Someone asked me why I draw flowers so often when I don’t really seem like a “pretty, floral kind of girl” and that’s a very fair question (and possibly a hidden insult?) so I made this in response:
“The lovely thing about drawing flowers is that when I fuck them up they just seem more real.”
The same thing goes for people, really. Our strangeness and flaws make us real.
(Honestly, the entire Don-Madison Square Garden “event” idea sickened me, but I didn’t think his campaign could afford to do it. Anyway, it happened, and the fact that there was any crowd at all nauseates me. One of my great grandfathers immigrated to the US before the 1st World War, earning his citizenship in part by fighting for the US and allies in that war. The other side of the family immigrated between the wars, as they could see what may have been coming, and did. I’m fairly certain all their spirits, including each and every US veteran in my family living or dead, are also nauseated and maybe angry about this “event.” I’m happy there are people like Heather Cox Richardson, who put sensible light onto historic events. So everybody do all you can to Get Out The Vote! The facts are all on our side. -A)
I stand corrected. I thought this year’s October surprise was the reality that Trump’s mental state had slipped so badly he could not campaign in any coherent way.
It turns out that the 2024 October surprise was the Trump campaign’s fascist rally at Madison Square Garden, a rally so extreme that Republicans running for office have been denouncing it all over social media tonight.
There was never any question that this rally was going to be anything but an attempt to inflame Trump’s base. The plan for a rally at Madison Square Garden itself deliberately evoked its predecessor: a Nazi rally at the old Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939. About 18,000 people showed up for that “true Americanism” event, held on a stage that featured a huge portrait of George Washington in his Continental Army uniform flanked by swastikas.
Like that earlier event, Trump’s rally was supposed to demonstrate power and inspire his base to violence.
Apparently in anticipation of the rally, Trump on Friday night replaced his signature blue suit and red tie with the black and gold of the neofascist Proud Boys. That extremist group was central to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and has been rebuilding to support Trump again in 2024.
On Saturday the Trump campaign released a list of 29 people set to be on the stage at the rally. Notably, the list was all MAGA Republicans, including vice presidential nominee Ohio senator J.D. Vance, House speaker Mike Johnson (LA), Representative Elise Stefanik (NY), Representative Byron Donalds (FL), Trump backer Elon Musk, Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right-wing host Tucker Carlson, Trump sons Don Jr. and Eric, and Eric’s wife, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump.
Libbey Dean of NewsNation noted that none of the seven Republicans running in New York’s competitive House races were on the list. When asked why not, according to Dean, Trump senior advisor Jason Miller said: “The demand, the request for people to speak, is quite extensive.” Asked if the campaign had turned down anyone who asked to speak, Miller said no.
Meanwhile, the decision of the owners of the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post not to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris seems to have sparked a backlash. As Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Inquirer noted, “in a strange way the papers did perform a public service: showing American voters what life under a dictator would feel like.”
Early on October 26, the Washington Post itself went after Trump backer billionaire Elon Musk with a major story highlighting the information that Musk, an immigrant from South Africa, had worked illegally when he started his career in the U.S. Musk “did not have the legal right to work” in the U.S. when he started his first successful company. As part of the Trump campaign, Musk has emphasized his opposition to undocumented immigrants.
The New York Times has tended to downplay Trump’s outrageous statements, but on Saturday it ran a round-up of Trump’s threats in the center of the front page, above the fold. It noted that Trump has vowed to expand presidential power, prosecute his political opponents, and crack down on immigration with mass deportations and detention camps. It went on to list his determination to undermine the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), use the U.S. military against Mexican drug cartels “in potential violation of international law,” and use federal troops against U.S. citizens. It added that he plans to “upend trade” with sweeping new tariffs that will raise consumer prices, and to rein in regulatory agencies.
“To help achieve these and other goals,” the paper concluded, “his advisers are vetting lawyers seen as more likely to embrace aggressive legal theories about the scope of his power.”
On Sunday the front page of the New York Times opinion section read, in giant capital letters: “DONALD TRUMP/ SAYS HE WILL PROSECUTE HIS ENEMIES/ ORDER MASS DEPORTATIONS/ USE SOLDIERS AGAINST CITIZENS/ ABANDON ALLIES/ PLAY POLITICS WITH DISASTERS/ BELIEVE HIM.” And then, inside the section, the paper provided the receipts: Trump’s own words outlining his fascist plans. “BELIEVE HIM,” the paper said.
On CNN’s State of the Union this morning, host Jake Tapper refused to permit Trump’s running mate, Ohio senator J.D. Vance, to gaslight viewers. Vance angrily denied that Trump has repeatedly called for using the U.S. military against Americans, but Tapper came with receipts that proved the very things Vance denied.
Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden began in the early afternoon. The hateful performances of the early participants set the tone for the rally. Early on, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who goes by Kill Tony, delivered a steamingly racist set. He said, for example: “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” He went on: “And these Latinos, they love making babies too. Just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside. Just like they did to our country.” Hinchcliffe also talked about Black people carving watermelons instead of pumpkins.
The speakers who followed Hinchcliffe called Vice President Kamala Harris “the Antichrist” and “the devil.” They called former secretary of state Hillary Clinton “a sick son of a b*tch,” and they railed against “f*cking illegals.” They insulted Latinos generally, Black Americans, Palestinians and Jews. Trump advisor Stephen Miller’s claim that “America is for Americans and Americans only” directly echoed the statement of Adolf Hitler that “Germany is for Germans and Germans only.”
Trump took the stage about two hours late, prompting people to stream toward the exits before he finished speaking. He hit his usual highlights, notably undermining Vance’s argument from earlier in the day by saying that, indeed, he believes fellow Americans are “the enemy within.”
But Trump perhaps gave away the game with his inflammatory language and with an aside, seemingly aimed at House speaker Johnson. “I think with our little secret we are gonna do really well with the House, right? Our little secret is having a big impact, he and I have a secret, we will tell you what it is when the race is over,” Trump said.
It seems possible—probable, even—that Trump was alluding to putting in play the plan his people tried in 2020. That plan was to create enough chaos over the certification of electoral votes in the states to throw the election into the House of Representatives. There, each state delegation gets a single vote, so if the Republicans have control of more states than the Democrats, Trump could pull out a victory even if he had dramatically lost the popular vote.
Since he has made virtually no effort to win votes in 2024, this seems his likely plan.
But to do that, he needs at least a plausibly close election, or at least to convince his supporters that the election has been stolen from him. Tonight’s rally badly hurt that plan.
As Hinchcliffe was talking about Puerto Rico as a floating island of garbage, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris was at a Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia talking about her plan to spread her opportunity economy to Puerto Rico. She has called for strengthening Puerto Rico’s energy grid and making it easier to get permits to build there.
After the “floating island of garbage” comment, Puerto Rican superstar musician Bad Bunny, who has more than 45 million followers on Instagram, posted Harris’s plan for Puerto Rico, and his spokesperson said he is endorsing Harris.
Puerto Rican singer and actor Ricky Martin shared a clip from Hinchcliffe’s set with his 16 million followers. His caption read: “This is what they think of us.” Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, who has 250 million Instagram followers, posted Harris’s plan. Later, singer-songwriter and actress Ariana Grande posted that she had voted for Harris. Grande has 376 million followers on Instagram. Singer Luis Fonsi, who has 16 million followers, also called out the “constant hate.”
The headlines were brutal. “MAGA speakers unleash ugly rhetoric at Trump’s MSG rally,” read Axios. Politico wrote: “Trump’s New York homecoming sparks backlash over racist and vulgar remarks.” “Racist Remarks and Insults Mark Trump’s Madison Square Garden Rally,” the New York Times announced. “Speakers at Trump rally make racist comments, hurl insults,” read CNN.
But the biggest sign of the damage the rally did was the frantic backpedaling from Republicans in tight elections, who distanced themselves as fast as they could from the insults against Puerto Ricans, especially. The Trump campaign itself tried to distance itself from the “floating island of garbage” quotation, only to be met with comments pointing out that Hinchcliffe’s set had been vetted and uploaded to the teleprompters.
As the clips spread like wildfire, political writer Charlotte Clymer pointed out that almost 6 million Puerto Ricans live in the states—about a million in Florida, half a million in Pennsylvania, 100,000 in Georgia, 100,000 in Michigan, 100,000 in North Carolina, 45,000 in Arizona, and 40,000 in Nevada—and that over half of them voted in 2020.
In 1939, as about 18,000 American Nazis rallied inside Madison Square Garden, newspapers reported that a crowd of about 100,000 anti-Nazis gathered outside to protest. It took 1,700 police officers, the largest number of officers ever before detailed for a single event, to hold them back from storming the venue.
Don’t worry – the stiff helmets of 1980s TV soaps are a thing of the past. Here’s how to bulk out your bouffant the 2024 way
Not a thing I thought I would see again, “helmet” or not, though I know things come back around every 20 years. But it’s been resisted for so long! Anyway, for those who care about their hairstyle. I loved bigger hair on me, but I simply don’t have time anymore.
Snippets:
If you’ve spent the past 10 years trying – and failing – to do those loose, carefree, beachy waves, then you can finally put down your tongs, tend to your burns and give it all up as a bad job. Hair is changing. And, it seems, expanding outwards.
Big hair is back on the catwalk, with models wearing backcombed bouffants befitting the Oil Baron’s Ball. But, says revered hairstylist Sam McKnight, who took inspiration from Princess Michael of Kent and 1980s Sloane Rangers for the hair at Vivienne Westwood SS25, and backcombed big, pouffy supermodel blowdries at 16 Arlington, the new big hair is nothing like the helmet hair of 80s fashion.
The new “Dynasty hair” is strong, but much softer-looking. And thanks to an explosion in DIY hair tutorials online, it’s something that can be achieved fairly quickly at home. “It’s not about a proper, painstaking blow-dry with loads of sections and a round brush,” McKnight told me post-fashion week. (snip-procedure on the page)
Even if this “easier” way to volumise is above your pay grade, just rolling your hair up in jumbo bendy rollers will give it way more volume come morning, as the heat from your head moulds it. Believe me, I was sceptical. But a light mist of dry shampoo such asBatsite Overnight Deep Cleanse (£4.25), one Satin Jumbo Flexi-Rod by Kitsch(£19 for four) at the front, winding backwards, another at the back winding under, and one at each side, worn to bed, give my flat, fine barnet major bounce at breakfast.
Things it’s important we remember, and things to Never Forget.
October 28, since 304 Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Fidelis of Como. According to one legend, Fidelis deserted the Roman Army’s Theban Legion during Emperor Maximian’s persecution of Christians. In another legend, he was assigned to guard Christian prisoners at Milan and secured freedom for five of them.
October 28, 1818 Abigail Adams, former First Lady of the United States, died. Many of her ideas, documented in her correspondance with her husband, John (later elected president), influenced the government of the United States. She was politically active to the point where opponents referred to her as “Mrs. President” [see March 31, 1776] Abigail Adams More about Abigail Adams
October 28, 1886 The Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, is dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland. Originally known as “Liberty Enlightening the World,” the statue was proposed by the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye to commemorate the Franco-American alliance during the American Revolution. Designed by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, the 151-foot statue was the form of a woman with an uplifted arm holding a torch. In 1903, a bronze plaque mounted inside the pedestal’s lower level was inscribed with “The New Colossus,”a sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus that welcomed immigrants to the United States with the declaration,“Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,/ The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. / I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” Read more
October 28, since 1940 In Greece, Ohi Day (meaning Day of No) marks the refusal of Greece to submit to the Axis Powers.
October 28, 1950 Birth of Sihem Bensedrine, Tunisian human rights activist and journalist. In 2008, she was awarded the Danish Peace Fund Prize for her commitment to democracy and the rule of law in the Arab world. About Sinem Bensefrine
October 28, 1962 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces the removal of Soviet missle bases in Cuba, ending the Cuban Missile Crisis.
October 28, 1984 Sandinista Daniel Ortega won the general election for president of Nicaragua, and later attempted to make peace with the United States. The United States replied by continuing to support the Contras.
