Short work today with a gargantuan addition, so don’t come weeping to me about inadequate web-stocking, friends. I do my part. The NRA Eagle should be at the bottom of every page.
I first saw the Eagle, by the way, in a reproduction of Liberty magazine, something they resurrected in the early 70s during the Nostalgia craze for the Depression. Because the Depression was A) vaguely analogous to contemporary times except NOT REALLY, and B) enough people had paid money to see “Paper Moon” and “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They” and so on. Ergo, people wanted 30s stuff. (Having seen the movie “They Shoot Horses,” I can tell you that the question is not answered in the film, thereby forcing curious people to research the matter elsewhere. The answer is “sometimes; depends.” It’s one of those movie titles that changes meaning depending on the stress:
THEY shoot horses, don’t they? A reference to the shadowy, remote horse-shooting authorities
They SHOOT horses, don’t they? Dire consequences befall the horse class
They shoot HORSES, don’t they? Worries that economic dislocation has pushed one into the horse class
They shoot horses, DON’T they? Sarcastic rejoinder to those who seem to believe the horse class is except from a bad end
They shoot horses, don’t THEY? Specific reference, with an accompanying head-nod, to the horse-shooters over there
It’s not a happy movie, however you stress it. Anyway: I remember seeing that NRA Eagle, and thinking how cool it looked, and how nifty! it must have been to have such iconography (to use the precise word my 13-year-old brain employed) to rally the nation. I know different now. Beware the nation-wide application of symbolic icons.
I still think that the clip below is . . . remarkable. If you think that the intersection of Hollywood and politics is relatively new, you really need to see this.
Bonus: the second man in the audience is Moe Howard.
Some notes:
There is no limit to the things they wish to regulate. Give them an inch, and they’ll not only nationalize a mile but turn it into a toll road. It seems as the entire history of Western governance consists of bloody, brave attempts to secure liberty - and then, once it is in hand, reduce it, whenever and wherever you can get away with it. You may have noted that New York is now thinking hey, what about milkshakes? They’re too big. Well:
Left Party members of a Swedish county council said they want to encourage men using the council's toilets to sit during urination.
The Left Party in Sormland said it wants the Sormland County Council to pass a motion requiring toilets reserved for stand-up urination to be labeled, Swedish news agency TT reported Monday.
The party said sit-down urination is more hygienic and reduces the risk of bathroom users having to negotiate their way around puddles en route to the toilet.
The supporters of the motion said sitting during urination also has medical benefits, including reducing the risk of prostate problems and leading to a healthier and longer sex life.
Viggo Hansen, a substitute member of the council and author of the motion, said he wants it to eventually lead to sitting-only bathrooms.
Of course he does. This is one situation where you don’t want to think about “slippery slopes,” but you must.
Lost the link, but saw a piece in the Daily Mail about awkward 80s family photos - as opposed to the genre of AFP in general, the site from which the shot was lifted - had a shot that made me smile:
In the 80s, simple geometric shapes were so modern. So cool. The future would be geometric shapes on a grid! Why? Because that's what computers could make now. . Reminded me instantly of this:
It’s like a staff photo for the Objects of the Future! I have that album, and spent many summer nights in my apartment writing to it; it's high 80s, Miami-Vice-ready synth / New Age. You can hear the title track here.
Finally, here’s a guy who’s about to be strangled with a towel, accidentally.
What does this have to do with anything? Well, you’ll find out, if you click here and start this week’s batch of Motel Postcards. No one else in the world seems to have screencapped the pertinent piece of Space-Age Motel Design, so (sigh) once again it’s up to me. (heavy sigh encouraging demonstrations of sympathy). It’s a reminder that as late as the late 80s, the trappings of the Space-Age design were still around - and just as their popularity swelled and uniqueness brought wider appreciation, they began to be mowed down for progress. And for 20 years, nothing that came along would be as cool, or describe their era so well.
This was the 60s I prefer. “Fly Me to the Moon” didn’t have a four-minute drum solo heard by people shivering in the mud on a field somewhere. Enjoy! Just ignore the strangulation part.
