Recommended Reading
from Bruce
April Glaser: The Watchdogs That Didn't Bark (Slate)
The digital crusaders who pushed back against America's surveillance state are crucial to reining in Facebook. Why are they silent?
Inkoo Kang: Why Netflix Might Want Its Own Movie Theaters (Slate)
Because it hasn't disrupted film the way it has TV.
CHRISTINA BONNINGTON: Amazon Gave Alexa a Game-Changing New Ability (Slate)
Now Alexa is fully at your command.
Lenore Skenazy: The Fashion Icons You Never Heard Of (Creators Syndicate)
"Who are you wearing?" is a question Oscar contenders answer easily. Their designers are sometimes as famous as they are. But it wasn't always so. For instance, have you heard of Kiviette or Zelda Wynn Valdes?
Mark Hill: Sean Penn Wrote The Worst Novel In Human History, I Read It (Cracked)
Sean Penn recently released Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff. It is, ostensibly, a novel. Sarah Silverman compared Penn to Mark Twain and E.E. Cummings. A Kirkus reviewer equated him to Kurt Vonnegut and David Foster Wallace. Salman Rushdie declared it a book that Thomas Pynchon and Hunter S. Thompson would love, possibly because he longs for the good old days when people wanted him dead. It's telling that all these figures of comparison are incapable of disagreeing because they're either famously reclusive or dead. Having recently read Bob Honey, I am confident in declaring it the literary equivalent of renal failure.
Adam Wears: 7 Split-Second Movie Jokes You Totally Missed (Cracked)
Some film Easter eggs are so brilliant that they change your entire idea of the movie you're watching, the director who put it there, and potentially, life itself. Others are just funny as heck. Let's talk about those.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
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David Bruce has over 80 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Presenting
Michael Egan
said:
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
PRESIDENT STUPID STRIKES AGAIN.
WHAT HAPPENED TO WINTER?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBLE!
WHAT A "HO".
HANNITY'S HAZARD!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Took the Blue Line to the Expo Line, and that dropped us off at the main entrance to USC, and the LA Times Festival of Books.
And, because it was Earth Day, all pubic transportation was free. Win-Win.
Amnesty International's Highest Honor
Colin Kaepernick
Amnesty International on Saturday named former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick its 2018 Ambassador of Conscience for his kneeling protests against racial injustice.
The award, given to Kaepernick in an Amsterdam ceremony, is handed out each year to "individuals and groups who speak out for justice," Amnesty says on its website, with an aim to "create debate, encourage public action and raise awareness of human rights issues." Past recipients include Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai and U2.
Kaepernick famously caused a stir by taking a knee during the national anthem at NFL games to protest racial inequality, and by refusing to stop. Other players later joined his protests.
No team has picked him up after he became a free agent after the 2016 season ? although an Adidas executive recently said the company is interested in sponsoring Kaepernick if he is signed. A large number of NFL managers reportedly "generally hate" Kaepernick for his activism, and he publicly earned the scorn of President Donald Trump.
Kaepernick operates a charity, the Colin Kaepernick Foundation, which marked a milestone in January when it finished donating $1 million to organizations that help underprivileged communities - a pledge he made in 2016.
Colin Kaepernick
Writes Check
Michael Bloomberg
Former New York mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg said on Sunday he will write a $4.5 million check to cover this year's U.S. financial commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement.
President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Corrupt) last year pulled the United States out of the pact, making the country the only one opposed to it.
Bloomberg will continue to provide money for the pact if the United States does not rejoin the agreement, according to a news release from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charity he founded.
"Our foundation will uphold our promise to cover any cuts to UN climate funding by the federal government," Bloomberg said in the statement.
Trump staunchly opposes the agreement and his administration has rolled back a number of environmental regulations.
Michael Bloomberg
Calls Out Politicians
13 Billboards
On the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School mass shooting in Littleton, Colorado, billboards posted on roadsides across the country let local residents know how much money their lawmakers have accepted from the National Rifle Association.
On Friday, grassroots gun reform group Survivors Empowered launched a campaign called "30 Billboards Outside Cowardly Incumbents," inspired by the movie "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." The group bought ad space on 13 billboards in nine states, from California to Iowa to Alabama, and are fundraising for 17 more. Each sign lists the name of a local member of Congress and how much money they've received from the gun lobby group.
The campaign is meant to highlight the influence of the gun lobby on lawmakers and put pressure on members of Congress to cut ties with the NRA and pass gun control legislation.
The NRA spends millions each year on lobbying and campaigns in an effort to get pro-gun lawmakers elected and gun control legislation blocked. In 2016, the NRA invested $30 million in Trump's presidential campaign and at least $20 million in GOP Senate campaigns, according to an audit obtained by the Center for Responsive Politics.
The billboards were placed in congressional districts of politicians who had received what the group deemed "substantial" financial support from the NRA. The contribution figures listed on the billboards were from gun reform group Everytown for Gun Safety and represented the total donations the NRA had made to the politicians over their careers.
13 Billboards
New Interview
Shania Twain
In a new interview with The Guardian, Shania Twain-who ended a lengthy hiatus from the music industry last year with the release of her album Now-described the already well-known story of her current comeback, but also dropped a few surprises.
The biggest of these? The fact that had she been able to vote in the U.S. election in 2016, she would have cast her ballot for Donald Trump.
"I would have voted for him because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest," the Canadian singer told the Guardian. "Do you want straight or polite? Not that you shouldn't be able to have both. If I were voting, I just don't want bulls***. I would have voted for a feeling that it was transparent. And politics has a reputation of not being that, right?"
