Wear A Mask: Paul Rudd as certified Young Person (Spoiler alert!)
Paul Rudd (the 51 year old actor and comedian), channeled his inner millennial to help engage with the youth in sending a crucial message that everyone, young and old need to do their part and wear a mask.
Doing his best, occasionally, hilarious impersonation of young people, Rudd can be heard using lingo like “beast”, “lit”, “bae”, and “homie” all in the name of public safety.
“So Cuomes asks me, he’s like, ‘Paul, you’ve got to help. What are you, like, 26?’ And I didn’t correct him. So, fam, let’s real-talk. Masks, they’re totally beast. So slide that into your DMs and Twitch it.”
Paul Rudd
A little comedic relief is necessary, but the end goal is to stress the importance that wearing a mask is going to help the end result – of eventually getting back to some semblance of a normal life. Perhaps it could be funnier – but the shift to getting “real” at the end is, apparently, the real point.
“We want to go to bars, we want to drink, hook up, do our TikToks. I get it. I’m not gonna preach at you like some celebrity. Ugh. This is a convo, where I talk, you shut up. Wear your mask.”
Rudd filmed the public service announcement as part of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “Mask Up, America” campaign. This is the latest video from the campaign, which has also featured PSAs by Billy Crystal, Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman and many others.
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
Trump is losing it. Yes, we’ve all seen it. The mind is going. Fast. The Lincoln Project has done it again with a spot on depiction of the unraveling wannabe despot. Funny but no joke. Serious as a heart attack- VOTE
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
First Salvo was knock on Gaetz’s Political Extremism then things went sideways…
The tweets below say it all. After Jon Cryer just happened to tweet the list of accomplishments of one Matt Gaetz, the latter, true to character got personal. Lashing out at the actor with a bizarre dis meant to lower his value in the massive hit show he starred in for, like, ever Gaetz brought former co-star Charlie Sheen into the mix!
Cryer then, also true to character, decided to get real and give his take on this odd and flaccid comment that was, apparently, meant to be an insult. Wow.
And FWIW, this wasn’t meant as a slam on Charlie.
He was undeniably the star of the show. And a fantastic actor. Despite his issues, we had many more highs than lows.
But you can’t say he “carried” a show that lasted four years without him.
The one-time senior advisor to the First Lady chronicles her time with Melania, providing some salacious and juicy details about her relationship with Ivanka Trump and more. “Melanie and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady” was published on Tuesday, September 1st by Gallery Books by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.
Click to See “Melania and Me” and help Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Wolkoff went on multiple TV networks to promote the release of her new book and stirred up even more political buzz for the Trumps. Wolkoff revealed she has recorded conversations between her and Melania and during an interview with ABC she replied that she “can back up everything that’s in the book, 100 percent”.
“Melania and the White House had accused me of criminal activity, had publicly shamed and fired me, and made me their scapegoat,” the author was quoted in an interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.
“At that moment in time, that’s when I pressed record. She was no longer my friend and she was willing to let them take me down and she told me herself that is the way it has to be.”
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
After her interviews #MelaniaTapes was a trending hashtag on Twitter.
"Melania and the White House had accused me of criminal activity, and publicly shamed and fired me, and made me their scapegoat. At that moment in time, that's when I pressed record." -Stephanie Winston Wolkoff on whether she has recordings of the quotes in her new book pic.twitter.com/LpXyWg0MWR
As tension builds ahead of Nov.3rd election – the tapes are a potential blockbuster
The timing of the recorded conversations AKA “Melania Tapes” comes at potentially critical time when many people are deciding whether or not to reelect President Trump or choose that of his rival, Democratic candidate Joe Biden. It’s hard to say if the audio recordings will reveal damaging or incriminating information.
However, it seems that the White House were quick to dismiss Wolkoff and try to further damage the author’s reputation. Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump’s Chief of Staff, released a statement on ABC on the eve of the book release, August 31, 2020 with the following remarks: “Anybody who secretly tapes their self-described best friend is by definition, dishonest. The book is full of mistruths and paranoia, and clearly based on some imagined need for revenge.” Even Melania herself took to her social media to quiet the “gossip”.
This afternoon I will be hosting a roundtable with some incredible citizens in recovery & the amazing organizations that support them. I encourage the media to focus & report on the nation's drug crisis, not on delusional & malicious gossip.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff has a new tell-all memoir that was just released Tuesday, September 1st titled: “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with The First Lady”. Her book chronicles her time spent with Mrs. Trump, including all that events that led up to her termination at the White House and eventual falling out between the two. The publication of her book immediately sparked controversy after Winston spoke out that Melania used her personal email account to correspond with her while acting as her aide and for other White House related business matters.
Click to See “Melania and Me” and help Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Although the First Lady’s email usage is not described in detail within her book, in an interview with The Washington Post, Stephanie made the decision to go public. Her reasoning in leaking the information about Mrs. Trump’s personal email use and recorded conversations between the two, she said, is in response to the White House continuous attacks on the integrity and truthfulness of her book.
In the interview, she divulged that the First Lady regularly used personal email account from the domain MelaniaTrump.com, also an email account from a private Trump Organization and even iMessages when in communication with Wolkoff. She told reporter, “Melania and I both didn’t use White House emails”. The personal email accounts sent by Mrs. Trump allegedly contained discussions about contracts, government hiring, strategic partnerships for ‘Be Best Initiative’, detailed scheduling information and more.
We are all sick of “her damn emails” (Hillarys, that is)
This is not the first time that members of the Trump administration have used private email accounts for government business. Last year both Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner were both investigated on this matter by the House Oversight Committee.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump went after Hillary Clinton for using her own personal email while she was Secretary of State, accusing her of deleting thousands of emails from her server. Richard Painter, a former ethics lawyer for George Bush said “ It’s total hypocrisy.” and went on to say “They got elected acting as if Hillary Clinton ought to be in jail for using the wrong email.”
“They got elected acting as if Hillary Clinton ought to be in jail for using the wrong email.”
Richard Painter, former ethics lawyer for Pres. Bush 43
Although the first lady is not officially a government employee, if Mrs. Trump conducted any type of government related business or discussed classified information, any and all correspondence should have been through the official White House email accounts. The use of personal emails for White House related business may raise some legal questions and also begs the question whether the Presidential Records Act was violated by Melania.
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, the former senior adviser to the first lady, chronicles her falling out with Melania Trump in her book titled:“Melanie and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady”. This is Stephanie’s first book and is set for release Tuesday, September 1, 2020.
