1. "Still going ... Energizer Bunny to turn 20": Happy Birthday you sexy, shades-wearing pink thang!

["Turns out he really does just keep going and going. The Energizer Bunny, the symbol of battery maker Energizer Holdings Inc., debuted in commercials in 1989 and has, well, kept going ever since. Now entering his 20th year, the advertising icon has become famous enough that people who persevere beyond reasonable expectation are often referred to, or call themselves, the "Energizer Bunny." Among the many references from politicians:"]

["Deborah Harry was born for fame; it just took her a little longer to achieve it. Which makes one think: In our current youth-obsessed culture, it seems insane but quite possible that a woman as talented and gorgeous as Harry might not have been given a chance these days. She was pushing 30 (gasp!) when she formed her legendary, influential punk/pop group Blondie—far older than all those pseudo pop tarts like Avril Lavigne (who, as we all know, has no business even uttering the word "punk")—and had lived a full life already, from a stint as a Playboy Bunny, to singing in a 1960s folk rock band, to her time as downtown NYC urchin. And yet, one gets the feeling that the plucky, street smart, bleached-blond goddess with pipes that could move from soulful and sweet to rough and nasty in mere seconds would have taken a chance on herself no matter how popular she would have become. Again, some are simply born for fame."]

["I have a confession to make. When I heard the news about the massacre in Mumbai, I felt sick to my stomach. I felt sorrow for the victims, and not just any Americans targeted in the attacks. I felt anger toward the perpetrators responsible for the death of innocents. And, of course, I felt a twinge of anxiety at the possibility that it could happen here. But if I'm being honest, I have to admit that none of these was my first reaction. When I heard the news, my first reaction was: "What's going to happen to Slumdog Millionaire"?"]

["You know the ending of "The Italian Job"? The original, not the remake. It's a literal cliff-hanger, with Michael Caine and his merry band of thieves literally balanced on the edge of disaster—their stolen gold bars in one end of a recreational vehicle, the gang on the other, as the RV teeters over the edge of a cliff. If the thieves move toward the gold, the van will tip over the side. If they move toward safety, the gold will shift, and the van will tip over the side. If they do pretty much anything rash or stupid, the van will tip over the side. So the movie just leaves them—and us—hanging. Well, England has had enough."]

["Everywhere we look, we see screens. The other day I watched clips from a movie as I pumped gas into my car. The other night I saw a movie on the backseat of a plane. We will watch anywhere. Screens playing video pop up in the most unexpected places—like A.T.M. machines and supermarket checkout lines and tiny phones; some movie fans watch entire films in between calls. These ever-present screens have created an audience for very short moving pictures, as brief as three minutes, while cheap digital creation tools have empowered a new generation of filmmakers, who are rapidly filling up those screens. We are headed toward screen ubiquity."]

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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. Suggestions for links are also welcome. Please send to keithuhlich@gmail.com.