Butt Injections: “In a letter to Mr. Price, the superintendent called the book ‘inappropriate.’ She particularly took issue with the references to farting in the story and how ‘the book described butts in various colors, shapes and sizes (example: fireproof, bullet proof, bomb proof).'” NYT: An Educator Read ‘I Need a New Butt!’ to Children. Then He Was Fired. (The Butts aren’t the problem. The A**holes are.)

+ Lower Extremities: “Rogers’s trajectory shows the political and financial incentives of going to extremes. After losing her earliest races as a mainstream Republican, she moved further and further right until she beat an incumbent by campaigning as the more conservative choice. Now, after a year of fanning bogus allegations about election fraud and other false claims, she is the most successful fundraiser in the Arizona state legislature.” WaPo: Arizona lawmaker speaks to white nationalists, calls for violence — and sets fundraising records. (The current way we fund and vote rewards the most extreme positions.)

+ Danger Zone: “Boyd, the special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, cited physical health issues, including cancer, heart disease, respiratory illness, strokes and reproductive health problems, as well as ‘incredible mental health problems associated with living in these places because people feel exploited, they feel stigmatized.'” Millions suffering in deadly pollution ‘sacrifice zones’, warns UN expert.

+ Hurt, So Good: Broadcast News, Body Heat, Children of a Lesser God, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Big Chill, Altered States. William Hurt, what a run.

+ Tom Foolery: Few people get to witness their own funeral and hear all the tributes. Tom Brady basically did that with his retirement from the NFL. And he must have liked what he heard, because he’s not quitting after all. (You know the world has gone mad when people from Florida are un-retiring.)