Recommended Reading
from Bruce
The strange case of the 'time travel' murder (BBC)
A woman's body is found in London. DNA turns up a hit, yet the suspect apparently died weeks before the alleged victim. Here, forensic scientist Dr Mike Silverman tells the story of one of the strangest cases of his career.
Robert Evans, Anonymous: 5 Insane Realities Behind the Scenes of a Weight Loss Ad (Cracked)
As a young non-union actor starting out in a big city, sometimes you have to do shameful things in back alleys or run around naked for no pay in order to work your way up in the business. I did neither. I did something far worse, and of my own volition. I lied, I abused my body, and I psychologically abused thousands of others. That's right: I was in a weight loss infomercial.
"George Carlin Quote Bastardized on Facebook by Heartland Institute (Updated)" (DailyKos)
April 28 update: Heartland Institute APOLOGIZED, and took down the offending meme! Details here: Heartland Institute Backpedals on George Carlin Bastardized Quote-Meme!
Mark Morford: Rich white thugs, begone (SF Gate)
Let's not get crazy. Let's not take the NBA's rather surprising and (cautiously) encouraging smackdown of racist billionaire team owner Donald Sterling - a member, mind you, of the most inbred, powerfully entrenched clubs in history, humans who've quite literally gotten away with murder since the dawn of American capitalism (hi, Koch Brothers) as anything other than what it likely is - as rare as an abortion clinic in Texas, as precious as a good book in Idaho.
Annalee Newitz: Hey Star Wars -- Where the Hell Are the Women? (io9)
This morning we all delighted in the casting announcement for Star Wars VII. And then the reality set in: There is only one new female character being added to what is arguably the world's most beloved mythic series. It's as if 51 percent of the population cried out in pain, and was suddenly silenced.
Tiny Hamsters Eating Tiny Burritos - Episode 1 (YouTube)
Sometimes love is best expressed through tiny food.
James Baker: One Flew Off to CUCKOO'S NEST
Jamie Baker was one of these animation factory workers before he went on to work on projects like UP and Finding Nemo, and his account of working in a Taiwanese animation factory in the 80s entitled One Flew Off To CUCKOO'S NEST is entertaining to read, reveals much about the process of making an animated show happen, and may be a bit disheartening to budding animators who hope to someday land a job in the industry.
New York City then & now: Famous Daily News photos brought back to life (NY Daily News)
Many of the places, stories and lives lived by New Yorkers who have come before us are still alive and well, but locked in photography archives. Check out these photos that blend places in New York City's past with their present ...
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
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David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
"Doug's Most Shared Facebook Post" Today
wrote:
, said:
replied:
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Suggestion
Pennsylvania Dialects
Hi Marty, thought you might enjoy this.
Yinz! Pennsylvania has five different dialects. Most states have only 2.
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
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
Unpleasantly hot.
Distinguished Public Service Medal
William Shatner
NASA saluted Captain Kirk over the weekend, giving William Shatner the Distinguished Public Service medal, the space agency's highest award for civilians.
The 83-year-old Canadian actor played Captain James Tiberius Kirk, one of TV's most beloved space pioneers, who commanded the starship USS Enterprise in NBC's "Star Trek" from 1966 to 1969. In real life, Shatner has been a vocal advocate of science education and space exploration.
"William Shatner has been so generous with his time and energy in encouraging students to study science and math, and for inspiring generations of explorers, including many of the astronauts and engineers who are a part of NASA today, " David Weaver, NASA's associate administrator for the Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement.
Shatner accepted the honor Saturday evening (April 26) in Los Angeles at his Hollywood Charity Horse Show, an annual event in which he raises money for children's causes, NASA officials said.
NASA and the Star Trek franchise forged a mutual admiration society a long time ago. References to NASA and its programs were written into Star Trek storylines throughout the TV series and films. Originally called Constitution, NASA's space shuttle prototype was named Enterprise in honor of Star Trek.
William Shatner
Cast Announced
'Star Wars'
The original "Star Wars" movie blasted its way onto screens a long time ago, in a cinema galaxy seemingly far, far away -- but Han, Luke and Leia will be back soon.
Disney has announced the cast of the film just now entering production under the name "Star Wars: Episode VII", after months of frenzied speculation among the sci-fi saga's passionate fans.
At 71, Harrison Ford may no longer have space smuggler Han Solo's roguish good looks and thick head of hair. And 62-year-old co-star Mark Hamill will fill out Luke Skywalker's flowing Jedi robes a little more thoroughly than he once did.
Disney, the new owner of pioneering director George Lucas' record-breaking franchise, has recruited blockbuster director J.J. Abrams to bring these fan favorites back to the screen.
