Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Mark Morford: The Gay Agenda will See You Now (SF Gate)
So, how about it? Has it all come clear? Has the true horror been made absolutely and irrefutably real? Because know this for certain: There is no going back.
102 Things NOT To Do If You Hate Taxes (addictinginfo.org)
So, you're a Republican that hates taxes? Well, since you do not like taxes or government, please kindly do the following. 1. Do not use Medicare.?2. Do not use Social Security.
Jim Hightower: "America's real 'job creators' are broke"
Yet, those same CEOs say they won't invest in new jobs or raise wages until consumers start buying again. That's like saying, "The beatings will continue until morale improves." Hello - the consumers CEOs are waiting on are the workers whose jobs and wages the CEOs won't increase.
Froma Harrop: Democrats Also Need a Presidential Primary in 2012 (Creators Syndicate)
Ed Rendell, do you have plans for 2012? Hillary Clinton? If you, the former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, or you, the secretary of state, are free next year and wouldn't mind, would you please launch a primary challenge against President Obama?
Will Oremus: Salman Khan, Founder of Khan Academy (Slate)
His folksy lectures are revolutionizing how kids learn math and science.
Charlie Jane Anders: How Anthony Stewart Head Feels About What Happened to Giles (io8.com)
Rupert "Ripper" Giles is a mainstay of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - even when he went off to Britain to ride horses, he was still a vital part of Buffy's messed-up world.
Katie Puckrik: "JJ Abrams: 'I called Spielberg and he said yes'" (Guardian)
'Lost' creator JJ Abrams's new film 'Super 8' was produced by Steven Spielberg. He explains what it was like to work with the man who inspired him to make movies - and why he's proud to be a geek.
Photo Contest Winners
National Geographic.
Double Exposure Portraits (fubiz.net)
Avec sa série "The World Inside of Us", l'artiste Dan Mountford originaire de Brighton nous montre l'étendue de son talent autour de l'idée d'une double exposition. Jouant sur les visages et les formes qui se dégagent, la série de visuels est à découvrir dans la suite de l'article.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Music (Athens News)
By the way, some of the riot grrrls were adored. One fan wrote in a riot grrrl zine titled MTM, "I am considering calling the man/boy/guy/male who gave it to me a god." The "it" was a lock of the hair of Kathleen Hanna, who became one of the musicians who founded Bikini Kill in Olympia in 1990.
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."
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3 4 5 6 7 CaterpillarsGulf Fritillary Butterfly
Here are today's pictures:
Wasn't home during any daylight hours, so no pictures today. : (
Gulf Fritillary Butterfly Archive
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Had lunch in Sacramento.
Left a little after 5am, drove up the embarrassment that is I-5, did the lunch-thing, drove I-5 south (where it was even worse than the northbound lanes), and home a little after 10pm. Whew.
Hacked By Journalist
Heather Mills
Model Heather Mills accused a senior newspaper journalist of boasting that his colleagues had intercepted her voicemail messages, a potentially explosive allegation that could widen the scope of Britain's phone hacking scandal.
In an interview with BBC's "Newsnight" program Wednesday, the ex-wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney claimed that in 2001 she was called by a senior editorial figure with the Trinity Mirror group of newspapers about a fight she'd had with McCartney, her then-boyfriend.
Mills said that when she accused the journalist of hacking into her phone and threatened to call the police, the journalist admitted that the story had been obtained by eavesdropping and pledged not to publish it.
The Trinity Mirror's papers have come under growing scrutiny following allegations aired by unnamed former journalists quoted by the New York Times and the BBC that hacking was rife at some of its titles, and shares in the company have dropped by nearly 20 percent in the past week.
Attention has also focused on Piers Morgan, a former Daily Mirror editor who now stars as a celebrity interviewer on CNN's prime time lineup. Critics have unearthed a string of past statements in which Morgan seems to suggest that phone hacking was widespread and that he was well-aware of it at the time.
Heather Mills
Saying Goodbye To "CSI"
Marg Helgenberger
Long-running TV series "CSI:Crime Scene Investigation" will take on a less serious tone this season as former "Cheers" actor Ted Danson joins the cast of forensic detectives, producers said on Wednesday.
But in a surprise announcement, lead actress Marg Helgenberger told reporters that she plans to leave at the end of the upcoming 12th season of what CBS says is the most watched TV series in the world.
Helgenberger, who plays former CSI supervisor Catherine Willows, said she had considered leaving at the end of last season, but decided she was "having a hard time letting go and that I was not yet done playing this character. That's why I decided to extend (my contract) a little bit."
Danson, 63, takes over from the departing Laurence Fishburne (Dr. Raymond Langston), playing a new character D.B. Russell -- a family man with four children, an unconventional hippie upbringing, and a good sex life.
