Recommended Reading
from Bruce
George Packer: The Corruption of the Republican Party (Atlantic)
The GOP is best understood as an insurgency that carried the seeds of its own corruption from the start.
Peter Beinart: Why Trump Supporters Believe He Is Not Corrupt (Atlantic)
What the president's supporters fear most isn't the corruption of American law, but the corruption of America's traditional identity.
Joe Bob Briggs: Run Run Rudolph (Taki's Magazine, Satire)
Everyone's talking about the article in the Huffington Post that has shown us the racism, homophobia, child abuse, bullying, sexism, and exploitation of the handicapped that lie at the bigoted heart of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas special, but I don't think it goes far enough.
Alice B. Lloyd: Last Lines (Weekly Standard)
Sometimes we know what a novel's last line will be from the beginning, we just don't know that we knew. It's a trick readers of Less-a recent comic novel of lost love and world travel by Andrew Sean Greer-will recall: Less's last line is "Less!" Right Ho, Jeeves would end on the line, "Right ho, Jeeves," if Jeeves didn't then reply, "Very good, sir." Trollope's Can You Forgive Her? occupies its last lines with that titular concern-hoping that, all told, we can. And in the last line of Rabbit, Run Rabbit Angstrom (you guessed it) runs: "out of a kind of sweet panic growing lighter and quicker and quieter, he runs. Ah: runs. Runs."
Kat Rosenfeld: Poetry Twitter Erupts over a Plagiarist in Their Midst (Vulture)
That interview reads now like a confession of guilt, as it turns out that "Gun Metal" is very much a collection of reassembled pieces: pieces of other poets. O'Toole's bizarrely brazen act of plagiarism - stealing lines, phrases, and structural elements from the work of at least three other writers - was uncovered last Friday, unraveling her career at the speed of Twitter, the medium by which her fledgling reputation lived and died. Within 24 hours, the literary press Rhythm & Bones had canceled her forthcoming book of poems, and the insular world of poetry Twitter had already gone through a cycle of blame, bafflement, and measured defense.
Daniel Callcut: Against moral sainthood (AEON)
As philosopher Susan Wolf argues, life is far more meaningful and rich if we do not aim at being morally perfect
"Since The Light Went Out" (Wordpress)
Written & performed by George J. Raymond.
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David Bruce has over 100 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• The late country comedian Jerry Clower was a Baptist, but a preacher he greatly respected is Reverend Aubrey Smith, who was pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Yazoo City, Mississippi. For a while, the church Mr. Clower attended in Yazoo City - the First Baptist Church - was without a pastor, so Reverend Smith visited all of the Baptist sick. He would go to the local hospital, get a list of the ill people, and if anyone was a Baptist, he would see them and say, "Until you get a preacher, Brother Aubrey will be right here with you. I want you to know I'm at your side." Whenever someone at the Baptist church needed funeral services, as when a deacon's mother died, it was Brother Aubrey who performed the services. He also preached on occasion at the Baptist church until the congregation got a new pastor. For these reasons, Mr. Clower considers Brother Aubrey to be one of the most unforgettable people he's ever met. By the way, a friend was driving country comedian Jerry Clower around Savannah, Georgia, when the friend said, "John Wesley used to be pastor of that church." Mr. Clower immediately said, "Stop," and they went into that church. About the experience, Mr. Clower says, "I felt a tingling all over. Here's a man that put one foot on Europe and one foot on the United States and preached and started Methodism."
• Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina was active back when Joe McCarthy was making it hot for anyone who believed in the Bill of Rights. He once rose in the Senate and told a story about his Uncle Ephraim going to church although he was nearly crippled by arthritis. The preacher asked various members of the church, "What has the Lord done for you?" All of the members described various good things the Lord had done for them, but when the preacher asked Uncle Ephraim, he replied, "Brother, the Lord has mighty near ruint me." Senator Ervin then said, "And that is what Senator McCarthy has done to the Senate."
• Rabbi Israel Salanter once met a man who wanted to earn his living as a traveling preacher, but he was unable to because he had no sermons to preach. Rabbi Israel helped the man by giving him two sermons that he himself had written, and by coaching the man until he had memorized the sermons. With the aid of Rabbi Israel, the man was able to earn his living as a traveling preacher.
• Reverend Andrew Jumper was the pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Clayton, Missouri, and one year he was hired to go to spring training to give weekly services to professional baseball players. After one sermon, a player told him, "God gave you a great sermon today." Reverend Jumper replied, "Yes, but I want you to know I typed it."
• Dr. Glenn Catlin of the Church of the Beatitudes in St. Petersburg, Florida, once used a remarkable visual aid to preach about Lazarus, whom Jesus rose from the grave. Two nurses wrapped him up in bandages like a mummy, and when an Elder read, "Loose him, and let him go," the nurses cut away the bandages and he started to preach.
• When "Shoeless Joe" Jackson was attending Brandon Baptist Church after retiring from baseball, the pastor of the church, the Reverend Boyd Turner, used to stand in front of Shoeless Joe's liquor store each Friday as a signal for him to open the till, take out his tithe, and give it to the pastor for the use of the church.
• Following church service, a woman told the minister that she had enjoyed the sermon. The minister said, "Don't thank me. Thank the Lord." The woman replied, "It wasn't that good."
• Sermons are like satire. The people who hear them always think they apply to someone else.
• "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi.
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© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
Cynthia in Alabama (who doesn't like cats but knows I do) shared this:
Hyper-Realistic Scenes Cut from "Cats" the Musical That They Should Put in the Movie - Sarah Hutto
Rum Tum Tugger is transfixed by his owner's new down comforter. He urinates gleefully and with abandon all over the goose-scented blanket, after which his human locks him in a dark closet for fifteen minutes. While in the wardrobe dungeon, he sings a sad, soulful ballad called "Bird Smell's Got Me Down."
Bustopher Jones magically manages to get on top of the refrigerator when no one is looking. From his perch, he plots the deaths of each human and animal below. He then systematically pushes every object off the top of the fridge, delighting as they smash on the tile floor. He concludes his mischief with the ten-minute tap-and-beatbox routine "You Can't Have Nice Things, You Fuckers."
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
JD is on vacation.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Hot water tank sprang a leak. Sigh.
Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood Onstage For 'Get Back'
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney reunited with former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr onstage Sunday for a rendition of the British band's hit "Get Back." The pair were joined by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood for the rollicking, surprise performance at London's O2 Arena.
McCartney, who is currently touring in support of his recent album Egypt Station, told the audience, "We've got a little surprise for you. It's a surprise for us, actually - it only happened today." Starr settled behind a drum kit near the front of the stage while Wood grabbed an electric guitar, adding some improvised licks mid-song alongside McCartney and his band. The musicians extended the three-minute tune with an extra chorus before hugging in celebration at the end.
Before he left the stage Starr remarked, "I don't know about you, but that was a thrill for me. Peace and love everybody and a Merry Christmas." As the duo exited, McCartney added, "I'm just going to let that moment sink in."
The packed concert included several other celebrities in the audience, including the Who's Roger Daltrey. McCartney's daughter, fashion designer Stella McCartney, posted a photo of her dad along with Starr, Wood and actress Emma Thompson on Instagram, teasing the possible onstage collaboration. "Emma Thompson a couple of Beatles a stone and moi… kick ass tonight dad," she wrote.
McCartney performed a lengthy setlist at the O2, including solo numbers and tracks from Wings. He also added a rendition of "Wonderful Christmastime." The musician will bring the show to the U.S. next year, kicking off the trek in May at the Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans.
Paul McCartney
Cecil B. DeMille Award
Jeff Bridges
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced that Jeff Bridges will receive the Cecil B. DeMille award at the 76th Golden Globes on Jan. 6, 2019.
Bridges has starred in films like "The Big Lebowski," "Crazy Heart," "True Grit," and "The Fabulous Baker Boys."
"The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to bestow the 2019 Cecil B. deMille Award on Jeff Bridges," HFPA president Meher Tatna said in a statement. "Bridges' brilliant body of work across diverse genres has captured the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide for more than six decades. We look forward to celebrating 'the Dude' and his remarkable career and philanthropic achievements at the upcoming Golden Globe Awards."
Bridges' first Golden Globe nomination came in 1984 for best actor in "Starman." Seven years later he received his second Golden Globe nomination for his performance in "The Fisher King," which co-starred Robin Williams. He was honored with another Golden Globe nomination in 2001 for his role in "The Contender," Rod Lurie's political thriller, co-starring Gary Oldman and Joan Allen, in which Bridges played the president of the United States.
Jeff Bridges
Sues Video Games Makers
Alfonso Ribeiro
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star Alfonso Ribeiro is suing the creators of Fortnite and NBA 2K for using his famous dance on the popular video games.
In separate lawsuits filed Monday in federal court, Ribeiro alleges that Fortnite-maker Epic Games and 2K Sports-creator Take-Two Interactive used his dance dubbed "The Carlton Dance" without permission or credit.
Ribeiro's dance was popularized through his character, Carlton Banks, on the 1990s sitcom.
Ribeiro says North Carolina-based Epic Games and Delaware-based Take Two used his dance he first performed on a 1991 "Fresh Prince" episode. He's asking for a judge's order to stop both games from using his moves.
Alfonso Ribeiro
Names 'Justice' Word Of The Year
Merriam-Webster
The Merriam-Webster dictionary has selected justice as its word of the year for 2018 - and it is an accurate choice for a tumultuous year in the US.
According to the dictionary, the word of the year was chosen following an increasing and steady interest in the definition.
The public discourse surrounding the word likely stemmed from numerous high-profile instances where justice was being sought or questioned in America.
In addition to a focus on the United States' Department of Justice, justice in terms of social justice, racial justice, and "obstruction of justice" were also searched for, according to the dictionary, which saw a 74 per cent increase in look-ups for the definition from 2017.
The choice comes days after the sentencing of President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, and follows Dictionary.com's decision to name "misinformation" as its choice for word of the year.
Merriam-Webster
Jailed In Immigration Detention Centers
15,000 Kids
The recent death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl in Border Patrol custody was tragic, and I hope the inspector general's investigation into what happened is both comprehensive and fast. Especially since the father of Jakelin Caal Maquin disputes some basic elements of the Border Patrol's version of events.
But the death also spotlights the broader issue of the U.S. government making prisoners of migrant children in astonishing numbers. As of last week, the government was holding 15,000 minors - mostly teenage boys - in various detention centers around the country.
Let that sink in: The U.S. government is jailing children who, in most cases, arrived at the southwest border seeking asylum. Do they all qualify for sanctuary? Probably not, but we have a system for making such decisions, and at the moment, that system is imprisoning an entire village's worth of minors.
Part of the problem is so many kids have arrived that the government lacks the capacity for handling the asylum requests. An agile administration would find a way to increase the processing capacity rather than incarcerating the children.
We don't have one of those. The problem first surfaced with a surge of unaccompanied minors during the Obama administration, which also flailed about trying to find a solution. But it has now has been exacerbated by another Trump administration policy to conduct deeper background checks into people who volunteer to serve as guardians so the children can be released while their applications are considered. The government said it needed tougher checks to protect the minors, but that was clearly a pretext.
15,000 Kids
Poacher Ordered To Repeatedly Watch
'Bambi'
A Missouri poacher has been ordered to repeatedly watch the movie "Bambi" as part of his sentence in a scheme to illegally kill hundreds of deer.
David Berry Jr. was ordered to watch the Disney classic at least once a month during his year-long jail sentence in what conservation agents have called one of the largest deer poaching cases in state history, the Springfield News-Leader reports.
"The deer were trophy bucks taken illegally, mostly at night, for their heads, leaving the bodies of the deer to waste," said Don Trotter, the prosecuting attorney in Lawrence County.
Berry, his father, two brothers and another man who helped them had their hunting, fishing and trapping privileges revoked temporarily or permanently. The men have paid a combined $51,000 in fines and court costs - but the judge ordered a special addition to Berry's sentence for illegally taking wildlife.
Court records show he was ordered by Lawrence County Judge Robert George to "view the Walt Disney movie Bambi, with the first viewing being on or before December 23, 2018, and at least one such viewing each month thereafter" while at the county jail.
'Bambi'
Inspires Mattel
Barbie
A couple looking for the perfect gift for their eight-year-old niece have captured the attention of toy company Mattel - after they created their own same-sex Barbie set.
To celebrate their niece's birthday, uncles Matt Jacobi and Nick Caprio from Scottsdale, Arizona were looking for a doll gift for eight-year-old Natalie that could tie-in to the theme of the couple's upcoming May wedding - where Natalie and her sister will be flower girls.
"I wanted to give her something related to the wedding but also something she would enjoy," Jacobi told Good Morning America - so he went in search of a Barbie doll.
According to Jacobi, he and Caprio came across what would have been the perfect gift - a Mattel/Barbie "Wedding Set!" - which came complete with two flower girls and a cake, but only a "bride and groom were available."
So the uncles decided to add their own unique touch to the gift - by creating a "Gay Wedding Set."
Barbie
In Memory
Galt MacDermot
Galt MacDermot, the Canadian-American composer best known for the music to Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona, has died, Playbill reports. A cause of death has not been revealed. He was 89 years old.
Galt MacDermot's first major musical achievements came in the early 1960s when he won a pair of Grammy Awards for the composition "African Waltz." A few years later, he moved to New York and wrote the music to Hair. Later, MacDermot composed Two Gentlemen of Verona, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1972. Galt MacDermot was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009, and, in 2010, he earned the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Galt MacDermot's music became an early staple of hip-hop sampling. Gang Starr, Madlib, MF DOOM, Busta Rhymes, Run-D.M.C., J Dilla, and many others repurposed the composer's work. "R.I.P. to Another Incredible Icon of Original Music," DJ Premier tweeted. Questlove also paid tribute to MacDermot, writing, "King Galt. The Broadway community is mourning his passing this morning... but best believe he was the hip-hop community's too."
Galt MacDermot
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