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Today’s entry comes from Stan and Doug. They had some success doing terrible songs in heavy Swedish accents. Stan Boreson, the self named “King of Scandinavian Comedy” even has a website where you can hear some samples.

I’m sure hundreds of Swedes sat around the old hi-fi munching on lutefish while getting a real laugh out of these 2 geniuses.

Today, a crowd in Sydney Australia started attacking others because they were of “Middle Eastern appearance” according to police. (story)

The deadline for the murder of 4 Christian aid workers abducted in Iraq has passed with no word of their fate. (story)

Two Brazilian men have been convicted of the contract killing of a nun. (story)

Just when is the Christmas spirit supposed to begin?

[image:506:l]On December 10, 1951, Time Magazine profiled the DeWitt Wallaces on their cover. They were the editors of Reader’s Digest and, I guess, a big deal at the time. [newline]
The same day, Life magazine’s cover showed a casual Harry S. Truman. [image:505:r][newline]
It was a Monday and that evening everyone gathered around the black and white TV to watch episode 9 of the first year of “I Love Lucy”. Ricky brings home a rented mink coat for his act and Lucy jumps to the conclusion it is a surprise gift for her. Lucy simply milks this simple premise for everything it is worth, ending up in one of the best early crying jags for her character as the coat is taken away to be returned.

Italy’s first true jet, the Fiat G.80, made it’s maiden flight. The Nobel prizes are awarded on this day every year. In 1951, Léon Jouhaux of France won the Peace Award.

Louis Saint Laurent was the Canadian Prime Minister, Labatt Blue had first been introduced earlier in the year and the first Canadian troops had been sent to Korea to take part in the little “police action” that had just gotten underway.

Hmmmmm….what else happened that year? Oh yeah, I was born.

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Hard to believe it has been 25 years since John Lennon was gunned down in New York City. This article from the San Francisco Chronicle looks at his legacy.

Lennon laid the foundation for everything from Madonna’s art of perpetual self-creation to Michael Jackson’s public spectacle of self-destruction to Bono’s purposeful political activism. Many of the aspects of today’s celebrity culture — its power to transfix, trivialize, degrade and do good — stem from Lennon’s singular career.

There are so many blogs or weblogs or online journals out there that you’d need the rest of your life just to visit them all. Even Santa Claus has a journal.

(via J-Walk)

[image:503:l]One of those “So-bad-it’s-almost-good” movies is “Santa Claus Conquers The Maritans”. Released in 1964, the Internet Movie Database says it’s best seen in “an altered state”. Time to pour another shot into that eggnog.

You can stream it or download it here.

The Glendale River Hills School District in Glendale Wis. has decided that Hanukkah songs are “cultural” and allowed while some Christmas carols contain “dogmatic religious statements” and are forbidden. From their written policy:

“Music programs given at times close to religious holidays should not use the religious aspect of these holidays as the underlying motive or theme. No songs should be sung which contain dogmatic religious statements.”

Congratulations Glendale River Hills School District! Not only have you set a new standard for Political Correctness, you’ve also won my coveted “Asshats Of The Day Award”.

(Story)

Tesco, a British supermarket, introduces the first “musical sandwich”. When the packaging is opened, it plays a selection of Christmas music. That would certainly perk up my appetite.

Story (via J-Walk’s Blog)