Paul Krugman, Robin Wells: The Health Care Crisis and What to Do About It (nybooks.com)
Over the years since the failure of the Clinton health plan, a great deal of evidence has accumulated on the relative merits of private and public health insurance. As far as we have been able to ascertain, all of that evidence indicates that public insurance of the kind available in several European countries and others such as Taiwan achieves equal or better results at much lower cost.
Ronald Dworkin: The Right to Ridicule (nybooks.com)
Ridicule is a distinct kind of expression; its substance cannot be repackaged in a less offensive rhetorical form without expressing something very different from what was intended. That is why cartoons and other forms of ridicule have for centuries, even when illegal, been among the most important weapons of both noble and wicked political movements.
Five Minutes With: Helen Thomas
Do you have any advice for young journalists?
Oh, go for it! It's the greatest profession in the world. And you should view it as public service-when you are informing the American people, you are doing the greatest thing because you cannot have a democracy without an informed people.
Andi Zeisler: Opinions of a Sexpert (Bitch Magazine. Posted on Alternet.org)
Can we have a little ad for Plan B here? I want everyone to go to the drugstore and get Plan B. I don't care if you've been celibate for years: Go get it. Then go to another pharmacy and get it. You have a gynecologist? Say you want [Plan B] for yourself, your mother, your daughter, your sister. And believe me, they'll get on the bandwagon; most of them are all for it. You want to have Plan B there the way you'd have Band-Aids. By the time you're in that situation, saying, "Oh, shit -- am I pregnant?" you've got it.
RICHARD ROEPER: For all the grief Maris took, his 61 might be cleanest (suntimes.com)
Even though there was never literally an asterisk next to Roger Maris' name in the record books, some baseball purists felt there should have been some kind of mention of Maris hitting 61 home runs in a 162-game season, while Babe Ruth knocked out 60 in a 154-game season.
ROGER EBERT: The fury of the 'Crash'-lash
... more than one critic described "Crash" as "the worst film of the year," which is as extreme as saying John Kerry was a coward in Vietnam. It means you'll say anything to help your campaign.
It was amazing - came down as snow-hail, it was just wonderful as we never get this. My house is at 2300 ft and they said we might get snow below 2000 ft...what a great afternoon building snowmen in Tujunga !
Wish you were here, I guess you got enough of it in Pennsylvania!
I must say, I've had a fascination with Rosanna Arquette for some time …..always in a lurid, sexy, prurient rather perverted fashion…..ever since "Desperately Seeking Susan" (1985) and "8 Million Ways to Die" (1986) there was her sultry overbite….that "come-on" curiosity. Then I saw her in "Nowhere to Run" (1993) naked….and that did it…..She starred in "Nowhere to Hide" (1994) and "Pulp Fiction" (1994) and then she went over the top in "Crash" (1996) in a creepy crippled sex scene with Holly Hunter. Well then she did "The Whole Nine Yards" (2000) with a really shrill and bad accent…
Oh…I almost forgot "Diary of a Sex Addict" (2001). I figured her career had been completely corrupted.
Then I stumbled onto a Documentary on Showtime directed, produced and starring Rosanna Arquette and the trailer had Rosanna in bed with Chrissie Hynde from the "Pretenders"….she was interviewing her about her about the music business……
Then a shot of her in bed with Thom Yorke from "Radio Head"…..she was interviewing him about the music business….I dropped everything I was doing and dove right in head first to what is an absolutely astounding documentary made by Ms. Arquette!
Rosanna had done something "Searching for Debra Winger" (2002) interviewing actresses and discussing the film business.
Rosanna discusses coming out of his musical shell with Andre 3000!
Rosanna talks candidly and casually to Peter Gabriel - Debra Harry - Patty Smith - Annie Lennox - Annie Wilson - Sting - Tom Petty - Don Hendley - Joni Mitchell - Stevie Nicks - Iggy Pop - Flea - Gwen -Willie - Merle - Yoko…..on and on and on……
Steven Tyler said that "Arrowsmith" used to have a 24 million dollar catalogue of music….now it's worth 12 cents! All due to internet music downloading...
DJ Muggs and B Real from "Cypress Hill" said that too many musicians are forced to make their living on the road now due to so little income from songwriting and record sales.
This is a real treat for anyone who loves rock and roll and the inside shit! You also get a current look at the state of music, politics and inspiration. Check your cable guide!
Purple Gene gives "All We Are Saying" 10 big beautiful kisses out of 10 to Rosanna for doing something so wonderful…I know she had fun too. (By the way…at the end of the credits there was this disclaimer….."No musicians were hurt in the filming of this movie").
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH'Cold Case', then the movie 'How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days'.
NBC opens the night with 'Dateline', followed by a FRESH'West Wing', then a FRESH'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', followed by a FRESH'Crossing Jordan'.
ABC begins the night with a FRESH'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', followed by another FRESH'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', then a FRESH'Desperate Housewives', followed by a FRESH'Grey's Anatomy'.
The WB offers the FRESH'JammX Kids All-Star Dance', followed by a RERUN'Charmed', then another RERUN'Charmed'.
Faux has a RERUN'Malcolm', followd by a RERUN'King Of The Hill', then a FRESH'Simpsons', followed by a FRESH'War At Home', then a FRESH'Family Guy', followed by a FRESH'Free Ride'.
UPN has an old 'Alias', followed by an old 'Fear Factor'.
A&E has has a FRESH'Flip This House', '24', another '24', 'Meth: A Country In Crisis', and a FRESH'Intervention'.
AMC offers offers the movie 'Two Weeks Notice', followed by the movie 'Ever After'.
BBC -
[2pm] The Benny Hill Show - Episode 52;
[3pm] The Benny Hill Show - Episode 53;
[4pm] The Benny Hill Show - Episode 54;
[5pm] The Benny Hill Show - Episode 55;
[6pm] The Benny Hill Show - Episode 1;
[7pm] The Benny Hill Show - Episode 2;
[8pm] Dylan Moran - Dylan Moran;
[10pm] Footballers Wives - Episode 4;
[11pm] Dylan Moran - Dylan Moran;
[1am] Footballers Wives - Episode 4;
[2am] Cash in the Attic - Episode 3;
[3am] Goodness Gracious Me - Episode 1;
[3:40am] Goodness Gracious Me - Episode 2;
[4:20am] Goodness Gracious Me - Episode 3;
[5am] So Graham Norton - Pamela Anderson;
[5:30am] So Graham Norton - Susan Sarandon/Goldie Hawn;
[6am] BBC World News. (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[7:15AM] Assisted Living;
[8:30AM] Investigation Into the Invisible World;
[10AM] Checkpoint;
[11:30AM] Lurch;
[12PM] The Naked Man;
[1:45PM] Play With Me;
[2PM] Ladette to Lady: Ladette to Lady: Episode 1;
[3PM] Kath & Kim: Hello Nails;
[3:30PM] In Short: Academy Award®-Winning Shorts;
[5:35PM] Lurch;
[6PM] Iconoclasts: Batali on Stipe;
[7PM] Ladette to Lady: Ladette to Lady: Episode 1;
[8PM] Slings and Arrows: Episode 4: Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair;
[9PM] Monkey Dust: Episode 2;
[9:30PM] In Short: Nightmares;
[10PM] Tarnation;
[11:35PM] Of Love & Shadows;
[1:30AM] Wasp;
[2AM] Slings and Arrows: Episode 4: Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair;
[3AM] Monkey Dust: Episode 2;
[3:30AM] Before the Rain;
[5:30AM] The Naked Man. (ALL TIMES EST)
American actress Sharon Stone laughs as she holds a goat calf during a visit to a farm in Rosh Pina, northern Israel, Saturday, March 11, 2006. Stone is on a five day visit to Israel sponsored by the Peres Center for Peace.
Photo by Haim Azoulay
Fox has prescribed a third season for its red-hot medical drama "House," which stars English actor Hugh Laurie as a brilliant doctor with a poor bedside manner.
Airing behind "American Idol," "House" hit a series high of 22.2 million viewers and an 8.7 rating/22 share among adults 18-49 last month. Returning after a two-week hiatus this week, "House" (20.6 million, 8.4/20) scored its second-highest ratings ever in all key measured and its highest retention of its "Idol" lead-in this season.
Actor/activist Warren Beatty, right, presents the Phillip Burton Public Service Award to Rose Ann DeMoro, chief executive for the California Nurses Association, during the Rage for Justice Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Friday, March 10, 2006.
Photo by Chris Pizzello
Bettie Page was plunging into the day's work: autographing pinups of herself in various Naughty Girl personas, with kitschy bangs, high heels, mesh hose and tasseled underwear.
Nurse Bettie. Jester Bettie. Substitute Teacher Bettie. Maid Bettie. Voodoo Bettie. Cowgirl Bettie. Jungle Bettie. Wild Orchid Bettie. Banned in Boston Bettie. Crackers in Bed Bettie.
The task ahead was arduous given her many ailments, including diabetes and stabbing pains in her back, legs and hands.
But the 82-year-old Page - a taboo-breaker who helped usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s - is not a quitter.
US Catholic bishops launched a stinging Internet counter-attack on the best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code," ahead of the release of Ron Howard's film version in May.
"'The Da Vinci Code' is a mess, a riot of laughable errors and serious misstatements. Almost every page has at least one of each," the bishops wrote on the website Jesusdecoded.com.
Brown's novel, which has sold nearly 40 million copies worldwide, hinges on the theory that Christ married Mary Magdalene and that they had children, a fact that the church allegedly hid for more than 2000 years.
Nostalgic New Yorkers, film fans and Eloise enthusiasts can buy a little piece of history next week when Christie's auction house sells select items from The Plaza hotel to the public.
The landmark hotel overlooking a corner of Central Park since 1907 was sold in 2004 and is undergoing a major renovation, leading the new owners to empty the hotel of its classic furnishings.
Among the items on sale on Wednesday: a humidor the size of a china cabinet, blue leather furniture from the Oyster Bar, and the "breakfast in bed" package of pajamas, monogrammed slippers, robes and teacups.
British film director Terry Jones of Monty Python fame, listens during a press conference in Sofia, March 11, 2006. Jones is in Bulgaria on a one-day visit for the 10th International Sofia film festival.
Photo by Nikolay Doychinov
Two cable reality series yielded record ratings running in the same time slot Wednesday, the premiere of FX's "Black. White.," and the finale of Bravo's "Project Runway."
"Black" bested "Runway" at 10 p.m., with 4 million total viewers checking out the provocative look at two families who switch races with the aid of an Oscar-nominated makeup artist, including 2.8 million in the coveted adults 18-49 demo.
"Black" managed to tie MTV's "The Osbournes" as the highest-rated unscripted series premiere ever on cable in 18-49, and scored the highest-rated cable premiere for a new or returning series year to date.
Conductor James Levine will miss the rest of the Metropolitan Opera's season because of a shoulder injury that requires surgery.
Levine, music director of the Met and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was injured March 1 when he tripped and fell on the stage of Boston's Symphony Hall during ovations that followed a performance.
While initial tests showed there were no broken bones, an MRI exam and X-rays revealed a torn rotator cuff, an injury more common to baseball pitchers than conductors.
A Colorado man accused of stalking singer Linda Ronstadt for nearly a decade has been ordered by an Arizona judge to stay away from her.
Ronstadt has upcoming concerts and fears for her safety because of Bernie Salazar Ortiz's long history of stalking her and his schizophrenia, court documents indicate.
The injunction says Ortiz cannot appear at any of Ronstadt's concerts, come within 1,000 feet of her or contact her in person - by phone or in writing. He also can't deliver, directly or indirectly, any cards, packages, flowers or other items.
Court documents indicate Ortiz began trying to meet Ronstadt in May 1997 through her siblings.
A model takes part in the 19th International Body Painting contest at the Fantasy Film Festival in Brussels March 11, 2006. Seventeen artists from all over Europe had four hours to prepare their creation.
Photo by Francois Lenoir
Nepali police began hunting on Saturday for a teenaged boy who some people believe is an reincarnation of Buddha after he disappeared from the site where he had been meditating for almost 10 months.
Fifteen-year-old Ram Bahadur Bamjon has not been seen since early Saturday, said Hari Krishna Khatiwada, a district official of Bara, 150 km (95 miles) southeast of Kathmandu.
The boy had been meditating there without food or water since May. Some of his followers are also missing.
Three nights a week at Art's Concertina Bar you can step back to a time when couples went out to dance the polka and listen to the sounds of a concertina.
But now owner Art Altenburg wants to sell his polka bar - which is the last in Milwaukee and bills itself as "The Only Concertina Bar in the U.S.A." - and he doesn't know if the new owners will keep it as a polka haven.
Like the tavern, polka itself is at a crossroads.
A fragmented effort is under way in the polka community to make sure it doesn't die - through festivals, use of more modern instruments such as electric guitars and teaching the dance in elementary schools. Enthusiasts say their efforts are working with younger people, particularly on the East Coast, Midwest and in Texas.
Rattlesnakes are milked for their venom inside the milking pit at the annual Rattlesnake Round-up in Sweetwater, Texas March 11, 2006. Sweetwater is home to the world's largest Rattlesnake Round-up which started as a way for ranchers to rid the abundance of snakes that were threatening their livestock.
Photo by Jessica Rinaldi
For the most part, history has respected Gilmanton to the point of indifference. No wars have been fought here, no gold or oil discovered. There have been no major plagues or natural disasters. No president, movie star or Internet billionaire was born in Gilmanton or uses one of its lakefront residences as a summer home.
Only once, 50 years ago, did the house of Gilmanton receive a fatal shove, from a novel named "Peyton Place."
Grace Metalious' sensational story of sex, violence and other scandals in a small New England town, based in part on Gilmanton, made the author an international celebrity and a local pariah. It transformed an otherwise obscure township into a symbol of decadence and hypocrisy and rivaled Elvis Presley as a shocking breach to the official decorum of the 1950s.
Metalious is long dead, and many who knew her have also passed on, but "Peyton Place" remains the biggest news ever to hit Gilmanton. Thanks to the book's anniversary and to a planned movie starring Sandra Bullock as Metalious, a discussion few desire could well begin again.
Thousands of spectators line the banks of the Chicago River to watch as the annual ritual of dyeing the river green in honor of St. Patrick's Day takes place Saturday, March 11, 2006 in Chicago. The tradition of dyeing the river green was started in 1962 when members of a local pipe fitters union dyed the river with permission of the mayor.
Photo by Jeff Roberson
It's a concert without musicians when 16 baby grand player-pianos accompanied by a variety of drums, bells, xylophones and a siren perform American composer George Antheil's "Ballet Mecanique," or Mechanical Ballet.
This very untraditional concert took place Saturday not in a traditional performance hall, but at the National Gallery of Art.
The technology of Antheil's time - Paris in 1925 - could not put together the four piano parts with seven electric bells, four bass drums, three xylophones, two airplane propellors, a Chinese tam-tam and a siren. All are listed in Antheil's score, the gallery said. All will be played mechanically, powered by electric motors.
Opera singer Anna Moffo, a soprano hailed for her glamorous looks as much as her singing , has died, the Metropolitan Opera said Friday. She was 73, according to the Grove Dictionary of Music.
The dark, graceful Moffo thrilled audiences on television's "Bell Telephone Hour" as well as in opera houses in the United States and Europe starting in the late 1950s, but her career ended when she was just in her 40s, her voice only a shadow of what it was.
Her last regular performance at the Met was as Violetta on March 15, 1976, when she was still in her early 40s. The Times' Donal Henahan said earlier in that run that her voice had fallen into "serious disrepair a few seasons back" and has not recovered much. She returned to the Met stage one more time to sing a duet of "Sweethearts" with Robert Merrill at the Met's centennial gala on Oct. 22, 1983.
In 1974, she had married broadcast executive Robert Sarnoff, who headed the NBC television network in the late 1950s and early '60s and later was CEO of parent RCA. Her previous marriage to Lanfranchi, her one-time manager, ended in divorce.
She was born in Wayne, Pa., on June 27, 1932, according to Grove. Moffo studied at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music and also studied in Italy on a Fulbright scholarship.
Knobi, a female orangutan, enjoys the spring-like temperatures at Great Ape Trust of Iowa, Saturday, March 11, 2006, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Photo by Steve Pope
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