'TBH Politoons'
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Generic Ballot Update
Three of the last six national polls have found sharp downturns in the Democratic lead on the congressional generic ballot.
Josh Marshal: Talking Points Memo (Posted on makethemaccountable.com)
More and more reports coming in of irate voters calling various House Democratic campaigns complaining about the repeat-call-back robocalls.In other words, these are the harassing calls paid for by the NRCC made to appear that they're from the Democratic campaign. And a lot of angry voters are getting fooled by the scam, it seems.
The Race Between the Right Wing and the Right Thing ...a message from Michael Moore
As good as things look for the Democrats, do not pop the corks and start the partying yet. Do not believe for a second that the Republicans plan on losing. They will fight like dogs for the next 24 hours -- relentless, unforgiving, nonstop action to squeeze every last conservative voter out of the house on election day. While the rest of us go about our day today, tens of thousands of Republican volunteers are knocking on doors, making phone calls, and lining up rides to the polls. They're not sleeping, they're not eating, they're not even watching Fox News. A day without Fox News? That's right, that's how insanely dedicated they are.
Molly Ivins: KEEPING OUR EYES ON THE BALL (cnnstudentnews.cnn.com)
With pundits in Washington, who just a few weeks ago were claiming the Democrats would likely take the house by a razor-thin margin, now victoriously claiming they all along knew it would be a wipeout, I just feel that overconfidence juice starting to kick in. "Maybe 20 seats, maybe 40 seats" ... yeah. People could think: "So that's settled. I don't even really have to vote." Folks, step up and make sure there's some control on this regime.
Looking for love, but used for sex (guardian.co.uk)
When Peter Morris was ready to start a new relationship he decided to try internet dating - but nothing had prepared him for what happened next ...
Hadley Freeman: Pretty as a picture (guardian.co.uk)
It's useful. Sometimes it's even beautiful. But can fashion ever be art?
Froma Harrop's Latest Column (creators.com)
Polling Place Locator (electionimpact.votenet.com)
Freshly Updated!
Dick Eats Bush
Freshly Updated!
Georgina Bush
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and 94°, the Santa Anas are blowing, and the humidity's taken a dive.
Talks About Charity
Alicia Keys
As more celebrities get involved in helping African nations overcome debt, AIDS and poverty, some cynics have questioned whether their motives are spurred by good intentions or publicity - most notably, with Madonna's recent trip to Malawi to adopt a child.
Alicia Keys , who is hosting her annual Black Ball charity concert in New York City on Thursday, says such criticism is unfair and a disservice to those in Africa who need help.
"I think that's horrible, and I think that really degrades and tries to discourage people who do have a voice, who do have power, who do have money, who do have the ability to reach out to people and get involved in situations," the 25-year-old R&B singer told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
Keys is hosting the Black Ball concert with supermodel Iman to benefit Keep a Child Alive, which provides drugs for AIDS and HIV patients. The event will include performances by Keys; Iman's husband, David Bowie; Damian Marley; and Angelique Kidjo.
Alicia Keys
Final Concert Footage Emerges
Beatles
Unseen footage of The Beatles' final official concert is to be shown on television later this month, and will reveal that the band's tours where less than professionally handled.
Recordings made by Barry Hood at the gig in San Francisco's Candlestick Park on 29 August 1966 show George Harrison, Sir Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr taking the stage for the last time, and a row breaking out between the venue's ground staff.
"There was a row between the equipment manager and the field manager who was frightened that the equipment van was going to ruin the baseball pitch."
Beatles
Live Nation Completes Takeover
House Of Blues
Los Angeles-based entertainment company Live Nation said it had completed a 354-million-dollar acquisition of the House of Blues chain of nightclubs and music venues.
Under the terms of the deal, Live Nation will acquire booking rights for more than 170 clubs across the US, a statement said.
Among the venues sold included in the deal is the House of Blues' famous Los Angeles club. The club is reputedly lined with tinfoil from the home of where legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for success as a musician.
House Of Blues
Off The Schedule
'Twenty Good Years'
NBC's low-rated new comedy "Twenty Good Years" is moving off the schedule earlier than previously planned.
Originally, the network was to keep its 8-9 p.m. Wednesday comedy block of "30 Rock" and "Twenty Good Years" intact through next week. Now the network will air an extended two-hour edition of "The Biggest Loser" from 8-10 p.m. on November 8.
