gleans + 1xMRA + 1xaddenda at 3:55 PM MT, 10/7

 

Dow Drops 508 Points; Bank Shares Hit Hard By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM  Wall Street extended its heavy losses despite reassurances from the Fed chairman that the central bank was prepared to lower interest rates.

 

A Return to the Mideast

Can “Body of Lies” make the Iraq war entertaining?

• Trailer

 

 

‘Afterschool,’ a Debut Feature by Antonio Campos, Fluent in Viral ... A scene from his movie “Afterschool,” which will be shown at the New York .... His early work was “too risqué,” he said, to be shown at his high school. ...October 5, 2008 - By DENNIS LIM - Movies

 

Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

Big Insurer’s Spending Habits Disclosed

By SHARON OTTERMAN Former A.I.G. executives were sworn in at a House hearing on Tuesday. One lawmaker criticized the “unbridled greed” of the fallen insurance giant’s leaders.

• DealBook: Greenberg Distances Himself From A.I.G.’s Downfall

Doug Mills/The New York Times

Ben S. Bernanke delivered a speech on Tuesday in Washington.

• CNBC Video of Bernanke's Speech: Part 1 | Part 2

More Economic News

• Markets Slide After Bernanke Remarks

 

At CERN, computers to tackle the Big Bang Scientists hope the Large Hadron Collider will offer clues to the origin of the universe. They'll get some help from a well-stocked data center.  Tue, Oct 07 08:56:00 PDT 2008 | Read full story 

 

Simple, savory sardines
A taste of the fish transports me to the scenic Maine coast where the last US cannery operates.

 

Rustic and refined ratatouille
This humble peasant dish is so rich and flavorful, it could almost pass for dessert.

 

today's Mandatory Reading Assignment

Fred Astaire (Icons of America) by Joseph Epstein (Hardcover - Oct 21, 2008)

Great Book, October 7, 2008 <== review by George Cyril Wellbeloved

I appear to be the second customer to review this book. The first reviewer gives an adequate description, but I find his praise faint.

I had the good fortune to work with Fred Astaire in the movie "On the Beach" where I came to know him well: if the word "charisma" did not exist, it would have to be invented to describe Fred.

I think Fred Astaire the foremost entertainer of the 20th century - and I think Joseph Epstein's book a most appropriate tribute.

 

addenda

from the October 08, 2008 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1008/p03s02-nbgn.html Etc. If you think all colleges in the US are all liberal, think again Young first-time voters could play a significant role in deciding the outcome of next month's presidential election. By some estimates, there are 44 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 29, or potentially 20 percent of the electorate. So it wasn't too surprising to find pop music icon Bruce Springsteen on the campus of Ohio State University earlier this week, performing as part of a voter-registration drive. His appearance was aimed at signing up more liberal-minded students to vote for Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama. But college students come in all political stripes, as do the schools they attend. The most conservative and liberal campuses, according to The Princeton Review, the test-prep company known for its various college rankings, with the location of each: Most conservative •1. Hillsdale College, (Hillsdale, Mich.) •2. Grove City College (Grove City, Pa.) •3. Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah) •4. US Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colo.) •5. Hampden-Sydney College (Hampden-Sydney, Va.) Most liberal •1. Mills College (Oakland, Calif.) •2. Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.) •3. New College of Florida (Sarasota, Fla.) •4. Hampshire College (Amherst, Mass.) •5. Warren Wilson College (Asheville, N.C.) Full HTML version of this story which may include photos, graphics, and related links