Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: The Comeback Skid (New York Times)
If there is a distinctive feature to New Jersey's belt-tightening under Mr. Christie, it is its curiously selective nature. The governor was willing to cancel the desperately needed project to build another rail tunnel linking the state to Manhattan, but has invested state funds in a megamall in the Meadowlands and a casino in Atlantic City.
Beverly Jenkins: 12 Cleverest Tip Jars (Oddee)
Tipping isn't always mandatory, but is a kind thing to do! Meet ten people who have figured out how to guilt, flatter, and trick customers into dropping a few dollars into their jars.
Electoral College Prediction Model Points to a Mitt Romney Win in 2012 (Huffington Post)
Two University of Colorado professors, one from Boulder and one from Denver, have put together an Electoral College forecast model to predict who will win the 2012 presidential election and the result is bad news for Barack Obama. The model points to a Mitt Romney victory in 2012.
George Dvorsky: Prominent scientists sign declaration that animals have conscious awareness, just like us (io9)
An international group of prominent scientists has signed The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness in which they are proclaiming their support for the idea that animals are conscious and aware to the degree that humans are - a list of animals that includes all mammals, birds, and even the octopus. But will this make us stop treating these animals in totally inhumane ways?
TUJA: Dance You Job-Seeking Monkey! Dance! (The Unknown Job Applicant)
If you've been out of work for any length of time, you've undoubtedly heard the old adage: "Job hunting is a full-time job," or some variation of it at least. I've been thinking about that for the last few days, and while I understand the sentiment, I think the analogy is wrong. You see, if job-hunting was an actual job, you'd get paid for it, and I don't know anyone that gets paid to look for a job. The relationship between job-hunter and job-hirer is not that equitable; it's much more like trained-monkey performing on the street corner and passer-by.
Matthew Yglesias: The Mystery of the Market Price (Slate)
A bumper crop is pushing lobster prices through the floor, so why aren't restaurants charging less?
Lance Pugmire: Lance Armstrong faces loss of titles (LA Times)
The seven-time Tour de France winner gives up fight against USADA's doping allegations, is set to be banned for life and stripped of wins.
Danny West: "The Paralympic Games: Resourcefulness, Determination, Spirit, Courage, Integrity" (Kuriositas)
Over the next few weeks we will witness the largest, most watched and attended Paralympics ever. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to engage with the world and demonstrate to the world what we can do. We can utilize this opportunity to tap into society's fascination about the ways in which we now live our lives.
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David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
"Doug's Most Shared Facebook Post" Today
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Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
PURPLE GENE'S MINI MICRO REVIEW
2016: OBAMA'S AMERICA
A CHALLENGE FROM THAT MADCAT FOR PURPLE GENE:
LOOK! HE'S IN THE THEATER WITH HIS TUB OF POPCORN AND HIS X-RAY VISION INSIGHT INTO MOVIE DRECK. "IT'S PURPLE GENE!!!" HE WILL WATCH ANYTHING TO PROTECT OUR EYEBALLS FROM MOVIE FLIM-FLAM.
2016: OBAMA'S AMERICA DOES "THE PURP" HAVE THE POWER TO STARE DOWN THIS EVIL CINEMATIC MONSTER? WILL THE "PURP" SURVIVE THIS HORRENDOUS MOVIE EXPERIENCE LONG ENOUGH TO GIVE US ALL HIS REPORT ON: TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY? STAY TUNED!!!
MADCAT
PURPLE GENE'S MINI MICRO REVIEW OF: "2016: OBAMA'S AMERICA" - OFFICIAL TRAILER"
A DOCUMENTARY DIRECTED BY GERALD R. MOLEN AND DINESH D'SOUZA (AUTHOR OF "THE ROOTS OF OBAMA'S RAGE")
I WAS CHALLENGED BY THAT DEAR MADCAT TO GO TO MOVIE THEATER AND WATCH AND REVIEW THE NEW PSEUDO DOCUMENTARY CALLED "2016: OBAMA'S AMERICA"....THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS I COULDNT FIND IT PLAYING IN ANY THEATER AT ALL IN THE WHOLE BAY AREA...I FINALLY FOUND IT PLAYING IN CASTRO VALLEY (A RIGHT WING CESSPOOL SOUTHEAST OF OAKLAND)...I WENT ON A SATURDAY MORNING....HOPING NOBODY I KNEW WOULD SEE ME....GOT A SMALL TUB OF OVERPRICED AND STALE REPUBLICAN POPCORN AND A 12 OUNCE CUP OF FLAT COLORLESS COKE. i SIDLED INTO THE FAR BACK SEATS AND GOT SET FOR THIS SO CALLED DOCUMENTARY....
