'Best of TBH Politoons'
Re: Bees
Marty, I see you have a bee pic today (4/25) [yesterday].
Tho't maybe you'd enjoy this one.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Human stains (books.guardian.co.uk)
A baker wanted to meet Uways, so Uways went to the bakery disguised as a beggar. He began to eat a bread roll; the baker beat him and threw him out into the street. "Madman!" said a disciple, arriving, "don't you see that you threw out the master you wanted to know?" Contrite, the baker asked what he could do for him to forgive him. Uways asked him to invite him and his disciples to eat. The baker took them to an excellent restaurant and ordered the most expensive dishes. "That is how we distinguish the good man from the bad man," said Uways to the disciples, in the middle of lunch. "This man is capable of spending ten gold coins on a banquet because I am famous, but he is incapable of giving a bread roll to feed a hungry beggar."
Jim Hightower: SHORTCHANGING OUR HURRICANE WATCH CENTER (jimhightower.com)
With Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and the Walter Reed hospital scandal - maybe you thought that the incompetence of the Bushites had bottomed out. But... here comes another embarrassment bubbling to the surface. While George W keeps popping back to New Orleans for political photo ops showing him posing with Katrina victims, he hasn't mentioned that his budget whackers have been steadily shortchanging the National Hurricane Center on the money it needs to do its job - which is to give us as accurate a picture as possible of when and where a Big One will hit our people.
Peter Fenn: Punishing Incompetence (pundits.thehill.com)
What a difference an election makes. Now, to the shock of the White House head-in-the-sand crew, members of Congress are holding them accountable on all fronts. Today, we see the family of Pat Tillman, and Jessica Lynch, and a House committee uncovering the lies and cover-up from Bush's military. We have seen Republicans and Democrats rake Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his aides over the coals and uncover more political incompetence.
Kazim Ali: Culture of Fear: Poetry Professor Becomes Terror Suspect (New America Media; Posted on AlterNet.org)
A poetry professor in a small college in the Northeast decides to recycle old manuscripts and becomes an object of suspicion.
Joel Stein: Puff away; it's just a movie (latimes.com)
Eliminating smoking in films overestimates actors' influence on kids.
'I was mugged by the movies' (arts.guardian.co.uk)
Spielberg called him the world's best actor, but Pete Postlethwaite is going back to theatre. He tells Alfred Hickling why the death of his brother inspired him to play Prospero.
Dan Crowe: The writers' stuff (latimes.com)
Noted authors ponder the relationship between their real-world work surroundings and their fiction.
'You have to trawl the depths' (guardian.co.uk)
Gwendoline Riley, one of the UK's talented young authors, talks to Kira Cochrane about Morrissey, and visiting writers' graves.
TV-Turnoff Week 2007 April 23th - 29th
TV-Turnoff Week is a project of the Washington-based non-profit group Center for Screen Time Awareness that encourages children and adults to watch much less television. Their annual promotion includes two programs TV-Turnoff Week and More Reading, Less TV, "to help people, especially children, to turn off TV and turn on life".
Kristen Gerencher: New online consumer health site aims big
RevolutionHealth.com wants to be a giant, mom-friendly health-care brand.
David Plotz: The Bible's Buddhist Book (slate.com)
So far Ecclesiastes doesn't sound Christian to me. It doesn't sound Jewish. It sounds - Buddhist. Look at what it's saying: Everything happens over and over again; there's always going to be a balance of good and evil, righteousness and wickedness, love and hate; nothing we do really matters; so we might as well live in the moment. Hmm. Am I missing something?
Hubert's Poetry Corner
FaLSIFIED ArMY KiLLINGS ExPOSED
'DEJA VU' ALL OVER AGAIN - AND AGAIN - AND AGAIN?
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and pleasant
Live Earth Concert
Spinal Tap
Spinal Tap is back, and this time the band wants to help save the world from global warming.
The mock heavy metal group immortalized in the 1984 mockumentary, "This is Spinal Tap," will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts scheduled worldwide for July 7.
