Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Top 10 quirky science tricks for parties (YouTube)
Professor Richard Wiseman.
NH Voters on Mitt Romney: A Dishonest Fraud (YouTube)
Top Comment: The Romney ad goes well beyond the typical truth stretching we're used to in political advertising. It is so breathtakingly cynical and brazenly deceptive. That Romney would approve such an ad shows that he is not fit for public office, let alone the presidency of the U.S.
Tom Danehy: Tom ponders a controversial book on African Americans and marriage (Tucson Weekly)
One of the more provocative book titles this year is Is Marriage for White People?: How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone. Written by Stanford law professor Ralph Richard Banks, the book answers its own question with a depressing, "Mostly, yes," but adds a slightly hopeful, "But it doesn't have to be," at the end. Somewhat surprisingly, it is the "hopeful" part that is causing the most controversy.
Claire Gordon: Waiter's Phony $10 Tip Includes Religious Lesson (Daily Finance)
A $10 bill is a joyful sight for a server. But when one waiter went to retrieve such a note out from under a diner's plate recently, he reportedly noticed something curious. The tip it provided wasn't monetary, but took the form of advice. "SOME THINGS ARE BETTER THAN MONEY," it said on the back, "like your eternal salvation, that was brought and paid for by Jesus going to the cross."
Muppets Movie: Whoopi Goldberg on Loving Kermit and Miss Piggy (Daily Beast)
Rowlf, Kermit, and Pepe The King Prawn-welcome back to the big screen.
Paul Constant: "You Can Relax Now: 'The Muppets' Does Jim Henson Proud" (The Stranger)
'The Muppets' isn't perfect-Fozzie and several other Muppets at times sound like they have sore throats due to the new voice talent, and because of the up-with-Muppets tone of the film, there's not really any way for grousier elements like Statler and Waldorf or Sam the Eagle to get their moments in the spotlight-but it's pretty damn close to perfect.
Susan King: "Classic Hollywood: Barry Livingston, acting his age" (LA Times)
Former child actor Barry Livingston, who played the cute-but-nerdy Ernie Douglas on the vintage Fred MacMurray sitcom "My Three Sons," turned out quite well, thank you.
Roger Ebert: Down in Front
Where do you like to sit when you go to the movies? I know where I do, and I even suppose I know why. I started reconsidering my thinking, however, when I read David Bordwell's enlightening new blog entry, "Down in front!"
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
wrote:
took the day off.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny with lots of fallen branches and stuff to clean up.
Here's a Complete List of Grammy Nominations - 2012
1% Talking Points
Occupy Wall Street
The Republican Governors Association met this week in Florida to give GOP state executives a chance to rejuvenate, strategize and team-build. But during a plenary session on Wednesday, one question kept coming up: How can Republicans do a better job of talking about Occupy Wall Street?
"I'm so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I'm frightened to death," said Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist and one of the nation's foremost experts on crafting the perfect political message. "They're having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism."
Luntz offered tips on how Republicans could discuss the grievances of the Occupiers, and help the governors better handle all these new questions from constituents about "income inequality" and "paying your fair share."
1. Don't say 'capitalism.'
2. Don't say that the government 'taxes the rich.' Instead, tell them that the government 'takes from the rich.'
3. Republicans should forget about winning the battle over the 'middle class.' Call them 'hardworking taxpayers.'
For the rest: Occupy Wall Street
France Honors
Lenny Kravitz
France has paid tribute to Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz with its highest award, the Legion of Honor.
Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand hailed the 47-year-old singer-songwriter at a Paris ceremony on Wednesday, telling him "you freed yourself of the barriers between black and white sound."
Kravitz told The Associated Press that he got his first big break at a 1989 music festival in the western French city of Rennes that transformed his career "overnight." He said "I know it sounds like a fairy tale but it's true."
Kravitz was born to a black mother and white father, and his latest album, "Black and White America," tackles interracial issues - notably what his parents experienced in 1960s New York.
Lenny Kravitz
Goes To Chilean Poet
Cervantes Prize
Chilean poet Nicanor Parra has won the Cervantes Prize, the Spanish-speaking world's highest literary honor, for his influential work mixing everyday slang with traditional verse.
The 97-year-old poet, essayist and physics graduate was announced the winner Thursday in Madrid by Spanish Culture Minister Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde.
He published his first book of poetry in 1937 and eventually adopted the style he called anti-poetry, introducing colloquial language into traditional poetry, the Spanish Culture Ministry said.
The €125,000 ($170,000) prize honors writers who contribute to the richness of Spanish-language literature, and generally alternates between Spanish and Latin American writers. Last year, it went to Spain's Ana Maria Matute.
Cervantes Prize
Tomb Cleaned Up
Oscar Wilde
Actor Rupert Everett and Oscar Wilde's grandson have unveiled a makeover of the writer's gravesite on the 111th anniversary of his death.
Everett, who is writing about the poet's life, spoke at a podium Wednesday bearing a poster of the pre-renovation tomb covered in notes and lipstick at Paris' famed Pere Lachaise cemetery.
The tomb had become such a well-loved pilgrimage site - and had been so well-kissed - that it needed renovation. A glass screen now separates visitors from the stone itself.
Grandson Merlin Holland said his grandfather "would be incredibly touched by all the attention. After all he was sent out of England in 1897 a bankrupt, a homosexual and a convict ... and the French took him to their hearts."
Oscar Wilde
Urges African Nations
Amnesty International
Amnesty International on Thursday urged Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia to arrest former US resident George W. Bush for violating international torture laws, during his African tour this week.
Bush is touring the countries through to Monday to promote efforts to fight cervical and breast cancers, and Amnesty said the three nations have an obligation to arrest him under international law.
"All countries to which George W. Bush travels have an obligation to bring him to justice for his role in torture," said Amnesty's senior legal adviser Matt Pollard.
"International law requires that there be no safe haven for those responsible for torture; Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia must seize this opportunity to fulfil their obligations and end the impunity George W. Bush has so far enjoyed."
Amnesty's case relies on the public record, US documents obtained through access to information requests, Bush's own memoir and a Red Cross report critical of the US's war on terror policies.
Amnesty International
Comic Author Claims Idea Stolen
"Cowboys & Aliens"
The author of a 1995 comic story titled "Cowboys & Aliens" on Thursday sued the producers of a summer action flick of the same name, and accused them of stealing his idea.
Austin-based author Steven John Busti filed his lawsuit in federal court in his home state of Texas.
In 1994, Busti came up with the concept for lasso-wielding cowboys facing off against giant aliens in the West, and published a story the following year titled "Cowboys & Aliens" in a comic called "Bizarre Fantasy," his lawsuit states.
Busti's lawsuit also said that in 1994, a publication called Comic Shop News ran a feature on his "Cowboys & Aliens" idea in the same issue that it had a story on comic book entrepreneur Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.
Rosenberg's Los Angeles-based comics and entertainment firm Platinum Studios in 2006 launched the graphic novel series "Cowboys & Aliens," which Busti said in his lawsuit bears "striking similarities" to his own work.
"Cowboys & Aliens"
Apple's Anti-Choice Device
Siri
Apple Inc is facing its first major controversy over well-received voice software Siri, as the cutting-edge iPhone search service ran afoul of abortion rights advocates.
Siri - one of the most popular features of Apple's new iPhone 4S - drew the ire of bloggers and the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League when it could not locate abortion clinics when asked.
NARAL's president, Nancy Keenan, dashed off an email to Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook in which she complained: "In some cases, Siri is not providing your customers with accurate or complete information about women's reproductive-health services."
But Apple said Siri's inability to pull up information was not intentional, blaming the flaw on the fact it was still in beta, or testing, phase.
Siri
Arrested & Sent To Jail Named After Him
"Sheriff of the Year"
Every civil servant wants to experience his or her legacy firsthand--but not the way that onetime Arapahoe Sheriff Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. has. Sullivan, a nationally renowned law enforcement leader, was arrested on drug charges and is now being detained in the Denver area jail that bears his name.
Sullivan, who in 2001 was named the National Sheriff Association's "Sheriff of the Year," was arrested on suspicion of trafficking methamphetamines.
Local news station CBS4 began an investigation of Sullivan last month on a tip that he had agreed to meet a male informant, providing drugs in exchange for sex. He was subsequently arrested by the South Metro Drug Task Force and is currently being held on a $250,000 bond.
And in an incredible twist of fate, Sullivan now cooling his heels at The Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility, named in his honor.
Sullivan, 68, has been retired for nine years, but had been serving as director of safety and security for Cherry Creek Schools.
"Sheriff of the Year"
$2500 Catalog
Elizabeth Taylor
Can't spare a few million for one of Elizabeth Taylor's world renowned rocks at the December auction of her jewelry?
You aren't alone. Less well-heeled fans of the late screen star are consoling themselves by snapping up lavish, limited edition sets of catalogs for Christie's upcoming auction of Taylor's jewelry, clothing, art and memorabilia. But even the books aren't that cheap.
While catalogs from individual auctions of her memorabilia can be had for as little as $60, the crown jewel for collectors is an ultra limited edition, boxed set of the gem sale catalog accompanied by a signed copy of Taylor's out-of-print 2002 book, "My Love Affair With Jewelry."
Packaged in a lavender presentation box, it's going for $2,500. Only 25 are available, with profits going toward Taylor's AIDS Foundation. The same set, minus Taylor's signature, is available for $600.
Another 20-lbs. boxed behemoth of all five catalogs will set a buyer back $300. A "jewelry set" of two catalogs detailing the gem auctions and selling for $150 has been another hot seller.
Elizabeth Taylor
Glyphs Don't Predict Apocalypse
Mexico
The end is not near.
At least that's according to a German expert who says his decoding of a Mayan tablet with a reference to a 2012 date denotes a transition to a new era and not a possible end of the world as others have read it.
The interpretation of the hieroglyphs by Sven Gronemeyer of La Trobe University in Australia was presented for the first time Wednesday at the archaeological site of Palenque in southern Mexico.
His comments came less than a week after Mexico's archaeology institute acknowledged there was a second reference to the 2012 date in Mayan inscriptions, touching of another round of talk about whether it predicts the end of the world.
He said the inscription describes the return of mysterious Mayan god Bolon Yokte at the end of a 13th period of 400 years, known as Baktuns, on the equivalent of Dec. 21, 2012. Mayans considered 13 a sacred number. There's nothing apocalyptic in the date, he said.
Mexico
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen for the week of Nov. 21-27. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:
1. NFL Football: Kansas City vs. New England (Monday, 8:30 p.m.), ESPN, 8.98 million homes, 12.34 million viewers.
2. NFL Football: San Francisco vs. Baltimore (Thursday, 8:30 p.m.), NFLN, 6.04 million homes, 10.68 million viewers.
3. "Walking Dead" (Sunday, 9 p.m.), AMC, 4.35 million homes, 6.62 million viewers.
4. "NFL Pre-Kick" (Thursday, 8 p.m.), NFLN, 3.84 million homes, 7.32 million viewers.
5. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.21 million homes, 4.76 million viewers.
6. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.15 million homes, 4.68 million viewers.
7. "Gold Rush" (Friday, 9 p.m.), Discovery, 3 million homes, 4.48 million viewers.
8. "Storage Wars" (Tuesday, 10:30 p.m.), A&E, 2.83 million homes,, 4.17 million viewers.
9. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), USA, 2.78 million homes, 3.89 million viewers.
10. "Good Luck Charlie" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 2.73 million homes, 3.95 million viewers.
11. "Shake It Up" (Sunday, 8:30 p.m.), Disney, 2.7 million homes, 3.89 million viewers.
12. College Football: Texas vs. Texas A&M (Thursday, 8 p.m.), ESPN, 2.69 million homes, 4.14 million viewers.
13. "Sons of Anarchy" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.), FX, 2.68 million homes, 3.85 million viewers.
14. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), USA, 2.67 million homes, 3.71 million viewers.
15. "Republican National Security Debate" (Tuesday, 8 p.m.), CNN, 2.66 million homes, 3.6 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Judy Lewis
For decades, the identity of Judy Lewis' parents was one of the best-kept secrets in Hollywood.
Not until Lewis acknowledged her story in the 1994 autobiography "Uncommon Knowledge" did the general public know the truth: Lewis was not the adopted daughter of Hollywood starlet Loretta Young, but had been conceived out of wedlock by Young and Clark Gable while the two filmed "Call of the Wild" in the 1930s.
Lewis died Friday in the Philadelphia suburb of Gladwyne, said Rodger McKinney, owner of the Chadwick & McKinney Funeral Home. Services will be held Saturday.
Lewis, of Palm Springs, Calif., was raised in Los Angeles by Young as her adopted daughter. She was an adult when she learned that Young, a devout Roman Catholic, conceived her during an affair with Gable in the 1930s.
Lewis was born Nov. 6, 1935, in Venice, Calif., and went on to perform on Broadway and television in her own career. She also produced the soap opera "Texas," a spinoff of "Another World." In the 1980s, she earned psychology degrees, advocating for children's rights and counseling teenagers. She later became a psychotherapist in Los Angeles, something she pursued until her illness.
In 1994, she wrote "Uncommon Knowledge," acknowledging her parentage publicly for the first time. Her mother was a single Catholic and Gable was married at the time of her birth, and the news would have led to scandal, so she created the story that Lewis was adopted.
Lewis wrote that Young kept her sequestered with a nurse for months after her birth, and that she was then turned over to an orphanage. When she was 2, Young brought her home as her adopted daughter.
Before her memoir was published, the identity of her parents had long been rumored. Leonard Maltin said the truth was never truly public, however, until the memoir, in which Lewis describes her mother telling her the truth in 1966.
In the book, Lewis said Young told her then: "'Well, he was your father. ... He was darling. Sweet and very gentle. ... He was married, so when I discovered I was pregnant with you, I was frantic and terrified. It would have ruined both our careers, a scandal like that.'"
Lewis' survivors include her daughter, three half brothers and her partner, Steve Rowland. Another memorial service is being planned for later this month in Los Angeles, McKinney said.
Judy Lewis
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
