Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Marc Dion: America in the Small Places (Creators Syndicate)
One of the advantages of working as a reporter on a midsize daily paper is that the big questions aren't very big to me. I spend a lot of my time covering small town/city government, which mirrors but does not exactly reflect the big issues.
Lucy Mangan: After bingogate, we've all got the Tories' number (Guardian)
Kudos to Grant Shapps and co for managing to reveal so much about what they really think in so few words.
Alison Flood: George RR Martin releases new chapter of The Winds of Winter (Guardian)
Ahead of the new season of Games of Thrones on TV, the author has published an unseen chapter from the 6th book in the A Song of Fire and Ice series online - and it's a cracker.
George RR Martin: EXCERPT FROM THE WINDS OF WINTER
She woke with a gasp, not knowing who she was, or where.
The smell of blood was heavy in her nostrils… or was that her nightmare, lingering? She had dreamed of wolves again, of running through some dark pine forest with a great pack at her heels, hard on the scent of prey.
Neil Gaiman: Entitlement Issues
George R.R. Martin is not your bitch.
Stuart Jeffries: "Homes and gardens spring special: mess SOS - the tortured bibliophile" (Guardian)
'We're in my study, trying to organise my books. There are horizontal piles on vertical rows, proof copies stuffed under the desk.'
What I'm really thinking: the removals man (Guardian)
'I try not to notice when the bed is moved to reveal forgotten sex toys or magazines. You blush, but honestly, I've seen it all.'
Oliver Burkeman: "This column will change your life: want to get ahead? Move to Perth" (Guardian)
'When we're imagining people and things as physically farther away, we see the salient features instead of distracting details, the forest instead of the trees.'
R. Jason Benson: 4 Ways Global Warming Is Creating a Worldwide Horror Movie (Cracked)
But if we may presume to offer you a bit of advice, random senator who's currently reading Cracked instead of, you know, making laws and junk: If you want Americans to pay attention to climate change, you've got to go full-on horror movie. Give them a swift kick straight in the poopyourpants gland by telling them how ...
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
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David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
wrote:
Wowser says he knows what the answer is!
, answered:
took the day off.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Team Coco
CONAN360°
Reader Suggestion
The Lark Ascending
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
So - to let you know what's going on, the guestbook on bartcop.com is
still open for those who want to write something in memory of Bart.
I did an interview on Netroots Radio about Bart's passing
( www.stitcher.com/s?eid=32893545 )
The most active open discussion is on Bart's Facebook page.
( www.facebook.com/bartcop )
You can listen to Bart's theme song here
or here.
( www.bartcop.com/blizing-saddles.mp3 )
( youtu.be/MySGAaB0A9k )
We have opened up the radio show archives which are now free. Listen to
all you want.
( bartcop.com/members )
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Thanks, Marc!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny morning, cloudy afternoon.
Very obvious audio-edit on 'SNL', during the Update segment, killing the punchline.
The bit referenced Putin calling Obama, ending with "Obama nearly blew it, ending the call with (audio silence)".
FWIW, the closed captioning said the missing phrase was "Love you, bye bye."
Skydiving On 80th Birthday
Shirley Jones
Inspired by a former president, Shirley Jones can't wait to jump into her birthday plans.
The Oscar-winning actress and singer says she'll take her very first skydive on Monday - her 80th birthday.
"That's something I wanted to do all my life," Jones said Friday. The inspiration to try comes from former President George H.W. Bush's jumps on several birthdays, including when he turned 85 in 2009.
She will be jumping in tandem with an instructor in Perris, a popular Southern California skydiving spot, according to her husband, comedian Marty Ingels.
Ingels was taken aback when she suggested it but has since come around, Jones said. Her children, not so much.
Shirley Jones
Ends CNN Run
Piers Morgan
CNN host Piers Morgan issued one last plea for U.S. gun control as he wrapped up his show's three-year run.
Morgan devoted the prime-time show's final minutes Friday night to the issue that he said has been a "consistent and often very controversial" part of "Piers Morgan Live."
The British-born host cited gun violence statistics and expressed dismay that mass shootings including those at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, and movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, haven't led to stricter laws.
Morgan blamed politicians that he said had been bullied into "cowardly" silence by a gun lobby led by the National Rifle Association.
Piers Morgan
'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' Canceled
ABC
It's official: ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland will not return for a second season. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the Once spinoff will end its run following its April 3 season-ender, which the network is advertising as a "series finale."
The decision to not move forward with the 13-episode spinoff -- from Once creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis -- comes after the series was originally envisioned as a miniseries intended to bridge the gap between seasons of the flagship series.
ABC instead opted to run the series in the fall, scheduling the series in its historically problematic Thursdays at 8 p.m. slot where Last Resort, Charlie's Angels, Missing, My Generation and FlashForward have similarly stumbled. ABC has struggled to launch a hit in the time period since Ugly Betty moved from the 8 p.m. hour in 2009.
Following Wonderland's April 4 conclusion, ABC will test reality hit Shark Tank on Thursday at 8 p.m. for a week as part of a two-night special on April 10 and 11. Repeats of Grey's Anatomy will take over the slot starting April 17, leading into original episodes of the medical drama and Kerry Washington starrer Scandal and giving Shonda Rhimes a three-hour block on the network.
ABC
Cancels 'Mind Games'
More ABC
ABC has pulled the struggling Christian Slater-Steve Zahn drama "Mind Games" from its schedule, replacing it in the short term with repeats of new Sunday drama "Resurrection."
"Mind Games" opened with a weak 1.1 rating/3 share in adults 18-49 and 3.6 million viewers on Feb. 25, according to Nielsen, and it only got uglier from there. The show netted a 0.7/2 in the demo and a little over 2 million viewers with its most recent airing on Tuesday of this week.
"Resurrection" airs in a crowded Sunday timeslot, so giving viewers a second chance to see it certainly won't hurt a show that has delivered promising ratings in its three airings. It will air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on April 1 and 8.
Starting April 15, the third season of "Celebrity Wife Swap" will air in the time period for ABC. The net has had three Tuesday-at-10 disappointments this season ("Lucky 7," "Killer Women" and now "Mind Games") and probably thought a familiar reality show would be the best way to plug the hour for the final month of the TV season.
More ABC
Let The Fluffing Begin
Sheldon Adelson
The Republican White House hopefuls gathering on the Las Vegas strip this weekend have not come to woo voters. Instead, the GOP stars are hoping to win over a key patron and, perhaps, his millions of dollars in campaign cash.
Republican super donor Sheldon Adelson (R-Uncle Sugar) is the main attraction for a list of elected officials that includes former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. One of the world's richest men, the 80-year-old billionaire casino magnate is looking for a new favorite to help end his party's presidential losing streak.
Most of the other prospective candidates were arriving Friday and Saturday, with a specific man on their minds: the billionaire who almost single-handedly bankrolled the group behind former House Speaker Newt "Family Values" Gingrich's presidential campaign in 2012. Adelson is in the market for a candidate in 2016.
With an eye toward the 2016 presidential contest, prospective candidates and their aides have been aggressively courting such donors for months - but not like this. Dubbed, "the Sheldon primary," the conference features scotch tastings, private roundtable discussions, and golf and poker tournaments that bring together politicians and roughly 400 of the GOP's top money men, a powerful list Adelson leads.
Those familiar with his thinking say that Adelson is focused on finding a candidate who can win the White House in 2016. But even as he prioritizes viability, Adelson maintains a passion for an aggressive foreign policy, particularly in regards to Israel, and wants a candidate who shares his vision, confidants say. That's in contrast to a libertarian shift among tea party activists in particular that favor a more modest American role in foreign affairs.
Sheldon Adelson
Switches To Moscow Time
Crimea
The hands of a clock on the main railway station in Simferopol jumped from 10 P.M. to midnight on Saturday as Crimea switched to Moscow time, symbolicly finalizing the region's incorporation into Russia.
Several hundred people gathered on the railway square for the ceremonial change of time, waving Russian national flags and chanting "Crimea! Russia!" after Moscow formally annexed the Black Sea region from Ukraine on March 21.
Wrapped in Russian flags and some with tears of joy in their eyes, the people gathered in the provincial capital of Simferopol on Saturday sang Russia's national anthem when the clock moved to Moscow time.
Crimea has already introduced the Russian ruble as its official currency and started paying out pensions and state salaries in the unit since the region voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining Russia on March 16.
Crimea
Linked To Heart Attacks
Daylight Saving Time
Switching over to daylight saving time, and losing one hour of sleep, raised the risk of having a heart attack the following Monday by 25 percent, compared to other Mondays during the year, according to a new U.S. study released on Saturday.
By contrast, heart attack risk fell 21 percent later in the year, on the Tuesday after the clock was returned to standard time, and people got an extra hour's sleep.
The not-so-subtle impact of moving the clock forward and backward was seen in a comparison of hospital admissions from a database of non-federal Michigan hospitals. It examined admissions before the start of daylight saving time and the Monday immediately after, for four consecutive years.
In general, heart attacks historically occur most often on Monday mornings, maybe due to the stress of starting a new work week and inherent changes in our sleep-wake cycle, said Dr. Amneet Sandhu, a cardiology fellow at the University of Colorado in Denver who led the study.
A link between lack of sleep and heart attacks has been seen in previous studies. But Sandhu said experts still don't have a clear understanding of why people are so sensitive to sleep-wake cycles.
Daylight Saving Time
Ukraine's Now Swim for Russia
Combat Dolphins
Following the Russian takeover of Crimea this month, a lot of residents of Crimea are being asked to switch sides - but not all of those residents are human.
Crimea - formerly a part of Ukraine - was formally annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russian troops took control of military bases, ports and other facilities located on the Crimean peninsula.
And now, in addition to millions of people who find that they're new citizens of Russia, the combat dolphins that were once part of the Ukrainian navy have new masters: the Russian Emergencies Ministry, according to state-run news service RIA Novosti.
The military dolphin program was started in the 1960s during the Cold War, when Russia and Ukraine were part of the Soviet Union. After the fall of the Soviet empire, control of the program was handed over to Ukraine.
Russia is one of only two nations known to have dolphins working under military control. The U.S. Navy also has a dolphin-training program at its marine mammal center in San Diego.
Combat Dolphins
Raise Concerns
Diet Drinks
Diet drinks may increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke and other heart problems in postmenopausal women, according to an informal study that could take some fizz out of enjoyment of the popular beverages.
Compared to women who never or seldom consume diet drinks, those who drank two or more a day were 30 percent more likely to suffer a cardiovascular event and 50 percent more likely to die from related disease, researchers found.
The findings were gleaned from an analysis of diet drink intake and consequences among almost 60,000 participants in the Women's Health Initiative, a long-running U.S. observational study of cardiovascular health trends among postmenopausal women.
The average age of women in the diet drink study was 62.8, and they had to have had no history of cardiovascular disease to be included in the analysis.
Diet Drinks
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