'Best of TBH Politoons'
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Marjorie Cohn: Military Hides Cause of Women Soldiers' Deaths (truthout.org)
Last week, Col. Janis Karpinski told a panel of judges at the Commission of Inquiry for Crimes against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration in New York that several women had died of dehydration because they refused to drink liquids late in the day. They were afraid of being assaulted or even raped by male soldiers if they had to use the women's latrine after dark.
Jonathan Alter: The Political Power of Truth (Newsweek)
...Bush told a Buffalo audience: "Any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires-a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so." This statement was false, and Bush knew it when he said it. The president lied in Buffalo, just as surely as Bill Clinton lied when he said: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." Of course, Bush's Buffalo lie got a tiny fraction of the airplay of Clinton's Lewinsky lieŠ
Paul Krugman: A False Balance (The New York Times)
But the tribes were already giving money to Democrats before Mr. Abramoff entered the picture; he persuaded them to reduce those Democratic donations, while giving much more money to Republicans. A study commissioned by The American Prospect shows that the tribes' donations to Democrats fell by 9 percent after they hired Mr. Abramoff, while their contributions to Republicans more than doubled.
The Cloture 19 Database (makethemaccountable.com)
Below are the 19 Democrats who voted for cloture ..., thereby helping to stop the filibuster.
Josh Harkinson: Eaten Alive (houstonpress.com)
Rent-to-own stores, pawnshops, payday lenders -- it's hope for sale, with interest
Josh Harkinson: Costly Advances (houstonpress.com)
Payday lenders take care of you till your check comes in, and for a long time after
MARTHA C. NUSSBAUM: The Moral Status of Animals (chronicle.com)
In 55 BC, the Roman leader Pompey staged a combat between humans and elephants. Surrounded in the arena, the animals perceived that they had no hope of escape. According to Pliny, they then "entreated the crowd, trying to win its compassion with indescribable gestures, bewailing their plight with a sort of lamentation." The audience, moved to pity and anger by their plight, rose to curse Pompey - feeling, wrote Cicero, that the elephants had a relation of commonality (societas) with the human race.
Mark Morford: The Real State Of The Union (sfgate.com)
My fellow Americans, we're not as royally screwed as everything Bush has done during his miserable term in office would have you believe.
Quiz: How Much Do You Know about Fitness? (thirdage.com)
Besides the fact that doing regular exercise can improve the quality of your sex life, the National Institutes of Health calls exercise "the most effective anti-aging pill ever discovered." And did you know that exercise always lifts your mood by releasing feel-good endorphins, the body's natural painkillers?
Mikhaela B. Reid: Talking Doll (Cartoon)
Hubert's Poetry Corner
Zealously Errant Rodent Oligarchy
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny & warmer.
Godot, the plumber, was a couple of hours late, but he got the bathtub project done.
Now, we wait for his next visit, and dream of the kitchen sink returning to a fully smurfy status.
Rather liked this - Raising Awareness about Human-Animal Hybrids.
If you didn't see it, here's Keith Olbermann Reaming O'Reilly, Again
And, it's officially Groundhog Day at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, PA (or as dear old Dad would say, 'down in Punxsy').
No new flags.
Tours Pakistan Quake Zone
Lucy Liu
Hollywood star Lucy Liu met young survivors in earthquake-devastated northern Pakistan, officials and witnesses said.
Wearing a traditional black and yellow tunic and headscarf, the "Kill Bill" actress visited a makeshift school in the town of Balakot, which was flattened by the October 8 disaster, witnesses said.
Liu was in Pakistan with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as aid efforts continue nearly four months after the earthquake, which killed 73,000 people, many of them children.
Lucy Liu
Jumps to CNN
John Roberts
Veteran CBS White House correspondent John Roberts, snubbed by his network during the long search for Dan Rather's successor, has jumped to CNN.
As a senior national correspondent based in Washington, Roberts will report for various CNN newscasts throughout the day, said Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S., on Wednesday. He starts on Feb. 20.
Roberts, 49, has been CBS News' chief White House correspondent for six years, and anchored the Sunday edition of the "CBS Evening News" for more than 10 years.
He was widely considered the top internal choice to succeed Dan Rather, who stepped down as evening news anchor last March. But as the months went on without CBS announcing a successor, and with patron CBS News President Andrew Heyward being forced out of his job, it became clear Roberts wasn't a favorite of CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves.
John Roberts
Draws Record A&E Audience
'Flight 93'
A television movie about one of the doomed Sept. 11 airplanes was A&E's most-watched program ever, a sign that audiences may be ready for a coming spate of movie and TV projects dramatizing the terrorism of five years ago.
"Flight 93," about the hijacking of the United Airlines plane and passengers' efforts to retake it, drew 5.9 million viewers when it premiered Monday, the cable channel said.
It was the most-watched A&E program since the channel launched in 1984.
'Flight 93'
Takes Six-Week Break
'Commander in Chief'
"Commander in Chief" is going on a six-week hiatus, making way for a new comedy from "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels as part of ABC's midseason schedule makeover.
The White House drama, which brought Geena Davis a Golden Globe last month for her portrayal of the president, will air through Feb. 28. It will be replaced in its 9-10 p.m. EST Tuesday slot March 7 by the sitcom "Sons & Daughters."
ABC will air back-to-back episodes of the half-hour show during its run. The comedy's ensemble cast includes Fred Goss, who's also an executive producer, Max Gail and Dee Wallace.
'Commander in Chief'
Guesting On 'Law & Order: SVU'
Connie Nielsen
Connie Nielsen will guest-star in six episodes of "Law & Order: SVU" while series star Mariska Hargitay is on maternity leave later this year.
Nielsen will play an NYPD detective on temporary assignment to the sex crimes unit that the NBC drama revolves around, while Hargitay's character, Detective Olivia Benson, is working on a special assignment. Dick Wolf, co-creator and executive producer of "Law & Order: SVU," said Nielsen was expected to begin shooting her first episodes sometime next month.
Connie Nielsen
Cancels Remaining Performances With Vienna Opera
Seiji Ozawa
Seiji Ozawa has cancelled his remaining performances with the Vienna State Opera this season after being hospitalized with a bronchial infection and shingles that affected his vision.
Ozawa, 70, is in his fourth season as music director of the Vienna State Opera in Austria. He is music director laureate of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he was music director for 29 seasons before stepping down at the end of the 2001-02 season.
He did not appear as scheduled last Friday in the premiere of a new production in Vienna of Mozart's Idomeneo on the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth.
Seiji Ozawa
Closing After 40 Years
Oakland Ballet
The Oakland Ballet said Tuesday that it is closing after four decades because of an ongoing ticket slump and the loss of its performance space.
The decision to close was made at a Jan. 26 meeting. The ballet's seven employees were told of the closure Monday and dancers were being told on Tuesday.
Oakland announced in December it is closing the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center. The center is home of the Calvin Simmons Theater, where the ballet performs.
Oakland Ballet
Ending PA Rock Festival
Rolling Rock
Rolling Rock beer is ending its Rolling Rock Town Fair, a one-day music festival that drew large rock acts to western Pennsylvania since 2000. Instead, the brewer is teaming up with Little Steven Van Zandt for a series of shows nationwide to be called "Garage Rock."
The company also plans to donate a portion of sales from nearly 1 million cases of beer to Van Zandt's music foundation.
Beginning in August or September, Rolling Rock will sponsor 30 shows. Tentatively, they will take place in or near New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Seattle.
Rolling Rock
In Court on Drug Charge
Boy George
The pop singer Boy George appeared briefly in criminal court in Manhattan on Wednesday to answer charges related to his October drug possession arrest.
Following a brief meeting at the bench between the singer's lawyer, Lewis Freeman, and prosecutor Craig Ortner, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Anthony Ferrara postponed the case to March 8.
Boy George, whose birth name is George O'Dowd, wore a long black wool coat, black slacks, a black shirt and gray sneakers with white stripes, and sported a buzz-cut hairstyle and a large blue Star of David tattoo across his forehead.
Boy George
Sirius Canada Adds
Howard Stern
Sirius Canada has confirmed that controversial U.S. radio host Howard Stern will be included as part of the company's 100-channel lineup. Stern debuted on Sirius in the U.S. on Jan. 9 but was not initially included in the Canadian lineup. Sirius Canada launched its subscription service in early December.
In Canada, Stern will be heard on Howard One, but a second channel the shock jock programs with other on-air personalities will not be available here.
Howard Stern
Stops Sending Telegrams
Western Union
After 145 years, Western Union has quietly stopped sending telegrams.
On the company's web site, if you click on "Telegrams" in the left-side navigation bar, you're taken to a page that ends a technological era with about as little fanfare as possible:
"Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union will discontinue all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you for your loyal patronage. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a customer service representative."
Western Union
Papers Republish
Controversial Cartoons
French and German newspapers republished caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad on Wednesday in what they called a defense of freedom of expression, sparking fresh anger from Muslims.
