Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Helaine Olen: How Fox News accidentally revealed the truth about support for Medicare-for-all (Washington Post)
It was a moment so surreal, it seemed almost like a dream. During Fox News's Monday night town hall with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), host Bret Baier asked audience members how many had private health insurance. A large majority raised their hands. He then followed up by asking how many would like to see Medicare-for-all enacted. Almost all the same hands went up - remember, this was on Fox News! - with wild cheers to boot.
Paul Waldman: Trump's war on government is going swimmingly (Washington Post)
When Trump became president, he first made Mulvaney his White House budget director, and then put him in charge of the CFPB to boot. From the inside, Mulvaney set about destroying the agency he had long despised. He imposed a hiring freeze. He stopped enforcement of the Military Lending Act, which prevents payday lenders from exploiting military personnel. He stocked the agency with political appointees who shared his antipathy toward its mission. He stripped power from the office whose job it was to police discriminatory lending. And as Confessore describes, that was just the beginning: …
Garrison Keillor: Old man cautions against faith in probability
I flew back to Minneapolis for the mid-April snowstorm, as a true Minnesotan would do. Eight inches of snow instead of palms for Palm Sunday, God speaking to us: not to be missed. What caused it, of course, was over-enthusiasm at a 70-degree day, people setting out petunias, putting away snow shovels.
Steve Rose: How the symbol for extinction became this generation's peace sign (The Guardian)
The beautifully simple design is everywhere following the protests of Extinction Rebellion - but why are its origins still shrouded in mystery?
Steve Rose: "A pocketful of kryptonite: are superheroes dying out?" (The Guardian)
The end of several franchises leaves Spider-Man, Wonder Woman and Black Panther to pick up the pieces.
Ariane Todes: "The tuneful tramp: the forgotten musical genius of Charlie Chaplin" (The Guardian)
He rubbed shoulders with Stravinsky and dreamed up beautiful film scores in his sleep. So why don't we know more about Chaplin's love affair with song?
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Presenting
Michael Egan
responded:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
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Michelle in AZ
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• In October 2010, the Al-Zubaydi family came to the United States from Uzbekistan and opened the Babylon Restaurant in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. However, someone threw a 20-pound building stone through the restaurant's front window, frightening the family, who wondered if they are victims of a hate crime because the father of the family is from Iraq. To show support for the family, 40 to 50 United States veterans showed up to eat at the restaurant on 10 January 2012. Vietnam veteran Patrick Scanlon, a local coordinator of Veterans for Peace and a man who works with refugees from Iraq, said that after the stone-throwing incident, "I went over and met with them … and they were scared. It had achieved its goal of intimidation and fear." He added, "Something like that happens, it's almost like a statement from the society, as far as they're concerned. And, they don't know if there's other rock throwers out there … that are looking to harm them." A man confessed to throwing the rock. Lowell police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee said, "Unless this gentleman is lying to us - and I don't believe that he is - he didn't even know this restaurant was affiliated with people from Iraq." Mr. Scanlon is doubtful. He said, "Now you're caught, are you going to admit that, 'Yeah, it's a hate crime'? Why did he pick this one [building], that says 'Middle Eastern Iraqi food' on it?" Leyla Al-Zubaydi said about the veterans' "eat-in": "It was so awesome, you cannot even imagine. It was an honor for us to have them here and to see that support that they gave us."
• In the summer of 1938, Germany was already displaying great prejudice toward Jews. A publishing company that was preparing a German translator of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Hobbit wrote him to make sure that he had no Jewish ancestry. Mr. Tolkien was not an anti-Semite, so he wrote a flat reply to the publishing company in which he declined to reveal anything of his ancestry. However, he felt that he had an obligation not to do anything to hurt the profits of his publishing company, Allen & Unwin, and so he drafted another reply to the German publishing company: "[…] I regret that I am not clear as what you intend by arisch [Aryan]. I am not of Aryan extraction: that is Indo-Iranian; as far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of Jewish origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people." Mr. Tolkien then sent both replies to Allen & Unwin and let the publishing company choose which reply to send. The publishing company sent the flat refusal to give the German publishing company any information about Mr. Tolkien's ancestry. A German translation of The Hobbit did not appear in print until 1957.
• In 1972, Yale University invited many black musicians to its campus in order to raise money for an African-American music department. The invitees included Eubie Blake, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Max Roach, Noble Sissle, Willie (the Lion) Smith, and Mary Lou Williams. While Dizzy Gillespie was leading a sextet in a performance, someone called in a bomb threat. The other musicians moved outside to play, but Mr. Mingus declined to do that, saying, "Racism planted that bomb, but racism ain't strong enough to kill this music. If I'm going to die, I'm ready. But I'm going out playing 'Sophisticated Lady.'" Outside, Mr. Gillespie and other musicians played Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," but from inside the theater building, whose doors were open, Mr. Mingus played his bass.
• British humorist Israel Zangwill was very capable of wit. An anti-Semite once talked at excessive length during a dinner party about the desirability of the women of the island of Tahiti. Finally, Mr. Zangwill asked him whether he had noticed anything else of interest on the island. The anti-Semite looked down his nose at Mr. Zangwill and replied, "What struck me most of all is that there were no Hebrews and no pigs," "Is that so?" Mr. Zangwill said, "If you and I go there together, we shall make our fortunes." By the way, Scottish writer Andrew Lang once wrote him a letter asking him to take part in a benefit. Mr. Zangwill wrote back, "If. A. Lang will, I. Zangwill."
• Architect Frank Gehry was Jewish, and when he was serving in the US Army from 1954 to 1956, he occasionally ran into anti-Semitism. One Army sergeant called him by the slur "Kikey." Mr. Gehry complained to his company's commanding officer, who brushed off his complaint. Later, he complained to some officers he knew at the service club, and one officer told him, "Don't worry about it. Give me his name." Mr. Gehry did, and within three days the anti-Semitic sergeant learned that he had been transferred-to Alaska. When the sergeant told Mr. Gehry the news, Mr. Gehry replied, "I'm sure you'll find lots of kikes up there."
• Dick Clark loved music, and he loved the people who make music. During the Civil Rights Era, he used to take caravans of music stars through the South. Some of the stars were black, and some of the stars were white. Some venues told Mr. Clark that the white stars could perform there, but that the black stars could not perform there. Whenever that happened, Mr. Clark would cancel the entire concert, and then he and the stars would move on to the next venue.
• John Lewis, an African-American who was active during the Civil Rights Movement, suffered from prejudice while growing up in Pike County, Alabama. He was the son of sharecroppers, and when he went to the library to get a library card, the librarian told him that the library was for white people only. The story has a happy ending. He marched and helped get civil rights for his people, and he was elected to Congress. As an adult author, he went back to that same library for a book signing-and he got a library card.
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Sues Big Four Agencies
WGA
In a message to its members regarding today's lawsuit against the Association of Talent Agencies, the WGA West's board of directors said: "The WGA will continue to use all appropriate methods, including negotiation and litigation, to align agency interests with the interests of writers."
The WGA has filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the four major packaging agencies, accusing them of violating state and federal laws with respect to the fiduciary duties to their writer-clients.
Tony Segall, the general counsel for the Writers Guild of America, West, said during a press conference at WGAW headquarters in Los Angeles on Wednesday said the suit against CAA, WME, ICM Partners and UTA makes two claims: that packaging fees violate state fiduciary duty laws, and that those fees violate federal unfair competition laws.
Specifically, the suit cites the anti-kickback provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act. Under that law, representatives of an employee can't receive money from an employer, Segall said.
WGA
Another Record On 'Jeopardy!'
James Holzhauer
A professional sports gambler from Las Vegas has broken his own single-episode winnings record on "Jeopardy!"
James Holzhauer won $131,127 during a show aired Wednesday night, breaking the record that viewers saw him set last week.
Due to the game show's taping schedule, the records were actually set one day apart, with Holzhauer's new high score occurring on Feb. 12.
Wednesday's win marks the 10th consecutive win for the 34-year-old Holzhauer. Before his run, the previous episode record was $77,000 and was set by Roger Craig in 2010.
James Holzhauer
'Life of Brian'
Monty Python
Celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the Monty Python comedy classic "Life of Brian" are being somewhat overshadowed by the health news of member Terry Jones.
Jones is "very robust" although "on the downhill slope" due to dementia, according to his friend and colleague Michael Palin. Jones was diagnosed in 2015 with a form of dementia that impairs the ability to speak.
"I go and see him and the great satisfaction is just to get a reaction; sadly, he doesn't speak much. But I read him some stuff that we'd written together a long, long time ago and Terry actually started to laugh at it, and he laughed only at the bits that he'd written," Palin recalled in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
"Life of Brian," which Jones directed, is being feted with a worldwide re-release on Thursday. It is among the group's revered 45 TV comedy episodes, five films and a blockbuster Broadway musical.
