Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Tierney Sneed: How Trump's Obamacare Sabotage Sets Him Up For His Own Political Misery (TPM)
"We've seen this story before," another Senate Democratic staffer told TPM. "Republicans say it would be a bad idea if Trump does something. Trump does it, and then congressional Republicans tie themselves in knots to say it's actually fine. They're still afraid to be crosswise with the President, even if it means premiums in their state go up."
Josh Marshall: For Me To Win, You Have to Lose (TPM)
In every deal, he has to win and you have to lose. It actually goes a bit deeper. He doesn't know he's won until you lose.
Paul Krugman: Subsidies, Spite, and Supply Chains (NY Times Blog)
As many people have been pointing out, Trump's decision to cancel cost-sharing subsidies for health plans is a rare policy trifecta: it raises prices, reduces the number of people with insurance, and costs taxpayers money. Nor is there evidence of any political strategy worthy of the name. This is policy driven by sheer spite: Trump can't get what he wants from Congress, so he's going to punish innocent people.
Geoffrey O'Brien: "Othello: In Pieces" (Criterion)
More fundamentally, no line can be assumed to be voiced by the actor on-screen, any shot is quite likely to be followed by a reverse shot filmed at a different time in a different place, and, as Welles explained, "if you can't see the actor's face, you can be pretty sure it's not him."
Dennis Lim: "David Lynch: The Art Life: Go with Ideas" (Criterion)
The documentary David Lynch: The Art Life (2016) takes its title from a favorite phrase of its subject's. Words, for Lynch, can be transporting: think of all the incantations in his films-"Now it's dark," "It is happening again," "This is the girl"-that become destabilizing, spell-like forces the moment they are uttered. This was the case for him even as a teenager in the 1960s, when the very words "the art life"-discovered in a book by the American realist painter Robert Henri called The Art Spirit-signaled a passage into another world.
Sean Martin: "REVEALED: The DEADLIEST volcanoes on Earth that could spark a MAJOR DISASTER" (Express)
OVER the past few weeks, populations around the globe have been hit with fear after devastating seismic activity across the globe.
I Accidentally Became Famous In Another Country (YouTube)
One BuzzFeed article leads to a country-wide campaign involving newspapers, fundraising, and the highest level of government.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
answered:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
David E Suggests
Plastics
David
Thanks, Dave!
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
He has broken the truth!
Everyone lies from time to time--white lies, whole truths we don't tell to spare someone's feelings. Presidents lie from time to time--they stretch facts to fit their agendas; they look at the rosiest possible interpretation of an event to make things look good.
But this jerk tells shocking lies, obvious lies--for no reason. And even if confronted with the fact that he has told a lie, he tells a different version of the lie!
I used to hear a president speak and think, "he's probably telling the truth; I'll make sure." I hear this guy and think--"he's lying; god only knows what the truth is; I don't care because he's lying; the truth is probably the opposite of his word salad."
How are we ever going to believe what the actual state of anything is when his default is to lie to us? How can we ever respond appropriately to any emergency or situation because he's lying to us!
NOTHING is beneath him to lie about. Today:
[I have written [the deceased service members' families] personal letters. They were sent or are going out over the weekend. I will at some point during the period of time call the parents and the families. Because I have done that traditionally. I felt very, very badly about that. I feel badly. It's the toughest-the toughest calls that I have to make are the calls where this happens. Soldiers are killed. It's a very difficult thing. It gets to a point where, you know, you make four or five of them in one day, it's a very tough day. For me, that's by far the toughest. The traditional way, if you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn't make calls. Lot of them didn't make calls. I like to call when it's appropriate, when I think I'm able to do it. They have made the ultimate sacrifice. So generally I would say that I like to call. I'm going to be calling them. I want a little time to pass. I'm going to be calling them. I have, since I have been president, I have. But in addition, I actually wrote letters, individually, to the soldiers we're talking about and they will be going out either today or tomorrow.]
Ye gods! He's written letters (someone was assigned to write for him). They were mailed--this weekend OR they will be mailed today...or maybe tomorrow...or sometime--I'm sure someone will mail them eventually.
And to say that previous presidents have not called families of fallen soldiers! EVERY damn president has called families of fallen soldiers since the invention of the telephone!
But honestly, letters written to dead soldiers won't do much good at all. I'm thinking the FAMILIES of those soldiers need more comforting than the dead guys.
He has BROKEN the truth. We're on our own. If we had to depend on him, we would be in free fall. We HAVE to depend on the media now to tell us what is going on. And his idiot followers are being fed MORE LIES by Faux "news." They are even more fucked than we are.
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
OLIGARCHY!
TWO TURKEYS.
GO FUCK YOURSELF ASSHOLE!
A FASCIST GOES TO COURT.
UNDER THE DAMN BUS! ENJOY THE RIDE.
MONUMENTS? MONUMENTS?! WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING MONUMENTS!
'HOPE IS NOT ENOUGH ANYMORE'
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Better than 20° hotter than seasonal.
No Regrets
Jimmy Kimmel
Late night television show host Jimmy Kimmel has dismissed losing Republican viewers in light of his controversial segments on healthcare and gun control and said: "Not good riddance, but riddance!"
Indeed, he told a US broadcaster he would "do it again in a heartbeat".
He told CBS that he was liked equally by both Republicans and Democrats just three years ago.
But the number of more politically conservative numbers "went way down - like 30 per cent", he said.
The less than ideal ratings numbers aside, Mr Kimmel, said: "If they're so turned off by my opinion on health care and gun violence, then I don't know. I probably won't want to have a conversation with them anyway."
Jimmy Kimmel
Book Banned In Mississippi
To Kill A Mockingbird
The decision by a Mississippi school district board to pull Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird from approved school reading lists has drawn widespread criticism.
The 1960 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alabama native Harper Lee explores racism and injustice in a small town, however according to Kenny Holoway, the vice president of the Biloxi school district, the novel contains language that "makes people uncomfortable."
Educators and campaigners have joined in criticism of the move, which was first reported by The Biloxi Sun Herald Thursday.
The decision was one of the latest in a long line of controversial book bans by school boards in the U.S. with the number of texts banned or challenged on the rise in the U.S. in recent years, according to the Kids Right to Read Project
To Kill A Mockingbird
Colliding Stars
Gravitational Waves
Scientists for the first time have detected both gravitational waves and light from the collision of two dead, incredibly dense neutron stars.
Monday's announcement by American and European scientists, marked with news conferences and the publication of dozens of research papers, represents another huge leap forward in our understanding of the universe.
The neutron star collision also formed a number of other heavy elements like gold, platinum and lead, confirming decades of speculation regarding their origin.
While detectors in Louisiana, Washington and Italy registered the gravitational waves on Aug. 17, the collision itself happened about 130 million years ago. Researchers recorded a large burst of gamma rays from the same source, two seconds after the gravitational waves.
Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916, but it wasn't until 2016 that scientists were actually able to detect them and confirm their existence.
Gravitational Waves
Roman Structure Uncovere
Jerusalem
Israeli archaeologists in Jerusalem's Old City on Monday unveiled a newly unearthed section of the Western Wall and the first Roman public structure ever discovered in the city, they said.
Archaeologist Joe Uziel said he and his colleagues knew the wall section was there and had expected to find a Roman street at its base.
"But as we excavated and excavated we realised we weren't getting to the street. Instead we have this circular building," he told reporters at the underground site.
"Basically we realised that we were excavating a theatre-like (Roman) structure."
He said that carbon-14 and other dating methods indicated it came from the second or third centuries AD and appeared to be unfinished.
Jerusalem
Lies, Again
T-rump
In an attempt to defend his lack of public statements about four soldiers killed in Niger, President-for-now Trump (R-Execrable) falsely claimed that previous presidents did not call the families of dead soldiers - name-checking former President Barack Obama specifically as one of those who did not.
"I've written them personal letters," Trump said at a press conference. "They've been sent or they're going out tonight, but they were written during the weekend. I will at some point during the period of time call the parents and the families, 'cause I have done that traditionally."
"The traditional way, if you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn't make calls, a lot of them didn't make calls," he added.
Trump was later pressed on the false claim, but he declined to retract it.
On Monday, former Obama aides Alyssa Mastromonaco and Dan Pfeiffer responded on to Trump's claim, calling him a "deranged animal" and "a deeply disturbed ignoramus who is a pathological liar," respectively. Another former Obama staffer, Ben Rhodes, also condemned the "outrageous and disrespectful lie."
T-rump
Losing House Could Spell Impeachment
Republicans
Republicans are reportedly concerned that Donald Trump (R-Crooked) could be impeached if they lose control of the House of Representatives.
While chances were once slim that Democrats would retake the House in 2018, Mr Trump's feuds with members of his own party and his lack of major legislative wins have made the possibility more likely.
Democrats need a net gain of 24 seats in the 2018 midterm elections to have a majority in the 435-member House.
"If we lose the House, he could get impeached. Do you think he understands that?" one top GOP donor said an exasperated Republican senator declared privately, according to CNN.
"Won't it be ironic that Steve Bannon helped get the President elected and impeached?" another top Republican official told CNN.
Republicans
Sexual Harassment Stories Sweep Social Media
#MeToo
Million of women across the world have been sharing their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse in an online campaign using the hashtag #MeToo on Twitter and with rolling posts on Facebook.
The social media meme was sparked by "Charmed" actress Alyssa Milano on Sunday, who asked her followers to reply "Me Too" if they had ever been sexually harassed or assaulted.
It was a reaction to sexual abuse allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.
Milano's original tweet received over 37,000 comments, and the hashtag was one of the top trends on Twitter in Britain and the United States. On Facebook, around 7 million people were discussing "Me Too" on Monday afternoon.
Some men who said they were also victims of sexual assault took to the social media to share their stories, including one of the stars of Broadway musical "Hamilton," Javier Munoz.
#MeToo
Pot Farmer's Dreams Go Up In Smoke
California
Andrew Lopas' plans to bring his marijuana business out of the black market with a legal, profitable and organic pot farm went up in smoke in the wildfires that have scorched Santa Rosa, California.
After four decades of growing pot illegally, the 54-year-old saw an opportunity last year to start a legitimate business serving the medical marijuana market.
Last Sunday, as the wildfires, which have now killed at least 40 people, first erupted, Lopas' cannabis farm in Santa Rosa went up in flames, leaving behind the stumps of two chimneys, heaps of ash, charred marijuana plants and a despairing entrepreneur.
After moving into the farm last November, he had been only days away from his first harvest.
Lost in the conflagration at Mystic Spring Farms were 2,500 pounds (1,100 kg) of cannabis worth an estimated $2 million, $10,000 in cash to pay the mortgage and workers, a farmhouse that dated back to the 18th century, trailers and farm vehicles, and 900 marijuana plants.
California
Drive For New Marine Sanctuary
Antarctica
Australia and France kick off a fresh push Monday to create a vast marine sanctuary in pristine East Antarctica, hoping to build on the success of landmark deal secured last year at a key annual conservation summit.
The fate of the plan to shield critical areas of ocean around the frozen continent rests with the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which meets in Hobart until October 27.
In a major breakthrough, agreement was reached in 2016 to establish the world's largest reserve after Russia dropped its long-held opposition over fishing rights.
That earlier deal saw a massive US and New Zealand-backed marine protected area (MPA) around the Ross Sea, covering more than 1.55 million square kilometres (600,000 square miles) -- roughly the size of Britain, Germany and France combined.
A large part of it will be a no-fishing zone with the protection taking effect from December 1, the result of years of pressure by conservationists.
Antarctica
In Memory
Roy Dotrice
Roy Dotrice, a veteran British actor, died at his London home on Monday. He was 94.
Dotrice was known for his role as Leopold Mozart in the Oscar-winning film "Amadeus" and his many theater and TV roles.
Dotrice is remembered for his role in the CBS TV series "Beauty and the Beast" and won a BAFTA best TV actor award in 1969 for his role in "Misleading Cases."
He gained many new fans later in his career as narrator for audiobook editions of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of novels, which helped inspire the TV fantasy "Game of Thrones."
Dotrice was also a wireless operator and an air gunner with the Royal Air Force prior to his acting career. His plane was shot down and he was a prisoner of war from 1942 until 1945.
He sometimes performed for other prisoners in shows designed to raise their spirits and took up acting fulltime after the conclusion of World War II.
He was honored by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 when he was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
His family said his three daughters, grandchildren and great grandson were with him when he died. His wife Kay died in 2007 after 60 years of marriage.
Roy Dotrice
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