One afternoon in Memphis, Tennessee, Rev.Martin Luther King was shot and killed. And that night the Black citizens of many cities went mad, went wild and there were riots in a lot of places, including Washington, DC where I lived at the time. I lived in a great neighborhood but I finally decided that it would really be a better idea to go stay with my half-sister up where the rich honkeys lived. So I packed up my toddler, my neighbor and the cats and took off. For the rest of the 'excitement' I could only watch TV like most other people.

That afternoon, James Brown was in Florida, I think, at any rate, in a place quite a distance from Washington. Although the airport closed before dark somehow James Brown was in the city before midnight and began broadcasting live from the studio of one of the local TV stations. I don't remember how long he stayed on the air talking and singing but it was many hours. I notice in his obituaries that he is credited for shortcutting a riot earlier that day in Augusta, GA. DC calmed down significantly before daylight.

I suspect that the power structure in DC, had anyone asked them, woldn't have had much confidence in James stopping a riot as he didn't have a very peaceful reputation with the white folks. Obviously, James didn't think the death of King was the time to go tear things up and I've always felt that he did do a lot to reduce the length and severity of the riots that night.

More then that though, he gave us Whites sitting at home worrying that not all Black people were down there tearing up the city. I think because he didn't have a squeeky-clean good boy image, his actions and more important his visibility that night did more for race relations and integration then many hours of diversity training has ever done!

Goodnight Sweet James Brown.

Most of us were raised in the 20th century and it's really hard for us to understand the state of panic Darwin's writing causes literal-minded Christians. One way to achieve some understanding is to go back to the second half of the 19th century when all Christians believed literally that their God specifically created man in a completely separate event from his creating everything else.

It was very important at least in the English speaking world to believe that humans (particularly white, English humans) were superior to the animals and so on -- and basing on this the belief that they as white, English (American) and Christian were appointed to take care of the rest of the world (and incidentally make a good profit from it.)

Anyway, the idea of evolution appeared to completely deny that "God" existed. It's certainly not a logical conclusion but one can understand how people would make that assumption. Darwin threatened to destroy their entire worldview as well as their self-image. If they were simply animals then God didn't consider them special. Worse in some ways, most people did (and still do) believe that morality can only be imposed from above and without some threat, humans wouldn't try to behave well.

Few people could see any bearable sort of world between religion and savagry. Remember that then (and now) many people know nothing of other societies and what they did know was from sources that deliberately exaggerated the savagery of life outside Europe and N. America (and they weren't sure about NA.) It threatened the end of 'life as they knew it'. That's pretty scary. And frightened people react with anger.

The ignorance continues. For years high school science teachers have been afraid to teach evolution for fear that some parent would raise a fuss - and one probably would have. Few people who haven't had science in college actually know anything about what the Theory of Evolution is. They just 'know' that it says we are descended from monkeys -- and I can't say that I'd like that idea either. Of course, that's NOT what evolutionary theory says. It was just a successful political sound byte like "pro-life" is.

Is there anything to be done about this situation? Yes, a couple of things; one is for educators to get some backbone and teach that unit in the science texts. Another hope is that Fundamentalist or Literalist Christianity has a couple of severe problems. Assuming that Armegeddon doen't arrive in the next few years, they're left with a promise very obviously unkept. They've been barely managing to get by that question for a millenium and the excuses are getting more then a little bit thin!

Anyway, some things to think about!!

Great holidays to everyone and Merry Crimble!

http://marplesbeatles.wordpress.com

I decided to put the Beatles material in it's own special blog. I don't know if I'm going to move it out of this one, some of it I will probably move. But new material on the Fab Four will be turning up regularly at http://marplesbeatles.wordpress.com. That will let this blog return to political rants, observations of the silliness of life and other like divertissments.

I did want to quote one observation I came to last night reading a new book on the boys: Why is it that phallic symbols are always tall, straight things pointing at the sky? Seems to me the last four or five inches of a sun-warmed garden hose hanging off the edge of the porch looks at least as much like a penis as the Washington Monument does. But no, it’s always something tall, slim and straight like the middle finger pointing at the heavens. The full review is at the top of the new blog. Let me assure you, that the comment was appropriate considering that the books reeks of Freudianism when it isn't stinking of 12-year-old-boy toilet smartiness. I'm NOT saying that it's a useless book, just a bit Catcher in the Rye and such.

I've got notes all over the place and I'll be trying to post here a bit more regularly though I'll be working also on posting quite regularly on the Beatles one. After all, we devotees need our fixes regularly. I'll try to do better but I hurt my neck and it's slowing me down a lot. And you all know that no matter how much you don't celebrate Xmas, it's still a busy time.

I'll probably be staying away from politics still. Seems to me things are so bad there practically isn't anything to talk about. 8--) And there's always the peculiarities of people and the hilarity of history to fall back on.

Best of the holidays to you all though, no matter what you celebrate this time of year, and if you don't celebrate anything, celebrate a day off and eat too much anyway!

t doesn't much matter at this point with Heather Mills-McCartney self-destructing all over the place but in a way the media really did have a lot to do with wrecking her marriage to Paul. I've been reading a collection of news stories beginning just before their wedding and the media really did have their knives out for her from the first. It went so far that there was even a TV show, quite a while after they married, devoted to revealing the "real Heather" on which various people were invited to appear specifically to tell nasty stories about her. While these are pretty much the same stories we're hearing now and we know just how much actual proof exists, or doesn't; it really seems a bit shocking to present such a program about a person married to someone who's practically an icon. No matter unappealing Heather may be to us and to the Great British Public, there obviously wouldn't have been all the stories had she been married to someone less newsworthy.

The muckraking, however, isn't what I suspect was, in Heather's perception, the worst crime of the media. She'd actively courted publicity before she even met Paul excusing it as being in aid of her fund raising for 'her' charities. I think what bothered her most was that when the media wasn't attacking her it, to her mind, was ignoring her. Any time Paul makes a public appearance, it makes news. And, regardless of whether the appearance was in connection with one of "his" charities or one of "hers," she would appear as effectively, "his wife was there too." I don't know if Heather bought any baby clothes, but when Paul did, it was news. I suspect this treatment wasn't OK with Heather.

I'm sure many of you aren't interested in a blow by blow collection of news about Paul McCartney's divorce woes. I assembled it because it's enlightening and interesting to be able to see an overview of what's been happening.

Heather's Story(ies)

(A note from the compiler: My reason for compiling this listing is to help us all get a better grasp on what's going on in the public fighting of the Mills-McCartney divorce. I find it interesting to see just how many times Ms. Mills has contradicted herself. Most of the reports are from "tabloid" newspapers, which refers to a type of reporting more then the printing format. Most, not all by any means, are from papers who actually court lawsuits and whose dedication to the truth is judged by how much legal exposure their lawyers see in any specific claim.

I have generally included only one version of each news stories unless another contradicted it in a fairly major way. I did not pick and choose among the versions, using the first one to appear in the Macca Report archives. Many of these stories will show a comment in quotation marks as if the reporter had actually seen and heard the principal or a "friend" speak it. Since in a number of cases, Paul is made to appear to delivered statements in person when they appeared on his website or were released by his lawyers, I recommend taking such "quotations" with a lot of salt.

One reporter questioned whether the Daily Mail was showing marked sympathy for Ms. Mills in an effort to get her to give them an interview. While I can't know their purpose, The Daily Mail and Contact Music both have shown considerably more sympathy for Ms. Mills then most of the other news sources included. Out of 30 clearly positive stories about Ms. Mills, 12 appeared in the Mail. Overall, the articles that are sympathetic to Ms. Mills tend to be of two types; accolades from individuals employed by one of Ms. Mill's charities and those penned by women reporters who are divorced. Can you spell "projection" and "transference"? Do I take sides in this? Yes.

Are the papers unfair to Ms. Mills, probably. Are they unfair to Paul, the only outstanding unfairness is the frequent use of sentences accusing "both" of feeding the media frenzy. Unfair because very few comments or leaks have actually come from Paul, his family or "friends". Note that when naming a "friend" as a source, there's no reason to suppose that the paper checked to make sure the person had actually MET Ms. Mills or Paul at some time!

I've been reading the press from right before Paul's marriage to Ms. Mills and it's pretty clear that she does not make a good impression on the press - and he does. )

These news stories were taken from the Macca Report website: http://www.maccareport.com/

23 April 2006
Sunday Mirror -- OUT ON A LIMB -- Carole Malone
HEATHER Mills says she's going back to modelling and has been signed up by the VIP London-based fashion agency Zone.
"She's extremely talented," says director Mike Illes.
No, what she is is the averagely pretty, well-connected, one-legged wife of stinking-rich supertstar Paul McCartney.
None of which makes her a good model!

May 7, 2006
News of the World -- PRESCOTT: MACCA IN MARRIAGE CRISIS
Paul and Heather living apart after huge row

Contact Music -- HEATHER McCARTNEY DEFENDS MARRIAGE
"Paul and I are together 100 percent. I will see him soon - I see him all the time. I can't wait to sue because I will make a fortune for my charity."

Digital Spy -- Heather Mills denies marriage crisis
Sir Paul McCartney's wife Heather has denied rumours that their marriage is in crisis.

May 8, 2006
The Sun -- Maccas will mend rift
Heather Mills-McCartney yesterday admitted "ups and downs" with Beatles hubby Sir Paul - but denied their marriage is in crisis.

The People - McCARTNEY MARRIAGE MYSTERY EXCLUSIVE
Sir Paul's wife speaks out after rumours that their relationship is suffering from strain
Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney's wife Heather last night denied her marriage is in crisis. Insiders claim the four-year marriage has become stormy. … Speaking exclusively to The People, she said: "It's hilarious. Paul and I are still very much together. "

The Mirror -- EXCLUSIVE: PAUL AND HEATHER KISS AND MAC UP
Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have vowed to beat their "marriage problems" after claims the relationship is in crisis.
Although the couple spent five days apart last week, allegedly after a furious bust-up, sources insist there is no suggestion that they have permanently split.
Heather, 38, rubbished claims that the four-year marriage was rocky. She said: "It's hilarious. We're still very much together."
Her publicist Anya Noakes added: "It's a load of nonsense."

