Recommended Reading
from Bruce
A Creative Catharsis
Ireland's creative community have gotten together to release a lot of pent up anger and sadness through the medium of the A3 poster, all in aid of Temple Street Children's Hospital. Ad creatives, designers, animators, directors, illustrators and more have taken time out to dress up their favourite worst feedback from clients, transforming quotes that would normally give you a twitch, into a diverse collection of posters.
Lewis Black On 'Totally Biased': The Election Was Over The First Time Mitt Romney Spoke (Huffington Post)
On this week's episode of "Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell," Black sounded off on the election and noted that Mitt Romney is officially the whitest person he has ever seen. He used to think it was George W. Bush but, next to Romney, "George Bush Jr. looks positively Jamaican."
Rachel Maddow On 'Colbert Report': Election Was Day 'When The Facts Have A Liberal Bias (Huffington Post)
Stephen Colbert has a new nickname for Rachel Maddow's show: "conservative dream killing machine."
Henry Rollins: The American People Kicked Your Ass, Republicans (LA Weekly)
The time before the winner of the presidency was announced was peppered with joyful moments. Akin gone, Mourdock done, Walsh finished, Scott Brown will be pulling Elizabeth Warren's shoe out of his ass for weeks to come. George Allen conceding in real time was better than pizza.
Paul Krugman: Delusions of Reason (New York Times)
The truth is that the modern GOP is deeply anti-intellectual, and has as its fundamental goal not just a rollback of the welfare state but a rollback of the Enlightenment. Yet there are some wannabe intellectuals who delude themselves into believing that they have aligned themselves with the party of objective (as opposed to Objectivist) analysis.
I AM MORLEY
For the last thirteen or so years of my young life (I'm 30 if anyone's counting) I've been preoccupied with the notion that my value on planet earth was defined by my career (or lack thereof). Similarly that my career defined who I was a person- that when introduced to someone I might as well have said "Hi, my name is Clerk at Blockbuster. It's nice to meet you Genius at Apple Store".
Robbie Coltrane: 'I take no nonsense' (Guardian)
One minute he's avuncular, the next there's a hint of menace. Decca Aitkenhead feels very unrelaxed in the company of Robbie Coltrane.
The 9 Circles of Scientific Hell (Neuroskeptic)
… Dante lived before the era of modern science. I thought I'd update his scheme to explain what happens to those guilty of various scientific sins, ranging from the commonplace to the shocking.
Life after near-death: why surviving is only the beginning (Guardian)
Guilt, nightmares, post-traumatic stress… Laurence Gonzales on the reality of surviving a near-death experience.
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David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
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Michelle in AZ
Bosko Suggests
Pink Lakes
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and windy.
Beats Fox
MSNBC
Brian Stelter of The New York Times reports that MSNBC is finally starting to catch up to Fox News in the rating game, mainly by becoming the left-wing answer to Fox's conservative cheerleaders. Stelter says MSNBC, which normally trails Fox News in overall ratings, managed to best their cable rival in the key 25-54 year-old demographic on three straight nights after last week's election. MSNBC still trails behind Fox and CNN in the number of overall viewers, but has closed the gap considerably in the recent years, by accepting their role as "the Anti-Fox News." The re-election of Barack Obama will only help MSNBC keep the ball rolling, as hosts like Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews have become unapologetic supporters of "Obama's America" and stand to benefit from four more years of his liberal politics.
From a business perspective, however, MSNBC is still hampered somewhat by being the junior varsity squad to the parent network of NBC. No matter how popular they get or how much they appear to be on the same team, Brian Williams and his NBC News squad will continue to monopolize the "serious" news credibility (and the top shelf guests), a problem CNN and Fox News don't have to deal with. NBC's coverage drew nearly three times the viewers of MSNBC on election night and the cable network lags far behind its rivals in the fees that it earns from cable operators, which is a major source of revenue.
Late in his story, Stelter also drops a rumor that Ezra Klein of The Washington Post maybe the next journalist to join the MSNBC roster, possibly taking over a primetime spot currently held by Ed Schultz.
