Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Tuesday. How are you? So, I was thinking... maybe 2020 is that stage when you're deep cleaning and the room is way messier than when you started. A white woman and event hall owner in Booneville, Mississippi who, based on this incident, has for sure read the New Testament roughly as few times as she’s read a physics textbook, was captured on video telling a black woman that her event hall would not host an interracial wedding “because of our Christian beliefs.” The white woman in the video actually at first said “because of our Christian race” but quickly corrected to “Christian beliefs” because she didn’t feel like getting into how she had figured out that the Creator of an impossible to comprehend, infinite existence prefers Swedes to Nigerians. The black woman she was speaking to, LaKambria Welch, asked the owner of Boone’s Camp Events Hall what part of the Bible she was basing this specific belief on but the woman declined to provide the passage, instead saying he preferred not to argue her faith. Which is incredibly Christian of her. If there’s one person who never questioned a blind following of religious traditions and establishments it’s… Jesus? Wait… It’s extremely unclear where this Christian woman got her ideas on marriage from, though it definitely wasn’t from Jesus Christ. It wouldn’t be shocking if there was some Old Testament verse that could vaguely sound against interracial marriage if a bad enough actor felt inclined to twist it for their own nefarious purposes. Either way, this woman was clearly more interested in using her “faith” to justify her fake Christianity than listening to things Jesus himself suggested, like, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The woman didn’t even seem to care that the interracial couple are Christians themselves, as was also pointed by Welch in the video. The town of Booneville responded with a Facebook post of their own after the video went viral. According to Welch the event hall has since apologized to the family.
Two parents have been charged with murder after going on a four-day lockdown drinking binge, leaving their 16-week old twins alone without food. Their baby son was in a coma and later died in the hospital after their “gravely emaciated” children were found by their grandmother. The couple’s daughter is now fighting for her life at a hospital in Russia’s Kamchatka region. The 23-year-old mother, Margarita Yanayeva, lied to her friends saying the babies were in the hospital due to the coronavirus. But, she and her partner Alexey, 35, decided to leave the twins at home for four days. According to authorities, their son died from starvation and his twin sister is desperately weak in intensive care. According to the investigators, “in the course of four days, they were not feeding the children and did not arrange alternative care for them.” Instead, the couples subjected both kids to hunger, did not ensure any hygiene, and left the minors in a socially dangerous state. Luckily, the twin babies were found by their grandmother who became concerned after not being able to reach the couple by phone, despite their region being under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When she found the babies, she immediately called the police. If convicted of the helpless twin boy, the couple could face up to 20 years in jail. The couple also faces charges over failing in the parental duties and subjecting their children to danger. Honestly, these two should just be convicted immediately and be left to rot in jail. In what mentality do you think it’s okay to leave two children, who can’t even walk or talk, alone while you’re out partying? These poor babies must have been so scared. This exactly why some people shouldn’t be parents. I get that you want to have fun, but this is not the way, selfish bastards. Have fun in jail.
What is up with these weird, over the top, unnecessary social media trends? I mean, I get it, you want to stand out and be different to show off you’re cool, but this, this conch removal trend is just too much. It’s pretty gross too. Oh, what is a conch removal? Well, it’s a new body modification trend where people are getting the inside of their ears removed. Yes, their whole inside, and I’m not really sure what the point of it is. Chai Maibert, who owns the Calm Body Modification Studio in Stockholm shared photos of the removal, saying he thought this was a trend that people will eventually catch up to. Which I’m really hoping they don’t, but hey, people can surprise you from one day to the next. The procedure involves taking out the concha which is the middle bit of the outer ear. It is also known as the pinna and the auricle. Now, I know I’m not wrong when I say that body modifications aren’t exactly a new phenomenon, I get it, I’ve seen worse. But this man went an extra mile, flying all the way to Australia, just for the sole purpose of getting the inside of his ears cut out. The image was clearly taken right after the removal took place because you can still his the man’s ears burning red and a bit of blood residue. By the way, if you want to see the pic of it I'm saving it for Throw-Up Thursday. My question here is, didn’t it hurt? Also… how are you going to protect your ears from bacteria? You’re just begging for multiple ear infections, my friend. Safe to say people have quite a bit to say about the removal, many showing their thoughts on Maibert’s page. The artist (should we call him an artist?) did address the obvious question that the removal could affect your hearing, saying, “It might impair your ability to hear the direction of sound for the first week or two until your mind has adjusted to your new ears. Hearing from behind will in fact improve.” Albert also stated that our ears don’t necessary catch sound as it did years ago, which is why we need to make our ears bigger. How? By cupping your hand around it. Yes, seriously. So this will help us hear better in a way. That sounds very scientific to me, and honestly, I really don’t believe it because this man clearly didn’t go to medical school. Can you blame me? Any audiologist out there that want to confirm this? I’m all ears!
States are rolling back lockdowns, but the coronavirus isn’t done with the U.S. Cases are rising in nearly half the states, according to an Associated Press analysis, a worrying trend that could intensify as people return to work and venture out during the summer. In Arizona, hospitals have been told to prepare for the worst. Texas has more hospitalized COVID-19 patients than at any time before. And the governor of North Carolina said recent jumps caused him to rethink plans to reopen schools or businesses. There is no single reason for the surges. In some cases, more testing has revealed more cases. In others, local outbreaks are big enough to push statewide tallies higher. But experts think at least some are due to lifting stay-at-home orders, school and business closures, and other restrictions put in place during the spring to stem the virus’s spread. The virus is also gradually fanning out. “It is a disaster that spreads,” said Dr. Jay Butler, who oversees coronavirus response work at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It’s not like there’s an entire continental seismic shift and everyone feels the shaking all at once.” That is also happening globally. Places that suffered early on such as China, Italy and Spain have calmed down but Brazil, India and other countries that were spared initially are seeing large increases. The world is seeing more than 100,000 newly-confirmed cases every day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The virus first landed on the U.S. coasts, carried by international travelers infected abroad. For months, the epicenter was in northeastern states. More recently, the biggest increases have been in the South and the West. The AP analyzed data compiled by The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer organization that collects coronavirus testing data in the United States. The analysis found that in 21 states as of Monday, the rolling seven-day average of new cases per capita was higher than the average seven days earlier. Some worry the situation may get worse as social distancing restrictions lift and more people gather. One concern is that large recent racial justice protests across the country might spark at least some spread of the virus. Another: President Donald Trump this week said he’s planning to hold rallies that may draw thousands of people. He will hold them in four states... Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. All of them are among the states with rising cases identified in the AP analysis.
Utah Senator Mitt Romney declined again last Monday to endorse President Donald Trump’s reelection, saying he would “stay quiet” about whom he’ll be supporting in November. Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, told reporters on Capitol Hill, “I’m not going to be describing who I’ll be voting for.” His open acknowledgment that he would not support Trump comes after former Trump defense secretary Gen. James Mattis and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski aired criticism of the president’s handling of ongoing protests against the police killings of black Americans. In 2016, Romney said publicly that he would support neither Trump nor Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. He later said he had cast his vote for his wife, Ann. He told The Atlantic in February that he wouldn’t vote for Trump in November and would “probably” choose his wife again. Retired Gen. Colin Powell, who served as President George W. Bush’s secretary of state, took a stronger step away from Trump, telling CNN that he would support presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden this November. Powell had said he voted for Clinton in 2016. The relationship between Trump and Romney is acrimonious. Romney was the only GOP senator to support removing Trump from office after the president’s impeachment trial earlier this year. Trump has derided him as a “fool” and a “failed presidential candidate.” After the senator attended a march for racial justice on Sunday, declaring that “black lives matter,” Trump tweeted sarcastically about Romney’s “sincerity.” Romney shrugged off that dig, saying that Trump has “got time to do whatever he feels is appropriate” and that “I would presume” the president would consider supporting a police reform measure, given his public expressions of concern about the killing of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man, by a white officer in Minneapolis.