'Star Wars'
Energy Self-Sufficient
El Hierro
The smallest and least known of Spain's Canary Islands, El Hierro, is making a splash by becoming the first island in the world fully energy self-sufficient through combined water and wind power.
A wind farm opening at the end of June will turn into electricity the gusts that rake the steep cliffs and green mountains of the volcanic island off the Atlantic coast of Africa.
Its five turbines installed at the northeastern tip of El Hierro near the capital Valverde will have a total output of 11.5 megawatts -- more than enough power to meet the demand of the island's roughly 10,000 residents and its energy-hungry water desalination plants.
Surplus power from the wind turbines will be used to pump fresh water from a reservoir near the harbour to a larger one at volcanic crater located about 700 metres (2,300 feet) above sea level.
When there is little or no wind, the water will be channelled down to the lower reservoir through turbines to generate electricity in turn.
El Hierro
High Prices
Limes
Every time a bartender at trendy Los Angeles fusion eatery Luna Park squeezes a shot of lime into a drink these days, owner Peter Kohtz says he winces a little.
Luna Park, known for its large selection of craft cocktails, is one of thousands of restaurants from coast to coast that have fallen victim to the Great Green Citrus Crisis of 2014 - a severe shortage of limes that has meant that the fruit has skyrocketed in price in recent weeks.
A case of 200 or so fetches between $80 and $130 now, up from about $15 last year - the result of a perfect storm of circumstances from citrus disease that struck Florida in 2001 and wiped out most lime groves to the increasing reach of drug cartels to disrupt supplies in Mexico, the biggest U.S. supplier.
The cost might not seem like that big of a deal until one realizes that it's lime juice that's squeezed into every margarita, mojito or mai tai. It's also lime that's chopped up and mixed with fresh fish to create ceviche. It's lime, mixed with avocado, that makes up guacamole - a mainstay at every Mexican restaurant.
Limes
Gets His Facts Wrong
Fat Tony
Supreme Court opinions are rarely susceptible to the kind of fact-checking that reporters usually employ on politics. But Justice Antonin Scalia's hearty dissent in an environmental case Tuesday contained such a glaring error of fact - misreporting an earlier case in which Scalia himself wrote the majority opinion - that the justice changed the opinion. The court quietly posted the corrected version on its website without notice.
With the flourish that is typical of his prose, Scalia launched a lengthy attack on the Environmental Protection Agency and his colleagues on the court who ruled that EPA has the authority to put in place a regulation aimed at reducing air pollution from power plants that the wind carries into other states. Scalia took the unusual step of reading a summary of his dissent in court Tuesday.
The mistake in Scalia's opinion concerned one section of about a page and a half in which he contended that EPA was again asking for the authority to weigh costs against benefits in determining how large a reduction in emissions it mandates. "Plus ça Change: EPA's Continuing Quest for Cost-Benefit Authority," read the section heading. "Plus ça change" is the start of a French phrase that means "the more things change, the more they stay the same."
Scalia went on to say the case "is not the first time EPA has sought to convert the Clean Air Act into a mandate for cost-effective regulation." He cited as authority the high court's 2001 decision in Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, in which the court said that such an analysis was not allowed under a section of the landmark anti-pollution law. The author was Scalia.
The problem is that it was the trucking group, not the EPA, that wanted the agency to use a cost-benefit analysis.
Fat Tony
When Racists Attack
Don Lemon
CNN's Don Lemon recently called drug-addled, viagra-dependent, sex tourist Rush Limbaugh a "stunt king" for saying that LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling was in so much trouble because he hadn't donated enough money to President Obama.
In response, Limbaugh pigboy (R-Waddling Abomination), with talent supposedly on loan from god, randomly brought up the fact that Lemon is gay.
"Well, over at CNN, they interpreted that to mean that I was defending Sterling!" he said on Tuesday. "How did they get there? I don't know how they get there. Erin Burnett played the sound bite and then went to Mr. Black Hole himself, Don Lemon-who sleeps with men, proudly-for comment."
He went on to say that he had been joking about the Obama stuff.
Don Lemon
Fox News Denies
Shepard Smith
After tweaking anchor Shepard Smith's newsroom duties last year, Fox News has denied allegations that the changes were a result of Smith asking to come out as gay.
A story published by Gawker Wednesday alleges that Smith was taken off of the primetime-aired "Fox Report" after attending Fox News topper Roger Ailes' annual Fourth of July picnic with his reported boyfriend. Gawker's story reports that around the same time, Smith was renegotiating his contract with the network and that he had asked Ailes for the go-ahead to publicly acknowledge his sexuality.
In a joint statement, Ailes and Smith called the story "100% false and a complete fabrication."
