Recommended Reading
from Bruce
David Bruce: Wise Up! Children (athensnews.com)
Hispanic movie actor Antonio Banderas has been successful at avoiding the stereotype of the Latin lover in Hollywood, although he is handsome, successful, and sexy. In real life, he has sometimes been unsuccessful in his pursuit of females. Once, he got down on one knee and declared his love for a girl, and she ignored him. (Of course, he was only five years old then.)
Mark Morford: The glorious myth of "female Viagra" (sfgate.com)
This much we know for sure: You do not touch the third rail. You do not betray your closest friends. You do not eat the fuzzy part of the cheese.
RICHARD ROEPER: Can anyone get by on the state's minimum wage? (suntimes.com)
Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Brady says he's in favor of lowering the minimum wage in Illinois to match the figure set by the federal government.
David Lazarus: "Junk food and obesity: Taking a cue from tobacco control" (latimes.com)
That means strict measures to reduce consumption of what's bad for us, and aggressive public education campaigns.
Ted Rall: LEARNED HELPLESSNESS
In 1967 animal researchers conducted an interesting experiment. Two sets of dogs were strapped into harnesses and subjected to a series of shocks. The dogs were placed in the same room.
Froma Harrop: Heaven Must Wait for a Money-Savvy Public (creators.com)
In the conservative paradise, a nation of strong, hard-working individuals borrow responsibly and save for future needs. They don't need government telling them how to manage their money. If they do foolish things, they pay the price. I like that vision, but it has little to do with the world we live in. In the world we live in, hucksters (including some of the finest names in U.S. finance) take good Americans to the cleaners.
Paul Mardies: "Bombay Bicycle Club: 'It's not folk'" (guardian.co.uk)
Bombay Bicycle Club tell Paul Mardles why they've ditched the electric guitars for their winsome new LP.
One to watch: Warpaint (guardian.co.uk)
With a debut album out soon and a tour with the xx, LA's all-girl band Warpaint are truly on their way, writes Hermione Hoby.
Mike Bradwell: Find a play. Squat a building. Steal a van. Now make a show (guardian.co.uk)
We need to take theatre outside the establishment and away from corporate-led productions.
Laura Barnet: "Portrait of the artist: Javier de Frutos, choreographer" (guardian.co.uk)
'The worst thing anyone's ever said? I used to perform naked - a review ran the headline No Pants, No Thanks.'
Edie Adelstein: Manitou gallery shows its colors through two unique artists (csindy.com)
Bianca Codiga, owner of Mountain Living Studio, has a simple philosophy when it comes to choosing which artists her nearly 7-year-old gallery will display.
Works must be original art by Coloradans and if she has the space, she'll hang it.
Chris Michael: 'William Shatner, you are a very special guy' (guardian.co.uk)
William Alan Shatner embodies his own personality and image more than any other celebrity. He IS Shatner.
The Weekly Poll
Summer Sabbatical
I've decided to take a short 'sabbatical' from the Poll thing for some R&R (fishing, easy hiking, campfires... that sort of thing) and spend some time contemplating the errors of my ways, haha... You might see, from time to time, trivia responses and the odd article or picture from me. I have a laptop and an 'air-card' so if I can get a cell signal, I can access the web. Do not despair though (yeah, right!)... I'm like a bad penny. I'll turn up again...
As always, Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
wrote:
answered:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Detroit Zoo
Kivuli
Royal Oak -- The Detroit Zoo introduced its 1-year-old giraffe, Kivuli, to the public this morning, and zoo officials hope she'll help increase the facility's population of four giraffes. Kivuli, whose name is Swahili for "shade," had her first birthday June 19 and is 8 feet tall -- about half her adult size.
Detroit Zoo gives visitors first look at baby giraffe | detnews.com | The Detroit News
~ BadtotheboneBob
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and cooler than seasonal.
Free Surprise Show
Jimmy Buffett
Oil weary residents on Alabama's coast got a boost from Jimmy Buffett who put on an impromptu free show at his sister's restaurant Wednesday evening, bringing in hundreds of fans.
He sang crowd favorites including "Fins," "Pascagoula Run" and "Volcano" during a more than two-hour show that had hundreds of fans swaying to the music and holding up bottles of beer in the night air at Lulu's restaurant, owned by his sister, Lucy Buffett.
Word spread quickly through Facebook and the grapevine that the singer known for his love of the beach life was going to be on stage in Gulf Shores.
He and other singing stars had planned a Thursday concert along the Alabama coast to bring in tourists to the beaches stained by the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The show was postponed until July 11 because Hurricane Alex in the Gulf that was hitting the Mexican coast kicked up heavy surf, pushing oil further inland.
A huge cheer went up during "Margaritaville" when he replaced the standard lyrics and sang; "I think it's all BP's fault!"
Jimmy Buffett
90th Birthday
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen, the visual effects pioneer and stop-motion master, turned 90 Tuesday.
His work has influenced Tim Burton, James Cameron, Sir Peter Jackson, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Sam Raimi. He even had an impact on the Pixar animators, who named the sushi restaurant where Mike Wazowski goes on his date in "Monsters Inc." after him.
Sony Pictures will celebrate his birthday on July 12 when it dedicates the Ray Harryhausen Theater on the studio lot. There will be a screening of Harryhausen's iconic 1963 film "Jason and the Argonauts."
Ray Harryhausen
Pens Cookbook
Roger Ebert
Cancer may have robbed Roger Ebert of the ability to eat, but it won't stop him from dishing out cooking advice.
Four years after cancer surgery left the famed film critic unable to speak or eat, Ebert is publishing a cookbook dedicated to rice cookers, a kitchen appliance he lovingly calls "The Pot" and champions as an answer for those strapped for cash, time and counter space.
"To be sure, health problems have prevented me from eating," Ebert writes in the book. "That did not discourage my cooking. It became an exercise more pure, freed of biological compulsion."
The idea for the book came after a 2008 blog post he wrote about rice cookers prompted hundreds of comments, with many readers including their favourite recipes. "I think I was somewhat frustrated by not being able to eat and I wanted to live vicariously," the 68-year-old said during an interview at his Chicago home, his laptop computer speaking his typed answers.
Roger Ebert
18th Annual Life Ball
Vienna
Actress Whoopi Goldberg, former US president Bill Clinton and model Elizabeth Hurley will be guests of honour at Vienna's annual Life Ball on July 17, organisers said Wednesday.
The 18th annual Life Ball will this year mark the opening of a major AIDS conference in the Austrian capital on July 18-23.
The traditional opening fashion show, using a catwalk shaped like an AIDS red-ribbon in front of Vienna's City Hall, is being created by designers Diane von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein and Kenneth Cole.
Besides the main Life Ball party at the City Hall, a gala evening sponsored by the American Foundation for AIDS Research and hosted by Goldberg will take place in the nearby parliament, while a Cotillion dance will be held in the Burgtheater.
Vienna
QE II Unveils Monument
Oscar Peterson
Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a life-size statue of Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson sitting at his piano on Wednesday, during the third day of her Canadian visit.
After appearing to stumble out of her limousine at the National Arts Centre where the bronze statue will be displayed publicly, Canada's titular head of state pulled a yellow cord to unveil the monument.
She was joined by Peterson's family for the unveiling.
The queen is visiting Canada with her husband Prince Philip.
Oscar Peterson
"Modern Family" & "Glee"
Syndication
Two breakout freshman series have found homes in cable syndication beginning in 2013: USA has acquired exclusive rights to ABC's comedy "Modern Family," while Oxygen has picked up Fox's "Glee."
Oxygen will get an early start in January when it runs a weekend marathon of the second season. The women's cable network will also launch a reality show next summer to search for the next "Glee" star.
Syndication
Bipartisan Benefit
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin will take the stage next month with an accomplished accompanist more famous for diplomacy: Condoleezza Rice.
The pair will play at Philadelphia's Mann Center for the Performing Arts on July 27 in show that will feature Franklin's music and classical composers.
The Mann Center's website says former Secretary of State Rice will accompany Franklin on piano for "Say A Little Prayer," "Natural Woman," selections from Mozart and more.
Franklin says in a statement that "Rice is a consummate classical pianist" and that since I sing the arias, I thought that we could do something, a bipartisan effort for our favorite charities."
Aretha Franklin
Hospital News
Christopher Hitchens
British-born author Christopher Hitchens on Wednesday cut short a book tour to undergo chemotherapy, which several media outlets reported was because the heavy smoker has been diagnosed with cancer.
"I have been advised by my physician that I must undergo a course of chemotherapy on my esophagus. This advice seems persuasive to me. I regret having had to cancel so many engagements at such short notice," Hitchens, 61, said in a statement released through his publishers Twelve.
In his 2008 book "God Is Not Great", Hitchens put himself on a collision course with major religions with his trenchant atheist views.
Hitchens was born in Britain, lives in Washington D.C., and retained his British citizenship when he also became an American citizen in 2007.
Christopher Hitchens
Feds Disable Websites In Raids
Movie Piracy
U.S. officials on Wednesday announced a major crackdown on movie piracy that involved disabling nine websites that were offering downloads of pirated movies in some cases hours after they appeared in theaters.
Officials also seized assets from 15 bank, investment and advertising accounts, and executed residential search warrants in North Carolina, New Jersey, New York and Washington.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials worked with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and other government agencies. The investigation involved about 100 agents in 11 states and the Netherlands.
The government only seized domain names for the sites in question, however, meaning the computers that run the sites could still be used under a different name.
The domain names seized were: TVShack.net, PlanetMoviez.com, ThePirateCity.org, Movies-Links.TV, FilesPump.com, Now-Movies.com, ZML.com, NinjaVideo.net and NinjaThis.net. All the sites' domain names were registered in the U.S., although one was physically based in the Netherlands.
Movie Piracy
To Testify At War Crims Trial
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell and actress Mia Farrow will be summoned to testify at former Liberian President Charles Taylor's war crimes trial, addressing allegations Taylor gave the supermodel an uncut diamond at a South African reception in 1997.
The Special Court for Sierra Leone granted a request Wednesday by prosecutors to call Campbell and Farrow, along with Carole White, who was Campbell's agent at the time. It is not yet clear when their summons will be issued.
The prosecution hopes the women's testimony will support its claims that Taylor dealt in "blood diamonds" when he supported rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war, which Taylor denies.
Taylor's lawyers had argued that the request to call the celebrities was "an obvious publicity stunt," and that it was too late to introduce new evidence, nearly 18 months after the prosecution closed its case.
Naomi Campbell
Seeks Injunction Against Family
Jeremy London
Jeremy London asked a court Wednesday to issue an injunction preventing his mother and brother from giving interviews that the actor claims are hurting his reputation and career.
The lawsuit claimed the interviews may hamper a police investigation in London's alleged kidnapping in the desert city of Palm Springs, Calif., earlier this month. It named the former "Party of Five" actor's mother, Deborah Nielsen; his twin brother, Jason; and his brother's fiancee, Sofia Karstens.
The complaint said the trio have ignored requests to stop giving interviews about Jeremy London after he was reportedly abducted June 10.
He told police he was kidnapped while changing a flat tire and forced at gunpoint to drive around, buy alcohol and take drugs. Brandon Adams, 26, has pleaded not guilty to five counts, including kidnapping and theft, in connection with the alleged abduction.
Jeremy London
Bureaucracy Shuffled Before Vacation
Vatican't
Preoccupied for months by the clerical sex abuse scandal, the pope on Wednesday shuffled the Vatican bureaucracy before heading off on vacation. His most significant appointment: the head of a new office designed to fight secularism in the West.
Pope Benedict XVI tapped a trusted Italian, Monsignor Rino Fisichella, to head the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, a new Vatican department designed to reinvigorate Christianity in the parts of the world where it is falling by the wayside.
Also Wednesday, Benedict named Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet to head the powerful Congregation for Bishops, which vets bishops nominations worldwide. Ouellet, the 66-year-old archbishop of Quebec, replaces the retiring Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and his new high-profile job ups his ranking as a possible papal contender.
In addition, the pope is expected to name the papal delegate who will take over the Legionaries of Christ, the scandal-plagued conservative order. After years of denials, the order admitted last year that its founder, the Rev. Marciel Maciel, had sexually abused seminarians and had fathered a child. It now says he had at least three children.
Vatican't
Faces Felony Charge
Jeffrey Jones
"Ferris Bueller" actor Jeffrey Jones was charged Wednesday with failing to update his sex offender registration status, authorities said.
Jones, 63, failed to update his information with California officials after his birthday in September, Los Angeles county district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.
Jail records show he was arrested by Los Angeles police on June 23 and released after posting $20,000 bail.
It is the second time the actor has been arrested for failing to keep his sex offender status current. He was arrested in Florida in 2004 for the same offense.
Jeffrey Jones
Cambodian Remains Identified
Errol Flynn
DNA tests have revealed that human remains found at a Cambodian grave are not those of the son of Hollywood film legend Errol Flynn as had been suspected, a US military official said Wednesday.
In March two amateur Western diggers presented a jaw and a femur bone to US officials, unearthed at a site in eastern Kampong Cham province, saying they believed the parts belonged to war photographer Sean Flynn.
