Having returned from my New England sojourn, I am prepared to bring you the best, most interesting, and most compelling links to the most important news stories of the day. This will allow you the opportunity to post recycled outrage stories, titty pix, and endless discussions of Eurotrash “sports.” My return was not without some unwanted adventure. As I feared, SP’s babysitter was a wee bit too indulgent, though I admit that she’s easy to spoil. The photo above is what I returned to find, and lesson learned- leaving the babysitter with one of my credit cards for emergency use is not without risk.
In history, today is the birthday of the great actor Lionel Barrymore and the remarkably pretentious chef Alice Waters. Also, Ann-Margaret, Marcia Strassman, and my mother, who will celebrate the day with Publix roast chicken on the menu. Anyway, an interesting news day.
Not good news for me, and that explains why responses to my videos are down sharply. I’m setting up a work-around, though.
Every once in a while, I’m proud of my erstwhile home city. I do enjoy how sports figures don’t even blink when they defend free speech by other players, but oppose it by the people who pay the money that pays their enormous salaries.
And now, more Old Guy music for y’all to ignore. In this instance, the greatest (and I would argue, the most quintessentially American) composer and band leader with my favorite male vocalist, who headed jazz towards a much more R&B sound and could arguably be called the father of that genre. Fun fact: Al Hibbler couldn’t read music. Of course, being blind was an impediment to that… There’s no credits, but I’ll bet that the sax solo was Johnny Hodges.
Duck Butter’s Naima (Alia Shawkat) and Sergio (Laia Costa) fuck like the world is ending. They do it at Sergio’s house, they do it at Naima’s house, they do it outside within potential view of strangers. They finger bang on a piano bench and kiss in between slurps of mango. They recreate Sergio’s experience of learning to masturbate with pillows alongside her cousin. They enjoy a salutary fuck, and they engage in makeup sex.
After a stretch, Naima notes, “You know, we haven’t had sex in two hours.” She says this gravely, as if confronting Sergio with a rupture in their relationship. At this point, it’s been less than 36 hours since they made each other’s acquaintance.
In a step that could change the definition of death, researchers have restored circulation to the brains of decapitated pigs and kept the reanimated organs alive for as long as 36 hours.
The feat offers scientists a new way to study intact brains in the lab in stunning detail. But it also inaugurates a bizarre new possibility in life extension, should human brains ever be kept on life support outside the body.
The work was described on March 28 at a meeting held at the National Institutes of Health to investigate ethical issues arising as US neuroscience centers explore the limits of brain science.
During the event, Yale University neuroscientist Nenad Sestan disclosed that a team he leads had experimented on between 100 and 200 pig brains obtained from a slaughterhouse, restoring their circulation using a system of pumps, heaters, and bags of artificial blood warmed to body temperature.
There was no evidence that the disembodied pig brains regained consciousness. However, in what Sestan termed a “mind-boggling” and “unexpected” result, billions of individual cells in the brains were found to be healthy and capable of normal activity.
LONDON — The anti-vaccine movement has come for the pets.
A spreading fear of pet vaccines’ side effects has prompted the British Veterinary Association to issue a startling statement this week: Dogs cannot develop autism.
The implicit message was that dog owners should keep vaccinating their pets against diseases like distemper and canine hepatitis because any concerns that the animals would develop autism after the injections were unfounded.
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Those who fear vaccine side effects in their dogs claim the animals could develop canine autism, thyroid disease and arthritis.
Then, on Monday, the television show “Good Morning Britain” on ITV put out a call on Twitter to hear from dog owners who believed their pets showed symptoms of autism after receiving vaccinations, and from others who had stopped getting their pets vaccinated against dangerous diseases.
The next day, the veterinary association put out a statement on Twitter.
“We are aware of an increase in anti-vaccination pet owners in the U.S. who have voiced concerns that vaccinations may lead to their dogs developing autism-like behavior. There’s currently no reliable scientific evidence to indicate autism in dogs (or its link to vaccines),” the association said in its tweet.
