Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Mark Morford: Calling all kinkster hippie sluts (SF Gate)
Hello, deviant. Hello, kinkster pervert hippie slut. Hello, you who are reading this right now, fondling your whips or shopping for fine fetish wear or perhaps merely squirming gently in your office chair, eager to find out more about all these titillating keywords because, you know, mmmm.
Froma Harrop: Expensive Care That Hurts Patients (Creators Syndicate)
The biggest challenge for fixing American health care isn't finding more money. It's learning not to spend money on the wrong things. The solution, conservatives say, is simple: Have patients bear more of the costs now being covered by private or government insurers. The concept has merit, except for this: How on earth can we mortals know we don't need something when the god wearing the stethoscope says we do?
John McDermott: How to have a conversation (FT Magazine)
It's a dying art, struck down by text, email and messaging. So can we be taught how to talk to each other?
Jonathan Kirshner:When Critics Mattered (Boston Review)
Kael, Ebert, and '70s Film.
Nigel Andrews: Coming soon ... (FT Magazine)
With the imminent release of 'The Hunger Games' and '4:44', the cinematic end of the world is once again nigh
Marlow Stern: Audrey Tautou on 'Amélie,' Her New Film 'Delicacy,' & More (The Daily Beast)
Fetching French actress Audrey Tautou is back in the romantic drama "Delicacy." She talks to Marlow Stern about her breakout role, why working in Hollywood is so tough-and those retirement rumors.
Decca Aitkenhead: "Mike Skinner: 'I get withdrawal symptoms if I've not created something for a few days'" (Guardian)
The artist formerly known as the Streets on life after rap, the surprise of his rapid rise to fame and why years of sustained drug-taking were really great fun.
Gerri Detweiler: 8 Things Debt Collectors Won't Tell You (Huffington Post)
"Collecting debts of the deceased is a growing and lucrative business. Creepy, huh?" says Mary Reed, the co-author of more than 20 legal and financial books …. But generally, she points out, you aren't responsible for the debts of relatives who died unless you were a cosigner, or the debt belonged to your spouse who died and you live in a community property state.
Kathy Benjamin: "7 Ways to Divorce-Proof Your Marriage (Statistically Speaking)" (Mental Floss)
A study published in 2010 … found that if only one partner smoked, it caused more marital problems than differing religions, different backgrounds, even different plans for having children.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Food (Athens News)
Orson Welles was a big man with a big appetite. Once, he went to Pink's Hot Dog Stand on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles and ordered 18 hot dogs. He ended up in a hospital, and his doctor told him that the next time he ordered dinner for four that he better have three other people with him.
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
wrote:
took the day off.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Bosko Suggests
Winding Roads
Have a great day,
Bosko.
Thanks, Bosko!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Back to sunny and seasonal.
Obama's Impromptu Greetings
Sign Language
President Obama was shaking hands with supporters after an energy policy event on March 15 with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley when he had an impromptu sign language exchange with a deaf man that was caught on video.
The website Distriction was first to report on the candid exchange, which was captured on video by a 26-year-old Prince George's Community College student named Stephon, who is deaf. As Obama made his way down the line of supporters, Stephon used American Sign Language to tell the president, "I am proud of you." In the video, you can see Obama momentarily pause at the unexpected greeting. But he quickly responds by signing, "Thank you." A second deaf student then signs, "I love you." Obama smiles back at the student and shakes her hand before continuing down the line.
In a follow-up video, Stephon recounted his experience. He even wrote up a transcript for those of us not versed in American Sign Language.
Back during his first presidential campaign in 2008, President Obama also signed "Thank you" to another deaf campaign supporter.
Sign Language
Apologizes For Joke
Robert De Niro
Actor Robert De Niro on Wednesday apologized for joking at a Democratic fundraiser with Michelle Obama about the possibility of having a "white first lady" at the White House after November's presidential elections.
The Oscar-winning star of "The Godfather: Part II" and "Raging Bull" said he had intended no offense with the remark about the wives of Republican presidential contenders Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney.
"My remarks, although spoken with satirical jest, were not meant to offend or embarrass anyone -- especially the first lady," De Niro said in a statement.
De Niro found himself in hot water after Monday's fundraiser in New York when he introduced Michelle Obama as the main speaker.
Robert De Niro
New Companion
Doctor Who
A 25-year old soap opera actress beat hundreds of hopefuls to travel the universe alongside the Time Lord in one of the most sought after roles on British television, the BBC said on Wednesday.
Jenna-Louise Coleman was chosen to become the new companion of the 11th Doctor Who (Matt Smith) on the show of the same name, replacing Karen Gillan, who plays Amy Pond.
Best known for her roles in British soap "Emmerdale" and school drama "Waterloo Road", Coleman will replace Gillan and her on-screen partner Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) when they depart the series in a heart-breaking departure planned later this year.
Executive Producer Steven Moffat said the storyline for "Doctor Who" this season will be full of thrills, adventures and big surprises as the show builds up to its 50th anniversary.
The seventh series of Doctor Who will air in the autumn with 14 episodes, including a Christmas special. The show first aired in 1963, starring William Hartnell as the Doctor.
Doctor Who
Oscar Winner Honored By Hometown
Octavia Spencer
Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer was honored at the Alabama Statehouse, where about 400 people turned out to welcome her.
She rode up to the Statehouse in a pink limousine for the Wednesday ceremony. As she stepped out, she was serenaded by the band from her alma mater, Jefferson Davis High School.
A Montgomery native, Spencer told the crowd that she would do whatever she could to see that more movies are made in Alabama. She also cautioned young people in the audience to think twice before heading to Hollywood to become a movie star.
Spencer was then honored by a joint session of the Legislature.
Octavia Spencer
Pulled From Fox Schedule
'I Hate My Teenage Daughter'
"I Hate My Teenage Daughter" isn't getting a lot of love from Fox.
The network has pulled the comedy from its schedule two weeks earlier than expected after it posted disappointing ratings. Fox said the show would air its six remaining episodes in the summer, including the two that were to air March 27 and April 3.
The series, which stars Jaime Presssly and Katie Finneran as a pair of lifelong friends and single moms who fear that their daughters are growing up to be just like the girls who picked on them in school, ran Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. and was expected to go into hiatus following its April 3 episode to make room for the return of "Glee" on April 10.
"Raising Hope" repeats will fill the slot March 27 and April 3, and "Glee" will return from 8 to 9 the following week, as previously planned.
'I Hate My Teenage Daughter'
Plans US Visit
North Korean National Symphony Orchestra
An Atlanta-based nonprofit is planning to bring North Korea's national orchestra to the U.S. for a tour that would start in Atlanta, according to the group's president.
The North Korean National Symphony Orchestra would bring 164 musicians and journalists for an 18-day visit that would also include stops in Oxford, Miss., and New York, said Robert Springs, the president of Global Resource Services, a humanitarian group that works in North Korea.
He said he hopes the visit will take place in the spring but the details are still being worked out and it awaits government approval. Springs has scheduled a press conference on Thursday to release more details about the trip. The U.S. State Department did not immediately comment.
A U.S. tour by North Korean musicians would take place four years after the New York Philharmonic performed in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, in January 2008 - a historic cultural exchange between musicians from two nations that remain enemy states.
North Korean National Symphony Orchestra
Released From Hospital
Gallagher
The comedian Gallagher has been released from a Texas hospital, a week after suffering a heart attack before a performance at a suburban Dallas bar.
His promotional manager, Christine Scherrer, says the Los Angeles-based comedian was released Wednesday but will stay in the Dallas area for a while to recuperate.
Scherrer says Gallagher is with his family and is "moving around on his own."
Gallagher
Conservative Blogger 'Punked'
Jason Mattera
Jason Mattera, a conservative blogger and editor of Human Events, thought he had captured a video interview with U2's Bono proving the singer had moved the offices of his ONE charity to avoid higher taxes. Only one problem for Mattera: it was a Bono impersonator.
In the video, shot on Feb. 8 in Los Angeles, Mattera approaches the faux frontman at a party for an autograph, then proceeds to question the impersonator about "dodging taxes on royalties."
But Mattera was actually grilling Pavel Sfera, a professional Bono lookalike whose website-BonoDouble.com-even carries a quote from Bono's wife, Alison Hewson: "He does look like him."
Mattera, who was on Sean Hannity's radio show Tuesday to promote his would-be coup, told the Washington Post that he had been "punked."
Jason Mattera
Pleads In Domestic Violence Case
Marston Hefner
Hugh Hefner's 21-year-old son has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge stemming from an incident with his girlfriend at their Pasadena home.
Assistant Pasadena City Prosecutor Chris Blankenhorn tells City News Service that Marston Hefner pleaded no contest Tuesday to corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant.
Marston Hefner was arrested last month after police were called to the apartment he shared with 20-year-old Claire Sinclair, the 2011 Playmate of the Year. Sinclair had minor injuries and sought a restraining order against the younger Hefner the next day.
Blankenhorn says Marston Hefner is expected to undergo a year of domestic violence counseling. He also is ordered to stay away from Sinclair for three years.
Marston Hefner
Not Your Father's Marines
Marine Sgt. Gary Stein
The Marine Corps on Wednesday notified a sergeant who has been openly critical of President Barack Obama that he is violating Pentagon policy barring troops from political activities and that he faces dismissal.
Camp Pendleton Marine Sgt. Gary Stein started a Facebook page called Armed Forces Tea Party to encourage fellow service members to exercise their free speech rights. He declared a few weeks ago that he would not follow the unlawful orders of the commander in chief. Stein also criticized Defense Secretary Leon Panetta for his comments on Syria.
Stein, a nine-year member of the Corps, said he did nothing wrong and planned to fight the charges. He had applied to extend his service, which was set to expire in a few months.
The Marine Corps said in a statement Wednesday that Stein's commanding officer ordered a preliminary inquiry on March 8 after receiving allegations that Stein posted political statements about Obama on Facebook in violation of the Pentagon's directives.
Stein said in addition to being discharged, he would have his rank reduced to lance corporal if he is proven to be in violation of the rules. He said he was removed from his job at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego on Wednesday and given a desk job with no access to computers.
Marine Sgt. Gary Stein
State Health Officials Appeal Ruling
Washington
Washington state health officials asked an appeals court on Wednesday to reinstate a rule requiring that pharmacists dispense emergency contraceptives even when doing so violates their religious beliefs.
District Judge Ronald Leighton blocked the regulation last month, finding it trampled on the pharmacists' right to "conscientious objection" in violation of the Constitution.
Leighton's ruling in a case brought by a drugstore owner and two of his pharmacists in the state capital, Olympia, comes amid a national political debate over a federal policy mandating free coverage for women's contraceptives through employer-sponsored health plans.
But the state's Department of Health and Board of Pharmacy asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the trial court's determination that the requirement targets religious opposition to certain medications.
"This isn't about religious objections," health department spokesman Tim Church said. "This rule is meant to ensure that people have access to time-sensitive medications."
Washington
Charges Filed Against Chevron Execs
Brazil
Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against 17 Chevron and Transocean company executives on Wednesday for an oil leak in the Atlantic, a move deemed outrageous by those targeted but applauded by environmentalists.
Prosecutors accused the executives of environmental crimes, of misleading Brazil's oil regulator about safety plans and of not providing accurate information in the wake of the spill.
At least 110,000 gallons (416,000 liters) of oil seeped through cracks on the ocean floor near a Chevron Corp. appraisal well off the Rio de Janeiro coast in November. The well drilled by Transocean Ltd. has since been sealed, but a small amount of seepage reappeared in recent days, raising concern the damage is not yet over.
The federal prosecutors' office in Rio de Janeiro said in an emailed statement that the two companies and 17 of its executives have been charged with "crimes against the environment." Executives could face up to 31 years in prison. A judge will decide if the case will go to trial, which would be a lengthy process given the number of defendants, the complexity of the case and the Brazilian legal system's room for numerous appeals.
Brazil
Once-Influential Pennsylvania Legislator Sentenced
John Perzel
An influential former speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives was sentenced to up to five years in prison on Wednesday after admitting that he used public funds for a computerized election system to help Republicans win elections.
John Perzel, who represented a House district in northeastern Philadelphia, pleaded guilty in August to eight of 82 original charges he faced in what became known as "Computergate."
Perzel, 62, was accused of being the architect behind a scheme that spent more than $10 million of taxpayer money on sophisticated computer systems to track voters and voting patterns.
The scandal broke in 2009, when then-Attorney General Tom Corbett revealed a grand jury probe and the accusations.
Corbett said then that the scheme was hatched after Perzel won re-election by a mere 100 votes in 2000 and never again wanted to go through such a tight race.
John Perzel
Gay Marriage Repeal Fails
New Hampshire
New Hampshire lawmakers easily defeated a bill on Wednesday that would have been the first step toward reversing the state's law that allows same-sex couples to marry.
The attempt to repeal a law that made gay marriages legal in the state, failed by a vote of 116-211 in the Republican-controlled legislature, drawing applause from many lawmakers in the historic statehouse in Concord.
Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, had promised to veto the bill if it reached his desk.
The bill's main sponsor was state Rep. David Bates, a Republican from Windham, who on Wednesday said that marriage equality would ruin society.
A poll taken in late January by the University of New Hampshire's survey center showed 59 percent of voters were against repealing gay marriage in New Hampshire, whose state motto is "live free or die."
New Hampshire
In Memory
Bob Henry
Bob Henry, a producer and director of television variety shows including "The Nat King Cole Show" and "The Flip Wilson Show," has died.
A Tuesday statement from the Pageant of the Masters art festival where he was a director says Henry died Sunday at his home in Laguna Beach, Calif. He was 92.
Henry worked in television for more than five decades and was noted for bringing black performers like Cole and Wilson to a wider audience.
He produced, directed and wrote 1956's "Nat King Cole Show" for NBC, which several network affiliates refused to air because of its black star.
Henry would later direct and produce variety shows for Andy Williams, the Carpenters, and Barbara Mandrell, and also helmed telecasts of the Emmy and Grammy awards.
Bob Henry
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