'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Weekly Review
HARPER'S WEEKLY REVIEW
April 22, 2003
Chaos ruled Baghdad for a second week; much of the city, already without
water, food, electricity, a stable currency, or a governing body, was on
fire, though the rampant looting that defined the country's first days of
liberation abated when there was nothing left to loot. Iraqis exercised
their newfound freedom to complain, with tens of thousands publicly
protesting their conditions and the possibility of a long-term American
occupation.
U.S. officials insisted they were not interested in occupying
Iraq, but expected to retain four military bases there to be used for
future crises.
The White House was said to regard Syria, Cuba, and Libya
as members of a "junior varsity axis of evil," but although the
administration repeated accusations that Syria was providing sanctuary to
Iraqi fugitives, Colin Powell assured the world that Washington has no war
plan "right now" to address that country's disobedience.
Another
administration official worried about wasting an opportunity in the Middle
East: "We have to make it clear that we didn't just come to get rid of
Saddam. We came to get rid of the status quo."
Some
looters were surrendering stolen goods after learning that a cleric issued
an edict forbidding Iraqi wives from having sex with their looter
husbands.
The Ministry for Religious Affairs was set on fire, destroying
thousands of Korans, some a thousand years old. "When Baghdad fell to the
Mongols in 1258, these books survived," said a ministry official. "If you
talk to any intellectual Muslims in the world, they are crying right now."
A poll found that most Americans believe that the war against Iraq will
have been worthwhile even if weapons of mass destruction are never found
and Saddam Hussein is never captured or killed.
Abu Abbas, the leader of
the Palestinian terrorist group responsible for the 1985 attack on the
Achille Lauro cruise ship, was captured in Baghdad, demonstrating to the
White House a "nexus" between Saddam Hussein's government and terrorism.
Marines
stationed outside Tikrit were eating fresh gazelle from Saddam Hussein's
personal hunting preserve. For fear that gunshots in the woods might be
mistaken for enemy fire, "We hunted them with rocks, as Stone Age as that
sounds," said one soldier. "We gutted them and skinned them and pretty
much carried them over our shoulders barbarian-style."
Pizza Hut and Burger King set up their first Iraqi franchises, on a
British military base near Basra. Cameroon made it illegal for restaurants
to serve gorilla.
The Bechtel Corporation, whose chairman advises
President Bush on international-trade issues and whose senior vice
president advises Donald Rumsfeld on defense policy, won the first major
Iraq reconstruction project, with a value of up to $680 million.
--Margaret Cordi
Continued at www.harpers.org/weekly-review
(Roger D. Hodge is on vacation.)
Alex's Entertainment Report
'Ari'
Marty,
If you can read the whole thinking without hurling, it's pretty funny:
------------------------------
Fans Fawn Over Fleischer
A new national sex symbol is emerging from an unlikely source: Washington, D.C.
"You are so damned hot... And smart, too! I ... am enthralled by your ... adorably handsome appearance."
"I believe he is the first bald man I have ever been attracted to!!!"
No, these are not accolades for Bruce Willis, rather excerpts from fan mail to White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer posted on the Web. Not since the heady days of mini Adonis George Stephanopoulos has a presidential spinmeister received such attention from the ladies.
"My friend and I have our own 'club' for Ari and are big fans!" wrote two girls from Washington State on
Ari Fan Club, one of several sites devoted to Fleischer. "He is just very comforting and ... nice. He is so eloquent and trustable! We are definitely fans of Ari! ... We're two teenage girls with a political icon crush! Strange? Yes! But he's a cool guy!"
The site, which features a decidedly pro-White House, anti-Susan Sarandon sentiment, includes a tribute page to Fleischer, which blasts "My Country 'Tis of Thee" while a Web surfer can meditate on a photograph of a curly-locked young Ari.
The site's Webmaster, Benjamin Marino of Philadelphia, said that the key to Fleischer's popularity with the womenfolk lies in his confident demeanor.
"To us, he encompasses suavity," Marino told Fox. "As far as his popularity with women goes, Ari has what all women want — complete confidence. Everything on top of that is just extra."
