Here are this week's topics: TCM; book bub; a cold war classic; election 2014, Mars in AZ, fun facts, negative political ads.total costs, CO politics; US - China relations; ISIS; the Hillary bus; reading, non-fiction, John Jacob Astor; Charlie Bowden and Edward Abbey

Turner Classic Movie channel. I usually take a daily look at TCM's offerings (via our Comcast "guide"). Not that I watch, but, it is interesting to see "whose day it is," i.e. a continuous string of movies starring Actor/ress X, indicates it is that star's birthday and the string also provides a remembrance list of many great movies of the past.

E-books. I receive a daily email from bookbub.com (which can be tailored to suit your reading preferences). The email is a quick read, usually takes less than 2 minute to peruse. I occasionally place an order or, more often, add the book to my public library hold list.

The Manchurian Candidate. I received a bookbub offer for Condon's cold war thriller, panned at publication by most reviewers. I had seen the movie of the same name (Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Harvey, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury) and was curious about the book. As is so often the case, the two were quite different and, if you enjoy one, the other may be worth investigating. Incidentally, there is a 2004 movie update (set in the Middle East) starring Denzel Washington and Merle Streep.

Election 2014. I am following the Rothenberg Political Report, which lists the current status of the various campaigns for US House and Senate and gubernatorial seats. The Report lists races in these major categories: currently safe, seats in play, pure toss up, toss up/tilts Democratic, lean Democratic, Democrat favored, currently safe Democrat. The Republican possibilities are then listed in the same order. Yes, one can opine that Rothenberg leans Democrat himself or, rather, that the parties are simply listed in alphabetic order. Find you state and take a look.
     In CO's Senate race (nation-wide, 36 seats in play), Rothenberg sees Mark Udall (D) as a "pure toss up;" in our gubernatorial race (also 36 seats in play), John Hickenlooper (D) is rated as "toss up/tilt Democratic."
     On to the House, were it gets pallid and colorless. There are 435 representatives, with only 6 seats going vacant, and Rothenberg sees 386 as "safe" for the incumbent -- amazingly only 49 are thought to be really contested. While there might be an upset or two, Rothenberg's call of 386 seems to bear out the old political saw: "my congressperson is OK, the others are the problem."
     In CO, of our 7 congressional districts, only the 6th is thought to be a contest, with Mike Coffman (R) rated as a "toss up/tilt Republican." Hopefully, my very, very safe representative, Diane DeGette (D), did not spend even a dime! But, then again, down the road a retiring representative or senator can simply walk out and keep whatever funds remain in her/his campaign war chest.

AZ House of Representatives district 1. The Roll Call headline (10-24) was just too enticing to pass up: "Life on Mars, or Running in AZ's 1st district."  For those readers who live in more urban/suburban congressional districts -- or who have never traveled through the more desolate areas in the west -- "Mars" might seem an appropriate description for the area surrounding Tuba City, AZ. The article opens, "Arizona's 1st district is so vast and diverse that running for political office involves time travel." Indeed!

     Tuba City is located on the 27,425 square mile Navajo Reservation. (By way of comparison, when compared to all 50 US states, the "Rez" would be placed at #11 in land area.) I have twice traveled to/spent time with the Diné (Navajo) and travel on the reservation does take time -- lots of time -- most often over hard-packed dirt that turns absolutely "ice-slick" when it rains or snow is melting. 

     Normally the skies are cobalt blue, the horizons far distant, and, absent a dust storm, the scenery crystalline. Spend time here and you begin to understand why artists fall in love with the light in the southwest. (Georgia O'keefe, et. al.) 

Fun election facts. Here are two; feel free to send comments with your own.

1. From my home state of PA: Ever since WW II, every 8 years the governorship has alternated between Democrats and Republicans. That string may end this year, though, as restive Keystone State voters seem poised to toss out first-term governor, Republican Tom Corbett.  
2. From KS: No Democrat has been elected to the Senate since George McGill won a special election in 1932 -- and he was summarily thrown out in 1940, having been elected just once in his own right. The senate race there is shaping up to be a doozy!

Negative ads. I approach the last, furious days before November 4th with this in mind:

1. Any person/organization that spends money for or against a candidate or issue expects/hopes for something in return.
2. The more money spent, the more that is expected in return.
3. Candidates like to run ads with the phrase, "I approved this ad," which now requires a positive ad.
4. Therefore, negative ads have to originate with an "outside" source. Of course, when asked, every candidate will gives a "winky-winky," deplore those negative ads. and disclaim all knowledge concerning those outside, negative ads. 
5. An obscene amount of money is being poured into negative ads. A sad, sad state of affairs for the American Republic.

Cost of mid-term 2014. To moi, it is ridiculous that more than $4B will be spent electing 435 representatives, 6 delegates (from the our overseas possessions), and 36 senators. On average, $8,385,744 & change for each elected official. Admittedly, this is a badly skewed figure, but it seems a gross misuse of our wealth. However, if the Koch brothers (Republican) and American Bridge 21st Century (Democratic), et. al. expect future favorable treatment, they are paying handsomely -- and willingly -- to get their man or woman elected!

CO politics. This article, from the admittedly left-leaning NY Times, nicely summarizes how politics is changing in one western state with elements of both left (the Republic of Boulder) and right (gas and oil rich Weld county). The article looks at Erie, CO, a growing northern bedroom community located smack dab between these two areas.

People's Republic of China (PRC). The world's most populous nation, one with ever-growing economic clout, is now beset with yet another restive region -- and bears watching. An  article in The American Interest notes that the most recent restive area in question is not far off Xinjiang or Tibet, but centered in Hong Kong, where a rising tide of locals are demanding a greater voice in selecting candidates in their upcoming local elections. "The yellow umbrella" revolution has been born. Even more importantly, this latest disruption has implications for mainland China's hopes of ever bringing Taiwan back "into the fold." The authors note that extreme caution is the watchword. Today's electronic technology would make a Tiananmen-like massacre terribly counterproductive. Despite the PRC's ongoing attempts at internet censorship, news of violence in Hong Kong would spread instantly, both inside and outside the mainland. For proof one need look no further than the world-wide coverage accorded the Party's treatment of the current largely peaceful protests.

IS. On the non-lethal terrorist front: a Belgian-based candy company has re-branded one of its products, deciding the initials "ISIS" would not bode well. On the lethal side of the coin, come these stories.
     David Ignatius's recent column (10-24) is replete with references to this or that tribal leader or group. Tribalism is precisely the problem the US cannot seem to get its head around: there is no unifying group or figurehead to support the Syrian - Iraqi - Afghani theater of operations. There is far too sense of nationhood. Sunday's talking heads (including Charlie Rose on Face the Nation) seemed ignorant of, or unwilling to raise, the issue of tribalism vs nationhood.
     The Canadians, our stalwart, stoic neighbors to the north, experienced their first terrorist attack with what may have been an IS-connected, lone wolf attack in their Parliament Square. The now dead assailant left behind no answers, only questions. In the NYC borough of Queens, a man thought to have been a self-radicalized, lone wolf launched a hatchet attack on four policemen; he, too, was shot dead leaving authorities with only speculation regarding his motive(s).

When will Hillary's bus be ready for boarding? The best guess is early next year, but the article from American Prospect looks at the Democratic party's political landscape and the potential challengers should her candidacy be derailed. First name up: Elizabeth Warren (D, MA). The clues will, of course, begin to emerge -- be leaked -- after Election Night, 2014.

John Jacob Astor. This link is to a review of a recent book dealing with Astor's little known business foray that followed by a few years Jefferson's better known Lewis and Clark Expedition. One sentence near the beginning of the review caught my attention. "As a model of global trade, Astor’s practice foreshadows contemporary international business. It is a story well worth reading, serving as a reminder of the engine of greed that drove Manifest Destiny — an engine still running full-bore in the West today." Manifest Destiny is not usually associated with the 21st century.  Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire:A Story of Wealth, Ambition and Survival Peter Stark, 366 pages, hardcover: $27.99. HarperCollins, 2014.

Charlie Bowden and Edward Abbey. Bowden and Abbey were cut from the same mold and both had a love - hate relationship with the west and its issues. Here is a link to one of Bowden's last essays.

Thank you for reading, have an enjoyable week, and a pleasant Halloween evening.