Jordan Weissman: Betsy DeVos Is Wasting No Time Screwing Over Students Who Borrow Money for College (Slate)
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has been sending some chilling signals lately about how she plans to deal with America's $1.3 trillion student debt burden. On at least two separate ocassions now, her department has scrapped Obama-era reforms that were designed to protect borrowers from being gouged or misled by the companies responsible for collecting their loans. All told, DeVos seems less interested in protecting former students than in protecting the predators that have fleeced them for profit.
Comey Tried to Shield the F.B.I. From Politics. Then He Shaped an Election. (NY Times)
What he [Comey] did not say was that the F.B.I. was also investigating the campaign of Donald J. Trump. Just weeks before, Mr. Comey had declined to answer a question from Congress about whether there was such an investigation. Only in March, long after the election, did Mr. Comey confirm that there was one.
Ben Mathis-Lilley: There's No News Right Now Because Trump Doesn't Actually Do Anything (Slate)
There should be a lot going on right now. And yet I, a professional news blogger who is widely acclaimed as "the best in the biz," cannot currently find anything national politics-related to write about, because nothing of substance is actually happening in relation to any of those issues …
Henry Rollins: Happy 70th Birthday, Iggy Pop (LA Weekly)
In these throw-up-in-your-mouth times, I'm always on the lookout for something to celebrate. It's a way to push back against that which is pushing against you. Defiance with a backbeat is a great way to land hard on the bad guys and feel good doing it.
Stephanie Zacharek: "Woman of the Year: A Woman's Place" (Criterion)
George Stevens's 1942 Woman of the Year is a picture anchored not just by two marvelous performances but also by a small, stubborn miracle: that of love growing roots before our eyes, like a plant staking its claim in the desert. This was Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn's first film together; the duo would go on to make eight more pictures and were also life partners until Tracy's death in 1967. Their union is one of Hollywood's best love stories, not because it was perfect but because it succeeded against all odds: …
Kathryn VanArendonk: "7 Netflix Shows That Are Too Dang Long" (Vulture)
The first season of Jessica Jones is one of the more notable examples of Netflix's bloat problem. It had so much promise - and so many interesting perspectives on issues like consent, likability, mental health, and gender dynamics. It could've been great. Instead, what should've been a tense, gripping ramp up toward a final battle with a truly terrifying antagonist took on a meandering, often dilatory pace.
The guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), cavy or domestic guinea pig, or cuy for livestock breeds, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family Suidae, nor do they come from Guinea. They originated in the Andes, and earlier studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggest they are domesticated descendants of a closely related species of cavy such as Cavia aperea, C. fulgida, or C. tschudii and, therefore, do not exist naturally in the wild. Recent studies applying molecular markers, in addition to studying the skull and skeletal morphology of current and mummified animals,[5] revealed that the ancestor is most likely Cavia tschudii.
Source
mj was first and correct with:
Had one when we were kids
Followed my mom around the yard. The cuy (guinea pig) is native to the
Andes. The specific variety we owned was a long-haired Peruvian cavy
She was a real sweetie.
Mark. said:
Guinea pigs were a common food source in the Andes. So I'll go with Peru
-- the country in South America, not the city in Indiana.
Alan J wrote:
The Andes.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, responded:
They originated in the Andes
Deborah said:
Guinea pigs are rodents that originate in the Andes. I had one as a kid. He was cute and amusing. Rats are smarter and more trainable, though.
Another gorgeous day in NorCal. Happy Sunday!
Dale of Diamond Springs, in the foothills of the Sierras in Norcali wrote:
MMMMmmm! A delectable rodent from South America a Guinea Pig is.
Billy in Cypress replied:
The guinea pig is a domesticated form of the cavy, a rodent, from the Andean region of South America. "South Park" had an interesting episode where giant guinea pigs were trying to take over the world after South American pan flute musical groups and music were banned from cities around the world.
It would be amazing if pan flute music could work its magic on another giant orange "pig" that is attempting to destroy the world.
Patriot Act NSA Spying Unconstitutional Section 215 National Security Letters Must End
My name is Marc Perkel and I have decided to announce that I will not comply with the so called "Patriot Act" laws requiring me to disclose information about my customers. If I receive a national security letter I will immediately photograph it, post it online everywhere I can, and then make a video of me burning it. I will then await my arrest. If you want to put me in jail then come get me mother fucker.
Some police action - the street was blocked by cop cars and the cop copter buzzed around, shining it's light in about 4 or 5 yards, including ours.
Have no idea what it was all about.
Eventually, they went away.
Heh - life in the big city.
Tonight, Monday:
CBS opens the night with a RERUN'Big Bang Theory', followed by a RERUN'Superior Donuts', then a RERUN'Kevin Can Wait', followed by a RERUN'2 Broke Girls', then a RERUN'Scorpion'.
Scheduled on a FRESHStephen Colbert are Allison Janney, Sheryl Sandberg, and Marty Stuart.
Scheduled on a FRESHJames Corden, OBE, are Jason Schwartzman, Nicole Richie, Geoffrey Rush, and Depeche Mode.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH'The Voice', followed by a FRESH'Taken'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are Kobe Bryant, Kathryn Hahn, and Big Boi.
Scheduled on a FRESHSeth Meyers are Jim Gaffigan, Andrea Martin, Jan Bohmermann, and Lucius.
Scheduled on a FRESHCarson 'The Scab' Daly are Briga Heelan, Ethan Gruska, and Moshe Kasher.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH'Dancing With The Stars', followed by a FRESH'Quantico'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Christoph Waltz, 2017 High School Rube Goldberg National Champions, and Kings of Leon.
The CW offers a FRESH'Supergirl', followed by a FRESH'Jane The Virgin'.
Faux has a FRESH'Gotham', followed by a FRESH'APB'.
MY recycles an old 'L&O: SVU', followed by another old 'L&O: SVU'.
A&E has 3 hours of old 'Bates Motel', followed by a FRESH'Bates Motel'.
AMC offers the movie 'Lethal Weapon 4', 'Better Call Saul', followed by a FRESH'Better Call Saul'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 3 - EPISODE 10-Blink
[7:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 3 - EPISODE 11-Utopia
[8:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 3 - EPISODE 12-The Sound Of Drums-Part 1.
[9:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 3 - EPISODE 13-Last of the Time Lords-Part 2.
[10:00AM] DOCTOR WHO: VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED
[11:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 1-Partners in Crime
[12:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 3 - EPISODE 23-Distant Origin
[1:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 2-The Gift
[2:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 3-Day of Honor
[3:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 4-Nemesis
[4:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 4-Repression
[5:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 5-Critical Care
[6:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 6-Inside Man
[7:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 7-Body and Soul
[8:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 8-Nightingale
[9:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 9-Flesh and Blood, Pt. 1
[10:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 10-Flesh and Blood, Pt. 2
[11:00PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 4-Repression
[12:00AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 5-Critical Care
[1:00AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 6-Inside Man
[2:00AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 7-Body and Soul
[3:00AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 8-Nightingale
[4:00AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 9-Flesh and Blood, Pt. 1
[5:00AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 7 - EPISODE 10-Flesh and Blood, Pt. 2 (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Southern Charm', another 'Southern Charm', followed by a FRESH'Southern Charm', then a FRESH'Sweet Home Oklahoma', another 'Sweet Home Oklahoma', followed by a FRESH'Watch What Happens Live'.
Comedy Central has 2 hours of old 'South Park', an hour and a ½ of old 'Tosh.0', and another old 'South Park'.
Scheduled on a FRESHThe Daily Show is Gov. John Kasich.
Scheduled on a FRESH@Midnight are Matt Walsh, Mary Holland, and Timothy Simons.
FX has the movie 'Lucy', followed by the movie 'The Other Woman', then the movie 'The Other Woman', again.
History has 'American Pickers', another 'American Pickers', followed by a FRESH'American Pickers', then a FRESH'Pawn Stars', followed by another FRESH'Pawn Stars'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] COMEDY BANG! BANG!-Kathryn Hahn
[6:15AM] RUSH
[9:00AM] ROGUE
[11:00AM] DOOM
[1:15PM] THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS
[3:15PM] RUSH
[6:00PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Love, Wisconsin Style
[6:30PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Going to California
[7:00PM] THAT '70S SHOW-I Can't Quit You Baby
[7:30PM] THAT '70S SHOW-What Is and What Never Should Be
[8:00PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Heartbreaker
[8:30PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Ramble On
[9:00PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Over the Hills and Far Away
[9:30PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Hot Dog
[10:00PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Thank You
[10:30PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Black Dog
[11:00PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Love, Wisconsin Style
[11:30PM] THAT '70S SHOW-Going to California
[12:00AM] THAT '70S SHOW-I Can't Quit You Baby
[12:30AM] THAT '70S SHOW-What Is and What Never Should Be
[1:00AM] THAT '70S SHOW-Heartbreaker
[1:30AM] THAT '70S SHOW-Ramble On
[2:00AM] THAT '70S SHOW-Over the Hills and Far Away
[2:30AM] THAT '70S SHOW-Hot Dog
[3:00AM] THAT '70S SHOW-Thank You
[3:30AM] THREE KINGS (ALL TIMES EDT)
Sundance -
[6:00AM] M*A*S*H-Deluge
[6:30AM] M*A*S*H-The Interview
[7:00AM] M*A*S*H-Bug Out
[7:30AM] M*A*S*H-Bug Out
[8:00AM] M*A*S*H-Margaret's Engagement
[8:30AM] M*A*S*H-Out of Sight, Out of Mind
[9:00AM] M*A*S*H-Lt. Radar O'Reilly
[9:30AM] M*A*S*H-The Nurses
[10:00AM] M*A*S*H-The Abduction of Margaret Houlihan
[10:30AM] M*A*S*H-Dear Sigmund
[11:00AM] M*A*S*H-Mulcahy's War
[11:30AM] M*A*S*H-The Korean Surgeon
[12:00PM] M*A*S*H-Hawkeye Get Your Gun
[12:30PM] M*A*S*H-The Colonel's Horse
[1:00PM] M*A*S*H-Exorcism
[1:30PM] M*A*S*H-Hawk's Nightmare
[2:00PM] M*A*S*H-The Most Unforgettable Characters
[2:30PM] Erin Brockovich
[5:30PM] The Professional
[8:00PM] Mud
[11:00PM] Gone Baby Gone
[1:30AM] The Professional
[4:00AM] Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo-Holy Mojo
[5:00AM] Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo-Bad Mojo (ALL TIMES EDT)
SyFy has the movie 'Jupiter Ascending', followed by the movie 'Freddy Vs. Jason', then the movie 'Catwoman'.
TBS:
Scheduled on a FRESHConan are Kumail Nanjiani, Rep. Adam Schiff, and Real Estate.
Robert De Niro, from left, Burt Reynolds and Chevy Chase attend the screening of "Dog Years," during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, at Cinepolis Chelsea on Saturday, April 22, 2017, in New York.
Photo by Andy Kropa
Authorities dropped nearly three dozen cases last month that stemmed from arrests of protesters against the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline, court records show.
The Bismarck Tribune reported Saturday that prosecutors and judges dropped the 33 misdemeanor cases while another 14 were resolved by guilty pleas. Most of the cases dropped last month related to criminal trespass charges from the late summer and fall.
Prosecutors struggled to prove those charges before Judge Allan Schmalenberger, who ruled in multiple cases that the Morton County State's Attorney office had failed to meet its burden of proving that protesters were given proper notice that they were on private land, either with signs or verbal warnings.
Protesters who got their charges dropped last month included Rebecca Kemble, a Madison, Wisconsin, City Council member, who was acting as a legal observer on Oct. 10, according to her defense attorney's brief. She was charged with criminal trespass, engaging in a riot, resisting arrest and tampering with evidence, but her attorney argued she was arrested while trying to leave and was simply turning off her camera, not deleting evidence.
Anne Herdman Royal wears a brain hat during the March for Science on Saturday, April 22, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn. About a thousand demonstrators marched from the Main Terrain Art Park to Riverfront Parkway and back in support of science and education in solidarity with other marches nationwide.
Photo by Doug Strickland
Dozens of major US companies are facing shareholder votes this spring that seek to require more disclosure about political lobbying, as activists demand greater corporate transparency.
