Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Matthew Yglesias: Donald Trump's shady foundation that just got him sued by the New York attorney general, explained (Vox)
Maybe Trump shouldn't have bought that autographed Tim Tebow helmet with charity funds, after all.
Joe Bob Briggs: Torch Those Bikinis! (Taki's Magazine)
NEW YORK-I don't know about you, but I'm circling my calendar and stocking whiskey for the night of September 10, when ABC will go prime-time live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City for the Miss America…
Joe Bob Briggs: I Guess I'm an Angry White Man (Taki's Magazine)
So there you have it-an Angry Black Man, an Angry White Man, an Angry Black Woman, and an Angry White Woman-all convinced that Angry White Men in the swing states rose up like villagers with torches and lynched the rightful heir to the presidency. I could cite a hundred other examples, and they're all angrier than the angry men they write about. They're essentially saying that the 63 million people who voted for Trump are all misguided bigots, but especially the white males.< /p>
Joe Bob Briggs: A Brief History of the Redneck (Taki's Magazine)
These are the original rednecks. These are not people who left their cross-timbered homes in South Yorkshire after deciding the Anglican Church was becoming "a bit too Catholic, yes, a bloody shame." These were people who felt like most churches were a con game. These people hated all the churches. These were people who wanted to be left the hell alone. These are our Angry White Man forebears.
Diane Shipley: "When good TV goes bad: how Parks and Recreation got sickly sweet" (The Guardian)
Amy Poehler's joyful show got a bit too joyful, and had a shark-jumping seventh series retreading old ground and leaving a bad taste in the mouth.
John Cheese: The Time I Went To Jail Because Of A Prank (Modern Rogue)
What you're about to read is the 100% truth. It happened in April of 2006, and after a few hours in jail, a meeting with the local prosecutor and a trip to court, the story became kind of an internet campfire story. Not because it was awesome, but because it was so incredibly stupid. This is how I went to jail for the sake of a dumb prank.
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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 Comment
Current Events
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
HOW MOBSTERS AND THE FBI STOLE THE LAST ELECTION.
RACIAL HATE AND ANTI-SCIENCE GO HAND IN HAND.
IT'S ALL A LIE. WELL DUH.
HERE GOES NOTHING!
THE MAN WITH NO NAME.
FIRE ALL HUMAN BEINGS WHO TREAT OTHER HUMAN BEINGS WITH CONTEMPT!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Not much of a marine layer - more sun, more heat.
Donates Polar Music Prize
Metallica
Metallica, the recipients of the 2018 Polar Music Prize alongside Afghan National Institute of Music (ANIM) founder Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, decided to donate their award money of one million Swedish Kroner (roughly $130,000) to three charities.
As Billboard first reported, the band is donating 50% of its prize money to the Stockholm City Mission to support the homeless; 25% to the World Childhood Foundation, founded by Sweden's Queen Silvia; and 25% to the co-recipient of the award, ANIM, which was founded in 2010 in response to the country's civil war and destruction of centuries of rich musical tradition.
Band members Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo were on-hand to accept the award on the band's behalf from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during the ceremony in Stockholm on Thursday night.
"Not since Wagner's emotional turmoil and Tchaikovsky's cannons has anyone created music that is so physical and furious, and yet still so accessible. Through virtuoso ensemble playing and its use of extremely accelerated tempos, Metallica has taken rock music to places it had never been before," reads the description for the band's recognition from Polar Music Prize. "In Metallica's world, both a teenage bedroom and a concert hall can be transformed into a Valhalla. The strength of the band's uncompromising albums has helped millions of listeners to transform their sense of alienation into a superpower."
The Polar Music Prize was founded by ABBA manager, music publisher, and lyricist Stig "Stikkan" Anderson to honor "significant achievements and/or music activity" and celebrate music that "breaks down musical boundaries." The first award was presented in 1992 to Paul McCartney and the Baltic States. Additional Laureates include Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Renee Fleming, Patti Smith, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and Sting.
Metallica
Urges Fox Showrunners & Talent To Speak Out
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow is urging Fox showrunners and talent to call out Fox News Channel's coverage of the Trump administration's zero-tolerance immigration policy to separate families from their children at the southern U.S. border.
"I haven't worked with Fox since 2002, wrote Apatow in one of a series of tweets. "That family promotes evil ideas and greed and corruption.. We all choose who to work with. I understand why that is easier for some than others but many powerful people are powerful enough to speak up to their bosses at a moment like this." Apatow was referring to Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of Fox News parent 21st Century Fox and CEO of Fox News Channel, and the Murdoch family.
Apatow lashed out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions after seeing footage of him speaking at the National Sheriffs' Association, where he used the bible to justify the policy, calling him "a f**king kidnapper."
"[AG Sessions] is a fucking kidnapper!, Apatow continued. "The Murdoch's support these policies! Where are the Fox stars and executives speaking up?! Imagine if it was your kids. Who has a movie, TV show, sporting event, news show at Fox? How can you remain silent when they promote these policies?"
"If EVERY Fox star and show runner said this policy was evil and protested to the Murdoch family it would make a huge difference in this national debate," Apatow insisted, though some might disagree given that the Murdochs are entertaining two offers, from Comcast and Disney, to take Fox broadcast network off their hands, among other properties.
Judd Apatow
Family Gives Dr. Dre Go-Ahead for Biopic
Marvin Gaye
Dr. Dre, who apparently has hundreds of thousands of songs just hanging out in a vault somewhere, is currently working to bring a Marvin Gayebiopic into existence.
Dre, according to a report from Variety Monday, is now in the "early stages" of putting the production together. Most notable, however, is the fact that Dre has already reportedly secured the rights to Gaye's music via Sony/ATV. While F. Gary Gray and James Gandolfini have been behind previous efforts at getting a Gaye biopic in motion, Dre's marks the first time the Gaye family has given the go-ahead. A Jamie Foxx-backed limited TV series secured rights back in 2016 but has since stalled.
This March, the Gaye estate came out on top in the controversial "Blurred Lines" case appeal. A $5.3 million judgment against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams was upheld by a 2-1 federal appeals court vote, citing so-called "broad copyright protection."
Dre also wrapped a recent legal battle of his own, though the similarities end there. Back in May, Dre's attempt at blocking "Doctor Drai OBGYN and Media Personality" was dismissed by the trademark office. Dre had been concerned that the 20 Things You May Not Know About the Penis author's branding might confuse consumers. In my opinion, all of that would actually make a damn fine movie of its own. This is my formal request for someone to pay me to make that exact movie.
Marvin Gaye
Netflix Saves
'Lucifer'
Nixed by Fox, season four of fantastical crime drama "Lucifer" has now been picked up by Netflix.
With a lead character who is literally the lord of Hell, Warner Bros' "Lucifer" has been saved from damnation by Fox Broadcasting thanks to online streaming specialist Netflix.
Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Lucifer walks the streets of Los Angeles as a supernaturally persuasive nightclub owner and, after an encounter with a police detective who is somehow immune to his infernal charms, a civilian consultant to the LAPD.
Fox announced the show's cancellation even before broadcasting its final three episodes in May 2018, and fans took to social media to petition for a second chance.
NBC recently picked up police comedy "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" after a similar cancellation the day before Fox gave "Lucifer" the chop.
'Lucifer'
'America Is Better Than This'
Migrant Children
A prominent doctor has spoken out against the Trump administration's policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the US border. saying it could have a 'devastating' long-term effect on their emotional well-being.
Dr Colleen Kraft, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, visited a shelter for children under the age of 12 that runs along the Texas border with Mexico.
The shelter in question held 60 beds and had a little playground for children. Rooms are equipped with toys, books and crayons.
But the child who caught the paediatrician's attention during a recent visit was anything but happy. This little girl - no older than two - was screaming and pounding her fists on a mat. Yet staff members could not comfort the infant because of the rules prohibiting physical contact.
"The really devastating thing was that we all knew what was going on with this child. We all knew what the problem was," Dr Kraft said. "She didn't have her mother, and none of us can fix that."
Migrant Children
Sheriff Deputy Charged
Texass
A Texas sheriff's deputy has been accused of sexually assaulting an undocumented immigrant's child, and blackmailing the mother with potential deportation to keep her quiet about the attacks.
Jose Nunez, 47, is being held on charges of "super aggravated sexual assault" after the mother sought help at a fire department for her 4-year-old child, who had reportedly been crying out in pain.
"The details of the case are quite frankly heartbreaking, disturbing, disgusting and infuriating all at the same time," Javier Salazar, the Bexar County Sheriff, said during a press conference announcing the charges and circumstances.
The sheriff said that the assaults may have taken place over a span of several months, and that it is possible there are other victims.
"This suspect utilised to his advantage to place the mother in fear that she would be deported if she did report it," Mr Salazar said. The "little girl now is safe."
Texass
Nearly Half World's Guns In Civilian Hands
Americans
Americans make up 4 percent of the world's population but owned about 46 percent of the estimated 857 million weapons in civilian hands at the end of 2017, a survey showed on Monday.
The Small Arms Survey, an independent global research project based in Geneva, Switzerland, found that there were more than 1 billion firearms in the world, of which civilians owned 85 percent, while the rest were held by militaries or law enforcement agencies.
The number of guns owned by civilians globally rose to 857 million in 2017 from 650 million in 2006, the survey said. There were 120 guns for every 100 U.S. residents in 2017, it found, followed by Yemen with nearly 53 firearms per 100 people.
"The biggest force pushing up gun ownership around the world is civilian ownership in the United States. Ordinary American people buy approximately 14 million new and imported guns every year," survey author Aaron Karp told reporters.
"Why are they buying them? That's another debate. Above all, they are buying them probably because they can. The American market is extraordinarily permissive," he told a news conference at the United Nations in New York.
Americans
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