Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Henry Rollins: Bob Dylan Doesn't Need Your Damn Nobel Prize (LA Weekly)
I am always impressed when someone can take or leave something of great magnitude. The sheer magnificence of the attitude at work is what it's all about. Long live rock.
John Lydon: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a Piss Stain (Letters of Note)
Early-1996, it was announced that the Sex Pistols were to be inducted into the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; a museum based in Cleveland, Ohio, which introduces several new acts to its ranks on an annual basis. Unfortunately for the Hall of Fame, the Sex Pistols responded to the news by way of the following letter (of sorts); a delightfully unsurprising rant, handwritten by John Lydon and posted to their website for maximum exposure.
Ken Kelley: Meet the Artists Who Refused Their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions (Ultimate Classic Rock)
You don't often hear of artists refusing to be inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, but Axl Rose, who did just that with a much-publicized open letter back in 2012, was hardly the first to turn up his nose at this exclusive offer.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: I am Very Real (Letters of Note)
In October of 1973, Bruce Severy - a 26-year-old English teacher at Drake High School, North Dakota - decided to use Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, as a teaching aid in his classroom. The next month, on November 7th, the head of the school board, Charles McCarthy, demanded that all 32 copies be burned in the school's furnace as a result of its "obscene language." Other books soon met with the same fate. On the 16th of November, Kurt Vonnegut sent McCarthy the following letter.
David Christopher Bell: "6 Reasons To Stay Home On Election Day (If You're An Idiot)" (Cracked)
It's been a rough road, folks. The last year was more disheartening and noisy than a drowning elephant. And now that we're days away from the election -- a lot of you no doubt just want it all to end. In fact, according to several studies, it appears that more than half of you aren't even going to leave the house on November 8th.
Robert Evans: A Handy Guide To Why Republicans Hate Hillary Clinton (Cracked)
Hating the Clintons isn't just about politics. It's a literal industry. People make fortunes writing books with titles like Hillary's Scheme, Hillary The Other Woman, Clinton Cash, and just so damn many others. Amazon alone has more than 39,000 results under "Clintons" in their Book category. Hating Bill and Hillary Clinton is incredibly profitable, and it has been since 1992.
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David Bruce has over 80 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
Tussie-Mussies
Thank you so much for the link "When the world truly stank..." I had never hears of Tussie-Mussies until recently when I read Susan Elia Macneal's 4th Maggie Hope mystery The Prime Minister's Secret Agent in which there is a tussie-mussie.
Your link led to an article about tussie-mussies that included a series of photos of them. Delightful to see and read. You educate me in many ways--thanks!
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Temp
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
MAKING PLANS!
SLAVE LABOR IN THE U.S.
"HATE OR BE HATED."
MR. TRUMP GOES OVER THE WALL!
"WHINY LITTLE BITCH"
R.I.P. KAY. YOU HAD A LONG RIDE ON THE WHEEL.
WHAT A CREEP!
THE LYING LIAR AND THE LYING LIES HE KEEPS ON LYING!
"GROPE THIS!"
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Think they need names - any suggestions?
Major London Art Show
Bob Dylan
The timing couldn't be better for Saturday's opening of "The Beaten Path," a major exhibit of Bob Dylan's artworks at the Halcyon Gallery on London's pricey New Bond Street.
Worldwide interest in the veteran American troubadour has soared after his surprising choice as this year's winner of the Nobel Prize in literature and the show is one of the most extensive displays ever mounted of his drawings, watercolors, acrylics and ironworks.
The 75-year-old singer has said he will accept the Nobel in person in Stockholm if he can fit it into his demanding tour schedule - and the gallery hopes he will stop off in London to visit the show.
The extensive exhibit reflects growing appreciation for Dylan's art, which has been featured in gallery and museum shows in a number of countries in recent years.
The paintings at the London gallery reflect Dylan's nearly constant travels throughout the United States on the "never ending tour" that has consumed the last two decades of his life. The choice of subject matter reflects a deep affinity for the American scene, an abiding affection for its curious roadside attractions and respect for its industrial might.
Bob Dylan
Slams FBI
Jeffrey "Sparky" Katzenberg
One of Hollywood's most influential figures branded the FBI "disgraceful" over its controversial last-minute intervention in the US presidential election.
Jeffrey "Sparky" Katzenberg on Sunday spoke out after FBI Director James Comey lifted the threat of charges against Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server while secretary of state, just 36 hours before her White House showdown with Donald Trump.
"To have put her in that light one week before the election, and turn around two days before and say 'just kidding?' Pretty harsh," the former Disney studio chief and DreamWorks co-founder told AFP.
