Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Tom Danehy: Tom responds to gun-toting diners, city budget cuts and business school (Tucson Weekly)
Refusing to live in, on or even near the Internet, I still get all of my real news from traditional sources-newspapers, magazines, TV and occasionally radio. (It's kind of a fudge, but if a newspaper appears online, it counts as a newspaper. That allows me to do those really hard math problems in The New York Times on Mondays with a clear conscience.)
PIN THE DEBT ON THE DONKEY
"Rachel [Maddow]brings to life the National Debt record in colorful, tuneful ways your humble correspondent cannot begin to approach. Watch. You will do much better than the fake quiz show contestants. But some of the stuff that follows their performance was news to me and may be news to you as well. The hypocrisy and double-speak are amazing."-Andrew Tobias
WARREN E. BUFFETT: Pretty Good for Government Work (New York Times)
Thanks are in order for an economic meltdown averted.
Jim Hightower: THE RESILIENT GREEDINESS OF WALL STREET EXECUTIVES
It appears to be a truly amazing feat of magic. Right before your eyes, this thing rises into the air on its own, with no wires or mechanical devices giving it lift, and it hovers there effortlessly.
Grace Dent: The government's cuts might drive me into the streets (The Guardian)
I'm not a violent person, but by the time the royal wedding rolls around, will I have crossed the line?
Antony Beevor in defence of history (The Guardian)
The teaching of history provides much more than the practical skills which underpin the study of politics and society, it also gives children a vital understanding of their place in the world, argues Antony Beevor.
Annie Lowrey: Freaks, Geeks, and Economists (Slate)
A study confirms every suspicion you ever had about high-school dating.
Seth Shostak: Living Forever Is Not a Good Idea (Huffington Post)
I used to be a big fan of living forever. Since humans have gone beyond basic biology, I thought, why not re-engineer ourselves for a lifetime without an end point? Well, it turns out there are problems -- beyond the tedium of boorish men.
Sandy Banks: It isn't so easy being old (Los Angeles Times)
Readers note that we should accept the facts: Life for seniors can be good, but attitude matters.
Laura Barnett: "Portrait of the artist: Ronni Ancona, comedian" (The Guardian)
'Satire is in danger of becoming strangled because celebrity culture has become so extreme.'
One last thing... Wallace & Gromit (The Guardian)
Wallace & Gromit are starring in their own World Of Invention. Is TV fame affecting the Plasticine pair? Rich Pelley investigates.
Samantha Bond: Don't call me Miss Moneypenny (The Guardian)
The Outnumbered and James Bond actor tells Carole Cadwalladr about the joys and stresses of working alongside her husband in a new Oscar Wilde production
David Bruce has 39 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $39 you can buy 9,750 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
The 'Oh, Come All Ye Shoppers...' Edition
In case you haven't noticed (haha), the 'Holiday Season' onslaught has begun. (Actually, it did the day after Halloween, but no matter). The economic hopes and dreams of countless retailers, wholesalers, grocers, catalog companies, Internet discounters, hotels, motels, airlines, bus lines, restaurants, bars, credit card loan-sharks and the Salvation Army are depending on YOU for their very survival... Or, so they say... In addition, as always, elbowing their way in like a bunch of 'Red-haired Step-Children" demanding attention are those, too, who push the whole 'Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men... Reason for the Season' agenda despite the overwhelming evidence that those sentiments might actually happen for only, like, two seconds... If'n we're lucky... So.. Looking at 'The Big Picture'...
What is your overall attitude regarding the upcoming festivities?
A.) Joy to the World! It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
B.) Is it over yet?
C.) Sigh... It is, what it is... I'll make it through... somehow... I think...
Send your response to
wrote:
responded:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Reader Comment
for all those Harry Potters
Marty
Regarding your little missive yesterday (and the day before) in the "E" page, why only in Zionland (Israel)?
I'm pretty certain that there are hundreds, and perhaps even thousands of cemeteries in America alone, besides the rest of the non-colonial world, that have a "Harry Potter" grave in it. Also notice that in the version you've posted, Harry's death is attributed to fighting "Arabs," though it's much more probable, in 1939, that he had been killed by war-criminal terrorists of the Zionist brand who -- for the previous half-century or so -- were in the process of invading.Palestine by way of a Zionist new-wave, criminal migration.
Do notice that a more celebratory, Google-ized "death notice" of Harry establishes:
Source
"Private Harry Potter was born near Birmingham, England, and joined the British military in 1938. According to his regiment's website, he arrived to British mandate Palestine later that year, where he was killed in battle with an armed band in 1939. He was 18."
Absolutely nothing is mentioned in this article about the armed band that killed HP as being "A-rabs." Even in a Zionist news source, it is further revealed:
Source
"British soldiers who fell in Israel during World Wars I and II, and in the period in between, are buried in the military cemetery, which is located in the industrial zone on the road from Ramle. It was built after World War I, when Ramle was under the control of the Australian Brigade of Light Cavalry. Also buried in Ramle's British military cemetery is the grandson of Baron Edmond de Rothschild."
You see, between the end of both wars but also after WWII while the British were still trying to enforce their mandate, the two groups who killed the most English soldiers were either German soldiers, or the "Separatist" terror-groups of the Zionist ilk. It was also during this more expansive time that Zionist assassins were carrying out a campaign of murder throughout England. All that was needed to become their target was to be a British public servant who felt that the dominately non-Jewish, indigenous population of Palestine should also have an equal right to keep most of their own land.
... anyway, nothing is specifically mentioned in any of these news sources about Potter being killed by non-Jewish Semites. But then, I look at the name of the person who apparently sent this little, politically perverted snippet to you, Moti Milrod. Now, who is Moti Milrod?
Source
Moti Milrod is a Zionist provocateur who scours the internet for pictures to use in his Zionist-uber-alles propaganda campaign. Apparently, he doesn't produce the pictures, he just uses them.
But hey, let's look at the bright side! EVERY city in all the world should find their own "Harry Potter" gravesite and exploit it like an Israeli ... after all, money is money.
DanD
Er, thanks, Dan.
Always interesting to hear from you.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Mostly sunny, but a lot cooler.
Potential 2012 GOP Candidates Logging Time
Rupert
A liberal advocacy group estimates that five potential 2012 GOP presidential candidates who work for Fox News Channel were on the air nearly 66 hours in the first 10 months of the year.
The accounting by Media Matters for America points to the hugely influential - and profitable - position the network is creating as the go-to media outlet for Americans curious to see which Republican will emerge as President Barack Obama's opponent in his expected re-election run.
Media Matters looked at the airtime of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and John Bolton, all paid contributors who frequently give commentary on the network. The fifth was Mike Huckabee, who as host of his own weekend show logs the most time on Fox.
Using current advertising rates, Media Matters calculated that the five had received at least $40 million of free airtime.
Rupert
Wednesday Night
U.S. National Book Awards
Rocker Patti Smith was among the major winners of the U.S. National Book Awards on Wednesday for her memoir "Just Kids," choking up with tears before urging book publishers not to let technology kill traditional books.
Tom Wolfe, whose list of best-sellers includes "The Bonfire of the Vanities," "The Right Stuff" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
Jaimy Gordon beat authors such as Peter Carey and Nicole Krauss to won the fiction award for "Lord of Misrule," published by McPherson & Co. It is the story of a horseman's scheme to rescue his failing stable.
The National Book Award for Poetry was awarded to Terrance Hayes for his fourth collection, "Lighthead," published by Penguin Books.
Kathryn Erskine won the Young People's Literature award for "Mockingbird," published by Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.
U.S. National Book Awards
Anne Hathaway, Denzel Washington Co-Hosting
Nobel Peace Concert
Actress Anne Hathaway and Oscar winner Denzel Washington have been tapped as co-hosts of the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway, the event's organizers said on Thursday.
Performers at the concert, which will take place on December 11 in Oslo, range from veteran rocker Elvis Costello to current pop sensation Robyn and include jazz funk act Jamiroquai, "Mandy" singer Barry Manilow and pianist Herbie Hancock.
This year's show honors Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese dissident writer and human rights activist who is currently imprisoned in his home country.
The Nobel committee said this week that his family is unlikely to be able to travel to Norway to collect his Peace Prize medal, diploma and 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.44 million).
Nobel Peace Concert
Last 'Muse'
Charles Bukowski
The last muse of Charles "Hank" Bukowski, the alcoholic and womanizing US author who used blunt prose to write about society's downtrodden, still lives in the home she shared with her late husband and hopes to turn it into a museum.
"That's exactly like living with a ghost," Linda Lee Bukowski told AFP. "His room is exactly the same. Clothes hanging around, you know, things like that."
Linda Lee is as shy as her late famous husband, but made an effort to speak to strangers at the Huntington Museum in the town of San Marino, just north of Los Angeles, which is holding an exhibit titled, "Charles Bukowski: Poet on the Edge," through February 2011.
Bukowski (1920-1994) was an important figure in 20th-century US literature. "In his poetry and prose, Bukowski used experience, emotion, and imagination, along with violent and sexual imagery, to capture life at its most raw and elemental," reads a description of his work on the museum website.
Charles Bukowski
Network Cancels
"Medium"
U.S. network CBS has canceled the long-running drama series "Medium."
The network is axing the five-year-old thriller, which has been a weak link in its Friday night lineup.
Series creator Glenn Gordon Caron announced the news online: "It's true. Allison Dubois will dream her last dream on Fri 1/21. In what we believe will be a series defining episode, Allison and her family will stare destiny in the eye. And destiny will not blink."
CBS rescued "Medium" from cancellation after NBC axed the program last year, but the writing was on the wall when last month the network declined to pick up the show's back nine episodes for the season.
"Medium"
1939 Comic Book Sold
Batman
A rare comic book an 84-year-old California man bought for a dime when he was a teen has been sold in Texas for $492,937.
The copy of Detective Comics No. 27 featured the debut of "The Batman."
Robert Irwin says he bought the May 1939 issue from a Sacramento, Calif., newsstand when he was 13, and it's the only comic book he kept from his youth.
The winning bid came from a collector who wished to remain anonymous. He placed the bid by phone Thursday in an auction by Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
Batman
Swedish Court Detains
Julian Assange
A Swedish court on Thursday ordered the detention of Julian Assange, the founder of whistle blowing website WikiLeaks, on suspicion of rape and other sexual crimes, allegations he denies.
Assange's lawyer, Bjorn Hurtig, told journalists after the hearings he expected a European arrest warrant would be issued for Assange, who had sometimes visited Sweden in the past, and that he would probably appeal.
Assange has called the allegations baseless and criticized what he has called a legal circus in Sweden, where he had been seeking to build a base in order to benefit from its strict journalist protection laws.
He has said that he had been warned by Australian intelligence before the charges were brought that he could face a campaign to discredit him.
Julian Assange
Loses $18 Million Case
Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell, star of numerous movie comedies and a popular Saturday Night Live alumnus, bombed on Wall Street.
A group of investors including Ferrell last week lost an $18 million arbitration case against JPMorgan Chase and, on top of that, was ordered to pay $634,500 for the banking giant's legal fees, a penalty and hearing costs.
Ferrell, his wife, Viveca Paulin, business manager Matt Lichtenberg and a trust filed a case in 2008 against JPMorgan Securities LLC, accusing the brokerage of making "unauthorized and unsuitable purchases of preferred securities" for their accounts.
Ferrell's group wanted JPMorgan to rescind the purchase of the securities.
Will Ferrell
Won't Face Charges
Russell Brand
City prosecutors are unlikely to file charges against Russell Brand over a spat with a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport, an official said Thursday.
The British actor-comedian met Wednesday with prosecutors, who decided not to pursue charges, city attorney's spokesman Frank Mateljan said.
Brand was arrested at the airport in September while traveling with singer Katy Perry, and had been facing a potential charge of misdemeanor simple battery.
The incident was captured on video while Brand and Perry were swarmed by paparazzi as they entered a Delta Air Lines terminal. On the video, Brand is seen swatting at a photographer and hitting his camera.
Russell Brand
Rooftop Deck Owner Fires Producers
'The Donald's Apprentice'
The dirt is flying in New York City between Donald Trump's producers for TV's "Celebrity Apprentice" and the owner of the city's glitziest rooftop garden.
Plans to shoot the NBC show's season finale atop 230 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan were nixed after owner Steven Greenberg accused Mark Burnett Productions of being "scam artists."
A location scout first expressed interest in the 22,000-square-foot deck called 230 Fifth, with its 360-degree Manhattan panorama. Work was to have started before dawn last Monday.
But Greenberg says by late Nov. 12 the producers still hadn't made up their minds. He told them he felt he was being "jerked around."
'The Donald's Apprentice'
Estate Sues Son
Ray Charles
The Ray Charles Foundation is suing the late singer's son for publishing the recently released book "You Don't Know Me: Reflections of My Father, Ray Charles."
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against Ray Charles Robinson, Jr. and Random House.
According to the complaint, the son of the deceased singer is being sued because he had the temerity to put a photo of his own father on the cover of his book and also included some of his father's lyrics in the book.
The photo was allegedly taken by an employee of Ray Charles in 1965. The Foundation claims that the photo was a "work made for hire" and that it owns the copyright on the photo.
Ray Charles
Superheroes Are Protected
Hollywood
Batman, Superman and other superheroes are getting some help from the feds for their caped crusades along Hollywood Boulevard.
U.S. Judge Dean Pregerson on Wednesday blocked police from cracking down on the costumed characters who perform and pose for pictures for tips along the fabled street.
It may not seem like a traditional form of free speech, but their right to perform is protected under that provision of the U.S. Constitution, Pregerson wrote in the ruling that was welcomed by the performers.
Reports of aggressive panhandling and even fights involving unlicensed street performers led to a crackdown in May and June that led to about two dozen arrests for petty crimes such as blocking the sidewalk.
Since then, some performers said, police have threatened to arrest them if they didn't leave - although on any given day Superman, Spider-Man and Capt. Jack Sparrow can still be seen preening and flexing.
Hollywood
Pleads Guilty To Smuggling Ivory
A-440 Pianos
A Georgia piano importer has pleaded guilty to federal charges of illegally smuggling internationally protected elephant ivory into the U.S.
The U.S. attorney's office in Atlanta says 49-year-old Pascal Vieillard of Lilburn and his company, A-440 Pianos Inc., pleaded guilty Thursday. Prosecutors say the company illegally imported 855 elephant ivory key tops, totaling 1,710 pieces of ivory.
Defense attorney Thomas Findley had said earlier his clients didn't violate the law because the keys contained ivory that was more than 100 years old. The company's website says it sells and refurbishes new and vintage pianos.
A-440 Pianos faces a maximum fine of $500,000 and five years' probation. Vieillard faces a maximum sentence of one year in federal prison and maximum fine of $100,000. A sentencing date hasn't been set.
A-440 Pianos
Photos Go To Auction
Richard Avedon
A model in a silk Dior gown, posing with elephants. The psychedelically colored faces of the Beatles. A soot-covered coal miner.
Christie's in Paris will auction some of Richard Avedon's most prized photographs Saturday to raise money for the foundation set up by the influential American portrait and fashion photographer before his death in 2004.
The more than 60 photographs are expected to raise $6 million. The auction represents the largest collection of Avedon's work to reach market.
Highlights of the sale include a rare portrait of Pablo Picasso, a photograph of Andy Warhol posing with youths - some naked - as well as the largest photograph in print of Avedon's famous shot of model Dovima posing with elephants at a circus. The photographs of the Beatles in trippy colors - atypical of Avedon's stripped-down style - will also be up for bid.
Richard Avedon
Snap-On Tool
Silvio
A Roman statue of Mars displayed in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's office has been restored -- with a new penis added on, under specific orders from the Italian leader who has been mired in a series of sex scandals.
The 2nd-century marble statue of the Roman god of war and Venus, goddess of love and beauty, was fixed for 70,000 euros (95,000 dollars), without respecting traditional restoration techniques, La Repubblica daily said.
The work was carried "on the express orders of the prime minister," the report said, adding that the statue was on loan from the Terme di Diocleziano museum and is displayed in the official entrance of Berlusconi's Palazzo Chigi.
But Berlusconi's architect Mario Catalano said the restoration was fully authorised, adding that the added body parts were "removable."
Silvio
In Memory
Marie Osborne Yeats
Marie Osborne Yeats, a top child star during the early silent-movie era who was billed as Baby Marie Osborne in films such as "Little Mary Sunshine," has died. She was 99.
Yeats, who had a later career as a movie studio costume supervisor, died Nov. 11 at her home in San Clemente, said her daughter, Joan Young. Yeats had suffered three strokes in her later years.
She was 3 years old in 1915 when she was discovered by director Henry King at the Balboa Amusement Producing Co. in Long Beach, where her foster father was in charge of the studio zoo and her foster mother was an extra.
King launched Baby Marie to stardom in "Little Mary Sunshine," a 1916 film written especially for her.
The young film star's fame extended to Europe, and she went on national personal appearance tours. There were even Baby Marie dolls and paper dolls.
In 1917, after Baby Marie's contract expired at Balboa Films, the Osbornes and a business partner took over the old Kalem Studios in Glendale, which they renamed Diando Studios, to make their own movies starring their little girl.
Baby Marie's glory days as a child star, alas, were short-lived, the end coming after she starred in the 1919 comedy short "Miss Gingersnap."
She was born Helen Alice Myres in Denver on Nov. 5, 1911, and soon became the foster daughter of Leon and Edyth Osborn. (They renamed her Marie and later added the "e" to their name.)
In the 1930s and '40s, Yeats occasionally had uncredited bit parts in films, as well as working as a stand-in for Ginger Rogers, Deanna Durbin and Betty Hutton.
Beginning with an apprenticeship at Western Costume Co. in 1952, she had a more than two-decade career as a studio costumer and costume supervisor on films such as "Guys and Dolls," "Spartacus," "Cleopatra" (she was in charge of Elizabeth Taylor's wardrobe), "The Way We Were," "Mame" and "The Godfather, Part II."
Yeats' 1931 marriage to Frank Dempsey, with whom she had her daughter, ended in divorce in 1937. Her 1945 marriage to Murray Yeats ended with his death in 1975.
In addition to her daughter, Yeats is survived by five grandchildren.
Marie Osborne Yeats
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