A New Era -

The steroid and HGH scandals are behind us, and with the new season it's time to forget about the past and let baseball enjoy a fresh start... like every other season. Ringolsby follows this positive (and more-than-vaguely naive) sentiment with summaries of where last season left us, what happened off season, a prognoses for 2008, and young stars to watch, for each team. The bias begins with the "Playboy's Picks" graphic: the Mets are chosen for the NL East & National League champs, with the Angels winning the Series. Zzzzzz.
in Playboy by Tracy Ringolsby, May 2008
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Playboy Interview: Fareed Zakaria -

The foreign policy wunderkind’s optimistic view of the America's future as a superpower is surprising -- his book, The Post-American World, begins with a run-down of categories where America is no longer #1. The journalist/editor drops seven pages of knowledge while chronicling his journey from son of a politician-journalist couple in India, to Reagan Republican, to hyper-intellectual writer for Foreign Affairs, to the Newsweek gig, to the “Muslim Cary Grant”. The combination of Zakaria's refreshing belief that the media is obligated to contextualize the news, and his faith in the resilience of America as a people and a Nation, makes Jon Stewart’s man-crush understandable.
in Playboy by David Sheff, May 2008
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Full Moon -

A quick introduction to the impact of the full moon on culture and art throughout history, the first five minutes is best interpreted thusly: Go look at the full moon, and think about it. Following the introduction, Assuras breathes some life into the story by finding the modern equivalent of moon worship. Moonstruck author and hopeless romantic John Patrick Shanley, repudiating mounds of scientific proof to the contrary, explains how a full moon must physically influence the water-composed bodies of humans, like tides in the ocean, every 28.5 days. Interesting, except for the "proof" that the moon's gravitational pull is constant.
in Sunday Morning by Thalia Assuras, 20 April 2008
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Water Woes -

Low water levels along the banks of the Colorado are indicative of serious trouble ahead for the Southwest, says Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Experts agree that places like Las Vegas will have to consume 90 percent less water just to keep reservoirs high enough to keep power flowing out of Hoover Dam. Agriculture is the other main drain on the reservoirs, and groups like the avocado farmers in this report are suffering under forced restrictions. There are enough disturbing statistics in this report to argue, as Kennedy does, that the struggle over water will soon be a defining issue for this generation.
in Sunday Morning by Jerry Bowen, 20 April 2008
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Exerpt from book by Chris Farley's Brother in Playboy

The Last Days of Chris Farley -

In this tragic excerpt from The Chris Farley Show, a new biography co-written by Chris's brother Tom Jr., the drama of larger-than-life comedian Farley's last year is told through stories of friends, family, and co-stars like David Spade, Chris Rock, and Brian Dennehy. The death of the 33-year-old came after many stints in rehab and continual relapses, and kept Farley from completing what many believed would be his best work: a dramatic role as Fatty Arbuckle, and one as the voice of Shrek. Eventually played by Mike Myers, Farley's original Shrek was a character not unlike himself, "born of frustration and self-doubt" with an undeniable good-heart and a lingering sadness.
in Playboy by Tom Farley Jr. & Tanner Colby, May 2008
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Intro - 4/16/08 | The Colbert Report | Comedy Central

Reissued Hits From Costello, Beck and Skynyrd

Reissued Hits From Costello, Beck and Skynyrd -

Once a guaranteed moneymaker, reissued classic albums need more than the same old songs to get consumers interested. Universal's most recent deluxe reissues are a mixed bag of original and unreleased content with equally mixed (but predictable) results. Lynyrd Skynyrd's Street Survivors was an adventurous reissue idea, including an older recording with a different producer, but it falls short of the original. Elvis Costello's This Year's Model includes a concert performed a week before the original release, but only Beck's Odelay has anything on it that will surprise a true fan. It's a valuable rundown, but only big fans will be interested in the new discoveries on the reissues.
in Fresh Air by Milo Miles, 16 April 2008
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Tulane University - Fraternities’ Houses Rise From the Ashes

Tulane University - Fraternities’ Houses Rise From the Ashes

Fraternities’ Houses Rise From the Ashes

April 16, 2008

Fran Simon
fsimon@tulane.edu

After sustaining comprehensive damage from fires during winter break in January 2007, the Tulane chapters of Zeta Beta Tau and Kappa Alpha are rebuilding their fraternity houses at their original sites.

Tommy Connors, left, 2008 president of the Tulane chapter of Zeta Beta Tau, and Brian Hoffman, right, 2007 ZBT president, check out two three-story test pilings that were driven on March 31 on the lot where their former fraternity house stood for 50 years. (Photos by Paula Burch-Celentano)

Kappa Alpha's house of 86 years at 1036 Audubon St., which was determined structurally sound after the fire, was gutted, and construction has been ongoing. While the KA brothers had hoped to move back in this semester, they may have to wait until fall, says Jason Harbison, president of the Tulane chapter.

The house that was home to the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity for 50 years was damaged more extensively and had to be torn down. Groundbreaking for a new, 16-bedroom ZBT house took place on March 31 at the same address as the old house, 1006 Broadway.

When the ZBT house burned, it left the members shocked, saddened and homeless, says Brian Hoffman, who served as 2007 president of the Tulane chapter of ZBT, the oldest and largest historically Jewish fraternity in the nation.

The 13 tenants of the house initially relocated to two separate houses on Broadway and Freret Street, but are now together under one roof, renting rooms at 1001 Broadway. Despite being "homeless," the ZBT brothers completed 300 community-service hours during the fall 2007 semester while bringing up their overall grade point average.

In addition to the fire, the ZBT house also suffered some damages related to Hurricane Katrina. Building costs of the new ZBT house are estimated to be about $2.2 million, says Andrew Gibson, reconstruction chair. Insurance is covering the majority of the cost of rebuilding, and the outstanding balance will be raised by seeking donations from the fraternity's alumni.

The structure in the center of this architect’s rendering is the proposed design for the new Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house at 1006 Broadway St., replacing the former house which was damaged by fire. (Image from Wayne Troyer Architects)

Gibson, a junior from Maryland, worked for an architectural supply firm in New Orleans for eight months. Though construction isn't a career choice for the international and Latin American studies major, Gibson says he has been enjoying his role overseeing the project. Gibson credits local attorney Jack Alltmont, a ZBT brother and trustee who earned his law degree from Tulane in 1970, as a mentor who has "always been there for us, keeping us on track."

Progress has been slow. The contractor drove two three-story-tall test pilings that have to set for two weeks before an engineering company can conduct load-measuring and soil stability studies. Next, the fraternity needs to decide whether to build a traditional wood-frame house or one with steel framing.

"We've been through set after set of blueprints," Gibson says. "It's a real opportunity, for me to build a $2.2 million house during my college career. I'm always learning something new."

The 7,800-square-foot house will be built out of noncombustible materials to prevent history repeating itself. Gibson says he expects the new ZBT house to be ready for occupancy no later than February 2009.

Obama Elite, not Elitist - From the Daily Show

The Grand Old (Independent) Party -

Libertarian presidential candidate William Redpath gives a quick history of his party before explaining the difference between himself and "rebel paleolibertarianist" Ron Paul. Redpath sounds like other also-rans, touting his policies as the only option to save us from terrorism, a failing economy, and regulatory irresponsibility, and compares the Libertarian Party to Prohibitionists, claiming they achieved their goal just by being in the 1916 presidential race. There are a few amusing sound bites here -- "If people thought Google was going to start abusing them through information gathered from their Internet usage, they could use Ask.com" -- but overall it's fairly predictable.
in Playboy by Robert Levine, May 2008
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