Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Marc Dion: Stop Taking Donald Trump's Picture (Creators Syndicate)
As a columnist who writes some pretty un-pretty things about President Donald Trump, I'm about to briefly leave the pack of wolves howling for his death. They buried former President George H.W. Bush the other day. Trump was there, and cameras got him looking bored, or un-presidential, or not reciting the Apostles' Creed. This is the photographer's business, finding the exact moment when Trump looks bored, or foolish, or stupid. It's the editor's business, too, looking through the photographer's submitted pictures until he finds the one that most makes Trump look like a Hitler-ish dope.
Mark Shields: Democrats' Sobering Responsibility (Creators Syndicate)
To put it bluntly, U.S. senators raise questions and make tough speeches. Governors and mayors, by contrast, raise taxes and make tough decisions. Senators can and do make self-righteous statements and regularly demonize political adversaries; mayors and governors, who must forge new and different coalitions on a weekly basis, cannot afford to practice such political self-indulgence. Democratic voters, in making their choice for 2020, must pick a nominee who A) could win in November but also B) would, once in office, be able to lead and to repurchase and restore Americans' confidence and trust in their own government and in themselves. That is a sobering challenge.
Ted Rall: The George HW Bush Hagiography Is the Elites' Finest Accomplishment (Creators Syndicate)
Even by the recent can't-believe-your-eyes-and-ears standards of American elitist hagiography, this week's over-the-top-of-the-top praise of George H.W. Bush was astonishing. What separated Bush41apalooza from such previous pseudo-griefathons as those for Ronald Reagan and John McCain was that there was so little to work with. But that didn't stop the media.
Froma Harrop: Bringing the Future Back Into American Politics (Creators Syndicate)
An ad on ABC's "Live with Kelly and Ryan" shows a little girl dragging a teddy bear to her mom at an elegant dinner table. The mother hugs her again and again. Then up pop the words: "You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation." A Patek Philippe is a very fancy Swiss watch. If only the leaders in Washington would take a comparable interest in preserving the environment for the generation to come.
Susan Estrich: Mourning President Bush (Creators Syndicate)
I don't know a single soul who told me that they were actually afraid of a Bush presidency. He appointed judges I didn't favor, gave tax cuts to the wealthy, played it cozy with the Saudis. But he was never scary. You never thought, "My God, this guy doesn't listen to everyone. He shoots from the hip, embarrasses us in the eyes of the world, creates all kinds of uncertainty, has no respect for anyone or anything, thinks he knows everything, makes everything personal and lost the House with a booming economy."
Lenore Skenazy: When Nanny Runs on Batteries (Creators Syndicate)
What does it take to raise a child? Parents? A village? Maybe a robot. There are a bunch of robot nannies rolling to a home near you (or maybe already in your own mudroom). Kuri is a roving robot that can help wake kids up and tell them stories, and of course, it can also monitor their every move, thanks to built-in cameras. Legion are the parents already using Alexa to sing their sweeties to sleep. And Siri is so popular one mom wrote a book, "To Siri, With Love."
Emma Gray: Tumblr Porn Allowed Women To Be Sexual Architects Instead Of Objects. Now It's Gone. (Huffington Post)
The platform's CEO wants to focus on creating a "welcoming" environment for its users - by banning the very content that made people feel included to begin with.
Jack Hamilton: The Most Important Album of 1968 Wasn't The White Album. It Was Beggars Banquet. (Slate)
It saved the Rolling Stones, altered the trajectory of music history, and turns 50 this week.
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Michael Egan
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from Bruce
Anecdotes
• At the Nazi Olympics, held in Germany in 1936, Adolf Hitler hoped to demonstrate the superiority of the Aryan race. However, African-American track star Jesse Owens, who was representing the United States, demolished that myth by winning four gold medals. A German athlete named Luz Long helped him to win one of the gold medals. To qualify for the long jump finals, Mr. Owens needed to make one of three attempts to jump a certain distance. Unfortunately, Mr. Owens committed faults on his two attempts. At this time, Mr. Long introduced himself to Mr. Owens and said, "You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed." Because Mr. Owens had faulted due to stepping on the take-off line instead of jumping before he reached it, Mr. Long put a towel on the ground a few inches before the take-off line, and Mr. Owens used that as the mark for his takeoff. On his third and final attempt, Mr. Owens qualified easily. The following day, Mr. Owens won the gold medal in the long jump, and Mr. Long won the silver medal. The two athletes, one black and one white, walked off arm in arm. Hitler was not pleased.
