Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Lucy Mangan: My debt to Clive James, the howlingly funny critic who made TV-writing sing (The Guardian)
From his theory about teeth to his dissection of JR's voice, to read Clive James was to marvel, learn and collapse with laughter at his staggering insights and snark-free humour.
Lucy Mangan: "Meat: A Threat to Our Planet? review - guaranteed to put you off your chicken nuggets" (The Guardian)
Liz Bonnin's investigation of the environmental mayhem caused by mass carnivory was meaty, disquieting viewing.
Lucy Mangan: "We need to practise speaking out - then do it"(Stylist)
The longer I looked at the list of "Good statements for women and girls to practice" recently posted by @necessaryaf on Twitter, and the more it gained momentum, the more furious I became. Not because it was a bad list - it wasn't. It was good, useful and righteous: from the generously explanatory ("You interrupted me", "I'm not finished talking", "That isn't appropriate") to the superbly brief ("No"); from the generally applicable ("I already know that", "That isn't funny", "Leave me alone") to the specifically instructional ("Stop ignoring what I'm saying", "You owe me an apology").
Hadley Freeman: Everyone fantasises about their Desert Island Discs. These are mine. (The Guardian)
The eternal question is whether to choose the songs that reflect the big moments in your life, or the songs you'd actually listen to for ever.
Hadley Freeman: Twins get a bad rap in everything from The Shining to Mr Men. Here's the truth (The Guardian)
I'd hate my boys to see any minority group as weird - but I didn't account for the twin factor.
Hadley Freeman: Best celebrity memoirs of 2019 (The Guardian)
Demi Moore, Debbie Harry, Elton John, Julie Andrews … this year we were spoiled for superbly written, funny and revelatory memoirs. Hadley Freeman shares her favourites.
Peter Bradshaw: "Knives Out review - Daniel Craig goes Columbo in Cluedo whodunit" (The Guardian)
Craig grills an all-star lineup of suspects when a wealthy novelist is found dead in Rian Johnson's sharp, country-house murder mystery.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
answered:
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
BANDCAMP MUSIC
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION OF BANDCAMP MUSIC
Music: "D minor Blues, (instrumental)" from the album EARTH
Artist: Cherryweather
Artist Location: South Australia, Australia
Info: "I'm a Melbourne-based songwriter. The guitars and vocals are mine, the rest are midi instruments. I record and produce my music at home. … I've released a few albums on Bandcamp that you'll find in the discography. Hope you like them."
Price: $1 (AUS) for song
Name Your Price (Includes FREE) for 14-track album
If you are OK with paying for it, you can use PAYPAL or CREDIT CARD.
Genre: Blues-Rock Instrumental
Cherryweather on Bandcamp
EARTH on Bandcamp
David Bruce has over 140 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
New Venture
Michael Egan
Team Coco
CONAN
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• On April 30, 1997, Ellen DeGeneres' character, Ellen Morgan, came out in the one-hour episode of Ellen titled "The Puppy Episode." The title of the episode was an in-joke: At a meeting to get ideas for episodes of the sitcom, someone suggested that Ellen's character get a puppy - an idea that was rejected. The real-life Ellen also came out as a lesbian on the April 14, 1997, cover of Time with the words, "Yep, I'm Gay." Lots of rumors preceded the coming-out, something that Ms. DeGeneres had fun with, at one time saying, "Yes, the rumors are true. We'll be revealing that my character is Lebanese because she enjoys both baba ganoush and Casey Kasem." At the time, comedian Rosie O'Donnell had not publicly come out of the closet, and she teased people by saying that she really liked Casey Kasem, and so "maybe I'm Lebanese, too."
• Lesbian comedian Sabrina Matthews is very out. Sometimes, after watching her act, straight people will tell her, "I never met a gay person before." Ms. Matthews replies by stating the obvious, "Yeah, you did - you just didn't know it." She is also an activist who doesn't mind scaring straight people when they deserve to be scared. One day, in Provincetown, Massachusetts, she noticed a straight family with a father, mother, and young son and daughter. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but this particular father was pointing at and making fun of gay people. Therefore, Ms. Matthews snuck up behind him and whispered ominously in his ear, "How much for the girl?"
• Lesbian comedian Vicki Shaw once appeared in a club where the manager - a gay man - told her not to do jokes about gays, although her jokes were gay friendly. Meanwhile, he had not told the straight male comedians appearing with her not to do gay material, although their jokes were anti-gay. Ms. Shaw told the manager, "If I can't do gay material, then they can't do gay material. It's those jokes that tell the redneck drunk that it's OK to go out and hunt some queers. … if those rednecks are out in their truck looking for gays to beat up and you and I are walking down the street, guess who they're gonna pick?" The manager allowed her to do her gay-friendly material.
• British gay comedian Alan Carr's on-stage persona is very much the same as his real-life off-stage persona. Once, as Mr. Carr was about to perform, someone told him, "So I'll just leave you 10 minutes so you can get into character." Mr. Carr replied, "Pardon?" Mr. Carr is an out comedian, but he does not specifically talk about being gay in his act. His gayness is simply there. When he is off-stage, occasionally drivers will yell at him, "Faggot!" Mr. Carr says, "I haven't been called that since I was at school, so actually I get all nostalgic."
• Lesbian comedian Kate Clinton usually does not believe in outing homosexuals who don't want to be outed, but sometimes more important things - such as politics - make her want to out some of her fellow homosexuals. For example, after singer Ricky Martin was seen being chummy with George W. Bush at his first Presidential Inauguration, Ms. Clinton says that she started going into record stores, hanging around big advertisements for Ricky Martin's newest album, and telling passersby, "Did you know he's a big fag?" (Recently, Mr. Martin outed himself.)
• Gay comedian Bob Smith sometimes attends the Gay Pride festivities of Juneau, Alaska, where straight people celebrate alongside gays and lesbians. He once saw a hot man sitting at a bar during the Pride festivities and asked a friend who the hot guy was. This reply came back: "Oh, he's a fisherman. He's straight, but he doesn't care. A party's a party to him." By the way, at Juneau Mr. Smith saw a Yukon lesbian folksinging group, and as you might expect, they were called the Klondykes.
• When homophobic people tell lesbian comedian Judy Carter that she just hasn't slept with the right person yet, she replies, "You're right. Do you know any cute homos who would be right for me?"
***
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***
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Current Events
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Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
JD is on vacation.
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In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast and still cold (for these parts).
New Statement
'America's Got Talent'
"America's Got Talent" network NBC and producers Fremantle and Syco have released a new statement regarding former "AGT" host Gabrielle Union's exit from the series.
The statement comes five days after Variety's report that Union was let go from "America's Got Talent" following complaints about a toxic workplace culture on the series.
Following the release of NBC's statement, Union retweeted a tweet by entertainment and culture writer Joelle Monique, outlining the three steps to a "solid apology" and asserting that "anything less is covering your own ass."
Among the incidents Variety reported on, citing multiple sources with close knowledge of the series, was an offensive on-camera joke told by guest star Jay Leno that Union asked to be escalated to NBC human resources. Widely seen by people present as insensitive to Asian communities, many of the sources Variety spoke with said the matter went unreported. Union was also given constant notes that her rotating hairstyles were "too black" for the competition series' audience, four people with knowledge of the critique told Variety.
'America's Got Talent'
NDA With $1 Million Fine
Pete Davidson
Fans planning to attend a recent Pete Davidson comedy show got an unexpected surprise - a non-disclosure agreement with a $1 million fine.
The comedian's team required attendees to sign the NDA before entering the Bay Area venue where the Saturday Night Live cast member performed earlier this week.
In addition to signing the agreement, attendees were asked to put their phones and smartwatches in secure pouches for the duration of the show - a practice that is becoming more common.
The NDA noted any breach of the agreement would result in a demand for $1 million "as well as any attorney fees."
Along with providing a signature, attendees were required to provide their cell phone numbers, email address, Twitter and Instagram handles.
Pete Davidson
Star Wars Actor
Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams, who is best known for playing Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars films, shared in a recent interview with Esquire that he sees himself "as feminine as well as masculine."
"I never tried to be anything except myself. I think of myself as a relatively colorful character who doesn't take himself or herself too seriously," Williams, 82, said.
"And you see I say 'himself' and 'herself,' because I also see myself as feminine as well as masculine. I'm a very soft person. I'm not afraid to show that side of myself," he added.
Later this month, Williams will return as Lando in the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker for the first time since Return of the Jedi in 1983. But Williams said the role he's most proud of is his Emmy-nominated performance as Gale Sayers in the 1971 TV movie Brian's Song.
Billy Dee Williams
Rally In Myanmar
Aung San Suu Kyi
About 700 people rallied Sunday to show support for Myanmar's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, as she prepares to defend the country against charges of genocide at the U.N.'s highest court.
Members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party swelled the ranks in front of the colonial-era City Hall in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, as the crowd waved national flags and listened to music and poetry. A popular local singer told them that "Mother Suu is the bravest human being in the world - her weapon is love."
The case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague relates to a harsh counterinsurgency campaign waged by Myanmar's military against members of the country's Muslim Rohingya community in August 2017 in response to an insurgent attack.
More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh to escape what has been called an ethnic cleansing campaign involving mass rapes, killings and the torching of homes.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, will lead the delegation to The Hague in her capacity as foreign minister.
Aung San Suu Kyi
Far Side of The Moon
Radio Telescope
The Chang'e-4 mission, the fourth installment in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, has made some significant achievements since it launched in December of 2018. In January of 2019, the mission lander and its Yutu 2 (Jade Rabbit 2) rover became the first robotic explorers to achieve a soft landing on the far side of the Moon. Around the same time, it became the first mission to grow plants on the Moon (with mixed results).
In the latest development, the Netherlands-China Low Frequency Explorer (NCLE) commenced operations after a year of orbiting the Moon. This instrument was mounted on the Queqiao communications satellite and consists of three 5-meter (16.4 ft) long monopole antennas that are sensitive to radio frequencies in the 80 kHz - 80 MHz range. With this instrument now active, Chang'e-4 has now entered into the next phase of its mission.
The radio observatory is the result of collaboration between the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) and the China National Space Agency (CNSA). ASTRON has a long history of conducting radio astronomy, which includes the operation of one of the largest radio telescopes in the world - the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), which is also part of the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (EVN).
The NCLE is the first observatory built by the Netherlands and China to conduct radio astronomy experiments while orbiting on the far side of the Moon. This location is considered ideal for such experiments since it is removed from any terrestrial radio interference. It is for this reason that Queqiao has had to act as a communications relay with the Chang'e-4 mission since radio signals cannot reach the far side of the Moon directly.
While the NCLE is capable of mounting multiple forms of scientific research, its main purpose is to conduct groundbreaking experiments in radio astronomy. Particularly, the NCLE will gather data in the 21-cm (8.25 inch) emission range, which corresponds with the earliest periods in cosmic history.
Radio Telescope
Bacterium Decimating Oranges
Florida
Peter Spyke has two types of oranges in his groves: those that are the color orange -- and those that are green, unsaleable and responsible for the collapse of Florida's orange crop over the past 15 years.
Florida farmers have observed, almost powerless, the spread of the huanglongbing bacterium ("yellow dragon disease" in Chinese), known worldwide as "HLB" and native to China. It was first reported in Florida in 2005, and has been conquering groves ever since.
The bacterium causes one of the most devastating citrus diseases called "greening": the leaves of the infected trees turn pale, the fruit fails to ripen and remain green, and eventually fall to the ground.
Compared to the 2003-2004 season, Florida's orange production will be down by 80 percent this season (harvests last from November to April depending on the citrus variety). Grapefruits are the most affected.
Of 7,000 citrus growers in the state in 2004, 5,000 have thrown in the towel, according to The Washington Post.
Florida
Web Tangles
Six Degrees
All roads lead to Rudy.
Rudy Giuliani (R-Bad Caps), the former New York City mayor who is now President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, is in the news constantly for his role in the impeachment inquiry. But while Giuliani's efforts to have Ukraine launch investigations politically beneficial to Trump are much discussed, it's not the only way he and his associates have woven themselves into the fabric of Trump's world.
Asked in a text Wednesday by NBC News about how his circle has been able to be so influential in the Trump administration, Giuliani responded, "I don't know."
Here's a look at Giuliani's key players and how they intersect with Trump:
Six Degrees
Election Day Nightmare
Pennsylvania
It was a few minutes after the polls closed on Election Day when panic began to spread through the county election offices.
Vote totals in a Northampton County judge's race showed one candidate, Abe Kassis, a Democrat, had just 164 votes out of 55,000 ballots across more than 100 precincts. Some machines reported zero votes for him. In a county with the ability to vote for a straight-party ticket, one candidate's zero votes was a near statistical impossibility. Something had gone quite wrong.
Lee Snover, the chairwoman of the county Republicans, said her anxiety began to pick up at 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. She had trouble getting someone from the election office on the phone. When she eventually got through, she said: "I'm coming down there and you better let me in."
With clearly faulty results in at least the judge's election, officials began counting the paper backup ballots generated by the same machines. The paper ballots showed Kassis winning narrowly, 26,142-25,137, over his opponent, Republican Victor Scomillio.
The snafu in Northampton County did not just expose flaws in both the election machine testing and procurement process. It also highlighted the fears, frustrations and mistrust over election security that many voters are feeling ahead of the 2020 presidential contest, given how faith in American elections has never been more fragile. The problematic machines were also used in Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs - areas of Pennsylvania that could prove decisive next year in one of the most critical presidential swing states in the country.
Pennsylvania
Weekend Box Office
'Frozen 2'
"Frozen 2" kept a wintry wind at its back in its second week, setting a Thanksgiving record with a whopping box office bounty, while newcomer "Knives Out" found its own broad audience.
Disney's new set of adventures for Anna, Elsa and Olaf brought in $85.3 million in the U.S. and Canada over the weekend and earned an unprecedented $132.7 million for the holiday frame of Wednesday through Sunday, according to studio estimates.
"Knives Out," the innovative whodunit from writer and director Rian Johnson, rode great reviews and strong social media buzz to a $27 million weekend and a five-day domestic total of $41.7 million that easily earned back its budget.
The weekend's other newcomer, "Queen & Slim," finished down in fifth with $11.7 million, but with a limited number of screens and a modest reported budget of about $20 million, it was still a successful opening for the Bonnie-and-Clyde-meets-Black-Lives-Matter story.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Frozen 2," $85.3 million ($163.8 million international).
2. "Knives Out," $27 million ($28.3 million international).
3. "Ford v Ferrari," $13.2 million ($10.2 million international).
4. "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," $11.8 million.
5. "Queen & Slim," $11.7 million.
6. "21 Bridges," $5.8 million ($1.9 million international).
7. "Playing with Fire," $4.2 million.
8. "Midway," $4 million ($2.7 million international).
9. "Joker," $2 million ($4.6 million international).
10. "Last Christmas," $1.99 million ($8 million international).
'Frozen 2'
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