Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Republicans Despise the Working Class (NY Times Column)
Unless you own a business or live off assets, you're a second-class citizen in their eyes.
Josh Marshall: The Showman (TPM)
This is the most surreal and dark story. An outfit called the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting earlier this week published an incredibly lengthy and detailed expose of a Kentucky state representative named Danny Ray Johnson. Last night, moments before I started writing this post on a train home from Washington, Johnson was found on a bridge with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. This was a day after defiantly protesting his innocence and refusing to resign his office.
Josh Marshall: Don't Look Away from the Disgrace (TPM)
It is an example of how much the gravitational pull of Trump's corruption has already affected Washington, the federal government and the entire country. The corrupt and the desperate flock to him, the unprincipled defend him and even those who are I think mainly ethical people under normal circumstances - I'm thinking of Rosenstein in this case - are bent and deformed by the pull.
Ezra Klein: with Paul Krugman (Vox)
The Nobel Prize-winning economist on deficits, net neutrality, tax reform, single-payer, a UBI, and much more.
Andrew Tobias: 37%
What possible reason can there be to cut the estate tax (which they like to call the "death" tax but is effectively an inheritance tax on lucky multi-millionheirs and billionheirs) from the current 40% rate to ZERO? How would that help the working poor or middle class or fund revitalization of our crumbling infrastructure or reduce the deficit? (Oh: that seems to be out of the plan; they now just double the exemption from $5.5 million to $11 million, which becomes $22 million with a by-pass trust. OK. But why not raise the rate from 40% back up to 55%, where it used to be, on inheritances over, say, $100 million?)
Jim Newell: Why Retirement Is Such a Delicate Issue for Paul Ryan (Slate)
If Ryan is planning to retire next year, having achieved as many of his long-sought agenda items as he ever could, it wouldn't do him much good to lend any credence to such rumors now. It would crater both fundraising and recruitment for House Republicans if it was known that the speaker himself is preparing to abandon ship.
Cath Clarke: "Mother superior: it's been a great year for on-screen mums" (The Guardian)
All too often they are simply angels or monsters. But in a terrible year for women in the film industry, there have been some refreshingly complex mothers roles from The Florida Project to the forthcoming Lady Bird and Three Billboards …
Peter Bradshaw: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi review - an explosive thrill-ride of galactic proportions" (The Guardian)
The Last Jedi gives you an explosive sugar rush of spectacle. It's a film that buzzes with belief in itself and its own mythic universe - a euphoric certainty that I think no other movie franchise has. And there is no provisional hesitation or energy dip of the sort that might have been expected between episodes seven and nine. What there is, admittedly, is an anticlimactic narrative muddle in the military story, but this is not much of a flaw considering the tidal wave of energy and emotion that crashes out of the screen in the final five minutes. It's impossible not to be swept away.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
replied:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
Sea Lions
Sea Lions Chomping Humans
Three bites in a week? What's going on with our pinniped friends?
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
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
WHEN WE WERE FREE.
"THE COUNTENANCE OF AN ANGRY VEGAN".
WELCOME TO AMERICA.
LET'S GET TO WORK!
MONKEY BUSINESS.
"ROLL LIKE A BIG WHEEL IN A GEORGIA COTTON FIELD. HONEY HUSH!"
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The Thomas Fire, the big one up in Ventura county has gone from the 6th largest in state history to the 3rd largest in just a week.
Dons Santa Hat
Barack Obama
Former President Obama now has a new title - and it's Santa Claus.
Showing off his holiday spirit on Thursday, Barack Obama proved he makes a pretty cool Father Christmas when he donned a leather jacket and a Santa hat during a visit to the Boys & Girls Club in Washington, DC.
Visiting 50 middle school students at the Jelleff Club in Northeast Washington, the former president looked full of Christmas joy as he laughed and posed with the students.
In addition to cracking smiles and shaking hands with adults and kids alike, Obama immersed himself in the role of Santa.
The former president completed the look with a present-laden green sack tied with a purple ribbon from which he handed out presents to the kids.
Barack Obama
Actresses To Wear Black
Golden Globes
Following the cultural awakening in Hollywood over sexual harassment and gender inequality, industry insiders are trying to figure out how best to acknowledge the #MeToo movement during awards season in 2018.
Sources say that at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7, actresses, including nominees and presenters, are planning to wear black to protest gender inequality and to acknowledge the flood of sexual abuse allegations that have rocked Hollywood beginning with Harvey Weinstein. This follows on the heels of the announcement Wednesday that all the presenters at the Jan. 21 Screen Actors Guild Awards will be female.
In a recent meeting at CAA about how to achieve gender equality in the industry (the agency is also taking the 50/50 by 2020 pledge), there was talk of a new protocol for the red carpet, one of the biggest platforms for women in Hollywood. "There was discussion of crafting some sort of talking points," said a source.
When it comes to improving the quality of dialogue on the red carpet beyond just "What are you wearing?" documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, founder and CEO of The Representation Project, thinks her 2014 campaign urging red carpet reporters to #AskHerMore is more relevant now than ever.
"AskHerMore is fundamentally about treating women as full human beings rather than objects. And I think #MeToo is about the same thing," she says. "I hope red carpet interviewers ask about the power the media has to make a difference in the world, how those involved in creating it can set a better example and the importance of broadening who gets to have a say in creating that media. For instance, the Golden Globes nominated five white men in the director category. White men are not the only people making good films. They are just the ones being recognized. Let's talk about that on the red carpet."
Golden Globes
Talks Blacklist
Peter Jackson
Mira Sorvino recently told The Hollywood Reporter that she couldn't say "for certain" that her career was impacted after she refused Harvey Weinstein's advances when she was a young actress on the verge of stardom and about to win a best supporting actress Oscar for Mighty Aphrodite. "I was not offered any movie roles past 1996," she said, wondering just how Weinstein may have retaliated against her. "Radio silence."
Now she knows.
In a new interview with New Zealand's Stuff, blockbuster director Peter Jackson addressed the Weinstein scandal and said that he was told by Weinstein's company not to hire actresses Sorvino and Ashley Judd, the latter of whom also had rejected Weinstein's sexual advances in a Beverly Hills hotel room around the same time. "I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998," Jackson told writer Dani McDonald. "At the time, we had no reason to question what these guys were telling us - but in hindsight, I realize that this was very likely the Miramax smear campaign in full swing."
Jackson and Weinstein were in business together as Jackson was putting the pieces together for what would be his massively successful three-picture franchise The Lord of the Rings. The film originally was slated to be a Miramax picture, but Jackson and Weinstein had a falling out over the number of installments Jackson intended to make, he has said, so he took his project to New Line. Weinstein and his brother Bob Weinstein both have executive producer credits on all three films.
"I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women - and as a direct result their names were removed from our casting list," Jackson continued.
Peter Jackson
Wears 'Star Trek' Uniform To 'Star Wars'
Wil Wheaton
Life gloriously imitated art Thursday when actor Wil Wheaton wore a "Star Trek" costume to a screening of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
Wheaton portrayed Wesley Crusher on TV's "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987-1994), and has been playing himself on "The Big Bang Theory." In a 2015 episode of the hit sitcom, he watched a "Star Wars" movie in "Star Trek" garb, attracting boos from the audience and an insult from one moviegoer. "Live long and suck it!" he yelled back in a memorable line.
He didn't say how he was greeted inside Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theater, but he had nothing but praise for "The Last Jedi" on Twitter. As for his choice of dress, Wheaton wrote: "I went in costume for the first time ever, because I am a damn adult and I get to decide what it means."
Wil Wheaton
Drops Teaser
"Roseanne"
"Roseanne" is the latest throwback TV show to get a reboot. ABC announced on Friday that new episodes of the 1990s sitcom are coming on March 27 and dropped a teaser.
From the looks of it, the show will stay loyal to its roots. The teaser brags that the reboot will even feature the "same couch."
The revival will have nine episodes and boasts the complete original cast, including Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner, John Goodman as Dan Conner, Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris, Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner-Healy, Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner, Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner, Emma Kenney as Harris Conner-Healy, Ames McNamara as Mark Conner-Healy and Jayden Rey as Mary Conner. Sarah Chalke, who played Becky in later seasons, will also return in a different role.
The show will premiere with a special hourlong episode at 8 p.m., after which it will air in its regular time slot at 8 p.m. with half-hour episodes. Guest stars will include Sandra Bernhard and Johnny Galecki.
In June, Goodman told CBS News of the "Roseanne" revival, "I'm just so excited to get back together with this cast. I have no idea where we are going to pick up or what our circumstances are. I don't know if we still own the house. I mean, all the kids are gone so we are going to have the kids and the grandkids this time. It's just going to be totally new from the last time we left these guys. Last time we were seen we were in our 40s, and now we are not."
"Roseanne"
Leave Russia Out
Intelligence Briefings
White House officials have claimed they purposefully leave information on Russian interference out of Donald Trump's (R-Corrupt) daily briefings for fear it will upset him.
Current and former administration officials told the Washington Post they frequently plan the President's daily brief (PDB,) around his suspected emotional reactions. Information about Russia, and its alleged attempts to influence the American political system, is among the most likely to set him off.
"If you talk about Russia, meddling, interference - that takes the PDB off the rails," a former senior US intelligence official told the Post.
For that reason, officials occasionally avoid putting new information about Russia in the oral briefing, leaving it to the written briefing notes instead. At other times, officials said, they place information at strategic times throughout the briefing to keep the President from flying off the handle.
Even the National Security Council does not raise the issue of Russian interference outside of its own, lower levels, for fear of angering the President, a former high-ranking Trump administration official said.
Intelligence Briefings
More Lead In Drinking Water
EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it will seek input from state and local officials as it considers how to rework a 1991 rule meant to protect people from lead and copper contamination in drinking water.
The agency invited state officials to give input on revising the Lead and Copper rule at a two-hour meeting on Jan. 8 at the EPA's headquarters in Washington.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the agency is seeking the input to "properly address lead and ensure communities have access to safe drinking water."
The move is part of the Trump administration's policy of consulting with state and local officials, or national organizations that represent them, when developing regulations. While the administration is focused on reducing regulations on mining and drilling and other industries, Pruitt says he is focusing on what he calls the core duties of the EPA, which includes water pollution.
The EPA is considering long-term and short-term revisions to the rule including replacement of lead pipes, improving corrosion control treatment requirements, and the role of filters where water is consumed.
EPA
One Step Closer
California
California on Thursday issued its first batch of business licenses for the state's upcoming legal marijuana market, setting the stage for sales to begin in January.
The first temporary license was awarded to Pure CA, which does business as Moxie brand products, a company known for its cannabis extracts.
The release of the initial 20 temporary licenses, good for 120 days, represents another steppingstone toward legal purchases, which were approved by voters last year.
The first license for recreational retail sales went to Torrey Holistics in San Diego, which submitted a 60-page lease, diagrams and a detailed business plan.
In general, California will treat cannabis like alcohol, allowing people 21 and older to legally possess up to an ounce and grow six marijuana plants at home.
California
Word Of The Year
Oxford Dictionaries
The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2017 has been revealed and the winner is . . . "Youthquake."
The word is defined as meaning "a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions of influence of young people." It represents the awakening of millennials striving for change during a turbulent 12 months across the world.
Data collected by editors at Oxford Dictionaries revealed a huge increase in usage of the word in 2017 compared to 2016. The U.K. election called for by Prime Minister Theresa May in early June is believed to have caused a spike in usage. The U.K. saw a huge turnout of young voters hoping to make an impact as they rallied behind Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Their collective actions were dubbed by the Guardian and other publications as a "Youthquake."
The word "Youthquake" may be the winner of 2017, but is not new. It was coined in 1965 by Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, who used it to highlight changes in the fashion and music industries driven by young people.
Despite having deep political and cultural roots in 2017, the winning word was met with a wave of skepticism on social media.
Oxford Dictionaries
Discovered In Scotland
Alien Minerals
Geologists have uncovered mineral forms never before seen on Earth at the site of a 60 million-year-old meteorite strike on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
When probing a thick layer of ancient lava flow on the small, picturesque island, Simon Drake and colleague Andy Beard from Birkbeck, University of London, were surprised to find a bizarre-looking rock.
Upon further analysis with electron microprobes, the team found minerals that led them to believe the rock was of extra-terrestrial origin.
"The most compelling evidence really is the presence of vanadium-rich and niobium-rich osbornite. Neither of these have ever been found on Earth before. We have these mineral totally enclosed in native iron, which itself is not of this planet," Drake says.
NASA's Stardust spacecraft found vanadium-rich osbornite in the path of a comet in 2004. Stardust collected space dust floating in the trail of the 4.5 billion-year-old Wild 2 comet.
Alien Minerals
Sika Deer
Snow Monkey
After video went viral that showed a snow monkey sexually mounting a sika deer, scientists have published a research paper on the behavior.
What they found was that monkeys' predisposition to mount deer, while surprising, was not abnormal. In fact, it's a cultural action, either a fad or an ingrained tradition among the primates.
In research published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, scientists documented repeated attempts by Japanese macaques, also known as snow monkeys, to climb on the backs of deer and thrust their pelvises.
Because of the anatomical differences between the species, videos of the interactions don't show actual sexual penetration. (And don't worry, even if they did actually copulate, monkeys and deer are too far removed genetically to make baby hybrids called "meer" or "donkeys.") Additionally, it was primarily adolescent females that were humping the cervines. Incidentally, both species have mating seasons at the same time.
The deer, for their part, didn't seem to mind.
Snow Monkey
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