My Hours...

Maverick...

New York-born Johnson, 55, is the front runner to become Britain's next prime minister.  He is a direct descendant of King George II.

He passed through many of the hallowed corridors of the British establishment, including Eton College and Oxford University.

Johnson gave up his U.S. citizenship in 2016 amid a tax probe. 

Prior to getting into politics, Johnson was a journalist. He started as a reporter for the Times (of London) but was fired for fabricating a quote. He later edited The Spectator, a longstanding political magazine. His speeches are often laced with allusions to classical civilizations, ribald innuendo and are never far from controversy.

"She's got dyed blonde hair and pouty lips, and a steely blue stare, like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital," he said of Hilary Clinton in 2007.

Compliment...

A Liberian soccer player’s attempt to trick U.S. immigration authorities into giving him a green card backfired after an agent in Rhode Island viewing the phone of the woman claiming to be his wife saw an incoming message from another person thanking her for the “best sex ever,” prosecutors say.

Boley was seeking a green card and the woman he claimed to be his wife allowed an immigration officer to review her phone in hopes to make clear that the two truly were in love.

While the officer was going through messages on her device, a new one popped up – from “Chriss”, complimenting her for the “best sex ever”, the Providence Journalreported.

“At trial, the woman testified that her marriage to Boley was a sham, and that she married Boley solely for the purpose of him obtaining a green card,”  mail sent to her address where he did not live.”

Pigmentosa...

One of the most popular diet trends of this decade, the idea behind the keto diet is that restricting carb intake to an extremely low number while eating large amounts of fats will trick the body into entering ketosis, a state in which the body burns fats for fuel. Ketosis is difficult to maintain, but once it is achieved, the body can react in strange ways.

If you search “keto rash” on Reddit, you’ll find dozens of dieters begging for help with the condition, sharing anecdotes of excruciating itching and discomfort. The rash tends to start near the chest and spread, reaching every part of the body, including the scalp.

The condition is called prurigo pigmentosa. Existing scientific literature shows a link between ketosis and the rash, though studies show other intervening factors (such as sunlight, extreme heat, allergens and sweating) may worsen the condition.  

Keto flu, keto breath, keto crotch…Unfortunately, new side effects of the keto diet continue to emerge. People are now breaking out in full-body, painful rashes after going on the extremely low-carb diet. And perhaps the worst part is that this “keto rash” can leave brown marks on the surface of the skin that stick around for life.

EMU...

An emu-at-large is becoming a local celebrity in North Carolina after eluding would-be
captors for at least three weeks. 

The large flightless bird, a species native to Australia, has been spotted periodically around the state’s Chatham and Orange counties since June 26, according to The News & Observer. It’s unclear exactly where the emu came from, though officials suspect the bird escaped from a farm. 

The most recent reported sighting was Thursday, when the bird was seen “running through someone’s yard” near the line between the two counties, Fox said. Before that, the big bird’s location had been pinpointed in Chatham County last week, but “he/she fled as soon as officers arrived on the scene.”

Any Body...

Plagiarism...

Libra...

Facebook is going into the banking business.

The social networking company  said it plans to help launch a digital currency in 2020, marking one of the company’s most aggressive moves yet to push beyond digital advertising.

A nonprofit group based in Geneva, the Libra Association, will oversee the currency, called Libra. 

Facebook said that it wants the currency to be available starting the first half of next year and that it believes many of the 2 billion people who are already on the company’s services will one day regularly use the new currency to buy things or send money internationally.

The project would bring a consumer-friendly version of digital currencies to smartphones around the world, potentially creating a way for people to easily transfer money, build credit and pay bills while avoiding costly fees. Libra is open source, meaning any company or person can build a business within its framework.

Play...

Funded...

Mayor de Blasio’s presidential campaign is powered by donations rife with possible conflicts.

At least $370,000 in contributions to de Blasio 2020 are tied to people and entities with business or interests before the city, an analysis by the Daily News found.

The donations represent 34% of nearly $1.1 million that de Blasio’s campaign collected between May 16 and the end of June, according to filings with Federal Election Commission.

They came from individuals, corporations, limited liability companies and firms with vested interests in municipal operations and regulations, as well as donors who work for entities lobbying the de Blasio administration and relatives of those with business before the city.

The fact that Mayor de Blasio’s long shot presidential campaign is so heavily funded by individuals who have interests before the city is troubling, particularly because the mayor has a track record of favoring campaign donors.