Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Andrew Tobias: PERFECT V. GOOD
I beg you not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Mark Shields: A Real Republican Wiseman (creators.com)
… Tom Davis believes that what lies ahead immediately is "going to be a nasty period." I have learned from first-hand experience, don't bet against the political insights of Tom Davis, an authentic Republican wiseman.
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF: End the War on Pot (nytimes.com)
Here's a way to save Americans billions of dollars and end needless violence: legalize marijuana.
Connie Schultz: Find That One Person Who Cares (creators.com)
Don't forget this feeling. You know you're gay, and you know how you're feeling right now. If and when you get older, you will talk to kids so they will know they're not alone.
Anne Applebaum: The rise of the 'ordinary' elite (washingtonpost.com)
"If working hard, climbing the education ladder and graduating from a good university only wins you opprobrium, then you might not bother. Or if you do bother, then you certainly won't go into politics, where your kind is no longer welcome. We will then have a different sort of elite in charge of the country -- and a different set of reasons to dislike them, too."
Jim Hightower: SPREADING WEAPONS IN THE NAME OF PEACE
Hey, Bucko - stop whining about this sour economy, and start thinking about the plight of others.
"The Gun" by C. J. Chivers: A review by Andrew Exum
The real use of gunpowder, essayist Thomas Carlyle wrote, is "that it makes all men tall."
"War Is Boring: Bored Stiff, Scared to Death in the World's Worst War Zones" by David Axe: A review by Niels Strandskov
Technicians fly drone warplanes from half a world away, in a procedure that is hardly distinguishable from a particularly complex video game -- except, of course, that it leaves very real holes in very real places and people.
Paul Constant: The Ghosts of Tintin and Charlie Chaplin (thestranger.com)
At a restaurant that serves dead authors, Frank eats Emily Dickinson's breast while his wife nibbles on Jack Kerouac's candied penis; Frank cuts off his thumbs and yells at his boss ("'I'm no longer primate!' he shouts 'I'm another species!'").
The Ghost Stories of Lafcadio Hearn
Michael Dirda on the uniquely chilling tales of an almost forgotten master of spectral fiction.
JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG: Why E-Books Aren't Scary (wsj.com)
Author Stephen King discusses his thoughts on the future of digital reading and publishing.
Britain's queen of crime: Martina Cole (guardian.co.uk)
Martina Cole writes from the criminal's point of view. That's why Erwin James, a former lifer, found her characters so familiar - and why he was scared of meeting her.
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:
said:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Rainy morning.
Restore Sanity And/Or Fear
Rally
In the shadow of the Capitol and the election, comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert entertained a huge throng Saturday at a "sanity" rally poking fun at the nation's ill-tempered politics, its fear-mongers and doomsayers.
"We live now in hard times," Stewart said after all the shtick. "Not end times."
Part comedy show, part pep talk, the rally drew together tens of thousands stretched across an expanse of the National Mall, a festive congregation of the goofy and the politically disenchanted. People carried signs merrily protesting the existence of protest signs. Some dressed like bananas, wizards, Martians and Uncle Sam.
With critical congressional elections looming Tuesday, Stewart and Colbert refrained from taking political sides on stage, even as many in the crowd wore T-shirts that read "Stewart-Colbert 2012."
The idea was to provide a counterweight to all the shouting and flying insults of these polarized times. But there were political undertones, too, pushing back against conservatives ahead of Tuesday's election.
Rally
Foundation Helps Restore "La Dolce Vita"
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese hailed "La Dolce Vita" as changing world cinema forever as he presented the restored version Saturday of Federico Fellini's back-and-white classic.
Scorsese, who was 18 when "La Dolce Vita" first came out in 1960, spoke of the impact the movie had on him and of the importance of preserving films for future generations. His institute for the preservation of film treasures, the Film Foundation, helped restore it.
The Rome festival marked the 50th anniversary of the movie's release with a world premiere of its restored version, an exhibit and other side events. Also shown at the festival were some scenes that did not make the final cut, including one bit from the iconic scene where Anita Ekberg seductively splashes in the Trevi Fountain. The Swedish actress came to Rome for the screening.
Scorsese, a New Yorker of Italian origin, is a great admirer of Italian cinema. His 1999 documentary "My Voyage to Italy" pays tribute to the Italian films that have influenced him, including those by neo-realist masters such as Roberto Rossellini or Vittorio De Sica, or Michelangelo Antonioni.
Martin Scorsese
Confirms Garbage Return
Shirley Manson
Shirley Manson has confirmed she has reunited Garbage to work on the band's first new album in five years.
The rocker swapped music for acting in 2008 after landing a role in US TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
She recently hinted at a return to her roots by admitting she missed singing, and now she has thrilled fans by revealing a Garbage record is in the works.
Manson tells the Herald Scotland, "I'm working on a record right now with the band. We've recorded quite a lot but it's difficult to quantify. It's the first one in a long time. I took about five years off. I'd like to do some touring next year."
Shirley Manson
Lifts YouTube Ban
Turkey
Turkey said Saturday that it was lifting a ban on YouTube more than two years after it blocked access to the site because of videos deemed insulting to the country's founder.
Transport Minister Binali Yildirim, who is in charge of Internet issues, said the government has been in touch with Google, which owns YouTube. There was no longer any reason to ban the video-sharing site, he said, as the offending videos had been removed.
Turkey's telecommunications authority banned access to YouTube in May 2008 after users complained that some videos insulted Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the country in 1923. It is a crime in Turkey to insult Ataturk. The country has implemented reforms as part of a bid to join the European Union, but still faces questions about its record on free expression.
The country began blocking access to websites in 2007, after parliament adopted a law against cyber crime in an effort to curb child porn, prevent the dissemination of terrorist propaganda and stamp out illegal gambling.
Turkey
Legal Battle Is Back
"Rear Window"
The legal fight over whether the 2007 film "Disturbia" is a rip-off of an Alfred Hitchcock classic is far from being in the, um, rear window.
Despite nearly three decades of litigation over rights to the famous "Rear Window" story, and a decision last month that seemed to put an end to the matter, Universal Pictures is once against being sued.
The Sheldon Abend Revocable Trust filed a new lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday claiming that Universal and its affiliates breached a settlement agreement by distributing and advertising "Disturbia." The film stars Shia LaBeouf as a teenager under home confinement who spies on his neighbors and believes one to be a killer.
The complaint is fascinating but requires some background first.
"Rear Window"
Sued For Ripping Off Show
Rupert TV
A highly anticipated reality show on the Fox network in the U.S. called "My Parents Are Gonna Love You" has triggered an international legal dispute.
The show features everyday singles bringing celebrity fiances to meet their parents -- as a prank.
It's being produced by Angel City Factory, whose principals previously made such reality shows as "Joe Millionaire," "Temptation Island' and "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance." When the show was announced last spring, it was said to have been based on a format from French company Banijay Entertainment.
Now, however, the Morabito Picture Company has stepped up claiming that the new show rips off a format from its Italian show entitled "Indovina Chi Viene Cena" ("Guess Who's Coming for Dinner'), which premiered in 2001. That show also features people bringing home celebrity boyfriends and girlfriends to their family's surprise.
Rupert TV
Bankruptcy Rescue Plan
MGM
James Bond seems set to live another day after debt-ridden film giant MGM secured a deal to end months of financial deadlock, which put the latest 007 movie on ice along with the studio's fate.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, whose catalogue includes the Bond franchise as well as the "Pink Panther" and "Rocky" series, announced a debt-restructuring rescue deal late Friday while rejecting an offer from billionaire Carl Icahn.
In a statement the legendary studio -- famous for its trademark roaring lion logo -- said its lenders had "overwhelmingly approved its proposed plan of reorganization" with US firm Spyglass Entertainment.
Spyglass was favored over a rival offer by Icahn, who reportedly owns about 800 million dollars of MGM?s debt, to merge the studio with film producer Lionsgate in which he is the largest shareholder.
MGM
Egypt Author Threatens To Sue
Alaa al-Aswany
An Egyptian author said on Saturday he would take legal action against the publishers of an unauthorized Hebrew translation of his bestselling novel, released without his permission by a Jerusalem-based group.
The Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Understanding said it had translated Alaa al-Aswany's novel "The Yacoubian Building" and was offering it to readers for free, to "expand cultural awareness and understanding."
In a statement available online, the group said Aswany had refused to give permission for an authorized translation of the novel into Hebrew. The 2002 novel, which has been translated into 32 languages and distributed over 100 countries, offers a scathing critique of Egyptian society in the 1950s.
Ansary would not say whether he would ever allow an authorized translation of the novel into Hebrew, but said publishing a translation without his permission amounted to "intellectual theft."
Alaa al-Aswany
Reaches Agreement With Rupert
Cablevision
Fox and Cablevision have reached an agreement that will restore programming to more than 3 million New York-area subscribers who have been without some of their favorite shows and baseball playoff games for two weeks.
In a statement released Saturday, Fox says signals for all stations and cable channels were restored before the first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series.
Cablevision's subscribers have been without Fox signals since Oct. 16 because of a contract dispute.
The two sides declined to release details of the agreement Saturday.
Cablevision
Vote On Dropping 'Plantations' From Name
Rhode Island
This state's official name - The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations - is more than just a mouthful. To many, it evokes stinging reminders of Rhode Island's prime role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Voters next Tuesday will decide whether to change the name by dropping the words "and Providence Plantations." The issue has been debated for years, but lawmakers last year authorized a ballot question for the first time following an impassioned debate over race relations, ancestry and history.
"You go anywhere and you mention plantations and what automatically comes to a person's mind is slavery," said Nick Figueroa, 41, a member of a legislative minority advisory coalition that backs changing the name.
Supporters of the referendum see the ballot question as a chance to erase the state's links to slavery and remove a word they associate with human bondage and suffering. But opponents, including Gov. Don Carcieri, note that the state name actually has nothing to do with slavery and that, in any case, changing it will do nothing to alter history.
Rhode Island
Halloween Ghost Hunters
Gettysburg
Gettysburg, a historic Civil War town, is famous for ghosts and reportedly haunted sites where uniformed soldiers mysteriously walk through closed doors, or ornaments shift positions on a mantelpiece.
As Stoutzenberger scrolled through his photos he found several exposures showing a bright light amid a fuzzy white oval shape apparently hovering near the wall down the street.
Tour guide Ann Griffith, who has been doing ghost tours in Gettysburg for 16 years, speculated that it could be an orb -- a point of light that she says is commonly seen around haunted sites.
The tour was run by Ghosts of Gettysburg, one of about a dozen companies offering such tours of the southern Pennsylvania town. Tourists, some who believe in ghosts, come from as far away as northern Idaho and Minnesota.
Gettysburg
In Memory
Denise Borino-Quinn
Denise Borino-Quinn, who unexpectedly won a role as a mafia wife on "The Sopranos" after she attended an open casting call, has died. She was 46.
The Farmer Funeral Home in Roseland, N.J., said Borino-Quinn died Wednesday after a long battle with liver cancer. Her husband, Luke Quinn Jr., had died in March.
A Roseland native who lived in Bordentown, Borino-Quinn had no acting experience when she was hired in 2000 to play Ginny Sacrimoni, the mafia wife with a weight problem. The character quickly became popular with fans and was featured in an October 2002 episode.
When she wasn't acting, Borino-Quinn worked at a New Brunswick law firm.
Denise Borino-Quinn
In Memory
George Hickenlooper
George Hickenlooper, who won an Emmy Award in 1992 for directing "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," has died. He was 47.
In a statement Saturday, Denver mayor and Colorado Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper says his cousin died of apparent natural causes.
Los Angeles-based George Hickenlooper was in Denver for the premiere of his latest film, "Casino Jack," starring Kevin Spacey.
Other films directed by Hickenlooper include "Factory Girl," "Mayor of the Sunset Strip" and last year's documentary "Hick Town," based on footage shot while he followed his cousin around during the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
"Hearts of Darkness" was a well-received documentary about the making of the film "Apocalypse Now."
George Hickenlooper
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
