Paul Krugman: Ludicrous and Cruel (New York Times)
So the pundits who praised this proposal when it was released were punked. The G.O.P. budget plan isn't a good-faith effort to put America's fiscal house in order; it's voodoo economics, with an extra dose of fantasy, and a large helping of mean-spiritedness.?
Timothy Egan: Billionaires Unleashed (New York Times)
SEATTLE - The loneliest man in this city may be the pear-shaped billionaire whose yacht occasionally glides across Lake Washington at dusk, heading for a big empty house filled with stuff to keep him distracted.
Andrew Tobias on Obama
He wanted to see the wealthy pay more tax on their investment income in order to provide health insurance to 30+ million uninsured without adding to the deficit - and got that. He wanted to see Guantanamo closed - but on that one, he couldn't get more than 6 Senate votes. He wanted to save the American auto industry - and did, at what may ultimately be a profit to the American taxpayer. He wanted to avert a Depression, and did.
William Deresiewicz: "The Right Questions To Ask About Literature: Harvard's Marjorie Garber gets them all wrong" (Slate)
Marjorie Garber's new book brought me back to my days as an English professor; I thought I was reading a freshman essay. My marginal comments might as well have been written in red: "What is the point of this paragraph?" "Where are we in the argument-and what exactly is the argument?" "Sloppy thinking." "You need to unpack this." "Again, is there a point here, or just a mass of notes?" "You have to develop your thesis, not just keep reiterating it."
"Song of Wrath: The Peloponnesian War Begins" by Ted Lendon: A review by James Carman
Athens was not, of course, the last power that would overreach and sow the seeds of its own destruction, which is one reason why the world still seeks to draw lessons from this long-ago struggle. But today, Lendon says, the Peloponnesian War's most telling insights may be about "international actors whose aims and actions the contemporary West finds it hardest to understand and manage: the wrathful ones... who seek revenge for ancient slights."
Hugh Muir: "Malcolm X: the man behind the myth" (Guardian)
Fledgling pimp, militant radical, Islamic convert . . . black activist Malcolm X was no stranger to controversy. Now a new biography explodes the myths that obscure the man.
David Bruce has 41 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $41 you can buy 10,250 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
zEN mAN (observing an auctioned pizza pie with jesus' face on it ..."cheeses chwist" what would Islamic zealots do if they found the face of mohammed on muslim pita bread?)
In 1768 Philip Astley opened the first modern circus. A few years later he employed jugglers to perform acts along with the horse and clown acts.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
The Circus
Jim from CA, retired to ID, said:
Philip Astley (1742-1814) is considered the creator of the modern circus
OFARRER wrote:
The Circus :-)
BttbB responded:
Philip Astley is regarded as the "Father of the Modern Circus"... How many readers remember the 50's TV program 'Circus Boy' with the future Micky Dolenz as 'Corky' riding Bimbo the baby elephant around? and the fatherly Noah Beery Jr. as 'Uncle Joey the Clown'? As a young kid, I thought the show was neat-o!
Adam answered:
Philip Astley (8 January 1742 - 27 January 1814) is regarded as the "father of the modern circus".
do-do-do do-do-do-do do do-do...
Marian replied:
The Modern Circus
Sally said:
I just watched a documentary on the "Big Apple Circus," and in it, they mentioned that the modern circus was invented in England by Philip Astley. I believe that Astley was in to trick-riding horses, for entertainment.
Astley's "Theater of the Circus"
Charlie replied:
The circus
MAM wrote:
Philip Astley was the creator of the modern circus. His natural instincts for showmanship lead him to combine displays of horsemanship with those of clowns, ropewalkers and gymnasts.
Astley's famous circus in London began a long and eventful history as an open air riding school and soon developed into and a permanent venue, which he named Astley's Amphitheatre.
