Washington Post

The Washington Post Sunday Crossword Puzzles, Volume 15
$9.95
I guess you would have to say I'm a New York Times crossword puzzle fanatic. But because this book was edited by Fred Piscop, known to me from his occasional puzzles at the Times, I decided to give a couple volumes of this series a try. Well, I was amply rewarded. These are moderately difficult Sunday puzzles (and you know what I mean if you do the Times Sunday puzzles) which are just enough different from those in the Times that they represented a pleasant challenge for me. Piscop's sense of humor, as seen in the definitions, is unique (and different from that of the NYT's Will Shortz) and I literally found myself laughing out loud at times.

Scott Morrison

Devil in a Blue Dress
$14.94
today I watched Devil in a Blue Dress on cable (satellite actually, but that's not the point...). while the headliner of the movie was the excellent-as-usual Denzel Washington, what makes this movie noteworthy for me -the reason i've seen it so many times- is the film's REAL star: Don Cheadle, whose character Mouse Alexander brought a bit of Texas gangster into the noirish gumshoe flick.
Cheadle's performance was so authentic that he was universally praised (winning the LA Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics Awards, as well as nomination from the Screen Actors Guild for best supporting actor) , even when the movie as a whole wasn't.
Director Carl Franklin (Nowhere to Run, One False Move) managed to craft a film that stands as an example in black cinema, not of what is generally done, but what should be. adapted from the novel of the same name by Walter Mosley, Devil in a Blue Dress manages to be more than a period noir flick or a "black movie"... it adresses issues of love, race, infidelity, etc with an easy hand. but beyond all that, it gave me a new actor to identify with in Cheadle, whose star is still rising...
word.
-samax
samaxAmen.com

New York Times - National Edition
$828.40
I would like to relate my experience making comments to the NYT "comments" area. I have posted several times there - and was quietly censored each time. My posts were critical of the drug companies and medical establishment, but were not offensive, attacking, etc. THe NYT gets advertising dollars from drug/medical interests. Recently, the NYT admitted the comments were "moderated," when it became public knowledge what they were doing.
So my objection to the NYT is they don't believe in freedom of speech, a serious transgression indeed for a journalist enterprise. They have turned from serious journalists to government-industrial hacks. As such they are part of the problem and have little legitimacy and trust-worthiness as guardians of the truth, and yes, the peoples' interests.

The Washington Post
$0.01
While living in DC area, I've found that the print edition to offer outstanding news, local, national and international as well as commentary. No longer living there, I wanted a Kindle edition paper that satisfies my interest and keeps me current and informed in those areas. Naturally, since I already have a local paper, the local features where of little interest. The Washington Post Kindle edition excels in giving me excellent coverage in those areas. In addition, it also covers books and business as well as sports. The Sunday edition also includes the Post Magazine and Outlook. Kindle allows me to read the sections of interest to me as rapidly as I can absorb. It is a great read for inclusion into any Kindle library.