Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Honeybees That Are Mysteriously Dying" (Earth Island Journal; Posted on AlterNet.org)
Not only do bumblebees pollinate about 15 percent of our food crops (valued at $3 billion), they also occupy a critical role as native pollinators.
Mark Morford: Greetings, Golden Gate Bridge jumper (sfgate.com)
Guess who commits suicide most often from our world-famous span?
DAVID BROOKS: High-Five Nation (nytimes.com)
Today, immodesty is as ubiquitous as advertising. It's funny how the nation's mood was at its most humble when its achievements were at their most extraordinary.
BOB HERBERT: A World of Hurt (nytimes.com)
This recession, a full-blown economic horror, has left a gaping hole in the heart of working America that is unlikely to heal for years, if not decades.
BOB HERBERT: It's Time to Get Help (nytimes.com)
We've forgotten how to live within our means, the benefits of shared sacrifice, the responsibilities of citizenship, the importance of a well-rounded education, and tolerance.
Andrew Tobias: How Network News Fails Us (andrewtobias.com)
"The only institution in our society that can inform the uninformed, correct misimpressions, clarify complex topics, and provide a forum for honest and responsible debate is the media. Even we neo-journalists of the 70's felt the weight of that responsibility. Many news organizations of today have gone off the road . . . and must find their way back. Only our country is at stake." -- Bryan Norcross, President & CEO - America's Emergency Network, Former Senior News Producer and News Director
Anthony Gottlieb: FACTS, ERRORS AND THE KINDLE (moreintelligentlife.com)
Typos can be an annoyance for both book authors and readers. Now in the e-book future, we can alter and correct without end...
Mike Osegueda: John Legend is not your typical pop star (McClatchy Newspapers)
For a guy whose breakout song was titled "Ordinary People," John Legend is anything but ordinary.
Lindsey Weedston: Interview with Orla Fallon (thecelebritycafe.com)
Orla Fallon was born in Knockananna, Ireland. She released her debut album 'The Water is Wide' in 2000, and her traditional Irish singing soon gained popularity. In 2004, she was asked to join a group of singers to form Celtic Woman, which saw immense success on the world music market. In 2008, she left Celtic Woman to restart her solo career. Her newest solo album 'Distant Shore' is to be released on Sept. 22.
Michael Moore: From Toronto to Pittsburgh to Jay Leno, "Capitalism" Marches On
It hasn't quite hit me that "Capitalism: A Love Story," my new film, will be opening in theaters in New York and L.A. [soon]. And everywhere else on October 2nd. Is it already the fall?
DAVID GERMAIN: "Michael Moore: I May QUIT Documentaries" (huffingtonpost.com)
Michael Moore says he made his latest documentary, "Capitalism: A Love Story," as though it were his last. And it might be.
Erica Abeel: Michael Moore Takes on Goldman (huffingtonpost.com)
Michael Moore's 'Capitalism: A Love Story' is everything I hoped it would be: hard-hitting, instructive yet entertaining, sad and funny both -- in a word, essential.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Helping out The Man' Edition
I think I can safely say that we all support President Obama's efforts to enact an effective, comprehensive Health Care Reform Bill... Right? Right!
Well then, have you contacted your congressional representatives and senators and asked them to support his plan?
If not, here's your opportunity to do just that! Then you can answer yes and become a member of my Badtothebone for Barack club. How cool is that, eh?
Details of the plan are included in the link for your perusal...
Do the right thing, I'm sayin'! Walk the walk!
Send your response to
DanD was late in responding, but you can read it here.
wrote:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Bit warmer, but still cooler than seasonal.
Reviewing Janet Jackson Case
FCC
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday the agency will review the incident involving a fleeting glimpse of pop singer Janet Jackson's breast during the 2004 American football championship.
Jackson's right breast was exposed to almost 90 million TV viewers for a fraction of a second during the live 2004 Super Bowl football halftime show in what fellow pop singer Justin Timberlake later called a "wardrobe malfunction."
In a filing on Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the FCC asked the court to allow the agency to review whether CBS was reckless by failing to use a video delay technology, reasserting that CBS used a video delay for the 2004 Grammy Awards only seven days after the Super Bowl.
"The evidence in this case strongly suggests that CBS had access to video delay technology at the time of the 2004 Super Bowl," the FCC said in the court document.
FCC
Denmark Exhibition
Bob Dylan
Denmark's National Gallery says it will exhibit some 100 works by Bob Dylan, including some of his newest acrylic paintings.
