*Budget Director: ‘Big Bird’ Is a Fat Cat, ‘Makes More than Everybody In This Room’:

Big Bird doesn’t need taxpayer handouts, Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said Wednesday. Testifying before the House Budget Committee Wednesday, Mulvaney defended the elimination of taxpayer funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting required by the White House’s budget proposal. Mulvaney said he’s got nothing against “Sesame Street” and that he even watched it as a child: “Regarding the public broadcasting, look, I mean, my mom tells me I saw the very first ‘Sesame Street.’ Okay. In fact, I was curious that there’s a printer in the back room here with Bert’s picture on it. They’ve, evidently, named the printers here, Ernie and Bert.” But, Big Bird is doing “extraordinarily well,” so he can support himself – and, in fact, makes more than any of the congressmen who want to keep taking money from American families in order to pad his wallet: “It’s a for-profit corporation. And, it does extraordinarily well. I don’t know if Henson Associates is owned by Disney, has a license agreement with Disney. “I can assure you Big Bird makes more money than everybody in this room.”

*LBN-INVESTIGATES: According to new research, the age women claim to have the best and most fulfilling sex is actually 36.

*LBN-VIDEO LINK: Bob Dylan – Blood In My Eyes- — In 1993, Bob Dylan released his twenty-ninth studio album, World Gone Wrong, a solo acoustic album of blues and folk classics. Watch the official music video of ‘Blood In My Eyes’ now. —-  .

*LBN-R.I.P.:   ***Jerry Perenchio, an entertainment mogul who promoted the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier heavyweight championship fight in 1971, produced television shows withNorman Lear and turned Univision into the dominant Hispanic TV network in the United States, died on Tuesday at his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 86. The cause was lung cancer, a family spokeswoman said.

“In this article, we’ll look at the best ways to keep your machine working smoothly and quickly without breaking your budget – or causing more problems as you learn.”

*LBN-SPOTLIGHT: “Without Notes” with M. Zuhdi Jasser M.D. – Episode 2: The American Dream —  .

*LBN-COMMENTARY by Thomas E. Ricks: On the morning of May 10, 1940, having been informed that the Germans had begun invading Holland and Belgium, and knowing he likely would take office later that day, Churchill breakfasted on fried eggs and bacon, and then enjoyed a cigar. It was a hearty meal for an aging man on shaky ground. He was 65 years old, at a time of life when many people then retired. Instead, after decades of striving, he was on the verge of achieving his lifelong ambition to be the prime minister of Great Britain. It would be an extraordinary day. His first meeting was at six o’clock that morning, with the ministers of war and air. At seven, there was another meeting, of the Military Co-ordination Committee. The full War Cabinet met at eight at the prime minister’s residence, reviewing the forlorn state of affairs—Germany was bombing Belgium and northern France, German paratroopers were landing in Belgium, British fighter squadrons were being moved to France. The HMS Kelly had been torpedoed off Belgium. Given all this, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s first thought was that he should remain in office until the crisis passed. A message arrived later that morning atChurchill’s office: “Mr. Chamberlain was inclined to feel that the great battle which had broken upon us made it necessary for him to remain at his post.” No, came the response from Churchill’s allies: The crisis made it all the more urgent that Chamberlain give way to a new national government.

*LBN-COMMENTARY by David Brooks: America has always been a divided, sprawling country, but for most of its history it was held together by a unifying national story. As I noted a couple of months ago, it was an Exodus story. It was the story of leaving the oppressions of the Old World, venturing into a wilderness and creating a new promised land. In this story, America was the fulfillment of human history, the last best hope of earth. That story rested upon an amazing level of national self-confidence. It was an explicitly Judeo-Christian story, built on a certain view of God’s providential plan. But that civic mythology no longer unifies. American confidence is in tatters and we live in a secular culture. As a result, we’re suffering through a national identity crisis. Different groups see themselves living out different national stories and often feel they are living in different nations.

*LBN-COMMENTARY by John Densmore (Drummer of The Doors): Former President Bill Clinton is very eloquent about saxophonist John Coltrane in the new documentary “Chasing Trane” because he’s been there. Not that the prez is the Prez (Lester Young’s nickname) … far from it, but Bill did learn how to operate a tenor saxophone. You see, if you’re a layperson and haven’t picked up a musical instrument, or a tennis racket for that matter, you don’t physically understand what it takes to make that shot or play that riff. It takes a tremendous amount of time learning the craft. And in doing so … you pay. Physically, you pay … and pay … and pay. Every job has an occupational hazard, whether you’re jackhammering on a roadway, or playing violin. Some part of your body (or several) has to “take” that constant over-and-over impact. Sandy Koufax had several operations on that gifted, left-handed pitching arm. Ravi Shankar admitted that his spine was twisted into a knot from years of sitting in front of that sitar. Freddie Hubbard knocked many years off his life not pacing himself channeling air into that tiny trumpet mouthpiece.

*LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:…

*LBN-OVERHEARD:   ****Sophia Bush is hanging up her badge and gun and packing up that winter parka. In other words, Bush is leaving Chicago PD after four seasons. The season four finale of Chicago PD featured Bush’s character, Det. Erin Lindsay, getting a job offer with the FBI in New York. Bush has been with the show, a spinoff of Chicago Fire, since the start.   ***“Will & Grace” diva Debra Messing issued a long list of banned items she is allergic to before gracing a magazine event in Manhattan. Messing dished out details of an array of allergies before attending Tuesday’s bash for Haute Living at hip Soho restaurant Mamo. She appears on the cover of the magazine’s latest issue. Messing’s unpalatable roll call includes, “Food allergies: Debra is allergic to ALL WHITE FISH, chicken, mushrooms, gluten, dairy, butter (except feta and goat cheese). Debra does not eat game, beans, yogurt, broccoli, cauliflower. She is lactose intolerant. She cannot have cheese or milk (only coconut milk).”The list continues, “Additional Allergies: Debra is allergic to wool, cats, cashmere, down feathers, flowers and gabardine [a type of woven cloth]. The only flower she is not allergic to is orchids.”