Recommended Reading
from Bruce
My Congressman, Bart Stupak, Has Neither a Uterus Nor a Brain ...a letter from Michael Moore (michaelmoore.com)
I live in Michigan, in one of the 31 counties represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by none other than Mr. Bart Stupak, a Democrat. You've probably never heard of him. He's a pretty quiet guy, a former Michigan State Police trooper who boldly decided to run some 18 years ago as a Democrat in a rural part of Michigan that votes almost exclusively for Republicans (yes, I know -- what am I doing here? I'll save that story for a future letter).
Oliver Burkeman: Why everything you've been told about evolution is wrong (guardian.co.uk)
What if Darwin's theory of natural selection is inaccurate? What if the way you live now affects the life expectancy of your descendants? Evolutionary thinking is having a revolution . . .
The Biggest Dump in the World (telegraph.co.uk)
As large as the USA, the Great Pacific Waste Patch is the biggest dump in the world. Ed Cumming discovers that it keeps getting bigger, and could be poisoning us all.
Andrew Tobias: Daily Comment (andrewtobias.com)
Mike Martin: I had to point out one little omission in your torture story. The biggest reason we should not torture is that when enemy soldiers or terrorists are cornered, you can forget about capturing them if they know they are going to be tortured. They are likely to either fight to the finish or do some suicidal response.
Lisa Verrico: Why Scouting for Girls lay low (timesonline.co.uk)
The trio's songs are familiar to millions, yet Roy Stride's band have a low profile and that's just the way they like it.
Alex Pham: YouTube sets its sights on independent musicians (latimes.com)
The video website is expected to announce plans to entice musicians by offering to share ad revenues.
Matea Gold and Randy Lewis: Iggy Pop and the Stooges add life to Hall of Fame induction ceremony (Los Angeles Times)
Thank goodness the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voters relented and allowed Iggy Pop and the Stooges into the club. Without the proto-punk rockers on hand, Monday night's awards dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City would have been a pretty tame affair.
Album downloads: it's all or nothing (guardian.co.uk)
In the age of the iTunes single, do albums still matter - as Pink Floyd argued last week? Absolutely, says Elbow's Guy Garvey.
Fess Parker dies at 85; actor played Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone on TV (latimes.com)
He became a sensation among young baby boomers as the 'King of the Wild Frontier.' He then went on to become a Santa Barbara hotel developer and Santa Ynez winery owner.
Mason Currey: The Complete 'Walker, Texas Ranger' (slate.com)
Fifty-one discs. Two hundred two episodes. Innumerable roundhouses.
Daniel Mendelsohn: The Wizard (nybooks.com)
On 'Avatar,' a film directed by James Cameron.
Review: Quicken 2010 Deluxe for PC (mdmproofing.com)
It's that time again: Two years have passed since I last purchased Quicken, and it's time for me to give the new offering - Quicken 2010 Deluxe - a shot.
Review: YNAB 3 Money Management Software (mdmproofing.com)
While I remain a devoted Quicken user myself, I completely understand the mass uprising against Intuit's stranglehold on personal-finance software. Most all of the [yelling/screaming/cursing at Intuit] and [begging for a viable Quicken alternative] emails I've received have been valid. And I, as a guy who knows firsthand the immeasurable value of having control of one's money, am front-row and sympathetic to the cause.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'DNA Database Blues' Edition
"President Barack Obama is not the civil-liberties knight in shining armor many were expecting... The nation's chief executive extols the virtues of mandatory DNA testing of Americans upon arrest, even absent charges or a conviction. Obama said, "It's the right thing to do" to "tighten the grip around folks" who commit crime..."
Wired.com
Do you support mandatory DNA collection upon arrest?
A.) Yes
B.) No
C.) Depends on the crime
Send your response to
replied:
responded:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Link from RJ
Pompeii Fast Food
Hi there
A possible linke perhaps? Thanks for taking a look
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and pleasant.
7th Anniversary
Thousands Rally
Thousands of protesters - many directing their anger squarely at President Barack Obama - marched through the nation's capital Saturday to urge immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
At least eight people, including activist Cindy Sheehan, were arrested by U.S. Park Police at the end of the march, after laying coffins at a fence outside the White House. Friday marked the seventh anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
The protesters defied orders to clear the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House and park police say they face charges of failure to obey a lawful order.
Activist Ralph Nader told thousands who gathered in Lafayette Park across from the White House that Obama has essentially continued the policies of the Bush administration, and it was foolish to have thought otherwise.
Thousands Rally
Volunteer Day
Mister Rogers
Mister Rogers cared deeply about his neighbors and his neighborhood, both in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and in real life.
Now, friends and colleagues of late television icon Fred Rogers want to honor his legacy with a national day of volunteering on his birthday. Rogers, who died in 2003 after battling stomach cancer, would have been 82 on Saturday.
David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," said volunteering meant a lot to Rogers.
The idea for the Won't You Be My Neighbor? Day grew out of Sweater Day, which Family Communications Inc. of Pittsburgh has promoted over the past several years to honor Rogers. Rogers created the company to produce his show and other family friendly educational fare.
Mister Rogers
Always A Class Act
Tea Baggers
Demonstrators outside the U.S. Capitol , angry over the proposed health care bill, shouted "nigger" Saturday at U.S. Rep. John Lewis , a Georgia congressman and civil rights icon who was nearly beaten to death during an Alabama march in the 1960s.
The protesters also shouted obscenities at other members of the Congressional Black Caucus , lawmakers said.
"They were shouting, sort of harassing," Lewis said. "But, it's okay, I've faced this before. It reminded me of the 60s. It was a lot of downright hate and anger and people being downright mean."
Protestors also used a slur as they confronted Rep. Barney Frank , D- Mass. , an openly gay member of Congress . A writer for Huffington Post said the crowd called Frank a "faggot."
"I'm disappointed with the unwillingness to be civil," Frank told the Globe. "I was, I guess, surprised by the rancor. What it means is obviously the health care bill is proxy for a lot of other sentiments, some of which are perfectly reasonable, but some of which are not."
Tea Baggers
Wild-Horse Roundup Death Toll Rises
Nevada
Activists in Nevada are questioning the rising death toll from a government roundup of wild horses from the range north of Reno.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman JoLynn Worley says 77 mustangs involved in the Calico Mountains Complex gather have died so far - 70 at a Fallon facility where they were taken and the rest at the roundup site.
That's nearly double the 39 horses that had died when the roundup of 1,922 horses concluded on Feb. 5.
Worley attributes the deaths mostly to the poor body condition of mares that were sent to Fallon, where the animals are being prepared for adoption or transfer to pastures in the Midwest.
Nevada
Film Award
John Hurt
Veteran actor John Hurt will be presented with a lifetime achievement award at an international film festival on Saturday.
The 70-year-old actor, who has starred in films such as Alien, The Elephant Man and Midnight Express, will be given the Bradford International Film Festival (BIFF) accolade for work that has spanned over six decades.
He will be interviewed on stage at the city's National Media Museum with BIFF artistic director Tony Earnshaw before receiving his award.
Ten films, representing the very best work spanning almost 50 years, will play during the 11-day run of the festival, from March 18 to 28, at the museum and venues across Bradford and Yorkshire.
John Hurt
NBCs Last Soap Renewed
"Days of Our Lives"
At least one daytime soap is safe for another year. NBC has picked up "Days of our Lives" for its 45th season, keeping the show on the air through 2011.
"'Days of our Lives' continues to be a favorite of the daytime audience and we are thrilled to keep it going through its 45th season," said Marc Graboff, chairman, NBC Entertainment. "'Days' has shown year-to-year increases in key female demographics and remains both relevant and fresh creatively."
The show is NBC's last remaining soap. It premiered as a half-hour show in 1965 and expanded to an hour 10 years later.
"Days of Our Lives"
No Vatican Blame In Abuse
Pope
Pope Benedict XVI's unprecedented letter to Ireland apologizing for chronic child abuse within the Catholic Church failed Saturday to calm the anger of many victims, who accused the Vatican of ducking its own responsibility in promoting a worldwide culture of cover-up.
Benedict's message - the product of weeks of consultation with Irish bishops, who read it aloud at Masses across this predominantly Catholic nation - rebuked Ireland's church leaders for "grave errors of judgment" in failing to observe the church's secretive canon laws.
The pope, who himself stands accused of approving the transfer of an accused priest for treatment rather than informing German police during his 1977-82 term as Munich archbishop, suggested that child-abusing priests could have been expelled quickly had Irish bishops applied the church's own laws correctly. He pledged a church inspection of unspecified dioceses and orders in Ireland to ensure their child-protection policies were effective.
But Benedict offered no endorsement of three official Irish investigations that found the church leadership to blame for the scale and longevity of abuse heaped on Irish children throughout the 20th century.
Pope
Behind Film, Legal Battle Simmers
"The Runaways"
At the Los Angeles premiere of "The Runaways" last week, screams reminiscent of a rock concert greeted real-life band members Cherie Currie and Joan Jett as they were introduced with stars Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart.
Not enjoying a Hollywood moment that night: Jacqueline Fuchs, the fiery bass player who performed in the 1970s all-girl quintet as Jackie Fox but whose absence from the premiere mirrors her disappearance from the story of the Runaways, as told in the new film.
Producers of the punk biopic, which opens Friday, chose to move forward on the project without obtaining Fuchs' life rights or those of Runaways guitarist Lita Ford. As a result, the bassist character was minimized, Fuchs' name was changed and Jett even dropped a cherry bomb of a lawsuit on her former bandmate when she raised a stink about the movie.
The story of Jackie Fuchs and "The Runaways" provides timely instruction for producers hoping to develop biopics and other fact-based projects without getting life rights from everyone involved. It also highlights one of the hottest debates in entertainment law: With the rise in popularity of real-life, ripped-from-the-headlines film and TV, what rights are necessary to make a film based on actual people?
"The Runaways"
Whale Sushi Restaurant Closes
The Hump
A Los Angeles-area sushi restaurant that made international headlines after it was charged with serving endangered whale meat will close forever as a "self-imposed punishment," according to a statement on its website.
The parent company of the The Hump, a popular Santa Monica restaurant, and sushi chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto were charged on March 11 with violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal to sell whale meat.
Federal prosecutors have said that the case stemmed from informants who were served whale meat at The Hump in October 2009 and evolved into a sting operation by U.S. wildlife and customs officials.
The federal charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a maximum fine of $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for an organization.
The Hump
No Charges
Caractacus Downes
British prosecutors say they will not charge the son of conductor Edward Downes and his wife with assisting their suicides at a Swiss clinic last year.
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said Friday it was not in the public interest to prosecute Caractacus Downes.
The deaths of Edward Downes, one of Britain's most eminent conductors, and his wife Joan reignited debate about assisted suicide. He was blind and going deaf and she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer when the couple died at a Zurich clinic run by the group Dignitas.
Under British law, assisting a suicide is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, but courts have become reluctant to convict, and prosecutors have said criminal charges are less likely when the motive is compassion.
Caractacus Downes
Sets Record For Beam Energy
CERN
Operators of the world's largest atom smasher on Friday ramped up their massive machine to three times the energy ever previously achieved, in the run-up to experiments probing the secrets of the universe.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, said beams of protons circulated at 3.5 trillion electron volts in both directions around the 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel housing the Large Hadron Collider under the Swiss-French border at Geneva.
The next major development is expected in a few days when CERN starts colliding the beams in a new round of research to examine the tiniest particles and forces within the atom in hopes of finding out more about how matter is made up.
The extra energy in Geneva is expected to reveal even more about the unanswered questions of particle physics, such as the existence of dark energy and matter. Scientists hope also to approach on a tiny scale what happened in the first split seconds after the Big Bang, which they theorize was the creation of the universe some 14 billion years ago.
CERN
TV Habit Hard To Break
Afghanistan
Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, who banned television and barred women from appearing in public without an all-enveloping burqa, the Afghan government is fighting a losing battle to keep female flesh off TV.
In a country that remains deeply conservative and male-dominated, the government has the power to impose fines or shut down broadcasters for showing images of women deemed racy. Yet the guidelines seem to be observed largely in the breach.
Urban Afghans are now spoiled for choice with a remarkably vibrant array of TV stations. At any given moment, viewers can flip between news, cooking shows, cartoons, Turkish soap operas, Iranian dramas and hugely popular Indian films, with their gyrating sari-clad heroines.
To get around government restrictions on showing female flesh, TV stations employ full-time pixilators, charged with adding blurry blotches over bare arms, legs, necklines and midriffs. But if you watch long enough, you can easily spot a swaying elbow, a naked ankle or even an exposed strip of waist.
Afghanistan
Geothermal Energy
Klamath Fall, OR
When snow falls on this downtown of brick buildings and glass storefronts in southern Oregon, it piles up everywhere but the sidewalks. It's the first sign that this timber and ranching town is like few others.
A combination of hot rocks and water like those that created Yellowstone's geysers have been tapped by the city to keep the sidewalks toasty since the early 1990s. They also heat downtown buildings, kettles at a brewhouse, and greenhouses and keep the lights on at a college campus.
Geothermal wells in this town of 20,000 mark one of the nation's most ambitious uses of a green energy resource with a tiny carbon footprint, and could serve as a model for a still-fledgling industry that is gaining steam with $338 million in stimulus funds and more than 100 projects nationwi
With more than 600 geothermal wells heating houses, schools and a hospital as well as turning the turbine on a small power plant, Klamath Falls shows what everyday life could be if stimulus grants and venture capitalists turn geothermal energy from a Western curiosity to a game-changing energy resource.
Klamath Fall, OR
In Memory
Stewart Udall
Stewart Udall, interior secretary for presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and a member of a major Democratic political family, has died at age 90, his family said on Saturday.
Udall, father of New Mexico Senator Tom Udall and brother of the late congressman and one-time presidential contender Morris Udall, was the last surviving member of Kennedy's original Cabinet.
A leading environmentalist, Udall played key roles in passing the Wilderness Act that created a system of protecting lands mostly in the West, expanding river and shore protections, establishing new wildlife refuges and adding four parks to the National Park System.
Born in Arizona, Udall was an Air Force gunner in Europe during World War Two, was elected to four terms in the Congress, then served in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations during the 1960s.
Udall was the lead lawyer for a group of Navajo Indians who were some of the country's earliest uranium miners and were not warned of the dangers from exposure. He also represented people living downwind of atmospheric nuclear bomb testing and workers from the Nevada Test Site.
Udall, who remained a vigorous environmental advocate after his retirement, died at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, his family said.
Stewart Udall
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
