1/05/2022

luke is dead

 after susan lucci's erica kane, who is the most famous soap opera character?

i'd argue it's a duo: luke and laura, laura and luke.  from 'general hospital.'  so popular that elizabeth taylor came on the soap as a guest at their wedding (as helena cassadine).  luke and laura made the covers of 'newsweek' and 'people' and many, many other publication.


genie francis played laura and anthony geary played luke.  'entertainment weekly' reports:


Luke and Laura will have to continue their epic romance in the afterlife.

In a shocking move, General Hospital has killed off Luke Spencer, the popular character who first came to Port Charles 44 years ago, portrayed by Anthony Geary.

Well, perhaps it's not super shocking seeing that Geary retired from the longest-running soap opera still in production back in 2015 and Luke has existed almost exclusively offscreen since then. But for fans of GH, Luke Spencer's death marks the end of an era. 


'cnn' notes:


Played off and on over the years by Anthony Geary since the role originated in 1978, the character was part of an epic love story with Laura Webber that reached its height of popularity in the 1980s.
    The wedding of Luke and Laura in 1981 drew about 30 million viewers, making it one of the highest-rated episodes in the history of daytime dramas.
    But on Monday the character of Tracy Quartermaine (who was married to Luke) revealed to Laura that Luke had died off screen in a cable car accident overseas that may not have been an "accident" after all. 


    made me wonder if tony geary was ill in real life?


    i hope not.


    i'll have to watch this week to see how he died and how laura reacted to the news when tracey quartermaine tells her.


    that said ... this is a soap.  i believe laura's been dead at least twice on the show, right?  on a soap a death doesn't really have to 'take' - the character can always come back to life.


    let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'


    Wednesday, January 5, 2022. Julian Assange remains persecuted, DoD admits US troops in Iraq are still in harms way, and much more.



    Julian Assange remains persecuted.










    Ending the perseuction is not that difficult.  The US government just has to agree to stop punishing people for jounalism.  The US government just has to accept that The First Amendment exists and is a law.  Joe Biden has to realize that not only has this been wrong-headed, it's seriosly damaged Julian's health.  To put this right, charges need to be dropped and Joe has the power to do that.

    John Pilger notes:

    Julian #Assange has now spent 1000 days in Belmarsh prison. His crime is truth. Watch this powerful video by Hong Kong's leading journalist, Yonden Lhatoo, whose work I admire. Watch and learn about our true enemy.
    Quote Tweet
     
    In his New Year’s message, Yonden Lhatoo demands Western governments free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange before preaching press freedom to everyone else.
    6:17 AM · Jan 5, 2022

    Stella Morris also notes that it is now 1000 days in prison for political prisoner Julian Assange.

    Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be Julian's 1000th day in Belmarsh high security prison. One thousand days of this.
    2:49 AM · Jan 4, 2022




    This latest NBC News article on Assange by former FBI Assistant Director Figliuzzi features all of these corrupt dynamics. MSNBC has been repeatedly promoting it. That is remarkable on its own: a so-called "news outlet” is cheering — indeed, salivating over — the Biden administration's attempt to criminalize Assange under “espionage” laws for the sin of reporting genuine documents showing all sorts of improper conduct by the agencies whose former operatives now staff that network. Given that press freedom groups in the West have uniformly condemned the prosecution of Assange as a grave threat to a free press, it is stunning to watch a corporation that claims to be in the news business cheering rather than denouncing it.

    But for the U.S. media, that is just ordinary corruption and subservience to the CIA: it is hardly rare to find "journalists” giddy over the prospect of Assange's ongoing imprisonment. What makes this new article particularly notable is that the FBI — when Figliuzzi was a senior official there — was directly involved in the attempt to investigate, frame and prosecute Assange. Yet the article, while identifying its analyst as “the assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, where he served 25 years as a special agent and directed all espionage investigations across the government,” makes no mention of his direct personal interest in the Assange prosecution.

    The primary claim of this article is an unhinged conspiracy theory. Figliuzzi asserts that extraditing Assange onto U.S. soil could endanger Donald Trump. The former FBI official barely conceals his glee over the prospect that Assange could somehow offer up dirt on Trump in exchange for a promise of leniency from prosecutors:

    If the Department of Justice plays its cards right, it can make the case precisely about those Russian government hacks and WikiLeaks' dissemination of the content of those hacks by offering a deal to Assange in return for what he knows.

    That’s what should worry Trump and his allies. . . . Assange may be able to close the gap between collusion and criminal conspiracy. Assange got the Democratic National Committee data dump from an entity long suspected to be a front for the GRU, the Russian military intelligence service. . . Assange may be able to help the U.S. government in exchange for more lenient charges or a plea deal. Prosecutions can make for strange bedfellows. A trade that offers a deal to a thief who steals data, in return for him flipping on someone who tried to steal democracy sounds like a deal worth doing.

    So, DOJ, if you’re listening…

    That Assange "stole data” is an absolute lie — not even the U.S. Government claims this — but NBC News has previously shown that it has no qualms about disseminating that particular lie. As for Figliuzzi’s belief that Assange possesses secret information about Trump's collusion with Russia over the 2016 election: that is nothing short of madness. Robert Mueller did not even attempt to interview Assange, precisely because the Special Counsel (Figliuzzi's former boss) obviously recognized that Assange had no information that would assist Mueller's investigation to determine whether Trump or his associates criminally conspired with Russia. If Assange really has information showing Trump criminally worked with the Kremlin, how can Figliuzzi justify that Mueller, during eighteen months of investigating that question, never even sought to speak to Assange?

    Moreover, if — as Figliuzzi fantasizes — Assange were in possession of some sort of smoking gun that Mueller never found but which would finally prove Trump's guilt on various crimes, why did Trump not pardon Assange? After all, if this twisted fantasy that NBC News is promoting had any validity — namely, Trump will be in big trouble once the U.S. succeeds in extraditing Assange to the U.S. to stand trial — why was it the Trump administration that brought these charges against Assange in the first place, and why would Trump not have pardoned Assange in order to prevent such a deal from taking place? None of what Figliuzzi is claiming has any evidence to support it or even makes any minimal sense.

    But as usual, that is no bar to NBC News and MSNBC publishing and aggressively promoting it. As I will never tire of pointing out, it is the corporate media outlets that most vocally denounce disinformation which are the ones guilty of spreading it most frequently and destructively.




    Meanwhlie, last year found US President Joe Biden announcing combat was over for US troops in Iraq.  Combat did not end just because Joe tossed out a few words.  This is from the US Defense Dept:

    Even though the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq has changed, the troops are still in a hazardous environment and retain the ability to defend themselves, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told reporters today.

    24:29
    Video Player


    The mission of U.S. forces shifted from combat to advise and assist two weeks ago, per an agreement between the United States and Iraq. Yet troops advising and assisting Iraqi forces are at risk.

    Forces launched strikes against rocket-launching sites near Green Village in Syria and shot down two armed drones targeting forces in Al Asad Air Base. There were no casualties among friendly forces.

    The strikes against the rocket-launching sites were not airstrikes, Kirby said. Forces hit the sites to ensure rockets were not launched against coalition forces. 

    Iraqi officials inspect body armor plates.


    But that begs the greater question of if U.S. personnel are at risk in the mission. "They clearly are at risk in the region," Kirby said. "I mean, one of the reasons why these sites were hit was [that] we had reason to believe that they were going to be used as launch sites for attacks on Green Village. So clearly, our men and women remain in harm's way. And we have to take that threat very seriously. We always have the right of self-defense."

    Kirby would not say who manned these rocket-launching sites. "That said, we continue to see threats against our forces in Iraq and Syria by militia groups that are backed by Iran," he said. "But again, I don't have specific attribution on who was responsible for these specific sites."

    Iran is a major player in Iraq and U.S. officials have been consistently concerned about the threats to U.S. forces in the region. "That is not a new concern," Kirby said. "And I think we've seen in just the last few days, that there have been acts perpetrated by some of these groups that validate the consistent concern that we've had over the safety and security of our people."

    A man speaks at a press briefing.


    On Russia, Kirby said should NATO allies ask for more U.S. capabilities in Europe, "we would be positively disposed to consider those requests." Still, he noted, the United States has a "very large and robust footprint" in Europe that complements the sizable capabilities that European allies possess. "There already exists a lot of capabilities [in Europe]," he said. "And some of those capabilities could be moved around — if that was, in fact, the request and was decided that would be the most prudent thing to do."

    There are many options that President Joe Biden has if Russia decides to launch another incursion into Ukraine, Kirby said, but nothing has been asked for yet.

    Related Transcript: Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing


    Let's wind down because I'm tired.  COVID.  The pandemic hasn't ended.  More government resources need to be targeted towards the pandemic.  

    I got both shots and the booster.  Monday, I took a test and found out the next day that I have COVID.  I'm fine and will be fine.  Others are not so fortunate.  I don't have to worry about money or losing a roof over my head.  Others are not so fortunate.  A UBI is needed for the American people.  And a serious plan is needed for addressing this pandemic.  Joe Biden ran for president knowing about the pandmeic.  His refusal to address issues related to the pandemic are appalling.  

    That Joe Biden is failing at his job is bad enough but he is also failing the country and that cannot be allowed.  If he's not up for the job, he should resign. 

    Anthony Fauci is an abject failure and Joe should fir him immediately.





    The following sites updated:


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    la lucci is 75 and looks incredible!

     good for susan lucci, 75 and looking incredible.


    if you watched daytime tv in the 70s, 80s, 90s or 00s, you knew susan lucci.


    she played erica kane on 'all my children.'  erica was a force to be reckoned with.  she quickly became the queen of daytime tv.  


    i still miss 'all my children.'  can't image what abc was thinking when they killed off that show.  


    anyway.  be sure to read ava and c.i.'s 'Media: How much does Lucie Arnaz hate her late mother?' and i'm sorry for not posting light night but i wasn't in the mood.  no 1 was.  i didn't feel like talking about it and really don't now but i know c.i.'s going to mention it in the snapshot later this morning so i will note it here, c.i got tested for covid monday and found out tuesday that she has it.  she says everything's going to be fine. i hope so.


    let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:"


     Tuesday, January 4, 2022.  Another attack on US forces in Iraq, War Criminal Tony Blair inspires more outrage, Mexico's president offers asylum to Julian Assange, and much more.

    Sinan Mahmoud (THE NATIONA) reports, "US troops in western Iraq shot down two drones on Tuesday morning, Iraqi and US-led international coalition officials said."  And before you think, "Wait, that was covered in yesterday's snapshot -- No.  This is anothe drone attack.  Two days in a row.  Cameron Jenkins (THE HILL) explains:

    A second attempted drone attack on U.S. forces in Iraq was foiled on Tuesday after Iraq's air defenses shot down armed drones that were headed toward a U.S. air base west of Baghdad.

    An official with the U.S.-led international military coalition confirmed the attempted attack on the Ain al-Asad air base, according to Reuters.

    On Monday, a similar attack was attempted, but the drones were shot down. 


    So let's again raise the important question: Are US forces in Iraq getting combat pay?  They are in a war zone, so they should; however, US Presidnet Joe Biden is so bound and determined to claim 'combat' troops are gone, they may not be.

    Moving from one War Criminal to another, as 2021 drew to a close Tony Blair became a knight.  Yes, the royal family of England took time out from embracing the rapist Prince Andrew to embrace Was Criminal Tony.  John Pilger Tweets:


    The contempt in which Britain's elite holds the public has never been more eloquently expressed than in the decision to award Tony Blair the highest order of knighthood. One million Iraqis dead, three million dispossessed, a trail of blood to 7/7. Rise Sir Tony!
    2:20 AM · Jan 1, 2022


    Andrew Feinstein Tweets:


    Desmond Tutu refused to share a platform with Tony Blair, describing him as a war criminal who shud stand trial. Blair is also a war profiteer, having made 10s of millions personally from the invasion of Iraq & his corrupt arms trade links.C ‘The Shadow World’ book for references

    4:47 AM · Jan 1, 2022


    Yvonne Ridley (MEMO) notes:


    Tony Blair's final act as a human wrecking ball could well bring down the British monarchy following the controversial decision by Queen Elizabeth II to award him a knighthood. Not just any old knighthood, you understand; he has been made a member of the Order of the Garter, the country's oldest and most prestigious order of chivalry.

    As the world's longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth's many admirers have lavished her with praise for the way she has steered the ship of state for nigh on seventy years by avoiding any embroilment in hot political issues. It wasn't always like this, though. In 1997, the death of Princess Diana exposed fault lines within the monarchy which revealed Britain's royal family to be out of touch with the British people. It was the Queen's then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and his "peoples' princess speech" which apparently turned public opinion and softened republican murmurs.

    Such murmurs are being revived now, though, following her controversial decision to honour the 68-year-old former Middle East envoy in this way. So much so, that "Sir Tony" could well be the undoing of the monarchy. It really is that serious.

    Blair's knighthood has also been greeted with bewilderment and outrage around the world, especially in the Middle East where conflict and turmoil continue today as a result of the 2003 war in Iraq which brought untold death, misery, injury and hardship to millions. Blair, of course, hung on the coat tails of US President George W Bush and sold the invasion of Iraq on blatant lies regarding "weapons of mass destruction" in the oil-rich country.


    And ARAB NEWS reports:


    More than half a million people have called on the British government to rethink the award of a knighthood to former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

    Sir Tony, who served as prime minister from 1997 to 2007, was named a knight companion of the most noble order of the garter — the highest accolade possible — in the queen’s honors list for 2021.

    An online public petition calling on the government to push the queen to rescind the honor has accrued over 550,000 signatures.

    The petition says: “Tony Blair caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the United Kingdom and to the very fabric of the nation’s society. He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent, civilian lives … in various conflicts. For this alone he should be held accountable for war crimes.”


    Caroline Westbrook (THE MIRROR) reminds:


    The anger over Mr Blair’s knighthood comes from his decision to send UK Armed Forces into Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11 – which led to the deaths of more than 600 British military personnel and tens of thousands more civilians.

    The war with Iraq began in 2003 with the invasion of the country by a US-led coalition of forces, and ended with the withdrawal of US forces in 2011.

    At the time, the then PM built the case for military action against Saddam Hussein’s regime by saying there appeared to be evidence mounting of weapons of mass destruction that could be used within 45 minutes.

    However the subsequent Chilcott Inquiry – which looked into the UK’s involvement in the Iraq war – concluded in 2016 that the former Labour leader overplayed the ‘flawed’ intelligence about the dictator’s weaponry and ignored peaceful means to resolve the issue.


    And TRT WORLD notes:

    The anti-apartheid hero archbishop Desmond Tutu who recently passed away, was even more scathing.

    In an opinion piece almost a decade ago, he wrote, "the immorality of the United States and Great Britain's decision to invade Iraq in 2003, premised on the lie that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, has destabilised and polarised the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history."

    Yet while he has been held generally held in contempt in the public realm, Blair has raked in tens of millions of dollars mingling with some of the world's more corrupt and despotic regimes.

    If Tony Blair was worried that his post-prime ministerial career would shudder to a halt given the hate he inspired, he didn't show it.

    His first major contract was with the US banking giant JP Morgan, who gave him a five-year contract of $4 million per year.

    Tony Blair was also appointed as a Middle East Peace Envoy, at a cost of more than $13 million, a role he held between 2007 and 2015.

    For many, that the man who had helped trigger so much war and destruction in the Middle East should be appointed to find a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, smacked as a cruel joke for those living in the region.

    Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tony Blair resigned in 2015, not having brought peace to the Middle East.

    However, by this time, Blair had brought a measure of peace and prosperity for his family, amassing a string of houses in central London worth millions of dollars. His net worth is estimated to be around $60 million.

    As revelations of Blair's dealings with the super-rich and authoritarian regimes have periodically trickled into the press, his stature has fallen in equal measure with one British paper calling the former prime minister a "political embarrassment".


    Meanwhile journalist John McEvoy Tweets:


    Tony Blair being awarded a knighthood while Julian Assange suffers a stroke in prison tells you everything you need to know about Britain.
    12:11 PM · Jan 1, 2022




    As TELESUR reports in the video above, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the Presidnet of Mexico, has again offer Julian Assange political asylum in Mexico.  REUTERS notes:


    López Obrador reiterated the asylum offer he had made for Assange a year ago, and said that before Trump was replaced as President by Joe Biden last January, he had written him a letter recommending that Assange be pardoned.

    Mexico did not receive a reply to the letter, López Obrador told a regular government news conference.

    “It would be a sign of solidarity, of fraternity to allow him asylum in the country that Assange decides to live in, including Mexico,” López Obrador said.


    The world watches as Joe Biden continues to persecute Julian Assange.




    The following sites updated:



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