You know, if 2020 was a watermelon it'll look like this...
Trump went back across the street to St. John's again, I wonder what he's holding this time...
Hahaha. That's fitting. Some celebrities are tone-deaf when they post about the protest of George Floyd's death. Katie Couric was called tone-deaf for pitching this bipartisan summit. This is what Katie posted...
And this is what the comeback was...
Large crowds all over the world have gathered to protest police brutality and stand with Black Lives Matter. People are standing up for the safety and dignity of black people whether or not its popular in their town. Anti-racist demonstrators are hosting their own protests in small towns and cities. While they may be the only people standing, they're not standing alone. Like this guy in Chapel Hill, North Carolina...
I'm told if I go to Walmart I'd see some odd sights. I didn't believe it until I saw this...
Father's Day is Sunday so if you're looking for a cool card to get your dad how about this one?
Okay, I have to mention something really quick. ICYMI, yesterday, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that federal law makes it illegal to fire people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Supremes voted 6-3 that LGBTQ+ are people are entitled to equal protection under the law, and the majority opinion was written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, a conservative Trump appointee. The Gorsuch of it all is proving to be a massive shock, as is the fact that 2020 is giving humanity any good news at all. Now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York here is...
Top Phive Things Said About The Supreme Court's Ruling To Protect LGBTQ People From Workplace Discrimination
5. I've never been fired for being gay, but I've been fired for not wearing make-up which is the same thing.
4. Being a Supreme Court Justice is easy as fuck. Waking up in the morning, wearing a big fucking robe then saying gay people shouldn't be fired. Easy as shit to be honest, give me something hard.
2. The Supreme Court has decided that nobody can fire you because you're gay, they can only fire you for sleeping under your desk and signing off emails with "keep it sleazy" like our Founding Fathers intended.
And the number one thing said about the Supreme Court's ruling to protect LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination is...
1. It's a good day to no longer be a fireable offense.
If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. Okay, you know I live in Florida, right? Well, here's another story from this state...
You’re doing God’s work, Python Cowboy. “I had to control my breathing to carry the 17-foot, 150-pound apex predator I captured through the swamp so that I didn’t pass out from blood loss because it bit through my artery while I was wrestling it into submission” is a level of badass I really cannot even begin to comprehend.
This person who thinks these orphans need to get to work.
Their kids just faced a terrible loss but should forget that and get jobs.
President Donald Trump said yesterday he is ordering a major reduction in U.S. troop strength in Germany, a move widely criticized by members of his own party as a gift to Russia and a threat to U.S. national security. “We’re putting the number down to 25,000 soldiers,” Trump said at the White House. The U.S. currently has about 34,500 troops in Germany... far fewer than during the Cold War, when Germany was the central focus of American and NATO efforts to deter invasion by the former Soviet Union. In recent decades, Germany has hosted key American military facilities and provided a transit point for troops deploying to and from the Middle East, including during years of conflict in Iraq. Trump faulted Germany for failing to pay enough for its own defense, calling the long-time NATO ally “delinquent.” “We’re protecting Germany and they’re delinquent. That doesn’t make sense,” the president said, referring to Germany’s failure thus far to attain a goal set by all NATO members in 2014 to spend at least 2% of gross national product on defense by 2024. Germany says it hopes to reach 2% by 2031. “Until they pay, we’re removing our soldiers, a number of our soldiers,” Trump said. His plan, however, did not sound fully defined. “When we get down to 25,000 we’ll see where we’re going,” he said. Since his election in 2016, Trump has pushed for the 2% as a hard target, and he has repeatedly singled out Germany as a major offender, though many others are also below the goal. In his White House remarks to reporters, Trump suggested his troop withdrawal decision was intended to punish Germany, noting that the presence of American troops is a boost to local economies. “Those are well-paid soldiers,” he said. “They live in Germany. They spend vast amounts of money in Germany. Everywhere around those bases is very prosperous for Germany. So Germany takes, and then on top of it they treat us very badly on trade.” In addition to the 34,500 U.S. troops in Germany, there also are approximately 17,500 Defense Department civilians. The administration has contemplated a partial troop withdrawal from Germany since last year, and in recent weeks it became apparent that Trump was ready to move forward, although no decision had been announced. The decision was not discussed in advance with Germany or other NATO members, and Congress was not officially informed... prompting a letter from 22 Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee urging a rethink. “The threats posed by Russia have not lessened, and we believe that signs of a weakened U.S. commitment to NATO will encourage further Russian aggression and opportunism,” Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas wrote in a letter to Trump with his colleagues. Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, slammed Trump’s move as “another favor” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, said last week that Trump appeared to be making a serious mistake. “America’s forward presence has never been more important than it is today, as our nation confronts the threats to freedom and security around the world posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the Chinese Communist Party,” Cheney said. “Our presence abroad is critical to deterring these adversaries, bolstering alliances, maintaining peace through strength, and preserving American leadership. Withdrawing our forces and abandoning our allies would have grave consequences, emboldening our adversaries and making war more... not less... likely.” American facilities include Ramstein Air Base, a critical hub for operations in the Mideast and Africa and headquarters to the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa; the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, which has saved the lives of countless Americans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan; and the Stuttgart headquarters of both the U.S. European Command and the U.S. Africa Command. There’s also the Wiesbaden headquarters of U.S. Army Europe, the Spangdahlem F-16 fighter base and the Grafenwoehr Training Area, NATO’s largest training facility in Europe. Trump indicated last summer that he was thinking of moving some troops from Germany to Poland, telling Poland’s President Andrzej Duda during an Oval Office meeting, “Germany is not living up to what they’re supposed to be doing with respect to NATO, and Poland is.” Duda has been trying to woo more American forces, even suggesting Poland would contribute over $2 billion to create a permanent U.S. base... which he said could be named “Fort Trump.” In the current plan, at least some Germany-based troops are expected to be shifted to Poland.
The 128th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...
Isla Fisher will be on the Phile tomorrow. Okay, let's see what's going on in Port Jeff live shall we?
Hmmm... I think I see some new big yachts there. Let's take a closer look...
Yup. They seem pretty big.
A cat dies and goes to Heaven. God meets him at the gate and says, "You have been a good cat all of these years. Anything you desire is yours, all you have to do is ask." The cat says, "Well, I lived all my life with a poor family on a farm and had to sleep on hardwood floors." God says, "Say no more." And instantly, a fluffy pillow appears. A few days later, six mice are killed in a tragic accident and they go to Heaven. God meets them at the gate with the same offer that he made the cat. The mice said, "All our lives we've had to run. Cats, dogs and even women with brooms have chased us. If we could only have a pair of roller skates, we wouldn't have to run anymore." God says, "Say no more." And instantly, each mouse is fitted with a beautiful pair of tiny roller skates. About a week later, God decides to check and see how the cat is doing. The cat is sound asleep on his new pillow. God gently wakes him and asks, "How are you doing? Are you happy here?" The cat yawns and stretches and says, "Oh, I've never been happier in my life. And those Meals on Wheels you've been sending over are the best!"
Today's guest is a Phile Alum and a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Along with Ed Robertson, he was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies. His latest single "Isolation" is available on iTunes and Bandcamp. Please welcome back to the Phile one of my favorite singers of all time... Steven Page!
Me: Hello, Steven, welcome back to the Phile. How are you?
Steven: Hello, Jason, great to be back. I'm hanging on, it;s not how I imagined my spring to be, but it's not how anyone imagined spring to be except for people in the public health community.
Me: Are you able to stay creative and write music?
Steven: It's been a weird series of emotional waves for me. When this first happened, when things started to shut down I was in Stratford and rehearsing for the opening of Here's What It Takes and they sent us home. The first thing I did when I was waiting up there in Canada was spending a lot of time on social media, news apps and whatever else and panic. I very quickly wrote this song, I wrote this song called "Isolation" that I put up on YouTube, and then did a studio version by myself at home and put that up on all the services. I was kind of hocking that for a while because I thought, "Hey, I'm being productive. I have to be productive. I have to do stuff." And then I got home from Stratford and I just kind of collapsed for a couple weeks. I emptied Netflix. There's nothing left. Like shake Netflix and nothing comes out.
Me: Yeah, I've been watching a lot of Netflix myself. How was it?
Steven: It was a total disappointment. I was like, oh, I knew I played this before. But I got to the very end when I realized that. Then I started seeing people doing on-line streaming shows which at first I thought was exciting. But the more I saw people doing this it was less I wanted to do it. I kinda just got super low energy, but I still was waking up at like 4:30 in the morning. It was this mix of anxiety and depression meeting in the worst way.
Me: You've been doing the live from home concerts though. How did that come about?
Steven: I was using Side Door, Dan Mangan's company to do these live concerts every Saturday and it's been awesome. All of a sudden, I have all this energy. I'm getting all this stuff done and I'm playing old songs I haven't played maybe ever,, and I'm also taking requests from fans. A thousand people come into my living room every Saturday and I can see them on my computer screen, and it's like we have a little community. So right now I'm getting stuff done.
Me: So, are you writing then?
Steven: Writing not so much because I'm preparing for my concerts every week.
Me: Does it give you energy for the rest of the day?
Steven: No, not the day. I'm done after I do that. I finish these shows, I do like an hour and a half concert.
Me: Okay, so, a lot of people are doing concerts through Facebook Live, so why are you doing yours on Zoom and on Side Door?
Steven: Because I literally have a thousand different computer screens around the world watching and they paid to be there. It's not an expensive ticket but it's something. It's like an event for them, as opposed to background. It can be background, but most people are invested in it, they make requests all week. So I spend all week learning these requests Then I do like an hour and half or a two hour show I'm like soaking wet with sweat by the end of it. That was the weirdest thing after there first one, going upstairs thinking this is what it's like doing a live gig at a theatre. That's exhilarating but so exhausting. But the rest of the week, because I have that to look forward to I'm planning and I'm working and I'm way more engaged with fans on social media too because I got really cynical about that I think over there last bunch of years.
Me: Why is that?
Steven: Because I get a lot of trolls and a lot of negative energy. Now I feel a lot of positivity from people when it comes to talk about music and stuff. I think there's a lot of negativity out there and music seems like a safe place and I'm really honoured to be part of that.
Me: So, I have to ask, who are the Odds?
Steven: My favourite rock and roll band. I have to tell you they are my dream favourite rock and roll band and now I get to play with them all the time. I get to play with them in their set, they play as my backing band, they play on my records, ands we've been great friends for almost thirty years now. To be a bunch of old guys, rocking and rolling together, and laughing and loving each others songs is pretty much a great place to be when I'm here.
Me: So, they're a better band than Foghat? Hahahahaha.
Steven: Well, Foghat was a great band, your dad was a true rock star, Jason.
Me: Thanks. They are still a great band. So, how far were you in the process with your show when you got the word it wasn't going to happen because of COVID-19?
Steven: Well, we were a few weeks into rehearsal and that meant the cast knew all the songs. We started with the music first, so they knew all the songs. Many of the cast have been in earlier workshop ilitartions of the musical. But this is the first time we've been all together, there's about thirty people in the cast. Then we've all the creative team, myself, Daniel MacIvor who wrote the book for the show, the director, the music director, the band, we were getting ready for band rehearsal. Choreographers, designers, and all that stuff were starting to come in. This show was supposed to be one of the first in the brand new Tom Patterson Theatre, which was set to open this season. We were looking forward to getting up on that stage which would've happened by the end of March. Now fingers crossed, hopefully it'll happen next year.
Me: So, is there any word it's going to happen in the next Stratford season?
Steven: Well, first of all they don't know what's going to happen next year. We don't know if there's going to be a second wave to stop people. We don't know if people will want to go see theatre, if it's going to be financially feasible for them. One thing I didn't know about Stratford is they have single digit percentage of government funding, of which I had no idea. I assumed they were government funded to the teeth but only about 8% comes from government funding and the rest comes from ticket sales and personal donations and that kind of thing. So they have no idea. If people don't come they could be cutting their season back, or having less shows. I'm just hoping that it goes forward. It's super exciting for me, but the other thing about something like Stratford, a festival like that, a whole city benefits from that festival, whether it's a combination of restaurants or services or whatever else. So they're all hurting when the festival is not up and running.
Me: So, when touring and concerts start up again what do you think it'll be like?
Steven: Who knows if that will be in the fall, or early next year, there's going to be such a log jam of artists trying to get into venues. The way they book clubs and theatres now is they put a hold on that and they're like 15, 16, 18 bands deep trying to get priority on a certain date in a club. So all the artists or bands that had shows canceled or postponed will be rescheduled, everybody who put a new record out who struggled through the crisis and needs to get out there to earn a living, they have difficulty to even get into places. So things like house concerts and on-line stuff is a way to get things going again too.
Me: So, what is Here's What It Takes about?
Steven: The show is about a band. It's about two guys that start a band, but it's not the two guys you're thinking of. Obviously it's informed by my own experience, but it's written by Daniel MacIvor, based on both our experiences about collaboration, about partnership, about friendship, and love. It's really about what is enough. What is enough admiration from outside? What is enough of a connection between us and somebody else.
Me: So, why is it called Here's What It Takes?
Steven: We called the show Here's What It Takes, which I like, because on its surface, it kind of sounds like "here's what it takes, kid, to make it." But it's really more about here's what it takes from us. When we chose this kind of life, here's what it takes sometimes. And about the joy that it can bring and the magic that happens in collaboration. But it's also about the distraction that it can lead behind us too.
Me: You're right, when you described it I thought of you and Ed starting Barenaked Ladies. Do you think most people will think that?
Steven: I know most everyone's minds going to think that.
Me: And your personal experience did inform this in some way?
Steven: Oh, sure, this band started about ten years older than us, a lot of it takes place in the 80s, which was fun for me, to do music that was of that time. It starts in 1982 and goes to the present. There are certain things like going to awards shows or doing TV shoots, or what it's like to collaborate with somebody on a song. Or the magic what one partner brings that the other partner can't bring. The kind of general story between the characters is not me and Ed, it's Ernie and Bert, it's Simon and Garfunkel, but it's influenced by all of them.
Me: So, there's no songs called "Mike Love" and "The New Apartment"?
Steven: Yeah, "If I Had 10,000 Dollars." "Two Weeks." Ha ha ha.
Me: "What a Bad Boy." Hahahahaha. So, I love the song "No Song Left to Save Me" from the show. What can you say about it?
Steven: Well, this is a song that's pretty important in the show. It's actually the finale of the show and makes appearances earlier as well. I think in a way it's what I like about my own songs. In a sense that it's uplifting and catchy and danceable but there's levels of darkness to it as well. It's a song about not giving up. I know myself a lot of times I think what does it matter if I write anything else? Am I just doing this for myself now? What is good about that? Is it selfish of me to continue to write songs, especially if I feel nobody is ever going to hear it? When I got to my age I don't have necessarily the kind of audience I want to have, who is hungry for new music. I kind of cope with that. And the song says, has other people saying to the songwriter, keep going because who are you to say that the next song you write isn't going to save somebody's life? Songs have saved my life multiple times. It's not arrogant to believe that I can do it. It's allowing the chance to happen. Putting that positivity out there is worth it and worth sticking around for.
Me: Very cool. Steven, thanks for being back on the Phile. Please come back again soon. Stay well.
Steven: Thanks, Jason. You too.
That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Steven Page for a great interview. The Phile will be back tomorrow with actress and author Isla Fisher. Spread the word, not the turd... or virus or hatred. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.
I don't want you, cook my bread, I don't want you, make my bed, I don't want your money too, I just want to make love to you. - Willie Dixon
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