Recent news round-up

Good News

• TV’s first out transgender child actor on ‘Modern Family’
• Appeals court rules against Kansas in voting rights case
• School adopts gender-neutral homecoming court, so there might be no ‘king’ or ‘queen’
• New York City Starts $5 Million Fund for Women in Film and Theater
• Chad, Niger forces kill 123 Boko Haram in crackdown - Niger

Bad News

• Poor, Transgender and Dressed for Arrest I'm surprised this law has not been found to be unconstitutional by now.

Recent news round-up, Part 1

Good News

• ACC to relocate athletic championships from North Carolina
• SoCon suggests it may move hoops from North Carolina
• Court denies Virginia GOP's challenge on felon voting rights
• Serbian transgender army veteran celebrates new beginnings
• Man sentenced in $31 million mortgage scam conspiracy case
• McCartney, Starr reunite on blue carpet for Beatles documentary

Bad News

• Transgender patients face fear and stigma in the doctor's office

Micro movie review

Jason Bourne: He's back. No, wait. That was The Terminator. Anyhow, it's more of the rogue CIA assassin and his car/truck/motorcycle chases, lots of violence, and the beautiful Alicia Vikander displaying her perfect American accent. If you liked the earlier ones, you'll like this one.

Micro movie review

Florence Foster Jenkins: It's a comedy! It's a love story! It's both! The best performance by Hugh Grant I've ever seen. Otherwise, nothing special. (I'll never look at potato salad the same way again.)

Micro movie review

Café Society: A typical Woody Allen movie, but nothing much really new. Kristen Stewart was excellent. If you like Woody Allen movies, you'll be happy with this one.

Micro movie reviews

Free State of Jones: The story of Newton Knight, a poor, white Mississippi farmer who led a rebellion against the Confederacy during the Civil War. I'm not at all sure how close the film was to history, but the story it told was interesting and very well-made.

Love & Friendship: An adaptation Jane Austen's youthful, though posthumously published, novella Lady Susan. A cute, if a bit confusing, plot, but with some very amusing characters. Not bad.

Happy Star Wars Day!

May the Fourth be with you.

Today's news round-up, Part 1

Good News

• Cirque du Soleil will snub North Carolina after state law
• U.S. Army approves first 22 female officers for ground combat: USA Today
• AMC Theatres To Enforce Strict ‘No Texting’ Policy
• Arizona probes into inmate suicides leads to 13 firings
• Afghan air strike against Islamic State kills 40: official

Recent news round-up, Part 2

Good News

• Sikh U.S. Army captain allowed to wear beard, turban in uniform
• Film to help families prevent LGBT youth suicides
• Job-seekers return at fastest pace since before recession
• Florida Just Made It Harder For Police To Take People’s Stuff
• Woman Accused Of Murdering Her Abusive Ex Goes Free After Almost 3 Years Behind Bars

Bad News

• Arizona governor signs 3 bills targeting abortion providers

Yesterday's news round-up

Good News

• Robert De Niro Pulls Anti-Vaccine Documentary From Tribeca Film Festival There's no place for junk science in a reputable film festival.
• Salt Lake City Lyft Driver Fired Over Anti-Muslim Comments

Bad News

• New York's stringent paperless-prescribing law takes effect This is really bad for the patients. It gives them, I should say us, no opportunity to shop around for a better price. Even worse is when the pharmacy you specify is out of stock. I don't know what you'd do. And I have heard that doctors can only prescribe via specific computers--which they will not have access to if they are out of the office. 
• Pakistan suicide attack kills 65 celebrating Easter in Lahore
• Suicide bombers kill three soldiers in attack on Iraq base
• Turkish soldier killed in Iraq by IS rockets fired at base

Micro movie review

Eye in the Sky Helen Mirren and the late Alan Rickman in his last film: An international mission to capture a terrorist in Kenya escalates when it uncovers suicide bombers about to go into action. The mission is portrayed in real time, and it is gripping from start to finish.

Today's news round-up

Good News

• At Site of Gay Man’s Murder, a Street Corner Acknowledges Its Past

Bad News

• Istanbul on edge after suicide attack blamed on IS
• 13 Egypt policemen killed in Sinai attack claimed by IS

Yesterday's news round-up

Good News

• Americans increasingly approve of gay and lesbian adults adopting kids
• 'Indiana Jones' to return with Ford and Spielberg Even if it isn't close to the early ones, it still should be fun.

Bad News

• Apple fight could escalate with demand for 'source code'

Recent news round-up, Part 1

Good News

• NYC's WiFi-equipped buses will debut in Queens this year
• Second Wachowski sibling comes out as transgender
• Missouri Democrats filibuster religious objections measure
• IS commander 'likely killed' in Syria air strike: US official

Bad News

• Under attack, Indonesian LGBT groups set up safehouses, live in fear
• DIY Abortions Are on the Rise, According to These Chilling Google Searches

Weather forecasting

Yesterday's news round-up

Good News

• Actor, California lawmaker fight bogus memorabilia
• Pakistan police arrest cleric for inciting boy to cut off own hand
• 600 British jihadists stopped from entering Syria: Hammond

Bad News

• Many 'lost' voters say they have found their candidate in Trump However, I doubt he has the infrastructure to actually get enough of these people to actually vote.
• IS abducts over 400 in east Syria after deadly assault
• Detained Malaysian was hours away from suicide attack At least he was arrested.
• Islamic State 'brand' spreading worldwide: experts

Today's news round-up

Good News

• Senate rejects Rand Paul's 'Audit the Fed' legislation The Fed should remain free of direct political control. And this is one of the reasons I'm a bit leery of Bernie Sanders. 
• Global police arrest bitcoin extortion suspect I don't think "global" is accurate. There are no global police.
• Poll: Majority of Americans support next president pushing tighter gun laws
• U.S. aircraft bombs Islamic State cash pile in Iraq: U.S. military

Bad News

• Police: Ohio man mistakes teen son for intruder, kills him Fact: A gun in the home is far more likely to kill or injure someone who lives there than an intruder.
• Qatar Pulls ‘The Danish Girl’ From Cinemas Following Online Protests
• Turkey: 'IS suicide bomber' kills 10 in Istanbul Sultanahmet district

SLIGHT STAR WARS SPOILER IN THE COMMENTS

Click on the comments to see it.

Micro movie review

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A quite worthy sequel.

Micro movie review

The Big Short: The story of the housing and credit bubble of the mid-2000s, and some fairly weird guys who realized what was happening and profited greatly from it. The film is quirky and confusing even if you know something about finance. Though it tries to explain things, sometimes quite humorously, if you don't know much about finance I think you'd be totally confused.