The book stands out from other previously published books about Trump and his family like “Too Much and Never Enough” and “The Room Where it Happened” in that it will reveal a much closer look at Mrs. Trump. The First Lady has largely been out of view and known for being aloof to the public eye; Wolkoff will give readers a first hand account of personal and quoted conversations between the two from phone calls, meetings, emails and even text messages. Those that have got an early glimpse of the book found that Melania loves to use lots of emojis in her text communications.
Click to See “Melania and Me” and help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
The reportedly contentious relationship between Melania and Ivanka Trump plays a major role throughout the book. Ivanka is jokingly referred to as a “Princess”. Wolkoff describes in her book that the pair launched “Operation Block Ivanka” which was meant to halt off any attention and make sure Ivanka was out of frame from any photographs taken during the inauguration ceremony. The tension between the two could perhaps even be seen on the last day of the Republican National Convention, when Melania’s face is noticeable changed as Ivanka walks passed her.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff and Melania Trump had a history before their time in the White House together and formed a friendship that lasted nearly 15 years. Yet working as the FLOTUS advisor only lasted a short 14 months and quickly put an end to both working and their personal friendship. In her book she writes, “The woman I once considered my close friend is gone.” She was abruptly fired in 2019 (even though she was an unpaid advisor) due to controversy over alleged corruption in planning and spending on the inauguration ceremony.
When asked to comment about the book, according to Politico, Stephanie Grisham, the First Lady’s chief of staff said in a statement:
“This book is not only wildly self-aggrandizing, it’s just not truthful. It is an exercise in bizarre twisting of the truth and misguided blame for the sake of self-pity. It’s unfortunate and concerning that she’s overstated their friendship and her very brief role in the White House to this degree.”
Statement from first lady spokewoman – Stephanie Grisham
Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady
Below is some additional information about the upcoming release from the publisher as well as where to purchase to support your local independent bookstores.
The former director of special events at Vogue and producer of nine legendary Met Galas, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff met Melania Knauss in 2003 and had a front row seat to the transformation of Donald Trump’s then girlfriend from a rough-cut gem to a precious diamond. As their friendship deepened over lunches at Manhattan hot spots, black-tie parties, and giggle sessions in the penthouse at Trump Tower, Wolkoff watched the newest Mrs. Trump raise her son, Barron, and manage her highly scrutinized marriage.
After Trump won the 2016 election, Wolkoff was recruited to help produce the 58th Presidential Inauguration and to become the First Lady’s trusted advisor. Melania put Wolkoff in charge of hiring her staff, organizing her events, helping her write speeches, and creating her debut initiatives. Then it all fell apart when she was made the scapegoat for inauguration finance irregularities. Melania could have defended her innocent friend and confidant, but she stood by her man, knowing full well who was really to blame.
The betrayal nearly destroyed Wolkoff. In this candid and emotional memoir, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff takes you into Trump Tower and the White House to tell the funny, thrilling, and heartbreaking story of her intimate friendship with one of the most famous women in the world, a woman few people truly understand. How did Melania react to the Access Hollywood tape and her husband’s affair with Stormy Daniels? Does she get along well with Ivanka? Why did she wear that jacket with “I really don’t care, do u?” printed on the back? Is Melania happy being First Lady? And what really happened with the inauguration’s funding of $107 million? Wolkoff has some ideas…
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
EXCERPTS FROM APPLE PRESENTATION FOR PRIVACY SETTINGS FROM WWDC 2020
Apple features expose the worst of predatory surveillance by Facebook, Amazon and Google
While wrong is wrong regardless of the perpetrator, when it comes to gargantuan tech behemoths, a company with a clearly defined mission such as Apple or Tesla are in a different category than Amazon, Facebook and Google.
While Tesla’s stated mission is to “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy” and Apple’s original mission statement, written by Steve Jobs was “to make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind”, predatory vultures hide behind ridiculous slogans like “aim to be Earth’s most customer centric company” (while decimating partners and competitors by any means necessary) and “don’t be evil” (don’t get caught) and “to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together” (…all while stealing data for profit from every person on earth).
It’s just not the same – particularly as Steve Jobs, while at Apple, pushed himself and his company to invent and build many powerful examples of “tools for the mind” and Elon Musk’s Tesla brought the electric car back from the dead (after it was nearly snuffed out by big oil) and is making incredible headway in revolutionizing battery and solar technology, all with a view to literally save the planet from a climate catastrophe.
Click to See “Steve Jobs“ and to help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Bezos? Became the richest living human via the destruction of millions of small business and jobs all while undercutting competitors by selling virtually anything he got his hands on at a significant loss; simply to cause the demise of any competitor or partner that might threaten his rise to idiotically massive personal wealth.
Zuckerberg? Pioneered ways to suck data from virtually every human with a view to monetizing every living soul exclusively for himself and his company. Illustration? Dividing Facebook’s market cap by the number of employees it has yields the sum of $14,906,500.00 per employee. Macy’s? That’d be $16,829. (Thanks to Scott Galloway for the numbers)
Google merely owns (91.75% as of June 2020) the search entryway to all web sites. It decides if you should or should not find them. If it can boost profits by hiding one and featuring another, either through “paid search” or by pointing you toward its own properties while hiding competitors from you, it will do exactly that. Ask the European Union’s anti-trust investigators. For them, this company is a convicted law breaker.
Announced at WWDC 2020, Apple is adding serious features to its various new operating systems. One big feature in Safari is the ability to track, and block as desired, all manner of data intrusions. These are not only identified, but shown and tracked and analyzed with a kind of professional dashboard, showing just how invasive and persistent these invisible spies are.
Apple is big, with more than 1.4 billion devices. Starting in around 2021 they will all be able to identify and block data surveillance by Amazon (the largest of all spies), Google and Facebook, among others. Thanks that’s not a big deal? Think again.
…the overall stance being taken regarding online tracking and surveillance should be seen for what it is: the first step to correcting the mistake of history that allowed the internet to be kidnapped and held hostage by a handful of companies that pretend to be “free” or “customer obsessed” while they are, in fact, Robber Barons that make the Standard Oil monopoly look like Santa Claus.
– D.L.
Tracking the Trackers will Change Your Life
Tracking the trackers is a clear and aggressive privacy stance, taken by the one company among the big four, that does not have a huge stake in you being the victim of online surveillance and tracking.
Not to say that Apple is blameless. Many are complaining about its fee structure for software sold by third parties via the app stores. While this issue is certainly a valid one, the overall stance being taken regarding online tracking and surveillance should be seen for what it is: the first step to correcting the mistake of history that allowed the internet to be kidnapped and held hostage by a handful of companies that pretend to be “free” or “customer obsessed” while they are, in fact, Robber Barons that make the Standard Oil monopoly look like Santa Claus.
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
The Ultimate Hero-Villain Fight to unfold in New Trailer
Warner Bros. released a new trailer for “Wonder Woman 1984” (WW84) and the film and new clip were showcased at the virtual DC FanDome. The new footage gave fans a deeper look into the villainous character name Cheetah played by Kristen Wiig and the revived time-traveler Steve Trevor played by Chris Pines.
This year’s DC FanDome, the annual event geared toward DC Comic fans, featured a jam packed event of panels, info on video games, and highly anticipated teasers, trailers and behind-the-scene peaks of upcoming DC movies. The DC FanDome only lasts 48 hours, a two day event, this year, consisting of virtual presentations. The first day just happened on August 22, 2020 and the next is set for Sept 12, 2020 in case you missed day one.
Like 2017’s “Wonder Woman,” actress Gal Gadot plays the title superheroine in “WW84.” Although this is only her second stand alone film as the character, Gadot has played Wonder Woman three times in the DC Universe before—appearing in “Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice” and “Justice League” as well as her solo outing.
From the rainbow tinted posters to the electrifying trailer, the movie is clearly invested in the 1984 setting. It looks like a disco-infused, fun-filled superhero flick, with quality humor, captivating visuals, and a strong cast to carry it along—Pedro Pascal from “The Madalorian” is playing the main villain!
The first trailer was released back in December of last year. This second trailer shows action-packed clips with great special effects and the epic fight scene between the two women. Fans also get to see another look at Diana Prince’s iconic golden armor.
WW84 still holds the current schedule for release to theaters this October 2, 2020, however it is not yet clear due to COVID-19 if any changes to the release date will be subject to change as the date approaches.
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
Director James Gunn giving his take on new 2021 version
DC FanDome is an event, geared for DC Comic fans, that features a jam packed event of panels, info on video games, and highly anticipated teasers, trailers and behind-the-scenes peaks of upcoming DC movies. The DC FanDome only lasts 48 hours, a two day event full of virtual events. The first day just happened on August 22, 2020 and the next is set for Sept 12, 2020 in case you missed day one.
As part of the first first wave of the virtual convention, James Gunn revealed video footage of behind-the-scenes production and in process scenes of “The Suicide Squad”. The star studded cast, as shown below, includes actors that will be be reprising their roles from the 2016 version (Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn) and also a huge list of stars to play DC villains. In an article by Variety, it was reported that Gunn dug deep into DC comics to find a wide range of villains for the movie and even invented a few villains from his own imagination for the project.
https://youtu.be/xLNofMawA2c
Idris Elba plays Bloodsport
Margot Robbie plays Harley Quinn
Viola Davis plays Amanda Waller
Sean Gunn plays Weasel
Pete Davidson plays Blackguard
Daniela Melchior plays Ratcatcher 2
Joel Kinnaman plays Colonel Rick Flag
Nathan Fillion plays TDK
Jai Courtney plays Captain Boomerang
Steve Agee plays the on-set King Shark and John Economos
Mayling Ng plays Mongal
David Dastmalchian plays Polka-Dot Man
Alice Braga plays Sol Soria
John Cena plays Peacemaker
Juan Diego Botto plays Presidente General Silvio Luna
Peter Capaldi plays The Thinker
Michael Rooker plays Savant
Flula Borg plays Javelin
Joaquín Cosío is Mayor General Mateo Suarez
Jennifer Holland plays Emilia Harcourt
Storm Reid plays Tyla
Its not exactly clear if “The Suicide Squad” is a prequel, reboot or some other form of a non-sequel feature but, as was indicated by producer Peter Safran, that the movie will not be a direct sequel to the original, “It’s not Suicide Squad 2. It is not a sequel. I will leave that alone but, yes, it’s called The Suicide Squad.” Production of the film was wrapped before COVID, and the movie is scheduled to be released in theaters on August 6, 2021.
https://youtu.be/Wemdq9-cfws
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
Cooper effortlessly taps into the ridiculousness that is Trump
Sarah Cooper, writer and comedian, delivered her latest lip-synced impersonation of Donald Trump for the final night of the virtual Democratic National Convention. Her new video spotlights Trump’s latest rant attacking USPS and mail-in voting. Cooper also commented personally on the matter.
“Let me put this in my own words, I’ve heard Donald Trump say some pretty unhinged things, I’ve heard them over and over and over again. But nothing is more dangerous to our democracy than his attacks on mail in voting during a pandemic.
Here’s the truth: Donald Trump doesn’t want any of us to vote because he knows he can’t win fair and square. So whether you plan to vote by mail, or in person, wearing your mask, it is your vote and it’s your right. Don’t let Donald Trump take that away from you.”
sarah cooper video during democratic National Convention
Cooper is now famously known for her lip-syncing political satire videos impersonating Donald Trump. Her first “How to President” video which was posted back in April 2020 got over 22 million views on just her Twitter page alone. There are now 23 (and most likely more coming) on the hilarious series.
The comedian has much in store for her aside from her social media video fame. The entertainer bagged a Netflix comedy special titled “Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine” and is set to premiere this Fall 2020. Based on a press release by Netflix the variety special will include a series of vignettes dealing with issues of politics, race, gender, class, and other light subjects. The special will be directed by Natasha Lyonne and executive produced by Maya Rudolph.
The progressive political action committee MeidasTouch has released the latest anti-Trump advert. The video specifically cautions Trump’s donors to be wary of giving the campaign any more money – and alleges millions of dollars are supporting Trump’s family and friends. $180,000 a year to Trump’s sons’ girlfriend and wife, $17 million on Trump properties, $40 million on Trump’s former campaign manager, and $157 million on Jared and Ivanka’s salary.
The case for looking behind the Swiss-cheese curtain at the “wizard of lies” and his wannabe mafia
Who would like, believe, much less admire or even trust a man like Michael Cohen? If you are a Trump supporter he is a rat and was rightly relegated to the shadows even in the best of times. If you are a Democrat or a liberal or a Biden supporter, or let’s just say it, a Trump hater , Never-Trumper or a member of the RVAT, why would you believe the guy who was, by his own admission, a dirty, criminal, perjury committing low life?
“…permit me to make a point: If you only read stories written by people you like, you will never be able to understand Donald Trump or the current state of the American soul. More than that, it’s only by actually understanding my decisions and actions that you can get inside Trump’s mind and understand his worldview.”
– Michael Cohen in forward to “Disloyal”
And now he (Cohen) is suddenly and permanently a paragon of virtue? Or at least no longer an “eager and willing” liar for a wannabe dictator?
Then again, as Cohen argues himself in his just released book excerpt, isn’t it always necessary to talk to and believe criminals, liars and “bad guys” in order to incriminate and convict a Mafia Don? Aren’t they, often after they are in witness protection and protective custody, the ones whose testimony is essential to finding out the true actions and character of the bosses and Capo dei capi?
From golden showers in a sex club in Vegas, to tax fraud, to deals with corrupt officials from the former Soviet Union, to catch and kill conspiracies to silence Trump’s clandestine lovers, I wasn’t just a witness to the president’s rise—I was an active and eager participant.”
Click to order “Disloyal” and help Lynxotic. Also available at Amazon
…As anyone in law enforcement will tell you, it’s only gangsters who can reveal the secrets of organized crime. If you want to know how the mob really works, you’ve got to talk to the bad guys. I was one of Trump’s bad guys. In his world, I was one hundred percent a made man.
While Cohen openly refers to himself as a “keystone cop” and the “Trump Mafia”, to the degree that such a thing exists, is more like a tragicomic almost childish attempt to emulate the Italian-american organized crime structure and behavior, as depicted in movies and folklore. Nevertheless the rise of this “buffoon” to the Presidency is a grave and serious matter, one that is now threatening us all.
Looking at Trump’s history of legal and illegal behavior, and the attempts by the US Justice system to rein him in, one sees a legal strategy of using an eminence front and a claim of innocence due to ignorance and incompetence. This was a major thread, along with the cries of “witch hunt”, in his attempts to avoid any consequences for the alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election. Cohen hits this point head on:
Both sides were wrong. I knew that the reality was much more complicated and dangerous. Trump had colluded with the Russians, but not in the sophisticated ways imagined by his detractors. I also knew that the Mueller investigation was not a witch-hunt. Trump had cheated in the election, with Russian connivance, as you will discover in these pages, because doing anything—and I mean anything—to “win” has always been his business model and way of life.
…Trump had also continued to pursue a major real estate deal in Moscow during the campaign. He attempted to insinuate himself into the world of President Vladimir Putin and his coterie of corrupt billionaire oligarchs. I know because I personally ran that deal and kept Trump and his children closely informed of all updates, even as the candidate blatantly lied to the American people saying, “there’s no Russian collusion, I have no dealings with Russia…there’s no Russia.”
For anyone who has viewed the recent Netflix series “Fear City: New York vs. the Mafia” the story is a familiar one: the code of silence makes the mafia immune to prosecution, other than low level crimes by “soldiers” while the bosses and the “godfather” are untouchable. Ultimately the use of the R.I.C.O. statute and, most importantly, audio bugging and recordings are combined to finally crack and dismantle organized crime.
Similarly, the famous tapes that ultimately brought down Nixon illustrate how an insulated boss can only be caught red handed via a “smoking gun”, in the form of an audio tape recording of a careless private “confession” of an overt criminal act.
“The President of the United States wanted me dead. Or, let me say it the way Donald Trump would: He wouldn’t mind if I was dead. That was how Trump talked. Like a mob boss, using language carefully calibrated to convey his desires and demands, while at the same time employing deliberate indirection to insulate himself and avoid actually ordering a hit on his former personal attorney, confidant, consigliere, and, at least in my heart, adopted son.”
Unfortunately, Trump and his keystone cop mafia saw all the movies and know the anecdotal accounts of the fall of Nixon, and so on. According to Cohen, this led Trump to create a system of plausible deniability through the use of euphemism and facial expressions, almost as if audio surveillance was considered a “given” and this new-age code of silence was elevated to an integral part of the criminal culture and way of life.
Cohen, of all people, was the perfect fall-guy to carry out these unspoken, deniable orders as his mission in life, right up until he turned on his idol:
“…I’m certain that Trump knows he will face prison time if he leaves office, the inevitable cold Karma to the notorious chants of “Lock Her Up!” But that is the Trump I know in a nutshell. He projects his own sins and crimes onto others, partly to distract and confuse but mostly because he thinks everyone is as corrupt and shameless and ruthless as he is; a poisonous mindset I know all too well.
”…I see the men who have replaced me and continue to forfeit their reputations by doing the President’s bidding, no matter how dishonest or sleazy or unlawful. Rudy Guiliani, William Barr, Jared Kushner and Mike Pompeo are Trump’s new wannabe fixers, sycophants willing to distort the truth and break the law in the service of the Boss”…
“Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power,” I concluded. “This is why I agreed to appear before you today.”
– Michael Cohen, in testimony before Congress
The book is available for pre-order and will be released on September 8th, 2020. It is already sitting at #1 on the bestseller list.
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
Each week, there are book titles released from various publishers and with so many to choose from it can feel quite daunting to keep up with the times. We’ve curated a handful of book titles that have just been released and definitely deserve some air time. Among our picks, a few have already began to also be highly regarded by the likes of New York Times, Slate, and LA Times as recommended picks. This is the perfect time to discover a fresh new read and add an undiscovered gem to your book collection.
The fiction picks, below, include: Must I Go, Afterland, Hieroglyphics, and I Hold a Wolf by the Ears. Whether you are in the mood for literature that touches on the dynamics of family life, romance, short psychological stories, or thrillers; our picks will have something for everyone. The nonfiction picks: Intimations and Memorial Drive – one is a series of personal essays about unprecedented situations of our time and the other deeply personal memoir of a daughter with experienced life with tragic beginnings.
Below we have provided some additional information from the publisher and options for purchase if interested. Click any of the below book links to check out more booklists and how you can support your independent bookstores. Happy reading!
Must I Go
Click to See “Must I Go” and help Lynxotic. Also Available on Amazon.
“One of our major novelists” (Salman Rushdie) tells the story of a woman reflecting on her uncompromising life, and the life of a former lover, in this provocative novel.
Lilia Liska has shrewdly outlived three husbands, raised five children, and seen the arrival of seventeen grandchildren. Now she has turned her keen attention to the diary of a long-forgotten man named Roland Bouley, with whom she once had a fleeting affair. Increasingly obsessed with Roland’s intimate history, Lilia begins to annotate the diary with her own rather different version of events, revealing the surprising, long-held secrets of her past.
She returns inexorably to the memory of her daughter Lucy. This is a novel about life in all its messy glory, and of a life lived, by the extraordinary Lilia, absolutely on its own terms. With great candor and insight, Yiyun Li navigates the twin poles of grief and resilience, loss and rebirth, that compass a human heart.
Afterland
Click to See “Afterland“ and to help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Most of the men are dead. Three years after the pandemic known as The Manfall, governments still hold and life continues — but a world run by women isn’t always a better place. Twelve-year-old Miles is one of the last boys alive, and his mother, Cole, will protect him at all costs. On the run after a horrific act of violence-and pursued by Cole’s own ruthless sister, Billie — all Cole wants is to raise her kid somewhere he won’t be preyed on as a reproductive resource or a sex object or a stand-in son. Someplace like home.
To get there, Cole and Miles must journey across a changed America in disguise as mother and daughter. From a military base in Seattle to a luxury bunker, from an anarchist commune in Salt Lake City to a roaming cult that’s all too ready to see Miles as the answer to their prayers, the two race to stay ahead at every step . . . even as Billie and her sinister crew draw closer.
A sharply feminist, high-stakes thriller from award-winning author Lauren Beukes, Afterland brilliantly blends psychological suspense, American noir, and science fiction into an adventure all its own — and perfect for our times.
Hieroglyphics
Click to See “Hieroglyphics“ and to help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Lil and Frank married young, launched into courtship when they bonded over how they both–suddenly, tragically– lost a parent when they were children. Over time, their marriage grew and strengthened, with each still wishing for so much more understanding of the parents they’d lost prematurely.
Now, after many years in Boston, they’ve retired to North Carolina. There, Lil, determined to leave a history for their children, sifts through letters and notes and diary entries–perhaps revealing more secrets than Frank wants their children to know. Meanwhile, Frank has become obsessed with what might have been left behind at the house he lived in as a boy on the outskirts of town, where a young single mother, Shelley, is just trying to raise her son with some sense of normalcy. Frank’s repeated visits to Shelley’s house begin to trigger memories of her own family, memories that she’d hoped to keep buried. Because, after all, not all parents are ones you wish to remember.
Hieroglyphics reveals the difficulty of ever really knowing the intentions and dreams and secrets of the people who raised you. In her deeply layered and masterful novel, Jill McCorkle deconstructs and reconstructs what it means to be a father or a mother, and what it means to be a child piecing together the world around us, a child learning to make sense of the hieroglyphics of history and memory.
I Hold a Wolf by the Ears, Laura van den Berg’s first story collection since her prizewinning book The Isle of Youth, draws readers into a world of wholly original, sideways ghost stories that linger in the mouth and the mind. Both timeless and urgent, these eleven stories confront misogyny, violence, and the impossible economics of America with van den Berg’s trademark spiky humor and surreal eye. Moving from the peculiarities of Florida to liminal spaces of travel in Mexico City, Sicily, and Iceland, I Hold a Wolf by the Ears is uncannily attuned to our current moment, and to the fears we reveal to no one but ourselves.
I Hold a Wolf by the Ears presents a collection of women on the verge, trying to grasp what’s left of life: grieving, divorced, and hyperaware, searching, vulnerable, and unhinged, they exist in a world that deviates from our own only when you look too closely. With remarkable control and transcendent talent, van den Berg dissolves, in the words of the narrator of “Slumberland,” “that border between magic and annihilation,” and further establishes herself as a defining fiction writer of our time.
Intimations: Six Essays
Click to See “Intimations“ and to help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
“Intimations captures the uneasiness of our modern moment as Smith reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic and relates it to issues of privilege and inequity. Her urgent voice tackles everything from what becomes important during isolation to the global response to George Floyd’s killing. The author asks questions, both timely and timeless, about how we respond to crisis and suffering.” —TIME, Best New Books of July
Written during the early months of lockdown, Intimations explores ideas and questions prompted by an unprecedented situation. What does it mean to submit to a new reality–or to resist it? How do we compare relative sufferings? What is the relationship between time and work? In our isolation, what do other people mean to us? How do we think about them? What is the ratio of contempt to compassion in a crisis? When an unfamiliar world arrives, what does it reveal about the world that came before it? Suffused with a profound intimacy and tenderness in response to these extraordinary times, Intimations is a slim, suggestive volume with a wide scope, in which Zadie Smith clears a generous space for thought, open enough for each reader to reflect on what has happened–and what should come next. The author will donate her royalties from the sale of Intimations to charity
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir
Click to See “Memorial Drive“ and to help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
At age nineteen, Natasha Trethewey had her world turned upside down when her former stepfather shot and killed her mother. Grieving and still new to adulthood, she confronted the twin pulls of life and death in the aftermath of unimaginable trauma and now explores the way this experience lastingly shaped the artist she became. With penetrating insight and a searing voice that moves from the wrenching to the elegiac, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey explores this profound experience of pain, loss, and grief as an entry point into understanding the tragic course of her mother’s life and the way her own life has been shaped by a legacy of fierce love and resilience. Moving through her mother’s history in the deeply segregated South and through her own girlhood as a “child of miscegenation” in Mississippi, Trethewey plumbs her sense of dislocation and displacement in the lead-up to the harrowing crime that took place on Memorial Drive in Atlanta in 1985.
Memorial Drive is a compelling and searching look at a shared human experience of sudden loss and absence but also a piercing glimpse at the enduring ripple effects of white racism and domestic abuse. Animated by unforgettable prose and inflected by a poet’s attention to language, this is a luminous, urgent, and visceral memoir from one of our most important contemporary writers and thinkers.–Time
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
Oprah Winfrey revealed her latest book club pick “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson as her now 86th selection for her Oprah’s famous book club. Winefrey’s excited and clearly inspired take was definitive: she says that she immediately recognized the importance of this book, calling it one the most important books she has ever selected. She even said in a press release “all of humanity needs to read this book”. Winfrey is a known fan of Wilkerson as she had previously recommended the author’s first book “The Warmth of other Suns“.
“Of all the books I’ve chosen for book club over the decades, there isn’t another that is more essential a read than this one. It explains why we are where we are in terms of racial injustice and inequality.”
-Oprah Winfrey
Oprah was so moved with this read that, it was reported, she will be purchasing 500 copies of the book to send to influential leaders and educators throughout the country. Below is some additional information about Oprah’s book pick from the publisher as well as where to purchase to support your local independent bookstores. Happy reading!
Caste : The Origins of Our Discontents
Publisher description: In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more.
Click to See “Caste” and help Lynxotic and independent bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
Using riveting stories about people–including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others–she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.Beautifully written, original, and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today.
So thrilled that Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents has been chosen by the incomparable Oprah as her next Book Club Pick. Her stunning praise of it warms my heart: “This book might well save us. Caste…is a must read for humanity….” https://t.co/Gfd6xbSIFs
Of course, the fans are loving it and the trolls are, well, trolls. There’s a tweet that’s out there, as a reply to every other Tesla tweet, that shows a roof leaking in a Tesla back seat. Perhaps it’s a disgruntled customer but from the constant re-tweeting of this clip it seems more likely that its from the underground Tesla resistance (Oil Companies, Short Sellers, etc).
There are, at the same time, thankfully, genuine lovers that are more expressive, and it seems creative, like this guy:
There are more than just fans in the thread – there seems to be actual joy emanating from Model Y owners. And S3XY fun seems to be permeating the attitude In the responses to this tweet – which is a pretty big departure from the usual war zone of every stripe and troll farmer present in so many topics and threads.
This fellow wanted to show off his 360˚ schmanzy fancy camera:
Sony has some major news for gamers. On June 11, 2020, during the streaming event “Future of Gaming”, it was announced that the next-generation Playstation 5 (PS5) would be released later this year. Viewers got a sneak peak at the aesthetics of the completely redesigned console hardware. The sleek and futuristic look makes for a stark comparison to the previous model. In addition there will be a handful of accessories that match the PS5 design including a new headset called the Pulse 3D.
There has not yet been an exact release date set, but according to the Sony website, it appears have plans to stick with the originally projected holiday release. They have also not yet mentioned any information regarding pricing. Based on news from Bloomberg, Sony’s cost to manufacture the console has been estimated at $450 but this does not necessarily reflect what the end retail price will be, although it could be expected to be significantly higher.
Click Here to See “Blood, Sweat, and Pixels“ to Help Lynxotic and Other Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
With any new hot product there will be some serious buzz, and Sony is anticipating a surge of sales. It has been reported that there will be a limit of one per customer, initially, as the company gears up for pre-orders. The fact that Sony’s landing page has a photo place-holder for the PS5 on Amazon strongly suggests information on pricing and a specific release date may be coming very soon.
Below are a breakdown of some of the specifications and what to expect with the new PlayStation console.
Custom CPU, GPU and SSD with Integrated I/O
4K – TV Gaming
Up to 120fps with 120 Hz output
HDR Technology
8K Output – 4320p resolution display
Microsoft offers new version of Xbox: The Series X
Oh wait, that’s not all. Microsoft is also very much in the mix with the upcoming release for its newest generation console, the Xbox Series X, which is anticipated to have a late 2020 release. The Series X was originally unveiled at the Game Awards last year on December 13, 2019. There is also another influx of new information on Xbox games released for the new console and was revealed during its Games Showcase.
Below are a breakdown of some of the specifications and what to expect with the new Xbox console
12 Teraflops
Variable rate shading and Variable refresh rate
Supports 120 fps
Custom built SSD
Games and Pricing
As for the prices of 2020 game titles for the next-generation console for both consoles, big news was just announced by Ubisoft. It was confirmed that during an earnings call that games will be the same price as current generation games which typically average around $60.
Both Playstation and Xbox will support backward-compatibility, meaning if you have previous generation games they will still work with the newest console. Although there will be massive competition against the two tech giants, a release of next-gen consoles regardless of which -is huge. Countdown to holiday season begins now!
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
The “Trump Whisperer” Sarah Cooper Triumphs again with new clip
These days there’s easy and endless material, updated on the hour that presents insane opportunities to laugh at our president. In all the horror and seriousness of the past week, still the comic parade continues. Never would I have guessed that a portion of a cognitive assessment test would bring about so much media attention, especially in a comical way.
Five simple words: “Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV” has sparked a virtually endless barrage of content and has become a viral moment; a feeding frenzy of material from social media, of course, and TV comedians. Writer and comic Sarah Cooper is one that made a particularly noteworthy appearance. She shared one of her signature lip-syncing videos “How to person woman man camera tv.” This kind of hilarious, great work is nothing new for Cooper, who has been active over the past months making over 20 lip-sync videos titled “How to President” that have clocked over 1.5 million views on her YouTube and Tik Tok accounts.
The Lincoln Project also released a funny ad that doctored a video to resemble a laugh-track laden situation comedy such as the hit comedy sitcom show “Seinfeld”. The clip plays out hilariously edited bits and pieces of the President’s interview with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace.
When asked about the Fox poll that posits the question – whose is more competent? Wallace tells Trump that Biden beats him. Trump then crafts his reply, as he attempts to defend himself, claiming the test “gets very hard, the last five questions” and “Nobody has done what I’ve done.”
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) which is not really a test, is a series of mental tasks that include being asked to identify images of animals, recall the date and memorize a sequences of words. The assessment is actually supposed to be quick and easy as its a straightforward screening tool to measure different areas of the brain responsible for short-term memory, spatial awareness and executive brain function.
Trump has made it a point to brag that he “aced” the cognitive tests, while most people, rightly, are aware that the test isn’t to gauge a person’s IQ/intelligence but rather to measure for potential impairment in cognition which includes memory. His pride in passing this impairment “test” has been inspiration for a wide variety of comic gold.
Enter Late Night for some more laughs
Stephen Colbert’s “A Late Show”, Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show” and Trevor Noah’s “The Daily Show” all took turns poking fun at President Trump.
A Book of Historic Importance as November Election approaches
Mary Trump’s book, the memoir titled “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” went on sale on July 14, 2020. There has been much buzz leading up to its release and it is now clear that a serious number of people are going to read this book. Those that do will get an intimate insider’s view of the president and his family dynamics.
Publisher Simon & Schuster reported that the title has already sold almost 1 million units, with approximately 950,000 copies sold at the end of its first day on the market. The totals also include pre-orders, audio and e-books. This also represents a new opening-day sales record for the publishing company.
On June 23,2020 when former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s book “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir” was released, yet another exposé about Trump, also published by Simon & Schuster, it too also held massive sales, yielding in more than 780,000 copies on its first week.
Both books endured repeated attempts by President Trump and his family to block any release. Trump claimed Bolton’s book would reveal classified information and that Mary Trump had violated her nondisclosure agreement. In each case, a judge denied requests for injunctions and both books are now available for mass public consumption.
After the judge’s ruling in her favor, Mary Trump took to social media and began posting on her Twitter account, her first tweets since 2018. Welcome back, Mary
A lot of us have been spending much more time at home due to the isolation safety measures and business restrictions due to COVID-19. If you’re like me – that also means you’re eating much more than usual too (easy and fast access to the kitchen, right?). If you are looking for a change in your eating plan that is also heart-healthy, the Mediterranean diet might be right for you.
The US News And World Report proclaimed the Mediterranean diet the top rated and best overall diet for 2019 and 2020 among the total 41 other popular diets evaluated by a panel of experts in diet, health and nutrition.
The diet traditionally has been meant for foods, flavors and cooking methods that are available and readily utilized in the countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea. There isn’t an exact meal plan or recipe that can pinpoint or pay homage to that which is “The Mediterranean Diet”, however most meals are known to be rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts, with olive oil used as the primary source of fat. Meals are therefore more plant-based rather than meat-based; red meat is not eaten often and very infrequent if so, instead, seafood and poultry serve as principal protein sources, and even so in moderation. Dairy of cheese and yogurt are also often eaten daily. Even wine is customary in moderate amounts with each meal.
Mediterranean diet consists of very minimal if any processed foods, utilizing fresh and locally grown sources that are in season, this could be seen as a stark contrast to some of the more Westernize meals where there is access to heavily processed, “fast foods” and imported goods. The Mediterranean diet does leave room for indulgence, so a little piece of cake, or soda isn’t off the table, however the key is in the moderation.
The options for meals are plentiful and never boring, since the emphasis is on fresh, your plate will always be booming with color.
Implementing any type of food program is one parts eating the right foods, but also a big part on one’s mentality and attitude. This isn’t a type of diet where calories have to be counted, nor is overly restrictive in what you can or cannot eat, which can be extremely important for longevity and the desire to keep up healthy eating habits.
There is also a lifestyle element attached to the Mediterranean “diet” that is also strongly associated with all the mental and physical benefits. First, this includes having an active lifestyle, walking is central with many Mediterraneans’, however any daily physical activity will do. In addition, creating social interactions with other is also core, this can mean having a family dinner, or meeting with friends and using meals as an occasion to share and engage with others.
Eat fruits and vegetables daily
Use olive oil for healthy fats
Eat fish and poultry or beans and eggs versus red meat
Incorporate whole grains
Reduce sugar intake
Drink wine instead of beer or other liquor
Add spices to add extra flavor to any dish without the need for too much salt
Bring the Mediterranean–from Italy and Greece, to Morocco and Egypt, to Turkey and Lebanon–into your kitchen with more than 500 fresh, flavorful recipes. This comprehensive cookbook translates the famously healthy Mediterranean diet for home cooks with a wide range of creative recipes, many fast enough to be made on a weeknight, using ingredients available at your local supermarket.
The structure of the book follows the guidelines of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. You’ll find large chapters devoted to Beans and to Vegetables, the Seafood Chapter is larger than Poultry and Meat, and the Fruits and Sweets chapter, while shorter, is packed with recipes you can truly feel good eating.
Recipes include Spiced Baked Rice with Potatoes and Fennel, Tagliatelle with Artichokes and Parmesan, Orzo with Shrimp, Feta, and Lemon, Za’atar-Rubbed Chicken, Greek-Style Braised Pork with Leeks, and Orange Polenta Cake. Also Available on Amazon.
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
On July 6th, actor Tom Hanks sat down for an interview with The Guardian to promote his new movie “Greyhound.” However, this interview was not done face-to-face between Hanks and the correspondent. Like almost all other professional interactions nowadays, it was done remotely, with the two parties talking via computer screens in their homes—practicing social distancing due to the coronavirus.
This particular interview with Hanks was especially telling, because the actor was actually one of the first American celebrities to contract COVID-19 back in March, and “Greyhound” was among a long list of movies meant to hit theaters this summer, but got sidelined because of the pandemic.
Now, Hanks—along with his wife Rita Wilson, who also had coronavirus—is fully recovered and well. Nevertheless, his beef with the pandemic is not entirely settled, as the coronavirus’ consequential theater shutdowns has forced him to release his new film on a different platform: Apple TV+.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with Apple TV+. As far as streaming services go, Apple is a rising phenomenon and has brought about several praiseworthy shows since it launched last November. All the same, Hanks intended “Greyhound” for a theatrical release, and in the interview he called the film’s ultimate home on Apple TV+ “an absolute heartbreak.”
Again, this is not necessarily a jab at Apple, but it is indicative of what many filmmakers are going through right now. Streaming vs Theatrical releases was a hot debate in Hollywood long before COVID-19 ran everything amuck, but now that releasing movies in theaters is not an option, many movies have no choice but to sell out to the streamers and debut online.
“Greyhound” for example, was meant to hit theaters in March with Sony Pictures as distributor. However, the pandemic pushed the release date back perpetually, and in May, it sold to Apple for $70 Million, getting an official July 10th release date on the site.
Hanks continues in the interview, “I don’t mean to make angry my Apple overlords, but there is a difference in picture and sound quality [when viewing a film online rather than in a theater].” He is not the first filmmaker to voice this opinion, but he is also not the first filmmaker to have his creative work siphoned off to an unanticipated platform during these unprecedented times. Paramount Pictures, for example, sold the Kumail Nanjiani-starring rom-com, “The Lovebirds” to Netflix earlier this year despite initially banking on a theatrical release.
Triple Threat Thwarted by Timing, perhaps, but will be enjoyed nonetheless
The alternative would’ve been to hold out on releasing these films until theaters re-open. Given the fact that the theaters are closed indefinitely, though, only the movies that are more-or-less guaranteed blockbuster hits are taking this risky option—Marvel’s “Black Widow,” Universal’s “Fast & Furious 9,” DC’s “Wonder Woman: 1984” and Warner Brother’s Chris Nolan-directed “Tenet” are among them.
“Greyhound”— which Hanks wrote and produced as well as starred in— might’ve had blockbuster potential, but the clock was ticking a little too temperamentally on production company Columbia Pictures and the film’s $50 million budget. Returns simply could not be left up to a temporally unspecified gamble.
Luckily, the stigma around direct-to-streaming releases has diminished in recent years, as Netflix in particular has garnered a large number of Oscar nominations with prestigious projects like Martin Scorsese‘s “The Irishman” and Alfonso Cuaròn’s “Roma” going straight to the service. Likewise, even the studios are also transitioning to the streaming world these days with Disney+, HBOMax, and Peacock headlining the ongoing streaming wars.
Still, with “Greyhound” being a war epic set at sea, we can empathize with Tom Hanks for wanting audiences to experience it on the big screen. In fact, we can empathize with all of the filmmakers who put their hearts into creative projects for 2020, and are now seeing them shrunk down to something smaller—but perhaps not lesser—than their expectations.
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
Maybe now’s the time to escape and get lost in a book or two
The 2020 reality has had many a twists and rocky turns and with the continued ebb and flow of restrictions from COVID-19. Although one could react in many ways, what could be more positive than using this unique and usual time to get lost in the pages of a great book. One of the benefits of reading is that it is enjoyable, however it can also provide knowledge and, perhaps, some relief from the boredom and stress that many have been feeling during the pandemic.
We’ve curated a selection of eclectic new releases that range from magical realism, coming of age, historical fiction, social psychology, humor and race relations. Each title has something different and unique to offer the reader, so you’ll be sure to find at least one that fits your interests.
We have provided some book information from the publisher as well as information on where to purchase and support your local independent bookstores if interested. Happy reading!
Click to See “Sex and Vanity“ to Help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstore. Also Available on Amazon.
The iconic author of the bestselling phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians returns with the glittering tale of a young woman who finds herself torn between two men: the WASPY fianc of her family’s dreams and George Zao, the man she is desperately trying to avoid falling in love with.
On her very first morning on the jewel-like island of Capri, Lucie Churchill sets eyes on George Zao and she instantly can’t stand him. She can’t stand it when he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so that she can have a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can’t stand that he knows more about Casa Malaparte than she does, and she really can’t stand it when he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins of a Roman villa and they are caught by her snobbish, disapproving cousin Charlotte. Available on Bookshop.org and also on Amazon.
Begin Again
Click to See “Begin Again“ to Help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
We live, according to Eddie S. Glaude Jr., in a moment when the struggles of Black Lives Matter and the attempt to achieve a new America have been challenged by the election of Donald Trump, a president whose victory represents yet another failure of America to face the lies it tells itself about race. From Charlottesville to the policies of child separation at the border, his administration turned its back on the promise of Obama’s presidency and refused to embrace a vision of the country shorn of the insidious belief that white people matter more than others. Available on Bookshop.org and also on Amazon.
Elisabeth, an accomplished journalist and new mother, is struggling to adjust to life in a small town after nearly twenty years in New York City. Alone in the house with her infant son all day (and awake with him much of the night), she feels uneasy, adrift. She neglects her work, losing untold hours to her Brooklyn moms’ Facebook group, her “influencer” sister’s Instagram feed, and text messages with the best friend she never sees anymore. Enter Sam, a senior at the local women’s college, whom Elisabeth hires to babysit. Sam is struggling to decide between the path she’s always planned on and a romantic entanglement that threatens her ambition. She’s worried about student loan debt and what the future holds. In short order, they grow close. Available on Bookshop.org and also on Amazon.
The Nickel Boys
Click to See “The Nickel Boys“ to Help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
In this bravura follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.When Elwood Curtis, a black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee, is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, he finds himself trapped in a grotesque chamber of horrors. Elwood’s only salvation is his friendship with fellow “delinquent” Turner, which deepens despite Turner’s conviction that Elwood is hopelessly naive, that the world is crooked, and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble. As life at the Academy becomes ever more perilous, the tension between Elwood’s ideals and Turner’s skepticism leads to a decision whose repercussions will echo down the decades. Based on the real story of a reform school that operated for 111 years and warped the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative that showcases a great American novelist writing at the height of his powers. Available on Bookshop.org and also on Amazon.
Mexican Gothic
Click to See “Mexican Gothic“ to Help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find–her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom. Available on Bookshop.org and also on Amazon.
In this groundbreaking book, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology. The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. Menakem argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn’t just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans—our police. My Grandmother’s Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide. Available on Bookshop.org and also on Amazon.
Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates directly to your inBox.
To get through this we’re gonna need all our faculties on high alert…
It’s no wonder that the busiest freeway on the planet is nearly empty, with all that’s going on. Sure. But try driving on it if you remember the old normal. To dramatize, take a look at the video above taken during the 5pm rush hour on Tuesday, and the video below, of just what this beast could do on a big traffic day. Even a “normal” day, pre-covid-19 had a similar feeling. Not anymore.
It can be an emotional and somber experience to see, first hand and in-person, what the busiest freeway in the world looks like in the middle (at the beginning?) of a pandemic and with unemployment rate at up to 50% (locally). And then there’s the one bright spot; that the deserted freeway is being impacted even more so by the new “WFH” (work from home) boom as we change our lives and reduce carbon emissions by living a digital life.
“Anecdotal” evidence: raising the feeling that something’s going on other than what you hear from on-high
Sometimes, even if you listen to the voices all around you, take in all the news and noise, you just have to block all of that out and take a good look with your own eyes. If you look beneath the surface of the news you will also find a very different story.
Take for example the recent “positive” jobs reports. Unemployment appears to be dropping and the overall numbers are not as bad as many had feared, right? Or is that just a manufactured impression? The previous official jobs reports were rife with confusion and even errors that were admitted outright by The Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course by that time the “good news” had already circulated and had created the desired effect (a delay of the stock market pricing-in the real unemployment numbers).
The reports, according to former US secretary of labor, Robert Reich, are not giving an accurate picture, and he points out in a recent piece that the real situation is that the current number of unemployed is the worst in over 70 years.
Naturally the reasons, emanating from the top job at the White House, for wanting to spin these very important numbers, are obvious. Not only is there the the high stakes re-election scenario but, in this special case, the potential prosecutions that could proceed from a loss for Trump in November.
And if you are not a “Robin Hood” day trader and are just trying to get a life?
Although Los Angeles is not currently in an official “lockdown”, there is a surge in new cases and over twelve million active cases worldwide, and over three million in the US alone. Therefore, the streets reflect the real situation that people are experiencing – both economic due to the lack of employment and the caution and self-isolation that is appropriate and the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in the city.
Donald Trump said Thursday’s jobs report, which showed an uptick in June, proves the US economy is “roaring back”.
Rubbish. The labor department gathered the data during the week of 12 June, when America was reporting 25,000 new cases of Covid-19 a day. By the time the report was issued, that figure was 55,000.
Click to See “Saving Capitalism“ to Help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Then, just today, the newest jobs report came out. The headline on Marketwatch was that, although 33 million people are unemployed and millions more getting laid off weekly, “many doubt it’s that bad”. Why the caveat? You tell me.
Rather than focusing on the 33 million out of work, with the real number potentially far higher, they question anything that may help to mitigate the negative impression (bad for the stock market). Then they feature an earlier story with the title: “U.S. Regains 4.8 million Jobs in June”, further giving the impression that everything is hunky dory.
Oh, and late last night United Air Lines announced that they would lay off 36,000 which they site as a worst case scenario. Brooks Brothers announced Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Bed, Bath and Beyond are closing 200 stores. And the list goes on.
With the Climate Crisis far from over, A pandemic that has no end in sight and economic repercussions that are beginning to boggle the mind, there is plenty to overwhelm the average or even supra-average human.
Maybe, for now though, with all the doom and gloom, it’s best to just put the pedal-to-the-metal and enjoy the empty road…
![[ENGLISH] PS5 - THE FUTURE OF GAMING SHOW](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RuLci-lSeCo/hqdefault.jpg)
