A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.

Today is National Cookie Day -



Not to take anything away from celebrating National Sock Day, if that's your thing.


December 4, 1937 -
Another great early Bob Clampett/ Chuck Jones (rarely seen) B & W Looney Tunes, Porky's Hero Agency, premiered on this date.



The line of people turned to stone include many of the Looney Tunes/ Merry Melodies animators including Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones.


December 4, 1942 -
The swashbuckler, The Black Swan, directed by Henry King and, starring Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Thomas Mitchell, George Sanders, Anthony Quinn, and George Zucco opened in the US on this date.



To help out the war effort, the actors tried hard to keep the number of takes low so as to conserve film. Roughly 30 of the scenes were done in one take.


December 4, 1956 –
On this day, during a Carl Perkins recording session with Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash at Sun Records in Memphis, Elvis Presley visited the studio and jammed extensively while the tapes rolled.



A newspaper reporter who was present dubbed it “The Million Dollar Quartet,” offering a rough guess as to what the salaries of the four men would have been, and the name stuck.


December 4, 1964 –
EMI's Parlophone label released The Beatles fourth album, Beatles For Sale, in the UK on this date. The album marked a significant moment in the band's evolution, both musically and creatively.



The album reflected a more mature, introspective side of the band, with lyrics exploring themes of love, loneliness, and disillusionment, which set it apart from their earlier, more upbeat releases. The album was a commercial success and further cemented The Beatles' dominance in the music world.


December 4, 1965 –
The Byrds song Turn! Turn! Turn! reached no. 1 on the Billboard charts on this date.



Before he recorded this song with The Byrds, Jim McGuinn (who later went by Roger) played acoustic 12-string guitar on Judy Collins' 1963 version, which appears on her album Judy Collins #3. He also worked up the arrangement with Collins.


December 4, 1969 -
The first feature film based on the Peanuts cartoon strip, A Boy Named Charlie Brown, directed by Bill Melendez and voiced by Peter Robbins, Pamelyn Ferdin, Glenn Gilger, and Andy Pforsich, opened on this date.



The memorable "Aaaugh!" scream from Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown originated from this film. (Oddly enough, it was also heard from Linus in one scene.) Robbins' scream would become a stock sound effect in almost all subsequent Peanuts specials & movies up to the late 1990s, and is used as a scream, not only for Charlie Brown, but any other available character (excluding Snoopy and Woodstock, who had their own variants).


December 4, 1971 –
The Sly and the Family Stone song, Family Affair, reached no. 1 on the Billboard charts on this date.



Sly & the Family Stone was indeed a family affair, with Sly Stone's younger siblings, brother Freddie and sister Rosie, all part of the band. The rest of the group, including bass player Larry Graham, were like family, at least in the '60s, when they rose to the top with the hits Everyday People and Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).


December 4, 1981 -
Falcon Crest premiered on CBS-TV on this date.



Jane Wyman and Lorenzo Lamas were the only actors that were part of the main cast through out the entire series. Lorenzo Lamas was the only actor who appeared in all 227 episodes.


No one has ever become poor by giving..


Today in History:
December 4, 1642 -
He did too much harm to be praised, and too much good to be damned.



Cardinal Armand-Jean Duplessis Richelieu, known as l'Éminence rouge and the architect of France's greatness in the 17th century, died on this date.


December 4, 1783 -
At Fraunces Tavern in New York City on this date, General George Washington formally bids his officers farewell.

Many of his subordinates were quite emotional until they realized that George stuck them with the check.


Our old friend, Francisco Franco was born 133 years ago today.

Franco graduated from the Spanish military academy at Toledo and became the youngest major in the Spanish army at the age of 23. By the age of 34 he was a general, and by 41 he was Commander of the Spanish Army.

Eager for war but lacking an enemy, the ambitious young Spanish commander-in-chief declared war on Spain in 1936 and defeated her in just three years.

The war was so successful and exciting, it inspired World War II, and Franco's rise to power foreshadowed the ascension of other evil bastards in Europe.

After his victory Franco named himself Generalisimo (villainous bastard) to better distinguish himself from the Fuhrer (maniacal bastard) in Germany and Il Duce (vicious bastard) in Italy.

Franco ran the country until shortly after his death in 1975.

The General, heroically, remains dead (although not in his original resting place. As with most Evil Bastards, the current government had finally had enough of his deceased fascist ways, and sent him packing.)


December 4, 1875 -
William Marcy Tweed, the "Boss" of New York City's Tammany Hall political organization, escaped from jail during one of his home visits and fled the country, on this date.



He went to Cuba and then Spain, where he worked as a common seaman on a Spanish ship; he was finally identified from cartoons by Thomas Nast and on November 22, 1876, he was returned back to a New York City prison. He died there, in the Ludlow St. Jail, on April 12, 1878.


The Panama Pacific International Exposition was the 1915 Worlds Fair held in San Francisco, California. Taking over three years to construct, the fair had great economic implications for the city that had been almost destroyed by the great earthquake and fire of 1906. The exposition was a tremendous success, and did much to boost the morale of the entire Bay Area and to help get San Francisco back up on its feet.



Architects and designers went all-out for the design of the fair's buildings. There never before had been a fair whose architectural focus had been so all-encompassing. 76 city blocks had been cleared or filled to set the stage for the exposition, and its final size was 635 acres, which allowed for the hundreds of buildings that were built. The spectacular palaces, courts, state and foreign buildings at the fair were made of a temporary plaster-like material, designed to only last for the duration of the fair.



The fair ran from February 20th until December 4th, 1915 - and was widely considered to be a great success.


December 4, 1918 -
President Woodrow Wilson sailed for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office.



He is also accompanied by Secretary of State Lansing, General of the Army Bliss and his friend Colonel House. Wilson had contemplated seeking a third term in office but suffered a severe stroke in October 1919 that left him incapacitated and his wife Edith Galt, became the secret de facto president for the remainder of his term.


December 4, 1930 -
Vatican approved the use of the rhythm method for birth control, on this date.



Maybe this isn't what they meant.


December 4, 1954 -

The first Burger King, originally called Insta Burger King, was opened at 3090 N.W. 36th Street in Miami, Florida on this date.



Not to be indelicate but many of those first patrons still have their first burgers lodged deep within their digestive system.


December 4, 1955 -
Cassandra Wilson, jazz vocalist extraordinaire, songwriter, and producer, was born on this date.

You Go To My Head -



Time after time -



You Don't Know What Love Is -




December 4, 1958 -
Robert Timm and John Cook took off from McCarran Airfield in Las Vegas, in a used Cessna 172, registration number N9172B, on this date.



Sixty-four days, 22 hours, 19 minutes and 5 seconds later on February 7, 1959, they landed at the same airfield setting the world record for flight endurance; the record still stands.


December 4, 1971 –
During a Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention concert in Montreux, Switzerland, someone shoots off a flare gun which hits the wooden roof and quickly spreads. It eventually reaches the building’s heating system, causing an explosion. Luckily, everyone escapes.



The incident is later immortalized in the Deep Purple song Smoke On The Water.



A bizarre coincidence: On this date in 1993, Frank Zappa lost his battle with prostate cancer.

And so it goes

Christmas decorating sends nearly 16,000 people to the ER

If you've ever watched Clark Griswold decorate his house in Christmas Vacation this stat likely doesn't shock you.



In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission's most recent news release estimates that 15,700 people visit hospital emergency rooms each November and December from holiday-related decorating accidents — which is about 240 injuries per day. The most common accidents involve falling, lacerations and back strains.


December 3, 1927 -
The first 'official' film of the great comedy team, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Putting Pants on Philip, premiered on this date.



Although they had appeared in several films together at this point, Stan Laurel considered this the first official Laurel and Hardy film.


December 3, 1965 -
Rubber Soul, the sixth album by The Beatles was released on this date. With the 14 new songs, the British band expanded their sound using a wide range of instruments. Influences included soul music and the new folk-rock of Bob Dylan. George Harrison’s use of a sitar on Norwegian Wood sparked a craze for the Indian instrument that lasted beyond the 60s.



The album greatly influenced Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys who believed it marked the first time in pop music that focus had shifted from just making hit singles to making an actual album.


December 3, 1968 -
NBC premiered the iconic Elvis special (usually referred the '68 Comeback Special,) sponsored by the Singer Corporation, on this date. St. Elvis appeared to his devoted acolytes on this date. The leather clad Elvis - not the sweaty holy Elvis. This is the "Elvis has left the building" Elvis.



Col. Tom Parker originally wanted Elvis to perform without any dialogue, wearing a cardigan sweater like that worn by Perry Como, in front of a fireplace and a Christmas tree, and sing 20 Christmas songs. Producer Steve Binder axed this idea and came up with the concept of Elvis' performing in a black leather outfit and entirely improvising, for two hours, with an acoustic guitar, songs he had performed in private, dressing-room sessions with his fellow musicians.


December 3, 1976 -
During a shoot for the cover of Pink Floyd's the Animals album, one of the props, an inflatable pig broke free due to a strong gust of wind (gaining a lot of press coverage).



The pig, named Algie, floated above Battersea Power Station, then disappeared from sight within five minutes, and was spotted by airline pilots at forty thousand feet in the air. Flights at Heathrow Airport were cancelled as the huge inflatable pig flew through the path of aircraft, eastwards from Britain and out over the English Channel, finally landing on a rural farm in Kent that night.



BAck in the mid 2010s, to commemorate the special reissue of the entire Pink Floyd catalog, the band recreated the album’s cover. The original Algie could not be used because it was too leaky.
(There is nothing worse than a leaky rubber pig.)


