By Joel S. Dzodin / Tel Aviv EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a time of unprecedented political turmoil in Israel. For the past 15 weeks, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have protested across the country, opposed to the extreme weakening of the country’s court system proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition government. The protestors argue that the Netanyahu government's proposed judicial overhaul endangers democracy itself in Israel. Joel Dzodin, who lives in Holon, a suburb of Tel Aviv, has been part of those protest crowds for some ten different weeks. Luckily for Insider readers, Joel, who graduated from Oak Park High School in 1969, is also an accomplished photographer whose work has appeared in this publication several times before: Bibi—Go Home! Could It Happen Here? The View of the U.S. Capitol from Israel Long Before Black Lives Matter, There Was the Poor People’s Campaign What follows are Joel’s pictures and words detailing the protests. Explains Joel, “Since making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel) in 2005, I've been protesting certain government actions even before Netanyahu's government came into power, both by participating in actual organized demonstrations as well as on social media. I've always used my photography as a vehicle of expression and documentation.” Joel says of participating in the protests, “It's been very inspiring because the number of protesters against the so-called judicial reforms have steadily increased. I have seen a wide spectrum of young and old turning out to try and save the democratic character of Israel. I've been inspired by the range of speakers, who have been religious, non-religious, business leaders and everyday students, who are united in trying to prevent this legal nightmare." Like many observers, Joel sees strong similarities between Netanyahu and Donald Trump. “I think of them as two peas in the same pod,” he says. “Far and away, Netanyahu is much more intelligent than Trump. But they both very effectively know how to appeal to and energize their respective base of supporters. More than any other Israeli public figure, Bibi has done more to damage national social cohesion, demonizing and marginalizing those he sees as enemies, which includes people like me.” The Insider thanks Joel for bringing our readers to the front line of these historic events! The photographs in this visual essay were taken over the period of several months, from January 14 to March 18, as discontent and anger throughout Israel grew over the current government's feverish moves to radically alter Israel's judiciary. The current coalition spearheading these changes is the most regressive government we've had since the establishment of the state in 1948. If  you want to understand the strength, fear, and motivations of the protesters against the Netanyahu government, there are a few key points to keep in mind. The political system we have here necessitates coalitions, which by nature are opportunistic and represent a hodgepodge of narrow, special interest groups with their own specific agendas. Under this system, smaller parties currently need to win at least four seats in the Knesset, Israel's unicameral parliament. The problem is that under such a system, these small parties then have the potential to wield inordinate power and influence (if invited into the coalition), pushing for radical decisions that polls show are rejected by a majority of the population. Unlike the U.S. and the U.K., we don't have a mature and time-tested system of checks-and-balances in Israel, except for our current Supreme Court, the independence of which is being threatened by efforts to cripple its autonomy to serve as a check in governance. Adding to our difficulties, we lack a formal constitution. The country has been able to hobble by for 70-plus years using something called "The Basic Law," under which ethically problematic practices continue, such as the policy of "administrative detention," where there are no trials or formal charges brought against those incarcerated on suspicion of terrorism, sometimes for long periods of time. There is widespread sentiment that Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu et al. are deliberately trying to emasculate the Supreme Court as a means of dismissing the outstanding corruption charges against Bibi. While coalition supporters and spokespeople are trying very hard to portray their judicial overhaul platform as a clear Left vs. Right issue, in fact it's evident that opposition against these changes and the manner in which they are being ramrodded through cuts across all sectors of Israeli society. The protesters, who have assembled week after week no matter how inclement the weather, are pushing back against what they see as an unprecedented effort by the Likud Party-based coalition to alter the essential character of the state, taking it far from the vision of its founders, and trampling on the exhortations for equality for all people that was enshrined in Israel's Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948. Update by the author on April 16th Israel has been rocked by terrorist attacks that have resulted in numerous deaths and casualties, each one having galvanized the nation in shock and grief. On February 26, two brothers (Hillel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19) were attacked and killed in the Palestinian town of Huwara. This resulted in a counterattack by Israeli settlers on that same town the following day. On April 7, a mother and two daughters were attacked and shot in their vehicle. The two daughters (Rina Dee, 16, and Maia Dee, 20) were killed and their mother (Lucy Dee) succumbed to her injuries later in the week. Subsequently, on the same day, an Italian tourist and seven others were wounded in a ramming attack at Tel Aviv's beach promenade. These tragedies have polarized the rhetoric between Right and Left in calling for an appropriate response. It's sad but inevitable that these deaths and injuries would harden the political discourse regarding their cause and necessary solutions and responses. There are calls to unify the nation but how are we to do this? From my perspective, and from millions of others like me who've been demonstrating against the proposed changes to our judiciary, the only solution to this dire situation is that Netanyahu must exit the scene, and those Likud members who haven't ingested the Kool-Aid must find the courage to speak up and act. They and others not mired in the far-right nationalistic and theocratic camp must put the interests of the nation above their own personal political and ideological pipe dreams. For readers who want to delve more deeply into why the program of judicial reforms here is so contentious, I would offer several recent resources: Mandelblit: Looming constitutional crisis will end Israel’s place in ‘family of nations’ Corruption, Extreme Goals, and This Government: Inextricably Linked by Shulamit S. Magnus (historian) Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of Chaos by Ruth Margalit Israeli Protest Photo Essay by Joel S. Dzodin All photos copyright Joel S. Dzodin, 2023 Joel Dzodin is a former Detroiter now living in Israel. At different points in his life he has worked as an archaeologist, an IT Help Desk guy, and an online English teacher to adults around the world. Photography has long been a major passion and theme in his life, since taking his first photos at the age of 6, using a Kodak box camera. A lot of Joel’s photographs focus on the small unexamined details of everyday life, such as the beauty of minute water condensation that forms on cold bottles in the hot Israeli weather. During Joel’s time in Israel, he has been fortunate to photograph the activities of the NGO PeacePlayers International, Middle East, witnessing firsthand how authentic friendships can be forged between Jews and Arabs despite long-standing and severe religious, cultural and ideological barriers. He is an inveterate hoarder of technological antiques, so that his young children once referred to his home office as "The NASA Control Room." One of Joel’s major pleasures during normal times is to wander the fields and trails of Israel, stumbling over prehistoric and historic evidence of previous human settlement. During the pandemic, he has had to occupy himself at home by shooting portraits of ants and spiders also sheltering in place, using a mid-1970s Nikon close-up lens adapted for today's digital cameras. Today, Joel lives near Tel Aviv with his wife Susanne, whom he met on a kibbutz in 1975. They have two adult children, one living in the U.S. and the other in Israel. During the pandemic lockdowns, he has practiced social distancing outside with his three grandchildren, two of whom are already speaking English.

