11/27/2024: Arctic Bunker Revealed!
PLUS: Words of the Year; Call Me Cher; and All in the (Royal) Family
Today is Wednesday, November 27, 2024.
It is the 332nd day of the year.
34 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There will be no newsletter on Thursday, November 28 or Friday, November 29 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
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WHAT’S ON TAP
An embezzling county employee faces the music and a struggling EV company gets a massive boost. Details in HIT LIST.
MIKE DITKA is fine and ZACH BRYAN reprimands concert goers. More in SHOWBIZ.
Vandals target Scrooge’s headstone and “Reagan” is a best seller. Details in CASTING CALL.
YE wants to renew his vows and SCOTT DISICK gets called out in KARDASH.
PRINCE ANDREW keeps a loyal roster of visitors. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
For a decade, Elizabeth Gutfahr managed the finances of Santa Cruz County in Arizona as the municipality’s elected treasurer. She also embezzled nearly $39 MILLION.
To perpetuate the fraud, Gutfahr created names of imaginary real estate companies to facilitate transfers of huge amounts of money. In an obviously rookie mistake, she didn’t even make fake shell companies to receive the funds, either; the wire transfers went directly into her personal bank accounts.
Since the evidence of her crimes is so brazen, she pleaded guilty and admitted she owes $38,712,100.00 in restitution.
An investigation shows she spent big on real estate for herself, bought some cattle, and high-end personal luxury items. She gave more than $2 MILLION of her haul to her son, who spent cash on fancy watches, vacations, and even race horses.
Gutfahr will be sentenced February 6.
BUT OF COURSE: As part of her federal criminal conviction, Gutfahr also owes $13 MILLION in taxes on her embezzled money. [via KJZZ]
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Add WALMART to the growing list of major companies ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
The retail giant, and the nation’s biggest private employer, says it will end DEI training for staff and stop the sale of LGBTQ-themed items that target children. Walmart is also closing down its Center for Racial Equity, which it funded with a $100 MILLION investment in 2020. [via CNBC]
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Electric vehicle company RIVIAN will continue construction of a factory in Georgia, after the Department of Energy authorized a $6.6 BILLION loan to the company.
With 54 days to go until Inauguration Day, however, it’s not certain the loan will close before the Trump Administration takes power. Such investments might be clawed back in the spirit of cost-cutting.
If the factory goes through, it could boost Rivian’s output by 400,000 vehicles a year and employ 7500 workers. [via ABC News]
WORTH NOTING: In the third quarter of the year, Rivian reportedly lost $39,130 per vehicle.
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In the late 1950s, the Defense Department built a sprawling bunker in northern Greenland called Camp Century. At the base, researchers would develop and test construction techniques and nuclear technology in frigid Arctic conditions. The ultimate goal was to establish a massive base to store missiles capable of hitting the Soviet Union. By 1967, shifting ice caps made the facility uninhabitable, and personnel abandoned the base, where it disappeared under years of snow drift.
NOW: A NASA crew has rediscovered the entrance to Camp Century. In April, an aerial crew carrying radar equipment to measure ice sheet depth once again spotted the facility on the radar images.
Today, it’s buried under about 100 feet of snow and ice. Nuclear waste from the camp’s reactor remains safely entombed in its remains. Even the most aggressive projections of melting northern ice caps suggest it will remain covered into the next century. [via Space.com, Morning Martini]
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“Demure” is Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year for 2024.
Defined as a term for people “exhibiting quiet modesty and sedate reserve,” it evolved to refer to an individual exhibiting the aforementioned behaviors in a more effective manner compared with something sincere -- thanks to TikTok trend.
Content creators popularized the phrase, “very demure, very mindful,” to “joke about the performance of femininity.”
Between January and the end of August, there was a 1,200% increase in Google searches for “demure.” [via CNN]
MEANWHILE, DOWN UNDER: Macquarie Dictionary, the national dictionary of Australia, has named “eshittification” its 2024 Word of the Year. It means ”the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and a consequence of profit-seeking.” [via Gizmodo]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW increased 123 points (0.28%) to close at 44,860 on Tuesday. The S&P increased 34 points (0.57%) to close at 6,021 and the NASDAQ increased 119 points (0.63%) to close at 19,174.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $68; BRENT CRUDE at $72.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.06 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN fell again Tuesday, trading around $92,000.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $196 million jackpot or a $90.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
MIKE DITKA is just fine.
“My husband is NOT in hospice,” his wife Diana told the Chicago Sun-Times, in response to rumors that the former Chicago Bears coach’s health was failing.
Ditka also spoke to the publication, saying “I’m finally home! This city is my home. I love it. I was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Pittsburgh, but Chicago is my home … and it is my life. It’s the people I miss … miss more than anything.”
The couple left the Windy City for the Sunshine State in 2020. No word on why they chose to move back. [via Chicago Sun-Times]
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Country singer ZACH BRYAN scolded a fan who tossed an object on stage at his recent concert in Washington.
The unidentified item hit his guitarist, prompting Bryan to pause the show and ask, “Who threw this? Who was it? Does anyone know? Who was it? Don’t throw [stuff] at concerts!”
No one in the crowd copped to tossing the object and the show continued on without further incident. [via Page Six]
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ALEC BALDWIN thinks the average, everyday American is a buffoon.
The actor shared his thoughts during a panel at the Turin Film Festival, where he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Americans are very uninformed about reality, what's really going on — climate change, Ukraine, you name it,” he told the crowd, before explaining that the film industry is helping to fill “the hole.” [via X]
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: If the media reported straight, fact-based news then there wouldn’t be a “hole” that needs to be filled.
ALSO: If Baldwin thinks that the kooks of Hollywood are informing people, he may be more delusional than he believes the average American to be.
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Former basketball star SCOTTIE PIPPEN is launching his own clothing line.
“Unguarded” is a menswear brand featuring high-end garments that will have “classic silhouettes with modern thinking,” per the announcement.
The items are set to drop next year. [via TMZ]
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CHER details the “shock” she felt after finding out her actual birth name is not Cherilyn.
In her new book, “Cher: The Memoir: Part One,” the singer writes how she only found out the truth about her legal name when she officially changed her name to Cher in the late 1970s.
According to her birth certificate, the name she was given as birth was Cheryl. [via The Sun]
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CASTING CALL
A tombstone marking the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge from the 1984 adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” has been vandalized.
Located in the English countryside, the headstone is “hugely popular” with residents and tourists, according to Town Clerk Helen Ball, who says there is now a discussion to be had about whether to try to fix or replace the landmark.
As for the vandal, Ball says, “If the ghosts of past, present and future would like to visit in the middle of the night and drop them and break them in pieces, I think that would be a perfect punishment.” [via NY Post]
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“Reagan” topped Amazon’s Best Sellers list after becoming available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital earlier this month.
The first full-length feature chronicling the life of former President Ronald Reagan stars DENNIS QUAID.
The movie was also a box office hit and has a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (only 18% of critics liked it). [via Fox News]
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In his new book, “Five Trips: An Investigative Journey into Mental Health, Psychedelic Healing and Saving a Life” former ABC News anchor KENDIS GIBSON details a workplace culture of “hazing, bullying and racism.”
The book chronicles Gibson’s five-year journey of experimenting with illegal drugs to help combat his depression, panic attacks and suicidal ideation, which he blames on the toxic work environment at the network.
In 2014, Gibson took over the overnight “World News Now” from TJ HOLMES, a position he held until his breaking point in 2018. During that time, Gibson writes that he had 19 co-anchors.
After that job, Gibson worked at MSNBC, followed by a local Miami station. He now anchors an afternoon news show in NYC. [via Page Six]
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MATTHEW BRODERICK will be joined by his son, JAMES BRODERICK, on an upcoming episode of CBS’ anthology crime series “Elsbeth.”
The Broderick men will both be playing administrators of a nefarious college admissions consulting operation.
It is James’ first major role and the father-son duo’s first joint appearance on screen. [via IMDb]
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TINA KNOWLES wants fans assured that there will be no streaming glitches of her daughter’s halftime show during the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans Christmas Day game on Netflix.
She is of course referring to the issues many experienced when trying to watch the JAKE PAUL-MIKE TYSON bout a couple of weeks ago.
“Everything is going to be good. God is going to be there,” Knowles told TMZ.
As previously reported, BEYONCE will return to her Houston roots and perform songs from her “Cowboy Carter” album. [via TMZ]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE wants to renew his vows with BIANCA CENSORI in a nude ceremony.
Insiders told The Blast the occasion would serve as both a second wedding and a way to show “the world that they’re solid.”
Rumor is the nuptials will take place at the couple’s newly-purchased Beverly Hills mansion. [via The Blast]
MEANWHILE: Another Kardashian ex is being called out by a fellow reality star.
KRISTIN CAVALLARI wants SCOTT DISICK to stay out of her DMs.
She called out KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN’s ex on her “Let’s Be Honest” podcast, accusing him of sending her “manipulative” messages under the guise of wanting to reconnect.
Cavallari used to be friends with both Scott and Kourtney, though after rumors started that she hooked up with him while he was on a brief break from Kourtney, the friendship ended. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Worried about their ostracized father spending too much time alone, PRINCESS EUGENIE and PRINCESS BEATRICE take turns spending weekend with PRINCE ANDREW at the Royal Lodge.
The ladies are “keeping a watchful eye on their father and doing what they can to boost his morale,” HELLO! reports, and they bring along the grandkids to boost Andrew’s spirits.
Andrew has been spotted helping one of his granddaughters learn to ride a pony.
While KING CHARLES has reportedly run out of legal measures to try to get Andrew out of the Royal Lodge, the monarch has had treasured items from the official Royal Collection removed from the property. [via New York Post]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Drinksgiving
Turtle Adoption Day
National Bavarian Cream Pie Day
Pins and Needles Day
National Craft Jerky Day
National Jukebox Day
National Tie One On Day
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ON THIS DATE
1095 - Pope Urban II orders the first Crusade.
He called all Christians in Europe to go to war against all Muslims in the Holy Land.
Up to 100,000 people would join the march on Jerusalem. While some did so out of devotion to faith, many were looking for wealth and riches.
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1703 - After two weeks, a freak storm in England finally dissipates, having unleashed wind and inches of rain for over two weeks.
Between 10,000 and 30,000 are estimated to have died.
Much of the death toll is attributed to the Navy ships that were lost. As many as 8,000 soldiers were killed when more than 300 ships were destroyed or sunk.
More than 5,000 homes were leveled.
Daniel Defoe would base his first book off of his experience watching the weather event, called “The Storm.” He would later write "Robinson Crusoe."
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1863 - John Hunt Morgan, and other Confederate soldiers imprisoned in Ohio, break out.
Morgan was known for taking small groups of cavalry teams into the North, and attacking strategic points. One mission ran awry, and he was captured outside Salineville, Ohio in July 1863.
After several months in jail, the men were able to dig their way out of prison. Morgan's cell had a ventilation crawl space, which he was able to use to circumvent the thick prison walls.
Following the escape, Morgan returned to Tennessee to continue fighting. He was killed in battle the following year.
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1934 - Bank robber Baby Face Nelson dies following a shootout with two FBI agents in Barrington, Illinois.
After shooting both agents, the wounded Nelson would flee in their sedan to a safe house on Walnut Street in Wilmette. There, he would succumb to his injuries, while lying in bed with his wife Helen Gillis.
Nelson’s body was buried at Saint Joseph’s Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois.
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1978 - San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and city Supervisor Harvey Milk are killed.
The murderer was Dan White, a former member of the board of supervisors for the city.
It is reported White was wildly unhappy with the Mayor's decision not to reappoint him to the city board. After gunning down the Mayor, he went after Milk, who took his spot.
Even more controversially, Milk was one of the first and most notable openly gay politicians in the country.
White would employ what was called the "Twinkie Defense": he claimed junk food and distress from his job loss triggered his desire to commit the crimes.
He was convicted of manslaughter but not murder.
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2005 - A slate of rockstars perform at a 13-year-old girl's bat mitzvah celebration in Long Island.
Elizabeth Brooks is the daughter of David H. Brooks, the CEO of a powerful military contracting company. Brooks spent over $10 million on the Jewish coming-of-age party.
On hand were 50 Cent, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks and Kenny G.
Less than two years later, Brooks was indicted for insider trading and tax evasion, as well as stealing money from his company -- including the $10 million to pay for this excessive event.
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2013 - Disney’s “Frozen” is released.
It would quickly become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, and spawn several sequels.
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2017 - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their engagement.
Markle would make history as the first actress and biracial person to join the British royal family; though her time in the UK would be short-lived.
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BIRTHDAYS
Aria Brooks - actress, “All That” - 18
Jamila Velazquez - actress, “Empire” - 29
blackbear - pop singer - 34
Lashana Lynch - actress, “No Time to Die” - 38
Jaleel White - actor, “Family Matters” - 48
Shaunie O’Neal - TV producer & Shaq’s ex-wife - 50
Twista - rapper - 51
Robin Givens - Mike Tyson’s ex-wife & actress, “Riverdale” - 60
Caroline Kennedy - politician - 67
Bill Nye - TV show host, “Bill Nye the Science Guy” - 69
Bon On This Date
James Avery - actor, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” - 1945 (d. 2013)
Jimi Hendrix - guitarist - 1942 (d. 1970)
Bruce Lee - actor, “Enter the Dragon” & “Fist of Fury” - 1940 (d. 1973)
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