Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Let Them Eat Trump Steaks (NY Times)
When petty cruelty becomes a principle of government.
Mary Beard: Nelson Mandela and the Roman Emperor Titus (TLS)
I have long been interested in the work of the director Peter Sellars, who seems to me to have a knack of breathing new life into old work, without making it seem as if the classics of the past have been put on some kind of life support machine
Mary Beard: The Royal Academy 250 (TLS)
One of the things I have always been most pleased about is being chosen a few years ago as the Royal Academy of Art's Professor of Ancient Literature. There are no formal duties and the only formal reward (as it has been since the eighteenth century) is to get to go to the annual dinner.
Amy Taubin: "Dead Man: Blake in America" (Criterion)
Films don't change in themselves over time, but the passage of time almost always affects what we make of them. Not so Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man (1995), which confronts us with images of startling beauty combined with actions of devastating cruelty whose emotional power and mystery have not diminished in the more than two decades since its release. What do we mean when we say a narrative film is poetic? The answer is Dead Man.
Philip Kemp: Moonrise: Dark of the Moon (Criterion)
In his uncharacteristic final masterpiece, the great Hollywood melodramatist Frank Borzage approaches the shadowy violence of film noir with his unique brand of romanticism.
Peter Bradshaw: Palme d'Or winners - ranked! (The Guardian)
As the Cannes film festival celebrates its 70th anniversary, here are the 10 best winners - from Viridiana and La Dolce Vita to Taxi Driver and Pulp Fiction
Mark Coker: Smashwords Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary
This past Sunday marked ten years since the public launch of Smashwords on May 6, 2008.
Wow, what a difference ten years makes. Ten years ago, the book publishing industry looked quite a bit different than it does today: …
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog #1
David Bruce's Blog #2
David Bruce's Blog #3
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has over 80 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Presenting
Michael Egan
answered:
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
DOA!
IT'S TIME TO REMEMBER!
THE CROWN OF THORNS IN OUR SIDE.
THE WORSHIP OF EVIL.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Running late, as usual.
Handwriting Gibe
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling zinged President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Deplorable) on Wednesday with a gibe about his handwriting.
The Harry Potter author shared a screenshot of a tweet asking why Trump's signature was "so big" next to one from a graphology website explaining the negative traits associated with people who have large handwriting.
Handwriting-graphology.com claims that people who have large handwriting may be "arrogant," "conceited" and "haughty" with "tyrant tendencies" and a "phony personality that may become megalomaniac with lack of a critical sense."
"I didn't believe in graphology until about three minutes ago," Rowling replied.
Her post was well-received.
J.K. Rowling
Eyes New Life
'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'
In the Peak TV world, one network's canceled show may be another's new arrival.
Such could be the case for Brooklyn Nine-Nine which, hours after being canceled at Fox after a five-season run, has become the talk of the industry with other outlets taking notice of the worldwide outpouring of support.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Brooklyn Nine-Nine producers Universal Television have fielded a number of incoming calls from other outlets including Hulu (where the Andy Samberg comedy has an SVOD deal), Netflix (which has business with the studio, including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), TBS (whose president, Kevin Reilly, developed the series and whose network airs off-network repeats of the comedy) and network sibling NBC.
Sources note that the studio has plans to fight to revive the series at another outlet following the wave of support from critics and stars including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Hamill, among countless others. Universal Television declined comment.
In any event, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is becoming more emblematic of the benefits of a Peak TV universe where it has become easier for a canceled series or passed-over pilot to find new life outside of the outlet for which it was developed. Such was the case last year for The CW's Insatiable, which found new life at Netflix. Sources also say there has been discussion about Kaitlin Olson comedy The Mick and possibly Will Forte's The Last Man on Earth finding new homes elsewhere. (Last Man would likely be for an abbreviated final season, as was considered a brief possibility before Fox lowered its big ax Thursday.)
'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'
Cancellations
ABC
ABC has canceled dramas "Quantico" and "Designated Survivor."
Coming off its second season, "Designated" Survivor starred Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman, a man who became president in the series premiere after a catastrophic bombing killed the majority of the country's leaders. While the FBI worked to get to the bottom of who was really to blame for the bombing, Kirkman worked on rebuilding the country. In the second season, a year after he took office, he was still searching for the mastermind of the attack while dealing with new threats on their soil and abroad.The series also starred Paulo Costanzo, Adan Canto, Italia Ricci, LaMonica Garrett, Zoe McLellan, Ben Lawson, Kal Penn and Maggie Q, and was executive produced by David Guggenheim, Mark Gordon, Simon Kinberg, Nick Pepper, Jeff Melvoin, Suzan Bymel, Aditya Sood, Keith Eisner and Sutherland. It came from The Mark Gordon Company and ABC Studios.The second season averaged 3.98 million total viewers and a 0.72 in the 18-49 demo.
"Designated Surivor" went through four showrunners in two seasons. ABC had been looking for a new showrunner for a potential third season.
"Quantico," produced by ABC Studios and the Mark Gordon Company, starred Priyanka Chopra as a U.S. intelligence agent. The series was retooled for season 3 with new showrunner Michael Seitzman taking over for Joshua Safran.
Three episodes into its third season, "Quantico" is averaging a 0.5 rating in the 18-49 demo and 2.3 million total viewers, according to Nielsen live-plus-same day numbers.
ABC
'Lucifer'
Canceled After Three Seasons
"Lucifer" has been canceled at Fox after three seasons.
The devil drama centered on Tom Ellis as the titular Lucifer, a fallen angel and the Lord of Hell, who worked with the LAPD to take down Earth's criminals. Lauren German, Tricia Helfer also starred, and Tom Welling had joined the cast for the third season.
Series showrunner Joe Henderson broke the news on Twitter. "So… yeah. #Lucifer has been cancelled," he wrote. "And it f-ng HURTS. I loved this show so damn much and everyone put their heart and soul into it. Heartbreaking doesn't begin to describe.
The cancellation comes after Fox axed comedies "The Last Man on Earth," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," and "The Mick."
Fox previously renewed "9-1-1," "Empire," "Star," "The Gifted," "The Resident," "The Orville" and "The Simpsons" for the 2018-19 television lineup. The network has also ordered new dramas "The Passage" and "Proven Innocent" to series, as well as a new comedy entitled "The Cool Kids." In addition, the network has ordered a new season of Tim Allen's "Last Man Standing," which was cancelled at ABC last year after six seasons.
'Lucifer'
Guest Won't Be Back
Rupert
Fox News says a retired Air Force general who called Sen. John McCain "songbird John" for allegedly providing information to the North Vietnamese while he was a prisoner of war will not be invited back.
The idea that McCain gave up information during the war was judged false years ago by Politifact. But Fox Business Network guest Tom McInerney spread the story as a guest on Thursday. Fox host Charles Payne later apologized for not correcting him on the air.
A Fox spokeswoman said Friday that McInerney will no longer be allowed on the network.
Also Thursday, a White House official dismissed McCain's opposition to President Donald Trump's CIA nominee by saying it didn't matter because McCain is dying anyway. McCain is fighting brain cancer.
Rupert
Reported Love Interest
Jr.
Donald Trump Jr.'s reported new love interest is a Republican and staunch defender of his father, President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Crooked). But Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle was once married to California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, back in the mid-2000s when he was the mayor of San Francisco who gained national attention for authorizing marriage licenses for same-sex couples.
Guilfoyle, a former prosecutor in San Francisco and Los Angeles who's now a co-host of Fox News' The Five, married Newsom in 2001 and shortly after began traveling back and forth to New York City as she forged a career in broadcast journalism. Guilfoyle filed for divorce in January 2005, citing the strain of a bi-coastal marriage.
In 2007, it was revealed that Newsom had had an affair in mid-2005 with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of his then-campaign manager and former deputy chief of staff, Alex Tourk. Newsom apologized for the affair at the time.
Guilfoyle, now 49, went on to marry furniture heir Eric Villency before they divorced in 2009. In 2017, Guilfoyle was linked to another onetime member of Trump's inner circle: short-lived White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
After Scaramucci's then-pregnant wife, Deidre Ball, filed for divorce in July 2017, Scaramucci reportedly got close to Guilfoyle. The two were spotted out together in Manhattan and on vacation in Rome, Page Six reported at the time. Scaramucci himself denied the affair and said he and Guilfoyle were just friends.
Jr.
Casino Workers To Vote On Strike
Vegas
The union representing 50,000 Las Vegas casino employees whose contracts will expire at the end of the month announced Wednesday the workers are set to vote on whether to strike, a move that could cripple the city.
The Culinary Union will hold the strike vote May 22 at a university arena near the Las Vegas Strip. A majority of yes votes would allow the union's negotiators to call for a strike at any time starting June 1.
"On May 22, thousands of union members will show casino employers that workers are going to fight for security and that they are not going to be left behind as companies are making record profits and getting windfall tax breaks," Geoconda Arguello-Kline, the union's secretary-treasurer, said in a statement.
A strike would empty 34 casino-hotels on the Strip and in downtown Las Vegas of kitchen employees, food and cocktail servers, housekeepers and other workers key to running a resort.
The workers' existing contracts will expire at midnight May 31. Negotiations for new five-year contracts began in February.
Vegas
Monster Ocean Wave Sets Record
Southern Hemisphere
Scientists have recorded what is believed to be the largest wave ever in the southern hemisphere, a 23.8 metre (78 foot) monster the height of an eight-floor building.
A buoy recorded the wave on Tuesday during a ferocious storm in the notoriously wild Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, some 700 kilometres (430 miles) south of New Zealand, research body MetOcean Solutions said.
Senior oceanographer Tom Durrant said it wiped out the previous southern-hemisphere record of 22.03 metres recorded in 2012.
"Indeed, surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week's time," he said.
The largest wave ever noted was an earthquake-generated tsunami at Alaska's Lituya Bay in 1958 that measured 30.5 metres, according to Smithsonian magazine.
Southern Hemisphere
Ocean Aglow
Bioluminescence
An eye-catching, bright-blue glow could be seen from the beaches of San Diego at night this week.
The bright light glowing from the ocean is known as bioluminescence. The spectacular sight is the result of a red tide that developed off the coast of San Diego over the past few days, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The red tide is due to aggregations of dinoflagellates, possibly because of nutrients or hydrographic conditions in the ocean. However, the cause is not entirely understood, according to Scripps Insitution of Oceanography.
Dinoflagellates may be planktonic, or may live within another organism. Ninety percent of all dinoflagellates are marine plankton. "Blooms" of dinoflagellates produce red tides, which injure marine life, according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology Berkeley.
Scientists do not know how long the current red tide will last. Previous events have lasted anywhere from one week to a month or more.
Bioluminescence
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