John Fisher

1) Who are the richest musicians of all time?

Business Insider factored in inflation and compiled the stats on the wealthiest musicians ever.  They say:

You can easily guess the wealthiest living musicians, but how do they stack up to the richest musicians ever? It helps to emerge at the right time (the late 1960s and early ‘70s or the mid- to late-‘90s, the two moments when the now-shrunken industry was at its largest), make shrewd investments (in publishing and elsewhere, but also by capitalizing on one’s own brand), and working across different media platforms (television, film, and touring). Adjusting fortunes going as far back the the pre-rock-and-roll era for inflation, we made some surprising discoveries.

Counting them up from #10, here's the list:

#10 Michael Jackson $350 million, despite some bad investments and paying off a few families to make some unpleasant accusations go away.

#9 Jimmy Buffett who may be barefoot on the beach, but he’s worth $400 million.

#8 Dolly Parton  She sang "9 to 5" and they say she does have an impressive work ethic.

#7 Jay Z Not just a musician but a CEO and a basketball team owner.

#6 Maria Carey The wealthiest living female musician (and a judge on "Idol.")

#5 Shawn “Diddy” Combs, rapper, enterpreneur, vodka enthusiast.

#4 Bing Crosby who was worth half a billion dollars because of his entertainment empire – besides making records and movies, he owned everything from TV stations to horse racing tracks.

#3 Bono, who’s worth $600 million – he also knows how to invest wisely.

#2 Paul McCartney whose Beatle royalties as well as the 25,000 other musical copyrights he owns make him worth $800 million.

#1 And the richest musician of all time is . . .



the guy who gave us Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom of the Opera and Cats . . . Andrew Lloyd Weber is worth $1.2 billion. Sure, it's great to be a billionaire, but isn't it hard to sleep at night knowing you inflicted Cats on the world?

Check out the whole list in detail here.

2) Spring is here! Time to thwart bicycle thieves

Since it’s the first day of spring, let’s be optimistic and pretend that biking weather is almost here. If you've ever had your bicycle stolen, you knowit's not fun. A Chicago-based startup has a solution -- a gadget that alerts your smartphone when your bike is tampered with and makes it easy to notify the police. The Bike Spike  attaches to your bike and tracks its location through your phone or computer . . .and the device also has an accelerometer so it can detect a crash, pinpoint its location and let key people on your contact list know that you're down. Parents could also be alerted when kids ride outside of a set "safe zone." These guys are trying to raise the money on Kickstarter to get this thing going, so check it out here.  It seems like a pretty good idea.

3) But how does a rainbow paint scheme affect your resale value?

This is kind of heartwarming.  You know those evil people at the Westboro Baptist Church who for some reason like to protest at the funerals of dead soldiers with anti-gay banners and chants? A guy who founded a group called Planting Peace bought the house across the street from the Church headquarters in Topeka, Kansas for $81,000 and he just painted the entire outside of the house in the colors of the gay rights rainbow flag.

This is from the Planting Peace website:

For too long, the Westboro Baptist Church has been targeting the LGBTQ community with messages of hate and discrimination. Often, protesting American soldiers’ funerals and organizations that support equality. This faction preaches extremism in our communities and directly targets our youth. To combat their messages of hate and to support equality and anti-bullying initiatives in schools and in our community, Planting Peace has established the Equality House in Topeka, KS.

Located directly across from the Westboro Baptist Church, the House is a symbol of equality, peace, and positive change. The house, which is painted the colors of the Pride flag, will serve as the resource center for all Planting Peace equality and anti-bullying initiatives and will stand as a visual reminder of our commitment, as global citizens, to equality for all.

We invite you to support our movement and encourage you to donate today to these equality and anti-bullying initiatives.

For too long, the Westboro Baptist Church has been targeting the LGBTQ community with messages of hate and discrimination. Often, protesting American soldiers’ funerals and organizations that support equality. This faction preaches extremism in our communities and directly targets our youth. To combat their messages of hate and to support equality and anti-bullying initiatives in schools and in our community, Planting Peace has established the Equality House in Topeka, KS.

Nice to throw a little of that right in the faces of those people showing up to do their perverted work every day.   And jeez, $81,000 for a house in Topeka, Kansas? That sounds like a nice place. What’s the weather like there?