Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Daria
"deviantART user SoDespair created a cosplay photo set that mimics the animated TV show Daria perfectly. Daria Morgendorffer, Jane Lane and her brother Trent Lane are caught in their original settings. Trent even has the correct tattoos."--Neatorama
Mark Morford: 21 festive uses for pepper spray (SF Gate)
Behold, salvation... in a can! This year, why not enjoy the one product already proven to fix everything, stop unruly complaining and change perspectives in an instant? That's right: Pepper spray.
Nipun Mehta: If You Want To Be a Rebel, Be Kind (Daily Good)
Another time, a few young boys boisterously smash empty alcohol bottles on the streets … Pancho runs outside, barefoot. … Pancho humbly bends down and starts picking up the pieces of broken glass. Something about that act took the kids by surprise, as they slowly returned back. "Brother, you see that house over there? They have a young one, and when he walks out on the street, we don't want them to get hurt," Pancho explains to them in fluent Spanish. … the kids themselves start helping pick up the broken pieces …
Froma Harrop: The Right's Health Care Fantasies (Creators Syndicate)
A real conservative would say: "Government should stay out of health care. Let Americans meet their medical needs in the free market." I respectfully disagree, but thanks for being clear.
Chris Wilson: The Great Silence (Slate)
E.T. is out there. Why can't we find him?
"'Something Urgent I Have to Say to You' By HERBERT LEIBOWITZ: Reviewed by Tess Taylor"
Often when readers encounter William Carlos Williams in the too-brief space allotted classroom poetry -- weeks of high school English, required college reading -- they're offered a spare but juicy address about plums, called "This Is Just to Say": …
Katie Puckrik: "Joseph Gordon-Levitt: 'Luck has a lot do with it'" (Guardian)
Child TV stars don't find it easy to move into film. But the former Third Rock from the Sun actor has forged a successful - if unconventional - path to big-screen stardom.
Interview by Laura Barnett: "Portrait of the artist: Roger Moore, actor" (Guardian)
'One review I had for Bond said I looked like a floor-walker who had had three facelifts. You've got to laugh.'
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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Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, but windy. Very windy.
Zuccotti Park
Jackson Browne
The Occupy Wall Street movement might be an unwanted entity among law-enforcement agencies throughout the country, but it's certainly not runnin' on empty. At least as far as Jackson Browne is concerned.
"Doctor My Eyes" singer Browne will appear at Occupy Wall Street's protest spot at Zuccotti Park in New York City on Thursday, two weeks after NYPD officers swept into the park to oust demonstrators.
Though Jackson's presence is currently being billed as an appearance and not a performance -- TheWrap was only able to confirm that he "may perform" -- a press release for the event lists "Nothing Is Wrong" band Dawes as his special guest, so it's probably wise to apply a "if it walks like a duck" philosophy in this case.
Browne joins a growing list of musicians who've shown solidarity for the movement, including hip-hop icons Russell Simmons and Jay-Z, who have announced plans to organize their own concert, and David Crosby and Graham Nash, who played a mini-set at Zuccotti Park earlier this month.
Jackson Browne
Show Going On Hiatus
Roger Ebert
Movie critic Roger Ebert says the public television program "Ebert Presents: At The Movies" will go on hiatus at the end of December.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning critic wrote on his blog Wednesday the move is necessary to allow the public television stations that carry the show to plan their programs for the beginning of the new year.
Ebert wrote that although it is distributed by American Public Television to all 50 top markets, he hasn't been able to line up additional funding for the show.
Ebert wrote that he and his producer wife, Chaz, really believe in the show and its mission to "provide an intelligent place for the discussion of movies ..."
Roger Ebert
Sells For $2.16 Million
Action Comics 1
A rare and pristine copy of the first issue of Action Comics, famed for the first appearance of Superman, has set a record Wednesday for the most money paid for a single comic book: $2.16 million.
The issue, graded at 9.0, was auctioned starting Nov. 11 online at www.comicconnect.com. The starting bid was just $1 but there was a reserve price of $900,000. Neither the name of the buyer nor seller was disclosed.
It's the first time a comic book has broken the $2 million barrier. The issue was published in 1938 and cost just 10 cents.
The previous record set in March 2010 was followed by the sale of another copy for $1 million. But neither of those issues was in as good a condition as the issue that sold Wednesday, though it's pedigree of setting records was already documented. Twice before it set the record for the most expensive book ever, selling for $86,000 in 1992 and $150,000 in 1997.
Action Comics 1
Names Men, Woman of the Year
MTV's College Network
MTV's college network, mtvU, has crowned "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone as its "Men of the Year."
Parker and Stone were given the honor, mtvU said in a statement Wednesday, because for 15 seasons of "South Park," they have "fearlessly pushed boundaries by taking shots at everyone from liberals and conservatives to the ultra-religious."
The network named Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as "Woman of the Year" because she is "fearless in her pursuit of democracy and defense of human rights."
Each year, mtvU selects cultural leaders from the world of music, pop culture and/or politics who are inspiring change and making an impact on the world.
MTV's College Network
What's For Supper?
Horses
Horses could soon be butchered in the U.S. for human consumption after Congress quietly lifted a 5-year-old ban on funding horse meat inspections, and activists say slaughterhouses could be up and running in as little as a month.
Slaughter opponents pushed a measure cutting off funding for horse meat inspections through Congress in 2006 after other efforts to pass outright bans on horse slaughter failed in previous years. Congress lifted the ban in a spending bill President Barack Obama signed into law Nov. 18 to keep the government afloat until mid-December.
It did not, however, allocate any new money to pay for horse meat inspections, which opponents claim could cost taxpayers $3 million to $5 million a year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture would have to find the money in its existing budget, which is expected to see more cuts this year as Congress and the White House aim to trim federal spending.
The last U.S. slaughterhouse that butchered horses closed in 2007 in Illinois, and animal welfare activists warned of massive public outcry in any town where a slaughterhouse may open.
Horses
Defense Contractor Bags
Sgt. Dakota Meyer
In September, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's most prestigious military award, to Sgt. Dakota Meyer, the marine who saved 36 of his comrades during an ambush in Afghanistan.
But today Meyer, 23, is having trouble getting a job because of allegations by defense contractor BAE Systems that he has a drinking problem and is mentally unstable. Meyer filed legal papers Monday claiming the allegations were in retaliation for objections he raised about BAE's alleged decision to sell high-tech sniper scopes to the Pakistani military.
In March 2011, Meyer began working at BAE Systems, a British military contracting company, where he learned the company was trying to sell advanced thermal optic scopes to the Pakistani military.
"We are taking the best gear, the best technology on the market to date and giving it to guys known to stab us in the back," Meyer wrote to BAE Systems manager Bobby McCreight, his former co-worker, according to the lawsuit. "These are the same people killing our guys."
In May 2011, Meyer gave his two weeks notice to BAE Systems and applied to return to Ausgar Technologies. He was approved by the U.S. government for the job, but the Ausgar hiring manager informed Meyer that he would not be hired because of allegations made by former marine McCreight.
Sgt. Dakota Meyer
Sets Record Straight
That Woman
Mere hours after raising eyebrows and generating headlines by seemingly calling Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) a "douchebag," conservative pundit Ann Coulter (R-1%) appeared on "The Joy Behar Show" to set the record straight.
No, Coulter clarified, she didn't call McCain a douchebag. She called him a dickweed.
"I don't want to be bleeped again, but I said dickweed," Coulter told Behar. "I thought you could say that," Coulter said. "They were talking about the lack of consistency ... I was making the point, I don't think consistency is the most important value ... And you know, look at John McCain, he was consistently a dickweed."
A significant portion of Coulter's appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Tuesday was bleeped out, prompting many to test their lip-reading skills and conclude that she had called McCain a douchebag. While Coulter's exact statement wasn't made apparent, it was clear that she had used verboten language -- shortly after the offending comments were made, host Joe Scarborough said, apparently to the control room, "Just blur it all out."
That Woman
Fails To Disclose Husband's Relationship
Greta Van Susteren
Like plenty of other cable news talk-show hosts, Greta Van Susteren anchored a segment on her top-rated Fox News show Tuesday assessing, among other things, the future of Herman Cain's presidential candidacy in the wake of the allegation that Cain had a 13-year affair with a woman from Atlanta.
But unlike plenty of other cable news talk-show hosts, Van Susteren had an important relationship to the story, and to the Cain campaign. Her husband--prominent Washington lawyer John Coale--is now acting as an adviser to Cain.
Van Susteren did not disclose her husband's relationship to Cain on the air, opting instead to alert readers in a post on Gretawire.com that Coale's relationship with Cain is not an ethical issue because the Cain campaign is not paying him. She also maintained that the Cain alliance is pretty much par for the course for people living inside the Beltway.
Bill Shine, Fox News EVP of programming, said that Van Susteren's disclosure in a blog post--and not on air--was sufficient and that he's comfortable with the decision to address her husband's relationship there.
Following the 2008 presidential campaign, Van Susteren was subjected to similar criticism for not disclosing her husband's relationship with former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who also sought his political advice.
Greta Van Susteren
Wins Ruling
Tim McGraw
Country music star Tim McGraw has won a court ruling in Nashville allowing him to keep recording while a lawsuit against him by Curb Records continues.
Chancellor Russell Perkins ruled Wednesday after a four-hour hearing that McGraw can sign with another record label.
Curb Records sought to prevent McGraw from recording or signing with another label until he fulfilled what Curb believed was his obligation for a fifth album.
His attorneys argued that Curb is trying to put his career on hold. He's been under contract with Curb since 1997.
Tim McGraw
New Ballot Initiative
LA
A group hoping to place a measure before Los Angeles voters that would require porn actors to wear condoms during film shoots said Wednesday it has gathered more than 64,000 valid voter signatures, about 23,000 more than the law requires for the June ballot.
The measure is backed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a group that has made a number of unsuccessful legal efforts - through state legislation, lawsuits and complaints to regulators - to require condoms in adult films.
To get on the city's ballot, advocates must turn in 41,183 signatures. If passed, the measure would require porn producers to agree to have their actors use condoms in adult films shot in Los Angeles in order to obtain permits to film in the city.
The city's San Fernando Valley is the heart of the multi-billion dollar American porn industry.
The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the porn industry that has advocated for consistently testing adult film performers for sexually transmitted diseases, opposes mandatory condom regulations.
LA
Uh-Oh
Mindy McCready
Country singer Mindy McCready said Wednesday she will probably not be able to bring her 5-year-old son back to Florida to fulfill a judge's order by Thursday afternoon- because she is nearly 7 months pregnant with twins. By not returning as ordered, she risks arrest.
Speaking exclusively to The Associated Press, McCready said that she and her mother have had a long custody battle in Florida over Zander. Her mother was awarded guardianship in 2007.
The battle became more public this week, when the Florida Department of Children and Families said a missing person report was filed with police after McCready took Zander from her father's home. McCready was able to visit with the boy there under a court order and the 36-year-old singer said she had spent much of the past month with her son at the home. Her mother and father are divorced.
During the interview with the AP, a tearful McCready recounted a messy and confusing tale of court custody battles and family fights. McCready is suing her mother and a tabloid newspaper for libel in a Palm Beach County court.
Mindy McCready
Files For Annulment
Kris Humphries
Was Kim Kardashian's 72-day marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries a big sham? Opinions are divided on this raging topic of national debate, but Humphries himself appears to think so.
TMZ reports that, although Kardashian has already filed for divorce from Humphries, the basketball jock has filed for an annulment, claiming that the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star defrauded him into marrying her.
Individuals connected to the athlete tell the site that Humphries was unaware that he was allegedly being played for a pawn and hoped that their union would be a lasting relationship of eternal love, but Kardashian wasn't interested.
In the annulment filing, Humphries asks that Kardashian be ordered to pay his attorney's fees. The suit also mentions "community and quasi-community assets."
Kris Humphries
Thawing Vents Gases
Permafrost
Massive amounts of greenhouse gases trapped below thawing permafrost will likely seep into the air over the next several decades, accelerating and amplifying global warming, scientists warn.
Those heat-trapping gases under the frozen Arctic ground may be a bigger factor in global warming than the cutting down of forests, and a scenario that climate scientists hadn't quite accounted for, according to a group of permafrost experts. The gases won't contribute as much as pollution from power plants, cars, trucks and planes, though.
The permafrost scientists predict that over the next three decades a total of about 45 billion metric tons of carbon from methane and carbon dioxide will seep into the atmosphere when permafrost thaws during summers. That's about the same amount of heat-trapping gas the world spews during five years of burning coal, gas and other fossil fuels
Usually the first few to several inches of permafrost thaw in the summer, but scientists are now looking at up to 10 feet of soft unfrozen ground because of warmer temperatures. The gases come from decaying plants that have been stuck below frozen ground for millennia.
Permafrost
Next Legal Step Uncertain For Art
Georgia O'Keeffe
Fisk University's decade-long quest to generate cash from a 101-piece art collection donated by the late painter Georgia O'Keeffe is one step closer to fruition.
But it is unclear how quickly the historically black university in Nashville will be able to complete a $30 million deal to sell a 50 percent stake in the collection to the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Ark.
Under the agreement, the artworks including O'Keefe's own 1927 oil painting "Radiator Building - Night, New York - would move between Fisk and the Arkansas museum every two years.
A state appeals court ruling Tuesday threw out a judge's requirement for Fisk to reserve two-thirds of the proceeds to ensure future upkeep of the collection amid the university's shaky financial circumstances.
The 2-1 decision found the lower court didn't have the authority to require the creation of the $20 million endowment to guard against creditors should Fisk declare bankruptcy.
Georgia O'Keeffe
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Nov. 21-27. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: Pittsburgh at Kansas City, NBC, 20.34 million.
2. "Dancing With the Stars," ABC, 19.61 million.
3. "Dancing With the Stars Results," ABC, 19.56 million.
4. "NCIS," CBS, 18.5 million.
5. "60 Minutes," CBS, 16.98 million.
6. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 15.82 million.
7. "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 14.31 million.
8. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 14.1 million.
9. "Mike & Molly," CBS, 13.05 million.
10. "Modern Family," ABC, 12.72 million.
11. "2 Broke Girls," CBS, 11.33 million.
12. "Castle," ABC, 10.85 million.
13. "Football Night in America," NBC, 10.75 million.
14. "Once Upon a Time," ABC, 10.69 million.
15. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 10.59 million.
16. "Unforgettable," CBS, 10.42 million.
17. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 10.38 million.
18. "Amazing Race 19," CBS, 10.15 million.
19. "How I Met Your Mother," CBS, 10.01 million.
20. "The X-Factor" (Tuesday), Fox, 9.43 million.
Ratings
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