So this happened

There is no legal record of Charles Spenser Chaplin's birthplace. He was born to music hall entertainers in 1889, and when he was two, both became estranged. They never lived together again.

So for a while I lived next door to the Manson family. This was after Chuckles, Tex, and the wimmins, they went into the prison. These Mansonoids—the neighbors—they were the remnants. Those left behind. True believers. Bitter clingers. Dead-enders.

The family's pathetic patriarchy, it was still in place. With a little Manson mini-me, occupying the Chuckles position. In charge of the bloviating, and ordering the women to and fro. The women, they did all the work, both in and around the house, and out in the World, where they gathered in the coin, mostly through waitressing. Before they went on shift, they would heavily apply the makeup, to obscure the X carved into their foreheads. Carved in honor of Chuckles.

I listened to the mini-me's spiel a couple times. It was the usual revised standard version: Chuckles, he was innocent, he had killed no one, ordered no one killed, he was misunderstood, a prophet, without honor, in his own country, he was all about Love. Yes, it was true, soon would commence a race war—Big Darkness, Soon Come—but Chuckles, he didn't try to spark it or anything, he was just trying to get his people Clear.

Like Chuckles, like the people of The Hairball, the Manson mini-me—well, brown people, they gave him the vapors. A black man lived across the street, and the Manson mini-me, he really didn't like that. He especially didn't like that the black man, he had a white wife. And that, together, they had produced several lovely children, in various fine shades of brown. Sometimes, when these children would come out to play in the street (nobody really drove on this street), the Manson mini-me, he would get weak, and have to go inside, and lie down.

This evening, let's play "Why Aminals are not Doctors".

We'z a diverse group!

But first, The Recommendations:

August 15 is the 234th day of the year. There are 131 days left.

Today's number is 22

Today's number is Twenty-Two

Welcome to Sunday Brunch. This is an open topic thread so help yourself to the goodies and sit a spell and let us know what is new with you. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area I was exposed to some of the best Chinese food in the world. One of my favorites is the steamed pork buns Char Siu Bao. Living in North Carolina I don't have the access to Chinese food and ingredients like I did in San Francisco or Chicago when I lived there.

What are the big stories of the week? Help us all to figure them out. I'm off line from mid-week on and so you need to help fill in the major stories. Here's a few pieces I caught early week. Hope you find something of interest. Have a good Sunday and please fill in the gaps.