Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Jim Hightower: The GOP loves the federal spending it hates
Whatever else you think about tea party-infused Republican leaders in Congress, at least they're consistent in their opposition to big government intrusion in the economy, right? Absolutely! Unless you count intrusions of taxpayer funds into corporate projects back in their districts.
Richard Roeper: "Memo to guy who sent out teacher's sex tape: Stay classy, creep"
This just in: Some schoolteachers engage in sexual activity with significant others, and a few even smoke pot.
Jill Harness: 10 Best-Selling Books That Were Originally Rejected
… look at some rejected books that would later become some of the best-selling titles in the world. From the 'Twilight' saga to 'Anne Frank's Diary,' the success of these books shows that even people paid to evaluate the commercial potential of a work of art sometimes underestimate the most valuable titles.
Alice Oswald: haunted by Homer (Guardian)
Alice Oswald thinks The Iliad has been turned into a public school poem that glamorises war. So she has rewritten it - with the footsoldiers as heroes. The poet explains herself to Sarah Crown.
Paul Constant: How to Read a Book (The Stranger)
Don't just stick to one genre. Try different authors. Read reviews, ignore reviews, ask friends' advice, choose titles at random. Reading lots of different kinds of books makes you smarter. Being smarter makes you more well-rounded and interesting. Being more interesting gets you laid-and that's what college is all about.
Anna Minard: Colin Meloy Wrote a Children's Book (The Stranger)
And It's Good! Which Is More Than You Can Say for Gloria Estefan!
Richard Roeper: Time (and indifference) not on side of Walter Payton biographer
Whenever the experts compile their lists of the greatest sports figures, Babe Ruth is still near the top of the list. Ruth revolutionized baseball and was arguably the most popular figure, in sports or any other field, of his generation.
Henry Rollins: Copping MP3s For Free Is Not Cool (LA Weekly)
Yesterday, I met up with a longtime pal, a very creative man named Alex Winter. Many know him from the Bill & Ted's films; he's the guy who's not Keanu Reeves. Alex stays extremely busy shooting everything from advertisements to documentaries. Several days ago, he asked if I would take part in a documentary he's shooting about music downloading and how it has changed the music industry and how we get our jams.
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
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Comment
Monster Bash
Imagine my surprise when I clicked on this link! A Monster Bash being held at Day's Inn, just down the road from where we live! My feeble old self won't be able to go, but I alerted my son and his 10 year old son. I am hopeful that they will go and if they see Charles Herbert, they will say "hi". Will let you know Oct. 22nd or 23 if they do.
MAM
Thanks, Marianne!
Reader Suggestion
Link
elizabeth warren parody
some guy
Thanks, guy!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunnier and even warmer.
Tackles US Poverty This Week
Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley had to look no further than his own circle of family and friends to see the painful effects of the ragged U.S. economy to know he needed to act.
The radio and TV host is doing what he can for those close to him in need of money or work, he said. For the broader problem, Smiley is using his PBS series this week to put what he calls a "human face" on the nation's poverty statistics.
Each nightly episode of "Tavis Smiley" is featuring clips from an 11-state, 18-city tour Smiley and Princeton University professor Cornel West took in August to detail the economy's effect on individuals and families. There are follow-up discussions with anti-poverty advocates and other guests, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
His intent, Smiley said, is to "get this issue higher up on the American agenda."
Tavis Smiley
Charity To Honor Late Beatle
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys' charity will pay tribute to late Beatle guitarist George Harrison with a star-studded concert in New York City next month.
Her charity, called Keep a Child Alive, will honor Harrison at its annual Black Ball event for his "philanthropic contributions to India."
The charity announced Tuesday that Keys will perform alongside Usher, Norah Jones and will.i.am at the Nov. 3 show at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom. Mary J. Blige, Gary Clark Jr., Jay Sean and Midival Punditz with Karsh Kale will also hit the stage.
The event marks the eighth year for eep a Child AliveK, which helps children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India.
