Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Jim Hightower: SPENDING ON THE RICH, CUTTING BACK ON THE REST OF US (jimhightower.com)
Deficit hawks are on the fly in Washington, madly screeching that America can no longer afford... well, the American people.
Paul Krugman: Redo That Voodoo (nytimes.com)
Republicans are feeling good about the midterms - so good that they've started saying what they really think. This week the party's Senate leadership stopped pretending that it cares about deficits, stating explicitly that while we can't afford to aid the unemployed or prevent mass layoffs of schoolteachers, cost is literally no object when it comes to tax cuts for the affluent.
Froma Harrop: Democrats Can Avoid Rout -- It's Up to Them (creators.com)
When the pollster calls and asks whether I think the country is going in the right direction, I will say "no." When she asks if I approve of the job Congress is doing, I will say "no." And when she follows up with a question on President Obama's performance, I will answer: "Sometimes good, sometimes bad. The guy drives me nuts at times."
Andrew Tobias: Financial Reform (andrewtobias.com)
It passed. Virtually every Republican voted against it, of course, as they vote against everything, but we have now the most sweeping financial reform in generations: a good bill for consumers, investors, and taxpayers.
Mark Morford: The great Dick Cheney empathy test (sfgate.com)
... a not-so-secret howl to the universe that the sooner Dick exits this earthly plane, the healthier, lighter and happier we will all be, planetwide. Dark shadows will lift, flowers will bloom more brightly, 10 million female uteri can finally unclench, and so on.
shathley Q: "Getting Better Than They Are: Harvey Pekar Obituary" (popmatters.com)
'The backlash starts here', Jurgen Fauth writes, opening review of the 2003 film American Splendor, an adaptation of the long running (32 years in total) comicbook series of the same name.
AN Wilson: Beryl Bainbridge remembered (guardian.co.uk)
The Liverpudlian novelist, who died [recently] of cancer, at 75, was dark, mischievous and misunderstood, says a long-time friend and fellow writer.
Claire Dederer: Why Americans Love Yoga (slate.com)
It has taken a century and a half to discover the secret to its appeal.
20 Questions: A. J. Jacobs (popmatters.com)
He coos, he digerdoos, he pole dances, he plays harmonica - without a harmonica-and he's funny, too. In his latest book of bold experimentation, My Life as an Experiment (Simon & Schuster, July 10), A. J. Jacobs, Editor-at-Large for Esquire, lives as a woman, becomes a human guinea pig, and otherwise provides an edutaining look at things we humans tend to hold dear - and then he turns it all askew.
"The Flight of the Intellectuals" by Paul Berman: A review by Jay Tolson
In the annals of well-meaning ineptitude, Western efforts to locate and support moderate Muslim voices deserve a place of distinction. The story begins in the smoky rubble of Manhattan's Twin Towers and the dawning awareness that Islamist zealots who styled themselves holy warriors were the masterminds of this startling act of mass murder.
David Patrick Stearns: Laurie Anderson: Eclectic storyteller who keeps her cool (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Though she is a paragon of downtown Manhattan cool, Laurie Anderson was in a state of desperation when she realized that her long-in-the-making album "Homeland" might never be finished.
The Virgin of the Rocks: Da Vinci decoded (guardian.co.uk)
Everyone agrees it is a masterpiece. But who painted The Virgin of the Rocks - Leonardo or his students? Jonathan Jones joins the National Gallery on an epic quest to find out.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime' Edition
ST. PETERSBURG - Three homeless men bearing cardboard signs near Interstate 275 were not pleased when they read the newspaper Friday morning. That's how they learned the City Council, with the mayor's support, unanimously voted to ban street solicitation on St. Petersburg's busiest streets...
Panhandlers say St. Petersburg street solicitation ban will make things worse - St. Petersburg Times
Do you give money to panhandlers?
a.) Yes, always, there but for fate go I...
b.) No, never, they're just lazy bums and it only goes to their substance abuse...
c.) Sometimes, depends on the circumstances...
