Recommended Reading
from Bruce
In Oklahoma, Republicans Paid For Voting Down Teacher Raises (AP)
Of the 10 "no" voters in the House who were running for re-election, two were defeated outright on Tuesday - Reps. Chuck Strohm of Jenks and Scott McEachin of Tulsa. Seven others ended up in an Aug. 28 primary runoff against fellow Republicans. Four other Republican incumbents also were defeated on Tuesday, including one who lost to a seventh-grade English teacher from Elgin.
Helaine Olen: The Supreme Court is returning us to the Gilded Age - and it's about to get worse (Washington Post)
Time machines aren't real. But even before Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced his retirement Wednesday afternoon, the Supreme Court was well on its way to returning the United States to the Gilded Age, a time of soaring income and wealth inequality where workers lacked basic rights, minorities were often prevented from voting and monopolies ruled the land.
Amanda Marcotte: "Listen up, progressives: Anthony Kennedy was not your friend" (Salon)
Kennedy was no "moderate." He's been instrumental in dismantling American democracy so Trump could take it over.
Andrew Tobias: We Need To Play By Senator McConnell's Rules
So now - with barely 4 months to November - and by Senator McConnell's own rules - we have to wait to see how the people feel. Which party gets more votes. If it's the Republicans, so be it. But if it's the Democrats, then - even if Senator McConnell retains the gavel - he must work with the Democrats and the President to find a moderate consensus candidate. Perhaps even Merrick Garland.
Helaine Olen: Trump wins, consumers lose again at the CFPB (Washington Post)
Make no mistake: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was not established because Warren woke up one morning and decided to sock it to the financial sector. It was established because of mountains of evidence that the financial sector was frequently socking it to customers. And now, thanks to the Trump administration, it will almost certainly continue to do so indefinitely.
Helaine Olen: The Trump administration has made it harder to save for retirement (Washington Post)
Last week, the end came for an Obama-era attempt to mandate that financial professionals advising Americans on retirement savings give advice in the best interest of their clients. The cause? The Trump administration's refusal to appeal a U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruling that, in requiring the "fiduciary standard," President Barack Obama's Labor Department exceeded its legal authority. Once again, the Trump administration has made a bad situation worse for Americans needing financial help, so Wall Street can continue to rake in profits.
Peter Bradshaw: Vagabond review - Agnès Varda's classic chronicle of a death foretold (The Guardian)
Revived to mark the director's 90th birthday, the story of a young woman's short, troubled life is cool, enigmatic and as gripping as any thriller.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
said:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
David E Suggests
Crisps
David
Thanks, Dave!
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Drilling for oil on the Carrizo Plain
Marty
Apart from the important cultural issues, scientific reasons indicate
that plan to be one of the worst ideas I've ever encountered!
We've all seen aerial photos of the San Andreas fault ripping the earth
asunder - that's where those are taken...
Alongside the plain is the Temblor (Earthquake) range... duhhh!
I've already survived one fracking-related quake (Whitier Narrows,
1987) and, currently, there are, almost daily, low-intensity quakes
where there is drilling on the Newport-Inglewood fault in West LA...
risking a bigger quake between LA and San Diego...
Can't wait for the Big One?
James
Thanks, James!
They're sinking a crapper-load of new wells here in the Long Beach area.
And I'm old enough to remember the Whittier Narrows quake.
It woke me up, grabbed my glasses, headed for the doorway, and kept screaming 'where the fuck are my glasses?' (they were in my hand).
Reader Comment
Current Events
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
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
ALL RISE FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: POOTY POOT!
"UTTERLY RIDICULOUS."
MILO IS A WHORE!
NO!
THE CROOKS AND THE PUSHERS!
THE NAZI KNOWS.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Running late, again.
Cast Reunites
"Breaking Bad"
It's already been 10 years since "Breaking Bad" debuted on AMC. The cast of the hit drama reunited with creator Vince Gilligan for a feature in Entertainment Weekly, with stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul joined by Bob Odenkirk, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks, and RJ Mitte. If you're getting teary, you're not alone.
Star Bryan Cranston told Entertainment Weekly that he found the reunion emotional.
"You can't just move on," he said. "Something that was so indelible and meaningful in your life and you can't, and I don't want to. I want to hold on to those good memories of that gathering, both then and during our seven years together. So, it's a bit melancholy, actually. Bittersweet."
Brandt said of the reunion, "I knew I would laugh, and I knew I would cry."
"Breaking Bad"
Shuts Down
Disneytoon Studios
Disney's Disneytoon Studios, the Glendale-based Planes franchise home, is shutting down, effective immediately. As reported by Indiewire, a Disney spokesperson said, "After much consideration, we have made the decision to end production activity and close Disneytoon Studios." 75 animators and other studio staff will be laid off, though no word was given if they will transition to either Disney or Pixar.
At last July's D23 Expo, John Lasseter himself announced Disneytoon Studios' next feature, "Untitled DTS Film," directed by Klay Hall and Bobs Gannaway, with an April 12, 2019 theatrical release date. According to today's report, the Planes spin-off is no longer in development.
Since Lasseter announced last November 21st that he was taking a six-month sabbatical in the face of sexual misconduct charges leveled by staff at both Disney and Pixar, studio executives have been navigating through a potential minefield, carefully gauging industry opinion and weighing potential executive management changes in the midst of releasing what ended up being two of its most successful animated films to date: Coco last November and Incredibles 2 earlier this month.
With the June 9th report Lasseter would not be returning, followed by the June 19th appointmentof Jennifer Lee and Pete Docter to replace him as chief creative officers at Disney and Pixar, respectively, it appeared the tumult at the studios might be over. In light of the Department of Justice's approval this week of Disney's acquisition of a major chunk of 21st Century Fox Studios' assets, which include Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios, and today's Disneytoon Studios shuttering, the future of animation at the studio Mickey Mouse built seems anything but settled.
Disneytoon Studios
Flatulating Unicorn Image
Elon Musk
Elon Musk, the South African-born entrepreneur with ambitious plans to colonise Mars, has become embroiled in an 'absurd' dispute over his company's use of a flatulating unicorn image he is accused of "ripping off".
The 47-year-old multi-billionaire first shared the unicorn image, created by Colorado artist Tom Edwards, with his 22 million Twitter followers in February last year.
Edwards, who runs his own art pottery business, produced the unicorn mug design in 2010, explaining: "I figure anything with rainbows and unicorns has to be a hit!"
While Edwards was initially delighted with the boost in sales of his unicorn mugs as a result of Musk's promotion, The Guardian reports he has now accused the SpaceX CEO of using the image without his permission in Tesla's operating system.
Elon Musk
Quits Over Immigration Coverage
Bruce Turkel
Bruce Turkel, a Miami advertising executive who had been a frequent guest on Fox News, said in a sharply worded letter Wednesday that he will no longer appear on the network because of its coverage of immigration.
"Quite simply, the position Fox has taken on our government's policy of separating children from their parents is too heinous for me to accept," Turkel wrote in an open letter to Fox News.
Turkel, an author and branding expert who has appeared on a number of networks over the years, singled out Fox hosts Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity for remarks on the children affected by President Donald Trump's family-separation policy.
Coulter claimed children seen crying in videos at detention centers were merely "child actors" who were given scripts. Hannity, according to Turkel's letter, said they were part of a "rolling invasion." Another Fox contributor said the children were better off alone in the centers' cages than with their parents. Laura Ingraham downplayed the detention center cages as "summer camps" or "boarding schools."
"Accepting that this misguided policy is wrong doesn't depend on which side of the political aisle you're on. It doesn't matter if you support immigration and immigrants or if you don't," Turkel wrote. "Separating innocent children from their parents and jailing them is just plain wrong."
Bruce Turkel
Republican Nominee
North Carolina
Republicans withdraws support for candidate who said 'God is racist white supremacist' and jewish people are 'satanic'
The North Carolina Republican Party has withdrawn its support for a legislative candidate who claimed "God is a racist and a white supremacist" and Jewish people are "Satanic" in newly-uncovered blogs on his website.
The state GOP denounced Russell Walker after statements he made online were reported by a local newspaper, The Charlotte Observer. Mr Walker's site, Christ Descended From Joseph, includes statements like "Jews are not Semitic they are Satanic as they all descend from Satan" and "What is wrong with being a white supremacist? God is a racist and a white supremacist."
The Republican nominee recently won his primary with 65 per cent of the vote.
North Carolina
Say They're Victims
Kushners
Jared Kushner's family company is suing a New Jersey city, alleging it delayed construction of a major twin-tower project because of "political animus" toward President Donald Trump.
The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Kushner Cos. claims Jersey City "put politics over principle" when it violated a pledge to help secure a local tax break for the family's planned One Journal Square, among other moves that delayed construction. Democratic Mayor Steven Fulop publicly opposed granting the tax break before his November re-election, and the break has never been passed. The towers have yet to be built.
Fulop in an email to news organizations called the Kushners "pretend victims" and dismissed the lawsuit, saying it amounts to "hearsay nonsense."
The suit is the latest sign that Kushner ties to Trump are causing trouble for the family real estate firm. The company had to abandon plans to raise money from abroad for its Manhattan skyscraper, kill efforts to court Chinese investors for other projects and cancel a deal for Trump's company to manage its hotels amid criticism from ethics watchdogs.
The 56-story residential One Journal Square has been a subject of criticism for over a year. The Kushner Cos. had hoped to get a 30-year tax break from Jersey City for the building. Then Jared Kushner's sister, Nicole Meyer-Kushner, made a trip to China in which she appeared to highlight her family's White House ties in presentations soliciting money from investors for the project.
Kushners
Top 20
Global Concert Tours
The Top 20 Global Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows Worldwide. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.
1. Phil Collins; $3,166,332; $107.86.
2. Justin Timberlake; $3,104,922; $145.40.
3. Kenny Chesney; $2,613,564; $87.18.
4. Pink; $2,516,606; $138.20.
5. Metallica; $2,142,342; $106.87.
6. "Springsteen On Broadway" ; $2,136,568; $507.97.
7. Jennifer Lopez; $1,766,300; $188.11.
8. Bon Jovi; $1,486,325; $95.59.
9. Luis Miguel; $1,423,287; $109.13.
10. Romeo Santos; $1,170,195; $88.37.
11. Blake Shelton; $1,006,056; $78.39.
12. Harry Styles; $962,576; $74.07.
13. Kevin Hart; $859,067; $73.59.
14. Tim McGraw / Faith Hill; $807,711; $81.22.
15. Maluma; $795,959; $94.50.
16. Ricardo Arjona; $795,164; $86.92.
17. Imagine Dragons; $792,288; $61.46.
18. Demi Lovato; $787,840; $73.68.
19. Kid Rock; $760,691; $85.56.
20. James Taylor; $742,171; $89.84.
Global Concert Tours
In Memory
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison, the famed science fiction writer known for his work on "The Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek," died on Thursday, his literary agents told TheWrap. Ellison was 84.
The news was first announced on Twitter by Christine Valada, a friend of the family.
Susan Ellison has asked me to announce the passing of writer Harlan Ellison, in his sleep, earlier today. "For a brief time I was here, and for a brief time, I mattered."-HE, 1934-2018. Arrangements for a celebration of his life are pending.
The award-winning writer had a biography published last summer titled, "A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, an Exploration." The expansive biography, published by NESFA Press and written by Nat Segaloff, was the result of interviews conducted over a five-year timespan.
Harlan Ellison
In Memory
Stanley Anderson
Stage, film and TV actor
Stanley Anderson, known for his role as the judge in the final episode of Seinfeld and as General Slocum in Spider-Man, has died. Anderson passed away June 24, six weeks after being diagnosed with brain cancer, according to a statement from his family. He was 78.
Anderson began his professional acting career on the stage, first with the Seattle Repertory Theatre, then the Actor's Theatre of Louisville. He went on to spend more than 20 years at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. where he earned a Helen Hayes Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Piggy Bank.
Anderson later sequed to film and TV. In addition to Spider-Man, his feature work included roles as the President of the United States in Michael Bay's Armageddon and The Rock. His most recent film credits include Red Dragon, Legally Blonde 2 and Runaway Jury. On TV, he had a recurring role as Drew Carey's dad on The Drew Carey Show and played the memorable role of Judge Vandelay in the final episode of Seinfeld.
Anderson also was a longtime member of three unions for actors, according to his family, and worked behind the scenes doing voiceover work in ads for Democratic candidates and issues across the country.
"He was most proud, ultimately, of the part he played in politics," his family said.
Stanley Anderson
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