- Must-read material or the delusional rantings of a brutal dictator in failing health? The answer may be both for the two-volume story of legendary Cuban despot Fidel Castro. The leader of the Cuban Revolution and former “president” of the island nation know for its cigars and quality baseball talent revealed the previously unannounced two-volume memoir of his life in a six-hour presentation Friday. It was a truly fitting display for a megalomaniacal dictator because there is no way you just bang out that sort of announcement in a neat, tidy, two-hour press conference. Instead, the 85-year-old Castro spoke to a panel of cultural and literary officials at the unveiling of the books and was gregarious as he spoke about the 1,000-page work, according to state media. "They are going to talk to you about two books that you had no idea about," Castro said, according to a news account of the event. The two volumes both are under the title "Fidel Castro Ruz: Guerrilla of Time" and the entire work is based on conversations with the writer and journalist Katiuska Blanco. Although they are Castro’s memoirs, the books do not span his entire life. They cover only from infancy to December 1958, on the eve of victory of the Cuban Revolution. Photos published online to coincide with the announcement of the books show Castro at the unveiling, wearing a dark blue workout suit over a checkered button-down shirt. "I have to take advantage now, because memories fade," Castro said of his decision to write the books. "I am willing to do everything possible to share everything I remember well." Castro relinquished the presidency to his brother Raul in 2008, although no one is under the impression that he does not still wield heavy influence in the day-to-day running of the country……….
- While maintaining a relatively low profile (at least compared to the average blockbuster movie) paranormal thriller “Chronicle” had enough muscle to defeat the competition at the box office in its debut weekend and win first place with a $22 million effort. That allowed the film about three teenage friends who develop supernatural powers of telepathy to best fellow newcomer “The Woman in Black,” which was close behind at $21 as Daniel Radcliff proved he can be more than a dorky teenage wizard on the big screen. Liam Neeson and his latest, “The Grey,” slipped to third place in their second weekend of release with a modest $9.5 million take. Through two weeks, the movie has earned $34.7 million. “Big Miracle” was the third new film of the top 10 with $8.5 million for a less-than-stellar opening. The lycans and vampires of “Underworld Awakening” slid to fifth place after a 55-percent drop in revenue, garnering $5.6 million domestically for a three-week total of $54.4 million. Katherine Heigl’s flop-tastic “One For the Money” sank to sixth after just two weekends, managing a mere $5.2 million for a cumulative total of $19.7 million. The George Lucas-produced “Red Tails” landed in the seventh spot after adding $4.6 million to its coffers and has scored $41.3 million through three weeks. Good “Oscar buzz” continued to help the cause of “The Descendants,” which held steady in eighth place with $4.6 million as it remained in the top 10 a full three months after its release and has made $65.5 million during that time. “Man on a Ledge” was not so fortunate, falling to ninth after two weeks and adding just $4.5 million to its total for a two-week bank account of $14.7 million. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” wrapped up the top 10 with $4 million. “Contraband” (No. 11), Beauty and the Beast (3D) (No. 13) and “Haywire” (No. 18) all dropped from the top 10 this time around……….
- Who knew convicted felons had such a great sense of humor? Those serving 15 to life should theoretically be angry, depressed or some combination of the two. After all, their life (or the part of it that matters) no longer belongs to them and there is little they can do about it. But give credit to an anonymous inmate (or inmates) in Vermont for combining a clichéd term for law enforcement with a bit of artistic license and coming up with a controversial, thought-provoking conversation piece that has an entire state talking. A group of inmates at a correctional facility in Windsor was tasked with making decals of the official state seal for state police cruisers and rather than approach their task in rote fashion, someone in the group elected to tweak the state seal a bit. The seal was originally designed by Ira Allen in the 1770s and it features a tree, mountains and a cow to honor dairy farming in Vermont. Four years ago, the state wanted more decals for cruisers and assigned the job to the prison print shop in Windsor. Correctional officials expected the inmates to take the image of the state crest from a file sent to them digitally and place it on the decal. However, those officials didn’t do a great job of monitoring the convict print shop workers because they created a revised decal in which one of the spots on the cow is actually a pig. Along with fuzz, coppers, po-po’s and a few other unflattering terms, police officers are commonly referred to as pigs by those who aren't their biggest fans. Proving that police are not always the most observant individuals, it wasn’t until last month that a state trooper in southern Vermont noticed the altered artwork. "I think it's really unfortunate that somebody took it upon themselves to reach out and do this to them," Vt. Corrections Commissioner Andy Pallito said. Some of the new decals were recently put on cruisers and as many as 30 have the new-look crest. State police responded to the prank with a typical lack of humor and in the process gave even more gratification to whomever was responsible for the prank. State police aren't laughing either. In a statement, Maj. Bill Sheets said "While some may find humor in the decal modifications, the joke unfortunately comes at the expense of the taxpayers." Not if you could roll with the joke and leave the decals in place, Sheets. Instead, the altered decals will all be replaced at a total cost of $800. Meanwhile, the investigation to find the mastermind behind the prank continues…………
- If you’re an addict and don’t want to take responsibility for your own problems, science is ready to offer a new assist. Karen Ersche, a researcher at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., led a study that reviewed brains scans of two groups: addicts and their siblings in one group and unrelated, healthy volunteers in the second group. What researchers found was a significant difference between the brains of addicts and their healthy siblings and those of healthy, non-addicted volunteers. The scans of 150 addicted subjects and their siblings showed less white matter tracts near the right inferior frontal cortex, a region known to be involved in self-control and habit formation, Ersche said. Siblings also showed more tissue volume in areas such as the putamen and amygdala that are associated with habit formation. This fits with known models for drug use and addiction, as most people who try drugs don’t get addicted. “Cocaine is a highly addictive drug but not everyone who uses it gets dependent. Only about 20 percent of people who use cocaine get dependent,” Ersche explained. In the study, having a family member with an addiction raised the odds of becoming dependent about eightfold. From the results, Ersche and her team concluded that strategies for increasing self-control may help those at risk for addiction. “What I have noticed is that siblings who don’t get addicted had other goals,” Ersche said. “They’d tried cannabis or ecstasy, but had other things they wanted to pursue, like education or sport. We need to follow up to see whether that’s significant.” In other words, get baked but make sure that lying on the couch in your pajamas with Cheetoh dust all over your hands and a box of Pop Tarts at the ready as “Beavis and Butthead” reruns occupy your flat screen is not your ultimate aspiration in life. Read more about the study, funded by the U.K.’s Medical Research Council, in the journal Science……..
- Receiver Tiquan Underwood was feeling good. The third-year receiver from Rutgers (and his bitchin’ old-school flat top) was reveling in the Super Bowl experience as a member of the AFC champion New England Patriots. He was on the field Tuesday at media day with his own handheld video camera, capturing the sights and preparing for the biggest game of his life. Little did Underwood know that he would not be suiting up for the Patriots on Sunday, nor would he still be a member of the team by the time the game kicked off. The team released Underwood on Saturday to free up a roster spot for defensive lineman Alex Silvestro off the practice squad. Even though team officials insisted the move was not discipline-based, but a pure football decision to give them the best chance to defeat the New York Giants and claim their fourth Super Bowl victory in franchise history, that probably won't lessen the sting for Underwood. To his credit, Underwood reacted in an extremely professional manner and took to Twitter to send good wishes to his former team. "Good Luck To The New England Organization, The Coaches, & All My Teammates. #PatsNation," he wrote. While declining interview requests, Underwood made it clear he bears no ill will toward the Patriots and would be rooting for them. Yes, that could be financially motivated on account of him being entitled to $88,000 if New England wins the game and just $44,000 if New England loses, but it’s still a nice gesture. The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement contains a clause that says any player active for a total of eight games in the regular season and postseason is entitled to a full share of the Super Bowl earnings and Underwood qualified by being active for eight games. He’ll also receive a ring if the Patriots win. His absence means the Patriots must feel they are sufficiently stocked at receiver with Chad Ochocinco, Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater. In spite of his positive attitude publicly, it’s difficult not to wonder if Underwood might not have a healthy reservoir of anger lurking somewhere beneath the surface for the team that dashed his dream……….
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