Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Health Care, Hatred and Lies (NY Times Column)
Hate is how Republicans change the subject from policy.
Andrew Tobias: Do the Math
The barbarians are at the gate and Trump is terrified on our behalf. Republicans may have some hidden empathy for the 7,200 tired, poor Hondurans yearning for a better life - they are actual human beings, after all, just like us - but think about the consequences of allowing them to apply for asylum. Do the math. It's 7,200 people but - assuming you don't separate parents from their children - perhaps 2,400 family units. Say we had two such enormous caravans each year- 2 times 2,400 = 4,800 - and that they somehow disbursed evenly, one family settling in each of America's 19,000 cities. Within four years, each city in America would find itself having had to accommodate a Honduran family!
Tom Danehy: Tom ponders the election season and shares a few picks (Tucson Weekly)
In all my years of following politics, one of the main things that I have learned is that anybody who says that they are going to run government like a business is a moron. And any voter who thinks that's a good idea is a moron to the 3.7 power. One of many reasons that it's an idiotic thing to say or attempt to do is that a good business is run to make a profit, an efficient government, at best, will break even. It's like saying, "I'm good at basketball, so I would make a great violinist."
Marc Dion: Fashion Trends in Men's Weaponry: Kicky New Guns for Winter! (Creators Syndicate)
My wife owns 48 pairs of shoes, although, as she huffily pointed out to me, that includes sneakers. Apparently, sneakers are not to be included in any official shoe count. […] We are none of us immune to fashion. What is the biker's jacket "colors" other than a fashion statement? For my obsessed, multigun owning friends, many of whom regard themselves as the custodians of Christ and the Constitution, there are fashions in guns.
Mark Shields: What Gerald Ford Could Teach Beto O'Rourke in 2018 (Creators Syndicate)
[Republican Ted] Cruz, to put it bluntly, is not personally a likable fellow, and his fellow Republicans have been quite outspoken on just how unlikable he is. I'll give you just a few examples. The late Pulitzer Prize-winning conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer said: "Everybody who knows him in the Senate hates him. And I think 'hate' is not an exaggeration." Of Cruz, who worked for his 2000 campaign (and was reportedly the only senior staffer not invited to join the White House staff), former President George W. Bush said, "I just don't like the guy."
Froma Harrop: Blue-State Republicans Turn to Democrats (Creators Syndicate)
This attack on blue states is the handiwork of Southern and rural politicians intent on making taxpayers in mostly Democratic regions bear more of the nation's tax burden. Keep in mind that the income tax is already a blue state tax. The federal tax code treats a $110,000 income in super-expensive San Francisco the same as a $110,000 income in highly affordable El Paso. […] There is a potential remedy, and it is to replace the Republican Congress with a Democratic one.
Mark Shields: Yes, the Press Has Much to Answer For (Creators Syndicate)
We [in the press] must, for example, insist that any candidate explain in simple, declarative sentences - without once mentioning the name or the character defects of her opponent - why she is running for the office she seeks. "If your opponent withdrew tomorrow, why would you be running?" "If you were to win, what change in public policy would you work hardest to make in office, and how would it change the lives of all the people whom you represent?"
Froma Harrop: Will You Stop Obsessing Over Trump Insults? (Creators Syndicate)
Donald Trump's rap sheet of insults toward women is long. Watching the respectable media endlessly debate every attention-seeking gibe as if it were momentous news is depressing. Of greater concern is their focus on the insignificant, letting it crowd out coverage of the administration's toxic policies. The big story is exploding deficits. Pumping out trillion-dollar deficits in the middle of a strong economy is fiscal insanity. The reckless tax cuts are the main driver. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is already weaponizing the deficit to force cuts in Medicare and Social Security. Republican talk of new middle-class tax cuts is pre-election baloney.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Suggestion
Rick Steves
Hi, Marty!
I simply would not have guessed this...Rick Steves, of PBS' 'Travel with
Rick Steves' fame is not only a dedicated user, but an actual advocate of the
ganja! You, GO, Rick...now help us in SD, where shops are getting shut down simply
for selling CBD oils, due to a "citizen complaint"
OMG...not, 'CBD Madness', too!
Anyway, Rick's interview at "Civilized"
Your faithful reader,
Tiera in SD
Thanks, Tiera!
Here's another reason to be a Rick Steves fan -
Last year Rick Steves gave the Seattle YWCA an apartment complex that he bought years ago as an investment, then converted to serve struggling families on the brink of homelessness.
Rick Steves' charitable investment with unexpected dividends | The Seattle Times
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• For a party, gay author Joel Perry ordered a turkey to be prepared by HoneyBaked. Unfortunately, when he arrived with his reservation number to pick up the turkey, he was informed that it had already been sold. One other turkey was on display, so he asked if he could buy it, but the salesperson informed him that someone else was buying it. A gay man expecting 20 people for dinner is not to be trifled with, so Mr. Perry jumped over the counter, grabbed the turkey, threw down $50, and dashed out of the store.
• Often, gymnasts from other countries have liked American junk food - sometimes way too much. At a 1977 exhibition, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci gave American gymnast Jackie Cassello a $20 bill, then whispered to her, "Chocolates, doughnuts, Cokes, candy bars …." And in 1973, at the Chunichi Cup, American gymnast Joan Rich helped satisfy Soviet gymnast Ludmila Tourischeva's sweet tooth by using a rope to lower Coca-Colas from her hotel window two stories below to Ms. Tourischeva's window.
• Ed Asner, who played Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, kept kosher as a child, but gave it up later. Forummagazine once asked several celebrities, "Did you ever have a sensual or emotional experience that caused you to exclaim, 'That's better than sex!'" Mr. Asner replied, "My first pork tenderloin sandwich." He ate his first pork tenderloin sandwich in Kansas, where it was difficult to obtain kosher food. He says, "I took a bite, and it was ambrosia. I could have died for the elegance of that taste."
• Comedian Flash Rosenberg's mother brought her up to be analytical. For example, if she refused to eat her peas, her mother wouldn't just let her say that she didn't like peas. She had to have a reason why she didn't like peas. So she would say, "I don't like the way the skin is kind of tough and the inside is kind of mushy. I just don't know how to get my teeth ready." And her mother would reply, "That's a good reason," and so young Flash didn't have to eat her peas.
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© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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Reader Comment
Current Events
Abigail Adams
The Abigail Adams quote below is from this week's quotes newsletter. Sounds like what I wonder every single stinking day about the current WH resident:
"How is it possible, that the love of gain and the
lust of domination should render the human mind so callous
to every principle of honor, generosity, and benevolence?"
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
WHERE'S "ADOLF" WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
STOP GUN VIOLENCE!
THE "TRUMP PUMP".
...AND 'MICKY MOUSE' IS A CARTOON.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and seasonal.
Britannia Awards
Jim Carrey
The Britannia Awards, which took place on Friday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, were supposed to be a collegial event at which the BAFTA Los Angeles gave its annual honorary awards to a group for actors and filmmakers. But Jim Carrey, who received the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy, had more on his mind than simply accepting congratulations.
In a fiery speech, Carrey invoked Colin Kaepernick and Christine Blasey Ford, yelled "How dare they!" at their right-wing critics and decried "capitalism without conscience."
"I know this isn't funny," he said at the end of his comments. "I want to be funny, and I will be again. But things are not very funny these days."
The speech brought a jolt of energy to what had been a relatively lighthearted and mostly non-political evening, which had already seen honors go to actors Emilia Clarke, Cate Blanchett and Damien Lewis and director Steve McQueen. Marvel chief Kevin Feige was also honored.
He talked about how in films like "Modern Times," Chaplin fought "capitalism without conscience," and said "he took on the American right wing of his day on its worst evils: hatred of the immigrant, abuse of power … We are fighting these same evils today."
His voice rising, Carrey went on. "Shamelessness is not and will never be a superpower! Kidnapping children is not what great nations do! About half the nation believes that there is a sinister deep-state conspiracy plotting to… do what? Give them health care?"
Jim Carrey
Florida Bomber
Michael Moore
Filmmaker Michael Moore has issued a statement regarding Cesar Sayoc Jr., who on Friday in Florida was arrested in connection with a series of mail bombs sent to CNN and several prominent Democrats this week. Sayoc, had a picture of Moore with crosshairs over Moore's face pasted to the side of his van.
Moore said in the statement obtained by TheWrap that the "threat of right-wing violence" is not an "aberration" but is the "norm," and that Fox News Channel has helped to "create a generation of angry and violent conspiracy theorists" and have "encouraged to act on those lies."
"The accused bomber plastered a picture of me on the side of his van, with a crosshairs target over my face. Actually, the target is over my neck, which I'll take as a minor concession on his part.
The threat of right-wing violence against figures on the American left is not new. It is not an aberration. It is not a violation of norms. It IS the norm. Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel and right-wing radio have preyed upon those who've seen their American Dream go up in smoke, and they have helped to create a generation of angry and violent conspiracy theorists who will believe any lie that is perpetrated on those airwaves. These angry right wing men have been openly encouraged to act on those lies, even as late as this very morning when Trump was tweeting his doubts that the bombs were real.
Sadly, the new and dangerous dynamic of political violence in America is that it is now promoted and encouraged by the President of the United States.
Michael Moore
'The Simpsons'
Apu
"The Simpsons" has found a solution to its Apu problem… by dropping the character "to avoid the controversy," according to film producer Adi Shankar.
"I got some disheartening news back, that I've verified from multiple sources now: They're going to drop the Apu character altogether," said Shankar in an interview with IndieWire. "They aren't going to make a big deal out of it, or anything like that, but they'll drop him altogether just to avoid the controversy."
It should be noted that Shankar is not affiliated with the show.
The question of the future of Apu has followed the show since the November 2017 release of the documentary "The Problem With Apu." The film studies the effects of what star and director Hari Kondabolu believes to be negative stereotypes perpetuated by the popular animated East Indian character. The fictional Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, who has a very thick accent and runs a convenience store, is voiced by a white man, Hank Azaria.
Shankar started a contest in April to see who could come up with the best way to, as he puts it, "subverts him, pivots him, writes him out, or evolves him in a way that takes a creation that was the byproduct of a predominately Harvard-educated white male writers' room and transforms it into a fresh, funny and realistic portrayal of Indians in America."
Apu
Will Never Remarry
Iman
Nearly three years after David Bowie's death from liver cancer, Iman is not even thinking about another partner.
"I will never remarry," the supermodel said in a new interview with Porter magazine. "I mentioned my husband the other day with someone, and they said to me: 'You mean your late husband?' I said, 'No, he is always going to be my husband.'"
Iman, who was married to Bowie for 24 years, said she does miss having a companion but not so much that she'd like to date.
"I do feel very lonely," said Iman, who wore a necklace with a pendant inscribed "David," during the interview. "But do I want a relationship? I can't say never, but no, not now."
Iman, 63, and Bowie had a daughter together, now 18-year-old Alexandria, who goes by "Lexi." Bowie was also the father of Duncan Jones, 47, who is "close" to Lexi, according to the story. Iman has a daughter, Zulekha, 40, from a previous marriage.
Iman
Bemoaning
Political Incivility
President-for-now Trump (R-Lard Ass) delivered a mixed message to his supporters at a North Carolina rally Friday night.
At the start of a speech that came hours after his Department of Justice announced the arrest of Cesar Sayoc, the ardent Trump supporter suspected of mailing pipe bombs to the president's critics, including those in the Democratic Party and at CNN, Trump praised the FBI for their "incredible work in this investigation," then bemoaned political incivility in America.
"In recent days we have had a broader conversation about the tone and civility of our national dialogue. Everyone will benefit if we can end the politics of personal destruction. We must unify as a nation in peace, love, and in harmony. The media has a major role to play, whether they want to or not," Trump said as his crowd broke out into boos, then a chant of "CNN sucks!" Trump responded to that by adding, "And they do indeed, they have a major role to play as far as tone and as far as everything."
A similar situation came up one night earlier, during a rally in Wisconsin when Trump declined a measure of self-reflection, even though he - as his critics point out - has regularly trafficked in the politics of personal destruction, labeling GOP foes "Lyin' Ted" and "Little Marco" during the Republican primary and blasting Democrats like Maxine Waters and Hillary Clinton. Both Waters and Clinton were recipients of bombs sent by Sayoc. Instead, taking the opposite tack, Trump in North Carolina centered his blame for the deteriorating political discourse in the United States on the media that covers it.
Moments later, Trump returned to partisan attack mode.
Political Incivility
'We Love History'
Owensboro, Ky.
A Kentucky man who wore a Nazi costume and dressed his 5-year-old as Adolf Hitler for a local Halloween event is defending the anti-Semitic outfits by calling himself a history buff.
Bryant Goldbach of Owensboro, Ky., posted a Facebook photo of himself dressed as a member of Hitler's Schutzstaffel, or SS, his young son dressed as Hitler, wearing a fake mustache and a blazer adorned with swastikas, and his daughter (who wore a fairy costume).
The photo was taken Thursday in downtown Owensboro at an annual event called "Trail of Treats," during which children trick-or-treated at local businesses. The family costume understandably offended many attendees, and afterward, Goldbach shared his indignation in a Facebook post that has since been deleted.
"Anyone who knows us knows that we love history, and often dress the part of historical figures," he wrote in a post. "Tonight as we walked we saw people dressed as murderers, devils, serial killers, blood and gore of all sorts. Nobody batted an eye. But my little and I, dress as historical figures, and it merits people not only making snide remarks, but approaching us and threatening my little 5 year old boy."
The father is getting publicly shamed as a "child abuser," "racist," and "coward" on Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter.
Owensboro, Ky.
Fruits and Vegetables
Healthy Diet
The world is not growing enough fruit and vegetables for everyone to eat healthily, according to a new study.
A global appetite for fat and sugar, alongside a surge in grain production to feed developing countries, has led to a system that cannot provide balanced diets for all.
In order to feed the world's rapidly expanding population with healthy diets, the scientists said more fruit and vegetables must be produced alongside a shift to plant-based proteins.
They found that such a shift would also reduce land use and cut greenhouse gas emissions, meaning it would be good for the planet as well as the global population.
"We simply can't all adopt a healthy diet under the current global agriculture system," said Professor Evan Fraser of the University of Guelph, one of the study's co-authors.
Healthy Diet
'Natural Pest Control'
Baby Mouse Tears
The tears of baby mice make females less interested in sex, meaning they could be used as an unlikely form of pest control.
A Japanese study revealed that pheromones produced by young mice override sex-stimulating chemicals produced by amorous males.
This makes the males less appealing to females, and could therefore be used to lower birth rates.
Only mice aged one to three weeks produce the substance, called ESP22, which ends up spread liberally around their territory.
The scientists think this natural birth control, which seemed to affect all females whether or not they were mothers themselves, could be an effective way of stopping mice spreading.
Baby Mouse Tears
A New Species
Crocodile
Researchers say they've made an unusual discovery of a crocodile that was hiding right under their noses, when one species actually turned out to be two.
The team from Florida International University (FIU) published their findings on the slender-snouted crocodile in the journal Zootaxa, naming it Mecistops leptorhynchus. It's the first new crocodile species to be found in more than 80 years, inhabiting Central Africa from Cameroon to Tanzania.
The scientists had been analyzing the DNA and appearance of wild and captive crocodiles in six countries in Africa. But in so doing, they found that there were two separate slender-snouted species, one native to West Africa and the other to Central Africa.
Medium-sized, the animal gets its name from its long and slender snout. They were first described in 1824, but living in very remote areas, they have been difficult to study. They're also very shy and camouflage themselves, meaning finding them in the first place has been hard.
There are some differences between the animals, notes National Geographic. Those from Central Africa have a softer and smoother appearance, while those from West Africa are larger, with heavier scales and rougher skin. The former also lacks bony crests found on the latter.
Crocodile
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