Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Joe Bob Briggs: Zero Tolerance for Zero Tolerance (Taki's Magazine)
"Zero tolerance" is especially hard on people who are autistic or who have Asperger's syndrome because they often don't realize the consequences of their actions or the boundaries within which they're expected to work. But even in less extreme cases-people who just have overly emotional personalities or talk too much because they're needy-the "zero tolerance" policy is like a cruel scythe that's used to weed them out of acceptable society.
Joe Bob Briggs: Exit the President (Taki's Magazine)
The assumption behind all these dystopian/Orwellian/Hitlerian scenarios is that Trump's secret purpose is to build an oppressive superstate. Fortunately, anyone with a fourth-grade education who lives in the Midwest, unlike the cultural Brahmins at Lincoln Center, can see that he's doing the opposite. He's tearing stuff up. He's castrating the EPA, hollowing out the Department of Education, carving up HUD, firing people for disloyalty to him personally, deciding that we don't need foreign ambassadors anymore. If you're looking for entertainment-related metaphors, you don't need Shakespeare. Use any Monster Truck Show.
Philip Pullman: why we believe in magic (Guardian)
The world of magic defies rational explanation, but beware dismissing it as nonsense. Like religious experience and poetry, it is a crucial aspect of being human, writes the Dark Materials author.
Nicholas Barber: Why Some Like It Hot is the greatest comedy ever made (BBC)
Some Like It Hot is too buoyant to be brought down to earth by such prissiness. When Sugar learns that Joe has been tricking her, she runs straight into his arms. When Osgood learns that Jerry has been tricking him, he doesn't bat an eyelid. The message is that there is nothing wrong with faking it until you make it. Experimenting with a new identity can help you become a better, happier person. It can help you survive. And, if you're lucky, you'll find someone who accepts you for whomever you want to be - perfect or otherwise.
Joe Bob Briggs: "Niagara Falls, Ontario: World's Greatest Tourist Trap" (Taki's Magazine)
Niagara Falls is a perfect 10. You might as well put a giant picture of Clifton Hill next to the word "Mecca" in the next edition of the Rand McNally Road Atlas, because you will never match this. Let's break it down according to the ten standards on the Joe Bob Briggs Roadmaster Tourist Attraction Scale. Witness the splendor: STANDARD NUMBER ONE: Any great tourist center must have a Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum.
Joe Bob Briggs: NYC's Yuppie Hipster Bicycle Goddess (Taki's Magazine)
In one of the world's most notoriously bureaucratic cities, where it takes two years of hearings and community board meetings to get a new swing set on the park playground, Janette Sadik-Khan has authorized enough bicycles-only pavement to stretch from New York to Washington, DC, and beyond. By comparison, in the bike-crazy city of Austin, Texas, they have something called the Lance Armstrong Bikeway Project. It was authorized in 1999 and they still haven't finished it, and when they do it finish it, it will be…six miles long.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• When famed Canadian portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh took a photograph of playwright George Bernard Shaw, Mr. Shaw said that he would give him only five minutes to take the shot. Mr. Karsh pleaded for 10 minutes, to which Mr. Shaw replied, "When I said five, I meant 10. When you say 10, you probably mean half an hour. This is likely to end up with you taking all the time you want." Mr. Shaw spoke truly. The photo shoot ended up taking much, much longer than five-or 10-minutes. During the photo shoot, the two men discussed caricatures-drawings that exaggerate (sometimes cruelly) the features of one's face and body. Mr. Shaw spoke about the best caricature of himself that he had ever seen. At a dinner party, he conversed with his hostess, then admired a caricature of himself hanging on a wall. He felt that the caricature was cruel, but still the best he had ever seen done of himself. However, when he went to take a closer look at the caricature, he discovered that he had been looking at his reflection in a mirror.
• Fritz Leopold Hennig, a painter, was a German prisoner of war who was returned to Germany by way of Venice after the end of World War I. As a painter, he wanted desperately to see Venice, especially since he believed he would never again be in Venice. He asked for permission to leave the ship, the Semiramis, but found it difficult to get permission to leave, as shore leave for returning prisoners of war was against regulations. However, an Italian officer was sympathetic to him. He told Mr. Hennig to speak only English, then he and Mr. Hennig got ready to leave the ship by the gangway ladder. A guard stopped them, telling them that no civilian could leave the ship, but the Italian officer replied, "That's all right. This is the American Consul who has just been visiting the ship." The guard apologized and saluted Mr. Hennig, then the Italian officer and Mr. Hennig visited Venice for two days before reboarding the ship and returning Mr. Hennig to Germany.
• In New York City, Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe lived together with very little money. Ms. Smith remembers, "We had no money to get anything to eat, no money for art supplies-we were considerably down." However, the two ran across an abandoned pair of very expensive alligator-skin shoes in the street; these shoes were worth $300 or $400. Ms. Smith looked at Mr. Mapplethorpe and asked, "Clothes or art?" Mr. Mapplethorpe replied, "Both," and then he put on the shoes, using newspaper to make a good fit. A little later, he went home and put the expensive shoes in an art installation he was making. Ms. Smith remembers, "Everything was always Life or Art. It was magical when something could cross over and be both."
• Rembrandt van Rijn didn't have to worry about models. The people depicted in his Night Watch are all people who paid him to be in the painting. Those who paid more got a better position in the painting.
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Current Events
New units of time
A Trump: any amount of time that seems way longer than it is, due to how horrible an experience it is.
A pompeo -- the amount of time it takes to fly to North Korea; achieve nothing except rejection, humiliation, and jet-lag; and fly back to the US.
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We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
"SOCK IT TO ME!
KAVANAUGH NEEDS A BLOW JOB!
BULLSHIT! PART TWO.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
If you've ever thought about sending Marty a donation this would be an excellent time.
Wins Emmys Governors Award
'Star Trek' Franchise
The "Star Trek" franchise has been named recipient of the 2018 Governors Award from the Television Academy, which will present CBS Television Studios with the honor at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony on Sept. 8.
The award was voted by the Academy's board of governors, which created the honor in 1978 to honor "an individual or organizational achievement in the television arts and sciences that is exceptional and universal in nature and goes beyond the scope of annual Emmy Awards recognition," according to a press release.
Since it was created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966, the "Star Trek" franchise has spawned seven television series (one animated) with more than 700 episodes, as well as 13 theatrical movies. Over the years, "Star Trek" shows have received 30 Emmys, the majority of which, 17, went to "Star Trek: The Next Generation" between 1987 and 1994.
The "Deep Space Nine," "Voyager" and "Enterprise" series also won awards, while the original series received 13 nominations - including three for actor Leonard Nimoy - but never won an Emmy.
'Star Trek' Franchise
Face Of Nike 'Just Do It' Campaign
Colin Kaepernick
Nike Inc chose Colin Kaepernick, the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem as a protest against racism, as a face of advertisements commemorating its "Just Do It" slogan's 30th anniversary, a move that could draw U.S. President Donald Trump's ire.
The former NFL quarterback on Monday posted a black-and-white close-up of himself on Instagram and Twitter featuring the Nike logo and "Just do it" slogan as well as a quote, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."
"We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward," said Gino Fisanotti, a Nike vice president of brand for North America, according to ESPN.
"Colin has been a Nike athlete since 2011," said Nike spokeswoman Sandra Carreon-John. She did not respond to questions about the latest ad campaign.
Representatives for Kaepernick and the NFL did not respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment on Monday.
Colin Kaepernick
Festival Drops Bannon
New Yorker
The New Yorker Festival announced its lineup Monday and hours later dropped its headlining guest, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, after at least five comedian panelists announced via Twitter they would not participate if Bannon remained.
Staff members of the New Yorker tweeted that editor-in-chief David Remnick, who was set to interview Bannon, sent an internal memo saying that he's "re-considered" and "changed my mind." According to New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum, he may interview Bannon on the Radio Hour instead.
John Mulaney tweeted "I'm out" and explained that while he "genuinely support[s] public intellectual debate…this isn't James Baldwin vs William F Buckley." He went on to characterize Bannon's inclusion as "PT Barnum level horses-" and added "hard pass on this amateur-night sonofabitch."
"If Steve Bannon is at the New Yorker festival I am out," wrote Judd Apatow. "I will not take part in an event that normalizes hate. I hope the @NewYorker will do the right thing and cancel the Steve Bannon event. Maybe they should read their own reporting about his ideology."
Patton Oswalt also rescinded his participation Monday. "Sorry @NewYorker. See if Milo Yiannopoulos is free?"
New Yorker
Abu Dhabi Postpones Unveiling
"Salvator Mundi"
Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi", a painting that courted controversy after Saudi Arabia's crown prince was named as its alleged secret buyer, will not be unveiled on schedule, Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism said on Monday.
The portrait of Christ, which became the most expensive painting ever after a sale by Christie's auction house, was scheduled to be on display at a new branch of the Louvre in Abu Dhabi from Sept. 18. The authorities did not specify a reason for the delay.
The Abu Dhabi state-linked newspaper, The National, reported the museum might wait until the first anniversary of its opening in November to unveil the painting, which was purchased last year for $450.3 million (£350 million) by an unidentified buyer.
A report in the Wall Street Journal said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was identified as the buyer of the painting in U.S. intelligence reports, according to people with direct knowledge of the information, even as the 33-year-old son of the king pushes ambitious economic reforms that include austerity measures.
A Saudi official denied that report at the time, and a document seen by Reuters showed that Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, a relative of the crown prince who subsequently became the kingdom's first culture minister, had been authorised to make the purchase on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism.
"Salvator Mundi"
Likely To Try To Block Release
Lawyers
Donald Trump's (R-Grifter) legal team will likely try to stop the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign, the president's top lawyer has said.
Rudy Giuliani (R-Bad Veneers), the former mayor of New York who now serves as legal adviser to the president, said the White House legal team will probably try to use executive privilege to block it being made public.
"I'm sure we will," Mr Giuliani told the New Yorker, when asked about the possible invoking of privilege. He said the final decision would taken by the president.
Because attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from overseeing the Russia probe - something that has infuriated Mr Trump and which may see him being fired - Mr Mueller will issue the report, when completed, to deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.
The magazine said Mr Rosenstein will then have the ability to release the report to Congress and the public. But Mr Giuliani has signalled that the president may move to stop that from happening, a move that would result in a legal battle over whether Mr Rosenstein is allowed to disclose the report.
Lawyers
National Museum,
Brazil
Brazil's National Museum, ravaged Sunday by a massive fire, is Latin America's largest natural history and anthropology museum, with more than 20 million artefacts and 530,000 titles.
Marking its 200-year anniversary in June, it was founded in 1818 by Portuguese King Joao VI and has been installed since 1892 in a former royal palace.
It sits in the Quinta da Boa Vista public park in the north of Rio de Janeiro, former palace gardens that now include the city's impressive Zoological Garden.
The museum has about 150,000 visitors a year, according to its website, and has become an important centre of research and learning, integrated since 1946 into the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
The residence of the Portuguese royal family in the early 1800s and then the Brazilian imperial family, the Saint Christopher Palace is 11,400 square metres (123,000 square feet) in area, around a third of which is dedicated to exhibition halls.
Brazil
Ancient Village Predates Pharaohs
Egypt
One of the oldest-known villages in the Nile Delta, dating back to the Neolithic era, has been discovered in Egypt.
Chief archaeologist Frederic Gio said his joint Egyptian and French mission found silos containing animal bones and food, as well as pottery and stone tools, in the fertile Tell al-Samara, in the northern province of El-Dakahlia, around 90 miles north of Cairo.
It indicated human habitation as early as 5,000 BC, some 2,500 years before the Giza pyramids were built, Egypt's antiquities ministry said.
"Analysing the biological material that has been discovered will present us with a clearer view of the first communities that settled in the Delta and the origins of agriculture and farming in Egypt," said Nadia Khedr, a ministry official responsible for Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities on the Mediterranean.
Rain-based Neolithic farming may hold vital clues to a technological leap that led to irrigation-based farming along the Nile.
Egypt
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