"The comedian’s barrister, Ian Winter KC, argued that that despite what he called mischaracterizations of his client in the media, [Russell] Brand is not a psychopath..."

"... and only a psychopath could have committed the behavior he is being accused of. 'You would have to be a psychopath to be raping someone and asking them if they were enjoying it at the same time,' Winter said, referring to the first of Brand’s accusers.... He then noted that Brand 'left his actual email address — rapists do not leave their address. He left photos she’d taken of him, rapists do not leave their photographs; and he kissed her good-bye, or tried to, when he left.'"

From "Russell Brand’s Defense Comes to a Close in His U.K. Rape Trial" (New York Magazine).

"Though both are polyamorous, they are not currently dating others.... 'We’re building the foundation of our marriage'..."

"... Carr said. 'And I think in order to be poly, you need to have a really, really good foundation.'"

I'm reading a "Mini-Vows" column in the NYT: "She Gave Dates 30 Minutes. This One Clicked in the 27th/Erin Lee Carr, the daughter of the former Times reporter David Carr, 'can’t do small talk' — and didn’t on her first date with Michelle Bruton."

The article opens like this:

Erin Lee Carr came across a striking photo on Hinge in August 2023 that she could not scroll past. It was of Michelle Toni Bruton, who’d had top surgery in 2018, shirtless on a horse.

“I’m going to kiss this person,” Carr told her friends.

Here's a Vulture article about Carr from 2 years ago, "Erin Lee Carr’s Criminal Mind."

"Virtually no schools offer formal training programs for legal engineers, though some have added classes."

"Many legal engineers are former practicing lawyers who taught themselves A.I. skills or learned on the job. Some have backgrounds in legal operations, paralegal work or consulting. Fewer are former software engineers who then went to law school — 'the unicorn,' one hiring manager said.... 'It’s not so much going from actively practicing law to not,' she said. 'I think it’s more embracing this generational shift in the legal industry.'... 'You don’t necessarily need a giant pyramid of lawyers anymore... People who have this kind of skill set don’t have to have a J.D., and they don’t have to be software engineers, but there’s business process re-engineering, or this M.B.A. type skill, that I think is really necessary.'"

From "The New Hot Job in Law Doesn’t Require a J.D./Big law firms, legal tech vendors, and in-house legal departments at companies like Microsoft and Nvidia are all hiring legal engineers, a new position for lawyers with A.I. skills" (NYT).

"... rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscle condition that can be brought on by exertion in which the muscles break down and can poison the body."

"'It’s unfathomable,' [her father] said. 'Perfect health, perfect shape, 24 years old.'"

From "Runner, 24, Dies During Her First Marathon/Rachel Apa collapsed in Central Park. The cause was rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscle condition that can be brought on by exertion, her father said" (NYT).

"Rachel, a product manager for an electrical component company who had just started an M.B.A. program at Charleston Southern University, was running to raise money to fight Parkinson’s disease, which had killed her grandfather. 'My grandfather was one of my role models growing up,' she wrote on LinkedIn. 'He taught me to stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges.'"

Sunrise.

Those 3 pictures were taken at the same time and place. The trees are nearly entirely bare in the third picture because they're in a much more exposed position. 

Here's one more photograph, about a mile away, taken at 3 in the afternoon, in the rain.

"But did Haley Stevens expect that, by switching her support from a Democrat to a Republican, she would receive the media's Liz Cheney Country Over Party award?"

"It sounds like you're upset with me, too, Anderson." Indeed, it did. But did Haley Stevens expect that, by switching her support from a Democrat to a Republican, she would receive the media's Liz Cheney Country Over Party award? If so, she was badly mistaken.

— Byron York (@ByronYork) November 2, 2026

Why did Martha Stewart think it would work to go as a homeless person for Halloween?

Martha Stewart addresses her homeless person Halloween costume in statement to Page Six: “I am distressed that my Halloween costume yesterday, which was intended to bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness, has offended people, which was never my intention. […] Homelessness continues to remain one of America’s greatest challenges and ongoing crises, something that I care deeply about and I have spent a significant amount of time and effort supporting charities that combat this ongoing social epidemic.” (https://t.co/cuZF2B1tv0)

— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 1, 2026

I remember, back in the 1950s, going as a "hobo" was as common as going as a witch or a ghost. But in the 2020s, it's so obviously insensitive that one wonders how she could have thought it was a good idea. My theory is that she thought her own real-life image was so strongly the opposite of a homeless man that everyone would get it. She's incredibly neat and put together and made up and smiling, not smudged with dirt and disheveled. And she would never need help getting food. She's a provider of food, always helping others cook and arrange food. So — ha ha — she's going as the opposite of Martha Stewart.

Compare Donald Trump, going as Donald Trump to his Mar-a-Lago Halloween party. He said he only had 10 minutes to get ready. But if he'd had a little more time, maybe he'd have come up with Martha's idea and assembled a costume that would read as the opposite of Donald Trump. What would that be? Undo his usual hairstyle. Wipe the orange off of his face, if it comes off. Get rid of the red tie and boxy suit and go with baggy shorts and an oversized t-shirt with that big Obama logo.

See? That would be funny.

But Martha as the opposite of Martha... not funny.

The theory that since we haven't protected young girls from seeing photographs of penises, it's not important to protect them from a penis in the girls' locker room.

.@AbdulElSayed says it’s ok for MEN to be in girl’s locker rooms. Why? “Well because they are going to find out about it on the internet anyway” Completely unacceptable. https://t.co/eXeh70kkeP

— Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) November 2, 2026

"As a lifelong economist, I am distraught at what is happening to my profession. What I observe is economists losing status."

"Economists used to be highly respected figures, and nowadays, even when they are not pilloried, they are often simply ignored. There is an ongoing bipartisan flight from economic reasoning. And as voters go to the polls this week, neither Republicans nor Democrats are offering anything like a rigorous plan for economic growth...."

Writes Tyler Cowen, in "No Matter Who Wins the Midterms, Economics Will Lose/Both parties used to craft their policies with the help of the best economic minds. Now they are driven almost entirely by politics and vibes" (Free Press).

"In tsarist times Russia’s aristocracy sent its daughters to finishing schools known as Institutes for Noble Maidens..."

"... where social graces and domestic skills were honed in preparation for an advantageous marriage. Similar academies are springing up around the country for the purpose of training the next generation of wives and mothers. Like their forebears these girls are taught floristry, cooking and dancing. And so too they are referred to as 'noble maidens.' In the parlance of the 21st century though, a closer translation may be 'tradwife.'..."

I'm reading "The tradwife schools making ‘noble maidens’ of Russian girls/A state-backed elective programme prepping schoolgirls for domestic life is expanding under the Kremlin’s push for traditional values" (London Times).

"For the past 30 years, Russia has battled natural population decline: low birth rates coupled with notoriously high mortality rates... Meanwhile the state has aggressively restricted and criminalised anything that it deems to fall outside its definition of traditional family values.... In 2023 the supreme court designated LGBT groups as extremist organisations, making them equivalent in the eyes of the law to neo-Nazi groups and Islamic State. The following year, the Kremlin brought in legislation that outlawed the promotion of a 'childless lifestyle' across the media, internet, literature and films.... [J]ournalists spoke to some of the parents who have put their daughters into the Traditional Education of Girls course. One woman said that the programme initially struggled to recruit. 'There were a lot of whispers around the room about how they were going to raise nuns and housekeepers,' the woman said."

Sunrise.

"Connecticut’s bears might choose to spend an entire autumn day beneath stands of white oak and black cherry trees, feasting on acorns that fall on the forest floor."

"Or they might find their food by scavenging roadkill or preying on small mammals or deer. But when higher calorie, more plentiful human-provided food is accessible, like trash and agriculture... bears seize the opportunity for an easy meal. Bambi Gambino, the co-owner of Country Eatery in Woodbury, said that this year bears began making a mess of the restaurant’s trash more frequently.... Mr. Hawley believes the problem isn’t being solved, in part, because Connecticut is the only state without a hunting season — other than Rhode Island, which doesn’t have many bears...."

From "Black Bears in Connecticut Are Eating Grapes and Entering Homes/Bears and humans are increasingly getting in each other’s way, presenting problems for both species" (NYT).

I'm mainly blogging this because I love the name Bambi Gambino. And that bit about hunting.

Also I thought acorns were very high protein, but I see they can't compare to meat. Stop throwing meat in the trash, maybe.

"I came as Donald Trump. I didn’t have time to get — people spent a lot of time and money. Rich people. They spent nine hours getting ready. I had 10 minutes, so I came as Donald Trump."

Said Donald Trump, quoted in "'I Came as Donald Trump': The President Hosts a Luxury Halloween at Mar-a-Lago/President Trump attended his jungle-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago dressed as a distinctly recognizable figure" (NYT).

Like all NYT links, this is a gift link, and this one has lots of pics from the Mar-a-Lago party, including pics of Donald Trump dressed as Donald Trump, along with rich people interpreting the theme of jungle. 

There are 2 reasons why you might not get this.

@Brewers @tomhanks I prefer the real Forrest Gump https://t.co/nG7wnQeXWb

— LeftyGrove (@Lefty_Grove12) November 1, 2026

1. The man in the top photo is Tom Hanks (who, I know you know, played Forrest Gump).

2. The man in the video is Jacob Misiorowski, the great pitcher, and the manager of the Brewers has called him Forrest Gump.

I knew #2 very well, but #1 was completely unknown to me. Even after I am told that definitely is Tom Hanks, I cannot see Tom Hanks in that man. 

Hanks appeared on SNL last night:

See the first post of the day for the full Brewers context of last night's SNL.

"The Democratic representative who lost a primary fight against Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, endorsed his Republican opponent on Sunday...."

"The Republican nominee, Mike Rogers, received the endorsement from Representative Haley Stevens, a Democrat who represents suburban areas around Detroit, after she appeared alongside him at a church service.... 'I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,' Ms. Stevens said in a video she posted on social media, not long after she arrived with Mr. Rogers at Perfecting Church, a Black church in Detroit. 'I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.'... Dr. El-Sayed was attending a church service in Detroit that was intended to be a unity gathering with Ms. Stevens... in an effort to move past her recent criticisms of him. But that plan fell apart this weekend, with Ms. Stevens and Dr. El-Sayed publicly feuding over U.S. policy on Israel. On Saturday, Dr. El-Sayed urged Ms. Stevens to stay away from the event...."

From "Midterm Elections Live Updates: Democratic Senate Primary Loser Endorses Republican in Michigan/The rift between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate, and Representative Haley Stevens widened to a gulf two days before the midterms. The president was set to campaign in Iowa and Kansas" (NYT).

ADDED: "Congrats, Fetterwoman":

@HaleyforMI Congrats, Fetterwoman, on nuking your political career and being the saddest sore loser in Michigan political history. I hope whatever you’re getting in return for doing this is worth it.

— 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢 (@ChidiNwatu) November 1, 2026

"'It was a miracle for my brain. All the food noise was gone.' But when her husband of 20 years would ask her where she’d like to go for dinner..."

"'I’m like, "Here’s the problem, dear. I don’t care about food anymore, so it doesn’t matter where we go,"' she said. 'That part was very frustrating for him.'"

From "Is this the era of the GLP-1 divorce? Taken for weight loss, the drugs can dramatically change people’s marriages, for better and worse" (WaPo).