"I think what happened in these last couple of days was really distressing to say the least, if not disgraceful," Katzenberg told AFP on the red carpet at the annual Hollywood Film Awards.
Katzenberg, 65, is best known as the head of DreamWorks Animation, which made the money-spinning "Shrek," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Madagascar" franchises.
Jeffrey "Sparky" Katzenberg
'You're Fired'
Guy Fawkes
He turned "You're fired" into his reality show catch-phrase, but it was Donald Trump (R-Grifter) who went up in flames on Saturday - or at least an effigy of him did, as part of Britain's annual Bonfire Night celebrations.
An 11-metre-high (36 feet) model of the Republican U.S. presidential candidate was burned at a fireworks display in the town of Edenbridge, 30 miles (50 km) south of London.
The sculpture showed Trump, complete with his trademark mop of hair, holding his Democratic rival for the White House, Hilary Clinton, in a headlock, and sporting a pair of Mexico-themed boxer shorts.
Britain celebrates the failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605 by letting off fireworks and lighting bonfires with an effigy of the "Gunpowder Plot" leader Guy Fawkes on top.
The celebrations in Edenbridge also feature effigies of unpopular celebrities and in the past have included former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and disgraced American cyclist Lance Armstrong.
Guy Fawkes
Sailors Embark On Adventure
Vendee Globe
Thousands of bystanders Sunday gave 29 skippers a raucous send off as the Vendee Globe solo race around the world began off the French Atlantic coast.
The three-month race will see the skippers joust with the elements in their 18.5 metre (60 foot) vessels after leaving the western French port of Les Sables d'Olonne.
Competitors from 10 countries are competing in the eighth 'Everest of the Seas' covering 21,638 nautical miles (40,073 km) through the toughest seas and around the three great Capes -- Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn.
Any participant who puts into port or receives assistance along the way will be disqualified.
Vendee Globe
Cites Global Warming
T-rump
Set against the soaring cliffs, crashing waves and hidden beaches of the Wild Atlantic Way, the Trump International Golf Course in Doonbeg, Ireland, sits along the 1,553-mile stretch of this country's spectacular west coast.
And as a pre-election frenzy roils the U.S. with just two days until Americans head to the polls, another Donald Trump-fueled storm has been brewing across the Atlantic - another controversy over a wall, no less.
The Republican presidential nominee has made waves throughout this rural Irish landscape after applying for a permit to erect a 200,000-ton, 1.7-mile-long seawall near the County Clare golf course, a property he purchased in 2014 for around €8.7 million ($10.85 million).
Those in the United States might be surprised to learn the proposed justification for the erection of that wall - the predicted damaging effects of global warming.
Stateside Trump has, of course, famously referred to global warming as a "hoax" and "bullshit" and has pushed conspiracy theories like that in a 2012 tweet in which he called climate change a concept "created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." The tweet became a flashpoint during his first presidential debate against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
T-rump
Catholic Diocese Denounces Parish
San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego denounced one of its parishes on Friday after its worshippers were told that voting for Democrats is a "mortal sin" that could lead to an eternity in hell.
The Diocese said the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in the neighborhood of Old Town made the statement in an insert to a weekly leaflet given to churchgoers on Oct. 16, calling abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia and other political issues "non-negotiables."
"It is a mortal sin to vote Democrat," the insert read, with the words underlined and bolded. "If your bishop, priest, deacon or other parishioners tell you to do so, you must walk away from them. Your immortal soul and your salvation are at stake."
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy said in a statement that the parish, which will also serve as a polling place, violated its religious duties with the political comments.
The Diocese also took issue with a column in the parish's Oct. 30 bulletin that railed against abortion and constraints on tax-exempt organizations from certain political activity, and blames elected officials for allowing U.S. society to be "enslaved" to sin.
San Diego
Heavy Turnout
Nevada
It was more than two hours after early voting was scheduled to end at a Mexican grocery store in Las Vegas and the last voters were still trickling out of the sliding glass doors, fresh from casting their ballots next to mounds of dried chiles, rows of piñatas and a horchata stand.
Isabel Garcia and her two young children stood firm for about two hours in a line that at one point snaked back and forth several times over in front of the supermarket in this heavily Hispanic neighborhood. Democratic operatives joked on Twitter that Donald Trumpwas finally getting his wall - a crush of Nevadans like Garcia who were determined to vote against him.
Heavy turnout in the neighborhood, and the 6 percentage point statewide turnout lead that Democrats logged in the two-week early voting period that ended Friday, comes amid a painstaking effort to translate Nevada's sizeable Latino population into a political "firewall" that puts victory out of reach for Trump and other Republicans.
Hispanics account for about 28 percent of this swing state's population but tend to vote less frequently than other groups. Their underwhelming participation is part of the reason Republicans seized widespread power in Nevada in the 2014 elections.
Nevada
Giant Snowballs
Siberia
Giant frozen orbs recently appeared along an 11-mile stretch of Siberian coastline. The largest of the naturally formed snowballs measured nearly 3 feet across, according to Russian news reports.
This frosty phenomenon is connected to ongoing weather events that could bring heavier snowfall in parts of North America and Western Europe this winter.
News of the icy beach balls first emerged after residents in the village of Nyda, which sits on the Yamal Peninsula above the Arctic Circle, posted images to social media.
A village administrator told The Siberian Times that the snowballs formed in late October after water in the Gulf of Ob rose up onto land and covered the beach in ice. As the water retreated, chunks of the ice rolled over in the wet sand, forming orbs the size of tennis balls, bowling balls and basketballs.
These developments might lead to a snowy winter in parts of the U.S., particularly the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, as well as in Western Europe.
Siberia
Weekend Box Office
'Doctor Strange'
A strong batch of new films drew audiences to the theaters in large numbers this weekend, including Marvel's "Doctor Strange," the animated "Trolls" and Mel Gibson's WWII drama "Hacksaw Ridge," effectively waking up the sleepy fall box office. The top three films all garnered largely positive reviews from critics and all recorded A CinemaScores from opening weekend audiences too.
As the superhero in the bunch, "Doctor Strange" easily dominated with $85 million in North America theaters according to studio estimates Sunday. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the neurosurgeon turned sorcerer, "Doctor Strange" opened internationally last weekend. It's already grossed $325.4 million globally.
Holdovers populated spots four and five. "Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween," dropped 55% in its third weekend in theaters. It made $7.8 million, bringing its total earnings to $65 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Doctor Strange," $85 million ($118.7 million international).
2."Trolls," $45.6 million ($30 million international).
3."Hacksaw Ridge," $14.8 million ($1.7 million international).
4."Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween," $7.8 million.
5."Inferno," $6.3 million ($11.4 million international).
6."The Accountant," $6 million ($13.1 million international).
7."Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," $5.6 million ($4.3 million international).
8."Ouija: Origin of Evil," $4 million ($8.3 million international).
9."The Girl on the Train," $2.8 million ($8.2 million international).
10."Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," $2.1 million ($3.6 million international).
'Doctor Strange'
In Memory
Jean-Jacques Perrey
Frenchman Jean-Jacques Perrey, who pioneered electronic music and whose scores were used by Disney and in the hit children's TV series "Sesame Street", died on Friday aged 87.
Perrey died in the Swiss lakeside city of Lausanne after a battle with lung cancer, his daughter Patricia Leroy said.
The self-taught Perrey quit medical school in 1952 when he met George Jenny, inventor of the Ondioline -- a new type of electronic keyboard instrument that was a forerunner to the commercial synthesiser and launched a career in music.
He was an early user of the Moog synthesiser which revolutionised electronic music in the 1960s.
Perrey experimented with several musical genres, producing two albums aimed at helping sleep.
His music was featured on a Beatles 1968 Christmas record and has been used by hip-hop artists and rappers such as Gang Starr, Ice Cube and Dr Dre.
It has also been used at Disney theme parks.
Perrey said his music was fun and had no ponderous messages.
"My only purpose is to try to bring the listener some joy and pleasure. There is nothing more than a message of humour in my music," he said.
Perrey retired in 2010 after 27 albums. His music is still used for advertisements as well as cartoon and TV shows including "South Park" and "The Simpsons".
Jean-Jacques Perrey
In Memory
Zoltan Kocsis
Virtuoso Hungarian pianist and conductor Zoltan Kocsis, celebrated for his versatile technique, died on Sunday at the age of 64, his orchestra, the National Philharmonic, said.
Kocsis had served as musical director of the National Philharmonic Orchestra since 1997 and became a household name among music fans from the United States to Japan as he took the ensemble on tour.
He underwent heart surgery in 2012, and last month cancelled upcoming concerts on the advice of doctors, according to the orchestra.
Born in Budapest in 1952, Kocsis began playing the piano around the age of three.
He first played abroad after winning the prestigious Hungarian Radio Beethoven Competition at the age of 18 in 1970, and made his first concert tour of the United States a year later.
He also performed extensively with the Berlin Philharmonic, and played with leading orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
In 1978, aged 25, he was awarded the Kossuth prize, Hungary's highest state honour for artists, an award he won again in 2005.
Often taking the conductor's baton with the BFO, Kocsis also began composing from 1987.
His pieces, along with his transcriptions of works of Hungarian composer Bela Bartok and the recordings he made from them, also won him wide acclaim.
Zoltan Kocsis
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