Trial by Media

September 7, 2006
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David Broder points out in his column today, "One Leak and a Flood of Silliness," that the press owe Karl Rove a big apology for their asinine treatment of him in the Valerie Plame leak incident. I agree entirely with Broder’s indictment of the press’s rush to judgment in this case. The media’s overheated and absurd reaction to the Plame case reflects a common but utterly irresponsible and unacceptable phenomenon in journalism today: the assumption that people are guilty simply on the say-so of someone…

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Are You Ready for Some Football?

September 7, 2006
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Are You Ready for Some Football?

The college football season started last week with a great set of games, and continues this week with a showdown between no. 1 Ohio State University and no. 2 Texas. And the NFL season starts tonight, with a game between the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the up-and-coming Miami Dolphins. The Steelers will be without the services of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, recovering from an emergency appendectomy. The Dolphins, under second-year coach Nick Saban, are attempting to return to respectability after a long drought.…

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A Magazine for the Modern Lady’s Hectic Schedule

September 7, 2006
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A Magazine for the Modern Lady’s Hectic Schedule

Here’s a publication no one should be without: Four Weeks is a new monthly magazine that includes a variety of articles in four categories customized for the four weeks of a woman’s menstrual cycle. In week 1, the magazine informs us, ladies like things to be "Fun, Familiar," and in subsequent weeks "Exciting, Exotic," "Indulgent, Introspective," and "Cautious, Caring," respectively. This is information that could be very useful to any smart fellow as well, as it is obviously disastrous for a chap to give his…

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Anti-Bush Films Hot at Toronto Festival

September 6, 2006
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Anti-Bush Films Hot at Toronto Festival

The British-made film Death of a President, which uses computer generation to create a vivid depiction of the assassination of President Bush, leads a significant roster of films critical of the president and his policies at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, Reuters reports. The 10-day festival opens Thursday, and in addition to the political issues there will be plent of star power with appearances by Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz, Russell Crowe and others. Reuters reports that 352 films from 61 countries will be…

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The Story of Upton Sinclair

September 5, 2006
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John Wilson of Books and Culture has an excellent article on the socialist American author Upton Sinclair in today’s edition of National Review Online. Sinclair is best-known, of course, for his 1906 novel The Jungle which brought public attention to the unpleasant working conditions in the nation’s meat-packing industry. Wilson’s article includes some things I hadn’t known or had forgotten, such as Sinclair’s authorship of three series of novels centered on adventure. Wilson provides a balanced view of the author and even includes a suitable…

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Hope in Disney’s “Invincible” Film

September 5, 2006
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Hope in Disney’s “Invincible” Film

The Walt Disney movie Invincible won the box office competition again last weekend, bringing in a gross of $15.2 million. The film merits attention. More than just a sports movie, Invincible tells the true-life story of Vince Papale, a 30 year old bartender who made the Philadelphia Eagles in an open tryout that then-new Eagles coach Dick Vermeil meant as mostly a publicity stunt and a way of motivating players. Set during the economically depressed late 1970s among the working class in Rust Belt South…

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“Crocodile Hunter” Irwin Killed

September 4, 2006
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“Crocodile Hunter” Irwin Killed

  Famed "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin was killed yesterday when he was stung in the heart by a stingray over which he was swimming in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for a video shoot. Irwin, 44, apparently frightened the creature by getting to close, bringing on the animal’s self-protective attack. Stingrays have a poisonous, barbed tail which can cause excruciating pain if a person is struck by it, but such attacks are only very rarely fatal. Irwin was struck in the chest, however, and the barb…

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“Golden Age” Detection Fiction

September 2, 2006
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“Golden Age” Detection Fiction

Looking for something to read over the three-day weekend? I have some writers for you to investigate. Jon Jermey, a mystery aficionado and moderator of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction Mailing list on Yahoo, has composed a set of humorous rules for the writing of Golden Age detection fiction, the sort of tale that was made immensely popular by authors such as Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Dorothy Sayers, John Dickson Carr (aka Carter Dickson), Erle Stanley Gardner, H. C. Bailey, Rex Stout, and so…

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A Pictorial Tour of the Prestigious MTV Video Awards

September 1, 2006
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A Pictorial Tour of the Prestigious MTV Video Awards

Just FYI, the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards took place in New York City last night. I have no idea who won or even who attended, but I will note, for your edification, that it did indeed happen. Here’s a photo of the performance by Christina Aguilera, who once said, "Beauty is shit!" in a determined effort to prove that she is a singer and not just a pretty hunk of flesh: I’m convinced. Here’s a photo of Shakira proving that MTV is truly multicultural:…

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Possible Prez Candidate Appears in Online Video Game

September 1, 2006
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Possible Prez Candidate Appears in Online Video Game

    Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) yesterday appeared in a popular on-line video game, the user-created online world Second Life. Wagner James Au reports in New World Notes that staff members of Warner’s exploratory campaign staff contacted him to ask if he’d "be interested in interviewing Governor Warner in Second Life." Au reports on how it came about: “Well,” Nancy Mandelbrot (RL info here) explains, “we were sitting in our offices one day and kind of goofing around, just geeking out about social…

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UK Cracks Down on Violent Pornography

September 1, 2006
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The United Kingdom is cracking down on violent pornography, after a campaign led by the family of a 31-year-old teacher killed by a man obsessed with watching websites showing necrophilia. The Home Office said on Wednesday that it will "make it an offence to own images featuring scenes of extreme sexual violence," according to Reuters: The new law would outlaw any material that featured violence that was, or appeared to be, life-threatening or likely to result in serious and disabling injury. This type of material…

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Glenn Ford and the American Character

August 31, 2006
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Glenn Ford and the American Character

Actor Glenn Ford died yesterday at the age of 90 after a long career in the movies and television. Perhaps best known to modern audiences as Clark Kent’s father in Richard Donner’s Superman—The Movie, Ford made a solid career as a leading man despite a near-complete lack of charisma and magnetism. Ford’s stolid, mature persona contrasted greatly with those of popular contemporaries such as Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and James Dean who valued a high degree of explicit emotional expression. Ford could show passion when…

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Commemorating 9/11

August 30, 2006
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Commemorating 9/11

The TV networks will be doing a significant amount of programming commemorating the forthcoming 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. ABC has produced a four-hour docudrama, The Path to 9/11, which is based on the government report on the attack and helps explain how the attack happened. After the second, concluding episode of the miniseries, ABC will air a special edition of Primetime hosted by Charlie Gibson. Good Morning, America, World News, and Nightline will also cover the story. NBC will run a number of…

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Re-Colonizing China

August 30, 2006
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Yes, China took over Hong Kong, but it may well be that Hong Kong’s former colonizer, Great Britain, is about to take over China—through the media. Variety reports that the BBC has established a content-provision deal with Chinese broadcasters, through which the Beeb will provide drama programs to more than 300 local and regional channels, including outlets in Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, the latest season of David Attenborough’s BBC program Life in the Undergrowth, which will be shown on the national network China Central…

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Baby Poop Art

August 30, 2006
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In our ongoing Everything Happens in the Omniculture department, E! Online reports that a bronze sculpture purporting to be the first solid poop from Tom and Katie Cruise’s daughter, Suri, goes on display today at a Brooklyn, NY, art musuem. Yes, but is it Art? Short answer: No.  Of course, the museum makes a nice excuse for it, as E! reports: "It’s partially a statement on modern media that ‘celebrity poop’ has more entertainment value than health, famine or other critical issues facing society and…

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