One film journalist’s stream-of-consciousness cinematic journey through the pandemic, Part 94 By Laurence Lerman / New York City Some folks feel that with the arrival of August, the best days of summer are behind them, that the countdown to Labor Day and the unofficial wrap-up of the season is only a few weekends away. I never really felt that way. Maybe it’s a little too forward thinking for me at a time when I’m enjoying the high season for sweet corn, tomatoes and cantaloupe. Still, while the end isn’t upon us yet, warnings of its arrival are in the mail, that’s for sure. Summer clothing is on sale in store windows; the sunburns of your friends and family have by now turned into tans; local TV ads and CVS circulars are hawking back-to-school products; and the final month of the summer movie release schedule has begun! While I enjoy being out and about during August, I’m also very content to lounge in a cool indoor movie house. That’s particularly true this summer, when I’ve begun to go to the theater semi-regularly again. Not during the busy nighttime screenings, mind you, but rather the late morning/early afternoon weekday showtimes, when the theater is bound to be at its mellowest and I can sit comfortably with my mask—and other attendees are hopefully doing the same. My wife and I have caught a handful of summer releases in this manner, all of which I’ve previewed in The Insider—Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis, Thor: Love and Thunder. The first two were very lively and fun; the latter, well, it was entertaining enough. The superhero saga Thor was the second of a pair of Marvel Comics Universe (MCU) behemoths released to theaters this summer, following Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in late May. When preparing my Reel Streaming column on the movies of August, I’ll admit I was sort of pleased that there weren’t any more Marvel flicks on tap. But there are plenty of other August big screen premieres to consider for these dog days. So many, in fact, that you probably won’t be barking up the wrong tree when you decide. (A little summer humor…) Here are ten pics on tap for August that are new and refreshing: Bullet Train (August 5) Brad Pitt gets physical in the action-comedy based on Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka’s 2010 Japanese novel Maria Beetle. He portrays a nearly retired hit man who is convinced to take on one final job: collect a briefcase from an operative on an assassin-laden bullet train heading from Tokyo to Kyoto. John Wick helmer David Leitch directs a colorful cast that includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Zazie Beetz, Karen Fukuhara and Masi Oka. Sharp Stick (August 5) In her highest-profile project since HBO’s Girls, writer/director Lena Dunham’s latest is an off-center comedy about a naïve 26-year-old woman living on the fringes of Hollywood who begins an affair with her considerably older employer, launching her long-delayed sexual awakening. Kristine Froseth and the considerably older Jon Bernthal star. I Love My Dad (August 5) In this comedy, Patton Oswalt is a hopelessly estranged father whose desperate attempts to reconnect with his troubled son Franklin (James Orosini) lead him to impersonate a waitress online just so he can check up on him. Things to begin to spiral out of control when Franklin falls for the imaginary girl and wants nothing more than to meet her in person. The story was inspired by a real-life experience of writer/director/star Morosini. Resurrection (August 5) From writer/director Andrew Semans, this psychological thriller follows a seemingly capable woman with a college-bound daughter, who attempts to maintain control of her life when an abusive ex-boyfriend re-appears on the edge of her neighborhood. Star Rebecca Hall has been receiving raves for her performance as the film has weaved through the festival circuit. Back to the Drive-In (August 12) Though drive-in theaters staged a temporary resurgence when the pandemic hit, behind the scenes it remains a struggle for their owners to keep their businesses alive. In her latest documentary, April Wright, whose previous features include Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story (2020) and Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace, examines 11 very different drive-ins in eight states around the country and what the future may hold for them. Mack & Rita (August 12) When 30-year-old homebody writer Mack Martin joins her gal pals on a Palm Springs bachelorette trip, her inner 70-year-old is released—literally--in the form of her physically transforming into a considerably older woman. This magic-infused comedy-drama features Elizabeth Lail as the freaked-out young Mack and Diane Keaton as "Aunt Rita," the name Mack adopts when her younger self turns into an older soul. Beast (August 19) A recently widowed father and his two teenage daughters travel to South Africa on a journey of healing that turns into a nightmare when they find themselves hunted by a ferocious rogue lion intent on ridding his corner of the Savanna of any intruders. Icelandic auteur Baltasar Kormákur directs and Idris Elba stars in this intense and violent adventure-thriller. Three Minutes – A Lengthening (August 19) A found snippet of 16mm color film shot in 1938 offers a glimpse into the lives of the unsuspecting Jewish citizens of the small Polish village of Nasielsk on the precipice of World War II and the Holocaust. Filmmaker Bianca Stigter uses the existing three minutes to unravel the stories of the town and inhabitants hidden on the celluloid. Helena Bonham Carter provides the narration. Breaking (August 26) Originally called 892 when it first played at Sundance, this hostage drama, based on a real-life incident, centers on a troubled Marine war veteran (John Boyega) who takes bank workers hostage after not receiving benefits he was due. Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton and Jeffrey Donovan co-star, along with the late Michael K. Williams, as a negotiator in one of his final roles. Three Thousand Years of Longing (August 31) Tilda Swinton is a lonely academic attending a conference in Istanbul; Idris Elba (he’s busy this summer!) is the djinn (genie) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. Tilda’s problem? First, she doubts he is real, and second, as a scholar of mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone awry! The fiercely creative George Miller of Max Max and Babe fame is the director and co-writer of this darkly fantastical concoction adapted from A.S. Byatt’s short story The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eyes. 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 August 3, 2022 KANSAS (The Borowitz Report)—Republicans in Kansas woke up to the dark prospect of life in a state where women have human rights, G.O.P. activists report. Harland Dorrinson, a Republican stalwart in Kansas for more than forty years, said that now, after voters in the state appeared to affirm women should be treated as humans, “I no longer recognize my Kansas.” “This is a slippery slope,” he said. “If women are granted bodily autonomy, it’s only a matter of time before they are permitted to marry who they want, wear what they want, eat what they want. I know I speak for many of my fellow-Republicans when I say I don’t want to live in a state like that.” Dorrinson said that he is contemplating leaving the state where he has lived his entire life but is unsure where he might go. “If this kind of nightmare can happen in Kansas, it can happen anywhere,” he said. Had Tuesday’s vote gone the other way, Dorrinson said, Republicans in the state had forecast a bright future for Kansas. “Next, we were hoping to roll back women’s right to vote,” he said, adding ruefully, “but it’s a little late for that now.”

