Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Mark Morford: How to Talk Trash with God (San Francisco Gate
What are you gonna do, Mr. Important, Mr. Almighty in the Sky, Mr. Created Everything in Six Days and Then Apparently Fell Into a Drunken Mai Tai Coma on the Beach for Give/Take 10 Billion Years?
Froma Harrop: The Nuclear Threat Is Not a Partisan Issue (Creators Syndicate)
The recently leaked diplomatic cables reveal both Arab and Israeli horror at a nuclear Iran.
Jim Hightower: GIRL SCOUTS DELIVER AN ETHICAL LESSON TO GSA
The first job of a citizen is to keep your mouth open, and often the collective mouth of the American public must roar in order to be heard - and make things right.
Jim Hightower: GOUGING CONSUMERS WITH HIGH-FLYING FEES
Why do airline executives hate their customers? Not so very long ago, airlines boasted about flying "the friendly skies," but that happy slogan has now been perverted into flying "the abusive skies." … These nasty gouges are infuriating and unnecessary. Southwest Airlines, for example, refuses to charge for any service that's historically been free to customers - and Southwest has consistently stayed profitable.
"Hollywood Westerns and American Myth: The Importance of Howard Hawks and John Ford for Political Philosophy" by Robert B. Pippin: A review by Jacob Mikanowski
There's a strange moment near the end of John Ford's The Searchers, which, if you believe the argument of Robert Pippin's new study of the mythic narratives in classic Westerns, has much to say not just about the meaning of the film, but about the very nature of our political life.
Interviewed by Peter Hessler: John McPhee, The Art of Nonfiction No. 3 (Paris Review; 2010)
"With nonfiction, you've got your material, and what you're trying to do is tell it as a story in a way that doesn't violate fact, but at the same time is structured and presented in a way that makes it interesting to read."
Mikael Wood: Black Eyed Peas go from 'E.N.D.' to 'The Beginning' (Los Angeles Times)
The band goes deeper into dance music on its upcoming album. After that, it may be time for another reinvention.
20 Questions: Apparat
Techno DJ Apparat chills out a bit with PopMatters 20 Questions.
Interview by Gemma Kappala-Ramsamy: "Tim Minchin: 'I'm hugely outraged by proselytising charities'" (Guardian)
The comedian Tim Minchin talks about writing the music for the RSC's Matilda and his argument with the Salvation Army about a Christmas song.
Leslie Nielsen: Naked fun (Guardian)
Comedian Chris Addison salutes his comedy hero.
New $1 Kindle Book by David Bruce (amazon.com)
Nadia Comaneci: Perfect 10
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
"Class Reunion Surprises?"
Typical homecoming?
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
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'
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The big winds mucked with the phone line so yesterday's page was late. Very late.
Got knocked offline around midnight and then wasn't able to re-connect. Fiddle-farted around with the computer for a long time, thinking that was the problem.
Finally picked up the phone, and the line was dead.
Called Verizon around 2am, and by morning everything was back to tickety-boo. : )
Edits UK Newspaper For World AIDS Day
Elton John
British singer/songwriter Elton John has taken time out from touring to edit daily newspaper The Independent on World AIDS Day.
Wednesday's edition of the newspaper featured several pages of coverage of the fight against HIV as well as contributions from famous friends including comedian Stephen Fry and actress Elizabeth Taylor.
Proceeds from the day's sales go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Elton John
Pens Bachelor Party Song
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg is not your usual royal wedding singer.
However the American rapper says he's dedicating his new single, "Wet," to Prince William's bachelor party.
The rapper is touting the track on his website and Twitter feed. On Tuesday he tweeted the official royal account, clarencehouse, saying he'd "Made tha anthem 4 Prince William's bachelor party n all bachelor parties round tha wrld."
The star also sent tweets to a slew of celebrities - including Oprah Winfrey and Jamie Oliver - urging them to check out the song, and expressed a desire to perform for the prince.
Snoop Dogg
To Be Honored By Billboard
Lea Michele
Even though Lea Michele stars on a television show, her "Glee" role has had such an impact on music this year that Billboard is honoring her with a "triple threat" award.
Michele is due to receive the honor Thursday at Billboard's annual "Women in Music" luncheon in New York City honoring the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie.
But even though she's being honored by a music publication, Michele has no plans to put out a record like her co-star Matthew Morrison, who started working on an album this year.
"I really am taking my time with making an album. ... It will be somewhere in my future but right now we are so busy over here," said Michele during a break in her "Glee" schedule. The show airs on Fox.
Lea Michele
`Seinfeld' Character Lives On
Jackie Chiles
More than a decade after "Seinfeld" ended, one of the TV series' most beloved characters has been reborn online. Jackie Chiles, the fast-talking attorney whose civil lawsuits were dependably foiled by Kramer, is starring in his own series on the comedy video website Funny or Die.
Chiles is played by Phil Morris, a 41-year-old Los Angeles actor who never wanted to fully relinquish the role. After "Seinfeld" ended in 1998, Morris tried to develop a spin-off about Chiles, but it never got off the ground.
Chiles, a parody of O.J. Simpson's late defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, appeared in five episodes on "Seinfeld," including the finale. Kramer (Michael Richards) comes to him repeatedly to sue over things like hot coffee burning him (because he hid a cup in his pants at a movie theater) and the graying of his face from cigar smoke ("Your face is my case," says Chiles).
In the Funny Or Die clips, Jackie has moved his practice to Los Angeles. He announces his return: "Did you miss me? I knew that you did. But I'm back and I'm badder and madder than ever."
Jackie Chiles
Hospital News
Nate Berkus
Sony Pictures Television says Nate Berkus is resting comfortably at home after an appendectomy.
The popular designer and talk-show host had the surgery Tuesday.
The studio said Wednesday that he is expected to be back at work taping his New York-based "Nate Berkus Show" next week.
A protege of Oprah Winfrey, the 39-year-old Berkus launched his syndicated weekday show in September.
Nate Berkus
Backs Rationing Of Internet Traffic
FCC
Internet service providers would be allowed to ration web traffic on their networks under a strategy unveiled by the top U.S. communications regulator that no longer focuses solely on open access.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski proposed banning the blocking of lawful traffic but allowing Internet providers to manage network congestion and charge consumers based on Internet usage.
The rules would be more flexible for wireless broadband, Genachowski said in a speech on Wednesday, acknowledging that wireless is at an earlier stage of development than terrestrial Internet service.
Wireless carriers seem pleased with how they would fare under the regulations, but online content providers could struggle under the proposal.
FCC
Kicked Off Amazon's Servers
WikiLeaks
Amazon.com Inc. forced WikiLeaks to stop using the U.S. company's computers to distribute embarrassing State Department communications and other documents, WikiLeaks said Wednesday.
The ouster came after congressional staff had questioned Amazon about its relationship with WikiLeaks, said Sen. Joe Lieberman, an "independent" from Connecticut.
WikiLeaks confirmed it hours after The Associated Press reported that Amazon's servers had stopped hosting WikiLeaks' site. The site was unavailable for several hours before it moved back to its previous Swedish host, Bahnhof.
WikiLeaks released a trove of sensitive diplomatic documents on Sunday. Just before the release, its website came under an Internet-based attack that made it unavailable for hours at a time.
WikiLeaks reacted by moving the website from computers in Sweden to those of Amazon Web Services. Amazon has vast banks of computers that can be rented on a self-service basis to meet surges in traffic.
WikiLeaks
European Police On Alert
Julian Assange
Swedish officials ratcheted up the pressure on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Wednesday, asking European police to arrest him on rape allegations as his organization continued to embarrass the Obama administration with a stream of leaked diplomatic cables.
The 39-year-old Australian computer hacker disappeared from public view after a Nov. 5 press conference in Geneva. He has spoken publicly only through online interviews, while a statement from his lawyer said the Australian was being persecuted by Swedish officials who are seeking his arrest on allegations of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.
Sweden's Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny said that a European arrest warrant had been issued for Assange in connection with the allegations. London-based lawyer Mark Stephens complained that Assange had yet to receive formal notice of the allegations he faces - something he described as a legal requirement under European law - and said that Assange had repeatedly offered to answer questions about the investigation, to no avail.
Assange's whereabouts aren't known, but a European arrest warrant applies to countries across the continent. In England and Wales, such warrants are vetted by the Serious and Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) before being passed on to the relevant local police forces. SOCA declined comment Wednesday, as did London's Scotland Yard. But a German security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a warrant for Assange has been issued in Germany.
Julian Assange
Ordered To Pa. Prison
Wesley Snipes
Actor Wesley Snipes was ordered Wednesday to voluntarily surrender at a federal prison in Pennsylvania next week to begin his three-year sentence for failing to pay taxes.
The U.S. Marshal's Office ordered Snipes to report by noon on Dec. 9 to the Federal Correctional Institution McKean in Lewis Run, Pa.
Snipes had tried unsuccessfully to remain free on bail while appealing his conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The 48-year-old star of the "Blade" trilogy was convicted in 2008 on three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file income tax returns in 1999, 2000, and 2001. He was acquitted of five other charges, including felony tax fraud and conspiracy.
Wesley Snipes
Deaf Moviegoers Sue Theater
Cinemark
Deaf moviegoers are suing Cinemark, claiming the movie theater chain is denying them access to films by refusing to install closed captioning devices.
Berkeley, Calif.-based Disability Rights Advocates filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court on behalf of two plaintiffs and the Association of Late-Deafened Adults. It seeks class-action status.
Kevin Knestrick, an attorney for the plaintiffs, says Cinemark Holdings Inc. is the only one of the nation's three largest movie chains not to offer closed-captioning equipment. Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc. provide captioning, though not at all hours and in all theaters.
The lawsuit asks for unspecified damages and an order requiring Plano, Texas-based company to install the captioning devices.
