Recommended Reading
from Bruce
JAMES SUROWIECKI: The Mobility Myth (New Yorker)
Since at least the days of Horatio Alger, a cornerstone of American thinking has been the hope of social mobility-the idea that, as Lawrence Samuel put it in a history of the American dream, anyone can, "through dedication and with a can-do spirit, climb the ladder of success." In recent years, though, plenty of Americans have come to believe that, as President Obama said in his State of the Union address, "upward mobility has stalled.
XJ Selman: 4 Hilarious Newspaper Corrections That Actually Happened (Cracked)
#4. The Guardian Accidentally Outs [Non-Gay] Patrick Stewart
Tom Danehy: Tom gets some things off his chest, including an endorsement of Al Melvin (Tucson Weekly)
A few things that I feel I must address, none of which is complex enough to stretch into an entire column. I feel compelled to tell the truth about that since it's Black History Month and George Washington Carver once said, "I cannot tell a lie." (I learned that at a charter school.)
Ian Sample: How computer-generated fake papers are flooding academia (Guardian)
More and more academic papers that are essentially gobbledegook are being written by computer programs - and accepted at conferences.
Why Spike Lee dislikes gentrification with a passion (Guardian)
The film-maker is successful enough to live wherever he wants, but not everyone in the formerly deprived areas of New York is so lucky.
Eddie Deezen: The Most Incredible Episode of M*A*S*H (Neatorama)
After a few early episodes, the show soon turned to a more moralistic tone, pointing up how bad and pointless war was. It soon became fairly apparent that M*A*S*H was actually an allegory about the Vietnam War, which was still going on during the show's early seasons. This defining pacifist tone was, of course, embraced by the show's many fans, although it turned off others, who refused to tune in.
Lauren A.: I'M THE DUKE UNIVERSITY FRESHMAN PORN STAR AND FOR THE FIRST TIME I'M TELLING THE STORY IN MY WORDS (xojane)
I am a porn star. I am a college freshman. You know nothing about me.
Brad Spencer: Sculptor
Sculptures made from brick.
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Who Do You Think Will Win?
2014 Oscars
The Oscars are this coming Sunday, so now's the time to make your predictions of who will win what.
Send your guesses to Marty, by 11pm (est) , Saturday, 1 March, 2014.
Best Picture
"12 Years a Slave"
"American Hustle"
"Captain Phillips"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Gravity"
"Her"
"Nebraska"
"Philomena"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"
Actor
Christian Bale: "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern: "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio: "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Chiwetel Ejiofor: "12 Years a Slave"
Matthew McConaughey: "Dallas Buyers Club"
Actress
Amy Adams: "American Hustle"
Cate Blanchett: "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock: "Gravity"
Judi Dench: "Philomena"
Meryl Streep: "August: Osage County"
Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi: "Captain Phillips"
Bradley Cooper: "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender: "12 Years a Slave"
Jonah Hill: "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Jared Leto: "Dallas Buyers Club"
Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins: "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence: "American Hustle"
Lupita Nyong'o: "12 Years a Slave"
Julia Roberts: "August: Osage County"
June Squibb: "Nebraska"
Directing
David O. Russell: "American Hustle"
Alfonso Cuaron: "Gravity"
Alexander Payne: "Nebraska"
Steve McQueen: "12 Years a Slave"
Martin Scorsese: "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Original Song
Alone Yet Not Alone from "Alone Yet Not Alone" - Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel
Happy from "Despicable Me 2" - Pharrell Williams
Let It Go from "Frozen" - Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
The Moon Song from "Her" - Karen O and Spike Jonze
Ordinary Love from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" - Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
marty's picks:
Best Picture - American Hustle
Actor - Leonard DiCaprio
Actress - Cate Blanchett
Supporting Actor - Jared Leto
Supporting Actress - Lupita Nyong'o
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Song - Let It Go (Frozen)
~
Marian's Oscar predictions
Picture - Twelve Years a Slave
Actor - Matthew McConaughey
Actress - Cate Blanchett
Supporting Actor - Jared Leto
Supporting Actress - Jennifer Lawrence
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Original Song - "Let it Go" from Frozen (my grandkids fav)
~
Dale o de Diamondy Springs's Oscar Picks:
Picture - 12 Years A Slave
Actor - Matthew McConaughey
Actress - Cate Blanchett
Supporting Actor - Jared Leto
Supporting Actress - Lupita Nyong'o
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Original Song - Let It Go (Frozen)
~
Joe's Oscar Predictions:
Picture - 12 Years A Slave
Actor - Bruce Dern: "Nebraska" (Old and still going strong)
Actress - Sandra Bullock: "Gravity" (Hot)
Supporting Actor - Barkhad Abdi: "Captain Phillips" (I like the way his name sounds)
Supporting Actress - Jennifer Lawrence: "American Hustle" (Hot)
Director - Steve McQueen: "12 Years a Slave" (Loved him in "The Great Escape" before he died)
Original Song - Let It Go (Frozen) - Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (My granddaughters sing this beautifully)
Just so you know, I have not seen any of these movies.
~
Adam's Picks:
Picture - 12 Years A Slave
Actor - Matthew McConaughey
Actress - Cate Blanchett
Supporting Actor - Jared Leto
Supporting Actress - Lupita Nyong'o
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Original Song - 'Let It Go'
Another year of comparing apples to oranges to strawberries.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Local media is channeling Blanche DuBois with a major case of the vapors over the impending rain.
Honored At NME Awards
Paul McCartney
Beatles legend Paul McCartney received a standing ovation at the NME awards ceremony in London on Wednesday, where he accepted the influential British magazine's special prize honouring his 50-year-career.
On receiving the magazine's "songwriters' songwriter" award at the annual show, the 71-year-old admitted to guests at the O2 Academy Brixton that he could not explain how he had written some of the most famous pop songs of all time.
The Beatles played at the magazine's annual show in 1963 and topped the bill in 1964 as Beatlemania swept the UK.
Pop princess Lily Allen capped her return from "retirement" by winning the best solo artist award, but suggested fellow nominees David Bowie and Jake Bugg were more deserving of the accolade.
Allen was also on stage to present New York rocker Debbie Harry and her band Blondie with the "Godlike genius" award.
Paul McCartney
Now A Museum Piece
$12 Jug
Alabama couple Robert and Janice Morris made a hefty profit recently when they sold a clay jug they bought for $12 44-years ago from a junk store, for $100,000.
The Morrises like to decorate their rural home with unique items and Robert told WBRC Fox 6, "We would always look for something out of the ordinary." 44-years ago in DeLoach's junk store in Fayetteville, Mr. Morris found a piece that fit the bill perfectly. Janice recalled, "He picked that jug up and I said, 'Why are you getting' that?'" Robert simply replied, "Because I like it."
They took the large 5-gallon jug home for just $12 and kept it the corner of the den. The jug was not treated delicately and according to The Daily Home, was dropped countless times over the years. "We kicked it around for years. I kept change in it. The kids played with it," said Robert. "At first they were afraid of it so we started dressing him up," said Janice. The pottery depicted a man from head to waist and the family would replace the everyday straw hat they placed on him around holidays, and swap it for themed attire.
Recently, Robert decided to pass the jug down to his granddaughter. He also let her know that he always suspected the pottery was valuable. The grandfather said, "It's folk art and it just, it just had the look to me like it might be worth something." His granddaughter did some digging online and discovered that Robert was right. The ash-glazed jug from the 1800s was one of only three created by John Lehman, a German-born artist who lived in Alabama's Randolph County. The Daily Home reported that the jug was made after the Civil War and depicts an African American man in formal dress and hoop earrings. The artist's initials, 'J.L.' are stamped on the lapel of the figure.
$12 Jug
Mystery Barge Headed To Stockton
Google
Google's mystery barge is heading on a short cruise to comply with an order requiring it to move from its current home on a San Francisco Bay island.
The agency leasing the Treasure Island space where the barge is being built says the four-story vessel is bound for the Port of Stockton, a destination located about 80 miles east of San Francisco.
The barge is supposed to move by March 7, according to Mirian Saez, director of operations for the Treasure Island Development Authority, which rented the vessel's current home.
The barge is leaving because of a Jan. 31 regulatory order concluding that Google didn't have the proper building permits at Treasure Island. The Port of Stockton falls outside the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the regulator that cracked down on the barge.
Google
Lifetime Achievement Award
Jerry Lewis
Only a few entertainers have careers that span decades and display multiple skills as performers, writers, directors and producers. An even smaller number become synonymous with a charitable cause. Only one has raised billions of dollars for such a cause.
That entertainer is Jerry Lewis.
Touted for his mastery of slapstick and clownish pratfalls, Lewis was born Joseph Levitch in Newark, N.J., and achieved early fame as half of the Martin and Lewis comedy team, where Lewis played the zany one to crooner Dean Martin's straight man. Their Copacabana nightclub act and a 1948 appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" landed the duo a string of successful Hal Walker laffers for Paramount, including "My Friend Irma Goes West," "At War With the Army" and "Sailor Beware."
But Lewis' crowning achievement is undoubtedly his 44-year-long run as founder and host of the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. telethon, which has raised billions of dollars for medical research of the disease.
Jerry Lewis
Republicans Block Health Bill
Veterans
U.S. Senate Republicans blocked legislation on Thursday that would have expanded federal healthcare and education programs for veterans, saying the $24 billion bill would bust the budget.
Even though the legislation cleared a procedural vote on Tuesday by a 99-0 vote, the measure quickly got bogged down in partisan fighting.
With Democrats pressing for passage this week, Senate Republicans, backed by their leader, Mitch McConnell, attempted to attach controversial legislation calling for possible new sanctions on Iran that President Barack Obama opposes.
Republicans also raised budget concerns, forcing another key procedural vote that ended up killing the bill. By a vote of 56-41, the Senate failed to waive budget rules that would have allowed the bill to proceed. Sixty votes were needed and 41 of the chamber's 45 Republicans voted against the waiver.
Veterans
Science Academies Explain Reality
Global Warming
Man-made global warming is worsening and will disrupt both the natural world and human society, warns a joint report of two of the world's leading scientific organizations.
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society, which is the national scientific academy of the United Kingdom, are releasing an unusual plain language report on climate change that addressed 20 issues in a question-and-answer format.
The report, released on Thursday, addresses new issues such as the recent slowing in the increase of world temperatures and how heat-trapping gases are connected to extreme weather. Increases in extreme weather, melting glaciers, rising seas and oceans getting more acidic are already happening, the 36-page report said.
"We've changed the chemical composition of the atmosphere; that's not a belief system. We know that beyond shadow of a doubt," Santer said in an interview. "We ignore this at our peril."
Global Warming
Family Torn Asunder
MLK
The Bible and Nobel Prize that belonged to US civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., symbols of peace to the outside world, are tearing his family apart.
The American icon's three living children, known for their familial legal disputes, are pitted against each other in a latest episode that involves whether the items will be sold.
"The thought of profiting from the sale... is spiritually violent, unconscionable, historically negligent and outright morally reprehensible," said youngest sibling Bernice Albertine King, 50, in a recent press statement. Her two brothers disagree.
In January, both of King's sons announced in a telephone conference that they wished to put the items on the market.
The current debate over the items' fate hinges on a 1995 agreement between King's three children, in which each was given one vote in matters concerning his estate of historical items.
MLK
Movie Production 'Shutting Down'
Gregg Allman
Filmmakers have shelved production on a movie about the life of Gregg Allman a week after a freight train collided into the production team and its equipment, killing one crew member and injuring seven others.
Savannah Film Office director William Hammargren said Thursday film producers had called to tell him they were "shutting down production." The film office is a city government agency that works closely with filmmakers shooting in the Savannah area.
Filming of the movie "Midnight Rider," starring William Hurt as the Allman Brothers Band singer, was just getting started when crew members were struck Feb. 20.
