FROMA HARROP: At Least Admire Spitzer for His Foes (creators.com)
A few good words for Eliot Spitzer. The resigned New York governor could be brutish, vindictive and, when it comes to sexual rectitude, a grand hypocrite. But in going after the depredations of Wall Street, subprime lenders and corporate looters, he was a rare crusader.
SUSAN ESTRICH: What I Couldn't Teach Eliot Spitzer at Harvard Law School (creators.com)
I met Eliot Spitzer during his first semester in law school, my first year teaching criminal law at Harvard. He was smart and ambitious, which certainly didn't set him apart from the rest of his classmates at Harvard. What did, and what brought him to my door, was that he was interested in a career in politics.
Reuters: February budget gap balloons to record $175.56 billion (news.yahoo.com)
The U.S. government turned in a $175.56 billion budget deficit for February, a record for any month . . . a 46.3 percent increase over the previous all-time single-month deficit . . . [and] for the first five months of fiscal 2008, which began last October 1, the deficit reached a record $263.26 billion, up 62.3 percent from the $162.16 billion for the same period of fiscal 2007.
Andrew Tobias: Chickens Flying In From All Points (andrewtobias.com)
... the National Debt has grown relative to the size of our economy. It was 30% of our GDP when Reagan took office; it will be about 70% of GDP when Bush leaves. Overall, more than 85% of the debt will have been racked up under Republican Administrations. The interest on this mostly Republican debt now amounts to about 40% of all the personal income tax we pay. The closer it gets to 100%, the less we have to spend on anything else.
Jim Hightower: COME ON, CONGRESS, GET SOME GUMPTION (jimhightower.com)
If the arrogant autocrats of the Bush regime had been depicted in a 1950s B-movie, it would be called: "The Imperial Presidency Strikes Again," and the movie poster would feature members of Congress cowering at the feet of an all-powerful Bush.
Exclusive extract: Predictably Irrational (Posted on books.guardian.co.uk)
We make irrational decisions and simple mistakes every day. What's more, knowing that we do doesn't stop us from making them again. Why? Because that's just how we are and we'd best get used to it, argues Dan Ariely in "Predictably Irrational." In this exclusive extract, he explains the cost of free goods.
Maize is the largest crop in all of the Americas (270 million metric tons annually in the U.S. alone).
vic in Alaska was first, and correct with:
I'm torn between B: Corn and B: Maize....so I'll say "Hi Sally!!!"
mj wrote:
Just a guess
D. Sugar
Alan J replied:
Corn (Maize)
joe b responded:
I guess it's "B" at least around here it is.
Joe S ("A light wind swept over the corn, and all nature laughed in the sunshine."
~ Anne Bronte) answered:
No doubt in my mind, one of the three sisters. B: Corn (Maize).
DanD responded:
In most any Catholic-Hispanic type society (even the Philippines, which
is almost a fake Catholic-Hispanic society), a rather common site on the
streets is the corn cob (or Maize) hawker. Also, I presume that "D" was
meant to be "Sugar Cane," as "Sugar" (you know, that granular stuff you
put some coffee in each morning) in (the) America(s) comes at least as
much (if not more) from Corn (Maize) as it does from Sugar Cane. What
Sugar Cane cannot compete with, however, is the "Corn Syrup" industry.
That stuff is in almost everything.
I'm pretty sure that the answer is "B."
Now, if you were just talkin' about North America, I think that Pot may
be in serious competition with all other plants somewhere in the
paradigm.
Charlie said:
Since neither marijuana or turf grass are options, I'm going with
B: Corn (Maize)
Sally said:
The largest crop in all of the Americas is "B" or Corn/Maize.
Did you know that corn is the only grain produced that is greater in height than humans? (Commercial varieties reach an average of 8 feet) But corn has its share of controversy too, such as raised food and land prices, energy consumption (to produce corn-derived ethanol), and the politics surrounding genetically modified varieties of corn. Oh, and did I mention that adult type II diabetes is becoming commonplace since "corn sweetener" has undercut cane sugar prices? It is now the number one sweetener used in commercial drinks, etc., and VERY BAD FOR YOU! Sorry, I hadda get that one in...
PS Here is a joke from the precious 8 year old grandson: Who is the father of all bad jokes?
Answer: "Pop Corn!" (Told with him laughing so hard that he can hardly get the words out...)
And, Marian the Teacher replied:
Its gotta be corn (maize).
A note from mj Regarding DanD's observation Thursday
Shortly after the Golafrinchans landed, Ford and Arthur noticed that the
indigenous population seemed to be losing the will to continue. Arthur
thought that they merely felt inferior and tried to help them advance using
scrabble letters. Ford sussed it out that, since the Earth was a computer
and the Golgafrinchans weren't part of the design, that the entire thing
was out of whack and the indenous people were shutting down as a part of
the program. When he asked for the question to which the answer was 42 and
had one of the cave men (as they called them) draw random scrabble tiles
from a bag, the answer that was spelled out was "What is six times nine"
and he explained to Arthur that their presence had caused it all to be a
bit of a cockup.
And the other mouse was Frankie.
Now if I could only remember where I put my check book.
mj
Who is thoroughly convinced were all B Arc people, which explains why we're
all B Arcking mad.
CBS begins the night with a RERUN'Cold Case', followed by a RERUN'Criminal Minds', then '48 Hours'.
NBC opens the night with a RERUN'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', followed by a RERUN'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit', then a RERUN'Law & Order'.
'SNL' is FRESH with Jonah Hill hosting, music by Mariah Carey.
ABC fills the night with the movie 'Catch Me If You Can'.
The CW has an old 'Raymond', followed by another old 'Raymond', then an old 'Family Guy', followed by another old 'Family Guy'.
Faux has the traditional 'Cops', 'Cops', and 'America's Most Wanted'.
MY has the 'Nobel Peace Prize Concert', followed by 'Control Room Presents'.
A&E has the movie 'Erin Brockovich', followed by the movie 'True Lies'.
AMC offers the movie 'Open Range', followed by the movie 'Silverado' (not the Neil Bush version), then the movie 'The Searchers'.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 8;
[12:30 PM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 9;
[1:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep. 3 Walnut Tree;
[2:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 2 The Fenwick Arms;
[3:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 5 Sandgate;
[4:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 3;
[5:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 2;
[6:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 7 42;
[7:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 8 Human Nature;
[8:00 PM] Torchwood - Ep 7 Dead Man Walking;
[9:00 PM] Torchwood - Ep 8 A Day in the Death;
[10:00 PM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 14 Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Matt Lucas;
[11:00 PM] Torchwood - Ep 7 Dead Man Walking;
[12:00 AM] Torchwood - Ep 8 A Day in the Death;
[1:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 14 Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Matt Lucas;
[2:00 AM] Torchwood - Ep 7 Dead Man Walking;
[3:00 AM] Torchwood - Ep 8 A Day in the Death;
[4:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 14 Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Matt Lucas;
[5:00 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 27 Mitchell;
[5:30 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 28 Pigott;
[6:00 AM] BBC World News. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Project Runway', 'Top Chef', followed by the movie 'Misery', then the movie 'Misery', again.
Comedy Central has the movie 'National Lampoon's Van Wilder', followed by the movie 'Waiting...', then the movie 'Joe Dirt'.
FX has the movie 'S.W.A.T.', followed by the movie 'I, Robot'.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'The Universe', and 'Journey To 10,000 BC'.
IFC -
[07:05 AM] A Decade Under The Influence: Part 3;
[08:00 AM] Seven Samurai;
[11:30 AM] One Day in September;
[01:05 PM] The Assassination of Richard Nixon;
[02:45 PM] Intacto;
[04:35 PM] American Heart;
[06:35 PM] About Adam;
[08:30 PM] The Henry Rollins Show #318: Samuel L. Jackson/Manu Chao;
[09:00 PM] Pumpkin;
[11:00 PM] Sugar;
[12:35 AM] All over Me;
[02:15 AM] Pumpkin;
[04:50 AM] Sugar. (ALL TIMES EST)
SciFi has the movie 'In The Mouth Of Madness', followed by the movie 'John Carpenter's Ghosts Of Mars'.
Sundance -
[05:00 AM] Muhammad Ali, the Greatest;
[07:00 AM] Sophie Scholl - The Final Days;
[09:00 AM] Robert Redford on Paul Newman;
[10:00 AM] The Last Mogul;
[12:00 PM] Into the Night;
[02:00 PM] Mario Batali on Michael Stipe;
[03:00 PM] Episode 1: Season's End;
[04:00 PM] Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon;
[05:30 PM] In Short: Ireland;
[06:00 PM] Episode 1;
[06:30 PM] Episode 7;
[07:00 PM] Peter Beard: Scrapbooks from Africa & Beyond;
[08:00 PM] The Funeral;
[10:00 PM] Thick as Thieves;
[11:45 PM] Site Specific: Las Vegas;
[12:00 AM] Close Your Eyes;
[02:00 AM] The Last September;
[04:00 AM] Ray LaMontagne, The Zutons, Shawn Colvin & Nerina Pallot;
[05:00 AM] Look Both Ways. (ALL TIMES EST)
U.S. jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater smiles after being awarded with the medal of Arts and Letters by French culture minister Christine Albanel, unseen, in Paris, Friday, March 14, 2008.
Photo by Remy de la Mauviniere
A mystery UK-based bidder has paid $40,000 (£20,000) for a 20-minute date with Scarlett Johansson in support of Oxfam.
The fan, who has not been identified but goes by the nickname "bossnour" won a charity auction on eBay to be the Hollywood actress's guest at the world premiere of her new film, He's Just Not That Into You, in July.
They will have their hair and make-up done, be chauffeured to the premiere with a guest - and meet the star of Lost In Translation and The Other Boleyn Girl.
A previously unknown portrait of Mozart has been found, and could be the most important portrait of the renowned composer ever to come to light, a British academic said Friday.
The discovery -- which could be worth several million dollars -- was owned by the family of Johann Lorenz Hagenauer, a close friend of the Mozart family in Salzburg.
Family tradition has it that it was a gift to Mozart in return for dedicating a composition to a member of the Hickel family.
An American collector bought the portrait in 2005 and was unaware of its significance until the Hagenauer connection was established.
Actresses Jodie Foster (L) and Abigail Breslin pose before the 2008 ShoWest Awards ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada March 13, 2008. The pair star together in the new film "Nim"s Island." ShoWest is an annual convention for movie theatre owners.
Photo by Steve Marcus
David Lynch says his nonprofit foundation will donate $1 million to fund scholarships for students who want to learn a meditation technique taught at the Maharishi University of Management.
Lynch, who directed "The Elephant Man," "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Dr." movies and the "Twin Peaks" TV series, is a longtime practitioner of Transcendental Meditation.
Students practice TM as part of their course of study at Maharishi University, which was founded in Fairfield in 1971. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in computer science, art, design, business and sustainable living.
Lynch, 62, plans to give $1 million in scholarships for students to attend the university and learn TM. The goal is to increase the number of students who meditate on the Fairfield campus to 2,000.
Actor Christopher Lambert's fake Scottish accent in the film Highlander has been voted the worst in cinema history.
In the hit movie released in 1986, Lambert plays Connor Macleod, an immortal warrior who can only die by decapitation.
The French actor's attempts to copy the Caledonian brogue as an immortal swordsman won the disapproval of 42 per cent quizzed in a survey carried out by film memorabilia website AsWornln.com.
Australian star Mel Gibson came second as Scots freedom fighter William Wallace in Braveheart.
The lavish stage musical "The Lord of the Rings" will close July 19, 13 months after opening to lukewarm reviews.
Producers announced Friday that the show, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy saga, will close after 492 performances at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. With a budget of $24 million, "The Lord of the Rings" is one of the most expensive musicals ever produced.
It had its world premiere in Toronto in March 2006, but closed six months later. It was trimmed and reworked for its London run, but still failed to impress some critics.
Producers said talks were under way to take the show to Germany with a German-speaking cast. A touring version is being developed to open in New Zealand next year before going to Australia and east Asia.
Fashion designer Robin Antin (C) poses with Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs (R) and Quincy Jones backstage at the Pussycat Dolls fall 2008 fashion show during Los Angeles Fashion Week in Culver City, California March 13, 2008.
Photo by Mario Anzuoni
Former "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon broke his neck in a fall last year and was recovering after two surgeries, his publicist said Thursday.
Susan DuBow said the fall happened last March. She said she did not believe McMahon was at his Beverly Hills home when it happened.
"It's been a tough year, but I'm working hard in rehab and doing the best I can to get through it," the 85-year-old McMahon said in a statement.
DuBow said she was not allowed to release any further information for legal reasons. McMahon was recently seen walking around at a public event in a neck brace.
A jury cleared a cardiologist and a radiologist Friday of negligence in the diagnosis and treatment of actor John Ritter, who died of a torn aorta in 2003. Jurors found that the radiologist advised Ritter to follow up with treatment by a physician after a body scan two years before his death. Ritter didn't follow the order.
The lawsuit was brought by Ritter's widow and children. The 9-3 verdict means there is no damage judgment against the doctors.
Lawyers for Ritter's widow, Amy Yasbeck, and children claimed Ritter's death resulted in a loss of as much as $67 million in future earnings. Eight other medical personnel and the hospital previously made settlements with the family totaling $14 million.
Jenna Jameson poses before the Ashley Paige Fall/Winter 2008 fashion show during Mercedes Benz fashion week in Culver City, Calif., Thursday, March 13, 2008.
Photo by Chris Pizzello
Richard Gere is free to go back to India - and he may have a new reason to book a trip.
India's top court suspended an arrest warrant Friday against Gere, wanted for allegedly breaking public obscenity laws by kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty at a public AIDS awareness event last year.
Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan and Justice R. V. Raveendran indefinitely stayed the arrest warrant issued against the actor last year by a court in the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur, Grover told The Associated Press.
Gross-out stunt performer Steve-O of the MTV television series "Jackass" and its movie spin-offs has been charged with cocaine possession, prosecutors said on Friday.
The charge against the 33-year-old performer, whose real name is Stephen Glover, stems from an arrest at his Hollywood home on March 3, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
She said Glover was scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Thursday, the same day the charge was filed, but the hearing was postponed. No reason for the delay was given.
But celebrity news Web site TMZ.com reported that Glover has been hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation, which Glover himself seemed to confirm on his official Web site) in a message to fans headlined: "You Should All Know I'm In The Looney Bin."
Vince McMahon,World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. chairman, is the first person to stomp on his Hollywood Walk of Fame star as it was unveiled during ceremonies in Hollywood, California March 14, 2008.
Photo by Fred Prouser
Hilton will choose from 20 potential confidantes on an MTV reality series, tentatively titled "Paris Hilton's My New BFF," premiering later this year, the network announced Thursday.
Production is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles at the end of May, MTV said. The contestants will live together in a house - drama! - and try to prove themselves worthy in the areas of loyalty, endurance and "girl politics."
Hilton, an executive producer on the show, will "teach the secrets of celebrity living - how to turn your enchanted life into a multimillion dollar brand, how to manage public feuds and always rise above, how to survive scandal and then make it work for you, all the while wearing 6-inch heels."
The Mall of America's indoor amusement park, seven sprawling acres of rides, games and assorted fun once ruled by the Peanuts gang, is now the domain of Nickelodeon Universe.
After a $25 million makeover, SpongeBob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer and Boots the Monkey now greet visitors to the park, which has its grand opening Saturday with appearances by Ashlee Simpson and an assortment of the popular cable network's stars.
The debut gives Nickelodeon its first standalone theme park as it expands its brand. For the megamall, the new tenant fills a void left by Snoopy's departure two years ago with attractions that promise to pull in more older children and teenagers.
This aerial photograph taken Wednesday, March 12, 2008, shows the Wesley Acres retirement home in Decatur, Ala. Prompted by complaints from a Jewish activist, the agency that owns the government-funded building is planning to alter its shape to disguise the Nazi symbol.
Photo by Jay Reeves
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better,
amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
