Born on this day!! Actor Joyce Bulifant (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”) is 85. Actor Liv Ullman is 84. Journalist Lesley Stahl (“60 Minutes”) is 81. Guitarist Tony Hicks of The Hollies is 77. Singer Benny Anderson of ABBA is 76. Singer-guitarist Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top is 73. Actor Xander Berkeley (“The Walking Dead”) is 67. Actor Alison LaPlaca (“The John Larroquette Show”) is 63. Actor Sam Robards is 61. Actor Jon Tenney (“The Closer,” ″Brooklyn South”) is 61. Actor Benjamin Bratt (“Private Practice,” ″Law and Order”) is 59. Comedian JB Smoove (“The Millers,” ″Curb Your Enthusiasm”) is 57. Actor Miranda Otto (“Lord of the Rings” films) is 55. Actor Daniel Cosgrove (“Van Wilder”) is 52. Singer Michael McCary (Boyz II Men) is 51. Actor Krysten Ritter (“Jessica Jones,” ″Breaking Bad”) is 41. Actor Zoe Jarman (“The Mindy Project”) is 40. Actor Theo James (“Insurgent,” “Divergent”) is 38. Actor Amanda Setton (“The Mindy Project,” ”Gossip Girl”) is 37. Bassist Dave Rublin of American Authors is 36. Actor Hallee Hirsh (“JAG,” “ER”) is 35. Actor Anna Popplewell (“The Chronicles of Narnia” films) is 34. Actor Stephan James (“Race,” ″Selma”) is 29.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1773 – The Boston Tea Party took place.
1653 – Oliver Cromwell became lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
1916 – Grigori Rasputin assassinated by a group of noble Russian conspirators.
1920 – One of the deadliest earthquakes in history hit the Gansu province in China. The 8.6 quake killed 200,000 people.
1944 – The Battle of the Bulge during World War II began in Belgium.
1990 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in the country’s first democratic elections.
2000 – Colin Powell was selected to become the first African-American secretary of state.
Today Is: Barbie and Barney Backlash Day, National Chocolate-covered Anything Day, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Underdog Day, Zionism Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – Reindeer In Here / 9:00 – Greatest Home Videos / 10:00 – Blue Bloods
NBC – 8:00 – Lopez v Lopez / 8:30 – Young Rock / 9:00 – Dateline NBC
ABC – 8:00 – Shark Tank / 9:00 – 2020
FOX – 8:00 – WWE Smackdown
CW – 8:00 – Hollywood Christmas Parade
TV Talk Shows
The View: Edie Falco, Darlene Love, Rob Thomas
The Talk: Paul Scheer, Karen David
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Harry Connick Jr., Maria Menounos, American Authors
Kelly Clarkson: Jewel, Andrea Savage
Tamron Hall: Dr. Whitney Bowe, Damone Roberts, Ingrid Michaelson
Drew Barrymore: Lily Collins, Ashley Park, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Lucas Bravo
Jennifer Hudson: Gabrielle Union, Michael McIntyre, PJ Morton
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: Feeling SORRY for Harry and Meghan?? The Brits aren’t!!! “He’s a cold-blooded traitor to his family and his country!!” (But other than that, he’s GREAT!!)
QUESTION: Ever stare at your Christmas tree.. and see TWO EYES STARING BACK?? This woman did.. and what happened next left her SPEECHLESS and TERRIFIED!!
QUESTION: Looking for a cozy and unique romantic getaway for 2023?? The book “LOVE SHACKS” shows you cabins and rustic retreats AROUND THE WORLD!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Was it a “Merry Christmas” message? A stalker jumps on a car carrying one of ELON MUSK’S CHILDREN!! The World’s Richest Man was NOT amused!!!!!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Is Santa helping to SAVE THE WORLD? New calculations show that his reindeer leave almost NO CARBON FOOTPRINT as he flies around the planet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Henry Cavill Is No Longer Superman
Henry Cavill says he won’t return as Superman after all. He said in a post Wednesday that he’s been dropped as Superman in the DC Extended Universe following a meeting with filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran, who were named co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios in October. “I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it’s sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill wrote. “After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life.” “The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes,” he said. Cavill told fans that Superman and his message will live on.
********Then he made plans to crush them with a Kryptonite cocktail!!
****The company told him: “Yes, you’re a man, but you’re not that super!!”
*****In order to remain relevant, the company will change its name from “DC” to “AC/DC!!”
Dave Chappelle Attacker Sentenced
The suspect in an alleged attack of comedy legend Dave Chappelle has pleaded no contest to charges of battery. Isaiah Lee was sentenced to 270 days in county jail on charges of battery and entering a restricted area during a live event after tackling Chappelle on stage. at the Hollywood Bowl in California. Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer originally charged Lee with four misdemeanor counts of battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance and commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with the performer. Lee was allegedly carrying a replica gun with a knife blade when Chappelle was attacked during the Hollywood Bowl show, police said at the time. Lee told the Post during a jailhouse interview he was “triggered” by Chappelle’s anti-LGBTQ+ jokes, and Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars “inspired” him. “I identify as bisexual… and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering,” Lee told the outlet. “I wanted him to know that, next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.” Lee is awaiting an unrelated trial for attempted murder regarding the alleged stabbing of his roommate in 2021.
*********Uh… somehow we don’t think Chappelle’s jokes were the problem!!
******You know what he did was bad, because it’s hard to get arrested in LA for ANYTHING!!
William and Kate Have Not Watched Harry and Meghan
Prince William and Kate Middleton have not watched Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive Netflix docuseries, “Harry & Meghan,” a royal source says. “William and Kate’s aides have briefed them on the show, but don’t expect the couple to sit down in their cottage with a bowl of popcorn to tune in themselves,” the source jokes. Harry claims in “Harry & Meghan” that Buckingham Palace was “happy to lie” to “protect” William, the future king, but was “never willing to tell the truth” about him and Markle. The former military pilot also accuses the Prince of Wales of breaking “an agreement” to never leak negative stories about each other to the press. But Harry seems the most upset with William’s behavior during their final meeting before he moved to America, alleging that his brother had screamed at him in front of their father, King Charles III, and their grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. “The saddest part of it was this wedge that it created between myself and my brother,” he tells viewers. Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment on “Harry & Meghan.”
*********This is kind of like a trial where the prosecution gets to lay out their case.. and no defense is allowed. But, we’ve seen that a lot in the last few years here in America!!
*****Why don’t the brothers mud-wrestle and settle it that way???
Kanye West’s Hitler Comments Started A Long Time Ago
Kanye West’s admiration of Adolf Hitler began long before his recent anti-Semitic remarks, according to multiple former collaborators. A new Rolling Stone report alleges he has been quietly professing his love for the Nazi leader as early as 2003, back when he was an up-and-coming artist and producer working on his debut album, The College Dropout. The publication spoke to almost half a dozen individuals who worked with Ye, whose affinity for the infamous German dictator is described as a “well-known but well-kept secret” within his inner circle. One music industry source claimed Kanye would discuss Hitler and Nazis in the studio on a “daily” basis, and even quiz others on their thoughts. They said the Roc-A-Fella signee would “ambush” collaborators and industry executives with questions such as, “So what do you think about the Holocaust?” West would apparently persist until the other person relented and acknowledged the “good” that Hitler had done. However, such conversations would “sometimes became heated depending on the person,” the source said.
*********We knew Kanye liked Hitler… because he tied his shoelaces in “little Nazis!!”
*****Is he talking about THAT Hitler???
*******Did anyone mention to him that he’s being paid $billion$ by JEWS?
****In his defense, Joe Kennedy was also a Hitler fan. So he’s not the only stupid person who ever lived!!
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Winner/Loser of the Week-(In Touch)
Winner-
Dolly Parton Fans (aka, Everyone!)
The singer will join goddaughter Miley Cyrus for Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party on NBC.
Loser of the Week-
Tom Brady & Gisele Bundchen-
Between 2007 and 2019, the exes’ charity Luz Foundation, gave out only $640,402 to various groups, an amount that translates to .00008 percent of the former couple’s combined net worth.
STUPID NEWS
Giant Hanukkah LEGO
Students at a school in Britain attempted a Guinness World Record by constructing an 18-foot hanukkiah — the traditional menorah used for Hanukkah celebrations — from 80,000 Lego bricks. The Gesher School, a Jewish school for students with special education needs in Pinner, England, built the massive candelabra sculpture from about 80,000 Lego pieces over the course of a year under the instruction of teaching assistant Danny Cazzato, a former Lego employee. The massive hanukkiah was officially unveiled in a ceremony attended by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, head of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. See the video HERE.
********There must have been something cheaper they could build that out of!! Legos are like, $5.00 a brick!!
*******We hope they played the Adam Sandler song during the unveiling!!
Missing Cat Returns After 6 Years
A California woman was reunited with her missing cat after six years when the feline was brought to a shelter and scanned for a microchip. The Sacramento SPCA said a stray cat was brought to the facility Friday and staff scanned the feline for a microchip. The information on the chip identified the cat as Lily, a pet belonging to Jessica Kinsey of West Sacramento. Kinsey said she was shocked to receive the call about Lily’s presence at the shelter, as the feline had been missing for six years. “Everyone is in total disbelief that she made it home,” Kinsey told CBS Sacramento. Kinsey said she was only 16 when she adopted Lily as a kitten, and she was an indoor/outdoor cat until she failed to return home one day. “She would come and go for a couple days and always come back, and then she didn’t,” Kinsey said. Kinsey said she never completely lost hope and kept the now-13-year-old cat’s microchip information updated in the hopes that she would eventually be found.
*******They can do this with husbands, too!!
********She was excited. The cat, however, was blase about the whole thing!!
Florida Woman Leaves Her Car On The Train Tracks
A 21-year-old woman was arrested on DUI charges late Tuesday after a train crashed into her car that she parked on railroad tracks in Sumter County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Troopers said Ievgeniia Pinchuk, of Lady Lake, was arrested following the crash, which happened around 10 p.m. on Main Street in Bushnell. A crash report said Pinchuk was driving a Honda Civic east on Main Street and turned south onto the tracks, where she parked her car. A CSX Locomotive carrying 188 cars was traveling south and the railroad lights activated after Pinchuk parked her car, the FHP report stated. Pinchuk walked toward Main Street and the front of the locomotive crashed into the back of her car, the FHP said.
*****So that’s illegal?? We’re asking for a friend!!
Inflatable Grinch Used As Passenger
The Grinch came early for an Arizona driver who tried to pass off an inflatable figure of the Dr. Seuss character as a passenger. The Arizona Department of Public Safety says a state trooper last week noticed a car in a high-occupancy vehicle lane on Interstate 10 in Phoenix with a “Seusspicious-looking” green passenger. While the gag may have caused the officer’s heart to grow, it did not stop the driver from getting cited for being in the HOV lane during a restricted time. The agency, however, could not help but post a photo of the Grinch figure with the driver’s face blurred on its Twitter account. Officials say they appreciate the “festive flair” but that the driver’s action was still illegal.
*********One question: Why??
*****If a blow-up doll thinks it’s human, isn’t it human????
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: A 1998 INTERVIEW WITH ELON MUSK ABOUT INTERNET STARTUPS.
VIDEO: KING CHARLES MEETS WITH RYAN REYNOLDS AND ROB MCELHENNEY IN WALES.
A LIST FOR FRIDAY
9 Parenting Practices From Around The World That May Totally Surprise You
HUFFINGTON POST
- Kids in Japan are running errands and walking to school by themselves.
You’ve likely heard of the television program “Old Enough” (“Hajimete no Otsukai,” or “My First Errand,” in Japanese.) While the show has been a sensation in Japan for decades, only this year did it amass a U.S. following after its Netflix premiere. It’s a reality program that follows young children — ages 2-5 — as they undertake tasks such as going to the store. As in all reality television, there is a great amount of orchestration behind the scenes to keep the children both safe and in sight of the cameras. But the show highlights a real cultural difference between Japan and the U.S. In Japan, it’s not unusual to see children — perhaps not quite as young as those featured on the show, but still elementary-school-aged — taking public transportation or walking to school on their own or with other young children, demonstrating a degree of independence virtually unheard of for American children of the same age. Perhaps this has something to do with Japan’s low crime rate: The incidence of gun homicide there is 350 times less than in the U.S. In safe, enclosed spaces like schools, Japanese children are likewise given significant responsibilities. As young as age 6, children are tasked with cleaning their schools — even bathrooms! — and serving lunch to their classmates. Maybe it’s time for us to ask our kids to step it up a little in the chore department.
- Scandinavian babies take their naps al fresco.
In Denmark and other nations known for their long winters, it’s perfectly normal to see strollers parked outside of cafes with babies still in them, napping contently. A recent TikTok video about the practice went viral, teaching a new generation of astonished Americans, and others, about the Danish custom of leaving babies outdoors in their strollers to sleep. There is a cultural belief about the fresh air helping the babies sleep better and being healthy for them — which, given what we’ve learned these past couple of years about virus transmission in enclosed spaces, makes a lot of sense! In individual homes and daycares, you will see babies snoozing outside tucked inside their strollers, as well as out front of shops, restaurants or bars, where their parents might be inside enjoying a drink and keeping an eye on their little one from a table near the window. While the practice is new to Americans, it’s been going on in countries like Denmark and Finland for generations. But this is definitely not something you’ll want to try at home. When Danish mother Annette Sorensen left her baby outside a New York City restaurant back in 1997 while she and her partner went inside to have a drink, Sorensen was subsequently arrested, strip-searched and temporarily lost custody of her daughter. There have been more recent cases of American parents being reported to the authorities for such offenses as briefly leaving a child in the car while shopping or sending them to the local playground by themselves. If it’s truly not safe to leave a baby outdoors in a stroller for a nap in the U.S., maybe instead of vilifying parents we could focus on how to make public spaces less dangerous.
- Some Chinese babies don’t wear diapers.
Traditional Chinese infant potty training, known as “elimination communication” by Westerners who have adopted the practice, involves babies spending their days diaper-free. Sometimes starting as early as the first weeks of life, babies are held bare-bottomed over the toilet — or a trash can or bush, if they happen to be outdoors — and caregivers cue them to urinate with a gentle shushing sound that sounds vaguely like running water. Parents say they learn to read baby’s signals that they are ready to “eliminate,” such as squirming or gazing off into the distance. Adherents of the practice say that they are able to dramatically reduce the number of diapers they use in a win for both their budgets and the environment. Some do find it helpful to remove any carpeting in their homes, however.
- Italian preschoolers may do woodwork with hammers and saws.
In the Reggio Emilia preschools that were designed in the Italian region of the same name after World War II, children were encouraged to learn through exploration and follow their own interests. The educational philosophy has since spread across the globe, although there is no formal Reggio Emilia certification process, so different schools take inspiration from the approach as they see fit. One sight that’s common in a Reggio school — and likely not many other places — is very young children wielding little hammers to pound nails and saws to cut wood in order to build their own original creations. “Reggio Emilia encourage a wide range of media through which children can express themselves,” Peter Moorhouse, an expert in early childhood education and woodworking, told HuffPost. Parents, says Moorhouse, “are surprised by just how confident and competent their children are working with tools.”
Enticed by the tactical satisfaction of the wood and tools, children practice creativity and develop problem-solving skills as they work, making this one of the most engaging and memorable parts of their first years at school.
- Swimsuit tops are optional for kids of all genders in Europe.
The sight of a little girl running around on the beach or at the pool in only her bathing suit bottom is no big deal to the locals in places like Spain and Germany. While we’re used to seeing boys playing in and around the water in only their swim trunks, the idea that little girls don’t need any additional coverage is completely foreign to Americans. But why do we insist on bikini tops, or one-pieces that complicate trips to the bathroom, for our girls? Because it’s what we expect of grown women? To state the obvious, little girls don’t have breasts yet. What does it say about us that we insist on pretending that they do?
Of course, Europeans tend to be much less hung up about nudity in general. It’s also not uncommon to see adult women sunbathing topless on beaches, and specific beaches are clothing-optional for all.
- French children eat like grown-ups.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a kids’ menu in a restaurant in France. Similarly, you won’t find a separate table for kids, with separate dinnerware and food options, at any special events. While lots of American kids are frequent smackers, French children tend to meet most of their nutritional needs through three daily meals and one snack. They sit at the table with their families to eat dinner, often set up with a tablecloth and the kind of “nice” dishes that many Americans tend to keep away from their kids.
Even school lunch tends to involve four courses served restaurant-style at a table, and a minimum of 30 minutes to dine in order to ensure that they eat well. Karen Le Billon, a Canadian who moved with her family to France and wrote a book about her experience, told the BBC that training kids to savor their food this way also limits the phenomenon of picky eaters: “The French believe that taste is a skill that can be acquired . . . They believe that children can learn to eat, and like, all kinds of food.” Rather than telling a child that a type of food is nutritious or that they have to eat it, says Le Billon, a French parent is more likely to encourage a child to try it because it tastes good.
- Italian kids tend to go to bed really late.
It’s not unusual to see a family pushing a stroller around the piazza at 8, 9 or even 10 o’clock at night. Italians dine late, and, like their French counterparts, often dine together as a whole family, even when it means some of the younger members end up conked out in their parents’ laps before the evening is over. American parents spend so much time fretting about their children’s sleep habits that it’s spawned a whole industry of sleep consultants who promise to help train babies and young kids in order to give parents their nights back. Of course, kids do need a solid amount of sleep for their health and growth. While there is at least one study showing that Italian kids get less sleep overall than kids in other countries up until age 6, researchers also found that the “sleep hygiene” (routines and an environment conducive to uninterrupted sleep) of Italian teens was significantly better than that of American adolescents.
- It’s common for Indian children to be cared for by a number of generations within a family.
The individualist, every-nuclear-family-to-itself approach to parenting that is so common in America is far from the norm in many other places where there is a more collectivist philosophy to caregiving.
In a study of Indian families spanning decades, anthropologist Susan Seymour recognized the practice of “multiple childcare, as as opposed to exclusive mothering we see in the United States.” Instead of being tended to all day by a nursing mother, the Indian babies Seymour observed would be passed from one relative to another — including younger family members — so that the mom could attend to her other obligations. “Children grow up in extended households,” Seymour told HuffPost. She described “relatives coming and going,” and “plenty of people to take care of them.” Knowing that this model existed in other parts of the world gave Seymour the confidence to return to work when she had her own children in the U.S.
Whether you’re leaving a baby with grandmothers and cousins or day care providers and babysitters, there’s no reason to think that not staying home with them constantly does any harm to a child’s attachment or development. In other words, working moms should drop any guilt they’ve been carrying and embrace multiple caregiving as normal and healthy.
- Fathers from the Aka tribe do nearly half of the caregiving.
Across the world, the sight of women tending to the needs of young children is ubiquitous. But, there is precedent for men taking on a significant portion of the child care duties. In the nomadic Aka tribe of central Africa, anthropologists have observed that fathers spend 47% of their time within arms’ reach of their infants. Roles are interchangeable and flexible. Aka women also hunt while the men do the cooking, and vice versa. Although the tribe’s top leadership roles go to men, it is also not unusual to catch sight of an Aka baby suckling for comfort (not milk, obviously) at its father’s nipple.
The preceding material was compiled and edited by Brandon Castillo. The Editor-In-Chief is Gary Bryan. The Radio Genius Show Prep Service is licensed for use on-air only by subscribing radio stations. Other means of redistribution is forbidden.
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