Daily Mail -- Home alone Heather
Her publicist said yesterday that Sir Paul had been "very supportive" and added: "There is nothing sinister in them being apart for a few days. She has had a major operation and decided to stay in Hove because it was nearest to her hospital.

May 12, 2006
Daily Mail -- Paul and Heather apart 'after rows over fame'
"But there is a more deep-seated resentment there. She is angry that he gets so much adulation from fans and is one of the most famous people on the planet, while she feels she should get just as much respect for being a model and campaigner.
Last night, Miss Mills's spokesman said: "They are together at the moment. There is no problem with the marriage."

May 16, 2006
Contact News -- McCARTNEYS TO SPLIT?
Sir Paul McCartney has allegedly asked his wife-of-four-years Heather Mills McCartney for a trial separation amid reports of bitter feuding. …. His spokesman has refused to quash reports of a marriage crisis, saying, "We have absolutely no comment."

May 17, 2006
Contact Music -- McCARTNEY AND MILLS OFFICIALLY SPLIT
A joint statement reads, "Having tried exceptionally hard to make our relationship work given the daily pressures surrounding us, it is with sadness that we have decided to go our separate ways.
"We have found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives.
"Our parting is amicable and both of us still care about each other very much but have found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives, and we have actively tried to protect the privacy of our child."

May 17, 2006
PaulMcCartney.com -- MESSAGE FROM PAUL
By now you will have probably heard the unfortunate news that Heather and I are going our separate ways. We have issued a statement expressing our sadness at this turn of events but I would like to let people know my feelings about some of the stories which have appeared in the media over the past few days.
I'm really disappointed that during a very difficult and emotional time for both Heather and myself there are certain people in the media who are writing things about Heather that are just plain untrue. It's been suggested that she married me for the money and there is not an ounce of truth in this. She is a very generous person who spends most of her time trying to help others in greater need than herself. All the work she does is unpaid so these stories are ridiculous and completely unfounded. I'm very sad to see that some insensitive people would choose a moment like this to spread these vicious rumours.

May 18, 2006
The Sun -- Heather's Grabby Road
He said on his website: "It's been suggested that she married me for the money and there is not an ounce of truth in this.
"She is a very generous person who spends most of her time trying to help others in greater need than herself. All the work she does is unpaid so these stories are ridiculous and completely unfounded."
But sources close to Heather last night said she is privately devastated at Macca's decision.

The Mirror -- McCARTNEY SPLIT EXCLUSIVE: WHAT IT WILL COST
Heather will settle for deal to avoid messy public row over cash
One insider said: "Heather will probably settle for around £50 million even though she could get more if she really pushed.

May 19, 2006
The Mirror -- McCARTNEY MARRIAGE SPLIT EXCLUSIVE: BROKEN WOMAN
Heather in wheelchair Not slept for 2 weeks She's in 'very low place
Heather Mills is so devastated over her split from Sir Paul McCartney the stress has put her back in a wheelchair.

Daily Mail -- Why does everyone hate her so much?
In one scene, she explained how it had been Paul who had been desperate to date her, not the other way round. In another, she was filmed phoning Paul from New York, insisting he must make her breakfast in bed when she got home.
It was not an endearing glimpse into a happy marriage, but a pathetic attempt to make us see just how she had brought a Beatle to his knees.

May 22, 2006
Contact Music -- MILLS: 'I'LL DONATE SETTLEMENT TO LANDMINE CHARITY'
Heather Mills has vowed any money she wins in a divorce settlement from estranged husband Sir Paul McCartney will be donated to her landmine charity.

June 5, 09:37
Socceroos Central: -- Lady McCartney denies 'porn' claims
McCartney denied she had ever appeared in a "hardcore porn" photo shoot
following allegations in a national newspaper. The lawyers said the photos,
which appeared in the Sun, and which showed Lady McCartney in various poses with an unidentified male model, were taken for a "lover's guide" and were not part of what the paper claimed was her "filthy past".
Sun:
The filthy volume features 112 pages filled with pictures - and contains NO accompanying words.

Daily Mail --Heather admits to erotic photo shoot
Heather Mills McCartney has been forced to admit to her unsavoury past after pictures of her posing for a pornographic book emerged which showed her performing sex acts on a stranger.

June 6, 2006
Press Association -- Lady McCartney denies 'porn' claims
Lawyers for Heather Mills McCartney denied she had ever appeared in a "hardcore porn" photo shoot following allegations in a national newspaper.
The lawyers said the photos, which appeared in the Sun, and which showed Lady McCartney in various poses with an unidentified male model, were taken for a "lover's

Extra -- Heather Mills McCartney Gains Full Custody of Baby Beatrice
"Extra" has learned exclusively that Heather Mills McCartney has gained sole custody of her daughter with Sir Paul McCartney.
Mills McCartney's publicist Michele Elyzabeth told us Mills went to court on Friday in London and received an order from the court granting her full custody, with Paul receiving visitation rights.

PaulMcCartney.com -- MESSAGE FROM PAUL
I continue to be dismayed by inaccuracies in the media. I have seen the story in Hello magazine regarding custody arrangements for Heather's and my daughter, Beatrice, which is simply not true. We both have agreed to work at all times in Beatrice's best interest, but no decisions have been made yet.

June 7, 2006
Contact Music -- PUBLICIST: 'STELLA REFUSED TO BEFRIEND HEATHER'
Heather Mills' best friend and publicist Michelle Elizabeth has confirmed the model-turned-activist feuded with stepdaughter Stella throughout her marriage to former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.

Daily Mail -- Heather spoke of 'passionate sex' before split
Heather Mills McCartney gave an interview weeks before her marriage split in which she talked about her "passionate" sex life.

People Magazine -- McCartneys Deny Custody Report
Despite a U.S. television report, Heather Mills McCartney has not gained full custody of Beatrice, her 2-year-old daughter with estranged husband Sir Paul McCartney, reps for both Heather and Sir Paul tell PEOPLE.

June 08, 2006
Contact Music
SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's estranged wife HEATHER MILLS has hit out at reports she is planning to broadcast her marriage woes on a chat show.

Sun - VICTORIA NEWTON
SIR Paul McCartney was devastated last night after discovering his estranged wife was a secret hard core porn star.
The Beatles legend had no idea the woman he married in a fairytale ceremony four years ago had such a sordid past.

June 09, 2006
Contact Music -- McCARTNEY I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT MILLS

June 9, 2006The Mirror - HEATHER'S IN A BAD WAY. WE TALK SEVERAL TIMES A DAY...
Concerned Sir Paul McCartney phones under-fire wife Heather up to six times a day to comfort her amid the storm over her erotic photo.
The pop legend, 63 rallied to her defence after revealing the row has left her a wreck.

UTV -- Heather Mills denies interview rumours
Heather Mills McCartney has denied reports she is to give a tell-all interview about her marriage split.

June 10, 2006
Contact Music: HEATHER MILLS HIT BY PROSTITUTE ALLEGATIONS
SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's estranged wife HEATHER MILLS allegedly worked as a high class prostitute in the early 1990s, a British newspaper has claimed.

June 11, 2006
The People HEATHER SO THIN
Thin and gaunt, Sir Paul's estranged wife cuts a lonely figure as she plays with their tiny daughter on the beach Heather can't sleep, can't eat.. she's lost 14lbs.. pals say she's going through absolute hell

The Independent -- Lady McCartney faces new onslaught from red tops
Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife, Heather Mills McCartney, will wake this morning to an onslaught of revelations in the nation's red top newspapers about her former life.
The most damaging allegation about the former model is that she was a high-class prostitute who had sex with an arms dealer, Adnan Khashoggi, and was paid up to £10,000 a night for sleeping with rich men.

The Guardian -- McCartney's wife denies allegations
Heather Mills McCartney has denied allegations she was an expensive prostitute who engaged in group and lesbian sex.

June 13, 2006
BBC News -- Mills to sue over paper's claims
Heather Mills McCartney, estranged wife of Beatles star Sir Paul, is to take legal action over newspaper claims that she worked as a prostitute in her 20s.

The Mirror -- HEATHER'S MIDNIGHT DASH TO MACCA'S
Heather Mills made a midnight dash to the home of her estranged husband Sir Paul McCartney last night.
It is the first time she has visited

People Magazine -- Paul, Heather Mills McCartney to Divorce
After previous statements referring to her split from husband Paul McCartney as a separation, Heather Mills McCartney is now using the D-word.
"Contrary to recent press reports, Heather Mills McCartney will not be giving any interviews or commenting in relation to her pending divorce from her husband," said a statement issued by Mills McCartney's office Sunday.

June 14, 2006
The Mirror -- LEWDY MACCA
Heather Mills faced fresh misery yesterday after a third set of pornographic pictures emerged.

June 26, 2006
The Sun --
She claimed she may be a target for assassination - because of her links to The Beatles.
She snapped: "John Lennon was shot and George Harrison was stabbed and loads of kids are kidnapped."

July 3, 2006
The Globe -- Heather hires Macca's personal trainer
Heather Mills and Paul McCartney may be facing another major custody battle--over their personal trainer! When the two were still a couple and living in LA, they worked with Chad Mouton, who's made dozens of stars, including Amanda Peet and Amber Tamblyn, sweat big time at Crunch gym in Hollywood.
Chad whipped both their butts into shape, earning Heather's undying gratitude, says a source. Now that the one-legged ex-model is planning to pursue her ambitions Stateside, she's contacted Chad and informed him he'll be working exclusively for HER.

July 6, 2006
Mirror -- LIVE AND LET RIDE
Dressed in black, Heather Mills stops for a chat on her mobile as she cycles with three male friends yesterday.
Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife, 38, was spotted heading to shops in Brighton. A pal said: "She's got friends over from the US who are supporting her through a difficult time."

July 6, 2006
The Sun -- Heather is saddle sore
Heather Mills looks miserable as she goes for a cycle ride along a seafront yesterday.

July 8, 2006
Bosh -- Heather Mills-McCartney will settle for £10 million (Fill in the amount at random. There are about a dozen of these.)
Heather Mills-McCartney will allegedly settle for a £10 million ($18.5 million) divorce pay-out.
A friend of Heather's told Britain's The People newspaper: "Heather is satisfied with the £10 million deal being discussed.

July 9, 2006
The Mirror --- MACCAGATE: PAUL'S SHOCK OVER PHONE BUG TAPE
An explosive phone conversation between Sir Paul McCartney and his daughter Stella about the breakdown of his marriage and impending divorce has been secretly Bugged, the Sunday Mirror can reveal.
It is not known who bugged Macca's call - it is a criminal offence under The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to intercept calls whether made on a landline or by mobile and is punishable by up to two years in jail.
The tape is believed to have come into Heather's hands at the end of last month.
There is no suggestion that Heather has been behind the recording. She has told Macca the cassette was handed to her by a third party.

The Mirror -- HEATHER WARNS STELLA: STAY AWAY FROM BEA
Furious Heather Mills is refusing to let Stella McCartney see her half-sister Bea.

Daily Mail -- Heather moves back in - as Macca's phone is bugged
Heather Mills has moved back into the East Sussex estate where her estranged husband Sir Paul McCartney is living.
Miss Mills has left the £2 million ($4 million) seafront home in Hove where she has been staying since the couple split in May.

July 12, 2006
Macca Report News -- Paul refuses to pay for Heather's chauffeur/security guard
According to the latest People magazine, Paul McCartney is refusing to pay for Heather Mills' chauffeur/security guard unless she is with daughter Bea.

July 14, 2006
Daily Mail -- Heather's bid to salvage reputation by trumpeting her charity work
Heather Mills McCartney is rolling out the big guns in a desperate attempt to win the PR battle over her increasingly bitter divorce from former Beatle Sir Paul.
In the wake of revelations about her lewd past, Miss Mills has hired a PR team to makeover her disgraced public image.
For she has published no less than seven endorsements from what she calls "good causes" on her personal internet site, stressing her reputation as a tireless campaigner and charity worker.

July 15, 2006
The Mirror -- MACCA'S 'MOVING ON' BASH
Sir Paul McCartney is throwing a "moving-on" party tonight.

The Daily Mail -- Macca's snub to Heather's charity concert
Paul McCartney has snubbed his estranged wife by pulling out of a major fundraising event for a charity campaign which she founded.

July 16, 2006
The Mirror -- CHARLES' LAWYER FIGHTS FOR MACCA
Paul takes on 'Steel Magnolia' for divorce battle with Heather
Sir Paul McCartney has hired Prince Charles's divorce lawyer for his battle with Heather Mills.

July 17, 2006
Daily Mail -- War of the Maccas contd.
When they first split, Paul was devastated and Heather was set to walk away with £200 million ($368 million). But now he's fighting back - dictating every detail of their break-up while she falls apart
So Heather must return to her £2 million ($4 million) beachfront property in Hove, even though, depressed, worn down and humiliated

July 22, 2006
The Sun -- Mucca moans: I'm skint
Heather Mills has told pals she is so cash-strapped she can't afford a bodyguard.
The friend added: "Heather has put buying a new house on hold because she doesn't know what she can afford.

July 24, 2006
Daily Mail -- Heather buys £550,000 home near Sir Paul
Heather Mills McCartney has bought a £550,000 ($1 million) home to share with baby Beatrice just a 15-minute drive from her estranged husband's estate.

July 30, 2006
The Mirror -- MACCA: FANCY A £30M QUICKIE? HEATHER: NO WAY
Sir Paul McCartney believes estranged wife Heather is a "gold-digger" because she has rejected a £30 million ($55.7 million) quickie divorce offer. When they split he defended Heather against claims that she was only after his money. Since then he has changed his opinion and he is accusing her of reneging on a financial deal he thought they'd agreed to ensure a quick and amicable divorce.
A friend revealed: "Before their marriage, it was as if Paul acted younger than he was. But once he'd got a ring on Heather's finger, he reverted to type. Heather wanted a social life, but Paul preferred to stay at home, as he had done with Linda. So Heather felt like he wasn't the man she had married."
Last night, a spokesman for Sir Paul declined to comment.

July 31, 2006
Contact Music -- MILLS SMASHES 'GOLD-DIGGER' SLURS
Heather Mills has rubbished reports she has snubbed a £30 million ($55 million) divorce settlement from former husband Sir Paul McCartney.
Mills' spokesman says, "Money is the least of Heather's interests. The figures being bandied about are completely untrue.
"It (the divorce) is still at its early stages and they haven't got to (the money) yet.
"It's not acrimonious. They are talking every day about Bea."

The Mirror -- RAGE OF HEATHER:
She wanted to divorce HIM - Vows not to make life EASY
Heather Mills is furious Sir Paul McCartney has began divorce proceedings against her - because she wanted to divorce him first.

August 2, 2006
Contact Music -- MILLS WILL NO LONGER BE A LADY
Heather Mills McCartney will have to drop her title of 'Lady' when she divorces former husband Sir Paul McCartney.

New York Daily News --
Paul McCartney filed for divorce Friday after estranged wife Heather Mills refused $45 million to go away. The former Beatle may end up paying $200 million to Mills, whom he accused in court papers of being "rude to his staff" and "argumentative" and of having secretly recorded a conversation between him and daughter Stella.
Mills, meanwhile, accused the father of her toddler, Beatrice, of being boring. The guy has given the world more melody than Mozart on mushrooms -- we should all be so boring.
August 3, 2006 -- The Sun
Mucca's to the manor barn Shamed Heather Mills has started her single life - in this £550,000 ($1 million) barn.

August 5, 2006
The Mirrror -- LADY GAUNT
The frail physique and gaunt face say it all about what Lady Heather Mills-McCartney has been going through since her split from Sir Paul.
Looking tired and drawn, she downed lager and tried her best to enjoy a Madonna concert in what was her first public outing since divorce proceedings began.

The Mirror -- ABANDONED
Troubled Heather Mills cuts a lonely figure as she admits her split with Sir Paul McCartney has left her feeling abandoned.

August 6, 2006
The Mirror -- McCARTNEY'S EXCLUSIVE: IT'S GOT DIRTY
Sir Paul McCartney has sent his estranged wife Heather a furious legal warning - for taking away three bottles of cleaning fluid.
Solicitors for the former Beatle fired off the formal letter after Heather's nanny took the half-used bottles from his Peasmarsh estate to clean the former model's new office 15 minutes away.
The letter claimed 64-year-old Sir Paul's housekeeper had been left "distressed" by Heather's actions. It also warned Heather, 38, never to take anything else of his again. (As I said at the time, I suspect this was really about Heather's staff entering Paul's house after the incident of one of Paul's telephone calls being bugged. One also suspects that this letter contained the information that the joint bank account had been frozen and that all the locks had been changed. Doing this is customary in a divorce.)

August 6, 2006
The Sun -- Macca fury at cash grab
Sir Paul McCartney has frozen his joint account with estranged wife Heather Mills to stop her withdrawing "obscene" amounts, it emerged yesterday.
Macca's move - after he discovered a series of four and five-figure withdrawals - came as the couple's divorce descended into a series of bitter battles.

August 7, 2006
Contact Music -- MILLS' DOORSTEP DRAMA
Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife Heather Mills was humiliated today, when the rocker's security refused to let her into his London home, despite pre-arranging the visit.

August 8, 2006
Times Online -- Lady McCartney hires Diana's divorce lawyer
Heather Mills-McCartney raised the stakes in her divorce from Sir Paul McCartney today by hiring the solicitor of Diana, Princess of Wales.

August 9, 2006
Daily Mail -- Heather gets on her bike
Sunglasses on, head down and pedalling hard through the streets of Brighton, Heather Mills doesn't look to have a care in the world. Of course, the comforting presence of two beefy bodyguards could explain it.

August 10, 2006
Contact Music -- 'CONFUSED HEATHER STILL DESERVES £200 MILLION', SAYS STEPFATHER
The stepfather of Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife Heather Mills insists the former model deserves a staggering £200 million ($378 million) as a divorce settlement from the rocker, despite being "very confused".

August 11, 2006
Life Style Extra -- Paul McCartney's heart scare
Sir Paul McCartney suffered a heart scare triggered by the stress of his split from Heather Mills, it has been claimed.

August 13, 2006
Daily Mail -- I'll be no Lady after my divorce, says Heather Mills
Heather Mills will not be called 'Lady' after her divorce from Sir Paul McCartney.

August 14, 2006
Daily Mail -- 'Controlling' Sir Paul, by Heather
Sir Paul 'was a controlling husband,' according to divorce papers filed by Heather Mills
The increasingly bitter battle between Heather Mills and Sir Paul McCartney has hit the courts after she launched an angry counter-claim to his divorce petition.

August 15, 2006
Times Online -- Beware stormy Heather ahead
Aides of Heather Mills have been briefing newspapers in an attempt to obtain sympathetic coverage of her divorce from Sir Paul McCartney, it was claimed last week.

August 15, 2006
Contact Music -- McCARTNEY REFUSES TO ALLOW MILLS ONTO HIS PROPERTY
Sir Paul McCartney refused estranged wife Heather Mills access to his English country home today, forcing her to collect their daughter Beatrice from a nearby hotel.

August 17, 2006
Daily Mail -- Is Heather hiring top US lawyer to squeeze more money out of Macca?

August 18, 2006
Daily Mail -- Haggard Heather's message behind Stella's sunglasses
The gaunt figure and strained expression testify to the pressure that Heather Mills is under during her divorce battle with Sir Paul McCartney.

August 18, 2006
Daily Mail -- Bitter new publicity row over Heather's 'secret video diary'
Heather Mills is filming the break-up of her marriage to Sir Paul McCartney.

August 19, 2006
Daily Express -- Just look at me, Paul
With credit cards at the ready, Heather Mills banishes her divorce woes by treating herself to a course of retail therapy Hollywood style.

20 August 2006
Sunday Mirror -- Carole Malone: IT'S ALL GRIST TO THE MILLS
I LOVE Heather Mills's definition of poverty. In the week she's been whingeing that Paul has closed all their joint bank accounts and left her virtually penniless we see her taking a private helicopter (cost £4,770) from Sussex to Heathrow to go on an all-singing, all-dancing holiday to Los Angeles.

Daily Snack-- Mucc and Brass
Lady of leisure Heather Mills is lashing out wads of Macca's money on a marathon LA spending spree.
The feisty blonde who complained Beatles legend Sir Paul was tight seems to be making up for his spendthrift ways.

The Observer -- Kiss'n'tell offers woo Heather
Their split is being played out in front of an audience of millions, yet the public is no closer to the full truth behind the divorce of Heather Mills and Paul McCartney. But this could all soon change. Mills has been offered a book deal that could net her £1million ($1.9 million) if she tells all on Macca, marriage and how a bottle of detergent, which one of her staff was accused of stealing from the former Beatle's house, became a matter of national import.

August 21, 2006
Contact Music -- MILLS UPSETS DAIRY COUNCIL
Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife Heather Mills is facing possible court action after slamming Britain's National Dairy Council in an interview.

M2.com -- Wife of Paul McCartney offered book deal
The estranged wife of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney has reportedly been offered a book deal worth up to £1million ($1.9 million)

August 22, 2006
Daily Mail -- Heather blames Paul as bulldozers threaten her home

Daily Mail -- Macca axes Heather from photo diary

August 24, 2006
This Is London -- Macca's marriage split costs him £1.6m already
Sir Paul McCartney is donating £1.6 million to a landmine charity after pulling out of a fundraising event he was due to host with his estranged wife Heather Mills.

Daily Snack.com -- Sir Paul's 'gift' for cancelled gig
Sir Paul McCartney is to make a substantial donation to the Adopt-a-Minefield charity after his split from wife Heather caused him to pull out of a benefit gala.

August 26, 2006
The Sun -- Macca in swingin' sixties
Pop king Sir Paul McCartney looks the perfect doting dad as he pushes daughter Beatrice on a swing.

August 27, 2006
Mirror -- EXCLUSIVE HEATHER'S NEW NUDE PHOTO SHOOT
Heather Mills stripped off for an amazing erotic calendar shoot at the lodge on her estranged husband's estate.

September 3, 2006
Daily Mail -- Heather Mills is stripped of her role for fur charity
A spokesman for PETA told me: "We do not know where the story came from. PETA is not producing any naked ad campaign with Heather at all."

September 3, 2006
The Mirror -- WE CAN WORK IT OUT
EXCLUSIVE SIR PAUL'S 40-MINUTE PEACE SUMMIT WITH ESTRANGED WIFE HEATHER
Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills spent 40 minutes alone together in a dramatic peace summit at his US holiday home.

PA News -- DOCUMENTARY CLAIMS MACCA'S EX COULD NET £100m
Lady Heather Mills McCartney could win £100 million ($190 million) in her bitter divorce from Sir Paul McCartney a divorce lawyer has claimed in a new documentary.
September 4, 2006 -- New York Post

L.I. HEATHER NOW PAUL'S GAL NEXT DOOR - PAYS 80G TO BE NEAR KID
It looks as if bounced Beatles bride Heather Mills McCartney is following a long and winding - and very expensive - road to see her child.

September 5, 2006
The Mirror -- LOTUS IT BE
Stressed Macca takes up YOGA to beat the blues
Sir Paul McCartney has turned to yoga to help him cope with the stress of his marriage split.

September 6, 2006
New York Post-- HEATHER'S HOLIDAY A FREEBIE
Hollywood pals for her quality time in the Hamptons this past weekend - she had the use of a stunning oceanfront home in Amagansett and didn't pay a dime for it, Page Six has learned.

September 8, 2006
Daily Mail -- Don't give Heather a penny, first husband tells McCartney
Heather Mills does not deserve a penny out of her divorce from Sir Paul McCartney, her first husband has said.

September 10, 2006
News of the World -- MACCA: WAR IS OVER
Rock legend Sir Paul McCartney has offered Heather Mills a £40 million ($76 million) divorce deal to buy her silence, the News of the World can reveal.

September 10, 2006
The Mirror -- MACCA'S SONG TOLD OF LOVE HEARTACHE A YEAR AGO
RIDING TO VANITY FAIR
"I was open to friendship but you didn't seem to have any to spare/While you were riding to Vanity Fair..."
Troubled Sir Paul McCartney sang of his failing marriage more than a year before he and Heather Mills split. (took them long enough to notice! Actually, almost the whole album is about friendship, when it's good and when it's not.)

September 12, 2006
Reuters -- McCartney divorce fought out in tabloids
For Paul and Heather McCartney, the words of the Beatles song "We Can Work It Out" ring hollow.
Their divorce has turned into a battle for sympathy fought out under a glaring media spotlight.
"She is on the attack and he is on the defense," public relations supremo Max Clifford told Reuters on Tuesday. "He is the one trying to settle as quietly and quickly as possible."

September 14, 2006
The Mirror -- HEATHER IN A HUFF
With a face like thunder, Heather Mills huffs and puffs back to estranged husband Sir Paul McCartney's country home after a cycle ride.

September 17, 2006
The People (UK) -- HEATHER BILLS McCARTNEY
Amazing twist in Beatles legend's divorce battle Macca fury over £1M ($1.9 million) wages for army of helpers

September 18, 2006
The Mirror -- LAUGH LAUGH ME DO
Heather forgets divorce woes at brother's £10 ($19) gig
Her bitter split from Paul McCartney was a world away as Heather Mills enjoyed a good chuckle on a night out with friends.
Swigging a beer at the £10 gig in a grungy bar, she grinned and mingled unrecognised in the crowd.

September 19, 2006
Contact Music -- SAUDI ARMS DEALER AGREES TO DISCUSS MILLS 'RELATIONSHIP' IN TV INTERVIEW
A Saudi Arabian arms dealer thought to have had a relationship with Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife Heather Mills is set to reveal all in a TV interview.

September 23, 2006
Daily Star -- Mucca in new shock
Heather Mills is set for fresh humiliation with more X-rated shots of her poised to be published.

September 24, 2006
The Macca Report -- Paul, Stella and Mary attend party
Paul McCartney attended Established & Sons first birthday party on Saturday September 23rd at 9 Grosvenor Place in London.

Contact Music -- McCARTNEY'S MARRIAGE SPLIT HELL
Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has opened up about his marriage breakdown, reportedly telling party-goers in London this weekend, "It's been the most terrible time."

September 25, 2006
Contact Music -- MILLS IN SUPERMARKET BAN CONFUSION
Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife Heather Mills is suffering further embarrassment in the British press after reports she was evicted from a supermarket over a 20-year-old shoplifting ban.

September 26, 2006
The Daily Mail -- Mills threatens 'bombshell' Macca revelations
Heather Mills' lawyers are preparing to fight tooth and nail in the divorce courts with a 'series of bombshell revelations' against Paul McCartney.

September 27, 2006
Contact Music -- MILLS' DAD SLAMS 'GREEDY' DAUGHTER
Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife Heather Mills has been branded "greedy" and "nasty" by her own father over reports she's set to win millions from the former Beatle in their divorce settlement.

September 30, 2006
News of the World -- Heather comforted by personal trainer -- LADY M'S NEW MR MUSCLE
Lonely Lady McCartney has struck up a close relationship with her personal trainer, the News of the World can reveal.
Heather Mills and muscle-bound Ben Amigoni have been almost inseparable since he joined her staff two months ago.
And a source revealed: "If Paul McCartney knew how close they'd become he'd go absolutely nuts."
Macca's estranged wife even took the 24-year-old gym instructor on holiday to America a few weeks ago.

October 6, 2006
Daily Mail -- Heather's trainer is First Class company
Not many personal trainers get to accompany their boss in first-class luxury when they cross the Atlantic. But then not many fit young men work for Heather Mills.
Ben Amigoni, 24, has hardly left Heather's side since she launched her bitter battle for a slice of Sir Paul McCartney's £825 million ($1.5 billion) fortune.
He joined her in the £4,000 ($7,500) seat to Los Angeles, apparently confirming that Sir Paul is still paying his 38-year-old wife a more than generous allowance.

October 8, 2006
News of the World-- Mr Muscle's lover tells dad it's over...HEATHER STOLE MY MAN
Heather McCartney's fitness coach has dumped his long-term lover after forming a close relationship with rock star Paul's wife as she battles her mega-millions divorce.

October 9, 2006
Female First -- Heather Mills not dating fitness friend
Heather Mills' fitness instructor has denied the pair are dating - insisting they are "just good friends".

October 14, 2006
Daily Mail -- Does Heather Mills' t-shirt reveal her true feelings about her marriage?
How very like Heather Mills to turn the wearing of the latest fashionable designer teeshirt into an impromptu photo opportunity.

October 17, 2006
The Mirror -- MACCA ASKS HEATHER'S TRAINER..
DOES SHE LOVE YOU? YEAH? YEAH? YEAH?
Sir Paul McCartney has phoned Heather Mills' personal trainer - to ask him if they are having an affair. (Can you picture this? Somehow I simply can't.)

October 18, 2006
Daily Mail -- Heather and Macca's divorce battle intensifies over attack claims
Heather Mills is accusing her estranged husband Paul McCartney of repeated violence against her.

October 18, 2006
PaulMcCartney.com -- PAUL McCARTNEY STATEMENT FROM PAYNE HICKS BEACH SOLICITORS
Since the breakdown of his marriage Sir Paul McCartney has maintained his silence in not commenting on the media stories believing that it was best for all concerned, particularly his children, for there to be some dignity in what is a private matter.
Our client would very much like to respond in public and in detail to the allegations made recently against him by his wife and published in the press but he recognises, on advice, that the only correct forum for his response to the allegations made against him is in the current divorce proceedings. Our client will be defending these allegations vigorously and appropriately.
Our client is saddened by the breakdown of his marriage and requests that his family is allowed to conduct their personal affairs out of the media spotlight for the sake of everybody involved. (Of course other papers reported him as "furious" etc. and treated this statement from his lawyers as if it were a direct quote from Paul.)

October 19, 2006
The Times -- Riddle of missing pages in McCartney divorce leak
Five crucial documents were withheld from the leaked divorce dossier of Lady McCartney which alleged that her estranged husband violently attacked her.
The missing pages apparently cast her in a bad light in her response to Sir Paul McCartney's petition to the High Court seeking a divorce on the ground of her "unreasonable behaviour".

Probably most of you aren't interested in this years celeb divorce. I tend to be sympathetic towards Paul mostly because he was underappreciated during the Beatle years, attacked by John and the press after the breakup and a frequent victim of Johnidolotry ever since. Having been known as "Joe's daughter", "Helen's daughter" and "M****s mother" I have an appreciation of the frustration he must feel.

