By Jessie Seigel / Washington, D.C. Pennsylvania has turned out to be a crucible for the pivotal choices to be made in the coming midterm election. The contest between Democratic former Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman and Trump-backed Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz could decide whether authoritarians take control of the U.S. Senate. The governor’s race, pitting the state’s Democratic attorney general Josh Shapiro against a right-wing Republican state senator, Doug Mastriano, is a microcosm of the nationwide struggle to preserve democracy. Josh Shapiro is running on a record of fighting for the people of his state. During his tenure as attorney general, he has taken on Big Pharma CEOs for their perpetuation of the opioid crisis; successfully prosecuted a construction company for stealing its employees’ wages; and led a coalition to create a statewide police misconduct database. Shapiro supports a woman’s right to choose, and successfully litigated Pennsylvanians’ right to vote all the way to the Supreme Court, ensuring all legal 2020 Pennsylvania votes were counted and the results certified. Doug Mastriano, on the other hand, is a persistent proponent of Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen. He chartered buses for supporters to go to Washington for Trump’s January 6, 2021 rally, and, although he did not enter the building, Mastriano took part outside at the Capitol during the insurrection. Mastriano has declared that if he wins the governorship, he will require all voters in Pennsylvania to re-register. If Mastriano wins, he may be able to carry out this threat because he will be in a position to appoint Pennsylvania’s secretary of state—who oversees the state’s elections. As if Mastriano’s authoritarianism was not bad enough, he has solicited the support of extremist organizations and is doing his best to use their antisemitic tropes against Shapiro, who is Jewish. Worse yet, national Republican party leaders continue to support Mastriano or remain silent, making the acceptance or rejection of antisemitism not only an issue for Pennsylvania voters, but a bellwether, along with racism, for the future of the nation. Is Mastriano an Antisemite or Fellow Traveler? In July, it was revealed that Mastriano paid $5,000 to the ultra-right-wing social-media platform Gab, to promote his candidacy. Gab was the platform on which Robert Bowers posted antisemitic rants before committing his 2018 slaughter at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. That mass murder of 11 people is believed to be the deadliest antisemitic violence in U.S. history. Gab’s founder and chief executive, Andrew Torba, a proponent of Replacement Theory, has promoted Mastriano’s candidacy to his followers by advertising Mastriano as also being against the Jews. Replacement Theory is the white nationalist conspiracy charge that white people are being demographically and culturally replaced with nonwhite people. Jewish “elites” are accused of conspiring to accomplish this. Torba’s statement initially brought some bipartisan condemnation of Mastriano. In response, Torba livestreamed on Gab that he and Mastriano “are going to build a coalition of Christian nationalists” and that Shapiro was a “Soros puppet” who participated in voter fraud in the 2020 election. (The reference is to liberal Jewish billionaire George Soros.) After much pressure, Mastriano released a statement saying that he rejected antisemitism and that Torba did not speak for him. Nevertheless, a late September campaign finance report showed that Mastriano had accepted a $500 donation from Torba in July. His campaign did not respond to the New York Times when asked whether he planned to return the money. Furthermore, according to the New York Times, Mastriano promotes Christian power and “disdains the separation of church and state.” Without explanation or evidence, Mastriano has accused Shapiro of holding a grudge against the Roman Catholic Church. Mastriano has repeatedly attacked Shapiro for having gone to a Jewish day school himself and sending his children to one. Despite Mastriano’s proposal to defund public education by cutting property tax to zero—essentially privatizing Pennsylvania’s school system with inadequately financed vouchers—he characterized the Jewish day school as “privileged, exclusive, elite,” and claimed that it showed Shapiro’s “disdain for people like us.” Ironically, it is Shapiro who supports greater funding of public schools. Shapiro has avoided calling Doug Mastriano an antisemite, but has emphasized that his opponent’s antisemitic actions are indicative of his overall extremism. This month, Shapiro said, “There is no question that he is courting antisemites and white supremacists and racists actively in his campaign,” and that “unless you think like him, unless you vote like him, unless you worship like him or marry like him, then you don’t count in his Pennsylvania.” In contrast, Shapiro asserts that he wants to “be a governor for all 13 million Pennsylvanians.” While Shapiro may not wish to call Mastriano an antisemite, I do not feel so constrained. Though some Jewish Republicans may busy themselves attempting to parse whether Mastriano is himself antisemitic or just has supporters who are, this is a distinction without a difference. It does not matter how Mastriano personally feels about Jews. His actions—his use of fascists and of antisemitism to gain power—is even more cynically malevolent if he is not a true believer. Being cozy with antisemitic hate groups cannot be dismissed as merely ruthless politics, whether done publicly or behind a veil. And given the well-known negative stereotype of Jews as “rich, elite, with too much influence,” and Mastriano’s contrast with “people like us,” not to mention his statements about George Soros, Mastriano’s language is not even a dog whistle. It’s a megaphone. Where Does the Republican Party Stand? While a few Pennsylvania Republicans have tried to counter Mastriano by endorsing Shapiro, most of the state GOP has either supported Mastriano or stood silent. The New York Times reported on October 10 that former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, who has campaigned for Mastriano, called him a “strong Christian Zionist,” and said he did not see any “antisemitic concerns at all.” Santorum, of course, ignores the divide between right-wing Christian attitudes towards American Jews and their "Christian Zionist" support of Israel, not to mention the theological reasons for that support. As few as two years before her 2020 election, Marjorie Taylor Greene shared a video that stated “an unholy alliance of leftists, capitalists, and Zionist supremacists has schemed to promote immigration and miscegenation with the deliberate aim of breeding us out of existence in our own homelands.” Speaking recently at Donald Trump’s “Save America” rally in Mesa Arizona, Greene again raised Replacement Theory. All of this pales in comparison to the history of the former president. Trump, the big Kahuna of bigotry, may do business with Jews, and may have a Jewish son-in-law, but he is still a man who has consistently used and promoted negative antisemitic stereotypes in every way possible. In 2016, Trump tweeted an image using a Star of David to symbolize Hillary Clinton’s “corruption.” The Trump campaign then ran a demagogic ad claiming that a global power structure has “robbed our working class, stripped our country of its wealth and put that money into the pockets of a handful of large corporations and political entities.” The ad accompanied this language with images of Janet Yellen, Soros, and Lloyd Blankfein — financial figures all of whom are Jewish. At a Hanukkah event at the White House in 2018, Trump referred to Israel as “your country” while speaking to American Jews. And in a 2019 Oval Office meeting he declared that “any Jewish people who would vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.” True to form, on October 16, Trump threatened, in a Truth Social post, that American Jews need to “get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel before it is too late!” After claiming “No president has done more for Israel than I have,” Trump wrote that “our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the U.S.” In making these various statements, Trump was promoting the antisemitic trope that American Jews are loyal to Israel rather than the U.S., or that Israel is the Jew’s real country, not the U.S. In response to Trump’s comments, Anti-Defamation League National Director Jonathan Greenblatt issued the statement: “We don’t need the former president, who curries favor with extremists and antisemites, to lecture us about the US-Israel relationship. It is not about a quid pro quo; it rests on shared values and security interests. This ‘Jewsplaining’ is insulting and disgusting.” No major Republican leaders have spoken out against Trump’s statements. Misleading Republican Jews A portion of the orthodox Jewish community became staunch Republican voters because of right-wing evangelical support of Israel and because they have been persuaded to associate far left opposition to Israel (not only to some of its policies, which can be fair game, but to its existence) with the Democratic party. But the mainstream Democratic Party has been as supportive of Israel as the Republican Party. To quote White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: “Here’s the difference between Democrats and MAGA Republicans. When a Democrat says something racist or antisemitic, we hold Democrats accountable. When a MAGA Republican says something racist or antisemitic, they are embraced by cheering crowds.” Conclusion The hopeful news for Pennsylvania is that, thus far, Mastriano’s tactics do not seem to be working well for him. U.S. News and World Report reported in September that according to Republican strategists, Mastriano’s fundraisers were not well-attended. Meanwhile, Shapiro was drawing crowds when he appeared in Mastriano’s red territory. And as of October 6, a Monmouth University poll reported Shapiro still had a strong lead over Mastriano (54 percent to 38 percent). Shapiro also has a significant fundraising advantage and so has been able to run more than $20 million worth of TV ads, while Mastriano has only begun running ads in October, a $1 million investment on TV and digital platforms. But the cynical Republican use of antisemitism is emblematic—part and parcel—of the party’s wider extremist bigotry towards gender, race, and various national origins. This resort to bigotry demonstrates once again that the party lacks any true intention to improve the everyday lives of the voters it is courting. Hate is its major strategy. 