By Steve Cash / Detroit Los Angeles was the premier destination in the 1970s for young would-be comics It was a September morning in 1977. My girlfriend Donna was leaving my home when she made this memorable remark, "Steve, I want to start dating other people.” I was devastated, totally blindsided. After a night of panic, I went to her house to beg her to reconsider. She left the room and I started snooping. I saw a Hallmark card on her dresser, a picture of two people kissing at sunrise. The inscription read, "When the morning breaks, I think of you,” Love, Henry. Her comment that she wanted to "start" dating other people came to mind. Obviously, she had already begun. To add insult to injury, she didn’t leave me for a doctor or a lawyer; she worked at a Chatham supermarket and left me for the produce manager. It was that moment I decided to move to L.A. to try and become a stand-up comic. I have always been able to make people laugh and thought I would give it a try. A few days later, I got in my 1974 Gremlin and took off for fame and fortune. I arrived in Los Angeles on September 20th and moved in to with my cousin Larry. I hadn't seen Larry in many years, but he was kind enough to let me stay there. Larry was a lot different than me. I am hyper, fast- talking and fast-thinking; Larry was laid-back, philosophical and for some reason had an empty coffin in his living room. Because I was not paying to stay there, I was unable to question the reason for the coffin. Not knowing how to start my career, I decided to pick up a copy of Variety magazine, the “Showbiz Bible" at the time. A small ad caught my eye. Chuck Barris, the creator of The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, was holding auditions for his new program, The Gong Show. I called and set up an audition for the following day, in the same Burbank Studios that housed The Tonight Show. That night, I wrote a five-minute comedy routine based on looking young and my diminutive stature. When I arrived at Burbank Studios, I performed my act for Mr. Barris. He was a fun-loving, middle-aged Jewish man, with a charismatic personality. After I finished my act, he praised me with the following words: "A man after my own heart!" He told me I had made the cut and would be taping The Gong Show on the following Friday. I had only been in Los Angeles for two days, and already I was going to be on television. I arrived at the studios for taping on Friday. I stood backstage in total fear. I hadn’t really performed live since my sixth grade talent show, where three friends and I had lip-synced "All My Loving" by the Beatles, and I was about to go on stage with a live audience of 500 people and millions more on TV. The Gong Show was a talent competition, much like America's Got Talent, but you could be "gonged" by the judges if they didn't like your act, and you would be disqualified. The curtain opened, and instinct took over. I raced through my jokes without being gonged. My competitors were a belly dancer, a singer and a mime. The judges were Jamie Farr from M*A*S*H*, Artie Johnson from Laugh-In and singer Jaye P. Morgan. When the competition was over, they voted me the winner. I won $500 and flatware. As the crowd cheered, I basked in my glory. I had only been in L.A. a few days and doggone it if I wasn’t in show business! At least that's what I thought. The author enjoyed a glorious victory on "The Gong Show" in 1977 When the show was over, a writer on the show stopped me and said he enjoyed my act. He was from Southfield, Mich., close to my hometown. We had an immediate connection. He advised me to go to the Comedy Store–the elite comedy club at the time–and ask Mitzi Shore, the owner, if she would hire me as a doorman. The idea was to work as a doorman initially and hone my act until I was ready to go on to the main stage. After working there for three weeks, my plan was working perfectly. I had built-up my act into a 10-minute comedy set. After much begging and pleading, Mitzi finally agreed to put me on the schedule. My excitement and anticipation could not be measured. But as I waited to go on, my worst nightmare occurred. Taking the stage right before me was budding superstar David Letterman. Letterman brought down the house with brilliant jokes and split-second ad libs. Unfortunately, I was scheduled to follow. To say I bombed was an understatement. Not only was no one laughing, but I heard harder breathing from my uncle at his funeral. I walked off stage with my confidence totally shot. In an act of what can only be labeled as severely self-destructive, I asked Mitzi her opinion of how I did. In a whining and annoying voice, she responded, "You got a long way to go, I mean a looooong way to go". Mustering up all the courage I could find, I said, "Maybe I do Mitzi, but I am going to make it.” I thought she would admire my determination and moxie. I was proven wrong when I showed up the next day for work, and my timecard was missing. I didn't know then, but later learned that Nobody Disputes Mitzi's Opinion. In one day, I had gone from the being a rising star (in my mind), to being an out-of-work doorman. The next year-and-a-half were spent trying to work my way back into the Comedy Store. I had convinced myself that the only way back into the world of comedy was through Mitzi's good graces. I worked several other clubs during that time to try and improve my material and stage presence During the day, I worked for ABC Deliver Service, delivering scripts and other items to studios and stars’ homes. My client list included Kenny Rogers, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain from Mission Impossible, Betty Davis ( I delivered flowers to her from the studio on her 70th birthday), Marshall Brickman, co-writer of Annie Hall with Woody Allen, and my childhood crush, Natalie Wood. To pass the time, I hung around with two other showbiz hopefuls from Oak Park, Mich., my hometown: Doug Fieger, who later became the lead singer of the group, The Knack and co-writer of the classic rock hit, "My Sharona,” and David Weiss, member of the funk ’80s band, Was (Not Was), who later proved himself as a prolific writer and music producer. I continued to visit clubs to watch and learn from the very best, comedy greats such as Jay Leno, George Miller, Michael Keaton, Richard Pryor and Robin Williams. Although I enjoyed their acts and brilliant takes and observations, it became crystal clear to me that I was not in their league. Although I was a good writer, I never mastered the stage presence that they possessed. Being lonely and without a support system, I seriously thought of going home to Detroit. Then an unexpected thing happened. While taking a trip by train to Las Vegas, I saw a beautiful girl standing with her family at the station. When I got on the train, she was sitting right behind me. We started talking and spent the rest of the train ride to Vegas together. By the time we arrived at the station in Vegas, I was in love. Her name was Mary, and she was from L.A. We made a plan to meet when we got home to Los Angeles and began what was to become a 10-month relationship. She went club to club with me as I tried to work my way back onto the stage at the Comedy Store. I called Mitzi Shore several times, but to no avail. In June of 1979, I made a decision that changed my life. The plan was to come back to Detroit for three months, work in my old job in real estate, make some money and then come back to L.A. and Mary to continue following my dream. The night before I left (in what I believed an effort to keep me there), Mary said the words that most men would die to hear, "Only you know how to make love to me.” With those words of encouragement ringing in my ears, I left for Detroit, fully intending to return. After returning to Detroit, I attempted to contact Mary numerous times. Finally, after two weeks, she answered and informed me that she had moved in with a downstairs neighbor in my apartment building. I had come full circle. I went to L.A. because of a lost love and returned to Detroit only for it happen again. I thought of Mary’s words, "only you know how to make love to me,” and can only surmise that the new guy had been a quick learner. Don't feel bad for me, because as they say, "it’s always darkest before the dawn.” I never became a stand-up comedian, but was able to continue and thrive in my career in real estate. I met a wonderful woman, had three children and 40 years later, am living a pretty wonderful life. Although I did not achieve fame and fortune, for what it's worth, I’d like to think that I’ve used this talent to make people laugh and bring some joy into their lives. If I could give any advice to someone trying to get into show business and not make the same mistakes I did, it would be the following: In my mind, the only way to succeed was through the acceptance of a single person, but as singer Jim Croce wrote in the song, "I Got a Name": Like the fool I am, and I'll always be, I've got a dream, I've got a dream, They can change their minds, but they can't change me, I've got a dream, I've got a dream. Stay true to yourself. Steve Cash is originally from Oak Park, Mich. He is a longtime real estate agent who used to do stand-up comedy in L.A. His claim to fame was winning The Gong Show in 1977, and working at the Comedy Store with such greats as David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Michael Keaton. After watching those brilliant comics perform, Steve realized he’d better make a beeline back to Detroit and get back into real estate. Steve has had articles published in a number of publications and enjoys writing and trying to make people laugh.

