Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Andrew Tobias: Halfway There!
What I do want to say is: we got the job done and are now halfway there. Two years from now, once we register many of the million-plus Floridians whose voting rights Tuesday's election restored, we will win Florida. Two years from now, with a "map" as grossly unfavorable to their side as it was this time to ours, we will win the Senate. Two years from now, with an electorate that already favored the Democratic nominee by millions of votes even with Putin's thumb on the scale - and that favored Democrats by an even wider margin Tuesday - we will win the White House.
Alexandra Petri: Texas, I see now that you love me and despise this Beto, and I embrace you (Washington Post)
I am very sorry I was not the Zodiac Killer. I like that we have a joke together. I like that people make signs with my face and the drawing of the killer's face. It is a rapport we have built over time. Remember the tweet that my account liked on September the 11th? I remember. Those were our times together, our cherished times. Remember when Donald Trump said my father was responsible for killing JFK and insulted my wife? Do not fear: I have forgotten!
Tom Danehy: Tom finally manages to say something not-negative about Donald Trump (Tucson Weekly)
Andrew Jackson (whom Trump reveres) is almost certainly the most racist president ever. He not only owned slaves, but he is also responsible for the attempted genocide of the Cherokee and other Native people through what became known as The Trail of Tears. So there: In my sincere opinion, Donald Trump is not the most racist President of all time (although, in a list thereof, he would absolutely have a single digit before his name).
Greg Sargent: Three of the biggest Trump fables died [election] night (Washington Post)
The 2018 elections are being widely painted as a "split decision" for President Trump - Democrats won the House while losing seats in the Senate - but this framing actually undercuts just how much there is for Democrats and progressives to celebrate about the results.
Greg Sargent: Trump just reminded us he's still a dangerous authoritarian who will burn it all down (Washington Post)
Just in case the Democratic capture of the House of Representatives tempted you to relax for a moment about the state of our country, President Trump quickly moved to remind us that we still have no idea how low he's going to sink - or how much damage he'll do along the way.
Helaine Olen: "Democrats are coming for Trump's tax returns. And no, that's not 'presidential harassment.'" (Washington Post)
Now that Democrats will assume control of the House of Representatives in January, it seems almost certain that among the first orders of business will be issuing a subpoena for Donald Trump's taxes. At least, Trump and the Republicans think that sort of inquiry is coming. Trump told a Wednesday press conference he would assume a "warlike posture" if Democrats open up investigations into him.
Jonathan Chait: Donald Trump Jr. Expecting to Be Indicted by Mueller Soon (NY Mag)
Last year, Donald Trump Jr. testified that he never informed his father of a meeting with Russian officials promising "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. It seemed hard to believe that the ne'er-do-well son would neglect to seek credit for his expected campaign coup from the father whose approval he so obviously craves. And now it seems that Robert Mueller has obtained proof that it is not in fact true. The Trump family lies all the time, of course, but doing it under oath is a crime.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
said:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
David E Suggests
Roofing History
David
Thanks, Dave!
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• When Bill Clinton was Governor of Arkansas, Hillary Rodham Clinton found herself seated by President George Bush (senior). She had long been interested in the health of children, and so she told President Bush how poorly the United States protected the health of its children under one year of age. President Bush responded, "Our health care system is the envy of the world." Mrs. Clinton replied, "Not if you want to keep your child alive to the year of his first birthday." After investigating the matter, President Bush told Bill Clinton, "Tell Hillary she was right."
• After jockey Julie Krone was bucked from a horse and broke her ankle, she was still determined to race although her foot was in a cast. After all, she had won more races than the other jockeys at Monmouth Park in New York with two weeks left in the season, and another rider needed only 10 victories to catch up to her. Therefore, Ms. Krone tore off her cast and had her doctor put on another cast that would fit in a riding boot, and she continued to race and won the riding title at Monmouth.
• In 1951, renowned conductor Herbert von Karajan prepared to make a recording of Bach's B minor Mass. He rehearsed the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde chorus and the Vienna Symphony 70 times to prepare for the recording, then he came down with a case of blood poisoning two days before the first recording session. Nevertheless, he conducted from a stretcher, raising one arm into the air, and the recording was outstanding.
• Country music singer Willie Nelson has a lot of respect for Dr. Red Duke, but since mortals are in fact mortal, even the best doctors will have some patients die. Dr. Duke took care of Willie's mother before she died, and he took care of Willie's father-in-law before he died, so Mr. Nelson joked, "If you don't quit losing them, I'm going to quit sending them to you." Dr. Duke smiled and said, "Willie, you're just going to have to get them to me earlier."
• John von Neumann worked on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico, and helped develop the atomic bomb. Later, he worked for the Atomic Energy Commission. When he was dying of cancer, he had to take heavy dosages of medicine. The government made sure that the people taking care of him all had security clearances just in case he accidentally let secrets slip while under the medication.
• In 1991, Pittsburgh Penguin hockey player Mario Lemieux scored a goal and made three assists as Pittsburgh defeated the Minnesota North Stars and won the Stanley Cup. As recognition for his efforts throughout the playoffs, Mr. Lemieux was voted Most Valuable Player. However, before the game, he suffered from so much back pain that he was unable to tie his own skate laces.
• Maria Tallchief believes that her long years of intense physical activity as a ballerina resulted in her suffering from arthritis after she retired. Her pharmacist once asked her, "You're now paying for all those years - it was worth it, wasn't it?" Ms. Tallchief replied, "It certainly was."
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© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Fuck You, Ted...
Fuck You, Ted...
Ted Nugent calls Michigan a 'California s***hole' after election
Yeah, I thought that you were so cool when I saw you with the Amboy Dukes on one hot summer of '70 Saturday night at the outdoor roller rink near the Bay City State Park... But, I had no way to know then that your journey to the center of your mind would result in the bad caricature of yourself you've morphed into...
( I was going to insert a graphic of him here, but the thought of seeing his twisted, demented face was far too revolting - You are welcome...)
... and David Crosby is right - you ain't in the Hall cuz you just ain't good enough - in so many ways... Bugger off, Ted... Do us all a favor and go hole up in some wilderness compound (lots of that in Siberia) and give civilized humans a big break...
BadtotheboneBob
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Reader Comment
Current Events
Republicans are nuttier than squirrel shit. #Thursday Thoughts
by Helen Philpot
Margaret, those Trumpsters are so deplorable that on Tuesday they elected two indicted criminals, a Nazi and a dead brothel owner. And the fact to most people reading this are asking themselves which Nazi is just bat shit crazy. To be honest, it could have been multiple Nazis, but it's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between a GOP Congressman and a Nazi these days. Some might be just your run-of-the-mill racists. You know what they say about old, white men standing in front of a flag, pledging allegiance to Donald Trump… they all look alike.
A dead brothel owner. I'm sorry. I just had to say that again. The party of family values elected a dead pimp. Bless their hearts but Republicans are nuttier than squirrel shit.
Now, I know that some of you Democrats out there, especially in Florida, Georgia and Texas, are filling a bit blue today and not in a good Blue Wave way. We're feeling blue because we fell in love with Andrew, Beto and Stacey and hoped that racists in red states would be standing in line at a Cracker Barrel instead of a polling station. Damn you Cracker Barrel! What happened to your all-you-can-eat chicken fried opossum steak on Tuesdays?
Honestly, it was going to be an uphill battle and we got a bit ahead of ourselves. After all, this is Florida, Georgia and Texas we are talking about. They are GOP red mixed with a little scarlet, crimson, cardinal, ruby, magenta, brick, carmine, rose, vermilion, cerise, coral, and burgundy. The fact that Beto was even in the hunt and the other two are still too close to call is pretty amazing. Sure, it stung. But we really do have a great deal to celebrate. We took back the House. Our wave was big enough to overcome gerrymandering and voter suppression, sending several hundred state and federal members of the GOP packing.
If you are feeling a bit down, maybe this will pick you up. Here are a few of my favorite casualties:
Karen Handel. Remember her? This homophobic, she-devil in wolf's clothing managed to destroy the otherwise stellar reputation of the Susan G Komen Foundation when she picked a fight with Planned Parenthood. Komen recovered somewhat but it never returned to its former glory. Well, now a Democrat in Georgia named Lucy McBath is my new favorite person and Georgia's 6th Congressional District's newest Representative. Kiss my ass Karen. The only organization I liked more than Komen was Planned Parenthood and you damaged one in order to attack the other. Don't mess with Planned Parenthood. Ever. By the way, McBath ran on more gun control... in Georgia.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
REPUBLICAN LIARS, CHEATERS AND THEIVES.
TRUMP HIRES SATAN!
THE LIARS, THE CHEATS AND THE THEIVES.
PARADISE BURNS.
FLORIDA GRIFTER CRIES FOUL.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Night 2 of all-night-long live TV coverage of another horror story - last night it was yet another mass sacrifice on the altar of the 2nd Amendment.
Tonight, fire season opened, in pretty much the same area as the the one-hundred-and-fifty-something slaughter this year.
The weather is not going to cooperate, Santa Ana's are blowing, and this fire will march to the sea.
And there's a baby-man with the ethics of a 2nd assistant crack whore in the White House, denying science and climate change.
Time to visit the neighborhood dispensary.
Day 2
Joni Mitchell
There were rumors - and fingers crossed - that she might appear, but nothing had been officially announced.
So when Joni Mitchell attended Wednesday night's "Joni 75," a birthday celebration in her honor, she gave the star-studded tribute concert an immediate jolt of excitement and poignancy. (The two-night affair kicked off Tuesday, but Mitchell did not publicly attend that performance.)
"Ladies and gentlemen, the guest of honor has arrived and is taking her seat," an announcer informed the audience at the start of Wednesday's show at Los Angeles' Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as part of the Music Center's festivities.
A Joni Mitchell appearance is rare these days as she recovers from a string of health problems, including a brain aneurysm in 2015. To commune with the artist on the day of her 75th birthday felt like a gift for her devoted flock.
Some of the kinks that had irked The Times' Mikael Wood at Tuesday's performance had been smoothed over on Wednesday. Mitchell's attendance cast a long shadow over the evening, with the performers - Emmylou Harris, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, Graham Nash, Rufus Wainwright and Diana Krall among them - notably humbled by her presence.
Joni Mitchell
All-Star Tribute
Willie Nelson
At 85 years old, American icon Willie Nelson continues to inspire fans and fellow artists with his music, activism and philanthropy. On January 12th, 2019, an all-star cast will gather at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena to pay tribute to the legendary entertainer with "Willie: Life & Songs of an American Outlaw," a concert event featuring Nelson, Alison Krauss, the Avett Brothers, George Strait, Jack Johnson, John Mellencamp, Kris Kristofferson, Lee Ann Womack, Lyle Lovett, Norah Jones and the Little Willies, Sheryl Crow, Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks, and Vince Gill.
Additional performers will be revealed in the coming weeks, with surprise guests and one-of-a-kind collaborations also expected to be unveiled during the show. The concert will also be filmed and recorded for a television special slated to air on A&E next year. Nelson was previously the focus of a 2004 star-studded live album and TV special, Outlaws and Angels.
Nelson, who turns 86 years old next April, has just released his 68th studio LP, My Way, a heartfelt tribute to Frank Sinatra. The set was his second album released in 2018, following Last Man Standing, which bowed in April and featured all-new songs penned by Nelson with longtime collaborator and producer Buddy Cannon. The Country Music Hall of Fame member, who headlined an Austin campaign rally for Democratic Texas Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke in September, also debuted the new political anthem "Vote 'Em Out," encouraging Americans to flock to the polls on Election Day.
Tickets for "Willie: Life & Songs of an American Outlaw," a production of Blackbird Presents, go on sale Monday, November 12th at 10:00 a.m. CT. For more information, visit the official concert website.
Willie Nelson
Sets Launch Date for New Podcast
Conan O'Brien
#ImWithCoco veterans, assemble: Conan O'Brien will debut his new podcast, "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend," Monday Nov. 19 with guest Will Ferrell, Team Coco and Earwolf announced Thursday.
"After 25 years of extensive market research we have learned that people want to hear my voice without seeing my face. So rejoice, America," O'Brien said in a statement.
"It's a chance for me to just be me," O'Brien adds in the preview to his podcast, which you can listen to below. "I get to have a really intimate conversation with these people."
The podcast will launch an initial 36-week run with a lineup that includes guests like Kristen Bell, Bill Burr, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Marc Maron and Wanda Sykes.
"Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" comes after the announcement that O'Brien's late-night talk show "Conan" will reformat in January into a half-hour series. "Conan" will remain with TBS during the transition.
Conan O'Brien
Engagement News
Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan's comeback season is officially underway, thanks not only to her recent announcement that she is going to marry the musician John Mellencamp, but to her inevitable return to the small screen as well.
The couple's exciting engagement comes after a few ups and downs-they reportedly dated off and on from 2010 to 2014, then got back together in 2017, after a few years apart. But once photographs of Ryan wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring while walking in New York City circulated on Wednesday afternoon, the actress took matters into her own hands and announced that she and Mellencamp are now officially engaged.
Similarly to the ways in which You've Got Mail was ahead of its time in terms of how it dealt with modern relationships (dial-up played a big role in online communication back then), the You've Got Mail star announced her engagement in the most contemporary way possible-she shared an Instagram photo of a sketch of herself and Mellencamp. In the drawing, Mellencamp is holding a guitar in one of his hands and Ryan's hand in the other.
As if her new engagement weren't enough of a signal that Ryan's comeback season is now upon us, let her return to Hollywood do some of the talking. Last year, just before she was seen rekindling her romance with Mellencamp, it was reported by Deadline that Ryan would star in a new half-hour comedy series for Epix. Brad Hall, the husband of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, had cast Ryan in Picture Paris, an adaptation of his short film of the same name. The original short starred Louis-Dreyfus in the role of Ellen Larson, a suburban mom with an obsession with the city of love. Ryan nabbed not only the lead role, but an executive producer credit for the project as well. The original short film did quite well when it hit the festival circuit a few years back. It's no big-screen romantic comedy à la When Harry Met Sally or Sleepless in Seattle, but it sounds promising enough, and is a welcome return to the small screen for Ryan, who's been absent from it since her roles on Lisa Kudrow's underrated Web Therapy series in 2013.
Meg Ryan
NRA Tweets Warning
'Stay In Your Lane'
Physicians who treat bullet wounds and deal with gun-related deaths were stunned when the National Rifle Association directed "self-important anti-gun" doctors to "stay in your lane."
The Twitter attack just hours before 12 people were killed in a California bar late Wednesday (the second mass shooting in the nation in less than two weeks) triggered an avalanche of angry responses from physicians, other health care workers and their supporters.
The NRA also grumbled in its tweet that doctors were consulting only medical research and other members of the health community to reach the conclusion that guns are an increasingly serious public health issue.
"Everyone has hobbies. Some doctors' collective hobby is opining on firearms policy," sniped an NRA opinion piece linked to the Twitter post.
Furious physicians noted on Twitter that treating bullet wounds or informing parents that a child has died from a shooting actually is their "lane."
'Stay In Your Lane'
Thesis and Wheelchair Auctioned
Stephen Hawking
A motorised wheelchair used by the late British physicist Stephen Hawking sold at auction on Thursday for almost 300,000 pounds ($391,740.00) while a dissertation raised nearly twice that at a sale to raise money for charity.
Some of his belongings including essays, medals, awards and a copy of his book a "Brief History of Time" signed with a thumbprint were sold online on Thursday alongside letters and manuscripts belonging to Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein.
Hawking's 117-page dissertation "Properties of expanding universes" from 1965 sold for 584,750 pounds, well ahead of the estimate of up to 150,000.
Medals and awards sold for 296,750 pounds, compared with an estimate of 15,000 pounds, while the red motorised wheelchair sold for 296,750 pounds, also compared with an estimate of 15,000 pounds.
Auction house Christies ran the nine-day online auction called "On the Shoulders of Giants" to raise money for the Stephen Hawking Foundation and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Stephen Hawking
Always Quotable
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg was chilling in his hotel in Washington D.C. on Tuesday when he suddenly got the urge to go to the White House and do some "gangster shit." Snoop hopped on Instagram to see if his followers could help him choose from his options, which included pissing on a tree, shitting on the lawn, or smoking a blunt.
Snoop ended up going to a park close to the White House, and you guessed it, smoked a blunt. While sitting on a bench, the Long Beach native briefly spoke with a passerby and ran into some of his fans, who asked to take a picture with him.
Snoop ended the series of Instagram videos by posting up on another park, smoking a blunt, and capping off the experience by saying, "Fuck the President." A very on-brand move for a guy who has made no secret about his feelings towards Donald Trump. However, back in April, Snoop vowed to take a different approach with Trump since he believed the hate was only fueling and his supporters.
"[I] threw a few shots at him, but I felt like that was going nowhere fast, because he loves that," Snoop said on the TV One show Uncensored. "Let me leave him alone and put some peace in the world, and put some love in the world, and not focus on him […] just unite people of all walks of life-be the anti of what he is." Considering some of the things he has done in the past, a "Fuck the President" is pretty tame.
Snoop Dogg
Genetic Analysis
Oldest Natural Mummy
Advanced genetic testing of some of North and South America's most controversial human remains is changing what we know about how ancient humans behaved and ultimately came to inhabit the region, potentially rewriting historical timelines as we know them.
Published today in Science, the study genetically analyzed DNA recovered from 15 ancient genomes discovered across the Americas, from Alaska to Patagonia. The results from two particularly contentious mummies can now dismiss a theory that Paleoamericans - a group of genetically different humans - existed in North America before Native Americans.
When Danish explorer Peter W. Lund discovered the Lagoa Santa remains in the 19th century, his researchers came up with the "Paleoamerican hypothesis" to suggest that the group of skeletons were not Native Americans due to their different cranial morphology. A century later, the remains of a 40-year-old man who died 10,600 years ago were found in Spirit Cave in the US Great Basin Desert and for nearly two decades, the "Spirit Cave Mummy" was at the heart of a legal battle. Nevada's Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe claimed cultural affiliation with the remains and requested they be repatriated under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The federal government refuted their claim, contending the remains were genetically different than Native Americans.
That's where Copenhagen-based researcher Eske Willeslev came in. As part of an international study, Willeslev was already sequencing other contentious remains (like the Lovelock skeletons, an Inca mummy, Chilean Patagonia's oldest human remains, as well as the 9,000-year-old milk tooth from a young Alaskan girl) when the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe granted him permission to analyze the Spirit Cave Mummy.
"Spirit Cave and Lagoa Santa were very controversial because they were identified as so-called 'Paleoamericans' based on craniometry - it was determined that the shape of their skulls was different to current day Native Americans," said author Eske Willeslev in a statement. "Our study proves that Spirit Cave and Lagoa Santa were actually genetically closer to contemporary Native Americans than to any other ancient or contemporary group sequenced to date."
Oldest Natural Mummy
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