12 Celebrity birthdays for the week of Jan. 23-29: Jan. 23: Actor Chita Rivera is 89. Actor-director Lou Antonio (“Cool Hand Luke”) is 88. Jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton is 79. Actor Gil Gerard is 79. Singer Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters is 74. Bassist-keyboardist Bill Cunningham of The Box Tops is 72. Actor Richard Dean Anderson (“MacGyver”) is 72. Singer-guitarist Robin Zander of Cheap Trick is 69. Singer Anita Baker is 64. Bassist Earl Falconer of UB40 is 63. Actor Peter Mackenzie (“black-ish”) is 61. Actor Boris McGiver (“House of Cards,” ″Boardwalk Empire”) is 60. Actor Gail O’Grady (“American Dreams,” ″NYPD Blue”) is 59. Actor Mariska Hargitay (“Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”) is 58. Singer Marc Nelson (Az Yet) is 51. “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell is 48. Actor Tiffani Thiessen (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) is 48. Bassist Nick Harmer of Death Cab For Cutie is 47. Actor Lindsey … [Read more...] about Celebrity birthdays for the week of Jan. 23-29
Inventive New Jersey siblings prove that good ideas can come at any age
What do earmuffs, swim fins and Popsicles have in common? They were invented by curious, creative kids - some as young as you. Inventor and Founding Father Ben Franklin was just age 11 or 12 when he designed paddles to help him swim faster. He used oval pieces of wood and cut holes for his thumbs. His 300-year-old invention is why Kid Inventors' Day is celebrated each year on January 17, his birthday. Kids are creative thinkers with their own ideas for tackling problems. Going through the invention process - identifying a challenge, designing a solution and testing to see if it works - is empowering, said Tim Pula, an invention/innovation specialist at the Smithsonian Institution. By leaping from what is to what if builds your "creative- and critical-thinking muscles," said Jayme Cellitioci, a strategist with the National Inventors Hall of Fame. "Invention is more of a process than one 'Aha!' moment," she said. You learn about different ways of thinking, that good ideas can … [Read more...] about Inventive New Jersey siblings prove that good ideas can come at any age
Kazakhstan’s ex-leader rejects reports that he fled abroad
MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan's influential former leader released a short video on Tuesday in which he talked about the violent unrest that engulfed the ex-Soviet nation earlier this month and rejected reports alleging that he fled the country amid tensions with the current president. It was the first time that Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ran Kazakhstan for 29 years after it gained independence and kept an influential post after stepping down as president in 2019, spoke publicly about the protests and the bloodshed they descended into. Nazarbayev also denied that there were tensions between him and his hand-picked successor, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Some speculated that a rift between the two could have played a role in exacerbating the unrest. Protests in Kazakhstan, an oil and gas-rich nation of 19 million in Central Asia, began on Jan. 2 in a small western town over the near-doubling of fuel prices. But they quickly spread across the vast country, growing into a general … [Read more...] about Kazakhstan’s ex-leader rejects reports that he fled abroad
Under-fire Boris Johnson denies lying over lockdown parties
6 LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday denied misleading Parliament about lockdown-breaching parties, as senior government ministers said he would have to resign if he was proven to have lied. Former Johnson aide Dominic Cummings has said he is willing to swear under oath that the prime minister was warned in advance that a May 2020 garden party for Downing Street staff would break coronavirus restrictions. Johnson denies he was warned. He told Parliament last week that he had attended the party, but considered it a work gathering that fell within the rules. “Nobody told me that what we were doing was … against the rules,” Johnson told broadcasters on Tuesday. “When I went out into that garden I thought that I was attending a work event.” The garden party is one of a string of alleged rule-flouting government parties being investigated by senior civil servant Sue Gray. Gray is due to report by the … [Read more...] about Under-fire Boris Johnson denies lying over lockdown parties
‘This Is Us,’ ‘black-ish’ salutes set for Paley TV festival
5 LOS ANGELES (AP) — “This Is Us,” “black-ish” and “Better Call Saul” are among the shows to be saluted at the Paley Center for Media’s annual TV festival, returning to live events after two years of pandemic-caused virtual editions. The trio of shows, all set to end this year, will be among 13 others whose casts and creators will be showcased at the 39th annual PaleyFest LA, running from April 2-10 in Los Angeles. A total of 10 events are planned. “We are so excited to be returning in person to the Dolby Theatre," said Maureen J. Reidy, president and CEO of the Paley Center. She said there's been an outpouring of interest and enthusiasm from networks, studios and fans eager to welcome the event back in its familiar format. Among the stars set to participate: Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore and Sterling K. Brown of “This Is Us”; Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Jenifer Lewis, “black-ish”; Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, and Giancarlo … [Read more...] about ‘This Is Us,’ ‘black-ish’ salutes set for Paley TV festival
What Democrats Hope to Win by Losing
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Senate Democrats on Capitol Hill last week. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images With the midterms looming, it was time for Democrats to make one last desperate effort to pass voting-rights legislation they consider vital to not just their political prospects in 2022, but the future of American democracy. So last Tuesday, Joe Biden went to Georgia to give a major speech on the subject, and the Senate was set to hold a rare weekend meeting, potentially lining up a debate and vote on a bill on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The symbolism would not be lost: Democrats planned on prompting a confrontation over the filibuster being used, as before, to thwart progress on voting rights. Then on Thursday, as Biden prepared to make a rare visit to the Capitol to lobby personally for the bill, Kyrsten Sinema took the Senate floor. Speaking in a Senate chamber with nearly a dozen members present, mostly Republicans, the senator from Arizona, … [Read more...] about What Democrats Hope to Win by Losing
See Spot Paint
Agnieszka Pilat with her robot dog and muse, Spot. Photo: Mark Sommerfeld When I meet Agnieszka Pilat , a pixie-ish Polish émigré who has become the court painter of the potentates of Silicon Valley , she has just returned from Necker Island, the private Caribbean domain of Richard Branson . “I’m always the poorest person in the room” at places like that, she says with a laugh, curling her paint-flecked Yves Saint Laurent sneakers beneath her on the couch as she absentmindedly twists and untwists her hair. We’ve met up in her Chelsea studio, in which paintings of robotic limbs in repose dot the concrete walls. She has another studio in San Francisco. In each, she kennels a duplicate Spot , her 70-pound emergency-yellow cybernetic dog, muse, studio assistant (it paints, too), and, in some sense, protector, both on loan to her from Boston Dynamics, where she was once artist in residence. Despite her Chelsea digs near the blue-chip Gagosians and Zwirners, Pilat … [Read more...] about See Spot Paint
Is Another Russian Invasion of Ukraine Inevitable?
Ukrainian servicemen walk past a minefield warning sign on the frontline with Russia-backed separatists near Luganske in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Photo: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images Over the past few months, Russia has amassed tens of thousands of soldiers, along with tanks, artillery and other materiel near its border with Ukraine in what U.S. intelligence (and much of the world) has interpreted as a buildup in preparation for an invasion. At the same time, online propaganda and disinformation activity has increased , as have cyberattacks on Ukrainian targets, including one that took down several government websites on Friday. It is no coincidence that these ominous activities look strikingly similar to the leadup to Russia’s 2014 invasion of its weaker neighbor, in which it annexed Crimea and launched the still-ongoing insurgency by Moscow-backed separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Indeed, if Russia does send troops into Ukraine in the … [Read more...] about Is Another Russian Invasion of Ukraine Inevitable?
Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion
Microsoft is buying the gaming company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, gaining access to blockbuster games like “Call of Duty" and ”Candy Crush." The all-cash deal will let Microsoft, maker of the Xbox gaming system, accelerate mobile gaming and provide building blocks for the metaverse, or a virtual environment. The announcement Tuesday arrives with Activision still in turmoil over allegations of misconduct and unequal pay. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a conference call with investors “the culture of our organization is my number one priority” and that “it’s critical for Activision Blizzard to drive forward on its” commitments to improve its workplace culture. Activision disclosed last year it was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over complaints of workplace discrimination. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick will retain his role, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the Santa Monica, … [Read more...] about Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion
O’Rourke raises $7M in first weeks of bid for Texas governor
4 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrat Beto O'Rourke said Tuesday that his campaign for Texas governor raised $7.2 million in the first six weeks of a race that could wind up as one of the nation's most expensive in 2022. The announcement, made on the deadline in Texas for campaigns to submit their latest finance reports, is an early marker of whether O'Rourke can remain a fundraising powerhouse in his latest comeback after failed bids for the U.S. Senate and president. The haul is significant by the standards of other Texas Democrats who have run for governor but have failed to succeed for more than 30 years. At the same time, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for years has shown an ability to raise millions of dollars in a matter of days from executives of some of Texas' largest corporations and energy firms. Abbott, who is running for a third term, has yet to publicly report his latest figures but as of last summer was sitting on more than $55 million. … [Read more...] about O’Rourke raises $7M in first weeks of bid for Texas governor
