The 'All Things To All People' Edition...
Barack Obama is inheriting a myriad of complex problems. Some affect us all. Some are more important than others to particular interest groups and individuals. While I would like to see him become the greatest president ever, he is human and therefore not omnipotent. That said, the question is...
Is there a particular problem that you think President Obama may not be able to solve to the nation's and/or your satisfaction?
ANGELA WATROUS: Twelve Powerful (Mostly) Lesbian Authors (curvemag.com)
Undeniable validation and pleasure come from reading stories featuring lesbian characters or representing a uniquely queer perspective. The following lesbian writers (in no particular order) exert true literary power through their distinctive styles and points of view. They have a way with words, and if they'd like, they can have their way with us.
David Bruce: Composition Project: Writing an Evaluation
This free pdf download describes a composition assignment-writing a review (e.g., of a restaurant, book, movie, etc.)-that I have used successfully during my years of teaching at Ohio University. Other teachers are welcome to download and read this pdf file and decide whether this assignment will work in their classes.
What country is the world's largest producer of olives and olive oil?
A Greece
B Italy
C Portugal
D Spain
E Turkey
Source
Charlie was first, and correct, with:
With more than 300 million olive trees, it's
D Spain
mj responded:
Since the popularity of the food stuff
Pre-dates the Hellenistic era, I'm going with E, Turkey (and they have more room).
Alan J answered:
D Spain
Adam in NoHo replied:
D- Spain, which doesn't really surprise me. If it came up Turkey, then I
would have really been 'Huh?' (just like I am with Tunisia, and it;s
#4).
Marian the Teacher responded:
Spain
Jim from CA answered:
Spain
Sally, in northern NJ, where it is lightly snowing, said:
Well, golly be: My drupe becomes your berry - who'd have thunk? Never fear, the Professor (and many other whiz kids) knew what you meant - but, I still would call it a fruit...
As for today: I believe that Spain (D) is the world's largest overall producer of olive oil.
When I lived in Trieste, Italy, and drove down the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia (a bit inland) just past Dubrovnik, how well I remember the olive groves in that part of the world.
PS: Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the Big Day: GWB is being flown out of the town! There's a new sheriff in town Georgie, and you had better run!!
MAM responded:
D Spain
And, Joe S wrote:
That would be D Spain. According to my daughter-in-law (the famous artist Sia Kyriakakos), Spain may be the production leader but Spain's olives are greatly inferior to Greek olives, which are the best in the world.
Olive trees by Sia, public art created in honor of the Olympic Games
Our pal, Willow, is in the hospital getting some of his titanium parts updated.
Knowing he's not a Jell-O fan, hope the stay is a short one.
Tonight, Tuesday:
CBS begins the night with a RERUN'NCIS', followed by the FRESH'Change And Challenge: The Inauguration Of Barack Obama', followed by a RERUN'The Mentalist'.
On a RERUNDave .(from 12/19/08) are Jerry Seinfeld and Leona Lewis
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Joel McHale and Olivia Williams.
NBC starts the night with a FRESH 2-hour 'The Biggest Loser 7', followed by the FRESH'NBC News Special: The Inauguration Of Barack Obama'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Charlie Sheen, Bernice Gallego, and O.A.R..
Scheduled on a FRESHConan are Steve Nash and Los Straitjackets.
Scheduled on a FRESHCarson 'The Scab' Daly are Jeff Dunham and LMFAO.
ABC opens the night with the FRESH'The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration', followed by the FRESH'ABC News Special "A Moment In History: The Inauguration Of Barack Obama'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Sarah Silverman and Soulja Boy Tellem.
The CW offers a FRESH'90210', followed by a FRESH'Privileged'.
Faux has a FRESH'American Idol', followed by a FRESH'Fringe'.
MY has 'Street Patrol', another 'Street Patrol', 'Vice Squad', and another 'Vice Squad'.
A&E has 'CSI: The 2nd One', ''The First 48', another 'The First 48', followed by a FRESH'Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force', and another 'Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force'.
AMC offers the movie 'Casino', followed by the movie 'Broken Trail'.
BBC -
[11:00 AM] BBC World News Live Inauguration Coverage
[1:00 PM] BBC World News Live Inauguration Coverage
[2:00 PM] BBC World News Live Inauguration Coverage
[3:00 PM] BBC World News Live Inauguration Coverage
[4:00 PM] The American Future: A History by Simon Schama - Ep 1 American War
[5:00 PM] The American Future: A History by Simon Schama - Ep 2 American Fervor
[6:00 PM] The American Future: A History by Simon Schama - Ep 1 American War
[7:00 PM] BBC World News America
[8:00 PM] The American Future: A History by Simon Schama - Ep 3 What is an American?
[9:00 PM] The American Future: A History by Simon Schama - Ep 4 American Plenty
[10:00 PM] BBC World News America
[11:00 PM] The American Future: A History by Simon Schama - Ep 3 What is an American?
