In rememberance of the 80th Anniversary of the Battle for Iwo Jima I would like to recommend the movie Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) — The Movie Database (TMDB).
Today’s weather has been yucky. We gone from rain,to freezing rain, to now snow. Sidewalks and roads are slippery.
Ordered the Power Beat Pro yesterday and they arrived today. First thought was wow the case is huge. I brought them because I needed earbuds that would stay in my ears, so far so good
I purchased two album Super bloom and Los Angeles Rising on Bandcamp to support their campaign to aid in the California Wildfire Relief. 🎶
A Review of The Alice Network a Book by Kate Quinn
Two years after World War II, Charlie St. Clair goes in search of her cousin, who went missing at the end of the war. The only clues she has are the name Eve Gardiner and her address. Eve is a drunken old recluse who has no time for this young American until Charlie mentions a name from Eve’s past. Soon they and their driver, Finn, are off to search for Charlie’s cousin and the person from Eve’s past. I know that some people found the book slow in some places, especially Charlie’s story. I listened to the book on Libro.fm and didn’t run into this issue. I enjoyed The Alice Network and would give it a 4 out of 5 rating.
I see that some people are upset that Beyonce won the Album of the Year for her album Cowboy Carter and are asking if it was a political decision. News Flash Folks, the Grammy’s have always been part politics and part talent.
Fighting Back
I have a monthly coffee subscription at Driftaway Coffee. This month I got a dark coffee from Uganda called the MT Elgon Blend. It is very smooth with tasting notes of dark chocolate and spices. I really like it with some milk. Driftaway is located in Brooklyn, NY, and is a BIPOC women-owned company. They work with small-holder farmers from around the world. One of my goals for 2025 and beyond is to buy more from small businesses, especially those who are owned by a member of a marginalized group. It is my small way of fighting back against the current political climate.
I joined the Remember Wall. I wish that by remembering we would not repeat it, but sadly that is not the case. Since 1945 there have been at least seven more genocides.
##Today I listened to
Woodland with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Great Album for an easy afternoon.
I will be reminding myself over the next couple of days that an executive order is not a magic wand. Just because President Trump signs an executive order doesn’t mean its the law.
Yesterday my wifi had been disconnected and I spent most of the day trying to get it reconnected . Although it was stressful it did allow me to do something I haven’t done in a long time. I read a whole book in one day. This is something I use to do often, but haven’t done in years.
Zuckerberg Is a Weak Man
This week’s decision to endMeta partnerships with professional fact-checkers and to do a community-based moderation system similar to X, reconfirmed my contention that Mark Zuckerberg is a weak man without an original idea. He is a copier . Don’t get me wrong, he is a brilliant copier and businessman, but a copier nonetheless. Before this, none of his copying did anyone any real personal harm. However, I fear that this time someone will be harmed; in fact, I can almost guarantee it. This will lead to the inevitable apology and promise to do better.
Enjoyed Laura in the Criterion Channel
Dear pickup and large SUV drivers, unless you are towing a boat, you do not need to be next to or over the middle of the road to make a left-hand turn.
An Album a Week
One of the things I want to do this year is to listen to at least one album a week. Not a playlist, but an actual album. Of course, I can listen to more than one album, but that is my minimum. This morning was listening to episode 526 of the Rest is History podcast: Mozart: History’s Greatest Prodigy Live at Royal Albert Hall, which got me in the mood to listen some Mozart. I chose Mozart Symphonies Nos 40 &41-Jupiter with the London Sumphony Orchestra- Claudio Abbado I have to admit when I listen to classical music I enjoy it, but it is not the first genre that comes to mind when I want to listen to some music. So although I did enjoy this album, I don’t think I will add it to my library.
Worst Hard Time- A Review
The Worst Hard Time- A Book Review The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan published in 2021 is about the settlement and abuse of the High Plains and those who remained there during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. My favorite person was Dan Hartwell and his diary. It made everything more personal and real. The images draw in my head around the description of Black Sunday will not soon be forgotten. In the end this is a story about man’s hubris, but it’s also about hope and courage. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interest in 20th century U.S. history and especially the Great Depression.