Sunday Wrap-Up

Tony's Toons

Har har, made you look. Nothing worth typing about this wk. Or last wk. Or next wk.

Or the one after that, or the one after that, or the one after that ...

M.Bouffant's Un-American Bandstand

It's got a beat & you can dance to it. If you aren't dancing, you may be as dead as Dick Clark. Check your pulse.

Lock Him Up & Throw Away The Key!!

I know I'm fucking outraged. UglyJudge.com

Between Ronald Reagan & lying sack of shit former Sheriff of Los Angeles County Lee Baca, we must do a much better job of spotting senile dementia in our so-called leaders, & removing the sufferers from office immediately.

Baca admitted to lying to investigators in 2013 when he said he was unaware that sheriff’s deputies were going to the home of an FBI agent to confront and threaten her over her involvement in the probe of corruption within the department.

The same year Baca committed the offense, he was named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriffs’ Association.

The rejected plea agreement — which one of Anderson’s colleagues on the federal bench called “troubling” — was widely seen as too lenient, especially after Tanaka was sentenced.

Not that the shitty sheriff's Alzheimer's disease is any kind of an excuse. He obviously knew what he was doing when he did it.

And since he pled guilty, to hell w/ a plea bargain. Sentence him to the maximum & lock his lying ass up now before he's so far gone he doesn't realize he's being punished. And let's hope his punishment fits the crime, & he's brutalized just as those in his custody were. Rotten fucking bastard.

Attacks Of The Day

Crikey, post-1900 & I haven't "published" an item yet.

@realDonaldTrump Take a swing at me & we'll see whose head spins first, illiterate buffoon. I'll rip that weave right off your pumpkin head!

— M. Bouffant (@MBouffant) July 30, 2016

@DanaSchwartzzz @NeilTurner_ @realDonaldTrump They didn't do it by inheriting it from their racist landlord father, that's for damn sure.

— M. Bouffant (@MBouffant) July 30, 2016

WHO COULD POSSIBLY GIVE A SHIT?

The only thing worse for sheer irritating boredom than the purchase, preparation, & consumption of "sustenance" & "nutrition" is fucking cretins typing shit about it. Jesus Fuck, dullards, everybody eats, everybody shits & everybody breathes as well, but we don't see zillions of column inches about how your crap is the best crap ever, or comparisons of local atmospheres.

It all looks like this to me:

You have no idea what you're eating. Or why. Bored.com.

Frankly, these inane drones who are so concerned about gourmet & other bullshit eating should stop tasting their own asses, get their heads out of there & note that oxygen, as in the atmosphere & water, is in peril planet-wide, & they won't be eating shit if they aren't breathing, or are dead of dehydration. But do go on whining & typing about food all the time, I'm not bored enough yet!

Inspired (Although irritated may be a more accurate word.) by these two doses of jag-offery:

This Map Shows Where To Get Food From (Almost) All 50 States Without Leaving L.A.

The 11 Best Classic And Quintessentially Los Angeles Dishes

Eat this, eaters!

Tweet Of The Day

To the twit of the day:

@DonaldJTrumpJr Hope you meet an animal w/ a gun if you ever go on another killing spree in Africa.

— M. Bouffant (@MBouffant) July 28, 2016

Local Nostalgia Action

Hey, looks like close personal acquaintance Margaret (blue hair) to the right of Melanie Nissen. Closer examination indicates that may be close personal acquaintance Gus H.'s profile on top of Melanie Nissen's head, talking to Margaret. It's a small iNternet.

[LAObserved]

Trophy Wife's Vanity Website Disappeared From iNternet

 Christina Wilkie / The Huffington Post:

Melania Trump's Website, Biography Have Disappeared From The Internet  —  The apparent scrubbing job comes after speculation over whether she earned an undergraduate degree, as previously claimed.  —  National Political Reporter, The Huffington Post  —  The professional website of Melania Trump …

Discussion:

Charles Johnson / Little Green Footballs:   Did Melania Trump Really Have an Architecture Degree? Then Why Has Her Website Disappeared?

David Ferguson / Raw Story:   Melania Trump's website yanked offline as questions swirl about her ‘degree’

RELATED:

 Caitlin Yilek / The Hill:

Melania Trump website scrubbed from internet  —  Melania Trump's professional website was recently deleted from the internet, according to The Huffington Post.  —  The deletion comes amid questions from the media about her degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.

Discussion:

Susan Wright / RedState:   Team Trump Does Damage Control by Dumping Melania Trump's Website

Were I Mrs. Trump Mk. III I'd be watching my back. First the website disppears, then it's "Oh, Mme. Trump is in an undisclosed location for her own safety on a spa vacation", then nobody remembers you. Sad, really.

Keep Hydrated, Kats & Kittens!

La Cañada Flintridge (The upper-middle classes live there; celebrates its 40th anniv. this yr.) resident Mark Hunter had a cute & thirsty visitor.

