And the Oscar goes to . . .

We saw your boobs! No, that was ghastly.

Pardon me, I cast my vote for Grey Poupon. But of course.

Cottage on the Ocean

And, quite possibly, soon to be in the ocean.

photo ~ Ray Ewing

30 years of music sales

What will they think of next? Or, more to the point, since Napster and P2P filesharing let the genie out of the bottle in 1999 does anyone really "buy" music anymore?

Asteroids

The Vineyard - Soon to be a "reality" TV show

From the Vineyard Gazette:

"On Wednesday, the ABC Family network announced it had picked up The Vineyard, a working title for a “dramatic coming-of-age” reality soap chronicling the lives of a small group of 18 to 24-year olds on the Island. “Tight quarters, new friends and new rivals, all living, working and playing together, make this picturesque playground ripe for mischief and romance,” a description of the show reads.

"The series is set to air in July as eight one-hour episodes, with filming to begin on the Island in May, creator and executive producer Dave Broome told the Gazette Wednesday.

"Addressing concerns the show will mirror the controversial MTV hit Jersey Shore — vociferously voiced by Island residents on the show’s newly-created Facebook page — Mr. Broome said that won’t be the case. Instead, he says the show will be more akin to another MTV hit, The Hills, which employed high production values and sweeping panoramas to document the personal lives of Hollywood-area wealthy friends.

" 'This will be as far away from Jersey Shore as you can possibly get,' he said. 'Think ABC Family and you’ll know the kind of show we’re gonna make. It’s Disney, for God’s sake.' "

Yeah, right.

ABC/Disney has a track record for this kind of trash. Read Reality TV, the Unwelcome Guest from The New York Times.

Grand Central at 100

Grand Central Terminal turned 100 last week and the Atlantic compiled an impressive collection of historical and current photographs to celebrate its enduring magnificence.

Reuters ~ Mike Segar

Reuters ~ Brendan McDermid

One Nation, Indivisible

Dr. Ben Carson, neurosurgeon and the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, by President George Bush in 2008.

Yesterday, Dr. Carson spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast about issues facing America, including political correctness, moral decay, unsustainable debt, failing educational system, taxes, healthcare . . . and personal responsibility.

Also on the dais was a none too pleased President Obama.

Dr. Carson on taxes:

"When I pick up my Bible, you know what I see? I see the fairest individual in the universe — God — and he’s given us a system. It’s called tithe. We don't necessarily have to do 10% but it's the principle. He didn't say if your crops fail, don't give me any tithe or if you have a bumper crop, give me triple tithe. So there must be something inherently fair about proportionality. You make $10 billion, you put in a billion. You make $10 you put in one. Of course you've got to get rid of the loopholes. Some people say, 'Well that's not fair because it doesn't hurt the guy who made $10 billion as much as the guy who made 10.' Where does it say you've got to hurt the guy? He just put a billion dollars in the pot. We don't need to hurt him. It's that kind of thinking that has resulted in 602 banks in the Cayman Islands. That money needs to be back here building our infrastructure and creating jobs."

Dr. Carson on healthcare:

"Here's my solution: When a person is born, give him a birth certificate, an electronic medical record, and a health savings account to which money can be contributed—pretax—from the time you're born 'til the time you die. If you die, you can pass it on to your family members, and there's nobody talking about death panels. We can make contributions for people who are indigent. Instead of sending all this money to some bureaucracy, let's put it in their HSAs. Now they have some control over their own health care. And very quickly they're going to learn how to be responsible."

Vineyard Haven Morning

Sunday morning found an inch or so of snow along the harbor, which melted quickly as the sun rose.

Photo by Nicole Harnishfeger

Meanwhile, the day before, Quentin the Quahog spit left, ensuring six more weeks of winter.