By Naomi Serviss / New York City Joni Mitchell dazzles the Newport crowd in this moving concert video The iconic musician-artist-poet Joni Mitchell, 78, electrified this year’s Newport Folk Festival by simply showing up. Few people knew the doyenne’s performance was in the pipeline. The shocked and awed audience hadn’t a clue. No one knew if she’d come through including herself. Now, days later, snippets of the live concert are all over the Internet. As soon as I heard her deep, throaty, smoke- ravaged voice sing The Circle Game, my emotions overwhelmed, my eyes welled and spilled. This historic live concert in Rhode Island on July 24 was billed as “Brandi Carlile & Friends.” Carlile is a musical genre-busting force, and a devotee of, and friend to, Mitchell. Their friendship paid off handsomely. Mitchell’s last-set appearance drew gasps as she carefully walked on stage. It was Joni’s first appearance at the festival in 53 years. The crowd lost it, sobbing and cheering, enthralled to witness the Grande Dame of music giving her first public performance, a 13-song set, since a brain aneurysm in 2015 almost killed her. The stage was a recreation of Mitchell’s California living room, the site of “Joni Jams” with friends and fellow musicians. She sat in an ornate wingback chair, wearing a dark blue beret and sunglasses. Sporting pearls and a red polka-dotted fabric necklace, Mitchell was bright and shiny. And surprise, surprise. It’s not merely boomers who are swooning to see her perform on stage! Lyrics as deep as Sondheim’s. Women of a certain age (mine!) adored and worshiped her as our spokesperson for dashed romance and disappointment. We sang along with her records and strove to sound like her. Twenty- and thirty-somethings are now discovering Mitchell’s luscious album Blue, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Mitchell is simply the GOAT, by all accounts. Her tuneful poetry accompanied me through the quicksand of teenage angst. Her songs, sculpted by sorrow, dreams and regret mirrored my own journey. Tunes soundtracked my heartache, longing, requited and unrequited love. That early majestic soprano, innocent and wise, soared up and up, free as a seagull, reaching an ever-higher octave. Her voice, now deeper due to cigarette years of vocal abuse, still resonates in any octave. Earlier this year, on February 3, Mitchell was honored as MusiCares’ Person of the Year at a charity gala before the Grammys, where she performed briefly. The following evening, Joni accepted the Grammy for Best Historical Album (Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967). Mesmerizing the crowd, as always, sporting a red leather beret, floral pants and sunglasses. Mitchell wore her trademark blonde locks in pigtails. A western Canadian, Mitchell launched her career performing in small clubs. 
Settling in Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills, she became the linchpin of the ’60s music scene. When her first album, Song to a Seagull, was released in 1968, I was gobsmacked. Fell in love with Mitchell’s prose-poetry tunes and Canadian affect. Why was the Newport crowd charged with emotion when she took the stage? Because she’s JONI MITCHELL! Playing and singing once more before an adoring, choked-up crowd. Watching the clips of Mitchell singing, “Both Sides Now” and “The Circle Game,” I’m overcome. Flashing back to that teenager who knew firsthand the world can change in a heartbeat. From the looks of Mitchell’s beaming smile during the once-in-a-lifetime concert, she’s having a fantastic time! 
