PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS: The World is Uniting Against the Bush Imperium (counterpunch.org)
Is the United States a superpower? I think not. Consider these facts: The financial position of the US has declined dramatically. The US is heavily indebted ... The federal budget is deep in the red, adding to America's dependency on debt. The US cannot even go to war unless foreigners are willing to finance it. Our biggest bankers are China and Japan, both of whom could cause the US serious financial problems if they wished. A country whose financial affairs are in the hands of foreigners is not a superpower.
Michael Stetz: Upset vet gives back his medals (San Diego Union-Tribune; Posted on michaelmoore.com)
"As a citizen, a patriot, a parent and grandparent, a lawyer and law teacher I am left with such a feeling of loss and helplessness. I think of myself as a good American and I ask myself what can I do when I see the face of evil? Illegal and immoral war, torture and confinement for life without trial have never been part of our Constitutional tradition."
Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Executive discretion (jewishworldreview.com)
Q: Our non-profit organization recently obtained a donation from a publicly owned corporation. The approval was given directly by the CEO, without going through any kind of committee. Can we keep the money?
Dr. Mark H. Shapiro: Has Barry Munitz No Shame? (irascibleprofessor.com)
The Irascible Professor was a bit taken aback to learn that Barry Munitz, former California State University Chancellor and former President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, has decided to return to the California State University System as a "Trustee Professor". This sinecure entitles him to a "transitional salary" of $163,776 for his first year along with funds for a half-time secretary and a $2,500 travel budget. This has to be quite a come down for Munitz, who was living large on a salary that exceeded $1 million per year during the eight years he headed the Getty Trust.
If Jeff and Ken, the Enron guys, don't end up beating the rap altogether, each may come away from a short stay in a minimum security prison muttering this paean to his own stern stuff...
Convictus
Trapped by a heartless SEC, Condemned to the pit where the felons board, I thank the lawyers who earned their fees For my undiminished hoard.
Caught in the grip of nasty fate I might a lengthy sentence got, But with the help of legal pros I did some time, but not a lot.
Beyond the cell, the bars, the wire, Looms a record I'll always bear, But with the p.r. choir I'll hire, A brighter image will soon appear.
It's not important the stuff I did, How crookedly I played the game, I can buy out of a blighted past, I am above a sense of shame.
CBS starts the night with a FRESH'Amazing Race 9', followed by a FRESH'Criminal Minds', then a FRESH'CSI: The 3rd One'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDavid are Jason Lee and Jack Hanna.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Jenna Fischer, Bill Carter, and Chris Isaak.
NBC opens the night with a FRESH'Deal Or No Deal', followed by 'Dateline', then a FRESH'Law & Order'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Paul Bettany, pastry chef Duff Goldman, and Nick Lachey.
Scheduled on a FRESHConan are Dave Chappelle and Common.
Scheduled on a FRESHCarson Daly are Josh Lucas andGodsmack.
ABC begins the night with a FRESH'Alias', followed by a FRESH'Lost', then a FRESH'Invasion'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Jamie Kennedy, Daryl Hannah, and Jonathan Rice.
The WB offers a FRESH'Bedford Diaries', followed by another FRESH'Bedford Diaries'.
Faux has a FRESH'Bones', followed by a FRESH'American Idol', then the SEASON FINALE'Unan1mous'.
UPN has a FRESH'America's Next Top Model', followed by an hourlong RERUN'Girlfriends'.
A&E has 'Teen Thrill Killers', 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', another 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', still another 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', yet another 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', 'King Of Cars', and another 'King Of Cars'.
AMC offers the movie 'Jaws The Revenge', followed by the movie 'Gothika', then the movie 'Tremors 3: Back To Perfection'.
BBC -
[2pm] 'As Time Goes By' - Episode 5;
[2:40pm] 'Are You Being Served' - Dear Sexy Knickers;
[3:20pm] 'Keeping Up Appearances' - Episode 7;
[4pm] 'My Hero' - Virus;
[4:40pm] 'My Family' - Ep 5 First Past The Post;
[5:20pm] 'My Family' - Ep 6 My Will Be Done;
[6pm] 'BBC World News';
[6:30pm] 'Cash in the Attic' - Burrows;
[7pm] 'The Benny Hill Show' - Episode 15;
[8pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 1;
[8:30pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Hinchcliffe;
[9pm] 'What Not To Wear' - Episode 5;
[10pm] 'What Not To Wear' - Episode 4;
[11pm] 'Coupling' - Night Lines;
[11:40pm] 'Coupling' - Bed Time;
[12:20am] 'The Benny Hill Show' - Episode 3;
[1am] 'What Not To Wear' - Episode 5;
[2am] 'What Not To Wear' - Episode 4;
[3am] 'The Saint' - Locate and Destroy;
[4am] 'The Saint' - The Man Who Liked Lions;
[5am] 'The Saint' - The Better Mousetrap;
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Top Chef', another 'Top Chef', still another 'Top Chef', and a FRESH'Top Chef'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'The Golden Child', last night's 'Jon Stewart', last night's 'Colbert Report', 'Chappelle's Show', 'South Park', another 'South Park', and a FRESH'Mind Of Mencia'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJon Stewart is Billy Connolly.
Scheduled on a FRESHColbert Report is Bill Bastone.
History has 'Mysteries: Ship Of Gold', 'Modern Marvels', another 'Modern Marvels', and still another 'Modern Marvels'.
IFC -
[6AM] The Red Violin;
[8:15AM] Sweet And Lowdown;
[9:55AM] Johnny Stecchino;
[11:45AM] In the Mood for Love;
[1:30PM] The Red Violin;
[3:45PM] Sweet And Lowdown;
[5:25PM] The Proposition;
[7:20PM] In the Mood for Love;
[9PM] Your Friends & Neighbors;
[10:45PM] Albino Alligator;
[12:30AM] Rocked With Gina Gershon #2;
[1AM] Your Friends & Neighbors;
[2:45AM] Albino Alligator;
[4:30AM] The Headhunter's Sister. (ALL TIMES EDT)
SciFi has 'Ghost Hunters', another 'Ghost Hunters', followed by a FRESH'Ghost Hunters', and the movie 'Final Destination'.
Sundance -
[6:05AM] A Good Man in Africa;
[7:45AM] Little Otik;
[10AM] Wall;
[11:45AM] In Short: In Short: Subway;
[12:15PM] Das Bus;
[2PM] Greendale;
[3:25PM] A Good Man in Africa;
[5PM] Sangam;
[5:30PM] Reconstruction;
[7PM] The Match;
[8:45PM] A Different War;
[9PM] Kath & Kim: Money;
[9:30PM] In Short: In Short: Subway;
[10PM] Little Otik;
[12:15AM] Gasoline;
[1:45AM] American Fame Part One: Drowning River Phoenix;
[2AM] City of Men: Episode 2: The Man's Brother-in-Law;
[2:30AM] The Living End;
[4AM] Resurrection Man;
[5:45AM] Greendale. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Actress Jane Fonda, left, Eve Ensler, center, author and director of the Vagina Monologues, and Mexican actress Salma Hayek hold their fingers up in a V-sign to raise awareness of violence toward women after speaking out against the hundreds of women who have been killed in Ciudad Juarez near the Mexico-U.S. border and violence toward women world-wide at a news conference in Mexico City, Mexico, Monday, May 8, 2006. Fonda, Hayek, and Ensler all denounced the violence in Juarez and called on both Mexico and the United States Mexican to bring it to an end. Ensler's Vagina Monologues will be performed in Mexico City to raise awareness of the issue.
Jennifer Szymaszek
Cable network C-SPAN asked two Internet video providers, YouTube and IFILM, to pull clips of Stephen Colbert's April 29 performance at the White House Correspondents Association dinner from their Web sites.
C-SPAN said it contacted the companies because the copyrighted material was posted online without its permission.
On May 5, two days after YouTube received C-SPAN's letter, the Colbert video was publicly available through an agreement with Google Video
C-SPAN said it chose Google as a partner because it agreed to post video of the entire dinner, and to include a link to C-SPAN's Web site.
Musicians Emily Robison (L), Natalie Maines (C) and Martie Maguire (R) of the group The Dixie Chicks arrive for Time's celebration of the magazine's '100 Most Influential People' in New York May 8, 2006.
Photo by Keith Bedford
When NBC announced in January that it was canceling political drama 'The West Wing' after seven seasons, it said the final episode in May would be accompanied by a retrospective on the series' history.
Instead, NBC is airing a repeat of "The West Wing" pilot on Sunday prior to the final episode, where the Democrat portrayed by Jimmy Smits is inaugurated as the next president.
NBC had no official comment on the switch of plans. However, the network couldn't reach an agreement with the show's cast on what - or if - they would be paid to gather one last time and reminisce about their experience, said a person close to the show who would speak about the negotiations only on condition of anonymity.
Showing the very first episode of "The West Wing" costs NBC nothing because the production was long-since paid for.
Actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg said on Tuesday that she would host a radio show aimed at bringing back women listeners who have turned increasingly to morning television.
The Oscar, Grammy and Emmy-winning star, who has also hosted her own television show, said she reached a deal with radio giant Clear Channel Communications Inc to host a live, morning show to be called "Wake Up With Whoopi."
The show will blend music, talk on daily topics, comedy, call-ins and guests. It will air during the morning drive-time slot and will be syndicated nationally through Clear Channel Communications Inc's Premiere Radio Networks.
Poland will stage the world premiere performance of an opera by Pink Floyd's Roger Waters as part of commemorations in July of a brutal communist-era crackdown.
"Ca Ira," an operatic history of the French Revolution, took the Pink Floyd singer, bass player and songwriter 16 years to write. The music from the opera was played publicly for the first time at a concert in Rome last year.
The 400-person-strong performance of the opera will be staged in the western Polish city of Poznan, which 50 years ago witnessed one of the communist bloc's first organized strikes.
Actress Eva Longoria performs at the 2006 'NCLR Alma' awards at the Shrine auditorium in Los Angeles May 7, 2006. The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) gives out the ALMA awards to honor outstanding Latino artistic achievement in television, film and music. The show airs on June 5 on ABC.
Photo by Mario Anzuoni
The baby bump is for real. Britney Spears told David Letterman Tuesday that she is pregnant with baby No. 2. "Don't worry Dave, it's not yours," the pop princess quipped.
The revelation ended weeks of speculation in entertainment magazines, which have been regularly publishing pictures of Spears' apparently expanding waistline.
Spears, 24, and her husband, backup dancer-turned-rapper Kevin Federline, 28, were married in 2004 and have an 8-month-old son, Sean Preston.
Celebrity private eye Anthony Pellicano conspired with mobsters to place a "hit" on an associate who authorities say was hired to threaten a Los Angeles Times reporter, federal prosecutors said in court documents.
Investigators working a sweeping wiretapping probe obtained "corroborated information" that Pellicano recently sought a hit on Alexander Proctor, who is charged alongside Pellicano with threatening reporter Anita Busch in 2002, according to the documents.
Prosecutors allege Pellicano wanted to prevent Proctor from testifying against him in the Busch case. The reporter was working on a story about actor Steven Seagal and possible links to the Mafia in 2002 when she found a dead fish on her car and a note reading: stop.
Pellicano has pleaded not guilty to charges he wiretapped dozens of people, including Hollywood celebrities such as actor Sylvester Stallone, to gain legal advantage for his clients.
Al Franken arrives at a dinner to celebrate Time 100, Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world Monday, May 8, 2006 in New York.
Photo by Jason DeCrow
The director of the upcoming religious thriller "The Da Vinci Code" says he sees no need for a disclaimer labeling the film a work of fiction -- provoking a rebuke on Monday from Catholic group Opus Dei.
Filmmaker Ron Howard has acknowledged the controversy renewed by his film of Dan Brown's best-selling novel, which depicts Opus Dei as a shadowy sect at the heart of a murderous conspiracy to conceal dark secrets of the early Christian Church.
But the Oscar-winning director of "A Beautiful Mind" rejected the notion that his latest film should carry a disclaimer -- as requested by Opus Dei -- stating what he said was already obvious.
"This is a work of fiction that presents a set of characters that are affected by these conspiracy theories and ideas," Howard told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday. "Those characters in this work of fiction act and react on that premise. It's not theology. It's not history. To start off with a disclaimer ... spy thrillers don't start off with disclaimers."
In this photo released by Scholastic, celebrity childrens book authors Deborah Norville, left, and Whoopi Goldberg pose for a photo at Scholastic headquarters in New York, Tuesday, May 9, 2006. They were participants in a five-part series sponsored by Scholastic and Womans Day magazine on summer reading and the second annual I Want To Be A Childrens Book Writer' Contest. Goldberg announced Monday she'll be joining the growing ranks of radio voices this summer when she launches a live, syndicated program, 'Wake Up With Whoopi.'
Photo by Marion Curtis
An estimated 2 million babies die within their first 24 hours each year worldwide and the United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world, according to a new report.
American babies are three times more likely to die in their first month as children born in Japan, and newborn mortality is 2.5 times higher in the United States than in Finland, Iceland or Norway, Save the Children researchers found.
Only Latvia, with six deaths per 1,000 live births, has a higher death rate for newborns than the United States, which is tied near the bottom of industrialized nations with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia with five deaths per 1,000 births.
"The United States has more neonatologists and neonatal intensive care beds per person than Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, but its newborn rate is higher than any of those countries," said the annual State of the World's Mothers report.
Nancy McKeon, left, Lisa Whelchel and Mindy Cohn, right, from the 1980's television sitcom 'The Facts of Life,' gather in New York, Tuesday, May 9, 2006, to promote the 'Facts of Life: The Complete First and Second Seasons' collection on DVD which was released Tuesday by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Photo by Dave Allocca
A Yale University historian has uncovered a 1918 letter that seems to lend validity to the lore that Yale University's ultra-secret Skull and Bones society swiped the skull of American Indian leader Geronimo.
The letter, written by one member of Skull and Bones to another, purports that the skull and some of the Indian leader's remains were spirited from his burial plot in Fort Sill, Okla., to a stone tomb in New Haven that serves as the club's headquarters.
According to Skull and Bones legend, members - including resident Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush - dug up Geronimo's grave when a group of Army volunteers from Yale were stationed at the fort during World War I. Geronimo died in 1909.
"The skull of the worthy Geronimo the Terrible, exhumed from its tomb at Fort Sill by your club... is now safe inside the (Tomb) together with his well worn femurs, bit & saddle horn," according to the letter, written by Winter Mead.
Thousands of tourists and local residents witnessed a mirage of high clarity lasting for four hours off the shore of Penglai City in east China's Shandong Province on Sunday.
Mists rising on the shore created an image of a city, with modern high-rise buildings, broad city streets and bustling cars as well as crowds of people all clearly visible.
Experts said that many mirages have been recorded in Penglai, on the tip of Shandong Peninsula, throughout history, which made it known as a dwelling place of the gods.
They explained that a mirage is formed when moisture in the air becomes warmer than the temperature of sea water, which refracts rays of sunlight to create reflections of the landscape in the sky.
Grant McLennan, a founder of the literate and bittersweet band the Go-Betweens, which had lately experienced one of pop music's rare Indian summers, died Saturday at his home in Brisbane, Australia. He was 48.
The cause of death had not been determined. Robert Vickers, the band's former bassist, said McLennan decided to rest after setting up for a party. "When people started to arrive they went to wake him up, and they couldn't wake him up."
The Go-Betweens, described by the All Music Guide as "the quintessential cult band of the '80s," released six albums during its initial run, including "16 Lovers Lane." While the group never dominated the charts, it had modest hits with the songs "Spring Rain" and "Streets of Your Town," acclaim from critics, kind words from U2 and a spot opening for R.E.M. before breaking up at the end of 1989.
McLennan, who was a fan of French New Wave cinema and the American short story, later described his style as a "wistful, nostalgic, memory-driven, melodic McCartney-esque sort of thing."
McLennan is survived by his mother, sister, brother, girlfriend and son.
The Eiffel Tower shows blue lighting to mark Europe's Day early Tuesday, May 9, 2006, in Paris. May 9 marks the anniversary of the speech made by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1950 which led to post World War II Europe creating a pan-european organisation which has grown into the present day E.U.
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.
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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.
