From our ever-expanding Transvaluation of All Values file: actress Jane Lynch has gotten married, USA Today reports with a completely straight face (no pun intended). Yes, if you thought she was not the marrying kind, you’re right.
Monthly Archives: June 2010
Emerson-Lake Praised
Keith Emerson and Greg Lake of the great progressive rock band Emerson, Lake, and Palmer recently did a well-received tour of small-scale performances in North America. Profile here, review here.
FTC Staff “Potential Policy Recommendations to Support the Reinvention of Journalism”
A Federal Trade Commission Staff Discussion Draft (link opens a PDF document) was discussed by Glenn Beck during his radio show that aired June 1. The FTC released the document on Friday, May 28, just before a three day holiday weekend. The text below is reprinted directly from the FTC’s working document. It raises serious questions regarding government involvement in the media, including the federal agency exploring ways to “increase revenue to news organizations.” In May 2009, the Federal Trade Commission announced a project to consider the challenges faced by journalism in the Internet age. Now, one year later, staff responsible for this project present this draft for discussion of 1) the tentative conclusions outlined here about the current and likely future environments for news gathering and reporting, and 2) potential policy recommendations to address the issues raised during this proceeding. We note that this draft does not represent final conclusions or recommendations by the Commission or FTC staff; it is solely for purposes of discussion, in particular at FTC roundtable discussions to be held on June 15, 2010, at the National Press Club. Journalism is moving through a significant transition in which business models are crumbling, innovative new forms
John Sandford Shakes Things Up in ‘Wicked Prey’
With Wicked Prey, Sandford has found a solution to that problem too, bringing in another legal corner-cutter, close enough to Davenport to make his world perhaps even more dangerous and morally ambiguous than before.
Silly Bans
From our fast-growing “Oh, for f-ck’s sake!” file: schools around the nation are banning Silly Bandz, those amusing, inexpensive, rubber wristbands that have become immensely popular among the nation’s children. This is conclusive proof, if any were yet needed, that the people who run America’s schools hate kids and are utterly power-mad. Time magazine reports: The Bandz are now contraband. Schools in several states, including New York, Texas, Florida and Massachusetts, have blacklisted Silly Bandz, those stretchy, colorful bracelets that are creeping up the forearms of school kids across the U.S. And starting this week, all 800-some kids at my son’s elementary school in Raleigh, N.C., were commanded to leave at home their collections of rubber band–like bracelets, which retail for about $5 per pack of 24. What could possibly be so insidious about a cheap silicone bracelet? “It’s a distraction,” says Jill Wolborsky, a fourth-grade teacher at my son’s school, who banned them from her classroom before the principal implemented a schoolwide ban. One student stole some confiscated Bandz from her desk, choosing them over the cash in her drawer. Students fiddle with them during class and arrange swaps — trading, say, a bracelet with a mermaid for one
Ricochet, A Pay-to-Play Blog
The internet has one more venue for conservative thinkers. It’s an interesting entrepreneurial experiment, in that visitors must pay-to-play. Reading the conversations is free for all, but if you want to contribute a comment, you must buy the site’s subscription service. Former Reagan speechwriter and Uncommon Knowledge host Peter Robinson joined with National Review contributor, Hollywood producer and screenwriter Rob Long to create Ricochet. The site debuted in late May and has attracted a solid following, among conservatives at least, during its first few weeks. According to its creators, Ricochet is “a place that’s built to fulfill the promise of banter at its best.” Those involved are engaged in “one big conversation, where anyone, anywhere, can chime in at any time. … At Ricochet, a good conversation is more than our interest. It’s our mission. We live for the collegial spirit, the taste for frankness, and the foundation of mutual respect that inspires the fastest-paced, widest-ranging, and most relevant of exchanges.” I discovered Ricochet while visiting Andrew Klavan’s internet digs. About the first 30 minutes of the Ricochet podcast, Klavan posted, includes a fascinating and wide ranging conversation between Klavan, Rob Long, Peter Robinson and Mark Steyn. Here are a
Michael Caine Delivers Old Testament Justice in “Harry Brown”
Let me make this perfectly clear: Harry Brown is not for the faint of heart. Although the film’s British origins ensure that the body count is lower than what you’d see in an American production, the violence is graphic and deeply disturbing. This is most certainly not a movie to take the kids to. However, for those who can handle it, Harry Brown may be the most deliciously un-PC vigilante thriller…ever. The story follows the titular Brown (Caine in one of his finest performances) as he blasts his way through a swath of thugs, drug dealers, and other lowlifes on a bloody trail of vengeance, seeking retribution for the senseless murder of his elderly friend. We’ve seen this sort of thing before, but it is usually accompanied by moral handwringing and a perfunctory monologue that includes the phrases “The world is not black and white,” “You can’t take the law into your own hands,” etc. etc. Typically, the protagonist must die or at least repent, because, well, it would be irresponsible to just let a character get away with it. Wouldn’t it? The popular mid-1990′s Michael Douglas vehicle Falling Down contained all of those elements. Moviegoers could get that visceral
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