Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Mark Morford: "Your dirty little mouth: Every hot kiss swaps 80 million bacteria" (SF Gate)
Science! Aren't you wonderful? Thank you for roughly guesstimating, in this recent study published in the open journal Microbiota, that about 80 million bacteria dance like feral angels between tongue-tangled mouths in your average 10-second lip-lock, which is equal parts interesting and ridiculous and which naturally prompted at least one sorority-grade news blogger to issue a great big "Ew" in her two paragraph write-up, because, like, right?
Paul Krugman: The Structure of Obamacare (NY Times)
The big revelation of this week has been how many political pundits have spent six years of the Obama administration opining furiously about the administration's signature policy without making the slightest effort to understand how it works.
Farran Smith Nehme: "It Happened One Night: All Aboard!" (Criterion)
Almost eighty years ago, the Academy Awards saw a clean sweep of its top five categories-screenplay, actor, actress, director, and picture-not by a grandiose epic or searing social drama but by a romantic comedy, a sparkling, gossamer thing about the love of a pampered heiress for a just-fired, often-drunk scamp of a reporter.
James Quandt: "Scatterbrained Angel: The Films of Jacques Tati" (Criterion)
Such critics as Chion and Serge Daney have noted that Tati was certainly as much a documentarist as a stylist. His genius was to isolate and exaggerate elements of the workaday world so that they seem rich and strange, and his generous art confers upon us the ability to make, through acute observation, our own Tati movie in our head, every day.
Scott Russell Sanders: "Book review: 'The Meaning of Human Existence' by Edward O. Wilson" (Washington Post)
Where did we come from, with our two-legged stance, horizon-scanning eyes and teeming brain? Human cultures have answered this question by telling stories - about gardens and gods, about sacred places and shaping spirits. For a century and a half, ever since Darwin published his distressing theory, biologists have been insisting that all those creation stories, however comforting and flattering, are false.
Gondar: The Camelot of Africa (Kuriositas)
… Ethiopia's history stretches back thousands of years: it was the second ever nation, after Armenia, to adopt Christianity as its state religion, around 324 AD. During the fifteenth century it initiated contact with Europe (not, as many would assume, the other way around) with diplomatic messages sent to King Henry V of England and emissaries sent to Spain. Then, in the early seventeenth century the city of Gondar was founded: it would eventually become known as the Camelot of Africa. Its complex of imperial palaces and associated buildings stand to this day.
Henry Rollins: The Doors Achieved Something More Than Just Music (LA Weekly)
Los Angeles is a city where the eclectic and surreal often mix freely. There are so many scenes to make: If you do it just right, you can see and experience a lot in a short time.
Rory Carroll: "Tommy Lee Jones - 'I don't think there's a woman who hasn't been objectified or trivialised because of her gender'" (Guardian)
The famously prickly actor-director talks about his feminist western The Homesman, 'malevolent' Putin and his Savile Row tailor.
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David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
BadtotheboneBob Suggests
Snakes
BBC - Earth - What were the legendary man-eating snakes of Borneo?
Ya like snakes? Ya hate 'em? Either way, this is a way cool detailed article to reinforce your love or hate... Nice pics, too... Oh, and don't forget the story...
"Hundreds of years ago, eight children were taken from a village in Borneo - by "dragons". What were these terrifying beasts?"
This island, the third largest in the world, has rainforests over 140 million years old and is one of the most ecologically diverse regions on the planet... with lots of snakes. Big ones, too... Enjoy.
BadtotheboneBob
Thanks, BttbBob!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and pretty much seasonal.
Hosting Kennedy Center Honors
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert is set to be the emcee for this year's Kennedy Center Honors, CBS said on Wednesday.
"I am stunned to be receiving a Kennedy Center Honor at such a young age," said the Comedy Central host in a statement. "I thought it would be years before ... I'm sorry. I'm being told I am HOSTING the Kennedy Center Honors. Oh ... Well, I'm glad. That makes a lot more sense."
The annual Kennedy Center awards gala is held at Washington D.C.'s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This year's honorees include Tom Hanks, Lily Tomlin and Patricia McBride. The president and the first lady are also set to attend.
The event will be broadcast by CBS on Dec. 30. Colbert will soon be one of the faces of the network, stepping in to replace David Letterman on The Late Show next year.
Stephen Colbert
White House Correspondents' Dinner
Cecily Strong
Cecily Strong might not be co-anchoring the "Weekend Update" segment of "Saturday Night Live" anymore, but she's found another pretty big gig.
