Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Crazy Climate Economics (NY Times)
How environmentalism became a Marxist plot.
Roxane Gay: Beyoncé's control of her own image belies the bell hooks 'slave' critique (Guardian)
Women have to believe that we can hold different points of view without labeling each other bad feminists.
Michael Malice: Subway break-dancers are a scourge. Even Barnum let his suckers leave (Guardian)
New York City's subway dance crews are the biggest assholes in a city full of them.
David Rosenberg: Looking at the Ordinary and Extraordinary Life of Andy Warhol (Slate)
One of the great paradoxes of New York City is its penchant for change coupled with a romance for nostalgia.
Cruising (Vimeo)
Based on a true story, CRUISING follows a young man through an extrovert's dream and an introvert's nightmare; the chaotic and cacophonous world of forced-fun aboard an insular cruise ship. His initial inability to accept his environment drives him to suicidal fantasy, where he learns to cope with his stressors, discomfort and anxieties.
"Mommy Rhapsody (Mother's Day Opening 2010)" (YouTube)
This is how we kicked off our Mother's Day service at Church on the Move this year!
Joel Stice: 12 Things You Might Not Know About 'Sixteen Candles' To Celebrate Its 30th Anniversary (Uproxx)
The film that kicked off the John Hughes 1980s teen comedy streak is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Sixteen Candles put so well into perspective the emotional aggravations and insecurities that come with being a teenager. It also, of course, made huge stars out of Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. Plus, it gave us the line, "no more yanky my wanky." That's gotta be up there with anything from The Godfather or Casablanca, right?
L.V. Anderson: "You're Doing It Wrong: Smoothies" (Slate)
Bon Appétit suggests that you add coconut water and whey protein. I suggest that you stop caring about how healthy your smoothie is, and instead focus on making it as delicious as possible.
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 approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
DJ Useo Suggests
Toy Break
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
David E Suggests
David
Thanks, Dave!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Recommendation
carnegie hall
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
Hot, dry, and windy - quite unpleasant.
Pretending To Back Down
FCC
Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler's (R-Comcast) plan to let ISPs charge content providers more money to make sure that their traffic gets delivered more quickly is probably not the most popular idea. In fact, it's not only provoked an outcry from pro-net neutrality advocates but has also led to protests from congressmen, major tech firms and venture capitalists who do a lot of work with tech startups. Because of this backlash, it seems that Wheeler is signaling an intention to back down: The Wall Street Journal reports that the FCC is "revising proposed rules for regulating broadband Internet, including offering assurances that the agency won't allow companies to segregate Web traffic into fast and slow lanes."
However, just because Wheeler is signaling an intention to back down, that doesn't mean that he actually is. The Journal's sources say that Wheeler's newest plan "is sticking to the same basic approach but will include language that would make clear that the FCC will scrutinize the deals to make sure that the broadband providers don't unfairly put non-paying companies' content at a disadvantage."
In other words, the new plan will still allow ISPs to strike deals with big players such as Google and Netflix to make sure that their content gets delivered on a fast lane while insisting that the FCC will have the right to make sure that these deals aren't putting competitors at a disadvantage. Basically, this is the exact same endgame as the one in Wheeler's original plan, only this time he's decided to add some more language to assure us that the plan really isn't supposed to do what he's designed it to do.
These kinds of cosmetic changes that Wheeler will reportedly propose aren't likely to quiet critics of the FCC's plan, but it is interesting to see that he at least feels some need to pretend to cave to outside pressure.
FCC
Judge Expresses Concerns
Casey Kasem
A judge on Monday ordered an investigation into the whereabouts of Casey Kasem after an attorney for the ailing radio personality's wife said the former "Top 40" host had been removed from Los Angeles without his children's knowledge.
Superior Court Judge Daniel S. Murphy ordered a court investigator and adult protective services to find out where Kasem is being treated and report back to the court. Kasem, 82, suffers from advanced Parkinson's disease, can no longer speak and has been in various medical facilities chosen by his wife, Jean Kasem.
Casey Kasem's children have complained that they have been unable to see their father in accordance with an agreement with their stepmother. Daughter Kerri Kasem had sought a temporary conservatorship and was appointed her father's temporary caretaker on Monday. Her attorney, Troy Martin, said the family believes the entertainer has been taken to an Indian reservation in Washington state.
Murphy's order came after Craig Marcus, an attorney who appeared on Jean Kasem's behalf at Monday's hearing, said he did not know where the radio personality was but that he was "no longer in the United States."
Marcus said in court that Jean Kasem had every right to move her husband as she saw fit. He argued that Murphy no longer had jurisdiction over Casey Kasem because he had been moved, but the judge rejected the argument.
Casey Kasem
Only Money Matters
Rich White Guys
For a few days in March, the American Enterprise Institute welcomed scores of business and political leaders to a private annual meeting at a resort on the Georgia coast. But only those who attended know what issues were discussed, strategy planned or promises made.
That's because the ground rules for the invitation-only meeting required the participants' confidentiality - even if some were elected leaders, discussing the public's business.
An impressive array of power attended the conservative think tank's World Forum 2014, according to a printed program first disclosed in late April by the Center for Public Integrity: House Speaker John Boehner and other Republican congressional leaders; potential 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; Apple CEO Tim Cook; beer magnate Pete Coors; TD Ameritrade founder-turned-billionaire-conservative activist Joe Ricketts; and executives from multiple venture vulture-capital firms.
Similar events occur across the political spectrum giving powerful people with deep pockets face-to-face exchanges with national and state leaders that the average American cannot match.
And in early May, state lawmakers from around the country convened privately in Kansas City, Missouri, with business leaders as part of the corporately financed American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. The group's task forces met to write recommended bills on topics from education and tax law to environmental regulation, labor law and criminal justice that ALEC's legislative members will sponsor in their statehouses.
Rich White Guys
Unveils Schedule
fox
Fox will cut "American Idol" to one night for several weeks next spring, part of a reset for a struggling network that will have 12 new series in the coming year including the much-awaited "Batman" prequel "Gotham."
The network announced Monday that it will also break up its Sunday animation block by moving in the critical favorite "Brooklyn Nine Nine." Two of its Tuesday-night comedies will be replaced by an unscripted show that imagines people setting up a new society in an undeveloped area.
"American Idol" will air for some 37 hours next winter and spring, compared to the 50-plus hours that have been running for years, Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly said. After the initial auditions, the series will probably air a two-hour show once a week. The show's decline from television's biggest phenomenon to just another moderately successful series, combined with a failure to mint new hits, made this season a tough one for Fox.
Fox is canceling "Enlisted," ''Dads," ''Rake" and "Surviving Jack," ''Almost Human" and "The X-Factor."
fox
Decries Video Leak
The Standard Hotel
The Standard Hotel in New York City says it is investigating the leak of a security video that appears to show Beyonce's sister, Solange, attacking Jay Z.
Asked about the video on Monday by The Associated Press, the hotel issued a statement saying it is "shocked and disappointed that there was a clear breach of our security system."
TMZ posted the minute-long video Monday and said it was shot last week inside a Standard Hotel elevator. It appears to show Solange attacking Jay Z in Beyonce's presence. A security guard intervenes. There is no audio.
The celebrity site posted a longer, three-minute version of the video later Monday. Representatives for Beyonce, Jay Z and Solange didn't immediately reply to emails seeking comment.
The Standard Hotel
He's Better Than You
Vulture Capitalist
Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and now a prominent venture vulture capitalist, on Monday testified about his cutting access to a popular beach in a court case that calls into question a California tradition of open access to the state's famed coastline.
The lawsuit makes Khosla the latest in a line of Californian billionaires to clash with locals over their properties. Their dispute stems from Khosla's closure of an access road to a northern California property known as Martin's Beach, which is about 30 miles west of San Jose.
Khosla, known for his investments in clean technology, testified before Judge Barbara Mallach in San Mateo County Court on Monday that he could not recall (cough, cough) whether he knew public access to the beach must be preserved at the time he bought it.
In California, unlike in many other states, all beaches are open to the public under the constitution. But private landowners are not always required to allow access to the coastline across their properties.
Many disputes have arisen over the years, often involving wealthy beachfront homeowners. In the case of Martin's Beach, the previous owner had allowed locals to access the beach for a fee. But Khosla, who owns the land via limited liability corporations, closed off the access road and hired guards to keep people out, infuriating locals.
Vulture Capitalist
Chemicals Linked
Breast Cancer
Certain chemicals that are common in everyday life have been shown to cause breast cancer in lab rats and are likely to do the same in women, US researchers said Monday.
The paper in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives lists 17 chemicals to avoid and offers women advice on how to minimize their exposure.
They include chemicals in gasoline, diesel and other vehicle exhaust, flame retardants, stain-resistant textiles, paint removers, and disinfection byproducts in drinking water.
Some of the biggest sources of mammary carcinogens in the environment are benzene and butadiene, which can come from vehicle exhaust, lawn equipment, tobacco smoke and charred food.
Other concerns are cleaning solvents like methylene chloride, pharmaceuticals used in hormone replacement therapy, some flame retardants, chemicals in stain-resistant textiles and nonstick coatings, and styrene which comes from tobacco smoke and is also used to make Styrofoam, the study said.
Breast Cancer
All 200,000 Are Now Mapped
World's Glaciers
Researchers have now mapped all of the world's glaciers, which will allow them to better study the icy rivers, as well as estimate the effects of climate change on glaciers.
The researchers cataloged nearly 200,000 glaciers, although the exact number of known glaciers changes frequently because some small glaciers disappear, and large glaciers get fragmented, the researchers said.
Glaciers cover a total area of about 282,000 square miles (730,000 square kilometers) of Earth. And the inventory includes information about the location, extent and volume of every one.
The inventory is named the Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI), after one of the research group's meeting places in New Hampshire. More than 70 experts from more than 18 countries worked on the project, using satellite data on each glacier.
World's Glaciers
Wandering Wolf
OR-7
Oregon's famous wandering gray wolf, dubbed OR-7, may have found the mate he has trekked thousands of miles looking for, wildlife authorities said Monday. It's likely the pair spawned pups, and if confirmed, the rare predators would be the first breeding pair of wolves in the Oregon's Cascade Range since the early 1900s.
Officials said cameras in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in the southern Cascades captured several images of what appears to be a female wolf in the same area where OR-7's GPS collar shows he has been living.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist John Stephenson said it is not proof, but it is likely the two wolves mated over the winter and are rearing pups that would have been born in April. Biologists won't start looking for a den until June, to avoid endangering the pups.
Young wolves typically leave their pack and strike out for a new territory, hoping to find a mate and start a new pack.
OR-7 has been looking for a mate since leaving the Imnaha pack in northeastern Oregon in September 2011. His travels have taken him thousands of miles as he crossed highways, deserts and ranches in Oregon, moved down the spine of the Cascade Range deep into Northern California and then back to Oregon, all without getting shot, having an accident or starving.
OR-7
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