Elisberg Industries
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like
Decent Quality Since 1847

More What's My Line?

5/31/2019

0 Comments

 
The "Mystery Guest" on this edition of What's My Line? is the wonderful actor Charles Laughton.  The guessing doesn't last all that long, but what makes the segment particular fun is that he stays there a while talking with host John Daley and the panelists.  And fun, too, is hearing him go on and on at the end about how much he loves watching the show every week.

This is the full episode, so you can jump to the appearance at the 12:30 mark.

0 Comments

One No Trump

5/31/2019

0 Comments

 
I think Trump's comments to the press yesterday were among the more bizarre I've seen from him -- which is saying a lot.  But his going on and on, insisting that he suspects the courts would not allow there to be an impeachment show an understanding of the Constitution at a level around that of a child in the fifth grade who had been set back a year.  And his saying that he found the word "impeachment" to be :"dirty, filthy and disgusting" came a surprise only because based on his standards, one would think that he believed that A Good Thing.

But his tweet earlier in the day stood out -- on so many levels.

Russia, Russia, Russia! That’s all you heard at the beginning of this Witch Hunt Hoax...And now Russia has disappeared because I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected. It was a crime that didn’t exist. So now the Dems and their partner, the Fake News Media,.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019
Disappeared???!  

Russia has...disappeared?  This is apparently Trump attempt trying to bedazzle the American public that "Russia" was nowhere to be found in the Mueller Report.  No, it has miraculously "disappeared."

Well...yeah, except for perhaps the single-most important statement that Robert Mueller made only the day before when he said -- "There were multiple systematic efforts to interfere in our election. That allegation deserves the attention of every American."

Yes, that Russia.  The Russia that Mueller and his team wrote about through their Report, detailing numerous instances of improper meetings and collusion.  And an  appendix of something like 140 names of Russian contacts..

By the way, just for clarity's sake -- "Every American" does include Trump. Unless we've gotten to the point of bitter irony and he's required to show everyone his birth certificate.  And no, being a Russian dupe is NOT an exclusion.

But if "There were multiple systematic efforts to interfere in our election": were the most important words in Robert Mueller's statement, perhaps the most important sentence in Trump's tweet was -- "I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected."

Well, of course he did, the Report enumerates those improper contacts, but more important, FINALLY Trump has admitted -- and in print -- that Russia attacked the United States during the 2016 election.  AND it means  that Trump is acknowledging that Vladimir Putin lied to him.  After all, Trump told the world that Putin said to him that Russia wasn't involved in anyway with attacking (er, sorry "meddling") in the U.S. election.  Yet there is Trump admitting, at last, that it did.

All of which raises the bottomline, critical question -- so...what will Trump and the Republicans in Congress do about Russia attacking us, which Trump has just finally acknowledged?

Alas, the answer at the moment is -- nothing, because all we heard afterwards was silence.  Crickets.  We were attacked, Trump acknowledged were attacked, and yet he and the GOP said nothing.

It wasn't until later that Trump offered something.  Paper ballots.  Yes, that'll do the trick.  That'll stop fake Russian bots, Russian trolls, Russian manipulating of political events, Russia infiltrating political organizations (like the NRA), Russian money laundering of political donations.  Paper ballots!!  O huzzah.  Paper.

Mind you, it might work, as long as Russia comes back fighting with only scissors, but if they bring rocks, we're in big trouble...

But by now you know the drill.  This is not about Trump.  We know who he is.  This is about the elected members of the Republican who enable Trump and his fascist agenda as, at best, a Russian dupe.  Or as they call it in the KGB -- a useful idiot.
0 Comments

Mueller Speaks

5/30/2019

0 Comments

 
For all the attention on Robert Mueller's comments yesterday -- and on Trump's weird, contradictory tweets in response (most notably changing his cry of "No collusion" into "insufficient evidence," which, for the record, is quite a strikingly-different thing...), what most stood out for me is one particular sentence.  It was when Mr. Mueller said, or actually,, made a point of"reiterating" that --

"There were multiple systematic efforts to interfere in our election. That allegation deserves the attention of every American."

Not only was this the core focus of his investigation -- something lost over time -- but it's a conclusion that supports all the reports from every U.S. intelligence service.  And which Trump has repeatedly denied, taking instead the word of Vladimir Putin, the despotic leader of America's major adversary.

But making it all the more weird (although of course, given that this is Trump we're talking about, it's also understandable) is that on the one hand he's tried to claim that the Special Counsel report exonerates and so he insists it's the final word on matters, "Case closed.  Thank you," as he puts it.  On the other hand, though, he completely ignores this blunt and specific finding by Mueller.  Which was the whole point of the Special Counsel's investigation.

