'Best of TBH Politoons'
Jazz From Hills
Trimmed Bush and Hedges
But Untrue
Strangely Believable
In 2003, the president's office of Faith Based Initiatives allocated over $30 million for an electron microscope to determine how many angels can stand on the head of a pin.
~Jeff Crook
Jeff Crook is the Ceci Connolly of the Left - J. Howard Tuft
Strangely Believable but Untrue is now available online at the Untrue Fact of the Day web calendar. Help spread disinformation and misunderstanding by sharing this with your friends and enemies.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Just One Senator... An Open Letter to the U.S. Senate from Michael Moore
Dear Members of the U.S. Senate, Welcome back! The 109th session of Congress has just begun. I'm watching you on C-SPAN right now and you all look so snap-happy and clean-faced. It's like the first day of school all over again, isn't it?
JESSE JACKSON: Senators should object to Ohio vote
This Thursday in Washington Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the senior minority member of the House Judiciary Committee, will formally object to the counting of the Ohio electoral vote in the 2004 presidential election. If any senator joins him, the counting of the vote is suspended and the House and the Senate must convene separately to hear the objections filed, and to vote on whether to accept them.
Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman: Ten preliminary reasons why the Bush vote does not compute, and why Congress must investigate rather than certify the Electoral College (Part One of Two)
The presidential vote for George W. Bush does not compute. By examining a very wide range of sworn testimonies from voters, polling officials and others close to the administration of the Nov. 2 election; by statistical analysis of the certified vote by mathematicians, election experts and independent research teams who have conducted detailed studies of the results in Ohio, New Mexico, Florida and elsewhere; from experts who studied the voting machines, tabulators and other electronic equipment on which a fair vote count has depended; and from a team of attorneys and others who have challenged the Ohio results; the freepress.org investigative team has compiled a portrait of an election whose true outcome must be investigated further by the Congress, the media and all Americans -- because it was almost certainly not an honest victory for George W. Bush.
New York Times: Leave No Sales Pitch Behind
The fine print in President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act is slowly dawning on the parents of high school students across the country as the war in Iraq drags on: military recruiters can blitz youngsters with uninvited phone calls to their homes and on-campus pitches replete with video war games. This is all possible under a little noted part of the law that requires schools to provide the names, addresses (campus addresses, too) and phone numbers of students or risk losing federal aid. The law provides an option to block the hard-sell recruitment - but only if parents demand in writing that the school deny this information to the military.
Liz F. Kay / Baltimore Sun: Military's test at high schools brings a salvo of concerns
A few days before her holiday break, South River High School junior Emily Hawse took a three-hour standardized test offered by military officials that suggests possible careers for students while helping to identify promising recruits. Hawse, 16, of Davidsonville said she did not realize until the day of the exam that it had a military link. She said students were told not to go to the Edgewater school that morning if they didn't want to take the test, called the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
British 'angel' saved hundreds from tsunami with classroom knowledge
A 10-year-old British schoolgirl saved the lives of hundreds of people in southern Asia by warning them a wall of water was about to strike, after learning about tsunamis in geography class, British media reported.
Mark Bendeich: Elephants save tourists from tsunami
KHAO LAK, Thailand (Reuters) - Agitated elephants felt the tsunami coming, and their sensitivity saved about a dozen foreign tourists from the fate of thousands killed by the giant waves. "I was surprised because the elephants had never cried before," mahout Dang Salangam said on Sunday on Khao Lak beach at the eight-elephant business offering rides to tourists.
Pacific News Service: Bin Laden's Latest Tapes Stir Economic Debate in Arab Media
Editor's Note: U.S. media focused on Osama Bin Laden's recent taped remarks calling for Iraqis to boycott upcoming elections. But Arab media are paying close attention to Bin Laden's musings on exploiting America's Achilles heel: its dependence on oil.
Factual Backup for Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"
Embarrassing Sexual Moments (Adult)
Who Owns the Media?
Classic Reader
Author's Calendar
Sweets of the Middle East: A Commercial Website
Purple Gene Reviews
'Finding Neverland'
Purple Genes' review of the movie "Finding Neverland" (2004) directed by Marc Forster ("Monsters Ball"):
I found my tear jerker of the year last night !!!! "Finding Neverland"....I don't mean Michael Jacksons' little pedophile pad, I mean the story of playwright looking for a play....a man unhappily married looking for a family..... a sympathetic soul looking for his "Swan Song"!!!
Johnny - goddam living in the French countryside with his beautiful French wife and 2 kids -Depp.
