Autobiography organizer

Found a box full of old books, anything worth keeping?

2024.05.12 23:58 Dame2Miami Found a box full of old books, anything worth keeping?

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2024.05.11 04:13 ddgr815 Students taking AP African American Studies say to “forget the haters” as they dive deep into American history in pilot course

Students taking AP African American Studies say to “forget the haters” as they dive deep into American history in pilot course

As a crackling recording of Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech resonated in the background, eight students took their seats in a classroom at East Kentwood High School. They carried themselves with purpose.
The seniors were not only there to learn history. They showed up to make it.
The course they are taking during fifth period at the west Michigan Kentwood Public Schools campus – Advanced Placement African American Studies – has become a lightning rod among some conservatives who think it teaches so-called “critical race theory” and should be banned. Their school is one of only 17 in the state and 700 across the country to offer it this school year.
For the students, all of whom are Black, it is a chance to delve deeply into diverse perspectives of their own history – which, they emphasize, is American history.
The topic that day: “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” which the slain civil rights leader wrote with Alex Haley.
In the small classroom, made colorful by Black Lives Matter posters, previous students’ artwork, and flags from around the world displayed on its white brick walls, the kids talked in small groups about the latest chapters of the autobiography they had read. They talked about the man Malcolm X was at different points in his life and how his experiences changed his views.
What critics of the course get wrong, said Da’kyiah Sanders outside the East Kentwood classroom, is that the much-debated AP African American Studies course doesn’t teach just one viewpoint.
“It’s everyone’s history,” she said, “every point of view, every perspective.”
“Mr. Vriesman, you said there would only be two people on Friday,” one girl said, addressing the observers in the April 15 class, who came close to outnumbering the students in attendance that day. “That’s five people.”
A few of the students were absent that day as they traveled to Washington D.C. The same group spoke about what they’re learning in the pilot program at a State Board of Education meeting earlier this month.
Matt Vriesman, the instructor, is white but focused his final master’s degree research on Black political history in the 20th century. Through that experience, the educator said he noticed the gap between what historians write about Black history and what is included in basic high school texts. He created a website that offers resources and lesson plans that cover race, slavery, and injustice in U.S. history available to all teachers.
Vriesman told the students he wanted to take the time to allow them to be interviewed by reporters so they could share what the experience has meant to them.
“Because, you know, not everyone thinks this class should exist,” he told the class. “And I think your guys’ voices are really important.”
The AP African American Studies course came under fire when it was first piloted in 2022-23, as conservative groups and politicians began to decry so-called “critical race theory” and lessons that teach students about race and racism in America. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis went as far as banning the class from his state, saying it lacked educational value.
While the College Board, a not-for-profit membership organization that develops syllabi for its Advanced Placement Program, pushed back on such claims, it eliminated mentions of many Black writers and the Black Lives Matter movement from its formal curriculum. The revised framework for the class made those subjects and others “optional.”
Vriesman, who was named the 2023 National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute, said the conservative argument incorrectly and “ridiculously” concedes there is only one Black perspective.
“There are so many different ideas and strategies and perspectives within the Black community and Black history,” he told Chalkbeat, adding a great deal of the class is about conflicting perspectives.
It covers debates among Black people in the Antebellum period over whether churches should be African churches and whether America is for Black Americans.
“You have David Walker saying, of course it is,” said the teacher. “Others argue after Antebellum that African Americans should leave and move to the Caribbean. There are so many debates within Black history about what’s the best liberation strategy.”
There are plans for the new AP course to officially launch and be available to all high schools in the country in 2024-25.
The overall goal of the college-level course is to use multiple disciplines to examine diverse African American experiences through primary historical sources. Students must engage with sources in a variety of disciplines, such as data, imagery, visual arts, music, news publications, and historical records.
It covers everything from African culture, connections between contemporary Black culture and the African diaspora, political movements, intersections of identity, and multifaceted contexts of social movements. There is room in the curricula to also focus on local Black history.
The class allows the time and space for teachers and students to go more extensively into subjects that might otherwise be left out of U.S. history courses, said East Kentwood senior Adeola Ojo.
“I think they don’t really focus on how African Americans felt,” she said of her previous American history classes. “It’s more about how white Americans may have reacted.”
Seeing history beyond a narrow white perspective can help all students to “understand everyone’s narratives,” said Da’kyiah. Learning different cultural perspectives can also break cycles of oppression and allow for change, she added.
“I wish more people knew about this so that they didn’t stay so ignorant on these topics,” she said, “and so that they could just create a different world, a new world, and not continue to stay along the same path with it.”
In class on the mid-April day, Da’kyiah and her peers talked about how Malcolm X’s transition from prison to life in Detroit shed light on challenges for formerly incarcerated people reintegrating into society.
As an image of Malcolm X at the Nation of Islam’s Temple No. 1 in Detroit was projected on a white board, the students discussed the significance of the moment for the activist.
“He had never seen Black Americans dressed like that,” said Vriesman of the photo. “All the Black Americans he knew were Christian. They never wore suits and ties.”
A boy in the class said it was the first time Malcolm X describes seeing “pride in being Black.”
“That was perfect AP-level analysis,” said Vriesman of the discussion.
When Malcolm X’s niece, Deborah Jones, visited the class earlier in the semester, she told the students about a school board decision in 1968 to close the predominantly Black Grand Rapids South High School in an effort to racially integrate schools.
The board didn’t listen to the Black community, who wanted it to stay open because it was considered a place of Black excellence, Jones told the class. Instead, it was closed and there were reports Black students were sent to overcrowded, underresourced schools.
Kanyla Tyler, 17, said the lesson on South High hit close to home.
“I ended up asking my family about it, and my granny ended up being part of that last class,” she said.
The lesson opened up a chance for Kanyla to talk with her grandmother about her experience at the school and what it was like to see it shutter.
Lessons on West African culture connected to East Kentwood senior Adeola Ojo’s personal history as well. For the first time in school, she learned about her father’s Nigerian heritage.
“Our first unit taught us about the kingdoms in West Africa and how slaves were taken from there,” she said.
Just before fifth period ended, Kanyla and her classmate, Murjoni McIntosh, 17, stood outside the classroom and smiled when asked what they would say to people who think the course shouldn’t exist.
“I really say skip the haters because Mr. Vriesman makes it a fun experience to actually want to learn more about your culture,” said Murjoni.
“This is like a class where we get to learn more about ourselves and we discover ourselves more,” added Kanyla. “So I would say the same: Skip the haters.”
Then, as the sixth period bell rang and the hallway began to flood with students, the two teens high-fived each other.

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2024.05.11 00:03 blackTANG11 Seeking ORIGINAL Yogada Sat-Sanga lessons. Anyone??

Hey everyone,
I have started the SRF lessons after reading Autobiography Of A Yogi. I loved the book. However, I’m pretty disappointed in the lessons. Needless to say, there’s no way Yogananda wrote most of this. I also attended my local SRF location (a pretty big one) and now have the strong impression that they are mainly aimed at sucking in old people. I get the same vibe that I’ve gotten from other New Age-y, manifestation type groups. I hope this isn’t taken the wrong way, but I’m looking for something more “authentic” and thoughtful. What I found was more like a Christian church for people who like meditating. It makes sense that the organization has evolved in this way, but I’m not a huge fan.
I was able to find the first send-home YSS lesson that’s actually written by Yogananda. But I can’t find any more. If anyone knows where I can locate them, PLEASE share.
I will definitely still be reading and engaging with the modern SRF lessons. But I didn’t really find the community I’m seeking there at all. I’ve been going to Buddhist temples in my area recently—I haven’t gone to any Hindu center yet but I’m going to do that soon.
Thank you!

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2024.05.05 09:43 cartomancer888 How I organize using collections

I read books in a variety of genres and subgenres, so segregating with that would make my library appear far too congested. So I found that using genre groups, if you will, allows me to stay organized without creating too many folders. I have a total of 7 folders in my collections— 3 based on reading status, and 4 for my TBR, by genre group—.
A. Status: - Currently reading - Up Next - Read
B. TBR by Genre Group - Fiction (General) - refers to realistic fiction, including literary, historical, and contemporary, as well as most romance, mystery, and thriller novels. - Fiction (Speculative) - genres include fantasy, sci-fi, magical realism, dystopian , alternate history, horror, and paranormal. - Nonfiction (story-driven) - includes memoir, autobiography, biography, essays & true crime. - Nonfiction (informative) - for self-help, psychology, science, health, and other reference books.
Thought I would share with you. Share your setups too so we all could get some new ideas 😀
Edit: formatting

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2024.05.03 04:57 PrisonerByNoCrime Write Through the Pain

After escaping my childhood, I extensively engaged in expressive writing, documenting the various forms of abuse, my fears, uncertainties, and the trauma I experienced, along with the daily struggles of being alive and surviving extreme abuse.
My writing was unstructured and sometimes grammatically incorrect, as its sole purpose was to release pent-up emotions. I recommend trying this approach if you ever feel overwhelmed by emotions and find yourself feeling paralyzed by them. It can be incredibly cathartic. But you can also write your story in more cohesive terms - anything from autobiography and memoir to diaries and journals, as well as oral testimonies and eyewitness accounts…short memoir pieces and personal essays, the possibilities are endless!
In writing about my trauma, I was also acquiring certain life skills that were helping me cope in my day-to-day life. In giving vent to my deep-seated pain and sadness, I was learning to accept them as a part of me. In accepting, I was healing; and, in sharing my story with my readers, I was emerging from my isolation and seeking solidarity.
Victims of sexual violence remain silent because, often, they aren’t believed. But, for example, when my mother wrote her book “ A Prisoner by No Crime of My Own” the response from her readers overwhelmed her- she found strength to keep going.
Like life – and survival – writing follows an organic trajectory where the individual must go from acknowledging one’s pain and defining it to confronting it, through action and words. To overcome one’s trauma is to be able to distance oneself from it, and writing teaches one how to achieve that critical distance.
Try it! Even 5 mins a day will help you change your own narrative forever.
B 🤍

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2024.05.02 07:43 TheGooseGirl This researcher really has the Dead-Ikeda-cult SGI's number re: shakubooboo

This is from a book review of a book analyzing the Soka Gakkai presence in the USA between 1960 and 1975 - I've ordered a copy and should be able to post some more in-depth analysis when it gets here. For clarity, here is the reviewer's explanation of what "NSA" stands for:

At various stages in the organization’s history, the acronym NSA has stood for Nichiren Shoshu of America, Nichiren Shoshu Academy, and Nichiren-shoshu Soka-gakkai of America. The acronym SGI-USA (for Soka Gakkai International, USA) was adopted in 1991. This review will use “NSA” except when referring only to the organization at present. (Footnote, p. 352)

Only "adopted in 1991" AFTER Ikeda's humiliating excommunication. I'm sure he was notified that if NSA didn't change its name forthwith, his organization was going to be sued. The reviewer is a former higher-up in NSA (now SGI-USA), one of the PAID editors of its monthly magazine Seikyo Times, now renamed Living Buddhism (so a real inner-circle insider). She rarely strays into territory that could be identified as criticism of her former cult besties.
Starting on p. 353:

The performance of shakubuku—proselytizing—is accordingly seen as both a powerful cause for transforming one’s own karma and a compassionate action leading to the happiness of all. Snow suggests that the sense of personal mission, responsibility, and special status acquired through internalizing this vision motivates NSA members every bit as much as the promise of material and spiritual benefits to be gained from chanting. NSA’s goal

is not—as it might appear at first glance to the casual observer—the development of a cult of selfish, egoistic, happy chanters, unmindful of the problems and conditions of the rest of the world. Rather, it is the realization of something far more ambitious and global—the construction of...a civilization that not only transcends the limitations of the major philosophies and international powers in the world today, but one in which peace, prosperity, happiness, and creative spontaneity are enjoyed by all. (pp. 63-64)

Except that the rank selfishness and self-centeredness of SGI-USA members has been abundantly documented, of course...

In analyzing NSA as a proselytizing movement, Snow asks: How are potential recruits initially contacted and their nominal conversion secured? While NSA makes use of publications, large-scale cultural events, and college seminars to reach out to potential converts, Snow finds that recruitment is done chiefly through members’ existing family and social networks. He sees this as a function of NSA being a non-communal, “open” movement that does not demand the severing of extra-movement ties; in contrast, groups that are communal and relatively “closed” (such as the Krishna movement or the Unification Church) must make greater efforts to win recruits from among strangers. Of 330 people in Snow’s statistical sampling who joined NSA between 1966 and 1974, only 18% were recruited by strangers. This comes as a surprise, in that the popular perception of NSA during the 1970s was shaped by members’ assertive “street shakubuku”—going to sidewalks, parking lots, shopping malls, or other public places to invite passersby to introductory discussion meetings. Snow argues, however, that the value to NSA of street shakubuku lies chiefly in its function as a “commitment-building mechanism that serves to strengthen members’ identification with the organization, rather than in the numbers of converts it produces.

THIS, in other words.

The local NSA discussion meeting itself, typically held in members’ homes, constitutes the chief forum for introducing newcomers to the practice and winning nominal conversions of guests. Shakubuku closely examines the dynamics and strategies of such meetings.
In discussing “who joined and why,” Snow argues that “structural strain” explanations attributing the rise of new religious movements to deprivation, inequity, or other stresses in the social order do not fully explain why some individuals join such movements while others do not. He suggests that the dramatic growth of NSA—and of other movements—was fueled by the emergence in the late 60s and 70s of a large demographic constituency of young, single adults, many of whom were students or people lacking permanent positions of employment.

That was the Baby Boom generation. Note that in the USA, the Christian proselytizing religious movement "Jesus People" (aka "Jesus Freaks") was WAY bigger than any silly little weirdo Japanese cult could ever hope to be here in the US - estimates of the "Jesus Movement" membership ranged from 30,000 to 300,000 to 20 million! The SGI-USA's claimed membership remains officially at upwards of 300,000 while the estimates of active membership are between 3,000 and 30,000 (a generous upper limit).

As further “microdeterminants” of who joined NSA, Snow found the most important factors to be the possession of preexisting ties with NSA members, ample discretionary time, and absence of strong, countervailing commitments.

As described here as well:

In other words, they were not greatly encumbered by work, marital, or kinship ties. While we have only the 'ever-divorced' comparison with the general population, it seems safe to say that converts were in a good position to take on new religious commitments because they were structurally free of many social ties.

That's a really nice way of saying "lacking social connections and a social circle." It also explains nicely why those who join SGI-USA would be so susceptible to the cultish "love bombing" - INSTANT FRIENDS! INSTANT COMMUNITY!! I FINALLY BELONG!!! Source

When a family moves to a new town, one of the first things they do to set up a new set of social connections is to join a religious organization, typically the neighborhood church. We're social animals; having a community is important to us.

Snow is also critical of theories that seek to explain why people join new religious movements in terms of mental predispositions such as alienation, search for meaning, personal crisis, or hunger for community. Strong affective bonds with someone inside the movement and intense interaction with the group are presented as more important factors. Moreover, as Snow acutely observes,

psychological/motivational theories of conversion face a serious methodological difficulty in that they rely on members’ testimonials, which may well reflect the individual's unconscious restructuring of his or her past history in light of a newly acquired worldview.

