'Best of TBH Politoons'
Reader Comment
Punxsutawney Phil
Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow on Friday, which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.
Could have fooled me!
MAM
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Breaking: Double the Troops in "Surge" (DefenseTech.org)
President Bush and his new military chiefs have been saying for nearly a month that they would "surge" an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, in a last, grand push to quell the violence in Baghdad and in Anbar Province. But a new study by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the real troop increase could be as high as 48,000 - more than double the number the President initially said.
Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study (environment.guardian.co.uk)
Scientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by a lobby group funded by one of the world's largest oil companies to undermine a major climate change report due to be published today. Letters sent by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), an ExxonMobil-funded thinktank with close links to the Bush administration, offered the payments for articles that emphasise the shortcomings of a report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Bunny Nooryani: Gore, Watt-Cloutier Are Nobel Prize Candidates for Climate Work (bloomberg.com)
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Canadian activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier were nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their efforts to raise awareness about the threat of climate change.
Savings tumble poses risk to boomers
People are saving at the lowest level since the Great Depression, and that could be a problem for the millions of baby boomers getting ready to retire. In fact, the Commerce Department reported Thursday that the nation's personal savings rate for all of 2006 was a negative 1 percent, the worst showing in 73 years. ... The 1 percent negative savings rate in 2006 followed a 0.4 percent negative rate in 2005. There have been only four years in history that the savings rate has fallen into negative territory. The other two were 1932 and 1933 during the Great Depression.
Rick Fowler: Combating Plagiarism (irascibleprofessor.com)
At a recent teacher's meeting I was asked what I thought needed to be included in the new student handbook concerning plagiarism and cheating among high school students. My thoughts immediately were of my own high school days in a northern Michigan town, attending a very small Catholic school. There really were few problems with this issue 'back in the day' because the administrators and school boards were very adamant with, "You cheat, you're done!" They didn't need the money that someone who got out of line would take with them after they were kicked out. There was always someone new to take their place.
Anthony Zurcher: Goodbye, Molly I.
For a woman who made a profession of offering her opinion to others, Molly was remarkably humble. She was known for hosting unforgettable parties at her Austin, Texas, home, which would feature rollicking political discussions and impromptu poetry recitals and satirical songs. At one such event, I noticed her dining table was littered with various awards and distinguished-speaker plaques, put to use as trivets for steaming plates of tamales, chili and fajita meat. When I called this to her attention, Molly matter-of-factly replied, "Well, what else am I going to do with 'em?"
Quotes and quips from Molly Ivins (Associated Press)
"I'm sorry to say (cancer) can kill you but it doesn't make you a better person," she told the San Antonio Express-News in September 2006, the same month cancer claimed her friend former Gov. Ann Richards.
Remembering Molly (blogs.chron.com; posted on AlterNet.org)
Molly always said in her official résumé that the two honors she valued the most were (1) when the Minneapolis Police Department named their mascot pig after her (She was covering the police beat at the time.) and (2) when she was banned from speaking on the Texas A&M University campus at least once during her years as co-editor of The Texas Observer (1970-76). However, she said with great sincerity that she would be proudest of all to die sober, and she did. ... Molly's enduring message is, "Raise more hell."
Joel Stein: My pet coyote (latimes.com)
Can the Hollywood Hills still be a special place when all the mangy yippers flee for Hancock Park?
Humor Gazette
John B
Groundhog predicts six more weeks of sectarian violence
Hubert's Poetry Corner
TO SERVE AND DETECT
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and warm.
Brits To Show Movie In Schools
Al Gore
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's global warming documentary will be sent to every secondary school in England as part of a campaign to tackle climate change, the government said Friday.
Environment Secretary David Miliband and Education Secretary Alan Johnson announced plans to distribute Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth," on the day the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report was published in Paris. The report by leading scientists, said global warming has started and is "very likely" caused by humans.
"The debate over the science of climate change is well and truly over, as demonstrated by the publication of today's report by the IPCC," Miliband said. "Our energies should now be channeled into how we respond in an innovative and positive way in moving to a low-carbon future."
Al Gore
What Public Interest, Convenience And Necessity?
FCC
Senate Democrats on Thursday pressured the five FCC commissioners to set programming requirements for broadcasters as part of the industry's mandate to operate in the public interest.
In the Federal Communications Commission's first appearance before the Senate Commerce Committee since the Democrats took control of Congress, the lawmakers weren't shy about voicing their objections to what appears on TV.
Sen. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., called television a menu filled with "junk, sex and scandals." Rockefeller and other Democrats -- most notably Sens. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey -- complained that the FCC was abdicating its obligation to police the airwaves.
"I think TV is in the worst state it's ever been in," Rockefeller said. "I'm convinced the FCC has abandoned its core responsibility."
FCC
Artists for Amnesty Award
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez will receive an award for her work as producer and star of a film examining the murders of hundreds of women in a Mexican border town, Amnesty International officials said Friday.
Lopez will receive the Artists for Amnesty award Feb. 14 at the Berlin Film Festival from Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta. The film "Bordertown" will make its debut Feb. 15 at the festival.
In "Bordertown," Lopez plays an investigative journalist reporting on the serial killings of women in the border city of Juarez, Mexico. Directed by Gregory Nava, the film also stars Antonio Banderas and Martin Sheen.
Jennifer Lopez
Viacom Wants 100K Clips Removed
YouTube
Media company Viacom Inc., which owns the cable networks MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and the Paramount Pictures movie studio, asked YouTube on Friday to remove more than 100,000 unauthorized clips from its hugely popular video-sharing site.
Viacom said in a statement that after several months of talks with YouTube and its corporate parent, the online search leader Google Inc., "it has become clear that YouTube is unwilling to come to a fair market agreement that would make Viacom content available to YouTube users."
Viacom said that YouTube and Google had failed to deliver on several "filtering tools" to control unauthorized video from appearing on the hugely popular site.
The company was now asking YouTube to take the clips down, but stopped short of filing a lawsuit.
YouTube
Back This Summer
'Last Comic Standing'
NBC has picked up a fifth installment of the reality series "Last Comic Standing" to air in the summer.
The new season, to be hosted by Bill Bellamy, will go international, searching for the funniest comedian in the English-speaking world. Auditions will take place in London, Montreal and Sydney as well as in Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Tempe, Arizona.
'Last Comic Standing'
Now Plans To Attend Grammys
Michael Bublé
Grammy nominee Michael Bublé now says he will be at the awards ceremony next week.
The Vancouver-based crooner told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that he would not be attending the Feb. 11 event in Los Angeles because his category is not presented during the live TV broadcast. He also said he didn't expect to win anyway.
But a spokesman at Warner Music Canada confirmed Friday afternoon that Bublé has since changed his mind.
The spokesman said Bublé did not know his schedule when he made the earlier comments and after speaking with his management company, he realized he had an opening on that night.
Michael Bublé
Baby News
Darby Galen & Sullivan Patrick Dempsey
The wife of "Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey has given birth to twin boys.
Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick Dempsey were born Thursday in Los Angeles, the actor's representative told People magazine.
Dempsey, 41, plays Dr. Derek Shepherd, known as "Dr. McDreamy" to his female colleagues on the hit ABC show.
Darby Galen a& Sullivan Patrick Dempsey
Launching Peace Channel
Bob Geldof
Campaigner and Irish rocker Bob Geldof's television production company Ten Alps Plc is launching a broadband channel aimed at promoting world peace.
The anti-poverty campaigner's company has been commissioned to create a business plan for the project, which is being funded by Point of Peace, a Norwegian human rights organization.
Ten Alps, which is listed on London's Alternative Investment Market, is currently testing its public television Web site, ahead of an anticipated full launch in April.
Bob Geldof
Think Tank Hates Science
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute, which has received $1.6 million from ExxonMobil, offered scientists up to $10,000 for a "policy critique" of the U.N. global warming report released on Friday.
The pro-business think tank, with numerous close ties to the Bush administration, denied it was looking for global warming skeptics to cast doubt on the U.N. report.
AEI made the offers to scientists starting last July, but ultimately abandoned the project, according to Kenneth Green, a visiting scholar at the institute who worked on the program.
First reported in the Guardian newspaper in Britain, the program aimed to publish scientists' essays to coincide with the release of the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC.
American Enterprise Institute
Claims Against Boy-Band Impresario Grow
Lou Pearlman
Claims against boy-band impresario Lou Pearlman have grown to more than $130 million through a spate of lawsuits by creditors and investors related to his business interests that range from an airline leasing company to restaurants.
That total does not include $33 million judges have recently ordered him to pay on previous lawsuits, the Orlando Sentinel reported in Friday editions.
The latest suit, filed Thursday in Circuit Court by Bank of America, alleges the founder of the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync and US-5 has defaulted on business and personal loans worth more than $17 million.
Lou Pearlman
No Second Season
'The Dr. Keith Ablow Show'
Freshman daytime talk show "The Dr. Keith Ablow Show" won't be back for a second season, sources said.
The syndicated strip hadn't been expected to return for the 2007-08 season, but sources are saying it's now a done deal.
It's understood that "Ablow," which is averaging a 1.0 household rating season-to-date, will remain in production through the end of February or beginning of March, as originally planned.
'The Dr. Keith Ablow Show'
Strike Shuts Down Plant
Harley-Davidson
Union workers began a strike Friday at Harley-Davidson Inc.'s largest manufacturing plant, with small groups quietly picketing each entrance of the York facility.
The strike came two days after unionized workers rejected the company's contract offer and authorized a walkout.
The company said its proposal included annual wage increases of 4 percent over three years. But part of the increase depended on the union agreeing to contribute toward health insurance coverage. Unionized employees currently pay no premium. It also would have doubled the company's 401(k) retirement plan contributions.
Harley-Davidson
On Vietnam Amnesty List
Gary Glitter
Disgraced British ex-rocker Gary Glitter, imprisoned in Vietnam for sexually molesting two young girls, is on a list of inmates to be possibly released this month, his lawyer said on Friday.
Glitter, 62, was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison during a one-day trial in March last year and subsequently lost an appeal.
Every year at major national holidays, the Vietnam President authorizes amnesty for prisoners. In two weeks time, Vietnam will ring in the Lunar New Year, or Tet, the Southeast Asian country's most important celebration.
Gary Glitter
Issues 13 Arrest Warrants
Germany
In a historic first, German prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 13 suspected CIA agents thought to have illegally kidnapped a German citizen as part of the war on terror. The decision has been universally welcomed by German commentators.
The decision by the public prosecutor's office in Munich to issue arrest warrants against 13 suspected CIA agents in connection with the illegal kidnapping of Lebanese-born German citizen Khaled el-Masri is unlikely to have won Germany many friends in the United States. But the move has been universally welcomed in Germany, where observers are keen to see justice done.
CIA agents abducted el-Masri in Macedonia at the end of 2003. After being handed over to the CIA and flown to Afghanistan, he claims he was tortured and accused of collusion with the Sept. 11 hijackers. He says he was held for four months before being released without any charges on a roadside in Albania. Italy has also issued arrest warrants for suspected CIA agents in a separate renditions case
Germany
Wild Eagles Attack Paraglider
Nicky Moss
Britain's top female paraglider has cheated death after being attacked by a pair of "screeching" wild eagles while competition flying in Australia.
Nicky Moss, 38, watched terrified as two huge birds began tearing into her parachute canopy, one becoming tangled in her lines and clawing at her head 2,500 meters (8,200ft) in the air.
The encounter happened on Monday while Moss -- a member of the British paragliding team -- was preparing for world titles this month at Manilla in northern New South Wales state.
Nicky Moss
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