Recommended Reading
from Bruce
SANDY BANKS: In a time of need, schools rally to the rescue (latimes.com)
In an era when extended families are scattered, neighbors hardly know one another and churches tend toward the large and impersonal, school is the new community.
Meghan Daum: Why aren't women happy? Who knows? (latimes.com)
Angelina Jolie's Oscar-winning, hot-looking existence is as good a reason as any.
Jennifer Reese: "One Part Creativity: Zero Parts Recipe" (slate.com)
Can just using ratios really teach me to be a better cook?
Emily Bazelon: Friends Without Money (slate.com)
How the recession is wrecking friendships across the land.
Gretchen Rubin: Practice a NON-Random Act of Kindness (slate.com)
On the other hand, a friend told me a wonderful story about a non-random act of kindness she'd performed. On April 15 a few years ago, she was standing in a post office crowded with people who needed to mail their tax returns. There was a huge line in front of the one machine that dispensed stamps. When my friend's turn finally came, instead of buying the minimum number of stamps, she bought $20 worth. Then she went along the line of people behind her, handing each person as many stamps as needed, until she ran out.
Gerardo Orlando: A Chat with Peter Nygård (bullz-eye.com)
On his hands-on approach to business: "I'm there leading the way. I've done every part of it, whether it is carrying fertilizer on my back to sweeping the floors, to every aspect of business. No one can tell me about any part of the job that I really don't know about or haven't done myself."
The practical feminist (guardian.co.uk)
Helen Gurley Brown's three decades as editor of 'Cosmopolitan' made her a hero for working-class women, says Jennifer Scanlon.
MARION SAUVEBOIS: "Malcolm Gladwell: The future of the media" (independent.co.uk)
'One day, I'll write a really nerdy book'... but until then, Malcolm Gladwell will be the rock star of non-fiction. As he embarks on a British tour, the author talks to David Usborne about plane crashes, Gordon Brown - and why Obama's election was a true tipping poin .
Hardeep Phull: The unstoppable Jack White machine (timesonline.co.uk)
With a new band on the go, a record label and a White Stripes reissue to keep him busy, does White ever slow down?
Rene Rodriguez: "Luis Guzman: The man behind that familiar face" (McClatchy Newspapers)
What's the biggest difference between a character actor and a leading man? "About 15 to 20 million dollars," says veteran actor Luis Guzman. "And a private jet."
The Weekly Poll
The 'Talking Heads' Edition (No, not the band, ya weirdo...)
Which TV network do you view the most for national/international news?
(Feel free to cite individual programs/personalities that you particularly like)
1.) CNN
2.) MS-NBC
3.) FNC
4.) ABC
5.) CBS
6.) PBS
Send your response to
Results Tuesday
said:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Meet the Black Squirrel
Hi there!
Here is a possible mid-week link for you!
You have probably seen the grey. You may even have encountered or at least heard of the red. However, have you ever seen a black squirrel? Take a look at this small but dark beasty of the forest. Oh, and they are really, really cute.
Reader Comment
Digital Conversion
Hi Marty,
Well, here I am at the other end of the country, and am having the same problems with my digital TV! I suspect the picture might be better if one had a new TV, but why should I have to go out and pay $400 to receive what has here-to-for been FREE!! With the God-awful new system:
Did they eliminate the too-frequent commercials?
Did the FCC speak up (good-for-nothing bastards) to prevent this alteration of our TV reception in any way?
Did they make it "easy" to convert?
Does American really need any more jerks walking around with "better reception" cell phones or text jockey's?
Are commercial enterprises such at cell phone companies, satellite companies, and other money grubbers, who are enticing people to buy that which they can't afford, profiting here?
(Answers, NO, NO, NO, and YES!!!)
That's right, just park people in front of their TV's watching mindless shows all day and night so they become even less politically aware - mind candy for the already mindless is the name of the game.
Oh, and Marty, if you still use a VCR as I do, you can no longer set the VCR on one channel and then watch another - that's gone too! Last night I recorded an hour of a mosaic-pictured show (that's what the picture now does with interference). I dare someone to tell me THAT'S a better picture!! And, on the news last night showed the, 'rush' on TV sales at a local retailer by folks who couldn't deal with the box.
Your ripping-mad reader,
Sally P :!
PS: I bet the landfills are crying this morning, because they are overflowing with TV's that were perfectly good yesterday, before were deemed useless by the government's great wisdom - giving to big business with one hand, punching to poor with the other!
Thanks, Sally!
Day 2 is a bit better but...
The antenna seems to be the key.
All the local transmitters are up on Mt. Wilson, so it should just be aim the antenna north.
But because the signal is on a much higher frequenty, and the waves are elliptical to circular, as opposted to angular, the coverage isn't as thorough.
Re-scanning will delete channels you received a minute ago if anything walks, drives or flys by, among other things.
And, since there is no one & perfect place to align the antenna, if I change the channel I have to move the antenna.
Kinda defeats the purpose of the remote if I have to get up and move the freaking antenna every time I change channels.
OTOH, the sub-carriers are crammed with more infomercials. How lovely for the so-called broadcasters.
They can't fill the prime-time schedule as it is and now they have more channels to fill? With more infomercials.
What a brilliant use of bandwidth.
Public interest, convenience & necessity my ass.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast til late afternoon.
Winners Announced
Key Art Awards
"The Dark Knight" has taken eight Key Art Awards, including best theatrical poster and best TV spot, in the annual competition to honour the best in movie promotions in all mediums.
The awards show was held Friday night at the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
"WALL-E" trailed "Knight" with seven awards while Warner Bros., Disney and Paramount each took 10 awards. Sony won eight.
Sam Raimi, who directed "Spider-Man," "The Quick and the Dead" and "The Evil Dead," accepted the Visionary Award for inspiring movie marketers to create high quality work.
Key Art Awards
New Hollywood Digs
Madame Tussauds
Clint Eastwood has holed up on Hollywood Boulevard waiting for John Wayne and busloads of visitors to join him, as Madame Tussauds prepares to open its latest wax museum in the tourist mecca this summer.
The $55 million complex, featuring more than 100 celebrity waxworks spread across three floors, is the biggest attraction to join the teeming thoroughfare in years.
It also represents the latest attempt to restore some glamour to the faded area, whose 10 million annual visitors make it one of the world's busiest tourist attractions.
While Hollywood conjures up images of beautiful movie stars and fabulous wealth, the neighborhood itself offers an awkward mix of must-see sites like the Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theater juxtaposed with tawdry souvenir stores and costumed characters hustling tourists for money.
Madame Tussauds
Named UN City of Film
Bradford
The magic of the movies sparkles on sunny Hollywood, glamorous Cannes - and now, gritty Bradford.
The northern English city best known for rain, shuttered textile mills and inexpensive curry restaurants has been named the United Nations' first-ever City of Film.
Bradford received the designation this week from UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, after a campaign by local officials for recognition of the city's cinema heritage and plans to use film as part of urban regeneration plans.
There is no material benefit to the City of Film designation, but supporters hope the title will bring film industry business, tourists and a touch of celluloid stardust to the region.
Bradford
Tourism Hits Warp Speed
Vulcan, Alberta
Before hitching its fortunes to the Starship Enterprise, the southern Alberta town of Vulcan had dropped out of warp speed and appeared to be drifting into anonymity.
It wasn't far from being a ghost town, a place nobody - boldly or otherwise - appeared ready to visit.
The hotel on the main strip was boarded up, the top two floors condemned. Many other businesses in the town of 1,942 people were also shuttered.
Now, thanks to word of mouth from loyal Trekkers who keep coming back, ever-expanding attractions and a boost from actor Leonard Nimoy, the town is taking flight as a stand-alone tourist destination.
Vulcan, Alberta
RIAA Victim Gets 2nd Chance
Jammie Thomas-Rasset
The Minnesota woman who became the nation's only music file-sharing defendant so far to go to trial is getting a replay two years after losing the case.
Jammie Thomas-Rasset, a 32-year-old mother of four and self-described "huge music fan," will be armed with aggressive new lawyers when her retrial begins in federal court here Monday.
The lawsuit is among the last vestiges of an anti-piracy campaign that the recording industry ultimately dropped amid widespread criticism. The Recording Industry Association of America said in December it had stopped filing lawsuits like these and would work instead with Internet service providers to cut access to those it deems illegal file-sharers. But the recording industry plans to proceed with cases that are already filed.
Thomas-Rasset is the rare defendant who has fought back.
Jammie Thomas-Rasset
Tribune Whores Once Great Paper
Los Angeles Times
Vampires have taken over the Los Angeles Times.
Beneath the masthead of Friday print editions is a full front-page ad for the HBO's series "True Blood." A black-and-white close-up of star Stephen Moyer with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth dominates the page.
In news boxes around town, all that's visible is the close-up of actor's menacing gaze and the paper's banner splayed across the top. No other stories or photos appear on the cover, which is actually a separate four-page broadsheet touting Sunday's premiere of the show's second season.
Readers remove the wrap to find the regular front page, anchored by the Lakers' NBA Finals win over the Magic on Thursday night in Orlando. Times spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan says it's the first time the newspaper put its masthead above an advertisement wrapping the paper.
Los Angeles Times
Populations Plunge
Reindeer & Caribou
Reindeer and caribou numbers worldwide have plunged nearly 60 percent in the last three decades due to climate change and habitat disturbance caused by humans, a new study finds.
Global warming and industrial development are driving the dramatic decline, said Liv Vors, a Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta who did the study with university biologist Mark Boyce.
Reindeer and caribou are two names for the same species. "Generally speaking, caribou are the North American version and reindeer are European," Vors explained. Exact numbers for the creatures are not known, because not enough study has been done. But for those populations that have been studies, the average decline in numbers is 57 percent.
The results come from the first-ever comprehensive census analysis of this species, the researchers said. The findings are detailed in the Global Change Biology Journal. The decline raises serious concerns not only for the animals, but also for people living in northern latitudes who depend on the animals for their livelihood, the scientists say.
Reindeer & Caribou
We're Number 1!
Weapons Makers
Foreign governments looking to kick the tires of fighter jets and cargo planes at this week's air show in Paris will likely hear a clear message from U.S. defense contractors: We need your business now more than ever.
With the United States looking to cut defense costs and rethinking the way it fights wars, many defense companies are looking for international buyers to take the big, pricey weapons that the Pentagon no longer wants or needs fewer of. U.S. contractors are chasing some lucrative deals, but could also face some legal and political hurdles as they hawk weapons overseas.
Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. are competing to sell fighter planes to countries such as India and Brazil. Boeing is trying to spark international interest in its C-17 cargo plane. Middle Eastern nations fearful of threats from Iran are bulking up on missile defense equipment from Lockheed and Raytheon Co.
Globalization is nothing new for many U.S. industries, which often use overseas operations and sales to tap into fast-growing areas like China and as a hedge against domestic downturns. Some of the nation's biggest manufacturers, companies like Caterpillar and General Electric, make more than half of their sales overseas.
"Weapons could be the single biggest U.S. export item over the next 10 years," said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute.
Weapons Makers
It Rots From The Head
NYPD
When undercover detectives busted Jose and Maximo Colon last year for selling cocaine at a seedy club in Queens, there was a glaring problem: The brothers hadn't done anything wrong.
"I sat in the jail and thought ... how could I prove this? What could I do?" Jose, 24, recalled in Spanish during a recent interview.
As he glanced around a holding cell, the answer came to him: Security cameras. Since then, a vindicating video from the club's cameras has spared the brothers a possible prison term, resulted in two officers' arrest and become the basis for a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.
The officers, who are due back in court June 26, have pleaded not guilty, and New York Police Department officials have downplayed their case.
But the drug corruption case isn't alone.
NYPD
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