Tom Danehy: Donald Trump as Wartime President (Tucson Weekly)
It has become all too apparent that the average Trump voter is beyond help. They don't care about America; they care about "their" America-white, vulgar and intentionally stupid. But I have a logic problem for those Trump voters who possess triple-digit IQs. It's only for them. Trying to explain logic to the average Trump voter would like trying to explain the workings of the Large Hadron Collider to a baseball bat.
Chris Lee: Hollywood Is All But Writing Off 2020. What Does That Mean for the Future of Movies? (Vulture)
"We have to write off 2020. It's already the year that didn't happen," says one top agent at one of the town's powerhouse firms who, like everyone reached by Vulture for this story, requested anonymity due to sensitivities surrounding ongoing business endeavors. "We're not going to make any money because there are no revenues with TV and movies not getting made. Anyone who says that everything is not totally fucked is lying. Everything has changed in what we do."
Joe Breen: "Lucinda Williams: Good Souls Better Angels review - The tonic the world needs" (Irish Times)
"Because of all this crap that's going on, it's on the top of everybody's minds - it's all anybody talks about. Basically, the world's falling apart - it's like the apocalypse." Lucinda Williams is actually talking about the world before Covid-19. Her press release was written weeks ago, back in the good old days when taking aim at the patriarchy was a reasonable priority along with dumping Donald Trump. And they haven't gone away. But our new world rotates on a different axis. The context for everything has changed.
AP: China Tries To Restart Economy But Consumers Are Wary (TPM)
BEIJING (AP) - China, where the coronavirus pandemic started in December, is cautiously trying to get back to business, but it's not easy when many millions of workers are wary of spending much or even going out.
Found in wetland areas near rivers, lakes, ponds, and marshes, the adult male is called a cob, and the adult female is a pen. What kind of wildlife are they?
Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. There are six living (and many extinct) species of swan; in addition, there is a species known as the coscoroba swan which is no longer considered one of the true swans. Swans usually mate for life, although "divorce" sometimes occurs, particularly following nesting failure, and if a mate dies, the remaining swan will take up with another. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.
The English word 'swan', akin to the German Schwan, Dutch zwaan and Swedish svan, is derived from Indo-European root *swen (to sound, to sing). Young swans are known as swanlings or as cygnets; the latter derives via Old French cigne or cisne (diminutive suffix -et "little") from the Latin word cygnus, a variant form of cycnus "swan", itself from the Greek kýknos, a word of the same meaning. An adult male is a cob, from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group); an adult female is a pen.
Source
Mark. was first, and correct, with:
Swans.
Randall wrote:
Swans
Mac Mac said:
swan
Alan J answered:
Swans.
Roy, the socially distant snowflake in Tyler, TX replied:
Cobs & Pens are words that describe male & female swans.
mj responded:
They have really bad tempers
Swans.
Cal in Vermont wrote:
They are swans. A cob is a male and a pen is the female. You can tell them apart at maturity because the cob's knob is bigger. As you might expect. Just sayin'...
Kevin K. in Washington, DC, replied:
Them's Swans.
zorch responded:
They are swans.
Deborah wrote:
And their offspring are cygnets. Cobs and pens are male and female swans.
We've reached another Friday; how does that happen in these weird times when your regularly scheduled activities no longer exist? Finding structure in free-fall is challenging.
Happy weekend.
Micki said:
Swan.
David of Moon Valley answered:
ansuh
and the babies are called cygnets….Swans…..
we spent a lovely summer afternoon a couplefew years back kayaking on the Thames, renting our boats at a marina right next to the Swan Sanctuary (www.theswansanctuary.org.uk/) in Shepperton…the swans came right up to the sides of our boats looking for maybe handout, or just checking us out and saying Hello…you don't realize how big a bird they are until you are in the water next to them...
Dave responded:
Trumpeter Swan. North America's largest waterfowl. The Trumpeter Swan's maximum wingspan is one of the longest in the Americas at 10 feet. The only bird with a longer maximum wingspan is the Wandering Albatross.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, replied:
Swans
Billy in Cypress U$A said:
... and a young swan is called a cygnet.
DJ Useo wrote:
That'd be 'Swans'. We have those all over the place here in Austin. ( If you look in the grocery store. ) Not really.
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• Jazz musician Branford Marsalis is multi-talented. As an occasional actor, he was once offered the lead role in a television situation comedy! However, his manager, Anne Marie Wilkins, thought that he should turn down the role and concentrate on music, so she asked him, "Branford, what do you want to be?" He replied, "I want to do one thing well." She asked, "And what thing is that?" Mr. Marsalis replied, "Everything."
• Jimmy Stewart was a big fan of Duke Ellington and his music, and the two even appeared briefly together in the Otto Preminger movie Anatomy of a Murder. Mr. Stewart even started staying up late to listen to Mr. Ellington play the hotel piano - something that adversely affected his early-morning wake-up call to get ready to act. Mr. Preminger was finally forced to forbid Mr. Stewart to stay up late listening to the music.
• Even as an 11-year-old girl growing up in the South during the Jim Crow era, African-American singer Nina Simone, née Eunice Waymon, was an activist. She was supposed to play piano at the Town Hall in Tryon, North Carolina, but she noticed that her parents, who were seated in the front row, were being asked to give up their seats to a white couple. She declined to play unless her parents were seated in the front row.
CBS starts the night with the FRESH'One World: Together At Home', followed by '48 Hours'.
NBC opens the night with the FRESH'One World: Together At Home', followed by an old 'SNL'.
'SNL' is a RERUN with John Mulaney hosting, music by David Byrne.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH'One World: Together At Home', followed by a RERUN'The Baker & The Beauty'.
The CW offers some local crap and some '2½ Men'.
Faux has a RERUN'9-1-1', followed by a RERUN'Gordon Ramsey's 24 Hours To Hell & Back'.
MY recycles an old 'Major Crimes', followed by another old 'Major Crimes'.
A&E has 'Live PD', followed by a FRESH'Live PD: Rewind', then a FRESH'Live PD'.
AMC offers the movie 'Ocean's Twelve', followed by the movie 'Line Of Duty'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] SOUTH PACIFIC - An Ocean of Islands
[7:00AM] SOUTH PACIFIC - Castaways
[8:00AM] SOUTH PACIFIC - Endless Blue
[9:00AM] SOUTH PACIFIC - Ocean of Volcanoes
[10:00AM] SOUTH PACIFIC - An Ocean of Islands
[11:00AM] MADAGASCAR - Island of Marvels
[12:00PM] MADAGASCAR - Lost Worlds
[1:00PM] MADAGASCAR - Land of Heat and Dust
[2:00PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Australia: Extended
[3:00PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - North America: Extended
[4:00PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - South America: Extended
[5:00PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Asia: Extended
[6:00PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Europe: Extended
[7:00PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Antarctica: Extended
[8:00PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Africa: Extended
[9:00PM] LIFE STORY
[10:23PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Australia: Extended
[11:23PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - North America: Extended
[12:23AM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - South America: Extended
[1:23AM] LIFE STORY
[2:46AM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Asia: Extended
[3:46AM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Europe: Extended
[4:46AM] HIDDEN HABITATS - Yellowstone
[5:00AM] MADAGASCAR - Land of Heat and Dust (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has the movie 'Fifty Shades Of Grey', followed by the movie 'Fifty Shades Of Grey'.
FX has the movie 'Transformers: The Last Knight', followed by the movie 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle'.
History has 'Ancient Aliens', another 'Ancient Aliens', followed by a FRESH'Ancient Aliens', then a FRESH'The UnXplained'.
IFC -
[6:00A] Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Castle of Fu Manchu
[8:15A] Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Dead Talk Back
[10:30A] Grindhouse Presents: Death Proof
[1:00P] Face/Off
[4:00P] Taken
[6:00P] Transporter 2
[8:00P] Training Day
[10:45P] Homefront
[1:00A] Transporter 2
[3:00A] Face/Off (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[6:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[7:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[7:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[9:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[9:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[10:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[10:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[11:00am] Hogan's Heroes
[11:30am] Hogan's Heroes
[12:00pm] Hogan's Heroes
[12:30pm] Hogan's Heroes
[1:00pm] Hogan's Heroes
[1:30pm] Hogan's Heroes
[2:00pm] Hogan's Heroes
[2:30pm] Hogan's Heroes
[3:00pm] Hogan's Heroes
[3:30pm] Hogan's Heroes
[4:00pm] Hogan's Heroes
[4:30pm] Hogan's Heroes
[5:00pm] Hogan's Heroes
[5:30pm] Hogan's Heroes
[6:00pm] Dr. No
[8:30pm] Goldfinger
[11:00pm] From Russia With Love
[1:30am] Dr. No
[4:00am] Stir Crazy (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Pitch Black', followed by the movie 'Doctor Strange'.
The Rolling Stones will join a star-studded global television broadcast on Saturday to honor healthcare workers on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, the band announced on Friday.
The two-hour "One World: Together at Home" event, a combination of music, comedy and stories from doctors, nurses and grocery workers, will be broadcast across multiple North American and international television networks.
The Stones join a lineup that includes Celine Dion, Billie Eilish, John Legend, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Chris Martin, Andrea Bocelli and Michael Buble.
The television broadcast will be preceded by a six-hour live streaming event with appearances by major sports stars, including British Formula One racing champion Lewis Hamilton, U.S. women's World Cup soccer champion Megan Rapinoe, World Cup ski racer Lindsey Vonn and dozens of other singers, actors and social media influencers.
Willie Nelson, country's patron saint of marijuana, will host a livestreamed variety show dubbed "Come and Toke It" on April 20th, or 4/20, the unofficial weed holiday.
The stoner special, Nelson's fourth installment in his self-isolation Luck Reunion livestreams, will feature musical guests, comedians, chefs, and cannabis experts "all from the comfort of quarantine," as well as Nelson himself, who promises to partake in the festivities.
The 4-hour-and-20-minute livestream, taking place at 4:20 p.m. central time, will broadcast via Luck Reunion's Twitch in association with Nelson's Willie Reserve cannabis line. The livestream will also raise money for the Last Prisoner Project.
As evidenced by the special's teaser, fans are encouraged to #PassLeft on social media during the broadcast, "perhaps the world's only chance to knock smoking with Willie Nelson off their bucket list."
To keep fans occupied while in quarantine, Pink Floyd is following the lead of Radiohead and Metallica and launching a YouTube concert series. In the coming weeks, the band will release unseen, rare, or archived material from their vault and stream it for free (via Forbes).
"We'd like to wish you all the best, and hope that you and your families are staying safe and well in these difficult times," Pink Floyd said in a statement posted to Facebook. "We will continue to post as normal to hopefully give you some interesting and diverting images, music and video to help us all get through this."
The first such release is Pulse, Pink Floyd's 1995 concert film. The 22-song set documents "The Division Bell Tour", filmed at London's now-defunct Earls Court during the band's record-breaking 14-night residency. Of particular note is the inclusion of the first-ever film recording of Pink Floyd playing The Dark Side of the Moon in full. Mixed in 5.1 surround sound and digitally re-mastered by James Guthrie, Pulse also includes some of original screen films used for the 1970s concert performances of The Dark Side of the Moon (which were never filmed) as well as the visual components for the piece which were remade for the 1994 tour.
Pulse will stream for free on Pink Floyd's YouTube channel beginning Friday, April 17th at 12:00 p.m. EDT.
This year's San Diego Comic-Con has been canceled due to coronavirus-related restrictions around large gatherings. Organizers say they are planning for the festival to return in July 2021.
The annual confab was scheduled to take place from July 23 through July 26 in and around the San Diego Convention Center. California Governor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that he was not optimistic about a return of "mass gatherings" for things such as sports events, concerts and fairs in 2020.
Comic-Con attracts over 135,000 people - often elaborately costumed - to the Gaslamp District every year for the comic book convention which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary. Social distancing would be difficult to manage at the convention which is infamous for its long lines and crowded rooms. It is not uncommon for thousands of people to gather in a single room for a panel discussion, and the exhibit hall is usually jam-packed with people perusing the merchandise.
A new study from the Committee to Protect Journalists concludes that President Donald Trump (R-Unfit) has been effective at destroying the credibility of the press, "dangerously undermining truth and consensus even as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to kill tens of thousands of Americans."
But the report authored by Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of The Washington Post, also sheds some light on where reporters, editors and producers can change perceptions during the Trump era.
The report cited an array of instances in which the Trump administration has undermined press freedoms, including the Justice Department's pursuit of journalists' sources, the questioning of reporters and searching of electronic devices at the border by the Customs and Border Protection agency and the president's encouragement of "federal government interference in the businesses of the owners of CNN, the traditional broadcast networks, and The Washington Post."
"As threatening as all of that has been for the news media, Trump's attacks have had the most success in eroding the credibility of the American press among his many millions of supporters," the report said. "A major Pew Research Center study in late 2019 showed that a plurality of Republicans consistently distrusted most of the news media (except for Trump-supporting media like Fox News), while pluralities of Democrats tended to trust them. In a Pew survey conducted in mid-March, 62% of respondents said the news media had exaggerated the risks from the COVID-19 virus."
When a Fox News host compared coronavirus to HIV, Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, kicked the legs out from under the argument.
Laura Ingraham interviewed Dr Fauci on her show, The Ingraham Angle, and questioned whether waiting for a vaccine before re-opening the country was necessary.
"This idea that we are definitely going to have a vaccine, we didn't really approach much else in the same way as we are pegging going back to normal with a vaccine. Did we?" she asked. She cited HIV/Aids, suggesting that the world never developed a vaccine for that virus, yet people continued to live as normal regardless.
Fauci rejected the question's premise and pushed back against Ms Ingraham.
For nearly 2 million years, ancient humans crafted stones into hand-size balls, but archaeologists were unsure why.
Now they know: Ancient people used them as tools to get at the tasty marrow within animal bones, a new study finds.
The finding is a remarkable one; archaeologists have wondered for decades exactly how ancient humans used these stone balls. "Our study provided evidence, for the first time, regarding the function of these enigmatic-shaped stone balls that were produced by humans for almost 2 million years," study lead researcher Ella Assaf, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East Cultures at Tel Aviv University in Israel, told Live Science in an email.
Archaeologists have found "these enigmatic, mysterious artifacts" in some of the world's oldest archaeological sites in Africa, Europe and Asia, but no one in modern times had figured out how these ancient round stones were used, Assaf said.
It's been nearly 30 years in the making, but scientists with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) collaboration in the Atacama Desert in Chile have now measured, for the very first time, the unique orbit of a star orbiting the supermassive black hole believed to lie at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The path of the star (known as S2) traces a distinctive rosette-shaped pattern (similar to a spirograph), in keeping with one of the central predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. The international collaboration described their results in a new paper in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
"General relativity predicts that bound orbits of one object around another are not closed, as in Newtonian gravity, but precess forwards in the plane of motion," said Reinhard Genzel, director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching, Germany. "This famous effect-first seen in the orbit of the planet Mercury around the Sun-was the first evidence in favor of general relativity. One hundred years later we have now detected the same effect in the motion of a star orbiting the compact radio source Sagittarius A* (SagA*) at the center of the Milky Way."
When Einstein developed his general theory of relativity, he proposed three classical tests to confirm its validity. One was the deflection of light by the Sun. Since massive objects warp and curve spacetime, light will follow a curved path around massive objects. This prediction was confirmed in 1919 with that year's solar eclipse, thanks to Sir Arthur Eddington's expedition to measure the gravitational deflection of starlight passing near the Sun. The confirmation made headlines around the world, and Einstein became a household name.
General relativity also predicted a gravitational redshift of light in the presence of strong gravitational fields. That was first confirmed with the measurement of a redshift in the starlight of a white dwarf star in 1954.
In 1981, then-graduate student Melinda Zeder was sorting through animal bones from a Paleolithic cave in southwestern Iran when she came upon a fragment she couldn't identify. "When you can't tell stone from bone, you place your tongue on it," says Zeder, now an archaeozoologist at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. "If it's bone, it will stick."
The object didn't stick. In fact, it began to dissolve on Zeder's tongue. Puzzled, she turned to her more experienced colleague and asked what he thought it was. "Oh," he smiled. "That's hyena poop."
Such ancient feces can hang around for thousands of years, even retaining their original shape and color. And archaeologists can typically differentiate human from animal poop, based on size and other attributes. But doggy dung, it turns out, is remarkably hard to distinguish from the human kind-something that can stump researchers trying to reconstruct what ancient people ate.
"When I give talks, I ask audiences to guess," says Christina Warinner, a molecular archaeologist at Harvard University. "They always guess wrong."
Now, Warinner and colleagues have developed a tool based on artificial intelligence that they claim can accurately tell human and dog "paleofeces" apart. And after analyzing more than a dozen samples spanning thousands of years, they've come to a surprising conclusion: The archaeological record is full of dog poop.
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