The drawings have divided opinion within Europe and the Middle East since a Danish newspaper first printed them in September. Islamic tradition bars any depiction of the prophet to prevent idolatry.
The front page of the daily France Soir on Wednesday carried the headline "Yes, We Have the Right to Caricature God" along with a cartoon of Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian gods floating on a cloud. Inside, the paper reran the Danish drawings.
Germany's Die Welt daily printed one of the drawings on its front page, arguing that a "right to blasphemy" was anchored in democratic freedoms. The Berliner Zeitung daily printed two of the caricatures as part of its coverage of the controversy.
Controversial Cartoons
Jyllands Posten Muhammed Cartoons
(all the cartoons)
Held Stolen Paintings
Robert M. Mardirosian
A retired Massachusetts lawyer says he secretly held seven stolen paintings, including a Paul Cezanne still-life worth millions of dollars, for 28 years because he wanted a 10 percent finder's fee.
The paintings, including Cezanne's "Bouteille et Fruits," had been stolen from a collector's home in the Berkshires in 1978.
Robert M. Mardirosian, the retired lawyer, said the work was left in a bag in his attic by a client he was representing in another case.
When Mardirosian said he discovered the paintings in 1979, the alleged thief, David Colvin, had been shot to death by two men seeking to collect on a debt. The lawyer said he considered returning the works to their owner, Michael Bakwin of Stockbridge, but changed his mind when he discovered that none of the art had been insured.
Robert M. Mardirosian
EchoStar & Lifetime Resolve Dispute
Dish Network
Two Lifetime network channels were back on the satellite television Dish Network Wednesday after their parent companies settled a month-long programming dispute that triggered protests from women's groups.
EchoStar Communications Corp. and Lifetime Entertainment Services had been at odds over the programming fees EchoStar pays to carry the channels on its Dish network.
The two companies announced a multiyear agreement Wednesday, a day after the cable channels were returned to the Dish Network. Details about the fees were not released, but EchoStar previously said Lifetime asked for a 76 percent rate increase while Lifetime said the proposal equaled about 4 cents per subscriber per month.
Dish Network
Basic Cable Networks
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on basic cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Jan. 23-29. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses.
1. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 4.07 million homes, 5.61 million viewers.
2. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 4.07 million homes, 5.64 million viewers.
3. "Monk" (Friday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.79 million homes, 5.35 million viewers.
4. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.47 million homes, 4.83 million viewers.
5. "Fairly Odd Parents" (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.14 million homes, 4.21 million viewers.
6. "Fairly Odd Parents" (Saturday, 10:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.08 million homes, 4.25 million viewers.
7. Movie: "Forrest Gump" (Sunday, 5 p.m.), TNT, 2.99 million homes, 4.23 million viewers.
8. "Fairly Odd Parents" (Sunday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.98 million homes, 3.86 million viewers.
9. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.96 million homes, 4.09 million viewers.
10. "Fun Without Football" (Sunday, 4 p.m.), TBS, 2.92 million homes, 3.77 million viewers.
11. Movie: "High School Musical" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 2.92 million homes, 3.69 million viewers.
12. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.91 million homes, 4.03 million viewers.
13. Movie: "The Princess Diaries" (Friday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 2.86 million homes, 4.44 million viewers.
14. "Zoey 101" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.78 million homes, 3.7 million viewers.
15. "Drake & Josh" (Friday, 5:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.73 million homes, 3.84 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Moira Shearer
Moira Shearer, a British ballerina who rose to worldwide prominence with the lead role in the 1948 film "The Red Shoes," has died, her husband said Wednesday. She was 80.
Shearer died Tuesday at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, said her husband, journalist and broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy, whom she married in 1950. Kennedy said she became weak after her birthday last month but he did not reveal the cause of death.
Shearer, born in Dunfermline, Scotland, became principal dancer at London's Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet in 1942 and won her first major role in 1946, playing the lead in "Sleeping Beauty" at the Royal Opera House.
But it was as the young ballerina Victoria Page in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's film "The Red Shoes" that the stunning redhead caught the world's attention.
The size three satin pointe shoes Shearer wore in the film sold for $25,000 at auction in London in 2000.
Though she took roles in later films - including Pressburger's "The Tales of Hoffmann" in 1951 and Powell's 1960 thriller, "Peeping Tom" - Shearer remained ambivalent toward the medium, preferring to focus on dance.
Shearer, who became Lady Kennedy after her husband was knighted, is also survived by her four children. Funeral arrangements and a memorial service were pending.
Moira Shearer
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