 9:00pm: Fledgling caterer Molly Frost is hired by perfectionist Jean Harrison for the renowned Harrison Foundation's annual Christmas Gala, but things get complicated when she falls for Jean's nephew.

TUCKED (OUT TV) 9:00pm: A veteran drag queen with a terminal illness begins a new friendship with a younger man and cleans up unfinished business with his estranged daughter.

INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR (Crave) 9:00pm: Josh Lambert heads east to drop his son, Dalton, off at school. However, Dalton's college dream soon becomes a living nightmare when the repressed demons of his past suddenly return to haunt them both.

SELENA + CHEF (HBO Canada) 9:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): Alex Guarnaschelli and Selena prepare roast beef and "Chantilly" mashed potatoes.

JOY RIDE (Starz Canada) 9:00pm: Four unlikely friends embark on an epic, no-holds-barred journey of bonding, belonging and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.

SNOW ANGEL (Super Channel Fuse) 9:00pm: After a fatal accident in a snowy village at the eastern tip of Quebec, a screwed-up ex-pro snowboarder decides to pack up her cabin and leave town for good, but someone -- or something -- seems intent on stopping her.

THE LITTLE THINGS (CTV) 12:35am: A deputy sheriff joins forces with a sergeant to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles.

[47burlm]

Camilla Sparv (born 3 June 1943) is a Swedish actress.

Sparv was born in Stockholm, Sweden on 3 June 1943. She was awarded a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer (female) in 1967 for her role opposite James Coburn in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966). She also appeared in such films as Murderers' Row (1966), The Trouble with Angels (1966), Assignment K (1968), Nobody Runs Forever (1968), Mackenna's Gold (1969), Downhill Racer (1969), The Greek Tycoon (1978), Caboblanco (1980), and Survival Zone (1983), as well as the television shows Airwolf, The Rockford Files, The Love Boat, Hawaii Five-O and the miniseries Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (1981). In 1977, she appeared in "Never Con a Killer," the pilot for the ABC crime drama The Feather and Father Gang. She played several roles in movies, such as beauty girls on snow or skis.

Sparv was briefly married to American film producer Robert Evans in 1965. Now retired, Sparv had two children by her second husband, Herbert W. Hoover III, and has been married to her third, Fred Kolber, since June 1994.