Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Jonathan Chait: The Right Is Worse Than the Left on Free Speech. So What? (NY Mag)
Mari Uyehara has a column arguing that too many columns have been written about free speech on campus. Uyehara does not endorse the kinds of repressive actions that these columns decry (no-platforming is "a terrible technique," she concedes), but instead focuses on the disproportionate coverage.
Pauli Poisuo: 5 Rogue Heroes Who Scammed The Scammers (Modern Rogue)
There exists a sect of rogue out there who sees others using their scamming skills for douchey reasons and decides, "Eff that. Not on my watch." And we have to admit ... we adore those people.
Garrison Keillor: We were wrong and we should say so
It's good to live long enough to be able to look back and see where you went wrong, not that it'll improve your record in the future, but at least you'll know enough to tone down the righteousness. People I know got very intense about reforming public education years ago and the words "open" and "alternative" were magical charms and now we begin to appreciate some of the benefits of the old repressive system in which children sat in rows of desks rather than around tables. I had a teacher who imposed harsh penalties for grammatical mistakes and though her and me didn't always get along so good, I did learn from her.
Matthew Yglesias: Everyone loves nurses and hates Mitch McConnell (Vox)
Even in polarized times, we can agree on something.
Lucy Mangan: Hurry up and end this clean-eating madness, I'm absolutely starving (Sydney Morning Herald)
With the news that Ella Mills - the high priestess of the wellness and clean-eating crusade that has dominated the hearts, minds, stomachs and Instagram feeds of women of a certain age and class for the past half-decade - has closed two of her three Deliciously Ella cafés in London, a hope stirs in my breast. Might I start getting decently fed in friends' houses again?
Sam Leith: Only an idiot would choose to live at any other time than the present (Spectator)
On average, humans are by orders of magnitude healthier, wealthier, nicer, happier, longer lived, more free and better educated than ever before. Moreover, as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure noted: 'Bowling averages are way up, minigolf scores are way down, and we have more excellent waterslides than any other planet we communicate with.'
Julie Burchill: How Hollywood lost its shine (Spectator)
Reading the lip-smacking reports of the latest troubled celebrity relationships (Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux definitely high and dry, Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne allegedly on the rocks) I couldn't help musing that stars - and more specifically, the place they occupy in our mass psychological landscape - have very much changed since the first mass-market celebrities emerged.
Julie Burchill: Bring back our bitchy celebs! (Spectator)
You would have to be quite odd not to approve of the sudden surge of solidarity amongst Hollywood stars of the female persuasion. (Though I did wonder, when Frances McDormand called so movingly during her Oscar-winner speech 'Meryl, if you do it everyone else will!' whether she meant 'Suck up to Weinstein for years' or 'Give Polanski a standing ovation' - because Streep certainly led the liberal sheep in those fields.)
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Presenting
Michael Egan
replied:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
David E Suggests
Wheelchair Users
David
Thanks, Dave!
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
THE LID COMES OFF OF THE TRASH CAN!
"THEY APPEAL TO THE DARKEST CORNERS OF THE LIZARD BRAIN…"
"…TRUMP HIRES A HATCHET MAN"
20,000 REPUBLICANS NOMINATE A NAZI.
THE OTHER WOMEN!
'MAGA BITCH' TALKS FROM EXPERIENCE.
FAKE NEWS.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Not much rain.
Lawyer Offers
Nondisclosure Pacts
A prominent Washington, D.C., attorney said his law firm will represent, pro bono, anyone who wants to challenge the draconian nondisclosure agreements President Donald Trump reportedly demanded early last year from his senior White House officials.
Mark Zaid, who represents government workers in free speech and national security cases, was responding to a Sunday report from The Washington Post that administration officials are prohibited from disclosing information both during their employment and "at all times thereafter."
Each infraction would be subject to a $10 million fine, according to a draft agreement the Post obtained. The draft covered all "non public" communications, including conversations with the press and with any other government official. It even barred any revelations in works of fiction.
Zaid, a founding partner of the nonprofit law firm Whistleblower Aid, said the staffers can only lawfully be constrained from disclosing classified information when their employment is over.
"Public employees can't be gagged by private agreements," Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement. "These so-called NDAs are unconstitutional and unenforceable."
Nondisclosure Pacts
Book A Hit
John Oliver
John Oliver's queer-themed, Mike Pence-trolling children's book, A Day In the Life of Marlon Bundo, is a certified smash. If the host of HBO's "Last Week Tonight" had his way, however, America wouldn't need its levity so badly.
The book, released Sunday, takes aim at the vice president's anti-LGBTQ platform by depicting the Pence family rabbit, Marlon Bundo, as gay and in love with another male rabbit. By the conclusion, the bunnies even tie the knot in a same-sex wedding.
Oliver dropped by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Tuesday, and explained his incentive for the book, which was written by one of his show's writers, Jill Twiss, and is currently sold out on Amazon. His 2-year-old son, Hudson, was also an inspiration.
"Part of the reason for writing this book was so that I could read something to him which paints the world in the light that you want it to be rather than the way that it's currently being painted," Oliver told DeGeneres. Hudson, he added, "doesn't really understand what's happening in the world ? long may that continue."
The success of A Day In the Life of Marlon Bundo came as a surprise to Oliver, and plans for a second printing are already underway. Still, the HBO host said he wishes the Trump administration would make his job as a comedian more difficult.
John Oliver
Westminster Abbey
Stephen Hawking
The ashes of Professor Stephen Hawking will be interred at Westminster Abbey near the graves of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, it has been announced.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, said: "It is entirely fitting that the remains of Professor Stephen Hawking are to be buried in the Abbey, near those of distinguished fellow scientists.
"Sir Isaac Newton was buried in the Abbey in 1727. Charles Darwin was buried beside Isaac Newton in 1882."
Though his ashes will be interred at Westminster, Professor Hawking's funeral will take place on Easter Saturday, the 31 March, at Great St Mary's, the University Church in Cambridge.
It will be a private service with a memorial to follow close to Gonville & Caius College where the scientist was a member for over 53 years. In addition a private reception will be held afterwards at Trinity College.
Stephen Hawking
"The Humanity Star"
Rocket Lab
You might not realize it, but new satellites are sent into orbit on an incredibly regular basis. Scientists, universities, space agencies, and communications companies are constantly putting new hardware in space, so when the CEO of private launch company Rocket Lab decided to stick one of his personal pet projects into orbit, it might not have seemed like a very big deal. The object, a giant disco-ball-like fake "star," didn't sit well with much of the scientific community, but thanks to the wonders of gravity they won't have to worry about it much longer.
The big reflective orb, called "The Humanity Star," was supposed to float around our night skies for most of the year, but apparently the odd piece of space art is making an early exit. Peter Beck, the aforementioned CEO of Rocket Lab, announced that the useless ball is poised to reenter Earth's atmosphere within days. When it does, it'll be met with intense friction that will incinerate it.
"Visible from earth with the naked eye, the Humanity Star is a highly reflective satellite that blinks brightly across the night sky to create a shared experience for everyone on the planet," Rocket Lab said of the project prior to launch in January. "Created by Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck, the Humanity Star is a geodesic sphere made from carbon fibre with 65 highly reflective panels. It spins rapidly, reflecting the sun's rays back to Earth, creating a flashing light that can be seen against a backdrop of stars."
Unfortunately for Beck, the object's path was poorly planned and now the "star" will make its not-so-grand exit much sooner than was initially thought. The good news is that, because the object is little more than a hollow husk, it should be completely destroyed upon reentry, leaving no debris to fall back down to Earth. This comes as good news for researchers and astronomers who were concerned that a "space art" trend could further contribute to the incredibly dire space junk problem that already exists.
Rocket Lab
Wilderness Monuments
Utah
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday auctioned off more than 51,000 acres (21,000 hectares) in southeastern Utah for oil and gas development, a sign of strong industry demand in a region conservationists have vowed to protect.
The Utah lease sale included terrain near the former boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument, whose size was scaled back by the Trump administration last year, as well as the Hovenweep and Canyons of the Ancients monuments, according to the bureau.
Results of the online auction, posted on Tuesday afternoon, showed that all 43 parcels up for sale received winning bids, which averaged $28.68 per acre and ranged between $2 and $93 per acre. Total proceeds from the auction were $1.56 million, according to the BLM.
"This means drilling in these parcels poses a more serious and immediate threat to the landscape and archaeological resources," Aaron Weiss, media director for the Center for Western Priorities, said about the apparent strong demand.
The Monticello area received some of the highest bids, with Context Energy LLC bidding $145,600 for a 1,600-acre parcel, according to the BLM. Other bidders included Ayers Energy LLC, Wasatch Energy LLC and Kirkwood Oil and Gas Inc, according to the data.
Utah
Eight Months In Prison
Ahed Tamimi
A teenage Palestinian girl who was filmed kicking and slapping two Israeli soldiers has been sentenced to eight months in jail as part of a plea bargain.
Ahed Tamimi, 17, became a hero to Palestinians after the footage emerged of her hitting the soldiers at the entrance to her home in the village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank.
When her trial began last month, she faced 12 charges, including aggravated assault.
She was denied bail ahead of her military trial, which took place behind closed doors.
The incident has attracted international attention. Amnesty International called her the "Rosa Parks of Palestine" and her trial has been witnessed by journalists, diplomats and international observers.
Ahed Tamimi
'Not Comfortable'
Ben Carson
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carsonspoke Tuesday about transgender individuals' access to homeless shelters, saying women "were not comfortable" being in a shelter with "somebody who had a very different anatomy."
Testifying before a House subcommittee, Carson was reportedly asked by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) about the removal of HUD training materials that help protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, by guiding homeless shelters on how to ensure access to shelters for transgender people.
"[We] obviously believe in equal rights for everybody, including the LGBT community. But we also believe in equal rights for the women in the shelters, and shelters where there are men and their equal rights," Carson responded. "So we want to look at things that really provide for everybody and doesn't impede the rights of one for the sake of the other. So it's a complex issue."
When Quigley then asked how protecting the rights of transgender homeless individuals would infringe on the rights of others, Carson replied, "I'll give you an example. There were some women who said they were not comfortable with the idea of being in a shelter, being in a shower, and somebody who had a very different anatomy," Carson said.
"It is because of derogatory myths like this, which have been debunked time and time again, that the transgender community faces disproportionate levels of discrimination and homelessness," GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis said. "Today's blatant and factually inaccurate anti-transgender rhetoric is the latest in a long line of uninformed and biased statements about LGBTQ people that make Dr. Carson unfit to be the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development."
Ben Carson
Not 'Above The Law'
Defamation Lawsuit
A New York state judge on Tuesday said U.S. President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Crooked) must face a defamation lawsuit by a woman who accused him of sexually harassing her after she appeared on his former reality TV show.
The decision by Justice Jennifer Schecter of the New York state court in Manhattan in favor of California restaurateur Summer Zervos, a former contestant on NBC's "The Apprentice," raises the prospect that Trump might have to answer embarrassing questions in court about his behavior toward women.
She rejected Trump's claim that he was immune from being sued, finding "absolutely no authority" to dismiss litigation related "purely to unofficial conduct" solely because he occupied the White House.
"No one is above the law," the judge wrote.
Mariann Wang, one of Zervos' lawyers, said in a statement: "We are grateful for the opportunity to prove that that defendant falsely branded Ms. Zervos a phony for telling the truth about his unwanted sexual groping."
Defamation Lawsuit
'Unpresidented'
Spelling
The commander-in-tweet could use a proofreader.
President-for-now Trump (R-Corrupt), who frequently boasts about his intelligence, has just as frequently stumbled in spelling errors in his tweets - even about sensitive topics, such as special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of interference in the 2016 election.
On Wednesday, for example, Trump used Twitter to relay a statement from Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz about Mueller. The president's tweet had four errors and a typo.
"'Special Council [sic] is told to find crimes, wether [sic] crimes exist or not. I was opposed the the [sic] selection of Mueller to be Special Council [sic], I still am opposed to it. I think President Trump was right when he said there never should have been a Special Council [sic] appointed," Trump tweeted.
The president deleted the tweet and reposted it - correcting the misspelled "whether" and double "the," but leaving the multiple misspellings of "Council" intact.
Spelling
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