Kevin Drum: The Shutdown in 10 Infuriating Sentences (Mother Jones)
At its core, the dispute over the budget and the debt ceiling isn't complicated at all. But it is full of misconceptions and urban myths. Here are the 10 facts worth remembering past all the obfuscation:…
Matthew Yglesias: If Growth Is Dead, We Need Radical Redistribution (Slate)
Average living standards in the West are much higher in 2013 than they were in 1863 not because we abandoned capitalism and workers seized control of the factories, but because society as a whole is much more prosperous than it was 150 years ago. Thanks to growth, middle-class people can enjoy miraculous opulence-antibiotics, cars, air conditioning-that was far outside the grasp of the rich in the 1860s.
120 BIKES STUCK ON THE STOREFRONT OF A GERMAN BIKE SHOP
In Altlandsberg, twenty kilometers from Berlin, Germany stands a peculiar, eye-catching edifice. Whoever on earth wouldn't notice a building with more than a hundred bikes stuck on its front wall? While one could mistake it for an art installation, this display is actually an inventive and unconventional advertising scheme of a local bike shop
David Bruce: Wise Up! Problem-Solving (Athens News)
When Harper Lee, future author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," first went to New York City to be a writer, she found an interesting way to get money for coffee and pie. She used to hit the heads of parking meters until they disgorged quarters, which bought a lot more then than now.
The flag of Wales (Welsh: Baner Cymru or Y Ddraig Goch, meaning "The Red Dragon") consists of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. As with many heraldic charges, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many renderings exist.
Source
The Welsh Dragon - Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch ("the red dragon") - appears on the national flag of Wales. The flag is also called Y Ddraig Goch. The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is in the Historia Brittonum, written around AD 829, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of King Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. Its association with these leaders along with other evidence from archaeology, literature, and documentary history lead many to suppose that it evolved from an earlier Romano-British national symbol. The red dragon is often seen as symbolising all things Welsh, and is used by many public and private institutions.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
A Red Dragon
Marian answered:
Dragon, saw it this summer on our fabulous cruise.
mj wrote:
Like the Scottish national beast (Unicorn)
The Welsh flag bears a mythical member of the animal kingdom: a dragon.
Charlie responded:
It's a red dragon.
Sally said:
Years ago, I lived in Nassau, Bahamas, and briefly dated a Welch rugby player. At every game all these peeps of Welch heritage would wave their Welch flags for every goal or goal attempt...
It was really annoying on such a small field/bleachers.
I was told many, many times that the flag represented a red dragon, and some ancient king. Being young, and blond, I really didn't give a rat's ass...
Nope, no dragon here...
PS: Sigh, depressing day here. Big storm coming in, and so humid I can hardly breath...
Jim from CA, retired to ID, replied:
Wales
The flag of Wales consists of a red dragon passant on a green and white
field.
Adam answered:
The Snail Darter.
No...no...no, The Red Dragon
Dale of Diamond Springs, Norcali,
(Go A's) responded:
Dale of Diamond Springs, Norcali, (Go A's).
Lois Of Pern in Oregon wrote:
There be Dragons on the Flag Of Wales! Dragons are extinct
now, due to extensive inbreeding and mutations caused by
environmental pollutants in many brands of shampoo.
MAM took the day off.
BttbBob said:
I know this one. They have a cool flag. This is the red dragon from my collection. I have a dozen dragons, total, including a large three-headed one that is a hand puppet. "Maddie Muffin" loves to play with "Grampa's dragons" and they guard her at night in her room from a special rack when she sleeps over. Most I acquired before she was born 6 years ago. I like them...
~~~~~
The lighthouse in the frame is one of the few remaining examples of Great Lakes lighthouses made entirely of wood. Built in 1868 on Grand Island in Lake Superior off of Munising, it was removed from service in 1913 and replaced by range lights leading into Munising harbor. The island is part of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (which is now, of course, closed do to the GOP shutdown) and is 49 square miles in size. It does have some small private property lots and a year round population of 47. The only access is by boat. The camping is rustic only and wildlife, including lots of black bears, abounds. I took the photo last year from the water on my trip up there, some might remember.
~~~~~
That's it for now... I'm feeling, oh, not so well.
DJ Useo answered:
Hehe! I actually know todays trivia answer. Mainly because I'm a longtime reader of Slaine in the UK comic 2000AD. It's loosely based on Celtic folk lore.
And, Joe S replied:
Although I had no idea what "Y Ddraig Goch" means, other than a couple more unreadable words in the language some people still speak in Wales, I know the answer. I know what it means because I know what the Welsh flag looks like. It's a red dragon.
This clip is not Welsh but I find it most enjoyable. No offense to anyone, but don't you find most British people kind of funny-looking?
CBS begins the night with a FRESH'NCIS', followed by a FRESH'NCIS: The 2nd One', then a FRESH'Person Of Interest'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Seth Meyers, Michael Fassbender, and Amos Lee.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Sarah Michelle Gellar, Guillermo Diaz, and Nick Cobb.
NBC starts the night with a FRESH'Biggest Loser', followed by a FRESH'The Voice', then a FRESH'Chicago Fire'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Billy Crystal, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Jenni "JWoww" Farley, Toni Braxton, and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon is Miley Cyrus.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 6/4/13) are Zack Snyder, "The Way, Way Back", and Grimes.
ABC opens the night with a FRESH'Agents Of SHIELD', followed by a FRESH'The Goldbergs', then a FRESH'Trophy Wife', followed by a FRESH'Lucky 7'RERUN'Scandal'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Elton John and Emily VanCamp.
The CW offers a FRESH'The Originals', followed by a FRESH'Supernatural'.
Scheduled on a FRESHArsenio Hall are James Caan, Chandra Wilson, and Thompson Square.
Faux has a FRESH'Dads', followed by a FRESH'Brooklyn Nine-Nine', then a FRESH'New Girl', followed by a FRESH'The Mindy Project'.
MY recycles an old 'Bones', followed by another old 'Bones'.
AMC offers the movie 'The Departed', 'The Walking Dead', another 'The Walking Dead', and still another 'The Walking Dead'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[7:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[8:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 1 - Ep 10 - The Doctor Dances
[9:00AM] MERLIN - Season 1 - Ep 10 - The Moment of Truth
[10:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 7 - Ep 26 - All Good Things..., Part 2
[11:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 3 - Ep 1 - Evolution
[12:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 3 - Ep 2 - The Ensigns of Command
[1:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 1 - Ep 8 - Peter's
[2:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 1 - Ep 9 - The Olde Stone Mill
[3:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 3 - Ep 3 - Bazzini
[4:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 14 - Episode 7
[5:00PM] TOP GEAR: BEST OF 08-09 - Episode 1
[6:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 11 - Data's Day
[7:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 12 - The Wounded
[8:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 13 - Devil's Due
[9:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 14 - Clues
[10:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 15 - First Contact
[11:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 13 - Devil's Due
[12:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 14 - Clues
[1:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 15 - First Contact
[2:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 5 - Ep 5 - Flesh and Stone
[3:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 5 - Ep 6 - Vampires in Venice
[4:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 5 - Ep 7 - Amy's Choice
[5:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 5 - Ep 8 - The Hungry Earth (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'I Dream Of NeNe: The Wedding', another 'I Dream Of NeNe: The Wedding', followed by a FRESH'I Dream Of NeNe: The Wedding', then a FRESH'The New Atlanta'.
Comedy Central has last night's 'Colbert Report', last night's 'Jon Stewart', 'Workaholics', 'Tosh.0', another 'Tosh.0', still another 'Tosh.0', followed by a FRESH'Tosh.0', then a FRESH'Brickleberry'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJon Stewart is Malala Yousafzai.
Scheduled on a FRESHColbert Report is Paul Giamatti.
FX has '2½ Men', followed by the movie 'Green Lantern', followed by a FRESH'Sons Of Anarchy'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] The Savages
[8:30AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Ed Helms Wears a Grey Shirt & Brown Boots
[9:00AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Adam Scott Wears a Red Oxford Shirt & Jeans
[9:30AM] The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
[1:00PM] The Savages
[3:30PM] Little Odessa
[5:30PM] Blade Runner
[8:00PM] Starsky & Hutch
[10:15PM] Shanghai Noon
[12:45AM] Starsky & Hutch
[3:00AM] Shanghai Noon
[5:30AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Anna Kendrick Wears a Patterned Blouse & Burgundy Pants
[6:00AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Casey Wilson Wears a White Lace Dress and a Black Blazer (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00AM] The Writers' Room-Dexter
[6:30AM] This Is Spinal Tap
[8:15AM] Being John Malkovich
[10:45AM] Searching for Bobby Fischer
[1:15PM] This Is Spinal Tap
[3:00PM] Searching for Bobby Fischer
[5:30PM] Driving Miss Daisy
[7:45PM] The Big Chill
[10:00PM] Kinsey
[12:30AM] Kinsey
[3:00AM] Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
[5:30AM] The Writers' Room-Breaking Bad (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Dawn Of The Dead', 'Face Off', followed by a FRESH'Face Off', then a FRESH'Fangasm'.
TBS:
On a RERUNConan (from 8/5/13) are Lisa Kudrow, Diego Luna, and Florida Georgia Line.
Actress Oona Chaplin poses during a photocall for the television series "The Ark" during the annual MIPCOM television programme market in Cannes, southeastern France, October 7, 2013. The International film and programme market for TV, video, cable and satellite (MIPCOM) opens from October 7 to October 10 on the French Riviera.
Photo by Eric Gaillard
"Gravity," Alfonso Cuarón's 3-D space epic starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, soared to the top of the North American box office on its opening weekend, earning $55.8 million - the biggest October opening of all time, according to the Hollywood Reporter - and raves from critics.
But according to world-renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the film is littered with inaccuracies in its depiction of space.
For example, Tyson wrote on Twitter, why was Bullock's hair, "in otherwise convincing" zero-gravity scenes, not floating "freely on her head"?
Tyson was not alone in his criticism. "Gravity" was picked apart by several members of the scientific community.
Actor Harrison Ford poses for photographers at a question and answer event about his new film "Enders Game" at a cinema at Leicester Square in central London, October 7, 2013.
Photo by Andrew Winning
Seven years after being named Esquire magazine's sexiest woman alive, Scarlett Johansson has earned the title for a second time.
Johansson, who also won in 2006, is the first woman to get the honour twice. Last year's winner was Mila Kunis.
Johansson jokingly tells the magazine she's "gotta hustle" and "pretty soon the roles you're offered all become mothers. Then they just sort of stop."
The 28-year-old actress is also off the market. She recently went public with her engagement to former French journalist Romain Dauriac. It will be her second marriage. She split from Ryan Reynolds in 2010.
"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses is a beloved power ballad, never far from being played at a karaoke night or wild get-together. There are countlesscovers of the song out there, but it's safe to say none like Vancouver resident Michelle Kwan's. In a recent video, Kwan plays "Sweet Child" on a guzheng, an instrument invented 2,000 years ago, which she has been playing for 12 years now. And if the song is not going to be played on an electric guitar, the guzheng does the job.
Kwan is able to play multiple pieces of the song flawlessly, and YouTube viewers and commenters are eating it up. More than 180,000 people have seen the video in two weeks, and commenters are writing things like "Facemelted!" and "this is so good it's almost sick."
Kwan says that she wanted to put a modern twist on an instrument that is known mostly for playing traditional songs, and she's actually taking requests for new songs to learn on her YouTube page. She also hopes to parlay her newfound fame to someday perform with Guns N' Roses. Your move, GN'R.
Fans of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy film series "The Lord of the Rings" will have the opportunity to bid on rare movie memorabilia, a Beverly Hills auction house said on Monday.
Props from Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy will be up for sale at Julien's Auctions on December 5, including a pair of prosthetic hairy Hobbit feet worn by one of the film's main characters, Samwise Gamgee. The hairy feet are estimated to fetch between $15,000 and $30,000.
The total auction is expecting to fetch between $1 million and $1.5 million from the sale of 80 lots of memorabilia.
Other highlights from the fantasy realm of Middle Earth include the sword of lead character Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, estimated between $100,000 and $200,000, and a wizard staff belonging to Gandalf the White (played by Ian McKellan), expected to fetch between $50,000 and $70,000.
Vandals scrawled graffiti on John Lennon's sidewalk star on Hollywood's storied Walk of Fame over the weekend, prompting an urgent clean-up days before fans gather for the Beatles icon's birthday.
The unidentified graffiti artist or artists scribbled a smiley face and various messages on the star, which is next to those of his Fab Four band mates outside the Capitol Records building in downtown Hollywood.
Beatles fans are expected to hold an annual candle-lit vigil at the star on Wednesday, which would have been Lennon's 73rd birthday, so officials wanted to clean it up straightaway.
"Capitol Records started the cleanup, as it is in front of their property, and then our star maker finished up and sealed it, and it is ready to go," Hollywood Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Ana Martinez told AFP.
Actor Michael Gross poses during a photocall for the television series "Call Me Fitz" during the annual MIPCOM television programme market in Cannes, southeastern France, October 7, 2013. The International film and programme market for TV, video, cable and satellite (MIPCOM) opens from October 7 to October 10 on the French Riviera.
Photo by Eric Gaillard
Fox News has just unveiled a breathtakingly ridiculous newsroom, complete with novelty-sized Windows-based touchscreens, a Twitter wall, and a wannabe Minority Report-style display, which it hopes will connect it with generations of viewers who use smartphones and apps.
In a video that could be mistaken for a College Humor or Saturday Night Live parody, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith walks viewers through the network's new setup, which includes workstations with 55-inch touchscreen monitors. In the video, journalists swipe through pages and apps, presumably collecting information for live reporting. "We call these BATs," Smith notes. "Big area touchscreens."
Smith later demonstrates a gigantic 38-foot-long video wall with a device "never been used in broadcast television before." It's a remote control that allows Smith to shuffle through an image carousel with no apparent journalistic purpose. "For instance, I can take this lady who's been evacuating from a hurricane zone and move it over here," Smith says.
Fox says the new "news deck" is designed to appeal to viewers who are "nonlinear" - those who sift through news all day on their phones and computers. "Just like you, we get our news from multiple platforms," Smith says, "and this is the place where viewers can watch us sort it all out as it happens." In other words, Fox's new newsroom will serve as a fact-checking machine for Twitter's firehose.
Just when some were growing more sympathetic to Time Warner Cable's fight with TV broadcasters over retransmission fees, one of the company's lobbyists makes a move that is sure to alienate many customers as well as Democratic lawmakers. According to a report by the blog The Hill, a TWC lobbyist sent an email last month to Republican staffers on Capitol Hill that pointed to an announcement from NBC News about a segment designed to help viewers get the most out of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. The TWC lobbyist wrote in the email: "Next time you think about helping the broadcasters - particularly the networks - read this…"
Republicans generally oppose Obamacare and the government has been shut down for six days as a result of the conflict. Meanwhile, TWC is trying to hold the line on the fees that television broadcasters charge cable and satellite distributors to retransmit their programming. These increases in retransmission fees are often passed down to subscribers, and a dispute over them with CBS prompted TWC to recently stop distributing that network's programming for a month . The issue could eventually be settled by Congress, and just in case that happens, it's obvious TWC's lobbyists are seeking support.
Wasting no time to defend NBC or punishing Time Warner Cable, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), a longtime supporter of the entertainment sector, wrote a letter last week to TWC CEO Glenn Britt and said: "A broadcaster has a public service obligation and should be informing viewers about the new options for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. On the other hand, a cable company should not be pandering to the worst instincts of the reckless Republican extremists that seem to be running the House of Representatives." A Time Warner Cable spokesman said the company plans to respond directly to Waxman.
The most surprising thing about this email is that someone, presumably from the GOP camp, leaked it and that a lobbyist would trust something this potentially embarrassing to an email. Whatever benefit TWC got out of knocking NBC to the Republicans was likely discounted by the fact that it likely alienated the Democrats - both on the Hill and among the company's customers.
Paraguay's Sergio Azcona plays his harp during the Seventh International Harp Festival in Asuncion, October 6, 2013. The festival, held in a country where the harp is a national instrument, was held from October 4 - 6 and saw the participation of musicians from several countries.
Photo by Jorge Adorno
The Japanese town made infamous by the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove" will open a marine park where visitors can swim with dolphins, but its annual slaughter of the creatures will continue in a nearby bay, an official said Monday.
The town of Taiji has begun researching a plan to section off part of a cove and turn it into a place where people can swim and kayak alongside small whales and dolphins, Masaki Wada told AFP.
But, the government official insisted, far from having caved in to pressure from conservationists who want an end to an annual hunt that turns waters red with blood, the project was aimed at helping to sustain the practice.
The park will be separate from Hatakejiri Bay, the place into which the fishermen of Taiji corral dolphins, select a few dozen for sale to aquariums and marine parks, and stab the rest to death for meat.
A white diamond the size of a small egg sold for $30.6 million at a Hong Kong auction Monday night, although a blue diamond that was the night's other highlight with a $19 million estimate failed to sell.
Two phone bidders competed for the 118-carat white diamond from Africa in six minutes of measured bidding until one dropped out in the Sotheby's jewelry auction, part of fall sales of art and collectibles by the firm and its rivals.
The "flawless" white oval diamond, mined and cut two years ago, was hammered down for 212 million Hong Kong dollars ($27.3 million), just under the low end of the $28 million to $35 million estimate range set by Sotheby's. Total price including commission came to $30.6 million.
The stone, which weighed 299 carats when it was found in the rough in 2011, is the largest and most significant such diamond graded by the Gemological Institute of America. Sotheby's says it was discovered in southern Africa but won't name the country because the seller wishes to remain anonymous.
Members of a Chinese opera troupe perform at a shrine during the annual vegetarian festival in Bangkok late October 6, 2013. Chinese opera is often associated with heavily painted make-up and dramatic eyes, transforming the performers into characters that are bold and prominent. The festival celebrates the local Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind.
Photo by Athit Perawongmetha
Mike Spencer Bown hasn't been "home" in a while. He left Calgary at the age of 21 to see the world.
Now 44, Bown is finally ready to return home after travelling to every country and region on the planet. And he didn't just step foot in each country - he intentionally spent significant time everywhere he visited and immersed himself in each culture.
He visited a blue-whale graveyard in Antarctica. He learned to drive a reindeer sleigh in Russia. He lived with a Bambuti pygmy tribe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
His epic quest to become the world's most-traveled man took him 23 years to complete.
Bown made international headlines two years ago when his travels took him to Mogadishu, Somalia, making him the first recreational visitor in the nation's capital in more than two decades.
Mention the name Rudyard Kipling, and images of tropical forests, mongooses and cobras come to mind - not the snowy vistas of Vermont. But that's exactly where many of the British writer's best-known tales, including "The Jungle Book," took shape.
In honor of his connections to Vermont, a group of scholars known as the Kipling Society is holding its symposium outside the United Kingdom for the first time - and touring a home the author built in the shape of a ship, high on a hill overlooking the Connecticut River.
During the four years he lived there, one of the greatest chroniclers of 19th-century British imperialism snowshoed in winter, went to barn dances and made friends with his neighbors.
Kipling lived in Dummerston from 1892 to 1896 when he wrote "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," the story of a mongoose that battled two vicious cobras in India while protecting his human family from harm. While in Vermont, he also wrote the other stories in his collection "The Jungle Book"; "Captains Courageous"; the poems of "The Seven Seas"; and many of the stories in "The Day's Work" and "Many Inventions."
Artisan Rintu Das, 40, applies finishing touches to an idol of the Hindu goddess Durga inside a marquee, ahead of the Durga Puja festival, in Kolkata October 7, 2013. The festival, which will be celebrated from October 11 to 14, is the biggest religious event for Bengali Hindus. Hindus believe that the goddess Durga symbolises power and the triumph of good over evil.
Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri
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