Cinemark
Judge Issues Rulings In Estate's Battle
Jack Kirby
A New York federal judge has weighed in on an important case that could be worth billions of dollars and impact the future of Iron Man, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, and other superhero characters.
The case involves an attempt by the estate of comic book artist Jack Kirby to terminate a copyright grant over his work. After Kirby's children served 45 notices of copyright termination, Marvel Entertainment sued the estate in New York District Court, seeking a declaration that the creations were "works-made-for-hire" and not eligible for termination. The estate countersued, seeking its own declaration that the termination notices were served properly to Marvel.
Last week, New York federal judge Colleen McMahon rejected a bid by Marvel to throw out the Kirby estate's main counterclaim. The judge decided it wasn't a "redundant" claim, meaning she will soon have an opportunity to shake up Marvel's universe, if she so decides, with a potentially devastating future ruling.
In sum, the judge has narrowed the case to its most crucial issue. Both sides disagree about Kirby's working environment in the 1950s and 1960s when he, along with Stan Lee, conceived many of Marvel's most popular characters. The judge will soon be tasked with looking at Kirby's work history and some of the loose contracts and oral agreements that guided his efforts in those years.
Jack Kirby
AC/DC Drummer's Cannabis Conviction
Phil Rudd
AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was convicted of cannabis possession in New Zealand Wednesday, in a decision his lawyers said could hamper the rocker's globe-trotting tour schedule, reports said.
Rudd did not contest charges that police found 27 grams (0.95 ounces) of cannabis on his boat at Tauranga on the North Island, the local sunlive.co.nz news website reported.
It said lawyers for Rudd, who was convicted under his legal name Phillip Witschke, asked the Tauranga District Court to discharge the charge as the "low level" offence could hinder his international travel with the heavy metal band.
Magistrate Robyn Paterson refused the request, saying Rudd should have known the potential impact a drug conviction could have on his career.
Phil Rudd
Judge Rejects Suit
The Donald
A Florida judge has rejected a lawsuit by Donald Trump that claims noise from a nearby airport is hurting his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.
Trump's attorney told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel he plans to refile the case against Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach International Airport after the judge's decision Tuesday.
The lawsuit filed in July was the latest legal action by Trump in a decades-old disagreement over noise control at the airport, which is near his club. Mar-a-Lago is a 126-room private club in a historic mansion.
Trump's suit argued that noise, vibrations and emissions from passing aircraft were damaging the property value of his estate.
The Donald
Releases Song
Sarah Shourd
An American woman freed from an Iranian prison has released a song she hopes will build support for the release of her friends who remain jailed in that country.
Sarah Shourd's song, "Piece of Time," and an accompanying music video were posted Wednesday on the online site YouTube.
Shourd says the song was one of many she wrote while in solitary confinement and sang to her fiance, Shane Bauer, and friend, Josh Fattal, when they saw each other at Iran's Evin Prison.
The song was released to coincide with the start of the 17th month of imprisonment for Bauer and Fattal, who are graduates of the University of California, Berkeley.
Sarah Shourd
Royal Bracelet Breaks Record
Sotheby's
A diamond and onyx panther bracelet owned by Wallis Simpson, whose love affair with King Edward VIII led to his abdication, sold for 4.5 million pounds ($7 million) Tuesday, an auction record both for a bracelet and a Cartier item.
It was the highlight of Sotheby's sale of 20 pieces owned by the late Duke and Duchess of Windsor which raised a total of 8.0 million pounds, twice the expected amount.
The next biggest lot of the night was a ruby, sapphire, emerald and diamond flamingo clip, also by Cartier, which fetched 1.7 million pounds, above the high estimate.
The king, who renounced his claim to the British throne in 1936 to marry the American divorcee, showered her with gifts of jewelry throughout their courtship and marriage.
Sotheby's
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for Nov. 22-28. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. "Dancing With the Stars Results," ABC, 24.2 million.
2. "Dancing With the Stars," ABC, 23.7 million.
3. "Fox NFL Post-Game Show" (Thursday), Fox, 23.11 million.
4. NFL Football: San Diego at Indianapolis, NBC, 19.1 million.
5. "NCIS," CBS, 18.78 million.
6. "Fox NFL Post Game" (Thursday), Fox, 15.53 million.
7. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 14.96 million.
8. "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 14.44 million.
9. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 14.39 million.
10. Movie: "Hallmark Hall of Fame: November Christmas," CBS, 13.48 million.
11. "Mike & Molly," CBS, 12.93 million.
12. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 12.34 million.
13. "60 Minutes," CBS, 12.12 million.
14. "The OT," Fox, 12.04 million.
15. "Football Night in America," NBC, 11.15 million.
16. "Amazing Race 17," CBS, 11.07 million.
17. "Modern Family," ABC, 10.57 million.
18. "Glee," Fox, 10.41 million.
19. "The Good Wife," CBS, 10.03 million.
20. "The Simpsons," Fox, 9.39 million.
Ratings
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