Paul Krugman: Four Fiscal Phonies (New York Times)
… Mr. Romney isn't alone in his hypocrisy. In fact, all four significant Republican presidential candidates still standing are fiscal phonies. They issue apocalyptic warnings about the dangers of government debt and, in the name of deficit reduction, demand savage cuts in programs that protect the middle class and the poor. But then they propose squandering all the money thereby saved - and much, much more - on tax cuts for the rich.
Froma Harrop: Tax the Rich … First (Creators Syndicate)
The Bush-era tax cuts have been disastrous for America's fiscal standing. The 2001 and 2003 tax cuts piled more than $1.7 trillion onto the deficit over 10 years, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. The two-year extension pushed by Obama will add another $858 billion.
J.J.S. Boyce: Numeracy, is it Important? (Irascible Professor)
In one of those shocking twists of irony headline writers just can't resist, four-time Florida school board member, Rick Roach, took and failed his state's major standardized test. The story was told on the Washington Post website by Marion Brady, who initially withheld the board member's name.
Roger Ebert: Appealing to the base
Hollywood has the same problem with the Oscars that the Republicans are having with their primaries. They can't seem to agree on a candidate with a broad appeal to the base. All nine Oscar finalists were, like Mitt Romney, good enough to be nominated. But none of them appealed to average multiplex moviegoers, just as it's said Romney doesn't appeal to the GOP base.
Straight and narrow: how pop lost its gay edge (Guardian)
From the blues to the Beatles, from the Who to Nirvana, the biggest acts in pop have been hugely shaped by gay culture. Why has that spirit now disappeared? By Alexis Petridis.
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."
March in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of September in the Southern Hemisphere.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
September
mj said:
It's the beginning of Spring
September.
Maurice wrote:
October
Marian responded:
September
Adam answered:
October?
Jim from CA, retired to ID, replied:
March in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of September
in the Southern Hemisphere
Charlie responded:
September
Sally said:
I believe there is a 6-month flip flop between the northern and southern hemispheres, so that would make March here like September for them...
Aussie Autumn in our Spring!
I have out-of-town company coming on Sunday, and the her-to-fore spring weather is becoming a crap-shoot here. Lots of things we want to see and do, but with gasoline nearing $5.00 a gallon, we may not be venturing very far from home... Wonder how my friend handles a rake - for yard cleanup???
MAM wrote:
September
Southern Hemisphere
Ted replied:
Ah March, the beginning of spring, unless you are an antipod, then September is the beginning of spring.
Joe S answered:
September. Like September in Peru. (Random people I don't know)
And, Dale of Diamond Springs added:
March 20 or 21 is the autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere, so in the Northern Hemisphere it falls on September 22 this year. This is a lady enjoying the last of the hot nights at Rio. She'll need to cover up soon for it's gonna get cold soon!
By the way, I love women and hate everything Limbaugh pukes out of his sexist, hateful and odious orifice.
CBS begins the night with a RERUN'CSI: The 3rd One', followed by a RERUN'CSI: The Original One', then '48 Hours'.
NBC opens the night with a RERUN'Smash', followed by a RERUN'The Firm', then a RERUN'L&O: SVU'.
'SNL' is FRESH, with Lindsay Lohan hosting, music by Jack White.
ABC starts the night with a RERUN'Wipeout', followed by a FRESH'My Extreme Affliction'.
The CW offers an old 'Family Guy', followed by another old 'Family Guy', then an old 'Futurama', followed by another old 'Futurama'.
Faux fills the night with '¡Q' Viva! The Chosen'.
MY has an old 'The Closer', followed by another old 'The Closer'.
A&E has 'Parking Wars', another 'Parking Wars', still another 'Parking Wars', yet another 'Parking Wars', followed by a FRESH'Parking Wars', then another FRESH'Parking Wars', followed by a FRESH'Billy The Exterminator', then another FRESH'Billy The Exterminator'.
AMC offers 'The Godfather Saga' (part 4), followed by 'The Godfather Saga' (part 1).
BBC -
[6:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 6 - Mama Rita's
[7:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 12 Casa Roma
[8:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 4 The Fish and Anchor
[9:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 3 Momma Cherri's
[10:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 7 Jack's Waterfront
[11:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 1
[12:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 2
[1:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 3
[2:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 4
[3:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 5
[4:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 7
[5:00PM] BATTLESTAR GALACTICA-Ep 11 - The Hub NEW
[6:00PM] BATTLESTAR GALACTICA-Ep 12 - Revelations NEW
[7:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION-Ep 26 Redemption, Part 1
[8:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION-Ep 1 Redemption, Part 2
[9:00PM] BEING HUMAN-Episode 2 NEW
[10:15PM] THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW-Ep 17 - John Cusack, Goldie Hawn, Jo Brand, KasabianNEW
[11:00PM] WOULD YOU RATHER? WITH GRAHAM NORTON-Ep 1 - Cyndi Lauper, Christian Finnegan, Michelle Buteau, Joe Mande
[11:30PM] KATY BRAND'S BIG ASS SHOW-Episode 1 NEW
[12:00AM] BEING HUMAN-Episode 2
[1:15AM] HANNIBAL
[3:45AM] BEING HUMAN-Episode 2
[5:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 10 (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'T-Rump's Effrontery & Fluffery', followed by the movie 'Juno'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Office Space', followed by the movie 'Wedding Crashers'.
FX has 'How I Met Your Mother', another 'How I Met Your Mother', still another 'How I Met Your Mother', yet another 'How I Met Your Mother', '2½ Men', another '2½ Men', still another '2½ Men', and yet another '2½ Men'.
History has 'Pawn Stars', another 'Pawn Stars', 'Full Metal Jousting', another 'Full Metal Jousting', and still another 'Full Metal Jousting'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] You Kill Me
[8:00AM] D.E.B.S.
[10:00AM] The Three Stooges-Vagabond Loafers
[10:25AM] The Three Stooges-Wham-Bam-Slam
[10:50AM] The Three Stooges-Booty and the Beast
[11:15AM] The Three Stooges-Bubble Trouble
[11:40AM] The Three Stooges-Fling in the Ring
[12:05PM] Tadpole
[1:45PM] You Kill Me
[3:45PM] D.E.B.S.
[5:45PM] Get Shorty
[8:00PM] Se7en
[10:45PM] Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning
[12:45AM] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
[2:45AM] Se7en
[5:30AM] Action-Lights, Camera, Action (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00A]
THE MORTIFIED SESSIONS - Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally
[6:30A]
THE MORTIFIED SESSIONS - Lea Thompson & Anthony Michael Hall
[7:00A]
Of Time And The City
[8:15A]
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown
[10:05A]
Amreeka
[11:45A]
Apres Lui
[1:20P]
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown
[3:15P]
Amreeka
[5:00P]
Apres Lui
[6:40P]
Life In Flight
[8:00P]
The Crucible
[12:30A]
The Exterminating Angels
[2:15A]
Mad Detective
[3:45A]
The Crucible
[5:50A]
Ten for Grandpa (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant', followed by the movie 'Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans'.
Actors Barry (L) and Stanley Livingston, stars of the 1960's television comedy series "My Three Sons," arrive at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 21st annual Hall of Fame Gala in Beverly Hills March 1, 2012. The brothers presented the award posthumously to actor William Frawley who starred on "My Three Sons" and "I Love Lucy."
Photo by Fred Prouser
In a show of moral support, President Barack Obama called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke on Friday defending her in the face of conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh (R-Viagra-Dependent)'s "reprehensible ... personal and crude" attacks on her, the White House said.
The conversation, which lasted for "several minutes," came after Limbaugh (R-Sex Tourist) branded Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute" for her support of women having access to birth control, Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said. The president made the call right before Fluke was scheduled to appear on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports.
Obama "wanted to offer his support to her," said Carney. "He wanted to express his disappointment that she has been the subject of inappropriate personal attacks, and to thank her for exercising her rights as a citizen to speak out on an issue of public policy."
Despite the fire around his comments, Limbaugh (R-Oxycontin Fan) continued his verbal assault on Fluke on his radio show Friday, even as some conservatives spoke out against his controversial comments about contraception.
Actress Kaley Cuoco (R), from the comedy television series "The Big Bang Theory," poses with television producer Chuck Lorre (C) and Warner Bros. Television President Peter Roth as they arrive at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 21st annual Hall of Fame Gala in Beverly Hills March 1, 2012. Lorre was inducted into the Hall of Fame and is currently the co-creator and executive producer of the hit comedy shows "Two and a Half Men," "The Big Bang Theory" and is executive producer of "Mike & Molly." He created previous hit shows such as "Cybill," "Dharama & Greg" and "Grace Under Fire."
Photo by Fred Prouser
Organizers of the Cannes Film Festival have chosen to honor Marilyn Monroe by selecting a photo of the Hollywood sex goddess for the poster of this year's event.
The poster shows the American actress, eyelids lowered and lips pursed, blowing out a candle on a birthday cake.
The 65th Cannes Film Festival runs from May 16 to 27.
Nanni Moretti, the satirical Italian filmmaker and 2001 Palme d'Or winner, heads the jury at this year's festival on the French Riviera.
Still no word on a Rolling Stones anniversary tour, but the band will mark its 50th year with a new book.
Hyperion announced Friday that it will publish "The Rolling Stones: 50," an illustrated autobiography. The book, featuring rare photographs and commentary from the band, is scheduled for the fall.
