zEN mAN (wonders (with D.L. Hughley) what politically correct breed of dog will Barack Obama choose for his daughters....a mutt...a dog with pedigrees....an allergy free dog....or America's dog...Lassie))
Michael Lewis: The End (portfolio.com)
The era that defined Wall Street is finally, officially over. Michael Lewis, who chronicled its excess in "Liar's Poker," returns to his old haunt to figure out what went wrong.
Dancing queens (guardian.co.uk)
Do you want to dance in formation while wearing an air hostess outfit and extravagant eye-liner? Then it's time to join one of the UK's growing number of feminist go-go groups, says Viv Groskop.
Robert Kahn: Trent Kowalik makes the leap to Broadway in 'Billy Elliott' (Newsday)
About six months ago, Trent Kowalik came within seconds of a perfect 300 in Wii bowling, until nerves scuttled his chances in the 10th frame. On Sunday afternoons, he likes to go out on his cousin's boat, motoring into the Great South Bay off Long Island. And like any teenage boy, he gets a little impish when talk turns to his sisters.
Valerie Kellogg: Q&A with music icon Paul Anka (Newsday)
If you want to make a request at Paul Anka's show, whistle a tune in the lobby, especially if it's from one of his latest swing CDs. Anka says he never takes his fans for granted.
Will Harris: A Chat with Bill Lawrence, Creator of "Scrubs" (bullz-eye.com)
"It's tough to write the same show for eight years, man. I made some mistakes. I let ('Scrubs') get too broad and goofy in the middle, and, y'know, we got a little lazy sometimes and were a little bit of a caricature of ourselves."
Roger Ebert: A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (2006; A Great Movie)
My respect for Garrison Keillor is unbounded, so I hope he will forgive me for this admission. Preparing to watch Robert Altman's "A Prairie Home Companion" again, I unconsciously found myself picturing Altman as the host of the radio show, instead of Keillor. The film is a loving evocation of the program, and also, I believe, a farewell of sorts from Altman. Both this film and the one that preceded it, "The Company," reflect his collaborative, elusive, almost telepathic style of directing.
What icon of pop culture was designed by Don Featherstone in 1957?
A Etch-A-Sketch
B Gumby
C Happy Face
D Lava Lamp
E Pink Plastic Flamingo
Source
The pink flamingo was designed in 1957 by
Don Featherstone while working for Union Products, and has become an icon of pop culture, as well as a statement, and won him the
Ig Noble Prize for Art in 1996.
Source
Charlie was first, amd correct, with:
We have Feathersone to thank for the
E Pink Plastic Flamingo
Alan J answered:
E Pink Plastic Flamingo
mj responded:
You are resurrecting brain cells that I thought I had successfully killed off in college.
I think, B, Gumby (and Pokey), but my chronologies may be scrambled. I'm pretty sure Lava Lamps are 60s, I don't remember many lawn ornaments before '57, but I didn't live in a neighborhood with lawns until then. Happy faces dind't show themselve widely until the 80s. I know I saw Gumby before I got an Etch-a-Sketch. So B is it.
Sally, in rainy N Jersey, said:
The Pink Plastic Flamingo (E) icon of pop culture, was designed by Don Featherstone in 1957. And, may I note, that said Pink Plastic Flamingos once blanketed many the ethnic neighborhood lawns, back in the day...
Moving to a heavily Hispanic-populated neighborhood in Colorado, circa 1970, I found it reassuring to see the familiar tacky birds decorating neighborhood lawns there. While I never entertained the hot-pink icon myself, my (Catholic) EX did insist that on our lawn, we adorn a small grotto housing the traditional, brightly painted Virgin Mary - of which he obtained full custody in the impending divorce. And, I might comment, a statuary which I am sure the new wife is enjoying to this very day. Hummmmm, maybe this is TMI though...
