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I have really been enjoying Season 4 of HBO’s Gilded Age (which dropped on November 1). I didn’t expect to get into this series as much as I did (and frankly, it’s just a historical soap opera).
On the day before the U.S. Midterm election, Putin’s war kills 31 people & injures more. Americans need to ask, “Why doesn’t American leadership focus more on stopping Putin’s attacks & less time offering Putin business incentives to de-escalate?” Contrary to what one U.S. negotiator has said, Putin is not a “humanitarian”; the global community needs to find more effective ways to protect the innocent & prosecute those who have committed human rights abuses on Putin’s behalf.
A year or so again I started a blogpost category called “Political Pulse.” I have always been actively engaged in politics, and it seems ridiculous to avoid making any political pronouncements on my blog (except in an obiter dicta manner). Yet sometimes it seems that this blog goes auto-pilot on several different topics that I never get around to politics. Let me be clear. I am parsimonious about what topics I allow myself to blog about (I am mainly focused on stuff which would go great in my upcoming essay collection). I see that I have one half-written Political Pulse post from two months ago, one big post to write today, and one longer personal essay about political pulses that I want to work on. So I’ll get that done.
This is a great joyful and iconic photo, but it raises several questions: 1)who was the photographer, and how would you find it? 2)If a politician reposts it on social media, is the politician authorizing its sharing? I realize that there are publicity rights to consider — you can’t use it in a disparaging way for commercial reasons. But how extensive is this right to share? And who has the right to sell rights to use it? I saw that Reutersconnect is selling use licenses for this photo, but it acknowledges that the credit is James Talarico on X. Wait, Reuters is trying to sell something without even crediting the photographer? Also, does James Talarico have to credit the photographer? Does he even have the right to share it? (I’m guessing that it’s one of the staff photographers for the campaign, but who knows really?)
Aha, Gemini provides clarification. News agencies have agreements with political campaigns which grant them the right to distribute and license “handout” materials to the press. The license provides the right to use the photo for editorial use only, and Reuters will indemnify you against legal exposure.
SNL has a sketch about Irish-Americans visiting Ireland (YT).
Pema Levy notices that the blue landslide could accelerate the adoption of the National Popular Vote by states.
In April, Virginia became the 18th state to join the compact, bringing the total number of electoral votes pledged under the proposal to 222. On Tuesday, Democrats took trifecta control of state governments in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada. That’s 61 electoral votes. Add in Alaska, where late-arriving votes are still being counted, and that’s 64. With Virginia on board, only 48 more votes are needed for the compact to reach 270 votes and take effect. The emerging math means there is a real chance that the next president is selected based on the national popular vote.
My celebrity crush Parker Posey is all over the media these days. Here is a one hour interview with the New Yorker and the Track Star musical quiz show. Here’s her Criterion Closet Picks.
Film critic Michael Barrett reviews two silent/part-talkie romantic comedies featuring the comic star Laura La Plante. Both movies sound delightful. “Laura La Plante, known for a kind of wave-curled helmet of blonde hair and a bewitching sparkle, possesses an uncanny power to project a vividly realized personality beyond the screen. Her every scene is a kaleidoscope of meticulous gestures and shades that look lived in the moment, neither practiced nor affected. She even turns a pratfall into a tour de force of emotions, as first we laugh and then empathize. “
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