Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: A Manifesto for Economic Sense (NY Times)
As regular readers know, I've been arguing for a long time that policy makers have misunderstood the nature of our economic crisis, mistaking symptoms for causes, and responding in ways that make the situation worse. Richard Layard and I now have a manifesto laying out the essence of this case, and are asking other economists to sign on.
Richard Layard and Paul Krugman: A Manifesto for Economic Sense
More than four years after the financial crisis began, the world's major advanced economies remain deeply depressed, in a scene all too reminiscent of the 1930s. And the reason is simple: we are relying on the same ideas that governed policy in the 1930s. These ideas, long since disproved, involve profound errors both about the causes of the crisis, its nature, and the appropriate response.
Froma Harrop: The War Against Battered and Confused Addicts (Creators Syndicate)
If the war on drugs were over, the murderous drug business would be over. Americans would save about $50 billion a year prosecuting a war in which every dealer's arrest means more profits for a competitor. Addicts could find treatment without admitting criminality. Or they could get their fix without hitting strangers over the head or ripping copper pipes out of old buildings. High-schoolers caught smoking pot wouldn't have their lives ruined by a criminal record. And a "battered and confused addict" might have some chance at a decent life.
Helen Fields: What is So Good About Growing Old (Smithsonian)
Forget about senior moments. The great news is that researchers are discovering some surprising advantages of aging.
Alexis Petridis: "Amy Winehouse, by her father Mitch: 'What a lovely, funny girl. It's a tragedy'" (Guardian)
In the year since Amy Winehouse died, her father has thrown himself into work in honour of her memory and written a harrowing book about his beloved daughter.
Metric: the band putting angst on the agenda (Guardian)
Porn, pensions, Rihanna and the riots - you name it, Metric are angry about it. Rebecca Nicholson meets the Canadian synth-poppers.
Edvard Munch: a head for horror (Guardian)
From corpses on the highway to his sister on her deathbed, Edvard Munch was a master of the morbid. At a new Tate retrospective, Adrian Searle even finds his wallpaper terrifying.
Roger Ebert: Review of "Little Murders" (4 stars; from 1971)
Alan Arkin's "Little Murders" is a very New York kind of movie, paranoid, masochistic and nervous. It left me with a cold knot in my stomach, a vague fear that something was gaining on me. It's a movie about people driven to insanity and desperate acts of violence by the simple experience of living in a large American city.
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."
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Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Bit of a marine layer and a sunny afternoon.
Getting It Wrong
"News"
A rush to quickly report the Supreme Court's decision on President Barack Obama's health care law on Thursday tripped up some news organizations that got it wrong and had to quickly correct themselves.
Both CNN and Fox News Channel initially reported incorrectly that the law's central provision, requiring virtually all Americans to have health insurance, had been struck down. In an apology, CNN said it "regrets that it didn't wait to report out the full and complete opinion regarding the mandate."
The Associated Press got it right, as did other news organizations and broadcast television outlets, generally. A minute after the AP flash alert at 10:07 a.m., The New York Times asked its readers for time, with Washington bureau chief David Leonhardt posting that reporters and editors were analyzing the decision.
It was a particularly embarrassing muff for CNN, which has suffered through one of its worst ratings quarters in several years, primarily due to a paucity of big news. The network eagerly awaited theSupreme Court's decision Thursday, running a "countdown clock" on its screen during the morning ticking down to 10 a.m.
Anchor Wolf Blitzer and reporter Kate Bolduan quickly reported that the health care law was struck down, based on a reading of Chief Justice John Roberts' decision that the mandate was not a valid exercise of congressional power under the commerce clause. Later in the reading, the justices found other reasons for upholding that portion of the law.
Fox made the same initial mistake, with Bill Hemmer touting the "breaking news" that the individual mandate had been declared unconstitutional. Fox anchor Bret Baier tweeted the same news. Within two minutes, however, Megyn Kelly was citing the SCOTUSblog in casting doubt on that interpretation, even ordering producers to change an onscreen headline that read: "Supreme CourtFinds Health Care Individual Mandate Unconstitutional."
"News"
2013 MusiCares Person Of The Year
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is being recognized for his creative and philanthropic contributions by the group that puts on the Grammy Awards.
The Recording Academy announced Thursday that Springsteen has been named its 2013 MusiCares person of the year. The Boss will be feted at a private fundraising dinner ceremony on Feb. 8 in Los Angeles.
Recording Academy President Neil Portnow called Springsteen a "renaissance artist of our time, a national treasure, and an exemplary humanitarian." Springsteen has won 20 Grammy awardsduring his nearly 40-year career.
The Recording Academy's MusiCares Foundation provides financial, medical and educational services to members of the music community. Past person of the year honorees include Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Paul McCartney.
Bruce Springsteen
Academy Makes Hairstyling Eligible
Oscars
Hollywood hairstylists are now officially eligible for the industry's most coveted hardware: the Oscar.
The film academy said Thursday that the Academy Award for makeup will now be known as the makeup and hairstyling award.
Other new rules for the 85th annual Academy Awards clarify technical requirements for awards in the foreign language and visual effects categories. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors also voted to allow additional songwriters to be considered in the original song category.
The 85th Academy Awards will be presented February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre and broadcast live around the world.
Oscars
Break 24-Hour Record
Flaming Lips
It's official: The Flaming Lips are the music world's road warriors.
The psychedelic rockers from Oklahoma set a new Guinness World Record for most live shows in a 24-hour period, finishing off their feat of eight performances Thursday night in New Orleans.
Their journey started a day earlier in Memphis, Tenn., and they were joined on their trip south through the Mississippi Delta by several other acts and celebrities in celebration of MTV's O Music Awards. Jay-Z held the record previously at seven shows in 24 hours.
Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne called the record "an absurd joy" in a news release.
Flaming Lips
Split Sets Stage
Rupert
Rupert Murdoch's decision to become chief executive of a new, separate entertainment company split off from News Corpbut not to head the new publishing business sparked speculation he was setting the stage for the return of his eldest son Lachlan to the company.
News Corp said on Thursday that its board had approved a plan for the $60 billion media conglomerate to be split into two publicly traded companies, publishing and entertainment, with the Murdoch family retaining control of both.
Analysts said that the separate publishing company, with some assets in Australian, lends credence to speculation over Lachlan Murdoch (R-Daddy's Favorite)'s return, given that it is widely known that he prefers his native Australia to the United States.
Should the break-up of the company be completed without the elder Murdoch or Lachlan in the chief executive role at the newspaper operation, it would mark the first time in News Corp's history that someone other than a Murdoch family member was in charge of that business.
But even if Lachlan did return or if someone else took the CEO role, Murdoch, who loves the newspaper business, has already said he would be an "active chairman" of the publishing unit.
Rupert
Busted In Norway
Snoop Dogg
Norwegian media are reporting that Snoop Dogg was briefly detained inNorway after entering the country with marijuana and a large amount of cash.
Customs officials decline to confirm the report, saying only that an American artist entered Norway with a small amount of marijuana that was detected by a sniffer-dog. Norwegian law prevents law enforcement officials from naming suspects.
A customs officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said Thursday that the artist was also carrying more cash than is legally allowed and was subsequently fined 52,000 kroner ($8,600) for the violations.
Snoop Dogg was scheduled to perform Thursday at a musical festival in the southern town of Kristiansand.
Snoop Dogg
No Charges In Photo Leak
Rihanna
An internal report says county prosecutors won't bring criminal charges against Los Angeles police officers who allegedly leaked photos to TMZ.com of pop star Rihannabruised and beaten after a fight with singer Chris Brown.
The March report provided Thursday to the Associated Press says that after a 3-year investigation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office didn't have enough evidence to show the tabloid paid officers for the photos, which became an obstacle in charging them.
Officers Blanca Lopez and Rebecca Reyes may still get fired from the LAPD for allegedly leaking the photos and are slated to appear before disciplinary panels in August.
Brown was arrested on suspicion of beating Robyn Rihanna Fenty on Feb. 8, 2009.
Rihanna
Avoids Auction, Sells Home
Kenny Rogers
The northeast Georgia home owned by country singer Kenny Rogers that was scheduled to be put up for auction has been sold.
Grand Estates Auction Co. in Charlotte, N.C., says Rogers sold the house and its 150 acres Wednesday for $2.25 million.
The property is located near Nicholson, Ga., and included a 5,681-square-foot-house, a 2,675-square foot pool, an 8-acre lake, horse riding trails, go-cart track and other amenities.
The Athens Banner-Herald reports the auction was called off suddenly Tuesday afternoon after attracting nearly a dozen potential buyers. Soon after the auction was scheduled to take place, organizers announced Rogers had taken the property off the market.
Kenny Rogers
Fake Glove
Babe Ruth
A California man has pleaded guilty in a New York court to trying to sell for $200,000 a 19th-century baseball glove he falsely claimed belonged to Babe Ruth.
Irving Scheib entered the plea to a count of wire fraud in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday.
The government says the Bonsall, Calif., resident bought the glove on eBay for $750 in January. It says he then claimed the late "Father Knows Best" actor Robert Young had gotten the glove.
The government says Scheib is married to one of the actor's granddaughters.
Prosecutors say a buyer backed out after Scheib refused to notarize a letter. They say Scheib was caught after an investigator posed as a New York buyer.
Babe Ruth
Pays Price For Lost Generation
Burma
The dormitories are empty, the once charming bungalows of professors overgrown with vines and weeds. Only grass grows where the Student Union building stood before soldiers obliterated it with dynamite.
This is Yangon University, once one of Asia's finest and a poignant symbol of an education system crippled by Myanmar's half a century of military rule. Only graduate students are still allowed to study here. Fearful of student-led uprisings, the regime has periodically shut down this and other campuses and dispersed students to remote areas with few facilities.
Now, as the nation also known as Burma opens its doors to the outside world, it is paying a heavy price. The crackdown on universities has spawned a lost generation. The pace of development will be slowed and Burmese exploited, educators say, as the poorly schooled populace deals with an expected influx of foreign investors and aid donors, along with profiteers looking for a quick dollar.
The education budget, though still dwarfed by military spending and widely criticized as inadequate, was increased in April from $340 million to $740 million. For years, about 25 percent of the budget went to the armed forces, compared to 1.3 percent for education.
Myanmar is saddled with two generations of chemistry professors who have never conducted a proper laboratory experiment and mechanical engineers yet to handle hands-on equipment, says Moe Kyaw, a prominent businessman involved with education issues.
Burma
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) Roger Waters; $2,347,869; $105.97.
2. (2) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band; $1,996,815; $91.18.
3. (3) Cirque du Soleil - "Michael Jackson: The Immortal"; $1,463,165; $111.57.
4. (4) Red Hot Chili Peppers; $779,647; $58.21.
5. (New) Nickelback; $705,915; $69.06.
6. (5) Lady Antebellum; $551,223; $50.58.
7. (6) The Black Keys; $470,133; $46.47.
8. (7) Miranda Lambert; $439,575; $37.19.
9. (8) Il Divo; $346,198; $94.61.
10. (10) Eric Church; $300,156; $36.23.
11. (11) Rain - A Tribute To The Beatles; $190,303; $49.44.
12. (12) "Riverdance"; $173,437; $56.57.
13. (15) Yanni; $157,906; $60.45.
14. (14) Bassnectar; $157,428; $35.30.
15. (16) Rise Against; $155,652; $36.11.
16. (17) Casting Crowns; $148,314; $28.92.
17. (13) "Mythbusters"; $147,540; $52.95.
18. (18) The Moody Blues; $143,908; $66.37.
19. (19) Death Cab For Cutie; $128,745; $44.29.
20. (20) Trans-Siberian Orchestra; $126,594; $47.28.
Concert Tours
In Memory
Doris Singleton
Actress Doris Singleton, best known as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo's neighbor and occasional nemesis Carolyn Appleby on I Love Lucy, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. She was 92.
Singleton met I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball before a performance of My Favorite Husband, the radio show that preceded I Love Lucy. She appeared in 10 episodes of the 1951-57 sitcom - including the classic with guest star Harpo Marx and Ball mimicking each other's moves as in a mirror - as the wife of a radio station owner played by Hy Averback.
"Harpo played a concert for us afterward," Singleton recalled in a 2005 interview with the Archive of American Television. "I loved [doing that episode] because I was one of the blondes he was chasing!"
In another memorable TV moment, Singleton played the sequestered hotel roommate of Jean Stapleton's character in the 1971 All in the Family episode "Edith has Jury Duty."
A native of New York City, Singleton appeared on many other TV shows, including as a regular on 1955's The Great Gildersleeve and 1960-61's Angel and roles in Adventures of Superman, Hogan's Heroes, My Three Sons (amazingly, as two recurring characters), Hazel, The Munsters, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Fugitive, The F.B.I., Marcus Welby, M.D., Phyllis, Days of Our Lives and Dynasty.
Singleton began her show business career as a teen dancer with the American Ballet Theater and as a vocalist with bandleader Art Jarrett in the late 1930s. She worked with George Burns & Gracie Allen, Bob Hope and Jack Benny in radio.
Singleton was married to comedy writer Charles Isaacs for 61 years until his death in 2002.
Doris Singleton
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