Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Not Always Learning
Funny & interesting student, teacher, parent, & staff school stories.
Scott Burns: "Medicare: Someone Is Going Broke" (AssetBuilder)
Will I have a doctor next year? I worry about that. You might worry a bit too, if you happen to be of Medicare age.
David Mitchell: Homer Simpson isn't a positive role model for kids? Eat my shorts… (Guardian)
A report criticising TV comedies for their negative depictions of fathers is at once joyless and opportunistic.
Henry Rollins: Kill Your Past (LA Weekly)
The past is the Jabberwock. Forget not the fallen, but beware the jaws and claws. With your vorpal blade going snicker-snack, kill the fucker, as you go galumphing on.
Deborah Orr: "A week ago, my mother died. The feeling of loss is unbearably intense" (Guardian)
She suffered hugely with her illness, and you'd think that would make it easier, knowing that her pain has ended. But it doesn't.
Interview by Viv Groskop: "Dawn French: 'I decided I'd pretend to be someone very confident'" (Guardian)
The comedian and author talks about new love, how to look self-assured, and her weakness for talent shows.
Neighbor paid an artist to sculpt a dragon into a tree that had to be cut down (Imgur)
Redditor Aboiement writes that his neighbor "paid an artist to sculpt a dragon into a tree that had to be cut down." Wonderful! And it's better than a guard dog. No one will dare try to rob a house protected by a dragon.
Jeff Rouitto: Knock on Wood
Driftwood sculptures
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.
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Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Spike Jensen
FOX NEWS 2028
Almost as popular as high fructose corn syrup was in years past, Fox News kinda owned cable news at one time in US history. I think they basically lapped the 2 other main competitors MSNBC and CNN in that first decade of the 2000's and didn't do too bad ratings wise in the first 8 of the second one. I am sure the late Rupert Murdoch really owed those few million Tea Party People (99% of which were Caucasian senior citizens) who bought into his business model 24/7 cuz no way he would have been able to spin off his news business from the entertainment side without them but like grapes, sour cream and him everything has an expiration date, I think it's called the circle of life as the bulk of their viewers are now looking up at mostly weeds above them. A bit of a downer for News Corps stockholders for sure but they had to have seen it coming after those now famous census figures were released way back in 2013. With white kids under 5 years old for the first time becoming a minority in this country, yep, this was really the canary in the mineshaft that knocked the wind out of all the remaining Murdoch family members still involved in the company. Who would have made this call back in the early 2000's when Dick Cheney was the wizard pushing all the buttons and no one could stop him or his lifeline Roger Ailes? When it was reported the Vice President had his people demand in riders that every hotel room he entered must be turned to FOX NEWS it looked like this country was headed towards a return to the heyday of the confederacy and I admit I was sorta freaked out. I guess the day things started to turn was the moment Glenn Beck tossed out his most famous race baiting grenade, stating "Barack Obama hates white people." Non-believers or at least agnostics punched back at FOX NEWS and Beck for sure. They basically shamed his sponsors into walking away or risk being slapped with the label of racist enabler. Soon he was gone to the internet only and though the ratings stayed strong for the network the next few years it was a definite kick to the nuts of Tea Party people everywhere.
After the passing of Bill O'Reilly nearly 3 years ago and the soon to be retiring Sean Hannity, the main man at this now fading news organization is clearly the puffy and sun damaged face of Eric Bolling. He personally had carried the network ("AR" or after O'Reilly), almost beating Al Jazeera America host and former teen idol Taylor Lautner in the 8:00 - 9:00 pm weekday slot but still was getting killed by every other news channel on the air. It was quite a come down for Bolling as he and his conserva posse had cleaned up in the first ten years of their show. Some have stated that when "liberal" stooge Bob Beckel quit the show in 2015 the viewer's left in droves. Apparently a large number of people tuned in to see this sad human piñata get slapped around each night and they deserted the program en masse when smarter replacements were offered up. Great television demands good vs. evil tension but even more important it helps a ton for a viewer to feel smarter than the dumb ass "liberal" on the tube and Beckel made that a sure thing by being quite possibly the laziest pundit in the history of TV. He was a sure thing and pure gold for FOX NEWS.
The current line-up of on air talent does lack the juice of the old days when just about anyone who was given a mic scared the crap out of democrats even thinking of running for national office. In that era many members of the opposition party (non-republican's) cried like babies when then head honcho Ailes would send out his crew of shapely blondes and ex frat boys to pound on anything or anyone not thought to be 100% conservative. They would tear into a 98% conservative if they even looked a little squishy on gun control, taxes and of course immigration reform. Guess they really believed 11 million Hispanic immigrants would self deport and everything would be rosy again just like Mitt Romney promised in his losing campaign of 2012. This last little issue of course did prove to be the match that lit their empire on fire. Watching their world go the way of Caesar's Rome was kind of enjoyable but still it seemed that even a moron understood their refusal to see the facts spray painted on the wall sealed the deal. I am pretty sure they could have stayed on top for a couple more years if they even pretended to care about someone other than the people whose distant relatives wore gray uniforms way, way back in time. You almost have to give them props for not selling out and still saying screw you to those who politely asked them to see both sides of the issue. I mean their motto of "Go Big Or Stay The Fuck Home" served them well for many years but times do change (see South Africa) and no one, even the Seattle Seahawks can win every Super Bowl each year. Sometimes the big bad bully gets taken down and the food chain is adjusted accordingly.