The museum says some 30 canvasses from Dylan's forthcoming Brazil Series have never been put on exhibit before.
Museum spokesman Jakob Fibiger Andreasen says Dylan was interested in displaying his work at the museum that has a large collection of paintings by French artist Henri Matisse.
The Copenhagen exhibition opens in September or October 2010.
Bob Dylan
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Completes Run
Eddie Izzard
Standup comedian Eddie Izzard completed a 1,100 mile (1,770 kilometer) run across Britain on Tuesday, staggering across the finish line at London's rain-soaked Trafalgar Square.
The cross-dressing comic, better known for running through his routines in drag than running marathons, said he managed the feat of endurance with only five weeks' training.
Izzard covered the country in seven weeks, clocking up at least 27 miles (43 kilometers) nearly every day to raise money for Sport Relief, a U.K. charity which works in Britain and abroad.
"The small toes have lost their nails and they look like alien monsters but I'm told they will grow back," he said, adding that while everyone kept complementing him about the shape of his legs, "I thought they looked quite good beforehand."
Eddie Izzard
Voted Americans' Favorite Beatle
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney topped a poll of Americans' favorite Beatles, but nearly a quarter of those surveyed said they didn't like the British rock group.
And 3 percent of the 4,837 American adults questioned in the survey said they didn't know the Fab Four's music well enough to make a decision.
Nearly 30 percent of Americans questioned in the poll selected McCartney, compared to 16 percent who chose John Lennon, 10 percent for George Harrison and 9 percent for Ringo Starr.
Most of those who were not familiar with the Fab Four's music were 70 or older.
Paul McCartney
Film Festival Hit By Economic Crisis
San Sebastian
The stars will be there but the petit fours and cocktails may be in short supply as the biggest film festival in the Spanish-speaking world gets underway this week amid cutbacks forced by the economic crisis.
Organisers of the Sept 18-26 San Sebastian festival in northern Spain said they have been forced to slash the budget this year by 600,000 euros to 7.0 million amid cutbacks in public subsidies and from sponsors.
"We have reduced the festival to nine days from 10 days and there will be less cocktails," said festival director Mikel Olaciregui.
The 15 films in competition at this year's 57th edition are, as usual, a varied selection from international directors.
San Sebastian
Reminder Of Mortality
Garrison Keillor
Humorist and author Garrison Keillor writes that a minor stroke he suffered last week left him "essentially unscathed, though touched by mortality."
Keillor drove himself to a St. Paul hospital after feeling ill, then was taken to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He spent four nights at Saint Marys Hospital before being released last Friday.
In a column for Salon.com, 67-year-old Keillor writes that when he left Saint Marys, "a neurologist shook my hand and said: 'I hope you know how lucky you are.'"
The host of public radio's "A Prairie Home Companion" ends his column with a plea for national health reform. He's scheduled to begin a new season of his show on Sept. 26 from St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater.
Garrison Keillor
Rehab
Burt Reynolds
Actor Burt Reynolds has been released from a drug rehabilitation center where he was being treated for an addiction to painkillers, his manager said Wednesday.
The star of "Smokey and the Bandit," "Deliverance" and "Boogie Nights" began struggling after recent back surgery and "realized that he was in the prison of prescription pain pills," his manager Erik Kritzer said in a statement.
Kritzer said in a later e-mail message he did not know when Reynolds entered or left the Hanley Center in West Palm Beach. The facility's management declined comment, citing patient confidentiality.
Burt Reynolds
R - WWE CEO
Linda McMahon
Pro wrestling executive Linda McMahon has never been shy about wading into the ring - and now she's plotting a smackdown of Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd.
World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. said Wednesday McMahon has resigned as the company's chief executive to seek the Republican nomination for Dodd's seat, providing a show-business twist to one of the nation's marquee Senate races.
McMahon, 60, launched her candidacy saying the five-term incumbent Dodd has "lost his way and our trust." Dodd plans to run for a sixth term next year and is seen as one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats. He also faces a Democratic challenger, businessman Merrick Alpert.
The WWE has been under fire in recent years following the unexpected deaths of several former and active wrestlers, some of which have been related to substance abuse. Congress asked the WWE for answers after the 2007 murder-suicide deaths of one of the WWE's top stars, Chris Benoit, and his family.
