'House of Holes: A Book of Raunch' By NICHOLSON BAKER: Reviewed by Stefan Beck
'House of Holes' is no novel. It announces its impure intentions right on the cover: This is raunch. The characters are cartoons, their exchanges-at once deadpan and overwrought-a spoof of porno movie dialogue and a foil for the dizzying absurdity of Baker's sexual scenarios.
'Becoming Ray Bradbury' By JONATHAN R. ELLER: Reviewed by Adam Kirsch
These days, when it's common to see adults engrossed in Harry Potter on the subway, and the edgiest shows on HBO are about vampires and dragons, it's hard to believe there was once a time when sci-fi and fantasy fiction were confined to a cultural ghetto.
Paul Krugman's Blog: Fancy Theorists of the World, Unite (New York Times)
A number of people have pointed me to this remarkable editorial by Stephen Moore in the WSJ. What's remarkable isn't the views; it's the all-out embrace of anti-intellectualism. It actually denounces "fancy theories" and rejects them because they "defy common sense."
Susan Estrich: Taking Treason Seriously (Creators Syndicate)
If Rick Perry wants to be president of the United States, he should start acting more like a president and less like a second-string radio talk-show host. Ron Paul, who almost no one (including himself) would call a moderate and has advocated a return to the gold standard, was among the first to recognize that the Texas governor had simply gone too far in equating the Fed's monetary policy with treason.
Jim Hightower: A Governor eaten up by corporate ideology
In office for only half a year, Gov. Rick Scott of Florida has made clear to the people of his state what he's made of: right-wing ideological Silly Putty. Scott had been CEO of the huge health care conglomerate, Columbia/HCA, until he was forced to resign after the corporation got caught in one of the biggest Medicare frauds in U.S. history. Now, having used his personal fortune to squeeze out a slim victory in last year's governor's race, he's pulling off his own fraud against Floridians.
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."
What future actor was awarded the winner's cup in a fat-baby contest by its judge, former President William Howard Taft, who thought the child was as fat as he was.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, was first, and correct, with:
Lloyd Bridges
Sally said:
In 1914, actor Lloyd Bridges was awarded the winner's cup in a fat-baby contest by its judge, former President William H. Taft, who thought Lloyd was as fat as was he...
Who remember's baby chunk in, "Sea Hunt?" I loved that show!
PS: Tomorrow morning, my neighbors, of over 8 years, are moving to Georgia. We took them out for pizza and beer last night, which was a bitter-sweet event for starters. The weather was sunny, as it had been all day (we went at 6 PM) and by the time we went less than 20 minutes up north the sky had darkened. Then, we got in the door of the restaurant, and did it pour! T&L, and torrential rain! We watched as the road in front of the restaurant flooded, and we had to get home via the back roads, and through downed power lines and fallen trees... Is it me, or is the weather becoming more violent of late?
Or, did the sky's opening up, reflect the outpourings of negative feelings in the country, as election time approaches? We puzzled over this while enjoying our pizza and beer - the latter seemed to make us more philosophical...ya know?
Today, it is foggy outside, and more, "violent weather" is due in again later on this afternoon. This fits my mood just fine...
Adam answered:
Hmm...Fatty Arbuckle. No, Lloyd Bridges. Lloyd Bridges?
Charlie wrote:
Lloyd Bridges
Marian replied:
Lloyd Bridges
Alan J said:
Lloyd Bridges
MAM wrote:
In 1914, he awarded the winner's cup in a fat-baby contest to the then one-year-old Lloyd Bridges.
Lloyd Bridges
PS To Joe S. . . will look forward to your stuff on the Sleeping Bear Dunes. My sister and her husband live on Glenn Lake at the edge of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and I have visited her a number of times. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places in the US. You are so fortunate to live near such a beautiful place.
A brief synopsis of the Ojibwa legend: A mother bear and her two cubs flee a Wisconsin forest fire by attempting to swim to Michigan. The mother makes it, her cubs do not. She waits on the sandy shore for her cubs. The Great Spirit takes pity on her and raises her cubs up from the depths, forming North and South Manitou Islands.
