The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime' Edition
ST. PETERSBURG - Three homeless men bearing cardboard signs near Interstate 275 were not pleased when they read the newspaper Friday morning. That's how they learned the City Council, with the mayor's support, unanimously voted to ban street solicitation on St. Petersburg's busiest streets...
Panhandlers say St. Petersburg street solicitation ban will make things worse - St. Petersburg Times
Do you give money to panhandlers?
a.) Yes, always, there but for fate go I...
b.) No, never, they're just lazy bums and it only goes to their substance abuse...
c.) Sometimes, depends on the circumstances...
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: The Feckless Fed (nytimes.com)
Ben Bernanke knows the dangers of deflation. So why isn't the Fed using its tools to head it off?
DAVID SIROTA: Are Low Taxes Exacerbating the Recession?
Though the Reagan zeitgeist created the illusion that taxes stunt economic growth, the numbers prove that higher marginal tax rates generate more resources for the job-creating, wage-generating public investments (roads, bridges, broadband, etc.) that sustain an economy. They also create economic incentives for economy-sustaining capital investment.
"Koestler: The Literary and Political Odyssey of a Twentieth-Century Skeptic" by Michael Scammell: A review by Nicholas Fraser
The best and bravest reporters are expected to perform heroic feats on our behalf. They risk their lives for small amounts of money, and their reward is to see their work ranked as ephemera. Journalists react in different ways to this career dilemma -- by drinking too much, by abandoning journalism entirely in favor of more esteemed literary activity, or by venturing onto the shaky, overused bridge that separates the habit of reporting from the act of changing the world.
MICHAEL ATKINSON: Virtually Conservative (inthesetimes.com)
Most video games-in which you accumulate stuff and/or dominate the world-are the opposite of progressive.
DAVID BROOKS: The Medium Is the Medium (nytimes.com)
The Internet culture has yet to incorporate the literary culture of traditional bookish learning.
George Varga: Tom DeLonge Leads the 'Dramatically Different' blink-182 (creators.com)
As the lead singer, guitarist and frontman in blink-182, Tom DeLonge has become rich and famous by co-writing, recording and performing songs that celebrate the joys and angst of adolescence, ideally with as much gleeful profanity as possible.
Mike Farley: A Chat with Daniel Tashian, Silver Seas singer (bullz-eye.com)
I love the scene in 'Titanic' when Billy Zane pushes some lady out of the way to get on the lifeboat. Sometimes the bastards survive. But we love to see justice. We love to see people get punished when they behave badly.
George Varga: Tim McGraw: 'Southern' Man, And Proud of It (creators.com)
In a country-music world dominated by cookie-cutter clones and dial-a-number formulas, Tim McGraw is a welcome anomaly.
He's a proud "Southern Voice," to cite the title of his 10th and latest studio album, but transcends the usual stereotypes of his chosen artistic genre.
Will Harris: A Chat with Warren the Ape, Star of "Warren the Ape" and "Greg the Bunny" (bullz-eye.com)
On the status of his ex-wife: She calls me whenever she sees me on television to find out if there's wages she can garnish. I was happy to tell her that my deal with MTV grants me no residuals, so she's out of luck.
Will Harris: A Chat with Jane Adams, Co-star of "Hung" (bullz-eye.com)
The script (for 'Hung') was sent to me, and I knew it was a series for HBO, and I just was at a point in my career where I was thinking, 'Nobody's going to want to hire me because I'm not young and blonde.'
took the day off.
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and warmer.
Fewer Watching
Late-Night Talk Shows
Jay Leno and David Letterman are in the twilight of their days as late-night TV kings, and it's not clear that any late-night comic will wield that kind of broad influence again.
Late-night ratings sank over the past three months, despite the attention and extraordinary television created over the winter by the drama of Leno taking back "The Tonight Show" from Conan O'Brien.
Competition is a factor. Johnny Carson in his prime never had to worry about a Jon Stewart or George Lopez. Or video games and the Internet. Or, for that matter, his own network. At 11:35 p.m., more people now watch programs saved on their digital video recorders than either Leno and Letterman, the Nielsen Co. said.