Jeffrey D. Sachs | April 17, 2023 | New World Economy US foreign policy is based on an inherent contradiction and fatal flaw. The aim of US foreign policy is a US-dominated world, in which the US writes the global trade and financial rules, controls advanced technologies, maintains militarily supremacy, and dominates all potential competitors. Unless US foreign policy is changed to recognize the need for a multipolar world, it will lead to more wars, and possibly World War III. The inherent contradiction in US foreign policy is that it conflicts with the UN Charter, which commits the US (and all other UN member states) to a global system based on UN institutions in which no single country dominates. The fatal flaw is that the US has just 4 percent of the world population, and lacks the economic, financial, military, and technological capacities, much less the ethical and legal claims, to dominate the other 96 percent. At the end of World War II, the US was far ahead of the rest of the world in economic, technological, and military power. This is no longer the case, as many countries have built their economies and technological capacities. President Emmanuel Macron recently spoke the truth when he said that the European Union, though an ally of the US, does not want to be a vassal of the US. He was widely attacked in the US and Europe for uttering this statement because many mediocre politicians in Europe depend on US political support to stay in power. In 2015, US Ambassador Robert Blackwill, an important US foreign policy strategist, described US grand strategy with exceptional clarity. He wrote, “Since its founding, the United States has consistently pursued a grand strategy focused on acquiring and maintaining preeminent power over various rivals, first on the North American continent, then in the Western hemisphere, and finally globally,” and argued that “preserving U.S. primacy in the global system ought to remain the central objective of U.S. grand strategy in the twenty-first century.” To sustain US primacy vis-à-vis China, Blackwill laid out a game plan that President Joe Biden is following. Among other measures, Blackwill called on the US to create “new preferential trading arrangements among U.S. friends and allies to increase their mutual gains through instruments that consciously exclude China,” “a technology-control regime” to block China’s strategic capabilities, a build-up of “power-political capacities of U.S. friends and allies on China’s periphery,” and strengthened U.S. military forces along the Asian rimlands despite any Chinese opposition. Most US politicians and many in Britain, the EU, Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand support the United States’ aggressive approach. I do not. I view the US approach to China as contrary to the UN Charter and peace. China has the right to prosperity and national security, free from US provocations around its borders. China’s remarkable economic accomplishments since the late 1970s are wonderful for both China and the world. During the long century from 1839 to 1949, China was driven into extreme poverty in a period marked by European and Japanese invasions of China and Chinese civil wars. Britain invaded in 1839 to force China to buy Britain’s addictive opium. Other powers piled on during the following century. China has finally recovered from that disastrous period, and in the process, ended poverty of around 1 billion people! China’s new prosperity can be both peaceful and productive for the world. China’s successful technologies – ranging from vital cures for malaria to low-cost solar power and efficient 5G networks – can be a boon for the world. China will only be a threat to the extent that the US makes China into an enemy. US hostility to China, which mixes the arrogant US aim of dominance with long-standing anti-Chinese racism dating back to the 19th century, is creating that enemy. The dangers of US foreign policy extend beyond China. The US goal to expand NATO to Ukraine and Georgia, thereby surrounding Russia in the Black Sea, helped stoke the Ukraine War. Countless nations see the danger of this approach. Major nations from Brazil to India and beyond aim for a multipolar world. All UN member states should recommit to the UN Charter and oppose claims of dominance by any nation. Translations and global syndication: South Africa, The Daily Maverick, April 13: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2023-04-13-we-live-in-a-multipolar-world-and-us-foreign-policy-must-adapt-to-recognise-that/ Guyana, Stabroek News, April 14: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2023/04/14/features/the-need-for-a-new-us-foreign-policy/ Read the pdf Jordan, The Jordan Times, April 15: http://www.jordantimes.com/opinion/jeffrey-d-sachs/need-new-us-foreign-policy Brazil, Valor Globo, April 17: https://valor.globo.com/opiniao/coluna/jeffrey-sachs-a-necessidade-de-uma-nova-politica-externa-americana-sembarreira.ghtml https://www.jeffsachs.org/newspaper-articles/globalbankingcrisis-nwe

By John Rolfe / Red Hook, N.Y. Just when you thought the battle over banning books couldn't get more absurd, it does. The Republican-dominated state legislature in Missouri has proposed de-funding public libraries, after librarians and their supporters sued to block a recent law that criminalized the “distribution” of books that conservatives deem indecent or obscene. Meanwhile, in Texas, the Commissioner’s Court in Llano County considered closing the system’s three branch libraries after a federal judge ordered that 17 books, including 12 for kids, be restored to its shelves. The works, which include — surprise! — topics such as race and gender identity, had been removed after some members of the community and library board complained that they were “pornographic filth” and “CRT and LGBTQ books.” Among the titles were Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen; Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents; and They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group. On April 13, with protestors gathered outside, the county board voted unanimously to keep the branches open. But don’t be fooled. The vote only keeps the branches available to the public pending an appeal of the judge’s ruling. Seven residents have sued the county, claiming their First and 14th Amendment rights were violated by Republican lawmakers who had the books removed. On April 27, the commission will hold a hearing to determine if sanctions are warranted against defendants — public officials including the county judge, commissioners, library board members and the library systems director — who failed to appear for depositions. The GOP is being accused of showboating for the sake of courting its radical right MAGA base, which demands a Fahrenheit 451 approach to literature it finds offensive or capable of making someone feel uncomfortable. The central question here is: Should a minority of offended citizens be allowed to determine what the rest of us and our kids can read or view and where we can have access to it? If the concern is really about children being exposed to inappropriate adult subjects, a fair solution is already in place: parents, guardians and current library policies. Based on my own research and conversations with librarians, it’s important to understand that policing by library staff of what minors read is forbidden by professional standards. It is the responsibility of parents or guardians to monitor their children’s use of public materials. Many libraries have age requirements as well as special cards for kids that are restricted to juvenile materials. But if a child wants something outside of that area, a library is hard pressed to deny it. This is an oft-discussed issue among professionals. One solution has been to let a parent decide. But if a parent is not present, it is difficult for a librarian to say no. For example, some parents teach their children that dinosaurs and moon landings have never existed. Should a librarian really deny a child a book about the Apollo missions? How would that librarian even know the parents’ beliefs? If a parent does not trust that their child will select books that meet their approval, they shouldn’t allow the kid to use a public library on their own. Libraries also have policies on collection development that include factors such as demand, veracity, value in terms of balance and variety, and cost. Librarians don’t have time to read every book before it is purchased, so they have to rely on trusted sources such as Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal for vetting purposes. But that is not good enough for many on the right these days. Calls for bans are more common in highly conservative communities, especially in rural areas, but librarians everywhere find controversial books angrily shoved off shelves (in one case, a children’s biography of Covid policy lightning rod Dr. Anthony Fauci), turned face-down, and deliberately hidden from sight. By many accounts — in keeping with America’s current political demographics — the majority of patrons welcome books, including ones for children, that are inclusive in terms of race, ability, family structure, and gender. Yet some people seethe when they see these books on the shelves or learn they are in school libraries and seek action. GOP legislatures are only too happy to help these days, even if it means crippling the vital services libraries provide for their communities. One of the more ridiculous cases is that of author Jerry Craft, my friend and former colleague at Sports Illustrated for Kids, whom I wrote about here in November 2021. His popular, funny, highly-acclaimed and award-winning graphic novels. New Kid, Class Act and School Trip have made him a constant target of right-wing “investigations” and bans. Jerry’s books are based on his own life as a Black man and the father of two sons, but he’s been receiving hate mail and accusations of being “mentally ill” and trying to “indoctrinate” a generation of kids. Indoctrinate them to what? Respect, empathy and understanding? If you would like a brilliant look at other literary targets of the right-wing as well as a thoughtful analysis of banning attempts that continue to hit all-time highs in numbers, read Jessie Siegel’s 2021 piece for The Insider. Right-wingers usually claim that bigotry is not a factor in their behavior. In Llano, the cost of litigation ($100,000 and counting in a system with a budget of $450,000) is cited as the main reasoning behind the possible shutdown. The library board claims the books were removed under its usual “weeding” process and a local judge in the case claims they can still be checked out. The federal judge noted that they are neither on shelves nor in the system’s catalog. And it is rather suspicious how such drastic actions in Texas and Missouri were attempted immediately after book bans were challenged. No matter the ultimate outcome in those cases, I’ll be shocked if there aren’t more incidents like this in the future. It’s just bitterly ironic as well as ridiculous that the self-proclaimed party of freedom and its followers are working so hard to limit the freedoms of others. That includes the freedom to understand people via literary access to their points of view and experiences. John Rolfe is a former senior editor for Sports Illustrated for Kids, a longtime columnist for the Poughkeepsie Journal/USA Today Network, and author of The Goose in the Bathroom: Stirring Tales of Family Life. His school bus drivin’ blog “Hellions, Mayhem and Brake Failure” is parked on his website Celestialchuckle.com (https://celestialchuckle.com) with the meter running.

By Bonnie Fishman / San Francisco Bay Area “I would quit carbs, but I’m no quitter –Anonymous dieter Offer many folks a plate of pasta, a bowl of rice, or a panini and the answer is, “No, thank you. I don’t eat carbs, let alone gluten“ (for God’s sake!). Starch, especially wheat, is the enemy to many who are trying to keep their waistlines in check. Others say they have a gluten intolerance. Carb-avoidance seems to be one food trend that has staying power. The low-carb fad began in 1972 with Dr. Robert Atkins, when he published his mega-bestseller, Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution. He recommended that to lose weight, one should eat a high-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. Six books, as well as a line of prepared food available in grocery stores, and several Atkins’ low-carb, weight-loss programs followed. During the 1990s and 2000s, there was a resurgence of the low-carb eating approach that is still in progress, and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. Add the two years of the pandemic when many people who were stuck at home decided to learn (and eat!) to make bread. Is there anything more comforting that a hot loaf of homemade bread slathered with butter? I do want to note that celiac disease is a serious ailment and I don’t want to make light of how deadly gluten is to those afflicted. However, celiac sufferers make up only 1 percent of the population and only 6-7 percent of them have gluten intolerance. This article is not about them. In a community of health-conscious residents, carbs are not dead in Santa Monica, Calif., a swanky, upscale Los Angeles community where many women run around town in yoga pants and athletic gear. I was just there, visiting my son Ben and his family. One sunny afternoon, we walked to what he has named, “Carb Corner.” In Santa Monica, let’s not forget! Four shops in a row were flaunting carbs, many made with white flour, no less! There were lines out the door and many of the outdoor tables were filled with diners sinking their teeth into bagels, pizza, sour dough toast topped with avocado and fried eggs, and croissants bursting with chocolate. Don’t ask. A foodie’s dream. A gluten-free zealot’s nightmare. I spent Sunday morning at the Mar Vista Farmers’ Market with my son and grandsons. Of course, the boys were interested in croissant eating rather than buying produce. After surveying the bakery landscape, we decided on a very popular L.A. patisserie, Laurent’s Le Coffee Shop, out of Culver City. Our selection? One plain, one chocolate, and one almond. They did not disappoint. We also stumbled on a relatively new bakery, Mamala’s Mandel Bread, selling mostly regular flour “Jewish biscotti.” The owner, Joan, says that they do sell about 10 percent gluten-free products. Business is swift despite their white flour carbs. Good for them! I would be doing an injustice if I didn’t talk about good carbohydrates. According to healthline.com, “Carbohydrates are not an ‘essential’ nutrient. However, many carb-rich plant foods are loaded with beneficial nutrients.” Processed carbohydrates add nothing to one’s health. These are white flour, sugar, pasta, and non-whole-grain breads. The carbs we should focus on are whole grains, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods contain necessary fiber, vitamins, and nutrients. All that being said, I eat carbs. I eat white flour. There, I said it out loud! I know that white flour adds nothing nutritional to your body, empty calories, if you will. However, I’m very strategic about my flour consumption. I begin most days with fresh fruit and Greek yogurt or cottage cheese before my swim. Raw almonds and dates follow the workout. Lunch is a huge bowl of greens, a piece of fruit, assorted chopped veggies, and some cheese. Now comes the carbs: I enjoy homemade bread or a muffin with my coffee. If I’m making pasta for dinner, I forego this snack. Dinner is sensible. Later, more carbs: I dig into dessert, which I make, of course, almost every night. Life is short, I’m going to enjoy myself. Listen, I don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. I’m 70 years old and this is my one vice. I love offering dessert to guests who are not timid about eating fresh bread with dinner and a serving of cake and maybe even asking for seconds. God bless them, it’s so satisfying to bring comfort to others. As my daughter-in-law, Rachel, says “Feeding people is showing love.” I couldn’t agree more! On that note, I am offering a delicious Honey Whole Wheat Bread as today’s recipe. It is a no-knead bread which makes it that much easier and less scary to make. Many people are afraid to work with yeast. This recipe is a good one to dip your toes in the water, actually, dip your fingers in flour. You’ll notice that the recipe is half white flour and half whole wheat. The more whole wheat flour used, the tougher the bread. If you want to experiment to change the balance, feel free to substitute some of the white flour with more whole grain. Tell us here at The Insider which carb is your guilty pleasure. Me? I never met a carb I didn’t like! Honey Whole Wheat Bread Yield: 1.5 lb. loaf 2 c. whole wheat flour 2 c. white flour 2 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. active dry yeast 2 c. lukewarm water (not to exceed 105°) 1/4 c. honey Place the flours, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve the honey in the warm water.  Pour the water into the flour. Using a fork, stir together until all the dough is moistened and looks shaggy. Flour your hands and knead only until you can form a ball, about 30 seconds. Place the dough in an oiled clean bowl.  Cover with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap.  Allow to sit out at room temperature for 12-24 hours. Place the bottom of a Dutch oven or deep casserole in the oven. Preheat to 450°. Lay a clean tea towel on your work surface.  Dust it with yellow cornmeal. Punch the dough down. Fold the dough into a ball, tucking the ends underneath.  Place on the cornmeal towel.  When the oven is up to temperature, remove the casserole from the hot oven and carefully lift the dough ball into the Dutch oven or casserole. Cover. Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid. Bake another 12-15 minutes or until crusty brown. Bonnie Fishman attended the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London. Later, she owned and operated Bonnie’s Patisserie in Southfield, Mich. and Bonnie’s Kitchen and Catering in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. She has taught cooking for over 35 years and created hundreds of recipes. She is now living in Northern California.

Fred Plotkin, a pleasure activist and passionate Italy and culinary expert, speaks each Friday with leading people in the arts FRED PLOTKIN is one of America’s foremost experts on opera and has distinguished himself in many fields as a writer, speaker, consultant and as a compelling teacher. He is an expert on everything Italian, the person other so-called Italy experts turn to for definitive information.  Fred discovered the concept of "The Renaissance Man" as a small child and has devoted himself to pursuing that ideal as the central role of his life. In a “Public Lives” profile in The New York Times on August 30, 2002, Plotkin was described as "one of those New York word-of-mouth legends, known by the cognoscenti for his renaissance mastery of two seemingly separate disciplines: music and the food of Italy." In the same publication, on May 11, 2006, it was written that "Fred is a New Yorker, but has the soul of an Italian."

By Laurence Lerman / New York City If there’s any actor better suited to portray Count Dracula than Nicolas Cage, I can’t name him. And it’s not just because the monstrously talented Cage is a well-known horror film buff and collector of vintage horror comic books and posters. Or because in 2018 he told Metal Hammer magazine that he regularly held horror movie nights with his late friend, guitarist Johnny Ramone. Or because he named rockers Rob Zombie, Kirk Hammett and Eddie Vedder as being part of his circle of “horror movie and music fans.” No, I’m going to declare that after a 40-year career that has seen him appear in more than 100 films, Cage has more than proven that he’s worthy and, more importantly, game to take on any kind of role onscreen. And whether it be a crazy comedy (1987’s Raising Arizona), a serious drama (1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, 2006’s World Trade Center), an action-adventure yarn (1997’s The Rock, 2004’s National Treasure), an effects-driven fantasy (2010’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), a beloved romantic comedy-drama (1987’s Moonstruck) or a crazy-beyond-belief cult horror flick (2018’s Mandy), Cage has truly earned his shot at Dracula. The trademark wild man histrionics that Cage frequently taps into for his films have occasionally proven to be a doubled-edged sword in his filmography (for every Face/Off and Wild at Heart, there’s also a Peggy Sue Got Married, right?), but how could he not deliver when taking on the role of the world’s most famous vampire? Well, destiny stepped up for Nic Cage on April 14 when he donned the Count’s cape for the wide theatrical release of Renfield, a contemporary comedy-horror take on Bram Stoker’s immortal 1897 novel. A wacky, violent and ultimately quite fun mash-up, Renfield arrived in fourth place this weekend with $7.7 million from 3,375 screens. Falling short of analysts’ expectations, Renfield’s blood was drained by The Super Mario Bros. Movie at No. 1, followed by the new demonic thriller The Pope’s Exorcist and still-going-strong action shoot-'em up John Wick: Chapter 4. The film co-stars Nicholas Hoult as the legendary bloodsucker’s titular tortured servant, the weary co-dependent R.M. Renfield, who has grown tired after centuries of servitude to his demanding vampiric overlord. Hoping to forge a new direction for himself in New Orleans, Renfield’s life becomes more complicated when he falls for a wisecracking traffic cop while also running afoul of some local mobsters. As if being forced to procure fresh-blooded prey for his possessive boss from hell (literally!) weren’t tricky enough! The 59-year-old Cage is in the midst of a particularly busy period, having just starred as “actor” Nick Cage in last year’s meta-autobiographical The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and the well-received mystery-drama Pig, among other movies. But Cage was quick to answer the call when the team behind Renfield came knocking in Fall 2021—bringing with him the enthusiasm of both a horror aficionado and an actor looking to engage his chops. “The concept of Dracula, in itself, is a challenge. It’s been done so many times already—it’s been done very well and it’s also been done not very well,” Cage told Total Film magazine in March. He also offered his take on the history of Dracula’s silver screen portrayals. “I certainly admire Christopher Lee and Frank Langella and Bela Lugosi and Gary Oldman. But I always wanted to see if I could bring something fresh to the character. And I also kind of always knew I had to so it at some point.” The timing was right for Cage’s immersion, especially as the last decade has seen Universal Studios attempting to revive their legendary movie monsters of the Golden Age, from Dracula to the Wolfman to the Mummy and so on. It hasn’t been all that successful, with 2010’s The Wolfman starring Benicio del Toro bombing at the box office and 2017’s remake of The Mummy also stumbling. The 2020 re-imagining of The Invisible Man with Elisabeth Moss has been the studio’s only commercial and critical success, ringing up a very-visible $145 million at the domestic box office. Not that there haven’t been plenty of other possibilities bantered about. The last several years have seen the announcement of projects such as a Guillermo del Toro-directed version of Frankenstein; another Wolfman reboot, this one starring Ryan Gosling; and a Bride of Frankenstein story, possibly featuring Scarlet Johansson There’s also been talk of The Invisible Woman, the inevitable follow-up to The Invisible Man, this one also starring Elisabeth Moss. But at this point, Renfield has been the only project to survive the minefield of development, re-development, and production and make its way to the big screen in all its horrific, funny, action-filled and bloody glory. Budgeted at $65 million, Renfield creeps into theaters with an impressive roster of talented actors sinking their teeth into the spectacle. It is based on a pitch by The Walking Dead co-creator Robert Kirkman and helmed by hot director Chris McKay, whose comedic Robot Chicken TV series (now in its 11th season!) and The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) both featured appearances by Dracula. The movie’s game supporting cast features Ben Schwartz, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Awkwafina, all of whom hold their own alongside Cage and Hoult, whose performance isn’t nearly as eccentric as Cage’s, but is sad, strange and silly, nonetheless. From where I’m sitting, it’s still all about Nicolas Cage, who takes the plunge into a role that he had a kind of dry run for back in 1988’s Vampire’s Kiss. Beloved by some but forgotten by most, the cult horror comedy stars Cage, in one of his most unhinged performances, as a bad boy New York City literary agent who believes he has been turned into a vampire after he spends an evening with a sexy neck-biter. This prompts him to purchase a set of plastic fangs, sleep all day underneath his couch and run around nighttime Manhattan shrieking, “I’m a vampire! I’m a vampire!” But in that the film, Cage’s character only imagined he was a creature of the night and he ultimately came off like just another nutty New Yorker wandering the streets and talking to himself. And finally—35 years, dozens of films and a slew of awards later—Cage has hit the screen as the original Prince of Darkness. Here’s to the very batty and very bloody Renfield making a little more noise in the theaters before it takes flight and lands on a streaming platform later this spring. Laurence Lerman is a film journalist, former editor of Video Business--Variety's DVD trade publication--and husband to The Insider's own Gwen Cooper. Over the course of his career he has conducted one-on-one interviews with just about every major director working today, including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Kathryn Bigelow, Ridley Scott, Walter Hill, Spike Lee, and Werner Herzog, among numerous others. Once James Cameron specifically requested an interview with Laurence by name, which his wife still likes to brag about. Most recently, he is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online review site DiscDish.com.

By Andy Borowitz | The New Yorker April 17, 2023 GEORGETOWN, DELAWARE (The Borowitz Report)—With Fox News Channel’s defamation trial set for this week, the network’s lawyers intend to cite its hiring of Kimberly Guilfoyle as the linchpin of an insanity defense. Although such a defense is highly unorthodox in a civil case, Fox’s lawyers believe that the decision to put Guilfoyle on the air is conclusive proof that the network’s brass cannot be held responsible for their actions. According to those familiar with the legal strategy, Fox’s lawyers plan to show the jury Guilfoyle’s ear-splitting performance at the 2020 Republican National Convention in its entirety. At the conclusion of the video, they will ask the jurors if the executives who considered Guilfoyle an acceptable TV presence could possibly be deemed sane. “Pleading insanity is a desperate gambit that almost never succeeds,” Professor Davis Logsdon, of the University of Minnesota Law School, said. “But this Kimberly Guilfoyle thing looks like a slam dunk.” Andy Borowitz is a Times best-selling author and a comedian who has written for The New Yorker since 1998. He writes The Borowitz Report, a satirical column on the news.