Investigators say the crew was on the tracks without the railroad's permission. A publicist for the film's production company, Nadine Jolson, did not immediately return phone and email messages.
Gregg Allman
Don't Get Own Planets In Afterlife
Mormons
The Mormon Church is pushing back against the notion that members of the faith are taught they'll get their own planet in the afterlife, a misconception popularized in pop culture most recently by the Broadway show "The Book of Mormon."
A newly-posted article affirms the faith's belief that humans can become like God in eternity, but says the "cartoonish image of people receiving their own planets" is not how members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints envision it.
The expectation of exaltation is more figurative and ambiguous than boiling it down to living on one planet, it says.
The 3,500-word article is part of a series of recent online pieces posted on the church website that explain, expand or clarify on some of the more sensitive gospel topics.
Mormons
Wettest Winter In Almost 250 Years
UK
This winter has already been the wettest for almost 250 years in England and Wales, Britain's national weather service the Met Office said on Thursday.
Around 435 millimeters (17 inches) of rain was recorded up to February 24 in England and Wales, making it their wettest winter since 1766.
Provisional rainfall figures from December 1, 2013 to February 25, 2014 also show that Britain as a whole experienced its wettest winter since records began in 1910.
Britain's mean temperature has been 5.2 degrees C so far this winter, making it the fifth warmest winter on record.
UK
Top 20
Concert Tours
The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.
1. (1) Beyonce; $1,798,401; $126.05.
2. (2) Justin Timberlake; $1,688,569; $114.36.
3. (3) Pink; $1,420,674; $86.06.
4. (New) Jay Z; $1,089,218; $96.47.
5. (4) Kanye West; $1,060,913; $88.69.
6. (5) Michael Buble; $916,988; $85.98.
7. (6) Drake; $889,265; $76.24.
8. (7) Trans-Siberian Orchestra; $715,752; $54.20.
9. (8) Keith Urban; $563,861; $63.58.
10. (9) Alejandro Fernandez; $515,315; $93.71.
11. (10) Zac Brown Band; $499,459; $61.44.
12. (11) John Mayer; $454,733; $61.84.
13. (12) Selena Gomez; $408,902; $48.05.
14. (13) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis; $336,662; $40.56.
15. (14) John Legend; $228,076; $69.13.
16. (15) Jeff Dunham; $218,164; $47.36.
17. (16) Florida Georgia Line; $216,098; $32.11.
18. (18) The Band Perry; $180,907; $45.41.
19. (19) Paramore; $175,501; $37.17.
20. (New) Tobymac; $165,359; $32.03.
Concert Tours
In Memory
Jim Lange
Jim Lange, the first host of the popular game show "The Dating Game," has died at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 81.
He died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack, his wife Nancy told The Associated Press Wednesday.
Though Lange had a successful career in radio, he is best known for his television role on ABC's "The Dating Game," which debuted in 1965 and on which he appeared for more than a decade, charming audiences with his mellifluous voice and wide, easygoing grin.
Lange was born on Aug. 15, 1932, in St. Paul, Minn., where at 15 he discovered a passion for local radio after winning an audition at a local station.
He hosted that show for two years before attending the University of Minnesota and doing a three-year stint in the Marines, according to the Bay Area Radio Museum.
His big break on network TV came in 1962 when he was made an announcer and sidekick on "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show."
Later, after "The Dating Game" brought him national recognition, he also hosted the game shows "Hollywood Connection," ''$100,000 Name That Tune" and "The New Newlywed Game."
Lang also worked as a disc jockey for decades in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and upon his retirement from broadcasting in 2005, he was the morning DJ for KABL-FM, which specializes in playing classics from the Big Band era to the 1970s.
"As much as he's known for his television work, his real love was radio," his wife said. "He loved doing local radio, especially before it was computerized."
Lange himself once told the Bay Area Radio Digest that his favorite aspect of the medium was that "you don't have to worry about lighting directors and cameramen or script writers and all that."
"Good radio is still the most fun," he said, "It always will be. Plus, you don't have to wear makeup and you don't have to shave."
Lange is also survived by a sister, five children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren.
Jim Lange
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