Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Henry Rollins: "Comfort Cold as Dead: Osama bin Laden Meets His Demise" (Vanity Fair)
It was President Bush who said of Bin Laden, "I just don't spend that much time on him, to be honest with you." It was obvious that he was telling the truth. Bush had the most powerful military force and capable intelligence agencies at his command and a lot of years to get it done, but he couldn't or wouldn't. One thing is for sure-he didn't.
Mark Morford: Osama Bin Laden Saves America (SF Gate)
I'm hereby delighted to report that many on the hard right, that fantastically insane cluster of hyperclenched beerchuggers who fully believe that Obama is a not only a Muslim, but also a Nazi commie socialist Mexican immigrant robot with lasers for eyes and molten pacifism for blood, do not actually believe Osama bin Laden is dead.
Froma Harrop: Osama Gone, But Not Terrorism (Creators Syndicate)
Of course, we're celebrating. And of course, they're threatening retaliation. Osama bin Laden is dead, and with him died as much twisted malice as can be found in a man who would send jetliners into office buildings.
Mary McNamara: Osama bin Laden's death galvanizes Sunday night television (Los Angeles Times)
For the first, and possibly last, time in history, Sunday night owned television.
Ash Atalla: Barack Obama has the last laugh (Guardian)
The president takes his revenge on Donald Trump in a brilliant standup routine.
Jim Hightower: TRUMP SHOWS WHAT HE'S MADE OF
The Donald says he's still not convinced that Obama's birth certificate is legit. "I want to look at it," he sniffs, thus showing all of America what he's made of: silly putty. Not quite the stuff for the White House, much less Mount Rushmore.
Jack Hough: 8 Ways to Buy More Happiness (Wall Street Journal)
If money can buy health and leisure and banish worry and toil, why is the effect of money on happiness so weak in studies? Simple: Most people are bad at spending, according to a paper published this month in the 'Journal of Consumer Psychology.'
Robert Powell: 2 Key Strategies to Boost Your Retirement Savings (Wall Street Journal)
It's National Retirement Planning Week. Who knew? Well, oddly enough, not even many of those who work in the industry had a clue. But that's OK. In honor of this week - sponsored by an industry coalition - here's a look at two items to put on your to-think and to-do list.
Stephen Enniss: Ted Hughes, archives and alligators (London Times)
How - and why - writers' papers end up in British and American libraries.
Susan King: Fatherhood, a treasured Cary Grant role (Los Angeles Times)
Only daughter Jennifer Grant has filled a book with memories. Over lunch, she recalls a girlhood of school day rituals and dude-ranch getaways.
Sam Sacks: "Second Glance: Astonish Us" (Open Letters Monthly)
A worthy appreciation of Pauline Kael has to dive right into things: for nearly forty years she was the best film critic in America.
'Django Unchained': Quentin Tarantino's Spaghetti Western Script Finished (huffingtonpost.com)
Quentin Tarantino is coming back home to America -- and entering one of the darkest times in its history -- for his next major film.
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."
wrote:
answered:
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Comment
Once Again, Little Ricky
BadtotheboneBob
North Korea
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Hotter and drier.
New Voting-Age Majority
Americans 45 & Older
For the first time, Americans 45 and older make up a majority of the voting-age population, giving older Americans wider influence in elections as the U.S. stands divided over curtailing Medicare and other benefits for seniors.
Along with the information about the growing influence of older adults, preliminary census estimates also show a decline in the number of married couples with children, slight growth in household size and a rapid rise in the number of Mexicans.
The findings, based on the latest publicly available government data, offer a preview of trends that will be detailed in the next round of 2010 census results being released this month that focus on age, household relationships and racial subgroups.
As a whole, the numbers point to a rapidly graying nation driven largely by the nation's 78 million baby boomers, who are now between the ages of 46 and 65 and looking ahead to retirement.
Currently, there are roughly 119 million people 45 and older who make up 51 percent of the voting-age population, with Americans 55 and older representing a large bulk of that group. The new majority share is up from 46 percent in 2000 and 42 percent in 1990.
Americans 45 & Older
Columbia Journalism Award
Al Jazeera
Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera's English service will be awarded the highest honor of New York's Columbia School of Journalism for its coverage of unrest in the Middle East, the university said on Wednesday.
The Columbia Journalism Award honors "singular journalism in the public interest." The Columbia School of Journalism is also home to the Pulitzer Prize Board, which annually honors journalism, books, drama and poetry.
Al Jazeera, not carried in most U.S. cable and satellite television markets, has a reputation for being anti-American and has also come under fire from Arab countries since its inception in 1996.
But Al Jazeera English has now won wide praise for its on-the-spot reporting and context about the protests throughout the Middle East.
