PS - Why Has Emily, The Subway Soprano, Captivated Us All? This Scene From The Shawshank Redemption Describes It Best ...

I said in my first post on Emily Zamourka, that her soulful rendition of Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro" in the subway and her situation ...



 
... reminded me of Fantine in Les Miserables. And of course her unlikely, overnight discovery reminded us all of Susan Boyle's legendary rendition of Fantine's song, "I Dreamed a Dream," from Les Miserables. 

However, there's something else to it ...

I think the opera scene from Shawshank Redemption describes it best ...


 

 The scene where innocent and wrongly convicted of murdering his wife (it was a random psycho who murdered her), prisoner and former finance whiz, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), is in the warden's office, fixing the books for the warden, who is embezzling money.  

While the guard is in the bathroom, Andy locks the guard in the bathroom and himself in the Warden's office and plays the duet aria from The Marriage of Figaro over the PA system, though music was disallowed for the prisoners. 

The effect it had on everyone, in such a corrupt, angry, violent, political place, is narrated by Andy's best friend and fellow inmate, Red (Morgan Freeman) ... 

"I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things are better left unsaid."

"I’d like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can’t expressed in words, and it makes your heart ache because of it."

"I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a grey place dares to dream ..."

"It was as if some beautiful bird had flapped into our drab little cage and made these walls dissolve away ... and for the briefest of moments ... every last man in Shawshank felt free."

  ~"Red" (Morgan Freeman), The Shawshank Redemption -

(Which many people don't know was written by Stephen King - yes, that Stephen King - of horror pop fiction fame.

Update on Emily Zamourka, The Subway Soprano (and Officer Frazier) - and Other Once-Homeless Celebrities :)

If you haven't seen/heard Emily sing in the subway yet, see the original video Officer Frazier took 2 posts below or HERE.

Officer Frazier at first declined to be publicly named or have his face on camera, both because he's a LAPD cop and because he says it wasn't about him, it was about her.  

However, after Emily has landed a record deal with Joel Diamond and over $100,000 in donations, Emily insisted she get to thank and hug him personally on video.

And here is that reunion moment  (to see the full video/hear what she's saying Officer Frazier, you can view the video via Twitter at the LAPD website :)

 



Here's a bit more about her backstory - including a video from 2 years ago, plus friends and fans - confirming that she was, in fact, homeless - but did not become homeless as of 2 years ago. 

Yes, homeless people can have normal friends, even family - in addition to the common misconception that all or even most homeless people are lazy, addicted and/or mentally ill, there is also the misconception that all homeless people have no one, that society has rejected them. 

Though those things can be true - many homeless people, especially in LA, do have family and friends.

They either don't tell friends, family, and work colleagues how much they're struggling so as not to worry them or they do not want to burden others financially by living with them for too long/be obligated to them, they want to do it themselves - especially someone like Emily, who has no idea when or if she'll ever get paid again.







She actually earned her living as a violinist.  

Then, two years ago, her prized possession that paid the bills, her violin, was grabbed by a thief (to sell), and when bystanders caught up with the thief, he smashed it into bits. 

She bought a small electric violin to still make performance gigs, but was shoved off a bus, breaking her wrist, and she could no longer play.  

(You break a wrist at 20 as a violinist, it's a long road back, but can recover and play again - but you break a wrist in your 50s, you're done.)

Already stringing together gigs to pay bills, she went under and became homeless in LA.

Her discovery is unusual, but the fact that she was a homeless singer (especially in LA) is not.  

Celebrities such as Chris Pratt, Halle Berry, Hillary Swank, Daniel Craig, Kelly Clarkson, Steve Harvey, Drew Carey, Jim Carrey, Tyler Perry, Tiffany Haddish, Sylvester Stallone, Sam Worthington, Idris Elba, and even Director James Cameron were once homeless.

But it's not just artistic people - also Steve Jobs, Dr. Phil, finance guru, Suzie Orman, and millionaire businessman, Chris Gardner and his son were homeless and hid it, while he dressed in suits to take part in a finance training program, inspiring the movie "The Pursuit of Happiness."

Story of Hope: Emily Zamourka: The LA Homeless Subway Soprano ...

... just landed a recording contract :)   

If you haven't seen it yet, grab your tissue and be prepared to be moved to tears - it's beautiful :) 





This all began when an LAPD officer filmed 52-year-old, Emily Zamourka, a homeless woman, singing Puccini's "O mio babbino caro" from his phone and the LAPD posted this to their website.   She says she likes to sing in the subway because of the acoustics :)

Amen :)

For some reason, not knowing her full story - she calls to my mind "Fantine" from "Les Miserables." 

She says she came to America from Russia to study to be an opera singer, but things did not quite work out the way she imagined, as is often the case - especially in LA.

After Trump has essentially declared war on/demonized homeless people, it's nice to see the real face of the homeless - they are not always addicted, crazy, lazy people as they've been demonized. Sometimes they're homeless after abuse or trauma, too.

But often, there are still many, many people living paycheck to paycheck, and thus are just one paycheck away from homelessness.


Some are saying it's not a true story, just based on how clean/well-kempt she is. I say it's possible - but it's also true you can't always tell someone is homeless just from looking. 

I speak from experience -  I was homeless for 8 months during the recession myself - and I wasn't alone.

Shelters were full of people just like me, whose jobs were outsourced or they were laid off during the recession or who'd homes had been foreclosed upon - and you would've never known we were homeless to look at us.    

During the recession, other than being traumatized by these losses and the general experience of being homeless, these people were not crazy or addicted. At a time where families all were moving in together out of necessity, they either didn't have family or just didn't want to burden family and friends at all or for too long, if they couldn't find full-time work quickly. 

(In fact, I lived with a friend myself for 3 months first, but left and chose to be homeless -  fearing I was an extra burden at a time they were already burdened themselves.)

And 80% of them were either going to school or working, actually - menial jobs, part-time, because people were only hiring part-time during the recession - which was not enough to pay the rent. 

I hid that I was homeless to work except to my boss, already knowing the assumptions people make (proven when one person found out and I became news, and not in a good way). 

I was lucky - I scrapped together enough to get a deposit and find a roommate who was from New York City, hit hard by the recession herself in need of a roommate, and familiar with homelessness not being what people think.  The struggle wasn't over financially for either of us, but it was the beginning of the way out.

Three months later, I reluctantly began dating (slowly) my future husband, who had been a former CIO for a public school district in Detroit, who had moved here to horse country, when a series of repeated school budget cuts came, first cutting his staff and then his salary little by little  (under Betsy Devos' influence) - and knew himself how quickly it can all go, despite having a master's degree.

Then,  year later, we were living together - married in 2016 - and a very happy ending now :)

And IMO, by the looks of things, with the mortgage loan restrictions removed again  and corporate tax shelters greater than ever before, despite Trump singing a great economy, it's clearly not trickling down on the middle/lower classes, there are still many living paycheck to paycheck and medical insurance not paying enough on bills  - I think we're headed for another recession - probably by the time the next POTUS is in office, left holding the bag.

Don't forget, though homelessness is most often temporary, it's very difficult to get back up and LA is a trap - housing in California in general is astronomical, and once you get down, the odds are against you ever getting back up or getting out of the city - but also true is that many a celebrity today has once been homeless in LA, NY, and Nashville, too. 

BTW, they do shower at shelters and wash clothes there and often sleep there, if not full. 

Speaking of which, naysayers - supposedly it's legit - but keep in mind, this is per local politicians and record producers, who claim they doubted the story, too, but were impressed with her talent and wished to meet her - and they ended up having trouble tracking her down again, at first, but did find her on the streets. 

She's a bit overwhelmed with the sudden attention, at present (naturally) - don't forget the experience of homelessness is a trauma in and of itself - but I'm sure we will see her again soon :)

PS - For Conservatives, The Christian Moral Test/War Going On, Right Now, Isn't With Us Liberals...

... it's with yourself.

My comment at the WaPo ...

Why The Impeachment Motion Has Begun (And Probably Won't Matter :/)

 

I'm not sure people are getting how serious and blatant Trump's infraction is - perhaps because we are all so desensitized to the other morally reprehensible things he's said or done, or perhaps because his supporters have let him go without sanction on everything else - either way, it's clear that he now believes he is above reproach. Is he?

First of all let's recall that he denied colluding with Russia or having anything to do with his son meeting with Russian officials to investigate/gather dirt on Hillary, which they "freely offered."

Now, he just openly admitted (see above video) that he asked the help of Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, to "investigate" Joe Biden and his son (but denies the allegation that he withheld congress-approved US military aid before he asked).
An anonymous whistleblower says he did - we're just not sure if that aspect happened in advance of that phone call, when or if it happened. WH has promised to release the call itself, but that does NOT mean the funding withhold didn't happen if not mentioned on this particular call itself.

