Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Barbara Ehrenreich: "War Without Humans: Modern Blood Rites Revisited"
… in 2010, the U.S. Secretary of Education reported that "75 percent of young Americans, between the ages of 17 to 24, are unable to enlist in the military today because they have failed to graduate from high school, have a criminal record, or are physically unfit." When a nation can no longer generate enough young people who are fit for military service, that nation has two choices: it can, as a number of prominent retired generals are currently advocating, reinvest in its "human capital," especially the health and education of the poor, or it can seriously reevaluate its approach to war.
Paul Krugman's Blog: What Obama Was Willing to Give Away (New York Times)
Jonathan Cohn summarizes what seems to have been in the deal that Boehner walked away from; it's horrifying. Above all, the proposed rise in the age of Medicare eligibility was a real betrayal of both Democratic principles and good government.
Marc Dion: Coming Home a Hero (Creators Syndicate)
About a mile from where I sit, writing this column, a couple days ago, the police arrested a young man in the parking lot of a dollar store. He had 10 grams of heroin down the back of his pants.
Noel Hernandez: I helped save two lives (Guardian)
'From the screams coming from the beach front, I could tell someone was in trouble.'
Oliver Burkeman: Poverty and willpower (Guardian)
On a personal level, meanwhile, the message of depletable willpower rings clear: next time you find yourself full of self-discipline, don't spend it trying to behave virtuously; spend it, instead, altering your environment to reduce your future dependence on willpower. (Rather than resolving to save money monthly, set up a standing order; rather than resolving to watch less TV, get rid of your TV.) Where there's a will, there's a way to stop relying on will.
Richard Roeper: How long can Paris Hilton do ... whatever it is she does?
Did you see where Paris Hilton walked out on an ABC-TV interview because she was asked if she was past her prime?
Roger Ebert: Review of "Winnie the Pooh" (G; 3 stars)
Winnie the Pooh" is a sweet and innocuous children's movie based on the enduring tale of goings-on in Hundred Acre Wood. Although it's obviously intended for grade schoolers and below, it may be appreciated by adults who grew up with the A.A. Milne books and the drawings by E.H. Shepard that are so closely identified with it. This is that rare book that can hardly be thought of apart from its illustrations.
Evan Sawdey: "20 Questions: The Wombats" (PopMatters)
In the UK, you know you've "made it" when Doctor Who considers you one of his favorite bands.
Caroline Sullivan: Selena Gomez, tween queen (Guardian)
Hilary Duff's gone. Miley Cyrus is going. But Disney has a new star groomed. Welcome to the Selena Gomez phenomenon.
Henry Rollins: Holy Music (LA Weekly)
To the pastor's left on the stage were several boxes of poisonous snakes. (The one we had caught earlier in the day had been deemed too small and was left back at the pastor's house.) There was a drum kit, a Les Paul Gold Top guitar, a couple of bass guitars and a keyboard. I'd known there was the possibility of music being played, and was eager to see how this was all going to go.
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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3 Caterpillars (So Far)
Gulf Fritillary Butterfly
Gulf Fritillary butterfly
Here are today's pictures:
Caterpillar #1 - pupated
Caterpillar #2 prepares to pupate
Caterpillar #3
Caterpillar #4 - a new addition
This hatchling flitted by, drying out its new wings.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
What Is It?
Red Spider
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Question
Archives link
Marty,
For some reason, I didn't read your blog Saturday. So I read the page today, and then clicked on the "previous issue" link, but it took me to an April (23rd, I think) page! I still want to read Saturday's page if I can.
And I LOVE your pictures of the backyard wildlife. I've followed previous butterfly formation with rapt attention, and can't wait to see these caterpillars develop into their next stage of life. As for the spider--scary!
Linda >^..^<
Thanks, Linda!
Seems I arfed up the link, but it's fixed now.
Thanks for noticing!
Saturday's page (not 23 April) is here.
Tweaked Nipple Productions
DC Douglas
Andrew Breitbart took to Twitter over the weekend to express his dismay with what he called "a pedestrian clip job" that was circulating the web. The video, created by D.C. Douglas, portrays Mr. Breitbart's recent success as an anomaly - only possible because of a picture of Congressman Anthony Weiner's crotch.
The video also announces the launching of a satirical website in honor of Mr. Breitbart's penchant for using the word "big" in front of his ventures went live over the weekend and features the video parody, along with links to various stories of other Breitbart controversies.
The video, called "BREAKING: Andrew Breitbart's BIG News," is the latest in string of political satire videos from actor, voice over artist, and part-time gadfly D.C. Douglas.
"These videos fall under my Tweaked Nipple Productions banner since their ultimate goal is to do just that - tweak the nipple of bullies in power."
Mr. Douglas started the political videos as a hobby after a private voicemail he left FreedomWorks sparked a 24 hour media circus. The "Tea Party PSA" video was his response and received over 300,000 hits in it's first week on YouTube. Recent videos include "Burn A Koran Day" and "A Sarah Palin / Michele Bachmann Rock Opera."
In his blog post, "Andrew Breitbart Needs A Hug," Mr. Douglas walks a nuanced line when describing his feelings about Mr. Breibart, the person. Their full twitter interaction is also added in at the end.
In an ironic twist, Andrew Breitbart posted the parody video on two of his websites, giving Mr. Douglas' video twice as much exposure on it's debut weekend.
"I have to thank Andrew Breitbart for helping my Andrew Breitbart parody reach as many people as it has so far. See? More nuance."
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and breezy.
Hey - tomorrow the e-page is 10 years old!
Birthday Tune At Comic-Con
Patrick Stewart
Comic-Con fans have boldly gone into singing mode to wish Patrick Stewart a happy birthday.
A hall filled with about 6,000 people at the fan convention Saturday sang "Happy Birthday" to Stewart during a preview panel for the animated musical "Dorothy of Oz."
Stewart provides the voice of a wizened 900-year-old tree in the movie, though in real life, he turned 71 on July 13.
Voice co-star Megan Hilty, a Broadway singer whose credits include the Oz musical "Wicked," led the crowd in the song for Stewart, an idol among Comic-Con fans for his roles in "Star Trek" and "X-Men."
Patrick Stewart
Navy Prepares For 1st Female Officers
Submarines
For Ensign Peggy LeGrand, the biggest concern about serving on a submarine is not spending weeks at a time in tight quarters with an entirely male crew. What worries her is the scrutiny that comes with breaking one of the last gender barriers in the U.S. military.
"I have a feeling more people will be focused on us. Our mistakes and successes will be magnified more than they deserve," said LeGrand, a 25-year-old Naval Academy graduate from Amarillo, Texas.
LeGrand is among a small group of female officers who are training at sites including Groton, Conn., to join the elite submarine force beginning later this year. While the Navy says it is not treating them any differently from their male counterparts, officials have been working to prepare the submarine crews - and the sailors' wives - for one of the most dramatic changes in the 111-year history of the Navy's "silent service."
The initial class of 24 women will be divided among four submarines, where they will be outnumbered by men by a ratio of roughly 1 to 25. The enlisted ranks, which make up about 90 percent of a sub's 160-sailor crew, are not open to women although the Navy is exploring modifications to create separate bunks for men and women.
The female officers, many of them engineering graduates from Annapolis, are accustomed to being in the minority, and so far they say they hardly feel like outsiders. The nuclear power school that is part of their training, for example, has been open to women for years because the Navy in 1994 reversed a ban on females serving on its surface ships, including nuclear-powered vessels.
Submarines
Israeli Orchestra Confronts Taboo
Wagner
The Israel Chamber Orchestra will play a work by Adolf Hitler's favorite composer Richard Wagner in Germany on Tuesday, challenging a seven-decade taboo in their homeland.
Israeli ensembles rarely play Wagner because of the seminal 19th century composer's anti-Semitism and the appropriation of his music by by the Nazis, calling it insensitive to Holocaust survivors.
But orchestra conductor Roberto Paternostro said on Sunday it was time to separate Wagner's worldview from his music.
"Wagner's ideology and anti-Semitism was terrible, but on the other hand he was a great composer," he told Reuters. "The aim is in the year 2011 to divide the man from his art."
The orchestra will play Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, an orchestral piece, in Bayreuth, Germany, famous for its annual Wagner opera festival in July and August.
Wagner
Building Legacy For Newport Fests
George Wein
While crews work to erect tents and stages for the upcoming Newport jazz and folk festivals, the festivals' creator and guardian angel continues to build something else: a legacy that he hopes will continue long after he's gone.
New York jazz impresario George Wein, who started the festivals more than 50 years ago, took them nonprofit earlier this year to shield them from the financial ups and downs of corporate funding.
"I'm trying to project 20 years ahead," Wein, 85, told The Associated Press in a phone interview from his New York home. "I won't be here in 20 years. The only way I can see to perpetuate the festivals was to go nonprofit. We can't quit now. I say never quit. Once you quit, you're finished."
The folk festival returns to Newport July 30 and 31, with performances by Emmylou Harris, Decemberists and dozens of other acts. The Aug. 5-7 jazz festival will feature Dave Brubeck and Wynton Marsalis. Fort Adams State Park will host both events.
Nonprofit status will allow the board that oversees the events to accept tax-deductible contributions from music lovers and corporate sponsors. Several other music festivals are already nonprofit, including the Monterey and New Orleans jazz festivals.
George Wein
Claim Corruption Keeping Them In Canada
Quaids
Randy Quaid says he would like to return to the United States one day, but he and his wife still fear they are being persecuted by California prosecutors and tabloid media.
Although U.S. officials recently refused to seek extradition of the actor and his wife from Canada to face felony vandalism charges in Santa Barbara, Calif., authorities in the coastal town say they'll still have the couple arrested if they return to the states.
The Quaids, who have missed several court appearances in the case, claim they are the victims of corrupt forces and are demanding an investigation.
"I feel like we've been driven out of the country and that the door's been slammed behind us," Quaid told The Associated Press in a phone interview from British Columbia on Friday. "And for what, these phony little trespassing, vandalism charges? Santa Barbara can sleep better tonight knowing the Quaids are out of their hair."
Quaids
Fights For Racism
North Dakota
North Dakota political leaders are asking the NCAA to back off and let the state's flagship university keep its Fighting Sioux name and logo, even at the risk of potential blacklisting and scorn by other universities and its own conference.
Lawmaker involvement is a strategy even some University of North Dakota boosters question, and is unique among schools forced to decide whether to drop American Indian nicknames deemed hostile and abusive or accept penalties for keeping them.
North Dakota's debate appeared to be resolved when the state Board of Higher Education agreed in 2009 to drop the Fighting Sioux logo and nickname and UND agreed to phase them out by this Aug. 15.
But state lawmakers intervened earlier this year, passing a law that requires the university to retain the moniker and logo. If the school keeps them past the Aug. 15 deadline, it will not be allowed to use them in postseason tournaments nor host any such events.
About 20 schools with American Indian nicknames were targeted by an NCAA policy issued in August 2005. Some teams, like the Florida State Seminoles, were taken off the list when they received approval from namesake tribes. UND got the OK from the Spirit Lake Sioux, but were not able to get permission from the Standing Rock Sioux.
North Dakota
What Climate Change?
'Dirty Dozen' Pollutants
"Dirty Dozen" chemicals, including the notoriously toxic DDT, are being freed from Arctic sea ice and snow through global warming, a study published on Sunday suggested.
The "Dirty Dozen" -- formally known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) -- were widely used as insecticides and pesticides before being outlawed in 2001.
They are extremely tough molecules that take decades to break down in nature. They also bio-accumulate, meaning that as they pass up the food chain, concentrations rise, posing a fertility threat to higher species.
In addition, they are insoluble in water and easily revolatilise, so can swiftly transit from soil and water to the atmosphere in response to higher temperatures.
The study, published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change, looked at atmospheric concentrations of three chemicals -- DDT, HCH and cis-chlordane -- monitored between 1993 and 2009 at a station in Norway's Svalbard Islands and at another in the Canadian Arctic.
'Dirty Dozen' Pollutants
Ticket Sales Plummet
Palin
With its Sarah Palin (R-Quitter) documentary "The Undefeated" increasing its playdates by 40 percent this weekend, only to watch box office revenue decline by more than 63 percent, distributor Arc Entertainment announced Sunday that the film will soon be available on pay per view.
The movie played in 14 Tea Party-friendly locations this weekend -- up from the 10 in which it opened last week -- but grossed just $24,000.
Starting September 1, subscribers to DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner can see the "true" Horatio Alger story of an Alaska woman's rise from self-described "hockey mom" to gubernatorial dropout to conservative cable news bastion talking head, all in the comfort of their own home.
A "special edition" DVD containing additional new content will be sold only in Walmart stores.
Palin
Pioneers Get Close-Up View
Graphene
Physicists who won last year's Nobel Prize for isolating graphene, the world's thinnest material, said Sunday they had devised ways of studying the novel substance at the fundamental level of the electron.
In a study published in the journal Nature Physics, Russian-born physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov said they had detailed interactions between electrons on a sheet of graphene in a bid to understand why the material is so unique.
Graphene comprises just a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb-shaped, hexagonal lattice.
The substance is chemically very simple but extremely strong, conducts electricity, dissipates heat and is transparent. There is a surge of interest in it to replace semiconductors in next-generation computers, touch screens and other electronic gadgets.
Graphene
Forklift Smashes $1M Worth Of Wine
Australia
An unsteady forklift dropped a container full of fine Australian wine worth more than $1 million, smashing most of the bottles. The winemaker says he's "gut-wrenched, shocked and numb" after the loss of his flagship shiraz.
Sparky Marquis of Mollydooker Wines lost a third of his Velvet Glove Shiraz production after the accident that destroyed all but one of the 462 cases bound for the United States. Each bottle of the Mollydooker wine sells for $200.
Marquis said Friday that when workers opened up the dropped container, "it was like a murder scene. There was red everywhere."
The accident has crippled Mollydooker's U.S. launch in September. It will also impact the wine market in Australia.
Australia
Weekend Box Office
'Captain America'
In a battle of summer movie heroes, Captain America topped Harry Potter this weekend at the box office.
Paramount Pictures' "Captain America: The First Avenger" opened at No. 1 with $65.8 million, according to Sunday studio estimates. The Marvel Comics superhero adventure sets up next summer's all-star blockbuster "The Avengers."
Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the eighth and final installment in the boy-wizard franchise, dropped to the second spot. It made just over $48 million in its second weekend for a domestic total of $274.1 million.
Don Harris, head of distribution for Paramount, said "Captain America" exceeded expectations. He figured it would do the same sort of business as "X-Men: First Class," which opened with $55.1 million in June.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Captain America: The First Avenger," $65.8 million ($2.8 million international).
2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," $48 million ($121.3 million international)..
3. "Friends With Benefits," $18.5 million.
4. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," $12 million ($62 million international).
5. "Horrible Bosses," $11.7 million.
6. "Zookeeper," $8.7 million.
7. "Cars 2," $5.7 million ($17.7 million international).
8. "Winnie the Pooh," $5.1 million.
9. "Bad Teacher," $2.6 million.
10. "Midnight in Paris," $1.9 million.
'Captain America'
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