Smith was named managing editor of the cabler's news division last year and his "Studio B" program, airing at 3 p.m., was renamed "Shepard Smith Reporting."
He has been at the cable news network since 1996.
Shepard Smith
President Signs Polygamy Law
Kenya
A law allowing men in Kenya to marry as many women as they want was signed into law Tuesday by President Uhuru Kenyatta, despite criticism from women's groups.
A statement from the presidency confirmed that the bill, which it said "consolidates various laws relating to marriage", had been signed into law.
The initial bill had given a wife the right to veto the husband's choice, but male members of parliament overcame party divisions to push through a text that dropped this clause.
"When you marry an African woman, she must know the second one is on the way, and a third wife... this is Africa," MP Junet Mohammed told the house during debate on the bill.
Women are not allowed to marry more than one man.
Kenya
Almost Here
'Post-Antibiotic Era'
Get ready to crawl into a hole, forever: Gonorrhea, urinary tract infections, and pneumonia are just some of the infectious diseases that are becoming resistant to antibiotics, a new report finds. The newly-released World Health Organization document finds that in every region of the world, the growing rate of antimicrobial and antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to human health. Minor infections that were once considered beaten could kill again, and lengthier stays in hospitals and higher healthcare costs are a near-guarantee.
We no longer have to wait to live in a world where antibiotic resistance routinely fails, because we're already there and heading in a "post-antibiotic era," according to Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general for health security. Serious, potentially fatal diseases including diarrhea, blood infections (sepsis), pneumonia, and (take a deep breath here) urinary tract infections and gonorrhea are all becoming resistance to antibiotics, even the "last resort" antibiotics used when all else fails. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics are to blame, including instances where people don't finish a course of treatment, allowing germs to linger - which can be worse than never taking the antibiotics at all.
Reports of resistance to UTI medicine are particularly alarming because it has happened so quickly. When UTI medicine was first introduced in the 1980s, resistance to them was "virtually zero"; now, there are parts of the world where treatment is basically ineffective, the WHO said. When more than 1 million people are infected with gonorrhea everyday, pause for a moment to think about the fact that treatment for the disease has failed for more than half of patients in several countries in recent years, including Canada, France, and the U.K. In 2011, gonorrhea was the second most commonly reported infection, with 322,000 cases, reports Maggie Fox at NBC News.
To tackle resistance, WHO suggests taking antibiotics only when prescribed, taking them for the full course prescribed, and not sharing antibiotics or using leftover prescriptions. But staying inside and avoiding all human contact forever is also another option to consider.
'Post-Antibiotic Era'
Death-Scene Note
Kurt Cobain
A note found in Kurt Cobain's wallet at the time of his death, made public by the Seattle Police Department for the first time this week, mocks wedding vows the Nirvana frontman made to Courtney Love.
The undated, handwritten note, obtained by CBS News through a public information request, begins: "Do you Kurt Cobain take Courtney Michelle Love to be your lawful shredded wife," accusing Love of "siphoning all" of Cobain's money.
The note was written on stationery from San Francisco's Phoenix Hotel. The handwriting appears to match that of a suicide note also found at the scene. In that note, Love is referred to as a "goddess" who "sweats ambition and empathy."
Last month, the Seattle Police Department released recently developed photos taken at Cobain's home - including images of a suicide note, drug paraphernalia and his wallet - part of what authorities said was a "re-examination" of his death.
Kurt Cobain
Has the Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.
California
Forty-seven percent of Americans live in counties with unhealthy rates of ozone or particle pollution, according to the annual American Lung Association's State of the Air report, and nearly three-out-of-four Californians are living in polluted cities.
The report, which uses the most recent EPA data on ozone and particle pollution, finds that the level of particle pollution (which can cause lung cancer) has gone down overall from 2010-2012, but that ozone pollution has spiked.
Even though the report marks an improvement in air quality over previous years, the findings seem objectively dismal. Per the study, 8.9 percent of U.S. citizens live in the most polluted American cities and 22 out of the 25 most ozone-polluted cities had more high ozone days on average than in 2013. In California, the Los Angeles Times reports, 77 percent of state residents live in counties with unhealthy air.
Not surprisingly, the most polluted areas include the country's densely-populated metropolises. The report ranked the 25 most polluted areas in each of three categories: highest ozone levels, most year-round particle pollution, and most short-term particle pollution. Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago appeared on each list, as did Fresno and Pittsburgh. Los Angeles was the worst city in terms of ozone pollution overall, followed by Visalia, Bakersfield and Fresno, respectively. The top (or lowest) four spots in terms of both year-round and short-term particle pollution were filled by Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield and LA, respectively.
California
In Memory
Al Feldstein
Al Feldstein, whose 28 years at the helm of Mad magazine transformed the satirical publication into a pop culture institution, has died. He was 88.
