Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Robert P. Watson, Ph.D. (Lynn University): THE OBAMA RECORD (January 20, 2009 - December 31, 2009) (Posted on andrewtobias.com)
There is a lot of misinformation circulating on talk radio, at town hall meetings, in the blogosphere, and around office water coolers about President Obama not accomplishing anything in his first year in office. It is time to set the record straight with a list of Obama's initiatives for 2009.
RICHARD ROEPER: One way you can help: Don't fall for Haiti scams (suntimes.com)
The "punch 90999/text HAITI" movement is a huge success. Now, the problem is trying to determine which fund-raising efforts and stories are legit, and which are hoaxes and/or urban legends, and by the way how much of a lowlife do you have to be to initiate an untrue story or perpetuate a scam related to a tragedy that claimed thousands of lives?
FRANK RICH: The Great Tea Party Rip-Off (nytimes.com)
Even given the low bar set by America's bogus conversations about race, the short-lived Harry Reid fracas was a most peculiar nonevent. For all the hyperventilation in cable news land, this supposed racial brawl didn't seem to generate any controversy whatsoever in what is known as the real world.
India Knight: "The bookshop strangler: it's a scary whodunnit" (timesonline.co.uk)
Buying books is the most wonderful treat and it should feel like one.
"The Pleasures of Cooking for One" by Judith Jones: A review by Charlotte Freem
Supermarkets do everything they can to make us [people who live alone] buy more than we need, and the food industry has for more than a century been selling the idea that it is demeaning for women to cook and a waste of time when they can buy ready-made products instead. So I felt compelled to write this book to share with you the strategies I have devised for beating the system.
Sarah Weinman: Robert B. Parker left a mark on the detective novel (latimes.com)
Robert B. Parker, who died Monday in his Cambridge, Mass., home at age 77, spent his final moments doing exactly what he'd done for almost...
Kate McGarrigle: singer and songwriter (timesonline.co.uk)
With her older sister Anna, Kate McGarrigle made some of the most beguiling folk-pop records of the past 40 years. Combining a rich seam of traditional folk influences with poignant and poetic contemporary song writing, the sisters together created a uniquely warm sound, characterised by exquisite two-part harmonies.
Randy Lewis: Kate McGarrigle dies at 63; Canadian folk singer and songwriter (latimes.com)
Songs that she and her sister Anna wrote were recorded by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and Maria Muldaur. She's also the mother of singer-songwriters Rufus and Martha Wainwright.
Ben Hoyle: Folk-pop singer Kate McGarrigle dies at 63 (timesonline.co.uk)
The artist who recorded folk-pop records with her sister Anna also founded a performing dynasty with Loudon Wainwright III.
Brandon Voss: Sean Patterson: Hollywood's Gay Best Friend (advocate.com)
Sean Patterson, the Wilhelmina Models president who's now doling out his money to strangers on E!'s Bank of Hollywood, dishes on Ryan Seacrest, Candy Spelling, and his BFF Fergie.
Brandon Voss: A Singular Woman (advocate.com)
Proven time and again to be a great asset for a gay filmmaker, A Single Man's Julianne Moore looks back on slapping Madonna, lesbian mullets, and her most memorable gay pride parade ever.
Julie Hinds: 'Dreamgirls' led to AIDS activism for Sheryl Lee Ralph (popmatters.com)
Where does wife, mother, activist and actress Sheryl Lee Ralph get her energy?
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'LOL in the Boardroom' Edition
President Barack Obama told banks Thursday they should pay a new tax to recoup the cost of bailing out foundering firms at the height of the financial crisis. He said...
"My commitment is to recover every single dime the American people are owed. And my determination to achieve this goal is only heightened when I see reports of massive profits and obscene bonuses at some of the very firms who owe their continued existence to the American people...We want our money back, and we're going to get it."
Citing 'obscene' bonuses, Obama to tax banks - U.S. business- msnbc.com
How confident are you that Obama will be able to recover those funds?
1.) Very - 'The Man' will be on 'em like a pit bull...
2.) Somewhat - We'll get back just enough so 'The Man' can claim success, but not nearly the total of what they scammed from us...
3.) Yer kiddin' me, right? I'm laughing with 'The Board'...
Send your response to
wrote:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Advisement
Air America
I just went to bring up Air America Radio, and this notice came up
Reader Advisement
Air America
Check this oyt:
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
Last Show Tonight
Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien bid NBC good riddance Thursday in a $45 million deal for his exit from "The Tonight Show," but his immediate future in television remains a question mark.
The contentious two-week battle shit-canning that would allow NBC to unseat O'Brien and move Jay Leno back to the program he hosted for 17 years, comes less than eight months after O'Brien took the "Tonight" throne from Leno at NBC's request.
For many observers, this clash of talk-show hosts recalled the late-night follies played out by NBC in the early 1990s as the network wavered confoundingly over who - Letterman or Leno - should inherit "The Tonight Show" from Johnny Carson.
The current revival of the late-night follies was set in motion nearly six years ago, in what was hatched by NBC executives as a farsighted strategy to ensure an orderly transition.
Conan O'Brien
Who Cares What You Think, Old Man
McCain's Women
Cindy McCain, the wife of 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain, and their daughter Meghan have posed for photos endorsing pro-gay marriage forces in California.
Mrs. McCain appears with silver duct tape across her mouth and "NOH8" written on one cheek in a photo posted Wednesday to the Web site of NOH8, a gay rights group opposed to Proposition 8. The ballot measure passed by California voters in 2008 bans same-sex marriage.
The McCains' daughter Meghan, who has been outspoken in her support for gay rights, has also endorsed NOH8. She appears with silver duct tape across her mouth and "NOH8" on a cheek in a photo on her Twitter site.
Cindy McCain contacted NOH8 and offered to pose for the photo endorsement, the Web site said.
McCain's Women
Today
Lily the Bear
A black bear named Lily is may be about to give birth in the wild live on the Internet.
Biologist Lynn Rogers says the birth in Lily's den outside Ely, Minn. is a video first. Rogers and his North American Bear Center put a camera in Lily's den that streams her activity live.
Rogers says Lily appears to have started labor around 2 p.m. Central Time Thursday. Since then, Lily has pawed at her face, left her den, and then returned and has tried going back to sleep. She brought in balsam fir to set up bedding and her mammary glands appear swollen.
Rogers has been studying bears for 43 years and never seen a birth. He predicts the 3-year-old Lily will give birth Friday.
Lily the Bear
Lily Cam
First Glimpses Of Lost Film
'Metropolis'
the groundbreaking German classic "Metropolis" thought to have been lost forever with a new exhibition ahead of a triumphant homecoming next month.
A full version of Fritz Lang's 1927 silent expressionist epic was found in Argentina in 2008, and after months of painstaking work, what is possibly Germany's best-known movie has now been restored to almost its original state.
It will be shown at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on February 12 as part of the 60th Berlin Film Festival, with simultaneous gala screenings in Berlin and Frankfurt, with an orchestra playing Gottfried Huppertz's original score.
An exhibition at the Berlin Film and Television Museum, "The Complete Metropolis", includes excerpts from some of the long-lost scenes, as well as some of the innovative techniques used to make the film.
'Metropolis'
New Host Of `Family Feud'
Steve Harvey
The TV game show "Family Feud" is getting a new referee.
Series producer FremantleMedia North America said comedian Steve Harvey will take over as host from John O'Hurley when the syndicated show begins its new season next fall. The company said Harvey was chosen for his ability to connect with viewers and his "one-of-a-kind" personality.
Harvey's TV credits include "Me and the Boys" and "The Steve Harvey Show," and he was part of the "Kings of Comedy" standup tour and DVD. He hosts a nationally syndicated radio program.
He'll replace actor John O'Hurley, host of "Family Feud" for four seasons. O'Hurley said in a statement that he decided to focus on his role in the touring production of the musical "Chicago" and a variety of business ventures.
Steve Harvey
Glass Traditional Japanese Insturments
Hari Gonin Bayashi
Ancient Japanese musical instruments have taken on a new shine after one group decided to make theirs out of glass, instead of traditional wood.
Drums and flutes play a major part in traditional Japanese music, with the "tsuzumi," an hour-glass shaped drum, often in the lead role.
Usually made out of leather and a hard wood such as cherry tree, the tsuzumi is famed for its high pitched beats and is the only Japanese drum that is played using bare hands.
Unveiling a five instrument glass ensemble in Tokyo, the Hari Gonin Bayashi group, established to promote the use of glass in traditional Japanese instruments, played several tunes.
Hari Gonin Bayashi
Hawaii Home Sold
Cher
A luxury real estate auction company reports that Cher's Hawaii home overlooking the Pacific Ocean has been sold to an Arizona buyer for $8.7 million.
Concierge Auctions said Thursday that the home was one of five Big Island residences auctioned Monday for a total of $19.4 million.
The firm had estimated Cher's three-quarter-acre property was worth between $8 million and $12 million.
Located in the Hualalai Resort, the 8,800-square-foot Balinese style residence features a gated center courtyard leading to the main residence. It includes a master wing, great room, kitchen, dining room, outdoor living area, and infinity pool with spa overlooking the resort's golf course.
Cher
Hold Auditions For Replacement Singer
Aerosmith
Aerosmith has begun its search for a singer to replace Steven Tyler -- though whether it's permanent or temporary is uncertain.
Guitarist Joe Perry told Canada's QMI Agency that the group is "already getting the word out there. The word's been out there for a while."
Tyler is currently in rehab for an addiction to painkillers after a tumultuous last few months of 2009. In his December 22 announcement, Tyler indicated that he planned to "enthusiastically be writing, recording and performing with Aerosmith as soon as things are handled."
Perry, however, contends that it may take a while for those things to be handled, longer than he and the rest of Aerosmith -- guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer -- care to wait as they gear up for the group's 40th anniversary in 2011.
Aerosmith
Admits Paternity
John Edwards
Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards finally admitted Thursday he fathered a child during an affair before his second White House bid, dropping long-standing denials just ahead of a book by a former campaign aide who initially took the fall.
Edwards released a statement admitting paternity of the girl, Frances Quinn Hunter, who was born in 2008 to videographer Rielle Hunter as the result of an affair Edwards has already confessed to.
"It was wrong for me to ever deny she was my daughter," Edwards said, adding he was providing financial support for the child and mother. "I am Quinn's father."
Elizabeth Edwards, who has been battling an incurable return of cancer since 2007, said in an interview with The Associated Press that "the whole family is relieved." She declined to discuss the couple's marital status and said she didn't know where things will go from here.
John Edwards
Sentencing Delayed
Gerald and Patricia Green
Sentencing has been delayed until March for a Los Angeles film-making couple convicted of bribing Thai officials to run a film festival.
U.S. District Judge George Wu on Thursday pushed back the hearing until March 4.
Gerald and Patricia Green were convicted in September of conspiracy and money laundering. Prosecutors say 78-year-old Gerald Green could face more than 30 years in prison, while his 55-year-old wife could receive 19 to 24 years.
Authorities say the pair paid the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Juthamas Siriwan, about $1.8 million to help secure the Bangkok International Film Festival and tourism-related deals.
Gerald and Patricia Green
Prosecutors Disputes Claim
Polanski's Victim
Prosecutors are disputing claims by the victim in Roman Polanski's sex case that they failed to tell her of their effort to extradite the film director.
In court documents filed Thursday, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office denies allegations that it violated state law by not informing Samantha Geimer of its intentions to bring back Polanski so he can be sentenced.
Prosecutors say they invited Geimer and her attorney to discuss the case, but the meetings never occurred.
Geimer's attorney, Lawrence Silver, has joined the defense's bid to have Polanski sentenced in absentia. A hearing is set for Friday.
Polanski's Victim
They Get It
New Zealand
Biblical citations inscribed on U.S.-manufactured weapon sights used by New Zealand's troops in Afghanistan will be removed because they are inappropriate and could stoke religious tensions, New Zealand said Thursday.
The inscriptions on products from defense contractor Trijicon of Wixom, Michigan, came to light this week in the U.S. where Army officials said Tuesday they would investigate whether the gun sights - also used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq - violate U.S. procurement laws.
Trijicon said it has had such inscriptions on its products for three decades and has never received complaints about them before. The inscriptions, which don't include actual text from the Bible, refer numerically to passages from the book.
New Zealand defense force spokesman Maj. Kristian Dunne said Trijicon would be instructed to remove the inscriptions from further orders of the gun sights for New Zealand and the letters would be removed from gun sights already in use by troops.
New Zealand
WWJD - Who Would Jesus Drop?
Trijicon Sights
A Michigan defense contractor will voluntarily stop stamping references to Bible verses on combat rifle sights made for the U.S. military, a major buyer of the company's gear.
In a statement released Thursday, Trijicon of Wixom, Mich., says it is also providing to the armed forces free of charge modification kits to remove the Scripture citations from the telescoping sights already in use. Through multimillion dollar contracts, the Marine Corps and Army have more than 300,000 Trijicon sights.
The references to Bible passages raised concerns that the citations break a government rule that bars proselytizing by American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, which are predominantly Muslim countries.
A spokesman for U.S. Central Command initially said the Trijicon sights didn't violate the ban and compared the citations on the sights to the "In God We Trust" inscription printed on U.S. currency.
On Thursday, however, Army Gen. David Petraeus, Central Command's top officer, called the practice "disturbing."
Trijicon Sights
Kitty Kelley Bio Coming In April
Oprah
Crown Publishers announced Thursday that Kitty Kelley's 544-page, unauthorized "Oprah: A Biography" will be released April 13. The first printing will be at least 500,000 copies.
Kelley is known for gossipy, unflattering, but best-selling celebrity books. She has also written about Frank Sinatra, Nancy Reagan and the Bush family.
Kelley says she has high regard for Winfrey, but also felt committed to writing the truth. Kelley says she devoted the past three years to examining Winfrey's life. She says she came away "full of admiration for her accomplishments and fascinated by her complexity."
Crown says Kelley conducted 850 interviews for the book.
Oprah
Strikes Doctor's Office
Meteorite
Doctors at a small practice in Virginia got a big surprise when a tennis ball-sized meteorite punched a hole through their roof. No one was injured.
Dr. Frank Ciampi says the rock struck the two-story building around 5:30 p.m. Monday in Lorton, about 20 miles southwest of Washington.
He says they heard a loud bang and found the projectile punched through the roof and ceiling, raining down pieces of wood, plaster and insulation.
The half-pound rock split into three chunks. Television station WUSA took it to the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History and experts confirmed it was a meteorite.
Meteorite
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Jan. 11-17. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:
1. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.692 million homes, 5.40 million viewers.
2. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.689 million homes, 5.49 million viewers.
3. "NCIS" (Monday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.43 million homes, 4.62 million viewers.
4. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.41 million homes, 4.51 million viewers.
5. "NCIS" (Thursday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.28 million homes, 4.21 million viewers.
6. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.26 million homes, 4.33 million viewers.
7. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.18 million homes, 4.06 million viewers.
8. "Penguins of Madagascar" (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.13 million homes, 4.17 million viewers.
9. "The O'Reilly Factor" (Thursday, 8 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.09 million homes, 4.21 million viewers.
10. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.05 million homes, 3.81 million viewers.
11. "The O'Reilly Factor" (Tuesday, 8 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 2.98 million homes, 3.95 million viewers.
12. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.97 million homes, 4.09 million viewers.
13. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.94 million homes, 3.86 million viewers.
14. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.91 million homes, 3.66 million viewers.
15. "NCIS" (Monday, 7 p.m.), USA, 2.88 million homes, 3.79 million viewers.
Ratings
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