Recommended Reading
from Bruce
David Bruce: Wise Up! Children (athensnews.com)
William S. Burroughs was well aware that children find it easy to pick up languages. When he was living in Mexico, he would speak to a shopkeeper, who would then ask Mr. Burroughs' 4-year-old son, "What did he say?" And his 4-year-old son would tell the shopkeeper, in Spanish, what his father had said.
Mark Morford: Burn a Bible, save a kitten
Way out there on the wicked, broken fringes of society, those ugly and savage edges that always seem to be moving ever closer to the mainstream and appear more dangerous to the collective soul than ever, there live some masterful miscreants of the human drama, bizarre creatures so moldy and low they can't but help you see the world anew.
Tim Rutten: Paul Conrad was powerful, inspiring -- and a friend (latimes.com)
He never lost his sense of outrage. My friend Paul Conrad, who died Saturday at 86, was the premier editorial cartoonist of his generation and, for many years, this newspaper's most visible public face. Outrage informed his journalism and animated his art. He woke up each morning angry about some new injustice and allowed sleep to overtake him each night only so that he could get up mad the next day and do it all again.
Jim Hightower: LABOR DAY, AND THE WORK WE HAVE TO DO
Let's see where we are: 14.6 million people are officially out of work - 7.3 million of them for more than half a year. In the past two years, 55 percent of Americans have directly felt the sting of our country's ongoing Jobs Depression - 32 percent of this majority have lost jobs, 28 percent have had their hours involuntarily reduced, 23 percent have been forced to take pay cuts, and 11 percent have had their jobs converted from full-time to part-time.
Stephen Moss: "Remembering the blitz: 'Everything got shared, especially if someone's house got hit'" (guardian.co.uk)
As part of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the blitz, Vera and Stan Caley recall the night in the East End of London when the bombing began.
Stephen Moss: "Remembering the blitz: 'We were terrified but just wanted to be together'" (guardian.co.uk)
As part of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the blitz, Dolly Lloyd recalls how she and her friends survived the bombing of Liverpool.
Stephen Moss: "Remembering the blitz: 'The sky was completely red'" (guardian.co.uk)
As part of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the blitz, Alan and Dorothy Roberts remember the many raids in Manchester.
Stephen Moss: "Remembering the blitz: 'The bomb sounded like a train going through a tunnel'" (guardian.co.uk)
As part of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the blitz, Lew Fox recalls his lucky escape in north London.
Stephen Moss: "Remembering the blitz: 'They bombed in straight lines, east to west, south to north'" (guardian.co.uk)
As part of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the blitz, Alan Hartley tells Stephen Moss how the Luftwaffe tried to obliterate Coventry.
Stephen Moss: "Remembering the blitz: 'I heard digging. Then there was a ray of light'" (guardian.co.uk)
As part of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the blitz, Dorothy James recalls how a bomb fell on her London home.
Stephen Moss: "Remembering the blitz: 'I took my ambulance out when others wouldn't'" (guardian.co.uk)
As part of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the blitz, Marguerite Crowther recalls her experience of driving ambulances in London's West End during the bombing.
Stephen Moss: "Remembering the blitz: 'We tried to carry on as if we didn't care'" (guardian.co.uk)
As part of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the blitz, Mary Warschauer remembers working for Churchill and dodging the bombs in London.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Odd Bedfellows?' Edition...
On Labor Day, the Michigan's largest construction trade union (Carpenters and Millwrights with 18,000 members) broke ranks with other major unions (UAW, AFL-CIO, AFSCME) and endorsed the GOP candidate, Rick Snyder, for governor instead of the Democratic candidate, Virg Bernero.
Breaking with Dems, carpenters union planning to back Snyder | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Is it ever appropriate for a Union to back a GOP candidate?
(Please feel free to comment with yer response)
1.) No! Never! _________
2.) Yes, sometimes _______
Send your response to
wrote:
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Link from RJ
Dogs on Logs
Hi
Well, really, just for fun! :-) Or maybe I am having an episode of
some kind.....
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Coastal Eddy's holding tough.
The kid's back to school.
New TV Awards Show
Paley Center
The Paley Center for Media announced plans Wednesday for an awards telecast that will debut in spring 2012 in New York. It was developed with the help of TV, advertising and new-media executives.
The center said the new awards will take a "fresh and distinctive approach" that involves the public in the selection process and reaches beyond TV by celebrating video across all platforms - an apparent reference to online and mobile distribution.
Details regarding the awards categories, as well as the nominations and voting process remain under discussion, Paley Center President and CEO Pat Mitchell said in a statement.
The new awards come after several years of declining or stagnant ratings for the prime-time Emmy Awards, which aired its 62nd ceremony last month. An attempt to overhaul the show by reducing the more than two-dozen categories presented during the telecast failed after guild and other industry opposition.