Those of you who are interested, I'm posting an idea from one of the many Paul fans. Feel free to skip it if you aren't intersted.

~~~
Hi everyone,

As a long time fan of Paul who can in no way measure the happiness
and joy this man has brought me and countless others i have been
feeling a terrible sense of helplesness at Pauls current situation,
i've just had an idea of what we can do to show our love and support
for Paul.

I'll be posting this to as many lists as possible to put the word
out
and i call on all fans to spread the word to lists
they may be members and moderators of or rings (do
they still have them?)

I'm declaring Saturday 28th of October 2006
'International show support and love for Paul McCartney day'

On this day i'm calling on ALL fans from every corner
and nook and crany of the globe to wear a Paul
McCartney t shirt (a Paul t shirt preferebley over a
Beatle shirt, we need to show people it's Paul we're
there for)

Anything else that you can do on this day to get the word out would
be great, play his music loud in your cars (Paul Doof, Yeh!),
conceptual
things like sticking messages of support up on places
people will see (walls, telegraph polls etc, be creative .. but keep
it
legal)

Lets try for a ground swell of support for Paul in the fan
community, freshen up those t shirts and get them on!!

It'll be that simple.

Tell one, tell all .. tell the press!

Greg xoxo

I notice every day that a great many people lack useful historical knowledge. How many of you really know the history of the modern state of Israel and the background of the wildfire erupting there? I cannot help being seriously disappointed noticing that even well known reporters and columnists and avowed feminists know so very little of the history of feminism.

Are you aware of the Comstock Law of 1873 which outlawed as obscene the dissemination of contraceptive information and devices? This meant that her doctor couldn't tell even a married woman, one whom he knew might well not be able to survive further pregnancies, of condoms and their ability to prevent pregnancy. (Condoms were sold for the purpose of protecting men from diseased prostitutes.) Did you know that Ms. Sanger was prosecuted and even jailed for attempting to inform working class and black women on how to take control of their fertility. When I was 20, my doctor illegally gave me a diagphram; illegally because I was unmarried. Can you even imagine a world where many women had very little idea of how babies were made? My own mother was in the line the first day a Sanger birth control clinic opened in Chicago.

The rich of course had all this information. The rich didn't want the poor to have it because the unrestricted fertility of the poor insured a constantly growing pool of cheap labor. It's still quite easy to find attacks on Ms. Sanger and birth control of all sorts. Would you recognize the misquotes? Do you have the historical information and perspective to realize that at one time eugenitics was not pseudoscience but an attempt to find some way to reduce illness and incompentency. The fact is, we still don't have a true grip on the relationship between genetics and mental illness. Interest in eugenics in the 1920s did not invariably include racism although it certainly was jumped upon by racists of many sorts.

I feel ashamed of many younger women who seem to be taking the attempts (and successes) of government at various levels to return women's reproductive rights to the levels of 100 years ago--none. Of course, many of these limitations don't affect middle and upper class women and women working at the lowly paid occupations open to ordinary working class women rarely have the time, energy or information to realize what is being attempted. The anti-choice greybeards hate to see women with any freedom, particularly the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. The campaign against feminism isn't really limited to freedom for working class women, it's just that women with money are much more difficult to control. And men with money realize the problems connected with too-large families for themselves. Women must control their own bodies and you young ladies who think this isn't really the fight that's going on are deliberately hiding your heads in the sand.

Sanger died in 1966 in Tucson, Arizona at age 87 only a few months after the landmark Griswold v. Connecticut decision, which legalized birth control for married couples in the US. It was the apex of her fifty-year fight. For your own sakes, you need to get off your rear ends and speak out on this. You've grown comfortable, you've allowed yourself to think all the wars are won. You haven't noticed that in the last 10 years the word feminism has become a put-down. You probably think that feminists really did burn bras on the boardwalk in Atlantic City and it wasn't a couple of reporters wanting a better headline. You probably think feminism is, well, un-feminine! Think again ladies. Believe me, there was a time when men couldn't (and wouldn't when they could) type. Darn it, ladies! If we don't control our fertility, we will lose it all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sanger

I've several times thought that Red Buttons was stuck in a secondary position more because not only did his name call Red Skelton to mind but because they were both short, slim, redheads and funny.

I imagine he's best known for his role in Hatari -- which was very well done indeed. As I remember he even had his own TV show for a while. He was a far quieter funny-man then Skelton and I suspect should more properly be remembered as an actor as he wasn't really a stand-up commedian. He had a gentleness which does separate him from a great many comics and was usually the butt of his own humor.

I suspect that he was careful with his earnings and therefore wasn't forced to seek work after his retirement nor make headlines through bad behavior since we've heard practically nothing about him in some years. I much admired his skill in his roles and will truly miss the smiles he engendered, except that we have his shadow on film and need not do without him.

I suspect that very few Beatles fans were happy about Paul's choice of Heather Mills -- well, very few seemed to be pleased when he married Linda Eastman! In fact Linda was very widely hated, cursed and put down with great vigor by almost everyone. She was blamed for the breakup of the Beatles, declaimed to have no voice and be unable to play the synthisizer keyboard (and she still is the butt of such accusations) and very nearly until her death, she was the victim of a bad press.

It does seem pretty certain that Heather Mills lived a pretty wild and wooly life-style. I saw one headline saying "Mills returning to the runway" -- well, Mills was a catalog model, no runways. The not-quite models do catalogs, lingerie, and not a few slip into soft porn. Well, in the old days when I was young, females got the Fredrick's of Hollywood catalog to look at the pretty and ridiculous underwear and males got it for other reasons!


On the other hand, no woman in the world should have to follow someone like Linda. Watch her in the video for Something! She is such a contrast to Yoko, Maurine and Patty. For some reason, Maurine and Patty were copying Yoko's lizard on a window pane look, without expression. Barely did they break for a moment for a smile. Linda? She didn't OWN a stone face. Her feelings shout from her face and her feelings for Paul were rich and warm. Not the sort of act anyone wants to follow.


Of course, Heather probably did tell Paul a lot of lies. It certainly sounds as if that is her habit. And that's not the sort of thing Paul is going to forgive. She also doesn't appear to be very restful or pleasant to live with. I can tell you that at 64, you don't much need upset in your relationship to remind you you still have a life. Going by some of the sub-text in the lyrics on Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard, she wasn't good at friendship -- and Paul has pretty clearly said that friendship is the most important thing in a relationship for him.


Their marriage was probably doomed from the start but that doesn't mean that I don't feel sympathy for them both. On the other hand, I'm sure Paul will be better without Heather Mills even in the short run. And I wouldn't assume that she was his "last chance" by any means. If nothing else, there are millions of devoted Paul fans out there willing to step into the breach! 8--)

Please get in touch with me directly about Homecoming!! gc @ greycat.cc

Ringo Starr/Richard Starkey

I begin my character examinations with Ringo because if nothing else, it will be the shortest. Not because he wasn't an important member nor too dumb to play a part but because he's the one who didn't make any serious mistakes.

The group, while it remained a group, didn't ever realize the contributions that Ringo made. They definitely had a tendency to trivialize his contributions and Ringo by nature isn't one to push himself forward. Even his short resignation never quite made them realize it's nature or degree. In the wider world, Ringo's role in the music took time to come to the conscious notice even of other drummers.

It's a good thing Ringo IS so laid-back, there he was on a fragile looking little stool 3 to 6 feet above the stage on a platform hardly large enough to hold all his drums and I've never heard that he managed to fall off the damn thing! One spontaneous move and "woopsie!"

Ringo was always my favorite. Born three weeks after I was, we each in our own way ushered in WWII, Paris fell the day I was born and the first Nazi U-boat reached England the day Ringo was born. Although Ringo's very easy-going personality saw him relegated to one of the "little brothers" of The Beatles, anyone who underestimated either his musical contributions to the group or his place in their popularity probably has the Lennon fetish. If nothing else, looking at him in the back, slouched relaxed at his drums, was an important antidote from the frenetic activity of the others. Not that he didn't have his own fire. Many drummers sit fairly still and may even seem a bit detached from what's going on. Ringo moves, shakes his hair and from time to time and you can see him take off from time to time really into "hitting things". Having fun is Ringo's special place in life and he has the ability to bring everyone else with him.

I think a very telling snippit about Ringo is that when Brian called him and asked him to join the Beatles the next day, Ringo, obviously enthusiastic, put it off because the band he was with then had a long-standing date to fill. However, Ringo wanted to play with the best and he was enthusiastic about joining The Beatles for that reason. Ringo never tired of touring though I suspect he was the most conscious that the screaming noise which became the ambience of their concerts was ruining them as musicians.

Ringo is the author of a number of lines upon which songs later hung. John was pleased to call them "Ringo's malapropisms". ("A Long Day's Night" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" etc.) I'm not at all sure about that. They are too apt, too deep - I think he had a visceral understanding of the world we live in now where such statements might be made by Stephen Hawking. Do you suppose that he knew exactly what he was saying? I noted particularly his comment "you can't try to be married, you just have to be married" as probably the best comment on an attempt at reconciliation I've ever heard. Not only are his news conference witticisms very apt, they also don't put anyone down. You quickly run across hints that maybe Ringo wasn't very smart. Watching him in the interviews in the 90s, it's clear that despite essentially missing school altogether, he's rather well educated and a thoughtful man.

All us troubled souls should be thankful that there are a few people who are happy with what they get. He seems to be one of those very rare individuals who isn't always focused on self. Not to imply he's one of those couch potatoes who is simply too lazy to think at all. He simply isn't obsessed with how he's seen or if he's getting proper credit for what he is doing. So long as he has a few true and loyal friends, a good band and good music,he has little need to be the great star. He's also endlessly forgiving - an important trait in anyone who needed to be around John.

It's clear from the early videos of the group that Ringo immediately "fit" into the Beatles in a way that Pete Best didn't (nor I suspect wanted to). Despite John's need for top billing and Paul's liking for the spotlight, the band functioned extremely well as a gestalt entity with no one clearly standing out. (In fact, George Martin spent time while he was planning the band's recordings wondering exactly who was the "lead") Until the Beatles, it was generally Mintie and the Julips with a clear lead singer situated out in front. News reporters were confused by this one-piece organization as well.

I read during my research that Ringo is considered the best rock drummer in the world and so I played some of the tracks and listened carefully to the drums and you know, he's really and truly remarkable. Along with that completely relaxed position and blossoming smile he does some really cool and quite subtle things with those drums he kept in the background. There are a couple bits with the tom toms which are simply delicious and they're just slipped in there with no seeking for attention. (I noticed at the same time that Paul's bass does some exceptionally nice bits.) Never obtrusive and practically never absent, Ringo is there moving the music on and giving it a body and form which we certainly would have missed. The primary job of the drummer is to keep time and Ringo doesn't ever seem to fail at this. He doesn't speed up or slow down except when it's part of the arrangement - and in a few of the songs there are a good many time changes which he floated through without visible strain.

Ringo is ambitious but not aggressive and appears to me to be content to rise to whatever point his talent made for him. I suspect no party lucky enough to have him present has been a flop. If his enjoyment led him close to alcoholism or any other addiction, he recognized it and cleaned up his act. I'd certainly invite him to any party of mine! In fact, if he'd come, I'd put together a party. His capacity to enjoy the particular minute he was living at the time is one that most of us could well afford to cultivate.

For him the end of the Beatles was a far greater change then it was for the others. After all, "drum soloist" is virtually without meaning in the pop world. Film wasn't really as open to him as it seems because "Ringo" was so established a character nobody gave him much chance to play anyone else. Unfortunately, too many of the films he did turned out not to be as funny as the writers thought they would be. Ringo was left a drummer without a band.

I suspect that at the time, Ringo had a better grasp of the factors and stresses causing the breakup. Perhaps if there had been one less thing tearing them apart they might have been able to rejoin for a concert or album from time to time. There were too many factors and stresses however and I'll be going into all that in several later posts.

I begin my character examinations with Ringo because if nothing else, it will be the shortest. Not because he wasn't an important member nor too dumb to play a part but because he's the one who didn't make any serious mistakes.

The group, while it remained a group, didn't ever realize the contributions that Ringo made. They definitely had a tendency to trivialize his contributions and Ringo by nature isn't one to push himself forward. Even his short resignation never quite made them realize it's nature or degree. In the wider world, Ringo's role in the music took time to come to the conscious notice even of other drummers.

It's a good thing Ringo IS so laid-back, there he was on a fragile looking little stool 3 to 6 feet above the stage on a platform hardly large enough to hold all his drums and I've never heard that he managed to fall off the damn thing! One spontaneous move and "woopsie!"

Ringo was always my favorite. Born three weeks after I was, we each in our own way ushered in WWII, Paris fell the day I was born and the first Nazi U-boat reached England the day Ringo was born. Although Ringo's very easy-going personality saw him relegated to one of the "little brothers" of The Beatles, anyone who underestimated either his musical contributions to the group or his place in their popularity probably has the Lennon fetish. If nothing else, looking at him in the back, slouched relaxed at his drums, was an important antidote from the frenetic activity of the others. Not that he didn't have his own fire. Many drummers sit fairly still and may even seem a bit detached from what's going on. Ringo moves, shakes his hair and from time to time and you can see him take off from time to time really into "hitting things". Having fun is Ringo's special place in life and he has the ability to bring everyone else with him.

I think a very telling snippit about Ringo is that when Brian called him and asked him to join the Beatles the next day, Ringo, obviously enthusiastic, put it off because the band he was with then had a long-standing date to fill. However, Ringo wanted to play with the best and he was enthusiastic about joining The Beatles for that reason. Ringo never tired of touring though I suspect he was the most conscious that the screaming noise which became the ambience of their concerts was ruining them as musicians.

Ringo is the author of a number of lines upon which songs later hung. John was pleased to call them "Ringo's malapropisms". ("A Long Day's Night" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" etc.) I'm not at all sure about that. They are too apt, too deep - I think he had a visceral understanding of the world we live in now where such statements might be made by Stephen Hawking. Do you suppose that he knew exactly what he was saying? I noted particularly his comment "you can't try to be married, you just have to be married" as probably the best comment on an attempt at reconciliation I've ever heard. Not only are his news conference witticisms very apt, they also don't put anyone down. You quickly run across hints that maybe Ringo wasn't very smart. Watching him in the interviews in the 90s, it's clear that despite essentially missing school altogether, he's rather well educated and a thoughtful man.

All us troubled souls should be thankful that there are a few people who are happy with what they get. He seems to be one of those very rare individuals who isn't always focused on self. Not to imply he's one of those couch potatoes who is simply too lazy to think at all. He simply isn't obsessed with how he's seen or if he's getting proper credit for what he is doing. So long as he has a few true and loyal friends, a good band and good music,he has little need to be the great star. He's also endlessly forgiving - an important trait in anyone who needed to be around John.

It's clear from the early videos of the group that Ringo immediately "fit" into the Beatles in a way that Pete Best didn't (nor I suspect wanted to). Despite John's need for top billing and Paul's liking for the spotlight, the band functioned extremely well as a gestalt entity with no one clearly standing out. (In fact, George Martin spent time while he was planning the band's recordings wondering exactly who was the "lead") Until the Beatles, it was generally Mintie and the Julips with a clear lead singer situated out in front. News reporters were confused by this one-piece organization as well.

I read during my research that Ringo is considered the best rock drummer in the world and so I played some of the tracks and listened carefully to the drums and you know, he's really and truly remarkable. Along with that completely relaxed position and blossoming smile he does some really cool and quite subtle things with those drums he kept in the background. There are a couple bits with the tom toms which are simply delicious and they're just slipped in there with no seeking for attention. (I noticed at the same time that Paul's bass does some exceptionally nice bits.) Never obtrusive and practically never absent, Ringo is there moving the music on and giving it a body and form which we certainly would have missed. The primary job of the drummer is to keep time and Ringo doesn't ever seem to fail at this. He doesn't speed up or slow down except when it's part of the arrangement - and in a few of the songs there are a good many time changes which he floated through without visible strain.

Ringo is ambitious but not aggressive and appears to me to be content to rise to whatever point his talent made for him. I suspect no party lucky enough to have him present has been a flop. If his enjoyment led him close to alcoholism or any other addiction, he recognized it and cleaned up his act. I'd certainly invite him to any party of mine! In fact, if he'd come, I'd put together a party. His capacity to enjoy the particular minute he was living at the time is one that most of us could well afford to cultivate.

For him the end of the Beatles was a far greater change then it was for the others. After all, "drum soloist" is virtually without meaning in the pop world. Film wasn't really as open to him as it seems because "Ringo" was so established a character nobody gave him much chance to play anyone else. Unfortunately, too many of the films he did turned out not to be as funny as the writers thought they would be. Ringo was left a drummer without a band.

I suspect that at the time, Ringo had a better grasp of the factors and stresses causing the breakup. Perhaps if there had been one less thing tearing them apart they might have been able to rejoin for a concert or album from time to time. There were too many factors and stresses however and I'll be going into all that in several later posts.

Saturday, March 25, 2006 I attended a concert by Beatlemania Now, a Beatles tribute band performing at the restored 300-seat Palace Theater in Crossville, TN. Although somewhat handicapped due to Paul's suitcase, with his costumes, having joined the 30 million pieces of luggage lost by the airlines every year, they produced an entirely believable Beatles stage presence - in a manner that would have made the original Beatles proud. http://beatlemanianow.com

As you all know, I've been pretty much doing a total immersion in the Beatles the last few months and I feel I'm in a pretty good position to tell you that the music was very nearly undetectable from that of the Fabs. Vocally, the gentleman singing Paul had to push just a bit, apparently he doesn't have quite Paul's range, but that's the silly gripe of someone who actually hears too much better them most people do. I do have to say that John was magnificently played, stance, tilt of head and changes in vocal technique included. His stance was sufficiently authentic that it had the same effect on my daughter that the earlier John's had on the young ladies of his time. I do have to pick just a little, Paul didn't bounce enough, but then Paul McCartney is hyperactive and that's not easy to keep up with. I also missed George's crouch over the guitar during solos but these are very small points.

Of course, being note perfect on the songs from the Beatles early years is probably reasonably easy. These guys managed to do Rain and other of the later songs which at the time the Fabs did it could only be done in a recording studio. Beatlemania Now used a keyboard synthesizer to very smoothly bring in the studio effects and were very slick trading off on who would run the keyboard and who would be on the instruments. Yes, I can tell the difference between the real piccolo trumpet and the synthesized one, but it's not a very big difference, and if I compared it with the sound my TV puts out from the video, there isn't enough difference to detect.

If they didn't quite generate quite the excitement of the originals, well if it were that easy, in John Lennon's words, "we'd put together another group and become managers." What they did generate was a great evening, not so much nostalgic as brought forward. I suspect if just one of us old ladies in the audience had managed a squeak, there would even have been some screaming. I never went to a Beatles concert (actually I've never been to any popular groups concert) but this really had an authentic feeling.

Yes, it was worth the admission price and the trouble of getting me in and out of a theater. I'm putting a picture of me and the Beatles up on my website and you can go see it at http://greycat.cc/me and the beatles2.jpg It's Paul, George, Me, Ringo and John. Those of you who make it to the NorthWind Homecoming in June will probably get to see the T-shirt!! It was fun and I enjoyed it very much and the lads were friendly, polite and very clean.

And a Few Words About My Musical Background

Since this whole Beatles thing has gotten completely out of hand, (and I thought I was going to have something short on lyrics for today but discovered that I had quite a lot of notes on the subject) I decided that it might be a good idea to update you slightly about my interest in the Beatles and how I came to write all this stuff. No, it doesn't amount to a book but there's a whole lot more then any rock magazine is going to publish!

My Journal entry of November 10, 2005, titled "Once Upon A Time," if you are new to my journal-and I've spread the URL out quite a bit for this series-you might want to back up to get the original story. I may have to somewhat qualify a couple things I said in that post. I still don't exactly deserve the term "Beatlemanic" - I don't scream a whole lot - but I'm afraid I'm going to have to plead guilty to "fan." Their story is very interesting, the "lads" were/are very interesting individuals and the group, for which the terms "gestalt" and "synergy" keep coming up, (If you aren't sure about the definitions of these words, please go to http://dictionary.com (or your favorite online dictionary) and look them up. They are important.) accomplished truly amazing and inexplicable things.

Remember folks, the music of my teens was rock-and-roll--I was 15 and at band camp when Rock Around-the-Clock came out and we learned to do the bop. I never realized until I took up this research that I heard Rock Around The Clock within a week after it hit the top of the charts. Did you know that bop differed geographically? I'll be happy to demonstrate at homecoming in June. Although a pretty untypical 15-year old, I was just as blown away by it as anyone. Didn't do any of us in small town Tennessee much good, no sock-hops or soda shops to dance in though I do remember dancing a bit at one of the two drug stores. As Rock and Roll began to wind down and I inched out of my teens, I renewed my early interest in folk. I heard The Beatles differently from the way younger people did. Remember that I was part of the "between generation" as in between the depression and WWII. There weren't very many of us. As I said the other day I've rarely done the fan thing--not for Elvis, not for Bo Diddley, not even for Pat Boone (though I still know the words to Love Letters in the Sand).

I was a "folkie", not really a performer (didn't play guitar although I did buy a dulcimer.) I eventually knew quite a few of the performers well enough to spend evenings at the musicians table when I lived in an apartment right across the street from the back door of the Steamboat Lounge, a jazz club which had "Hootnanny Night" on Sundays. My then husband and I rarely missed it. Later we hung out at The Shadows in Georgetown (Washington, DC neighborhood) and knew the house musicians well enough that we were invited to be part of the "Live at" audience for their (Carol Hedin and Donal Leace) shared album. [1963 The Cellar Door opens at 34th and M Streets, NW. WAMA Hall of Fame singer/songwriter Donal Leace headlined with blues (and folk) singer Carol Hedin opening the show. The club soon becomes known as "The Home of Donal Leace."] Except to those who knew it as the "home of Carol Hedin!"] We returned to Tennessee in the fall of 1962 (to work on the Congressman's reelection campaign) and stayed.

I first heard of the Beatles in probably February of 1963. Yes, I do remember (not at all well as I will explain) seeing them perform on Ed Sullivan on February 9, 1964. No, I didn't see their subsequent appearances. My father died on the 12th. The rest of the 60s for me were pretty full of work, motherhood (a single mother from 1965 on) and a bit of a swinger, mostly around Washington, DC again. I became a serious jazz fan and hung out at several of the jazz clubs in that town including Blues Alley with the Ramsey Lewis Trio? Quartet? Anyway, Keeter Best was the bassman and I recognized his "walking bass" in Paul's bass. And Tommy Chase, the opening act, took me home safe the only time I ever got drunk. Somewhere in Northern Virginia for the Tee Carson Trio with Wilbur Little on bass and at least two other jazz venues in town. Also visited Mr. Henry's pub on Capitol Hill (where I lived) and heard Roberta Flack doing "The First Time", a lovely song I first heard from Carol Hedin.

I recognized many of the later Beatles songs but I've never been someone who knows who did this or that song. Radio simply isn't very good about giving out the names unless they are doing a top whatever session. As my daughter said at the Beatles tribute band concert she took me to; "I didn't know Come Together was a Beatles song." Well, neither did I until I got into this research. (My account of that concert will appear here sooner or later.)

Of course the most important question is do I think I finally cured myself of having their songs running through my mind? You can suggest maybe better songs to have running through my mind? Obviously there have been great and wonderful songs written and/or performed by other soloists and groups during my lifetime. However I don't think that any single individual group has produced quite so many remembered and welcome songs. I have come to the conclusion that I can easily deal with having Beatle songs in my head. After all it could be Swinging or, Goddess preserve me, Achy Breaky Heart. No, I'm not picking on country music, let's not remember Teen Angel or Chapel in the Moonlight either.

In the course of this pleasant research I've also written a book, which might somewhat explain why it's gone a bit slowly. I've watched the full 8 video-tape set of the Beatles Anthology a great many times. Actually I found when I got seriously into finishing the book, that having it on, not very loud, helped me get work done. I don't necessarily pay much attention but when I look up I know what year it is and what's going on and there's always good music to listen to. If you haven't watched the Anthology, I highly recommend it.

A new friend, met through this Beatles interest, has provided me with all the groups music, well, all that was formally issued except for the Anthology CDs, and I have rediscovered old favorites and heard a good few of their songs I hadn't heard at the time and my respect for the band has grown very great.

This is running longer then I'd meant it to, sorry. But it should help you understand where I'm coming from. Remember, I'm just about Ringo's age (he was the oldest of the Beatles) but Paul and my birthday are 2 days (and 2 years) apart which I tend to believe has given me some special insight into him. Fair warning, my respect for Paul has grown a great deal and I don't like John a bit better then ever.

The Beatles and the Press

Let me say to start with that with the exception of David Frost, Rolling Stone, Playboy and a few British interviewers) the reporters sent to interview the Beatles must have gotten their jobs through family influence and kept them with blackmail. Particularly in North America, not one showed any sign that he'd done 10 seconds research prior to the interview (and there is no reason to think the assignments would have been made at the last minute). They unanimously could think of only six questions: 1. How do you like (fill in the name of the city or country here)? 2. Why do you wear your hair in that revolting fashion? (Dublin, Ireland; 1963 November 7.) 3. Where did you get the name? 4. What are you going to do next week when this fad bubble breaks and leaves you penniless? (Manchester Dressing Room; 1963 August 28; Playhouse Theatre, London; 1963 October 16,) 5. What makes your group so popular? (Playhouse Theatre, London; 1963 October 16.) 6. What do you spend all your money on? Frequently each of these questions was asked more then once during a single press conference.

I do think one of the smartest things the Beatles ever did was to decide on a set collection of answers to these silly questions and to simply stick to them. Most were done for laughs rather then accuracy. While I doubt that Brian thought of this tactic, he obviously supported it. In addition, they decided on stock answers having to do with their families and so on. The American fan press (Photoplay and that ilk) invented their supposed slum backgrounds out of whole cloth. In 1963: absent fathers, single mothers and the like were next door to scandalous and it would have been a mistake to be upfront about it. At that point, there's no reason why it should have been any of the press' business.

It's a real pity that so little of the print coverage of the group exists online. Listening to the reporters in the TV and radio interviews it's obvious that there were many rumors going around: The Beatles wore wigs, the Beatles themselves didn't do the singing and playing on the records, the Beatles were unimaginably rich (not true at that time), etc. I'd also love to know if the print reporters were as stupid as the radio and TV reporters-but I simply don't have the time or money to go to London and dive through a mountain of microfilm.

Actually, I can't claim that reporters have really improved much. Any time you listen to a press conference at least one either asks a question that has no answer, one we already know the answer to or accepts some nonsense which does not comprise an answer to the question asked. Sometimes I'm embarrassed to recall that I once took a journalism class.

The fact of the matter is that it's clear most of the media was anti-Beatle. You could see/hear them trying amateurishly to lay traps for the boys - who luckily were a good deal smarter then the reporters were and avoided them adroitly. On the other hand, if the pressmen hadn't been so monumentally stupid, we would have missed some great gags the Beatles ran on them and that surely would be a shame. For me the funniest moment between the Beatles and the press occurred the day the Beatles arrived home from their first trip to the US to be on the Ed Sullivan show. One of the reporters asked; "What about the taste of the fans? Same stuff as over here?" Well, no late teen girl would have been silly enough to ask a just-past-teen male a question like that! Oh, the temptation in Paul's (the usual spokesman) eyes and smile at that moment. He paused just long enough so everyone (except the reporters of course who continued to have no clue) got it, and then gave a grave and exceptionally clean answer.

Derek Taylor mentions that he was sent to trap the Beatles when his paper had him interview them after it had been announced that they were asked to participate in a Royal Command Performance. For some reason the papers felt that by accepting the invitation, the Beatles would be betraying their fans. It's beyond me why this was supposed to be some sort of betrayal. At any rate, the Beatles didn't give Tony or anyone else any useful fodder for their planned put downs. I'm sure they were still criticized but it's pretty hard to be truly vicious when the irresistible quote is Ringo's "I want to play my drums for the Queen Mum." There is simply no way to top that!

You would have thought that during the years the Beatles toured extensively through the US and the world, that reporters would stop sounding as if they'd only heard about the group that morning but the same questions went on and on until the fuss about their visit to Japan, the mess in the Philippines and, soon after, the American reaction to John's remark about the popularity of Jesus. The press seemed to blame the Beatles for upsetting the Japanese and think the situation in Manila was funny. The Philippine press thought whatever the Marcos told them to think. The American press seemed totally without a clue on the Jesus remark. One said to John; "There are some kids saying that they like the Beatles better then Jesus, what do you say to that?" John responded with great (for him) patience that that is exactly what he had originally said. If, indeed, the press had ever actually been "liberal" one assumes that at least one of them might have realized that stating a fact isn't properly called blasphemous!

While the press was always somewhat hostile, after the Jesus remark, many in the American press seem to be searching even harder for negative stories. At the second concert at Shea Stadium the Anthology shows a reporter searching a group of fans not merely looking for a negative comment but asking leading and prejudicial questions such as "Don't you think the Beatles are silly and just for girls?" to a teenage boy (who didn't agree). He finally finds a preteen girl who, while attending a Beatles concert, admits to liking Herman Hermits better. The reporter goes on to talk about the number of empty seats in the stadium - as Ringo comments, "Oh dear, the Beatles only sold 50,000 tickets."

Of course, when the Beatles stopped touring and actually took a vacation longer then 2 weeks, the press got all excited about the Beatles were going to break up. New albums and a movie didn't seem to make any dent in this idea. If the Beatles weren't touring, of course they must be breaking up - I suppose there was some excuse for this since there'd never been a studio band in that pattern before. Stories of the immanent breakup of the Beatles would appear along with others hinting that they'd lost their edge and weren't doing any new songs.

The press as a whole never caught on in the least to the special idealism that sprang up among the best of the "new age" so it's no surprise that their reaction to Apple Corps tended to the negative. In another entry I'll talk about the (rather sophomoric) idealism which sprang up in the New Age (and feminist) movements having to do with creating a business paradigm that eliminated the perceived inhumanity of lassies faire. Apple was a part of that movement - and the outcome was quite similar, although rather more expensive, to most of them. Celestial Seasons Tea and, strangely enough, Wal-Mart are exceptions to the melt-down trend. (I'm working on an entry simply about life in the 60s which will help you younger folks understand some of the things that aren't making sense to you right now.)

"Paul takes drugs" was the headline (more or less) - and nobody but John understood the point Paul made: The press asked him a question to which he had three possible responses, he could flat lie, he could refuse to answer (imagine what the press would have made of that) or he could tell the truth. This is not a pleasant position to be in. Paul pointed out very clearly that first the reporter asked the question and second, it wasn't Paul who was making sure all the kids knew, the press was doing it. I'm in the same position with my dear doctor. I'm forced to take Tylenol despite the fact that A. it has absolutely no analgesic effect on me and B. it causes liver damage and breathing difficulties (and I have asthma). So I have to pay the drug companies to put a compound with very serious negative side effects into my codeine because the company that invented it put on one of the most successful lying advertising campaigns in history. And my doctor just doesn't see why it makes me mad. Probably you don't either.

The critical failure of Magical Mystery Tour, broadcast in black and white on the BBC, sparked another press feeding frenzy - or killing frenzy. How delightful to be able to put down the Beatles without making up the scenario! The movie, which now would probably come over as a music video in need of just a bit of cutting, completely confounded the establishment critics. No plot, no story, no message - that they could read. I'm sure I don't need to point out that professional critics are frequently wrong even in these supposedly freer, enlightened days.

John and Yoko with/vs. the press. I'm not going to go into this at all. John and Yoko asked for it and they got what they asked for. 'Nuff said.

The press, of course, made a real circus out of the breakup of the Beatles, beginning their campaign the moment they realized that the group had stopped touring-which gave them almost four years to play with it. In the end those who didn't settle on Yoko Ono as the cause lit on Paul since he'd been the first one to in any way go public about it. It really isn't the press' fault that they didn't know that both Ringo and George had "quit" the band some time earlier and that John had officially, although very privately, announced that he was going to get a "divorce," since the press didn't now about any of that until a long time after the breakup. They should not, however, be forgiven for misquoting the "interview" Paul put in his first solo album. [I'll be writing about the breakup. For the moment, take my word for it, the Beatles broke up the Beatles.]

Why were so many in media (actually, media didn't exist in anyone's mind then) antagonistic towards the Beatles? There were probably several factors. First of all, they were seen as a fad roughly of equivalent importance to the hula hoop and therefore beneath the dignity of real reporters. In fact, stories about any pop (or rock) singer were treated as filler. Then, as they became more successful I see hints of envy from reporters perceiving that "all the money" they were making was essentially unearned. Entertainers were not generally news at that time and even getting a byline on a story about the Beatles wouldn't do a reporters career much good. In America I suspect there was hostility towards any British import. People saw American as having saved Britain in the Second World War and probably felt that England should be going crazy over American bands. Of course, the reporters were no doubt ignorant of the fact that England actually produced a great many fans of American rock including the boys.

So here were important men (in their own eyes at least) forced to waste their time on this insignificant pop fad and there the Fabs were, younger then the reporters, in better suits then the reporters could afford and with that shocking and threatening long hair. Of course, these days we find it difficult to see the hair as long at all. What's not to hate?

All the bad news over the last week on women's right to choose whether or not they have to bear a child does show us all how shallow are the "great steps" that have been made in women's equality. Oh, I strongly suspect that not as many women as men WANT to be CEOs of major corporations but that's really not the question here.

The question here is why do so many males hate the idea of women controling their own fertility. I wonder if the answer doesn't have to do with those "precious bodily fluids" I remember hearing so much about in the promos for the movie Patton. What if they simply can't bear to know that once they've injected their oh so valuable cum into the lower species how dare the animal refuse to nurture it, carry it to term and raise it to be a good little soldier.

Maybe they need to change those space-saving multi-purpose lawn signs of theirs; the ones that read "Prevent abortion", "Support Our Troops", and "Bring Back Capitol Punishment", need to be repainted to say "Don't destroy my seed".

Still watching old, old video recorded off TV. There just was an ad, I think for a truck, showing two good looking young cowboys riding the roads and one says to the other "Hey, can I borrow your eyeliner pencil?"

I don't think the deisigner imagined the switch with our two in rodeo clown makeup would inspire quite such a giggle in me.

I can't know if any of you watched Babylon 5 but it was a very long-running adventure that maintained a very high standard of entertainment - as well as being the source of countless excellent sig quotations and a fully-rounded collection of XTs even Star Wars can at best equal. I run the tapes from time to time at times when I want something going on in the house but am not going to really pay attention.

I don't think there are more then a couple episodes I don't enjoy watching but the one running right now is easily my favorite. In it Michael York gives us one of the most perceptive and evocative performances of his life of good performances playing Arthur of Camelot returned. As Arthur roams the nether levels of the space station protecting the old, the poor and the sick, he draws into his train not only the rather romantic British heritage Ranger but also the most puissant knight, the Narn, Jakar.

Jakar himself is quite a story as his character grows from one perceived as primitively militaristic to a philosopher and the new inspiration of his people - the Narn's Arthur. Since this series was planned as one single, very long, dramatic story, Arthur hasn't returned just because it makes a good story.

This rather subtle story of the last stand in a universe dissolving into interstellar war and the people who are trying to hold the whole thing together can't be called shallow entertainment in the first place. The return of the once and future king doesn't so much add depth to it as it gives the ongoing protagonists a myth at a moment of fear and failure.

There's a reason why Arthur's story still lives with so many of us today; again we're in a time when hope is a most needed thing.

The Christmas or end-of-the-year letter is an old and reasonably good idea. For some reason, I haven't been able to stir up much enthusiasm for doing one this year. It's not really that nothing much has happened, just somehow haven't been in the mood. Still not much in the mood.
Not much moving on the author front. My agent is flogging a couple of proposals around, we'll see if anyone will bite. I've sent here a list of other ideas to see if she really likes any of them. I'm going to see if I can get the book on Pagan Troublemakers written and if nobody wants to publish it, I'll do it myself as an ebook.
I guested at a Beltane festival in Connecticut which was fun and I taught my series of workshops on advanced ritual leadership in North Dakota. I may possibly attend PUF near Nashville but other then that I've no real plans to go to any gatherings this year. It just takes me too darn long to recover. I also led workshops and signed books at both the Knoxville and Nashville Pagan Pride days as well as sharing the leadership of the noon ritual with other NorthWinders at the Nashville PPD.
I've got a bunch of books on any number of subjects that I'm selling off. Some are from my parents libraries and others from my first husbands and many from my own. You can browse the list at
http://www.geocities.com/marshallbooks/
if you're interested. I've also got a 36" floor jack loom for sale. Write to me if you're interested. I'll be listing more as I can get to it. I'll give you a good price on it. http://www.leclerclooms.com/Lec_Cat4.htm
space down to the Artisat IV if the page doesn't set there.
I'll be updating my website during January. And it surely needs it. *grin*
Somehow I've managed to catch a bad case of Beatlemania some 40 years late! I innocently played the first disk of the first "greatest hits" album in order to listen to "Yesterday" (40 years and 1 month after it's release as a matter of fact) and the music stuck in my mind like superglue. Playing the second disk and then the 2 in the second album didn't help so I got out the video tape I'd made of the Anthology that ran on TV in 95 and 96. I'm sure you've seen one thing lead to another and I ended up doing an enormous amount of research on the internet as well as buying the full 600 minutes of video tape of the Anthology. I'm still hoping to get the albums of Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road at least. I liked their music at the time but I had other things on my mind (a new baby for instance) and was never prone to listen to music according to performer preferring to select according to specific song.
I've written a fairly long article titled "Miss Marple Meets The Beatles" which is almost done though it will need tightening and editing down. My daughter has ordered me to have my agent send it to Rolling Stone - and I learned a long time ago not to argue with a Scorpio. I hope to be through with it in a week or so. I'd intended to put it in my journal but can't, of course, if I'm going to try to get it published. Anyone interested in reading it should drop me a note and I'll mail it to you.
I adopted two "red" kittens I found hanging out in the hedge at my doctors office in August. They are damn near the size of grown cats now. I'm attaching a photo to those getting this off a maillist. Their names are Stanley and Livingston. Livingston is female, Stanley male. You can tell them apart because Livingston always gets there first. At this point, Stanley is visibly bigger too. I've observed in the past that red males tend to be rather large and he's promising to approach record setting size.
That's really about it. Living quietly doesn't make for long letters. I got in the mood to find a man-friend but I got over it. For one thing, the men who are more or less my age now are the same idiots whom I first met when they were 18 or so - and they don't seem to have improved much. And I got to wondering if it would really be worth shaving my legs for a date and frankly had to conclude that if I could ask that question I probably didn't want to date all that badly!
My health remains very much the same, I can't walk far or stand very long and I have to be very careful about my diet. I've got a new antihistamine which is very good and that's nice. My income went down when I reached 65 when my Wal-Mart disability timed out. Yes, I do miss $125 a month!! But all in all, I'm not doing badly and still having fun.
This coming Spring, NorthWind Tradition of American Wicca will be 20 years old. That year we had a small get-together here at my house for the 7 of us original members along with a number of our Craft and Pagan friends in the area. We'd like to do that again this year and plan a small festival for June 24 and 25, 2006, also here at my house. We particularly invite the people who trained with us and subsequently left for various reasons and members of the groups we've been close to including Fafnir's Alexandian group, Dick Sells students and initiates, Oak, Ash and Thorne (OATh), Lord/Lady Ariell's various incarnations, ADF, COG and so on. I will need to know ahead of those days if you plan to come. There will be a small charge for the gathering, a pot-luck dinner on Saturday night and undoubtedly a NorthWind Water War. There is plenty of space for camping and day trippers are also welcome. If you are interested in attending but aren't sure if you can make it, let me know, with your email address, and I'll keep you informed of plans and any changes therein.
That's pretty much my year. All my best to you and yours during this holiday season and for a really good New Year.
Blessings
Grey Cat

Even in our journals and blogs!! I'm sorry about this but I suspect that there's no way to guard against it since I really don't want to restrict comments to those on my friends list.

There will be a real post soon!!