The number is 2136279841-1. It has 41,024,320 digits. It was found by 36-year-old researcher and former NVIDIA employee Luke Durant on 12 October. The number was tested on other computers using different programs and confirmed prime on 19 October.
Prime numbers are wholly divisible by only 1 and themselves. For example, 7 is prime because only 1 and 7 go into 7 without leaving a remainder.
Primes have been an area of interest for mathematicians for centuries.
Among the most famous studiers of prime numbers is French monk Marin Mersenne (1588–1648 CE).
Mersenne is most well-known today for his attempts to find a formula that would represent all primes. He was ultimately unsuccessful in this quest, but Mersenne primes are still found today using a simple formula that he put forward in 1644: 2p-1 is a prime number if p is a prime number.
No one has found a better method for finding more prime numbers than Mersenne.
But, as the power of 2 increases, so does the computing power to both calculate the possible Mersenne prime, and then to confirm whether it is a prime or composite number.
The new number, dubbed M136279821 rather than its full value for obvious reasons, is the 52nd Mersenne prime to be discovered.
Its finder, Durant, is a member of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) – a collective of volunteers founded in 1996 that uses free software to hunt for Mersenne primes.
GIMPS has successfully found the last 18 Mersenne primes.
Durant’s number trumps the previous largest Mersenne prime, found by GIMPS in 2018, by 16 million digits.
A statement by GIMPS announcing the discovery notes that the 52nd prime is the first to be found on something other than an ordinary PC. Durant’s find relied on GPUs – previously used primarily for video cards to power gaming PCs, but now sparking an increase of power which is also being used in the development and use of artificial intelligence algorithms.
As with other GIMPS Mersenne prime discoverers, Durant has been awarded a US$3,000 (A$4,530) prize which he says he will donate to the Alabama School of Math and Science’s maths department.
October 27, 1659 William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson, two Quakers (formally, members of the Society of Friends) who came from England in 1656 to escape religious persecution, were executed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for their religious beliefs. The two had violated a law, passed by the Massachusetts General Court the year before, banning Quakers from the colony under penalty of death. Quakers opposed central church authority, preferring to seek spiritual insight and consensus through egalitarian Quaker meetings. They advocated sexual equality and became some of the most outspoken opponents of slavery in early America.
October 27, 1967 Phillip Berrigan, artist Tom Lewis, poet David Eberhardt, and United Church of Christ minister James Mengel, members of the Baltimore Interfaith Peace Mission, entered the draft board at the United States Customs House and poured duck’s blood on several hundred draft records. Phillip Berrigan pouring blood on draft files The Baltimore Four, as they became known, were arrested and later tried and convicted for the action which they saw as a symbolic act of civil disobedience — a nonviolent attack on the machinery of war. This day later became known as Plowshare Action Remembrance Day. Berrigan in his jail cell drawning by Tom Lewis Read more about Phillip Berrigan
October 27, 1967 120,000 marched against the Vietnam War in London. Violence erupted when a 6,000-strong Maoist splinter group broke away and charged the police outside the United States Embassy in Grosvenor Square. Read more
October 27, 1969 Ralph Nader set up a consumer organization with young lawyers and researchers (often called “Nader’s Raiders”) who produced systematic exposés of industrial hazards, pollution, unsafe products, and governmental neglect of consumer safety laws. Ralph Nader (center) Nader is widely recognized as the founder of the consumer rights movement. He played a key role in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Freedom of Information Act, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Read more
October 27, 2002 Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected president of Brazil in a runoff, becoming the country’s first elected leftist leader. Read more
The billionaire owners of the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times can hedge their bets about the possibility of a fascist in the White House, unrestrained by the rule of law and the idea that Americans are citizens, not subjects. The rest of us, including me, cannot. I want the United States that Donald Trump can’t, never could, and would never want to, give us all. That United States is one I believe Kamala Harris is working toward, and would continue to work toward as President.
In any year, Kamala Harris would be my choice for President of the United States. In this year, she is the only choice. She has my vote. She should have yours as well.
Abigail Adams
Phillip Berrigan pouring blood on draft files
Berrigan in his jail cell drawning by Tom Lewis
Ralph Nader (center) 
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Scottie's Playtime 