Back at NBC, Leno averaged 4 million viewers a night during April, May and June. That's a full 1 million viewers lost to NBC compared to the same three months in 2009. Letterman wasn't necessarily the beneficiary, since his audience of 3.3 million people was off 7 percent from 2009.
Bright spots are ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, who was aggressively promoted by his network this spring, and E! Entertainment's Chelsea Handler. ABC's "Nightline" is also up slightly in viewers and consistently beats Letterman.
Late-Night Talk Shows
New Comedy Central Star
Daniel Tosh
Who's the most popular host on Comedy Central?
It's not Jon Stewart. And, no, it's not Stephen Colbert.
Daniel Tosh has surpassed both in the ratings to have the most-watched and top-rated studio-based show on the cable network. His series, "Tosh.0," hit another series high Wednesday -- the network's best performance in that time period since "Chappelle's Show" in 2004.
"Tosh.0"? Try "Tosh" 2.4 million viewers.
Daniel Tosh
Offers To Take Playboy Private
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner's offer to take Playboy Enterprises Inc. private drew the promise of a competing bid on Monday from the owner of archrival Penthouse magazine. That raises the possibility that Playboy's 84-year-old founder could lose control of the men's magazine he started more than half a century ago.
Playboy said Monday that Hefner has lined up backing from a little-known private equity firm to buy the shares of the media empire that he doesn't already own and take the company private in a deal that values the organization at $185 million.
A few hours later, Marc Bell, the CEO of Penthouse owner FriendFinder, said his company will make a formal bid soon. Bell had acquired Penthouse as part of a 2003 bankruptcy reorganization that also saw the resignation of founder Robert Guccione as the company's CEO.
Playboy, which Hefner launched in 1953, had its most popular years in the 1970s and has been struggling recently to stay profitable amid dwindling ad revenue and increased competition from free alternatives online.
Hugh Hefner
4th Manuscript Clouded In Mystery
Stieg Larsson
It is September in Sachs Harbour, northern Canada. In the cold and desolate landscape, Mikael Blomqvist and Lisbeth Salander are about to begin a new adventure. But their journey in the fourth book of Stieg Larsson's best-selling "Millennium" crime series is a mystery. The book was left unfinished on the author's laptop when he died suddenly in 2004 at age 50.
Only two people know about the content of the manuscript: Larsson's longtime partner Eva Gabrielsson, who has refused to talk about it and won't reveal the whereabouts of the last installment in the series, which started with "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"; and Larsson's friend John-Henri Holmberg, who received an e-mail about the book from Larsson less than a month before his death on Nov. 9, 2004.
Holmberg says the author probably had a detailed outline of the story among his notes, making it possible for someone such as Gabrielsson - who worked closely with Larsson on the first three books - to complete the manuscript.
Since Larsson's death the whereabouts of the fourth manuscript has been clouded in mystery. Gabrielsson - who is involved in a thorny conflict with the author's father and brother, Erland and Joakim Larsson - initially acknowledged she had the laptop containing the fourth manuscript. However, in an interview with Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet in June, Gabrielsson said she doesn't want to see any other book in the Millennium series published and said she does not have the manuscript. Joakim Larsson said in an e-mail that he doesn't know where it is now.
The reason for the dispute is a Swedish law that stipulates partners aren't entitled to inherit from each other unless they are married or have special wills. Like many Swedish couples, Larsson and Gabrielsson never married, which meant Erland and Joakim inherited everything after the author's premature death.
Stieg Larsson
Proposes Onstage
Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana is smooth: The guitar god has gotten engaged after proposing onstage to his girlfriend, drummer Cindy Blackman.
The proposal came during a tour stop Friday in Tinley Park, Ill., outside Chicago. His representatives say he popped the question four songs into the concert after a Blackman drum solo.
She said yes, and they sealed it with a kiss, which was met with cheers from the crowd.
The multiplatinum-selling Grammy winner ended a 34-year marriage to Deborah Santana in 2007.
Carlos Santana
The Show Must Go On
Jon Bon Jovi
New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi didn't even need "Something For The Pain" to finish a concert in his home state, despite tearing a calf muscle toward the end of the show.
Bon Jovi injured himself toward the end of the band's 2 1/2-hour concert at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford on Friday night, then limped back and forth across the stage for an encore, "Livin' On A Prayer."
The singer, who grew up in Sayreville, N.J., injured his leg during a cover of the Dave Clark Five hit "Glad All Over." About halfway through the song, he leaned heavily on his microphone stand to support his injured leg.
"My calf muscle just blew out! Whoa!," he said from the stage. "I got another leg. I don't need this one."
Jon Bon Jovi
Swiss Reject Extradition Request
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski was declared a free man on Monday after Switzerland rejected a U.S. request to extradite him to be sentenced for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
The Swiss government blamed the decision on U.S. authorities, saying they had failed to address defense arguments that the 76-year-old filmmaker had actually served his sentence before fleeing Los Angeles three decades ago.
Nine months after arresting Polanski, the Swiss Justice Ministry said U.S. officials should have backed up their request by providing confidential testimony about Polanski's sentencing procedure in L.A.
The stunning decision could end the United States' long pursuit of Polanski. France, where he has spent much of his time, does not extradite its own citizens and Polanski has had little trouble traveling throughout Europe - even if he's stayed away from Britain.
The U.S. cannot appeal the decision, but Polanski is still a fugitive in the United States.
Roman Polanski
'Die Hard' Director Pleads Guilty
John McTiernan
The director of "Die Hard" has pleaded guilty in federal court in Los Angeles to lying during the investigation of a Hollywood private eye.
John McTiernan entered his plea Monday to two counts of making false statements to the FBI and one count of perjury for lying to a federal judge while trying to withdraw a guilty plea. He faces up to a year in prison.
McTiernan previously pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents about the investigation of private eye Anthony Pellicano. He later withdrew that plea, arguing he didn't have adequate legal representation.
Pellicano is serving a 15-year sentence for bugging celebrities' phones. He also was convicted of wiretapping a producer on behalf of McTiernan.
John McTiernan
Sentenced But Not Imprisoned
Russian Curators
Two Russian curators who angered the Russian Orthodox Church with an exhibition that included images of Jesus Christ portrayed as Mickey Mouse and Vladimir Lenin were convicted Monday of inciting religious hatred and fined, but not sentenced to prison.
The case of Yuri Samodurov, 58, and Andrei Yerofeyev, 54, has been closely watched by human rights activists. The decision by a Moscow court could sidestep the possibility of an international outcry over imprisoning the two respected art-world figures, but is unlikely to stem concerns about the growing influence of the church and the specter of Soviet-style censorship returning.
"This conviction means our government is following a dangerous path for a so-called democracy," Samodurov said in the courtroom right after the hearing. He said he couldn't pay the fine and would appeal the verdict, which took Judge Svetlana Alexandrova just over two hours to deliver in a packed and sweltering courtroom.
The two could have been sentenced to up to three years in prison, but were ordered only to pay fines of up to 200,000 rubles ($6,500).
Russian Curators
Jury Chosen
John Stamos
A jury has been chosen in the trial of a Michigan couple charged with conspiring to extort money from actor John Stamos in exchange for photos they claimed showed the actor with cocaine and strippers.
Allison Coss and Scott Sippola are accused of trying to squeeze $680,000 out of the "Full House" and "ER" star.
Federal prosecutors say the photos don't exist but the couple claims the photos were lost or destroyed during an FBI raid.
Defense attorneys say the couple offered Stamos a chance to buy the pictures but that it wasn't extortion.
John Stamos
Oink, Oink
Berlusconi
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lived up to his playboy reputation Monday, saying men from Latin countries can "appreciate pretty girls" and asking foreign ambassadors to bring some over.
"Bring some good-looking girls over some time. We would appreciate them because we are Latins," the 73-year-old told a gathering of ambassadors and business leaders from nearly 30 Mediterranean countries in Milan.
Last year, Berlusconi's wife filed for divorce over revelations that the media tycoon attended the 18th birthday party of an aspiring model who called him "Daddy".
Berlusconi was also forced to deny paying for sex after a call-girl disclosed publicly she had spent the night with him, recorded conversations with him and filmed his bedroom with her mobile phone.
Berlusconi
Sells NYC Digs
Pigboy
Rush Limbaugh railed against proposed New York tax hikes last year, and vowed to leave the city for good. It took a little while, but Limbaugh has now unloaded his ritzy Manhattan condo for about $11.5 million, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Although Limbaugh wanted $12.95 million for the Upper East Side apartment, he still comes out ahead on the deal. The conservative talker paid less than $5 million for the place in 1994.
Limbaugh hosts his top-rated radio show primarily out of Palm Beach, Fla., where he lives full time on a palatial beachfront estate. But Limbaugh occasionally treks to New York, where several of his staffers work. These days, Limbaugh's fill-in hosts are more likely to use the New York studio.
Even if Limbaugh traveled north only for hurricane relief and staff visits, he had a nice place to crash in the city. The Fifth Avenue spread includes four terraces, double living room, large media room and Central Park views, according to Corcoran's real estate listing.
Pigboy
Chili Pepper Delivery
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Wenk's Yellow Hots, Pico de Gallos and the unpredictably hot San Juan "Tsiles" chili peppers have safely arrived at a "doomsday" vault in the Arctic.
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., says he and other congressmen delivered seeds from the pepper varieties on Sunday to a Norwegian seed bank on the remote Svalbard archipelago.
Operators say the Svalbard Global Seed Vault has the world's most diverse repository of crop seeds and is a safeguard against war or natural disasters that could wipe out food crops.
The seeds came from a Department of Agriculture collection in Colorado. In addition to peppers, seeds for plants including peanuts and melons were sent to the vault.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
In Memory
Harvey Pekar
Harvey Pekar, whose autobiographical comic book series "American Splendor" portrayed his unglamorous life with bone-dry honesty and wit, was found dead at home early Monday, authorities said. He was 70.
The cause of death was unclear, and an autopsy was planned, officials said. Pekar had prostate cancer, asthma, high blood pressure and depression, said Michael Cannon, a police captain in suburban Cleveland Heights.
Officers were called to Pekar's home by his wife about 1 a.m., Cannon said. His body was found on the floor between a bed and dresser. He had gone to bed around 4:30 p.m. Sunday in good spirits, his wife told police.
Pekar took a radically different track from the superhero-laden comics that had dominated the industry. He instead specialized in the lives of ordinary people, chronicling his life as a file clerk in Cleveland and his relationship with his third wife, Joyce Brabner. His 1994 graphic novel, "Our Cancer Year," detailed his battle with lymphoma.
Pekar never drew himself but depended on collaborations with artists, most notably his friend R. Crumb, who helped illustrate the first issue of the ironically titled "American Splendor," published in 1976. It was made into an acclaimed 2003 film starring Paul Giamatti as Pekar. The most recent "American Splendor" was released in 2008.
Pekar's quirky commentary developed a following, and his insights and humor were often a bit on the dark side.
Pekar, who was a repeat TV guest of David Letterman, told The Associated Press in a 1997 interview that he was determined to keep writing his "American Splendor" series.
Harvey Pekar
In Memory
Walter Hawkins
Walter Hawkins, a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, composer and pastor from Oakland, died Sunday. He was 61.
Hawkins, who was battling pancreatic cancer, passed away at his home in Ripon, Calif., his older brother Edwin Hawkins said.
Born in Oakland, Hawkins studied for his divinity degree at the University of California, Berkeley.
While at the university, he recorded his first album titled "Do Your Best" in 1972.
The next year, Hawkins became a pastor and founded the Love Center Church in Oakland, where he also formed a choir.
His "The Lord's Prayer" won a Grammy in 1980 and he also performed on the televised Grammy Awards ceremony that year.
In 1990, Hawkins released "Love Alive III" which spent 34 weeks at the top on the Billboard gospel album sales chart, while going on to sell more than a million copies, according to family representative Bill Carpenter.
In 1993 his next album, "Love Alive IV," also hit the top spot on the album sales chart. Between work on the two albums, Hawkins was ordained a bishop in October 1992.
At the time of his death, Hawkins was planning a new "Love Alive" CD concert recording for this fall.
Besides his brother Walter, Hawkins is survived by two children, two grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.
Walter Hawkins
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