By Naomi Serviss / New York City Six is the stuff of which Broadway musical dreams are made. Which nearly didn’t come true. This spectacular, sensory-overloaded Brit show meandered a circuitous route to The Great White Way. It opened last week, about four years after conception. This smash hit deserves all the feels. With a caveat to older ears. Six has a terrific back story. It’s the brainchild of Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, two creative geniuses who met at Cambridge University. They’re in their 20s. The original show was entered in the 2017 Edinburgh Festival. It may not have won major awards, but got positive buzz. Productions of Six have since toured the U.K. and remains a coveted ticket in London’s West End. Audiences swooned in Australia and New Zealand. A North American tour followed. Six even wowed lucky Norwegian Cruise passengers on board ship. This musical not only has legs, it has fins! The feminist-forward fable follows the famed half-dozen ill-fated wives of King Henry VII bemoaning their tragic lives. The Tudor Queens compete for winner’s bragging rights of the most wronged Queen. Beheaded, divorced, banished, died in childbirth, you get the gist. Reminded me of another queen-oriented, 1956 American sob-sister television show Queen for a Day, wherein middle-aged women tearfully delivered woebegone tales. They’d vie for the (not always so) grand prize. Usually a washing machine or whatnot. Live studio audiences would select the most pathetic. It was a different time. Or was it? Each of the Six Queens also delivers impassioned “poor me” tales that illuminate the tragic (or not) fate each met. Audiences raucously applaud each Tudor Queen of their hearts. The ending (SPOILER ALERT) has the Queens working together in mutual support and solidarity. Win Win! At least that’s what I surmised. The amplification of each miked Queen was so Deafening I could barely follow the lyrics. TikTok Generation-skewed audiences apparently know all the words. Some felt compelled to sing along! Should be verboten in a Broadway show! Theater lovers don’t shell out big bucks to hear enthusiastic seatmates warble. It’s hopefully not a continuing trend. I loved this show for many reasons: The strong woman empowerment message, the all-female band onstage in kick-ass studded boots that threw shades of yellow, green, purple and gold across the stage. The Queens realize their strength is in solidarity rather than fierce competition. They are crowned and bejeweled up the wazoo, festooned in transcendently vivid costume-coordinated dazzle wear. Those boots! Each sexy, high kick was aimed at Henry’s heart. Author’s interpretation. How those women dance flawlessly in those heels, and belt their hearts out while corseted, is a mystery. Six was scheduled to open March 12, 2020. The day the proverbial earth stood still. With its catchy, bombastic score and electrifying dancing in flashy footwear, Six is bound to appeal more to Millennials than, uh, more mature audiences. Speaking for myself, of course. The Six album has been available over the past 19 months, streamed more than 100 million times through Spotify and Apple. Deafening music aside, this giddy show is the perfect antidote to 18 months quaking in our (non-flashy) boots worried sick over an invisible killer. Exuberant eye candy to a fault, Six will undoubtedly reign for years. Word to the wise: bring vaccination proof, mask and ear plugs, just in case. 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 54 By Laurence Lerman / New York City Without too much of a drumroll, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve decided No Time to Die will be the first movie I plan on seeing in a theater since February, 2020, right before the Covid-prompted lockdown. If anyone is going serve as my pandemic-busting hero during these times, it ain’t gonna be no Marvel Comics superhero—it will be James Bond. After six years, a global pandemic and a worldwide shutdown and quarantine, it’s time to proclaim that James Bond is back! The theatrical release of the much-anticipated 25th Bond film adventure, No Time to Die has finally taken place. And it looks like Bond has defeated the Covid virus, or at least kept it at bay for the time being. Originally scheduled to open over Easter weekend in April, 2020 but waylaid by the pandemic, the film’s U.S. release was changed four times: Its opening was first moved to November 25, 2020, then shifted back a bit to November 20, then pushed ahead to April 2, 2021 and then, finally, moved to last weekend on October 8. And, now, it’s fair to say, based on the box-office reaction overseas (it opened in a number of foreign markets during the final days of September) and its U.S. rollout this past weekend, coupled with a nonstop international publicity blitz, that Bond is back in a BIG way! No Time to Die rang up $167 million at the international box office going into the weekend of October 8, with expectations of continued bang-up business around the world, particularly with its debuts in France and Russia, among other territories. By weekend’s end, the tally was up to $259 million on the foreign front, with all eyes turning to the U.S. and the film’s roll out to 4,400 screens over the holiday weekend. In the weeks prior to the release, analysts and studios projected a $55-$60 million take at the stateside box office. The final number wasn’t all that far off, with No Time to Die coming in at $62 million at the domestic box office for the extended weekend. Like James Bond himself when he captures a nefarious assassin or a slinky blonde in his sights, the film behaved exactly like everyone expected it to behave. And that’s a good thing—we don’t need any surprises right now as the Delta variant continues to make a mess of things and our slow recovery from past hellish 18 months bumpily improves. And with a $322 million box office take worldwide and counting, No Time to Die is on track to becoming the biggest blockbuster of the pandemic era. Take that, Black Widow and Venom! No Time to Die stars Daniel Craig in what has been announced as his final appearance as the legendary British Secret Service agent. (But you knew that, right?) It’s Craig’s fifth James Bond film, a 15-year cycle that began with his 2006 debut as 007 in Casino Royale. I’m going to reserve any critical assessment on the Cary Joji Fukunaga-directed No Time to Die or the opinions of other critics and aggregators until after I’ve seen the film, which probably won’t happen for at least a month. Hey, I might be eager to go to the theater, but I have no problem waiting a little while longer for the movie house to be a little less crowded. A nice late morning weekday multi-plex screening, perhaps… That said, since the next time I talk about Bond, it’s going to be all about Daniel Craig’s swan song, let me exercise my rights as a Bond aficionado and hit you with a handful of opinions on some of the previous highpoints in the Bond pantheon. Bond fans love doing this and I’m no exception. And be sure to check back with me next month! Reel Streaming’s 7 Best of 007 1) James Bond’s introduction in Dr. No Looking across a casino gaming table at the tuxedoed man who’s just beaten her at chemin de fer, a smiling temptress coos, “I admire your luck, Mr….?” The camera cuts to a tuxedoed Sean Connery, lighting a cigarette that’s dangling from his lips, to hear him reply “Bond. James Bond.” That was at the eight-minute mark of the 1961 film, the very first James Bond adventure, and there was no looking back. 2) Bond and Oddjob fight to the death in Goldfinger Surrounded by stacks of gold bullion bars inside a gleaming chamber at Fort Knox, 007 and the titular villain’s hulking Korean manservant (and his steel-rimmed bowler hat) go mano a mano as a lethal cobalt bomb ticks down to what will surely be their mutual destruction. Weird and wild stuff. 3) The death of Bond’s new wife in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service As Bond pulls off to the side of a mountain road and removes decorative flowers from his and his new wife Tracy’s car following their wedding reception, the villainous Blofeld drives by and sprays the scene with machine gun fire. Tracy is killed instantly, leaving the shocked and sorrowful secret agent to cradle her bloody head in his arms and weep, “We have all the time in the world.” It remains the saddest moment in the entire series. 4) The spiraling car jump in The Man with the Golden Gun Bond launching his AMC Hornet X off a slanted bridge remnant to the other side of a swampy brook with a 360-degree barrel roll in-between remains one of the greatest car stunts of all time. And it’s probably the only one to ever receive its own credit in the end crawl: “AMC Astro Spiral Jump – Mathematical and computer technology furnished by Carlspan Computation, Buffalo, New York.” 5) The ski chase in The Spy Who Loved Me There have been no fewer than four extended ski chases in the Bond franchise, but this opening pursuit across the Austrian Alps remains the most breathtaking. This liveliest of pre-credit sequences ends with Bond jumping off a mountaintop, losing his skis during his seemingly endless plummet, and then finally opening his hidden Union Jack-emblazoned parachute to the strains of Carly Simon singing “Nobody Does It Better.” 6) The foot chase and fight in Casino Royale Bond runs down a nefarious terrorist in a furious pursuit in Madagascar that brings him to the top of a swinging derrick, across a high-rise construction site and finally into a hostile embassy building filled with gun-toting guards. Parkour-styled leaps and fiery explosions accentuate this wildly physical and inventive back-to-basics chase sequence. 7) Bond meeting Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale On board a train to Montenegro, Bond has a sit-down dinner with British Treasury Agent Vesper Lynd and they begin to fall for each other as they thrust and parry with the most stylish and sexy dialogue this side of Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. “Having just met you, I wouldn’t go as far as calling you a cold-hearted bastard, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine. You think of women as disposable pleasures rather than meaningful pursuits,” Vesper says, sizing up her dinner companion. “So as charming as you are, Mr. Bond, I will be keeping my eye on our government’s money and off your perfectly formed ass.” “You noticed,” grins Bond. “Even accountants have imagination,” she replies. 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 Emmy Serviss / Boston When you’re drifting in the middle of the ocean trying to stay afloat, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the vastness of the water. Your arms get heavier and heavier as you struggle to keep your head up. You try to breathe in air, and instead get a mouthful of salty ocean water. The waves ebb and flow, threatening to overtake you. It would be so much easier just to give up, than to continue to struggle. But you don’t give up. So instead of getting lost in the hopelessness of the sea, you find one thing to focus on. A clump of seaweed drifting in the distance. You watch the seaweed as it rises and falls with the waves. You wonder how many waves will break before the seaweed reaches you, so you begin to count. Before you know it, the seaweed is brushing up against your fingertips. During my Covid quarantine, time felt like the ocean. Days felt like the water. Hours felt like the waves. I needed something to focus on, so I started keeping a daily journal. I only had two rules surrounding the journal: 1. I had to do something productive every day (anything other than watching TV) 2. I had to write in the journal every day Some days I did a lot. I baked, painted, took the dog to the park, mailed a package, called my parents, did laundry, and so on. Other days I didn’t do anything except take a shower. It didn’t seem like much, but keeping account of what I did every day, and then watching the days in the journal fill up, helped me to get through my quarantine. I wrote in that journal for a whole year. Last month, I picked up my quarantine diary and looked through it again. I was curious as to what it would feel like to go back through my entries, a year later. At the time I wasn’t sure if the journaling was that helpful. But I knew that by writing in that journal every day, no matter how little, I was able to keep my focus on the present day, and not get overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the future. And now looking back, I can see how even though the days didn’t feel productive in the moment, I actually accomplished and learned a lot over that time. I thought back to when I was a teenager, I tried keeping diaries. I was never able to write consistently every day, but I would try. Instead of a daily account of my activities, I documented every angsty thought that crossed my mind. I went through spurts where I’d write an entry every other day for a week, and then nothing for a month. Whenever I picked the diary back up after a long sabbatical, I would start the new entry with, “Hey! Sorry it’s been a while.” As though the diary was an actual person who was keeping track of my entries and judging my commitment level. Revisiting my quarantine diary made me wonder if there were more lessons I could learn from my younger self. Thankfully I’m somewhat of a packrat, and I’ve transported a lot of old mementos, photos and diaries across several states. So I dug through all the random junk in my closet and pulled them out. Turning back the pages of my teenage days, I realized three important things. 1. I am very hard on myself. A lot of my teenage diaries are composed of your typical whiny “Why doesn’t he like me” and “Oh my God my parents are monsters” entries. But there was also a lot of self-loathing and pressure and blame that I put on myself. Situations where I had no control over the outcome, but I believed I was at fault nonetheless. I wish I could tell Teenage Emmy to be more gentle with herself. Not every failure means that she’s failed at life. Not every friendship is meant to last, and that’s not a reflection on her. Things feel difficult and painful because life can be difficult and painful. But it won’t always be. 2. It’s okay to be alone sometimes. In my teenage diary entries, I wrote about how lonely I was at least a dozen times. Teenage Emmy believed that every time plans fell through with friends, it was because they didn’t want to be around her. She didn’t feel understood by her parents, and she never felt as though she fit in at school. She felt alone everywhere she was, and I wish I could tell her that being alone isn’t always a bad thing. I would rather go see a movie alone, than miss out on the movie. I would rather stay home and gather my thoughts than try to drown them out in a room full of acquaintances. And I would rather be single than be in an unhappy relationship. Sometimes it’s okay to be alone. (Unless you’re all alone while openly weeping and drunkenly singing along to Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” – then you’re just reenacting Bridget Jones’s Diary and that’s been done already) 3. Emotions are gross. Reading back through Teenage Emmy’s thoughts, I can remember how every feeling seemed SO BIG. The pain felt so tangible and complete that sometimes it felt as though she would just become engulfed by it. I can remember the number of nights that Teenage Emmy cried herself to sleep, unable to process all of the feelings raging inside her head. I don’t cry myself to sleep anymore, but sometimes I still get emotions that feel SO BIG. Now, instead of avoiding them and trying to distract myself from them, I try to sit with them. It’s not always easy. Emotions are icky and difficult to understand why we feel what we feel and it’s easier to just ignore them. Except that when we ignore them, they fester and grow. It’s better to sit with those feelings and really feel them, and that’s when we can move forward. I wish that Teenage Emmy could have known that. Kids, amirite? There are so many things that we can only learn as we get older. I hate clichés, but sometimes clichés exist because they’re also true. They say that youth is wasted on the young, and I think now I understand what that means. I wish I had the energy and optimism of Teenage Emmy, but with the wisdom of Present Emmy. I guess we all need some time (HAH) and distance to be able to get perspective. I wonder what lessons Future Emmy will learn from Present Emmy. I should get a new diary, so that she can find out. 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.

The Insider: Hi Robert. Thanks for talking with us! A few background questions to start with. How old are you? Robert Osborne: 20 years old. The Insider: And which school are you attending? Robert Osborne: University of Nebraska Lincoln . The Insider: Did you grow up in Nebraska? Robert Osborne: I grew in Omaha, not more than about 40 miles from Lincoln. The Insider: What is your major? Robert Osborne: Currently my major is Russian language with a minor in physics and architecture. The Insider: And what year of school are you in? Robert Osborne: Junior this year. The Insider: When did this semester begin? Robert Osborne: We began around the middle of August, and are now in the seventh week of classes. The Insider: Before this year, were you going to school remotely? Robert Osborne: The entirety of my sophomore year was remote, except for an architectural drawing class during the first semester. My major for sophomore year was fully architecture, with Russian minor. The Insider: Help me understand what “remote” really meant. That means the whole semester, you never went in-person? Robert Osborne: Remote classes were held on Zoom, like Skype, and consisted of the professor lecturing then putting us into breakout rooms of a few people to talk or do work. Impersonal and more on the lines of learning from YouTube videos. Never in person, but the drawing class was held outdoors on-campus. The Insider: How many professors did you have altogether last year whom you never saw in person? Robert Osborne: At least six. The Insider: And roughly, how many students on average were there in each class? Robert Osborne: Average 20-25 per class, none of them I ever saw or met in person, besides the Russian students whom I've been with since freshman year.. The Insider: Did you feel like any or all of the professors knew who you were individually? Robert Osborne: Perhaps only by name while grading assignments. The Insider: Were you able to ask questions in class? Robert Osborne: Yes, through the action of unmuting yourself The Insider: By the end of the class, had you learned who some of the other students were? Robert Osborne: In breakout rooms it was possible to meet the other students. Working on projects together helped. The Insider: How satisfactory was the whole arrangement to you? Robert Osborne: For course work like architecture that prefers hands-on and face-to-face contact, very unsatisfactory. Same with learning Russian. The Insider: That’s understandable. Did you attend all of the classes, or did you start to skip them? Robert Osborne: I wanted to start skipping but attending was one of few things that made you feel you were doing something.. The Insider: Were your grades affected? Were they the same as your first year at school? Robert Osborne: My grades were affected, but enough to keep at least a 3.0 GPA and my scholarship. Compared to my freshman year, they would be considered an anomaly. The Insider: Were your grades higher your first year? Robert Osborne: I believe it was at least a 3.5. The Insider: Did you become lasting friends with any of the other students in your classes? Robert Osborne: Those from my Russian classes I still have in class and see. As with those from freshman year dorms. The Insider: Otherwise, was it too distant to encourage friendships from developing? Robert Osborne: The online environment is too disconnected to feel motivation to do so.. The Insider: Where were you living last year? At home or at school? Robert Osborne: I was living at my house off campus a half mile with five roommates, who are in my fraternity. The Insider: Were they also going to school remotely during that time? Robert Osborne: Almost everyone here was. The one guy who is an Education major had some in-persons. The Insider: What was the group impression of remote learning? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Robert Osborne: Thumbs down, we all suffered in grades and socially, and resorting to online help during online quizzes was common theme amongst the student body. The Insider: Not sure what you mean by online help. Robert Osborne: Things that may be considered academic dishonesty by some. The Insider: How did you and your roommates stay safe from Covid before vaccinations? Robert Osborne: Most of us never went on campus and didn't have that concern, and few of us worked. So masks and hand sanitizer. The Insider: Did you get tested regularly? Robert Osborne: The university required testing at several points. The Insider: Did any of you ever get Covid? Robert Osborne: We did, all but two of us at the house. I was one who had it . The Insider: When? Robert Osborne: After Halloween. The Insider: How long were you sick? Robert Osborne: There weren't many symptoms, but I was in isolation in my room or outside for the 11 days. The Insider: What symptoms were there? Did you take any medicine? Robert Osborne: I had a temperature for a day or two, but never needed medicine besides Tylenol. I recall the vaccine being more miserable The Insider: At some schools, there were protests that tuition was not reduced because of remote classes. Did that happen at Nebraska? Robert Osborne: I think it stayed the same, I have a full tuition scholarship and thankfully did not have to worry. They did refund some housing and food for the end of my freshman year. The Insider: Your family must have been very worried when you had Covid.. Robert Osborne: It was their main concern and I had to assure them I was alright. The Insider: When did you get vaccinated? Robert Osborne: In April during the vaccination drive in Lancaster County and most of Nebraska. The Insider: You live in a very red state politically. Is the vaccination rate low? Robert Osborne: Most of the student body has had the vaccine, as well as staff. If I remember Lancaster Country­– Lincoln–has a good percentage, but I may not be accurate. The Insider: One more question about this summer, then we’ll move on to this semester. Were you or your friends able to work during the summer, or was that hard because of Covid? Robert Osborne: Pretty much after the vaccine drive Nebraska opened right up for the summer. I've been working part-time since January, and the summer was no-masks.. The Insider: What kind of work? Robert Osborne: Was cashier work till June, and now delivering pizzas. Sunday school was online and we didn't have to worry, this term is in person with masks. The Insider: And do you think that Nebraska is careful enough? Robert Osborne: Nebraska isn't too careful, but there is a new mask mandate in Lancaster County. A lot of Covid fatigue and lack of guidance from last year. The Insider: Do you mean Covid fatigue and lack of political guidance? Robert Osborne: Yes, politically–mandates, vaccines. The Lancaster County Health Department has done most of the visible work. The Insider: Are you teaching at Sunday school? Robert Osborne: Yes, fourth grade. The Insider: What did it feel like to come back to school in person seven weeks ago? Robert Osborne: It was unusual, probably closer to someone who comes back to college 20 years after being out of it. The Insider: In what way? Robert Osborne: Getting adjusted to being around my peers and having a normal work load. Getting dressed and ready for class even. The Insider: Like Rip Van Winkle! Robert Osborne: Exactly! Coming out a malaise. The Insider: What’s the etiquette in classes now? Everyone in masks? Robert Osborne: Masks for everyone, That started the second week, and regular testing if you’re not vaccinated.. The Insider: What percentage of the student body is vaccinated? Robert Osborne: Recent report is 81% of faculty and 69% of students. The Insider: 69% seems very low. One out of three students is not vaccinated. That’s risky! Robert Osborne: It's not fantastic, but it's why they require active testing and negative tests to get into buildings.. The Insider: Have there been anti-vaxx demonstrations on campus? Robert Osborne: Haven't witnessed any but there has been a small scale one or two at the capital. The Insider: Are any of your friends unvaccinated? Robert Osborne: Only one that I know of. The Insider: How is his life affected by it? Will you get together with him? Robert Osborne: I live with him, but it doesn't seem to affect them differently than anyone else. Only people pressure him at times to get the vaccine. The Insider: And why does he say he’s not getting it? Robert Osborne: He's not opposed to it morally, only doesn't take the time to. The Insider: Just a few more questions. Are classes socially distanced or back to normal? Robert Osborne: Normal but for the masks, in which case some professors remove temporarily se we can see their mouths, like for Russian. So there's still the level of anonymity where preferably there shouldn't be. The Insider: I’m curious about students’ social lives. Are they greatly impacted by the pandemic? Do people go out on dates? To parties? To the movies? Robert Osborne: If you're 21, the bar scene is strong. Fraternities are still throwing parties, and were throughout last year. The parties kept social ties alive--our sort of speakeasies. The Insider: What’s the Covid rate like on campus? Robert Osborne: 1.5% positivity last week, 1% this week. The Insider: Last question--do you worry about getting Covid again? Robert Osborne: I'm worried that if I get it I will have to isolate again. There will be nothing that compares to that feeling of solitary, especially bound to only a room. Being imprisoned at your own home. The Insider: Do you know other people who have gotten sick or died from it? Other than your roommates, of course. Robert Osborne: I do not know anyone that has died from it, but I know those who have gotten it. They are there, but to keep the healthy ones from being sick is a tightrope. The Insider: Oops! I should have asked you a question or two about your vaccination. What kind dd you have? Robert Osborne: I got Pfizer. The Insider: And you got bad side effects? Robert Osborne: Fever, chills, and a headache for about three days The Insider: That. Is bad. Was that both times., or only once? Robert Osborne: Second dose. The Insider: I’ll be having a booster shot soon. Have to admit that I’m more nervous than the first two times. Robert Osborne: Still preferred to isolating for 11 days.. The Insider: Great place to end. Talk care and stay in touch!! Many thanks! Robert Osborne: Thank you much for this opportunity. Anytime!

By Andy Borowitz October 5, 2021 PALM BEACH (The Borowitz Report)—Lambasting Forbes for dropping him from its list of the four hundred richest Americans, Donald J. Trump claimed that the magazine did not take into account what he called “secret rubles.” “Let’s say someone has been receiving payments of billions of rubles for four years, and they’re buried in a vault under the Kremlin,” Trump said. “Those losers at Forbes wouldn’t begin to know how to count those kinds of rubles.” Claiming that he has been “treated very unfairly” by the magazine, he said, “This should never be allowed to happen in our country.” He scoffed at the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s status as first on Forbes’s list. “If you count rubles, Trump is a triple Bezos,” he 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 Andy Borowitz October 4, 2021 MENLO PARK (The Borowitz Report)—Apologizing for his company’s role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, acknowledged, “We put the lives of politicians we own at risk.” “At Facebook, we have worked tirelessly to acquire a world-class collection of politicians,” Zuckerberg said. “On January 6th, we recklessly and foolishly endangered that very expensive investment.” “We can—we must—do better,” Zuckerberg added. Nick Clegg, the former Deputy Prime Minister of the U.K. who is now a Facebook executive, vouched for Zuckerberg’s sincerity. “As a politician who was purchased by Facebook, I can assure you that Mark is committed to protecting the lives of others in my asset class,” he said. For his part, Zuckerberg said that Facebook would avoid enabling insurrections going forward and would instead focus on its core business of destroying users’ mental health. 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 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 According to Country Living, “If the fall season has one undisputed icon, it’s the pumpkin.” Ain’t that the truth! I would throw in the whole gourd family. As I live in a semirural area where the climate is conducive to amazing growing seasons, there is no shortage of pumpkin patches and farms. My sisters and I visited one near our house recently. It was a glorious morning of 68°, low humidity, and clear skies. We were surrounded by the foothills and the smell of produce, hay, and cider wafting through the air. Ahh! Could it be any nicer? Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I especially loved it when my kids were school-aged. There was so much excitement in the air about what costume to wear, decorating the front porch and lawn, and what candy they might haul in on the electrifying day. When we were growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s, our moms made our costumes and we used old pillowcases for candy. in the ’90s, my family established a yearly tradition of doing a pumpkin carving evening a couple of days before Halloween. Our children made centerpieces for the table and carefully selected just the right pumpkins from a farmers market or pumpkin patch. My husband Bob, being a foot surgeon, duck decoy carver, gourd designer, and basket weaver, took these carving nights quite seriously. I never carved, only cooked a delicious turkey dinner with all of the fixings. Many people have wondered: is a pumpkin a gourd or it is the other way around? Pumpkins are pumpkins and gourds are gourds, however; they are both members of the melon family (Cucurbitaceae). Besides melons, cucumbers are also in this family. Gourds are generally not edible. Loofahs are gourds. Yes, loofah sponges are the center of some gourds. These are not to be confused with the ocean organism sponge. Young loofahs are the only edible gourds. They are eaten in India, China, and Vietnam. When dried, gourds have been used for centuries as tools such as ladles, bowls, dippers, spoons, storage containers, and decorations. Just an aside, my husband has been decorating gourds for years. He wood-burns them, paints, weaves reeds, makes fetishes, and carves wooden tops for the bowls. This is a popular art form all over the country but mostly in the Southwest. Twenty-five years ago, we had the pleasure of visiting the largest gourd show in the world in Delaware, Ohio. It was an extraordinary display of fine art gourds, with gourds of every size and shape. We even saw dipper gourds that were 7’ tall! Not all pumpkins are created equal.. I love that we are able to get all shapes, colors, and sizes. It seems to be the American Way: no shortage of choices. Frankly, most are for decorative purposes The pie or sugar pumpkin is your best bet for cooking or baking. It has a deep, orange “meaty” flesh that is less stringy than that for carving pumpkins. I tend to choose the smallish ones. Pumpkin puree is such a versatile ingredient. If you want to cook a fresh pumpkin instead of using canned puree: Cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Scrape out and discard the seeds. Place the pumpkin cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Roast at 350° until it is fork tender, about 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel away the skin. Mash up or puree the cooked flesh. We’re all accustomed to saving pumpkins for pie at Thanksgiving and Christmas. But it is so delicious in other dishes, such as breads, muffins, rice pudding, creme brûlée, pastas, dips, or roasted as a side vegetable. Consider trying it sometime. Let us know here at The Insider what delicious recipe you have created! Pumpkin Cookies with White Chocolate and Pecans Yield: 3 dozen cookies 8 oz. butter or margarine, room temperature 1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed 2 lg. eggs 1 c. solid pumpkin 1 tsp. vanilla 2 1/4 c. flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 8 oz. white chocolate chunks or chips 1 c. pecan pieces Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, allowing the first to be fully incorporated before adding the second. Scrape down sides of bowl. Mix in pumpkin and vanilla. Blend in the flour, soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in white chocolate and pecans. Chill the dough overnight. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Measure out cookie dough with a 1/4 cup ice cream scooper into 18 balls. Cut each in half. Roll into balls. Place the dough balls on the cookie sheets @ 2” apart. Gently press the balls to flatten. Bake for @ 15 minutes. When the cookies are set, they’re done. Cool completely. Decorate cookies using a fork so that the icing is striped across the tops. Vanilla Icing 1 1/4 c. confectioners’ sugar 2 Tbs. + 2 tsp. water 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients. If too thick, add more water. If too thin, add more sugar. 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.

One film journalist’s stream-of-consciousness cinematic journey through the pandemic, Part 53 By Laurence Lerman / New York City Last Friday marked the release of the feature film The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to the landmark HBO show The Sopranos. The 1999 series, which ran for six smashing seasons, was created, produced and primarily written by David Chase. And its release fulfills Chase's ongoing wish to write and direct feature films. It’s something he has regularly talked about for decades, going so far as to famously announce to director Peter Bogdanovich in a 2001 interview for HBO, “I never wanted to be working in television. I wanted to be doing what you were doing—directing features!” Chase has been even more adamant about his theatrical desires since it was announced a couple of months back that Saints would receive a hybrid rollout and be released day-and-date in both theaters and on streamer HBO Max. In early September, Chase—whose sole feature directorial credit remains the tepidly received 2012 coming-of-age rock band drama Not Fade Away—announced that he was “extremely angry” when he learned of the distribution plan for Saints. “And I still am,” he added a couple of weeks later. Chase’s anger appears to be rooted in his reasoning that Saints is not like all the other movies that were affected by the pandemic and its effects. "If one of those executives was sitting here and I was to start pissing and moaning about it, they'd say, ‘you know, there's 17 other movies that have the same problem. What could we do? Covid!,’” Chase told the online film news site Deadline. "Well, I know, but those 16 other movies didn't start out as a television show. They don't have to shed that television image before you get people to the theater. But we do." “People should go see it in a theater. It was designed to be a movie. It was…it's beautiful as a movie,” he added. “I never thought that it would be back on HBO. Never." The Many Saints of Newark revolves around young Anthony Soprano, who here is played by 22-year-old Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini. The senior Gandolfini, with his portrayal of New Jersey mob boss/family man Tony Soprano in the original series, created one television’s most complex and richly realized characters. In this go-round, the younger Tony comes of age in Newark during the tumultuous 1960s, a time when rival gangster outfits are challenging the city’s most powerful crime family as the area’s simmering racial tensions begin to boil over. In this world, Tony comes under the mentorship of his criminally invested uncle (played by Alessandro Nivola), whose personal and professional influence helps to forge the impressionable young man into the Mafioso we all know as Tony Soprano. The Many Saints of Newark is directed by HBO mainstay Alan Taylor, who previously helmed nine episodes of The Sopranos along with installment of such HBO winners as Oz, Sex and The City, Rome, Bored to Death and Game of Thrones). Featuring a script by writer/producer Chase and his longtime partner Lawrence Konner, it's a suitably entertaining feature--intelligent, conscientious and very watchable. That said, it doesn’t deliver the goods as a standalone movie, but rather as an extended episode in the Sopranos saga—a forerunning, fan service installment that reaffirms Chase’s talents as a brilliant creator of grandiose, novelistic television programming. As handsomely produced and visually cinematic as it may be, Saints still feels like a long chapter of your favorite prestigious cable TV show. That is true even with its cast of familiar big screen faces like Jon Bernthal, Leslie Odom Jr, Corey Stoll, Vera Farmiga, and, the original “Goodfella” himself, Ray Liotta. Oh, and I happily watched it in my living room on HBO Max. Why David Chase is so unhappy with his status as one of the most respected and talented visionaries in this latest golden era of television is completely beyond me. That he is one of the first of his kind in a rarefied gallery of 21st Century prestige television mavericks that includes David Simon (The Wire), Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy), David Milch (Deadwood) and Darren Star (Sex and The City), among others, makes it even harder to swallow. The 76-year-old Mr. Chase began his Hollywood career in the 1970s as a prolific young television writer and then producer of such memorable shows as Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1975), The Rockford Files (1976) and Northern Exposure (1993), along with such forgotten ones as Almost Grown (1988) and, my preteen favorite, The Magician (1973), a single-season mystery adventure starring Bill Bixby as a prestidigitator who moonlights as an amateur crimefighter. “I was the first writer from the LSD, rock’n’roll generation to have a responsible role in network television,” Chase remembered of his early days in TV, in a recent interview on the just-released Blu-ray of The Night Stalker series. “The Night Stalker was real Hollywood—a bunch of crap put together that somehow worked,” he added of the supernaturally infused cult favorite that would become a major influence years later on such seminal TV fare as The X-Files (1993) and Lost (2004). “It was batshit crazy, yeah, but it worked on that level.” So, just like the episodic television that has served him so well for decades, Chase added another installment to his personal saga this past week. On October 1, it was announced that he had inked an agreement with HBO parent company WarnerMedia for a five-year, first-look deal to develop content for HBO, HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures Group. So much for the extreme anger with HBO that’s been coursing through Chase’s veins. Meanwhile, The Sopranos, available on HBO Max since its launch in May, 2020, has reportedly enjoyed a major resurgence in streaming popularity over the past year as a younger generation of viewers watched the series for the first time during the pandemic. Chase has also confirmed that he would be interested in making another feature film focusing on the formative years and coming of age of Tony Soprano. His one condition, he stated, is that Sopranos executive producer and writer Terence Winter would have to be on board. Winter produced 73 of the show’s 85 installments and scripted some 25 of them, including the classic “Long Term Parking’ and “Pine Barrens” episodes, before going on the create the well-received series Boardwalk Empire and not-so-embraced Vinyl for HBO. For his part, Winter has said, “The idea of doing another one, and doing it with David, I’d be in in a heartbeat. Absolutely.” This means that two of the key creative forces in the Sopranos franchise are up for one more extended visit with Jersey’s always intriguing Soprano family (and affiliates). Of course, Warner and New Line, the studios behind The Many Saints of Newark, will undoubtedly have something to say about it—after the box office and streaming results on Saints have been rung up. You don’t want to jump the gun on these guys because, like Tony Sopranos and his crew, they mean business. 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. By remarkable coincidence, two notorious political gunmen–Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated Robert Kennedy and John Hinckley, Jr., who shot and almost killed Ronald Reagan, are about to be released after decades of legal confinement. Predictably, there has been an outcry from many in the public about those decisions, as well as by many of the victims’ family members. Given the passage of time, is leniency now owed to these two aging assassins (one successful and one not) whose violent acts shocked the nation? It is worth a look backwards, in order to fairly answer that question. Sirhan: Sirhan Sirhan killed Senator Robert Kennedy on June 5, 1968, just after Kennedy had won the California Democratic presidential primary. Kennedy was shaking hands with staff in the kitchen of Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel, where his victory celebration was being held. Sirhan ran toward Kennedy from the front and shot him and five others (William Weisel of ABC News, Paul Schrade of the United Automobile Workers union, Democratic Party activist Elizabeth Evans, Ira Goldstein of the Continental News Service, and Kennedy campaign volunteer Irwin Stroll) at close range with a .22 caliber pistol. Kennedy died the next day. Robert Kennedy’s death was all the more shocking because his own brother, President John F. Kennedy, had been publicly assassinated less than five years earlier. And Martin Luther King, Jr. had been slain only two months earlier, sending America’s cities into turmoil. For an already grieving country, it was one blow too many. There is no doubt that Robert Kennedy’s murder dramatically changed the course of American history. Like his brother John, Robert was a progressive icon; he opposed the Vietnam War and favored many programs to help poor and working-class people. He had a good chance of winning the Democratic nomination and the coming election against Republican candidate Richard Nixon. It was not to be. Nixon won the 1968 election, and his attempt to steal our democracy through his Watergate conspiracy and obstruction of its investigation was a precursor to the more open and virulent attacks on democracy we are living through now. And if Robert Kennedy had lived, perhaps we would have continued on the road of Roosevelt’s New Deal and Johnson’s Great Society rather than having those programs largely undone by the succession of Reagan, the Bushes, and conservative so-called “New Democrats.” As Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe wrote in the Los Angeles Times on August 30, “Sirhan victimized not only the Kennedy family but also the American family. We the people were his victims.” Sirhan was convicted in April 1969 and sentenced to death. There was no doubt as to his guilt. Sirhan, a Palestinian with Jordanian citizenship, confessed to killing Kennedy (he could hardly deny it since there were many witnesses), and said, at his trial, that he was motivated by Kennedy’s endorsement of Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War. But when California subsequently eliminated the death penalty, Sirhan’s sentence was commuted to life in prison. (California has since reinstated the death penalty.) Now 77 years old, Sirhan has been in prison 53 years and has previously been denied parole 15 times. Apparently, the 16th time was the charm. On August 27, a panel comprised of two parole board commissioners voted in favor of Sirhan’s request for release on parole. The decision must be reviewed by the full parole board within 120 days before it can become final. Then, California Governor Newsom will have 30 days to uphold the decision, reverse it, or send it back to the board. It’s not known what the full parole board will do, and Governor Newsom’s office will not make any statements prejudging the question before it comes to him. But Newsom reportedly has a photo of Robert Kennedy in his office and sees him as one of his personal heroes. Hinckley: On March 30, 1981, John W. Hinckley, Jr. opened fire outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C, and shot President Ronald Reagan, White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy J. McCarthy, and police officer Thomas K. Delahanty. Reagan suffered injury to a lung, and internal bleeding, but survived. The other three also survived, but James Brady suffered brain damage and was permanently disabled. When he died in 2014, a medical examiner ruled it a homicide stemming from his gunshot wound. Shortly after Hinckley shot President Reagan, he said that he had done it to get the attention of actress Jodie Foster, whom he had been stalking. After watching the 1976 Robert DeNiro-Jodie Foster movie Taxi Driver, Hinckley had developed an obsession with Foster who, in 1981, was a freshman at Yale University. Hinckley had been pursuing her—even moving to New Haven and trying to contact her by letters and by phone. His attempt to assassinate Reagan was apparently an emulation of the DeNiro character’s deranged plotting to assassinate a politician. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity. The verdict was immediately controversial and led to changes in the law making it more difficult to use an insanity defense. Hinckley was committed to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, a mental institution in Washington, D.C. He remained there until 2016, when the court granted him leave to live full-time with his mother in Williamsburg, Va. The court-ordered conditions of that release were that he must receive regular doctor supervision and psychiatric care; not own a gun; have no contact with Reagan’s children, other victims or their families, or actress Jodie Foster. Hinckley has apparently obeyed the conditions. On September 27, U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman said he plans to remove Hinckley, now 66 years old, from all court supervision in June 2022, assuming Hinckley remains mentally stable and continues to follow court-issued rules between now and then. At the hearing, the judge said, “If he hadn’t tried to kill the president, he would have been unconditionally released a long, long, long time ago…But everybody is comfortable now after all the studies, all of the analysis and all of the interviews, and all of the experience with Mr. Hinckley.” The Victims’ Families Weigh In: It is not true, though, that everybody is comfortable with the release of either Sirhan or Hinckley. The families of the victims are divided on the subject. Six of Robert Kennedy’s nine children have opposed Sirhan’s release, issuing a statement: “We are devastated that the man who murdered our father has been recommended for parole.” They added, “We adamantly oppose the parole and release of Sirhan Sirhan and are shocked by a ruling that we believe ignores the standards of parole of a confessed, first-degree murderer in the state of California.” They urged the Parole Board and Governor Newsom to reverse the panel’s recommendation. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Robert Kennedy’s daughter and former Maryland lieutenant-governor, has been silent on Sirhan’s release. Robert Kennedy’s widow, Ethel Kennedy, now 93, was measured but pained. She issued a statement: “Our family and our country suffered an unspeakable loss due to the inhumanity of one man. We believe in the gentleness that spared his life, but in taming his act of violence, he should not have the opportunity to terrorize again.” On the other hand, Douglas Kennedy, who was a toddler when his father was assassinated, was moved, in a fit of forgiveness after meeting with Sirhan, to support his parole request. Robert Kennedy, Jr. submitted a letter to the board supporting Sirhan’s parole request based on discrepancies in the evidence he felt suggested a second shooter’s bullets were the ones that killed his father. However, the courts have sided with experts who argue that a second gunman was unlikely, especially considering no witness recalls seeing another shooter in that crowded hotel kitchen. And given that Sirhan came with a gun and intent, if his bullets were not the ones that hit Kennedy, it was not for lack of trying. Sirhan’s last judge ruled that even if there were a second gunman, Sirhan was rightfully convicted as “an aider and abettor” in the murder. As to Hinckley’s freedom, one of Reagan’s sons, Michael, posted on Twitter that his father forgave Hinckley and would approve, and therefore “so do I.” On the other hand, Reagan's daughter Patti Davis wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post opposing Hinckley's release and expressing fear that he now could contact her. She wrote, "I don’t believe that John Hinckley feels remorse.” In addition, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute issued a statement: “Contrary to the judge’s decision, we believe John Hinckley is still a threat to others and we strongly oppose his release…Our hope is that the Justice Department will file a motion with the court leading to a reversal of the decision.” Should Either Sirhan Sirhan or John Hinckley Jr. Be Released? There are a number of compelling reasons Sirhan should be denied parole and Hinckley should not have been permitted supervised freedom, let alone the unsupervised freedom he has just been granted. First, as Prof. Tribe wrote in his Los Angeles Times article, “our justice system demands the strictest punishment for the most atrocious crimes.” He added, “political assassination stands nearly alone in its threat to the foundation of society—it is a crime against our republic as much as against an individual.” In addition, Tribe stated, “Vitriolic as our political disagreements can be, we are a nation bound by the rule of law, not the rule of a revolver.” Tribe also argued that, where the crime is against the nation, the views of the victim’s family–as sympathetic as we may be—do not have a special claim to be heard. I agree—especially in today’s climate, when so many think they have the right to change our government by violence rather than votes. If ever there were a time to treat a life sentence as a deterrence to such action, this is it. Even if the more usual considerations of taking responsibility, remorse, reformation, and whether the person is no longer a danger to the community were applied, the sincerity of both men’s claim to meet these standards is highly questionable. Sirhan originally told the trial court that his prime motivation for killing Kennedy was a deep animosity towards Israel and that, since Kennedy supported Israel, he must be eliminated. Subsequently, he has claimed that he had been drinking and doesn’t remember that night. But according to USA Today, he has recalled events before and after the shooting in detail, including going to a shooting range, drinking coffee in a hotel pantry before, and being choked and unable to breathe when being taken into custody after. At his 2016 hearing, Sirhan said he felt remorse for any crime victim but couldn’t take responsibility for the shooting. So much for taking responsibility. This time around, Sirhan used pro forma words that apparently appealed to the parole board panel: “Over half a century has passed, and that young, impulsive kid I was does not exist anymore. … Senator Kennedy was the hope of the world and I injured, and I harmed all of them, and it pains me to experience that, the knowledge for such a horrible deed.” And yet, when asked whether he would kill again—why would anyone seeking parole say yes?—Sirhan said, “I would never put myself in jeopardy again.” That statement signifies no real change in his character. He doesn’t say he would never want to put others in jeopardy again, but that he would not put himself in jeopardy again—his jeopardy being trial and prison, or execution. So, in asking the state for parole, Sirhan thinks only of himself, and not at all of his victims, past or potential. Sirhan never obtained U.S. citizenship and so could be deported to Jordan, where he is a citizen. Board Commissioner Robert Barton expressed concern that if released and deported to Jordan, Sirhan might become a “symbol or lightning rod to foment more violence.” In reply, Sirhan suggested, “The same argument can be said or made that I can be a peacemaker and a contributor to a friendly nonviolent way of resolving the issue.” But one must ask whether Sirhan has done or said anything in the last 53 years to indicate he would become a peacemaker? Commissioner Barton asked whether Sirhan follows the Middle East conflict and his feelings about it. Sirhan claimed he did not follow the situation but thinks about the suffering of refugees. He broke down, and then, recovering, said he felt "the misery that those people are experiencing. It's painful." He called them "kindred," and said he wouldn't be human if their plight didn't move him, adding, "Although whatever I would want to do in the future, it would be towards resolving that peacefully." He also said he is too old to be involved in the Middle East conflict and would detach himself from it. But that statement goes to his perceived capability, not to a change in thinking about his approach to the situation. And these somewhat contradictory statements about what his post-release involvement might be have the feel of someone trying to reach for the magic words to please the panel. One should not take Sirhan—or anyone else in his situation—at their word. One should ask what the person has done with his time in prison to support the view that these words represent the change claimed. Commissioner Barton said, “We think you have grown.” One could reasonably ask, based on what? In finding that Sirhan no longer poses a threat to society, the panel noted his enrollment in anger management classes, Tai Chi, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Although these may speak to an effort at personal improvement, they don’t suggest remorse or an effort at redemption demonstrating true growth and change of heart. Likewise, though Hinckley may not have had the same kind of political motivation concerning a cause that Sirhan had, he would not have attempted the assassination of Reagan if Reagan were not the President—which makes the attempt a political act. Unlike Sirhan, however Hinckley did have the possibly extenuating circumstance of mental illness. In his gradual movement towards full independence, Hinckley has gone from supervised visits, to living with his mother under certain restrictions to now being allowed to live independently without any court supervision. While under supervision, Hinckley had to work and volunteer at least three days a week or be reported to the authorities if he failed to show up. He had to live with his mother. He also was prohibited from being in the same area as current presidents, vice presidents, members of Congress or other senior officials, or having contact with Jodie Foster or family members of Reagan, Brady, or other victims. and was not allowed to have social media accounts without the unanimous consent of his treatment team. The lifting of these restrictions has been delayed until June, 2022 because Hinckley’s mother died in August and he is living on his own for the first time in 40 years. In addition, one of his primary doctors is retiring and disbanding his therapy group, so he will have to find a new doctor and group. Allegedly, the delay will permit observation of whether and how Hinckley adjusts. But once the transitional monitoring is complete, Hinckley will no longer have to abide by these restrictions. Hinckley’s attorney, Barry Levine, claims that Hinckley’s “mental disease is in full, stable and complete remission and has been so for over three decades.” Levine maintains that a violence risk assessment in 2020 concluded that Hinckley would not pose a danger if he were released unconditionally from court-ordered restrictions. Hinckley currently lives in Williamsburg and goes to therapy, but what’s to ensure that he continues to do so once the conditions are removed? Levine has claimed Hinckley’s unconditional release is a victory for mental health: “That is the real message in this case — that people who have been ravaged by mental disease, with good support and access to treatment, can actually become productive members of society." But most people suffering from mental health problems do not try to kill other people. Most are themselves the sufferers. And to present Hinckley’s so-called “remission” (remission is not cure) as representative of people with mental health problems in general could be used to tar anyone having such problems with Hinckley’s brush. My Verdict: Both of these men appear more concerned with getting on with their lives than with making whatever amends are possible for the lives they have taken or damaged. Despite the fact that Sirhan deprived another human being—and the nation—of his future, Sirhan seems to have the attitude that he has paid enough and should be entitled to get on with his own life. I don’t see remorse or an effort that comes with remorse to make some attempt at redemption, even if in the form of paying it forward to others. And no matter how sane Judge Friedman may think Hinckley is, if I were Patti Davis or Jodie Foster, I’d be very nervous about the removal of supervised conditions limiting his movements and contacts. In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare’s would-be lawyer Portia says, “the quality of mercy is not strained.” But in this instance, I believe the quality of mercy should be constrained. So, on the question of whether either of these men should be completely freed to get on with their lives, my vote is a big no. 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 “Mounting evidence shows that deaths at the hands of the police disproportionately impact people of certain races and ethnicities, pointing to systemic racism in policing.” The Lancet, October 2, 2021 Last week I saw Pass Over, Broadway’s first play to open since the virus snuffed New York theater on March 12th, 2020. It was a revelation. Pass Over, running at the August Wilson Theatre, is not only an allegorical and literal explosion of racism, poverty, and police violence towards urban Black communities, writ large. This topically profound existential drama, by Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu sends up Moses’ Biblical pledge to emancipated Jewish slaves of reaching the Promised Land. Pass Over deftly alludes to the identically named Jewish holiday with humorous cynicism. Think Waiting for Godot tweaked with Exodus and the Old Testament’s Moses parting the Red Sea. Director Danya Yaymore weaves parallel existences with the banality of everyday, repetitive life and magical thinking. Actors John Michael Hill, Namir Smallwood and Gabriel Ebert suck the oxygen out of the room with every passionate diatribe or plaintive wail. Not a breath is wasted as the characters banter, spar and word- and gun-play. The bleak set, a grey study in shadowy despair echoes the actors’ inconsistencies, until a twist ending throws preconceived notions out the window. Break-your-heart acting, elevated and devasting. The audience roared when the play concluded, even if there wasn’t blanket approval of the N-word tsunami to which they had just been exposed. A perfect Broadway welcome-back-to-live-theater experience! That’s entertainment! Admittedly, I wasn’t thrilled when the beefy security team vaccine-carded and photo-ID’ed me before allowing entrance. Keeping a mask on for the play’s duration was at first uncomfortable, but I quickly became used to it. It helped that the theater was kept quite cold. This is the new Broadway normal. It could always be worse. Masked patrons were well-behaved and seatmate strangers avoided knees and arm-resting elbows. The inevitable foot banging against my seat back was annoying. A bare minimum of candy unwrapping and thankfully, just one coughing bout. The woman behind me gave an on-the-spot oral critique midway through the intense, intermission-less drama. “Oh, come on!” she objected, loudly. It wasn’t surprising, considering it was a local crowd after all. Tourists aren’t known to vocally protest dialogue. As theater hopefully stays off life support and tourists test the waters, common courtesy mores might need refreshing. If you are a guest, never exclaim snarkily and loudly upon the first scene’s unfolding: “I hate it already.” That will be said guest’s last freebie, even if she is a relative. Broadway’s Pass Over’s limited run ends on October 10th, but Spike Lee’s acclaimed filmed production by the same name is available on Amazon Prime. Broadway theaters have extended mask and vaccination requirements for audiences through year’s end. This will be re-evaluated in January. The Broadway League announced that operators and owners of all Broadway theaters will continue to require audience members, performers, backstage crew, and theater personnel to wear masks and be vaccinated before entry. With proof. Seeing rows of masked and fully vaccinated patrons was reassuring. It wasn’t an ideal reopening, but when the first line was uttered, my emotions were stirred and I was grateful for those stashed tissues in my pocket. 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