Feldstein died Tuesday at his home in Livingston, according to the Franzen-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory. No cause of death was released.
In 1956, publisher William M. Gaines put Feldstein in charge of the magazine, which gleefully parodied politicians and mocked traditional morality.
Feldstein and Gaines assembled a pool of artists and writers who turned out such enduring features as "Spy vs. Spy," ''The Lighter Side of..." and "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions."
Building on a character used by Mad founding editor Harvey Kurtzman, Feldstein turned the freckle-faced Alfred E. Neuman into an underground hero - a dimwitted everyman with a gap-toothed smile and the recurring stock phrase, "What, Me Worry?"
Neuman's character was used to skewer any and all, from Santa Claus to Darth Vader, and more recently in editorial cartoonists' parodies of President George W. Bush.
"The Portable Mad," a compilation of magazine highlights edited by Feldstein in 1964, gives a picture of the typical Mad features that year. Among its offerings: "Some Mad Devices for Safer Smoking" (including a "nasal exhaust fan" and "disposable lung-liner tips"); "The Mad Academy Awards for Parents" (one nominee does her "And THIS is the thanks I get!" routine); "The Lighter Side of Summer Romances"; and "Mad's Teenage Idol Promoter of the Year" (which skewers Elvis Presley and the Beatles.)
By Feldstein's retirement in 1984, Mad's heyday was past: Circulation had dropped to less than a third of its peak.
Feldstein moved West, first to Wyoming and later Montana. From a horse and llama ranch north of Yellowstone National Park, he ran a guest house and pursued his "first love" - painting wildlife, nature scenes and fantasy art and entering local art contests.
Born in 1925, Feldstein grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. He found early success as an artist a World's Fair contest for children and later trained at Manhattan's High School of Music and Art and Brooklyn College.
He got his first job in comics as a teenager, drawing background foliage for "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle," which starred a female version of Tarzan.
Feldstein served a stint in the military at the end of World War II, painting murals and drawing cartoons for Army newspapers. After his discharge, he freelanced for various comics before landing at Entertainment Comics.
Feldstein's survivors include his wife, Michelle, stepdaughter Katrina Oppelt, her husband, and two grandsons, the funeral home said.
Al Feldstein
In Memory
Bob Hoskins
British actor Bob Hoskins, known for his roles in films including "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", has died at the age of 71 following a bout of pneumonia, his family said Wednesday.
The gruff Londoner, who rose to fame in British gangster films in the 1980s and went on to have a long career as a Hollywood character actor, died in hospital on Tuesday night, they said in a statement.
Hoskins, who was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his role in "Mona Lisa" in 1986, retired from acting in 2012 after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Bob, " said a statement from his wife Linda and the couple's two children Rosa and Jack, and Hoskins's two children from his first marriage, Alex and Sarah.
Hoskins left school at the age of 15 and claimed he only got his break in acting by accident, after being mistakenly called for a theatre audition.
He began as a television actor and broke through into film with his portrayal of a doomed London gangster in "The Long Good Friday" in 1980, which won him a Bafta nomination.
One of his best known roles was as the detective trying to work out "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", the eponymous cartoon hero, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1989.
More recent success came with a Globe nomination for "Mrs Henderson Presents" with Judi Dench, while his last role was one of the seven dwarves in the film "Snow White and the Huntsman", starring "Twilight" actress Kristen Stewart.
Bob Hoskins
In Memory
Bassem Sabry
Bassem Sabry, one of Egypt's most respected bloggers and a democracy advocate who chronicled the country's turmoil since the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak, has died. He was 31.
Sabry, a political columnist for a number of Egyptian and international media, won praise for his balanced analysis even amid the deep polarization that has divided Egypt over the past three years, particularly after massive protests last summer led to the military's removal of Islamist Mohammed Morsi, the first elected president after Mubarak's fall.
At a time when many in Egyptian media were ferociously praising the military's move, Sabry - while deeply critical of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood - raised concerns over the possible return of a police state in Egypt amid a bloody crackdown on Morsi's Islamist supporters.
Sabry died from an accidental fall from the balcony of a Cairo high-rise, according to security officials and media reports.
The cause of the fall was not immediately known, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with police regulations. The state-run Al-Ahram daily said he fell after suffering a diabetic coma while inspecting an apartment under construction. One of Sabry's friends, screenwriter Sheriff Neguib, said Sabry had suffered from diabetes-related sickness lately but that the circumstances of his fall were still not clear.
Sabry, who wrote in English and Arabic, contributed to Al-Monitor, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy and the Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, as well as kept a blog, titled "An Arab Citizen."
Bassem Sabry
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