December 3, 1982 -
The bio-pix depicting life of actress Frances Farmer, Frances, starring Jessica Lange, premiered in the US, on this date.



The movie was originally based on William Arnold's Shadowland, a fictionalized biography of Frances Farmer optioned in 1979, but, when the producers jettisoned Arnold's involvement, the screenwriters created Harry York, a fictional character, because they had to prove the movie was based on original material. Arnold sued, and lost, finally, long after the film had been released.


December 3, 1990 -
Madonna was interviewed by Forrest Sawyer on the news program Nightline, where she debuts her video for Justify My Love, which MTV has refused to play on this date.



It was unusual for an entertainment story to be the focus of Nightline, but this one made the news because it raised censorship issues. It also didn't hurt that Madonna was a huge star and was sure to draw lots of viewers. While the video played, Madonna talked about how women in her videos are always in control sexually.


December 3, 1998 -
The romantic comedy film Shakespeare in Love, premiered in NYC on this date.



Gwyneth Paltrow saw the script at Winona Ryder's office table in 1997, and asked her if she could read it. Paltrow got the part, without telling Ryder she was going to try for it. The former friends haven't been friends since, because of Paltrow's selfishness, later winning an Oscar for the part.


December 3, 2010 -
Darren Aronofsky's intense psychological drama, The Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder went into a limited release in the U.S. on this date.



The budget on this film was so tight that when Natalie Portman had a rib dislocated during a lift and called the producer for help, she was told that the production could not afford a medic. Portman stated that if they needed to cut items from the budget they could take away her trailer to hire a medic. The next day her trailer was gone. Portman also had to receive physical therapy during filming and one of her sessions was incorporated into the final cut.


December 3, 2015 -
A live adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (the novel and not the film.) The Wiz starring Shanice Williams, Elijah Kelley, Ne-Yo, David Alan Grier, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Amber Riley, Uzo Aduba, Stephanie Mills, and Emily Gale, aired on NBC TV, on this date.



Stephanie Mills played Dorothy in the original Broadway Production of The Wiz in 1975. Queen Latifah (The Wiz) and David Alan Grier (The Cowardly Lion) previously played Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. Queen Latifah and Elijah Kelley played mother and son in Hairspray.


If you must go to midtown - don't forget to nring a polo mallet with you.


Today in History:
December 3, 1552 -
Francis Xavier was a saint with a few too many fans. In the early 16th century, the Spanish missionary was sent to Asia by the king of Portugal to convert as many souls to Christianity as possible. Turns out, he was pretty good at the job.



Francis Xavier became wildly popular, and after his death in 1552, so did his relics.

In fact, demand out-fueled supply. Throughout several years and multiple exhumations, his body was whittled away.

Today, a piece of the venerated saint is in Cochin, India, while his humerus is in Malacca, Malaysia. One of his arms resides in Rome, and various other cities lay claim to his internal organs. The leftovers? They went to Goa, India.


December 3, 1890 -
Isaac Jordan, the U.S. Congressional Representative from the great state of Ohio, died after taking a drunken stumble down an open elevator shaft in his law offices on this date.

Remember to check if the elevator is there when entering, especially if you are drunk.


December 3, 1931 -
Alka-Seltzer was introduced by the Dr. Miles Medical Company of Elkhart, Indiana, on this date. (I'm a little confused, I may have this date wrong, for some reason I believe the release date is February 21, 1931. I know a long time bunkie has a family story about the Miles Medical Company and samples.)



Alka-Seltzer was introduced by the Dr. Miles Medical Company of Elkhart, Indiana, on this date. (I'm a little confused, I may have this date wrong, for some reason I believe the release date is February 21, 1931. I know a long time bunkie has a family story about the Miles Medical Company and samples.)



Its origin was traced to the newsroom of The Elkhart Truth, where reporters mixed aspirin with bicarbonate of soda to ward off winter colds. A Miles chemist added citric acid to the concoction. The citric acid not only improved the taste but also caused the mixture to fizz when dissolved in water. This effervescent reaction made the remedy more pleasant to take, and the concept for Alka-Seltzer was born.


December 3, 1948 -
John Michael Osbourne, rock star, 'Prince Of Darkness', drug use casualty and animal vivisectionist is born on this date.



Rest in peace Ozzy!


December 3, 1967 -
The first successful heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard at Capetown, South Africa, on this date. The patient, Louis Washkansky, lived 18 days with the new heart.



While a practical artificial heart may someday become a reality, transplants of real human hearts would become widely accepted surgery, with some patients living on new hearts for many years.


December 3, 1976 –
Bob Marley was shot in the upper arm, on this date, when intruders storm his house in Kingston, Jamaica, attempting to assassinate the singer. Also shot were his wife Rita, manager Don Taylor and Lewis Griffiths, a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.



The attack was motivated by politics, as elections in Jamaica were days away and Marley was seen as supporting the ruling party. Marley made a full recovery and never had the bullet removed, as he was told that the operation could cause him to lose movement in his fingers.


December 3, 1979 -
Festival seating anyone - At Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati on this date, eleven concertgoers were trampled several dozen others injured in the rush for seating at the opening of a sold-out concert by The Who.The concert was sold out, with a large number of fans eager to get into the venue. As the crowd surged forward in a rush to find seating, the situation became chaotic.



Only a few doors were in operation that night, and there are reports that management did not open more doors due to the concern of people sneaking past the ticket turnstiles.


December 3, 1984 -
Methyl Isocyanate leaked from a Union Carbide pesticide plant located at a slum in Bhopal, India on this date. The gas killed 4,000 people and injured 200,000 others, many of whom were permanently blinded or disabled.



It has become a symbol of the dangers of unchecked corporate practices in developing countries, where regulatory frameworks and safety measures can be insufficient to prevent such catastrophic events. The Bhopal gas tragedy remains a stark reminder of the potential risks associated with industrial operations, particularly when safety measures are compromised and the well-being of local communities is neglected.

What else can one say.


Before you go - Puddles Pity Party has another video just in time for the holidays:



Very soon we'll have our annual Puddle's Holidal Special as well

And so it goes

We make a life by what we give

Today marks the 13h Annual Giving Tuesday, a global movement celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the U.S.. This event stands in stark contrast to the consumer-focused shopping days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday encourages people to donate to charitable causes, volunteer, or support communities in need, promoting generosity and kindness during the busy holiday season.



The initiative kicks off the charitable giving season at the start of Christmas and other holiday celebrations, when many individuals and organizations focus on giving back as part of their end-of-year charitable efforts. #GivingTuesday highlights the importance of altruism, fostering a spirit of giving rather than consumerism.


The Oxford English Dictionary has selected Rage Bait as its Word of the Year for 2025. The OED defines it as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content.” The dictionary notes that the use of rage bait has evolved this year to signal a deeper shift in how we talk about attention - both how it is given and how it is sought after - as well as engagement and ethics online. The word has tripled in usage over the past 12 months.

Rage bait was first used online in a 2002 Usenet posting to describe a particular type of driver reaction when flashed by another driver requesting to pass, introducing the idea of deliberate agitation. The term eventually evolved into internet slang used to describe viral tweets, often employed to critique the larger networks of content that shape what appears online - platforms, creators, and trends. Personally, I prefer the original phrase: being an asshole.

So now you know.


December 2, 1957 -
Al Priddy, a disc jockey at the Portland, Oregon on radio station KEX, was fired for playing the Elvis Presley version of White Christmas, which the station has banned. Their program manager saying it "desecrates the Spirit of Christmas and transgresses the composer's intent."



The story makes national news, but it turns out to be a brilliant publicity stunt - Priddy was back on the air two weeks later, with the station claiming letters were pouring in to support the DJ. As part of the stunt, Priddy recorded the GM calling in to "fire" him for playing the song and played the conversation on his show before he left.


December 2, 1969 –

Jeanie finally married Major Anthony Nelson (her 'master') on the I Dream of Jeannie episode, The Wedding, on this date.



Although personally Barbara Eden strongly disagreed with the decision for Tony and Jeannie to marry, she has mentioned several times that this was one of her favorite episodes, mainly because it was fun acting like a robot. She also just loved the idea that one unique thing about genies is that they can't be photographed.


December 2, 1972 -
One of the longest chart-topping singles, The Temptations' Papa Was A Rolling Stone hits #1 in the US, on this date.



The album version of this song runs 11:46. The single was released with the song split into two parts: the A-side was the "vocal" version and runs 6:58; the B-side is the "instrumental" and goes 4:49. Even truncated for single release, the A-side was exceptionally long and remains one of the longest chart-toppers in Hot 100 history. It was not, however, the longest #1 of 1972 - that was Don McLean's American Pie, which clocked in at 8:33.


December 2, 1972 -
Carly Simon released her hit, You're So Vain, with background harmonies supplied by Mick Jagger (who just happened to be in an adjoining studio at the time,) on this date.



Carly Simon started recording this with Harry Nilsson singing backup, but Mick Jagger ended up singing on it instead (listen for him on the "don't you" parts), although he was not credited on the album. When asked how she was able to get him, Simon said: "I guess it was kind of chance in a way. I was in London, it was 1972 and he happened to call at the studio while I was doing the background vocals with Harry Nilsson. Mick said 'Hey, what cha doin'?' and I said 'We're doing some backup vocals on a song of mine... why don't you come down and sing with us?' So Mick and Harry and I stood around the mic singing 'You're So Vain' and Harry was such a gentleman - he knew the chemistry was between me and Mick; in terms of the singing, so he sort of bowed out saying, 'The two of you have a real blend - you should do it yourselves.'"


December 2, 1988 -
Paramount Pictures' very silly film, (based on the short lived TV series)The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalbán, and George Kennedy, premiered on this date.



While Frank is impersonating an umpire, the batter swings back and hits Frank in the face. This joke was suggested by Mel Brooks.


December 2, 1997 –
Gus Van Sant's drama, Good Will Hunting, starring (and written by) Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, as well as, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, and Stellan Skarsgård, premiered in Westwood, California on this date.



The very first day of the shooting, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck started crying out of happiness, because it was a scene between Robin Williams and Stellan Skarsgård, accomplished actors, doing Damon's and Affleck's scene verbatim, and they had waited so long (five years) for this to happen.


Our next holiday special


Today in History:
December 2, 1763 -
The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island was dedicated on this date.



Touro is the only surviving synagogue from the colonial era in the US and has operated more or less continually since its dedication.


December 2, 1814 -
Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade, Marquis de Sade, died in a lunatic asylum at Charenton on this date.

The Marquis must have been a panic at parties - talk about getting carried away at orgies.


The Monroe Doctrine was proclaimed on this day in 1823, "... that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintained, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by European powers."



The doctrine set forth the principle that meddling European bastards should keep their meddling goddam hands out of the Americas. Former US Pres. Thomas Jefferson (one of our original grabby-ass forefathers) helped Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.

It should not be confused with the Marilyn Monroe Doctrine, which stated that fondling European bastards should keep their fondling goddamn hands off of ...


December 2, 1859 -
At Charlestown in Western Virginia, abolitionist John Brown was hanged for treason on this date.



His body is still moulding in the grave.


December 2, 1877 -
Louis-Paul Cailletet became the first to liquify oxygen. He went on to liquify nitrogen, hydrogen, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and acetylene.

None of them could beat a finely made gin martini.


December 2, 1908 -
John Baxter Taylor Jr. was an American track and field athlete and member of the Irish American Athletic Club (yes, they were integrated) notable as the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal.



According to the Winged Fist Website: Less than five months after returning from the Olympic Games in London, Taylor died of typhoid fever on this date, at the age of 26. In his obituary, The New York Times called him "the world's greatest negro runner."


December 2, 1939 -
New York's La Guardia Airport (then known as the New York Municipal Airport) began operations as an airliner from Chicago landed at 12:01 a.m. on this date.

The TSA is still hoping to screening most of the luggage for some of those passengers from those original flights.


December 2, 1942 -
On the squash court underneath a football stadium of the University of Chicago, at 3:45 p.m., control rods were removed from the "nuclear pile" of uranium and graphite, revealing that neutrons from fissioning uranium split other atoms, which in turn split others in a chain reaction. The Atomic Age was born when scientists, led by Enrico Fermi, demonstrated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.



The reaction was part of the Manhattan Project, the United States' top-secret plan to develop an atomic bomb. This little event led to nuclear power and nuclear weapons and had an incalculable effect on geopolitics, the economy, and art.


December 2, 1954 -
The US Senate voted 67-22 to condemned Joseph R. McCarthy (Sen-R-WI) for misconduct after his ruthless investigations of thousands of suspected communists, for 'conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.'



This followed the McCarthy investigation of the Army. Roy Cohn was McCarthy's aide and Joseph Welch was the attorney for the army.


December 2, 1956 -
George P. Metesky, better known as The Mad Bomber, struck again. Angry and resentful about events surrounding a workplace injury suffered years earlier, Metesky plants yet another bomb at Brooklyn's Paramount Theater, injuring seven, on this date.

Metesky planted at least 33 bombs, of which 22 exploded, injuring 15 people in New York City theaters, terminals, libraries and offices, including Grand Central Terminal, Pennsylvania Station, Radio City Music Hall, the New York Public Library, the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the RCA Building, as well as in the New York City Subway between 1940 and 1956.



Metesky was finally arrested in January of 1957. After undergoing extensive psychiatric examinations, for the time, he was found to be legally insane and incompetent to stand trial.


December 2, 1959 -
The first color photograph of the Earth from outer space was taken from the nose of a Thor missile launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The data capsule containing the camera was recovered February 16, 1960 on the beach of Mayaguana Island, Bahama Islands, approximately 1,700 miles from the take-off point.


December 2, 1979 -
A 29 year-old woman, Elvita Adams, jumped from the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building on this date. She only fell one story before a freak gust of wind swept her onto a ledge. Elvita was rescued shortly after.

She survived with no other injuries than bruises and a fractured pelvis. Not much is known about Elvita Adams after her attempted suicide, some say she became a comedian in New York. 


December 2, 1986 -
Desi Arnaz died from lung cancer, on this date.





Although recognized as a great innovator of television, I guess he might have had second thoughts about that Philip Morris sponsorship of the I Love Lucy show.

And so it goes

The month of lights, snow, and feasts

December is the twelfth and last month of the year according to the Gregorian calendar.

This is used in almost all the world today. It was the tenth month in the early Roman calendar. It became the twelfth month in a later Roman calendar. Until 46 B.C., December only had 29 days.



But the Roman statesman Julius Caesar added two days to December, which made it 31 days. You get to do that if you are dictator to the known World.



In Finnish, since about the 18th century, December has been called Joulukuu, meaning "month of Christmas." Before that it was called Talvikuu, meaning "month of winter." In Irish, December is known as Mí na Nollaig, also meaning "month of Christmas". In the northern half of the world, Winter begins in December. Winter does not begin until December 21 or 22, and most of December is usually warmer than other winter months.

The latter part of December has long been a holiday season. Christians celebrate Christmas Day, as the birthday of Jesus Christ and not my nephew Frankie, as it is mistakenly believed in my sister's home.



In the Northern Hemisphere, most birds and elderly folks have gone to warmer climates. But many animals are active. Mink, ermine, beavers, and foxes grow beautiful coats of fur. Nature finishes preparing for the long winter ahead. Many people make feeding places for birds and squirrels.



December is:

International Calendar Awareness Month,
Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
National Egg Nog Month Month
National Pear Month Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month Month

The first week in December is both Christmas Tree Week and Cookie Cutter Week.


On December First each year, we celebrate World AIDS Day, the day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. In the United States, during 2021, there were an estimated 30,800 new diagnoses of HIV infection and worldwide, there were about 1.5 million new cases of HIV. For some reason, the United States government is instructing its employees to “refrain from messaging” the commemoration of World AIDS Day, according to the New York Times. Since I don't work for the US government, I will note the day.

CDC estimates that 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV and nearly 13% of those are not aware that they are infected. In addition to recognized risk behaviors, a range of social and economic factors places some Americans at increased risk for HIV infection. Prevention efforts have helped keep the rate of new infections stable in recent years, but continued growth in the number of people living with HIV ultimately may lead to more new infections if prevention, care, and treatment efforts are not targeted to those at greatest risk.


By the time a bartender knows what drink a man will have before he orders, there is little else about him worth knowing.



Today is also National Bartender Appreciation Day, (as opposed to World Bartender Appreciation Day, which is on February 24.) Raise a toast to the men and women working the late nights, quenching their patron's thirst.


We have just been notified that it is Cyborg Monday, oh no, run for your lives.

Wait - an update - it's Cyber Monday. Continue to run for your lives!!!



The term "Cyber Monday" was dreamt up in 2005 by by a young public relations executive named Ellen Davis at Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation. Monday is the day of the week when most people do their online shopping. I’d hazard a guess to say that’s a lot of unproductive, demotivated, bored employees shopping online at work!


December 1, 1903 -
The first Western film, directed by Edwin S. Porter, The Great Train Robbery, was released on this date.



The film uses simple editing techniques (each scene is a single shot), and the story is mostly linear (with only a few "meanwhile" moments), but it represents a significant step in movie making, being one of the first "narrative" movies.


December 1, 1956 -
The Frank Tashlin musical comedy film, The Girl Can't Help It, starring Jayne Mansfield, Tom Ewell, Edmond O'Brien, Henry Jones, and Julie London, premiered in the US on this date.



In this film, Eddie Cochran performs Twenty Flight Rock. That song's influence was so great across the Atlantic in Liverpool, England, that Paul McCartney's ability to memorize the words and perform the song impressed John Lennon enough to ask him to join his group, then known as The Quarrymen, which later became The Beatles.


December 1, 1957 -
It's a big night on Ed Sullivan Show:



Buddy Holly and the Crickets,



Sam Cooke,



and The Rays all perform for the first time on national TV.


December 1, 1983 -
Brian De Palma’s remake of the 1932 Howard Hawks' classic Scarface, starring Al Pacino, premiered in NYC on this date.



Though there has long been a myth that Pacino snorted real cocaine on camera, the "cocaine" used in the film was supposedly powdered milk (even if De Palma has never officially stated what the crew used as a drug stand-in). But whatever it was, it created problems for Pacino's nasal passages. "For years after, I have had things up in there," Pacino said in 2015. "I don't know what happened to my nose, but it's changed."


December 1, 1984 -
The Eddie Murphy mega-hit, Beverly Hills Cop, co-starring, Judge Reinhold, and John Ashton, premiered in Los Angeles on this date.



Eddie Murphy became very tired while filming the police station sequences. The crew offered him coffee, but he refused to drink it because he refuses to take drugs of any kind. Eventually he relented and took small sips of coffee to stay awake. He became very energized and ad-libbed the "super-cops" monologue.


December 1, 1989 -
The very silly National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki, premiered on this date.



After failing to get the Christmas lights to work one last time, Clark Griswold takes his frustration out on the plastic decorations in the front yard. Chevy Chase actually broke his pinky finger while punching Santa Claus. He resorts to kicking and clubbing the decorations after that. The film kept rolling, and the take was used.


Each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way part 2


Today in History:
December 1, 1135 -
King Henry I of England was both the first English King who could actually read (which was no small bragging right) and was famed for holding the record for the largest number of acknowledged illegitimate children born to any English king, with the number being around 20 or 25. How he found time to read is anybody's guest? But that is not why we discuss him today: Henry died on this date after eating a plate of spoiled eels while visiting his grandchildren in Normandy.



His remains were sewn into the hide of a bull to preserve them on the journey back to England. Not the most dignified way for the remains of a king to travel but that's how things were in the Middle Ages.


December 1, 1887 -
The first adventure in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series, A Study in Scarlet, introducing the reader to the brilliant detective and his faithful companion, Doctor Watson, first appeared in print on this date. Doyle received £25 for its publication in Beeton's Christmas Annual.



Holmes' deductive genius was modeled on Doyle's medical school mentor Dr. Joseph Bell.


December 1, 1929 -
Little old people and Catholic priest rejoice!!!



Bingo was invented by Edwin S. Lowe, on this date.


December 1, 1934 -
Politburo member Sergei Kirov was killed by Leonid Nikolayev on orders of Josef Stalin on this date.



The assassination is used as an excuse to commence the Great Terror in the years 1935 to 1939, in which 800,000 were executed and over 8.5 million arrested.

Uncle Joe sure knew how to hold a grudge.


December 1, 1935 -
Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering - and it's all over much too soon..



Allen Stewart Konigsberg, writer and film director was born on this date, and immediately regretted the entire incident, complaining that he didn't know his mother well enough to be involved in such an 'intimate experience' as birth.


December 1, 1940 -
There’s a thin line between to laugh with and to laugh at.



Richard Pryor, comedian, actor and genius, was born on this date.


December 1, 1945 -
I wouldn't say I invented tacky, but I definitely brought it to its present high popularity..



Bette Midler, singer, actress, comedian was born on this date.


December 1, 1947 -
Aleister Crowley, British occultist, writer, mountaineer, poet, yogi, skilled sodomite and the wickedest man in the world, died in Hastings England at age 74. Crowley also appears on the cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper.



It's nice to have a hobby.

(Keep looking, you can find him.)


On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to sit on the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in violation of the democratic and egalitarian laws that so many Americans had fought so hard to preserve.



This resulted in a period of national reflection upon the meaning of the phrase "all men are created equal," which no longer appeared so self-evident. After considerable debate, the U.S. judicial system eventually made the novel decision that "all men" might be interpreted to mean "all men," and America has been a paragon of peaceful coexistence ever since.

And so it goes

They now add things other than chocolates to the calendars

Today is the first Advent Sunday of this season. Advent means 'Coming' in Latin. It is a time to "get ready" for the celebration of Christmas. (The first candle represents HOPE, as all good altar boys know. I didn't just joke around at St. John's; once in a blue moon, I paid attention.)

Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas (those trying to figure out their Advent Calendars, you may open the first window, though the chocolate probably isn't very good.)


Today is the feast day of Saint Andrew, older brother of Saint Peter. In the Gospel of Matthew, it is said Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and saw Andrew and Simon Peter fishing and told them to join him and become 'fishers of men'. In many faiths, he is sometimes referred to as, 'first called', as he and his brother became the first apostles of Christ.



St. Andrew is the patron saint of fishermen and singers. He is also the patron saint to several countries and cities including: Scotland, Romania, Russia,, and Ukraine. (Which must be very confusing for him at the moment.)


November 30, 1934 -
W.C. Fields was very busy in 1934 - his fifth film of the year, It's a Gift, co-starring Baby LeRoy, premiered on this date.



The final scene, on Bissonette's "orange ranch", was filmed at the house and property W.C. Fields was living in at the time of the filming. For his entire life, Fields rented living quarters, adamantly refusing to buy a house or land.


November 30, 1956 –
CBS became the first network to broadcast from videotape on this date. It was a rebroadcast to the West Coast of the 15-minute Douglas Edwards and the News program.

The program was broadcast live to the eastern U.S. from New York. It was recorded on 2-inch tape with an Ampex Mark IV machine.


November 30, 1971 -
The TV movie that makes 'real men' weep unabashedly, Brian's Song debuted on ABC-TV on this date.



While it was not mentioned in the film for reasons of delicacy on prime time TV, Brian Piccolo had a metastasized version of testicular cancer ("testicle" was a censored word). He underwent multiple, extremely painful surgeries that, among other things, included a mastectomy, the removal of a chest wall, and a orchiectomy (removal of the testicle). The surgeon was later described as being too gung-ho because at the time and with the cancer at such an advanced state, there was nothing that could actually be done and the best thing should have been to focus on quality of life, as Brian's chances were virtually zero.


November 30, 1977 -
Bing Crosby's last Christmas special premiered on this date. The program was recorded in September, and Crosby died that October.



The show is remembered for Crosby's unusual duet with David Bowie, where they sing a modified version of Little Drummer Boy, with Bowie singing the new Peace On Earth lyrics composed by the show's writers. Even more strange is, when Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in 2010, filmed a shot-for-shot remake, even sticking to the original dialogue.


November 30, 1979 -
Pink Floyd released its album The Wall on this date.



Pink Floyd rarely released singles that were also on an album because they felt their songs were best appreciated in the context of an album, where the songs and the artwork came together to form a theme. Producer Bob Ezrin convinced them that Another Brick In The Wall part II could stand on its own and would not hurt album sales. When the band relented and released it as a single, it became their only #1 hit.


November 30, 1982 -
Michael Jackson’s second solo album, Thriller, produced by Quincy Jones, was released on this date.



Most homes had VCRs in 1983 and sales of videos were big business. Along with the Jane Fonda workout tapes, you could buy a VHS or Beta copy of Michael Jackson's Thriller, which included the full video and also The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, a behind the scenes documentary. This tape became the best selling music video at the time, and was later certified by Guinness World Records as the top selling music video of all time, moving nine million units. Part of its appeal was the price, a mere $24.95 at a time when movies on tape cost much more.


November 30, 1990 -
Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's thriller, Misery, premiered on this date.



Jack Nicholson was offered the role of Paul Sheldon, but passed because he was not sure he wanted to do another movie based on one of Stephen King's novels, after what he had experienced with Stanley Kubrick on The Shining.


November 30, 1994 -
The Beatles' first album in 25 years, Live at the BBC, is released in Britain on this date.



BBC producer Peter Pilbeam meet an unknown group through their young manager Brian Epstein in February of 1962. He was impressed the group’s four-song audition and thus began a relationship that would span roughly three years, with the Beatles delivering 52 performances for the BBC between 1962 and 1965. Decades later, recordings from these shows would make up the compilation album Live at the BBC.


November 30, 2004 -
Ken Jennings' reign as Jeopardy! champion ended when he lost his 75th game to challenger Nancy Zerg, on this date. The clue: Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year. 



Nancy Zerg, who was in second place with $10,000, revealed her response: H&R Block.  Her $4,401 wager put her just a dollar ahead of Jennings. All eyes were now on the reigning champ.  His answer? ... FedEx. 


Murray probably said - Suffering when you're young is good for you.


The focus of Today in History on this date should be used as a guide to help you realize the blessings you should find in life:




On November 30, 1935, the German government proclaimed a failure to accept the tenets of Nazism as grounds for divorce.

Be grateful you never married a Nazi.


Jonathan Swift was born on November 30, 1667,



and Mark Twain was born almost 170 years later, in 1835.



Be grateful that not everyone is taking everything so goddamn seriously.


Winston Churchill (one of my favorite American who became British Prime Minister) was also born on November 30, in 1874, in a coat closet of his family home (really).



Be grateful that not everyone was so grateful for Peas In Our Time.


Otherwise, here are some other events that occurred on this date
November 30, 1858 -
The Mason Jar was invented and patented (U.S. patent #22,186) by Philadelphia tinsmith John Landis Mason.

I wonder if he knew his jar would be used as a cocktail glass.


November 30, 1886 -
George Westinghouse opens the first commercially successful alternating current power plant in the U.S. in Buffalo, New York to compete against Edison’s direct current ventures.



Alternating current power can be transmitted much further than direct current power by using transformers at the source for a higher voltage, which decreases the loss of energy.


November 30, 1900 -
Celebrated Irish author and noted card carrying sodomite Oscar Wilde, died in Paris of meningitis on this date. Wilde had been charged three times with indecency, specifically "the seduction and corruption of young men." Evidence admitted against him included testimony about fecal stains on his sheets.



Be thankful that we obviously have better cleaning detergents than the British did back then.


November 30, 1929 -
Dick Clark, the American Bandstander, was born on this date.



Be thankful the few of us are faced with bargaining with Satan for our careers.


November 30, 1936 -
The Crystal Palace, originally built by Sir Joseph Paxton in London's Hyde Park for the 1851 Great Exhibition, burnt to the ground on this date.



It was said that over 75,000 people came to watch the blaze, among them Winston Churchill, who said, "This is the end of an age". The glow was visible across eight counties.

Be thankful that you weren't down wind from this one.


November 30, 1940 -
Comic actress Lucille Ball first met Cuban-born bandleader Desi Arnaz while filming the Rodgers and Hart stage hit Too Many Girls. At first, Arnaz was not fond of Lucy. When they met again later that day, the two connected immediately and eloped the same year.



They got married in Greenwich, Connecticut on this date. Lucy said "It wasn't love at first sight. It took a full five minutes."


November 30, 1954 -
At 1 pm, an 8.5 pound stone meteorite fell from the sky and struck Ann Elizabeth Hodges from Sylacauga, Alabama. She was the first reported person in modern times to be struck by an object from outer space.



The housewife was seriously bruised but survived, although the meteorite destroyed her radio.

Oh the humanity!

And so it goes