Kilroy's Links

This Blog Has Been Replaced by Twitter™!

2009-04-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

I am replacing this blog with my Twitter™ feed!

Please visit: http://twitter.com/KilroyCafe

It's just a lot easier to throw interesting links onto Twitter than to construct blog entries here.

This is an experiment for now, but if it pans out as expected, this blog will no longer be updated. (Existing entries will be retained, however.)

I will still be adding news articles on Family Court (divorce, delinquency and child welfare) to my Family Court Chronicles blog.

Glenn

The Onion: Lifetime for Men

2009-04-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Empowered Man Murders Controlling Wife In Lifetime For Men Original Movie

LOS ANGELES—The new made-for-television movie A Just Killing—the inspiring true story of a man who finds his own inner strength by murdering his needy, overbearing wife—premiered on Lifetime for Men this past Saturday, earning the network its highest ever ratings.

Critics called the just-for-men TV movie "inspirational" and "nice set of tits on the wife."

The highly anticipated movie event is another boon for the cable channel, which specializes in uplifting programming geared toward 30- to 60-year-old men. The film chronicles the painful ordeal of Gary Mulkeen, a fun-loving mechanic who meets a seemingly perfect woman, but must soon fight for his very life after she reveals herself to be a clingy, manipulative shrew.

"It's about one man's perseverance against impossible odds," said director Tom Dunlop....

N.Y. Times: Squatters Call Foreclosures Home

2009-04-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

With Advocates’ Help, Squatters Call Foreclosures Home

MIAMI — When the woman who calls herself Queen Omega moved into a three-bedroom house here last December, she introduced herself to the neighbors, signed contracts for electricity and water and ordered an Internet connection.

What she did not tell anyone was that she had no legal right to be in the home.

Ms. Omega, 48, is one of the beneficiaries of the foreclosure crisis. Through a small advocacy group of local volunteers called Take Back the Land, she moved from a friend’s couch into a newly empty house that sold just a few years ago for more than $400,000.

Yup, when the number of foreclosures reaches a certain level in one neighborhood, there is little the police can do about it. See my photo album of Gary, Indiana for the extreme case.

Facebook Reaches 200 Million Subscribers

2009-04-08T23:59:00.000-07:00

Facebook: 200 millions d'utilisateurs, c'est "un bon début" (Le Matin, Switzerland)

I should point out that not all of these "subscribers" are active users, but even a fraction of 200 million is significant!

Fondé en 2004 dans une chambre d'étudiant de l'université Harvard, Facebook, un site gratuit, est disponible dans une quarantaine de langues, mais peine à rentabiliser ses activités.

Il s'impose de plus en plus comme le plus gros site de socialisation, avec 1,2 milliard de visiteurs uniques décomptés par le cabinet Compete en janvier, contre 810 millions pour son rival MySpace (groupe News Corporation).

Dubai's Dark Side

2009-04-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

The dark side of Dubai (The Independent, London, 4/7)

A really disturbing view of Dubai.

N.Y. Times: Pride

2009-04-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

When All You Have Left Is Your Pride

Researchers tend to split pride into at least two broad categories. So-called authentic pride flows from real accomplishments, like raising a difficult child, starting a company or rebuilding an engine. Hubristic pride, as Dr. Tracy calls it, is closer to arrogance or narcissism, pride without substantial foundation. The act of putting on a good face may draw on elements of both.

But no one can tell the difference from the outside. Expressions of pride, whatever their source, look the same. “So as long as you’re a decent actor, and people don’t know too much about your situation, all systems are go,” said Lisa A. Williams, a doctoral candidate in psychology at Northeastern University.

Las Vegas R-J: Helping the Homeless, but How?

2009-04-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

TENT CITY: Help the homeless but how? Officials don't think number of homeless has risen during recession (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Hosteling in Las Vegas

2009-03-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Hostels: Alternatives To High Priced Resorts
(KLAS-TV, 3/23)

Tourists coming to Las Vegas are finding a cheaper way to stay in Las Vegas. At least three local businesses are offering cheap lodging. Tod's Hostel, one of three in town are seeing a big boost of tourists who are looking for a cheap and comfortable place to stay.

Ran Tadmore, the general manager of Tod's says when the economy started tanking a year ago he converted part of his motel into a hostel modeled after the successful European style of traveling. He offers free pick up and drop off along with breakfast to give him an edge over Las Vegas Strip hotels.

He says since the conversion rooms are almost always booked, the best part about it is the interaction guests have with each other. "From the kids point of view they get a better atmosphere if they stayed in regular hotel they don't know who their neighbors are or interact hostel environment makes them interact with kids from all over the world."

You don't have to be a student to stay at this hostel or international travelers for that matter, different hostels have different rules. But generally what they do offer is cheap rates. The three hostels here in Las Vegas the price per night ranges from $15 to $20.

I am a big fan of hostels in Europe, I would never have predicted an unrestricted hostel in Las Vegas. The USA Hostel on Fremont street caters only to international travelers, but when you open a hostel in the USA to everyone, you end up attracting low-life druggie scum from the city. I wonder how Tod's keeps them out.

Here is their listing on HostelWorld and another article on them from the Las Vegas Weekly (5/22/08).

I tend to believe that unrestricted hosteling and America don't mix, due to the criminal element and psychological space issues, but we'll see if the recession changes that.

I just checked the HostelWorld listing for the USA Hostel. They've added a new wrinkle: You can stay there if you have a US Passport and an out-of-state driver's license. This is clever, because most of your low-life druggies don't have passports.

The Onion: Final Week Of Heyday

2009-03-14T02:39:00.000-07:00

Area Man Down To Final Week Of Heyday
The Onion, 3/14

"I really think Tracy and I might have a future together," Koning said of 27-year-old Tracy Krupman, whom he will soon marry on an emotional whim, and toward whom he will become incresingly embittered and even hateful over the next decade. "We have a real connection, and I think our best times are yet to come."

"And I'm really starting to settle into Chicago," continued Koning, who in three months will be forced to move to Tacoma, WA in order to care for Krupman's ailing father. "I can totally see myself becoming one of those 'Chicago guys' who lives here for the rest of his life. I love it out here."

While evidence suggests that Koning could conceivably prolong his life's pinnacle for another one or two years by leaving Krupman and following his dream of opening a trading cards and collectibles shop, the likelihood of this ever occurring is thought to be incredibly small.

Koning, who currently fills his weekends with volunteer work, regular exercise, and recreational travel, will reportedly soon be granted a minor promotion that will demand all of his free time without providing any additional satisfaction. He is then expected to begin a gradual slide into unfulfilling 60-hour work weeks highlighted by the occasional halfway decent nap.

The Onion: Husband-Wife Comedy Team

2009-03-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Husband, Wife Unaware They Are A Comedy Team

The Onion, 3/7

GLENDALE, AZ—With their hilarious put-downs of each other and classic back-and-forth bickering in front of neighbors, local married couple David and Sheila Holt are quietly becoming one of Glendale's favorite comedy teams, sources reported Monday.

Though David and Sheila remain unaware of their comedy duo status, friends and family members maintain that the couple's uproarious act, including their famous "It's all your fault—this whole stupid mess is your goddamn fault" routine, is more than enough reason to check them out.

L.A. Times: Shaming Johns

2009-02-26T04:44:00.000-08:00

This looks like another variation of the "scared straight" scams that are shown not to change impulsive behavior....

Shaming and scaring johns into becoming average joes
(Los Angeles Times, 2/26)

At first glance, it seems these schools shouldn't work, said Michael Shively, a researcher who recently completed the first comprehensive study of the San Francisco program for the National Institute of Justice. The one-day, throw-everything-at-them-and-see-what-sticks approach, he said, lacks the intense, targeted and longer-term therapy that is generally thought to be needed to change a person's behavior.

Indications are, however, that the classes are a relatively cheap and effective carrot to dangle in front of johns. California prostitution arrest records, Shively's team found, show that recidivism rates among San Francisco men dropped 30% in the decade following the launch of their john school. A newer program in San Diego posted similar results, he found.

I am skeptical of this statistic because a lot of things can change in 10 years. It depends on there being a credible control group (similar offenders assigned to a non-treatment social group). There is often a benefit in giving people attention of any kind, but the "scared straight" component is usually ineffective.

See my essays, Words Don't Work and Things You Don't Need: Addiction Treatment.

Blog: The Other US Airways Flight Crew Member

2009-02-26T04:30:00.001-08:00

I didn't see any of the US Airways TV interviews, but this is amusing...

Captain Sully is First Class - Doreen? Maybe not so much...
(San Francisco Chronicle Culture Blog, 2/18)

Each crew member calmly and professionally related their experience to Katie. As I watched, I was amazed and impressed by their composure and humility. Someone book me a flight on US Airways! These people are saints!

Then Katie got to Doreen, apparently working the rear of the aircraft where everything was "violent" and "horrible." The other flight attendants spoke of stoic yet swift evacuation. Not Doreen. "Coffee pots were floating!" and my favorite line of the interview, "I just went crazy and started yelling at people and pushing people."

The camera cuts to the rest of the crew, all of whom, and this is probably just me, seem to be thinking, "Oh Lord, here we go again."

Given what flight attendants are paid and the low quality it attracts, US Airways was lucky that rest of them were composed.

L.A. Times: Iceland is Steamed

2009-02-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

Iceland is steamed
Its economic meltdown, and the violent reaction of its people, may be echoed worldwide.
(Los Angeles Times, 2/8)

By the mid-1990s, Iceland had, through dicey finance and lots of debt, launched its journey to becoming one of the world's most affluent societies. Fortune continues: "But the principal fuel for Iceland's boom was finance and, above all, leverage. The country became a giant hedge fund, and once-restrained Icelandic households amassed debts exceeding 220% of disposable income -- almost twice the proportion of American consumers."...

"It's official: capitalism is monstrous. Try talking about the benefits of free markets and you will be treated like someone promoting the benefits of rape."

USA Today: Facebook Friends Share "25 Things"

2009-02-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

Facebook friends share '25 Things' with the world
(USA Today, 2/5)

Hey, I done that. I see it as the point where Facebook came of age as a unique community.

Web Tools: Cool Background Image

2009-02-05T10:52:00.000-08:00

This web page from some kind of gaming site has a really cool background image. I might use it someday!

The Vagabond Guide

UK Telegraph: Television and Mental Illness

2009-02-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Too much television can make children 'mentally ill'

(UK Telegraph, 2/2)

That study found: "Other things being equal, the more a child is exposed to the media (television and Internet), the more materialistic she becomes, the worse she relates to her parents and the worse her mental health."

N.Y. Times: Crying

2009-02-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

The Muddled Tracks of All Those Tears
Crying as Catharsis Isn't Always the Case
(NY Times, 2/4)

This passage caught my eye...

People who are confused about the sources of their own emotions — a condition that in the extreme is called alexithymia — also tend to report little benefit from a burst of tears, studies have found. This makes some sense. One purpose of crying may be to block thinking, to effectively seal off the flood of unanswerable questions that come after any major loss, the better to clarify those that are most important or most practical. If this psychological system is already clunky, a fire shower of tears is not likely to improve it.

Alexithymia is a very common ailment!

I was also intrigued by this...

“Crying, for a child, is a way to beckon the caregiver, to maintain proximity and use the caregiver to regulate mood or negative arousal,” Dr. Nelson said in a phone interview. Those who grow up unsure of when or whether that soothing is available can, as adults, get stuck in what she calls protest crying — the child’s helpless squall for someone to fix the problem, undo the loss.

“You can’t work through grief if you’re stuck in protest crying, which is all about fixing it, fixing the loss,” Dr. Nelson said. “And in therapy — as in close relationships — protest crying is very hard to soothe, because you can’t do anything right, you can’t undo the loss. On the other hand, sad crying that is an appeal for comfort from a loved one is a path to closeness and healing.

L.A. Times: "Flying Palace"

2009-02-04T06:01:00.001-08:00

The 'Slumdog' fight
Some say the Oscar contender is 'poverty porn,' but that criticism misconstrues the nature of art.
(L.A. Times, 2/4)

These critics are angered by the fact that hordes of Pepsi-sipping, popcorn-munching, affluent Western audiences are entertained by a spectacle of India's poor struggling for survival in the slums of Mumbai. They're also upset that director Danny Boyle, a white guy, is being lauded for a film about India that just doesn't get it right, that's filled with cliches and exaggeration and people who are downright bad.

N.Y. Times: More Mass, Less Transit

2009-02-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

Rider Paradox: Surge in Mass, Drop in Transit
(New York Times, 2/4)

St. Louis may be girding itself for some of the most extreme transit cuts in the nation, but it is hardly alone. Transit systems across the country are raising fares and cutting service even when demand is up with record numbers of riders last year, many of whom fled $4-a-gallon gas prices and stop-and-go traffic for seats on buses and trains.

Their problem is that fare-box revenue accounts for only a fifth to a half of the operating revenue of most transit systems — and the sputtering economy has eroded the state and local tax collections that the systems depend on to keep running. “We’ve termed it the ‘transit paradox,’ ” said Clarence W. Marsella, general manager of Denver’s system, which is raising fares and cutting service to make up for the steep drop in local sales tax.

The billions of dollars that Congress plans to spend on mass transit as part of the stimulus bill will also do little to help these systems with their current problems. That is because the new federal money — $12 billion was included in the version passed last week by the House, while the Senate originally proposed less — is devoted to big capital projects, like buying train cars and buses and building or repairing tracks and stations. Money that some lawmakers had proposed to help transit systems pay operating costs, and avoid layoffs and service cuts, was not included in the latest version.

This is of concern to me, since I rely on public transit wherever I travel to.

L.A. Times: TV and Depression

2009-02-03T17:50:00.000-08:00

Study links TV and depression
The amount of time teenagers watch television increases their risk of becoming depressed as adults, researchers find.
(Los Angeles Times, 2/3)

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard Medical School looked at the media habits of 4,142 healthy adolescents and calculated that each additional hour of TV watched per day boosted the odds of becoming depressed by 8%.

WWII Posters on Waste

2009-02-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

I thought these images were interesting: Posters from World War II about avoiding waste.

War on Warming and WW2 posters with eco-themes?
(blog entry, 7/22/08)

Las Vegas Home Prices Dropping by Half?

2009-02-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

Total decline in median price of homes could top 50 percent
(Las Vegas Sun, 2/2)

Moody’s Economy.com projects the total decline in the market will reach 52 percent by the end of the first quarter of 2010, says Mike Helmar, director of industry services and an economist who oversees Nevada forecasts.

“We don’t have much good news for you,” Helmar says. “We do have them continuing to go down.”

The firm listed the median price of Las Vegas homes reaching a peak of $320,000 in 2006’s first quarter and projects it dropping to $153,000 by 2010.

L.A. Times: Wine Judges Unsteady

2009-01-29T19:15:00.000-08:00

Wine judges are rather unsteady, study finds
(Los Angeles Times, 1/28)

A judge samples entries at the New York Wine and Food Classic at the Copia food, wine and arts center in Napa, Calif., in August 2007. Copia closed late last year. Only 10% in a four-year study of California State Fair judging were able to consistently give the same rating, or something close, to the same wine sampled multiple times in a large blind tasting.

The whole thing is a fraud to begin with. It's fermented grape juice!

N.Y. Times: Analysis of Stimulus Plan

2009-01-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

News Analysis: Components of Stimulus Vary in Speed and Efficiency
(New York Times, 1/28)

There is no doubt that the impact of the $819 billion economic stimulus package advanced by President Obama and approved by the House on Wednesday will start to be felt within weeks once the final version becomes law.

But estimating how effective the huge program of tax cuts and spending will be in getting America’s economic engines humming again is a far more complex calculation requiring almost line-by-line scrutiny of the 647-page bill, lawmakers, economists and policy analysts say.

While it may be difficult to predict how well the overall plan will work, it is easier to draw conclusions about its individual components, gauging them against the basic goal of any stimulus: to promote economic activity and create jobs as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Fox News: U.S. Airways Cover-Up?

2009-01-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

Leave it to America's Best Journalist (read: most incompetent), Bill O'Reilly, to find a conspiracy angle on the the US Airways Hudson River crash....

Is US Airways Hiding Something About Hudson River Plane Crash?
(Fox News, 1/27)

O'REILLY: A little bit, a little bit. But nothing overwhelming that we know of. A little bit. And the pilot radioed that he saw the things. I believe there were ducks and geese in the air. I got it. But what I'm saying to you, if the engines were weak, prone to stalling, and hit a few ducks, it's going to stall. If it was a strong, powerful engine with no problem, it rifles right through the ducks.

BANKS: Bill, you raise a very good point that the burden of proof is going on US Air to show these engines were not compromised in any way prior…

O'REILLY: I think this is a big story that's been overlooked by the media in the, you know, emotional of the pilot, of the hero pilot.

BANKS: Bill, I don't mean to interrupt. I want to stress these were not ducks. I want to stress they were Canadian geese which are enormous birds. These birds are three to four times the size of the birds that actually get tested on these engines.

O'REILLY: You know what I'm talking about here. I think there has got to be an explanation about GE, General Electric, making these engines, as you are pointing out, they have had trouble with these engines all over the place. They are culpable, too. We will get into that on another day. Ms. Banks, thanks very much. We appreciate it.

The Onion: "Dimension-Jumping Guy"

2009-01-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

I Don't Define Myself By My Ability To Travel Between Dimensions
(The Onion, 1/28)

I can see it in their eyes. They're thinking, "Hey, look. It's the dimension-jumping guy!" "Come on, dude who isn't bound by time or space—show us how you can project your physical form across the planes of existence!" It's true, when people look at me, all they see is the ghostly aura that remains here on earth while my body is shot clear across the cosmos to a parallel world.

But Dennis Myrie is so much more than a guy who can effortlessly slide between the many simultaneously occurring dimensions of the known universe. For instance, I also play the banjo.

WSJ: You won't believe what's in that stimulus bill

2009-01-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

A 40-Year Wish List: You won't believe what's in that stimulus bill
(Wall Street Journal, 1/28)

The 647-page, $825 billion House legislation is being sold as an economic "stimulus," but now that Democrats have finally released the details we understand Rahm's point much better. This is a political wonder that manages to spend money on just about every pent-up Democratic proposal of the last 40 years.

We've looked it over, and even we can't quite believe it. There's $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that hasn't turned a profit in 40 years; $2 billion for child-care subsidies; $50 million for that great engine of job creation, the National Endowment for the Arts; $400 million for global-warming research and another $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects. There's even $650 million on top of the billions already doled out to pay for digital TV conversion coupons.

L.A. Times: "Flying Palace"

2009-01-25T13:14:00.001-08:00

Get a load of the interiors of the new A380 jumbo-jumbo airliner...

Slideshow: Innovation aboard the Airbus A380
(Los Angeles Times, 1/25)

A tad ridiculous if you ask me. I just want to get there!

No comfort shown here can beat having three seats to yourself in coach class.

L.A. Times: Earthquake Overdue

2009-01-24T19:30:00.001-08:00

Study finds troubling pattern of Southern California quakes
(Los Angeles Times, 1/24)

The southern stretch of the San Andreas fault has had a major temblor about every 137 years, according to new research. The latest looks to be overdue.

Just what we need right now!

L.A. Times: Indians Not Liking 'Slumdog'

2009-01-24T19:25:00.001-08:00

Indians don't feel good about 'Slumdog Millionaire'
(Los Angeles Times, 1/24)

Even as American audiences gush over "Slumdog Millionaire," some Indians are groaning over what they see as yet another stereotypical foreign depiction of their nation, accentuating squalor, corruption and impoverished-if-resilient natives.

Yes, the movie's all a cliche, but that doesn't make it any less powerful. See my own review.

Wash. Post: Korean Blogger Predicted Downturn

2009-01-24T19:15:00.001-08:00

Prescient Young Blogger Did What S. Korea Couldn't -- Foresee Global Financial Crisis
(Washington Post, 1/24)

He had been a so-so student who studied communications at a so-so junior college in a backwater town south of Seoul. Thirty-one years old and single, he spent much of his time alone in his room. As his father noted, "He can't even get a job."

But he knew a global economic smack-down when he saw one.

Minerva saw it coming last fall, far earlier and with far more acuity than the South Korean government, which his blog has humiliated and angered.

Besides getting mad, the government got even. In a move widely perceived by the public as a chilling echo of the 1970s, when a military dictatorship ruled South Korea, the government detained Park this month, invoking a seldom-used telecommunications law that charges him with harming the public by spreading "false rumors."

WSJ: Why the Prisoner Endures

2009-01-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

Why 'The Prisoner' Endures
(Wall Street Journal, 1/20)

Eventually tiring of the John Drake role, Mr. McGoohan was able to persuade his British boss to bankroll a series in which a Drake-like character would explore more meaty themes. He delivered a libertarian classic, somewhat marred by the hurriedly written final episode in which Mr. McGoohan's character leads the Village's other inhabitants in a successful revolt. He finally confronts Number One, who is wearing a false face. When that is yanked off, a monkey mask is revealed. And when that is also pulled off, the face of Mr. McGoohan himself is seen.

Washington Post: Downturn Accelerates

2009-01-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

Downturn Accelerates As It Circles The Globe: Economies Worse Off Than Predicted Just Weeks Ago
(Washington Post, 1/24)

The world economy is deteriorating more quickly than leading economists predicted only weeks ago, with Britain yesterday becoming the latest nation to surprise analysts with the depth of its economic pain.

Washington Post: War on Terror Ends

2009-01-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

Bush's 'War' On Terror Comes to a Sudden End
(Washington Post, 1/23)

President Obama yesterday eliminated the most controversial tools employed by his predecessor against terrorism suspects. With the stroke of his pen, he effectively declared an end to the "war on terror," as President George W. Bush had defined it, signaling to the world that the reach of the U.S. government in battling its enemies will not be limitless.

WSJ: 'Tough Love' in the Outback

2009-01-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

'Tough Love' in the Outback:
Australia's Push to Help Aborigines Is Upending Tribal Customs -- And Giving Women an Unlikely Boost
(Wall Street Journal, 1/17)

Aboriginal society has experienced a dramatic decline -- partly a result of these very reforms. Australia's government has proclaimed the upsurge of violence, child abuse and alcoholism among Aborigines a national emergency. It is responding with controversial new policies that critics decried as racist, such as restricting welfare payments to Aborigines but not to whites or other Australians.

Those policies, however, are starting to show early results, the government says. They are also shaking up the Aborigines' ancient social structure. In Yuendumu, for example, the policies have unleashed a nascent feminist movement which is threatening to erode the vast powers of male tribal elders.

Beware the Television

2009-01-22T12:54:00.001-08:00

Beware of the Twonky, it Serves the Super State
(InfoWars.com, 1/21)

The television has not been around long, but has quickly dug itself into our lives. The number of television sets inuse rose from 6,000 in 1946 to 12 million by 1951. Today nearly 98% of American homes have at least one.

Without Television some people describe feeling ‘lost’. Sadly the television has become a member of so many American families and few question its purpose, minimizing its existance it to nothing more than a harmless form of entertainment. But it is much more than that. It can create reality and regulate our thoughts, it can override our conscience and mandate right and wrong.

N.Y. Times: Milan, Why So Gloomy?

2009-01-22T05:55:00.000-08:00

Gloom is "In".

Fashion Review: Milan, Why So Gloomy?
(New York Times, 1/22)

DARK times call for dark coats. That was the impression the Milan designers gave after four days of runway shows in which the particularities of individual labels got lost in a continuous loop of gloom.

Las Vegas: Father Chains Daughter to Bed to Prevent Overeating

2009-01-21T08:15:00.001-08:00

Dad admits chaining daughter to bed: Father told officers he restrained girl to keep her from overeating
(Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1/21)

Robert Blue was frank with police officers when they confronted him at his home last week to determine whether his 15-year-old daughter was being restrained against her will.

He "voluntarily stated that his daughter was chained to her bed to keep her out of the kitchen and from overeating," a police report states.

An officer then saw the 165-pound girl in her room and realized that Blue was telling the truth.

L.A. Times: U.S. economy may sputter for years

2009-01-21T06:07:00.001-08:00

U.S. economy may sputter for years
(Los Angeles Times, 1/19)

Transfixed by the daily spectacle of dismal economic news and wild Wall Street swings, few Americans have looked up to see what a wide array of economists say lies beyond the immediate crisis.

And with good reason: The picture isn't pretty.

The sleek racing machine that was the U.S. economy is unlikely to return any time soon despite the huge repair efforts now underway. Instead, it probably will continue to sputter and threaten to stall for years to come.

The Onion: Mattress King Selects Wife

2009-01-19T21:18:00.001-08:00

Mattress King Selects Wife From Small Wisconsin Village
(The Onion, 1/19)

OSHKOSH, WI—Joyous tidings were trumpeted throughout the hamlets of central Wisconsin this week after 43-year-old Mattress King James Koepke III, Lord and Master of a vast bed and box-spring empire, selected Beth Lowery, a buxom, flaxen-haired maiden from the small village of Waukau, to be his bride.

Photo: Living on the Edge

2009-01-17T20:05:00.001-08:00

I came across this great photo when Google image searching for "on the edge". It's a real photo from Devil's Pool on the edge of Victoria Falls in Zambia. Source: Mike and Andrea's Photo Gallery.

How Lying Works

2009-01-16T17:14:00.001-08:00

How Lying Works
(HowStuffWorks.com, 1/16)

A good overview on lying, including how to do it.

L.A. Times: Bush was a uniter after all

2009-01-15T04:25:00.000-08:00

Bush was a uniter after all
(Los Angeles Times, 1/15)

Bush broke many of his initial campaign promises, but he ended up keeping his promise to be "a uniter, not a divider," though hardly in the way he intended: He leaves behind a united nation, brought together at last by a heartfelt desire to see him gone.

Wall Street Journal: American Power Is on the Wane

2009-01-14T22:36:00.001-08:00

American Power Is on the Wane
(Wall Street Journal, 1/14)

The first reason, surely, is the U.S.'s truly exceptional budgetary and trade deficits. There is nothing else in the world like them in absolute measures and, even when calculated in proportion to national income, the percentages look closer to those you might expect from Iceland or some poorly run Third World economy. ...

The third thing I'm really scared about is that we'll likely have very little money ourselves to pay for the Treasury bonds that are going to be issued, in tens of billions each month, in the years ahead. Sure, some investment firms, bruised by their irrational exuberance for equities and commodities, will take up a certain amount of Treasury issues even at a ridiculously low (or no) rate of return. But that will not cover an estimated budget deficit of $1.2 trillion in 2009.

The big question now is whether the world will have a market for all the new treasury bonds the government will be issuing. There comes a point where the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. Government implodes. --GC

N.Y. Times: Internet Threats Overblown

2009-01-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

Report Calls Online Threats to Children Overblown
(New York Times, 1/13)

The Internet may not be such a dangerous place for children after all. A task force created by 49 state attorneys general to look into the problem of sexual solicitation of children online has concluded that there really is not a significant problem.

GC: It is typical human paranoia to become hysterical about some dramatic but unlikely event (a plane crash, tainted juice, internet predators, etc.) while ignoring the threats closer to home that are much more likely to occur (a car accident, sexual abuse by a family member, etc.). Emotions drive public policy (and parenting) toward addressing the unlikely event, thereby usually increasing the threat from more likely sources.

The Onion: Excuses

2009-01-14T22:09:00.001-08:00

I Will Do Whatever It Takes To Restore Your Faith In My Excuses (The Onion, 1/14)

I stand before you a humbled man. I know I've made a real mess of things lately, but if you just give me one more chance to make it right, I promise to you that I will do absolutely everything in my power to restore your faith in my excuses.

Just hear me out, baby. I'll make you believe in my self-serving bullshit again.

The Onion: U.N. Acquires Nuclear Weapon

2009-01-14T22:03:00.000-08:00

U.N. Acquires Nuclear Weapon (The Onion, 1/13)

NEW YORK—The United Nations, a highly organized governing body bent on world peace, has obtained a nuclear warhead and intends to use the dangerous device to pursue its radical human rights agenda, sources reported Monday.

L.A. Times: Martyrdom Beckons

2009-01-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

Martyrdom beckons Lebanese teen, but she really wants to direct
(Los Angeles Times, 1/12)

N.Y. Times: Anti-Love Drug May Be Ticket to Bliss

2009-01-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

Anti-Love Drug May Be Ticket to Bliss
(New York Times, 1/13)

In the new issue of Nature, the neuroscientist Larry Young offers a grand unified theory of love. After analyzing the brain chemistry of mammalian pair bonding — and, not incidentally, explaining humans’ peculiar erotic fascination with breasts — Dr. Young predicts that it won’t be long before an unscrupulous suitor could sneak a pharmaceutical love potion into your drink. ...

When a female prairie vole’s brain is artificially infused with oxytocin, a hormone that produces some of the same neural rewards as nicotine and cocaine, she’ll quickly become attached to the nearest male. A related hormone, vasopressin, creates urges for bonding and nesting when it is injected in male voles (or naturally activated by sex). After Dr. Young found that male voles with a genetically limited vasopressin response were less likely to find mates, Swedish researchers reported that men with a similar genetic tendency were less likely to get married. In his Nature essay, Dr. Young speculates that human love is set off by a “biochemical chain of events” that originally evolved in ancient brain circuits involving mother-child bonding, which is stimulated in mammals by the release of oxytocin during labor, delivery and nursing.

“Some of our sexuality has evolved to stimulate that same oxytocin system to create female-male bonds,” Dr. Young said, noting that sexual foreplay and intercourse stimulate the same parts of a woman’s body that are involved in giving birth and nursing. This hormonal hypothesis, which is by no means proven fact, would help explain a couple of differences between humans and less monogamous mammals: females’ desire to have sex even when they are not fertile, and males’ erotic fascination with breasts. More frequent sex and more attention to breasts, Dr. Young said, could help build long-term bonds through a “cocktail of ancient neuropeptides,” like the oxytocin released during foreplay or orgasm.

L.A. Times: "Audacity as economic experiment"

2009-01-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

Audacity itself as economic experiment
(Los Angeles Times, 1/11)

In a measure of how quickly its options are shrinking, the United States is about to embrace an economic theory that was widely thought for most of the last generation to have been discredited: the idea that great bursts of deficit-funded government expenditure can jolt an economy back to growth.

And the nation is poised to put this theory to the test on a scale untried in peacetime by any developed country on Earth. ...

Obama's plan represents an unexpected comeback for the ideas of the late British economist John Maynard Keynes, who argued in the 1930s that governments could end the Depression by spending heavily to maintain demand for goods and services until frightened consumers and damaged businesses gained the courage to resume buying and selling on their own.

CNN: Shooting Slumdog Millionaire

2009-01-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

Shooting 'Slumdog Millionaire' (CNN, 1/8)

The director, who is renown for films like "Trainspotting" and "28 Days Later," had never even been to India before he and his crew traveled there to make the critically acclaimed Oscar contender "Slumdog Millionaire."

"It's pretty mad," admits Boyle. "Everything is extreme. It's too hot, the tea is too sweet; everything is kind of too much." But, he adds: "That's wonderful for drama, absolutely wonderful."

He and his crew threw themselves into shooting their drama in the streets and landmarks of India's "city of dreams" using passers-by as extras. They also shot in the Dharavi -- Asia's largest slum -- and Juhu slum which can be seen from the city's airport.

Also see my own review of the movie: My Life Disrupted by 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Bush Says U.S. is Not Heading for Recession

2009-01-08T08:35:00.001-08:00

Bush Says US Not Headed Into a Recession
(AP via ABC News, 2/29/08)

Okay, so this article isn't exactly new. It was published Feb. 29, less than a year ago. I was cleaning out my old queue of articles I haven't reviewed yet, and this turned up. (It must have seemed absurd even in February, which is probably why I saved it.)

Poor guy! How can one man be so wrong on so many things? (Answer: Through faith in God.)

Las Vegas Sun: Nevada 42nd least healthy state

2009-01-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Nevada drops to 42nd least healthy state
(Las Vegas Sun, 1/6)

Nevada dropped to among the 10 unhealthiest states due to low graduation and high crime rates in an annual report issued in December.

Las Vegas Sun: Leaving Las Vegas

2009-01-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

The latest trend: Leaving Las Vegas
(Las Vegas Sun, 1/6)

Young is part of the new migration trend: Clark County is now losing population, according to county officials — 10,000 from July 2007 to July 2008, based on the number of empty houses and apartments.

U-Haul measures the trend a different way: Are there more trucks coming to town or leaving? In 2007, outbound U-Haul rentals just barely outpaced those arriving here, the company said. In 2008 the number of outbound rentals was 1 percent greater than that of those arriving.

N.Y. Times: Saving a Squirrel by Eating One

2009-01-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

Saving a Squirrel by Eating One
(New York Times, 1/7)

While some have difficulty with the cuteness versus deliciousness ratio — that adorable little face, those itty-bitty claws — many feel that eating squirrel is a way to do something good for the environment while enjoying a unique gastronomical experience.

With literally millions of squirrels rampaging throughout England, Scotland and Wales at any given time, squirrels need to be controlled by culls. This means that hunters, gamekeepers, trappers and the Forestry Commission (the British equivalent of forest rangers) provide a regular supply of the meat to British butchers, restaurants, pâté and pasty makers and so forth.

Washington Post: Tom Toles Cartoons

2009-01-07T07:22:00.001-08:00

Here's a great archive of political cartoons from Tom Toles of the Washington Post.

Tom Toles Cartoons

The Onion: I Have an iPod -- IN MY MIND!

2009-01-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

I Have An iPod–In My Mind
(The Onion, 8/20/03)

I hear those little things carry up to a month's worth of music. Well, so does my mind. I can call up any song I've ever heard, any time I want. And I never have to load software or charge batteries. There are no firewire cords or docks to mess with. I just put my hands behind my head, lean back, and select a tune from the extensive music-library folder inside my brain.

Thirty gigabytes? So what? I know 7,500 songs, maybe more. Some songs, I forget I even have until they come around on shuffle. Why, just the other day, my mind started playing David Naughton's "Makin' It," a song I hadn't heard in years. And the sound quality was great!

Easy downloads? You don't know the meaning of the word "easy." And I don't have to know the meaning of the word "download." You may get MP3s off the Internet, you smug scenester, but I can get music off the television, the radio, even a passing ice-cream truck. If I don't want to waste the memory space on a high-fidelity copy, I just don't pay very close attention. Now, that's what I call convenience.

Photo Source

L.A. Times: Gambling Runs Dry in Mesquite

2009-01-04T17:35:00.000-08:00

Out in Nevada desert, gambling runs dry

(Los Angeles Times, 1/3)

Locals and travelers passing through have long kept Mesquite's casinos afloat. But like the spent mines that have busted many Western towns, Mesquite's source of wealth ran out. As the economy soured, tourists hoarded their cash, and the town's gross gambling revenue plummeted 11%. Visitor volume fell 7.4% last year; the average daily room rate fell 35.4%.

N.Y. Times: Portrait of Anthrax Suspect

2009-01-04T10:29:00.001-08:00

Portrait Emerges of Anthrax Suspect’s Troubled Life (New York Times, 1/3)

Dr. Ivins, who had helped develop an anthrax vaccine to protect American troops, had spent his career waiting for a biological attack. Suddenly, at 55, he was advising the F.B.I. and regaling friends with scary descriptions of the deadly powder, his expertise in demand.

One recipient of his e-mail message, however, a graduate-school colleague, looked at the photograph of Dr. Ivins and leapt to a shocking conclusion.

“I read that e-mail, and I thought, He did it,” the fellow scientist, Nancy Haigwood, said in a recent interview.

N.Y. Times: Divorcing Couples Now Battle Over Who DOESN'T Get The House

2008-12-30T02:37:00.000-08:00

"With homes worth less than their outstanding loans, some divorcing couples are battling not to get the house."...

In Housing Fall, Breaking Up Is Harder to Do
(New York Times, 12/30)

Separated at Birth? - Glenn Campbell and J.K. Simmons

2008-12-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

This blog entry (Less Than Successful, 12/28) claims I look just like actor J.K. Simmons (Juno, The Lady Killers). This has never occurred to me before, but now I see a resemblance. You decide.

Life of Brian: "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"

2008-12-26T03:24:00.000-08:00

Here are the lyrics and the mp3 file from the closing number from Monty Python's Life of Brian: "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." It's a catchy little tune suitable for any crucifixion.

Wall Street Journal: What It Cost to Fly Your Baggage

2008-12-25T16:58:00.001-08:00

I may have played a role in this article in the Wall Street Journal.

What It Costs An Airline to Fly Your Luggage (11/25/08)

A researcher for The Middle Seat contacted me about my article on baggage handling published on my Kilroy Cafe blog (Zen and the Art of Baggage Handling). He was going to interview me for a WSJ blog but never did. Nonetheless, I think some of my info got into the article.

One interesting factoid:

One rough formula sometimes used in the airline business to approximate fuel costs is that it requires 3% to 5% of the weight of an object in fuel to fly it one hour. That means at current fuel prices, it would cost about $1 to $2 to fly a 40-pound bag on an average three-hour trip.

That may lead to an estimate of how much fuel my own airline uses to fly me across the country (maybe $10-20 per trip).

L.A. Times: A Home for the Homeless

2008-12-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

It's a nice humanitarian idea, but it won't work in the real world.

Upgrading from a cardboard box for the homeless (L.A. Times, 12/10)

MY COMMENTS: Here's the essential problem: If you give the homeless a comfortable place to stay, they are going to stay there... and stay and stay. If you give someone a tent to live in, you are implicitly giving him permission to set that tent up somewhere, probably on land owned by someone else. That someone is going to protest and squelch the program.

It is a little like feeding the pigeons in a city park. If you do, then more pigeons will come, and eventually whoever controls the park is going to have to put a stop to it.

Essentially, there is no institutional solution to homelessness. By definition, it exists at the limits of tolerance. If someone is sleeping under a bridge, it may be illegal, but the authorities probably won't intervene. If 100 people are sleeping under a bridge, then authorities have to intervene.

Like with many well meaning acts of charity, if you give people tents, you could be upsetting the local ecology -- the equilibrium that has already been worked out. That's the potential risk with any technological solutions to social problems. -- GC

Washington Post: Ponzi - Name Stands Alone

2008-12-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

One Name Stands Alone in The Grand Scheme of It All (Washington Post, 12/20)

Sorry, Mr. Madoff. Despite your prodigious alleged accomplishments -- $50 billion of investors' money, vaporized! -- you're no Charles Ponzi.

The feds, in their complaint, allege that you, Bernard L. Madoff, admitted to colleagues that you've "been conducting a Ponzi-scheme" through your investment advice business. Some Wall Street experts, struggling to convey the scope, say it's perhaps "the biggest Ponzi scheme in history."

Wow! And there have been so many.

But for all your Palm Beach Country Club connections and your sterling Wall Street résumé, you're still just walking in the shadow of the great Charles Ponzi.

Reuters: Most People Will Torture If Told To

2008-12-25T15:24:00.001-08:00

Shocking study finds most will torture if ordered (Reuters, 12/19)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some things never change. Scientists said on Friday they had replicated an experiment in which people obediently delivered painful shocks to others if encouraged to do so by authority figures.

Seventy percent of volunteers continued to administer electrical shocks -- or at least they believed they were doing so -- even after an actor claimed they were painful, Jerry Burger of Santa Clara University in California found.

More than 5000 Friends Now Allowed on Facebook

2008-12-25T07:07:00.001-08:00

This tech article suggests that none of us will be hitting our Facebook friend limit anytime soon.

Facebook To Lift 5,000 Friends Limit

However, another article suggests that there is a limit to how many new friends you can add in a day: perhaps 20-30. This restriction is apparently enforced to prevent Spam and to keep Facebook a social site rather than a commercial one. (Imagine if Facebook starting being used for porn distribution. The number of "friends" per account would skyrocket.)

New York Times: Drug Treatment May Not Work

2008-12-25T05:08:00.000-08:00

The single most important thing I learned in Family Court is that drug treatment doesn't work, as suggested by this recent New York Times article...

The Evidence Gap - Drug Rehabilitation or Revolving Door? (12/22/08)

Everyone wants it to work, and many governmental systems depend on it working, but statistics show that treatment, per se, is ineffective in the long run. This includes both "talking cures" like Alcoholics Anonymous and chemical treatments, like Nicorette gum.

There are only two things that can change addiction: (1) Changing the environment in which it occurs, such as taking a child away from his drug-addicted family, (2) The person suffering so much pain from the real effects of his addiction that he decides on his own to change. Any other "treatment" is ineffective in the long term.

Treatment can appear to be effective in the short term. For example, an addict in drug court will clean up his act knowing that a judge is watching him and he will be thrown in jail if he tests dirty. But as soon as the supervision ends, his relapse rates are no different that if he had never gone through the program.

The implications of this are huge. It means that vast sums of goverment money are being wasted on ineffective programs. It also means that if you have a drug addicted friend or relative, there isn't a lot you can do to help them. No third party treatment program is going to fix the problem for you. There are things you can do, but they are often radical or unpleasant: change the environment, or let the addict fall on his face.

This was the general topic of my Family Court newsletter in March 2008: Words Don't Work.

Coyote Springs Update: No Change

2008-12-24T18:05:00.001-08:00

Another traveler passed by Coyote Springs recently and posted some new photos....

Southeast Nevada

Coyote Springs is the new community an hour north of Las Vegas that has an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and nothing more. This supplements my own photos of Coyote Springs.

Within the past week, the Clark County Commision approved a zoning change to allow a casino to be build here, but that won't change anything. The community is destined for ghost town status even before the first house is built.

New York Times: Wall Street Bonuses

2008-12-18T05:12:00.000-08:00

From today's New York Times:

The Reckoning: On Wall Street, Bonuses, Not Profits, Were Real

As regulators and shareholders sift through the rubble of the financial crisis, questions are being asked about what role lavish bonuses played in the debacle. Scrutiny over pay is intensifying as banks like Merrill prepare to dole out bonuses even after they have had to be propped up with billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money. While bonuses are expected to be half of what they were a year ago, some bankers could still collect millions of dollars.

Critics say bonuses never should have been so big in the first place, because they were based on ephemeral earnings. These people contend that Wall Street’s pay structure, in which bonuses are based on short-term profits, encouraged employees to act like gamblers at a casino — and let them collect their winnings while the roulette wheel was still spinning.

Fortune: Why a $1 Trillion Deficit is a Good Thing

2008-12-13T06:48:00.001-08:00

From Fortune magazine (12/12/08)...

Why a $1 trillion deficit is a good thing (for now)

All of the above forces represent an inescapable reality. Neither the recession nor the financial crisis were developments that could have been brushed aside. ...

Although specific aspects of how the bailout funds have been used so far can be open to question, not undertaking a massive program of stabilizing the financial system in the last few months was never really an option, as it would have exposed the entire U.S. economy to a potentially catastrophic outcome.

L.A. Times: Paul Volcker is Back

2008-12-08T12:48:00.001-08:00

From today's Los Angeles Times...

Paul Volcker is back, and he warns of tough times ahead

His concerns go to the very core of how America lives and how Wall Street operates. A child of the Great Depression and a man of legendary personal thrift, Volcker thinks Americans have been living above their means for too long.

"It is the United States as a whole that became addicted to spending and consuming beyond its capacity to produce," Volcker lectured the Economic Club of New York in April. "It all seemed so comfortable."

Bringing consumption back in line with income would not only crimp individuals and families, but also require major readjustments in the global economy, which has relied on the U.S. as consumer of last resort.

Airlines No Longer at Risk

2008-12-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

It looks like the domestic airlines are not at risk even in an economic downturn, especially now that the price of oil has crashed....

Airlines ready for fewer travelers in 2009
(Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/5)

This is significant to me (as a furloughed airline employee) since my free flight benefits are only good if my airline survives. I want my airline to do well, but not so well that they hire me back.

New York Times: Triage at Work

2008-12-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

New York Times, 12/3:

British Balance Gain Against the Cost of the Latest Drugs

If the Hardys lived in the United States or just about any European country other than Britain, Mr. Hardy would most likely get the drug, although he might have to pay part of the cost. A clinical trial showed that the pill, called Sutent, delays cancer progression for six months at an estimated treatment cost of $54,000.

But at that price, Mr. Hardy’s life is not worth prolonging, according to a British government agency, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The institute, known as NICE, has decided that Britain, except in rare cases, can afford only £15,000, or about $22,750, to save six months of a citizen’s life.

Yes, there has to be a price on anything. The delusion in America is that the price of a few months of life is unlimited -- part of the reason our healthcare is in such dire straits.

Family Court: Presumptive Certification Struck Down

2008-11-28T07:12:00.000-08:00

Nevada's "presumptive certification" law for juveniles has been struck down. See an AP article...

Juvenile Court Certification Law Erased (AP, 11/26/08)

The Nevada Supreme Court on Wednesday declared unconstitutional a law that made juveniles admit guilt to charged crimes to avoid trial as an adult -- and let prosecutors use the admissions if juveniles wound up in adult court anyway.

The Supreme Court's ruling, overturning an earlier high court decision that had upheld the law, was sought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, the national Juvenile Law Center, public defenders of Washoe and Clark counties and other groups and activists. ...

While the decision does away with the "presumptive certification" law, justices said prosecutors who want to try juveniles as adults can still petition "in appropriate cases" under a separate discretionary certification provision that remains on the books.

Also discussed in a Las Vegas Review-Journal article: Law set to prosecute youths cut (11/27/08)

This law was essentially giving all discretion to prosecutors to decide which youth should be tried as adults in a broad category of felonies. Now, there should be more of a balance in the process.

I described juvenile certification in one of my newsletters: CERTIFICATION NIGHTMARE!

New York Times: Age Verification

2008-11-23T17:31:00.001-08:00

From the New York Times (Nov. 18)...

Online Age Verification for Children Brings Privacy Worries

Child-safety activists charge that some of the age-verification firms want to help Internet companies tailor ads for children. They say these firms are substituting one exaggerated threat — the menace of online sex predators — with a far more pervasive danger from online marketers like junk food and toy companies that will rush to advertise to children if they are told revealing details about the users.

“It’s particularly upsetting,” said Nancy Willard, an expert on Internet safety who has raised concerns about age verification on her Web site over the last month. “Age verification companies are selling parents on the premise that they can protect the safety of children online, and then they are using this information for market profiling and targeted advertising.”

An example of how hysteria over well-publicized but statistically insignificant threats can lead to far worse damage overall.

Onion: "Pain-Inducing Advil"

2008-11-23T17:20:00.000-08:00

From The Onion (Nov. 21)...

People Who Just Want To Feel Something, Anything

PHILADELPHIA—Wyeth Pharmaceuticals unveiled a new pain-causing line of Advil this week that will help millions of benumbed, hollow consumers to feel at least somewhat alive for up to four hours.

Onion: "Area Man Loves That Crazy Bitch"

2008-11-23T17:12:00.001-08:00

From The Onion (Nov. 22)...

God Help Him, But Area Man Loves That Crazy Bitch

RENO, NV—Despite her continued efforts to drive him out of his goddamn mind and turn his every waking hour into some kind of living nightmare, Craig Shearer, 32, admitted Monday that he still loves that crazy bitch.

Yeah, I can relate.

L.A. Times: Dido

2008-11-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

A profile of the singer Dido Armstrong appears in the Nov. 18 Los Angeles Times:

Dido picks up sticks, lays down her own groove

I consider her a two-hit wonder ("White Flag" and "Thank You"), and I'm not a fan of her other songs, but her style is interesting.

Blog Post: "What Do You Do With 8 Bedrooms, 9 Bathrooms and 19000 SF?"

2008-11-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

A realtor in Las Vegas wrote a blog article using some of my photos (with permission):

What Do You Do With 8 Bedrooms, 9 Bathrooms and 19000 SF?

The story is about the mansion of a newspaper tycoon in Las Vegas. After the man's death, the family gave the property to Clark County for use as a child welfare training facility. Shortly thereafter, I visited the property and wrote a report.

It is curious how people will create shrines to themselves if given the resources. The tycoon transported his entire childhood home to Las Vegas and set it beside his ugly "mansion." The guy's still dead, however, and his mansion is being demolished, proving that you can never really make yourself immortal.

Entertainment Not Recession-Proof

2008-11-11T04:04:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Times, 10/29/08:

Hollywood may not be recession-proof this time

For decades, entertainment executives have boasted that Hollywood is "recession-proof." No matter how dire the economy, the argument goes, consumers will always be willing to spend on entertainment to escape. ...

This time, however, past may not be prologue. Unlike the rudimentary entertainment economy of 75 years ago, when the downtown Bijou was about the only diversion, consumers now have a near-limitless array of entertainment options to occupy their leisure time.

Paul Simon, Songwriter

2008-11-10T16:47:00.001-08:00

This short interview with Paul Simon appears in today's USA Today...

'Lyrics' captures Paul Simon's career

Also, some background anecdotes about some of his most famous songs...

Paul Simon takes a lyrical journey

He is my ideal songwriter, the sort I would like to be.

Notice that he doesn't seem to care whether he makes any money, at least at this point in his life. He just wants to write great songs!

Author Michael Crichton Dies

2008-11-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Times: Michael Crichton dies at 66; bestselling author of 'Jurassic Park' and other thrillers (11/6/08)

Crichton wrote the first "grown up" book I ever read, The Andromeda Strain. For a while, I wanted to be him. Now, I see that he got frozen in time and never really grew as an author. He produced efficient techno-thrillers but never grasped the human world.

A Really Bad Review (Criss Angel in Las Vegas)

2008-11-08T12:14:00.001-08:00

It can be refreshing at times to read a really bad review.

New Criss Angel show is unbelievably bad, sad, Las Vegas Review Journal, 11/3/08

Wooooooooow. Criss Angel's new Cirque du Soleil show is terrrrrrible.

I had heard firsthand from some people who had seen "Believe" that it was abysmal and maybe unfixable, creatively. So my expectations were rock-bottom low (although open-minded), when I saw it Friday on opening night. And yet, it was EVEN WORSE than how it was described to me.

How bad could it be? Oh my God! Let me see if I remember how to spell this: "D.I.S.A.S.T.E.R."

L.A. Times: "In this economy, even sex doesn't sell"

2008-11-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Times, Nov. 4, 2008

At Donna's Ranch, a brothel in Wells, Nev., most of the customers are long-haul truckers. High fuel and food prices have drained them of 'play money.' So the working girls sit and wait.
By Ashley Powers
Reporting from Wells, Nev. -- The women at Donna's Ranch are crowded around the kitchen table on a warm summer night, dining on stir fry, tugging at thigh-high dresses, griping about depleted bank accounts. At this northeastern Nevada bordello, which marks a gravel road's end, they woo grizzled truckers and weary travelers for a single reason: money.

Lately, the women don't go home with much. ... Continued