10/3/24

 Thursday, October 3, 2024

1990 Reunification of East and West Germany. West German flag was raised above the Brandenburg Gate at the stroke of midnight.

1992 Irish pop singer Sinéad O'Connor ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II on "Saturday Night Live"

2008 The $700 billion bailout bill for the US financial system was signed by President George W. Bush

2021 Pandora Papers investigation revealed the secret wealth of 30 current and former world leaders including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Czech PM Andrej Babis, and former UK PM Tony Blair

In bed at 9:40 after watching Lawrence O'Donnell, Lawrence Tribe, and Andrew Weissman about Jack Smith's brief in the September 6th case, awake around 4:50 thinking of Ed Felsenthal and his desire for EGFIV. Up at 5, with Lilly so sound asleep in the TV room that I checked her breathing to see whether she was still with us but she woke up in short order to be let out.   

Prednisone, day 142, 7.5 mg., day 21/28.  Prednisone at 5:50, w/ Dave's Bread & strawberry preserves.  Morning meds at 8:05.

Jack Smith's brief to Judge Chutkan apparently contains no major new revelations according to the morning papers.  Geri started reading it last night before falling asleep.  I may take a look at it this morning to get a sense of Smith's argument about the nonpreclusive effect of the Supreme Court's immunity ruling.    I'm sick of Donald Trump residing in my brain, going on 10 years now.  Enough already.  Better I should do something like -

PAINTING!  It looks like the major project of getting the canvas properly stretched on my 54" X 32" stretchers has worked out fine: no scallops, good tension in the canvas.  I have started on the knock-off of the Modigliani or von Dongen, working first on the background.  I can't get the color right, or the glazing effect I was hoping for.  I wish there was a place I could get instructions and advice from an instructor or instructors who know how to do this stuff.  I fly blind, and it shows.  Fortunately, I set quite a low standard for myself.  If I didn't, I would have given up on drawing and painting years ago, indeed when I first started the hobby.

I spent much of the afternoon messing around with the painting, mixing colors, washing brushes, etc.  I took a break and watched an interview by two Brits of Anne Appelbaum on YouTube.  The subject was autocracy, the subject of her latest book.  She was asked how she thinks the war in Ukraine will end and she replied that it will end when Putin or the Russians decide that winning Ukraine just isn't worth the cost, much as the French did with Algeria and the U.S. did with Vietnam and Afghanistan.  I hope she is right but it seems more likely to me that it will end with at least a partial but significant Russian victory in which they acquire and keep all of Donbas and Crimea and with Ukraine's admission to the EU and NATO put on hold indefinitiely or perhaps for good.  Who knows?  Much depends on who wins on November 5.

I'm writing this to fill up the page.  I'm not inclined to do much thinking or writing today, just painting.

Anniversaries.  Germany's reunification reminds me of the Union's victory over the Confederacy and Israel's victory in the Six Day War.  I wonder whether the victors would have been better off without what the victories brought them.  Sinead O'Connor was right but she paid a heavy price for her act.  "W"'s bank bailout, supported largely by Obama, contributed significantly to the growth of the populist movement, the creation of the Tea Party, and ultimately to Trump.  How many secret treasures are found in off-shore accounts?