Confusion

Roll up, America; step right this way. Here comes the Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour," getting a big night on domestic television, 45 Christmastimes after it first aired in the United Kingdom, on Boxing Day, Dec. 26, 1967. Newly restored and premiering Friday as part of the PBS series "Great Performances," it has been packaged with an indifferently titled but well-made documentary, "Magical Mystery Tour Revisited," that gives helpful context to a famous, fascinating mess. Apart from the inability earlier that year of the "Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane" single to reach No. 1 in Britain - its way blocked by Engelbert Humperdinck's "Release Me," marvelous to relate - the TV special was the first real Beatles failure.

In a well-lit gym, the two men in white and gold robes sat on folding chairs, struggling to control their emotions. The Catholic faithful - grandmothers, fathers, members of a youth ministry - surged forward, offering tributes. "We will never forget you," parishioner Hieu Hoang said. "To us, you are like our own father. You will always be with us. " "Please don't forget us," another added. The sudden removal of two Vietnamese American priests at the largest parish serving Little Saigon has left the congregation at St. Barbara's confused and angry.

Do you know the difference between credit rescoring and credit repair? Apparently, some lenders don't. As a result, they are refusing to fund mortgages that they otherwise would approve. At the same time, some title companies are starting to play hardball with borrowers who have recently undertaken home improvement projects. Even if the work is relatively minor, and even if it has been completed, the companies are refusing to issue title insurance policies, effectively stopping refinancings in their tracks.

In one Florida county, voters were wrongly told they could vote the day after the election. In storm-racked New Jersey, emergency plans to allow email voting proved too popular for election officials to handle. In Pennsylvania and Ohio, a variety of problems raised questions about the integrity of the vote. Although most Americans cast ballots without incident Tuesday, there were enough glitches to cause concern among voting rights activists and to provide work for some of the thousands of lawyers who were standing by, representing parties, candidates and nonpartisan voter advocacy groups.

The ballot's strangest measure, Proposition 40, coasted to the electorate Tuesday, running without any opposition but still subject to voter confusion. Because Proposition 40 is a referendum, not an initiative, the effect of voting for it may be the opposite of what some voters think. To be clear: A vote for the measure upholds the work of a citizens redistricting commission in drawing lines for California state Senate districts. A vote against it would overturn the commission, with uncertain consequences.

WASHINGTON - The election is still two days away, but in the always-strange state of Florida, early voting is already leading to confusion and chaos.   In Miami-Dade County, elections officials reopened a voting office on Sunday only to shut the operation down in the early afternoon because too many people were waiting in line. After angry voters started chanting “Let us vote,” the election workers decided to reopen, calling in extra staff and another printer for the absentee ballots.

What we've got here is "coffee confusion. " That's what a British survey found in determining that 70% of java drinkers couldn't figure out a latte from a mocha or a venti from a grande. So the Debenhams department store chain, based in London, replaced all the names with what it called "plain English. " Its new menu, announced this week, lets customers order a "frothy coffee" instead of a cappuccino. A caffe mocha is now a "chocolate flavored coffee" and a caffe latte is a "really, really milky coffee.

For anyone who has ever gone hunting for morning brew and was mystified by a confusing coffee menu, one company is looking to make the joe-drinking experience much more straightforward. Debenhams, a British department store, is rolling out a coffee menu in its cafes that uses “plain English,” it announced this week. Instead of a cappuccino, customers can order a “frothy coffee.” A caffe mocha becomes a “chocolate flavoured coffee.” A caffe latte is now a “really really milky coffee.” Even a black coffee is renamed on the menu as “simple coffee -- with or without milk.” An espresso shot is deemed “a shot of strong coffee.” And, in a barely veiled jab at Starbucks -- which uses the somewhat arbitrary sizing terms “tall,” “grande” and “venti” instead of of “small,” “medium” and “large” -- Debenhams said it will offer patrons a simpler choice: cup or mug. In a particularly twee announcement, the department store declared that “no longer will coffee-lovers be in a muddle over mocha, caught out by cappuccino or embarrassed about espresso.” No word on what it'll do if customers want their drinks low-fat and calorie-light -- or “ skinny ,” in the lingo.

NEW YORK - President Obama rejected the idea that there was “confusion” in his administration's handling of the attack on a U.S. facility in Benghazi while nonetheless vowing to “fix” elements of the response that went wrong. Obama's latest comments came Thursday in, of all places, an interview with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's news satire show, “The Daily Show.” Stewart asked the president whether his administration's investigation of the Sept. 11 attack that resulted in the deaths of four Americans would include working to improve communication within the administration.

Unbuckling the mailbag: Question: USC vs. The USC: What's it going to take to have a real rivalry going? Greg Diamond Los Angeles Answer: Let's go right to the expert in this field, Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney. I think everyone would agree he has no agenda here. Swinney tweaked South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier this week for referring to Louisiana State as the real "Death Valley," knowing Clemson's home field also shares that nickname. Swinney responded there was only one "Death Valley" and only one "USC…and it's in California.