'Best of TBH Politoons'
Recommmended Reading
from Bruce
Jim Wallis: What Jesus Wouldn't Do (AlterNet)
Excerpt: Much of the religious right's agenda is in direct contradiction to Christ's own teachings - and most devout Christians know it.
Jim Wallis: Immorality of the Bush Budget (AlterNet)
A 'values audit' of the president's 2006 federal budget reveals a document that is deeply un-Christian.
DEMOCRATIC SENATORS WHO WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT
Voted to let the rotten bankruptcy bill come to floor, where it will pass
Dave Shulman: The Pleasant Probation of Tommy Chong (LA Weekly)
The comedian talks about going to jail for selling bongs, the devolution of Dennis Miller, why life is better straight, and other pinko commie leftist lunatic things.
Andrew Hyde: The boys are back in town
The youngest Amazing Race contestant is now helping to organize activities for young gay, bi, and questioning men in his adopted Ohio hometown
Underappreciated Vegetables
What vegetable isn't underappreciated, when you think about it?
Fun Stuff
(Recommended: Scroll down and try Gauge 1.)
Real Time With Bill Maher
Andrea Bocelli: Opera Clips
Monkey Mail
(no subject)
Date: 3/10/2005
From: Tony Fronczak, Jr.
you are all assholes...so fuck yourselves and all your liberal buddies!
Interesting concept, Tony.
Since you sent your missive from your place of employment,
SOUTHWEST METAL FINISHING,
located in New Berlin, Wisconsin, I only feel it's fair to comment on how well you have accomplished
SOUTHWEST METAL FINISHING's
Corporate Objectives for employees:
" To respect the dignity and worth of individuals by encouraging the highest level of performance in a challenging and positive environment, supported by training and effective leadership.
I see from this article Get yer billboard runnin' - 2003-09-01 that
SOUTHWEST METAL FINISHING
" counts Harley-Davidson as its lone customer, having provided Harley with decorative chrome-plated parts for the past 25 years, said Dennis Murphy, Southwest's director of administration. Southwest's business has grown along with Harley-Davidson's, particularly over the past eight years, when the company grew from about 100 employees to 425, Murphy said. "
Kinda stupid to taint a great American product with your shortsightedness, bigotry and namecalling.
Are all the employees of SOUTHWEST METAL FINISHING
in line with your politics?
OTOH, monkeys like shiny objects, so at least you're working at the right place.
If you write again, please remember that grammar, punctuation & spelling matter. Especially since you're representing SOUTHWEST METAL FINISHING.
XOXOXO,
~ Marty
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Foggy til noon, then some sun, followed by an early return of the fog.
One of those days.
If it's Thursday, we're heading to CostCo.
The garage door remote resides in a little well-like space, between the 2 front seats, near the emergency brake in my little car. Seems the kid spilled some Coke there and didn't realize it, leaving the remote to marinate in Coke syrup for a couple of days.
Coke syrup & batteries are not a good combination and the remote no longer works. Couldn't close the garage door from the car, so left it in the driveway, walked up the block to the front door of the house, through to the back door, then outside to close the damn garage door, then retrace my steps back through the house, re-locking the back & front doors.
We finally head out to CostCo, but in their parking lot I realized I was out of checks.
So, it's back to the house, get some checks & start all over again. Ack.
Topping it off, I bought eggs, but they weren't in the car when we got home, so I get to go back again Friday.
Joining 'Coronation Street'
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen is fulfilling a long-held ambition - an appearance on the British soap opera "Coronation Street."
McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" movies, will appear in 10 episodes of the show, producers said Thursday.
He said last year his one remaining goal was to appear on "Coronation Street," a much-loved show about everyday life in the northern English community of Weatherfield. He will play Mel Hutchwright, a flamboyant romance novelist with a host of secrets, in episodes due to start airing in May.
Ian McKellen
New 'Star Wars' May Rate PG-13
George Lucas
George Lucas says the newest - and final installment - of his "Star Wars" films may get a PG-13 rating.
"I don't think I would take a 5- or a 6-year-old to this. It's way too strong," Lucas says of "Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" on CBS' "60 Minutes," to air Sunday. "My feeling is that it will probably be a PG-13, so it will be the first `Star Wars' that's a PG-13."
"Revenge of the Sith," the third prequel to the "Star Wars" trilogy, will open May 19. The movie features Anakin Skywalker's transformation to Darth Vader, a descent based on Lucas' vision of hell, a mythical planet composed entirely of erupting volcanos.
George Lucas
Donate Painting to NYFD
McCartneys
Paul McCartney and his wife have donated a painting from their private collection to the members of the Fire Department of New York - and the subject is something likely very close to their hearts.
The 1974 painting by Ron Kleinman features a Mack truck once operated by the members of the FDNY's Engine Co. 33 on Great Jones Street.
The painting was presented by the ex-Beatle and his wife, Heather Mills McCartney, earlier this month to the members of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, union spokesman Tom Butler said Wednesday.
McCartneys
Honored In France
Alan Parker
British film director Alan Parker has been named an officer in the Order of Arts and Letters, one of France's top culture awards.
"You have explored the possibilities of film with an immense talent," Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said Wednesday as he presented the award to Parker. Parker, 61, praised France as "the flag carrier for cinema throughout the world."
In an interview later, Parker said France alone respects film as an art form.
"Hollywood, which created modern cinema, uses it only as a commodity," he said.
Alan Parker
Not in Running for World Bank
Bono
Bono won't be saving the world at the helm of the World Bank.
The lobby group co-founded by the Irish band U2's lead singer on Thursday knocked down media reports that he was a serious contender to head the global institution that provides billions of dollars annually to help the world's poorest countries.
"I can't believe I need to say this, but there are no circumstances in which Bono would be nominated or accept the World Bank job," said Jamie Drummond, executive director of DATA -- or Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa -- for which Bono campaigns to raise awareness of Africa's problems.
Bono
New York Trove Seeks Buyer
Jazz Photography
For sale: perhaps the world's finest and biggest pictorial history of jazz and American music. Must be kept together.
Frank Driggs, a former jazz journalist and record producer, started buying jazz photos from collectors more than half a century ago. After word got out he was a top collector, musicians often gave him pictures.
Driggs was the single biggest supplier of pictures for "Jazz," the 17-hour television series by Burns.
Driggs' nearly 80,000 photos range from 1898 shots of ragtime's Scott Joplin and Tom Turpin to portraits of big bands at since-closed Harlem and East Village haunts of the 1950s.
Jazz Photography
Hip Replacement
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda will undergo hip replacement surgery after finishing publicity tours for her upcoming film and autobiography, her publicist said Thursday.
No date has been set for the procedure, said publicist Pat Kingsley, adding that Fonda had outpatient treatment Thursday for her knee.
Jane Fonda
Returning to Public Radio
Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley has found a new public radio home and will begin hosting a weekend discussion show next month.
Smiley, who left National Public Radio in December after a contract dispute, on Thursday announced a deal with Public Radio International to host "The Tavis Smiley Show" and produce other programs.
He will continue to serve as host of his late-night PBS talk show "Tavis Smiley" and is creating a series of prime-time specials for PBS. The first, "American Ascension," is set to air this summer.
Tavis Smiley
Ex-Worker Sues, Claims Harassment
Madonna
A former female employee of Madonna's film company is suing the pop star and other executives of Maverick Films on claims she was sexually harassed and wrongfully terminated.
Yael Oestreich said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Superior Court that she was never given a promised salary increase by Chief Executive Officer Mark Morgan and that he fired her in July without cause.
The lawsuit seeks general damages, medical expenses, loss of earnings and punitive and exemplary damages. It claims Maverick Films co-founder Guy Oseary and Madonna, both listed as defendants, "failed to conduct a reasonable investigation into defendant Morgan's background before hiring him and knew or should have known of his propensity for sexual harassment and discrimination."
Madonna
Judge Nixes Viewer's Lawsuit
'Fear Factor'
A judge threw out a lawsuit in which a viewer sued NBC for $2.5 million, contending that he threw up because of a "Fear Factor" episode in which contestants ate rats mixed in a blender.
U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells called Austin Aitken's lawsuit frivolous and warned him against appealing.
'Fear Factor'
Naming Ski Trail for Teddy Ebersol
Telluride
Telluride Ski Resort will name a ski trail after Teddy Ebersol, the 14-year-old son of NBC Sports executive Dick Ebersol and actress Susan Saint James who was killed in a plane crash in November.
"Teddy's Way" will be dedicated in a public ceremony on Saturday, and Dick Ebersol and Saint James are expected to attend, resort spokeswoman Mary Helyn Kirwan said.
Telluride
Events Planned
Sunshine Week
Sunshine Week, a campaign for government openness and transparency, will be observed March 13-19, with many newspapers weighing in with articles and editorials. While the national campaign was mounted by the Associated Press and more than 50 news organizations, local media and organizations are sponsoring events in their communities.
The blogosphere will also participate with 'Blogshine Sunday' on March 13. Coordinated by FreeCulture.org, the event will allow bloggers to spotlight their own experiences. More information can be found at blogshine.org.
For more, Sunshine Week
Bids Farewell, Successor Unknown
Michael Powell
U.S. Federal Communications Chairman Michael Powell (R-Corporate Tool) on Thursday bid farewell as chief regulator -- or self-described deregulator -- of the telecommunications and media industries.
Powell, 41, touted competition among companies as the best way to serve consumers, but he lost a battle to ease regulations on big media companies and leaves for his successor several proposed telephone mergers to decide.
Powell, who will leave the agency next week, is the son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell and was appointed as FCC commissioner in 1997 before being named chairman in 2001.
Michael Powell
May Outsource Drive-Thru
McDonald's
McDonald's wants to outsource your neighbourhood drive-thru.
The world's largest fast-food chain said on Thursday it is looking into using remote call centres to take customer orders in an effort to improve service at its drive-thrus.
Call centre professionals with "very strong communication skills" could help boost order accuracy and ultimately speed up the time it takes customers to get in and out of the drive-thrus, the company said.
McDonald's
World's First Heavy Metal Opera
'Faust'
The dark tale of Faust and his existential journey has left its classical opera setting and will be depicted in "the world's first" heavy metal opera in western Norway on Friday.
"When it comes to the theme, Faust is perfect for heavy metal and vice versa," Kristiansund opera chief Jan Karstensen told AFP.
The "Faust - Metal Opera" will open on Friday and is scheduled to have five public showings over the next month, as well as a number of shows for local high schools.
'Faust'
Cat Shoots Owner
Joseph Stanton
A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his cats knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor, discharging the weapon, Michigan State Police said.
Joseph Stanton, 29, of Bates Township in Iron County, was shot in his lower torso around 6 p.m. Tuesday, the state police post in Iron River reported. He was transported to Iron County Community Hospital.
State police said he was cooking at his stove when the cat knocked the loaded gun off the kitchen counter behind him.
Joseph Stanton
In Memory
Nicole DeHuff
Nicole DeHuff, an actress who played Teri Polo's sister in Meet the Parents, has died of causes related to pneumonia. She was 30.
The actress died Feb. 16 in Hollywood, four days after she reportedly checked into a Los Angeles hospital, was misdiagnosed and sent home with orders to take Tylenol.
When her condition worsened, she returned to the hospital and was prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis and again sent home. Two days later, paramedics were called to her home after she collapsed, gasping for breath. By the time she reached the hospital, she was unconscious and passed away soon after.
DeHuff also appeared in 2004's Suspect Zero with Ben Kingsley and in an independent film called Killing Cinderella.
She also starred in the as yet unreleased independent film Unbeatable Harold, directed by her husband, Ari Palitz, and costarring Dylan McDermott and Gordon Michaels.
On the small screen, DeHuff had roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Practice, Dragnet, Without a Trace and Monk. She also appeared in the TV movie See Arnold Run.
A native of Oklahoma, DeHuff graduated from the Carnegie Mellon University acting program.
She is survived by Palitz, her husband of four years, as well as her sister, her mother and her father.
Nicole DeHuff
In Memory
Jeanette Schmid
Jeanette Schmid, Austria's last professional whistler, who once shared a stage with Frank Sinatra, died of the flu Thursday, a newspaper reported Thursday. She was 80.
Schmid, better known as Baroness Lips von Lipstrill, died in her Vienna apartment.
Schmid, born a man in what now is the Czech Republic, underwent a gender change in 1964 in Cairo, where she lived for 15 years.
She embarked on a whistling career during a visit to Tehran to perform for the Shah of Iran. Her costume as a dancer was deemed too skimpy, so she whistled a Johann Strauss Jr. polka instead.
She whistled on stage with Sinatra, Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf, and she continued performing even in recent years. Schmid was a popular performer on cruises, where she delighted audiences by hitting the high C.
Jeanette Schmid