Of course in addition to his looks, many Fleischer fans, including Marino, also appreciate his ability at answering persistent reporters, such as Helen Thomas.
"Gifted in his rhetoric and wit, he can fend off even the most arrogant and skilled interrogators," said Marino.
But women who hold onto fantasies of being swept away by their bald-headed Prince Ari will have to keep on dreaming: Alas, Fleischer, 42, married 26-year-old Rebecca Davis in late 2002.
Another Ari fan site, Ari Fleischer Rules, has a guestbook with comments such as "Ari Ari Ari ... HOT! HOT! HOT!" and "At long last, I finally found sane people who realize the amazingness [sic] of this sexy beast of a man."
Fans Fawn Over Fleischer
Jeez - Thanks, Alex!
And some people say Faux has no real news.
OTOH, it seems Benjie Marino has more than a bit of a crush on Ari.; )
Reader Comment
Re: Felice Bryant
Sharon showed me the article in the paper about Felice Bryant's death Tuesday.
She and her husband Boudleaux wrote most of the songs that launched the Everly Brothers' career -- Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, Bird Dog, Problems, All I Have to Do is Dream, Devoted to You, & Take a Message to Mary -- all list one or both Bryants in the credits in my vinyl archive.
Their influence on the music of pre- and postwar (WW-II) generations was huge. I rank them alongside Buddy Holly and Elvis as people most responsible for getting rock-and-roll into mainstream America. There were blacks who created boogie before them establishing the beat, but the Bryants' songs as interpreted by the Everlys are a huge piece of the foundation underneath most other groups that followed.
Without them rock music would have been very different. I'm saddened by her passing. She was a Matron Saint of our music.
Ray
Thanks, Ray!
The very first 45 (rpm) record (with the big hole in the middle) was 'Wake Up, Little Susie' on the A side & 'Bye, Bye Love' on the B, by the Everly Brothers. Up til then, my records were all 78's.
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, windy & cool.
In the last 3 weeks set over 3000 lady bugs loose in the yard - couldn't find a single one today.
Was a great day to 'go to the shore' (as we used to say), so we took a drive down to Seal Beach, went out on the pier. Love to visit tourist places off season.
Tonight, Thursday, CBS is supposed to open the evening with a FRESH 'Survivor: The Amazon', followed by a
FRESH 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' (featuring comedians), and then a FRESH 'Without A Trace'.
On a RERUN Dave (from 4/8/03), are Adam Sandler and the Folksmen.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers is an all-star drum performance from the film "Drumline".
NBC is supposed to start the night with a FRESH 'Friends', followed by a RERUN 'Friends', then a
FRESH 'Will & Grace' (with Madonna guesting), followed by a sorta-kinda FRESH 'Will & Grace' (a compilation show), then a FRESH 'ER'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Sandra Bullock and Fleetwood Mac.
Scheduled on a FRESH Conan are Matt Dillon, Mariska Hargitay, and the White Stripes.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Taye Diggs, Poppy Montgomery, and Gavin DeGraw.
ABC is supposed to begin the night with a FRESH 'Whose Line?', followed by another FRESH 'Whose Line?', then a
FRESH 'All American Girl', followed by 'PrimeTime Thursday', where Diane Sawyer makes the Dixie Chicks cry.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sarah Kozer, and this week's guest co-host Jamie Kennedy.
The WB offers the Season (Series?) Finale of 'Sabrina', followed by a FRESH 'Jamie Kennedy', and then
a RERUN 'Jamie Kennedy'.
Faux has another heart-warming family 'special' - 'Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies'.
UPN fills the night with 'WWE Smackdown!'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Turkish pilgrims flock to a Greek Orthodox monastery, many tying pieces of white and red cloth to trees, on the island of Buyukada in metropolitan Istanbul, to ask favors from St. George, Wednesday, April 23, 2003. Every year, thousands of Muslims and Christians flock to the island to celebrate the popular saint's day.
Photo by Osman Orsal
Fire Back at Critics
Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks' lead singer Natalie Maines says she spoke against resident Bush and war with Iraq last month out of frustration and regrets her choice of words, but she makes no apologies for thinking critically.
"I'm not truly embarrassed that, you know, resident Bush is from my state, that's not really what I care about," Maines says in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer for "Primetime Thursday," airing 10 p.m. EDT Thursday. "It was the wrong wording with genuine emotion and questions and concern behind it. ... Am I sorry that I asked questions and that I just don't follow? No."
Maines and the Texas-based trio's other members — Emily Robison and Martie Maguire, who are sisters — also tell Sawyer the fallout was too harsh for the offense and they've always supported U.S. troops even though they questioned the war.
"We know some of our fans were shocked and ... and upset, and we are compassionate to that," Maguire said. "My problem is, when does it cross the line? ... When is writing a threatening letter OK?"
After Maines' remarks, radio stations (i.e. Clear Channel) began boycotting the Dixie Chicks, even though she publicly apologized for her statement in London.
Dixie Chicks
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Judge Orders Books Back On Shelves
Harry Potter
A federal judge ordered Harry Potter books back onto an Arkansas school district's library shelves Tuesday, rejecting a school board's claim that tales of wizards and spells could harm school children.
Ruling in favor of a fourth-grader's parents, U.S. District Judge Jimm Larry Hendren ordered the Cedarville School District to put the four books in J.K. Rowling's popular series back in general circulation.
The district's board drew wrath from national free-speech groups for its June decision to require students to obtain parental permission to check out the books. The 3-2 decision, which overruled a unanimous decision by the district's library committee, came after a parent complained about the books.
The Harry Potter books have been assailed by some Christian groups for their themes of witchcraft. The American Library Association says the books were the most frequently challenged of 2002, but rarely did those challenges lead to restrictions or bans.
Harry Potter
Two, six-week-old serval kittens cling to an exercise post at the San Diego Zoo's nursery on Wednesday, April 23, 2003, in San Diego, Calif. The Zoo's infant specialists have been caring for the two male kittens along with their sibling since the beginning of March. They weigh about three pounds. At the moment, the kittens' only job is to play, eat and sleep as much as they can while they grow. Their future roles once they're grown will be as ambassadors to their species.
Photo by Ken Bohn
Fellating Friday
Tom Brokaw
NBC's Tom Brokaw has landed the first one-on-one interview with resident Bush since the start of the war with Iraq.
The NBC anchorman will travel with Bush on Air Force One Thursday to two events in the Midwest. It will be broadcast as a one-hour special Friday, with parts of the interview also being seen that night on "NBC Nightly News."
Brokaw will talk to the president about the war, the rebuilding effort, his plans for the economy and a potential re-election campaign.
Tom Brokaw
A Bogus Bunny Story
Stephen King
Steven King (sic) proved over the Easter weekend he's just as weird as some of his stories. Staying with his family at the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park, King became intrigued with a
4-foot-tall chocolate bunny created by hotel pastry chef Laurent Richard. "He said it was looking at him funny." The prolific author decided he wanted the giant rabbit in
his office in Maine for inspiration. The hotel, which charged King about $1,000, is sending the bunny north in a refrigerated container.
Stephen King
Finished Boston Marathon
Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell, known for his antics on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," ran the Boston Marathon with his wife and achieved two goals: He finished in under four hours, and he beat the guy dressed as Elvis.
After saying at the start that he just wanted to finish, Ferrell did better than that with a time of 3 hours, 56 minutes, 12 seconds. The guy dressed as Elvis Presley — actually, a friend of Ferrell's named Bob Babbitt — came in at 4:28:33.
There were no jokes along the route, reported 1968 marathon winner Amby Burfoot, who ran near the 35-year-old actor-comedian.
"He was completely serious," said Burfoot, who runs every fifth anniversary of his victory. "His coach had him on a short tether. They had something left at the end. It's great to see celebrities come into the race and treat it seriously."
Will Ferrell
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Pick Favorite Adventure Books
Writers
The authors of "The Perfect Storm," "Ghost Soldiers" and other contemporary adventure stories have chosen the books that moved them most.
Homer's "The Odyssey," Joseph Conrad's "The Heart of Darkness" and Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" were the top choices of a panel commissioned by Book magazine that selected the "50 Greatest Adventure Books of All Times."