Al Jazeera
Launches Scholarship Program
Matthew Lesko
TV infomercial star Matthew Lesko is making a Maryland community college the launch pad for a scholarship program funded by Social Security payments people don't need.
Lesko, whose known for wearing a suit covered in question marks, says he'll make three, $1,000 donations Wednesday at Frederick Community College to what he calls the "'I Don't Need My Government Money' Scholarship Fund."
Lesko says he makes enough money to live comfortably without a $2,400 monthly Social Security check. He's asking other wealthy people who get Social Security benefits to consider making similar donations to help community college students in financial need.
A spokeswoman for Lesko's Rockville, Md.-based company, Information USA, says it aims to establish scholarship funds at community colleges nationwide.
Matthew Lesko
Charity Album Raises $5 Million
"Songs for Japan"
A charity album featuring hits from the likes of Lady Gaga, Bob Dylan and Madonna has raised $5 million for the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the record labels involved said on Wednesday.
The album "Songs For Japan," a collaboration between the world's biggest record companies, was released a month ago and has been on sale in digital format and as a two-disc CD set. It was available from March 25 on iTunes and from April 4 as a CD.
Organizers said the Japanese Red Cross Society last month received $2 million on behalf of featured artists, songwriters, labels, publishers and iTunes, who waived their royalties and proceeds. A further payment of $3 million was made on Monday. More than 500,000 copies of the album have been sold so far in all formats. Songs For Japan featured 38 hits and classic songs, including "Imagine" by John Lennon, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John and "Pray" by Justin Bieber.
"Songs for Japan"
Wins Spain's Asturias Arts Award
Riccardo Muti
Italian conductor and music director Riccardo Muti has been named winner of Spain's Prince of Asturias arts award for 2011.
The Prince of Asturias Foundation said Wednesday that Muti was "one of the best classical music directors in the world" and highlighted "the passion and virtuosity with which he has conducted the most prestigious orchestras."
Muti also won the $1 million Birgit Nilsson Prize earlier this year.
Eight Asturias prizes are awarded each year covering the arts, human rights, sciences and sports.
Riccardo Muti
Baby News
Monroe and Moroccan Scott Cannon
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have revealed the names they've picked out for their newborn boy and girl: Moroccan and Monroe.
The couple chose to name their son Moroccan Scott Cannon after the Moroccan-inspired decor of the top tier of Carey's New York City apartment. The so-called Moroccan Room is also where Cannon proposed. They picked the middle name Scott since it's both Cannon's middle name as well as his grandmother's maiden name.
The couple named their daughter Monroe Cannon after Marilyn Monroe, who has inspired Carey. Unlike her brother, Monroe doesn't have a middle name because Carey doesn't have one either.
Carey and Cannon's twins were delivered Saturday in Los Angeles. The pair got married in 2007 after a whirlwind romance.
Monroe and Moroccan Scott Cannon
Wedding News
Osmond -Craig
Marie Osmond married her first husband a second time in Las Vegas on Wednesday, more than 25 years after they divorced.
The 51-year-old entertainer tied the knot with Stephen Craig, 54, during a private ceremony at the Las Vegas Mormon Temple, wearing the same dress that she wore first time around, according to People magazine.
They originally married in 1982 and divorced in 1985.
She had one son with Craig, and seven children with her second husband, Brian Blosil. That marriage ended in 2007 after almost 20 years.
Osmond -Craig
Hospital News
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Ailing Hollywood actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was back in the hospital on Wednesday with pneumonia, her spokesman told Reuters.
Gabor, 94, was taken by ambulance to a Los Angeles hospital after having problems with her breathing at home, publicist John Blanchette said.
Gabor has been in and out of the hospital for almost a year after breaking her hip in a fall at her Bel Air home in July. Her leg was partially amputated in January because of a gangrene infection. She was also treated for pneumonia in February.
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Indy 500 Pace Car Protest
T-rump
There's a Dump The Donald movement afoot at the Indy 500.
Race organizers selected real estate mogul Donald Trump as this year's celebrity pace car driver a month ago. Since then, the potential Republican presidential candidate has created a stir by questioning whether President Obama was born outside the U.S. and whether he was qualified to attend the Ivy League schools he did.
Race fans, local citizens and an Indiana state lawmaker want to force Trump out of his next celebrity apprenticeship: driving the pace car May 29 just before the 100th annual race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"To me, when they first named Donald Trump, it just felt wrong," said Michael Wallack, who started a Facebook page in hopes of firing Trump. "He has no relationship to the track, to the race, to racing, to Indianapolis, and I think I would have been bothered anytime with something like that. But to do that on the 100th anniversary, it made no sense. ... Then when he started going off on the birther stuff, that prompted me to do more and that's when I started the page."
