Tweet on Joseph Heller

Joseph Heller’s great novel Catch-22 was published in 1961 I strongly recommend his second novel Something Happened which was published in 1974. It’s really admirable that Heller wrote something completely different than Catch-22. It’s really underrated. It lulls you to sleep over many pages where not much happens and then it blindsides you. On the other hand, I would not recommend his third novel Good as Gold from 1979. It’s satirical but I wasn’t amused when I read it. Maybe 40 years later, I might like it better.

My new piece recounts my exclusive and fun 1972 interview with Joseph Heller, who was and was not Yossarian. Good commentary on Vietnam and a lot of what I called "Kvetch-22." https://t.co/L25Ml6mbrs pic.twitter.com/xClUMUzIQd
— Greg Mitchell (@GregMitch) May 4, 2023

Covers: Sunshine of Your Love

This tweet reminded me of Cream’s 1967 hit “Sunshine of Your Love”.

Listen to Frank Zappa’s bizarre cover of Cream song ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ https://t.co/N4KZDtPJ3d
— Far Out Magazine (@FarOutMag) May 5, 2023

Covers: The Bottle Let Me Down

I thought of “The Bottle Let Me Down” because of this tweet.

Here's Dwight and @PostMalone’s rendition of Merle Haggard's "The Bottle Let Me Down”. Catch Dwight and Post Malone on Greater Bakersfield again! Tune into Dwight Yoakam & The Bakersfield Beat on @SiriusXM radio (ch. 349) tonight at 8pm PT.

– D Team

📸: Emily Joyce Photography pic.twitter.com/Ouuchm8swW
— Dwight Yoakam (@DwightYoakam) May 3, 2023

Ozu’s Tokyo Twilight

Tokyo Twilight stands out among the Ozu films I have seen. It’s got much more drama and action.

It’s buried in a Criterion DVD set. I wish it got its own release on Blu-ray.

4/30/57: Yasujiro Ozu masterpiece Tokyo Twilight, w/Setsuko Hara, Ineko Arima, Chishû Ryû
A harder edge for Ozu – essential viewing
More:
–@SensesofCinema: https://t.co/xxejiBKRKR
–@Jeremyrcarr/@FilmInt: https://t.co/pNMawCxqRL
–@dzwitkin/@reverse_shot: https://t.co/4CS6hvrkbU pic.twitter.com/XWaXVhyS3M
— MidCenturyCinema (@MidCenturyCinem) April 30, 2023

It’s great that they’re showing so many of her Ozu films. I recommend Tokyo Twilight which is never talked about as one of Ozu’s best – I think it’s excellent. https://t.co/NI5yLL6NcS
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) July 28, 2021

Tokyo Twilight @FilmForumNYC Ozu is a master ironist whose image repertoire is closer to Nicholas Ray's in its impulsive ardor than to Bresson or Dreyer's in ecstatic restraint, whose poised performances mask bitter critiques of narrow norms & traditions: https://t.co/ag0SbA8H1V
— Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow) November 8, 2019

In the thick of the industrial hums and billowing smokestacks, Yasujiro Ozu’s TOKYO TWILIGHT is one of his unequivocal masterpieces, a devastating postwar drama illuminated against the fading light of day. Screening in a rare 35mm presentation on 2/17: https://t.co/AZ7SMAX4Ah pic.twitter.com/VSSJO1sK4R
— Japan Society Film (@js_film_nyc) January 29, 2024

Covers: George Jackson (Bob Dylan song)

“George Jackson” was a 1971 song by Bob Dylan about the Black Panther leader and author who was killed by prison guards. Dylan recorded two versions known as “acoustic’ and “big band”.

Bob Dylan – "George Jackson"https://t.co/8grwctFumT

A tribute to the Black Panthers leader, who was shot and killed at San Quentin prison shortly before the song's release during the summer of 1971.@daviddunning81 @MrMutantes pic.twitter.com/5ysWi9EBmY
— Oliver Hawthorn (@AVFCOliver) November 24, 2021

Bob Dylan – George Jackson 😎https://t.co/FlFbbJ9BFc
— Vincent 🟧 (@Planetwaves20) October 17, 2020

Republicans are bringing back child labor

They don’t want immigrants, even legal ones. They prefer rolling back history and putting children to work.

Disgraceful.

