Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Something Not Rotten in Denmark (NY Times Column)
The simple fact is that there is far more misery in America than there needs to be. Every other advanced country has universal health care and a much stronger social safety net than we do. And it doesn't have to be that way.
Paul Waldman: Trump and Republicans don't think inequality is a problem. Democrats do. (Washington Post)
… CEOs are making absolutely stunning amounts of money, while workers' wages are going nowhere. In the past year, wages rose by 2.7 percent while inflation was 2.9 percent, meaning that the average person has nothing more in his pocket than he did a year ago. In fact, wages for most workers have been essentially stagnant for decades. That means that the problem of inequality didn't start with Trump. He has, however, done everything he can to make it worse. He gave a gargantuan tax break to the wealthy and corporations …
Paul Waldman: "Ground Zero for the Democratic comeback: Midwestern gubernatorial races" (Washington Post)
Indeed, in the book, I report that Cook Political Report's David Wasserman believes that if Democrats can secure fairer maps in many of these big states, this could ultimately bring a dozen House seats back into the Democratic column. Other analysts think it could be higher. All of which is to say it once again: Keep focused on the elections in the states. They matter.
Mary Beard: The men who rule the world get to own the Titians (TLS)
Reflecting, in a slightly backhanded way, on the modern direction of travel of art from Europe to the Gulf States, we joked that 'the men who rule the world get to own the Titians'.
Mary Beard: Lavatories of the world (TLS)
The "western" use of paper doesn't seem as convenient, effective or clean as the nice jet of water that you find conveniently next to the loo in Turkey and other places, ready to hose down the bum. True it does seems to me that you need a bit of paper to dry off, but that is all - and if I was getting a new loo at home, I would be strongly tempted to install such.
Erin Durkin and Ben Jacobs: Aretha Franklin: Obama and Trump pay tribute - with very different words (The Guardian)
Obama says singer's voice offered 'a glimpse of the divine' while Trump remembers 'a person I knew well'.
Melanie McFarland: "'Disenchantment' and the evolution of Matt Groening's feminism" (Salon)
The man behind Lisa Simpson gives us a progressive Princess. But does it restore his cred?
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Presenting
Michael Egan
wrote:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
David E Suggests
Best Golf Courses
David
Thanks, Dave!
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
As for the picture of the Orange Turd, someone took & posted that picture today. He gets oranger and oranger--ewww.
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
"THE SOUND OF SILENCE"
LIARS AND CHEATS!
'VERY SAD!'
"YELLOW LINES AND DEAD ARMADILLOS."
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Getting hotter, again. Sigh.
Highest-Paid Film Actress
Scarlett Johansson
A superhero leads a list of highest-paid film actresses that was dropped by Forbes this week, with Scarlett Johansson topping the chart at $40.5 million.
The 33-year-old earned the top payday on the list of female actresses' earnings from June 2017 to June 2018, after a year that included her return as Black Widow in the record-breaking "Avengers: Infinity War" earlier this year.
The rest of the top-10 list includes familiar names like Angelina Jolie, 43, at number 2 with $28 million, and right behind her is Jennifer Aniston, 49, at $19.5 million.
The youngest actress on the list is 28-year-old Jennifer Lawrence, who ranked fourth with $18 million after starring in both "Mother!" and "Red Sparrow." She's followed by Reese Witherspoon, 42; Mila Kunis, 35; Julia Roberts, 50; Cate Blanchett, 49; and Melissa McCarthy, 47.
Gal Gadot, 33, closes the list, book-ending it with another superhero, after her acclaimed performance in "Wonder Woman."
Scarlett Johansson
Botched Surgery
Jefferson Airplane
A co-founder of Jefferson Airplane is accusing a New York City hospital of destroying his musical career with a botched tracheotomy after heart surgery in 2016.
A lawsuit filed by Marty Balin against the operators of Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital alleges the singer and guitarist lost part of his tongue and has a paralyzed vocal cord due to injuries caused by the doctor who did the procedure. It also claims his left thumb had to be amputated because of care that was "reckless, careless and negligent."
A lawyer for Balin and his wife sued Thursday in federal court in Manhattan. They're seeking unspecified damages.
According to the suit, Balin, 76, was hospitalized with heart problems after traveling from his home in Tampa, Florida, to New York City for show at a Manhattan nightclub. He ended up having successful emergency surgery, but a recovery unit wasn't staffed with personnel who knew how to deal with his recovery, it says.
"By the time Mr. Balin was finally released from the hospital, he had lost half his tongue so that he cannot speak or eat properly. ... He had become totally disabled and has never recovered properly," the suit says.
Jefferson Airplane
1995-2010 Albums Available For Streaming
Prince
The estate of prolific late pop icon Prince made more than 300 songs from his later career available on digital download and streaming services for the first time on Friday.
The tracks come from 23 albums -- from 1995's "The Gold Experience" to 2010's "20Ten" -- that have been launched online as part of a deal struck with Sony's Legacy Recordings.
There is also a new 37-track compilation called "Prince Anthology 1995-2010," made up of highlights from the 23 albums.
The Prince Estate and Sony Music Entertainment reached an agreement in June that would see Legacy digitally distribute 35 Prince albums in total.
The music includes previously-unreleased albums as well as singles, B-sides, live recordings and other rarities.
Prince
Cancels Celebrity Big Brother Appearance
Stormy Daniels
Adult film star and Donald Trump enemy Stormy Daniels failed to appear on Celebrity Big Brother last night (16 August), reportedly quitting minutes before it began.
Soon after her cancellation, the hosts of Loose Women announced that the 39-year-old would be appearing on their show to explain her decision. However, Daniels failed to appear on the panel show, leaving host Jane Moore to reveal why both appearances were stopped.
"Late last night, she showed me emails. There was a custody development with her seven-year-old daughter," Moore told viewers. "She suddenly thought, I can't commit. She said being a mother comes first."
"She wanted to go on the [Celebrity Big Brother] live show and explain why I am not going into the house, and that was all agreed then suddenly they said, 'We don't want you to do any of it.'"
Moore continued: "It has now become a legal situation and she says she has been told she can't come and talk. She says she is furious and wants to be sat here."
Stormy Daniels
Canceled At Netflix
Michelle Wolf
Netflix comedy shows hosted by Michelle Wolf and Joel McHale drew much interest upon arrival, but are leaving quietly.
The streaming service isn't going ahead with second seasons of "The Break with Michelle Wolf" or "The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale."
"The Break," a topical, often political show, was greeted with fanfare and curiosity, premiering just a month after Wolf's scathing performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner in April.
"Community" star McHale, who drew a fan following with his sardonic humor on "Talk Soup," offered an alternative take on that format with "The Joel McHale Show," focusing more on reality TV over celebrity news.
The decision not to go ahead with a second season of McHale may be a bit surprising, since the streaming service ordered an additional six episodes after the show's 13-episode launch in March.
Michelle Wolf
Gets 3-Year Restraining Order
Stan Lee
Stan Lee's restraining order against a former business manager has been extended for three years.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved the move Friday, ordering Keya Morgan to stay away from the Marvel Comics mogul and his family.
The order makes permanent a previous temporary restraining order Lee's lawyers had received.
It's another step toward restoring stability for the 95-year-old Lee, who has been the subject of a power struggle involving his daughter, Morgan, and others who sought roles in his life and business after the death his Lee's wife last year.
Lee's lawyer Jonathan Freund says Lee's family is pleased he can moved forward without being bothered or harassed, and that his previously deteriorating health is improving.
Stan Lee
Jones Destroyed Evidence
Sandy Hook
Far-right agitator Alex Jones has been deleting social media posts about his conspiracy theory that the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting, which took the lives of 20 children and six adults, was a government hoax.
A Friday court filing on behalf of the father of a victim of the attack claims the removal amounts to destruction of evidence. The deletion of content that reflects Jones' view of the tragedy as a manufactured story using actors means that evidence is lost, the motion for sanctions claims.
Jones has been under pressure from critics who believe he and his Infowars brand shouldn't have free reign to inflict pain on victims via social media platforms. Facebook, YouTube and Apple have taken steps to remove Jones and Infowars. Twitter put Jones' account on a seven-day timeout Tuesday after finding that a post linking to a video in which he told his listeners to get "battle rifles" ready was a violation of its terms.
Infowars' reports and videos on Sandy Hook have blamed victims' parents, as well as the government, for manufacturing what it states was a hoax. Parents have been singled out by Jones, and his followers have issued threats against them.
" ... It is clear from Mr. Jones' own admissions that relevant evidence has been lost," the filing reads. "As pressure mounted from pending defamation lawsuits and growing public indignation, Mr. Jones chose to destroy the evidence of his actual malice and defamatory conduct ... "
Sandy Hook
World's Oldest Cheese Found
Egypt
A group of archaeologists have found the world's oldest cheese - 3,300 years old and riddled with deadly bacteria.
The cheese was found by scientists in Egypt.
They discovered it while working on the tomb of Ptahmes, a former mayor of Memphis, the former capital of Egypt.
The cheese was found in broken jars.
It was riddled with a bacteria called Brucella Melitensis, which is potentially deadly and can cause stomach ache and a fever as well as other symptoms.
Egypt
Perfectly Preserved 40,000-Year-Old Horse Found
Siberia
A 40,000-year-old baby horse has been found almost perfectly preserved in Siberia, scientists say.
The foal has been kept in such good condition by the region's permafrost, it still has its hair, tail, mane and many of its internal organs, reports The Siberian Times.
The discovery was made in the Yakutia region - long-known for fossils of woolly mammoths - by a joint expedition of scientists and archaeologists from Russiaand Japan.
It is estimated the animal was just three months old when it died - although it has no visible wounds to suggest why.
The find, in a vast crater known as the Batagai depression, was located by scientists from the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk and Kindai University in Osaka, Japan.
Siberia
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