Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Froma Harrop: How Not to Get Your Country Back (Creators Syndicate)
The tea party mantra, "I want my country back," resonates with many. The racial undertones can be ugly (as well as pointless). But the longing for an economically secure America centered on a strong middle class is on point and widely shared.
Marc Dion: Freak Job Patriots (Creators Syndicate)
Here's a message for people who collect guns: Collect something else. I collect pipes. I've got 103 of them, and I smoke them all. My wife collects teacups. You can kill someone with either a pipe or a teacup but it takes a lot of work, and you invariably break your collectible pipe/teacup in the process.
Diane Dimond: Time to Re-Think Legalizing Drugs (Creators Syndicate)
Here's a riddle: How many knowledgeable people does it take to suggest a policy change before society adopts their sage advice? Buried in all the recent news about ISIS, horrific weather lashing the United States, the violence of NFL players and the like, came a hardly noticed news item about the idea of legalizing drugs. Now, stay with me on this. It's important.
Lucy Mangan: People of Scotland, here are 10 soft-left reasons why Britain is moderately great (Guardian)
Yes may seem like the right way to go, but have you considered how much happiness you'll unintentionally bring to Kim Jong-un? And George Osborne. Especially George Osborne.
Sophie Heawood: an Englishman's home is his prison (Guardian)
Our lives and our cities are turning themselves outside in. The more of your income you spend on having a home, the more time you have to spend inside it.
"24 Movies Based On a True Story (That Are Full Of Shit)" (Cracked)
Hollywood loves to spin a good yarn and tell us it's real. For the benefit of the viewing public, with the help of the illustrious AuntieMeme, we've picked out the worst offenders in cinema history.
Christina H: 6 Obnoxious Assumptions Hollywood Makes About Women (Cracked)
People complain all the time about the way women are depicted in Hollywood, but it's usually about female characters that are only there for men to have sex with or want to have sex with, or that walk around doing improbable action poses in skintight suits with 6 inch heels.
Dustin Rowles: "Happy 66th Birthday, George R.R. Martin: Here's 13 Facts About The Notorious Stark Killer" (Uproxx)
George R.R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, which was turned into HBO's series, A Game of Thrones, will turn 66 years old [on 20 Sept 2014]. That makes him eligible for full Social Security retirement benefits. The man has led a long and interesting life, and he seems like's he's had a few careers, and a number of successful and not so successful relationships. Above all - his mistreatment of Starks notwithstanding - George R.R. Martin is a good guy…
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"Doug's Most Shared Facebook Post" Today
wrote:
took the day off.
is semi-retired.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Marine layer hung around til late afternoon.
'Nearly Empty' Picasso Museum Opens
Paris
Paris' Picasso museum is reopening for two days this weekend after five years of closure over a renovation fraught with setbacks, accusations and sackings. But if the public expects art they'll be disappointed: it's practically empty.
"I will first of all calm your ardor and your enthusiasm ... but you're going to see nothing. It's a great disappointment. It's an empty museum," Laurent Le Bon, the museum's president, said during Friday's preview reception.
The 37 rooms of Musee Picasso, located inside the Marais district's grand 17th-century Hotel de Sale, are being temporarily opened in honor of France's annual heritage weekend.
The museum, which is under the stewardship of the French government, won't officially open until Oct. 25 and until then the art is collecting dust in storage.
When it officially opens, 400 works from the prolific founder of Cubism will be on display. Until then, this weekend's visitors will mostly be viewing bare white walls, white ceilings, decorative white stucco reliefs, white staircases, and empty display cabinets.
Paris
Praises Xi
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama praised Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday for being "more realistic" and principled than his predecessors, a day after Xi's three-day visit to India ended.
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader has lived in exile for decades in India's Himalayan foothill city of Dharamsala, after fleeing China following a failed 1959 uprising. The arrangement has irritated Beijing, which has long accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting unrest and encouraging Buddhist monks to self-immolate in demanding more autonomy for Tibet, a Himalayan region in western China.
However, Beijing's attitude appears to be shifting, the Dalai Lama said, noting that China's Communist leaders, who officially are atheist, are now "mentioning the importance of spiritualism."
He said that since becoming president in March 2013, Xi has demonstrated "through his handling of problems, he is comparatively more realistic and with more principles" than his predecessors.
The remarks brought no immediate comment from China's government or state media. However, Beijing has previously denounced the Dalai Lama as a separatist traitor and warned that any of his moderate comments are deceptive. China insists the Himalayan region has been part of Chinese territory for centuries, while Tibetans say it was virtually independent until China occupied it in 1950.
Dalai Lama
Governor Rejects Bills
California
California Governor Jerry Brown on Friday vetoed two bills that aimed to make baby diaper changing tables in public restrooms as accessible to men as they are to women.
The bills, which recently passed the state's senate and assembly chambers with broad support, would have modified existing state laws to ensure public places, such as movie theatres and shopping malls, have baby changing tables in both mens's and women's restrooms.
"At a time when so many have raised concerns about the number of regulations in California, I believe it would be more prudent to leave the matter of diaper changing stations to the private sector," Brown said.
"This may be a good business practice, but not one that I am inclined to legislate," he added.
California
Century Old Bourbons
Kentucky
A Louisville preservation society will raise a glass in December to toast the end of the Prohibition Era, but not with just any ordinary drink.
The Filson Historical Society will celebrate "Repeal Day," the day in 1933 when the United States lifted a ban on alcohol, by popping open more than two dozen rare bottles of bourbon, some over a century old.
Donated by a member, most were bottled during the 13-year period when the sale and production of alcoholic beverages was prohibited, an era of contraband, speakeasies and larger than life gangsters like Al Capone.
"We're doing as the donor wished," said Mike Veach, a bourbon historian at Louisville's Filson Historical Society. "Opening them up."
Kentucky
Wig Designer's Suit Dismissed
Nicki Minaj
A federal judge in Atlanta has tossed out a lawsuit filed against rapper Nicki Minaj by her former wig designer.
In a lawsuit in February, Terrence Davidson accused Onika Maraj, who uses the stage name "Nicki Minaj," and Pink Personality LLC of breaking implied contracts, reneging on discussions to launch a reality TV show and a wig line, and misappropriating his designs.
Lawyers for Minaj filed a motion in May to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Davidson failed to state a valid claim.
Davidson, who lives in Georgia, said in the lawsuit that he began working as Minaj's hair stylist in early 2010. He created multiple wigs for the rapper, known for her flamboyant hairpieces, that she wore to a preshow for MTV's Video Music Awards, during media appearances in London and for the music video "SuperBass."
Davidson said he turned down a contract for a reality TV show at the urging of a Minaj representative. At the time, Davidson said he was discussing doing a joint reality show with Minaj and launching a line of wigs with the music star. But months passed, and Davidson said Minaj and her team shut him out. He stopped working as her stylist in early 2013.
Nicki Minaj
Arrested On Suspicion Of Battery
Keyshia Cole
Police say Grammy-nominated R&B singer Keyshia Cole has been arrested on suspicion of battery after an altercation early Friday morning in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles police officer Nuria Vanegas says Cole was arrested around 5 a.m. after someone initiated a private person's arrest. The 32-year-old was booked on suspicion of battery and released from custody Friday afternoon.
Police did not release any further details about the incident.
Keyshia Cole
Ten Commandments Stay
Oklahoma
An Oklahoma judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit that sought the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from state Capitol grounds as an unconstitutional use of public property to endorse religion.
Oklahoma County District Court Judge Thomas Prince sided with the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission, which oversees monuments on the Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma said it would appeal the decision.
The state preservation commission in late 2013 put a halt to new monuments at the Capitol, pending the outcome of the ACLU lawsuit, after groups petitioned to have markers for Satan, a monkey god and a spaghetti monster erected near the Ten Commandments monument.
Oklahoma
Archaeologists Excavate
Sobibor
Archaeologists working at the site of the Nazi concentration camp at Sobibor, in eastern Poland, say they have uncovered previously-hidden gas chambers in which an estimated quarter of a million Jews were killed.
German forces tried to erase all traces of the camp when they closed it down following an uprising there on Oct. 14, 1943. The Nazis demolished the gas chambers and an asphalt road was later built over the top.
Archaeologists excavated beneath the road and found lines of bricks, laid four deep, where they believe the walls of the gas chambers used to stand.
They have been able to establish how big the chambers were, information they said would help build up a more precise picture of how many people were murdered at the camp.
Historians say that because the Germans razed the camp, and because so few of those detained there came out alive to give testimony, there is less information about how Sobibor operated and the scale of the killing than there is for some other concentration camps.
Sobibor
Ads 'Unacceptable' For LA Buses
"Red Band Society"
Los Angeles transit officials have pulled posters for a new Fox television network off nearly 200 buses after deeming the language used to describe actress Octavia Spencer's character inappropriate, a spokesman said on Friday.
The ads, part of a nationwide campaign to promote the hospital comedy-drama "Red Band Society," were pulled from the buses earlier this week after the chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's found that they could be "perceived as sexist or racist," MTA spokesman Mark Littman said.
The ad features the major characters of "Red Band Society" sitting or standing against a wall, each with an appellation such as "the hot doc," "mean girl" or "coma boy." Next to Spencer, who is dressed in dark red nurse's scrubs, are the words "scary bitch."
Littman said vendor CBS Outdoor screens the ads and typically consults with the MTA when one is controversial but in this case did not bring it to the agency's attention.
"Red Band Society"
In Memory
Polly Bergen
Emmy-winning actress and singer Polly Bergen, who in a long career played the terrorized wife in the original "Cape Fear" and the first woman president in "Kisses for My President," died Saturday, according to her publicist. She was 84.
A brunette beauty with a warm, sultry singing voice, Bergen was a household name from her 20s onward. She made albums and played leading roles in films, stage musicals and TV dramas. She also hosted her own variety series, was a popular game show panelist, and founded a thriving beauty products company that bore her name.
In recent years, she played Felicity Huffman's mother on "Desperate Housewives" and the past mistress of Tony Soprano's late father on "The Sopranos."
Bergen won an Emmy in 1958 portraying the tragic singer Helen Morgan on the famed anthology series "Playhouse 90." She was nominated for another Emmy in 1989 for best supporting actress in a miniseries or special for "War and Remembrance."
Bergen was 20 and already an established singer when she starred with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in her first movie, "At War With the Army." She joined them in two more comedies, "That's My Boy" and "The Stooge."
In 1953, she made her Broadway debut with Harry Belafonte in the revue "John Murray Anderson's Almanac." In 1957-58 she starred on the musical-variety "The Polly Bergen Show" on NBC, closing every broadcast with her theme song, "The Party's Over."
Also during the 1950s, she became a regular on the popular game show "To Tell the Truth."
Bergen published the first of her three advice books, "The Polly Bergen Book of Beauty, Fashion and Charm" in 1962. That led to her own cosmetics company, which earned her millions.
Bergen became a regular in TV movies and miniseries, most importantly in the 1983 epic "The Winds of War" and the 1988 sequel, "War and Remembrance." She appeared as the troubled wife of high-ranking Navy officer Pug Henry, played by Robert Mitchum.
Mitchum also had the key role in the landmark 1962 suspense film, "Cape Fear," as the sadistic ex-convict who terrorizes a lawyer (Gregory Peck) and his wife (Bergen) and daughter because he blames Peck for sending him to prison. The film was remade in 1991 by Martin Scorsese.
In 1964's "Kisses for My President," Bergen was cast as the first female U.S. president, with Fred MacMurray as First Gentleman. (In the end, the president quits when she gets pregnant.) When Geena Davis portrayed a first woman president in the 2005 TV drama "Commander in Chief," Bergen was cast as her mother.
Among her other films was "Move Over, Darling" (1963) with Doris Day and James Garner, Susan Seidelman's 1987 "Making Mr. Right," and John Waters' 1990 "Cry-Baby," with Johnny Depp.
Nellie Paulina Burgin was born in 1930 in Knoxville, Tennessee, into a family that at times relied on welfare to survive. They family eventually moved to California, and Polly, as she was called, began her career singing on radio in her teens.
"I was fanatically ambitious," she recalled in 2001. "All I ever wanted to be was a star. I didn't want to be a singer. I didn't want to be an actress. I wanted to be a star."
But over the years, Bergen's personal life was not as smooth as her career. Her four-year marriage to actor Jerome Courtland ended in an acrimonious divorce in 1955. Her second marriage to super-agent and producer Freddie Fields. The couple divorced in 1975 after 18 years.
In 1982 she married entrepreneur Jeff Endervelt. She co-signed his loans and gave him millions to invest from her beauty company profits. She said in a 2001 New York Times interview: "He would come home and say, 'Honey, sign this.' I wouldn't even look at it. Because you trust your husband."
The stock market crash of the 1980s wiped out the investments. She divorced him in 1991, and she said he left her with so many debts she had to sell her New York apartment and other belongings to avoid bankruptcy. She also battled emphysema and other ailments in the late 1990s, a result of 50 years of smoking.
She is survived by her children Peter Fields, Kathy Lander and Pamela Fields and three grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, her family is asking that donations be made to Planned Parenthood, said her publicist, Judy Katz.
Polly Bergen
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