Paul Krugman: The Plight of the Unemployed (NY Times)
And may I suggest that employers, although they'll never say so in public, like this situation? That is, there's a significant upside to them from the still-weak economy. I don't think I'd go so far as to say that there's a deliberate effort to keep the economy weak; but corporate America certainly isn't feeling much pain, and the plight of workers is actually a plus from their point of view.
Mark Morford: The Top 10 Records of 2013 (SF Gate)
Every year at this time, my friend Andy sends out a hotly excitable email asking his most music-crazed friends - sound engineers, clubsters, DJs, me, anyone for whom music is less a casual dalliance and more like lifeblood - to compile their personal lists of the year's best music, so we can all discover something new and/or gently mock each others' weird tastes in African banjo disco, kazoo jazz funk or ambient doom metal.
Kim Thompson: Are your workplace habits holding you back? (SF Gate)
No question about it, it's easy for habits to form over a period of time where you automatically react without much thought. With the new year right around the corner, it's the perfect time to think about habits that could be delaying a promotion or interfering with developing a better relationship with your boss.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional male reindeer with a glowing red nose, popularly known as "Santa's 9th Reindeer." When depicted, he is the lead reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. The luminosity of his nose is so great that it illuminates the team's path through inclement winter weather.
Robert L. May created Rudolph in 1939 as an assignment for Montgomery Ward. The retailer had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year and it was decided that creating their own book would save money. May considered naming the reindeer "Rollo" and "Reginald" before deciding upon using the name "Rudolph". In its first year of publication, 2.5 million copies of Rudolph's story were distributed by Montgomery Ward.
Source
Charlie was first, and correct, with:
Montgomery Ward
Lois With The Nose So Bright Of Oregon said:
Poor Rudolph was a pawn of the late great Montgomery Ward,
used to steer market shares away from those Jesus Killers,
Sears and Roebuck! He also enjoyed fame in comic book form.
Here he is sitting on Santa's rocket, looking strangely
satisfied.
Alan J wrote:
Montgomery Ward
Jim from CA, retired to ID, responded:
Rudolph first appeared in a 1939 booklet written by Robert L. May and
published by Montgomery Ward.
Adam answered:
Montgomey Ward's.
Marian replied:
Montgomery Ward
Dale in Warm Diamond Springs, Norcali took the day off.
Sally said:
Were you in the UK, today is the day your servants receive their gifts from you...
"Smashing," wouldn't you say?
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was created as a marketing tool for, "Montgomery Wards" retail and catalogue sales.
I can remember this from my own childhood. By the time is was 6 1/2, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (sung by Gene Autry) was EVERYWHERE! Every kid, Jewish, Christian, Chinese, et al., was singing it night and day!
Ward revised it before they went under, and I bought some things for my children - which I still have...
PS: I had my stew cooking by 6 AM, and my house smells divine! The nice part is that I can eat at my leisure.
Hoping that everyone's day was special for them, and especially you, Marty! You just never miss a day, and that is special for us...
BttbBob responded:
Montgomery Ward... a department store chain I remember well. I did not know this...
~~~~~
Happiness is a soft puppy that barks and yips when you talk to it... without the mess - Har!
~~~~~
I sincerely hope that "The Season" has been well for all ya'll E! fans out there.
Seriously...
MAM wrote:
Montgomery Ward ~ Robert L. May created Rudolph in 1939.
A defunct mail order and department store retailer which operated between 1872 and 2000.
Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister, To Visit Controversial Yasukuni War Shrine "The Rape of Nanking" is currently on my Kindle; halfway thru as I write. The horrific images seared upon my brain from the reading have limited me from my usual skimming of script, and has taken (thus far), over six months to read.
If you can imagine Newtown committed on a massive scale by thousands of Japanese troops/officers upon hundreds of thousands Chinese, read this book for the laughs, as Abe visits this "shrine".
Sickening beyond belief.
12/18/1971, Comedy
Archie is in an extremely foul mood on Christmas Day but won't tell anyone in the family the reason why, and he becomes even more irritated when Henry Jefferson pays a visit to the Bunkers while dressed up in a Santa Claus costume.
Quotes
[Henry Jefferson is dressed as Santa Claus]
Archie: Santa Claus is white.
Henry: Yeah well when I was a kid, the man filling my stocking was black.
Caught this 42-year-old episode today.
Forty-freaking-two years old!
