Paul Krugman: The Humbug Express (New York Times)
The production of humbug has become a systematic, even industrial process. Just listen to some of the recent speeches of Republican presidential hopefuls.
GAIL COLLINS: Lame Ducks Triumphant (New York Times)
Good work, Government! From arms control to unemployment benefits to health care for 9/11's first responders, Congress got a lot done. ... But let's admit it. Nothing would have gotten done if Obama hadn't swallowed that loathsome compromise on tax cuts for the wealthy.
Froma Harrop: Slow-Growing Population? Great! (Creators Syndicate)
The analyses of the new census numbers were predictable, and I take issue with nearly every one. Let's start with the suggestion that population rising at the lowest rate since the Great Depression is to be lamented. Anything likened to the Great Depression can't be a positive development, right? Wrong.
Ted Rall: The War of Christmas (Scroll Down)
Right-wing commentators such as Bill O'Reilly have accused liberals of waging a "war on Christmas." Actually, there's a war of Christmas: Christians use the holiday as a bludgeon against the rest of us. (Sort of how the "war on terrorism" is really a "war of terror.") Christmas' designation as a federal holiday is the most brazen and thus most offensive manifestation of Christian hegemony in America.
Ted Rall: The Death Of The Moderates (Scroll Down)
For those who despair of the rise of political extremism, I ask: From multi-trillion dollar deficits to endless war to mass die-offs of species and climate change, are the problems America face so trivial that they can be resolved with more half-assed compromises?
"The Box: Tales from the Darkroom" by Gunter Grass: A review by Gregory Leon Miller
Gunter Grass, 83, is now in his sixth decade of entrancing, irritating and bewildering readers around the world. He is still most celebrated for his first three novels, the largely allegorical portrayals of midcentury Germany now known as his Danzig trilogy: The Tin Drum (1959), Cat and Mouse (1961) and Dog Years (1963).?? Resolutely anti-ideological and a longtime supporter of the Social Democrat party, he has consistently annoyed those on the right and the left.
Roger Ebert: TRUE GRIT (PG-13; 3 ½ stars)
In the Coen Brothers' "True Grit," Jeff Bridges is not playing the John Wayne role. He's playing the Jeff Bridges role - or, more properly, the role created in the enduring novel by Charles Portis, much of whose original dialogue can be heard in this film. Bridges doesn't have the archetypal stature of the Duke. Few ever have. But he has here, I believe, an equal screen presence. We always knew we were looking at John Wayne in the original "True Grit" (1969). When we see Rooster Cogburn in this version, we're not thinking about Jeff Bridges.
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 returns December 28th with a 'Year in Review' sorta Poll. Until then, I wish you all a Merry Christmas
(Can I say that? Is it OK?... Sure, why not...)
Vermont leads the U.S. in per capita consumption of cooked oatmeal cereal.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
Vermont
mj said:
Since there's a Quaker guy on the box
And PA was founded by a Friend, I'll go with Pennsylvania. Wasn't Mother's Oats sort of a twin brand to Q O back in the day?
Jim from CA, retired to ID, answered:
Merry Christmas Marty.......Vermont leads the U.S. in per capita
consumption of cooked oatmeal cereal.
Adam answered:
My house? (I love oatmeal- steel-cut,please)
No, really, Vermont.
Marian replied:
Vermont
Sally said:
MERRY CHRISTMAS BCE READERS!!
Vermont leads the US in per capita consumption of cooked oatmeal cereal! Oatmeal making has a long tradition originating with the Scottish settlement of the state. I love the stuff myself, always have. I do think it's for the warm-blooded person who loves the cold weather... But then, I'm the Nordic woman! LOL!
Yummy for your tummy guys!!
PS: Merry, Merry, Marty to you and the lad! Stay dry... :)
Charlie responded:
Vermont
MAM wrote:
Vermont. originating with the Scottish settlement of the state. Scottish settlers were brought to the area by The Scottish-American Land Company in 1774, and with them their love for Scottish oatmeal.
And, Joe S answered:
Vermont. Yes, Vermont. I might have known. I HATE oatmeal. Hate it. Yes, hate is a strong word, I don't care. I hate it. Vermont can have it. I'd like to get over there with a big pot of grits and show 'em what good eatin' is. Cheese grits.
Yeah, well, he was comin in low and fast under the radar see. And we hails him, Halt! Turn back! we says, but he don't do anything but laugh this funny ho, ho, ho laugh. He didn't stop and he didn't turn back,so we lit him up.
CBS begins the night with the made-for-TV-movie 'Jesse Stone: No Remorse', followed by '48 Hours'.
NBC opens the night with a RERUN'Community', followed by a RERUN then a RERUN'Law & Order: LA', followed by a RERUN'Law & Order: SVU'.
'SNL' is a RERUN, with Emma Stone hosting, music by Kings Of Leon.
ABC fills the night with the movie 'Transformers'.
The CW offers an old 'Family Guy', followed by another old 'Family Guy', then an old 'American Dad', followed by another old 'American Dad'.
Faux fills the night with the RERUN'TV's Funniest Holiday Moments: A Paley Center For Media Special'.
MY recycles an old 'House', followed by another old 'House'.
AMC offers the movie 'Scrooged', followed by the movie 'Scrooged', again.
BBC -
[6:00 AM] Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride (2006)
[7:00 AM] Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned (2007)
[8:00 AM] Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
[9:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 3 The Unquiet Dead
[10:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 2 Tooth and Claw
[11:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 4 The Girl In The Fireplace
[12:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 2 The Shakespeare Code
[1:00 PM] Doctor Who at the Proms
[3:00 PM] Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (2005)
[4:00 PM] Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride (2006)
[5:00 PM] Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned (2007)
[6:00 PM] Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
[7:00 PM] Doctor Who - 12 - The Pandorica Opens
[8:00 PM] Doctor Who - 13 - The Big Bang
[9:00 PM] Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol
[10:15 PM] The Graham Norton Show - 9 - Matt Smith, Matt Lucas, David Walliams
[11:00 PM] Doctor Who - 13 - The Big Bang
[12:00 AM] Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol
[1:15 AM] The Graham Norton Show - 9 - Matt Smith, Matt Lucas, David Walliams
[2:00 AM] Doctor Who - 13 - The Big Bang
[3:00 AM] Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol
[4:15 AM] The Graham Norton Show - 9 - Matt Smith, Matt Lucas, David Walliams
[5:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 13 Xmas Special Tim Minchin, Michael McIntyre (ALL TIMES EST)
Comedy Central has the movie 'Employee Of The Month', followed by the movie 'The Girl Next Door'.
FX has the movie 'Kung Fu Panda', '2½ Men', another '2½ Men', still another '2½ Men', and yet another '2½ Men'.
History has 'Banned From the Bible II', followed by 'God Vs. Satan', and 'The Real Face Of Jesus?'.
IFC -
[6:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[7:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[8:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[9:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[10:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[11:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[12:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[1:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[2:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[3:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[4:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[5:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[6:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[7:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[8:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[9:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[10:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[11:00 PM] Freaks and Geeks
[12:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[1:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[2:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[3:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[4:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks
[5:00 AM] Freaks and Geeks (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[7:30 AM] A Prairie Home Companion
[9:25 AM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Flying Blind (Episode 5, Season 1)
[9:55 AM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Great Expectations (Episode 6, Season 1)
[10:25 AM] THE COMEBACK - Valerie Gets a Magazine Cover (Episode 10, Season 1)
[10:55 AM] THE COMEBACK - Valerie Gets a Magazine Cover (Episode 11, Season 1)
[11:25 AM] Le Doulos
[1:15 PM] A Prairie Home Companion
[3:00 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - The Perfect Couple
[3:30 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Three's a Crowd
[4:00 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Baby On My Mind
[4:30 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Matchmaker Matchmaker
[5:00 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Flying Blind (Episode 5, Season 1)
[5:30 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Great Expectations (Episode 6, Season 1)
[6:00 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - The Perfect Couple
[6:30 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Three's a Crowd
[7:00 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Baby On My Mind
[7:30 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Matchmaker Matchmaker
[8:00 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Flying Blind (Episode 5, Season 1)
[8:30 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Great Expectations (Episode 6, Season 1)
[9:00 PM] Angel
[11:00 PM] The Last Mistress
[1:00 AM] Monster
[2:50 AM] Tokyo!
[4:40 AM] A Prairie Home Companion (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Shark Swarm', followed by movie 'Shark Swarm', again.
Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, left, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, right, help serve food at the Los Angeles Mission Christmas eve event in Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. The events provides food, toys, clothes and other gifts for families in need.
Photo by Jason Redmond
An elusive Saharan cheetah recently came into the spotlight in Niger, Africa, where a hidden camera snapped photos of the ghostly cat, whose pale coat and emaciated appearance distinguish it from other cheetahs.
In one of the images the sleek, light-colored cat with small spots on its coat and a small head is turning in the direction of the camera, its eyes aglow.
Its appearance, and how the Saharan cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki) is genetically related to other cheetahs is open to question, said John Newby, CEO of the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF), who is part of the team, along with SCF's Thomas Rabeil and others, who captured the camera-trap snapshots between July ad August. What they know about this species comes from the few photos they've managed to capture.
The animal is so rare and elusive scientists aren't sure how many even exist, though they estimate from the few observations they've made of the animal and tracks that fewer than 10 individuals call the vast desert of Termit and Tin Toumma in Niger home. Fewer than 200 cheetahs probably exist in the entire Sahara.
Actress Yvette Nicole Brown helps serve food at the Los Angeles Mission Christmas eve event in Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. The events provides food, toys, clothes and other gifts for families in need.
Photo by Jason Redmond
Ten weeks after giving birth to 17 puppies, the Rhodesian Ridgeback mother is to be spayed while her cute offspring leave for new homes, the dog's owner said Thursday.
Ramona Wegemann said the 26-hour labor was very tiresome for the mother, Etana, and she does not want to endanger the dog's health with another pregnancy.
Wegemann said she had to personally feed the eight female and nine male puppies with a bottle filled with special milk for several weeks, because Etana's nine nipples couldn't cope with the demand.
Caring for the puppies has "turned out to be a full-time job," she said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press that was at times interrupted by the din of puppies joyfully barking in the background.
A star of the TV series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is getting her own taste of law and order - in real life.
New York City prosecutors say Tamara Tunie was swindled of more than $1 million by her business manager. Tunie plays medical examiner Melinda Warner on the NBC show.
According to court papers, Joseph Cilibrasi (chih-lee-BRAH'-zee) and his accounting firm started stealing from Tunie in 2002, listing himself as her husband to secure a credit card tied to her account. He is also accused of writing checks to himself.
The 50-year-old Manhattan man pleaded not guilty earlier this week and is being held on $100,000 bail. Cilibrasi's attorney says Tunie was "fully aware" of the transactions and he'll fight the charges.
Cosplayers Kitty,14 (L) and Emily,16, dressed as a characters from Japanese manga series "Black Butler" pose during the Asia Game show in HongKong December 24, 2010.
Photo by Tyrone Siu
Thailand's film board has banned a movie about a transgender father struggling to raise two children, a move the director says highlights the conservative side of Thai society despite its freewheeling reputation.
The National Film Board ruled earlier this week that the film, "Insects in the Backyard," cannot be shown in Thailand because it contains scenes that are immoral and pornographic.
Authorities have not yet published a public explanation of the ban issued Wednesday, but culture and film officials said the board objected to several scenes, including at least one that showed an explicit depiction of two men having sex.
Director Tanwarin Sukkhapisit said the scenes were crucial to the story line and could not be cut. She plans to appeal the ban.
"The problem with my film wasn't that it was a gay-themed movie - because there are many gay comedies allowed in Thailand," Tanwarin said in a telephone interview Friday. "My movie was banned because it was a serious movie. It showed there can be real problems when society cannot accept sexual differences."
In this Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010 photo, Japanese dancer Masako Ono performs 'Odissi' dance during a fair in Allahabad, India.
Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh
For generations, the Busches of St. Louis were the first family of American beer-making, the city's most devoted boosters, and bearers of the most famous name in town. But they have also been touched by scandal, tragedy and allegations of reckless behavior.
Now the Busch name is in the headlines again, this time after an aspiring young model was found dead in the gated home of August Busch IV, the former Anheuser-Busch CEO and heir to the Budweiser fortune. The death is under investigation.
The woman, Adrienne Nicole Martin, was Busch's girlfriend and there was "absolutely nothing suspicious" about her death, said Busch's attorney, Art Margulis.
The 27-year-old woman was dead when police and paramedics responded to a 911 call from Busch's estate Sunday in Huntleigh, a wealthy St. Louis suburb. St. Louis County forensic administrator Suzanne McCune said there were no signs of trauma or illness, and an overdose was among the possible causes of death.
Busch IV, 46, joined the family business in the mid-1980s and worked his way up. He was chief of marketing when the brewer rolled out many of its most popular TV ads, including the Budweiser frogs.
Members of the Don Cossacks State Academic Song and Dance Troupe perform in the city of Rostov-on-Don, December 24, 2010.
Photo by Vladimir Konstantinov
Authorities are ramping up their effort to solve a Manhattan mystery: Who drilled a hole into the home of a beef fortune heir and stole a collection of iconic artworks by Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol?
The culprits also made off with surveillance video footage that might have caught them in the act.
The New York Police Department released images of the art on Thursday, hoping someone might help solve last month's crime in the trendy Meatpacking District by recognizing works like a well-known Lichtenstein print called "Thinking Nude."
Authorities estimate the five-story apartment was burglarized sometime during Thanksgiving week, when owner and art collector Robert Romanoff was away.
Also taken from the building was a Lichtenstein print called "Moonscape," the Carl Fudge oil painting "Live Cat," the Warhol prints "The Truck" and "Superman," and a set of eight signed Warhol prints from 1986 called "Camouflage." They're among the artist's last works before his death the following year.
This undated photo provided by the New York City Police Department shows Roy Lichtenstein's 'Thinking Nude.' The print was stolen, along with a surveillance video recorder and other artworks by Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Carl Fudge, from a chic home in Manhattan's Meatpacking District between Nov. 24 and Nov. 28, 2010, while the owner was away during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Bristol Palin has bought a five-bedroom home in Pinal County south of Phoenix.
Paperwork shows the recent "Dancing With the Stars" diva and daughter of Sarah Palin (R-Quitter) is the sole purchaser of the house in the town of Maricopa. She bought it for $172,000 from a North Dakota couple.
According to real estate websites, the residence is a two-level, brown stucco house with a tile roof, a landscaped front and back yard, and access to a community pool.
The Arizona Republic reports the 3,900-square-foot home was built in 2006 and was bought for a little under $330,000 at the time. It has 2 1/2 baths and a three-car garage.
This undated photo provided by the New York City Police Department shows Andy Warhol's 'Superman.' The print was stolen, along with a surveillance videorecorder and other artworks by Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Carl Fudge, from a chic home in Manhattan's Meatpacking District between Nov. 24 and Nov. 28, 2010, while the owner was away during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Lina Romay, who sang with the Latin-inflected Xavier Cugat orchestra in the early 1940s before beginning a decade-long career as a film and TV actress, has died. She was 91.
Romay's son, Jay Gould, says his mother died Dec. 17 of natural causes at a hospital in Pasadena.
Romay began her entertainment career by touring as the Cugat orchestra's lead singer.
Her show business career ended in 1953, but from the late 1970s into the 1980s, she worked as a Spanish-language radio announcer for horse races at Hollywood Park Racetrack.
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wrote:
answered:
