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The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as 'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”

Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."

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Saturday
Jul232016

A Letter from a Close Friend

Here's an e-mail I received Friday evening from my close personal friend Hillary. (How close, you ask? Well, as you can see, we're on a first-name basis. For reasons of national security I can't say much more, but you wouldn't be wrong if you guessed my Windows Live mailbox is full of baby pix of Chelsea's kids and quite a few e-mails marked "Top Secret.") -- Constant Weader


Marie --

I'm thrilled to share this news: I've chosen Tim Kaine as my running mate.

Tim is a lifelong fighter for progressive causes and one of the most qualified vice presidential candidates in our nation's history.

But his credentials alone aren't why I asked him to run alongside me.

Like me, Tim grew up in the Midwest. During law school, he too took an unconventional path -- he took time off and went to Honduras to work with missionaries, practicing both his faith and his Spanish.

When he returned to the states and graduated from Harvard Law, he could have done anything. But instead of going to some big corporate firm, he chose to fight housing discrimination as a civil rights lawyer in Richmond. He and his wife joined a church, built a home centered around their faith, and raised three beautiful children. Then, after 17 years of practicing law, Tim ran for city council -- and won.

Tim says his experience on city council taught him everything he knows about politics. To the people in Richmond, an underfunded school wasn't a Democratic or Republican problem. It was simply a problem that needed fixing, and his constituents were counting on him to solve it. So Tim would do it. He'd roll up his sleeves and get the job done, no matter what.

He’s a man of relentless optimism who believes no problem is unsolvable if you're willing to put in the work. That commitment to delivering results has stayed with him throughout his decades-long career as a public servant. So I could give you a laundry list of things he went on to accomplish -- as mayor of Richmond, governor of Virginia, and in the United States Senate.

But this is what’s important: Tim has never taken a job for the glory or the title. He's the same person whether the cameras are on or off. He's sincerely motivated by the belief that you can make a difference in people's lives through public service.

That quality comes through in every interaction. To know Tim is to love him. When I was talking to people about this decision, I couldn't find anyone -- Democrat or Republican -- who had a bad thing to say about him. From his staff over the last 20 years to his colleagues in the Senate, Tim's beloved.

He is a genuinely nice person, but Tim is no one's punching bag. He will fight tooth and nail for American families, and he'll be a dogged fighter in our campaign against Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

Marie, I want you to know that I didn’t make this decision lightly.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing two presidents and two vice presidents up close. I want a vice president who can be my partner in bringing this country together. I want someone who will be able to give me their best advice, look me in the eye, and tell me they disagree with me when they do.

But what matters most is a simple test that’s not so simple to meet: whether the person could step in at a moment’s notice and serve as president.

I have no doubt that Tim can do the job.

I want him by my side on the trail and in the White House.

Welcome him to our team, Marie, and let him know you're proud to have him. Chip in today: (Emphasis original.)

Comments Off

Reader Comments (6)

Dear Marie, best of buds,
Just a follow up to the previous correspondence that was clearly a bid for more money. Since you and I have been cozy cousins from way back I just wanted to send a more personal note. Like your father who had that teacher who once had Herbert Hoover as a student and told her class that any one of them could one day be President, I, too, had a Mrs. Finklestein that urged us children to follow our bliss while knocking down anyone or anything that stood in our way. When I expressed interest in the political arena, she said, "Go for it, girl, you aren't the type to stay home and bake brownies." And I didn't––oh, well, a few times maybe––they weren't very good so we gave them to the dog––who died shortly after, although I'm not sure it was because of the brownies. Anyway––here I am running for President and I just wanted to thank you for sticking with me through all these tumultuous times. I so appreciate loyalty. I hear you are almost as famous as I am so maybe we can swap famous fables one of these days. Until then, remember to vote for me and Timmy.
Love and big juicies,
Hill
P.S. Bill says, hi and says he would like that surf board you borrowed from him back in golden times. He won't use it again but wants it back to remind him of fun in the sun times with one of his–––here he hesitated, but then said, "good old pal"–––it's ok, Marie, I forgave you long ago.

July 23, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

Dear Hil: Had no idea that "Chip in today" was a bid for cash. It did confuse me, as I wasn't sure who Chip was. I thought he must be a mutual acquaintance who was coming to your house or mine today. Anyway, I baked some brownies for him in case he showed up at my door.

As for sending money, I don't know. I kinda cashed out with donations to our good friend Bernie. I was glad to visit with the two of you last week & especially heartened to see that you don't hold it against him that he's maybe a Jewish atheist.

Your BFF,
Marie

P.S. I hope Guccifer doesn't get hold of your e-mails, too, as I wouldn't want all our close personal correspondence exposed on the front page of New York Times. Say hi to Debbie for me. She's been pretty nice to me (BTW, this is true; Debbie has talked to me & sent me personal e-mails), but make sure to get her the hell out of the DNC.

P.P.S. Don't have the surfboard anymore. I gave it to Donald Trump & Corey told me Donald donated it to charity.

July 23, 2016 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Hey! Is the heat getting to you two (PDP & CW)

...What? Has PD mailed you some of her "special" brownies,
or did you DIY borrow the Alice B. Toklas recipe? perhaps the kind that sent Maureen Dowd to her bed in Colorado? Ladies, silly morning!

July 23, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterMAG

@MAG: Just gearing up for Trump-Free Day. Also, yes, since Hillary doesn't have a brownie recipe (or so her ghostwriter PD Pepe claims), I turned to the Alice B. Toklas Cook Book, but my copy is inscribed to my mother Isabelle Burns, most famous for her thin volume, "The All-Purpose Cook Book, Featuring the Burns Family Recipe." (Complete, unabridged text: "Turn on the oven and put it in.")

Marie

P.S. Sorry, Mom.

July 23, 2016 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Dear Close Friend:
Tim has one undeniable factor in his favor: He is of the caucasoid extraction. How better to triangulate the "support" of those of a particular GOP extraction during the general election? I remind you the _____(fill in the blank) John Podesta was in charge of the VP selection process.
Signed, The Corporatist

July 23, 2016 | Unregistered Commentercitizen625

Is this a writing contest to see who will replace Gail Collins?

I will not even attempt to go to-to-toe with Marie and PDPepe but did enjoy the interplay. If you don't like Hillary's smarmy approach you can always try DT's "give me money or we're all gonna die" approach.

July 23, 2016 | Unregistered Commentercakers
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