Making this all the more important is that this isn't the finding of a crime in the past, but an ongoing activity by Russia, one that we can be absolutely certain will be ratcheted up again in even higher gear for the 2020 election.  And despite this strong statement from the intensive Mueller Report -- and let's repeat it for its importance:  "There were multiple systematic efforts to interfere in our election. That allegation deserves the attention of every American" -- we have silence from Trump.  Silence.  Crickets chirping.  Which bizarrely is almost a good thing, since he's usual comment is denial and believing Russia's side.

But, as has been the case all along, this is not about Trump.  We know who he is.  This is about the elected officials of the Republican Party.  Because they are just as silent about Robert Mueller's statement yesterday.  No fire alarms going off.  No cries of taking action.  Just more enabling of Trump and ultimately of Russia's systematic efforts to interfere in our election.  

The allegation does indeed deserve the attention of every American.  It sadly raises the question of how concerned today's Republican Party is with that concept.

0 Comments

Very Good Omens

5/29/2019

0 Comments

 
Maybe 30 years ago or so, I was covering the American Booksellers Association convention.  Among the treats of the crowded zoo were the Uncorrected Publishers Editions of books that they gave away.  I picked up a few.  One was a gem, of the Secret Diary of Adrian Mole series by Sue Townsend.  I’d never heard of them, and it was SO funny and insightful I ended up reading several others – the tales of an awkward, shy British kid who has dreams of being the poet laureate of the BBC.
 
Another than intrigued me as a fantasy novel, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.  It looked interesting.  Both men were successful novelists on their own.  Neil Gaiman wrote the books that the animated film Coraline and Starz series American Gods were based on, and also the TV series Lucifer is based on his characters.  Terry Pratchett wrote the novel Going Postal – the 33rd book in his Discworld series -- that was the basis of the 2-part British mini-series – one of the most wildly-imaginative and fun TV films I’ve ever seen.  (You can find it here on Netflix here.)  But that Uncorrected Publishers Edition of Good Omens sat on my To Read shelf for around 20 years!  (Hey, at least I kept it...)
 
About 10 years ago I finally had enough of procrastination and got around to reading Good Omens, and it was well-worth the wait, and I should have read it years earlier.  It’s a very funny story, clever, pointed, rich and often hilarious.  It tells the story of the birth of the Antichrist getting screwed up in the hospital, with the child being raised unknowingly by a nice, middle-class British couple, and 11 years later with Armageddon on the horizon, as demon, angel and counter-culture, occultist witch team up to stave it off.
 
And now, after many years of trying (Terry Gilliam wanted to make a film of it) and Neil Gaiman turning down offers after Terry Pratchett passed away, a six-part mini-series has been made of the book for Amazon Prime, premiering this Friday.
 
I have no idea how good it will be but – a) the book was wonderful, b) it’s getting good reviews, c) it’s a tough story to pull off, and d) boy, howdy does it ever have a great cast.
 
The wistful, flighty angel is played by Michael Sheen, with the demon who wants to save Earth because he's having too good a time is played by David Tennant, one of the more popular actors to be 'Dr. Who.'

That's a really terrific start.  But the supporting cast also includes -- Benedict Cumberbatch as Satan, Frances McDormand as God, Brian Cox as Death, and Jon Hamm as a somewhat dim Archangel Gabriel, along with Derek Jacobi, Michael McKean, Nick Offerman, Miranda Richardson, and Jack Whitehall (a British comedian/actor I like very much, playing Newton Pulsifer, a sort of bewildered private witchfinder).

Great cast.  Wonderful novel.  And here's hoping a joyous series.

Here's the official trailer, followed immediately by the subsequent trailer that was put out, to make -- as it notes below -- a longer, extended trailer.  (Two comments: the trailer makes it look like the young Antichrist is leading the way to Armageddon, though in fact -- because of how he was raised as a good kid in a middle-class British household -- he really has never had a clue who he is, although as the End of Times nears, some changes take place.  And also, though there is definitely some humor and whimsy in the trailer, they focus more on the coming destruction.  Though it's possible that's also the focus of the series, with humor in the background, since it has to compress the novel, my sense is that it's more a case of making the trailer as devilishly dramatic as as they can, and the series, while still most-definitely a drama about the end of the world, will have as much fun as the book.

​
0 Comments

Karma Kamalian

5/29/2019

0 Comments

 
Not shockingly, I've been discussing the Democratic candidates with a friend for the past couple months.  And as I wrote here a few weeks back, I feel (based on quite a few very specific reasons, not just a sense of whimsy) that most of these candidates could beat Trump in the general election -- assuming that conditions stay reasonably close to what they are now, and Democrats take absolutely nothing for granted but continue working as aggressively as they have for issue-oriented rallies and marches to get out the vote.

One of the candidates we've talked quite a bit about is California Senator Kamala Harris, because my friend is a big fan.  To be clear, I like her, too.  I thought she was an excellent Attorney General here, and has been a very good senator.  My concern has been that I've found her very no-nonsense, all business -- which is an incredibly important and highly-praised thing, though I haven't been sure how it would come across in a presidential election, where I think people make "relatabilty" ("Would I like to have a beer with him or her?") more important than in other elections, in part because a large part of the job is to inspire the nation from the Bully Pulpit.  (I also would personally like any presidential candidate to have more representational elective experience, but as we've seen with Trump that clearly doesn't appear important to most voters at this point.  Though we've also seen the result of that.  But also, she has been an elected official for a long while, even if not represented a district.)

Last night, she had an hour-long Town Hall on MSNBC, hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell.  And I was bowled over by how good she was.  She was as whip-smart as I knew she was, and had a command of facts that was impressive.  But what was most-different for me was how she dealt with the public -- warmly and directly.  When people asked questions, she not only thanked them all, but explained in detail why she appreciated them but also why their question was important.  When a young woman explained that it would be her 18th birthday the next day and wanted to know what Harris would say to her friends about why voting was important, she not only gave an interesting, good answer -- but when she was done wished the girl a happy birthday.  It's a very small matter, but it shows she was listening, remembered, and that she didn't think it was all about her.  And most important, I think voters notice that.  And she did things like that to everyone.  I don't mean most of the people asking questions, I mean "everyone" who asked a question.

One thing was clear to me throughout the evening.  On the one hand, I have no idea how a Harris campaign would go against Trump, if she was the nominee, There are so many variables to that.  But -- I feel very confident in saying that in the debates she would wipe the floor with him.  She is no nonsense.  She has all her facts down meticulous, though doesn't present them as lists but presents them in context.. She recognizes the people she is talking to and relates her responses to what they asked.  And as we have seen from her questioning important people in Judiciary Committee hearings, she is not awed or flustered by anyone.  She does not back down, and I sense that if Trump kept interrupting her, or stalked her from behind, she'd cut him to his knees.  She's a professional prosecutor at a very high level.  And if someone tries to flim-flam her, she is trained to know and and shut them down to make her case.

All that said, I still don't know who my favorite candidate is.  I like many of them.  Some, a lot.  And all those I like I think can beat Trump solidly.  With the caveats noted above.  Nothing is taken for granted.  And as good as Kamala Harris came across yesterday, I don't want it to come across like I think she's a Perfect Candidate.  But then, I don't think anyone's a Perfect Candidate.  And importantly, I don't expect any candidate to be perfect, nor any person.  I loved Barack Obama, but I still disagreed with many of his positions. So, I don't have a favorite yet.  Which is A Good Thing, liking so many of the people running.

What I do think, though (which is largely the point of writing all this here) is that unless another woman gets the Democratic nomination, my feeling is that Kamala Harris will be on the ticket -- either as the nominee or, if she wants it, the Vice Presidential running mate.  And I think she'd want it.

​Who knows?  We're still a very loooong way off.  But I think Kamala Harris did herself a great deal of good last night.
0 Comments

Another New Rainbow

5/28/2019

0 Comments

 
Randy Rainbow has a new song parody that was released today.  I don't find the lyrics as much at the level of some of his best -- for the record, it's based on the song "Breathin'" from Ariana Grande -- but mostly I like the production.
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture
    Picture
    Elisberg Industries gets a commission if you click here before shopping on Amazon.
    Picture
    Follow @relisberg

    Author

    Robert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 

    Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, is a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and was for
    the Huffington Post.  Among his other writing, he has a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel.  As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.

    Picture
           Available on Amazon

    Picture
           Available on Amazon

    Picture
           Feedspot Badge of Honor

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Audio
    Audio Land
    Books
    Business
    Chicago
    Consumer Product
    Education
    Email Interview
    Entertainment
    Environment
    Fine Art
    Food
    From The Management
    Health
    History
    Huffery
    Humor
    International
    Internet
    Journalism
    Law
    Los Angeles
    Media
    Morning News Round Up
    Movies
    Music
    Musical
    Personal
    Photograph
    Piano Puzzler
    Politics
    Popular Culture
    Profiles
    Quote Of The Day
    Radio
    Religion
    Restaurants
    Science
    Sports
    Technology
    Tech Tip
    Theater
    The Writers Workbench
    Tidbits
    Travel
    Tv
    Twitter
    Video
    Videology
    Well Worth Reading
    Words-o-wisdom
    Writing

    RSS Feed

© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2025
Contact Us    About EI    Chicago Cubs
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like