Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Chris Rock - Message for White Voters (YouTube)
Barack Obama is white.
Judd Legum: Last-Minute Ohio Directive Could Trash Legal Votes And Swing The Election (ThinkProgress)
The directive, issued Friday, lays out the requirements for submitting a provisional ballot. The directive includes a form which puts the burden on the voter to correctly record the form of ID provided to election officials. Husted also instructed election officials that if the form is not filled out correctly by a voter, the ballot should not be counted. According to a lawsuit filed by voting rights advocates, this is "contrary to a court decision on provisional ballots a week ago and contrary to statements made by attorneys for Husted at an Oct. 24 court hearing."
Rachel Cooke: The art of Judy Chicago (Guardian)
In the 1970s, feminists decided to take on the men running the art world. Judy Chicago, with her graphic depictions of the female body, was at the forefront. Rachel Cooke talks to the artist who, 40 years on, is about to have her 'British moment.'
Jennie Hendrix: The Deep, Dark Forest (Slate)
Philip Pullman retells the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Jessica Roake: So Long, Holden (Slate)
High schoolers need a new 'Catcher in the Rye.' Luckily David Mitchell wrote one.
Molly Horan: 23 Creative Ways To Tell The World You're Having a Baby (Buzzfeed)
First you're going to need some tiny shoes…
Marc Dion: Sons and Daughters (Creators Syndicate)
If your parent is in a nursing home for more than a month, and you answer honor's call and go see Mom or Dad every night after work, you will meet others like yourself - gray-haired, serious people who go every day, who have understanding husbands and wives.
Lucy Mangan: where there's books there's brass (Guardian)
'We are,' Toryboy says, 'sitting on a potential goldmine.'
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog
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."
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Bosko Suggests
Terraced Pools
Have a great week.
Bosko.
Thanks, Bosko!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Team Coco
Conan
If you search for random local newscasts reporting with the phrase "The final days of the campaign can get a little salty", how many results will you get? Way more than you think, it turns out.:
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Unpleasantly hot.
Particularly happy to see no more not-so-thinly-veiled racist ads from the always self-serving
Mary Whitaker Bono Baxley Mack (McGillicudy).
She retained Sonny's surname while married to Glenn Baxley (didn't want to confuse the voters), but has adopted
her current husband's show-biz name of Mack.
Confirming that politics is show business for homely people, the always self-serving
Connie Mack IV was born Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy IV, and still uses that name in his 'private' life.
Gotta wonder about a politician's objectives if he doesn't want the peasants - er - constituents to be familiar with his real name, and prefers to build off a dead guy's reputation and name.
Hey - that's just like his current wife.
Impertinent Factoid: After Bono's death, Mary told an interviewer from TV Guide that Sonny had been addicted to and was seriously abusing prescription drugs, mainly Vicodin and Valium. Though Mary claimed that Sonny's drug use caused the accident, the autopsy performed by the Douglas County Coroner showed no indication of any substances or alcohol.
Source
Alters Lyrics
Jay-Z
Jay-Z has a fix for his lyrics that meets parental guidance requirements - and President Barack Obama's approval.
The rapper and producer performed his hit "99 Problems" as he and Bruce Springsteen opened for an Obama rally in Columbus, Ohio. He changed a key word that rhymes with "witch" to make his own political endorsement. He sang: "I got 99 problems but Mitt ain't one."
Springsteen performed first, as he did earlier Monday in Madison, Wis.
Jay-Z
Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television
J.J. Abrams
The Producers Guild of America announced it will honor award-winning television and film producer and director J.J. Abrams with the 2013 Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television.
The award will be presented to Abrams at the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony on January 26 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
Abrams co-created his first show, "Felicity," in 1998 with Matt Reeves. Since then, he has created many of the small screen's most successful and distinctive shows, including "Alias," "Lost" and "Fringe." He won a pair of Emmys for "Lost" in 2005 and has received other nominations for that show as well as "Alias."
Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have also branched into film, rebooting both the "Mission Impossible" and "Star Trek" franchises.
J.J. Abrams
Fundraiser For Devastated Seaside Heights
MTV
MTV, home of the "Jersey Shore" reality show, plans to air a fundraising special to help rebuild New Jersey's devastated shoreline.
The one-hour program will air Nov. 15 from MTV's Times Square studio in New York City. It will feature the cast of "Jersey Shore" along with other guests.
