FanFare

The Jungle, novel by Upton Sinclair, published serially in 1905 and as a single-volume book in 1906. The most famous, influential, and enduring of all muckraking novels, The Jungle was an exposé of conditions in the Chicago stockyards. Because of the public response, the U.S. Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in 1906, and conditions in American slaughterhouses were improved. [more inside]
posted by aniola on May 24, 2020 - 5 comments

The Shadow War ends at Coriana VI. "Pour it on, Mr. Lennier. Take us into the fire." [more inside]
posted by flibbertigibbet on Mar 23, 2019 - 7 comments

[all-spoilers!] The crew have to steal Babylon 4 and save Sheridan from his time slippage. "Let us make an end of it quickly, before it stops me. I am as tired of my life as you are." [more inside]
posted by flibbertigibbet on Dec 22, 2018 - 6 comments

We return to Babylon 4, in the past... because they have received a message from the future: Babylon 5 will be destroyed by a Shadow fleet in 8 days. "He is the closed circle. He is returning to the beginning." and "Zathras understand. ... ... No. Zathras not understand. But Zathras do! Zathras good at doings, not understandings." and "Welcome back from the abyss. Your timing, as always, is quite exceptional. Just in time to die." [more inside]
posted by flibbertigibbet on Dec 16, 2018 - 5 comments

This week....

• President Trump appoints to the head of the VA his White House doctor.
• Egypt has a Presidential election, the winner of which will almost certainly be strongman Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, since one of his opponents was arrested and three more intimidated into withdrawing. His only opponent, Mousa Mostafa Mousa, was a supporter of his!
• Sinclair Media Group's continued efforts to turn local news into Fox News 2, including must runs trying to push the idea of a "deep state" working against Trump, and trying to push an idea that national media outlets push fake stories. (Links below fold.)
• And Now: Baseball's Back, And Local News Knows Exactly What That Means. (It means weird concession food.)
• Main Story: Immigration Courts, which are a complete mess. One judge said of them, "In essence we're doing death penalty cases in a traffic court setting." Furthermore, they're not criminal courts but civil courts, meaning many guarantees, such as for legal council, are not available, and they're not part of the Judicial Branch, but instead, of the Executive Branch, and Jeff Sessions can in fact review cases himself. In some, children as young as three are actually asked to represent themselves before a judge. Just to drive home how stupid that is, LWT produced a bit of a court show in which everyone but the defendant (H. Jon Benjamin!) is three or four: Tot Bench.

Here's the main story on YouTube (18m). [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Apr 2, 2018 - 4 comments

[major arc] Two "Knights" kidnap Sinclair and force him to relive his memories of the last battle of the Earth-Minbari war, as they are convinced he is a collaborator or spy. "I know you. I know who you are. I know you." and "What do you want?" [more inside]
posted by flibbertigibbet on Feb 5, 2018 - 9 comments

• Trump's travel ban is partially-reinstated by the Supreme Court in anticipation of its upcoming full review to not affect refugees with a "credible claim of a bona-fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States," which Trump's State Department took the opportunity to define narrowly to immediate and a select few extended family members, not including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or brothers or sisters-in-law. YouTube (5m partial)
• And Now: CBS 2 Meteorologist John Elliott Engages in a Bit Too Much Self-Deprecation
• Main Story: The dangers posed by Sinclair ownership of television stations filling local news reports with Fox News-style propaganda, including "must run" conservative pieces. LWT produced a short piece that Tribune stations that might be acquired by Sinclair could air to warn viewers about upcoming biased content that may appear there. YouTube (19m)
• News that Rachel Maddow bought a wax figure of President Eisenhower from the closed Hall of Presidents and First Ladies in Gettysburg, Steven Colbert bought Zachary Taylor, Jon Steward bought Martin Van Buren, and LWT bought five President statues: Nixon, Clinton, Carter, Harrison and Warren G. Harding, that last one of which became the main character of a movie trailer LWT made, with Campbell Scott, Anna Kendrick, Michael McKean, James Cromwell and Laura Linney. YouTube (9m)

[more inside]
posted by JHarris on Jul 6, 2017 - 8 comments