Recommended Reading
from Bruce
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Howard Zinn, Historian, Dies at 87 (nytimes.com)
Howard Zinn, historian and shipyard worker, civil rights activist and World War II bombardier, and author of "A People's History of the United States," a best seller that inspired a generation of high school and college students to rethink American history, died Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 87 and lived in Auburndale, Mass.
Carlin Romano: Wise Men Gone (chronicle.com)
For what achievements should we remember a philosophy professor after the final counterexample arrives, cloaked in black, bearing a scythe?
Daniel Gross: The Gang of Five, and How They Nearly Ruined Us (slate.com)
The little-known reason why investment banks got too big, too greedy, too risky, and too powerful.
Scott Burns: Surviving the Investment Income Famine (assetbuilder.com)
Senior America has a problem. The end of the money is coming before the end of the month. Strangely, the more savings you have, the bigger the problem. Why is this happening? Call it "The Great Investment Income Famine." Retirees with savings have seen their income plummet.
Jack Shafer: The Apple Polishers (slate.com)
Explaining the press corps' crush on Steve Jobs and company.
Farhad Manjoo: I Love the iPad (slate.com)
Apple's new tablet is the computer I've always wanted.
Rich Juzwiak: Lady Gaga Approximately (villagevoice.com)
You can't be a fabulous pop star like her, no matter what she tells you.
The big and clever Vampire Weekend (timesonline.co.uk)
With the platinum-selling New Yorkers at No 1 on the US charts, Emily Stokes meets a group who are big and clever.
Randy Lewis: Decades after his death, guitarist Django Reinhardt is a star (Los Angeles Times)
One of the world's leading proponents of the music of Gypsy jazz innovator Django Reinhardt, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this past Saturday, guitarist John Jorgenson offered illuminating anecdotes and back stories about Reinhardt's life and songs ...
Dennis McLellan: Zelda Rubinstein dies at 76; actress played psychic in 'Poltergeist' (latimes.com)
The 4-foot-3 woman made her film debut in 1981; she later was a regular on the TV show 'Picket Fences.' Rubinstein also was an advocate for little people and an early AIDS activist.
Kate Kellaway: Adjoa Andoh on her star role in 'Invictus' (guardian.co.uk)
A starring role opposite Morgan Freeman is a deserved Hollywood break for British actor Adjoa Andoh.
Robert W. Butler: Ford takes 'Extraordinary Measures' to move beyond Indiana Jones (McClatchy Newspapers)
Harrison Ford is an institution. A household name. For almost three decades he has been one of Hollywood's favored leading men, playing Indiana Jones, Han Solo and Jack Ryan.
The Weekly Poll
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Contributor Comment
Link
Marty
Thanks to whomever put up "La Conchiglia Di Venore" on Saturdays page.
Amidst all the painful politics and pitiful partisanism it's a pleasure to see "Beauty"
zEN mAN
Thanks - that was me.
Link from RJ
Crepuscular Rays
Hi there
Some soothing images to help get through the cold winter days! Hope you enjoy!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
Hollywood Walk O'Fame
Roy Orbison
Late rock 'n' roll pioneer Roy Orbison has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Orbison's widow Barbara accepted the star in front of the Capitol Records building on his behalf on Friday. Orbison died in 1988 at the age of 52, in the midst of a comeback with The Traveling Wilburys, a whimsical supergroup that included Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.
Lynne attended the ceremony, as did Eric Idle, Chris Isaak, Joe Walsh and Dwight Yoakam.
Actor Dan Aykroyd says Orbison was a great balladeer and a great rock 'n' roller who could be both gentle and vicious.
Roy Orbison
Does Basketball Commentary
Obama
There was a familiar voice behind the microphone during the Duke-Georgetown basketball game - that of Barack Obama.
The president, attending as a fan, provided about seven minutes of nationally televised hoops commentary in the second half of Saturday's matchup of two top 10 teams at the Verizon Center near the White House.
The president shook hands with several fans as he entered the arena, and enjoyed the game from a front-row seat, not the luxury suites that top government officials sometimes prefer. Those with him included Vice President Joe Biden, White House senior adviser David Axelrod and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.
Shortly after the second half began, the president was seated between CBS announcers Verne Lundquist and Clark Kellogg. Obama, an avid fan of the sport who often plays pickup basketball games, seemed to impress the pair.
Obama
A Must-Have Even In Sluggish Economy
Books
During tough economic times when U.S. consumers are trying to cut back the indulgence they can't seem to live without is books.
Three-quarters of adults questioned in an online poll said they would sacrifice holidays, dining out, going to the movies and even shopping sprees but they could not resist buying books.
Dining out came in a far second with only 11 percent of Americans naming it their top indulgence, followed by shopping at 7 percent, vacations at four and movies, which was chosen by only 3 percent of Americans.
The survey of 3,000 people tried to determine what tempts people to spend their money, how they react to temptation and how far they would go when tempted.
Books
Album To Benefit Musical Institution
New Orleans
By any account, the Preservation Hall in New Orleans made it through Hurricane Katrina relatively unscathed. There was some minor structural damage to the building, which was constructed in 1750, but the venue's French Quarter location helped it avoid any flooding.
But while the hall itself survived in one piece, the musicians associated with it, and the larger New Orleans musical community, weren't so lucky. In the wake of the storm -- and even four and a half years later -- many of them have been displaced and cannot find work. The upheaval also threatened Preservation Hall's Music Outreach Program, which provides private lessons for students who would otherwise be unable to afford them.
When RED Distribution president Bob Morelli learned about the situation after visiting the hall a few years ago, he felt compelled to do something.
Those artists started telling their friends and collaborators, and during the next three years, 25 acts recorded songs with the band. The results can be found on "Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall & the Preservation Hall Music Outreach Fund," which RED will release February 16.
New Orleans
Broke Into Bank
Rip Torn
Actor Elmore "Rip" Torn has been charged with breaking into a Connecticut bank and carrying a loaded handgun while intoxicated.
State police say the 78-year-old Salisbury resident was arrested Friday night after police found him inside the Litchfield Bancorp with a loaded revolver.
The "Men in Black" actor has been taken into custody and booked on charges including burglary and possession of firearm without a permit. He is being held on $100,000 bond and is scheduled for a Monday appearance in Bantam Superior Court.
Last year, Torn was given probation in a Connecticut drunken driving case and granted permission to enter an alcohol education program. He also has two previous drunken driving arrests in New York.
Rip Torn
$500M Settlement
News Rupert Corp.News Rupert Corp. subsidiary News America Marketing has agreed to pay rival Valassis Communications Inc. $500 million to settle antitrust charges.
Valassis, a marketing company that provides direct mail and coupons, said the deal settles lawsuits it filed in several states against News America Marketing. Among them is a jury decision in Michigan circuit court last July that awarded Valassis $300 million in damages. News America was appealing that ruling.
Valassis accused News America of threatening customers with price hikes for not offering exclusivity in marketing deals.
In a statement Saturday, News Corp. said it did not want to risk presenting the case to a jury in Michigan federal court, where it was scheduled for trial Tuesday. Citing unspecified concerns over the venue in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey said News Corp. decided "it was in the best interests of the company and its stockholders to agree to a settlement."
News Rupert Corp.
Ex-Deputy Acquitted
'Girls Gone Wild'
A federal jury has acquitted a former Nevada sheriff's deputy of bribery charges after she was accused of accepting nearly $10,000 in gifts to give special treatment to the jailed founder of the "Girls Gone Wild" video empire.
Ex-Washoe County Sheriff's Sgt. Michon Mills embraced her attorney and broke into tears as the foreman of the jury read the "not guilty" verdict Friday evening after six hours of deliberations.
Mills had been accused of accepting a $4,500 watch and a $5,000 gift card from an associate of Joe Francis while he was jailed in Reno on tax charges in 2007 and 2008.
'Girls Gone Wild'
Supports Son
Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas has shown up in federal court to support a son who pleaded guilty earlier this week to a drug charge.
The actor appeared in a Manhattan courtroom where his son, 31-year-old Cameron Douglas, had a bail hearing Friday.
The hearing was closed to the public and court authorities would not discuss what occurred. As he left the building, Michael Douglas declined to answer questions.
His son pleaded guilty Wednesday to dealing large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine. He was arrested last July in a trendy Manhattan hotel. He has been held without bail.
Michael Douglas
Financial Oopsies
Crystal Cathedral
The Southern California megachurch founded by televangelist Robert H. Schuller Sr. is selling property, laying off workers and pulling its signature TV program "Hour of Power" from some markets to offset a nearly $8 million drop in revenue.
The church saw revenue drop 27 percent from roughly $30 million in 2008 to $22 million in 2009, church spokesman Mike Nason told The Associated Press. The church had projected an 18 percent revenue drop.
Church leaders blamed the decline on the struggling U.S. economy. They intend to save $4.9 million and stave off further financial collapse by selling 170 acres in southern Orange County, including a retreat and wedding center, laying off 50 employees and cutting "Hour of Power" from eight of the 45 domestic broadcast TV stations that air it.
The 10,000-member church will also cancel this year's "Glory of Easter" pageant, which attracts thousands of visitors and is a regional holiday staple along with the church's "Glory of Christmas" show.
Crystal Cathedral
Books Pulled In Pricing Dispute
Amazon
New copies of Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall," Andrew Young's "The Politician" and other books published by Macmillan were unavailable Saturday on Amazon.com, apparently the biggest rift yet in the ongoing dispute over e-book prices.
An official with knowledge of the dispute said the two sides were in discussions, but would not say why Amazon.com Inc. took such a public step. The official asked not to be identified, citing the sensitivity of the talks.
Macmillan and other publishers have criticized Amazon for charging just $9.99 for best-selling e-books on its Kindle e-reader, a price publishers say is too low and could hurt hardcover sales.
For its part, Amazon wants to keep a lid on prices as competitors line up to challenge its dominant position in a rapidly expanding market. The company did not immediately return messages seeking comment Saturday.
Amazon
City Standoff
Chicken
A chicken playing chicken? That's what's happening on a busy Glendale street where a black hen has been dodging cars, captors and coyotes for two months. Officials say the bird has been darting into traffic outside Glendale Community College since it was first reported Nov. 20. The chicken has drawn a growing crowd of photographers and journalists as animal control officers struggle to catch it.
A spokeswoman for the Pasadena Humane Society, which handles animal control in Glendale, said the bird either runs onto the street or flies into a tree when officers approach. Hillary Gatlin said a humane trap has not worked because the chicken doesn't weigh enough to trigger it or she isn't interested in the feed used as bait.
Gatlin said the standoff could continue awhile.
Chicken
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