Assorted links

John Merritt writes to point me to a link that shows "the earliest known painting of a transvestite."

Merritt notes that it's "a portrait of France's cross-dressing spook, who is mentioned on pp. 311-12 of The Widow's Son."

Merritt adds, "Speaking of the Masons, I was having breakfast at a coffee shop this morning when a younger fellow -- twenty-something, I would say -- came in with his right pants leg rolled up to mid calf. Isn't that from one of the basic Masonic degrees, say 2nd or 3rd?"

Robert Anton Wilson combined libertarian leanings with advocacy for a guaranteed income system. Here is a post on the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog about how F.A. Hayek supported a basic income guarantee. 

A whistleblower says the federal government spied on "hundreds of millions" of Americans.

The Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" broadcast is available online.

Roger Ebert lists "Citizen Kane" as one of the ten best films of all time. He also likes "Vertigo," one of my favorites. (Hat tip: Jesse Walker.)