When "Life of Brian" came out four decades ago, it was a huge hit, but also stirred controversy because of its plotline: It was about a man named Brian Cohen who was born in the stables next to Jesus and mistaken for the Messiah. Palin played Pontius Pilate with a speech impediment.
Monty Python
Still Names Jar Jar Binks His Favorite
George Lucas
Jar Jar Binks is widely considered one of the weakest characters in the entire "Star Wars" franchise, but George Lucas doesn't seem to care. In a pre-taped video message that aired during Star Wars Celebration ahead of the 20th anniversary panel for "The Phantom Menace," Lucas once again surprised fans by naming the polarizing Jar Jar as his favorite "Star Wars" character of all time. A source of comic relief in "The Phantom Menace," Jar Jar was inspired by Disney's Goofy and made history as the first fully CGI character in a live-action movie.
"Thank you for coming to the Celebration," Lucas said his introduction video. "['The Phantom Menace'] is one of my favorite movies and of course Jar Jar is my favorite character. Ahmed [Best], you did a fantastic job. It was very, very hard."
Lucas continued. "Also for John Knoll and all the guys at ILM, I made it impossible for them. We broke a lot of ground. We were using test equipment but it was the beginning of digital, even though we didn't get to shoot the whole thing digitally, we got to shoot part of it so it was really one of the first digital features and I'm very proud of that. The fans are always such a big part of these films and obviously those of you who are here are the fans of Episode 1 and I love each and every one of you."
Ahmed Best was starring in a production of Stomp when he auditioned for Jar Jar Binks. The character earned a lot backlash from fans and critics after his debut in "The Phantom Menace," so much so that Best became the target of cyberbullying and death threats. In a social media post published last summer, Best revealed the blowback he received for playing the character led him to contemplate suicide.
Best went on to reprise Jar Jar in "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith," albeit in a smaller capacity and with much less screen time. "Phantom Menace" officially celebrates its 20th anniversary on May 19.
George Lucas
Scientists Revive Brain Function
Pigs
Scientists have managed to restore cell function in the brains of pigs hours after they died, in a breakthrough Wednesday that experts said threw into question the very notion of what makes animals -- or even humans -- alive.
Authors of the US-based study said their research could one day be used to help treat victims of heart attacks and strokes and unravel the mysteries of brain trauma.
In human and large mammal brains, cells crucial for neural function begin to degrade as soon as blood supply is cut -- a process long considered to be irreversible.
But the findings of the trial, published in the journal Nature, show that the brains of pigs can have their blood flow and cell function restored even hours after death.
The results were astonishing: the brains that received the artificial blood had basic cell function restored. Their blood vessel structure was revived, and the team even observed some localised processes -- including in synapses and immune responses -- flickering back to life.
Pigs
Scared of Orcas
Great White Sharks
Just when you think orcas couldn't possible be any more awesome, they get even better. New evidence shows these whales are really good at scaring off the most feared beast in the sea. Yep. Orcas have toppled the great white shark off their 'apex predator' throne.
A team of marine scientists has found that great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) will make themselves extremely scarce whenever they detect the presence of orcas (Orcinus orca).
The team collected data from two sources: the comings and goings of 165 great white sharks GPS tagged between 2006 and 2013; and 27 years of population data of orcas, sharks and seals collected by Point Blue Conservation Science at Southeast Farallon Island off the coast of San Francisco.
The team also documented four encounters between great white sharks and orcas in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, which they could then analyse against the other data.
The data revealed that whenever orcas showed up in the region - as in, every single time - the sharks made a swift exit, stage left, and stayed away until the next season. They would choof off within minutes, even when the orcas only hung around for less than an hour.
Great White Sharks
Has A Solid Inner Core
Mercury
Scientists have long known that Earth and Mercury have metallic cores. Like Earth, Mercury's outer core is composed of liquid metal, but there have only been hints that Mercury's innermost core is solid. Now, in a new study, scientists report evidence that Mercury's inner core is indeed solid and that it is very nearly the same size as Earth's solid inner core.
Some scientists compare Mercury to a cannonball because its metal core fills nearly 85 percent of the volume of the planet. This large core -- huge compared to the other rocky planets in our solar system -- has long been one of the most intriguing mysteries about Mercury. Scientists had also wondered whether Mercury might have a solid inner core.
The findings of Mercury's solid inner core, published in AGU's journal Geophysical Research Letters, help scientists better understand Mercury but also offer clues about how the solar system formed and how rocky planets change over time.
"Mercury's interior is still active, due to the molten core that powers the planet's weak magnetic field, relative to Earth's," said Antonio Genova, an assistant professor at Sapienza University of Rome who led the research while at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Mercury's interior has cooled more rapidly than our planet's. Mercury may help us predict how Earth's magnetic field will change as the core cools."
To figure out what Mercury's core is made of, Genova and his colleagues had to get, figuratively, closer. The team used several observations from NASA's MESSENGER mission to probe Mercury's interior. The researchers looked, most importantly, at the planet's spin and gravity.
Mercury
Botswana Shows Off Blue Diamond
Okavango Blue
Botswana's state-owned Okavango Diamond Company displayed a 20-carat gemstone on Wednesday that it said was the largest blue diamond ever discovered in the country, one of the world's top producers of natural stones.
Blue diamonds are sought after for their colour and rarity. The 45-carat Hope Diamond is probably the best known.
The company, known as ODC, announced the discovery of the Okavango Blue, a polished oval-cut stone, at an event in Botswana's capital, Gaborone. It said the stone was graded "fancy blue" with VVS2 clarity, meaning that it contains only minute imperfections.
The Okavango Blue was discovered last year at the Orapa mine, operated by Debswana, a joint venture between Anglo American's De Beers and Botswana.
Debswana produced 24.1 million carats of diamonds in 2018, a 6 percent jump from the previous year, and is the largest contributor to the government's budget.
Okavango Blue
Helps Pinpoint
Ancient Pee Stains
Early human settlers relieving themselves more than 10,000 years ago probably did not think their pee stains would make a splash for the ages, but they may have done exactly that.
Archaeologists have begun using the salty residue of Neolithic urine to understand exactly when humanity switched from being primarily hunters to herding animals and living together in larger settlements.
Samples from the Asikli Höyük settlement in Turkey show how the population exploded around 10,000 years ago.
The earliest evidence of human habitation at the sites dates back to around 10,400 years ago, but the urine salts in the soil remained relatively scarce in this period.
However samples taken around the "Neolithic revolution" between 10,000-9,700 years ago, show the level of urine salts in the soil were around 1,000 times higher.
Ancient Pee Stains
In Memory
Monkey Punch
The Japanese manga artist and scholar known as Monkey Punch has died at age 81, according to Japanese press reports and confirmed by stateside friends and associates within the art and academic communities. The creator of the popular manga Lupin III was born as Kazuhiko Kato in the village of Kiritappu in Hamanaka in May 1937 but it was his colorful pen name that followed him throughout the illustrious career he began in the 1960s.
Monkey Punch died on April 11 in Sakura when he succumbed to pneumonia, according to press reports. The artist spent his late career in academic pursuits. In 2005 he took a professorship at Otemae University in Manga Animation studies and in 2010 he joined the Tokyo University of Technology faculty as a visiting professor. The venerable storyteller was presented with a special Tokyo Anime Award in 2015. Two years later, he marked the 50th anniversary of his signature creation, Lupin III, which made its premiere in 1967 in the pages of Weekly Manga Action.
The title character is a master thief named Arsène Lupin III who brings a notorious heritage to his vocation - he is presented as the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the "gentleman thief" who had been introduced five decades earlier by French author Maurice Leblanc. Young Kato immersed himself in Leblanc's vintage tales and hatched the idea of a third-generation heir to the Lupin legacy as a manga protagonist.
Wrapping his anti-hero in a flashy red jacket, the young manga illustrator incorporated elements of James Bond into his new creation and based supporting characters on actors (like James Coburn) or Western pop culture influences (among them Mad Magazine, Hitchcock films, Popeye and pin-up girl art). Lupin III (often accompanied by his small but elite crew of specialists) is pursued by Inspector Koichi Zenigata of Interpol, the dutiful detective who doggedly pursues slippery quarry.
The editors liked the premise only enough to give young Kato's creation a three-month residency in the weekly anthology. Those plans changed when the reader reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Lupin III and its cocky central character would venture far beyond the page, yielding two live-action feature films and nine theatrically released anime films (including Lupin III: Dead or Alive in 1996, which was directed by Monkey Punch himself). There have been a long list of animated television series and specials, as well as video games and a musical. Monkey Punch was also awarded the Inkpot Award at International Comic-Con in San Diego.
Monkey Punch
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