And we've ALL seen how SGI leaders routinely change SGI members' "experiences" to punch up the drama (to the point of coaching the SGI member on how to appear more sincere - "You should cry as you tell it to make it more emotional"), or to make sure they include enough Ikeda Sensei worshipfulness, or adequately reflect whatever "campaign" the current SGI "rhythm" is emphasizing. Remember, an "experience" is a form of indoctrination, so it had better have all the indoctrination elements, right?
This is really important:

Members' own accounts of “why I joined” may thus be artifacts of the conversion process as much as they are explanations of why the conversion took place. Snow suggests that movements such as NSA serve not only to express preexisting needs and stresses but as “important agitational, problem-defining, need-arousal, and motive-producing agencies” and that “the latter function may oftentimes have primacy over the former” (p. 237). His discussion of “the convert as social type” suggests that conversion not be defined in terms of subjective personal transformation, which is hard to assess, but of outwardly identifiable changes in the members’ universe of discourse. Such changes include reconstruction of autobiography in line with a newly adopted worldview, and embracement of a “master attribution scheme" or unitary explanation of why things are as they are, such as NSA’s attribution of suffering to individual karma.

"Mappo, the Eeeeevil Latter Day of the Law!" "Fundamental darkness!" "EVERYBODY needs to 'do human revolution' because they're inherently flawed, hopeless, sinful, and LOST!" "EVERYBODY NEEDS A 'MENTOR'!!!!!" I'm sure you can think of other excuses for causes of suffering that SGI members randomly spurt out in fits of arrogance and pompousness.

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2024.05.01 16:05 7ftTallexGuruDragon What is consciousness and is there evidence that reality as we know it is not mechanical?

Please don't confuse mechanics and material with each other.
What is thinking?
- There is no thinking, it's only about thinking. You don't self-generate thoughts to think, you only react to environmental stimuli. This is very easy to see because in a primitive environment you wouldn't know 95% of what you know right now. You are DNA + what you have been exposed to in your life.
What is mind?
- A mind is a simple mechanical functioning. The body is responding to stimuli. It is only a stimulus-responding mechanism. Reaction to enviromental stimulus. The sensory activity of the living organism is all that exists. Concepts such as "feelings" and "dreams" are inherently linked to basic biological, pre-programmed drives, and it seems plausible that an AI could eventually develop similar mechanisms.
Are we mechanical?
We are human biological robots. What you consider your mind is in fact just a collection of experiences and sensations that have taken place since you were born, which some call an ego. You are "the programming" inisde "a program".
Nikola Tesla in his autobiography firmly states we are all automata. Gurdjieff said that we are "machines." U.G krishnamurti statement is that we are 100% machines. People who have been deeply hypnotized state this as a fact very clearly. The evidence for this goes on and on. Do your own research.
From a purely philosophical point of view, if everything is one, of course reality will be mechanical. This is not just the ordinary solid, material-mechanical world that we know, metals and robots, but biomechanical and beyond. Again, from a purely philosophical point of view, you are not god, but an essential part of it is within. Because "i" doesn't exist, "i: collection of dust, an illusion.
Consciousness
Consciousness is awareness of internal and external existence. That's definition.
Without memory you cannot be conscious. If there is a lion behind you, you say I am aware of that lion, i am conscious, but it has become part of your knowledge. A memory system. because you saw or felt or smelled or someone told you about this lion. Not because you are using something else, other than your senses and memory
You are looking at a tree. how you know it's not flat? This is because you have seen trees before and you know that trees are not flat. It is your memory that makes life accessible to you.
You cannot see certain lights due to internal memory (DNA). You can infinitely argue with the owl which one is day and which one is night, because the owl perceives light differently. So whatever limited world you perceive, you are only conscious of that.
I no longer believe that there is such a thing as awareness, because you cannot separate awareness from the activity of the brain and memory. and to talk about it without having brain activity is nonsence. i might be wrong, of course.

First you are created from DNA. This DNA decides that you have a human body and not the body of a dog or other animal. What kind of male or female body you will have, how tall, how strong, what nose, eyes, etc. This is all "the programming". The fact that some people are born with less vision, blind, deaf, etc. is due to DNA and not external influences. Unless something happens after birth, or in the process of birth.

Your experience depends on what software (DNA) you have. If you were born blind, you cannot be aware of light or have mental images of a world you have never seen or have memories of. Some animals have deeper vision, deeper hearing, etc. Thier software is very different.
There is a world outside of you, no matter what you believe. If you die, life will continue (the program). It is an indisputable fact that life exists outside of your perception and how much you repeat “cogito, ergo sum”.
This is only about "I", if you look deeper, you understand that "I" don’t exist at all, it only seems to exist. "I" have no independent existence. If you were independent rather than interdependent, you would at least know where you were coming from and who you were.
We use the laws of this reality to apply assumptions such as simulation, Boltzmann brain and many others.
Not to mention the development of our understanding based on the development of civilization and technology.

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2024.04.27 17:29 kittehgoesmeow What A Day: Divest Unrest by Julia Claire & Crooked Media (04/26/24)

"Trump looked to actually be in close to deep REM sleep... He's taking full-on, bona fide naps." - Reporter Ben Meiselas relaying vital source notes from the Trump hush money trial
Editor’s note: Some bittersweet personal news: today is my last day writing the What A Day newsletter. I won’t be going far—I’ll still be writing here at Crooked, and you’ll even continue to see some of my horrid little jokes in this very newsletter. Our News Editor Greg Walters will be taking the helm in the meantime, so fear not! WAD will remain in your inbox five nights a week.
Thanks for riding with me these past two years. It wasn’t always easy, but we sure did manage to call Mitch McConnell “a little bitch” a lot, and that’s what truly matters in my one wild and precious life. Take care.
- Julia
P.S. In a hilarious turn of events, today's digest did not save in the server and yesterday's was reprinted. So here's the correction. I always knew I would go out on top.

Litmus Protest

As we head into the weekend, campus antiwar protests have not abated, they’ve expanded further across the country.

There have been antiwar and Palestinian solidarity protests at some 75 college campuses across the United States in the past week, according to The Intercept’s Prem Thakkar. Student protesters have continued, undeterred and determined to push their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel or who profit from its war with Hamas. At the University of Pennsylvania, the administration diverged from its peer institutions—choosing not to involve Philadelphia police—and instead said they would not intervene so long as the protests remained peaceful and did not violate University policy.
At Emory University, the scene turned violent—but only when police were called to the campus. Along with dozens of student arrests, two professors were detained by police on Thursday. One was Philosophy Department Chair Noëlle McAfee, and the other was economics professor Carolina Fohlin, who was captured on video being violently thrown to the ground by police and then restrained by multiple officers, one of whom shoved her head into the concrete. Fohlin was jailed for 11 hours and charged with—get this—battery against a police officer, but was released on bond with the rest of the arrested protesters. In a vote that passed with overwhelming support on Friday afternoon, the Emory Faculty Senate of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences called for a college-wide no-confidence vote in University President Gregory Fenves for unleashing police on students and faculty.
Disgraced former president Donald Trump took a break from his courtroom shellacking on Friday to again weigh in on the ongoing campus protests, and again he chose to simultaneously minimize the infamous 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA. “Charlottesville was a little peanut and was nothing,” he said, “and the hate wasn’t the kind of hate you have here. This is tremendous hate.” To recap: the former president is saying that the rally where white nationalists marched through the streets with tiki torches shouting “Jews will not replace us,” and “Blood and soil,” in which those white supremacists ran over and killed counter-protester Heather Heyer with a car, is “nothing” and less hateful than the overwhelmingly peaceful antiwar protests happening now. Subtle! I wonder which of his supporters he’s catering to with that messaging!
This rhetoric takes its most extreme form in right-wing officials like Trump and GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson, but varying degrees of the central argument—that these antiwapro-Palestinian protests are inherently antisemitic (despite the significant presence of antiwar Jewish protesters)—seem to have found a receptive audience on both sides of the aisle. Pro-Israel Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY)—neither of whom is Jewish—are introducing legislation called “The Columbia Act” that would allow the Department of Education to send a “third-party antisemitism monitor” to any college receiving federal funding. Torres recently left the Congressional Progressive Caucus over the caucus’s criticism of Israel and pro-ceasefire stance in the Israel-Hamas war, and his top campaign contributor is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Nationwide antiwar campus protests are being met with police brutality, the Republican presidential candidate is a power-hungry fascist, AND the DNC is in Chicago? Damn, the "Make it 1968 again" lobby has finally gotten its way.

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

If you’ve ever dreamed of following a podcast around like the Grateful Dead, this is your year! Pod Save America has a ton of great shows coming up on their Democracy or Else tour, headed to Brooklyn, Boston, Madison, Phoenix, Philly, and Ann Arbor. They will also be at the LA Times festival of books on April 21st with appearances by Dan Pfeiffer, Tommy Vietor, Jon Favreau, and Hysteria’s own Erin Ryan! To get tickets, head to https://crooked.com/events now.

Under The Radar

It was, apparently, another blustery day in the Manhattan courtroom holding Donald Trump’s hush money trial. (He kept complaining that the court room was “freezing.”) Emil Bove, one of Trump’s innumerable lawyers, cross-examined former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker in his third day of testimony. Pecker gave the prosecution exactly what it was looking for on Thursday and Friday when he offered jurors a vivid explanation of two “catch and kill” arrangements he made with Trump about unflattering stories: one with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed she had a yearlong relationship with Trump, and the other now infamously related to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Pecker also detailed Trump’s personal involvement in getting the two women to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent them from going public with their stories during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump even hosted a “thank you” dinner for Pecker at the White House in 2017. Pecker admitted to having approved a forward-facing corporate lie—denying the existence of the agreements when the Wall Street Journal investigated—to “protect” his company, he said.
A campaign watchdog group filed a formal complaint to the Federal Elections Commission on Wednesday accusing Trump’s presidential reelection campaign and its related PACS of concealing payment of Trump’s legal fees using campaign funds. The organizations paid $7.2 million for Trump’s legal fees covertly through an unrelated shell company, according to the filing. Neither the Trump campaign nor the company used as a conduit, Red Curve, responded to requests for comment from the New York Times.

What Else?

Trust in the Supreme Court dropped to an historic low in the wake of the Dobbs decision in 2022. Two years later, the Court hasn’t been able to rebuild trust, with the majority of Americans no longer having faith in the institution, and a plurality of those polled feeling that it is “too conservative.” That’s so weird… I wonder what could have given them that impression?
The Alabama state House approved legislation that could lead to the prosecution of librarians under state obscenity laws for providing minors with materials the conservative legislature deems “harmful,” as part of a larger nationwide crusade to ban books. The bill now moves to the state Senate.
In other terrifying news from red states, Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) announced on Thursday that he plans to sign a bill passed in the state legislature that would allow K-12 educators and staff members to carry concealed handguns on school grounds.
In her new autobiography, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD)—said to be on Trump’s short list for VP—detailed killing her own family dog…almost proudly(?) as some sort of bizarre conservative “I do what it takes,” bullshit narrative. This woman shot a 14-month-old puppy, and was so pleased with the job she did, that she then killed a goat she didn’t like on the family farm! And she volunteered all of this information!
Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has asked a Texas federal judge to block the National Labor Relations Board from pursuing claims that the rocket maker required workers to sign illegal severance agreements. “On what grounds?” you may ask. Well, Elon teamed up with a bunch of other evil billionaires like Jeff Bezos in February and launched a legal campaign questioning the constitutionality of the NLRB. The group of corporate super villains asked the courts to effectively dismantle the New Deal-era agency in an effort to even further tip the scales away from workers and towards corporations. If any of them could grow facial hair I’m sure they would all be twisting their mustaches maniacally.
Britain’s King Charles will return to public duties next week for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer. Buckingham Palace said on Friday that he is making encouraging progress with his treatment. [raising a plate of beans on toast] Cheers to his good health.

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Light At The End Of The Email

A staggering 53 individuals who aided in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election have now been criminally charged. Gotta catch em all!
President Biden appeared on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show, where he said he would “be happy to” debate disgraced former president Donald Trump. Mercifully, Biden bucked guest tradition and did not end up telling Stern any weird octogenarian sex stories.

Enjoy

Wiffleball on Twitter: "Melania,if you’re out there, HBD from my sex trial"

submitted by kittehgoesmeow to FriendsofthePod [link] [comments]

2024.04.27 17:00 tonyyums Live Long and… What I Learned Along the Way by William Shatner Free Audiobook and Review

"Live Long and… What I Learned Along the Way" is an autobiography by William Shatner, written with David Fisher. In this book, Shatner reflects on his life and work, giving significant insights and lessons he's acquired along the way.
The book is organized into various thematic parts, each concentrating on different areas of Shatner's life, including his youth, acting career, personal relationships, and philosophy on life and aging. Through anecdotes, personal stories, and musings, Shatner offers readers a candid and fascinating peek into his life and perspectives.
One of the book's strengths is Shatner's conversational writing style, which makes readers feel like they're having a one-on-one conversation with the iconic actor. He offers intimate details about his victories and difficulties, including his rise to popularity as Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," his battles with self-doubt and insecurity, and his ideas on mortality and legacy.
Throughout the book, Shatner highlights the significance of embracing life's difficulties and chances, staying curious and open-minded, and finding joy and fulfillment in every stage of life. He offers practical advise on themes such as career success, personal relationships, and staying fit and active as you age.
"Live Long and…" is not simply a memoir; it's also a celebration of tenacity, optimism, and the power of the human spirit. Shatner's kindness, wit, and wisdom flow through on every page, making this book an encouraging and pleasant read for fans and non-fans alike. Whether you're searching for fun, inspiration, or practical guidance, "Live Long and…" offers on all fronts.
Free Audiobook with a free trial of Audible

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2024.04.27 15:58 BuckeyeReason Mayor Tom Johnson, understanding the man who shaped modern Cleveland while championing the common man