And, Joe S answered:
In 1914 Lloyd Bridges was awarded the winner's cup in a fat-baby contest by its judge, former President William H. Taft, who thought Lloyd was as fat as he was.
Lloyd bridges and his favorite car. Or is that his brother Nash? I get confused. I'm old.
sara obseved:
I suggested "Spats" not just because of his little white paws but also because a name beginning with 'S' catches the kitty's ear. I had a cat named 'Sasha' for 17 years. Whether I whispered it or she was outside two yards away, as soon as I made the 'sss' sound of her name, she'd come running. Thus, whoever adopts "Spats" won't be relegated to calling him "Kitty"! Our previous cat who just passed away at age 15 was named 'Sammy'. Same reaction. Came running every time.
Anyone else have any luck actually getting their felines to come
to their given names?
Thanks, everybody!
The kitten responds to 'Tsk Tsk Tsk', that noise all (human) moms make to express disapproval, rather than a name.
So that's gonna be his name, but I'll probably tell people it's Milton, just so I don't have to explain. ; )
He should be adopted by the end of the week, and I figure his new humans will probably re-name him anyway.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Previous Reader Responses:
RICHARD mc D suggested:
If she is a he, then Oscar be his name
And, BttbB said:
Full of vinegar, eh... Well, then it's... Pickle!
Donald M wrote:
How about 'Rover'?
Thank you for rescuing him.
Nancy Maynard made a great point with
I'd name him Bart!
And, Steve said:
Obiviously, his name is Doodlebug.
Michael D in Port Saint Lucie, FL replied to DanD with:
DanD you are absolutely correct. It was only an illusion that I "owned" them. After I posted that I realized how foolish it must sound. Of course I was subservient to them. And I dearly miss them.
DanD wrote:
Wow, you've changed the descriptive parameters! Let's see now, how to
keep this name PG ... "Two-Buck Fluff-n-Stuff?"
maurice said:
ANNIE
Kate M suggested:
As soon as I saw the kitty the name "Skylar" came to mind. Don't know why but he/she seems like a Skyler to me.
My family and I have seven cats...the eldest (over 15 yrs.) is Nikki...her owner was tragically killed in an accident so I took her. Then there's Hope and Annie (two kittens I adopted via my aunt's very pregnant {couldn't get her to get the cat spayed} cat). Hanna (nicknamed "bear" as in Hanna Bear for her bear like face) who came to us via my best friend's husband from Missouri. She rode sixteen hours in a U-Haul from Kansas City to Detroit. Jake Mews is a small grey cat we adopted from a co worker who could no longer keep him and his brother Elwood (who had to be put down due to illness recently). Finally there are two recent adoptees William (a BIG orange Morris-like boy) and Tatiana a huge Maine Coon we found at the shelter. No one wanted Tati...all of her kittens were adopted out but no one wanted her...but me! We love and care for them all but there is never a dull moment in our home! Thanks for reading about our feline family and good luck to you and your friend!
Brian wrote:
Why name a cat, it's it's not gonna listen anyway. Badumpbum.
BTW I have two sleeping in front of me that showed up on my neighbors garage roof last month, couldn't get rid of them either. Who rescues who?
Tom in Ohio replied:
May I respectfully offer "Pussy Gabor." She looks so lovely and glamorous in her fur coat.
Jonathan K said:
I suggest "Major Kong" as in the attached image.
sara replied:
His little paws all white are so sweet. How about "Spats"? Like the well heeled men of the early thirties.
And, Rock wrote:
How about "Sugarfoot"
DanD commented:
In response to Michael D in Port Saint Lucie's cat-naming suggestion
where he presumes: " ... The three cats I ever owned were Amos, Otis
and Sherman."
You actually thought that you owned those cats? Boy, did they have
you bamboozled!