Johnny - Ichabod Crane in "Sleepy Hollow" ....Roux in "Chocolat".....George Jung in "Blow"...Inspector Fred Abberline in "From Hell".....Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean" and now James Barrie in "Finding Neverland" - Depp!!!!!!!!!!!
Johnny Depp is great in this surprisingly sanguine story of the turn of the century writer J.M. Barrie who wrote "Peter Pan". The setting is 1903 London where Barrie, a Scottish Playwright, is as unsuccessful in his career as he seems to be in his empty marriage to Mary Ansell Barrie (Radha Mitchell - "Phone Booth" - "Man on Fire"). His stage manager Charles Frohman (Dustin Hoffman - "I Heart Huckabees" - "Meet the Fockers" - "Limony Snicket") is disgruntled because he needs to keep his theater filled to pay the lease.
Well James Barrie wanders into the Park with his big dog and happens upon 4 young boys playing pretend games while their mom is nearby.. James introduces himself to Silvia Lewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet - "Hideous Kinky" - "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") who we learn was recently widowed. James finds the children enchanting and Silvia willing to play along with all the games that ensue....cowboys and Indians - pirates - cops and robbers - hide and seek - suddenly James is spending a lot of time at the Davies residence......to the chagrin and embarassment of his wife and the gossipy neighbors.
James becomes inspired by the youngest son Peter to create a story about kids who think they can fly only if they believe strongly enough. I was transfixed from this point on in the movie because the editing became pivotal in showing how James began pulling bits of reality and fantasy into his story......kids jumping on the bed....the dog opening boxes....kids flying through the window....tinker bell and fairy dust....on and on. At the same time we begin to realize that there is something wrong with Silvia as she continues to have fits of coughing.....
Cut to James' wife Mary leaving him for another man......Silvias' mother Mrs Emma DuMarrier, (Julie Christie - "McCabe and Mrs Miller" - "Shampoo" - "Troy" - and still looking FINE) bans James from visiting the Davies family anymore....and Charles freaking out about when the next play would be done,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I was really drawn into this movie because of the touching relationship that developed between James and Sylvia as well as James and Peter....in a rather complicated and unusual situation in that post victorian era.....James and Sylvia and Peter started "Believing" !!
So James gets back in with the Davies family because Peter demands Emma to allow it but at the same time Sylvia takes a turn for the worse...and rehearsals are under way for the premier of "Peter Pan"......James tells Charles to leave 25 empty seats open for the Big Night...not knowing that James planned to fill them with 25 wide eyed orphans......As the curtain opens and the big dog starts barking and kids start flying and crocodiles and pirates and fairies appear, the stiff adult audience is shown how to laugh and "Believe" by all the kids in the audience and soon everyone is entranced by the sheer beauty of the play......
But Sylvia couldn't come to the play and she is dying and the boys are confused and upset...so James creates a special performance at the Davies residence for Sylvia and I was tearing up......Sylvia asked in her will that James and Emma co-parent the kids upon her death and that is what happens.......what a sweet and sad ending !
Purple Gene gives "Finding Neverland" 9 handfuls of Fairy dust out of 10 for its fantastic, funny and flawless tale of a real life "Believer".
Purple Gene
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast, but no rain!
'Wheelie Willie' visited the kid's 'language arts' class - it was all he could talk about tonight.
Willie's group also passed out vouchers for a free spay/neuter to every kid!
Thought Willie would google better, so I'm sadly lacking a decent link. Bummer.
Anti-Schwarzenegger Campaign Kicks Off
Ahnold
The state treasurer announced Tuesday the start of a statewide TV ad campaign criticizing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for "breaking his promise" to voters not to spend more than the state takes in.
Treasurer Phil Angelides, a Democrat, said Schwarzenegger's budget policies have put the state at risk by relying too much on borrowing and spending cuts to close an $8.1 billion budget gap.
To pay for the ad campaign, Angelides created a new political committee, Standing Up for California, that has raised more than $1.3 million since last year, according to reports filed with the secretary of state's office.
Angelides' ads, which began Tuesday, will run one week in the state's major media markets - Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento.
Ahnold
Standing Up for California
Pulls Ads on Sinclair News Shows
Staples
Staples Inc. is pulling its office products advertisements from news programming on Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. television stations after receiving complaints from customers angry over what they believe to be the media company's right-wing political tilt.
Staples' move came after a liberal media watchdog group last month began a campaign encouraging people to complain to advertisers including Staples and other companies about news content on Sinclair-owned stations.
A spokesman for Framingham-based Staples said Wednesday that the company's decision to discontinue advertising during news programming Jan. 10 was made in response to the complaints and as part of the company's routine, periodic adjustments to its media buying.
Staples
Dumped By CNN
Tucker Carlson
CNN said goodbye to pundit Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, and with him likely the Crossfire program that has been the granddaddy of high-volume political debate shows on cable television.
CNN will probably fold Crossfire into its other programming, perhaps as an occasional segment on the daytime show In side Politics, said Jonathan Klein, who was appointed in late November as chief executive officer of CNN's U.S. network.
Crossfire began in 1982 and was once a mainstay of CNN's prime time. Pat Buchanan from the right and Michael Kinsley from the left were two of its most prominent hosts.
Tucker Carlson
Thanks, Chris!
Decorates Scorsese, Awards DiCaprio
France
France honored film director Martin Scorsese by making him an officer of its Legion of Honor and gave actor Leonardo DiCaprio the slightly less prestigious Arts and Letters award.
Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres hailed Scorsese's respect "for the rights of artists" at a ceremony Wednesday. He said the director gave life to "cinema that everyone - French, Europeans and Americans - likes."
Napoleon Bonaparte created the Legion d'Honneur in 1802. It recognizes military, cultural, scientific or social contributions to France, including those by people who aren't French citizens.
France
Signed For 34th Season
Bob Barker
Bob Barker has agreed to continue as host of "The Price Is Right" for a record 34th season, CBS announced.
"I was considering retiring this year and going into bodybuilding with the thought in mind of becoming governor of California," the 81-year-old Emmy-winning game-show host joked. "But I decided to instead stay with the body I have and the job I have."
Bob Barker
Engagement News
Sheridan - Soderblom
Nicollette Sheridan, 41, is engaged to Swedish actor Niklas Soderblom, publicist Nancy Ryder said Wednesday. The engagement occurred over the holidays and no other details were immediately available.
The couple reportedly vacationed in Aspen, Colo., over the New Year's weekend and Sheridan was spotted wearing an engagement ring.
Sheridan - Soderblom
Engagement News
Klum - Seal
German supermodel Heidi Klum and singer Seal are engaged to be married, Klum announced on her Web site.
Klum, 31, and Seal, 41, started dating last year, shortly after her breakup with Renault Formula One team boss Flavio Briatore, who is the father of her daughter, Leni, born in May.
Klum - Seal
Engagement News
Miller - Law
Jude Law has become engaged to his actress-girlfriend, Sienna Miller, proposing to her on Christmas Day.
Law proposed to Miller on Christmas morning in England, presenting her with a gold ring featuring nine diamonds set in platinum, the couple's spokeswoman, Ciara Parkes, said Wednesday.
Miller - Law
Treats Viewers As Adults
BBC
The BBC has defended its decision to air "Jerry Springer-The Opera" uncut, despite outrage over a libretto peppered with more than 3,000 swear words.
But the BBC stood firm, insisting the stage musical was a serious work of art that had been lauded by critics and laden with theater awards.
The musical, written by British composer Richard Thomas and comedian Stewart Lee, is based on Springer's brash American talk show whose lurid topics ranged from "Honey I'm a Call Girl" to "Bring on the Bisexuals."
The stage hit, starring David Soul of "Starsky and Hutch" fame, was filmed by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
In the show, viewers can watch a diaper fetishist confess all to his true love, catch a tap dance routine by the Ku Klux Klan and see Jesus and the Devil launch into a swearing tirade against each other.
BBC
Booed at Orange Bowl
Ashlee 'Vanilli' Simpson
Ashlee Simpson's Orange Bowl halftime performance was a lemon, according to the 72,000-plus Miami crowd. The 20-year-old singer was soured by a discernible chorus of boos from the audience following a performance of her song "La La."
Simpson was the finale in a trio of halftime performances, following original "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson and country singer Trace Atkins. The camera cut away from Simpson's face once the booing - or perhaps one of Simpson's "hoe-down" dances - began.
But the Walt Disney Co. gave the crowd a reason to cheer, dispensing a theme park ticket to every fan in attendance. The giveaway, a promotion that could cost as much as $4.3 million if all the tickets are used, is in honor of the 50th anniversary of its Disneyland park in California.
Ashlee 'Vanilli' Simpson
Killed in '04
53 Journalists
At least 53 journalists were killed while doing their job or for expressing their opinion in 2004, making it the profession's deadliest year in a decade, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Wednesday.
Iraq was the world's most dangerous country for journalists, with 19 reporters and 12 media assistants being killed there during the year, RSF said.
RSF said exposing corruption and reporting on organized crime was the next main reason for journalists to be killed.
Worldwide, at least 907 journalists were arrested in 2004, while 1,146 were attacked or threatened, RSF said. The record worsened compared to 2003, when 40 reporters were killed and 766 arrested.
53 Journalists
Facing Reality with 'Rock Star' Contest
INXS
When a famous band loses a crucial member, should it replace that person? And is it a good idea to do so on TV?
Australian rock group INXS will find out when it searches for a new lead singer on the reality series tentatively titled "Rock Star," which CBS will air in mid-2005. The band's members, the show's viewers and judges will decide the winner.
Michael Hutchence, INXS' original lead singer, died by his own hand in a Sydney hotel room in 1997. In subsequent years, the band had guest singers (Jimmy Barnes and Terence Trent D'Arby) and an unsuccessful stint with a "permanent" lead singer, Jon Stevens, who quit in 2003 after just one year with the band.
Auditions for "Rock Star" will begin Jan. 20 in various international cities.
INXS
Colorado Company Rents Elvis Cup
Nutballz
Nutballz, a cookie company founded by a snowboarder, says it has won an eBay auction to borrow a plastic foam cup its owner says was used by Elvis Presley during a 1977 concert.
The cup has already brought a measure of fame to Wade Jones of Belmont, N.C., who says he got the souvenir from a police officer after a show by Presley in Charlotte. The cup came with water.
Nutballz, the maker of cookies free of wheat or refined sugar, plans to use the cup as a drawing card for its Jan. 25 fund-raiser to benefit the University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research, which studies gluten intolerance.
Nutballz
Wisconsin Deputies Capture
Wandering Kangaroo
A kangaroo's frigid walkabout in Iowa County came to an end Wednesday after authorities tracked down the marsupial.
Sheriff's Department dispatcher Jim Harrington said deputies corralled the kangaroo in a barn after a resident spotted the brownish-red, 150-pound animal.
Officials from the Henry Vilas Zoo were en route to collect the kangaroo and transport it in a crate to Madison, where they planned to care for the animal.
Zoo director Jim Hubing said the kangaroo, which is native to Australia's bush country where temperatures generally do not drop below the 30s, couldn't survive long in Wisconsin's January temperatures.
Wandering Kangaroo
Unveils Film, TV Nominees
Producers Guild
Five films got the nod Wednesday for the Producers Guild of America's Producer of the Year award -- an honor that has often translated into Oscar Gold.
"Sideways" star Virginia Madsen and "Nip/Tuck" star Julian McMahon announced the five nominees that will vie for the Guild's Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year award: The Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator"; the J.M. Barrie biopic "Finding Neverland"; the computer-animated action adventure "The Incredibles"; the boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" and the quirky road dramedy "Sideways."
The nominees for the David L. Wolper PGA award for Long Form Television are "Angels in America"; "Horatio Hornblower"; "Ike"; "Lion in Winter" and "Something the Lord Made."
Up for the Danny Thomas PGA award for an episodic television comedy are "Arrested Development"; "Curb Your Enthusiasm"; "Scrubs"; "Sex and the City" and "Will and Grace" -- while "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"; "Nip/Tuck"; "Six Feet Under"; "The Sopranos" and "The West Wing" vie for the Norman Felton PGA award for an episodic drama.
In the non-fiction television category, the PGA nominees are "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"; "Inside the Actor's Studio"; "The Amazing Race"; "The Apprentice" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
Nominees for the Variety Television PGA award, the nominees are "Chappelle's Show"; "Saturday Night Live"; "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"; "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The 76th Annual Academy Awards."
Producers Guild
In Memory
H. David Dalquist
H. David Dalquist, creator of the aluminum Bundt pan, the top-selling cake pan in the world, died Sunday of heart failure, his son said. He was 86.
Dalquist's Nordic Ware company has sold more than 50 million of the pans, which he designed in 1950 at the request of members of the Minneapolis Chapter of the Hadassah Society. They had old ceramic cake pans of somewhat similar designs but wanted an aluminum pan. Dalquist created a new shape and added regular folds to make it easier to cut the cake.
The women from the society called the pans "bund pans" because "bund" is German for a gathering of people. Dalquist added a "t" to the end of "bund" and trademarked the name.
For years, the company sold few such pans. Then in 1966, a Texas woman won second place in the Pillsbury Bake-Off for her Tunnel of Fudge Cake made in a Bundt pan. The win prompted a nationwide scramble for the pan.
Nordic Ware sells a variety of pots and pans and other kitchen equipment, but the Bundt pan remains its signature item, with more than 1 million sold each year.
H. David Dalquist
