Paul Krugman: Realism on Defense Spending (New York Times Blog)
But if we're talking about fiscal issues, you have to bear the arithmetic in mind. We're not living in the 1950s, when defense was half the federal budget. Even a drastic cut in military spending wouldn't release enough money to offset more than a small fraction of the projected rise in health care costs.
Paul Krugman: More on Defense (New York Times Blog)
If you don't like looking at defense as a share of the overall federal budget, you can use share of GDP instead, as above. It's still much lower than it was in the 50s and 60s.
Connie Schultz: "Americans 'Deeply Divided'--Again" (Creators Syndicate)
I'm not fond of the terms "step-" and "in-law," which strike me as futile attempts to parse love into levels. In my heart, I have four daughters, a son and one grandson. In July, I'll add another son, named Matt, because he's decided - understandably so - that he can't live without our Emily.
Ken Smith: "Joe Bageant: an update"
After a month in hospitals, cussing doctors and wanting to escape, Joe Bageant is back home in his own bed in Winchester. He is continuing the chemotherapy as an out-patient.
George Varga: Surprise Wins and Losses at the Grammies (Creators Syndicate)
The biggest winner of the night, with five wins was country-pop trio Lady Antebellum. Their "Need You Now" nabbed two of the show's biggest prizes - Record of the Year and Song of the Year. "The only reason I know my feet are on the ground is because they're hurting," Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott said backstage, after the telecast had ended. "We're floating ... we're on a cloud."
David Bruce has 40 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $40 you can buy 10,000 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
Sassafras albidum (Sassafras, White Sassafras, Red Sassafras, or Silky Sassafras) is a species of Sassafras native to eastern North America, from southern Maine and southern Ontario west to Iowa, and south to central Florida and eastern Texas. It occurs throughout the eastern deciduous forest habitat type, at altitudes of sea level up to 1,500 m.
It is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 15-20 m tall, with a trunk up to 60 cm diameter, and a crown with many slender branches. The bark on trunk of mature trees is thick, dark red-brown, and deeply furrowed. The branching is sympodial. The leaves are alternate, green to yellow-green, ovate or obovate, 10-16 cm long and 5-10 cm broad with a short, slender, slightly grooved petiole. They come in three different shapes, all of which can be on the same branch; three-lobed leaves, unlobed elliptical leaves, and two-lobed leaves; rarely, there can be more than three lobes.
Source
mj was first, and correct, with:
I remember my dad
Pointing this out to me as a child on top of Mt. Davis. He picked a couple of leaves and let me smell it. The number is three (3) the number to which one counts, not one, or two, unless one shall proceed to three. Four is right strait out.
Alan J said:
Four. There are three main shapes, but a fourth is possible, although rare.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, wrote:
Sassafras has leaves of three different shapes
Uncle Sky replied:
Three
Think the weather predicting is bad now, do you? Wait, John Boner (he wishes he could get one), is going to cut funding to the national weather service. Yes, he and all of his rich tax cut friends could give a flying fornicate about the rest of us. The next time your are caught unprepared in a tornado, because the sirens weren't maintained, thank your tea party buddies. I'm sure you will figure out a way.
My rant
Adam answered:
There are only three leaf shapes possible in nature, and it uses all three.
Marian responded:
3
Sally said:
The Sassafras tree is a part of the laurel tree family, and the leaves come in three distinct shapes.
Three Sassafras leaves
PS: Shoveled a foot of wet, heavy snow from the front door to the street - again... Who needs to go to a gym around here anymore??
Charlie answered:
Three.
MAM wrote:
Three shapes: a three lobed "ghost," a two lobed "mitten" (both right and left handed), and an un-lobed elliptical "football."
'Time' reporter Allie Tpwnsend picks the 100 most influehntial toys form 1923 to the present. I have to admit that I looked at all 100 of them and the blurb for each. I was most interested in the older toys and how many of them have withstood the test of time and are still in use today.
More
CBS begins the night with a FRESH'NCIS', followed by a FRESH'NCIS: The 2nd One', then a FRESH'The Good Wife'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Amy Poehler, Dusty the Cat, and Deerhunter.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are John Waters and Malin Akerman.
NBC starts the night with a FRESH'Biggest Loser', followed by a FRESH'Parenthood'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Owen Wilson, Rachel Maddow, and Anberlin.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are Jeremy Irons, the Farrelly Brothers, and Destroyer.
Scheduled on a FRESHCarson 'The Scab' Daly are RedOne, Richard King, and Menomena.
ABC opens the night with a FRESH'No Ordinary Family', followed by a FRESH'V', then 'Primetime: What Would You Do?'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Cameron Diaz, Henry Winkler, and Cake.
The CW offers a FRESH'One Tree Hill', followed by a FRESH'Hellcats'.
Faux has a FRESH'Glee', followed by a FRESH'Raising Hope', then a FRESH'Traffic Light'.
MY has 'Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?', followed by another 'Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader', then 'Don't Forget The Lyrics!', and another 'Don't Forget The Lyrics!'.
AMC offers the movie 'Taxi Driver', followed by the movie 'The Godfather'.
BBC -
[6:00 AM] BBC World News
[7:00 AM] BBC World News
[8:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 12 James Nesbitt, Catherine Tate and The Kooks
[9:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 6 Hannah & Mason's
[10:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 1 Rose
[11:00 AM] The X-Files - Ep 11 Excelsis Dei
[12:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[1:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep. 4 Moore Place
[2:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 3 Trobiano's
[3:00 PM] Torchwood: Children of Earth (60) - Episode 3
[4:00 PM] The X-Files - Ep 11 Excelsis Dei
[5:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 2 The End of the World
[6:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 3
[7:00 PM] BBC World News America
[8:00 PM] Star Trek: The Next Generation - Ep 11 Hero Worship
[9:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 4 La Riviera
[10:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 10 Sante La Brea
[11:00 PM] Star Trek: The Next Generation - Ep 11 Hero Worship
[12:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 4 La Riviera
[1:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 10 Sante La Brea
[2:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 4 La Riviera
[3:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 10 Sante La Brea
[4:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 2 The End of the World
[5:00 AM] BBC World News (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', another 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', still another 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', followed by a FRESH'Real Housewives Of Miami'.
Comedy Central has last night's 'Jon Stewart', last night's 'Colbert Report', 'Ron White: You Can't Fix Stupid', 'Tosh.0', another 'Tosh.0', followed by a FRESH'Tosh.0', then a FRESH'Onion SportsDome'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJon Stewart is Anderson Cooper.
Scheduled on a FRESHColbert Report is Bing West.
FX has '2½ Men', followed by the movie 'Wanted', then a FRESH'Lights Out'.
History has 'The Presidents', 'Pawn Stars', another 'Pawn Stars', 'Only In America With Larry TCG', another 'Only In America With Larry TCG', followed by a FRESH'Top Shot'.
IFC -
[6:00 AM] Onion News Network
[6:30 AM] Portlandia
[7:00 AM] The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
[9:30 AM] The Dead
[11:15 AM] Felicia's Journey
[1:45 PM] The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
[4:15 PM] Beyond the Sea
[6:45PM] Mistress
[9:00 PM] Onion News Network
[9:30 PM] Portlandia
[10:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[11:00 PM] The Larry Sanders Show
[11:35 PM] Alone With Her
[1:20 AM] United We Stand
[1:30 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[2:30 AM] Undeclared
[3:00 AM] The Ben Stiller Show
[3:30 AM] Beyond the Sea (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:30 AM] Beautiful Losers
[8:05 AM] Made in China
[9:35 AM] Lemon Tree
[11:25 AM] Beautiful Losers
[1:00 PM] Made in China
[2:30 PM] Lemon Tree
[4:20 PM] Beautiful Losers
[5:55 PM] Uncertainty
[7:45 PM] Happy Endings
[10:00 PM] Love/Lust & Heels
[11:00 PM] Love/Lust & the Bikini
[12:00 AM Love/Lust & Heels
[1:00 AM] Love/Lust & the Bikini
[2:00 AM] Happy Endings
[4:15 AM] Uncertainty (ALL TIMES EST)
TBS:
Scheduled on a FRESHConan are Matthew Perry, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, and Jason Aldean.
Scheduled on a FRESHLopez Tonight are Martin Lawrence, Jared Leto, and 30 Seconds to Mars.
Director Oliver Stone has been awarded a "Master of Cinema" award by the Boulder International Film Festival.
The Boulder Daily Camera reports the award was presented on Sunday, the last night of the festival.
Stone's films have been nominated for 31 Academy Awards, and he has won three Oscars: best adapted screenplay for "Midnight Express" and best director for "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July."
U.S. actor Martin Sheen, left, and his son, U.S. actor, director and writer Emilio Estevez attend the British premiere of their latest movie 'The Way'at a central cinema, London, Monday, Feb. 21, 2011.
Photo by Jorge Herrera
The 42-year-old actress, who became a household name through the 1995-2001 TV series "Xena: Warrior Princess" and who can currently be seen on Starz's "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," admits that playing Xena may have pigeonholed her into being cast as the warrior in period pieces. But, the New Zealander notes, "What am I going to complain about? How many actresses work as much as me?"
Lawless auditioned to play an Amazon queen in the 1994 TV movie "Hercules and the Amazon Women" -- a role she says she was "a bit young" for -- but instead landed the role of an Amazon lieutenant. "I remember being bummed because it was so much smaller (a role) than the Amazon queen," Lawless says.
Lawless' bit part in the telefilm led to bigger and better things when the project became the pilot for "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," a series that saw Lawless ultimately play three roles: Lysia, a man-hating Amazon in the pilot; Lyla, who attempted to kill Hercules; and a villainous warrior woman named Xena in the episode "The Warrior Princess."
Canadian circus company Cirque du Soleil will invest a record $57 million in a new show in Moscow next year to test the ground before launching a permanent show in Russia by 2015, its president said on Monday.
"Zarkana" is Cirque du Soleil's first new show in Russia and will be the most expensive non-permanent show the company has ever made to date, Daniel Lamarre told reporters.
The Montreal-based company said the $57 million it would invest in the highly acrobatic show is significantly more than the $30-$50 million it was previously eyeing for all of Russia.
"Zarkana, for us, is a test to see if the market can bear a permanent show," Lamarre said.
Musician John Legend (R) and girlfriend Christine Teigen arrive at the T-Mobile Magenta Carpet pre NBA All-Star Game event in Los Angeles on February 20,2011.
Photo by Phil McCarten
The trouble-plagued Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" has hired a veteran director to help with the show's sound and arrangements.
Show spokesman Rick Miramontez says Paul Bogaev will be working with U2's Bono and The Edge to improve the quality of music on the $65 million show.
Bogaev was musical director on Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express" and "Sunset Boulevard."
"Spider-Man" is set to open March 15. It has been delayed several times, had a main actress quit and suffered numerous accidents that have left several actors hospitalized.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca told The Times on Monday that he will allow the media to review eight boxes of documents related to the slaying of journalist Ruben Salazar, a case that has been clouded by controversy and speculation for 40 years.
Baca said the records, long kept from public view, will be available after the Office of Independent Review formally releases its report on Salazar's slaying Tuesday. A draft copy of that report was obtained by The Times and made public over the weekend.
Reporters will be allowed to review the records under the supervision of sheriff's employees, though no copies will be provided, and no cameras will be allowed, Baca said.
Salazar was an award-winning Times reporter and KMEX-TV news director. His killing became a monumental moment in the Mexican American civil rights movement. After his death, Salazar became an iconic figure, with parks, schools, scholarships and even a U.S. postage stamp named in his honor.
The report by the Sheriff's Department's civilian watchdog concluded that a series of tactical mistakes by deputies led to the Aug. 29, 1970, slaying of the newsman. Salazar was shot in the head by a tear-gas missile as he took a break in a bar while covering a demonstration in East Los Angeles that had become a riot.
Makeup artist Adrien Morot, who's nominated for an Oscar for Barney's Version, poses for a photograph next to a model figure is his studio in Montreal,Monday, Feb. 21, 2011.
Photo by Paul Chiasson
A veteran music executive has lambasted the Grammy Awards as "a series of hypocrisies and contradictions," in a full-page New York Times advertisement that ran a week after last Sunday's annual ceremony.
Steve Stoute's open letter to Grammy organizers ripped the organization and its 12,000-odd voters for snubbing Eminem and Justin Bieber at this year's ceremony, as well as Eminem and Kanye West at past events.
"Over the course of my 20-year history as an executive in the music business and as the owner of a firm that specializes in in-culture advertising, I have come to the conclusion that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture," wrote Stoute, who is currently CEO of the marketing company Translation.
"Unfortunately, the awards show has become a series of hypocrisies and contradictions, leaving me to question why any contemporary popular artist would even participate."
A float depicting United States President Barack Obama entitled 'Barack-Adabra and the Great Circus of the Fleas' is shown at the traditional Viareggio Carnival parade in Viareggio, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011.
Photo by Paolo Lazzeroni
Movie rental chain Blockbuster Inc, which filed for bankruptcy last year, said it has started the process to sell itself and has entered into an agreement with "stalking horse" bidder Cobalt Video Holdco for $290 million.
Cobalt is a limited liability company formed by funds managed by Monarch Alternative Capital LP, Owl Creek Asset Management LP, Stonehill Capital Management LLC and Värde Partners Inc.
A "stalking horse" bid is used as a starting bid or minimally accepted offer that other interested bidders must surpass if they want to buy the company.
Cobalt has agreed to purchase substantially all of the assets of Blockbuster and its U.S. and international subsidiaries for $290 million, subject to adjustment.
Blockbuster also filed a motion seeking approval from U.S. bankruptcy court for Southern District of New York to conduct an auction for the company.
A float depicting Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi entitled 'Rexpubblica' is shown at the traditional Viareggio Carnival parade in Viareggio, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011.
Photo by Paolo Lazzeroni
The nightclub dancer at the center of a political storm in Italy involving Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is set to be the star guest at Vienna's famed Opera Ball this year, a spokesman for her host said.
Karima el Mahroug -- an 18-year-old dancer known by her stage name Ruby Rubacuori (Ruby Heartstealer) -- will be the special guest of Vienna construction magnate and social lion Richard Lugner, his spokesman said on Monday.
Ruby has become a focus of an investigation into Berlusconi, who has been ordered to stand trial in April on charges of paying an underage girl for sex and abusing his position to get her out of police custody.
She denies she had sex with Berlusconi, but says he gave her 7,000 euros ($9,586) since she was in financial trouble.
A model presents a creation by Spanish designer Alma Aguilar during the Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2011 show in Madrid February 21, 2011.
Photo by Andrea Comas
George Washington's name is inseparable from America, and not only from the nation's history. It identifies countless streets, buildings, mountains, bridges, monuments, cities - and people.
In a puzzling twist, most of these people are black. The 2000 U.S. Census counted 163,036 people with the surname Washington. Ninety percent of them were African-American, a far higher black percentage than for any other common name.
The story of how Washington became the "blackest name" begins with slavery and takes a sharp turn after the Civil War, when all blacks were allowed the dignity of a surname.
Even before Emancipation, many enslaved black people chose their own surnames to establish their identities. Afterward, some historians theorize, large numbers of blacks chose the name Washington in the process of asserting their freedom.
Snow clings to the trees as a woman drives her Amish buggy along Crawford Road near White Hall, Pa., Monday afternoon, Feb. 21, 2011, after the area received several inches of snow.
Photo by Jimmy May
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 hypocrites?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
wrote:
took the day off.
