Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Tom Danehy: The feds, foundations should be funding superior public schools, not charter schools (tucsonweekly.com)
On May 28, the Democrat-controlled New York Legislature passed a bill that could more than double the number of charter schools in the state. It was a huge victory for billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a stinging defeat for New York's teachers' unions, which have long held sway in the Legislature.
Connie Schultz: It Can Happen to Anyone (creators.com)
MILLBURY, Ohio - The cardboard boxes resting on stairs of red carpeting at the entrance of St. Peter United Church of Christ on Monday morning told the second-saddest story of this grief-stricken village.
Chris McGreal: Why veteran reporter Helen Thomas had to resign (guardian.co.uk)
Her fierce questions shocked White House staff; Castro refused to answer her. And now veteran reporter Helen Thomas has had to quit.
Andrew Tobias: THE NEED TO ADJUST (andrewtobias.com)
...one way to create future economic strength is to consume less now and invest in education and infrastructure for later - which is what a shift to somewhat higher taxes can help to do. Another is to improve the nation's health and the effectiveness of its health care system. ...
Steve Lopez: 1,100 students later Š some thoughts on teaching (latimes.com)
Next week, Jane Schwanbeck will retire from Lomarena Elementary School in Laguna Hills after 37 years as a kindergarten teacher, 36 of them in the same room.
Serena Gordon: Kids With Lesbian Parents Do Just Fine (usnews.com)
Study shows they might even be better adjusted than kids from traditional families.
This is a golden age of science writing (timesonline.co.uk)
Bestsellers are making us experts in everything from cosmology to clocks.
"Flight from Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War" by Michael Kranish: A review by Max Byrd
For many of Thomas Jefferson's contemporaries, the greatest scandal of his life had nothing to do with Sally Hemings. It was his sudden and hasty -- his enemies said cowardly -- flight on horseback from Monticello on the morning of June 4, 1781, just as a squadron of invading British cavalrymen began to gallop up the little mountain toward his house.
Eric Kleefeld: Stop The Music! Artists Demand GOPers Quit Playing Their Hits (talkingpointsmemo.com)
If stereotypes held true, you would think that the Republicans would be the ones telling folks to turn that blasted music down. But this year -- and indeed in many past election cycles -- it's the GOP that has been attracting cease-and-desist letters for pilfering music against the artists' wishes.
Chris Ruen: No Sellouts Means More Selling-Out (thebigmoney.com)
How music freeloading has increased reliance on corporate sponsorship.
Susan King: Mike Nichols' 'wonderful life' (latimes.com)
The director will be honored by the American Film Institute for his body of work. He says his interest in show biz began with a chance viewing of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' as a teen.
F.X. Feeney: "Dennis Hopper: Remembering an American dreamer" (L.A. Weekly)
Hopper's brief friendship with James Dean, his co-star and mentor on the sets of 'Rebel Without a Cause' and 'Giant' marked him for life; they shared a passion, which Dean was the first person in Hopper's world to fully articulate.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Falling on Her Sword' Edition
I don't believe an introduction is needed for this question...
Should Helen Thomas 'un-retire' and write for another news service such as The Nation or The Progressive?
Send your response to
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Detroit Zoo
Baby Lemur
The Detroit Zoo is introducing its latest star today, a black-and-white baby lemur named Kintana, which is Malagasy for "Marty"... (Hahahahahahaha!)
Baby lemur ready for Detroit Zoo visitors | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Another marine layer, another nice day.
Honors Les Paul
Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck honored his late friend and mentor, Les Paul, with an intimate performance Wednesday night at his favorite haunt, the Iridium Jazz Club.
The legendary Paul played there every Monday night until his death last August, so it was an appropriate place for a celebration on the night he would have turned 95.
The small basement club was packed with an invitation-only crowd that included a who's who of rock music. Meat Loaf, Little Steven Van Zandt, Zakk Wylde, Metallica's Kirk Hammett and many others visibly enjoyed the nearly two-hour set.
The Imelda May Band, a rockabilly quartet from Dublin, backed Beck onstage. May, and her guitarist husband, Darrel Higham, shared most of the night's vocal duties. She periodically left the stage, especially during the many instrumental numbers. Brian Setzer also came out to sing during two songs, including the finale.
Jeff Beck
German Book Trade Peace Prize
David Grossman
One of Israel's best-known authors and outspoken peace activists, David Grossman, is to receive this year's prestigious German Book Trade Peace Prize, the association said Thursday.
Grossman, 56, will be officially handed the prize, which includes an endowment of 25,000 euros (30,000 dollars), at an awards ceremony on October 10 during the Frankfurt Book Fair.
"The association and its members have chosen to honour one of Israel's foremost authors and an active supporter of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians," the awarding committee said in a statement.
"In his novels, essays and stories, Grossman has consistently sought to understand and describe not only his own position, but also the opinions of those who think differently."
David Grossman
Orange Prize for Fiction
Barbara Kingsolver
US author Barbara Kingsolver won Britain's Orange Prize for Fiction, which honours English-language novels by women from around the world, on Wednesday with her sixth novel "The Lacuna".
The book is about Harrison Shepherd, a young man born in the United States but who grows up around Mexico, where he meets artist Frida Kahlo and Soviet Bolshevik exile Leon Trotsky.
"We had very different tastes on the panel, but in the end we went for passion not compromise," said chair of the judges Daisy Goodwin.
The book is the first in nine years by Kingsolver, who is best known for "The Poisonwood Bible".
Barbara Kingsolver
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Judy Garland Festival
Get out your ruby red slippers, it's time for Minnesota's yearly Judy Garland Festival.
It's the 35th annual festival celebrating Grand Rapids native and "Wizard of Oz" star Garland, who died in 1969. This year's festival is being held in the Twin Cities and kicks off Thursday, which would have been her 88th birthday.
The festival includes a screening of Garland's films "A Star is Born" and "Girl Crazy" at the Historic Heights Theatre in Columbia Heights, and a game of "Judy Jeopardy" at the Marquette Hotel in Minneapolis. There will be several appearances by Jerry Maren, who was a member of the Lollipop Guild in "The Wizard of Oz" and is the one of the last surviving munchkins.
The festival is sponsored by the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids.
Judy Garland Festival
Rare Photo Found
"John"
A haunting 150-year-old photo found in a North Carolina attic shows a young black child named John, barefoot and wearing ragged clothes, perched on a barrel next to another unidentified young boy.
Art historians believe it's an extremely rare Civil War-era photograph of children who were either slaves at the time or recently emancipated.
The photo, which may have been taken in the early 1860s, was a testament to a dark part of American history, said Will Stapp, a photographic historian and founding curator of the National Portrait Gallery's photographs department at the Smithsonian Institution.
In April, the photo was found at a moving sale in Charlotte, accompanied by a document detailing the sale of John for $1,150, not a small sum in 1854.
What makes the picture an even more compelling find is that several art experts said it was created by the photography studio of Mathew Brady, a famous 19th-century photographer known for his portraits of historical figures such as President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
"John"
Soundtrack To ESPN's Soccer
U2
ESPN is using U2's music as a soundtrack to its World Cup coverage.
The band struck a deal with the network for its music to be featured in promotions of World Cup coverage, and spots have been running since April. ESPN uses footage from the band's 2009 concert at the Rose Bowl.
South Africa's Soweto Gospel Choir also recorded versions of some U2 songs for use in the ads.
One ad uses U2's song "Passion" in talking about the World Cup, and notes there was a baby boom in Germany nine months after the country hosted the 2006 World Cup.
U2
LA DA Rejects Charges
Marion "Suge" Knight
Los Angeles prosecutors have declined to file assault charges against Marion "Suge" Knight but are asking police to investigate further.
Los Angeles police had sought assault with a deadly weapon charges against the former rap mogul after Knight's May 20 arrest for allegedly pointing a gun at a man. Knight was released hours after his arrest after posting $65,000 bail.
Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison say prosecutors rejected filing the charges Thursday.
Marion "Suge" Knight
Celebrity Adviser Faces Upped Fraud Charges
The 'Other' Ken Starr
The fraud case against a jailed financial adviser to the stars expanded Thursday, with prosecutors listing more elderly entertainment industry figures as victims and nearly doubling their loss to $59 million - a figure expected to climb.
An indictment in federal court in Manhattan alleged additional victims of Kenneth Starr's Ponzi-like scheme include a film producer in his late 70s who lost $4.8 million, a screenwriter in his 80s who lost $8.7 million and an actress in her 80s who lost $100,000. None were named.
Starr, 66, has worked with Wesley Snipes, Sylvester Stallone and Martin Scorsese, though there's no indication they were victims.
Prosecutors had charged Starr last month in a criminal complaint with cheating seven clients out of about $30 million. The indictment raised the total to 11 victims.
The 'Other' Ken Starr
Triggers Censorship Debate In Japan
'The Cove'
Three theaters last week canceled showings of the movie after they were swamped with angry phone calls and threatened with noisy protests by nationalist groups. It was banned on a U.S. military base in Japan as too controversial, and 23 other theaters are still deciding whether to show the film, according to Japanese distributor Unplugged.
After the cancellations, a group of Japanese journalists, academics and film directors signed a letter urging the theaters not to back down and saying the issue "underlines the weakness of freedom of speech in Japan."
Nationalist groups, known for blasting slogans from truck convoys and handheld loudspeakers, often use the threat of protests as leverage. Two years ago, angry phone calls led several theaters to cancel showings of "Yasukuni," a movie about a Japanese war shrine that honors fallen soldiers, including executed military leaders convicted as war criminals.
On Wednesday, over 600 people crammed into a civic hall in Tokyo for a rare chance to see "The Cove," with lines forming hours before the doors opened and viewers spilling out into the lobby to watch via a video feed. Outside of small private showings, it was the first time the movie has been screened in Japan since October, when it was shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
'The Cove'
TV Swearing No BFD
Brits
Swearing on TV? Most British viewers don't give a ... darn.
Research for the communications watchdog Ofcom shows viewers are increasingly willing to accept strong language in the right context.
The study published Wednesday found that mild profanities such as "damn" were generally considered acceptable at any time, while some potentially discriminatory words - including "loony" and "mental" - were widely considered inoffensive.
Few objected to stronger swear words after 9 p.m., but opinion was divided on the F-word.
Brits
Surgery No Longer Required
Passports
Transgender travelers no longer will need surgery in order to change their stated genders on U.S. passports, the State Department said Wednesday.
Beginning Thursday, a transgender person applying for a U.S. passport will just need to show a physician's certification that the applicant has "undergone appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition" to declare a new gender on a passport, the department said.
The State Department said there are guidelines detailing what the certification must include, but no other medical records are required. The government also said it's possible to obtain a temporary passport if a physician's statement shows that an applicant is in the process of gender transition.
Under previous rules, the State Department would only change the sex on passports if travelers had completed sexual reassignment surgeries, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Passports
GM Bans Use
"Chevy"
General Motors Co has banned the use of the popular "Chevy" nickname for its flagship Chevrolet brand internally but would more than welcome if a customer calls his or her car "Chevy."
"We love Chevy. In no way are we discouraging customers or fans from using the name," GM said in a statement on Thursday.
The automaker was responding to controversy surrounding an internal memo that urged GM employees to drop the use of Chevy and communicate its best-selling brand only as Chevrolet to maintain the consistency of its branding.
"We'd ask that whether you're talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising, or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward," GM said in a memo to employees on Tuesday.
"Chevy"
Tops Old Masters Sale
Bouguereau's "Pieta"
A French painting inspired by Michelangelo's "Pieta" topped Christie's mid-season Old Masters and 19th century art auction, selling for $2.77 million.
Frenchman William Adolphe Bouguereau's 1876 "Pieta" portrays a red-rimmed eyed Madonna, cradling Christ, as eight angels express grief with separate gestures. Painted after the death of artist's 16 year-old son, it shows the deceased Jesus, reclined in the Virgin Mary's lap.
Jesus' bright blue veins contrast with the white pallor of his lifeless limbs. His feet dangle above a blood-soaked cloth, alongside a crown of thorns.
Pieter Brueghel II's "Autumn: An Allegory of one of the Four Seasons" was the second top seller fetching $866,500. Another Brueghel painting, "The Blind Hurdy-Gurdy Player" sold for $578,500.
Bouguereau's "Pieta"
In Memory
Christine Johnson Smith
Christine Johnson Smith, who originated the role of Nettie Fowler in the Rogers and Hammerstein musical "Carousel" when it debuted on Broadway in 1945, has died. She was 98.
The Messenger-Inquirer reports she was a native of Hopkinsville but moved to Owensboro as a teen and studied in Tennessee at the Nashville Conservatory of Music before moving to New York in 1937.
She debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1943 before taking the role in "Carousel," which earned her a nomination for a Tony Award.
She married Dr. Robert W. Smith in 1949 and returned to Kentucky to raise a family. She is survived by two daughters. Funeral services were incomplete.
Christine Johnson Smith
In Memory
Robert Radnitz
Robert B. Radnitz, an English teacher who went on to produce family movies including "Sounder" and "Island of the Blue Dolphins," has died at his Malibu home. He was 85.
His wife, Pearl, says Radnitz died Sunday from complications of a stroke he suffered 14 years ago.
Radnitz became known for developing family movies starting in 1959 with "A Dog of Flanders." Many were based on children's literature including "Misty" in 1961. He went on to produce nearly a dozen such films, some in partnership with toy maker Mattel.
In 1973, the Los Angeles Times called Radnitz "the only successful American maker of children's films outside the gates of Walt Disney films."
Radnitz's is survived by his wife of 23 years.
Robert Radnitz
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