TODAY!
Erin Hart
Wake up with
Erin Hart today and tomorrow (12 & 13 March), when she sits in for Jay Marvin on
Colorado's Progressive Talk, KKZN-AM 760 from 5am - 9am PDT (6am - 10am MDT | 7am - 11am CDT | 8am - noon EDT)
Listen online at www.am760.net and call 303-713-7600 to join the conversation.
You never know who might show up...
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Garrison Keillor: Disabilities and delusions
.... I read in The Washington Post about the wonderful deals that police in Montgomery County, Md., negotiated for themselves way back when, whereby after a few years on the force, if you twist your back reaching for a jelly doughnut and are no longer able to dash down dark alleys and leap picket fences while firing your revolver with deadly accuracy, you apply for disability and a committee of gentlemen who report to nobody whomsoever and whose deliberations are highly confidential award you $50,000 per year tax-free. And then, though disabled, you pass the physical and are hired as a security guard at John F. Kennedy High School...
Mark Morford: Have sex for free! (sfgate.com)
In times of brutal slump, where do you turn for something a bit less bleak?
Mike Osegueda: Ladysmith Black Mambazo shares a piece of South Africa (McClatchy Newspapers)
It's been more than 20 years since Paul Simon helped introduce the American mainstream to Ladysmith Black Mambazo on his "Graceland" album.
Jordan Levin: Girl Talk is all about the power of pop (McClatchy Newspapers)
Imagine listening to a whole bunch of the songs that you've heard on the radio, or at parties, or at clubs, or in your room, for the past 10 (or 20, or 30) years, all at once, ricocheting and popping up against each other in a manic sonic emotional mnemonic soup. Whup, there's the booty bounce with that guy in college and, ohhh, that song I listened to when we broke up, and yeah, there's the one that was always on the radio when we went out two years ago.
Tom Hundley: Answer to who's the most famous person depends on who, where you ask (Chicago Tribune)
Fame, because it tends to be fleeting and fickle, is hard to measure.
Nancy Durrant: "The V&A: talking 'bout my inspiration" (timesonline.co.uk)
As the V&A opens its new Theatre and Performance Galleries next week, leading figures in show business choose a favourite exhibit.
David Hiltbrand: Snarky host of 'Chelsea Lately' offers cheeky stand-up (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
For Chelsea Handler, it's always happy hour. In every sense.
Mike Steinberger: A Spoonful of Vino (slate.com)
Why are Americans obsessed with wine being good for you?
Will Harris: A Chat with David Wain, Director of "Role Models" and "Wet Hot American Summer" (bullz-eye.com)
Gene Simmons came to the premiere (of 'Role Models,') and I was caught up in the red carpet stuff, and I didn't get to meet him. Everyone was all on me, saying, 'Congratulations,' which was very nice, but I never got to meet the guy.
Cable girl: Hannah Montana makes me weep (guardian.co.uk)
Lucy Mangan on Hannah Montana.
Glenn Garvin: A politician's daughter celebrates Dad the actor (McClatchy Newspapers)
Awkward moments with your mom don't end with the chat about the birds and the bees, as Patti Davis has just discovered. After watching "Hellcats of the Navy," the submarine soap opera that's the only movie her parents Ronald and Nancy Reagan ever made together, Davis hesitantly approached her 87-year-old mother.
Luaine Lee: Second was good enough for Bianca Kajlich of 'Rules of Engagement' (McClatchy-Tribune News Service)
Actress Bianca Kajlich was down to $20 in her bank account and had spent the day riding the roller coaster at Magic Mountain. It was her way of saying goodbye to Hollywood and returning to her native Seattle to try some other field.
Everything is amazing, nobody is happy...
Did You Know?
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Wars and Rumors of Wars' Edition'...
President Obama, aka 'The Man', certainly has his hands full in the foreign affairs arena at the moment with the belligerent behavior shown by our fellow passengers on Spaceship Earth. Naughty, naughty, I'm sayin'... It's like, don't they realize he's trying to solve a world-wide financial crisis? Or what? Jeesh! That said, which one of these provocations is the most worrisome?
A. Russia's (the Putin Oligarch Soviet Republic) probing Canadian airspace in the Arctic with a long-range bomber coinciding with BHO's first official 'foreign' visit outside the US to Ottawa?
B. China's (Shylock and Landlord) playing 'tag, you're it' with an unarmed US Navy ship in the international waters of the South China Sea?
C. The 'Hive Collective' known as North Korea threatening a 'counter-strike' if their erstwhile 'satellite' long-range ballistic missile launch is interfered with. Yeah, like we want to limit their TV channels from two to their present one...
D. Iran's (R-Theocracy) hell-bent-for-leather pursuit of atomic weapons. Quit lying! Everyone knows you suffer from Israeli penis-envy...
E. Israel's (R-Rethug) trying to bully the US into letting them remake Iran into a glass covered nuclear iridescent parking lot?
This bullshit is getting tiresome, don't ya think?
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to
Who's tombstone reads "I Had A Lover's Quarrel With The World"?
answered:
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and on the cool side.
Tours Gaza
Alice Walker
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker says a catastrophe has befallen the Gaza Strip and that she hopes she and others can help President Barack Obama "see what we see."
Walker, the U.S. author best known for her novel "The Color Purple," toured Gaza this week, including an area destroyed in Israel's recent war on the territory's Islamic militant Hamas rulers.
Several neighborhoods along Gaza's border with Israel were leveled by Israeli forces during the three-week offensive, which ended Jan. 18. Israel says Hamas is to blame for the destruction because its fighters used civilians as shields and operated from crowded areas. About 15,000 houses were destroyed or damaged, displacing thousands of Gazans.
Walker said her decision to visit Gaza, along with members of the U.S. anti-war group Code Pink, was spurred by the recent death of an older sister. She said she felt a connection to Gazans who lost loved ones in the war.
Alice Walker
Cramer Scheduled Tonight
Jon Stewart
They've been zinging each other from afar through the TV screen. Now CNBC's Jim Cramer and Comedy Central's Jon Stewart will go face to face.
Cramer is booked to visit Stewart on "The Daily Show" Thursday.
The "Mad Money" host has swung back at Stewart following a brutal segment on "The Daily Show" last week where CNBC personalities were hung by their own words - tapes of predictions on the stock market that proved hideously wrong in retrospect. While couched in laughter, Stewart's media criticism made the point that some of those who cover Wall Street share blame for the economic disaster.
Jon Stewart
AP Countersues
Shepard Fairey
The Associated Press countersued an artist Wednesday over his famous poster of Barack Obama, saying the image's uncredited, uncompensated use of an AP photo violated copyright laws and signaled a threat to journalism.
The artist, Shepard Fairey, sued the not-for-profit news cooperative last month over his artwork, titled "Obama Hope" and "Obama Progress," arguing that he didn't violate copyright law because he dramatically changed the image.
The artwork, based on an April 2006 picture taken for the AP by Mannie Garcia, was a popular image during the presidential campaign.
According to the AP lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan, Fairey knowingly "misappropriated The AP's rights in that image." The suit, which also names several companies Fairey uses to market his work, asks the court to award AP profits made off the image and damages.
Shepard Fairey
Engraving Hidden In Watch
Abraham Lincoln
For nearly 150 years, a story has circulated about a hidden Civil War message engraved inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch. On Tuesday, museum curators confirmed it was true. A watchmaker used tiny tools to carefully pry open the antique watch at the National Museum of American History, and a descendant of the engraver read aloud the message from a metal plate underneath the watch face.
"Jonathan Dillon April 13 - 1861," part of the inscription reads, "Fort Sumpter (sic) was attacked by the rebels on the above date." Another part reads, "Thank God we have a government."
The words were etched in tiny cursive handwriting and filled the the space between tiny screws and gears that jutted through the metal plate. A magnifying glass was required to read them.
Jonathan Dillon, then a watchmaker on Pennsylvania Avenue, had Lincoln's watch in his hands when he heard the first shots of the Civil War had been fired in South Carolina. The Irish immigrant later recalled being the only Union sympathizer working at the shop in a divided Washington.
Abraham Lincoln
Bizet's Carmen - In Mapudungun
Maria Pasten Curilen
A Chilean Mapuche Indian has recorded an aria from French composer Georges Bizet's opera Carmen in her native tongue, mapudungun, in a bid to preserve a culture whose traditions are disappearing.
Opera student Maria Pasten Curilen, 25, hopes that her version of the aria 'Habanera', translated into mapudungun from the original French, will help rekindle interest among young fellow Mapuche Indians in their own heritage.
The Mapuche, whose name means "people of the earth" in their own language, fiercely resisted the Conquistadors in the 16th century and held on to their bastion in south-central Chile during colonial times.
Pasten's recording can be heard on the Web site of the municipality of Cerro Navia (www.cerronavia.com) in the capital Santiago, which is home to around 10,000 Mapuche.
Maria Pasten Curilen
Biter Removes Name From Kids Choice Awards
Chris Brown
There won't be any awkward Chris Brown moment at the Kids' Choice Awards - the embattled pop star has withdrawn his name from the ballot. Brown had been nominated for favorite male singer and favorite song for "Kiss Kiss" at the March 28 awards show on Nickelodeon. The nominations came shortly before his arrest for allegedly attacking girlfriend and fellow pop star Rihanna.
A petition had been circulated to take his name off the ballot, but Nickelodeon said on Tuesday he would remain on it. But with the backlash against him still strong, on Wednesday, Brown decided to take his name out of consideration.
On Wednesday, the network said in a statement that it agrees with and respects his decision to bow out.
Brown was charged with two felonies last week for allegedly attacking Rihanna on Feb. 8, hours before both stars were to appear at the Grammys. Both stars bowed out and he was arrested later that evening.
Chris Brown
Announces Layoffs
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit producer of "Sesame Street" and other kids' programs, says it's cutting 20 percent of its work force because of the recession.
The company says it's eliminating 67 of 355 staff positions.
Best known as the home of such characters as Big Bird and Elmo, Sesame Workshop was founded in 1968 and debuted "Sesame Street" a year later. That series, which remains on the air, grew into a production empire including TV, books and online programing.
Sesame Workshop
Rare Guitar To Auction
Roy Rogers
A rare guitar owned by singing cowboy and actor Roy Rogers is hitting the auction block next month, the first of its kind ever to be offered at auction, Christie's said on Wednesday.
The C.F. Martin OM-45 Deluxe guitar is one of only 15 made by the Nazareth, Pennsylvania, company founded by a German immigrant in the 1830s.
Only 14 were believed to have been manufactured in 1930 but recent research brought to light a 15th, owned by Rogers since 1933 and the very first one produced.
The auction house expects the OM (Orchestra Model) guitar, last played by Rogers and in its original, unrestored state, to sell for $150,000 to $250,000 when it is offered along with three more of Rogers's guitars on April 3.
Roy Rogers
Popeye's Favorite Food
Spinach
Police with the New Mexico Motor Transportation Division found 1,200 pounds of pot packed in cans labeled as spinach during a stop at the Gallup port of entry. An inspector noticed that only a few of the cans were labeled and that the weight printed on the side of the can didn't match the actual weight. A closer look during last Friday's bust revealed the canned drugs, which were worth an estimated $1.5 million.
The four pallets of cans were being transported along with fresh produce.
The 50-year-old truck driver said he was on his way from California to the East Coast. The driver and the pot were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Spinach
New Photo Uncovered?
Abraham Lincoln
A collector believes a photograph from a private album of Civil War Gen. Ulysses S. Grant shows President Abraham Lincoln in front of the White House and could be the last image taken of him before he was assassinated in 1865.
If it is indeed Lincoln, it would be the only known photo of the 16th president in front of the executive mansion and a rare find, as only about 130 photos of him are known to exist. A copy of the image was provided to The Associated Press.
Grant's 38-year-old great-great-grandson, Ulysses S. Grant VI, had seen the picture before, but didn't examine it closely until late January. A tall figure in the distance caught his eye, although the man's facial features are obscured.
Although authenticating the 2 1/2-by-3 1/2-inch photo beyond a shadow of a doubt could be difficult, several historians who looked at it said the evidence supporting Morgan's claim is compelling and believable.
Abraham Lincoln
Another World
Jada Pinkett Smith
37-year-old actress-producer-musician Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband, Will Smith, opened the New Village Leadership Academy last fall. The private school, for pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, has 60 students, according to the Web site.
Pinkett Smith, who is set to star in and executive produce a new series on TNT, said she decided to open the elementary school after creating a home-school program for her children, 10-year-old Jaden and 8-year-old Willow.
The New Village Leadership Academy generated some controversy when it was first announced because it relies on instructional methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The school's director has said it isn't a Scientology facility.
Pinkett Smith said the school stresses "100 percent mastery," encouraging students to retake exams until they score 100 percent. The student body is ethnically and economically diverse, she said, "which is a very difficult thing to find in Los Angeles, Calif."
Jada Pinkett Smith
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of March 2-8. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:
1. "Burn Notice" (Thursday, 10 p.m.), USA, 4.44 million homes, 6094 million viewers.
2. "ICarly" (Saturday, 8 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 4.1 million homes, 6.29 million viewers.
3. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.92 million homes, 5.76 million viewers.
4. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.58 million homes, 5.25 million viewers.
5. "NCIS" (Monday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.42 million homes, 4.67 million viewers.
6. "NCIS" (Monday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.4 million homes, 4.5 million viewers.
7. "NCIS" (Tuesday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.37 million homes, 4.27 million viewers.
8. "Hannah Montana" (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.), Disney, 3.13 million homes, 4.24 million viewers.
9. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.067 million homes, 3.96 million viewers.
10. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.06 million homes, 3.85 million viewers.
11. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.05 million homes, 3.73 million viewers.
12. "ICarly" (Sunday, 11 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.99 million homes, 4.06 million viewers.
13. "The O'Reilly Factor" (Thursday, 8 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 2.93 million homes, 3.95 million viewers.
14. "True Jackson, VP" (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.91 million homes, 4.4 million viewers.
15. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 10:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.88 million homes, 4.01 million viewers.
Ratings
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
