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📺 "Blue Bloods" Meet the New Boss | CBS

Watched "Blue Bloods" Meet the New Boss from CBS
With Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou. Gormley tries to locate a former NYPD detective he believes may be a threat to Frank's safety; Erin navigates office politics when she chooses to reopen a closed case; Jamie is transferred to a new precinct with a lot of problems.
The story dynamic on the show just took some major turns. I like Jamie becoming a sergeant and what this portends for the show as well as the romantic dynamic with his fiancee. I also like the way that Baker’s character has been moving forward on the show.

👓 Why do we use definite articles for some place names, like The Hague? | Slate

Read Why do we use definite articles for some place names, like The Hague? (Slate Magazine)
Former Bosnian leader and accused war criminal Radovan Karadzic did not appear for the start of his trial on Monday in the Dutch city of The Hague....
Read - Reading: American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Prosper by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson (Simon & Schuster)

Hacker and Pierson trace the economic and political history of the United States over the last century and show how a viable mixed economy has long been the dominant engine of America’s prosperity. We have largely forgotten this reliance, as many political circles and corporate actors have come to mistakenly see government as a hindrance rather than the propeller it once was. “American Amnesia” is more than a rhetorical phrase; elites have literally forgotten, or at least forgotten to talk about, the essential role of public authority in achieving big positive-sum bargains in advanced societies.

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Discussion of the schism of the right tracking further to the right in the 90’s and onward leading toward more extreme views as trust in government crashes.

👓 What Does “Woke” Mean? There’s More To The Slang Term Than You Think | Bustle

Read There's More To "Woke" Than You Think (Bustle)
Unless you've been living under a rock (or just very much removed from social media, in which case, I applaud you for going to a place I never will), then the concept of "woke" being used as an adjective is not a particularly new thing for you. As…

Why a Ph.D. in Physics is Worse Than Drugs

I have known more people whose lives have been ruined by getting a Ph.D. in physics than by drugs.

Jonathan I. Katz, Professor of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
in “Don’t Become a Scientist!”

 

In the essay, Dr. Katz provides a bevy of solid reasons why one shouldn’t become a researcher.  I highly recommend everyone read it and then carefully consider how we can turn these problems around.

Editor’s Note: The original article has since been moved to another server.

How might we end the war against science in America?

📺 “The Great British Bake Off” Tudor Week | Netflix

Watched "The Great British Baking Show" Tudor Week from Netflix
Directed by Andy Devonshire. With Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins, Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood. It's the quarter-final of The Great British Baking Show, and just five bakers remain. This week, step back in history for a Baking Show first-Tudor Week. Mary and Paul have set three new challenges that embrace a time when Henry VIII reigned, with flamboyant banquets and impressive centerpieces that were Tudor showstoppers. The signature bake is a Tudor classic-pies. Although a few hundred years ...
The DaVinci working geared pie display was just fantastic!

📺 "The Five" Episode #1.2 | Netflix

Watched "The Five" Episode #1.2 from Netflix
Directed by Mark Tonderai. With Lee Boardman, Jason Griffiths, Kim Allan, Lauren Douglin. Danny brings in a suspect that could lead him to Jesse and calls on Mark for help. But he is shocked when a horrifying new lead lands at his door.
Like the first episode, I’m not sure I’m really getting into this series. Some of the plot is dragging a bit and the storytelling style is a bit “off”.
Read Soul Man (film) (Wikipedia)
Soul Man is a 1986 American comedy film about a white man who takes tanning pills in order to pretend to be black and qualify for a black-only scholarship at Harvard Law School. The film was directed by Steve Miner and stars C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross, James Earl Jones, Leslie Nielsen, James B. Sikking, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
I’ve  been thinking lately about how well this film has stood up to the test of time. Might be interesting to re-watch it and compare/contrast it to the Wayans’ brothers’ White Chicks with respect to the passage of time.

I also appreciate the contrast put in here with respect to Tootsie, which has a similar plot structure.

👓 Trump has turned words into weapons. And he’s winning the linguistic war | George P Lakoff and Gil Duran | Opinion | The Guardian

Read Trump has turned words into weapons. And he's winning the linguistic war by George P Lakoff, Gil Duran (the Guardian)
From ‘spygate’ to ‘fake news’, Trump has turned words into weapons. The press must do more to dull their power

🎧 ‘The Daily’: The (Misunderstood) Story of NATO | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: The (Misunderstood) Story of NATO from New York Times

President Trump called U.S. allies “delinquent” on military spending and attacked Germany as “captive” to Russia. We examine the source of his frustration.