At the end of her set, you can hear her say, “That was so fun!” More, please. 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

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 Bonnie Fishman / San Francisco Bay Area Before the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, I was, like many Americans, a world traveler. I was confident, relaxed and enjoyed the journey. Now, two and a half years later, besides attending my 50th high school reunion in my hometown in Michigan a few weeks ago, I haven’t been anywhere. I’ve watched and read about brave souls taking to the roadways and skies. Not me. I’ve stayed put. I’ve actually felt anxious about leaving my safe compound here in California. But my benchmark 70th birthday on July 14 was looming and my daughter, Hanna, whose 35th birthday was three days after mine and is exactly half my age, and I had begun a tradition of traveling together on special birthdays. Five years ago, we went to Iceland. This time, we agreed to stay closer to home and flew on my birthday to Santa Fe, N.M. I was actually nervous about going somewhere not in my daily routine. I mustered up my courage and flew to Burbank to meet Hanna near her L.A. home. We then flew together to this 7,000-feet-above-sea level magical town in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. For those of you who haven’t been to Santa Fe, I highly recommend a long weekend visit. If you also happen to love Native American culture, Spanish culture or Native art, architecture and jewelry, you’ll be swooning with excitement. We sure were as both of us have degrees in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan with a focus on indigenous peoples. I have always been fascinated in particular with Navajo life. As a matter of fact, before I met my husband Bob 47 years ago, he already had a Navajo rug collection and several pieces of turquoise and silver jewelry. We had that in common way back when. Hanna came by it organically. There are so many amazing things about Santa Fe. The evening light is particularly beautiful. I love the main plaza in the center of town, lined with adobe and Spanish-style buildings, Native Americans selling their wares under the long portico, and charming stores and cafes. It’s a very walkable city. For those who want to see more, wonderful hiking at all levels is available nearby. One could also drive up to Chimayo, about 20 minutes from Santa Fe, stopping to view the hoodoos, mountains, and valleys along the way. Chimayo has an amazing adobe church situated in a plaza filled with trees along a tributary of the Rio Grande. Don’t forget to dine at the famous Rancho de Chimayó up the road. In addition to our love for all things Native American, Hanna is a jeweler specializing in raw gemstones which include turquoise. Don’t ask! We pounded the pavement in 100° heat and saw thousands of pieces of jewelry in our few days in Santa Fe. We were particularly on the hunt for “old pawn.” Old pawn was a term used for jewelry made and worn by Native Americans that was used to trade for credit or goods. Pieces made in the 1960s and earlier are most valuable. Nowadays, it is coveted because of its age, workmanship, and unusual styling. I was collecting old pawn back in the early ’80s. Hanna bought me a beautiful pendant for my birthday as a keepsake of our trip. And naturally, let’s talk food. OMG! The food in Santa Fe is extraordinary. There is a definite vibe to New Mexican food. Many people erroneously think that it’s Mexican food or that the people are of Mexican descent. Actually, New Mexico was first colonized by Spaniards in the late 16th century who arrived from Mexico City–hence the confusion. The culinary style is similar to Mexican with the shared use of several ingredients such as beans, corn, chiles, and tomatoes. Also, people may mistakenly believe that all this food is really spicy. The use of chiles gives the food a wonderful depth of flavor, not necessarily hot. I was fortunate enough to have attended a cooking class and lecture on July 16 at the Santa Fe Cooking School taught by Dr. Lois Ellen Frank, a Native American (half Jewish) chef who paved the way for degrees in culinary anthropology. She is first and foremost a wonderful chef and food photographer. Dr. Frank’s 2002 book, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations, won a James Beard award. I loved chef Frank’s lecture about indigenous edibles and how the Native diet changed with “first contact” (when Europeans began to arrive). Pre-contact, there were eight foods available: corn, beans, squash, chiles, potatoes, tomatoes, cacao, and vanilla. After colonization, domesticated animals and other crops were introduced. Any restaurant in Santa Fe that you go to features some of these products in interesting preparations and combinations. Today, I’m offering a spin on a recipe in Dr. Frank’s book, Pinto Beans with Wild Rice. Her recipe uses tumbleweed as the green mixed in. I don’t know about you, but I usually don’t have young tumbleweed tendrils available to me. Use either curly endive as chef Frank suggests, or—as I prefer--arugula, which imparts a nice peppery flavor. I have also added fresh tomatoes, pine nuts or pepitas. Pine nuts are easier to find so do what you feel is best. On one occasion, I wanted to make this salad more of an entrée. I added one or two 5 oz. cans of white albacore tuna. This addition really takes it out of the Southwest flavor profile, but who cares? I loved it. Share with us here at The Insider any shopping stories for Native art/jewelry you may have collected over the years. And “Nizhniygo adííyį́į́ł, which means “Have a good meal” in Navajo! New Mexican Pinto Bean and Wild Rice Salad Yield: 8 servings 3/4 c. dried pinto beans (or 1 can pinto beans, drained well) 1 c. wild rice or wild rice mixed with brown rice 1 1/2 c. curly endive or arugula, coarsely chopped 1 c. diced fresh Roma tomatoes 2 scallions, sliced thin 1/4 c. toasted pine nuts or pepitas Dressing: 2 garlic cloves 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 3/4 c. sunflower seed oil or olive oil 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper Put the beans in a large bowl, covered by 2” water. Allow to soak for 8 hours or overnight.  Drain. Put in a 2 qt. pot, cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil; turn down to a simmer. Cover. Cook for about 2 hours or until tender but not mushy. Drain well. Put in a large bowl. Bring 2 1/4 c. water to a boil in a saucepan.  Add the rice and salt. Cover. Turn down to a simmer.   Cook about 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow for the excess water to absorb.  