Even if Trump told the truth (Ha!) and didn't withhold military aid - he admitted asking the Ukrainian government to investigate/find dirt on Biden as 2020 election opponent - which in and of itself is blatantly unconstitutional - in that it abuses executive power for personal and political gain, and circumvents the consent of the governed, congress and We The People.

Also, if you were not guilty of colluding with a foreign country to gather dirt on your opponent in 2016 - why would you now openly collude with a foreign government to gather dirt on your opponent in 2019?

Because you did it once and got away with it and will do it again - because your supporters didn't care that you did - and believe you can do anything and not lose support.


Just like he joked during his election, "I could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose voters."

Yes, it was a joke - about something he really felt was true - is it true, America?

Trump could do anything and not lose support with you?

Why?

What has he really done for you?

What has any president really done for you personally that you would look the other way to this degree on?

Ask yourself this question: What if Obama or Hillary had done this and actually admitted it - especially if/when they were POTUS?

This is blatant criminal behavior and unprecedented abuse of executive-branch power, unconstitutional, and criminal, America - we cannot let this go.

Even if you're a Trump supporter, think about future presidents - we must set a precedent for what we allow from presidents and presidential candidates in the future.

It also undermines further the level of respect for the Office of the President of the United States.

So if you refuse to impeach him, at least disallow his candidacy bid for 2020.

Please stop allowing your moral compass, conscience, and soul to be prostituted over politics.

_____________

So I went to WH-controlled Fox News to see what their reaction was. I rarely go there because the publish opinion/speculation as fact and write on a third-grade level.

It's both hilarious and scary that people can't see the blatant unconstitutionality and socialist/communist tactics being used right in front of their faces, just because Trump wears the right party hat lol.

And finally, my comment at the WaPo ...

I Admit it - I'm Finally as Addicted to Yellowstone (Paramount Network TV Show) As My Husband Is :)

My husband and I have always wanted to move to Montana (his sister-in-law's parents live there) - and we love Yellowstone the National Park - but the first season of the show was mostly my husband's addiction. 

I mean, I knew it was a fairly good show, but who knew it would get this good, at the end of this 2nd season? 

The last 3 episodes of Yellowstone were ON FIRE - other than Stranger Things, nothing has kept me glued to my seat like the last two shows of Yellowstone.

In fact, as I've said in prior posts, other than prejudice/bigotry/injustice/snobbery, there are only 2 other things I'm snobby about - film and architecture (because I figure it takes money to have both and if you've got the money, do it right, don't assault our senses with cheap crap to make a buck.)  Thus, it takes a lot to impress me and watch again.

However, we watched the Season 2 Finale for the second time last night, to see if there was anything we missed - still loving it!

Mark and I have watched it from the beginning, because if nothing else, you're drawn in by a killer theme song and landscape, which is its own silent, but ever-present character  ...




... however, I only watched  half-heartedly, usually while doing something else my, whereas my husband was obsessed with it (reading along you'll see why, he's especially fond of Rip's character) the whole time - because I thought it could be better, the first season? 

Then, when we "unplugged" and got rid of cable, we lost Paramount with Direct TV Now.  (However, we canceled Direct TV Now back in the spring, when they changed their programming and we lost Paramount and other channels we liked, got ones we didn't, and yet they wanted us to pay more).

We just now signed up for YouTube TV, but until then, Paramount was no longer an option - and essentially it's the only reason to have the Paramount Network anyway - so we just rented the latest show each week from Amazon Prime:)

Just to be forewarned, if watching it from the beginning - there are no good guys, everyone has done something absolutely horrible, at least once - the closest being Kayce, and especially his wife, Monica Dutton, who wants no part of this life, but loves her husband and son.

Yet over time, you begin to understand them, find yourself empathizing with them at some point, or at least feeling conflicted because of what they're going through, and see their humanity - the good and bad within everyone. 

(Except for the Beck brothers, who really are just horrible people and true psychopaths, who will hurt men, women, children, and animals, over money).

And it has nothing to do with politics - and everything to do with politics at the same time (money talks to both sides and corrupts both sides). 

Think "Justified" (which is about Harlan, Kentucky, which I can verify is over-dramatized, but very truth-based, my father being from there) - only with rich white people instead of poor ones lol :)

However, the vigilante justice thing is still there - they can just pay people off better ;)

So what's it all about? 

Well, I shall try to tell you a brief synopsis of the story - which will include some spoilers - but not too much about last 3 episodes of this season, because they are are must-see for yourselves :)

Cattle rancher, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), "owns" 1000 acres in Montana, near Yellowstone National Park - and everyone wants it - and he will do just about anything, to anyone, to keep it. 



More about him and his family in a moment.  Because the major struggle is ...

The Native Americans want it back - because the Duttons never paid them for it, nor the US government - they just took it.

They are led by Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), a tribal chief who has made money from casinos, and has become a politician and real estate developer in his own right, believing the only way to get the land back is to buy it back and develop it, just like the white man - by lying, cheating, and playing the game just as dirty as the white man did with them.

However, a lot of other people want Dutton's land, too ...
Like LA real estate developer,  Dan Jenkins (played by legendary director John Huston's son and Angelica's brother, Danny Huston) - doesn't he just look like one?) 

... but not being from the area, realizes he is in way over his head, and grossly underestimates the level of vigilantism Dutton and Rainwater and others will resort to, so eventually teams up with Rainwater.

At first, you just want someone to wrinkle his shirt and knock those Ray Bans off his face - but just like most of the other characters (except for the Becks), you strangely begin to feel sorry for him, I daresay even like him - even a bit of a hero at one point for the Duttons (believe it or not).  
  
He's just a fool, making the same mistake millions of others have made before him - imagining just because you staked your claim and "won" the grand prize package, you truly own it and have the right to do whatever you want with it, and imagine yourself a stronger, better person than the others because of it ...

... when others playing that game realized a long time ago, we truly own nothing, and there's always somebody who could claim it before we did - who often didn't lose it because they were "weaker" - but because they refused to stoop as low as you did to get and keep it.

Thus, realizing he's way of his league, here, he teams up with Rainwater ...

And last but not least (and the dirtiest players), the Beck brothers, Malcolm and Teal Beck (played by "Justified" alum Neal McDonough and Terry Serpico) who own everything else around already and are know for murdering cattle and families to get what they want. 

Most of the show is about the dastardly things these people will reduce themselves to, and do to each other, over this stretch of land. 

Now, if it were me, 1000 acres is a lot of land - I would've sold off 500 or so to Rainwater a long time ago, but it's not my family's land, and there would be no show without this fight lol. 

However, there are plenty of side stories - such as the jurisdiction game the local, state, and federal government plays when there is a rape or murder on Native American land by non-Native Americans of a Native American person - which happens more than you think.

 In fact, there is legitimately higher number of violent crime committed against Native Americans by non-Native people on Native Americans - and the disappearance of Native American women has become an epidemic, though the US government doesn't even bother keeping track - only the tribes themselves).

Typically, if it's another Native American person, they'll go to jail.  If it's anyone else,  either US government will throw it back to the jurisdiction of the tribal police, who of course have no jurisdiction over violent crime anyway, or the person is almost always acquitted. 

Thus, rapes and murders and oftentimes dealt with via private investigations and justice is performed and the perpetrators are never seen or heard from again, lost somewhere to Yellowstone - with the aid of some white friends of Native Americans - like a few members of the Dutton family ;)

Also, there are also the side stories ... 

John Dutton (Kevin Kostner) had 3 sons and a daughter, but lost his wife when the children were young in a horse-riding accident (and says perhaps he lost his sanity, morals, and heart along with her .) As stated earlier, he will do anything, to anyone, to keep the ranch - and use his children, and anyone else, to do it. 

Lee Dutton (Dave Annable), the oldest son and the ones following in his father's footsteps, is murdered in the very first episode, during a conflict with the Broken Rock Indian Reservation (though the tribe did not approve the murder, just the fight.)

Jamie Dutton(Wes Bentley), his next son, is spineless - and becomes an attorney for the family, at his father's urging - and contemplates running for attorney general of the State of Montana; however, during a moment of anger with his father's vigilante antics, spills his dad's secrets to his girlfriend's friend, who is press (the girlfriend only being with him to get dirt on his father and obtain prestige as a new attorney general's wife) - and thus, he takes a desperate act during a panicked moment that changes the course of their lives.  

John's youngest son is Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), is a former US Navy Seal, who returns to the ranch after Afghanistan, haunted by his memories/PTSD of the war, as well as having arrived to late to the conflict with the reservation, witnesses murder of his brother by his brother-in-law - and murders him in retaliation - carrying the guilt of never telling his wife that he killed her brother in retaliation for killing her brother (though she knows already and why, as well as though she loved her brother, knew he went rogue and murdered Lee outside of plan, and was a generally nasty dude into lots of things he shouldn't have been). 

Though married to a Monica - Native American from Rainwater's tribe - and despite his son, Tate, is half Native American, and them all living on the reservation because Kayce's  disapproval of his father's methods - he is told by the tribe that he will never be fully accepted by the tribe, even if he goes against his father - because he is not Native American and especially as the son of John Dutton - even before the Lee/Robert murders.

Monica Duttonis member of Rainwater's tribe, but is also Kayce's wife, and though she loves her Native American heritage, does not trust most other white people, intensely dislikes Kayce's father, she thinks there's a better way than hatred and dirty-dealing and vigilantism to overcome racism and abuse of power, and wants no part of this fight.

In fact, she takes her son and leaves Kayce, after Kayce is rejected by the tribe and comes home to live and work at his father's ranch to work/learn the business in place of Lee (much to Rip's heartbreak, see below). 

She begins teaching at the local college, but realizes she loves her husband and vice versa, and tries to find a way that she, Kayce, and her son can find a middle ground life and some normalcy for her son, in this never-ending retaliation war. 

Tate Dutton, Kayce and Monica's son, and John's only grandchild, is beloved by all and the only person that still has John's actual heart - and he will feature significantly this season (especially the end - hint hint).

Lastly, there's John Dutton's daughter, Beth Dutton(played by British actress, Kelly Reilly, with no trace of a British accent) - who gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "crazy B." 

At first, Beth, like many of the others, is a character you at first hope is killed off very early on - but alas, she isn't lol. 

She returns for the death of her brother, Lee, to help her father's fight to keep the land/not sell - and you realize instantly that she's actually the smartest and most educated, having been educated abroad and living abroad - but also dangerously loyal to her father, extraordinarily and unnecessarily cruel, and self-destructive.  

She reads people within 30 seconds and is shockingly direct, cruel and foul-mouthed (which is sometimes actually funny, but mostly crass and cruel) - the meanest, craziest stuff you've ever heard a woman say, comes out of her mouth - but you can't help but laugh because she's usually right.

She is particularly cruel to her brother, Jamie (who did do a very bad thing, but still - encouraging his suicide is unconscionable), whom she thinks is just as dirty as her father, only won't admit it, as well as a weak coward who hides behind paperwork and legal snafus, but refuses to get his own hands dirty with them, and is just skilled at covering them up - and now a selfish traitor to boot.

(And truth be told, Jamie is very sensitive and fragile - he didn't want to be associated with the ranch OR a lawyer or in politics to begin with - but a part of him thought he could finally earn his dad and other's approval that way. That and he does love the prestige of being a Dutton a bit too much - more than he cares to admit.)

However, like everyone else (except the Beck brothers, who I never did find a positive in), this season, you began to see her soft side, however fleeting the moment was.

Not to mention - SPOILER ALERT - when caught in the middle between a serious land and race war (such as in the Middle East) as Monica was, in a clothing store, falsely accused of shoplifting by a racist shop owner, who thought she was lying about being a teacher and married to Kayce Dutton - had the local police strip her down and humiliate her.

Now, in that situation, you would really ,find some use for a smart, rich, white psycho like Beth on your side as your sister-in-law, there's no better ally lol

(In fact, Monica called Beth instead of her husband, because as she says, Kayce, the former Navy Seal, would've killed everyone involved lol)

... and it's the one and only time you're actually cheering for Beth - you don't mess with her family, particularly her innocent sister-in-law - and especially not because of her race.

And you see Beth's compassion for just a split second - knowing Monica is the only one of them who is a good, decent, peaceful person dragged into this mess simply because she fell in love with a Dutton son. 

Watching her dismiss the local cops that the lying store owner called to harass Monica because of her race - first by using her Dutton name, then by loudly proclaiming all their dirty little secrets they didn't want to come out - then strip down and humiliate the store owner and destroy her store, knowing nothing will happen to her as a Dutton - is astonishing, hilarious, and priceless.  

Beth was only stopped by Monica, who says she doesn't want to get even with the racist store owner  - just have her admit she did what she did to her because of her skin color.

After the store owner admits it, they leave - and Beth adds it was definitely racial hate, but also fueled by some other things - Monica was also younger, prettier, better educated, but most importantly,  a genuinely kind, good person without an angle - something the store owner, despite marrying well and having plastic surgery - never was and never could be - and she was right. 

But despite that other stuff, Monica's genuine kindness, said Beth, is her biggest problem  - when people in this world see genuine kindness without an angle in this world, they want to take advantage of it, accuse it, or smash it until they feel as badly as they do, so they don't have to look at themselves. 

That last thing she said about genuine kindness? I felt it. I don't have that other stuff, but that one, genuine kindness for kindness sake, I have. Or Had.  

These past couple of years, I'm not quite as open and friendly and full of good will as I once was, more guarded I guess you could say. And her explanation explained some things I'd questioned "why" on a long time.  

But it makes sense - people who aren't genuine and kind without an angle can't stand to see somebody that is - and they have to smash it or see angles that aren't there, so they feel better about theirs. 

Not that Monica, or me, or people that are genuinely kind for kindness sake are stupid or pushovers or afraid to stand up or say "no" to people (well, maybe there was some of that part once) - it's just people like us gave lots of chances/benefits of the doubt, when other's just ... didn't. 

And you just get more guarded as you age - especially in a Trump era. 

But back to Beth,  I take that back - there is a second time you are cheering for her, in a very brutal scene, but how she handles the murder of her assistant and subsequent rape, planned by the Beck brothers, to intimidate her and her father out of the land, leaves you cheering her on despite your intense dislike of her.  

However, before we get into that, rewind for a second - first we have to introduce  John Dutton's "other" son, ranch foreman, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser).

Cole Hauser, by the way, you may recognize from other roles, normally looking like this instead :)

John Dutton took him in as a teenager, while actually helping the local sheriff's department on a manhunt looking for him, after he beat his father to death (after his father beat his mother and brother and sister to death, believing he'd killed Rip as well).  Dutton finds him in a barn and asks him if he knew what he did, and though crying, says, "Yep, and I'd do it again - because they keep letting that son of a bitch off for beating my mom until he finally killed her AND my entire family."

Thus, Rip is forever grateful to Dutton for saving him and will do anything he asks - which includes getting the cowboys/ranch hands to do whatever vigilantism it takes to protect the Dutton ranch.

Rip is your silent, strong, cowboy type - tough and tender at the same time, and he's fond of giving everyone a second chance at life by working on the farm, black, white, whatever  - but throws his morality and compassion out the window if John Dutton asks him to - and has a certainn amount of rage from his past.  It's hard to pull out of him, but if that button gets pushed, God help whoever it is that pushed it, because nobody fights like Rip.  

He's also fond of letting the men physically fight things out until they get it out of their system - and a slight bit of hazing new people is okay, but if the strong are just bullying the weak, he'll step in and tell them to fight him instead.

Rip doesn't care anything about money - he just wants John's approval as a true "son" after saving his life and believing in him - but knows it never can be, despite earning it 2000 times over - because he's not true "Dutton blood."

(Similar to Kentucky folk, that way.)

Think Maximus in Gladiator - only with a cowboy hat, shiny belt buckle, riding western style - and this is why he's my husband's favorite character :)

I love Maximus and Gladiator, but to me, Rip falls short of that image, for some of the amoral things he does for John.

Thus, Rip actually my second-favorite character - and my favorite character is actually tie between Kayce and Monica :)

They're two people in love, who are actually the sanest in in this crazy-ass family, just trying to create some normalcy for their son - but unfortunately, end up taking most of the sh*t for everyone else's sins instead.

Then there's the cowboys themselves ... themselves are a lovable, goofy-but-brave bunch of men - and one woman (who earns their respect by roping and wrangling just as well as the men, but takes off mid season, which is unexplained, other than you get the sense that she doesn't want the brand for life and what that means/what they have to do, she just wanted to be a cowgirl) - but their stories would take too long to tell here.  

All you need to know is they come from rough pasts themselves, but found something they're particularly good at  - and after they have earned the respect of the others, they are literally branded - and there's no way out - you do what Rip and the Duttons tell you to do - for life.)

By the way - this is not a "politically correct Hollywood" photo - it's a more historically accurate one - because in reality,it is estimated 1 in 4 cowboys was African American.

It's just another example of how we white-washed the importance of their efforts out of American History, too - particularly in press and early Hollywood hands. There aren't a lot of pictures (tin-types were expensive) - but ranch records made from a time of racial inequality enough in the East to cause a war, don't lie.

In fact, if you think about it - it doesn't make sense for Western ranch labor not to be comprised at least 1/4 of African American labor, during that time, considering most farm labor back East was African American slave labor in the 18th, and especially 19th, and first half of the 20th century by way of the unscrupulous practice of tenant-farming and segregation.
Many escaped slavery by heading West, or settled there after their emancipation after the Civil War. 

The West symbolized freedom - and even the lawlessness, harsh climate, and low pay was preferable to being owned and mistreated by another human being.   

Bounty hunters did often come looking for them, but the challenges the West provided were the same for everyone, so often it was just let go - if they managed to successfully escape (no easy feat itself ) - few slave owners wanted to lose more men and money looking for them. 

Here's another "fun fact" most people don't know - there were no segregation/Jim Crow laws in the American West for African Americans (except parts of California)- until the end and AFTER the Civil War ...

... when former soldiers on both sides began to settle there and the end of the war drove Easterners to once again, follow journalist, Horace Greeley's words to "Go West, Young Man," more than ever before for a renewed gold rush prospecting/mining fever and other economic pursuits.

Until then, beggars weren't choosers on Western ranches - if you were strong enough to survive the journey and brave enough to rope, wrangle and ride, in any type of weather, you could be a cowboy - regardless of your skin color - Native Americans and Latinos included (as long as you proved your loyalty) :)


And today, African American cowboys still exist - but Latino immigrants have an even stronger presence - because they're cheaper labor than both white and black US citizens on the 21st century ;)
Regardless, back to Rip - Rip and Beth have a long history - having been each other's first love - and are still in love, but Beth won't admit it, and in fact, is very cruel to him upon her return - especially when he's being sentimental.

For instance, he tries to tell her he loves her several times, and she always snaps something smart ass, the last of these times softening by saying, "Tell me when I truly need saving someday, not now" - said in a half-sarcastic sort of way, because it's clear Beth can take care of herself in most situations.

However, that time would come shortly thereafter - SPOILER ALERT FROM THIS POINT ON - when the Beck brothers hire 2 men to murder her assistant in front of her and rape her at gunpoint to intimidate her and her father out of the land.

Beth handled it as best she could - better than I could have - and it's the best way to handle rape, but very difficult for women to have the presence of mind to do. 

She tells him she's not going to give him what he wants - which is to scream and cry and beg him to stop - and instead, she laughs at the rapist, the size of his manhood, how he can't get a woman any other way and can't even perform unless it's violent and for pay, like a TRUE whore - and though he punches her with ever word, she continues until he's broken essentially her whole face ...

 - and yet with this taunting, he truly cannot perform - and Rip crashes through the window and saves the day - and man, you don't even want to know what he does to those men next - and when he is finished, Beth goes berserk in rage on the dead men, for what they did to her - angry for they did, but also angry that as strong as she is, she couldn't stop this one and take care of this all by herself. 

Thus, during this fit of rage, and to snap her out of it and remind her she wasn't alone, she didn't have to deal with everything by herself, Rip remembers what she says about telling her only when she really needed saving, grabs her, holds her, and repeats, "I love you, I love you, I love you" until she snaps out of it - and crumples in tears in his arms :' )

Thus, we begin to see Beth's soft side - not just with Rip, but with Monica, with everybody - but also, now, the war is truly on - and the Beck's take it even lower (yes, it is possible).

With the Becks' latest act (hint:  It involves Tate, her son) - Monica changes her tune about violence and asks her husband to kill the men responsible for doing this to her child. 

Shocked by this change in attitude, her husband agrees.
My husband questioned this sudden change in her character as a screenwriting/script fumble, because of her prior stance - stating people just don't change their character due to one event - do they? 

Also, because he sees me a bit similar to Monica and how even when I could've taken violent vengeance on a few people, regarding my daughter, I didn't - because I realized I would not only be stooping to their level, I'd be beneath them/make honest people of them. 

(He doesn't agree and believes I should just become scarier than they are, but also realizes that would be contrary to my character)

But to answer his question, I think it depends on the person, but yes, I've seen even one tragedy change people - sometimes for the worse, sometimes the better, and sometimes just temporarily - fear or grief can drive anyone at least temporarily insane, especially if over a child. 

But in the end, there is always at least one situation in our lives where we are driven to the brink, a sort of moral test - do we stoop as low or lower to retaliate, thus continuing a never-ending cycle of retaliation - or do we rise above it?

And isn't justice itself somewhere in between the two, on the spectrum?

Finding that balance is the hard part - and until you walk in someone else's shoes and history - perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to judge.

And most of us mothers have a Mama Bear inside them - God help whoever it is if we let Mama Bear out for even a second (which I have, a time or two, but quickly chose the high road shortly thereafter - no easy feat).

In fact, much like Mama Bears, there's little scarier than a Mama Human Being who at least believes she's doing what she's doing to protect her child lol.
Plus I reminded him that she's also Native American.  

Many tribes believe it is worse (and more cruel) to kill the spirit instead of the body - and that things like unjustified violence and rape that leave you alive are worse, because it can cause a person's spirit to be trapped outside of their body, kind of floating in between death and life,  until there is justice - either the criminal dies or you do - it's their way of describing PTSD, you see :)

Like most other cultures in the world, they believe in ghosts, whether you died with unresolved issues or not - but unlike others who died peacefully, who can pass from the spirit world to earth and back, disrespecting the spirit/soul leaves the spirit earthbound in torment.  

Many other cultures believe similarly (including some in ours) - except we believe that death is the worst possible injury to a person, whereas they believe killing the spirit is worse - thus why it's such an insult for us to tread or build on Native American burial sites, it's adding insult to injury of the spirit of the person(s).  

However, the difference is, they hold the perpetrator personally responsible for what they did to the person's spirit - even beyond death. 

But it's not a vengeance thing - it's a freeing the soul of the wounded-spirit-victim-into-peace thing.

Because what is preferred is that the perpetrator dies before the victim whose soul they killed, so the soul can return to the body instead of floating outside it - otherwise, the fear is the victim will be earthbound, tormented, and wreak havoc in bitterness in the afterlife. 

It's not that they don't recognize the value of "letting it go"  - of course it is preferable and possible  - in fact, that's what creates a shaman in Native American cultures, one foot in the spirit world, one out, due to trauma.

It's just they know how difficult and rare that truly is for humans to achieve, than we Christians, and it's extra precaution lol.

Regardless, at this point, everyone - Rainwater, Jenkins, and even the local bought of sheriff and state police - despite having done other things to each other, are banded together, at least temporarily, over what the Beck's have done. 

Conflicted emotions, complex characters, great writing - and I love it :)

Thus, though I half-watched this show as at least somewhat entertaining - the last 3 episodes just hit pro status - and I'm officially hooked like my hubby too - and audiences agree - their viewership shot up and have people scrambling to watch it.  

That's what you call a true "sleeper" hit - I bet Amazon, Netflix, and others are kicking themselves for not picking up the pitch now, eh? 

By Harry, It's Prince Harry the Heron, On His World Tour ;)

So, I've posted before Prince Harry the Heron, our local Great Blue Heron at the park lake (and his family), and at the time, I asked my friend in the UK if she had ever seen one there. She said she had seen similar, but they were a bit shy (Grey Heron in the UK).  

Recently, she was able to snap a pic and in a forthcoming comment, just now, I said, "By Harry, our Prince Harry has flown to the UK, to pay you a visit!" ;)

(As IF Prince Harry isn't originally from the UK;)

Cherie is a shutterbug, and a brilliant one at that - so don't mind my shabby cell phone pic in comparison - but I'm putting these up for comparison purposes because I believe there are just the slightest differences between the grey herons in the UK versus the blue herons in US, am I wrong?

I'm not sure if they are considered Blue Herons or Grey Herons, there (I think perhaps Grey Heron) - which may account for the slight differences?

Great Blue Heron, US (my cell phone pic) ...

Great Grey (or Blue?) Heron, UK (Cherie's photo) ...

It seems my Prince Harry doesn't have the spots along the neck, the black above the wing shoulder doesn't extend down as far, and the neck is thinner than Cherie's Prince Harry, yes? 

It's comforting and cool to know that some things are the same or similar, even in other parts of the world, though isn't it?  

But just enough differences to keep things interesting :)

(Although I personally love anything new and different just as much as I love old and familiar.)