Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Tom Danehy: In praise of Lincoln, the perfect imperfect man for the job (Tucson Weekly)
... Presidents Day. I don't want to honor all of the presidents. James Buchanan fiddled while the unholy stew of slavery reached a boiling-over point. Woodrow Wilson knew World War I was coming and failed to prepare our military to fight it. Ronald Reagan (and/or his subordinates) blithely ignored the United States Constitution just to help prop up the regime of a butcher in Nicaragua. And on and on ...
Jim Hightower: The Kochs are Coming!
Recently, I was among some 1,500 uninvited "guests" who descended on an exclusive closed-door, political retreat held at a posh resort. How rude of us riff-raff to intrude!
Susan Estrich: Romantic Revolutions (Creators Syndicate)
In the first days of the demonstrations in Egypt, almost everyone I know was glued to their television. Many of them were caught up in what they saw as the romanticism of the moment: students and young people in the streets, willing to risk their lives to stand up to a tyrannical regime and replace it with a democracy. Irresistible.
Connie Schultz: Hopes Will Soar With This Shuttle Flight (Creators Syndicate)
When NASA's shuttle Endeavour launches into space April 19, Mark Kelly plans to be at the helm.
Mark Bittman: Is 'Eat Real Food' Unthinkable? (New York Times)
The new diet and health guidelines from three powerful sources don't go quite far enough.
Darren Everson and Jared Diamond: Stanford Corners the 'Smart' Market (Wall Street Journal)
Stanford, which is coming off its best football season in 70 years, didn't land the most talented class of high school football players. What stands out about Stanford's recruiting class is the strength of their grades.
Chris Sullivan: "This much I know: Kazuo Ishiguro" (Guardian)
As the film adaptation of his bestselling novel 'Never Let Me Go' hits the screens, the author reflects on past passions, fatherhood and critical abuse.
Rachel Cooke: "Edna O'Brien: 'A writer's imaginative life commences in childhood'" (Guardian)
Fifty years after leaving County Clare for London, the doyenne of Irish fiction is still preoccupied with the land of her birth. On the eve of a new short-story collection, she talks about love, exile - and why, at 80, she's still a party girl.
20 Questions: Ariel Sabar (Popmatters)
Before award winning author Ariel Sabar begins his book tour for 'Heart of the City' this Valentine's Day, he tells PopMatters 20 Questions about the lasting influence of an excellent newspaper editor he once knew.
'If you tolerate this ...': Nicky Wire on library closures (Guardian)
Libraries were my band's lifeline, writes Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers. We must fight for them.
Dana Gioia: Wherever Home May Be (Wall Street Journal)
Elizabeth Bishop was a restless, searching writer whose poems are rich in the wonder of being human.
Alex Pham: EBookFling is Netflix Instant Watch for digital books (Los Angeles Times)
It's no secret that users of Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's nook digital book readers can "lend" copies of the books they've purchased to friends.
David Bruce has 40 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $40 you can buy 10,000 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
wrote:
answered:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
BadtotheboneBob
Ensign Punished
Navy IG: Ensign Punished in Anti-Gay Complaint
A junior officer who alleged anti-gay harassment at his fighter jet squadron was improperly punished with a bad performance report after he complained, Navy and Defense Department investigators have found... Ensign Steve Crowston...
who served in an administrative position at the squadron, a group of officers gathered a few months after he arrived to give him and a handful of other personnel honorary call signs -- nicknames used by pilots and flight officers. Among the suggested monikers for Crowston, he has said, were "Gayboy" and "Fagmeister."...Crowston complained to the executive officer the next day, but nothing came of it... Crowston says his bosses responded by opening an investigation into his conduct, stripping him of his duties and putting a letter in his file questioning his fitness as an officer... (Bastards!) Crowston filed a complaint with the Naval Air Force Atlantic Inspector General in February 2010. After that investigation failed to substantiate most of Crowston's allegations, he appealed, and the Navy IG opened an inquiry. (As well they should) In a Feb. 2 letter to Crowston, the Navy IG said its investigation found that he was improperly punished because of his complaints. A letter from the Defense Department IG to the Navy IG, sent two weeks earlier, states that the Defense Department reviewed the Navy's investigation and supports its conclusions.
Navy IG: Ensign Punished in Anti-Gay Complaint
(
Bravo
Zulu!... That's a Naval Signal Flag hoist meaning, "Well done")
(Now, then... One must remember that the issue here was not whether he was or was not Gay, but the unacceptable slurs implying that he was and the reprisal by his immediate command for his complaint. The Navy and Defense Department Inspectors General are laying the legal groundwork for future harassment complaints/reprisals when DADT is repealed. That's how I see it. As I said before, it's not gonna be easy, but it'll get done. Total acceptance of Gays and Lesbians will take time much as the racial integration of the military took time, human nature being what it is. I believe that when G&L's are allowed to serve openly, such slurs used against them will be subject to punishment under the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). Perhaps, Article 134 'Conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline'...)
BadtotheboneBob
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and breezy.
"Social Network" Beats "King's Speech"
London Film Critics
"The Social Network" knocked "The King's Speech" off its perch at the London Film Critics' Circle Awards on Thursday, with the Facebook saga movie scooping four prizes to the royal story's three.
Both movies were nominated seven times, but "The Social Network" won the top accolade, film of the year, as well as best director for David Fincher, best British actor in a supporting role for Andrew Garfield and best script for writer Aaron Sorkin.
"The King's Speech," which leads the Academy Award nominations field with 12 ahead of 10 for "True Grit" and eight each for "The Social Network" and "Inception," was named best British film of the year.
It also picked up awards for best British director (Tom Hooper) and best actor (Colin Firth).
In the actress category, Annette Bening's turn in lesbian family drama "The Kids Are All Right" beat Natalie Portman as a troubled ballerina in "Black Swan."
London Film Critics
ABC Sells Out Advertising Time
Oscars
ABC said Thursday it has sold out of advertising time for its Academy Awards broadcast, with blue-chip names such as Amazon.com Inc and Procter & Gamble Co buying commercial spots for one of the year's top TV events.
Studios will also be well-represented among the advertisers, with at least Viacom Inc's Paramount, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and Summit Pictures due to run advertisements. This is only the second year that studios have been allowed to advertise during the broadcast.
The Oscars broadcast, on Sunday, February 27, is often the second most-watched U.S. television program of the year, trailing only the Super Bowl. Last year's broadcast drew more than 41 million U.S. viewers, the biggest audience for the Academy Awards in five years.
Ad rates for a 30-second spot in this year's broadcast averaged an estimated $1.75 million, sources said, making it one of the most expensive places to advertise on television. Advertisers are often willing pay a premium for the Oscars, since the broadcast attracts a large audience and is often viewed live rather than recorded on a DVR, which allows commercials to be skipped.
Oscars
Oldie Of The Year
Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries - famous for his Dame Edna Everage alter-ego - has been named Oldie Of The Year.
The Australian star, 76, landed the title which has previously been won by the likes of Joanna Lumley, Sir David Attenborough and Eric Sykes.
Barry, also known for his character Sir Les Patterson, was awarded the honour for his "wonderful split personality which has entertained us for so many years".
Actress Jean Marsh, recently seen in the revived Upstairs Downstairs on BBC One, was honoured with "old maid of the year".
She reprised her role as Rose Buck when the series - which she originally conceived with Dame Eileen Atkins - was brought back after more than three decades. Jean was given the prize "for creating and starring in Upstairs Downstairs, old and new".
Barry Humphries
Fans Rally In Detroit
RoboCop
Like RoboCop himself in the cult classic movie, plans for a statue of the mechanized crime fighter in Detroit may not be dead after all.
On Monday, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing touched off a debate on the internet when his office rejected a suggestion that the struggling city erect a statue to RoboCop.
The question had come into the mayor's office via Twitter from someone who later tweeted that the idea had been a joke.
But by Thursday, more than 4,000 people had joined a Facebook page to support the idea of bringing a RoboCop statue to Detroit, and a group of artists pledged to raise $50,000 to fund its construction in an online campaign.
In the 1987 movie starring Peter Weller, a mortally wounded Detroit police officer is brought back to life as a half-man, half-machine crime-fighter.
RoboCop
Who Spilled Secrets?
'Survivor'
Mark Burnett isn't sure if contestant Russell Hantz was spilling "Survivor" secrets.
The "Survivor" executive producer said during a teleconference Thursday that he had no idea if Hantz, the 38-year-old schemer featured in the "Samoa" and "Heroes vs. Villains" editions, leaked information about the CBS reality TV competition.
Hantz, who also stars in the upcoming 22nd season of the show, was accused of providing several plot points about the show, including the elimination order of contestants, before it aired, to a man posting on the "Survivor Sucks" message board, according to a Daily Beast report released last week.
"Survivor" producers filed a lawsuit against the poster, Jim Early, last year but later dismissed it.
'Survivor'
Racist Humor Cut For US Audience
Top Gear
Scenes in which Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May poked fun at Mexicans will be cut before the show is broadcast in the United States next week.
The Mexican ambassador complained to the BBC about the "outrageous, vulgar and inexcusable insults" made on the show after Hammond joked that Mexican cars reflected national characteristics, saying they were "just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent".
Also in the show, May described Mexican food as "like sick with cheese on it" and Clarkson predicted they would not get any complaints about the show because "at the Mexican embassy, the ambassador is going to be sitting there with a remote control like this (snores). They won't complain, it's fine".
