Probably one of the greatest sex symbols… actually, Jane Russell wasn’t. Although she certainly had the body to qualify for the title, she was never overtly sexual like Marilyn or Mae and so she remained a favorite simply as a pinup. I think she was extraordinary.
…and of course, the most famous ones of her, rolling in the hay so to speak:
Astonishing.
I can’t remember whether I’ve ever told the story behind my first (published) novel, Vienna Days.
Here goes.
I’ve always been fascinated by how people’s lives are shaped and/or changed by massive societal change. Back in the early 1990s, this fascination was focused on the Secession Movement of the late 18th century in Vienna, and I wondered just how it would have felt to be someone who was a typical bourgeois, but over time got subverted by the changing times.
Of course, I’d done a lot of reading about 1880s Vienna (which is what sparked the whole thing) and the first thing that struck me was the fact that the suicide rate among young people in Vienna during this period was the highest ever recorded, and the highest in Europe as a whole. So naturally, that became the first sentence of the novel.
The second thing to strike me was that when Crown Prince Rudolph, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire had committed suicide, his funeral procession was attended by tens of thousands of people because, as the story goes, nobody likes a good funeral more than the Viennese. So of course that became the first scene of the novel.
A story idea then began to assert itself. Imagine that a bourgeois young man became seduced by the non-conformist Secession movement, and in secret began to do something that, if discovered, would spell ruin for his career — but he did it anyway, because the allure of this new movement was irresistible. But what could that be?
Luckily, I imagined that he would have considerable artistic talent, hitherto unrealized because of his studies, and that led him to secretly draw pornographic pictures. But pictures of whom?
I had already put this protagonist into a coffee bar where he became involved with a group of ne’er-do-well artists, and one of the people involved with the group was a mysterious and beautiful young woman named Astrid.
I was rather stuck at that point, so I stopped writing to read about pornography of that period, in Erotica (Charlotte Hill and William Wallace).
There I discovered the works of an anonymous Austrian artist, who had drawn his images in charcoal and cryptically signed his work “A1”. Wait… “A” for someone named “Astrid”? Why not? All I had to do was change the time period of the art, from the 1930s back to the 1880s — easy-peasy.
So I wrote the rest of the thing in about two months (I still had an actual job at the time, which took out my writing time, damn it).
And here’s a sample of the “A1” charcoals:
So let us begin with Trump News:
...as long as “purge” includes floggings and mass execution of traitors, I’m all for it.
...but when Fuckface Kerry did just that during Trump’s first term and even undermined his policies, that was perfectly okay? Got it.
...sheesh, when even John McCain’s box-of-rocks daughter sees the writing on the wall, the Commies must be feeling nervous.
...you mean, in addition to Wokism, the shit economy, terrible foreign policy, anti-Americanism, oppressive government [list of 200 more reasons omitted]?
...and he didn’t need a fucking teleprompter, either.
In Unspeakable Bastard Government News:
…
As The Great Cultural Assimilation Project© continues:
...and it being Seattle, those demands will likely be met, along with added obsequious grovelling instead of clubbings and “deportations”.
And in related Travel News:
...I would have thought that this was actually a permanent thing, but apparently not.
#AllMuslimCountriesAreShitholes #ChangeMyMind
In Nutrition News:
...should never have put that disgusting shit on the shelves in the first place.
...hey, Double-Decaf Extra-Cinnamon Latte-Lovers, we’ve been saying that for nearly thirty years.
#SmugPoseurs #DunkinIsBetter #AndCheaper
In Entertainment News:
...what, exactly, did you expect from Australian crowds, if not hooliganism and projectile vomiting? Also keyword: Melbourne.
And speaking of Aussies:
...had a bad relationship or two with Teh Menz, did we? To compensate for the loss of sales as her hetero market dwindles, I see OnlyFannies in her future.
...just the usual Train Smash stuff. Why do you ask?
And in our linkless 
...don’t care, don’t wanna know.
And in the Bountiful Curves Gallery:
…and bountiful they are indeed:
And that is the back side of the news.
I remember once attending a board meeting of a company I worked at, and one of the agenda items was replacing a deceased board member. One of the nominations for the replacement was some woman I’d never heard of, but as the nominator stated, “It’s time we had a little diversity on this board.” And that’s all he said; no mention of her qualifications, experience, nothing.
As the most junior executive in the room, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I couldn’t help wondering why nobody else had either.
Anyway, a vote was held and the nomination passed unanimously, albeit with one abstention (guess who).
This was back in the mid-1990s.
Anyway, it appears that one company has recently followed the same route — one assumes for the same reasons, only it backfired horribly on them.
Here’s the story:
On December 5, 2023, Breitbart News noted that shareholders disgruntled over Smith & Wesson’s continued manufacture of AR-15 platform rifles had filed a lawsuit. The suit claims that the defendants, who are Smith & Wesson board members and the company’s senior management team, “knowingly allowed the Company to become exposed to significant liability for intentionally violating federal, state, and local laws through its manufacturing, marketing, and sales of AR-15 style rifles and similar semiautomatic firearms.” .
And who were these “disgruntled shareholders”?
Plaintiffs in the case included the Adrian Dominican Sisters, Sisters of Bon Secours USA, Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, and Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus & Mary.
…making me wonder: what the fuck were Our Ladies Of The Blessed Disarmament doing anywhere near S&W’s management?
Anyway, they failed, the rotten rosary-swingers, and a jolly good thing it was too.
On March 13, 2024, Breitbart News reported that Nevada’s Clark County District Court signaled no “substantial likelihood” Smith & Wesson would be found liable, saying the activist shareholders appear not to be aligned with the company’s best interest and requiring them to post a half-million-dollar bond to continue their suit.
The plaintiffs were instructed to post the bond by April 23, 2024, but they did not.
On May 6, 2024, Judge Joe Hardy pointed to their failure to post the bond as ordered and dismissed the lawsuit against Smith & Wesson.
Errrrr “the activist shareholders appear not to be aligned with the company’s best interest” — I’ll say they aren’t. They tried to get into the company to subvert its business — kinda like the Commies do in our school system — but it didn’t work.
If I were on the S&W board, I would file suit against these BoCs for compensatory damages for the legal fees, at least.
I know, I know: something about “Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord.
Bollocks.
In an email I received from Circuit Of The Americas (COTA):
Oh yeah, that’s going to get me to endure traffic jams, endless walks to and from the “remote” (and are they ever) parking lots, probably with copious mud as well, and either rain or blistering sunshine during the race itself, of which I can only see a small portion because F1 seating, and which that little twerp Verstappen is going to win anyway.
And then afterwards, be stuck in a crowd of drunks listening to Eminem’s illiterate doggerel (I’m sorry, I meant “rap music”) and Sting warbling on about Saving The Green Planet / Tantric Yoga Sex With My Wife Trudi / whatever.
Did I mention that all the above is available for only $250 per ticket, excluding parking?
Pass.
And hand me the remote.
*Considering that F1 uses Michelin exclusively for their cars, how did those sneaky Italians get their tires into the act?
Your suggestions in Comments.