'Best of TBH Politoons'
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Let me tell you a story (guardian.co.uk)
The 95-year-old writer and oral historian Studs Terkel has witnessed almost a century of American life. To him the past is still as fresh as the present - which is why he's a great raconteur, says Gary Younge.
Barbara Ehrenreich's Blog: Clitoral Economics
With all the talk about how to stimulate it, you'd think that the economy is a giant clitoris. Ben Bernanke may not employ this imagery, but the immediate challenge-and the issue bound to replace Iraq and immigration in the presidential race-is how best to get the economy engorged and throbbing again.
Matthew Rothschild: "How to Pull Out of a Recession: the Ethical Way, Not the Bush Way" The Progressive; Posted on alternet.org)
We can't worry about the budget deficit when a recession is upon us.
Jim Hightower: BUSH'S ECONOMIC PLAN WORKED (jimhightower.com)
At last, economists have discovered that America is tumbling into a recession.
Of course, most Americans have known for months - if not years - that the economy is already in recession - or even depression. The disconnect is that economists live on a different planet than we do. Ours is Earth. Theirs seems to be Pluto, which might not even be a planet.
Jim Hightower: ELECTION INTEGRITY, 2008 (jimhightower.com)
Election year fever is picking up as primary voters make their choices, and all political parties are girding themselves for a landmark presidential election this fall.
The myths of fruit (guardian.co.uk)
Fresh fruit is good for us, we believe - so much so that sales of prepared fruit have almost doubled in the UK in the past two years. But are all those ready-sliced apples, mango medleys and 'superfood' smoothies really such a healthy choice? Aida Edemariam investigates.
Brilliantly drawn girls (guardian.co.uk)
Comics never used to be much fun for their rare female characters, but with more women in the industry, kick-ass heroines are taking over, writes Kira Cochrane.
Len Righi: Eilen Jewell shining brightly in Americana circles (The Morning Call; Posted on popmatters.com)
In both voice and music, Eilen Jewell is regularly compared to Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch. When such resemblances are noted, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter, one of Americana's rising stars, says she is flattered - for the time being, anyway. Roger Ebert: John Sayles sets 'Honeydripper' to themes of rhythm & race
Tom Hays: Heath Ledger, 1979-2008 (Associated Press)
Heath Ledger was found dead today at a downtown Manhattan apartment, and police said drugs may have been a factor. The Australian-born actor was 28. Police said Ledger was naked in his bed with an unknown number of sleeping pills near the body.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Good Deeds (athensnews.com)
Still, the Sarajevo Haggadah survived because Muslim librarian Enver Imamovic had rescued it and hidden it in a bank vault. The Sarajevo Haggadah, a Jewish work used during Passover, has survived only because of the action of some brave and caring Muslims.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Dreary day, and a rainy night with a tornado watch(!).
Letterman's Top 10 List
Barack Obama
Sen. Barack Obama is making some campaign promises we can be pretty sure he won't keep. Appearing Thursday on the "Late Show With David Letterman," the Democratic presidential candidate delivered a tongue-in-cheek list of his top 10 campaign promises, including a pledge to rename the tenth month of the year "Barack-tober."
Also on the list is a vow to "appoint Mitt Romney secretary of lookin' good" and another to "put Regis on the nickel."
And the No. 1 campaign promise?
"Three words: Vice President Oprah."
Barack Obama
Striking Writers Role-Play
Fake Debate
Lawmakers, congressional staff and other "Hill rats" longing for the political humor they've been without because of the writers' strike got their fix on Wednesday during a faux debate between members of the Writers Guild of America and the studios.
The "debate" featured striking writers from "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" representing the guild (and wearing sweaters and T-shirts) versus writers from "The Colbert Report" representing studio and network executives (wearing suits).
The event featuring Comedy Central writers was long on humor, but it was staged to make a serious point, said WGA East president Michael Winship.
During Wednesday's "debate," Michael Brumm, Tom Purcell and Peter Grosz from "The Colbert Report," playing studio executives, feigned memory failure much like that of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, claiming they "could not recall" how much money they made off the Internet.
Fake Debate
Raises $171,000 For Charity
Stephen Colbert
$171,525 is a lot of money for a joke to raise.
That's how much Stephen Colbert's "WristStrong" bracelets have raised since the mock talk show host began selling them as part of his "wrist awareness" campaign, started shortly after he broke his left wrist last June.
On Wednesday night's "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central, the comedian presented the proceeds to the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a charity that assists injured service members and their families.
Colbert has sold the bracelets - a parody of Lance Armstrong's cancer-awareness "LiveStrong" bracelets - and distributed them to any celebrity he could convince to wear one, including Katie Couric, Brian Williams and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Stephen Colbert
Confesses Sins To 'Father' Al Gore
Bono
Having climate campaigner Al Gore round to your house is to open yourself to a self-flagellating guilt trip, Irish rock star Bono confessed Thursday.
Sharing a stage with the former US vice president at the annual gathering of world movers and shakers in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the U2 frontman joked that their friendship was a source of pressure on the domestic front.
Acknowledging that a career in rock music was not always conducive to a green lifestyle, Bono compared a conversation with Gore to an act of religious contrition.
"It's like being with an Irish priest. You start to confess your sins," he said. "Father Al, I am not just a noise polluter, I am a noise-polluting, diesel-soaking, gulfstream-flying rock star.
Bono
Hasty Pudding Awards
Theron & Walken
Academy Award winners Charlize Theron and Christopher Walken will add another trophy to their collection - a Hasty Pudding award.
The awards, announced Thursday, are given each year to performers who have made a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment" by Hasty Pudding Theatricals at Harvard University, the nation's oldest undergraduate drama troupe.
Theron will be honored Feb. 7 with the traditional Woman of the Year parade and roast, and Walken will be similarly celebrated as Man of the Year during a tribute Feb. 15.
In a spoof of the awards, Paris Hilton was named Harvard Lampoon's "Hastiest Pudding of the Lampoon Award." The 26-year-old actress-socialite be on campus Feb. 6 to pick up the honors.
Theron & Walken
Convicted Of Trespassing
Danny Glover
Danny Glover has been convicted in Niagara Falls, Ontario, for trespassing in a hotel during a union rally in 2006.
Glover, who wasn't in court, was convicted Thursday along with UNITE HERE union representative Alex Dagg and Ontario Federation of Labour President Wayne Samuelson.
Canadian Niagara Hotels charged the three with trespassing at their Sheraton on the Falls property during a Sept. 16, 2006, protest.
The 60-year-old actor took part in the protest as part of a larger campaign that aims to increase salaries and improve working conditions for hotel workers in the U.S. and Canada.
Danny Glover
More Surgery
Roger Ebert
After undergoing a series of cancer surgeries, Roger Ebert says he'll have yet another operation.
According to a statement in the Chicago Sun-Times, Ebert was to have surgery Thursday in Houston to address complications from previous operations.
Though he has been unable to appear on "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper" for more than a year, with guest hosts filling in, Ebert has been writing reviews regularly.
He said he's written several advance reviews and other columns to appear while he recuperates.
Roger Ebert
Bookstore Closes
Karibu Books
The Karibu Books chain, based in the Washington, D.C., area and one of the few remaining retailers to specialize in black books, is closing after 15 years.
"We sincerely thank each and every one of you for your patronage and support," Karibu CEO Simba Sana wrote in an e-mail to customers. "We are optimistic that our mission to empower and educate through a comprehensive selection of books by and about people of African descent will continue to resonate within the communities we proudly served."
Karibu has five stores, one of which has already closed. All will be shut down by Feb. 10.
Among the remaining black bookstores are the Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe, in Harlem, and Eso Won Books, a Los Angeles-based store that has also fought to stay in business.
Karibu Books
James Joyce Award
Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell has received the James Joyce award - but concedes he's no literary expert.
"As I perused my leatherbound volumes of `Ulysses,' `Finnegans Wake,' `Dubliners,' `Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,' standing in my mahogany library, a lot of feelings ran across my mind. Like: `Damn, I should have read these books'," Ferrell deadpanned in front of more than 1,000 University College Dublin students Wednesday night.
Ferrell, 40, has just spent two weeks traveling throughout Ireland goofing around with his dad, Lee, and brother Patrick.
They spent time tracing family roots in the ancestral County Longford of the Ferrells - much more commonly spelled "Farrell" in Ireland - and his deepening sense of Irishness was evident as he arrived at the university clad in a snug-fitting Irish rugby jersey, shorts and cap.
Will Ferrell
Approves Buyout Of Clear Channel
FCC
Communications regulators said on Thursday they had approved the buyout of U.S. radio operator Clear Channel Communications Inc by two private equity firms.
The Federal Communications Commission, made up of three Republicans and two Democrats, voted to permit the acquisition of San Antonio, Texas-based Clear Channel by private equity firms Bain Capital Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners for about $20 billion.
Commissioner Michael Copps said Clear Channel would divest 42 radio stations in the top 100 U.S. markets under the agreement approved by the FCC.
Copps said the agency should scrutinize the ownership of media outlets by private equity firms and how it could affect "our ability to ensure that broadcast licensees protect, serve and sustain the public interest."
FCC
Signs Deal With Writers
Lionsgate
Lionsgate studio is the latest company to sign an interim deal with the striking Writers Guild of America.
The deal announced Thursday follows separate guild pacts with other independent production companies such as United Artists, The Weinstein Co. and David Letterman's Worldwide Pants.
The guild said the agreement confirms it is possible for writers to be compensated fairly and for companies to operate profitably. Lionsgate's new projects include Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo" sequel, "Saw 5" and the TV show "Mad Men."
Lionsgate
Named In Gang Injunction
Marion "Suge" Knight
City officials asked a judge to ban members of the Mob Piru street gang from being able to congregate in a neighborhood of Compton - and asked that the order include Marion "Suge" Knight.
The co-founder of Death Row Records was one of 200 people the officials said were members of Mob Piru. The injunction would ban them from congregating, carrying guns, drinking alcohol in public or staying out past 10 p.m.
"This is crazy," Knight told the Los Angeles Times in Thursday's editions. "I'm a 42-year-old businessman, not a gang member. I don't even live in Compton anymore."
Mob Piru members have gained notoriety for their alleged links to Knight and Death Row, once home to artists such as Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
Marion "Suge" Knight
Settles Leno Lawsuit
Judy Brown
A humor editor who published books of jokes by Jay Leno and other comedians without their permission has apologized and agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.
Judy Brown and her publishers has settled the federal copyright infringement lawsuit filed on behalf of NBC Studios; Leno; Rita Rudner; Jimmy Brogan; Diane Nichols; Sue Pascoe; Kathleen Madigan and Bob Ettinger.
The suit claimed that Brown collected thousands of jokes that appeared in 19 books over a decade without permission of the writers. The books include "The Funny Pages," "Funny You Should Know That" and "Joke Stew."
The settlement calls for Brown and her publishers to pay damages, stop producing the joke books and make efforts to pull existing copies from bookstores.
Judy Brown
Wins Lawsuit
Perez Hilton
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is entitled to nearly $85,000 to pay his legal costs in a defamation lawsuit brought by a friend of Lindsay Lohan.
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, also can receive an additional $2,000 if he requests it, Superior Court Judge Elihu M. Berle ruled Wednesday.
Samantha Ronson, who sued Hilton last year, was a passenger in Lohan's car when it crashed into a tree in Beverly Hills in May. She sued Hilton for repeating on his Web site a report from another site stating that she planted cocaine that was found in Lohan's car.
Perez Hilton
Missed Session
Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio spent two days in an upstate New York jail last week for missing a counseling session required after he pleaded guilty to a drug charge in April.
The 43-year-old former Phish lead singer was ordered to participate in the Washington County court's treatment program when he pleaded guilty to possessing painkillers without a prescription during a traffic stop in December 2006.
The program requires weekly court appearances for 12 months to 15 months, community service and drug testing.
Trey Anastasio
Feds Raid
California Museums
Federal agents executed search warrants Thursday at several Southern California museums, looking for stolen antiquities, officials said.
Authorities were searching the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and the Mingei International Museum in San Diego, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A search warrant was also issued for the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena.
A law enforcement source who had been briefed on the matter but spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation said authorities are looking for looted artifacts from Southeast Asia and whether appraisals of the items were inflated for improper tax deductions.
California Museums
PO'd Sponsor
Don Imus
A Tennessee book publisher is suing Don Imus for more than $4 million, saying the radio shock jock badmouthed the company last year and called its commercials for a book about former president Gerald Ford "cheesy."
Flatsigned Press Inc. says it was maligned last year after it paid to advertise on "Imus in the Morning."
It says Imus claimed the publishers "have been waiting for him (Ford) to croak so they can unload these" books.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, says Imus told his WFAN audience in January 2007, "Now that he's (Ford) flatLINED, you go to FlatSIGNED.com."
Don Imus
Double Billing
Unnamed Contractor
A defense contractor hired to repair combat equipment routinely failed to do the job right and then charged the government millions of dollars for the extra work needed to get the gear ready for battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a newly released audit.
Overall, the contractor's employees at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait worked about 188,000 additional hours to fix Humvees, heavy transporters and fighting vehicles that allegedly were mended but flunked a military inspection, the Government Accountability Office said.
The GAO estimates the Army paid $4.2 million for the additional labor. Under the terms of the $581 million contract, the company is to be paid for all maintenance hours worked. That includes "labor hours associated with maintenance performed after the Army rejects equipment that fails to meet Army maintenance standards," said the GAO, which is the investigative arm of Congress.
The contractor is not named in the GAO audit. The contract number is, however. The Federal Procurement Data System, a Web site that tracks government contracts, shows ITT Federal Services International of Colorado Springs, Colo., as the company performing the work.
Unnamed Contractor
Popular Pieces
Plastic Surgery
Eyes like Katie Holmes, the sultry pout of Angelina Jolie and a body like Jessica Biel make the perfect woman -- at least in the opinion of plastic surgery patients in Beverly Hills.
The specific attributes of the three actresses topped the list of the annual "Hollywood's Hottest Looks" survey released on Thursday by The Beverly Hills Institute of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery.
The most requested look-alike female nose was that of "Grey's Anatomy" star Katherine Heigl, while British actress Keira Knightley was tops in the cheek department, and Paris Hilton haD the most sought-after skin.
The features most desired by men were Leonardo DiCaprio's nose, soccer player David Beckham's body and the blue eyes of the latest James Bond actor, Daniel Craig. George Clooney's cheeks and Matt Damon's lips also got top billing.
Plastic Surgery
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
