Paul Krugman: Brewing Up Confusion (New York Times)
Look, it's true that elected politicians have been unable to "come together and compromise." But saying that in generic form, and implying a symmetry between Republicans and Democrats, isn't just misleading, it's actively harmful.
Helen Pow: 'Did we just kill a kid?' (UK Daily Mail)
The moment drone operator who assassinated Afghans with the push of a button on a computer in the U.S. realized he had vaporized a child... and could not go on.
Ted Rall: How I'd Spend My Powerball Winnings
I'd pay off my mortgage and credit cards. My mom loves the beach; I'd buy her a house over the ocean. My car is eight years old; I'd buy one of those new Challengers. Which would leave me $293.4 million.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Music (Athens News)
In 2011, Steve Martin recorded another album of original bluegrass songs, with help from friends. Paul McCartney sang the lead on the song "On Best Love," which is about happiness in a marriage. Originally, Sir Paul thought that he would be singing backup, but then he heard Mr. Martin's singing and told him, "You know, when you said you were a terrible singer, I thought you were being humble, but you weren't."
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year (Gregorian calendar) in the Scottish manner. It is, however, normally only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of New Year's Day (1 January) or, in some cases, 2 January which is a Scottish Bank Holiday.
There are many customs, both national and local, associated with Hogmanay. The most widespread national custom is the practice of 'first-footing' which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbour and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such as salt (less common today), coal, shortbread, whisky, and black bun (a rich fruit cake) intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder. Food and drink (as the gifts) are then given to the guests. This may go on throughout the early hours of the morning and well into the next day (although modern days see people visiting houses well into the middle of January). The first-foot is supposed to set the luck for the rest of the year. Traditionally, tall dark men are preferred as the first-foot.
Source
mj was first, and correct, with:
Pass the haggis
Hogmany is celebrated above the wall in Scotland.
Charlie wrote:
The People's Republic of Scotland, even as I type This.
Happy New Year.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, replied:
Scotland.......Happy New Year Marty and all
Sally said:
HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS AND READERS!
Party on, dudes...
Hogmanay is what the Scots call New Year's Eve!!
Hear tell, it's the best celebration in the world!
Alan J took the day off.
Adam answered:
Scottland. The coolest, Viking-est New Year's celebration in the world.
Marian responded:
Scotland. Happy New Year!!
Dale of Diamond Springs replied:
I don't know why I know this (probably due to Paganism evoked in me as a child), Hogmanay is the Scottish holiday that celebrates the new year. Observed on December 31, festivities typically spill over into the first couple of days of January.
Happy New Year to all!!!
BttbBob said:
Scotland and the Orkney Islands Orkneyjar - The Heritage of the Orkney Islands ... The Orkneys had a very old, mysterious, stone age megalithic culture that became heavily influenced, absorbed and eventually ruled by the Norse (resistance is futile). Indeed, it was an semi-autonomous earldom of Norway for hundreds of years until it was annexed by the Scots in 1468... However, the Orcadians consider themselves just that, first, then as Scotsmen.
MAM wrote:
Scotland ~ New Years Eve is known as Hogmanay in Scotland.
PS ~ Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013. Here's to new possibilities!!! Safe journey in 2014 everyone!
And, Joe S answered:
I thought that was celebrated on Disc World. Oh wait a minute, that's Hog Watch that's celebrated on Disc World. I guess the answer you're looking for is Scotland, and I guess it's Hogmanay and Scotland we have to thank for fruitcake. (Sarcasm, no, really, sarcasm)
Have a Super Spark..... oh never mind. Happy New Year from Disc World.
CBS begins the night with a RERUN'NCIS', followed by a RERUN'NCIS The 2nd One', then a RERUN'Vegas'.
On a RERUNDave (from 11/13/12) are Stupid Pet Tricks, Julianna Margulies, and Mumford & Sons.
On a RERUNCraig (from 5/15/12), Craig visits Arbroath with Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond, Rashida Jones, and the Imagineers.
NBC starts the night with a RERUN'Betty White's Off Their Rockers', followed by another RERUN'Betty White's Off Their Rockers', then still another RERUN'Betty White's Off Their Rockers', followed by yet another RERUN'Betty White's Off Their Rockers', then a FRESH'Parenthood'.
On a RERUNLeno (from 11/7/12) are Daniel Craig, Dave Salmoni, and Diamond Rings.
On a RERUNJimmy Fallon (from 12/20/12) are Billy Crystal, Tyson Chandler, and Cee-Lo Green.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 12/18/12) are Randy & Jason Sklar, Zak Waters, and Brandi Carlile.
