Even as we wait to see if Donald Trump will face additional federal and state charges, an unsettling quote appeared in an article dealing with the trial of a defendant associated with The Donald’s presidential initiative to build a border wall. There in black and white was the cringeworthy nightmare special counsel Jack Smith, along with his legal team and all who seek convictions of Donald Trump in any litigation, must fear.
“Eleven jurors told Judge Torres that the 12th had refused to deliberate, called them ‘liberals’ and referred to the trial as ‘a government witch hunt’” (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/nyregion/shea-trump-border-wall-fraud-sentencing.html?smid=url-share).
That quote alluded to the first trial of Timothy Shea that ended in a mistrial. A second trial convicted him of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to launder money and falsifying records.
To achieve a conviction for the federal offenses lodged or to be lodged against Trump, a unanimous verdict is required. If any one of the dozen of Trump’s “peers” shares his belief in a government witch hunt, no amount of evidence will produce a guilty verdict.
Oy!
Oy Gevalt: How is it that organizers of the 1st Annual Borscht Belt Fest celebrating Jewish comedy, cuisine and culture in the Catskills chose July 29–a shabbat!!!—for their festival?
True, many patrons of Catskill hotels during their heyday of the 1940s-1970s were less than religiously observant. Still, it is more than slightly chutzpadik to hold the festival on a Saturday, the Jewish sabbath.
Do you think they did that so attendees wouldn’t have to contend with the Sunday traffic back to the city, as our parents and grandparents did?
“Dirty Dancing” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” are trigger points for reconstructing the Catskill experience. For my money, however, three other films provide more fulfilling depictions of summer life “in the mountains:” “Sweet Lorraine,” “Taking Woodstock,” and “A Walk on the Moon.”
A Little Crowing: The other day I lamented the fact that other media, especially The New York Times, often beat me into print despite my having the same news hook a day or days before.
Well, here’s a little celebratory crowing—The Times ran a story last week about birds building nests with the very metal spikes property owners lay down to discourage their presence (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/13/science/magpies-birds-nests.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare).
Readers of my blog back on March 26, however, would have already been apprised of metal spike inefficiency in warding off bird nests (https://nosocksneededanymore.blogspot.com/2023/03/battling-for-patio-supremacy.html).
Is there a universal bird language? How is it that within minutes of my putting out fresh food birds descend on the feeder? Not just sparrows, but cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers, morning doves, and chickadees?
These aren’t birds of a feather that flock together. So why do they congregate en masse within minutes of the first bird finding today’s meal? Perhaps they have a secret method of communication. Here’s a playlist of bird calls from The Times: (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/21/science/bird-calls-songs-quiz.html?smid=url-share).
Twitter-less: Shortly after Elon Musk bought Twitter I stopped posting on the medium. Not that my presence on Twitter made the site must reading. Nor did it do anything for my blog’s readership.
I simply registered my personal disagreement with Musk’s policies. I am even more convinced my action was correct with his latest decree to strike the blue bird insignia in favor an “X.” Here’s an analysis of why an X has been incorporated into various brands: (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/style/gen-x-elon-musk-new-logo.html?smid=url-share).
