Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Joburg Motorists Get Daily Inspiration from Chalkboard Wisdom! (SAPeople)
"If you have to choose between drinking wine every day or being skinny, which would you choose? Red or white?")
Garrison Keillor: Old man spends Sunday among Lutherans
Bayfield is an old fishing and lumbering town whose main industry now is tourism. The town has tried to kill off tourism by raising the price of rooms to a Manhattan level but people still come from near and far to look at the lake. I myself would rather look at Lutherans, so I did that instead.
Greg Sargent: If Democrats win, they'll have a big mess to clean up (Washington Post)
Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein suggested to me today that it's crucial that in restoring oversight, it "can't just be the gotcha kind." This means looking not just at media-friendly topics such as Russia and Trump's tax returns, but also at failures of governance. As Ornstein put it, if Democrats take power, they must "look at mismanagement and malfeasance in programs and agencies," that is, at "what went wrong and why." There are some obvious candidates for this. Real oversight might examine the governmental response to Hurricane Maria and the shockingly high death toll that may have resulted in part from it. There is a lot to examine on immigration, too.
KRIS KOLESNIK: GOP destroyed oversight - Dems obligated to clean up mess if elected (The Hill)
These steps would go a long way toward restoring institutional integrity and public confidence in congressional oversight. It all starts with - and cannot be done without - leadership. Republicans have demonstrated they have none. Let's see if the Democrats get their opportunity. If they squander it, I'll be on their case, too.
Paul Waldman: Here comes the next major GOP policy initiative. You'll never guess what it is. (Washington Post)
You'll never guess what it is: "House Republicans bracing for November's midterm elections unveiled a second round of tax cuts on Monday that could add more than $2 trillion to the federal deficit over a decade, aiming to cement the steep cuts they passed last fall despite criticisms of fiscal profligacy and tailoring their policies to help the rich."
Paul Waldman: Trump's long history of lying about 9/11 and exploiting it for personal gain (Washington Post)
Here's the story as Trump told it: "Hey, I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering." The next day, ABC News's George Stephanopoulos confronted Trump with the fact that the police and journalists who investigated this rumor say that it never happened. Trump replied that he had watched it on TV, despite the fact that there is no video anywhere of such a thing happening, then said, "There were people that were cheering on the other side of New Jersey, where you have large Arab populations."
Greg Sargent: Another big Woodward reveal: Trump's bottomless bad faith and nonstop lying (Washington Post)
The firing of Comey and the pressure on Sessions, of course, are central to the case that Trump may have obstructed justice. In this regard, Woodward also reports that in multiple private meetings, Mueller directly told Trump's team that he wants to interview Trump for the express purpose of gauging Trump's "corrupt intent" toward the investigation. Trump's lawyers are now leaning toward refusing any face-to-face interview in which Mueller would ask questions designed to plumb that intent. Given what we've now learned, is there really any wonder why?
Justin Wolfers: Money Really Does Lead to a More Satisfying Life (NY Times)
But eventually, science corrects itself. After 40 years, three determined economists, thousands of lottery winners and reams of detailed data have revealed a more reliable but less romantic truth: Money really does help people lead a more satisfying life.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
wrote:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• Tribe 8 was a lesbian/transgender punk bank from San Francisco. One problem that they ran into while on tour was getting bathroom privileges-sometimes when they went into the women's room women told them that they were in the wrong bathroom. Their appearance really does sometimes confuse people about their gender. Vocalist Lynn Breedlove says, "Little old ladies will come in the women's room behind us, and then they'll pop out and look at the sign on the door." Once, an old man followed them into the men's room because he thought that they were men. Ms. Breedlove says, "He jumped out." Rhythm guitarist Lynn Feather has actually lifted her shirt to show that she has breasts and to prove that she is in the correct bathroom. The band wrote a song about this problem; of course, the song is titled "Wrong Bathroom."
• Comedian Robert Klein's father never ate vegetables because he thought salad was a dish fit only for cows. As a result, his bowel movements were infrequent. Once, when Robert was young, the urge suddenly came on his father, who dashed for the bathroom. Immediately, he yelled for Robert to bring him an umbrella. Robert did as he was told, and when he opened the door to the bathroom, he saw his father sitting on the throne, and above his father, hanging on a clothesline, were his mother's dripping undergarments.
• As a very young gymnast, Dominique Moceanu trained with Leila Pallardy, whose mother was a nurse who greatly stressed hygiene. At an out-of-state meet, Leila advised Dominique, "Whatever you do, don't sit on the toilet seat in the airplane and in the rest rooms at the airport." In their hotel room, Leila noticed that the bathroom was "messy," so she said, "What the heck? Somebody is not hitting the toilet here." Dominique replied, "Well, you told me not ever to sit down."
• Saul Bellow and his literary agent, Harriet Wasserman, once had dinner at the home of Allan Bloom, who kept jumping up to get something from the kitchen. Each time he went past a palm tree that Mr. Bellow thought was very ugly, its fronds brushed his backside. Mr. Bellow watched this for a while, then he told Mr. Bloom, "Allan, now I know what that plant's good for."
• Pope John XXIII once looked over the plans an architect had submitted for a new building that would be built on Vatican grounds, then returned the plans to the architect with this note in Latin: Non sumus angeli(We are not angels). The architect was puzzled by the note-until he realized that the plans for the new building did not include bathrooms.
• After staying at the very expensive Hotel Bristol in Paris, Peg Bracken learned that after each guest leaves the hotel, the toilet seat in the guest's accommodations is removed, scraped, and revarnished.
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© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
THE GAME OF "RACISM."
"MR CREEPY" IS GOING DOWN.
THE CRIMINAL.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
If you've ever thought about sending Marty a love offering this would be an excellent time.
Seth Meyers, Bruce Springsteen
Stand Up
Top comedians and musicians will come together for the 12th annual Stand Up for Heroes on Monday, Nov. 5 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Seth Meyers, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, Eric Church, and surprise guests will take the stage to honor post-9/11 impacted veterans and their families, and raise money for the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
Bob and Lee Woodruff partnered with New York Comedy Festival founders to launch the annual event 11 years ago, which to date has raised more than $45 million to help injured veterans, service members, and their families. In 2017, the foundation awarded $4.7 million in grants to nearly 50 programs.
"As Lee and I began our own journey of recovery from my injuries, we were inspired and committed to do something in return for those who risk so much and ask for so little," said Bob Woodruff, ABC News correspondent and co-founder of the foundation. "Stand Up for Heroes was our way to come together with our veterans and their families so that we could laugh, heal and share in the incredible stories that have defined this movement."
Meyers, Springsteen, Stewart, and Meyers have previously performed at SUFH, and over the years other artists who have taken the stage for the event include Stephen Colbert, Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, and Robin Williams.
Stand Up
Nails It
Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm is calling B.S. on the negative attitudes associated with seeking mental health help.
In a new interview on the show "In Depth With Graham Bensinger,"the actor talked about going to therapy and taking medication for depression and why he thinks it should be normalized.
"I mean, sometimes that's what you need," he said. "It's got the most interesting stigma. People think if you break your ankle, you're not expected to just walk it off. But if your brain chemistry is somehow a little tweaked, you're somehow expected to just deal with it."
Hamm said he first started seeing a mental health professional in college, after his sister encouraged him to get help following the death of his father.
Hamm went on to explain that when he was growing up, many people around him were taught not to speak up and it was common for people to push their emotions under the rug. However, he realized seeing a therapist was "profoundly helpful."
Jon Hamm
Season 27 Cast
'Dancing With the Stars'
"Dancing With the Stars" has revealed its celebrity cast and their dancer pairings for Season 27, where we'll see Nancy McKeon, Nikki Glaser, Mary Lou Retton and others tango for the Mirror Ball Trophy.
Here is the full list:
Alexis Ren with Alan Bersten Bobby Bones with Sharna Burgess Danelle Umstead with Artem Chigvintsev DeMarcus Ware with Lindsay Arnold Evanna Lynch with Keo Motsepe Joe "Grocery Store Joe" Amabile with Jenna Johnson John Schneider with Emma Slater Juan Pablo Di Pace with Cheryl Burke Mary Lou Retton with Sasha Farber Milo Manheim with Witney Carson Nancy McKeon with Val Chmerkovskiy Nikki Glaser with Gleb Savchenko Tinashe with Brandon Armstrong
"Dancing with the Stars" is produced by BBC Studios. Andrew Llinares and Ashley Edens-Shaffer are executive producers. Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews host the series, which is judged by Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.
The Season 27 premiere of "Dancing With the Stars" airs live Monday, Sept. 24 at 8/7c on ABC.
'Dancing With the Stars'
Colbeard or Trebeard?
Colbert And Trebek
"Late Show" host Stephen Colbert loves his beard - so much that he doesn't want any other challengers to the beard throne on television.
