Paul Krugman: The Obama Gap (nytimes.com)
President-elect Barack Obama explained why the nation needs aggressive action to deal with the economic crisis, and he's right. But his economic plan falls well short of what's needed.
Scott Burns: Don't Get Angry-- Break Even! (assetbuilder.com)
Q. I just received my new credit card statement. The interest rate is now 32 percent! I am thinking of just telling them to shove it. Interest rates like this are clearly going to force many people into bad credit ratings, bankruptcy, or foreclosure. With the economy looking so weak, surely it would be better to not pay this account.
Sarah Wildman: "Paper Love: Inside the Holocaust Archives" (slate.com)
Here is what it feels like upon entering the archives at Bad Arolsen: like a Steven Spielberg movie about an American lawyer of the 1950s, desperately searching for information on an escaped Nazi but with no computers, no modern technology, nothing but boxes and paper. It's like that scene at the end of the first Indiana Jones movie with the Ark of the Covenant tucked away in a warehouse. There might be treasures here, amid a sea of 65-year-old cardboard, but who would know?
Tom Danehy: What's up with all of the Catholic Holy Day changes? (tucsonweekly.com)
We went to Mass on New Year's Day evening. It's what Catholics (sometimes) call a Holy Day of Obligation. There were six of them when I was growing up (Christmas, New Year's, the Ascension, the Assumption, All Saints Day and the Immaculate Conception), but the church has tinkered with the formula over the past couple of decades.
PAUL CONSTANT: Obama's Book Club (thestranger.com)
To the adoring members of his book club, Obama seems to be suggesting that his first hundred days will feature good and bad ideas colliding in a kind of political laboratory. Obama's message of carrying The Defining Moment is not so much an arrogant statement linking him to one of our greatest administrations. Instead, to those who are paying attention, Obama is saying: "Be patient with me."
'It's like wearing a big plate' (guardian.co.uk)
They cost a fortune, take ages to make, irritate male dancers and catch on the scenery. Tutus are everywhere right now. But could they be on the way out? By Judith Mackrell.
I'm gonna take a break for a week or two to catch up from the holidays and focus on some personal affairs (mainly relocation closer to my immediate family).
I'll be back soon, I assure you!... Meanwhile, don't let the bastards get ya down!
Although tulips are associated with Holland, both the flower and its name originated in the Persian empire. The tulip, or lale (from Persian) as it is also called in Turkey, is a flower indigenous to Iran , Afghanistan , Turkey and other parts of Central Asia.
Source
mj was first, and correct, with:
Going out into wild guess land
And pulling on some motifs I kinda remember from an illustration in my art appreciation book.
D, Persia.
Charlie replied:
Tiptoeing through this one, seems it's
D Persia
Which at one time encompassed a rather large area.
Alan J responded:
D Persia
Marian the Teacher responded:
Persia
~ Tony In Philly answered:
D: Persia
Adam in NoHo replied:
D Persia
Everything comes from Persia. Persia or China.
Sally answered:
Tulipa, commonly called Tulip, is a genus of about 100 species of bulbous flowering plants. They come from Persia, their name originates from the flower shape which means, "turban," and there are hundreds of varieties of tulips. As for me, if I were in that neck of the woods, I'd go for the poppy's.
PS: Joe S, you made me laugh today!
Jim from Ca said:
Persia...
And, Joe S responded:
I searched the Internets and kept coming up with Turkey, until I found one reference to Persia so that's my answer and I'm stickin' to it.
D Persia
Even tho it's not as cold as
Tok, Los Anchorage has been brutally cold. Coldest temps I ever experienced were when my truck broke down 10 miles out of Delta Junction and we had to walk 5 miles in -71...we were dressed for it but still !!!
Vic in AK
Thanks, Vic!
Had to buy some new tires on one of my trips through Tok. Another time, ran out of gas, and while hiking the 12 or so miles into Tok, was picked up by an AK trooper.
Yeah, I remember Tok.
CBS begins the night with a FRESH'Game Show In My Head', followed by another FRESH'Game Show In My Head', then a RERUN'Criminal Mnds', followed by '48 Hours'.
NBC opens the night with a FRESH'Crusoe', followed by a RERUN'Law & Order', then a RERUN'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'.
'SNL' is FRESH with Neil Patrick Harris hosting, music by Taylor Swift.
ABC starts the night with a RERUN'The Bachelor 13', followed by a RERUN'True Beauty'.
The CW offers an old 'Friends', another old 'Friends', and 'The 5th Quarter'.
Faux has LIVE'NFL Playoffs', then pads the left coast with local crap.
'MADtv' is a RERUN.
MY fills the night with the movie 'The Commitments'.
A&E has 'CSI: The 2nd One', another 'CSI: The 2nd One', still another 'CSI: The 2nd One', and 'The Sopranos'.
AMC offers the movie 'Ride With The Devil', followed by the movie 'Death Wish', then the movie 'Death Wish II'.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 9
[12:30 PM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 10
[1:00 PM] Gordon Ramsay's F Word - Episode 2
[2:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep. 4 Moore Place
[3:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 1 The Secret Garden
[4:00 PM] Gladiators - Episode 11
[5:00 PM] Gladiators - Episode 12
[6:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 4
[7:00 PM] Primeval - Episode 3
[8:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 8 Silence in the Library
[9:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 9 Forest of the Dead
[10:00 PM] The Graham Norton Show - Episode 14
[11:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 8 Silence in the Library
[12:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 9 Forest of the Dead
[1:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Episode 14
[2:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 8 Silence in the Library
[3:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 9 Forest of the Dead
[4:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Episode 14
[5:00 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 2 Rice
[5:30 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 3 Grey
[6:00 AM] BBC World News (ALL TIMES EDT)
Comedy Central has the movie 'How High', followed by the movie 'Harold & Kumar: Go To White Castle', then 'Jackass: The Movie'.
FX has the movie 'Click', followed by the movie 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'Seven Signs Of The Apocalypse', and 'First Apocalypse'.
IFC -
[6:05 AM] Wrestled
[6:30 AM] The Year of the Yao
[8:00 AM] The 47 Ronin, Part II
[10:00 AM] Millions
[11:45 AM] Eulogy
[1:15 PM] IFC News Special
[1:30 PM] The Year of the Yao
[3:00 PM] Millions
[4:45 PM] Eulogy
[6:15 PM] The Florentine
[8:00 PM] Dancing at the Blue Iguana
[10:05 PM] Wild at Heart
[12:15 AM] The Lover
[2:15 AM] Dancing at the Blue Iguana
[4:25 AM] The Florentine (ALL TIMES EST)
SciFi has the movie 'Headless Horseman', followed by the movie 'Ginger Snaps: Unleashed'.
Sundance -
[04:45 AM] Zoo
[06:00 AM] Nose, Iranian Style
[07:00 AM] The Tiger and the Snow
[09:00 AM] Iconoclasts - Season 4: Stella McCartney + Ed Ruscha
[10:00 AM] Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
[12:00 PM] The Legacy
[01:15 PM] Regular Lovers
[04:10 PM] Forty Shades of Blue
[06:00 PM] Live From Abbey Road - Season 2: The Hoosiers, The Black Keys & Manu Chao
[07:00 PM] Laid Off
[07:30 PM] Man Push Cart
[09:00 PM] The Staircase: Chapter 6. The prosecution's revenge
[10:00 PM] Crazy Love
[11:35 PM] Site Specific: Las Vegas
[12:00 AM] The Limbo Room
[01:30 AM] Laid Off
[02:00 AM] Spectacle: The Police
[03:00 AM] Sweet Mud
[04:30 AM] Forty Shades of Blue (ALL TIMES EST)
Barack Obama will be "nerd-in-chief" when he takes office as U.S. president this month, according to Marvel Comics, which is putting him on the cover of its next "Spider-Man" comic.
Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada said the idea for the "Spidey meets the President!" edition came from a statement from Obama's campaign listing 10 little known facts about the Democrat who will be America's first black president.
"Right at the top of that list was he collected Spider-Man comics," Quesada told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.
"I was inundated with tons of fan mail saying 'Have you read this?'" Quesada said. "I was just floored, absolutely floored, to find out that the future commander-in-chief was actually going to be the future nerd-in-chief."
An undated handout image shows a scan of an original drawing of Winnie-the-Pooh by E.H Shepard. The first official sequel to the original Winnie-the-Pooh books will appear in October, its publishers said on January 10, 2009, more than 80 years after the honey-loving bear first appeared in print.
Photo courtesy The Estate Of E.H. Shepard
In less than six weeks, the nation's television broadcasters are due to shut off their analog signals and begin transmitting in digital - potentially blacking out as many as 8 million U.S. households that rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air channels.
That reality hit lawmakers and the incoming Obama administration this week after the Commerce Department ran out of money for coupons to subsidize digital converter boxes. Viewers who don't have cable or satellite service or a TV with a digital tuner will need the boxes to keep older analog sets working.
The coupon program funding shortfall was a key reason behind the Obama transition team's call for Congress to delay the Feb. 17 analog shutoff. Yet the problem with the subsidy program is just one of several hurdles that appear to be in the way of a smooth digital transition.
One big potential pitfall is that many people who think they are prepared for the analog shutoff could lose some channels - or possibly even lose reception entirely - unless they purchase a new antenna.
That's because many stations will shift their broadcast footprints with the switch to digital by changing transmitter locations, antenna patterns or power levels.
Young German musicians are protesting against a rise in neo-Nazi extremism with concerts and songs which they hope will turn voters away from right-wing parties in state polls and a federal election this year.
Far-right parties such as the National Democratic Party (NPD) made gains in last year's local elections in Germany and officials have warned that neo-Nazis are becoming increasingly violent.
"Xenophobic organizations and their members are very active again. They're trying to gain more influence for the elections," said Tina Bauer, spokeswoman for the "Soundwahl" music competition, which starts from Friday.
The project encourages young people from Berlin and the eastern state of Brandenburg to perform songs promoting tolerance and democratic values while speaking out against racism.
Ozzy the cat rides in a canoe as he is rescued by his owner Kurtis Wolfe from the flooded Wheel In Motor Home park in unincorporated Pierce County, Wash., between Tacoma and Puyallup, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009.
Photo by Janet Jensen
They play brother and sister on "Dexter." Now in real life, Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter are husband and wife.
Hall's spokesman, Craig Bankey, said on Friday that the couple eloped in California on New Year's Eve. They'll walk the red carpet together at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday - the first time publicly acknowledging their relationship.
Hall, 37, and Carpenter, 29, just finished the third season of "Dexter," the Showtime series in which Hall plays the murderous title character. They've been quietly dating for about a year and a half.
Supporters of the ballot measure that banned gay marriage spread hate in California have filed a lawsuit seeking to block their campaign finance records from public view, saying the reports have led to the harassment of donors.
"No one should have to worry about getting a death threat because of the way he or she votes," said whined James Bopp Jr., an attorney representing two groups that supported Proposition 8, Protect Marriage.com and the National Organization for Marriage California. "This lawsuit will protect the right of all people to help support causes they agree with, without having to worry about harassment or threats."
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Sacramento, asks the court to order the secretary of state's office to remove all donations for the proposition from its Web site.
In this photo released by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a baby arboreal, or tree dwelling, kangaroo pokes its head out from its mother's pouch, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009 at the Bronx Zoo's Jungleworld exhibit in New York. This baby kangaroo, or 'joey,' is a member of the only tree dwelling marsupial species.
Photo by Julie Larsen Maher
Gregg Allman almost had a few less silver dollars after someone broke into his southeast Georgia home and stole a coin collection, knives and unreleased concert recordings, police said.
The Allman Brothers Band singer and keyboardist, 61, was out of town when burglars broke into his home in Richmond Hill, 20 miles south of Savannah.
Bryan County Sheriff's Department detective Mickey Sands said the burglars took a case containing Allman's collection of 19th-century silver dollars and two safes filled with gold coins, personal papers, collectible knives and several tapes of unreleased recordings.
Investigators recovered all of Allman's belongings except a handgun.
Ryan O'Neal has pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge.
He entered the plea in a Malibu courtroom Friday morning and was ordered into an 18-month drug diversion program.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office says the case will be dismissed if O'Neal successfully completes the program.
The 67-year-old, Oscar-nominated actor was arrested in September along with his son, Redmond, and was later charged with felony methamphetamine possession. Sheriff's deputies had searched the actor's home while doing a check on Redmond O'Neal, who was on probation for a previous drug conviction.
Mechanics work on a bike after the 5th stage of the Argentina Dakar Rally 2009 between Neuquen and San Rafael, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009.
Photo by Christophe Ena
A former actor on "The Sopranos" was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for a botched burglary in the Bronx in which an accomplice shot and killed an off-duty police officer.
A jury acquitted Lillo Brancato Jr. of second-degree murder in the death of the police officer, but convicted him of attempted burglary. He had faced up to 15 years in prison.
He pursed his lips and appeared calm as the verdict was pronounced. His relatives wept and one shouted, "We love you, Lillo!" as he was led away in handcuffs.
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Dec. 29-Jan. 4. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:
1. College Football: Oklahoma St. vs. Oregon (Tuesday, 8:17 p.m.), ESPN, 4.51 million homes, 6.22 million viewers.
2. College Football: Missouri vs. Northwestern (Monday, 8 p.m.), ESPN, 4.47 million homes, 6.07 million viewers.
3. "ICarly" (Saturday, 8 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 4.13 million homes, 5.94 million viewers.
4. College Football: LSU vs. Georgia Tech (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.), ESPN, 3.85 million homes, 5.63 million viewers.
5. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.6 million homes, 5.67 million viewers.
6. "NCIS" (Monday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.24 million homes, 4.33 million viewers.
7. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.21 million homes, 4.9 million viewers.
8. "True Jackson, VP" (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.11 million homes, 4.54 million viewers.
9. College Football: South Carolina vs. Iowa (Thursday, 11 a.m.), ESPN, 3.03 million homes, 4.09 million viewers.
10. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 12 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.99 million homes, 4.11 million viewers.
11. "NCIS" (Tuesday, 7 p.m.), USA, 2.93 million homes, 3.99 million viewers.
12. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 12 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.87 million homes, 4.12 million viewers.
13. Movie: "SpongeBob: The Movie" (Wednesday, 12 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.84 million homes, 3.91 million viewers.
14. "NCIS" (Monday, 6 p.m.), USA, 2.824 million homes, 3.66 million viewers.
15. "ICarly" (Saturday, 1 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.823 million homes, 3.77 million viewers.
Cheryl Holdridge, the beautiful blond actress who first gained fame as a Mouseketeer on TV's "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s, has died. She was 64.
Holdridge was 11 years old in the spring of 1956 when she auditioned and was hired for "The Mickey Mouse Club," which had debuted on Oct. 3, 1955, with 24 talented youngsters who sang and danced and yet came across as the kids next door.
Holdridge joined the Mouseketeers in the second season of the show, which ran until 1959.
Holdridge left the business in 1964 when she married Lance Reventlow, the son of Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton, "because that's what you did then. You married and stayed home."
Reventlow died in a plane crash in 1972. In 1994, Holdridge married Manning Post, a prominent West Coast Democratic Party fundraiser and advisor, who died in 2000.
Holdridge, who had no immediate surviving family members, supported various environmental causes as well as the Children's Burn Foundation in Sherman Oaks, Friendly House of Los Angeles and the John Wayne Cancer Institute at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, where donations may be made in her name. A memorial service is pending.
A Langur infant is seen in the zoo in Hanover, northern Germany, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, where two Langurs were born during the last three weeks. Langurs predominantly feed leaves and the Hanover zoo freezes leaves in summer to feed to the Langurs during winter time.
Photo by Joerg Sarbach
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better,
amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
Charlie replied:
~ Tony In Philly answered:
Sally answered:
