Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Barbara Ehrenreich: Why are the poor blamed and shamed for their deaths? (The Guardian)
When someone dies, she often suffers a brutal moral autopsy, says Barbara Ehrenreich. Did she smoke? Drink excessively? Eat too much fat?
Hadley Freeman: Don't you just love it when a man explains to you what it means to be a woman? (The Guardian)
There is understandable concern about being on the wrong side of history. But I'll tell you what has never put anyone on the right side of history: shouting women down.
Willa Paskin: Believe This Woman (Slate)
Stormy Daniels did wonders for her credibility on 60 Minutes.
Elena Ferrante: 'I make an effort never to exaggerate with an exclamation mark' (The Guardian)
Of all the punctuation marks, it's the one I like the least. It suggests a commander's staff, a pretentious obelisk, a phallic display.
Laura Jean Baker: "Red flags in writing class: Surviving their violent fantasies and targeted rage" (Salon)
After I cancelled class for safety concerns, my university told me to be "more patient" with an angry male student.
Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen Checklist (NutritionFacts.org)
In my book How Not to Die I center my recommendations around a Daily Dozen checklist of all the things I try to fit into my daily routine.
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 over 80 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
Current Events
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Marc Perkel
Marc's Guide to Curing Cancer
So far so good on beating cancer for now. I'm doing fine. At the end of the month I'll be 16 months into an 8 month mean lifespan. And yesterday I went on a 7 mile hike and managed to keep up with the hiking group I was with. So, doing something right.
Still waiting for future test results and should see things headed in the right direction. I can say that it's not likely that anything dire happens in the short term so that means that I should have time to make several more attempts at this. So even if it doesn't work the first time there are a lot of variations to try. So if there's bad news it will help me pick the next radiation target.
I have written a "how to" guide for oncologists to perform the treatment that I got. I'm convinced that I'm definitely onto something and whether it works for me or not isn't the definitive test. I know if other people tried this that it would work for some of them, and if they improve it that it will work for a lot of them.
The guide is quite detailed and any doctor reading this can understand the procedure at every level. I also go into detail as to how it works, how I figured it out, and variations and improvements that could be tried to enhance it. I also introduce new ways to look at the problem. There is a lot of room for improvement and I think that doctors reading it will see what I'm talking about and want to build on it. And it's written so that if you're not a doctor you can still follow it. It also has a personal story revealing that I'm the class clown of cancer support group. I give great interviews and I look pretty hot in a lab coat.
So, feel free to read this and see what I'm talking about. But if any of you want to help then pass this around to both doctors and cancer patients. I need some media coverage. I'm looking for as many eyeballs as possible to read these ideas. Even if this isn't the solution, it's definitely on the right track. After all, I did hike 7 miles yesterday. And this hiking group wasn't moving slow. So if this isn't working then, why am I still here?
I also see curing cancer as more of an engineering problem that a medical problem. So if you are good at solving problems and most of what you know about medicine was watching the Dr. House MD TV show, then you're at the level I was at when I started. So anyone can jump in and be part of the solution.
Here is a link to my guide: Oncologists Guide to Curing Cancer using Abscopal Effect
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
CLASSY TED!
TRUMP THE "BELOVED".
THE 'HEE HAW' PRESIDENT.
HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!
HAPPY EASTER!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Dear old Dad had a snowy Easter.
OTOH, can remember wearing thermals under my Easter finery more than once.
(And they wonder why I moved....)
California
Gov. 'Moonbeam'
Turns out President-for-now Donald Trump's (R-Pendejo) timing was off for his vicious dig at California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) for pardoning five immigrants who were facing possible deportation.
Trump, relying again on name-calling, lashed "Moonbeam" Brown Saturday for pardoning immigrants who had been convicted of crimes - even though they finished serving their sentences years ago.
But the president slammed the pardons the day after he proclaimed April "second chance month" - which Brown's press office was only too happy to point out. The California tweet responded with the president's own words, highlighted on the White House web site. The president celebrated "those who have exited the prison system and successfully reentered society ... we encourage expanded opportunities for those who have worked to overcome bad decisions ... and emphasize our belief in second chances."
Trump could have been describing the pardoned Californians.
Brown granted 56 pardons and reduced 14 sentences on Good Friday and Passover. All of those granted pardons served their sentences "years ago," and "earned" their pardons, said a statement from Brown's office. Each of the five immigrants lived "law-abiding" lives after serving their time, and were assets to their communities and families, according to information from Brown's office. Two of the immigrants came to America as child refugees. The pardons won't necessarily save the men from deportation, but they may help.
Gov. 'Moonbeam'
Russian Bots Are Rallying
Laura Ingraham
As companies yank their ads from Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham's show in droves, she continues to draw support from one key Twitter demographic: Russian bots.
The advertiser exodus comes after Ingraham insulted Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg's grades on Twitter. The Fox News host announced Saturday that she would be taking a "pre-planned vacation" amid the controversy.
On Saturday evening, #istandwithlaura was the top trending hashtag among Twitter accounts linked to Russian influence operations, according to Hamilton 68, a website launched last year that tracks Russian propaganda campaigns in near-real time.
Per the site's data, the frequency with which the accounts tweeted the hashtag jumped by 2800% on Friday and Saturday.
Meanwhile, according to the website botcheck.me, which says it tracks 1500 "political propaganda bots," @ingrahamangle, @davidhogg11, and @foxnews were among the top six Twitter handles Russia-linked accounts tweeted at over the last 24 hours. The top two-word phrases were "David Hogg" and "Laura Ingraham."
Laura Ingraham
Unfazed By Personal Attacks
Parkland Survivors
In the week since they organized a worldwide protest against gun violence, student survivors of the shooting in Parkland, Florida, have faced personal attacks and accusations that they want to repeal the second amendment.
The organizers have stayed focused on their goal: making an impact on the 2018 elections. Less than 48 hours after the March for Our Lives ended, David Hogg, one of the most prominent Marjory Stoneman Douglas student activists, announced a plan to hold town halls across American on 7 April to hold members of Congress accountable for their positions on gun laws. By Friday, they had confirmed events in 30 districts, with a goal of 535, one for every member of Congress.
Gun rights advocates and Donald Trump (R-Crooked) were quick this week to accuse the student movement of wanting to repeal Americans' constitutional right to own guns. Trump and the National Rifle Association seized on an op-ed written by the 97-year-old former supreme court justice John Paul Stevens, which argued that activists should organize to "get rid of the second amendment" entirely, thus depriving the NRA of "a propaganda weapon of immense power".
It's not (just) about the money. In 2017, the NRA spent at least $4.1m on lobbying - more than the $3.1m it spent in all of 2016. But for comparison, the dairy industry has spent $4.4m in the same period, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). The National Association of Realtors, one of the biggest spenders, has paid out $32.2m lobbying on housing issues.
The NRA has plenty of cash to spend. It bet big on the 2016 US elections, pouring $14.4m into supporting 44 candidates who won and $34.4m opposing 19 candidates who lost, according to CRP.
Parkland Survivors
Island Closes
Koh Phi Phi Leh
Before it hit the Hollywood big screen, the secluded white sands and crystal blue waters of Thailand's Maya Bay were feted as a magical, unspoiled getaway for weary travellers to relax and rejuvenate.
But the silent beauty of the once pristine bay on the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh in the Andaman Sea ended when it featured in the 1999 Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach.
Now groaning under the burden of an incessant average flow of 200 boats and 4,000 pleasure-seekers a day, Maya Bay will be closed to the public for four months from June, to allow its battered coral reefs and sea life to recover.
It is one of a growing number of the globe's most stunning beaches that face temporary closure this summer as their ecosystems struggle to cope with the devastating impact of unfettered tourism.
The Philippine resort of Boracay, frequently celebrated among the most breathtaking islands in the world, may be shut down for six months from April after the country's outspoken President, Rodrigo Duterte, called it a "cesspool" because of sewage dumped directly in the sea.
Koh Phi Phi Leh
Hope For Lasting Impact
#MeToo
Six months after bursting into the spotlight, the #MeToo movement has toppled scores of men from prominent positions and fueled a national conversation about workplace sexual harassment.
There is also ample evidence that the movement has some staying power that will make it a force six months from now and beyond as lawmakers across the nation enact an array of anti-harassment legislation, corporate America roots out bad behavior in the workplace and more women feel emboldened to speak out.
And the movement has the potential to guide the conversation surrounding the midterm elections, as evidenced by the record number of women getting into politics in 2018.
The movement took shape in October 2017, when reports in The New York Times and The New Yorker gave voice to numerous women accusing Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Soon afterward, the #MeToo hashtag went viral, becoming worldwide shorthand for speaking out about sexual harassment.
Along with the steady stream of harassment cases involving other powerful men, there has been extensive activity in statehouses across the country. More than a dozen legislatures are considering bills that address sexual harassment in workplaces statewide; an even larger number are addressing harassment affecting officeholders, staff and lobbyists at the statehouses. Those in-house efforts often have been fueled by scandal: At least two-dozen legislators have resigned or been ousted over the past year due to sexual misconduct allegations.
#MeToo
Survivors Feel 'Violated All Over Again'
MSU
Michigan State University paid a public relations company $517,343 to monitor and track social media activity surrounding the recent Larry Nassar sexual abuse case, the Lansing State Journal reported on Wednesday.
Many of the social media accounts the New York-based firm Weber Shandwick monitored included accounts of survivors, their families and notable celebrities, journalists and politicians. The Lansing State Journal included screenshots of Weber Shandwick's report to MSU that quoted specific survivors' tweets, retweets and commentary. The PR firm also outlined news articles that created spikes in conversation surrounding the Nassar case.
MSU's Office of Communication and Brand Strategy had initially been collecting and tracking the information, but handed the majority of the work over to Weber Shandwick in December.
Although this type of monitoring is not uncommon in criminal cases, the explosive report garnered intense media attention and prompted many Nassar survivors to criticize the surveillance as invasive and triggering.
Attorney John Manly, who represents more than 100 Nassar victims, tweeted his disappointment as well: "Michigan State paid $500,000.00 in January to spy on Nassar survivors and their families on social media. The MSU Board was copied on these reports. Not one Board member had the moral courage to say this is wrong. Stop it. Not one. Shame on MSU. Shame on each and every Trustee."
MSU
Runoff Over Gay Rights
Costa Rica
Polls opened on Easter Sunday for a vote on whether conservative Christian singer Fabricio Alvarado Munoz can capture Costa Rica's presidency, a result that would mark a sharp turn from the current government's embrace of gay rights.
Best known for religious dance songs and ballads, the 43-year-old former TV journalist faces the center-left ruling party candidate Carlos Alvarado Quesada, 38, in a tight race fought over a court ruling ordering the country to allow same-sex marriage.
The two Alvarados, who are not related, took opposing positions on the January decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, an influential regional body based in the Costa Rican capital of San Jose.
Fabricio, as supporters call him, called it an affront to traditional values and sovereignty in the Central American nation. Threatening to remove the country from the court's jurisdiction, he shot from the margins to the top of a 13-candidate field, and won the first round of voting in February.
A win for Alvarado Munoz would be a set back for gay rights in Latin America, where several countries have implemented progressive policies in recent years.
Costa Rica
Russia Targeting?
Undersea Internet Cables
Russian ships are skulking around underwater communications cables, causing the U.S. and its allies to worry the Kremlin might be taking information warfare to new depths.
Is Moscow interested in cutting or tapping the cables? Does it want the West to worry it might? Is there a more innocent explanation? Unsurprisingly, Russia isn't saying.
But whatever Moscow's intentions, U.S. and Western officials are increasingly troubled by their rival's interest in the 400 fiber-optic cables that carry most of world's calls, emails and texts, as well as $10 trillion worth of daily financial transactions.
"We've seen activity in the Russian navy, and particularly undersea in their submarine activity, that we haven't seen since the '80s," Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of the U.S. European Command, told Congress this month.
Without undersea cables, a bank in Asian countries couldn't send money to Saudi Arabia to pay for oil. U.S. military leaders would struggle to communicate with troops fighting extremists in Afghanistan and the Middle East. A student in Europe wouldn't be able to Skype his parents in the United States.
Undersea Internet Cables
Weekend Box Office
'Ready Player One'
Steven Spielberg has found his way back to the top of the box office with the action-adventure "Ready Player One," while Tyler Perry has scored again with "Acrimony."
Studio estimates on Sunday say Spielberg's virtual reality-focused film earned a solid $53.2 million in its first four days in theaters from 4,234 locations since opening Wednesday night, with $41.2 million of that coming from the three-day weekend.
"Tyler Perry's Acrimony" took second place. Driven by an overwhelmingly female audience, the film starring Taraji P. Henson grossed $17.1 million over the 3-day weekend, followed by "Black Panther" in third place with $11.3 million.
A batch of faith-based films also competed for attention leading up to the Easter holiday, including "I Can Only Imagine," which scored again with $10.8 million to take fourth place. It outshined "Paul, Apostle of Christ," which earned $3.5 million in weekend two and the new opener, "God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness," which stumbled with $2.6 million. Even Wes Anderson's "Isle of Dogs," playing in only 165 locations, beat "God's Not Dead 3" with $2.8 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Ready Player One," $41.2 million ($128 million international).
2."Tyler Perry's Acrimony," $17.1 million.
3."Black Panther," $11.3 million ($7.7 million international).
4."I Can Only Imagine," $10.8 million ($200,000 international).
5."Pacific Rim Uprising," $9.2 million ($31.4 million international).
6."Sherlock Gnomes," $7 million ($2.5 million international).
7."Love, Simon," $4.8 million ($1.6 million international).
8."Tomb Raider," $4.7 million ($12 million international).
9."A Wrinkle in Time," $4.7 million ($4.8 million international).
10."Paul, Apostle of Christ," $3.5 million.
'Ready Player One'
In Memory
Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco, a writer and producer known for creating the groundbreaking police drama "Hill Street Blues," died Sunday. He was 74. A family spokesman says Bochco died in his sleep after a battle with cancer.
Bochco, who won 10 primetime Emmys, created several hit television shows including "L.A. Law," "NYPD Blue," and "Doogie Howser, M.D."
Bochco grew up in Manhattan, the son of a painter and a concert violinist. On arriving in Los Angeles after college, he wrote for several series at Universal Studios. Then he got a big break: writing the screenplay for the 1972 sci-fi film "Silent Running." But Bochco said the disrespect he confronted as the writer soured him on writing for the big screen.
In his self-published memoir "Truth Is a Total Defense: My Fifty Years in Television," Bochco tells the story of his prolific career, which he began at 22 as a story editor on a popular NBC drama, "The Name of the Game," all the way to "Murder in the First," which ran on TNT from 2014 to 2016.
In his book, Bochco recalls his great collaborations and his battles with actors, studio heads and network execs, along with the flops ("Bay City Blues"! "Cop Rock"!) that made the triumphs even sweeter.
Steven Bochco
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