'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Turtopia
from Rob
Here's an eastern box turtle hatchling. This turtle is 14 months old. His brothers
and sisters are twice this size. Not sure why he's so small...he eats well
and is normal in every other respect.
Rob
Thanks, Rob
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Another sunny day, with Santa Ana's gently wafting. Jo, the (remaining) lizard sunned himself until the kittens jumped up on the table in the yard. He spent the rest of the day cowering under foliage, even though there is NO way the cats could get to him.
Well, OK, maybe the 6-toed one could, but she is still figuring out how to use her 'thumb.'
Caught some of 'The View' Wednesday morning - Bill Maher was one of the guests, and while it's not one of my favorite shows, I was curious. The time would have been better spent napping, or cleaning the cat box.
'Enterprise' has gone from 'cheesy' to 'Velveeta' (a pasteurized, processed cheese-food product).
Forgot to mention the Bob Newhart/Mark Twain Award yesterday. Show aired Wednesday night (on PBS) here. Brought back memories of 'Hi Bob' (or does that fall under the category of 'flashback')? Damn well-produced show, regardless.
Tonight, Thursday, CBS starts with a fresh 'Survivor: Thailand', then a fresh 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation', and then a fresh 'Without A Trace'.
Scheduled on a fresh Dave are Maggie Gyllenhaal and Pearl Jam.
Scheduled on a fresh Craiggers is Kyra Sedgewick.
NBC opens with a fresh 'Friends', then a fresh 'Scrubs', followed by a fresh 'Will & Grace', then a fresh 'Good Morning, Miami', and caps the night with a fresh 'ER'.
Scheduled on a fresh Jay are Tiger Woods and Emma Watson.
Scheduled on a fresh Conan are Tom Arnold and Mark Knopfler.
Scheduled on a fresh Carson Daly are Jason Sehorn and Justin Timberlake.
ABC opens with a 'special' - 'Concert For World Children's Day' then the movie 'My Best Friend's Wedding'.
The WB has a fresh 'Family Affair', a fresh 'Do Over', then a fresh 'Jamie Kennedy' followed by a RERUN of 'Jamie Kennedy'.
Faux opens the night with a RERUN '30 Seconds To Fame', then a fresh '30 Seconds To Fame', and wraps the night with 'World's Fastest Police Chases'.
UPN kills the night with 'WWE Smackdown!'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Santa Maria, CA
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson testifies in Santa Maria, California Superior Court, November 13, 2002. The 'King of Pop' was called as a hostile witness in a $21 million breach of contract lawsuit in which a promoter
says he lost millions after Jackson cancelled a pair of millennium celebration concerts.
Photo by Spencer Weiner
#3
Acts Announced
Nobel Peace Prize Concert
Guitarist Carlos Santana, country singer Willie Nelson and teen rocker Michelle Branch will headline next month's Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo.
The Dec. 11 show will pay tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, being honored this year for his "untiring effort" to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts
and to advance democracy and human rights.
Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange will be the masters of ceremony for the concert, taking place the day after Carter receives the peace prize.
Presentation of the award will be marked by a solemn ceremony at Oslo City Hall and a torchlight parade in Carter's honor on Dec. 10.
Nobel Peace Prize Concert
Nobel Peace Prize
Launch Tour to Promote Books
Al & Tipper Gore
Al and Tipper Gore launched a 12-city tour to promote their two new books examining the American family — but made no mention of another possible run for the White House.
Some fans who lined up at a Barnes & Noble in Manhattan to have their books signed encouraged the former vice president, who ran against George W. Bush in 2000, to
run again in 2004, but he politely deflected the talk.
The Gores were making the first stop of a tour to promote "Joined at the Heart" and "The Spirit of Family," which hit bookstores Tuesday.
"Joined at the Heart" profiles a diverse collection of 12 families the Gores have met over the years. "The Spirit of Family" is a collection of 260 photographs that
chronicle the stages of life. Both books are published by Henry Holt and Co.
Al & Tipper Gore
Order of The British Empire
David Suchet
Actor David Suchet holds his medal after being awarded an Order of The British Empire or OBE at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, in London Tuesday Nov. 12, 2002.
Suchet is best known for his role as Agatha Christie's cerebral Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, a favorite of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth
''Stones Would Have No Chance Today''
Bill Wyman
The Rolling Stones would have no chance on the music market if they were to start as newcomers today, the band's former bassist Bill Wyman said on Wednesday.
Wyman, who left the Rolling Stones after the band's 30th anniversary 10 years ago, said record companies would no longer sign people whose style was different to that of the charts.
"That's why many talented young people don't have a chance. The Rolling Stones would be too different today. They were different then but in those days the record companies
and the media were open to new ideas," Wyman told Reuters in Berlin.
"Now it's completely closed to only two or three kinds of music. And if you don't play those you don't get signed by a record company and you are not played on the radio. So,
the Rolling Stones would never make it now," he added.
Wyman, 66, who was in Berlin to present his new book "Rolling with the Stones," said he did not regret leaving the band and was still in good contact with the other band members.
In his new book, Wyman writes about the band's music and behind-the-scenes history, including the death of founder Brian Jones in 1969, the drugs, the groupies and the fights.
Bill Wyman
In Talks With MSNBC
Jesse Ventura
Gov. Jesse Ventura, a former talk-radio host who has had his own radio program while in office, is negotiating with MSNBC for a TV show after his term ends Jan. 6.
Ventura has met with MSNBC President Erik Sorenson over the last several months to discuss a general news talk show that includes a segment on media criticism,
a source close to the discussions said on condition of anonymity.
Last year, Ventura was a football commentator for the failed XFL. He was an analyst on Tampa Bay Buccaneers radio broadcasts in 1989 and '90, and also spent a season
doing Minnesota Vikings games on KFAN-AM Radio, in 1991. He hosted a talk show on KFAN from 1997 until he filed his candidacy for governor in 1998, and hosted a talk
show on KSTP-AM from 1994 to 1996.
Ventura has said in recent months that he has a job lined up for when he leaves office, but has declined to offer details. On many occasions, he has told reporters
at the state Capitol that he will be "more dangerous" to them in his new job than he is as governor.
Jesse Ventura
Next Reality Series
'Star Dates'
Would you like to go on a blind date with Vicki from "The Love Boat?" How about Screech from "Saved By the Bell?"
Or maybe you'd prefer to sit back and watch them and other TV has-beens squirm as cameras follow them around all night?
Here's your chance: "Star Dates," the latest reality show from E! Entertainment Television, scheduled to debut at 10:30 p.m. EST Dec. 15.
Besides "The Love Boat's" Jill Whelan and "Saved By the Bell's" Dustin Diamond, celebrities expected to take part include Phyllis Diller, Gary Coleman from "Diff'rent Strokes"
and Kim Fields from "The Facts of Life."
'Star Dates'
E!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Violin Sells for $966,600
Stradivarius
A rare instrument by the world's most celebrated violin-maker Antonio Stradivari fetched nearly two-thirds of a million pounds at auction on Wednesday but failed to make its reserve price.
The violin, one of only 500 remaining, went to a private collector for $966,600.
"There were only two bidders, and the bidding started at 500,000 pounds," said a Christie's spokeswoman. "It is at the low end of the price range, but everyone is happy."
Dating from 1726, the violin sold on Wednesday is just one year older than the Kreutzer Stradivarius which at 947,500 pounds still holds the world record as the most
expensive musical instrument ever sold at auction.
But unlike some of its sister instruments, it does not have a particularly colorful history attached because it was never owned by a professional violinist or played in a public concert.
It is, however, in pristine condition, having been owned instead by a series of professional collectors through the ages including Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume -- one of the
greatest French violin makers and dealers of the 19th century.
Stradivarius
Chile
Potbelly Sea Horse
The tiny sea horse briefly stole the spotlight at a U.N. meeting in Chile on November 13, 2002 when delegates agreed to protect all 32 species of the sea creature from a lucrative global trade that threatens to drive them to extinction. A potbelly sea horse is seen in this undated file photo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Banned By Wal-Mart
Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold is disappointed that Wal-Mart is refusing to sell his latest book, "How I Lost 5 lbs. in 6 Years" (St. Martin's). The problem is a blurb from Steve Tisch on the back
cover: "You've heard Arnold talk about his small penis. Now you can read about it." Arnold told us from Chicago, where's he's hawking the book, "You'd think a big corporation
like Wal-Mart would be more sensitive to a fellow's handicap."
Tom Arnold
Police Investigation
Rick James
Singer Rick James is under investigation by police for an alleged sexual assault of a woman at his home.
James, 50, best known for his 1981 hit "Super Freak," had a search warrant served on his Woodland Hills home Monday night. Police said a 26-year-old woman claims
she was sexually assaulted by James last weekend.
James was convicted in 1993 of assaulting two women. The first attack occurred two years earlier when he restrained and burned a young woman with a hot pipe during
a cocaine binge at his house in West Hollywood.
He was free on bail when the second assault occurred in 1992 in James' hotel room.
James was sentenced to more than two years in state prison. A jury acquitted him on a torture charge.
In 1997, the singer released a new album, but a year later he suffered a stroke that derailed a comeback tour. He went on tour again this year, appearing in Los Angeles in May.
Rick James
Fail to Copy Film on Internet
Potter Pirates
Computer geeks have apparently tried and failed to use their technical wizardry to copy a pirated version of Warner Bros. newest "Harry Potter" movie to the Internet before its Friday theatrical release.
Warner Bros., a unit of AOL Time Warner, said on Tuesday that it had opened a copy of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" that it discovered in a hard-to-find location on the
Internet and found it to be an empty decoy.
A company statement said the report it received about a pirated copy of the newest Potter film showing up on the Web turned out to be unsubstantiated. Warner Bros. had earlier said
the copy that had been discovered was of poor quality.
Downloading movies, either legitimately or through the black market, can take several hours, much longer than it takes to download music files. And most moviegoers say they do not
enjoy watching a film on a computer.
Potter Pirates
BartCop TV!
Breaks Piano-Playing Record
Roger Williams
At 78, pianist Roger Williams maintains a busy touring schedule and a rigorous exercise routine.
On Sunday, Williams broke his personal 12-hour piano-playing record at the Richard M. Nixon Library & Birthplace by performing for 13 hours — not counting short breaks
every hour or so — on a Steinway he donated to the library.
He played for 12 hours at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley last year.
Williams performed his hits, including "Autumn Leaves," "Born Free" and "The Impossible Dream," dozens of audience requests and an untitled composition written by Nixon,
who was known to play a little piano himself.
Roger Williams
Richard M. Nixon Library & Birthplace
Beijing
Matryoshka Dolls
Traditional Russian Matryoshka dolls featuring Chinese leaders since the overthrow of the imperial Qing dynasty in 1911 are displayed in Beijing Nov. 13, 2002.
The 16th Chinese Communist Party Congress is expected to unveil a new generation of leaders this week to guide the world's most populous country through its
rapid economic expansion and slow political evolution for much of the next decade. The leaders are (front to back) first president of the republic of China Sun Yet-sen,
Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, founder of Communist China Mao Zedong, paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and President Jiang Zemin.
Photo by Andrew Wong
Boycotted Induction
Don Imus
Don Imus, the pistol-packing dean of syndicated radio, boycotted his own induction into the Broadcast & Cable Hall of Fame. No surprise. When emcee Sam Donaldson introduced a film clip, he said, "Don Imus
is many things. Unpleasant is one of them." Donaldson went on to inform the sold-out crowd at the Marriott, "When the I-Man accepted, he also told us, 'You couldn't pay me to be there.' " The film clip
showed Imus defiantly proclaiming, "I'm not going because I don't want to attend." When Donaldson concluded, "True to his word, Don Imus will not be showing up tonight," the audience burst into a round of applause.
Don Imus
Contestants Want to Meet Condemned Woman
Miss World
Miss Norway, among the scores of beauty queens who threatened to boycott the Miss World pageant over Nigeria's Islamic stoning sentences, has two wishes: to go home
as the new Miss World, and to meet Amina Lawal Kurami.
Kurami is the 31-year-old Nigerian Muslim mother whose sentencing to death by stoning for adultery sparked worldwide outrage and the Miss World boycott threats.
But when Nigerian officials promised never to allow the death-by-stoning sentences to be carried out in a desperate bid to save the event, Sorland and other representatives who had
threatened the boycott changed their minds.
With a mass boycott averted, Nigerian organizers turned their focus to the daunting logistics of staging the country's biggest ever show business event. Morley acknowledged there
have been problems and said most contestants and officials were still waiting for their luggage to arrive on other flights.
Miss World
Go On Tour
'The Other Ones'
The last time the Grateful Dead rolled into this sleepy Southern Roanoke, 15 years ago, thousands of merrymakers followed with their tie-dyed shirts and veggie burritos and
sunny indifference to public nudity.
The civic center parking lot became a camp site and the city's new fountain was used as a shower. There were drugs and there was free love. And, of course, there was Jerry Garcia.
Thursday, the four remaining original members will begin again, touring together for the first time since Garcia's death in 1995. But this time will be different in many ways.
The parking lot will be chained shut until a few hours before the concert, and police are beefing up patrols — standard precautions, concert officials say, in this post-Sept. 11 world.
The band also shows little resemblance to the gang that first entranced a generation 40 years ago.
Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzman and Mickey Hart are all over 55 now. Each has his own band and they've moved in different artistic directions. Hart continues to produce
records like Kodo's new Mondo Head album. Lesh started the Unbroken Chain Foundation, a charity, with his band.
The decision to tour together came gradually, band members say, as each began to play the old tunes. One by one, they realized how much the music had adhered to their souls.
This latest incarnation of the Dead — which plays under the moniker "The Other Ones" — will shuffle about 130 songs during a 14-city tour, including a number of Dead
standards and some from their own bands. They've pulled out several songs from the early 1960s, such as "Till the Morning Comes," that have never been played live.
For a lot more, 'The Other Ones'
www.dead.net
Vote on Paper!
Jeff Crook
Since I have a hard time getting excited about any
political candidate, my personal jihad for the next
two years will be against any form of electronic
voting. Back in the old days, if you wanted to rig an
election, you had to physically stuff a ballot box or
hide the damn thing in the trunk of your car. Back in
those days, you might get caught with a couple thousand
opposition party votes in the attic of your
grandmother's house and go to jail. Nowadays, with
touchscreen technology, there's no need. Electronic
voting leaves no paper trail, no fingerprints to lead
back to yours truly.
In fact, if you even try to break
the code on one of those machines to check for
election tampering, it will get you five years under
the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. Whoever builds
the machine says who wins. It's so simple it would be
naive to think someone won't do it. If you could
electronically transfer millions of dollars to your
bank account with a guaranteed zero chance of your
ever being caught, wouldn't you do it? Wouldn't damn
near everybody? Someone will steal an election with
electronic voting, without a doubt. In all
probability, it has already happened.
Never use an electronic voting machine again. Next
time you vote, ask for a paper ballot. They have to
give it to you. And tell your friends and family. This
isn't Republican or Democrat, it is a question of
democracy. With electronic voting, whoever programs
the machine says how you vote. And there isn't a damn
thing you can do about it, except to Vote on Paper.
Jeff Crook
http://jeffcrook.20m.com
Thanks, Jeff!
New Giants Manager
Felipe Alou
Felipe Alou never envisioned it would happen this way, finishing up his baseball career right back where it all started nearly a half-century ago.
Alou was hired Wednesday to manage the National League champion San Francisco Giants, returning to the team he played for in the 1950s and '60s. He calls himself a "soldier of this game."
The former manager of the Montreal Expos takes over for Dusty Baker and inherits a team that came within six outs of a World Series title.
The 67-year-old Alou, the bench coach for Detroit last season, agreed to a three-year contract and becomes the oldest manager in the major leagues. He was 691-717 in 10 seasons managing the Expos.
Alou played for the Giants from 1958-63 as part of a 17-season major league career in which he hit .286 with 206 homers and 852 RBIs. He also spent 1970 and part of 1971
in the Bay area playing for the Oakland Athletics.
On the Giants, he joined brothers Matty and Jesus in an all-Alou outfield in some games. That's one of the highlights of his playing days in San Francisco, along with a string of nine consecutive hits.
For a lot more - Felipe Alou
Launches Peace Project
Hip Hop
Hoping to improve hip-hop's image, the Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council launched the Hip-Hop for Peace project in memory of slain Run-DMC disc jockey Jam Master Jay.
"We hope to improve the image of hip-hop and unity within the hip-hop community," Youth Council chairman Charles Fisher said Tuesday. "We always point fingers for who's at
fault for all this violence. We're all at fault. We all must take some responsibility."
The project has four elements — a code of principles for artists to follow, a mediation board to deal with conflicts between artists, a media complaint review board,
and a task force for gun, prison and drug law reform.
The music industry and hip-hop artists will be asked to sign a memorandum of understanding to indicate they support the project. Economic pressure would be placed on those who don't sign, Fisher said.
Hip Hop
Resists Returning Elgin Marbles To Greece
British Museum
Returning the Elgin marbles to Greece would rip the heart out of a collection that tells the story of human civilisation, the British Museum has said.
In a riposte to the latest efforts by Greece to repatriate the classical sculptures, the museum rejected proposals to send them back on a long-term loan basis.
Greece wants to have the marbles back as the centrepiece of a new museum at the Acropolis being built to coincide with the 2004 Summer Olympic games in Athens.
However, the British Museum has released a statement saying that it is within its galleries that five million visitors are able to appreciate the masterpieces in their world context.
To return the marbles permanently would require parliamentary sanction. Any scheme to send them back on long-term loan would have to be approved by museum trustees.
The marbles, a series of ancient sculptures depicting mythological and religious scenes, were brought from the Parthenon to Britain in the early 19th century by diplomat and art
aficionado Lord Elgin.
British Museum
In Memory
Margaret (Miggs) Jennings Durrance
Margaret (Miggs) Jennings Durrance, a longtime Aspen resident renowned for her photographs documenting the evolution of Aspen from a dormant mining community into a world-famous resort, died early Monday after a
long illness. Born on Feb. 28, 1917, she was 85 years old.
She moved to Aspen in 1947 with her husband, Dick Durrance, who had been asked to manage the fledgling Aspen Ski Corp., and their two young sons, Dick and Dave.
Through the years Miggs helped establish and/or volunteered her energy and photographic talents to sustain many of the institutions that are now taken for granted: The Aspen Institute, the International Design
Conference, Music Associates of Aspen, Anderson Ranch, Aspen Valley Hospital and the Roaring Fork chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers.
Her life was guided by the maxim, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," and she lived the words. As a girl she rode a family friend's horse to a national championship. After only two years on skis, she traveled
to Sun Valley, Idaho, to try out for the 1940 Olympics and was named an alternate to the team.
The games were canceled, but in Sun Valley she found a husband and cameras in a tree.
"The first time I laid eyes on Dick, he was up in a tree with a big Speed Graphic," she said. A ski racer, he was training for the Harriman Cup but was more interested in shooting pictures than in training.
Married on June 9, 1940, and living in Alta, Utah, Dick taught Miggs to use a camera. Dick, as manager of that resort, was always trying to get good ski pictures to promote the resort. He
would do the skiing himself and would have Miggs take the photo.
In addition to ski documentaries and promotional films, the Durrances traveled the world, filming documentaries with famed radio broadcaster Lowell Thomas.
For the rest, Margaret (Miggs) Jennings Durrance
Thanks to Tim H!
Kuala Lumpur
Flower Horn Fish
A flower horn fish is on display during an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, November 13, 2002. Flower horn fish have become popular among exotic aquarium fans, as they
are believed to bring good luck. Their value depends on the roundness of the body, color of the fins, pearl spots that represent auspicious Chinese characters and
most importantly the bulging 'horn' on the forehead.
Photo by Zainal Abd Halim
'The Osbournes'
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'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
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