Stolen from laist.

I.C.Y.M.I.: Nine Days Ago

Clearing old brush on the ranch, I found this rattlesnake sunning itself on a rock. Extra funny considering Trumpy could barely make up his flitty hummingbird mind on a vice-presidential nominee.

Aaron Klein / Breitbart:

EXCLUSIVE - Roger Stone: Trump To Name Prospective Cabinet at RNC  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio - Donald Trump is planning to use the Republican National Convention to make the unusual move of announcing names of potential cabinet members, Trump's longtime confident* Roger Stone has confirmed.

Discussion:

Ryan Grim / The Huffington Post:   Trump Plans To Steal The Spotlight Back With Cabinet Announcements

Exclusive & "confirmed", was it? Gee golly willikers, why I did ignore such a scoop nine days ago? Oh, because I couldn't be sure if it were Roger Stone or the decaying corpse of Breitbart's pathetic fantasy lying to me.

---

*That's no typo, it's an error, & remains uncorrected to this day. High-priced talent at Breitbart's Grave. Russian money?

Second Tweet Of The Day

Fi-yuh continued. pic.twitter.com/yxzsSCjGk2

— M. Bouffant (@MBouffant) July 26, 2016

Pardon the crummy Reagan/Lifeline-'phone pics. These might have nice were they focused & at a visible resolution. (We're doing our best w/ what we have. Which sucks when it isn't absolutely nothing.)

Tweet Of The Day

Babylon Burn!! pic.twitter.com/uX9ko2BJeC

— M. Bouffant (@MBouffant) July 26, 2016

At one point there were eight trucks or engines & the hook & ladder, as well as three ambulances & another hook & ladder staged nearby. Quick work by our boys in I can't even imagine how effing hot on a day like this; saw a few guys go up the ladder, a few puffs o' smoke from the roof & it was over. Immediate guess would be air conditioning unit, maybe a kitchen fire.

Now Officially Dead To Me: WIRED

Cutting off their ugly noses to spite their fat faces.

Advertising is for pimps & whores, Silicon Valley shitheels. Gotcher "intellectual property" right here!

You Know Who Else Gave Fucking "Speeches"?

Adolf Hitler, that's who. Oh, & Goebbels. To name but two. So try not to get too excited about speechifyin', easily manipulated sucker-ass convention fans. It makes you look like Nazi chumps.

Wnenever these sacks of political scum open their ugly yaps & yap at you they're yapping lies. You breeder scum pretend you won't let your children lie to you. Why do you take it from your employees? Votes won't work, bullets are called for.

Xmas In July

Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill; I Got A Rage To Live!

Intellectual property is theft.

Every single goddamn morningearly afternoon I awake in a state of extreme irritation that, once I see what's occurred while I was sleeping the undisturbed sleep of the righteous, becomes a rage greater than any previously recorded in human history.

Th' hell's the matter w/ you sheep? Is your entire filthy money-grubbing species born w/ your heads pre-inserted in your asses now?

A closing wish: May the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (5 August-21 August) be a catastrophe of disease, terror, violence & electrocution from shoddy construction. Like the Republican Convention, but w/ actual population reduction.

Geography Lesson

Charles Saxon, published in The New Yorker of October 6, 1986.
You could buy a Premium Giclee Print from our source.

Are the millions of us here on the good side of the Rockies to be represented by a triangulator & a crook, both of them (now) from New York, a square from Confederate Virginia,
& a Dunce4Jesus from fly-over country?

Are we to be satisfied that a few counties in Pence's native Indiana observe Central Time? I think not. This affront to The Pioneers & their descendants cannot be allowed to stand.

Secession now, secession tomorrow, secession forever!!

Out W/ The Old World, In W/ The New!

Golden Canyon, Death Valley. Kārlis Dambrāns,Flickr // CC BY 2.0
Found at mental_floss.

We have every confidence, evidence be damned, that the Western Hemisphere (Death Valley, specifically)is & will remain hot as if not hotter than hell, keeping this record from those losers back in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Eastern Hemisphere's All-Time Temperature Record: Kuwait Fries in 54°C (129.2°F) Heat

Doo Wop Radical Recap

"The present-day Pachuco refuses to die!"

From the January 2016 preview.

Met Rubén Guevara in the spring of 1972 while he was cutting For Real! at Paramount Recording. (In L.A. from 'Frisco w/ friends for spring break, I called F.Z. to see how his leg was healing & was invited to view the recording sessions. Somewhere I have/had a semi-focused picture of Frog, a good-sized gentleman who'd had a few too many somethings being wheeled out of Paramount in Frank's wheelchair.)

No idea about Frog, but Rubén's still at it. Six shows, this wknd. & next. (Six left. How'd I miss last wknd.?)

