Froma Harrop: Yes, Let Government Control Medical Costs (Creators Syndicate)
"Centralizers," a conservative wrote disapprovingly in Reason magazine, "say that the responsibility for making tough decisions about how to keep health care costs under control ought to be made by enlightened, well-intentioned policy elites."
Jim Hightower: A FED UP VOTER'S GROUP STANDS UP
Seventeenth century play wright William Congreve must have been a seer, for he wrote that even in hell, there is "no fury like a woman scorned." Apparently, he foresaw the tempest now roaring out of the League of Women Voters.
Mark Morford: Michele Bachmann, hell's Barbie (SF Gate)
Meanwhile, while you were sleeping, while you were allowing your attention to wander to issues more pressing, heartwarming and good, such as gay New Yorkers in love and goofy dogs running marathons, easily the most insane and wide-eyed squirrelmonkey pseudo-politician in your lifetime announced that she is hereby running for president of the United States.
Stanley Fish: Handicapping Huntsman (New York Times)
When I ran for the office of secretary of my freshman class at the University of Pennsylvania in 1955, my campaign manager was Jon Huntsman, father of Jon Huntsman, Jr., the former governor of Utah, former Ambassador to China and current candidate for the Republican nomination for the presidency. (I won and found, happily, that the office carried with it almost no responsibilities.)
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
In late December, 1942, the British loaned the US Navy an aircraft carrier, code-named USS Robin, for use in the Pacific. What was the ship's original name? (Bonus: Robin Who?)
USS Hornet was sunk and USS Enterprise was badly damaged at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. This left the United States Navy with only one fleet carrier, the USS Saratoga, operational in the Pacific. In late December, 1942, Victorious was loaned to the US Navy after an American plea for carrier reinforcement. During this time, she was code named (not renamed) as USS Robin, for signals purposes, derived from the character "Robin Hood". After a refit in the United States at the Norfolk Navy Yard in January 1943, Victorious passed through the Panama Canal to operate with the United States forces in the Pacific.
Victorious arrived at Pearl Harbor in March 1943 and was taken in hand for conversions for the operation of USN Wildcat and Avenger aircraft and the addition of more close range weaponry. She was ready for service by May and sailed with USS Saratoga for the south-west Pacific. Her role with Task Group 36.3 was to support US landing operations and provide defence against attacks by Japanese warships. The two aircraft carriers had Anglo-American aircrews, with air-cover provided by Victorious and strike aircraft by Saratoga. In August, 1943, Victorious and Saratoga provided air support for Allied forces during the invasion of New Georgia (Operation Cartwheel). In September 1943, Victorious returned to the naval base at Scapa Flow, arriving in mid-October.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
HMS Victorious, named Robin for Robin Hood
Jim from CA, retired to ID, wrote:
In late December, 1942, Victorious was loaned to the US Navy after an
American plea for carrier reinforcement. During this time, she was code
named (not renamed) as USS Robin, for signals purposes, derived from the
character "Robin Hood
Charlie replied:
HMS Victorious, It was named Robin for Robin Hood.
Sally said:
I don't have any reply for today's question, I try not to read anything about war... :(
PS: Happy, happy MAM. Hope you got my ecard yesterday, and that it was a good day for you!
Adam answered:
The "USS Robin" was actually a British carrier-the HMS Victorious (R38). It was never even really titled or re-named "USS Robin;" rather, it was code-named "Robin" for communication purposes, an intentional reference to the famous-or infamous-English outlaw Robin Hood.
For some really awesome WWII trickery, check this out:
bebo responded:
hood ?
BttbBob replied:
HMS Victorious... Which was never designated USS Robin, that being the 'nick name' given to it by US sailors, but 'Robin' was its radio code name. Robin, of course, refers to Robin Hood. She retained her British crew and flew the Union Jack, but transported American aircraft with its attendant flight crews and personnel. 'Robin's' career was short, but valuable, as the US only had one carrier available after the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Saratoga, the Hornet being sunk and the Enterprise severely damaged. She filled the gap until some Essex-class carriers could be finished and rushed to the west pacific. Before the loan, The Victorious was involved in the sinking of the German battleship, Bismarck and afterwards, the Tirpitz. She later returned to the Pacific and supported the invasion of Okinawa as... the HMS Victorious...
USS Robin - The Victorious U.S. Carrier that Didn't Exist » Armchair General
MAM wrote:
British carrier-the HMS Victorious (R38). It was code-named "Robin" for communication purposes, an intentional reference to the famous-or infamous-English outlaw Robin Hood. She was under the command of Captain L. D. MacIntosh, Royal Navy. Her ship's crew was British, but her aircrew and aircraft were American. No one involved had any illusions that she wouldn't be identified as the Victorious by enemy pilots, so she proudly flew her British Jack throughout her time with the US Navy. She was on loan to the US Navy 1942 - 1943.
HMS Victorious (R38) ~ code named USS Robin
For years we've been told that caffeinated coffee was bad for us. ( Yeah, yeah...) It's unhealthy and addictive, doctors warned. ( Ho Hum...) But as vindication for all who stuck by their energizing elixir, ( Like Me! ) a new study shows that guzzling caffeinated coffee ( Like Me! ) may actually be good for our brains.
( Really? Fancy that! )
In fact, it may help keep Alzheimer's at bay... (Well!... Whadda ya know! Take that all you coffee nazis! )
BadtotheboneBob (as he sips a freshly brewed - and strong - cup of Sumatra... his favorite, dontcha know.)
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Coffee is not my beverage of choice.
I can cont the number of cups of coffee I've drunk in my life on a fist.
And that includes anything mocha, cappuccino, espresso, frappuccino, or latte.
Don't like it. Not at all.
Marine layer hung around til mid-afternoon, again.
Tonight, Thursday:
CBS opens the night with a RERUN'Big Bang Theory', followed by a RERUN'Rules Of Engagement', then a RERUN'CSI: The Original One', followed by a RERUN'The Mentalist'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Julia Roberts and Cake.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Henry Winkler, and Mike Massimino.
NBC begins the night with a RERUN'Community', followed by a RERUN'30 Rock', then a RERUN'The Office', followed by a RERUN'Parks & Recreation', then a FRESH'Love Bites'.
On a RERUNLeno (from 5/20/11) are Kirstie Alley, Erik Rivera, and Il Volo.
On a RERUNJimmy Fallon (from 6/8/11) are Glenn Close, Zoe Kravitz, Jeff Musial, and Joe Jackson.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 3/18/11) is Florence & the Machine.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH'Wipeout', followed by a FRESH'Expedition Impossible', then a FRESH'Rookie Blues'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Shia LaBeouf, Aaron Rogers, and 311.
The CW offers a RERUN'Vampire Diaries', followed by a RERUN'Nikita'.
Faux a FRESH'So You Think You Can Dance', followed by a RERUN'Glee'.
MY recycles an old 'Without A Trace', followed by another old 'Without A Trace'.
A&E has 'The First 48', another 'The First 48', followed by a FRESH'The First 48', then a FRESH'The First 48: Missing Persons'.
AMC offers the movie 'Pearl Harbor', followed by the movie 'A Few Good Men'.
BBC -
[6:00 AM] BBC World News
[7:00 AM] BBC World News
[8:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 3 Katie Price, Jo Brand, Jackie Collins
[9:00 AM] Law & Order: UK - Ep 10 Shaken
[10:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 4 Black Pearl
[11:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Revisited - Episode 1
[12:00 PM] The X-Files - Ep 22 Born Again
[1:00 PM] Law & Order: UK - Ep 10 Shaken
[2:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 7 Oscars
[3:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 5 The Mixing Bowl
[4:00 PM] Star Trek: The Next Generation - Ep 17 The Outcast
[5:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 11 Boom Town
[6:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 5
[7:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[8:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 4
[9:00 PM] Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
[12:00 AM] Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
[3:00 AM] The X-Files - Ep 6 Ascension
[4:00 AM] The X-Files - Ep 7 3
[5:00 AM] BBC World News (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of NJ', 'Real Housewives Of NYC', another 'Real Housewives Of NYC', followed by a FRESH'Real Housewives Of NYC'.
Comedy Central has last night's 'Jon Stewart', last night's 'Colbert Report', 'South Park', another 'South Park', 'Futuama', another 'Futurama', followed by a FRESH'Futurama', then a FRESH'Ugly Americans'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJon Stewart is Bill Kristol.
Scheduled on a FRESHColbert Report is Timothy Garton Ash.
FX has the movie 'Me, Myself & Irene', '2½ Men', another '2½ Men', still another '2½ Men', yet another '2½ Men', followed by a FRESH'Wilfred', then a FRESH'Louie'.
History has 'Swamp People', another 'Swamp People', followed by a FRESH'Swamp People', and 'Ancient Aliens'.
IFC -
[6:00 AM] Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings
[6:30 AM] Onion News Network
[7:00 AM] Right at Your Door
[9:00 AM] Darkness
[11:15 AM] The Minus Man
[1:45 PM] Right at Your Door
[3:45 PM] Darkness
[6:00 PM] Fall Time
[8:00 PM] Sin City
[10:30 PM] Chopper
[12:30 AM] Sin City
[3:00 AM] Ring of Fire
[3:15 AM] Carrie
[5:30 AM] Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:15 AM] Gretchen
[8:00 AM] Love Lust & Street Eats
[9:00 AM] Love Lust & Sex Symbols
[10:00 AM] Love Lust & The Social Network
[11:00 AM] MY SO-CALLED LIFE - Other People's Mothers (Episode 10, Season 1)
[12:00 PM] ALL ON THE LINE - Between the Sheets (Episode 3, Season 1)
[1:00 PM] ALL ON THE LINE - Gemma Kahng (Episode 4, Season 1)
[2:00 PM] ALL ON THE LINE - Dana-Maxx (Episode 5, Season 1)
[3:00 PM] Kool: Dancing In My Mind
[3:30 PM] The Glass House
[5:05 PM] Gretchen
[6:50 PM] The Ground Truth
[8:15 PM] A Home at the End of the World
[10:00 PM] The Royal Tenenbaums
[11:50 PM] Pen Pusher
[12:00 AM] A Dirty Shame
[1:30 AM] A Home at the End of the World
[3:15 AM] The Royal Tenenbaums
[5:05 AM] The Ground Truth (ALL TIMES EST)
Actor Tom Malloy arrives as a guest at the fourth season premiere screening of AMC's drama television series "Breaking Bad", in Hollywood, California June 28, 2011.
Photo by Fred Prouser
A possible tour of Myanmar Burma by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi could cause riots, state media warned on Wednesday, implying she would be responsible for her own safety.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi is planning her first trip outside the former capital Yangon since she was freed from home detention last year after elections to end army rule.
In 2003, in an episode now known as the Depayin Massacre, Suu Kyi's motorcade was attacked by pro-junta thugs and 70 of her supporters died in what was seen as an assassination attempt.
Suu Kyi, 66, has not announced any dates for the tour, nor an itinerary.
Vince Gilligan, creator and executive producer of AMC's drama television series "Breaking Bad", poses as he arrives for the premiere screening for the show's fourth season in Hollywood, California June 28, 2011.
Photo by Fred Prouser
Jackson Hole, Wyo., is reportedly in the running to be the setting for the premiere of "Modern Family."
The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports Wednesday that producers of ABC's "mockumentary" sitcom named the resort town as their top pick but that network approval is still pending. The proposal would have the show's characters on a family vacation at the Lost Creek Ranch, a lodge and spa.
The newspaper reports that Jackson emerged at the front-runner after the Snow King Resort offered to set aside rooms for the production crew and actors, and the lodging tax board agreed to help pay for the rooms.
The show has also considered sites in Tucson, Ariz.; Bozeman, Mont.; and Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Elizabeth Taylor's prized collection of jewelry, art, designer clothing and other memorabilia will go on an international three-month tour before it is sold in New York in December, Christie's auction house announced Wednesday.
The tour will begin in September and include stops in Moscow, London, Dubai, Geneva, Paris, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. It will end in New York, where Christie's plans a "museum-quality exhibition" of the late actress' collection that will fill its entire gallery space Dec. 3-10. The auction will be held Dec. 13-16.
A portion of the proceeds from the exhibition admissions and publications related to the sales will be donated to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
The screen icon's impressionist and modern art collection will be sold February at Christie's in London and will include a group of works she inherited from her father, art dealer Francis Taylor, Christie's said.
Film memorabilia from Taylor's Bel Air home, furniture and 20th-century decorative arts will be offered Dec. 16.
Denise Richards has added a third little one to her family, this time through adoption.
The 40-year-old actress recently adopted a newborn baby girl. Richards named the infant Eloise Joni after her mother, who succumbed to cancer four years ago. Richards' representative, Jill Fritzo, on Wednesday confirmed the adoption.
Richards has two daughters by her ex-husband Charlie Sheen. The actress and former model says 7-year old Sam and 5-year old Lola couldn't be happier with their new sister and feel blessed.
Joe Rogan is coming back to NBC's rebooted "Fear Factor," which could return to the air in the fall after a five-year hiatus.
Rogan's rehiring was first reported by TV Guide. Eight episodes of the stunt show will be shot, with two of them being two-hour specials.
"Fear Factor" executive producer Matt Kunitz has said the reboot will embrace technology in a way that the earlier incarnation was unable to.
"Fear Factor" premiered on the network in summer 2001 and ran for six cycles with Rogan overseeing a grim procession of gross-out contests. The series was pulled during its revamped sixth season in 2006 when it struggled in head-to-head competition with Fox's "American Idol." During its NBC run, "Fear Factor" averaged 11.5 million viewers.
Lindsay Lohan was freed from house arrest Wednesday morning, ending a drama-filled 35 days and opening the next chapter in the troubled starlet's efforts to put her court troubles behind her.
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Lohan's electronic monitoring equipment was removed shortly before 10 a.m. and she was removed from the jail system around 10:20 a.m.
Lohan is not entirely free. She still has to complete 480 hours of community service, complete an anti-shoplifting class and comply with other terms of her release.
Her spokesman, Steve Honig, said Lohan is "very focused" on resuming her community service, which is being performed at a downtown Los Angeles women's shelter and will also require her to work at the county's morgue.
Fireworks illuminate the night sky over St. Angelo Castle, on the occasion of the St. Peter and Paul feast, in Rome, Wednesday, June 29, 2011.
Photo by Riccardo De Luca
Former ESPN commentator Jay Mariotti must stand trial on charges he stalked, injured and assaulted his ex-girlfriend, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Windham found there to be sufficient evidence for Mariotti to stand to trial on one felony count each of stalking, corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury. He also faces two misdemeanor counts of disobeying a domestic court order.
Prosecutors say Mariotti confronted the woman at a restaurant Sept. 30, the same day he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery count stemming from an August incident with her.
Mariotti, a former Chicago Sun-Times columnist, is also accused of grabbing his former girlfriend outside a Venice restaurant on April 15. He allegedly pulled a chunk of her hair out and took her cell phone from her while shouting at her.
Veteran R&B diva Patti LaBelle says in a countersuit filed against a West Point cadet who claims she ordered her bodyguards to beat him up outside a Houston airport terminal that the altercation began after the cadet hurled racial insults at her.
But an attorney for the cadet, Richard King, denied his client ever said any racial slurs to LaBelle.
King's attorneys say he was waiting to be picked up by family outside one of the terminals at Bush Intercontinental Airport on March 11 when three of LaBelle's bodyguards attacked him without provocation.
King, who was in his hometown of Houston while on spring break from West Point, filed his lawsuit earlier this month, naming LaBelle, the three bodyguards, one of whom is the singer's son, and two others as defendants.
In the countersuit, LaBelle's lawyers accuse King of being intoxicated, staggering around outside the terminal, screaming obscenities and trying to enter the singer's limousine. King was politely asked to walk away from the vehicle, according to the countersuit. King's attorneys have said the cadet had a few drinks on the flight to Houston but denied he was intoxicated.
A man convicted of attempting to burglarize Paris Hilton's home has been sentenced to two years in state prison.
City News Service reported that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Kellogg also recommended during Wednesday's hearing that Nathan Lee Parada undergo mental health counseling.
A jury took less than an hour in April to convict the 32-year-old of felony attempted residential burglary for trying to break into Hilton's house in August.
The socialite testified during Parada's trial about being awoken early Aug. 24 to the sound of Parada banging on Hilton's window with a knife. Parada told a detective he planned to steal as much as he could carry and move to a deserted island.
The Michelangelo drawing A male nude seen from behind which is on show during a Masterpieces exhibition at Christie's auction house, London, England, Monday June 13, 2011. The drawing is expected to reach between £3 million (US$4.8 million) and £5 million (US$8 million) and will feature along with works by Michelangelo, Picasso, Monet and Gainsborough in a four week season of auctions at Christie's expected to realize in excess of £250 million (US$407 million).
Photo by Tim Hales
News Corp. has sold struggling social networking site MySpace for $35 million, mostly in stock, according to a person familiar with the matter. The deal values MySpace at a fraction of what News Corp. paid for the site six years ago.
The sale to online advertising network operator Specific Media is expected to close later Wednesday, a day before the end of News Corp.'s fiscal year. News Corp. will maintain less than a 5 percent stake in the company.
