Scott Burns: Is Inflation Inevitable? (AssetBuilder)
Our greatest problem isn't the current federal deficit. It is the much faster growing unfunded liabilities of Medicare. It is the incapacity of our healthcare institutions to change. A radical shift to public health from highly expensive private health could work to reduce healthcare expenses while increasing life expectancy for more Americans. That would mean more future for more people at lower cost.
Steve Bogira: Long-form journalism at short-form prices (Chicago Reader)
For journalism devotees, a long-form story is a sit-down dinner instead of a sandwich grabbed at Subway and gobbled on the subway. It's 18 holes on a real golf course instead of nine on a putt-putt. I cop to a bias in favor of long-form journalism, having dabbled in the hobby for a month or two.
Henry Rollins: Justice, Texas Style (LA Weekly)
Texas is as odd as it is vast. Texans can be a real piece of work. By turns some of the most generous, charismatic and can-do people in this great country. On the other hand, they execute people like there's free pizza with every lethal injection, and Gov. Rick Perry is low on my list ever since he joked around about Texas seceding from the union of the states. I had visions of a wall being built around Austin and airlifts bringing in books and other supplies.
Hadley Freeman: Bill Cunningham - New York's king of street style (Guardian)
"We're in the age of the cookie-cutter sameness. There are few that are rarities, someone who doesn't look like 10 million others," Cunningham says in the film, scouring the street, looking for an "exotic bird of paradise" to photograph. But the most extraordinary original is Cunningham himself, a gentleman whose permanent smile papers over tragedy, a modern-day anachronism who finds real beauty within the frivolity, a man of true grit in a chiffon world.
Alex Knapp: Five Leadership Lessons From James T. Kirk (Forbes)
… the very fact that Kirk has advisors who have a different worldview not only from each other, but also from himself, is a clear demonstration of Kirk's confidence in himself as a leader. Weak leaders surround themselves with yes men who are afraid to argue with them. That fosters an organizational culture that stifles creativity and innovation, and leaves members of the organization afraid to speak up. That can leave the organization unable to solve problems or change course.
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
The hardness of diamond contributes to its suitability as a gemstone. Because it can only be scratched by other diamonds, it maintains its polish extremely well. Unlike many other gems, it is well-suited to daily wear because of its resistance to scratching-perhaps contributing to its popularity as the preferred gem in engagement or wedding rings, which are often worn every day.
The hardest natural diamonds mostly originate from the Copeton and Bingara fields located in the New England area in New South Wales, Australia. These diamonds are generally small, perfect to semiperfect octahedra, and are used to polish other diamonds.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
Australia
Adam answered:
The hardest natural diamonds mostly originate from the Copeton and Bingara fields located in the New England area in New South Wales, Australia.
Sally said:
The hardest natural diamonds mostly originate from the Copeton and Bingara fields located in the New England area in New South Wales, which is on the continent of Australia.
All under the Crown...
PS: Off to the NY Botanical Gardens this morning for the huge Orchid Show. Lot's of walking involved here, groan...
Jim from CA, retired to ID, wrote:
The hardest natural diamonds
mostly originate from the Copeton and Bingara
fields located in the New England area in New
South Wales, Australia.
Charlie responded:
Australia
Marian replied:
Australia
MAM wrote:
Australia
PS Saw my first fracking rig tonight on the way home from Butler. My son took the back way, through Meridian. Looked brand new. Have not yet found any info about it on the web. Scary stuff.
And, Joe S replied:
Australia, or in Superman's hands, when he's squeezing coal into diamonds, on whatever continent he happens to be standing on at the time, or in outer space if he happens to be in outer space.
See. Like that.
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH'Amazing Race', then a FRESH'The Good Wife', followed by a FRESH'CSI: The 2nd One'.
NBC opens the night with 'Dateline', followed by a FRESH'Harry's Law', then a FRESH'T-Rumps Effrontery & Fluffery'.
ABC begins the night with a FRESH'America's So-Called Funniest Home Videos', followed by a FRESH'Once Upon A Time', then a FRESH'Desperate Housewives', followed by a FRESH'GCB'.
The CW fills the night with what passes for local news and other fluffery.
Faux has a RERUN'Simpsons', followed by a FRESH'The Cleveland Show', then a FRESH'Simpsons', followed by a FRESH'Bob's Burgers', then a FRESH'Family Guy', followed by a FRESH'American Dad'.
MY has an old 'How I Met Your Mother', followed by another old 'How I Met Your Mother', then an old 'Big Bang Theory', followed by another 'Big Bang Theory', then still another 'Big Bang Theory', followed by yet another 'Big Bang Theory'.
A&E has 'Storage Wars', another 'Storage Wars', still another 'Storage Wars', yet another 'Storage Wars', still another 'Storage Wars', and yes, yet another 'Storage Wars', followed by a FRESH'Breakout Kings'.
AMC offers the movie 'Swordfish', 'The Walking Dead', followed by a FRESH'The Walking Dead', then a FRESH'Comic Book Men'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 1
[7:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 2
[8:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 3
[9:00AM] CHEETAHS: FAST TRACK TO FREEDOM
[10:00AM] SERPENT
[11:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 1 - Mojito's
[12:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 2 - PJ's
[1:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 3 - Bazzini
[2:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 4 - Flamangos
[3:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 5 - Hot Potato Cafe
[4:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 6 - Mama Rita's
[5:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 7 - Sushi Ko
[6:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 8 - Lido Di Manhattan Beach
[7:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 9 - Le Bistro
[8:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 10 - Anna Vincenzo's
[9:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 11 - Fleming
[10:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 1 - Mojito's
[11:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 2 - PJ's
[12:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 5 - Hot Potato Cafe
[1:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 4 - Flamangos
[2:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 8 - Lido Di Manhattan Beach
[3:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 1 La Parra de Burriana
[4:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 2 The Fenwick Arms
[5:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES-Ep 3 Rococo (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', another 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', followed by a FRESH'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', then a FRESH'Shahs Of Sunset'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'The Love Guru', 'South Park', another 'South Park', still another 'South Park', and yet another 'South Park'.
FX has the movie 'Eagle Eye', followed by the movie 'Taken'.
History has 'Ax Men', another 'Ax Men', still another 'Ax Men', followed by a FRESH'Full Metal Jousting'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
[8:15AM] Hope Springs
[10:15AM] Portlandia-Cops Redesign
[10:45AM] Portlandia-Cat Nap
[11:15AM] Portlandia-Motorcycle
[11:45AM] Portlandia-Feminist Bookstore 10th Anniversary
[12:15PM] Portlandia-No Olympics
[12:45PM] Walkabout
[3:00PM] The New World
[6:00PM] The Last of the Mohicans
[8:30PM] The Last of the Mohicans
[11:00PM] Portlandia-Brunch Village
[11:30PM] Portlandia-A Song For Portlandia
[2:15AM] FF: A Look at the American Secrets
[2:20AM] Tormented
[4:20AM] Nosebleed
[4:30AM] Larry Flynt: The Right to Be Left Alone (ALL TIMES EDT)
Sundance -
[6:00A]
Return To Rajapur
[7:35A]
The New Tenants
[8:00A]
THE MORTIFIED SESSIONS - Lea Thompson & Anthony Michael Hall
[8:30A]
THE MORTIFIED SESSIONS - Cheryl Hines & Margaret Cho
[9:00A]
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown
[10:50A]
Nick Nolte: No Exit
[12:05P]
Return To Rajapur
[1:40P]
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown
[3:30P]
Nick Nolte: No Exit
[4:45P]
David Bailey: Four Beats to the Bar and No Cheating
[5:40P]
Return To Rajapur
[7:15P]
Pleasure Of Being Robbed
[8:30P]
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
[10:00P]
Thumbsucker
[11:45P]
I'm Gonna Explode
[1:30A]
Brief Interview With Hideous Men
[3:00A]
Thumbsucker
[4:45A]
Pleasure Of Being Robbed (ALL TIMES EDT)
SyFy has 'X-Men', followed by the movie 'End Of Days'.
Nils Lofgren (L), Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and the E Street Band perform onstage during SiriusXM's 10th anniversary celebration at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, March 9, 2012.
Photo by Carlo Allegri
"Doonesbury" author Garry Trudeau on Friday defended an upcoming strip that some newspapers rejected and others have questioned because it deals with a Texas abortion law the cartoonist described as "lunacy."
The law, which went into effect earlier this year and requires abortion providers perform an ultrasound before the procedure, is intended to give pause to pregnant women and possibly motivate them to reconsider their decision.
Trudeau said in an email that the "party of limited government," a reference to Republicans, has legislated "onerous preconditions for a perfectly legal procedure" and withdrawn funds for reproductive health services that prevent unwanted pregnancies.
"This is happening in statehouses across the country," Trudeau said in the statement. "It's lunacy, and lunacy, of course, is in my wheelhouse."
Actor Michael J. Fox (R) and wife Tracy Pollan arrive for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's performance during SiriusXM's 10th anniversary celebration at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, March 9, 2012.
Photo by Carlo Allegri
Rock stars are a common enough sight in Los Angeles but it's not often when a rock is the star.
Los Angeles residents are coming out to catch a glimpse of a massive boulder that arrived at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art before dawn Saturday, after lumbering across Southern California for the past week and a half.
It will become the centerpiece of acclaimed earth artist Michael Heizer's latest creation, "Levitated Mass."
The 340-ton hunk of granite, accompanied by an entourage of about 100 people, left a dusty quarry in Riverside on Feb. 28, chauffeured toward its destination by a specially built carrier as long as a football field.
The convoy made it to Wilshire Boulevard at around 4 a.m. Saturday, with hundreds of people looking on and museum officials updating its progress on Twitter. In its final mile, the moving crew paused to pose for photos in front of LACMA's "Urban Light" exhibit, before turning north on Fairfax Avenue, then east on West Sixth Street to its permanent home on the museum's north lawn.
When Ziggy Stardust touched down on earth he could scarcely imagine humanity lasting another five years, let alone the 40 years which have transformed the heart of central London.
British singer David Bowie's unique alien visitor persona, known for his glam makeup, fiery orange hair, and skintight jumpsuits, is being commemorated on Heddon Street in London's trendiest shopping district to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of his album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars."
The Crown Estate, who own Regent Street and the surrounding area, are placing a plaque to commemorate the street corner location used to shoot the cover of Bowie's famous 1972 album in a spot that has become a pilgrimage for his fans.
The cover depicts 'Ziggy' outside on a cold wet January night with his foot resting on a step outside 23 Heddon Street.
Jake Clemons, nephew of Clarence Clemons, performs with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band onstage during SiriusXM's 10th anniversary celebration at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, March 9, 2012. Jake Clemons, took over sax duties after his uncle died.
Photo by Carlo Allegri
For more than 25 years, Bild, Germany's largest-circulation newspaper, has been running topless women on its front page each morning.
But the tabloid has decided to abandon the daily ritual. On Friday, Bild announced that the bare-chested beauty on its March 9 edition would be the final one.
"I am the last," a headline above the final Bild Girl, Eva from Poland, declared.
"Perhaps a small step from women's point of view," the paper, which has published more than 5,000 topless women on the cover since 1984, said in a letter to readers. "But it's a big step for Bild and all men in Germany."
According to the Associated Press, it was Bild's male staffers who made the decision to put an end to the tradition on Thursday, when their female colleagues were off for International Women's Day.
Mormon leaders have put up a virtual firewall in their massive genealogical database to block out anyone who attempts to access the names of hundreds of thousands of Holocaust victims the church has agreed not to posthumously baptize.
The move comes amid criticism that the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hasn't done enough to live up to commitments to stop its members worldwide from performing the baptism ritual on Holocaust victims and other notable Jews.
The new system will immediately block church members' access should they try to seek out names of Holocaust victims or other notable figures that have been flagged as not suitable for proxy baptisms. The church said the move is aimed at ending the practice.
But critics say it merely serves to block anyone from monitoring whether the posthumous baptisms continue.
Indonesia's Kader Dwiarmika flies his kite during the Cha-Am International Kite Festival at the Thai resort beach town of Cha-Am, 160 km (99 miles) southwest of Bangkok, March 10, 2012. The three-day event held to promote Thailand tourism annually from March 9-11.
Photo by Chaiwat Subprasom
Authorities say actor Michael Madsen has been arrested for investigation of cruelty to a child after a fight with his teenage son.
A Los Angeles County sheriff's statement says Madsen was arrested Friday afternoon at his home in Malibu, after deputies were called about a family disturbance.
The statement says detectives from the Special Victims Bureau are investigating allegations that Madsen was under the influence of alcohol and fought with his son, who did not need medical attention.
The Northern Lights are seen in the skies near Faskusfjordur on the east coast of Iceland Thursday March 8, 2012. A solar storm shook the Earth's magnetic field early Friday, but scientists said they had no reports of any problems with electrical systems. After reports Thursday of the storm fizzling out, a surge of activity prompted space weather forecasters to issue alerts about changes in the magnetic field.
Photo by Jonina Oskardottir
Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she saw it coming, even before the public scolding last weekend at Alaska's Iditarod dog sled race. Siding with Republican leaders on a contentious contraceptives vote was a mistake.
A moderate in an era of paralyzing partisanship, Murkowski, 54, may be a natural heir to the centrist role played by retiring Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe at a time when their party is hurting for female leaders.
Murkowski voted in favor of an amendment by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., to overturn President Barack Obama's order that health insurance cover the cost of contraceptives even if providers object on religious grounds. She was backpedaling within days.
One woman in the Iditarod crowd yelled at the senator. Another was more civil, but made the same point: Murkowski ticked off a lot of women with that vote.
"With her vote, Murkowski showed her true colors and put her party's anti-female agenda ahead of the Alaska women she is supposed to represent," Fairbanks resident Michelle Cason wrote to the editor of the city's Daily News-Miner.
Before the weekend was out, Murkowski told the Anchorage Daily News that she regretted her vote.
A man takes photographs of a globefish-shaped kite during the Cha-Am International Kite Festival at the Thai resort beach town of Cha-Am, 160 km (99 miles) southwest of Bangkok, March 10, 2012. The three days event held to promote Thailand tourism annually from March 9-11.
Photo by Chaiwat Subprasom
The man who guided resident George W. Bush's faith-based initiatives from 2002 to 2006 says the office has become a "faith-based farce" under President Barack Obama, and should be shut down.
Jim Towey is now president of Ave Maria University, one of a number of church-affiliated institutions suing to block Obama's contraceptive coverage mandate. He accuses Obama of turning the faith-based office into "nothing but a political outreach operation" to get clergy behind his agenda.
When Obama became president and reorganized the faith-based office, one of its stated goals became "reducing the need for abortion."
Towey says, "Now you see what that meant. That meant a huge expansion in contraceptive services, and they took George Bush's armies of compassion and turned them into armies of contraception."
Models present creations for the latest Diamony lingerie collection during the "Ski and Fashion Festival 2012" at Le Refuge Terrace-Intercontinental Mzaar, Mount Lebanon March 10, 2012.
Photo by Sharif Karim
Dr. Robert Schuller and his wife Arvella have resigned from the board of directors of the Crystal Cathedral, the ministry he founded four decades ago.
Their daughter, Carol Schuller Milner, said Saturday the couple was stepping down over an inability to agree on a deal for housing benefits and fees for using the pastor's intellectual property, such as writings and sermons.
Arvella Schuller said negotiations had become "adversarial and negative."
Robert Schuller retired from the ministries in 2006. Last month, the sale of the financially ailing church to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange was finalized in a $57.5 million bankruptcy deal.
Moebius, the French comic-book artist and designer whose spectacular science fantasy-based worked its magic on Hollywood classics such as "Alien" has died aged 73, after a long illness.
Moebius -- or Jean Henri Gaston Giraud -- was one of France's leading cartoonists, who also found fame in Japan and the United States.
Giraud, who grew up drawing cowboys and indians, found fame when he created the western character Lieutenant Blueberry in 1963. He adopted the pseudonym Moebius for his illustrations in science fiction books and magazines.
He worked on top French magazines including the politically incorrect but visually arresting "Metal Hurlant" (Heavy Metal), a mixture of science fiction and epic fantasy, which was featured in a 1981 animated film of the same name.
He also collaborated with Japanese manga artists and even co-produced a adventure of US comic-book superhero The Silver Surfer, working with Stan Lee, himself a legend in the field.
And his influence spread into cinema, putting his stamp on the first "Alien" film and the science fiction adventure "Tron".
In 2010-11 France's Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art acknowledged his stature, staging a major retrospective of his work.
Giraud was born in Nogent-sur-Marne east of Paris on May 8, 1938.
After art school he began training as an illustrator for advertisers and the fashion industry before turning to comic strips.
"My ambition was tremendous," he once told AFP. "I wanted to rock, so everybody in the comic industry would be stunned."
In 2007 one of his drawings sold for 58,242 euros ($76,433) at an auction.
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wrote:
replied:
Rock stars are a common enough sight in Los Angeles but it's not often when a rock is the star.