Other panel favorites were Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote," Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe." Works ranged from children's stories (Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time") to satire (Voltaire's "Candide") to poetry (Samuel Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner").
The full results will appear in Book's May/June issue, which arrives at newsstands Friday.
Writers
Piero Mastroberardino tastes a red wine in the vineyards of ancient Pompeii, April 23, 2003. Some 2,000 years after mount Vesuvius buried it in fire and ash, the ancient city of Pompeii on Wednesday presents a red wine made from its own vineyards. The red wine, called with the evocative name 'Villa dei Misteri,' is produced by Azienda Vitivinicola Mastroberardino, one of most important vineyards in Italy.
Photo by Mario Laporta
Moving Headquarters to NYC
'Star'
Tabloid publisher American Media Inc. will move its second-largest weekly tabloid, The Star, from its headquarters here to New York City.
David Pecker, AMI chairman and president, said the celebrity gossip tabloid will be relaunched with a new design and writing style to take on other celebrity news-gatherers, People, US Weekly and In Touch.
The move means the 60-page Star, with a weekly circulation of about 1.4 million, is returning home. The tabloid was based in New York 30 years ago for 27 years before Pecker moved it to Florida to house AMI's three main tabloids, The Star, The National Enquirer and The Globe, in one location.
The redesigned tabloid should be ready for launch in June.
AMI moved its Boca Raton headquarters after an anthrax attack killed a photo editor in October 2001. The infested, quarantined building was sold last week for $40,000 to a developer who plans to have the building decontaminated and used as commercial office space.
'Star'
No Book
Sharon Bush
Sharon Bush, who finally settled her divorce from President Bush's brother Neil Bush last week, is going back to work. She just accepted a development position with the American Ireland Fund. Her first project
for the organization will be a May 21 dinner party in Houston honoring world-renowned Irish tenor Dr. Ronan Tynan. Sharon will not be writing a tell-all book about her 22 years as part of the world's most powerful
political family. "Prior to the settlement, Sharon had explored many opportunities - including a book deal with New Millennium," says her spokeswoman, Christine Schott. "She was scared. Her husband was leaving her
and his attorney was proposing an unlivable amount of money for her and the children to live on. Although the actual settlement amount has not been disclosed, it is clearly more reasonable than the first. And
fortunately for everyone, she will no longer have to pursue the book option. I know she never really wanted to anyway. She would never do anything to hurt her children."
Sharon Bush
Hurt by Flying Hockey Puck
Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke, the Canadian-born actor best known as a TV dad on the hit comedy "Growing Pains," lost five teeth and required 30 stitches after getting hit with a hockey puck.
"I won't be playing any leading man roles in the next couple of months," Thicke said in a statement issued by spokesman Jerry Digney.
Digney said the 56-year-old Thicke was playing hockey alongside actor Michael Vartan, who plays a CIA agent on the ABC drama "Alias," and was not wearing proper headgear when he took an errant puck to the face.
The spokesman said Thicke, who is working on an updated version of his book "How Men Have Babies," will need extensive dental work and possibly cosmetic surgery to repair the damage.
Alan Thicke
Sues Former Beach Boy
Brother Records
Brother Records Inc. is suing former Beach Boys singer-guitarist Al Jardine for using the band's name when he tours.
The Superior Court lawsuit, filed Monday, claims Jardine is touring under: Beach Boys Family & Friends; Al Jardine, Beach Boy; and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Jan. 28 that Jardine can't use the Beach Boys name, which belongs to Brother Records, a company jointly held by Jardine, Mike Love, Brian Wilson and the estate of Carl Wilson. Love is the sole licensee to perform under the name.
Brother Records
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Divorce In The News
Les & Nancy Moonves
The wife of CBS President and Chief Executive Leslie Moonves has filed for divorce after 24 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
Nancy Moonves, 56, who filed her petition on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, has also hired high-profile divorce attorney Dennis Wasser.
The couple has three children.
Les & Nancy Moonves
Eine Frau trägt am Mittwoch in der indischen Metropole Kalkutta Handfächer zum Markt. Wahrscheinlich werden sie dort reißenden Absatz finden. In Kalkutta herrschen derzeit Temperaturen von 34,8 Grad im Schatten.
Photo by Jayanta Shaw
Not In '90210' Runion
Tori Spelling
Jason Priestley, Luke Perry, Jennie Garth, Gabrielle Carteris and Shannen Doherty are all showing up for the "Beverly Hills 90210: 10-Year High School Reunion" show
airing on Fox May 11. But Tori Spelling, the daughter of series creator Aaron Spelling has taken a pass. "Fox has passed on two of her
TV pilots. They haven't given her a job since '90210' and she is furious. Shannen [Doherty] has a show on FX [owned by Fox parent News Corp.]." But Spelling's manager
Joan Green cried, "That's preposterous. There is no feud. She's just moved on. She's done [with '90210']. She loved her time on the show, but it's over. She loves her dad and they discussed it. He is fine with her decision."
Tori Spelling
Another 15 Minutes?
O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson is preparing for his debut as the star of his own "Osbournes"-esque reality show.
Fort Worth, Texas-based Urban America Television Network said it will distribute a 13-week series about the former football great -- who was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1995 -- to its 75 independent broadcast TV station affiliates starting in June.
The series will chronicle Simpson's daily life in Miami using footage collected over several months of filming in 2001 and 2002.
O.J. Simpson
Site Hacked
Madonna
Madonna's campaign against music file-sharers backfired the other day when a hacker posted her new album online for free. Last week, she flooded file-sharing networks with "decoy" cuts from "American Life." The downloads turned
out to be a loop of Madonna barking, "What the [bleep] do you think you're doing?" On Saturday, someone hacked into her Web site, madonna.com, and under the legend "This is what the [bleep] I think I'm doing . . ." posted MP3 files
of every track from "American Life." Before the site was taken offline, over 1,000 people snagged the free tracks. "People have the ability to do things like this now, but an artist has a right to try and protect her music also,"
says Madonna's rep, Liz Rosenberg. "In any case, a lot of people were out buying her record today so I guess she'll be able to pay her rent this month."
Madonna
'Operation Iraqi Heritage'
Benjamin James Johnson
Members of the news media and U.S. soldiers are being investigated for taking art, artifacts, weapons and cash from Iraq, with criminal charges already brought in one case, federal officials said Wednesday.
At least 15 paintings, gold-plated firearms, ornamental knives, Iraqi government bonds and other items have been seized at airports in Washington, Boston and London in the last week, according to the bureaus of Customs and Border Protection and of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
So far, only Benjamin James Johnson, who worked as an engineer for Fox News Channel, has been charged. But officials said more charges could be brought and more seizures of stolen items are expected in what is being dubbed "Operation Iraqi Heritage."
Johnson, 27, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., with attempting to smuggle 12 paintings taken from a palace in Baghdad through Dulles International Airport outside Washington in a large cardboard box.
After initially telling inspectors the paintings were given to him by Iraqi citizens, Johnson admitted that he took them from a palace that belonged to Uday Hussein, one of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's sons, while traveling with the U.S. military.
An examination of Johnson's luggage also turned up 40 Iraqi Monetary Bonds and a visitor's badge from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait. Johnson, of Alexandria, Va., faces up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines on both smuggling and false statements counts.
Johnson worked for six years as a satellite truck engineer for Fox, which fired him after learning he had acknowledged taking the paintings, a network statement said.
Benjamin James Johnson
Xin Xin, one of three female Pandas at Mexico City's Chapultepec Zoo, walk in a cage in the zoo in this photo taken April 11 , 2003. Xin Xin and Shuan Shuan, another female panda, have been artificially inseminated with the sperm of a male panda Ling Ling on loan from China. Ling Ling has visited the Mexico City zoo three times in the hope of mating with the females but to no avail. Zoo authorities have resorted to artificial means to bring about a pregnancy.
Photo by Daniel Aguilar
'Ark of Darkness'
"The Ark of Darkness", a Political/Science-Fiction work, in tidy, weekly installments.
Chapter 1 - Kanda Feng, Part 2
'The Osbournes'
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 4
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 3
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
