#christian o'neal

[getoutofthisplace]

Dear Gus & Magnus,

I had a UA-Little Rock Alumni Board Meeting today, during which we heard from Travis "Tre Day" Rowan, who will be the honoree of this year's Taste of Little Rock. He's got a good story. As a military kid, he went to 13 different schools in 12 years, then landed at UALR after high school and it felt like home when he got to stay in one spot. He immediately set up a scholarship that he's been funding since he graduated. I know him from playing in his tennis tournament fundraiser, but I didn't know his story until today, which made me like him more than I already did. I'm looking forward to Taste.

After the meeting, I hit the road to Ridgeland, Mississippi, where the Video Team has been setting up to shoot our Rib & Roll video promo tomorrow.

Dad.

Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.7.2024 - 12.09pm.

SIDENOTE: We had a pretty sunrise this morning.

[90smovies]

[vogues1ut]

CFDA Fashion Awards 1993

Christy Turlington and Tatum O’Neal attend a Council of Fashion Designers of America event at Lincoln Center in New York City, February 1993.

[itstiffs]

omg shaq is fucking tall standing next to christian

[nerdygaymormon]

Queer Gospel Music

This past year I came across several songs that I enjoy listening to on Sundays. I created a playlist for myself for Sundays and thought I'd share with y'all.

Yet : Ashley Hess - Ashley Hess was a finalist on the 2019 season of American Idol. I heard her perform this song at the Gather Conference where she introduced it by saying, "The next song that I'm gonna play is a song that I wrote in my lowest time. But it's a song that's so special to me because it was the moment that I felt like I finally came out of hiding, and that the Lord not only saw me, but loved me and embraced me." I can relate so much to that. Plus, I don't hear many songs from the perspective of "I'm trying, so God please don't give up on me."

God Loves Me Too : Brian Falduto - Brian played the gay kid in the movie School of Rock, and catapulted the character into an LGBTQ icon when he delivered the line “You’re tacky and I hate you.” Now as an adult, Brian is back and singing that no one has to earn God’s love. Brian wrote the song after visiting a church that was welcoming and accepting of queer people. I look around and see I’ve found a place where peace and love abound. I’ve waited my whole life for the truth. It is true, God loves you. It don’t matter if you’re LGBTQ

My Little Prayer : David Archuleta - David wasn't out yet when he recorded this, but I imagine he really related to some of these lyrics, such as I'm beginning to understand that you (God) have a plan for me.

The Queer Gospel : Erin McKeown - I love these lyrics. There are those who think we're wicked. There are those who call us names: depraved, lost and sick, and would rather bathe us in shame. But we put the "sin" in sincere, we put the "do" in the doubt. God is perfectly clear. We are perfectly out. Love us as we are. See us and we're holy. In this shall we ever be wholly ourselves.

Good Day (feat. Derek Webb) : Flamy Grant - Matthew Blake was a worship leader for 22 years who has become a “shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen” named Flamy Grant (it's a play on the name of gospel singer Amy Grant). The lyrics talk of coming back to church after having left for feeling oppressed. They’ve come back to church because despite what some say, God’s love is expansive enough for everyone. God made me good in every way, so I raise my voice to celebrate a good day. 

Believe : GENTRI - The pianist for this group is gay. After coming out, he was having a hard time with faith and was angry at God, and he felt God gave him this song as part of his healing process. Believe there is an answer. And while you feel you're buried deep in a disaster, believe more hands are waiting, ready to lift you up and carry you back to safety. You're not alone, keep holding on. And believe.

Explaining Jesus : Jordy Searcy - In 2014, Jordan was a contestant on The Voice. He grew up active in a church and since being on the television show he has written several religious songs, including this one. Jordy discusses the shortcomings of churches, comparing the ways in which church members act and interact with each other, including how they treat the gay community and oppress women. If you're gay and over 85, you've felt for your whole life that when God made you, he just messed up. In the chorus he apologizes that this has been the experience, I'm sorry no one explained Jesus to you.

Satan's Tears : Kyler O'Neal - Did anyone ask how real you are? Has anyone said that you are loved, or that you’re the one they’re dreaming of? Those questions start this beautiful song by trans woman Kyler O’Neal. The song addresses a young gender non-conforming person unaccepted by their world, and the singer promises to wipe away Satan’s tears which were created by a cruel society

Same Love : Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert - Macklemore sings that his gay uncles should be allowed to marry, and speaks of how Christianity has hurt gay people. "God loves all his children" is somehow forgotten, but we paraphrase a book written thirty-five hundred years ago. The song concludes with Mary Lambert singing I’m not crying on Sundays, which I think means not letting religious intolerance and churches harm us anymore

No Place in Heaven : MIKA - Mika is singing about how religion teaches there’s no place in heaven for gay people because the way we love is sinful. Father, won’t you forgive me for my sins? Father, if there’s a heaven let me in

God Is : The Outer Banks - I don't know that they had queer people in mind when they wrote the song, but the lyrics relate to the conflict between one’s queerness and relationship with God. God was never angry. God was not against me. God was never far away. God is not disappointed.

I Know it Hurts : Paul Cardall & Tyler Glenn - I just wanted to believe, but how am I supposed to believe this about me? And then we find each other, queer church members who can understand what we’re going through, who know the hurt. For most queer people, they leave church and go on a different path. They’re not lost, a faint light at the end is guiding their way, they’re finding another way back home.

Losing My Religion : R.E.M. - The song was interpreted as the struggle of a closeted gay man coming to terms with what his religion taught about gay people and is seen as an example of queer coding in the era of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Lead singer Michael Stipe had declined to address his sexuality, so when “Losing My Religion” came out, people assumed Stipe was coming out as gay. Consider this the hint of the century. Consider this the slip.

HIM : Sam Smith - This is a song about a boy in Mississippi coming out and the conflict between his sexuality and his religious upbringing. He is grappling with the feeling that there’s no place in church for him because he’s gay. Holy Father, we need to talk. I have a secret that I can’t keep. I’m not the boy that you thought you wanted. Please don’t get angry, have faith in me.

Pray : Sam Smith - You won’t see Sam in church, but they say they’re a child of God at heart and are begging God to show the way. I’m not a saint, I’m more of a sinner. I don’t wanna lose, but I fear for the winners

Faith : Semler -  This song reached No. 1 on the iTunes Christian music chart and is about growing up queer in a faith community and how the rejection by the church left them scarred. When my religion turned against me, they said my hopes and dreams were faulty. I showed these holes inside my hands, and they claimed they couldn’t see.” Even as they struggled with the church, Semler kept a relationship with Jesus and flourished far more than she did in any church building. But I don’t wanna get small to be in those rooms

Hey Jesus : Trey Pearson - Trey made headlines in 2016 when as the lead singer of the Christian rock band Everyday Sunday, he came out as gay. Three years later and Trey has a question: Hey Jesus can you hear me now? It's been awhile since I came out, I was wonderin' do you love me the same? As a person who struggles to reconcile faith with sexual orientation, I find this song quite moving.

Heaven : Troye Sivan feat. Betty Who - Troye sings about what it’s like for a religious teenager to come out as gay. Without losing a piece of me, how do I get to heaven? Without changing a part of me, how do I get to heaven? All my time is wasted, feeling like my heart’s mistaken, oh, so if I’m losing a piece of me, maybe I don’t want heaven? Troye explains “When I first started to realise that I might be gay, I had to ask myself all these questions—these really really terrifying questions. Am I ever going to find someone? Am I ever going to be able to have a family? If there is a God, does that God hate? If there is a heaven, am I ever going to make it to heaven?” The video features footage from LGBTQ+ protests throughout history.

Revelation : Troye Sivan and Jónsi -This song was written for the movie Boy Erased, which is about a young man being sent by his parents to a conversion therapy camp to try to change him to not be gay. The lyrics are about feeling liberated from the toxic teachings he learned at church about LGBTQ+ people. It’s a revelation. There’s no hell in what I’ve found, and no kingdom shout. How the tides are changing as you liberate me now and the walls come down. In other words, God doesn't condemn me for my queerness.

Orphans of God : Ty Herndon & Kristin Chenoweth feat. Paul Cardall - The message of the song is we are all loved by God, we are all thought about, we are all created equally and God loves us all the same.

Midnight : Tyler Glenn - The Neon Trees frontman gives an emotional song about his departure from the Mormon church but not from God. The ballad is accompanied by a video that shows Glenn removing his religious garments and replacing them with a glittery jacket, which is such a powerful metaphor.

[la-femme-au-collier-vert]

A List of Works Influencing and Referenced by IWTV Season 1

Works Directly Referenced

Marriage in a Free Society by Edward Carpenter

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Cheri by Collete

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

La Nausee by Jean-Paul Sartre (credit to @demonicdomarmand )

Complete Poetry of Emily Dickinson edited by Thomas H. Johnson*

Blue Book by Tom Anderson

The Book of Abramelin the Mage

The Savage Garden by Mark Mills credit to @speckled-jim

Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could by Adam Schiff credit to @spreckled-jim

America and Dissent: Why America Suffers When Economics and Politics Collide by Alan S. Blinder credit to @speckled-jim

Dairy Queen Days by Robert Inman credit to @speckled-jim

Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble by Lester R. Brown credit to @speckled-jim

Attila: the Judgement by William Napier credit to @speckled-jim

In A Heartbeat by Rosalind Noonan credit to @spreckled-jim

The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal credit to @speckled-jim

Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism" by Jacques Dupuis credit to @speckled-jim

Strawberry Hill: Horace Walpole's Gothic Castle by Anna Chalcraft & Judith Viscardi credit to @speckled-jim

Sailing to Byzantium by Yeats

The Circus Animal's Desertion by Yeats

The Second Coming by Yeats

Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti with libretto by Giovanni Ruffini

Iolanta by Pyotr Tchaikovsky with libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky

Pelleas et Melisande by Claude Debussy

Epigraphes Antiques by Claude Debussy

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Nosferatu (1922)

The Graduate (1967)

Marie Antoinette (1938)

On the Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin

De Masticatione Mortuorum in Tumulis by Michael Ranft (1728)

Emily Post’s Etiquette

Bach’s Minuet in G Major (arranged as vampire minuet in G major)

Artworks referenced (much credit in this section to @iwtvfanevents and to @nicodelenfent )

Fall of The Rebel Angels by Peter Bruegel The Elder (1562)

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt (1633)

Three Peaches on a Stone Plinth by Adriaen Coorte (1705)

Strawberries and Cream Raphaelle Peale, (1816) credit to @diasdelfeugo

Red Mullet and Eel by Edouard Manet (1864)

Starry Night by Edvard Munch (1893)

Self Portrait by Edvard Munch (1881)

Captain Percy Williams on a Favorite Irish Hunter by Samuel Sidney (1881)

Autumn at Arkville by Alexander H. Wyant 

Cumulus Clouds, East River by Robert Henri 

Mildred-O Hat by Robert Henri (Undated)

Ship in the Night James Gale Tyler (1870)

Bouquet in a Theater Box by Renoir (1871)

Berthe Morisot with a Fan by Édouard Manet (1872)

La Vierge D’aurore by Odilon Redon (1890) credit to @vampirepoem on twt

Still Life with Blue Vase and Mushrooms by Otto Sholderer (1891)

After the Bath: Woman Drying her Hair by Edgar Degas (1898)

Bust of a Woman with Her Left Hand on Her

Chin by Edgar Degas (1898) credit to @terrifique

Backstage at the Opera by Jean Beraud (1889)

Roman Bacchanal by Vasily Alexandrovich Kotarbiński (1898)

Dancers by Edgar Degas (1899)

Calling the Hounds Out of Cover by Haywood Hardy (1906)

Dolls by Witold Wojtkiewicz (1906) credit to @gyzeppelis on twt

Forty-two Kids by George Bellows (1907)

The Artist's Sister Melanie by Egon Schiele (1908)

Paddy Flannigan by George Bellows (1908)

Stag at Sharkey’s by George Bellows (1909)

The Lone Tenement by George Bellows (1909)

Ode to Flower After Anacreon by Auguste Renoir (1909) credit to @iwtvasart on twt

New York by George Bellows (1911)

Young Man kneeling before God the Father

Egon Schiele (1909)

Kneeling Girl with Spanish Skirt by Egon Schiele (1911)

Portrait of Erich Lederer by Egon Schiele (1912)

Krumau on the Molde by Egon Schiele (1912)

Weeping Nude by Edvard Munch (1913)

The Cliff Dwellers by George Bellows (1913)

Church in Stein on the Danube by Egon Schiele (1913)

Self Portrait in a Jerkin by Egon Schiele (1914)

The Kitten's Art Lesson by Henriette Ronner Knip credit to @terrifique

Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion by Francis Bacon (1944)

New York by Vivian Maier (1953)

Self Portrait by Vivian Maier (Undated)

Self Portrait by Vivian Maier (1954)

Slave Auction by Jean-Michelle Basquiat (1982)

(Untitled) photo of St. Paul Loading Docks by Bradley Olson (2015)

Transformation by Ron Bechet (2021)

(Untitled) sculpture in the shape of vines by Sadie Sheldon

(Untitled) Ceramic Totems by Julie Silvers (Undated)

Mother Daughter by Rahmon Oluganna

Twins I by Raymon Oluganna

@iwtvfanevents made a post of unidentified works here.

Works Cited by the Writer’s Room as Influences

Bourbon Street: A History by Richard Campanella (as it hardly mentions Storyville I think interested parties would be better served by additional titles if they want a complete history of New Orleans)

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (This was also adapted into an award winning opera)

poetry by Charles Simic (possibly A Wedding in Hell?)

poetry by Mark Strand (possibly Dark Harbour?)

Works IWTV may be in conversation with (This is the most open to criticism and additions)

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, uncensored (There are two very different versions of this which exist today, as Harvard Press republished the unedited original with permission from the Wilde family.)

Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner

Warsan Shire for Beyoncé’s Lemonade

Faust: A Tragedy by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

La Morte Amoreuse by Theophile Gautier

Carmilla by Sheridan LeFanu

Maurice by E.M. Forster

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (credit to @johnlockdynamic )

1984 by George Orwell (credit to @savage-garden-nights for picking this up)

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

Gone With the Wind film (1939)

Hannibal (2013)

Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle Suzanne de Villenueve

Music used in Season 1 collected by @greedandenby here

*if collected or in translation most of the best editions today would not have been available to the characters pre-1940. It’s possible Louis is meant to have read them in their original French in some cases, but it would provide for a different experience. Lydia Davis’ Madame Bovary, for example, attempts to replicate this.

** I've tagged and linked relevant excerpts under quote series as I've been working my way through the list.

Season 2 here

Season 3 here

[lotus-flower-writes-history]

The Unofficial Black History Book

~~

Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784)

Imagine being the best-known and also the first African-American woman to publish a book of poetry at the age of 13, whilst being a slave.

This is her story.

Phillis Wheatley was the first African-American and second female to publish a book of poems. And she was also the youngest.

Phillis Wheatley was born on May 8th, 1753, in Gambia, West Africa. There's no record of her real birth name. 

When she was no younger than seven, she was kidnapped by slave traders and brought to America in 1761. The slave traders renamed her 'Phillis' based on the slave ship she arrived on, 'The Phillis'

She was transported to the Boston docks with a shipment of "refugee" slaves who, because of their age or physical frailty, were unsuited for rigorous labor in the West Indian and Southern Colonies. They were the first ports of call after the Atlantic Crossing.

In August 1761, Susanna Wheatley, the wife of Boston tailor John Wheatley, was "in want of a domestic."

Susanna purchased "a slender, frail female child...for a trifle."

The captain of the slave ship believed that Phillis was terminally ill, and he wanted to make at least a small profit off of her before she died. 

It's reported that a Wheatley relative surmised her to be "of slender frame and evidently suffering from a change of climate," "nearly naked, with no other covering than a quantity of dirty carpet about her," and "about seven years old...from the circumstances of shedding her front teeth."

When Phillis was sold to the Wheatley family, she adopted their last name and was taken under Susanna's wing as her domestic.

During her time serving the Wheatleys, which was about sixteen months, Susana discovered that Phillis had an extraordinary capacity to learn. The Wheatleys, including their son Nathaniel and their daughter Mary, taught her how to read and write after discovering her precociousness.

But this didn't excuse her from her duties as a house slave.

Phillis was soon immersed in the Bible, astronomy, geography, history, theology, British literature, and the Greek and Latin classics of Virgil, Ovid, Terence, and Homer. Inspired, she began writing poetry between the ages of 12 and 13.

At a time when African Americans were discouraged and intimidated from learning how to read and write, Phillis' life was an anomaly.

When she started to publish her poems, her fame, and talent soon spread across the Atlantic. With Susanna's support, Phillis started posting advertisements for subscribers for her first book of poems.

However, a scholar of Phillis's work, Sondra O'Neale, notes, "When the colonists were apparently unwilling to support literature by an African, she and the Wheatleys turned in frustration to London for a publisher."

In 1773, Phillis was in continuously poor health; she had chronic asthma. But she sets off for London with Nathaniel Wheatley, her master's son.  

When she arrived in London, she was accepted and adored for both her poise and her literary work. And during her time there, she also received medical treatment for the ailments she was battling.

She met Selina Hastings, a friend of Susanna Wheatley and the Countess of Huntingdon. Eventually, Hastings funded the publication of Phillis's book. "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral." Was the first book of poetry published by an enslaved African American in the United States. 

Her book includes many elegies as well as poems on Christian themes, even dealing with race, such as the often-anthologized "On being brought from Africa to America."

Phillis was also a strong supporter of America's fight for independence; she penned several of her poems in honor of George Washington, who was Commander of the Continental Army. She sent him one of her works that was written in 1775, and it eventually inspired an invitation to visit him in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In March 1776, she traveled to Washington.

 Phillis eventually had to return to Boston to tend to Susanna Wheatley, who was gravely ill. 

After the elder Wheatleys’ died, Phillis was left with nothing and had to support herself as a seamstress. 

We don’t know exactly when she was freed by the Wheatleys, but some scholars suggest that she was freed between 1774 and 1778. And during that time, most of the Wheatley family had died.

Even with her literary popularity at its all-time high and being manumitted, freedom in 1774 Boston proved to be incredibly difficult.

Phillis was unable to secure funding for another publication or even sell her writing. 

In 1778, she was married to a free African American man from Boston named John Peters. They had three children, but sadly, none of them survived infancy.

Their marriage proved to be a struggle due to the couple's battle with constant poverty. Phillis was then forced to find work as a maid in a boarding house, where she lived in squalid, horrifying conditions.

Even through all her misfortune, Phillis continued to write. But, with the growing tensions between the British and the Revolutionary War, she lost enthusiasm for her poems.

Although she continued to contact various publishers, she was unsuccessful in finding support for a second volume of poetry.

On December 5th, 1784, Phillis Wheatley died alone in a boarding house at 31 years old, without a penny to her name. 

Many of her poems for her second volume disappeared and have never been recovered. 

___

Next Chapter

The 16 Street Baptist Church Bombing

_____

My Resources

[umangsharma7117]

Educational Opportunities in Southern Pines, North Carolina: Schools and Libraries.

Southern Pines, North Carolina, is a charming town known for its rich history, vibrant community, and dedication to education. This dedication is reflected in the variety and quality of its schools and libraries, which serve as cornerstones for lifelong learning and community engagement. This article explores the educational opportunities available in Southern Pines, highlighting its schools and libraries.

Public Schools

The Moore County Schools (MCS) district serves Southern Pines and provides a comprehensive education system from kindergarten through 12th grade. MCS is committed to academic excellence, innovative programs, and student support services.

Elementary Schools

Southern Pines Elementary School is one of the primary educational institutions in the area. It offers a nurturing environment where young learners can develop foundational skills in reading, writing, math, and science. The school's emphasis on a well-rounded education includes art, music, and physical education, fostering the overall development of students.

Pinehurst Elementary School, though slightly outside Southern Pines, serves many local families. Known for its strong community involvement, Pinehurst Elementary provides a supportive atmosphere where parents and teachers collaborate to enhance student learning experiences.

Middle Schools

Southern Middle School caters to students in grades 6-8 and is dedicated to bridging the gap between elementary and high school education. The school offers a challenging curriculum that prepares students for the academic demands of high school. Programs in technology, arts, and athletics are integral parts of the school's educational approach, ensuring a balanced development for all students.

High Schools

Pinecrest High School is the primary high school serving Southern Pines. It is renowned for its academic rigor, diverse extracurricular activities, and strong athletic programs. Pinecrest High School offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses, career and technical education programs, and a wide range of clubs and organizations, enabling students to explore their interests and prepare for post-secondary education or the workforce.

Private and Charter Schools

In addition to public schools, Southern Pines boasts several private and charter school options, providing parents and students with alternative educational environments.

The O'Neal School is a prominent private institution offering education from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. It is known for its personalized approach to education, small class sizes, and strong emphasis on college preparation. The school's curriculum is designed to challenge students academically while also fostering critical thinking and creativity.

Sandhills Classical Christian School provides a faith-based education with a classical curriculum. The school aims to cultivate moral integrity and academic excellence in its students. With a strong focus on classical literature, history, and philosophy, Sandhills Classical Christian School encourages students to think deeply and engage meaningfully with their studies.

Libraries

Libraries play a crucial role in the educational landscape of Southern Pines, serving as hubs for learning, research, and community engagement.

Southern Pines Public Library is a central fixture in the community. It offers a vast collection of books, periodicals, and digital resources. The library's programs cater to all age groups, from story times and summer reading programs for children to book clubs and technology workshops for adults. The library also provides access to computers and free Wi-Fi, supporting the digital literacy needs of the community.

Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives in Pinehurst is another important resource for Southern Pines residents. The library offers a wide range of materials and hosts educational programs and events. The Tufts Archives, located within the library, houses a significant collection of historical documents and photographs, preserving the rich history of the area.

Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning

Southern Pines is also home to Sandhills Community College, which offers a variety of programs for adult learners. From associate degrees and professional certifications to personal enrichment courses, Sandhills Community College caters to a broad spectrum of educational needs. The college's Continuing Education division provides opportunities for lifelong learning, ensuring that education in Southern Pines extends beyond traditional K-12 schooling.

Conclusion

Southern Pines, North Carolina, offers a wealth of educational opportunities through its diverse schools and robust library system. Whether you are a parent seeking quality education for your child, a student preparing for higher education, or an adult looking to continue your learning journey, Southern Pines provides the resources and support to help you succeed. The town's commitment to education and community engagement ensures that all residents have access to the tools they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 12.7

Beer Birthdays

Theodor Schwann (1810)

Christian William Feigenspan (1876)

J.R. Moehringer (1964)

Daniel Trivelli (1976)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Harry Chapin; singer, songwriter (1942)

Noam Chomsky; linguist, political activist (1928)

Louis Prima; jazz trumpeter, bandleader (1911)

Theodor Schwann; German physiologist, discovered organic nature of yeast (1810)

Tom Waits; singer, songwriter (1949)

Famous Birthdays

Shiri Appleby; actor (1978)

Priscilla Barnes; actor (1955)

Johnny Bench; Cincinnati Reds C (1947)

Giovanni Bernini; Italian artist (1598)

Larry Bird; Boston Celtics F (1956)

Ellen Burstyn; actor (1932)

Joyce Cary; Irish writer (1888)

Willa Cather; writer (1873)

Richard Drew; scotch tape inventor (1899)

Rudolf Friml; composer (1879)

C. Thomas Howell; actor (1966)

James Keach; actor (1948)

Ted Knight; actor (1923)

Gerard Kuiper; astronomer (1905)

Clarence Nash; voice of Donald Duck (1904)

Patrice O'Neal; comedian (1969)

Richard Warren Sears; department store merchant (1863)

Andre Tchelistcheff; enologist (1901)

Ernst Toch; composer (1887)

Eli Wallach; actor (1915)

[clemsfilmdiary]

The Best of May 2023

Best Discovery: The Stendhal Syndrome

           Runners Up: Paper Moon, To Sleep So as to Dream

Best Rewatch: Looking for Mr. Goodbar

           Runner Up: Cutter's Way

Most Enjoyable Fluff: My One True Love

           Runners Up: Airport 1975, The Graduate, The Island at the Top of the World

Best Male Performance: Ben Gazzara in The Strange One

           Runners Up: Jeff Bridges and John Heard in Cutter's Way

Best Female Performance: Diane Keaton in Looking for Mr. Goodbar

           Runner Up: Asia Argento in The Stendhal Syndrome

Best Supporting Performance or Cameo: Richard Gere in Looking for Mr. Goodbar

           Runners Up: Tom Berenger and Tuesday Weld in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Lisa Eichhorn in Cutter's Way, Thomas Kretschmann in The Stendhal Syndrome

Best Mise-en-scène: The Stendhal Syndrome

           Runners Up: Cutter's Way, Gate of Hell, The Graduate, The Island at the Top of the World, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Paper Moon, The Secret of Kells, To Sleep So as to Dream

Best Locations: The Stendhal Syndrome (river, abandoned drug den)

Best Score: The Stendhal Syndrome (Ennio Morricone)

           Runner Up: Cutter's Way (Jack Nitzsche)

Best Cartoon: Pigs Is Pigs

Best Leading Hunk: Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon

           Runners Up: Jeff Bridges in Cutter's Way, Ben Gazzara in The Strange One, Ross Jirgl in My One True Love, Harvey Keitel in Mean Streets

Best Supporting Hunk: Shawn Christian in Ruby Herring Mysteries: Silent Witness

           Runner Up: Herman Poppe in The Island at the Top of the World

Assorted Pleasures:

- Richly colored matte paintings in The Island at the Top of the World

- Surrealistic exploration of art in The Stendhal Syndrome

[wheatleyspoems]

Q&A: My assimilation to white culture?

Someone in the book club that took place in person had asked me how I assimilated to the "white culture" and why I did this. Well what really was my motive?

To start off with, "Others have recently begun to corrwct this one-sided picture by showing that Wheatley was not unmindful of racial concerns, their words still overlook biblical terminology and its implications for slavery"(O'neale). This is one of the ways I assimilated to the white soceity, more specifically their culture as I adopted their religion.

This is important because I used the Christian religion on several parts of my writing to critique the religion itself as it would justify both slavery and the oppresion of Black people. I used my personal experiences when assimilating to the white culture to be able to show and epress my resistance towards the beliefs and values the Christian church held.

O’Neale, Sondra. “A Slave’s Subtle War: Phyllis Wheatley’s Use of Biblical Myth and Symbol.” Early American Literature, vol. 21, no. 2, 1986, p. 144–.

[karen-anti-r-cml]

January 10, 2023: South Carolina House Bill 3549 "South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023" was Introduced by:

Sponsors: Reps. Harris, Burns, Chumley, Pace, Nutt, Beach, S. Jones, White, Long, O'Neal, Magnuson, Haddon, Willis, McCabe, Lawson, Trantham, Ligon, Kilmartin, Vaughan, Pedalino, Guffey and Cromer

This Bill would redefine a "person" to include fetuses at any stage of development. An Abortion would become a "homicide" or "assault" and the fetuses would be given the same protections under state laws... including The Death Penalty to the Woman.

Section 2 reads "Human life, created in the image of God,"

Wait!

"Created in the image of God,"

So, they're going to start this by doing exactly what The Founding Fathers did not want done in the United States Government.

Revolutionary Era:

Amanda Porterfield, Professor of Religion at Florida State University

Thomas Jefferson explained his support for religious freedom in practical terms: “It does me no injury for my neighbor to believe in twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”

Rates of church membership declined and many church buildings, especially in the South, stood in need of repair.

Soldiers in the Continental Army were notoriously irreverent. Free thought and even feminism rose in popularity.

People of the United States, only after the violent attacks on religion in the French Revolution became concerned about the low level of religion, so religion became the latest trend."

Steven K. Green, Teaches Law and History at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon

If the question is whether the Founding Fathers relied on Protestant Christian principles in drafting the essential documents and in organizing the new governments, then the answer is a resounding “NO.”

1765-1790: Writings of the period, including speeches, debates, letters, pamphlets, and even sermons, reflect the overwhelming influence of Enlightenment, Whig, and classical republican theories.

1775-1791: In 9 of 13 Colonies People went from maintaining religious establishments to achieving disestablishment

At Our founding he United States became the 1st nation in history to abolish religious disqualifications from officeholding and civic engagement.

The founders purposely created a nation that based its legitimacy on popular will, not on some higher power."

Kevin M. Kruse, Professor of History at Princeton University

Demographically speaking, America certainly resembled a “nation of Christians” at the time of its founding and has ever since. But it’s a rather different proposition to claim that the Founders established the new American government as a “Christian nation.”

Clearly, they did not.

I have to ask how does anyone know what the image of god looks like?

Are they going with the traditional male version of god being a man, and if they are does that mean a girl will remain a fetus and therefore Abortion is allowed?

Are they going with the more recent Feminist view that we don't know, god could be anything even a women"?

Maybe they're going with "The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster" Oh wait, they can't mean that because we don't look like Flying Spaghetti Monsters. Do we?

No one can say, no one has seen god to know what it looks like... Not even Moses... Well, maybe he did see god and god is a Burning Bush?

No one will ever know, unless they die, there really is a heaven and they see god...

Although it's more likely Saint Peter will meet them at the Pearly Gates with 1 Question...

"What Part "'Of Judge Not, That Thee Be Not Judged"' Did You Not Understand?"

[leitch]

Went hiking up above the Hollywood sign, highly, highly recommended.

Here are this week’s stories:

MONDAY They’re Fist Fighting in Congress Now (Medium) The Thirty: One Extension Candidate for Every Team (MLB.com)

TUESDAY The Week We Pretended We Were Going to Be Different About Football (New York) Immediate Reactions to the Carlos Correa Deal (MLB.com) Your Next Ten World Series Winners (MLB.com) Christian Bale Movies, Ranked (Vulture)

WEDNESDAY Veterans Who Need a Home (MLB.com) Untitled Medium Piece (Medium)

THURSDAY Last Place Teams, Ranked (Medium)

PODCASTS

”Waitin’ Since Last Saturday (subscribe in iTunes) Georgia won the national title, holy crap.

Grierson & Leitch (subscribe in iTunes) No show this week.

Seeing Red (subscribe in iTunes) No show this week. Taping next week, though.

It gets a little harder to travel across the country every year. (Still worth it, go Dawgs.) Have a great weekend, everyone, and remember: O'Neal easily seems self-pitying, narcissistic, on the verge of tears. As one terrible event after another occurs to him, he projects an eerie calm. Nor do his triumphs -- in gambling, con games, a fortunate marriage and even acquiring a title -- seem to bring him much joy. He is a man to whom things happen.

[getoutofthisplace]

Dear Gus & Magnus,

I've been asked to sit in on the planning meetings for Taste of Little Rock, which is a major fundraising source for UA-Little Rock, my alma mater. I've never been to the event, but my skillset lends itself to creating events, getting the word out, and in the past few years I've positioned myself to speak to the food/restaurant crowd. So, I'm hoping I can contribute.

Dad.

Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.9.2022 - 11.49pm.

[90smovies]

[lifelovemusiq]

Christian Combs, Cordell Broadus, Diggy Simmons and Myles O'Neal walk the runway at the Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Men’s Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 on June 17, 2017 in Milan, Italy.