Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Hating on Ben Bernanke (New York Times)
So last week we learned that Ben Bernanke is willing to listen to sensible critics and change course. But we also learned that on economic policy, as on foreign policy, Mitt Romney has abandoned any pose of moderation and taken up residence in the right's intellectual fever swamps.
Peter Robinson: "Carly Rae Jepsen: 'I've been in love with music since I can remember'" (Guardian)
The 'Call Me Maybe' singer reveals her love of London, her favourite lyricist and her leading role with pumpkins.
Dorian Lyndskey: "Pet Shop Boys: cab drivers ask us if we've retire" (Guardian)
Three decades and 11 albums in, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe still feel like they are renting their place as unlikely pop stars.
Henry Rollins: Living All Over Me (LA Weekly)
Dinosaur Jr. in their live capacity are a band that put me in a state of such overwhelming rock that it often takes quite a while to come down. I saw them play 15 times last year. Thirty would have been 15 better. I am that much of a fan because they are the real damn deal.
Oliver Burkeman: "Woody Allen: 'To have been a lead character in a juicy scandal doesn't bother me'" (Guardian)
The New York director is unfazed by Italian criticisms of 'To Rome With Love,' nor references to the scandal surrounding his marriage. But he is still, at nearly 77, scared of dying - and won't be retiring just yet.
James Cameron: 'Hollywood gets action women wrong' (Guardian)
His movies are renowned for their huge budgets and incredible special effects. But he also writes great female roles. He talks to Hadley Freeman about what inspires his film-making.
Roger Ebert: "Toronto #5: Loopers and the looped"
Time travel, as we all know, is (1) impossible in any real-life, non-quantum sense, and (2) irresistible to filmmakers. Rian Johnson's Toronto entry "Looper" asks us to accept it as a premise, and you know what? It's handled more realistically here than anything in the plots of the average superhero movie.
Adam Kirsch: Neverending Stories (Prospect)
Do fairy tales still have appeal? The world's stubborn refusal to grant our wishes lies behind the sudden revival of old stories.
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David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
"Doug's Most Shared Facebook Post" Today
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Michelle in AZ
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
BadtotheboneBob
The proper sign
The proper sign to post on your wilderness camp door...
The doors are securely locked, but if a person is lost and needs shelter then they can get in out of the elements. There's always canned and dry food, water, sleeping bags and the propane to help out a soul in need... Just be sure to leave a message of your passing on the birch bark provided for such purposes and not leave a big mess... There's nothing really valuable inside worth stealing, but the place could save your life... Lotsa bears, some gray wolves, and cougars it's said, in that forest... Then there's 'Bigfoot'...
BadtotheboneBob
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The marine layer has returned!
In LA, after you're summoned for jury duty you check in by phone to see if you need to report the next day.
If they say don't show up it still counts as a day served.
So, 2 days down without having to put in an appearance, but I'll bet I hafta show up tomorrow - it's my birthday, and that's kinda how birthdays go around here.
Went to pick up the kid at school and my car stopped working in the left turn lane on Carson Street. There was a little shudder, and it turned itself off.
Wouldn't start at all.
Called the Auto Club, and a few minutes later a police car pulled up.
The officer was very nice, and the tow truck showed up a few minutes later.
Had an interesting conversation with the tow truck operator, and he took my poor, dead, little car to the repair shop, which, of course, was already closed for the day.
He even delivered us to the house.
And that's where we encountered the latest surprise.
Kinda thought I smelled something last night, and there was a bit more aroma by morning.
But by the time we got home, there was no question that something had curled up and died under the house.
OMG, what a stench!
Turned out to be a perfectly putrid 'possum.
Some days the fun just never stops.
Dug out some old incense, but all it did was make the house smell like something had wallowed in shit, then died, in cheap potpourri.
Next up, finding out how badly the car is gonna tip the economic canoe.
Punked
Fox & Friends
An aspiring comedian pretending to be a former supporter for President Barack Obama appeared on "Fox & Friends" morning show via satellite on Monday during a segment that suggested the staggering unemployment rate for those aged 18-24 may cost Obama the youth vote in November.
"Fox & Friends" co-host Gretchen Carlson introduced Max Rice, the comedian, as a "recent college grad who voted for President Obama" and who "just moved out of his parents' home."
Rice interrupted Carlson's introduction, saying "S'up," and then told her, "Miss USA, it's an honor." After Carlson, a former Miss America winner, corrected Rice, he said, "Miss Universe in my book." Things quickly got worse from there.
When asked why he is now supporting Mitt Romney, Rice claimed he lost a bet to a friend in a pickup basketball game.
"They were just casting a part in a show," Rice told the progressive website RawStory.com. "The first thing that shocked me is that they were that desperate to find someone that fit that category. What they were seeking is someone who voted for Obama in 2008, then somewhere in the last four years got disenfranchised and now is a huge Romney supporter. But I feel like anyone who fits that mold would also dis Romney at the same time. So, they just couldn't find anyone. They're in New York City, so they had to go find a kid in Chicago."
Fox & Friends
Dar al Gani 1058
Moon Rock
Ah, the moon. Our nearest celestial neighbor that makes an appearance in the night sky to remind us that our spinning blue orb isn't alone as we hurtle through space. But if you want to get a bit more personal with Earth's one and only natural satellite, perhaps owning a chunk of the giant, barren rock would make you feel better? If you have a cool $380,000, now's your chance.
A meteorite chunk called Dar al Gani 1058 believed to be composed of moon rock is now up for grabs. The hefty chunk of space debris is officially the 4th largest piece of the moon that resides here on Earth, and is thought to have been blown off the lunar surface after multiple asteroid impacts jarred it loose.
The rock is currently in the possession of an anonymous collector and will soon be auctioned off. A figure of up to $380,000 is expected to be the final bid, meaning it's likely to be snapped up by a high-profile museum - but nothing is stopping a private Moon lover from swooping in with some serious cash. As of this writing, the rock's price stands at $170,000, and bidding will officially end on October 13.
Moon Rock
Guest Hosts
'GMA'
Stephen Colbert and the cast of "Modern Family" are next up as "Good Morning America" guest hosts for Robin Roberts, who is scheduled to undergo a bone marrow transplant this week.
The surging ABC morning show hasn't missed a beat since Roberts exited on Aug. 30. The co-host has MDS, a blood and bone marrow disease, and is out indefinitely for treatment that includes a transplant of marrow donated by her sister, Sally-Ann Roberts. Robin Roberts had to undergo chemotherapy before the procedure, said Tom Cibrowski, the show's senior executive producer.
Cibrowski offered more details about the schedule of substitutes for Roberts, which is expected to include Oprah Winfrey and newswomen Barbara Walters, Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer sometime next month.
Celebrities will be deployed in much the same way as Jessica Simpson was one day last week, appearing on the pop culture-heavy second hour alongside show regulars George "Judas" Stephanopoulos, Josh Elliott, Lara Spencer and Amy Robach.
'GMA'
Nominees Named
American Pop Music Hall of Fame
The American Pop Music Hall of Fame won't be open until next summer, but the first round of nominees to be inducted into the western Pennsylvania-based hall has been announced.
The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra are among the top 40 nominees.
The American Pop Music Hall of Fame is scheduled to open next July in a temporary home in what's now a cafe in Canonsburg, just outside Pittsburgh. Fundraising is under way for a permanent building.
Music fans and people in the industry can vote for their favorite nominees online starting later this week. The final list of 20 inductees will be inducted next May. Eligible artists must have lodged a national hit between 1946 and 1975.
Canonsburg calls itself the country's "small town music capital" and boasts native sons including Perry Como, Bobby Vinton and the Four Coins.
American Pop Music Hall of Fame
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"
Sean Combs
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is getting one of the last guest stars you would expect.
Hip-hop mogul Sean Combs has signed on to appear on the FX comedy's upcoming eighth season, the network told TheWrap.
Details on Combs' appearance are scarce; it is not yet known how many episodes he will appear on, or when he will appear on the show.
Combs, variously referred to as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, proved he had comedy chops in the 2010 film "Get Him to the Greek," as record executive Sergio Roma. He's also appeared in guest stints on "CSI: Miami" and "Hawaii Five-0."
Sean Combs
Agrees To Pay Rent
Amy Pinto
Thomas Kinkade's girlfriend is agreeing to pay $11,000 a month to rent the San Francisco Bay area mansion where she had lived with the late artist, but his paintings and possessions remain the focus of a bitter estate fight.
The San Jose Mercury News reports that Kinkade's widow, Nanette, sought permission Monday from a probate judge to remove all the furniture and art from the 6,000-square-foot home.
Kinkade's girlfriend, Amy Pinto, claims the popular painter wrote two hand-written notes before his April death from an alcohol and prescription drug overdose that bequeathed her both the house and $10 million to establish a museum of his work on the property.
Judge Thomas Cain told the two women to come back to court on Dec. 3 with a list of items to which they feel entitled.
Amy Pinto
Charged In Nashville
Shaun White
Two-time Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Shaun White faces charges of public intoxication and vandalism, accused of drunkenly destroying a phone at a Nashville hotel and ending up in the hospital after he hit his head.
Officers responded to the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel at 2 a.m. Sunday after a drunken man identified as the 26-year-old White pulled a fire alarm, forcing the hotel to evacuate all guests. An employee also reported seeing White destroy a hotel phone.
White tried to leave the hotel in a cab before being stopped by a hotel guest who told the driver police had been called. According topolice, White kicked at the man before running away. The man chased him and they collided when White turned around. White, who is also one of the world's top skateboarders, fell back and hit his head against a fence, police said.
White, who appeared to be drunk, was given the opportunity to sign misdemeanor citations and refused, police said. A spokeswoman for Baptist Hospital said White was treated there and released on Monday before being arrested and booked by police. A mug shot released by police shows White with a black eye.
White was released by police late Monday afternoon on his own recognizance. His court date was set for Oct. 10.
Shaun White
Traffic Citation, Car Towed
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes had another run-in with the law when she was pulled over for driving on a suspended license by a Southern California airport.
Burbank's Bob Hope Airport spokesman Victor Gill says airport police cited the actress and impounded her car Sunday.
Bynes' driving privileges had been suspended after she was charged with hit-and-run in connection with two traffic crashes.
Los Angeles prosecutors accused Bynes of leaving the scene of two accidents, one on April 10 and another on Aug. 4, without providing proper information. The first incident occurred just days after Bynes was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. She has pleaded not guilty in that case.
Amanda Bynes
Producer Granted Bail
Uganda
A Ugandan court releases on bail a British producer who was jailed for staging a play about a gay businessman.
Lawyer Francis Onyango said Monday that David Cecil, who spent the weekend in a prison near the Ugandan capital, was granted bail by a magistrate who kept his passport.
This means that Cecil cannot leave the East African country until his case is decided. Officials charge that he disobeyed the orders of the Uganda Media Council when he staged "The River and the Mountain" in Kampala theaters last month. Cecil will return to court on Oct. 18, according to Onyango.
He faces two years in jail if convicted.
Uganda
Probation Court Appearance Delayed
Chris Brown
Chris Brown's probation hearing was pushed back to give authorities more time to complete a probation report in the singer's assault case.
The R&B singer had been scheduled to appear in court on Monday for the first time in more than a year, but the Los Angeles District Attorney's office says the proceedings are being delayed for a week.
A judge has ordered an audit of Brown's community service after a prosecutor said there were some questions about how many hours he had actually performed.
Chris Brown
Custody Case Closed
Palin
A custody case over one of Sarah Palin's grandchildren has been closed.
State court records show the case between Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston involving their son, Tripp, was closed earlier this month after a lack of activity.
Johnston attorney Rex Butler says the best way to interpret this is that the parties are likely to work out their differences on their own.
Palin
Found Under Farmer's Field
Roman Mosaic
A giant poolside mosaic featuring intricate geometric patterns has been unearthed in southern Turkey, revealing the far-reaching influence of the Roman Empire at its peak.
The mosaic, which once decorated the floor of a bath complex, abuts a 25-foot (7-meter)-long pool, which would have been open to the air, said Michael Hoff, a University of Nebraska, Lincoln art historian and director of the mosaic excavation. The find likely dates to the third or fourth century, Hoff said. The mosaic itself is an astonishing 1,600 square feet (149 square meters) - the size of a modest family home.
The first hint that something stunning lay underground in southern Turkey came in 2002, when Purdue University classics professor Nick Rauh walked through a freshly-plowed farmer's field near the ancient city of Antiochia ad Cragum. The plow had churned up bits of mosaic tile, Hoff said. Rauh consulted other archaeologists, including experts at the local museum in Alanya, Turkey. The museum did not have funds to excavate more than a sliver of the mosaic, so archaeologists left the site alone.
Last year, with a new archaeological permit for the site in hand, museum archaeologists invited Hoff and his team to complete the dig.
So far, the researchers have revealed about 40 percent of the mosaic. The floor is in "pristine" condition, Hoff said in a university video about the dig. It would have fronted an open-air marble swimming pool flanked by porticos.
Roman Mosaic
In Memory
John Ingle
John Ingle, who played the ruthless patriarch Edward Quartermaine for two decades on daytime soap opera "General Hospital," has died at age 84.
The actor died on Sunday "surrounded by his family in California... after a courageous battle with cancer," according to a statement bytelevision network ABC. He filmed his last episode of "General Hospital" on August 24.
Ingle was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1928, and his family moved throughout the Midwest before settling in California when Ingle was a teenager.
He attended Occidental College in Los Angeles and went on to teach drama at Beverly Hills High School and Hollywood High School for a combined 30 years. His students included Richard Dreyfuss, Barbara Hershey, David Schwimmer and Nicolas Cage.
Ingle pursued an acting career after retiring from teaching in 1985. In addition to his longstanding role on "General Hospital", Ingle's television credits include "Cheers," "The Drew Carey Show," "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Dallas."
Ingle married actress and singer Grace-Lynne Martin in 1954, and they were married for 57 years until her death earlier this year from natural causes. Together they had five daughters and nine grandchildren.
John Ingle
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