The Weekly Poll
Results
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...
a.) Yes, always, there but for fate go I...
forumvp replied...
Yes, I do give what I can. Sometimes it's only a buck. I think, there, for the grace of God, go my kids. We are one of the richest countries in the world and yet we have hungry and homeless on the streets. It's criminal. The shelters don't do much good for a homeless man.
Richard McD stated...
I'm a liberal at heart (repugs make it easy). I'll go with "a".
Joe S. reported with...
There are virtually no panhandlers in our area unless you count organizations such as the ASPCA or such as Friends of the Library, or such as VFW or such as organizations like such as, and such as shaking cans at store entrances. I always give them money. On my very few journeys to the "big cities" I have encountered panhandlers and I have given them money. So I guess my answer is a.) Yes, always, there but for fate go I.. such as
b.) No, never, they're just lazy bums and it only goes to their substance abuse...
'...Crickets...'
c.) Sometimes, depends on the circumstances...
mj anecdotally responded with...
I seldom stop the car, mostly on safety concerns (the jackass behind me may be on the cell phone).
Do not hold up a kid, say (s)he's hungry, and expect cash. A woman in London did this. We asked her which of the food vendors near the Tower would suit her child best (or should we pop into one of the grocers). She walked away.
(Lesson: If a panhandler won't take the actual thing for which (s)he says (s)he needs the money, I'm wary of giving.)
The guy sitting on the sidewalk feeding, the pigeons from his own meal got a pound note.
If I have a reasonably small bill and the person looks sincerely in need, I'm likely to give. Non-specific need trumps playing me with a "my baby needs milk" line.
jdunn strummed...
I only give to musicians ("buskers") as I used to be one.
litebug chose without comment...
C. Sometimes, depends on the circumstances.
Adam in NoHo was philosophical with...
C- I think of it as Karma. If I'm ever that bad off I'd like to think I can scrape together a couple of dollars on the street. I've never even been close, but, you know... The more pathetic the you are the more likely I will give you my spare
change. Rarely I will give a whole dollar. If you catch my eye or more
directly beg, I will give you what's in my change pocket.
The other day I passed a couple of well-scrubbed kids on Hollywood Blvd.
Thats when I think 'Get a job, ya bum' without even knowing their
circumstance- OTOH, they were sitting on a guitar case so I figured they
could have been busking instead of begging outright.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Well then, Poll-fans, my response is a mixture of mj's and Adam's. I believe in the karma thing, but I, too, have offered to feed people that asked for money to eat then refused my offer. So, I guess I've become selective. On the spot judgements of sincerity and obvious need, as it were, are the order of the day for me and I do not feel badly about that... Now, I have given change to alcoholics that were in distress and have come right out and said that they needed a drink. I figure that they would do whatever it took to get their 'fix' and by helping them get it perhaps I prevented a potential violent act. Maybe that's 'enabling', but if I helped keep an old lady from getting her purse snatched (or worse), well, so be it. Drug addicts never state their case that way, of course, but 'up front' drunks will, I've learned, and I take pity on them... So, there it is...
Thanks to all! As ever, Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
~~~~~~~~~~~
New Question
The 'Mad Mel' Edition...
Mel Gibson has been called a religiously insane, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, racist by a great many people. His actions and words certainly point to that as being the case. However, he has made movies that have been very popular and, in some instances, awarded and/or critically acclaimed...
So...
What is your view of Gibson as an actor and are there any of his movies that you have enjoyed?
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman:The Pundit Delusion (nytimes.com)
Instead of focusing on how its policies play in the news, the Obama administration should be worrying about their actual effect on the economy.
Ted Rall:HELP? NOT SOON
On Economy, Pessimism Abounds.
ROSS DOUTHAT:The Roots Of White Anxiety (nytimes.com)
To understand the country's polarization, take a look at the admissions process at elite private colleges.
Patrick Kingsley: The art of slow reading (guardian.co.uk)
Has endlessly skimming short texts on the internet made us stupider? An increasing number of experts think so - and say it's time to slow down . . .
Jack Shafer: By the Numbers (slate.com)
A terrific new book of essays encourages us all to be skeptical about statistics.
"Twilight of the Superheroes: Stories" by Deborah Eisenberg: A review by Jonathan Dee
Over the last two decades, Deborah Eisenberg has built an estimable reputation by marginalizing herself even within the precincts of literary fiction, by disregarding -- more out of idiosyncrasy than rebellion -- whatever it was that writers of her time and place were supposed or expected to do.
Reed Johnson: Herbie Hancock hits 70 on a high note (latimes.com)
The jazz pianist's yearlong celebration includes a new CD, a world tour and a Hollywood Bowl birthday party.
George Varga: Steve Miller: The Music Vet is Happy to Share his Opinions and Music, Live and Unedited (creators.com)
Here's what ever-quotable Miller had to say about ... The record industry's downward spiral: "My new album just debuted at No 1. on the blues charts and No. 11 on the pop charts, and we (only) sold 12,000 copies. I knew it was bad, but not this bad! There is no record business anymore."
Plácido Domingo: 'I am a very happy man, but I love to suffer on stage' (guardian.co.uk)
Five decades into his brilliant career as one of the world's great tenors, Plácido Domingo - now a baritone - is working as hard as ever. Catch him while you can, says Peter Conrad.
Geoff Boucher: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page won't let powerhouse 'Inception' pin them down (Los Angeles Times)
These days, the term "young Hollywood" conjures up images of pouty, plastic starlets being chased down Robertson Boulevard by paparazzi and probation officers, but recently the soulful side of young Hollywood made an appearance at a corner deli on Franklin Avenue. "Hi, Joe," Ellen Page said with a faraway smile as Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave her a hug.
Rosanna Greenstreet: "Q&A: Keeley Hawes" (guardian.co.uk)
'I'd edit out the night my phone rang my mother when I was discussing something rude.'
MICHAEL ATKINSON: Todd Solondz's Dystopia in Suburbia (inthesetimes.com)
In his sixth film, "Life During Wartime," the film director offers another twisted modern fairy tale that revels in taboos.
David Bruce: "The Kindest People who Do Good Deeds, Volume 1"
250 Good Deeds. A Kindle Book: $1.
wrote:
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Link from RJ
The Fortified Towers of Kaiping
Hi there
A possible link.... some very interesting buildings!
Art Contest
CoolClimate
LOS ANGELES -- The Gulf oil disaster is but one example of the ways in which our fossil fuel economy is impacting the planet we call home. But as bad as this catastrophe is, the specter of global climate change looms even larger as a threat to sustaining life on Earth. Despite overwhelming evidence -- species extinction and dwindling water supplies to mass migrations and mega-storms -- the public is still unclear what climate really means for them.
That is why we are calling on artists worldwide to participate in the CoolClimate Art Contest - the first online art contest exploring climate change in its many forms - how it is impacting our lives and what can be done to ensure a sustainable future for all of Earth's inhabitants.
Artist brief: submit a work of art that explores our relationship with the climate - from clean energy jobs to pollution-free oceans - the subject choice is yours. You can submit a piece you've already made, or pass this email along and get an artist friend involved. Post your art on
www.coolclimate.deviantart.com and you will be eligible to win prizes, be featured on the Planet Green Planet100 show and be displayed at key leader events nationwide on 10/10/10.
A panel of esteemed judges will select 20 finalists from hundreds of submissions. The finalists will then move to Huffington Post for public voting utilizing the Huffington Post's innovative online social voting tool. Judges include:
· Mel Chin (artist)
· Philippe Cousteau (ecologist)
· Agnes Gund (collector & philanthropist)
· Van Jones (environmental activist)
· David Ross (curator)
· Carrie Mae Weems (artist)
· Jackson Browne (musician) and Dianna Cohen (artist)
· Chevy Chase (Comedian) and Jayni Chase (philanthropist)
Submissions are now open and will close on August 23, 2010. You can read the Official Contest Rules on the
CoolClimate Group Page.
Historically the creative community has always helped to create new and expanded visions of possibility during difficult times and we look forward to the artist's vision for a cool and sustainable future.
#CoolClimate on deviantART
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and a bit cooler than seasonal.
AU Appoints Celebrities
Peace Envoys
The African Union has appointed famous politicians, musicians, sportsmen and women as advisors and special envoys to promote its peace efforts across the continent.
Anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu, Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai and Mo Ibrahim, whose multi-million-dollar prize honours good governance, were among those designated last week as advisors to support the bloc's "Year of Peace and Security" initiative.
Senegal's Grammy-winning singer Youssou N'Dour, Chelsea's Ghanaian footballer Michael Essien and Salif Keita were also named by AU chief Jean Ping as "peace ambassadors".
"The advisory council and peace ambassadors will support the (AU) commission in conflict resolution and peace building efforts on the continent," said a statement sent to AFP.
Peace Envoys
Leads Protest
Bjork
Icelandic singer Bjork, known for her political activism, urged parliament Monday to review the planned sale of a local geothermal energy company, saying the deal could harm Iceland's interests.
Bjork said she was unhappy with the sale of Icelandic power company HS Orka to Canada's Magma Energy and asked members of parliament to review it.
"Members of parliament! We, Icelanders, ask you for a transparent, open discussion and reconsideration concerning the sale of access to our natural resources," Bjork told reporters.
Thermal energy, generated by the heat of its many volcanoes, is one of Iceland's most valuable natural resources and could attract much-needed foreign investment in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
Bjork
Films Honored In L.A
Outfest
Two lesbian dramas won top awards Sunday at Outfest, the 28th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
Ned Farr's "A Marine Story" and James Kent's "The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister" were named best U.S. dramatic feature and international dramatic feature, respectively.
"Marine," which also picked up the audience award for dramatic feature, stars best actress winner Dreya Weber as a decorated Marine officer whose career is imperiled by the ban on gays in the military. The British film "Anne Lister" tells the true story of a landowner in 19th century England.
Outfest
DirecTV Picks Up From FX
'Damages'
"Damages," the award-winning, critically acclaimed legal thriller, has won a reprieve after three low-rated seasons on the FX network.
DirecTV and Sony Pictures Television announced Monday that the drama series will return for 20 episodes spanning two more seasons. Emmy-winning Glenn Close, Rose Byrne and other stars will return for the new episodes. They will be produced early next year and air exclusively on DirecTV's satellite service.
DirecTV also will have the rights to air the previous three seasons of "Damages," the companies said.
The series, which was not expected to be renewed by basic-cable network FX, has won a Golden Globe award, four Emmys, and recently landed five Emmy nominations.
'Damages'
Hospital News
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Her husband says Zsa Zsa Gabor underwent successful surgery Monday to replace the hip she broke over the weekend when she fell out of bed at her Bel-Air home.
Prince Frederic von Anhalt says the 93-year-old actress was in surgery for 3 1/2 hours at Ronald Reagan UCLA medical center. In a telephone call, he said she was in recovery and he was waiting to see her.
He said her surgeon was happy with everything and there were no problems.
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Compares To Shakespeare
Palin
Sarah Palin (R-Quitter) raised linguists' eyebrows this weekend when she urged Muslims to "refudiate" a controversial mosque -- then defended her garbled English as Shakespearean.
The darling of the Republican right and possible 2012 White House candidate coined the word Sunday in a Tweet criticizing plans for a mosque at Ground Zero in New York.
At first Palin appeared embarrassed, deleting the message on her Twitter page and replacing it with a call for Muslims to "refute" the plan, this time using a real word, but questionable grammar.
Her next update returned to "refudiate" and now proudly proclaimed Palin as heir both to literary genius William Shakespeare and Republican ex-resident George W. Bush, famous for his repeated howlers, such as "misunderestimate."
Palin
Returns To Thailand
Mikhail Pletnev
A renowned Russian pianist and conductor arrested on child sex charges returned to Thailand for a court hearing Monday, honoring the terms of his controversial release on bail that allowed him to leave the country.
Mikhail Pletnev, the conductor and founder of the Russian National Orchestra, told reporters before his court appearance that allegations he had raped a 14-year-old boy were "not true."
"During the police search of my home, nothing connected with the allegations - no photographs or other visual material - was found on (my) computer," he said, reading from a prepared statement.
Thailand has long been known as a haven for sex tourists and pedophiles because of widespread prostitution and lax law enforcement. Authorities have voiced intentions to crack down on such offenses, and the conductor's July 6 arrest is one of the most prominent cases to date.
Mikhail Pletnev
Noisy London House Party
Madonna
US pop star Madonna was in hot water with her neighbours over a loud party thrown at her London house when she was not there, council officials said Monday.
Staff working for Madonna at her home in Marylebone, central London, threw a party on the afternoon of June 27 that was so noisy that nearby residents called Westminster City Council to complain.
Officials who arrived at the property shortly afterwards said the music and singing was loud enough to be considered "statutory nuisance".
The order was issued to Madonna, who is listed as the building's owner, even though she was not present at the party.
Madonna
Ex Wants Common Law Marriage Recognized
Gary Coleman
Gary Coleman's ex-wife is asking a judge to formally recognize her as the child star's surviving spouse.
Documents filed last week in 4th District Court on behalf of Shannon Price say she and Coleman continued to live together and represent themselves as married despite their 2008 divorce.
Price wants a judge to recognize her common law marriage to Coleman from the date of the divorce through his May 28 death. She is seeking the declaration as part of the ongoing battle over Coleman's estate.
Gary Coleman
Bans Niqab At Universities
Syria
Syria has forbidden the country's students and teachers from wearing the niqab - the full Islamic veil that reveals only a woman's eyes - taking aim at a garment many see as political.
The ban shows a rare point of agreement between Syria's secular, authoritarian government and the democracies of Europe: Both view the niqab as a potentially destabilizing threat.
The order affects both public and private universities and aims to protect Syria's secular identity, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue. Hundreds of primary school teachers who were wearing the niqab at government-run schools were transferred last month to administrative jobs, he added.
The ban, issued Sunday by the Education Ministry, does not affect the hijab, or headscarf, which is far more common in Syria than the niqab's billowing black robes.
Syria
Another Day, Another Oink
Berlusconi
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Monday said he could sing better than French songwriting legend Charles Aznavour during an event on top of the northern city of Milan's cathedral.
"Someone wrote that I would have sung with him, but my institutional position prevents me from doing so. Also, I would have surely been better than him," joked Berlusconi while introducing Aznavour, the ANSA news agency reported.
Berlusconi, who was a cruise ship crooner in his youth, was presenting Aznavour after receiving an institutional prize for his political career amid the pinnacles and spires that overlook the roof of the gothic cathedral.
Before beginning his concert, Aznavour replied saying Berlusconi was "the most prestigious artist to have ever opened a show for me."
Berlusconi
Unveils Soldiers' War Paintings
U.S. Army
An American soldier stands alone amid the long grass of a Vietnamese field accompanied by the helicopter that brought him there while a few other soldiers are seen in the background.
"Landing Zone," a somber depiction of the Vietnam War in 1966 by soldier John Wehrle, is among about 300 paintings by U.S. servicemen and women that will be unveiled to the public for the first time at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center in September.
The paintings have been selected from about 15,000 collected by the U.S. Army since the 1840s. Most have never been on public display.
"Art of the American Soldier" focuses on the duties, sacrifices, and everyday lives of troops, and covers every conflict from the World War One to Afghanistan.
U.S. Army
Party On The Autobahn
"Still Life"
About three million people turned a busy motorway into one of the biggest open-air festivals in Germany's history on Sunday.
A 60 km (36 mile)-long section of the A40 Autobahn between the western German cities of Dortmund and Duisburg was closed to motorists and turned over to pedestrians, cyclists, skaters and picnickers.
The event called "Still Life" was part of celebrations for the Ruhr region Cultural Capital of Europe 2010. The area, once Germany's industrial heartland, is home to 5.3 million people.
Some 20,000 tables were set up on the motorway for what organizers called "the longest banquet in the world." They said three million people had taken part.
"Still Life"
Dentures Up For Sale
Winston Churchill
A partial set of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill's gold-mounted dentures, specially designed to disguise his natural lisp, go up for sale this month.
The partial dentures, which Keys Auctioneers have catalogued with an estimated value of 4,000 to 5,000 pounds, are being sold by the son of the technician who was commissioned to make them.
A duplicate is on show at the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and a third set was buried with Churchill in 1965.
According to documents written by the college of surgeons, the dentures were "carefully designed to ensure that Churchill retained his characteristically slurred diction -- a deliberate affectation designed to overcome a childhood lisp.
Winston Churchill
In Memory
Fred Carter Jr.
Fred Carter Jr., a longtime Nashville studio musician and father of country musician Deana Carter, has died. He was 76.
He died of complications from a stroke Saturday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, according to an obituary and funeral arrangements released Monday by a public relations firm.
Born in Louisiana, Carter began his career as a staff guitarist on the Shreveport-based country music show known as the "Louisiana Hayride." He settled in Nashville in the late 1950s as a session player and worked with a steady stream of country artists, including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. He also worked with Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan and Muddy Waters.
Fred Carter Jr.
In Memory
James Gammon
James Gammon, the gravel-voiced actor who played the manager of the Cleveland Indians in the 1980s comedy "Major League" and had a host of other movie and TV roles, has died. He was 70.
The craggy-faced actor also played the father on the Don Johnson TV show "Nash Bridges."
In addition to dozens of TV and movie appearances, Gammon was a noted stage actor who co-founded the MET Theatre in Los Angeles. Gammon starred in several Sam Shepherd plays, receiving a Tony nomination for his work on a 1996 Broadway production of "Buried Child."
Gammon is survived by his wife, a brother and sister, two daughters and two grandchildren.
James Gammon
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