Thursday, January 31, 2019

Story Of The Week

ChicagoMag: Tom Justice was once a cyclist chasing Olympic gold. Then he began using his bike for a much different purpose: robbing banks By Steven Leckart

Trapped

The Atlantic: Being Trapped Indoors Is the Worst - In extreme cold, people are lucky to have shelter. But staying cooped up for days can do strange things to your brain. by Amanda Mull

The Polar Vortex

The Daily Beast: Polar Vortex Breaks Record-Low Temps, Snaps Steel, Empties Cities - A look across America where it can feel like -66 degrees in some places, leaving areas almost uninhabitable. by Victoria Albert
The bitter cold has shattered temperature records across the United States. Mason City, Iowa hit a record low of -28; nearby Albert Lea, Minnesota bottomed out at -29, with wind chills as low as the -50s. Rockford, Illinois broke its all-time cold record at -31, as did Moline (-33), Cedar Rapids, Iowa (-30), Mather, Wisconsin (-43), and Cotton, Minnesota (-56). Ponsford, Minnesota, reportedly suffered through a chilling perceived temperature of -66 degrees.

Knicks Trade Porzingis

NY Daily News: BREAKING: Knicks trade Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas

Closing The Circle

Salon: Mueller closes the circle of Russian collusion on Trump - The next indictment will tie together the Russians, WikiLeaks, and the top of the Trump campaign by Lucian K. Truscott IV

The Onion - T-Mobile Announces Wireless Service Now Covers 70% Of Your Apartment

The Onion: T-Mobile Announces Wireless Service Now Covers 70% Of Your Apartment

Antarctic

  This is very harsh news.

Scientific American: Huge Hole Discovered beneath Fast-Melting Antarctic Glacier - Ice in the hole disappeared in the last three years, worrying scientists about future ice loss By Chelsea Harvey

Switching Teams

NBC News: Dems gain as GOP state lawmakers switch sides because of Trump extremism - "Those of us who were moderates are clearly not welcome," said one Republican official who switched parties.

Have An Excellent Thursday

work by Kiki Smith





Lawrence O'Donnell - Senator Chuck Schumer Calls For Intel. ‘Intervention’ To Educate Trump

Stephen Colbert - Trump Says One Thing, U.S. Intel Says Another

Intervention

The Palmer Report: Chuck Schumer moves for a Trump intervention by Bill Palmer

Brown

  As much as Brown's speaking voice is garrulous and raggedy, it would still be an improvement over Trump's.

Guardian UK: Sherrod Brown makes his pitch as Democrats' voice of the worker - The Ohio senator has launched a ‘Dignity of Work’ speaking tour of early voting states, fueling talk of a 2020 presidential run

How Indeed

Guardian UK: How the religious right gained unprecedented access to Trump
“This is part of a story about the emboldened religious right that has a partnership at the highest level of government with the Trump and Pence administration,” said Rachel Laser, CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “Together, they’re co-opting the term ‘religious freedom’ to advance their political agenda.”

Interest Rates

NY Times: Fed Signals End of Interest Rate Increases - ‘The Case for Raising Rates Has Weakened,’ Says Fed Chairman

Frozen

  It is seriously cold here today.

NY Times: Polar Vortex Live Updates: Bitter Cold Spreads From Midwest to East Coast By Julie Bosman, Mitch Smith and Monica Davey

Trump's Amazing List Of Failure

Bloomberg: President Trump’s First Two Years, in 13 Metrics By Elaine He and Bloomberg Opinion Staff

The Market On Thrusday

  Good morning. At 9:25 a.m. ET DOW futures are -112 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: GE pays $1.5 billion to finally resolve subprime loan allegations By Matt Egan

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

'Pâro - The Feeling That Everything You Do Is Somehow Wrong'

Intellectual Bankruptcy


Experiment

The Atlantic: The 500-Year-Long Science Experiment - In 2014, microbiologists began a study that they hope will continue long after they’re dead. by Sarah Zhang

Russian Meddling

The Daily Beast: Mueller Witness’ Team Gamed Out Russian Meddling … in 2015 - One former analyst at the Wikistrat consulting firm called it ‘disturbing.’ by Betsy Woodruff and Erin Banco

'Walkin' Blues'

Joanna Connor Band - 4 stars **** Sande

'Love Is The Drug'

Roxy Music

Home Share

Curbed: A new use for the spare room - Home-share programs match two generations facing loneliness and high housing costs By Sarah Treleaven

A-Hole In Chief

ABC News: Trump attacks intel chiefs after they contradict him on Iran, North Korea, ISIS - Trump called intelligence assessments of Iran "passive" and "naive."

Digby's Latest

Salon: Another extraordinary moment: Intel chiefs come to Capitol Hill and contradict their boss - Intelligence chief Dan Coats won't discuss Trump's meetings with Putin, but says he's wrong on North Korea, Iran by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Minnesota Resident Thinking Of Finally Packing It All Up And Moving Someplace Warm Like Michigan

The Onion: Minnesota Resident Thinking Of Finally Packing It All Up And Moving Someplace Warm Like Michigan

A Lot

Scientific American: Here's How Much Ice Antarctica Is Losing—It's a Lot - The world’s southernmost continent is jettisoning six times more ice now than it was four decades ago By Andrea Thompson

Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Hoang Tich Chu (Vietnamese, 1912–2003)




Rachel Maddow - Donald Trump Jr. Seems Relevant To Robert Mueller Paths Of Inquiry

Stephen Colbert - Donald Trump's Compromise Got Him Nothing

Mitch

The Palmer Report: It’s finally about to be Mitch McConnell’s time in the Trump-Russia barrel by Bill Palmer

Federal Brain Drain

  Well certainly the politicians have a brain drain, the decent workers are now going too.

Guardian UK: Federal shutdown's legacy may be brain drain to private sector - Government employees – especially in science, research and technology – could find higher pay and more stability

Skipped

Guardian UK: Majority of Clemson's black players declined Trump's fast food reception, report says - Majority of Clemson’s black players skipped White House trip - The Root quotes three members who cite Trump as reason why

Homeless And Freezing

NY Times: ‘I’m Cold and I’m Afraid’: Across Midwest, Homeless Await Deep Freeze - A man sat at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive in Chicago on Tuesday as temperatures fell.
As temperatures in Midwestern cities plunged to levels colder than parts of Antarctica and officials warned people not to step outside even for a few minutes, Tony Neeley stood on a downtown Chicago street corner Tuesday, wearing wet sneakers and clutching a hand warmer packet in each of his bare hands. He had already been there for hours.

Comment

The question is why is it taking so long for Trump to be removed from office?

Some of my thoughts - Trump is very well protected by the GOP. They're taking extraordinary measures to protect Trump and prevent investigations and information about him from getting out. Trump, Stone and company are tricksters and they are in keeping with an American tradition of tricksters. It goes way back. There is a large segment of our population that loves the trickster AKA the liar, the con man, the wizard behind the curtain. These are the people who will say and do anything in order to stay in the limelight and to gain wealth and power. What they lose in the exchange is their humanity which is something they never wanted anyhow.

Rotten

NY Times: The ‘Rotten Equilibrium’ of Republican Politics - Charlatans rise. Government falls. By Thomas B. Edsall
The key result: the 20 most prosperous districts are now held by Democrats, while Republicans represent 16 of the 20 least prosperous, measured by share of G.D.P. The accompanying chart illustrates their analysis.

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. At 9:25 a.m. ET DOW futures are +261 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.

CNN: Shareholder activism is on the rise, but companies are fighting back By Lydia DePillis

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Traitor

Vox: Trump met Putin without staff or note takers present — again - Trump reportedly keeps finding a way to meet the Russian leader privately. By Alex Ward

NPR - Got Anger? Try Naming It To Tame It

After

AP News: After the overdose: A family's journey into grief and guilt

Jay

This is a clear and well articulated statement about the state of the present day GOP.

Journalist Jay Bookman writes - “The modern GOP has degenerated into a group of people who have agreed to tell each other and believe impossible but reassuring things, to the point that the willingness to eagerly believe all those impossible things has become the glue that holds a crumbling party together"

"When it comes to the issues like Mexico paying for the US border wall, the conspiracy theories about climate change and science and the GOP’s scam tax bill, Republicans have tried to win arguments with absolute nonsense."

“He (Trump) has zero interest in whether the product he’s selling can actually work; his sole concern is whether he can get you to buy it. So a perfect match of conman and mark the GOP has also created a formidable media machine to enforce that belief in the impossible, to ensure no doubt or skepticism can creep in. Hannity, Coulter, Limbaugh, etc., act as powerful thought police, much as political commissars in the old Soviet Union once did.”

The Florida Shooting

  This shooting occurred a few days ago and I'm only learning about it now. Apparently the victims were shot as they lay face down on the ground, execution style. The shooter is clearly a very disturbed individual.

The Daily Beast: Gunman Accused of Killing 5 Women in Florida Bank Shooting ‘Wanted Everybody to Die’: Ex-Girlfriend - Zephen Xaver, 21, is being held without bond on five counts of premeditated murder. ‘All he talked about was killing people,’ his ex-girlfriend told The Daily Beast. by Pilar Melendez
“He always loved guns. He loved owning guns, talking about guns, and shooting guns,” said Alex Gerlach, who dated the suspect off and on for three years. “Sadly, I am not surprised this has happened at all.”

The Onion - Report - Mueller Investigation Nearly Done With First Day Of Trump Campaign

The Onion: Report: Mueller Investigation Nearly Done With First Day Of Trump Campaign

Urgent

Salon: Roger Stone is more than a toxic clown: He's a danger to democracy - Stone has manipulated the media, the public and Donald Trump like a Batman villain. Shutting him down is urgent by Bob Cesca

Talk

  Not the most savory topic, but it is thought that many of us have these critters.

Scientific American: We Need to Talk about Intestinal Worms - More than a half billion children were treated for these debilitating parasites in 2017—but even more are still suffering By Ellen Agler with Mojie Crigler

Block

Politico: Republicans may block Trump from another shutdown - The Senate GOP has no appetite for another political debacle and is pushing Trump away from closing the government again. By BURGESS EVERETT, JOHN BRESNAHAN and SARAH FERRIS

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Antonio Berni




Brian Williams - Poll - Big Majority Says United States On The Wrong Track Under Donald Trump

Rachel Maddow - Blumenthal Questions Truthfulness Of President Trump Jr.'s Senate Testimony

Stephen Colbert - Roger Stone Is Weirdly Enjoying All Of This

Caught

The Palmer Report: It looks like Donald Trump was caught watching Rachel Maddow last night by Bill Palmer

A Bear Tale

Guardian UK: Three-year-old boy missing in woods for two days says friendly bear kept him safe - Casey Hathaway from North Carolina hailed ‘a survivor’ by police after becoming lost in sub-zero temperatures
A three-year-old boy who survived two nights alone in the woods in freezing conditions has told police and family he was helped out by a friendly bear that was with him the whole time.

Christie

Guardian UK: Let Me Finish review: Everybody hates Chris Christie – and he hates Jared Kushner
From the get-go Kushner is the bane of Christie’s political existence. In his opening pages, Christie recalls how Steve Bannon came to fire him as the head of the transition, and in the process Christie extracted a confession that Bannon was only doing Kushner’s bidding.

“The kid’s been taking an ax to your head with the boss ever since I got here,” said Bannon.

Nancy

NY Times: The conversation - It’ll Be a While Before Anyone Underestimates Nancy Pelosi Again - A long while. By Gail Collins and Bret Stephens
Gail: I’m almost finished writing a book on the history of older women in America, and it is really a treat to watch Nancy Pelosi wiping the floor with Donald Trump.

Kindness

NY Times: Kindness Is a Skill - Practical tips for fighting a culture of savagery. By David Brooks
Tough conversations are usually about tribal identity. Most disagreements are not about the subject purportedly at hand. They are over issues that make people feel their sense of self is disrespected and under threat. So when you’re debating some random topic, you are mostly either inflaming or pacifying the other person’s feeling of tribal identity.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. At 9:25 a.m. ET DOW futures are +39 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open moderately higher.

CNN: Apple earnings; LVMH reports; Huawei charged By Ivana Kottasová

Monday, January 28, 2019

'Dorian'

Agnes Obel

MS

NPR: Researchers Find A Web Of Factors Behind Multiple Sclerosis
Even so, genes don't explain it all. MS occurs more frequently at higher latitudes, suggesting that vitamin D deficiency might play a role in disease risk (the vitamin's production in the body is dependent on sun exposure). Smoking also increases risk for the disease, as does obesity.

And while the tale of the Faroe Islands is disputed – large scale retroactive epidemiological studies are notoriously hard to pull off – it is for the most part accepted that microbes play some role in MS given that dozens of microbes, including the Epstein-Barr virus, have been tied to MS.

Undermining

The Atlantic: Trump Is Destroying His Own Case for a National Emergency - By waiting for Congress to act, the president is undermining the legal basis for any declaration. by Elizabeth Goitein

'Velvet Buzzsaw'

trailer

Kick Away

The Daily Beast: Chuck and Nancy Have Only Just Begun Kicking Trump’s Behind - They won the first battle over the Wall. Now, Schumer, Pelosi, and the Democrats need to press their advantage. by Michael Tomasky

'Suite Judy Blues Eyes'

Foxes and Fossils

Communication Breakdown

Salon: Trump turns on Fox News, alleging cable network's journalists are worse than "Fake News CNN & NBC!" The president accused two Fox News personalities of being "less understanding" of his long-promised border "wall" by Shira Tarlo
"Never thought I'd say this but I think @johnrobertsFox and @GillianHTurner @FoxNews have been less understanding of the Wall negotiations than the folks at FAKE NEWS CNN & NBC!" Trump tweeted

The Onion - Record Number Now Consider Climate Change Personal Issue, Poll Finds

The Onion: Record Number Now Consider Climate Change Personal Issue, Poll Finds

Here It Comes

CNN: 75% of the US will suffer below-freezing temps this week. But wait! There's more ...By Holly Yan and Judson Jones

Five

538: 5 Scenarios For How Mueller’s Investigation Could End - And what they mean for Trump. By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux

Why Indeed

BBC: Why Americans love the Great British Bake Off By Vicky Baker

Have An Excellent Monday

work by Roger Fry - English 1866 - 1934 - BTW the bottom painting is Virginia Woolf




Morning Joe - Donald Trump's Phony Crisis Created A Real National Security Risk

Beatles Live In Sweden

Morning Joe - Breaking News Today January 28, 2019

Randy Rainbow - The Donald Trump Cell Block Tango

Everything

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump loses everyone and everything as he circles the drain by Bill Palmer

Nationalism In Europe

Guardian UK: Europe 'coming apart before our eyes', say 30 top intellectuals - Group of historians and writers publish manifesto warning against rise of populism
Liberal values in Europe face a challenge “not seen since the 1930s”, leading intellectuals from 21 countries have said, as the UK lurches towards Brexit and nationalists look set to make sweeping gains in EU parliamentary elections.

Pay Attention To This

 Possibly the worst news we could get. This.

Guardian UK: US nuclear weapons: first low-yield warheads roll off the production line - New type of weapon, ordered by Trump’s nuclear posture review, could make conflict more likely, say experts
The US has begun making a new, low-yield nuclear warhead for its Trident missiles that arms control advocates warn could lower the threshold for a nuclear conflict.

Mockery

NY Times: The Trump Administration Is Making a Mockery of the Supreme Court - It promised to create a ‘robust’ waiver process for visa applicants from countries affected by the travel ban. The process is a sham. By Betsy Fisher and Samantha Power
Two years ago this week, President Trump signed an executive order banning travelers from a number of Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. The fallout has been dire.

Agree

NY Times: U.S. and Taliban Agree in Principle to Peace Framework, Envoy Says By Mujib Mashal
American and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the framework of a deal in which the insurgents would guarantee to prevent Afghan territory from being used by terrorists, and that could lead to a full pullout of American troops in return for larger concessions from the Taliban, the chief United States negotiator said Monday.

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. At 9:28 a.m. ET DOW futures are -248 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market will tank at the opening bell.

CNN: Caterpillar results hurt by weakness in China By Paul R. La Monica

Another Take

Quartz: Feeling anxious? It’s not just you, it’s our philosophical era of neuroexistentialism By Ephrat Livni

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Friday, January 25, 2019

Weekend!

  Enjoy the weekend, see you bright and early Monday morning.

work by Denise Regan

Uganda's Parliament

  The 'action' starts at 1:30. Now if the US Senate broke out in hand to hand combat like this, I think we might actually make progress.

Supervillain

The Daily Beast: Cosplaying Supervillain Roger Stone Meets Robert Mueller’s Real-Life Feds - Stone lied to the Special Counsel because he trusted WhatsApp, which is a grandpa mistake of the first order. by Rick Wilson

Seven, So Far

Seattle Pi: 7 Democratic hopefuls would defeat Trump -- National poll By Joel Connelly

Thinking Caps On


Signal

The Atlantic: Roger Stone’s Arrest Is the Signal for Congress to Act - Robert Mueller is looking for crimes. It’s up to legislators to safeguard the country. by David Frum

In Plain Sight

The Atlantic: It Was All in Plain Sight - Roger Stone’s indictment would have packed more of a wallop if his ties to WikiLeaks hadn’t been obvious since the 2016 campaign. by David A. Graham

Does

538: What The Roger Stone Indictment Does (And Doesn’t) Tell Us By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux

Stone

Salon: How Roger Stone played the media: Indictment exposes how he dictated 2016 Clinton coverage - FBI's indictment of Stone makes clear how he shaped media narratives about stolen emails and Clinton's health by Amanda Marcotte

The Onion - Jared Kushner Assures Reporters He Never Revealed State Secrets Without Turning Huge Profit

The Onion: Jared Kushner Assures Reporters He Never Revealed State Secrets Without Turning Huge Profit

Brace For It

The Daily Beast: Lawmakers Close In on Shutdown Deal and Brace for Trump to Blow It Up: Sources - Sources told The Daily Beast on Friday that the likely deal will not include Trump’s desired wall funding. by Sam Stein

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Willem de Kooning 1904 - 1997




Stephen Colbert - Donald Trump Is On A Losing Streak

Morning Joe - Roger Stone Arrested Following Grand Jury Indictment

Roger And Out

The Palmer Report: Roger Stone has been arrested and all hell has broken loose by Bill Palmer

Arrested

Guardian UK: Trump ally Roger Stone arrested on seven charges in Mueller inquiry - Stone allegedly made multiple attempts to contact Wikileaks via intermediary about hacked Democratic emails

Down

Guardian UK: Roger Stone arrested on seven charges including obstruction – live updates - Longtime Trump ally arrested in Florida on Friday morning

Only The Best And Brigthest

NY Times: Everyone Who’s Been Charged in Investigations Related to the 2016 Election By THE NEW YORK TIMES UPDATED JAN. 25, 2019 - Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime adviser to President Trump, is the sixth Trump adviser or official to be charged in the special counsel investigation. Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating possible links between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, has issued more than 100 criminal counts against dozens of people and three companies.

Yes!

NY Times: Roger Stone, Adviser to Trump, Is Indicted in Mueller Investigation By Mark Mazzetti, Eileen Sullivan and Maggie Haberman
Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime informal adviser to President Trump, was charged as part of the special counsel investigation over his communications with WikiLeaks, the organization behind the release of thousands of stolen Democratic emails during the 2016 campaign, in an indictment unsealed Friday.

It Is A Great Day In America!

I could not possibly post anything better than this. Stone arrested is perfect, perfect. Our day is made.

Chicago Tribune: Roger Stone arrested; the Trump confidant faces obstruction charge

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Turn

GetPocket: Words to Turn a Conversation Around (and Those to Avoid)

'The Greatest'

Cat Power - I love, love, love, her voice.

Wilbur

The Daily Beast: Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Dismisses Federal Workers: They’ll ‘Eventually’ Get Paid - Millionaire Trump Cabinet official dismisses pain imposed by the government shutdown, saying people should take out loans to make ends meet. by Olivia Messer

Why

Salon: Why we feel anxious without knowing why - Matt Haig, author of "Notes on a Nervous Planet," has a theory for what's happened to humans' mental health by Nicole Karlis

Owned

Salon: Nancy Pelosi knows how to exploit Trump's sexism — and she's totally owning him - Trump has no idea how to deal with women who aren't there to serve him. Pelosi is working that perfectly by Amanda Marcotte

The Onion - Weak-Willed Intellectual Infant Checks To See How Many More Pages Left In Book Chapter

The Onion: Weak-Willed Intellectual Infant Checks To See How Many More Pages Left In Book Chapter

Early U.S. Rocket And Space Launch Failures And Explosion

Stainless Steel

Popular Mechanics: Elon Musk: Why I'm Building the Starship out of Stainless Steel - Musk tweeted in January that the rocket formerly known as BFR would be built of stainless rather than carbon fiber. In this exclusive interview, he tells PM Editor in Chief Ryan D'Agostino why.

Have An Excellent Thursday

work by Nick Alm





Brian Williams - President Trump Now Says He'll Give State Of The Union After Shutdown Ends

Rachel Maddow - Kamala Harris Calls On Americans To Step Up, Cites 'Inflection Moment'

Stephen Colbert - The State Of The State Of The Union

'Billie Jean'

Weezer

Pile On

The Palmer Report: Nancy Pelosi piles on after Donald Trump caves by Bill Palmer

The Trump Legacy

Guardian UK: Number of uninsured Americans increases by 7m in four years - Survey results come after Republican attacks on government-backed health programs, including the Affordable Care Act

Opioids

Guardian UK: FDA's opioids adviser accuses agency of having 'direct' link to crisis - Exclusive: head of Food and Drug Administration’s opioid advisory team says officials are manipulating process to benefit big pharma

Russell Baker Dies

NY Times: Russell Baker: Wit and Whimsy on Deadline - He wrote with humor and grace about events great and small. By Clyde Haberman

Gas Bag

NY Times: Trump Says He’ll Delay Speech Until After Shutdown, as Democrats Draft Border Security Plan By Sheryl Gay Stolberg

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are -30 and the price of oil is down. The market is poised to open moderately lower.

CNN: Corporate America's earnings outlook darkens as slowdown fears rise By Matt Egan

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

34%!

APNews: AP-NORC poll: Shutdown drags Trump approval to yearlong low

Bleeding Support

The Daily Beast: Polls Show Trump Is Bleeding Support During Shutdown - Three major polls, released Wednesday, all indicate the president’s shutdown is damaging his already historically low approval ratings. by Julia Arciga

New

GetPocket: We Need New Ways of Treating Depression

Jared

NBC News: House Democrats probe how Jared Kushner got security clearance - The probe was launched "in response to grave breaches of national security at the highest levels of the Trump administration," said Rep. Elijah Cummings.

Do Not Give In!

Salon: Don't give in, Democrats: No matter how long it takes, they should stand firm - The longer the shutdown drags on, the more important it becomes for Democrats not to yield on Trump's wall by Amanda Marcotte

The Borowitz Report - Ann Coulter Demands To Deliver State Of The Union Address

New Yorker: Ann Coulter Demands to Deliver State of the Union Address

Unread

GetPocket: Umberto Eco’s Antilibrary: Why Unread Books Are More Valuable to Our Lives than Read Ones
You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly. Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books.

Modern


Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Muqi Fachang (Chinese 1210 - 1269)




Chris Matthews - John Brennan - President Donald Trump Acts Like He Has Ulterior Motives

Morning Joe - Sherrod Brown Thinking 'Very Seriously' About 2020

Stephen Colbert - A New Tell-All Book Details Trump-Paul Ryan Meeting

Pelosi

The Palmer Report: Nancy Pelosi reveals why the Democrats simply cannot to cave to Donald Trump over his government shutdown by Bill Palmer

Hard Working And Poor In America

Guardian UK: Porn, opioids and a freezer full of cigarettes: what one cleaner saw in America’s homes by Sian Cain
She would shop for groceries at night, to avoid the gaze of fellow shoppers; one man, after seeing the food stamps in her hand, shouted: “You’re welcome,” as if he was personally paying for her to eat.

In one house she dubbed the Porn House, she tries to figure out the lives of its owners: the husband with his Hustler magazines and lube always out on display in his bedroom, the wife’s extensive collection of romance novels in hers.

57%

Guardian UK: Trump's disapproval rating hits record high amid shutdown, poll shows – live

Standoff

NY Times: At the One-Issue White House, the Standoff Over a Border Wall Displaces Other Priorities By Peter Baker
And yet, given the new era of divided government, he added, “I’m not sure how quickly any agenda would be moving even if the government were open. That’s a sad testament about where we are as a country.”

Calexico

NY Times: ‘It’s Not a Wall,’ but Steel Slats and Barbed Wire Roil a Border Town By Jose A. Del Real
Calexico has long celebrated its interdependent relationship with Mexicali, its sister city directly across the line; the two cities’ downtowns are bisected by pillars where the border lies. Shoppers from urban Mexicali, which has a population of about 1 million, are vital to Calexico’s small-town economy and cross to shop at large outlet stores on the American side. Americans head to the Mexican side on weekends for cheap health care, entertainment and concerts.

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. At 9:25 a.m. ET DOW futures are +186 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.

CNN: Japan jitters; Netflix milestone; Davos Day 2 By Rishi Iyengar

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Deal

USA Today: Trump pursued a deal in Russia and hid it from voters

The Plans

Buzzfeed: Trump’s Lawyer Said There Were “No Plans” For Trump Tower Moscow. Here They Are. Rudy Giuliani claims the Moscow tower was barely more than a notion. “There were no drafts. Nothing in the file.” Documents obtained by BuzzFeed News tell a different story. by Azeen Ghorayshi
The plan was dazzling: a glass skyscraper that would stretch higher than any other building in Europe, offering ultra-luxury residences and hotel rooms and bearing a famous name. Trump Tower Moscow, conceived as a partnership between Donald Trump’s company and a Russian real estate developer, looked likely to yield profits in excess of $300 million.

Indiana

CNN: Dozens of children contract cancer in Indiana suburb

Plot

CNN: Four males accused of planning to bomb Muslim community in upstate New York By Laura Ly

'Wicked Games'

Chris Isaak - live

'Falling'

Mansionair

Blocked!

Salon: Judge blocks Wisconsin GOP’s lame-duck voter suppression: "Not a close question" - Judge strikes down Scott Walker's vote-suppression measure, but Republicans will fight on — at taxpayer expense by Igor Derysh

The Onion - Man Regrets Wasting Money On College After Failing To Secure Perfect Dream Life By 24

The Onion: Man Regrets Wasting Money On College After Failing To Secure Perfect Dream Life By 24

Outrage

Scientific American: Can Outrage Be a Good Thing? A scientific look at an emotion that shapes our times By Victoria Spring

Vipers

NY Times: Book by Former Staff Member Describes a White House ‘Out of Control’ By Maggie Haberman
The president often comes across as unfamiliar with Washington and stymied by aspects of the job. According to Mr. Sims, Mr. Trump was unsettled by the condition of the West Wing, which he found dilapidated. He delighted in giving tours of the Oval Office, down to the private bathroom and the small study he converted to a dining room with a television on the wall. He explained in detail to aides how important the chyrons on television are, because so many people consume programs muted.

Liar For A Liar

NBC News: Rudy Giuliani says he's 'afraid' his epitaph will say he 'lied for Trump' - The president's lawyer told The New Yorker: "I am afraid it will be on my gravestone. 'Rudy Giuliani: He lied for Trump.'"

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Cuno Amiet (Swiss, 1868 - 1961)




Rachel Maddow - President Trump's Shutdown Threatens Vitality Of FBI, National Security

Morning Joe - Rudy Giuliani Disowns Remarks On Moscow Project

Stephen Colbert - Pence's Trump-MLK Comparison Doesn't Add Up

The Theory

The Palmer Report: Here’s the thing about Rachel Maddow’s theory involving Donald Trump, the FBI, and the government shutdown by Bill Palmer

Wealth, Power, And Poverty

Guardian UK: The new elite’s phoney crusade to save the world – without changing anything - Today’s titans of tech and finance want to solve the world’s problems, as long as the solutions never, ever threaten their own wealth and power. By Anand Giridharadas
That vast numbers of Americans and others in the west have scarcely benefited from the age is not because of a lack of innovation, but because of social arrangements that fail to turn new stuff into better lives. For example, American scientists make the most important discoveries in medicine and genetics and publish more biomedical research than those of any other country – but the average American’s health remains worse and slower-improving than that of peers in other rich countries, and in some years life expectancy actually declines.

Schultz

Guardian UK: Howard Schultz, former Starbucks CEO, exploring 2020 run as an independent – reports - CNN and Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, say Schultz’s advisers are looking at possibility of a presidential bid

The Year Of Women

NY Times: May the Best Woman Win - Sexism helped elect Trump. That’s no reason not to run a woman against him. By Michelle Goldberg
But if and when the best woman wins, she is going to face off against Trump in yet another battle royal over patriarchy. The Trump presidency has been a brutal, boot-on-the-neck insult to many women, a daily reminder of how far away gender equality remains.

The Shutdown And The Vulnerable

NY Times: Shutdown’s Pain Cuts Deep for the Homeless and Other Vulnerable Americans By Glenn Thrush
One month after the government shutdown began, its effects have begun to hurt some of the most vulnerable Americans: not just homeless people, but also those who are one crisis away from the streets.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. At 9:28 a.m. ET the DOW is -159 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Growth warning; Huawei hurting; Davos kickoff By Rishi Iyengar

Monday, January 21, 2019

The Shoebill Stork

At Work

Matisse


Her Story

Medium: I’m running for President by Kamala Harris

Not Shocking

The Daily Beast: Hide the Mueller Report? Why Hide Something that Probably Won’t Be Shocking? Is the Mueller Report, if/when it exists, really going to be such a bombshell? What can possibly shock us now? So yes, Donald, order its release. by Matt Lewis

Will Hurd

NY Times: Only One House Republican Represents the Borderland, and He Opposes a Wall By Emily Cochrane
He added, “A wall from sea to shining sea is the most expensive and least effective way to do border security.”

Martin

"The time is always right to do what is right."

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

Learning MLK

Salon: Coming around on Martin Luther King Jr.: My Grandma, the Black church and me - In my youth, my Grandma wanted me to be more like MLK, but I didn't think he had anything to offer a kid like me by D. Watkins
Our grandparents invested their all in church because it was a one-stop shop for everything African Americans needed to survive oppression — where you can get food if you are hungry, receive free marriage counseling, a small business loan, guidance, tutoring, prayer, praise, worship and basically help of all kinds.

The Onion - Doctor Weirded Out By Patient She Just Met Providing Every Lurid Detail Of Medical History

The Onion: Doctor Weirded Out By Patient She Just Met Providing Every Lurid Detail Of Medical History

Cerebellum

Scientific American: The Cerebellum Is Your “Little Brain”—and It Does Some Pretty Big Things - A newly identified circuit connecting the cerebellum to the brain’s reward centers in mice could help scientists understand autism and addiction By Diana Kwon

Christie Unloads On Trump

Axios: Exclusive excerpt: Chris Christie says Trump hired "riffraff"

Precious

"You have to embrace getting older. Life is precious, and when you've lost a lot of people, you realize each day is a gift." - Meryl Streep

"Life is precious and time is a key element. Let's make every moment count and help those who have a greater need than our own." - Harmon Killebrew

"Be Yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search, or struggle. Just Be." - Thích Nhất Hạnh

"Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from." - Al Franken

Have An Excellent Monday

work by Iranian photographer Tahmineh Monzavi