About The Donald bringing an end to Democracy in the USA, The Independent featured Sir Michael Caine, a 91-year actor:
One such person who shared their thoughts on the incident was Get Carter and Interstellar actor Caine, who simply wrote on X/Twitter: “Calm down Trump.”
He followed this up with a post referencing one of the most famous quotes from his 1969 film The Italian Job, which saw him memorably utter: “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”
Caine wrote in the second post: “You’re only suppose to sign a cease fire [sic].”
Many concurred with the actor’s words, celebrating its succinctness, with one person stating: ‘Excellent, no notes.”
Thomas Friedman of the New York Times remarked on this incident. If you can't access that newspaper, Raw Story has a coverage. Here are Friedman's first two paragraphs.
The drama going on between President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine raises one of the most disturbing questions I’ve ever had to ask about my own country: Are we being led by a dupe for Vladimir Putin — by someone ready to swallow whole the Russian president’s warped view of who started the war in Ukraine and how it must end? Or are we being led by a Mafia godfather, looking to carve up territory with Russia the way the heads of crime families operate? “I’ll take Greenland, and you can take Crimea. I’ll take Panama, and you can have the oil in the Arctic. And we’ll split the rare earths of Ukraine. It’s only fair.”Either way, my fellow Americans and our friends abroad, for the next four years at least, the America you knew is over. The bedrock values, allies and truths America could always be counted upon to defend are now all in doubt — or for sale. Trump is not just thinking out of the box. He is thinking without a box, without any fidelity to truth or norms that animated America in the past.
On to my story of the day. 30% of Americans have been scammed in the last 12 months, and 62% lost money. The average citizen gets scammed of $2,647.
From the Federal Trade Commission:
Newly released Federal Trade Commission data show that consumers reported losing more than $10 billion to fraud in 2023, marking the first time that fraud losses have reached that benchmark. This marks a 14% increase over reported losses in 2022.
Well, I might have scammed this week, but maybe not. I'm still not sure. It started this way:
Through dinner discussion I learned that the monthly cost of a Star-Advertiser, the local paper, was $75 or so. That would be $900/year.- I learned that the paper changed ownership a few years ago, and automatically takes out $75/month through my bank account. But for some reason, I never see this number in any bank mailings.
- So I called the newspaper, and quit my subscription.
- According to those table discussions, when you quit, the paper tempts you to re-consider through a wide variety of measures. The longer you wait, the cost could go down to only a little more than $100/year.
- In my case, I just accepted having access to the internet version, plus delivery of the Sunday paper for $14/month, which is $168/month, not as good as $100/year, but better than $900/year.
- But that was not the scam.
- In the process of all this, I went to the newspaper site to see my account.
When I got to that site and clicked on an icon, I suddenly, I thing, triggered something, for I ended up paying $39/month through my Master Card.- Dumb of me, but I then called Master Card to cancel that order. There was no problem to do this, and I told them not to send another card, for that would mean I would then have to change a whole host of other payments, like Netflix.
- When I got back to my computer, the malware had a red spot, and the page with important passwords and the like looked like it was being taken out of my computer. Somehow through all this mess, someone had entered my computer.
- I turned off my computer, but when I turned it on again, the same thing was still happening.
- In those dinner table discussion, one lady said she suffered through a similar event, with someone gaining access to her computer to see what was on the camera. So she placed a tape over the lens, and eventually had someone kick the offender out.
- Somehow, through all this activity, something terrible seemed to be happening. Would I lose all my money?
- I could not sleep that night trying to work out a strategy with new passwords.
- The next morning I got someone from the info-tech office here to look at my computer and he saw that red dot, made a check, and determined that there might have been some incursion, but it looked harmless. He got rid of it anyway.
- I went to my main bank. They ran a check, but nothing was suspicious was occurring. Plus, they indicated that even if the offender had the password and account number, there was a step to be taken as firewall, and it would be unlikely that large funds could be stolen. That was reassuring.
- So instead of changing all my credit cards and alerting all my financial sources, I took a wait and see approach.
- It has been several days, but so far, so good.
One interesting experience also occurred the night after the one when I could not sleep. Now somewhat reassured, I slept 11 straight hours without going to the bathroom, something I don't ever remember doing in the past. I take two high blood pressure pills, essentially one every 6 hours.- I took my blood pressure when I awoke and found it extremely high: 175/100 with a pulse rate of 64 beats/minute. But this is normal.
- I went to the bathroom to pee, waited five minutes, and my blood pressure dropped to 137/78, pulse 65.
- I also took a blood pressure pill after the first reading, so the lack of taking this pill was not the cause, it was the need to pee.
- Subsequently, at ten minutes 130/70, pulse of 58, then at 15 min, 127/65, with pulse of 53 beats/minute.
- Two hours later, 140/80, pulse 63, about normal for me.
- This has nothing to do with the possible scam. Just a note that taking your blood pressure when you wake up will give significantly different readings before and after you pee.
To close, the 97th Academy Awards will be presented tomorrow night. Red Carpet at 3:30 ET, show starting at 7PM ET. Conan O'Brien will host, his first time. Performers include Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Lisa of Blackpink, Queen Latifah and Raye. Only females?
Donald Trump especially must detest transgenders, for they have, with Volodmyr Zelenskyy, taken the spotlight on his misadventures. Will the 97th go against Trump by selecting Karla Sofía Gascón to become the first transgender woman to win an Oscar?
Why is the golden statuette called Oscar? That's kind of a mystery.
- One story is that former Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, after seeing the statue for the first time, said it resembled her Uncle Oscar.
- Oscar was used in print in 1934 by a columnist in regards to Katherine Hepburn's first win for Best Actress.
- The Academy officially adopted the nickname in 1939.
- Oscar is bronze and plated with 24-karat gold.
- Weighs 8.5 pounds and stands 13.5 inches tall, at a cost of $400.
Worth, from $1 to $1.5 million, the value paid by Michael Jackson in 1999 of the Oscar for Best Picture. Gone with the Wind, given to producer Selznick in 1939.- It is a knight holding a crusader's sword, standing atop a reel of film with five spokes signifying the original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.
Other bits of news:
- Three films share the record for most Oscars with 11: Ben Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).
- Walt Disney won the most Oscars with 22. Or look at it this way (he was rejected that many times by bankers and financiers):
Katheryn Hepburn has 4, the most by an actor. She played complex, independent female characters. Daniel Day-Lewis is the only to have won 3.
- The only Oscar to win an Oscar is Oscar Hammerstein II, first for the 1942 The Last Time I Saw Paris from Lady Be Good, sung by Ann Sothern. Rotten Tomatoes audiences, though, only gave it a 45% rating. But what a cast: Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern, Robert Young, Lionel Barrymore, Red Skelton, Dan Dailey, Phil Silvers and Doris Day. 1946 for It Might As Well Be Spring, from State Fair, with Richard Rogers, their only film musical. Rotten Tomatoes 83/78. All the other awards came through Broadway shows.
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