Today is December 6th. On this date in 1877, Thomas Edison officially demonstrated his first gramaphone, using a recording of himself reciting the nursery rhyme “Mary Had A Little Lamb.” His original recording choice was “Wrecking Ball”, but Watson thought it lost something without the nudity. Also on this date, in 1973, Gerald Ford was sworn in as Vice-President of the United States. He was delicious. And finally, today is Faux Fur Friday, when people wear fur that makes awkward mistakes in social situations. And speaking of awkward, here’s an awkward segue to today’s links, which are below. As always, please consider this an Open Thread.

FEATURED:
Congress Wants to Tax Your Christmas Tree | The Foundry

TODAY’S LINKS
Congressman Jared Polis’ (D-CO) Hysterical Hysterics | The Right Scoop

ABC Warns: Your Employer Might Be Pro-Life! | Newsbusters

Obama’s Rhetoric About ‘Income Inequality’ Destroyed In One Chart | American Glob

In Deep With Michelle Ray 12-05-2013 | FTR Radio

Judge Orders Colo. Cake-Maker to Serve Gay Couples | AP

Awesomeness of the Day
The PFoL Awards – Will Ferrell Edition! | Pocket Full of Liberty

What In The Science Is Going On?
NASA Goddard Planetary Instruments Score a Hat Trick | Science Daily

The Real Truth About Tornadoes (Op-Ed) | Live Science

What In The Tweet Is Going On?

MSNBC discussing the important thing about today's story, as per usual: pic.twitter.com/kSZWN6UHhx

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) December 6, 2013

Trouble with tech? Crashes and error codes? Or worse, CAN'T TWEET?? Follow these steps designed for the layperson: pic.twitter.com/nHCiPW0DCJ

— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) December 6, 2013

hibernaculum hye-ber-NAK-yuh-lum noun : a shelter occupied during the winter by a dormant animal (as an insect or reptile)
(via Merriam-Webster)

Example: During the winter months, Michael Moore retreats to his hibernaculum, where he feeds off his own blubber and the occasional devout intern while dreaming of how his next “documentary” will finally be the one that makes girls think he’s neat.