Ron points to this despicable column from the Book Babes, which not only suggests that journalism and book publishers should hold back in their coverage, but actually states the following:

[D]on’t you think that it’s reasonable for people to expect that depravity won’t be served up with our cornflakes? This expectation has been sorely tested this week. Over and over again, we see the same photos of prison abuse in Iraq. And now, you can even witness the slaughter of an American innocent on the Internet. When does freedom yield to a form of depravity, of witnessing torture and death as if it were normative?

The stunning ignorance and willing denial expressed in this paragraph requires not only a detailed response, but a call to action that will get things changed at Poynter. At the moment, I do not have the time for either. But rest assured, for all who signed Mark’s petition and for all who give a damn about the current journalistic clime, I will be in touch with you in the near future. More to come.

Nabakov’s private papers have been auctioned off for £500,000. Among the items sold were drawings of butterflies, various zoological papers and a crude doodle of a pearl necklace.

Saul Bellow has received an honorary degree from Boston University. Bellow, who is 88 and remarkably virile, plans to perform the macarena the night before accepting the award. Bellow’s son, Adam, has suggested to the BU faculty that, because of literary nepotism, he too has rightfully earned an honorary degree. BU informed Adam Bellow that if he’d stop writing half-engaging books, he might get his one day.

Nik Cohn picks the top ten rock ‘n roll books. While I certainly approve of X-Ray, where’s Lester Bangs?

You know that the Republican National Committee is getting desperate when it tries to use videogames as a marketing tool. One of them is a boxing game called Kerry vs. Kerry, featuring commentary from Don King. But according to Jim McClellan, “these games aren’t much fun to play, even if you are a Bush supporter.”