William Capon, Interior view of Astley's amphitheatre 1777
And, Joe S answered:
The circus as we know it, complete with Evil Damn Clowns
Congress is filled with them
The House Budget Committee, chaired by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Scoundrel), has told a veterans' group it is studying a plan to save $6 billion annually in VA health care costs by canceling enrollment of any veteran who doesn't have a service-related medical condition and is not poor. Committee Republicans (Villains), searching for ways to curb federal deficits (While allowing corporations to get off tax-free, e.g. GE) and rein in galloping VA costs, are targeting 1.3 million veterans who claim priority group 7 or 8 status and have access to VA care (Boo! Hiss!) ... Until the mid-1990s, VA had denied health care to priority 7 and 8 veterans. Congress changed that during the (Enlightened) Clinton administration, enacting the Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Act of 1996. The law directed VA to build many more clinics across the country.
(The beautiful new facilities at the Saginaw, Detroit and Ann Arbor VAMC's where I receive care have bronze dedication plaques with the name 'William Jefferson Clinton' prominently displayed on them) To ensure enough patients to fill these clinics, the VA secretary was given authority to expand care eligibility... VA Care End Eyed for 1.3 Million Vets
And now that geek-a-zoid Ryan wants to pull the rug out from under all those men and women... I cannot adequately express the full measure of disgust, loathing and contempt I feel for that... that... (Go ahead... Fill in the blank...)
Fabulous at 68: Stephanie Powers opens up about her love affairs and her battle with cancer
After all these years, Hart to Hart actress Stephanie Powers has not lost her star power. The 68-year-old American television star was in London today, promoting her new autobiography, in which she talks about her battle with cancer, and her love affairs as a young star. Wearing a form fitting, pinstriped black dress, black pumps and tights, Stephanie smiled as she exited the set of the ITV chat show Loose Women.
CBS begins the night with a RERUN'The Mentalist', followed by a RERUN'Criminal Minds: The 2nd One', then '48 Hours'.
NBC opens the night with a RERUN'Harry's Law', followed by a RERUN'L&O: LA', then a RERUN'L&O: SVU'.
'SNL' is FRESH, with Helen Mirren hosting, music by Foo Fighters.
ABC fills the night with the movie 'War Of The Worlds'.
The CW offers an old 'Family Guy', followed by another old 'Family Guy', then an old 'American Dad', followed by another old 'American Dad'.
Faux fills the night with LIVE'NASCAR Sprint Cup', then pads the left coast with local crap.
MY here has LIVE'MLB Baseball' (Seattle Blue Jays visit the Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim California Angels).
A&E has the movie 'Walking Tall', followed by the movie 'True Lies'.
AMC offers the movie 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day', followed by the movie 'The Recruit', then the movie 'The Bone Collector'.
BBC -
[6:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 3 Sebastian's
[7:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 3 The Priory
[8:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep. 3 Walnut Tree
[9:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 2 Giuseppi's
[10:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Mojito's
[11:00 AM] Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned (2007)
[12:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 1 Partners in Crime
[1:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 2 The Fires of Pompeii
[2:00 PM] The X-Files - Ep 2 The Host
[3:00 PM] The X-Files - Ep 3 Blood
[4:00 PM] The X-Files - Ep 4 Sleepless
[5:00 PM] Star Trek: The Next Generation - Ep 8 Future Imperfect
[6:00 PM] Star Trek: The Next Generation - Ep 9 Final Mission
[7:00 PM] Star Trek: The Next Generation - Ep 10 The Loss
[8:00 PM] Star Trek: The Next Generation - Ep 11 Data's Day
[9:00 PM] Being Human - Episode 8
[10:15 PM] The Graham Norton Show - 11 - Matt LeBlanc, Donald Sutherland, Mary Portas
[11:00 PM] Being Human - Episode 7
[12:00 AM] Being Human - Episode 8
[1:15 AM] The Graham Norton Show - 11 - Matt LeBlanc, Donald Sutherland, Mary Portas
[2:00 AM] The X-Files - Ep 2 The Host
[3:00 AM] The X-Files - Ep 3 Blood
[4:00 AM] The X-Files - Ep 4 Sleepless
[5:00 AM] Being Human - Episode 8 (ALL TIMES EST)
Comedy Central has 'Kevin James: Sweat The Small Stuff', 'Jeff Dunham: Arguing With Myself', 'Kevin Hart: I'm A Grown Little Man', and 'Daniel Tosh: Happy Thoughts'.