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 Andy Borowitz October 24, 2022 UNITED STATES (The Borowitz Report)—Americans were seething with envy after the U.K.’s most prominent malignant narcissist decided not to run for that nation’s highest office again, interviews with U.S. citizens have revealed. From coast to coast, Americans expressed bitter jealousy of the British for having an incompetent former leader who, though maniacally self-absorbed and attention-craving, nevertheless possessed enough realism to depart the public stage after only twenty-four hours of hogging headlines. Carol Foyler, who lives in Akron, Ohio, was openly covetous of the U.K.’s malignant narcissist. “People in Britain are suffering right now because the government just wrecked their economy,” she said. “But at least they have a malignant narcissist who knows when it’s time to go away.” “When I read that the U.K’s malignant narcissist decided not to run again, I got really mad,” Harland Dorrinson, a resident of San Jose, California, said. “Why do they get a malignant narcissist like that?” “People say that the only reason he decided not to run again was because he knew he was going to lose,” Tracy Klugian, who lives in Milwaukee, said. “But he’s not going around the country claiming he’s been persecuted. He’ll probably fly back to the Dominican Republic, lie on the beach, and get wasted. If you have to have a malignant narcissist, that’s the kind you want.” 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 Viviene Ayres / New York City I was born and raised in Jamaica, where it goes from warm to hot all year round. I don't swim, I don't ride a bike and I don't like warm and hot weather. (I must have been switched at birth from another country.) Making no sense whatsoever, as an adult, I moved to the Cayman Islands, where it's warmer and hotter. Go figure. Then, in 2002, my husband and I decided to move to America. He suggested Florida. That's the only state in the U.S. that has both alligators and crocodiles. As I often do, I jumped to the worse-case scenario, thinking, if I saw a gator or a croc, I'd faint and then they would eat me. Also, it's hot in Florida, so that was out of the question. New York was my husband's next suggestion. I knew it gets cold in New York and sometimes there's snow (even though I wasn't sure there really was such a thing). Besides, my husband had family in the Bronx. That sealed the deal. Coming from Jamaica, I spoke Jamaican Patois. When you meet someone you know, you say “Wah-gwan” – in other words, “What’s going on?” In the Cayman Islands, I worked at a boutique and got used to hearing (more or less) the Queen’s English. It is a British territory after all. Since America doesn’t have a queen, I thought I’d better get used to speaking the President’s English. Problem solved. Instead of “Wah-gwan,” I changed it to a fancy, friendly “Hellew.” Soon after arriving in New York City, I learned the term “networking.” This one asked that one and that one put the word out and before I knew it, I had an interview for a job in a big apartment house on Manhattan's east side. My husband gave me tokens and explained that when I get on the bus, I drop a token into the token thing. My husband’s friend, Goosey, drove me from the Bronx to the West 72nd Street M30 bus stop. The M30 (remember the M30?) was the bus I needed to take me from West 72nd to East 72nd. I was warned that it doesn't go through Central Park to the east side. Instead, it goes downtown to West 57th Street, turns left and once it reaches the east side, it goes back uptown to East 72nd Street. (No wonder they discontinued it in 2010. It was too confusing.) When I got to the bus stop, I read a sign that said, “No Standing”. No Standing? There were no seats. I had no choice but to stand. Would they let me on the bus even though I was standing? Was I breaking the law by standing? Would they arrest me for standing? I didn't know what to do and there was no one to ask. I really needed to take the bus, so I walked to the huge building (now I know that the building is the Majestic) and I huddled in one of its doorways, close enough to watch for the bus. When the M30 showed up, I ran to the stop and jumped on the bus and deposited a token. The driver didn't say anything to me. After all, he didn't see me standing at the bus stop. I got off the bus at the appropriate stop and found the address that I had written on a piece of paper. The doorman led me to the front desk, where I told the desk man who I was there to see. He asked my name and made a call, announcing my arrival. He then told me, “Elevator on the right, 21st floor.” I had never been in an elevator. Elevators were part of my worse-case-scenario syndrome. What if I get locked in the elevator car and use up all the air? What if the elevator cable breaks and plunges me down to the basement? Yes, there are elevators in Jamaica and in the Caymans, but I never took one. I always used the stairs. And so, I asked the desk man where the staircase was. I was actually willing to walk up the 21 flights, but the desk man wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he suggested I wait until someone comes along who is going to a higher floor and could accompany me. Good idea. The desk man asked me to step aside, but before I could, a delivery guy came in and was going up to the 28th floor and I was able to go in the elevator with this man delivering food. I thought, if the elevator gets stuck, at least we’d have something to eat. The job interview was a blur to me because all I kept thinking about was the elevator ride down. That job was clearly not for me. The woman walked me to the elevator and rang for it. I thanked her for her time and told her she didn’t have to wait with me for the elevator. As soon as her apartment door closed, I made a dash for the staircase and got my exercise for the day by going down those 21 flights. Now it was time to go home, back the way I came. The appropriate M30 bus stop had a shed with seats. Luckily, I was able to sit and then get on the bus legally. When I got home and told my husband about my “No Standing” experience, he didn’t stop laughing until I threatened his life. He then explained what the sign was all about. Really, how was I to know that "No Standing" was referring to vehicles? If the sign had a picture of a car, or said "No Parking," I would have realized that it wasn't for people waiting for the bus. Can you blame me for what I thought? You’re not born knowing these things. There were some things I could reason out. For instance, in Jamaica, we loved when the Queen would visit. Right before her visit, all the potholes were patched up and the roads were cleaned. Looking around the Bronx and the city at all the potholes, it was obvious that the Queen hadn’t been here … not for a long, long time. It took me quite a while to learn Americanisms. One day, I was talking to a friend from church and she repeated a news item she heard about a married celebrity sleeping with his wife’s relative. I said, “So what? I used to sleep with my brother.” My friend’s jaw dropped. We cleared it up when I explained that there were seven children and no one had their own bed. My kid brother was ten years younger than me and we slept in the same bed. We really slept. That’s when I learned that “sleeping with someone” most times meant not sleeping at all. I’ve learned a whole lot of interesting things since arriving in town, including five Yiddish words for male genitalia. Then one day, it snowed. Beautiful flakes falling from the sky. All of my life, I dreamed of seeing snow. Here it was. I went outside in the street and looked up at the sky, letting the flakes land on my face and loving each one of them. It was worth every No Standing bus stop and every high-floor elevator ride. It was glorious. And I thought, I’m home! In Jamaica, Viviene Ayres worked in a hospital's pharmacy, in charge of ordering and delivering medicine and medical supplies to doctors and nurses where and when needed. This fueled her interest in healthcare. To continue her quest in America, Viv earned and became the proud recipient of a GED, which enabled the schooling for achieving a CNA -- Certified Nursing Assistant. Viv is currently working two days a week as a CNA at a nursing home in the Bronx. Expanding her general education, she works three days a week as an assistant to a New York City writer who lives on the 5th floor and whose doormen allow residents' employees to use the stairs.

By Bonnie Fishman / San Francisco Bay Area Figs are one of those fruits I developed a taste and appreciation for as an adult. When I was a kid, all I knew about figs was Fig Newtons. Right? I loved those. I would probably still love them if I were ever to buy store-bought cookies. Figs have a distinguished pedigree. They were domesticated as far back as 9000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. They have been a religious symbol for many different religions, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism. This luscious fruit was referenced in both the Old Testament and New Testament. Turkey produces the most figs globally. Their main variety is the brown Turkish fig. When these are fresh, they have a pinkish brown color, but when dried, they turn a light brown. Some are dusted in sugar. Figs are a very good source of fiber and calcium. Fall, in particular, is when figs ripen in the U.S. and the market is flooded with these beautifully shaped and colored fruits. The California season actually begins in mid-May. My personal favorite is black Mission figs, named by the Spanish Franciscan missionaries who brought them to southern California in the 1500s from Spain. Missions are the most popular fig grown in this country. I have a fun fact about figs, albeit disgusting. Figs are not vegan! What!? How is that possible? There is a pollinating fig wasp that burrows into figs and sometimes the remains are just that, remains! The wasp’s skeleton does not fully disintegrate. So fig fans, you are ingesting bits of wasps. Get over it! The FDA allows a certain amount of larvae and insect parts per gram flour, macaroni, rice, cornmeal, and the like. That said, don’t think about it! We’re still here, aren’t we?? Louise Ferguson, an extension specialist at the University of California, Davis Department of Plant Sciences wrote In the September issue of Bon Appétit magazine, “There’s no fig wasp in there by the time people are eating the fruit.” The female fig produces an enzyme that completely digests the exoskeleton before hungry humans can take a bite. “The crunchy bits are seeds, not wasp parts,” Ferguson added. If I Iet my imagination go, sometimes I think of the wasp skeleton and not the seeds, but that’s me! However, I eat them anyway. Figs are a great dried fruit to have in your pantry. They are actually inverted flowers. Each hollow ball of vegetal tissue is lined with hundreds of tiny buds that bloom inside the pod, wrote ecologist Mike Shanahan, in his 2018 book, Gods, Wasps and Stranglers The Secret History of Fig Trees. Figs–call them fruit or flower–are a great offering paired with cheeses, cured meats, or a variety of other dried fruits and nuts. When it’s fig season, they look lovely on a fresh cheese tray or used as garnish on a fruit platter. I enjoy them chopped up in green salads, both fresh and dried. Consider substituting chopped dried figs in place of baked goods that call for raisins or dates. Mix things up a bit! One of my favorite menu items in a restaurant is a flatbread or pizza with fresh figs. They are usually paired with goat cheese and sometimes prosciutto. I decided to create my own take on fig pizza. For today’s recipe, I’m making a crostata (Italian), galette (French), or free-form tart. These are interchangeable. I most often use a flaky pie or tart dough for my galettes. However today, I’m going all in on an enriched yeast dough to more resemble pizza. Many people fear working with yeast and rolling out yeast dough. I feel certain that you will not struggle with this. You will be so proud of the results! As with pizza, there are many possible combinations and substitutions. You could easily swap the prosciutto for crisp crumbled bacon. Or you can eliminate the meat altogether. If figs aren’t in season, consider roasting 1-inch cubes of butternut squash in their place. You may even substitute pears or peaches for the figs. Let us know here at The Insider what lovely crostata you come up with. And remember: that crunch is seeds, not wasps! Fig & Goat Cheese Crostata Yield: 6-8 appetizer servings Dough: 2 tsp. active dry yeast 1/2 tsp. sugar 1/2 c. lukewarm water (not to exceed 115°) 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 lg. egg, beaten 1 tsp. coarse salt 1 3/4 c. flour + @ 1/4c. for kneading and rolling Topping: 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 lg. red onions, sliced thin 2 oz. prosciutto, roughly chopped 3 oz. goat cheese, cut into 1/4” cubes 12 fresh figs, cut in half from top to bottom 2 handfuls arugula 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar cornmeal for dusting 1 egg, beaten, for brushing (optional) Make dough: In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water. Allow to “sponge” for 10-15 minutes (bubbles will form). Mix in the oil, egg, and salt. Put the flour in the bowl of a stationary mixer. Pour in the liquids. Using a dough hook, knead the dough for a few minutes, adding additional flour to keep from sticking. Flour your work surface and turn the dough out. Knead by hand for a minute, until smooth and elastic. Or you can mix the dough with a wooden spoon until it comes together, adding flour if needed. If you choose this method, knead the dough an additional 3-4 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat. Cover with a clean towel; allow to rise until double in size, about 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, prep the toppings. In a large skillet over low heat, cook the onions in the oil. Stir occasionally. Cook for 35-45 minutes, until they are golden brown and caramelized. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Reserve. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Roll into a 15-16” circle. Lift into the pan. Spread the onions on the dough, leaving a 2” border. Scatter the prosciutto on top. Distribute the goat cheese evenly. Arrange the figs on top, cut side up, in concentric circles beginning with the outside edge. Bring the outer dough on top of the crostata, leaving the topping exposed. Brush the dough with beaten egg if you want a shiny finish. Otherwise, leave it off. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Put the arugula in a bowl. Moisten with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Mound the greens in the center of the crostata. Serve hot or at room temperature. Cut into wedges. 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.

