Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Get her, Hillary!"
Ava and C.I.’s “TV:
Roseanne didn't kill ROSEANNE, ABC did” notes
how awful THE CONNERS TV show is. Channing Dungey is in deep trouble. I
watched the first episode, so-so. I watched the second and couldn’t
get through it. I didn’t bother with the
third. (Ava and C.I. got all three episodes which is why they reviewed
it.) It is awful. The show is the worst.
Still, it’s a TV
show and, having seen two episodes, I can report that it’s lacklustre,
mostly unfunny and rather draining to watch. Roseanne Barr haunts The
Conners like a laughing ghoul. You watch entirely in the context
of, and thinking about, her and only her. There is certainly an attempt
to shift away from the matriarch of the family after the opening
episode and Sara Gilbert, as daughter Darlene, becomes rather like a
Roseanne wraith, a phantom version of that rude, cackling
and unapologetic working-class mother. But Darlene doesn’t spout
pro-Trump derision of the world. Nobody spouts pro-Trump or anti-Trump
statements about anything. The show is now a family sitcom, not a
political hurly-burly.
And it’s boring. So-so boring. John
Goodman is the only good thing about the show. And he’s not enough.
He’s good but he’s just not enough.
How do you take your network’s number
one show and destroy it? That’s the question Channing’s going to have
to answer. When ABC fires her, she’ll have lots and lots of time to
think about it. But it’s not just that she destroyed the
number one show in one day – in a decision other ABC execs call “hasty”
– it’s also that her whole schedule is pathetic and weak. Putting her
in charge of anything was a huge, huge mistake. She doesn’t know what
the audience wants and she can’t even do niche
programming. She’s is the absolute worst and she’s pulling ABC down
the toilet with her. She needs to be fire immediately. We’re talking
Fred Silverman SUPERTRAIN bad. She is destroying ABC and doing
How did this happen? And why is it allowed to continue? She needs to be fired immediately.
"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Monday, October 15, 2018. Iraq struggles to form a government and, in the US, the Women's March on the Pentagon approaches.
Iraq held elections May 12th. They're still trying to form a government all these months later. AFP notes:
US State Department number two John Sullivan departs yesterday for Iraq to meet with the country’s new leaders, the highest level administration official to do so since their election.
Sullivan will visit Baghdad and Arbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, the State Department said.
The US deputy secretary of state will meet with the newly elected speaker of parliament, Mohammed al-Halbusi, as well as President Barham Saleh and Prime Minister-designate Adel Abdel Mahdi.
The US State Dept notes that Sullivan met with al-Mahdi on Sunday.
And, as the Tweet below notes, Sullivan's also met with the outgoing prime minister Hayder al-Abadi.
Iraq held elections May 12th. They're still trying to form a government all these months later. AFP notes:
US State Department number two John Sullivan departs yesterday for Iraq to meet with the country’s new leaders, the highest level administration official to do so since their election.
Sullivan will visit Baghdad and Arbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, the State Department said.
The US deputy secretary of state will meet with the newly elected speaker of parliament, Mohammed al-Halbusi, as well as President Barham Saleh and Prime Minister-designate Adel Abdel Mahdi.
The US State Dept notes that Sullivan met with al-Mahdi on Sunday.
Readout
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 14, 2018
The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:
On October 14, accompanied by
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Doug Silliman and Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Near Eastern Affairs Andrew Peek, Deputy Secretary of State John J.
Sullivan met with Adil Abd al-Mahdi, Prime Minister-designate.
The Deputy Secretary
congratulated Prime Minister-Designate Mahdi on his election, and
together they committed to continue to build a strong and
multi-dimensional relationship. The Deputy Secretary encouraged Prime
Minister-designate Mahdi to continue with government formation quickly
and in a manner that is responsive to the needs of all Iraqis.
The Deputy Secretary of State
reaffirmed U.S. commitment to strengthen our ties with the people of
this important country through our trade relationship, through cultural
exchange, and through government-to-government relations.
And, as the Tweet below notes, Sullivan's also met with the outgoing prime minister Hayder al-Abadi.
رئيس مجلس الوزراء الدكتور حيدر العبادي يستقبل نائب وزير الخارجية الامريكي السيد جون سيلفان والوفد المرافق له .
وجرى خلال الاجتماع مناقشة تعزيز العلاقات بين البلدين في مختلف المجالات وبالاخص الجانب الاقتصادي والاوضاع السياسية في العراق والمنطقة ....
Elijah J. Magnier (THE IRANIAN) maintains:
The US establishment has managed to influence prominent people within the Iraqi leadership, among these Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim and Haidar Abadi, the ex-prime minister. Abadi was surrounded by people who listened to the US and believed US hegemony would soon bring the fall of Iran, as it had been believed that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s government would fall in three months, six months or at most a year. Yet al-Assad remains in power: the regime change warmongers failed disastrously in reaching their objective even after seven years of war inflicted on Syria.
These same people pushed Abadi to announce that he would abide by US unilateral sanctions against Iran, thinking this would boost his chances for a second term. Abadi was ill-advised, yet he accepted this advice. That was his biggest mistake and the first nail in his political coffin. The US envoy to Iraq did everything in his power to promote Abadi but failed. According to top decision-makers in Baghdad, the US envoy actually warned Iraq against talking with Hezbollah’s representative, considered a “terrorist individual”. Faleh al-Fayyad, the head of National Security and commander of al-Hashd al-Sha’bi met with Ambassador Brett McGurk and informed him that “the US list of terrorists applies outside Iraq and certainly not against an Iraqi citizen (Sheikh Kawtharani holds dual citizenship)”. According to the sources, the US envoy responded that he is not acting against anyone, that he is not trying to stab Iran or Iraq in the back and that he would like to send a message to Qassem Soleimani that the US is not trying to twist Iran’s arm in Iraq.
A UN representative in Iraq met with the Hezbollah envoy to ease the already tense situation. Kawtharani told him: “our candidate is Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes. If the US wants to impose a candidate, let us see who will manage to reach power”.A meeting between a UN representative and a Hezbollah representative amounts to recognition of Hezbollah’s role in Iraq and is an indication of US’s desperation. The US was afraid of seeing an Iraqi leader in power with strong animosity to the US.
Meanwhile . . .
"Gonna put it in the want ads." That's what Iraq's prime minister-designate Adil Abdul al-Mahdi did. Last week, Mustafa Abu Sneineh (MIDDLE EAST EYE) reported, "Iraq's new prime minister on Tuesday launched a government website allowing Iraqis to apply for ministerial jobs online, in an unprecedented move in the Arab states. Several Iraqis have already announced their applications on social media." RUDAW noted, "So far, 36,006 people have applied for a post in Iraq’s new cabinet, using the website set up by Prime Minister-designate Adil Abdul-Mahdi. The majority of applicants, 97 percent, are independents, according to figures released by Abdul-Mahdi on Facebook on Wednesday." ASHARQ AL-AWSAT finds a source who sees a strategy in the move, "When asked whether Abdul Mahdi would benefit from those who applied for ministerial positions through the e-portal, he replied that the assigned PM killed two birds with one stone by putting pressure on political blocs to submit the names of candidates to avoid choosing from names on the e-portal." While the move has been hugely popular with those applying, not everyone is thrilled. Today, IRAQ TRADE LINK NEWS AGENCY reports that Ammar al-Hakim (president of the National Wisdom Movement) feels this could destroy Iraq and that "we cannot look for ministers in universities, coffee shops and the streets."
In the Tweet below, he's calling for an independent and professional government that's balanced and service ready.
اننا بحاجة إلى حكومة متوازنة، وخدمية، ومستقلة مهنياً ووظيفياً.. حكومة فعل لا رد فعل، حكومة استثمارية لا احتكارية، حكومة تكاملية تتكامل مع باقي السلطات لا تقاطعية.
Shi'ite cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr may have rebuked Ammar's comments regarding the process. AL ARABIYA reports:
In a statement directed at the Iraqi Sunnis and Sunni politicians, Sadrist movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr said that public interests should precede party interests, and that quotas should be avoided while forming the next government headed by newly elected Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi.
Join us at the Pentagon on October 21st. Hear from @Green42020 and others as we call for an end to the bipartisan war machine. #WomenRise4Peace marchonpentagon.com/march
Women’s March on the Pentagon Retweeted
Solidarity events are popping up across the US:
Los Angeles
Milwaukee
Fresno
Minneapolis
Asheville, NC
Madison,WI
Cleveland
Seattle
Buffalo, NY
Patchogue, NY
Montclair, NJ
Las Vegas
Don't see one near you? Organize your own! marchonpentagon.com/local
The Women's March on the Pentagon is one week away. Please share! #WomenMarch4Peace
Women’s March on the Pentagon Retweeted
#Seattle Solidarity Rally for the Women's March on the #Pentagon, 1PM on Sunday October 21st at Boeing Headquarters, 7755 E Marginal Way
MARCH FOR PEACE AND AGAINST THE WAR MACHINE
facebook.com/events/2700521…
Women’s March on the Pentagon Retweeted
Women's March on the #Pentagon , October 20-21
on the 51st anniversary of the 1967 big antiwar event in #WashingtonDC & subsequent march on the Pentagon that had 50,000 people
WE MUST MARCH FOR PEACE AND AGAINST THE WAR MACHINE
@WomenMarch4Paz @OccupyWallStNYC @AMarch4OurLives
Women’s March on the Pentagon Retweeted
This is NOT a pink-pussy-hatted event to only oppose Trump and Get Out the Vote for the treacherous and warmongering Democrats (or Republicans): This is a principled non-partisan march on the bi-partisan US war machine.
@WomenMarch4Paz #WomenRise4Peace
Join us at the Pentagon on October 21st. Hear from Walter Teague and others as we call for an end to the bipartisan war machine. #WomenRise4Peace marchonpentagon.com/march
Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Get her, Hillary!" went up earlier. New content at THIRD:
- Truest statement of the week
- Truest statement of the week II
- A note to our readers
- Editorial: Make your voice heard
- TV: Roseanne didn't kill ROSEANNE, ABC did
- 10 reasons to avoid Women's March on the Pentagon
- From the TESR Test Kitchen
- Cher's ten best albums
- Read a book?
- Tweet of the week
- This edition's playlist
- South Central Michigan Greens to Meet 1-3pm Saturd...
- Highlights
