The Big Three US Auto Makers are going down the crapper.

It's going to be a bleak little Christmas this year in Detroit. It looks like Congress is not going to bail them out.


Christmas video countdown -




You may start drinking now.

Today in History -

December 11, 1882 -
Fiorello Enrico La Guardia, Mayor of New York for three terms from 1934 to 1945, was born on this date. With a boundless enthusiasm and energy to match that of Teddy Roosevelt, La Guardia could be the last Mayor of NYC who really loved his job.



December 11, 1931 -
Rita Moreno (Rosa Dolores Alverio) , the only actress who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, was born on this date.




December 11, 1964
Sam Cooke, popular singer, was shot to death by Bertha Franklin, manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California. Franklin claimed that he had threatened her, and that she killed him in self-defense. The shooting was ultimately ruled to be a justifiable homicide, though there have been arguments that crucial details did not come out in court, or were buried afterward.




December 11, 1967
Beatles' Apple Music signs its 1st group-Grapefruit



I guess they're still going strong - isn't their new CD about to be released?


December 11, 1973 -
Dante Terrell Smith (Mos Def) singer and actor, was born on this date.




December 11, 1991
William Kennedy Smith is acquitted of rape charges, stemming from an incident at the Kennedy Compound.



I wonder what his patients think when he examines them?


More Christmas Trivia:
During the Christmas buying season, Mastercard charge cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States. The look on the faces of the executives at Visa when they realized this fact .... priceless.

Tinker Toys have entertained kids for decades--ever since their 1913 invention by Charles Pajeau, who was inspired by children playing with pencils and empty spools of thread. Frustrated at the lack of interest in his new toy invention, Charles Pajeau hired several midgets, dressed them in elf costumes, and had them play with "Tinker Toys" in a display window at a Chicago department store during the Christmas season in 1914. This publicity stunt made the construction toy an instant hit. A year later, over a million sets of Tinker Toys had been sold.



Unfortunately for Mrs. Pajeau, Mr. Pajeau enjoyed the sight of the 'little people' so much, he employed them year round to prance and caper around his home year round while he shouted, "Is it hot in here" or "Come and feel Santa's yule log", while dancing in his boxer shorts.



10 more shopping days until Hanukkah, 13 more shopping days until Christmas.

And so it goes.

P.S. And on a personal note: Happy Birthday Julie. Hey wait a minute, what are you doing reading this - you get off the computer too.