By Jessie Seigel / Washington, D.C. Last Thursday (Oct. 13) was billed as the final hearing of the House Select Committee Investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, but it ended with a big cliff-hanger: the subpoena—by unanimous vote—of former President Trump for both his testimony and his documents. We appear to be only at the end of this show’s first season, with a huge hook enticing us to “stay tuned” for what may come next—assuming that, after the midterm election, there is opportunity for a second season. Building towards the subpoena climax, the committee members’ closing statements reconstructed, fact by fact, Trump’s central role in the multipart conspiracy to overthrow the 2020 election, culminating in the January 6 attack. Emphasizing that the committee’s investigation has been about facts, not politics, Chairman Bennie Thompson (Democrat; Miss.) pointed out that the committee’s evidence has come overwhelmingly from Republican witnesses: Republican state officials and legislators; electors; the chair of the Republican National Committee; senior Trump DOJ appointees; Trump’s White House staff and close advisers; Trump’s White House counsel; and even members of his own family. Vice Chair Liz Cheney (Republican, Wyo.) charged that Trump had contrived a plan well before the election to claim it was stolen if he lost, and that the former president sought out Rudy Giuliani and others to help spread that lie. Cheney also asserted that Trump was “better informed about the absence of widespread election fraud than almost any other American” because everyone from his campaign experts to his DOJ officials to at least 61 courts that ruled against him on this issue had told him so. Yet Trump “made the conscious choice to claim fraudulently that the election was stolen, to pressure state officials to change election results, to manufacture fake electoral slates, to attempt to corrupt our Department of Justice, to summon tens of thousands of supporters to Washington.” Cheney’s statement was backed by prior evidence recapped by her fellow committee members, as well as much additional evidence. The New Evidence The committee obtained from the National Archives a pre-election draft statement, written for Donald Trump by Tom Fitton of the conservative Judicial Watch activist group, on October 31, 2020, declaring, “we had an election today – and I won.” The Fitton memo specifically proposed that only the votes counted by the Election Day “deadline” would matter. Of course, there is no Election Day deadline for vote counting. As Zoe Lofgren (Democrat; Calif.) pointed out, everyone knew that ballot counting would lawfully continue past Election Day. Lofgren showed a video of Steve Bannon, the former Trump White House strategist and outside advisor, speaking to associates from China a few days before the election. In the video, Bannon said straight out: “And what Trump's going to do is just declare victory, right? … but that doesn't mean he's the winner, he's just gonna say he's a winner. The Democrats — more of our people vote early that count. Theirs vote in mail, and so they're going to have a natural disadvantage and Trump's going to take advantage of it.” Bannon added, “If Trump is losing by 10:00 or 11:00 at night…he’s gonna sit right there and say they stole it.” Bannon said it. And a few days later, Trump did it. On election night, before all votes could be counted, Trump declared victory and called for ongoing vote counting to stop. And in his usual pattern of accusing his opponents of what he himself does, Trump claimed that to continue vote counting constituted “a fraud on the American public.” This evidence shows that Trump’s so-called victory speech was part of his premeditated plan to declare victory regardless of the actual result of the election. Adam Kinzinger (Republican, Ill.) presented evidence that Trump privately acknowledged to a number of individuals (including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, White House assistant Alyssa Farah, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and his senior aide, Cassidy Hutchinson) that he had lost the election even while publicly yelling foul. Hutchinson testified on video about an instance in which Trump said to Mark Meadows in her presence, “something to the effect of, I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing. Figure it out. We need to figure it out. I don’t want people to know that we lost.” In addition, Adam Schiff (Calif. Democrat) and Pete Aguilar (Calif. Democrat) presented disturbing new evidence that, contrary to claims made under oath, the Secret Service and F.B.I. had prior knowledge of the attack on the Capitol. The Secret Service erased text messages from January 6, 2021, despite the fact those materials had already been requested by DOJ and Congress. But the committee was nevertheless able to obtain almost 1 million email messages, recordings and other electronic records. Among the many instances of foreknowledge laid out by Schiff, the records revealed that as early as December 26, the Secret Service received information that the Proud Boys planned to march armed into D.C. and that they claimed their numbers would be large enough to outnumber the police. The source said the plan was “to literally kill people,” and begged officials to take the tip seriously. Schiff noted that despite the clear evidence of prior knowledge, certain White House and Secret Service witnesses had testified that they had received no intelligence about violence threatening Congress and the vice-president. In other words—these witnesses lied under oath. It is clear that the failures of the Secret Service and the F.B.I. were not a failure of intelligence or coordination, but the result of deliberately ignoring intelligence. Some in the media scratch their heads and ask why these agencies had information long before January 6 but did not act. My thought: these agencies are part of the executive branch—which was under the thumb of Donald Trump and his cronies. Some commentators have recited: “Trump didn’t care” or “he wanted it to happen.” But those terms indicate only indifference or a wish. The evidence indicates Trump more than cared—he planned it. He directed it. The only “wanting” involved was his desire to physically join the insurrectionists so he could lead them into the Capitol as if he were Caesar crossing the Rubicon. If the senators and representatives were, as a result of the attack, largely dead, who would be left to rule without interference? Donald J. Trump. By contrast, Speaker Nancy Pelosi—third in line for the presidency—behaved in a superbly presidential manner, putting the safety of those still in the House and Senate chambers and protection of our democracy first. When the Defense Department and Acting Attorney General Rosen refused to help in any meaningful way, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer contacted Virginia Governor Grover Norquist and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, and talked of approaching D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to coordinate help from neighboring National Guard troops and police departments. Pelosi was, of course, furious that Trump was contemplating coming to the Capitol himself, which would have amounted to the executive branch invading and conquering the legislative branch. Nevertheless, while facing possible death, Pelosi’s mind was firmly focused on making sure the democratic result of the election was protected. Her composure under duress was impressive. As host Stephen Colbert put it on his late-night show last Thursday—how brave to get back to work while your office is full of people trying to kill you. The Bottom Line: As Chairman Thompson said in his final statement, Donald Trump needs to be accountable to the American people, to answer for his actions to the police officers who put their lives in jeopardy to defend democracy, and to the millions of citizens whose votes he wanted to throw out in order to remain in power. If he is not, he or others following in his footsteps will try again. But whether Trump will be held accountable largely depends on who controls Congress after the midterm election. If the radical right-wing Republicans obtain control of the House, they not only will end the Jan. 6 Committee’s work but will surely go on a revenge spree. They will investigate the investigators and remove them from committees without cause, and impeach President Biden. Never mind whether there are any grounds for it. In her final statement, Cheney declared: “Our institutions only hold when men and women of good faith make them hold regardless of the political cost. We have no guarantee that these men and women will be in place next time. Any future president inclined to attempt what Donald Trump did in 2020 has now learned not to install people who could stand in the way.” This midterm election will determine whether there will be men and women of good faith in place to stop Trumpian fascism. Those who vote only based on narrow personal issues may later find that they have no say on any issue. Voters need to think about this, whether they are already voting early or are going to the polls in person on November 8. Now it is up to us—we, the people. 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 Naomi Serviss / New York City My heart dropped when my rescued Maltese, Janis, started limping out of the blue. We had just completed our usual early morning Central Park walk without incident. Greeted two- and four-legged friends Lily, Nina, Robert, Jerry, Emma, Loki and Jose. Nothing seemed amiss. Janis was her typical jaunty, jolly 12–ish-pound self. Sniffing hither and yon over tree roots and atop green knolls. Her nose worked overtime, inhaling faded blossom’s lingering aroma. With a predilection for bench warming, she eye-pleaded to sit for a bit. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse when she gazed fondly over her shoulder in a flirty pose. Home again, all seemed well. Until Janis limped to her water bowl. WHAT’S THIS? I said with a gasp. I might have used stronger language. My heart dropped to see this tiny creature tri-podding, right hind leg raised. She didn’t whimper or otherwise signal distress, but I was a wreck, imagining the worst. When my kids were ailing or injured, they telegraphed discomfort the usual way: crying or telling me what was wrong. Pets are a whole other migraine. I called our close-by vet in a controlled state of near panic. Appointment made, my kindly neighbor/friend Matt carried Janis two blocks to the office. After what seemed an eternity, it was our turn and I felt my tears welling up in the exam room. The vet calmly explained the situation. Janis had a condition common to Maltese and other small dogs: Fluctuating Patella A fancy expression for loose kneecap (my terminology). Meaning, the small bones surrounding the knee were improperly formed, he said. As she wasn’t in pain, the condition should improve. With a caveat: If Janis continues to limp, or refuses to walk (too painful) then other options should be entertained. He didn’t say the “S” word (surgery). For that, I was grateful and hopeful it wouldn’t worsen to that stage. My senses since have been operating on high anxiety. Emotions are as rattled as when my daughter Emmy was bitten by a donkey at a petting farm, and a huge blood blister formed. Oh, I was also eight months pregnant. Yes, I was a wreck. It, too, soon passed. Maybe I imagined the limp! I watch Janis trot happily with a mouth full of Bébé (her favorite toy). Next moment, there she goes, Miss Limpy McGimp. (Which is my (unspoken) self-attributed moniker post-hip replacement.) After all, this two-year-old pup is my third “child” and I’m prone to worry. My human kids would nod here. Our morning walks are abbreviated now, but Janis is on the mend, slowly returning to her playful and charming little self. Clearly, why are we so heavily invested in creatures with relatively short shelf lives? “When my twins were young we went to look at puppies and I told them very clearly we weren’t going to buy that day,” my friend (since fourth grade) Susan Harris, a devoted animal lover, told me. “We, of course, came home with two beautiful golden doodles. Amazingly, this was 15 years ago, when Jack and Buddy came into our lives. “Buddy passed three years ago, during Passover. Jack is now 15, the old fellow-turned-grandfather of the house. He makes his demands known with a paw on the knee.” With Jack too old to climb the stairs, Susan had put a gate up to prevent him from making the attempt. One time, she forgot. Jack took advantage of Susan’s brain freeze. He attempted the long haul upstairs and stopped, unable to rise further. Reality bites. “I ran down to him and sat holding his beautiful, big-eyed, long-eared head in my arms and he and I began a slow dance of me bumping down step-by-step on my bum as he slowly backed down the stairs, safe in my embrace,” Susan recalled. “My eyes filled with tears as the passage of time, my twins grown, my little puppy grown old, reminded me to enjoy these moments in life where I realize that in so many ways Jack and I have grown old together.” Another animal lover is my sister, Susan Freedman-Varbero, who’s hosted kittens and adult felines for decades. She’s trapped dozens of feral cats from her woodsy upstate New York backyard, bringing them to her vet for neutering. Susan currently shares her abode with five cats. They’re free-range, with access outside through sliding glass doors that open to a sturdy deck. When I asked her to describe the fur creatures she housed over the decades, she replied: “Kittens to old guys, feral, abandoned, or lost, friendly, sweet, funny or serious, vocal or quiet, indifferent or affectionate, smart or not so much.” “No matter what their origins, some have lived pretty healthy lives. Some have had underlying immune system problems--older males from fighting, inbreeding, accidents, who knows?” she added. Which led to never-ending, costly medical treatments. “So far, I’ve outlived them, and my goal now is to do the same with my current clowder (and last, I hope). Four are related and are seven- or eight-years-old. “It’s been worth it every time (except financially) to take in the ones who found us, whom we have loved and who loved us back.” Susan, a classic film trivia expert, took a Turner Classic Movie-themed cruise with like-minded fans a few years back. She found inspiration for her cats’ jazzy names: “Nudnik, Squeaky, Carygrant, Johnny One-Eye, Meowie, Black, Grey, Whisper, Midge, Scrappy and the rest are playing over that rainbow bridge. “Handsome, his son Keeper and his sibling sisters Red and Darla. Then there’s Missie. They’re here for the duration.” Nina Felshin, a cat-loving neighbor and friend, also has a confession to make: “My bond with Tiger Lily (2009-2022) and Pussy Willow (2009-) has been stronger than my bond with most humans, and the pandemic served to strengthen them more,” she says. “This made Tiger Lily’s death this past May 31st even more of a heartbreaker. “I sobbed as I held her at the vet during her final moments, as my very kind vet injected her with an endless sleep potion. “I realized the next day that I had been mourning her imminent death for more than a month, as it became clear that her condition—abdominal cancer—was untreatable. “I watched her every move like a hawk, kidding myself sometimes that she seemed to be doing better. Or observing what she no longer did. “For two years, right before I turned out the light I would hear what sounded like kitty cries and within a minute or two I would hear what sounded like the sound of the wand toy she was dragging into my bedroom and drop by the side of the bed, waiting for me to play. “She had to settle for jumping on my bed and head-butting me which is a way for cats to mark you with pheromones and bond with you. “Pussy Willow is my silver lining. She and I are more bonded than ever. She, demanding more attention and affection, and me delighted to dole it out—and get it back. “Because she is the same age as her sister, I keep my eye on all her behavior. Nothing to worry about unless, like me, you worry anyway!” Tell me about it, Nina. I practically check Janis’s breathing at night. Figuratively speaking, of course. Another good friend worries about his dog’s knee issues. John de Dios’s American bully-black Labrador mix named Mercy was the runt of her litter. “When Mercy was a puppy, she strained her back knee running around,” John told me. “The vet said it was easy for her breed to tear ligaments because they’re such powerhouses. “For years, she would get a bad limp after long walks, running to play with her ball, or even when winter weather comes,” he added. “It was always so sad to watch because she’d have the limp for a few days. There would be times where she would have to sit down. “That went on for years (Mercy is seven), seeing vet after vet. They would say there really wasn’t anything they could do unless she got surgery.” “As her dad, I worried constantly because she always looked so sad whenever her leg was bothering her,” John said. Between exercising Mercy every day with walks and physical therapy, John has been a tenacious companion for Mercy and vice versa. “She seemed to have been able to build up the muscles in her back leg to a point where we’ve gone on hikes on beaches, mountains, you name it. She hasn’t had a limp at least a couple of years now, knock on wood. She seems healthier and happy as can be.” I suddenly feel better about Janis’s woebegone kneecap. She doesn’t seem put off by an occasional limp. It’s my attitude that needs adjusting. Or does it? I asked my high-school friend Jeffrey Rossman, a psychologist, why we get so crazy-invested in our pets. He, along with his dog-loving wife Diane, gave the topic deep thought. “Many pet owners develop a soul connection with their pet,” Jeff said. “It is a primal bond of pure, unconditional love, and a bond of responsibility, in some ways like a parent’s responsibility to care for a child. “Because our pets are animals that have been domesticated, they have been bred to be dependent on us. “Our pets