[12:00 AM] The American Future: A History by Simon Schama - Ep 4 American Plenty
[1:00 AM] The American Future: A History by Simon Schama - Ep 3 What is an American?
[2:00 AM] The American Future: A History by Simon Schama - Ep 4 American Plenty
[3:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 4 Ricky Gervais, Thandie Newton
[4:00 AM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 14
[4:30 AM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 15
[5:00 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 22 Crawley
[5:30 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 23 Morris
[6:00 AM] BBC World News (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of OC', another 'Real Housewives Of OC', still another 'Real Housewives Of OC', and a FRESH'Real Housewives Of OC'.
Comedy Central has 'Scrubs', another 'Scrubs', last night's 'Jon Stewart', last night's 'Colbert Report', 'Futurama', 'South Park', and 'DL Hughley: Unapologetic'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJon Stewart are Live inauguration coverage and Bishop Gene Robinson.
Scheduled on a FRESHColbert Report is Jabari Asim.
FX has the movie 'Fantastic Four', followed by the movie 'Troy'.
History has 'The Presidents', another 'The Presidents', and 'FDR: A Presidency Revealed'.
IFC -
[6:15 AM] Close to Home
[8:00 AM] 2009 Spirit Awards Nomination Special
[8:25 AM] Goth Cruise
[9:40 AM] The Cat's Meow
[11:35 AM] Close to Home
[1:15 PM] Goth Cruise
[2:30 PM] The Cat's Meow
[4:30 PM] Close to Home
[6:15 PM] Let Him Have It
[8:15 PM] Reservoir Dogs
[10:00 PM] IFC Film Blast
[10:15 PM] IFC Music Blast
[10:30 PM] The Henry Rollins Show
[11:00 PM] The IT Crowd
[11:30 PM] IFC Web Blast
[12:00 AM] Wilfred
[12:30 AM] Hell Girl
[1:00 AM] IFC Film Blast
[1:15 AM] IFC Music Blast
[1:30 AM] The IT Crowd
[2:00 AM] Witchblade
[2:30 AM] IFC Web Blast
[3:00 AM] Wilfred
[3:30 AM] Reservoir Dogs
[5:15 AM] Let Him Have It (ALL TIMES EST)
SciFi has 'Scare Tactics', another 'Scare Tactics', still another 'Scare Tactics', yet another 'Scare Tactics', 'ECW', another 'Scare Tactics', and still another 'Scare Tactics'.
Sundance -
[05:30 AM] Man Push Cart
[07:00 AM] Emir Kusturica, A Tender Barbarian
[08:00 AM] The Hawk is Dying
[10:00 AM] Comrades in Dreams
[11:45 AM] The Page Turner
[01:15 PM] Regular Lovers
[04:15 PM] This is England
[06:00 PM] Iconoclasts - Season 4: Tony Hawk + Jon Favreau
[07:15 PM] Day Night Day Night
[09:00 PM] Big Ideas for a Small Planet - Season 2: Recycle
[09:30 PM] The Sierra Club Chronicles: Episode 6
[10:00 PM] Sex and Lucia
[12:45 AM] Nowhere to Hide
[02:30 AM] Red Lights
[04:15 AM] Subject Two (ALL TIMES EST)
A man stands with a sign in the viewing platform area as preparations continue for the inauguration of U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, January 19, 2009.
Photo by Shannon Stapleton
Quincy Jones, the Grammy Award-winning producer and composer, is following the lead of U2 frontman Bono by becoming a guest columnist as newspapers look for new ways to entice readers and survive an advertising slump.
Jones, 75, one of the three biggest Grammy winners of all time with 27 to his name, kicked off a new series in the Tribune Newspapers on Monday, offering his perspective on Barack Obama as the United States celebrated Martin Luther King Day.
The Tribune Company said this would be the first in a special series of viewpoints written by recognized figures in music and the arts, which would be carried by all the group's newspapers and websites including the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune.
Actress Lorraine Nicholson, daughter of actor Jack Nicholson, arrives at the premiere of the film "World's Greatest Dad" during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah January 18, 2009.
Photo by Lucas Jackson
Editorial writers around the world have been taking their final printed whacks at George W. Bush, accusing the president of tarnishing America's standing with what many saw as arrogant and incompetent leadership.
Some newspaper editorials, for all their criticism, suggested historians might just be kinder later on than those now writing first drafts of history. A success often cited by those seeking a silver lining was the United States' freedom from further homeland attacks following September 11.
"A weak leader, Bush was just overwhelmed in the job," said Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung under a headline: "The Failure." "He confused stubbornness with principles. America has become intolerant and it will take a long time to repair that damage."
Canada's Toronto Star was categorical in its condemnation.
"Goodbye to the worst president ever," it declared. "Bush was an unmitigated disaster, failing on the big issues from the invasion of Iraq to global warming, Hurricane Katrina and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."
The Scottish Daily Record observed: "America is now hated in many parts of the world. Bush leaves a legacy of wars and the world economy in meltdown. He has been dismissed as a buffoon and a war-monger, a man who made the world a more dangerous place while sending it to the brink of economic collapse."
A remote farmhouse that appeared in the cult British film "Withnail and I" is to be sold at auction next month.
Sleddale Hall, near Sharp in the Lake District area of northwest England, was used as "Uncle Monty's cottage" in the film about the drunken escapades of two out-of-work actors in the 1960s who head to the country to escape London.
The building, which has been unoccupied for many years, is only accessible by a dirt track, is two miles from the nearest public road and lies a mile from the nearest inhabited house.
Built from stone and local slate probably in the 18th century, Sleddale Hall was used for many exterior shots but little of the inside was used for filming.
Shoes thrown by protesters litter a driveway entrance outside the White House in Washington January 19, 2009, one day before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.
Photo by Mike Segar
"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek will moonlight on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. as host of the reality competition series "Canada's Next Prime Minister."
The Ontario native, who got his start at the public broadcaster, will share the stage March 18 with three former prime ministers as they field pitches from four would-be politicos before choosing a winner.
Last month, the CBC got into hot water after admitting to breaking contestant recruitment rules and contacting political organizations to invite young former political candidates to compete on the series.
An Australian writer was sentenced to three years in jail by a Thai court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to insulting Thailand's revered royal family in a novel, a judge said.
Harry Nicolaides, 41, appeared in a Bangkok court wearing a dark orange prison jumpsuit with his hands cuffed and his feet shackled, an AFP reporter said. He has already been in custody for nearly five months.
Nicolaides' lawyer said he would seek a royal pardon for the sentence, the latest in a series of penalties under Thailand's notoriously harsh laws against insulting the monarchy.
Nicolaides, who had previously worked as a university lecturer in northern Thailand, was detained at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport departure lounge on August 31 on an arrest warrant issued two-and-a-half years earlier.
Chen Ting, a Beijing Opera artiste of the Jiangsu Art Group of China, performs during the Chinese Spring Festival show at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta January 19, 2009. Chinese people all over the world usher in the Lunar New Year on January 26. According to the lunar calendar, 2009 is the "Year of the Ox".
Photo by Darrin Zammit Lupi
Roman Polanski's tumultuous, sometimes tragic life had long seemed destined for a movie of its own.
But no one expected the controversy that erupted when a film finally did appear, a documentary that revealed new information about one of the defining events of the film director's past - his 1977 conviction of raping a 13-year-old girl and his flight into exile.
Armed with disclosures from the HBO documentary, "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," Polanski's lawyers have gone to court demanding that the still-pending case against him be dismissed because of court misconduct.
Among other things, the documentary says the judge was influenced in his sentencing consideration by a friend. The disclosure stunned both Polanski's lawyers and prosecutors involved in the original case.
A hearing is scheduled Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Polanski, however, won't even be in the country, a point that prosecutors say means he shouldn't get a hearing.
Brazil's top model Isabela Fontana displays a creation as part of Forum Fall/Winter 2009/10 woman's collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week January 19, 2009.
Photo by Paulo Whitaker
Walleye enthusiasts want the Montana Legislature to fully embrace the fish, but some find their proposal hard to swallow.
A bill up for a state Senate hearing this week calls on legislators to declare walleye, with big eyeballs and meat that is easily separated from bone, a native of Montana even though scientists widely say the fish was transplanted to the state.
"We firmly believe that walleye were here all the time," said Bob Gilbert, executive director and lobbyist for Walleyes Unlimited of Montana. The family fishing organization influenced the bill and will feed legislators fried walleye on the eve of Thursday's hearing.
Designating walleye a Montana native would be like legislating that the sun rises in the west, says Trout Unlimited, a national conservation group.
Clint Ballard Jr., a songwriter whose tune "You're No Good" was taken to the top of the charts by Linda Ronstadt in 1975, died Dec. 23. He was 77.
Ballard, whose big hit came a decade after his song "Game of Love" held the No. 1 spot, died in Denton, friend Jacqueline Martinez told the El Paso Times. Ballard died at home in his sleep, she said.
Born and raised in El Paso, Ballard displayed musical talent early, playing the piano for a local radio station at age 3. In his later years, Ballard attributed his musical talent to his mother, who always encouraged him when he was young.
After a stint as a radio operator in Japan with the Army, Ballard moved to New York to pursue music.
In 1958, Ballard's "Hey, Little Baby," recorded by band leader Mitch Miller, was the theme of the World's Fair in Belgium. In 1965, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders made it to No. 1 with "Game of Love."
Ballard also composed music and lyrics for Broadway, including songs for the musical "Come Back Little Sheba." Over the course of his career, Ballard wrote more than 550 songs.
Orly a Leopard, holds her newborn Wei in her mouth at the Jardin des Plantes zoo in Paris, Monday Jan. 19, 2009. Wei and his brother Xun, not seen, were born on Nov. 30, 2008.
Photo by Jacques Brinon
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better,
amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
Charlie was first, and correct, with:
responded:
