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Before there was Bernie Madoff, there was Ivar Kreuger, the man John Kenneth Galbraith called the Leonardo of scammers. When Kreuger, an extremely successful and much-admired businessman during the 1920s, killed himself in 1932, investors discovered that his financial empire, based in the manufacture of matches, was made of sand, built out of complex financial instruments that are the forerunners of today's derivatives.

As a longtime action junkie myself, I can attest to the fact that we're a forgiving lot. Give us action that really sings on the screen and we'll even forgive a lame plot and wooden performances. Just make our jaws drop in amazement at the on-screen action--or even at one action set piece--and we'll be lining up for seconds and buying the DVDs. That's why a standard Asian actioner is generally leaps and bounds above even a decent American action film--because Asian directors know how to make action films for action fans. People like John Woo and Jackie Chan understand that action films are essentially like musicals, only the choreographed numbers involve violence instead of song and dance. They also understand that when you're shooting an action scene, you need to let it play out with a good amount of wide shots and as little editing as possible. The action or kinetic energy should come primarily from the performers not from the film editor. Overcutting in an action film is usually a sign that the action is badly done or that the director doesn't have confidence that the action can carry the scene.

In India, all eyes were on Sunday's final of the new Indian Premier Cricket League. The league plays a modified form of cricket, full of Western sports influences, but it has been a commercial success.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

For the new English language version of

"I'm an originalist and a textualist, not a nut," the Supreme Court justice says in a rare interview. He breaks down why he believes it is important to "destroy" wrong opinions and why he won't be John McCain's running mate.

The Mexican government has hired a U.S. public relations agency to help improve the country's image and stem the immigration backlash. The Mexican government is angry and frustrated by the immigration

Thompson is credited with what has become known as gonzo journalism in which the reporter involves himself in the story that he's covering to such a degree that he becomes a part of it. Thompson was also infamous for his use of drugs, alcohol, and guns. Gibney's documentary tries to place Thompson in a historical context. Gibney wants to serve up a portrait of a man who was a product of his times, reacting to the political and social climate in which he was living. But Gibney chooses to begin the film with 9/11 and with Johnny Depp (who played Thompson's alter ego in the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) reading what Thompson wrote about the event. Thompson's accurately assesses that the Bush Administration will make sure that they punish somebody but that this war will have no frontlines. He concludes with a quote from Winston Churchill who said, "the first casualty of war is truth."

49 million Americans live without access to adequate food, according to a recent Department of Agriculture report. What's the situation like for people here in San Diego? And, what can be done to reduce the number of people who deal with "food insecurity" in our county?

We should set a civic alarm clock on the face of City Hall to go off every day and tell us how much deeper we all are in debt.