DramatistDreamer

There's a book I read a few years ago called How To Win A Cosmic War by Reza Aslan (who also used to be my secret crush a few years ago, lol) where the premise was essentially what this op-ed essay was about- in short, the way to win a cosmic war was by not fighting one, in the first place. When you choose to fight with people who are conditioned to think of endless war and want to draw an enemy into a constant fight so that an otherwise democratic society degrades, that is when the war is won by those who want endless war. It's the militaristic version of dragging their enemy down to their level. It was a fascinating book and when I read this essay, the content very much reminded me of that Aslan book. Since September 11th, 2001, I've observed that symbols have taken on an ultra importance---the flag, lapel pins, the national anthem...rather than the ideals behind them. Entertaining the idea of torture by waterboarding, interment camps and detention without due process are all acceptable, but don't you dare be caught not standing with your hand over your heart during the national anthem! For god's sake, no kneeling either! Don't be caught in public without a lapel pin if you're in public service at a public event! To me, the symbols seem pretty empty without defending the ideals behind them (the right of peaceable public assembly aka 'protest'), knowing one's rights and asserting them, even when confronted by authority, the right to challenge public officials who are failing to act on behalf of the public good--clean air, clean water, to be safe and not shot and killed in one's own apartment---all that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, etc., etc. Anyone who is not seen to be falling in line with the display of those patriotic symbols is seen as unpatriotic but to me, but to me, nothing is more patriotic than wanting your country to do better for the most marginalized and vulnerable in society and challenging those in power to do so.

Normally, I try to refrain from posting Op-Ed pieces because so many are problematic, to say the least. This one is a worthy read, especially today. The Real Lesson of Sept. 11

Do people think that Moonves was living paycheck to paycheck? The man was getting like $60 million a year under contract. Even if he doesn't see a dime of the $100 million financial package, he's STILL GOT MONEY, y'all! Not to mention stocks, bonds, annuities, RothIRA moneymarket account, property and savings, onshore and likely offshore accounts. He and Julie are obscenely wealthy. Meanwhile, the maintenance staff, low-level production staff, make a tiny fraction of what even the least useful executive at CBS makes. I am slightly intrigued about the fate of these shows (neither of which I actually watch) but honestly, I could give a toss about where and how Moonves and Chen land. They won't be poor.

Still waiting on a hearing regarding the loss of lives in Niger but I'm guessing we'll never get one because...Africa, right?

OMG @ this thread!

It gets worse every day. The ICC is there for a reason. It is not perfect, but think where society would be globally if the ICC had not been there in the aftermath of war in the Balkans and genocide in Rwanda or civil war in Sierra Leone. You cannot weaken the one institution that actually has some successful prosecutions of war criminals! So does this mean that Trump and his cabal have more in common with the likes of Slobodan Milosevic than any democratically-minded head of state that respects international rule of law, like the Geneva Convention?

Weren't people last year saying essentially the same thing about Federer and Nadal last year? That they shouldn't have been able to carve up the GS like they did in 2017? I mean, whatever. Training, equipment is not the same as the 80s, 90s or even the early '00s. I'm more concerned with the lack of diversity in regards to court speeds (they're all to effin' slow!) and the lack of diversity economically and racially (tennis is still dominated by bluebloods and lily-white and I'm not just talking about among the players, I'm talking about the decision-makers). I mean, if they want to make ages of the players the hill they die on, they can go right ahead. Speaking of diversity- Here is one example of how a Japanese media broadcaster is reporting the story of Naomi Osaka's win locally. Naomi Osaka's Historic Feat

I forgot to mention @I Am A Swede that I read an article last week about Swedish elections so I was paying to the results of your elections.

Ah, I see @Brolden. Carry on!

His doctor too? It is not an exaggeration to think that no woman is truly safe around Leslie Moonves. The anecdotal evidence just keeps getting worse.

Congrats to Noléfam like @Faulkner, I know you must be pleased. I have to admit I drifted away from the match at points but I didn't follow this year as closely as I have in previous years, so what else is new, huh? lol See when I was talking about media training, I also meant this type of vile stuff too. It shouldn't be her responsibility to have to deal with this stuff but I don't see the ITF helping out when players get abuse online from horrible people

@Brolden This is a very interesting compilation that you've been working on. Hopefully this can spur some You Tube uploaders to want to acquire some of the missing episodes. One thing I've noticed is that you have Tamara Tunie's debut in May 1987 and I know for sure that she debuted before that. Jessica Griffin did Sierra's divorce proceedings which began in March 1987 (there's a March 2 episode where Sierra is seen at Tom Hughes' office and there's a Jessica Griffin nameplate on the door), so I think the character was there by March, even though several episodes are missing online. At the very least we see her in You Tube episodes when she was there to help Sierra finalized her divorce in April.

