1. "James Bond's Miss Moneypenny dies, aged 80." An obituary for Lois Maxwell, by Nick Squires of The Telegraph.

["Canadian-born Maxwell, whose sexually-charged banter with 007 was a hallmark of the franchise, died in Fremantle Hospital in Western Australia late on Saturday. She had been suffering from cancer."]

["I started attending the festival in 1967, when it was living a hand-to-mouth existence in one or two small theaters. The venues this year, after opening night, include the AMC River East, the Landmark Century, the Music Box Theatre, the Chicago Cultural Center, and, for closing night, the Harris Theater in Millennium Park."]

["Matt Drudge, the fedora-favoring Web-site operator, is giving up his syndicated Sunday night radio show - and no one knows why. "]

["One of the problems with Curse is that even once the film is over, I still had no clear sense of why the emperor felt it necessary to off his wife in the first place, but no matter, what I did like about the film was the amazing imagery that Zhang creates on the screen. The entire opening sequence seems more like an elaborate musical number as it sweeps and scans the emperor's palace and its assorted denizens with vivid colors, amazing costumes and even a good beat."]

5. Today is Sake Day!!!

["On entering I am greeted by the owner, Mitsuko, who prefers to be called okasan (mom). She constantly reminds me that she speaks no English. She stocks sake from all over Japan—there are up to 50 on the menu at any one time. These include several rarities alongside the usual brands found on most izakaya menus: Kubota, Hakkaisan et al. Prices per glass start from ¥750 and go up to ¥4,300. All are served in a glass tokkuri (traditional sake flask) filled to the brim on small a saucer that catches the overflow."]

"Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle, 20
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse. and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation." - from "Chicago" by Carl Sandburg

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"Links for the Day": Each morning, the House editors post a series of weblinks that we think will spark discussion. Comments encouraged.