A group of students and researchers at Delft University of Technology are designing a starship capable of keeping generations of crew alive as they cross the gulf between stars – and they’ve turned to ESA for the starship’s life support.
DSTART, the TU Delft Starship Team, is bringing together a wide variety of disciplines to perform advanced concepts research for a resilient interstellar space vehicle, to be constructed from a hollowed-out asteroid. The aim is not just to focus on the necessary technology, but also to consider the biological and social factors involved in making such a gargantuan voyage feasible.
“We need self-sustaining and evolvable space technology capable of enduring the many decades needed to journey from our Solar System to another,” explains DSTART leader Angelo Vermeulen, currently studying for his systems engineering Ph.D. at TU Delft.
“As part of that, we are looking at the kind of regenerative life-support system pioneered by the ESA-led MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) programme.”
The 11-nation MELiSSA programme seeks to build a system, inspired by a natural aquatic ecosystem, to efficiently convert organic waste and carbon dioxide into oxygen, water and food.
A MELiSSA pilot plant in Spain’s Autonomous University of Barcelona hosts an airtight multi-compartment loop with a ‘bioreactor’ powered by light and oxygen-producing algae to keep ‘crews’ of rats alive and comfortable for months at a time. While the algae yield oxygen and trap carbon dioxide, the rats do exactly the reverse.
Howdy y’all, back in the land of sunshine and meth from the Mitten. I’m grateful to everyone else who took a turn this week. It did not escape my notice that certain commenters here have taken a liking to some of the alternate link forms. Me too. But I’m the plain vanilla that makes all the exotic flavors so fun, so you gets what you gets. In SPORTZBALL news, the Astros finally stole a home game from the Angels, who are tearing it up away from Los Anaheim, and special thanks to the Maple Leafs for beating up Boston and then rolling over. My local frozen pond team appreciates it. Will the Caps lay down for the Pens again? Odds are good.
Lets do some links!
Bill Cosby – Convict
It looks like Bill Cosby’s luck has run out. I think he should get a tie-breaker trial. Wait. Is that not how that works?
Looks like OMWC’s swimmers are finally starting to slow. Number of pre-teen moms at record low in the US. Either that or uncles in the Ozarks are really getting slow.
In today’s court or BDSM sweepstakes, former hottest judge on the bench appoints “special master” to review Cohen files for attorney-client privilege. Which, totally sexist since the master is a madam. We’ll see what happens, but its nice see at least a fig-leaf given to the idea that the 4A means what it says.
I’ve spent this week on a business trip to New England, and am currently in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, fittingly the longest state name among the 57 states for the runt of the litter. I have gotten some interesting history lessons from my associates here, the most amusing of which (to me) was the SJW attempt about 10 years ago to have the state renamed because it sounded racist. That attempt was a spectacular electoral failure, which increases my respect for Rhode Island’s denizens. It is especially ironic considering Roger Williams’s own life and history, which was as a strong advocate for the local casino-not-call-center Indians, enough so to arouse the ire of the nearby Massholes. Rhode Island today is apparently a Mafia colony, which explains why it has traditionally had the highest protection money taxes in the nation.
Anyway, I’ll spend my last hours here putting up links before returning home- and I hope that SP hasn’t spent her entire allowance on more Barbie stuff while I was gone. The babysitter is supposed to watch these things, but teenagers today seem to have lost much of their sense of responsibility.
Today in history is quite momentous. It is the anniversary of the founding of the Gestapo and of the Ehrfurt mass school shooting in Germany (which I am assured never happens in Europe because of common-sense gun laws). It is also the birthday of Sal “The Barber” Maglie, Bernard Malamud (my favorite Jew-writer), Rudolph Hess (everyone’s favorite Nazi), Ma Rainey (today’s featured image), and David Hume.
The lawyer representing The Happiest Hour, Elizabeth Conway, argued that he was not discriminated against because only religious – not political – beliefs are protected under state and city discrimination law. “Supporting Trump is not a religion,” Conway argued.