can’t use words to tell us where it hurts or what their symptoms are. We depend on our empathic attunement to intuit what is ailing them and respond to their needs.” I asked Jeff why people crave a canine or feline companion. “Anatole France, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921, summed it up well: “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” “Our pets allow us to release our inhibitions and express love, affection and playfulness in ways we might not so easily express with other human beings. “For some childless pet owners, their pet is like their child, and this relationship thus takes on an added layer of meaning.” Jeff currently has a three-year-old golden retriever, Rumi. “He is love incarnate. Our previous dog, also a golden retriever, was Milo, whose ashes we spread in our backyard near the headstone that is our memorial to him. “Before Milo, we had Daisy, a big, beautiful Great Pyrenees.” I know that Janis is on the mend. I have confidence she will be zooming around again soon. She’ll be able to climb the two steps we put in front of the couch for her, with ease. And maybe by tomorrow, the limp will be gone. Naomi Serviss is a New York-based award-winning journalist whose work has been published in The New York Times, Newsday, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Highroads (AAA magazine), in-flight publications, spa and travel magazines and websites, including BroadwayWorld.com

One film journalist’s stream-of-consciousness cinematic journey through the pandemic, Part 104 By Laurence Lerman / New York City As this week’s Reel Streaming is published, I am seeking adventure abroad and making my way from Athens to the island of Corfu. That’s right, I’m in the middle of a week-long visit to Greece, that ol’ cradle of civilization. Then again, maybe not, depending upon who you talk to, as there are plenty of scholars who argue that the big cradles of civilization were Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt and other regions, just as they may consider “New World” civilization cradles to have emerged from Peru and Mexico. Let’s just consider Greece to be a cradle of Western civilization or, at the very least, a pretty darned important civilization that laid the groundwork for a lot of the societal behavior, artistic endeavors, politics and culture that emerged around the Western world over the subsequent centuries. Though Greece has never been known for having an exceptional history of cinema, it is worth noting that in terms of both cinema and theater, the Greeks are generally considered the ones who came up with the idea of enacting a story using actors and the artistic element before a live, assembled audience. The word “cinema” itself has a Greek derivation. It comes from the Greek kinemotographos or kinema and grapho: kinema (cinema) meaning movement, and grapho, which means to write, or record. Thus, cinema is a kind of recorded movement or moving pictures. Or something like that. As there are various arguments about the cradle of civilization, so too are there are a number of explanations as to the origin of that word. Just ask the French. And you’re hearing this from a bona fide cinephile (phile taken from the ancient Greek verb philo, which means to love.) Whatever the history, there have still been plenty of special films to emerge from there. Or movies simply about the country and its culture, old and new. I offer to you ten of them (without the benefit of having consulted the Oracle of Delphi): The Traveling Players (1979) Directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos Writer/director Angelopoulos traces the history of mid-20th century Greece through the exploits of a traveling theater company making its way across the country and mounting a period play along the way. Presenting the history of his country from a decidedly left-wing perspective, Angelopoulos' four-hour drama was cited by the great Akira Kurosawa as one of his favorite films. The Ogre of Athens (1956) Directed by Nikos Koundouros A fascinating satire taking on government oversight, loss of individuality and Hollywood’s film noir genre, Ogre weaves a tale of a mild bank clerk (popular Greek leading man Dinos Iliopoulos) who is mistaken for a fierce and infamous wanted criminal. It turns out to be a pretty good life for the banker—at first. Z (1969) Directed by Costa-Gavras Greek ex-patriot filmmaker Costa-Gavras’ political thriller is a thinly fictionalized account of the events surrounding the 1963 assassination of the democratic Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis by right-wing zealots. The filmmaker’s directorial debut was one of the few films to ever be nominated for Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film. Zorba the Greek (1964) Directed by Michael Cacoyannis Starring Anthony Quinn as the titular boisterous Crete peasant, director/writer/producer/editor Michael Cacoyannis’s international hit is based on Nikos Kazantzakis 1946 bestselling novel by the same name. Quinn’s performance remains iconic, as does the Greek folk dance known as the sirtaki, which was more-or-less introduced to the world by this movie. Dogtooth (2009) Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos One of leading filmmakers to emerge from Greece in the past 25 years, Lanthimos’s breakthrough movie is a psychological drama about a husband and wife who shield their children from the world outside of their fenced-in property—well into their adulthood. Dark, strong and strangely elegant, the movie launched its filmmaker onto the international stage, and his subsequent making of higher-budgeted, English language films like 2018’s The Favourite. Never on Sunday (1960) Directed by Jules Dassin The wonderful Melina Mercouri won Best Actress honors at Cannes for her portrayal of Greek prostitute Ilya, who happily works the port of Piraeus six days a week. Writer/director Jules Dassin, Mercouri’s future husband, co-stars in this free-spirited rom-com as an American classical scholar who attempts to steer Ilya’s life in a different direction. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) Directed by Joel Zwick This is probably the first film the majority of contemporary filmgoers think of when asked to name a Greek movie (if indeed they are ever asked!). A fun family affair written by and starring Nia Vardalos as a middle-class Greek American woman getting ready to say “I do” to a charming WASP (John Corbett). This surprise smash spawned a short-lived 2003 TV series and a 2016 sequel—with a third one on the way next year. The films all co-star the irrepressible Lainie Kazan and Andrea Martin, so what’s not to like? The Guns of Navarone (1961) Directed by J. Lee Thompson One of the most rousing, big-budget WWII adventure films of the Sixties stars Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn as members of an Allied commando unit tasked to destroy an impregnable German fortress on an island in the Aegean Sea. Leading Greek actress Irene Pappas provides the feminine touch for this mission movie shot primarily on the island of Rhodes. Rembetiko (1983) Directed by Costa Ferris The winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1984, this lively musical tells the story of rebetiko, the bluesy, bouzouki-infused urban Greek music that grew to prominence in the early decades of the 20th century. It’s all seen through the eyes of young Armenian-Greek singer Marika Ninou. Jason and the Argonauts (1963) / Clash of the Titans (1981) Directed by Don Chaffey / Desmond Davis Though the tales were often greatly altered from their oral and literary sources, Greek mythology was introduced to generations of film fans through Hollywood fantasy films, led by a pair featuring the stop-motion creations of special effects genius Ray Harryhausen. The story of Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece features a wondrous rendering of the many-headed hydra in Jason and the Argonauts (limited to only seven heads here due to budget restraints!); Clash recounts the myth of Perseus with Harryhausen’s creatures and an all-star cast led by Laurence Olivier as—who else?—Zeus. 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 October 14, 2022 WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Minutes after the congressional committee investigating the January 6th insurrection voted unanimously to subpoena the former President, Donald J. Trump responded by submitting a note from his podiatrist. The foot specialist, Dr. Harland Dorrinson, indicated in the note that Trump’s chronic bone-spur issues, which had been asymptomatic in recent years, had suddenly “been acting up again.” “This afternoon, Mr. Trump began experiencing unbearable pain consistent with bone-spur inflammation,” the podiatrist wrote. “For this reason, I cannot in good conscience give him permission to testify.” The podiatrist’s note did not appear to discourage one committee member, Representative Liz Cheney, who volunteered to hoist Trump onto a luggage trolley and wheel him into the hearing room. 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.

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 Judi Markowitz She walked into the room wearing stiletto heels adorned with decorative studs. Her dress was fashionable, too. I admired her style. She had a smile that was endearing, and she exuded confidence. I immediately recalled how I had liked this woman the moment we met in her office a decade ago. Then, just as now, Felicia Ivascu had made us feel at ease, and this was due to her upbeat personality. We knew she cared, as this was evidenced in her approach. These are important qualities in an individual, but they are especially important for a surgeon. We first met Dr. Ivascu in 2012, right before our daughter Lindsay had her first hip replacement surgery. Lindsay had an infected cyst on the leg where she was having surgery. Intervention was needed. Marty Levinson, Lindsay’s doctor in Detroit and close family friend, called Dr. Ivascu and asked if she could see Lindsay as soon as possible. He explained that Lindsay has a rare genetic condition, Marshall-Smith syndrome, and was having surgery in two weeks. Luckily, we were able to meet with Dr. Ivascu the next morning. She excised the cyst, and Lindsay was ready for the next medical procedure. Dr. Ivascu was kind and accommodating. We had found a gem. Fast forward ten years — we made another appointment in July to see Dr. Ivascu. This time Lindsay had a giant cyst below her elbow, and it became infected. It had been growing for years but was not problematic — until now. We told Dr. Ivascu that we had recently been to Beaumont’s Emergency Room and waited for six hours without ever seeing a doctor. When informed by the hospital’s medical staff that the time frame to be examined was unknown, we had decided to leave after consulting with Dr. Levinson by phone. We were disappointed that nothing could be done. Dr. Ivascu then examined Lindsay’s cyst and reviewed the ultrasound that was taken months earlier. She said that she would remove it and then a discussion ensued concerning Lindsay and anesthesia. I explained that Lindsay has a narrow airway and high pallet. An ENT (ear, nose, and throat) physician is always on board for intubation prior to any surgery. However, we did not want to go this route for a procedure that would last only some 30 minutes. Dr. Ivascu listened to our concerns about general anesthesia, felt our anxiety, and heard us when we said that Lindsay could tolerate this procedure with a local anesthetic to freeze the area. We told her that Lindsay would be a tough customer and a cooperative patient — even without general anesthesia. Dr. Ivascu agreed to our request. Such kindness and consideration have not always been on the menu for us. When Lindsay had doctor appointments as a young child, I never knew what to expect. We had our fair share of hard knocks from the medical community— it was a struggle. There were doctors who did not intervene on Lindsay’s behalf and made no recommendations for care. They followed the sparse information written about Marshall-Smith syndrome and the predicted outcome for these children was an early death. They were following the literature —a self-fulfilling prophecy. Then there were the page-flipping doctors who pulled out books on human malformations, in order to look at photographs of children to find similarities with Lindsay. They acted like investigative reporters — at our expense. Looking at those photos, it was as if I was staring at a lineup in a police station, but instead I was at the pediatrician’s office. Other doctors would look me in the eyes and bluntly say that Lindsay was never going to make it. I know now, even though they exhibited crude behavior, they were trying to help. Still, all of these doctor’s appointment were a total failure. These physicians were in desperate need of etiquette lessons and compassion. As time marched forward, we carved out a group of stellar physicians whose desire to support Lindsay was paramount. Their main concern was to provide Lindsay with the best medical advice and treatment. And now Dr. Ivascu and her staff were doing the same. So, on the morning of October 3rd, we drove back to Beaumont Hospital. Dr. Ivascu arranged for Lindsay to have the procedure in the Pediatric OR even though Lindsay is 43. She told us the staff would be more amenable to have a parent onboard —I was going in!! Dr. Ivascu also commented that the staff in pediatrics is flexible and attentive because they treat children daily. This was the perfect spot for us. After she greeted us in the surgical pre-op room, Dr. Ivascu inquired about Lindsay’s music preferences. I told her that Lindsay enjoyed listening to oldies— the ’70s and ‘80s. Dr. Ivascu was thrilled since those decades were her favorites as well. We were ready to rock and roll to the OR. But first, I had to put on “bunny suit” — a huge, white jumpsuit that zipped up the front. It was the epitome of fashion. If helium were available, I would have floated away. Once in the OR, introductions were made all around. Then Dr. Ivascu gave Lindsay several injections to freeze the site. I gently held Lindsay’s right arm in place, while Dr. Jacob Mesiti held her other hand. Lindsay immediately smiled at him — she was happy this good-looking doctor was being so attentive. The music began to play, an incision was made, and I watched as Dr. Ivascu removed the cyst. It was fascinating! I felt like I was in a scene from a movie. But this wasn’t art imitating life, it wasn’t actors, it was simply medical professionals doing their job because they were dedicated and focused on improving the human condition. This scene was life at its best and I was lucky to be a witness. As we were leaving the OR, I thanked Dr. Ivascu and gave her a hug. I told her I was appreciative of her being flexible and creating a special plan for Lindsay. She commented that when there are no alternatives set in place, you move forward and create an alternative plan of action. We were certainly glad she did! Judi Markowitz is a retired high school English teacher of 34 years. She primarily taught 12th grade and had the pleasure of her three sons gracing her classes. In addition, she taught debate, forensics, and Detroit film. Judi has four adult children and seven wonderful grandchildren. She is married to Jeffrey Markowitz, whom she met in high school. Judi grew up in Oak Park, Mich. which had a stellar school district, with excellent teachers. The city provided activities for all–and there were even sidewalks. Judi moved to Huntington Woods as an adult, which is a half mile from her childhood home. She wanted the same experience for her children as she had growing up, and Huntington Woods provided that. The View from Four Foot Two is Judi’s first book.

