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Friday, March 29, 2019

Weekend!

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

work by Yuko Shimizu

Overwhelming

NPR: Poll: After Barr Letter, Overwhelming Majority Wants Full Mueller Report Released

'Bury A Friend Played On A Giant Mbira'

PomplamooseMusic

If It Smells Like A Coverup, It Is A Coverup

The Atlantic: Even Congress Might Not Get the Full Mueller Report - And the public could be left with a shell of Mueller's original findings. by Natasha Bertrand

Ridiculous

The Daily Beast: ‘Ridiculous Bullshit’ as ‘Better,’ ‘Smarter’ Trump Rages Against the Losers - If there was any doubt Trump is sticking to the base-only strategy built by and for Fox News and the Trump fan club (but I repeat myself), his rally Thursday night resolved it. by Rick Wilson

'May It Be'

Voces8 performs the music of Enya

Schiff

Salon: Adam Schiff delivers massive smackdown: Trump is "immoral," "unpatriotic" and "corrupt" - Under attack from Trump and the ludicrous Devin Nunes, Intelligence Committee chair focuses on the real question by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Trump Complains About Overly Complicated Controls Needed To Operate Modern-Day Doors

The Onion: Trump Complains About Overly Complicated Controls Needed To Operate Modern-Day Doors

All In One

World Economic Forum: These are all the world's major religions in one map
Buddhism is the majority religion in South East Asia and Japan.

China is the country with the world's largest 'atheist/agnostic' population (grey) as well as worshippers of 'other' religions.

Get Happy

Business Insider: I'm taking Yale's class on happiness — and halfway through, these 4 tricks are already working by Justin Maiman

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Odilon Redon 1840 - 1916





Rachel Maddow - Low President Donald Trump Credibility Necessitates Mueller Report's Release

Low credibility = he's a pathological liar

Rachel Maddow - Adam Schiff Shames Grandstanding GOP With Litany Of Trump Corruption

Introducing The Oboe Da Caccia

Fan Meet Shite

The Palmer Report: Everything hits the fan by Bill Palmer

Beto In Vegas

Guardian UK: Beto goes to Vegas: O'Rourke seeks to prove himself in Nevada

Pompous Lying Fool Holds Klan Rally

Guardian UK: Donald Trump rails against 'greatest hoax' at first rally since Mueller report - President wrongly claims special counsel’s report fully exonerated him as he woos voters in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Second HIV Patient Cured

It's In The Genes

NY Times: At 71, She’s Never Felt Pain or Anxiety. Now Scientists Know Why. By Heather Murphy
In a paper published Thursday in The British Journal of Anaesthesia, researchers attributed Ms. Cameron’s virtually pain-free life to a mutation in a previously unidentified gene. The hope, they say, is that the finding could eventually contribute to the development of a novel pain treatment. They believe this mutation may also be connected to why Ms. Cameron has felt little anxiety or fear throughout her life and why her body heals quickly.

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +142 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.

CNN: Corporate America loves deregulation. Then why is it pushing for these rules? By Matt Egan

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Funded

  Cutting funding for the Special Olympics should never have been on the chopping block to begin with. Do we applaud Trump for reversing something that should never have been attempted in the first place? No, we do not applaud Trump because Devos is Trump's miserable appointee. The attempted de-funding of the Special Olympics was on Trump's head. This is like saying you were going to burn down your neighbors house and getting applauded for not doing it. What a ridiculous miserable low bar this godawful Trump administration has set.


Politics

  Is there any question that Barr is playing politics? Of course he's playing politics, Barr is a cleaner, he's brought in to clean up the mess. Barr thinks he's brilliant because he does this service for the GOP but he's merely hiding under the umbrella of extraordinary powers he clearly does not deserve.

The Daily Beast: Mueller Report’s 300 Pages Could Reveal If Barr Is Playing Politics - The attorney general’s summary raises more questions than it answered, from ‘no collusion’ to the special counsel’s decision not to decide on obstruction. by Barbara McQuade

Perhaps

Get Pocket: How To Tell If Someone Is Truly Smart Or Just Average By Michael Simmons

Crime Of The Century

Salon: Have Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump just pulled off the crime of the century? So, turns out you can conspire with a hostile foreign nation and get away with it if you don't mind doing it on TV by Lucian K. Truscott IV

The Onion - God Admits Heaven Was Way Cooler In The ’70s

The Onion: God Admits Heaven Was Way Cooler In The ’70s

Perfect

Get Pocket: Why Trying to Be Perfect Won’t Help You Achieve Your Goals (And What Will) by James Clear

Perspective


Have An Excellent Thursday

work by Raoul Dufy (French, 1877 - 1953)





Rachel Maddow - Low President Donald Trump Credibility Necessitates Mueller Report's Release

Brian Williams - Obama WH Counsel - There Can Be Obstruction Without An Underlying Offense

Stephen Colbert - Healthcare, Puerto Rico Aid, Special Olympics - Everything Must Go!

The Real Reason

The Palmer Report: The real reason the precise page count of the Robert Mueller report is so crucial by Bill Palmer

Golan Heights

Guardian UK: Trump's Golan Heights proclamation is a cynical, dangerous move by Joshua Leifer - Trump’s recognition of Israeli rule over the Golan Heights could pave the way for Israel’s annexation, in part or whole, of the West Bank – a long time talking point on the hard right

Opiods

Guardian UK: Purdue's opioid settlement set to herald barrage of lawsuits against big pharma - Oklahoma chooses to settle for $270m over Purdue’s criminal marketing of OxyContin – but more lawsuits are likely to come
...a barrage of civil lawsuits in the pipeline against not only Purdue but dozens of drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies as cities and states seek billions of dollars from those they blame for the biggest drug epidemic in US history.

Trumpville

NY Times: Bad Times in Trumpville - Our president messes up his own good news. By Gail Collins
The Republicans have no health care plan or even a plan about how to get one. Trying to get rid of Obamacare had been their most humiliating failure in the two years they controlled the White House and Congress. Last thing in the world they want to bring up.

Abortion

NY Times: The Flood of Court Cases That Threaten Abortion - Republican presidents sought judges who could be counted on to oppose abortion. The voices of those judges come through clearly in cases now making their way to the Supreme Court. By Linda Greenhouse
Red states are competing with one another to enact abortion restrictions that, while flagrantly unconstitutional under current law, could provide opportunities for the newly composed Supreme Court to reopen the issue.

The Market On Thursday

Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +11 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

CNN: Daimler and Geely team up; Brexit deadlock; Bayer damages By Ivana Kottasová

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Why

The Atlantic: Why Self-Compassion Works Better Than Self-Esteem - Boosting your ego won’t make you feel better. Instead, try talking to yourself like you would your best friend. by Olga Khazan

Not Making Sense

The Atlantic: Trump’s Call for Russian Hacking Makes Even Less Sense After Mueller - Many Americans have become numb to the president’s rhetoric. But his infamous plea to the Kremlin is still inexplicable. by David A. Graham

Countdown - End Of Trump Term One

Join The Club Barbara

Market Watch: Barbara Bush was counting down the days until Trump left office - The late first lady kept a countdown clock for the time left in Trump’s first term at her bedside, according to a new book
For example, she no longer considered herself a Republican at the end of her life, and she blamed President Donald Trump for her heart problems...

Phobic

ABC News: ‘Islamophobia’: Critics decry Christian prayer at swearing-in of Muslim lawmaker - A critic said that prayers shouldn't be "weaponized."

Blurred

HuffPo: Trump Has Slapped His Brand On Images Of The White House To Sell At His Trump Store - The president blurs the line again between his business and government. By Mary Papenfuss

Stupidity Rules The Day

CNN: House fails to override Trump's veto over national emergency wall fight By Ashley Killough

Vengeance

Salon: Now Team Trump is out for vengeance: It's crucial that Democrats push back, hard - It's not just Lindsey Graham: Trump's flunkeys are trying to flip the script on "treasonous" Obama administration by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Trump Boys Defend Sending Saudi Arabia Plans For Cool Missile On Personal Etch A Sketch

The Onion: Trump Boys Defend Sending Saudi Arabia Plans For Cool Missile On Personal Etch A Sketch

Losing Our Religion

Scientific American: Why Losing Our Newspapers Is Breaking Our Politics - Study finds newspaper closures are linked to partisanship By Matthew P. Hitt, Joshua Darr, Johanna Dunaway

Chopped

Modern life lessons learned

  If I’m ever invited to appear on ‘Chopped’, and I have no idea why that would happen since I’m not a chef, but if it did happen there’s one thing I do know. That would be to never, ever, ever make risotto on ‘Chopped’. Making risotto on ‘Chopped’ is the kiss of death, make risotto and you’re guaranteed to be chopped. It’s like the equivalent of skinny jeans on a 60 year old guy, risotto on ‘Chopped’. When I see some aspiring bright eyed chef going for the risotto, I throw up my hands in disbelief. I'm screaming, haven’t you learned anything about life, do not make risotto on ‘Chopped’. It’s a golden rule.

Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Maria Sibylla Merian 1647 - 1717




Chris Hayes - Bernie Sanders - President Donald Trump Moves To Strip Health Care From 20 million

Lawrence O'Donnell - President Donald Trump's New Attack On Obamacare May Boost Democrats

'You Don’t Know Me'

PomplamooseMusic

Barr

The Palmer Report: William Barr is playing an even more dangerous game than we thought by Bill Palmer

Maria Butina

Guardian UK: True romance? The intriguing tale of the Russian agent and her Republican lover - Was Maria Butina’s involvement with an eccentric political operative true love – or, as prosecutors allege, a facade to help the Kremlin infiltrate America’s conservative elite?
If anything, the love story between a gun-loving Russian covert agent and a conservative activist cum alleged fraudster, reads like a Coen brothers movie.

Brexit Is Flailing

Guardian UK: EU cannot betray 'increasing majority' who want UK to remain, says Tusk - EC president hails those who marched against Brexit and revoke article 50 petitioners
“Let me be clear: such thinking is unacceptable. You cannot betray the 6 million people who signed the petition to revoke article 50, the 1 million people who marched for a people’s vote, or the increasing majority of people who want to remain in the European Union.”

Muddy

NY Times: The Patriot’s Guide to Election Fraud - Dan McCready was a starry-eyed novice. Then his House race in North Carolina was stolen. By Frank Bruni
But when one side behaves despicably, he asked, how do you not call it and them out as passionately as you can? How do you keep the faith? “The way these two things come together — it’s muddy,” he said.

Ending The ACA

NY Times: Why Trump’s New Push to Kill Obamacare Is So Alarming - It’s not just the potential damage to the health care system and the people who depend on it. It’s also the threat, in the administration’s legal logic, to the rule of law. By Nicholas Bagley - Mr. Bagley is a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School.
In a stunning two-sentence letter to a federal appeals court, the Justice Department announced on Monday that it would now seek the invalidation of the entire Affordable Care Act — every last one of its thousands of provisions.

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +15 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

CNN: Southwest Airlines says Boeing's 737 Max groundings are hurting sales By Chris Isidore

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Guitar Brain

Lemon Wire: Playing Guitar Changes Your Brain By Paul Taylor

'How To Play Like Joe Pass'

Critical

The Atlantic: The Critical Part of Mueller’s Report That Barr Didn’t Mention - The special counsel’s most interesting findings about Trump and Russia might be in the counterintelligence portion of his report. by Natasha Bertrand

Because, Of Course


Killing ACA

The Daily Beast: Trump Wants to Kill Obamacare in Court After Congress Wouldn’t Do His Bidding - The administration just took the position that the Affordable Care Act should be repealed by judicial fiat, with no replacement. It would ruin millions of Americans in an instant. by Jay Michaelson

Purpose

Get Pocket: 7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose by Mark Manson

Farm

Star Tribune: Farm income in Minnesota fell 8 percent last year, worst year since early 1980s - Trade war, weather blamed for Minnesota farmers' worst year since 1980s. By Adam Belz

Coverup

Salon: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocks resolution to release Robert Mueller's full report - Meanwhile, six Democratic committee chairs in the House request an unredacted copy of Mueller's report by April 2 by Shira Tarlo

The Onion - William Barr Declares Mueller Investigation Fully Exonerates Members Of Reagan Administration From Iran-Contra Involvement

The Onion: William Barr Declares Mueller Investigation Fully Exonerates Members Of Reagan Administration From Iran-Contra Involvement

Floods

Wired: Those Midwestern Floods Are Expected to Get Much, Much Worse

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Tove Jansson 1914 - 2001




Rachel Maddow - Absent Mueller Conclusion On Obstruction, William Barr Makes Own Ruling

Rachel Maddow - William Barr Memo Leaves Much Unanswered About Mueller Report Findings

Filter

Imagine a damning report had been written about me. Several years went into this report, thousands of subpoenas and testimony and dozens of people implicated in the report are now facing prison terms. Here's a salient sentence from the report written about me.

"We have found that Jim committed extortion, money laundering, bank fraud, and we have not found that he has committed murder in fact he is innocent of that particular charge."

Now let's run that sentence through the eye of an unnamed powerful attorney who has prepared a brief synopsis of the report. The attorney works for the same people that employ Jim.

Here's the attorney filtered report - "Jim...is innocent..."

See how that works.

Coverup

The Palmer Report: Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell just provided a roadmap for defeating the Trump-Barr coverup by Bill Palmer

Out It Goes

Guardian UK: Trump renews bid to dismantle Obamacare after claiming Mueller victory – live news - Trump administration supports ruling that would throw out the entire Affordable Care Act. Follow along for the latest in US politics

Huh?

  This headline reads like satire from The Onion except, it's not.

Guardian UK: Nasa cancels all-female spacewalk, citing lack of spacesuit in right size - Space agency blames shortage of outerwear after first-of-its-kind mission falls through

Emergency

NY Times: Our Constitutional Emergency - As the House attempts to override President Trump’s first veto, we the people aren’t holding up our end of the bargain, either. By Greg Weiner Mr. Weiner is a political scientist and was a senior Senate aide to Bob Kerrey, Democrat of Nebraska.
During the June 1788 convention at which Virginia ratified the Constitution, Patrick Henry, a critic of the proposed government, accused James Madison, its foremost defender, of failing to protect against corrupt or lawless politicians. “Is there no virtue among us?” Madison replied. “If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks — no form of government can render us secure.”

Revenge

NY Times: Trump and Republicans Seek to Turn the Tables in Post-Mueller Washington - ‘Release as Much as Possible,’ Graham Says About Mueller Report
President Trump and his Republican allies went on the offensive on Monday, vowing to pursue and even punish those responsible for the Russia investigation now that the special counsel has wrapped up without implicating him or his campaign in a criminal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +132 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.

CNN: Uber buys Careem; Airbus' big win; US housing data By Ivana Kottasová

Monday, March 25, 2019

RIP Jeremy Richman

  Two young survivors from Parkland and now a dad from Sandy Hook have taken their lives in the past week. Let's remember that FOX world called the survivors who spoke out on gun violence, crisis actors. FOX world should be pleased with itself. Don't hold your breath waiting for an apology or some type or change from FOX world.

CNN: The father of a Sandy Hook victim dies from an apparent suicide By Holly Yan

Brief

NBC News: FBI expected to brief House and Senate 'Gang of 8' on Mueller's counterintel findings - Attorney General Barr's summary of the Mueller probe is silent about whether investigators found Trump or any associate was influenced by Russia.

On The Lam

The Daily Beast: Trump Outruns The Law Again After Mueller’s Report - I honestly thought that once he entered this realm, the realm of public service and accountability, the law would catch up with him. So far, no good. by Michael Tomasky

Scandal Upon Scandal

The Atlantic: The Trump Scandals That Have Slipped by Congress - A relentless focus on Russia allowed many other controversies to escape the glare of legislative oversight. by Russell Berman

Noam Chomsky on Trump-Russia Collusion

O.F.F.S.


Whitewash

Salon: What's behind Bill Barr's whitewash? We need to see the full Mueller report to know for sure - Attorney general's letter to Congress was brilliant political rhetoric. But too many questions remain unanswered by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Serta Wholesaler Lets Customers Cut Their Own Length Of Mattress

The Onion: Serta Wholesaler Lets Customers Cut Their Own Length Of Mattress

Floods

The Independent: Iran floods: Torrential rain and rising water kill 17 and widen political divides by Borzou Daragah

Have An Excellent Monday

work by Jarek Puczel





Ari Melber - Mueller Busted Trump Crime Spree, No Chargeable Collusion

MSNBC - Joe - If There Was No Collusion, Why Did Trump And Associates Lie About Russia?

One

The Palmer Report: This one sentence explains everything that just happened with Robert Mueller and William Barr by Bill Palmer

Buttigieg

Guardian UK: Pete Buttigieg: 2020 Democratic candidate surges to third place in new poll - Presidential candidate behind Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders

Corrupt

Guardian UK: No collusion, plenty of corruption: Trump is not in the clear by Richard Wolffe
Assume that the Trump administration – which lies so easily and so often on matters big and small – can tell the truth about the Mueller investigation. Forget the cover-up about separating families at the border and jailing children. Pretend it has fully embraced the death toll of more than 3,000 Americans in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Imagine Trump’s inauguration crowds really were exceptionally large.

War

NY Times: Trump Declares Exoneration, and a War on His Enemies By Mark Landler and Maggie Haberman
Mr. Gidley dismissed questions about why the president claimed to have been exonerated when the report did not say that. “Prosecutors don’t exonerate; they prosecute,” he said. “They don’t prove a negative. That’s just silly.”

Short

NY Times: Mueller Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy, but Stops Short of Exonerating President on Obstruction by Mark Mazzetti and Katie Benner
He cautioned, however, that Mr. Mueller’s report states that “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him” on the obstruction of justice issue.

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are -29 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately lower.

CNN: Naspers is bringing its $134 billion stake in Tencent to Europe By Charles Riley

Problems

NY Times: The Many Problems With the Barr Letter - By unilaterally concluding that Mr. Trump did not obstruct justice, the attorney general has made it imperative that the public see the Mueller report. By Neal K. Katyal - Mr. Katyal is a law professor at Georgetown. He drafted the special counsel regulations under which Robert Mueller was appointed.

Five

Quartz: 5 key behaviors to make yourself resilient to stress By Melody Wilding

Friday, March 22, 2019

Weekend!

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

work by Denise Regan

Maybe This Weekend

The Atlantic: What Mueller Leaves Behind - The attorney general says he may be able to advise Congress of the special counsel’s principal conclusions as early as this weekend. by Natasha Bertrand

De Minimis

de minimis - adjective

Definition of de minimis: lacking significance or importance : so minor as to merit disregard

Delivered

NY Times: Mueller Delivers Report on Russia Investigation to Attorney General By Sharon LaFraniere and Katie Benner
The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has delivered a report on his inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election to Attorney General William P. Barr, according to the Justice Department, bringing to a close an investigation that has consumed the nation and cast a shadow over President Trump for nearly two years.

Hold Onto Your Hats


Strange Support

CNN: Soybean farmers are still paying for Trump's trade war By Katie Lobosco

'Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out'

Scrapper Blackwell

Stephen Colbert - The President Thinks He Runs Fox News

This is from March 19th, it's a riot.

'Walk On The Wild Side'

Alice Phoebe Lou

The Smearer

The Daily Beast: Profiles in Chickenshit From the Grand Old Party as Trump Spits on John McCain’s American Greatness - It’s time for McCain’s old Senate colleagues to tell the president to shut the f*ck up and stop smearing a real hero, or give up whatever dignity and decency they have left. by Rick Wilson

Convinced

Salon: Fox News viewers are convinced: Donald Trump is the greatest president ever - Forget social media: The semi-official White House propaganda arm, Fox News, is what nurtures Trump's base by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Trump Ramps Up Attacks On John McCain By Dragging Senator’s Exhumed Corpse Behind Motorcade

The Onion: Trump Ramps Up Attacks On John McCain By Dragging Senator’s Exhumed Corpse Behind Motorcade

Northern Lights

Insider: New York and Chicago may see the Northern Lights this weekend due to an unusual geomagnetic storm

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Francis Picabia 1879 - 1953




Brian Williams - Dem Rep. Demings - Congress Has Every Right To Investigate Trump And Russia

MSNBC - Probe Of Donald Trump's Moscow Business Secrets Raises More Questions

Seth Meyers - Trump Ramps Up Campaign as Mueller Report Looms

No Idea

The Palmer Report: No one has any idea what’s happening right now by Bill Palmer

Bernie In California

Guardian UK: California visit presents key test for Bernie Sanders' 2020 prospects

Delusional Sick Man

Guardian UK: Trump warns 'people will not stand' for Mueller report if it portrays him badly – live - President insisted ‘there’s no collusion’ in interview with Fox as Washington braces for release of Trump-Russia investigation findings

ThriveNYC

NY Times: $1 Billion for Mental Health: The Reality of de Blasio’s ‘Revolutionary’ Plan By J. David Goodman
On his now-frequent tours of early presidential primary states, Mayor Bill de Blasio has taken to invoking a less-familiar aspect of his tenure: a nearly $1 billion plan to address mental illness in New York City.

Golan Heights

NY Times: In Golan Heights, Trump Bolsters Israel’s Netanyahu but Risks Roiling Middle East By Mark Landler and Edward Wong
President Trump declared on Thursday that the United States should recognize Israel’s authority over the long disputed Golan Heights, delivering a valuable election-eve gift to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but jettisoning decades of American policy in the Middle East.

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are -161 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Tiffany's holiday season was even worse than it predicted By Paul R. La Monica

Thursday, March 21, 2019

What Comey Wants

NY Times: James Comey: What I Want From the Mueller Report - I am rooting for a demonstration to the world that the United States justice system works. By James Comey

Cartoon

NY Times: Trump Attacks the Great and the Dead - Senator John McCain may have died seven months ago. But the president is just getting started. By Patrick Chappatte

Yes!

NPR: Judge Restores Wisconsin Governor's Powers, Strikes Down GOP Laws

Unify

The Atlantic: As the World Watches, New Zealand’s Leader Looks to Unify Her Country - She has sought to become the national healer, and the country is following her lead. by Krishnadev Calamur

Impeach

The Daily Beast: Trump White House Lawyers Plan To Tell House Judiciary to ‘Go F*ck Themselves’ - House Democrats want documents from the White House they think can shed light on internal corruption. You’ll never guess how the White House is responding. by Asawin Suebsaeng and Spencer Ackerman

Holi

LA Times: India erupts in colors as Hindus celebrate Holi By Associated Press

Morning Joe - No, President Donald Trump Didn't Give The Funeral To Senator John McCain

Why Indeed

TPM: ‘Why Are We Doing This?’: Trump Aides Don’t Understand McCain, Conway Attacks

The Best

Salon: How do you define the "best sex ever"? Welcome to Salon's new advice column on sex, love and relationships. Questions? Ask Arielle@Salon.com - by Arielle Egozi

The Onion - Devin Nunes Threatens Defamation Lawsuit After Reputation Ruined By His Official Twitter Account

The Onion: Devin Nunes Threatens Defamation Lawsuit After Reputation Ruined By His Official Twitter Account

Propofol

Scientific American: A Common Anesthetic Could Ease PTSD and Other Stress Disorders - Propofol reduces the intensity of traumatic memories
During the past two decades or so, it has become clear that these memories are not fixed and unshakable. They can be manipulated in ways that might ultimately ease the suffering of patients, not just ones with a PTSD diagnosis but also those afflicted by phobias, depression and other stress-related conditions.

Have An Excellent Thursday

Henri Catargi (Romania, 1894 - 1976)




The Last Word - Donald Trump Stokes Personal Feuds, Tells Workers ‘You Better Love Me’

Rachel Maddow - Donald Trump Disregard For Congressional Oversight Untenable In America

Stephen Colbert - The Mueller Probe Might Be Maybe Ending Soon, Possibly

Sell Out

The Palmer Report: National Enquirer sells out Donald Trump by Bill Palmer

Halt!

Shocking! Guardian UK: US judge halts hundreds of drilling projects in groundbreaking climate change ruling - In a rebuke of the Trump administration’s ‘energy-first’ agenda, a judge rules greenhouse gas emissions must be considered

Chicago

Guardian UK: Chicago's Democratic socialists on brink of transforming city's politics - Six Democratic socialists may join city council this year, reflecting the progressive momentum in national politics

Renewing His Attacks On McCain

Guardian UK: Trump renews attack on McCain at Ohio tank plant visit: 'I never liked him much' – as it happened - The president returned to his criticism of John McCain Wednesday, while visiting Lima, Ohio. Follow the latest news

Because We Have The GOP And The NRA

NY Times: New Zealand’s Dealing With Its Gun Problem. When Will We? Other nations’ leaders learn from experience. But Congress and President Trump refuse to act. By Nicholas Kristof

New Zealand Intelliegence

NY Times: New Zealand to Ban Military-Style Semiautomatic Guns, Jacinda Ardern Says
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand on Thursday announced a national ban on all military-style semiautomatic weapons, all high-capacity ammunition magazines and all parts that allow weapons to be modified into the kinds of guns used to kill 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch last week.

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m ET DOW futures are -54 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Wall Street's fee wars have entered the 'silly stage' By Julia Horowitz

Fiber

Vox: Nearly all Americans fail to eat enough of this actual superfood - While we obsess about carbs and protein, we’ve ignored fiber — at our peril. By Julia Belluz
Fiber doesn’t just help us poop better — it also nourishes our gut microbiome. The science, while still pretty nascent, is fascinating and it points to the fact that the fiber gap may be even more damaging than we’ve realized.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

A Dystopian Accessory

Vox: As air pollution gets worse, a dystopian accessory is born - The air is getting more dangerous to breathe all over the world — and a suite of companies are hoping to capitalize with a new fashion item. By Rose Eveleth

Sen. Johnny Isakson, A Georgia Republican

The Daily Beast: Loyal Republican Senator Johnny Isakson Goes Off on Trump for McCain Attacks - ‘John was better than I am, and I know it. John was the best of my generation. John McCain was and is a great human being,’ the Georgia Republican said. by Sam Brodey

Trumping

The New Yorker: Affect Theory and the New Age of Anxiety - How Lauren Berlant’s cultural criticism predicted the Trumping of politics. By Hua Hsu
from 2012 - "Many of you would say that Donald Trump was excluded from the Republican convention, has no traction as a political candidate, and is generally viewed as a clown whose spewing occasionally hits in the vicinity of an opinion that a reasonable person could defend. But I am here to tell you that he actually won the Republican nomination and is dominating the airwaves during this election season. He is not doing this with “dark money” or Koch-like influence peddling. He has done this the way the fabled butterfly does it, as its wing-flapping sets off revolutions."

'Kushner'

Salon: Jared and Ivanka: Moderates? Forget it. These vacuous looters epitomize the Trump presidency - Vicky Ward's "Kushner, Inc." paints an unsurprising but chilling portrait of the White House power couple by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Literary Historians Uncover Collection Of Breezy, Upbeat Edgar Allan Poe Writings Penned After Author Took Up Jogging

The Onion: Literary Historians Uncover Collection Of Breezy, Upbeat Edgar Allan Poe Writings Penned After Author Took Up Jogging

Tolstoy

Get Pocket: Leo Tolstoy on Love and Its Paradoxical Demands by Maria Popova
"The demands of love are so many, and they are all so closely interwoven, that the satisfaction of the demands of some deprives man of the possibility of satisfying others. But if I admit that I cannot clothe a child benumbed with cold, on the pretence that my children will one day need the clothes asked of me, I can also resist other demands of love in the name of my future children."

"If a man decides that it is better for him to resist the demands of a present feeble love, in the name of another, of a future manifestation, he deceives either himself or other people, and loves no one but himself."

"Future love does not exist. Love is a present activity only. The man who does not manifest love in the present has not love."

Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Robert Mapplethorpe (1946 - 1989)





Brian Williams - Following His Weekend Tweetstorm, It's President Donald Trump Vs. The World

Rachel Maddow - Trial Of Donald Trump Transition Official May Expose New Mike Flynn Details

Stephen Colbert - Nunes Is Suing Twitter For Being Mean

Meeting

The Palmer Report: Why the newly exposed Michael Flynn meeting with Russia could be the ballgame by Bill Palmer

Biden

Guardian UK: Joe Biden reportedly tells supporters he's running for president – as it happened - Former vice-president advised a handful of supporters of his intentions, according to the Wall Street Journal

Pesticides In Our Food

Guardian UK: Pesticide residues found in 70% of produce sold in US even after washing - Strawberries, spinach and kale among most pesticide-heavy - Conventionally farmed kale could contain up to 18 pesticides
According to the Environmental Working Group’s annual analysis of US Department of Agriculture data, strawberries, spinach and kale are among the most pesticide-heavy produce, while avocados, sweetcorn and pineapples had the lowest level of residues.

More than 92% of kale tested contained two or more pesticide residues, according to the analysis, and a single sample of conventionally farmed kale could contain up to 18 different pesticides.

So Far

NY Times: The Mueller Report Is Highly Anticipated. Here’s What We Already Know By LARRY BUCHANAN and KAREN YOURISH MARCH 20, 2019 After more than two years of criminal indictments and steady revelations about contacts between associates of Donald J. Trump and Russia, we already know a lot about the work done by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Here are the main findings and lines of inquiry and the people involved in each.

Tax Mess

NY Times: Trump’s Tax Cut Won’t Power the Growth He Predicts, Officials Concede By Jim Tankersley
...officials now concede they will not be enough to deliver the 3 percent annual growth the president promised over the long term.

Heartbreaking

NY Times: ‘So Heartbreaking’: Funerals Begin for New Zealand Attack Victims - Mourners leaving the first burial of victims Wednesday at Memorial Park Cemetery in Christchurch, New Zealand. By Damien Cave and Charlotte Graham-McLay
Staring through dark sunglasses at the cemetery’s fringe — fighting back tears for a slain friend, as hundreds of mourners approached a hilltop of dirt cut open with row after row of graves — he said he wanted to be part of someone’s goodbye.

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning at 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +4 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open in the flat area.

CNN: Fed focus; Google and the EU; Trouble in Germany By Ivana Kottasová

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Idai

Axios: Idai may be "one of the deadliest" weather disasters in Southern Hemisphere

'The Girl With The Flaxen Hair'

The Sakura Cello Quintet plays the music of Debussy - **** four stars Sande

The Atlantic - Death-Cap Mushrooms Are Terrifying and Unstoppable

Third Grader

The Daily Beast: Indicted Oligarch Dmytro Firtash Praises Paul Manafort, Says Trump Has Third-Grade Smarts - The Ukrainian mogul, a background presence in the story of Russian influence in U.S. elections, praised Manafort’s savvy but dismissed Trump in an interview with The Daily Beast. by Betsy Woodruff
“Trump is a businessman, a person who went bankrupt four times,” he said. “That’s not easy; he was worming his way out of trouble all the time. In that sense, he’s pretty crafty, capable enough of making decisions and getting things done. But I can’t say that he’s too smart. That I cannot say.”

Masters

Get Pocket: Masters of Love
Contempt, they have found, is the number one factor that tears couples apart.

Kindness, on the other hand, glues couples together.

Funky

Smithsonian: Scientists Played Music to Cheese as It Aged. Hip-Hop Produced the Funkiest Flavor - Researchers played nonstop loops of Led Zeppelin, A Tribe Called Quest and Mozart to cheese wheels to find out how soundwaves impacted flavor

19%

  19% of Americans are tripping.

Salon: Just 19 percent of Americans think Donald Trump rejects white nationalism: poll - Meanwhile, 39 percent of Americans said the commander-in-chief, in fact, supports white nationalism by Shira Tarlo

The Onion - Trump Vows To Bring Back Ohio Town’s White Castle

The Onion: Trump Vows To Bring Back Ohio Town’s White Castle

Record Floods

Scientific American: Record Floods Could “Test the Limits” of Midwest Defenses - Rains and melting snow have caused rivers to breach levees from Minnesota to Missouri By Daniel Cusick, Chelsea Harvey

'True'

  Jim Sande - I was trying to write a poignant song above that period in a relationship where the passion aspect of a new relationship meets up with the concern that the relationship might mean something deeper and more profound. She keeps saying, 'is this true' meaning is this lasting love.

Terribly Wrong

CNN: Something is terribly wrong with Trump By Michael D'Antonio

Deep Breathing

  This is the most important article I will be posting all week. Easily. Deep breathing can literally improve your life.

Discover: Deep Breathing Might Have Benefits We're Only Beginning to Understand - One researcher's push to understand how an ancient yoga technique can change our cells. By Sara Novak

Documents

Time: Newly Released Documents Show FBI Was Investigating Michael Cohen Long Before Raid

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Karl Seitinger




Ali Veshi - President Donald Trump Tweet-Rages As Robert Mueller Report Looms

Rachel Maddow - Investigations Multiply As President Donald Trump Scandals Spiral Wider

Stephen Colbert - All New Zealand Asked Trump For Was 'Love'

Sell Him Out

The Palmer Report: The race is on to sell Donald Trump out by Bill Palmer

Documents

Guardian UK: Michael Cohen FBI raid documents released – live updates - Partially redacted search warrants materials released - Trump attacks Kellyanne Conway’s husband as ‘loser’
President Donald Trump attacked George Conway, the husband of top White House aide Kellyanne Conway, as a “total loser” on Twitter this morning.

Cyclone Idai

NY Times: Cyclone Idai Leaves Vast Destruction in Mozambique and Other Countries in Southern Africa By Norimitsu Onishi and Jeffrey Moyo
The storm destroyed “90 percent” of Beira, a city of about a half-million people that is Mozambique’s fourth largest and faces the Indian Ocean, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Monday.

Revelations

NY Times: Deutsche Bank and Trump: $2 Billion in Loans and a Wary Board - New details are emerging about the long, symbiotic and at times troubled relationship between the president and his loyal German bank. By David Enrich
Deutsche Bank cut off Mr. Trump twice — and then kept lending to him.

Top bank executives supported the relationship.

Deutsche Bank’s board found problems with its Trump lending.

Mr. Trump had some interesting bankers.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. At 9:18 a.m. ET DOW futures are +113 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.

CNN: Elon Musk vs. SEC; Brexit chaos; FedEx earnings By Charles Riley

Monday, March 18, 2019

Of Course

Axios: Ahead of 2020, white evangelicals are sticking with Trump

Deutsche

NY Times: A Mar-a-Lago Weekend and an Act of God: Trump’s History With Deutsche Bank
Two years after Mr. Trump was sworn in, Democrats took control of the House of Representatives. The chamber’s financial services and intelligence committees opened investigations into Deutsche Bank’s relationship with Mr. Trump. Those inquiries, as well as the New York attorney general’s investigation, come at a perilous time for Deutsche Bank, which is negotiating to merge with another large German lender.

Next month, Deutsche Bank is likely to start handing over extensive internal documents and communications about Mr. Trump to the congressional committees, according to people briefed on the process.

March

NY Times: The March of White Supremacy, From Oklahoma City to Christchurch - As we struggle against the forces behind decades of violence, we must remember that we aren’t fighting with strangers. By Jamelle Bouie
Likewise, there’s been little soul-searching among Trump’s Republican allies about their tolerance (or worse) of language that legitimizes anti-Muslim prejudice or places white nationalist ideas into wider circulation. Instead, they are busy denying the weight of their words.

It's Just Us

From July 2018 - Vox: Why haven’t we found aliens yet? A new paper on the Fermi paradox convincingly shows why we will probably never find aliens. By Liv Boeree
We Earthlings are not only likely to be the sole intelligence in the Milky Way, but there is about a 50 percent chance we are alone in the entire observable universe.