The original members of Spinal Tap will be there: guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). Rob Reiner, who both directed "This is Spinal Tap" and played the fake documentarian Marty DeBergi in the film, will also be in attendance.
Spinal Tap
Lucas & Hamill Reunite
'Robot Chicken: Star Wars'
George Lucas and Mark Hamill will reunite for "Robot Chicken: Star Wars," a 30-minute stop-motion animation special for Adult Swim, Cartoon Network's late-night programming block.
The special, set to premiere at 10 p.m. on June 17, comes from "Robot Chicken" creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich. Green directed.
The voice cast also includes Conan O'Brien, Seth MacFarlane, Robert Smigel, Malcolm McDowell, Hulk Hogan, James Van Der Beek, Donald Faison, Abraham Benrubi, Breckin Meyer and Joey Fatone.
'Robot Chicken: Star Wars'
Archbishop Pitches Hissy
Sheryl Crow
Archbishop Raymond Burke denounced a Catholic charity Wednesday for scheduling a benefit-concert appearance by Sheryl Crow, who supports abortion rights.
Burke submitted his resignation as chairman of the board for the Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation, saying the decision to let Crow sing on Saturday left him no other choice.
Crow is set to appear at the 19th annual benefit for the Bob Costas Cancer Center at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center. Costas will host the event, which will also feature comedian Billy Crystal.
Sheryl Crow
Bean Attack?
Hugh Grant
Police are investigating reports that actor Hugh Grant was involved in a bizarre incident in which he allegedly lashed out at a paparazzo with a tub of baked beans.
Grant and photographer Ian Whittaker reportedly clashed near the actor's west London home on Tuesday morning.
Whittaker told a tabloid newspaper Grant abused and kicked him before picking up a tub of beans and throwing them.
The newspaper published photographs apparently showing the alleged incident.
Hugh Grant
'The Glorious Ones'
Stephen Flaherty
From the window of his temporary home in the city's cultural district, composer Stephen Flaherty can see Heinz Hall, the ornate theatre where as a 17-year-old he worked as an intern in his first job in the theatre.
More than 20 years later, the award-winning composer is back in his hometown to premiere his latest work, a musical collaboration with longtime partner Lynne Ahrens. "The Glorious Ones," based on a novel by Francine Prose, tells the story of a troupe of 17th-century actors in Rome and their efforts to put on a play.
For Flaherty, it marks a chance to debut a much-anticipated production in front of a hometown crowd. And for Pittsburghers, who are fiercely loyal and proud of their cultural scene, it's a chance to take centre stage.
Stephen Flaherty
Leaving ABC's `The View'
Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell's stormy tenure on "The View" will be a short one. The opinionated host was unable to agree on a contract with ABC, and she'll leave the show in June.
O'Donnell said on the show Wednesday that she wanted to stay for one more year, and ABC wanted three. So she decided to leave, although she said she will appear occasionally next season for things like a planned one-hour special on autism.
"It just didn't work," she said, "and that's show biz. But it's not sad because I loved it here and I love you guys and I'm not going away."
Rosie O'Donnell
More Charges
Joe Francis
Joe Francis, the millionaire founder of the "Girls Gone Wild" video empire, was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor sexual battery for allegedly groping an 18-year-old woman.
Francis allegedly touched the woman's breast and buttocks repeatedly despite pleas to stop, said city attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan.
Arraignment was set for May 22 at the Hollywood courthouse. Francis, 34, isn't required to appear. If convicted, he could be sentenced to six months in jail and fined $2,000, Mateljan said.
Francis was jailed in Florida two weeks ago for criminal contempt and was indicted in Nevada this month for federal tax evasion.
Joe Francis
Short Season
'Drive'
It's been a short "Drive" for Fox's midseason drama, which has been pulled off the schedule after two weeks on the air.
For the time being, the serialized drama chronicling an underground cross-country race will be replaced by "House" repeats in the Monday 8 p.m. slot.
It is not clear when and on what platform the remaining nine episodes of "Drive" will air. Streaming the episodes on Fox.com or offering them as downloads through iTunes are among the possibilities under consideration.
'Drive'
Unveils Song Composing Software
Pete Townshend
British rocker Pete Townshend on Wednesday unveiled an Internet-based software program that will help music fans compose personalized tracks at the click of a button.
The Who guitarist/songwriter said that with a voice recording, a digital image and a rhythm clapped into a microphone, his new "Method" software will create spontaneous digital music and allow anyone to be a composer, and possibly a rock star.
The project was developed by mathematician/composer Lawrence Ball and software developer Dave Snowdon.
From May 1, users will be able to get free access to the Web site (lifehouse-method.com) for three months, and will be able to compose instrumental tracks that they can e-mail or post on their Web sites. From August 1, it will become a subscription-based service.
Pete Townshend
Will End Imus Reruns
KCAA
A rebel Southern California radio station broadcasting reruns of "Imus in the Morning" since Imus was fired will end repeats of the show Friday.
Attorneys for CBS Radio and San Bernardino radio station KCAA-AM announced an agreement that ends a lawsuit aimed at halting the Imus rebroadcasts.
Radio station lawyer Brian Oxman said KCAA planned to end the rebroadcasts on Friday anyway. KCAA, a 1,400-watt station that reaches areas east and south of Los Angeles, wasn't selling advertising for the 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. rerun period and couldn't continue losing revenue, he said.
KCAA
Little-Known Sequel
'Comfort Women'
Japan's abhorrent practice of enslaving women to provide sex for its troops in World War II has a little-known sequel: After its surrender - with tacit approval from the U.S. occupation authorities - Japan set up a similar "comfort women" system for American GIs.
An Associated Press review of historical documents and records - some never before translated into English - shows American authorities permitted the official brothel system to operate despite internal reports that women were being coerced into prostitution. The Americans also had full knowledge by then of Japan's atrocious treatment of women in countries across Asia that it conquered during the war.
Tens of thousands of women were employed to provide cheap sex to U.S. troops until the spring of 1946, when Gen. Douglas MacArthur shut the brothels down.
'Comfort Women'
Record Bid At Christie's
Pearls
A natural pearl necklace that once belonged to a maharajah sold at an auction at Christie's on Wednesday for nearly $7.1 million (3.5 million pounds), more than double the world record price for any piece of natural pearl jewellery, the auctioneers said.
Christie's said the buyer of the Baroda Pearls, which once belonged to the Maharajah Khande Rao of Baroda, was an Asian private collector, who bid by phone.
The Baroda Pearls is a two-strand necklace of natural pearls that was strung with 68 of the finest and largest pearls from a seven-row necklace.
Pearls
Friday Interview
Alec Baldwin
Divorced dad Alec Baldwin, caught yelling at his daughter on a voicemail message, said Wednesday he asked NBC to let him out of his "30 Rock" contract so he can devote his time to the issue of "parental alienation."
"If I never acted again I couldn't care less," Baldwin said in a pre-taped appearance for ABC's "The View," scheduled to air Friday.
NBC, however, quickly shot down the idea. The actor has became a key asset for the freshman sitcom, stealing the show as an oily but charming network executive overseeing a "Saturday Night Live"-type program.
Alec Baldwin
Cheese Becomes Internet Star
Cheddar
A large English cheddar cheese has become a star of the Internet, attracting more than 1 million viewers to sit and stare at it as it slowly ripens.
First placed in front of a webcam in late December, the Westcombe cheddar from West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers leaped to public attention in early February and has since attracted viewers from 119 countries.
Watchers have tuned in from as far afield as Albania and New Zealand, although most are from the United States where a school has even sent in pictures of two crocodiles to guard the cheese.
Cheddar
How To Prepare
Alien Invasion
When the aliens finally invade Earth, you may wish you had listened to Travis Taylor and Bob Boan.
And if the invasion follows the plot of a typical Hollywood blockbuster, they might also be the guys called in at the last minute to save the day.
After all, they have written "An Introduction to Planetary Defence", a primer on how humanity can defend itself if little green men wielding death rays show up at our cosmic doorstep.
And yes, they're serious.
Alien Invasion
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