The news comes on the heels of the lowest-ever ratings for both comedies this week, with a 1.8 rating/5 share among adults 18-49 for "30 Rock" and a 1.5/4 for "Years."
"30 Rock" is slated to move to Thursday beginning November 16. "Twenty Good Years" stars John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor as two men out to make the best of their twilight years.
'Twenty Good Years'
Pulls `Rich List,' `Happy Hour'
Fox
The game show "The Rich List," which aired only once, and the freshman comedy "Happy Hour" have been pulled from the Fox schedule because of low ratings. A Fox spokesman declined Monday to say whether the programs would return, but their numbers made that prospect unlikely.
For this week, a new episode of "The O.C." will fill the game show's 9 p.m. EST Wednesday slot. The drama, which just started its fourth season, also will air a new episode in its regular 9 p.m. EST Thursday time period.
An episode of the Brad Garrett comedy "`Till Death" will replace "Happy Hour" in its 8:30 p.m. EST Thursday slot.
Fox
French Crew Fined For Filming Ghost Town
French TV
A French TV crew was arrested and fined for filming the ghost town of Varosha in northern Cyprus, rights groups said on Monday, just days before the European Union is expected to criticise Turkey over its Cyprus policy.
Two journalists working for German-French public channel ARTE were arrested on Sunday for allegedly violating the military restricted area by filming the former Greek Cypriot holiday resort now under Turkish Cypriot control.
Cyprus was partitioned in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek Cypriot coup. Numerous peace efforts have foundered, with the latest bid in a U.N. drafted reunification plan failing on Greek Cypriot rejection in a 2004 referendum.
French TV
Resuming Postponed Tour
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull has made a full recovery from breast cancer and plans to resume a postponed world tour, her spokesman said Monday.
Spokesman Rob Partridge said Faithfull, 59, had undergone surgery and was making "a rapid return to full health."
He said the singer would begin her tour of Europe and North America in Budapest, Hungary, in March.
Marianne Faithfull
Marks 100th Anniversary
Nordisk Film
Nordisk Film, one of the world's oldest film production companies, celebrated its 100th anniversary Monday at the Copenhagen studios where it started making silent movies at the dawn of the film industry.
Danish Queen Margrethe was to tour the facilities in the Valby neighborhood where thousands of films and TV shows have been produced since theater operator Ole Olsen founded the company on Nov. 6, 1906.
The company had its heyday during the industry's early stages, when it had branches in London, New York, South America and Russia. In 1914 alone, Nordisk Film produced 143 feature films and 46 nonfiction movies and sold more than 7,000 copies worldwide.
As Hollywood and European studios grew after World War I, Nordisk Film lost its international position and turned its focus toward the home market.
Nordisk Film
Booked On Weapon Charge
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg was booked Monday on one felony count of possession of a deadly weapon filed after security officers at John Wayne International Airport found a collapsible baton in his carry-on luggage.
The 35-year-old rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, turned himself over to authorities at the Orange County Jail on Monday morning. He was expected to post $150,000 bail, said Susan Schroeder of the district attorney's office.
Snoop's spokesperson, Meredith O'Sullivan, said in a statement Monday that Snoop "welcomes an expedited trial which will reveal that these charges are completely unwarranted."
Snoop Dogg
French Queen of Togo Village
Queen Mawulolo
A French woman who rules as queen of an African village has launched a campaign to woo her subjects away from witchdoctors.
Marie Claude Lovisa was crowned last year as Queen Mawulolo, which means "God is Great" in the local Ewe language of the small West African country of Togo, which along with neighbouring Benin is the birthplace of the voodoo religion.
The village of Tove, some 80 km (50 miles) northwest of the capital Lome, has renamed itself Lovisakope, which means "Lovisa's village".
Having built the settlement's first health centre, Lovisa toured the village of some 300 inhabitants on Sunday to urge people to take advantage of the clinic's free medicines.
Queen Mawulolo
Says Clairvoyant Led Americans To Saddam
Uri Geller
Did a clairvoyant help U.S. commandos ferret Saddam Hussein out of his hiding place in Iraq three years ago?
Israeli-born celebrity psychic Uri Geller, best known for his spoon-bending antics, says the power of the paranormal led U.S. troops to the fugitive Iraqi ex-dictator.
"You remember when they found Saddam Hussein in Iraq? A soldier walked over to a rock, lifted it and then found a trap-door and found him in there," Geller told Reuters. "Well, I know that that soldier walked over to that rock because he got information from a 'remote viewer' from the United States."
Geller, who says he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War, said his information came from a high-level source involved in U.S. paranormal programs.
Uri Geller
Painting Stolen
Max Ernst
A painting by German surrealist artist Max Ernst, valued at around 165,000 euros (209,000 dollars), was stolen from an art fair in the western German city of Cologne at the weekend, police said.
The theft of the abstract painting, which was untitled and dated 1957, was only noticed on Sunday, when fair was being dismantled.
A bronze sculpture by the German artist A.R. Penck, called "Little Tomtem" and dated 1986, was also stolen from the exhibition.
Max Ernst
Launching Fashion Line
Imelda Marcos
Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, who made headlines for her vast shoe collection, is embarking on a new project - a fashion line.
The 77-year-old widow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos told reporters Monday that she planned to launch "The Imelda Collection" of fashion jewelry and accessories on Nov. 18.
Lying on a divan in a Manila hotel's seaside garden, Imelda Marcos wore a gossamer top, black pants and several chunky necklaces, rings and bracelet sets from her collection as her grandson Martin "Borgy" Manotoc directed a photo shoot.
"One day my grandson came to me and said, `Mama Meldy, I would like to use your collection to tell the world (about) the real Imelda and the spirit of my grandma,'" she told reporters. "It's only beauty that can feed the spirit."
Imelda Marcos
Approving Father
Rod Stewart
Rocker Rod Stewart has given his blessing to daughter Kimberly's recent breast augmentation, insisting the surgery has made her more confident.
The Maggie May hitmaker has no problem with the cosmetic procedure, especially after witnessing how his 27-year-old's self-esteem has grown as a result of her bustier new look.
He says, "One of my daughters was a bit flat-chested so she had implants. She's got a lovely pair now.
"Nothing wrong with it, I reckon, if it does wonders for a girl's confidence."
Rod Stewart
Fire Damages Florida Theme Park
Gatorland
A fire broke out on Monday at one of Florida's oldest tourist attractions, an alligator theme park called Gatorland, and authorities said four reptiles may have perished.
No one was injured in the blaze which was reported at 5:55 a.m. and took about 3-1/2 hours to bring under control.
The blaze, which was under investigation, only affected the park's signature gator-mouth entrance and a building housing a gift shop and offices.
Founded as a roadside attraction in 1949, Gatorland features reptile shows, a petting zoo and thousands of alligators and crocodiles. It is located just north of the Orlando-Kissimmee line in south Orlando.
Gatorland
RNC's Robo-Calls
Dirty Tricks
A Republican organization agreed to stop making automated phone calls to New Hampshire residents on the federal do-not-call list. But the Democrats said Monday that the calls still violate federal rules.
The National Republican Congressional Committee agreed on Sunday to stop calling homes on the registry after a citizen complained to the state attorney general. Under New Hampshire law, political campaigns can contact people on the do-not-call list, but cannot use automated recordings.
One of the calls features a woman who opens by saying, "Hello. I'm calling with information about Paul Hodes," according to a recording released by the state Democratic Party. She goes on to criticize Hodes' position on taxes and ends by saying the call was paid for by the NRCC and was not coordinated with the Bass campaign.
The NRCC is using "robo calls" in at least 53 competitive House races nationwide. The calls have led to complaints to the FCC.
Dirty Tricks
Middle East Deal
Disney
Saudi-owned Arab entertainment company Rotana Audio Visual Co. will distribute Walt Disney products across the Middle East and North Africa, the company said on Monday.
Rotana, which is wholly owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, signed a three-year deal to sell video cassettes and DVDs produced by Walt Disney Studios, Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures in the region, the company said in a statement on Monday.
Rotana did not reveal the value of the deal, which could also include other Buena Vista Home Entertainment products.
Disney
In Memory
Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, whose lighthearted memoir, "Cheaper by the Dozen," detailed the frenentic life of a family with 12 children and inspired several films, has died. She was 98.
"Cheaper by the Dozen," which Carey co-wrote with her brother Frank Gilbreth, became a best seller when it was published in 1948.
The book documented the adventures of the Gilbreth clan, which included six sons and six daughters and parents Lillian Moller Gilbreth and Frank Bunker Gilbreth, management experts who focused on the science of motion study and industrial efficiencies.
The siblings also co-wrote "Belles on Their Toes," which was also turned into a film.
She had only two children herself after taking care of younger siblings for much of her life when her father died while she was still a teenager.
The third of the family's 12 children, Carey outlived nine of her siblings.
Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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