Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Marc Dion: Did the Rich Man Die, or Did He Just Want to Help? (Creators Syndicate)
The further America ventures into the 21st century, the more we become like the 1930s. I remember my father telling me how people used to roll their own cigarettes to save money. People are doing that again. He also told me about the bootleggers who sold illegal booze until the government made it legal again because they had failed at stamping out the bootleggers. This is what's happening with marijuana today. He told me about the ragmen who roamed the streets, looking for junk. "Canners" roam my street, checking the trash for deposit bottles and can
Andrew Tobias: "Evangelical Politics: Are You A Sheep Or A Goat?"
Jim Burt writes: "Let's assume for a moment that 'Christian' teaching and notions of morality track the teachings of Jesus as reported in the gospels. Namely, that the corporal acts of mercy, feeding the hungry, nursing the sick, visiting the imprisoned, clothing the naked, etc., are both sufficient and necessary to enable a person to receive a favorable nod on Judgment Day, while mere belief is insufficient."
Paul Krugman: The G.O.P.'s War on the Poor (NY Times)
The justification keeps changing, but the cruelty remains the same.
Jonathan Chait: At Summit With Russia, Trump Betrays His Country in Plain Sight (NY Mag)
Trump told the world he trusts the denial of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin - the very man who did the deed! - over his own government's intelligence. Trump can't think of a reason why Putin would have interfered in the election. The fact that Russia has interfered in multiple elections, the fact its propaganda arm had broadcast its preference for Trump, the fact American intelligence concluded Russia intervened, that Robert Mueller has produced multiple indictments detailing evidence of this interference, all mean less to him than Putin's say-so.
Tom Danehy: "Tom says Democrats need to stop with the 'Abolish ICE' business" (Tucson Weekly)
Almost all Americans want secure borders. It can be argued that ICE isn't fulfilling its stated mission, but in order to get it to do so, we're going to need a Congress willing to nudge ICE back on track. Calling for the abolition of a law-enforcement agency is doing Trump's work for him and is not going to win us any elections. And if you still have the urge to shout "Abolish ICE," just think how stupid Trump-ers sound when they say they want to get rid of the FBI.
Joe Bob Briggs: Breaking the Internet (Taki's Magazine)
I don't wanna break the Internet. I want it to do its job and I'll do mine. And maybe if the guys in the marketing labs would use a few less pop-ups and cookies and stealth keyword-searchers, we would all get along better. Maybe if we could go back to what it was intended for, in 1992, the Internet could become our friend again.
Katherine J. Chen: IN PRAISE OF "PLAIN" HEROINES: WHY MARY IS MY FAVORITE BENNET SISTER (LitHub.com)
SHE MAY BE BOOKISH, BUT SHE'S NOT QUIET.
GARRISON KEILLOR: Feeling odd about feeling this good
I am having a beautiful summer and I don't know why - after all, I am a liberal Democrat obliged to be concerned about the oppressed, the underpaid, the critical shortage of honeybees, greenhouse gases, plastic waste on the ocean floor, meanwhile right-wingers in giant pickups with Confederate decals on the bumper and rifles in a gun rack in the cab go merrily along without a twinge of guilt, and now apparently so do I.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog #1
David Bruce's Blog #2
David Bruce's Blog #3
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has over 80 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Presenting
Michael Egan
said:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
Current Events
I thought you might like the attached It's a design from the Subversive Cross Stitch lady in Dallas.
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Marc Perkel
Marc's Guide to Curing Cancer
So far so good on beating cancer for now. I'm doing fine. At the end of the month I'll be 16 months into an 8 month mean lifespan. And yesterday I went on a 7 mile hike and managed to keep up with the hiking group I was with. So, doing something right.
Still waiting for future test results and should see things headed in the right direction. I can say that it's not likely that anything dire happens in the short term so that means that I should have time to make several more attempts at this. So even if it doesn't work the first time there are a lot of variations to try. So if there's bad news it will help me pick the next radiation target.
I have written a "how to" guide for oncologists to perform the treatment that I got. I'm convinced that I'm definitely onto something and whether it works for me or not isn't the definitive test. I know if other people tried this that it would work for some of them, and if they improve it that it will work for a lot of them.
The guide is quite detailed and any doctor reading this can understand the procedure at every level. I also go into detail as to how it works, how I figured it out, and variations and improvements that could be tried to enhance it. I also introduce new ways to look at the problem. There is a lot of room for improvement and I think that doctors reading it will see what I'm talking about and want to build on it. And it's written so that if you're not a doctor you can still follow it. It also has a personal story revealing that I'm the class clown of cancer support group. I give great interviews and I look pretty hot in a lab coat.
So, feel free to read this and see what I'm talking about. But if any of you want to help then pass this around to both doctors and cancer patients. I need some media coverage. I'm looking for as many eyeballs as possible to read these ideas. Even if this isn't the solution, it's definitely on the right track. After all, I did hike 7 miles yesterday. And this hiking group wasn't moving slow. So if this isn't working then, why am I still here?
I also see curing cancer as more of an engineering problem that a medical problem. So if you are good at solving problems and most of what you know about medicine was watching the Dr. House MD TV show, then you're at the level I was at when I started. So anyone can jump in and be part of the solution.
Here is a link to my guide: Oncologists Guide to Curing Cancer using Abscopal Effect
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
NO!
'BUCKLE UP'!
YADA, YADA, YADA!
FRANKLIN GRAHAM IS GOING TO HELL!
"COOL, CLEAR, WATER!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
We're back!
The PA trip was quite pleasant.
Put nearly 1000 miles on the rent-a-car, mostly on backwoods roads.
Here's a link to some of our PA adventures - PA Visit - 2018
Today features a little Johnsonburg, a bit of Glen Hazel, and a touch of Rasselas.
Will be adding more photos on this new page over the next week, or so.
Cher, 'Hamilton,' Philip Glass
Kennedy Center Honors
Cher, Reba McEntire, composer Philip Glass and jazz great Wayne Shorter will receive the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, with this year's ceremony also bestowing a special award to the musical Hamilton.
"The Cabinet is headed to DC. Honored honored honored," Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted of the award, the first time in the Kennedy Center's 41-year history that a work of art and not an individual has been honored.
Cher said in a statement released through the Kennedy Center, "When I was very young, I saw Dumbo and Cinderella and knew then what I wanted to be and the path my life would take and here I am! I am very grateful to the Kennedy Center."
Given that Donald Trump did not attend the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017, it is unlikely the president will be present for the 2018 ceremony, considering how critical Cher and Miranda have been of his administration. Trump also previously called Hamilton "overrated."
The Kennedy Center Honors will be held at the Washington, D.C. venue on December 2nd, with a CBS broadcast to follow on December 26th.
Kennedy Center Honors
Asks Disney
Bobcat Goldthwait
Comedian turned director Bobcat Goldthwait has found a fiendish way to support his friend, director James Gunn, and put the screws to Disney.
Disney canned Gunn from "Guardians Of The Galaxy 3" after Gunn's old shock-humor tweets were resurfaced last week by a pair of far-right media figures.
Chris Pratt and Selma Blair are some of the celebrities who have backed Gunn, but Goldthwait really put his money where his mouth was in an Instagram post on Monday.
Goldthwait wrote that Gunn is "a loyal friend, super talented, passionate and kind."
Then he asked Disney to remove his voice from a planned theme-park attraction because he doesn't want to make the studio "look bad."
Bobcat Goldthwait
Reboot
Frasier
Oh baby we hear those blues callin' again… because Dr Frasier Crane may be headed back to TV.
Everyone's favourite TV psychiatrist is the latest to ride the wave of reboots and revivals, although the resurrection of Frasier apparently isn't a straight-ahead comeback like Will & Grace or Murphy Brown.
Deadline reports that Kelsey Grammer and production company CBS TV Studios are mulling a soft reboot that would move Dr Frasier Crane away from Seattle for a fresh start in a new city.
All we can say is that this creative choice had better not rule out cameos from Niles, Daphne or Roz, or we'll be pelting our tellies with tossed salads and scrambled eggs.
Nothing's set in stone just yet though, as neither Grammer nor CBS TV Studios are commenting on the Frasier revival project at this stage.
Frasier
Slashes Half Of Newsroom Staff
NY Daily News
The New York Daily News, the century-old tabloid known for its provocative headlines, made its own news Monday by slashing half its editorial staff, in the latest retrenchment in the newspaper sector.
The daily owned by the media conglomerate Tronc said in an email to employees that the move sought to address the newspaper's "significant financial challenges."
A source familiar with the matter told AFP the cuts represent "nearly 50 percent" of newsroom staff.
Tronc declined to comment on the cutbacks or confirm precisely how many staff were affected, but the rival New York Post said the Daily News had some 85 editorial staff before the layoffs.
The editorial staff will slashed be as the newspaper looks at a fundamental restructuring to focus on breaking news, mainly in areas of "crime, civil justice and public responsibility," according to the note to staff, which was widely circulated on Twitter.
NY Daily News
'What You're Seeing... Is Not What's Happening.'
George Orwell
President-for-now Trump (R-Crooked) drew comparisons to George Orwell's 1984 in an attack on the media during a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention Tuesday.
In his address to the convention in Kansas City, Trump defended his decision to slap tariffs on the U.S.'s trading partners. As Trump told the crowd that "it's all working out," he warned those in the audience against believing what they see in the news.
"What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening," Trump said.
For some, the quote immediately recalled a line from Orwell's dystopian novel 1984: "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
It's not the first time Trump's speeches has reminded people of something out of an Orwell story. Last week, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake called Trump's words at his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki an "Orwellian moment."
George Orwell
'Caused A Stir'
CNN
President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Flaccid) caused "a bit of a stir" on Air Force One while in Europe earlier this month and finding that first lady (cough, cough) Melania Trump's television was turned to "fake news" CNN instead of Fox News, The New York Times reported.
All televisions should be turned to Fox Rupert's Radio Rwanda anytime White House staff board the plane, according to an email between officials in the White House Military Office and the White House Communications Agency last Thursday, obtained by the Times.
The email also discussed ordering two more TVs so that Trump and the first lady (cough, cough) could each watch TV in their separate hotel rooms while on the road.
Trump's tirades against "fake news" CNN and other news outlets have become intertwined with his presidency. He often lashes out against what he views as the "mainstream media" and will often quote guests who appear on Fox News to defend him or promote segments and interviews on the network.
"Just remember: What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening," Trump said Tuesday during a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. "Don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news."
CNN
Buried 1,800 Years Ago
'Neko'
Greek archaeologists have discovered a virtually intact grave of an ancient noblewoman buried with her golden jewelry at a Roman burial monument in the island of Sikinos.
Her name, according to a burial inscription, was Neko - using the Greek alphabet.
The box-shaped grave was found untouched in the vault of the Episkopi monument, a rare burial memorial of the Roman era, which was later turned into a Byzantine church and a monastery.
Golden wristbands, rings, a long golden necklace, a female figure carved cameo buckle, glass and metal vases and fragments of the dead woman's clothes were found in the grave.
The well-preserved mausoleum on the tiny island, in the Cycladic group southeast of Athens, was likely to have been constructed to shelter the grave, archaeologists said.
'Neko'
This Lorax
Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss' famous Lorax - a mustached and mossy fellow who "speaks for the trees" - was likely inspired by the long-limbed patas monkeys the children's book writer saw while on a safari in Kenya, a new study finds.
This realization, as well as the idea that Seuss' fictional truffula trees were inspired by the trees the patas monkeys depend on, may change how scholars interpret "The Lorax" (Random House, 1971), according to the study, published online today (July 23) in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Rather than seeing the Lorax as an eco-watchdog bent on being "sharpish and bossy" with big polluters (a view some scholars and environmentalists take), it makes more sense to appreciate the furry creature as a natural member of the ecosystem - one who is dismayed that his home is being destroyed, said study lead researcher Nathaniel Dominy, a professor of anthropology at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
However, not everyone is on board with this interpretation.
Dr. Seuss
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for July 16-22. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday), NBC, 11.33 million.
2. MLB All-Star Game, Fox, 8.7 million.
3. "60 Minutes," CBS, 7.69 million.
4. "The Bachelorette," ABC, 6.3 million.
5. "Celebrity Family Feud," ABC, 6.08 million.
6. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 6.06 million.
7. "World of Dance," NBC, 5.9 million.
8. "Home Run Derby," ESPN, 5.6 million.
9. "Big Brother" (Thursday), CBS, 5.56 million.
10. "Young Sheldon," CBS. 5.5 million.
11. "NCIS," CBS, 5.49 million.
12. "Big Brother" (Sunday), CBS, 5.46 million.
13. "Code Black," CBS, 5.37 million.
14. "Big Brother" (Wednesday), CBS, 5.25 million.
15. "American Ninja Warrior," NBC, 5.19 million.
16. "$100,000 Pyramid," ABC, 5.09 million.
17. "Dateline NBC" (Monday), NBC. 4.89 million.
18. "Bluebloods," CBS, 4.4 million.
19. "Bull," CBS, 4.394 million.
20. "NCIS: New Orleans," CBS, 4.392 million.
Ratings
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
