Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Divided We Fail (nytimes.com)
How bad will it be if Republicans win control of the House next week? Very, very bad.
A Boot to the Head ...from Michael Moore
There she was, thrown to the pavement by a Republican in a checkered shirt. Another Republican thrusts his foot in between her legs and presses down with all his weight to pin her to the curb. Then a Republican leader comes over and viciously stomps on her head with his foot. You hear her glasses crunch under the pressure. Holding her head down with his foot, he applies more force so she can't move. Her skull and brain are now suffering a concussion.
Froma Harrop: Hail the American Work Ethic (creators.com)
Whenever I visit Italy, France or elsewhere in dolce vita Europe, I go: "Oooh! Aren't these cheeses wonderful? Ahh! Look how fit and well dressed everyone is. Oh! If only America would protect its downtowns the way these Europeans preserve their ancient village centers."
THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN: Can't Keep a Bad Idea Down (nytimes.com)
"Let's have more tax cuts, unlinked to any specific spending cuts and while we're still fighting two wars - because that worked so well during the Bush years to make our economy strong and our deficit small. Let's immediately cut government spending, instead of phasing cuts in gradually, while we're still mired in a recession - because that worked so well in the Great Depression. Let's roll back financial regulation - because we've learned from experience that Wall Street can police itself and average Americans will never have to bail it out.")
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: NOTES FROM MY BED OF GLOOM: OR, WHY THE JOKING HAD TO STOP (nytimes.com; from 1990)
For whatever reason, American humorists or satirists or whatever you want to call them, those who choose to laugh rather than weep about demoralizing information, become intolerably unfunny pessimists if they live past a certain age.
David L. Ulin: The Reading Life: Kurt Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse-Five' (latimes.com)
Re-reading the 1969 novel after decades away is like being on Billy Pilgrim's phantasmagoric planet Tralfamadore.
LISA GUNTHER: Authors Try Going Indie (curvemag.com)
How to get your book out there in the new era of self-publishing.
Scott Timberg: Stieg Larsson's 'Girl' is an international publishing phenomenon (latimes.com)
Massive, worldwide success often remains a bit enigmatic, but this publishing breakthrough seemed especially unlikely.
Roger Ebert: THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST (R; 3 stars)
Lisbeth Salander makes a transfixing heroine precisely because she has nothing but scorn for such a role. Embodied here for the third time by Noomi Rapace, she's battered, angry and hostile, even toward those who would be her friends. Some of the suspense in the final courtroom showdown of "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" comes from the excellent question of whether she would rather be found guilty than provide anyone with the satisfaction of hearing her testify in her own defense.
PAUL CONSTANT: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (thestranger.com)
At the end of the trilogy's full seven hours, you're forced to reflect on the entire experience and be impressed by what was accomplished: Alfredson managed to make three films based on beloved popular books without once fucking things up in a serious way.
Roger Ebert: Review of "The Haunting" (3 stars; PG-13; An Overlooked DVD)
To my surprise, I find myself recommending "The Haunting" on the basis of its locations, its sets, its art direction, its sound design, and the overall splendor of its visuals. The story is a mess, but for long periods of time that hardly matters. It's beside the point, as we enter one of the most striking spaces I've ever seen in a film.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Money (athensnews.com)
Dodger executive Branch Rickey was a tight man when it came to giving salaries to his ballplayers. If a player had a great year, Mr. Rickey would tell him, "Well, son, you had a nice year. We decided to let you come back." When Tommy Lasorda was in the Dodgers' minor leagues, he negotiated a contract with Mr. Rickey and came up on the losing side. When Mr. Rickey suggested that the terms of the contract remain "just between us," Mr. Lasorda replied, "You don't need to worry about me saying anything to anyone about my salary. I'm just as ashamed of it as you are."
David Bruce has 39 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $39 you can buy 9,750 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
The 'Call it as ya See it' Edition...
The 2010 Mid-term Elections. No media intro or links are needed, I'm thinkin'...
We all know what's at stake here... So, gaze into yer Crystal Ball, break out the Ouija board, shuffle the Tarot cards, read yer tea leaves or just take a wild-ass guess and make yer prediction on the outcome, if'n ya dare...
The Democrats will:
1.) Retain the majority in both the House and the Senate
2.) Lose the House, but retain the Senate
3.) Retain the House, but lose the Senate
4.) Worse case scenario... and you know what that is, dagnabbit!
Predictions will be posted the morning of November 2nd.
... and may The Force be with us!
Send your response to
wrote nothing.
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Reader Suggestion
Radio Ad
My New Radio Ad for Dems
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Supposed to rain - hasn't yet.
Another Appeal
Aung San Suu Kyi
Lawyers for Myanmar Burma democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi made a final appeal to win her release from house arrest Friday, pressing forward despite her scheduled release in two weeks.
Before entering the special court in the remote capital of Naypyitaw, lawyers said that Suu Kyi's acquittal by the five-judge panel "would be a good example that rule of law prevails in the country."
The 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years but was never convicted of any crime until August 2009. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating her house arrest by briefly sheltering an uninvited American who swam to her home.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962. The elections of 1990 were swept by Suu Kyi's party but the military refused to relinquish power.
Aung San Suu Kyi
Billboard's Woman of the Year
Fergie
Black Eyed Peas vocalist Fergie will receive the Woman of the Year award at Billboard's Women in Music event in New York on December 2, two days after the band's new album hits stores.
"I am humbled and excited to accept the Billboard Woman of the Year Award," Fergie said.
On November 30, the Black Eyed Peas will release their sixth album "The Beginning," a follow-up to their 2009 chart-topper "The E.N.D.," which has sold 2.8 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The first single, "The Time (The Dirty Bit)," will be released November 9.
The Billboard event coincides with the publication of the trade publication's Women in Music Power Players list.
Fergie
UK Royal Mint Commemorative Coin
John Lennon
Most British coins bear the likeness of Queen Elizabeth II - but now she's been joined by John Lennon, honored Friday with a commemorative coin struck by the Royal Mint.
It was a triumph for Beatle fans, who used e-mail voting and social networks to buttress support for Lennon in a public poll to determine whose face should be on the special coin.
Lennon _whose songwriting credits include "Imagine" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" - came out far ahead of author Jane Austen and several other figures in the balloting.
The former Beatle will join William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale among British luminaries whose images have graced special coins.
John Lennon
Namesake Bullock
Russell Brand
Actor and long-time animal rights defender Russell Brand and wife singer Katy Perry received an unusual wedding gift on Friday from two animal rights groups in India -- a bullock named after Brand.
The bullock, or young bull, was a present from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and Animal Rahat, a nonprofit organization that provides free aid to animals.
Brand was named the "sexiest vegetarian alive" by PETA U.K. in 2007.
"Russell the celebrity and Russell the bullock have something in common: they are both very handsome fellows," said Poorva Joshipura at PETA India.
Russell Brand
Debut Novel
Bruce Machart
Last week, Bruce Machart was teaching a college English class in Texas, but the critical success of his debut novel has put a temporary stop to that.
Eight years after he sketched its opening chapter, his first book, "The Wake of Forgiveness", arrived on U.S. shelves this week to a chorus of complimentary reviews across the country.
"Publishers Weekly" named it one of their ten most promising debuts to watch and it has been chosen as a Barnes and Noble "Discover" pick.
The recognition has pulled Machart, 40, from his home town in Houston out into the world to face the attentions of the national press; and he seems to be enjoying it.
Bruce Machart
Love Elections
TV Stations
For TV viewers, this cutthroat election year is a riot of attack ads and media saturation made possible by big-money donors. For TV stations, it's a stimulus package.
One research group expects TV political spending to hit a record $3 billion. The windfall may continue well past Election Day because regular advertisers are getting squeezed out of the schedule and could spend their ad budgets later. Coming out of a recession that put some broadcasters in or near bankruptcy protection, political spending is emerging as a critical - but temporary - source of revenue.
Several factors created the upsurge: tea party enthusiasm, self-financed millionaire candidates, an unusually high number of toss-up races and a Supreme Court ruling in January that eased rules on corporate campaign donations.
The political boon is showing up across the industry. Political advertising revenue should account for more than 11 percent of the total at local broadcast stations this year, according to Magna Global, a unit of Interpublic Group of Companies that tracks ad spending. That's up from 7 percent in 2006.
TV Stations
Gives Voting 'Advice' With Paychecks
McDonald's
A handful of McDonald's employees in northeastern Ohio received handbills in their most recent paychecks suggesting they vote for three Republican candidates.
"If the right people are elected we will be able to continue with raises and benefits at or above our present levels," the insert said. "If others are elected we will not."
The fast food chain's corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., quickly condemned the action by Canton franchisee Paul Siegfried, saying it violated company policy. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the Democratic elections chief, said she was launching an investigation because the action appeared to violate Ohio election laws.
The handbill with a simple McDonald's logo at the top recommended votes for Republicans John Kasich for governor, Rob Portman for U.S. Senate, and Jim Renacci for Ohio's 16th congressional district. A Renacci campaign flier was also included.
McDonald's
Revenge Beating
Rev. Jerold Lindner
A man allegedly molested three decades ago by a Jesuit priest was arrested Friday on charges that he tracked down the retired cleric in his retirement home and severely beat him.
Will Lynch, 44, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and was to be released on $25,000 bail after his lawyer negotiated his surrender with authorities in Santa Clara County, defense attorney Pat Harris told The Associated Press.
Harris said the Rev. Jerold Lindner, 65, was attacked in March or April at the Jesuits' Sacred Heart retirement home in Los Gatos, but police didn't zero in on Lynch until earlier this month.
The boys, who were 7 and 5 at the time, were raped in the woods and then forced to have oral sex with each other while Lindner watched, Harris said. Lindner has been accused of abuse by nearly a dozen people, including his own sister and nieces and nephews.
Larry Lindler, a retired Los Angeles police officer, said he last saw his brother more than two decades ago after he walked in on him molesting his 8-year-old daughter during a visit. The two were playing a game called "blankie" in which Lindner asked the little girl to lie over his lap like a blanket and then wiggled around as if trying to get comfortable.
Rev. Jerold Lindner
Chases Older Men
Spike TV
While nearly every TV network is chasing younger viewers, Spike TV is about to issue a surprising declaration: "We want to go a little older."
The network is developing six comedy projects and a one-hour drama aimed at "older" men (meaning, in Spike's terms, ages 25-49).
"We started this network we heard you couldn't get younger guys to be loyal to a TV network, they're off playing video games and going online," said Spike TV president Kevin Kay. "I think we've proven (that's not true) with shows like 'Deadliest Warrior,' 'Blue Mountain State,' 'The Ultimate Fighter.' We're now trying very consciously to find things relatable to older guys and that are a little less edgy."
Spike TV's current median age during primetime is 36, which is quite youthful by network standards. "That would not be a bad thing at all (if the age increased)," Kay said.
Spike TV
Long-Term Deal With Rupert
Dish Network
Dish Network Corp. customers will continue to be able to watch baseball's World Series on their TV sets after the satellite TV company reached a long-term deal with News Corp.'s Fox on Friday. So far, Cablevision subscribers are still out of luck.
The deal between broadcaster Fox and the third-largest TV signal provider in the nation brought an end to the blackout of cable channels FX, National Geographic Channel, and 19 regional sports networks to 14.3 million Dish customers that began Oct. 1.
The deal also covered the signals from 27 Fox-owned TV stations that were in jeopardy of being blacked out when the existing pact was set to expire at midnight Sunday.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Dish Network
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