Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Steve Lopez: Clutching at hope during hard times (Los Angeles Times)
Applicants form a long line on Figueroa Street, seeking one of 50 minimum wage jobs at a new Dollar Tree store in Highland Park. They share a yearning for a better life.
Sandy Banks: The Wrong Message on Unions (Los Angeles Times)
"Every industry that has been unionized has led to better wages, hours and working conditions for every other worker in that industry," [USC history professor Steven J. Ross, an expert on labor and working-class history] said. Ross is confident that the brewing battles over union rights will "lead to an upsurge in support for unions. I think you will see public opinion sweep dramatically back in favor of unions."
Jim Hightower: PLENTY OF AMERICAN JOBS - BUT NOT IN AMERICA
By gollies, America is still an exporting powerhouse. In fact, our corporate chieftains have made us number one in exporting America's most precious goods - our jobs, factories, technologies, and middle-class opportunities.
Robert Reich: The Republican Strategy (Huffington Post)
These three aspects of the Republican strategy -- a federal budget battle to shrink government, focused on programs the vast middle class depends on; state efforts to undermine public employees, whom the middle class depends on; and a Supreme Court dedicated to bending the Constitution to enlarge and entrench the political power of the wealthy ... pit average working Americans against one another, distract attention from the almost unprecedented concentration of wealth and power at the top, and conceal Republican plans to further enlarge and entrench that wealth and power.
Robert Reich: The Republican Shakedown (Huffington Post)
You can't fight something with nothing. But as long as Democrats refuse to talk about the almost unprecedented buildup of income, wealth, and power at the top -- and the refusal of the super-rich to pay their fair share of the nation's bills -- Republicans will convince people it's all about government and unions.
Evan McMorris-Santoro: The 'Ohio 6' Speak: Meet The GOPers Who Voted Against Kasich's Anti-Union Bill (Talking Points Memo)
Ohio will be an important state nationally in 2012, and is often pointed to in the press as a bellwhether for the national political picture. And to hear the Republicans who turned on Kasich in the Senate [...] tell it, the bill that would gut collective bargaining rights for thousands of state workers in Ohio is a step too far to the right.
Trip Gabriel: Teachers Wonder, Why the Scorn? (New York Times)
The jabs Erin Parker has heard about her job have stunned her. Oh you pathetic teachers, read the online comments and placards of counterdemonstrators. You are glorified baby sitters who leave work at 3 p.m. You deserve minimum wage.
Lisa W. Foderaro: CUNY Adjusts Amid Tide of Remedial Students (New York Times)
The City University of New York has long spent much of its energy and resources just teaching new students what they need to begin taking college-level courses.
Susan King: "Jean Harlow: Beauty and brains in equal measure" (Los Angeles Times)
A new book, 'Harlow in Hollywood,' and a Hollywood Museum exhibit celebrate the actress' 100th birthday this year.
What killed the queen of film noir? (Obit Magazine)
She's in trouble, she says, and needs his help. He hesitates a second while his brain tries to work.
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."
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Humor Gazette
BadtotheboneBob
Javan Rhino
"Dramatic" New Pictures: Rare Javan Rhino Spotted
A Javan rhinoceros triggers a camera trap inIndonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park in late 2010. The image was released this week by
WWF-Indonesia and Indonesia's National Park Authority... At fewer than 40 individuals, the Javan rhino may be the rarest mammal on the planet, according to WWF... WWF-US chief scientist
Eric Dinerstein noted in a statement, "There are no Javan rhinos in captivity," he said. "If we lose the population in the wild, we've lost them all."
"Dramatic" New Pictures: Rare Javan Rhino Spotted
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and much warmer than seasonal.
Invests In The Future
Public Media
NPR, PBS and local public broadcast stations around the country are hiring more journalists and pumping millions of dollars into investigative news to make up for what they see as a lack of deep-digging coverage by their for-profit counterparts.
Public radio and TV stations have seen the need for reporting that holds government and business accountable increase as newspapers and TV networks cut their staffs and cable television stations have filled their schedules with more opinion journalism.
"Where the marketplace is unable to serve, that's the role of public media," PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said last year at a summit on the future of media at the Federal Communications Commission. "PBS exists to serve the people, not to sell them."
In the past three years, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has invested more than $90 million in federal funds on new journalism initiatives. That includes a $10 million local journalism initiative that is paying for the creation of five regional centers that will help local PBS and NPR stations cover news that affects wider geographic areas. Also, a $6 million grant from the group expanded the PBS investigative series "Frontline" from a seasonal series with a summer break to a year-round program.
The need for such probing journalism was highlighted by a 2010 study by the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism. It noted the "old model" of journalism that supported watchdog reporting - by valuing stories based on their significance over their individual popularity - is breaking down. In new models driven by the Internet, revenue is more closely tied to individual stories and how popular they are, leaving less incentive for civic news. Newsroom staffs also continue to shrink, the study found.
Public Media
Rallies Wisconsin Protesters
Michael Moore
Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore urged Wisconsin residents Saturday to fight Republican-backed efforts to strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights, telling thousands of protesters that "Madison is only the beginning."
The crowd roared in approval as Moore implored demonstrators to keep up their struggle against Republican Gov. Scott Walker's legislation, comparing their fight to Egypt's revolt. He also thanked the 14 state Democratic senators who fled Wisconsin to block a vote on the bill, saying they'll go down in history books.
"We're going to do this together. Don't give up. Please don't give up," Moore told the protesters, who have held steady at the Capitol for nearly three weeks. Police have said a crowd of about 70,000 showed up on Feb. 19, and an even larger crowd rallied Feb. 26.
Moore said the wealthy have overreached, first taking the working class' money and then taking their souls by shutting them up at the bargaining table. The crowd yelled "thank you" before Moore began to speak, and he responded: "All of America thanks you, Wisconsin."
Michael Moore
London Studio Tour Opens In 2012
Harry Potter
Harry Potter fans can catch a glimpse of how the movies were made starting in spring next year, when Hollywood studio Warner Bros. opens the doors of its Leavesden facilities where much of the franchise was filmed.
Called Warner Bros. Studio Tour London -- The Making of Harry Potter, the tour will feature original sets, costumes, props and effects used in all eight "Harry Potter" movies.
Among the exhibits on the three-hour tour is the set for the Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, headmaster Dumbledore's office and other attractions to be announced at a later date.
Currently under construction outside London, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden is set to be one of the largest studio production facilities in Europe when it opens next year.
Harry Potter
Guitars Slated For Auction
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is parting with dozens of guitars and amps at a New York City auction to benefit an alcohol and drug treatment center he founded in Antigua.
New York-Bonhams will offer the 70 guitars and 70 amps next Wednesday.
Among the highlights is a custom-made black Fender 'Eric Clapton' signature Stratocaster, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000. It was used during the "Cream Reunion Shows" in New York and London in 2005.
A pair of 1970 Marshall vintage basket weave speaker cabinets are expected to fetch $8,000-$10,000.
Eric Clapton
Would Welcome Sheen's Help In Hait
Sean Penn
Sean Penn says he thinks Charlie Sheen could do a lot of good in Haiti, both for himself and the nation struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake.
"I think his energies, intelligence and passion could be both of service and servicing to him, as it is to all who are touched by the struggle of the Haitian people," Penn said in a statement Friday.
"Charlie is one of the very few public people who cannot be accused of using the media to his own benefit. I would very much like to show my old friend the world of needs on the ground in Haiti, and introduce him and his tremendous wit to our hard working Haitian staff."
Penn's message of support came hours after Sheen told "Access Hollywood" that he and Penn were planning a trip to the Caribbean nation, although no date for their travel has been announced.
Sean Penn
OK After Beverly Hills Crash
David Arquette
David Arquette was in a car accident in Beverly Hills on Friday afternoon but was not seriously hurt, his publicist said.
The 39-year-old actor was "OK" after the collision and was on his way to being treated, publicist Cindy Guagenti told The Associated Press in an e-mail.
A Beverly Hills Fire Department dispatcher said a head-on collision happened on Doheny Drive, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard along the city's border with West Hollywood. She could not provide details on the victims or their status. She declined to give her name.
Celebrity website TMZ reported that Arquette was in a head-on collision at about 2 p.m., and posted pictures that showed the actor lying on a patch of roadside grass next to a pair of vehicles with damage on their front bumpers and airbags deployed.
David Arquette
Prosecutors File Appeal
Anna Nicole
Los Angeles County prosecutors have filed a notice that they plan to appeal a judge's decision to throw out drug conspiracy convictions against Anna Nicole Smith's boyfriend-lawyer and psychiatrist.
The district attorney's office filed the notice of appeal with the Superior Court on Friday. A spokeswoman says the appeal will be filed at a later date.
In January, Judge Robert Perry threw out convictions against Kristine Eroshevich and Howard K. Stern, describing the prosecution's case as overly complicated and not supported by sufficient evidence.
The ruling cleared Stern of all charges and left Eroshevich with one misdemeanor conviction. Smith's primary care physician, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, was acquitted of all counts.
Anna Nicole
TV Chef In Food Fight With LA Schools
Jamie Oliver
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has perfected his anti-obesity recipe over the years: blend a passion for nutrition with reality TV, garnish with a catchy moniker, et voila! - "Food Revolution."
But Oliver's recipe has uncharacteristically curdled since he arrived in Los Angeles last fall to shoot his second U.S. TV series. "I've had a tough time here," he conceded wearily in an interview. "Nothing that was planned has come off."
The six-episode show was to revolve around one of Oliver's favorite causes - making school lunches healthier - but ran under a rolling pin when the Los Angeles Unified School District objected to the chef's key ingredient - TV cameras.
"We're interested in Jamie Oliver the food activist, not Jamie the reality TV star," said Robert Alaniz, district spokesman. "We've invited him to work with our menu committee, but there's too much drama, too much conflict with a reality show."
Jamie Oliver
More Safety Violations
'Spider-Man'
The production company behind Broadway's troubled "Spider-Man" musical has been slapped with three violations of workplace safety standards by federal regulators.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the citations Friday for four separate incidents late last year that resulted in injuries to the cast.
The three citations carry $12,600 in proposed fines - a tiny percentage of the $65 million musical's weekly costs. OSHA began its investigation after receiving a referral from the New York State Department of Labor. State regulators last month issued safety violations for three accidents.
In the latest citations, OSHA alleges that production company 8 Legged Productions LLC exposed the cast "to the hazards of falls or being struck during flying routines because of improperly adjusted or unsecured safety harnesses."
'Spider-Man'
Goes High Tech
Iditarod
When the 39th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race starts in Anchorage on Saturday, 62 mushers and their dogs will embark on an annual trek that has evolved far from its shoestring roots.
The leading contenders are professionals, working year-round to prepare for the race and financed by corporate sponsors. There is a significant monetary reward at the end -- $50,400 (31,023.02 pounds) and a new truck for the winner, and smaller cash prizes for all the finishers.
Mushers are equipped with the most high-tech outdoors equipment available, including custom-made sleds with adjustable runners for varying snow conditions and, starting this year, global-positioning-satellite (GPS) devices to check on their progress.
There are cell phones and blogs and live-streamed updates keeping the world informed about events along the 1,150-mile trail (1,850 km), which is especially smooth and groomed this year.
The winner is expected to reach the Bering Sea town of Nome in about nine days, less than half the travel time needed by winners in the Iditarod's early years, when races were more akin to long wilderness tours than serious sporting events.
Iditarod
Erupt Again
Late-Night Wars
The late-night wars have erupted again, this time over ice cream. Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon faced off on Thursday's "The Colbert Report" in a mock feud over their respective Ben & Jerry's flavors. The ice-cream maker years ago named "Americone Dream" for Colbert, while earlier this week "Late Night Snack" was unveiled for Fallon, host of "Late Night" on NBC.
The two traded insults, with Fallon claiming Americone Dream was merely a "palate cleanser for `Tosh.0.'" Colbert said "Late Night Snack" was "pretty good - for 12:30" and compared it to a Fallon "Saturday Night Live" sketch: "Halfway through, you break down laughing and you can't finish it."
The two sought backup, yelling "Lead-ins assemble!" Jay Leno didn't show, but Jon Stewart did. Armed with a bat, the trio of late-night hosts resembled a similar throw-down among Colbert, Stewart and Conan O'Brien during the 2007-2008 writers strike.
Colbert and Fallon attempted an ice cream eating contest. But when brain freeze set in, they instead settled for a sing-along.
Late-Night Wars
In Memory
Alberto Granado
Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's traveling companion on a 1952 motorcycle journey that became immortalized in print and on the silver screen has died in Cuba. He was 88.
Argentine native Alberto Granado died of natural causes Saturday morning in Cuba, where he has lived since 1961.
Cuban state-run television announced his death without giving other details.
Granado and Che's trip across Latin America on a broken-down motorcycle awoke in Guevara a social consciousness and political convictions that started him down the path to becoming a revolutionary icon.
His memoir of the journey, "Motorcycle Diaries," was later turned into a hit film.
Alberto Granado
In Memory
Charles Jarrott
British director
Charles Jarrott, whose career of nearly 50 years in film and television included the acclaimed British royalty dramas "Anne of the Thousand Days" and "Mary, Queen of Scots," has died, a spokeswoman said Saturday. He was 83.
Jarrott, who had been suffering from prostate cancer, died Friday night at the Woodland Hills retirement community operated by the Motion Picture & Television Fund, the organization's spokeswoman Jaime Larkin said.
The London-born Jarrott served in the Royal Navy during World War II and was an actor before taking up directing in 1954. He worked mostly in television, then went on to direct a prominent string of feature films in the 1960s and 1970s.
He won a Golden Globe for directing Richard Burton as Henry VIII in 1969's "Anne of the Thousand Days," which told the story of the Tudor monarch and Anne Boleyn.
Two years later, he returned with the similarly themed "Mary, Queen of Scots," with Vanessa Redgrave in the title role.
The two films, produced by Hollywood legend and "Casablanca" producer Hal Wallis, were nominated for a combined 15 Academy Awards.
He went on to direct 1974's "The Dove," 1976's "The Littlest Horse Thieves," and 1977's "The Other Side of Midnight," starring John Beck and Susan Sarandon.
He returned to television in his career's final decades, winning an Emmy for the 1995 made-for-TV movie "A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story."
He directed one final feature film, "Turn of Faith" with Charles Durning in 2002.
Charles Jarrott
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