Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: The Slippery Slope of Complicity (NY Times Blog)
The real news of the past few weeks isn't that Trump is a wannabe Mussolini who can't even make the trains run on time. It's the absence of any meaningful pushback from Congressional Republicans. Indeed, not only are they acquiescing in Trump's corruption, his incitements to violence, and his abuse of power, up to and including using the power of office to punish critics, they're increasingly vocal in cheering him on.
Paul Waldman: Republicans are running the 'repeal and replace' scam all over again (Washington Post)
The lawsuit makes a claim that could charitably be called audacious. Since Congress eliminated the ACA's penalty for not carrying health insurance coverage, it says, the individual mandate has become invalid. (Right now the mandate is still in place, but the penalty for violating it is $0.) And if the mandate is invalid, they argue, then the entire law must be struck down, including the ability of people to stay on their parents' insurance, the protection for people with pre-existing conditions, the expansion of Medicaid that is now providing coverage to millions, the ban on yearly and lifetime limits on coverage - everything.
Paul Waldman: Trump's thin skin is now influencing important decisions (Washington Post)
This week, Trump revoked the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan - who had become a vociferous critic of the president - offering a ludicrous statement accusing Brennan of "erratic conduct and behavior" and making "wild outbursts on the Internet and television," by which standard Trump himself would be ineligible to see any classified documents. In addition, the White House named nine other individuals who could have their security clearances revoked soon (though some of them no longer have security clearances) …
Greg Sargent: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be facing really intense scrutiny (Washington Post)
But what this episode really shows is just how intense the scrutiny will be on Ocasio-Cortez going forward, now that she has emerged as a leading representative of what might be called the Democratic Party's ascendant social-democratic (or, if you prefer, democratic-socialist) wing, as well as a prominent symbol of the generational change currently roiling the party.
Hadley Freeman: At last, an Oscar for popular film. Because who needs another The Shape Of Water? (The Guardian)
Many of the most enduring films of the past few decades remain ungarlanded.
Adam Gustafson: How Aretha Franklin found her voice (The Conversation)
Enter Jerry Wexler, the R&B pioneer and Atlantic Records executive who'd been closely following Franklin's career. Now free of Columbia, Franklin signed with Atlantic Records, which was known as one of the best R&B labels in America. Wexler's strategy with Franklin was simple. Rather than attempting to adhere to older standards - as Columbia's producers were prone to do - Wexler would simply stay out of Franklin's way, giving her a freedom that led to her creating some of the most exciting and forward-thinking soul music of the era.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
Tomatoes
Here are your California tomatoes
They're Romas, there are hundreds of acres planted in Solano County, Fairfield is holding its annual Tomato Festival this weekend. Come north! We have your tomatoes.
The Romas are bound for Dixon (between here and Davis), where the Campbell factory will process them into V-8 juice. The drivers are paid by the load. They pull 2 trailers at a time. The corners always have spilled tomatoes. Some are salvageable. This from a woman who has 5 tomato plants in her garden (none are Romas). I pick up dropped corn, too. Cycling has more benefits than you'd expect.
Deborah
Thanks, Deborah!
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
THE HISTORY OF A BLOW JOB.
"RUDY" HAS A MELTDOWN.
"ELEPHANTS HAVE A ZOMBIE GENE…"
"SORRY TO BOTHER YOU"
IS 'THE HAMMER' STARTING TO FALL?
THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH.
THE SATANIC GENERAL.
HE'S GOING DOWN.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny & seasonal.
El Paso, Texas
Beto O'Rourke
Beto O'Rourke was trying hard to play it cool, but finally, he just couldn't resist. "I have to show you this," the Democratic congressman from El Paso, Texas, said, reaching into his pocket to grab his iPhone, where he began scrolling through text messages. "Sorry, I'm so excited about it."
It was shortly after noon on a recent Saturday, and O'Rourke, or simply "Beto" as voters here have come to know him, had been going since around dawn in what Republicans and even some Democrats here once described as a "suicide mission" to unseat the state's junior senator, Ted Cruz.
He had just wrapped up his fourth stop of the day - a town hall in this small suburb south of Dallas, where he had addressed about 150 people, including an African-American woman who had stood and invoked Nelson Mandela to describe his unlikely quest as an unabashedly liberal Democrat to replace a Tea Party Republican in Texas. "They always said it was impossible until it got done," the woman said, paraphrasing the legendary South African leader. Addressing the congressman, she said, "You're about to do it."
It was the kind of thing that people have been saying to O'Rourke, a lanky 6-foot-4 lawmaker whose undeniable charisma on the stump has invoked steady comparisons to a young Barack Obama by Democrats in search of their next great hope. A year ago, most people here had never heard of the 45-year-old, three-term congressman. But now, he was famous enough that a few days earlier, O'Rourke had found himself onstage strumming a guitar next to Willie Nelson - "THE Willie Nelson," he said incredulously - at the singer's annual Fourth of July picnic in Austin.
It was a turn of events that O'Rourke, who once toured the country playing bass in a punk band, still seemed a little stunned by. Showing a reporter a photo of him onstage with Nelson, he almost seemed to be reminding himself that it had really happened. O'Rourke, along with the singer Margo Price and Ray Benson, the legendary frontman from Asleep at the Wheel who had worn a "Beto" shirt onstage, joined Nelson for a medley of hits, including his pro-pot anthem, "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die." And afterward, he had been given the stage to make his pitch to several thousand fans.
Beto O'Rourke
Hiring Card Writers
Cards Against Humanity
If you or someone you know is looking for a job and can be both vulgar and offensive, then look no further.
The popular card game "Cards Against Humanity" is hiring writers, and the pay is a whopping $40 per hour.
To apply, you'll need to submit fifteen white cards and five black card ideas by August 31.
The website offers some tips on what goes in to writing good cards.
Check out more by clicking here.
Cards Against Humanity
Iron Lung User
Polio Survivor
It was the worst headache ever. While waiting for a bus at 63rd and Paseo to take her home from work, Mona Randolph's head felt like it was going to split open. She had a fever, chills. The sights and sounds of the world intensified. Her nerves were on edge. She was 20 years old, three days into a new job and three months away from getting married.
It was 1956. A year before, the government had approved a vaccine for polio, but kids were the priority recipients. An adult, Mona was thought to have been at little risk.
Today, she has limited use of her right arm, though the fine motor skills needed to feed herself peas or write letters to loved ones have left her in recent years. She hasn't had the use of her left arm for more than 60 years. She gets around in a wheelchair.
In the '80s, post-polio syndrome worsened her condition to the point where she had to go back to the iron lung at night. She describes breathing - something most of us don't give a second thought - as an effort of concentration, like lifting weights.
Six nights a week, Mona Randolph sleeps up to her neck in a long, noisy, airtight, 75-year-old iron tube - one of only three "iron lungs" known to still be in use in the U.S. It's a six-foot-long immersive breathing apparatus that resembles something like an industrial oven or, as Randolph calls it, her "yellow submarine."
Polio Survivor
Kwik-E-Mart Opens
'The Simpsons'
The city of Myrtle Beach is now home to a one-of-a-kind store for "The Simpsons."
The Kwik-E-Mart, which is a convenience store in the TV show, opened at Broadway at the Beach on Friday.
It's the first full-service Kwik-E-Mart in the world and it has plenty of Simpsons memorabilia for sale. It also has famous food items from the show like Squishees and Lard Lad Donuts, along with Duff-branded, non-alcoholic energy drinks.
The store's creators say four years of planning went into the attraction and that Myrtle Beach is a perfect fit.
"Broadway at the Beach is like no other location," said Mark Cornell, who's the senior vice president of attractions development for SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment. "It really draws a lot of foot traffic walking around and I really think that it's the perfect first place. I think the Simpsons would come to Myrtle Beach for a vacation."
'The Simpsons'
24 Under 5
565 Children
The US government continues to hold 565 immigrant children in custody, three weeks after a court deadline to reunite them with parents or guardians, a court filing showed Friday.
That included 24 children five years old or younger being cared for by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement.
ORR reported the parents of 366 of the 565 children were outside of the United States, making reunifications difficult.
And for over 180, the children could not be handed back to parents because the parents were flagged as threats to the children, were separately held in law enforcement custody, or were facing separate litigation.
Earlier this year, the government separated more than 2,500 children from their parents after families crossed the US border with Mexico illegally intending to stay in the country.
565 Children
National Anthem
ESPN
Sports broadcaster ESPN will not air the playing of national anthem ahead of Monday night NFL games.
The national anthem was also not aired during the 16-week plus preseason schedule of last season's Monday Night Football television programme and the network said there would no change in its policy this year after being asked how it would handle the recent controversy over players taking a kneeduring the anthem in peaceful protest to police violence.
The company's president Jimmy Pitaro told journalists: "We generally have not broadcasted the anthem and I don't think there's going to be any change this year. Our plan going into this year is to not broadcast the anthem".
He added the network had communicated with the league about its decision and said: "Again, there could be changes. It's somewhat unpredictable what's going to happen in the world but as of now our plan now is to not broadcast the anthem….[The NFL has] not asked but we proactively just as a courtesy and as good partners let them know what our plans are".
It did air three performances of "Star Spangled Banner" over the entirety of the network's coverage, according to ESPN senior vice president of event and studio production Stephanie Druley.
ESPN
UAF Researcher
Permafrost
A recent study produced by University of Alaska researcher Katey Walter Anthony and colleagues shows that permafrost is thawing much faster under lakes in Interior Alaska than predicted. This process releases excess amounts of methane and could significantly speed up the effects of climate change.
Walter Anthony has spent over a decade studying permafrost and melting processes in Alaska, but this recent discovery could greatly change the way climate change is perceived, she said.
"This is a situation where we could see significant changes within decades, rather than centuries," Walter Anthony said.
The lakes are created when warming soil melts ground ice and causes the surface to collapse and form pools of water, according to the study.
The pools accelerate permafrost thaw beneath the lakes and subsequently release greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane.
Permafrost
'Rolex' Means An Eggy Snack
Uganda
When people talk about a "Rolex" in Uganda, one of the last things they probably have in mind is a luxury watch.
So at Kampala's third annual Rolex festival on a hilltop in the Ugandan capital on Sunday, there were no stalls to be seen selling pricey wrist wear.
In Uganda, the Rolex is the country's favourite snack, a sandwich made up of an omelette and chapati bread, and it derives its name from a play on the words "rolled eggs".
Organisers hope the festival will turn what many regard as a poor man's supper into a tourist attraction.
The dish, which originated in the eastern town of Busoga, quickly became popular among students at Makerere University in Kampala: at around 1,000 Ugandan shillings (26 US cents, 23 euro cents), it was not only nourishing, but very affordable as well.
Uganda
Weekend Box Office
'Crazy Rich Asians'
Glitz won over guns as the gilded romance "Crazy Rich Asians" debuted at No. 1 in North American theaters this weekend, surpassing industry expectations and beating out action-packed fare like "Mile 22."
Warner Bros. estimates that the film earned $25.2 million over the weekend and $34 million since its opening Wednesday. It's a surefire win for the film, which cost $30 million to produce and went into the weekend with months of buzz and a 93 percent "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
As recently as July 26, box office experts were predicting that the film would open to at least $18 million over its first five days, but no one expected a launch of over $30 million.
Despite the success of "Crazy Rich Asians," other films still found audiences this weekend, including Warner Bros. shark movie "The Meg," which fell only 53 percent in its second weekend, adding $21.2 million. The Jason Statham-led film has now grossed over $300 million worldwide.
One film that did not find much of an audience was Kevin Spacey's "Billionaire Boys Club," which Vertical Entertainment released in eight theaters this weekend after making it available for purchase on Video on Demand last month. Official earnings were not reported to comScore, but industry trade publication The Hollywood Reporter said Sunday that the film earned a dismal $425.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Crazy Rich Asians," $25.2 million ($730,000 international).
2."The Meg," $21.2 million ($67 million international).
3."Mile 22," $13.6 million ($538,000 international).
4."Alpha," $10.5 million.
4.(tie) "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," $10.5 million ($20.5 million international).
5."Christopher Robin," $8.9 million ($7.9 million international).
6."BlacKkKlansman," $7 million ($1.2 million international).
7."Slender Man," $5 million.
8."Hotel Transylvania 3," $3.7 million ($28.3 million international).
9."Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again," $3.4 million ($15.3 million international).
'Crazy Rich Asians'
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