I hope conservatives understand that times do change and to return to the top of the heap again they will have to do some things differently now that they are like walking in the shoes of unicorns. The same old "love it or leave it" vibe doesn't sell anymore cuz it is about to be flipped on them and it going to be real ugly/fun to watch. I guess there's nothing like the reality of karma coming down hard to warm the heart of anyone with one. The next generation of FOX NEWS hosts will be different in many ways or they will surely become a regional news network in about 11 southern states. Time will tell how this story plays out so stay tuned. In the meantime my money is on either of the Castro twins from Texas over Chelsea Clinton in the Democratic Super Tuesday primaries coming up. Later.
FOX NEWS 2028 « My POV
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Less marine layer, more sun.
Visits Israel
Barbra Streisand
Entertainment star Barbra Streisand waded into one of Israel's touchiest issues Monday on the first major stop of her tour of the country - Jewish religious practices that separate men and women.
Speaking at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Monday, she took aim at cases of ultra-Orthodox Jews targeting women.
"It's distressing to read about women in Israel being forced to sit in the back of the bus," she said, "or when we hear about 'Women of the Wall' having metal chairs thrown at them when they attempt to peacefully and legally pray."
Streisand spoke at length of her admiration for Israel and the Hebrew University, which opened a building named after her father in 1984 after she donated money for its construction. She stressed the need for gender equality, praising the university for graduating a record number of female Ph.D. students this year, the first time that women made up a majority of the degree recipients.
Barbra Streisand
Monthlong Comedy Tour
Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle is making his most substantial return to stand-up comedy with a one-month tour for Funny Or Die.
The comedian will headline the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival, which kicks off Aug. 23 in Austin, Texas. The 13-date, two-stage tour concludes Sept. 22 in Phoenix.
The 39-year-old Chappelle has occasionally performed impromptu sets in comedy clubs. But he has largely avoided comedy and public life since abruptly leaving his hit Comedy Central series, "Chappelle's Show," in 2005.
Also on the bill are Flight of the Conchords, Hannibal Buress, Kristen Schaal and Al Madrigal.
Dave Chappelle
LA's Chinatown
Bruce Lee
Officials in Chinatown unveiled a 7-foot bronze statue of Bruce Lee to a crowd of several hundred in the historical Central Plaza on Saturday night.
The unveiling caps a five-year effort to bring the statue to Chinatown, said Shannon Lee, Bruce's daughter and the president of the Bruce Lee Foundation. The statue, created by an artist in Guangzhou, China, is the first such statue of her father in the United States, Shannon Lee said.
Though the statue will not be permanently installed until business leaders can raise $150,000 to put in seating and a concrete plinth, the timing was right for the unveiling, she said. This year is the 40th anniversary of her father's death, as well as Chinatown's 75th year. And Saturday was the day before Father's Day.
Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco's Chinatown, lived in Oakland and opened several martial-arts schools in Seattle's Chinatown. But he was a fixture in Los Angeles' Chinatown in the 1960s, opening a school on West College Street and working out at the Alpine Recreation Center. Lee stood out, jogging energetically around a neighborhood where almost no one did, Shannon Lee said.
Bruce Lee
Extensive Ancient City Unearthed By Airborne Laser
Angkor Wat
New airborne laser scanning data has uncovered a network of roadways and canals, illustrating an entire bustling ancient city linking Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temples complex.
The discovery was announced late Monday in a peer-reviewed paper released early by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The laser scanning shows a previously undocumented formal urban planned landscape integrating the 1,200 year old temples.
It's all obscured by dense forest.
Study lead author Damien Evans of the University of Sydney tells The Age of Australia in a video that it was a Eureka moment when the airborne lasers revealed the sudden and immediate picture of an entire city, with urban temples.
The airborne lasers also indicated that the civilization there eventually collapsed because of deforestation and broken reservoir systems.
Angkor Wat
Warner, Atlantic Sued
Unpaid Internships
A former intern filed a class-action lawsuit Monday against Warner Music Group and Atlantic Records over his unpaid internship, similar to a spate of recent lawsuits in other industries pushing back against the widespread practice.
In the filing in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, plaintiff Justin Henry says he was never paid for the office work he performed from October 2007 through May 2008 but should have been under state labor law.
The suit alleges there was no academic or vocational training as part of the internship, and that employees would have needed to be hired to do the work if Henry wasn't doing it for free. The suit claims Henry routinely worked more than 40 hours a week, but never got any overtime wages.
Although Henry is the only plaintiff, attorney Maurice Pianko said it was filed as a class-action suit because there could be others in the same position who decide to join.
Unpaid Internships
Released From Jail
Chad Johnson
A contrite Chad Johnson apologized Monday for disrespecting a judge when the former NFL star slapped his attorney on the backside in court last week and was released from jail after only a week instead of 30 days.
Broward County Circuit Judge Kathleen McHugh accepted Johnson's apology and cut back his jail term for a probation violation to the seven days he had already served since the rear-swatting. Johnson, a flamboyant wide receiver formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, said in court that he'd had time to think about why his flippant attitude was wrong - especially in a domestic violence case.
"I just wanted to apologize for disrespecting the court last time," said Johnson, wearing a tan jail jumpsuit with his hands shackled at the waist. "I apologize. I did have time to reflect on the mistakes I made in this courtroom."
Johnson walked out of jail shortly after 4 p.m. and was met by his attorney, Adam Swickle, and sports agent Drew Rosenhaus. Johnson told reporters he was thankful to McHugh because she was the first person to get him to slow down and think about the path his life was taking.
Chad Johnson
Won't Face Charges
Jeff Garlin
Prosecutors won't be filing charges of vandalism against "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actor Jeff Garlin after he was accused of smashing a car window in a dispute over a parking space.
Instead, the 51-year-old will receive a hearing at the Los Angeles city attorney's office where he will be advised about the law and how to avoid such incidents.
Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the city attorney, said Monday that Garlin's alleged actions did not reach the threshold for a criminal filing. Office hearings are frequently used in such cases to avoid a full-blown criminal case.
According to a police report, the dispute occurred in the parking lot of a Studio City CVS drugstore. Garlin was arguing with the driver of a Mercedes and allegedly broke the driver's side window of her car with his bare hand.
Jeff Garlin
Perfecting The Art Of Imperfection
Food Companies
Here's the latest goal for food makers: Perfect the art of imperfection.
When stretching out the dough for its premium "Artisan Pizzas," Domino's workers are instructed not to worry about making the rectangles too perfect: The pies are supposed to have a more rustic look.
At McDonald's, the egg whites for the new breakfast sandwich called the Egg White Delight McMuffin have a loose shape rather than the round discs used in the original Egg McMuffin.
And Kraft Foods took more than two years to develop a process to make the thick, uneven slabs of turkey in its Carving Board line look like leftovers from a homemade meal rather than the cookie-cutter ovals typical of most lunchmeat.
Food companies are responding to the adage that people eat with their eyes. Americans still love their fast food and packaged snacks, but they're increasingly turning their noses up at foods that look overly processed. Home-cooked meals - or ones that at least look like they were homemade - are seen as more wholesome and authentic.
Food Companies
400-Year-Old Skeleton
Sarnia, Ontario
A Canadian couple who recently stumbled upon a 400-year-old skeleton is now saddled with a $5,000 bill, the Star reports.
Two weeks ago, Ken Campbell of Sarnia, Ontario, came upon some bones while digging postholes in his backyard. His wife, Nicole Sauve, encouraged him to unearth the rest of the skeleton.
Ontario police, who cordoned off the area, called up forensic anthropologist Michael Spence to examine the site. Spence told the Star that the skeleton is likely that of a 24-year-old aboriginal woman who died in the late 1500s or early 1600s. Spence then contacted the Registrar of Cemeteries, which told Sauve that she and Campbell would have to hire an archeologist to examine the rest of the backyard-at their expense.
According to the Star, property owners are legally responsible to pay for such an assessment "if human remains are found on their land."
Sarnia, Ontario
In Memory
Bernard Sahlins
Bernard "Bernie" Sahlins, who co-founded Chicago's Second City theater and who nurtured the early careers of many of the earliest stars of "Saturday Night Live," died Sunday. He was 90.
Sahlins and business partners Howard Alk and Paul Sills opened The Second City in December 1959, and it quickly gained national attention and helped establish Chicago as a vibrant comedy town, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The Second City wasn't Sahlins' first attempt at running a theater. He was a producer-investor in a theater troupe in the early 1950s that was comprised of many fellow University of Chicago graduates, and he and several business partners produced plays at the Studebaker Theater from October 1956 until the following year, when it had to close due to a lack of funding.
But The Second City caught on within months of opening, despite some early money problems and other issues, and it became instrumental in the growth and development of improvisational and sketch comedy.
Sahlins had an eye for talent, and he hired and nurtured the early careers of such future stars as John and Jim Belushi, Joan Rivers, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner and Harold Ramis, among others.
Shortly after "Saturday Night Live" began airing in the fall of 1975, Second City became a breeding ground for the show. According to Second City producer emeritus Joyce Sloane, who died in 2011, Sahlins once half-jokingly commanded her to lock "SNL" creator and producer Lorne Michaels out of the building, the Sun-Times reported.
Bernard Sahlins
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