Although restore disks are given to everyone who buys a computer with a licensed version of Windows (and can be downloaded for free), Microsoft decided to press criminal charges against Lundgren for distributing the disks, which he did to help people keep their computers running longer. Microsoft argued that this free-to-download software was worth $25 per disk, which the court accepted.
Ford will stop making and selling cars in the US. Except, apparently, the Mustang. Apparently, stupid rednecks who hate the Earth only want to drive pick-ups and muscle cars. We really do need more regulations to make sure that people’s freedom to choose does not include wrong choices.
OK, a weekday edition of Old Guy Music, this time from the days when Fleetwood Mac was actually an interesting band. The band I was in covered this song, so every time I hear it, my fingers start twitching in sympathetic memory.
Hank Azaria says he is “willing to step aside” from his role voicing Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
It follows a documentary made by Indian-American comic Hari Kondabolu that argued the Indian character is based on racial stereotypes.
Speaking on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the actor said his “eyes have been opened” by the debate and that he never intended to cause offence.
He also distanced himself from the show’s controversial response.
Shopkeeper Apu has been part of the long-running animation series since 1990, with Azaria adopting an Indian accent to voice him.
The character is one of several voiced on The Simpsons by Azaria – he is also the voice of Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy and bartender Moe Szyslak.
There has been a focus on the portrayal of Apu since Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu.
The director told the BBC last year that the character was problematic because he is defined by his job and how many children he has in his arranged marriage.
I’d like to see them–at the end of an episode not featuring Apu–have Snake walk into the Kwik-E-Mart, shoot Apu in the face–brains hitting the Squishy machine–then turn the camera and say “Happy now, Hari? Happy now, fucktard?” and fade to black. And never mention Apu or the kids or the Kwik-E-Mart ever again. And memory-hole Apu out of syndication and DVD releases if the little shit-weasel says anything. Buzzards don’t get to complain about their meal, fucktard.
Authorities are expected to announce the arrest Wednesday of a suspect in the decades-old East Area Rapist case, The Bee has learned.
The suspect has been living in the Sacramento area and was identified after a renewed push of the investigation by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, a source said.
Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, is listed in Sacramento County jail records as being booked early this morning on two counts of murder from a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department warrant.
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Authorities believe he raped 37 people in the Sacramento area and Central Valley and killed two between 1976 and 1978. From there, authorities believe, he moved on to the Bay Area and Southern California.
He is believed to have committed at least nine sexual assaults in Sacramento, six in Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights, four in Carmichael, three in Davis, two in Orangevale and one in Antelope between June 1976 and July 1978.
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True crime writer Michelle McNamara’s book “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” reached No. 1 on The New York Times’ bestseller list last month and drew renewed attention to the case. A documentary on the search for the killer aired at the Delta King Theatre in Old Sacramento earlier this month.
JUNEAU, Alaska – To most spectators, the term “Olympics” means world-class swimming competitions, downhill skiing or the 100-meter dash.
But near the Arctic Circle, a different type of Olympics for young people pays homage to the region’s subsistence hunters and the methods they’ve used for centuries to feed their families and stay alive.
This week, more than 400 high school students from across Alaska will gather in Anchorage for the Native Youth Olympics state championships, where 10 events will test their strength, endurance and agility.
The games include the Seal Hop, where competitors bounce for as long as they can on their knuckles and toes, mimicking the act of sneaking up on a sleeping seal; the Indian Stick Pull, where two contestants fight for a greased dowel, simulating grabbing a slippery salmon from the water by the tail; and the Scissor Broad Jump, a half-long-jump, half-scissor-kick event that replicates leaping from one ice floe to the next in the Arctic Ocean.
Towns and villages in Canada, Greenland and Russia also have Native Youth Olympics. Participants compete locally and at larger international gatherings such as the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and the Arctic Winter Games.
Seems like it’s just me here. Where is everybody?!
Sloopy, BrettL, OMWC, Swiss, and SugarFree (my favorite)…gone. All gone. I hope the Glibertariat is not also…gone. Or I got up early to do links for humans who are gone.