Send your response to
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Artist Liwei_works_ photo
Thanks, Michelle!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Miserably hot & humid.
Visits Uganda
Mia Farrow
Actress Mia Farrow met with young victims of war and sexual abuse during a three-day trip through Uganda.
Farrow, a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, spoke with 15-year-old Lilian Andia, who was abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army and gave birth to two children in captivity. Andia was later rescued by Congo's army.
Farrow said that as a mother she understood Andia's struggles to protect her children while held by the LRA. Farrow spoke to Andia at a school partly funded by UNICEF where formerly child captives now study.
Northern Uganda has experienced decades of war and unrest. The area still suffers from high levels of poverty and malnutrition.
Mia Farrow
Auction To Go On
Lucille Ball
Some of Lucille Ball's love letters and awards will be sold at auction after a judge ruled to block the sale but imposed a hurdle that the comedienne's daughter cannot overcome.
While Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O'Brien agreed to block the sale Friday, he imposed a $250,000 bond that Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill would have to pay to get a restraining order issued. Her attorney, Ronald Palmieri, said the amount is too high and can't be met.
Luckinbill is the daughter of Ball and first husband Desi Arnaz. She sought the return of some of the items after Susie Morton, the widow of Ball's second husband, Gary Morton, offered them for sale.
Ball and Gary Morton were married until the time of the actress' death in 1989. He later married Susie Morton. She consigned several items to Heritage Auction Galleries, including a Rolls-Royce, some of the couple's love letters, photos and Ball's personal items. The items are scheduled to go on sale Saturday at an auction being conducted online and in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Lucille Ball
Swiss Bank To Open Vaults
Franz Kafka
Manuscripts and drawings of Franz Kafka are to be extracted from the vaults of Swiss bank UBS, amid litigation over ownership rights of the estate, Swiss press reported Friday.
The move in Zurich follows similar action at two Tel Aviv banks this week, which were ordered by an Israeli tribunal to extract Kafka's works from their vaults.
The documents are at the heart of an ownership legal tussle between the Israeli authorities and the Hoffe sisters -- who say they had inherited the estate from their mother Esther Hoffe.
Esther Hoffe was the secretary of Max Brod, the friend of Kafka whom the author had entrusted with burning all manuscripts and works after his death.
However, Brod had ignored Kafka's wishes and instead published the works. He also bequeathed the originals to Esther Hoffe.
Franz Kafka
Most-Watched Video Ever On YouTube
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber's music video for "Baby" is the most-watched video ever on YouTube.
The 16-year-old pop star's video passed Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" video to take the all-time lead. More than 246 million have watched Bieber's video on the Google Inc.-owned website.
Bieber tweeted a thank you to "Beliebers" and said the video's success was "crazy." The singer wrote: "I started on youtube so ... WOW!"
The most-watched clip on YouTube that isn't a music video is the popular "Charlie bit my finger" viral video, which more than 210 million have watched.
Justin Bieber
Hospital News
Pink
A spokesman for Pink's concerts in Germany says the singer fell off the stage after a stunt went wrong and she underwent a checkup at a hospital.
Peter Riegert Concerts' Stefan Guentner said Friday the singer wasn't seriously injured in the incident on Thursday evening in Nuremberg.
While singing "So What," Pink fell out of a harness which was supposed to carry her toward the crowd. A YouTube video shows the 30-year-old climbing back onto the stage after the incident, but the concert was halted and she was taken to a hospital.
Another agency, Allgaeu Concerts, said on its website that Friday's concert in Salem, southwestern Germany, will take place as scheduled. It said: "Pink is in Salem, she's fine and is looking forward to the show."
Pink
Hospital News
Joe Perry
Authorities say Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry was rear-ended by a car when he was riding a motorcycle, and he has been treated for minor injuries at a Massachusetts hospital.
Middleborough police say Perry was on his 2009 Ducati Monster 696 early Thursday afternoon when he was struck from behind by a car driven by 62-year-old Linda O'Brien. Both vehicles were traveling at a low speed.
The 59-year-old Perry, who lives in nearby Duxbury, was taken to a hospital and released a couple of hours later. A hospital spokeswoman did not release the nature of his injuries.
O'Brien, who was not injured, was cited for following too closely.
Joe Perry
Paid $75K At Stanislaus
Palin
The foundation arm of a cash-strapped California public university paid Sarah Palin $75,000 to speak at a 50th anniversary gala, officials said Friday.
The former Alaska governor's speech last month at California State University, Stanislaus drew intense criticism and scrutiny and also attracted sizable donations for the public school.
School officials said it raised more than $207,000 for the university, making it the most successful fundraiser in campus history.
Officials refused to divulge the terms of her contract or her speaking fee until Friday.
Additional details only came to light after students fished part of what appeared to be Palin's contract from a rubbish bin. That prompted California Attorney General Jerry Brown to launch an investigation into the finances of the university's foundation arm and allegations that the nonprofit violated public disclosure laws.
Palin
Federal Panel Upholds Tax Sentence
Wesley Snipes
A federal appeals panel has upheld a three-year prison sentence on federal tax charges for film star Wesley Snipes.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta concluded Friday that the judge properly sentenced Snipes to three years in federal prison.
Attorneys for the action movie star argued that the sentence was "unreasonable" and that he should have been granted a hearing to decide whether his trial should have been held in New York instead of Florida.
A jury convicted Snipes in 2008 of three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file his income tax returns.
Wesley Snipes
Lindsay Lohan Hires
Robert Shapiro
Celebrity lawyer Robert Shapiro said Friday he had agreed to represent Lindsay Lohan, who is headed to jail next week for violating probation in a 2007 drug case.
Shapiro, a key figure on O.J. Simpson's legal "dream team" in 1995, told The Associated Press he agreed to represent Lohan only if she does her jail time and complies with the terms of her probation.
He also said he would help the actress get treatment to accomplish long-term recovery and sobriety.
Shapiro has represented numerous celebrity clients and has been working for substance abuse treatment since the death of his son. He established the Pickford Lofts sober living facility, a treatment center where Lohan is temporarily staying.
Robert Shapiro
Radiates Cool On Witness Stand
George Clooney
It's no wonder the Italian businessmen claimed George Clooney was behind their fashion line - the actor knows how to wow an audience whether he's on the red carpet or the witness stand.
Maintaining his trademark aura of cool, Clooney delivered a few wisecracks Friday as he testified against three defendants accused of co-opting his name with the goal of launching a fashion line.
The appearance of the star, who maintains a villa on nearby Lake Como but is rarely seen here in public, sent the normally staid courthouse into full celebrity tilt. Clooney had to push his way through a wall of cameras into the courtroom, saying "scusa, scusa," - "Excuse me" in Italian - and warning "Don't crush my lawyers."
The 49-year-old actor wore a navy blue suit, crisp white shirt and red-spotted blue tie as he addressed the court through an interpreter, throwing in occasional words in Italian and apologizing for his lack of fluency.
George Clooney
What Climate Change?
Hottest Year
The world is enduring the hottest year on record, according to a U.S. national weather analysis, causing droughts worldwide and a concern for U.S. farmers counting on another bumper year.
For the first six months of the year, 2010 has been warmer than the first half of 1998, the previous record holder, by 0.03 degree Fahrenheit, said Jay Lawrimore, chief of climate analysis at the federal National Climatic Data Center.
Abnormally warm temperatures have been registered in large parts of Canada, Africa, tropical oceans and parts of the Middle East.
Northern Thailand is struggling through the worst drought in 20 years, while Israel is in the middle of the longest and most severe drought since 1920s. In Britain, this year has been the driest since 1929.
Also, Arctic sea ice has melted to its thinnest state in June.
Hottest Year
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