Kamala's laugh. Kamala's shoes. Kamala's Jews. Who will she choose?Vance insults cat ladies. 44K Black women raise $1.6M in 3 hours. Keb' Mo's video.Yuja Wang's flying fingers. Maya Angelou's message.

Kudoes to Joe Biden for putting his country first. And yes, character counts

POLITICS

*Notice how these shoe memes amplify the meaning of the moment. They speak to the semiotics of Womanpower in its new incarnation: a Black South Asian American woman in power pumps, running for president of the United States.

*Cat Ladies of the World Revolt. J.D. Vance dissed Kamala Harris for being one of those “childless cat ladies” who “force their misery on the rest of the country.” (Listen to Vance’s rant against “people who don’t have children.”) Some women choose not to have kids (they call themselves “childfree” not childless, since they don’t feel diminished by their choice). Others aren’t able to conceive or bear a child. Either way, Vance’s put-down betrays his disdain for the millions of American women who don’t fit the traditional wife-mother mold. If you’re one of them, show him your power. Donate as much as you can to the childless cat lady at the top of the Democratic ticket

*Punctuational politics. Campaign button shows how to pronounce her name.

*Laughter is the best medicine.

*In today’s toxic political climate, Kamala’s laugh offers instant relief from the snarl of MAGA attack dogs and Trump’s clenched fists, furrowed brows, tense jaws, pursed lips, bared teeth, and flared nostrils. On the Drew Barrymore show, Kamala talks about her laugh which she says is her mother’s laugh. She recalls growing up around “women who tell big stories with big laughs, and laugh from the belly.” Without mentioning DJT’s smarmy schoolboy ridicule of her laughter, she adds, “We should remind each other and the younger ones: don’t be confined to other people’s perceptions of what this looks like and how you should act in order to be.”

JEWS

* Harris “understands Jews”say her backers — and not just because she’s married to one. Doug Emhoff, the Second Gentleman, was gentlemanly but “masterful” defending his wife against Trump’s jabs.

*Who’s she gonna pick for her VEEP? The five major contenders are said to be (L-R above) Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (Jewish), North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (Jewish) and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (whose wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is Jewish). Could it be a member of the tribe?Are voters ready for a woman of color and a man of the Jewish persuasion at the apex of American power? You tell me.

WOMEN & GIRLS

* Bodhana Sivanandan, a 9-year-old U.K. chess prodigy says she has a simple goal: “I’m trying to become the youngest grandmaster in the world and also one of the greatest players of all time.” You go, girl!

MUSIC

*Activists are organizing state-based abortion referenda all over the country. Athletes are fighting for gender equality in sports. The world is waking up to the scourge of misogyny toxic masculinity and gender-based violence, (Watch “Screams Before Silence,” documentary produced by Sheryl Sandberg about the horrific sexual atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct 7.)

* Talk about Womanpower, last Sunday in a Zoom meeting 44,000 Black women raised more than $1.6 million for Kamala Harris in 3 hours.

MUSIC

*Turn off the news for a minute and watch the glorious, ebullient music video,“Put A Woman in Charge,” performed by Keb’ Mo’, blues artist and five-time Grammy winner, and featuring Roseanne Cash. The visuals are magnificent and uplifting and the lyrics, written more than 5 years ago by Beth Nielsen Chapman, would make a perfect right-now campaign song for Kamala.

* Lincoln Russell’s photo captures the physical dynamism, luminosity -- and unique fashion sense and sparkle —of the astonishing classical pianist, Yuja Wang.  All that's missing is the miracle of her musicianship! Having heard dozens of classical pianists in person over the decades, I can safely say this woman’s talent is off the charts. Saw her twice at Tanglewood this summer, July 13th (listen here) and July 19th, both superhumanly virtuosic performances. On the 19th, she did five encores. If you’re lucky enough to live near one of her upcoming concert venues, get a ticket while they last.

*In LA her rendition of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto #1 under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel was sublime. Wish the camera had caught more close-ups of her flying fingers.

CODA

*Sometimes the simplest message spoken in the softest voice reverberates like thunder in a summer sky. This video of the whispery wise Maya Angelou had that effect on me. As did words of hers that have been my lodestar for years:  "I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”