Although I guess it'd be new to anyone at Fox...
Chamber of Commerce couldn't order up better weather.
Tonight, Thursday:
CBS opens the night with a RERUN'Big Bang Theory', followed by a RERUN'The Millers', then another RERUN'The Millers', followed by still another RERUN'The Millers', then a RERUN'Elementary'.
On a RERUNDave (from 11/22/13) are Howard Stern and Adrienne Iapalucci.
On a RERUNCraig (from 10/30/13) are Drew Carey and Pamela Silva.
NBC begins the night with a RERUN'Parks & Recreation', followed by another RERUN'Parks & Recreation', then a RERUN'Sean Saves The World', followed by a RERUNMichael J. Fox Show', then a RERUN'Parenthood'.
On a RERUNLeno (from 11/25/13) are Bette Midler and Michael Bublé.
On a RERUNJimmy Fallon (from 12/12/13) are Emma Thompson, James Marsden, and Kelly Clarkson.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 12/9/13) are Bandaloop, Soko and Rebecca Sugar.
ABC starts the night with a RERUN'Shark Tank', followed by '20/20'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 12/12/13) are Carey Mulligan, Scott Foley, and Jeff Campbell.
The CW offers a RERUN'The Vampire Diaries', followed by a RERUN'Reign'.
On a RERUNArsenio Hall (from 11/21/13) are George Lopez, Key & Peele, Rosie Perez, and Yo Gotti.
Faux has a RERUN'Glee', followed by another RERUN'Glee'.
MY recycles an old 'House', followed by another old 'House'.
A&E has 3 hours of old 'Duck Dynasty', followed by a FRESH'Rodeo Girls'.
AMC offers the movie 'The Godfather', followed by the movie 'The Godfather: Part II'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[6:30AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[7:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[7:30AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[8:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 4 - Daleks In Manhattan
[9:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 5 - Evolution Of The Daleks
[10:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 6 - The Lazarus Experiment
[11:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 7 - 42
[12:00PM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 8 - Human Nature
[1:00PM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 9 - The Family Of Blood
[2:00PM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 10 - Blink
[3:00PM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 11 - Utopia
[4:00PM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 12 - The Sound Of Drums
[5:00PM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 13 - Last of the Time Lords
[6:00PM] DOCTOR WHO: THE CHRISTMAS INVASION
[7:00PM] DOCTOR WHO: THE RUNAWAY BRIDE
[8:00PM] DOCTOR WHO: VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED
[9:40PM] DOCTOR WHO: THE NEXT DOCTOR
[11:00PM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 4 - Ep 8 - Silence in the Library
[12:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 4 - Ep 9 - Forest of the Dead
[1:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 4 - Ep 10 - Midnight
[2:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 4 - Ep 11 - Turn Left
[3:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 4 - Ep 12 - The Stolen Earth
[4:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 4 - Ep 13 - Journey's End
[5:00AM] DOCTOR WHO: THE CHRISTMAS INVASION (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has a FRESH'Inside The Actors Studio' (Bruce Dern & Laura Dern), 'Millionaire Matchmaker', followed by a FRESH'Millionaire Matchmaker', then a FRESH'Courtney Loves Dallas', and 'Millionaire Matchmaker'.
Comedy Central has 'Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special', followed by the movie 'Without A Paddle', then the movie 'Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay'.
Jon Stewart is pre-empted.
Colbert Report is pre-empted.
FX has the movie 'Rocky Balboa', followed by the movie 'Real Steel'.
History has 'Pawn Stars', followed by a FRESH'Pawn Stars', then another FRESH'Pawn Stars'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] Whitest Kids U'Know
[6:15AM] The Birthday Boys-Paychecks!
[6:45AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Rainn Wilson Wears a Short Sleeved Plaid Shirt & Colorful Sneakers
[7:15AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Pee-wee Herman Wears a Halloween Costume
[7:45AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Jason Schwartzman Wears a Striped Shirt & High Top Sneakers
[8:15AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Zach Galifianakis Wears a Santa Suit
[8:45AM] The Birthday Boys-Dumb Public
[9:15AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Book Club
[9:45AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Malcolm's Girlfriend
[10:15AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Charity
[10:45AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Health Scare
[11:15AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Christmas
[11:45AM] Malcolm in the Middle-Poker
[12:15PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Reese's Job
[12:45PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Lois' Makeover
[1:15PM] Escape From Alcatraz
[3:45PM] Anaconda
[5:45PM] Hanna
[8:00PM] No Country for Old Men
[10:45PM] Once Upon a Time in Mexico
[1:00AM] No Country for Old Men
[3:45AM] Once Upon a Time in Mexico (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00AM] Victor/Victoria
[9:00AM] A Prairie Home Companion
[11:15AM] Roxanne
[1:30PM] Amadeus
[5:30PM] Return to Paradise
[8:00PM] Scarface
[11:45PM] Scarface
[3:30AM] The Wackness
[5:45AM] Land of the Heads (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'The Faculty', followed by the movie 'Resident Evil: Extinction'.
TBS:
On a RERUNConan (from 9/25/13) are Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Melissa Rauch, and Deer Tick.
Workers shape a giant snow sculpture of horses ahead of an ice and snow festival in Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, December 25, 2013. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Chinese New Year, the year of the horse, kicks off on January 31, 2014.
These days "It's a Wonderful Life" is celebrated as a classic, life-affirming and uplifting Christmas film in which an angel saves Jimmy Stewart's character, George Bailey, from suicidal thoughts by showing him how terrible things would be without him.
But for years after it was released in 1946, the Frank Capra masterpiece was seen very differently by the FBI.
As related by Zachary Seward on Quartz, an FBI report unearthed by a Freedom of Information request quotes an unnamed "informant" as saying it was a "rather obvious attempt to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a 'scrooge-type' so that he would be the most hated man in the picture."
It was, said the "sources," a "common trick used by Communists."
People dressed up as Father Frost, the equivalent of Santa Claus, and Snow Maiden, march as others perform in central Minsk in celebration of Christmas December 25, 2013.
Photo by Vasily Fedosenko
The battered space gun carried by Harrison Ford as Han Solo in the second two Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, has been sold to an anonymous buyer for $200,000 after 20 days on the auction block.
Solo's DL-44 blaster is modeled on the Mauser C96, a semi-automatic German pistol that was manufactured until the 30s. This was likely the prop used in the scenes where Darth Vader uses the Force to knock the blaster out of Solo's hand in Empire Strikes Back and when Solo wrestles with a Stormtrooper to get his blaster back in Return of the Jedi. A heavier version was used for close-up shots.
The blaster was a replica of the original created for A New Hope, which has allegedly been lost to history. It sold at the low end of its $200,000 to $300,000 estimate.
For a time it looked like the Jimmy Stewart Museum wasn't going to make it.
It's in the actor's hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania - an hour's drive from Pittsburgh and off the radar of many fans who might want to attend. And the pool of fans is shrinking as those who grew up during the era of Stewart's films die out.
The number of tour buses that made special trips to the museum began to decline in 2009 and 2010, said Timothy Harley, the museum's director. "The situation became very dire. That caused some pretty considerable concern, he said.
But the outlook has improved, at least of the next few years he said, thanks to loyal fans who began sending donations as the word got out about the plight of the museum.
The museum isn't fancy, which is partly why Stewart gave his blessing to the project before he died in 1997. It's full of displays not just about movies, but about Stewart's service as a bomber pilot in World War II, his well-to-do ancestors, and his family life.
Russian Ded Moroz (Father Frost) arrives in Moscow Zoo, as a part of a New Year celebrations, in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013. Russians celebrate Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7.
Photo by Ivan Sekretarev
Promises Record-Breaking New Year's Eve Firework Show
Dubai
Dubai has promised to celebrate New Year's Eve with a record-breaking extravaganza featuring over 400,000 fireworks, the largest display the world has ever seen, its government said.
The United Arab Emirates city state, home to the world's tallest tower, largest man-made island and one of the world's busiest airports, will "break the Guinness World Record for the 'Largest Firework Display'," a government statement said.
The six-minute show over two of its manmade islands -- The Palm Jumeirah and The World -- will "feature over 400,000 colourful fireworks and a series of amazing scenes designed exclusively for the event and set to a specially choreographed musical soundtrack."
The display will be overseen by more than 200 pyrotechnicians, and the fireworks will be launched from 400 locations, it added.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was criticized in an internal report for dropping charges that Range Resources Corp was polluting drinking water while "fracking" for natural gas.
Range is using the hydraulic fracturing technique in Parker County, Texas where one homeowner complained in August 2010 that he could set his drinking water on fire.
Six U.S. senators had asked the agency's internal watchdog - the Office of the Inspector General - to evaluate a 2012 decision to drop an order that had forced Range to provide drinking water to residents, and stop contamination.
The EPA withdrew its order in March of that year after legal action by the company.
Russia formally dropped criminal charges against Greenpeace activists arrested in a protest over Arctic oil drilling on Wednesday, under a Kremlin amnesty extended to all 30 who had been facing up to seven years jail if convicted.
The environmental group said 29 of the 30, who are still in Russia after being freed on bail, have now been amnestied and will be free to leave for their home countries as soon as they secure exit visas. One more activist's case will be reviewed on Thursday, it said.
Russia's treatment of the activists - who spent two months in detention and had faced hooliganism charges punishable by seven years in jail - had drawn heavy criticism from Western nations and celebrities.
Their amnesty will remove an irritant in relations in what Kremlin critics say is a move timed to improve Russia's image ahead of the Sochi Olympics.
A trio of Israeli stage actors is refusing to perform in an acclaimed play before a theater in a West Bank Jewish settlement, part of a burgeoning domestic movement against the government's settlement policies.
The protest mirrors a global movement against the settlements that has put Israel's government in an increasingly difficult situation as the current round of peace talks with the Palestinians continues.
The international community, including the U.S., has long considered Israeli construction of homes for Jews in the West Bank, captured territory claimed by the Palestinians, as an obstacle to peace.
This sentiment, long held also by Israel's dovish left, now appears to be gaining steam at home following a string of harsh global condemnations of settlement construction in recent months. Some on Israel's left fear the scale of the settlements soon will pass the tipping point where a pullout may become too difficult, and Israel will be forced to essentially absorb the West Bank and its millions of Palestinians.
In a joint statement, the Cameri and Beit Lessin theaters said that three cast members in their production of "Best Friends" had asked to be excused from performing at the cultural center in Ariel, a settlement built deep inside the West Bank. It said they were granted exemptions and will be replaced by alternates, allowing the show to go on.
Riot police officers are surrounded by barricades after being detained by anti-government protesters during a rally at The Thai-Japan youth stadium in Bangkok December 25, 2013. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra unveiled a plan on Wednesday to create an independent reform council to try to appease opponents who, angered by her billionaire family's political dominance, are calling for her resignation.
Photo by Athit Perawongmetha
Federal agents who detained a college student after an airport screener found him carrying Arabic-English flashcards with such words as "bomb" and "terrorist" cannot be sued for their actions, a U.S. appeals court said Tuesday.
Reversing a lower court ruling, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said three Transportation Security Administration agents and two FBI agents were entitled to qualified immunity over Nicholas George's five-hour detention at Philadelphia International Airport on August 29, 2009.
George, then 21, said he had been flying to California to begin his senior year at Pomona College, where he was a double major in physics and Middle Eastern studies.
He said agents detained him after finding the flashcards, which he said were meant to help him understand what was being discussed in Middle Eastern media, and a book critical of U.S. foreign policy. George said he was asked if he knew "who did 9/11" and what language Osama bin Laden spoke.
As it turns out, Nov. 6, 2012, was a big day for marijuana laws.
Voters in Colorado and Washington state approved initiatives to legalize pot, setting the stage for the regulated production and sale of the drug. Several other jurisdictions in the U.S. have since followed suit.
In Canada, the same day two American states were effectively abandoning part of the war on drugs, provisions of a new federal law came into effect that imposed strict mandatory minimums for drug-related crimes, including marijuana production.
The contrast, says University of Victoria professor Susan Boyd, could not have been greater.
For the book, titled "Killer Weed: Marijuana Grow Ops, Media, and Justice," Boyd examined 2,500 articles from four major daily newspapers in British Columbia from 1995 to 2009.
She found news coverage about cannabis enforcement in B.C. frequently contained inaccurate information or exaggerated claims about the size and scope of the underground marijuana industry, the sorts of people associated with grow-ops, and the industry's connection to gangs.
Swans swim past while swimmers race the Serpentine river on Christmas Day in Hyde Park, central London December 25, 2013. For over 100 years, swimmers have taken part in the Christmas Day "Peter Pan" swim in the Serpentine.
Photo by Suzanne Plunkett
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better, amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican hypocrites?
responded:
wrote:
replied:
