Paul Krugman: Don't Let the Government Get Its Hands on Obamacare! (New York Times)
… people like the actual provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but have no idea that those provisions are in fact the substance of that terrible, tyrannical "Obamacare" program they keep hearing about. And because the insurance exchanges that are at the heart of the program will be run at the state level, with many different names, we'll have quite a few people happily signing up for Obamacare while denouncing the program and believing it has nothing to offer them.
Marc Dion: Should Ban Hammers? (Creators Syndicate)
What I see coming in America is a nation of people with non-union, part-time, temporary jobs with no seniority, no pension, no health care and no right to talk back. But we will still have our guns, so we will still be free.
Froma Harrop: An NSA Drama Goes Crackpot (Creators Syndicate)
Journalist Glenn Greenwald's partner was detained at London's Heathrow Airport for nine hours - no waterboarding or electric shocks, just pointed questions and confiscation of David Michael Miranda's computer gear. That prompted Greenwald to threaten Britain with more of his writings.
Lucy Mangan: the language barrier (Guardian)
'In this sad, fearful, tiny little country your accent still goes to the heart of who you are. It locates you not just geographically, but economically and socially too.'
Froma Harrop: Blurred Minds (Creators Syndicate)
But, hey, who am I to argue with raging commercial success? All I can do is ask that "Blurred Lines" not go down in history as the song that 50 years from now will recall the summer of 2013. About four weeks remain before the first day of autumn. Technically, there's still hope.
Charlyn Fargo: Forget the Diets (Creators Syndicate)
The bottom line is there isn't just one diet that fits for everyone. The best diet depends on food preferences, cultural or regional traditions, food availability and food intolerances. The most important questions to ask yourself for weight loss, "Is this sustainable for the rest of my life? Is it healthy for the rest of my life? Can I keep this up and get the nutrients I need?"
Hillery Alley: 4 People Who Tried To Eat At McDonald's and Went Insane (Cracked)
You don't go to McDonald's looking for perfection. You go there for a burger that costs less and tastes worse than the cumulative change in your car. By the time you're pulling into the McDonald's drive-thru, you've already lost the battle with your dignity and taste buds.
The 45.52 carat diamond, "Le Bijou du Roi" ("the King's Jewel") [AKA: "Le bleu de France" ("the Blue of France"), and the Tavernier Blue], is housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. By what name is this diamond better known?
The Hope Diamond, also known as "Le Bijou du Roi" ("the King's Jewel"), "Le bleu de France" ("the Blue of France"), and the Tavernier Blue, is a large, 45.52-carat (9.10 g), deep-blue diamond, now housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. It is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, and exhibits red phosphorescence after exposure to ultraviolet light. It is classified as a Type IIb diamond, and is notorious for supposedly being cursed. It has a long recorded history with few gaps in which it changed hands numerous times on its way from India to France to Britain and to the United States. It has been described as the "most famous diamond in the world".
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
The Hope Diamond
Marian said:
Blue Diamond
mj wrote:
The final cut (we hope)
In this stone's "life" is the Hope Diamond. Not really cursed, but it was a good PR stunt.
Adam answered:
Ummm...The Hope Diamond?
Charlie responded:
The Hope Diamond.
Sandra in Bangor replied:
hope diamond
Jim from CA, retired to ID, answered:
Hope Diamond
Sally said:
The 45.52 carat diamond, "Le Bijou du Roi" ("the King's Jewel") AKA: "Le bleu de France" ("the Blue of France"), and the Tavernier Blue, is housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. This diamond better known as the, "Hope Diamond."
From the Smithsonian, it's the Hope!
PS: Your ankle sure got it, Marty. Do you know from where the dog(s) came? If so, sue (small claim's), it's the only way you get the attention of such negligent owner(s) allowing that vicious dog(s) to run free! And, you have all the evidence you need from the paramedics, police report and photo!!
PPS: I was saddened to read of the passing of actress Julie Harris. I first remember her from the Broadway show,
"The Member of the Wedding" (1950). The cast included Ethel Waters, Julie Harris, and Brandon deWilde , a 7 year-old second grader at the time. (It was later made into a movie which I saw several times.)
Fast forward to Denver, CO 1972 when young Brandon was killed not a mile from my home - in a car accident, in the rain, at age 30! For years I would think of him, and that show/movie, when driving on 6th Ave - passing the spot of his crash. Now, they are both gone, and I remember them fondly, again.
MAM wrote:
The Hope Diamond
Hope Diamond in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Dale of Diamond Springs, Still Blazing Norcali, took the day off.
BttbBob responded:
Oh, that's the "Hope Diamond"... I've seen it at the Smithsonian. It's pretty impressive. Gaudy, but impressive...
~~~~~
'Catching up' Moment - Thanks, JoeS, for the photo of the Manistee CG Station. The large wing on the right is the boathouse. They have a special wheeled 'Travel-lift' that can pick their 47' self-righting Motor Lifeboat (20 tons)
and/or 25' fast response boat with straps beneath the boat and then they can move it into the boathouse and lower it onto a cradle for winter storage and maintenance. I was at Grand Haven when they built a similar station in the late 80's. Manistee would be a super-great place to be, but when I was in it was a Reserve station with minimal Regular Coasties there. It was hard to get a billet. The '47' came on-line after I left the CG. It's a beauty and I would loved to have run it...
~~~~~
Happy Birthday this day to:
And, Joe S replied:
I visited Smithsonian, viewed the diamond named "Hope,"
Asked if I could touch it, but the answer was, "Nope."
It was behind glass
Thick glass
I couldn't have touched it with a hammer
We thought you might appreciate our Dick Cheney robot sing-along in episode 4, the State of Arizona taking responsibility for its racially biased laws in episode 10 and the Sarah Palin catfight in episode 15 -- among other notable newsworthy events.
CBS opens the night with a RERUN'How I Met Your Mother', followed by a RERUN'2 Broke Girls', then another RERUN'2 Broke Girls', followed by a RERUN'Mike & Molly', then a FRESH'Under The Dome'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Patrick Dempsey and Amy Sedaris.
On a RERUNCraig (from 6/13/13) are Seth Rogen and Elisabeth Moss.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH'American Ninja Warrior', followed by a FRESH'Get Out Alive With Bear Grylls', then a FRESH'Siberia'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Jeff Daniels, Sherri Shepherd, and Quinn Sullivan.
On a RERUNJimmy Fallon (from 8/5/13) are Seth Meyers, Lily Collins, and 2 Chainz.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 5/13/13) are Curtis Stone and White Lung.
ABC starts the night with a RERUN'Shark Tank', followed by a RERUN'Castle', then a FRESH'Mistresses'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 8/15/13) are Ashton Kutcher, Melanie Griffith, and Big Sean.
The CW offers a RERUN'Hart Of Dixie', followed by a FRESH'Breaking Pointe'.
Faux has a RERUN'Raising Hope', followed by another RERUN'Raising Hope', then a RERUN'New Girl', followed by a RERUN'The Mindy Project'.
MY recycles an old 'L&O: SVU', followed by another old 'L&O: SVU'.
A&E has 'Duck Dynasty', another 'Duck Dynasty', still another 'Duck Dynasty', yet another 'Duck Dynasty', followed by a FRESH'The Glades', then a FRESH'Longmire'.
AMC offers the movie 'Poseidon', followed by the movie 'King Kong'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[7:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[8:00AM] MASTERCHEF UK: THE PROFESSIONALS - Season 5 - Episode 7
[9:00AM] MASTERCHEF UK: THE PROFESSIONALS - Season 5 - Episode 8
[10:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 14 - Clues
[11:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 15 - First Contact
[12:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 16 - Galaxy's Child
[1:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 2 - Ep 9 - Fiesta Sunrise
[2:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 5 - Ep 9 - El Greco
[3:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 3 - Ep 2 - PJ's Steakhouse
[4:00PM] MASTERCHEF UK: THE PROFESSIONALS - Season 5 - Episode 7
[5:00PM] MASTERCHEF UK: THE PROFESSIONALS - Season 5 - Episode 8
[6:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 17 - Episode 1
[7:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 17 - Episode 2
[8:00PM] TOP GEAR: THE WORST CAR IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
[9:00PM] TOP GEAR SYDNEY SPECIAL
[10:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 17 - Episode 3
[11:00PM] TOP GEAR: THE WORST CAR IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
[12:00AM] TOP GEAR SYDNEY SPECIAL
[1:00AM] TOP GEAR - Season 17 - Episode 4
[2:00AM] TOP GEAR - Season 17 - Episode 5
[3:00AM] TOP GEAR - Season 17 - Episode 6
[4:00AM] TOP GEAR - Season 17 - Episode 1
[5:00AM] TOP GEAR - Season 17 - Episode 2
[6:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[7:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of OC', followed by a FRESH'Real Housewives Of OC', then a FRESH'Real Housewives Of Miami', followed by a FRESH'Below Deck'.
FX has the movie 'Unstoppable', followed by the movie 'Salt', then the movie 'Salt', again.
History has 3 hours of old 'American Pickers', followed by a FRESH'God, Guns & Automobiles', and another 'God, Guns & Automobiles'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] Sunshine
[8:15AM] Westworld
[10:15AM] Whitest Kids U'Know
[10:30AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Andy Richter Wears a Suit Jacket and a Baby Blue Button Down Shirt
[11:00AM] The Hearse
[1:15PM] Sunshine
[3:30PM] Westworld
[5:30PM] Blade Runner
[8:00PM] Crank: High Voltage
[10:00PM] Crank: High Voltage
[12:00AM] The Exorcism of Emily Rose
[2:30AM] The Gate
[4:15AM] Bunk
[4:45AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-David Cross Wears a Red Polo Shirt and Brown Shoes with Red Laces
[5:15AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Zoe Saldana Wears a Tan Blouse and Glasses
[5:45AM] Whitest Kids U'Know (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00AM] Barry Lyndon
[9:15AM] M*A*S*H
[11:15AM] A Mighty Heart
[1:00PM] Barry Lyndon
[4:15PM] A Mighty Heart
[6:00PM] M*A*S*H
[8:00PM] Wonder Boys
[10:00PM] The Writers' Room-Game of Thrones
[10:30PM] The Writers' Room-New Girl
[11:00PM] Breaking Bad-Gray Matter
[12:00AM] Breaking Bad-Crazy Handful of Nothin'
[1:00AM] The Writers' Room-Game of Thrones
[1:30AM] The Writers' Room-New Girl
[2:00AM] Wonder Boys
[4:00AM] The Big Kahuna
[5:45AM] A'mare (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra', followed by a FRESH'Rewind'.
TBS:
On a RERUNConan (from 5/22/13) are Jesse Eisenberg, J.J. Abrams, and Thirty Seconds To Mars.
Scottish actor Gerard Butler wears a jersey of his cricket team, the Jamaica Tallawahs, while standing at the podium after they won the finals of the 2013 CPL T20 tournament at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, August 24, 2013. Butler recently revealed that he bought an equity stake in the team.
Photo by Andrea De Silva
The authors of a new J.D. Salinger biography are claiming they have cracked one of publishing's greatest mysteries: What "The Catcher in the Rye" novelist was working on during the last half century of his life.
Starting between 2015 and 2020, a series of posthumous Salinger releases are planned, according to "Salinger," co-written by David Shields and Shane Salerno and scheduled to be published Sept. 3. The Associated Press obtained an early copy. Salerno's documentary on the author opens Sept. 6. In January, it will air on PBS as an installment of "American Masters."
Providing by far the most detailed report of previously unreleased material, the book's authors cite "two independent and separate sources" who they say have "documented and verified" the information.
One of the Salinger books would center on "Catcher" protagonist Holden Caulfield and his family, including a revised version of an early, unpublished story "The Last and Best of the Peter Pans." Other volumes would draw on Salinger's World War II years and his immersion in Eastern religion.
A publication called "The Family Glass" would feature additional stories about the Glass family of "Franny and Zooey" and other Salinger works.
A ballet dancer performs during a protest manifestation at Museum Square in Amsterdam on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013. More than 2,000 gay rights supporters protested in Amsterdam, waving rainbow flags and chanting slogans criticizing the Russian government's homosexuality policies. The protest was organized in response to a concert featuring a Russian state orchestra and choir to be held on the same place later in the evening. Speakers at the protest, titled "To Russia With Love," included Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan, who spoke of the city's longstanding tolerance for gay rights.
Photo by Margriet Faber
The auction of works by Banksy, the world's most infamous graffiti artist, has angered residents of looted London neighbourhoods and "embarrassed" the artist as the sale of street art becomes a lucrative enterprise.
One of his most famous works is painted on the Israeli separation wall and depicts a young girl flying away while clasping a bunch of balloons.
The Sincura group, a VIP concierge company which promises to "acquire access to the inaccessible" sold a Banksy stencil in June.
For Richard Howard-Griffin, director of Street Art London, which organises guided graffiti tours of the British capital, these auctions bring to light the "naked profiteering and untrammelled capitalism which illustrates the greed inherent within human nature".
The sexy, sensual world of tango is experiencing a shake-up, as same-sex couples compete for the first time in the world championships in Argentina, where the dance was born.
The crowds in this traditionally conservative bastion of machismo culture, surprisingly, seem to embrace the change.
Enthusiastic cheers and massive applause rang out in a Buenos Aires exhibition hall for Juan Pablo Ramirez and Daniel Arroyo, as they danced to a 1940s classic.
Ramirez, a 34-year-old Argentine professional dancer, and Arroyo, 18, are among four same-sex couples -- including three male pairs and one female -- competing in the 11th annual world championship.
"There is a macho culture," Arroyo conceded. "But there are older people who appreciate us.
A girl dressed as Hindu Lord Krishna (C) dances with others dressed as his consort Radha during celebrations ahead of the Janmashtami festival in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad August 25, 2013. The festival, which marks the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, will be celebrated across India on August 28.
Photo by Amit Dave
In a green outfit with silver trim and matching mask, a superhero waits by the stairs of a Tokyo subway station, lending his strength to the elderly, passengers lugging heavy packages and mothers with baby strollers.
"Japanese people find it hard to accept help, they feel obligated to the other person, so the mask really helps me out," said Tadahiro Kanemasu.
The slender 27-year-old has spent three months being a good Samaritan at the station on Tokyo's western side. Like many in the city, it has neither elevators nor escalators and a long flight of dimly lit stairs.
Inspiration came from the children he met at his job at an organic greengrocer, which also prompted the color of his costume. He picked up the green Power Rangers suit and two spares at a discount store for 4,000 yen ($41) each.
Hayato Ito, who works alongside Kanemasu at the greengrocer, said his kindness to others over the years meant his alter ego did not come as a complete surprise.
New York's attorney general sued Donald Trump for $40 million Saturday, saying the real estate mogul helped run a phoney "Trump University" that promised to make students rich but instead steered them into expensive and mostly useless seminars, and even failed to deliver promised apprenticeships.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says many of the 5,000 students who paid up to $35,000 thought they would at least meet Trump but instead all they got was their picture taken in front of a life-size picture of "The Apprentice" TV star.
"Trump University engaged in deception at every stage of consumers' advancement through costly programs and caused real financial harm," Schneiderman said. "Trump University, with Donald Trump's knowledge and participation, relied on Trump's name recognition and celebrity status to take advantage of consumers who believed in the Trump brand."
But Trump's attorney accused Schneiderman of trying to extort campaign contributions from the real estate mogul through his investigation of Trump. Attorney Michael D. Cohen told The Associated Press on Saturday that Schneiderman's lawsuit was filled with falsehoods. Cohen said Trump and his university never defrauded anyone.
The Korean People's Army Song and Dance Ensemble take part in a music and dance performance called "May the Day of Songun Shine Forever" at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang on the 53rd Day of Songun, August 25, 2013, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency
As a lobbyist in New York's statehouse, Stephen Acquario is doing pretty well. He pulls down $204,000 a year, more than the governor makes, gets a Ford Explorer as his company car and is afforded another special perk:
Even though he's not a government employee, he is entitled to a full state pension.
He's among hundreds of lobbyists in at least 20 states who get public pensions because they represent associations of counties, cities and school boards, an Associated Press review found. Legislatures granted them access decades ago on the premise that they serve governments and the public. In many cases, such access also includes state health care benefits.
Unlike state government, for example, these groups aren't bound by salary restrictions - significant salary increases would result in increasing pension benefits.
Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has reached an agreement with the Sunday Times after it had sued the drugs-tainted American for around one million pounds ($1.56 million), the British paper announced on Sunday.
"It is the final episode in a long legal battle between this newspaper and the fallen icon..." the paper said.
The newspaper was forced to pay Armstrong 300,000 pounds in 2006 to settle a legal case after it had questioned his Tour de France victories in an article published two years earlier.
However, after the 41-year-old was stripped of his record seven Tour wins and handed a life ban last year for cheating his way to glory, the newspaper demanded a return of the payout plus interest, as well as costs accrued in defending the case.
A man burns a five metre long paper "Buddha Boat" (R) believed to sail ghost spirits to the afterlife during the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival in Hong Kong August 25, 2013. The Ghost Festival, also known as Yu Lan, is a traditional Chinese festival on the 15th night of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. In Chinese tradition, the month is regarded as the Ghost Month, in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm to visit the living. Worshippers prepare ritualistic food offerings and burn joss paper - a paper form of material items - for the ghost. Other paper items in the form of clothes, gold and other fine goods are also burnt for the visiting spirits of the ancestors to show respect.
Photo by Tyrone Siu
The march of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster had all signs of being a satirical stunt - some of its 100 participants were armed with colanders on their heads and pasta in their mouths.
But the reaction of Russian authorities to so-called Pastafarians has been anything but lighthearted.
Police and members of a Russian Orthodox group set upon the group last Saturday, knocking some to the ground. Eight members of the church were detained and subsequently charged with organizing an unsanctioned rally. Although those detained have since been released, they are due back in court before the end of August.
Aside from demonstrating how some Muscovites may not appreciate the Pastafarians' sense of humor, the recent crackdown reveals just how close Russia's Orthodox Church and state agencies have become in what was once an officially atheist nation.
A bridge that torpedoed Dresden's World Heritage status because UNESCO deemed it a blot on the city's baroque landscape will open to traffic on Monday.
The Waldschloesschenbruecke, which at 635 metres (2,083 feet) becomes the longest span over the River Elbe, was built to alleviate traffic in the eastern German city's historic centre.
But added to its 180 million euro ($240 million) price tag was the blow to the city's prestige when UNESCO decided to drop the Dresden Elbe Valley from the World Heritage list in 2009 when the project to build the four-lane, concrete-and-steel bridge got the green light.
The "cultural landscape" that was designated a World Heritage site just five years earlier extends for some 20 kilometres (12 miles) on either side of Dresden.
The Dresden Elbe Valley was only the second World Heritage site to be struck from the prestigious list, after Oman's Arabian Oryx Sanctuary was dropped in 2007 after a sharp decline in the oryx population as a result of poaching and loss of habitat.
A man stands next to a tent during the FourE open air festival outside Almaty August 24, 2013. According to the organisers, the festival aims to raise ecological awareness and promote healthy lifestyles through a variety of performances and fine art events.
Photo by Shamil Zhumatov
It will take someone with pretty deep pockets to purchase and transport what is being described by auction house Christie's as one of four surviving 17th-century French "pocket" calculating machines, to be sold in London in October.
With an estimated price of between 70,000 pounds and 100,000 pounds, and with dimensions of 14.5 cm by 32.5 cm (5.7 by 12.8 inches), the "pocket" description is pretty much a euphemism.
But the compact size of the paper-and-wood box with a fascinating array of 24 dials embedded in the lid was one of its main selling points, James Hyslop, head of Christie's science department, said.
It was the invention of Rouen inventor and watchmaker Rene Grillet, who marketed his smaller and lighter device as a competitor to the sturdy but heavier brass machine invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642.
"Lee Daniels' The Butler" served up a second helping at the box office, topping the weekend with $17 million according to studio estimates Sunday.
That was enough to lead all films on a late August weekend known as a dumping ground for studios following their summer blockbusters and before the start of the fall movie-going season. Daniels' historical drama about a long-serving White House butler, starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, last weekend opened with $24.6 million for the Weinstein Co.
Three new releases failed to catch on. The teen fantasy "Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," adapted from the popular young adult book series, opened tepidly in third with $9.3 million on the weekend and $14 million since opening Wednesday. With franchise hopes, Sony Screen Gems has already started production on a sequel, again starring Lily Collins as a New York teenager who discovers she has mystical powers.
Edgar Wright's pub-crawl-gone-wrong comedy "The World's End" opened with $8.9 million for Focus Features. That was a better start for "The World's End," which stars Simon Pegg, than Wright's last film, 2007's "Hot Fuzz." It opened with $5.8 million. Playing in 1,549 theaters, "The World's End" did its business in less than half the theaters of "The Butler" or "Mortal Instruments."
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 on Monday.
1. "Lee Daniels' The Butler," $17 million.
2. "We're the Millers," $13.5 million ($8.3 million international).
3. "Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," $9.3 million.
4. "The World's End" $8.9 million.
5. "Planes," $8.6 million ($5.9 million international).
6. "Elysium," $7.1 million ($20 million international).
7. "You're Next," $7.1 million.
8. "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters," $5.2 million ($18.4 million international).
9. "Blue Jasmine," $4.3 million.
10. "Kick-Ass 2," $4.3 million ($7.3 million international).
In this photo provided by the Smithsonian's National Zoo, a member of the panda team at the Smithsonian's National Zoo performs the first neonatal exam Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, on a giant panda cub born Friday, Aug. 23, in Washington. The cub appeared to be in excellent health, zookeepers reported after a 10-minute physical exam Sunday morning.
Photo by Courtney Janney
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