Alicia Keys
Billboard's Woman of the Year
Taylor Swift
It's another honor for Taylor Swift. The country music superstar has been crowned "Woman of the Year" by Billboard magazine.
The 21-year-old multiplatinum singer-songwriter is the youngest to receive the award, which has gone to Beyonce, Reba McEntire and Fergie. The announcement was made Tuesday.
She will be honored at the 2011 Billboard Women in Music event in New York on Dec. 2.
It's the latest honor for Swift, who became the youngest person to win the Grammy for best album for "Fearless" in 2010. She has also won several ACM, CMA and AMA awards.
Taylor Swift
Baby News
Hattie Margaret McDermott
Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott have a new baby girl.
Spelling gave birth to daughter Hattie Margaret McDermott on Monday.
Spelling and McDermott already have two children together, Liam and Stella. McDermott also has a son from a previous marriage.
Hattie Margaret McDermott
Sues Obama Administration Over Patriot Act
New York Times
The New York Times has sued the Obama administration over the Justice Department's denial of a Freedom of Information Act request from the paper that sought an explanation of the federal government's interpretation of a part of the Patriot Act.
In May, two members of the Senate Intelligence Committee introduced an amendment to pending legislation that would extend some expiring provisions in the Patriot Act, which was signed into law in 2001. (President Barack Obama signed a four-year extension of the Patriot Act's key provisions on May 26.)
The amendment, proposed by Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall, would have require the Justice Department to publicly explain its interpretation of a surveillance law that was modified by the Patriot Act.
"I wish to deliver a warning this afternoon," Wyden said on the Senate floor in May. "When the American people find out about how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they are gang to be stunned and they are going to be angry."
In the wake of their comments, the Times and Charlie Savage, a reporter in the paper's Washington bureau, filed an FOIA request in June demanding the release of a secret report--issued by attorney general Eric Holder and director of national intelligence James Clapper in February--that includes the government's position on the law.
New York Times
Ex- Publisher To Give Testimony
Rupert
Rupert Murdoch's former right-hand man will be questioned by British lawmakers on how much he knew about the phone hacking scandal, lawmakers said Tuesday.
Parliament's media committee, which is investigating the scandal, said that former Wall Street Journal publisher and top Murdoch aide Les Hinton would testify by video link Oct. 24.
The announcement was made in a brief scheduling note emailed to journalists and didn't include any details about what the hearing's agenda would be. But Hinton has emerged as a central figure in the scandal, which has damaged Murdoch's international media empire and convulsed the world of British journalism.
Hinton testified in 2007 and 2009 that he had not seen any evidence the hacking had spread beyond one reporter, but documentary evidence and testimony from other former executives have since cast doubt on his claims.
Hinton worked with Murdoch for more than half a century before he resigned in the wake of the scandal. His closeness to his former boss - Murdoch said in July that he would trust Hinton "with my life" - means that his appearance will receive particularly close scrutiny.
Rupert
College Infiltration Raises Privacy Fears
NYPD
With its whitewashed bell tower, groomed lawns and Georgian-style buildings, Brooklyn College looks like a slice of Colonial Virginia dropped into modern-day New York City. But for years New York police have feared this bucolic setting might hide a sinister secret: the beginnings of a Muslim terrorist cell.
Investigators have been infiltrating Muslim student groups at Brooklyn College and other schools in the city, monitoring their Internet activity and placing undercover agents in their ranks, police documents obtained by The Associated Press show. Legal experts say the operation may have broken a 19-year-old pact with the colleges and violated U.S. privacy laws, jeopardizing millions of dollars in federal research money and student aid.
The infiltration was part of a secret NYPD intelligence-gathering effort that put entire Muslim communities under scrutiny. Police photographed restaurants and grocery stores that cater to Muslims and built databases showing where people shopped, got their hair cut and prayed. The AP reported on the secret campaign in a series of stories beginning in August.
The majority of Islamic terrorism cases involve young men, and infiltrating student groups gave police access to that demographic. Alarmed professors and students, however, say it smacks of the FBI spying conducted on college campuses in the 1960s. They are calling on college administrators to investigate.
Last week, professors at the City University of New York's Law School issued a statement warning that the spying at CUNY campuses may have violated civil rights laws. The Brooklyn College Faculty Council has passed a similar measure.
NYPD
Actor Suspected In Prison Death
'Austin Powers'
A bit actor who appeared in the first "Austin Powers" movie is suspected in the death of his cellmate at the California prison where he is serving a life sentence, corrections officials said Tuesday.
Joseph Son , 40, wore a bowler hat and played one of Dr. Evil's henchmen, named Random Task, in 1997's "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." He also was a mixed martial arts fighter who appeared in several other movies or videos in the 1990s, according to his Hollywood biography.
He arrived at Wasco State Prison in the state's Central Valley on Sept. 16 after he was sentenced in Orange County for the 1990 gang rape of a Southern California woman.
The dead inmate was a parole violator serving a new two-year sentence from San Luis Obispo County for failing to register as a sex offender. He was found dead in the cell he shared with Son before 6 p.m. Monday.
'Austin Powers'
16 Zombies Injured
'Resident Evil'
Sixteen actors dressed as zombies were injured Tuesday when they fell from a platform during filming of a new movie in the "Resident Evil" series, officials said, and rescue workers at first were startled at the seemingly catastrophic scene.
The victims' zombie costumes made it difficult at first for crews to assess the severity of their injuries, Toronto emergency medical spokesman Peter Macintyre said. Officials said none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
Paramedics responded to the call from Cinespace Film Studios around 8:30 a.m., and Toronto Police Sgt. Andrew Gibson said responders quickly figured out which zombies were injured and which were just in character. "It did kind of catch us off guard when we walked in," he said.
Police Constable Tony Vella said the actors had been filming a scene on a high wheeled platform. The platform moved as they were going to another platform, leaving a gap into which the zombies fell.
'Resident Evil'
Actors Blasted
Chechnya
Jean-Claude Van Damme might be gearing up to do battle once again -- but this time his martial arts skills aren't likely to help him out.
Van Damme, along with "Million Dollar Baby" star Hilary Swank, is catching fire from the Human Rights Foundation, for attending the October 5 birthday party of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.
According to Human Rights Foundation, Kadyrov -- who was appointed by Vladimir Putin in 2007 -- has been accused of employing disappearances, torture and executions.
In a statement released by the Human Rights Foundation, the organization's president, Thor Halvorssen, said that HRF had sent Swank a letter in September, warning her of Kadyrov's alleged misdeeds. At the time, Halvorssen says, Swank's representative replied that the actress wasn't planning to attend the soiree. However, Swank, as well as Van Damme, can be seen in video of the event.
Chechnya
Beard-Cutting Mullets
Amish
The leader of a breakaway Amish group said an attack on fellow Amish in which a man's beard was cut off was a religious issue stemming from long-standing resentment of his group's treatment.
Sam Mullet, 66, said the goal was to send a message to Amish in Holmes County that they should be ashamed of themselves for the way they were treating Mullet and his community.
Mullet said he didn't order the hair-cutting but didn't stop two of his sons and another man from carrying it out last week on a 74-year-old man in his home in rural eastern Ohio.
Mullet said the Holmes County group changed the rulings of the church and were trying to force his community to change.
Mullet said he's upset that his group, about 120 people living on several small farms, has been called a cult by detractors. He said he moved the members of his group about 100 miles from Richland County to the hilly area in 1995 just to be by themselves.
Amish
Paying The Price
The War On War
Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the nation's food supply.
At the time, hundreds of agricultural scientists responsible for stopping invasive species at the border were reassigned to anti-terrorism duties in the newly formed Homeland Security Department - a move that scientists say cost billions of dollars in crop damage and eradication efforts from California vineyards to Florida citrus groves.
The consequences come home to consumers in the form of higher grocery prices, substandard produce and the risk of environmental damage from chemicals needed to combat the pests.
An Associated Press analysis of inspection records found that border-protection officials were so engrossed in stopping terrorists that they all but ignored the country's exposure to destructive new insects and infections - a quietly growing menace that has been attacking fruits and vegetables and even prized forests ever since.
"Whether they know it or not, every person in the country is affected by this, whether by the quality or cost of their food, the pesticide residue on food or not being able to enjoy the outdoors because beetles are killing off the trees," said Mark Hoddle, an entomologist specializing in invasive species at the University of California, Riverside.
The War On War
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Oct. 3-9. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: Green Bay at Atlanta, NBC, 22.05 million.
2. "NCIS," CBS, 19.35 million.
3. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 17.71 million.
4. "Dancing With the Stars," ABC, 16.56 million.
5. "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 15.54 million.
6. "Dancing With the Stars Results," ABC, 15.28 million.
7. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 14.78 million.
8. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 13.92 million.
9. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 13.43 million.
10. "60 Minutes," CBS, 13.29 million.
11. "Modern Family," ABC, 13.24 million.
12. "Mike & Molly," CBS, 13.2 million.
13. "The Mentalist," CBS, 13.15 million.
14. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 11.98 million.
15. "Football Night in America, Part 3," NBC, 11.94 million.
16. "The X-Factor" (Wednesday), Fox, 11.93 million.
17. "The X-Factor" (Thursday), Fox, 11.67 million.
18. "Unforgettable," CBS, 11.58 million.
19. "Person of Interest," CBS, 11.57 million.
20. "2 Broke Girls," CBS, 11.42 million.
Ratings
In Memory
A.C. Nielsen Jr.
Arthur C. Nielsen Jr., whose family company has been the final word on whether television shows are hot or not for more than a half-century, has died in the suburban Chicago community where he lived most of his life. He was 92.
t was the company founded by his father and then run by Nielsen that created the measurement system under which the entire multi-billion-dollar television industry is based and, from the late 1950s on, the name synonymous with U.S. television viewing habits. Children and parents alike wondered who in their neighborhoods was being contacted and asked about what they were watching or, later, whether Nielsen had attached electronic meters to their TV sets.
The company's influence in the business of measuring television ratings is unmatched. And even if television networks grumble that the virtual monopoly is slow in responding to some of their concerns, none can run their businesses without Nielsen. The numbers have taken on a greater significance, and are watched more carefully for accuracy, now that there are so many networks slicing viewership into several smaller segments.
Nielsen grew up watching his father run an engineering research business that measured performance in factories. When the Great Depression hit, the business went broke, said J. Christopher Nielsen, Arthur Nielsen Jr.'s son.
The elder Nielsen soon started a successful retail index business that measured sales in grocery and drug stores and then decided to go into measuring the popularity of various radio shows.
When he got out of the service after World War II, Nielsen Jr. joined his father's company. Two 1980s profiles in Forbes said it was Nielsen Jr.'s experience in the army with a machine used to turn out artillery calculations that prompted his father to purchase one of IBM's first computers.
At a time when other broadcast executives were gauging the size of a radio audience by the number of letters received -- "They'd weigh the darn mailbags," Nielsen told Forbes -- the Nielsen company was doing it electronically.
As the company grew and expanded to television, it also maintained a coupon clearinghouse, the retail index operation, a business that handled subscription services for more than 130 magazines and a service providing information to the oil and gas industry.
Nielsen Jr. engineered the company's 1984 sale to Dun & Bradstreet Corp. for $1.3 billion in stock. The company later was acquired by Dutch publishing company VNU. It went public in January as Nielsen Holdings N.V.
Nielsen Jr. had a long record of philanthropy and public service, serving on several presidential advisory committees, chairman of the U.S. Census Bureau Advisory committee, and as a commissioner of the U.S. Information Agency.
Nielsen's wife, Patricia McKnew Nielsen, died in 2005. Besides J. Christopher Nielsen, Arthur Nielsen Jr. is survived by another son, Arthur C. Nielsen III, daughter Elizabeth Cocciarelli, and seven grandchildren.
A.C. Nielsen Jr.
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