Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Helaine Olen: "Remember, Democrats: Progressive policies are popular" (Washington Post)
… the Trump tax cuts, which showered the wealthy with permanent giveaways while giving most of us small-time cuts that currently sunset in 2025, remain resoundingly unpopular. And you know what enjoys popular support? Making the rich pay more of their fair share.
Helaine Olen: The truth about millennials and money (Washington Post)
The real issue is a system with a disintegrating social safety net that saddles an increasing number of young people with debt and makes it harder for them to get ahead financially, while handing out tax cuts on the wealthiest. The more people are confronted with that reality, the more likely they are to demand change. So even if it wasn't the site's intent, this week Refinery29 performed a valuable public service.
Jonathan Chait: Conservative Shocked to Discover Obama Doesn't Hate White People (NY Mag)
Giving poor people money so they could sit around and never work was what Republicans said was Obama's policy, but it wasn't actually Obama's policy. So successfully did they persuade themselves of their own propaganda that, when coming face-to-face with the actual Obama now, they cannot recognize him.
Jonathan Chait: Trump: Russia Is a Friend, Journalists Are the Enemy (NY Mag)
So, to summarize: Trump met secretly with Vladimir Putin, endorsed his denials of having hacked Democratic emails to help elect Trump, blamed his own country rather than Russian aggression for poor relations, praised Putin's "offer" to interrogate an American diplomat he loathes for having stood up for human rights, and is announcing that American journalists rather than Russia are the true enemy.
Jonathan Jones: What the new photo of the Thai cave boys tells us about their ordeal (Guardian)
The boys gather around a portrait of Saman Kunan, who died in the rescue attempt. Their expressions show a deep recognition of the overwhelming spirit of altruism that saved them.
Lucy Mangan: "Why we need to be optimistic, now more than ever" (Stylist)
Volunteers at the local laundry in Tham Luang took in rescuers' uniforms and kit every evening and returned it all clean and ready every morning. "I cannot go down to the boys directly," explained one. "But I can wash these clothes." I'm taking it as my mantra from now on.
Tom Danehy: Moneyball Jr. (Tucson Weekly)
The crazy expenses and relentless demands of club sports.
Joe Bob Briggs: The Loneliness of the Cord Cutter (Taki's Magazine)
There's a theater in the little Greek town of Epidaurus that seats 14,000 people. It has perfect acoustics. It's where people gather to tell stories, hear stories, and discuss stories, sometimes with music, sometimes with dance, sometimes with costumes, sometimes just with words. This was true 2,300 years ago and it's still true today.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
) wrote:
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
Current Events
Happy epage Birthday and welcome back! I've NEEDED a Marty fix so badly.
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
MAKE AMERICA WHITE AGAIN!
"WE SPEAK FOR THE TREES."
THROW THE RASCALS OUT!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Really running late.
Saturday's page will late.
Gig at Liverpool's Cavern Club
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney has performed a secret gig at the iconic venue which introduced The Beatles to the world over 50 years ago.
Tickets were handed out to the show at Liverpool's Cavern Club on a first come, first served basis with the 350-capacity venue filling up immediately.
The musician, 76, announced the exclusive show during a Q&A led by Jarvis Cocker at his old school with hundreds of fans queueing up in the early hours of the morning in the hope of acquiring a ticket.
McCartney tore through a two-hour-plus set ranging from classic Beatles and Wings tracks - including "All My Loving," "Lady Madonna" and "Band on the Run" - to songs from his new solo record Egypt Station.
He ended with a rollicking triumvirate of tunes including "I Saw Her Standing There," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and White Album classic "Helter Skelter." You can find the full setlist below.
Paul McCartney
Sequel
'9 to 5'
We live in an age of reboots and sequels - and in the era of #MeToo. With that in mind, there might be no property better suited for a second installment than 9 to 5, the hit 1980 comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton as office colleagues who band together to fight back against their creepy misogynistic boss (played by Dabney Coleman). Thus, fans were more than a bit excited to hear that, according to Fonda, a follow-up is in the works - and it'll reunite its legendary leading-lady trio.
Speaking at the Television Critics Association panel for her new HBO documentary Jane Fonda in Five Acts, the Hollywood icon let it be known that plans are moving full-speed ahead on the film. Moreover, Fonda revealed that her illustrious co-stars - one of whom, Tomlin, currently stars with Fonda on Netflix's Grace and Frankie - are onboard for more anti-chauvinism comedy, especially since Fonda believes the situation for women in the workplace is "worse" than it was at the time of the original.
"My role is as an executive producer, and I'm working with the writers, with Lily, and talking to the writers. Right now, Dolly, Lily, and I are all intending to be in it. … Today, a lot of the workforce is hired by an outside company, so if there's a problem, who do you complain to? Who do you fight with? Plus, with social media and the internet, you can be spied on very easily. … I do think sexual harassment will tend to drop, because guys are scared."
Fonda's comments follow Parton's own vocal support for - and enthusiasm about - a new 9 to 5, which she expressed in March to Nightline, saying, "All these years we've talked about doing a sequel to 9 to 5 and it never made any real sense until just recently. We decided that we are going to do another one. We are trying to get the script and all that. Everyone is very interested and we've all agreed that we'd love to do it if it's right."
Aside from Fonda's confirmation that she, Tomlin, and Parton will be back, no other concrete details about the movie have yet to be released. But it sure seems like the three are ready to punch their timecards any minute now.
'9 to 5'
Without Netflix
BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman is coming to Comedy Central this fall. The network announced today that it's acquired exclusive linear television rights to all current seasons of the Netflix animated series, and it will begin airing reruns from the first season on September 26, right after the season 22 South Park premiere. (Season five of BoJack Horseman is slated to premiere on Netflix on September 14.) In addition to airing on TV, select BoJack episodes will be available to stream on Comedy Central's website and the CC App.
"Comedy Central has a long history of using potent satire to help make sense of trying times, so BoJack Horseman is a perfect fit in our lineup," Comedy Central general manager Tanya Giles said in a press release. "We're thrilled to be the first to put BoJack on linear TV, and who better than an animated horse to teach us a thing or two about humanity? Straight from the horse's mouth."
Syndication rights to BoJack were being shopped around to networks earlier this year. Netflix did not secure distribution rights to its early original series, so it's likely that other Netflix shows, like House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, could also end up on other networks in the near future. In any case, this appears to make BoJack the first announced sale of an original Netflix series into syndication. Congrats on that honorable distinction, BoJack!
BoJack Horseman
Returns To Hosting 'Talking Dead'
Chris Hardwick
AMC has reinstated Nerdist co-founder Chris Hardwick to host his "Walking Dead" after-show "Talking Dead" on Aug. 12. His return will mark roughly two months after his ex-girlfriend, actress Chloe Dykstra, came forward with allegations of sexual and emotional abuse against him.
AMC says it has decided to bring Hardwick back after investigating Dykstra's claims with the help of a law firm.
"Following a comprehensive assessment by AMC, working with Ivy Kagan Bierman of the firm Loeb & Loeb, who has considerable experience in this area, Chris Hardwick will return to AMC as the host of Talking Dead and Talking with Chris Hardwick," the company stated Wednesday via The Hollywood Reporter. "We take these matters very seriously and given the information available to us after a very careful review, including interviews with numerous individuals, we believe returning Chris to work is the appropriate step."
Hardwick's weekly talk show "Talking with Chris Hardwick" does not have a return date yet, and probably won't be back until next summer.
As a result of the allegations, actress Yvette Nicole Brown stepped in as Hardwick's replacement on "Talking Dead" while AMC assessed his standing with the network, according to the Los Angeles Times. She also filled in for him at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this month by moderating "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead" panels.
Chris Hardwick
Face-Recognition Tech
Amazon
Amazon's facial-recognition technology mistakenly labeled more than two dozen members of Congress as having been arrested for a crime, the American Civil Liberties Union said Thursday.
A test commissioned by the ACLU of Northern California found that the company's so-called Rekognition technology -- already in use by two U.S. law enforcement agencies -- misidentified lawmakers at an unacceptably high rate and disproportionately selected African-American in Congress as having past dealings with the law, according to the watchdog group. That raises questions about Rekognition's broader use as a tool for police and other government agencies, the organization said.
In its test, the ACLU compiled 25,000 public arrest shots, then used Amazon's software to check for matches using photos of all members of the U.S. House and Senate. The technology improperly tagged 28 lawmakers as having criminal records, with the false matches including males and females of both political parties from all parts of the country, the ACLU said.
"Nearly 40 percent of Rekognition's false matches in our test were of people of color, even though they make up only 20 percent of Congress," the group stated.
The mistaken IDs included Georgia Rep. John Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement, and five other members of the Congressional Black Caucus. In late May, the caucus wrote to Amazon saying they were "troubled by the profound negative unintended consequences this form of artificial intelligence could have for African-Americans, undocumented immigrants and protestors."
Amazon
Google and Facebook
Free Press
After Europe's top monopoly buster Margrethe Vestager fined Google more than $5bn for abusing its dominance over mobile phone technology, it's tempting to relax about the power of big tech. Not only is there a cop watching these giants, she's carrying a really big stick.
But this week's firing by the New York Daily News of half the paper's staff shines a different light on the matter. The reason given by the publisher - a sharp decline in revenue - is largely the result of Google abusing its monopoly over online advertising, in tandem with Facebook. Vestager's move against Android does nothing to protect the free press in Europe or America. This means it's time for other regulators and legislators in America and in Europe to speed the process of bringing Google to heel.
To be sure, the decision by Europe's Directorate General for Competition (DG Comp) last Wednesday is important. The fat fine was the clearest statement yet that Google's practices break the law. Further, the restrictions DG Comp imposed on Google's business model will crimp its behavior in key ways. Vestager and her team deserve thanks. Given the political power of Google, their actions took courage.
But it's vital to put the fine into perspective. In an industry that changes by the day, the case took eight years to complete. Further, it deals with just one part of a problem that is now very large and sprawling. And even after the fine Google will be left holding more than $95bn in cash. Vestager's fighters put out the fire on the first floor, but only after the blaze had spread to the rest of the building.
Of all the social goods now in flames the one we must protect first is trustworthy journalism. In the nine years since Google bought the mobile ad company AdMob, annual ad revenue at Google and Facebook has soared, to more than $95bn and almost $40bn, respectively. During this period, ad revenue at newspapers fell around $50bn in 2005 to under $20bn today.
Free Press
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 25, 2018:
1. Taylor Swift; $10,892,553; $125.90.
2. The Rolling Stones; $9,164,090; $159.17.
3. Jay-Z / Beyoncé; $5,840,059; $100.57.
4. Bruno Mars; $5,252,324; $154.94.
5. U2; $3,617,679; $140.39.
6. Eagles; $3,062,053; $160.16.
7. Justin Timberlake; $3,052,462; $144.47.
8. Pink; $2,787,766; $139.01.
9. Kenny Chesney; $2,607,980; $85.87.
10. Metallica; $2,142,342; $106.87.
11. Roger Waters; $2,109,517; $99.46.
12. "Springsteen On Broadway"; $2,078,233; $508.44.
13. Dead & Company; $1,851,597; $70.98.
14. Luke Bryan; $1,835,774; $75.22.
15. Jennifer Lopez; $1,782,586; $186.91.
16. Bon Jovi; $1,683,680; $104.68.
17. Luis Miguel; $1,402,049; $112.63.
18. The Killers; $1,396,762; $68.77.
19. Katy Perry; $1,377,666; $78.33.
20. Journey / Def Leppard; $1,316,708; $95.85.
Global Concert Tours
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