Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Joe Bob Briggs: Amateur Gossip Columnists Roaming Amongst Us (Taki's Magazine)
As for the obscurantist poet on the E train, patiently working through his thick manuscript for what is probably the hundredth time, I guess the guerrilla iPhone press is a good thing. As the train reversed direction and started back uptown, no one got onto his car with him, but that didn't faze him at all. He continued to orate, like the missionary priest in Africa who sermonizes in the empty village church because "if we speak of God here, they will eventually come." There's something pure about his mission. I can't say as much for the people who photograph him in order to get some social-media hits later. Really, now, who is more deranged?
Matthew Yglesias: Obama just gave the speech the left's wanted since he left office (Vox)
But Obama himself is not going to lead Democrats into victory, and given the electoral map, it's not obvious that a stepped-up level of involvement is always going to be helpful. The best thing Democrats can take away from the speech is both a model for addressing these issues and simply an acknowledgment from a well-liked elder statesman that it's okay for Democrats to run as the party of the people against the powerful, and not a betrayal of his legacy to tap into populist themes.
John Cheese: Connecting With Dad By Robbing A Charity (Modern Rogue)
Most of my weirder stories happened on Saturdays. See, my brother and I spent the weekends at Dad's place, and Saturdays were when he really let loose with the booze. That wasn't always a bad thing -- he had predictable patterns of behavior when he drank heavily, but you never quite knew which one was going to manifest. It's like that old Forrest Gump quote: "Blood alcohol content is like a box of chocolates. You never know if Dad's going to be hilarious or a Tarantino villain." Something like that. It's been a while since I've seen the movie.
John Cheese: A Word Of Advice For My Graduating Son (Modern Rogue)
You then had to devote a few more hours to homework and study. You had household chores. What little spare time you had left over had to be split between maintaining healthy friendships or relaxing with video games. And probably porn. Choosing one often means sacrificing time with the other. This is what most adults do now, and you've been practicing it for most of your life.
Trump Is 'Capitalizing on Resentment.' Read Barack Obama's Full Speech on the State of U.S. Democracy (Time)
These are extraordinary times. And they're dangerous times. But here's the good news. In two months we have the chance, not the certainty but the chance, to restore some semblance of sanity to our politics.
Andrew Tobias: Watch This At Home, Right Now, Today
Run, don't walk to rent Active Measures on iTunes- just released ($3.95). Trump really is Putin's puppet. He has laundered billions of dollars of Russian oligarch/mafia money, beginning in 1984. Putin's attack on our democracy put him in the White House - and is ongoing. You have to watch this today. You may find yourself telling everyone you know to watch it, too.
Hadley Freeman: Interviewing Burt Reynolds was a revelation which still shocks me today (The Guardian)
I interviewed Reynolds three years ago ready to be wooed by his breezy charm. Instead, his pain, pills - and professionalism - left me deeply moved.
Hadley Freeman: It's Jewish new year, a time to eat and talk - and there'll only be one topic at the table (The Guardian)
As I dip my apple slice in honey, I will think about the days when Jews were not fretting about antisemitism going mainstream in Britain.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
David E Suggests
Advantages
David
Thanks, Dave!
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Bruce
Autographs Anecdotes
• When Erma Bombeck's first book, titled At Wit's End, was published, she went on her first tour to publicize her book. At one book signing, she spent three hours in a department store with a stack of her books on the desk at which she was sitting, but only two people approached her: A woman wanted directions to the ladies room, and a man asked her the price of the desk. Later, after she had written several best sellers, the lines of people waiting to have her autograph a book became very long. Once, a woman with an infant waited in line to have Ms. Bombeck sign a book. When Ms. Bombeck said that the infant was adorable, the woman replied, "Thank you. It was born in the line."
• Julius LaRosa was a very popular singer on Arthur Godfrey's TV show, but he was fired for what Mr. Godfrey called "a lack of humility" (apparently meaning that Mr. LaRosa got an agent to represent him). Unfortunately, Mr. LaRosa's reputation was bad for quite some time to come. A few years later, Mr. LaRosa was in a hospital, where his wife had just had a miscarriage. A woman fan saw him and asked for an autograph. Obviously, Mr. LaRosa was upset and wished to be alone, so he asked the woman to leave him alone. The woman said, "Arthur Godfrey was right. You do have a lack of humility."
• Jackie Gleason once took reporter W.J. Weatherby out to dinner. Mr. Weatherby wondered why Mr. Gleason took a cab the very short distance to the restaurant, but he soon found out the reason. As Mr. Gleason walked the few steps from the taxi to the restaurant, several people asked him for his autograph. If he had walked the entire two blocks to the restaurant, he would have attracted a mob.
• Bob Denver and Dawn Wells, who played Gilligan and Mary Ann on the TV series Gilligan's Island, were signing autographs together long after the series had been cancelled when a young man leaned down and whispered something to Ms. Wells. Later, Mr. Denver asked what the young man had said. Ms. Wells replied that he had said, "Thank you for getting me through puberty"-this made both of them laugh.
• While Eve Arden, famous especially for her radio and TV character in Our Miss Brooks, was having labor pains for her child Douglas, she ran into one small problem-nurses in the pre-labor room kept asking her for her autograph.
• A man once saw dancer Martha Graham surrounded by fans, so he asked her for her autograph, which she gave to him. But after reading the name on the piece of paper, he asked, "Who are you?" Ms. Graham grabbed the piece of paper from his hand, then snapped, "Find out!"
• Johann Strauss' waltz "The Blue Danube" is a much-loved piece of music. When a famous composer was asked to sign his autograph, he wrote a few notes of "The Blue Danube," then added, "Unfortunately, not by Johannes Brahms."
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© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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Reader Comment
Current Events
Jefferson Butterbeans
Next time Predator, or someone else, makes you feel sorry for the little elf (which makes me ANGRY!!!), just remember:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended the Trump administration's controversial zero-tolerance policy while speaking to an incoming class of immigration judges Monday, labeling it "perfectly legitimate, moral and decent." Sessions told the 46 prospective judges that "no great and prosperous nation can have both a generous welfare system and great prosperity, and open borders.
And steel your heart against the lying, racist, xenophobic, heartless, little hypocrite.
How the F?
How the F do you say you LIKE someone you've called little rocket man? I have never given anyone I like a derisive nickname. I don't even remember giving anyone I like an affectionate nickname.
I live in a bizarre, surreal world. I can't wait to cast my in-person absentee ballot in October. I PRAY that November is the end of this nightmare and the beginning of a return to normalcy.
I HATE Predator. See? Derisive nickname--NOT for someone I like; for someone I hate & want to belittle! Unlike Dotard, I know the meaning of words. And my behavior is consistent with my values.
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE.
THE 'KOCH BROTHERS PLAN' TO DESTROY A SCHOOL SYSTEM.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
If you've ever thought about sending Marty a donation this would be an excellent time.
EGOT
John Legend
John Legend's just added some new hardware to his trophy case: an Emmy to accompany his Oscar (2015 Best Original Song "Glory" from Selma), Tony (producing Jitney, winner of 2017's Best Revival of a Play), and 10 Grammys (countless hit songs).
The singer struck gold at Sunday's Creative Arts Emmys, where Jesus Christ Superstar, Live in Concert was named Outstanding Variety Special. Legend - who is also up for an acting Emmy for playing the title role in the NBC production - and fellow producers Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber all received Emmys for their work.
The win propelled all three men to the rare and coveted EGOT status, the term used for someone who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony; prior to Sunday night, only 12 people had achieved the feat. At age 39, he's the second-youngest artist to become an EGOT winner. Songwriter Robert Lopez became the youngest person to earn EGOT status when he won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2014 for "Let It Go" from Frozen.
What's more, he's also the first black man to take home all four trophies. In 2002, Whoopi Goldberg became the first black woman to achieve the entertainment industry's version of a grand slam. Other notable EGOT winners include Mel Brooks, Rita Moreno, and Audrey Hepburn.
John Legend
Three In A Row
John Oliver
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver picked up its third consecutive win for Best Variety Series Writing at Night 2 of the Creative Arts Emmys. This time, however, Oliver and crew were a no-show, sending a message, read by a member of the show's digital team. They assured Emmy attendees they were honored to win, but were "being held captive in a windowless writers room" in Manhattan, working on a segment that, as best we could tell, had to do with tax loopholes and a cranberry bog in New Jersey.
"Rest assured we are drunk," they added, explaining the cranberry bog.
Oliver's weekly HBO late night show won for an episode in which the deep dive topic was Alex Jones.
Oliver's HBO show took this derby the past two years, and the acceptance speeches have become a "thing" so tonight's no-show was disappointing. In 2016, Oliver said ,"We wrote a speech, but we're Last Week Tonight so it's 20 minutes long and has the f-word in it 52 times." And backstage, the writers joked, of the show's often inscrutable subject choices, that "sometimes we're daring people not to watch with [subject] we're talking about."
John Oliver
Says He Would Kneel
Michael Strahan
Michael Strahan has previously been outspoken regarding the controversial NFL protests during the national anthem, even defending Colin Kaepernick for starting the national movement. Today the former NFL player revealed he too would kneel with the current players if he were currently in the league.
While visiting The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday, Strahan thought carefully about his father, Gene Strahan, who is a retired Army major, before revealing his opinion.
"I think I would have [kneeled]," he said. "I would have had a conversation with my father, and based on that conversation, and conversations, I've had with him, I'm pretty sure I would have.
Strahan went on say Nike was "smart" in using Colin Kaepernick as its spokesperson for its recent ad campaign and defended the protesting by the onetime 49ers quarterback whose activism cost him his job.
"One of the things you can do in this country is you can protest, and he's protesting injustices that he sees happening. And I take my hat off to him, because he really did sacrifice and put so much on the line for other people that he had no idea who they were. He's never met them, does not know them, and he put his whole life and career on the line."
Michael Strahan
Surprise Beard
Alex Trebek
"Jeopardy!" has kicked off its 35th season and, like everything else in the world, it has brought out hairy issues that threaten to divide this great nation.
Like, is Alex Trebek's new beard magical or woefully misplaced?
Trebek unveiled the new look on Twitter and followed with a goofy video on the "Jeopardy!" Instagram page before Monday's premiere episode with the caption, "It's time to embark upon a magical journey into Season 35!"
"No need to inquire how I spent my summer vacation," he quipped. "Things got a little out of hand."
Currently, the beards have it in the poll, with 67 percent loving the follicles and 33 percent opposed with more than 7,000 votes tallied.
Alex Trebek
Creative Arts Emmys
Samantha Bee
"I am all that stands between you and a buffet full of free alcohol," the evening's final presenter Samantha Bee said on stage, noting she's used to people wanting her to stop talking.
She gave her sincere gratitude to attendees because "none of us has to make small talk with Sean Spicer this time." Spicer having participated in last year's televised Emmy Awards.
Bee noted she will be presenting the win for Best Reality Series Host which, she reminded "is the stepping stone to becoming President of the United States."
She reminded that if the winner is a man, the Emmy statuette is a woman "and to ask before touching."
Samantha Bee
Rice Farming
Climate Change
Rice farming is known to be a major contributor to climate change, but new research suggests it is far bigger a problem than previously thought.
Techniques intended to reduce emissions while also cutting water use may in fact be boosting some greenhouse gases, meaning the impact of rice cultivation may be up to twice as bad as previous estimates suggest.
Scientists at the US-based advocacy group the Environmental Defense Fund suggest the short-term warming impact of these additional gases in the atmosphere could be equivalent to 1,200 coal power plants.
Considering the importance of rice as a staple food crop, providing more calories to the global population than any other food, the researchers have recommended ways to adapt farming practices and make its cultivation more climate-friendly.
Past estimates have suggested that 2.5 per cent of human-induced climate warming can be attributed to rice farming.
Climate Change
"Invisible Factor"
Antibiotic Resistance
Make no mistake, it's desperately clear what is driving the rise of "superbugs" and antibiotic-resistant bacteria: we have used and abused antibiotics too often and for too long, both in human medicine and agriculture. However, it's now suggested that other non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals could also be an "invisible factor" in the problem.
A new study published in the journal Environment International has highlighted how a widely used antidepressant, fluoxetine, could potentially be contributing to antibiotic resistance.
"Our previous study reported that triclosan, a common ingredient in toothpaste and hand wash can directly induce antibiotic resistance [high everyday use leads to high residual levels in wastewater]," Dr Jianhua Guo from the University of Queensland's Advanced Water Management Centre said in a statement. "We also wondered whether other non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals such as fluoxetine can directly induce antibiotic resistance."
Better known under its brand name Prozac, fluoxetine is from a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), which block the reabsorption of serotonin (the "happy" chemical) in the brain. It's among some of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants. Along with treating depression, it's often very successfully used to help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders.
The researchers placed different concentrations of fluoxetine into petri dishes filled with strains of E. Colibacteria. After a month of exposure, the fluoxetine had caused the bacteria to undergo mutations resulting in increased resistance against multiple antibiotics.
Antibiotic Resistance
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