T-rump
Boosts Poker Series Airtime
ESPN
ESPN is boosting coverage of the World Series of Poker less than one month after backing away from two online poker companies considered heavily influential in the industry.
The cable network was to announce Wednesday that it planned 34 hours of semi-live television coverage for the series' no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event on ESPN2 and ESPN, on a 30-minute tape delay with hole cards shown.
The announcement comes after the network said it was moving away from deals with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, online poker companies whose executives face allegations of bank fraud and money laundering. ESPN said those moves didn't affect plans for the series, owned by Caesars Entertainment Corp.
The move is also significant because poker isn't normally aired live or near-live with hole cards shown.
ESPN
Code Name Offensive But Not Surprising
Geronimo
Geronimo was known as a legendary Apache warrior whose ability to walk without leaving footprints allowed him to evade thousands of Mexican and U.S. soldiers, much like Osama bin Laden evaded capture for the past decade.
But for Native Americans, there's an important difference: Geronimo was a hero - not a terrorist.
So to them, the U.S. military's use of the revered leader's moniker as a code name for bin Laden was appalling - a slap in the face that prompted statements of disapproval from tribal leaders, a flurry of angry comments on social network sites and a letter from the leader of Geronimo's tribe asking President Barack Obama to apologize.
Many Native Americans also say that while they are angered, they are not surprised. They say the code name is yet another insult in a long, tumultuous history with the federal government.
"We've been oppressed for so long, it just doesn't matter anymore," said Leon Curley, a Navajo and Marine veteran from Gallup, N.M. "The government does what it wants when it wants. The name calling is going to stay around forever. But when you think about it, this is an insult."
Geronimo
Ex-Sheen 'Goddess'
Rachel Oberlin
A former porn star from Fort Wayne who recently has become known as one of actor Charlie Sheen's "goddesses" has had her driver's license suspended for 90 days after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge in her hometown.
A judge on Tuesday also sentenced 24-year-old Rachel Oberlin to a year on probation. She was arrested Feb. 3 after police say she crashed into a light pole and didn't adequately participate in a breath test.
The Journal Gazette reports Oberlin and her attorney quickly left the courtroom after the hearing and didn't comment. Attorney Randy Fisher said last week that Oberlin had recently split with Sheen.
Rachel Oberlin
Profit Misses
News Corp
News Corp (NWSA.O) posted lower-than-expected profits on a weaker movie box office than a year ago and struggling newspapers, which were partly offset by strong performance at its cable and broadcast television business.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, which owns broadcaster Fox and publishes newspapers including the Wall Street Journal and the UK's News of the World, said operating net profit fell to 26 cents before adjusting for one-time charges from 29 cents.
News Corp's filmed entertainment operating income fell by 50 percent to $248 million, compared with the quarter a year ago due to 3D movie Avatar.
Publishing operating profits also dropped significantly to $36 million due to a $125 million charge at its marketing service business and primarily due to advertising revenue declines at Australian and UK newspapers.
Operating income at its U.S. cable networks -- including FX, National Geographic and Fox Sports -- rose by 22 percent, while operating profit at its international networks -- including Star TV and Fox Deportes was up by 34 percent.
News Corp
Joins Company Once Known As Blackwater
Ashcroft
Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft is joining the security firm once known as Blackwater.
Investment group USTC Holdings, LLC, said Wednesday that Ashcroft is serving as an independent director for Moyock, N.C.-based Xe (ZEE) Services.
The director positions were created in December when USTC purchased Xe. The private company became famous as Blackwater, which provided guards and services to the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The company has been trying to rehabilitate its image since a 2007 shooting in Baghdad that killed 17 people, outraged the Iraqi government and led to federal charges against several Blackwater guards.
Ashcroft
Most Say 'No' To Palin or Trump In 2012
US Voters
Nearly 60 percent of Americans would never support a Republican presidential bid by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin or real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump, according to a new poll on Wednesday.
Trump, who has been testing the waters for a possible 2012 run for the Republican presidential nomination, has said he would announce something before June -- after his reality TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice," ends its season on May 22.
Palin was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and is keeping her supporters guessing on whether she will run.
The Quinnipiac University poll of 1,408 voters found that about half would consider or be enthusiastic about backing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney or former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in the November 2012 election.
"Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are in the best shape. Sarah Palin and Donald Trump suffer from the reality that, as our mothers told us, 'You never get a second chance to make a first impression,'" said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
US Voters
Company Man
Canadian Bishop
A Canadian Roman Catholic bishop pleaded guilty Wednesday to importing child pornography, prompting the Vatican to say it, too, would impose disciplinary measures.
Bishop Raymond Lahey, 70, entered the plea in an Ottawa courtroom - a rare case of high ranking Canadian Church official facing charges over sexual misconduct.
The Vatican said Wednesday that with Lahey's criminal trial now over, the church will now impose its own disciplinary or penal measures against him.
It wasn't clear what punishment Lahey could face from the Vatican: Prelates who sexually abuse minors can be defrocked; lesser punishments include being forbidden from celebrating Mass publicly.
Canadian Bishop
Considers Himself Sex-Tape "Trailblazer"
Rob Lowe
Hollywood star Rob Lowe is grateful for the leaked tape that showed him having sex with two women more than 20 years ago, and playfully wishes he could share in the profits of other celebrity sex videos.
The 1988 scandal -- one of the partners was 16 -- is touched on in the family man's new memoir, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography."
Lowe told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday it "was one of the best things that ever happened to me."
The fallout from the video prompted the former high-flying Hollywood "Brat Packer" to take stock of his life and enter rehab for sex and alcohol addiction.
Rob Lowe
Simon Cowell On Top
UK Music
"The X Factor" and former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell jumped to number 6 in the British music rich list in 2011 after his fortune hit 200 million pounds ($330 million), Britain's Sunday Times newspaper said on Thursday.
That was a 35 million pound rise on 2010, when he was 11th in the annual rankings published by the newspaper, and took him above Elton John and Mick Jagger whose fortunes were estimated at 195 million and 190 million pounds respectively.
Cowell, also a music producer with an entertainment company called Syco, has signed a new deal with Britain's ITV channel and is preparing to launch "The X Factor" in the United States. But he was still some way behind his arch-rival Simon Fuller, creator of the talent TV "Idol" franchise, who ranked 5th in 2011 with personal wealth of 375 million pounds.
British-based record executive Clive Calder, who sold Zomba Records in 2002, took over at the top of the music rich list with 1.3 billion pounds, unchanged on the amount in 2010.
UK Music
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of April 25-May 1. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:
1. "Presidential Speech: Bin Laden Dead" (Sunday, 11:35 p.m.), CNN, 6.52 million homes, 9.9 million viewers.
2. "Bin Laden Dead" (Sunday, 11 p.m.), CNN, 5.06 million homes, 7.04 million viewers.
3. "Pawn Stars" (Monday, 10:30 p.m.), History, 4.8 million homes, 6.63 million viewers.
4. "Pawn Stars" (Monday, 10 p.m.), History, 4.56 million homes, 6.36 million viewers.
5. NFL Draft (Thursday, 8 p.m.), ESPN, 4.39 million homes, 6 million viewers.
6. NBA Playoffs: New Orleans vs. L.A. Lakers (Tuesday, 10:46 p.m.), TNT, 4.18 million homes, 5.83 million viewers.
7. "Law & Order: CI" (Sunday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.94 million homes, 5.1 million viewers.
8. "Bin Laden Dead" (Sunday, 12 a.m.), CNN, 3.82 million homes, 5.3 million viewers.
9. "Special Report: Bin Laden Death" (Sunday, 11:35 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.71 million homes, 5.19 million viewers.
10. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.52 million homes, 5.17 million viewers.
11. "Special Report: Bin Laden Death" (Sunday, 11:45 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.442 million homes, 4.77 million viewers.
11. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.442 million homes, 5.22 million viewers.
13. "Special Report: Bin Laden Death" (Sunday, 11 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.36 million homes, 4.65 million viewers.
14. NBA Playoffs: Denver vs. Oklahoma City (Wednesday, 9:41 p.m.), TNT, 3.31 million homes, 4.26 million viewers.
15. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.18 million homes, 4.37 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Jackie Cooper
Actor Jackie Cooper, the former child star who enjoyed renewed fame years later as Daily Planet editor Perry White in the Christopher Reeve "Superman" movies, has died near Los Angeles, his attorney said on Wednesday. He was 88.
Cooper died on Tuesday at a convalescent home in the coastal city of Santa Monica. "He just kinda died of old age," attorney Roger Licht told Reuters. "He wore out."
He rose to fame as a prominent cast member of Hal Roach's "Our Gang" short comedy films, appearing in such notable releases as "Teacher's Pet" and "Love Business."
Cooper holds the record as the youngest actor to receive an Oscar nomination for his title role, at age 9, in the 1931 film "Skippy," an adaptation of the comic strip about a lively youngster.
Later that year, he co-starred in "The Champ" as the innocent son of a washed-up boxer played by Wallace Beery.
After a stint as a television executive during the 1960s and as a TV director during the 1970s, Cooper won over a new generation of fans playing grizzled newspaperman Perry White in the 1978 film "Superman" and its three sequels.
He co-wrote his memoirs, "Please Don't Shoot My Dog," in 1981. He was married three times, and is survived by two of his four children.
Jackie Cooper
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