The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
News Corp. bought MySpace for $580 million in 2005, but users and advertisers have fled the site for other hotter social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Actor Charlie Sheen tells Sports Illustrated in its latest issue that he took steroids "for like six or eight weeks" while filming the 1989 movie "Major League." He adds that the performance-enhancing drugs helped his fastball go from 79 mph to 85 mph.
Sheen played fireballing relief pitcher Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn, whose wayward pitches were often "jussst a bit outside," as Bob Uecker's character, radio broadcaster Harry Doyle, sarcastically announced during the hit comedy.
Sheen, who has made recent headlines for erratic behavior and his firing from the show "Two and a Half Men," says it was the only time he took steroids and they made him a bit more irritable than normal.
A wildfire burning on part of a southern New Mexico ranch owned by veteran newsman Sam Donaldson is forcing residents to evacuate.
The fire nearly tripled in size over the past day to more than 43,000 acres Wednesday. It's burning in steep terrain.
Lincoln County sheriff's deputies and staff with the New Mexico Livestock Board are helping residents and their animals evacuate the Alamo Canyon area. Residents were advised the day before to be prepared to leave.
The wildfire is believed to have been caused by lightning.
Greenland's ice sheet melted the most it has in over a half century last year, US government scientists said Tuesday in one of a series of "unmistakable" signs of climate change.
"The world continues to warm," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a briefing paper for reporters.
"Multiple indicators, same bottom-line conclusion: consistent and unmistakable signal from the top of the atmosphere to the bottom of the oceans."
An annual climate survey, which includes work by scientists from 45 countries, said that ice sheet in Greenland melted at its highest rate since at least 1958, when similar data first became available.
Arctic sea ice shrank to its third smallest area on record, while the world's alpine glaciers shrank for the 20th straight year, the study said.
It's been a rough six months for Hollywood, which turned out a string of disappointments at the domestic box office.
Some hurt more than others, depending upon their production budgets and marketing spends. The following list doesn't account for how much was spent on marketing, since studios hold those figures closed to their chests, but we're talking many, many millions.
MARS NEEDS MOMS
Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture pic was one of the most expensive bombs in Hollywood history, costing at least $150 million to produce and grossing $21.4 million at the domestic box office. Overseas, it didn't do much better, grossing $17.6 million for a total $39 million.
ARTHUR
The remake of the classic Dudley Moore comedy failed to rustle up many laughs, topping out at $33 million domestically. Starring Russell Brand, Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner, "Arthur" did even less overseas, earning $12.7 million for a global total of $45.7 million. The production budget was reportedly $40 million.
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of June 20-26. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:
1. "BET Awards Show" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), BET, 4.65 million homes, 7.71 million viewers.
2. Auto Racing: Sprint Cup/Sonoma (Sunday, 3 p.m.), TNT, 3.74 million homes, 5.18 million viewers.
3. "Burn Notice" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.6 million homes, 5.16 million viewers.
4. "NASCAR Post Race Show" (Sunday, 6:19 p.m.), TNT, 3.47 million homes, 4.89 million viewers.
5. "True Blood" (Sunday, 9:05 p.m.), HBO, 3.35 million homes, 5.42 million viewers.
6. "Suits" (Thursday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.32 million homes, 4.63 million viewers.
7. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.27 million homes, 5.15 million viewers.
8. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.26 million homes, 5.04 million viewers.
9. "Swamp People" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), History, 3.08 million homes, 4.55 million viewers.
10. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.02 million homes, 4.06 million viewers.
11. "Covert Affairs" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.), USA, 2.97 million homes, 4.03 million viewers.
12. "A.N.T. Farm" (Friday, 8:37 p.m.), Disney, 2.95 million homes, 4.64 million viewers.
13. "Falling Skies" (Sunday, 10 p.m.), TNT, 2.94 million homes, 4.2 million viewers.
14. "Law & Order: CI" (Sunday, 9 p.m.), USA, 2.93 million homes, 3.75 million viewers.
15. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Thursday, 11:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.87 million homes, 3.91 million viewers.
An Antarctic penguin pauses after its treatment at Wellington Zoo in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, June 27, 2011. The penguin that wound up stranded on a New Zealand beach and resorted to eating sand was recovering Monday after a very human treatment: an endoscopy performed by one of the country's leading surgeons. It may be months before the young emperor penguin - affectionately dubbed Happy Feet - fully recovers, and officials are uncertain about when or how it could return home about 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles) away.
Photo by Mark Mitchell
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