In a brief email to TheWrap’s Steve Pond, Bowling for Columbine Oscar winner Michael Moore commented with a heavy heart but still some level of hope about this morning’s horrific events in Aurora, CO:

I believe anthropologists and historians will look back on us and simply conclude that we were a violent nation, at home and abroad, but in due time human decency won out and the violence ceased, but not before many, many more had died and the world had had its fill of us.

The first reader to react to Moore’s take vehemently disagrees.
Writes dinosferrari:

Listen Michael – I respect your right to say what you want but I must stop you when you assert that my country is a violent county. These awful tragedies happen. Not long ago a deranged man went crazy and started shooting people on an island in Norway. He killed 80 people! Violence is not confined to America or Colorado nor is it confined to the 21st Century. Earlier civilizations were routinely far more violent than anything we see revolving today…

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The host was Dorothy Reingold, the keeper of ShockinglyDelicious.com. Her guest list for a recent pot luck dinner was made up of fellow SoCal food bloggers, everyone from Rachael Hutchings (“La Fuji Mama”) to Denise Vivaldo (“Food Fanatics Unwashed”).

As some of the assembled have already started blogging and LA Times writer Rene Lynch reports today, the goal of the getogether was to stage an intricate photo opp and share various content ideas as this group heads into their busiest time of year:

Each of the eight bloggers in attendance would walk away from the gathering with new recipes and viewpoints to share with their readers. The result, they hoped, would help goose blog traffic for all.

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The list of media outlets called out by Wired contributor Brian Switek is long and illustrious. Each one of them, he charges, fell hook, line and sinker for archaeological evidence of a “Kraken monster” presented on Monday at a Geological Society of America conference in Minneapolis.

Switek was one of the first to complain about this failure of science journalism. Today, he continues to point a non-squid like finger at everyone from Fox News to the Christian Science Monitor, which picked up the story from syndicate partner LiveScience:

Maybe I have things entirely wrong, but the disagreement seems to stem from the fact that I called writers who re-wrote the press releases for news sites “reporters.”

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Sharif Won’t Be Shaken Down: Omar Sharif refuses to pay the $445,000 judgment against him for punching a valet in the face.

Interactive Media: Rene Lynch concludes her post about Hell’s Kitchen by asking readers if they have any questions for winner, Christina: “Any lingering questions out there you’d like me to ask? And what do you think? Did the best chef win?” We suggest you do your own reporting, Rene. Too many cooks, and all.

Actor v. Actor: AFTRA approves the contract. But then, you knew that, didn’t you, smarty pants?