This reminds me of the time my fourth grade class did Secret Santa.  After everyone exchanged their gifts, there was one boy (who I’ll call T) who didn’t have one.  My teacher demanded to know who had drawn T’s name.  About a minute went by with no one speaking up, so she went to get the list that had everyone’s names and their SS partners on it to see who had drawn T’s name.  At that point, another boy (S) spoke up and said he had gotten T’s name.  My teacher chewed S out for not bringing a gift and made him give his gift to T.  I can’t remember if he got in any trouble beyond that.  I do remember assuming that S hadn’t brought T a gift because he either didn’t like T or just couldn’t be bothered.

Looking back, I think S didn’t buy a gift because he couldn’t afford it.  I remember he lived in the projects and a lot of the other kids made fun of his clothes because they weren’t considered to be very nice.  I know a Secret Santa gift isn’t the same thing as denying a kid food, but I feel really bad for that boy being singled out in front of everyone and I regret that I didn’t have empathy.

in my dream world this is real

Need this in reality

One of my aunts has had a copy of this cartoon hanging on the wall in her bathroom for about three decades.

Ludell and Willie!

are they seriously giving us karolsen crumbs when james is about to fucking leave?

Okay?! Not cool.

queen sugar: season 4, episode 1, comments

review:   Ralph Angel iz officially OFF parole.   Aunt Vi has a fabulous NOLA grand opening for her new tasty pie shop.   and Charlie iz honored to receive the “2019 Groundbreaker Award” from a local women’s organization.   Charley also has a new Latin romance with Romero. now let’s talk about Nova.   her new book, “Blessings and Blood”, iz destined for success.   in the book, Nova speaks to the Black community in a way that nobody ever has.   she exposes family secrets in an effort to help raise awareness about certain issues that plague a lot of Black ppl.   however, Nova spills all this tea without her family’s knowledge or consent.   thank Gawd for Hollywood,   if he didn’t persuade Nova to give her family a heads-up, they would’ve been blindsided by Nova’s book when it hit the shelves.

listen.   Nova iz dead azz wrong to ambush Charley, Aunt Vi and Ralph Angel with a published book ((Nova says they're her “memoirs”)) that details her family’s deepest, darkest secrets.   for example, Nova reveals the exact amount of hush-money that Charley paid to Davis’ sidepiece.   “Blessings and Blood” also announces that Ralph Angel iz not Blue’s biological father.   and can you believe Nova wrote Aunt Vi lived most of her life as anything but a “strong Black Woman”?   damn, Nova.   you went too far.   and a lot of what you’re revealing iz NOT your business to tell.   everybody has a right to keep certain secrets.   and who are you to tell them. of course Nova wants to start an intelligent conversation within the Black community.   however, since Charley iz a wealthy former basketball wife, the public iz gonna sensationalize Nova’s so-called “memoir” as “tell-all trash” – both in social media and mainstream news outlets.   therefore, all Nova will accomplish iz ripping her family to shit.   and i still can’t believe Nova published intimate secrets that were told to her in confidence.

Does Nova's book mention that she was protesting police brutality by day and hooking up with a (married) white cop by night? While selling marijuana? Or that she stole a ton of money from Charley to bail out Too Sweet, who got arrested with the weed she sold him? Or did she only publish everyone else's dirt?

Happy Birthday, Donald Duck!

On June 9, 1934, Donald Duck made his debut in Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony, The Wise Little Hen.

Wow, I had no idea that Donald Duck was born on the same exact day as my dad.

one of my favorite moments in television

It’s scenes like this that make me wish I was aware as a kid that Alfonso Ribeiro was a well known dancer before being on Fresh Prince. These nods would have been even funnier

I loved the (possibly unintentional) nod to his history with Michael Jackson by having Carlton wearing black loafers with white socks.

(1/3)  “I was the easy one to pick on.  I was born blind.  I didn’t walk until the age of four.  I repeated kindergarten, first, second.  They just called it mental retardation back then.  They tried to place me in hospitals.  And the other kids in the housing projects would torment me.  They’d call me Bozo and Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion.  They’d chase me with broken bottles.  I felt worthless.  I felt like a thing.  My only protector was my older brother Hank.  He had learning problems too but he was a male so he had power.  He was state champion in running and cross-country.  Whenever he practiced, he’d let me follow behind him and carry his towels.  Eventually I got to where I could keep up with him.  No other girls were running back then.  There weren’t any female sports teams.  So people would look at me like I was crazy.  They’d say: ‘That’s Rita’s daughter.  She runs.’  A lap around the projects was one mile.  I’d run it three times every night.  It gave me solace and peace.  None of the punks who picked on me could keep up.  I grew really strong.  I had rough edges on me.  Word got around: ‘Put your hands on Loretta, and she’s gonna eat you up.’” (Special Olympics World Games, Abu Dhabi, UAE)

(2/3)  “School was hell.  There were just a few of us in special education and they taught us in the basement.  They offered to let me stay until I was twenty-one, but I wanted out.  So I went to a workshop for people with intellectual and physical disabilities.  Vietnam was going on back then, so we were making lots of bomb stuff.  And we made it for cheap.  I got a six dollar check for two weeks of work.  I was still very rough back then.  I was angry.  And one morning I took a hammer to a guy for picking on me.  The bosses called me to the office.  I thought for sure they’d throw me out.  But my counselor said: ‘I’ve seen you running to work every day.  And think I have something you’re going to like.’  He handed me a piece of paper and told me to take it home.  My mom didn’t like it.  She didn’t want me joining anything that cost money.  But when she noticed the line that said ‘free to participate,’ she crumpled up the piece of paper and put it in her pocket.  I thought she’d forgotten about it.  But early Saturday morning she started knocking on my door, and said: ‘You need to wake up and go to that damn Special Olympics!’” (Special Olympics World Games, Abu Dhabi, UAE)

(3/3)  “I wanted to quit Special Olympics after the very first day.  It took me two hours to get there.  It was raining the whole time.  But my mom forced me to keep going, and I learned to enjoy it.  We’d go run in the park once a week.  I was around people who didn’t tease me.  Nobody called me names.  I wasn’t made to feel stupid.  After a few months our coach convinced my mom to let me go to an overnight event.  It was at Westchester State University Teachers College.  I did three events: the long jump, the softball throw, and the 50-yard dash.  I won all three.  And I’ve been competing ever since.  It’s changed my life so much I can’t explain.  I’m more confident.  I speak at schools and colleges.  I own a house.  I pay property taxes.  If there’s something not going right in my town, I’ll go down to city council and complain.  And I’m still competing.  I’m sixty-five and this year I tried out for the tennis team.  I picked weeds off a public court and spent hundreds of hours hitting the ball against a wall.  But I didn’t make the team.  And I’ll tell you what, I went back to my dorm and cried.  And it takes a lot to make me cry.  But I wanted compete so badly, because this is where I feel important.  I think the feeling I get when I win a medal is the same feeling a President gets when they’re getting elected.  It’s the feeling of achieving something that you dreamed about.  And people with intellectual disabilities don’t get to feel that enough.”   (Special Olympics World Games, Abu Dhabi, UAE)

the phrase “come back with a warrant” being such a shortcut for a show trying to make you not be on a character’s side is… terrifying. ykwim

same with how “i want a lawyer” is used to indicate someones guilt, and how people in cop shows only say that when they know theyve been caught.

Yup. In reality, if you’re being questioned by the police, the best bet you have is to say nothing EXCEPT “I want a lawyer,” until you have a lawyer, have talked privately and confidentially with that lawyer, and your lawyer has told you what you should say (which may very well still be absolutely nothing).

I will add a small caveat that if it’s something like giving a statement about, say, witnessing a car accident or whatever, that’s a bit different. But if you’re in custody? Shut the hell up for your own good. It’s not “guilty,” it’s SMART, and don’t let cops or cop shows convince you otherwise.

Right up there with demonizing people who plead the fifth.

Basically these cop shows paint every single one of your rights as something only a real villain would ever even think about using, and/or as an obstacle for the heroes to overcome.

Given the history of false imprisonment and police misconduct in this country, that’s a very dangerous lesson to be teaching.

Cop shows are propaganda, and you should remain aware of that when you are watching.

Supergirl out here giving us a PTSD storyline WITH TREATMENT and not just using it as a tool for an otherwise reasonable character to behave badly. 

someone introducing t’challa at an international conference: and now, his majesty, king of wakanda, t’challa!

shuri, somewhere in the crowd: NERD

When Supergirl’s secret comes out and Lena finally learns the truth, it’s going to be made much worse by the fact that at the same time she will learn that Alex, James, Brainy, and Nia already know as well. Lex and her mother will be the cherry on top. Even worse, it will likely be Lex who reveals it.

That’s her entire circle of friends and enemies in one fell swoop. Not a single person should judge her if she’s angry. Who knows, she might not be, these writers might subvert my expectations, but they’ve set this up for a REALLY bad fallout.

I think Lena is going to be very hurt when she finds out about Kara being Supergirl.  The fact that she is literally the last to know is going to pour salt in the wound.  And I wouldn’t be surprised if she also gets upset with some of the other people who already knew and have kept the secret for years.

supergirl: season 4, episode 9, review

review:   of all the annual crossover eps, “Elseworlds” iz my least favorite mini-series.   that said, this “Supergirl” finale iz the BEST of the three “Elseworlds” eps.   for starters, this ep reminds us of how little time Oliver, Barry and Kara have spent with each other.   so for me, most of the charm with “Elseworlds” iz watching Oliver and Barry get a deeper understanding of each other. and for me, Oliver has the best character arc.   he learns that it’s NOT always necessary to tap his rage to be an effective “Arrow”.   he’s also working thru a rough patch in his marriage to Felicity.

for the plot-twist cliffhanger, Lois Lane announces her pregnancy – and Clark proposes marriage.   meh.   i’m NOT a fan of this version of “Lois Lane”.   i don’t like the actress who plays her.   and back at Arkham Asylum, Deegan forms a new friendship with Psycho-Pirate.

I'm not crazy about this Lois Lane either.  It felt like everyone else was falling all over themselves and I wondered what I was missing.  Plus, the actress has a Joker-y smile, IMO.

Pay to co-host?!

He (Enty) has never been completely wrong or off about big things like this before. So hopefully he does have other sources

I sure hope so.