Froma Harrop: The Vile Business Of Preying On the Poor (creators.com)
The working poor make great victims. They are often trusting and financially unsophisticated, and with wages stagnant, they're desperate for cash. These folks hold jobs, so they have a money stream and possibly equity in their homes - all ripe for plunder.
Paul Krugman: Lies, Sighs and Politics (The New York Times)
In Tuesday's Republican presidential debate, Mitt Romney completely misrepresented how we ended up in Iraq. Later, Mike Huckabee mistakenly claimed that it was Ronald Reagan's birthday. Guess which remark The Washington Post identified as the "gaffe of the night"?
Why People Hate Self-Published Authors (slushpile.net)
I've received a number of emails lately inquiring about the validity of self-publishing. It's a well-worn topic and my personal perspective isn't much different than everyone else's. In the right conditions, handled properly, with realistic attitudes, self-publishing can be a viable business decision for certain people. But I don't believe in resorting to it just because you think the mainstream publishing industry is comprised of meanies who aren't smart enough to comprehend your art.
Big green money machine (telegraph.co.uk)
With the friendly ogre's latest adventures about to hit our screens, the fight is not so much Shrek versus Lord Farquaad as DreamWorks versus Disney. Shrek's Jeffrey Katzenberg, who once sued Disney for $280m and called their head 'a psycho', tells Nigel Farndale why he reckons he's ahead by a nose.
Kevin Maher: Diet hard! Ageing action heroes turn back the clock (entertainment.timesonline.co.uk)
Never underestimate the magical power of haemorrhoid cream on a wrinkled old face, says the award-winning make-up artist Daniel Phillips. "Personally, it's not something I'd advocate, but it's still used within the industry. I know a lot of guys who use it - you put it under the eyelids and it has a tightening effect. It only lasts for a couple of hours, but it does the job."
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by the LIVE (on the East Coast - tape delayed & edited on the left coast) '61st Annual Tony Awards'.
NBC opens the night with a 2-hour 'Dateline', followed by a RERUN'Friday Night Lights', then a RERUN'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'.
ABC begins the night on the East Coast with a RERUN'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', followed by LIVE'NBA Basketball'. On the left coast, it's the game first, followed by some local crap, then the RERUN'Exteme Makeover: Home Edition'.
The CW offers a RERUN'7th Heaven', followed by a RERUN'Hidden Palms', then a RERUN'Supernatural'.
Faux has a RERUN'The War At Home', followed by a RERUN'King Of The Hill', then a RERUN'Simpsons', followed by the SERIES PREMIERE'The Loop', then a RERUN'Family Guy', followed by a FRESH'The Loop'.
MY has has the movie 'Jackie Chan's First Strike', followed by the movie 'The Deep End'.
A&E has 'Kansas City SWAT', 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', another 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', 'Gene Simmons', another 'Gene Simmons', still another 'Gene Simmons', and yet another 'Gene Simmons'.
AMC offers the movie 'Enter The Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story', followed by the movie 'Young Frankenstein', then the movie 'Young Frankenstein', again.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] Robin Hood - Ep 1 Will You Tolerate This?;
[1:00 PM] The Gil Mayo Mysteries - Episode 1;
[2:00 PM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 2 Orlando Bloom and Samantha Morton;
[3:00 PM] MI-5 - Ep 1 Thou Shalt Not Kill;
[4:00 PM] Four Weddings and a Funeral - Four Weddings and a Funeral;
[6:00 PM] Robin Hood - Ep 1 Will You Tolerate This?;
[7:00 PM] Robin Hood - Ep 2 Sheriff Got Your Tongue?;
[8:00 PM] GoldenEye - GoldenEye;
[10:30 PM] GoldenEye - GoldenEye;
[1:00 AM] MI-5 - Ep 1 Thou Shalt Not Kill;
[2:00 AM] Robin Hood - Ep 2 Sheriff Got Your Tongue?;
[3:00 AM] Creature Comforts - Episode 1;
[3:30 AM] Creature Comforts - Episode 2;
[4:00 AM] Creature Comforts - Episode 3;
[4:30 AM] Creature Comforts - Episode 4;
[5:00 AM] Creature Comforts - Episode 5;
[5:30 AM] Creature Comforts - Episode 6;
[6:00 AM] BBC World News - BBC World News. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has has all 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' all night.
Comedy Central has has the movie 'Money Talks', followed by the movie 'Napoleon Dynamite', then 'Brian Regan: Standing Up'.
FX has the movie 'I, Robot', followed by the movie 'The Italian Job', then 'The Shield'.
History has has 'Cities Of The Underworld', 'Last Days On Earth', and 'The Universe'.
IFC -
[06:00 AM] Shogun's Samurai: The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy;
[08:15 AM] The Killing Machine;
[09:45 AM] The Great Silence;
[11:35 AM] Shogun's Samurai: The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy;
[01:50 PM] The Killing Machine;
[03:20 PM] The Great Silence;
[05:10 PM] Shogun's Samurai: The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy;
[07:25 PM] Street Mobster;
[09:00 PM] Kill Bill Vol. 2;
[11:30 PM] Graveyard of Honor;
[01:10 AM] The Great Silence;
[03:00 AM] Kill Bill Vol. 2;
[05:25 AM] Graveyard of Honor. (ALL TIMES EDT)
SciFi has has the movie 'Saw', followed by the movie 'Final Destination 2'.
Sundance -
[04:00 AM] R-Point;
[06:00 AM] Koenig's Sphere;
[07:00 AM] Reach the Rock;
[08:00 AM] Look Both Ways;
[10:00 AM] Hammer & Tickle;
[12:00 PM] Piccadilly Jim;
[01:00 PM] Chuck D's Musicians Studio;
[02:00 PM] The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia;
[03:00 PM] Create;
[03:00 PM] Look Both Ways;
[05:00 PM] Create;
[05:00 PM] What Rats Won't Do;
[07:00 PM] In the Sun: Michael Stipe and Special Guests (Long Version);
[08:00 PM] Episode 5: All Blessed Secrets;
[09:00 PM] Chuck D's Musicians Studio;
[10:00 PM] Waterborne;
[11:00 PM] In Short: Pride 2;
[12:00 AM] The Heirloom;
[01:00 AM] The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia;
[02:00 AM] Episode 5: All Blessed Secrets;
[03:00 AM] Sonny;
[05:00 AM] Debbie Does Dallas: Uncovered. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Singer Jackson Browne, left, checks out the produce display at the Local Agricultural Community Exchange in Barre, Vt., while talking with shop owner Aerial Zevon, center, daughter of the late singer Warren Zevon, and U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, Saturday, June 9, 2007. Browne was in Barre to play two solo benefit concerts to support the market as it prepares for its grand opening on Sunday.
Photo by Craig Line
When best-selling author Stephen King started his writing career three decades ago, he had one goal: to blow minds.
"From the beginning, I saw writing as a fundamentally aggressive act," says the author, adding that his books are the literary equivalent of a heavy metal record. "I want you to be actively engaged. I don't care if you laugh, scream, cry, throw up, whatever - but I like to get a reaction."
King, who was in Toronto to collect a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Booksellers Association, made the comments to a packed theatre audience Friday evening.
Walking onto the stage to a rock star's reception, King responded to the boisterous applause with his trademark mix of humour and darkness.
Best-selling author Stephen King smiles after receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Booksellers Association in Toronto Friday, June 8, 2007.
Photo by Aaron Harris
Cindy Sheehan will sell her war protest site near resident Bush's ranch to a California radio talk show host, who will preserve it as a peace memorial and keep it open to protesters.
Sheehan, who announced on Memorial Day that she was stepping down as the face of the anti-war movement, will sell the 5-acre site in Crawford for $87,000 to Bree Walker, Sheehan spokeswoman Tiffany Burns said.
"I'm going to have native prairie grasses planted on the plot and create some kind of peace memorial that can include the names of fallen soldiers and injured soldiers," said Walker, who describes herself as "progressive."
Walker, a former TV news anchorwoman who hosts a weekend talk show on KTLK-AM in Los Angeles, planned to formally turn over a check for the property to Sheehan during her Saturday broadcast.
Little known musician Chris Jagger had been saying for years that his famous brother Mick would one day join him on stage. When it finally happened, the audience numbered about 40.
It happened late last month at the Bull's Head, a riverside pub in southwest London, and anyone who wants proof can see grainy footage on YouTube that someone captured on a cell phone.
Mick Jagger, 63, had been visiting his former wife Jerry and their children in nearby Richmond when he slipped into the pub wearing a purple sweater and joined Chris's Atcha! blues band.
In the impromptu performance, Chris, 59, plays guitar, and the brothers use a single microphone to sing "Dead Flowers," a track from the Stones' "Sticky Fingers" album.
Fans of Cole Porter have transformed the composer's childhood home into a museum and a bed and breakfast.
Several hundred people attended Friday's dedication of the two-story wood frame house where Porter was born in 1891 and lived for his first 10 years. He learned to play the piano and violin there, and it was where he composed his first song, a tune dedicated to his mother, Kate.
Over the decades, the house about 65 miles north of Indianapolis had fallen into disrepair and was even used as a methampethamine lab.
Singer Cyndi Lauper takes off her wig as she performs during the first annual True Colors Tour at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Friday, June 8, 2007. The nationwide tour was held to support equal rights organizations.
Photo by Jae C. Hong
Ordinary Bruneians have been celebrating in their own simple way during an elaborate two-week wedding ceremony for the daughter of Brunei's sultan, which reaches its climax on Sunday.
Princess Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah, 31, and new husband Pengiran Khairul Khalil, 32, will make a procession through the city after they appear before more than 2,000 guests at the 1,700-room palace of her father, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Hassanal, one of the world's longest-reigning monarchs and formerly rated as the world's richest man, will host a lavish banquet for the newlyweds and guests on Monday night.
At the same time, a parking lot in the centre of the city will fill with the smoke from barbecued meat and balloons will bob in children's hands as those not invited to the official celebration enjoy a night out.
A Eugene Delacroix drawing of one of his own paintings that hangs in the Louvre Museum has been returned to a Milwaukee gallery nearly two years after it was stolen.
A man walked into DeLind Gallery of Fine Art on Friday afternoon and said he found the drawing in the trash, gallery director Michael Goforth said.
The sepia drawing is called "Entry of the Crusaders Into Constantinople." Delacroix, a French romantic artist, drew the battle scene around 1840 as a study for a larger painting that hangs in the Louvre in Paris. The drawing was priced at $45,000 and had been owned by a private collector who gave it to the gallery on consignment.
After more than 200 years in the family, the gold-encrusted sword Napoleon carried into battle in Italy will be auctioned off Sunday, across the street from one of his imperial castles.
The intricately decorated blade is 32 inches long and curves gently - an inspiration Napoleon drew from his Egyptian campaign, auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat said.
"He noticed that the Arab swords, which were curved, were very effective in cutting off French heads" and ordered an imitation made upon his return, Osenat explained.
The last of Napoleon's swords in private hands, it has an estimated value of at least $1.6 million, according to the Osenat auction house managing the sale.
Musician Freddie Cole, brother of Nat King Cole waves to the audience during the all star tribute to Jazz legend Oscar Peterson at the Carnegie Hall, Friday, June 8, 2007 in New York.
Photo by Dima Gavrysh
The controversial author of books advocating an Islamic version of creationism claimed on Friday modern science had no monopoly on truth and insisted that his views were gaining ground.
In a bizarre news conference held aboard a luxury yacht off Istanbul's northern Bosphorus shores near the mouth of the Black Sea, Adnan Oktar, also known by his pen-name Harun Yahya, said the evils of the world were a direct result of Darwinism.
"Communism, fascism, and Freemasons stand on the tenets of Darwinism, and the world power of capitalism stands on the same ... Hitler and Mao were both Darwinists," said Oktar, immaculately dressed in an egg-shell white suit, necktie and sporting a trim beard and combed-back hair.
Actor and director Rob Reiner waives to the crowd before the interleague baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Angels Friday, June 8, 2007, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Photo by Tom Gannam
With strategically placed helmets and slogans painted on bare skin, scores of people shed their clothes and rode through this seaside resort on their bicycles Saturday to promote cycling as an environmentally friendly mode of transport.
"It is time more motorists stripped off their armor plating and moved around more gently on this earth," said Duncan Blinkhorn, 45, one of the event's organizers.
More than 200 cyclists in various stages of undress took part in the World Naked Bike Ride in Brighton and Hove, sister cities on the southern coast of England, to promote cycling.
Similar events took place Friday in the cities of Manchester, York and Southhampton, and were expected in other countries, too.
Bolivian President Evo Morales (C) holds a baby vicuna during a local festival of camelids in Ulla Ulla 202km (125 miles) northwest of La Paz, June 8, 2007.
Photo by Jose Lirauz
A leading German weather forecaster lost her composure and called herself stupid on air when a technician mistakenly broadcast out-takes of her pre-recorded forecast.
"Man, what's going on? Am I stupid, or what?" ARD public television's Claudia Kleinert shouted and then banged her hands on her head after telling more than a million startled viewers that clouds would be coming from both the east and west.
The network quickly switched to an advertisement and then her report resumed as if nothing had happened.
Two months and three days old white tiger cub Gullu is photographed at Chhatbir zoo in the northern Indian state of Punjab June 9, 2007. Gullu was rejected by its mother Shanti at birth but now has started taking liquids, the attendant said.
Photo by Ajay Verma
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