Fluff with a fork.  Add to the bowl of beans. Mix in the endive, tomatoes, scallions, and pine nuts. Add the dressing and stir to coat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve at room temperature. Dressing: In a blender or a small food processor, mince the garlic and  jalapeño. Add the lemon juice and vinegar, and the salt and pepper. While the motor is running, pour the oil through the feed tube at the top. 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 Victoria Rolfe / Red Hook, N.Y. There are as many ways to garden as there are people on the planet. Like snowflakes and fingerprints, each individual garden is a unique expression of the person who lovingly created and tends to it. When it comes to gardening, there is no such thing as right or wrong. Oh sure, there is a plethora of knowledge to be learned about gardening practices. There are reams of books written about everything regarding the subject, from soil, compost, seed starting, maintenance and pest control to hardscaping and design and everything in between. And even the most seasoned gardener never stops learning either through the wisdom of others or through their own trial and error. But it’s when the gardener gets out there in the dirt that the magic happens. This is where right or wrong disappears. Every individual has their own motivation for getting out there. Each person has their own idea of what a garden means to them. What do they want to grow? Do they want it to be functional or pretty (or both)? Are they interested in growing things to eat or beautiful, fragrant flowers? How big do they want it to be? How much time would they like to devote to it? What style do they like–very formal and contained, or wild and free? The questions (and answers) go on and on. And the result of the limitless choices that each gardener faces is an extraordinary array of gardens as diverse and individual as humanity itself. It’s one of the things that makes those of us who are passionate about our own gardens so eager to meet other gardeners and exchange ideas (and plants!) We are endlessly enthusiastic about showing off and discussing our own gardens, but we never tire of touring others. And because there is no right or wrong in the beautiful world of gardening, you are free to do your own thing. Are you perfectly content to have one houseplant on your windowsill? It’s your choice! Would you like a few herbs or edibles on your balcony or deck? Wonderful! Would you prefer to dedicate a large plot of your yard to growing vegetables? Go for it! Do you want to surround yourself with plants and flowers? Beautiful! It’s your garden. In the immortal words of the Burger King himself “Have it your way!” And I might add, should you be hesitating, remember the wisdom of Nike and “Just do it!” You can’t go wrong. There’s no such thing. Just in my own little circle of friends, I see a wide range of gardening interests, energy, and styles. I recently canvassed a few of them to tell me about their gardening desires and incentives. As with most gardeners, they were quite eager to tell me about their experiences. Here is just a bit of what they told me: I met Nicole three years ago when she took one of my garden classes at the library. She had recently moved into her first house and wanted to learn about how to plant and care for some vegetables and flowers. Well, fast forward to now: her little yard has exploded with a profusion of vegetables and flowers galore! She told me that her initial impetus was to provide her family (her husband and two daughters, now 6 and 3) with some good, healthy, nutritious food. Nicole knew that her suburban upbringing had left her with a disconnect as to where the food her family ate was actually coming from and she wanted to change that for her little girls. So she put in some raised beds (lead in her soil left her unable to plant in the ground), and she planted a few seeds and then the magic happened! Not only did Nicole grow food that first year, but she became inspired! She found the garden experience to be an immersive one: “The sounds of the birds, the smell of the lilac bush. The taste of the Juneberry, right off the tree. The sunflowers towering above you. I’m so grateful to share the wonder with my two girls”. The next year, more raised beds went in, and she started creating beds throughout the yard as well. In fact, each time I go over, I think there is something new to see in her garden. Suffice to say she was bitten by the gardening bug and there is no going back. Her family not only grows what they enjoy eating but have discovered the joy of flowers along the way. They grow some to help attract beneficial insects into their garden and others just for the pure joy of it. To their (and my) delight, they were wildly successful this year in scattering a mix of pollinator seeds on a problem slope that resulted in a gorgeous and colorful display of happy flowers. And her girls are with her every step of the way, planting, harvesting, and, of course, eating! They are most definitely connecting to their food source! Nicole proudly watches her older daughter, Summer, give garden tours to friends, and notes that she is already very knowledgeable about all the plants and flowers they grow. Just up the road from Nicole, another friend, Laura, an empty nester and her retired husband, Chris, are very satisfied to keep their garden simple. They consider it a hobby and are content to keep their plot just big enough for the two of them. Laura is happy enough to save a little money by growing their own, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, greens, peppers, garlic, and carrots, which she supplements with a few pots of herbs on her deck. Laura has a very busy life, so she likes to keep her flower planting simple. She does not go overboard, but her yard always looks tidy with some bright splashes of color. Just perfect for their needs. Then there is my (Master Gardener) friend Linda. Oh boy! You take one look at her house, and you know a person with a passion for gardening lives there! Her front lawn is a phantasmagoria of color and beauty. Linda considers her garden’s style to be that of an English cottage garden. She likes the informal nature of that and the dense planting that goes along with it. She also likes the fact that the closely planted flowers suppress the weeds.. The informality also allows her to be constantly moving things around or adding new plants. But Linda has discovered a downside to this when some plants get lost by being overtaken or shaded out by their neighbors. And she has realized over time that there are some locations where a more formal design might work better, such as the front entrance to the house, so she is working on that area. Linda is also working on adding more vertical elements to her garden, to fulfill her growing passion for vining plants (she has already grown thunbergia, moonflowers, cypress vine, cardinal climber, morning glory, and cups and saucers. She delights in growing these and many of her other annual flowers from seed. Linda’s goal for her garden is to have something in bloom at all times, and to have an overall look of plants and colors blending into each other like a Monet painting. If you ask me, she has already achieved this in spades! And, as for me–I am kind of a free-for-all gardener. It’s anything goes around here! I love collecting plants and flowers from wherever I can get them. I have my huge vegetable garden, which through the years has been overtaken by more and more flowers. And it is not unusual to find edibles growing among my ornamental gardens as well. I often let the plants dictate my garden style as they “volunteer” where they may. My vegetable garden has lettuce, tomatoes, squash and melon plants and dill popping up everywhere in the spring, in addition to sunflowers, poppies, Agastache, and gloriosa daisies. Dotted throughout, you will find irises, bee balm, and chives. And often my flower beds will sport some lettuce, dill or an occasional squash plant as well. This year in particular, I have a newly expanded flower bed that has enthusiastically filled itself with volunteer veggies before I could even begin to plan what to grow in it. I do actually plan things and plant things deliberately, but I find my gardening has become increasingly about “editing” what nature has given me. It’s a fun and challenging adventure, full of delightful surprises! This is just a small smattering of the garden styles you can find out there. What is yours? Or if you haven’t grown a garden (or a plant) yet, are you ready to get out there and discover what it is? Just do it your way! A long, long time ago, after the birth of her third child, Victoria made the life-changing decision to leave the work world behind and devote herself to being a full-time mom and homemaker. Along with her new title of Domestic Engineer, she took on the role of the Chief Home Economist for the family. At first, it was scary to try to live on less than half their income, but Victoria found that she not only rose to the challenge but thrived in the enjoyment of learning to live their best life with limited resources. She embraced this new frugal lifestyle of the at-home-mom and went on to add a fourth child to the mix. And their family was complete. Along the way she acquired a great deal of wisdom in how to not only avoid debt, but pay off mortgages early, buy cars for cash, travel on a shoe-string budget, and send kids to college with no student loans, all while also saving a tidy nest egg for retirement. She currently educates others in these skills through her business Bright Future. Now living the life of a modern homesteader in the Hudson Valley, New York, Victoria has added gardening to her list of skill sets as she grows many of her own vegetables to supplement her family’s primarily vegan diet. And she has come to realize that this waste-not, want-not, carbon-friendly, sustainable life she is living is not only benefiting her own family but also our Mother Earth, and that each of us has the obligation to live a responsibly sustainable life not only for ourselves, but for the greater good of our community, and our planet. We can all do this one household and backyard at a time. We are the world! And it all begins right at home. Victoria can be reached at brightfuture2budget4@gmail.com

By Sienna Beck / New York City In May, something magical happened. I started bringing Rainbow Loom, the magical little rubber bands, to school. My friends and I started making Rainbow Loom bracelets at recess and lunch. Then I had the idea to start selling them. Who knew that 20 little rubber bands woven together could get me $1.50? That got me thinking… Starting in May, after school, I sold handmade Rainbow Loom jewelry. I prepared a price sheet for rings, bracelets and necklaces, and I sold them on the playground. Some days, I would work really hard and make as much as $30. But the magic was when I realized after a couple days that I could sell more items AND support some of the issues that I cared about. So I quickly changed my signs and started to sell the jewelry to support important causes. It wasn’t too hard to come up with the first cause. Every day, as I walked past bus stops on the way to school, the screens displayed (in all caps), “CHILDREN IN UKRAINE NEED YOUR HELP!” I got a headache every time I looked at those screens. But those headaches all screamed at me, “THAT’S IT!” (Also in all caps.) I made several signs that said SUPPORT UKRAINE! I also included the price list. Then, I would go to the school playground and try to make money. By the end of the month, I came up with about $100, which my father helped me donate to the organization on the billboards we passed. In June, after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, I raised $100 for gun control. July? I raised $100 for Make A Wish for cancer, while I am continuing to raise money for gun control. (So far, I have raised another $50.) This month, I plan to raise money for an organization supporting Black Lives Matter. I have started doing my research, but I need to do more. Ever since I began making money and jewelry, more and more kids have been working on jewelry and helping me sell. My two sisters help, and friends help when we’re on the playground together. I have to admit, without their help, I would’ve only made $10 this entire month. One thing that would make my selling easier is if I had my own Venmo account and a credit card register for people who wanted to donate but who don’t have cash. There have been at least 80 people who wanted to donate but did not have money at the time. I am also grateful for the people who turn down my offer of jewelry just to donate. Yep, in May, something magical happened. And since that day, I can see how I can make a difference in the world. Sienna Beck is a future author. She would like to become president when she is older. Until she can make a bigger impact toward the world, she will settle for fundraising $100 or more every month. She lives in New York City (the best city in the world!) and spends her days ping-ponging between her two sisters, Willa and Olive.

By Laurence Lerman / New York City My first knowledge of basketball legend Bill Russell came in 1979 when he served as host for an episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, then in its fifth season. Russell’s gig had been announced earlier in the week and I remember asking my father if he was familiar with him. “You don’t know who Bill Russell is?” was my father’s startled response. “You should.” And within a week, I did—from watching him on the show (he was lively and looked like he was having a lot of fun!) and seeing remarkable clips of him in basketball mode during the sports segments of various news programs that chatted about how “the legend” was going to be on SNL. By then, Russell was already regarded by experts as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, largely due to his defensive playing. His shot-blocking, man-to-man defense and strong rebounding abilities made him one of the sport’s dominant players during his 13-year NBA career (1956-1969) as a center for the Boston Celtics. (He is one of only two NBA players to have grabbed more than 50 rebounds in a game, the other being his frequent rival Wilt Chamberlain.) For those 13 years, he was the cornerstone of the Celtics dynasty under the pioneering coach Red Auerbach, who turned the game into one dominated by coordinated team play. At the center was Russell, who during those years was a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 12-time NBA All-Star on a storied team that chalked up 11 NBA championship during that period. Sports statistics diehards will eagerly point out to you that Russell and Henri Richard of the National Hockey League (NHL) are tied for the record of the most championships won by an athlete in a North American Sports League. Russell served as a player-coach for three seasons, from 1966-69, becoming the first Black coach in North American professional sport and the first to win a championship. He retired in 1969 and later took on coaching duties for the Seattle SuperSonics (1973-77) and the Sacramento Kings (1987-88). Among Russell’s many honors, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (in 1975) and a coach (2021). Born in the harshly segregated town of West Monroe, La. and later raised in Oakland, Calif. after the family moved west when he was seven, Russell’s winning streak began when he accepted a scholarship to attend and play basketball at the University of San Francisco. During his USF years, Russell developed a unique style of aggressive and speedy defensive play, quickly become the centerpiece of his college team and leading them to consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. In the 1956 NBA draft, the Celtics’ Auerbach set his sights on Russell and his defensive talents and snatched him up. And the rest is slam-dunk history—but only after Russell had served as captain of the 1956 U.S. Olympic basketball team (just a few months before the start of his rookie career) and helped to bring home a Gold Medal at that year’s Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Russell was actively engaged in the upheavals of the Civil Rights era in the Sixties, as committed to the issues of the day as he was to his vocation. Indeed, the civil rights movement thrust Black athletes—at the time, some of the most visible Blacks in America—directly into the political spotlight. Through it all, Russell was both thoughtful and outspoken. Before the 1961 season, the Celtics were scheduled to play an exhibition game in Lexington, Ky. when Russell and two Black teammates were refused service at a local restaurant. The three refused to play in the game and flew home. Coach Red Auerbach argued they should stay, but ultimately agreed to drive them to the airport. Upon arrival in Boston, Russell stated to the media, “Negroes are in a fight for their rights—a fight for survival in a changing world. I am with these Negroes.” In August, 1963, he participated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which culminated in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Russell was seated in the front row. He also traveled to Mississippi after the murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers that same year and worked with Evers’ brother Charles to open an integrated basketball camp in Jackson. And Russell was among a group of Black athletes who stood by Muhammad Ali when the celebrated boxer refused induction into the Army during the Vietnam War. "It is the first time in four centuries that the American Negro can create his own history," Russell said in the 1960s, according to sports site Bleacher Report. “To be part of this is one of the most significant things that can happen.” In 2011, Russell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama, who laughed as he described how the 6’10” Russell responds to the frequent question, “Are you a basketball player?” “No, that’s what I do, that’s not what I am. I’m not a basketball player—I am a man who plays basketball,” Obama recounted. “He is someone who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men,” said Obama, before bestowing the medal on Russell. 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 July 28, 2022 WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Accusing the West Virginia senator of “collaborating with the enemy,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell angrily announced Joe Manchin’s expulsion from the Republican Party. “Joe Manchin’s behavior during the past twenty-four hours has shocked and dismayed his fellow-Republicans,” McConnell told reporters. “He has gone over to the dark side.” McConnell said that Manchin had “traitorously” broken with the G.O.P. leadership by “consorting with Democrats.” “If Joe Manchin thinks his party will forgive him for this betrayal, he is sorely mistaken,” he said. The party leader said that “what hurts the most” is that Manchin agreed to a deal that mitigates climate change and lowers health-care costs. “He no longer deserves to call himself a Republican,” he said bitterly.