The BBC claimed national stereotyping was part of British humour and the remarks were akin to labelling Italians as disorganised and over-dramatic, the French as arrogant and the Germans as over-organised.
Top Gear
Retroactive Tax Credits?
"Sarah Palin's Alaska"
A producer of "Sarah Palin's Alaska" reality series is listed in an application seeking film production tax credits from the state.
The heavily redacted 2010 document names Maria Baltazzi as executive producer of the unidentified production.
The Alaska Film Office does not disclose specifics about productions seeking tax credits until final approval. The Palin show, which debuted in November, is not among those listed as approved by the office.
The one-time series was produced by Mark Burnett of "Survivor" reality TV show fame.
Baltazzi told The Associated Press she worked on the series, but referred other questions to Burnett's office, which didn't immediately comment.
"Sarah Palin's Alaska"
Reaches Divorce Deal
Charlie Sheen
Actor Charlie Sheen and his estranged third wife, Brooke Mueller, have agreed to the terms of their divorce, capping a brief, stormy marriage that collapsed after a violent quarrel on Christmas Day 2009.
The divorce settlement, which cannot become final before May, was revealed in court documents made public on Thursday by the celebrity website TMZ.com.
News of the agreement comes about two weeks after Sheen entered rehab following a reported 36-hour binge of drug and alcohol abuse, forcing production to be halted on his top-rated CBS television comedy, "Two and a Half Men."
Under terms of the settlement, which TMZ said was filed on Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Mueller will gain primary physical custody of the couple's twin 2-year-old sons, Bob and Max, and Sheen will pay child support of $55,000 a month.
Charlie Sheen
Divorce Finalized
Kelsey Grammer
"Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer's divorce from his now ex-wife Camille has been finalized, freeing him to marry his current girlfriend.
"I have a great many mixed feelings about today -- I'm sad for what was, yet excited about the road ahead," Camille Donatacci Grammer, said in a statement Thursday.
Grammer, 55, who rose to fame playing snob psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on sitcoms "Cheers" and "Frasier," and Camille, 42, a recently-made star on TV show "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," had been married for 13 years and have two children. It was Grammer's second marriage.
They broke up in 2010 when Grammer began seeing flight attendant Kayte Walsh, 29, who in October suffered a miscarriage with her and Grammer's baby.
Kelsey Grammer
Airline Recruits Transgender Flight Attendants
PC Air
A new Thai airline is hiring transsexual ladyboys as flight attendants, aiming at a unique identity to set itself apart from competitors as it sets out for the skies.
Known as "katoeys" or "ladyboys," transgenders and transsexuals have greater visibility in Thailand than in many other nations, holding mainstream jobs in a variety of fields. They are especially common in cosmetics shops or health stores, which almost always have a ladyboy shop assistant.
PC Air, a charter airline set to start operations on Asian routes in April, originally planned only to hire male and female flight attendants. But it changed its mind after receiving more than 100 job applications from transvestites and transsexuals.
The airline said that the qualifications for the ladyboy flight attendants were the same as for female flight attendants, with the additional provisos that they be like women in how they walk and talk, and have a feminine voice and the right attitude.
PC Air
365 Marathons In 365 Days
Stefaan Engels
People who run marathons often say one race a year is enough, both for body and mind. But that was never going to satisfy Belgium's Stefaan Engels, who has just completed 365 marathons in 365 days.
Actually, even that wasn't enough for Engels, who ended up completing 401 marathons in as many days: 18 on a hand bike and the rest on foot, including 365 in a row.
The 49-year-old from Ghent, northwest Belgium, is now the proud holder of the record for the most consecutive marathons, complementing his Guinness world record for the most triathlons completed in a year (20).
On January 1, 2010, Engels set out from Ghent to launch his campaign and ran the requisite 42.195 km (about 26.2 miles) on the first day. He kept up that pace for the next 17 days, but then a foot injury struck and he had to stop.
Stefaan Engels
In Memory
Peggy Rea
Actress Peggy Rea, who starred in numerous TV shows over a long career including "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "The Waltons," has died of heart failure, age 89.
Rea died on February 5 at her home in the Los Angeles-area community of Toluca Lake, according to show business newspaper The Hollywood Reporter. A Los Angeles County coroner official was not immediately available for confirmation.
The veteran actress' career dates back to the 1950s when she appeared on the "I Love Lucy" TV series starring Lucille Ball. She worked steadily through the 1960s on shows such as "Dr. Kildare", "Marcus Welby, M.D. " and "The Red Skelton Hour."
In the late 1970s, Rea portrayed Rose Burton on hit family drama "The Waltons" and into the 1980s, could be seen as Lulu Hogg on action-packed TV show, "The Dukes of Hazzard."
More recently, she appeared on TV series such as "Step by Step" and "Grace Under Fire."
Peggy Rea
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