Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Roger Ebert's Journal: The Error of Political Prayer
There are vertical prayers and horizontal prayers. Vertical prayers are directed heavenward. Horizontal prayers are directed sideways at others.
Paul Krugman's Column: The Hijacked Crisis (New York Times)
This is what happens when influential people exploit a crisis instead of doing something about solving it.
Froma Harrop: Letting States Make Policy (Creators Syndicate)
Majorities in liberal states often back policies that most folks in conservative states abhor - and vice versa. The difficulty of reaching accord among warring but heartfelt views partly explains Washington's paralysis.
Tim Dickinson: Roger Ailes and the rise of Fox News (Guardian)
Even Rupert Murdoch is afraid of Roger Ailes, the paranoid boss of Fox News. But 'the Chairman' is using his power to make Americans more rightwing, more ignorant and ever more terrified. … The network, at its core, is a giant soundstage created to mimic the look and feel of a news operation, cleverly camouflaging political propaganda as independent journalism.
Andrew Tobias: A Good War
"The USA should invade the USA and win the hearts and mind of the population by building roads, bridges, and putting locals to work. " - Paul Myers
Jim Hightower: "Obama to jobless Americans: Mañana"
Having just been rolled by tea party Republicans in the debt ceiling circus, Barack Obama now says that his priority is job creation. Wow, what took him so long?
Alanna Bennett: SCHOOL BANS 'SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE,' VONNEGUT MEMORIAL LIBRARY OFFERS STUDENTS FREE COPIES (themarysue)
When the Vonnegut memorial library heard about this particular [act of censorship], however, they reached out to the students who would be deprived of reading the book, and are providing those students with free copies of the novel. Mark this under "Rebellion that rocks."
Michael Agger: Slowpoke (Slate)
How to be a faster writer.
"Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter" (Vintage) by Tom Bissell: A review by Nathan Weatherford
Bissell has conversations with some of the best video game developers in the field, tells stories about his personal experiences losing himself in games such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3, and has constant internal arguments about whether or not the extraordinary number of hours he's dedicated to these and many other games over the years have been worth it -- and if not, why he keeps feeling compelled to lose himself in them time and again. ?
WHEN MARK TWAIN NEARLY CHANGED HIS LITERARY CAREER pdf file
A Disappointment That Incidentally Gave Him a Lifelong Yearning to Kill a Critic.
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
wrote:
is taking some time off to re-set his sleepy-time clock.
3 4 5 6 7 8 CaterpillarsGulf Fritillary Butterfly
Here are today's pictures:
Caterpillar #1 - pupated (7/24/11), died.
Caterpillar #2 - pupated 7/26/11 - hatched 08/10/11
Caterpillar #3 - pupated (8/01/11)
Caterpillar #4 has disappeared. Don't know if it's pupating somewhere or if a wasp got it.
Caterpillar #5 died while pupating (08/07/11)
Caterpillar #6 - pupated 08/11/11
Caterpillar #7
Caterpillar #8
Caterpillar #9
Caterpillar #10 - the newest addition
Gulf Fritillary Butterfly Archive
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Reader Contribution
Demotavational Poster
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Review
3rd GOP Debate
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast until mid-day. Quite nice.
Super PAC
Stephen Colbert
Comedian Stephen Colbert is putting his political action committee cash to work with advertisements that mockingly endorse Texas Governor Rick Perry ahead of an Iowa straw poll this week on the other Republican presidential hopefuls.
The tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign is the first that Colbert has launched since the Comedy Central comedian won approval in June from the Federal Election Commission to form his "Super PAC."
In a pair of advertisements unveiled on his Super PAC website this week ahead of the Ames Straw Poll on Saturday, Colbert jokingly urges Iowans to write in the name of Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is not listed on the ballot, but to misspell it as "Parry."
"I called dibs on Rick Parry a long time ago," Colbert said in a comedic statement that lauds the staunchly conservative governor for his "tough talk" and "cowboy boots."
The comedian who masquerades as a conservative commentator on his late-night program "The Colbert Report" but has espoused liberal causes seems to have made a well-timed choice for his satirical endorsement.
Stephen Colbert
'Saturday Night Live'
Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin earns bragging rights as the most familiar "Saturday Night Live" host when he opens the NBC show's 37th season on Sept. 24.
It will be his 16th time as host. The "30 Rock" actor moves past Steve Martin, who has done it 15 times. Radiohead will be the musical guest, the network said Friday.
Melissa McCarthy of CBS' "Mike & Molly" and the movie "Bridesmaids" will be the host of the show's second week, her "SNL" debut. The country trio Lady Antebellum will be her musical guest.
Alec Baldwin
Renewed For Fourth Season
"Warehouse 13"
Syfy has renewed "Warehouse 13" for a fourth season, network president of original content Mark Stern announced Friday.
The move isn't entirely surprising, as "Warehouse 13," which follows government agents working at a massive storage facility that contains strange artifacts, is the highest-rated program in Syfy history.
"Under executive producer Jack Kenny's leadership, this superlative team of writers, cast, and crew continue to turn out a series that only gets better and better with every episode," said Stern in a statement. "'Warehouse 13' is deservedly the most popular series in our history and we're delighted to renew it for a fourth season."
The show, which stars Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly, is currently in the middle of its third season. Through five episodes, it has averaged 3.2 million total viewers, including 1.5 million adults 18-49.
"Warehouse 13"
San Sebastian Festival
Glenn Close
The organizing committee of Spain's premiere film festival says Hollywood actress Glenn Close is to receive this year's edition of its lifetime achievement award.
The actress will also introduce her latest work, "Albert Nobbs," a movie directed by Rodrigo Garcia which depicts life in 19th century Ireland, at the San Sebastian Festival, it said in a statement Friday.
Previous recipients of the Donostia lifetime award have included American actors Richard Gere and Meryl Streep, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas and Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann.
The annual festival is due to culminate with a star-studded red carpet award ceremony on Sept. 18 in the northern seaside city of San Sebastian, known as Donostia in the local Basque language.
Glenn Close
Hit By Pranksters On Amazon
Conservative Women
Several high-profile Republican women have become targets of "cybervandalism" on Amazon.com, where Internet pranksters have tagged an assortment of scandalous items--things like sex videos, dildos and pornographic movies--to their names on the online marketplace.
Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and the former Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell each have items attached to their names in the "Amazon.com tag cloud" that, to say the least, weren't put there by their supporters.
O'Donnell's page, first reported by The Daily Beast's David Graham, mocks her advocacy against pre-marital sex and masturbation in the 1990s. Instead of displaying O'Donnell's new book, Troublemaker, on the page of items tagged to her name, Amazon features several sex toys, the DVDs for the films The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Last American Virgin, and fertility pills for men. And of course, in tribute to her "I'm not a witch" ad, there's a witch costume on sale for about $25.
Amazon isn't responsible for placing the products on the pages. The company allows its users to "tag" items, which is supposed to make it easier for people to find the products they want to buy. The system is efficient, but it also opens the door for just about anyone to "Amazon bomb" a public figure with crude products.
Conservative Women
Nickname To NCAA
North Dakota
The University of North Dakota took its fight over the school's nickname straight to NCAA President Mark Emmert on Friday.
And still lost.
After meeting for more than an hour, Emmert told a group of state legislators and school officials he would not compromise on a court-imposed settlement to change the school nickname from Fighting Sioux by Monday's deadline. The school now faces a ban from hosting NCAA tournaments and will not be allowed to use the nickname or logo at NCAA tourney games until it makes the change.
State legislators will now do what they can to help the school comply.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple said he will introduce legislation Nov. 7 that will give school officials the authority to change the nickname, essentially repealing an April law. Dalrymple said he expects that bill to pass and the school to change the name.
North Dakota
$till Pur$uing Malibu Development
The Edge
The guitarist for U2 and several other property owners whose proposal to build a cluster of mansions overlooking Malibu failed to get past state regulators have filed lawsuits against the California Coastal Commission.
The lawsuits filed Friday argue that the basis for the commission's decision to deny their permits in June was not legal.
The property owners say they are five separate owners each building a single home on separate lots, an argument that would have made it more difficult for the commission to reject their proposal.
The commission, however, determined there was enough evidence to show the project was under common ownership, coordinated and led by U2 guitarist The Edge, whose real name is David Evans.
The Edge
Republican Sentenced
"All Things Considered"
A Maine man who pleaded guilty to charges stemming from threats to rape, torture and kill hosts of a popular National Public Radio program was sentenced on Friday to 46 months in prison, authorities said.
John Crosby, formerly of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, threatened Melissa Block and Guy Raz, hosts of "All Things Considered," in Washington in January, according to authorities.
U.S. District Court Judge George Singal sentenced Crosby to 46 months in prison, the maximum penalty based on federal guidelines, and three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Maine.
United States Attorney Thomas Delahanty said it was important public figures be able to present the news and their views without fear of threats or intimidation.
"All Things Considered"
Don't Ruin Stories Or Films
Spoilers
If you are angry that someone spoiled the plot of a movie or revealed the ending of a book, don't be.
A new study by researchers from the University of California at San Diego shows spoilers may enhance enjoyment, even for suspense-driven story lines and film plots.
After studying three types of stories -- ironic-twist, mystery and literary -- by authors such as John Updike, Roald Dahl and Agatha Christie, they found readers preferred versions with a spoiling paragraph written into the story.
For the study each story was read by up to 30 people and presented in two formats -- in the original version and with a spoiling paragraph inserted in the story.
Readers of all three story types preferred the spoiled versions of the stories more than the unspoiled originals.
Spoilers
In Memory
Joseph Schexnider
The narrow, brick chimney of a Louisiana bank became his tomb for 27 years and now Joseph Schexnider will be laid to rest Sunday in a proper grave with a proper farewell by his family. Still, his brother Robert wonders, how did he wind up in that chimney? Didn't anyone hear any cries for help? Was it a robbery attempt gone awry, an accident or something more sinister?
"At least we know where he is now," Schexnider, 48, said, tears welling in his eyes ahead of his brother's weekend funeral and burial. "At least he's home."
Nearly three decades after he disappeared, much mystery lingers about the case of Joseph Schexnider and involving a small town bank in the southern Louisiana city of Abbeville. Police say Schexnider became trapped and apparently died in the bank's chimney in 1984. But beyond that, they know little more.
"Everybody has an opinion," said Lt. David Hardy, chief of investigations for the Abbeville Police Department. "But no one has evidence to say one way or another."
If Joseph Schexnider did cry out for help, no one heard his pleas. The stench of death was never detected.
The decades rolled on until last May when a construction worker helping turn the bank's vacant second floor into offices tugged some fabric out of the chimney and was showered with old clothes and human bones.
Described as sweet-natured and relaxed by the few who remember him, Joseph Schexnider was 22 when his family last saw him in January 1984. He had no criminal record, but was wanted for possessing a stolen car.
A lanky, rambling man, Schexnider was prone to wandering at an early age.
In the years after they last saw them, his family, his mother, and two brothers and a sister, had not reported him missing - and no one searched for him.
"My mother worried about him, but I just said, 'Mom, that's just Joseph being Joseph,'" Robert Schexnider said. "He was always taking off for somewhere."
Joseph first ran off around the age of 9 or 10, Robert recalled, adding his brother had dropped out of high school in the ninth grade.
He worked now and then at this and that, quitting jobs when he became tired and moving on. He was briefly in the Louisiana National Guard, leaving with a medical discharge. One of the few pictures of him shows him in uniform, his dark eyes looking off into the distance.
Schexnider followed carnivals and once traveled with a circus. He told his brother he hawked cotton candy and peanuts with the shows, traveling with the circus to New York where he was stranded when it left to go overseas.
With the remains found in the chimney were a yellow long-sleeve shirt, a pair of jeans, blue tennis shoes, and jockey shorts with Schexnider's name printed in the waistband. There also was a magazine and gloves.
He had a wallet with a copy of his birth certificate, a Social Security card and a few pictures.
A DNA test confirmed his identity.
From the way the skeleton was recovered, Hardy said it appeared Schexnider went into the 14-inch-by-14-inch chimney feet first. Because the chimney narrowed sharply at the bottom, he then was apparently unable to maneuver his way back out.
There was no way out at the bottom of the chute, which ended in a 3-inch opening to a narrow fireplace on the second floor of the bank building.
"He was stuck with nowhere to go," Hardy said. If he had called for help - Hardy points out - he would have been 20 feet above the street, and encased in bricks.
His brother won't guess why Joseph went into the chimney, but acknowledged in his final days in town that Joseph had gotten in "with a bad crowd." He was carrying no burglary tools when found or anything to carry away money if he had planned to rob the bank.
Joseph Schexnider
In Memory
Jani Lane
Investigators searched for clues Friday as to what killed Jani Lane, the former lead singer of the metal rock band Warrant, who was found dead a day earlier in a hotel room.
Police said Lane, 47, was found around 5:30 p.m. in a hotel room in the San Fernando Valley, which is north of Los Angeles.
Lane's death is being treated as a possible accident as opposed to one resulting from natural causes, but Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said weeks of toxicology and tissue testing may be needed before any conclusions can be drawn.
With his long blond hair and tight leather outfits, Lane embodied the excess of 1980s "hair metal" rock bands. He joined Warrant in 1984 and wrote such hits as "Heaven," ''Down Boys" and "Cherry Pie."
He had an on-and-off relationship with the band, leaving it in 1992 before returning and quitting again several times.
In recent years, Lane appeared in VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and made news for a drunken driving arrest.
He is survived by two daughters from two previous marriages.
Jani Lane
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