FROM THE OPENING FRAMES OF THIS SLICKLY EDITED PIECE OF SHIT...I WAS ASSAULTED WITH FRIGHTENING "GULAG" MUSIC AND GRAINY IMAGES OF OUR PRESIDENT...EATING DOG AND DIGGING IN THE KENYAN DIRT OF HIS BOYHOOD....
AS THIS TOTALLY FALACIOUS FILM CONTINUED....THE FRIGHTENING IMAGES ON SCREEN AND THE FORBODING TONE OF DANESH DELIBERATELY EMBELLISHING THIS APOCOLYPTIC FRAUD...WITH BARRACK OBAMA AS THE EVIL ALIEN WHO WILL LEAD THIS COUNTRY TO RUINATION.
THIS WAS PROBABLY ONE OF HE MOST HIDEOUS AND HELLATIOUS EXPIENCES IVE EVER HAD IN MY SACRED "CHURCH OF THE CINEMA"..VIOLATED BY THIS VENOMOUS AND VIOLENT VIEW FROM THE EXTREME RIGHT WING OF OUR COUNTRY....I STAYED ALL THE WAY TILL THE EVIL ENDING WHERE WE ARE TOLD THAT "THIS IS WHAT WILL TRULY HAPPEN IF OBAMA BECOMES PRESIDENT FOR A 2ND TERM.....
I SKULKED OUT OF THE THEATER FEELING FILTHY AND FOOLISH FOR WASTING MY TIME AND MONEY ON SUCH AN INCREDIBLE PHONY FARCE......"YOU CAN TRUST THE RIGHT WING...TO LIE...LIE AND LIE!"
STAY AWAY FROM THIS MOVIE ...IT IS BAD FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH !
pURPLE gENE: gives "2016: Obama's America" ...a minus 10 malicious mysogynistic and monstrous lies, conspiracy theories and scare tactics out of 10....for being basically a foul smelling piece of pitiful propaganda......Fuck the right wing christian conservatives to Hell...AND THIS YEAR MORE THAN EVER ...IT WILL BE MOST IMPORTANT TO VOTE)
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Way too toasty.
Reprimanded For Leno Dig
Howard Stern
Howard Stern might be part of the NBC family with his "America's Got Talent" judging gig, but he certainly seems to be the black sheep among his new relatives.
Stern claimed on his radio show last Tuesday that an NBC executive made a "threatening kind of comment" to Stern after he blasted NBC late-night host Jay Leno as a "spineless maggot."
Stern slammed Leno last Monday on his show, following reports that Leno had taken a pay cut to save staffers' jobs after 20 employees were laid off from "The Tonight Show." The next day, Stern claimed on his Sirius XM Radio show that his attack on Leno was met with a chilly reception by one network executive.
On last Monday's radio show, Stern cast doubt on accounts that Leno was attempting to save staff members' jobs, suggesting to the contrary that Leno had wanted the staff cuts, and was hiding behind NBC.
"It's a smokescreen... Here's what it really means, and you can take this to the bank: Jay Leno is a scumbag, said Stern. "That's what that means. He's a spineless maggot. Jay wanted to cut staff. He's embarrassed to do it. He didn't want to come off as a bad guy."
Howard Stern
'The Science Guy' Hits Evolution Deniers
Bill Nye
In a clip posted to online knowledge forum Big Think via YouTube, former children's show host Bill Nye spoke out against the denial of evolution, saying such views harm young people especially and hamper scientific progress.
Nye, who hosted the educational show "Bill Nye the Science Guy," which aired on PBS Kids from 1993 through 1998, made the statements in a clip posted online on Thursday, and has since been viewed over one million times. In the clip, Nye praises the United States for its contribution to technological innovation, but says that the denial of evolution is unique to the country.
"People still move to the United States. And that's largely because of the intellectual capital we have, the general understanding of science," Nye said in the clip. "When you have a portion of the population that doesn't believe in that, it holds everybody back, really.
"Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. It's like, it's very much analogous to trying to do geology without believing in tectonic plates. You're just not going to get the right answer. Your whole world is just going to be a mystery instead of an exciting place," he added.
"And I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need people that can - we need engineers that can build stuff, solve problems.
Bill Nye
Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children - YouTube
Kristin Chenoweth To Co-Host Premiere
"Anderson Live"
Kristin Chenoweth will serve as the first co-host when Anderson Cooper's revamped daytime talk show returns September 10 for a second season, the show said Monday.
Chenoweth, who recently had to put a guest-starring run on CBS's "The Good Wife" on hold due to injuries she sustained while filming the political drama, will be followed by guest co-hosts includingGoldie Hawn, Kelly Osbourne, Cyndi Lauper, Howie Mandel, Erin Andrews, D.L. Hughley and Kellie Pickler.
Co-hosts are something new for Cooper's talk show, which is undergoing a number of changes from its first season. The show also gets a name change to "Anderson Live," from the previous "Anderson," and it will tape in front of a live audience in a new venue, moving from Lincoln Center to the CBS Broadcast Center in New York.
Celebrity guests for the upcoming season include Richard Gere, Beyoncé, Jake Gyllenhaal, Claire Danes, Meg Ryan, Ben Affleck, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Kerry Washington, Kelsey Grammar, Carol Burnett and Stephen Colbert.
"Anderson Live"
Geneva Fundraiser
George Clooney
George Clooney headlined a fundraiser Monday that took in more than a half-million dollars for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, the second dinner this year where the actor has turned his A-list magnetism into political gold.
Clooney raised almost $15 million for Obama's campaign at Clooney's Los Angeles home in May. This time he turned to Geneva, the European hub of the United Nations and a global center for international organizations, governance and business, to pull in a more modest amount for the president's re-election effort.
Organizers said they had taken in at least $625,000 from U.S. donors for Obama's campaign, including many who were flying in to Geneva for the one-night event from around the world.
Americans Abroad for Obama, the event's sponsor, says on its Web site that guests are paying $15,000 per person to dine with Clooney, $5,000 for a photo with him and $1,000 to attend a reception before the dinner.
George Clooney
Medical Leave
Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts says Friday will be her last day co-anchoring "Good Morning America" for a while.
On Monday's edition of the ABC News wakeup program, Roberts made official the start date for what's being called her "extended medical leave."
Roberts told viewers in July that she has MDS, a blood and bone marrow disease once known as preleukemia.
Roberts noted she is luckier than many most workers who become ill. She says her bosses have been generous in giving her the needed time off, and her job is waiting for her when she's well enough to return. She described herself as "very blessed."
Robin Roberts
Hospital News
Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday, the French entertainer famed for his Elvis-like style and gravelly voice, was briefly hospitalized with a severe case of bronchitis, his producer said.
The hospitalization Sunday on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe was a "precautionary measure," the Sipa news agency quoted producer Gilbert Coullier as saying. The 69-year-old singer was on a summer break from his tour that is still slated to resume in October.
The hospital said in a statement Monday that Hallyday was healthy enough to be discharged and would head to the nearby island of Martinique, where follow-up tests could be done.
Hallyday has been popular in France for five decades, bringing his own combination of American culture and French songs to packed concert halls.
Johnny Hallyday
Mormon Censorship
KSL
A Mormon church-owned NBC affiliate in Utah won't air an upcoming sitcom about a gay couple that invites a surrogate mother into their home as they try to have a baby because the station deems the content inappropriate for its audience.
"After viewing the pilot episode of 'The New Normal,' we have made the decision to keep it off our fall schedule," Jeff Simpson, CEO of KSL's parent company, Bonneville International, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told the Deseret News.
"For our brand, this program simply feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time," Simpson told the newspaper, which also is owned by the Mormon church.
Over the years, KSL has deemed several other shows inappropriate for its viewers, including "Saturday Night Live," which instead airs on Salt Lake City's KUCW.
KSL
Tops Forbes' List
Oprah
Her new television network is struggling, but Oprah Winfrey's bank account is doing just fine, according to financial website Forbes.com, which on Monday named the talk show queen as the highest paid celebrity for the fourth straight year.
Winfrey has failed to find major success with joint venture partner Discovery Communications on the OWN network, but her ownership in syndicated TV shows such as "Dr. Phil," "Rachael Ray," "The Dr. Oz Show" and other media products enabled her to earn an estimated $165 million between May 2011 and May 2012, Forbes.com said in a story posted on Monday.
Close behind was movie director Michael Bay, whose action-packed adventure flick "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" released last year, helped him earn $160 million based on participation in ticket and toy sales and other revenue.
Another film director, Steven Spielberg, earned $130 million in the 12-month period covered by Forbes from his participation with TV shows like "Smash" and the release of the movies "The Adventures of Tintin" and "War Horse."
For the rest: Oprah
Officials Checking Book
"No Easy Day"
U.S. officials said Monday that they are reviewing a copy of a soon-to-be-published account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, checking for leaks of classified information. The book, "No Easy Day," is scheduled for publication on Sept. 11.
The author, a former Navy SEAL who participated in the raid, did not submit the book for pre-publication review that is required by the military secrecy agreements officials say he signed.
Pentagon regulations stipulate that retired personnel, former employees and non-active duty members of the Reserves "shall use the DoD security review process to ensure that information they submit for public release does not compromise national security."
Pentagon officials say that if they determine the manuscript reveals classified information about the raid, the Pentagon would "defer to the Department of Justice."
"No Easy Day"
Lawyer Appeals Sentences
Pussy Riot
Three members of the Pussy Riot punk band have appealed a court's decision to jail them for two years for their "punk prayer" against Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral, their lawyer said Monday.
The stunt angered Russia's dominant Orthodox Church, but the women's trial and punishment also upset human rights activists and others who accused the Kremlin and the Church of orchestrating the trial amid a crackdown on Putin's critics.
Protests supporting the women have been held in many countries, and celebrities such as Paul McCartney have called for their release.
The women were sentenced on Aug. 17, and their lawyer Violetta Volkova said the appeal was submitted to the Khamovniki district court on Monday. A decision is expected within 10 days. Meanwhile, the band has said that at least two of its members have fled Russia to avoid arrest.
Pussy Riot
Shatters Historic Record Low
Arctic Sea Ice
Arctic sea ice, the white cap that covers the watery northern edge of the planet, has melted back to a record low level.
However, the ice is unlikely to stop shrinking. Arctic sea melts through the summer usually reaching its annual minimum in September.
On Sunday (Aug. 26), Arctic sea-ice extent fell to 1.58 million square miles (4.10 million square kilometers), surpassing the previous low, set on Sept. 18, 2007, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reports. Sea-ice extent refers to the area of ocean covered at least 15 percent by sea ice, according to the NSIDC.
The record low, set in 2007, stood at 1.61 square miles (4.17 square kilometers).
Continuous satellite records of sea-ice extent began in 1979. But in recent years, satellite data have shown a shift in the fluctuating ice cover. For example, including this year, the six lowest ice extentsin the satellite record have occurred in the last six years, the NSIDC reports.
Arctic Sea Ice
Berlin Show To Mark Centenary Of Find
Nefertiti
Berlin is to honor the centenary of the discovery of a famed bust of Egypt's Queen Nefertiti - one of the city's top tourist attractions - with an exhibition of works from the Amarna site where it was found.
Neues Museum officials said Monday that the show, "In the Light of Amarna - 100 Years of the Find of Nefertiti" will open Dec. 6. That's the 100th anniversary of the day when a German excavator unearthed the 3,300-year old limestone bust of the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaton in southern Egypt.
The show will include some 600 objects, many of which have been held in the Berlin museum's stores over the decades and which organizers hope will illustrate life in ancient Egypt. They include some 200 items being restored in time for the exhibition. There's also an excavator's diary, including a sketch of Nefertiti.
Nefertiti herself will be at the center of the exhibition at the Neues Museum, home to the city's Egyptian collection, where the bust was first displayed in 1924.
Nefertiti
Money 'Well Spent'
Jack Abramoff
Former super lobbyist Jack Abramoff -- who served 43 months on fraud, bribery and tax evasion charges -- has come to the Republican National Convention in Tampa seeking redemption through honesty. And in the process, he is helping pull back the shroud on what really occurs in the bars and back rooms of the nation's lavish political conventions.
"Virtually every interaction that a lobbyist has with a Congressman is money well spent, from the lobbyist's point of view," Abramoff told ABC News.
In Tampa, that lavish spending is well underway -- largely undeterred by stormy weather. On Sunday, a top D.C. lobbying firm rented out the Tampa Art Museum for an elegant reception behind a heavily fortified security perimeter.
Donors willing to pay up to $25,000 to help Republican U.S. Senate candidates were treated to an invite-only concert with big-name bands that included the Commodores. The cost was underwritten by major corporations that have extensive needs from Congress, including AT&T, AFLAC, and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
"If you're conveying something of value to a public servant, a tee time [on the golf course], a meal, a fundraising check … what is that, other than a bribe?" he said. "In Washington, it's impolite to say this, and I've been attacked vociferously for saying this, and I used to participate in it. But the truth is, it wasn't fine when I was doing it, and it's not fine now."
Jack Abramoff
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