Some Republican lawmakers are trying to relax child labor regulations, which are rooted in the public outcry over Lewis Hine’s photographs. https://t.co/mYBbXrb6WO
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 1, 2023

New legislation introduced Monday in Wisconsin would allow children as young as 14 to serve alcohol to restaurant patrons, the latest in a string of state legislatures’ proposals to roll back regulations around work activities for minors. https://t.co/n7Z4IRgaml
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 2, 2023

A secretive group backed by right-wing billionaires is behind the horrifying GOP push to roll back child-labor laws in several states recently.

Their aim is to reduce govt accountability and oversight and let children do dangerous jobs.#UnionsForAll https://t.co/uB2pdY459I
— Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) April 26, 2023

The Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based think tank and lobbying group, drafted state legislation to strip child workplace protections, emails show. https://t.co/NVSUSTkNoJ
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 24, 2023

Tweets on terrible unpopular Republican book bans

Reminder that in the overwhelming majority of book ban cases, it's 1 person or a few ppl who get scores of books pulled. This has been the case across FL but also in TX, LA, and other states. The majority of ppl don't want book bans. They're being ignored. https://t.co/2r5xcUOaK8
— Jonathan Friedman 📚 (@jonfreadom) April 30, 2023

"Three quarters of parents of public school children (74%) express a high degree of confidence in school librarians to make good decisions about which books to make available" https://t.co/MlhDsWW65a
— Jayne Miller (@jemillerbalt) April 29, 2023

Book banning comes to Indiana public library. A new review of all books to cost $300K, and has left teen shelves empty of books, incl Manga, Avengers graphic novels, Captain America comics, books about puberty and 'Forever' by Judy Blume. #FreeTheBooks https://t.co/aZWii28Rio
— Jonathan Friedman 📚 (@jonfreadom) April 29, 2023

Nora Roberts… BANNED… @DanielleSteel… BANNED… @jodipicoult… BANNED… @JP_Books… BANNED…

"This is just Florida right now. School districts putting the whims of book banners ahead of students' rights" @jonfreadom 🧵 https://t.co/KdeO10uOHj
— PEN America (@PENamerica) April 28, 2023

The library board did not advertise its vote beforehand. https://t.co/PQIwPlCQFB
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 23, 2023

Two years into a surge of book bans across the U.S., Florida is now a hot spot in the clash over what reading material is appropriate for children, with laws that have greatly expanded the state’s ability to restrict books. https://t.co/pCOhxZ6X5R
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 22, 2023

What’s happening isn’t exactly subtle: “Forbidden books are largely by and about people of color & LGBTQ individuals, PEN found. Of the 1,477 books removed this school year, 30% are about race, racism or include characters of color, and 26% have LGBTQ characters or themes” https://t.co/BdigFTb8EO
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) April 22, 2023

“This is much bigger than you can really count.”
Book bans are rising at a rapid pace in school districts around the U.S., driven by new laws and regulations that limit what kinds of books children can access, PEN America, a free speech organization, found.https://t.co/GUNLYbVC0T
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 20, 2023

The CBS poll shows how extreme Republicans are

This is even worse than I could have imagined.

Findings from a new CBS poll: "To the extent the Republican primary is a contest at all right now, it looks like it's one between Donald Trump and a sentiment one might call 'Trump fatigue.' And Trump is winning that matchup easily." https://t.co/TS4kvWYy0s
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 2, 2023

Trump looks like a former president who left office popular with his party.

Top reasons GOP primary voters are backing him: his performance as president & he fights for people them.

There are two-thirds who say one reason is to show support during his legal fights. pic.twitter.com/YPdkODQhtD
— CBS News Poll (@CBSNewsPoll) May 1, 2023

https://t.co/YtpTkRDrlY pic.twitter.com/BJ1OYVVVf1
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) May 2, 2023

More Republicans (24%) prefer a candidate who supports the people who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 than one who criticizes them (15%).

6 in 10 prefer one who doesn't comment on Jan. 6.https://t.co/00UDigwJUa pic.twitter.com/Y8rWR4LfiM
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) May 2, 2023

Interesting (if depressing) results in new CBS poll.

Q 10: In the 2024 R presidential primaries, would you prefer to vote for a candidate who

…says Trump won the 2020 election? 61% yes, 39% no.

…supports U.S. aid to Ukraine? 42% yes, 58% no. https://t.co/JY7yFCWrGs
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 2, 2023