Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: "Monopoly Rents and Corporate Taxation (Wonkish)" (NY Times Blog)
The point for now is that when someone tells you that changes in the world have made old-style corporate taxes obsolete, be skeptical. Some changes in the world may have made profit taxation a better idea than ever.
Josh Marshall: An Update from The Kushner Swamp (TPM)
What all of this amounts to is that while Kushner has been given oversight of numerous key foreign policy issues and problems, his 'family' is simultaneously in a desperate hunt for money which basically has to come from abroad - from a lot of the people he meets with in his White House job. It's like having a Secretary of State desperate for help getting money from every foreign potentate he meets with. In fact, it's not 'like' that. It sort of is that.
Josh Marshall: A Serf on Google's Farm (TPM)
We are paying customers of Google. We were forwarding emails from the site's main address to all staffers. But because we receive a lot of spam, the spam that we were forwarded to ourselves marked us as a major spammer and led to Google banning all our emails with no notice in advance or notification after the fact. You might imagine that once we got through to someone at Google and explained this ridiculous situation they'd fix it. Well, no. Once we got through to someone they explained what happened. They told us a few remedial actions we could take. Once we did that, over time the algorithm would cease to think we were spammers.
Arpaio's Conviction for Criminal Contempt of Court Could Be Immune to Trump's Pardon Power (Daily Kos)
Sheriff Joe Arpaio's lawyers have filed Trump's Pardon of Arpaio and demanded that the Federal court vacate the Sheriff's conviction and dismiss the prosecution with prejudice. Does Arpaio now automatically walk free? Probably, but not necessarily.
NATHAN J. ROBINSON: WAIT, DO PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOW JUST HOW EVIL THIS MAN IS? (Current Affairs)
Joe Arpaio's reign was two decades of intimidation, cruelty, and abuses of power…
John Dickerson: A Phony Murder Plot Against Joe Arpaio Winds Up Costing Taxpayers $1.1 Million (Phoenix New Times)
Taxpayers spent $1,102,528.50 this year to settle another of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's lawsuits, New Times has learned through a public records request. The suit was brought by a man whom Arpaio framed in 1999 in a staged murder plot against the sheriff.
Andrew Tobias: So Let Me Tell You My Carl Icahn Story
To tell you about Carl Icahn, I need to tell you about MaryAnn Smilen. And to tell you about MaryAnn, I need to tell you about her husband Ken. Ken Smilen in the Seventies was widely regarded as one of the smartest big-picture analysts on Wall Street. He had his own firm - Smilen and Safian - and clients paid a ton for his insights, printed on dark blue paper that made them impossible to photocopy and share.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
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David Bruce has over 80 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Presenting
Michael Egan
wrote:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
Current Events
Kathy shared the link. It's SO funny, How do you mansplain to the idiot men who came up with this idea how idiotic they AND their idea are?
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
BURN, BABY BURN.
MEDICAL MESSIAHS!
"WITHOUT JESUS YOU AINT GOT A PRAYER."
NO NUKES!
"THIS IS THE END MY FRIEND"
GOAT YOGA.
THE ARMY OF TRUMP.
TRUMP IS A ZOMBIE!
THE POLICE STATE!
THE 'DREAMERS' NIGHTMARE.
DONALD TRUMPS RACKET!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
80° at 1am. Ack!
'Mickey' Has Been Used Without Her Permission for Decades
Toni Basil
Toni Basil, the one-hit wonder behind "Mickey," filed suit in L.A. Superior Court on Thursday alleging that the song has been used without her permission for decades.
According to the suit, Basil recently became aware that the song was used in an episode of "South Park," in a Forever 21 ad, and on an episode of "RuPaul's Drag Race." She was particularly offended that the Forever 21 campaign was in support of a line of Disney products, associating her song with Mickey Mouse.
"Basil was never consulted and would never consent to the use of her voice, persona, image, or name coupled with Disney products," the suit states.
The suit documents a long history of the rights to the song, which was released in 1981. The original label, Radialchoice Limited, was forced into liquidation in 1985. Basil contends that the numerous transfers of the "Mickey" rights, which began shortly before the liquidation, are invalid because she did not consent to them.
Basil is suing Razor & Tie Entertainment, which currently controls the rights to the song, as well as the Walt Disney Company, Forever 21, VH1, and the producers of "South Park."
Toni Basil
Woman Auctioning Note
Jimi Hendrix
A note from Jimi Hendrix to an "awestruck" 19-year-old is up for sale.
Anthea Connell says she was dating a bassist in a band opening for Hendrix in 1967, and sitting in a British venue watching them set up.
She was the only female in the room, she said. Hendrix walked over and started chatting her up, she said.
"I wouldn't be able to tell you what the conversation was about, but I was awestruck by this icon in the music industry coming to talk to me," she told news agency SWNS.
At one point, he turned to a member of his group and asked for something to write on. On the back of a Fender guitar string packet, he wrote, "To Anthea - Love and kisses to you forever. I wish I could really talk to you. Stay sweet, Jimi Hendrix."
Jimi Hendrix
Apple Setting Up Shop?
Culver Studios
Apple is in talks to move its original content division to the studio where both "Gone with the Wind" and "The Matrix" were shot, according to the Financial Times.
The Culver Studios, which are located in Culver City, just west of Los Angeles, has 13 soundstages that are set up for producing television, film, music videos, and commercials. But Apple would likely be using the space primarily for office space, rather than for producing original content, the Financial Times reported.
The iPhone maker would essentially use the space as its base in Hollywood as it attempts to ramp up its push into video programming, the Financial Times said. By operating out of Culver Studios, Apple could send a signal to both Silicon Valley and Hollywood that it's serious about its original content ambitions. The studio is a Hollywood mainstay that was created in 1918 by Thomas Ince, a silent movie pioneer.
It was unclear from the Financial Times article whether Apple is considering buying or leasing the studio. Apple didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Culver Studios
Drops Trans Model
L'Oreal
French cosmetics giant L'Oreal on Friday confirmed it had dropped a British transgender model over comments the company deemed "at odds with our values," after she was hired as part of a diversity campaign.
"L'Oreal champions diversity," the beauty brand said on Twitter. "Comments by Munroe Bergdorf are at odds with our values and so we have decided to end our partnership with her".
L'Oreal had tapped Bergdorf -- a 29-year-old model, DJ and trans activist whose father is Jamaican -- as one of the five newest faces of its #allworthit campaign to introduce the five new shades of its True Match face makeup.
But controversy erupted when Bergdorf took to Facebook in a now-deleted post to react to events in the US city of Charlottesville, where a woman was killed on August 12 after an avowed white supremacist rammed his car into a group of anti-racism counter-protesters.
"Honestly I don't have energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more. Yes ALL white people," Bergdorf wrote, according to copies posted in British media.
L'Oreal
Woman Who Laughed At Sessions
Desiree Fairooz
Jeff Sessions' (R-Vindictive Racist) Justice Department reportedly intends take a woman who laughed at the now-attorney general back to trial.
Code Pink activist Desiree Fairooz, 61, who was taken into custody after she laughed during Mr Sessions' confirmation hearing, will go to trial in November for a second time.
"My new trial set to begin Monday, November 13th. I still cannot believe the government refuses to drop this. Vindictive!," Ms Fairooz tweeted.
In July, a judge had thrown out out a jury's conviction of Ms Fairooz, finding that the government had improperly argued during the proceedings that her laughter was enough to merit a guilty verdict.
Chief Judge Robert Morin of the Superior Court of DC on Friday said he believed his thoughts on the government's previous theory of the case had been clear, the Huffington Post reported.
Desiree Fairooz
Thanks Mexico For Harvey Offer
Tillerson
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R-Exxon) has thanked Mexico for its offer of relief for the victims of flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.
Tillerson did not say whether the U.S. would be taking Mexico up on its offer of help, but he has said more on the matter than Donald Trump (R-Crooked), who has not yet commented on Mexico's offer.
Speaking ahead of a pre-planned meeting with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray Caso, Tillerson said Mexico had "offered a wide range of assistance."
He added in comments carried by The Washington Post: "It's very generous of Mexico to offer to help at this very, very challenging time for our citizens down in Texas."
Mexico has previously helped the U.S. following natural disasters, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Tillerson
Found In Brains Of 10 Fish Species
Antidepressants
Antidepressants are increasingly building up in the brains of several species of fish in the Great Lakes region. A new study claims scientists detected traces of antidepressants in large clusters, according to research from the University of Buffalo (UB). Bass and walleye fish are among the 10 affected species.
The study, published Aug. 16 in the journal "Environmental Science and Technology," wanted to examine the concentrations and bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) that are released into freshwater. UB researchers found metabolized remnants of high concentrations of antidepressants in the brain tissues of 10 fish species in the Niagara River.
This discovery raises major environmental concerns because it could affect the fishes behavior, including its survival instincts and feeding practices. These changes could disrupt the balance of the ecosystem and prevent its overall stability.
"These active ingredients from antidepressants, which are coming out from wastewater treatment plants, are accumulating in fish brains," Diana Aga, the study's lead author, said in a news release. "It is a threat to biodiversity, and we should be very concerned."
The rock bass fishes, in particular, were exposed to antidepressants at a higher rate than other fish species. Approximately 400 nanograms of norsertraline (the active ingredient in Zoloft) per gram of brain tissue were detected in rock bass fish. Other ingredients found in the rock bass fish - and the other nine fish species - included citalopram (the active ingredient in Celexa) and norfluoxetine (the active ingredient in Prozac and Sarafem).
Antidepressants
Cologne Zoo
Köln
A 93-year-old widow from the United States has donated $22 million to the zoo in Cologne, Germany, saying she wanted to give back to the city where she and her husband met during World War II, German media reported Friday.
"We never forgot Cologne," Elizabeth Reichert told the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper by phone from her home in Philadelphia.
She said she and her Jewish husband Arnulf Reichert both grew up in the western German city. They met in 1944, she recalled, when Arnulf lived in hiding to avoid being discovered by the Nazis.
They married a year after the war ended and briefly moved to Israel before settling in the US, where they lived the American dream and made their fortune.
Shortly before her husband died in 1998, the childless couple agreed to bequeath their money to the Cologne Zoo after their deaths.
Köln
Ancient Footprint Raises Questions
Crete
The human foot is distinctive. Our five toes lack claws, we normally present the sole of our foot flat to the ground, and our first and second toes are longer than the smaller ones. In comparison to our fellow primates, our big toes are in line with the long axis of the foot-they don't stick out to one side.
In fact, some would argue that one of the defining characteristics of being part of the human clade is the shape of our foot. So imagine our surprise when we discovered fossil footprints with remarkable, human-like characteristics at Trachilos, Crete, that are 5.7 million years old. This research, published in the Proceedings of the Geologist Association, is controversial as it suggests that the earliest human ancestors may have wandered around southern Europe as well as East Africa.
The period corresponds to a geological time interval known as the Miocene. The footprints are small tracks made by someone walking upright on two legs-there are 29 of them in total. They range in size from 94mm to 223mm, and have a shape and form very similar to human tracks. Non-human ape footprints look very different; the foot is shaped more like a human hand, with the big toe attached low on the side of the sole and sticking out sideways.
The footprints were dated using a combination of fossilised marine microorganisms called foraminifera and the character of the local sedimentary rocks. Foraminifera evolve very rapidly and marine sedimentary rocks can be dated quite precisely on the basis of the foraminifera they contain. These indicated an age somewhere in the span 8.5 million to 3.5 million years. However, at the very end of the Miocene, about 5.6 million years ago, an extraordinary thing happened: the entire Mediterranean sea dried out for some time. This event left a clear signature in the sediments of the surrounding areas. The sediments that contain the footprints suggest they probably date to the period immediately before this, at about 5.7 million years.
The "cradle of humanity" has long been thought to lie in Africa, with most researchers suggesting that Ethiopia was where the human lineage originated. The earliest known body fossils that are accepted as hominins (members of the human lineage) by most researchers are Sahelanthropus tchadensis from Chad (about seven million years old), Orrorin tugenensis from Kenya (about six million years old) and Ardipithecus kadabbafrom Ethiopia (about 5.8-5.2 million years old).
Crete
In Memory
Shelley Berman
Famed stand-up comic Shelley Berman, who recently played Larry David's father on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," has died. He was 92.
Berman died early Friday morning due to complications from Alzheimer's Disease at his home in Bell Canyon, Calif., his publicist confirmed to Variety.
The Grammy winner and Emmy-nominated actor was one of the most successful stand-up comedians of the 1950s and '60s. His 1959 live record, "Inside Shelley Berman," was the first comedy album to be certified gold (with more than 500,000 sales) and was the first non-musical recording to win a Grammy Award. Two other albums, "Outside Shelley Berman" and "The Edge of Shelley Berman," also went gold.
Berman was the first stand-up comicc to perform at Carnegie Hall. He appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" more than 20 times and was a guest on shows hosted by Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Dinah Shore, Perry Como, Andy Williams, and Dean Martin.
The Chicago native trained as a serious actor before jumping into comedy as a nightclub performer. His signature bit was to sit cross-legged on a bar stool, act as if he were on the telephone, and improvise long, complicated, one-sided conversations.
Berman appeared as Nat David on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" between 2002 and 2009, and received an Emmy nomination in 2008. He retired from performing in 2014.
Berman broke into show business in 1943 after his discharge from the U.S. Navy and enrolled at Chicago's Goodman Theatre acting school. One of his routines involved portraying his own father when the then-18-year-old Shelley called home to ask for $100 for acting school.
While at Goodman, he met Sarah Herman and they were married in 1947. Berman worked a series of summer stock and odd jobs, and eventually sold a sketch to Steve Allen for his "Tonight" show. Through Martin Landau, Berman got a gig at Chicago's improvisational Compass Players group, working alongside Mike Nichols and Elaine May, where he began to develop his famous phone-call routines.
In 1962, Berman participated in NBC's documentary-style television show "Comedian Backstage," where cameras followed him as he prepared for and performed his nightclub act. The cameras caught Berman becoming angry when a telephone backstage started ringing during his act, which dimmed his popularity for quite some time.
Berman appeared in the 1964 film, "The Best Man" with Henry Fonda, in addition to "Peter Gunn," "The Twilight Zone," "Rawhide," "Bewitched," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Adam-12," "MacGyver," "L.A. Law," "Friends," "Grey's Anatomy," "Entourage," and "Hawaii Five-0" in 2012.
He made numerous recurring guest appearances as the semi-senile Judge Robert Sanders on "Boston Legal" between 2004 and 2008.
Berman taught at USC for more than 20 years. He also volunteered at the Motion Picture & Television Fund in Woodland Hills, Calif., teaching a poetry class. His class was documented in the 2007 short film "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over."
Berman is survived by his wife of 70 years; his daughter Rachel Berman; and two grandsons.
Shelley Berman
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