'Best of TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
VCR Alert
'The Prisoner'
Where am I?
In the Village
What do you want?
Information
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling . . .
We want Information
You won't get it
By hook or by crook . . .
We will
Who are you?
The new Number Two
Who is Number One?
You are Number Six
I am not a number . . .
I'm a free man!
(Mocking laughter)
And so it begins, what may be one of the greatest mini-series ever. The Prisoner was a short run, 1 season only and featured many of the same production people who put together the action adventure series Dangerman aka Secret Agent Man in the US.
The final episode has people still debating its meaning 34 years later.
The plot is simple and relavent even today. A top agent quits, will not give a reason. He is kidnapped by someone and taken to a place where pressure is put on him to talk..
The first episode is called Arrival and begins when McGoohan's character quits and then is transported to the Village (the real town is called Portmeirion). He meets his adversary, the first of many Number 2's. He tries to escape, is captured and returned.
The scripts are fairly well written and the setting is marvelous. Well worth the time of anyone who hasn't seen this series.
Mr. Hawk
Kerry/Edwards
The battle for America has begun!
Thanks, Mr. Hawk!
And don't forget 'The Avengers' have been added, too!
Here are a few more links -
Reader Humor
Light Bulb Question
Q. How many members of the Bush Administration does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Seven.
1. One to deny that any light bulb needs to be replaced.
2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who has questions about the light bulb.
3. One to blame the previous administration for the need of a new light bulb.
4. One to arrange the invasion of any country rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs.
5. One to get together with Dick Cheney and figure out how to pay Halliburton Industries $1 million for the new light bulb.
6. One to arrange a photo op showing Bush changing the light bulb while dressed in an electrician's uniform.
7. And finally, one to explain to George W. Bush the difference between screwing in a light bulb and screwing the country.
Thanks, Bob!
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Reader Link
Re: Protest Music
Thought you might get a kick out of this--go ahead and play or link to it if you want....
Happy Independence day (humor)
audio file available here: Happy Independence Day, Daddy
Also feel free to read and pass along Danny's review of Fahrenheit 9/11, Good for Business, Bad for the People
~ Danny
For interesting commentary in 20 languages visit: danielpwelch.com
Writer, singer, linguist and activist Daniel Patrick Welch lives and writes in Salem, Massachusetts, with his wife, Julia Nambalirwa-Lugudde. Together they run
The Greenhouse School.
Reader Assist
Re: Mango Recipes
Hey Marty -
Try this link for Mango recipes - and a whole lot more!
Heather
Hound Dog
Thanks, Heather - had forgotten all about that site. Although I remember when it was 'SOAR'...
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The lovely overcast hung on til mid-afternoon, keeping the day nice, but cool.
We had been given a lovely gift certificate (pre-paid card) to Home Depot by an old pal. This morning, we went to Home Depot to use the card & pick up some stuff for the yard & kid.
Cutting to the chase, the store wouldn't accept the card - they claimed the computer system that handles the gift cards was down & they had no idea when it would be functional.
So, ended up having to pull out a credit card (that computer system was fine) to pay for the stuff.
Hate when planned things go south. Especially if $ are involved.
BBC News had a great line tonight - they were talking about Kenny-Boy Lay: "...corporate sleaze that has washed across America." Works for me.
The sand sculpture of a shot putter is illuminated by spotlights in front of the tower of the 'Olympic Fire' in the 'Olympic Stadium Travemuende' at the beach of the Luebeck Bay in Luebeck-Travemuende, northern Germany, during the official opening ceremony of the sand sculpture festival 'Sand World' on Thursday night, July 8, 2004. 75 international artists have carved sand sculptures featuring the 'Olympic Mythos'. The show ends on Sept.5.
Photo by Heribert Proepper
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Fund Raiser Brings in $7.5M
Kerry-Edwards
Celebrities gathered Thursday night to raise $7.5 million for John Kerry and John Edwards - or "kid" as Whoopi Goldberg called the newest addition to the Democratic presidential ticket.
The running mates, on their first campaign swing together since Kerry picked Edwards as his vice presidential hopeful on Tuesday, attended the Democratic bash at the famed Radio City Music Hall in midtown Manhattan.
Musician Jon Bon Jovi, who held a $1 million fund raiser for Kerry at his Middletown, N.J., home last month and has been an outspoken backer of Kerry, performed acoustic versions of two of his hits before officially opening Thursday's event.
Actress Meryl Streep welcomed the new team with "President Kerry. Vice President Edwards ... Oops! I got ahead of myself."
And, singer Wyclef Jean told the crowd jokingly that he wanted to play his new single. Then he launched into: "If I was president, I'd be elected on Friday, hire Edwards on Saturday, have a big party on Sunday, start work on Monday. Kerry is the president, yah, yah."
"This guy's as bright as an egg timer," actor Chevy Chase said, ridiculing the resident for his tendency to sometimes flub the English language. Referring to presidential hobbies, Chase rattled off a list. "Clinton plays the sax, John plays the guitar, and the president's a liar," he said matter-of-factly, drawing laughs and cheers.
Remarking that she usually refrains from quoting bumper stickers, actress Jessica Lange said she thought why not? "We're in a time when our so-called president speaks in only bumper sticker slogans." The latest one she saw: "Defend America. Defeat Bush."
Other performers at Thursday's concert included John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews Band and Mary J. Blige. Actors including Paul Newman and Sarah Jessica Parker also spoke.
Kerry-Edwards
Wins Humanitas Prize
'Angels in America'
The writers of the TV miniseries "Angels in America" and the dark thriller "Dirty Pretty Things" won $25,000 Humanitas Prizes on Thursday, awards presented for works that "entertain and enrich the viewing public."
Tony Kushner won for "Angels in America," the HBO miniseries adapted from his play about heavenly guardians and an ensemble of New Yorkers touched by the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Humanitas leaders called it a "brutally honest examination of society coming to terms with the reality of AIDS.
Steven Knight won for "Dirty Pretty Things," a film about illegal immigrants in London who stumble on a black-market trade in human organs run out of the hotel where they work. Humanitas overseers cited "Dirty Pretty Things" for its "stark and realistic depiction of the life of undocumented workers."
For other winners of the Humanitas screenwriting awards, 'Angels in America'
Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino, right, poses on her wedding day with her husband Chris Backus on the island of Capri, southern Italy on Friday, July 2, 2004. Fashion designer Armani, who released this photo Thursday, July 8, 2004, designed Sorvino's wedding dress as well as the groom's tuxedo.
Photo by Armani
3 Prime-Time Hours
Conventions
NBC will air one hour of prime-time coverage on three nights of the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer, the network's news division said Thursday.
ABC and CBS have yet to announce their convention plans and wouldn't comment.
For the Democratic convention, starting July 26 in Boston, NBC will air a prime-time hour at 10 p.m. EDT on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Monday's coverage is expected to include an appearance by former President Clinton; vice presidential candidate John Edwards will speak on Wednesday and presidential nominee John Kerry on Thursday.
The Republicans meet for four days starting Aug. 31 in New York. That week, NBC will be on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, highlighting speeches by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Resident Bush and Vice President Cheney.
On MSGOP, Chris Matthews will anchor five hours of convention coverage each night, from 6 to 8 p.m. EDT and 9 p.m. to midnight.
Conventions
Honorary Degree
J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was praised for making reading "cool" as she received an honorary degree from Edinburgh University Thursday.
The university's graduating students gave Rowling a hearty round of applause as she was handed the degree of doctor honoris causa, one of the university's highest accolades, in recognition of her contribution to children's literature.
Afterward, Rowling said she was honored to receive the diploma.
J.K. Rowling
Headlines Detroit Jazz Festival
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls and Ramsey Lewis lead the lineup for the 2004 Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival.
The festival's 25th anniversary edition will be held during the Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-6, at Hart Plaza.
Aretha Franklin
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Makes Old Song Gay Friendly
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono has joined the chorus in support of gay marriage by recording "Every Man Has a Man Who Loves Him," a gay-friendly version of a song she wrote nearly a quarter-century ago.
The song "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him," included on her last album with John Lennon before he was killed in 1980, was also retooled into another version: "Every Woman Has a Woman Who Loves Her."
Ono recently performed "Every Man Has a Man Who Loves Him" at a gay pride rally in New York and the song is moving up Billboard magazine's dance club charts.
Yoko Ono
Washington National Opera
Placido Domingo
Placido Domingo, director of the Washington National Opera, will both sing and conduct in the 2004-5 season.
The 63-year-old tenor will sing the role of Vidal Hernando in a new production of "Luisa Fernanda," a zarzuela, or Spanish operetta. It was written by Federico Moreno Torroba, a popular Madrid composer of the 1930s and 1940s, and is set in mid-19th century Spain.
Domingo's mother, Pepita Domingo, was known as the "queen of the zarzuela." His father, also named Placido, sang the role of Vidal Hernando many times.
Placido Domingo
A man dressed as a condom passes out free condoms to a driver during a campaign promoting the awareness of AIDS, in Bangkok Wednesday, July 7, 2004. Scientists and social activists will join forces to battle the AIDS epidemic at the upcoming 15th International AIDS Conference to be held in Bangkok July 11-16, 2004, with at least 15,000 people expected to attend. About 60 million people worldwide have been infected by HIV, the virus which causes AIDS and one-third of them have died of AIDS or AIDS-related illnesses.
Photo by Sakchai Lalit
Emergency Heart Surgery
David Bowie
British pop star David Bowie underwent emergency heart surgery last month but is now out of hospital and convalescing at home with his family, his publicist said on Thursday.
Bowie, 57, had emergency angioplasty surgery for a blocked artery at a hospital in Germany after seeking treatment for a pinched nerve during a concert tour, publicist Mitch Schneider said in a statement.
David Bowie
Ordered Into Drug Program
Scott Weiland
Rocker Scott Weiland was sentenced to a six-month stint in a drug program on Thursday after pleading no contest to driving under the influence in Los Angeles.
The former Stone Temple Pilots singer, who now fronts the band Velvet Revolver, also was placed on probation and ordered to repay the owner of a parked vehicle he rammed shortly before his October arrest on the misdemeanor DUI charge.
Scott Weiland
Buffalo, NY
Spencer Tunick
Photographer Spencer Tunick plans to put hundreds of live nudes in the city's old art deco train station Aug. 15 and capture the moment on film.
"The Central Terminal installation will be different from every one I've done in the past," Tunick said in a statement released by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The gallery has four of his large-format photographs in the exhibit "Bodily Space: New Obsessions in Figurative Sculpture."
Those who want to fill the building Aug. 15 can register at www.albrightknox.org/tunick.
Spencer Tunick
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Wins Damages in Photo Case
Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor has won damages from newspapers that printed photos of him and his family on a vacation in Mauritius.
Details of the settlement with The Sun, the Daily Record and other newspapers weren't disclosed in court Monday, but The Guardian newspaper said it amounted to about $74,000.
Ewan McGregor
The glow of the burner lights a cartoon hot air balloon as it floats over Sydney Harbour and past the Opera House in an early morning flight in Sydney, Friday, July 9, 2004.
Photo by Rick Rycroft
Reels After Video Shoot Bust
Fulton County Jail
The last straw for the problem-plagued Fulton County Jail came when an inmate escaped from a maximum-security wing while guards were serving as extras during the making of a rap music video behind bars.
Now a federal judge is expected any day now to take away control of the jail from the sheriff and turn it over to someone else because of widespread complaints that the place is overcrowded, understaffed and badly run.
The jail, which opened in 1989, holds about 2,900 inmates, or more than twice the number it was designed for.
Problems at the jail have been growing for years, but they drew more attention last month when an inmate escaped while rapper Clifford Harris, known as T.I., was allowed to use a maximum-security cell, guards and inmates as props and extras for a music video.
Fulton County Jail
Bounty Hunter Gets New Reality Show
Duane "Dog" Chapman
Bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman is starring in a new reality series about his work. Chapman, who tracked down convicted rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster in Mexico last year, will be featured in "Dog the Bounty Hunter," a 12-part series to air on the A&E network.
In a written statement, A&E promises to depict the "wild-and-woolly" life of Chapman and his wife and business partner, Beth Smith.
Duane "Dog" Chapman
Steamy Love Letter Auctioned
James Joyce
A steamy love letter from Irish author James Joyce to his future wife Nora Barnacle during a one-month separation in 1909 sold on Thursday for 240,800 pounds ($446,200) -- four times its top pre-sale estimate.
The letter, which includes terms of endearment such as "my darling little blackguard" and "my strange-eyed whore" was only recently discovered and has been hailed by Joyce scholars as the missing link of the pair's correspondence during the period.
It was found by chance hidden between the pages of an old book.
James Joyce
Set for Eighth Edition
'Police Academy'
"Police Academy" is back. After a decade's absence from the big screen, the cop comedy franchise is gearing up for an eighth installment.
"I felt it was time to start again," said series creator Paul Maslansky. "I saw that 'Starsky & Hutch' and a number of other revivals were doing really well. 'Police Academy' has such a great history. I thought, 'Why not?"'
According to Maslansky, who will serve as an executive producer, the talent from the first seven features has expressed a keen interest in the revival, with Maslansky looking to combine both new and the "original talent" for the next "Police Academy."
'Police Academy'
UPN Ready to Launch
'Amish in the City'
Blending reality TV with a bit of "rumspringa," the UPN network is launching a controversial new series this month centered on a group of Amish teens as they venture from their rural environs into the outside world.
Debuting July 28 with two consecutive hourlong episodes, "Amish in the City" will follow five Amish youth sharing an ultra-modern house in the Hollywood Hills with six young urbanites, the network said on Thursday.
According to details first published in Daily Variety, the youngsters on the series are shown working with mentally disabled people, attending a movie premiere, visiting the ocean and riding a helicopter to a resort island.
'Amish in the City'
Media Big Shots Head to Idaho
Sun Valley
This mountain resort is no stranger to celebrity, having been the backdrop of several movies and a playground for Hollywood stars since being founded in 1936 by a railroad executive.
But the celebrity power quotient gets kicked up several levels every July, when the boutique and well-connnected New York investment bank Allen & Co. takes over the campus for a secretive pow-wow of the top brass in the media industry.
This year's conference got under way in earnest Wednesday with an interview of News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch by none other than Barry Diller, a longtime media heavyweight himself who helped Murdoch launch the Fox broadcast network a decade ago. Hewlett-Packard Co. and Paul Martin, the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada, gave presentations Tuesday.
Allen & Co. started its annual meeting in the early 1980s with the intention of getting big-time media executives together with investors in a private, informal setting. Kids are encouraged to attend, and are looked after by a small army of babysitters and entertained with hayrides, bowling parties, movies and the like.
Sun Valley
The LA Times (registration required) has a good story on this gathering, too - It's No Picnic Outfitting This Elite Fleet of Rafters
An unidentified journalist passes behind an installation as she visits the exhibition 'Kir Royal' of Swiss artist Urs Fischer during a media preview at the Kunsthaus Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday, July 8, 2004. The exhibition will open on Friday, July 9 and last until Sept. 26, 2004.
Photo by Steffen Schmidt
Major Showing
Raphael
He was the pop star of the Italian Renaissance, wowing patrons and public alike. Now Raffaello Santi -- better known simply as Raphael -- is about to make a big impact in Britain.
London's National Gallery is bringing together more than 100 of Raphael's sketches and paintings in an unprecedented show opening in October.
Raphael died on the day of his 37th birthday in 1520 and was buried in Rome's Pantheon.
Raphael
Eat Free On Wednesdays
Bald People
Bald is beautiful in Lodi - at least to Gary Arnold, a restaurant owner who charges customers according the amount of hair on their head.
A full head of hair will get you nowhere with Arnold, who sports a naked noggin himself.
But customers who come to Gary's Uptown Restaurant and Bar on Wednesdays with less than 50 percent of their hair get up to 50 percent off their food.
The real thing - a totally hairless head - will fetch a clean 100 percent off.
Arnold doesn't care if the customer shaves, or is naturally endowed with a lack of hair. The bald eat free - even the repeat customers, he said.
Bald People
A lemur eats an orange while the other looks on at the Buenos Aires Zoo, Thursday July 8, 2004. Four lemurs from the Island of Madagascar, also called 'ghosts', arrived the Argentine Zoo. This species is in danger of extinction.
Photo by Daniel Luna
'The Osbournes'
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