| If I only understood my brain
MINNEAPOLIS - After years of studying the human brain, author Dennis Cass came to appreciate the amazing three-pound rump roast of an organ. Filled with billions of neurons and thousands of nerve cells that crackle with synapses, it creates magnificent beings capable of astounding deeds. Take entertainer Kid Rock. "All this stuff is going on inside Kid Rock at any given time," Cass marveled during a book reading and slide show. "If enough human brains get together, they can make a supercomputer," he said. "Or. ..." Cass clicked to a slide that showed plastic novelty testicles dangling off a pickup truck. "A lot of brains probably went into making these." You might guess by now that Cass is not a doctor or scientist. He is, however, an acute observer of pop culture and Americana, an engaging writer whose peek into his own brain drew from voyeuristic travelogues reminiscent of Plimpton or Steinbeck - kind of a "Travels With my Cerebral Cortex." But shortly after landing a book deal, the 39-year-old Twin Cities resident recognized that subjecting himself to electric shocks, stress tests and brain teasers to see how his head worked was not enough; he was also forced to look at his dysfunctional upbringing and mentally ill stepfather to truly understand whom he had become.
Got Milk? Urges Californians to GET THE GLASS FOR CASH
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The advertisers who made running out of milk part of American pop culture have reinvented themselves "mission impossible" style with its new 'GET THE GLASS' advertising and online campaign. As seen on TV, the commercials immerse consumers in a dark, heavily-fortressed world called "Fort Fridge" -- established to safeguard earth's last glass of milk. Now, GOT MILK? is bringing "Fort Fridge" to select California cities this April and May in its GET THE GLASS FOR CASH contest. The task is simple. Keep one hand on "Fort Fridge" longer than anybody else to win! Californians who do will receive $5,000 in cash, a year's supply of milk, a sports activity package and gifts. "We want people to imagine what life would be like if milk were really that scarce," says California Milk Processor Board Executive Director Steve James.
Journalist chronicled the culture of America
David Halberstam, a tireless reporter who produced richly detailed chronicles of some of the great stories in modern American history - from the struggle for civil rights to Vietnam to the decline of the Detroit auto industry - as well as biographies of an array of sports heroes, was killed in a car crash yesterday morning in Menlo Park, south of San Francisco. He was 73.
Mr. Halberstam died at the scene of the accident, after the car in which he was a front-seat passenger was broadsided by another vehicle. According to local medical authorities, he suffered massive internal injuries.
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J. Lo lands $2 million for birthday bash
Jennifer Lopez, whose career has cooled a bit in the United States, is reportedly being paid $2 million to sing at a 30th birthday party that a Russian tycoon is throwing for his wife. Andrei Melnichenko, a 35-year-old Russian banker, is flying Lopez to Britain to entertain his model wife, Aleksandra, and her 60 guests at their home for her birthday bash, according to various overseas reports. The tab is said to be $1.2 million, reports MSNBC.com, plus $800,000 for Lopez and her entourage's expenses. Melnichenko's personal fortune is reportedly close to $5 billion. "Andrei and Aleksandra are both very great fans of J. Lo, so Andrei put the call in and personally put the offer to [Lopez]," a source told London's Daily Mail. "She accepted immediately. She will sing for about 40 minutes - not bad money for the work." .
Nursing Career Change for Chatterbean.com Quiz Respondents Who ...
Los Angeles, CA (FV Newswire) - Results from this recent survey on Chatterbean.com, an interactive quiz site on pop culture trends, indicate that a surprising number of participants might be suited for a nursing career. The career quiz, entitled "Could Nursing be Your Passion," asked what people might do with a few hours of free time (http://www.chatterbean.com/nurse). A surprising 34 percent of respondents indicated they would prefer to volunteer their free time helping people. The second most popular response with 28 percent was visiting with a dear friend.
Chatterbean.com's numbers provide hope to an industry where demand for registered nurses has exceeded supply for some years. According to projections by the Health Resources and Services Administration, the U.S. will only have 64 percent of the nurses needed by the year 2020.
Pop Culture Forum
Who's the next celebrity to shave their head and enter rehab? I don't know. Britney Spears kind of took the cake on that one. What's your favorite thing about Fiesta? That the entire town gets to party, not just the younger kids. Did you care who was the father of Anna Nicole's baby? That whole thing is so ridiculous. I thought it was all stupid. But everybody said they all expected it, so someone cared. What was the deal with that Sanjaya kid on "American Idol"? He's adorable and that's why everyone loves him. It's not so much for his voice, but he's a heartthrob for teenage girls. He's an all-American good kid. What was the last movie you saw in theaters? "Disturbia." It's TAKS week, and since seniors aren't taking it, we have the choice between movies and bowling.
Popular culture conference
Dr. Marty Knepper, professor and chair of English at Morningside College; Stacy Baldus, a senior from Grand Meadow, Minn.; and Rachel N. Castillo, a senior from Sioux City, all presented papers at the national conference of the Popular Culture Association (PCA)/American Culture Association, April 4-7, in Boston." target="_blank"> | Small | Large
Dr. Marty Knepper, professor and chair of English at Morningside College; Stacy Baldus, a senior from Grand Meadow, Minn.; and Rachel N. Castillo, a senior from Sioux City, all presented papers at the national conference of the Popular Culture Association (PCA)/American Culture Association, April 4-7, in Boston.Knepper was chair of the session ''Mystery/Detective Fiction III: Debating the Ending of the Harry Potter Series.'' During the session, Knepper presented ''Reading Harry Potter: Making Predictions for Book 7,'' which included results of surveys conducted with readers, monitored internet chat rooms, and fan fiction as a means to discover predictions for the final book of J.
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