Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Ted Rall: HEY, TEA PARTIERS: YOU'RE LEFTISTS!
Time for Progressives to Reclaim Populism.
Tom Danehy: Welcome to Prescott-Prescott Valley, perhaps the wackiest place in Arizona (tucsonweekly.com)
OK, so maybe, just maybe, Tucson isn't the craziest place in Arizona. After spending 48 hours in Prescott-Prescott Valley last weekend, I may have to reconsider my long-held belief.
Nat Hentoff: Bloomberg and Kelly's School Vigilantes Get Failing Grades in a New Lawsuit (villagevoice.com)
For the first time in its history, New York City is being sued in federal court on behalf of all its public-school students.
How Dick Francis helped me through adolescence (guardian.co.uk)
There was something utterly compelling about Dick Francis's thrillers - and at the age of 14 I was hooked, says John Crace.
Michael Pollan: Forget Nutrition Charts, Eat What Grandma Said Is Good for You (alternet.org)
The author of 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' says science has supplanted cultural wisdom as a guide in telling us what to eat.
Liz Pulliam Weston: Two books offer road maps to affluence (latimes.com)
People who are serious about accumulating wealth should start by reading 'The Millionaire Next Door' and 'Stop Acting Rich.'
Black Sabbath: 40 years of heavy metal (timesonline.co.uk)
Four decades after the release of the band's first album, Ozzy Osbourne tells 'The Times': We didn't know what we were doing.
ELVIS MITCHELL: JAY-Z (interviewmagazine.com)
The story of Jay-Z's rise from Brooklyn street hustler to the pinnacle of the music industry is one as old as America itself. But what the artist formerly known as Shawn Carter has done since he's reached the top has been more about making history than living it down.
John Timpane: "One upbeat jazzman: Cuban expat Paquito D'Rivera talks music and politics" (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Paquito D'Rivera is renowned for his sax and his clarinet, marrying Cuban, Caribbean and South American music to the great U.S. invention of jazz.
Roger Moore: Martin Scorsese is all about making history these days (The Orlando Sentinel)
For Martin Scorsese, the older he gets, the more at home he is in the past.
Will Harris with Arj Barker, Comedian and co-star of "Flight of the Conchords" (bullz-eye.com)
On adding a local element to his stand-up gigs: I don't sit there and spend hours looking stuff up, but I try to be aware of the area that I'm in. It piques the crowd's interest a little bit extra, I think, 'cause people love it when they're part of the joke.
James Rainey: Ira Glass, storyteller (latimes.com)
On 'This American Life,' he transforms the mundane into the magnetic.
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
The 'Executive Orders, Part Deux' Edition
WASHINGTON - With much of his legislative agenda stalled in Congress, President Obama and his team are preparing an array of actions using his executive power to advance energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic policy priorities... Obama Making Plans to Use Executive Power - NYTimes.com
Last November after Obama was elected, I asked about what Executive Orders you'd like 'The Man' to make. Puzzlingly, he did not utilize that option in any significant way, to my thinkin'... Now, however, with his "agenda stalled", he's decided to get 'Froggy' and make that leap... So, once again, I ask...
What specific issues would you like 'The Man' to address with Executive Orders?
Send your response to
wrote:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
New Radio Drama
Roscoe Sharpei, Dog Detective
Hi,
Thought your listeners might enjoy our new radio drama, Roscoe Sharpei, Dog Detective
-a political parody of the Davinci Code
You can sample the first three acts on www.Roscoesharpei.com
Hope you like it
Brian
Thanks, Brian!
Link from RJ
Old Japan
Hi there
Thought you might find this interesting. Thanks for taking a look.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Cloudy and cooler - more rain on the way.
'Family Guy' Actress Responds
Andrea Fay Friedman
Andrea Fay Friedman, the voice actress who played the role of "Ellen" --the character depicted as having Down syndrome on the Valentine's Day episode of Family Guy, has responded to the criticism of sometime-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Of special significance, Friedman herself has Down syndrome. :
My name is Andrea Fay Friedman. I was born with Down syndrome. I played the role of Ellen on the "Extra Large Medium" episode of Family Guy that was broadcast on Valentine's day. Although they gave me red hair on the show, I am really a blonde. I also wore a red wig for my role in " Smudge" but I was a blonde in "Life Goes On". I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line "I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska" was very funny. I think the word is "sarcasm".
In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes.
Andrea Fay Friedman
Palingates has Friedman's complete response
WH Visit
Dalai Lama
President Barack Obama personally welcomed the Dalai Lama to the White House Thursday and lauded his goals for the Tibetan people, but he kept their get-together off-camera and low-key in an attempt to avoid inflaming tensions with China.
At the risk of angering Beijing, Obama did tell the exiled spiritual leader that he backs the preservation of Tibet's culture and supports human rights for its people. He also gave encouragement to the Dalai Lama's request for talks with the Chinese government
Meetings between the Dalai Lama and U.S. presidents became standard fare under former President George H.W. Bush nearly 20 years ago. But the choreography is always delicate and closely watched because of China's sensitivity.
Revered in much of the world, the Dalai Lama is seen by Beijing as a separatist seeking to overthrow Chinese rule of Tibet. Though he says that is untrue, China regards any official foreign leader's contact with the Buddhist monk as an infringement on its sovereignty over the mountainous region and as a particularly unwelcome snub. China had urged Obama not to meet with the Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lama
Feels Fine
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot is very much alive despite reports on Thursday that said the legendary 71-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter had died while on a North American tour.
Lightfoot, whose hits include "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", "Sundown", and "Carefree Highway", was said to have been pronounced dead by a prank message posted on the Twitter micro-blogging service, according to the website of the Globe and Mail newspaper. Reports of his death spread quickly on radio, television, and news websites.
Lightfoot, noted for richly crafted lyrics and a deep, smooth voice, was reached by telephone by Toronto's CP24 news station and said he was informed of his death by a report he heard on his car radio as he drove to his office.
"Everything is good," he told CP24. "I don't know where it come from, it seems like a bit of a hoax. I was quite surprised to hear it myself... I feel fine."
Gordon Lightfoot
Springsteen Fans Must Get Refunds
Bruce Springsteen
Thousands of Bruce Springsteen fans will receive refunds for what the U.S. Federal Trade Commission called deceptive sales practices by TicketsNow, a ticket reselling unit of Ticketmaster, the FTC said on Thursday.
The FTC said Ticketmaster, which is now part of Live Nation Entertainment Inc, will repay fans "upward of a million dollars" in refunds after it used "deceptive bait-and-switch tactics" to sell tickets at 14 Springsteen concerts last year.
The FTC was inundated with complaints last year when people trying to buy Springsteen tickets from Ticketmaster were redirected to TicketsNow, at prices that were as much as three or four times face value.
FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz told reporters on a conference call that the investigation into the practices of the ticket reselling due to the Springsteen complaints had uncovered "pretty shocking" practices.
Bruce Springsteen
National Trust May Save Studios
Abbey Road
Britain's National Trust may intervene to protect the Abbey Road studios where the Beatles recorded most of their hits.
The London studios are being put up for sale by the cash-strapped record company EMI.
The possibility that the studios might fall into private hands and be demolished has sparked a national outcry spurred by former Beatle Paul McCartney and prominent disk jockey Chris Evans.
A spokesman says the National Trust has already received an astonishing amount of support for the idea.
Abbey Road
Plagiarism Lawsuit
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling has been named in a lawsuit alleging she stole ideas for her wildly popular and lucrative "Harry Potter" books from another British author.
The estate of the late Adrian Jacobs on Wednesday added Rowling as a defendant in a lawsuit it filed in June against Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for alleged copyright infringement, according to a statement released by the estate's representatives, who are based in Australia.
The lawsuit, filed in a London court, claims Rowling's book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" copied substantial parts of Jacobs' 1987 book, "The Adventures of Willy the Wizard - No. 1 Livid Land." Jacobs' estate also claims that many other ideas from "Willy the Wizard" were copied into the "Harry Potter" books. Jacobs died in London in 1997.
Sydney agent Max Markson, who is representing the trustee of Jacobs' estate, Paul Allen, said Rowling was added to the lawsuit after Allen learned that the statute of limitations to sue her had not run out, as previously thought.
J.K. Rowling
Child Support
Bristol Palin
Abstinence-Only posterchild Bristol Palin's lawyer is seeking permission to subpoena media outlets such as Playgirl magazine and CNN to determine how much money Levi Johnston, the father of her child, has made to calculate an appropriate level of child support.
Attorney Thomas Van Flein filed a motion seeking permission to conduct out-of-state depositions and obtain financial records from the magazine, CNN, Entertainment Tonight, Vanity Fair, the National Enquirer, Star magazine and Insider.
It could take a judge weeks to decide on the request by Palin, the teenage daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Quitter), the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate.
It's the latest twist in the ongoing drama between Johnston and Palin after the birth of their son, Tripp, in December 2008. The pregnancy was announced three days after Sarah Palin was introduced as John McCain's running mate.
Bristol Palin
'Kneber Botnet'
Virus
A new type of computer virus is known to have breached almost 75,000 computers in 2,500 organizations around the world, including user accounts of popular social network websites, according Internet security firm NetWitness.
The latest virus -- known as "Kneber botnet" -- gathers login credentials to online financial systems, social networking sites and email systems from infested computers and reports the information back to hackers, NetWitness said in a statement.
The company said the attack was first discovered in January during a routine deployment of NetWitness software.
Further investigation by the Herndon, Virginia-based software security firm revealed that many commercial and government systems were compromised, including 68,000 corporate login credentials and access to email systems, online banking sites, Yahoo, Hotmail and social networks such as Facebook.
Virus
Wife Walks
Benny Hinn
The wife of televangelist Benny Hinn has filed for divorce in Southern California.
Suzanne Hinn filed the papers in Orange County Superior Court on Feb. 1, citing irreconcilable differences, after more than 30 years of marriage. The papers note the two separated on Jan. 26 and that Hinn has been living in Dana Point, a wealthy coastal community in southern Orange County.
Hinn is one of the best known advocates of the prosperity gospel, which teaches that Christians who are right with God will be rewarded with wealth and health in this lifetime.
His TV broadcasts on the Trinity Broadcast Network, a Pentecostal broadcasting juggernaut, and other TV networks are seen by millions of people around the world nearly every day. He travels the globe in his ministry's plane, named Dove One, holding events he calls "Miracle Crusades" that include spiritual healings.
Benny Hinn
Russian Exhibit
Joseph R. Beyrle
An exhibit opened in Russia on Thursday on the life of an American veteran believed to be one the few soldiers to fight for both the U.S. and the Soviet Union in World War II.
The Russian Museum exhibit, titled "Joseph R. Beyrle - A Hero of Two Nations," presents 260 artifacts from Beyrle's life and military career, including a collection of his medals, uniform and photographs.
His son, U.S. ambassador to Russia John Beyrle, attended the exhibit opening and said that though his father was called a hero by both nations he never considered himself one.
The ambassador said Russian soldiers were grateful for billions' worth of Allied military aid sent to the Soviet Union during the war - including U.S. Studebaker trucks.
He said he and his sister asked their father if he ever drank vodka with the Russians. "'Yes, we drank vodka,' he would reply. And here is a toast we had: To Roosevelt, To Stalin, To Studebaker!'"
Joseph R. Beyrle
Only Surviving Manuscript
Casanova
A rare manuscript by the 18th-century libertine Casanova, recalling his sexual conquests and many adventures, has entered the collection of France's National Library, the institution said on Thursday.
The French manuscript of "The Story Of My Life" forms the core of 3,700 precious pages acquired by the state library, an official told AFP, calling it the collection's "biggest heritage acquisition" ever.
Specialists say it is the only surviving manuscript by Casanova, a Venetian adventurer and womaniser whose name has become synonymous with seduction due to his own accounts of his affairs, written in French from the 1780s.
The museum said an anonymous patron spent seven million euros (9.5 million dollars) to help the library acquire the manuscripts from the heirs of a German publisher who acquired them in the 19th century.
Casanova
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Feb. 8-14. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:
1. NBA All-Star Game (East vs. West), (Sunday, 8:42 p.m.), TNT, 4.40 million homes, 6.85 million viewers.
2. Movie: "Starstruck" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 3.79 million homes, 6.00 million viewers.
3. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.60 million homes, 5.52 million viewers.
4. NBA All-Star Saturday Night (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.), TNT, 3.56 million homes, 5.44 million viewers.
5. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.39 million homes, 5.16 million viewers.
6. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.374 million homes, 4.87 million viewers.
7. "Pawn Stars" (Monday, 10:30 p.m.), History, 3.371 million homes, 4.68 million viewers.
8. "Burn Notice" (Thursday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.27 million homes, 4.66 million viewers.
9. "The O'Reilly Factor" (Monday, 8 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.23 million homes, 4.37 million viewers.
10. "Pawn Stars" (Monday, 10 p.m.), History, 3.18 million homes, 4.44 million viewers.
11. Nascar Nationwide Series (Saturday, 1:14 p.m.), ESPN2, 3.17 million homes, 4.27 million viewers.
12. "NCIS" (Thursday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.10 million homes, 4.19 million viewers.
13. "Penguins of Madagascar" (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.08 million homes, 4.34 million viewers.
14. "The O'Reilly Factor" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.074 million homes, 4.18 million viewers.
15. "iCarly" (Friday, 8 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.070 million homes, 4.08 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Kathryn Grayson
Kathryn Grayson, whose beauty and lilting soprano voice brightened such popular MGM musicals of the 1940s and 1950s as "Anchors Aweigh," "Show Boat" and "Kiss Me Kate," has died at age 88.
Grayson died Wednesday at her Los Angeles home, the actress' longtime secretary and companion, Sally Sherman, told The Associated Press.
Like Lana Turner, Esther Williams, Donna Reed and other MGM newcomers, Grayson was given a tryout as Mickey Rooney's sweetheart in the studio's popular Andy Hardy film series. She played the title role in "Andy Hardy's Private Secretary" and sang Strauss's "Voices of Spring." LB Mayer was convinced that he had a future star.
She was cast in three minor films, including a musical with Abbot and Costello, then played Gene Kelly's girlfriend in a wartime revue that included major MGM stars, "Thousands Cheer."
"Anchors Aweigh," a 1945 hit with Kelly and Frank Sinatra, confirmed her star status. Her bell-like soprano made her the ideal co-star with Hollywood's full-voiced male singers in operettas and other musicals. She made three films with Howard Keel, two with Mario Lanza, one with Gordon MacRae.
Other musicals included "Two Sisters from Boston," "Ziegfeld Follies," "Till the Clouds Roll By," "That Midnight Kiss," "The Toast of New Orleans," "Lovely to Look At," "The Desert Song" and "So This Is Love."
Grayson was born Zelma Kathryn Hedrick on Feb. 9, 1922, in Winston-Salem, N.C. Her father was a building contractor and real estate agent. Because of his business, the family moved frequently, eventually settling in St. Louis. Her parents recognized her gifted voice and arranged an audition before opera star Frances Marshall. She encouraged the girl to continue her music lessons.
After her movie career ended with "The Vagabond King," Grayson remained active, finally realizing her long-held ambition to sing opera. She also starred in stage productions of "The Merry Widow," "Rosalinda," Naughty Marietta," and "Camelot." She and Howard Keel toured extensively in "Man of La Mancha" and appeared together in Las Vegas. She did concerts in Australia and appeared in a one-woman show of film clips and reminiscences.
She married and divorced MGM contract players John Shelton (1940-1946) and Johnny Johnston (1947-1951). The marriage to Johnston produced her only child, Patricia Towers.
She is survived by her daughter and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Sherman said no funeral service is planned.
Kathryn Grayson
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