The Day the Seventies Died: Stuck in the Middle with You? Baker Street? Oh, now you remember.

Gerry Rafferty dies aged 63 [Guardian UK]

“Health officials say hundreds of people may have been exposed to hepatitis A while receiving communion on Christmas Day at a church on Long Island, N.Y.” [AP/WaPo; image via Worth1000]

“Twain himself defined a ‘classic’ as ‘a book which people praise and don’t read.’ Rather than see Twain’s most important work succumb to that fate, Twain scholar Alan Gribben and NewSouth Books plan to release a version of Huckleberry Finn, in a single volume with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, that does away with the ‘n’ word (as well as the ‘in’ word, ‘Injun’) by replacing it with the word ‘slave.'” [Publishers Weekly]

• 40 years ago: Dad finally relents and lets us read Mad magazine. Worst parenting mistake he ever made.
• 38 years ago: Do you do the Rich Little Nixon or the David Frye Nixon?
• 37 years ago: Fucking Watergate hearings. Bring back the Match Game!

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By all rights, the dude should be on our Wingnut Watch: “There is an infiltration of the Sharia practice into all of our operating systems in our country as well as across Western civilization. So we must be willing to recognize that enemy.” But no, he still just bores us. [ThinkProgress]

“Austerity is the theme of Boehner’s ascendancy to House speaker this week, placing the start of this new Congress in stark contrast to the more lavish festivities that accompanied Democrat Pelosi’s swearing-in four years ago.” [WaPo]

Boomers start turning 65 this year, meaning a larger portion of America will consist of lawns you are advised to get off of.

Baby Boomers Projected to Drain Medicare [ABC]