Garrison Keillor: In one word, what America desperately needs
America desperately needs a woman president. I thought that in church Sunday as we sang, "Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you," a gorgeous hymn with a chorus of Alleluias, and the altos around me sounded like my old aunts, and the teenage acolytes, both girls, stood up so straight and solemn, holding candles, as a woman priest read the Gospel. … I am fond of Bernie, being 77 and retro myself, but I tell you: a man our age belongs in a glass case; he is fighting the battles of yesteryear.
Jessica Goodheart: INCOME GROWTH SLOWED ACROSS THE US UNDER DONALD TRUMP (Newsweek)
New analysis of government data shows that, since Donald Trump took office, inflation-adjusted income growth has slowed significantly across the U.S. All but two states saw a decline in growth of real median household income under Trump - including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Florida, four states widely regarded as the key electoral battlegrounds that will likely determine the 2020 presidential election.
"Ben" is a song written by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name (the sequel to the 1971 killer rat film Willard). It was performed in the film by Lee Montgomery and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the U.S. pop chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 20 song for 1972. It also reached number one on the Australian pop chart, spending eight weeks at the top spot. The song also later reached a peak of number seven on the British pop chart.
"Ben" won a Golden Globe for Best Song. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1973, losing to "The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern from The Poseidon Adventure; Jackson performed the song in front of a live audience at the ceremony. The song was Jackson's first U.S. #1 solo hit.
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Cal in Vermont wrote:
Ben. I liked to refer to Pope Benedict the Umpteenth as Pope Benny The Rat.
Alan J answered:
Ben.
Dave responded:
Ben. Since I never watched either the movie "Ben" or the earlier related "Willard" because I didn't think I'd be entertained by a movie starring killer rats, I didn't know that a child actor sang the song during the film, or that MJ only sang his version at the closing credits. The 14 year old Jackson was still a member of the Jackson 5 at the time, and he wouldn't leave the group for another 12 years, although MJ's solo albums were far more successful than the fading family group's later efforts.
Micki replied:
Ben.
zorch wrote:
Ben, a terribly tender song about a rat.
Dave in Tucson replied:
Michael Jackson's love song to a rat was "Ben".
Ben was a sequel to a movie about a rat named Willard. Draw your own political conclusions.
John I from Hawai`i says,
Ben
Michelle in AZ wrote:
Ben
Jim from CA, retired to ID, said:
Ben the rat
Rosemary in Columbus responded:
Ben
mj answered:
If that didn't tip people off
That that child needed help, I don't know what would have. The song was
Ben, title track to the sequel to Willard, in which Ben's friend
Socrates bought the big cheese. (Legend (perhaps apocryphal) is that the
latter movie derives it's title from building on the Penn State campus.)
Daniel in The City responded:
I think the name is "Ben." There were a couple revenge fantasy movies with rats; the other was "Willard"
Deborah replied:
I'm going with "Willard," the movie about a pet rat that turned evil. Pet rats are generally very sweet, smart and affectionate. They learn their names, some commands, and go back into their cage to do their business. I never watched "Willard" or "Jaws" for that matter. There's enough scary shit out there in the real world without watching fiction.
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Info: Melodies: Composer: Marek Tworz, producer: Robert Kanaan.
Price: 3 PLN (Polish Zloty) for song; 3 PLN (Polish Zloty) is approximately $0.76 (USD).
21 PLN (Polish Zloty) for 12-track album; 21 PLN (Polish Zloty) is approximately $5.31 (USD).
• In 2008, New Zealand bus driver Nomeneta Tuaitau, a Samoan father of two, found a wallet with over $500 in it. He tracked down the owner and returned the wallet and money, and he declined to accept a reward, saying, "I have my family, and I have enough money. I've worked as a bus driver for three years, and I enjoy it because I can serve the public." The wallet's owner, an English tourist named David Procter, was happy to receive the wallet and the money, especially since he needed the money to do a good deed of his own while visiting Auckland. Mr. Procter said, "I came here on an emergency trip to help an old friend. He is totally blind and deaf and had hit a few hard times. When I got here, he had been made homeless. But we've now found him a place to live - he's back on his feet, and he can rebuild his life. It has been a successful trip, and without Nomeneta's help it would have been really difficult for me to do this." Mr. Procter said about Mr. Nomeneta, "This act is heroic. Nomeneta didn't just hand the wallet in as lost property. He took the time to make sure I was okay, and [he] didn't want any reward." Mr. Procter loves New Zealand and says, "Escaping the English winter is one reason, but I also love the space, the scenery, and the Kiwi attitude to life. If I was 20 years younger, I would have moved here."
• Rabbi Shimon was once asked to address a gathering of rich men, but he agreed only on condition that he be lent 50,000 rubles the day before his address, to be repaid the day after his address. Because Rabbi Shimon was known to be an honest man, this condition was readily agreed to. When Rabbi Shimon gave his address, he spoke eloquently on the evils of the love of money, and many rich men in the audience felt compelled to improve their ways of doing business. The day after his address, Rabbi Shimon, as he had promised, repaid the 50,000 rubles. The people who had lent him the money noticed that the Rabbi was returning the same bills that he had been lent, and they wondered why he had borrowed the money since he had not used it to buy anything. Rabbi Shimon explained that he had borrowed the money because poor people were often intimidated by rich people, but because of the 50,000 rubles he had borrowed, he did not feel poor and so was able to criticize the sins of the rich people in the audience.
• People sin, but they can repent. For example, someone stole a hammer decades ago from Central Contractors Supply Co. in western Pennsylvania. Eventually, the thief repented and sent an envelope containing money and a note to the owners - the Gramling family - of the supply store. The note stated that the writer had stolen a hammer from the family-owned supply store 25 or 30 years ago. The note also stated, "I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway. Enclosed is $45 to cover the hammer plus a little extra for interest. I'm sorry I stole it, but have changed my ways." Lots of things have been stolen from the store over the decades, said co-owner Lynne Gramling, but this was the first time that a thief paid for what was stolen. She took the money to her father, also a co-owner of the store. He was ringing a bell for the Salvation Army, and she put the money in his kettle. She said that the money was "really a lot more than a hammer would cost. He was very generous."
CBS opens the night with a RERUN'Young Sheldon', followed by a RERUN'The Unicorn', then a RERUN'Mom', followed by a RERUN'Carol's Second Act', then a FRESH'Tommy'.
Scheduled on a FRESHStephen Colbert are John Turturro and KALEO.
Scheduled on a FRESHJames Corden, OBE, are Alison Brie, Will Forte, and Doug Smith.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH'Superstore', followed by a FRESH'Brooklyn Nine-Nine', then a FRESH'Will & Grace', followed by a FRESH'Indebted', then a FRESH'L&O: SVU'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are John Mulaney and Bad Bunny.
Scheduled on a FRESHSeth Meyers are Elisabeth Moss, Richard E. Grant, Mt. Joy, and Michel'Le Baptiste.
Scheduled on a FRESHLilly Singh is Retta.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH'Station 19', followed by a FRESH'Grey's Anatomy', then a FRESH'A Million Little Things'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Mark Wahlberg, Storm Reid, and Goody Grace featuring blink-182.
The CW offers a FRESH'Katy Keene', followed by a FRESH'Legacies'.
Faux has a FRESH'Last Man Standing', followed by a FRESH'Outmatched', then a FRESH'Deputy'.
MY recycles an old 'L&O: CI', followed by another old 'L&O: CI'.
A&E has 'The First 48', followed by a FRESH'The First 48', then a FRESH'Live PD: Wanted', then a FRESH'60 Days In'.
AMC offers the movie 'The Karate Kid, Part II', followed by the movie 'Titanic'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] ATTENBOROUGH AND THE GIANT ELEPHANT
[7:00AM] WILD SINGAPORE - Hidden World
[8:00AM] WILD SINGAPORE - Urban Wild
[9:00AM] WILD SINGAPORE - Islands
[10:00AM] WILD SINGAPORE - Forest Life
[11:00AM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - Ocean of Islands
[12:00PM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - Castaways
[1:00PM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - Endless Blue
[2:00PM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - Ocean of Volcanoes
[3:00PM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - Strange Islands
[4:00PM] PLANET EARTH: DYNASTIES - Tiger
[5:00PM] PLANET EARTH: DYNASTIES - Painted Wolf
[6:00PM] PLANET EARTH: DYNASTIES - Emperor Penguin
[7:00PM] PLANET EARTH: DYNASTIES - Chimpanzee
[8:00PM] PLANET EARTH: THE MAKING OF DYNASTIES - The Making of Dynasties
[9:00PM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Antarctica
[10:30PM] PLANET EARTH: DYNASTIES - Tiger
[11:30PM] PLANET EARTH: DYNASTIES - Painted Wolf
[12:30AM] SEVEN WORLDS, ONE PLANET - Antarctica
[3:00AM] PLANET EARTH: DYNASTIES - Chimpanzee
[4:00AM] PLANET EARTH: THE MAKING OF DYNASTIES - The Making of Dynasties
[5:00AM] PLANET EARTH: THE MAKING OF DYNASTIES - The Making of Dynasties (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Below Deck Sailing Yacht', 'Project Runway', followed by a FRESH'Project Runway', then a FRESH'Watch What Happens: Live'.
FX has the movie 'The Fate Of The Furious', followed by the movie 'The Fate Of The Furious', again.
History has 'Swamp People', another 'Swamp People', followed by a FRESH'Swamp People', and another 'Swamp People'.
IFC -
[6:00A] The Three Stooges - Beer Barrel Polecats
[6:15A] The Three Stooges - Woman Haters
[6:45A] The Poseidon Adventure
[9:15A] Predator 2
[11:45A] Redemption
[2:00P] Gladiator
[5:30P] Watchmen
[9:00P] Old School
[11:00P] Old School
[1:00A] Here Comes the Boom
[3:30A] Year of the Rabbit - Brick Man
[4:03A] The Poseidon Adventure (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[6:35am] The Andy Griffith Show
[7:10am] The Andy Griffith Show
[7:45am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:20am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:55am] The Andy Griffith Show
[9:30am] The Color Purple
[1:00pm] Law & Order
[2:00pm] Law & Order
[3:00pm] Law & Order
[4:00pm] Law & Order
[5:00pm] Law & Order
[6:00pm] Law & Order
[7:00pm] Law & Order
[8:00pm] Law & Order
[9:00pm] Law & Order
[10:00pm] Law & Order
[11:00pm] Law & Order
[12:00am] Law & Order
[1:00am] Law & Order
[2:00am] Road to Perdition
[4:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[5:05am] The Andy Griffith Show
[5:40am] The Andy Griffith Show (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Star Trek Beyond', followed by the movie 'King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword'.
Twitter lit up on Wednesday with journalists bashing ABC News for suspending veteran correspondent David Wright over private comments he made earlier this month while being surreptitiously recorded by the right-wing group Project Veritas.
In a video released Wednesday by Project Veritas, which is infamous for its attempts to infiltrate the media through undercover operations, Wright is heard criticizing ABC News and other cable news networks over their coverage of President Donald Trump (R-Grifter) and the 2020 election cycle.
Wright made the comments to Project Veritas affiliates, who had presented themselves as documentary filmmakers and secretly recorded him, according to a source familiar with the matter. The exchange was reportedly recorded earlier this month while Wright was in New Hampshire covering the state's primary.
Wright, who joined ABC News as a correspondent in 2000, also accused the network, which is owned by Disney, of engaging in too much self-promotion.
"You can't watch 'Good Morning America' without there being a Disney princess or a Marvel Avenger appearing," Wright is heard saying in the video. "It's all self-promotional ... as opposed to the kind of dedication to the story and a commitment to telling stories that we need to tell that are maybe hard to tell."
In his ever-so-subtle way, American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy revealed some new castings for the upcoming 10th season of the FX anthology series Wednesday on Instagram.
In a moody, cloud-shrouded video set to the song "Dead of Night" by Orville Peck (watch it below), Murphy announced Macaulay Culkin is among the new cast members. He joins AHS veterans Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters, who are returning for Season 10 after missing the ninth installment, along with Kathy Bates, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Adina Porter, Lily Rabe, Angelica Ross and Finn Wittrock.
Paulson sat out American Horror Story: 1984 as she was busy with Ryan Murphy's Netflix series Ratched as well as FX's limited series Mrs. America.
In January, Disney-owned FX renewed the series for three more seasons, through season 13.
Each season has explored a different horror theme and setting, ranging from a haunted house, insane asylum, witches coven and traveling freak show to a hotel with a dark and murderous history. Creators Murphy and Brad Falchuk have not yet divulged the theme or setting for Season 10 but in an interview with Deadline last year, Murphy teased a few ideas. He admitted that he was keen to bring back some "fan-favorite" actors and admitted flirting with aliens and space. "I think that at the heart of it, it's always about Americana," he added.
Apple products have made prominent appearances in some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. But if filmmakers want to use the iPhone on the silver screen, they have to abide by Apple's product placement rules. Rian Johnson, director of the Oscar-nominated Knives Out, revealed the lengths to which Apple goes to manage the image of its best-selling iPhones in an interview with Vanity Fair.
"I don't know if I should say this or not," Johnson said. "Apple ... they let you use iPhones in movies but -- and this is very pivotal if you're ever watching a mystery movie -- bad guys cannot have iPhones on camera."
Apple products are known to dominate product placement in Hollywood movies, and have made appearances in a plethora of popular TV shows and films including Sex and the City, Mission Impossible" and more recently in flagship Apple TV Plus series, The Morning Show starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.
Apple, which was among the first companies in the world to be valued at $1 trillion, is reported to rely heavily on free product placement in movies or to pay for it in kind rather than exchanging money. It's a topic the company has famously been hush-hush about. But perhaps the details of its stringent requirements aren't as well known.
"Oh no, every single filmmaker that has a bad guy in their movie that's supposed to be a secret wants to murder me right now," Johnson said.
The Smithsonian Institution is releasing a whopping 2.8 million high-res, two- and three-dimensional images from its collections to a new Open Access online platform. The material comes from all 19 Smithsonian museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives and the National Zoo, and it's available for free to anyone with a web browser.
The Smithsonian is encouraging the public to view, use and reuse the content however they see fit. The collection is listed under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, which removes previous restrictions and copyrights, and it includes everything from portraits of Ida B. Wells to images of Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega 5B, 3D models of the miniscule, like the Eulaema bee, and models of the gargantuan, like Cassiopeia A supernova remnant.
The material represents almost two centuries of scientific data, and the Smithsonian says this is just the beginning. Throughout the rest of 2020, it will be adding another 200,00 images, with more to come as it digitizes the 155 million items in its collection.
"The sheer scale of this interdisciplinary dataset is astonishing," Simon Tanner, an expert in digital cultural heritage at King's College London and an advisor for the Open Access Initiative, told Smithsonian Magazine. "It opens up a much wider scope of content that crosses science and culture, space and time, in a way that no other collection out there has done, or could possibly even do. This is a staggering contribution to human knowledge."
Google persuaded a federal appeals court on Wednesday to reject claims that YouTube illegally censors conservative content.
In a 3-0 decision that could apply to platforms such as Facebook, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Seattle found that YouTube was not a public forum subject to First Amendment scrutiny by judges.
It upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against Google and YouTube by Prager University, a conservative nonprofit run by radio talk show host Dennis Prager.
PragerU claimed that YouTube's opposition to its political views led it to tag dozens of videos on such topics as abortion, gun rights, Islam and terrorism for its "Restricted Mode" setting, and block third parties from advertising on the videos.
Writing for the appeals court, however, Circuit Judge Margaret McKeown said YouTube was a private forum despite its "ubiquity" and public accessibility, and hosting videos did not make it a "state actor" for purposes of the First Amendment.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (R-Profiteer) on Wednesday declined to promise that a coronavirus vaccine would be affordable for all Americans.
"We would want to ensure that we work to make it affordable, but we can't control that price because we need the private sector to invest," Azar told members of Congress during a hearing concerning the coronavirus outbreak and the administration's budget request. "Price controls won't get us there."
Democrats and other critics quickly condemned Azar.
"Secretary Azar is refusing to promise that a Coronavirus vaccine will be affordable to every American. Kick them out of office," Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, tweeted Wednesday evening.
The progressive group Center for American Progress tweeted, "This is a global health crisis, and everyone should have the right to medication that will help protect them from this virus."
In the early 1990s, the population of Bend was around 25,000 and leaned Republican. A lumber mill operated in the Oregon high-desert town along the banks of a scenic river.
Today, the lumber mill is an REI outdoor recreation store. The population has quadrupled. And for the first time in memory, the number of registered Democrats in Deschutes County recently eclipsed the number of Republicans.
The transformation shows how demographic shifts and the GOP's tack further to the right are helping push the party into a nosedive along the West Coast.
The last Republican presidential candidate that California went for was George H.W. Bush. For both Oregon and Washington, it was Ronald Reagan. Now, Republicans are struggling to hold seats in Congress, statehouses and city councils up and down the coast.
Political districts have flipped in population centers, from San Diego in the south to Seattle in the north.
Of all the volcanic eruptions to shake our planet in the last 2 million years, the Toba super-eruption in India was one of the most colossal. But it may not have been the global catastrophe we once thought it was.
The massive eruption happened roughly 74,000 years ago, spewing roughly 1,000 times as much rock as the 1980 eruption of Mt St Helens. For a while there, some thought the fall-out was so extreme, it triggered a decade-long "volcanic winter" and a millenia-long glacial period.
This so-called Toba catastrophe theory left the global human population with just a few thousand survivors. Except, that's probably an exaggeration.
In recent times, archaeological evidence in Asia and Africa has suggested that while the eruption was indeed tremendous, the consequences were not so apocalyptic after all, and it certainly didn't leave humans on the brink of extinction.
Now, an ancient and "unchanging" stone tool industry, uncovered at Dhaba in northern India, suggests instead that humans have been present in the Middle Son Valley for roughly 80,000 years, both before and after the Toba eruption.
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