BadtotheboneBob
The (Occasional) Veterans Report
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
This Guy Is Absolutely Incredible (YouTube)
This cool guy doing some crazy things with a soccer ball.
Paul Krugman: Robots and Robber Barons (New York Times)
The American economy is still, by most measures, deeply depressed. But corporate profits are at a record high. How is that possible? It's simple: profits have surged as a share of national income, while wages and other labor compensation are down. The pie isn't growing the way it should - but capital is doing fine by grabbing an ever-larger slice, at labor's expense.
Katy Waldman: Grapefruit Is Disgusting (Slate)
Why you shouldn't give it to your loved ones as a holiday gift. Or to anyone, ever.
Dave Stopera: The 27 Most Perfectly Timed Photos Of The Year (BuzzFeed)
1. The perfectly timed figure skating photo…
Charlie Jane Anders: Essential Star Trek Novels That Even Non-Trekkers Should Read (io9)
Now that we've all seen the teaser trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness, we've got a bad case of Star Trek fever. Luckily, there are tons of Star Trek novels that have been published since the Original Series went off the air - and many of them are shockingly good. Thanks to editors like David G. Hartwell and John Ordover, the Star Trek novels have regularly attracted some of the best authors out there.
Paul Krugman: Asimov's Foundation novels grounded my economics (Guardian)
The fantastical tale offers a still-inspiring dream of a social science that could save civilization.
Name the 12 Top Grossing Movies of 2012 (Mental Floss)
According to Box Office Mojo's leaderboard, 'The Avengers' was the #1 movie of 2012. Consider that your free space. How many of the year's 12 top movies (domestic gross) can you name in 5 minutes?
David Bruce: Wise Up! Mishaps (Athens News)
Not all good deeds work out. For a performance by ballerina Maria Tallchief and the New York City Ballet, Japanese stagehands waxed the stage floor. Of course, this resulted in dancers slipping, sliding and falling. After that one ruinous performance, the stage floor was restored to its usual scuffed lack of splendor.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
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David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
BadtotheboneBob's Occasional Poll
Results
If you could take a phone picture of yourself and somebody else like Meryl did with the Madame Secretary, who would it be?
Adam in NoHo wishing upon a star (pun intended) said...
Daniel Craig. Mmmmm, Daniel Craig. Or any number of film composers.
(Craig is growing on me as 007. I still have to get over Sean, though, Adam...)
Cory!!Strode (the self-declared "Best Dressed Man In Comics") averred...
Simple. Stan "The Man" Lee. Not only did he co-create Thousands of characters and comics through his career, but he 's 89, still active, still positive and still great ot his fans. He's like Walt Disney, only not an anti-Semite scumbag!
(Interesting choice, interesting man...)
Mistler suggested...
I don't know if it's subliminal but the first person that came to mind was Bill Clinton.
(Yeah, 'The Big Dog' is on my short-list...)
Mark (the Boilermaker) said...
I would take a photo of myself with Alexander Graham Bell. Or Don Ameche.
(Wait... A bell (pun, again, intended) went off in my head. Didn't Don Ameche portray Ol' Alex? Yes... I think so. To some notoriety, too, if'n I'm not mistaken...)
SallyP anecdotally replied...
I didn't have to give much thought to this question, I would so dearly love to have a picture of myself holding my first born son, Mathew (correct spelling). He was born on October 17, 1971, and died the same day, never coming home with us... I did get to see him, after practically begging to do so (as you did back then), but later found out the nurses sent the photographer away. Back then, the hospital had photographers' who took those ghastly 'newborn' pictures that were so common pre-ultrasound photos. How I would love to have even that - but an actually photo would be awesome... He is gone, but never forgotten in my heart.
(Thank you for sharing that with us, Sally. Stories like that bring all of us E! pals closer together. At least I think so...)
As for me - well, I do have go with Meryl's choice - the Madame Secretary...
Plus, I'd love to be able to sit and talk with her for an hour...
Thanks to the responders!
BadToTheBoneBob
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
The Landfill Harmonic
The Landfill Harmonic
Sharon in Tejas
Thanks, Sharon!
BadtotheboneBob will match any donations to the E! page in the month of December up to $100...
C'mon, E! fans, time to pony up...
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and cool.
North Carolina Bars License Plates
"Choose Life"
A federal judge has permanently blocked North Carolina from issuing an anti-abortion specialty license plate, ruling that offering plates with a "Choose Life" slogan without an alternative supporting abortion rights is unconstitutional.
The lack of a plate promoting reproductive freedom in the state constitutes "viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment," Senior U.S. District Judge James C. Fox said on Friday.
The judge previously granted a preliminary injunction sought by the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, which had argued the state should not be allowed to distribute specialty plates offering only one point of view on the abortion debate.
A portion of the money collected from the "Choose Life" plates was due to go to a private organization that funds crisis pregnancy centers in North Carolina. Legislators prohibited the money from being given to agencies that provide abortions or counsel women about them.
More than two dozen states allow the production of "Choose Life" license plates, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health policies. Court challenges over the plates have delayed their distribution in some states.
"Choose Life"
Extinct Lizard
Obamadon gracilis
The scientific community has come up with an unusual way of honoring President Barack Obama after his re-election -- by naming an extinct lizard after him.
"I was seriously thinking, if the election had gone the other way, I would have yanked it," Yale paleontologist Nicholas Longrich told the Boston Globe. "It might have seemed like we were mocking it, naming a lizard that goes extinct after that, seemed kind of cruel."
The newly named Obamadon gracilis was a small lizard that fed off of insects and was about a foot long before going extinct about 65 million years ago.
But Longrich and his peers say no one should read any political commentary into the choice. "We're just having fun with taxonomy," he said.
And as NBC's Cosmic Blog points out, this is actually the third organism named after Obama, including a fish (Etheostoma obama) and lichen (Caloplaca obamae).
Obamadon gracilis
$5,000 Bonuses
'Fifty Shades'
Thanks to "Fifty Shades of Grey," employees at Random House Inc. are seeing green.
Every worker, from sales to editorial to distribution, will receive a $5,000 bonus, prorated for those who joined Random House during the year. In a companywide letter sent Monday, CEO Markus Dohle noted the publisher's "unprecedented success" in 2012. EL James' erotic trilogy has sold more than 35 million copies and Random Houser also released such best-sellers as Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" and Robert Caro's "The Passage of Power."
Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum said Monday that while some employees have existing bonus plans, the across-the-board payment was "unique" for the company.
'Fifty Shades'
Mardi Gras
Krewe of Orpheus
Actor Gary Sinise and New Orleans musicians Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Harry Connick Jr. will lead the parade of the Krewe of Orpheus on the evening of Lundi Gras, the day before Fat Tuesday, and perform at the glitzy ball that follows.
The celebrity riders were announced at Mardi Gras World, the New Orleans studio where many Carnival floats are built.
Orpheus marks its 20th anniversary when it parades Feb. 11 with more than 30 ornately-decorated floats, some designed to reflect parade themes of the past.
The Krewe of Orpheus was co-founded in 1993 by Connick and Borey. It has about 1,200 members and is known for attracting celebrities. Those with musical backgrounds often perform at the ball held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center after the parade.
Krewe of Orpheus
Offensive Ad Pulled
Virgin Mobile USA
An advertisement for Virgin Mobile that hints at sexual assault was recently pulled after Twitter users (including Richard Branson) raged.
The print ad features a middle-aged man standing behind a woman. He's covering her eyes with one hand and holds a wrapped gift in the other. The caption reads: "The gift of Christmas surprise. Necklace? Or chloroform?"
Chloroform is sometimes used in assaults to make the victim pass out. The sketchy attempt at humor angered just about everyone who saw it. The Guardian UK reported that Twitter comments included "This advert is a disgrace. The suggesttion (sic) of violence is not funny and perpetuates misogyny" and "@virginmobileus u think normalisation of rape or violence is funny?"
Branson, who sold Virgin Mobile USA to Sprint Nextel several years ago, responded to the outrage on the Virgin Group site. "Having just seen, for the first time, the Virgin Mobile US advert which has upset many today, I agree it is ill-judged. Although I don't own the company, it carries our brand. I will speak to the team there, make my thoughts clear and see what can be done about it. Virgin Mobile US usually get these things right, although on this occasion it is clear they have gone too far."
Branson later posted an update explaining that the post was made by an "external agency that was not approved by Virgin Mobile US. They acknowledge a dreadful mistake was made. The advert, along with the whole calendar, has been removed, never to be seen again."
Virgin Mobile USA
And Another One
Elmo
Another man on Monday sued the former Elmo puppeteer who resigned amid sex abuse allegations, claiming the voice actor befriended him in Miami and promised to be a father figure before flying the teen to New York to have sex with him.
The alleged victim is now the fourth to accuse Kevin Clash, who resigned from "Sesame Street" last month after 28 years. The three legal actions filed so far have been civil cases seeking financial compensation.
But the incident with the latest victim, referred to only as S.M., could involve criminal charges because the lawsuit claims Clash transported him across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
The lawsuit says Clash paid for a plane ticket from Florida to New York in 1996 and arranged for a car service to pick up the teen and bring him to his upscale apartment, where he gave him cash and showered him with "attention and affection" and ultimately engaged in numerous sexual acts.
Elmo
Moves To Lower-Tax Belgium
Gerard Depardieu
A Belgian mayor says famed French actor Gerard Depardieu has bought a home and set up legal residence in his small town, lured by the food, the people, the lifestyle - and lower tax rates than back home.
The Socialist government under French President Francois Hollande has infuriated many ultra-rich in France by presenting a 2013 budget that would tax top earners at 75 percent over the first €1 million of annual income. Belgium's top rate is 50 percent.
Mayor Daniel Senesael of Nechin, about a kilometer inside Belgium near the French city of Lille, said that "in our conversation, his reasons were also other than those about taxes," RTL radio reported.