1917: Ella Fitzgerald arrived to grace us all. Greatest female vocalist ever. Don’t argue; you know I’m right.
In more recent events
Thank goodness Chicago is a gun-free sanctuary, but the shooters using the guns-that-don’t-exist here need way more range time. Side note: must really suck to work in the ER at Mt Sinai Hospital.
Is anyone really surprised by this result in Arizona?
HM might need to dig out his checkbook for this. (Probably SFW)
H/T to PudPaisley for bringing a singer/songwriter to my attention. Just in time for an album release show at one of our favorite venues in Milwaukee next week. I really like Wisconsinite Pat Ferguson’s style. We might hit the show if OMWC can stay awake past his typical OM bedtime.
Have a super great day, kids! Try extra hard to be nice to all the stupid people you meet. They probably can’t help it.
Finland has decided not to extend its trial in universal basic income, the first welfare experiment of its kind by a European government that gave citizens an unconditional monthly payment.
The government rejected a request from Kela, the country’s social security agency, for additional funding to expand the innovative two-year pilot program, meaning it will come to an end in January 2019, the Guardian reports.
The program, which Finland inaugurated in January 2017, saw 2,000 jobless people receive €560 ($685) per month without requiring them to work or seek employment. Recipients who found a job continued to receive the payments. In 2015, Finland’s unemployment rate had hit a 17-year high of 10%, prompting calls for welfare reform.
I guess “unemployment benefits with no requirement to look for work or that ends when you find work” isn’t as hip a name as UBI. The article notes that Holland, Canada, and Kenya have tried this nonsense. They forgot about the thriving metropolis of Stockton, California.
In my recent Wall Street Journal essay on the politics of Twitter mobs, I noted that the episode was accompanied by a great deal of sloppy journalism—remarkably lazy journalism. Of all the mostly denunciatory articles about me that appeared in the big-name press (at least four in the New York Times alone) not a single writer of any of them bothered to ask me about my views on the subjects in question: abortion and capital punishment. Naturally, practically all of them got it wrong (see the corrections) never having bothered to perform the characteristic act of journalism and, you know, ask a question or two.
Ed Kilgore, a dreary partisan dolt in the employ of New York magazine, thought he saw an opening, and sent me a one-question inquiry: “What is your ‘public policy recommendation’ on appropriate punishment for women having abortions in a hypothetical criminalized abortion regime?” As any reasonably intelligent person will immediately detect, that question isn’t actually a question; it is a rhetorical stratagem in the shape of a question, deployed for the purpose of lame partisan point-scoring in the form of blocks of texts shaped like journalism. It isn’t discourse, but a facsimile of it, the journalistic equivalent of the Gemütlichkeit Spamwich created by Lisa Dziadulewicz of Sheboygan, Wisconsin: Just not quite right.
It is, as I have noted, a dishonest strategy, because the question cannot be intelligently answered in a single sentence or two. (The French law on the subject, for example, runs quite a bit longer than that.) Try to summarize it in sound-bite form and you’ll produce something that is easy to caricature—which is, of course, the point of asking the question.
The episode is yet another example of how far we are through the looking glass: a man who criticized the then-sitting president by saying he “doesn’t care” about black people on national television in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is, in the topsy-turvy world of 2018, a cheerleader for a pundit who thinks black people ought to quit whining. This has been distressing to many of his fans. It has thrilled all the wrong people. “It is hard to put into words how significant and powerful this endorsement from Kanye is!!” a weekend email from TPUSA read. “When pop icons like Kayne start to compliment leaders like Candace, you know there is a sea change happening in America. Please consider a tax deductible gift today to help us WIN THE FIGHT!!!”
There are as many fronts in The War on Creeping Uncle Tomism as there are people who need to be put back in their place. The time has come for you, Kayne. Denounce Taylor Swift or get in the back of the bus.
Our dear friend, author and former Jezebel staffer Lindy West, is having her best-selling memoir, Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman, adapted into a Hulu series with another woman we love, Aidy Bryant.
In late 2016, seven months after its release, Elizabeth Banks optioned Shrill with the aim of adapting it for television. Two years (and two additional book deals) later, the Shrill TV show has been sold and is currently being developed for Hulu by Saturday Night Live’s Lorne Michaels and Aidy Bryant.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Hulu take is “the story of a fat young woman who wants to change her life, but not her body.” Bryant will star as West in the single-camera comedy. West, Bryant and Ali Rushfield penned the screenplay. No date is set for its release yet, but it’s safe to say we’re FREAKING OUT!
I got a 4 day pass! And I’m going to go… to a 4 day board gaming CON with a bunch of other nerds. Hey, at least we have many gallons of primo beer. What can I say, I am a 51 year old married with children, white collar worker, and living in the suburbs. I can barely remember being a 19 year old PFC on pay day.
So instead of tearing the town up…you get links.
Sports – some hockey series supposedly finished (giving false hope to certain East Coast fans). Basketball rolls on, and baseball trudges toward the warmer times.
Birthdays – William I, Prince of Orange (take that, Spaniards! 1533) Vincent de Paul (dude, your basketball program is a shambles! 1581) Robert Bailey Thomas (Farmer’s Almanac anyone? 1766) François Fournier (legendary Swiss post stamp forger. 1824) Philippe Pétain (Vichy!!! 1856) Benjamin Lee Whorf (shout out to HM. 1897) Justin Wilson (You go and add you a little un-yun. 1914) Richard M. Daley (1942) The Streisand Effect (1942) Omar Vizquel (1967) Kelly Clarkson (1982)
Links –
Hey, I know certain Tex-Mex fans that would have recommended the death penalty instead of what he got. I wonder if he will work in the kitchen in prison?
Say, speaking of Kelly Clarkson… the tabloids just loves them this “sex cult” story.
More wonders of socialist medicine. Shouldn’t we all just love and respect a system that has results like Alder Hey say it’s in Alfie’s ‘best interests’ to die and judges have also agreed.
Immigration crisis…in South America. Irony? Definitely tragedy.
Mondays are for chumps. The part about doing the Mexican news though, is finding out in comparison, Monday isn’t so bad. Need an few examples?
10 people in Nicaragua (that’s south of Mexico…) killed when they found out for free stuff costs money! Or was it 25?
El presidente de Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, anunció este domingo que revoca la resolución de aumento de pagos a la Seguridad Social que fue el detonante de las manifestaciones en el país.
Al menos 10 personas han muerto en las manifestaciones que empezaron esta semana, según dijo la vicepresidenta Rosario Murillo al medio estatal El 19 Digital.
No obstante, la organización sin fines de lucro Centro Nicaragüense de Defensores de Derechos Humanos (CENIDH) dijo en un comunicado que hasta la fecha se registran al menos 25 fallecidos y 67 personas heridas por las protestas.
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The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, announced on Sunday that he revokes the resolution to increase payments to Social Security that was the trigger for the demonstrations in the country.
At least 10 people have died in the demonstrations that began this week, said Vice President Rosario Murillo to state media El 19 Digital.
However, the non-profit organization Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights Defenders (CENIDH) said in a statement that to date at least 25 people have died and 67 people have been injured by the protests.
Sunday marked the beginning of the Mexican Presidential Debates. An item on the agenda: violence. Predictably, the answers had nothing to do with anything that might actually make the shithole parts of Mexico less of a shithole.
El Trumpeñero
Muy pronto, los candidatos empezaron a criticar una propuesta de López Obrador, realizada el 5 de diciembre pasado: “No descarto que se someta a discusión que se consulte al pueblo sobre la posibilidad de una amnistía”.
Anaya arguyó que la estrategia se había intentado en Colombia, y había fracasado. Meade sugirió que al promover la amnistía servía a los criminales. Por su parte, Zavala dijo que la rechazaba “por respeto a la ley”.
López Obrador respondió que “amnistía no quiere decir impunidad”, aunque agregó que “no se puede apagar el fuego con el fuego”.
Su propuesta contra la violencia fue combatir sus “raíces”, refiriéndose a la falta de desarrollo y a la economía. […]
Meade, por su parte, anunció que se enfocaría en la prevención, y sobre todo en la impunidad.
Margarita Zavala dijo que el eje de su gobierno sería defender a los mexicanos, incluido defenderlos “de Donald Trump”. Y de López Obrador.
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Very soon, the candidates began to criticize a proposal by López Obrador, made on December 5: “I do not rule out the possibility of an amnesty being submitted to discussion to ask the people.”
Anaya argued that the strategy had been tried in Colombia, and had failed. Meade suggested that by promoting amnesty he served criminals. For his part, Zavala said he rejected it “out of respect for the law.”
López Obrador responded that “amnesty does not mean impunity,” although he added that “you can not put out the fire with fire.”
His proposal against violence was to combat his “roots”, referring to the lack of development and the economy.
“Violence broke out in the country because there has been no economic growth,” he said.[…]
Meade, on the other hand, announced that it would focus on prevention, and above all on impunity.
Margarrita Zavala said that the axis of her government would be to defend the Mexicans, including defending them “from Donald Trump.” And of López Obrador.
Comò se what?
Ever wonder what immigration will ask to make sure your marriage with an illegalundocumenteddreamerthe nice lady Estéban isn’t a sham? Telémundo with the help of the NY Times has the answer.
Con la espalda contra la pared por la ofensiva del Gobierno de Donald Trump, muchos inmigrantes indocumentados confían en el matrimonio con un ciudadano estadounidense para salvarse de la deportación. Y mucho terminan en manos del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas, que ya no perdona en tiempos de Barack Obama las órdenes de expulsión previas.
Los inmigrantes deben demostrar además que su matrimonio es legítimo, que no se trata de un truco para salvarse de ICE. ¿Qué va a solicitar el Servicio de Inmigración y Ciudadanía (USCIS) para comprobar que efectivamente son ustedes esposos, que se quieren y tienen un proyecto de vida en común?[…]
¿Cómo se conocieron?
¿Cuánto tardaron en empezar a salir juntos como pareja?
¿Cuándo conocieron a sus respectivas familias?
¿Cuándo decidieron casarse?
¿Dónde compró usted el anillo?
¿Cómo fue la boda, a quién invitaron?
¿Qué hicieron después?
¿Dónde comieron?
Recuerde, si le pillan mintiendo, pueden multarle hasta con 250.000 dólares. Además, le pueden condenar a no conseguir nunca una green card a través del matrimonio.
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With their backs against the wall because of the Donald Trump government offensive, many undocumented immigrants rely on marriage with a US citizen to save themselves from deportation. And many end up in the hands of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, which no longer forgives in the time of Barack Obama the previous expulsion orders.
Immigrants must also prove that their marriage is legitimate, that it is not a trick to save themselves from ICE. What will the Immigration and Citizenship Service (USCIS) request to verify that you are indeed spouses, that you love each other and have a common life project?[…]
How did you meet?
How long did it take to start dating together as a couple?
When did you meet your respective families?
When did you decide to get married?
Where did you buy the ring?
How was the wedding, who was invited?
What did you do after?
Where they ate?
Remember, if you are caught lying, you can be fined up to $ 250,000. In addition, you can be condemned to never get a green card through marriage.
Translation services provided by the Alpha Beta corporation who won’t even bother to ask if any of you work. They already know.
Having returned from my New England sojourn, I am prepared to bring you the best, most interesting, and most compelling links to the most important news stories of the day. This will allow you the opportunity to post recycled outrage stories, titty pix, and endless discussions of Eurotrash “sports.” My return was not without some unwanted adventure. As I feared, SP’s babysitter was a wee bit too indulgent, though I admit that she’s easy to spoil. The photo above is what I returned to find, and lesson learned- leaving the babysitter with one of my credit cards for emergency use is not without risk.
