Misshapen Penis Corpse Flower Blooms At Cornell University: The Sumatran titan arum’s species name – Amorphophallus titanum – means “giant misshapen penis”. Guess what its flower looks like? At full growth, the flower stands 3 meters high, pulses with heat, and smells like rotting meat. The heat and stench attracts flies and beetles, which pollinate the plant. The whole show lasts 2 days. (Throb)

Harmony Korine on ‘Kids’: ‘It would be impossible to make that film now’: In 1995, photographer-turned-director Larry Clark and a bunch of novice actors made Kids. On its 20th anniversary, writer Harmony Korine and actor Leo Fitzpatrick remember the film dubbed a ‘wake-up call to the modern world’ (The Guardian)

A Chimpanzee Has Rattled Off a Drum Solo: Buddy Rich he’s not, but he’d be good enough for the average punk band. (Real Clear Science)

Spider-Man Miles Morales — popular biracial version of the hero — joins main Marvel comics universe this fall: After battling evil-doers in an alternate comic book line, a popular biracial version of Spider-Man is getting a promotion to the official Marvel Comics universe. (NY Daily News)

Kanye West Eats Crow, Says He Was Wrong About Beck: “I think I was inaccurate with the concept of a gentleman who plays 14 instruments not respecting artistry.” Ya think? (SPIN)

What?!? Private prisons suing states for millions if they don’t stay full: Low crime rates bad for business for white-owned private prisons; they demand states keep them full. Private prisons in some states have language in their contracts that state if they fall below a certain percentage of capacity that the states must pay the private prisons millions of dollars, lest they face a lawsuit for millions more.(RollingOut)

Bernie Sanders Rally in Denver Draws One of Biggest Crowds in Election Cycle: Massive turnout is latest sign the Vermont senator is gaining on Hillary Clinton: Sanders drew the same number—5,5000 people—as Clinton’s New York rally. “This campaign is not about me,” he said. “It is not about Hillary Clinton or any other candidate. This campaign is about you, your kids and your parents. It is about creating a political movement of millions of people who stand up and loudly proclaim that this nation belongs to all of us and not just a handful of billionaires.” (Common Dreams)

Extreme Exercise Can Poison the Blood: Even four hours of intense activity may be enough to let bacteria escape from the gut into the blood, setting off a chain of inflammation. (Scientific American)

Elizabeth Warren’s last stand on trade: Liberal groups are ready to make a last stand against President Obama’s trade agenda in the Senate with Elizabeth Warren, on of their strongest allies on the issue. Warren can galvanize the Democrat base on the issue. It’s a fool’s errand to fight these political headwinds. Obama and the GOP on the same side of the issue? The TPP must suck! (The Hill)

‘Liberal’ Isn’t a Bad Word Anymore: Democrats are moving left. And America may be too: There’s now a senator who admits to being a socialist. He’s been welcomed by the Democratic Party into the presidential primary. And it isn’t hurting the party’s standing with the public one bit. (Politico)

Desperate Republicans scrambling to prove that large swaths of their base aren’t racist: Good luck with that bigoted cretins! Even Ben Carson acknowledges that they’re afraid “of offending a particular segment of the electorate.” (Salon)

Some members of Congress say comedian John Oliver and his HBO show influenced the 2016 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that a House subcommittee just passed: Oliver took up the cause of the chicken farmers in a 18-minute segment that has gotten nearly 3 million views on YouTube. A draft of the 2016 Agriculture Appropriations Bill was unanimously approved by a House subcommittee Thursday. (Scripps-Howard Foundation Wire)

Hillary Clinton is going to lose: She doesn’t even see the frustrated progressive wave that will nominate Bernie Sanders: Clinton’s positioning on TPP is way too cute. When it passes with Dems’ implicit support, grass roots will explode. (Salon)

Stay with it.