Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Tom Danehy: Musing about Joe Biden's complicated history and frustrating tendency to shoot himself in the foot (Tucson Weekly)
I had already come to Arizona for college when the busing happened but I followed it closely. The anger in L.A. was equal to anything they had in Boston. I remember seeing an African-American woman on the news who said, "Why should my child have to endure a two-hour, round-trip bus ride every day just to get a better education? Why not just fix our (local) schools?" Still, most of the people who were screaming the loudest were unabashed racists and so the inclination was to take the other side. But one of the hard things about being an adult is learning that not every issue has a clearly right side and a clearly wrong side.
Helaine Olen: How Trump and the GOP plan to ruin the U.S. health-care system (Washington Post)
… Republicans benefit from the tyranny of low expectations. We don't expect them to act responsibly. We expect the Democrats to do so, and we hold them to a higher standard as a result. Those who lean to the left are repeatedly castigated for embracing Medicare-for-all minus a detailed and specific outline for how it will be paid for, while Republicans are rarely challenged on how repealing the ACA will weaken the entire American health-care system as we know it.
Matt Zoller Seitz: Talking With Emily Nussbaum About TV Criticism, Bad Fans, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Vulture)
The Pulitzer Prize winner just put out her first book, an anthology of previously published essays, plus transformed and new pieces on the state of the medium. The title: I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution. The book's release is a perfect opportunity to talk to Emily about the state of TV and TV audiences, past and present, something I never pass up the opportunity to do in real life.
Megh Wright: RIP, @RipTornOutlives, a Ray of Happiness in the Hellscape of Twitter (Vulture)
The death of Rip Torn at the age of 88 isn't just sad because we've lost a talented actor, best known to comedy fans for his role in The Larry Sanders Show. It's also sad because we've lost one of the most underrated and delightfully specific Twitter accounts of all time: @RipTornOutlives. If you're unfamiliar with @RipTornOutlives, it's a simple account with a modest following (as of yesterday, just under 3,000 followers) and a straightforward premise: to chronicle everything that the late actor managed to outlive, whether it be celebrity deaths, pop-cultural events, scandals, entertainmentand politics stories, or really anything significant in the news.
BEN MATHIS-LILLEY: How Many Florida Voters Could Tom Steyer Enfranchise for the Amount He Plans to Spend Running for President? (Slate)
So, instead of losing a presidential run, Tom Steyer could restore the voting rights of about 70,000 people in Florida if he wanted to.
JORDAN WEISSMANN: The Single Most Reliable Recession Indicator of the Past 50 Years Has Officially Started Blaring (Slate)
If you believe the signals coming out of the bond market, it might be time to start counting down until our next recession. As of this week, the U.S. Treasury yield curve has now been inverted for a full quarter-an incredibly dull-sounding turn of events that happens to be an unusually reliable warning sign that an economic downturn is on the way. The yield curve has flipped prior to each of the last seven official recessions over the past 50 years, without a single false-alarm during that stretch. If securities could talk, in other words, they'd be screaming bloody murder about trouble ahead.
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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
Movie Cars
David
Thanks, Dave!
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• Anna Pavlova was always interested in stretching her mind, and she wanted members of her dance company - many of them teenaged girls - to also stretch their minds. In Italy, she returned to her hotel after touring the local art and old buildings, and was shocked to see some of her dancers playing cards. She immediately ordered some cars, and took the dancers with her on a sight-seeing tour. At the theater that evening she asked her dancers how they had spent the afternoon - most of the dancers replied that they had slept, again shocking Ms. Pavlova, who wondered why anyone would miss the opportunity to see Italy. After the dancers explained that rehearsals left little time for sight-seeing and that sight-seeing could be expensive, Ms. Pavlova rearranged the time for rehearsals so that her dancers would have the afternoons free. In addition, she offered to pay the expenses for sight-seeing provided the dancers would give her an account of what they had seen and their impressions of it. In Egypt everyone was given a day off from rehearsal to go visit the Sphinx and the Pyramids.