MSNBC
Oxford American Dictionary Word Of The Year
'GIF'
It's been delighting people around the world for 25 years but now formally holds a honored place in the cultural lexicon: "GIF" has been chosen as word of the year by the Oxford American Dictionary.
"GIF celebrated a lexical milestone in 2012, gaining traction as a verb, not just a noun," said Katherine Martin, head of the U.S. dictionaries program at Oxford.
"The GIF has evolved from a medium for pop-cultural memes into a tool with serious applications including research and journalism, and its lexical identity is transforming to keep pace."
GIF is, in fact, an abbreviation of three separate words: Graphics Interchange Format. It was first released by CompuServe in 1987 but has experienced a dramatic cultural resurgence in recent years, most commonly used to make humorous commentary on topics ranging from sports to the 2012 presidential election.
The British Oxford Dictionaries went a different route, choosing "omnishambles," as their word of the year, which is defined as "a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations."
'GIF'
Book Deal
John Fogerty
Add one of rock 'n' roll's most admired and most uncompromising stars to the list of memoir writers: John Fogerty.
The former frontman for Creedence Clearwater Revival has a deal with Little, Brown and Co., the publisher announced Monday. The book is scheduled for 2014 and is untitled. Fogerty, 67, is known for writing and singing such classics as "Proud Mary" and "Bad Moon Rising" and for his clashes with band members and record executives.
"I want to tell the story of how I fought - hard - to maintain my artistic integrity in the face of opposing forces," Fogerty said in a statement issued through Little, Brown and Co., which in 2010 published Keith Richards' million-selling "Life."
Creedence Clearwater is widely regarded as one of the great American rock bands, defying the trend of long jams in the late 1960s and early '70s and turning out an amazing run of tight, top 10 singles. But the righteous edge to Fogerty's vocals and lyrics was matched by his determination to have his own way, including with his brother and fellow Creedence performer, Tom Fogerty. By the mid-'70s, the band had broken up and Fogerty would spend years battling his former music label, Fantasy Records.
John Fogerty
NY Auction
Andy Warhol
The first in a series of live and online auctions to raise money for the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in New York has collected over $17 million.
Monday's auction at Christie's featured works by Warhol ranging from prints to photographs, some of which have not been seen by the public.
The top sale was "Endangered Species: San Francisco Silverspot," a print that fetched over $1.2 million. Other highlights included "Jackie," a screen print and paper collage of Jacqueline Kennedy that sold for over $626,000. That's more than double its high estimate of $300,000.
The foundation says the money raised for its endowment from the sales would allow it to expand support of the visual arts, fulfilling Warhol's purpose in establishing it.
Andy Warhol
Belize Police
John McAfee
Police in Belize are looking for the founder of the software company McAfee, Inc., to question him about the death of another U.S. citizen, his neighbor in an island town on the Caribbean.
Spokesman Raphael Martinez says John McAfee is the neighbor of 52-year-old Gregory Viant Faull, who was found with a gunshot wound to his head inside his home north of San Pedro, a town in the island of Ambergris Caye.
Martinez says other neighbors have been questioned, but McAfee has not been home. McAffee could not be reached for comment by The Associated Press.
Martinez said Monday that Faull's computer and phone were missing, but there were no signs of forced entry. The housekeeper discovered the body Sunday and called the police.
John McAfee
Elmo Puppeteer Accused
Kevin Clash
The puppeteer who performs as Elmo on "Sesame Street" is taking a leave of absence from the iconic kids' show in the wake of allegations that he had a relationship with a 16-year-old boy.
Puppeteer Kevin Clash has denied the charges, which, according to Sesame Workshop, were first made in June by the accuser, who by then was 23.
The organization described the relationship as "unrelated to the workplace." Its investigation found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated. But it said Clash exercised "poor judgment" and was disciplined for violating company policy regarding Internet usage. It offered no details.
"I had a relationship with the accuser," Clash said in a statement of his own. "It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to characterize it as something other than what it was."
Clash has been a puppeteer for "Sesame Street" since 1984, when he was handed the fuzzy red puppet with ping-pong-ball eyes and asked to come up with a voice for him. Clash transformed the character, which had languished as a marginal member of the Muppets family for a number of years, into a major star that rivaled Big Bird as the face of "Sesame Street."
Kevin Clash
Sues Fox
War Widow
A widow of an U.S. Army soldier killed in a blast in Afghanistan has sued Fox Cable Networks and the National Geographic Society over a documentary that showed her husband and family.
The documentary about a combat hospital called "Inside Afghan ER" featured Staff Sgt. Kevin Casey Roberts, who was serving with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle in Khost province in Afghanistan in 2008.
A year after his death, his wife, Donnice Roberts, got a call from a service member in Germany who saw her husband in the documentary. According to the lawsuit filed in Texas on Nov. 1, she never knew there was video footage related to her husband's death and that the documentary existed.
She is seeking at least $750,000 in damages and wants a judge to prevent the film from airing again. She also wants the cable network to stop using images of military families without their permission.
The documentary was produced and distributed by the National Geographic Society, and was promoted and distributed by Fox Networks Inc. and Fox Entertainment Group Inc., which owns part of the NatGeo network.
War Widow
Judge Reduces Award
Joe Francis
A judge has cut by more than half the $40 million jury verdict that casino mogul Steve Wynn was recently awarded against "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joanne O'Donnell issued the ruling Friday cutting the award by $21 million. Her ruling eliminates $20 million in punitive damages the jury granted Wynn and $1 million they said he deserved because of comments Francis made on "Good Morning America."
The ruling only affects damages awarded in the case and preserves the jury's determination that Francis defamed Wynn on three separate occasions. Francis vowed to appeal the remainder of the verdict.
O'Donnell's ruling states that the jury had no evidence to support awarding punitive damages in the case. "The jury's punitive damage award was speculative and clearly the result of the jury's dislike of the defendant and/or his businesses," the judge wrote.
Joe Francis
Locks Changed
Tower of London
The keys to the historic Tower of London were stolen last week, British authorities announced today. This matters to Britons. The castle has played a critical role in the nation's history and houses the queen's Crown Jewels.
Police are now investigating how, exactly, a burglar broke into the well-guarded castle last Tuesday and managed to steal several keys from the site's sentry box before being apprehended.
The burglar was reportedly spotted by the Tower's famous guards, known as Beefeaters, but the guards did not immediately stop the suspect, instead staying at their designated posts and radioing for help.
Without a chase, the burglar made off with keys to the Tower's drawbridges and conference rooms and a restaurant, according to Historic Royal Palaces, the non-profit organization that operates it. The Tower is one of the world's major tourist attractions, with more than two million visitors each year.
The burglar, who struck in the early morning hours, managed to make it all the way to the gate at the main entrance before being apprehended, a Historic Royal Palaces spokeswoman told the AFP.
Tower of London
U.S. To Overtake Saudi
Oil
The United States will overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia as the world's top oil producer by 2017, the West's energy agency said on Monday, predicting Washington will come very close to achieving a previously unthinkable energy self-sufficiency.
The forecasts by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which advises large industrialized nations on energy policy, were in sharp contrast to previous IEA reports, which saw Saudi Arabia remaining the top producer until 2035.
"Energy developments in the United States are profound and their effect will be felt well beyond North America - and the energy sector," the IEA said in its annual long-term report, giving one of the most optimistic forecasts for U.S. energy production growth to date.
"The recent rebound in U.S. oil and gas production, driven by upstream technologies that are unlocking light tight oil and shale gas resources, is spurring economic activity - with less expensive gas and electricity prices giving industry a competitive edge," it added.
Oil
Lays Off 500
NBCUniversal
Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal entertainment unit is laying off about 500 employees at cable channels, Jay Leno's late-night TV show and the Universal Pictures movie studio, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Monday.
The cuts add up to about 1.5 percent of the company's workforce of 30,000 employees, the source said.
A large portion of the layoffs occurred at the G4 cable channel, a network about video games and the gaming culture, the source said. Two of the network's shows were recently canceled.
The company's movie studio, Universal Pictures, also eliminated about 20 jobs, including some at the home entertainment division. Home entertainment sales have suffered across the industry as traditional DVDs fall from favor with consumers.
Other job cuts are expected at NBC News group and the company's cable channels, which include USA, Bravo and E!, the source said.
NBCUniversal
Wacky Republicans
Arizona
An Arizona woman, in despair at the re-election of Democratic President Barack Obama, ran down her husband with the family car in suburban Phoenix on Saturday because he failed to vote in the election, police said on Monday.
Holly Solomon, 28, was arrested after running over husband Daniel Solomon following a wild chase that left him pinned underneath the vehicle.
Daniel Solomon, 36, was in critical condition at a local hospital, but is expected to survive, Gilbert police spokesman Sergeant Jesse Sanger said.
Police said Daniel Solomon told them his wife became angry over his "lack of voter participation" in last Tuesday's presidential election and believed her family would face hardship as a result of Obama winning another term.
Witnesses reported the argument broke out on Saturday morning in a parking lot and escalated. Mrs Solomon then chased her husband around the lot with the car, yelling at him as he tried to hide behind a light pole, police said. He was struck after attempting to flee to a nearby street.
Arizona
Romney Face Tattoo
Eric Hartsburg
Eric Hartsburg was confident that Mitt Romney would win the election. Perhaps a little too confident. In the weeks leading up to Romney's showdown with President Obama, Hartsburg had the Romney campaign logo tattooed on his face (No, he wasn't even promised a position in Romney's cabinet).
Hartsburg didn't do it for free. Via eBay, he raised thousands of dollars to get the tattoo. The 30-year-old professional wrestler from Indiana said, "I am a registered Republican and a Romney supporter. I didn't mind getting this tattoo because it is something that I could live with and it's something that I believe in."
But that was before the election. Romney lost and now Hartsburg isn't happy with his new ink. "Totally disappointed, man," Hartsburg told POLITICO. "I'm the guy who has egg all over his face, but instead of egg, it's a big Romney/Ryan tattoo. It's there for life."
The tattoo isn't subtle. At around 10 square inches, the ink can't be covered up without help from a ski mask (or maybe a wrestler's mask). Several weeks before the election, Hartsburg told ABC News, "In the beginning it was done for gags and publicity, but now I see it as a way to encourage young people to vote. We have so many rights that we don't utilize and young people need to exercise that right." Hartsburg also told ABC News that he got some weird looks. "A lot of people look at me and think I am the boogey man."
Eric Hartsburg
In Memory
Bob Brunner
Bob Brunner, a writer and producer on Happy Days who both named Fonzie and also reportedly suggested that the character jump the shark, has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter . He was 78.
Brunner died of a heart attack on Oct. 28 near his home in Northridge, Calif.
Brunner got his start in the entertainment industry as a publicist in the early '60s when he worked with Tony Bennett and Louis Armstrong. He then transitioned to TV writing for The Odd Couple, executive-produced by his childhood friend Garry Marshall. The two frequently worked together, next when Brunner wrote for Laverne & Shirley and then when he wrote 15 episodes and produced 37 episodes of Happy Days.
Brunner came up with both the nickname "Fonzie" for Henry Winkler's iconic character as well as his famous catchphrase "Sit on it!" Brunner was showrunner at the time of Happy Days' now infamous "jump the shark" episode where Fonzie travels to Hollywood and engages in a water-skiing challenge. Since then, the phrase "jump the shark" became known as the point where a TV show begins its decline.
Brunner went on to co-create and executive-produce Brothers and Sisters and Working Stiffs, and executive-produced Diff'rent Strokes, Webster and Love, Sidney. The Emmy nominee also co-wrote the 1999 film The Other Sister and Exit to Eden, both with Marshall.
He is survived by his three children, Robert Jr., Elizabeth and Jennifer, and six grandchildren. A private service was held Tuesday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, where his wife was laid to rest in 1987.
Bob Brunner
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