Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Scott Burns: The Coming Longevity Gap Battle (AssetBuilder)
The next battlefield for the haves and have-nots won't be money. It will be life itself. The conflict will start as more people understand that the well off enjoy significantly longer lives than people who aren't so fortunate.
Alison Flood: "Lorem ipsum translated: it remains Greek to me" (Guardian)
Well, I love it, just as I love the fact Richardson also points his readers towards the host of comedy Lorem ipsum generators that exist online - how did I not know of the existence of Samuel L Ipsum, "motherfucking placeholder text motherfucker"? This is important stuff to ponder, people, and what the internet is for, surely …
"The big steal: rise of the plagiarist in the digital age" (Guardian)
Thanks to the internet, it has never been easier to steal other people's work. There's also a high risk you'll be found out. So why do it? Rhodri Marsden goes in search of a little originality.
Jonathan Derbyshire: Richard Dawkins was No 1. Now he's off the list of the world's best thinkers (Guardian)
Last year's winner, the author of The God Delusion, has failed to make it on to Prospect magazine's 2014 longlist for the world's most influential thinker.
BBC Believes You Only Read 6 of These Books...
The BBC believes that most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books below. How many have you read?
(Tip: The average Goodreads member has read 23 out of 100 books on this list)
Hermione Hoby: "Mac DeMarco: 'I live like a scumbag, but it's cheap'" (Guardian)
We gatecrash the brohemian musician's apartment to chew over the disconnect between his onstage japes and the growing maturity of his songwriting.
Henry Rollins Remembers Stooges' Drummer Scott Asheton (LA Weekly)
A couple of weeks ago I was listening to a lot of music by Sonic's Rendezvous Band, one of the most under-mentioned American rock groups of the last century. It was a Detroit super group. Fred "Sonic" Smith of the MC5 on guitar, Scott Morgan of the Rationals on guitar and vocals, Gary Rasmussen of The Up on bass and Scott Asheton of the Stooges on drums.
Absolut and Rafael Grampá presents - Dark Noir (YouTube)
"Dark Noir is an incredibly stylish animated short by Rafael Grampa that combines 2D and CGI elements into one surprisingly interesting storyline about personal daemons and the stories we all carry around within our minds." - Neatorama
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
wrote:
took the day off.
took the day off.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Gare Says...
Astrology
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
So - to let you know what's going on, the guestbook on bartcop.com is
still open for those who want to write something in memory of Bart.
I did an interview on Netroots Radio about Bart's passing
( www.stitcher.com/s?eid=32893545 )
The most active open discussion is on Bart's Facebook page.
( www.facebook.com/bartcop )
You can listen to Bart's theme song here
or here.
( www.bartcop.com/blizing-saddles.mp3 )
( youtu.be/MySGAaB0A9k )
We have opened up the radio show archives which are now free. Listen to
all you want.
( bartcop.com/members )
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Thanks, Marc!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and seasonal.
Terrifying New Senate Forecast
Nate Silver
Nate Silver, the political prognosticator pilloried by Republicans for correctly predicting President Obama's convincing victory in 2012, has perhaps just given the GOP another reason to curse him.
He has predicted that Republicans are better than even odds to take back the Senate this November.
At first blush, that might seem like something for Republicans to celebrate. Control of the Senate is the Grand Prize up for grabs in this fall's midterm elections. Few doubt that Republicans will hold on to the House, and most also acknowledge that Republicans are likely to cut into the Democrats' 55-to-45 majority in the Senate. (There are actually only 53 Senate Democrats, but both Senate Independents side with the Democrats.)
The burning question is whether that Republicans will win enough seats to become the majority. And now Mr. Silver, the web's foremost political polling analyst and the very man who refused to give Mitt Romney much electoral love two years ago, has suggested on his FiveThirtyEight blog that "Republicans are now slight favorites to win at least six seats and capture the chamber."
Nate Silver
Man With An Opinion
Jimmy Carter
Former President Jimmy Carter believes U.S. intelligence agencies are spying on him - so much so, he eschews email to avoid government spies.
"You know, I have felt that my own communications are probably monitored," Carter told NBC's Andrea Mitchell in an interview broadcast Sunday. "And when I want to communicate with a foreign leader privately, I type or write a letter myself, put it in the post office and mail it.
"I believe if I send an email, it will be monitored," Carter continued.
The 89-year-old said the National Security Agency and others have abused the argument that gathering intelligence is critical to homeland security.
"That has been extremely liberalized and, I think, abused by our own intelligence agencies," Carter said.
Jimmy Carter
Egyptian President Writes
Al-Jazeera
In an unexpected gesture, Egypt's interim president assured the family of an imprisoned Egyptian-Canadian journalist that the man would get a fair, speedy trial and necessary medical treatment while his case was dealt with.
The guarantees came in the form of a letter received by Mohamed Fahmy's family on Sunday - a day before his trial was set to resume in Cairo.
"I want to reaffirm in this regard the independence of the Egyptian judiciary and my confidence that your son will get all his legal rights," wrote President Adly Mansour.
The letter was preceded by a hospital visit Fahmy was allowed on Saturday for a badly injured shoulder, a move which itself was triggered by a call three days earlier from the office of the president.
Fahmy's family expressed cautious optimism at the weekend's developments.
Al-Jazeera
Celebrates Birthday
Aretha Franklin
The fellas love Aretha Franklin: Denzel Washington helped the Queen of Soul celebrate her 72nd birthday in style, and Andre 3000 and Babyface are working on new music for the icon.
Franklin held an exclusive and small party Saturday in New York City for her birthday, which is on Tuesday. Washington entered the Ritz-Carlton Hotel quietly, though the crowd got excited after realizing it was the Oscar winner under a baseball cap.
The singer was all smiles at the event. She said in an interview that she's working on new music with rapper Andre 3000 and singer-songwriter Babyface.
When asked what she wants for her birthday, Franklin said. "I'm looking for a record deal for my granddaughter Victorie, and my son Kecalf." They both performed recently at the BET Honors special, which paid tribute to Franklin.
Aretha Franklin
Eclipses MSNBC's 'Dead Intern'
CNN
CNN's "New Day" had a very strong week in the ratings, sweeping "Morning Joe" in both the key demo and total viewers for most of the week. It is the first time - since the show launched last summer - that it has beaten MSNBC for six consecutive days.
CNN's flagship morning program beat MSNBC's "Morning Joe" in both the key 25-to-54 news demographic and total viewer ratings from Monday through Thursday. On Thursday, the show beat MSNBC once again with 558,000 total viewers to MSNBC's 364,000. "New Day" continued its wall-to-wall coverage of the mysterious missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 plane this week.
The show also beat Joe Scarborough's program 209,000 to 140,000 in the 25-to-54 demo.
Fox News continued to dominate the cable news morning shows with "Fox and Friends" scoring a 314,000 in the 25-54 demo and 1,161,000 in total viewers.
CNN
Eat The Poor
IRS
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service said on Friday that it audited fewer high-income Americans in 2013 than it did in 2012 or 2011, while it conducted more audits of people with no income.
Total audits fell by 5 percent from 2012 to reach the lowest level since 2008 as the IRS said it coped with budget cuts.
For the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2013, the IRS said it audited 24.2 percent of individual tax returns with adjusted gross income of $10 million or more. That was down from 27 percent in 2012 and 30 percent in 2011.
Wealthy Americans historically are the likeliest to be audited. The IRS a few years ago started a "Global High Wealth Industry Group" to audit high-wealth individuals more efficiently.
Last year, audits were done on 6 percent of individual tax returns reporting no gross income, up from 2.7 percent in 2012 and 3.4 percent in 2011.
IRS
Biggest Slum Not On Maps
Japan
Japan's biggest slum is visible just blocks from bustling restaurants and shops in Osaka, the country's second-largest city. But it cannot be found on official maps.
Nor did it appear in the recent Osaka Asian Film Festival, after the director of a new movie that is set in the area pulled it, accusing city organizers of censorship.
Osaka officials asked Shingo Ota to remove scenes and lingo that identify the slum, on the grounds that it was insensitive to residents.
"To me, what they were asking was a cover-up attempt to make this place non-existent," he said in a recent interview.
This place is Kamagasaki, home to day laborers, the jobless and homeless, where one in three are on welfare. About 25,000 people live in this compact area, mostly single men who stay in free shelters or dozens of cheap dorms that charge as little as 800 yen ($8) a night.
Japan
Diplomats Strike
Israel
Israeli diplomats launched an unprecedented strike on Sunday, forcing the complete closure of embassies around the world as they escalated a dispute over pay, officials said.
The industrial action has already threatened to postpone a visit by Pope Francis to Israel planned for May - one of 25 trips by foreign officials affected by a work slowdown the diplomats began on March 5 when wage talks broke down.
By escalating the action to a full strike - the first by the diplomatic corps since the country's establishment in 1948 - the diplomats will close all of Israel's 102 missions abroad, paralyzing most diplomatic work with other countries and the United Nations.
Diplomats said the strike - involving some 1,200 foreign service employees - was open-ended and had been called after the Treasury had failed to present any acceptable proposals.
Israel
Goes After Ex-Employee
Ashley Madison
A dating website for married people seeking affairs has slapped an ex-employee with a countersuit after she accused the company of making her type up hundreds of fake profiles of sexy women.
Ashley Madison is countersuing Doriana Silva on allegations she kept confidential documents, including copies of her "work product and training materials."
The countersuit is filed by Ashley Madison's parent company, Avid Life Media, and seeks to recover the documents as well as $100,000 in damages plus legal costs.
In her statement of defence, Silva says she held on to copies of the fake profiles she created and documents "related to the creation" of those profiles, but denies they are the property of her former employer.
Silva argues she kept copies of her work and training materials and turned them over to her lawyer to use as evidence in trial.
Ashley Madison
Campaigners Return
Sea Shepherd
Environmental activist group Sea Shepherd have returned to land after their longest-ever anti-whaling campaign in the Southern Ocean, claiming to have saved more than 750 whales in their annual high seas showdown with Japanese whalers.
Sea Shepherd's ships Bob Barker and Steve Irwin docked in Wellington and Hobart Saturday after 94 days at sea, formally ending the group's 10th annual harassment campaign of the Japanese harpoon fleet.
There were three high seas confrontations during the campaign, described by Sea Shepherd as "ambushes" from the Japanese, and Bob Barker captain Peter Hammarstedt claimed the season had been a success.
Sea Shepherd said this year's campaign, which began on January 5, had been its longest ever in the Southern Ocean.
Sea Shepherd estimates that it has saved 4,500 whales from slaughter in nine previous Southern Ocean campaigns.
Sea Shepherd
Weekend Box Office
'Divergent'
To go with "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games," Lionsgate now has a trio of young-adult franchises with the box-office leading "Divergent."
The teen science-fiction thriller starring Shailene Woodley debuted with $56 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. The opening, while less than some anticipated, launches Lionsgate's third franchise built on young-adult best-sellers.
Disney's Muppets sequel "Muppets Most Wanted," with Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey, fared poorly, earning just $16.5 million over the weekend. "The Muppets," opened notably better with $29.2 million in 2011, benefiting from the high-profile reboot starring and co-written by Jason Segal.
The family film market was also more competitive than expected, as 20th Century Fox's animated "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" has held better than anticipated. In its third week of release, the film - tops at the box office last weekend - slid to third with $11.7 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Divergent," $56 million.
2. "Muppets Most Wanted," $16.5 million ($1.5 million international).
3. "Mr. Peabody and Sherman," $11.7 million ($11.4 million international).
4. "300: Rise of an Empire," $8.7 million ($21 million international).
5. "God's Not Dead," $8.6 million.
6. "Need for Speed," $7.8 million ($29.2 million international).
7. "Grand Budapest Hotel," $7 million ($9.6 million international).
8. "Non-Stop," $6.3 million ($14 million international).
9. "The Lego Movie," $4.1 million ($4.5 million international).
10. "The Single Mom's Club," $3.1 million.
'Divergent'
In Memory
James Rebhorn
James Rebhorn, the prolific character actor in "Homeland," ''Scent of a Woman" and "My Cousin Vinny," has died. He was 65.
In five decades of television and film work, Rebhorn amassed more than 100 credits, ranging from a shipping magnate in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" to the prosecutor in the series finale of "Seinfeld."
The lanky but piercing Rebhorn, raised a Lutheran in Indiana, often played astringent authorities, like the headmaster in "Scent of a Woman" and lawyers on "Boston Legal" and "The Practice."
On "Homeland," he played the father of CIA officer Carrie Mathison.
James Rebhorn
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