Marian the Teacher responded:
Pink Plastic Flamingo
And, Joe S wrote:
Probably missed the dead line, but the answer is E: Pink Plastic Flamingo. Remind me to tell you the story of Pink Plastic Flamingos and my wild, thievin' sister someday.
The fires are miles away, but the sky cast a weird fluorescent orange light all day and there's enough white ash in the
backyard that it looks we had snow.
Tonight, Sunday:
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH'Amazing Race 13', then a FRESH'Cold Case', followed by a FRESH'The Unit'.
NBC fills the night with LIVE'Sunday Night Football', then pads the left coast with local crap and maybe an old 'Monk', and/or 'Dateline'.
ABC begins the night with a RERUN'America's So-Called Funniest Home Videos', followed by a FRESH'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', then a FRESH'Desperate Housewvives', followed by a FRESH'Brothers & Sisters'.
The CW offers a FRESH'In Harm's Way', followed by a FRESH'Valentine', then a FRESH'Easy Money'.
Faux has a RERUN'King Of The Hill', followed by a RERUN'Simpsons', then a FRESH'Simpsons', followed by a FRESH'King Of The Hill', then a FRESH'Family Guy', followed by a FRESH'American Dad'.
MY has an old 'Bernie Mac', followed by an old 'Raymond', then an old 'House', followed by another old 'House'.
AMC offers the movie 'The Godfather', followed by the movie 'The Godfather, Parr II'.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 7
[1:00 PM] Dragons' Den - Episode 6
[2:00 PM] Layer Cake
[4:00 PM] Oxford Blues
[6:00 PM] Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned (2007) )
[7:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 1 Partners in Crime
[8:00 PM] Should I Smoke Dope?
[9:00 PM] The Graham Norton Show - Episode 6
[10:00 PM] Skins - Ep 15 Tony
[11:00 PM] Should I Smoke Dope?
[12:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Episode 6
[1:00 AM] Skins - Ep 15 Tony
[2:00 AM] Should I Smoke Dope?
[3:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Episode 6
[4:00 AM] Skins - Ep 15 Tony
[5:00 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 37 Fanning
[5:30 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 38 Jones
[6:00 AM] BBC World News (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has all 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' all night.
Comedy Central has 'Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector', 'Jeff Dunham: Spark Of Insanity', followed by the FRESH'Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special', and 'Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special', again.
FX has the movie 'The Mummy Returns', followed by the movie 'The Sentinel'.
History has 'Gangland', another 'Gangland', followed by a FRESH'Cities Of The Underworld', and 'The Universe'.
IFC -
[6:10 AM] Bee Season
[8:00 AM] The Seventh Seal
[9:45 AM] The Virgin Spring
[11:15 AM] Bright Young Things
[1:05 PM] Bee Season
[3:00 PM] Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
[5:15 PM] Bright Young Things
[7:05 PM] La Lecon de Danse
[7:15 PM] Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
[9:00 PM] Dancing at the Blue Iguana
[11:05 PM] The Dreamers
[1:05 AM] Bad Lieutenant
[2:45 AM] Dancing at the Blue Iguana
[4:55 AM] Bright Young Things (ALL TIMES EST)
SciFi has the movie 'Riddles Of The Sphinx', followed by the movie 'Sands Of Oblivion'.
Sundance -
[06:00 AM] Gilaneh
[07:30 AM] Approaching Union Square
[09:00 AM] Live From Abbey Road - Season 2: The Subways, Gnarls Barkley & Herbie Hancock w/ Sonya Kitchell
[10:00 AM] Terminal City: Episode 7
[11:00 AM] The Drug Years: Feed Your Head
[12:00 PM] Man Push Cart
[01:30 PM] Conte de Quartier
[02:00 PM] Iconoclasts - Season 4: Venus Williams + Wyclef Jean
[03:00 PM] Big Ideas for a Small Planet - Season 2: Grow
[03:35 PM] Eco Documentaries - Season 2: Manufactured Landscapes
[05:05 PM] The Sierra Club Chronicles: Episode 1
[05:35 PM] Primary
[06:30 PM] Architecture School: Episode 1
[07:00 PM] In The Mood for Love
[09:00 PM] Pulling: Episode 5
[09:30 PM] The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle: Episode 5
[10:00 PM] Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
[12:00 AM] A Dirty Carnival | Directed by: Ha Yu
[02:30 AM] Conte de Quartier
[03:00 AM] Big Girl's Blouse: Episode 5
[03:30 AM] Nimrod Nation: Episode 3
[04:00 AM] Evil (ALL TIMES EST)
Britain Charlotte Rampling poses during the opening ceremony of the 8th Marrakech Film Festival, Friday Nov.14 2008 in Marrakech. The festival runs from Nov. 14 to 22.
Photo by Abdeljalil Bounhar
Comedian Wanda Sykes says the passage of a same-sex marriage ban in California has led to her be more outspoken about being gay.
"You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation. I didn't feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life," Sykes told a crowd at a gay rights rally in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Sykes, who is known for her feisty and blunt style, said the passage of California's Proposition 8 made her feel like she was "attacked."
"Now, I gotta get in their face," she said. "I'm proud to be a woman. I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay."
Sykes' appearance at the Las Vegas rally surprised organizers. She was in town performing at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci holds his honorary award during the opening ceremony of the Estoril Film Festival in Estoril, near Lisbon November 14, 2008. The festival runs until November 22.
Photo by Nacho Doce
Gay rights supporters waving rainbow colors marched, chanted and danced in cities coast to coast Saturday to protest the vote that banned gay marriage in California and to urge supporters not to quit the fight for the right to wed.
Crowds gathered near public buildings in cities large and small, including Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Fargo, to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change.
"Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens," Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading "Don't Spread H8".
Connecticut, which began same sex weddings this past week, and Massachusetts are the only two states that allow gay marriage. Thirty states ban the practice, but a handful allow civil unions or domestic partnerships that grant some rights of marriage.
A Pew Research Center study found that Fox News Channel commentator Bill O'Reilly (R-Propagandist) , who has long had the most popular show in cable news, tops the list as the public's favorite and least favorite campaign journalist.
O'Reilly was cited as favorite by 5% of those surveyed and least favorite by 6%. To be fair, 50% didn't have a favorite, and 60% didn't have a least favorite.
Also among the favorites, all cited by under 3%, were Tom Brokaw, Sean Hannity, Charles Gibson, Keith Olbermann, Anderson Cooper, Brian Williams, Wolf Blitzer and Katie Couric. Couric drew 5% for least favorite, with less than 3% for Rush Limbaugh, Olbermann, Hannity, Chris Matthews, Gibson and George Stephanopoulos.
O'Reilly can console himself as being the favorite campaign correspondent of 9% of Republicans -- the highest for the question -- and the least favorite of 10% of Democrats. Democrats tapped Olbermann as their favorite, while Couric was the least favorite of Republicans. It was Couric's interview with Sarah Palin in mid-September that started raising concerns about the Republican vp candidate.
Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler pleaded no contest on Friday to a heroin possession charge in the hopes of avoiding jail time by entering a treatment program, officials said.
Adler, 43, who was fired from the band over drug problems in 1990, also hopes to reunite with his old bandmates, said his attorney, Barry Gerald Sands.
"When he gets sober they'll accept him into the band and then they'll do a comeback album and a world tour, that's the dream of Steven Adler," Sands told Reuters, after an upbeat Adler entered his plea in Los Angeles Superior Court.
A representative from Guns N' Roses could not immediately be reached for comment.
In this photo provided by Starpix, 'Labelle' members, Nona Hendryx, left, Sarah Dash, center, and Patti Labelle, are photographed backstage at the 15th Annual 'OUT100 Awards' in New York, Friday, Nov. 14, 2008. Out Magazine's December and January special, double issue takes on an Old Hollywood theme to pay tribute to 100 actors, musicians, writers, fashion designers, politicians, and social figures, who have made significant strides in the gay community in 2008.
Photo by Amanda Schwab
A 15-year-old boy in Brazil recovered from a normally deadly rabies infection, becoming one of a handful of survivors of the virus worldwide and the first in the country, the health ministry said on Friday.
The teenager, who was bitten by a blood-sucking bat in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, was found to be clear of the virus after more than a month of hospital treatment using a combination of drugs.
The case is one of only three known in which a person survived a confirmed rabies infection, the ministry said in a statement. There are five other cases of people surviving suspected rabies infections, a ministry spokesman said.
He was treated with a combination of antiviral drugs, sedatives and injectable anesthetics, a procedure called the Milwaukee protocol after the U.S. city where it was first successfully applied in 2004.
Cross burnings. Schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama." Black figures hung from nooses. Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars.
Incidents around the country referring to President-elect Barack Obama are dampening the postelection glow of racial progress and harmony, highlighting the stubborn racism that remains in America.
From California to Maine, police have documented a range of alleged crimes, from vandalism and vague threats to at least one physical attack. Insults and taunts have been delivered by adults, college students and second-graders.
There have been "hundreds" of incidents since the election, many more than usual, said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes.
British composer Steve Nieve, center, acknowledges applause as British singers Sting, left, and Elvis Costello, right, look on at the end of Steve Nieve's and French author Muriel Teodori's opera 'Welcome to the Voice,' Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 during a preview at the Chatelet theater in Paris. The opera is to be performed five times from Nov. 20.
Photo by Thibault Camus
A former host of a TV stunt show put himself and others in danger because he was reckless and selfish enough to try to parachute from the Empire State Building 2 1/2 years ago, a prosecutor told jurors Friday.
Jeb Corliss' lawyer said his client was not reckless but an expert who has done more than 1,000 jumps and has never hurt another person.
Corliss was arrested on the 102-story landmark's 86th-floor observation deck April 27, 2006, after he climbed over a guardrail and "suicide fence" while wearing a parachute and a helmet that had a video camera attached.
Corliss, then host of the Discovery Channel's "Stunt Junkies" program, was fired after the attempt. The 32-year-old Malibu, Calif., man is charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment and faces a year in jail if convicted.
Li Xiaokai died of kidney failure on the old wooden bed in the family farmhouse, just before dawn on a drizzly Sept. 10.
Her grandmother wrapped the 9-month-old in a wool blanket. Her father handed the body to village men for burial by a muddy creek. The doctors and family never knew why she got sick. A day later, state media reported that the type of infant formula she drank had been adulterated with an industrial chemical.
Yet the deaths of Xiaokai and at least four other babies are not included in China's official death toll from its worst food safety scare in years. The Health Ministry's count stands at only three deaths.
Beijing's apparent reluctance to admit a higher toll is reinforcing perceptions that the authoritarian government cares more about tamping down criticism than helping families. Lawyers, doctors and reporters have said privately that authorities pressured them to not play up the human cost or efforts to get compensation from the government or Sanlu, the formula maker.
Unhappy people glue themselves to the television 30 percent more than happy people.
The finding, announced on Thursday, comes from a survey of nearly 30,000 American adults conducted between 1975 and 2006 as part of the General Social Survey.
While happy people reported watching an average of 19 hours of television per week, unhappy people reported 25 hours a week. The results held even after taking into account education, income, age and marital status.
The researchers are not sure, though, whether unhappiness leads to more television-watching or more viewing leads to unhappiness.
The space shuttle Endeavour is seen lifting off over the moon in Orlando, Florida November 14, 2008. The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour soared off its seaside launch pad on Friday on a mission to upgrade the International Space Station. Picture was taken with a time lapse exposure.
Photo by Kevin Kolczynski
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Charlie was first, amd correct, with:
