Saturday, October 22, 2022

BROS and Iraq

As you know Pier 1 Imports was supposed to make a big donation but they went bankrupt and have been bought by the Taliban.


That's from BROS.  Billy Eichner's Bobby and other members of the board of the country's first LGBTQ+ museum are meeting to discuss how to meet their funding goal.  It's a very funny movie and it's now available for rent or purchase on streaming platforms.


Bobby can't fall in love because of trust issues and Aaron (Luke Macfarlane) can't fall in love because he can't do anything that would make him happy -- he's locked into a rigid role he feels others want him to play which is why he ends up in a career he hates.  The two meet at a club.  Aaron's listened to Bobby's podcast.  Bobby asks Aaron what he does.



Aaron: For work?  I do probate law.  I'm an estate planner.  Basically, I write people's wills.

Bobby: Do you like it?

Aaron: Oh, sure.  When I was a kid, the first thing I would think when I met someone is: Who's that person going to leave their s**t to when they die?  I really wanted to be part of the legal logistics of that.


We later see Aaron at work in the office, sitting with a very crabby elderly man, Mr. Funk, who needs to adjust his will.


Mr. Funk: I just need to figure out where my money is going.


Aaron: Okay, do you have a partner or spouse?


Mr. Funk: No and no.


Aaron: Children?


Mr. Funk: No.


Aaron: Family member?


Mr. Funk: No.


Aaron: Close friend.


Mr. Funk: Not anymore.


Aaron:  Okay.  Well, uh, sometimes it helps to close your eyes and think about who means the most to you in the world.


Mr. Funk closes his eyes.  Then he opens them.


Aaron: Who is it?


Mr. Funk: Cher.


Aaron: Okay.  So you want to leave $100,000 to . . . to Cher?  Do you really think she needs it?


Mr. Funk:  She has a huge staff.


That film really makes me laugh.  It's a great comedy, a great film.  Billy wrote an amazing screenplay and it's a great movie.  Luke and Billy are great in it.


Someone said in an e-mail that I hadn't praised Luke.  I have, he's wonderful in it.  He should be nominated for his performance.  I know Luke so if he's not gotten his due here it's because he's a friend.  I don't know Billy, I've never even met Billy.  I explained -- in the gina & krista round-robin -- that my friends get less credit then they deserve up here.  I explained that I made a point to praise Luke in part because a friend of mine -- a singer -- told me she was kind of hurt that I seemed to promote every singer but her.  


I love her work but until she said that?  I really (a) hadn't thought it might give the wrong impression and (b) really didn't think she needed the plug from this site.  


Luke does an amazing job, he hits all the notes needed.  It's a tricky part and if you've seen a bad romantic comedy, you know how easy it is for one actor to kill a movie and how hard it can be to play a lead without overdoing it or underwhelming.  Luke is perfect.  

If you doubt me on that, that's another reason to go stream the movie.










Now to Iraq . . .


 


Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is Iraq's prime minister-designate who is currently attempting to form a government.  David Sadler (GLOBE ECHO) reports:


The Iraqi Prime Minister-designate, Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani, said yesterday that the political blocs agreed to put forward their candidates to form the new government, leaving the matter of selection to the prime minister.

Al-Sudani said in a press statement distributed yesterday morning, “We affirm that the agreement between the political blocs that make up the coordination framework includes giving each bloc the opportunity to present its candidates to all ministries, and the matter of choosing the candidates is left to the person of the designated prime minister.”

He added that the criteria for naming a candidate to fill the ministerial portfolio are based on “efficiency, integrity and ability to manage the ministry, according to the electoral weights of each bloc.”


There are many problems that the new government will face when formed.  Salman Zidane (AL-MONITOR) reports:


The Iraqi parliament this month is discussing a bill to find solutions to its expanding slum areas. However, several obstacles could hinder this bill from being passed into law amid an ongoing social and political crisis.

Iraq has more than 5,000 slum areas, containing more than half a million housing units, inhabited by approximately 3.5 million people. Most of these slum areas were established with the emergence of the current political regime in 2003.

The search for a solution started in 2014, member of parliament Alia Nassif told Al-Monitor, with a plan to lease the land of informal settlements to their impoverished residents for a small fee. The slum areas lack public services such as paved streets, schools, water, electricity, and other basic needs, she said, and residents “are unable to register their children or complete certain formalities at government institutions.”

Iraq's current housing crisis has driven the price of a square meter in commercial centers in Baghdad up to $20,000, one real estate broker told Euronews, against $600 in the outskirts of cities.

Nassif indicated that parliament will amend the 2014 bill and is seeking to help the dwellers acquire the lands where they are living. But if a plot of land was initially classified as industrial or commercial, it cannot be acquired. 

The Iraqi government had proposed a fund to address the problem, to be financed by the reduced rents paid by the residents of these slums, the general budget and loans. The fund would secure basic services in these neighborhoods, such as roads, sewage, water, schools, police stations, healthcare and other services. 


As they wait to see if Mohammed can form a government, Iraq got a little bit of relief, "A light rain fell on parts of Iraq on Friday, October 21, bringing some relief to a region experiencing declining rainfall and drought in recent years."


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