Wow. "A Republican congresswoman from Texas [Kay Granger] has not cast a vote in the US House since July while she has been living at a memory care facility – something she did not disclose to the public, according to a Dallas media outlet that figured out the reason for her prolonged absence."
the Guardian
Absent US congresswoman has been dealing with ‘dementia issues’, family says
Republican Kay Granger of Texas living at senior living facility, which she had not disclosed to public
 #Dementia #KayGranger #Gerontocracy
"The arrests occurred during a sit-in at NYU, where students were nonviolently blocking access to the Bobst Library. According to the American Association of University Professors, the professors were not involved in the protest itself but were there to ensure the safety of the student demonstrators." So the arrests were made for exactly what?
Middle East Eye
Two NYU faculty members arrested at pro-Palestine protest
Arrests are part of a larger crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech at US universities, says American Association of University Professors
#Journalism, or what once was journalism, is now semantic muzak. The sharp edges of fact are being worn down by fascism and gobsmacking amounts of money. "CNN’s Reliable Sources reported on Friday morning that besides Soon-Shiong spiking the editorial, several recent opinion section headlines were also “softened” or “made more bland” by editors concerned that “anything too harsh would get rejected” by the billionaire owner."
The Independent
LA Times owner reportedly killed op-ed that was critical of Trump’s cabinet picks
Patrick Soon-Shiong’s intervention comes after the billionaire owner blocked the editorial board’s endorsement of Kamala Harris
 #PatrickSoonShiong #LATimes #Media
On the enduring relevance of #WalterBenjamin: "Benjamin was an acolyte of that kabbalistic belief in tikkun olam, that is to say that our universe is cracked and broken, but it’s the individual choice of each person to restore those shards, even while—especially because—salvation isn’t guaranteed. Millennium isn’t imposed, it’s collectively chosen—and it’s always possible."
Literary Hub
How Walter Benjamin’s Iconic Antifascist Essay Escaped Europe
Portbou, a provincial Catalonian fishing village of only a thousand souls framed by steep hills descending towards the temperate Mediterranean, is ...
If the Institute for Scientific Information of Coffee says coffee is good for the brain, body, and soul (that last is my addition), it's got to be true.
ScienceAlert
Giant Study Links Drinking Coffee With Almost 2 Extra Years of Life
Many of us enjoy a cup of coffee (or four) to perk up during the day, and new research offers evidence that the popular beverage may bring numerous...
 #Coffee
#Healthcare as suffering: “We sat in the hospital for 3 days b/c #UnitedHealthcare refused to approve the transfer via ambulance from the hospital where we live to another state. & at that point, I was ready to just get in my car & take her [1-year old baby with a giant brain tumor] there myself. But UHC told us if we left the hospital by our own will, & it wasn’t via ambulance, they were not going to cover her @ the next hospital we went to,” she said.
the Guardian
Brian Thompson’s killing inspired rage – against the healthcare industry
Thousands of Americans go bankrupt, lose their homes or die every year due to medical insurer practices
 #Medicine
Devastating piece about Natalie, who suffers from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome & an insurance company w/Anti-Care Syndrome: "She is the one who has gone from choking on food to choking on water while we wait for the insurance co. a piece of a multibillion dollar industry, to nickel-and-dime its way to an agreement. . . . it’s always the patients who suffer. It’s egregious. It’s immoral. & for Natalie & the thousands of other patients just like her, it’s a terrifying wait."
HuffPost
My Daughter Desperately Needs Brain Surgery. Our Insurance Company
"The insurance company has an army of people who are very concerned about paperwork and precise wording ... My kindness and patience has shifted to...
Righteous: "But the cost of alliance with an important national institution that has such an important role to play in pushing back against authoritarian rule, but declines to do so for spurious and selfish reasons, feels too great. And Soon-Shiong’s conscious pattern of détente with Trump has in fact recast the paper’s core identity to one of appeasement with an authoritarian madman. I am loath to affiliate with that identity in any way." #HarryLitman
Why I Just Resigned From The Los Angeles Times
By Harry Litman
 #LATimes #MAGA
Now that #Anthem is declining anesthesia for operations that go beyond the estimated time line, they are rolling out a new protocol: count sheep. #Health #HealthCareRedefined
The most important lesson applies to all citizens. It is easy to put the responsibility on the military, the legislators, the press. But the crucial element in South Korea was the reaction of citizens themselves. . . . It was more the general sense throughout the country that this is not possible here, that we are not this kind of society, that we will have a republic and not a dictatorship. Do Americans have those reflexes? (Timothy Snyder)
Dictators for a Day
South Korea and America
 #Fascism #Resistance