Recommended Reading
from Bruce
David Bruce: "The Kindest People Who Do Good Deeds: Volume 6"
New Free Download: 250 stories of good deeds. By the way, you can also download free Volumes 3, 4, and 5.
Tom Danehy :When it comes to education, some people need to be schooled (Tucson Weekly)
Ever since I wrote a column about that feel-icky documentary about America's new charter-school fetish, Waiting for "Superman," I've received lots of e-mails from people who are pissed off enough to complain, but-not surprising-not necessarily pissed off enough to do something about it.
Carl Zimmer: "This Paper Should Not Have Been Published" (Slate)
Scientists see fatal flaws in the NASA study of arsenic-based life.
Clarence Page: When will Obama go 'gangster'? (Chicago Tribune)
Leave it to the famously politically incorrect Bill Maher to get to the heart of what's bugging President Barack Obama's supporters these days: … "...he looks beaten down," said Maher.
Jim Hightower: THE BOOM IS BACK!
… the big five Wall Street firms (Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan Chase) have set aside $90 billion this year to lavish huge bonuses on their big shot bankers. Ninety billion! Also, major corporations are hauling in total profits this year of $1.7 trillion - the highest level ever recorded. Ever!
James Rainey: "On the Media: How the press missed the pension increase" (Los Angeles Times)
When California's legislature voted to expand state employee pension benefits with SB 400 in 1999, the press missed the bill's significance amid other newsworthy end-of-session legislation.
SAM DILLON: Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators (New York Times)
With China's debut in international standardized testing, students in Shanghai have surprised experts by outscoring their counterparts in dozens of other countries, in reading as well as in math and science, according to the results of a respected exam.
Susan Estrich: What a Dame (Creators Syndicate)
I don't care what they said about her in "Game Change." Bitchy? Who wouldn't be? Difficult? She had a right to be.
FELIX SALMON: Tax Rate (blogs.reuters.com)
Federal taxes are the lowest in 60 years, which gives you a pretty good idea of why America's long-term debt ratios are a big problem. If the taxes reverted to somewhere near their historical mean, the problem would be solved at a stroke.
NAT HENTOFF: Protector of Jazz's Soulful Melody (Wall Street Journal)
With his incredible respect for melody and lyrics, tenor saxophonist Houston Person instills a touch of humanity in his music.
Andreas Scholl and Philippe Jaroussky: pushing the envelope for countertenors (Guardian)
Andreas Scholl, arguably the world's most famous countertenor, has found a new way to stun his fans and anger his critics - with a daring approach to Purcell's love duets. He talks gender-bending and jealous sopranos with Tom Service.
RAY DAVIES: The Inspiration (New York Times)
When I was a 17-year-old student, John Lennon's voice cut through all the nonsense and sent a message to me to go for my dreams.
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."
Hubert's Poetry Corner
'Christmas on the Black Pearl"
The 'Doggone Great Turkey Theft'
The Weekly Poll
Poll Continued until 12/14
With Assange's arrest in England, denial of bail and extradition request from Sweden, the ante has been raised. Supporters have countered with hacker attacks on sites refusing to process donations to Wikileaks, the Swiss bank that holds Assange's funds and the Swedish prosecutor's office. It appears that the White House is angling to get its hands on him for possible legal charges... The battle lines are firming up... The saga continues... with an addendum question:
At this point, do you support Julian Assange and Wikileaks?
a.) Yes, Hooray!
b.) No frickin' way!
c.) I wish whole damn'd thing would just go away...
If you've already responded to the previous question, feel free to resubmit. All will be posted...
The 'Wiki-Humpty Dumpty' Edition...
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday the leak of hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic documents is an attack not only on the United States but also the international community...
"This disclosure is not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests," Clinton said. "It is an attack on the international community: the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity." ..."It puts people's lives in danger, threatens our national security and undermines our efforts to work with other countries to solve shared problems," she told reporters at the State Department...
Clinton calls leaked documents attack on world | detnews.com | The Detroit News
(I watched her statement live and she looked to be NOT a happy camper... Woe be unto PFC Manning)
Do you feel the release of these diplomatic documents are:
1.) A good thing...
2.) A bad thing...
3.) Sorta good - Kinda bad...
4.) Hey! What happened to the Holiday Season theme - thingy?
Send your response to
wrote:
answered:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Some Guy Suggestion
Skywatch
Reader Comment
Dave and O'Reilly
I was checking the tv listings earlier, and I see that "The Frank Burns of News" (Bill-O) will be on Dave's program tonight. I will try my best to tune in tonight.
I find it shows that - to me, at least - Bill-O must be a glutton for punishment when it comes to Dave, as the more he tries to browbeat Dave into submission, the more determined Dave gets, and the more critical Dave is of Bill-O.
I also believe that many of the right wing media pundits and talkers would rather appear with Leno, because all he does is kiss ass, whereas Dave is more critical. Apparently, they don't want the extra scrutiny.
Ah, well, maybe Dave will bring up the Knoxville Church Shooting of 2008, wherein the gunman in that incident had books by Bill-O and Sean Hannity in his home. Just go for the jugular.
Hope to hear from you soon.
George M
Dave was way too nice to that hush-money-paying, loofah-loving loon.
Reader Suggestions
christmas lights 2010
Reader Suggestion
Sharon in TX
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Another heat wave.
Posthumous Pardon
Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison was posthumously pardoned Thursday for a 1969 indecent exposure conviction in Florida, a move a woman who said she was married to The Doors lead singer called a cheap political ploy.
Morrison, a Florida native, was appealing the conviction when he was found dead in a Paris bathtub in 1971 at age 27. The pardon came a day after the singer would have turned 67.
Outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist asked for the pardon, which the Clemency Board granted unanimously. Crist said he doubts Morrison actually exposed his penis during a rowdy March 1, 1969 concert at Miami's Dinner Key Auditorium. He and a three-member Cabinet serve as the Clemency Board. The surviving members of The Doors supported the pardon.
Crist at the hearing called the conviction a "blot" on the record of an accomplished artist for "something he may or may not have done." He said Morrison died before he was afforded the chance to present his appeal, so Crist was doing that for him. Board members pointed out several times that they couldn't retry the case but that the pardon forgave Morrison, as others were absolved of their convictions on Thursday.
Jim Morrison
Re-Ups At Sirius
Howard Stern
After all his threats to leave, and others' speculation on where he might go, Howard Stern is staying put at Sirius XM.
The loose-lipped shock jock announced on his show Thursday that he has signed a new five-year contract with the satellite radio company.
The deal, which runs through the end of 2015, provides that Sirius XM can now transmit Stern's show to mobile devices. No other terms will be disclosed, the company said.
Stern had been locked for months in stormy negotiations as his original five-year contract with Sirius radio, worth a breathtaking $500 million, neared its expiration just days from now. Sirius and then-rival XM radio merged in 2008.
Howard Stern
New Board Members
Apollo Theater
Leslie Uggams, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Marcus Samuelsson are among seven new board members at New York City's Apollo Theater.
President and CEO Jonelle Procope says they will help guide the vision, programming and fundraising of the legendary musical theater in Harlem. They were elected to the board Tuesday night.
Samuelsson is the former chef of New York's Swedish restaurant, Aquavit. He's opening a new restaurant in Harlem this month called The Red Rooster. He prepared the first state dinner at the Obama White House.
The Apollo is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary. The theater has propelled the careers of such legendary artists as Ella Fitzgerald and Michael Jackson.
Apollo Theater
Pleases Steve Martin
Stephen Colbert
With help from three prominent artists, Stephen Colbert retouched a self-portrait to please the discerning art collector eye of Steve Martin.
Martin was Colbert's guest Wednesday on "The Colbert Report," where he was promoting his new novel, "An Object of Beauty."
Colbert presented an old self-portrait and trotted out three unannounced guests to give their appraisal: artists Frank Stella, Shepard Fairey and Andres Serrano.
Fairey and Serrano added their own touches to the painting to depict Colbert as a fascist tyrant. Martin remained a reluctant buyer until Colbert added Martin's face to the painting, by which point Martin finally pronounced "Sold!"
Stephen Colbert
Pulled After Two Episodes
"The Hasselhoffs"
A&E has pulled the David Hasselhoff reality series "The Hasselhoffs" from its schedule after only two episodes.
"The Hasselhoffs" premiered Sunday to 718,000 viewers, with the audience shrinking considerably for the second half-hour episode to 505,000 viewers.
The show centered on the former "Baywatch" star as he helped guide his daughters Taylor Ann and Hayley pursue careers in entertainment. Eight unaired episodes are left.
"The Hasselhoffs"
Hotel Murder
Sylvie Cachay
A fashion designer was found dead Thursday in an overflowing bathtub in a swank hotel room, and her boyfriend - the son of an Academy Award-winning songwriter - was being questioned by police, a law enforcement official said.
Sylvie Cachay, 33, was found in a Soho House room after police received a call from the Manhattan hotel at about 3 a.m., police said. Water had been leaking from a ceiling, and hotel staff went to the floor above, where they found Cachay, dressed in a thin black sweater and underwear, submerged face up in the 6 1/2-foot oval tub.
Cachay's boyfriend, Nicholas Brooks, the 24-year-old son of "You Light Up My Life" songwriter Joseph Brooks, was seen leaving the hotel earlier and returned at about 3:30 a.m. to find police there, the law enforcement official said. In an unrelated case, the father is fighting charges that accuse him of molesting would-be actresses in his Manhattan apartment.
The elder Brooks, 72, has been accused of raping 11 women he lured to his apartment with the promise of a starring role in a movie. He has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges and is free on bail.
He won the Oscar for Best Original Song for the 1977 ballad "You Light Up My Life." He also wrote and directed the movie "You Light Up My Life," about a comedian who has a one-night stand with a director.
Sylvie Cachay
Loses To Starbucks Again
Carly Simon
A federal judge has rejected singer Carly Simon's lawsuit against Starbucks for a second time.
In late 2009, Simon sued the coffee chain after it decided to exit the music business just five days before her latest album was scheduled to be released in its stores.
On the second try, Simon went into slightly more specifics about the alleged misrepresentations by Starbucks executives, including a series of phone calls and in-person meetings with Alan Mintz, vp of content development at Starbucks, who told her that if she signed with Hear Music, Starbucks would aggressively promote and distribute her albums.
But Judge Wu has again accepted Starbucks' contention that it had no obligation to Simon and that she waived her rights to hold Starbucks liable for alleged shortcomings of Hear Music. Last Friday, the judge officially dismissed Simon's complaint.
Carly Simon
Lewis Run
Wesley Snipes
Actor Wesley Snipes began serving a three-year sentence at a federal prison in Pennsylvania on Thursday for failure to file income tax returns.
Snipes, 48, arrived shortly before noon at the Federal Correctional Institution McKean in the tiny northwestern Pennsylvania town of Lewis Run, federal prisons spokesman Ed Ross said. He had been ordered to surrender by noon.
The minimum security prison camp is worlds away from the harsh prison fortresses depicted in the Snipes' films "Undisputed" and "Brooklyn's Finest." The minimum-security camp doesn't have fences around its perimeter.
The 300 nonviolent inmates live in barracks that feature two-man rooms, daily showers and double-feature movie showings Friday through Sunday. Alas, no NC-17, R or X ratings allowed, which knocks out much of Snipes' action-heavy repertoire.
Wesley Snipes
Violated Beatles Copyrights
BlueBeat
A federal judge has ruled that a website that sold songs by The Beatles for 25 cents before they were legally digitally available is liable for copyright infringement.
U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton Tucker ruled Wednesday that BlueBeat.com violated the copyrights of music company EMI Group and others. The site streamed and sold music by the Fab Four and other top-name acts, including Coldplay and Lily Allen, for several days before music companies sued to shut it down in November 2009.
The ruling came roughly a week after EMI's attorneys argued that BlueBeat and owner Hank Risan should be found liable for copyright infringement and unfair competition.
BlueBeat
New Film Stirs Religious Controversy
"Narnia"
The studios behind the new "Narnia" movie are walking a tightrope in their quest to promote the third film in the fantasy franchise to a Christian audience and to general moviegoers.
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader doesn't open until Friday, but Fox and family-friendly producer Walden Media have been showing it to influential Christians for about a month, even before a finished print was ready.
That the studios have been reaching out to the faith-based community is an obvious strategy, given that it is based on the "Narnia" series from Christian philosopher C.S. Lewis.
Case in point is Liam Neeson, who voices Aslan, the resurrected lion in the upcoming film. The actor said at a news conference last week that his character doesn't necessarily represent Christ. That might be news to Lewis, though, who wrote the opposite before he died in 1963.
"Narnia"
Paris Auction Cancelled
Pablo Picasso
A Paris auctioneer has put off a scheduled sale of a trove of Picasso drawings after a separate cache of previously unknown works by the artist turned up in an electrician's garage.
The sale at Drouot auction house was to have included several dozen sketches and minor Picasso works given to his former driver Maurice Bresnu. Bresnu was close to the artist and inspired some of his work late in life.
Drouot postponed the auction set for Thursday because some auction proceeds stood to go to Pierre Le Guennec - a former electrician who is a relative of Bresnu and his wife, both of whom have died.
Le Guennec shocked the art world with his recent claim that he had squirreled away 271 Picasso creations in his garage for decades. Le Guennec and his wife say they were gifts from the artist. Police are investigating.
Pablo Picasso
Aussie's Pulll Golliwog Dolls
Oprah Visit
Oprah Winfrey's production company asked a Melbourne shop to remove golliwog "washerwoman" dolls from display fearing the talk-show queen would take offence, reports said Thursday.
The Dafel Dolls and Bear Shop was asked to take the "Mamee" dolls from its shelves ahead of a cocktail party there late Friday for 110 guests of Oprah's "Ultimate Australian Adventure", the Herald Sun newspaper said.
Dressed in a maid costume with a scarf around its head, it was feared the doll would upset 56-year-old Winfrey, the report said, though it was unknown whether the talk-show host, who is black, would attend the doll shop event.
Golliwog dolls are considered offensive in the United States because of their links with slavery and racism.
Oprah Visit
In Memory
John Leslie
John Leslie, an award-winning adult film actor and director who appeared in more than 300 movies during porn's so-called Golden Age in the 1970s and 80s, has died, his friends said Thursday. He was 65.
Leslie, whose real name was John Nuzzo, began acting in porn movies in the 1970s in San Francisco. He went on to become one of the first actors to successfully direct, which he did until his death Sunday of an apparent heart attack at his Mill Valley, Calif., home.
He appeared in such titles as "Cry for Cindy" and "Talk Dirty to Me," the 1980 film that solidified his status as one of porn's leading men.
Mark Kernes, who as senior editor of the adult film publication AVN knew Leslie well, said Leslie was one of the first actors to cross over to directing, which he did well at because of an artistic eye for detail and talent for handling actors.
Leslie's success as a porn actor started in the early 1970s, seen as the beginning of the industry's Golden Age when plot-driven, feature-length adult movies like "Deep Throat" and "Behind the Green Door" achieved mainstream success. That era ended with the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.
Leslie won pornography industry awards for acting and directing. He was inducted into the Legends of Erotica Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, as well as AVN's Hall of Fame.
Leslie is survived by his wife of 23 years, Kathleen.
John Leslie
In Memory
John du Pont
John du Pont, a wealthy heir to his family's chemicals fortune, died on Thursday in a Pennsylvania prison where he was serving a sentence for the 1996 shooting death of Olympic champion U.S. wrestler David Schultz.
Du Pont, 72, died of natural causes at the Laurel Highlands state prison, about 70 miles from Pittsburgh, said Sue Bensinger, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. He had served 13 years of his 13- to 30-year sentence, she said.
He was a great-great-grandson of E.I. du Pont, who in 1802 founded the chemical firm that bears his name and created one of America's largest family fortunes.
At the time of his 1997 trial, John du Pont's personal wealth was estimated at up to $250 million.
Witnesses at his trial said du Pont shot Schultz, who lived at a wrestling training facility on the du Pont estate, three times with a handgun.
Du Pont was found guilty but mentally ill in connection with Schultz's death. During the trial, his attorney said du Pont suffered from delusions.
John du Pont
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