Recommended Reading
from Bruce
HENRY ROLLINS: I JUST WENT THROUGH PHIL LYNOTT'S RECORD COLLECTION WITH HIS MOM (LA Weekly)
Philomena's story is worth checking out. A single mother in late-1940s Great Britain with a child whose father was black, hers was not the easiest road. To hear her tell the story, sitting in her living room, was a true privilege.
Anonymous, Evan V. Symon: "6 Strange (Sometimes Illegal) Realities Of Fox Hunting" (Cracked)
#6. Fox Hunting Is Brutal
Willa Paskin: Why Are Americans Ignoring Trevor Noah? (Slate)
This crazy campaign should be his coming-out party. Instead, it's our first election since 2000 where The Daily Show might as well not exist.
Christina Cauterucci: Little Girls' Reactions to the New "Curvy" Barbie Prove Why We Need "Curvy" Barbie (Slate)
"Ultimately, haters are going to hate," president and COO Richard Dickson told Dockterman of the Barbie criticism that is sure to continue in some form, even after today's release. For now, the same is true of many kids raised with nothing but paper-thin bodies to admire. Curvy Barbie may be just a few millimeters heftier than her original mold, but in a doll this beloved, that's a big start for little girls already afraid of f-a-t.
Rebecca Schuman: Save the Bunnies! (Slate)
How college administrators can curb attrition, save money-and, oh yes, help students.
Clive James: 'Jeremy Corbyn is a student at heart' (The Guardian)
Students seem to be convinced that if they talk long enough, they can save the world for justice. I was one of them once, and perhaps I was nicer then.
Scott Burns: How We Live… And How Long Our Money Lasts (AssetBuilder)
Worried about a plunging stock market that has hit every trading floor on the planet? Me too. But I've got a helpful idea. It is this: simple decisions we make about our personal spending will have a greater impact on our long-term security and standard of living than anything we can say or do about the condition of the world and its markets.
Marina Hyde: We shouldn't be enjoying the Trump ascendancy - but who can look away? (The Guardian)
Like a super-rich gambler who doubles down on his nervy opponents, Donald Trump is smirking his way to victory over his Republican rivals.
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wrote:
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
Idiotorial
Just got off the phone with my 67 year old sister in California. She calls me occasionally, when no one else will answer. I listen to her complain about her past, AGAIN, listen to her complain about her present, listen to her Fox News induced bullshit. She occasionally asks me a question about MY life. I try to respond. She cuts me off in mid sentence to relate something about how it corresponds to HER life. I bite my tongue. I get angry. I open a beer. Time goes by. I listen, because...shit, why DO I listen? Well, it's HER nickle, and, damnit, somebody has too, I guess. It is our human obligation to listen to someone reaching out, right? I open another beer. MORE time goes by. I get REALLY drunk. I TRY to talk to her, to MAKE her connect with another human, and see common ground. I fail. She is not interested in connecting. She just wants SOMEONE to listen. Well, fair enough. We all need someone to listen. But, damn, it is actually painful to absorb her psychic detritus! However, being a child of the light, I embrace my cosmic obligation, and drink more beer! Fuck, am I drunk.
Where am I going with this? I kind of forgot. Oh wait, yeah! It is this: We all connected. The good of the many outweighs the good of the few. Or the one. Everything I needed to know I learned from Star Trek. We need to forget what makes us different from one another and embrace what we all have in common. Can that even happen? Yes, given enough time. Do we have that much time left? Oh, shit. I don't know. Well, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna have another beer.
Good night, and good luck.
Lois Of Oregon
Thanks, Lois!
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
R.I.P. SIGNE.
THE "WOOD WIDE WEB."
"REFUSENIK"
"IS THERE A BETTER WAY?"
THE RISE OF FASCISM IN AMERICA.
SHE'S BACK!
ARMAGEDDON IS COMING! ARMAGEDDON IS COMING… IN A BILLION YEARS!
THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
A little rain and lots of wind.
Saw this commercial for Forest Lawn on the KCBS 6:30pm news - what a masterpiece of manipulation.
Is Dennis Barlow doing their advertising?
Hollywood Walk O'Fame
T-rump
Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star was defaced with a reversed swastika.
On Friday, a Reddit user uploaded the image of the star, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, with the swastika sprayed on backwards. The star was clean Saturday morning.
The "Apprentice" host received the star in 2007. In September, someone placed a yellow "X" over it. And in December, someone wrote "Rapist" on Bill Cosby's star.
Austin Franklin, an actor who spends his days patrolling Hollywood Boulevard dressed as Batman, said he often sees people stomping or pretending to defecate on the star. He was among those who saw the swastika Friday before it was cleaned up.
"I've never seen this kind of hate put on a star before, not even Bill Cosby," Batman told TheWrap.
T-rump
Italy In Heated Debate
Dolce & Gabbana
Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have appeared to weigh in to an impassioned debate about gay people's rights in their home country with cozy designs showing same-sex couples with children.
Last year, Dolce angered many when he used the common derogatory term "womb rental" for surrogacy, which is banned in Italy. His comments were thought unlikely to harm sales, but drew threats of boycott from the likes of British singer Elton John.
New social media posts suggested they had relaxed their views. Avid Instagram user Gabbana posted photos of handbags and t-shirts adorned with childlike drawings of family groups of two men or two women with children of various ages.
Feverish opposition to a bill currently before parliament to offer limited rights to same-sex and unmarried heterosexual couples is mainly focused on a provision that would allow gay people to adopt their partner's biological children.
The pair, who remained business partners after their romantic relationship ended, have put pregnant models on the catwalk and are selling a t-shirt showing a cartoonish image of themselves with their dogs and cats, with #dgfamily on the back.
Dolce & Gabbana
First "Technological Fraud"
Cycling World
A concealed motor was found on a bike being used by Belgian cyclist Femke Van den Driessche at the world cyclo-cross championships, the head of the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Sunday, confirming the first such case at a top-level competition.
The bike was seized on Saturday after Van den Driessche, one of the race favourites, was forced to withdraw from the women's under-23 race because of a mechanical problem.
Van den Driessche, 19, denied that she had on purpose used a bike with a concealed motor, saying that it was identical to her own but belonged to a friend and that a team mechanic had given it to her by mistake before the race.
If found guilty of cheating the rider faces disqualification, a six-month suspension and a fine of up to 200,000 Swiss francs (180,000 euros, $195,000).
Cycling World
Growing Attacks On Credibility
Cruz
Ted Cruz (R-Pendejo) needs you to trust him.
Trust is the cornerstone of this fiery conservative's campaign, which may live or die with his ability to convince voters in Iowa and across the nation that he's the most consistent and trustworthy among the pack of White House hopefuls.
Yet as he strives for victory in Iowa's Monday caucuses, a chorus of Republican critics led by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Thirsty) is tearing at the fabric of Cruz's message.
His GOP opponents cite a history of political opportunism they say is more in line with a used car salesman than the "consistent conservative" he claims to be. In debates, TV ads and on the campaign trail, fellow Republicans are highlighting inconsistencies in Cruz's policies on immigration, foreign policy and even his dedication to Christian conservative values. They're also reminding voters that the self-described outsider is an Ivy League-educated lawyer who served in former President George W. Bush's administration.
"If you are going to campaign as the most principled, the most consistent conservative, then your record better support that," said Rubio's senior strategist Todd Harris. "As long as he holds himself out to be holier than thou on all things conservative, we're going to continue to point out that he's not."
Cruz
"Playbook For Pedophiles"
"Mr. Wonder"
Neighbors in a well-to-do section of this San Diego suburb knew him as Frank Szeles, a friendly Cub Scouts leader who frequently gave swimming lessons to young children in his backyard pool.
The federal agents who arrested him last week knew him by a different name: "Mr. Wonder," the host of a popular children's television show who vanished decades ago amid allegations that he sexually abused several kids during a camping retreat in central Louisiana.
The man who faced a San Diego judge Wednesday denied he is the 76-year-old fugitive named Frank John Selas III who allegedly fled to Brazil in 1979 after Louisiana authorities secured a warrant for his arrest.
Back in Louisiana, Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office investigators are convinced the right man is in custody. Meanwhile, officials in California are suddenly facing fears that Selas could have preyed on other children during the 37 years that he eluded capture.
"It's absolutely shocking the level of access that this guy had to children, even now," said Steve Jurman, supervisory deputy U.S. marshal in San Diego. "If there's a playbook for pedophiles, he checked off every single box."
"Mr. Wonder"
Won't Demote Lying Loose-Lipped General
Pentagon
The Pentagon says it will not demote retired Army Gen. David Petraeus, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information while CIA director, an incident stemming from an affair with his biographer.
Media reports had surfaced that indicated the Pentagon was considering downgrading Petraeus to a three-star general. Such a move, if taken, would have reduced his retirement salary.
Petraeus resigned from the CIA in November 2012 after an extramarital affair with biographer Paula Broadwell. He pleaded guilty last year to a misdemeanor count of unlawful removal and retention of classified materials. He was spared prison as part of his plea and was given two years' probation by a judge who faulted him for a "serious lapse in judgment."
Petraeus admitted that he loaned Broadwell eight binders containing highly classified information regarding war strategy, intelligence capabilities and identities of covert officers. Petraeus kept the binders in an unlocked desk drawer at his home, instead of a secure facility that's required for handling classified material.
When initially questioned by the FBI, he denied having given Broadwell classified information, but in his plea deal he avoided being charged with making a false statement.
Pentagon
$34M In Settlements
Chicago
A group of 124 Chicago police officers has cost the city $34 million in misconduct settlements since 2009, according to a newspaper report.
While the officers represent a fraction of the police force's roughly 12,000 officers, they are identified in nearly a third of the misconduct lawsuits settled since 2009. The Chicago Tribune reported one officer had seven lawsuits against him that were settled.
Unlike high-profile police brutality cases that have triggered federal investigations, most of the settlements involve less serious claims such as injuring arrestees during traffic stops, making false arrests and using racial slurs. The lawsuits have largely escaped City Council scrutiny because the settlements have been at or under $100,000. If they're larger, aldermen must approve them.
Also, the Tribune found many of the incidents didn't occur in high crime areas as union officials have argued and officers were rarely disciplined.
Chicago
9 American 'Terror' Suspects Arrested
Saudi Arabia
Saudi authorities have arrested nine American citizens among 33 "terror" suspects rounded up over the past week, the Saudi Gazette newspaper reported Sunday.
Four Americans were arrested last Monday and five others over the past four days, the paper reported, citing an unidentified source.
Washington, a strong ally of Riyadh, confirmed it was aware of the report but declined to elaborate.
The Saudi Gazette said the arrests also included 14 Saudis, three Yemenis, two Syrians, an Indonesian, a Filipino, an Emirati, a Kazakhstan national and a Palestinian.
Saudi Arabia
Weekend Box Office
'Kung Fu Panda 3'
"Kung Fu Panda 3" kicked its way to the top of the North American box office with a respectable $41 million, according to Rentrak estimates Sunday.
The animated sequel also fared much better than the weekend's other new openers, like Disney's Coast Guard adventure "The Finest Hours," which debuted in fourth place with $10.3 million.
The "Fifty Shades of Grey" parody "Fifty Shades of Black," meanwhile, earned a modest $6.2 million, but it only cost a reported $5 million to produce. Marlon Wayans co-wrote, stars in and produced the R-rated takeoff.
The Weinstein Company's Natalie Portman-led Western "Jane Got a Gun" misfired out of the gates, bringing in only $803,000 on a $25 million budget.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Kung Fu Panda 3," $41 million ($75.7 million international).
2. "The Revenant," $12.4 million ($24.3 million international).
3. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," $10.8 million ($12.6 million international).
4. "The Finest Hours," $10.3 million ($1.6 million international).
5. "Ride Along 2," $8.3 million ($5.1 million international).
6. "The Boy," $7.9 million ($3.5 million international).
7. "Dirty Grandpa," $7.6 million ($5.5 million international).
8. "The 5th Wave," $7 million ($13 million international).
9. "Fifty Shades of Black," $6.2 million ($200,000 international).
10. "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi," $6 million ($1.5 million international).
'Kung Fu Panda 3'
In Memory
Signe Anderson
Signe Toly Anderson, a vocalist and original member of the Jefferson Airplane who left the band after its first record and was replaced by Grace Slick, has died.
Anderson died Thursday at her home in Beaverton, Oregon, according to her daughter, Onateska Ladybug Sherwood. Anderson was 74 and had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Anderson, who survived cancer in her 30s, died on the same day that another Airplane member, Paul Kantner, died.
Born Signe Toly in Seattle and raised in Portland, Oregon after her parents divorced, she was a folk and jazz singer who had performed in groups since high school. She moved to San Francisco in her 20s and began appearing at a popular folk club, the Drinking Gourd. Vocalist Marty Balin heard her sing and asked her to join what became the Jefferson Airplane, which in 1966 released "The Jefferson Airplane Takes Off." Strongly influenced by the folk-rock sound of the time, "Takes Off" was a word-of-mouth hit that combined original songs and covers, including a showcase for Anderson and her soulful contralto, "Chauffeur Blues."
But by the time the album came out, Anderson had given birth to her first child and she left after a farewell concert at the Fillmore in October 1966. The switch from Anderson to Slick, formerly of the San Francisco group the Great Society, proved momentous for the Airplane and for rock history. Slick brought with her two future standards, "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit," and a fierce vocal style and confrontational attitude that departed notably from Anderson's. The next album, "Surrealistic Pillow," was a landmark of psychedelic rock that made the Airplane superstars and representatives of the "San Francisco Sound."
"You have to look at the priorities in your life, the reality in your life," Anderson told radio station KGON in Portland in 2011, remembering the ordeals of bringing her baby on tour. "I had to wait in the San Francisco airport in July of 1966 for 36 hours before we got on the airplane and flew to Chicago. All the diapers were gone."
"I don't regret having left," she added.
Anderson was a footnote in the Airplane's history, but was regarded with respect and affection by fans and stayed in touch with Kantner, Balin and other band members with whom she performed on occasion over the following decades. On Facebook, bassist Jack Casady remembered her as "a real sweetheart with a terrific contralto voice." Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen wrote on his blog that Anderson was "our den mother in the early days of the Airplane" a voice of reason for "our dysfunctional little family." Balin, writing on Facebook, imagined that she and Kantner "woke up in heaven and said 'Hey what are you doing here? Let's start a band.'"
Anderson was married twice, to Merry Prankster Jerry Anderson and to Michael Alois Ettlin, who died in 2011. She is survived by two children and three grandchildren.
Signe Anderson
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