Saturday, November 27, 2010

Tied Up In Naughts


Time Magazine's look at the decade past.

A Year Of Apple Daily

American Celebrities in Chinese Animation


A look back at all we've seen since Tiger's fateful crash.

Disrobed

Justice Brennan: A Liberal Icon Gets Another Look

A long-awaited biography examines the life of Justice William J. Brennan Jr. and his influence during 34 years on the Supreme Court. Now 20 years after retirement, Stephen Wermiel's interviews with Brennan during his lifetime reveal a man who defies the stereotype of the liberal justice trying to impose personal views on the law.
1 Man, 1300+ Decisions
Audio Embed: All Things Considered 11/26/10,
Reporter: Nina Totenberg

Show It All

British Film Institute to re-screen entire Disney studio animated feature catalogue... All 50 flix


Video: Newsy.com

$tar War$ 3-D

Do we really need another remake?

Star Wars creator, George Lucas, recently announced that he would re-release all six of his Star Wars films in 3-D. The news set off a flurry of excitement and criticism in the blogosphere. Critics say Lucas is just cashing in on a known commodity, while other fans say they can’t wait to see Jabba the Hut slither off the screen in 3-D.
Been There, Seen It
Audio Embed: BBC, PRI & WBUR's Here & Now 11/26/10,
Host: Robin Young.

Clouded

You can do some pretty neat tricks in 2-D, too.



Examples of "forced perspective" collected by Damn Cool Pics

Surviving The Holidaze

Advice From Peter Sagal


Video : PBS Need To Know

Friday, November 26, 2010

Hammered

Former Republican Leader Now Convicted Felon


CBS: Delay guilty of political money laundering in Texas trial

Tough Times For The TSA


It's no picnic being on the other side of passenger screenings, either

Light And Shadow


These trees by artist Adam Frank are tiny, but cast a giant shadow.

Sgt. Sal

An Ordinary Soldier & Extraordinarily Humble Hero


The latest Congressional Medal of Honor recipient appeared 11/24/10

Hard To Hold Onto

It's the stuff of science fiction, whether envisioned as warp engine fuel or as the ultimate explosive. So it's both tiny and huge that physicists have been able to store a very small amount of antimatter for the first time. But keeping it around is a problem... Given a chance, it tends to annihilate atoms with an opposite charge.
You're So Negative
Audio Embed: CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks 11/20/10,
Host: Bob McDonald.

No Ordinary Spud, Eh

The "P" in PEI stands for Potato


Video: CBC's Rick Mercer serves some ham with Canada's #1 veggie

On A Very Serious Note

CBS has put the classic documentary "Harvest of Shame" online.

The 1960 broadcast in which the legendary Edward R. Murrow exposed the plight of America's farm workers is among the most influential and celebrated TV documentaries of all time. (52 minutes)

Howlin' Wolf

Every year the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to be preserved for all time as icons of American culture... One of the songs chosen this year is Chester Burnett aka Howlin' Wolf’s "Smokestack Lightning," a musically simple but emotionally overpowering cornerstone of Chicago Blues.

His daughter and longtime guitarist talk about the man & his music.
Getting The Most Out Of One Chord
Audio Embed: Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen 11/20/10,
Segment by House of Blues radio producer Ben Manilla.

Howlin’ Wolf performs “Smokestack Lightnin,” live in 1964.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Billion Dollar Crybabies

With All-Time Record Profits, They're Still Complaining... All The Way To The Bank


MSNBC: Economic intervention saved more asses than just Kokomo's

No Attitude of Gratitude


MSNBC: Few if any thanks from mega-profitable businesses

Zamboni Over the Stars

It would've only been right had Bristol won


An imaginative viewing suggestion from Jimmy Kimmel Live

A Font Affront

Death to Comic Sans” by Steven Anderson, via The Daily What

Walk This Way

Why Can't Anyone Walk Straight?

Beside the problems posed by sobriety testing, try as you might, you can't walk in a straight line without a visible guide point, like the sun or a star. You might think you're walking straight, but a map of your route would reveal you are doomed to walk in circles.
Simply Impossible
Audio Embed: Morning Edition 11/23/10,
Reporter: Robert Krulwich.


The epic rock & rap reconciliation from 1989

Lindsay Lohan Sucks

But Won't Portray Linda Lovelace On Film


Video: Newsy.com

Star Spangled

An 1814 first edition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is heading for the auction block in New York City. Christie's auction house estimates it could be sold for up to $300,000 next month.

The 1969 Jimi Hendrix version was an original, too. His performance of the national anthem at Woodstock hit like a shock wave; with its distortion and chaos, it sounded like a rupture in something sacred. Music scholars and rock guitarists put the pieces in perspective.
Long May It Wave
Audio Embed: Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen 11/20/10,
Segment Producer: David Krasnow

Ad Worlds Collide

The Old Spice Guy meets The Most Interesting Man in the World.

Isaiah Mustafa pictured with Jonathan Goldsmith, from Yfrog

I'm not sure whether to drink Old Spice instead of Dos Equis.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

What Good Is Wall Street?

Holding The Whole World Hostage


MSNBC: John Cassidy - Finance sector is a non-productive parasite.

Fraud Fighters


MSNBC: Chris Hayes on the challenge of financial industry fraud.

Hands-on Horror & Humor

Hassles Everywhere


CNN: Pick your (inconvenience/intrusion) poison

Problematic Pat Downs



Videos: MSNBC - Awkward moments for passengers & TSA workers plus opt out day fit into Al Qaeda's "death by 1,000 cuts" strategy.

A Touching Holiday Wish


Video: NBC/Saturday Night Live

Scanner Scams

Disturbing Imagery, Distributed

Tech blog Gizmodo posted images taken from a government body scanner, despite claims the images can't be saved or shared... Refusing to use the scanner ensures a more invasive "patdown."


Video: Newsy.com

A Rugged Individual Returns From Vacation

Customary Caution
Audio Embed: Dave Ross, KIRO-FM/Seattle, 11/22/10

Keep Your Parts (Very Temporarily) Private

An inventor is special underwear that will allegedly hide passengers’ private parts from TSA scanners... Which seems like it would automatically end up in a strip search for interfering with the scan.


Video: Newsy.com

PIGS in Trouble

16 of 27 European Union member states use a single currency, but not all of those countries are in good economic health. Of those euro users, "The PIGS," Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain were thought to be the most likely to require outside support to avoid collapse...

Taoiseach Brian Cowen: "Irish seek debt rescue"



Finance Minister Lenihan: 'Ireland will recover'



Widespread Disgust Among Dubliners



England Willing To Help


Videos: ITN (UK)

UK Chancellor George Osborne derives political satisfaction from his party's opposition having kept the British Pound and not joining the "euro zone." On the other hand, Mr. Cowen's Irish government may well soon fall, as a prideful people express bitter resentment at needing help from their former occupier and historical enemy.

Army Strong?

Between Tacoma & Olympia Washington there's one of 12 joint bases worldwide, a merger of Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base, which had existed side by side to rapidly deploy US forces around the world as needed... But cultures and recruitment are largely separate, and as the Army emphasizes strength, some of the soldiers based there are supplementing their training & combat deployments with steroids.
Steroid Problems In The Military
Audio Embed: Puget Sound Public Radio 11/22/10,
Reporter: Patricia Murphy

Palin Problem

Political Party Pooper: Sarah 2012 = Biggest Loser

While American voters by 49 percent to 43 percent do not think Obama has earned a second four-year term, and they put him in a statistical dead heat with potential Republican challengers Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, a top-quality Quinnipiac poll shows Palin at top of ticket leads to certain losses for the Republicans' slate.

Top 10: Palin's New Book Surprises!


Video: CBS/Late Show with David Letterman

Cartoon Critics


MSNBC: Fox News draws constant barbs from "The Simpsons," on Fox.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Eternal Flame

I was in gym when we first heard news... Shots in the plaza.
I burst through the doors and ran to the nearby bus garage.
The TV was always on.

A tear formed in Walter Cronkite's eye as he removed his glasses.
JFK was gone.

America would have to make other plans.

Leader of a nation
For such a precious time
He was a friend of mine
-- Jim/Roger McGuinn (1964)

Another Shot in Dallas

In 1980, the pop culture world eagerly waited to find out who shot big shot character J.R. Ewing on the popular CBS nighttime soap, Dallas. A radio station I worked at even gave away T-shirts to lucky contest winners proclaiming "I did it"... Three decades later, Katie Couric spoke with the notorious "J.R." himself, actor Larry Hagman.


Video: CBS News, 11/19/10

America's Greatest Word

Two Letters Long?

Allan Metcalf can explain at length, and does in "OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word." 224 pages!

Everybody says it dozens of times every day -- from its Boston birthplace to the farthest reaches of Earth. It's the word "OK" and author Metcalf says it embodies America's can-do philosophy in just two letters.
Short But Sweet
Audio Embed: All Things Considered 11/21/10,
Host: Guy Raz

Another One Rides The Bench

Just two weeks after MSNBC host Keith Olbermann was suspended for making political contributions, Joe Scarborough now faces the same punishment for the same infraction. Nobody says "the other side does it, too" more often on the channel, and in his case it's true.


Video: Newsy.com

History In Handcuffs

Missing This 'Mob Museum' Would Be A Crime

If you saw the movie "Casino" you know it's part of Vegas past. In real life, characters named Bugsy, Lefty & Lansky made the town what it is today. And since they were replaced by corporations, there's an odd nostalgia about them... Mostly by those who don't appreciate that not all crime is organized the same way.

In 2011, a museum depicting the history of organized crime in America will open in downtown Las Vegas. It will be known as the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, or more simply "The Mob Museum." Host Liane Hansen speaks with the city's mayor, Oscar B. Goodman, and the museum project manager, Sam Tolman, about the museum.
A Hit Waiting To Happen
Audio Embed: Weekend Edition Sunday 11/21/10.

Board the Bullet Bus



Video: Onion News Network

White Hair Hazard

B&P: "A pain in the ass... And our day is coming eventually."
Automotive Age
Audio Embed: Berger & Prescott, podcast via Facebook.