Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Marc Dion: I'm an Enemy of the People (Creators Syndicate)
Most recently, the president of our great nation has decided that me, and people like me, are enemies of the people. I've never been called that before, but I've read enough history to know that "enemies of the people' is what it says on the exit sign for the concentration camp, the re-education camp, the killing fields and the interrogation room.
Michael Calderone: Trump White House Bars News Organizations From Press Briefing (Huffington Post)
"Nothing like this has ever happened at the White House in our long history of covering multiple administrations of different parties," said New York Times editor Dean Baquet.
Froma Harrop: Trump Has Media Crying ... All the Way to the Bank (Creators Syndicate)
Donald Trump's tweet about the media's being "the enemy of the American people" was a classic distraction - in this case, from questions swirling around his team's troubling ties with our Russian adversaries. While the FBI, CIA and Senate Intelligence Committee investigate, a few thoughts on how news sources under Trumpian attack should respond.
Lenore Skenazy: Take 911 off Speed Dial (Creators Syndicate)
In stories parents relay to me about their coming out of Walgreens only to find someone dialing 911 and screaming at them for "abandoning" their children, the screamers don't seem to recognize that they had been watching the children. They had ensured no kidnapping occurred (an extremely unlikely crime anyway). They could have hung out for a few minutes, making sure the parents returned, and then said something like, "Hi! Just watching to make sure you got back soon. Your kids are so cute. Have a great day."
Kathleen Kerridge: "A veg (or five) too far: why 10 portions a day is way too much to ask" (The Guardian)
In an ideal world, doubling our fruit and vegetable intake is a good idea. But in austerity Britain, it would be impossible to afford all that, let alone cook it.
Sarah Boseley: Forget five a day, eat 10 portions of fruit and veg to cut risk of early death (The Guardian)
Scientists say even just 2.5 portions daily can lower chance of heart disease, stroke, cancer and premature death.
Paula Cocozza: The five-a-day disaster: why the numbers don't add up (The Guardian)
We all know the five-a-day mantra but we have no idea what counts as a portion. Are the supermarkets co-opting the message to flog us processed, calorie-packed fruit and veg?
Froma Harrop: The LA Movie That Should Have Won Best Picture (Creators Syndicate)
My candidate lost, and yes, I still can't get over it. I speak of the 1997 movie "L.A. Confidential." A riff on the creepy film-noir movies of the 1950s, its dark brilliance lay clouded in the bloated shadow of "Titanic."
Hadley Freeman: Celebrities getting political at the Oscars? Give them an award (The Guardian)
There is something pretty hilarious about people saying celebrities shouldn't talk about politics, when a celebrity is currently the president of the United States.
Clive James: 'The Eagles were exposed as a line-up of relentless bores' (The Guardian)
When they sang, they were magic, but when they talk now, they are nerve gas.
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took the day off.
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
La La Land
How can you or anyone else give a shit about this year's Oscars when La La Land, a decidedly second-rate musical, will clean up? When I wrote my review for my movie reviews followers, the most generous I could be was to give it a 6.5 out of 10:
The critics love La La Land. I thought it was OK. It has one pretty, catchy tune that is repeated several times in the movie guaranteeing that, much like It's a Small World, it will stick in your mind like a fungus. It has winsome leads (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling). It has a couple of pretty good musical numbers and a fairly simple plot. Some of the cinematography I loved; some of it I hated--the swirling, blurred, dizzy camerawork in a couple of places. I thought it would dazzle me because I love musicals. It didn't. It was OK. I didn't regret seeing it, but it's nothing I will watch over and over. See it if you're interested, but I wouldn't beat the doors down demanding to see it NOW.
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
THE CONSERVATIVE DEATH MACHINE!
WAVE THAT TRUMP FLAG!
THE ROAD TO TUMESCENCE!
SHAKE HANDS AND LET'S GO KICK REPUG BUTT!
DJT IS A CREEP!
WHAT A CHICKENSHIT!
IT TIME FOR SOME IMPEACHMINT!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast and cool.
'It's Time To Resist'
UTA Rally
Jodie Foster was among the "United Voices" that spoke up against Donald Trump at UTA's rally outside its Beverly Hills offices on Friday.
According to the Beverly Hills Police Department, more than 1,500 people, including agents, clients, and supporters, gathered in the plaza to protest the Trump administration's policies, including its recent travel restrictions on seven Muslim-majority countries. The agency canceled its annual Academy Awards party in protest of the ban and organized this event in its place.
"This is exactly the way to celebrate our industry and our commitment to humanity on and off screen," Foster said. "I don't do this very often, but this year is a different year, this is a singular time - it's time to show up, time to engage. As the very dead Frederick Douglass once said, 'any time is a good time for illumination.'"
Michael J. Fox talked of how it took about eight years for him to obtain U.S. citizenship, but contrasted that to the experience of so many other immigrants who "are struggling to keep their families alive and keep food in their mouths and disease away from their bodies and they take tremendous risk to get here … And then we say 'No'?"
"It's an assault on human dignity."
UTA Rally
Announced Last Night
Razzies
A documentary criticizing U.S. Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton tied on Saturday with superhero ensemble "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" on a list of the year's worst achievements in film, winning four Razzies apiece.
The annual tongue-in-cheek Razzie awards, which serve as an antidote to Hollywood's Oscars ceremony, named Dinesh D'Souza's "Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party" as the worst film of 2016.
D'Souza, a conservative commentator and best-selling author, was named worst actor for narrating his documentary and worst director alongside Bruce Schooley. Worst actress went to the person who portrayed Clinton in the film.
The Razzies, or Golden Raspberry awards, follow a Hollywood awards season marked by outspoken speeches and protests against the policies and behavior of U.S. President Donald Trump. The season culminates with Sunday's Oscars ceremony.
"Batman v Superman" also won four Razzies, including worst screen combo for "Ben Affleck & His BFF (Baddest Foe Forever) Henry Cavill" and worst "remake, rip-off or sequel."
Razzies
Razzie Awards 2017 Winners List
Son Detained At Florida Airport
Muhammad Ali
A son of boxing legend Muhammad Ali was held for questioning for two hours at a Florida airport upon returning from Jamaica because of his Arabic-sounding name, US media reported.
Muhammad Ali Jr., 44, who was born in Philadelphia and has a US passport, was traveling with his mother Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the late sports icon's second wife, friend and lawyer Chris Mancini told the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Mancini told the newspaper that both were held for questioning on the Fort Lauderdale International Airport on February 7 because of their Arabic-sounding names.
Camacho-Ali however was released after she showed US Customs agents a photo of herself with her ex-husband.
Ali Jr. however had no such photo -- and according to Mancini was held for nearly two hours and repeatedly asked "Where did you get your name from?" and "Are you Muslim?"
Muhammad Ali
Hits NYC Immigration Protests
Judah Friedlander
In the weeks since last month's inauguration, critics of President Trump have turned out by the thousands to protest his policies in cities across the country. Among them is comedian and former "30 Rock" star Judah Friedlander, whose signature trucker hat, messy hair and oversize glasses have become a fixture at recent rallies in New York City.
"I think protesting is one of the most democratic things you can do," Friedlander told Yahoo News following a small Valentine's Day gathering of immigrants' rights supporters in Manhattan's Foley Square.
The front of his trucker hat, a space typically reserved for irreverent slogans like "World Champion," has been covered with a strip of duct tape that reads "#NoBanNoWall." In his hand is Friedlander's rally-going partner in crime: a blond-haired, blue-eyed Barbie doll.
For the past few months, Friedlander has been running the @activistbarbie account on Instagram, where he posts photos of his smiley plastic sidekick waving handmade signs with slogans like "Protesting > Brunching" and "I think Mexican guys and Muslim guys are cute," amid the crowds at protests and rallies around the city.
Friedlander's own history with activism dates back to his early childhood when, at about 5 years old, he recalls going with his mother to protest a neo-Nazi rally. As an adult, he's given his support to a variety of causes over the years, including the comedian-led movement to demand better pay from New York City comedy clubs in 2005.
Judah Friedlander
Majority Of Americans Find Him Dishonest
T-rump
President Donald Trump's (R-Grifter) first few weeks in office have been off to a rocky start, to say the least: the 45th president of the United States suffered from the lowest incoming approval rating of any president in modern history, saw major blowbacks for several of his executive orders, including a halt on his travel restrictions for seven Muslim-majority nations and, most recently, repealing Thursday former President Barack Obama's protections for trans students nationwide.
As Trump's ratings continue to tumble, it appeared the public's distrust in their new leader has worsened as well. A Quinnipiac poll released Thursday revealed what Americans think about the president's personal qualities, as well as his ability to unite the nation in the wake of an unprecedented and largely divisive 2016 presidential election.
The numbers were not looking too good for Trump: The majority of voters surveyed by Quinnipiac University said the president can only be trusted to do what is right "some of the time" or "hardly ever." Fifty-five percent of Americans said Trump was not honest, while 53 percent said he didn't care about typical American citizens. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said he wasn't level-headed.
"President Donald Trump's popularity is sinking like a rock," Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, said in a statement. "He gets slammed on honesty, empathy, level headedness and the ability to unite. And two of his strong points, leadership and intelligence, are sinking to new lows."
T-rump
Already Political
Science
As the March for Science in Washington, D.C., grows, so does its criticism.
This should be expected. Scientists are encouraged to look at even the most widely accepted statistic or finding and question it. So of course, as soon as the march, scheduled for April 22, was announced, people began to critically examine its message, mission and goals.
This critical examination has led to a better, more inclusive diversity statement and a clearer focus for the organizers who have seen their grassroots mission explode on social media.
But other critiques of the march - which asks scientists and those who support science to stand up and say that scientific facts aren't partisan and that science should be considered when enacting policy - haven't been so constructive.
Science is and has always been political Building the atomic bomb? That was a political decision, implemented by scientists. Going to the moon? That too was a political decision that involved scientists at every step of the way. Where NASA goes next will also be a decision born of a mix between science and politics.
Science
New Directive To Curb Quakes
Oklahoma
Oklahoma's oil and gas regulator on Friday issued a wider directive limiting future increases in wastewater disposal underground in another effort to address a rash of temblors that have occurred amid the shale boom.
The guidelines include wells in Oklahoma's Arbuckle formation that previously were required to restrict disposal volumes and some potentially high-volume wells not previously covered.
Those wells were not part of earlier orders because there had not been reports of seismic activity in their area.
In total, the directive will cover 654 wastewater disposal wells in the Arbuckle formation, the vast majority of which have already had volume restrictions, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) said on Friday.
Oklahoma has experienced a sharp rise in earthquakes in the past few years due to injection of saltwater, a normal byproduct of oil and gas drilling activities, into deep disposal wells. The state has been recording 2.5 earthquakes daily of magnitude 3.0 or greater, a rate 600 times higher than before 2008, according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey.
Oklahoma
Plans July Pot Sales
Nevada
Nevada still plans to launch recreational marijuana sales in July despite warnings this week of a federal crackdown by the administration of President Donald Trump, state officials said Friday.
Marijuana possession and sales are illegal under federal law, but Nevada voters decided in November to allow people age 21 or older to use pot recreationally - becoming one of eight states to do so.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday that the United States Justice Department will step up enforcement of federal laws prohibiting recreational - not medical - marijuana. No immediate action accompanied the statement, which came in response to a reporter's question.
That has not prompted the Nevada agency tasked with crafting rules governing recreational marijuana sales to change its timeline for ensuring dispensaries can open this summer, said agency spokeswoman Stephanie Klapstein.
"As of now, the Department of Taxation is moving forward with our regulation development as planned," she said.
Nevada
Dazzling Bronze Age Weapons Unearthed
Scotland
Excavations during the construction of two soccer fields in Scotland have turned up a rare discovery - a Bronze-Age weapon hoard, including a notched bronze sword and a gold-decorated spearhead.
The weapons, which likely date back to between 1000 B.C. and 800 B.C., were found in a pit alongside a Bronze Age roundhouse. All told, archaeologists discovered the remains of 12 Bronze Age buildings during the dig, as well as a much earlier Stone Age hall that probably dates back to the very beginnings of agriculture in Scotland.
"There was no real indication of the wealth of archaeological remains" before the dig, said Ronan Toolis, the commercial director of GUARD Archaeology Limited, the firm that conducted the excavation.
Gold in the ground GUARD Archaeology was contracted to do the excavations as part of the standard procedure for new construction; in this case, the council of Angus in Scotland was building a pair of soccer fields in the town of Carnoustie. During the pre-construction excavations, archaeologists turned up pits and postholes in the soil. These features are signs of ancient construction.
The glimmering discovery was made late in the day, so the archaeologists cut a 176-pound (80 kilograms) chunk of earth from the ground that encased the artifacts inside. This block went to the GUARD Archaeology lab for a small-scale excavation that took a full week, Toolis said.
Scotland
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