ABC opens the night with a RERUN'Shark Tank', followed by a RERUN'Happy Endings', then a RERUN'Don't Trust The Palin In Apartment 23', followed by a RERUN'Nashville'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 12/13/12) are Carson Daly, Zachary Knighton, and Dan Deacon.
The CW offers the 4th or 5th RERUN of 'Rose Parade 2013'.
Faux has a RERUN'Ben & Kate', followed by another RERUN'Ben & Kate', then a RERUN'New Girl', followed by another RERUN'New Girl'.
MY recycles an old 'House', followed by another old 'House'.
A&E has 'Storage Wars', another 'Storage Wars', still another 'Storage Wars', then yet another 'Storage Wars', 'Storage Wars Texas', another 'Storage Wars Texas', 'Storage Wars New York', and another 'Storage Wars'.
AMC offers the movie 'Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome', followed by the movie 'Mad Max', then the movie 'The Road Warrior'.
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 4 - Ep 1 - Partners in Crime
[9:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 4 - Ep 2 - The Fires of Pompeii
[10:00AM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 1
[11:00AM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 2
[12:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 3
[1:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 4
[2:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 5
[3:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 6
[4:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 7
[5:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 8
[6:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 9
[7:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 1 - Episode 10
[8:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 1
[9:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 2
[10:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 3
[11:00PM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 4
[12:00AM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 5
[1:00AM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 6
[2:00AM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 7
[3:00AM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 8
[4:00AM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 9
[5:00AM] THE TUDORS - Season 2 - Episode 10 (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has the movie 'How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days', 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', another 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', followed by a FRESH'Million Dollar Decorators'.
IFC -
[6:30AM] Portlandia-Mixologist
[7:00AM] Portlandia-One Moore Episode
[7:30AM] Portlandia-Cool Wedding
[8:00AM] Portlandia-Grover
[8:30AM] Portlandia-Cops Redesign
[9:00AM] Portlandia-Catnap
[9:30AM] Portlandia-Motorcycle
[10:00AM] Portlandia-Feminist Bookstore 10th Anniversary
[10:30AM] Portlandia-No Olympics
[11:00AM] Portlandia-Brunch Village
[11:30AM] Portlandia-Winter in Portlandia
[12:00PM] Portlandia-Farm
[12:30PM] Portlandia-A Song For Portland
[1:00PM] Portlandia-Aimee
[1:30PM] Portlandia-Mayor Is Missing
[2:00PM] Portlandia-Blunderbuss
[2:30PM] Portlandia-Baseball
[3:00PM] Inside Portlandia
[3:30PM] Portlandia-Mixologist
[4:00PM] Portlandia-One Moore Episode
[4:30PM] Portlandia-Cool Wedding
[5:00PM] Portlandia-Grover
[5:30PM] Portlandia-Cops Redesign
[6:00PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Dewey's Dog
[6:30PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Poker II
[7:00PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Clip Show
[7:30PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Jury Duty
[8:00PM] Edward Scissorhands
[10:15PM] Idiocracy
[12:00AM] Edward Scissorhands
[2:15AM] Pecker
[4:00AM] Portlandia-Farm
[4:30AM] Portlandia-A Song For Portland
[5:00AM] Freaks and Geeks-Pilot (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00A] MY SO-CALLED LIFE - Strangers in the House (Episode 8, Season 1)
[7:00A] Full Grown Men
[8:30A] Girl By The Lake
[10:15A] Better Things
[12:00P] Full Grown Men
[1:30P] MY SO-CALLED LIFE - Strangers in the House (Episode 8, Season 1)
[2:30P] Girl By The Lake
[4:15P] Better Things
[6:00P] Pina
[8:00P] Sideways
[10:00P] Mommie Dearest
[12:15A] The Housemaid
[2:15A] Sideways
[4:15A] Happy Ever Afters (ALL TIMES EST)
Actor Anthony Hopkins (C) and his wife actress Stella Arroyave (L) walk over the territory of the Kremlin in Moscow December 31, 2012.
Photo by John Night
After prophesying a landslide win for Mitt Romney, Fox News has seen its ratings decline a lot more than usual since the election - and Sean Hannity's viewers in particular keep disappearing, while Rachel Maddow's continue to tune in over at rival MSNBC.
The last batch of Nielsen data available before year's end shows Hannity's viewership getting chopped in half after November 6, according to the New York Daily News's Don Kaplan. Politico's Dylan Byers argues this decline simply brings Hannity back to pre-election norms. Or perhaps these vanishing viewers are just disgruntled voters who can't stomach the news cycle anymore. Kaplan, however, attributes this decline to Hannity's implied predictions.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz - who both, of course, did not predict a Romney victory - have retained most of their viewership in the weeks following election night, and CNN's Anderson Cooper has lost almost none. With ratings holding strong after Obama's reelection and Maddow appearing on The Colbert Report, it appears like MSNBC is making good on president Phil Griffin's plan to bolster the channel's brand awareness.
But these trends may began long before Hannity and other Fox News commentators led viewers to believe Romney was a shoe-in. Media blog News Corpse notes that throughout 2012, Fox News experienced by far the slowest year-over-year growth amongst the three major cable news channels. And even though MSNBC has captured many more eyeballs within the lucrative 25-54 demographic, Fox News still retains primetime dominance in the world of 24-hour TV news. What's left for CNN next year, well, that's up to new boss Jeff Zucker to decide.
Shaman Yessy, right, performs a New Year's ritual to bring good luck to her client in the coming year, at the Market of Wishes in Lima, Peru, Monday, Dec. 31, 2012.
Photo by Martin Mejia
Soon after the State Department announced that Secretary Hillary Clinton had suffered a concussion, a conservative meme began: Clinton was totally faking it in order to avoid testifying about the September attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The Daily Caller demanded a medical report. Conservative commentator Richard Grenell accused Clinton of lying. Multiple Fox News personalities joked and bantered on-air about her condition. The New York Post called the incident a "head fake." A representative Instapundit headline went: "HELP, I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T TESTIFY ABOUT BENGHAZI!" So it was fascinating to watch how the same individuals reacted (or didn't react) to the news late Sunday night that Clinton had been hospitalized for a blood clot related to her concussion.
Some, like GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak, acknowledged that he and his peers had piled on too quickly, and were swift to expression contrition:
The Daily Caller's Jim Treacher, however, refused to stand down.
Treacher also shot back at BuzzFeed's Andrew Kaczynski, who collated a list of notable conservatives (including Treacher) who mocked Clinton's concussion.
Spoiler alert: This story contains words and phrases that some people want to ban from the English language. "Spoiler alert" is among them. So are "kick the can down the road," ''trending" and "bucket list."
A dirty dozen have landed on the 38th annual List of Words to be Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness. The nonbinding, tongue-in-cheek decree released Monday by northern Michigan's Lake Superior State University is based on nominations submitted from the United States, Canada and beyond.
"Spoiler alert," the seemingly thoughtful way to warn readers or viewers about looming references to a key plot point in a film or TV show, nevertheless passed its use-by date for many, including Joseph Foly, of Fremont, Calif. He argued in his submission the phrase is "used as an obnoxious way to show one has trivial information and is about to use it, no matter what."
At the risk of further offence, here's another spoiler alert: The phrase receiving the most nominations this year is "fiscal cliff," banished because of its overuse by media outlets when describing across-the-board federal tax increases and spending cuts that economists say could harm the economy in the new year without congressional action.
Other terms coming in for a literary lashing are "superfood," ''guru," ''job creators" and "double down."
The house that served as the exterior of Richards' home on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" is for sale in Minneapolis for $2.895 million.
The 9,500 sq. ft. house is set on 0.35 acres, with seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. The listing on Realtor.com advertises "vintage charm combined with modern applications" and "ornate millwork, bayed rooms and leaded glass transom accents throughout." It also includes a three-car garage.
The home was built in 1900 and was last sold in Aug. 2007 for $2.8 million, according to the listing.
Oscar voters will have an extra day to cast their ballots.
The motion picture academy says it's extending the deadline for members to vote for the Academy Awards to Jan. 4, following criticism of its new electronic voting system.
The academy partnered with electronic voting firm Everyone Counts Inc. earlier this year to develop the first Oscars online voting system.
Voting in the past has been compiled strictly through paper ballots. The new system allowed members to vote either online or through the mail.
More than four years after crushing debt and plunging advertising sales forced it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Tribune Co. has emerged with a new television-focused board and over $1 billion in new financing.
Led by such creative and technology heavyweights as Ross Levinsohn, the former interim CEO of Yahoo Inc., and Peter Murphy, former strategic officer of The Walt Disney Co., the board's roster suggests a focus on the company's TV assets rather than newspapers, which haven't managed to turn around declines in readership and advertising. Peter Liguori, a former TV executive at Discovery Communications Inc. and News Corp.'s Fox, is expected to be named CEO in the next several weeks.
