'Best of TBH Politoons'
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Dr. Mark H. Shapiro: Tolerance or Lack Thereof at the Air Force Academy (irascibleprofessor.com)
According to recent news reports, the U.S. Air Force Academy, which is just now recovering from one series of scandals involving harassment (and worse) directed at female cadets and another involving underage drinking, now finds itself embroiled in yet another case of questionable behavior.
Jonathan Alter: A Bankrupt Way To Do Business
They put huge deficits on plastic for our grandkids to pay. They sell us out to predatory lenders. They're the Credit Card Congress.
Sydney H. Schanberg: A Time for Disobedience (Village Voice)
Faced with Bush's lockdown on information, reporters have to stand up
Joy Press: Book Smart (Village Voice)
Could cyberspace be the novel's best friend? Litblogs take off-and grow up.
Jules Lipoff: Dr. Strangeglove (Village Voice)
Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Do Breast and Pelvic Exams
Jim Phillips: Commentary: Believe it or not, most profs enjoy being challenged in the classroom (The Athens News)
Ohio Sen. Larry Mumper's "academic bill of rights," meant to muzzle the classroom preaching of left-wing college professors, is back in the local news.
Nick Claussen: Why dress up as a woman? Fun and profit, of course (The Athens News)
Fifteen years ago, on a dare, Roger Wells decided to shave off his mustache and dress up as a famous woman for the first "Illusions" benefit in Athens.
Follow Up
Re: George W. Bush's Soul On eBay
Hi Marty,
Sorry for the delay, I've been getting a new political satire website up and
running, in addition to doing my usual job. The website,
DommeCile.com, looks
like a hard porn site, complete with humorous misspellings, but it's actually
satire.
Auction over, winner paid $8.49 but didn't want it.
"No postage needed - Just throw the 'damned' soul of the arsehole in any
fire [Bar-b-q, bonfire, whatever]"
The auction was viewed 845 times in 10 days. The opening bid met my minimum of
$0.02. Before long, someone upped it to $6.66! That stood for quite awhile,
but after two more bids the price reached the selling price of $8.49.
A few days after my auction began, there was a second offering of the soul of
George W. Bush on eBay, this time in the form of a sheet of paper. Oh no,
competition! I thought. First a rock, now a piece of paper. It's getting
crowded in here, what's next? Hmmm... rock, paper ...
SCISSORS! So I began a new auction on a pair of scissors containing Bush's
soul. How can Bush's soul be in three places at once? Ya got me, but
theologians settled a similar argument a long time ago, so maybe they can have a
go at this one. Rock, paper, and scissors, the unholy trinity?
The only way I could see all three listings together was to search eBay on
"Bush's soul."
eBay quickly terminated my auction of the scissors, while the rock and the paper
auctions ran to completion. The eBay rationale fell just a little short of
Jesuit sophistry.
"We regret to inform you that your eBay auction:
5568925060 George Bush's soul in haunted scissors?
has been ended. All fees associated with this auction have been credited to your
account.
The item you have listed does not appear to be consistent with eBay guidelines.
eBay does not allow the auctioning of human souls for the following reasons:
If the soul does not exist, eBay could not allow the auctioning of the soul
because there would be nothing to sell. However if the soul does exist, then in
accordance with eBay's policy on human parts and remains we would not allow the
auctioning of human souls. Therefore, we have ended this auction and all fees
have been credited to your account."
Best,
Kevin
Thanks, Kevin!
For the beginning of this story, see BartCop Entertainment, Thursday, 24 March, 2005.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Very overcast, looked like rain.
Fresh batch of crickets are chirping nicely in the background.
Celebs Join Inuits
Earth Day
Hollywood stars Salma Hayek and Jake Gyllenhaal joined Canadian Inuits in the Arctic Circle for a traditional spring dance on Earth Day Friday, seeking to highlight the effect of global warming on northern Canadians.
The celebrities joined some 1,000 Inuit - half of whom were children - in their traditional dress and followed elders onto an ice floe to form the image of an Inuit drum dancer. From the air, photographers were able to see the humans spell out the words: "Arctic Warning: Listen."
The Natural Resources Defense Council, which sponsored the event with Global Green USA, said even conservative scientific estimates show that half the summer sea ice in the Arctic will melt by the end of this century, as the region warms another 7 to 13 degrees.
Earth Day
'Recovered' Painting a Haring or Not?
'Hope'
The auctioneer billed it as a painting by "one of America's most sought after contemporary artists," an "American treasure" that had been "left for lost" in a woman's attic for 20 or so years.
If true, the 7-foot "Hope" painting that the auctioneer claimed was by Keith Haring, the famed pop artist who died in 1990 at age 31, would likely command tens of thousands of dollars at sale.
But questions about its authenticity and provenance have killed plans to auction the piece, at least for now. Instead, it will merely be put on display Sunday while hundreds of other items are sold at a two-day spring antique auction in nearby Kimberton.
The longtime president of the Keith Haring Foundation is Kermit Oswald, a childhood friend and perhaps the world's leading authority on Haring's work.
On Tuesday, Oswald declared "Hope" to be a fake. But here's the rub: The seller is his cousin, and the two apparently don't care much for one another. Ed Oswald maintained that "Hope" is an authentic Haring, and said Kermit Oswald is biased because the two had a falling-out years ago. Kermit Oswald said the only thing influencing his judgment is his decades of professional experience.
Hope
Opel Uses Soundalike Singer
Tom Waits
Tom Waits' next boozy, bluesy tune might be about European car manufacturers.
The gravel-voiced Waits says Opel, a European division of General Motors, is running a TV commercial in Scandinavia with a soundtrack resembling his style and sound. And he's not happy about it. "Commercials are an unnatural use of my work," the 55-year-old singer said in a statement. "It's like having a cow's udder sewn to the side of my face. Painful and humiliating."
The carmaker said the music in the ad is a Brahms composition with a Frankfurt, Germany-based singer giving a "rough voice interpretation for the Wiegenlied theme in English." The company said Steven Tyler of Aerosmith was the only celebrity approached for the ad.
Tom Waits
Road Renamed In Las Vegas
Dean Martin Drive
The Rat Pack will be better represented in Sin City after a road was named after Dean Martin.
Clark County commissioners renamed part of Industrial Road as Dean Martin Drive, agreeing with the developer of a new high-rise condominium project that the new name sounded better on letterhead for hotels, condos and businesses. "I think Industrial Road, especially in this area, is a misnomer," Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald said Wednesday.
The change puts the Dean Martin name on a road running along one side of Interstate 15, with Frank Sinatra Drive on the other.
Dean Martin Drive
French Play
'11 September 2001'
The French government, anxious to smooth strained ties with the United States, has withdrawn its support for the US production of a French play about the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
The impressionistic play, "11 September 2001," had its world premiere in Los Angeles late Thursday, despite the last-minute decision by the French embassy to withdraw its promotional, and part of its financial, backing.
French diplomatic and cultural officials declined, however, to comment on the decision to withdraw around 5,000 dollars of funding for the work by acclaimed French playwright Michel Vinaver.
The embassy also decided not to pay for Vinaver's ticket to Los Angeles to attend rehearsals for the play mounted by the Center for New Theater at CalArts, which consulted closely with the French embassy's cultural service in producing the play.
'11 September 2001'
Original Issue Found
'Moore's Law'
A copy of the original Electronics magazine in which Moore's Law was first published has turned up under the floorboards of a Surrey engineer.
David Clark had kept copies of the magazine for years, despite pleas from his wife to throw them away.
Now the couple are celebrating after collecting the $10,000 reward which was offered on eBay by chip maker Intel.
The publication is now defunct, but neither Dr Moore, who is now retired, nor Intel had a mint condition original of the magazine.
'Moore's Law'
Augusta to Unveil Statue
James Brown
To honor the man the mayor calls "the most famous person to come out of Augusta," the city will unveil a life-size bronze statue of entertainer James Brown on May 6.
The statue will stand in front of Augusta Common on Broad Street, with the unveiling coming three days after the "Godfather of Soul" celebrates his 72nd birthday.
Brown is scheduled to attend the dedication along with his former road manager, the Rev. Al Sharpton.
James Brown
Pleads Guilty to Drunken Driving
Aidan Quinn
Aidan Quinn pleaded guilty to drunken driving while he was in Maine for the filming of the HBO movie "Empire Falls."
Quinn didn't appear in Kennebec County Superior Court Thursday, where his plea was entered through his lawyer, Michaela Murphy. Quinn, 46, was ordered to pay a $500 fine, and his driver's license was suspended for 90 days.
Quinn, who lives in Englewood, N.J., was arrested by Waterville police on Oct. 25, 2003, after he was observed driving erratically. After he was pulled over, a test revealed his blood-alcohol content was 0.12 percent. The legal limit for drunken driving in Maine is 0.08 percent.
Aidan Quinn
New Magazine
'Inside TV'
The publishers of TV Guide have launched a new weekly magazine aimed at young female television viewers. The first edition of "Inside TV" hit newsstands Thursday, featuring a cover photo of "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria.
The full-sized, glossy magazine will be sold primarily at newsstands, competing alongside such celebrity-driven titles as "People" and "US."
It includes a selection of program picks organized around such categories as drama, comedy and reality, rather than the familiar time and network grid featured in TV Guide.
'Inside TV'
'Celebration III'
'Star Wars'
More than 30,000 "Star Wars" fans from around the world have gathered here for the largest official "Star Wars" convention ever held.
Interest in the four-day "Celebration III" has been piqued by the May 19 release of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," the final film in George Lucas' prequel trilogy. Media outlets around the world have sent representatives, and downtown hotels are booked solid.
The star attraction is creator Lucas, who on Saturday will make his first appearance at a fan convention since 1987.
The convention, which opened Thursday and runs through Sunday, is the only U.S. "Star Wars" convention sanctioned by Lucasfilm, said company spokeswoman Lynn Fox. The first was held in 1999 in Denver, followed by Celebration II in Indianapolis in 2002.
'Star Wars'
Sells for Record $2M
Stradivarius Violin
A 17th-century Stradivarius violin sold Friday for just over $2 million, the most ever paid for a musical instrument at auction, according to Christie's auction house, which handled the sale.
A private American collector made the winning bid of $2,032,000 for "The Lady Tennant" violin. The violin was made by Antonio Stradivari in 1699, Christie's said.
The bid far surpassed the previous record offer of $1,776,940 for a different Stradivarius violin in 1990, the auction house said.
Stradivarius Violin
Linked To Violent Relationships
Fairy Tales
Young girls who enjoy classic romantic fairy tales like "Cinderella" and "Beauty and the Beast" are at greater risk of becoming victims of violent relationships in later life, a British researcher says.
A study of both parents of primary school children and women who have been involved in domestic abuse claims than those who grew up reading fairy tales are likely to be more submissive as adults.
Susan Darker-Smith, a graduate student who wrote the academic paper, said she found many abuse victims identified with characters in famous children's literature and claimed the stories provide "templates" of dominated women.
Fairy Tales
Found in L.A.
Stolen Violin
An 18th-century violin reported stolen from an aspiring performer's car was returned by a man who said he found it in a nearby alley while walking his dog, authorities said.
The man, whose name was not released, turned in the $850,000 instrument and bow to police Wednesday in good condition, authorities said Thursday. They were being checked for fingerprints and were expected to be returned Saturday to 20-year-old violinist Lindsay Deutsch.
Deutsch said a thief pried open a car window and snatched it off the seat while she was grocery shopping Sunday.
The violin was crafted in 1742 by Sanctus Seraphin, the top violin maker of his time in Venice, Italy. It is considered several notches below the instruments made by Antonio Stradivari but one of only about 30 known to be in existence.
Stolen Violin
In Memory
Stan Levey
Pioneering be-bop jazz drummer Stan Levey, who kept time for such musical greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, and the Stan Kenton orchestra, has died at age 79, friends said on Friday.
Levey, who ended a 30-year music career in 1973 to become a photographer, died on Tuesday at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles, about two months after undergoing cancer surgery, said friend and business partner Arthur Pritz.
The self-taught Levey was just a 16-year-old upstart without his own drum kit when he first played with Gillespie in 1942 at a hometown Philadelphia club, where he talked his way into sitting in with the famed trumpeter's band.
After moving to New York, Levey fell in with the group of musicians -- among them Gillespie, Parker, Miles Davis, Coleman Hawkins and Dexter Gordon -- who founded the be-bop sound that revolutionized jazz.
Levey soon joined the Gillespie-Parker quintet, a mid-'40s ensemble that Los Angeles Times jazz critic Leonard Feather called "the first genuine all-be-bop group to play on 52nd Street, the famed block in midtown Manhattan where clubs lined both sides of the street." Pianist Al Haig and bassist Curly Russell rounded out the lineup.
As Parker's roommate during those years, Levey had a front-row seat to the saxophonist's creative process. One of his favorite stories, according to Pritz, was seeing "Bird" wake up from a sound sleep one night to compose and play his seminal work "Confirmation," then go back to bed.
Levey also played big-band stints with such legends as Woody Herman and Benny Goodman before gaining wide prominence with a two-year gig as drummer for the Stan Kenton orchestra.
Besides his collaboration with most of the leading jazz instrumentalists of his era, Levey worked with such vocal giants as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand.
Settling in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s, Levey spent five years as a regular at the Lighthouse nightclub in Hermosa Beach, where he played with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars. It was there that he became a major influence in the "West Coast," or "cool school" movement of modern jazz.
Levey appeared on more than 2,000 recordings during his career -- his drum work can be heard on such hits as Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" and Peggy Lee's "Fever." And he played for numerous TV shows during the 1960s, including "Batman," "Mission: Impossible" and "The Munsters."
Featured prominently in Ken Burns' documentary "Jazz," Levey also recounts his career in a newly released documentary he produced with Pritz, "Stan Levy: 'The Original Original."'
Stan Levey