By Alan Resnick / Detroit “Hi. My name’s Alan and I’m here to listen. Tell me about your crisis.” That’s how I begin each conversation during my two, two-hour shifts per week as an online crisis counselor. I’ve been periodically volunteering for Crisis Text Line (CTL) since 2017 and have supported almost 1,500 texters. I’m a retired Ph.D. level psychologist with over 40 years of professional experience. But there are no particular educational background or experience requirements needed to volunteer. CTL simply requires applicants to be 18 years or older, have a U.S. social security number and/or U.S. mailing address, a personal computer, and a reliable internet connection. All CTL crisis counselors must complete 30 hours of training. The training involves things like the steps associated with a good conversation, how to do risk assessment, and how to ask open-ended questions. This provides standardization of how counselors interact with texters. Online crisis counselors do not provide therapy, but rather attempt to help the texter stay safe and get through the day. In CTL’s terminology, counselors bring texters “from a hot moment to a cool calm.” Conversations typically last 30-45 minutes although some run longer, depending on nature of the crisis and the length of the queue. Similarly, my role is not to provide advice, but rather to problem-solve collaboratively. If a texter asks me, “What do you think I should do?” my response will be either, “Well, what advice would you give to a friend if they came to you with a similar situation?” or “What choices have you identified for yourself?” CTL was the first national 24/7 crisis intervention hotline based on text messaging. The impetus originated with DoSomething.org, a nonprofit that helps young people start volunteer campaigns. One day in 2011 a volunteer responsible for sending out text messages to teenagers across the country received a text from a young woman she had contacted: “He won’t stop raping me.” That was the first of various texts that were received about rape and other issues like anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and eating disorders. The volunteer who took that horrifying first text and the CEO of DoSomething.org started what became CTL two years later. While people of all ages utilize the service, the majority of texters tend to be adolescents, teens, and twentysomethings. CTL capitalizes on the usage of text messaging by these groups as a primary means of communication. A 2015 article in The New Yorker about CTL reported that: “The average adolescent sends almost 2,000 text messages a month.” No doubt that number has increased since then. Texting provides a high degree of privacy, in that a teenager who is being bullied at school, for example, can simply slip into an empty classroom or restroom stall and reach out for help. And some people prefer the impersonal nature of a text over the greater intimacy of hearing another voice over the phone. Texting also is beneficial for counselors. I’m able to volunteer from home. Texters’ messages go through the CTL platform and appear on my computer, so I can support a person while in workout clothes and having lunch. And it seems less threatening to ask very direct questions like “Has suicide crept into your thinking?” in writing than verbally. Texters are not required to share their names or any identifying information. But as a conversation progresses and I sense that some rapport has been established, I ask the person if they are willing to share their first name with me, emphasizing that it is strictly voluntary. Using a texter’s first name further builds rapport and makes things more conversational. More than half the texters provide a name, although it could very well be a nickname or alias. People can text about any subject. Most of the conversations involve anxiety and/or depression. But texters also reach out to discuss abuse of all types, addiction, bad breakups, bullying, eating disorders, gender/sexual identify, grief, homelessness, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide. Some people text not for themselves but rather to help a family member or friend in crisis. As you might surmise, conversations involving self-harm, suicide, or abuse are the most nerve-wracking to conduct. If a person communicates that they are having imminent thoughts of suicide and have ready access to the means of doing so, I contact my shift supervisor and advise them that an active rescue may be needed. My supervisor can then monitor our conversation. Most people with immediate thoughts of suicide agree to stay safe while we continue to talk and problem-solve. However, there have been a few situations where the person suddenly texted that they had just cut themselves or swallowed a handful of pills. I immediately alert my shift supervisor, who can initiate an active rescue of the individual by contacting 911 corresponding to the texter’s phone number (to which I do not have access). Imagine texting with a person who messages they are in the process of taking their own life. My role shifts to trying to keep the person talking and calm until emergency services arrive. Most times I’ve been successful, but some texters have disconnected from the chat, and others have simply stopped responding. I can’t help but agonize over what a lack of response or a disconnection signifies in a situation like this. Supervisors occasionally have reached out and inquired about my interest in knowing the disposition from a conversation that involved an active rescue. I’ve always declined. Conversations involving physical, sexual, or emotional abuse are equally disquieting, particularly if the texter appears to be 17 years old or less. In these situations, CTL is obligated to report the incident to the appropriate authorities, but only if the texter is willing to provide their full name, date of birth, and complete address. These are exceptionally difficult and delicate conversations to have, and most texters who report they are 17 years old or less are unwilling to provide the required information. I wonder if texters have any idea that they are not communicating with someone close to their own age, but rather someone age 72 and in many cases old enough to be their grandfather? Does my first name reveal that I am of a different generation? I’ve considered using an alias or an androgynous name like Pat or Sandy as some counselors do, but so far, no texter has asked. Much of the training and effectiveness as a crisis counselor essentially boils down to being able and willing to listen with empathy and without judgment. When someone texts that they are thinking of cutting themselves because their significant other just broke up with them, they don’t want to be told that “There are other fish in the sea” or “They were no good for you anyway.” What they more likely want to hear is, “Breakups can be so hurtful. That had to be devastating for you.” By recognizing and acknowledging the emotion in the text, trust begins to develop and forms the basis for a deeper, more open discussion. The empathetic component is relatively easy for me. It can be much more challenging to remain non-judgmental about certain topics. I recently had a conversation with a distraught person who texted because a social media account on which they posted explicit selfies had been hacked. The hacker was now threatening to distribute the pictures unless the texter was willing to pay to have them destroyed. While reading these texts, I couldn’t help but want to say what I believe most folks my age would– “What the hell were you thinking?” But all the texter read was: “That has to be very embarrassing and painful for you. Tell me what you’ve done so far to address this situation.” My six years as an online crisis counselor have been incredibly rewarding. And they have served to remind me of some very fundamental things. First, we all need to be heard and need someone in our lives who will hear us. The number of texters who report that they have no family member, friend, teacher, coach, or clergy member with whom they feel that they can be open is deeply dismaying. Next, one of the greatest gifts we can provide another person simply is to listen to them. But effective listeners are in incredibly short supply. Far too often we equate offering an opinion or solution or trying to show understanding by saying something like: “You think that’s bad? Let me tell you about what happened to me!” as listening. But often, we aren’t looking for someone to offer an opinion, fix things for us, or share their experience in a similar situation. Sometimes we simply need someone to recognize and acknowledge our joy, fear, pain, shame, frustration, or disappointment. Finally, working as an online crisis counselor helps me keep my own frustrations or disappointments in perspective. All I have to do is to think back to my previous shift to remember that things could be much worse. If you, a friend, or a loved one are in crisis, text HOME to 741741. Someone will be there for you 24/7. Alan Resnick is an industrial psychologist with over 40 years of professional experience. He and his wife are sheltering at home in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He is passing the time by cooking, exercising, catching up on friends’ recommendations of must-see TV and writing.

