"You take a photo of yourself. Or someone takes a photo of you. And this photo is meant to imitate a really bad, really weird, really awkward author photo. Some real authors have terrible, terrible photos on their book jackets, and your job is to outdo those at every turn. Funny is good. Weird is wonderful. Clever is excellent." There can be only one entry. Make it a good one.
"Search-and-rescue workers headed to villages hit by Guatemala's Volcano of Fire early Monday after it spewed lava, ash, rocks and deadly hot gas, killing at least 33 people."
"NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has apparently found something intriguing on Mars, and the space agency will unveil the discovery Thursday (June 7)." I'll bet it's a lost sock.
"Israel’s High Court of Justice convened on Sunday to hear two petitions against controversial legislation which allows the state to expropriate privately owned Palestinian lands and retroactively legalize unsanctioned West Bank settlement outposts."
"Om specializes in styling curly, natural hair — something that Puerto Rican women often go to great lengths to straighten with strong chemicals and hair dryers." Colonialism only works when the colonizing power actually supports the colony. Yes, it's very exploitive, but there is an interaction, which is what I think I'm trying to say. Once the colony feels their either being ignored or exploited (economically, physically, psychologically) they will rebel.
"The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to bake a cake to celebrate the marriage of a same sex couple because of a religious objection… The ruling was 7-2." A couple of thoughts, I'm going to start a religion with some deeply held believes against Social Conservative positions. Also, the ruling was both very narrow (mostly based on hostility the baker faced at the appeal level), and written to only affect this one case. Finally, the ruling wasn't close. Even if Clinton had won (or Merrick Garland had been given even the courtesy of a hearing) the case mostly likely would have gone the same way.
"We trace the money back to a Republican strategist named Chris Jankowski who hatched a brilliant scheme to reshape national politics for a bargain. The strategy was called the Redistricting Majority Project, or 'REDMAP.'" The Planet Money podcast on how we got here.
"Mexico is putting tariffs on imports of U.S. steel and farm products — including pork, cheese, apples and potatoes — as it hits back at the U.S. for the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum products from Mexico, Canada and the European Union." I bet all those jobs come roaring back. Any second now. Soon, probably.
"Prosecutors are accusing former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort of witness tampering as he awaits trial on conspiracy and money laundering charges — and they asked a judge to end his house arrest and consider pre-trial detention." The best part is the people he was trying to coerce turned him in.
Kids these days. "'This is the part of my speech where I share some inspirational quotes I found on Google,” he told the packed auditorium. “Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table" — Donald J. Trump.'… The crowd burst into applause. President Trump is quite popular in Pineville and the surrounding area, which is the heart of coal country and overwhelmingly supported the president in the 2016 election after he promised to bring coal jobs back to America… 'Just kidding,' he said. 'That was Barack Obama.'" The kids are all right.
"President Trump has disinvited the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles from their planned visit Tuesday to the White House. The invitation was canceled over what Trump says is a disagreement on standing during the national anthem. In response, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said Mr. Trump's decision 'only proves that our president is not a true patriot, but a fragile egomaniac.'" This makes the second or third event that had to be cancelled because people just said, "I don't want to be a part of this White House" and refused to show up. Also, the president acts like a troll and moves the goal posts from "if you don't want to stand for the National Anthem stay in the locker room" to equating even staying in the locker room as unpatriotic. Or in other words, compelled speech and action. The players must conform the the dear leader's wishes.
How should politicians act? "'They came there — they thought — to tell Bobby what the situation was in American civil rights and what he ought to be doing,' (Larry Tye, author of Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon) says. 'Bobby saw the meeting instead as his explaining all the things he and his brother were trying to do. He thought he should get a pat on the back; people thought he should get a kick in the butt.'… The administration was moving way too slowly, the group told Kennedy. Seething, Kennedy wrapped up the meeting and fumed for the next couple of days. Then, says Larry Tye, Robert Kennedy did what he often did… 'He started out with a narrow view of the world, and he ended up, not long after, being able to put himself in the shoes of the people he was facing off against. And in the end, deciding not only that they were right, but that he was going to do something about that.'"
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