the rix mix

Welcome to The Carnival of NJ Bloggers 31st & All-Holiday Edition.
A lot of the regulars are here plus some "guests" I picked up on the way.
First. our condolences to Jersey Beat Jim Testa whose father passed away last week after a long illness. Jim writes about him here.

The great Richard Pryor is eulogized at The Opinion Mill & Jersey Days.


Enlighten-NJ weighs in on why Corzine's deciding he'll raise the gasoline tax was not only inevitable, it's also necessary.
In the matter of NSA domestic "eavesdropping," NJ-Conservative picks liberty in Liberty vs. Security
The President's Tattered Bubble hits the couch for some Imaginary Therapy in A Bubble's Troubles.
Goodbye,Ohio & support Rush Holt's HR 500, says The Center of NJ Life, looking at the desperate, draconian attempt by the Ohio GOP to save itself.
How does an American become a lightning rod for controversy in Yemen? Find out by reading Jane Novak and the Democracy of Waq al-Waq at ArmiesofLiberation. & be sure to look at the comment section.
Will paid product placement in blogs (as in movies) corrupt us selfless public servants? Cinnaman investigates this potential scandal & all I can say is, Show me to the money!
Lots of money is what the creators of del.icio.us got when Yahoo bought them out. Fractals of Change tags the importance.
Just another day in Plainfield: Plain Talker describes One Man Down, passed out in the snow by her house.
It's not easy to imagine based on what one sees from the PATH train, but there's gold to be dug from Harrison's Gold Coast, reported by MediaInTrouble.


"Mine are the politics of mercy," writes Tata at Poor Impulse Control, as she considers last week's state-sponsored execution.
Rix of the Mix walks under a waxing gibbous moon & shows how he gestates the poems he rarely bothers to write down anymore.
Dossy contributes a moving piece on faith, inspired by Penn Jillette's controversial but authentic NPR essay.
Steven Hart writes about the wrongness of trading in intelligence for religious narrowmindedness in The Brains God Gave You.
Laughing At the Pieces finds The Trouble With Narnia. Is this what C.S. Lewis had in mind?
It's the question some "people" are asking: Is King Kong Racist? Coalition of the Swilling defends the lovable, doomed beastie.
"Have you ever wondered how to enhance your own timidity and sorrow? Want to maximize the time you waste?" The Nightfly offers 22 suggestions for living The Simpering Life.
Gigglechick ponders some of the bizarre searches that land visitors at her website. "heroine junkie photos?" Share, please.
Check out Liz B's Mutant Animal Mania at WFMU Beware the Blog. & don't miss the two-headed tortoise.
ParkwayRestStop has no cavier on the menu, hates it, but he's a recent convert to Pez, [it was] a Cosmic Connection.
SluggoNeedsANap goes to one my fav musical places, Bakersfield CA about 45 years ago & spins some country-western guitar swingers for us in Sluggo's Friday Nite Jukebox.
It's a "love/hate relationship with the Food Network" for The Art of Getting By: And The Pudding Made of Fig...Aah!


This week's dilemma at This Full House: Real or Fake? Christmas trees, that is. The underlying question is always the same: Why does the clan expect mom to explain every decision she makes?
Shamrocketship is checking the list & checking it twice, & thrice, & decides to be charitable, & turns into A Self-made Nutcase. Send us the recipe, if it includes rum.
The Contrarian provides a Guide to Politically-incorrect Christmas Carols. & I wouldn't be surprised if he has every one of them in his collection.
All Hail Yukon Cornelius, writes LizzieBlog. What about that other claymation classic,"Nestor Meets the Donner Party."
Katespot revisits Santa Claus, circa 2003 (a long time in kid years).
Xpatriated-Texan explains the difference between The War that Wasn't - and the One that Is.
How crazy are the Warriors for Baby Jesus in this matter? Brilliant at Breakfast points to their sacred Christmas symbol of Jesus H. Christ On A Bicycle.
& right about now we're ready to hear The Top Ten Things I Love About Christmas from Tequila Shots for the Soul. I love them too. Except the eggnog.
Nordette Adams sends a lovely, fitting ending for this Carnival with an original poem, Sonlight (My Christmas Carol) (& hear Nordette on William F. DeVault's From Out of the City podcast.)
My holiday gift to all of you is a classic Jersey Shore greeting.