Another great one from Tom Tomorrow.

In Sept., the president posted an AI-generated video of a fake F*x News story in which he announces that “Medbed” hospitals will soon be available. If you're not familiar with this particular branch of the Qanon conspiracy fantasy, you might want to listen to this podcast episode (18 min).

DJT and RFK are making the whole world less healthy.

The Liar's Dictionary – a fun, low-key novel about the link between two lexicographers working for the same second-rate dictionary 100 years apart. Some funny wordplay and clever made-up words.

Can I use FanDuel or DraftKings to bet on which team/sport will have the next gambling scandal?

Great conversation with author of a new book about The Cars (500 pages!!).

Parallels between Mao's Cultural Revolution and the current U.S. regime: attacks on universities, expertise and competence; fanatical youth movement; continual grievance and anger; no relation between rhetoric and reality; hatred toward “the enemy within”. History doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme.

I enjoyed Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein". It has a different perspective than the original Shelley novel, much more from the creature's point of view. The actress who played Elizabeth is named Mia Goth (not kidding).

Whooping cough on the rise in Louisiana.

The same week that Texas hosted a major anti-vaxxer conference, we have this story about 4x increase in whooping cough.

Install unqualified lackeys in positions of authority and this is the predictable result.

The administration is raising cronyism to the highest levels.

We're really living in kooky-billionaire times: This guy is touting “Christian AI” as a way to bring on the second coming and Peter Thiel is giving speeches warning about the anti-Christ.

Great Fresh Air conversation with Guillermo del Toro. His adaptation of Frankenstein comes to Netflix on Nov. 7. Support your local NPR station!

Remarkable NYT photo essay.

I enjoyed this series about an actual heist in England in 1983. The robbers expected to nab a shipment of Spanish currency, but it turned out that 3 tons of gold bullion were stored outside the vault. Support your local PBS station!

Sugar have a new single and will be touring. Copper Blue is one of my fave albums.

Good to see that Penn has joined M.I.T. and Brown in rejecting this "compact."

Know your rights.

“. . . because of the Trump cuts to science, medicine and research funding, as well as new immigration policies, fewer physicians can — or want to — come to the U.S.”

Some good news. The number of EV charging stations has grown considerably.

I completely agree about the IPA obsession, high alcohol content, tallboys, and jokey labels.

Winter melon mania. Thanks to one of my wife's co-workers.

It's good they have been going hard after dangerous criminals.

Wednesday S2 has a fun song & dance number: Enid & Agnes performing to the new Lady Gaga single “The Dead Dance”. A great companion to Wednesday's dance to the Cramps' “Goo Goo Muck” in S1. Do the Dead Dance!

The Peace Prize was rigged!! Probably because of mail-in ballots. www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-rall...

The new White House decor is so . . . classy. Did someone say “fool's gold” ?

PBS News Hour piece on the native N. American fruit. Support your local PBS station!

Happy Moon Festival (aka "Mid-Autumn Festival"). In celebration, here is a photo that I took in a bar in Beijing in 2015. There was a glass-door drinks fridge, with this lighted sign across the top. Clearly the U.S. needs to get on the capitalist road and designate an official beer for Artemis.

I read Thomas Pynchon's “Vineland” around the time it was first published. The novel inspired this new movie from Paul Thomas Anderson. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

“Who needs evidence when your pal's the president”

Subscribe to Jay Kuo's “The Status Kuo”. Every Sat. he sends out a collection of the best things he's seen on social media, like this gem.

Headline: “Florida plans to become the first state to end all vaccine mandates, including for schoolchildren.” Enjoy Disney's new ride - Viruses of the Caribbean.

Tom T's take on the extrajudicial killings.

Beware.

Earlier today there was spectacular fire fountaining.

The pathological hatred of wind power is weird. If there is a “national energy emergency”, as was declared on Jan. 20, why would we not want to take advantage of all sources available to us, including wind and solar?

The distinctive color of glacial lakes comes from light scattered and absorbed by fine particles of “rock flour”, formed by the glacier grinding against bedrock, suspended in the water. Banff, Alberta, last month.

This captures much of the frustration of today.

Hegadeth and the Kristi Nomads.

Looks like another blow to scientific research in the U.S.

I won't miss acetaminophen. Whenever I have pain or a fever, I inject some bleach and swallow an ivermectin horse de-wormer pill.

Today Jimmy Kimmel posted a photo of himself with Norman Lear. The late screenwriter and television producer was a strong advocate for the First Amendment. In 1981 Mr. Lear founded People for the American Way in response to the rise of the religious right.

In this administration, which is bigger: corruption or incompetence?

Disney issued a cartoon message to employees (satire from Stephen Colbert).

Disney issued this cartoon message to employees (satire from Stephen Colbert)

The grabbing hands grab all they can.

Mega-corruption.