Sometimes, you just have to give two F's to make things happen....Friends (especially those in the US), is this the weirdest 4th of July weekend you can remember, or what?With so many people still working remotely or partially remotely, fireworks being cancelled or modified, typical summer plans disrupted and social distancing still a thing, this three day weekend just does not have the same feel as most years, does it?A weird and random observation (which I tweeted about): was there a campaign by the state of Maine marketing itself as some sort of self-quarantine retreat destination that I missed? Are they giving out free lobster and six packs of Moxie or something? Is LL Bean secretly providing COVID-19 vaccinations?My social media feeds are full with pics and stories from many people I know whose families are visiting there right now....But I digress...Our big news here this weekend: we finally got tickets to see Hamilton!Okay, not really. We'll be watching it like everyone else on Disney +. But we'll be seeing the original cast perform the play, which many of you suckers who paid handsomely for actual tickets did not. #winningHowever I do understand it is a slightly edited, PG-13 version of the show. In order for Disney to agree to broadcast the play on its family friendly platform, two instances of the "f" word needed to be omitted from the dialogue.Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote and starred in the musical, apparently finds this hilarious -- he has been going around making a point of saying to anyone who will listen that he "literally gave two 'f's" to make this whole thing happen for us.And cue the Beavis and Butthead laughter....I have a confession to make, Friends: I know the guy is extremely talented and all and our entire family is looking forward to finally seeing the show. But, for some reason, I have to say I find Lin-Manuel Miranda just a tad annoying.Perhaps it's the self quarantining talking. Maybe I have some PTSD from having to listen to my Mom talk this week about the cancellation of her trip to see Hugh Jackman on Broadway this Fall. I'm sure my viewpoint has probably been somewhat unfairly influenced by his guest turn on Curb Your Enthusiasm a few years back. Like Mocha Joe, if he is no friend of Larry, he likely is no friend of mine. That said, I am grateful that you literally gave the two F's, Lin-Manuel. My wife and kids are thrilled. We didn't receive the invite to join everyone we know in Maine, but we will be able to see your show this weekend. I am definitely intrigued to see what all the hype has been about.But you should be aware that I am putting you on notice: this weekend is your last chance to convince me (and I am sure many others) that you are not a pretentious, annoying jerk, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Let's just see how many more F's you have in you to give. If nothing else, you will be able to rest well knowing that your recent dorky bit of humor provided enough clickbait to help get people to open this newsletter over a long weekend....That's it. That's the preamble.Below, as usual for the issues over this weekend, you will find a selection of your most clicked on stories from the first half of 2020 -- in case you missed any of them the first time around. I did provide one new article in the Last Word however -- worth skippng down and checking that out if nothing else.Have a happy and safe weekend everyone.XOXODave