Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Tom Tomorrow: Language is Virus (Cartoon)
Click the cartoon to make it bigger.
Paul Krugman's Blog: Gullibility (New York Times)
It has been quite a spectacle watching most of the punditocracy go into a swoon over Paul Ryan and his plan, then - once a few of us pointed out what was actually in the plan (and equally important, what wasn't) - watch some of them try to climb down without quite admitting that they had been taken for a ride.
Paul Krugman's Blog: Ryan's Five-Point Plan (New York Times)
I just did a taping for 'All Things Considered' with Douglas Holtz-Eakin, and more or less on the spur of the moment came up with a simple description of the Ryan budget plan. Basically, the plan has five points - except that only two of those points are real, while the other three are fake.
Paul Krugman's Blog: Bad Financial Reporting 101 (New York Times)
But my point isn't so much that I'm right and others are wrong. It is that we're seeing a mere theory, not at all the only plausible explanation of the data, reported as a fact.
Aditya Chakrabortty: Iceland broke the rules and got away with it (Guardian)
Now Ireland and Portugal wish they too had got tough with the markets.
Mark Morford: Smells like Utah, tastes like Holland (SF Gate)
And then it came to pass that they almost shut down the entire U.S. government over -- what was it again? -- condoms and pap smears and those ever-horrifying, omnivorous vaginas? Right.
Jim Hightower: EMPLOYEE PAYCHECKS ARE SOARING!
The barista-in-chief at Starbucks, for example, poured $21 million into his cup. The big cheese at Disney Inc. snapped up $28 million for his year at the helm of the Mickey Mouse empire. Black & Decker's top tool got $32 million. But the richest haul of all was made by the honcho of the media giant, Viacom - he reeled in $84 million.
Andrew Tobias: JOB CREATORS
How is it conceivable that Apple and Fed Ex and Starbucks were founded - and created all those jobs - when tax rates were high? Why did Steve Jobs and the others even bother? Why would anyone start a new business, or hire a new worker, knowing that a slice of every additional $1 million in profits will get taxed away? What's the point? Why even get up in the morning? It defies everything the Republicans insist is true.
Froma Harrop: As American Culture Hurtles Into Decline (Creators Syndicate)
America's tailspin toward the cultural abyss has gained speed with an ad featuring single-mother celebrity Bristol Palin. Bloggers unfriendly to her mother, conservative entrepreneur Sarah Palin, have bashed a charity for paying Bristol $262,500 to warn against teen pregnancy while doling a pitiful $35,000 to social organizations that actually deal with its problems.
Homa Khaleeli: I escaped from Auschwitz (Guardian)
Kazimierz Piechowski is one of just 144 prisoners to have broken out of the notorious Nazi camp and survive. Today aged 91, he tells his extraordinary story.
VIRGINIA POSTREL: The Fantasy of Survivalism (Wall Street Journal)
After a distant disaster like the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, people have two reactions, both rooted in identification with the victims. The first is, How can I help? The second is, How can I keep this from happening to me?
JOE QUEENAN: The Incredible Shrinking Everything (Wall Street Journal)
I'm constantly reading that manufacturers are surreptitiously shrinking the size of their products as a sneaky way to avoid raising prices. So some half-gallon containers of orange juice now hold 59 ounces, not 64. And many bags of sugar are now 4 pounds, not 5. Though I have not actually gone out and measured them, I suspect that many foot-long subs now log in at a demure 10 inches.
David Bruce has 41 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $41 you can buy 10,250 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
BadtotheboneBob
Yellowstone Supervolcano
From the 'This Can't be a Good Thing' File'...
Yellowstone supervolcano fed by bigger plume
The underground volcanic plume at Yellowstone in the US may be bigger than previously thought, according to a new study by geologists. The volcanic hotspot below Yellowstone feeds the hot springs, mud pots and geysers that bring millions of visitors to the US national park each year. But the Yellowstone "supervolcano" has erupted violently in the distant past and could do so again at some point... The most recent full-scale eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano ejected some 1,000 cubic km (240 cubic miles) of hot ash and rock into the atmosphere...
BBC News - Yellowstone supervolcano fed by bigger plume
Holy Frijoles! I remember reading somewhere that if this thing blows it would make the Mount St. Helens eruption seem like a popcorn fart... or some such thing... Egad!
BadtotheboneBob
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Cloudy and cool.
Named People's Most Beautiful
Jennifer Lopez
People magazine is naming Jennifer Lopez the World's Most Beautiful Woman.
The singer, actress and "American Idol" judge tops the magazine's annual list of "the World's Most Beautiful" in a special double issue.
Lopez is joined on this honor roll by such lovelies as Halle (HA'-lee) Berry, Jennifer Garner and Beyonce (bee-AHN'-say) Knowles.
Commenting on her lofty title, the 41-year-old Lopez says, "I feel happy and proud. Proud that I'm not 25!"
Jennifer Lopez
Says She's Channeling Alexander McQueen
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga says she did not write her latest hit song, "Born This Way," but rather the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen did so when he channeled it through her from beyond the grave.
Gaga told Harper's Bazaar magazine that McQueen, who committed suicide by hanging on February 11, 2010, "planned the whole thing: Right after he died, I wrote 'Born This Way.' I think he's up in heaven with fashion strings in his hands, marionetting away, planning this whole thing.'"
When the singer's label decided to release the "Born This Way" single on the exact one-year anniversary of McQueen's death, Gaga said it confirmed her belief that the British designer was working through her.
McQueen, 40, and Gaga were close friends. The singer wore his iconic lobster-claw shoes in her "Bad Romance" music video and paid emotional tribute to him in a performance at the Brit Awards in London a week after his death.
Lady Gaga
Returning To Broadway
'Hair'
"American Idiot" is giving way to "Hair."
The Public Theater said Wednesday that the national tour of the classic hippie musical will return to Broadway for about 10 weeks this summer. It will take over the theater where the punk-driven musical "American Idiot" is being performed when that show closes.
"Hair" is about young Americans searching for love and peace during the Vietnam era. It won the 2009 Tony Award for best revival and played more than 500 performances before closing in June.
When it returns, the cast will be a mix of 2009 company members, actors who joined the London production and those from the tour.
'Hair'
Hospital News
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has been treated for bipolar disorder after the stress of husband Michael Douglas's battle with advanced throat cancer, her representative said on Wednesday.
"After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her Bipolar II Disorder," the actress's publicist Cece Yorke said in a statement.
"She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films," the statement said.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Target Of Hoax
GE
General Electric Co, embroiled in controversy over its low 2010 U.S. tax bill, was the target of a bogus press release claiming that it would donate billions of dollars to the federal government.
The official-looking release, complete with the GE logo and slogan "imagination at work", said that GE would send its $3.2 billion (1.97 billion pound) tax refund from 2010 back to Washington.
The Yes Men, an activist group known for issuing hoax statements claiming major attitude changes in corporate America, said it sent the release in an e-mail to media outlets on Wednesday.
GE shares slipped after at least two news organizations, the Associated Press and Dow Jones, reported the hoax as fact.
GE
Warner Bros. Loses Litigation Again
'Superman'
A judge has rejected Warner Bros.' attempts to pry open secret documents that purportedly show an agreement between the estates of "Superman" co-creators Joel Shuster and Jerry Siegel not to make further copyright deals with the studio.
The documents are said to also contain a formula for how the two estates will share proceeds on "Superman" once they successfully terminate Warner's rights to the lucrative franchise.
The two estates has been fighting with Warner Bros. for more than a decade over "Superman" rights and profits, sending notices in the mail in 1999 that purported to exercise termination rights under the 1976 Copyright Act. The heirs filed suit in 2004 that sought a declaration that they had successfully terminated rights to the first "Superman" comic book published by Detective Comics in 1938, which contains much of the famous mythology of the Man of Steel. In 2008, on summary judgment, a judge granted that wish.
Recently, Warner Bros. has been doing whatever it can to hold onto its stake in Superman.
'Superman'
Australia Military Shoots Down Tribute Album
"The Diggers"
The Australian arm of Warner Music has been forced to drop an upcoming album project intended to celebrate the nation's war heroes after its title ran afoul of the country's armed services.
The album, "The Diggers," was to be recorded by three serving soldiers in tribute to their fellow defense force personnel and veterans. Its release was to coincide with Anzac Day on April 25, the national day of remembrance for the country's fallen servicemen and women.
However the Australian Army put the kibosh on the project, into which Warner Music had already tipped an estimated US$1.6 million, according to label sources. The army didn't so much dispute the concept, but rather the use of the name "Digger," a colloquial expression which has its origins in the First World War's trench battlefields where many Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought and lost their lives.
The 14-track project was based on Warner Bros.' multi-platinum 2009 U.K. project, "The Soldiers," which raised almost $1.6 million for charities. Proceeds for the Australian project were to benefit Legacy, a support organization for Australian defense force families.
"The Diggers"
Case Against Manager Dismissed
Lou Reed
Lou Reed's manager will not be prosecuted on a harassment claim stemming from a bizarre squabble with a consultant over money.
Manager Tom Sarig received notice from the Manhattan District Attorney's office Wednesday. He had been arrested after consultant Adrian Smith went to police, but Smith was later charged with harassment in the same dispute. A message left with Smith was not returned. His case remains open.
Smith told police that Sarig threatened to kill him after he tried to get $11,500 he said was owed to him for helping find the "Walk on the Wild Side" singer a new personal assistant. Smith was already paid in full before he spoke to police.
Sarig told police that Smith harassed him and his client.
Lou Reed
Paraphernalia Charge Dropped
Montel Williams
A judge dismissed a drug paraphernalia possession charge against former talk show host Montel Williams, who was briefly detained at a Milwaukee airport in January after a search of his luggage turned up the type of pipe commonly used for smoking marijuana.
Williams, who says he legally uses marijuana to treat chronic pain caused by multiple sclerosis, was scheduled to stand trial in May on the charge. But a Milwaukee County judge dismissed the case Tuesday at the district attorney's request after the pipe tested negative for the drug, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
"We concluded that this case was not provable," Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said.
Williams lives in New York but is participating in experimental treatment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said he forgot the pipe was in his bag, and apologized for inconveniencing the airport security agents, deputies and court system. Williams said he is thankful that he can put the episode behind him.
Montel Williams
Judge Orders New DNA Test
Don Francisco
Spanish TV host Mario Kreutzberger isn't done yet with a paternity case in Chile.
A DNA test had found no link between the "Sabado Gigante" host known as Don Francisco and a Chilean man claiming to be his son.
But according to the Chilean man's lawyer, a judge has agreed to retest the blood sample. The decision comes after prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into a lab technician's claims that he was offered a bribe to change the result.
Attorney Pedro Mirando announced the judge's decision Wednesday, and said he would appeal. Rather than retest the original sample, he wants Kreutzberger to give more blood for testing.
Don Francisco
Fails Sell At Auction
Pink Diamond
A more than 10 carat purplish-pink diamond expected to fetch up to $15 million failed to sell at Christie's Magnificent Jewels auction on Tuesday which took in a total of $31.8 million.
"We were disappointed that the 10-carat purple-pink diamond did not find a buyer, (but) top-quality white, blue, pink and yellow diamonds fared very well," said Christie's head of jewelry in New York, Radul Kadakia.
He added that a Fancy Vivid blue diamond sold for $3.67 million, or more than $1 million per carat which exceeded it high estimate.
Five jewels topped the $1 million mark. Christie's said the sale saw heavy competition among both trade buyers and private collectors for colorless diamonds, large gemstones and signed jewels.
But the 10.09 carat Fancy Vivid cushion-cut was expected to be the sale's highlight, with prices for large pink diamonds, the most expensive colored diamonds on the market, having skyrocketed in recent years. Fewer than 10 percent of all pink diamonds mined weigh more than .20 carats.
Pink Diamond
In Memory
Sidney Harman
Audio equipment millionaire Sidney Harman, who bought Newsweek magazine last year and oversaw its merger with The Daily Beast, has died in Washington. He was 92.
Harman died Tuesday night of complications from leukemia, according to a family statement posted on The Daily Beast website. He learned of his illness about a month ago.
Harman is the founder of Harman International Industries, which was based in Washington for years. A planned 2007 sale of the company for about $8 billion was scuttled during turmoil in the credit markets.
Now, the parent company of numerous electronics brands, such as Harman Kardon, JBL and Infinity, and GPS products is based in Stamford, Conn. Harman retired in 2008 but continued to serve as chairman emeritus.
In the Newsweek deal, Harman paid The Washington Post Co. $1 for the money-losing newsweekly, and the Post Co. agreed to cover up to $10 million of the magazine's debt.
Three months later, Harman's negotiations helped install veteran editor Tina Brown as Newsweek's editor-in-chief to lead its merger with The Daily Beast. Harman said the merger provided an "ideal combination of established journalism authority and bright, bristling website savvy."
Harman was a philanthropist, arts patron and familiar face in Washington's social scene. He rarely missed the annual Kennedy Center Honors gala. He was married to former California Rep. Jane Harman, who recently left Congress to lead the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
In 2007, Harman gave nearly $20 million to build a new home for Washington's popular Shakespeare Theatre Company. The theater with an ultramodern glass facade and dark mahogany auditorium is named in his honor as the Harman Center for the Arts.
He was active and physically fit into his 90s, friends said. He and Jane Harman led family vacations with their children and grandchildren and kept a home near Los Angeles.
Harman was born in Montreal in 1918 and moved with his family to New York. He made his fortune in the 1950s as an audio pioneer.
In 1977, he joined President Jimmy Carter's administration as deputy secretary in the Commerce Department.
Sidney Harman
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