Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Joe Bob Briggs: Goddammit, Don, Too Soon. Too Soon. (Taki's Magazine)
PHOENIX-The last time I saw Don Graham, we were talking about all the Canadian students at the University of Texas who come down to Austin and "don't know who Dobie is-I have to tell 'em who Dobie is."
Paul Waldman: Trump sucks up to Putin, embarrassing us yet again (Washington Post)
This comes after Trump announced in an interview with ABC News that he's ready to accept the help of any foreign government in his reelection campaign, with the Kremlin being the one most likely to answer his call. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is making sure that no legislation that might secure the American election system against Russian intrusion will ever come to a vote in the Senate. Given all that, it would be bizarre if Putin didn't mount another effort to help Trump win in 2020.
Andrew Tobias: Fat Shaming: Not The Way To Go
I label Trump a lying cheating bullying sociopath - all objectively true - but never mock his appearance. Looks-ism, I've always felt, is the pervasive, unnamed cousin of racism, sexism, and the rest. (Actually, says Google, it is named: "lookism." But have you ever heard anyone use that term?) In that context, I offer this cry from the heart by Your Fat Friend: …
YourFatFriend: #MarALard*ss and the Left's Fat Problem (Medium)
I sat at my laptop, a lifelong fat person and a lifelong progressive, watching it all unfold. My stomach sank, turning in on itself, as thousands of anti-Trump tweets targeted him not for his racism, xenophobia, transphobia, ableism, misogyny, proud history of sexual assault, destructive policies, bold power grabs, or the vast and serious harms he's causing in communities across the country and around the world. Instead, they posted pictures of his belly, his buttocks, his double chin.
Watch #TheInvestigation, The Mueller Report Adapted by Robert Schenkkan (New York Theater)
A starry cast of 18, including Annette Bening and Zachary Quinto, performed "The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts", a 77-minute adaptation of the Mueller Report by Pulitzer-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (The Kentucky Cycle, All The Way.) Directed by Scott Ellis, a staged reading of the play was presented live at Riverside Church, and simultaneously live-streamed, thanks to Law Works. Below is the video of the presentation.
Andrew Tobias: A Tax You Should Love
"… over the last three decades, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans saw their net worth grow by $21 trillion, while the wealth of the bottom 50 percent fell by $900 billion …" With that in mind, people in the top tenth of that one-percent are calling for a wealth tax you and I wouldn't have to pay. Read their call to action: …
Steve Sailer: White and Bright (Taki's Magazine)
A new study from Georgetown University reveals that if the student bodies of the 200 most selective American colleges were enrolled solely on objective SAT or ACT aptitude test scores, their student bodies would increase from 66 percent white under the current subjective system to 75 percent white.
David Cole: The Parable of the Nazi Pizza (Taki's Magazine)
Time and again, when I tried to find acting work for her, I'd be stymied by production execs who'd ask, "But what IS she? Is she Asian? White? Part Hispanic? A little black?" I would explain to those dunces that mixed-race was the way of the future, but in spite of my best efforts, Susan never got any meaningful gigs (the one role I did get her she only landed because the director, American Indian Movement activist Russell Means, mistakenly thought she was Injun). Eventually, Susan gave up on acting. She married an Irish lad, and had five beautiful kids.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
wrote:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• Hollywood screenwriter Charles MacArthur was angry at his movie studio, but he got his revenge. While buying gas at a service station one day, he noticed that the attendant had a thick English accent. After discovering that the man was making $30 a week, he told him that there was a better way to make a living. He then took him to the movie studio, introduced him as a well-known English novelist and friend of George Bernard Shaw, and very quickly the service station attendant was hired as a $1,000 a week screenwriter. Mr. MacArthur coached him on what to say at meetings (very little), and the gas station attendant managed to stay hired for a year without anyone finding out that he didn't know how to write.
• Diarmuid Russell and Henry Volkening ran Russell and Volkening Literary Representatives. Once, Mr. Volkening was double-crossed by an editor and therefore Mr. Volkening declined to send the editor any manuscripts. Months later, the editor took him to lunch and begged him to send him some manuscripts. Moreover, the editor promised that what had happened would never happen again. Mr. Volkening replied, "I know it won't ever happen again. I know because I'm not ever going to give you the opportunity."
• Luigi Cherubini once insulted Hector Berlioz, who got his revenge at a performance of Cherubini's Ali Baba. Berlioz sat in a front seat at the opera and yawned. Loudly he said, "I'll give 20 francs for one musical idea." Later he said, "I'll give 40 francs for one musical idea." As the opera progressed, Berlioz kept raising the price he would give for the presence of a musical idea in the opera, then finally he left, saying, "I give up. I'm simply not rich enough."
• Wilson Mizner was an unruly youth, so his family decided to send him to Santa Clara College, which had a reputation for straightening out upper-class delinquents. The "college" even had half-starved, ferocious dogs roaming the grounds at night to keep the youths from slipping away for some fun. Mr. Wilson got even with the authorities by tying a sirloin steak to the fire bell rope. In their attempts to eat the steak, the dogs kept jumping up and ringing the fire bell all night.
• Russian basso Fyodor Chaliapin (1873-1938) did not hesitate to boss opera stagehands around. In Massenet's Don Quichotte, he was supposed to enter the stage while riding a mule, which gave the stagehands an opportunity to get revenge. A stagehand stuck the mule with a sharp object, so Chaliapin rode a bucking mule onto the stage - he was barely able to keep his seat, let alone sing.
• Beau Brummell and George III's son disliked each other. At a reception, the Prince of Wales "cut" Mr. Brummell by pretending not to see him although he greeted people to the left and to the right of Mr. Brummell. However, Mr. Brummell got his revenge. Just as the Prince was about to speak to Brummell's friend, Mr. Alvaney, Mr. Brummell asked in a loud voice, "Alvaney, who's your fat friend?"
• This falls into the category of a dirty trick rather than a harmless prank. Alfred Hertz was forced to use a cane when walking very far. As conductor of Wagnerian operas at the Metropolitan Opera from 1902 to 1915, he used to leave his cane at the side of the orchestra pit, then walk to the podium. Musicians who disliked him would get his cane, then grease it.
• When Nasrudin was a small boy, he was bothered by a young bully who claimed that no one could trick him. One day, Nasrudin went to the bully and told him, "If you wait here, I will trick you like you have never been tricked before." Then Nasrudin went away, leaving the bully to wait for him until the bully realized that Nasrudin was not going to return.
• Mary Dugger, a lesbian, once stayed at a hotel for gay men in Manhattan. Unfortunately, the gay men were so disturbed by her presence that soon a concierge appeared, requesting that she vacate the premises quickly. To get revenge, before she left, she bought an extra-large box of tampons, then hung a tampon on every doorknob in the hotel.
• While running for the Senate in 1964, Robert Kennedy said, "People say I am ruthless. I am not ruthless. And if I find the man who is calling me ruthless, I shall destroy him."
• "If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten." - George Carlin.
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Sings 'Immigrant Song'
Robert Plant
When Robert Plant played Iceland's Summer Solstice Festival late last month, he wrapped up his set with a truncated rendition of "Immigrant Song," marking the first time he played any version of the Led Zeppelin classic since a 1996 Page and Plant concert. Plant often plays Zeppelin tunes at his solo shows in completely new arrangements, but as you can see from this fan-shot YouTube video, he sticks pretty close to the original even though he shaved off a few verses.
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wrote "Immigrant Song" when Led Zeppelin first toured Iceland in the summer of 1970. "We went to Iceland, and it made you think of Vikings and big ships," Plant said in 1970. "And bang, there it was -' Immigrant Song!'" The song became the lead single from Led Zeppelin III and peaked at #16 on the Hot 100, making it their third biggest stateside hit after "Whole Lotta" and "Black Dog." It was a regular part of their live show for a couple of years, but they dropped it in January 1973 and never played it again as a band.
Plant played it many times at his solo shows between 1988 and 1991 and occasionally on the road with Jimmy Page in 1995 and 1996, but it wasn't a part of Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion show at London's 02 Arena in 2007. Plant's ongoing solo tour is heavy on Zeppelin songs, including "When the Levee Breaks," "Black Dog," "Going to California" and Ramble On," but "Immigrant Song" vanished as soon as the tour left Iceland and probably won't return unless he comes back for another show in the "land of the ice and snow."
Robert Plant
Amazon Is The "Michael Jackson Of Shipping"
John Oliver
Amazon, says HBO's John Oliver, is the Michael Jackson of shipping: "They're the best at what they do, everybody tries to imitate them, and nobody who learns a third thing about them is happy they did."
That third thing was the subject of Sunday's Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, an extended look at the warehousing and shipping industry dominated by Amazon. Kicking off the segment by noting how much everyone loves to buy things online - and by how happy Amazon's warehouse workers seem in company promotional videos - Oliver then devoted about 20 minutes to exposing the grim, exhausting work conditions behind our every overnight delivery.
"The injury and illness rate in the warehouse industry is higher than coal mining, construction and logging," Oliver says at one point, "I didn't know there were jobs more dangerous than those other than maybe rodeo clown, Ooompa Loompa or or shark dentist."
As always, Oliver finds just the right video footage to make his point: We see Walmart CEO Doug McMillon on a stage praising two workers for coming up with a seemingly small innovation that will save the company $30 million annually.
"Yeah, give these guys a warm Walmart thank you," Oliver says, "which is of course a small round of applause, two hearty claps on the back and the request they get this sh*t off the stage and get back to work."
John Oliver
Adds 842 New Members
Motion Picture Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 842 new members in their annual effort to bring in new blood to the organization that hands out the Oscars. This is down from the 928 members invited last year, but 50% of this year's number are women, inching closer to the goal of creating an even playing field between female and male members. It marks an 7% increase in female members from 2015 to an overall 32% of the entire organization.
A total of 29% of the new class revealed Monday are people of color, marking an 8% increase in that statistic since 2015. Among the new invitees, 21 are already Oscar winners and 82 are past Oscar nominees.
New members among the acting branch include recent Best Song winner Lady Gaga, who is also being invited to the music branch; Sterling K. Brown; Claire Foy; and actors ranging in age from 23-year-old Spider-Man Tom Holland to the (shamefully) never-nominated legendary French star, 88-year-old Jean-Louis Trintignant.
Like last year, new members come from a total of 59 countries as the Academy continues to reshape itself as a visible global organization. Overall membership will now be over 9000, although the Academy did not provide an official statistic since technically this list is for "invitees" who must first accept the invitation to join.
Motion Picture Academy
Takes A Dramatic Turn
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco is making a big move after wrapping 12 seasons with "The Big Bang Theory," with a new production deal and a pivot from comedy to drama.
Cuoco has signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, the company said Monday. The agreement keeps Cuoco in business with the studio that produced "The Big Bang Theory," the CBS comedy in which Cuoco played Penny. It ended its hit run last May.
Her first announced project is the hour-long series "The Flight Attendant," a thriller based on the novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. It will be made for the WarnerMedia streaming service set to launch for consumers in early 2020.
Under the deal, Cuoco and her production company will develop ideas for original TV projects through various Warner TV group divisions. The projects will be aimed at platforms including broadcast, cable and streaming, the company said.
Kaley Cuoco
More Conservative Family Values
Duncan Hunter
Jurors can hear evidence of U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter's alleged extramarital affairs when they consider charges the California Republican looted campaign cash to finance vacations, golf outings and other personal expenses, a judge said Monday.
Prosecutors revealed salacious details about the married congressman's lifestyle in court filings last week, saying he used campaign money to illegally finance a string of romantic relationships with lobbyists and congressional aides.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan said the allegations were relevant to whether campaign money was spent illegally and spoke to motive and intent.
The judge acknowledged that the allegations were sensitive and said prosecutors and Hunter's team could decide how to describe the relationships.
The Hunter name represents something of a political dynasty in the area - his father captured the seat in 1980 and held it until his son was elected in 2008.
Duncan Hunter
Resumes Commercial Whaling
Japan
Five small Japanese whaling ships set sail for the first time in more than three decades Monday following that country's controversial decision to resume the hunt for the huge marine mammal.
Crew in orange life vests took positions on the decks as the blue-hulled ships sailed out of the northern port city of Kushiro, some with red banners fluttering from their masts.
The ships will spend much of the summer hunting for minke and Baird's beaked whales, Reuters reported.
Neither species is listed as endangered or threatened in the U.S. by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Norway and Iceland also openly defy the international ban, while an exemption allows indigenous communities in places like Greenland and Alaska to hunt whales.
Japan
Freak Hail Storm
Guadalajara
A freak hail storm on Sunday struck Guadalajara, one of Mexico's most populous cities, shocking residents and trapping vehicles in a deluge of ice pellets up to two meters (yards) deep.
"I've never seen such scenes in Guadalajara," said the state governor, Enrique Alfaro. "Then we ask ourselves if climate change is real. These are never-before-seen natural phenomenons," he said. "It's incredible."
Guadalajara, located north of Mexico City and with a population of around five million, has been experiencing summer temperature of around 31 Centigrade (88 Fahrenheit) in recent days.
While seasonal hail storms do occur, there is no record of anything so heavy.
Nearly 200 homes and businesses reported hail damage, and at least 50 vehicles were swept away by the deluge of ice in hilly areas, some buried under piles of pellets.
Guadalajara
Heat Wave
Alaska
Alaska's heat wave is driving wildfires and melting glaciers, choking the state's biggest cities with smoke and bloating rivers with meltwater.
In Anchorage, home to about 40 percent of Alaskans, the National Weather Service issued a dense smoke advisory on Sunday warning against prolonged outdoor activity, along with advisories for the elderly and the sick to stay indoors.
The culprit is the Swan Lake wildfire to the south in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, which has burned since a June 5 lightning strike and consumed more than 68,000 acres, fire managers said.
In all, there were 354 wildfires covering 443,211 acres in Alaska as of Sunday morning, according to state and federal fire managers.
Record warmth and near-record warmth in most of the state has created flammable conditions from the Canadian border in the east to the Bering Sea coast in the west.
Alaska
Continents Disappeared Without A Trace
Early Earth
It's not quite Atlantis, but a new model of the early development of continental crusts proposes Earth really did once have lost continents, they were just a few billion years early to support a fabled civilization. The idea comes from comparing the age and radioactivity of rocks across the planet
Efforts to study the Earth when life first appeared requires trips to a few remote locations where rocks date back that far. The conventional explanation for this has been that the continental crust formed slowly, and for a long time Earth's surface was largely oceanic crust, which gets recycled every few hundred million years. In this view, an alien passing the planet in its first billion years would have found just a few bits of continent like Western Australia's Jack Hills on what was otherwise a water-world.
Dr Derrick Hasterok of the University of Adelaide has challenged this idea and authored papers in Precambrian Research and Lithos, suggesting Earth's continental crust was much thicker, much earlier than current models imply, and continents could have existed as far back as 4 billion years ago before disappearing and leaving little trace.
Dr Hasterok's studies observe an inverse relationship between the age of rocks and their radioactivity. Although this has been observed before, the inclusion of 76,000 rock samples made it hard to ignore.
Early Earth
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