Marg Helgenberger
Lost Film Discovered In New Zealand
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock is still surprising his fans.
Film preservationists said Wednesday they've found the first half of the earliest known surviving feature film on which Hitchcock has a credit: a silent melodrama called "The White Shadow."
The first three reels of the six-reel film, made in 1923, were discovered by the National Film Preservation Foundation at the New Zealand Film Archive.
"The White Shadow" was directed by Graham Cutts, and the 24-year-old Hitchcock was credited as writer, assistant director, editor and art director.
Alfred Hitchcock
Tightrope Walker
Niagara Falls
Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda appears to have won over U.S. officials with his plans for a made-for-television walk across Niagara Falls on a high wire, but he still faces a tough sell in Canada, where a parks official said Wednesday the proposal lacks key support.
"Every walk that I do, there's obstacles in the way. There's always somebody or something that comes across negative, but I live for that sort of thing," Wallenda, a seventh-generation member of the Great Wallendas, told reporters after going over the logistics of the cross-border walk with New York state lawmakers and emergency responders.
On Thursday, Wallenda planned to make his case to Canadian authorities, including members of the Niagara Parks Commission who would have to grant permission for the walk to take place in the spot he's picked out. The mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and others back the plan, but the commission, with its strict anti-stunting policy, has turned down similar requests in the past.
From a restaurant balcony overlooking the gorge, Wallenda described his plans for a spring or summer of 2012 walk across a wire 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter and about 1,800 feet (5550 meters) long anchored by weights on each shore. His own rescue helicopter and dive teams would stand by, and his father would coach him through an earpiece, he said. The walk would take about 45 minutes.
Niagara Falls
Hospital News
Griffin O'Neal
Authorities say Griffin O'Neal, the 46-year-old son of actor Ryan O'Neal, was hospitalized after a traffic collision in San Diego County.
San Diego police Sgt. David Jennings says Griffin O'Neal was behind the wheel of a car heading east Tuesday afternoon in Escondido when he veered into oncoming traffic and collided with another vehicle.
Jennings says O'Neal complained of pain and was taken to Palomar Medical Center.
Hospital spokeswoman Bobette Brown says O'Neal was listed in stable condition Tuesday afternoon and was released later Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, Griffin's brother, Redmond O'Neal was jailed in Santa Monica after police allegedly found heroin in his car during a traffic stop.
Griffin O'Neal
Recognizes Gay Marriage
Suquamish Tribal Council
Standing up before dozens of Suquamish Tribal members at a general council meeting in March, Heather Purser told them she was a lesbian, and asked her people to recognize same-sex marriages at the tribe's Washington state reservation.
Even after four years of lobbying tribal members, the 28-year-old didn't know how much support she had.
Then the council put the issue to a voice vote of the people. "Everyone said aye. No one said nay," Purser said.
On Monday, the Suquamish Tribal Council ratified the people's wishes and recognized gay marriage, making it only the second tribe in the country known to do so.
The new law allows the tribal court to issue a marriage license to two unmarried people, regardless of their sex, if they're at least 18 years old and at least one of them is enrolled in the tribe.
Suquamish Tribal Council
Out At MDA
Jerry Lewis
Comedian Jerry Lewis is no longer serving as the Muscular Dystrophy Association's national chairman and won't be appearing on this year's Labor Day telethon, the nonprofit agency announced Wednesday night.
Lewis, 85, has been the MDA's national chairman since the early 1950s and has hosted the Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon since 1966.
He announced in May that he was retiring as host of the telethon that has become synonymous with his name. But Lewis added that he planned to make his final appearance on this year's Sept. 4, show and planned on continuing to serve as MDA's national chairman.
MDA Chairman of the Board R. Rodney Howell said in a statement that Lewis "will not be appearing on the telethon" and "we will not be replacing him as MDA national chairman."
The statement did not provide any further explanation for the moves, and calls to the Tucson, Ariz,-based nonprofit weren't immediately returned Wednesday night. Representatives for Lewis, a publicist and a manager, also did not immediately respond to messages left for comment.
Jerry Lewis
Hoof In Mouth
Buchanan
Pat Buchanan says he didn't mean to slur President Barack Obama by referring to him as "your boy" during a discussion with Al Sharpton.
The former GOP presidential candidate and current MSNBC analyst appeared on "Morning Joe" Wednesday to explain remarks he made on that network's Sharpton show 12 hours earlier. Buchanan was discussing Obama's political strength with Sharpton when he referred to Obama as "your boy."
Sharpton responded: "My what? My president, Barack Obama? What did you say?"
Buchanan said Wednesday that he was using a boxing analogy. "Some folks took what I said as some kind of a slur," Buchanan said. "None was meant, none was intended, none was delivered."
Buchanan
Husband In SEC Insider Pact
Christie Hefner
The husband of former Playboy Enterprises Inc Chief Executive Christie Hefner agreed to pay $168,352 to settle regulatory charges that he engaged in insider trading of the publisher's shares based on information he learned from his wife.
William Marovitz, 66, was accused by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of improperly trading Playboy shares in his brokerage accounts from 2004 to 2009 despite being warned by his wife and Playboy's top lawyer not to do so.
Marovitz married Hefner in 1995, making him the son-in-law of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. Christie Hefner, 58, was Playboy's chief executive from 1988 to 2009.
Despite the warnings, the SEC said, Marovitz traded ahead of Playboy's announcements of 2004 and 2008 quarterly earnings shortfalls and a 2004 stock offering.
It said he also traded when Playboy was in talks to be acquired by Iconix Brand Group Inc in late 2009.
Christie Hefner
Honorary Oscar Winner
Oprah
Film academy president Tom Sherak is coming to Oprah Winfrey's defense.
Sherak says Winfrey is "one of the most philanthropic performers in the world" and thus deserving of the academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night to present Winfrey with an Oscar statuette at the annual Governors Awards in November. James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith will also receive honorary Oscars at the private ceremony.
Blogs have been abuzz with criticism over the selection of Winfrey for the award since the announcement was made late Tuesday. In an article published Wednesday, Los Angeles Times columnist Patrick Goldstein calls the academy decision "a boneheaded move."
Oprah
Ethics Complaint Dismissed
Palin
Alaska officials have dismissed an ethics complaint filed against former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Quitter) that alleged she violated state law because the TLC docu-series "Sarah Palin's Alaska" took advantage of a state film production incentives program she signed into law.
Malia Litman of Dallas filed the complaint in June with Alaska Attorney General John Burns. Litman also alleged Palin benefited from the production of the eight-part series in violation of a two-year moratorium that bars former officials from being compensated for assisting others in dealing with the state.
Palin resigned in July 2009, with 17 months left in her first term, citing in part ethics complaints she called frivolous. Her resignation came less than one year after she was tapped as the Republican vice presidential nominee. She is now publicly mulling whether to seek the presidency in the 2012 election.
Litman, 53, said she received the dismissal letter in the mail Tuesday. She said she is a retired trial lawyer and had thought the complaint was obviously warranted.
"I'm shocked," she said Wednesday in a phone interview. "I think it's so clear that she violated the law."
Palin
Splitting Atoms In His Kitchen?
Richard Handl
A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby.
Richard Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material.
The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.
Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden's Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.
Although he says police didn't detect dangerous levels of radiation in his apartment, he now acknowledges the project wasn't such a good idea.
Richard Handl
In Memory
Gene McDaniels
Gene McDaniels, who recorded the 1961 hit "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" and later wrote Roberta Flack's chart-topping single "Feel Like Makin' Love," has died. He was 76.
McDaniels died Friday at his home in Kittery after a brief illness, his wife, Karen McDaniels, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
During his career, he has had hits as a producer, writer and artist.
McDaniels' first hit was "A Hundred Pounds of Clay." The song, which featured his take on the Biblical account of the creation of the first woman, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart in 1961, the same year his song "Tower of Strength" hit No. 5. McDaniels also recorded other hits, including "Point of No Return" and "Another Tear Falls."
As his success as a pop singer faded, McDaniels emerged as a successful songwriter. His most famous song, "Feel Like Makin' Love," went to No. 1 for Flack in 1974 and was also nominated for a Grammy. McDaniels' songs were also recorded by top artists like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Johnny Mathis and Ray Charles.
In 1986, McDaniels received an award from BMI for his work on "Feel Like Makin' Love." His website says the song has achieved more than 6 million performances and has been recorded on 400 albums.
His song "Compared to What," received new life recently when it was re-recorded and released by John Legend and The Roots on their 2010 album, "Wake Up." Its socially conscious lyrics also led it to be used in eight motion pictures, including "The Ice Storm" and "Casino."
Even though McDaniels is best known for music that made the pop charts, his wife, Karen, says her husband's first love was jazz and he continued into the genre long after his pop career ended. He was working on music projects as a singer, writer and producer until his death, releasing an album of his own as recently as 2009.
McDaniels also branched out into movies in his later years. According to his website, 15 years ago he got involved in writing and producing film and video. He also did video game and audio book voiceover work.
Born in Kansas City, Kan., McDaniels was raised in Omaha, Neb. His father was a minister and he sang in church choirs before leaving home for Los Angeles as a young man to break into the music business.
He moved to Maine about 25 years ago, his wife said.
McDaniels is survived by his wife, five sons, one daughter and a sister.
Gene McDaniels
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