So on Tuesday he challenged "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek, who sported a beard for his show's season premiere Monday, to a trivia quiz.
The loser has to shave off his facial fuzz.
Trebek has yet to respond to Colbert's lighthearted banter about their beards.
"He's just sporting a cheap Canadian knock-off of the Colbeard," Colbert joked. "Step off, beardy-come-lately, there cannot be two Colbeards."
Colbert And Trebek
Warning Text
"60 Minutes"
Embattled former "60 Minutes" head Jeff Fager was fired for sending a harshly worded warning via text message to the CBS News reporter who is covering the sexual harassment scandals that have rocked CBS in recent weeks.
Fager was let go Wednesday amid growing pressure from sexual harassment allegations from multiple women as reporter by Ronan Farrow in the New Yorker.
CBS News president David Rhodes said Wednesday that Fager was fired for violating company policy. Fager issued a statement referring to the text message he sent correspondent Jericka Duncan after she reached out to him for comment on Sunday, the day Farrow's latest expose was published.
According to Farrow's report, Fager has been accused of groping or inappropriately touching female CBS News staffers at company events.
Duncan reported on the situation with Fager on Wednesday's edition of "CBS Evening News." She read from Fager's text message:
"60 Minutes"
That Shelved Anti-Trump Episode
'Black-ish'
When Kenya Barris sat down last fall to write an episode of his ABC comedy Black-ish, titled "Please, Baby, Please," he had a sense it might stir up trouble.
The setup was relatively simple: Dre, the Johnson family patriarch played by Anthony Anderson, was telling his infant son, Devante, a bedtime story that reflected on the events of his first year on the planet. It was, per multiple sources, a mix of political allegory (an animated fairy tale about a character named The Shady King) and actuality (news footage of Donald Trump, the Charlottesville attacks and the NFL kneeling protests). "When you're putting a baby to sleep, you're trying to soothe whatever anxieties they're having," says Barris, speaking for the first time about the controversial episode. "So, this was about me trying to pat the butt of the country and soothe people."
"Please, Baby, Please," which was supposed to air in the back half of the Emmy-nominated series' fourth season, was shot in wide angle, with very little score. Production is said to have upped its usual episode budget of $3 million or so, spending handsomely on rights and clearances for such things as the Sam Cooke ballad "A Change Is Gonna Come," which Barris personally met with Cooke's goddaughter to secure. He enlisted a high-profile illustrator, too, and hired his hero Spike Lee to do voiceover, since the episode took its title and inspiration from a children's book written by Lee and his wife. Rather than focus on the entire Johnson clan, as Black-ish typically does, the episode centered primarily on Dre and his interpretation of real-world events presented to his son as a form of catharsis. As a father of six, Barris has had plenty of experience calming children at bedtime.
"We approached it with the network and the studio as, 'This is different,'" says the 44-year-old showrunner. "We certainly knew people would talk about it."
The episode did, in fact, get people talking, if not for the reason Barris anticipated. Mere days before its scheduled Feb. 27 air date, "Please, Baby, Please" was mysteriously and indefinitely shelved. While Barris is strategic with his choice of words - careful never to utter the phrase "censorship" as others throughout the industry do - the move turned out to be the last straw in his long-standing and already complicated relationship with The Walt Disney Co. "I don't know that I would have been as useful to them as they'd need me to be after that," he offers. Those in his cast are far less diplomatic. Tracee Ellis Ross has called the decision "frightening," while Anderson suggests it was a personal affront. "He'd given his blood, sweat and tears to [the episode], which they had signed off on every step of the way - from the outline, to the script, to the table read, to the point where they actually spent the money and made the episode," says the actor, who's also an executive producer. "And I don't know what those conversations were, but we entered into this partnership with the understanding that we would be able to tell the stories that we wanted to tell."
'Black-ish'
Crisscrossed Lines
World's Oldest Drawing
Scientists working in a South African cave have discovered the world's oldest known drawing, a sketch that resembles a hashtag.
It's not the earliest deliberate design; some abstract engravings are far older. But researchers say it shows early humans in southern Africa could produce designs on various surfaces with different techniques.
The collection of crisscrossed lines was found east of Cape Town. It's thought to be 73,000 years old.
Researchers who described it Wednesday in the journal Nature said it is at least 30,000 years older than any other known drawing.
They said it probably had some meaning to its maker and was part of a symbolic system that other people in the group understood.
World's Oldest Drawing
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