Obituary: John Kenneth Galbraith

From the AP by way of the Boston Examiner:John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith, the Harvard professor who won worldwide renown as a liberal economist, backstage politician and witty chronicler of affluent society, died Saturday night, his son said. He was 97. Galbraith died of natural causes at Mount Auburn Hospital, where he was admitted nearly two weeks ago, Alan Galbraith said. During a long career, the Canadian-born economist served as adviser to Democratic presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, and was John F. Kennedy's ambassador to India. "He had a wonderful and full life," his son said. Galbraith, who was outspoken in his support of government action to solve social problems, became a large figure on the American scene in the decades after World War II. He was one of America's best-known liberals, and he never shied away from the label. "There is no hope for liberals if they seek only to imitate conservatives, and no function either," Galbraith wrote in a 1992 article in Modern Maturity, a publication of the American Association of Retired Persons. One of his most influential books, "The Affluent Society," was published in 1958. It argued that the American economy was producing individual wealth but hasn't adequately addressed public needs such as schools and highways. U.S. economists and politicians were still using the assumptions of the world of the past, where scarcity and poverty were near-universal, he said.

Head’s Up!

'I'm offering $10G for my sister's Michaelangelo's Davidhead'

A Canadian family struggling with a bizarre mystery has finally broken down and offered a reward. They'll give $10,000 for any information that leads to the return of their sister's head.

Sploid has the scoop. Somewhere in Montreal is a pathetic, self-abusing goth vandal using the head of an innocent woman as a decorative object. Now, I enjoy Baudelarian verse as much as the next person, but you're supposed to get your trophies from the willing, not the mundanes. Give the head back and nobody gets hurt. Bitch.

King of Pizzas…and bad jokes

Asked about the items, Bethel explained that when Pizza Man!he finished delivering Domino's pizzas, "he transports deceased bodies in the same vehicle for a funeral home."

Aaaaaaaaaaaalrighty then. Thanks to the Smoking Gun for that story, and I am wondering what happens if he doesn't deliver the corpse within twenty minutes. Do you get the next stiffie free?

It is at this point that I'm reminded of The Pizza King. Now, I adore the Pizza King. It is my go-to pizza choice, without question. Large, three-topping pizza, lasagne, baked ravioli, garlic bread, four salads, side of ribs, two bbq'd drumsticks and four Cokes for $26 Canadian. Can't beat that with a baseball bat.

However.

A few years ago another branch of the same franchise was in the news for some actions that were less than mouth-watering.

On Aug. 4, 1993, the charred remains of what police believe was 64-year-old Bikker Singh Sangha were found on four trays in the since defunct Pizza King restaurant, which used to be located at 12012-88th Ave. in Newton.

And now, because it is Tasteless Day on the raincoaster blog, something you'll have picked up on from the earlier posts, we will post a couple of the jokes that were current at the time. I believe the defence, which was successful, was that people were just trying to save money on the cremation by sticking him in a pizza oven and letting her rip. All perfectly above-board. At three in the morning before the death had actually been reported.

Note to consumers: apparently, the oven was later sold at auction to a new pizza joint. I order all my pizzas from places that have been in existence longer than that, just to be safe. Ew.

Joke A:

So, what was the name of the guy whose body was found in a pizza oven in Surrey?

Amir Cinder

Joke B:

What was his middle name?

Pandeep

Operation Global Media Domination: The Answer

TIAI'm incredibly relieved to check stats and see that although we're having our best hit day ever NOT ONE PORN search led people here yesterday. Finally. Instead, it's all about the eagles, the politics, and the smackdown. And curling, naturallement. So, in celebration, I am happily going to answer the one unanswered question among them.

Yes, Cowichan sweaters are worth the money.

You have been enlightened. Go placidly amidst the Gore-tex and polar fleece, and remember that corduroy pants make funny noises. As far as possible be on good terms with the MEC sales staff. But tell them straight up their shirts are too dorky, and listen to their recommendations, for they know what's on sale.

Cowichan Sweater

Obituary: Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs

NEW YORK (AP) – Jane Jacobs, an author and The Death and Life of Great American Citiescommunity activist of singular influence whose classic “The Death and Life of Great American Cities'' transformed ideas about urban planning, died Tuesday, her publisher said. She was 89.

Jacobs died at a Toronto hospital, which she entered a few days ago, according to Random House publicist Sally Marvin. The author, who would have turned 90 on May 4, had been in poor health.

A native of Scranton, Pa., Jacobs lived for many years in New York before moving to Toronto in the late 1960s. She and her husband, architect Robert Jacobs Jr., were unhappy that their taxes supported the Vietnam War and moved to Canada. Robert Jacobs died in 1996.

Jacobs, who based her findings on deep, eclectic reading and firsthand observation, challenged assumptions she believed damaged modern cities – that neighborhoods should be isolated from each other, that an empty street was safer than a crowded one, that the car represented progress over the pedestrian.

Her priorities were for integrated, manageable communities, for diversity of people, transportation, architecture and commerce. She also believed that economies need to be self-sustaining and self-renewing, relying on local initiative instead of centralized bureaucracies.

Jacobs received a number of prizes, including a lifetime achievement award in 2000 from the National Building Foundation in Washington, D.C.