A smile crossed my face when I read the book jacket for Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders. One of the few genres for which I last followed TV into early adulthood had a literary equivalent. 

And yet it was a Web ad for a TV special on its central figure -- Alex Murdaugh -- that I'd lost my appetite for the case. That, and coverage I had happened upon while browsing a New York tabloid on a slow day for national news. (The book actually cites that tabloid at some point.) It was, however, Tangled Vines from which I learned the case had held not just my attention, or that of the news media local to Murdaugh's state. Tangled Vines, however, filled me in on much more. The repeat, unpunished recklessness. The millions of dollars stolen. The spouse who was said to proclaim the Murdaugh name.

​I was intrigued by the limited number of persons close to the Murdaugh's who were willing to speak on them. Some did so artfully, because none was about the same facet of the Murdaughs: One spoke of the parenting style of the Murdaughs. A relative spoke on their clan's historical connection to one substance. Another was a transplant business owner sued by one of the Murdaughs. Yet another is a former girlfriend of one of the sons who had served as a witness.

The writing though is a little drab, a little monotone. Simple sentence structures. Basic vocab apart from legal jargon. Sparse commentary. Tangled Vines is an easy read -- a little too easy. But the book cover notes that Glott is a Times Bestselling Author. Also, the book cover inside reveals more than a dozen titles to his credit, so I figured he likely writes so that the largest readership possible can comprehend it. And I can say: The book's readability was helpful when trying to finish its last chapters in the days before my deadline.

Nor does it start with Alex's branch of the Murdaugh family tree. Instead, it builds up to five generations of the family's electoral and judicial reign in their state. That took some patience because Alex was the first Murdaugh I knew of, and that was from the roadside shooting and allegations by the Satterfield sons, whichever had come first. Perhaps it was a cruel joke because that followed a sequence of events in the public view.

​Also see Recommender/Recommendation below. 

Did "Tangled Vines" answer one question that got me interested in actually reading it?

A young scientist reverses course after graduating a newly stamped Ph.D. His advanced education and training is in a field one might deem the quintessential pure, physical science. But it's an applied route for which he is now interested. For him, it begins with a fellowship in Washington.

Gregory Jackzo, that scientist, knows little about U.S. government or Washington politics. Further, he's apolitical. Yet a high-ranking senator, since deceased, urges his ultimate nomination to the Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC). Eventually, a teeth-clinching meeting by a well-known member in the Obama Cabinet concludes the administration's reluctant compromise to nominate him.

Along with Frankenstein in Baghdad and another title, I began reading Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator several years ago. As mentioned in my F.I.B. review, I shelved it (them) because I was moving. Unlike those two titles, however, I attempted several times to finish Confessions. Despite the date of this review, I finally finished the book itself a year ago.

See Frankenstein in Baghdad below.  

Perhaps it was the first of several systems on the lifecycle and operation of nuclear energy generation that overwhelmed me.  Who knew the next time I'd come across literature on the workings of nuclear technology, so I wanted a grasp of the basics.

​There's a scene in Atlas Shrugged where Daphne, the protagonist, tours the heart (as I think she referred to it) of a moving train. From its depiction, I perceived its sound as agony within the throat of industrial noise and the sight as machinery wrestling itself.

In Confessions, Jaczko writes, “Keeping a reactor cool requires much steel pipe, many motors, and a lot of pumps, each with its own price tag.” It wasn't the book that was overwhelming; nuclear technology itself is complex and intense.
​ 
Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator is the result of a theoretical physicist with no political aspiration holds the reigns of an obscure regulatory agency. But for the industry and its dealmakers, the NRC has a significance that it does not with the American populace.

I thought Jaczko demonstrated tact in his leadership there. It was a guideline that his staff worked for the NRC, not energy execs, but he welcomed both to commission meetings.

But why?

Perhaps it was a venue for Jaczko to oversee interaction between the two sides.

In addition to nuclear energy and nuclear regulation, his insights address what some insiders might not. For example, he was an advisor to both Washington and his Japanese counterparts during the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima. Washington was not prepared, he notes, for a long-distance nuclear disaster so far away; and that neither the NRC nor its safety experts were prepared or similated for a meltdown so long in duration.

“Because safety, especially as it relates to public health, is often informed by medical and scientific data, we tend to believe that safety standards are also determined by science.”

He later continues, “It would be an amazing feat if physics and biology had conspired in such away that safe radiation exposure could be expressed so simply using the number 100 and not, say, 102.36493. It is an unwritten rule of safety policymaking that, whenever possible, you work with simple numerical expressions.

"That is not scientific," he concludes. "That is practical.”

The Free & Equal Elections Foundation hosted its Final Open Presidential Debate ft. Music Artists from the United We Stand Festival - Los Angeles Oct. 23. Seven presidential candidates were invited, including Cornel West (Independent); Donald Trump (Republican); Kamala Harris (Democrat); and Claudia de la Cruz (Socialism & Liberation).
​
The other three candidates confirmed. They include Randall Terry (Constitution); Jill Stein (Green); and Chase Oliver (Libertarian).

The co-moderators were David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General, and Free & Equal Founder Christina Tobin.

I ranked each candidate on his/her ability to:
​

1. ​Stay on topic
2. Support arguments with evidence
3. Answer the question at hand
4. Provide a solution distinguishable from co-debators

Rebuttal or Expansion not ranked if it veered from the debate topic or was a standalone statement.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING (16:44 - 20:09)
How would you address the current challenge of affordable housing?

1. Jill Stein (Green)
2. Randall Terry (Constitution)
3. Chase Oliver (Libertarian)

STUDENT LOAN DEBT (24:10 - 25:17)
​Do you support the effort to cancel student loans in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision striking down the Biden administration's attempt at lone forgiveness?

