News You Can't Use

Keep America Scared

Kill all the lawyers... They're Al Qaeda!



Repudiation



This country needs to have conservative voices in its political dialog. And conservatives need to have the spokespeople who claim the affiliation present their points of view in ways that garner respect and show respect for the rule of law, traditions of fair debate and an acknowledgement that other patriots may hold different opinions.

Unfortunately, Liz Cheney fails in every respect.

Next time you see her as a TV talking head, you have an opportunity to vote... With your clicker.

Rabbit Hole, Take 2

NPR's Film Critic went to see Tim Burton's version of Lewis Carroll's classic; "Alice in Wonderland"... And found much to criticize.

Audio: NPR's Morning Edition 3/5/10, Reviewer: Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times. Promotional Photo: Mia Wasikowska as a more mature Alice. (Disney Studios)

Round and Rounder

Back before mp3s, in the age of vinyl, all records were round. But a few were Rounder.

Rounder Records is an independent label which hits the big 4-0 this year, with a CD release and an all star concert of its acts on public TV.

Rounder's founders think it'd be impossible to start the same journey in the atmosphere of today's music industry... But back then, when all things seemed possible and before they knew any better, their little label not only helped launch Alison Krauss, George Thorogood & the Destroyers and Madeleine Peyroux but also preserved a wealth of folk culture and history.

Audio: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now. Host: Robin Young.

Little Guy, Big Dream

Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal

He's short -- very short, maybe the world's shortest man.

Audio: CBS Radio's Osgood File 2/22/10.

Looming Loon Crisis

For better viewing, use (partially obscured) full screen icon at right.

How Will The End Of Print Journalism Affect Loons Who Hoard Newspapers?

A rational conservative in print... Part of two dying worlds.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
David Brooks 3/2/10
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Skate Expectations

G. Oooops! P.

Understanding what motivates people is an essential part of crafting messages to reach potential donors and voters. Letting them know just how cynically you view having to manipulate your approach and them is not usually a part of successful campaign strategy.

Crossing the Street

New rules to limit the size of banks and an agency for consumer financial protection are the key elements being debated in Washington as Congress and the White House look for new momentum in the effort to overhaul rules for the finance industry.

A year and a half  after the initial no-strings bailout, where are we on regulating the dangers posed by the excesses of Wall Street?

Audio: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now 3/4/10, Host: Robin Young. Guest: Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Business and Financial columnist.

Permalink to Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion.

Graphically Speaking

Every time we see the Olympic Games, we see not only the athletes in action, but the achievements of other competitors who devoted countless hours to hone their skills while seated in cubicles...

Designing graphics.

For American TV audiences watching Vancouver 2010, that meant seeing the work of David Barton; lead designer for NBC Sports.

Designing graphics for TV isn't restricted to still images, it also means animation; such as the opening sequence for broadcasts.

While the interlocking rings have been a constant since the 1920's, Olympic organizing committees for individual host cities have a great deal of discretion in visual presentation. For example, while Vancouver's logo was the multi-colored open-armed "ilanaaq" -- Inuit for friend -- everything else was portrayed in blue and green.

Even the pictograms for Vancouver underwent redesign. But as Steven Heller explained in a video at the New York Times, the tiny symbols for each Olympic sport have constantly evolved since their appearance in 1936.

Land of Believers

If you're born into it, born again or born where you're surrounded by it, understanding Evangelical Protestantism comes naturally... It's a bit harder for an outsider to get past stereotypes and cozy up to folks who think they're right and everyone else literally is going to hell.

Getting Inside Google

It's not easy! The true way it works is a secret as closely guarded as the original recipe for Coca Cola, but Steven Levy of Wired learned a few things the Googlers were willing to disclose prior to making more than 500 top secret changes to the search algorithm this year alone.

Audio: APM's Future Tense, Host: Jon Gordon.

Coming Soon: Spring

Photo by Olga Perevalova on Flickr.

Deficit Hawking One Up

Late Night Primary

After the polls closed in Texas would be 2012 nominees hit the air:

Generational Change

With "Miracle on the Hudson" co-pilot Jeff Skillings by his side once again, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who landed a disabled passenger plane on New York's Hudson River in 2009, piloted his last flight for US Airways on Wednesday... In perfect form.

The Weatherman

His name was Don Kent... And for decades he was the most authoritative voice in Boston weather forecasting; no easy task since most of America's major weather systems seem to exit the country via New England. His style and career inspired many of the forecasters who followed on air... Including Dick Albert, who honored Kent's retirement from another station way back in 1983.



Boston's first TV meteorologist Don Kent died early Tuesday at 92.

Nobody yet knows what the weather will be for his memorial service, but a good "two dot" rain would hide a lot of tears.

OK, Go Viral

Again!

The band that made treadmills an instrument of choreography is back with a new song and inventive video/science project. Enjoy, but be warned... This could get messy!

CD of the Month

It's new music from an established artist in Europe whose name and career are still news to many North Americans.

"Nightbook" by Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi is the Echoes CD of the Month for March 2010.

Host John Diliberto of WXPN offers a review of the work and summary of the diverse influences this prolific artist reflects.

Audio: PRI's Echoes, an ambient music program on public radio with an extensive archive of audio for download via subscription.

Blame It On Bunning

He Was An Insanely Great Pitcher...
Now He's Just Insane

Kiss My Astrophysicist

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Neil deGrasse Tyson
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

Dr. Tyson's "Pluto Files" debuted on PBS' Nova science series 3/2/10.

School Daze

In Wake County NC the school board met to scrap a school diversity program that was a model for many school systems. The county assigned students to school by their socio-economic status; not their race. But many suburban parents opposed this system, saying their children were bused to schools too far from home.. A complaint also raised in districts where race is the criterion.

In Central Falls RI, the superintendent of schools says she's trying to improve the local high school (and the city's claim to more federal funds) by firing all the teachers.

What's going on at school?

Audio: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now 3/2/10, Host: Robin Young.

School's Out In Utah

The Challenge... Making the grade in fewer grades.

Audio: Berger & Prescott publish podcasts on Facebook. They live in Southern California, where listening to Cheech & Chong passes for higher education.

Senior Year Party

Jokes.com
Bo Burnham - High School Party
comedians.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

The Empire Gets Off

Real 1st Century Roman Coins

Just Whatever has more examples of filthy money.

Hard Lessons

Check, Please!

No wonder costs are ouf of control

Whole Lotta Shakin'

NPR's Liane Hansen speaks with Roger Bilham, a seismologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, to ask why earthquakes and other natural disasters are deadlier and more destructive than they were a couple of hundred years ago... Turns out demography of growing populations has more to do with the rising death tolls than the geography at point of impact.

Audio: NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, 2/28/10.

Around the world, an earthquake is felt approximately every 30 seconds... Scientists say it’s only a matter of where & when, not if, the next big quake occurs, and it could happen along the United States' Pacific Coast.

But Dr. John Ebel, director of the Weston Observatory at Boston College, says earthquakes can’t be predicted, and it’s not always possible to say whether one earthquake triggers another, or is part of a cluster.

Audio: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now 3/1/10, Host: Robin Young.

Back To The Future

The Once and Future King?



The Defending Champ

Internet Sleuth On Youth

Jokes.com
Pete Holmes - Internet Sleuth
comedians.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

Eternally On E-Bay

Buying A Black Box... Sort Of

It's described as "A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter." It is a black eight-inch cube, made from acrylic, with a computer inside... You can buy it at auction on eBay, though doing so comes with a catch. Artist Caleb Larsen explains how it's conceptual art that literally sells itself.

Audio: WNYC's On The Media 2/27/10, Host: Bob Garfield.

The Final Score

Their goal: Own the podium!

His goal: The one that mattered most!

Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times

Sid the kid... Canada 3-2 in OT. With glowing hearts the home crowd saw the team's sticks rise, and a roar swept across the continent from BC Place to Halifax. Victory for both sexes in the national game... Medals bestowed... O Canada sung at the top of their lungs... Honor reclaimed... Games over.

Vancouver, the west at it's best, opened its arms to the world.

TEA Party Two-fer

Designing Woman

Website consolidates shopping for ready to wear designer clothes.

Silver Medal Winners

Pants worn by the Norwegian curling team were the talk of -- and the hottest collectable at -- the Vancouver Winter Olympics... Turns out they're part of a line made by Loudmouth Golf of Sonoma, California.