Recommended Reading
from Bruce
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (7:29 long)
Exclusive - Bill Clinton Extended Interview Pt. 1. In this complete, unedited interview, Bill Clinton reveals the cheapest way to get the economy going again.
David Weigel: Comic Timing (slate.com)
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Oct. 30 rally will ruin the election for Democrats? Hilarious.
Mark Morford: Desperate brides of the apocalypse (sfgate.com)
Way over here on the distant end of the human continuum, where the devil and the apocalypse copulate in a bed of blood, pathos and perky TV ratings, where everyone needs a hug and a shot of whisky to numb the savage karmic pain of merely being alive, we have a new reality show called, apparently, "Bridalplasty."
Paul Krugman and Robin Wells : The Slump Goes On: Why? (nybooks)
There is room for action, both monetary and fiscal. But politicians, government officials, and economists alike have suffered a failure of nerve-a failure for which millions of workers will pay a heavy price.
Jim Hightower: "CONSERVATISM" HAS TURNED INTO "CRACKPOTISM"
Not so long ago, Republican officeholders in our country were conservatives, a political philosophy which literally encompasses the notion of conservation. Those Republicans wanted to conserve important things - like the public infrastructure, the rule of law, public education, and even our environment. During the last 30 years, though, voters in the GOP's primaries systematically culled these classic conservatives from office, replacing them with right-wing, laissez-faire ideologues.
Thomas L. Friedman: Aren't We Clever? (nytimes.com)
While American Republicans were turning climate change into a wedge issue, the Chinese Communists were turning it into a work issue.
Clarence Page: GOP gingerly embraces tea party (chicagotribune.com)
Republicans can do very well in November if their fellow Republicans don't get in the way.
Froma Harrop: Why Corvettes Cost Less Than College (creators.com)
Bill Gates recently predicted: "Five years from now on the Web for free you'll be able to find the best lectures in the world. It will be better than any single university."
Dr. Andrew Weil: "Cannabis Rx: Cutting Through the Misinformation" (huffingtonpost.com)
As long ago as 1975, researchers reported that cannabinoids inhibited the growth of a certain type of lung cancer cell in test tubes and in mice. Since then, laboratory studies have shown that cannabinoids have effects against tumor cells from glioblastoma (a deadly type of brain cancer) as well as those from thyroid cancer¸ leukemia/lymphoma, and skin, uterus, breast, stomach, colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancers.
Germaine Greer: "Catholic art was once the domain of Titian. Now, we get Susan Boyle"
Even the Vatican's choice of art makes it hard to be a Catholic these days.
Roger Ebert: Review of "THIS MAN MUST DIE" (PG; An Overlooked DVD)
Claude Chabrol's "This Man Must Die" is advertised as a thriller, but that is the least of its accomplishments. It is a macabre, bizarre study of the hazards of revenge, and it thrills us not with chases or cliff-hangers (although the villain does indeed dangle momentarily from a cliff) but with the relationship between good and evil people.
roger ebert's journal: It was a very good year (Toronto Report # 7)
"There must be directors at Toronto other than Werner Herzog and Errol Morris," one reader wrote impatiently. "Try reviewing someone else's films for a change." Point taken. I intend to do that below, and say in my defense that I have already written about eight films not by my heroes. Actually, that's not so many, is it? I saw 26 of the films but feel no need to write about all of them; in a few cases, I don't want to say negative things about those still searching for buyers.
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
The 'Will Lizzie Warren take an axe...?' Edition
President Obama has appointed Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren to help organize the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The question now is whether Warren, a consumer champion, will wield the full power afforded that agency to crack down on Wall Street swindlers and speculators... Right now, the jury is still out...
There Will Be "Hell to Pay" If Elizabeth Warren Does Not Have Real Power | CommonDreams.org
Do you think Ms Warren and the CFPB will effectively protect consumers?
1.) Heck, yeah... She'll kick ass and take names...
2.) Not a chance... She's merely 'window dressing'... The Bankers rule...
3.) I haven't a frickin' clue what will happen...
Send your response to
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The marine layer thinned a bit on the coast, but out, say at the LA County Fair in Pomona, it was a mostly gray day.
New Chair Of LA Zoo Association
Betty White
Betty White's Hollywood renaissance now extends to the animal kingdom.
The 88-year-old actress has been named chairwoman of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.
In the announcement posted Wednesday on the association's website, White says promoting animal well-being is the most important thing she does.
She has worked with the zoo for 46 years and was honored at June's Beastly Ball by the association, a nonprofit that raises money for the zoo and its causes.
Betty White
Launches Website
Marlo Thomas
AOL is partnering with Marlo Thomas for a website of her own.
Thomas says the site, which officially launched Wednesday, is aimed at woman over 35 years old.
The well-known actress and social activist says the goal is for her to talk to the nation's women - and get them talking back.
She describes the site as video-heavy, including live streaming chat and user-submitted video, and says she wants to share ideas.
Marlo Thomas
Art Show
Ronnie Wood
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood says he's pleased to see his art on the walls of an Ohio gallery instead of in his crowded studio.
Wood says in the studio his paintings, pen and pencil drawings and mixed-media drawings look "like postage stamps" compared to the display that opened Tuesday at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown.
The Butler Institute says the exhibition is the first for Wood at a major American museum and runs through Nov. 21.
Youngstown's The Vindicator newspaper reports the show is dominated by celebrity portraits, including those of Stones bandmates Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts.
Ronnie Wood
$10 Million Gift
Kennedy Center
Kennedy Center chairman David Rubenstein announced a $10 million gift to the performing arts complex Wednesday to support the National Symphony Orchestra's new music director and the center's programs.
The Carlyle Group co-founder said half of the five-year commitment would be devoted to the orchestra to celebrate Christoph Eschenbach's arrival. The new music director is planning some larger scale projects, including touring and recording.
Rubenstein of Bethesda, Md., became chairman in May after serving on the board for six years. He said he wanted to honor Kaiser's work leading the center.
This is a record fundraising year for the Kennedy Center. When its fiscal year closes in October, the center expects to have brought in more than $71 million in private funds. That would be a nearly 100 percent increase since Kaiser's arrival in 2001 when the center brought in $37 million, officials at the center said.
Kennedy Center
Asian Tour Cancelled
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton canceled her Asia tour and returned home when she was denied entry at Tokyo's airport Wednesday following a drug violation in the U.S. - running afoul of strict Japanese laws that have tripped up celebrities from Paul McCartney to Diego Maradona.
The 29-year-old celebrity socialite had arrived at Narita International Airport, outside the Japanese capital, two days after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge in Las Vegas. Japan has strict immigration laws that bar entry to those convicted of drug offenses, although exceptions are occasionally granted.
Hilton was to appear Wednesday at a news conference in Tokyo to promote her fashion and fragrance lines. She arrived Tuesday evening, but was stopped at the airport and spent the night at an airport hotel after being questioned by officials.
A Japanese immigration official said she was denied entry Wednesday after a total of about six hours of questioning over the two days. The country has taken a tough line with famous figures in the past.
Paris Hilton
EBay Founder Praises But Refuses To Endorse
Meg Whitman
The EBay founder who hired Meg Whitman as his company's chief operating officer, giving her a platform on which to run for governor, said Tuesday that he would not endorse her because of Whitman's opposition to same-sex marriage and her alliance with former Gov. Pete Wilson.
Pierre Omidyar praised Whitman's leadership skills and said she would do a "great job" if elected, but said he would find it "difficult" to vote for her if he still lived in California.
"Now I have not endorsed her because we have some differences on some of the political issues," Omidyar, who is now based in Hawaii, told Bloomberg TV in an interview that will air Wednesday on "InBusiness with Margaret Brennan."
"I was disappointed in her not-correct decision, in my view, to support Proposition 8 in California. I was disappointed in her alignment with former Gov. Pete Wilson on immigration issues, who I think took some very extreme views years ago about denying benefits to illegal immigrants. And so because of those types of issues, I think we are a little bit apart, and I can't quite support her because of that."
Meg Whitman
Expected To File Chapter 11
Blockbuster
Blockbuster Inc is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy within the next few days, a source familiar with the video rental chain's plans said on Wednesday.
The Dallas-based retailer said earlier this year it would close nearly 10 percent of its stores. Customers have moved away from renting films through its outlets in favor of online services such as Netflix.
It is carrying some $900 million of debt, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company is working with debtholders on a plan, under which it would continue operating but shutter hundreds more stores, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the situation. A bankruptcy filing is expected as early as Wednesday.
Blockbuster
Examines Complaint About Skechers Cartoon
FCC
The Federal Communications Commission is looking into complaints that a new TV show based on characters first created to market Skechers shoes to kids would violate government rules intended to limit commercial material in children's programming.
The FCC is seeking public comment on a petition filed last month by the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood about the cartoon series "Zevo-3," which premieres on the cable network Nicktoons on Oct. 11. It stars three superheroes from comic books and TV ads promoting Skechers.
The group says the program would violate a requirement that cable companies air no more than 12 minutes of commercial material per hour of children's programming, and FCC rules mandating a separation between commercial content and programming.
FCC
New Judges Announced
`American Idol'
Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler will join Randy Jackson as "American Idol" judges next season, after months of turnover and speculation about the future of TV's top-rated show.
With pomp rivaling that of a U.S. Supreme Court appointment, Fox finally assembled the new pieces of the "Idol" panel that will be returned to its original three-member format for season 10.
The announcement was made before a crowd of several thousand who had gathered to try out, some cheering loudly for the cameras and all hoping to make it to the next round, when they'll be judged by the revamped panel. The mini-show was streamed live online by Fox.
`American Idol'
Attempted Arson Charged
Warner Bros.
A man who crashed a car allegedly carrying flammable liquids through a gate at the Warner Bros. Studios near Los Angeles has been charged with attempted arson.
Forty-three-year-old Michael Angel Rodriguez-Cintron was charged Tuesday with two counts of possessing a flammable material and attempting to burn. He remains jailed Wednesday.
Authorities say he was arrested Friday after plowing a Camaro through a wooden gate arm and driving around the studio backlot in Burbank.
Sgt. Robert Quesada tells the Los Angeles Daily News that the man felt he was slighted by the studio, possibly over a script, but investigators don't know if the complaint is legitimate.
Warner Bros.
Another Haggerty?
Bishop Eddie Long
As a Christian author, gospel singer and leader of one of the nation's best-known black megachurches, Bishop Eddie Long finds a wide audience for messages such as marriage is "between one man and one woman." Those words hung heavy Wednesday over accusations that the TV preacher, a married father of four, used jewelry, cars and cash to lure three young men into sexual relationships.
Lawsuits filed Tuesday and Wednesday say the young men were 17 or 18 years old at the time, enrolled in New Birth Missionary Baptist Church's ministry for teen boys.
A lawyer for Long, who writes books on heterosexual relationships and has strong ties to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s family, adamantly denied the allegations. Few at Long's 25,000-strong church will discuss the situation, and the grounds were quiet Wednesday save for a small group walking in prayer. But those who will speak say they are supporting him.
B.J. Bernstein, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, said she opened her investigation after getting a call from one of the men. The Associated Press normally does not name people who claim they are victims of sexual impropriety, but Bernstein said all three - Maurice Robinson, 20, and Anthony Flagg, 21, and Jamal Parris, 23 - have consented to making their identities public.
Bishop Eddie Long
Won't "Abandon" Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster has once again come to the defense of her close friend Mel Gibson.
Despite the release of angry voicemails Gibson allegedly left the mother of his 8-month-old daughter, Foster told More magazine that he's the "easiest, nicest person I've ever worked with... The second I met him, I said, 'I will love this man for the rest of my life.'"
Foster, co-starred with Gibson in the 1994 film "Maverick," and recently reunited with him for "The Beaver," which she also directed. The film does not have a release date.
In 2006, Foster stood up for Gibson after a police officer accused him of making anti-Semitic remarks while the actor was being arrested for driving under the influence.
Jodie Foster
Faces Cancellation After One Episode
"Lone Star"
"Lone Star" was on death watch Tuesday, a day after its debut episode drew just 4.1 million viewers on the first night of the fall TV season.
But unlike most series that experience television's ultimate indignity -- cancellation after one episode -- the Fox drama isn't being ushered out of existence to schadenfreude-fueled peals of laughter in the industry.
That's because unlike most shows consigned to the one-and-done club, the "Star" pilot drew critical acclaim and stood out from the pack of new pilots for being something different than the increasing glut of procedural hours.
That "Star" will be canceled is being treated in industry circles as fait accompli, a matter of if, not when. Tellingly, while most underwhelming TV debuts are often followed by entreaties from counter-spinning execs magnifying glimmers of hope in the ratings data -- "did you see that uptick in the last quarter-hour among women 25-34?" -- the back-channel phone calls were silent from network and studio execs. That's because the ratings for "Star" were so bad that there was no silver lining to find on this mushroom cloud.
"Lone Star"
Celebrates 200 Years
West Florida
While Texans are fiercely proud their state was once its own republic, and California celebrates the same former status on its flag, relatively few Louisianans know that a group of their forebears overthrew Spanish rule to carve out a tiny, independent nation 200 years ago. With the bicentennial coming up Thursday, historians and descendants of the rebels are hoping to change that.
"It is the most dramatic event in Louisiana history that has been so little recognized," said Sam Hyde, director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University. "We have been lost to all the Cajuns and the debauchery of New Orleans, but it is a unique event that had a lasting effect on this area and others."
In the early morning hours of Sept. 23, 1810, 75 armed rebels slipped into the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge, and in what was described as a "sharp and bloody firefight," subdued the garrison. They lowered the Spanish flag and raised the Bonnie Blue Flag - a single white star on a blue field - that had been adopted for the new nation they called West Florida.
Three days later the rebels signed a declaration of independence and set up a government for the new nation that historians say included about 4,000 people.
The republic was one of three nations that joined with the United States as it expanded west during the 19th century. The others were the republics of Texas and California.
West Florida
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