• At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, high winds made sailing dangerous. In fact, Singapore teammates Joseph Chan and Shaw Her Siew were thrown into the water and injured in a competition. Sailing in a different race nearby was Canadian Lawrence Lemieux, who immediately stopped racing to win a medal and instead started racing to save two lives. He first hauled Mr. Chan aboard, then sailed to rescue Mr. Siew. After rescuing the two men, victory was impossible for Mr. Lemieux, but he finished 22ndout of 32 boats. The authorities decided to award Mr. Lemieux second place for this, the fifth race of a seven-race competition because he was in second place when he started his dramatic rescue. All competitors agreed that this was fair. Unfortunately, Mr. Lemieux did not win a medal at the Olympics; however, at the ceremony for the medal winners, the President of the International Olympic Committee told Mr. Lemieux, "By your sportsmanship, self-sacrifice, and courage, you embody all that is right with the Olympic ideal."
• In 1956, the Olympics came to Australia - so did satirist Stan Freberg. He opened his comedy concerts by parodying the carrying of the Olympic torch, which was then making its way from town to town in Australia. Mr. Freberg, wearing a blue suit, would arrive at the comedy concert venue carrying the Olympic torch and make his way to the stage - where he allowed a confederate to use the torch to light his cigar.
• At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, Soviet Olga Korbut captured the hearts of sports fans everywhere with her open personality that reflected happiness or sadness and with her incredible flexibility and gymnastics skills. Fans were so taken with her that at one point when the television coverage broke away for a commercial, the announcer said, "We'll be back with the Olga Korbut show in just a minute."
• After boxer Cassius Clay, who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali, won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, he wore it constantly. He even wore it to bed, even though he had to sleep on his back to keep the medal from digging into his skin. His father was just as proud of the medal as young Cassius, and he celebrated by painting the front steps to their home red, white, and blue.
• At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, John Walker, the 1,500-meter track champion from New Zealand, drank a few beers in order to come up with enough urine for his mandatory drug test following his gold medal-winning performance. Finally succeeding in his objective, he held the bottle up and said, "I'm very proud of this. It was harder than running the race."
• At the very first modern Olympic Games in 1896, a woman named Melpomene wanted to compete in the marathon, but no women were allowed to compete back then. She ran anyway - not on the road the men ran on, but off to the side, so often she had no decent surface to run on. She finished one-and-a-half hours behind the winner.
• To get ready for the 1996 Olympic Games, softball shortstop Dot Richardson installed a batting cage in her apartment, and she practiced whenever she felt like it. One day, she discovered this note on the door to her apartment: "Please train for the Olympics a little earlier in the evening. Thanks."
• At the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Native American Billy Mills pulled off a major upset when he won the 10,000-meter race. His victory was so unexpected that after Mr. Mills won the race, a Japanese race official was forced to ask him, "Excuse me, what is your name?"
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Current Events
Touching twitter thread
Janet shared the linked story. Very touching. If only Predator had a drop of human blood in him, it would shame him to realize his part in this tragedy and cause him to STFU, but we know that won't happen. He'll keep grifting and getting people killed and debasing our country--why is a known criminal allowed to continue?
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In The Chaos Household
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Faced 'Conspiracy to Assassinate' Charge
Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin says the day after she posted that now infamous photo of herself holding a bloodied replica of President Donald Trump's severed head last year, federal investigators had her facing a charge of "conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States."
"That charge comes with a lifetime sentence," Griffin told Stephen Colbert on Friday's "The Late Show."
"A lot of people thought I got a call from the Secret Service or that I got into fake Hollywood trouble," she said. "This was real-life trouble."
Griffin said she was also put on a "no-fly" list for two months and was included on an Interpol list, which got her "detained at every single airport" even after she was allowed to fly again.
"I thought this picture was going to be in, like, you know, 'stars not normal,'" in Star Magazine, she told Colbert.
Kathy Griffin
Settles Lawsuit
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac have apparently settled their lawsuit after the guitarist attempted to sue the band.
The 69-year-old previously accused them of breach of contract, after they cut him out of their North America tour.
Buckingham was dropped earlier this year and replaced by Mike Campbell from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Neil Finn of Crowded House.
In legal documents filed in Los Angeles, the guitarist said he was informed by his manager in January that the band would proceed with its upcoming tour without him. He claimed plans were in place the Rumours-era lineup to perform 60 shows across North America when he was let go without warning.
However, appearing on CBS This Morning, Buckingham said a settlement had been achieved. "We've all signed off on something," he said "I'm happy enough with it. I'm not out there trying to twist the knife at all. I'm trying to look at this with some level of compassion, some level of wisdom."
Lindsey Buckingham
Reruns Really Worth $100 Million?
"Friends"
Netflix is reportedly paying AT&T's WarnerMedia $100 million for the right to stream "Friends" reruns next year.
Friends debuted in 1994 and ran until 2004. However fans of Ross, Rachel, Monica, Joey and the gang can watch it anytime on Netflix.
The show has been a strong performer for Netflix, and fans of the show are passionate. Many took to social media to vent their frustration at the possibility that the show might be taken off the streaming platform.
While $100 million might seem like a lot for reruns of a 90s sitcom, Wall Street analysts believe that Netflix was smart to pursue the deal.
"Friends"
Sotheby's Auction
Frank Sinatra
The private treasures of Frank Sinatra and his wife Barbara were a multi-million dollar hit at auction. Sotheby's reported Friday that the couple's entertainment memorabilia, art, jewelry, books and other personal items sold for $9.2 million -- about twice their pre-sale estimates.
A 20-carat diamond engagement ring that Frank Sinatra presented to his fiancee fetched nearly $1.7 million, surpassing a top $1.5 million estimate.
"Frank tossed a bunch of diamonds on a bed and said, 'Pick the one you want,'" Quig Bruning from Sotheby's said last month, CBS New York reported. "Barbara picked the one she liked, she had it mounted in a ring. Frank gave it to her in a glass of champagne and she said, 'Alright, you pick the finger to put it on.' And that became her engagement ring."
Nine paintings by the legendary crooner also went for more than $850,000, against a high estimate of $120,00.
Also up for sale was a Jewish skullcap with Frank's name embroidered on it. It soared past a high estimate of $500, selling for more than $9,000.
Frank Sinatra
Fox News's Influence
Heather Nauert
Heather Nauert's promotion to America's UN ambassador will solidify one of the more notable trends in Donald Trump's (R-Grifter) presidency - the remarkable influence of Fox News.
Ms Nauert, who takes up the role from after being top spinner at the US State Department, spent more than a decade at the Right-leaning cable news channel before hopping into government two years ago.
Her lack of top-level diplomatic experience has left critics seething, questioning whether she really has the credentials to replace Nikki Haley at the UN top table in New York, where she will be expected to face down America's foes and lobby to pass crucial resolutions.
But the big brand on her CV - Fox News - is one that Mr Trump has proved especially drawn to since he entered the Oval Office, not least in his top hires.
Earlier this year, John Bolton, the mustachioed foreign policy hawk and a former US ambassador to the UN himself, was picked for the position of White House national security adviser despite his ties to former president George W Bush, usually a negative point for Mr Trump.
Heather Nauert
Leaked Report
'60 Minutes'
A draft of an outside investigation into misconduct at CBS - leaked to the New York Times - could offer some measure of closure for employees of embattled newsmagazine 60 Minutes, who have been laboring under a cloud of uncertainty since longtime executive producer Jeff Fager was abruptly fired in September, two weeks before the premiere of the show's 51st season.
The CBS board has come under intense pressure to release the report, which contains many unsettling allegations against ousted CEO Leslie Moonves. And several people associated with 60 Minutes who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter expressed relief that the report was made public, even if it was leaked. "I do think it could be a turning point," said one.
The report was compiled in late November by investigators at two outside law firms; Debevoise & Plimpton and Covington & Burling. There could be amendments and alterations in the final version presented to the CBS board, which is scheduled to meet Dec. 11.
In the draft of the report, according to the Times, investigators said they did not find "a toxic work or 'frat house' environment for women" at the news division. But they did express concern that women were not getting opportunities for advancement. With regard to 60 Minutes, the investigators wrote; "in more recent years, the broadcast has promoted women to producer in senior roles, and Mr. Fager demonstrated sensitivity and support for working women."
It was a stark contrast to the shop that Fager came up in under 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt, who was known for his volcanic temper and apparent misogyny. (He famously drove Meredith Vieira to quit the show when he told her she could not work part time after the birth of her second child.) And among the most eye-popping findings in the report is that CBS has been paying, for more than 20 years, a former staffer who was allegedly repeatedly assaulted by Hewitt in the 1990s. The original $450,000 settlement has been renegotiated several times, including this year, and the total amount she has received has exceeded $5 million, and includes annual payments of $75,000 for the rest of her life.
'60 Minutes'
Sell More Food Than Whole Foods
Dollar Stores
They technically aren't even grocery businesses, but dollar stores are feeding more people than one of the highest-profile supermarket chains in America.
The finding, in a new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, is a testament to dollar stores' growing dominance of the American retail landscape.
Grocery sales at the two biggest dollar brands, Dollar Tree and Dollar General, approached $24 billion this year, compared with roughly $15 billion at Whole Foods, according to private market data from the research firm Chain Store Guide.
The ILSR is using the numbers to highlight the threat to independent businesses posed by low-end retail monopolies.
Those two dollar brands operate nearly 30,000 stores, most of them very small with food options including basics like milk, bread, frozen vegetables and canned soup (Whole Foods, by contrast, has about 450 stores, with a focus on fresh produce). The stores use their smallness as an advantage over supermarkets that may be located far away from their customers and a chore to navigate.
Dollar Stores
Affects His Offspring
Father's Health
Fathers with unhealthy lifestyles can pass on ill effects to their children. However, while there is plenty of evidence to suggest this occurs, our understanding of the mechanisms is lacking. A study on mice has demonstrated a path for altering mouse sperm, leading to noticeable changes in the next generation. The work gives researchers pointers for investigating epigenetic transmission in humans.
Many things can go wrong during a pregnancy that can affect a child's health, but it wasn't all that long ago that it was thought a father's pre-conception environment didn't matter - that his only biological effect on the child was through his genes. We now know environmental factors can modify the extent of a gene's expression, a process known as epigenetics. Exposure to harmful chemicals or an unhealthy diet can alter sperm, with consequences for subsequent generations.
Dr Patrick Western of Australia's Hudson Institute has explored the role of the PRC2 gene in this process, publishing his findings in BMC Biology. Despite aiming to understand the influence of environmental factors, Western used a genetic mutation as a tool.
Some of the mouse sperm Western investigated started with a healthy PRC2 copy, along with a mutation, while others had no healthy copies. Even though the healthy version had been deleted by fertilization, it still left a legacy on the sperm, which was not seen in those that never had a normal PRC2 gene.
Mice born from fathers with no good PRC2 copies had some genes turned on that would normally be turned off, and vice versa. Their development progressed at different rates from their counterparts. They appeared normal when fully grown, but Western told IFLScience this may only have been because his team didn't measure their metabolism or behavior.
Father's Health
Take On Vatican
French Nuns
The Vatican has an unusual dilemma on its hands after nearly all the nuns in a tiny French religious order threatened to renounce their vows rather than accept the Holy See's decision to remove their superior.
The sisters argue that the Vatican commissioners sent to replace their superior general, who is also the niece of the order's founder, have no understanding of their way of life or spirituality. The church's conclusion - contained in a summary of its investigation provided this week to The Associated Press - is that the Little Sisters of Marie, Mother of the Redeemer are living "under the tight grip" of an "authoritarian" superior and feel a "serious conflict of loyalty" toward her.
The standoff marks an extraordinary battle of wills between the Vatican hierarchy and the group of 39 nuns, most in their 60s and 70s, who run homes for the aged in rural western and southern France. Their threat to leave comes at a time when the Catholic Church can hardly spare them, with the number of sisters plummeting in Europe and the Americas.
The unlikely revolt had been brewing for years but erupted in 2017, when the Vatican suspended the Little Sisters' government and ordered the superior, Mother Marie de Saint Michel, removed. The Vatican says it took action after local church investigations in 2010 and 2016 found an excessive authoritarianism in her rule and serious problems of governance.
The sisters downplay problems with their superior and say the real dispute is over their local bishop's decision to split up management of their elder-care homes that had been merged in recent years. They say the bishop used his authority to impose an unjust decision on them without taking their views or the financial implications into account.
French Nuns
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