Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Naomi Imatome-Yun: Bad Science or Bad Journalism? Top Experts Come Together to Address Nutrition Myths (Blue Zones)
At Blue Zones, we promote a plant-[based] diet based on our own research in Blue Zones regions, where populations lived the longest, healthiest lives. It is naturally lower in saturated fat because it is much lower in meat products and processed foods. It also naturally lower in processed sugar and refined grains (white bread, white pasta, etc). Our research concurs with current nutrition and public health research that obesity and other chronic illnesses are multi-faceted: excess calories, excess intake of animal products, excess intake of refined sugar, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, and other lifestyle factors all play a role.
Marc Dion: Lining a Bird's Nest (Creators Syndicate)
I believe everyone should invent at least one thing before they die. It doesn't have to be a new kind of artificial intelligence, or a car that runs on ketchup, or anything important. It's enough if you invent a better way to make your favorite noodle casserole, just as long as you mark your life with a little innovation.
Megan Morton: Shelf life: novelist Hanya Yanagihara on living with 12,000 books (The Guardian)
The A Little Life author opens the doors to her one-bedroom New York apartment.
What I'm really thinking: the woman with breast cancer (The Guardian)
I grieve for the family celebrations I may miss, growing older with my husband, having grandchildren.
Howard Jacobson: 'Happy giants exist only in Disney' (The Guardian)
Some things are so outlandish, they outrage not only morality, but also the very principles of harmony that underpin the universe.
Alison Flood: Read like a girl: how children's books of female stories are booming (The Guardian)
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World are just two of a raft of inspirational titles changing bedtime reading.
Jonathan Jones: Jim Carrey's art is yet more proof that Hollywood stars should avoid the canvas (The Guardian)
The comic actor's short film about his paintings is painful viewing, but he's not the first star who has tried, and failed, to moonlight as an artist.
Jonathan Jones: "Cézanne unmasked: the shattering portraits that blew Picasso and the Paris avant garde away" (The Guardian)
He painted his wife without lips. He painted his friend with a spinal deformity. And he painted himself as a ghost in a top hat. Paul Cézanne's unflinching portraits, coming to Britain this autumn, didn't just astonish Picasso and his disciples. They changed art for ever.
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David Bruce has over 80 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
Current Events
Janet found a list of things/people/groups Predator has called out specifically while being unable to condemn the KKK or neo-Nazis or white supremacists:
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
PBS - "The Bomb"
PBS aired this today, and in case this aired only on SDPB and not nationally, this
is something everyone in America should watch. I've seen similar shows before, but
this was truly excellent.
It's called "The Bomb", and it's about 2 hours of the
history, development and use of the atomic bomb. This is probably a good time to
watch it, with the Trump/North Korea 'phallic ego conflict' that is going on now! If
you want to see "fire and fury such as the world has never seen" do yourself a favor
and see this:
PBS - Atomic Bomb / Nuclear Bomb Documentary "The Bomb" 720p Remastered Video - YouTube
In addition, I just had to hear, in it's entirety, the song that they aired part
of in the special, called "Atomic Power", by Fred Kirby. It's an ironic
hoot...check it out:
FRED KIRBY Atomic Power 1946 - YouTube
Your faithful follower,
Tiera in SD
Thanks, Tiera!
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
BAD! BAD! BIBI!
"IT'S ALL A NUMBERS GAME, IT ADDS UP TO UNTRUE, MULTIPLIED INTO HEARTACHE, BABY I,M COUNTING ON YOU"
HE'S LOSING IT.
THE RIGHT WING NUT HOUSE!
WHAT WAS HE TALKING ABOUT?
"SO MUCH FOR SLEEPING WELL AT NIGHT."
THE CHICKEN HAWK SQUAWKS!
WHEN SCIENCE IS FORBIDDEN.
"BACK TO THE FUTURE!"
SO YOU WANT A WALL? WELL, I'VE GOT A WALL!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The mystery truck remains.
Was told it belongs to some neighbors who moved away.
Still quite odd.
Actively Working Against Consumers
FCC
The Federal Communications Commission is arguably the federal government's least-loved and geekiest body. 30 seconds of talk about rural broadband deployments and spectrum allocation is enough to send most people running from the room. But don't be fooled: the FCC wields a huge amount of power over one of the nation's most critical pieces of infrastructure, and right now, it's a mess.
The hot-topic issue in the FCC is net neutrality. We're not going to try and rehash the argument right now, but in a nutshell, Trump-appointed commissioner Ajit Pai (R-Comcast) is moving to roll back rules that allow the FCC to enforce net neutrality rules on internet service providers. Net neutrality is bad for the bottom line of internet providers, since it prevents them from using the regional monopoly power that they have to rip off customers.
Pai has given lip service to being in favor of net neutrality - he wants a gentleman's agreement with the ISPs to uphold the "spirit" of net neutrality - but he's working to dismantle the framework that allows the FCC to make and enforce rules to protect net neutrality. Pai, a former Verizon lawyer, claims (falsely) that net neutrality hurts investment by ISPs, and that the magic free hand of capitalism will protect consumers anyway (it won't).
But the FCC's anti-consumer agenda doesn't end at net neutrality. In recent days, the commission has considered redefining "high-speed" broadband at a lower speed - 10Mbps, to be specific, down from the 25Mbps it's currently at. Doing so would overnight make the US's internet market look a lot better.
Right now, 80% of Americans have only one option for high-speed broadband at home, assuming they have any choice at all. That's because for most people, the only high-speed option is the cable network, and as you well know, most people don't have a choice of cable provider.
FCC
Popularity Among US Adults Continues to Grow
Marijuana
Marijuana's popularity among American adults is on the rise - and use of the recreational drug is expected to continue to increase, according to several surveys.
The increase in popularity, along with more permissive attitudes toward marijuana use, may be due in part to its changing legalization status in many parts of the country, experts say.
Forty-five percent of adults in the U.S. have used marijuana at least once in their lives, according to a Gallup poll released in mid-July - the all-time highest percentage in the 48-year history of Gallup asking Americans this question.
Trying marijuana at least once as an adult isn't the same as being a user of the drug, but the percentage of current smokers is on the rise as well: The same Gallup poll revealed that 12 percent of U.S. adults - 1 in 8 - said they use marijuana, up from 7 percent in 2013.
Meanwhile, data from two large national surveys done by the federal government also finds increasing rates of marijuana use among adults. (Gallup does its poll by telephone interviews, while federal surveys conduct face-to-face interviews. An in-person interview could possibly influence results because marijuana is still illegal in most states and people may be hesitant to admit they use it.)
Marijuana
Historic Tree Dying
Colorado
A cottonwood tree that provided shade for the Ute tribes of western Colorado before the arrival of white settlers has grown rotten and unstable and must be trimmed into a memorial that recognizes its once-imposing stature.
The Ute Council Tree in the western Colorado town of Delta is believed to be about 215 years old. But the cottonwood can no longer be considered safe, The (Grand Junction) Daily Sentinel reported .
The Delta County Historical Society reports that the last surviving limb fell on a windless morning Aug. 1.
The tree, which once was part of a cottonwood gallery along the Gunnison River on the east side of Delta, has withered over the last 25 years, having lost all but its crown.
The lower trunk was filled with concrete in 1961, but it's become clear that the tree core has been hollowed out with rot, the society said.
Colorado
Giant Collection Moving To New York
Canine Art
Organizers of the American Kennel Club's Museum of the Dog unveiled their new digs Wednesday ahead of the canine art collection's move to the Big Apple in early 2019.
The 35-year-old museum is currently in St. Louis, Missouri, where it holds more than 700 original paintings and porcelain and bronze sculptures. A special "Tenacious Terriers" exhibit now on display features an 1890 oil painting with a bright red Irish Terrier in full glory.
AKC officials plan to expand and enhance the museum to keep pace with much better known art collections in New York. But they released few details Wednesday.
Joined by a four-legged claque that included a German Shorthaired Pointer, a Bulldog and a Leonberger, AKC officials said the museum would share a 60,000 square foot space with the AKC's headquarters on Park Avenue.
Canine Art
'Doing The Military A Great Favor'
T-rump
Donald Trump (R-Crooked) said Thursday that he did U.S. military leaders a big favor by banning transgender troops from serving their country ? even though he never consulted the Pentagon on his plans and has left thousands of transgender service members in limbo.
"It's been a very complicated issue for the military, it's been a very confusing issue for the military, and I think I'm doing the military a great favor," Trump told reporters at his golf club in New Jersey, where he's vacationing this month.
But the president didn't tell military leaders he was planning to make such a major policy change. The Pentagon was blindsided by Trump's announcement last month, which he made on Twitter, and has since been referring questions to the White House. If anything, this was precisely what military leaders did not want to do, since they lifted the ban last year after an exhaustive review
Trump's snap decision to change the policy made more sense in light of a Politico report that he did so to appease conservatives in the House so they would pass a spending bill that included money to build his border wall.
Trump went way further than what they wanted: House Republicans wanted him to announce that he opposed federal money going toward gender reassignment surgery for transgender troops, but the president instead said they would be prohibited from serving at all. Oops.
T-rump
Documents Deleted
T-rump
Documents showing Donald Trump's (R-Corrupt) flagship Washington hotel made nearly $2m (£1.5m) profit in the first four months of 2017 have been deleted after they were posted online by accident.
The US General Services Administration hastily pulled down files that showed the Trump International, which is just down the road from the White House, had raked in $1.97m in profit despite being expected to lose some $2.1m early in its operation.
The hotel has been a focus of controversy due to criticism of Mr Trump's alleged conflicts of interest, which centre on whether his position as President gives his businesses extra cachet, and therefore an advantage over competitors.
According to The Hill, the hotel hiked its rates after Mr Trump became President. It is located inside an old post office building that the President's company leases from the government.
Because he has retained ownership-at arm's length-of his real estate empire while serving in the White House, he can still financially benefit from his business interests.
T-rump
Legal Aid Cuts
N Carolina
North Carolina's House speaker wouldn't say at first why the Republican-led General Assembly cut much of the state funding legal aid groups use to help low-income clients facing evictions and other legal trouble in civil court. The $1.6 million cut in the final state budget in June was approved with little or no debate, with no explanations provided to the defenders of the poor.
Now, weeks later, Speaker Tim Moore has provided some hints as to why he pushed to take the money away: He suggested that some legal aid attorneys were overzealous in their defense of renters in landlord-tenant disputes.
"There were examples being brought to a number of us, where for example you had a 'mom and pop' who were landlords in a lease and where they were coming in and getting served with discovery and all these things and a lot of frivolous motions," the Cleveland County Republican told reporters when he returned to Raleigh last week.
This money was cut as another state body, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, whose members are appointed by the legislature, prepares to decide a motion from conservatives that would bar the UNC Center for Civil Rights from representing low-income clients in school segregation and environmental justice cases.
"By these combined actions, meaningful access to the courts for low-income people will be significantly reduced," George Hausen, executive director of Legal Aid of North Carolina, said by email on Friday.
N Carolina
Stolen Piece Returned To Museum
Willem de Kooning
More than three decades after thieves made off with a valuable painting from the University of Arizona Museum of Art, officials say they have recovered the long sought piece from an antique dealer in New Mexico.
Curators at the museum that was home to Willem de Kooning's "Woman-Ochre" spent years hoping to get it back after two people stole the painting the day after Thanksgiving in 1985.
That dream finally came true when furniture and antique dealer David Van Auker called the museum from Silver City, New Mexico. Marketing Manager Gina Compitello-Moore said Auker bought the painting at an estate sale and later began researching it when he read an article about the heist that depicted an identical looking piece.
"When I got the phone call, this is literally the phone call I've been dreaming of - is somebody calling my phone and saying I think I have your stolen painting and that's what he said," museum curator Olivia Miller said.
Miller said it really stood out to her when Van Auker mentioned damaging lines across the canvas that made it look as if it had been rolled up. Miller said a former museum curator was in utter disbelief and elated when she told her the painting was recovered.
Willem de Kooning
Biggest Dinosaur That Ever Lved
Patagotitan mayorum
There's a new king of the dinosaurs. Researchers working with bones found half a decade ago in Argentina have finally classified and named the new species that is thought to have been the largest of all the mighty reptiles. It's called Patagotitan mayorum, and it was so incredibly huge that it would have made even fearsome carnivores like the Tyrannosaurus rex look downright tiny by comparison.
Patagotitan mayorum - whose name is derived from Patagonia, Argentina, where its fossils were first discovered - lived some 100 million years ago. A half dozen examples of the species have been unearthed so far, and by averaging their sizes, scientists have been able to get a rough idea for what they looked like in the flesh. The research was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The massive plant-eaters were true titans of their day, averaging 122 feet in length with a shoulder height of around 20 feet. When the animal raised its mighty neck its height would have been several times taller, and like other sauropod dinosaurs it likely used its impressive reach to pick plant material from towering trees.
With a weight that could top 80 tons, the creature was roughly as heavy as the Space Shuttle (minus a full tank of fuel) and are thought to have been extremely slow moving. Compared to the Tyrannosaurus rex, which weighed just shy of 9 tons in adulthood, the Patagotitan mayorum would have been hard to miss, and scientists believe it could be the largest land animal that ever walked the Earth.
Patagotitan mayorum
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