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Deep Shit Welcome to Deep Shit America. Please be advised that your welcome is brought to you courtesy of the millions of Americans who-- incredulously --bought into the rightwing, batshit, bullshit machine that will send Donald J. Trump back to the White House-- again --on January 20, 2025. When they were filling out those ballots, did they really believe that Trump's tariffs on foreign goods would lower their cost of living? How would that work, exactly? With steep tariffs in place, the shit China sells to Walmart, for example, will only be more expensive for Walmart customers to buy. Did they not think of that on election day?  And how about the undocumented immigrants who, in 2022, paid almost $100 billion in local, state and federal taxes, not to mention the tax withholdings from their paychecks ? Do the Trump-supporters really think that the billions of dollars lost from the Trump Administration's mass deportation of immigrants--not to mention the loss of man (and woman)
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 The Spooky Finale (The End) It feels as though I've been on an Italian kick this month. We've been consuming vast amounts of pasta, pizza, chicken parm, chicken marsala, cannoli's, and tomorrow we're meeting friends for lunch in Palm Beach at yet another Italian restaurant. After looking at this month's posts, I see that I've been consuming a significant number of Italian horror movies, too. Just when you thought I was done with spaghetti horrors, along comes Dario Argento's 1975 classic, Deep Red (aka Profondo Rosso ). If you're at all familiar with 20th Century horror films, or the disreputable genre known as giallo, you've undoubtedly heard Argento's name mentioned, even if you haven't seen his work ( Bird with the Crystal Plumage , Cat O'Nine Tails , Suspiria , Inferno , Tenebrae , Mother of Tears , Opera ). Deep Red is, by most accounts, the pinnacle--or at least one of the pinnacles--of the illustrious director's (lately uneve
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The Spooky Finale (1 of 2) Just a few more days to go until Halloween! We have our two Pottery Barn jack-o-lanterns perched on the ledge above the stairs but that's about as far as we've taken the decorating this year. We keep the holiday accessories to a minimum since our condo is already maximally overcrowded with bookshelves, bureaus, stands and pictures. The minimalists we know may not be fans of our place, but it is warm, comfortable and clean, and that's what matters most to us. Personally, I need to be surrounded by books, movies and art, and there's a plethora of all that in our house (although I use the term "art" loosely for some of our paintings). Before I get started on these final few films of my 2024 Halloween film festival, I think it bears saying that the scary movies I've mentioned on this blog do not constitute a comprehensive list of everything I've watched since October 1; I just don't have time to go into   the details of  eve
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Spooky, Part Trois As we, ever-so-slowly, make our way towards October's finale, I find myself wondering what the hell is taking so long. I can't recall a month ever dragging on like this. As I've stated many times before, I love October and the Halloween season, it's my favorite time of year. Except this year it's different. The build-up to the 2024 election has been a constant source of concern. While DJT is flipping fries (and his lid) at McDonald's, Kamala's people are trying to guilt me into donating more money to their campaign. Seriously, who do they think they're dealing with here? I am  retired . I wasn't planning on spending my entire savings on a single election, although they wouldn't hesitate to take it if given the opportunity. Look, I get it. Losing this election is not an option. There is democracy and there is Donald Trump. That's it. In no known universe are those two things compatible. Think about it: Democracy or Donald Tr
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 Still the Spooky Season It's the middle of October and we're continuing our Halloween Film Festival as the weather turns cooler and--yes--spookier. We've finally been able to open the doors and windows and air out the house for the first time since last April. With occasional gusts flowing through the house at a brisk 20-25 mph (according to the local weather lady), we've had to batten down anything likely to become airborne. C has already wrapped himself up in a light blanket because that's what happens when the temperature drops below 75. The overcast sky only adds to the delicious feel that my favorite season is here! I am loving this! Not so much am I loving being besieged by incessant political ads that make turning on the TV a terrifying ordeal in itself. Ditto for the bombardment of texts and emails from desperate politicians begging for money, money, money. We've already donated, we've already voted (by mail), and we're already done with this wh
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