Linda McMahon
Coldplay Copyright Lawsuit Dropped
Joe Satriani
British rock band Coldplay and Joe Satriani have settled their legal entanglements, and the guitarist's lawsuit alleging copyright infringement has been dismissed, Satriani's representative told Billboard.
While details of the case remain sealed, legal sources said a financial settlement between the two parties may have been reached. Coldplay will not be required to admit to any wrongdoing.
Last December, Satriani filed a lawsuit against the members of Coldplay and their Capitol Records label, alleging the band's song, "Viva La Vida," contained "substantial, original portions" of his 2004 track "If I Could Fly."
According to court documents posted at justia.com, the case came to a conclusion Monday. Through his representative, Satriani declined to comment.
Joe Satriani
Sued By Abercrombie & Fitch
Beyoncé
Abercrombie & Fitch Co, the apparel retailer known for sexy advertising and casual looks, has sued the singer Beyoncé Knowles, claiming her plan for a new fragrance to be launched in early 2010 infringes on its existing trademark.
In a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio, Abercrombie claims a fragrance under the singer's "Sasha Fierce" label "poses a likelihood of confusion" with the retailer's own "Fierce" brand.
It said such confusion could deprive it of control over a trademark it has used since 2002, and perhaps cost it sales. The lawsuit seeks to halt potential trademark infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices.
The case is Abercrombie & Fitch Co v. Knowles, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio (Columbus), No. 09-807.
Beyoncé
Supreme Court
'Redskins'
A group of American Indians who find the Washington Redskins' name offensive wants the Supreme Court to take up the matter.
The group on Monday asked the justices to review a lower court decision that favored the NFL team on a legal technicality.
Seven Native Americans have been working through the court system since 1992 to have the Redskins trademarks declared invalid. A U.S. Patent and Trademark Office panel ruled in their favor in 1999. But they've been handed a series of defeats from judges who ruled that the plaintiffs waited too long to bring their suit in the first place.
'Redskins'
Community Service
Chris Brown
Singer Chris Brown cleared weeds and debris at police horse stables in Virginia as part of his community service for beating ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
Richmond television stations showed Brown working Wednesday as police stood nearby. He wore an orange vest, white tank top, baggy jeans and red baseball cap and carried a yard tool to cut tall weeds.
Brown did not speak to the media but he waved to fans who saw him working.
Chris Brown
Bad Information
Jesse Jasper
An Army unit is reviewing how it delivers information to families after a call to a western New York couple led them to believe their son had been killed in combat.
Ray Jasper of Niagara Falls said he, his wife, Robin, and their extended family spent four hours Sunday mourning their son, Sgt. Jesse Jasper, before learning from his girlfriend that he was alive.
The 26-year-old soldier called his father from Afghanistan to prove it after hearing about the mix-up.
The nightmare started about 2 p.m. Sunday when Ray Jasper, while on a family camping trip, got an urgent message from a family liaison from his son's unit in the 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, N.C. When he reached the liaison - the wife of a soldier deployed with Jasper's son - she told him she had a "red line message" that she needed to read to him verbatim.
Jesse Jasper
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Sept. 7-Sept. 13. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.
1. (4) "NBC Sunday Night Football," NBC, 21.10 million viewers.
2. (X) "NBC NFL Thursday Special," NBC, 20.91 million viewers.
3. (23) "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 17.00 million viewers.
4. (X) "NBC NFL Thursday Pre-Kick," NBC, 15.53 million viewers.
5. (12) "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday), NBC, 12.03 million viewers.
6. (50) "Football Night in America Part 3," NBC, 11.99 million viewers.
7. (27) "The OT," Fox, 11.34 million viewers.
8. (6) "NCIS," CBS, 11.22 million viewers.
9. (15) "60 MINUTES," CBS, 10.52 million viewers.
10. (19) "America's Got Talent" (Wednesday), NBC, 10.06 million viewers.
11. (X) "NFL Opening Kick-Off Show," NBC, 9.23 million viewers.
12. (11) "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 9.02 million viewers.
13. (8) "The Mentalist," CBS, 8.34 million viewers.
14. (38) "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 8.09 million viewers.
15. (50) "Hell's Kitchen," Fox, 7.97 million viewers.
16. (69) "Big Brother 11" (Tuesday), CBS, 7.89 million viewers.
17. (7) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 7.56 million viewers.
18. (X) "Glee," Fox, 7.50 million viewers.
19. (75) "Big Brother 11" (Thursday)," CBS, 7.44 million viewers.
20. (103) "Dateline," (Friday), NBC, 7.40 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Mary Travers
Mary Travers, who as one-third of the hugely popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary helped popularize such tunes as "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and "If I Had a Hammer," died Wednesday after battling leukemia for several years. She was 72.
Bandmate Peter Yarrow said that in her final months, Travers handled her declining health with bravery and generosity, showing her love to friends and family "with great dignity and without restraint."
Noel "Paul" Stookey, the trio's other member, praised Travers for her inspiring activism, "especially in her defense of the defenseless."
Mary Allin Travers was born on Nov. 9, 1936 in Louisville, Ky., the daughter of journalists who moved the family to Manhattan's bohemian Greenwich Village. She quickly became enamored with folk performers like the Weavers, and was soon performing with Pete Seeger, a founding member of the Weavers who lived in the same building as the Travers family.
With a group called the Song Swappers, Travers backed Seeger on one album and two shows at Carnegie Hall. She also appeared (as one of a group of folk singers) in a short-lived 1958 Broadway show called "The Next President," starring comedian Mort Sahl.
It wasn't until she met up with Yarrow and Stookey that Travers would taste success on her own. Yarrow was managed by Albert B. Grossman, who later worked in the same capacity for Bob Dylan.
The budding trio, boosted by the arrangements of Milt Okun, spent seven months rehearsing in her Greenwich Village apartment before their 1961 public debut at the Bitter End.
Their beatnik look - a tall blonde flanked by a pair of goateed guitarists - was a part of their initial appeal. As The New York Times critic Robert Shelton put it not long afterward, "Sex appeal as a keystone for a folk-song group was the idea of the group's manager ... who searched for months for `the girl' until he decided on Miss Travers."
The trio mingled their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off. Their version of "If I Had a Hammer" became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included "Lemon Tree," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff (The Magic Dragon.)"
And they were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to stay true to their liberal beliefs while creating music that resonated in the American mainstream.
The group collected five Grammy Awards for their three-part harmony on enduring songs like "Leaving on a Jet Plane," "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and "Blowin' in the Wind."
"Blowin' In the Wind" became an another civil rights anthem, and Peter, Paul and Mary fully embraced the cause. They marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Ala., and performed with him in Washington.
With the advent of the Beatles and Dylan's switch to electric guitar, the folk boom disappeared. Travers expressed disdain for folk-rock, telling the Chicago Daily News in 1966 that "it's so badly written. ... When the fad changed from folk to rock, they didn't take along any good writers."
But the trio continued their success, scoring with the tongue-in-cheek single "I Dig Rock and Roll Music," a gentle parody of the Mamas and the Papas, in 1967 and the John Denver-penned "Leaving on a Jet Plane" two years later.
Over the years they enjoyed several reunions, including a performance at a 1978 anti-nuclear benefit organized by Yarrow and a 35th anniversary album, "Lifelines," with fellow folkies Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Dave Van Ronk and Seeger. A boxed set of their music was released in 2004.
They remained politically active as well, performing at the 1995 anniversary of the Kent State shootings and performing for California strawberry pickers.
Travers lived for many years in Redding, Conn. She is survived by her husband, Ethan Robbins and daughters, Alicia and Erika.
Mary Travers
In Memory
Henry Gibson
Henry Gibson, the veteran comic character actor best known for his role reciting offbeat poetry on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," has died. He was 73.
Gibson's son, James, said Gibson died Monday at his home in Malibu after a brief battle with cancer.
After serving in the Air Force and studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Gibson - born James Bateman in Germantown, Pa., in 1935 - created his Henry Gibson comic persona, a pun on playwright Henrik Ibsen's name, while working as a theater actor in New York. For three seasons on "Laugh-In," he delivered satirical poems while gripping a giant flower.
After "Laugh-In," Gibson went on to appear in several films, including "The Long Goodbye" and "Nashville," which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. His most memorable roles included playing the menacing neighbor opposite Tom Hanks in "The 'burbs," the befuddled priest in "Wedding Crashers" and voicing Wilbur the Pig in the animated "Charlotte's Web."
His recent work included playing cantankerous Judge Clarence Brown on ABC's "Boston Legal" for five seasons and providing the voice of sardonic, eye-patched reporter Bob Jenkins on Fox's "King of the Hill." In 2001, Gibson returned to the stage in New York in the Encores! New York City Center production of Rodgers and Hart's "A Connecticut Yankee."
Gibson is survived by three sons and two grandchildren.
Henry Gibson
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