'Best of TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader Suggestion
Re: Great Xmas CD
Heidi's boyfriend Dave gave me the new Xmas CD by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. This stuff in UNBELIEVABLE. Check out the arrangement of Nutcracker Suite. This disk is a refreshing take on the same old same, same old that you hear this time of year.
Boogie Woogie Christmas by the Brian Setzer Orchestra
Thanks Mad Dog!
He's Been Busy!
The Worried Shrimp
Selected Sunday Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Gray & overcast.
Jo, the (remaining) lizard didn't get his usual afternoon outside.
Looks like it's going to be another Lego Christmas.
Tonight, Sunday, CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH 'Cold Case', then a made-for-tv-movie 'The Christmas Shoes'.
NBC spends 4 hours & 5 minutes showing the movie 'Titanic'.
ABC begins the evening with 'America's Funniest Home Videos', followed by a FRESH '10-8', then a
RERUN 'Alias', followed by a RERUN 'The Practice'.
The WB offers the weekly RERUN 'Smallville', followed by a 2-hour RERUN 'Charmed'.
Faux has 'Stupid Behavior: Caught On Tape', followed by a RERUN 'King Of The Hill', then a RERUN 'Simpsons', followed by a
FRESH 'Bernie Mac', then a RERUN 'Malcolm', followed by a FRESH 'Arrested Development'.
UPN has the weekly RERUN 'Enterprise', followed by 'Stargate SG-1'.
A&E has the 'Nobel Peace Concert 2003', 'Biography' (Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz), and 'Meet The Royals'.
AMC offers the movie 'The Usual Suspects', followed by the movie 'No Way Out', then the movie 'The Eiger Sanction'.
BBC -
[6pm] 'Monarch of the Glen' - Episode 7;
[7pm] Changing Rooms' - Willenhall;
[7:30pm] 'Changing Rooms' - Basildon;
[8pm] 'Faking It' - Kickboxer to Ballroom Dancer;
[9pm] 'The Office' - Episode 5;
[9:40pm] 'Coupling' - Dressed;
[10:20pm] 'The Office' - Episode 4;
[11pm] 'Faking It' - Kickboxer to Ballroom Dancer;
[12:40am] 'Coupling' - Dressed;
[1:20am] 'Office' - Episode 4;
[2am] 'Changing Rooms' - Willenhall;
[2:30am] 'Changing Rooms' - Basildon;
[3am] 'The Office' - Episode 5;
[3:40am] 'Coupling' - Dressed;
[4:20am] 'The Office' - Episode 4;
[5am] 'Faking It' - Kickboxer to Ballroom Dancer; and
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has Celebrity Poker Showdown' (Game 3), 'Inside The Actors Studio' (Jude Law), and 'Entertainer Of The Year'.
History has 'Ancient Discoveries', 'In The Footsteps Of Jesus', and 'Mail Call'.
SciFi has 'Dean Koontz's "Mr. Murder"' (part 1 of 2), followed by 'Dean Koontz's "Mr. Murder"' (part 2 of 2).
TCM features one of my favorite films - 'Once Upon a Time in the West', a magnificent spaghetti western.
Henry Fonda is 'Frank', a very bad man, Charles Bronson plays the harmonica, a wonderful multi-national
supporting cast, interesting music (Ennio Morricone), great direction
(Sergio Leone), and fabulous visuals.
[7:30am] 'Festival of Shorts #13' (1998);
[8am] 'Goodbye Mr. Chips' (1939);
[10am] 'For Me And My Gal' (1942);
[12pm] 'Meet Me In St. Louis' (1944);
[2pm] 'Little Women' (1949);
[4:15pm] 'Father Of The Bride' (1950);
[6pm] 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (1969) [AKA: C'era una volta il West] ;
[9pm] 'The Music Man' (1962);
[12am] 'Christmas Past' (1925) SILENT;
[2:15am] 'Days of Wine and Roses' (1962);
[4:15am] 'Lilies of the Field' (1963). (ALL TIMES EST)
Comedian and actor Robin Williams straps on a safety helmet and floatation device after entertaining U.S. military during a United Service Organizations (USO) show aboard the carrier USS Enterprise based off the coast of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, December 19, 2003. Williams, who was preparing to depart the carrier via helicopter, has been on a week-long USO tour to entertain troops in Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain and Djibouti.
Photo by Mike Theiler
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Suggested Sunday Reading
Noam Chomsky
"We don't see history as the history of the destruction of the indigenous population, enslavement, conquest, murder, oppression, violence. You know, it's sort of all somehow out in the background. But the main thrust is supposed to be different. There was an article that just came out by this very distinguished conservative historian name Warren Cohen who said the imperial boot is now placed on Iraq and the history of American denial, of what actually happened (and he runs through it pretty honestly) will reframe this as liberation - that's what he calls American expcetionalism - but I think that's incorrect. It's the behavior of dominant forces without history, and they have got to subdue their own populations. Would the population accept it if they knew the truth? I don't think so."
"Certainly no one in power believes it. If they believed it they wouldn't bother with the propaganda. They would just tell them the truth - look, we want to smash up and destroy and rob these people because we want to enrich ourselves. Did they ever say that? No, no one ever says that because they know perfectly well that people won't accept it. If they understand what is happening, they stop them. And that has happened. That's how antiwar movements start - it seeps in and people start to understand and then they won't buy it. "
For the whole article - Noam Chomsky
More Tolkien Material
Marquette University
Marquette University, which already owns the original manuscript of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," says it is now acquiring a major collection of secondary sources about the author.
Among the 2,376 items the university is getting from Grace E. Funk, a Canadian collector, are volumes of the Ace edition of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy that introduced many Americans to Tolkien's fantasy epic in the 1960s, along with hard-to-find articles from obscure periodicals, videotapes of documentaries and out-of-print memorabilia.
More than 3,000 visitors a year view Marquette's Tolkien materials, one of the two most important in the world. The other is at the Bodleian Library at Oxford, England, said Wayne Hammond, author of several books on Tolkien.
Besides the trilogy's manuscript, Marquette also has the original manuscript for Tolkien's "The Hobbit" plus his hand-drawn book, "Mr. Bliss," and the novella "Farmer Giles of Ham."
Marquette University
Visitors view ice lamps during the 30th Harbin Ice Lamp Festival in Harbin, capital of the northeast Heilongjiang Province, China, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2003. More than 2,000 ice and snow artworks were displayed in the festival, kicked off on Dec. 20.
Photo by Li Yong
Germans Pick Phrase of the Year
'Old Europe'
"Old Europe" -- a term U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld used to disparage Germany and France for resisting war in Iraq -- has been named phrase of the year in Germany by a panel of language experts.
The Wiesbaden-based Society for the German Language (GfdS) made "das alte Europe" its choice in the annual poll for the expression of the year after Rumsfeld's phrase became a popular rallying cry used proudly by opponents of the war.
"The term 'old Europe' was originally used as a provocation, but its meaning underwent a transformation and now stands for a new-found symbol for positive self-confidence among Europeans," Rudolf Hoberg, chairman of the language society, said on Friday.
'Old Europe'
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Guesting On 'Hope & Faith'
Roger Clemens
Retired New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens and Yankees coach Willie Randolph will play themselves in an upcoming episode of the ABC sitcom "Hope & Faith."
The episode, titled "Charley's Baseball," is scheduled to air early next year. The plot: Charley (Ted McGinley) has a baseball autographed by Clemens. When it's destroyed by Justin (Paulie Litt), Hope (Faith Ford) and Faith (Kelly Ripa) pose as reporters who sneak into the locker room trying to find Clemens. When discovered by security, the women must hide out in the players' whirlpool tubs.
Roger Clemens
Head baker Al Aguilar prepares Luica Kattor or Lucia buns, both saffron and plain, at Swedish Bakery in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago Wednesday Dec. 10, 2003. In Swedish tradition the oldest girl in the family dons a white robe and a wreath of candles to serve a breakfast of saffron buns to the family. Lucia day marks the beginning of the Christmas holiday in Sweden.
Photo by Anne Ryan
Suggested Sunday Reading
Costco vs. Wal-Mart
Sam's Club has 71 percent more U.S. stores than Costco, yet Costco's total sales are 5 percent higher. The average Costco store generates almost double the revenue of a Sam's Club. By any hard-nosed business measure, Costco is succeeding brilliantly against what may be the most formidable competitor in any industry on Earth.
Furthermore, Costco's success translates directly into benefits for workers and customers in the very manner that cheerleaders for corporate America have long described. The company offers "the best wages and benefits in retail." Its starting hourly wage is $10. Full-time hourly workers earn annual salaries of $40,000 after four years.
And get this: Whenever Costco buyers negotiate a good deal on products, the savings are actually passed on to customers. No, seriously; markups are capped at 14 percent.
For an interesting read, Costco vs. Wal-Mart
Winners From 11 Nations
'World Idol'
Who will be the world's favorite pop superstar? On "World Idol," a two-part special airing the evenings of Christmas and New Year's Day, "American Idol" Kelly Clarkson will compete in London with winners from 10 other countries including Germany, South Africa, England, Canada and Poland.
The program will air at 8 p.m. EST on Christmas Day and 9 p.m. EST on New Year's Day. Elton John will perform on the final-results show, the Fox network Web site said Friday. Fox is the home of "American Idol."
Viewers worldwide will have the chance to vote.
The competitors are all winners of the first season of the "Idol" series in their respective countries — making second-season U.S. winner Ruben Studdard ineligible, the network has said.
'World Idol'
World Idol
Procter & Gamble Product Placements
'Survivor'
Television reality show "Survivor" can be a grimy business, where contestants eat insects or camp out without a shower, but that may change with a new sponsorship by No. 1 U.S. household products maker Procter & Gamble Co.
In one of the largest product tie-in deals to date, Procter & Gamble will advertise 20 of its brands, including Herbal Essences shampoo to Scope mouthwash, in product placements during the CBS network show next year, as well as in commercial breaks, a company spokeswoman said on Friday.
Starcom Mediavest, part of ad conglomerate Publicis, arranged the tie-in under a broader advertising agreement Procter & Gamble has with CBS owner Viacom worth $300 million, according to Advertising Age.
Other Procter & Gamble brands to appear in the sponsorship include heartburn antidote Pepto-Bismol, Secret deodorant, Olay skin care and Tide laundry detergent.
'Survivor'
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Reveals Investments
Ahnold
He may grumble about newspaper coverage and dislike funerals, but when it comes to his own money, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has no qualms about investing millions of dollars in those businesses and others.
A financial disclosure filed with a state agency this week shows that Schwarzenegger has owned a wide variety of stocks, investment funds, property and businesses in the past year.
Rating agency Moody's Corp. may have added to Schwarzenegger's headaches as governor by downgrading the state's bond rating, but he held between $10,000 and $100,000 of stock in the firm until a few weeks ago.
During his recent election campaign, the former actor complained that newspapers were unfairly drudging up past instances of groping women, yet until he set up a blind trust upon taking office, Schwarzenegger held shares in the Washington Post Co. . Wife Maria Shriver owned stock of Gannett Co Inc., publisher of USA Today.
As a young bodybuilder, the governor chose not to attend the funeral of his father and his only brother. Yet until recently Schwarzenegger's holdings included Matthews International, a maker of caskets and funeral supplies.
He also holds millions of dollars in international funds such as the Lansdowne European Equity Fund and the Schroder Ventures Asia Pacific Fund.
For more, Ahnold
A pair of local women in komonos stroll across a snow-covered bridge in Kyoto, Saturday, Dec 20, 2003. The low pressure system, developed overnight in western and northern Japan, dumping snow in the region and continues on Sunday according to Japan's meteorological Agency.
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Part of Memphis Hanukkah Program
Elvis
This year's Hanukkah program at Beth Sholom Synagogue featured a uniquely Memphis touch — telling the story of the holiday of lights through retooled versions of Elvis Presley's hits.
The synagogue featured an Elvis impersonator and students from Solomon Schechter Day School singing "Blue Suede Jews" and "Heartbreak Kotel," a reference to Jerusalem's Western Wall that's also known as the Kotel Ha Maarvai.
"It's a fun way to get the kids involved in the history of what Hanukkah means," said Jonathan Ross, who helped produce the program. "Since we're in Memphis and Elvis is such a force here, we thought it would be a perfect way to blend modern culture and ancient customs."
Elvis
Beth Sholom Synagogue
To Be Honored At Montreal Festival
Isabelle Adjani
French film star Isabelle Adjani has already marked her calendar for next year, when she will be honored with a tribute at the Montreal World Film Festival.
The festival will be Aug. 26-Sept. 6.
Isabelle Adjani
Montreal World Film Festival
3 Years Probation
Carl Lewis
Nine-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis was fined 500 dollars and given three years of probation following a high-speed freeway crash.
Lewis pleaded no contest on Friday to a charge related to a early morning accident in his brand new Maserati eight months ago.
The US athletics legend was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community work and attend close to two dozen alcoholics anonymous meetings.
Carl Lewis
A Ueno Zoo staff in a Santa Claus costume display a salmon before feeding it to the polar bears in Tokyo December 20, 2003. The zoo on Saturday presented the polar bears and a brown bear with an early Christmas gift of fish from northern Japan.
Photo by Issei Kato
'The Osbournes'
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