Andrew Tobias: Reader Questions
Susan S: "Please share which of those Democratic candidates you believe can get this country out of this mess - domestic and international. Please explain which policies they have articulated you believe will make the USA move ahead and why."
Andrew Tobias: The short [answer] is: any of them. They're all bright, competent, and decent - not sociopaths - who would surround themselves with smart, competent, decent people - not sycophants and felons. Kind of the way it was under Obama, Bush, Clinton, the better Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, LBJ, JFK, Truman, FDR, Hoover . . . albeit some proved far more capable than others, and none of them - least of all in my book Bush 43 or Nixon - was perfect.
James Comey: Trump won't be removed. But we'll be fine. (Washington Post)
I don't buy the stuff about the United States' democracy dying. Its death has been predicted regularly for two centuries. Yes, a lot of Americans vote for people of poor character who then don't act in their interest, but that has been true to varying degrees throughout our history. Yes, a lot of Americans believe the lies they are told and attach their own identity to a president in ways that are both inappropriate and irrational. But that's the nature of people and has been a feature, to one degree or another, of the United States since Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were lying about each other and predicting the death of the republic if the other were elected president.
Terry Eagleton: Antigone on Your Knee (London Review of Books)
Traditionally, tragedy mustn't come about as the result of an accident, but must involve fate or providence, which may in turn require the presence of numinous powers. W.B. Yeats could see nothing tragic about a car crash.
The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), or the nine-banded, long-nosed armadillo, is a medium-sized mammal found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. Its ancestors originated in South America, and remained there until the formation of the Isthmus of Panama allowed them to enter North America as part of the Great American Interchange. The nine-banded armadillo is a solitary, mainly nocturnal animal, found in many kinds of habitats, from mature and secondary rainforests to grassland and dry scrub. It is an insectivore, feeding chiefly on ants, termites, and other small invertebrates. The armadillo can jump 3-4 ft (91-122 cm) straight in the air if sufficiently frightened, making it a particular danger on roads. It is the state small mammal of Texas.
Mating takes place during a two-to-three month long mating season, which occurs from July-August in the Northern Hemisphere and November-January in the Southern Hemisphere. A single egg is fertilized, but implantation is delayed for three to four months to ensure the young will not be born during an unfavorable time. Once the zygote does implant in the uterus, a gestation period of four months occurs, during which the zygote splits into four identical embryos, attached by a common placenta. They are born in March and weigh 3 oz (85 g). After birth, the quadruplets remain in the burrow, living off the mother's milk for about three months. They then begin to forage with the mother, eventually leaving after six months to a year.
Nine-banded armadillos reach sexual maturity at the age of one year, and reproduce every year for the rest of their 12-to-15 year lifespans. A single female can produce up to 56 young over the course of her life. This high reproductive rate is a major cause of the species' rapid expansion.
Source
Mark. was first, and correct, with:
Nine-banded armadillo.
Randall wrote:
armadillo
Alan J answered:
Armadillos.
zorch said:
Armadillos
Dave responded:
Nine-banded armadillo. I did not know that. The small armored beasts primarily live in South America, but the nine-banded variety has extended its range as far as the southern US. I used to see them alongside the highways in Florida, either foraging around or dead in the road. They mostly eat insects and grubs, and aren't considered dangerous to humans with the exception that armadillos are known carriers of leprosy and Chagas disease.
Mac Mac replied:
The nine-banded armadillo is the only mammal known to routinely have identical quadruplets.
Micki said:
Armadillo.
Cal in Vermont wrote:
The nine-banded armadillo. How do they tell each apart? If one of them commits a crime, how would the forensics go?
Deborah wrote:
That's the 9-banded armadillo. They're funny critters. I caught one once by the tail, it rolled up into a ball and refuse to engage. Eh.
The wind is still cold and howling, and I'm extra sad that the 49ers lost yesterday. Most of the commercials weren't up to snuff, either. Ah, well, life's a bitch, and then you die.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, said:
The nine-banded armadillo
DJ Useo answered:
Being in Texas, I know the answer is the Armadillo. Do not eat them. They don't taste like chicken. Lol.
Billy in Cypress U$A responded:
Armadillos
mj took the day off.
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BttbBob has returned to semi-retired status.
~~~~~
Song: "Gritty Blues Rock: True Grit (instrumental)" from the album MUSIC LIBRARY (FOR FILM, TV & ADVERTISING)
Artist: Jake Haws
Artist Location: Provo, Utah
Info: "These songs are available for use in film, tv & advertising. Please contact me for a licensing agreement BEFORE downloading any of these songs. I can make edits or re-recordings to any of these tracks to fit your specifications."
Bruce writes, "I'm not in TV, etc. I got this instrumental simply because I enjoy listening to it."
Price: $1 for instrumental-track; Name Your Price (Includes FREE) for 65-track album.
• Cheech and Chong do stoner comedy, and their fans really get into it. For example, as Cheech and Chong were performing in Eugene, Oregon, a fan threw a gift for the duo onto the stage. Mr. Chong says, "I thought it was just a joke at first when somebody threw a 3-foot joint onstage. But it was full of bud, the most I've ever seen in one joint. A guy could go to jail for a long time with that much in his house." In 2010, Mr. Cheech was 65, and Mr. Chong was 71. Once in a while, they forget a line from a classic routine. No problem - their fans yell out the line to them. And sometimes they meet a fan who tells them about reciting one of the duo's classic routines in the fan's 3rd-grade classroom - and getting suspended from school.
• In the early 1980s, insult comedian Judy Tenuta and comedian Tommy Hack worked together. They were going to do a gig in the badlands of South Dakota. Mr. Hack was driving - it was his Ford Pinto - and about 100 miles from their destination he asked Ms. Tenuta, "Hey, Judy, you saw my act last night, so what do you think of it? Be honest, what do you really think?" She replied, "Ask me when we get within walking distance of the town."
• Occasionally, we hear of celebrities demanding odd things in their dressing rooms. Sometimes, the celebrity has a good reason for odd requests. For example, comedian Totie Fields demanded in her contract that 12 cups of coffee be brought to her dressing room. Why? Because as a struggling young comedian, she had been unable to have even one cup of coffee brought to her dressing room.
Conductors
• Lieder singer Lotte Lehmann was frightened of Arturo Toscanini because of his reputation, and she found working with him a "fearful pleasure." Still, shortly after singing for him for the first time, she was relieved to sing a few lieder for a Beethoven association. Before performing, she told a friend, "Oh, I feel so calm. An easy program, a nice appreciative audience, and no Toscanini there to be frightened of." At that moment, she looked out at the audience - and saw Toscanini.
• Georges Enesco, a Romanian conductor, was beloved of orchestras. For one thing, he did not pretend to know everything. While guest-conducting the New York Philharmonic, he declined to have intensive rehearsals of Johannes Brahms' Fourth Symphony, instead telling the musicians, "Gentlemen, you know the work better than I do." Of course, this made the musicians eager to perform well to prove themselves worthy of Maestro Enesco's praise.
• Sir Thomas Beecham disliked the music of Vaughan Williams. At one rehearsal, he conducted a Williams symphony, but he seemed to be paying very little attention to it. In fact, after the symphony was over, Sir Thomas continued to move his baton until a member of the orchestra told him, "It's finished, Sir Thomas." Sir Thomas looked at his score and said, "So it is - thank God!"
• All of the rehearsals of the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Serge Koussevitzky were intense. Even very popular and often-played pieces were approached anew each time they were to be played. According to Maestro Koussevitzky, whatever the orchestra was playing was "the greatest of the greatest" - otherwise, they would be playing something else.
• Conductor Arturo Toscanini sometimes got very angry at his musicians. Often, he would break his baton in anger. Once, his baton would not break, so he took out his handkerchief and tried to tear it; however, it would not tear. Therefore, Mr. Toscanini took off his coat and tore it to shreds. Feeling much better, he continued the rehearsal.
Lawrence Tribe: "I would like to state how proud I am of my former student Adam Schiff. His remarkable, stunning, opening and closing at the impeachment trial will be watched and studied by students of government and law for a very long time. History will note his courage and his skillful display of patriotism and devotion to the law, the Constitution and the truth."
Chris Matthews: "What about your colleague Alan Dershowitz."
Lawrence Tribe: "I'd rather not comment on Alan's performance...just as a matter of courtesy."
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
CBS begins the night on the East Coast with a state TV feed, followed by a RERUN'NCIS', then a RERUN'Blue Bloods'.
CBS begins the night early on the left coast with with a state TV feed, followed by a RERUN'NCIS', then some local crap, followed by a RERUN'Blue Bloods'.
Scheduled on a FRESHStephen Colbert are John Leguizamo, Philip Rucker, and Carol Leonnig.
On a RERUNJames Corden, OBE, (from 11/5/19) are Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.
NBC starts the night on the East Coast with a state TV feed, followed by a FRESH'Ellen's Game Of Games', then 'Dateline'.
NBC starts the night early on the left coast with a state TV feed, followed by a FRESH'Ellen's Game of Games', then some local crap, followed by 'Dateline'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are Margot Robbie, Jeff Probst, and Mura Masa & slowthai.
Scheduled on a FRESHSeth Meyers are Andy Samberg and Ilan Rubin.
Scheduled on a FRESHLilly Singh are D'Arcy Carden and Ali Kolbert.
ABC opens the night on the East Coast with a state TV feed, followed by a RERUN'The Conners', then a RERUN'Bless This Mess', followed by 'Nightline In Prime'.
ABC opens the night early on the left coast with a state TV feed, followed by a RERUN'The Conners', then a RERUN'Bless This Mess', followed by some local crap, then 'Nightline In Prime'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Al Franken, Paul Reubens, and Big Thief.
The CW offers a FRESH'The Flash', followed by a FRESH'DC's Legends Of Tomorrow'.
Faux has a FRESH'Gordon's Ramsay's 24 Hours To Hell & Back'.
MY recycles an old 'Chicago PD', followed by another old 'Chicago PD'.
AMC offers the movie 'The Book Of Eli', followed by the movie 'Fantastic Four', then the movie 'Fantastic 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Distant Voices
[7:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Improbable Cause
[8:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Through the Looking Glass
[9:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - The Die Is Cast
[10:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Explorers
[11:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Family Business
[12:00PM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Shakaar
[1:00PM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Facets
[2:00PM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - The Adversary
[3:00PM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - The Way of the Warrior, Part 1
[4:00PM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - The Way of the Warrior, Part 2
[5:00PM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Hippocratic Oath
[6:00PM] DOCTOR WHO - Fugitive of the Judoon
[7:10PM] GOODFELLAS (1990)
[10:40PM] GOODFELLAS (1990)
[2:10AM] MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981)
[4:10AM] DOCTOR WHO - Fugitive of the Judoon
[5:20AM] MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS - Man's Crisis of Identity in the Latter Half of the Twentieth Century (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Vanderpump Rules', another 'Vanderpump Rules', followed by a FRESH'Vanderpump Rules', then a FRESH'Watch What Happens: Live'.
FX has the movie 'The Secret Life Of Pets', followed by the movie 'Ferdinand', then the movie 'Ferdinand', again.
History has 'The Curse Of Oak Island', another 'The Curse Of Oak Island', followed by a FRESH'The Curse Of Oak Island', then a FRESH'Project Blue Book'.
IFC -
[6:00A] The Three Stooges - Boobs in Arms
[6:15A] The Three Stooges - Grips, Grunts and Groans
[6:45A] 1408
[9:00A] Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
[11:00A] Machete Kills
[1:30P] Predator 2
[4:00P] We Were Soldiers
[7:00P] Full Metal Jacket
[9:45P] Full Metal Jacket
[12:30A] We Were Soldiers
[3:30A] Predator 2 (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:15am] The Andy Griffith Show
[6:50am] The Andy Griffith Show
[7:25am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[9:00am] An Officer and a Gentleman
[12:00pm] Silverado
[3:00pm] Young Guns
[5:30pm] Young Guns II
[8:00pm] Ghostbusters
[10:30pm] Ghostbusters II
[1:00am] Blazing Saddles
[3:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[3:35am] The Andy Griffith Show
[4:10am] The Andy Griffith Show
[4:45am] The Andy Griffith Show
[5:20am] The Andy Griffith Show
[5:55am] The Andy Griffith Show (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Gods Of Egypt', followed by the movie 'Mad Max: Fury Road'.
A Change.org petition urging a boycott of the Beach Boys for co-headlining a safari hunters' convention with Donald Trump Jr. this week has picked up a couple of notable signatories: two of the group's founding members, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine.
"It has been brought to my attention that on Wed., Feb. 5, the Beach Boys touring group licensed by Mike Love are headlining at the Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada," Wilson wrote in a tweet. "This organization supports trophy hunting, which both Al and I are emphatically opposed to. There's nothing we can do personally to stop the show, so please join us in signing the petition," he added.
The Safari Club International had previously responded to statements against the gathering posted by the Humane Society by reaffirming its pride in having "acclaimed author and accomplished conservationist Donald Trump Jr." as its keynote speaker at the convention, being held in Reno Feb. 5-8.
Monday night, Variety obtained a statement from Love, in response to the petition and Wilson's support of it: "We look forward to a night of great music in Reno and, as always, support freedom of thought and expression as a fundamental tenet of our rights as Americans. Peace & Love, Mike Love."
Factions of the Beach Boys have often been at odds over the years, but Wilson and Jardine toured with Love and other original members as part of a 50th anniversary tour in 2012 before going their separate ways again. They last came together to promote the Beach Boys' satellite radio channel in 2018. Love has the rights to use the group's name on tour. Some fans have been critical of Love for being friendly with the president and attending his inauguration, although he has said the group is politically neutral.
When Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted the news Monday that the movie adaptation of his groundbreaking Broadway show Hamilton was set for release by Disney in fall 2021, he omitted one of the most breathtaking parts of the deal.
According to sources, Disney beat out other suitors and paid $75 million for worldwide rights to the show that won 11 Tony Awards in 2016, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Disney won the deal with a commitment for a wide global theatrical release for the 2 hour, 40 minute movie, which was shot two weeks before the original cast left.
I can't think of an acquisition of a finished film that has gone for more money than this one. It is, however, a seminal cultural zeitgeist event and, as Miranda himself has said, the movie allows people to avoid having to pay $500 a seat, which they were before the original cast and he moved on. You could hardly call this profligate spending, given that when Hamilton finishes its traditional theatrical run, it will then become a major title on the Disney+ streaming service.
Director Tommy Kail directed both the stage version and the movie, which consisted of shooting three live performances, and also some setup shots without an audience. All of the footage was used to create multiple angles, to ensure the cinematic nature of the event, without a bad seat in the house.
Endeavor Content brokered the massive WW Hamilton deal along with Miranda's attorney Nancy Rose of Schreck Rose. WME reps Miranda and Kail.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi celebrated his team's Super Bowl win by giving locals a chance to adopt a furry loved one for free.
Nnadi paid the adoption fees for all the dogs who were at the KC Pet Project on Sunday, giving the shelter animals an opportunity to find new homes. The Missouri-based shelter announced the news on social media Sunday after the Chiefs came back from a double-digit deficit to win the NFL championship.
"We have had an amazing, season-long, partnership with @dnnadi and he couldn't have thought of a better ending," KC Pet Project said on Instagram.
The shelter added a video to its Instagram Stories of a line of adoption applicants after it opened Monday. Many of those who were waiting were wearing Chiefs gear.
Sunday's win marked the Chiefs' first Super Bowl win in 50 years, and only the second for the franchise as a whole.
Two thirds of smaller banks typically have only men as executive directors, while lenders with men and women in top roles were likely to be more profitable, the European Union's banking watchdog said on Monday.
Under EU rules from 2013, banks are required to have a policy on diversity that looks at gender, age, professional and educational background. Big lenders are also required to set a target for an under-represented gender, in practice women.
The European Banking Authority (EBA) looked at data from 834 banks for 2018, saying the level of compliance with the EU rules was at times alarming.
"Despite the legal requirements, a significant proportion of institutions, 41.6%, have still not adopted a diversity policy and not all institutions have a policy to promote gender diversity by setting a target for the under-represented gender," the EBA said in a report.
It was not satisfactory that half of the major banks looked at had no female members of the management body in an executive function, it said.
After the State Department revoked the press credentials of NPR's Michele Keleman for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's trip to Europe and Central Asia, in apparent retaliation for questions Pompeo didn't like from NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly, there were concerns about what kind of message Pompeo sent to the world about America's commitment to press freedoms. On Sunday, when Pompeo was in Kazakhstan - which has a dismal zero press-freedoms rating from Reporters Without Borders - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter Aigerim Toleukhan asked Pompeo. He said the episode sends "a perfect message about press freedoms."
Pompeo can be heard telling Kelly in their interview that he only wanted to discuss Iran, not Ukraine and whether he stood up for America's former ambassador to Kyiv when President Trump and his allies smeared her. Kelly said after the interview, Pompeo took her into a separate room and berated her at length, using profanities.
Pompeo told Toleukhan he didn't have a "confrontational interview" with Kelly and insisted that reporters "get to ask me any questions, all questions." As for barring Keleman from his trip, Pompeo said he always brings "a big press contingent, but we ask for certain sets of behaviors, and that's simply telling the truth and being honest. And when they'll do that, they get to participate, and if they don't, it's just not appropriate" or even "fair to the rest of the journalists who are participating alongside them." That's when Toleukhan asked about what message that sends to the world, and Pompeo said "a perfect message."
After Kelly told NPR listeners about Pompeo berating her, Pompeo accused her of lying twice, once while "setting up our interview" and again by not honoring her agreement keep their "post-interview conversation" private. Kelly said she never agreed to go off-the-record - it's unclear why she would - and she released emails showing she told Pompeo's staff she intended to ask him about both Iran and Ukraine.
Dozens of koalas have been euthanized and some 80 more are being treated for injuries and starvation after their habitat was logged, prompting an Australian government investigation Monday.
Victoria's environment department said the state's conservation regulator was investigating a "very distressing incident" at a bluegum plantation near the coastal town of Portland that resulted in the deaths of dozens of koalas.
The environment department said approximately 80 koalas had been removed from the plantation site over the weekend for medical treatment, while others had to be put down.
Friends of the Earth said the plantation was logged in December in what it called a "massacre" that left hundreds of koalas dead or injured.
The conservation group said the scale of the incident was uncovered when local residents witnessed dead koalas being bulldozed into piles in recent days.
Abrupt thawing of permafrost will double previous estimates of potential carbon emissions from permafrost thaw in the Arctic, and is already rapidly changing the landscape and ecology of the circumpolar north, a new CU Boulder-led study finds.
Permafrost, a perpetually frozen layer under the seasonally thawed surface layer of the ground, affects 18 million square kilometers at high latitudes or one quarter of all the exposed land in the Northern Hemisphere. Current estimates predict permafrost contains an estimated 1,500 petagrams of carbon, which is equivalent to 1.5 trillion metric tons of carbon.
The new study distinguishes between gradual permafrost thaw, which affects permafrost and its carbon stores slowly, versus more abrupt types of permafrost thaw. Some 20% of the Arctic region has conditions conducive to abrupt thaw due to its ice-rich permafrost layer. Permafrost that abruptly thaws is a large emitter of carbon, including the release of carbon dioxide as well as methane, which is more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. That means that even though at any given time less than 5% of the Arctic permafrost region is likely to be experiencing abrupt thaw, their emissions will equal those of areas experiencing gradual thaw.
This abrupt thawing is "fast and dramatic, affecting landscapes in unprecedented ways," said Merritt Turetsky, director of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at CU Boulder and lead author of the study published today in Nature Geoscience. "Forests can become lakes in the course of a month, landslides occur with no warning, and invisible methane seep holes can swallow snowmobiles whole."
"Systems that you could walk on with regular hiking boots and that were dry enough to support tree growth when frozen can thaw, and now all of a sudden these ecosystems turn into a soupy mess," Turetsky said.
The pace of sea level rise accelerated at nearly all measurement stations along the US coastline in 2019, with scientists warning some of the bleakest scenarios for inundation and flooding are steadily becoming more likely.
Of 32 tide-gauge stations in locations along the vast US coastline, 25 showed a clear acceleration in sea level rise last year, according to researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (Vims).
The selected measurements are from coastal locations spanning from Maine to Alaska. About 40% of the US population lives in or near coastal areas.
The gathering speed of sea level rise is evident even within the space of a year, with water levels at the 25 sites rising at a faster rate in 2019 than in 2018.
The highest rate of sea level rise was recorded along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline, with Grand Isle, Louisiana, experiencing a 7.93mm annual increase, more than double the global average. The Texas locations of Galveston and Rockport had the next largest sea level rise increases.
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