Michael D in Port Saint Lucie, FL suggested:
Marty, I'll throw my hat into the ring with "Jetsam" as in "flotsam and jetsam" seeing as how she was found at the shore. The three cats I ever owned were Amos, Otis and Sherman.
mj wrote:
Turquoise eye set in silver fur?
What else but Squash Blossom?
DJ Useo said:
All my prayers to the found kitten & you also for truly caring. My suggestion for a name is Shanna, after the she-devil. When I lived at the edge of a large woods in Michigan, people always dropped off felines apparently thinking "oh,goodie, a woods, all cats thrive in the wild'. It was actually very dangerous with all kinds of predators, and feline leukemia around. I always took in cats & kept many. Actually managed to find homes for the rest. Good homes, too, from what I saw. Everyone, if you don't have a cat, or maybe only one, go today & rescue a cat. You will love yourself for the act, & the cat will double it.
Gene wrote: CF + for Chinese Food - hehehehehe
CY said:
She looks exactly like my Pookster, down the the toe-mittens.
She has amny names, but we can share:
Sweetface, McSplat, Pookarozzi, Roadkill, Whiner.
Sally said:
From the looks of that picture, I'd say: "Whomee?"
PS: Enjoy your new kitty...
Michelle in AZ wrote:
Spitfire
BadtotheboneBob replied:
Awwww... I love little kitties... then they grow and become cats, but that's cool. It's kinda like our own kids, ya know. I look proudly upon my grown up, successful daughter of 27, but often wistfully think back to when she was small... then she drops off 'Maddie Muffin' for me to play with and I get to do it all again! Being a 'grampa' is the best job in the world...
Anyway, my choice for this little ball of fur is... 'Tuffy'... for no other reason than it was the first thing that came to mind.
Linda >^..^< suggested:
Has to be Sweetheart!
DanD wrote:
"She's smart, playful, and quite a little ball of fire, fleas and fluff."
Name? FIREBALL!
The marine layer returned. Long live the marine layer!
Tonight, Sunday:
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH'Big Btother', then a RERUN'The Good Wife', followed by a RERUN'CSI: The 2nd One'.
NBC opens the night with LIVE'NFL Preseason Football', then pads the left coast with maybe an old 'Dateline', and some local crap.
ABC begins the night with RERUN'America's So-Called Funniest Home Videos', followed by a RERUN'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', then '20/20'.
The CW offers an old 'Friends', followed by another old 'Friends', then the movie 'Amistad'.
Faux has a RERUN'American Dad', followed by a RERUN'Bob's Burgers', then a RERUN'The Simpsons'< followed by a RERUN'The Cleveland Show', then a RERUN'Family Guy', followed by a FRESH'In The Flow With Affon Crockett'.
MY has an old 'How I Met Your Mother', followed by another old 'How I Met Your Mother', then an old 'The Closer', followed by another old 'The Closer'.
A&E has 'Criminal Minds', another 'Criminal Minds', still another 'Criminal Minds', followed by a FRESH'The Glades'.
AMC offers the movie 'Kill Bill: Vol. 2', followed by a FRESH'Breaking Bad'.
BBC -
[6:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 1
[7:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[8:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 3
[9:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 4
[10:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 5
[11:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 6
[12:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 7
[1:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 8 (90 min)
[2:30 PM] Top Gear - Episode 6 (90)
[4:00 PM] Top Gear - Top Gear Season 15 Special (90)
[5:30 PM] Top Gear - Top Gear Season 16 Special (90)
[7:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 7
[8:00 PM] Rising Sun
[11:00 PM] Rising Sun
[2:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[3:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 3
[4:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 4
[5:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 5 (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Millionaire Matchmaker', 'Real Housewives Of NJ', another 'Real Housewives Of NJ', followed by a FRESH'Real Housewives Of NJ'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'The 40-Year Old Virgin', followed by the movie "The 40-Year Old Virgin', again.
FX has the movie 'The Proposal', followed by the movie 'Bride Wars'.
History has 'Ice Road Truckers', another 'Ice Road Truckers', followed by a FRESH'Ice Road Truckers', then a FRESH'Top Gear'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] Mistress
[8:15AM] Trojan Eddie
[10:30AM] Duane Hopwood
[12:15PM] Arrested Development - Charity Drive
[12:45PM] Arrested Development - My Mother the Car
[1:15PM] Arrested Development - In God We Trust
[1:45PM] Arrested Development - Storming the Castle
[2:15PM] Arrested Development - Pier Pressure
[2:45PM] Arrested Development - Public Relations
[3:15PM] The Making Of: Transformation
[3:20PM] Mistressl
[5:30PM] The Prime Gig
[7:30PM] Zodiac
[11:00PM] Whisker Wars - West Coast Showdown
[11:30PM] Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings - Roller Kingdom
[12:00AM] Freaks and Geeks - Noshing and Moshing
[1:00AM] Zodiac
[4:30AM] Freaks and Geeks - Noshing and Moshing
[5:30AM] Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings - Roller Kingdom
[6:00AM] Whisker WarsWest Coast Showdown (ALL TIMES EST)
British musician KT Tunstall performs on stage at V Music Festival in Hylands Park, Chelmsford, England, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011. The idea for V Festival came in 1996 when Pulp's front man Jarvis Cocker announced he would love to play two outdoor venues in two days. Pulp's promoters got together and came up with the idea of putting the gig into Victoria Park, Warrington and Hylands Park, Chelmsford, giving fans in both the North and South of England, a chance to see the band.
Photo by Joel Ryan
More than 2,000 residents gathered around tables at a Los Angeles-area school on Saturday to vent their frustrations about the lingering recession and call on their elected officials to focus on job creation.
The event, called a "Kitchen Table Summit," in Inglewood High School's gymnasium was attended by three U.S. representatives - Maxine Waters, Laura Richardson and Karen Bass - who listened to stories of layoffs, losing homes and job searches that have gone on for more than a year.
The summit was organized by GoodJobsLA, a grassroots group that seeks to help working people from the city's urban areas. Spokesman Refugio Mata called the event a "large-scale therapy session," allowing struggling residents to come together and commiserate about how the economic crisis affects them.
The jobless rate in California tops 12 percent. Rep. Waters called unemployment her "major focus and primary adversary," adding that she will continue to pressure President Barack Obama and lawmakers to make job creation a top priority.
Participants make their way toward Seattle's Hempfest 2011, a gathering of thousands of people at Myrtle Edwards Park on Friday, Aug. 19, 2011. The pro-pot festival is billed as the largest in the country and on Saturday will feature the Seattle mayor and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich. This was the first year the festival spanned three days.
Photo by Joshua Trujillo
Spending your days in front of the television may contribute to a shortened lifespan, a new study suggests.
Researchers in Australia found that people who averaged six hours a day of TV lived, on average, nearly five years less than people who watched no TV.
For every hour of television watched after age 25, lifespan fell by 22 minutes, according to the research led by Dr. J. Lennert Veerman of the University of Queensland.
But other experts cautioned that the study did not show that TV watching caused people to die sooner, only that there was an association between watching lots of TV and a shorter lifespan.
A Mauna Kea telescope that was knocked out by lightning more than two months ago is fully operational again after undergoing repairs, the telescope's director said Friday.
The final problem was a faulty electronics card that helped synchronize the movement of the 2.2-meter telescope dome and the telescope itself. The telescope, which belongs to the University of Hawaii, became fully usable on Wednesday evening once that was fixed.
Operators "are confident that we have repaired the telescope and its sub-systems and we can continue with full night-time observing with remote operation from Hilo, Manoa, the U.S. mainland, and Europe," Colin Aspin, the director, said in an email.
The telescope went offline during the weekend of June 4-5, when tens of thousands of lightning flashes were recorded around the state.
In this image released by Mattel, Academy Award- winner John Lasseter, receives the very first vehicle from Mattel's new Super Chase collection, an exclusive 2012 line featuring one-time only, limited run die-cast vehicles for Disney-Pixar "Cars" fans, Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, in Anaheim, Calif.
Photo by Rene Macura
Billionaire Edgar Bronfman Jr is stepping down as chief executive of Warner Music Group Corp, the world's third-largest music company, just two months after the company was bought by Len Blavatnik's Access Industries.
Stephen Cooper, a long-time Blavatnik executive, will now run the company on a day-to-day basis while Bronfman takes on the role of chairman.
As chairman, Bronfman is now expected to focus his attention primarily on the acquisition of London-based EMI Group. Cooper is a turnaround specialist with companies like MGM Studios but has limited experience in the music business.
EMI was put up for sale by owner Citigroup earlier this year and Bronfman's team is widely seen as a leading contender for the home of the Beatles, Coldplay and Katy Perry. Other bidders for EMI's assets include Universal Music and Sony Music Entertainment.
In the face of a lawsuit, a Missouri state senator defended on Saturday a new state law that will prohibit teachers from communicating privately with students over the Internet.
A teachers group filed a lawsuit Friday afternoon contending the new lawsuit violates free speech and other rights, but the senator who sponsored it says it does nothing of the kind.
"It doesn't stop any avenue of communication whatsoever, it only prohibits hidden communication between educators and minors who have not graduated," said state Senator Jane Cunningham, a St. Louis Republican and key sponsor of the law.
School districts statewide are being required to adopt new policies to comply with the law beginning January 1, but the Missouri State Teachers Association said in its lawsuit that banning social media contact is unconstitutional.
Students performs a tribal dance during the Kadayawan festival in Davao city, southern Philippines August 20, 2011. The festival is held every third week of August by the people of Davao, who organise harvest celebrations which include parades, tribal dances and trade fairs.
Photo by Romeo Ranoco
Facebook has sent notes of apology and is changing automated systems that blocked environmental activists and other people from posting on like-minded Facebook pages.
The activists weren't victims of censorship, but rather an anti-spam computer algorithm that was impersonally doing what it was designed to do.
The activists were flagged by an anti-spam program and told they couldn't post for 15 days. Other users, including an animal rescue activist, reported the problem, too. Some have even created new Facebook pages where people who've been blocked can commiserate.
The activists weren't blocked by a page administrator for making off-topic posts or for offering questionable commercial services. They couldn't even post to pages run by people who agree with their views.
The bankrupt publisher of The Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times said it agreed to pay $32 million to settle a lawsuit filed by former employees.
In 2008, former Tribune employees filed a lawsuit against the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) trustee, GreatBanc Trust, alleging violation of pension law.
The deal also resolves claims asserted by the United States Department of Labor (DOL) in connection with the ESOP and the DOL's and GreatBanc's objections to Tribune's proposed plan of reorganization.
Under the agreement, insurers will fund $26.4 million of the payment, Tribune $4.45 million, and GreatBanc Trust will pay $1 million.
Mark Dornenburg with the George Young Group selects the proper wrench as he works to install "Paint Torch" by Claes Oldenburg at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, in Philadelphia. The prestigious art school and museum commissioned the celebrated 82-year-old artist to make the outdoor sculpture for its new public plaza, located two blocks north of his celebrated "Clothespin."
Photo by Alex Brandon
A $300 million Russian telecommunications satellite launched Aug. 18 disappeared from the view of ground controllers and the U.S. space surveillance network along with the rocket upper stage that carried it into orbit, according to industry officials and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
More than 24 hours after the 5,800-kilogram Express-AM4 satellite separated from the Proton rocket's Breeze-M upper stage, neither object could be found, officials said. The U.S. Space Surveillance Network of ground radars was tracking a single object that one official said was neither the Breeze-M nor the Express-AM4, but rather an auxiliary propellant tank from the Proton rocket.