The Stones have told their story in book form before. "According to the Rolling Stones," an oral history, was released by Chronicle Books in 2003.
Musician Herbie Hancock performs during the three-day Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta March 2, 2012. About a hundred international bands and local musicians will be performing at the event.
Photo by Supri
The singer-songwriter behind the Grammy-winning 2010 single "Forget You" and the 2006 hit "Crazy" is settling down - at least for a few months - in a Las Vegas residency.
Cee Lo Green says his semi-permanent show, "Loberace," will launch Aug. 29 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, and run at least through the end of the year.
Organizers say the show will include a musical journey through time, with tributes to Price and the Rolling Stones. "Mind-twisting magic and sexified showgirls" are also on tap.
The 28 shows through the end of December are scheduled for late nights, and some follow Planet Hollywood's "Peepshow" production in the 1,400-seat theater.
NASA said hackers broke into its computer systems 13 times last year, stealing employee credentials and gaining access to mission-critical projects in breaches that could compromise U.S. national security.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration spends only $58 million of its $1.5 billion annual IT budget on cyber security, Paul Martin, the agency's inspector general, told a Congressional panel on NASA security earlier this week.
He said the agency discovered in November that hackers working through a Chinese-based IP address broke into the network of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
He said they gained full system access, which allowed them to modify, copy, or delete sensitive files, create user accounts for mission-critical JPL systems and upload hacking tools to steal user credentials and compromise other NASA systems. They were also able to modify system logs to conceal their actions, he said.
In another attack last year, intruders stole credentials for accessing NASA systems from more than 150 employees.
Actress Doris Singleton, best known as Lucy Ricardo's frenemy, Carolyn Appleby, in the 1950's television comedy series "I Love Lucy", arrives at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 21st annual Hall of Fame Gala in Beverly Hills March 1, 2012. Singleton presented the award posthumously to the family of actress Vivian Vance, who starred in "I Love Lucy." Singleton is one of the recurring adult cast members from the "I Love Lucy" show still alive.
Photo by Fred Prouser
Three people who believe they were targeted by a private investigator working for Rupert Murdoch's News of the World while they were in the United States are considering suing his company in U.S. courts, a source close to the case said.
The lawsuits would be the first litigation filed against Murdoch's News Corp empire in the United States and could mark a significant escalation in a scandal that has already shaken Britain's media and political establishment.
The source said London police had showed the three people documents seized from Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who worked for Murdoch's now-defunct tabloid News of the World.
The documents indicated Mulcaire had collected phone numbers and other information on the targeted individuals when they knew they were in the United States, said the source.
All legal actions to date regarding alleged phone hacking by Murdoch journalists have been brought in U.K. courts. Recently, Murdoch's British publishing unit has made strenuous efforts to settle with claimants before their cases come to trial.
Lou Ann Graham, sister of actress Vivian Vance, one of the stars on the 1950's television comedy series "I Love Lucy," arrives at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 21st annual Hall of Fame Gala in Beverly Hills March 1, 2012. Graham accepted the Hall of Fame award honoring Vance posthumously at the event.
Photo by Fred Prouser
A man accused of leading a series of burglaries at the Hollywood Hills homes of celebrities pleaded no contest Friday to stealing from Lindsay Lohan and reality star Audrina Patridge.
Nicholas Frank Prugo spoke softly as he entered the pleas under a deal that includes two years in state prison and requires him to testify against three remaining defendants charged with breaking into the home of Paris Hilton and Lohan.
Prugo and others were accused of break-ins that netted more than $3 million in jewelry, high-end clothes, art and other goods. Most of the property has never been recovered.
Prugo, 21, was initially charged with burglarizing the homes of Hilton, Orlando Bloom and Rachel Bilson, but those counts were dropped in exchange for his plea. He will be responsible for restitution awards stemming from the break-ins, prosecutor Christine Kee said.
Two others charged in the case, Rachel Lee and Alexis Neiers, also accepted plea deals. Prugo said Lee helped plan the break-ins. She was sentenced to four years in state prison after pleading no contest to burglarizing Patridge's home.
Veiled Hindu women hold bamboo sticks as they celebrate "Lathmar Holi" at Barsana in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh March 2, 2012. In a Holi tradition unique to Barsana, men sing provocative songs to gain the attention of women, who then "beat" them with bamboo sticks called "lathis". Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours, heralds the beginning of spring and is celebrated all over India.
Photo by Adnan Abidi
Director Julie Taymor has hit back at her former creative partners in "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark," arguing in court papers that she was the victim of a conspiracy to unfairly push her out of the production.
Taymor's legal team on Friday defended the Tony Award winner against a countersuit from producers, the latest installment in their bitter legal battle over financial rewards for Broadway's most expensive show.
"While secretly conspiring to oust Taymor and use and change her work without pay, the producers also fraudulently induced Taymor to continue working and to diligently make improvements," her team alleges.
Taymor, who was the original "Spider-Man" director and co-book writer, was fired in March after years of delays, accidents and critical backlash. The show, which features music by U2's Bono and The Edge, opened in November 2010 but spent months in previews before officially opening a few days after the Tony Awards in June. It has become a financial hit at the box office.
In the legal filing, Taymor claims she was ousted not because she wasn't willing to cooperate with changes but simply to appease investors, sway critics to the idea that the show was being fixed, bilk her of royalties and "mask the producers' own failures."
A painting of late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill by Cuban artist Ernesto Milanes is seen at the XIV Havana Cigar Festival in Havana March 2, 2012. Cuban cigar sales jumped 9 percent to $401 million in 2011 as spending on luxury items increased in countries with stronger economies, Cuban cigar executives said. They said smokers in China, the Middle East, Russia and Brazil helped overcome declining sales in economically troubled Spain and Greece. Still, Spain held on to its position as the top consumer of what are generally considered the world's best cigars.
Photo by Desmond Boylan
Andrew Breitbart's unexpected death on Thursday has sparked a swift outpouring of grief and remembrances--but also the inevitable conspiracy theories about the timing of the outspoken conservative's demise.
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., last month, Breitbart claimed he had damning videos of Barack Obama, and planned to release them before the general election.
Steve Bannon, producer of "The Undefeated" and a friend of Breitbart's, told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday that the tapes of Obama at Harvard do exist, and that they would be released "in a week or two."
The news quickly sent conservative bloggers--still shocked by Breitbart's sudden death--into a frenzy.
A man shows tattoos on his body at Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Pathom province, about 80 km (50 miles) from Bangkok March 2, 2012. Thousands of believers from across Thailand travel to the monastery to attend the annual tattoo festival to have their bodies adorned with tattoos and to pay their respects to the temple's master tattooist. They believe the tattoos have mystical powers, warding off bad luck and protecting them from harm.
Photo by Sukree Sukplang
Times are looking tough for Tokyo's cat cafes, where feline aficionados can drop in for tea and some time with a cat.
At most such establishments, it's the post-work rush that brings in the most cash, with tired and harried professionals dropping by on their way homes to pet and play with the animals as a way of relieving stress.
A revision to Japan's Animal Protection Law, due to come into force on June 1, will slap a curfew on the public display of cats and dogs, forcing cat cafes to shut up shop at 8 p.m.
"There's this new revision which says we should be open from eight in the morning until eight at night. After 8 p.m. we have to put the cats in the back, away from the customers, and close," said Hiromi Kawase, the owner of one Tokyo cat cafe.
Cat cafes have long been popular, catering to the many cat lovers who can't keep the animals at home because of strict housing regulations that forbid pets in many apartments.
Visitors to Kawase's cafe pay about 1,000 yen ($12) an hour to play with any of her 24 cats, who dart around the room chasing toys or sleep in baskets set on tables. Drinks are priced from around 300 yen each.
Men throw red colour powder as they celebrate "Lathmar Holi" at Barsana in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh March 2, 2012. In a Holi tradition unique to Barsana, men sing provocative songs to gain the attention of women, who then "beat" them with bamboo sticks called "lathis". Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours, heralds the beginning of spring and is celebrated all over India.
Photo by Adnan Abidi
Disrupts Sleep for Morning People But Not Night Owls
Caffeine
Caffeine will get you going during the day but could leave you tossing and turning at night - unless you're a "night owl" to begin with, a new study suggests.
In the study, "morning people" who consumed caffeine during the day appeared more likely than late risers to awaken in the middle of their nighttime sleep.
The researchers said this is the first study to link caffeine intake with "chronotype," the categorizing of people by the time of day they are most alert and active. The findings are preliminary and more research is needed to confirm them, the researchers added.
Fifty college students were asked to record their caffeine consumption and their sleeping and waking times for a week. The students wore wrist devices that monitored their movements, to assess whether they had periods of wakefulness after they had fallen asleep. The researchers also measured caffeine levels in the students' saliva over the week.
A joey, which is approximately six months old, pokes its head out of its mother's pouch at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Massachusetts, in this image released to Reuters on March 1, 2012. Kangaroo babies are born after a very short 30 to 35 day gestation period, and are about the size of a jelly bean. Joeys begin to emerge from the pouch for short periods at around 190 days. They will feed from the mother for up to a year, but at about eight months will start to try solid food. The joey, whose gender is not yet known, was born to mother Skippy, aged 6, and father Binowee (an Aboriginal word meaning "green place"), aged 4.
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