By Andy Borowitz October 12, 2022 WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—A Connecticut jury’s imposition of a billion-dollar penalty on Alex Jones will have a “chilling effect on lying,” Tucker Carlson warned. Choking back tears as he delivered his commentary, the Fox News host said that the jury’s decision “was no more and no less than a direct attack on the lying life style.” “For those of us who make our living by spreading falsehoods, baseless conspiracy theories, and extremist fever dreams, this is a time to be afraid,” he said. “Very afraid.” “I think I speak for many Fox viewers when I say I don’t want to live under a tyranny of facts,” he added. Carlson’s concerns about the impact of the jury’s decision on the mendacity profession found support on Capitol Hill from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. “I want to say that the jury was manipulated by mind-control rays beamed down from the Rothschild family’s satellites, but now I can’t afford to,” she said. 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 Laurence Lerman / New York City In a career that began nearly eight decades ago with rarely more than a few weeks or months of downtime between projects, Angela Lansbury's most popular and enduring work was arguably the television show Murder, She Wrote–which she began at the age of 60! But I've got to admit that it was Dame Angela's equally extensive film and stage work with which I was most enamored. Lansbury died Tuesday, October 11, at her home in Los Angeles, Calif. She was 96. According to a statement from her family, she died peacefully in her sleep. Lansbury starred as bestselling mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher in a staggering 265 episodes of Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996). Each one found always game Ms. Fletcher getting involved in solving murders taking place in her fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine and, later, across the U.S. and abroad. I only saw one episode of Murder, She Wrote over the course of its 12-season run on CBS Television. It was from the third season and concerned a boxer’s manager turning up murdered. The local police are baffled, but the intrepid Fletcher uses her noggin and is able to identify the culprit. I remember the episode as being suitably entertaining, if not really up to my snobby tastes at that time. But what I really grooved on was the cast of familiar faces who guest-starred in that episode, including Ernest Borgnine, Jerry Orbach, John Amos, Bradford Dillman and, TV’s Batman himself, Adam West! I later learned that Murder, She Wrote was known as the land of a million guest stars, a show that tapped talents from both recent years and decades past and put them to work. It was a move that struck me as sweet, smart and dynamic, with the network having nothing to lose by filling the supporting parts with recognizable names. And the myriad guest stars, many of whom had nothing left to prove even as their roles would have been lofty by that time in their careers, chose to do what came naturally opposite the grand Angela Lansbury, who herself could be described as sweet, smart and dynamic, too. And so much more. My first encounter with Lansbury was when I saw her as a preteen in Disney’s live-action, animated musical-comedy mash-up Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). She shined as Eglantine Price, a charming but strong witch-in-training, who takes in children abandoned during WWII’s London blitz, while also wielding her powers to smash the Nazis. Eglantine was definitely cooler than Mary Poppins, that’s for sure, plus she got to sing “Substitutiary Locomotion,” the movie’s best number. I saw Lansbury again in a few Agatha Christie movie adaptations in my teen years. The best was 1978’s Death on the Nile—before I had my doors blown off when I was lucky enough to see the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It starred Len Cariou as the titular murderous hair stylist and Lansbury as his equally deranged meat-pie-making paramour Mrs. Lovett. It was a large-scale, fully rigged production, with a big cast, towering sets, a large orchestra and an inspiringly demented storyline—and in the middle of it all, a crazed, wonderful Angela Lansbury, whose hysterical and tragic over-the-top performance and interpretation of Sondheim’s rich, weighty songs were a simply a wonder to behold. After 17-year-old me gave my parents a review of the production, they offered me a quick primer on the remarkable Ms. Lansbury’s history on Broadway. They had seen her shine in Gypsy a few years earlier and Mame back in the mid-Sixties. She won the first of five Tony Awards for Mame, another for Gypsy and then one for Sweeney. She also picked up a pair for the play Blithe Spirit (2009) and the musical A Little Night Music (2010), as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year. Truly, Lansbury had a wealth of talent that traversed the decades and all manner of theater and film genres that cross her path. It was around the time of Sweeney Todd that I learned—with the help of my parents—of Lansbury’s history in the movies, which dated back to a star turn in George Cukor’s 1944 classic Gaslight, which garnered her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 18. That same year, she appeared as Elizabeth Taylor’s older sister in the beloved National Velvet. The London-born daughter of an Irish actress, Lansbury arrived in Los Angeles with her mother at 17 to break into the movie business. She was under contract to MGM for the next decade. But her broad gifts were sadly never utilized to their full potential. Perhaps because she wasn’t a traditional, studio-built starlet–not at all!–MGM and subsequent studios frequently cast her in roles playing older and often villainous women. While she was very good at it, the movies were, generally, pretty bad. (Check out the 1951 film noir Kind Lady for an example of this.) “I was never going to get to play the girl next door,” said Lansbury in an interview in 2013. “And I was never going to be groomed to be a glamorous movie star. And I sort of realized that.” Until her arrival in the 1957 Broadway farce Hotel Paradiso and subsequent starring roles in 14 plays and musicals over the next half-century—not to mention Murder, She Wrote—Lansbury’s film career was a mixed bag. There were busy years and some dry times as well. But through it all, she was always top-notch, and was particularly well-received in such films as the musical The Harvey Girls (1945), the comedy The Reluctant Debutante (1958), the drama All Fall Down (1962) and the dark comedy Something for Everyone (1970). To a generation that came of age unaware of her film, theater and TV resume, Lansbury will always be recognized as the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney’s animated smash Beauty and the Beast (1991). I left out one movie, because it definitely warrants its own paragraph. That would be John Frankenheimer’s classic 1962 political thriller The Manchurian Candidate, which finds Lansbury portraying Eleanor Iselin, the truly evil mother of a soldier who was captured and brainwashed during the Korean War. In an effort to further the political career of her Joe McCarthy-like second husband, Iselin serves as her son’s U.S. handler for the Koreans and exploits him to the point where she manipulates him into attempting to assassinate a presidential nominee. If Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher were around, she would have spotted the premeditated crime and stopped it. But she wasn’t. so we’re left watching her Eleanor Iselin do a terrifying number on her son. Either way, the audience wins, because it’s all about Angela Lansbury. 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.