'Best of TBH Politoons'
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Jim Hightower: AMERICAN AIRLINE'S EXECUTIVE-SUITE GREED (jimhightower.com)
"From the onset," says a mechanic at American Airlines, "I didn't like the sound of that slogan they were throwing around - 'shared sacrifice.' It just didn't ring with any honesty with me."
Jim Hightower: THE FRAUD OF THE VOTER-FRAUD SCARE (jimhightower.com)
A massive crime wave is sweeping America, and Republicans are in the lead to crack down on the perpetrators. Is it armed robbers, they're after? Murderers? Corporate crooks? No - it's voter fraud.
ADAM ZAGORIN: Detainee Abuse Was Well Planned (time.com)
Many of the controversial interrogation tactics used against terror suspects in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo were modeled on techniques the U.S. feared that the Communists themselves might use against captured American troops during the Cold War, according to a little-noticed, highly classified Pentagon report released several days ago.
Deb Price: Colorado Becomes a National Symbol of Progress (Creators Syndicate)
From hate state to great state? Colorado's transformation over the past few weeks is nothing short of amazing.
Andrea Grimes: Funny Girl (dallasobserver.com)
Laughter's the best medicine? For aspiring stand-up comics, it's more like heroin.
Mark Morford: I Can See Your Thong From Here (sfgate.com)
Isn't that you, outside your house, with a joint and a hooker? Google Street Views sees all.
Annalee Newitz: Wikipedia Activism (AlterNet.org)
Who is to say what is notable enough for Wikipedia? Lutheran ministers? Bisexual Marxists? Hopefully both.
Back to nature (guardian.co.uk)
Overprotective parents, too much TV and not enough time to mooch around mean most children now know more about the Amazonian rainforest than their nearest riverbank. It's time to fight this 'nature-deficit disorder', says Stephen Moss.
Ask a Gay Man: Fashion Victims Edition (youtube.com)
The "Ask a Gay Man" Guy Asks Gays and Lesbians to Show Their Pride (youtube.com)
A Proud Response (youtube.com)
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Bit more sun, but still cooler than seasonal.
Wins Principe de Asturias Prize
Al Gore
Former Vice President Al Gore was awarded Spain's prestigious Principe de Asturias prize on Wednesday for his role in raising awareness of climate change.
The award for International Cooperation comes alongside a nomination for a Nobel prize for his environmental work and the success of his global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," which won two Oscars.
"With his leadership he has contributed to raising awareness in governments and societies across the world to defend this noble...cause," Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, a former Spanish premier who led the jury, said.
Al Gore
Honored At Princeton
Muhammad Ali
The Greatest is now an Ivy League doctor. Muhammad Ali has been awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities from Princeton University.
Ali was honored for his contributions to humanitarian efforts and his athletic achievements.
The 65-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion was one of seven people awarded honorary degrees at the university's graduation ceremony Tuesday.
Muhammad Ali
Takes On Church
Gisele Bundchen
Gisele Bundchen is the biggest international star on the runway during Rio's Fashion Week, but she's also making headlines for criticizing the Roman Catholic church's opposition to condom use and abortion.
Bundchen, who paraded Tuesday night for the Colcci label, told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that the church's take on contraception is hopelessly outdated because it was adopted when "the women were virgins, the guys were virgins."
"Today, no one is a virgin when they get married," Bundchen said.
"To prohibit condoms is ridiculous, just think of all the diseases transmitted without them," the 26-year-old supermodel told the newspaper.
Gisele Bundchen
CBS Reverses Cancellation
'Jericho'
"Jericho" fans who slammed CBS with protests over the drama's cancellation have won the battle: It will return next season, the network said Wednesday.
It was an unusual display of viewer might since networks usually put ratings ahead of even the most passionate, well-organized fan base. But CBS said the show deserved another chance, while cautioning that it must prove it has wider appeal.
CBS is planning a campaign to reintroduce "Jericho," including rerunning the show on CBS this summer, streaming episodes and clips online and releasing the first season on DVD on Sept. 25. The show's return date and scheduling has yet to be determined.
'Jericho'
Praises Fan Support
Christian Chavez
Christian Chavez, a member of the wildly popular Mexican band RBD, says he's lived the life he always wanted since coming out of the closet three months ago.
Chavez told the Televisa network Wednesday the public revelation allowed him to "begin a healing process in which I left things behind and began many wonderful things."
Chavez said fan support helped him overcome nervousness about an appearance in McAllen, Texas, shortly after his announcement.
He said the support was a reflection of a more open Mexican society, but added that he still wants to fight for gays to be respected - not just tolerated.
Christian Chavez
Signs Exclusive Deal With Disney
Stan Lee
Walt Disney Studios, a unit of The Walt Disney Co., said on Wednesday it signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Stan Lee, the creator and producer of Spider-Man and his production company POW! Entertainment Inc..
Under the terms, Lee and his company will develop and produce all forms of entertainment, the Walt Disney unit said in a statement.
Lee is often cited as the creator and inventor of the modern superhero, whose body of work and compelling characters helped revolutionize the entertainment industry.
Stan Lee
Hospital News
Jean-Louis Trintignant
French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant is in hospital recovering from a leg injury following a motorcycle accident in southwestern France, police said Wednesday.
The 76-year-old actor who starred opposite Brigitte Bardot in Roger Vadim's 1956 film "And God Created Woman" is suffering from a fractured shinbone and bruises.
Police said he lost control of his motorcycle on Tuesday while riding in a forest area near the town of Pont Saint Esprit and was taken to a nearby hospital by a passing motorist who stopped to assist him.
Jean-Louis Trintignant
Museum of Television & Radio
Paley Center
The Museum of Television & Radio has changed its name to more accurately reflect today's evolving media landscape, the organization said on Tuesday.
The new name -- the Paley Center for Media -- is inspired by the 31-year-old institution's founder, CBS chairman William S. Paley, and is intended to acknowledge the prominence and impact of digital technology in the lives of media consumers and creators.
The announcement was made at a champagne reception at the Paley Center's New York location and attended by board members including CBS Corp. president and CEO Leslie Moonves, ABC News' Barbara Walters, actress Swoosie Kurtz and Queen Noor of Jordan.
Paley Center
Breach Of Contract Suit
`Lord of the Rings'
Fifteen actors from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy are suing New Line Cinema for breach of contract, claiming they're still owed a percentage of an estimated $100 million in profits from the sales of movie merchandise, their attorney said Wednesday.
The New Zealand actors were supposed to split 5 percent of the revenue after expenses from sales of caps, video games, mugs and other merchandise, according to the lawsuit filed May 30 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. But, the suit contends, New Line breached the contract by taking distribution and "gross participation" fees to which it wasn't entitled
The fees weren't in the contract and they ate up all the profits owed to the actors, said their attorney, Henry Gradstein of Los Angeles.
With those fees, "the expenses will always be approximately 104 percent. It's Hollywood accounting," Gradstein said.
`Lord of the Rings'
Another Day, Another Hollow Republican Apology
'Fox 'News'
Fox News Channel issued a second on-air apology Wednesday for mistakenly running tape of a different congressman while reporting on the indictment of Rep. William J. Jefferson on bribery charges.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers of Michigan, whose picture aired while Fox anchors talked Monday about Jefferson's indictment, had been unhappy with Fox's apology Tuesday. Both congressmen are black.
On Wednesday, Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum explained to viewers that a production assistant supposedly picked up a tape that had been identified as a meeting about Jefferson. The picture showed Conyers.
'Fox 'News''
A Knock-Off?
'Knocked Up'
A Canadian journalist is suing the director and the studio of the new hit comedy "Knocked Up," arguing that she's the rightful parent of the tale behind the movie.
In a suit filed against writer-director Judd Apatow, and against Universal Studios, Calgary-based Rebecca Eckler says there are too many similarities between the movie and her book about her accidental pregnancy to be a coincidence.
Eckler's book, "Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-Be," was published in the United States in 2005, and Eckler said she wants credit and compensation.
"The book is about a woman who gets pregnant by the fiance that she loves on the night of her engagement party," Apatow said in a statement. "The film is about a one-night stand between a pot smoking slacker and an ambitious young woman that leads to a pregnancy and their attempts to get to know each other.
'Knocked Up'
Producing Internet Horror Shows
Sam Raimi
"Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi will help create original Internet shows for FEARnet, a horror and thriller Web site and video-on-demand provider.
Ghost House Pictures, a joint venture involving Raimi, launched the first of two such series, "Devil's Trade," on Wednesday. The series of short episodes will follow three teenagers who are cursed after buying an item online.
FEARNet is a joint venture between cable television provider Comcast Corp., Sony Pictures Television, a unit of Sony Corp., and Lionsgate Entertainment Corp. It is available online, on mobile devices and on Comcast video on demand.
Sam Raimi
Getting Biopic Treatment
William M. Gaines
The life story of renowned publisher William M. Gaines, the man behind EC Comics' "Tales From the Crypt" and Mad magazine, is headed for the big screen.
Joel Eisenberg and his Iron Mountain Media have picked up the life rights to Gaines' story and aim to produce a biopic, "Ghoulishly Yours, William M. Gaines."
The film, which Eisenberg is writing, will center on an anti-establishment group of comic-book creators, led by a reluctant Gaines, as they produce their controversial yet hugely popular line of comic books. Among their creations was the popular "Crypt," which eventually brought Gaines to Senate subcommittee hearings over accusations that the material served to perpetuate juvenile delinquency.
William M. Gaines
Still Closed To Film Business
Griffith Park
Although it has been almost a month since fires swept through Griffith Park in Los Angeles, officials still are not permitting film and television shoots as crews continue to clean up the damage. In fact, the park is closed for shooting indefinitely.
Cedar Grove, a miniforest that has been used for everything from "The Last Boy Scout" to "Van Helsing," suffered about 30 percent damage but eventually will be usable. The Griffith Park Clubhouse, where Clint Eastwood shot a flashback scene for "Letters From Iwo Jima," also was spared. The historic merry-go-round -- where "The Prestige" shot and which was the scene of James Dean's first acting gig by way of a 1950 Pepsi commercial -- was unaffected, but the areas around it have been closed. The old zoo picnic grounds also remain closed.
The park, with its varied natural landscapes and proximity to the studios, is a magnet for production. According to nonprofit production service organization FilmL.A., the park saw 217 production days for features in 2006 and 318 for television projects. The organization said the park's closure displaces two productions per day.
Griffith Park
Crater of Diamonds State Park
'Pathfinder Diamond'
Walking along a path taken by thousands of others at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, Nicole Ruhter noticed something everyone else had missed - a tea-colored, 2.93-carat diamond.
Ruhter, 13, of Butler, Mo., said she would name her find the "Pathfinder Diamond" after pulling what she described as a broken pyramid from the ground. Her parents, grandparents, brother and two sisters had already spent the day digging in two other fields before heading down the path just after 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Ruhter said both park rangers and her vacationing family got excited about the diamond, found along a service road. So far this year, visitors to the park have found 332 diamonds, three of them Tuesday alone, said Bill Henderson, assistant park superintendent.
'Pathfinder Diamond'
Iceman Died From Arrow Wound
'Otzi'
Italy's prehistoric iceman "Otzi" died from a shoulder wound inflicted by an arrow, according to research into his perfectly preserved 5,000-year old body.
Otzi, the oldest mummy unearthed, was found in the Italian Alps in 1991 wearing clothing made from leather and grasses and carrying a copper axe, a bow and arrows.
Though Otzi's body underwent several scientific tests to study life in the prehistoric age, it had so far been unclear whether he died from an arrow wound, a bad fall or severe freezing while climbing the high mountains.
Using modern X-ray technology, however, an Italian-Swiss research team said on Wednesday it had proved the cause of death as a lesion on an artery close to the shoulder, caused by an arrowhead that remains in the iceman's back.
'Otzi'
Just Add Water
Alcohol Powder
Dutch students have developed powdered alcohol which they say can be sold legally to minors.
The latest innovation in inebriation, called Booz2Go, is available in 20-gramme packets that cost 1-1.5 euros ($1.35-$2).
Top it up with water and you have a bubbly, lime-colored and -flavored drink with just 3 percent alcohol content.
20-year-old Harm van Elderen and four classmates at Helicon Vocational Institute, about an hour's drive from Amsterdam, came up with the idea as part of their final-year project.
Alcohol Powder
Game Show Host
Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller has signed on to host his first game show, GSN's "Grand Slam," in which top game show contestants compete against one another.
"Grand Slam" features 16 former game show contestants vying for top honors in a single-elimination tournament. They will be tested on their general knowledge, math and logic skills, ability with words and letters and grasp of pop culture and current events, with one winner taking home a $100,000 grand prize.
Amanda Byram ("The Swan," "Paradise Hotel") will serve as co-host on the eight-episode series. "Grand Slam" is set to debut on August 7.
Dennis Miller
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