It comes as absolutely no surprise that more women came forward with even more disturbing allegations. After the first article, I expected as much because it was the same thing with Weinstein. Even have anticipating this, reading the article, I found myself vacillating between rage, sadness and searching my own experiences to see how some of the odd interviews and weird work climates that I've experience rate on the predator spectrum. I've experienced having suggestive comments lobbed my way (a suggestion of a massage request, which rendered me totally speechless) and inappropriate behavior, nothing that these women have experienced. Just reading their accounts made me feel attacked (I know people use this phrase jokingly but this is truly the way I felt while reading this, at certain points). Moonves cannot leave soon enough and he certainly should not be compensated for his egregious, disgusting behavior. These women (and no doubt, countless unnamed others) will need help to be made whole. Regardless of their ages, regardless of statutes of limitations, I hope someone will help these women be made whole again.

I remember that match and Hingis dissolved into tears. Her mother Melanie Molitor had to come down from the stands to comfort her in order to get Hingis to stay for the trophy presentation ceremony. Hingis was considered to be in 'breach of protocol' for crossing on the other side of the net to question a line call with the chair umpire. The French crowd was brutal toward Hingis, who breached protocol by crossing the net but the crowd behavior was so much worse than what she did-- and I'm saying this as someone who is not even a Hingis fan! As much as I enjoyed watching Steffi play, that match left me with such a distaste. Even now, it's not a match I would ever want to watch again. The fortunate thing for both Hingis and Graf was that this was not the first or the only time either would contend for Slam titles, so they had other finals with happier endings to reflect on and remember.

No, McEnroe was defaulted from the tournament in Australia after he overturned an on-court TV camera, although he had been warned about another incident previously in the match.

Some of the people who were in the crowd during the final have been posting rebukes to people who are tweeting from home by saying that the booing was not for Serena, it was for the situation. I had assumed that they were booing Carlos Ramos, tbh. I think the president of the USTA, Kat Adams got a smattering of boos as well, which I've never seen happen.

This is so incredibly cute! This artist is very talented.

I can see what you're saying. Still, in my high school English class we had to give a series and speeches and the teacher would literally mark a person for every "filler" word (like, uhm, you know, etc.) they used during the course of the speech. I would see him marking in his grade book everytime someone said one of those words and was determined that he would not be marking my grade down, lol. That was my first year of high school honors English. It has served me well because I avoid using those words when speaking. I try not to write it in monologues unless I'm really trying to point out a sharp character trait. She's not as bad as Capriati, though, who used filler incessantly and would often ramble almost incoherently at times. Didn't the WTA decide to do media training at one point, in the past?

I find Naomi endlessly endearing but the use of filler language with the "ums" drives me a bit batty perhaps that's the English major and writing masters graduate in me.

@ChitHappensI remember that match with Venus vs. Cornet at the French Open. Carlos tried it and it was especially gratifying to see Venus intensify her focus and pummel Cornet for the rest of the match, lol. @Faulkner Osaka told a funny anecdote in her interview about an encounter she had with Djokovic just before the final. Apparently he was working out or something and since Sascha is Croatian, and has been teaching her some Croatian, she decided to try out some on Novak but apparently Novak seemed confused by what she was trying to say. Perhaps because he's Serbian, was what I was thinking.

To be honest, I'd by lying if I didn't admit that my enthusiasm was dampened when I saw that Venus and Serena were going to facing each other so early in the tournament but I did see matches here and there, mostly in the 2nd week. These tennis tournaments can be such a mess and made worse by sometimes questionable decision making and conflicts of interests being injected into the sport. And just think, we now have a strangely revamped Davis Cup format to add to all the chaos. Fun times.

It was an incredible achievement for Osaka and honestly, it didn't really surprise me that she won. That coaching warning controversy though was, just ay ay ay. And Patrick just thinks a bit too highly of himself. Also Carlos Ramos has a bit of a reputation over issuing questionable decisions. Look it up. It was an unforgettable match, that's for sure.

Thanks Khan. Life ain't been no crystal stair, as the poem says but we still hope, we still strive (or least attempt), you know?

Enough about me though.