Twain, who has a large gay following (she appeared most recently on RuPaul's Drag Race as a guest judge on April 19), promptly received a deluge of intense criticism on social media.
Shania Twain
Rcruiting Goals
Army
The U.S. Army will not meet its mission to recruit 80,000 active duty soldiers this year and has officially lowered that goal. But Army leaders said the service has been able to encourage more experienced service members to stay on the job to satisfy a growing demand for troops.
Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey said Friday that the updated goal will be 76,500. Six months into the recruiting year, the service has brought in just 28,000 new soldiers.
Dailey said the goal is to grow the Army to 483,500, as approved by Congress, and it's up to the Army whether to use more recruiting or re-enlistment. He said that retaining current soldiers has been more successful this year than in the past, with 86 percent staying on, compared with 81 percent in previous years.
Army Secretary Mark Esper said there is a mismatch between the number of soldiers in the Army and the demand for more troops, and acknowledged that the "strong economy does make it challenging." He said, however, that the Army will not sacrifice quality for quantity and that standards will not be lowered to meet recruiting goals.
The struggle to meet this year's higher recruiting numbers - a significant increase over last year's mission of 69,000 - was expected, mainly due to the favorable American economy and increased competition from private sector employers who are able to pay graduates more money.
Army
Counterprotesters Arrested
Georgia
A heavily militarized police force of some 400 officers aggressively patrolled a small neo-Nazi rally in this city 40 miles southwest of Atlanta on Saturday and arrested about 10 counterprotesters, many for the crime of wearing a mask.
Police officers arrived before the rally began and approached a group of about 50 anti-fascist protesters. They demanded the protesters remove their masks or face arrest. The officers - who wore bulletproof vests and helmets, and carried semi-automatic rifles - cornered the anti-fascist protesters, then grabbed those who were still masked, tossing them to the ground and handcuffing them.
At one point, an officer pointed what seemed to be a modified AR-15 at the faces of counterprotesters, none of whom appeared to be armed.
The lead officer in the arrests said the counterprotesters were breaking a state law regarding masks, likely referring to a seldom-enforced 1951 law originally aimed at combating hooded Ku Klux Klan members. Anti-fascist protesters ? many belonging to chapters of antifa groups, known for sometimes violently confronting white supremacists ? often wear masks to avoid being identified by both law enforcement and neo-Nazis.
Certain seemingly innocuous items, including balloons, were not allowed at the rally. But Georgia has an open carry gun law, so people could bring their weapons; HuffPost saw one neo-Nazi and one anti-fascist protester carrying semi-automatic rifles.
Georgia
Staff Starts Bailing
R. Kelly
Singer R. Kelly's scandals may be too much for the people he employs. Since February, the singer's lawyer, long-time assistant and publicist have all jumped ship, according to the BBC and The Rolling Stone.
Kelly's attorney Linda Mensch quit back in February but told BBC in a Friday report the move was "unrelated to Mr Kelly's social life."
The singer's executive assistant Diana Copeland told the BBC that she resigned from her position April 1. Copeland had worked with the R&B artist for ten years, but wouldn't comment on her reasons for quitting.
The Rolling Stone also reported on Friday that Kelly's publicist Trevian Kutti confirmed that she resigned from her position April 16.
R. Kelly
Ritz Hotel Furniture Sell-Off
France
Luxury furniture auctioned off by the legendary Ritz hotel in Paris sold for 7.3 million euros ($9 million), a world record in the industry, auction house Artcurial said Saturday.
The Paris hotel, home for a while to Ernest Hemingway, Marcel Proust and Coco Chanel, sold off all 10,000 pieces of furniture and decor.
They included stools from the Hemingway Bar, a 19th-century bathtub, and sofas and a harp from the Proust Lounge.
The Ritz decided to sell the pieces from its famous Place Vendome address when it reopened in June 2016 after four years of extensive renovations.
Owned by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed since 1979, the hotel had accumulated impressive quantities of objects since it was opened in 1898 by Cesar Ritz.
France
Weekend Box Office
'A Quiet Place'
It's another weekend of buzz versus pure star power at the box office as the word of mouth sensation "A Quiet Place" finds itself neck-and-neck again with Dwayne Johnson's "Rampage." This time buzz had the slight advantage.
Studio estimates on Sunday have placed "A Quiet Place," with $22 million, in first, and "Rampage" in second with $21 million, but it's possible those numbers may shift when final results are tallied on Monday.
Still, John Krasinski's "A Quiet Place" continues to be a mini phenomenon. With a $17 million production budget, "A Quiet Place" has grossed $132.4 million from North American theaters in three weeks. "Rampage," too, is down only 41 percent domestically in its second weekend and continues to rake in the dollars globally. The film boasts a worldwide tally of $283 million, and Johnson has continued using his social media accounts to hype the film and thank audiences.
The staying power of both somewhat overshadowed the newcomers, like Amy Schumer's "I Feel Pretty" and the sequel to the 2001 cult comedy "Super Troopers," both of which nevertheless managed to find their own niche audiences despite largely negative reviews.
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."A Quiet Place," $22 million ($15 million international).
2."Rampage," $21 million ($57 million international).
3."I Feel Pretty," $16.2 million ($2.4 million international).
4."Super Troopers 2," $14.7 million.
5."Truth or Dare," $7.9 million ($4.1 million international).
6."Ready Player One," $7.5 million ($23 million international).
7."Blockers," $7 million ($2.6 million international).
8."Black Panther," $4.6 million ($1.2 million international).
9."Traffik," $3.9 million.
&10."Isle of Dogs," $3.4 million ($5.6 million international).
'A Quiet Place'
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