Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Marc Dion: "On the Loose in America: I Don't Need No Stinking Photo ID" (Creators Syndicate)
Let me tell you about my life as an American outlaw. A bandito. A scofflaw. The Hells Angels cut down an alley when they see me coming. A couple years ago, my driver's license expired. I didn't even notice. You think I'm the kind of guy who knows when his driver's license is up for renewal? Ask the Hells Angels if I'm that kind of guy. I drove on that expired license for about six months. Hell yeah! Nobody asked me any stupid questions, either.
Lenore Skenazy: The Kids Aren't All Right (Creators Syndicate)
Childhood anxiety is giving us anxiety. Nearly a third of American adolescents meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even among younger kids, anxiety is on the rise. But as my Let Grow co-founder, Boston College psychology professor Peter Gray, notes, crime rates are at a 50-year low, so it's not because the world has been getting scarier. It's because we have been getting more scared. The media make us believe there's a predator behind every pine tree.
Ted Rall: The Constitutional Amendment We Need but Never Thought About (Creators Syndicate)
Amendment XXVIII: No law governing a basic human need shall be passed in a jurisdiction whose government fails to provide citizens with the means to fulfill that need. Start gathering petition signatures.
Susan Estrich: Don't Call Me (Creators Syndicate)
And once in a while, don't we all search [online] for things we don't want to be reminded about the next morning, particularly if anyone else is around?
Susan Estrich: Taking Responsibility (Creators Syndicate)
In pre-Trump politics, the most important thing a president could do in a crisis was to take responsibility and lead. If something went wrong, you didn't spend a moment pointing fingers. Let the commission do that. And if you couldn't take responsibility because it was clearly not yours, you'd promise to bring this country together and lead us forward. In pre-Trump politics, the most important thing a president could have said about a special prosecutor's investigation was that he was deeply troubled by what he was hearing, that he was determined to get to the bottom of it, that anyone who violated the law should be prosecuted - that sort of thing.
Froma Harrop: Female Candidates Must Move Beyond #MeToo (Creators Syndicate)
… exactly what compelled Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand - crowned the "#MeToo senator" by "60 Minutes" - to hound the Minnesota Democrat Al Franken out of office? Yes, a grinning Franken was photographed pretending to cup a sleeping colleague's breasts. But he apologized to the woman, and the woman accepted the apology. He hadn't broken any law, and the disrespect shown was a shadow of the contempt Trump world regularly heaps on its female conquests. But Gillibrand led a posse demanding Franken's head and got it. Franken resigned, and the Democrats lost a popular progressive in a purple state who knew how to talk back to Trump.
Froma Harrop: Sombra, Rescue Dog of My Dreams (Creators Syndicate)
Dear Sombra, So you're the German shepherd so good at sniffing out stashes of cocaine that drug traffickers in Colombia want you dead. Your story - how your laser-guided snout helped the Colombian National Police seize at least 9 tons of drugs, leading to 245 arrests - has gone global.
Connie Schultz: Love for a Child Isn't So Simple Anymore (Creators Syndicate)
The day after you asked about your flight, The New York Times ran a story about a 5-year-old boy from Brazil. Border Patrol agents had torn him away from his mother. Fifty days later - seven weeks and a day - they were reunited, but his mother said he is a different little boy now. He had not nursed for years, she told the Times, but now he was pleading to be breastfed. When visitors come to their new home in Philadelphia, he hides behind the sofa. "He's been like that since I got him back," his mother said. "He doesn't want to talk to anyone."
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Presenting
Michael Egan
answered:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
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
"WHO THE HELL ARE WE?"
IF YOU'RE WHITE IT'S ALL RIGHT!
"THAT MAN IS GONE FOREVER."
ANOTHER LIE!
NUEVO FASCISTS.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Trying to figure out what to do with a lot of figs. A whole lotta figs.
Return as Picard
Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart is returning to Star Trek.
The 78-year-old fan-favorite actor will once again play Jean-Luc Picard, the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV role that made him internationally famous, in a new series for the franchise that will air on CBS All Access. Stewart announced the news to fans during a surprise appearance at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention on Saturday.
"The time has come to Make it so!" read a post on the official Star Trek Twitterpage. "@SirPatStew will be returning to his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard in a new #CBSAllAccess #StarTrek series that tells the story of the next chapter in Picard's life."
Star Trek: The Next Generation aired between 1987 and 1994, after which Stewart reprised his role as Picard, captain of the starship Enterprise, in four movies based on the show, the last of which, Star Trek: Nemesis, was released in 2002. Over the next few years, Stewart would gain a slew of new fans thanks to his portrayal of Professor X in the X-Men series.
The new Star Trek series' name and release date has not been disclosed. It is the second franchise show for CBS All Access. Star Trek: Discovery, the sixth live-action Star Trek series, debuted on the digital streaming service last year.
Patrick Stewart
Unloads
Dan Rather
Veteran journalist Dan Rather unleashed a blistering attack on President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Grifter) over Twitter early Saturday.
The former CBS news anchor described the president's tweeted attack on NBA star LeBron James and CNN host Don Lemon as "racist."
"This is apparently what the President of the United States feels the need to share with the world at what should be long past his bedtime?" Rather asked.
He said Trump's tweet was "a disgrace" and "racist."
"And it's the product of petty but dangerous hatreds," Rather added. "I repeat this is the PRESIDENT??!?"
Dan Rather
Authorities Destroy Beijing Studio
Ai Weiwei
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei says authorities have begun razing his Beijing studio. The frequent government critic says on his Instagram account the demolition began Friday without prior notice and posted videos of an excavator smashing the windows of his "Zuoyou" studio.
The studio in the northeast Beijing suburbs has been Ai's primary work space since 2006, although his has mostly been based in Europe in recent years.
It's unclear whether the demolition is targeting Ai. Beijing authorities have demolished large swaths of the suburbs in the past year in a building safety campaign, typically giving at least several days' notice.
Ai, who has called attention to human rights violations and government corruption in China, was held for more than two months in 2011 on alleged tax evasion.
As CBS News correspondent Holly Williams reported last year for 60 Minutes, the Chinese government wanted everyone to forget about Ai, blocking his name on the internet in China and making it impossible to search for him. But that didn't stop him from needling the authorities relentlessly. When they put his studio under surveillance, he decorated the cameras with lanterns, then fashioned replicas out of marble for his exhibitions.
Ai Weiwei
Russia Names Envoy
Steven Seagal
Russia has appointed action movie star Steven Seagal (R-OfPutin) as a special envoy for humanitarian ties with the United States.
The Foreign Ministry announced the move Saturday on its Facebook page, saying Seagal's portfolio in the unpaid position would be to "facilitate relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges."
Seagal is an accomplished martial artist - like Russian President Vladimir Putin. The actor, who was granted Russian citizenship in 2016, has vocally defended the Russian leader's policies, including Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, and has criticized the U.S. government.
Last year, Ukraine banned Seagal from entering the country for five years, citing national security reasons.
Steven Seagal
Lies, Again & Again
T-rump
Donald Trump (R-OfPutin) has said the Queen kept him waiting for their meeting at Windsor Castle last month but added the pair "got along fantastically" and had "good chemistry".
The US president denied suggestions he had turned up late, saying he arrived early and waited to be called, but added: "That's fine. Hey, it's the Queen, right?"
Mr Trump also claimed their conversation over tea was only due to last 15 minutes but actually stretched for around an hour because they clicked.
The anecdote, delivered to cheering supporters at a Pennsylvania rally on Thursday night, was one of a series used by Mr Trump to show how the press allegedly misreports his presidency.
Mr Trump also discussed the various different names for parts of the British Isles. He said: "I have great respect for the UK, United Kingdom. Great respect. People call it Britain, they call it Great Britain. They used to call it England, different parts. "
T-rump
SEC Drops Investigation Into Exxon
Climate Change
The government has dropped a two-year investigation into how Exxon Mobil Corp. factors climate-change regulations into its calculations of the value of its assets, the company said Friday.
The Securities and Exchange Commission informed the energy giant in a letter dated Thursday that it would not recommend an enforcement action against the company at this time.
Exxon Mobil cooperated with the inquiry, producing more than 4.2 million pages of documents, company spokesman Scott Silvestri said.
"After a thorough investigation, including a review of these documents, the SEC issued its closure letter," he said.
Silvestri added that Exxon Mobil is confident its financial reporting meets all legal and accounting requirements.
Climate Change
Thoughts & Prayers
NRA
The NRA says it's in deep financial trouble, and a lot of Twitter isn't buying it, as evidenced by the way they've turned a rhetorical trope on its head.
Rolling Stone reports the NRA is complaining, as part of a lawsuit against the state of New York, that the state pressured insurers to cut ties with the organization. Without the necessary liability insurance, the NRA says it will be "unable to exist … or pursue its advocacy mission."
It's understandable if you're a bit skeptical hearing this news. After all, the NRA has contributed millions to the campaign coffers of members of congress across the country, a big chunk of which has gone to GOP politicians.
These representatives are often the ones whose primary response to every mass shooting - from Orlando to Las Vegas to Parkland - is to send their "thoughts and prayers" to the victims and families of the shooting without ever imposing any real change that may curtail the next attack.
Of course, the NRA could probably benefit from whatever thoughts and prayers we can spare, as they also have that pesky Russian penetration thing to deal with.
NRA
Highest Peak Melts Away
Sweden
A summer heatwave in the Arctic circle has claimed a victim in Sweden's highest point, a glacier on Kebnekaise mountain in the north of the country.
Melting fueled by the heat has caused the peak to lose 13 feet in height. Scientists say this means another peak on the same mountain - one made of rock, not ice - is now higher than the glacier's tip.
Just a month ago, the glacier reached 6,893 feet above sea level. At the latest measurement on Tuesday, it was just 6,879 feet high - less than eight inches higher than the rocky peak. Scientists say that based on the melt-rate so far this summer, it is now no longer the highest point in the country.
Northern Europe has been sweltering in a heatwave that scientists fear is a result of climate change. Banak in Norway, over 350 miles into the Arctic Circle, reached 90 degrees on Monday.
"Climate change in the Arctic is not just a local problem - it's a global problem," the World Wildlife Foundation said. "The feedbacks from the Arctic are increasing global sea levels, they are predicted to change global climate and precipitation patterns, and the effects of climate change on Arctic species are likely to be felt globally."
Sweden
Cannabis-Based Drinks
Molson Coors
Molson Coors Brewing Co's Canadian arm will make cannabis-infused drinks along with marijuana producer Hydropothecary Corp , betting on a promising market as beer sales stagnate in North America.
The brewer is the latest to capitalize on Canada's decision to legalize recreational marijuana later in the year, a market industry watchers say could be worth $5 billion to $10 billion.
Last year, Corona beer-maker Constellation Brands Inc became the first major beer and spirits producer to partner with a Canadian marijuana producer, picking up a nearly 10 percent stake in Canopy Growth Corp .
Molson Coors Canada said its joint venture with Hydropothecary, which will make non-alcoholic pot-based drinks, will be a standalone company with its own board of directors and an independent management team.
Molson Coors, the No. 2 beer maker in North America, has seen global beer volumes fall in the latest quarter. In the United States, volumes dropped 4.8 percent as consumers shift to craft beers and wine.
Molson Coors
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