"SNL" cast member Strong, who was ousted from the "Weekend Update" position in favor of Michael Che in September, will serve as the entertainer at the next White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., the White House Correspondents' Association said Wednesday.
The dinner will take place April 25, 2015.
Cecily Strong
Dog Mayor of San Francisco
Frida
A previously unknown female Chihuahua named Frida has won her first political office, being named Mayor of San Francisco for the day as part of a campaign to support the city's animal shelter.
Frida, whose owner bid $5,000 for the privilege, will spend her special day touring Bay Area landmarks and receiving a commendation from the Board of Supervisors, according to a spokeswoman with the city and county Department of Animal Care and Control said.
Her honor will then be shown around city hall and presented with a retirement package that includes a doggy bed, gift basket and play products.
"We applaud Mayor Frida's ability to rise above her humble start as a single mom in an animal shelter to Mayor for the Day," said Miriam Saez, acting director of the Animal Care and Control department.
Frida
Cornell Professor Unlocks Mysteries
Richard Johnson
Richard Johnson can see right through the masterpieces of Rembrandt and Van Gogh.
The Cornell University electrical and computer engineering professor is a digital art detective, able to unlock the mysteries of a work's age and authenticity by analyzing its underlying canvas or paper.
Using high-resolution X-ray images, the 64-year-old academic can actually determine if paintings came from the same bolt of hand-loomed canvas, each of which has a varying thread density pattern that can be as unique as a fingerprint. Linking multiple pieces of canvas to the same bolt can shore up arguments for authenticity and even put works in chronological order.
It's a valuable service to world-class museums that comes through the unlikely cross-pollinating of traditional art history and contemporary computer science.
Richard Johnson
Settlement Reached
Allman Biopic
The family of a film worker who was killed in a train accident while shooting a movie near Savannah has reached a settlement with several defendants in a civil suit.
A statement from the Harris Penn Lowry law firm Wednesday said the settlement in a suit filed by the family of 27-year-old camera assistant Sarah Jones includes Unclaimed Freight Productions, Inc., Rayonier Fibers, LLC, and several others.
Jones was killed the first day of filming for a movie on musician Gregg Allman in February and attorneys say the terms of the settlement are confidential.
The statement says CSX railroad and Meddin Studios are still listed as defendants.
Allman Biopic
Blames Victim, Issues Apology
Don Lemon
Joan Tarshis, one of several women to recently accuse Bill Cosby of rape, told CNN's Don Lemon earlier this week that after the alleged rape she tried to talk the comedian out of having sex with her when she was 19.
"I said, 'If you have sex with me, your wife is going to know it because you probably will infect her,'" Tarshis said Monday. "I thought I was very clever in saying that, but he was more clever. And instead he made me have oral sex with him, which was really just horrible."
On Tuesday, Tarshis returned for a follow-up interview with Lemon, who asked why she didn't bite the comedian during the alleged encounter.
On Wednesday, Lemon issued an on-air apology for his remarks.
"I would never want to suggest that any victim could have prevented a rape," Lemon said. "If my question to her struck anyone as insensitive, I am sorry, as that was certainly not my intention."
Don Lemon
Most Cheap Labor
Nevada
Nevada has the highest proportion of illegal immigrants of any U.S. state at 7.6 percent of its population while the number of illegal immigrants nationwide is leveling off at about 11.2 million, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The study by the Pew Research Center looked at U.S. illegal immigrant population trends over a three-year period ending in 2012.
The number of illegal immigrants in Nevada fell by 20,000 over that period, according to the Pew analysis, but the state still had about 210,000. California and Texas ranked second and third, respectively, in the share of illegal immigrants as a percentage of their total population.
In addition to having the highest proportion of illegal immigrants per capita, Nevada also has the largest share of them in its workforce, at 10 percent, the study found.
California has the highest number of illegal immigrants, estimated at 2.4 million in 2012, but has not seen that population grow as quickly as many other states including Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas, the study found.
Nevada
Dec. 5 - Blackout Of TNT, TBS
Dish
Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting stepped up its publicity campaign in its ongoing rights battle with Dish Network, alerting viewers of the possible loss of TNT and TBS on the satellite-broadcast service as soon as early December.
"Our efforts in recent weeks to restore the Turner networks to Dish customers have been rejected at every turn by Dish leadership," Turner said in a statement. "The upcoming expiration on December 5 of our carriage agreement for TNT and TBS means Dish may drop those networks as well. We remain hopeful that we will reach an agreement that restores our networks to the air and eliminates the risk of Dish removing additional Turner networks from its channel lineup."
If the two sides cannot come to an agreement, TNT and TBS would join a coterie of other Turner cable outlets that have already come off the air. CNN, HLN and Cartoon Network are among the Turner properties that are no longer available on Dish as a result of the two sides not being able to agree upon prices for new distribution rights. TNT and TBS, two of cable's most popular networks, are transmitted by Dish under a separate agreement.
Dish is also in the midst of negotiations with CBS Corp. over the right to transmit that company's flagship CBS network as well as some of its cable properties. CBS has not yet offered specifics about which of the networks it owns will be affected if the two sides cannot reach terms by Thursday, November 20 - the deadline for their current agreement to run out.
Dish
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Threatened Species
The Pacific bluefin tuna, a fish used in sushi and sashimi dishes, is at risk of extinction as the global food market places "unsustainable pressure" on the species and others, a conservation body warned Monday.
The bluefin tuna joined the Chinese pufferfish, American eel, Chinese cobra and Australian black grass-dart butterfly on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) "red list" of threatened species.
The updated list was released by the IUCN at its once-a-decade World Parks Congress in Sydney as it called for better management of protected areas, where some of the decline in species levels has taken place.
The Pacific bluefin tuna moved from the "least concern" threat category to "vulnerable" as the species is threatened with extinction due to its use in Asia's sushi and sashimi markets, the Swiss-based group said.
The Chinese pufferfish, a Japanese delicacy and one of the world's most poisonous vertebrates, was listed as "critically endangered" and its population was estimated to have plunged by 99 percent over the past four decades from over-exploitation.
Threatened Species
Heirs Launch Pot Brand
"Marley Natural"
A U.S. private equity firm announced Tuesday it has joined the family of late reggae star Bob Marley in hopes of building what it touts as the "world's first global cannabis brand."
Seattle-based Privateer Holdings announced Tuesday it has reached a licensing deal with Marley's heirs to offer marijuana strains, including ones famed in Jamaica, where regulations permit by late 2015. It also plans to sell weed-infused lotions, creams and various accessories.
Over the years, his estate has authorized deals for a wide range of merchandise. But the move to create "Marley Natural" has stirred grousing in Jamaica among those who share his Rastafarian faith, a spiritual movement that considers the drug divine.
Maxine Stowe of the Rastafari Millennium Council asserts that Marley was "the least of the Wailers around the issue of ganja legalization" and worries his estate's efforts to launch a cannabis brand will negatively impact future efforts in Jamaica to financially benefit from a legalization movement gaining traction across the globe.
"Marley Natural"
Last Call For Free Rum
Casa Bacardi
The drinks are no longer on the house at Casa Bacardi in Puerto Rico.
Foreigners will now have to pay $12 and residents $6 to visit one of the most popular tourist attractions in the metropolitan San Juan region, officials said Tuesday.
The seaside rum distillery was well-known for its free drinks and tours.
The new cover charge includes a welcome drink, a commemorative 12-ounce acrylic glass and a tour of the Bacardi Visitor Center, according to a statement by Casa Bacardi. Those who want a tour of the distillery, a sampling of four premium rums or a drink-confectioning course must pay an additional $23.
Casa Bacardi
In Memory
Jimmy Ruffin
Jimmy Ruffin, the Motown singer whose hits include "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and "Hold on to My Love," died Monday in a Las Vegas hospital. He was 78.
Philicia Ruffin and Jimmy Lee Ruffin Jr., the late singer's children, confirmed Wednesday that Ruffin had died. There were no details about the cause of death.
Ruffin was the older brother of Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, who died in 1991 at age 50.
Jimmy Lee Ruffin was born on May 7, 1936, in Collinsville, Mississippi. He was signed to Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and had a string of hits in the 1960s, including "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted," which became a Top 10 pop hit.
He had continued success with songs such as "I've Passed This Way Before" and "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got," but Ruffin marked a comeback in 1980 with his second Top 10 hit, "Hold on to My Love." The song was produced by Robin Gibb, the Bee Gees member who died in 2012.
Ruffin worked with his brother David in the 1970s on the album, "I Am My Brother's Keeper."
Ruffin also lived in England for many years.
Funeral arrangements are pending, the family said.
Jimmy Ruffin
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