FRESH AIR We humans have long wondered what separates us from the other animals — but neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga may have given the topic more consideration than most. Gazzaniga, a pioneer in what’s called split-brain research, has just published Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique. He talks to Terry Gross about his work, which involves investigating the varying functions of the left and right sides of our brains, and about how that research informs our understanding of the brain and human consciousness. Gazzaniga has spent the past 45 years studying the functions of the left and right brain. […]
LOCAL FOOLS MAKE GOOD: Tim & Eric’s Trip
NEW YORK TIMES: ON first viewing, the comedy sketches on “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” can seem like outtakes from a public-access channel that’s broadcast only in hell. They are full of shoddily produced, sloppily edited talk shows about acne and commercials for utterly unnecessary gadgets, and populated by people who should never stand within 50 feet of a camera lens. When these elements appear in a typical television program, they’re usually a result of accidents, budgetary restrictions and bad choices. When they appear on “Awesome Show,” they’re intentional. “We have a very strict set of rules of […]
WORTH REPEATING: Oh, Sister Where Art Thou?
BY SARA CORBETT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES On a humid Wednesday in late June, as she waited to be summoned by a grand jury, 16-year-old Teresa Jeffs hitched up her navy blue prairie dress and hoisted herself into the crooked arms of a live oak tree that sits in front of the Schleicher County Courthouse in Eldorado, Tex. For a few minutes, she was not — as has been speculated about many of the young women of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or F.L.D.S. — a possible child bride, or a sexual-abuse victim, or a […]
HOT DOC: Network Lawsuits Shut Down Redlasso
To Our Loyal Friends and Users: We would like to thank you for your continued support of Redlasso. You have been essential to making Redlasso a household name online. Unfortunately, due to the legal actions taken against Redlasso by two networks, we are left with no alternative but to suspend access to our video search and clipping Beta site FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE. The networks have provided a big blow to the blogger community’s right to exercise the first amendment and comment on newsworthy events. It is anti-Web. During this service suspension, we will continue our conversations with content providers, […]
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON: Apollo 14 Moonwalker Says Alien Visitations Been Covered Up For 60 Years
NEWS.COM: Former NASA astronaut and moon-walker Dr Edgar Mitchell – a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission — has stunningly claimed aliens exist. And he says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions — but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades. Dr Mitchell, 77, said during a radio interview that sources at the space agency who had had contact with aliens described the beings as ‘little people who look strange to us.’ He said supposedly real-life ET’s were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head. Chillingly, he […]
MENDACITY: No News Is Good News
DOWNLOAD: The United States Of America Vs. Lawrence Mendte [PDF] PREVIOUSLY: Feds Slap Mendte With Snooping Felony, Ex-Anchor Looking At Zero To Six Months In Jail [Hat tip to ROWDY YATES]
BREAKING: Feds Slap Mendte With Snooping Felony, Ex-Anchor Looking At Zero To Six Months In Jail
INQUIRER: Former CBS3 anchor Larry Mendte was charged today with hacking into the personal e-mail of onetime colleague Alycia Lane 537 times from January to May of this year and sharing the information with a Philadelphia Daily News reporter. “This case … went well beyond just reading someone’s e-mail,” said a statement from acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid, who charged Mendte, 51, in an information with one felony count. He is not expected to surrender today. Mendte poked into the accounts from his seat at the CBS3 anchor desk, from his vacation home and even once from a computer at […]
DUBIOUS ACHIEVEMENT: Plastic Fantastic MILFs
According to the website of Michael Salzhauer, a board certified plastic surgeon, My Beautiful Mommy, a children’s book designed to teach youngsters why mommy came home from the doctor with bruises on her nose and tummy, is “a must-have for any mother with young children considering plastic surgery.” Newsweek did a story prior to the book’s release, featuring a 29-year-old mother, Gabriela Acosta, whose weight ballooned from 115 pounds to 196 after birthing her now nine-year-old son, Junior Acosta. Even after Gabriela lost the weight, she was left with “stretched, saggy skin.” Plastic surgery crossed her mind, but she was […]
DUBIOUS ACHIEVEMENT: Hannity Paid $100 Million To Mislead Listening Public About Reality’s Liberal Bias
MEDIA WEEK: Hannity’s contract with ABC Radio Networks expired recently and rumors have been swirling every since. For Premiere, grabbing Hannity gives the radio network a blockbuster afternoon Talk block beginning with Rush Limbaugh at Noon, followed by Hannity at 3 p.m. After paying dearly for the ABC properties, Citadel has been struggling to pay down $2 billion in debt in a historically soft radio ad environment. It needed Hannity, especially since network radio is outperforming a very soft radio market. While Limbaugh reportedly got a $400 million contract over eight years with Premiere, Hannity’s was somewhat less, about $100 […]
WORTH REPEATING: Fear & Loathing In Minneapolis
BY DAVID CARR OF THE NEW YORK TIMES Where does a junkie’s time go? Mostly in 15-minute increments, like a bug-eyed Tarzan, swinging from hit to hit. For months on end in 1988, I sat inside a house in north Minneapolis, doing coke and listening to Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” and finding my own pathetic resonance in the lyrics. “Any place is better,” she sang. “Starting from zero, got nothing to lose.” After shooting or smoking a large dose, there would be the tweaking and a vigil at the front window, pulling up the corner of the blinds to look […]
HOT DOC: Ad Demands End To Spying On Americans
This ran full-page in today’s New York Times. We are proud signatories. Are you? RELATED: The American Civil Liberties Union filed a landmark lawsuit today to stop the government from conducting surveillance under a new wiretapping law that gives the Bush administration virtually unchecked power to intercept Americans’ international e-mails and telephone calls. The case was filed on behalf of a broad coalition of attorneys and human rights, labor, legal and media organizations whose ability to perform their work — which relies on confidential communications — will be greatly compromised by the new law. The FISA Amendments Act of 2008, […]
TEE-VEE: It’s Always Sunny Stays Golden
HARTFORD COURANT: With its show a hit on cable and past episodes topping charts for downloads, FX mapped a long long future for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” FX chief John Landgraf said there were 39 episodes ordered in addition to the 13 already in production for a total of 52 new episodes on their way. This is in comparison to the 32 that have already produced. “We’re proud to say that “Sunny” has seen very significant ratings growth in each of its first three seasons on our air,” Landgraf said. “It consistently ranks among the top series downloaded on […]