Votes are set to take place at more than 40 annual meetings, including those for Boeing, Wells Fargo, Ford, General Electric and Facebook.
The proposals have in many cases been offered before and predate the searing national political debates that have dominated America with the rise and election of Donald Trump (R-Grifter).
But whether or not they have anything to do with broader political dynamics, early tallies in the 2017 season show more investors want to know about corporate spending on lobbying.
About 37 percent of Disney's shareholders voted in favor of a measure on this issue, up five percent from last year's outcome, while Monsanto's vote came in at about 28 percent, up 7.5 percent from a year ago.
When an Icelander arrives at an office building and sees "Solarfri" posted, they need no further explanation for the empty premises: The word means "when staff get an unexpected afternoon off to enjoy good weather."
The people of this rugged North Atlantic island settled by Norsemen some 1,100 years ago have a unique dialect of Old Norse that has adapted to life at the edge of the Artic.
Hundslappadrifa, for example, means "heavy snowfall with large flakes occurring in calm wind."
But the revered Icelandic language, seen by many as a source of identity and pride, is being undermined by the widespread use of English, both for mass tourism and in the voice-controlled artificial intelligence devices coming into vogue.
Linguistics experts, studying the future of a language spoken by fewer than 400,000 people in an increasingly globalized world, wonder if this is the beginning of the end for the Icelandic tongue.
A biker with his family in the sidecar takes part in a convoy of about 10 000 motorcylers in Diebach am Haag, Germany, Sunday, April 23, 2017.
Photo by Michael Probst
A project to build a 1.6-mile tram that would take visitors into the Grand Canyon is on hold for a few months after failing to gain enough support from Navajo Nation lawmakers.
The proposal must go through four committees before the tribal council votes. Two committees voted it down, a third wanted to table it and another, in which the whole council will debate the project, had not yet considered it before the spring session ended last week, The Arizona Republic reported (http://bit.ly/2p9V93r ).
The council could approve the measure even if the committees do not. But Larry Foster, a former Navajo council member and political adviser, said the measure is struggling for broad backing.
"They don't have the votes. I think until they do, it's not in their interest to bring it to the council," said Roger Clark, of the group Grand Canyon Trust.
The project calls for building a tram that would drop 3,200 feet into the canyon, taking visitors from the rim to the Colorado River in about 10 minutes. It also calls for building commercial and retail space, a multimedia complex, a river walk and administrative buildings.
Six days before marking his first 100 days in office, Donald Trump (R-Crooked) has the lowest approval rating of any president in more than 70 years, a pair of polls published Sunday found.
According to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, just 42 percent of Americans approve of Trump's performance as president, while 53 percent disapprove. Nearly 70 percent of Americans approved of the job Barack Obama was doing at the same point in his presidency, while just 26 percent disapproved. On average, past presidents have enjoyed a 69 percent approval, 19 percent disapproval split at or near their first 100-day mark, according to the survey.
Not Trump. According to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans (64 percent) give Trump "poor or middling marks for his first 100 days in office" - including 45 percent who say he's off to a "poor start."
The survey shows Trump's overall job-approval rating at 40 percent as he approaches 100 days - the lowest job-approval rating for a new president at this point in the history of the NBC/WSJ poll.
The net disapproval of Trump's job as president appears to stem from feelings about his judgment and temperament. According to the ABC/Washington Post poll, 58 percent say he lacks honesty and trustworthiness - the same percentage that see him as out of touch - while 59 percent say he lacks the temperament for the job and 61 percent say he lacks empathy.
A person in a dinosaur costume joins demonstrators at a rally at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, part of the March for Science, Saturday, April 22, 2017. Scientists, students and research advocates rally from the Brandenburg Gate to the Washington Monument on Earth Day, conveyed a global message of scientific freedom without political interference and spending necessary to make future breakthroughs possible.
Photo by Reed Saxon
Scott Van Zyl made his living taking wealthy clients on "safaris" for the sole purpose of bringing home trophies like leopards, zebras, wildebeests and even lions. Now, investigators in Zimbabwe believe that Van Zyl ended up on the wrong end of the predator-prey relationship, and DNA tests have confirmed that he was attacked, killed, and eaten by crocodiles while on a hunting trip.
