• Ed Boks, L.A.'s constantly embattled animal services chief, is still blogging away. He posts today that the "No-Kill Equation" getting a lot of buzz in the animal welfare community "is, in fact, neither new nor revolutionary, but is actually comprised of ten commonsense, long-standing practices embraced and implemented by LA Animal Services over the years." Before the grammarians write me, yes, he said comprised of.
• Ken Levine just read, and recommends, Steve Martin's book Born Standing Up as a holiday stocking stuffer. But he says, "It seems that every artist growing up in LA in the 60s had a distant somewhat abusive father. What was it with these guys?"
• The Los Angeles Eastside Scene, a relatively new blog, locates the best Christmas lights displays around and advances the 8th annual bicycle tour of Eastside nacimientos.
• How the work stoppage in Hollywood could affect British chances in the Golden Globes, with Catherine Elsworth reporting to London from L.A.
• Eater LA goes to the new old Barone's way out in Valley Glen.
• MetroRiderLA returns from a little hiatus to continue his pursuit of the Los Angeles public transit lifestyle with a ride report from Metro Rapid Line 770.

LA Observed contributors blogged: Mayrav at Fishbowl LA visited with Veronique de Turenne, and L.A. ex-pat Nancy Rommelmann praises David Rensin's very readable Postcards from Hollywood on Freddie Fields (and Butch Cassidy) from Native Intelligence.