1. ​Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

NATIONAL DEBT (30:08 - 36:20)
In reality, the government has over $125 trillion in total liabilities and unfunded social insurance obligations. Interest is our second-largest expense. It's past Defense and it's past Medicare.... What steps would you take to put our federal finances in order...?

1. Oliver (Libertarian)
2. ​Stein (Green)
3. Terry (Constitution)

NATIONAL DEBT - Expansion | Rebuttal (36:23 - 39:55)

1. Oliver - Expansion/Rebuttal on Stein - next line (Libertarian)
2. Stein - Rebuttal on Terry - next line (Green)
3. Terry - Expansion; Rebuttal on Stein above (Constitution)

SOUTHERN BORDER & IMMIGRATION (43:49 - 50:07)
What steps would you take to strengthen border security, improve vetting of high-risk individuals, while at the same point in time to promote legal immigration... ?

1. ​Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

SOUTHERN BORDER & IMMIGRATION - Expansion | Rebuttal (50:11 - 53:05)

1. Terry - Rebuttal on Stein above (Constitution)
2. Oliver - Rebut to Terry's rebuttal on Stein - previous line (Libertarian)
3. Stein - Counter-Rebuttal on Terry - 2 lines up (Green)

NUTRITION x FARMING (56:53 - 1:03:10)
Science says our nutrition is increasingly responsible for our obesity and our health crisis. How would you make Americans healthier? And would you limit the use of GMOs, forever chemicals, and toxic farming practices...?

1. Stein (Green)
2. Terry (Constitution)
3. Oliver (Libertarian) ​​

HEALTHCARE ACCESS (1:07:22 - 1:13:28)
The U.S. consistently performs worst in metrics like life expectancy and infant mortality despite higher healthcare spending. What are the biggest challenges of our healthcare system, and how would you address them?

1. Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

HEALTHCARE ACCESS - Expansion | Rebuttal (1:13:35 - 1:15:43)

1. ​Oliver - Rebuttal on Stein above; Counter-Rebuttal on Terry - next line (Libertarian)
2. Terry - Rebuttal on Stein above (Constitution)

FOREIGN POLICY: ISRAEL (1:19:51 - 1:26:21)
Since last October, the official number of those killed in Gaza is 40,000, with actual casualties rates potentially... several times that. Despite this, the U.S. government continues to send billions of dollars in military aid to Israel .... Do you support Israel as a Jewish state? And if not, how would you keep Jewish people safe?​​​

​Highly recommended: "Unleash the Power of Vitamin D" by Dr. Leslie Ray Matthews.

In it, he shares some of his clinical successes with Vitamin D supplementation for past patients in/after trauma surgery or with traumatic brain injury (TBI). They include a woman impaled thru her core and out of her back by a leg-thick tree branch, and a man who fell to the ground from 500 ft (152 m) at 85 mph (136 kp/h).

These patients are in addition to his other Vitamin D supplementation successes, which include champion or record-setting Olympian, amateur, college, and professional athletes or teams; students at a low-performing, low-income school in Mississippi; and his late mother who, at 89, recovered just weeks after breaking her pelvis in 2 places.

Dr. Matthews has shared his clinical experience with, but not limited to the:
​

• State of Alaska;
• U.S. Military;
• CDC;
• Abu Dhabi Conference on Vitamin D Deficiency & Human Health

The Free & Equal Elections Foundation hosted an Open Presidential Debate 2024 at FreedomFest - Las Vegas, July 12. Seven presidential candidates were invited, including Joe Biden (Democrat), Donald Trump (Republican),  Cornel West (Independent), and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Independent).

The other three candidates confirmed. They include Chase Oliver (Libertarian); Jill Stein (Green); and Randall Terry (Constitution).

Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) became the first sitting Congressmember to moderate a presidential debate, which he did with Free & Equal founder and chair Christina Tobin. ​

I ranked each candidate on his or her ability to:

​1) Stay on topic
2) Support arguments with evidence
3) Answer the question at hand
4) Provide a solution distinguishable from co-debators

Rebuttal or Expansion not ranked if it veered from the debate topic or was a standalone statement.

DEBATING (19:05 - 25:48)
What would you say to candidates who chose not to debate tonight?

1. Chase Oliver (Libertarian)
2. Randall Terry (Constitution)
3. Jill Stein (Green)

ECONOMY (26:27 - 33:12)
How would you fix the inflation crisis affecting the cost of living? 

1. Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

ECONOMY - Rebuttal | Expansion (33:27 - 36:53)

1. Oliver - Rebuttal to Stein (Libertarian)
2. Stein - Rebuttal to Oliver (Green)
3. Terry - Expansion on Oliver (Constitution)​

WAR & PEACE
Global tensions are rising. How would you ensure that our actions promote peace and prevent escalation towards a nuclear conflict? (37:37 - 42:37).

1. Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

WAR & PEACE - Rebuttal | Expansion (42:40 - 45:49)

1. Oliver - Counter-Rebuttal to Terry - 2 lines down (Libertarian)
2. Stein - Expansion on Oliver's Rebuttal to Terry (Green)
3. Terry - Rebuttal to Oliver, Stein above (Constitution)

AGRIBUSINESS x FARMERS (47:15 - 53:09)
​Do you support the U.S. food supply being more independent (from foreign influence and control)? And how would you protect the autonomy of American farmers and the security of our food supply?

1. Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)​

FOREIGN LOBBY (53:42 - 59:48)
"Should lobby groups who advocate for policies specifically benefiting foreign nations, such as AIPAC, be allowed to donate money to political campaigns and the influence of legislation and policy decisions?" -- kimiversen.com 

1. Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

FOREIGN LOBBY -  Rebuttal | Expansion (59:54 - 1:03:34)

1. Stein - Rebuttal to Terry above (Green)
2. Oliver - Rebuttal to Terry's Counter-Rubuttal on next line (Libertarian)
3. Terry - Counter-Rebuttal to Stein 2 lines up; Rebuttal to Oliver above (Constitution)

SEX-TRAFFICKING (1:03:52 - 1:09:54)
How would you put an end to the child-sex trafficking epidemic in the United States? 

1. Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

SEX-TRAFFICKING - Rebuttal | Expansion (1:10:01 - 1:11:05)

• Terry - Expansion (Constitution)

COVID (1:11:43 - 1:18:04)
“What are your plans for investigating the handling of COVID, and how will you create accountability for those involved?”  -- Joe S., Miami, Fla.

1. Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

COVID - Rebuttal |​ Expansion (1:18:19 - 1:20:28)

• Oliver - Expansion of topic; Rebuttal to Stein above (Libertarian) 
• Stein - Expansion on Terry above (Green)

FEDERAL RESERVE (1:20:56 - 1:25:56)​
Do you support ending the Federal Reserve? 

1. Oliver (Libertarian)
2. Stein (Green)
3. Terry (Constitution)

SPEED ROUND 1/5 | Declaring War (1:26:22 - 1:29:59)
​Would you bypass Congress to avoid formally declaring war?

1. Oliver (Libertarian)
2. Stein (Green)
3. Terry (Constitution)

Two well-known battler rappers face each other in this one-rounder.
​

• Reed Dollaz: A street pioneer before the formation of battle leagues and;
• Swamp: Perhaps the biggest battler to hail from South Carolina

​Different styles, but both can really rap. Neither burdens you with dense raps to unpack in real time, so I'm interested in what they spark in this brief time frame.

​The battle dropped at the beginning of the year. In the meantime, a bad-blood match 2 years in the making got booked between Swamp and one veteran battler. Recently, it was released. I won't watch it, though, till this recap is out the way. So here it goes.

Delivery-wise, Reed was flawless. Swamp, on the other hand, had a few brain burps.

Both have good performance; it's a matter of preference.

Reed Dollaz = Movement X Projection X Playing to the Camera
Swamp = Movement X Gesticulation X Playing to the Crowd

Points given in increments of either one or two: One for a rock. Two for a rocket. Points are cumulative so there's no maximum. Point range can vary between battles, depending on length, intensity, and my impression of the lyrics and bars.

Reed Dollaz vs. Swamp.

Capital Battle Grounds.
​
​Somewhere in the DMV.

Bedaffi Green vs. Awthentic went down as part of the Declaration Card in July.

​It dropped in September, and I told my FB friends I'd review it. The task of translating the audio/visuals of a battle into a written review overwhelmed me. Ultimately, I decided a recap is the better format if I were to write anything at all.

Awthentic / Bedaffi Green: A one-rounder. Awthentic's delivery is effortless. He's also light on his feet, but all power above the waist. Easier to catch his material, but condenses so much of it. I had Bedaffi edging the battle on witty wordplay, but it was tedious and time-consuming to unpack. If you wanna talk punch after punch though, then Awthentic got this.

​Points given in increments of either one or two: One for a rock. Two for a rocket. Points are cumulative so there's no maximum. Point range can vary between battles, depending on length, intensity, and my impression of the lyrics.

Something about the Vietnam War, I was told. Something about a trial in Harrisburg. I had no idea what all the book was about, or even if I noticed its subtitle. And yet I sat on it -- a signed copy -- for more than a year. 

Burglar for Peace: Lessons Learned in the Catholic Left's Resistance to the Vietnam War. In it, priests catch fed cases surrounding clandestine anti-war activities. Co-defendants only a few years out of adolescence -- including the author -- cross-examine federal agents. One fugitive resurfaces to give a speech (with excellent suggestions for everyday engagement on the subject therein). And more.

In regard to civil disobedience alone, non-violence in the 21st Century is less of a platitude after reading it. Not in its entirety but largely Burglar for Peace is an autobiography. Yet Ted Glick, its author, cites a fair number of written accounts from his peers of the time and works from other authors. One of the things I like is that his reflections aren't all in hindsight. Rather, he notes some of them from journal entries and letters during and prior to the time he and the Ultra Resistance were putting in work or catching cases. 

I also like that the book showcases a range of original, non-violent direct actions, and the purpose behind some of them. The one involving craters -- creative. Very. Illustrative, too. From a public optic, on the other hand, my favorite by the author involved the rice bowls. Given the action that underlay it, the bowls were as substantive as they were symbolic.

There was one action during which I was amazed Glick remained so cognitive. He went on to do at least a dozen similar actions, the next of which I feared he'd die from or suffer permanent injury. In regard to the former action, Glick would later admit about documenting it what he had not at the time. In that action, the author's near-daily confinement to contemplation and introspection didn't make for lively reading.

Relinquishing the status of draft deferment. Opting to stand trial alone without counsel. Voluntary deprivation time and time again. The limits to his courage to speak against each indignity of its kind. Acknowledging the potential abuses one might endure. The potential leader in the restless kid. The letter from his beloved, elder namesake. At times this book put some teardrops in my heart. 

As mentioned, Burglar for Peace is not only an autobiography. There's legal strategy... organizational example... self-study... movement pitfalls... hope... And most definitely some inspiration. It's one guide from a 50-year veteran of non-violent direct action.

A book review of Burglar for Peace (Ted Glick) (Frida Berrigan, contributor)

Recommendor: Michael Bagdes-Canning

I had the pleasure of meeting Glick during an action in 2022. It was his first time back in Harrisburg in 50 years, he said. I didn't realize his age until I read Burglar for Peace.

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including one on Burglar for Peace: Lessons Learned in the Catholic Left's Resistance to the Vietnam War, at landturn.com/reviews.

​Commemorating 5 years of landturn.com​ (2019 - 2023)

Related: Mayor I saw PA lawmaker grab found guilty: trial remarks (2024)
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By the time I finished this book, I decided not to work another job on the graveyard shift.

Informed by the last 6 million years of modern human existence, A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century focuses on some of the practices, structures, and ideas applicable to individuals and collective members of the modern world.

Lots of takeaways; it's more or less whatever chapters apply to you. 

The first half of the book lay the foundation for the second, so I enjoyed it most. In the first half, every chapter details lesser-known human histories (Chapters 2-3), new perspectives (Chapter 4), and lesser-known facts (Chapters 5-6). 

One of my favorites was "Ancient Bodies, Modern World." As a result, Chesterton's fence is one of the concepts I now hold as a principle. At the time of this writing, I can't say that I also hold T.O. as a principle, but it's now a consideration of mine.

"Asking Nature or nurture?" isn't wrong simply because the answer... or... the categories themselves are flawed, but also because once you understand that there is one common evolutionary goal, getting precise about mechanism is less important than understanding why a trait came to be."

That excerpt is only a snapshot of why Chesterson's fence stuck with me, even though it's just one of multiple concepts in the book. I take it that it's an example of what the authors refer to as "first principles."
​
In Chapter 8, at one point, I felt that Heying & Weinstin were letting me in on some secrets. Ironically, it was this study of evolutionary biology of which I had the most exposure over the years.

Ahmed Saadawi gives up on none of his characters. No less than 20 recur in Frankenstein in Baghdad.

How he managed to keep each one relevant amazed me only in hindsight, however. The total number of characters even mentioned -- more than 30 -- overwhelmed me throughout the book.

Ultimately, I finished Frankenstein in Baghdad because I'm a fan of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. That, and a local librarian who didn't even know this recommended it to me two years ago. (At the time, I stopped reading it early on because I was moving.) Unlike Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, F.I.B. focuses less on the creature's conscience than the interconnection of the citizenry that surrounds him.

In hindsight, another thing that amazed me was Saadawi's modes of characterization. Considering the recurring ones alone, a few characters have no dialogue at all. One is a pet. Another is an inanimate object. And so on. Given the array of characters and backstories, I'd recommend reading F.I.B. as part of a book club or group. That, and to better connect with some of the characters.

One of my favorites is the elderly Elishva, who resolves to stay in occupied Baghdad for an extraordinary reason. Another is Father Josiah, who exercises incredible patience with her.

That's not his child!

I never felt so adamant about saying something like that.

Sour Candy is as good as the cover art. It was the outline of a smokey-red background by massive antlers from a deer skull that caught my initial attention.

In that space is a nightmare that confronts only Phil, the main character. SMH: I couldn't help but feel for him.

​That thing is not his child.

Sour Candy is well-suited for the Kindle app it's hosted on (or e-readers in general). It's a short story. It's not bogged down with fleeting details. And the vocabulary level isn't rudimentary, but bite-size intervals of reading aren't hindered by persistent definition lookups.

I first learned about Burke's work through his story in the anthology Dark Cities (C. Golden). If you liked "The Dogs" (Scott Smith) in that anthology (and I did!), then give Sour Candy a try.

Sour Candy is one of, according to his bio at the end, Burke's works optioned for a movie. Optioning is no guarantee for movie production, but I hope it works out in his favor.

A book review of Sour Candy (Kealan Patrick Burke)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including one for Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke, at landturn.com/reviews.

Commemorating 5 years of landturn.com​ (2019 - 2023)

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Related: "Dark Cities" anthology (2021)​
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WARNING: Following review contains sexually explicit content for adults.

Like him or not, Kyd Slade did what I think many battle rappers can't:

He released a project on Valentine's Day geared to us ladies, or perhaps that "Special" lady.

I listened to Lust (EP) several times that day, and once before posting this review.

"lust"
The hook is a little long to open the title track, "lust," and left me waiting for some raps. Apart from the ad-libs, it also sounds bare and desolate over an acoustic-dominent instrumental.

Maybe it takes catching the vibe, but the track grows on you the longer it plays. Thankfully, Slade doesn't defer to the rap-singing style popular in mainstream Hip Hop. Nor is he panty-pandering.

Still, it's not my favorite song on the EP.

​"Special"
The production on this song is similar to "lust," the title track, but the hook sounds better. (The raps are better on "lust" though.) One thing that sticks out to me on "Special" are the ad-libs. I think Slade has an ear for ad-libs as feedback and inflection, but also nuance.

There's a lot of ad-lib, but it doesn't litter the track.

"Take4" (with SouthEndSantoro)
Slade has a South flow on this one.

I like this song, but not for the instrumental. Slade makes up for the sleepy beat with lots of wordplay and SouthEndSantora with cadence (... back to back to back to back/Take four/Take fourrrr).
​
"You" (with Anoyd)
"You" is the major breakout hit of the Lust EP. The beat is equal parts smooth and up-tempo. There's also better contrast between parts of the song.

And I really like Anoyd's voice. He has a nice tone and displays it with a melodic hook.

Keep him around.

 The only movie I remember seeing in 3D is My Bloody Valentine, and the audience screamed and covered our faces when the swaying sickle/ax or whatnot protruded from the big screen. That changed in June, when I saw Flight of the Butterflies.

The documentary is a little on the creepy side -- rather, the creepy-crawly side. In some scenes, a single monarch butterfly or its caterpillar overwhelms much of the screen...

... and it was in 3D.

and I watched in a small, intimate theater.

And I was the only audience member for that showing.

And there's at least one scene with amplified sound of a monarch larva feeding on its shell. 

It's kind of gross...

... but kind of cool, too.

That's because you the viewer are at scale with the world of this lovely creature. You're the milkweed upon which the monarch feeds or the blade of grass over which it flies. Apart from the effect of that scaling, the ground-level-to-skyward shots of some natural landscape and the monarch's flight path were two of my favorite features of the documentary.

The plot can't be ignored, as it depicts the lifelong dedication of wife-and-husband team Norah and Frederick Urquhart. Their work required decades of low-tech patience to determine the migratory route of monarchs. That's why my favorite part of the movie follows the defining response from another country to a traditional newspaper ad the Canadian duo placed.

I told my mother about the movie. She said she used to see monarchs when she was growing up. In addition, a fellow member of the Harrisburg NAACP Environmental Committee noted the abundance of these transcontinental pollinators along the riverfront (circa the '70s or '80s).

At some point this year, I saw a reaction to a Deborah Cox video in which the songstress holds a jar with a monarch inside. Despite the song's popularity, I can't say I've seen the video before then. (By the way, Cox was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame this year.)

My inspiration for watching Flight of the Butterflies​ -- stemmed from the mysterious death of the manager of a UNESCO-recognized monarch sanctuary in Mexico. The drowned body of Homero Gomez Gonzalez, conservation activist and manager at El Rosario, was found in a nearby town. 

It turns out that the body of Raul Hernandez Romero, a tour guide at El Rosario, was found slain on site just days before.

Apparently, both men had either head wounds or head trauma. I've questioned the motive behind the murder of Gonzalez, whose death I learned of at the time (Reuters, Jan. 2020). Now that I know he was one of two people slain, I question if his and Romero's murders are related: Both were affiliated with El Rosario. Both were slain in close duration of the other. And both succumbed to injuries to the head.  

In Harrisburg, tickets for Flight of the Butterflies are available from the Whitaker Center. It runs there until March 2023.

A review of Flight of the Butterflies (SK Films)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). At the time of this writing, she serves as founding chair of the Harrisburg NAACP Environmental Committee. You can find dozens of her reviews, including one on the documentary Flight of the Butterflies at landturn.com/reviews.

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Gotta make this quick because Summer Madness 12 is about to start.

Just found out the entire card today, and I'm try'na see the whole thing.
​
My predictions:

Chess vs. Shotgun Suge
Shotgun Suge is not one of my favorite battle rappers, and I like Chess' on-stage zeal.

Chess 2-1.

Danny Myers vs. Fonz
Danny Myers 2-1. I'm saying Danny in 3, but I've seen only one Fonz battle -- the one-rounder with Calicoe last month. Fonz punched that battle, and I prefer bar after bar over punch-in-punch-out.

Like Roc, Danny barks and raps -- and raps and barks. And he battles a lot, so that's a lot of barking and a lot of rapping.

Tay Roc vs. Swamp
Looking forward to this one -- mostly because I'm trying to catch a Swamp battle. I've seen a few of his face-offs and, from time to time, his interviews. But no battle.

I think JC is one of the best battlers out there, but I even missed his battle vs. Swamp for the $120,000 win last month.

Also a little curious about what angle, if any, he'll take with Tay Roc. Of course, the two have a connection thru an erotic allegation made to Swamp about Roc from a transgender woman. True or false, angles tend to be a brow beat in battle rap. <Yawns.>

Aside from that, I know Tay Roc's track record and that he raps and barks -- and barks and raps. 

​Tay Roc 2-1.

​Eazy Da Block Captain vs. Calicoe
One of my favorite match-ups tonight.

Calicoe doesn't bark; he raps. And he's smooth with it.

He's also a storyteller, and I like that combination:

Rap, Flow, and Style.

It's not the only rap combination I like, but it's one that he knows how to work.

As said in Smack Vol. 9 (See "Related Links"), I think Eazy's barking voice sounds like screeching tires. Regardless, I'ma listen to those raps.

Do I think he's about to die?

No.

2-1: Calicoe

Danny Myers vs. Fonz
Danny Myers 2-1. I'm saying Danny in 3, but I've seen only one Fonz battle -- the one-rounder with Calicoe last month. Fonz punched that battle, and I prefer bar after bar over punch-in-punch-out. Like Roc, Danny barks and raps -- and raps and barks in his battles.

And he battles a lot, so that's a lot of barking.

Tsu Surf vs. JC
Aside from Eazy vs. Calicoe, Tsu Surf vs. JC is my other favorite match-up of the night. Surf's energy seems part-passion-part-irritability, but he's multifaceted in promo, stage presence, and move-making.

On the other hand, I think the aforementioned JC is one of the most-fluid emcees in battle rappers. Definitely think this battle is a clash in energy, with Surf being the sun and JC the earth. But based on pure bars -- pure bars -- JC will orbit around Surf in a pure line -- a pure bar.

JC 2-1.

Summer Madness 12 at 3 p.m. (EST): Live and free from Charlotte, N.C. on caffeine.tv/urltv.

A battle rap review of the URL's Summer Madness 12 card

CORRECTION: A day after this review, I recalled a Swamp battle that I saw this year or last. In it, he rebutted that his arrest at the time was over an altercation with a girlfriend who knew he was cheating on her.

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Any Given Sunday 2" (2022)
Related: "Smack Vol. 9" (2021)
Related: Kyd Slade's "Lust" (EP) (2023)
Related: "Found My Niche" (AZ) (2020)
​Related: "Bedaffi Green vs. Awthentic" (WEGOHARDTV) (2023)
Related: "Swamp vs Reed Dollaz" (Capital Battle Grounds) (2024)
Related: Universal Hip Hop Museum (2020)
Related: Black oral history project turns 20 (2020)

As much as I like familiar and longstanding comfort music, I'm not ready to stall in musical yesteryear.

Enter in "Don't Make Me Beg" by Hylan Starr. It's feel-good music with a classic R&B sound from a contemporary artist.

Forget the "lyrical quickie," that's a fixture in popular R&B/Hip Hop, where many a singer emphasizes rhyming over vocalizing, storytelling, or testifying. (Another example of what's not a lyrical quickie is "Wasting Time" [Brent Faiyaz] in the related links below.) Instead, Hylan is sanging -- sanging those long, whole notes (4 beats). For example:

I ain't gone beeeegggg.
Did you hear what I saaaaid?

Then sets you up for what is one of my favorite parts of the song, when he wails.

Drop that pen
I'm on the
Way to you
Ohhhh whhhhoa hoooo
Ah-hoooo-ah-hooo-ah-hooo-whhhhoa-whhhhoa

I'ma sing that the next time I pass a flock of ducks. (I'm on the | Way to you | Ohhhh whhhhoa hoooo | Ah-hoooo-ah-hooo-ah-hooo-whhhhoa-whhhhoa.)

Speaking of begging, the vibe of "Don't Make Me Beg" reminds me of Keith Sweat -- the father of begging in '90s R&B. To be specific, I'd say "Right and Wrong Way." In that song, Sweat starts off, "You may be young but you're red-dayyyy-eh-eh-eyyyy." In Don't Make Me Beg, on the other hand, Hylan says at one point, Wowww, girl, you're only 21 years oooold." 

The tempo is slow and the beat ambient. It sounds a little like "Lick U Up" by H-Town, but fuller. It also has a hint of "Computer Love" (Zapp), but avoids becoming another song that samples it.

Oh, yeah: Lil Baby's on the song, too. Hylan starts off with a swooning intro and then the chorus. Lil Baby follows by rapping the first verse, so I was unsure if it was his song when I first heard it.

​Very good song. (In other words: great song!) And I'm glad Hylan got a look on it from one of today's most-popular artists.

A music review of "Don't Make Me Beg" (Hylan Starr, Lil Baby)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including the one on "Don't Make Me Beg" by Hylan Starr and Lil Baby, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Wasting Time" (Brent Faiyaz x Drake) (2021)
Related: Kyd Slade's "Lust" (EP) (2023)
Related: "Come Through" (H.E.R. x Chris Brown) (2021)
Related: "single af" (Fousheé) (2021)
Related: Angie's latest music the day before her death (2025)

I'm try'na see this whole card!

For me, the battle of the night is Calicoe vs. Chess. But first:
​
Ave vs. Danny Myers 
​I like Danny Meyer's dedication and competitiveness for battle rap. On the other hand, I've slept on Ave. This battle gives me a reason to watch Ave in his entirety and more of what I expect from Danny.

Charlie Clips vs. Lu Castro
A curious match-up. It's been about a year since Lu Castro started warming up in battle rap, so I'm interested to see why the veteran and accomplished Clips ("Wild 'n Out") singled him out for a battle.

2-1 Clips.

Tsu Surf vs. Cortez
I really liked the soundbite of some track I heard from Cortez during his promo of this battle. Otherwise, Cortez is hit-or-miss for me as a battle rapper. Like I said for "Smack Vol. 9," I like Surf's energy. What I didn't say is his screaming voice -- like the emcee I mentioned in that post -- sounds like screeching tires. But this match-up is a long-standing grudge match worth watching.

2-1 Surf.

Calicoe vs. Chess
For me, Calicoe vs. Chess is the match of the night. It's also the only face-off I watched in its entirety. This week Smack announced the suspension of Twork, who I previously described as "now-sluggish." Calicoe is currently my favorite battle rapper, but his face-off was goofy as hell. Hopefully, he won't be against the even-younger veteran Chess.

2-1 Calicoe.

Any Given Sunday 2 is tonight at 5 p.m. (ET) in Atlanta.

​Watch it free on caffeine.tv/urltv.

A battle rap review of the URL's Any Given Sunday 2 card

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including the one on Any Given Sunday 2, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Summer Madness 12" (2022)
Related: "Smack Vol. 9" (2021)
​Related: "Bedaffi Green vs. Awthentic" (WEGOHARDTV) (2023)
Related: "Swamp vs Reed Dollaz" (Capital Battle Grounds) (2024)
Related: Universal Hip Hop Museum (2020)
Related: "Found My Niche" (AZ) (2019)
Related: Kyd Slade's "Lust" (EP) (2023)
Related: "CROWN: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" (2020)
Related: Black oral history project turns 20 (2020)

My jam right here!

The beginning of "Wasting Time" is everything, and the first two lines are classic. 

The beat hasn't dropped yet, but my head knocks back and forth. "Whut, whut? Say whut?" I'm talking back now. (I wonder how deejays in the club respond to this song.)

​But Brent Faiyaz isn't rapping; he's singing. Really singing -- vocalizing -- rather than a fast-acting melody or lyrical quickie in popular R&B today.

​I love his vocals. His actual voice, though, reminds me a little of Slim from 112 or Raphael Saadiq. You might agree when you hear: 

Close your eyes
To get away
Just
Bang my line
And I'll arrange it
Beautiful
Girl you're stainless
You'll be fine
I'll be painless (yeah)

<Pauses>

Ohhh, I'm drinkin'
The champagne
Ohhh, you wanted
The same thing

That's my favorite part of the song, especially "Ohhh, I'm drinking the champagne."

Musically, "Wasting Time" is a hit without Drake. But Drake's verse doesn't diminish the song either. He has some lines I like:

I swear I'm more "Purple Rain" Prince
Than Prince Charming
Disappointment I stay
Expectin' it
The pessimist/Gold medalist
Flush the Magnum
So they not collectin' my specimens

Or try:

You used to do
Skincare
But now you do
Swimwear
You're ex-roommate got a condo that's downtown/But she got no furniture in her crib
I've been there

"Wasting Time" might be my favorite hit song of the year. Believe that.

A music review of "Wasting Time" (Brent Faiyaz, Drake)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including one for "Wasting Time" by Brent Faiyaz and Drake, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Don't Make Me Beg" (Hylan Starr x Lil Baby) (2022)
Related: "Come Through" (H.E.R. x Chris Brown) (2021)
Related: "Like That" (Shy Glizzy x Ty Dolla $ign) (2021)
Related: Kyd Slade's "Lust" (EP) (2023)
Related: "single af" (Fousheé) (2021)
Related: "Found My Niche" (AZ) (2020)
Related: Angie Stone's latest music the day before her death (2025)

"Come Through" is a song I roll my neck to and snap a finger to my ear. And I've done so a good two months before I brought myself to pen an actual review.

Neither H.E.R. nor Chris Brown tries to out-sing the instrumental. Thank you -- because the bass is the broth that warms my stomach, and the tender potatoes; carrots; and celery are the acoustic.

The melody of the song -- especially the chorus -- is what stands apart from the instrumental. But there's a harmony after the second chorus that's on another level. It begins:

I ain't really try'na spend
No time
In the house
If you ask me
How I'm feelin'
I say "yes" to going
Out tonight
I ain't did that
In a minute

Since "Come Through" is a duet, I assume H.E.R. and Chris Brown both are singing it. Regardless, the two pitches are a perfect blend.

A music Review of "Come Through" (H.E.R., Chris Brown)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including the one on "Come Through" by H.E.R. and Chris Brown, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Wasting Time" (Brent Faiyaz | Drake | The Neptunes) (2021)
Related: "single af" (Fousheé) (2021)
Related: "Don't Make Me Beg" (Hylan Starr x Lil Baby) (2022)
Related: ​"A Wanted Woman" (RIP Eric Jerome Dickey) (2021)
Related: Kyd Slade's "Lust" (EP) (2023)
​Related: Angie's latest music the day before her death (2025)

Smack Vol. 9 at 6 PM ET.

I like Surf's mind and feistiness, but I'm a Twork fan. ("Jeroozalem" is a hit, by the way.) Who knows if now-sluggish Twork will win, but his poise and relative calmness in the face-off got me thinking he has three good rounds for Surf. Of course I want Twork to win, but I have Surf edging him 2-1.

Also checking for Eazy the Block Captain and K-Shine. (Didn't watch their face-off yet.) Eazy's shouting voice sounds like screeching tires to me. Otherwise, I have no hard stance on this one. Etched in sandbox sand, I have K-Shine over Eazy 2-1.

A battle rap review of the URL's Smack Vol. 9 card

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Any Given Sunday 2" (2022)
Related: "Summer Madness 12" (2022)
​Related: "Bedaffi Green vs. Awthentic (WEGOHARDTV) (2023)
​Related: "Swamp vs Reed Dollaz" (Capital Battle Grounds) (2024)
Related: Universal Hip Hop Museum (2020)
Related: "Found My Niche" (AZ) (2019)
Related: "CROWN: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" (2020)
Related: Black oral history project turns 20 (2020)
Related: Kyd Slade's "Lust" (EP) (2023)

​Instagram banned John F. Kennedy, Jr. weeks before I saw a March screening of Medical Racism: The New Apartheid. I was familiar with his vaccine message from his past public outreach with Tony Muhammad (Nation of Islam). It turns out the student minister, too, is a co-producer.

I do like the documentary. It's well-sourced with testimonials from doctors, medical researchers, and advocates among multiple populations of the Diaspora. Further, I learned about one connection between the severity of COVID symptoms and a vitamin deficiency in patients of African descent -- which I had not in daily print media. And the testimonial from the Compton woman concerning an unrelated vaccine?

Talk about painting a picture.

Kennedy's caution makes sense on account of his family's connection to a notorious medical experiment, and another population whose members might include the product of "vaccine injury."

Despite the emphasis on vaccinations and immunizations, I consider Medical Racism a tutorial or training for caregivers to exercise judgment (both benefits and risks) for their children; the children in their care; and the overall community of youngsters with whom their children will interact.

A movie review of Medical Racism: The New Apartheid (CHD Films)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including one on the documentary Medical Racism, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "The Price We Pay" (Makary) (2020)
Related: "Unleash the Power of Vitamin D (Matthews) (2024)
Related: What I didn't expect from Omega 3 in telomere study (2025)
Related: Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Car Insurance (2020)
Related: The marijuana advocacy that Pa. legalization lawmaker overlooked (2021)
Related: "Weapons of Math Destruction" (O'Neil) (2020)
Related: Census Takers do more for COVID well-being than "Stay Home" messages (2020)
Related: CoVID-19, II (2020)

Open Stage brought to its production of Enchanted Island what frustrates me about some novels. The problem was not the adaptation of the novel to a play on Youtube. (I've never read it, by the way.) It's that too many characters were talking in the same scene.
​
Up to eight characters.

Factor in the picture-in-picture (PIP) display, and my eyes were darting around the screen to match a voice to the respective character in one-of-eight squares.

It took some effort to keep up with the characters, their names, and the acting all at once. To its credit, the production balances out with the conflict introduced right away and the plot resolved within 40 minutes. Moreover, the acting was pretty good.
​

• Drew made the most use of gesturing, such as rattling his neck and punctuating his sarcastic comments with his mouth ajar. He was truly annoying.
• ​Jamie displayed the best acting with respect to her nuanced range of expressions.
• Violet had the best camera presence. It didn't look like she was watching the others through a screen.
• ​​Otherwise, it's Grey who had the best acting presence in her silence. What she didn't say in words she said in her facial expressions.
• Eric minced no words. I think his annunciation carried his acting.
• ​​"No, no. I'm not a let down. I'm not a let down." The actress behind Charlotte should consider voice over work, too.
• The baby-faced Sabrina was the perfect pick to cast for her role. That isn't to say she didn't appear to read her lines from time to time.
• And Macy encompassed the personalities of all the characters. I noticed her train of thought provided both narration and several plot points (e.g. setting a trap and facing fears).

The thespians of Enchanted Island are part of Open Stage's Alsedek Theatre School for kids and teens. To support them in the performing arts of Harrisburg, Pa., please make a donation via openstagehbg.com.

A review of Enchanted Island (Open Stage)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including one for Enchanted Island by Open Stage Harrisburg, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "The Osaze Project" (Dumas) (2020)
Related: "Dark Cities" anthology (Golden) (2020)
Related: "No Place to be Somebody" (Gordon) (2019)
Related: "The Ladies of Holderness" (Fowler) (2019)
Related: Dark Skies in Pennsylvania (2022)
Related: Monster helps kids build emotional intelligence (2023)
Related: Diploma withheld despite no consequences for dress code violation (2022)

When it comes to the radio, I've heard "single af" by Fousheé only once (at the beginning of the year). 

And it's unfortunate. Fousheé does what I hear rarely in R&B today: 

She croons!
​
Forget ad-libs. She croons all in the chorus. Not only crooning, but crooning in a falsetto over a super-slow tempo. That Ronald Isley affect. 

It's only that Fousheé's female vocals, punctuated by staccatos, is reminiscent of "Loving You" by Minnie Ripperton.
​
It doesn't sound like a throw-back song though. Fousheé Hip Hop-influenced flow (on the verses) puts her among contemporaries in popular R&B.

A music review of "single af" (Fousheé)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including one on Fousheé's "single af," at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Wasting Time" (Brent Faiyaz | Drake | The Neptunes) (2021)
Related: "Come Through" (H.E.R. x Chris Brown) (2021)
Related: Kyd Slade's Lust (EP) (2023)
Related: "A Wanted Woman" (RIP Eric Jerome Dickey) (2021)
Related: "The Ladies of Holderness" (Fowler) (2019)
​Related: Angie's latest music the day before her death (2025)

I wasn't expecting to do music reviews, but I've been hearing some good music and I want to share it.
​
I first heard "Whoopty" by CJ on Jan. 18 -- two months ago -- and I saved it to my playlist right away. Whoopty puts that pulse into you, but it's not only the beat that does it for me. The energy of CJ's delivery and his wordplay makes you want to jump around.

Smokin' the zah-zah
It goes straight to the mah-tah
Then I'm up in the choppa / Hittin' the cha-cha / Open his lah-tah
Then he dance to bachata

​I don't know what all he's saying right there, but that's my part right there.

The lyrics is a lot of street talk -- a lot of hustler talk. But how Whoopty is mixed (e.g., looping the verses in the background so it sounds like ad-libs) makes it danceable as well. For better or for worse, it's the best of both worlds.

A music review of "Whoopty" (C.J.)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews at landturn.com/reviews. 

Related: "Like That" (Shy Glizzy x Ty Dolla $ign) (2020)
Related: "Found My Niche" (AZ) (2020)
Related: Universal Hip Hop Museum (2020)
​Related: "Wasting Time" (Brent Faiyaz | Drake | The Neptunes) (2021)

Inspirational. A great message. And a capsule of the Troy Andrews movement. I liked Trombone Shorty through and through.

While reading it, I wanted to go to New Orleans and the Tremé neighborhood, and experience the best of its culture and musical flare. ("WHERE Y'AT? WHERE Y'AT?") One of my favorite stories was how Andrews came upon his first trombone -- and its mighty armor he managed to hold up.

One of the pictures has a three-dimensional effect that uses collage as part of it. Bryan Collier, the illustrator, animates the parade-goers as if among them, with nearby gestures such as clapping hands and a finger that points elsewhere into the crowd. It was my favorite picture, absolutely.

And a nod to the book designer. Even the typeset is on point. (You see the front cover?)​

A book review of Trombone Shorty (Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews) (Bryan Collier, illustrator)

Dedicated to Mr. Dyke.

And a nod to Mr. Shark.

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find her reviews on books from the Dauphin County Library System, including Trombone Shorty, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "CROWN: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" (2020)
Related: "Found My Niche" (AZ) (2020)
Related: "The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black" (2020)
Related: Monster helps kids build emotional intelligence (2023)
Related: Authors (2023)

WARNING: Review graphic contains nudity not appropriate for children.

"Like That" by Shy Glizzy features Jeremih and Ty Dolla $ign. This has been my song for the last week or so.

The beat is a slower tempo and a pick-like bass line, but it reminds me of "Get the Bag" by Gucci Mane (feat. Migos).

Jeremih is like the new R. Kelly on the last three hooks I've heard him on -- including this one -- and it's the hook that caught my attention first. Ty Dolla $ign, on the other hand, is bringing background vocals back to R&B verses, and that's what caught my attention next. Despite two R&B singers, it's Shy Glizzy's track, and it's he who kicks off the first verse.

I'ma take her out
The Hyundai
Take her to 
The Elliantte
Bussin' the
Roll-ie