Justin's Newsletter: October 2022
Vol. 2, Issue 10
What’s Up With Me
I’m sending this newsletter a little early this month to invite you to attend a talk I’m giving this Monday, October 17, at the Altadena Historical Society’s quarterly meeting about Jack Parsons, the rocketry pioneer and occultist whose work helped lead to the founding of JPL. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., Altadena, CA 91001. Read my three Pasadena Now articles on Parsons ahead of the presentation. Hope to see you there!
The next “NewsRap Local with Justin Chapman” episode will be an election special. It will air next Friday, October 21, at 5 p.m. PT and feature a discussion between tenants’ rights activist Ryan Bell and Pasadena Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Little on rent control, special library tax, new City Council members including John Kennedy’s replacement, new city manager, the upcoming new police chief, the city’s transitional period, the 710 stub, the impact of the statewide ballot measures on Pasadena, and more. Following the local discussion, original “NewsRap” hosts Barry Gordon and Andre Coleman will return for the first time since 2020 for a discussion on national politics. Tune in!
Don’t forget to check out my new podcast with Brad Steele called "Dadding," featuring our reflections on fatherhood and the ups and downs of child-rearing. Available on Apple Podcasts.
Stay tuned for my story on Slowjamastan and other micronations in Alta Journal on October 22!
Check out the great work we do at my day job, Michelson Philanthropies, in the fields of animal welfare, medical research, education and equity, intellectual property, public policy, and more. Read our latest newsletter here.
Thank you as always to the Pasadena Media Foundation for their support! Support them!
Stories to Keep an Eye On:
International: Russia is making headway throughout Africa via the Wagner Group, an organization of Russian mercenaries controlled by Putin ally and oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin. Wagner is propping up puppet governments and driving up anti-West sentiment. Unlike China, which garners support throughout Africa with loans and infrastructure projects, Russia hasn’t built shit there. France estimates that 2,400 Wagner mercenaries are in Africa. The EU, France, the United States, and others need to start paying serious attention to what’s going on there.
National: Ballots are mailed, the election is underway. Vote! Election deniers are trying to take over the U.S. government. Don’t let them. Such an important election. It will set the stage for the coming coup effort in 2024.
California: What a disgrace this LA City Council scandal has been. Wtf were they thinking? The corruption in City Hall is harking back to the days of the 1930s and 40s. Some real soul-searching is in order.
Local: Gabby Giffords was announced today as the Grand Marshal of the 2023 Rose Parade. Excellent choice. Giffords, of course, is the former Congressional representative from Arizona who survived being shot in the head at point-blank range in 2011, and has gone on to become a staunch gun control advocate. Her husband is Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, up for re-election right now against Republican and white supremacist Blake Masters. The Rose Parade will take place on Monday, January 2, because for antiquated reasons the Tournament of Roses doesn’t hold the parade on New Year’s Day if it falls on a Sunday, because we live in the 1940s or something.
Great Reads
Here are some recommendations for great books I’ve read recently:
Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America—Maggie Haberman
Not that New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman needs any help from me promoting this book, and not that I agree with all her methods, but this book is a must read for all Americans and anyone who wants to understand how and why Donald Trump became who he is—a narcissistic bully who looks at the world in transactional, zero-sum terms. This is not just a White House era tome; it covers Trump’s entire life and career, including many fascinating stories from his New York days. It’s a dense, 500+ page read, but worth it.
Masters of Deceit: What the Communist Bosses are Doing Now to Bring America to Its Knees—J. Edgar Hoover
This 1957 book by the corrupt FBI director—who ruled with an iron fist for over half a century—is hilarious. The section about the history of Communism is actually quite informative, but the rest of the book, laying out the threat of the Communist Party of the United States, was very clearly written in the 1950s. The era of the Red Scare is a period of time in American history that we could all do with learning more about and learning lessons from. We could be in such a time again here in short order.
More About the MEMAH Board of Directors
Lindsay Plake: "I joined Men Educating Men About Health (MEMAH) after Jim Morris approached me and expressed a way I could support this worthy non-profit with my passion for theater. After linking up with MEMAH in 2019, I was able to perform in “Health in a Very Happy Season,” an evening of Shakespearean sonnets, readings, and music, with some truly outstanding artists. All the proceeds of this event were given back to the community, so I was overjoyed to be included. Since then, I continue to share in Jim Morris’s vision of creating an environment where our youth will have access to a happy, healthy future. I will forever dedicate my time and effort until this future is a reality."
Learn more at meneducatingmen.org.
Spotlight on My Past Stories
With the midterm election upon us, I thought I’d dredge out some articles from the 2006 midterm election, toward the beginning of my journalism career. At the time, the Green Party was making headway locally due to the Democratic Party’s complicity in George W. Bush’s unwarranted war in Iraq. Things sure are different now.
And read all of my journalism here.