They released two albums with Zappa’s help: "For Real!" and "Con Safos." But the music, the tours and the fame all evaporated. Band members started bickering, other projects came calling, and the curtain came down on Ruben and the Jets.

Over the decades, Guevara never stopped singing or acting. Under the watchful eye of theatre director Dan Kwong, the hard-working performer isn’t letting up as he prepares for his show. Kwong says it’s important for Guevara not to underplay his courageous tenacity:

His highs are so high and therefore the falls are crashes. He’s [gone from performing] for 40,000 people in a baseball stadium to delivering fried chicken. How do you not give up? How do you keep moving forward? How do you hold onto your vision, or adjust your dreams when something isn’t working? There’s something about watching someone crash and burn over and over again that’s kind of cathartic. And you think, Wow, if he can survive that, what can’t I survive?(Laughs)

[KPPC]

55 Yrs. Ago Today: Dizzy & Pee Wee (Baseball Or Jazz?)

Recommended for this reporter by YouTube (Because I find this highly amusing? I don't actively look for ballgames from the dawn of television.) N.B.C.'s Game of the Week, San Francisco Giants vs. Cincinnati Redlegs at Crosley Field, Dizzy Dean & Pee Wee Reese behind the microphones, Sat. 22 July 1961.As we wallow down Memory Lane, anyone else remember a Game of the Wk. sometime in the mid/late 1970s (I think Joe Garagiola was the guy who apologized to the listeners an inning or so later) when an angry fellow very close to a live microphone went on a hell of a tirade (can't remember if he was unhappy w/ an ump or a player) using several popular combined Anglo-Saxonisms ("cocksucker", "motherfucker" or both, srsly) for close to thirty seconds before one of N.B.C.'s geniuses heard it & figured which mic to turn off? No? Probably lost to history then.

U.S.S. Republican Party

Thanks for ruining our attempt at humor w/ your shitty embedding, fucking militarist Nazis at Defense Tech. You'll have to go there to see the party go down.

Self-Freuding Schaden

George W(orst). Bush Last Of The Gooper Prexies?

Who killed the elephants?
Kill: Donald Jr poses with the tail of an elephant which he
appears to have just cut off. The pictures surfaced in 2012

POLITICO gets around to an overheard quote from April.

But few were as dark about the Republican Party’s future as former President Bush himself. In a more intimate moment during the reunion, surrounded by a smaller clutch of former aides and advisers, Bush weighed in with an assessment so foreboding that some who relayed it could not discern if it was gallows humor or blunt realpolitik.

“I’m worried,” Bush told them, “that I will be the last Republican president.”

Donald Trump, who will officially become the Republican nominee on Tuesday, has done little to inspire renewed confidence since.

Frank Luntz Can't
Handle The Truth

Pollster Frank Luntz: GOP has ‘lost’ the millennial generation  —  CLEVELAND — Republican pollster Frank Luntz on Tuesday told delegates at the Republican National Convention that the GOP has “lost” the millennial generation of voters.  —  Addressing the South Carolina delegation …

Discussion:

Martinlongman / Washington Monthly:   Frank Luntz Still Seems Despondent

Lauren McCauley / Common Dreams:   “We're Screwed”: GOP Pollster Laments Losing Millennial Voters to Socialism and Sanders

Professional developer of lies Luntz claims the Comm-u-niss professors of academe have brainwashed* those dopey Millenials. WaMo & CD note the reality-based otherwise.

---

*The same idiotic, paranoid, McCarthy-ite bullshit these lying sacks have been spewing since the 1950s, no matter how many times everything they recite has been disproved. Boring & irritating beyond human patience. Certainly beyond mine.

Title credit, as always, to I.F. Thunder. Image: Daily Mail. (Don't need any legal action.)

DANGER! DANGER! Boredom/Irritation Level At Maximum

If it weren't for the constant irritation every humanoid schmuck in this world of shit & pain causes me I'd be bored beyond dead by now, you dull stupid assholes. Why don't y'all fucking die, very painfully? A painful death might give some of you brain-dead bozos populating this world an idea of human existence (rather than the constant numbness your daily meaningless existence as a fucking wage-slave necessitates) in the brief seconds of consciousness before your inevitable mortality.

Elected Assholes You Know Night

And, the actual nomination. It's all been presumption to this point. Will they really do it?

Tuesday: Make America Work Again

The Obama years have delivered anemic economic growth, the lowest labor-force participation rate in 38 years, and job-killing regulations and legislation like Obamacare. These policies are crushing middle-class families, and a Hillary Clinton presidency would merely be an Obama third term that would deliver the same poor results. Donald Trump is a successful businessman with a solid record of creating jobs and the experience we need to get America's economy up and running … and get Americans working again.

America being made to work again.

Prime-Time Speakers
Please note: The speakers below are part of the prime-time program, which will follow Tuesday's Nomination Process.

Sharon Day, Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee
Sharon Day was elected Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee on January 14, 2011, and was re-elected on January 25, 2013. From 2009-2011, she served as RNC Secretary. She has served the Republican Party at the local, state, and national levels for more than 20 years.

Dana White, President, UFC
Dana White is the president and business visionary behind the success of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A self-described political independent, White has expressed his gratitude to presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump for helping the UFC succeed. Trump hosted the once-controversial mixed martial arts competitions at his Trump Taj Mahal casino property when other venues shunned the sport.

Governor Asa Hutchison, Governor of Arkansas
Asa Hutchinson is serving his first term as Governor of Arkansas. His main priority is bringing more jobs and economic growth to his native state, and he is working hard to make Arkansas an attractive place to locate a business.

Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas Attorney General
Rutledge's election in 2014 was the first time a woman or a Republican had been elected Arkansas Attorney General. Rutledge has joined Arkansas with Texas and other states in challenging the constitutionality of the Obama Administration's executive orders on immigration and in filing to protect personal property rights.

Michael B, Mukasey, Former Attorney General
Michael Mukasey served as Attorney General of the United States from November 2007 to January 2009. Prior to serving as Attorney General, Mukasey served as a judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, becoming Chief Judge in 2000.

Andy Wist, Businessman
Andy Wist founded the Standard Waterproofing Company in 1979. Beginning in his mom's basement in Brooklyn, Andy grew the company into one of the largest roofing, waterproofing, and landmark restoration companies in New York City, that today counts more than 180 employees and is headquartered in the Bronx.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin)
Elected in 2010, Johnson has been fighting to get the country's fiscal house in order. He is focused on reining in government spending and bringing jobs back to the people of Wisconsin. Before being elected to office, Johnson started a polyester and plastics manufacturing business, PACUR, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Running this small business, Johnson did everything from operating the equipment to keeping the company books.

Chris Cox, Executive Director of NRA Institute for Legislative Action
Chris Cox directs NRA's nationwide legislative and political efforts. As a champion of the right to bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Cox has directed NRA's electoral efforts at every level. He has been at the forefront of efforts resisting Obama administration gun control initiatives as well as abuses of power including the Justice Department's Operation Fast and Furious effort that knowingly allowed guns to "walk" to Mexican drug cartels.

Natalie Gulbis, Golfer, LPGA
Natalie Gulbis is a professional golfer playing on the U.S.-based LPGA tour. The California native has played golf since the age of four and earned second place in Rookie of the Year points during her first year on tour in 2002.  Gulbis starred in the 2005 and 2006 reality show, The Natalie Gulbis Show, which aired on The Golf Channel.  Gulbis wrote a much-talked about piece on golf.com entitled "The Donald Trump I Know" in which she voiced her strong support for Donald Trump to become President of the United States.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky)
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell has represented the state of Kentucky since 1985, making him the state's longest-serving senator. McConnell also serves in the Senate leadership; he is currently the Senate Majority Leader, and before assuming that role, he served an eight-year term as Senate Minority Leader.

U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (WI-1)
U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is the permanent chairman of the 2016 Republican National Convention. Born and raised inJanesville, Wisconsin, Ryan has spent his life advocating for real solutions that help increase opportunities for all Americans. He first won election to the U.S. House in 1999, and during his tenure, he has become known for his leadership on budget and fiscal matters.

U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23)
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has represented California in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2007. A fourth-generation resident of Kern County, California, he grew up in a working-class family and ran a small business, Kevin O's Deli. He has applied this background to his work on behalf of small businesses and positions on burdensome taxes and regulations.

Governor Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was a candidate for president in the 2016 Republican primary. First elected governor in 2010, he was re-elected to his second term in 2013. The governor's top priorities include balancing the state's budget, education reform, and changing the national conversation about drug addiction and treatment.

Tiffany Trump, Daughter of Donald Trump
Tiffany Trump was born October 13, 1993 to Donald Trump and Marla Maples. Raised in California, she is the second-youngest ofDonald Trump's children. Tiffany graduated from University of Pennsylvania this spring with a double major in sociology and urban studies. She is a fashion model, singer, and influential presence on social media.

Kerry Woolard, General Manager, Trump Winery
Kerry Woolard is the General Manager at Trump Winery, a 1,300-acre estate located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia. A graduate of the College of William and Mary, Kerry has 15 years of winery management experience and has contributed to wine columns for the Wine Gazette and USA Today. In her role at Trump Winery, Kerry oversees all operations and has worked with Donald Trump to make the business a huge success.

Donald Trump, Jr., Son of Donald Trump and EVP, The Trump Organization
Donald J. Trump, Jr. is an innovator and leader in today's business world. As an Executive Vice President at The Trump Organization, Donald Jr. works in tandem with his siblings Ivanka and Eric to expand the company's real estate, retail, commercial, hotel and golf interests nationally and internationally. His extensive real estate development experience, rigorous education and inherent business sense add a level of detail and depth to the management of all current and future Trump projects.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia)
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito is the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate in West Virginia's history. In 1996, Capito was elected to the 31st District of the West Virginia House of Delegates, where she served two terms and was the minority chairman on the Health and Human Resources Committee and a member of the Judiciary and Banking and Insurance Committees.

Dr Ben Carson, Neurosurgeon
A candidate for the presidency in this year's Republican primary, Ben Carson grew up in a poor, single-parent household in Detroit, Michigan. Initially a student earning mediocre grades, his mother encouraged him to read and cultivated his love of learning. Between his degrees, Carson worked as an X-ray technician, a bank teller, a school bus driver, a supervisor for highway cleanup crews, and a crane operator in a steel factory.

Kimberlin Brown, Actor
An actress best known for her roles in the television dramas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, Kimberlin Brown is also a California avocado farmer, host of The Design Network's interior designer show Dramatic Design, and a small business owner.

[PR Newswire]

John Glenn, Oldest Person Ever In Space, Completes His 95th Orbit

John Glenn in the Spacehab facility on Discovery, 1998. (N.A.S.A.)

Blah blah ... of my generation yada ... telebision sets in classrooms; we youth weren't aware of the possibilities of launch pad or post-launch explosions (Were the teachers & administrators who dragged those tube tee vee sets into the classrooms aware either? How nationally traumatizing would that have been?) & off he went into the wild blue yonder, & then the starry black ++yonder.

An inspiration to the young & old. Few have been as consistently bad-assed.

John Glenn: 1st American to Orbit Earth,
Oldest Man in Space

Plus, he's made it to 95. Of course, he's been getting gummint healthcare since he enlisted post-Pearl Harbor (except for 1965-74 as a "business executive" before getting into his lucrative U.S. Senate gig).

None Of Them, Katie

Does this encourage anyone?

He said in a series of interviews that he does not need to read extensively because he reaches the right decisions “with very little knowledge other than the knowledge I [already] had, plus the words ‘common sense,’ because I have a lot of common sense and I have a lot of business ability.”

Trump said he is skeptical of experts because “they can’t see the forest for the trees.” He believes that when he makes decisions, people see that he instinctively knows the right thing to do: “A lot of people said, ‘Man, he was more accurate than guys who have studied it all the time.’ ”

[...]

Trump said reading long documents is a waste of time because he absorbs the gist of an issue very quickly. “I’m a very efficient guy,” he said. “Now, I could also do it verbally, which is fine. I’d always rather have — I want it short. There’s no reason to do hundreds of pages because I know exactly what it is.”

“A lot of people said," some say. Apparently having such a great & uuge brain means one doesn't need actual math or reading ability.

Trump has no shortage of strong opinions even about books he has not read. He told The Washington Post that he has not read four biographies written about him, yet he called three of the authors of those books “lowlifes,” and he sued one of them for libel.

Wait, who's the "low-life" here?

Tabloid covers courtesy of Library of Congress, New York Daily News
What Der Donald likes to read. From another confessional.

Regrets, I've Had A Few ...

Another entry (McKay Coppins' mea culpa is linked below, for your convenience.) in the Trump Guilt-Stakes, this one from the credited "co-author"/ghostwriter of The Art of the Deal,

In my phone interview with Trump, he initially said of Schwartz, “Tony was very good. He was the co-author.” But he dismissed Schwartz’s account of the writing process. “He didn’t write the book,” Trump told me. “I wrote the book. I wrote the book. It was my book. And it was a No. 1 best-seller, and one of the best-selling business books of all time. Some say it was the best-selling business book ever.” (It is not.) Howard Kaminsky, the former Random House head, laughed and said, “Trump didn’t write a postcard for us!”

one Tony Schwartz, who kicks himself a few times while The New Yorker's Jane Mayer lends a sympathetic ear.

For research, he planned to interview Trump on a series of Saturday mornings. The first session didn’t go as planned, however. After Trump gave him a tour of his marble-and-gilt apartment atop Trump Tower—which, to Schwartz, looked unlived-in, like the lobby of a hotel—they began to talk. But the discussion was soon hobbled by what Schwartz regards as one of Trump’s most essential characteristics: “He has no attention span.”

[...]

“Trump has been written about a thousand ways from Sunday, but this fundamental aspect of who he is doesn’t seem to be fully understood,” Schwartz told me. “It’s implicit in a lot of what people write, but it’s never explicit—or, at least, I haven’t seen it. And that is that it’s impossible to keep him focussed on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandizement, for more than a few minutes, and even then . . . ” Schwartz trailed off, shaking his head in amazement. He regards Trump’s inability to concentrate as alarming in a Presidential candidate. “If he had to be briefed on a crisis in the Situation Room, it’s impossible to imagine him paying attention over a long period of time,” he said.

[...]

But Schwartz believes that Trump’s short attention span has left him with “a stunning level of superficial knowledge and plain ignorance.” He said, “That’s why he so prefers TV as his first news source—information comes in easily digestible sound bites.” He added, “I seriously doubt that Trump has ever read a book straight through in his adult life.” During the eighteen months that he observed Trump, Schwartz said, he never saw a book on Trump’s desk, or elsewhere in his office, or in his apartment.

Is this usual in humans?

Even when Schwartz pressed him, Trump seemed to remember almost nothing of his youth

You'd think such a smart person would have many a tale to tell of his precociousness. (This reporter certainly does.)

Perhaps he has nothing to remember from his childhood. This is not surprising:

As far as Schwartz could tell, Trump spent very little time with his family and had no close friends. In “The Art of the Deal,” Trump describes Roy Cohn, his personal lawyer, in the warmest terms, calling him “the sort of guy who’d be there at your hospital bed . . . literally standing by you to the death.” Cohn, who in the fifties assisted Senator Joseph McCarthy in his vicious crusade against Communism, was closeted. He felt abandoned by Trump when he became fatally ill from aids, and said, “Donald pisses ice water.” Schwartz says of Trump, “He’d like people when they were helpful, and turn on them when they weren’t. It wasn’t personal. He’s a transactional man—it was all about what you could do for him.”

It's a longish piece &, in possible violation of copyright law, we've extracted most of the good 10¢ psychology. Speaking of which, few musical artists have a more visceral grasp on the human mind & brain than these now-aging wretches.Think that's what it's like inside his head? We can only hope Mr. Trump's brain will be donated to a psychiatric research institute. Uh, following his death of natural causes, obviously.

Read It & Weep

Bound to be a "must-read" in Trumpian psychology. Best so far:

One morning in early June, Nunberg recalled, he was sitting in Trump Tower as his boss read that day’s New York Post. There was a column by conservative writer Jonah Goldberg gleefully ridiculing the Apprentice star’s 2016 prospects. “He’s a more plausible candidate than, say, Honey Boo Boo,” it read, “but that’s mostly because of constitutional age limits.” When Trump finished, he set the paper down quietly on his desk.

“Why don’t they respect me, Sam?” Trump asked.

And, from the party whose so inexplicably dissed leader calls This Great Nation Of Ours™ a "divided crime scene"

From some dopey website that probably stole it from the AP or some such.

(Whatever that may mean. Like a "train wreck"? Why does America's modern Narcissus HATE AMERICA?)
is today's stab at entertainment from Cleveland:

Monday: Make America Safe Again

From attacks on our own soil and overseas to the tragedy in Benghazi, the policies of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have left us vulnerable. Our immigration system is broken, leaving our country open to security threats and the negative consequences of illegal immigration. A Donald Trump administration will listen to and learn from our nation's heroes who have put themselves in harm's way and pursue a national security strategy and foreign policy that will strengthen our military and make America safe again.

Prime-Time Speakers
Please note: The speakers below are part of the prime-time program, which will follow Monday afternoon's Convention Business Session.

Willie Robertson, CEO of Duck Commander and Buck Commander, star of Duck Dynasty
The star of A&E's hit series Duck Dynasty, Willie Robertson, is the CEO of Duck Commander and Buck Commander, a New York Times bestselling author, traveling speaker, father of five, and an avid outdoorsman.

Governor Rick Perry, Former Governor of Texas
A fifth-generation Texan, Perry grew up in Haskell County. His parents were cotton farmers, and Perry was among the first in his family to attend college. Perry served as Texas' lieutenant governor from 1999 to 2000. In 2000, he was elected governor and remains the longest-serving governor in Texas history.

Marcus Luttrell, U.S. Navy SEAL
Marcus Luttrell is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL and author of the book Lone Survivor, in which he tells the harrowing tale of a fierce battle in eastern Afghanistan in 2005. Since returning from war, Luttrell has started the Lone Survivor Foundation and become involved with The Boot Campaign. He also has written a second book, Service, which honors and praises all members of the military.

Scott Baio, Actor and Television Producer
Scott Baio is an actor and television producer. He landed his first starring role in the 1976 movie Bugsy Malone and is known for portraying memorable characters on several hit television shows, including Happy Days, Joanie Loves Chachi, and Charles In Charge. More recently, he has appeared in the Emmy Award-winning show Arrested Development and the Nick at Nite comedy See Dad Run, which he also produces. When he was young, Baio campaigned for Ronald Reagan, and in the 2016 GOP primary, he endorsed presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

Pat Smith, Mother of Benghazi victim, Sean Smith
Patricia (Pat) Smith is the mother of Sean Smith, who was killed during the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya onSeptember 11, 2012. Ever since that night, Smith has sought to learn the truth behind the events that led to the death of four Americans, including her only child.

Mark Geist, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Fought in Battle of Benghazi
Mark "Oz" Geist was a member of the Annex Security Team that fought the Battle of Benghazi in Libya from September 11 to September 12, 2012.  A Colorado native, Geist joined the United States Marine Corps in 1984 and served for 12 years.

John Tiegen, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Fought in Battle of Benghazi
John "Tig" Tiegen was a member of the Annex Security Team that fought during the attack in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012. He is responsible for saving many lives and has been recognized for his bravery.  He has since co-authored the New York Times best-selling book 13 Hours, the harrowing tale of what really happened in Benghazi.

Kent Terry and Kelly Terry-Willis, The Brian Terry Foundation
Brian Terry was a Border Patrol agent who died tragically while protecting our nation's border with Mexico. His death was a result of Operation Fast and Furious, a gun-walking operation gone wrong that put assault weapons into the hands of Mexican narco-terrorists.  Kent Terry and Kelly Terry-Willis, Brian's siblings, carry on his legacy through the Brian Terry Foundation.

Antonio Sabato, Jr., Actor
Daytime television viewers know actor Antonio Sabato Jr. for his roles on General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful.

Mary Ann Mendoza, Immigration Reform Advocate
Mary Ann Mendoza is a passionate advocate for immigration reform because she has experienced the consequences of our failed system. This May marked the second anniversary of her son Brandon's death. Brandon, a Mesa Police Sergeant, was 32 when a drunk driver traveling on the wrong side of the highway crashed head-on into the car he was driving. The drunk driver was in the United States illegally, and despite being convicted of crimes years earlier, he was not deported.

Sabine Durden, Immigration Reform Advocate
Sabine Durden is an advocate for immigration reform. In 2012, her son Dominic died in a motorcycle accident when he was a hit by a truck driven by an unlicensed, uninsured, and unregistered driver who was in the United States illegally. In the wake of losing her only son, Sabine has been a vocal critic of our immigration system and has lobbied the federal government to defund sanctuary cities that do not actively search, prosecute, or detain unauthorized immigrants.

Jamiel Shaw, Immigration Reform Advocate
On March 2, 2008, Jamiel Shaw's son, Jamiel Andre' Shaw, II (Jas), was murdered while returning home from the Beverly Center Mall in Los Angeles, California. The shooter was a gang member in the United States illegally. He had been released from jail less than 24 hours before he killed Jas, even though there was a deportation hold on him. In honor of Jas's life, Jamiel Sr. has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about our broken immigration system.

U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (TX-10)
U.S. Rep. Michael T. McCaul is currently serving his sixth term representing Texas' 10th District in the United States House of Representatives. During his tenure, McCaul has developed a strong track record of fighting for lower taxes and less government spending. He serves as Chairman of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee.

David Clarke, Sheriff of Milwaukee County
David Clarke is the sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He began his career in law enforcement with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). In 1992, he was promoted to lieutenant of detectives, and in 1996, he earned a promotion to captain of police and became part of the department's command staff. As captain, Clarke was responsible for the department's First Division, and in 1999, he became commanding officer of the MPD's Intelligence Division.

U.S. Representative Sean Duffy (WI-7)
U.S. Representative Sean Duffy serves Wisconsin's 7th District. Duffy is married to Rachel Campos-Duffy, whom he met while appearing on MTV's hit television show The Real World,  and the couple now has eight children.  In Congress, Duffy is working to reduce government spending, lower taxes, promote individual freedom, and limit government intrusion.

Rachel Campos Duffy, The LIBRE Initiative
Rachel Campos-Duffy is the national spokeswoman for The LIBRE Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to the economic empowerment of the Hispanic community through conservative ideals. Campos-Duffy is also a commentator and television personality; she began her television career on MTV's iconic reality television show, The Real World.

Darryl Glenn, El Paso County Commissioner
County Commissioner Darryl Glenn is the current Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Colorado, running to defeat incumbent U.S. Senator Michael Bennet in the general election this fall. Glenn won the Republican nomination with 37.5% of the vote in a crowded primary field. 

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas)
For nearly five years, Cotton served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army. He completed two combat tours, serving in Iraq with the 101st Airborne and in Afghanistan. Upon returning home, Cotton worked for McKinsey & Co. and served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2015, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he represents the state of Arkansas.

Karen Vaughn, Mother of fallen U.S. Navy SEAL
Karen Vaughn is the mother of fallen U.S. Navy SEAL Aaron Carson Vaughn (SEAL Team VI). On August 6, 2011, Aaron was killed in action in the Tangi River Valley of Afghanistan when a chopper (call sign Extortion 17) carrying thirty Americans was shot from the sky while rushing into battle. Over the past four years, Karen has emerged as a powerful spokeswoman for American forces fighting on foreign soil and securing peace across the globe.

U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama)
U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions is serving his third term representing the people of Alabama. A senior member of the Armed Services Committee and the Budget Committee, he is also a member of the Judiciary Committee and chairman of its subcommittee on Immigration and National Interest.  A strong advocate for securing the border, Sessions was the first U.S. Senator to endorseDonald Trump and has acted as a liaison between the Trump campaign and Capitol Hill. 

Rudy Giuliani, Former Mayor of New York City
Giuliani was wrapping up his second term in office when New York City was attacked on September 11, 2001. Immediately following the attack, Giuliani coordinated rescue operations that saved as many as 20,000 lives. Because of his strong leadership in the aftermath of September 11th, Americans came to see him as a voice of reassurance and consolation during an uncertain time.

Melania Trump, Businesswoman and Wife of Donald Trump
Melania married Donald Trump in January 2005. In March 2006 they had their first child, Barron William Trump.  Born on April 26, 1970 in Slovenia, Melania Knauss began her modeling career at the age of sixteen. At the age of eighteen, she signed with a modeling agency in Milan. After obtaining a degree in design and architecture at University in Slovenia, Melania was jetting between photo shoots in Paris and Milan, finally settling in New York in 1996. Melania is dedicated to helping others, and her generosity has been noted. She was Honorary Chairwoman for Martha Graham Dance Company in April 2005; is an active member of the Police Athletic League which honored her with Woman of the Year 2006; has been an Honorary Chairwoman for The Boy's Club of New York for five consecutive years; and in 2005, the American Red Cross awarded her with Goodwill Ambassador, which she has proudly served for four years. In April of 2008, Melania was asked by Love Our Children USA and NASDAQ to participate in the Fifth Annual National Love Our Children Day and the beginning of National Child Abuse Prevention month by ringing the closing bell at NASDAQ.  

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, U.S. Army (ret.)
Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn has spent his entire life and career serving his country. He served in various command and staff positions in the U.S. Army and as Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Partner Engagement before becoming Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency on July 24, 2012. During his time in the Army, Lieutenant General Flynn held high-ranking leadership posts at the Joint Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command.  He served in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst has dedicated her life to Iowa and her country, having served in the military for over 23 years and now in the United States Senate. In November 2014, Ernst was elected as the first woman to serve in federal elected office from the State of Iowa and also became the first female combat veteran elected to serve in the United States Senate.

Jason Beardsley, Concerned Veterans for America
Jason Beardsley serves as Special Operations Advisor for Concerned Veterans for America and is the co-founder and CEO of The Underground Movement, a company that designs custom graphic t-shirts inspired by well-known and forgotten American heroes. Jason is a decorated military veteran with a combined 22 years of experience in the Army and Navy.

U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke (MT)Congressman Ryan Zinke is currently serving the state ofMontana's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives. A former Navy SEAL, Zinke spent 23 years serving our country and fighting for America before entering public office. Continuously focused on giving back to the community that he grew up in, Zinke has used his time in office to push for improving the VA, reforming management of federal lands, preserving the future of family farming and ranching, and defending the Constitution.

Or you could read 'em & laugh (but w/ a hysterical edge).

Donnie One-Note

Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times.

Instead, his introduction of Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana was a remarkable reminder that ultimately, the Trump campaign is about one person.

He called Mr. Pence his “partner,” but before the governor took the stage, Mr. Trump stood there alone and talked for 28 minutes, delivering a long and improvised riff that emulated his rallies instead of a traditional vice-presidential debut.

Couldn't sing a different tune to save his life.

Trumps & Hobbits

Kremlinology 2016

Thank you! #TrumpPence16 pic.twitter.com/RHprMCsGT6

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2016

@realDonaldTrump, you, Gov. Pence & your families are more than welcome, if you know what I mean. (Although I seriously doubt he does.)

Anti-Asshole Americans Bandstand

Yesterday while out playing Pokémon Go & scoring some skag returning a book to the library & buying "food" I was so irked at local drivers (Note well, air-polluting bastards: a) Pedestrians have the right of way in the entire fucking state of California; b) Gridlock is a crime; c) Did you buy your license at effin' K-Mart?) this succinct number was the refrain of the afternoon & early evening.

Billy sings, Mental Mike drums!Sooner or later, you too will become a statistic.Triple Play!!

You Make Me _____

The poop/scoop on Pence? Looks like a real cretin:

Along the way, he seemed, well, rather dim-witted about it all. He gave the impression of a politician that could deliver a well-scripted line, but would be lost writing one of his own.

And the ways in which Pence is a "normal Republican" will reflect badly on him. For instance, there was his humiliating obeisance to tobacco lobbies. Or his long history of taking deeply socially conservative positions that will be used to humiliate him during the campaign. As in his RFRA battle, the safe bet is for Pence to just look vacant and go blank when challenged on them. Pence is not even particularly popular in his own state.

But looked at symbolically, it is a fitting match. Mike Pence represents the Republican Party's slow-witted, mercenary, and substance-free style; he embodies its mediocrity, greed, and cravenness.

Verily, the emptiest of suits.