Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 122

Mardi Gras With Satchmo and Fess

Complete with his explanation of his belated election as King of the Zulus.  Then Fess with the song that kicks off the proceedings every year.

Crimean Conflict: Then and Now

With Crimea and troops on ground much in the news I am reminded of the 2007 three-part series by Errol Morris at the NYT on the debate over a famous early war photo there related to the famous "Charge of the Light Brigade." Was it staged?   Found it fascinating (as something of a photog myself).   Still posted here.

CodePink Leader Exits Egypt--After Abuse in Jail

We RTed shocking tweets from CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin yesterday, related to being seized in Egypt, thrown in jail, and allegedly suffering abuse, leading to a broken arm or shoulder injury.   She even managed to tweet a photo of her jail quarters. (See @MedeaBenjamin) Now comes word that the U.S. consul also saw the tweets and intervened.  She has now been deported--to Turkey.  CBS confirms the story in this dispatch.  

Benjamin said she was detained upon arrival in Cairo, where she was meant to join a delegation and then travel to the Palestinian territory of Gaza for a women's conference.

Benjamin tweeted earlier that the jail cell was cold, the food given to her consisted of "dirty stale bread and dirty water," and that the guards refused to allow another woman in the cell to see a doctor despite the fact that she was ill and "moaning all night."

More in my update at The Nation.

New Study on Military Suicides Raises Questions

As some may know, I was among the first--a decade ago--to focus on the rising rate of suicides among U.S. soldiers deployed to our war zones and after they return home (see my book So Wrong for So Long).   The military has taken various steps, with mixed success, to tackle the problem, which remains severe even with fewer troops under fire.  Now a major study provides some clues on why the rate rose and the makeup of the suicidal soldiers.  Too much to summarize but read this NYT report.  One issue: An alarmingly high percentage of enlistees enter the service showing a tendency to "impulsive" violent behavior--which not only leads to successful suicides but also raises other questions. 

“The people at highest risk of making an attempt struggled with depression and anxiety, or post-traumatic stress, in combination with impulsiveness and aggression,” Dr. Nock said. “The former gets people thinking about suicide, and the latter gets them to act on those thoughts.”

The new findings present the military with a challenging question: How do you identify people vulnerable to suicide without driving them underground? More intensive scrutiny typically leads would-be recruits to hide mental struggles. Some experts suggested that the services could screen people after enlistment, to identify those who might be offered additional support.

Going to Townes

So what a shock when I caught up with last night's "True Detective" next-to-last episode to find two of my faves on the soundtrack (and I wonder how many other might have recognized these cult songs).  First, a bit of Linda Thompson singing Richard's "Did She Jump or Was She Pushed."  Then, at the close, and over the credits, one of my main men, Townes Van Zandt with one of his (many) truly great tunes, "Lungs."  Here they are (also check out Lyle Lovett's version of "Lungs").

The Good Daughter

You could read any number of tomes on elder law or geriatric psychiatry and not come near the insight--and certainly not the heartbreaking hilarity--of longtime New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast's poignant graphic memoir about caring for her elderly parents, "Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?" I especially appreciate her account of the all-important end-of-life-issues talk she tries to have with her parents--you know, the one that financial gurus love to give tips about. (See this AARP site, which helpfully notes, after listing such questions to bring up with your parents as "Should you think about living somewhere else?" Finances can be a sensitive topic; you may want to be less direct with your questions.) 
And if you tend to have trouble getting rid of clutter, Chast's account of looking at her own stuff "postmortemistically" is just the jump start you need. --Barbara Bedway

Kim Novak, Not

During and since last night's Oscar broadcast much has been posted about Kim Novak's startling appearance.  One must feel sympathy.  And then there were all the younger female, and male, actors who also showcased much "work."  (Let's all mispronounce "Travolta" now.) Well, as the often say, "it's all about the work."

But some have said that Kim and other women had "no choice." So I give you one of the most--if not most--beautiful women in the history of Hollywood, Eva Marie Saint.

No, she wouldn't make most lists, but then some of us prefer casual rather than over-the-top beauty. And nothing tops Eva in "On the Waterfront," and then in a more sleek role in "North By Northwest."   Still quite alive (she recently did a cameo in a movie), she appeared on CBS two days ago and talked about how she never "went Hollywood" and never (she says) got any work done.  And still gorgeous.

How Derp Is Your Name?

Slate where you can Travolta-ize your name.  Or maybe this is just your Scientology password.   Mine came out as Greig Mitcheem--not too different.   Barack Obama="Brandan Hazmaton."  Bob Dylan works out as "Brooke Dizzon."  Brandon Cumberbatch: "Brandon-Lee Cunningwham."  Quentin Tarantino="Justin Tayzlor."  L. Ron Hubbard comes out as Roan Herward.  Beck works out as "Bruce." (Discuss.)

'Omar' and Oscar

Not to be an Oscar grouch, but I was pulling for "Omar" (which I saw just yesterday) for the win in the Best Foreign Film category.  Still it was great to hear that it hailed from "Palestine."

Resnais and 'Hiroshima'

The great French director has died and you knew, of course, that I would focus on one of his classic films, Hiroshima, Mon Amour.  Few may know that thanks to the U.S. suppression of filmed images from the atomic cities after the war--see my Atomic Cover-up book--most Americans had not seen any footage of Japanese victims.  Resnais somehow obtained a few minutes of buried footage and inserted a bit of it in his film.  Not much, and not many Americans saw in the 1950s, but at least something.  Here's the trailer: