For WIDER GRAPHICS: https://theweathercontinues.blogspot.com/2026/08/my-letter-of-gratitude-to-writer-lauren.html
Arrival of Spring in Normandy, by my Old Friend David Hockney (some beauty to begin with, tonight).
That time I met David Hockney, Ethel Merman, and Meryl Streep at Virgil Thomson's 85th Birthday Party in 1981:
Drug-Mafia Mayor Bill Saffo's 43 Felony-Convicted employee as a DRUG MULE between Latin America and the USA Denise Renee Wood (heavyset 6' 3")!!! worked there (as a cook), before she became "The Perfect (House) Painter" when she first lived downstairs from me in the 200 block of South 4th Street!!! https://theweathercontinues.blogspot.com/.../some-agree...
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MORE can be found here: STRANGE that Handyman Ben was with Denise Wood when they told Gold Walker about my letter to Lawyer Oliver Carter III, next-door on the other side, which told Oliver NOTHING about my landlady that he didn't have to already know -- unless he's unfathomably stupid, which I do NOT believe he is.
And NO ONE cares about the issue that had so upset Gold that she delivered a Letter of Intent to Evict Me, now already superseded by a WIN-WIN action.
And about 5:00 PM, I heard someone knocking at the outside front door downstairs, and went to find a fine, strapping black guy, who asked if Chris was in. I said a new guy lives downstairs, but I hadn't met him, and he said his name is "Chris Militant" (and thinking the last name a bit odd, I paid attention and it was pronounced several times exactly that way).
Chris then came out of Denise Wood's former apartment, I introduced myself, and asked if he is PERMANENTLY living here. He said yes, and that Denise would SOON give him the outside building-door key, and it soon was clear that NEITHER OF THEM actually knew Denise, but the black guy said he had hired Denise to do some painting for him some time ago.
Chris said that he's SINGLE (and living alone), and he looks like a dark Mexican of about 40 - 45, short beard, weathered face and hands, and working tonight as a painter for the black guy. He said he would get to talk with me more tomorrow, out back on the "Smoking Porches".
So that was THAT for Denise Wood's tenancy here!!! And Chris soon became a FIXTURE in my HOT BED (even after Gold Walker moved me to a more reasonably-priced apartment on Spofford Circle)!!!
Denise Wood
Chris Militant (called "My Cherokee" -- and I am 1/16th Cherokee, myself), was HOT-TO-TROT !!!
The current owners of Myspace, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, have publicly confirmed that they are planning a relaunch of the platform. One of the key ideas they've discussed is creating an alternative to today's algorithm-driven social media environment, which they argue has become dominated by endless scrolling, engagement optimization, and addictive recommendation systems.
The relaunch is reportedly being framed around some of the things people miss about the early internet:
Chronological feeds rather than algorithmic feeds
More emphasis on friends and communities
Greater profile customization
Creativity and self-expression
Music discovery and culture
Less focus on maximizing screen time
This appears to be a response to a deeper shift in social media that many users crave. The original Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter were primarily social networks. Their purpose was to help you keep up with people you knew or chose to follow.
Over time, many platforms evolved into attention-maximization systems - as this led to the greatest profit. Instead of showing you what your friends posted, they increasingly show you whatever is most likely to keep you engaged. The incentive changed from: "Help people connect" to "Maximize time spent on the platform."
And once that became the dominant incentive, many downstream effects followed:
outrage became profitable
polarization became profitable
addiction became profitable
endless scrolling became profitable
creator culture, particularly junk content, displaced genuine social connection
We shall see how this relaunch unfolds!!!
NEITHER Facebook nor Google/Blogger will allow me to open the NEW MYSPACE!!!
I recently blogged about Red Barn Theatre KW, M. Michael Fauss, Chris Hamilton, and me -- but I've NOT heard back, yet from anyone where my good friend from Denison University (Fauss), has worked so much!!! And I was Tennessee Williams's last assistant and my Kenan relative Mary Lily (Kenan) Flagler pushed Henry Flagler to complete his Overseas Railroad to Key West, and he left her his ENTIRE ESTATE including control of all 34 of the "BABY STANDARD OILS"!!!
Red Barn's 47th Season: SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE 2027 ed. runs March 30 through April 24
The final production of the season brings back the perennial favorite “Short Attention Span Theatre,” an evening of short, fast-paced, punchy, funny, unpredictable short plays by well-known playwrights, all centered around a central theme. That theme and the specific plays have not yet been set, but all will feature a troupe of hilarious actors and be directed by a stellar group of directors! The 2027 edition will prove to be provocative and entertaining!
SAST will run March 30 through April 24, 2027, with all curtains at 7:30 pm.
Carmen Jo Rodriguez with M. Michael Fauss
Jillian "Jill" D. Hopman, Chair of the New Hanover County Democratic Party!!!
This is a tremendous mistake. The Democratic
Party should not be at “war” with itself. The establishment should not waste resources
trying to undermine an excited and furious
(even if idealistic) wing of our organization,
nor should those promising leftwing
candidates target effective moderate
incumbents (keyword: “effective”) when
there are so many other weak, open, or
Republican-controlled positions in
government. This is entirely self-defeating.
We *NEED* each other. Outside of
NYC or San Fran or other major Democratic municipalities, the only way we are ever going to win elections is through a coalition that includes all voters from the very purple center to the dark
blue far left.
Trump is in the White House because MAGA and traditional Republicans joined forces to vote together. Yes, many sold their souls in the process,
and no, I am not saying we should ever do that. What I am saying, however, is that we need to remember who the real enemy is. We need to stop shooting each other in the face and decide what is more important: being self-righteous or being elected. We need to accept that the only way we can move the electorate to the left is if we get into office first. We need to actually listen to our neighbors and understand that what worked for us in the past does not work anymore; that, right or wrong, many voters do not want to “save democracy” or a current system that has repeatedly failed them. And above all else, we need to deliver once elected.
As I have said many times: 1) we can all do better; 2) elections are a math problem; 3) we are a big tent, and everyone is welcome to join the circus under it.
That is basically the New Hanover County Democratic Party’s whole philosophy for the past four years—and that is why we have succeeded in our very purple county. UNAs and progressives are a critical, essential segment of our party, and they have broken our way at a ~65-75% margin since 2023. But so are the moderates who reliably vote in every election. We cannot win without both. And I do not believe that one wing is more important than the other.
So I am pleading with you to please ignore what divides the national Democratic Party, and instead, please focus on what will make us all local winners in November—no matter if you identify as a moderate, progressive, or socialist.
(And to be clear, I do not identify as any of them. I consider myself a proud political pragmatist. I will always prioritize practicality over purity, results over reform, efficacy over emotion. I will compromise and take a first down over waiting for a 100-yard touchdown return that may never come. I will utilize whatever tools, leverage, or allies are available to solve any particular problem right now. I am agnostic to a label but obsess over the best policy/candidate possible and the strategy needed to succeed…)
Yesterday at 1:00 PM, on MS.NOW, I briefly saw this image (made by Cedric Harrison in 2022) -- BEGINNING AN AD for a NEW PBS SPECIAL on the Wilmington Coup d'Etat of 1898 !!!:
Scott Kenan’s 2019 “Wilmington Coup” Marker Incident
Scott Kenan publicly claimed to have removed a black covering from the newly dedicated 1898 Wilmington “Coup” marker on November 8, 2019, after officials reportedly failed to do so.
According to Kenan’s own blog posts, the event took place during the dedication of a new historical marker commemorating the 1898 Wilmington “Insurrection” — which he and his supporters refer to as a “coup” theweathercontinues.blogspot.com+1. He described himself as the “tall gray-head” who physically pulled the covering off when local officials could not theweathercontinues.blogspot.com.
In his account, Kenan said he was “very proud” to be there, meeting local leaders and political figures, including Mayor Bill Saffo and North Carolina Representative Deb Butler theweathercontinues.blogspot.com. He also made inflammatory remarks about his family’s alleged involvement in drug trafficking and past political and racial associations, naming relatives and historical figures, and framing the 1898 violence as a “coup” rather than a “race riot” theweathercontinues.blogspot.com+1.
The marker’s heading reads “Wilmington Coup,” though Kenan noted that the originally approved text had referred to a “race riot” before that wording was deleted theweathercontinues.blogspot.com. He also referenced a photograph of “Captain Kenan’s Rapid-Fire Brigade” — a historical image of William Rand Kenan Sr., a relative — allegedly using a Gatling gun during the 1898 events theweathercontinues.blogspot.com.
Kenan’s posts also included personal grievances about local media coverage, alleging a “Catch-22” in which Wilmington news outlets had allegedly agreed not to report on him until one of them did theweathercontinues.blogspot.com.
Important note: These statements are from Scott Kenan’s own blog and are not corroborated by independent news sources. The historical marker’s dedication and wording are matters of public record, but the personal claims and allegations made by Kenan in his posts are his own assertions and should be treated as such.
>>> MY LETTER EMAILED TO LAUREN COLLINS:
will appear here as soon as I finish and send it!!!
continuing . . .
.
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