The network said Monday the program will solicit contributions for the rebuilding of Seaside Heights, the heart of the Jersey shore and the principal setting for the "Jersey Shore" series.
For this effort, MTV will be partnering with Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that provides design and construction services to communities in need.
MTV
Newly Found Story To Be Published
Truman Capote
A newly discovered work by American author Truman Capote detailing a Mediterranean cruise with the rich and famous is set to be published in Vanity Fair, the magazine said on Monday.
The vignette "Yachts and Things," which will appear in the December issue available across the United States on Tuesday, is described by experts as one of the missing chapters in Capote's unfinished autobiographical novel "Answered Prayers."
The novel, which has only a few surviving chapters, scandalized many of Capote's high-society friends as he put their often-tumultuous and embarrassing private lives on public display.
The manuscript, which appears to be an early draft, was discovered by Vanity Fair contributing editor Sam Kashner while doing research on "Answered Prayers" in Capote's papers held by the New York Public Library. "Answered Prayers" was published posthumously in the United States in 1987.
Truman Capote
Free Outdoor Concert
Aerosmith
Thousands of fans filled a Boston street to watch Aerosmith play a concert in front of the building where band members once lived.
People hung out windows, crowded fire escapes and stood on roofs on Commonwealth Avenue to watch a show meant to encourage voting and promote the band's new album, which comes out Tuesday on Election Day.
The band played songs including "Walk this Way," ''Sweet Emotion" and some of their new album, "Music from Another Dimension!"
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was among those attending Monday's show, getting on stage after the band arrived in an amphibious tour vehicle.
Aerosmith
Pragmatic Woman
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne says she had a double mastectomy after learning she carries a gene that increases the risk of developing breast cancer.
Osbourne told Hello! magazine that "I didn't want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me."
The 60-year-old "America's Got Talent" judge, who had colon cancer a decade ago, said that without the surgery, "the odds are not in my favour."
She added: "It's not 'pity me,' it's a decision I made that's got rid of this weight that I was carrying around."
Sharon Osbourne
Seeks Removal From 'Flight'
Budweiser
Denzel Washington's character in "Flight" drinks a lot throughout the film, but his portrayal of a highly functioning alcoholic pilot isn't going down well with brewing company Anheuser-Busch or the distributor of Stolichnaya vodka.
Anheuser-Busch said Monday that it has asked Paramount Pictures Corp. to obscure or remove the Budweiser logo from the film, which at one point shows Washington's character drinking the beer while behind the wheel.
Budweiser is hardly the only alcoholic beverage shown in "Flight," which earned $25 million in its debut weekend and is likely to remain popular with audiences. Washington's character frequently drinks vodka throughout the film, with several different brands represented. William Grant & Sons, which distributes Stolichnaya in the United States, also said it didn't license its brand for inclusion in the film and wouldn't have given permission if asked.
Rob McCarthy, vice president of Budweiser, wrote in a statement to The Associated Press that the company wasn't contacted by Paramount or the production company of director Robert Zemeckis for permission to use the beer in "Flight."
Despite the companies' dissatisfaction with their inclusion in the film, experts say there is little they can do about it legally.
Budweiser
More Rupert Antics
War Widow
An Army staff sergeant's widow says in a lawsuit against National Geographic and Fox that a documentary from the companies depicted her husband's dead body and showed a private family photo she believes was taken from his laptop after he died.
The suit seeks unspecified damages and to ban Nat Geo and Fox from using military family members' images, names or likenesses for commercial purposes without their permission.
Donnice Roberts, of Carthage, Texas, has two children with Staff Sergeant Kevin Casey Roberts. He was killed by an IED in 2008 during what was to be his last mission in Afghanistan, after two tours in Iraq. He enlisted two months after the September 11 2001 attacks, and received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
A year after he died, according to the lawsuit, she learned from another service member that he had seen a documentary called "Inside: Afghan ER" on the Armed Forces Network, broadcast in German, that depicted her husband's dead body. It also featured a family photo from a trip to Disney World that she believes was taken from his laptop.
The lawsuit said the lawsuit was produced and distributed by the National Geographic Society and further promoted and distributed by Fox Cable Networks, Inc. and Fox Entertainment Group, Inc. through the cable network NatGeo and affiliated websites. The suit said it aired worldwide.
War Widow
Controversial Promo Being Modified
Guns N' Roses
A Las Vegas resort criticized for a suggestive ad campaign promoting Guns N' Roses shows is apologizing for the flap and changing the artwork.
Ads for the band's four-week run at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino depicted a disheveled woman who appeared to be sexually assaulted beneath the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign.
The artwork came to the attention of county commissioners after they temporarily renamed a street Paradise City Road in honor of the band's famous song.
The Hard Rock issued a statement saying it regrets that the campaign offended members of the community, and it started modifying the ads Friday.
Guns N' Roses
Art World Slams Sculpture Sale
"Draped Seated Woman"
Leading figures in the art world, including Danny Boyle who oversaw the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, have urged a council in east London to reconsider plans to sell off a valuable Henry Moore sculpture in order to pay its bills.
Tower Hamlets is expected to decide on Wednesday whether to go ahead with the proposed sale of Moore's 1957 bronze "Draped Seated Woman", which is around eight feet tall, weighs over 1.5 metric tonnes and is estimated to be worth up to 20 million pounds ($32 million).
The council is considered one of London's most deprived areas and faces budget cuts of 100 million pounds over the next three years.
While local authorities across Britain struggle with painful spending cuts to reduce the budget deficit, prices for top works of art have soared in recent years making them more expensive to insure.
Moore, the son of a miner with left-wing political leanings, sold the work in the 1960s for below its market value on the understanding that it should be put on public display for Londoners to enjoy.
"Draped Seated Woman"
Crushed By Giant Crucifix
David Jimenez
A deeply religious man in upstate New York who believes a church's giant crucifix cured his wife of cancer had his own leg amputated after the same crucifix collapsed on top of him.
CBS New York reports that the accident occurred when 45-year-old David Jimenez was cleaning the 600-pound crucifix, which was allegedly held up by a single screw. Jimenez has been a frequent visitor to the Church of St. Patrick in Newburgh, N.Y., where he made regular stops to pray for his wife, who is now cancer-free.
"The screw is useless. It supported no anchoring system," said Jimenez's attorney Kevin Kitson. "David attributed the cure to his devotion to that cross."
Kitson told the Digital Journal that Jimenez is planning to sue the church for $3 million after losing his leg, because he will not be able to return to his job at a pizza restaurant. The church has reportedly raised about $7,000 for Jimenez's recovery effort so far.
David Jimenez
A Major Highlight
Chris Christie
New Jersey's famously tough-talking governor finally got a hug from his longest-running unrequited love.
Speaking Monday at a briefing on storm recovery. Gov. Chris Christie revealed he unexpectedly spoke with Bruce Springsteen earlier in the day. Christie had been discussing storm-related matters with President Barack Obama when Obama handed the phone to Springsteen, who was traveling with him as part of a campaign trip.
Christie also said he got a hug from Springsteen at Friday's benefit concert for victims of Superstorm Sandy.
The famously liberal Springsteen had never previously acknowledged the Republican governor. Christie considers himself among The Boss' biggest fans and has attended hundreds of his concerts.
Christie says he wept at home after meeting his idol, calling it a major highlight during a tough week.
Chris Christie
World's Rarest Seen for First Time
Spade-Toothed Beaked Whales
The world's rarest whale has been spotted for the first time, in New Zealand, where two of the whales stranded themselves.
The two spade-toothed beaked whales, a mother and calf, stranded and died on Opape Beach on the North Island of New Zealand, in December 2010. The mother was 17 feet (5.3 meters) long and the calf was 11 feet (3.5 m) long.
A report describing the whales and the analysis of their DNA appears in the Nov. 6 issue of the journal Current Biology.
"Up until now, all we have known about the spade-toothed beaked whale was from three partial skulls collected from New Zealand and Chile over a 140-year period. It is remarkable that we know almost nothing about such a large mammal," Rochelle Constantine, a marine biologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, said in a statement. "This is the first time this species has ever been seen as a complete specimen, and we were lucky enough to find two of them."
At first, the animals were thought to be much more common Gray's beaked whales. Their identity came to light following routine DNA analysis, which was done as part of a 20-year program to collect data on beaked whale species in New Zealand waters. New Zealand is a known hotspot for whale stranding, and it has the highest rates and greatest diversities of stranded whale species in the world, the researchers report.
Spade-Toothed Beaked Whales
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