Vanity Fair: MJ was a Tiger Woods enabler

Michael Jordan enabled Tiger Woods' destructive behavior, one of the golfer's former advisers claims in a new Vanity Fair story.

The 14-page "The Temptation of Tiger Woods" in the May edition of the magazine tells in graphic detail elements of Woods' affairs with four of his former mistresses and outlines the golfer's path to near ruin, which often started at a blackjack table in Vegas with Jordan and Charles Barkley.

Robert Merchant, a former adviser to Woods, said he warned his client years ago about Jordan.

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Federal Judge Rules Bush Program Illegally Wiretapped Americans

In a repudiation of the Bush administration's now-defunct terrorist surveillance effort, a federal judge ruled Wednesday that government investigators illegally wiretapped the phone conversations of an Islamic charity and two American lawyers without a search warrant.

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker said the plaintiffs provided enough evidence to show "they were subjected to warrantless electronic surveillance" by the National Security Agency.

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The Wayback Juke Box - Jimmy Clanton- It Takes A Long Long Time

Oh yeah!

Looting Main Street

By Matt Taibbi

How the nation's biggest banks are ripping off American cities with the same predatory deals that brought down Greece

Today's Blissful Place

Click to enlarge

Unless you're a fan of Aqua Teen Hunger Force like I am you won't appreciate this.

Monkey Takes Care of Puppy

After losing a baby of her own, this wild monkey adopted a stray puppy. Check out the amazing footage.

Off the Reservation: Republican Party (1856 – 2010)

I don’t care much for the health care bill or the process it went through, but I applaud the intent. Rather than dissecting the bill I would like to offer a quick message to the Democratic Party. Then, if you don’t mind, I would like to speak privately with my party, the Republican Party.

Democrats—please refrain from referring to this bill as an “overhaul” of the system. While it is indeed reform, it doesn’t cure the inherent flaws in the system. No, I haven’t read all 2,500 pages of the bill yet, but cutting Medicare reimbursements and treatment options, while increasing public access to pharmaceuticals, goes against my beliefs. I’m also incredulous at the Congressional Budget Office’s suggestion that this will reduce the deficit. Please don’t insult American intelligence. Having said that, providing the opportunity for 32 million Americans to visit a doctor for the first time outweighs any issues I have with this bill. Just call it a start, not an overhaul.

Now onto my dear fellow Republicans. (And to the guy who clips out my column and scribbles ironically, “Hey Asshole, don’t you know any better words?” whenever I curse, the answer is yes. But today I just can’t seem to find them.)

Republicans are shouting and spitting like a bunch of fucking hyenas as they clamor for face time in the media. They’re filling our inboxes, vandalizing our social networking profiles and polluting the airwaves with venomous messages rebuking the Obama Administration over health care. HEALTH CARE! My fellow Republicans are tearing this nation apart over providing medical care for those less fortunate. Not bank bailouts, war, or wasteful pork spending— Health care. Really?

The behavior among elected Republicans and the dimwitted TV pundits who are whipping America into an absolute frenzy is the worst thing about this bill and has led me to question my long-standing affiliation with the Republican Party. For a moment, I thought it was me; that maybe I had changed and lost touch with Republicanism. So, in seeking to refresh my recollection of what this party stands for, I logged onto the GOP home page.

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The Generous Husband

There are several men in the locker room of a private club after exercising.

Suddenly a cell phone that was on one of the benches rings. A man picks it up and the following conversation ensues:

"Hello?"

"Honey, It's me. Are you at the club?"

"Yes."

"Great! I am at the mall 2 blocks from where you are. I saw a beautiful mink coat... It is absolutely gorgeous!! Can I buy it?"

"What's the price?"

"Only $1,500.00"

"Well, OK, go ahead and get, if you like it that much..."

"Ahhh and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the 2001 models. I saw one I really liked. I spoke with the salesman and he gave me a really good price ... and since we need to exchange the BMW that we bought last year..."

"What price did he quote you?"

"Only $60,000..."

"OK, but for that price I want it with all the options."

"Great! Before we hang up, something else..."

"What?"

"It might look like a lot, but I was reconciling your bank account and... I stopped by the real estate agent this morning and I saw the house we had looked at last year. It's on sale!! Remember? The one with a pool, English Garden, acre of park area, beachfront property..."

"How much are they asking?"

"Only $450,000... a magnificent price, and I see that we have that much in the bank to cover..."

"Well, than go ahead and buy it, but just bid $420,000. OK?"

"OK, sweetie... Thanks! I'll see you later!! I love you!!!"

"Bye... I do too..."

The man hangs up, closes the phone's flap and raises his hand while holding the phone and asks to all those present: "Does anyone know who this phone belongs to?"

Website of the Day - Wisdom Bits

EMP: The Next Weapon of Mass Destruction?

If America needs a new threat around which to organize its defenses, try this one: Bad guys explode nuclear weapons miles above U.S. soil, sending out an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that fries the electronic guts of everything in America. The nation's financial and transportation systems collapse, hospitals and the Internet go dark, water and electrical grids freeze and runaway Toyotas with electronic throttles are finally brought to a stop. "The EMP resulting from the blast would cause widespread damage, devastating the economy and resulting in the deaths of millions of Americans," the hawkish Heritage Foundation warned last week, launching a call on Congress to establish an EMP Recognition Day.

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Meet Rosie: A dog who has promises to keep

Rosie's story is a heartwarming tale that makes you realize dogs have interior lives we sometimes know very little about, if anything at all. Her owners sent it to me recently. She knows about showing up when you're needed and helping when others are too weak to help themselves.

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Poached Eggs With Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 30m
Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons white vinegar
* 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 2 medium tomatoes, each sliced into 4 rounds
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 1 pound assorted mushrooms, sliced
* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
* 8 large eggs
* 4 slices country bread, toasted
* 1 ounce Parmesan, shaved
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Fill a large, deep skillet with 3 inches of water. Add the vinegar and bring to a bare simmer.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the tomatoes with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

3. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 6 to 7 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, poach the eggs in 2 batches: Crack each of 4 eggs into separate custard cups, then, one at a time, slide gently into the water in the deep skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes for slightly runny yolks and remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining 4 eggs.

5. Top the bread with the tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, and Parmesan. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and sprinkle with the chives.

Today's Quote

"When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out - because that's what's inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside."

— Wayne Dyer: Self-development author and speaker

Bruce Springsteen and JoJo

Enjoy!

Aphorisims

APHORISM: A SHORT, POINTED SENTENCE EXPRESSING A WISE OR CLEVER OBSERVATION OR A GENERAL TRUTH

1. The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow..

2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his
tail..

3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense
at
all.

4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.

5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.

6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the
dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?

7. Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many
people a company can operate without.

8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else
looks?

9. Scratch a cat and you will have a permanent job.

10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy who wants to buy a
car.

11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.

12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4
AM. It could be a right number.

13. No one ever says 'It's only a game.' when their team is winning.

14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.

15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to
like it.

16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same
size bucket.


17. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos? (And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!)

18. Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to
cry in a Corvette than in a Yugo.

19. After 50, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead!!


20. Always be yourself because the people that matter don't mind, and
the ones who mind, don't matter.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX - Official Theatrical Trailer

We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, Now you get mad!?

From Rosie.com

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and
appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate
energy policy.

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.
You didn't get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.

You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans...oh hell no.

Chicken and Potatoes With Mustard Vinaigrette

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 20m
Total Time: 45m

Ingredients

* 1 pound small red- and white-skinned potatoes, mixed
* boneless, skinless meat from 1 rotisserie chicken (about 4 cups)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
* 1 large clove garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon honey
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 6 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons capers, drained
* 1/2 bunch watercress, stemmed

Directions

1. Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of the salt in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside. Place the chicken in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Using a whisk, combine the mustard, vinegar, garlic, and honey in a medium bowl. Add the remaining salt and the pepper. While whisking, gradually add the oil in a thin, steady stream until a medium-thick vinaigrette is formed.

3. Halve the potatoes and combine with the chicken. Add the capers and vinaigrette, gently tossing with the chicken mixture. Fold in the watercress just before serving.

Today's Quote

When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.

- Ralph Ellison

Bottle Rockets | Get Down River

Enjoy!

Here's The Joke

A biology teacher wished to demonstrate to his students the harmful effects of alcohol on living organisms. For his experiment, he showed them a beaker with pond water in which there was a thriving civilization of worms. When he added some alcohol into the beaker the worms doubled-up and died.

"Now," he said,” what do you learn from this?"

An eager student gave his answer.

"Well the answer is obvious," he said " if you drink alcohol, you'll never have worms."

Spring is Here

65+ Reasons to Love Spring

Website of the Day

If my body were a car

If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish, and my paint job is getting a little dull ... But that's not the worst of it.

My headlights are out of focus, and it's especially hard to see things up close.

My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things, even in the best of weather.

My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.

It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed.

My fuel rate burns inefficiently.

But here's the worst of it -

Almost every time I sneeze, cough or laugh....
either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!

Dog Ages

How Curious George Escaped the Nazis

Curious George is every 2-year-old sticking his finger into the light socket, pouring milk onto the floor to watch it pool, creating chaos everywhere. One reason the mischievous monkey is such a popular children's book character is that he makes 4- to 6-year-olds feel superior: fond memories, but we've given all that up now.

In the years since the first book was published in the United States in 1941, "George" has become an industry. The books have sold more than 27 million copies. There have been several "Curious George" films, including an animated one featuring the voice of Will Ferrell that is scheduled for release this February, and theater productions, not to mention the ubiquitous toy figure. Next year, PBS will begin a Curious George series for pre-schoolers.

But in truth, "Curious George" almost didn't make it onto the page. A new book, "The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H. A. Rey" (Houghton Mifflin), tells of how George's creators, both German-born Jews, fled from Paris by bicycle in June 1940, carrying the manuscript of what would become "Curious George" as Nazis prepared to invade.

Read more

A FREE MAN AT LAST

Marvin Reeves is experiencing life as a free man--after spending almost half his life locked up in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

Read more

Are You Afraid to Plan for Your Own Death?

Exploring the ways you make the death and funerary process more personal and less of a consumer affair.

READ MORE

Homeless Singer With Amazing Voice

Top 5 Money-Saving Tips

1.) Go on a Fiscal Fast:
Swear-off all spending for a couple of days - or ideally an entire week - as a sort of "spending detox." It's time to use it up, make it last, or do without. A fiscal fast will save you some money (put it into savings or pay off some debt with what you save!), and teach you about how you spend -- and probably waste -- money in a typical week. It'll also remind you of how many terrific things in life are free.

2.) Practice Spending Procrastination:
When it comes to discretionary spending, it usually pays to put off buying until tomorrow what you're tempted to buy today. Studies have shown that we have regrets about nearly 80% of the discretionary purchases we make within the first year of making the purchase. Force yourself to wait at least a week between the time you see an item in a store and when you go back to purchase it. Chances are great that you'll reconsider and never go back to buy it.

3.) Put Your Finances on Autopilot:
To paraphrase Jack Nicholson's character in A Few Good Men, "The money? You can't handle the money!" Have your paychecks and other income deposited directly into your bank account(s), including automatic allocations into designated savings and investment accounts. Then authorize your creditors (e.g. credit card companies, mortgage lender, insurance company, etc.) to automatically withdraw your payments every month from your account. By putting your finances on autopilot, savings becomes automatic and you'll never have late fees or missed payments again.

4.) Pay with Cash Only:
Studies have shown that when you pay with a credit card, you're more likely to buy something than when you pay with cash, and you're more willing to pay more for it (link to my previous post on credit cards). Psychologically, it's just harder to part with actual greenbacks than it is to whip out the plastic. Try paying for everything with cash for a week and see how much you save.

5.) Conduct a "What the Heck was I Thinking?" Audit:
Sit down once or twice a year and look back at your major discretionary purchases during the preceding months. Then ask yourself one simple question: "If I had it to do over again, would I have bought that?" Make a list of expenditures you regret, and learn from those mistakes. You'll probably notice some patterns, like maybe you're prone to buy clothing on a whim that you regret later. Or maybe you rush out to buy the latest tech gadget the day it comes out, before the bugs have been worked out and increased demand causes prices to drop.

Read more

Mastering the Farmers' Market

6 Easy Steps

Fettuccine With Lima Beans, Peas, and Leeks

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 25m
Total Time: 25m

Ingredients

* 12 ounces fettuccine (3/4 box)
* 1 10-ounce package frozen lima beans (about 1 1/2 cups)
* 1 cup frozen peas
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 leeks (white and light green parts), cut into half-moons
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
* 1/4 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan (1 ounce)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the beans and peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (but not brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cream and cook until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add the pasta and tarragon to the skillet and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the cheese before serving.

Today's Quote

“The most valuable of all talents... that of never using two words where one will do.”

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
3rd president of the United States

California to Vote on Legalizing Pot

In November, California will vote on whether to legalize marijuana, thanks to a voter ballot initiative that passed inspection by state election officials on Wednesday. If passed, the initiative would legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by people over age 21 and allow people to grow small amounts of marijuana at home for personal use. Cities and counties would gain the right to pass laws allowing commercial distribution to adults 21 and older in accordance with local regulations. Activists say that legalizing and taxing marijuana sales would provide income for the state and free up law enforcement resources currently dedicated to tracking down otherwise law-abiding citizens. The rule has a chance of passing—an April 2009 field poll found that 56 percent of Californians favored legalizing pot for social use and taxing its sales. Not everyone is on board, though: California Mothers Against Drunk Driving say that the legalization of marijuana could cause impaired driving and its attendant fatalities.

Read more

In Memoriam

Today's Quote

“You only have what you give. It's by spending yourself that you become rich.”

Isabel Allende (1942 – )
Chilean-American novelist

Up to a third of breast cancer cases could be avoided with diet, exercise

Up to a third of breast cancer cases in Western countries could be avoided if women ate less and exercised more, researchers at a conference said Thursday, renewing a sensitive debate about how lifestyle factors affect the disease.

Better treatments, early diagnosis and mammogram screenings have dramatically slowed breast cancer, but experts said the focus should now shift to changing behaviors like diet and physical activity.

"What can be achieved with screening has been achieved. We can't do much more," Carlo La Vecchia, head of epidemiology at the University of Milan, said in an interview. "It's time to move on to other things.

La Vecchia spoke Thursday at a European breast cancer conference in Barcelona. He cited figures from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which estimates that 25 to 30 percent of breast cancer cases could be avoided if women were thinner and exercised more. The agency is part of the World Health Organization.

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Website of the Day - The Jobs Of Yesteryear: Obsolete Occupations

As computers and automated systems increasingly take the jobs humans once held, entire professions are now extinct. Click through the gallery at this website to see examples of endangered professions, from milkman to telegrapher, and hear from people who once filled those oft-forgotten jobs.

'Man with the golden arm' saves 2million babies in half a century of donating rare type of blood

An Australian man who has been donating his extremely rare kind of blood for 56 years has saved the lives of more than two million babies.

James Harrison, 74, has an antibody in his plasma that stops babies dying from Rhesus disease, a form of severe anaemia.

Read more

Simple Lasagna

I LOVE traditional lasagna, but I don't always have the time it takes to make it. That's why I am sharing this simple version of a classic dish.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time:1 hour 35 mins

1 container (15 oz) part skim ricotta cheese
2-1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 26 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
1 lb ground beef, browned, drained
1 cup water
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ricotta cheese, 1-1/4 cups of the mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese, parsley and egg until well blended; set aside.

Pour spaghetti sauce into meat in skillet. Pour water into empty sauce jar; cover and shake well. Pour into skillet; stir until well mixed. (This will yield about 5 cups of sauce.)

Place 1 cup cup meat sauce on bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. (Keeps noodles from sticking.)

Layer 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of meat sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and sauce.

Sprinkle with remainin 1-1/4 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with greased alumium foil. Bake 45 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove foil and bake an additional 15 mins or until bubbling. Let stand 15 mins before cutting for easier serving.

Makes 12 servings

'I Burned 5 Teens Alive'

Two men have been arrested in a decades-old case that the New York Post called, "one of the most sensational missing-persons cases in New Jersey history." One evening in 1978, five teenage boys went out to play basketball in a Newark park and never came home, allegedly because Lee Evans, now 56, and his cousins, Philander Hampton, now 53, and Maurice Woody-Olds, who died at 48 in 2008, tied the teens up in a row house and then burned the building. Evans reportedly contacted one of the victim's brothers 18 months ago to confess to the crime, and told the cops that the three men killed the teens because they suspected them of swiping a pound of marijuana. Evans and Hampton were charged with murder and arson and are being held on $5 million bail.

Read more

New Rule: You Can't Use "There Will Be No Cooperation for the Rest of the Year" as a Threat If There Was No Cooperation in the First Half of the Year

Bill Maher

New Rule: You can't use the statement "there will be no cooperation for the rest of the year" as a threat if there was no cooperation in the first half of the year. Here's a word the president should take out of his teleprompter: bipartisanship. People only care about that in theory, not in practice. The best thing that's happened this year is when President Obama finally realized this and said, "Kiss my black ass, we're going it alone, George W. Bush style."

Two months ago, conservative Fred Barnes wrote, "The health care bill is dead with not the slightest prospect of resurrection." Well, if it's dead, you just got your ass kicked by a zombie named Nancy Pelosi. Seriously, the last time a Democrat showed balls like that John Edwards' girlfriend was filming it. Make all the botox jokes and she-shops-too-much jokes you want, but this is the biggest political victory a woman has ever achieved in America. Yes, Nancy Pelosi likes nice clothes. So does Sarah Palin. The difference is Nancy Pelosi pays for hers.

But even before the Democrats got to take a single victory lap they were already being warned not to get used to the feeling, and not to get drunk with power. I disagree. All you Democrats: do a shot, and then do another. Get drunk on this feeling of not backing down and doing what you came to Washington to do.

Democrats should not listen to the people who are now saying they shouldn't attempt anything else big for a while because health care was such a bruising battle. Wrong -- because I learned something watching the lying bullies of the Right lose this one: when they're losing, they squeal like a pig. They kept saying things like, the bill was being "shoved down our throats" or the Democrats were "ramming it through." The bill was so big they couldn't take it all at once!

And I realized listening to this rhetoric that it reminded me of something: Tiger Woods' text messages to his mistress that were made public last week, where he said, and I quote, "I want to treat you rough, throw you around, spank and slap you and make you sore. I want to hold you down and choke you while I fuck that ass that I own. Then I'm going to tell you to shut the fuck up while I slap your face and pull your hair for making noise." Unquote.

And this, I believe, perfectly represents the attitude Democrats should now have in their dealings with the Republican Party: "Shut the fuck up while I slap your face for making noise -- now pass a cap-and-trade law, you stupid bitch, and repeat after me: 'global warming is real!'"

The Democrats need to push the rest of their agenda while their boot is on the neck of the greedy, poisonous old reptile. Who cares if a cap-and-trade bill isn't popular, neither was health care. Your poll numbers may have descended a bit, but so did your testicles.

So don't stop: we need to regulate the banks, we need to overhaul immigration, we need to end corporate welfare including at the Pentagon, we need to bring troops home from... everywhere, we need to end the drug war, and we need to put terrorists and other human rights violators on trial in civilian courts, starting with Dick Cheney.

Democrats in America were put on earth to do one thing: drag the ignorant hillbilly half of this country into the next century, which in their case is the 19th -- and by passing health care, the Democrats saved their brand. A few months ago, Sarah Palin mockingly asked them, "How's that hopey-changey thing working out for ya?" Great, actually. Thanks for asking. And how's that whole Hooked on Phonics thing working out for you?

Penguins in Heaven

Penguins in Heaven from Federico Costa on Vimeo.

The NCAA weaklings

Editorial: If academic failure cost schools tourney slots, they'd pay more attention to their players' classroom performance.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan doesn't think Kentucky, the top-seeded team in the East Region, should have been invited to the NCAA men's basketball tournament this year. He doesn't think Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Baylor, California, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico State, Tennessee and Washington should be in the field either. That has nothing to do with those teams' hoops prowess. It's about their slipshod academics.

Each of those 12 schools graduated fewer than 40 percent of their players over a four-year span, according to a study released last week by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida. That's unacceptable, Duncan said. If a program wants its athletes to play under college basketball's brightest lights, it must ensure they're succeeding as students: "If you can't manage to graduate two out of five players, how serious are the institution and the coach about their players' academic success? How are you preparing your student athletes for life?"

Easy to answer: They're not, and they're not.

Read more

How safe is travel in Mexico? Depends on your destination

As a new travel warning by the U.S. State Department (http://travel.state.gov) points out, the areas of concern are not the beach resorts or historical cities most Americans visit, but rather the border towns, specifically Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros.

Too often in the past, these types of government alerts have taken a broad-brush approach, simply advising against travel to a country as a whole. What's different about this warning, issued March 14 following the shooting in Ciudad Juarez of three people with ties to the American consulate, is its level of detail, and the way it rightly targets only towns where drug-related violence has been rampant.

This could have something to do with the fact that Mexico's tourism economy is fragile, and the U.S. government doesn't want to do anything that might damage it, but let's hope it also has something to do with a new, more responsible approach to travel warnings in general.

As the State Department points out, millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year, and this isn't likely to change. Nearly a million Americans live in various parts of the country, enjoying the benefits of an inexpensive retirement and low-cost medical care.

Read more

The 10 Most Outrageous Right-Wing Freakouts Over the Health Care Bill

The day after the bill passed, right-wingers took to the airwaves to make outrageous, wildly offensive comparisons to 9/11 and Nazis. Some called for violence.

Read more

Today's Quote

“Whatever it takes, that's what I do.”

David Mellor (1963 – ) American groundskeeper
Director of Grounds, Fenway Park

Jim Boggia - Listening To NRBQ

Enjoy!

Scary New GOP Poll

On the heels of health care, a new Harris poll reveals Republican attitudes about Obama: Two-thirds think he's a socialist, 57 percent a Muslim—and 24 percent say "he may be the Antichrist."

Read more

A Brief History of Pretty Much Everything

Behind the Shady World of Marketing Junk Food to Children

Marketers spend billions attracting kids to junk food they hope will become a lifelong brand attachment. But the effect on kids' health can be costly.

READ MORE

Today's Quote

“Life is too short to be little.”

Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881)

Andy McKee performing "Hunter's Moon"

Enjoy!

Today's Blissful Place

Olbermann to GOP: You are behind the wheel of a political Toyota

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How To Make A Used Thrift Store Painting MOAR AWESOME

How'd you break your arm?

From Joe at Round Circle.

Conditions were perfect. 12 below, no feeling in the toes, basic numbness all over, "tell me when we're having fun" kind of day.

One of the women in the group complained to her husband that she was in dire need of a restroom. He told her not to worry, that he was sure there was relief waiting at the top of the lift in the form of a powder room for female skiers in distress. He was wrong, of course, and the pain did not go away.

If you've ever had nature hit its panic button in you, then you know that a temperature of 12 below zero doesn't help matters. So, with time running out, the woman weighed her options.

Her husband, picking up on the intensity of the pain, suggested that since she was wearing an all-white ski outfit, she should go off in the woods. No one would even notice, he assured her. The white will provide more than adequate camouflage. So she headed for the tree line, began disrobing and proceeded to do her thing. If you've ever parked on the side of a slope, then you know there is a right way and wrong way to set up your skis so you don't move. Yup, you got it. She had them positioned the wrong way.

Steep slopes are not forgiving, even during embarrassing moments. Without warning, the woman found herself skiing backward, out-of-control, racing through the trees, somehow missing all of them, and into another slope. Her derriere and the reverse side were still bare, her pants down around her knees, and she was picking up speed all the while.

She continued on backwards, totally out-of-control, creating an unusual vista for the other skiers. The woman skied, if you define that verb loosely, back under the lift and finally collided violently with a pylon. The bad news was that she broke her arm and was unable to pull up her ski pants. At long last her husband arrived, put an end to her nudie show, then went to the base of the mountain and summoned the ski patrol, who transported her to a hospital.

In the emergency room she was regrouping when a man with an obviously broken leg was put in the bed next to hers.

"So. How'd you break your leg?" she asked, making small talk.

"It was the darndest thing you ever saw," he said. "I was riding up this ski lift, and suddenly I couldn't believe my eyes. There was this crazy woman skiing backward out-of-control down the mountain with her bare bottom hanging out of her clothes and pants down around her knees."

"I leaned over to get a better look and I guess I didn't realize how far I'd moved. I fell out of the lift."

"So, how'd you break your arm?"

Dancing in the Streets flashmob | Vancouver Canada 2010

imagine1day's Official Dancing in the Streets flashmob | Vancouver Canada 2010 from Jered Love on Vimeo.

10 Things That Turn Men Off

It’s not easy for a man to tell his wife or girlfriend what she does to irritate him. In my experience, confessions like that tend to lodge themselves deep inside a woman’s subconscious, never to be forgotten…ever. More than that, women tend to focus so much on their so-called “faults” that it can feel excessive to give you more reasons to be critical of yourselves. But in the name of healthy communication, sometimes it’s important for couples to air their grievances. So let’s take a different approach: Don’t think of this list as the 10 things we dislike about you. Think of it more as the 10 things that will bring us closer together…by you not doing them.

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The Great Thing About the Health Care Law That Has Passed? It Will Save Republican Lives, Too

The Great Thing About the Health Care Law That Has Passed? It Will Save Republican Lives, Too (An Open Letter to Republicans from Michael Moore)

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

To My Fellow Citizens, the Republicans:

Thanks to last night's vote, that child of yours who has had asthma since birth will now be covered after suffering for her first nine years as an American child with a pre-existing condition.

Thanks to last night's vote, that 23-year-old of yours who will be hit one day by a drunk driver and spend six months recovering in the hospital will now not go bankrupt because you will be able to keep him on your insurance policy.

Thanks to last night's vote, after your cancer returns for the third time -- racking up another $200,000 in costs to keep you alive -- your insurance company will have to commit a criminal act if they even think of dropping you from their rolls.

Yes, my Republican friends, even though you have opposed this health care bill, we've made sure it is going to cover you, too, in your time of need. I know you're upset right now. I know you probably think that if you did get wiped out by an illness, or thrown out of your home because of a medical bankruptcy, that you would somehow pull yourself up by your bootstraps and survive. I know that's a comforting story to tell yourself, and if John Wayne were still alive I'm sure he could make that into a movie for you.

But the reality is that these health insurance companies have only one mission: To take as much money from you as they can -- and then work like demons to deny you whatever coverage and help they can should you get sick.

So, when you find yourself suddenly broadsided by a life-threatening illness someday, perhaps you'll thank those pinko-socialist, Canadian-loving Democrats and independents for what they did Sunday evening.

If it's any consolation, the thieves who run the health insurance companies will still get to deny coverage to adults with pre-existing conditions for the next four years. They'll also get to cap an individual's annual health care reimbursements for the next four years. And if they break the pre-existing ban that was passed last night, they'll only be fined $100 a day! And, the best part? The law will require all citizens who aren't poor or old to write a check to a private insurance company. It's truly a banner day for these corporations.

So don't feel too bad. We're a long way from universal health care. Over 15 million Americans will still be uncovered -- and that means about 15,000 will still lose their lives each year because they won't be able to afford to see a doctor or get an operation. But another 30,000 will live. I hope that's ok with you.

If you don't mind, we're now going to get busy trying to improve upon this bill so that all Americans are covered and so the grubby health insurance companies will be put out of business -- because when it comes to helping the sick, no one should ever be allowed to ask the question, "How much money can we save by making this poor bastard suffer?"

Please, my Republican friends, if you can, take a quiet moment away from your AM radio and cable news network this morning and be happy for your country. We're doing better. And we're doing it for you, too.

Yours,
Michael Moore

Here's The Joke

A man takes his place in the theater, but his seat is too far from the stage.

He whispers to the usher, "This is a mystery, and I have to watch a mystery close up. Get me a better seat, and I'll give you a handsome tip."

The usher moves him into the second row, and the man hands the usher a quarter.

The usher looks at the quarter, leans over and whispers, "The wife did it."

REMINDER: The Vast Majority Of The Government Deficits People Hate Comes From Bush's Wars And Bush's Tax Cuts

America's deficit problems are mostly the result of American wars abroad and the Bush era tax cuts -- things the current administration didn't implement. At the same time the current administration is being pressed not to raise taxes and not to be weak militarily.

Some of the most hated spending topics such as TARP, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and economic stimulus, are actually a tiny contributor in comparison to war and Bush tax cuts
. Especially over the long-haul out to 2019 as shown below.

You don't have to agree with everything the current administration does, but democracy isn't an effective form of government when voters are blind to the real cause behind the effects they criticize:

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Iraq: Thousands Dead, $747.3 Billion Spent And Not Any Safer

We need your help in letting the administration know that we understand the damage done to Iraq and to our country over the last seven years. We know, as well, that there will be no economic recovery here at home as long as were spending $100 billion a year on another war that isnt making us any safer the war in Afghanistan.

Thats why were asking everyone to report the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as an example of waste, fraud and abuse on Recovery.gov today. Simply scroll down to the field marked What and paste this message into the text box:

Id like to report the waste of trillions of dollars of our national wealth on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that dont make us safe. Its fraud to portray these as wars that increase our security, and its abusive of U.S. troops and local civilians to drag these wars out any longer. End the wars so we can have real economic recovery.

Today's Quote

"Self-disciplined begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do."

Napoleon Hill
1883-1970, Author of Think and Grow Rich

Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder, Polar Music Award

Enjoy!

How to Create Seed Bombs (Guerilla Gardening)

Are there any empty lots or other unsightly fenced-off areas in your neighborhood that could use a little plant life? Throw some of these simple seed bombs into the blighted area and transform it into a lush garden for your whole neighborhood to enjoy.

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My daughter and her kids

Website of the Day - Makes Me Think

MakesMeThink.com (MMT) is an online community where people share daily life stories that provoke deep thought and inspire positive change.

Sometimes the most random everyday encounters force us to stop and rethink the truths and perceptions we have ingrained in our minds. These encounters are educationally priceless. They spawn moments of deep thought and self-reflection that challenge the status quo and help us evolve as sensible individuals.

Here at MakesMeThink.com, we call these thought-provoking life experiences 'MMTs.'

We would love to hear from you, so please share your MMT stories with us. ;-)

New Survey by Former Bush Speechwriter Finds Tea Partiers Largely Ignorant about Taxes, Lots of Other Stuff

…the Tea Party crowd appears to believe that federal taxes are very considerably higher than they actually are, whether referring to total taxes as a share of GDP or in terms of the taxes paid by a typical family.

Tea Partyers also seem to have a very distorted view of the direction of federal taxes. They were asked whether they are higher, lower or the same as when Barack Obama was inaugurated last year. More than two-thirds thought that taxes are higher today, and only 4% thought they were lower; the rest said they are the same.

Remember, taxes are the Teabaggers’ raison d’etre — the fact that they seem to know very little about them is noteworthy.

But it’s not only taxes where Teabaggers need help.

GOP embraces their obstructionisim

The fun begins at the 50 second mark!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Will Americans Reward the Party of "Hell No?"

Robert Borosage

House Republican leader John Boehner's final rant against health care reform, featuring the refrain of "hell no," aptly summarized the temper and the substance of the general Republican position as the run up to the fall elections begins.

(Rumors that the normally phlegmatic Boehner was incensed because a tax on tanning salons is the only tax in the health care bill that will kick in this year are unfounded. Democratic aides gleefully dismiss allegations that the tax was aimed personally at the perpetually tanned Boehner, a congressman from Ohio. )

Republicans pivoted immediately from "kill the bill" to "repeal the deal." Reacting to defeat in the manner of a spoiled child taking away the ball after losing a game, Senator John McCain, once known for his independence, led a chorus of Republicans vowing "no cooperation" on any future issue. It will be hard to tell the difference.

Most Americans are only beginning to sense just how unified the Republican minority has been in obstruction. Record filibusters in the Senate. Unprecedented holds on Obama appointees. Not one vote from Republicans for health care reform in the House or Senate. Not one Republican vote in the House for financial reform. Not one Republican vote in the Senate banking committee. Republicans even filibustered the recovery plan after their members had worked to weaken it. They bet early and often on Obama's failure - and it appears to be paying off.

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Is organic better? Making sense of organic choices

Is organically grown food safer or more nutritious? Consumers should weigh the cost vs. benefits.

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The Growing Movement for Publicly Owned Banks

We the people have given away our sovereign money-creating power to private, for-profit lending institutions, which have used it to siphon wealth from the productive economy. Some states are moving to take that power back.

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10 Things Your Estate Planner Won't Tell You

Smart Money continues its series of dirty little secrets of various industries and professions with this inside look into the business of estate planning.

One Million Trees For Ethiopia

Gashaw Tahir, an American citizen, returned to his birth country of Ethiopia to find the green hills that surrounded his home eroded and ruined due to deforestation. So he decided to do something extraordinary: Plant one million trees.

Banana Protein BanLec Could Prevent HIV Infection

A chemical found in bananas could prevent people from getting AIDS, researchers say.

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Spring is Here

65+ Reasons to Love Spring

Here's The Joke

Two guys are driving through Alabama when they get pulled over by a state trooper. The trooper walks up, taps on the window with his nightstick, the driver rolls down the window, and the trooper smacks him in the head with the stick.

The driver says, "Why'd you do that?"

The trooper says, "You're in Alabama, son. When I pull you over, you'll have your license ready."

Driver says, "I'm sorry, officer, I'm not from around here."

The trooper runs a check on the guy's license, and he's clean. He gives the guy his license back and walks around to the passenger side and taps on the window. The passenger rolls his window down, and the trooper smacks him with the nightstick.

The passenger says, "What'd you do that for?"

The cop says, "Just making your wishes come true."

The passenger asks, "Huh?"

The cop says, "I know that two miles down the road you're gonna say: 'I wish that jerk would've tried that stuff with me!'"

Trampoline Dog

Trampoline Dog - watch more funny videos

In Health Care Bill, Obama Attacks Wealth Inequality

For all the political and economic uncertainties about health reform, at least one thing seems clear: The bill that President Obama signed on Tuesday is the federal government’s biggest attack on economic inequality since inequality began rising more than three decades ago.

Over most of that period, government policy and market forces have been moving in the same direction, both increasing inequality. The pretax incomes of the wealthy have soared since the late 1970s, while their tax rates have fallen more than rates for the middle class and poor.

Nearly every major aspect of the health bill pushes in the other direction. This fact helps explain why Mr. Obama was willing to spend so much political capital on the issue, even though it did not appear to be his top priority as a presidential candidate. Beyond the health reform’s effect on the medical system, it is the centerpiece of his deliberate effort to end what historians have called the age of Reagan.

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Today's Blissful Place

Click to enlarge

The Balloonist

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a man below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 42 degrees north latitude and between 58 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.

"I am," replied the man, "but how did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."

The man below responded, "You must be a manager."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "how did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are exactly in the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

Beef Stroganoff With Yogurt and Dill

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 25m
Total Time: 25m

Ingredients

* 12 ounces multigrain noodles
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced
* kosher salt and pepper
* 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
* 4 shallots, sliced
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Directions

1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the steak with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. In 2 batches, cook the steak until browned, about 1 minute per side; transfer to a plate.

2. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the skillet and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over the noodles and top with the yogurt and dill.

Today's Quote

Backyard Beekeeping A Beginners Guide

If you can garden, you can be a beekeeper. Here are the first steps: the questions to ask, the equipment you'll need and how to choose the right bees.

Website of the Day - Incredibox

The very French Incrédibox allows you to compose your own beatbox tune through a simple palette of repeating sounds, each one animated by its own beatboxing guy (complete with sloppy Euro-hair and hoop earring, bien sur). It’s a glossy, stylized way to have some fun composing: You can mix, match and even shuffle percussions, vocals, instruments and effects, as the director of your very own a cappella squad. Best of all, you can’t screw it up. Bon chance!

Mike Doughty on Letterman 14-June-2005

Enjoy!

10 Ways Mother Earth Will Strike Back If We Don't Stop Our Wanton Destruction of the Environment

Deniers are dancing on the graves of their reputations, to say nothing of reality itself. But Earth will still get the last laugh on all of them, and us for that matter.

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