Somehow, I never knew that Mayor Tom Johnson, the father of modern Cleveland, in his Public Square statue is holding a copy of Henry George's famous "Progress and Poverty," the book that caused Johnson to abandon a lucrative business career and devote himself to public service, massively to the benefit of Cleveland. Johnson proved that one man can make a difference.
https://cleveland101.com/cleveland-101-people/tom-l-johnson/
It's almost funny that one of Johnson's fiercest opponents was the parent company of First Energy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW8sJS6UPPw
I also never knew that Johnson wrote an autobiography -- "My Story," which can be read online.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_L._Johnson
Perhaps the only thing that has changed today is the absence of a skilled, dedicated and highly driven champion.
<< "In the main, the things I shall tell about Cleveland are the things that might be told about any city or state. The source of the evil; the source of the good; the source of the shame and corruption; the contest between opposing economic interests; the alliance among those identified with the franchise corporations on the one hand, and the unorganized people on the other, is the same everywhere." >>
https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/my-story-tlj/
The inscription on the Tom Johnson statue in Public Square may be the most inspiring in Cleveland.
<<
Beyond his party and beyond his class this man forsook the few to serve the mass
He found us groping leaderless and blind He left us a city with a civic mind
He found us striving each his selfish part He left a city with a civic heart
And ever with his eye set on the goal the vision of city with a soul>>
https://coolcleveland.com/2013/07/history-remembering-the-past-the-stature-statue-of-tom-l-johnson/
Johnson's legacy also includes the "Cleveland Group Plan" and the West Side Market.
https://www.clevelandmemory.org/groupplan/index.html
https://westsidemarket.org/about/market-history/
Johnson indirectly is responsible for the Cleveland Metroparks. He recruited and inspired talented individuals, including Newton D. Baker, a future Cleveland mayor and Secretary of War during World War I. One of Johnson's recruits was given the task of reforming and expanding the Cleveland park system -- William Stinchcomb first proposed the Cleveland Metroparks system in 1905, while Johnson still was mayor, and later oversaw the system's founding and development, leading the fight in 1917 for Ohio legislation enabling counties to levy taxes to support county park systems.
<< During his years as county engineer, Stinchcomb did not forget his dream, first enunciated on 1905 in a report to Cleveland City Council, of a metropolitan park system. He helped draft a county park bill and lobby it through the legislature, and served on the first county park board without pay as consulting engineer. When a board was ruled invalid, he lobbied for a new law and volunteered his services as consulting engineer to the Cleveland Metropolitan Park Board before being appointed as the first director of the Park District in 1921.
As chief architect of the metropolitan parks, Stinchcomb never lost sight of the big picture, arguing that parks contributed in untold measure to the health and welfare of the community and working unceasingly for the district's expansion. But he cared about the details, too - releasing ring-necked pheasants into Rocky River and Brecksville reservations (1922), directing the planting of wild rice and other foods in an attempt to establish a haven for waterfowl (1928), and protesting a road-widening project that threatened to destroy a row of ancient maple trees on the edge of Brecksville Reservation (1930). Stinchcomb lost the battle to save the trees but not public respect: "One is glad Stinchcomb protests," said the Cleveland Press, "and one wishes there were more Stinchcombs.">>
https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/about/cleveland-metroparks-organization/history/william-stinchcomb
<< The genesis of the Cleveland Metropolitan Park System began with a vision by William Albert Stinchcomb in the early 20th century.[4] A self-taught engineer working as a surveyor for the City of Cleveland in 1895, Stinchcomb was appointed chief engineer of the City Parks Department by Mayor Tom Johnson in 1902, and shortly thereafter began to conceptualize an Emerald Necklace for the city.[5] Stinchcomb lobbied the Ohio legislature to amend the state constitution so as to permit the authorization of natural resource conservation at the county level in 1913.[6] However, the Ohio Supreme Court overturned Cuyahoga County's new park law as unconstitutional. Unflappable in his pursuit, Stinchcomb then went back to Columbus lobbying for new legislation allowing for the establishment of what was to become the Metropolitan Park District, which is today the oldest metropolitan park district in Ohio.[7]
In 1915, Stinchcomb received the break that would finally allow him to pursue his ambitious goal. While serving as Cuyahoga County engineer, he was approached by city council and offered an appointment as consulting engineer on what was eventually to become the Cleveland Metropolitan Park District board—the same board he'd lobbied for two years prior. Stinchcomb accepted and, at the urging of city council, immediately hired the renowned landscape architectural firm, the Olmsted Brothers. The group immediately went to work drawing up plans for a system of connecting parks as well as the acquisition of land and resources.[5] The proposed Cuyahoga County Park and Boulevard System, which included a parkway encircling the Cleveland area, following various creeks and rivers in the area, was the framework for what would become today's Metroparks system.[8]
Stinchcomb returned to the Statehouse in 1917, this time as an officer of the newly formed Metropolitan Park District board, and proposed a bill that would authorize the Metropolitan Park District board to levy a one-tenth mill) tax to fund the district's operations. This was followed shortly after by the authorization of a second on-tenth mill tax to fund property acquisition[5] By 1921, the fledgling Park District had acquired the land that would become the Rocky River and Big Creek Reservations, most of which was donated.[5] Between 1920 and 1930, the system grew through the investment of capital from its tax levies. Purchased for approximately $4 million, land for the Hinckley, Brecksville, Bedford, South Chagrin, North Chagrin and Euclid Creek Reservations increased the district's holdings from just over 100 acres to more than 9,000 within the span of a decade.[8] >>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Metroparks#History
I wonder why Cleveland doesn't have a Tom Johnson Day, to celebrate civic values and accomplishments. And, yes, the Cleveland Metroparks also should have a William Stinchcomb Day, to celebrate its birth and accomplishments due to dedicated public servants.

submitted by BuckeyeReason to Cleveland [link] [comments]

2024.04.26 20:17 KyletheAngryAncap The Mainstream Right can best be described as embryonic.

On a good day, the arguments of the right arre underdeveloped and lack a good basis as to why they matter, if they even get the point 70% correct. The rest of the time they're filling their message with pet projects like pro-life sentiments, border enforcement, patriotism, tradition, and Trump or some other figure.
This isn't to defend the left at all, much of their arguments also lack a real property rights/contract law basis if even factual, but they at least can make a quality bait and switch in part because the cathedral (academia, journalist media, the state periodically, corporations often making small but ultimately allegiant concessions) is mechanized, it copies the rigor of consensus even if poorly. While it isn't always factual it does have fact as starting point.
The Mainstream Right conversely has a ruralite mindset, where anything outside of what their ideal small town Americana is new and scary. This is why when they see pride parades and gay sex in autobiographies, they don't see the idpol or trauma fetishism that fuels these efforts but sees them simply as pedophilia, or when they hear BLM they don't think of an ideologically if not factually questionable movement but of riots overblown by the same media they distrust for sensationalism to get clicks. It's essentially fear of what they don't know causing a loop of making phantoms to support their beliefs good and bad alike more than actual ideology or observation.
On a smaller scale level, the Musk buyout of Twitter is a strong example. Rather than actually doing the work of looking for an open-source social media on RedditAlternatives, Opensource, or AlternativeTo, they just asked a CEO they liked to buy it for them. Rather than trying to organically increase the amount of verfied right-wing thinkers to combat the left-wing journalists who also earned the verification, they diluted the verification system into a free-for-all on the basis of "egalitarianism" (which is bad on two fronts in the sense that egalitarianism can often be an artifical implementation to make it's supporters happy when they hate organic hierarchies, but also because the Right is often skeptical to oppositional to egalitarianism where it is comparatively more justifiable, such as race, sex, and orientation). Instead of having experts provide consensus to claims on the website and integrating those on a good right-wing framework, Musk decided to just make fact-checking a community town hall frathouse joke where anyone can rely on technicalities or "fact check" the most menial claims like Sydney Sweeney not having large boobs. Rather than actually criticizing left-wing idpol, Musk bans pro-Palestinian slogans and addressed Twitter's transgender idpol by simply inverting the old policy, making cisgender a slur while allowing transgender hate speech.
https://www.quora.com/Will-Elon-Musk-change-TwitteansweJean-Marie-Valheur
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/musk-from-the-river-to-the-sea-twitter-suspension-1234886216/
In summation, the right is just undeveloped on a good day and outright self-sabotaging and incapable the rest of the time. With such a strong comparison between the movement and the fetus, it's no wonder why the group bans abortion so much.

submitted by KyletheAngryAncap to RationalRight [link] [comments]

2024.04.24 15:25 rogue74656 Need help finding anecdote source

I need help locating the source of an anecdote. One of the people involved in the original Star Trek series was touring NASA and employees, engineers, Scientists, etc kept pulling back their lab coats or whatever and showing Star Trek buttons or pins, indicating what an influence the series had on that organization. Can anyone id the source?
Before anyone starts throwing out the names of books, I am not looking for blind suggestions. I have read just about every book related to Star Trek all the way back to Whitfield's Making of Star Trek and David Gerrold's World of Star Trek as well as most of the cast autobiographies. I don't have time to reread them all, else I would start pulling them off my shelf and do just that.
Thanks to The Collective in advance.

submitted by rogue74656 to startrek [link] [comments]

2024.04.19 22:57 jonsey1980 Just googled former Adventist today

I've been listening to audio books written by former flds women, not for any reason other than I like autobiographies and stumbled on one then found it was interesting and there's multiple women who've written their stories, anyway I was struck by the similarities to a lot of the things I was taught in the Adventist church, I was born to parents who were Adventist, my mom ended up teaching in Adventist elementary schools and I grew up in the church and schools, I've been out of the church for years, but I remember being terrified as a kid about the end of the world and pictured men with guns coming into our house at end times putting a gun to my head and asking if I was a Christian etc.. later of course, I discovered this is a terrible thing to do to kids and people, and most organized religion is about control in my opinion, so listening to the flds beliefs was so similar to the Adventist beliefs about end times and it's so funny how every church thinks they're the one, the chosen one, the only right way and chosen people blah blah, and even though I'm not necessarily searching for anything in particular I googled former Adventist and discovered there's a whole population and , podcasts, even gatherings, so anyway here I am, and am finding all of this fascinating, Cheers 🍻

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2024.04.19 14:07 rxgala nav bar moves with page?

Html:

Portfolio

J.E.D.I Advocate Miami Shores September 23 - Current

At the heart of my role, I forged strong bonds with impactful
non-profit organizations like Pridelines, NAACP, Miami Center for Racial Justice,
Mosaic Miami, and South Florida People of Color.
Together with the amazing Barry community, we embarked on inspiring
journeys towards systemic
equity, engaging everyone in meaningful initiatives.

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2024.04.17 18:54 EuphoricCalm Some Writings of Subhash Chandra Bose

Some background, while Subhash Chandra Bose was friendly with Savarkar and Dr Shyama Mookerjee, he was staunchly against their communal politics. Here are some excerpts from writings and speeches
History will bear me out when I say that it is a misnomer to talk of Muslim rule when describing the political order in India prior to the advent of the British. Whether we talk of the Moghul Emperors at Delhi, or of the Muslim Kings of Bengal, we shall find that in either case the administration was run by Hindus and Muslims together, many of the prominent Cabinet Ministers and Generals being Hindus. Further, the consolidation of the Moghul Empire in India was affected with the help of Hindu commanders-in-chief. The Commander-in-chief of Nawab Sirajudowla, whom the British fought at Plassey in 1757 and defeated, was a Hindu.
Unfinished autobiography An Indian Pilgrim (1937)
.
‘The Hindu Mahasabha has been doing incalculable harm to the idea of Indian nationhood by underlining the communal differences—by lumping all the Muslims together…. We cannot oblige Mr Savarkar by ignoring the contributions of nationalist Muslims to the cause of India.’
December, 1939, political weekly Forward Block
.
Senior Sangh Parivar leader Balraj Madhok, in his book Portrait of a Martyr: Biography of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (1954), writes how Bose supporters would break up Hindu Mahasabha meetings and even attack Dr Mookerjee around this time, and how Bose jokingly but seriously threatened to destroy his political party of he ever thought of making one
.
‘That was a long time ago, when prominent leaders of the Congress could be members of the communal organisations like Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League. But in recent times, the circumstances have changed. These communal organisations have become more communal than before. As a reaction to this, the Indian National Congress has put into its constitution a clause to the effect that no member of a communal organisation like Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League can be a member of an elective committee of Congress.’
editorial, titled Congress and Communal Organizations - Forward Block May 1940
.
“The Hindu Mahasabha has entered the political arena by taking advantage of religion and has desecrated it. It is the duty of every Hindu to condemn it. Banish these traitors from national life.”
speech at Jhargram in Bengal on 12th May 1940

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2024.04.10 15:23 Apprehensive-Year513 Seven Slips Not To Say

September 2021 saw former royals grace the cover of Time Magazine. A sight to truly behold. Harry's head grew more hair but had also shrunk in size. He was cowering behind his wife which in fairness was a true depiction of real life. Meghan would have made any shampoo commercial jealous with the amount of extensions she sported. The photograph would not pass today's standard of absolutely no digital altering as the media wants to hold The Princess of Wales to. The laughable notion that these two were heralded as role models, as influentials- takes the cake. Move over Joan of Arc and Alexander the Great. Harry and Meghan are who the world needs to aspire to, according to the Time Magazine passage. It was written so obsequiously as the least objective narration to describe the former royals.
Greed- Harry and Meghan- This duo wanted a half in, half out scenario where they could cherry pick the glamorous engagements all while making commercial dealings. This would have been a clear conflict of interest for the Monarchy which they refused to understand. Their Megxit statement exudes their rapacity. The Monarchy was only a bad thing when their demands were not met.
Sloth- Harry and Meghan- Apparently they only work one hour a week on their charitable organization. A Spotifiy executive publicly called them "lazy grifters". They'll exploit the privacy of others. They don't seem to do anything other than whine and moan from their mansion.
Gluttony- Harry- His overuse of making everything everyone else's fault. He takes no responsibility for himself. If he says or does anything, someone other than him is to blame. He acts as if William forced him to don a specific former uniform to a party while not recognizing his own actions. Meghan- No doubt she takes credit for other people's work thus not having an original thought. But what card hasn't Meghan played? It's overdone. Tired. She is a victim of everything, everyone, and everywhere. Including Deal or No Deal and boys she went to school with hence the inspiration for the dish soap commercial saga.
Lust- Harry- Outright declaring he was the only person in his family to marry for love. This is despite other royals including Charles and Camilia, Edward and Sophie, and William and Catherine being in long term relationships before marriage. Harry met and married a woman within a short time in which the relationship was largely long distance. He married her without meeting her father or siblings and rushed things down the aisle. Meghan- Being number one in the Royal Family seems to have been her motivation. She didn't make it to Hollywood stardom so infiltrating the Monarchy was her big break. It gave her the recognition but not the respect and adoration she demands. She will do anything for attention including waltzing in front of cameras after tragedies and giving autographs to sick children. She can always find the camera as it is her shrine. She's an international laughingstock.
Envy- Harry- His book is filled with his jealousy of William. William got the bigger sausage. And the supposed nicer half of a room inside of a castle. William has the respect Harry thinks he's owed. William has the kind of woman Harry stopped being able to attract. William has what Harry desires. Meghan- Meghan can never be Catherine. Which she appears aware of. She uses her feminism crusade to attack women who see through her charade or who she is threatened by.
Wrath- Harry and Meghan- The Royal Family stood up to them and told them no. This couple did not get their way and others were not impressed with them. This prompted this pair to seek out revenge by interviews, podcasts, PR statements, fictional autobiographies, and reality shows. This is all done making millions of dollars. Countless of their claims don't hold up to scrutiny meaning they are not trustworthy individuals. It's a never ending vindictive pattern. Instead of supporting the late Monarch and her Consort while they were nearing their respective times, they went ahead to inflict maximum damage on a grieving family. And they aren't done yet.
Pride- Harry and Meghan- Just the claim alone that the people of South Africa rejoiced in the streets at their wedding the same as when Nelson Mandela was freed, is indecent. This couple claims other Senior Royals were jealous of them. Meghan was apparently entitled to glowing coverage which she did initially receive. Any mild criticism cannot be tolerated by these two. Harry wants to "slay dragons" in the media and thinks he is the arbiter of how everyone communicates. They get to rewrite history but no one else can voice their opinion of them. They believe themselves so important they require taxpayer funded security because the UK is so dangerous for them. Pontification is their style when it comes to online safety and environmental issues. They are the biggest hypocrites when it comes to brandishing their titles of the Institution they claim treated them so poorly. Everything they do reeks with their own self aggrandizement. They truly thought they were better than the Royals and people would fall in line with their agenda. It backfired but they are still trying to make themselves happen.
The former royals have made it their mission to be on the same level as the likes of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Helen Keller. Harry and Meghan truly represent societal unpleasantries. If anything, they have done a stellar job of representing what not to be.

submitted by Apprehensive-Year513 to SaintMeghanMarkle [link] [comments]

2024.04.03 02:55 primal_slayer Flashback Interview: 1993 '90210'S' GABRIELLE CARTERIS

90210

As Andrea Zuckerman on Fox's "Beverly Hills, 90210," Gabrielle Carteris has reason to be careful in public.
Like other cast members of the popular teen show, she draws a crowd when she makes publicized appearances. Last year, in Toledo, Ohio, she found 10,000 fans waiting to meet her.
Luke Perry, who plays heartthrob and recovering alcoholic Dylan McKay, caused a riot at a Florida mall in 1991. Nine girls were hospitalized and he never signed an autograph. In Boston, he was removed from a public appearance by speedboat. When Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green were mobbed at an airport in Spain, a Fox spokeswoman compared their arrival to "the second coming of the Beatles."
And yet, the schedules of most of the actors on the Wednesday night Fox show are loaded with visits to affiliate stations and public appearances for various causes. Makes life a bit difficult, especially for Carteris, with a new husband at home.
"To go out socially is stressful," she said, so she won't make appearances unless it's something she really believes in.
A while back, Carteris caught the red-eye to Washington for Anthony Shriver's annual "Best Buddies" ball, which raises money and awareness for the organization that partners college students with the mentally retarded. Before a nap and a shopping expedition across the street to Urban Outfitters, she paused at Georgetown's Four Seasons to talk about her series.
At 32, Carteris looks not much older than the teenager she plays. A petite woman, she wore jeans, a dark blazer and olive vest over a white T-shirt, and slanted, gold wire-rim glasses (not the round ones Andrea wears on "90210"). She drank cappucino made with nonfat milk and talked about the series that has made household names of its ensemble cast, and about their fans.
"When you're hitting a young audience, they're much more verbal," she said. "Think about when you saw the Beatles and you'd see the pictures of how the mob used to be. It's this like 'mind meld' that happens. But I have to say that adults can be much more aggressive than kids."
Not long ago, Carteris said, an autograph-seeker approached her while she was dining at a quiet French restaurant with her husband of less than a year, stockbroker Charlie Isaacs. The woman waited until Isaacs had stepped away for a moment.
"It drives me crazy when we have security {guards} and they follow me even to the bathroom, and I say, 'Look, you know, I can walk by myself.' "
Most of the time, anyway. Carteris had to relearn how to do just that after surgery on both feet. When she discovered she had to have surgery, Carteris notified the show's producers, who asked the scriptwriters to devise a plot line. That explains the hit-and-run accident that befell Andrea in November (airing again this week) and put her in a wheelchair for several weeks.
Carteris wore Birkenstock sandals for a while, she said, and was pleased that Shriver's "Best Buddies" bash called for "creative black-tie," geared mostly for college students.
"I just started walking recently," Carteris said. "I'm getting better. But I can't wear heels, so I'm wearing combat boots with a black-tie dress."
A solid ratings collector, "Beverly Hills, 90210" nevertheless garnered negative criticism when it premiered in October 1990. The show caught on first with kids and teens; then polls showed that adults up to 34 were watching as well. Fox shrewdly brought out new episodes last summer while other networks ran repeats, cinching the growing audience.
But Carteris still fields questions about the show's substance, or lack of. Some interviewers, she suspects, don't watch it.
"People ask me things that are so incongruous," she said. "Obviously they haven't watched the show. It's not about high school. It's not about being rich. It's about young people and dealing with the issues that take place in their lives -- recognizing that they have lives."
"Beverly Hills, 90210" was created by Darren Star (originally of Potomac, Md.) and is produced by Spelling Television Inc. Carteris calls the show a ground-breaker.
"What this show has done for television has been wonderful," she said. "Fox has acknowledged a whole group of people that needed to be acknowledged. Shows have always been the adult perspective of what a young person's life should be rather than really accepting what it is. Beverly Hills is just a location."
The hype, and marketing power, behind all of the "90210" characters and the actors who portray them is huge. Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor) made a fitness video for the 12- to 34-year-old set that was released in December. "Beverly Hills, 90210 -- The Soundtrack" was released in time for Christmas.
Even Shannen Doherty's shoving match with a woman in a West Hollywood nightclub in December made news nationwide. Doherty plays Brenda Walsh on the series; her date that night, Brian Austin Green, plays David Silver.
But the antics of Doherty, who was booed at this year's Billboard Music Awards show, have tainted the image of her "90210" character as well. An eight-page nationwide newsletter, "I Hate Brenda," was sold out at the District's Tower Records last week. (More have been ordered.) Glamour magazine called Doherty "Prima Donna of the Year," and there's a six-song compilation due in April called "Hating Brenda."
In contrast, Carteris comes across as an adult, with a slightly raspy voice that is more melodic in person. She is the only married member of the cast.
"I'm not one to really socialize with the people I work with," she said, "so I have the cast over for dinner or we'll do certain things together, but we can't really go in public together."
Gabrielle Carteris (pronounced gabb-ree-EL car-TARE-ez) is a San Francisco native. She toured with a mime troupe through Europe at 16 and went on to earn her undergraduate degree from Sarah Lawrence College.
Carteris was living in New York doing stage work when she landed the part of Andrea Zuckerman three years ago.
When she auditioned for "90210," she said, "I came in acting." She wasn't worried that she was well past high-school age.
"It would be discriminatory to me if I fit the part to go and try to figure out my age," she said. "They weren't looking for school kids ... it's not conducive to the series, particularly with such a large cast." Casting high-school students requires tutors on the set and limited shooting hours. The average age of the "90210" cast now is in the mid-20s.
Nearing the end of the series' third season, "Beverly Hills, 90210" producers have promised the cast another year, so fans will discover what happens to the characters after high school.
"You're going to see the graduation -- they're already getting ready for that -- and then we go on to school and you'll be seeing all the choices that people make and where they go," she said.
Andrea is waiting to hear about her scholarship to Yale. In the meantime, she has started dating a boy from a less affluent area, a student newspaper editor whom she meets unexpectedly at a tea for applicants to Yale University. He is black.
Later this month, she'll stand tall when Dylan (Luke Perry) copes with the violent death of his father, encouraging him to write about his experiences for the school newspaper.
The Fox press material describes Andrea Zuckerman as the "moral voice" on the show. She rolled her eyes at this.
"I'm going to change that. That was how we first described Andrea. Would you describe her as the moral voice?" she asked. "My husband is always laughing -- she's kissed most of the boys on the show. She's really been out there."
Andrea, Carteris points out, has had several steady relationships. "Andrea has been with more people, I think, in a general way than any of the others," she said. "And interesting people. She's a very interesting character. Andrea's a happenin' babe." She chuckled.
If Andrea Zuckerman hasn't always been the "moral voice" of "90210," she has at least been one of its more rock-solid characters. Initially, after the Walshes had arrived from Minnesota, Brenda Walsh befriended glamorous Kelly while her idealistic twin, Brandon, sought out Andrea. But Brenda wanted nothing to do with Andrea. Too square, she thought.
Rather, Andrea turned out to be a young woman concerned with social issues. A bit of a crusader, Andrea has worked to have condoms distributed at West Beverly High; answered calls to a rape crisis hotline; and, thanks to Carteris herself, been an interpreter for the deaf.
Years ago, said Carteris, she had learned American Sign Language and once planned to be a teacher for the deaf.
"I had read Helen Keller's autobiography," she said. "I met a girl when I was in third grade. Kids were beating her up -- she was deaf -- so I walked her home. Her parents were deaf and they gave me the alphabet on a card. I learned it and taught my friends how to do the alphabet -- which was outlawed in our school because we used to talk to each other in class.
"When I went to junior high, a deaf school opened near my school and I became a volunteer there. The kids taught me how to sign. Then when I went to high school, where they started mainstreaming -- putting kids from the deaf school into the hearing school -- so I became their translator. When I went to college, I studied linguistics and language development in deaf children."
Carteris said she appreciates Fox executives' interest in cultivating new talent and supporting the shows, particularly "90210" and "Melrose Place," also created by Darren Star.
"Any other network would have dropped us," she said. "Our ratings were so low. They really held on to us and allowed us to develop and to find a voice. They've done that with 'Melrose,' and I think that 'Melrose' will be successful because of that."
"Melrose Place" may have the wrong address, however, with a season-to-date rank of 101 out of the top 123 shows in ratings. "90210" ranks 60th.
When "90210" ends, Carteris sees possibilities for work in television and film and on the stage. "I love stage," she emphasized. "I love the classics ... I would love to do a really powerful woman" and suggested Joan of Arc.
That's not to knock the medium that gave her fame, of course.
"Television is a very gratifying medium," she said. "Now, a lot of actors might not say that, but I love the intimacy that television offers. I think there's a lot you can do with a camera and editing. I like the whole dynamic of what television is about -- it's just film, basically.
"Stage is all real; it's just as honest except it's bigger. I love stage, I love TV and film, so I think I'll just keep exploring and try to keep a really full picture. What I really want to do is explore and develop new characters, and I want to do that in all the different mediums that there are."
Last year she squeezed in a role in Brian de Palma's theatrical film, "Raising Cain," while she was on hiatus from "90210."
And she admits she'd like to have her own TV series.
"I'm willing to try everything. And I'm not one who needs to be a beautiful actor. I would much rather do something that's offbeat. I think more women's roles have to be written that way. You meet people who say, 'I want to be a star,' and that's never been an aspiration. For me, an aspiration is to be respected by my peers, people in the industry."
But in the present, Carteris relishes working on "90210."
"I'm very proud to be on the show," she said. "To be an actor working is a very exciting experience, but to be able to feel proud of what you're doing is reaching another level. There are times when I've worked on things, but it's not something that I want to look at and say, 'This is what I do.' I feel like on this show I can do that."
On the show, she said, "I have an established role, so there are definitely things they let Andrea do, but they will always be similar in terms of her character. So if I'm doing this predominantly, I'd like to do something that's wild and sharp and different.
"I wish I had time to take acting classes. I think that the process never stops, and with a class, you can experiment with different kinds of characters. Just to exercise myself.
"I like to do a lot of things," she said. "Life is very short. I resent when people say they're bored. I feel like saying, 'Well, I'll take the extra time that you don't know what to do with.' I've got a lot to do." https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1993/03/07/90210s-gabrielle-carteris/ad4f1d4e-53e1-40f6-be0f-552319138739/

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2024.04.02 10:32 SongsOfTheYears Do you see any egregious errors in this Bruce Springsteen bio?

[UPDATE: Hopefully the lack of any comments with corrections means I was in the clear and it was OK to go ahead and drop the episode, because I just did: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6u1RUWNONClUGfaZSaslot?si=Oos4uRB6Q7yaZC5o9ELhdQ ]
I host a radio-DJ-style podcast called, you guessed it, Songs of the Years. Last fall I started doing monthly episodes doing deep dives on my favorite recording artists, starting with the Beatles, then Dylan, the Stones, etc. On each of these episodes I play ten songs from the artist or group in question, and in between tracks I talk about their biography.
With a month to work on each one, I was able to take my time and be careful with meticulously fact-checking each one. But then a few weeks ago, Spotify announced that they were ending their "experiment" with the Music + Talk format in June. Well, that's the foundation of my whole deal! If I can't play tracks from the album I'm talking about, it becomes just talking about music, but taking away the music part. Which, to slightly repurpose the possibly apocryphal Martin Mull quote, is like dancing about architecture.
But I still had dozens of artists and groups I wanted to cover in these deep dives, so I started cranking up the pace, releasing multiple episodes per week. Unfortunately, this inevitably meant sacrificing some of that rigor when it came to fact-checking, and the result was that a few days ago I heard from someone on the Fleetwood Mac sub that I had gotten some important facts wrong about that band's early days.
I felt sick about this, since I can't go back and change the pod once it's released. So I resolved that going forward, I'm going to post my podcast scripts to Reddit once they are finished, and ask the people best situated to know this history inside out to help crowdsource the error checking.
Now, I can't pay anybody anything for this, as I don't get paid myself. No ads, no Patreon. Just a labor of love. But if you spot a goof and give me a citation from a solid source showing the correct information, I can (if you wish) credit you on the show for "research assistance provided by ________", using your Reddit handle or your real name, as you prefer. And you'll have the satisfaction of knowing the episode dedicated to Bruce will not spread false info like the Fleetwood Mac episode unfortunately has. (Spotify has said that although once June comes we can no longer create Music + Talk episodes, they will keep the ones already created up indefinitely, so this may well be the last podcast of this type, including full music tracks, you'll ever see dedicated to the Boss.)
Thanks in advance for your help. Below you'll find the full script. It's okay if you share portions of it with others, as long as you credit me, Alan Thomas, as the writer:
Bruce Springsteen, "The Boss," isn't just a musical icon: he is a blue-collar poet laureate, a voice for the working class. His music was born from the gritty streets of New Jersey and the vast expanse of the American dream. With a raspy voice, soaring melodies, and lyrics that pulsated with both hope and despair, he paints vivid portraits of everyday heroes, forgotten towns, and the struggle for something better.
His music isn't background noise; it is a freight train barreling down the tracks, carrying the hopes, heartbreaks, and resilience of the American working class. He chronicles factory closures and dead-end streets, but also the flicker of defiance and the yearning for a brighter horizon. Springsteen isn't just a singer; he is a bard of the blue-collar world, a champion for the forgotten, offering a flicker of hope in the face of hardship.
Bruce emerged from a hardscrabble Jersey town, the shadow of the American Dream flickering at its edges. Born into a blue-collar world with Dutch, Irish, and Italian blood flowing through his veins, his mother was the family's mainstay while his father was haunted by demons. His was a Catholic childhood, where rebellion against the nuns simmered even as something bigger whispered on the radio – Elvis, Sinatra, a raw power crackling with promise. His cheap rented guitar became a beacon, a pathway into the neon heart of the Jersey Shore. He haunted those boardwalk towns, absorbing characters and stories as the specter of Vietnam loomed. Then, in a stroke of luck, or maybe fate, a motorcycle accident kept him grounded while others went to fight.
The Beatles exploded onto the scene, upending everything, sparking that first ragged chord. His mom saw a flicker of something special, a fire worth feeding--the Kent guitar was a benediction, a baptism into rock'n'roll. From there, it was smoky Elks Lodges, beach bars, guys like Vinnie Roslin by his side – the apprenticeship years of the Jersey Shore. Names like Steel Mill and Dr. Zoom weren't just bands, they were battle scars. That raw Jersey sound, born on the Stone Pony's stage, rippled outwards. A San Francisco critic, Philip Elwood, caught the fire, proclaiming Springsteen a poet and composer with a blazing future. He wasn't wrong: the Boss was a fuse burning short.
His parents sought a new start out West, but the young rebel stayed behind. The restlessness wouldn't quit, though. The words flooded out, rough and urgent, attracting hustlers like Mike Appel, hungry for that spark. It was enough to get him in front of John Hammond, the legendary talent scout--the same man who unearthed Dylan years earlier. That audition was it: the last brick laid before the explosion.
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. was a calling card, a bolt of raw, unfiltered energy. Springsteen, restless and prolific, recorded most of the album at a shoestring studio, backed by his band of hungry Jersey misfits: the sax wail of Clarence Clemons, the relentless thump of Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez's drums. It was a whirlwind of youthful hopes and hard-luck stories, blending boardwalk bravado and poetic ambition.
Columbia Records boss Clive Davis saw potential but wanted a hit. Springsteen, with his rhyming dictionary and inexhaustible drive, obligingly whipped up "Blinded By the Light":
["Blinded By the Light" plays]
That tune's a kind of Dylanesque word salad: madmen drummers, teenage diplomats, summertime car chases. It defies easy explanation, but the energy was undeniable. There was something special in the air, even if its initial release barely registered.
Critics took notice, hearing echoes of Dylan, but also a voice all Springsteen's own. Words tumbled out, a torrent of vivid imagery set against rockabilly rhythms and Clarence Clemons' soaring sax breaks. Even with its grand ambition, it never lost that Jersey Shore grit. Maybe the world wasn't fully ready in 1973.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band later covered the song, scoring a massive hit and forever altering the popular understanding of the lyrics. Legacy? It's complicated. Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. is a time capsule, a portrait of an artist on the verge. "Blinded by the Light" remains its most famous--or infamous--track, proof that the journey from rough-hewn gem to pop phenomenon can be as unpredictable as the boardwalk scene Springsteen once chronicled.
In these lean years, the nameless group of musicians that would become the E Street Band took shape. Springsteen, handling the band's finances and forever ready for a Monopoly game, earned the nickname "The Boss"--a title that became synonymous with his leadership and their shared ambition.
They were back at 914 Sound Studios, the same cramped room where they'd cut Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. But this time felt different. The E Street Band, though still unnamed, had gelled during those lean months. They were Springsteen's partners, not just sidemen. The music reflected this: it was bolder, the street corner poetry set ablaze by Clemons's saxophone and Danny Federici's organ swells. The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle was a testament to ambition, to dreaming big even with empty pockets.
The embodiment of that spirit was a seven-minute-long whirlwind of teenage yearning called "Rosalita":
["Rosalita" plays]
That is Springsteen at his most joyous and unrestrained. The lyrics, a playful tangle of boardwalk bravado and doomed romance, are pure Jersey, but the band brought a touch of epic grandeur, a sonic wall of sound that begged to be played at maximum volume. It was as if Springsteen was daring the world to ignore them this time.
No wonder it became a staple of those legendary multi-hour shows.
FM radio latched onto "Rosalita" even without an official single release, a testament to Springsteen's slow-burning breakthrough. Critics adored its energy and lyrical depth, understanding that beneath the raucous surface was a heart yearning for escape, for something greater. It wasn't a chart-topper in '73, but with time, its legend has only grown. "Rosalita" isn't just a song, it's the embodiment of youthful rebellion, a promise that the best nights, the best adventures, are always just down the road.
Springsteen's raw, unfiltered energy was undeniable, but fame remained elusive. Then came the Harvard Square Theater, that sweatbox of a venue where destinies change. Jon Landau, the critic with the power to make or break careers, was in the crowd. And that night, he saw more than just a skinny kid with a guitar and a heart full of dreams. "I saw rock and roll's future," he wrote, "and its name is Bruce Springsteen." It was more than praise; it was prophecy, a proclamation that the world was about to catch up to the fire that burned so brightly on those Jersey backstreets.
Born to Run wasn't just willed into existence – it was forged in the fires of frustration. Springsteen was coming off the modest success of his first two albums, but he knew he had something bigger inside him. The sessions were grueling, the pressure intense. Springsteen wrote and discarded songs relentlessly, demanding perfection from himself and the E Street Band. Stories abound of battles fought in the studio over the relentless wall-of-sound production, Springsteen's vision clashing with the band's desire for a rawer vibe.
From this struggle emerged what are, in my and many other people's estimation, Springsteen's best songs. I've managed to narrow the list down to three selections to share with you today. Let's start with the evocative harmonica and piano that open "Thunder Road":
["Thunder Road" plays]
"Thunder Road" went through countless iterations, Springsteen endlessly tweaking the lyrics and melody. But at its core, it always held that yearning for something more, that plea for escape that resonated deeply with his own restlessness. It wasn't just his story; it was a universal feeling painted in vivid detail. The band matched that intensity, crafting a musical landscape that felt like it could burst at any moment.
Next up is another beast entirely, a sprawling, ten-minute epic that showcases Springsteen's ambition and lyrical prowess in equal measure. This time we're opening again with piano, but with a sweet string accompaniment, as we listen to a tale of a barefoot girl sittin' on the hood of a Dodge, drinkin' warm beer in the soft summer rain, down in..."Jungleland":
["Jungleland" plays]
With "Jungleland", the Boss traded the open road of "Thunder Road" for the gritty underbelly of city life. Clemons recalled marathon sessions focused solely on that now-iconic sax solo, Springsteen demanding a performance that transcended notes on a page, something that cut to the emotional core of the song.
And of course we can't leave this album behind without spinning the iconic, anthemic, title track! This is "Born to Run":
["Born to Run" plays]
"Born to Run" came late in the recording process, and seemed to encapsulate the album's themes. It was a declaration of independence, the soundtrack for any kid who dreamt of escaping their small-town life to chase a better future. The recording was a testament to obsession: six months were reportedly spent perfecting that single track alone. Yet, even when the mix was finished, Springsteen's struggle wasn't over. Dissatisfied, he tossed the initial version into a hotel pool, nearly scrapping the entire album. It took the persuasive powers of Jon Landau to bring him back to the project, ultimately approving a final mix amidst the chaos of touring.
Commercially, the album was a breakthrough, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard charts and eventually achieving multi-platinum status. Critics hailed it as a masterpiece, with Rolling Stone later placing it at number 18 on its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. They praised its scope and raw emotion, calling it "a furious, romantic statement of youthful hopes". Born to Run remains an iconic work, the album that catapulted Springsteen into the upper echelon of rock stardom and proved that desperate dreams, fought tooth and nail for, sometimes really do come true.
August 1975 marked a turning point. The Bottom Line shows were proof that the hype was real, Springsteen playing with a raw, hungry energy that transcended the small stage. The press went wild, Newsweek and Time placing him front and center. It was the breakthrough he'd craved, but fame had a bite. Critics started circling, questioning the authenticity of this blue-collar poet turned rock star. Springsteen felt the sting, a flash of doubt amidst the whirlwind. The E Street Band was his anchor, the road his refuge. But the legal battle with Appel raged on, a creative prison when he was bursting with songs. The struggle was real, and it would shape the darkness that lay ahead.
Darkness on the Edge of Town wasn't a victory lap – it was a hard right turn. The legal battles may have stalled his recording career, but Springsteen's creative wellspring overflowed with frustration and a newfound maturity. Gone was the wide-eyed optimism of Born to Run; Darkness was a meditation on blue-collar ennui, the American Dream seen through a cracked windshield.
One track stands out as a stark centerpiece. It's "Factory":
["Factory" plays]
The opening lines paint a picture wearied by familiarity: "Early in the morning factory whistle blows / Man rises from bed and puts on his clothes." It's a scene dripping with resignation, a script handed down through generations. The factory isn't a symbol of progress; it's a relentless machine, stealing more than sweat – "takes his hearing," Springsteen sings, "gives him life." That dark bargain hangs heavy in the air.
This isn't a romanticized vision of the working class. Springsteen doesn't shy away from the grime and desperation. When he sings of "mansions of fear / through the mansions of pain," the anger feels like a physical force. You hear the echoes of his father's struggle, the frustration of a life spent chasing a dream that keeps receding into the distance.
Critics hailed Darkness on the Edge of Town as a masterpiece, a stark portrait of the working class grappling with a tarnished American Dream. "Factory" is a microcosm of that struggle – a song that burrows deep, leaving behind a gritty truth and the lingering sense that the relentless grind of factory life leaves scars that etch themselves onto the soul.
The late Seventies saw Springsteen's influence spread, a testament to his songwriting prowess. Patti Smith took the bones of his unreleased "Because the Night" and transformed it into a dark, desperate anthem that shot up the charts. The Pointer Sisters found similar success with his fiery "Fire." He fueled the Asbury Jukes' rise, penning hits like "The Fever" and collaborating with his E Street lieutenant Stevie Van Zandt.
Then came the No Nukes concerts, where Springsteen and the band unleashed their legendary live energy on a wider stage. It was his first foray into political activism, but the live album and later documentary gave audiences who had only heard the records a taste of his electric, sweat-soaked shows. These weren't just side projects; they were sparks from a creative engine that refused to slow down, a reminder that even as he grappled with his own demons, Springsteen had plenty of fuel left in the tank.
The River was a product of ambition and restlessness. Released in 1980, it was Springsteen's attempt to reconcile the exuberance of his previous work with the darker themes of Darkness on the Edge of Town. The double-album format allowed him to indulge his creative appetite for contrasting narratives and sonic experimentation, but it also presented a challenge.
The album's title track emerged from a batch of songs Bruce had been working on intermittently, initially written as a stark, acoustic ballad. Here's "The River":
["The River" plays]
The story of the unnamed protagonist and his girl Mary, with its themes of lost innocence and unfulfilled dreams, resonated deeply with Springsteen's own grappling with the conflicting desires for freedom and stability. As the recording sessions progressed, the song grew in scope. Roy Bittan's piano became a key element, adding a layer of melancholy. The band's arrangement straddles the line between rock energy and poignant introspective balladry, a testament to Springsteen's expanding musical palette.
Commercially, The River was a blockbuster, reaching number one on the Billboard album chart and eventually going multi-platinum. Though the title track wasn't a major hit, critical acclaim was overwhelming. Rolling Stone later placed the album at number 250 on its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. The title track became a Springsteen signature, its themes of yearning and regret amplified by the energy of his marathon shows. It remains a potent reminder of the transformative power of music, its ability to capture the complexities of the human experience.
The 1982 album Nebraska was born from a creative detour. Inspired by a book about the Starkweather murders, Springsteen began crafting a series of bleak acoustic demos. There was a raw intimacy to these recordings, a sense that he was tapping into a new and unsettling source. The decision to release the demos in their stark form was a bold one, defying conventional record label wisdom. He kept the E Street Band at arm's length, instead capturing the songs alone, using a four track cassette recorder. He even carried the cassette around in his pocket for a while, not even in a protective case, before he realized this wasn't just a demo, it was basically the master for the actual album!
The title track evolved from its initial form as a chilling portrait of a killer into a meditation on American violence and desperation. Springsteen recorded multiple takes, searching for that chillingly understated vocal delivery, a counterpoint to the brutality of the lyrics. Take a listen, this is "Nebraska":
["Nebraska" plays]
Bruce's guitar is sparse, almost skeletal, mirroring the empty highways and isolated towns his characters inhabit, accompanied by that mournful harmonica. That line about how "me and her, we had some fun" gives me chills.
I've got one more cut from this brilliant album to play for you today. It's a song that also began as a stark acoustic sketch. But as Springsteen honed the lyrics, the arrangement grew in subtlety. Hear for yourself, it's "Atlantic City":
["Atlantic City" plays]
The jangly guitar and shuffling rhythm create a false sense of hope, only adding to the pathos of the narrator's doomed gamble, somewhat reminiscent of the desperate scenario laid out in the earlier composition "Meeting Across the River", on Born to Run. The contrast between the upbeat sound and the bleak lyrics is disarming, a testament to Springsteen's increasing sophistication as a songwriter.
Critics hailed Nebraska as a stark, uncompromising masterpiece. It landed at number 224 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. The record's stripped-down sound and relentless gaze into the darkest corners of human experience were an artistic risk, but one that paid off. Commercially, the album was a modest success, but its impact extended far beyond sales figures.
Nebraska is a testament to Springsteen's ability to inhabit characters far removed from his own life, to use music as a means to examine difficult truths about American society. These aren't feel-good songs; they're songs that force you to confront the bleak corners of the American Dream, a reminder that sometimes the most powerful journeys are those we take into the shadows.
Born in the U.S.A. arrived in 1984 with the force of a sonic hurricane. More than just another album, it was a cultural phenomenon, catapulting Springsteen into the realm of stadium-rocking superstar. Its anthems of blue-collar struggle wrapped in a flag-waving package resonated with a nation hungry for a new kind of patriotism. But beneath the arena-ready choruses and radio-friendly hits lay a restless heart, an undercurrent of dissatisfaction that hinted at the darkness of Springsteen's previous work. This tension--between populist anthems and a critical examination of the American Dream--created a fascinating and often overlooked subtext to the album, as exemplified by the titular track "Born in the U.S.A.", whose message of struggle and disillusionment was often misinterpreted by those swept up in jingoistic fervor.
I don't love this album like I do his earlier releases, but my favorite track on it harkens back to his older records with a slightly updated sound, standing as a stark contrast to the record's fist-pumping anthems. It's a haunting ballad, propelled by a repetitive minimalist synth riff and throbbing drumbeat reminiscent of a heartbeat. Here's "I'm On Fire":
["I'm On Fire" plays]
Bruce Springsteen originally wrote that song for Roy Orbison, but it resonates uniquely with his own voice--a tense, almost whispered confession of forbidden desire. The lyrics are a study in frustrated yearning, all unspoken longing and suppressed heat. The narrator is consumed by a desire he can't contain, the imagery crackling with sensual tension: "Sometimes it's like someone took a knife baby / edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley / through the middle of my soul."
The song's production enhances its simmering intensity. Springsteen and his team experimented with synth sounds amidst the otherwise sparse arrangement, as the E Street Band provided a subtle pulse, creating a sonic backdrop that's both disquieting and strangely alluring.
The Born in the USA album was a commercial juggernaut, spawning seven Top-10 singles and going multi-platinum. Critics were largely swept up in the fervor, praising Springsteen's undeniable talent for crafting anthems that tapped into the American psyche. However, a more nuanced reading of the album reveals a streak of social commentary beneath the anthems, a critical eye turned towards the American experience. "I'm On Fire," with its hushed intensity and dark undertones, exemplifies this complexity. Though not one of the record's hit singles, the song remains a testament to Springsteen's ability to tap into universal emotions that lie beneath the surface of his larger-than-life tales.
In 1985, Bruce found himself shoulder-to-shoulder with pop royalty for "We Are the World." The charity single was a world away from gritty Jersey bars, the studio filled with stars at the height of their fame. Still, amidst the glitz, his raspy plea cut through with raw urgency. He may have later called it a "corny" song, but Bruce understood its power: even a simple song, sung by a chorus of voices, could spark a global movement. After all, it wasn't every day The Boss himself got to belt out a harmony with Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles, not to mention being able to hang out with Huey Lewis and Cyndi Lauper. That kind of camaraderie, for a cause like this, transcended any reservations about the music itself.
Bruce Springsteen wrestled with fame's burdens during the late Eighties. The downbeat Tunnel of Love album found him probing love's rough edges, and as Berlin Wall fissures began appearing, his 1988 East Berlin show helped pry it open, proving that rock 'n' roll could be a force for liberation. But the E Street Band had to go in '89.
He cut "Human Touch" and "Lucky Town" in LA in 1992, risking accusations of going soft, and indeed these records didn't stick the landing like prior classics. Even a brave unplugged set did little to quiet growing dissent within Springsteen's ever-loyal fanbase.
Still, Hollywood came knocking: Springsteen snagged an Oscar in '94 for "Streets of Philadelphia". A brief E Street reunion led to a sprawling greatest hits collection. Then, inspired by Steinbeck, Springsteen hit the road with just an acoustic guitar for '95's "The Ghost of Tom Joad", a stark homage to the American downtrodden. But by decade's end, even he was confessing the Nineties had been a musical wasteland for him.
But the Boss came roaring back in 1999, reuniting with the E Street Band for a triumphant tour. 2002's The Rising was a gut-punch reaction to 9/11, reaffirming his gift for capturing the nation's pulse through rock. That led to stints on high-profile benefit tours and even an appearance honoring Joe Strummer.
A stark solo turn came with 2005's Devils & Dust, tackling America's growing anxieties. Then, Bruce dug into Pete Seeger's songbook in 2006, leading a giant folk ensemble on a tour many hailed as a creative rebirth. 2007's Magic was another E Street revival; then in 2008, Springsteen threw his weight behind Barack Obama's history-making campaign. He serenaded the crowd on Obama's inauguration night, his music the soundtrack to that dawn of a new era. Sure, his Super Bowl halftime show in 2009 was a nod to the mainstream, but the marathon sets on the 'Working on a Dream' tour, plus a Kennedy Center Honor, proved the Boss was more than a nostalgia act.
After 2012's fiery Wrecking Ball, Bruce found a new gear. No longer just a stadium hero, he got intimate with his autobiography, then even hit Broadway in a stark one-man show. He wasn't above campaigning for Obama or a Super Bowl romp, but that Springsteen on Broadway special? It was a reminder that he wasn't merely fueled by anthems: the Boss was a storyteller at his core.
But even when he dug into Americana on Western Stars or revisited old demos with High Hopes, Bruce refused to get nostalgic. He was too damn restless. So, covers albums felt inevitable, Springsteen putting his spin on the soul classics that shaped him on Only the Strong Survive.
And then came 2020: Springsteen's intimate Letter to You, a gut-level reflection during a bleak year, felt like a lifeline tossed from rock's elder statesman. It hinted that his hunger for connection hadn't faded at all. He even popped up on podcasts, bantering with Barack like old times. Proof that the Jersey bard still had a few tricks up his denim sleeve.
Sure, there have been pauses for health scares, and the decision to cash out his catalogue struck some as the final act. But Bruce kicked off an E Street Band mega-tour in 2023, proving he's far from the retirement home stage of rock 'n' roll. Hell, he's even promising more outtakes and soul covers on the way. The man who once raged against the dying light is now finding a thousand different ways to keep burning.
Few artists have captured the American spirit quite like Bruce Springsteen. For over five decades, he's been a tireless chronicler of its complexities: the grit, the glory, the shadows, and the unwavering hope. From anthemic stadium singalongs to introspective confessions whispered on Broadway, his music resonates across generations. He's a storyteller who paints vivid portraits of ordinary lives, reminding us of our shared humanity. He's a social conscience, unafraid to grapple with injustice and inequality.
More than just a rock star, Bruce Springsteen embodies a fundamental American mythology: the promise of hard work, the pursuit of freedom, the aching beauty of ordinary lives. His songs, belted out in sweat-soaked stadium concerts, evoke both a nostalgic longing for a simpler past and a fierce belief in the future. With his mix of gritty realism, yearning romanticism, and a profound faith in the human spirit, Springsteen's music is a soundtrack to both the American dream and the struggle to make it real.

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2024.03.31 00:16 ClassB2Carcinogen Finished (R)evolution

Just finished this autobiography. Enjoyed reading it a lot. Here’s a couple of thoughts.
Great or interesting things: - Very clearly written, remarkably unadorned language. IMHO it takes a lot of skill to write with this level of clarity. Kudos to James Hogg and Gary for this. - Honest (sometimes painfully so), introspective, humble. - The way in which he interacted and drew strength from collaborations with other musicians, and the respect they gave him, was really interesting. - How surprising it was that it took a generation of UK DJs and music journalists to retire, and a generation of new musicians influenced by him to arise, before his work was taken seriously.
What I’d have like to have more of: - There’s a lot of introspection, but not a lot of analysis to draw out broader themes. Would he have made better artistic and financial decisions in the early 1980s with better advice? Should he have chosen another manager than his dad? - The bit about his first holiday after hitting number 1 was getting a fancier caravan site was touching. So I’d have liked more on the adjustment/mindshift change from being a working class kid to being famous. - A bit more on his literary influences (like Ballard and P K Dick or Saberhagen) and how S.F. shaped his art. - Similarly there’s not a lot of synthesis on how he feels he fits into the world. All these folks (other artists, award-granting organizations). What does he think his legacy is? How does he feel about his influence on others? Where does he feel he fits in the evolution of electronic music compared to (say) Kraftwerk or Jarre? When Jarre asked Gary to contribute to his project, did Jarre say anything about what he thinks Gary’s innovations and influence are? - He mostly steers clear of discussing his views of politics/religion, save a few. But atheism is a big theme of his songs, so it would have been interesting to have that unpacked more. He doesn’t mention world events - he has one-sentence asides on Climate Change and Trump. But the chapters on 1989 and 2001 don’t mention the fall of the Warsaw Pact, or 9/11 at all. He might be prudently be staying away from politics because of getting slammed in the 1980s for being a Thatcher supporter, but it would have been interesting to hear his views on the wider world and how they have evolved.
Anyway, it was a great read, and maybe I need to do more digging for interviews to fill in the bits I wanted more of.

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2024.03.29 04:06 Harry_is_white_hot The Ciano Diaries: Did Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess fly to Scotland in May 1941 because he thought the advanced knowledge the Nazis gleaned from the Magenta Crash in Italy in 1933 made them “invincible” and would bring the UK to the negotiating table? Did he fail because the Allies already knew?

The Ciano Diaries: Did Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess fly to Scotland in May 1941 because he thought the advanced knowledge the Nazis gleaned from the Magenta Crash in Italy in 1933 made them “invincible” and would bring the UK to the negotiating table? Did he fail because the Allies already knew?

