#covington catholic

[jacks-weird-world]

[nicklloydnow]

Walker Percy statue in Bogue Falaya Park, Covington, Louisiana

“A Talk with Walker Percy

Zoltán Abádi-Nagy

The Southern Literary Journal, 6 (Fall 1973)

Q: You maintain that perhaps the best way of writing about America in general is to write with authenticity about one particular part of America. By extension this means that, likewise, your attitude and reaction toward philosophical questions of universal human importance— toward the question of the human predicament, to use the term of your philosophy—will be that of an American. Is that correct?

A: I think that is true. My novels have more a European origin than American. They are so-called philosophical novels which is probably a bad word. But you know that the first half of your question is quite true. The greatest exponent of this was Faulkner who concentrated on a small village in Mississippi. It is true that I am interested in philosophical, religious issues and in my novels I use the particular in order to get at the general issues. For example, The Moviegoer is about New Orleans, one part in New Orleans, a young man in New Orleans. The conflict is a hidden ideological conflict involving, on the one hand, what I call Southern stoicism. I have an uncle whose hero was Marcus Aurelius. The other ideology is Christian Catholic. The third: the protagonist is in an existentialist predicament, alienated from both cultures.

Q: What in your view is it in America that makes an existentialist today? What facets of the American intellectual climate, of the American existence in general, are favorable to existentialist thinking?

A: I think in America the revolt is less overtly philosophical. It is a feeling of alienation from American suburban life, the suburb, the country-club, the business community. There is a difference between my protagonists and the so-called counter culture. Many young people revolt in a purely negative way, oppose their parents' culture; whereas the leading characters in my books are much more consciously embarked on some sort of search. I am telling you that because I would not want you to confuse the characters of the counter culture with my characters. One of their beliefs is that the American scene is phony, and their revolt is to seek authenticity in drugs, sex, or in a different kind of communal existence. The characters in my books are embarked on a much more serious search for meaning.

(…)

Q: Your view of life in your literary works is very close to the absurdist view, but the term 'absurd' and the whole Camus terminology hardly ever appears in your philosophical essays. Does this coincide with your preference for Marcel's Catholic version of existentialism as opposed to the post-Christian character of the meaninglessness of Sisyphus' situation?

A: Yes, that is correct. I identity philosophically with people like Gabriel Marcel. And if you want to call me a philosophical Catholic existentialist, I would not object, although the term existentialist is being so abused now that it means very little. But stylistically mainly two French novels affected me: Sartre's La Nausée and Camus' L'etranger. I agree with their novelistic technique but not with their absurdist view.

Q: Is not your third novel, Love in the Ruins, with its Layer I and Layer II—the social self and the inner, individual self—a comic attempt to solve Marcel's dilemma about this separation?

A: You are right. This is a comic device to get at what, ever since Kierkegaard, has been called the modern sickness: the disease of abstraction. I think in the novel Dr. More calls the illness angelism-bestialism. There is nothing new about this. It had been mentioned by many writers in various ways. Pascal said that man is both not quite as high as an angel and not quite as low as a beast. So Dr. More is aware of this schism in consciousness. He talks about the modem mind which, as he sees it, abstracts from the world, from itself, and manages to lose touch with reality.

(…)

Q: Much of it, especially in Love in the Ruins, seems to be a social problem viewed from an existentialist viewpoint of the human predicament. Actually, this is a kind of movement I notice in your works: an increasing awareness of how much the social predicament has to do with the human predicament. If Binx in The Moviegoer was suffocating in an adverse climate of malaise which was a social phenomenon, he was not much aware of its having to do with society; he was not concentrating on things like the social self as later Dr. More is in Love in the Ruins. Was this an intentional change on your part or was the movement towards the concept of malaise as a social product spontaneously developing through the inner logics of these relations?

A: It was a conscious change. Love in the Ruins was intended to take a certain point of view of Dr. More's and from it to see the social and political situation in America. Unlike Binx, whose difficulties were more personal, Dr. More finds himself involved in contemporary issues: the black-white conflict and the problem of science, scientific technology which is treated as a sociological reality today. Both the good and bad of it. I really use this to say what I wanted to say about contemporary issues. About polarization; there are half a dozen of them: black-white, North-South, young-old, affluent-poor, etc. And do not forget that at the end of Love in the Ruins there is a suggestion of a new community, new reconciliation. It has been called a pessimistic novel but I do not think it is. A renewed community is suggested. The suggestion is in the last scene which takes place in a midnight mass between a Christmas Saturday and Sunday. The Catholics, the Jews come to the midnight mass, also the unbelievers in the same community. The great difference between Dr. More and the other heroes is that Dr. More has no philosophical problems. He knows what he believes.

Q: Is it a religious reconciliation then?

A: Yes, that is the case. This was meant for Southerners in particular and for Americans in general.

Q: Binx in The Moviegoer and Barrett in The Last Gentleman do not seem to have the set of positive values needed for absurd creation as conceived by Camus to create their own meaning in meaninglessness. Is this connected with your idea of the aesthetic reversion of alienation, i.e. by communicating their alienation they get rid of it?

A: Yes, there is something there. In the case of Binx it is left open. The ending is ambiguous. It is not made clear whether he returns to his mother's religion or takes on his aunt's stoic values. But he does manage to make a life by going into medicine, helping Kate by marrying her. I suppose Sartre and Camus would look on this as a bourgeois retreat he had made.

Q: How do you look on it?

A: Well, I think he probably . . . as a matter of fact the last two pages of The Moviegoer were meant as a conscious salute to Dostoevski, in particular to the last few pages of The Brothers Karamazov. Very few people notice this.

Q: To me the most striking difference between the European and the American absurdist view is the ability of the American to couple the grim seriousness with hilarious humor, to turn apocalypse into farce. In comparison, Beckett, for all the grim comedy which is there, is a sheer tragic affair. Can you think of some explanation for this?

A: That is a good question and I can only quote Kierkegaard, who said something that astounded me and that I did not understand for a long time. He spoke of the three stages of existence: the aesthetic, the ethical, the religious. When you pass the first two you find yourself in an existentialist predicament which can be open to the religious or the absurd. He equated religion with the absurdity. He called it the leap into the absurd. But what he said and was puzzling to me was that, after the first two, the closest thing to the third stage is humor. I thought about that for a long time. I cannot explain it except I know it is true.

There is another explanation, too, of course. Hemingway once said: all good American novels come from one novel written by a man named Mark Twain. With Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain established the tradition of this very broad and satirical humor. I think the American writer finds it natural to use humor both in his satire and in describing even the worst predicament of his main character. In this country we call it black humor: disproportion between the gravity of the character's predicament and the hilarity of the humor with which it is treated. Vonnegut uses this a good deal.

Q: Richard B. Hauck in A Cheerful Nihilism points out how Franklin, Melville, Twain, Faulkner have shown that the response to the absurd sense can be laughter. At one point Binx becomes aware of the similarity of his predicament to that of the Jews. "I accept my exile," he says. Whether we accept this as his affirmation of life in its absurdity or not, what follows is comedy. Could you agree that this comedy as well as Franklin's, Melville's and the others' could be regarded as the absurd creation of the American Sisyphus as opposed to the serious defiance of Camus' king?

A: I do not know if I would go that far. It may be much simpler. There is an old American saying that the one way to stop crying is to laugh. Binx says, "I feel more homeless than the Jews." Between him and the Camus and Sartrean heroes of the absurd there is a difference. Camus would probably say the hero has to create his own values whether absurd or not, whereas Binx does not accept that the world is absurd; so he embarks on a search. So to him the Jews are a sign. I think he said, "Lately when I see a Jew on a street I am amazed nobody finds it remarkable. But I find it remarkable. But to me it is like seeing Friday's footprint in the beach. " Of course, he is not sure what it is the sign of. Sartre's Roquentin in La Nausée or Camus' Meursault in L'etranger would not find anything remarkable about a Jew, they would not be interested in him.

Q: In your philosophical essay, "The Man on the Train," you stress the speakability of the commuter's alienation and the fact that the commuter rejoices in this speakability. We can probably add: laughability. Incidentally, you do mention in the same article how Kafka and his friends were roaring with laughter when Kafka read his work aloud to them. Again if we had the answer to how alienation can become a laughing-matter, we would have the key to much of what is recently called black humor.

A: I think you are right. In "The Man on the Train" I was talking about the aesthetic reversal: the alienated commuter feeling totally alienated when reading a book about alienation feels better because there is a communication between himself and the writer.

Q: The forms of alienation you are concerned with in your fiction are all results of the objectification, mechanization of the subjective. Does not this view meet somewhere at a point with Bergson's view of the comic as the mechanical manifested in a living human being?

A: It sounds reasonable but I cannot enlarge on that. I am not familiar enough with Bergson. But to your previous question. Let me finish. It is the first time it occurs to me. You brought it up. Maybe, a person like Sartre spent a lot of time writing in a café about alienated people, the lack of communication, etc., and yet, in doing so, he became the least alienated person in France. By writing he performs a superb act of communication for which he has many readers. So you have a complete reversal. He writes about one thing and reverses it through communication. Here we have the American writer locked in his alienation. But I can envision the American writer getting onto it; by seeing the possibility of communication, exhilaration, his alienation becomes speakable. There can be a tremendous release from that. I have never thought of this before. Nobody knows what is going on when you communicate the unspeakable. This all-important step from unspeakability to speakability is such a triumph that in his own exhilaration the American writer finds it natural to use the Mark Twain tradition of the funny, the humorous.

(…)

Q: Religion reminds me of another tendency I notice in your novels from Binx through Dr. Sutter to Dr. More: the scientist Dr. Percy showing in the novels much more than the Catholic. How would you comment on your religious presence in the philosophical essays the—whole idea of the islander opening all those bottles hoping for 'the message'—and on the absence of practical religion from the novels. I know that religion is there as a theme but with no commitment of the writer in any direction.

A: Well, that is very simple. James Joyce said that an artist must be above all things cunning and guileful and must use every trick in the bag to achieve his purpose. In my view the language of religion, the very words themselves, are almost bankrupt. If you are writing a technical article on philosophy you can use the correct word for the correct meaning. But writing a novel is something different. In my view you have to be wary of using words like 'religion,' 'God,' 'sin,' 'salvation,' ‘baptism' because the words are almost worn out. The themes have to be implicit rather than explicit. I think I am conscious of the danger of the novelist trying to draw a moral. What Kierkegaard called 'edifying' would be a fatal step for a novelist. But the novelist cannot help but be informed by his own anthropology, the nature of man. In this respect I use 'anthropology' in the European philosophical sense. Camus, Sartre, Marcel in this sense can all be called anthropologists. In America people think of somebody going out and measuring skulls, digging up ruins when you mention 'an-thropology.' I call mine philosophical anthropology. I am not talking about God. I am not a theologian.

Q: What I meant was not the question of style and technique explicit or implicit but the religious commitment which is there in your philosophical writings but absent from the novels or always left open at best.

A: As it should be left open in the novel.

(…)

Q: None of the main characters in your three books have problems in making a living. Binx is a successful broker, Barrett inherited from his father, Dr. More from his wife. Do you do this to contrast seeming affluence with emptiness under it?

A: I had not thought about it. Maybe so, maybe also to use it as a device to reinforce the rootlessness. After all if these fellows had been day-laborers working very hard they would have had no time for various speculations.

Q: Does that mean that existentialism has no comment on those who are without these economic means and consequently perhaps in a much more serious predicament—because they have no time for speculations?

A: To that Marx would have an answer, Henry Ford would have an answer, Chaplin would have another, etc. Marx invented the term alienation. . .

Q: He reinterpreted an older concept, he discovered a new explanation for alienation.

A: But it is now transferred to a different class of society in Sartre, Camus. These desperately alienated people are members of a rootless bourgeoisie, not the exploited proletariat.

Q: Your novels demonstrate that to many questions affluence is no answer. Danger of life and the saving of lives often figure in your work as in many other black humorists', too. One can think of Barth's The Floating Opera, The End of the Road, Giles Goat-Boy, Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Cat's Cradle and others, Kesey's two novels, Pynchon's V., Heller's Catch-22 and We Bombed in New Haven, etc. Do you think that this or a similar event of great moment in one's life is necessary to awaken the existentialist hero to his absurd situation and that this somehow is needed to shock him into the feeling of necessity for 'intersubjectivity' and shared consciousness as an escape from 'everydayness'?

A: I think that touches on a subject I have been interested in for a long time—a theme I use in all my novels: the recovery of the real through ordeal. It is some traumatic experience—war, Dr. More's attempted suicide—in each case. You have the paradox here that near death you can become aware of what is real. I did not invent this. Prince Andrey lying at the Battle of Borodino and looking at the clouds, makes a discovery: he sees the clouds for the first time in his life. So Binx is the opposite of Prince Andrey: he watches the dung-beetle crawling three inches from his nose.

Q: Correct me if I overinterpret the difference but now that you make this comparison it occurs to me that perhaps there is some irony here in the way it is an opening up of vision for Andrey towards the clouds, the sky, some magnificence suggested by these, and in the way Binx zooms down on an ugly little dung-beetle.

A: Maybe there is a little twist there. But the point is that a little creature as the dung-beetle is just as valuable as a cloud.

(…)

Q: Ordeal is one existentialist solution to escape from the malaise. How effective do you think the others, rotation and repetition, can be? Is it possible that their effect can be more than temporary?

A: To use Kierkegaard's term, they are simply aesthetic relief, therefore temporary.

Q: Friedman says that distortion can be found on the front page of any newspaper in America today. It is not the black humorist who distorts; life is distorted. Does everyday American reality stir you to write with similar directness? I ask this because once in an interview you appreciated the way Dostoevski was stirred to writing by a news item in a daily paper and because once in connection with Faulkner and Eudora Welty you referred to the social involvement of the writer as useful because social likes and dislikes, you said, can be the passion and energy you write from.

A: I see what Friedman means. Right. The danger with newspapers and TV is that it is all trivial. You remember in Camus' The Fall: we spend our lifetime "fornicating and reading the newspapers.” I think the danger is that you can spend your life reading the New York Times and never get below the surface of current events; whereas in Dostoevski's case—The Possessed—the whole was inspired by a news story in a Russian newspaper. I would contrast the inveterate newspaper reader and TV watcher who watches and watches and nothing happens—he is formed by the media. Dostoevski reads one news story, gets angry and this triggers a creative process.

Q: Intersubjectivity is an escape for Binx from everydayness and the other forms of the malaise, he is certainly not formed by the media. But are his aunt's values cars, a nice home, university degree—somehow recreated through intersubjectivity so that he can go back to these formerly rejected values?

A: Yes, sure. The question is, how much? And whether he did not go a good deal beyond intersubjectivity when he regained his mother's religion. Binx says at the end that what he believes is not the reader's business, he cuts the reader loose, refuses to be edifying. This is Kierkegaard going back to Socrates, "I want no disciples."

Q: But in the next paragraph he says, "Further: I am a member of my mother's family after all and so naturally shy away from the subject of religion (a peculiar word this in the first place, religion; it is something to be suspicious of)." This means, it seems to me, that Binx definitely objects to being edifying, especially in a religious way.

A: Yes, if you like.

(…)

Q: I wonder why it is necessary to bring the mental sickness of these characters into such a sharp focus? Is it to perplex the world with the old enigma: are these sick people in a normal world or normal people in a sick world? Or is it the interest of the medical doctor? Or both?

A: It is partly therapeutic, medical interest but also goes deeper than that. The view of Pascal and some others who were interested in the human condition was that there is something wrong with mankind. So it is always undecided in my novels. This is the main question of the novels. Here is a hero who is afflicted, shows malaise, dislocation, and he is surrounded by apparently happy and sane people, particularly Dr. More, who lives in Paradise Estates. So who is crazy, the people apparently happy or those radically dislocated characters?

(…)

Q: Although I know you have been frequently asked about the position of the writer in the South, I would like to ask you to summarize your view on this question for the Hungarian reader for whom this talk is primarily intended and for whom your view of the writer in the South will be a novelty.

A: The position of the Southern writer now, as opposed to thirty years ago when Faulkner was writing, is more and more on a level with other writers' in other parts of the country. In other words the United States is becoming more and more homogenized. America is becoming more alike. Towns in the South lose their distinctive character. And yet, I think, in spite of this, there remains and probably there will remain a unique community in the South between black and white, so that there is much more communication, strangely enough, between middle-class white and black people in the South than there is between intellectual black and white in the North. In the South they have lived in physically intimate terms for 300 years. And whatever might have been the evils of this system, there still exists a strong historical basis of communication. I think it will continue to exist.

Q: Speaking about America, it occurs to me to ask you at this point if you have ever thought of rotation in historical aspect? Of America as a historical experience in rotation? What the settlers did coming from Europe, or the pioneers did going west was, it seems to me, as exactly zone-crossing as anything in the existentialist meaning of the term—even though the term came much later. If I may go one step further, how can you comment on the effectiveness of this rotation in the light of what you say on the first pages of Love in the Ruins: "our beloved old U.S.A. is in a bad way." And later, "now the blessing or the luck is over, the machinery clanks, the chain catches hold . . .”?

A: I did not think of rotation in an historical aspect. But if rotation is temporary it should run out. That makes it tough. There are more suicides in San Francisco today than in other cities; that is why the rotation has run out, which may or may not be significant. That is what Kierkegaard calls aesthetic damnation—living by rotation.”

[newsper]

CNN is currently facing serious allegations regarding its handling of a defamation lawsuit filed by Nick Sandmann, a student from Covington Catholic High School. Sandmann has initiated a $275 million lawsuit against CNN, claiming that the network’s coverage of his encounter with Native American activist Nathan Phillips during a rally in Washington D.C. was defamatory. […]

[dixiedrudge]

Here's What to Do If You Get Smeared Like Nick Sandmann Was

Fight Censorship and Help Spread Mockingbird Non-Compliant News! Like, Share, Re-Post, and Subscribe! There’s a lot more to see at our main page, Dixie Drudge! View Source: Todd McMurtry was a lawyer, but he had never practiced defamation law before legacy media outlets demonized 16-year-old Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann for the crime of “smirking” while wearing a Make…

[masterofd1saster]

CJ current events 29feb24

It's Oakland, what did you expect

Suspected prostitution ring moves into CA neighborhood outside Catholic school: 'Pimp is blocking my driveway'

Some of the girls are 15 and 16 years old, according to local leader

An Oakland, California, community is in shock after repeatedly seeing groups of suspected prostitutes and human trafficking victims reportedly soliciting outside a Catholic grade school. "I get the call saying, 'Mr. Gallo, I can't get into my home because the pimp is blocking my driveway,'" Oakland City Councilman Noel Gallo told ABC 7 of the weekly calls he receives from residents in East Oakland. "It's constant." The Oakland Police Department is beefing up patrols outside the K-8 St. Anthony Catholic School after parents and school leaders sounded the alarm on the young, scantily clad women and girls they see walking near East 15th Street in Oakland. Last week, ABC 7 reported that as parents arrived at the grade school on Monday morning, a suspected prostitute was already near the school, apparently soliciting right in front of the school’s gate. However, the scene is not uncommon.***

State Sen. Scott Wiener sponsored a bill that makes it harder to arrest prostitutes, SB 357. He is shocked that anyone would suggest a connection between the expansion of prostitution and his bill.

***

Taking the child pr0n jobs Americans won't

SPRINGFIELD, Va. - Fairfax authorities have charged a man with multiple counts of child pornography, along with unlawful filming or photographing of minors. Gherson Gonzales Hernandez, 24, faces ten counts related to child pornography and two counts of unlawful creation of videographic/still image of a minor, which is defined under Virginia code 18.2-386.1 as a person who knowingly and intentionally videotapes, photographs, or films any non-consenting person.  According to police, the unlawful filming charge is related to an August 2019 offense.*** On Friday, ERO Washington, D.C. spokesperson James Covington confirmed the suspect is a Honduran national and "unlawfully present."*** https://www.fox5dc.com/news/honduran-man-in-virginia-illegally-now-facing-child-pornography-charges

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Colorado's miracle cure for recidivism

Colorado parole violations plunge 50% in 6 years as penalties lessen for drug, alcohol use

Parole violations in Colorado have dropped by more than 50% over the last six years, driven by sweeping declines in technical violations around drug and alcohol use. Read more →

It's like the riddle about how many Microsoft engineers it takes to screw in a lightbulb.  [None, MS has redefined darkness as the industry standard.]

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Ms Riley should have known the dangers of running and been more responsible.

Conservatives called out the Associated Press on Sunday for appearing to categorize Laken Riley’s murder as more about the “fears of solo female athletes” rather than illegal immigration and weak crime laws. Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was found dead Thursday after previously attending the University of Georgia before entering a nursing program at Augusta’s Athens campus, where she made the Dean’s List. Police have charged Jose Antonio Ibarra with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another. By Sunday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also confirmed that Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and had previously been arrested in New York City. However, the AP published an article on the murder on Saturday without referencing Ibarra’s immigration or criminal record and instead focused on how Riley was murdered while jogging by herself.*** https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/us-news/ap-slammed-for-framing-laken-rileys-murder-on-dangers-female-athletes-face-not-on-migrant-crimes/

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Social control or Taylor Swift 37sec

Partying, gunplay prompt plans to close Lookout Mountain Road at night

The litter left behind after a typical night of frolicking is voluminous and varied: cannabis containers, hypodermic needles, underwear, bras, used condoms, fast-food packaging, cigarette butts, bullet casings — and a seemingly endless collection of beer cans and liquor bottles.

***

Wed

Worst Judge since Aaron Persky gets what he deserves

ROBERT K. ADRIAN on January 3, 2022 held a sentencing hearing in People v. Clinton, NO. 2021-CF-396, Adams County Circuit Court, Illinois.

Drew Clinton had held a pillow over the face of 16-year-old Cameron Vaughan and raped her while she was under the influence of alcohol. She had been

asleep, she awoke to a pillow 3 being pushed on her face, and she was being 4 sexually assaulted, and that she at no time gave 5 consent and that, in fact, earlier in the evening 6 she had specifically indicated that she did not 7 want any sexual contact with this Defendant.

After a bench trial, Clinton was convicted of criminal sexual assault is a Class 1 felony. At the sentencing hearing J. Adrian reversed his verdict and found Clinton not guilty. Why?

11 This is what's happened when parents do 12 not exercise their parental responsibilities, when 13 we have people, adults, having parties for 14 teenagers, and they allow coeds and female people 15 to swim in their underwear in their swimming pool. 16 And, no, underwear is not the same as swimming 17 suits. It's just -- they allow 16-year-olds to 18 bring liquor to a party. They provide liquor to 19 underage people, and you wonder how these things 20 happen. Well, that's how these things happen. The 21 Court is totally disgusted with that whole thing.

quotes are from https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21177245/20220103-clinton-21-cf-396.pdf

+++

Justice may not have been done for Clinton and his victim, but it eventually came for J. Adrian...

***The Illinois Courts Commission removed Adams County Judge Robert Adrian from the bench Friday after it held a three-day hearing in Chicago in November on a compliant filed against Adrian. Its decision says Adrian “engaged in multiple instances of misconduct” and “abused his position of power to indulge his own sense of justice while circumventing the law.” The commission could have issued a reprimand, censure or suspension without pay, but its decision said it had “ample grounds” for immediately removing Adrian from the bench in western Illinois’ Adams County.*** https://apnews.com/article/illinois-judge-removed-bench-reversed-rape-conviction-c821beec0cf87aebb64a36239e45fec6

The last link is the official report of J. Adrian's misconduct.

***

You don't want to testify "oh, dang."

Nathan Wade’s former divorce attorney and law partner was heard muttering, “Oh dang” to himself when presented with potentially damning evidence about his ex-client’s relationship timeline as he took the stand in Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis’ corruption trial Tuesday. The witness, Terrence Bradley, was presented with a series of text messages he sent to a defense attorney in which he was asked if he believed the couple’s relationship began before Willis appointed Wade to lead the state’s investigation of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in November 2021, according to Business Insider. “Absolutely,” Bradley responded in the message to defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, according to phone records read in court. Bradley had previously denied knowing about the relationship until he was presented with the texts. “It started when she left the DA’s office and was a judge in South Fulton. They met at the municipal court CLE conference.”

He also acknowledged that when Merchant sent him a draft of her motion, the only error he said he found was related to a payment, the outlet reported. The motion, however, alleged that Willis and Wade’s relationship began when Wade was still married and years before Willis appointed him to oversee the election fraud investigation, according to Business Insider. Willis and Wade have told the court their relationship first became romantic in 2022 and have stuck by that story through their testimony, but lawyers for Trump and co-defendant Mike Roman have insisted they can prove otherwise.*** https://nypost.com/2024/02/28/us-news/nathan-wades-ex-divorce-attorney-mutters-oh-dang-when-presented-with-damning-evidence-in-fani-willis-trial-video/

***Thurs

BB -

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Laken Riley murder - tried to call 911

Nursing student Laken Riley desperately tried to call 911 last week when a Venezuelan migrant pounced on her during a morning run, it was revealed Wednesday. Police documents show that Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, prevented the 22-year-old from dialing the emergency helpline before he dragged her body to a secluded area after the vicious attack.*** https://nypost.com/2024/02/28/us-news/laken-riley-likely-fought-her-murderer-profiler/

***

Excellent Bari Weiss speech

The context of the speech is being Jewish, but the theme is freedom, in part it's the freedom that comes from what the Jesuits call detachment. You must be willing to stop worshipping golden calves if you want to be free.

***

Jeff Epstein grand jury records to be released

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Thursday to release decades-old state grand jury records related to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019. Though late in the legislative session, the measure is one of the few agenda items that DeSantis had pledged to sign, according to Politico. The bill would allow access to investigation documents from more than 20 years ago, when Epstein was first investigated by Palm Beach authorities for sexual abuse of minors, Politico reported. After a grand jury referral, the case resulted in a plea deal in which Epstein avoided federal charges and lengthy federal prison time.*** The Palm Beach Post reported that Epstein abuse survivors Hayley Robson and Jena-Lisa Jones appeared at the bill-signing press conference. https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/ron-desantis-jeffrey-epstein-palm-beach/2024/02/29/id/1155436

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4 years seems kind of light for sex trafficking children

Colorado falls in the top 20 states for human sex trafficking, often of children. We could top the list after Colorado legislators rolled out a welcome mat for perverts. It seems inconceivable that elected officials would signal Colorado as a friendly state for adults to have sex with children — which is always rape — who are sold by foreign cartels and domestic sociopathic profiteers. Yet, that’s what Democrats on the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee — the “kill committee” — did last week. They sent a message that Colorado doesn’t care much about adults who use child prostitutes. Just as soft-on-crime drug laws have attracted drug dealers and traffickers, this will bring in people who sell children for sex and those who patronize them.*** Blame committee members Steven Woodrow, Andrew Boesenecker, Elisabeth Epps, Jenny Willford, Kyle Brown, and Naquetta Ricks, Jennifer Lea Parenti and Manny Rutinel for dismissing the bill. Thank Republican committee members Ken DeGraff, Scott Bottoms and Brandi Bradley for voting against adults raping children. Do not blame Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, a father who wants accountability for rapists. He vows to make Colorado among the 10 safest states, and this bill counters his effort.***

The bill would have required that adults convicted of sex with child prostitutes serve full sentences of four years for class 3 felony acts and eight years for class four felonies involving sex with child prostitutes. It seems unconscionable anyone who pays to rape a child gets no more than four-to-eight-years. Without this bill, adults who buy or rent child prostitutes face penalties that often result in little or no incarceration. As reported by The Gazette and Colorado Politics, 50-plus witnesses packed the committee’s hearing. All but three favored the bill. Many were survivors with heart-wrenching testimony about working as child sex slaves. This did not faze committee Democrats, who killed the bill after two state public defenders — who hadn’t read it until the day before — asked them to. Radicalized Democrats have taken their criminal justice reform agenda so far they appear in favor of crime.***

*** https://gazette.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-house-democrats-kill-the-bill-against-raping-children/article_13d8cc86-d04b-11ee-803c-ab4821441af6.html

***

[abigailshorel6]

Taking a step back

I felt myself getting overwhelmed with the amount I have to do and then amount I have already done. I decided to take a step back and summaries everything I have done so far for this project and define my specific angle/outcome. Doing this allowed to work out what I need to look at next before my interim crit.

Summary of my current research:

I have been looking at the idea of crossing a line in society and particularly media crossing a line.

Examples of sensationalism in the media (Covington Catholic Boys, PizzaGate, Amanda Knox)

Fake News (ted talks and studies)

Different angles/approaches I could take:

At what point does clickbait and sensationalism turn into deception and disinformation?

To what extent can fake news be spread and why has it become so normalised?

How does the narrative that the media tells contrast to what really happened?

My chosen angle:

The line of truth in media

Ideas for narrative:

Feedback I have recieved:

What will my outcome be:

A physical editorial piece that explores the line of truth in the media.

What is the purpose of my outcome and who is it for?

What to look at next:

Visual Research - look at designers and particually editorial designers to see how I can present my subject matter.

Visual Research - look how designers tell a story throughout there work that engages the audience.

Decide on my narrative and exactly what I am going to say

[emylieavelar]

Viral Videos and Their impact

Significant headlines and widespread debate were generated by a viral video taken in January 2019. The viral video displays two groups: Covington Catholic high school students from Kentucky as well as Native American Vietnam veteran Nathan Phillips. This video spread to many individuals, was placed on many platforms, and demonstrated how easily mainstream media can influence public opinion.

This video was initially thought to be a disturbing and unsettling interaction between mostly white teenagers from Covington Catholic High School and a Native American elder. If we view the video, we can see others chanting with the Native American people, which can be seen as disrespectful because they are Native American chants. There were many people who painted these students as impolite and confrontational. The public had mixed views about this situation, both good and bad.

For right-wing media outlets, they offered a more supportive narrative. But not supportive of the Native Americans but of the students. Some boys who attended this day claimed that it was free speech and that they had the right to exercise that right of choice. They were using their MAGA "Make America Great Again '' hats as their right to free speech. This also includes "Nicholos Sandmann'' who in an NBC News YouTube video, "Teen At Center Of Protest: He Was Not Disrespectful To Native Americans, states that same exact reasoning. He believes he did no wrong but simply smiled as he looked Nathan Phillips in the eyes while he loudly chanted.

For left-wing media outlets, most seemed to really take the video into consideration by analyzing the footage. The footage that was shown had students appearing to mock Nathan. This video was bigger than discussed, as there is a huge cultural problem in this world, and people like these students are part of the problem. It is a reflection of white America and who they truly are under their red caps. In an article called "The real politics behind the Covington Catholic controversy, explained", it states, "It's clear some of the kids were confused by Phillips; it’s equally clear some of the kids were making racist gestures." It just shows how disrespectful many were, and yet many are ignoring that fact.

From an unbiased perspective, at first glance, you see white students with MAGA hats singing, dancing, and chanting in peaceful Native-American protests. You see Sandmann step up to an elder, and here is your viral face-off. In my perspective, they all seem like privileged white and ignorant children. I never saw a smile creep on Phillips's face, and so that automatically gives me a sense of the situation. The tone is that the situation was not okay and seemed disrespectful in my eyes. But it is never okay to jump to conclusions because, while there is a short video showing one perspective, there may be others that change your whole view, and you end up feeling foolish. From a biased point of view, I DO NOT SUPPORT ANY KIND OF TRUMP SUPPORT WHATSOEVER. I lean far left, and I will stay there loud and proud. While I do believe in not rushing to assume, how do you expect us not to when the hat you wear represents hatred for minorities and shows me you immediately have ill intentions? 

[gdgaribay498]

Impact of Viral Videos

Viral videos have had a tremendous impact on how we view the world. Viral videos are a powerful tool for spreading information in a short amount of time, and can lead to the construction of public opinion. In the past, the way news was delivered was through traditional media such as television, radio and newspapers. However, now with advanced technology and various social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok, anyone with a phone can capture live events and share it with the world. The power and impact of normal people being able to capture live events with their phones/cameras gives them the ability to become citizen journalists. As previously mentioned, viral videos have the ability to go viral in a short amount of time and reach a massive audience. The reasoning as to why certain types of videos go viral is because they contain raw and unfiltered content that might not have been covered by the media. It also allows different angles and perspectives to be seen as well. One recent example of this was the Montgomery riverfront brawl, where many viral videos were posted on social media platforms. However, it is important to note that viral videos can also be misleading by only capturing a specific moment in an event, resulting in controversy and misinformation. 

In the Kentucky High School Students and the Native American Vietnam Veteran incident that occurred January 2019, a group of high school students from Covington Catholic High School went to Washington D.C. for an anti-abortion rally while wearing “Make America Great Again” red hats. While rallying, the students encountered a group of Black Hebrew Israelites, due to viral videos, they were seen taunting the high school students by shouting racist slurs and in a mean disrespectful manner. The event followed by the encounter of Vietnam veteran Nathan Phillips and high school student Nick Sandman. The viral video of the encounter showed a smirking Sandman standing face to face with a drumming Phillips. According to Reuters article, “Students in Trump hats mock Native American; school apologizes” on a video shared on social media, shows Phillips describing the actions of the high schoolers. “I heard them saying ‘build that wall, build that wall’, " said Phillips. After the video went viral, it caused a great controversy because some media outlets and people accused the students of being racially insensitive. However the other side disputed how they were unfairly judged due to the short clip. Overall, this incident covered situations of race, white privilege and how the media can cover such events based on their opinions. 

Left leaning media covered the incident with a focus on a racial standpoint. For instance, they focused on highlighting the disrespect towards Phillips by the students. The Vox article, “The real politics behind the Covington Catholic controversy explained '' points out how left-liberal commentators defended the viral video and pointed out how the high school students made racist gestures towards the protesters. Right leaning media approached the coverage of the incident by emphasizing how the viral footage portrayed the high schoolers unfairly and how the whole situation was blown out of proportion by the mainstream media. Right leaning media also highlighted the importance of full context rather than a short clipping. In the Deplorable Kel article, “Fact Check: Did MAGA hat wearing teens mock elderly Native American man?” states, “Multiple articles state that the teens were mocking the elderly man and that one teen chanted in his face. This is untrue.” After this statement, a longer video of the encounter is posted. 

My conclusion for this incident is pretty biased. First of all, the high school boys were there for an anti-abortion rally, and it does not sit well for me that men think they have the right to choose what to do with women’s bodies. Second of all, I believe the boys knew what they were doing by saying “build the wall,” wearing MAGA hats and crossing paths with the Indigenous People’s March. I found myself supporting the left leaning media. This whole incident goes deeper than just Sandman and Phillips, it dives this country’s history constructed on racism.

[jessicap498]

Visual Reporting in the Viral Case of Covington Boys School

On January 18, 2019, a group of students from the all-male Covington Catholic High School became national news in a matter of hours. Although they simply came to Washington D.C. to attend the annual March for Life rally, they got caught in the middle of an Indigenous Peoples March, were videographed and came back to Kentucky with the whole world paying attention to them. This attention included death threats, doxxing attempts, ridicule and more, but it also included support and praise from a certain group of people and even former President Donald Trump (because many of the students were wearing Make America Great Again hats).

Stories like this occur more often that they should, but this instance in particular is significant because of all of the backlash that came from the way mainstream media covered the situation. Major news outlets such as CNN, the Associated Press, the Washington Post and NBC were quick to write about the Covington boys and their controversial reactions to Omaha tribe elder Nathan Phillips, painting a picture (that included real video footage) of the boys mocking Phillips and chanting inappropriate language to his face. In the days following the incident, one boy from the school, Nick Sandmann, who was front-and-center in the viral videos, defended his actions and released an official statement to the public about his experience at the Lincoln Memorial that day. Sandmann then sued many of the national news publications that wrote about him, perhaps inaccurately, and we are still hearing about whether or not he is winning his lawsuits even after 4 years. 

The mainstream media that Sandmann sued definitely had a few things in common, one being they are all seemingly "politically left-leaning." Of course every publication has the right to write about a huge news story like this one, and a right versus left-leaning news source will portray the Covington kids in a different light. As the Vox article states: "The left, which sees white supremacy as one of its fundamental enemies, was quick — in some cases, too quick — to identify Sandmann and his classmates as villains. The right’s reaction, in turn, revealed several of its core animating assumptions that white Christians are persecuted minorities, that overzealous social justice warriors represent an existential threat to a free society, and that the media is on their enemies’ sides."

Personally, I don't feel comfortable saying I "side" with anyone in this story. From Sandmann's statement, he explained how misconstrued the video was and claims that he and his classmates never did or said anything racist or offensive to Phillips. On the other hand, Phillips states in a video by Reuters that the boys were shouting racist phrases like "build that wall" at him. Even with the video footage, it is hard to determine what's true and what's made up, so I feel like I have no say in deciding the truth about what happened. However, I can firmly say that I support Sandmann's decision to sue for defamation of his character. I'm definitely not saying that I support Sandmann himself, though -- I am just sating that as a journalist, I believe that news stories should always be fact-checked and thoroughly researched, especially if there is visual material (such as a viral video) like in the case of the Covington boys. 

[brandon-balayan]

Have Viral Videos & Photos Changed How We View The World --Visual Reporting Blog

On January 18, 2019, three separate protests were held in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The Black Hebrew Israelites, Native Americans and a group of students from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky. During the protests the three groups happen to converge and a confrontation between Native American protester and Vietnam Veteran Nathan Philips and one of the Catholic school students Nick Sandmann ensued. Phillips was beating his drum while Sandmann was staring at him with a grin. The clip went viral and the optics of the video were not favoring Sandmann. If one were to just base their judgment of the event on this clip then it would look like a white kid with a “Make America Great Again” hat is smirking in the face of a Native American elder. Some left wing media was defending the initial coverage that framed Sandmann as being the instigator. Right wing media was saying that the students only got riled up after the Black Hebrew Israelites started spewing slurs at them – which were documented on video, and that Sandmann was not taunting the Native American man. Phillips said he approached the students to try and ease the tension by drumming and chanting a prayer, and then as he was walking through the crowd Sandmann was not moving out of his way. The teens claimed that they were not being provocative, however Vox correspondent Zach Beauchamp suggested that the teens outnumbering and wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and other Trump merchandise was provocative in itself. After the initial coverage, Sandmann filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post and won. He also filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN. This was also a multimillion dollar lawsuit but the amount was not disclosed to the public. Sandmann claimed that these news outlets were framing him to be racist but if one were to watch the video, no explicit racism was expressed towards the Black Hebrew Israelites or the Native American protesters – other than some of Sandmann’s classmates making a “tomahawk” gesture towards Phillips. The framing also caused Sandmann and his family to receive many threats. In an interview with Today, the reporter asked Sandmann if he felt like he owed anybody an apology and he said that he does not think he needs to apologize for just standing there, but that in hindsight he wishes that the group could have left the scene. Both sides have a point of view on this topic. Phillips was doing no harm by drumming in front of Sandmann and his classmates, who were outnumbering them, and the media should have seen the entire video of the protests before making claims that Sandmann is racist. However, to say that the students were not being provocative is also a lie. They were at an anti-abortion protest wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats and other Trump merchandise. Given how polarizing and controversial Trump is, just wearing merchandise with his catchphrases and motifs is provocative.

[welidot]

Ian Somerhalder

This Biography is about one of the best Professional Celebrity of the world Ian Somerhalder including his Height, weight, Age & Other Detail… Express info Real Name Ian Joseph Somerhalder Nick Name Smolderholder Profession Actor, Model Popular Role Boone Carlyle (TV series "Lost") Damon Salvatore (TV series "The Vampire Diaries) Age (as in 2023) 44 Years old Physical Stats & More Info Height In Feet : 5 feet 9 inches (5' 9") In Meter : 1.76 m In centimeter : 176 cm Weight In Kilogram : 71 kg In Pounds : 156 lbs Eye Colour Blue Hair Color Dark Brown Measurements - Chest: 43 inches - Waist: 28 inches - Biceps: 14.5 inches - Neck: 12.5 inches Personal Life of Ian Somerhalder Date of Birth 8th December, 1978 Birth Place Covington, Louisiana, United States Nationality American Ethnicity Ethnicity: English, as well as French, Scottish, Northern Irish (Scots-Irish), Welsh Hometown Covington School St. Paul's School, Covington, Louisiana College N/A Education Qualifications High School Family Father : Robert Somerhalder (a building contractor) Mother : Edna Somerhalder (a massage therapist) Sister : Robyn Somerhalder Brother : Robert Somerhalder Debut TV Debut: Young Americans (2000) Film Debut: Life as a House (2001) Address Ian Somerhalder Ian Somerhalder Foundation P.O. Box 1760 Santa Monica, CA 90406 USA Hobbies Wild Life and Environment Activist Religion Roman Catholic Favourite Things Of Ian Somerhalder Favourite Food Fish Favourite Actor Sean Penn Favourite Colors Blue, Red, Yellow Favourite Sports Football Favourite Destination Maui and Hawaii & Costa Rica Favourite Movie The Graduate Girls , Affairs and More Of  Ian Somerhalder Marital Status Unmarried Affairs Kate Bosworth (actress & singer), Nicky Hilton (model & fashion designer), Maggie Grace (actress), Megan Auld (Ian's friend), Ashley Greene (actress), Nina Dobrev (actress), Nikki Reed (actress & singer) Style Of Ian Somerhalder Cars Collection Audi Q7 TDI, Audi Q5 Earning Money of Ian Somerhalder Net Worth $4 Million Salary Per Episode $40,000 per episode This Biography written by www.welidot.com Read the full article

[darkobjectcollective]

Best high schools in Slidell Louisiana   

Slidell, Louisiana, is just a city known for its natural beauty and cultural diversity. If you are looking to find the best High Schools in Slidell Louisiana, you are in the right place. In this short article, we will highlight some of the top high schools in the area.

Northshore High School Northshore High School is just a public senior high school located in Slidell, Louisiana. It includes a student population of around 2,000 students and a student-teacher ratio of 19:1. The college provides a wide range of academic programs, including advanced placement courses and dual enrollment programs. Along with academic programs, Northshore High School offers many different extracurricular activities, including sports teams, clubs, and student organizations.

Salmen High School Salmen High School is another public senior high school located in Slidell, Louisiana. It includes a student population of around 1,200 students and a student-teacher ratio of 18:1. The college provides a comprehensive curriculum which includes advanced placement courses, dual enrollment programs, and vocational training programs. Salmen High School can also be known for its athletic programs, including football, basketball, volleyball, and more.

Pope John Paul II Catholic High School Pope John Paul II Catholic High School is a private senior high school located in Slidell, Louisiana. It includes a student population of around 500 students and a student-teacher ratio of 10:1. The college provides a rigorous academic program which includes advanced placement courses and dual enrollment programs. Along with academic programs, Pope John Paul II Catholic High School offers many different extracurricular activities, including sports teams, clubs, and student organizations.

Slidell High School Slidell High School is just a public senior high school located in Slidell, Louisiana. It includes a student population of around 1,500 students and a student-teacher ratio of 18:1. The college provides a comprehensive curriculum which includes advanced placement courses, dual enrollment programs, and vocational training programs. Slidell High School can also be known for its athletic programs, including football, basketball, volleyball, and more.

Pearl River High School Pearl River High School is just a public senior high school located in Pearl River, Louisiana, only a short drive from Slidell. It includes a student population of around 800 students and a student-teacher ratio of 19:1. The college provides a comprehensive curriculum which includes advanced placement courses, dual enrollment programs, and vocational training programs. Pearl River High School can also be known for its athletic programs, including football, basketball, volleyball, and more.

Archbishop Hannan High School Archbishop Hannan High School is a private senior high school located in Covington, Louisiana, about 20 miles from Slidell. It includes a student population of around 400 students and a student-teacher ratio of 12:1. The college provides a rigorous academic program which includes advanced placement courses and dual enrollment programs. Along with academic programs, Archbishop Hannan High School offers many different extracurricular activities, including sports teams, clubs, and student organizations.

Lakeshore High School Lakeshore High School is just a public senior high school located in Mandeville, Louisiana, about 30 miles from Slidell. It includes a student population of around 1,000 students and a student-teacher ratio of 18:1. The college provides a comprehensive curriculum which includes advanced placement courses, dual enrollment programs, and vocational training programs. Lakeshore High School can also be known for its athletic programs, including football, basketball, volleyball, and more.

In summary, Slidell, Louisiana, is home to some