But by mid-day Eastern Daylight Time Aug. 19, the U.S. Space Surveillance Network had located the Express-AM4 satellite, saying it was in an orbit with an apogee of 20,317 kilometers, a perigee of 1,007 kilometers and an inclination relative to the equator of 51.3 degrees. One industry official said it would be difficult, from this position, to maneuver Express-AM4 into operational position in geostationary orbit with sufficient life remaining to make the effort worthwhile.
At press time, however, neither Roscosmos nor the Express-AM4 owner, Russian Satellite Communications Co. (RSCC) of Moscow, was in a position to declare the mission a total loss. The possibility remained that the satellite, even in a wrong orbit, could be salvaged and serve at least a portion of its planned 15-year mission.
When word reached Camp Lawton that the enemy army of Gen. William T. Sherman was approaching, the prison camp's Confederate officers rounded up their thousands of Union army POWs for a swift evacuation - leaving behind rings, buckles, coins and other keepsakes that would remain undisturbed for nearly 150 years.
Archaeologists are still discovering unusual, and sometimes stunningly personal, artifacts a year after state officials revealed that a graduate student had pinpointed the location of the massive but short-lived Civil War camp in southeast Georgia.
Discoveries made as recently as a few weeks ago were being displayed Thursday at the Statesboro campus of Georgia Southern University. They include a soldier's copper ring bearing the insignia of the Union army's 3rd Corps, which fought bloody battles at Gettysburg and Manassas, and a payment token stamped with the still-legible name of a grocery store in Michigan.
"These guys were rousted out in the middle of the night and loaded onto trains, so they didn't have time to load all this stuff up," said David Crass, an archaeologist who serves as director of Georgia's Historic Preservation Division. "Pretty much all they had got left behind. You don't see these sites often in archaeology."
Camp Lawton's obscurity helped it remain undisturbed all these years. Built about 50 miles south of Augusta, the Confederate camp imprisoned about 10,000 Union soldiers after it opened in October 1864 to replace the infamous Andersonville prison. But it lasted barely six weeks before Sherman's army arrived and burned it during his march from Atlanta to Savannah.
Edie Wasserman, a Hollywood philanthropist and the wife of legendary mogul Lew Wasserman, has died of natural causes. She was 95.
At the risk of mixing metaphors, though her husband was known as "The Pope of Hollywood," she was seen as the town's first lady.
Her passing, coupled with the 2002 death of her husband, marks not just the final coda to one of the industry's most prominent power couples, but also the end of an era -- a time when the center of the movie world driven by outsized personalities, not just corporate behemoths.
Though Lew Wasserman commanded a higher profile in the industry, his wife played a key role in his rise from agent to the chief of MCA/Universal.
She was known as being her husband's eyes and ears in the town, helping him build and maintain relationships with actors, industry executives and other power players.
But she was born far from the movie industry's home in Cleveland, Ohio. She married Lew Wasserman in 1936 and was married to him for over 50 years. For the couple's fiftieth anniversary in 1986, a portion of Universal's backlot was made up to look like Cleveland would have appeared in 1936. Over 700 guests attended.
In addition to her status as a Hollywood tastemaker and social doyenne, Wasserman was a noted philanthropist. As a member of the board of directors, she was intimately involved in fund-raising for the Motion Picture and Television and celebrated her birthday every year at the organization's Woodland Hills facility.
Her interest in education, led her to create a Wasserman Scholars program at six major universities nationwide. She was also served on the board of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and supported the Los Angeles Music Center.
She was also a lifelong Democrat, a friend to President Bill Clinton and President Jimmy Carter and an active party donor.
Survivors include daughter Lynne Wasserman, grandson Casey Wasserman and his wife Laura Wasserman, granddaughter Carol Leif and her husband Jeff Parker.
She is also survived by three great-grandchildren, Emmet and Stella Wasserman and Jake Parker.
In this photo released China's Xinhua news agency, a half-month-old mandrill holds a monkey doll at a zoo in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Friday, Aug. 19, 2011.
Photo by Long Hongtao
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better, amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican hypocrites?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
wrote:
answered:
