Alexandra Jaffe and Elise Labott: Historic thaw in U.S., Cuba standoff (CNN)
A political standoff that spanned five decades and 10 presidents began to crumble Wednesday with President Barack Obama's move to normalize relations with Cuba. The announcement was the product of a year of clandestine back-channelling between the U.S. and Cuba, facilitated by the Canadians and the Vatican and with personal involvement from the Pope.
C. Coville: 5 Book Marketing Stunts That Backfired Spectacularly (Cracked)
It's tough out there for authors. Between 600,000 and a million books are published or self-published in America every year, and most of those sell fewer than 250 copies. For every breakout success like A Billionaire Dinosaur Forced Me Gay or Taken by the Lightning Bolt, there's a thousand books whose sales slide slowly and painfully into a ditch like that time you decided to go rollerblading in an ice storm.
John Tierny: A Meditation on the Art of Not Trying (NY Times)
the paradox of wu wei, the Chinese term for "effortless action." Pronounced "ooo-way," it has similarities to the concept of flow, that state of effortless performance sought by athletes, but it applies to a lot more than sports. Wu wei is integral to romance, religion, politics and commerce. It's why some leaders have charisma and why business executives insist on a drunken dinner before sealing a deal.
The insane history of how American paranoia ruined and censored comic books (Vox)
One of the most hurtful things you can say to a comic book reader is that comic books are for kids. It's a chilling insult that the stuff they read - the stuff they love - never advanced beyond its funny-page beginnings. But it's also - often unknown to comics fans - a blunt reminder of one of the worst things to ever happen to comic books.
lalochezia - The use of vulgar or foul language to relieve stress or pain.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
Using vulgar or foul languag
Charlie wrote:
Using abusive or profane language.
My own experience suggests this can work, but isn't a sure thing.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, said:
The use of vulgar or foul language to relieve stress or pain
Randall responded:
OK, I can figure this one out...
"Coprolalia" means using filthy language and that word has the "lal" right in it,
and I've heard of "coproliths" which are piles of dung.
And "lith" means stone, therefore "copro" means shit.
So... the "coprolalia" literally would mean "shit in the mouth"
and thus, "Lalochezia" would mean "mouth" + "chezia"!
Mouth-cheese!
Lalochezia means eating cheese!
Alright, well... I googled it and um, not so much...
Well fuck me up the ass sideways with a chainsaw.
The actually did a segment on whether or not swearing can help one overcome stress and/or pain
They stuck their hand in a bucket full of ice and held it in there for as long as they could stand it...
Turns out that when they swore - and oh my they cussed a blue streak - it WORKED! - They could hold out for a significantly longer time when they cussed and swore and turned the air blue with nasty, naughty curse words. Like poopy-fart and turd-hole and butt-crust and even WORSE!
So perhaps that explains why, when some of us read conservative websites on the innertubes why we shout curse words...
It is simply to prevent ourselves from having an aneurysm.
Deborah replied:
Goldie Hawn! Loved her on "Laugh-In."
So I had to look this up, because I'm not familiar with the word: Lalochiezia is the use of vulgar or foul language to relieve stress or pain.
Who knew?
In other news, more rain yesterday, gray skies & low clouds today. Perfect weather to stay inside and make soup & write Christmas cards.
TGIF!
Adam answered:
Listening to Lalo Schifrin's cheesy pop-inflected output from the 70s? (Enter The Dragon, anyone?)
No...using vulger and indecent language.
Marian said:
relieve stress by using obscene or vulgar language
FDS of Diamond Springs, Norfuckincali responded:
Lalochezia is emotional relief gained by using indecent or vulgar language. They're just words.
MAM wrote:
The use of abusive language to relieve stress or ease pain.
DJ Useo answered:
I had no idea concerning the correct answer, & that made me swear! Lol!
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
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CBS begins the night with a FRESH'Amazing Race', followed by the FRESH'A Home For The Holidays', then a RERUN'Blue Bloods'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Josh Brolin, Jay Thomas, and Darlene Love.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig is the very last show, with Jay Leno.
NBC starts the night with a FRESH'Caught On Camera With Nick Cannon', followed by 'Dateline'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are Ben Stiller, Brie Larson, and Damon Wayans.
On a RERUNSeth Meyers (from 12/10/14) are Cameron Diaz, Josh Radnor, Richard Engel, and Bob Mould.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 11/6/14) are Juno Temple, Le Butcherettes, and Ho99o9.
ABC opens the night with a RERUN'Last Man Standing', followed by a RERUN'Cristela', then a RERUN'Shark Tank', followed by '20/20'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 11/25/14) are Chris Pine, Evangeline Lilly, Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo.
The CW offers a RERUN of 'The Hollywood Christmas Parade'.
Faux has a RERUN'MasterChef Junior', followed by a RERUN'Hell's Kitchen'.
MY recycles an old 'Bones', followed by another old 'Bones'.
AMC offers the movie '101 Dalmatians', followed by the movie 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice', and 'Blake Shelton's Not So Family Christmas'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] BBC World News
[7:00AM] BBC World News
[8:00AM] The Real History of Science Fiction-Ep 1 - Robots
[9:00AM] The Real History of Science Fiction-Ep 2 - Space
[10:00AM] The Real History of Science Fiction-Ep 3 - Invasion
[11:00AM] The Real History of Science Fiction-Ep 4 - Time
[12:00PM] Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
[2:30PM] Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
[5:00PM] Doctor Who - Season 2 - Ep 1 - New Earth
[6:00PM] Doctor Who - Season 2 - Ep 2 - Tooth and Claw
[7:00PM] Doctor Who - Season 2 - Ep 3 - School Reunion
[8:00PM] Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion
[9:00PM] Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
[11:30PM] The Chronicles of Riddick
[2:00AM] Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion
[3:00AM] The Real History of Science Fiction-Ep 2 - Space
[4:00AM] The Real History of Science Fiction-Ep 3 - Invasion
[5:00AM] The Real History of Science Fiction-Ep 4 - Time (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Girlfriends' Guide To Divorce', followed by the movie 'How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days', then the movie 'How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days', again.
Comedy Central has 'South Park', 'Tosh.0', another 'Tosh.0', still another 'Tosh.0', 'Kevin Hart: Laugh At My Pain', followed by the movie 'Hot Tub Time Machine'.
FX has the movie 'Snow White & The Huntsman', followed by the movie 'Avatar'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-DEWEY'S DOG
[6:30AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-POKER II
[7:00AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-CLIP SHOW
[7:30AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-JURY DUTY
[8:00AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-CLIQUES
[8:30AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-MONKEY
[9:00AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-ZOO
[9:30AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-HUMILITHON
[10:00AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-FAMILY REUNION
[10:30AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-STUPID GIRL
[11:00AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-FORWARDS BACKWARDS
[11:30AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-FORBIDDEN GIRLFRIEND
[12:00PM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-MALCOLM HOLDS HIS TONGUE
[12:30PM] JAWS 3
[2:45PM] JAWS THE REVENGE
[4:45PM] THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE
[6:30PM] HALF BAKED
[8:15PM] HOT FUZZ
[11:00PM] COMEDY BANG! BANG!-THE LONELY ISLAND WEAR HOLIDAY SWEATERS & WHITE PANTS
[11:30PM] THE BIRTHDAY BOYS-SEASON FINALE
[12:00AM] BEETLEJUICE
[2:00AM] COMEDY BANG! BANG!-THE LONELY ISLAND WEAR HOLIDAY SWEATERS & WHITE PANTS
[2:30AM] THE BIRTHDAY BOYS-SEASON FINALE
[3:00AM] HOT FUZZ
[5:45AM] COMEDY BANG! BANG!-DAVID CROSS (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00AM] Rectify-Unhinged
[7:00AM] Love Lust-Love Lust & Make-up
[7:15AM] The Writers' Room-The Walking Dead, Smallville & other comics
[7:45AM] Beyond the Sea
[10:15AM] Spy Game
[1:00PM] Chinatown
[4:00PM] Law & Order-Disappeared
[5:00PM] Law & Order-Burden
[6:00PM] Law & Order-Bad Girl
[7:00PM] Law & Order-Damaged
[8:00PM] Law & Order-Tabloid
[9:00PM] Law & Order-Monster
[10:00PM] Law & Order-Cherished
[11:00PM] Law & Order-DWB
[12:00AM] The Happening
[2:00AM] The Dead Zone
[4:15AM] Smashed (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'The Cabin In The Woods', followed by a FRESH'WWE Steroid SmackDown', then the movie 'Zombie Apocalypse'.
Jon Hamm poses backstage with the award for TV performance of the year - actor at The People Magazine Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Photo by Chris Pizzello
ABC "Nightline" co-anchor Dan Abrams, who previously served as a General Manager and host at MSNBC, and in recent years created Abrams Media led by signature site Mediaite, anchored his final "Nightline" Wednesday.
On Thursday, ABC News President James Goldston announced Abrams will be returning to managing Abrams Media full-time while remaining with ABC as its chief legal analyst.
Replacing Abrams will be Byron Pitts, who's been ABC's chief national correspondent since 2013.
Abrams has co-anchored "Nightline" since June 2013.
Actress Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting and husband Ryan Sweeting arrive at the People Magazine Awards in Beverly Hills, California December 18, 2014.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
The nation's oldest black college, Cheyney University, one of Pennsylvania's 14 state-run universities, is on the verge of a financial meltdown that threatens its ability to continue operating, a state official said on Wednesday.
Cheyney's student body has shrunk by two-thirds, to about 1,000, since its 1983 peak, and its four-year graduation rate is just 9 percent. A quarter of students never receive a degree, and student loan defaults are high.
Cheyney, located in the Philadelphia suburb of the same name, was founded in 1837 after Quaker philanthropist Richard Humphreys bequeathed part of his estate to build a school to educate descendents of the African race, according to the university's website.
Its alumni include journalist Ed Bradley, state and U.S. elected officials, several National Football League players, a U.S. ambassador to South Africa, and Robert Bogle, chief executive of The Philadelphia Tribune.
Comics master Art Spiegelman says he's rejected multiple offers to make a film adaptation out of his Pulitzer Prize-winning, Holocaust-themed graphic novel "Maus," and he'll continue to do so.
"I wouldn't like to see it," he said in an interview at the Art Gallery of Ontario, which opens his "CO-MIX: A Retrospective" exhibition on Saturday.
"I've told my kids this as well, so that they'll remember after I'm just a GIF."
Spiegelman was referring to a digital format which compresses video into short, looping clips. It's a tool the 66-year-old likely won't be using in his work anytime soon.
Actor Michael Keaton poses backstage with his Movie Performance of the Year Male award for "Birdman" at the People Magazine Awards in Beverly Hills, California December 18, 2014.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
The pop icon Elton John will wed his partner of more than 20 years this weekend in England, reports said.
The 67-year-old singer and the Canadian-born filmmaker David Furnish will tie the knot Sunday at their home in Windsor, Berkshire, near London, several news reports said.
The Daily Mirror said that some 50 friends and family were expected to attend, including David and Victoria Beckham.
John earlier this year said that he and Furnish were planning to marry "very quietly" in the presence of their two children.
Alecia and Bounkham Phonesavanh never imagined their family would be at the center of a controversy over the militarization of police. But that's exactly where they found themselves when their toddler was seriously injured by a SWAT team, also leaving them with a $1 million medical bill they have no hope of paying.
In the spring of 2014, the Phonesavanh's home in Janesville, Wisconsin, was destroyed by fire. Homeless with four young children, they packed one of their last remaining possessions - their minivan - and drove 850 miles to the home of Bounkham's sister in Cornelia, Georgia.
The family crowded into a former garage converted into a bedroom: parents Bounkham and Alecia, 7-year-old Emma, 5-year-old Mali, 3-year-old Charlie and 18-month-old Bounkham Jr., known as "Bou Bou." It was a tight squeeze but only temporary. After two months the family had found a new house in Wisconsin and was planning to return home.
At approximately 2 a.m. May 28, the family awakened to a blinding flash and loud explosion in their bedroom. A Special Response Team (aka SWAT team) from the Habersham County Sheriff's Office burst unannounced into the bedroom where they were sleeping. According to police reports, Habersham Deputy Charles Long threw a "flash-bang" grenade - a diversionary device used by police and military - into the room. It landed in Bou Bou's pack-and-play.
The use of "no knock" warrants has become controversial, according to Atlanta-based community activist Marcus Coleman. "There needs to be a strict criteria before you're able to knock someone's door down in the middle of the night," says Coleman. "We also have to look real hard at how the police force has been militarized and what does that mean for your ordinary citizen."
Since the incident, the toddler has undergone surgeries to repair his face and torso. The Phonesavanh family says they are facing close to $1 million in debt from hospital costs. Habersham County officials will not pay the medical bills, citing a "gratuity" law in Georgia that prohibits them from compensating the family.
Andreas Kaufmann, owner and CEO of Leica Camera AG, left, Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, center, and Swiss actor and director Vincent Perez attends the opening of a Leica concept shop in Paris, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014. The first 35mm film Leica prototypes were built by Oskar Barnack at Ernst Leitz Optische Werke, Wetzlar, in 1913.
Photo by Michel Euler
A Canadian woman was sentenced to 90 days in jail on Thursday for causing two deaths in 2010 when she stopped her car on a Quebec highway to help a group of ducklings crossing the road.
Emma Czornobaj had been convicted in June of two counts each of criminal negligence and dangerous driving causing death.
According to media reports on Thursday, Czornobaj stopped her car abruptly in the passing lane of a highway south of Montreal when she saw the ducklings. The motorcycle behind Czornobaj's car then crashed into her vehicle, killing the 50-year-old man driving the motorcycle and his 16-year-old daughter.
"I just wanted to pick all these ducklings up and put them in my car," Czornobaj had testified during her trial. "I know it was a mistake."
The jail time will be served on the weekends. Czornobaj was also sentenced to 240 hours of community service, probation and banned from driving for 10 years.
British fashion designer and activist Vivienne Westwood poses with a campaigning card outside of British Prime Minister David Cameron's official residence at Number 10 Downing Street in London, December 18, 2014. She was highlighting what she and other campaigners believe are the health and environmental dangers of fracking as an energy source.
Photo by Toby Melville
Following the fallout of the slide in the Russian ruble, Switzerland sought Thursday to prevent the Swiss franc from breaching upper limits imposed on the currency by introducing negative interest rates on commercial bank deposits.
The move forces commercial banks to pay to deposit their francs with the Swiss National Bank - usually they get a small interest rate for doing so.
It's a step that the European Central Bank has introduced, too, though its motivation is to encourage banks to lend to households and businesses in order to shore up the economic recovery in the 18-country eurozone.
For the Swiss authorities, the desire is different. It's to prevent the Swiss franc from appreciating too much. That can hurt the country's exports and weigh on the economy. As a result, the SNB introduced a rate of minus 0.25 percent on sight deposit account balances of more than 10 million Swiss francs ($10.4 million).
A Santa Claus puppet is seen on the back of a motorcycle, as bikers take part in the "Christmas Carabalade" in the streets of Paris, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014. Over 1,500 bikers participated in the ride in Paris.
Photo by Francois Mori
Former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will return to the Sportsman Channel for the second season of her reality series, "Amazing America With Sarah Palin" at 9 p.m. on Jan. 15.
The series documents Palin as she travels the country to share stories with outdoor enthusiasts, craftsmen and other notable Americans. The Jan. 29 episode will feature rocker and outspoken conservative activist draft dodger Ted Nugent (R-Crusty Panties), host of the Outdoor Channel's "Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild."
"Ted Nugent is not only a rock 'n' roll icon, but a true American outdoorsman who practices what he preaches," said Palin. "His outspoken candor regarding America and our civil liberties is a breath of fresh air. I'm so excited he's joining me for an episode this season."
Added Nugent, "Sarah Palin is a great American and a great friend to freedom lovers everywhere. She will go down in history as a strong, courageous freedom fighter for 'We the People' in this diabolical culture war. I am proud to stand with her."
Artists of the Cirque du Soleil perform during the show "Quidam" at the Meo Arena pavilion in Lisbon, Portugal Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014.
Photo by Francisco Seco
It's not such a great day, America - not for fans of Craig Ferguson.
Ferguson, television's kinetic Scottish cutup, on Friday brings to a close his decade-long run as host of CBS' "The Late Late Show."
Airing Friday at 12:35 a.m. EST, he concludes a grand stretch of silliness and smarts that, while never posing much of a ratings threat to talk-show rivals, struck a chord with a loyal following (and earned him a coveted Peabody Award for his 2009 interview with - of all people - Archbishop Desmond Tutu). Smarts with silliness.
Taking Ferguson's place as host of "The Late Late Show" is British actor-writer-comedian James Corden, who debuts March 9.
During the two-month interim, a slate of male guest hosts - including Drew Carey, Will Arnett, Wayne Brady, Jim Gaffigan, Billy Gardell and Sean Hayes - will fill in.
Visitors follow king penguins (aptenodytes patagonicus) as they march through the Zoo in Basel, Switzerland, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014. The king penguins are only let outdoors for a walk in the winter, because they naturally require low temperatures.
Photo by Georgios Kefalas
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actually did a segment on whether or not swearing can help one overcome stress and/or pain
wrote:
took the day off.
returned to semi-retired status.