• Currently, many people don't want to be thought of as tourists, so if they hear that something is just for tourists, they don't go there. Henry Morgan, however, advises that if you hear that something is just for tourists, then you should definitely go there. Once, Mr. Morgan ran into comedian Eddie Cantor in Paris, and Mr. Cantor asked him what he had done all day. As it turned out, Mr. Morgan had gone to the flea market, taken a trip on the river, lunched in a wine cellar, dined at the Table du Roi, and seen lots of naked chorus girls. This caused Mr. Cantor to sorrowfully admit that he had been to Paris 11 times and all he had seen were "three restaurants and this hotel."
• Opera singer Leo Slezak frequently crossed borders to sing in other countries. Because of his large size (he was 6-foot-7), Mr. Slezak traveled with his own costumes, many of which were decorated with rhinestones and glass jewels. When he arrived in New York prior to an engagement at the Metropolitan Opera, customs officials suspected that Mr. Slezak was trying to smuggle jewelry into the United States and scrutinized all of the stones on his costumes. Later, Mr. Slezak told this story to Austrian actor Alfred Gerasch. According to legend, Mr. Gerasch, who was loyal to the Austrian monarchy, saved all the crown jewels after the monarchy was overthrown in 1918 by sewing them onto his costumes and smuggling them out of the country.
• Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav wanted to see the Holy Land of Israel. In 1798, at age 26, he decided to make the journey. His middle daughter pleaded with him not to go, asking who would look after his family while he was away. He replied, "Go to your parents-in-law; your elder sister will become a servant. People will have pity on your younger sister. Your mother will become a cook. I will sell the household goods to provide the means for the journey." He made the journey, stayed in Israel for a while, and always spoke with longing of Israel after he returned home.
• Robert Benchley's mother once needed a passport. She went to the appropriate office, and the official told her to raise her right hand, then he asked, "Do you swear to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, domestic and foreign?" Mrs. Benchley, whose eldest son had died fighting in the Spanish-American War, was startled. She lowered her hand, then asked, "Do I have to?" The official replied, "If you want a passport, you do." Mrs. Benchley said, "Well, there are days when I wouldn't." Then she took the oath.
• In 1928, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger. Because of this feat, she became famous, although she modestly pointed out that two men had done the work of flying and navigating while her role was that of "baggage." When asked what it felt like to be the first woman flown across the Atlantic, Ms. Earhart replied, "Like a sack of potatoes."
• As a young man, Bob Denver, who played Gilligan on Gilligan's Island, worked at Yellowstone National Park in the grocery near Old Faithful. Every day, several tourists asked Mr. Denver when the geyser was due to go off. He stood it as long as he could, then finally told the tourists, "I'll go and ask the park ranger when he's going to turn it on."
• Dancer Carmelita Maracci knew how to enjoy a city when she had absolutely no money. In Los Angeles, she took her friend Agnes de Mille to such places as Chinatown and Japantown, night court, Spanish services in the Old Mission Church, and African-American Baptist churches - all of them interesting places Ms. de Mille had not known existed.
• "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things can not be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain.
• G.K. Chesterton used to occasionally disappear on small adventures. For example, he sometimes went to a train station, picked a destination with an intriguing name, and bought a ticket for that location. After visiting for a while, he returned home at his leisure.
• A new museum was being built right on the rim of the Grand Canyon, one of the most majestic sights in the world. A bus dropped off several tourists - who ignored the Grand Canyon and instead watched the cement mixer.
• Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion often urged Jews to settle in Israel. Once an American Jew proudly told him that he had traveled to Israel nine times. Mr. Ben-Gurion exclaimed, "Nine times! Why don't you go just once?"
• "How much a dunce that has been sent to roam excels a dunce that has been kept at home." - William Cowper.
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Reader Comment
Current Events
LOSER
How pathetic and wimpy was it watching LOSER-Racist-Toddler-in-Chief, his toady AG, and milquetoast Wilbur summon everyone to the Rose Garden in the midst of a big storm up here to announce that they are actually (whew!) blinking on going around SCOTUS. And Toady had the temerity to congratulate his God/King (Republican presidents can do ANYTHING) for living in reality instead of destroying what's left of our democracy.
I am so tired of living in a reality show. So tired of wrestling octopuses in quicksand as we try to save our country from the willfully corrupt, ignorant, and evil.
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
JD is on vacation.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and seasonal.
Barbie Doll Unveiled
David Bowie
Mattell has unveiled a new Barbie doll modeled after David Bowie, on the 50th anniversary of his song "Space Oddity".
The doll bears the likeness of Bowie's glam alter ego Ziggy Stardust, dressed in the character's signature striped suit and red platform boots.
Its hair is swept back in an imitation of Bowie's bright red locks Other details of the doll's look include black nail polish and large dangle earrings.
"In a definitive celebration of two pop culture icons, Barbie honours the ultimate pop chameleon, English singer, songwriter and actor, David Bowie, whose dramatic musical transformations continue to influence and inspire," Mattel wrote on its website.
The doll, which is being sold as a collectible for adults, retails for $50 (£40).
David Bowie
New Series in Development
'Flintstones'
Warner Bros. Animation and Elizabeth Banks' production banner Brownstone Productions are teaming up to make a new "Flintstones" series, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. told TheWrap.
The series is described as a primetime animated adult comedy series based on an original idea featuring characters from "The Flintstones" cartoon. It's currently in the early stages of preliminary development. Warner Bros. Animation will produce - the project is a product of Brownstone Productions' recently re-upped overall producing deal with Warner Bros. TV.
The original "Flintstones" cartoon was produced by Hanna-Barbera for ABC. It debuted in 1960, and was the first animated series to hold a primetime slot. The story revolves around Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their daughter Pebbles, as well as their friends Barney and Betty Rubble and their son Bamm-Bamm. The Flintstones have a pet dinosaur named Dino and live in the Stone Age, in the town of Bedrock.
Elizabeth Banks is known for starring in "The Hunger Games" franchise as Effie Trinket, as well as for the 2012 film "Pitch Perfect" about competing collegiate a cappella groups. Her upcoming roles include portraying real-life White House assistant and feminist activist Jill Ruckelshaus in FX's upcoming series "Mrs. America," which tells the story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and the unexpected backlash led by a conservative woman named Phyllis Schlafly, played by Cate Blanchett.
'Flintstones'
Illustrated Children's Book
Metallica
The band announced on July 10 that their upcoming children's book, "The ABCs of Metallica," will be released on November 26.
The tome was co-written by the band with Howie Abrams, who previously co-authored the children's book "Hip Hop Alphabet."
It also features illustrations by Michael 'Kaves' McLeer, who participated in Metallica's exhibition "Obey Your Master," on show at Los Angeles' Exhibit A Gallery in 2012.
"Including rhymes and illustrations, 'The ABCs of Metallica' looks back at the history of the band from, duh, A to Z! Each letter of the alphabet highlights a moment along our journey from 'Garage Days' to 'Master of Puppets' to fun facts about us," the band wrote on their website.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit Metallica's charity foundation All Within My Hand, which supports workforce education and fights hunger in struggling communities.
Metallica
Tupac's Letter To Auction
Madonna
The love letter Madonna received from her ex-boyfriend, the late rapper Tupac Shakur, has gone to auction.
The intimate note was part of a collection of intimate personal items including cassettes and a hairbrush with strands of her hair, which was put up for auction by her former friend Darlene Lutz.
Bidding on the breakup letter, which was written a year before Tupac's death while he was in prison in 1995, had reached $100,000 (£72,000) in July 2017 when Madonna filed an emergency court order over Gotta Have Rock and Roll's auction.
Madonna won a temporary block on the sale of 22 items in July 2016 - telling a New York City court her celebrity stature "does not obviate my right to maintain my privacy, including with regard to highly personal items".
But the musician's lawsuit against Ms Lutz has was later thrown out by New York judge Gerald Lebovits.
Madonna
Transcriptions
Voice Assistants
Like Amazon, Google sends voice assistant recordings to contractors for transcription, including recordings made inadvertently
After Bloomberg revealed that Amazon secretly sent recordings from Alexa to subcontractors all over the world in order to improve its speech-recognition systems, a whistleblower leaked recordings from Google Home to investigative reporters from VRT, revealing that Google, too, was sending audio clips from its voice assistant technology to pieceworkers through the Crowdsource app.
The contractors who review Google voice assistant recordings say that they often screen audio from people who aren't even talking to their Google devices: instead, the devices mishear conversations and mistake sound for their "wake-words."
The whistleblower told VRT that he transcribes 1,000 recordings per week in Flemish and Dutch, and that once, he transcribed a recording that appeared to capture a domestic violence incident.
Tech policy researcher Michael Veale of London's Alan Turing Institute (who filed a complaint with the Irish data regulator over Apple's Siri) (Apple, like many tech giants, pretends that its business takes place in Ireland, a legacy of Ireland's willingness to assist multinationals with illegal tax-avoidance schemes) says that Google could also face GDPR jeopardy, particularly because it did not disclose its practice, which may be because the public would have found it "creepy."
Voice Assistants
Warning Is Blocked
Climate Change
A State Department intelligence official who was blocked by the White House from submitting written congressional testimony on climate change last month is resigning from his post.
Rod Schoonover - who worked in the Office of the Geographer and Global Issues' Bureau of Intelligence and Research - spoke about the security risks the US faces due to climate change before the House Intelligence Committee on 5 June.
But White House officials would not let him submit the bureau's written statement that climate impacts could be "possibly catastrophic" after the State Department refused to cut references to federal scientific findings on climate change.
Individuals familiar with the matter, who asked for anonymity in order to speak frankly, said Mr Schoonover chose to leave voluntarily. But the incident that helped lead to his departure underscores the extent to which climate science has become contested terrain under the current administration.
Andrew Rosenberg, who directs the Centre for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a phone interview on Wednesday that federal experts should be free to provide their expertise with policymakers, even if it is at odds with the views of whoever occupies the Oval Office.
Climate Change
Koch Network
Yes Every Kid
Billionaire industrialist Charles Koch's powerful network that's known for influencing state policy is now targeting education issues like school choice as the movement battles a new wave of hostility from Democrats who oppose charter schools and private school vouchers that use taxpayer money.
Koch in June announced the Yes Every Kid initiative as the latest addition to his sprawling network of wealthy donors, political groups and tax-exempt advocacy organizations best known for pushing anti-regulation, small-government policies. Its political arm, Americans for Prosperity, has made waves supporting the tea party and fighting former President Barack Obama's health care law.
The Yes Every Kid group is tasked with monitoring statehouses where it can be influential on school choice, said Stacy Hock, a Texas philanthropist who is among hundreds of donors each contributing at least $100,000 annually to the Koch network's wide-ranging agenda.
Hock and officials with the Koch network said it's too early to provide specifics about what policies the group is pushing.
She cited Texas, West Virginia, Tennessee and Florida as priority states where school choice proposals have flourished.
Yes Every Kid
Buenaventura, Colombia
Mass Exorcism
A Catholic bishop will spray holy water over an entire city from a military helicopter in an attempt to conquer the demons he believes are plaguing it.
Monsignor Rubén Darío Jaramillo Montoya will perform the mass exorcism for the Colombian seaport of Buenaventura during the city's annual patron saints' festivities.
"We want to go around the whole of Buenaventura, from the air and pour holy water onto it to see if we exorcise all those demons that are destroying our port," he told a Colombian radio station.
The bishop, ordained in 2017 by Pope Francis, added he wanted to "get rid of all the wickedness that is in our streets" during the helicopter flight.
Last year the Vatican announced a new training course for exorcism because of the increased demand for "deliverance ministry".
Mass Exorcism
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. Week of July 10, 2019:
1. Ed Sheeran; $5,655,386; $87.85.
2. Eric Church; $2,839,513; $85.50.
3. Pink; $2,632,188; $144.06.
4. Ariana Grande; $1,690,704; $114.86.
5. Cher; $1,492,852; $114.85.
6. Rod Stewart; $1,385,285; $113.17.
7. Backstreet Boys; $1,301,722; $99.67.
8. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band; $1,274,383; $103.46.
9. Shawn Mendes; $1,187,288; $71.73.
10. Hugh Jackman; $985,478; $84.05.
11. Kenny Chesney; $955,509; $94.62.
12. New Kids On The Block; $950,357; $80.19.
13. André Rieu; $816,663; $79.69.
14. Hootie & The Blowfish; $809,014; $62.32.
15. Chayanne; $658,531; $99.15.
16. B2K; $584,432; $90.16.
17. Jerry Seinfeld; $523,581; $98.79.
18. Los Hermanos ; $468,001; $30.42.
19. Pentatonix; $416,421; $51.26.
20. Donny & Marie Osmond; $368,321; $104.9
Global Concert Tours
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