Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Radical Democrats Are Pretty Reasonable (NY Times Blog)
… I haven't seen much about the substance of the policies she advocates, which on economics are mainly Medicare for All and a federal job guarantee. So here's what you should know: the policy ideas are definitely bold, and you can make some substantive arguments against them. But they aren't crazy. By contrast, the ideas of Tea Party Republicans are crazy; in fact, Ocasio-Cortez's policy positions are a lot more sensible than those of the Republican mainstream, let alone the GOP's more radical members.
Helaine Olen: A failed Republican attack on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offers a lesson for Democrats (Washington Post)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, suddenly a star after her surprise victoryin a Democratic primary, is now under attack. Of course she is! She ran on a platform of Medicare for all, free tuition at public universities and an increased minimum wage - and emerged the victor over a New York Democrat with a prominent position in the House leadership.
Garrison Keillor: What I saw in Vienna that the others didn't
What makes me happy in a foreign city, though, is the fact that, surrounded by so much that is unfamiliar, the familiar leaps out at you. The pastries reminded me of my Aunt Elsie, the best baker in the family, and the perfection that she put before us at Sunday dinner. The horses hitched to the carriage waiting to carry tourists along the boulevards made me think of Uncle Jim who was farming with horses into my childhood and who took me haying with him and hoisted me up onto Prince when I was six, my face pressed to his black mane, arms around his powerful neck. Uncle Jim said he couldn't afford a tractor, which maybe was true, but he loved his horses, and I felt privileged to help him bring in hay.
Jonathan Jones: "Pusha T's Whitney Houston homage: work of art or moral atrocity?" (The Guardian)
From the recent use of the late singer's bathroom to Kanye West's tribute to Emma Gonzales, dissecting rap imagery in the age of moral outrage is a complex process
Sarah Boseley: People not getting enough exercise from long walks - report (The Guardian)
Strengthening and balance activities are vital for future wellbeing, says Public Health England.
Jordan Breeding: 5 More Problems That Should Infuriate Americans (Cracked)
35 States Have A Legal Loophole That Lets Police Officers Accused Of Sexual Assault Avoid Investigation
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Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
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
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
"SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO NOW?"
SHITHOUSERY!
"SHITHOUSERY!" PART TWO
"WE NEED TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER."
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Can always tell when it's gonna get hot - ants invade the kitchen or the bathroom.
Today, ants invaded both the kitchen & bathroom - gonna be really HOT.
"Freshen Up" Tour
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney has announced that his "Freshen Up" tour will launch in September with four dates across Canada.
The shows will mark the artist's first series of live dates since his "One On One" tour, which reached two million fans over 2016 and 2017.
The tour will follow just on the heels of the release of McCartney's new studio album, "Egypt Station," which is out September 7.
As previously announced, the Canadian run will be followed by headlining sets at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October, McCartney's only North American festival appearance of 2018.
Find tour details and register for the presale at www.paulmccartney.com.
Paul McCartney
Letter Sells For $30K
Einstein
A letter written by Albert Einstein on the day he renounced his German citizenship, after realizing he could not return due to the rise of the Nazis, was sold.
The letter written on board the S.S. Belgenland and dated March 28, 1933, sold for $30,250 at the Nate D. Sanders Auction House in Los Angeles.
A second letter from Einstein written in 1938 in which he discusses helping Jewish refugees escape Nazi Germany sold for $31,250.
The 1933 letter was written with his wife, Elsa, to his sister Maja Winteler-Einstein about the dire situation in Germany, just minutes before they docked in Antwerp, Belgium, where Einstein renounced his German citizenship. Later that day, Einstein handed in his passport at the German consulate in Antwerp.
After the Nazis seized power in January 1933, they raided Einstein's home when he and his wife were traveling to the United States. They also reportedly put a bounty on his head. The day the letter was written, the Einsteins were traveling back to Germany, intending to live at their summer home in Caputh, before discovering that the home also had been raided. This led Einstein to decide to renounce his citizenship.
Einstein
Rest Of Warehouse Collapses
Barton 1792 Distillery
Whiskey barrels were piled in a mountainous heap Wednesday after the rest of a whiskey storage warehouse collapsed in Kentucky, nearly two weeks after part of the decades-old structure came crashing down.
The remainder of the massive structure collapsed at the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Nelson County Emergency Management spokesman Milt Spalding said. No injuries were reported in either collapse, he said.
Environmental and wildlife officials were on the scene to determine if any whiskey spilled into a nearby waterway, he said. The distillery owner Sazerac, a Louisiana-based spirits company, already was facing a state fine stemming from the initial collapse.
After the initial collapse last month, the company said the damaged warehouse had held about 18,000 barrels of aging spirits. Up to half the barrels inside were affected by the first collapse, it said.
The company said at the time that the collapse had affected "a mix of various distilled products at various ages." On Wednesday, it said it did not know how many barrels can be salvaged or what caused the initial collapse.
Barton 1792 Distillery
Big Fat Greek Divorce
Nia Vardalos
Nia Vardalos, the actress and writer who turned her romantic life into the wildly successful movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," has filed for divorce from her husband, actor Ian Gomez, after nearly 25 years of marriage, People.com reported.
"We've been respectfully separated for a lengthy period of time," the couple said in a statement to The Blast. "Our relationship became a friendship so the decision to end the marriage is completely mutual and amicable. It is our hope that decency will prevail on the reporting of this story which will soon be yesterday's news. Thank you for respecting our privacy."
In court documents filed Tuesday, Vardalos said the couple separated on June 29, 2017, and attributed the split to "irreconcilable differences."
Vardalos is asking for joint legal and physical custody of their daughter, 11-year-old Ilaria.
Nia Vardalos
Eye Rolling Time
North Korea
President Trump on Tuesday brushed aside questions over whether his assertion that he "solved" the crisis with North Korea was premature amid reports its leader, Kim Jong Un, is trying to conceal parts of its nuclear weapons program.
"Many good conversations with North Korea - it is going well!" Trump tweeted. "In the meantime, no Rocket Launches or Nuclear Testing in 8 months. All of Asia is thrilled. Only the Opposition Party, which includes the Fake News, is complaining."
"If not for me," he added, "we would now be at War with North Korea!"
Last week, NBC News reported that U.S. officials "believe that North Korea has increased its production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months - and that Kim Jong Un may try to hide those facilities as he seeks more concessions in nuclear talks with the Trump administration." On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency "has concluded that North Korean officials are exploring ways to deceive Washington about the number of nuclear warheads and missiles, and the types and numbers of facilities they have, believing that the United States is not aware of the full range of their activities."
And on Sunday, Wall Street Journal reported that "new satellite imagery indicates Pyongyang is pushing ahead with weapons programs even as it pursues dialogue with Washington."
North Korea
#SecondCivilWarLetters
Alex Jones
A baseless claim by InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that Democrats will launch a civil war on July 4 has inspired a viral #SecondCivilWarLetters social media movement of users mocking that idea.
#SecondCivilWarLetters became a top trending Twitter topic Wednesday as users wrote imaginary dispatches from what a civil war would look like in 2018.
"Dearest, I am okay. I was almost captured by a curly hair blonde girl with an AR-15. But she was just taking selfies with the gun so I was able to escape," one user in New York City wrote.
Col. Morris Davis, a retired U.S. Air Force officer who served as chief prosecutor for Guantanamo Bay military commissions, chimed in: "Dear Alexa, We are pinned down and in urgent need of ammunition. Please send ASAP ... but only if it qualifies for Amazon Prime's free shipping."
Jones, who regularly promotes false conspiracies theories on his InfoWars show, claimed without evidence over the weekend that Democrats were plotting a civil war on Independence Day to overthrow President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Grifter). That helped spark the hashtag #SecondCivilWar, which then morphed into mockery with #SecondCivilWarLetters.
Alex Jones
Climbing Toddlers
Ancient Human Ancestors
More than 3 million years ago, our adult human ancestors were walking on two feet and didn't have the option of a fashionable baby sling to carry their kids around in. Instead, Australopithecus afarensis toddlers had a special grasping toe that helped them hold on to their mothers and escape into the trees, reports a study published today (July 4) in Science Advances.
The evidence comes from DIK-1-1 - a relatively complete 3.3 million-year-old skeleton of a 2.5- to 3-year-old female Australopithecus afarensis discovered in Dikika, Ethiopia. The skeleton, nicknamed Selam - after the word for peace in Ethiopia's official language of Amharic - includes the oldest and most complete foot bones of this species ever found.
Zeresenay Alemseged, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Chicago, discovered Selam's preserved skeleton in 2000. The skeleton was initially dubbed "Lucy's baby" because of its close proximity to the adult female A. afarensis fossil named Lucy, found in 1974. But Selam actually died more than 100,000 years before Lucy was even alive.
Selam's foot was later discovered in 2002 and is about 2 inches (5.5 centimeters) long - that's a little shorter than a sticky note. The structure of the ankle and general anatomy of the foot is the same as a modern human's, with a distinct difference: The big toe is curved, similar to a chimpanzee's. But unlike the chimp's big toe, Selam's is in line with her other toes, similar to toes on a human foot.
"So, it's human-like in not sticking out to the side, but it had much more mobility and could probably wiggle and grab on to stuff. Not [as well as] a chimp, but certainly more than a human could," said Jeremy DeSilva, a paleoanthropologist at Dartmouth College in New Hamphshire and lead author of the study.
Ancient Human Ancestors
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