Paley Center
Larry King's Replacement
Piers Morgan
British tabloid veteran Piers Morgan, hired by CNN to start as Larry King's replacement as a prime-time interviewer in January, promised that he "came here to win."
CNN nailed down the final piece of its prime-time makeover on Wednesday, after months where it was clear the "America's Got Talent" panelist was its top choice. King, who announced in June he was leaving "Larry King Live," will have his final show on Dec. 16.
Negotiations dragged while CNN worked out a deal that allows Morgan to continue on "America's Got Talent" and his British talk show, "Piers Morgan's Life Stories," on Britain's ITV.
Morgan's ascent to American fame has astonished many in Britain, where he is remembered - not always fondly - as a high-flying tabloid newspaper editor whose career was tainted by scandal.
Piers Morgan
Long-Lost Movie Rolls Again
John Ford
A long-lost silent movie by legendary US filmmaker John Ford has had its first screening in more than eight decades -- after being unearthed in New Zealand.
"Upstream", made by the veteran filmmaker in 1927, was dusted off and screened in Beverly Hills this month at the home of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Oscars.
The black and white film, which tells the story of a group of artists, was among some 75 American movies -- features and shorts, documentaries and even cartoons, dating from 1898 to 1929 -- left undiscovered for years.
For film students, "Upstream" will not revolutionise Ford's reputation -- but it reflects the influence in his silent-era movies of German expressionism, notably F.W. Murnau, who was also brought to Hollywood by Fox.
John Ford
Film Re-Released
Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger thinks that the Rolling Stones were "sloppy" when they performed in the 1970s, he has revealed.
The frontman was speaking at the premiere of the digitally remastered version of Ladies And Gentlemen ... The Rolling Stones, the 1973 film of Stones concerts.
He said of the footage: "Everyone's very together and on. I can remember the Rolling Stones being very, kind of, lackadaisical, very sloppy band on stage. But this was obviously not the case on this day."
The new version of the film, which made its world premiere on Tuesday in London, shows the band belting out classics like Brown Sugar, You Can't Always Get What You Want and Jumpin' Jack Flash.
Rolling Stones
Because Rupert Isn't Conservative Enough
RightNetwork
Actor Kelsey Grammer (R-Family Values) is an investor and public face supporting a new network that launched Wednesday with entertainment designed to appeal to political conservatives.
RightNetwork, whose first series, "Running," follows the fortunes of a couple of Tea Party-backed candidates for public office, is also trying a new model to establish itself. It is initially making programming available through video-on-demand services, the Internet and through mobile phones, bypassing the route of traditional TV networks with a spot on channel lineups.
Investors hope that the support of a conservative audience that has made Fox News Channel and radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh (R-Viagra) successful could also work for entertainment programming, said Kevin McFeeley, RightNetwork's president.
Grammer (R-Every Sperm Is Sacred), the Emmy-winning star of "Frasier," said the network represented a desire by him and some political friends "to stop allowing people who hate us to define us."
RightNetwork
Ruling Doubles 'Nash Bridges' Award
Don Johnson
A Los Angeles judge's ruling has more than doubled Don Johnson's jury award for profits from the TV series "Nash Bridges" to more than $51 million.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Stern ruled that the actor is due more than $28 million in interest from the show.
The ruling comes two months after a jury determined that Johnson, who owned half the copyright to the series, was owed $23.2 million in profits.
"Nash Bridges" aired for six seasons on CBS. Johnson sued three firms, including Rysher Entertainment, in February 2009 to recoup profits he claimed were withheld.
Don Johnson
National Lampoon CEO Gets 45 Months
Daniel Laikin
The former CEO of entertainment company National Lampoon Inc. has been sentenced in Philadelphia to nearly four years in prison in a stock price manipulation scheme.
Federal prosecutors say 48-year-old Daniel Laikin plotted to artificially inflate the company's stock price by paying people to buy shares. They dropped a count of securities fraud last fall when Laikin pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
Prosecutors say Laikin and others hoped to push the share price from $2 to $5 to boost the company's attractiveness in a strategic partnership or acquisition. They say the company was removed from the American Stock Exchange and its share price plummeted.
The company owned the rights to the "Vacation" and "Animal House" movies.
Daniel Laikin
Reno Oopsie
Rosemary Vandenbroucke
Authorities in Nevada say a Hong Kong fashion model is facing a felony drug charge following her arrest at the Burning Man festival, along with misdemeanor vehicle charges after crashing a rented motor home into Reno's "Biggest Little City in the World" arch.
Pershing County Sheriff Ron Skinner said Wednesday that Rosemary Vandenbroucke was arrested about 9:30 a.m. Sunday with a small amount of ecstasy at the counterculture festival in the Black Rock desert.
The 28-year-old was charged with possession of a controlled substance and released on $15,000 bail with an Oct. 19 court date.
Reno police Sgt. Jim Stegmaier says Vandenbroucke faces several misdemeanor charges after the motor home crash Monday afternoon in downtown Reno.
Rosemary Vandenbroucke
Judge Calls Lawsuit "Annoying"
Nicollette Sheridan
ABC suffered a few pre-trial setbacks on Tuesday related to former "Desperate Housewives" actress Nicollette Sheridan's $20 million wrongful-termination lawsuit against the network and series creator Marc Cherry.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Allen White denied the network's attempt to knock out a claim based on deficiencies in the complaint. Sheridan sued ABC and Cherry for assault and discrimination back in April claiming she was fired after she complained about Cherry striking her on the set.
ABC, which is vigorously defending the suit, argued that one of the causes of action was uncertain because it combined three distinct claims (discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and age).
Also at the hearing, ABC attorney Adam Levin told the judge that the two sides had not agreed to mediation. That means this dispute could unfold in public, inspiring courtroom theatrics worthy of a "Desperate Housewives" episode.
Nicollette Sheridan
Fined $500
Snooki
Calling her "a Lindsay Lohan wannabe," a judge has fined "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi $500 and ordered her to perform community service after she pleaded guilty to disturbing others on a New Jersey beach in July.
Her lawyer said Wednesday that Polizzi was under the influence of alcohol when she stumbled around the beach in Seaside Heights, using loud language that disturbed other beachgoers.
Polizzi apologized to police and anyone else she bothered, claiming her behavior was not scripted as part of the show, even though cameras were rolling.
Municipal Court Judge Damian G. Murray gave her credit for one day of community service that she spent caring for abused and neglected animals at a zoo Sunday.
Snooki
Military Bans Video Game
"Medal of Honor"
Military bases across the U.S. have banned the sale of a new video game that lets a player pretend to be a Taliban fighter and "shoot" U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Gamers are scoffing at the decision, saying that advanced technology has made it commonplace in the gaming world to let players switch sides and play the bad guy.
"Medal of Honor" by Electronic Arts, a major game developer based in Redwood City, Calif., hits stores Oct. 12.
After public protests, including by British Defence Secretary Liam Fox, U.S. military officials decided not to stock the game in any of the nearly 300 base exchange shops.
"Medal of Honor"
Illegal Gardening
Makeda Jahnesta Marley
The youngest child of reggae legend Bob Marley has admitted growing marijuana in her Philadelphia-area home.
The Daily Local News of West Chester reports 29-year-old Makeda Jahnesta Marley pleaded guilty Tuesday to having nearly a dozen large marijuana plants inside her home in Caln, about 30 miles west of Philadelphia.
Marley was arrested in 2008 after police say they found her removing plants from her basement when officers arrived on a domestic dispute call.
Sentencing is scheduled for October. Marley's attorney, Thomas Schindler, told The Associated Press he will seek probation.
Makeda Jahnesta Marley
Xbox Blocks W.Va. Town
Fort Gay
Microsoft Corp. and the chief rules enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizing to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old gamer accused of violating the online gaming service's code of conduct by publicly declaring he's from Fort Gay - a name the company considered offensive.
The town's name is real. But when Josh Moore tried to tell Seattle-based Microsoft and the enforcement team at Xbox Live, they wouldn't take his word for it. Or Google it. Or check the U.S. Postal Service website for a ZIP code.
Instead, they suspended his gaming privileges for a few days until Moore could convince them the location in his profile, "fort gay WV," wasn't a joke or a slur: It's an actual community of about 800 in Wayne County, along West Virginia's western border with Kentucky.
"At first I thought, 'Wow, somebody's thinking I live in the gayest town in West Virginia or something.' I was mad. ... It makes me feel like they hate gay people," said Moore, an unemployed factory worker who plays shooters like Medal of Honor, Call of Duty and Ghost Recon under the gamertag Joshanboo.
Fort Gay
Prime=Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for Aug. 30-Sept. 5. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday), NBC, 11.5 million.
2. "America's Got Talent" (Wednesday), NBC, 10.47 million.
3. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 9.14 million.
4. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 8.92 million.
5. "NCIS," CBS, 8.17 million.
6. "Big Brother 12" (Wednesday), CBS, 7.87 million.
7. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 7.84 million.
8. "Big Brother 12" (Sunday), CBS, 7.19 million.
9. "60 Minutes," CBS, 7.05 million.
10. "Wipeout" (Tuesday), ABC, 6.93 million.