By Emmy Serviss / Boston As I write these words, I have one week left until I turn 40 and join my new rank as "middle aged." I don't feel as apprehensive about turning 40, as I did when I turned 30. Instead of feeling old and depressed and lamenting the end of my youth, I find myself just feeling that the whole thing is so WEIRD. I was born August 4th, 1982, so I am most definitely 40 years old. But aside from occasional agita and lower back pain, I don't feel 40. I remember when my mom turned 40, and we threw her a surprise party back at our house on Long Island. I remember my parents' friends attending with their families, and I remember thinking that 40 was so old. My parents and their friends all had grown-up jobs and owned a house and had two or three kids and seemed like they had everything together. Maybe it's just me, but adults back then just felt...adultier. As I approach the 40th yard line, I'm currently single, have no children and I still rent my apartment. I do have a grown-up job, but I don't feel like the adult that my parents seemed to be at my age. It makes me wonder if I'm really behind on the so-called milestones of adulthood, or if my parents also didn't have a clue what they were doing, and us kids just assumed they did. And now it makes me wonder if my friends' kids think that I have all MY shit together. Which is hilarious. Whilst I often feel like three kids in a trench coat who is passing as a "grown-up," I do acknowledge that a lot has changed since my parents turned 40, and my generation isn't playing by the same set of rules. So instead of focusing on all the ways I feel like I'm behind in life... Here are 40 things that I'm embracing for my 40th birthday. 1. Not owning a home means I don’t have to kowtow to an HOA! 2. I can afford to take myself out to a fancy sushi dinner, just because 3. I can also decide to eat a bag of Cheetos for dinner, just because 4. No one will ask me to go clubbing 5. In fact, my evenings can now end at 10 p.m., instead of starting at 10 p.m 6. Yes, I DO have a bottle of Tums in my purse 7. Cats are WAY cheaper than children 8. I can refer to myself as “vintage” 9. Other people’s opinions don’t seem as important as they once did 10. Nothing lasts forever, good or bad 11. I am stronger than I give myself credit for 12. Don’t be afraid to be silly! 13. It’s never too late to start something new 14. Sometimes people outgrow friendships, and that’s okay 15. Drink water 16. I don’t have to pretend to care about what’s in fashion 17. As a woman, I now find it easier for me to take up space in the world 18. But as a woman, it’s time to get my first mammogram! Wheeee! 19. My gut instincts are almost always correct 20. It’s really fun to see how surprised people get when I tell them my age 21. NOT HAVING KIDS MEANS I CAN SLEEP AS LONG AS I WANT! 22. I know that there are some things I’ll never get to do, and that’s okay 23. I can choose what to spend my money on without feeling guilt 24. You can buy that Prada bag, but I’d rather treat myself to a ticket for Into the Woods 25. Alcohol doesn’t feel nearly as important as it did in my 20s and 30s 26. Neither do high heels 27. I still don’t have any gray hairs, but the idea of going gray doesn’t bother me 28. Less time wasted having to dig my ID out of my wallet when I go to a bar 29. Driving at night without my glasses is no longer an option 30. I know that I have valuable skills and advice to offer to those around me 31. But I also know that doesn’t mean those around me want to hear it, and that’s okay 32. I have absolutely no idea what the “the kids” are into these days, and I don’t care! 33. At this point in my life I know what I like and what I don’t, and I no longer care to settle 34. I don’t need to waste my time on anything or anyone who doesn’t deserve it 35. Yes, I WILL listen to Lite FM radio in the car, thank you 36. Additionally, I will order a Shirley Temple at the bar and feel absolutely no shame 37. Setting and maintaining healthy boundaries is way easier 38. I no longer feel the need to have all the answers right away 39. I have fully abandoned the need to be anyone other than me 40. And I’m excited for my next decade of adventures So while I may no longer be Thirty, Flirty and Thriving, I am ready to be Older and Bolder with Life Experience on My Shoulder. Okay, maybe that's not quite as catchy, but you get the idea.  Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go order a birthday cake and then pop an Advil because apparently my knees hurt all the time now. Emmy Serviss is a Boston-based writer, actor and video editor. Once it is safe to return to live theater, you can find her performing with ComedySportz Boston and the sketch group SUZZY. When not on the stage, Emmy enjoys indulging in her new pandemic hobbies, laughing way too loudly and counting the days until Halloween.

By Laurence Lerman / New York City I was on a toasty tropical vacation in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands in 2000 when I read my first book by Stuart Woods. It was a mystery called Dead in the Water, about a New York City cop-turned-lawyer named Stone Barrington who sets out on a romantic getaway to the St. Croix-like island of St. Marks in the Caribbean. Within a couple of days of his arrival, Stone finds himself involved in the defense of an American tourist on trial for murdering her husband. She’s being prosecuted by a politically connected St. Marks native who appears to have his own agenda in mind as he makes his case. I had come upon the battered paperback edition of Dead in the Water on a shelf in my hotel’s makeshift library—if it was dog-eared and raggedy, it must have entertained a lot of vacationers, I reasoned. I soon found it to be a nifty, fast-paced and enjoyable read. The perfect kind of 250-page quickie book to jump in and out of as I baked on the beach and jumped in and out of the water (or cooled off on the shaded terrace of my hotel room). I later learned that the 1997 book was the third in Stuart Woods’s Stone Barrington series, a couple of dozen later editions of which I would go on to read over the ensuing years. I had a lot to choose from—between 1991 and 2021, Woods wrote 60 Stone Barrington books. And 40 assorted others. Woods died on Friday, July 22, at his home in Washington, Conn. He was 84. The death was confirmed by his wife, Jeanmarie Woods, who did not specify a cause. Over the course of his 40-year writing career—his first novel, the mystery Chiefs, was published by Norton & Company in 1981—the Georgia-born Woods published 70 New York Times bestsellers, most of them thrillers in his Stone Barrington series. He also created other distinct protagonists who fronted other popular series. There was Holly Barker, about a Florida police chief recruited by the C.I.A.; Rick Barron, a police detective who becomes a studio chief in 1930s Hollywood; Teddy Fay, an ex-C.I.A. operative who pursues his own brand of justice; and Will Lee, a Georgia Senator who is elected president. Woods also wrote a batch of stand-alone novels and, early on, a couple of non-fiction works, including the 1979 travel book A Romantic’s Guide to the Country Inns of Britain and Ireland. More recently, in June, he published the memoir An Extravagant Life, where he detailed his hardworking but comfortable lifestyle as an author, sailor and pilot with homes in Florida, Maine and Connecticut. It is Woods’s tasty, easily digestible, story-driven Stone Barrington books with their no-nonsense titles like New York Dead (1991), Two Dollar Bill (2005), Unnatural Acts (2012) and Contraband (2019) that are his most popular. Stone’s adventures generally find him knee-deep in blackmail, extortion and high-end larceny among New York City’s elite—lots of it leading to murder—resulting in him diving deep into high society and its trappings. Gallivanting about to expensive restaurants (frequently Elaine’s on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he enjoys the osso buco), private clubs, palatial townhouses and exclusive tropical resorts suits Stone just fine—as do his frequent dalliances with the women he meets along the way. It’s all okay with Stone as he gets to down to work—and play. The majority of Woods’s books most likely found their way into mystery lovers’ hands just before being stuffed into a back pocket, thrown into a beach bag next to the suntan lotion or jammed into a giveaway bookshelf in the tropics. True, most of Woods’s books been issued in hardcover, but these babies are at their most functional in paperback form, best enjoyed when looking for a little escape, a little mystery, a little dash of the good life. That’s how Stone Barrington would have done it. 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 Jessie Seigel / Washington, D.C. If you don’t know the name Fani Willis yet, you will soon enough. Willis, the first female district attorney (D.A.) to be elected in Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, is quickly coming to national attention as the intrepid prosecutor spearheading a criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s attempts to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. While U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has—until very recently—appeared only to mouth the sentiment that his department would “pursue justice without fear or favor,” Willis long ago visibly put those words into action. In 2020, Fani (pronounced FAH-nee) Willis won a Democratic primary against her boss, Fulton County D.A. Paul Howard, by a nearly 3-to-1 margin (getting more than 73% of the vote and dominating in each precinct of Georgia’s most populous county). She went on to win the office in the general election. A first-term D.A., Willis wasted no time in her pursuit of justice. She fearlessly launched her investigation of Trump’s January 2, 2021 phone call to Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in her second month in office. By January 2022, she had requested a special grand jury to aid her investigation. The request was granted. That special grand jury has subpoena power and, in July, a judge approved subpoenas, among others, for Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, along with Senator Lindsey Graham. So while Merrick Garland seems to hide any action his office might be taking on these matters, Willis—like the House January 6 committee—has taken a very public lead. Willis’ office recently warned pro-Trump fake electors in Georgia that they could face charges. This included notifying State Senator Burt Jones, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Georgia, that he could face indictment. But because Willis headlined a primary fundraiser for Democrat Charlie Bailey, who has since become Jones’ opponent for lieutenant governor in the general election, an Atlanta judge has disqualified the D.A. from developing the criminal case against Jones. The judge nevertheless acknowledged that Willis’ choice to headline the primary fundraiser “was within her rights as an elected official to make.” Fortunately, Willis’ support of Bailey in his primary is not fatal to her investigation of Jones. The judge found that Willis’ office can still ask witnesses about Jones’ role, so long as the decision of whether to bring charges is left to a different prosecutor’s office. The judge’s decision was technically correct. But it nevertheless reflects a world in which Democrats must be purer than Caesar’s wife, while Republicans are often permitted to act as corruptly Machiavellian as Richard the III and Iago combined. But never mind. Willis’ role in the effort to save our democracy in this time of crisis may be the most historically remembered work she ever does. And the reach of her other work, given time, may be even greater than that. Willis’ background bears some resemblance to that of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black female Supreme Court Justice,. Like Jackson, Willis was highly motivated to become a lawyer at a young age. After being elected D.A,. Willis told South Atlanta Magazine, “From being a very, very little girl until I sit here today, there was never anything I’ve ever wanted to do but practice law or sit on the bench.” Jackson attended Harvard for both undergraduate and law school. Willis attended the most elite of the historically Black colleges, Howard University, followed by top tier Emory University School of Law. Like Justice Jackson, Willis brings a breadth of legal experience to her work. She spent 16 years as a prosecutor in the Fulton County district attorney’s office. One of her preeminent cases was an Atlanta public schools cheating scandal in which she prosecuted teachers and administrators for violating the state RICO statute. However, in 2018, Willis went into private practice, specializing in criminal defense and family law. She also served on Georgia’s Judicial Qualification Division—one of the few African-Americans to ever do so—where she prosecuted unethical judiciary actions. According to the South Atlanta Journal, Willis’ “mission as a prosecutor is to ensure that misconduct by any person in Fulton County has its proper consideration and equivalent treatment, regardless of race, class, and/or government position.” Willis’ approach is tough but even-handed, judicious, and forward-looking. Her philosophy goes beyond simply getting convictions. In January 2021, she told the South Atlantic Magazine: “Who are the people that we can redirect?... And who do we just need [removed] from us?” While Willis maintained that those who commit violent crimes need to be removed from society, she added that if one had committed some lesser crime, “ and you don’t really understand how much that hurts the community, I think those people can be worked with and given the opportunity. And we’re going to do everything in my power to make those opportunities happen.” Willis described to the South Atlantic Journal her Pre-Indictment Diversion Plan, which would permit those who’ve made “felony mistakes” the opportunity to avoid indictment with individually customized community service and higher education. Willis attributes her given name, Fani Taifa, which means “prosperous people” in Swahili, to her father, who was a Black Panther and very “Afrocentric.” She has emphasized that “prosperous” in this context does not refer to wealth but to “stuff that really matters. I always remember my roots, that I come from a prosperous people, which are African people.” It seems quite possible that Fani Taifa’s hard-headed yet compassionate approach to prosecution vs. rehabilitation without prison emanates from her roots as well. At both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Fulton County D.A.’s office, it seems that Black female jurists are leading the way in the 21st century. If we choose to follow, society may well be the better for it. 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.