All the warning signs in this list apply to dictators such as North Korea's "Dear Leader," Kim Jong Un. However, they also apply to Donald Trump and his political party, the former Republican Party. It might as well be renamed the Trump's Party. It is a cult and Trump has complete control of it.
Number 16
Welcome to Number 16, the fun website that focuses on words, language and literature. It also contains quizzes and opinion pieces. Number 16 is named after my favourite number. I am Joanne Madden and I'm from Toronto, Canada. To find out what I have written on any topic, use the search box directly below. For TV trivia, please check my other website, TV Banter (www.tvbanter.net).
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Monday, March 11, 2024
Warning Signs of a Cult
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
The truth about Mitch McConnell
"There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day (January 6, 2021.) . . . A mob was assaulting the Capitol in his name. These criminals were carrying his banners, hanging his flags and screaming their loyalty to him."
Guess who said those words. Nancy Pelosi? Barack Obama? Joe Biden? Kamala Harris? No! It was not a Democrat who uttered those words about Donald Trump. It was stalwart Republican Mitch McConnell, the current Senate Majority Leader. Senator McConnell reprimanded Donald Trump in February of 2021, in a speech on the Senate floor after the former president's second impeachment trial. He made a blistering attack on Trump,, but then argued that it was unconstitutional to convict a president who was no long in office.
In other words, McConnell believes that Trump was above the law, even when he no longer held the office of the presidency. It is because of spineless Republican politicians such as Mitch McConnell and former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy that Donald Trump has become the Trump Party's prospective nominee for president.
McConnell was unequivical about Trump's responsibility for the uprising on January 6th. Nevertheless, he has announced that he will be supporting Trump in the 2024 presidential election. How can McConnell in good conscience endorse a man whom he described as responsible for an attack on American democracy?
The answer is that McConnell has two major goals - to help Republicans hold on to power and to further increase his own wealth, and the wealth of other fat cats. If you recall, when Barack Obama first took office as president, McConnell stated that "my number one priority is making sure Obama's a one term president." It is not surprising, therefore that McConnell has chosen to endorse Trump.
Mitch McConnell did not say that his number one priority was to serve his country and o make life better for Americans. Oh no! Not McConnell. He'd do anything to make Democrats look bad, even if it hurt his fellow Americans.
Mitch McConnell |
There are no words to express how sad and disgusted I am about the political situation in the United States. The hypocrisy of Trump's Republican colleagues knows no bounds, especially now that Senator McConnell has decided to endorse Donald Trump for president, a man he once blamed for the "disgraceful" January 6, 2021 attack.
How low can the so-called Republican Party go? It is no longer a legitimate political party. It is a cult movement, completely under control of a would-be dictator. Those so-called Republicans are so completely beholden to Trump and power-hungry that they are willing to allow him to destroy American democracy. They are willing to throw Ukraine under a bus because their Dear Leader, Trump, is a great admirer of Vladimir Putin. If, God help humanity, Trump become president again, he will allow Putin to crush Ukraine. An emboldened Putin will attack other countries.
With Trump's record, how many countries would allow such a corrupt and cruel man to run for president? What is wrong with America?. A great deal, I'm afraid. Americans have parents and grandparents who made great sacrifices to stop Hitler and fascism. Yet, many Americans are supporting a man who wants to bring fascism to America. Trump has made no bones about it. He has made it abundantly clear what he attends to do if he get his hands on power again. The question American voters will be deciding in the nest election will be: Do you want American democracy to survive?
- Joanne
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Champion of Working Men and Women?
Trump’s track record with unions isn’t as simple as he’d like to paint it. Though he spent much of the 2016 campaign railing against free trade deals and neoliberal economic policies that contributed to the decline of the American manufacturing sector and the outsourcing of blue-collar jobs, that’s just about the limit of his union-friendly perspective. As president, he sided with capital and managerial interests over labor at nearly every turn, appointing corporate-friendly lawyers to the National Labor Relations Board, supporting right-to-work laws that limited union organizing and dues collections in Republican states, and promising to veto the PRO Act, a bill that would override those state laws and boost labor organizing rights. Even at his rally, he talked up the tax cuts he passed in 2017, without mentioning that they disproportionately benefited corporations and corporate leaders.
- Christian Paz, Vox, September 28, 2023
Donald Trump likes to portray himself as a champion of the working class, and an astute businessman. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, Trump's supporters don't care about the facts. They support him out of raw emotion, fueled by fear. The facts do not resonate with those who have been fed a steady diet of lies from Fox News, although moderate Republicans and independents may be persuaded not to vote for Trump.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Number 16 Oscars Quiz 2024
The 96hh Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024. The live show will start at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. on ABC and will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. It will also be live-streamed on the ABC app, which requires a cable subscription. Streaming services such as Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, Sling TV and DirectTV Stream will also provide access to the event through ABC on their platforms. This year's Oscars will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. As you prepare for the big night, why not challenge yourself and try Number 16's 12th annual Oscars quiz. There are 11 questions. Good luck!
NUMBER 16 OSCARS QUIZ
A. Best Box Office Success
B. Best Musical
C. Achievement in Casting
D. Best Historical Documentary Film
E. None of the Above
2. Which film earned Steven Spielberg his first Academy Award for best director?
Steven Spielberg |
A, Schindler's List
B. E.T: the Extra-Terrestrial
C. Saving Private Ryan
D Jaws
E. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
3. Steven Spielberg was one of the producers of film that was nominated for Best Picture in 2024. Name that film.
A. The Fabelman's
B. Maestro
C. The Holdovers
D. Anatomy of a Fall
E. Oppenheimer
4. In which year were the Academy Awards first broadcast internationally?
A. 1966
B. 1959
C. 1965
D. 1969
E. 1970
5. How many Academy Awards has Clint Eastwood won?
Clint Eastwood |
A. 3
B. 4
C. 2
D. 1
E. None
6. Paul Giomatti has been nominated in 2024 for a Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in The Holdovers. Has Giomatti ever won a Oscar?\
Paul Giomatti |
A. Yes, he won an Oscar on 2006 for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cinderella Man.
B. Yes, he won an Oscar in 2005 for Best Leading Actor in Sideways.
C. Yes, he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The Illusionist in 2007.
D. Yes, he won a Best Leading Actor Oscar for Best Leading Actor for American Splendor in 2004.
E. No, Paul Giomatti has never won an Osccar.
7. In 2024, Ryan Gosling was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Ken in the film Barbie. Where was Ryan Gosling born?
Ryan Gosling |
A. Chicago, Illinois, USA
B. Los Angeles, California, USA.
C. London, England, UK
D. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
E. London, Ontario, Canada
8. Did Hollywood star Ginger Rogers ever win an Academy Award?
Ginger Rogers |
B.
C. Yes, she won an Oscar for Best Actress for the leading role the 1940 film Kitty Foyle.
D.
E. No, she never won an Oscar.
9. Who was the first woman to host the Oscars solo?
A. Jane Fonda
B. Whoopi Goldberg
C. Liza Minnelli
D. Goldie Hawn
E. Shirley MacLaine
10. For what film did Whoopi Goldberg win an Academy Award?
A. The Color Purple
B. Sister Act
C. Ghost
D. None of the Above
E. She has never won an Oscar.
11. How many Spanish-born actors have won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading or Supporting Role.
A. None
B. 3
C. 2
D. 1
E. 4
ANSWERS
1. C
Achievement in Casting is the new category. It will begin in 2026, for films released in 2025. This is the first new category created by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science since 2002 for Best Animated Feature Film, which was won by Shrek.
With this new category, casting directors will finally get the recognition they deserve. The Casting Directors Branch, formed in 2013, has almost 160 members.
2. A
Steven Spielberg has received eight Academy Award nominations for Best Director, including two wins. He won his first Oscar in 1994 as director for the 1993 film Schindler's List. In 1999, he won his second Academy Award for Best Director for the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg received Best Director nominations for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, West Side Story, Lincoln, and Munich.
3. B
Spielberg was one of the producers of the film Maestro, which is based on the life of conductor Leonard Bernstein. Spielberg was originally set to direct Maestro, but he decided to let Bradley Cooper, who plays
4. D
The Academy Awards were first broadcast internationally in 1969.
5. B
Clint Eastwood has won four Oscars. He has received Academy Awards for Best Director for Unforgiven in 1993, Best Picture for Unforgiven in 1993., Best Director for Million Dollar Baby in 2005 and Best Picture for Million Dollar Baby in 2005.
6, E
No, Paul Giomatti has never won an Oscar. His nomination for the Holdovers is his second nomination. In 2006, Giomatti was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cinderella Man.
7. E
Ryan Gosling was born in London, Ontario, Canada on November 12, 1980. His nomination for Barbie is his third Oscar nomination. He was previously nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Half Nelson in 2007 and La La Land in 2017.
8. C
Ginger and James Stewart with Oscars in 1941 |
Ginger Roges won an Oscar for Best Actress in 1941 for her performance in the 1940 film Kitty Foyle.
9. B
Whoopi hosting the Oscars in 1994. |
Whoopi Goldberg was the first woman to host the Oscars solo in 1994. Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn, Shirley MacLean and Liza Minnelli all served as co-hosts. Goldberg hosted again in 1996, 1999 and 2002.
10. C
In 1991, Whoopi Goldberg won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in the 1990 film Ghost. In 1986, She was nominated for a Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1985 film The Color Purple, but did not win.
11. D
Javier Bardem |
Only one Spanish-born actor has one the Best Actor in a Leading Role. In 2008, Javier Bardem, born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar for his performance for the film No Country for Old Men (2007).
- Joanne