11. "Big Brother 12" (Thursday), CBS, 6.54 million.
12. "Bachelor Pad," ABC, 6.21 million.
13. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 6.17 million.
14. "Minute to Win it" (Wednesday), NBC, 6.15 million.
15. "Law & Order: SVU," NBC, 6.11 million.
16. "CSI: Miami," CBS, 6.04 million.
17. "CMA Music Festival," ABC, 6.02 million.
18. "CSI: NY," CBS, 6.01 million.
19. "Soy tu Duena" (Tuesday), Univision, 5.94 million.
20. "Minute to Win It" (Tuesday), NBC, 5.92 million.
Ratings
In Memory
Noah Howard
Noah Howard, a New Orleans-born musician who spent most of his career in Europe, has died.
Howard, 67, died unexpectedly on Sept. 3 while vacationing in southern France, said his agent, Florian Eisele.
Howard was born in New Orleans and performed as a young man with Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong, Eisele said.
Becoming a driver of the early Free Jazz movement, Noah quickly developed into one of the world's most celebrated alto saxophonists. Eisele said. Howard debuted as a leader for the ESP label with Noah Howard Quartet in 1966.
Disenchanted by the lack of appreciation for musical avant-garde in the United states, Noah moved in 1972 to France and in 1983 to Belgium, Eisele said. Howard recorded more than 28 records, including "Voyage" in 2010.
His wife of 30 years, Dr. Lieve Fransen, said on Wednesday the last recording was inspired by Howard's travels and the many musicians he worked with. Fransen said she and Howard met when she was working in Africa and Howard visited the area.
A funeral service will be held in the Royal Chapel in Brussels on Friday, Fransen said.
Noah Howard
In Memory
Michael Dennison
Michael Dennison, who designed costumes for such films as "Eat Pray Love," "The Book of Eli" and "The Spirit," died September 2 from a brain aneurysm during a film shoot in Pittsburgh. He was 58.
Dennison was working in the production office of the film "One for the Money" when he was stricken. He was admitted into UPMC Mercy hospital and died two days later.
Dennison's death stunned the cast and crew of the film, which was preparing to wrap principal photography.
During a career that spanned three decades, Dennison also worked on such films as the September 24 release "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," "The Eye" (2008), "W." (2008), "World Trade Center" (2006) and "Almost Famous" (2000). He received a Primetime Emmy nomination this year for his work on the Lifetime TV movie "Georgia O'Keeffe."
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Center for Organ Recovery & Education in Pittsburgh. Dennison donated five of his organs to recipients in three states.
Michael Dennison
In Memory
John Kluge
John Kluge, once listed as the wealthiest man in America, who built an investment in a radio station into a broadcasting empire that was the forerunner to Fox Television, has died. He was 95.
In 1983, Kluge took Metromedia Co. private in a leveraged buyout and then sold off properties piecemeal for $4.65 billion, including the 1985 sale of seven big-city television stations to Rupert Murdoch for $2 billion. The stations, including ones in New York, Los Angeles, Los Angeles and Houston, served as the basis for Murdoch's Fox television network.
Kluge also owned the Ice Capades and the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, Playbill magazine and several other enterprises and was known for giving money away, donating to several causes, especially related to education.
In 2001, Kluge gave his 7,400-acre estate, including historic Morven Farm, 10 working farms and more than two dozen houses and modernized farm buildings, to the University of Virginia with the stipulation that he be able to live there until his death. The estate was valued at more than $45 million.
Kluge got into broadcasting after serving in World War II, buying his first radio station in 1946.
Later he expanded into television, and his holdings, Metromedia Broadcasting, eventually grew into seven TV stations and 14 radio stations.
After the Fox buyout, Kluge got into cellular telephones and restaurants, among other businesses. He owned the Ponderosa Steak House, Bonanza and Steak & Ale chains. He also had a 70 percent stake in Orion Pictures.
In 2004, Kluge pledged $1 million to create scholarships for now middle-aged people who were denied an education when public schools shut down in the late 1950s to avoid racial integration. The first recipients were named in 2005.
Kluge also donated more than $100 million to Columbia University, his alma mater, for minority scholarships and faculty diversity efforts, and $60 million to the Library of Congress.
Kluge was born in Chemnitz, Germany, on Sept. 21, 1914. His father, an engineer, moved the family to the United States in 1922 and they settled in Detroit. Kluge worked for a time on a Ford assembly line.
During the Depression, Kluge enrolled in Columbia and earned an economics degree in 1937. He worked in Army intelligence during World War II.
Kluge had three children from his marriages to Theodora Thomson, Tolanda Zucco and Patricia Rose Gay, which all ended in divorce. He later married Maria Tussi.
John Kluge
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