Van Zyl, who ran SS Pro Safaris, offered specials for hunters to spend a week or more on his hunting lands which border nature preserves, with the promise of killing up to seven different species for $9,000. He also offered other hunting expeditions with targets like elephants and giraffes, though specifics for those, including prices, aren't listed on the company's site. Photos of clients holding the bodies of several rare species are posted on Van Zyl's site, along with the motto "Stop whining, go hunting."
The circumstances surrounding his death are spotty, but reports suggest that Van Zyl and a second hunter and a pack of dogs. The two men split up, choosing to travel on foot alone, but when the dogs returned to the base camp without Van Zyl, his companion knew something was wrong.
His footprints were tracked to a riverbank where searchers found his backpack as well as several large Nile crocodiles. Authorities killed the crocs after getting clearance to do so and subsequently discovered human remains inside the stomach of one of them. Tests of the remains matched Van Zyl. The incident is just one of a handful of fatal crocodile attacks tallied so far in 2017 alone.
A defense lawyer is being criticized for telling a Tennessee jury that women are "especially good" at lying "because they're the weaker sex."
The Commercial Appeal in Memphis reports a jury on Friday found wealthy businessman Mark Giannini not guilty of three counts of rape. The newspaper said the woman he was accused of raping left crying and screaming.
Attorney Steve Farese made the comments during closing arguments in the case. Giannini had been accused of raping the woman when she came to his house for a job interview. Farese maintains that the sex was consensual and has questioned the woman's credibility.
Farese told the newspaper that his job "is not to care if anybody gets offended" and "smart people will see it for what it is."
Ancient Roman enthusiasts parade in the areas of Colosseum, Circus Maximus and the Roman Forum to celebrate the festivities of Christmas of Rome, Sunday, April 23, 2017. Every year the city celebrates the Birth of Rome with parades and fighting in costume, re-enacting the deeds of the great ancient Roman Empire.
Photo by Alessandro Bianchi
A fungus that causes "vomitoxin" has been found in some U.S. corn harvested last year, forcing poultry and pork farmers to test their grain, and giving headaches to grain growers already wrestling with massive supplies and low prices.
The plant toxin sickens livestock and can also make humans and pets fall ill.
The appearance of vomitoxin and other toxins produced by fungi is affecting ethanol markets and prompting grain processors to seek alternative sources of feed supplies.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture first isolated the toxin in 1973 after an unusually wet winter in the Midwest. The compound was given what researchers described as the "trivial name" vomitoxin because pigs were refusing to eat the infected corn or vomiting after consuming it. The U.S. Corn Belt had earlier outbreaks of infection from the toxin in 1966 and 1928.
A vessel carrying a shipment of corn from Paraguay is due next month at a North Carolina port used by Smithfield Foods Inc, the world's largest pork producer.
"The Fate of the Furious" sped into first place at the box office again, leaving new thriller "Unforgettable" and historical drama "The Promise" in the dust.
Universal Pictures' eighth installment in "The Fast and the Furious" franchise earned $38.7 million in North American theaters over the weekend, down 61 percent from its debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Holdovers dominated the charts on this quiet weekend in theaters. "The Boss Baby" took second place with $12.8 million, and "Beauty and the Beast" landed in third with $10 million.
Disney's animal documentary "Born in China" opened in fourth place, with $5.1 million from 1,508 locations. The two other new movies fared worse.
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."The Fate of the Furious," $38.7 million ($163.4 million international).
2."The Boss Baby," $12.8 million ($30 million international).
3."Beauty and the Beast," $10 million ($22.9 million international).
4."Born in China," $5.1 million ($100,000 international).
5."Going in Style," $5 million ($4.6 million international).
6."Smurfs: The Lost Village," $4.9 million ($21.4 million international).
7."Unforgettable," $4.8 million ($1.7 million international).
8."Gifted," $4.5 million.
9."The Promise," $4.1 million.
10."The Lost City of Z," $2.1 million.
A horse stands under a solarium inside the horse rehabilitation centre in the village of Hrobice, Czech Republic, April 21, 2017.
Photo by David W Cerny
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