The exit closes a dark period for Tribune, which was founded in 1847 with a hand-cranked print run of 400 copies of the Chicago Tribune. It founded the WGN broadcasting brand with a radio station in 1924 and a TV station in 1948. The call letters stood for "World's Greatest Newspaper." Tribune first went public in 1983 valued at $206 million - one of the biggest IPOs of its day - and expanded over the years into a media giant through acquisitions of TV stations such as KTLA in Los Angeles and newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun and Newsday. It also owns a stake in the Food Network and online job site CareerBuilder.com.
The emerging Tribune is estimated to be worth about $4.5 billion, with television assets generating most of its value. Newspapers - seen as accounting for less than 15 percent of its value today - are expected to be sold off in a process that will likely see several bidders.
Actor Fred Willard has completed a diversion program for his arrest this summer for a suspected lewd act at a Hollywood adult theater.
Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney's office, said Monday that the 72-year-old comic actor completed the program in September and as a result no longer faces charges stemming from the July 18 incident.
Willard was arrested after uniformed vice officers were conducting a routine investigation of the theater and they said they saw him engaging in a lewd act.
He was fired shortly thereafter from his job narrating "Market Warriors," which is produced by Boston public television station WGBH. His film credits include "Best in Show" and "Waiting for Guffman."
Indian schoolgirls form numbers representing the year 2013 during a prayer ceremony in Ahmadabad, India, Monday, Dec. 31, 2012. The gang-rape and killing of a New Delhi student has set off an impassioned debate about what India needs to do to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. The country remained in mourning Monday, two days after the 23-year-old physiotherapy student died from her internal wounds in a Singapore hospital. Floral writing at the center reads "Condolence to Damini," a symbolic name given to the victim.
Photo by Ajit Solanki
Judging from its trailer, the 2012 film Playback appears to be a small-town version of 2002's The Ring, wherein evil entities communicate and mess with people via television screens and cursed VHS tapes. Starring Christian Slater (to whom 2012 has not been kind at all), Playback cost $7.5 million to film and produce. But it only grossed $264 - that's two hundred and sixty four American dollars - making it the lowest-grossing film of 2012, according to variouswebsitesthat track ticket sales. There's a reason for this: like 2006's Zyzzx Road, which starred Katherine Heigl and grossed $30, Playback was shown at a single cinema for a single week. Better luck in the coming year, Mr. Slater. Hopefully by then Playback will be the cult film we want it to be.
Armed with flashlights, recordings of bird calls, a small notebook and a stash of candy bars, scientist Rich Kostecke embarked on an annual 24-hour Christmastime count of birds along the Texas Gulf Coast. Yellow rail. Barn owl. Bittern. Crested Cara-Cara. Kostecke rattled off the names and scribbled them in his notebook.
His data, along with that from more than 50 other volunteers spread out into six groups across the 7,000-acre Mad Island preserve, will be analyzed regionally and then added to a database with the results of more than 2,200 other bird counts going on from mid-December to Jan. 5 across the Western Hemisphere.
The count began in 1900 as a National Audubon Society protest of holiday hunts that left piles of bird and animal carcasses littered across the country. It now helps scientists understand how birds react to short-term weather events and may provide clues as to how they will adapt as temperatures rise and climate changes.
Scientists saw birds change their habits during last year's historic drought that parched most of Texas. Some birds that normally winter on the coast - such as endangered whooping cranes - arrived and immediately turned back when they couldn't find enough food. Other birds didn't even bother flying to the coast. Snowy owls, who sometimes migrate from the Arctic to Montana, suddenly showed up as far south as Texas.
An initial report on the 24-hour count that began midnight Monday and ended midnight Tuesday included 233 different species - a drop of 11 from last year when 244 were counted on Mad Island. While the area likely still has one of the United States' most diverse bird populations, the species that were missing raise questions.
Oscar-winning sound editor Mike Hopkins, who worked on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and other blockbusters, has died in a rafting accident in New Zealand.
Police Senior Sergeant Carolyn Watson said the 53-year-old Hopkins drowned on Sunday after his raft capsized in a river on New Zealand's North Island.
A New Zealander, Hopkins shared Oscars with Ethan Van der Ryn in 2003 and 2006 for "King Kong" and "Fellowship of the Ring."
The sound editing partners also were nominated for "Transformers."
A man is seen wrapped with pythons, some which include the Albino Burmese Python, as part of a show celebrating the coming Year of the Snake in the Chinese calendar, while spectators look on, in Malabon city, north of Manila December 28, 2012.
Photo by Romeo Ranoco
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