The 28-year-old's fate has been a mystery since 1970 when he and fellow journalist Dana Stone were captured by communist Khmer Rouge guerrillas while on assignment in the area, and never heard from again.
At least 37 journalists were killed or disappeared covering the brutal 1970-75 conflict between the US-backed Lon Nol government and Khmer Rouge guerrillas supported by North Vietnamese fighters.
Errol Flynn
70,000 To Be Collected
Turtle Eggs
An effort to scoop thousands of turtle eggs from their nests to save them from death in the oily Gulf of Mexico will begin in the coming weeks in a desperate attempt to keep an entire generation of threatened species from vanishing.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will coordinate the plan, which calls for collecting about 70,000 turtle eggs in up to 800 nests buried in the sand across Florida Panhandle and Alabama beaches.
It's never been done on such a massive scale. But doing nothing, experts say, could lead to unprecedented deaths. There are fears the turtles would be coated in oil and poisoned by crude-soaked food as they hatch and swim out to sea.
Dozens of workers are fanned out across the coast marking turtle nests, most of them threatened loggerheads, which nest largely along Florida Panhandle and Alabama beaches.
Turtle Eggs
Largest Traveling Exhibit
Mummies
A 10-month-old baby who lived in Peru 6,420 years ago and a 17th-century nobleman; a South American woman with a tattoo on each breast and one on her face, a woman who had tuberculosis, a child who had a heart condition and a youngster with a facial tumor.
"Mummies of the World" is the largest traveling exhibition of mummies ever assembled.
The 45 mummies and 95 artifacts in the show come from 15 museums in seven countries, said Marc Corwin, CEO of American Exhibitions Inc. The show opens Thursday at the California Science Center, then will go on a three-year tour across the country.
The exhibit is based on the work of the German Mummy Project, a group of experts from 15 European institutions based at the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums in Mannheim, Germany. Wilfried Rosendahl, the scientific head of the project, is curator of "Mummies of the World."
Mummies
21st Century Makeover
Wonder Woman
Comic book superheroine Wonder Woman has traded in her spangled hot pants for urban leggings and upped her street smarts in a 21st century make-over for the 69 year-old character.
J.Michael Straczynski, the new writer for the DC Comics series, told the New York Times he wanted to "toughen her up and give her a modern sensibility" and change the outfit Wonder Woman has been wearing for almost seven decades.
The new costume features dark leggings, a studded denim jacket, spurs on her heeled boots and gloves in a new look designed by Korean-American artist Jim Lee of "X-Men" fame. Gone are the star-studded hip-huggers, undersized bustier and knee length, red go-go boots.
"She was stuck in 1941. And as female friends of mine kept asking, 'how does she fight in that (bustier) thing without all her parts flying out? How does she carry her stuff?," Straczynski told video game and entertainment website IGN.com in an interview.
Wonder Woman
Lock Of Hair Sold
Napoleon
Rare memorabilia of former French Emperor Napoleon 1st, including a lock of hair cut from his head after he died in exile in 1821 on the remote island of St. Helena, have fetched 140,000 New Zealand dollars ($97,000) at auction.
Bidders from England, France, Lithuania, Hong Kong and the United States joined the auction by phone for the 40 items - sold by a New Zealand family, descendants of Denzil Ibbetson, commissionary officer on St. Helena during Napoleon's incarceration on the remote island.
The highest price, NZ$21,000 ($14,500) was paid for a lithograph and watercolor death bed sketch of Napoleon by Ibbetson, Art+Object auction house managing director Hamish Coney, said Wednesday. The unnamed buyer bid by phone from London.
A lock of hair Ibbetson cut from the former emperor's head fetched NZ$19,000 ($13,100) from a private collector in London who did not want to be identified, he said.
Napoleon
Whale Named For 'Moby Dick' Author
Leviathan melvillei
Scientists have discovered an ancient whale whose bite ripped huge chunks of flesh out of other whales about 12 million years ago - and they've named it after the author of "Moby Dick."
The prehistoric sperm whale grew to between 13 and 18 meters (up to 60 feet) long, not unusual by today's standards. But unlike modern sperm whales, Leviathan melvillei, named for Herman Melville, sported vicious, tusk-like teeth some 36 centimeters (14 inches) long.
The ancient beast evidently dined on other whales, researchers said in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. They report finding a skull of the beast in a Peruvian desert.
The researchers named it in tribute to the 19th-century author and his classic tale of the great white whale, which includes frequent digressions on natural history that punctuate the action.
Leviathan melvillei
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