This post was prompted by researcher u/36_39_42, whose excellent analysis of the Magenta Crash in Italy in 1933 is the key uncovering the true facts of that history changing event. The “hive-mind” of collaborative research is the one thing that will drag the UFO / UAP subject into the light.
Galeazzo Ciano, Count di Cortelazzo' was born at Leghorn on March 18, 1903. He was the only son of Costanzo Ciano, who served with gallantry as a captain in the Italian Navy during World War I. The elder Ciano was one of those most responsible for the initial success of the Fascist movement. Promoted to the rank of admiral and ennobled immediately after Musolini rose to power, he subsequently served for many years as Minister of Communications and as President of the so-called Fascist Chamber of Deputies. Today he is best remembered for the immense fortune which he accumulated through the opportunities offered him by his controlling influence within the Fascist party and, in particular, during the years when he held office as Minister of Communications (i.e., control of the Stefani news agency, who later produced the secret telegrams of the Magenta Crash).
Galeazzo Ciano graduated in law at the University of Rome in 1925, and during his university years, which coincided with the first period of Fascism, also worked as a dramatic and art critic on a Roman daily newspaper. Strangely enough, during these years he adopted a critical attitude toward the Fascist Party, of which his father, whom he greatly revered, was already an outstanding leader. Immediately after his graduation he entered the Italian Diplomatic Service. During his first five years in the service he was stationed at Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Peking, and the Vatican City. It was at the close of this period that he married Mussolini’s daughter, Edda. Simultaneously he became an ardent Fascist. From then on, his rise was rapid. Serving briefly as Consul General at Shanghai, he was promoted in 1932 to be Minister to China. By 1933 he had again returned to Italy and, receiving an appointment as a member of the Italian Delegation to the London Economic Conference in June 1933, he was immediately thereafter made chief of Mussolini’s press office. In 1935 he was promoted to be Undersecretary of State for Press and Propaganda. Shortly thereafter he was named a member of the Fascist Grand Council. The following year, at the age of thirty-three, he was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs. His diaries of his time as the Foreign Affairs Minister were well known to Mussolini, who on several occasions asked him to make sure he documented the way that Hitler and his cohort treated Italy in a subservient manner. After Mussolini’s arrest in 1943 and subsequent rescue by the notorious Nazi figure Otto Skorzeny at Grand Sasso, the diaries became a liability for Mussolini and he ordered them to be destroyed. Ciao was tricked into fleeing to Nazi Germany, who then arrested him and imprisoned him in northern Italy. The final passage in this Diary, that was written by Count Ciano in his prison cell in Verona some two weeks before his execution, is the most revealing epitaph that can be written for him. Mussolini’s own daughter Edda smuggled her husband’s diaries out of Italy in her underwear to Switzerland, where OSS agent and later Majestic Twelve leader / CIA Director Allen Dulles took possession of them through an intermediatory. We know this because OSS Cable file Dulles to Washington, State Department, 16 January 1945 states: ‘EDDA matter will hereafter be given code name ECDAR’: US, NA, RG 226, Entry 190C, Box 11. Parts of this file are indexed under the heading, ‘Personal file of Allen W. Dulles, “Edda Ciano Diaries”’. The writers believe that Dulles created this file as an afterthought, pulling together material from other files. For example all the Berne–Ciano correspondence from December 1944–May 1945 are held at: US, NA, RG 226, Entry 146, Box 215, folder 1344–1346. It is possible that Dulles intended to write about the retrieval of the diaries at some later date. In the introduction of the Ciano Diaries the editor, Hugh Gibson, states the following:
The text of the diaries is given unabridged. It will be observed that for several periods there are no entries-on account of illness, absence on military service, or other obvious reasons. In several places pages were removed from the diaries before they were turned over for photographing; this has been clearly indicated by notes in the text.
The hand of Allen Dulles was clearly at work here – the “pages removed” may relate to the Magenta Crash.
Rudolf Hess
Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess
Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess
The strange flight of Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess to Scotland on May 10, 1941 in order to “negotiate peace with Britain” is well known, but the exact reasoning remains a mystery to this day. He was very close to Hitler, having served prison time with him after the failed Beer Hall Pusch in 1923. Whilst the Nazis tried to spin Hess as being totally insane, extracts from the Ciano Diaries regarding the Hess subject indicate that senior Nazi officials, including Hitler himself, were extremely nervous about telling the Italians what had happened. Was this because Hess went to Scotland to tell the British High Command that the Nazis had developed advanced technology from “off planet” sources and that it would be futile to continue the war against such newly developed “Miracle Weapons”?
First off, the Italians are given disinformation about Hess, saying that he died in an aircraft accident (page 384 of the PDF file):
Page 384
Next, Ciano’s Nazi counterpart, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop calls for a meeting with Ciano, turning up unexpectedly in Rome in a “nervous” state:
Page 392
Note that the Nazis are trying to spin the narrative that Hess was insane and that whatever he tells the British is “false”. In particular, the following line stands out:
“The Germans want to cover themselves before Hess speaks and reveals things that might make a great impression in Italy.”
I believe this is a direct reference to the Magenta Crash. What else relating to the Hess affair would "make a great impression" in Italy?
A week later, Mussolini asks Dino Alfieri, member of the Fascist Grand Council; Minister to Poland and Ambassador to Germany about the Hess affair after Alfieri returns from Germany.
Page 394
Ciano notes that Alfieri’s lack of knowledge of the subject seems strange, given that he “broke his neck” trying to be the first to console Hitler.
A few days later, Hitler requests Mussolini attend a meeting at the Brenner Pass, but the subject of the meeting is unknown to the Italians:
Page 393
The main subject of the meeting was, of course, Hess. Mussolini later tells Ciano that Hitler spoke for hours about Hess and wept as he did so:
Page 394
Page 399
In fact, Rudolf Hess may have timed his peacemaking mission very badly – his information about “off world” technology making the Axis powers invincible in modern warfare was trumped just a week or two earlier by an event in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in late April 1941. It is also known that American businessman and intelligence operative James Hugh Angleton was living in Milan at the time of the Magenta crash and, apart from possibly witnessing the sound and light show that accompanied the crash firsthand, his connections within the Fascist government and Catholic Church probably leaked information about the event, which was passed on to the U.S. government.
Cape Girardeau crash, April 1941
Fellow inmate of Spandau Prison, architect and high-ranking Nazi official Albert Speer had an interesting conversation with Hess in 1965, which he describes in his book Inside the Third Reich on page 211. Hess claimed that “supernatural forces” told him to undertake the mission to Scotland – perhaps these forces were an adversary to the NHI that crashed at Cape Girardeau?:
Speer page 211
Speer page 212
Hess remained as the only prisoner in Spandau Prison after the release of Speer and other prisoners in 1966. He committed suicide in his cell in 1987, but the question remains – why did the Allied keep him imprisoned for the term of his natural life? The other prisoners were released on medical grounds, and Hess was a well-known hypochondriac with multiple health issues. His flight to Scotland occurred before Operation Barbarossa, and Speer took over as No. 1 Nazi upon Hitler’s death. Were the Allies afraid that Hess would “spill the beans” about the Magenta Crash and the advanced technologies that were obtained? Ciano actually mentions some of these weapons on page 603:
Page 603
Hess’s involvement with the Thule Society and other Occult studies caused Hitler to outlaw these activities in Germany after Hess’ flight:
Page 404
On a side note, the following passage from the Diaries relating to Benito Mussolini’s son Bruno is also interesting:
Page 415
The “new type of plane” mentioned here is a little perplexing. The Piaggio P.108 Bombardiere was an Italian four-engine heavy bomber that saw service with the Regia Aeronautica during World War II. The first prototype P.108B flew on 24 November 1939, so it certainly wasn’t really “new” by September 1941. It performed extremely well in a series of tests and required refining in only a few minor areas, but it took some time for pilots to get used to the new aircraft. The P.108 was delivered to a single unit, the 274a Squadriglia (274th Squadron), in 1941. But there were several accidents, one of them involving the son of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. On 7 August 1941, Bruno Mussolini, commander of the 274a Squadriglia, was piloting one of the prototypes of the "secret" bomber. He flew too low and crashed into a house. The cockpit section separated from the rest of the aircraft and although the aircraft did not catch fire, it was nevertheless totally destroyed in the impact. Commander Bruno Mussolini died from his injuries.
Was Bruno Mussolini actually killed trying to fly a “new type of plane” derived from the technology discovered from the Magenta Crash, and the P.108 incident just a “cover story”? The pilot son of the ruling Dictator would certainly be at the top of the list of trustworthy sources for The Duce to get reliable information from regarding progress.
P.108 bomber
The American connection to the Magenta Crash
An American businessman/spy and his family were living in Milan in 1933 – his name was James “Hugh” Angleton.
Hugh Angleton - James Angleton's father
Here is a brief overview of Hugh Angleton, published upon his death on March 7, 1973 by the New York Times:
New York Times March 7, 1973
There is one slight error here: Hugh Angleton moved his family to Corso Venezia 47, Milan, Italy in 1931 to be close to the factory where National Cash Register manufactured its machines. In 1933 he bought the distribution franchise rights for NCR in Italy whilst still working as an executive for NCR. Note in the obit that he was “working closely with the U.S. Embassy” which is veiled speech for “spy”. He was very impressed with Benito Mussolini, and his friend Max Corvo commented "Hugh Angleton... was ultra-conservative, a sympathizer with Fascist officials. He was certainly not unfriendly with the Fascists.” He was also very well connected in Italian society (including the monarchy), which is evident by his actions in WW2 as a Lt. Col. With the OSS:
Hugh Angleton and the Italian Monarchy
OSS liaison with US Army CIC
Note the mention of “Myron Taylor” in the reports and Hugh being the interface between the OSS and the US Army Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC), which will be important later.
Myron Charles Taylor (January 18, 1874 – May 5, 1959) was an American industrialist, and later a diplomat involved in many of the most important geopolitical events during and after World War II. On December 22, 1939, Roosevelt asked Taylor "to take on a special mission for me" to be Roosevelt's "personal envoy" to Pope Pius XII.
Taylor's appointment was announced on December 23, 1939, and confirmed in Rome, Italy, on February 28, 1940. Taylor served from 1940 throughout the rest of Roosevelt's presidency (his death in 1945) and continued as President Harry S. Truman's "personal envoy" until 1950. Although appointed as a "Peace Ambassador" and "personal envoy", Taylor was extended ambassador status by the Holy See on February 13, 1940.
Taylor’s frequent visits to the Vatican annoyed Mussolini, as is noted in several places in the Ciano Diaries. Ciano even states "the Vatican will only tell us what they want". Was Taylor the back channel between the US Government and the Vatican for information on the Magenta Crash?
Various instances of Myron Taylor's activities raising suspicion with Mussolini
Why did Roosevelt select the industrialist Taylor to be his envoy to the Pope? Was it because Taylor’s experience in the manufacture of steel products would be incredibly useful for both the Vatican and the United States understand the technology that crashed at Magenta in 1933? Remember, Hugh Angleton was living in Milan at the time and was an eyewitness to the incident, which was accompanied by incredibly bright and loud “thunder and lightning”. He would have been the ideal intermediatory to assist Myron Taylor in his endeavours to work with Vatican on the Magenta subject – after all, Angleton was the original source of the information to the U.S. Government. Hugh’s son, James Jesus Angleton, also witnessed the event as he spent his final summer in Italy before travelling to Britain in September 1933 to study at Malvern College in Boarding House No.2 until 1936 when he commenced study at Yale.
James Jesus Angleton moves to Milan aged 14 (1931)
James Jesus Angleton entered Yale University in 1937: "Angleton had already developed a distinctive personal style. He spoke with a slight English accent (probably not an affection after three years in the country), and was tall, athletic, bright, and handsome... By conventional standards he was a poor student, frequently missing class, excelling only in those subjects that interested him, and occasionally failing those that didn't." A fellow student, Reed Whittemore, later commented: "All through Yale, Jim was backward at completing school papers... It may be that he was just lazy - or maybe he had a psychological problem. He had the class record for incompletes, but he could invariably whitewash over these missing grades because he had a favorable presence with the teachers, who for the most part liked him a lot." A member of the Skull and Bones, he recruited the services of fellow Bonesman George H.W. Bush when Lancer’s enquiries in MJ-12 operations needed to be delt with.
Hugh Angleton became a senior figure in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and was on the staff of Colonel William Donovan. It had been created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt soon after the outbreak of the Second World War. The OSS replaced the former American intelligence system, Office of the Coordinator of Information (OCI) that was considered to be ineffective. The OSS had responsibility for collecting and analyzing information about countries at war with the United States. It also helped to organize guerrilla fighting, sabotage and espionage.
In August 1944, Lieutenant Colonel James Hugh Angleton and Norman Holmes Pearson, James Jesus Angleton's former English professor at Yale University, contacted James R. Murphy, the head of the new X-2 CI (Counter Intelligence) branch of the OSS. On 25th September, 1943, Murphy issued a memo: "I would greatly appreciate it if you could get provisional security for Corporal James Angleton in order that he may commence OSS school on Monday. His father is with this branch... In addition young Angleton is very well known to Norman Pearson, who recommended him to me." (14)
During his training James Jesus Angleton met Richard Helms, the former national advertising manager of the Indianapolis Times, who had joined the OSS in August 1943. In his autobiography, A Look Over My Shoulder (2003) he commented: "As a young man, Jim was bone thin, gaunt, and aggressively intellectual in aspect. His not entirely coincidental resemblance to T. S. Eliot was intensified by a European wardrobe, studious manner, heavy glasses, and lifelong interest in poetry."
On 28th December, 1943, James Jesus Angleton, arrived in London to work for the Italian section of X-2 C.I. Soon after arriving in England he met Kim Philby, who was head of MI6's Iberian section. It was the start of a long friendship: "Once I met Philby, the world of intelligence that had once interested me consumed me. He had taken on the Nazis and Fascists head-on and penetrated their operations in Spain and Germany. His sophistication and experience appealed to us... Kim taught me a great deal." Phillip Knightley, the author of Philby: KGB Masterspy (1988), has pointed out: "Philby was one of Angleton's instructors, his prime tutor in counter-intelligence; Angleton came to look upon him as an elder-brother figure."
Angleton impressed his senior officers and within six months he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and was appointed as chief of the Italian Desk for the European Theater of Operations. In October 1944 Angleton was transferred to Rome as commanding officer of Special Counter-Intelligence Unit Z. In March 1945, he was promoted to first lieutenant and became head of X-2 for the whole of Italy. At the age of twenty-seven, he was the youngest X-2 Branch chief in all of OSS. According to Charles J.V. Murphy: "His (Angleton) unit uncovered some of the secret correspondence between Hitler and Mussolini that was later introduced into the Nuremberg trials as proof of their conspiracy." James Jesus Angleton therefore also had a leading role in the repatriation of the craft from Magenta back to the United States – and in doing so crossed paths with the head of the US Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps in Italy – one Phillip J. Corso. The grapple for control of the Magenta craft between James Angleton and Phil Corso was the original source of enmity between the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Military Counterintelligence regarding ownership of the UFO subject – Angleton, with the help of his well-connected father (who, we must remember, was keeping tabs on what the US Army CIC were doing in Italy) won this particular battle. The Interplanetary Phenomenon Unit report from the Roswell crash documents this animosity very well – members of the IPU were forbidden to see the wreckage or the bodies. This animosity even extended to influencing the selection of high level positions within the CIA – in 1962, Corso’s boss, General Arthur Trudeau, was being considered by President John F. Kennedy for the position of Deputy Director, CIA. However, according to Trudeau’s memoirs, “someone in the CIA Counter Intelligence Division put a stop to it”. James Angleton was the Director of CIA Counter Intelligence at that time, and instead Angleton’s fly fishing buddy and General George Marshall’s former Chief of Staff during 1947, Lt. Gen. Marshall S. Carter was selected. Another former US Army CIC member, Henry Kissinger, got the upper hand over the CIA during the Nixon Administration – however both teams lost out due to Watergate and the Church Committee.
In conclusion, Magenta crash eyewitness James Jesus Angleton was therefore well set up by his connections to become the CIA’s chief “secret-keeper” of the UFO subject. Hugh’s wealth allowed James to join the “Geogetown Set” in D.C., along with other wealthy CIA members Allen Dulles and Richard Helms. When the Nixon Administration gave the order to destroy all documents relating to MJ-TWELVE and MK-ULTRA, a few CIA patriots managed to save crucial documents from the fire to inform future generations of this hidden part of human history. I encourage everyone here to dig further into this subject.
The Ciano Diaries:
The Ciano Diaries: 1939 1943 The Complete, Unabridged Diaries Of Count Galeazzo Ciano, Italian Minister Of Foreign Affairs : Hugh Gibson and Count Galeazzo Ciano : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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2024.03.29 03:49 Harry_is_white_hot The Ciano Diaries: Did Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess fly to Scotland in May 1941 because he thought the advanced knowledge the Nazis gleaned from the Magenta Crash in Italy in 1933 made them “invincible” and would bring the UK to the negotiating table? Did he fail because the Allies already knew?

This post was prompted by researcher u/36_39_42, whose excellent analysis of the Magenta Crash in Italy in 1933 is the key uncovering the true facts of that history changing event. The “hive-mind” of collaborative research is the one thing that will drag the UFO / UAP subject into the light.
Galeazzo Ciano, Count di Cortelazzo' was born at Leghorn on March 18, 1903. He was the only son of Costanzo Ciano, who served with gallantry as a captain in the Italian Navy during World War I. The elder Ciano was one of those most responsible for the initial success of the Fascist movement. Promoted to the rank of admiral and ennobled immediately after Musolini rose to power, he subsequently served for many years as Minister of Communications and as President of the so-called Fascist Chamber of Deputies. Today he is best remembered for the immense fortune which he accumulated through the opportunities offered him by his controlling influence within the Fascist party and, in particular, during the years when he held office as Minister of Communications (i.e., control of the Stefani news agency, who later produced the secret telegrams of the Magenta Crash).
Galeazzo Ciano graduated in law at the University of Rome in 1925, and during his university years, which coincided with the first period of Fascism, also worked as a dramatic and art critic on a Roman daily newspaper. Strangely enough, during these years he adopted a critical attitude toward the Fascist Party, of which his father, whom he greatly revered, was already an outstanding leader. Immediately after his graduation he entered the Italian Diplomatic Service. During his first five years in the service he was stationed at Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Peking, and the Vatican City. It was at the close of this period that he married Mussolini’s daughter, Edda. Simultaneously he became an ardent Fascist. From then on, his rise was rapid. Serving briefly as Consul General at Shanghai, he was promoted in 1932 to be Minister to China. By 1933 he had again returned to Italy and, receiving an appointment as a member of the Italian Delegation to the London Economic Conference in June 1933, he was immediately thereafter made chief of Mussolini’s press office. In 1935 he was promoted to be Undersecretary of State for Press and Propaganda. Shortly thereafter he was named a member of the Fascist Grand Council. The following year, at the age of thirty-three, he was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs. His diaries of his time as the Foreign Affairs Minister were well known to Mussolini, who on several occasions asked him to make sure he documented the way that Hitler and his cohort treated Italy in a subservient manner. After Mussolini’s arrest in 1943 and subsequent rescue by the notorious Nazi figure Otto Skorzeny at Grand Sasso, the diaries became a liability for Mussolini and he ordered them to be destroyed. Ciao was tricked into fleeing to Nazi Germany, who then arrested him and imprisoned him in northern Italy. The final passage in this Diary, that was written by Count Ciano in his prison cell in Verona some two weeks before his execution, is the most revealing epitaph that can be written for him. Mussolini’s own daughter Edda smuggled her husband’s diaries out of Italy in her underwear to Switzerland, where OSS agent and later Majestic Twelve leader / CIA Director Allen Dulles took possession of them through an intermediatory. We know this because OSS Cable file Dulles to Washington, State Department, 16 January 1945 states: ‘EDDA matter will hereafter be given code name ECDAR’: US, NA, RG 226, Entry 190C, Box 11. Parts of this file are indexed under the heading, ‘Personal file of Allen W. Dulles, “Edda Ciano Diaries”’. The writers believe that Dulles created this file as an afterthought, pulling together material from other files. For example all the Berne–Ciano correspondence from December 1944–May 1945 are held at: US, NA, RG 226, Entry 146, Box 215, folder 1344–1346. It is possible that Dulles intended to write about the retrieval of the diaries at some later date. In the introduction of the Ciano Diaries the editor, Hugh Gibson, states the following:
The text of the diaries is given unabridged. It will be observed that for several periods there are no entries-on account of illness, absence on military service, or other obvious reasons. In several places pages were removed from the diaries before they were turned over for photographing; this has been clearly indicated by notes in the text.
The hand of Allen Dulles was clearly at work here – the “pages removed” may relate to the Magenta Crash.
Rudolf Hess
Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess
The strange flight of Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess to Scotland on May 10, 1941 in order to “negotiate peace with Britain” is well known, but the exact reasoning remains a mystery to this day. He was very close to Hitler, having served prison time with him after the failed Beer Hall Pusch in 1923. Whilst the Nazis tried to spin Hess as being totally insane, extracts from the Ciano Diaries regarding the Hess subject indicate that senior Nazi officials, including Hitler himself, were extremely nervous about telling the Italians what had happened. Was this because Hess went to Scotland to tell the British High Command that the Nazis had developed advanced technology from “off planet” sources and that it would be futile to continue the war against such newly developed “Miracle Weapons”?
First off, the Italians are given disinformation about Hess, saying that he died in an aircraft accident (page 384 of the PDF file):
Page 384
Next, Ciano’s Nazi counterpart, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop calls for a meeting with Ciano, turning up unexpectedly in Rome in a “nervous” state:
Page 392
Note that the Nazis are trying to spin the narrative that Hess was insane and that whatever he tells the British is “false”. In particular, the following line stands out:
“The Germans want to cover themselves before Hess speaks and reveals things that might make a great impression in Italy.”
I believe this is a direct reference to the Magenta Crash. What else relating to the Hess affair would "make a great impression" in Italy?
A week later, Mussolini asks Dino Alfieri, member of the Fascist Grand Council; Minister to Poland and Ambassador to Germany about the Hess affair after Alfieri returns from Germany.
Page 394
Ciano notes that Alfieri’s lack of knowledge of the subject seems strange, given that he “broke his neck” trying to be the first to console Hitler.
A few days later, Hitler requests Mussolini attend a meeting at the Brenner Pass, but the subject of the meeting is unknown to the Italians:
Page 393
The main subject of the meeting was, of course, Hess. Mussolini later tells Ciano that Hitler spoke for hours about Hess and wept as he did so:
Page 394
Page 399
In fact, Rudolf Hess may have timed his peacemaking mission very badly – his information about “off world” technology making the Axis powers invincible in modern warfare was trumped just a week or two earlier by an event in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in late April 1941. It is also known that American businessman and intelligence operative James Hugh Angleton was living in Milan at the time of the Magenta crash and, apart from possibly witnessing the sound and light show that accompanied the crash firsthand, his connections within the Fascist government and Catholic Church probably leaked information about the event, which was passed on to the U.S. government.
Cape Girardeau crash, April 1941
Fellow inmate of Spandau Prison, architect and high-ranking Nazi official Albert Speer had an interesting conversation with Hess in 1965, which he describes in his book Inside the Third Reich on page 211. Hess claimed that “supernatural forces” told him to undertake the mission to Scotland – perhaps these forces were an adversary to the NHI that crashed at Cape Girardeau?:
Speer page 211
Speer page 212
Hess remained as the only prisoner in Spandau Prison after the release of Speer and other prisoners in 1966. He committed suicide in his cell in 1987, but the question remains – why did the Allied keep him imprisoned for the term of his natural life? The other prisoners were released on medical grounds, and Hess was a well-known hypochondriac with multiple health issues. His flight to Scotland occurred before Operation Barbarossa, and Speer took over as No. 1 Nazi upon Hitler’s death. Were the Allies afraid that Hess would “spill the beans” about the Magenta Crash and the advanced technologies that were obtained? Ciano actually mentions some of these weapons on page 603:
Page 603
Hess’s involvement with the Thule Society and other Occult studies caused Hitler to outlaw these activities in Germany after Hess’ flight:
Page 404
On a side note, the following passage from the Diaries relating to Benito Mussolini’s son Bruno is also interesting:
Page 415
The “new type of plane” mentioned here is a little perplexing. The Piaggio P.108 Bombardiere was an Italian four-engine heavy bomber that saw service with the Regia Aeronautica during World War II. The first prototype P.108B flew on 24 November 1939, so it certainly wasn’t really “new” by September 1941. It performed extremely well in a series of tests and required refining in only a few minor areas, but it took some time for pilots to get used to the new aircraft. The P.108 was delivered to a single unit, the 274a Squadriglia (274th Squadron), in 1941. But there were several accidents, one of them involving the son of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. On 7 August 1941, Bruno Mussolini, commander of the 274a Squadriglia, was piloting one of the prototypes of the "secret" bomber. He flew too low and crashed into a house. The cockpit section separated from the rest of the aircraft and although the aircraft did not catch fire, it was nevertheless totally destroyed in the impact. Commander Bruno Mussolini died from his injuries.
Was Bruno Mussolini actually killed trying to fly a “new type of plane” derived from the technology discovered from the Magenta Crash, and the P.108 incident just a “cover story”? The pilot son of the ruling Dictator would certainly be at the top of the list of trustworthy sources for The Duce to get reliable information from regarding progress.
P.108 bomber
The American connection to the Magenta Crash
An American businessman/spy and his family were living in Milan in 1933 – his name was James “Hugh” Angleton.
Hugh Angleton - James Angleton's father
Here is a brief overview of Hugh Angleton, published upon his death on March 7, 1973 by the New York Times:
New York Times March 7, 1973
There is one slight error here: Hugh Angleton moved his family to Corso Venezia 47, Milan, Italy in 1931 to be close to the factory where National Cash Register manufactured its machines. In 1933 he bought the distribution franchise rights for NCR in Italy whilst still working as an executive for NCR. Note in the obit that he was “working closely with the U.S. Embassy” which is veiled speech for “spy”. He was very impressed with Benito Mussolini, and his friend Max Corvo commented "Hugh Angleton... was ultra-conservative, a sympathizer with Fascist officials. He was certainly not unfriendly with the Fascists.” He was also very well connected in Italian society (including the monarchy), which is evident by his actions in WW2 as a Lt. Col. With the OSS:
Hugh Angleton and the Italian Monarchy
OSS liaison with US Army CIC
Note the mention of “Myron Taylor” in the reports and Hugh being the interface between the OSS and the US Army Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC), which will be important later.
Myron Charles Taylor (January 18, 1874 – May 5, 1959) was an American industrialist, and later a diplomat involved in many of the most important geopolitical events during and after World War II. On December 22, 1939, Roosevelt asked Taylor "to take on a special mission for me" to be Roosevelt's "personal envoy" to Pope Pius XII.
Taylor's appointment was announced on December 23, 1939, and confirmed in Rome, Italy, on February 28, 1940. Taylor served from 1940 throughout the rest of Roosevelt's presidency (his death in 1945) and continued as President Harry S. Truman's "personal envoy" until 1950. Although appointed as a "Peace Ambassador" and "personal envoy", Taylor was extended ambassador status by the Holy See on February 13, 1940.
Taylor’s frequent visits to the Vatican annoyed Mussolini, as is noted in several places in the Ciano Diaries. Ciano even states "the Vatican will only tell us what they want". Was Taylor the back channel between the US Government and the Vatican for information on the Magenta Crash?
Various instances of Myron Taylor's activities raising suspicion with Mussolini
Why did Roosevelt select the industrialist Taylor to be his envoy to the Pope? Was it because Taylor’s experience in the manufacture of steel products would be incredibly useful for the both the Vatican and the United States understand the technology that crashed at Magenta in 1933? Remember, Hugh Angleton was living in Milan at the time and was an eyewitness to the incident, which was accompanied by incredibly bright and loud “thunder and lightning”. He would have been the ideal intermediatory to assist Myron Taylor in his endeavours to work with Vatican on the Magenta subject – after all, Angleton was the original source of the information to the U.S. Government. Hugh’s son, James Jesus Angleton, also witnessed the event as he spent his final summer in Italy before travelling to Britain in September 1933 to study at Malvern College in Boarding House No.2 until 1936 when he commenced study at Yale.
James Jesus Angleton moves to Milan aged 14 (1931)
James Jesus Angleton entered Yale University in 1937: "Angleton had already developed a distinctive personal style. He spoke with a slight English accent (probably not an affection after three years in the country), and was tall, athletic, bright, and handsome... By conventional standards he was a poor student, frequently missing class, excelling only in those subjects that interested him, and occasionally failing those that didn't." A fellow student, Reed Whittemore, later commented: "All through Yale, Jim was backward at completing school papers... It may be that he was just lazy - or maybe he had a psychological problem. He had the class record for incompletes, but he could invariably whitewash over these missing grades because he had a favorable presence with the teachers, who for the most part liked him a lot." A member of the Skull and Bones, he recruited the services of fellow Bonesman George H.W. Bush when Lancer’s enquiries in MJ-12 operations needed to be delt with.
James Hugh Angleton became a senior figure in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and was on the staff of Colonel William Donovan. It had been created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt soon after the outbreak of the Second World War. The OSS replaced the former American intelligence system, Office of the Coordinator of Information (OCI) that was considered to be ineffective. The OSS had responsibility for collecting and analyzing information about countries at war with the United States. It also helped to organize guerrilla fighting, sabotage and espionage.
In August 1944, Lieutenant Colonel James Hugh Angleton and Norman Holmes Pearson, Angleton's former English professor at Yale University, contacted James R. Murphy, the head of the new X-2 CI (Counter Intelligence) branch of the OSS. On 25th September, 1943, Murphy issued a memo: "I would greatly appreciate it if you could get provisional security for Corporal James Angleton in order that he may commence OSS school on Monday. His father is with this branch... In addition young Angleton is very well known to Norman Pearson, who recommended him to me." (14)
During his training James Jesus Angleton met Richard Helms, the former national advertising manager of the Indianapolis Times, who had joined the OSS in August 1943. In his autobiography, A Look Over My Shoulder (2003) he commented: "As a young man, Jim was bone thin, gaunt, and aggressively intellectual in aspect. His not entirely coincidental resemblance to T. S. Eliot was intensified by a European wardrobe, studious manner, heavy glasses, and lifelong interest in poetry."
On 28th December, 1943, James Jesus Angleton, arrived in London to work for the Italian section of X-2 C.I. Soon after arriving in England he met Kim Philby, who was head of MI6's Iberian section. It was the start of a long friendship: "Once I met Philby, the world of intelligence that had once interested me consumed me. He had taken on the Nazis and Fascists head-on and penetrated their operations in Spain and Germany. His sophistication and experience appealed to us... Kim taught me a great deal." Phillip Knightley, the author of Philby: KGB Masterspy (1988), has pointed out: "Philby was one of Angleton's instructors, his prime tutor in counter-intelligence; Angleton came to look upon him as an elder-brother figure."
Angleton impressed his senior officers and within six months he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and was appointed as chief of the Italian Desk for the European Theater of Operations. In October 1944 Angleton was transferred to Rome as commanding officer of Special Counter-Intelligence Unit Z. In March 1945, he was promoted to first lieutenant and became head of X-2 for the whole of Italy. At the age of twenty-seven, he was the youngest X-2 Branch chief in all of OSS. According to Charles J.V. Murphy: "His (Angleton) unit uncovered some of the secret correspondence between Hitler and Mussolini that was later introduced into the Nuremberg trials as proof of their conspiracy. James therefore also had a leading role in the repatriation of the craft from Magenta back to the United States – and in doing so crossed paths with the head of the US Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps in Italy – one Phillip J. Corso. The grapple for control of the Magenta craft between James Angleton and Phil Corso was the original source of enmity between the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Military Counterintelligence regarding ownership of the UFO subject – Angleton, with the help of his well-connected father won this particular battle. The Interplanetary Phenomenon Unit report from the Roswell crash documents this animosity very well – members of the IPU were forbidden to see the wreckage or the bodies. This animosity even extended to influencing the selection of high level positions within the CIA – in 1962, Corso’s boss, General Arthur Trudeau, was being considered by President John F. Kennedy for the position of Deputy Director, CIA. However, according to Trudeau’s memoirs, “someone in the CIA Counter Intelligence Division put a stop to it”. James Angleton was the Director of CIA Counter Intelligence at that time, and instead Angleton’s fly fishing buddy and General George Marshall’s former Chief of Staff during 1947, Lt. Gen. Marshall S. Carter was selected. Another former US Army CIC member, Henry Kissinger, got the upper hand over the CIA during the Nixon Administration – however both teams lost out due to Watergate and the Church Committee.
In conclusion, Magenta crash eyewitness James Jesus Angleton was therefore well set up by his connections to become the CIA’s chief “secret-keeper” of the UFO subject. Hugh’s wealth allowed James to join the “Geogetown Set” in D.C., along with other wealthy CIA members Allen Dulles and Richard Helms. When the Nixon Administration gave the order to destroy all documents relating to MJ-TWELVE and MK-ULTRA, a few CIA patriots managed to save crucial documents from the fire to inform future generations of this hidden part of human history. I encourage everyone here to dig further into this subject.
The Ciano Diaries:
The Ciano Diaries: 1939 1943 The Complete, Unabridged Diaries Of Count Galeazzo Ciano, Italian Minister Of Foreign Affairs : Hugh Gibson and Count Galeazzo Ciano : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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2024.03.28 21:15 Achakita Born on 28th March, 1937, Dr. Pabitra Sarkar is an influential Indian Bengali linguist, critic, and educator. Known for his insightful essays, he has also made significant contributions to children's literature and theater.

Pabitra Sarkar, a multifaceted individual with interests spanning linguistics, literary criticism, acting, and theatre, is also known for his work as a writer for children and his involvement in various aspects of performing arts. Additionally, he is a grammarian and a humble singer of Rabindra Sangeet, with three CDs to his credit.
Born in a village in Dhaka in 1937, Sarkar became an adopted son in a family that crossed the partitioned border in 1947. Despite his family's lack of guidance regarding his future path, he pursued Bangla literature, excelling in his studies and achieving first place in the University of Calcutta in his B.A. Honours Examination. This success steered him towards a career as a teacher of Bangla literature and a writer. His academic achievements continued with outstanding results in his M.A., leading to his tenure as a Bangla teacher at Bangabasi College and later at Jadavpur University. At Jadavpur University, he served two terms, from 1963 to 1974 and then from 1976 to 1990, progressing from lecturer to reader and eventually to professor. In 1990, Sarkar assumed the role of Vice Chancellor at Rabindra Bharati University, a position he held until 1997, followed by his tenure as the Vice-Chairman of the West Bengal State Council for Higher Education until he retired in 2003.
Pabitra Sarkar spent the years 1969 to 1975 in the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship, where he completed his M.A. and Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of Chicago in 1975. During this time, he also taught at the University of Minnesota from 1973 to 1975.
His interest in theatre led him to pursue acting, first at Dipen Sengupta's Anukar, and later at Nandikar under the direction of Ajitesh Bandyopadhyay. Eventually, Sarkar transitioned to writing about theatre and became an active theatre reviewer in both Bengali and English, contributing regularly to newspapers such as Anandabazar and The Statesman. One of his most memorable roles on stage was as the 'Professor' in Eugene Ionesco's The Lesson, adapted as Nilima in Bengali.
Sarkar has authored around 86 books and edited 104, showcasing a diverse range of themes and approaches. He is particularly fond of writing humorous rhymes for children and continues to write serious articles in both English and Bengali. Currently, he is working on his autobiography, Alpa Punjir Jiban, on his computer.
Throughout his career, Sarkar has held numerous responsibilities, including serving as President of various organizations such as the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Natya Shodh Samsthan, and Bhartiya Bhasha Parishad. He has also been involved with the Jadavpur University Teachers' Association, Indian Advisory Board of the American Institute of Indian Studies, and various committees related to education and language in West Bengal and Tripura. Additionally, he has been associated with national bodies such as the Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi of Delhi, and currently serves as Vice President of the Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi and the Society for Natural Language Technology and Research, West Bengal. From 2003 to 2009, Sarkar served as the Project Director of the Dictionary Project at the Asiatic Society, Kolkata.
Awards recieved:

Sadhana Chatterjee Award for children's literature, Gajendra Kumar Mitra and Sumatha Nath Ghosh Award for literature.
Vidyasagar Award for Prose, 2001
Satyen Dutta and Titli Awards for Childrens' Literature
Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration.

Honours Received:

Friend of the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour.
Mother Teresa Lifetime Achievement Award.
Order of the Rising Sun with Gold and Silver Rays, bestowed by His royal Highness the Emperor of Japan in 2019.

Pabitra Sarkar, despite being retired, remains actively engaged in teaching at Calcutta University and several colleges, including Belur Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandir. He also attends various programs across the country when invited. His extensive travels have taken him to about nineteen countries, including Canada, England, France, Italy, Greece, Germany, China, Japan (thrice), Egypt, Turkey, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Bangladesh (several times). Additionally, he has toured extensively in the United States.
Dr. Pabitra Sarkar is married to Maitreyi Bandyopadhyay, his classmate in his M.A. class, with whom he has two daughters, Vasudhiti and Vasudhara. The couple resides at their own house, 'Senjuti', in Garia.
On this special day, on behalf of Kolkata, I sincerely wish Dr. Pabitra Sarkar a very happy birthday, filled with joy, good health, and many more years of meaningful contributions to literature and academia.

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