Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Turning Life Into a Playable Video Game (Neatorama)
Daniel Disselkoen had a really interesting concept in mind while working on his graduation project "Remake Reality"- what if life could be more like a video game? His response is Man-eater, a fun little art installation/inspiration for imaginative tram riders that encourages passengers to play along. You close one eye and imagine that little Man-eater in the window gobbling up pedestrians as you ride the tram across town.
Paul Krugman: Galt, Gold and God (New York Times)
In pushing for draconian cuts in Medicaid, food stamps and other programs that aid the needy, Mr. Ryan isn't just looking for ways to save money. He's also, quite explicitly, trying to make life harder for the poor - for their own good. In March, explaining his cuts in aid for the unfortunate, he declared, "We don't want to turn the safety net into a hammock that lulls able-bodied people into lives of dependency and complacency, that drains them of their will and their incentive to make the most of their lives."
Roger Ebert's Journal: Don't Turn Down That Wall
The use of in vitro fertilization has grown more popular, as evidenced by the fact that three of Romney's grandchildren were conceived in that way. This was not in violation of Mormon law, but it would be outlawed by Ryan's bill--which might inspire an interesting conversation between the two men about the principle of legislating private beliefs. I have no idea if the children were parented according to Mormon recommendations. It's none of my business. Still less is it the business of Ryan's proposed bill.
Tom Danehy: The Tea Party lives on-and as a result, our economy is in jeopardy (Tucson Weekly)
The Tea Party became a platform for all things right-wing. The government is too big. The president doesn't look like the rest of us. The poor and helpless are getting a free ride. We shouldn't spend billions of dollars chasing after Osama bin Laden. (No, wait! That was what Mitt Romney said in 2007.) Spending is out of control. We're being taxed to death. (Unless you want to live in a country with no government spending-including on things like police, firefighters, teachers and the military-we need to have taxes. And the ones we have are, for the most part, quite reasonable.)
Paul Krugman: "Understanding Medicare 'Cuts'" (New York Times)
Medicare Advantage is a 15-year failed experiment in privatization. Running Medicare through private insurance companies was supposed to save money through the magic of the marketplace; in reality, private insurers, with their extra overhead, have never been able to compete on a level playing field with conventional Medicare. But Congress refused to take no for an answer, and kept the program alive by paying the insurers substantially more than the costs per patient of regular Medicare. All the ACA [Affordable Care Act] does is end this overpayment.
Andrew Tobias: The Romney/Ryan Budget
". . . More than three-fifths of the cuts proposed by Mr. Ryan come from programs for low-income Americans. These cuts are so severe that the nation's Catholic bishops protested the proposal as failing to meet society's moral obligations, saying the plans 'will hurt hungry children, poor families, vulnerable seniors.'"-New York Times
Susan Estrich: "Legitimate Rape" (Creators Syndicate)
If you have ever lived through the process of criminal prosecution of a rape charge, or witnessed a friend or loved one who has, you know how brutal it is, notwithstanding all the efforts to reform the system. The much bigger problem with rape is not how many women report unfounded claims, but how many women are afraid to report at all - because of fear of repercussions from the perpetrator and because of fear of the punishment the system will inflict, especially with men like Akin sitting on the jury, much less in the Congress.
Alex Tabarrok: Tyler Cowen's Unusual Final Exam (Seth's Blog)
Tyler Cowen is a professor of economics at George Mason University and general Renaissance man. Alex Tabarrok remembers, "Tyler once walked into class the day of the final exam and he said. 'Here is the exam. Write your own questions. Write your own answers. Harder questions and better answers get more points.' Then he walked out."
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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."
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Bosko Suggests
Water Castles
Have a great day,
Bosko.
Thanks, Bosko!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Bit cooler.
When it gets hot, ants start showing up in the bathroom, but, hey, circle of life and all that crap.
I can deal with a few ants, but this incursion was way extra special.
You never want to go in the bathroom and say to yourself "how did the bathtub get those wide, brown streaks - OMG! are they moving?"
And then realize the brown streaks kinda look like a gridlocked freeway of ants on their way to one helluva convention that is apparently being held in the sink.
Cleared Over Pussy Riot Protest
Garry Kasparov
Former world chess champion turned Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov was cleared on Friday of taking part in an unsanctioned protest over the conviction of punk band Pussy Riot in a rare Moscow court ruling in his favor.
Kasparov, an opposition leader, was among dozens of activists picked out of a crowd and detained outside the court where the Pussy Riot trial ended in two-year jail sentences for three female band members on August 17.
The 49-year-old was speaking to journalists when police grabbed him and carried him to a waiting van. Four witnesses confirmed that is what happened during the court hearings, the Interfax news agency reported.
A court on Friday said police witnesses had not proven that he had taken part in an unsanctioned protest and acquitted him.
"I think it's a very important day, a historical day, because for the first time in our courts, the evidence of a policeman was not accepted just because he wears a uniform," Kasparov said after the decision.
Garry Kasparov
Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation
Library of Congress
In the crisp 39-degree air of a converted bunker in rural Virginia lies the nation's greatest collection of early film.
Stacked in metal tins on shelves in 124 concrete vaults that stretch almost eight-feet high, movies that wowed audiences decades ago are meticulously stored so that one day, they may play again.
The vaults at the Library of Congress' Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Va., represent decades of work by copyright officials to not only protect the rights of filmmakers, but also preserve their movies for future generations.
The collection is in many ways the culmination of work that began 100 years ago Friday, when U.S.-made movies earned their own copyright designation and transformed from a fledgling industry into a global economic and cultural juggernaut.
Library of Congress
Cookbook Full Of Crimson Delicacies
'True Blood'
"True Blood" fans can soon concoct their own blood-red beet bisque, crimson sweet tea and other Cajun delicacies inspired by the hit HBO vampire drama and compiled in a new cookbook.
"True Blood" is filmed partly in Louisiana and is set in the fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps. The state's cuisine is often referenced in the series, where vampires and mortals mingle over bowls of okra gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice.
The cookbook, "True Blood: Eats, Drinks, and Bites from Bon Temps," was compiled by Cajun chef Marcelle Bienvenu and is being released in bookstores on Wednesday, shortly after Sunday's broadcast of the show's fifth-season finale.
In the cookbook, recipes are accompanied with pictures and excerpts from the series. For instance, a recipe for creamy crawfish dip is displayed among pictures from a scene in which Stackhouse drives to Shreveport, La., to see a werewolf but is instead greeted at the door by Debbie Pelt, a character who has twice tried to kill her.
'True Blood'
Wedding News
Wainwright - Weisbrodt
Publicist Bianca Bianconi confirmed Rufus Wainwright and Jorn Weisbrodt were married in a ceremony Thursday.
People reports the 39-year-old musician and the artistic director of the Luminato Festival were married by close friend and artist Justin Vivian Bond in a ceremony in Montauk on Long Island.
Wainwright and Weisbrodt have a 1-year-old daughter together in a parenting partnership with Lorca Cohen, daughter of Leonard Cohen. Wainwright and Weisbrodt were engaged in 2010.
People says a number of celebrities attended the wedding, including Alan Cumming, Julianne Moore, Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon, Antony Hegarty, Lou Reed, Carrie Fisher and producer Mark Ronson, who also assisted with DJ duties during the reception.
Wainwright - Weisbrodt
Defies Royals, Prints Pics
Rupert
Rupert Murdoch's Sun tabloid on Friday became the first British newspaper to defy the royal family by printing pictures of Prince Harry cavorting naked in Las Vegas, stoking a debate about what papers can print in the name of press freedom.
While newspapers across the globe have published the images of Queen Elizabeth's grandson naked with an unnamed woman after they appeared on a U.S. gossip website on Wednesday, the British media had decided not to do so until this point.
Instead they had agreed to comply, some more reluctantly than others, with a request from lawyers acting for the royal family to respect the privacy of the prince, who is 27 and single.
But the Sun decided to break ranks on Friday, publishing a photo over much of its front page of the naked prince covering his genitals with his hands while an unclothed woman hides behind his back in his Las Vegas hotel room.
The top-selling tabloid, part of the British arm of Murdoch's News Corp, said the grainy pictures were freely available on the Internet and the issue had become one of "the freedom of the press".
Rupert
Simple Assault
Randy Travis
Police in suburban Dallas say they're citing country star Randy Travis for simple assault after he got involved in a couple's argument.
Plano police Officer David Tilley said Friday that a woman and her estranged husband were arguing Thursday night in a church parking lot. He says Travis apparently knows the woman and got involved.
Tilley says nobody was hurt, but Travis and another woman were ticketed for simple assault, a Class C misdemeanor similar to a parking citation.
The police report does not indicate alcohol was involved in the latest incident.
Randy Travis
Lawyer Fighting Anti-Paparazzi Law
David S. Kestenbaum
The lawyer for a paparazzo charged with recklessly pursuing photos of Justin Bieber says he is challenging the constitutionally of a new law.
Attorney David S. Kestenbaum says it violates the First Amendment and is overly broad. He represents Paul Raef, a celebrity photographer who was charged July 25 with four counts, including reckless driving with the intent to capture pictures for commercial gain, following another vehicle too closely and reckless driving.
A hearing on Kestenbaum's motion is set for Sept. 24. Kestenbaum says Raef has not been booked because he is the first person charged under the 2010 law and police did not recognize it.
The charges stem from a July 6 high-speed freeway pursuit involving Bieber and photographers.
David S. Kestenbaum
Stripped Of Legion d'Honneur
John Galliano
Disgraced British designer John Galliano has been stripped of the Legion d'Honneur, the top French medal he was awarded in 2009 for services to haute couture.
Galliano, 51, will no longer have the right to wear the medal following its withdrawal under a decree signed by President Francois Hollande which was published in France's official journal on Thursday.
The former artistic director of fashion house Dior was convicted last year of hurling anti-Semitic insults at patrons of a Paris bar.
Galliano blamed the outburst on drink and drug problems and went into rehab for two months. He has since kept a low profile, but recent unconfirmed reports suggest he is considering moving to Los Angeles.
John Galliano
Back On TV In Spain
Bullfights
Spain's public broadcaster has said it will show its first bullfight in six years next month, a controversial decision at a time when bullfighting faces growing public opposition.
State-funded Television Espanola (TVE) is in the middle of a major shake-up that has seen its budget slashed by 37 percent this year and several prominent journalists forced out as the center-right government overhauls the broadcaster's top brass.
It decided to air bullfighting, which has been banned in some regions of Spain, after bullfighters, bull breeders and promoters agreed to waive their broadcasting fees.
Bullfighting is highly divisive in the country - some consider it inhumane, while others say it is an essential part of traditional Spanish culture. It was classified as an art last year, making the Ministry of Culture responsible for it.
Bullfights
In Memory
Jerry Nelson
Jerry Nelson, a master of voices and puppetering who voiced Muppets including Count von Count during more than 40 years with "Sesame Street," has died. He was 78.
Also a musician and actor, he took part in dozens of Muppet projects, from the 1971 TV movie "Tales From Muppetland: The Frog Prince," to 1979's "The Muppet Movie," to the 1980s series "Fraggle Rock," to last year's "The Muppets."
Nelson joined "Sesame Street," which debuted in 1969, early in the show's run. He soon took on major characters including The Count, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Sherlock Hemlock.
Nelson also had small, decidedly un-Muppety roles in films including "Robocop 2" and "The Nail Gun Massacre."
Jerry Nelson
In Memory
James Fogle
James Fogle, who wrote "Drugstore Cowboy," an autobiographical crime novel that led to an acclaimed 1989 film starring Matt Dillon, has died. He was 75.
Fogle died Thursday at a prison in Monroe, Wash., about 30 miles from Seattle, said Selena Davis, a state corrections spokeswoman. A judge had sentenced him to almost 16 years in prison for holding up a pharmacy in a Seattle suburb in 2010, the last in a string of crimes that put him behind bars for most of his adult life.
Fogle died of probable malignant mesothelioma, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's office said Friday.
The ailing Fogle was emaciated and connected to several medical machines in the last week of his life, close friend Daniel Yost told the Seattle Times in a phone interview from Los Angeles.
He was terminally ill and barely able to breathe, but his sharp wit and creative drive were ever-present as he pushed Yost, one of his final visitors, to get another of his novels, the autobiographical "Doing It All," onto the big screen, the Times reported.
"It's amazing he was still writing," Yost , who met Fogle while working as a journalist in Portland in the 1970s, told the Times. "He said he never killed anybody, and I don't think he really hurt anybody. He was a person with a huge heart."
Fogle had already spent much of his life in prison when he wrote "Drugstore Cowboy," based on his experiences in a band of addicts who roamed the Pacific Northwest robbing pharmacies to feed their addictions. Filmmaker Gus Van Sant turned the novel into the acclaimed 1989 film.
Fogle only had a sixth-grade education but started writing his stories more than 40 years ago, the Times reported. Yost said Fogle occupied his time during lengthy prison lockups by writing unpublished novels and screenplays.
He wrote his only published novel, "Drugstore Cowboy," in six weeks while serving a 20-year prison term for a pharmacy robbery in southwest Washington. Van Sant and Yost wrote the screenplay.
James Fogle
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