#John Davis Lodge

[politicaldilfs]

Connecticut Governor DILFs

Dannel Malloy, Lowell Weicker, Ned Lamont, Abraham Ribicoff, Chester B. Bowles, James L. McConaughy, John G. Rowland, John N. Dempsey, John Davis Lodge, Raymond E. Baldwin, William A. O'Neill, Thomas Meskill

[peggy-elise]

Marlene Dietrich and John Davis Lodge in The Scarlet Empress 1934🩸

[leonardcohenofficial]

tagged by @herbaklava @timrothencrantz and @wutheringdyke to post my top nine new-to-me watches of the year—thank you all! in no particular order (l-r, top row to bottom row):

skinamarink (kyle edward ball, 2023) great freedom (sebastian meise, 2021) earth mama (savanah leaf, 2023) nineteen eighty-four (michael radford, 1984) enys men (mark jenkin, 2022) marina abramović & ulay: no predicted end (kasper bech dyg, 2022) paris 5:59: théo & hugo (olivier ducastel and jacques martineau, 2016) nationtime (william greaves, 1972) giants and toys (yasuzo masumura, 1958)

while i hit my continual goal of half of the films by women and nonbinary filmmakers, i still definitely need to keep up with deliberately seeking out films by directors of color! tell me your faves if you’ve seen any of these; do we think i can hit 150 titles in 2024? 👀🎬🍿🎥

i'll tag @sightofsea / @lesbiancolumbo / @nelson-riddle-me-this / @draftdodgerag / @edwardalbee / @majorbaby / @radioprune / @glennmillerorchestra / @deadpanwalking and anyone else who'd like to do this!

my full watchlist is included under the cut, favorites of the year are bolded in red:

The Final Exit of the Disciples of Ascensia (Jonni Phillips, 2019)

Nothing Bad Can Happen (Katrin Gebbe, 2013)

Dive (Lucía Puenzo, 2022)

The Menu (Mark Mylod, 2022)

The Wonder (Sebastián Lelio, 2022)

The Whale (Darren Aronofsky, 2022)

Shapeless (Samantha Aldana, 2021)

Skinamarink (Kyle Edward Ball, 2023)

Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron, 2022)

Actual People (Kit Zauhar, 2021)

Honeycomb (Avalon Fast 2022)

Warrendale (Allan King, 1967)

Women Talking (Sarah Polley, 2022)

This Place Rules (Andrew Callaghan, 2022)

Nationtime (William Greaves, 1972)

Deep End (Jerzy Skolimowski, 1970)

Incident in a Ghostland (Pascal Laugier, 2018)

Keane (Lodge Kerrigan, 2004)

I Start Counting (David Greene, 1970)

Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino, 2022)

Tár (Todd Field, 2022)

The Most Dangerous Game (Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel, 1932)

These Three (William Wyler, 1936)

Dead End (William Wyler, 1937)

The Sport Parade (Dudley Murphy, 1932)

We're All Going to the World's Fair (Jane Schoenbrun, 2021)

Ratcatcher (Lynne Ramsay, 1995)

Smile (Parker Finn, 2022)

Holiday (Isabella Eklöf, 2018)

When Women Kill (Lee Grant, 1983)

Softie (Samuel Theis, 2021)

My Old School (Jono McLeod, 2022)

Beyond The Black Rainbow (Panos Cosmatos, 2010)

The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Marielle Heller, 2015)

Infinity Pool (Brandon Cronenberg, 2023)

Murina (Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic, 2021)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh, 2022)

Doubt (John Patrick Shanley, 2007)

Enys Men (Mark Jenkin, 2022)

Bully (Larry Clark, 2001)

My King (Maïwenn, 2015)

Festen (Thomas Vinterberg, 1998)

Marina Abramovic & Ulay: No Predicted End (Kasper Bech Dyg, 2022)

Elles (Małgośka Szumowska, 2011)

Poison Ivy (Katt Shea, 1992)

ear for eye (debbie tucker green, 2021)

Spring Blossom (Suzanne Lindon, 2020)

God's Creatures (Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, 2023)

I Blame Society (Gillian Wallace Horvat, 2020)

Bama Rush (Rachel Fleit, 2023)

Is This Fate? (Helga Reidemeister, 1979)

Paris 5:59: Théo & Hugo (Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, 2016)

Madeline's Madeline (Josephine Decker, 2018)

The Strays (Nathaniel Martello-White, 2023)

Here Is Always Somewhere Else (René Daalder, 2007)

The Weather Underground (Sam Green and Bill Siegel, 2002)

American Revolution 2 (Mike Gray, 1969)

Judas and the Black Messiah (Shaka King, 2021)

Underground (Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler, 1976)

Saint Omer (Alice Diop, 2022)

Baby Ruby (Bess Wohl, 2022)

Welcome to Me (Shira Piven, 2014)

Clock (Alexis Jacknow, 2023)

Knock at the Cabin (M. Night Shyamalan, 2023)

Blue Jean (Georgia Oakley, 2022)

Soft & Quiet (Beth de Araújo, 2022)

Jesus' Son (Alison Maclean, 1999)

The Rehearsal (Alison Maclean, 2016)

Violent Playground (Basil Dearden, 1958)

Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, 2005)

A Banquet (Ruth Paxton, 2021)

Jagged Mind (Kelley Kali, 2023)

The Night Porter (Liliana Cavani, 1974)

Good Boy (Viljar Bøe, 2023)

Sanctuary (Zachary Wigon, 2022)

Little Girl (Sébastien Lifshitz, 2020)

Séance on a Wet Afternoon (Bryan Forbes, 1964)

Massacre at Central High (Rene Daalder, 1976)

Summer of Soul (Amir "Questlove" Thompson, 2021)

Bad Things (Stewart Thorndike, 2023)

Still (Takashi Doscher , 2018)

Lake Mungo (Joel Anderson, 2008)

The Vanishing (George Sluizer, 1988)

The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring (Erin Lee Carr, 2023)

Giants and Toys (Yasuzo Masumura, 1958)

Spoonful of Sugar (Mercedes Bryce Morgan, 2022)

Double Lover (François Ozon , 2017)

Hereditary (Ari Aster, 2018)

Bodies Bodies Bodies (Halina Reijn, 2022)

Don't Call Me Son (Anna Muylaert, 2016)

Great Freedom (Sebastian Meise, 2021)

Mother! (Darren Aronofsky, 2017)

The Mind of Mr. Soames (Alan Cooke, 1970)

The Bloody Child (Nina Menkes, 1996)

Bunker (Jenny Perlin, 2021)

Polytechnique (Denis Villeneuve, 2009)

Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (Brian Knappenberger, 2023)

The Woodsman (Nicole Kassell, 2004)

Giant Little Ones (Keith Behrman, 2018)

The Killing of a Sacred Deer(Yorgos Lanthimos, 2017)

Nineteen Eighty-Four (Michael Radford, 1984)

Saltburn (Emerald Fennell, 2023)

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, 2023)

May December (Todd Haynes, 2023)

Free Chol Soo Lee (Julie Ha and Eugene Yi, 2022)

Girl (Lukas Dhont, 2018)

Queen of Hearts (May el-Toukhy, 2019)

Streetwise (Martin Bell, 1984)

System Crasher (Nora Fingscheidt, 2019)

Burden (Richard Dewey and Timothy Marrinan, 2016)

As Above, So Below (Larry Clark, 1973)

The Captive (Chantal Akerman, 2000)

Run Rabbit Run (Daina Reid, 2023)

Subject  (Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall, 2022)

Earth Mama (Savanah Leaf, 2023)

Woodshock (Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy, 2017)

Swept Away (Lina Wertmüller, 1974)

Meadowland (Reed Morano, 2015)

Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power (Nina Menkes, 2022)

La Ciénaga (Lucrecia Martel, 2001)

Zola (Janicza Bravo, 2021)

The Starling Girl (Laurel Parmet, 2023)

Night Comes On (Jordana Spiro, 2018)

Dance, Girl, Dance (Dorothy Arzner, 1940)

[candytwist]

i was tagged by the lovely @tomatonibbler to do this mutual icebreaker ask game

last song listened to:

favorite place: the cabin i stayed at in the colorado mountains w my friend max. or the forests in northern california. or the arts district here in bmore lol. i haven’t been to a lot of places

favorite book: sabbatical by john barth

currently reading: madame bovary by gustave flaubert (lydia davis translation) at the behest of @yourheadmyhead im such a slow reader tho

favorite movie: BILL AND TED 2!!!!!!!!!!!

favorite tv show: so hard… prolly aqua teen or bad girls club LOL ooh also lodge 49

favorite food: lamb over rice plate or a falafel sandwich from a halal food cart outside the city courthouse

tagging:

idk…

[brokehorrorfan]

Kingdom of the Spiders will be released on Blu-ray on August 20 via Kino Lorber. Featuring reversible artwork, the 1977 nature-run-amok horror film is spine #14 in the Kino Cult line.

John "Bud" Cardos (Mutant) directs from a script by Richard Robinson (Piranha) and Alan Caillou (Village of the Giants). William Shatner stars with Tiffany Bolling, Woody Strode, Lieux Dressler, and Altovise Davis.

Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Audio commentary by film historian Lee Gambin (new)

Audio commentary by director John "Bud" Cardos, producer Igo Kantor, spider wrangler Jim Brockett, and cinematographer John Morrill

Audio commentary by producer Igo Kantor and actress Tiffany Bolling

Interview with actress Tiffany Bolling

Interview with writer Steve Lodge

Radio spot

Theatrical trailer

As even greater numbers of the helpless animals meet their deaths it is discovered that hundreds of tarantulas occupy the farm land. This is strange indeed! Tarantulas don't live in colonies…or do they? An attractive entomologist (Tiffany Bolling) is called to the dusty little Arizona town to explain the sudden arrival of the spiders and their usual behavior. But is it too late? Time seems to be running out as the new species of eight-legged freaks now number in the thousands. The spiders are everywhere—and man is their prey!

Pre-order Kingdom of the Spiders.

[nerds-yearbook]

Timothy Dalton's last James Bond film Licence to Kill was released on July 14, 1989. It wasn't meant to be his last film, but due to legal issues, another Bond film wasn't able to go into production until 1995 and by that time Dalton was ready to move on. For the most part, the movie took on a more series tone for the character and story keeping more to the Bond of the books as was the case of Dalton's previous film The Living Daylights. It was the first Bond film not to be titled after one of the Ian Fleming Bond books, but the story pulled from many elements from Live and Let Die and The Hildebrand Rarity. David Hedison became the first actor to play the role Felix Lieter (Live and Let Die - 1973/Licence to Kill - 1995) more than once and the only actor play the role against two different Bonds (Roger Moore and Dalton). Besides being Dalton's last film as Bond, it was also the last Bond film with Robert Brown as M and Caroline Bliss as Moneypenny, and the last Bond film worked on by writer Richard Maibaum, director John Glen, and title designer Maurice Binder. The film also featured Robert Davi (Franz Sanchez), Carey Lowell (Pam Bovier), Talisa Soto (Lupe Lamore), Anthony Zerbe (Milton Krest), Frank McRae (Sharkey), Everett McGill (Killifer), Wayne Newton (Professor Joe Butcher), Benicio Del Toro (Dario), Anthony Starke (Truman-Lodge), Desmond Llewelyn (Q), Priscilla Barnes (Della Churchill), Don Stroud (Heller), Grand L Bush (Hawkins), and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Kwang). While not the most finacially successful Bond film at the time, like On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the movie has grown in fan appreciation over time. ("Licence to Kill", Bond Film, Event)

[unofskylanderspages]

Listed below are the credited voice cast members for Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure:

Josh Keaton as Spyro

Daniel Hagen as Master Eon

Sumalee Montano as Cali

Patrick Warburton as Flynn

Michael Yurchak as Hugo

Kevin Michael Richardson as Stump Smash

Freddie Winston as Additional Skylander voices (uncredited)

Steven Blum as Auric/Additional Voices

Laura Bailey as Persephone

Chris Cox as Glumshanks

Anthony Hansen as Wendel

Richard Steven Horvitz as Kaos

James Haron as Fargus

Dave Wittenberg as Hektore

Other Additional voices: Jeff Bergman, Fred Tatasciore, Keith Silverstein, Dave Wittenberg, David Lodge, Liam O'Brien, Jen Olson, Thomas Bromhead, Salli Saffioti, Cam Clarke, Kathryn Cressida, Hunter Davis, Roger Jackson, Neil Kaplan, John Kassir, André Sogliuzzo, Keith Szarabajka, Lani Minella, David Markus, Bruce Lanoil, Hope Levy, Lloyd Sherr, Courtenay Taylor, Amanda Wyatt

[saints-who-never-existed]

Hello! I was wondering, where did the story of Lady Jane Franklin laying the Union Jack flag on Sir John before his expedition come from? Did one of the two tell anyone about it or is it made up as a tale to foreshadow Franklin’s death?

Hi! I'm so flattered to receive lovely and very interesting asks like this, especially as I'm far from an expert in anything Franklin-related. I'm afraid I don't have a clear or comprehensive answer for you, my friend, but that being said, I've done my best!

-

I first came across that particular apocryphal tale in Beattie & Geiger's Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition (1987) and have since found it mentioned by several other authors too. The earliest and most detailed reference to the story I've been able to find so far goes back to Francis J. Woodward's Portrait of Jane: A Life of Lady Franklin.

Below is the full quote:

"One day - so Davies Gilbert's daughter told her friend Caroline Fox - he was so tired that he lay down on a sofa in the lodgings they had taken in Lower Brook Street and fell asleep. Jane was sitting beside him, putting the final stitches to a flag that she had made - in the tradition of explorers' wives - for him to take to the Arctic. Anxious that he should not feel cold , she threw it over his feet. The touch of it startled him into half-wakefulness. "Why, there's a flag thrown over me!" he exclaimed, "Don't you know that they lay the Union Jack over a corpse?"

Portrait of Jane: A life of Lady Franklin, Francis J. Woodward, 1951 (p253).

-

It's not clear to me where exactly Woodward got that information though...

Davies Gilbert was an engineer, politician and at one time, president of the Royal Society while I believe the Caroline Fox referred to here was a noted diarist and writer of the time (though I could well be wrong about that!). Perhaps one explanation could be then that one or both of those women moved within the same social circles as the Franklins or were even actively friends with Lady Jane and the story originated with her?

That's purely speculation though, my friend, and beyond that, I really can't say much more with any certainty!

Does anyone else within this wonderful community of clever people have anything more to add to this? <3

[palmviewfm]

mw counterparts?

this  list  got  a  little  bit  longer  than  anticipated.  as  there's  soooooo  many  counterparts  to  consider  choosing  from  !  so,  i  put  it  under  a  read  more  for  you  !

counterparts:  monica  geller, ross geller, joey  tribbiani,  chandler bing, janice litman, mike hannigan, ursula buffay, aria  montgomery,  emily  fields,  spencer  hastings,  mona  vanderwaal,  alison  dilaurentis,  caleb  rivers,  maya  st  germain,  toby  cavanaugh,  betty  cooper,  veronica  lodge,  cheryl  blossom,  archie  andrews,  reggie  mantle,  toni  topaz,  tabitha  tate,  quinn  fabray,  rachel  berry,  brittany  pierce,  olivia  baker,  layla  keating,  jordan  baker,  jaymee, spencer  james,  lucas  scott,  peyton  sawyer, brooke  davis,  quinn  james,  julian  baker,  anna taggaro, rachel  gatina,  blair  waldorf,  serena  van  der  woodsen,  dan  humphrey,  nate  archibald,  callie  adams  foster,  mariana  foster,  buffy  summers,  willow  rosenberg,  tara mclay, kendra young, faith  lehane,  cordelia  chase,  heather  mcnamara,  marissa  cooper,  summer  roberts,  seth  cohen,  angel, anya jenkins, ryan  atwood,  taylor  townsend,  elena  gilbert,  caroline  forbes,  bonnie  bennett,  stefan  salvatore, anna zhu, enzo  st  john,  sandy  olson,  betty  rizzo,  frenchy,  danny  zuko,  marty, jan, sonny,  jackie  burkhart,  donna  pinciotti,  eric  forman,  laurie  forman,  belly  conklin,  sloane  peterson,  ferris  bueller,  duckie  dale,  bianca  stratford,  kat  stratford,  patrick  verona,  mia thermopolis, sabrina spellman, harvey kinkle, libby chessler, barbie  roberts,  ken  carson,  jenna  rink,  allie  hamilton,  noah  calhoun,  brandon  walsh,  david  silver,  brenda  walsh,  kelly  taylor,  donna  martin,  conrad  fisher,  jeremiah  fisher,  steven  cokin,  taylor  jewel,  sarah  cameron,  jj  maybank,  john  b  routledge,  kiara  carerra,  pope  heywood,  cleo, topper  thornton,  prue  halliwell,  paige  matthews,  piper  halliwell,  phoebe  halliwell,  meredith  grey,  arizona  robbins,  jackson  avery,  callie  torres,  april  kepner,  derek  shephard,  alex  karev,  cristina  yang,  lizzie  stevens,  callie  torres,  jo  wilson,  addison  montgomery,  lexi  grey,  atticus  lincoln,  nancy  drew,  lucy  grey,  sam  montgomery,  austin  ames,  jen  lindley,  pacey  witter,  dawson  leery,  katherine  pierce,  rebekah  mikaelson,  hayley  marshall,  tatum  riley,  sidney  prescott,  casey  becker,  tara  carpenter,  samantha  carpenter,  beca  mitchell,  chloe  beale,  jessica  day,  winston schmidt, cece  parekh, laney  boggs,  dewey  riley,  gale  weathers,  georgina  sparks,  elle  woods,  francesca  bridgerton,  daphne  bridgerton,  penelope  featherington,  sookie  stackhouse,  karen  smith,  regina  george,  gretchen  weiners,  janis  ian,  cady  heron,  aaron  samuels,  dj  tanner,  stephanie  tanner,  marcia  brady,  cindy  brady,  greg  brady,  carrie  bradshaw,  cher  horowitz,  kirby  reed,  jim  halpert,  michael  scott,  kelly  kapoor,  pam  beesly,  peter  parker,  mary  jane  watson,  analise  keating,  olivia  pope,  tony  stonem,  effy  stonem,  joey  donner,  john  bender,  allison  argent,  scott  mccall,  lydia  martin,  olive  penderghast,  maggie  greene,  marty  mcfly,  bella  swan,  alice  cullen,  charlie  swan,  emmett  cullen,  jacob  black,  carlisle  cullen,  esme  cullen,  jane  volturi,  morticia  addams,  donna  and  sophie  sheridan,  lorraine  banes,  jennifer  parker,  sam  winchester,  luke  danes,  dean  forester,  tristan  dugray,  lane  kim,  paris  geller,  logan  huntzberger,  jeanie  bueller,  simon  basset,  kate  sharma,  colin  bridgerton,  shiv  roy,  gerri  kellman,  roman  roy,  olivia  benson,  clary  fray,  isabelle  lightwood,  jace  herondale,  simon  lewis,  daphne  blake,  shaggy  rogers,  velma  dinkley,  fred  jones,  cinderella, ariel, tiana, jasmine, tom  wambsgans,  kendall  roy,  greg  hirsch,  lestat  de  lioncourt,  louis  de  point  du  lac,  and  claudia  !

[maximiliano-aedo]

What could've been Animaze ..iNC during the 2010s

Talent pool (Note: any voice actor marked with * is union-only):

Steve Blum*

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn*

Crispin Freeman*

Kari Wahlgren*

Johnny Yong Bosch

Yuri Lowenthal*

Dave Wittenberg*

Roger Craig Smith*

Laura Bailey*

Travis Willingham*

Cherami Leigh

J.B. Blanc*

Sam Riegel*

Liam O'Brien*

Amy Kincaid*

Troy Baker*

Matthew Mercer

Joe Romersa*

Fleet Cooper*

Dyanne DiRosario*

Jennifer Love Hewitt*

Brian Hallisay*

Spike Spencer

Amanda Winn Lee*

Jaxon Lee*

Kyle Hebert

Ben Pronsky

Bob Buchholz

Richard Cansino

Murphy Dunne*

Carolyn Hennesy*

Jerry Gelb*

Adam Sholder

Ezra Weisz

Cristina Vee

Bryce Papenbrook

Michael Sorich

Richard Epcar

Ellyn Stern

Tony Oliver

Kirk Thornton

Lexi Ainsworth*

Aria Noelle Curzon

Grace Caroline Currey*

Michael Forest

Erik Davies

Adam Bobrow

Joshua Seth

Junie Hoang*

Kirk Baily*

Tom Fahn

Jonathan Fahn

Dorothy Elias-Fahn

Melissa Fahn

Stephen Apostolina*

René Rivera*

Deborah Sale Butler

Kevin Brief

Michael Gregory*

Riva Spier*

Cassandra Morris

Erica Mendez

Erika Harlacher

Erica Lindbeck

Marieve Herington

Kira Buckland

John Rubinstein*

Kim Matula*

Brittany Lauda

J. Grant Albrecht*

Michael McConnohie

Steve Bulen*

Dan Woren

Derek Stephen Prince

Wendee Lee

Edie Mirman

Jason C. Miller

Taliesin Jaffe*

John Snyder

Robbie Daymond

Ray Chase

Kaiji Tang

David Vincent

Christina Carlisi*

Christopher Corey Smith

Cindy Robinson

Rachel Robinson

Jessica Boone

Lauren Landa

Megan Hollingshead

Jalen K. Cassell

Doug Erholtz

Michelle Ruff

Gregory Cruz*

John Bishop*

Matt Kirkwood*

Lara Jill Miller*

Carol Stanzione

Steve Staley

Dave Mallow

Mona Marshall*

Darrel Guilbeau

Robert Martin Klein

Robert Axelrod

William Frederick Knight

Lex Lang

Sandy Fox

Joey Camen*

Randy McPherson*

Jad Mager

Richard Miro

Milton James

Anthony Pulcini

Douglas Rye

Patrick Seitz

Keith Silverstein

Jamieson Price

Skip Stellrecht*

Stoney Emshwiller*

G.K. Bowes

Alyss Henderson

Patricia Ja Lee

Peggy O'Neal

Carrie Savage

Melodee Spevack

Jennifer Alyx

Julie Ann Taylor

Sherry Lynn

Brad Venable

Christine Marie Cabanos

Greg Chun

LaGloria Scott

Steve Kramer

Melora Harte

Rebecca Forstadt*

Kyle McCarley

Mela Lee

Karen Strassman

Faye Mata

Laura Post

Kayla Carlyle*

Brina Palencia

Connor Gibbs

Brianne Siddall*

Barbara Goodson

Loy Edge

Jay Lerner

Jennie Kwan

Max Mittelman

Jessica Straus*

Alexis Tipton

Fryda Wolff

Michele Specht

J.D. Garfield

Debra Jean Rogers*

Julie Maddalena

Carrie Keranen

Tara Sands

Matthew Hustin

Cody MacKenzie

Bridget Hoffman*

Colleen O'Shaughnessey

Grant George

Jessica Gee

Jeff Nimoy*

Peter Lurie*

Brian Beacock

Paul St. Peter

Chris Jai Alex

Dan Lorge*

Ewan Chung*

Steve Cassling*

Philece Sampler

Stephanie Sheh

Sam Fontana

Ben Diskin

Juliana Donald*

Michael O'Keefe*

Christina Gallegos*

Tara Platt

Keith Anthony*

Beau Billingslea

David Lodge*

Kim Strauss

Eddie Jones*

William Bassett*

Kim Mai Guest*

Caitlin Glass

Hannah Alcorn

Ron Roggé*

Camille Chen*

Ethan Rains*

Yutaka Maseba*

Joe J. Thomas

Michael Sinterniklaas

Erin Fitzgerald

Joe Ochman

Marc Diraison

Xanthe Huynh

Brianna Knickerbocker

Dean Wein*

Michael McCarty*

[justforbooks]

If anybody deserved the title of “Renaissance man” it would be Carl Davis, who has died aged 86 following a brain haemorrhage. A formidably gifted composer and conductor, in a career spanning seven decades he wrote scores for a string of successful films and a long list of some of the best remembered programmes on British television, including the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice.

Davis won a Bafta and an Ivor Novello award for his score for Karel Reisz’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), scripted by Harold Pinter and starring the Oscar-nominated Meryl Streep, and worked on many other prominent films, including Scandal (1989), starring Ian McKellen and Joanne Whalley, Ken Russell’s The Rainbow (1989) and The Great Gatsby (2000). His theme music for the 1984 horse-racing drama Champions, starring John Hurt as the Grand National winner Bob Champion, was subsequently used by the BBC for its Grand National coverage.

A fascination for the era of silent movies prompted Davis to create new scores to accompany numerous classics from cinema’s early years, including his composition for Abel Gance’s sprawling 1927 epic, Napoleon. His work helped trigger an international revival of presentations of silent films with a live orchestra.

He achieved another career highlight when he collaborated with Sir Paul McCartney on his Liverpool Oratorio, an eight-movement piece based on McCartney’s experiences of growing up in Liverpool. The piece was recorded in Liverpool Cathedral in 1991, featuring the classical soloists Kiri Te Kanawa and Willard White.

Despite his relentless schedule and prolific output, Davis enjoyed a reputation as an expansive and witty conversationalist who could always make time for friends or interviewers. When conducting at occasions such as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s Summer Pops concerts or the BBC’s Proms in the Park, he would gently subvert notions of classical seriousness by conducting in a union jack outfit or a gold lamé coat.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Carl was the son of Sara (nee Perlmutter), a teacher, and Isadore Davis, a post office worker. His Jewish family had ancestry in Poland and Russia. Encouraged by his mother, he displayed precocious musical ability. He started playing piano at the age of two, and soon became an adept sight-reader. He recalled how from an early age he would listen to the Metropolitan Opera’s live radio broadcasts on Saturday afternoons, and he would obsessively study musical scores of operas and orchestral pieces obtained from Brooklyn’s public libraries.

He took lessons with the composers Hugo Kauder and Paul Nordoff (later the co-founder of the Nordoff-Robbins music therapy programme), then with the Danish modernist composer Per Nørgård in Copenhagen. He studied at Queens College, New York, and the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, and as an 18-year-old served as an accompanist to the Robert Shaw Chorale. He then attended Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson in upstate New York, which has had a remarkable roll-call of actors, writers, film-makers and musicians pass through its portals. He graduated from Bard as a composer, having already begun to compose music for theatrical productions.

In 1958 he became an assistant conductor at the New York City Opera, and then won an off-Broadway Emmy award as co-composer of the 1959 revue Diversions. This was staged at the Edinburgh festival in 1961 and subsequently transferred to the Arts theatre in London, retitled Twists. It caught the eye of Ned Sherrin, then working in production at the BBC. He commissioned Davis, who had moved to London and was living in decrepit lodgings in Notting Hill, to write music for the satirical TV show That Was the Week That Was.

It was the start of his prolific and varied career in the UK. The Davis touch added lustre to the television movies The Snow Goose (BBC, 1971) and The Naked Civil Servant (Thames Television, 1975); the adaptation of the Anita Brookner novel Hotel Du Lac (BBC, 1986); and the miniseries A Year in Provence (BBC, 1993) and A Dance to the Music of Time (Channel 4, 1997) among many others.

A notable milestone was his ominous and unsettling score for Thames’s The World at War (1973), which was produced by Jeremy Isaacs. It was through Isaacs that Davis became involved in the Thames TV series Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film, based on the book The Parade’s Gone By … by the film historian Kevin Brownlow.

Davis was tasked with tracking down musicians who had worked on films during the silent era, and the series set him off on a decades-long crusade to revive silent films with newly created scores. He enjoyed the challenge of conducting the music live as the film played. “You have to keep going,” he told the Arts Desk’s Graham Rickson in 2021. “Some conductors use click tracks and headphones. I’m old-fashioned and don’t like being tied to machinery – I try to conduct these things with as little apparatus as possible.”

The most dramatic expression of this was his work on Napoleon, and in 1980 Davis conducted a performance of it with an orchestra and audience at the Empire, Leicester Square. “That first screening wasn’t flawless, but it was electrifying,” he recalled. He subsequently conducted performances around the world, and the score let to him being appointed chevalier of France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1983.

He went on to compose music for more than 50 silent films featuring stars such as Greta Garbo and Rudolph Valentino, for comedies by Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, and for classics such as Ben-Hur (1925), the Douglas Fairbanks swashbuckler The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and DW Griffith’s Intolerance (1916).

Another genre which Davis excelled at composing for was dance. “The relationship between film and ballet is striking, and I find myself composing more and more ballet scores now, something which the film work has made me much better at,” he told Rickson. For Northern Ballet theatre, he worked with the choreographer Gillian Lynne on A Simple Man (1987) and Lipizzaner (1989). For Scottish Ballet, he collaborated with Robert Cohan, a fellow New Yorker, on A Christmas Carol (1992) and Aladdin (2000). And for English National Ballet’s Alice in Wonderland (1995), Davis (commissioned by ENB’s artistic director Derek Deane) drew on themes by Tchaikovsky.

It was also through Deane’s influence that Davis was commissioned by the National Ballet of Croatia to write Lady of the Camellias (2008), which gave him the opportunity to revisit Alexandre Dumas’s original novel and Verdi’s operatic version of it, La Traviata. The opera had been a favourite of Davis’s since his childhood days of listening to Met broadcasts, and he had also worked on a production of it for New York City Opera. The resulting piece gave the story a contemporary twist, so “the action could flow without pause and indeed the production did effectively utilise projections and film”, as Davis wrote in the recording’s sleeve notes.

He received a Bafta special lifetime achievement award in 2003, and in 2005 he was made CBE.

In 1970 he married the actor Jean Boht, who starred in Carla Lane’s sitcom Bread. She survives him, along with their daughters, Hannah and Jessie.

🔔 Carl Davis, composer and conductor, born 28 October 1936; died 3 August 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[princesssarisa]

"Little Women" Posthumous Reunion: Final Resting Places of the People Behind the Novel and Its Adaptations

As a fan of the YouTube channel Hollywood Graveyard and the "Posthumous Reunion" pages on FindAGrave.com, I thought I would make a similar tribute to the people behind Little Women and its best-known screen adaptations. This is a guide to the burial sites (if they exist) of all the adaptations' leading actors and creative team members who have died, as well as those of the Alcott family and their friends, for anyone who hopes to visit them someday.

@littlewomenpodcast, @joandfriedrich, @thatscarletflycatcher

Arlington National Cemetery – Arlington, Virginia, USA

John Davis Lodge (John Brooke, 1933 film)

Cementerio de Benalmádena – Benalmádena, Spain

Paul Lukas (Friedrich Bhaer, 1933 film)

Ceder Hill Cemetery – Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Katharine Hepburn (Jo, 1933 film)

Cimitero Flaminio – Rome, Italy

Rossano Brazzi (Friedrich Bhaer, 1949 film)

Cimitiére Communal de Montrouge – Montrouge, France

May Alcott Nieriker (real-life Amy) (site unknown)

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale – Glendale, California, USA

Edna May Oliver (Aunt March, 1933 film)

June Allyson (Jo, 1949 film)

Elizabeth Taylor (Amy, 1949 film)

Robert Young (Mr. Laurence, 1978 miniseries)

George Cukor (director, 1933 film)

Mervyn LeRoy (director/producer, 1949 film)

Max Steiner (music, 1933 and 1949 films)

Adolph Deutsch (music, 1949 film)

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills – Los Angeles, California, USA

Jean Parker (Beth, 1933 film)

Leon Ames (Mr. March, 1949 film)

Holy Cross Cemetery – Culver City, California, USA

Mary Astor (Marmee, 1949 film)

Inglewood Park Cemetery – Inglewood, California, USA

Samuel S. Hinds (Mr. March, 1933 film)

Kensico Cemetery – Valhalla, New York, USA

Henry Stephenson (Mr. Laurence, 1933 film)

Mortlake Crematorium – Richmond, Greater London, England

Pat Nye (Hannah, 1970 miniseries)

Mount Hope Cemetery – Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA

Lucile Watson (Aunt March, 1949 film)

Oak Hill Cemetery – Lawrence, Kansas, USA

Alf Whitman (real-life Laurie)

Pleasant View Cemetery – Lyme, Connecticut, USA

Joan Bennett (Amy, 1933 film)

Savannah Cemetery – Savannah, Tennessee, USA

Elizabeth Patterson (Hannah, 1949 film)

Shiloh Cemetery – Shiloh, Illinois, USA

Mary Wickes (Aunt March, 1994 film)

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery – Concord, Massachusetts, USA

Louisa May Alcott (author and real-life Jo)

Abigail May Alcott (real-life Marmee)

Amos Bronson Alcott (real-life Mr. March)

Anna Alcott Pratt (real-life Meg)

John Bridge Pratt (real-life John Brooke)

Elizabeth Sewall Alcott (real-life Beth)

Henry David Thoreau (possible real-life Friedrich Bhaer)

Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park – Dallas, Texas, USA

Greer Garson (Aunt March, 1978 miniseries)

St. Leonard’s Churchyard – Hove, East Sussex, England

C. Aubrey Smith (Mr. Laurence, 1949 film)

Valhalla Memorial Park – North Hollywood, California, USA

Mabel Colcord (Hannah, 1933 film)

Westwood Village Memorial Park – Los Angeles, California, USA

Janet Leigh (Meg, 1949 film)

Cremated, Ashes Held Privately or Scattered

Frances Dee (Meg, 1933 film)

Douglass Montgomery (Laurie, 1933 film)

Peter Lawford (Laurie, 1949 film)

Patrick Troughton (Mr. March, 1970 miniseries)

Jean Anderson (Aunt March, 1970 miniseries)

Dorothy McGuire (Marmee, 1978 miniseries)

Richard Gilliland (Laurie, 1978 miniseries)

William Schallert (Mr. March, 1978 miniseries)

Virginia Gregg (Hannah, 1978 miniseries)

Angela Lansbury (Aunt March, 2017 miniseries)

Michael Gambon (Mr. Laurence, 2017 miniseries)

Sarah Y. Mason (screenwriter, 1933 and 1949 films)

Victor Heerman (screenwriter, 1933 and 1949 films)

Merian C. Cooper (producer, 1933 film)

Donated to Medical Science

Spring Byington (Marmee, 1933 film)

Unknown (Not Made Public or No Information Online)

Ladislas Wisniewski (real-life Laurie)

Richard Stapley (John Brooke, 1949 film)

Stephanie Bidmead (Marmee, 1970 miniseries)

Frederick Jaeger (Friedrich Bhaer, 1970 miniseries)

John Welsh (Mr. Laurence, 1970 miniseries)

John Neville (Mr. Laurence, 1994 film)

David Hempstead (screenwriter, 1933 film)

Elmer Bernstein (music, 1978 miniseries)

[conradscrime]

The Canonical Five: Mary Jane Kelly

April 02, 2023

Mary Jane Kelly is who is known as Jack the Ripper’s 5th and final canonical five victim, however, there is much less information known about her upbringing compared to the other four women. 

It is believed by many that the information we do know about Mary Kelly is embellished, with her having fabricated details that are known about her early life. 

The man Mary Kelly had most recently been living with before her murder was named Joseph Barnett, and he later claimed Mary had told him she was born in Limerick, Ireland around 1863 and her family had moved to Wales when she was a child. 

Supposedly Mary Kelly had told an acquaintance that she had been disowned by her parents, but she was close with her sister. It was said from Joseph and Mary’s landlady that she had come from a somewhat wealthy, good family. Joseph also claimed Mary confirmed she had seven brothers and at least one sister. 

Mary’s landlord, a man named John McCarthy claimed she had received mail from Ireland, but not regularly. It was also believed that Mary was illiterate, as Joseph claimed she would ask him to read her the newspaper reports of the Jack the Ripper killings. 

Though it’s been reported Mary had blonde or red hair, she went by the nickname of “Black Mary” suggesting she actually had quite dark hair. She also had blue eyes and some claimed to have known her as “Fair Emma.” It is estimated that Mary stood at about 5′7″ tall, and some said she was quite attractive. 

On November 10, 1888, the day after her murder,

the Daily Telegraph

described Mary as “tall, slim, fair of fresh complexion, and of attractive appearance.” 

In 1879, at around the age of 16, Mary married a coal miner named Davis or Davies who ended up getting killed 2-3 years later in a mining explosion. After this, Mary lived with a cousin in Cardiff, and this is where it is believed she started being involved in sex work. 

In 1884, Mary left Cardiff and moved to London, where she worked as a domestic servant while lodging in Crispin Street, Spitalfields. In 1885, it’s believed she moved to the district of Fitzrovia. 

Mary eventually began working in a high class brothel in the West End of London, becoming one of the most popular girls. She did quite well for herself and bought expensive clothes and hired a carriage at this time. Supposedly Mary had met a client named Francis Craig who took her to France, but she returned to London two weeks later, not having liked the France life. 

It is believed that in 1885 Mary Kelly began drinking heavily. She moved around quite a bit lodging with different women and different men around this time. 

It was on April 8, 1887, that Mary Kelly met Joseph Barnett, with the pair agreeing to live with each other after only knowing one another for a day. They lived in George Street, and soon a place called Little Paternoster Row, but were evicted for not paying rent and of drunk and disorderly conduct. 

In early 1888, the two moved into 13 Miller’s Court, a single room a the back of 26 Dorset Street, Spitalfields. Mary had lost her key to the door, so she would bolt and unbolt the door from outside, putting her hand through a broken window by the door. A neighbour claimed Mary had broken the window when she was drunk, and a man’s coat often was used to act as a curtain. 

It was said by Mary’s friend Lizzie Albrook, that Mary was sick of how she was living in 1888 and wanted to go back to Ireland. Her landlord said that she was a quiet woman when she was sober but very noisy when drunk. When Mary was drunk she often could be abusive to people, and was nicknamed “Dark Mary.” 

Joseph lost his job as a fish porter in July 1888 due to committing theft, and because of this, Mary turned back to sex work. Mary would often let other sex workers sleep in their room at night when it was really cold because she did not have it in her to refuse them shelter. 

It is believed that on October 30, 1888, Joseph moved out as him and Mary got into a fight about a sex worker named Julia sharing their room with them. Between November 1 and November 8, Joseph visited Mary almost everyday, sometimes giving her money. 

The last time Joseph visited Mary was between 7-8 pm on November 8, 1888. Joseph claimed Mary was with her friend, Maria Harvey and that he did not stay long. He also apologized to Mary for not having any money to give. It is reported that both Joseph and Maria left Miller’s Court at the same time. 

Joseph went back to his lodging house and played cards, falling asleep around 12:30 am. Before Joseph left Mary that night, her friend Lizzie Albrook also visited. Lizzie claimed Mary was sober. 

In the evening, Mary reportedly had one drink in the Ten Bells public house with a woman named Elizabeth Foster. Later on, Mary was seen drinking with two other people at the Horn of Plenty pub on Dorset Street. 

A sex worker named Mary Ann Cox, who also was a resident of Miller’s Court claimed to have seen Mary going home drunk with a stout, ginger haired man, around the age of 36 at 11:45 pm. The man was wearing a black bowler felt hat, had a thick moustache, had blotches on his face and was holding a can of beer.

Mary Ann actually had spoken to Mary Kelly, they both said goodnight. Mary Kelly then entered the room with the man. Mary Ann heard her singing the song, “A Violet from Mother’s Grave.” She was still singing when Mary Ann left her place at midnight, and when she returned an hour later around 1 am. 

Elizabeth Prater lived in the room directly above Mary Kelly. She reportedly went to bed at 1:30 am, and the singing had stopped. 

A man named George Hutchinson who knew Mary, claimed he had met up with her around 2 am on November 9, 1888 on Flower and Dean Street. Mary had asked George for a loan of sixpence, though he claimed to be broke. George said Mary Kelly walked toward the direction Thrawl Street when she was approached by a man of “Jewish appearance.” 

The man was looked to be about 34-35 years old and George said he was suspicious of him because while it did seem like Mary knew him, his appearance made him look suspicious in that particular part of town. It was also said that this man made an obvious effort to disguise his looks from George, having his hat covering over his eyes as he passed. 

George provided police with a very detailed description of said man, and told them he had overheard Mary talking with the man, complaining she had lost her handkerchief, and the mysterious man gave her a red one that he had. George heard Mary say to the man, “Alright my dear, come along. You will be comfortable.” And then the two walked into 13 Miller’s Court with George following them, though George never saw either one of them again. 

A laundress named Sarah Lewis also claimed she had been walking in the area to meet up with friends around 2:30 am, when she noticed two or three people standing near the Britannia pub, among the people was a nicely dressed young man with a dark moustache and he was talking to a woman. 

Both the man and woman appeared to be drunk and there was a poorly dressed woman standing near them. Opposite from Miller’s Court, Sarah said she saw a stout looking shorter man standing at the entrance to the courtyard. Sarah also saw an obviously drunk woman with a man further up the courtyard. 

Mary Ann returned to her room around 3 am that morning and claimed she did not hear or see any light coming from Mary Kelly’s room at the time. She did think she heard someone leaving at around 5:45 am. 

Elizabeth Prater who lived in the room above Mary Kelly and Sarah Lewis who was sleeping at 2 Miller’s Court that night both reported hearing a faint cry that said “Murder!” between 3:30 and 4 am, but didn’t do anything about it because this was common to hear cries in the area. Sarah Lewis said it was only one scream so she did not think much of it. She also claimed she did not sleep that night and heard people coming and going out of the court throughout the night. 

Elizabeth Prater said she left her room at 5:30 am to walk to the pub for a drink, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. 

On the morning of November 9, 1888, Mary’s landlord sent his assistant to collect the rent. Mary herself was 6 weeks behind, owing 29 shillings. Shortly after 10:45 am, the assistant knocked on her door but got no response. He tried to then turn the handle, but the door was locked. He looked through the keyhole but did not see anyone in the room. 

Using the broken window, he peered inside the room and found Mary Kelly, completely mutilated lying on the bed. She was estimated to have died 3-9 hours before she was discovered. 

The assistant ran to tell the landlord, and then went to inform the police. The assistant immediately told the police it was the work of Jack the Ripper. A surgeon came to look at the body, and police gave orders to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the yard (I know, impressive for 1888 police work.) 

Bloodhounds were sent in, but it appeared to be impractical. It appeared that women’s clothing had been burning, and authorities believed Mary Kelly’s clothes were burnt by the murderer to provide light so they could see what they were doing. 

Joseph Barnett identified Mary Kelly’s body, he could only identify her by the ear and her eyes due to the severe mutilation. 

The mutilation done to Mary Kelly was the most extensive of all of the Whitechapel murders, with many believing it’s due to the fact that the Ripper had more time to commit this one in a private setting. 

During the autopsy it was noted that it most likely took 2 hours to perform all of the mutilations on Mary’s body, the death was further estimated to have occurred between 2 to 8 am. 

Her body was found lying naked in the bed, her head turned on the left cheek. Her legs were left wide apart, the whole surface of the abdomen and thighs were removed and her abdominal cavity was emptied (but later said there was food found in it). Her breasts were cut off, her face was hacked beyond recognition, gashes occurring in all directions. Her ears were partly removed. 

Her neck was cut through the skin and her other tissues were cut down to the vertebrae. Her air passage was cut at the lower part of the larynx. Her heart was taken. There was also blood splatters on the wall, lining up with her cut throat.

She had a superficial cut on her thumb, which some believe was caused while she tried to defend herself from her attacker. 

It was believed during the autopsy that Mary Kelly had been killed from a slash to her throat, and the mutilations were performed after she had died. It was not believed that the murderer had any medical knowledge. 

The inquest into Mary’s death began on November 12, 1888. After testimony, the jury had a short deliberation and the verdict was that Mary Kelly had been murdered by a person or persons unknown. 

Police did house to house questioning trying to get answers as to who murdered Mary Kelly. A few people claimed to have seen Mary on the morning of November 9, after she had supposedly been murdered, though police could not find anyone to corroborate those sightings, as well as the descriptions of Mary didn’t match. 

On November 10, 1888, Mary’s murder was linked to four other murders: Mary Ann Nicholas, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, and Catherine Eddowes. There was also an offender profile made, which stated the killer was an eccentric person, who was in an extreme state of satyriasis while performing the mutilations on Mary and the four previous victims. 

There were no other similar murders after Mary Kelly’s and a lot of people believe she was the final victim of Jack the Ripper. Most believe these Whitechapel murders ended due to the killer dying or going to prison. 

Over 100 years after the Whitechapel murders, two authors named Paul Harrison and Bruce Paley theorized that Joseph Barnett, Mary’s partner, had actually murdered her during a jealous rage. They took the theory farther, stating that perhaps Joseph also murdered the other 4 canonical five, trying to scare Mary from engaging in sex work. 

Others believe Joseph did kill Mary, but only Mary and had tried to make it look like a Jack the Ripper killing to avoid being captured. The fact that Mary was found lying naked on her bed, with her clothes folded on a chair leads many to believe that her killer was someone she knew or who she thought was a client. 

Some people do not believe Mary Kelly was a victim of Jack the Ripper at all. Mary was assumed to be around 25 years old, much younger than the other victims who had all been in their 40′s. Also, her mutilations were more extensive than the other four, she was killed in a private location and her murder occurred 5 weeks from the previous killings which had all occurred within a month. 

In 1939, author William Stewart theorized that Mary might have been killed by a midwife, “Jill the Ripper” in which Mary was going to have an abortion. Stewart believed perhaps the midwife had burned her own clothes, putting on Mary’s and that’s why people the next morning believed they saw Mary after she had been killed. 

Mary Kelly was buried on November 19, 1888 in St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery in Leytonstone. None of her family members could be found to attend her funeral. The inscription on her grave reads, “In loving memory of Marie Jeanette Kelly. None but the lonely hearts can know my sadness. Love lives forever.” 

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Matt Davies

* * * *

Shame on Chief Justice Roberts! :: [Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

          Another ethics scandal rocked the Supreme Court on Wednesday—this time involving Justice Alito accepting lavish travel and lodging sponsored by the Federalist Society and underwritten by conservative billionaire Paul Singer. Before looking at the specifics, we should step back to ask how the justices came to believe they were above the law and accountable to no one. The answer to that question is complicated and multifaceted. But, in the end, there is one person on the Court responsible for enforcing ethical standards and maintaining order: Chief Justice John Roberts.

          The string of scandals spans John Roberts’s tenure as Chief Justice and includes serious ethical breaches by Thomas, Roberts, Alito, and Gorsuch (at least). It includes a hapless investigation by Roberts that seemed designed not to identify the source of the leak of the Dobb’s draft. And, of course, the biggest scandal is the reactionary majority’s repeated disregard of long-settled precedent to remove rights embedded in the Bill of Rights.

          As the public’s trust in the Supreme Court plummeted to historical lows, Roberts first hid behind a wall of silence, simply ignoring the scandals in his annual reports on the Court. When that approach became untenable, he gave milquetoast defenses of the Court, feigning shock and surprise that anyone would question the self-policing ethics of the justices. And finally, in May of this year, he tepidly acknowledged that the Court was “continuing to look at things we can do . . .  to making certain that we as a court adhere to the highest standards of conduct.”

          There is no need for Justice Roberts to “continue to look at things.” The solutions are obvious—indeed, they already exist. Justice Roberts could require the justices to comply with the Code of Conduct for United States Judges. He could investigate and (if appropriate) publicly reprimand his colleagues when they act in a manner that creates the appearance of impropriety or when they fail to recuse themselves from cases in which their impartiality can reasonably be questioned.

          In short, Chief Justice Roberts could—and should—act as the conscience of the Court. Instead, he is acting as its chief apologist and enabler for justices who see their offices as sinecures. Every scandal on the Court lies at the feet John Roberts. Until he finds a spine or a conscience (preferably, both), his reactionary colleagues will act like feudal lords in petty fiefdoms—arrogant, entitled, and accountable to no one.

          The details of Justice Alito’s scandal are maddening, especially because of his hubris and condescension in the face of damning disclosures. At the highest level, the scandal is part of the long-term effort by Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society to stage a hostile takeover of the Supreme Court. In the latest instance, the Federalist Society hosted a fishing trip to Alaska underwritten by billionaire Paul Singer. Justice Scalia was provided free transportation on a private jet, free accommodation at a lodge, and free meals. Alito reported none of this on his required disclosures. See Pro Publica, Alito Took Unreported Luxury Trip With GOP Donor Paul Singer.

          After the lavish hunting trip, Paul Singer or his companies appeared before the Supreme Court “at least 10 times in cases where his role was often covered by the legal press and mainstream media.”

          Per Pro Publica, Alito did not report the trip as required by federal law:

“Alito did not report the 2008 fishing trip on his annual financial disclosures. By failing to disclose the private jet flight Singer provided, Alito appears to have violated a federal law that requires justices to disclose most gifts, according to ethics law experts. “Experts said they could not identify an instance of a justice ruling on a case after receiving an expensive gift paid for by one of the parties.”

          The disclosures in the Pro Publica article are serious enough to warrant a public comment by Chief Justice Roberts assuring the public that the Court will investigate the allegations. Instead, the public was subjected to a preemptive op-ed by Justice Alito in The Wall Street Journal, Justice Samuel Alito: ProPublica Misleads Its Readers. (This article is accessible to everyone.)

          Justice Alito was able to publish a preemptive reply because he received written questions from Pro Publica last Friday. Rather than responding to the questions, he leaked the story by publishing the op-ed in the WSJ. (Hmm. Leaking in advance of the release of a final document. Sound familiar?)

          Justice Alito claimed that the Pro Publica article was “misleading”—despite the fact the Pro Publica article had not yet been published! He then offered a defense of accepting free airfare on a private jet by noting that he merely “occup[ied[] what would have otherwise been an unoccupied seat on a private flight to Alaska.”

          That explanation drew howls of derision and laughter, with many commentators wondering if United Airlines would begin giving away empty seats for free on the theory that the seats “would have otherwise been unoccupied.”

          An even more pernicious argument made by Alito is this: “On no occasion have we [Paul Singer and I] discussed the activities of his businesses, and we have never talked about any case or issue before the Court.”  In essence, Alito argues that because he did not commit an actual impropriety, there is no basis for the appearance of impropriety. That argument would eviscerate the rule requiring recusal in the case of the appearance of impropriety. But as set forth in Canon 2A of the Judicial Code of Conduct,

“A judge must avoid all impropriety and appearance of impropriety. This prohibition applies to both professional and personal conduct. A judge must expect to be the subject of constant public scrutiny and accept freely and willingly restrictions that might be viewed as burdensome by the ordinary citizen.”

          In allowing Alito to publish a preemptive reply to an article that had yet to be published, the WSJ editorial board committed a grievous breach of journalistic ethics. Worse, it has become complicit in the corruption and lawlessness of the Court’s reactionary majority.

          John Roberts is ineffectual or complicit, or both. The reactionary majority has flouted disclosure laws and abandoned the norms of ethics and jurisprudence. Two members of the Court were appointed illegitimately, and one member should be impeached for lying to Congress during his confirmation hearings. It is time to enlarge the Court, which is the only solution that can be achieved by a majority vote in Congress and the signature of the president.

Shame on special counsel John Durham!

          Trump's “revenge” special counsel John Durham testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. He was subjected to withering cross-examination by representatives Adam Schiff, Ted Lieu, and Eric Swalwell, among others. In addition, GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz said that Durham’s investigation was so bad that it reminded him of the “Washington Generals”—a basketball team that existed for the sole purpose of losing to the Harlem Globetrotters. Gaetz went so far as to accuse Durham of being part of an effort to cover up the alleged crimes of the FBI and DOJ.

          Adam Schiff was particularly effective in dismantling and humiliating John Durham. I urge you to watch these clips to get a flavor of Schiff’s masterful examination of Durham:

Schiff leads Durham through Mueller Report, eliciting admissions that Russia repeatedly interfered in the 2016 campaign to help Trump.

Durham retreating to the defense that "I don't really read the newspapers" to avoid answering Schiff’s questions.

          Schiff’s examination of Durham was so brutal that some commentators are claiming that Durham lied during his testimony by claiming not to remember facts (like Trump's use of stolen emails from the DNC in the 2016 campaign). See David Corn in Mother Jones, John Durham Just Made False Statements to Congress.

          Durham’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee was a good reminder of three things:

First, that the GOP effort to use the House as a hotbed of retaliatory investigations has failed spectacularly.

Second, the Mueller Report contained substantial evidence of widespread, coordinated efforts by the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election, efforts that Trump welcomed, publicly encouraged, and used as part of his campaign.

Third, Republicans shouldn’t mess with Adam Schiff. When they do, they come out on the losing end.

[chiropteracupola]

First Lines Game

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

Tagged by @sanguinarysanguinity - thank you!

Midwinter Thaw - Hornblower novels

As he stared out into the empty night, Hornblower felt the cold, sickening feeling that now haunted his days rise up in him again, shedding the cloak of exhaustion and pain that had disguised it before.

2. an honest observation - The Body Snatcher

While Wolfe Macfarlane had often returned to his lodgings expecting to meet a dead man in his sitting-room, the corpse he found there on this particular occasion was a surprise.

3. well met, my dear one - Treasure Island

For much of his life, John Trelawney had intended to die a bachelor.

4. make my bed where the bodies lie - Treasure Island

He has not got the strength to help with the burials.

5. the king shall dress in gold - Back Again Back Again

“Hold still, princess,” and Cassian holds, stiff as a sheathed blade.

6. sunlight and blue - The Flight of the Heron

The rain had been pouring down outside for some time when Keith arrived, and he had been cursing half the world for nearly as long as it had been raining.

7. everywhere I turn, I'm alone - Hornblower show

Buckland was busy with other matters, Bush still laid up in hospital, and Archie? Well, to put it truly, if bluntly, Archie was dead.

8. the destination's faded out - Treasure Island

“Stay awake for me, do.”

9. a gentler night - The Flight of the Heron

“Don’t— just breathe. Just breathe.”

10. here in your arms is cured - Kidnapped

“Ah, Davie, what should I have done, knowing that you had gone to your death for want of aid I could so easily have given you?”

I think I've definitely improved my first-line game since the last time I did a retrospective like this one, although my fondness for starting off directly with dialogue has remained! There are certainly a few here that I think could have been improved on, and that don't sound very well outside of the context of their stories, but I'm still extremely satisfied with 2 and 7 in particular.

and I'll tag... @verecunda, @dxppercxdxver, @bishakespeares, @kigiom, @annabellioncourt, @catsafari25, and anyone else who'd like to share!

[gwstprojectwomenhistory]

Marie Curie (1867-1934) Noble Prize in both Physics and Chemistry, Discovered Polonium & Radium

Maria Salomea Sklodowska was born in Warsaw, Poland on November 7th, 1867. Being the youngest of 5 children and her parents both being teachers, their living circumstances were rough due to the family losing their money and land during the Polish national uprisings, specifically the January Uprising of 1863. Despite these shortcomings, Maria and her family did their best to survive and peruse academics. Her father Wladyslaw taught physics and math, but due to the Russians eliminating laboratory schools he taught Maria and the others at their home. Wladyslaw lost his job, and bad investing left the family no choice but to house lodging boys for an income. Her mother Bronislawa died of Tuberculosis in 1878, Maria was just 10 years old. She started attending a boarding school shortly after, and once she left the school her oldest sibling died of typhus. She became a governess as her father could not support her anymore, and due to her being a woman she could not peruse a higher education in Poland.  Her sister Bronislawa married a Polish physician and they offered Maria to come to Paris with them. She agreed but did not have the funds to pursue an education there, so she continued working as a governess and tutor into she finally managed to move to Paris in 1891.

She enrolled at Sorbonne University studying mathematics and physics, and meet her husband Pierre Curie a physics professor in 1894, they got married and Maria adopted the French localization of her name Marie, her name now being Marie Curie. The two shared a deep passion for learning, the both of them became researchers at the School of Chemistry and Physics in Paris. Together they researched uranium's invisible rays, which lead Marie to become interested in radioactivity. She found that Pitchblende, a mineral with uranium in it was more radioactive than uranium itself, which lead to her discovering a completely new chemical element. Using this mineral and dissolving it in acid allowed the different elements to separate, which is how she found the element Polonium. Besides polonium, she also discovered a liquid that separated from the Pitchblende, another new element. Pierre and Marie published their findings and called this new element radium. Due to the both of them working with chemicals, they both fell ill from radiation sickness, despite this Marie went on to get her Doctorate in Science in 1903. She also was awarded a Noble Prize in Physics the same year for her discoveries and later another Noble Prize in Chemistry for her work with radium in 1911. With Pierre passing in 1906, she took his position of Professor of General Physics, being the first woman in the position. She also was appointed to Director of the Curie Laboratory of the University of Paris in 1914.

Her work with radiation helped develop X-ray technology which helped soldiers in WW1, and her work caused U.S. President Hoover to donate $50k to help keep radium available. After WW1 ended, she went back to lab work and sadly passed away from Aplastic anemia due to radiation exposure on July 4th, 1934. She gained a plethora of awards and achievements throughout her life. Although I only covered a few, here are all the awards she won.

1903: Noble Prize in Physics & Davy Medal

1904: Matteucci Medal

1907: Actonian Prize

1909: Elliot Cresson Medal

1910: Albert Medal

1911: Noble Prize in Chemistry

1921: John Scott Legacy Medal & Premium, Willard Gibbs Award, and the Benjamin Franklin Medal

For more information of Marie Curie:

If you're interested in Polish history might I suggest checking out:

Time Log: 01:10:17