Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Leslie Salzillo: "Mocking Trump, this Michigan mayor was just impeached after banning 'heterosexuals'" (Daily KOS)
As soon as his proclamation was tweeted out- Daniel was impeached. And though his political career was brief (shorter than the "Mooch"), Elijah Daniel was not bitter and hoped to share his love for the city by encouraging Trump to visit saying, "Donald Trump should go to Hell anytime."
Shahidha Bari: What We Wear in the Underfunded University (Chronicle of High Education)
"Dress for the job you want," goes the mystifying mantra. The irony is that this should mean so little in an industry marked by a paucity of any jobs at all.
Public Domain Images - What is allowed and what is not? (Pixabay)
Public domain images are considered to be free of copyrights. Consequently, such images may be used freely for any application. But that is not true. Find out why in this article.
Ted Rall: Progressive, Heal Thyself (Creators Syndicate)
Many progressives are stupid. Unless they get smart soon, "The Resistance" to Donald Trump will fail, just like everything else the Left has tried to do for the last 40 years.
Lenore Skenazy: Future Bestsellers (Creators Syndicate)
"Rich Dad, Rich Granddad: The Real Story of How to Get Ahead"
Froma Harrop: Meeting the People Through Disaster (Creators Syndicate)
My friend Frank, a veteran of Sandy, offers them a hint of what's ahead. His real struggle began after the waters flowed out of his house on the Connecticut coast. Getting insurers to pay up bent his soul. The expense drained his retirement savings. He suffered most of all from a sense of violation. Of course, there's no logic in waving fists against an act of nature. And others had suffered far more tragic losses. But for Frank, this became a war to restore what he had. He defiantly abandoned his mold-covered first floor to live on the second floor, sleeping with a face mask. Even today, anxiety that this could happen again haunts him.
Froma Harrop: Michael Moore and the Democrats' Burden (Creators Syndicate)
Meanwhile, Democratic leaders should stop indulging heretic hunters who can't tell the difference between Gore and Bush, Clinton and Trump. Better that they leave the tent in a sulk than juggle blowtorches on the inside. As for problematic hangers-on like Moore, they are simply a burden. It's time to label them as such.
Miranda Sawyer: "Russell Brand: 'I was a needy person. I'm less mad now'" (The Guardian)
The last time I interviewed Russell Brand was in 2008, around the time of Sachsgate, and he was a handful. When I asked him, as a joke, if he was going for world domination, he replied, "Yes, that is what I will do. What am I going to stop for? I'll just carry on until there's nothing left." Nine years on, he has changed in some ways, and in others, not at all.
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.
Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
FIFTY YEARS.
GET TRUMP TO PARDON THEM.
PRAYERS TASTE LIKE SHIT! SEND FOOD!
THE LIAR!
HITLER AND JIM CROW.
THE APPRENTICE.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
80° at 1am, again! Argh.
Franca Sozzani Award
Julianne Moore
"It's nice to leave a trace," said Franca Sozzani in a brief clip from the documentary on her life. And a trace she did leave.
Family and friends of the late Vogue Italia editor in chief gathered at the Lido here Friday evening, during the city's Film Festival, when the first award in her name was bestowed to Julianne Moore by Colin Firth, an event that was followed by a dinner at Palazzo Contarini Polignac.
"She was a tough critic if I didn't get the best of the best- I think she would be happy to have two Oscar winners here," said Sozzani's son Francesco Carrozzini, as a thunderstorm pounded the pavilion where the ceremony was held. "She is listening to us," he joked to a round of laughter of his mother, who died in December.
Carrozzini directed the film "Franca: Chaos and Creation" which premiered in Venice a year ago. "With friends, we wanted to honor her legacy, her creative freedom and endless curiosity," he said of the decision to launch the award with Sozzani's sister Carla and her niece Sara; Carlo Capasa, president of Italy's Camera della Moda; Tod's Diego Della Valle; Valentino's Pierpaolo Piccioli; Moncler's Remo Ruffini; Donatella Versace; Pirelli's Marco and Afef Tronchetti Provera and film producer Marco Valsecchi, who were all at the event.
Moore, wearing a pleated Valentino gown in different shades of red, praised Sozzani's "professional fearlessness and honesty," and the "enormous impact beyond herself." With her work, "she stopped time and we saw what she wanted us to see."
Julianne Moore
$20 Bill May Be Blocked
Harrriet Tubman
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (R-Elite) has refused to say if the Trump administration would continue with plans to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
Mrs Tubman was an abolitionist who spied for the Union during the American Civil War. She would replace Andrew Jackson - the seventh US President and a populist well-regarded today by some on the American right - on the note.
He was also responsible for the brutal Indian Removal Act of 1830, under which tens of thousands of Native Americans were forcibly moved West from their ancestral lands,
During an interview with CNBC yesterday, Mr Mnuchin was asked about the change.
"People have been on the bills for a long period of time. This is something we'll consider. Right now, we have a lot more important issues to focus on."
Harrriet Tubman
Mom Challenges Theme Park
Disney
Disneyland Paris has apologized to a British mom after initially barring her 3-year-old son from its "Princess For A Day" experience because he is a boy.
On Tuesday, Hayley McLean-Glass wrote an open letter to the theme park explaining how she was told her son, Noah, would not be allowed to participate in the princess-themed makeover and photo shoot at the Disneyland Hotel.
"If there's such a thing as a 'Frozen' super fan, Noah is it," McLean-Glass, who hails from Devon, England, wrote in the letter, which she posted to her blog. "We have spent a small fortune in Disney items for him, he wears his beloved Elsa dress all day every day ... he even refuses to take it off at bedtime. He knows every single word to 'Let It Go' and all of the other 'Frozen' songs, he'd be able to stand on your stage in the 'Frozen' show and give your Elsa a run for her money, I'm sure!"
The "Princess For A Day" experience, McLean-Glass decided, would be the ideal Christmas gift for Noah, who would love nothing more "than to get to wear a pretty dress, put make up on like Mummy does and have his photo taken being one of his beloved Disney princesses." Unfortunately, McLean-Glass said she received a curt rejection from Disneyland Hotel staff when she inquired about signing Noah up for the activity.
"At this time," a staff member wrote in an email pasted to McLean-Glass' blog, "it is not possible to book 'Princess For A Day' for a boy."
The response, McLean-Glass said, seemed to reinforce gender stereotypes. "I can't help but wonder if the same rule would apply should you introduce an activity at your parks that is only for boys," she wrote. "If a little girl wants to be a super hero, she can be. If she wants to be a Jedi, she can be. She can be whatever she wants ... just like Walt Disney himself said, 'If you can dream it you can do it!'"
Disney
Thailand Seizes 136
Pangolins
Thai customs have confiscated 136 live pangolins, the world's most poached animal, and 450 kg (992 lb) of pangolin scales worth 2.5 million baht ($75,000), officials said on Thursday.
Authorities managed to intercept the smuggled pangolins which entered Thailand from Malaysia late on Wednesday after a tip-off.
Found only in Asia and Africa, the largely solitary and nocturnal pangolin, or "scaly anteater", is in high demand in countries like China and Vietnam, with their meat considered a delicacy and their scales used in folk remedies for ailments such as asthma, rheumatism and arthritis.
The 136 pangolins would be taken to a conservation area under the care of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
All eight of the world's species of pangolin, which range from 30 to 100 cm in length, are threatened with extinction.
Pangolins
Fox "News" Poll
T-rump
A majority of voters think Donald Trump (R-Crooked) is unstable, divisive and lacks steadiness, according to a new Fox News poll.
Seven months into a tumultuous presidency, most of the roughly 1,000 Americans surveyed disapproved Mr Trump's job performance thus far. His standing in the eyes of voters has eroded swiftly: the sole iteration of this poll in which most people approved of Mr Trump was in February. By March 51 per cent of voters disapproved versus 43 per cent who approved, a gap that only grown since.
Despite those broad reservations, members of Mr Trump's party generally gave him good marks. Strong majorities of Republicans called him a steady leader, stable and honest. And nearly all who voted for Mr Trump - 96 percent - were satisfied with their choice. And majorities of voters overall thought he was competent and a strong leader.
Long accustomed to lashing out at his opponents, Mr Trump is generally seen as a divisive figure, according to the poll. A majority said he was "tearing the country apart", with only a third saying he was "bringing the country together", though Republicans decisively believe he is bringing the country together. A majority of respondents said the president does not respect racial minorities.
T-rump
Billboard Goes Up
'Impeach Trump'
The groups leading a petition effort to encourage the U.S. Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump (R-Corrupt) had a billboard ad posted Thursday on the road that leads to the billionaire's Mar-a-Lago country club in Palm Beach, Florida.
The billboard is emblazoned with the campaign's website, ImpeachDonaldTrumpNow.org, and states: "No one is above the law. Not even the president."
The billboard is up on Southern Boulevard, which is one street that links directly to Trump's estate. He's often received criticism for spending too much time at Mar-a-Lago, as well as golfing and vacationing too often. Just recently, Trump wrapped up a 17-day "working vacation" at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
In a press release, the impeachment campaigners note that the billboard's purpose is to "remind" the Republican that "no one is above the law."
The campaign, which includes national groups like Free Speech for People and RootsAction.org, claims it does not want the president to profit from his time in office "at the expense of our democracy," and says a potential congressional impeachment investigation should focus on possible violations of the Emoluments Clause and on whether Trump has obstructed justice.
'Impeach Trump'
Icelanders Plan For Next Volcanic Eruption
Watching Katla
Sneeze next to the Katla volcano, goes the joke in this Icelandic village, and a seismologist in Reykjavik will analyze the disturbance.
After a summer of increased seismic activity at Katla, Icelanders are obsessing over the smallest sign of an eruption at the country's most closely watched volcano.
Katla last erupted in 1918. Never before in recorded history, dating back to the 12th century, have 99 years passed without an eruption from the volcano. Eight out of the last 10 eruptions at Katla have occurred between September and November, when glacial melting is believed to create conditions for the magma to burst forth.
Vik, a coastal hamlet known for its black sand beach and red-roofed concrete church, is prepared for the worst. In the event of an eruption, a text message will be sent to every mobile phone connected to the regional network. All 543 residents will know what to do - inform their neighbors - and where to go: the church, which is sheltered by the mountain.
Of Iceland's 30 active volcanoes, none is watched more closely than Katla. One of the nation's largest and most feared, Katla lies under glacial ice hundreds of meters (yards) thick, meaning that any eruption is likely to melt the ice and cause widespread flooding.
Watching Katla
Has Limits
Human Lifespan
Dutch researchers claimed Thursday to have discovered the maximum age "ceiling" for human lifespan, despite growing life expectancy because of better nutrition, living conditions and medical care.
Mining data from some 75,000 Dutch people whose exact ages were recorded at the time of death, statisticians at Tilburg and Rotterdam's Erasmus universities pinned the maximum ceiling for female lifespan at 115.7 years.
Men came in slightly lower at 114.1 years in the samples taken from the data which spans the last 30 years, said Professor John Einmahl, one of three scientists conducting the study.
Lifespan is the term used to describe how long an individual lives, while life expectancy is the average duration of life that individuals in an age group can expect to have -- a measure of societal wellbeing.
The Dutch findings come in the wake of those by US-based researchers who last year claimed a similar age ceiling, but who added that exceptionally long-lived individuals were not getting as old as before.
Human Lifespan
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. U2; $8,295,222; $115.99.
2. Coldplay; $7,780,885; $88.60.
3. Guns N' Roses; $6,037,026; $102.14.
4. Metallica; $4,529,263; $109.00.
5. Celine Dion; $3,571,852; $144.46.
6. Justin Bieber; $2,954,230; $90.92.
7. Depeche Mode; $2,933,439; $74.82.
8. Dead & Company; $1,934,271; $73.49.
9. Roger Waters; $1,687,985; $123.75.
10. Ed Sheeran; $1,639,747; $85.84.
11. Bruno Mars; $1,569,791; $79.74.
12. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers; $1,397,602; $88.71.
13. The Weeknd; $1,380,811; $90.42.
14. André Rieu; $1,379,920; $86.77.
15. Queen + Adam Lambert; $1,263,611; $96.89.
16. Neil Diamond; $1,261,587; $99.23.
17. Tim McGraw / Faith Hill; $1,180,935; $85.69.
18. Enrique Iglesias / Pitbull; $1,174,827; $90.94.
19. John Mayer; $1,095,819; $72.82.
20. Eric Church; $1,078,117; $67.14.
Global Concert Tours
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
