Karen McDougal

A Karen dancing troupe performs in front of U.S. first fady Laura Bush, second left, with her daughter Barbara, left, during her visit to Mae La refug

AP - A Karen dancing troupe performs in front of U.

Governor and California Legislative Leaders Meet Sunday--No Budget Deal--But Talks Will Continue

• Legislature Returns Today • Important Deadline Approaches For Final Action On Bills For 2008 Session By Marty D. Omoto Director/Organizer California Disability Community Action Network With California now 34 days without a budget, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the four State Senate and Assembly leaders met early Sunday evening (August 3), though by the meeting's end, no budget deal was near. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (Democrat - Los Angeles) said talks would continue through the wee...

Virginia Boy Scout Reservation Associated with E. coli Outbreak

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157 infection among recent attendees of a Boy Scout reservation located in Goshen, Virginia. In an effort to determine the source of the outbreak, health officials are interviewing staff, the parents of the ill children, and health care providers. “The majority of ill persons are residents of northern Virginia, although we are aware that attendees of the camp live in areas throughout Virginia, as well as in Maryla...

NPR Correspondent Rick Kleffel on Books, Insomnia, and The Agony Column

Kleffel's famous rolling shelves, 7/1 Rick Kleffel may be the hardest-working man in the book review/author interview business. Not only does he post daily updates to The Agony Column, his first love, including his famous Rolling Shelves (which inspired me to post photos of books received on my own blog), he also interviews hundreds of authors, both for his local NPR affiliate and for national NPR, usually for Sunday features. Kleffel's particular area of emphasis is science fiction, fantasy, a...

Meet Star Wars' macho femme, Karen Traviss

Karen Traviss: 7 p.m. Monday, July 28, at Changing Hands Bookstore By Clay McNear George Lucas is the sort of hypersensitive, litigious billionaire who'd sue a vending company for stiffing him on a soda pop, so he'll probably drag my ass to court for calling him sexist, but there it is. That thought had never crossed my mind before I started thinking about Karen Traviss, the best-selling author who's deftly navigated the Star Wars universe with her contributions to the Republic Commando and Lega...

Magazine: Karen Bass is 'woman to watch'

It may be a while (if ever) before Assembly Speaker Karen Bass graces the cover of national news magazines, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger does, but the Los Angeles Democrat gets a bit of ink in next month's American Prospect.

Rep. Charlie Melacon, D-La., left, listens to Karen Vinsanau in front of her home with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi...

AP - Rep. Charlie Melacon, D-La., left, listens to Karen Vinsanau in front of her home with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Majority Whip James Clyburn D-S.C., House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-La., during a tour of the damage and construction efforts after Hurricane Katrina in Chalmette, La. Monday, July 21, 2008.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Happy Blogiversary to Hound Dog...Now an LPGA Podcaster

[Mostly Harmless] Hound Dog's got a new gig, co-hosting an LPGA podcast with Karen Palacios-Jansen at Prime Sports Network. Don't worry, LPGA fans, he's not giving up his now-2-year-old blog (although he is cutting back on his highlights).

Karen McNaught talks at the Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue kennel in Wasilla, Alaska Thursday, July 10, 2008, about the typ...

AP - Karen McNaught talks at the Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue kennel in Wasilla, Alaska Thursday, July 10, 2008, about the type of prostheses being made for the dog Andre's front and back leg.

Talking travel with Sacred Places of Goddess author Karen Tate

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Podcasts, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Ireland, Books, Talking Travel When I headed to the West Hollywood Book Fair last September, I didn't know which writers I would meet or what to expect. The scope of offerings was impressive, and one book in particular caught my eye. Sacred Places of the Goddesses: 101 Destinations pulled me in for a chat with the author, Karen Tate. Tate, who lives with her husband, Roy in one of my most favorite towns, Venice, C...