'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader Comment
Re: Peter Jennings
So much for "liberal" Peter Jennings.
Every now and then I watch one of the big networks' evening newscasts.
CBS, NBC or ABC. I look really closely for signs of bias - either
liberal or conservative. Because, of course, the neocon line is that the
networks are SO liberal it's "disgusting". And supposedly it's really,
really obvious.
Tonight on ABC, Peter Jennings introduced a piece about Walmart and how
so many former workers are suing. The gist of the story is that on a lot
of levels, Walmart - the most successful business in the history of
humankind - is terribly abusive to its workforce. Sexual discrimination
is one talked about problem. They also hire illegals to clean their
stores so as not to pay a good salary to Americans. They also
(allegedly) rig their worker's paychecks so that people working long
hours don't get the overtime they deserve. The report cited many reasons
why people who used to work for Walmart are suing.
That's great ABC aired this report - but when they cut back to pampered
Peter at the front desk - this supposedly obviously liberally biased
Canadian journalist's thoughts on the matter are that "Walmart is a huge
target". Implying that the people who have a beef with how they've been
treated are only suing because Walmart has deep pockets. They know they
can win a lot of money if they sue successfully. Way to go, Peter.
Way to show that liberal bias on your Armani coat sleeve. It's shocking
how you distort the truth in favor of the average working Joe and
Josephina and make the corporations look like unfeeling fascists. Oh,
wait.
Now, I sheepishly admit, I do shop at Walmart. There's not much choice
where I live. And when I shop there, many times I find workers with the
flu. I ask, as they sneeze into my grocery bags, "why aren't you home in
bed?" They say, and I'm not making this up or spicing it up with added
drama, "Oh, I can't do that. Walmart wouldn't let me take more than a
day off - they'd kill me!" I know they were exaggerating. Walmart
wouldn't kill them. But Walmart would probably fire them. Better to
have people cashiering with the flu than have longer lines, I suppose.
Sigh.
A woman who works in the Deli department lost a lot of a finger not too
long ago and she was back at work within 48 hours - afraid she might
lose her job.
Corporate America is sick - and needs to be made well. It needs to find
its soul, its humanity.
The bottom line shouldn't be the only line, should it? If we had a
truly liberally biased press - or even an honest one - we might hear
this sort of question more often.
miamimystic23
Progressive Spirit Blog
Thanks mystic!
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
To boldly go where several people have gone before...
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Took an afternoon trip down to Seal Beach - had lunch at Ruby's out on the end of the pier.
The kid wanted 'Zoo Tycoon' for Christmas, but it didn't happen. We found it the other day at CostCo, and I gave in.
Tonight he was building a zoo with Loch Ness monsters & a couple of yeti. Quite the happy camper.
I'm not needed for day 4 of jury duty!
Tonight, Thursday, CBS opens the night with a RERUN 'Cold Case', followed by a RERUN 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation', then a
FRESH 'without A Trace'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Dave Chappelle and Carmen Electra.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers are Mia Kirshner, Anthony LaPaglia, and Juvenile.
NBC starts the night with a FRESH 'Friends', followed by a FRESH 'Good Morning, Miami', then a FRESH
'Will & Grace', followed by a FRESH 'Scrubs', then a FRESH 'ER' (starts 1 minute before the top of the hour).
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Clint Eastwood and JC.
Scheduled on a FRESH Conan are Ben Stiller, Sarah Ferguson, and Rich Hall.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Eddie Griffin, Joe Theismann, and Loon.
ABC begins the night with a FRESH 'Threat Matrix', followed by a RERUN 'Extreme Makeover', then 'Primetime Thursday'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are Rev. Al Sharpton, Amanda Bynes, and Edgar Winter, with this week's guest co-host Enrique Iglesias.
The WB offers a FRESH 'Steve Harvey's Big Time', followed by a FRESH 'All About The Andersons', then a FRESH
'Jamie Kennedy', followed by a FRESH 'Run Of The House'.
Faux has a FRESH 'Tru Calling', followed by 'Simple Life'.
UPN fills the night with 'WWE Smackdown!'.
A&E has 'American Justice', 'Biography' (Kurt Russell), and the movie 'Unlawful Entry'.
AMC offers the movie 'For Your Eyes Only', followed by the movie 'El Dorado', then the movie 'Hombre'.
BBC -
[6pm] 'BBC World News';
[6:30pm] 'Cash in the Attic' - Gill Last;
[7pm] 'House Invaders' - Kenilworth;
[7:30pm] 'Changing Rooms' - Northumberland;
[8pm] 'House Invaders' - Shelf, Halifax;
[8:30pm] 'House Invaders' - Dudley, West Midland;
[9pm] 'Faking It' - Web Surfer to Wave Surfer;
[10pm] 'Coupling' - The End of the Line;
[10:40pm] 'Wire in the Blood' - Behind the Scenes;
[11pm] 'House Invaders' - Shelf, Halifax;
[11:30pm] 'House Invaders' - Dudley, West Midland;
[12am] 'Faking It' - Web Surfer to Wave Surfer;
[1am] 'Coupling' - The End of the Line;
[1:40am] 'Wire in the Blood' - Behind the Scenes;
[2am] 'House Invaders' - Kenilworth;
[2:30am] 'Changing Rooms' - Northumberland;
[3am] 'Faking It' - Web Surfer to Wave Surfer;
[4am] 'Coupling' - The End of the Line;
[4:40am] 'Wire in the Blood' - Behind the Scenes;
[5am] 'House Invaders' - Shelf, Halifax;
[5:30am] 'House Invaders' - Dudley, West Midland; and
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'West Wing', the movie 'Mulholland Falls', 'Queer Eye', and 'West Wing'.
Comedy Central has 'MAD TV', 'Crank Yankers', 'Insomniac', 'South Park', 'Man Show', and another 'Man Show'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jon Stewart is Sen. Joe Biden.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'Lady By The Sea: The Statue Of Liberty', 'Ellis Island', 'Modern Marvels', and another 'Modern Marvels'.
SciFi has the movie 'Octopus II', followed by the movie 'Dark Waters', then the movie 'The Swarm'.
TCM allows Wednesday's love-fest with Katharine Hepburn and
Spencer Tracy to spill over, then celebrates the currently-overlooked
Margaret O'Brien (who celebrates her
65th birthday today), and follows with a tribute to Neil Simon.
[6am] 'Sea Of Grass' (1947);
[8:15am] 'Keeper Of The Flame' (1942);
[10am] 'Journey For Margaret' (1942);
[11:30am] 'Music For Millions' (1944);
[1:30pm] 'The Canterville Ghost' (1944);
[3:30pm] 'Three Wise Fools' (1946);
[5:30pm] 'Our Vines Have Tender Grapes' (1945);
[8pm] 'Seems Like Old Times' (1980);
[10pm] 'The Goodbye Girl' (1977);
[12am] 'Murder by Death' (1976);
[2am] 'The Cheap Detective' (1978);
[4am] 'After The Fox' (1966) (AKA: 'Caccia alla volpe' ) . (ALL TIMES EST)
Actress Charlize Theron (L) and actor Gary Sinise arrive at the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures 2003 annual awards gala, January 13, 2004 in New York. Theron starred in the film 'Monster' and was presented the award for Breakthrough Performance by an actress by Sinise.
Photo by Jeff Christensen
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Writes Kids' Book
James Carville
James Carville is writing a children's book: Lu and the Swamp, based on a true story about his mother, which Simon & Schuster will publish this fall.
"What guy is lucky enough to write a book about his mother's childhood?" said the political consultant. "She was a strong little girl, and now that I have two little girls of my own, I want to share one of my mama's stories with them and with other children across America."
Carville's mother, Lucille, grew up in rural Louisiana during the Great Depression. Patricia McKissack, an award-winning children's writer whose works include Color Me Dark and A Picture of Freedom, will co-write the book.
James Carville
Reports on Iraq 'Powder Keg'
Sean Penn
Actor Sean Penn's byline as a foreign correspondent appeared on Wednesday in the San Francisco Chronicle, with the Hollywood bad boy warning in a lengthy personal account of his November tour in Iraq that the occupation by U.S. forces there "could ignite a powder keg."
Despite Penn's strained relations with journalists, the Chronicle provided a press credential for the Oscar-nominated actor, who had visited Iraq in December 2002 and had in October 2002 used an advertisement in the Washington Post to urge the Bush administration to avoid war.
"I beg you, help save America before yours is a legacy of shame and horror," Penn wrote in the advertisement, an open letter to resident Bush.
Sean Penn
Mao Xinyu, grandson of the late chairman Mao Zedong, holds the book he wrote entitled 'Grandfather Mao Zedong' during an interview with Reuters in Beijing in this December 31, 2003 file photo. Mao Xinyu wrote the book to mark the 110th anniversary of Mao Zedong's birthday on December 26.
Photo by Guang Niu
Nightly Talk Show
John McEnroe
Former tennis great John McEnroe — who's done his share of shouting in the past — will join the world of television talk this spring with a prime-time topical show on CNBC.
The network said Wednesday McEnroe's show will air at 10 p.m. EST, directly after comedian Dennis Miller's talk show, which premieres later this month.
Struggling CNBC, whose fortunes as a network nose-dived about the same time as the stock market, is trying to revive its prime time. CNBC runs business-oriented programming during the day but seeks a wider audience at night.
It hasn't had a signature nighttime program since Geraldo Rivera left for Fox News Channel in 2001.
John McEnroe
Spruces Up 'Queer Eye' Soundtrack
Duran Duran
The first new Duran Duran song borne out of the original lineup's long awaited reunion will appear on the upcoming soundtrack to the hit Bravo show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
The set is due Feb. 10 via Capitol Records. In addition to the unsigned Duran Duran's "Sunrise," the soundtrack will also feature remixes of Sting's "Never Coming Home" and Elton John's "Are You Ready for Love."
The album will be the first in a series of releases from Capitol and "Queer Eye" producers Scout Productions, with future installments tipped to focus on "show-related theme records."
Duran Duran
Spending $100 Per Iowa Voter on TV Ads
Democrats
Whether or not it pays to advertise, the leading Democratic presidential candidates have spent more than $21 million to flood the airwaves with ads in Iowa and other early primary states, a study released on Wednesday said.
The money bought more than 40,000 television ads in 10 states this political season, with $6.2 million of the $21 million spent in the first nine days of January ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses and the Jan. 27 New Hampshire primary, the Wisconsin Advertising Project said.
Democrats
UPDATED FOR 2004!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Believes in 'Sanctity' of Marriage, Blames Vegas
Britney Spears
Britney Spears says the excitement of Las Vegas is partly to blame for her recent 55-hour marriage to her childhood friend, Jason Alexander.
"I do believe in the sanctity of marriage, I totally do," Spears told MTV's "Total Request Live" in a telephone interview Wednesday. "(But) I was in Vegas, and it took over me."
Britney Spears
This 1795-1805 painting by William Blake called 'The Good and Evil Angels Struggling for Possession of a Child,' was released by Sotheby's auction house Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2004, in New York. The painting is part of an auction this spring at Sotheby's of 44 works from a charitable foundation created by philanthropist Betsey Whitney.
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NBC Plans to Start Early
Fall Schedule
NBC said Wednesday it will premiere many of its new fall shows three weeks early this year when the Summer Olympics end — the same week as the Republican National Convention.
The early start aims to take advantage of the promotional opportunity afforded by the Olympics, which end Aug. 29, with the convention not a consideration, said Jeff Zucker, president of the NBC entertainment, news and cable group.
The convention in New York begins on Aug. 30.
The days of broadcast networks devoting all of their prime-time schedules to convention coverage are long gone. NBC News hasn't announced its coverage plans yet, but it's likely to be similar to 2000, with a one-hour prime-time wrap-up of convention highlights each night. (More lengthy convention coverage will be provided by cable outlets Fox News Channel, CNN, C-SPAN and the NBC-owned MSNBC and CNBC.)
Fall Schedule
To Debut On 2,000 Screens
'The Passion of Christ'
Mel Gibson's controversial new film, "The Passion of Christ," which at first had a hard time finding a distributor, will be independently released on about 2,000 screens in the United States next month, a Gibson spokesman said on Wednesday.
A release on 2,000 screens is similar to what a major studio release would receive.
Independent films normally start in small releases in only a few theaters. As their popularity grows, the distributor will place the film in hundreds of theaters around the country.
'The Passion of Christ'
To Attend Lake Placid Festival
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese, director of films such as "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas," will leave New York City's mean streets for serene Lake Placid in June.
Scorsese, 61, has agreed to participate in the fifth annual Lake Placid Film Festival, which will be held June 2-6.
Scorsese's involvement should help the festival rebound from a year that was a critical success, but a financial failure. Suffering from a lack of corporate sponsorships, the 2003 event operated on a shoestring budget and ran up a sizable deficit.
Martin Scorsese
Lake Placid Film Festival
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Pleads Innocent
Jack White
White Stripes lead singer Jack White, who's accused of repeatedly punching the lead singer of another band in the face, pleaded innocent Wednesday to a misdemeanor aggravated assault charge and was ordered to stand trial on March 9.
The Dec. 13 fight between White and Von Bondies lead singer Jason Stollsteimer began shortly before midnight at the Majestic Theater Center, where both men were in the audience for another concert.
Jack White
American Airlines pilot Dale Robun Hirsch raises his middle finger while he was being photographed by Brazilian immigration officers upon his arrival at Sao Paulo international Airport January 14, 2003. Hirsch was arrested after making the gesture police said. Hirsch raised his middle finger at police to protest recently introduced Brazilian security measures that require U.S. citizens to be fingerprinted and photographed upon entering the South American country.
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Radiohead, Pixies, Kraftwerk Set
Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
Radiohead, the reunited Pixies and pioneering German rock act Kraftwerk will perform on the first day of the fifth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (May 1-2) in Indio, Calif., organizers said Wednesday.
The lineup will also feature Air, Prefuse 73, the Thrills, Electric Six, Sahara Hotnights and the (International) Noise Conspiracy.
Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
Les Moonves In The News
David Letterman
David Letterman has a bone to pick with CBS.
Especially after the Tiffany network hyped his popular NBC rival Jay Leno for the People's Choice Awards over their own late night star on the company Website.
Letterman blasted CBS big time for the embarassing gaffe in his opening monologue on Monday night's show, jokingly ranting about the lack of support his show received from the network despite being nominated in the category of Best Talk Show.
"I want a call from someone at CBS - not a stooge. I don't want a stooge calling me. I want, like, a big deal person, a high-powered person to call me up," added the talk show host. "Apologize, beg for my forgiveness and pretend that you fired the person responsible."
Just a short time later during the taping, Letterman received a mea culpa call from CBS president Leslie Moonves, which he patched in for all to hear.
David Letterman
Calls Moonves 'Overrated'
Donald Trump
If CBS boss Leslie Moonves were a contestant on "The Apprentice," Donald Trump would give him the boot.
The real estate mogul — and NBC personality — used an appearance Wednesday on behalf of his NBC reality show to lay bare his feud with Moonves. Trump called him "the most highly overrated person in television."
"If Leslie Moonves was a contestant on our show, he would have been fired by the third episode," Trump said. "And, unlike most people, I like Les Moonves."
The feud's root, predictably, is a business deal gone bad: Trump owns the Miss Universe Organization, and he recently took the company's three pageants, Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, to NBC after a long association with CBS — which said they were canceled because of lousy ratings.
Donald Trump
Some Papers Won't Carry
'USA Weekend'
The New York Daily News and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale are among the newspapers choosing not to run this Sunday's USA Weekend after the magazine's editors revealed that a racial epithet had been inadvertently embedded into the background of an illustration.
Those papers are among 327 dailies contracted to carry USA Weekend that received copies of the insert with the word "nigger" mistakenly placed in a background illustration for a freelance story. The magazine is distributed in 598 newspapers.
The racial slur was discovered while the magazine, with a circulation of 23.7 million, was being printed, according to USA Weekend Editor Marcia Bullard. Printing was halted and the offending words were removed from the illustration in about 43% of the copies. Due to the production schedule, 327 newspapers received issues with the offending language.
'USA Weekend'
Found in Egyptian Tomb
Lion Mummy
For the first time, archaeologists have discovered a preserved lion skeleton in an ancient Egyptian tomb, demonstrating the exalted reputation enjoyed by the king of beasts more than 3,000 years ago.
A research team led by French archaeologist Alain Zivie found the lion's remains in 2001 as they excavated the tomb of Maia, wet nurse to Tutankhamun, or King Tut, the "boy king" popular with museum visitors today for his opulent gold funeral relics.
Inscriptions in ancient Egypt mention the breeding and burial of lions, but no lion remains previously had been found, said Zivie, who is with the French Archaeological Mission of the Bubasteion.
The complete and undisturbed lion skeleton was found in an area of the tomb dedicated to the cat goddess Bastet. The section also contained vast quantities of bones of humans and animals, including many cats.
Lion Mummy
In Memory
Erle Jolson Krasna
Erle Jolson Krasna, the widow of singer Al Jolson and later of screenwriter and producer Norman Krasna, died Sunday of cancer. She was 81.
Krasna met Jolson at a hospital in Hot Springs, Ark. She moved to Los Angeles and appeared in several minor film roles before marrying him in 1945. She controlled Jolson's recordings after his death in 1950.
She married Academy Award-winning writer Norman Krasna in 1951, and the couple lived in Switzerland for 20 years before he died in 1984.
Erle Jolson Krasna
In Memory
Arne Naess
Billionaire Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Naess plunged to his death from a cliff face as he tried to descend a mountain in South Africa in thick mist, a search and rescue spokesman told AFP.
Naess, 66, a former husband of pop diva Diana Ross, set out to climb a ridge on a farm outside the wine producing town of Franschoek, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Cape Town early on Tuesday morning, said Wilderness Search and Rescue spokesman Kevin Tromp.
Naess, from Oslo, was born in Germany in 1937. He was a very experienced climber, having summited some of the world's tallest peaks.
He divorced Ross in May 1999 after 13 years of marriage. The couple had two children.
Naess leaves seven children, including two with his current partner, Camilla Astrup of Norway.
Arne Naess
The Dublin Zoo's female Brazilian Tapir baby takes some exercise, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2004. The calf was born on Dec. 19, and is the twelfth offspring of mother Harriet. Found in low lying forests, Brazilian Tapirs give birth to a single young after a 13 month gestation period, with the animals loosing their distinctive striped pattern - which acts as camouflage on the forest floor - after around a year. The baby has not yet been officially named.
Photo by Haydn West
'The Osbournes'
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