Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Republicans Take the Hypocrite's Oath (NY Times Column)
So let's be clear about this: If you or anyone you care about suffers from a pre-existing medical condition, Republicans are trying to take away your insurance. If they claim otherwise, they're lying.
Jonathan Chait: Why Brett Kavanaugh's Hearings Convinced Me That He's Guilty (NY Mag)
The method Republicans have used to defend Kavanaugh has consisted of suppressing most of the evidence that could be brought to bear in the hearing, and then complaining about the lack of evidence. "Unless something new comes forward, you have just an emotional accusation and an emotional denial without corroboration," said Senator Lindsey Graham. Conservative columnist Kimberly Strassel argued, "The standard here isn't where you 'look' or 'sound' 'credible.' It is whether you provide evidence."
Josh Marshall: Blasey Ford's Shining Moment; Grassley's Catastrophe (TPM)
In substantive and societal terms this is a powerful, morally healing moment. In political terms, for the Majority it seems like nothing short of a catastrophe. What's more it is something the Majority one hundred percent brought on themselves: first attacking Blasey Ford's credibility, then trying to bluff her out of testifying, later trying to rush the vote and finally in thinking anything good would come of having their question time used as a hostile cross examination. It is hard to imagine how this could have gone any worse for Kavanaugh or the Majority.
Paul Waldman: Americans are not going to forget this day. Especially women.(Washington Post)
Twitter (much less the people I happen to follow) is not a representative sample of anything, so take this as anecdotal, but as I watched Ford's testimony with my computer in front of me, what I saw from one woman after another were expressions of pain, anguish, even horror. Whether they had experienced sexual assault themselves, watching someone have to describe her assault to the world, seeing how difficult it was for her, her voice cracking from the strain of keeping her composure, was unspeakably painful.
Greg Sargent: Lindsey Graham's meltdown gives away the GOP game on Kavanaugh (Washington Post)
Christine Blasey Ford has finished testifying, and judging by Twitter and cable, the widespread consensus among neutral observers and even some Republicans has been that she was entirely credible. Ford was endearingly convincing in declaring that her only true motive in coming forward was to help the assembled senators - and the country - by informing them of what she personally experienced at the hands of Brett M. Kavanaugh.
Hadley Feeman: A former teacher gets in touch, nostalgic about the past. I remember it differently (The Guardian)
I recently received an email from a publicist asking if I would like to meet to talk about his clients. I often get these requests, but this was different: I knew the publicist. When I was 18, he was one of my university lecturers. It was just silly things at first: staring at me, touching me under the slimmest of pretexts. At a loss as to how to respond, I did nothing. This was apparently taken as encouragement, and the touches became notes asking for dates. Not daily notes. But more than a teacher should give to a student, which is any number from one upwards.
Roger Ebert: My Man Godfrey
When Carole Lombard and the family maid discuss the newly hired butler, we can read her mind when she says, "I'd like to sew his buttons on sometime, when they come off." In 1936, when elegant men's formalwear didn't use zippers, audiences must have had an even better idea of what she was thinking. The two women both have crushes on Godfrey.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
said:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• Groucho Marx once was dragged to see a medium by his wife. He was reluctant to go, because he didn't believe the medium could communicate with the dead, but he perked up when he heard that the medium would answer any question asked of her, even if it wasn't about dead people. Groucho's question was, "What's the capital of North Dakota?" The medium didn't know the answer, and two of her beefy male confederates threw Groucho out of the seance.
• When humorist George Ade died, Robert Benchley got out of bed and went out and had a good time, telling stories about Mr. Ade and drinking. According to Mr. Benchley, "When a great humorist dies, everybody should go to a place where there is laughter, and drink to his memory until the lights go out."
• A long-time Democrat was dying, and his family wanted to call in a clergyman. The Democrat declined to talk to the clergyman, saying, "I can't see … what occasion … I have … for the services … of a clergyman. … I never … voted … the Republican ticket … in my life."
• Vietnam War protesters understood how to make a point. Some protesters once threw confetti on Pat Nixon, the wife of President Richard Nixon. The confetti was printed with the message, "If this was napalm, you would be dead."
• "When Jesus tells us about his Father, we distrust him. When he shows us his Home, we turn away, but when he confides to us that he is 'acquainted with Grief,' we listen, for that also is an Acquaintance of our own." - Emily Dickinson.
• When Napoleon died, a courtier informed King George IV by saying, "Sire, your greatest enemy is dead." The courtier should have stated his meaning more clearly, for King George IV replied, "By God, is she?"
• Henny Youngman's most famous one-liner was, "Take my wife - please!" At his funeral, Rabbi Noach Valley of the Actor's Temple in New York prayed, "Dear God, take Henny Youngman - please."
• The priest asked a man on his deathbed, "Will you accept Jesus as your savior and renounce the devil?" The man weakly replied, "Reverend, I'm in no position to offend anyone."
• In his absence, the IRA once sentenced Irish playwright Brendan Behan to death. Mr. Behan sent the IRA "a polite note, saying that they could shoot me in my absence, also."
• Noël Coward once told reporter Robert Robinson, "One day I will retire from public life." When asked when that day would be, Mr. Coward replied, "You may follow my coffin."
• "I expected this but not just yet." - gravestone inscription.
***
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Whose Boat Is This Boat?
100% of The Late Show's proceeds will be donated to The Foundation for the Carolinas, The One SC Fund, The North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, and World Central Kitchen.
Whose Boat Is This Boat? Comments That Don't Help in the Aftermath of a Hurricane is a picture book made entirely of quotations from President Donald Trump in the wake of Hurricane Florence. It is the first children's book that demonstrates what not to say after a natural disaster.
On September 19, 2018, Donald Trump paid a visit to New Bern, North Carolina, one of the towns ravaged by Hurricane Florence. It was there he showed deep concern for a boat that washed ashore. "At least you got a nice boat out of the deal," said President Trump to hurricane victims. "Have a good time!" he told them. The only way his comments would be appropriate is in the context of a children's book-and now you can experience them that way, thanks to the staff of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Whose Boat Is This Boat? is an excellent teaching tool for readers of all ages who enjoy learning about empathy by process of elimination. Have a good time!
Lizard tongue
I see some finally saying it, but it needs to be shouted repeatedly--in addition to being a sexual assaulter and black-out drunk, Kavanaugh lies all the time!
He lied about the drinking age in Maryland being 18--it was 21. And don't tell me that every teenager isn't well aware of the drinking age! Whether you're the one buying the booze or not. When I was a teen, we knew very well how to play the game! You had to be 21 in Alabama, but you only had to be 18 in Georgia.
He lied about how much he drinks (and drank).
He lied about WHEN he drank--not on weekdays my ass!
He lied about what he did for Ken Starr.
He has lied about his judicial philosophy--settled law--tell me another whopper.
As someone said--he lies about big things; he lies about little things; he lies about things of consequence; he lies about things of no consequence. He just lies.
Reminds me of David G.--a liar the Agency hired out of the Air Force.
You don't draw those lines in the sand often, but there are some things you cannot tolerate. Kavanaugh needs to pull his name from consideration or be shamed for eternity.
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
"FUCK THE LAW--I WANT MY MONEY!"
"BONFIRE OF REPUBLICAN VANITIES"
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Running late.
Copyright Case Gets New Life
'Stairway to Heaven'
The legal saga over Led Zeppelin's rock classic "Stairway to Heaven" just had another verse added to it.
After the band members prevailed against a lawsuit alleging that "Stairway to Heaven" infringed on the Spirit song "Taurus," an appeals court gave new life to the suit on Friday, with an opinion partially vacating the previous verdict in Jimmy Page and his cohorts' favor.
The opinion, handed down by the 9th circuit court of appeals, declares, "The panel vacated in part the district court's judgment after a jury trial in favor of the defendants and remanded for a new trial in a copyright infringement suit alleging that Led Zeppelin copied 'Stairway to Heaven' from the song 'Taurus,' written by Spirit band member Randy Wolfe."
According to Friday's court papers, the appeals-court panel "held that certain of the district court's jury instructions were erroneous and prejudicial. First, in connection with the extrinsic test for substantial similarity, the district court prejudicially erred by failing to instruct the jury that the selection and arrangement of unprotectable musical elements are protectable. Second, the district court prejudicially erred in its instructions on originality."
'Stairway to Heaven'
Hillary Clinton Cameo
'Murphy Brown'
Hillary Clinton made a cameo appearance on the premiere of the "Murphy Brown" reboot as an applicant for a secretarial job who says she has "some experience with emails," a line the show's creator said Friday she was surprised that Clinton was happy to deliver.
The former secretary of state, first lady and presidential candidate played a doppelganger named "Hilary" with one L instead of two in a brief scene with star Candice Bergen on the first new episode in 20 years of the CBS sitcom on Thursday night.
It was a revival of a running gag from the original show, whose title character had a succession of terrible secretaries and was always having to interview new ones.
"Candice just threw out there, 'Hillary Clinton would make a great first secretary,'" the show's creator, Diane English, told The Associated Press in an interview Friday. "We were kind of hoping and praying that it would actually come to fruition."
English wrote the script and sent it to Clinton's people, and while it was tough to make the schedule work, they were fine with all the jokes.
'Murphy Brown'
'Saturday Night Live'
Ariana Grande
Kanye West will perform on Saturday's season premiere of Saturday Night Live, but it was Ariana Grande who was originally scheduled to be the musical guest.
SNL producer Lorne Michaels revealed the casting shuffle on the "Origins With James Andrew Miller" podcast in an episode about his show. "We had Ariana drop out for emotional reasons two days ago," Michaels said in a prerecorded episode released Thursday.
The show began advertising West's appearance on Sept. 17. On the same day, Grande and her fiancé, SNL cast member Pete Davidson, were noticeably absent from the Emmys, although a seating chart from the venue showed that the couple had been expected to attend.
The "No Tears Left to Cry" singer's team explained at the time that Grande needed a break. Mac Miller, the rapper Grande dated from the fall of 2016 until this May, when they broke up, died of a suspected drug overdose on Sept. 7. Afterward, some people on social media cruelly blamed Grande for the 26-year-old's death.
Grande is also still reeling from a May 2017 terrorist attack following one of her concerts in Manchester, England, in which 22 people were killed.
Ariana Grande
Bird Tears
Moth
Some people just thrive on drama. Take this moth, for instance. Somewhere in the Brazilian Amazon, this moth is literally drinking the tears out of a bird's eye in the dead of night. While we at Live Science do not hold any degrees in lepidopterology, we believe we are correct in saying that's pretty metal.
Actually, drinking the tears of your neighbors is common enough in biology that it has a name: lachryphagy. Tear-drinking is a relatively common way for insects like butterflies, moths and bees to supplement their diets, according to Leandro João Carneiro de Lima Moraes, a biologist at the National Institute of Amazonia Research in Brazil who filmed this moth-on-bird action while doing fieldwork in the central Amazon.
For insects like these, a few crocodile tears here or a tipple of turtle tears there can provide a nice source of free sodium and even a bit of protein, Moraes wrote in a new study published Sept. 17 in the journal Ecology. Large, cold-blooded reptiles make good drinking destinations, as they are prone to going torpid - that is, reducing their metabolisms and lying still for extended periods of time. A video shot in the Amazon earlier this year illustrates that well, as eight opportunistic butterflies take turns drinking the tears from a river turtle's eyes.
So, what about birds? According to Moraes, moth-on-bird lachryphagy is a much rarer scenario (his is only the third study showing it happens at all). You can probably guess why, regardless of whether you've ever tried to drink a bird's tears; birds are just too fast, too small and too good at flying.
Moth
Wikipedia Article Dispute
'Devil's Triangle'
A Wikipedia article has become the centre of a dispute over the meaning of the phrase "devil's triangle" after Brett Kavanaugh's (R-Buh-Bye) hearings at the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The aspirant Supreme Court judge was called in front of US lawmakers to answer questions about his appointment. He followed Christine Blasey Ford, a university professor who is one of a number of women who have accused Mr Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
During that questioning, Rhose Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse asked a series of questions about the phrase "Devil's Triangle", because the term is mentioned in the judge's senior high school yearbook. Lawmakers have delved into that yearbook to attempt to ascertain the character of the young Mr Kavanaugh, amid accusations about his conduct.
When asked what the strange phrase referred to, he said that it was a "drinking game" played with "three glasses in a triangle."
As people searched to find out whether that was true, the phrase's Wikipedia article was edited from an IP address associated with the US Congress buildings.
'Devil's Triangle'
Has Seen Men Cry
Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin had a deeply personal connection to Brett Kavanaugh's testimony on Thursday. It reminded her of the behavior of her own rapist.
The Animal Kingdom actress and self-proclaimed badass isn't known for holding back, so she didn't while watching the Supreme Court nominee's at times fiery and at other times weepy rebuttal to Christine Blasey Ford recounting her allegations of sexual assault. Barkin, 64, posted a series of tweets, many using the hashtag #MeToo, while watching it unfold, including this one - in which she compares Kavanaugh's tears to the tears of her own attacker - which has gotten some attention.
Barkin posted several other tweets expressing her not-so-subtle opinions about Kavanaugh's emotional testimony.
She also had harsh words for Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, whose finger-pointing rant about being a "single white man" who "will not shut up" was also criticized.
Ellen Barkin
Confirmed Two New Particles
CERN
The Large Hadron Collider is at it again, showing us new wonders in the world of particle physics. Scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) collaboration have observed two new particles that have never been seen before - and seen evidence of a third.
The two new particles, predicted by the standard quark model, are baryons - the same family of particles as the protons used in LHC particle acceleration experiments.
Baryons are what most of the Universe is made up of, including protons and neutrons - composite particles consisting of three fundamental particles called quarks, which have different 'flavours', or types: up, down, top, bottom, charm, and strange.
Protons consist of two up quarks and one down quark, while neutrons consist of one up quark and two down quarks, for instance. But the two new particles discovered have a slightly different composition.
These particles are known as bottom baryons, and they are related to four particles previously observed at Fermilab. However, the new observations mark the first time scientists have detected these higher-mass counterparts; they are about six times more massive than a proton.
CERN
Ancient Mayan Structures
Guatemala
Scientists have uncovered tens of thousands of Mayan structures, potentially changing our understanding of the ancient civilisation.
It was discovered using high-tech Lidar technology, which uses pulses of laser light to map land cover and topography in 3-D. That land is usually covered in dense woodland, making surveys of the area difficult.
The new research, according to the scientists behind it, gives an understanding of the area with "unprecedented scope" that "compels" a re-evaluation of our understanding of Mayan culture.
The data seems to suggest, for instance, that more than 11 million people lived throughout the Maya Lowlands during the Late Classic Period, nearly 3,000 years ago. And it gives some clue about how they lived.
And the new findings show that there was a large-scale network of roads that connected cities and towns that were distant from each other. Some of those roadways were heavily fortified, the authors found to their surprise.
Guatemala
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 September 26, 2018:
1. Taylor Swift; $10,890,341; $127.11.
2. Ed Sheeran; $10,181,540; $91.72.
3. The Rolling Stones; $8,968,275; $155.26.
4. Jay-Z / Beyoncé; $6,623,724; $115.97.
5. Celine Dion; $4,808,263; $215.30.
6. U2; $4,165,432; $135.85.
7. Guns N' Roses; $4,127,170; $96.46.
8. Billy Joel; $3,966,806; $123.76.
9. Eagles; $3,354,743; $155.37.
10. Pink; $3,178,168; $125.60.
11. Kenny Chesney; $2,791,908; $85.83.
12. Justin Timberlake; $2,370,690; $115.92.
13. Roger Waters; $2,149,354; $105.05.
14. "Springsteen On Broadway"; $2,025,017; $508.79.
15. Dead & Company; $1,851,279; $71.04.
16. Iron Maiden; $1,696,737; $80.01.
17. Britney Spears; $1,637,431; $129.84.
18. Journey / Def Leppard; $1,558,021; $92.14.
19. André Rieu; $1,532,505; $90.79.
20. Depeche Mode; $1,498,295; $94.93.
Global Concert Tours
In Memory
Marty Balin
Marty Balin, founder of Jefferson Airplane, longtime member of Jefferson Starship, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, has died at age 76. Balin's publicity company, Jensen Communications, announced Friday that Balin passed away on Sept. 27, with his wife, Susan Joy Balin, by his side.
Balin's cause of death was not disclosed as of press time. However, he had a recent history of serious health problems: In March 2016, he underwent open-heart surgery at New York City's Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, and in a subsequent lawsuit, he alleged that the hospital's negligence had caused him to suffer a paralyzed vocal cord, loss of his left thumb and half of his tongue, bedsores, and kidney damage.
Balin was born Martyn Jerel Buchwald on Jan. 30, 1942, in Cincinnati; he changed his name to Marty Balin in 1962 when he recorded two solo songs for Challenge Records: "Nobody But You" and "I Specialize in Love." After those singles failed to take off, and after a brief stint in a folk music quartet called the Town Criers, he purchased a San Francisco pizza parlor and converted it into the rock club the Matrix, putting on shows by such esteemed artists as the Doors, Janis Joplin, and the Velvet Underground.
"Marty was the one who started the San Francisco scene," Bill Thompson, Balin's roommate in the mid-'60s and former manager of both Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, said in a statement Friday.
Jefferson Airplane sprang from the Matrix, and Balin served as the group's leader and soulful co-vocalist until his departure in 1971. Balin wrote or co-wrote several of the band's classic songs, including "It's No Secret," "Today," "Comin' Back to Me," "Plastic Fantastic Lover," "Share a Little Joke," and "Volunteers." Less than two years before leaving Jefferson Airplane, Balin was knocked unconscious by Hell's Angels while performing at the infamous Altamont festival in Northern California, which featured the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, and other bands. Decades later, he told Relix magazine that his decision to leave the band was ultimately spurred by fellow San Franciscan Janis Joplin's heroin overdose death in 1970. ("After Janis died, I thought, 'I'm not gonna go onstage and play that kind of music,'" he explained.)
In 1975, Balin reunited with Airplane co-founder Paul Kantner in Jefferson Starship, lending his distinctive high tenor voice to the top 20 hits "Miracles," "With Your Love," "Count on Me," and "Runaway." Balin left Jefferson Starship in 1978, after which he focused on a solo career that spawned the top 40 hits "Hearts" and "Atlanta Lady (Something About Your Love)." In 1985, he teamed with Kantner and Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna bassist Jack Casady in the KBC Band, and in 1989 he participated in a reunion album and tour with Jefferson Airplane. He later performed in various incarnations of Jefferson Starship between 1993 and 2008.
Balin is survived by his wife, Susan Joy Balin, daughters Jennifer Edwards and Delaney Balin, and stepdaughters Rebekah Geier and Moriah Geier. He is the third Jefferson Airplane founding member to pass away in recent years, following Kantner and the pre-Grace Slick-era vocalist Signe Toly Anderson, who died on the same day on Jan. 28, 2016.
Marty Balin
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