FX has the movie 'The International', '2½ Men', another '2½ Men', still another '2½ Men', and yet another '2½ Men'.
History has 'Brad Meltzer's Decoded', 'The Hunt For John Wilkes Booth', and 'The Crumbling Of America'.
IFC -
[6:00 AM] SXSW Spotlight Pt. 2
[6:05 AM] Watching the Detectives
[8:05 AM] The Namesake
[10:35 AM] The Three Stooges
[11:00 AM] The Three Stooges
[11:25 AM] The Three Stooges
[11:50 AM] The Three Stooges
[12:15 PM] The Three Stooges
[12:40 PM] The Three Stooges
[1:05 PM] The Three Stooges
[1:25 PM] SXSW Spotlight Pt. 2
[1:30 PM] Watching the Detectives
[3:30 PM] The Namesake
[6:00 PM] Breaker! Breaker!
[8:00 PM] Vice Squad
[10:15 PM] 28 Days Later
[12:45 AM] Crash
[3:00 AM] Vice Squad
[5:15 AM] The Grid
[5:30 AM] The Whitest Kids U'Know (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[7:10 AM] Monsieur Hubert de Givenchy
[8:00 AM] Treeless Mountain
[9:30 AM] THE COMEBACK - The Comeback (Episode 1, Season 1)
[10:05 AM] THE COMEBACK - Valerie Triumphs at the Upfronts (Episode 2, Season 1)
[10:35 AM] ALL ON THE LINE - Radenroro: Bad is Better than Boring (Episode 1, Season 1)
[11:35 AM] ALL ON THE LINE - Dana-Maxx: It's Time to Grow Up (Episode 5, Season 1)
[12:35 PM] One Last Thing
[2:15 PM] The Necessities of Life
[4:00 PM] Treeless Mountain
[5:35 PM] One Last Thing
[7:15 PM] A Town Called Panic
[8:30 PM] How to Be
[10:00 PM] Cousin Bette
[12:00 AM] Indie Sex: Censored
[1:10 AM] The Last Mistress
[3:10 AM] How to Be
[4:45 AM] Cousin Bette (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'The Land That Time Forgot', followed by the movie 'Forbidden Planet'.
Grammy-winning Canadian rock group Arcade Fire urged voters not to choose the ruling Conservatives in Canada's May 2 election, though the indie superstars said it was "really important" to get out to vote.
A statement on the band's website drew attention to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's opposition to the Kyoto climate change treaty and his support for the oil sands industry, a large emitter of greenhouse gases.
"It is about to be voting time. Our current leader has championed some pretty destructive initiatives on everyone's behalf," the Montreal-based band said. "Canada is still a pretty good country, and worth fighting for."
The band, which won the Grammy for album of the year for "The Suburbs," did not endorse a particular party.
In this April 7, 2011 photo provided by the New York Philharmonic, Martha Plimpton practices her karate chops with Stephen Colbert in their roles as the married couple Sarah and Harry in Stephen Sondheim's 'Company,' performed with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in New York's Lincoln Center.
Photo by Chris Lee
Prince will continue his residency-style "Welcome 2 America" tour with a whopping 21-date stand in Los Angeles, beginning on April 14 at the Forum. The artist made the announcement via a phone call on George Lopez's show Thursday night.
"I will be starting a 21-night stand next Thursday the 14th at the L.A. Forum with the New Power Generation and a whole gang of special guests," Prince said. "I'm gonna blast the roof off that place, I promise!"
A rep for the singer later clarified to the Los Angeles Times that not all of the dates will be at the Forum, and said detailed will be available soon.
Prince then said he'll appear on Lopez's show on Wednesday night to discuss the residency further. More information was not available at press time; information about the shows had not yet appear on the Forum's website.
Eric Clapton fulfilled his childhood fantasy as he took a turn on the jazz side, collaborating with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for a little bit of swing at the orchestra's annual gala benefit.
"I've never done anything like this in my life before," said Clapton during Thursday's concert, which saw the Rock and Hall of Famer use his guitar skills to play jazz classics like "Joe Turner's Blues," "Corrine, Corrina" and "Ice Cream."
"I wanted to be in a jazz band as a kid, but the guitar took me away," he told the audience.
But for one night, at least, he was the star of one, running through songs he'd selected - and one that he didn't.
The "Real Housewives" of Washington D.C. can go back to their day jobs.
Bravo on Friday said there would be no second season of the series set in the U.S. capital -- marking the first time the cable channel has axed one of the series of the popular reality TV franchise.
"The Real Housewives of D.C" did modestly in the TV ratings but was outshone last year by the cat-fighting and sheer opulence of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills", which was shot during the divorce of former "Frasier" actor Kelsey Grammer and his cast member wife, Camille.
The "Real Housewives" franchise was launched in Orange County, California in 2006 as a cross between the fictional TV show "Desperate Housewives" and the pampered but trouble teems of "The O.C.".
It now has versions featuring women in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta and Miami, as well as Orange County and Beverly Hills.
Rupert Murdoch's powerful UK news arm reversed course and admitted its role in a long-running phone hacking scandal that had thrown into question the Prime Minister's judgment and threatened Murdoch's biggest ever deal.
News International, parent company of Britain's top-selling News of the World tabloid, had always vigorously denied it knew journalists were hacking the phones of members of the royal family, politicians, celebrities and sports stars, and blamed a handful of "rogue reporters" for the scandal.
But in a major turnaround for the company, part of Murdoch's global media empire News Corp, News International said on Friday it would admit liability and pay compensation in eight cases -- although many more believe they were targeted.
Those who will receive an "unreserved apology" from the group include actress Sienna Miller and politician Tessa Jowell.
The scandal threw into question the judgment of Prime Minister David Cameron, who appointed former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his head of communications.
Television personality and author Jessica Seinfeld arrives at the launch party for Lucky Kids magazine in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 7, 2011.
Photo by Dan Steinberg
The first episode of a reality show filmed in a southern West Virginia coal mine had real-world results: Federal inspectors who watched the Spike TV series have cited Cobalt Coal Corp. for activities they say endangered the miners.
In the debut of "Coal," a worker at the Westchester mine in McDowell County used the wrong tool - a 12-inch pick hammer - to pull down loose roof rock for a dramatic collapse that was caught on camera. The Mine Safety and Health Administration said the tool was too small for the job and put workers at risk of being struck by falling rock.
MSHA also cited Cobalt for moving the continuous mining machine when it wasn't cutting coal and allowing a worker to walk alongside, creating the potential for a crushing injury.
It's the first time MSHA has written a violation based on TV footage, spokeswoman Amy Louviere told The Associated Press.
German film director Wim Wenders and his wife Donata pose on the red carpet as they arrive for the German Film Prize (Lola) ceremony in Berlin, April 8,2011.
Photo by Thomas Peter
A well-known San Bernardino priest with a large television ministry will take a leave of absence in the wake of the public disclosure of an affair with a school-system administrator in Northern California, church officials confirmed Thursday.
Father Mike Manning, a popular TV minister and technology pioneer who developed sermon applications for smart phones, will step down "to take some time to reflect on what he's gone through and why it happened and to look at that in the context of his priesthood to get himself oriented so he can go forward positively," said John Andrews, director of communications for the Diocese of San Bernardino. "Whenever a situation of sin with a priest happens that's often what is recommended or decided."
The decision to take a leave was reached mutually by Manning and local church leadership, Andrews said. Manning belongs to an order within the church called the Society of the Divine Word, which has ultimate responsibility for his pastoral assignments.
Manning has acknowledged a sexual relationship with Nancy Kotowski, the Monterey County superintendent of schools, which is an elected position. Kotowski is described on Manning's Wordnet Production's website as "Father Mike's own cousin" and the author of a currently sold-out tract called "Dealing with Teenagers." Published reports have clarified that Kotowski is a second cousin.
An actress who played a Baltimore drug gang assassin in HBO's "The Wire" has been released on bond with electronic monitoring as she fights charges of conspiring to sell heroin.
A defense attorney for actress Felicia "Snoop" Pearson says she was released Friday with electronic monitoring that will allow her to leave the state to pursue her acting career. Baltimore prosecutors say she was granted $50,000 bond. Through a spokesman, Pearson said Friday afternoon that it feels good to be out.
Pearson is one of 64 people charged last month in "Operation Usual Suspects," a state-federal prosecution of an alleged east Baltimore drug gang. She is charged in an indictment with conspiring with two men to distribute heroin.
Musician Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Dorothea Hurley attend the Food Banks 'Can Do Awards' gala in New York on Thursday, April 7, 2011.
Photo by Peter Kramer
A French rock star convicted of killing his girlfriend will not appear in Montreal and Ottawa theatrical productions after his casting provoked a public outcry, the Theatre du Nouveau Monde announced Friday.
Montreal's largest theatre company had invited Bertrand Cantat to appear in three plays by Sophocles directed by Wajdi Mouawad in its 2011-2012 season.
But TNM artistic director Lorraine Pintal told a press conference it would either cancel the shows or present them without Cantat.
Theatre du Nouveau Monde had earlier defended its casting choice, saying Cantat paid for his crime.
A woman dressed as an "Adelita," a Mexican female revolutionary icon, retouches her make-up before taking to the stage in Mexico City April 7,2011. Around 200 Mariachi musicians played in an eight-hour long marathon dedicated to Mexican music at the Revolution Monument.
Photo by Carlos Jasso
Helena Rubinstein, the self-made businesswoman whose name was synonymous with elegance and beauty, was also a patron of the arts and often sat for Salvador Dali and other celebrated artists.
Twenty portraits of her are slated to be auctioned at Sotheby's in two separate sales, five on May 3-4 and the others in October.
Among them is Dali's 1943 painting. "Princess Arthchild Gourielle-Helena Rubinstein," which depicts Rubinstein chained to a rocky cliff by her jewels. Although Rubinstein was 73 when the portrait was made, the Surrealist artist portrayed her as a young woman to represent "the immortality of her fiery and energetic character and the legacy of her accomplishments and career," Sotheby's said.
The portraits are being sold by the Helena Rubinstein Foundation. They will be displayed at Sotheby's galleries beginning Saturday.
The "Alexander III Monument" egg by Faberge sits on display in the Kremlin April 6, 2011. Six Faberge eggs crown an exhibit of gem and stone treasures covering 150 years of Russian history in an exhibit opening on Friday at the Kremlin, which aims to lure back interest in art from the motherland. The 10-cm tall bejewelled eggs, some containing tiny gold ships, go on display beside a marble sausage made in the 1930s-40s, evoking the hungry years of the Soviet era.
Photo by Alexander Natruskin
In 1981, Princess Diana's uncle made a public statement before her royal wedding to clear up The Question: Yes, she was a virgin.
What a difference a generation makes.
Today, few people seem the least bit concerned that Prince William and Kate Middleton, set to wed this month, have been living together off and on since their university days.
Some historians say it's about time the royals shed the prudishness they exhibited at the time of Diana's marriage, which came years after the pill and the Summer of Love made casual sex more socially acceptable even in traditionally uptight Britain.
The modern-day tolerance of William and Middleton's living arrangements, many say, just brings the House of Windsor in line with the times. Part of the change may have to do with the very public infidelities that played out in the disastrous marriage of Charles and Diana, which rocked the royal family to its core.
In this Wednesday, April 6, 2011 photo released by the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, the zoo's newly-named giant anteater pup Pablo, top, holdson tight as mom Maripi hovers over a flower pot that hides a hard-boiled egg paired and with the name Pablo, thus choosing the name for her pup, in Washington. Maripi could have chosen Demetrio, which was paired with grapefruit, or Fausto, which was paired with mango. The three names were the top three vote-getters on the Zoo's website.
Photo by Mehgan Murphy
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 hypocrites?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
wrote:
answered:
