Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Snatching Healthcare Away from Millions (NY Times)
Will Trump really kill Obamacare?
Doug Chris: Dear world, I wasn't all bad. Signed, 2016 (CNN)
There's finally peace in Colombia • Non-violent protests helped impeach a president in South Korea • Gambia voted out a dictator • The military no longer rules Myanmar • Lebanon picked a leader - after 45 tries • A Pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch met for the first time in 1,000 years
Alexis Petridis: "Death stars: music's great losses of 2016" (The Guardian)
From David Bowie to Prince and Leonard Cohen, death has cast a long shadow over the world of pop and rock. But, as more pioneers reach a certain age, it's something we'll have get used to.
Jacob Brogan: The Best Meme of 2016 (Slate)
Me at the beginning of 2016 vs. me at the end of 2016.
Michael Cragg: Scandiravia! Who are the new Nordic pop stars? (The Guardian)
The likes of Robyn, Annie and Lykke Li have been at the cutting edge for years, but coming up behind is another generation of super-cool Scandinavian female musicians. There may be something in the water …
Selina Cadell: "My friend, Carrie Fisher: 'You could have lit a candle with the twinkle in her eyes'" (The Guardian)
They met as drama students in 1974 and became fast friends. Actor Selina Cadell remembers their adventures, from partying in Chelsea to late-night calls about boys.
Interview with YAYA HAN in RUSSIA (YouTube)
Yaya Han is a professional cosplayer.
Subscribe to Yaya Han's channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/YayaCosplay
R&R cosplay team fanpage https://www.facebook.com/RRartgroup
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.
took the day off.
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Suggestion
Why Trump Deserves Trust, Respect and Admiration
OMG, you're going to love the book linked below AND the comments on it. Thanks to my friend Janet for tipping me off to this.
For example:
A touching story of one mans misogyny, hatred, bigotry, lies and deceit. This book fully explores all of the values that Mr. Trump holds dear, along with the traits that identify his fitness to serve as President and Commander in Chief of our great Nation. Each page is littered with all of the positive things that I could possible say about him. Mr King has done an incredible job identifying what makes this man a leader and how much he truly loves America and the American people.
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
BERNIE SANDERS.
CONSERVATIVES ARE LIARS!
HERE COMES SCROOGE!
"DEAR SON…"
DONALD TRUMP AND THE DEPLORABLES! ROCK ON!
FEEL THE WARM!
CERTIFIABLE KOCH WHORE!
THE IMMIGRANTS.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Cold, rainy day.
93 Journalists Killed in 2016
International Federation of Journalists
Ninety-three journalists and media staff were killed around the world in the course of their work in 2016, with Iraq and Afghanistan the deadliest countries, the International Federation of Journalists said Friday.
The IFJ said the figure, 19 less than in 2015, was for journalists killed in targeted attacks, bomb blasts or caught in the cross-fire. A further 29 died in plane crashes in Colombia and Russia.
"Any decrease in violence against journalist and media personnel is always welcome but these figures... leave little room for comfort and reinforce hopes for the end of the security crisis in the media sector," IFJ president Philippe Leruth said in a statement.
The IFJ said among those killed were 15 journalists in Iraq, 13 in Afghanistan, 11 in Mexico, eight in Yemen, six in both Guatemala and in Syria, and five in both India and Pakistan.
Regionally the Middle East was deadliest with 30 killings, followed by Asia-Pacific with 28, Latin America with 24, Africa with eight and Europe with three, the watchdog said.
International Federation of Journalists
Buying Data on Your Offline Activities
Facebook
Everyone knows that Facebook makes its money through targeted ads. By tracking what you look at and click on while using its website, Facebook assembles a detailed profile of you that it uses to figure out what you're interested in, and tailors its advertising to match. But a recent investigation by ProPublica has revealed that the social media company tracks much more than your online activities.
At the heart of the issue is the fact that Facebook buys data from offline sources like retailers, and bundles that data with its own to create more detailed profiles of its users. However, unlike Facebook's native data collection, users cannot see what information these third-party sources have on them. This third-party information can include things like your income level, the stores you shop in, and even the number of credit cards you own.
Unlike Facebook's own data collection, the company provides no way to opt out of this service. According to Facebook, the only way to remove this personal information from their databases is to go through the third-party providers individually, which is a time-consuming and often impossible task. Facebook also regularly changes providers, which means you'll have to repeat process much more than once.
Facebook
Becomes Expensive
US Citizenship
Immigrants have to shell out more cash to become U.S. citizens after the Department of Homeland Security imposed a price hike across a range of administrative services. Petitions filed to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will not be accepted unless they include the revised fees, which came into effect last week.
Prices have been raised, by a "weighted average" of 21 percent, for the first time since 2010. With the fees for some key services having been doubled, the changes could pose a considerable burden for immigrants who are short on cash.
However, the USCIS defended the price hike saying the agency is almost exclusively funded only by petitioners' fees and needed the extra funds to help handle administrative costs. The USCIS was "mindful of the effect fee increases have on many of the customers we serve" and hence waited this long to increase the prices, USCIS Director Leon Rodríguez reportedly said.
"USCIS will also offer a reduced filing fee for certain naturalization applicants with limited means," Peter Boogaard, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, told CNBC, adding that the hike was "necessary to ensure USCIS can continue to serve its customers effectively."
Of the nearly 650,000 immigrants in New York eligible to become U.S. citizens, about 110,500 are eligible for the reduced fee plan. However, critics said even with the reduced filing fees, the changes would be a big problem for immigrants seeking U.S. naturalization.
US Citizenship
Backlash Over Inauguration Performance
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been hit with yet another wave of backlash as one if its performers resigned following the announcement that the group would sing at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration.
"Since the 'announcement,' I have spent several sleepless nights and days in turmoil and agony," Jan Chamberlin wrote in a lengthy Facebook post Thursday. "I have reflected carefully on both sides of the issue, prayed a lot, talked with family and friends, and searched my soul."
"But it's no use. I simply cannot continue with the recent turn of events," she wrote in the post, which has since been shared more than a thousand times. "I could never look myself in the mirror again with self-respect."
Chamberlin said she felt "betrayed" by the choir and that its image and networking would be damaged by the performance. She went on to equate Trump with Hitler.
"I only know I could never 'throw roses to Hitler,'" she wrote. "And I certainly could never sing for him."
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Defending Russian Hackers
GOP Congressman
A longtime Republican congressman says that Russia's leak of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign during the U.S. presidential election was a public service.
"If Russia succeeded in giving the American people information that was accurate," Arizona Rep. Trent Franks said Thursday afternoon on MSNBC, "then they merely did what the media should have done."
Franks' comments came shortly before the Obama administration announced sanctions against Moscow for interfering with the U.S. election.
"I'm all for doing what's necessary to protect the election here," Franks said. "But there's no suggestion that Russia hacked into our voting systems or anything like that."
In October, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russian hacking of American "political organizations" like the Democratic National Committee was an attempt to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system. In a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill earlier this month, the Central Intelligence Agency concluded that it was "quite clear" that electing Donald Trump (R-Grifter) was Russia's goal.
GOP Congressman
Republican Family Values
Chris Corley
Children can be heard screaming "just stop daddy" on a 911 call made from the home of a South Carolina legislator accused of beating his wife and pointing a gun at her, local media reported Friday.
Republican Rep. Chris Corley, of Graniteville, is charged with first-degree criminal domestic violence and pointing a firearm at a person. If convicted, the felonies could send him to prison for up to 15 years.
Corley's wife told deputies he stopped hitting her late Monday only after noticing she was bleeding and hearing the screams of two of their three children, ages 2 and 8.
In the first 911 call to Aiken city police, no one talks to the operator but "please stop" can be heard repeatedly.
"Just stop daddy. Just stop. ... Daddy, why are you doing this?"
Chris Corley
Bride Exchanges
Pakistan
Mohammad Ramzan can neither hear nor speak, and he has a childlike mind. But he knew his wife, Saima, was too young when she was given to him as a bride.
The 36-year-old Ramzan smiles, eager to please, as he uses his fingers to count out her age when they married. One, two, three . . . until 13, and then he stops and looks at her, points and nods several times.
The girl's father, Wazir Ahmed, says she was 14, not 13, but her age was beside the point. It mattered only that she had reached puberty when he arranged her marriage as an exchange: his daughter for Ramzan's sister, whom he wanted to take as a second wife.
His first wife, Saima's mother, had given him only daughters, and he hoped his second wife would give him a son. But Sabeel wouldn't marry him until her brother had a wife to care for him.
She would be a bride in exchange for a bride.
Pakistan
Novelist Freed
Turkey
Asli Erdogan, one of Turkey's most celebrated novelists, was released from jail Thursday, looking exhausted after 132 days of pre-trial detention, declaring that she could barely believe she was free.
The writer has been in prison on charges of terror propaganda on account of her links to a pro-Kurdish newspaper, in a case that has caused an international outcry over freedom of expression.
An Istanbul court ordered that Erdogan and Necmiye Alpay, an internationally prominent linguist, be released.
The pair were taken into custody in August as part of a probe into the now shut-down newspaper Ozgur Gundem, which Turkish authorities say is a mouthpiece for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
But the fate of Erdogan and Alpay, author of widely praised translations of Western novels into Turkish who had been in custody for 120 days, is still unclear.
Turkey
Top 20
Global Concert Tours
The Top 20 Global Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows Worldwide. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.
1. Guns N' Roses; $5,258,305; $104.11.
2. Adele; $3,649,630; $109.07.
3. Justin Bieber; $2,376,511; $81.71.
4. Drake; $2,328,301; $112.64.
5. Kanye West; $1,836,417; $87.63.
6. Luke Bryan; $1,822,045; $70.03.
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers; $1,682,643; $82.10.
8. Marc Anthony; $1,670,772; $131.93.
9. Black Sabbath; $1,279,314; $66.52.
10. Maroon 5; $1,261,453; $93.98.
11. Jason Aldean; $1,072,244; $51.31.
12. Andre Rieu; $996,479; $105.69.
13. The Cure; $925,867; $62.24.
14. "Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour" / Puff Daddy; $920,868; $83.91.
15. Stevie Nicks; $840,751; $96.00.
16. Sia; $821,290; $78.98.
17. Trans-Siberian Orchestra; $816,436; $60.22.
18. Dixie Chicks; $796,811; $71.71.
19. Nickelback; $773,372; $87.22.
20. Carrie Underwood; $703,262; $70.68.
Global Concert Tours
In Memory
Sutter Brown
Sutter Brown, the gubernatorial pooch who softened Gov. Jerry Brown's image and brightened the California Capitol with his love for belly rubs and treats, has died.
The 13-year-old Pembroke Welsh corgi underwent emergency surgery in October, but a particularly aggressive form of cancer could not be entirely removed. News of his illness dismayed fans around California, who filled social media with expressions of support.
Sutter returned home, and to the Governor's Office. He was outside the Governor's Mansion to greet trick-or-treaters on Halloween, and accompanied the governor to vote on Election Day.
But his health had deteriorated rapidly in recent days, and Brown and his wife, Anne Gust Brown, "made the decision that it was time to say goodbye," Westrup said.
Gov. Brown adopted Sutter from his sister after winning the 2010 governor's race. The dog charmed members of the media, becoming a recurring character in Sacramento Bee editorial cartoons, and cracked a rare window into the personal life of the governor and his wife.
Images of the dog lounging in the office or at home went out to the thousands who followed Sutter on Twitter. In the days after Sutter fell ill, Gust Brown shared some aching images of the stricken animal, including a picture of Brown tenderly cradling the canine.
Sutter also inhabited his owners' political sphere. He traveled around the state to help Brown promote a tax hike on top earners via Proposition 30. After being unleashed to pass new taxes Sutter became a watchdog of fiscal discipline, appearing on cards that were handed out during Brown's 2014 State of the State speech and bore phrases like "Let's keep new spending on a short leash." The governor invoked Sutter's desire to defile an unappealing ballot initiative.
Sutter is survived by Colusa Lucy Brown, who joined the Browns as a puppy in 2015. The Governor's Office said she would assume Sutter's duties as first dog.
Sutter Brown
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