I'm reading Hitler's American Model, which is a breezy but interesting look at how American race law influenced, if not inspired, Nazi race law, and just came across this character.

Omar Amin (born Johann von Leers; 25 January 1902 - 5 March 1965) was an Alter Kämpfer and an honorary Sturmbannführer in the Waffen SS in Nazi Germany, where he was also a professor known for his anti-Jewish polemics. He was one of the most important ideologues of the Third Reich, serving as a high-ranking propaganda ministry official. He later served in the Egyptian Information Department, as well as an advisor to Gamal Abdel Nasser. He published for Goebbels, in Peron's Argentina and for Nasser's Egypt. He converted to Islam, and changed his name to Omar Amin.

Churning out anti-Semitic propaganda was, apparently, the learn-to-code job security of the first half of the twentieth century.

Saturday 6/10, 6:30-8:30pm, Drake's Dealership. CharleyCarp. Minivet.

I was too young to hear anything about Iran-Contra in real time, but I remember finding the whole thing astonishing as a teenager when it was explained to me. It just seemed so globally far-flung, and I was still getting used to the idea that CIA was a bastion of nefarious plots.

What was it like, at the time? What I'm specifically curious about is how the media covered it. Was it like Russian meddling last fall, where it was covered but only in overly-intellectual terms, bizarrely absent any emotional plea that a big outrageous thing was happening? Was it covered responsibly? Was it covered in a way where the average American was aware that it was a thing?

If Unfogged had been around, what would the Unfogged take have been?

E. Messily writes!!

In about 6 months, I am going to get a puppy. A ginormous, gargalossal puppy. After it grows up to be an even bigger dog, I am going to train it as a Hearing & Balance Service Dog. (My brother trains guide dogs; he's going to help me.)

What should I name my puppy? What crucial aspects of dog ownership have I forgotten about? What tricks should I teach it to do?

What do YOU think?

Do you remember last fall how climate change was completely absent from the presidential election? I think it barely, tangentially came up once in any of the debates, like an audience member asked about the coal industry and that was the closest question. Nobody in the media ever wrote mainstream articles about the candidate's positions on the environment. Etc. (Slightly less infuriating than the near-total blase attitude about Russian meddling by the media, but similar. I think the media should be charged with high crimes and misdemeanors, as an industry, for the damage they've done.)

The point being that I'm honestly sort of surprised at how big a mainstream-media splash is being made out of the Paris Accords, and this may be the moment when the environment becomes a mainstream issue of importance.

I'm not saying anything will get done. But that in the next election cycle, there may be a question at some point in one of the debates about the climate!!!

J. Robot sends in: For the blog.

Heebie's take: OMFG. Don't do this, folks:

We pushed our offer to our limit of $560,000, and they accepted. I was thrilled. Then the adrenalin wore off, and the gravity of what we'd done sank in. We had just spent more than a half a million dollars on a house I had never seen.

If nothing else, click through and just read the part where they walk through the house for the first time.

In contrast, our house lift is going quite nicely. I will post some photos to the flickr group.

Also: today I go for the first session of my tattoos. I am extraordinarily nervous!!

Twitter tells me that on this day in history, Lou Gehrig 1) was born 2) died 3) started his streak of games played. June 2 was a big day for Lou Gehrig.

Hi Unfogged,

I'm going to be in New York between the sixth and the thirteenth of June, inclusive, though given when I'll be landing on the sixth, maybe make that interval half-open? Let's hang out! I've been dying to see each and every one of you.

UPDATE Thursday the eighth! Amor y Amargo or the nearest place that isn't too crowded (as I have been advised "get there immediately after it opens"). Seven pm or maybe people want to meet me immediately after it opens at, like, 5:30????