Gerard Depardieu
Billboard Removed
San Diego
A billboard put up by a San Diego millionaire who's seeking a Latina girlfriend has been removed.
La Jolla Real estate mogul Marc Paskin, who appeared on the ABC reality show "Secret Millionaire," had the sign posted last Thursday over a freeway in the mainly Latino area of Barrio Logan. It bore the message: "All I want for Christmas is a Latina Girlfriend."
KNSD-TV reports that a day after it went up, somebody already had vandalized the billboard by peeling off Paskin's email address.
By the weekend, the message was entirely gone.
San Diego
Lawsuit Raises Questions of Hoax
Crystal Skull
An archaeologist in Belize has filed a lawsuit against the makers of the film "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," alleging that the movie profits off references to an artifact illegally stolen from the country.
But the item in question, a real-life crystal skull, may not be a Belizean artifact carved by the ancient Maya people at all, but rather a hoax perpetrated by a self-styled 20th-century adventurer.
The story starts in the 1930s, when explorer Frederick A. Mitchell-Hedges claims to have found the skull somewhere in Central America. Or maybe it starts in the 1920s: That's when Mitchell-Hedges' daughter, Anna, now deceased, recalled finding the skull in the ancient Maya city of Lubaantún in Belize, though the exact date varied with the telling of the story.
Some have contested the truth of the Mitchell-Hedges tale, however: Smithsonian anthropologist Jane MacLaren Walsh has examined the Mitchell-Hedges skull and finds that it was carved with high-speed, diamond-coated tools from the 20th century.
The new lawsuit, however, takes the Mitchell-Hedges' claims as truth and argues that by removing this alleged artifact from Belize, Frederick and Anna broke the country's laws. Archaeologist Jaime Awe, the director of the Institute of Archaeology of Belize, filed the lawsuit on behalf of his country.
Crystal Skull
In Memory
Jenni Rivera
Jenni Rivera launched her career hawking cassette recordings of her songs at flea markets, but a powerful voice, soulful singing style and frank discussion of personal troubles powered her to the heights of a male-dominated industry, transforming her into the one of the biggest stars of the genre known as grupero.
Her life was cut short at its peak on Sunday by an airplane crash in northern Mexico that also killed six friends and co-workers.
The 43-year-old mother of five and grandmother of two became a symbol of resilience for millions of fans on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. Her fame grew as she branched out into acting, appearing in independent film, reality TV and the televised singing competition "La Voz Mexico."
Rivera sold more than 15 million copies of her 12 major-label albums and won a string of Latin music awards. Her shows filled both the Staples Center in Los Angeles and Mexico's National Auditorium, a feat few male singers in her industry achieved.
Many of her songs dealt with themes of dignity in the face of heartbreak, and her shows were known for their festive atmosphere and her intimate interactions with her fans. She would fill song requests from fans who had suffered heartbreak and setbacks, and would often pull women and girls onto stage to personally tell them to keep moving forward.
Rivera's parents migrated from Mexico to California and founded the label that also propelled two of her five brothers, Lupillo and Juan Rivera, to careers as well-known singers of grupero music.
Born on July 2, 1969 in Westwood, California, Janney Dolores Rivera Savedra studied business administration and often said with pride that she started her singing career in flea markets in the Los Angeles area, selling cassette tapes to fans.
She formally debuted on the music scene in 1995 with the release of her album "Chacalosa".
That successful album was followed with two other independent albums, one a tribute to slain Mexican-American singer Selena that helped Rivera expand her following. By the end of the 90s, she won a major-label contract, and built a loyal following that knew her as the "Diva de la Banda."
In 2002, she received her first Latin Grammy nomination, for best album in the band music category.
She was also an actress, appearing in the indie film "Filly Brown," which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival, as the incarcerated mother of character Filly Brown.
Her most recent album, "Joyas Prestadas," or "Borrowed Jewels," won widespread praise and awards and helped cement her status as one of the brightest stars of Mexican-American music.
She was also filming the third season of "I Love Jenni," which followed her as she interacted with her family and toured through Mexico and the United States. She also played a key role in the reality shows: "Jenni Rivera Presents: Chiquis and Raq-C" and her daughter's "Chiquis 'n Control."
Jenni Rivera
In Memory
832F
A wolf so popular that she was referred to as a rock star by rangers was shot and killed in Wyoming just outside Yellowstone National Park late last week, wildlife officials told the New York Times.
The 6-year-old gray wolf, a tourist favorite known as 832F, was the alpha female of Yellowstone's "highly visible" Lamar Canyon pack, according to the Times. She had been fitted with a GPS collar that allowed researchers to track her movements. According to the newspaper, she was the eighth wolf fitted with the collar to be shot during this year's hunting season.
Last fall, Wyoming removed wolves from its list of endangered species, allowing them to be legally hunted on the Yellowstone Park border for the first time in decades.
"She is the most famous wolf in the world," Jimmy Jones, a wildlife photographer, told the Times.
According to Daniel Stahler, director of Yellowstone's wolf program, data from 832F showed she rarely traveled outside the park. When she did, it was "only for brief periods."
832F
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