Watched "Glee" The Rhodes Not Taken from Netflix
Directed by John Scott. Will thinks the glee club desperately needs more of an edge, so he brings in his former classmate, April Rhodes, to spice things up. Will's plan seems to be going smoothly until he realizes he may be losing a key member of the club.
Season one really was a solid showing for a new television show. It just kept getting better rather than leveling off after the first handful of episodes. Pulling out guest stars like Kristin Chenoweth really pulled up their game.
Watched "Glee" Vitamin D from Netflix
Directed by Elodie Keene. Will challenges the kids to a healthy dose of competition with boys against girls in a mash-up showdown. Meanwhile, Terri takes a job as the school nurse, despite having no medical experience, to keep an eye on Will.
The idea of Terri becoming a school nurse was tremendously outlandish, but just worked. The things they used Figgins for to contort the plots sometimes were crazy, but somehow worked with his delivery and timing. I’m surprised he didn’t use budget as a reason to hire her. Who would have thought they’d have someone arrested for smurfing on this show?
Watched "Glee" Throwdown from Netflix
Directed by Ryan Murphy. Sue tries to cause dissension among the Glee Club members, but the real showdown begins when she and Will get called into the principal's office.
Is Sue and Will’s conflict really just an early proxy in the entertainment space for the Republican/Democratic Party divides in America? The both wear a lot of red and blue respectively…
Read Kyiv not Kiev: US changes spelling of Ukrainian capital | KyivPost - Ukraine's Global Voice (KyivPost)
The United States Board on Geographic Names, or BGN, has changed its English spelling of Ukraine’s capital from Kiev to Kyiv, the Embassy of Ukraine in the U.S. announced in a statement on June 13. The U.S. BGN is a federal body under the U.S. Secretary of the Interior that is tasked with deciding on …
Interesting to see the date on this vis-a-vis the whole Ukraine and impeachment business.
Watched "Glee" Mash-Up from Netflix
Directed by Elodie Keene. Inspired the by the students, Will composes a mash-up for a very special occasion. Meanwhile, in a shocking reversal of roles, McKinley High's cool kids are dethroned in an "icy" fashion, and Sue shows off her softer side.
I’m having Mark Andrews flashbacks… The idea of such a sham wedding is almost too much to bear much less the idea of a mash up of the Thong Song and I Could Have Danced All Night? It is nice seeing the show push the boundaries of their characters to let more people begin taking the spotlight for the singing/dancing numbers.
Replied to Navigating my way into veganism by Bryan Alexander (bryanalexander.org)
For the past month I’ve been I’ve following a vegan diet.  So in a brief pause from my focus on the future of education, I’ll share some thoughts about this experiment. It’s…
This is excellent Bryan. It’s something I ought to look into in more depth myself, but reading about your experience actually points out to me that I’m eating a lot more rice and beans in the last few years. Having a rice cooker means I almost always have cooked rice on hand with a fraction of the effort it had taken before. I also make about 4 cups of beans every week, so those are always hiding in the refrigerator. I also bought a tortilla press and making those is far easier and they’re far tastier than those in the stores and for a dramatic fraction of the price. I’ve taken to having a lot more fresh fruits and vegetables in the house, and I find it’s easier to grab an apple, banana, orange or something than it is chips or other junk food of which I’m starting to keep almost none around the house.

Another shift that I’ve found somewhat useful is that I became lactose intolerant in the middle of last year, so diverting around large amounts of dairy has likely been helpful.

One of my other shifts in the past few years is that I truly love a great pastry. As a result, the level of what I consider good pastry and other treats has risen dramatically. Now I find that I either have to make my own or get them on demand at local shops. This has prevented me from eating a lot of inferior and rather tasteless junk food as a result. Girl Scout Cookie season is upon us, and I just can’t bring myself to eat such dreadful snacks anymore when I could have something much tastier and likely healthier. Of course as part of all this, I’m also making a lot more of my own bread now too. It isn’t nearly as difficult as I had thought it would be to make fresh bread every couple of days.

In sum, I hadn’t really noticed it until you’ve pointed it out, but I’ve largely taken to the diet you’ve outlined. The primary difference is that I’ve come around to it in a much different fashion.

Watched "Glee" Sectionals from Netflix
Directed by Brad Falchuk. Sectionals is finally here for the Glee Club, but when Quinn's secret unravels, the club may not be able to recover in time to compete.
It felt so odd to see all the kids using flip phones in the opening.

Brittany starts her quirky muttering commentary in this episode.

An uplifting ending here.

Listened to OTM presents: Here's the Thing with Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor by Alec Baldwin from On the Media | WNYC Studios

Our colleagues at "Here's the Thing" produced a great episode this week that we think you'll enjoy:
Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey are the New York Times reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein story. For five months -- perpetually in danger of losing the scoop -- they cultivated and cajoled sources ranging from the Weinsteins’ accountant to Ashley Judd. The article that emerged on October 5th, 2017, was a level-headed and impeccably sourced exposé, whose effects continue to be felt around the world. Their conversation with Alec Baldwin covers their reporting process, and moves on to a joint wrestling with Alec’s own early knowledge of one of the Weinstein allegations, and his ongoing friendship with accused harasser James Toback. The guests ask Alec questions about the movie industry’s ethics about sex and “the casting couch.” Over a respectful and surprising half-hour, host and guests together talk through the many dilemmas posed by the #MeToo movement that Kantor and Twohey did so much to unleash.

Listened to The Latest: ‘Everyone Was in the Loop’ from New York Times

Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified that President Trump ordered a pressure campaign on Ukraine and that senior-most administration officials knew about it.

In explosive testimony, Gordon D. Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, directly implicated President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other top administration officials in what he said was a push for a “clear quid pro quo” with the president of Ukraine. But during questioning, things got complicated.

Why is it that Sondland testified but others in the administration did not?