By Jessie Seigel / Washington, D.C. When thinking of Donald Trump’s arraignment, I am reminded of a few lines from a Louis Carroll poem in Alice in Wonderland: When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark, And will talk in contemptuous tone of the Shark: But, when the tide rises and sharks are around, His voice has a timid and tremulous sound. Like most bullies, when Donald Trump deals with those whom he sees as weak, he brays loudly. But in a venue where he has no power, he acts as meek and fearful as a little mouse. On Tuesday, April 4, the former President was arraigned in New York on 34 felony charges for falsifying business records related to two hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign. At his arraignment before Judge Juan Manuel Merchan, Trump kept his mouth shut, apart from quietly pleading not guilty to all charges. But before the arraignment, Trump was busy trying to trash the legal process in advance and intimidate the prosecutor and the judge in the bargain. Playing the big man, he posted a photo of himself wielding a baseball bat next to a photo of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He called Bragg “the Corrupt D.A.” who “has no case,” adding: “what he does have is a venue where it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to get a Fair Trial.” He slandered Merchan as a “Trump Hating Judge hand selected by the Soros backed D.A.” Trump even dragged Merchan’s daughter into his attacks, claiming that she worked for Kamala Harris “and now the Biden-Harris campaign.” During the 2020 election, Ms. Merchan’s firm, Authentic Campaigns was employed to do digital fundraising and advertising for Harris. According to NBC News, there’s no evidence that she currently works for any Biden-Harris political operation. And of course, there were Trump’s threats of “death and destruction” if he were charged. When, at the arraignment, prosecutors raised those inflammatory statements, one of Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche, tried to downplay Trump’s threats as just an expression of his frustration at what Trump felt was “a grave injustice happening with him being in this courtroom today.” Judge Merchan acknowledged the importance of Trump’s freedom of speech, but disagreed that the defendant’s language was simply an expression of frustration. The judge admonished Trump to refrain from “making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest” or engaging in rhetoric that will “jeopardize the rule of law.” Merchan did not place any limitations on Trump’s speech at the arraignment but, according to MSNBC, he did warn that if he saw such behavior in the future, he would have to take a closer look. Trump did not protest. However, once away from the courtroom, Trump contemptuously ignored Judge Merchan’s instruction. In his speech that night at Mar-a-Lago, Trump raved about “the George Soros-backed prosecutor Alvin Bragg of New York, who campaigned on the fact that he would get President Trump… He wants to get President Trump at any cost.” He repeated his earlier rant: “I have a Trump-hating judge, with a Trump-hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign and a lot of it.” Trump declared: “The criminal is the district attorney because he illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information, for which he should be prosecuted or at a minimum, he should resign.” This, like most words that come out of Trump’s mouth, is a lie. Trump also preemptively attacked the Georgia prosecutor, Fanni Willis, and the DOJ special prosecutor Jack Smith—calling Willis “a local racist Democratic District Attorney,” and calling Smith “a radical left lunatic known as a bomb thrower who is harassing hundreds of … my people day after day.” According to NBC News, within 24 hours of the arraignment, Merchan and his family were receiving numerous threats. In addition, D.A. Bragg and other officials in his office have been receiving threats by phone, email, and letters. The New York police detail assigned to the D.A.’s office has had to provide extra security to the staff. Trump’s endangerment of lives is monstrous. And his flaunting of Judge Merchan’s authority is outrageous. It is unheard of for defendants to thumb their noses at a judge’s directives. Even if a judge is unreasonable, he is the law in his courtroom, not to be crossed or disrespected. In the 1969 trial of the Chicago Seven (originally, the Chicago Eight, before Bobby Seale’s case was severed), Judge Julius Hoffman had Bobby Seale gagged and tied to his chair for having the temerity to object to his personal lack of legal representation. (When Seale’s attorney was hospitalized, Seale was denied both a continuance to delay his case and, alternatively, to self-representation. He called Hoffman names, disrupting the proceeding.) Unlike Judge Hoffman, Judge Merchan’s actions in relation to Mr. Trump’s provocative behavior have thus far been beyond reasonable. Nevertheless, Trump seems to feel he can disobey the Judge with impunity, continuing to endanger the judge, the prosecutors and, possibly scare off prospective jurors. Trump’s behavior is appalling, but not surprising. His niece, psychologist Mary Trump, who has a strong familial grasp of her uncle’s mental makeup, tweeted that during the brief glimpse of Trump walking into the courtroom, “we saw the uncertainty, the fear, and the humiliation.” But she added the prescient prediction: “The false bravado will return, and the middle-of-the night posts will continue to be unhinged…” Her prediction was followed by his actions in less than a day. Although Trump’s behavior was predictable, Judge Merchan’s lack of immediate reaction is somewhat mystifying. According to CNN, Merchan “does not stand for disruptions or delays…and is known to maintain control of his courtroom even when his cases draw considerable attention.” He also has been described, even by adversaries, as tough but fair, regardless of who is before him. Furthermore, the judge is no shy flower when it comes to handling controversial cases. Merchan was the judge in the case against the Trump Organization and its C.F.O., Allen Weisselberg. There, the organization was found guilty of criminal tax fraud and Weisselberg pled guilty to a scheme involving untaxed benefits. Some commentators have suggested that Trump may deliberately be trying to bait the judge into issuing a gag order because he is “spoiling for a public political fight on his constitutional, free speech rights.” Perhaps he is hoping to create delay with appeals to appellate courts, or even use a gag order to push for a change of venue or the judge’s recusal. This may explain why Judge Merchan has not immediately taken some action based on Trump’s post-arraignment tirade. He may also be concerned about the appearance of limiting speech of a presidential candidate. But, to protect the integrity of the legal system, the proceeding, and the lives of all those involved in the case from witnesses to jurors, Merchan cannot afford to allow his actions to be ruled by Trump’s reckless political machinations. Regardless of public reaction, Merchan should not treat Trump differently from any other defendant. The fact he is running for president should not factor into that equation. The question remains: how much damage will Trump be allowed to do before the Judge reins him in? Or does Merchan have some other more creative plan for how to defang the former president? Trump has proudly bleated he has more lawyers “working for me on this Corrupt Law Enforcement induced Bull…than …even the late great gangster, Alphonse Capone!” And Trump’s tactics contain more than a bit of the Al Capone touch. Like Trump, Capone tried to intimidate those investigating him, and thought he had manipulated the system into giving him a sweet plea deal. And like Trump, Capone’s lawyer argued the case against Capone for tax evasion was an “encroachment and perversion of the government and the law.” Perhaps, Judge Merchan should take a page out of the book of Capone’s Judge, James Herbert Wilkerson. Judge Wilkerson threw out the Capone plea deal, announcing: “The parties to a criminal case may not stipulate as to the judgment to be entered.” Wilkerson added, “It is time for somebody to impress upon the defendant that it is utterly impossible to bargain with a federal court.” Capone went on to buy or intimidate the jury. But Wilkerson quite cleverly foiled Capone’s manipulation by switching juries at the last minute with a another judge. Capone got an 11-year sentence. May Judge Merchan prove as creative in preventing perversion of the legal system as Judge Wilkerson. And may Trump’s Capone-like tactics work as well for him as they did for Capone. The mobster ended up in Alcatraz. Political columnist Jessie Seigel had a long career as a government attorney in which she honed her analytic skills. She has also twice received an Artist’s Fellowship from the Washington, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities for her fiction, and has been a finalist for a number of literary awards. In addition, Seigel is an associate editor at the Potomac Review, a reviewer for The Washington Independent Review of Books, and a dabbler in political cartoons at Daily Kos. Of this balance in her work between the analytic and the imaginative, Seigel jokes, “I guess my right and left brains are well-balanced.” More on and from Seigel can be found at The Adventurous Writer, https://www.jessieseigel.com.

By Laurence Lerman / New York City The engaging new documentary Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby, directed by Lana Wilson, follows a relatively straight path in the chronology of Shields’ life and career, beginning with her start as an Ivory Snow baby at the age of 11 months, through her wild success and superstardom as a young model and actress, and then onto the subsequent three decades of her adult life. A two-part, two-hour-plus, archival clips-filled ABC News Studios production currently streaming on Hulu (a single, two-hour feature would have been more suitable, I think), it’s the first half of the doc that’s most intriguing. It presents Shields as a kind of poster girl for the sexualization of teenage and preteen girls, something that is still a regular practice in the entertainment and advertising industries where she thrived. In its straight-ahead approach, the film reveals how Shields lived and worked during those years, both benefitting from it and occasionally being derailed by it. The second part looks at Shields’ adult years and how she appears to have come through it all essentially unscathed. The now 57-year-old Shields is on-hand for the journey to remind us that, yes, she’s doing just fine. As per the documentary’s insightful first hour, Brooke Shields became a kind of phenomenon at a time when popular celebrities and the more titillating or even salacious aspects of their lives were the focus of entertainment magazines, tabloid newspapers, and TV talk shows. One is immediately reminded that though they were plentiful, there wasn’t an endless trove of mags and shows covering that kind of material—not like what can be found today on the Internet, social media and streaming platforms. And unlike today’s diffuse entertainment landscape, with various outlets taking aim at a wide-range of niche markets, the relatively limited players at work during Shields’ peak in the late ’70s through the ’90s cast a substantially wider net than they currently do. Today, it’s very easy not to have heard of, say, 19-year-old actress Millie Bobby Brown, who rose to fame on Netflix’s Stranger Things and via red carpet exposure and ceaseless coverage of her fashions and “romances,” all of which have been covered regularly by media outlets specializing in such content. But you would have heard of her back then because the coverage would have been ubiquitous. Such is the case with Brooke Shields, whose beauty and blooming sexuality fueled her early career just as the debate over the undeniably creepy use of that sexuality provided material for magazine features and covers, columns, tabloids and talk shows. Not long after her success as a top child model, the movies beckoned, beginning with the young Shields starring in a handful of vehicles that prominently showcased her budding sexuality, led by the films Pretty Baby (1978), The Blue Lagoon (1980) and Endless Love (1981). With more than 30 movies to her credit over the decades following those early projects, they still remain the ones for which she is best known. And all were produced before she was even 18. Shields was 12 when she shot the drama Pretty Baby, which was directed by Louis Malle and was the most notorious film of the lot. Set in early 20th century New Orleans’ red-light district, she portrays a 12-year-old girl who is being raised in a brothel by her prostitute mother (a lively Susan Sarandon). Featuring Shields in the nude in several scenes and engaging in a kissing scene with her 29-year-old costar Keith Carradine, the movie was critically well-received (“good-hearted, good-looking, quietly elegiac,” said critic Roger Ebert) despite its scandalous nature. It was accused of being sexually exploitative and, in some quarters, of being child pornography. This sparked a deluge of commentary in the tabloids and on talk shows, all of which faded pretty quickly (particularly when the film didn’t perform well at the American box office). But even as the chatter died down, Shields’ film career began to blossom. There was soon more to talk about with the release of the tropically-situated shipwrecked teen saga The Blue Lagoon (where a body double was used to shoot her nude scenes), followed by the impassioned teen romance Endless Love (which initially received an X rating but was later graded down to an R). In the midst of making movies, 14-year-old Shields began appearing in a series of print and television ads for Calvin Klein Jeans, including one TV commercial that featured her uttering the tagline, “You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” The ads were controversial in that, like Shields’ film work, they inspired a lot of debate, but not much else, save for the jeans tripling in sales within a year and Klein’s career as a designer and provocative advertiser launching into orbit. As for Brooke Shields, between the alluring films and suggestive ad campaigns, she was considered to be one of the most recognizable faces (and bodies) in America, and then the world. A good deal of the public opinion on Shields’ work in the ads and films and their “let’s talk about it—but that’s all” attitude was stirred up by Shields’ appearances on those aforementioned talk shows, frequently accompanied by her mother and manager Teri Shields. It was while chatting with the likes of Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and film critic Gene Shalit that Teri scoffed at the very notion that her million-dollar daughter’s sexuality was being exploited. Brooke is uncommonly mature for her age and understands that she’s doing what is necessary for career and image, we hear Teri say in archival clips. Of course, any appearance by the seemingly co-dependent Shields women and Teri’s denials would be reported in the tabloids, People magazine and such, all generally accompanied by the photos and screen grabs from movies that were at the center of the debate. Just as Hollywood and the advertising industry trafficked in the creation and distribution of suggestive material centered on teenage girls’ sexuality, so did the media outlets that covered it. The impression Teri Shields gives in the documentary is that of an aggressive stage mother with an idiosyncratic view on how to manage her daughter’s career as it grew beyond modeling as an infant and child. It doesn’t appear that Teri ever consulted anyone in guiding Brooke’s career as a teenager or young adult and it’s not surprising that by the time she turned 20 in 1995, Brooke was forced to drop Teri as her manager. As per the documentary, Brooke acknowledges that her mother’s alcoholism was a major problem and didn’t help in making professional decisions. “I needed to grab the reins and make my own mistakes,” Shields says at one point. The second part of the film focuses on Shields’ adult life, which overall appears to be a rewarding and positive one despite its blemishes. Much of what went down has been covered extensively over the years, including Brooke’s years as a Princeton student, her friendship with Michael Jackson, and her image as a Hollywood starlet who remained a virgin until her 20s. Ditto for her later television and Broadway career and her battle with post-partum depression following the birth of her first child in 2003 (which found her involved a high-profile and ridiculous public feud with Tom Cruise, who made it his business to let everyone know he was unhappy that Brooke was using Paxil to combat her depression). More revelatory is a disturbing tale of her being sexually assaulted in a hotel by a Hollywood executive and how her guest spot on TV’s Friends played a role in the ending of her first marriage to tennis champ Andre Agassi in the late’90s. The film’s later portions aren’t as reflective as the earlier ones, though all are expounded upon by at least a dozen talking head contributors, the most insightful being Shields’ longtime actor friends Laura Linney and Ali Wentworth and Canadian culture writer Scaachi Koul. The most notable sequence in Part II keeps it in the family as Brooke, her longtime TV writer/producer husband Chris Henchy and their two daughters Rowan and Grier have dinner in their townhouse in New York City’s West Village. At one point, they talk about Brooke’s early film career, Pretty Baby in particular, and how a project like that would be regarded if it were pitched today—or if it would even make it to the pitch phase. (It wouldn’t.) The girls, 19-year-old Rowan and 16-year-old Grier, are curious and comfortable when talking about mom’s early movies and her relationship with her own late mother. And Brooke appears to be quite at ease when discussing it. Of Pretty Baby, Grier declares, "The movie itself is about something that's not okay now." "I'm not disagreeing with you," responds her mom. Laurence Lerman is a film journalist, former editor of Video Business--Variety's DVD trade publication--and husband to The Insider's own Gwen Cooper. Over the course of his career he has conducted one-on-one interviews with just about every major director working today, including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Kathryn Bigelow, Ridley Scott, Walter Hill, Spike Lee, and Werner Herzog, among numerous others. Once James Cameron specifically requested an interview with Laurence by name, which his wife still likes to brag about. Most recently, he is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online review site DiscDish.com.