Recommended Reading
from Bruce
C. Coville: The 4 Most Insane Overreactions to Bad Online Reviews (Cracked)
Whether you're a small-business owner, a freelancer, or someone who makes Cthulhu figures out of 1980s My Little Ponies, you can count on one thing: at some point, people will get online and say that your product sucks a finite amount of balls.
Tom Danehy: Tom is still working through his feelings about Doug Ducey as governor (Tucson Weekly)
It's Halloween day and I'm already lamenting the results of next Tuesday's election. I'm on a deadline so I can't wait for Tuesday night. Besides, I can see which way the wind is blowing. I don't have to wait for Tuesday night. Anu Solomon isn't going to throw a Hail Mary touchdown pass for Fred DuVal. For four long years, we're going to be stuck with Doug Douche-y, whose forced smile makes him look like he's constipated. He's probably already writing his victory speech.
Dylan Scott: "CHART: The 2014 Electorate Was Really, Really Old" (Talking Points Memo)
Older voters helped propel Republicans to sweeping victories Tuesday in Senate and gubernatorial races nationwide, according to exit polls from NBC News.
President Obama Post-Election News Conference (C-SPAN)
President Obama held a post-election news conference at the White House to talk about why Democrats lost control of the Senate and lost more seats in the Republican-controlled House.
Alison Flood: I'm hooked on ebook highlighting - what we underline is so revealing (Guardian)
Ebook readers reveal the most highlighted passages in Harry Potter, the Bible, Lord of the Rings and many more.
Al Capone on Capitalism (Histomatist)
"This American system of ours," he shouted, "call it Americanism, call it Capitalism, call it what you like, gives to each and every one of us a great opportunity if we only seize it with both hands and make the most of it." He held out his hand towards me, the fingers dripping a little, and stared at me sternly for a few seconds before reseating himself.
Jake Rossen: "101 Masterpieces: 'The Twilight Zone'" (Mental Floss)
For Rod Serling, TV was the perfect landscape to battle bigotry and corporate censorship. But was the nation ready for it?
Juliet Lapidos: Finish That Book! (Atlantic)
You suffer when you quit a story midway through-and so does literature.
Adam Chandler: The Lost America of Team America (Atlantic)
As the geopolitical satire turns 10, it reminds of how much the world has and hasn't changed.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
wrote:
took the day off.
is back to semi-retired.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
David E Suggests
David
Thanks, Dave!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Flip-Flop
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, dry and hotter.
Beats Cable, Broadcast Competition
Fox "News"
Fox News Channel was where people went to watch the GOP's routing of the Dems in last night's midterm elections. And for the first time ever FNC trumped all three broadcast networks, as well as its cable competition, in the news demo, in head-to-head 10 PM competition.
FNC bested combined CNN and MSNBC in primetime, in both the news demo and total viewers. An average of 6.3 million viewers watched FNC in prime - 1.662 million in the news demo. CNN clocked a crowd of 2.107 million - 909,000 in the news demo, and MSNBC pulled in 1.687 million viewers - 525,000 in the news demo.
At 10 PM ET, when the broadcast networks dove in to election results on-air, FNC's 6.607 million viewers outstripped CBS News's 5.408 million, NBC's 4.225 mil, ABC's 3.147 mil, as well as CNN's 1.936 mil and MSNBC's 1.594 million.
Same story in the news demo, where FNC's 1.825 million in the hour, edged out CBS's 1.548 million, NBC's 1.484 million, ABC's 1.083 mil, as well as CNN's 912,000 and MSNBC's 566,000.
Fox "News"
Prosecutor Drops Charge Against AC/DC Drummer
Phil Rudd
A New Zealand prosecutor on Friday dropped a charge against AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd that he attempted to procure the murder of two people, but Rudd still faces charges of threatening to kill.
One day after Rudd was arrested and charged with attempting to procure murder, threatening to kill and possession of narcotics, a New Zealand government prosecutor said the most serious charge had been dropped because of a lack of evidence.
The Australian-born Rudd has lived in the seaside city, about 200 kms (125 miles) southeast of New Zealand's biggest city Auckland, since he was sacked from the band in 1983.
He rejoined AC/DC in 1994, but has remained in New Zealand, where he owns a restaurant.
Phil Rudd
Last Guest
Craig Ferguson
Late Late Show fans sadly only have around six weeks left with longtime host Craig Ferguson, as he is packing up and shipping out of the host chair on Friday, December 19. For his last show, he's bringing in someone very familiar with departing the late night world: former Tonight Show host Jay Leno. That's a pretty stellar way to go out, don't you think?
Jay Leno last hosted the Tonight Show on February 6 of this year - after previously "last hosting it" in May 2009 during the Conan O'Brien debacle - and he's actually returning to The Tonight Show on Friday night to chat it up with current host Jimmy Fallon. He's been on the Late Late Show before, as seen in the video below, so it should be a pretty good time, especially if Ferguson is manically treating it like the last day of school.
Chances are, the discussion will center on Leno's new show Jay Leno's Garage on CNBC, which will presumably be just like his web series of the same name. Ferguson may also develop another series for himself in the future, but for now, he's hosting Celebrity Name Game. Perhaps neither of their future projects will come up, and they'll just do keg stands and try to ride Secretariat around the set. Perhaps not.
All of Ferguson's December guests have been revealed, and he's got a host of superstars lined up, many of whom have made his quirky show their home multiple times in the past. The early weeks of the month will see actors like Steve Carrell, Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Carrie Fisher show up to talk about their projects. (I cannot wait to see Fisher in particular.)
For the final week, he'll have on Tim Meadows, who holds the title of most appearances on Late Late Show, with 41. Later we'll see Thomas Lennon, who's been on the show 30 times, and Betty White, who's shown up for 23 appearances. That last week also has Jon Hamm, Angela Kinsey, Larry King and Jim Parsons. Go big or go home. Or in this case, go big AND go home.
Craig Ferguson
Painting Sells For $65 Million
Edouard Manet
A stunning 1881 masterpiece by Edouard Manet sold for $65 million at auction in New York, a record for a work by the French impressionist artist.
"Le Printemps," which the auction house Christie's had valued at $25-30 million, depicts a famous actress of the day and was exhibited in 1882 to critical acclaim while Manet was one of the most famous living artists.
The canvas has been owned by the same family for more than a century and for the last 20 years been on loan to the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
It was snapped up on Wednesday by a buyer in the front row who calmly fended off furious bidding on the telephone to clinch the picture for $65.13 million.
Edouard Manet
Three Charged
Fraud
A federal grand jury has indicted three men in a fraud scheme involving the helicopters used to transport the U.S. president and vice president, federal prosecutors said on Thursday.
The five-count indictment accused a Marine Corps officer, along with two retired military Marine mechanics who now operate a defense contractor, of conspiring on a bid to do work for Marine Helicopter Squadron One, or HMX-1, according to the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Craig Kolhagen, a chief warrant officer in the Marine Corps, was accused of leaking confidential information on the cost of the proposed bid contract, prosecutors said in a news release.
He traveled from Quantico, Virginia, where the HMX-1 squadron is based, to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to take part in a selection board evaluating the bidders, according to the indictment. Kolhagen had been ordered not to participate because of his close relationship to the other two defendants, it said.
The other defendants, Dennis Pennington and James Bowling, both executives at Valour and retired Marine helicopter mechanics, worked with him to inflate the cost estimate of the bid and draft a proposal that favored their company, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Fraud
Narcissist News
Fox's Ablow
Over the years, psychiatrist Keith Ablow has diagnosed President Barack Obama as a man with abandonment issues dating back to his upbringing, a person with a victim's mentality who secretly identifies more with Africa than America.
There's no evidence that Ablow has actually treated the president. Yet the Fox News Channel analyst freely mixes psychiatric assessments with political criticism, a unique twist in the realm of cable news commentary that some most medical colleagues find unethical.
The 52-year-old Ablow, who has psychiatric practices in Massachusetts and New York and teaches at Tufts University, wasn't available to talk about his Fox role, his office said. Fox representatives didn't respond to requests for interviews.
He's been a Fox contributor since 2007 after hosting a failed syndicated talk show. Identified as a member of the Fox News Medical A-Team, he hosts a regular segment about behavior titled "Normal or Nuts?" on the "Fox & Friends" morning show. There were published reports this fall that the network had extended his contract.
Fox's Ablow
Website Shut Down
Silk Road 2.0
U.S. authorities said Thursday they have shut down the successor website to Silk Road, an underground online drug marketplace, and charged its alleged operator with conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, computer hacking, money laundering and other crimes.
Blake Benthall, 26, was arrested on Wednesday in San Francisco and was expected to make an initial court appearance in federal court there later on Thursday.
The charges against Benthall carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Silk Road 2.0 was launched late last year, weeks after authorities had shuttered the original Silk Road website in October and arrested its alleged owner, Ross Ulbricht, who went by the online alias, Dread Pirate Roberts.
Silk Road 2.0
Under Review
Army Policy
The latest version of a U.S. Army regulation states that it is acceptable to refer to a soldier as a "Negro" when describing black or African-American troops, CNN reports. The Army says the word's use is now under review.
An Oct. 22 revision to AR 600-20, which covers "Army Command Policy," includes a section on "race and ethnic code definitions" that says "terms such as 'Haitian' or 'Negro' can be used in addition to 'Black' or 'African American,'" when describing "a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa."
The revision included a series of changes, including "additional guidance for the Army's sexual harassment prevention program," the Army Times said.
According to CNN, the document is updated periodically, though it's unclear how recently recently the word "Negro" was added.
Army Policy
DNA Sheds Light
Ancient Russian
DNA extracted from the skeleton of a man who lived in Russia about 37,000 years ago is giving scientists new insights into the genetic history of Europeans including interbreeding that took place with Neanderthals more than 50,000 years ago.
Scientists said on Thursday they used DNA taken from the man's left tibia to sequence the genome of one of the earliest known Europeans.
Genetic analysis of the Kostenki man, named after the Russian village where his skeleton was first unearthed 60 years ago, enabled a more precise estimate of when Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals who had colonized the region thousands of years earlier, the scientists said.
It also provided evidence of contact earlier than previously known between European hunter-gatherers and people from the Middle East whose descendants developed agriculture.
And it showed that by the time the man lived in what is now Kostenki village in westernmost Russia 36,200 to 38,700 years ago, the people residing in western Eurasia had already split from the lineage that populated East Asia.
Ancient Russian
Gives Away Office Apps For iPhone, iPad
Microsoft
Microsoft is offering free upgraded versions of its Office software for iPhones and iPads, as the software giant further embraces the so-called "freemium" strategy favored by many newer companies seeking success online.
Give away a basic version of a popular service, and the world may beat a path to your door and be willing to pay a little more for extras, or so the thinking goes.
Microsoft, the longtime king of desktop software, has generally protected its model of getting paid upfront for what it developed. But as the company strives to stay relevant for workers and consumers in an increasingly mobile world - and better compete with Google, Apple and others - it is offering substantial versions of its most popular products free of charge for smartphones and tablets. Microsoft is hoping to keep people using its products across all their devices, while betting that many will ultimately pay for fuller-featured versions of the software.
As more workers use devices other than desktop PCs, they want to have the same capabilities on all their devices, says Michael Atalla, director of Microsoft's Office apps product management. "We want to make sure they can move seamlessly from one to another," he added.
The apps released Thursday, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, replace a limited iPhone version and upgrade a more powerful set of apps that the company released for iPad tablets in March. The older iPhone version allowed users to create and view files for free, but had very limited features. Earlier versions for the iPad offered more capabilities, but creating new files required a paid subscription to the company's Office 365 subscription service.
Microsoft
Find New Coral Species
California
Scientists have discovered a new species of deep-sea coral in underwater canyons off the Northern California coast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Wednesday.
A NOAA research team using small submersibles found the coral in September near national marine sanctuaries off the coast of Sonoma County, the agency said.
The coral from the genus Leptogorgia was discovered about 600 feet deep in the first intensive exploration of underwater canyons near the Gulf of Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries.
Collecting data on the 4-inch-long white and red coral will help scientists determine the ecological importance of deep sea communities in the area and the threats they face, said the Farallones sanctuary's superintendent, Maria Brown.
California
In Memory
Richard Schaal
Richard Schaal, an early member of Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe who appeared often on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoffs Rhoda - which starred his then wife, Valerie Harper - and Phyllis, has died. He was 86.
Schaal died Tuesday at the Motion Picture and Television Fund home in Woodland Hills, his daughter, American Dad! voice actress Wendy Schaal, told the Chicago Tribune.
Schaal was married three times, including to Harper (his second wife) from 1964 until their divorce in 1978. He was the first of Harper's two husbands.
The actor also appeared in such films as Norman Jewison's The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966), George Roy Hill's Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) and Once Bitten (1985), starring Lauren Hutton and Jim Carrey.
Schaal played Howard Arnell and his twin brother Paul, both of whom dated Mary Richards, in separate episodes of CBS' Mary Tyler Moore Show, and he was WJM kids show host Chuckles the Clown on the 1970 installment The Snow Must Go On, in which Mary has to produce the station's election coverage in an emergency.
On Rhoda, Schall portrayed Charlie Burke, an annoying pal of Rhoda's husband Joe (David Groh). And on Phyllis, he was Leo Heatherton, a mistake-prone photographer who worked in the same studio as Cloris Leachman's title character during that series' first season.
A native of Chicago, Schaal ran a construction company in the Windy City before hooking up with Second City in 1962. A master of sketch comedy and improvisation, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Chicago Improv Festival in 2010.
In the 1980s, Schaal had regular roles on the ABC sitcom Just Our Luck and on the CBS dramas Trapper John, M.D. and Almost Grown, which was created by David Chase of The Sopranos fame.
He also appeared on such TV shows as The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, That Girl, Banacek and The Rockford Files.
Richard Schaal
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
