'Best of TBH Politoons'
PURPLE GENE'S
PORTA-POTTY POETRY
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Michele Hanson: Education is wasted on the young - so why don't we spend more on courses for older people? (guardian.co.uk)
We elderly people are much better at going to school than the young. We pay attention in class, we never miss lessons, we do our homework and we soak up knowledge like a parched camel at the water bowl. I know because I did it a couple of years ago, at Birkbeck, when my mother was very poorly. I could nip to college in the evening, have a change of scene, save myself from breakdown and wallow in history, which I'd wanted to do all my life.
Barbara Ehrenreich: What's So Great about Gated Communities (ehrenreich.blogs.com)
Another utopia seems to be biting the dust. The socialist kibbutzim of Israel have vanished or gone increasingly capitalist, and now the paranoid residential ideal represented by gated communities may be in serious trouble. Never exactly cool-remember Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show"?-- these pricey enclaves of privilege are becoming hotbeds of disillusionment.
Mark Morford: Let us kill all the teddy bears (sfgate.com)
Note to radical Muslims: I've now named my favorite coffee mug 'Muhammad.' Hope that helps
Jim Hightower: BIG-SPENDING GEORGE (jimhightower.com)
George W likes to pose as the Texas president - in the rough-hewn, rancher model of Lyndon Johnson. However, George isn't actually a Texan - he was born in Connecticut, went to an East Coast prep school and to Ivy League colleges, and he summered in Kennebunkport at his family's oceanfront estate.
Will Durst: The Downfall of the Almighty Dollar
Talk about how the almighty have fallen. The dollar is headed downhill faster than Bode Miller on a set of rocket skis. Think nose dive. Plummetville. Plunge City. Belly Floppo Rama. Recession is such an ugly word. Try walking down a New York City street these days without getting knocked off the sidewalk by a gaggle of foreigners brandishing a circumference of high end shopping bags like a cardboard armada. Can't be done.
Hugh Wilson: A loser in life? Blame your initials (guardian.co.uk)
A study by psychologists at Yale and the University of California says that, when things go wrong in life, it could be down to your name.
TRICIA OLSZEWSKI: "It Felt Fluid and Rhythmic: An Interview with Diablo Cody and Ellen Page" (popmatters.com)
The story in Juno is unpredictable and touching. But Cody's dialogue is exceptional, a flurry of hip, witty words that snap and dissipate before you can accuse them of being too stylized.
Cynthia Fuchs: Review of "What Would Jesus Buy?" (popmatters.com)
Christmas is meant to shake the world up, not just be an occasion for more shopping.-Reverend Billy
Greg Kot: McCartney `trying to create an antidote' for difficult times (Chicago Tribune; Posted on Popmatters.com)
It's been a tumultuous year for Paul McCartney. He severed a five-decade relationship with his record label to release his latest solo album, "Memory Almost Full," on a new imprint (Hear Music) backed by the Starbucks coffee chain. And he is going through a painful divorce with Heather Mills that has been widely covered in the tabloid press.
Michael Jackman: Zines Never Died, They Just Got Craftier (Metro Times)
The conventional wisdom is that the "zine explosion" of 10 years ago ended with a whimper. But if zines are dead, why do we still get dozens of them sent
Raymond Cummings: Review of "Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy" by Abby Banks, Timothy Findlen
Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy shows the homes of free spirits whose concept of decor has nothing to do with Trading Spaces and everything to do with the purest possible forms of personal expression.
The Jewish Parrot Joke (andrewtobias.com)
And this just in from someone with a cryptic AOL address. Today being the first day of Chanukah, I thought it might bring a smile to faces Jewish and gentile alike. In these politically-correct times, I feel I should preface it by saying I am a trustee of the Shoah Foundation, and it didn't offend me. So I trust no one else -- including aviary-rights advocates -- will be offended either. It's a joke: ...
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Still sunny and warm.
Replaces Tommy Lee Jones At Nobel Peace Concert
Kevin Spacey
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey will step in as co-host of Dec. 11's Nobel Peace Prize concert after another U.S. actor, Tommy Lee Jones, was forced to withdraw for undisclosed personal reasons, organizers said Wednesday.
Spacey will join actress Uma Thurman in hosting the concert held in honour of this year's Nobel peace laureates, former Vice President Al Gore and representatives from the UN's climate change panel.
Organizers released no other details about Jones' decision to withdraw. Jones was Gore's roommate when they were students at Harvard University.
The lineup of performers, announced earlier, includes Australian pop star Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox and Melissa Etheridge, who won an Academy Award this year for the song "I Need to Wake Up," which was featured in Gore's environmental documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."
Kevin Spacey
Covers Laid Off Staffers
Jimmy Kimmel
ABC has suspended pay for all idled staffers on its late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live," including Kimmel, who is now covering most of his employees' salaries out of his own pocket.
Kimmel already had been paying the salaries of some of his staff, while ABC was paying the rest. The show has been in repeats since the Hollywood writers strike started November 5.
Other late-night hosts who are covering their staffers' salaries out of their own pockets include NBC's Conan O'Brien and CBS' David Letterman.
Jimmy Kimmel
Dubs Anti-Whaling Ship Steve Irwin
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
A conservation group that has vowed to disrupt Japan's annual whale hunt launched its Antarctic campaign Wednesday by renaming one of its ships after "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, the late environmental campaigner.
The U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society says it will use whatever means necessary to block Japan from harvesting up to 50 humpbacks, 935 minkes and 50 fin whales in Antarctic waters as part of an oceanic research program that critics decry as commercial whaling in disguise.
Irwin's widow, Terri, threw her support behind the mission by giving Sea Shepherd permission to rename one of its two flagship vessels after her husband, the TV wildlife program host who died from a stingray attack off Australia's Great Barrier Reef in September 2006.
The hulking black-and-red vessel, which flies a pirate flag featuring a skull over a trident and a shepherd's hook, had previously been named for the Canadian anti-whaling campaigner Robert Hunter.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
UK Court Blocks Blasphemy Case
"Jerry Springer - The Opera"
The High Court ruled on Wednesday that a Christian activist may not prosecute a BBC executive under blasphemy laws over the corporation's screening of "Jerry Springer - The Opera."
Based on U.S. television host Jerry Springer's brash talk show, the musical depicts Jesus being referred to as "a little bit gay" and features Eve attempting to fondle his genitals.
The British public broadcaster's decision to air the show in 2005 sparked demonstrations, a record number of complaints from viewers and a heated debate about whether freedom of expression was more important than religious sensitivities.
"Jerry Springer - The Opera"
Getting Postage Stamp
Frank Sinatra
A stamp commemorating Frank Sinatra was announced Wednesday by Postmaster General John Potter, who called the crooner "an extraordinary entertainer whose life and work left an indelible impression on American culture."
The stamp image will be unveiled next Wednesday - Sinatra's birthday - at a ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif.
While the stamp will be for first-class mail, the rate has not been announced. Currently the letter rate is 41 cents but the postal governing board is thought likely to raise the price next year.
Under new rules a hike in the letter rate would be limited to the rate of inflation, probably to 42 cents if it does go up in the spring.
Frank Sinatra
Edited Broadcast For CBS?
"Dexter"
As the Hollywood writers strike enters its second month with no end in sight, recycling cable series on broadcast networks is becoming a reality.
CBS Corp. president and CEO Leslie Moonves said that CBS is planning to run some series that air on its Showtime cable unit, including the breakout hit "Dexter."
In addition to "Dexter," CBS also is considering Showtime's racy period drama "The Tudors," which originally was developed for CBS, and the critically praised dark comedy "Weeds," about a marijuana-peddling soccer mom. However, both will need heavy editing to make it to broadcast primetime.
"Dexter"
Boys Leave Afghanistan
'Kite Runner'
Four boy actors in the movie "The Kite Runner" have left Afghanistan out of concern they could be ostracized or subjected to violence because of a rape scene in the movie, a film executive said.
"The Kite Runner," which had its world premiere on Tuesday in Hollywood, is based on the 2003 best-selling novel by Afghan-American writer Khaled Hosseini. In the story, the main character witnesses the rape of his friend but does nothing to stop it.
The four boys, each accompanied by a relative, left Afghanistan and arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, said Megan Colligan, executive vice president of marketing for Paramount Vantage, which is releasing the film.
Studio executives felt they should get the boys out of the country before "The Kite Runner" opens Dec. 14 in the United States, Colligan said.
'Kite Runner'
Starts 48-Day Jail Term
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland was sentenced Wednesday to 48 days in jail for racking up a second drunken-driving arrest in three years and immediately reported to a city lockup. The star of the Fox TV drama "24" was being processed at the Glendale city jail, said Officer John Balian.
Sutherland, 40, who pleaded no contest in October to driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08, appeared in court with his attorney and politely answered the judge's questions, said Assistant City Attorney Dan Jeffries.
Sutherland will serve his sentence at Glendale city jail, but under a county jail inmate program because of overcrowding, Jeffries said. He must serve all 48 days.
Kiefer Sutherland
Charges Dropped
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Prosecutors dropped charges against Jonathan Rhys Meyers on Wednesday after he expressed remorse - through his lawyer - for being drunk and abusive at Dublin Airport.
Rhys Meyers, 30, was arrested Nov. 18. The Irish actor faced two charges of public drunkenness and breach of the peace for being abusive after he was refused permission to board a flight to London.
Rhys Meyers' arrest occurred six months after he checked out of an alcohol-rehabilitation clinic in California - and just three days before the sudden death of his mother, Geraldine Meyers-O'Keeffe, at age 50.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Lucky Tour Bus
'Dr. Phil'
A tour bus full of people on their way to a taping of the "Dr. Phil" TV show crashed into a tree at a Hollywood church Wednesday, authorities said. Nineteen people suffered mostly minor injuries.
The chartered bus with 41 people on board was exiting a freeway around 10:15 a.m. when its brakes malfunctioned, police Lt. Roger Mora said. The bus hit a parked car, crashed through a fence and hit a tree in the yard of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood.
The show chartered the bus to take fans from Camarillo to the day's second taping of the show, spokeswoman Theresa Corigliano said.
The show planned to provide the bus passengers with lunches and invite them back for the taping of the 1,000th "Dr. Phil" episode, Corigliano said.
'Dr. Phil'
Lures Sponsors Despite Ratings Slide
'The Celebrity Apprentice'
Despite sliding ratings for "The Apprentice," advertisers are still paying product-placement fees as high as the $2 million per episode garnered at the height of its popularity. But in a sign of reality show's diminishing clout, NBC is sharing in that revenue for the first time.
The brands that have signed up for integrations in "The Celebrity Apprentice," which premieres January 3, are Kodak, Crocs, Dial Yogurt Body Wash, Quiznos, QVC, Nederlander, Pedigree and Serta by Vera Wang.
Trump said the fees, which up until this season were split 50-50 between himself and executive producer Mark Burnett, would now be shared three ways, with NBC joining in the mix for the first time since "The Apprentice" launched in 2004.
Industry experts said the three-way split, coupled with the Hollywood writers strike, helped convince new NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman that he should resurrect the flailing show with a celebrity spin.
'The Celebrity Apprentice'
Puzzle For Researchers
Waldseemuller Map
The only surviving copy of the 500-year-old map that first used the name America goes on permanent display this month at the Library of Congress, but even as it prepares for its debut, the 1507 Waldseemuller map remains a puzzle for researchers.
Why did the mapmaker name the territory America and then change his mind later? How was he able to draw South America so accurately? Why did he put a huge ocean west of America years before European explorers discovered the Pacific?
The 12 sheets that make up the map, purchased from German Prince Johannes Waldburg-Wolfegg for $10 million in 2003, were mounted on Monday in a huge 6-foot by 9.5-foot (1.85 meter by 2.95 meter) display case machined from a single block of aluminum.
Waldseemuller Map
Blames Spicy Meatballs
Anthony Chiofalo
A counterterrorism detective who says his failed drug test because his wife had spiked his meatballs with marijuana has filed a lawsuit to get his job back.
Anthony Chiofalo asked the court to declare that his firing in August from the New York Police Department was unreasonable and unconstitutional, to declare that a damning hair sample was improperly taken and to order his rehiring with back pay plus interest, seniority and all benefits.
Chiofalo, a 22-year veteran assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, was suspended without pay in November 2005 after a random drug test found marijuana in his system. He denied using drugs and demanded a hearing.
During an investigation, Chiofalo's wife, Catherine Chiofalo, said she secretly put enough marijuana for about six cigarettes in her meatball recipe in July 2005, hoping a failed blood test would force him to retire, court papers say.
Anthony Chiofalo
Fossils Found On Cyprus
Dwarf Hippo
An abattoir used by early Cypriots, a place where animals went to die, or a shelter that ultimately proved a death trap?
Cypriot and Greek scientists are studying a collapsed cave filled with the fossilized remains of extinct dwarf hippopotamuses - descendants of hippos believed to have reached the island a quarter-million years ago.
Until the Ayia Napa discovery, the earliest trace of humans on Cyprus dated to 8,000 B.C. But signs of human activity at the new dig could turn back the clock on the first Cypriots by as much as 3,500 years.
Dwarf Hippo
Chat Show Host
Natascha Kampusch
Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch, who spent eight years locked up in a windowless cell after being kidnapped in Vienna, has said she will host her own TV chat show.
Kampusch recently launched her own Web site Natascha's World. After her escape in August last year, she gave a series of carefully arranged interviews and television appearances.
"(My guests) could be famous people, but also very ordinary ones -- just anyone who has a story to tell really," she told the magazine in an interview published on Wednesday. "I don't want to just skim the surface in these conversations, I want to go deeper."
Natascha Kampusch
Feud Over Fortunetelling Biz
Gypsy Clans
A dispute between two Gypsy clans over control of the fortunetelling trade in this Southern California city has spilled into court, offering a rare glimpse of an insular culture that has long settled scores according to its own Old World rules of honor.
The turf war in well-to-do Orange County has unfolded like a gangster movie, with allegations of death threats, a graveside scuffle, and nicknames like "White Bob" and "Black Bob" - details revealed in a police report and requests for restraining orders.
The Stevens and Merino clans, like other Gypsy families, have run numerous fortunetelling businesses in Southern California for decades.
The trouble started two years ago when Edward Merino and his wife, Sonia, opened fortunetelling parlors in two trendy resort sections of Newport Beach, not far from where the Stevenses did business.
Gypsy Clans
Found In Herculaneum
Wooden Throne
An ancient Roman wood and ivory throne has been unearthed at a dig in Herculaneum, Italian archaeologists said on Tuesday, hailing it as the most significant piece of wooden furniture ever discovered there.
The throne was found during an excavation in the Villa of the Papyri, the private house formerly belonging to Julius Caesar's father-in-law, Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, built on the slope of Mount Vesuvius.
The name of the villa derives from the impressive library containing thousands of scrolls of papyrus discovered buried under metres (yards) of volcanic ash after the Vesuvius erupted on 24 August 79.
Wooden Throne
Auctions Implants
Mary Carey
Porn star Mary Carey (R-Flufffer), who shot to fame by running for California governor against Arnold $chwarzenegger, unveiled plans on Tuesday to auction off her autographed, recently removed breast implants for charity.
Carey said the size 36-D implants were taken out two weeks ago and replaced with larger 36-DDDs and while under anesthesia she realized they could be used to raise money for breast cancer research.
The autographed implants have been placed on eBay and Carey, whose real name is Mary Cook, said she planned to donate some 90 percent of the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Mary Carey
British Pensioner Warned About Farting
Maurice Fox
A British pensioner has been ordered out of his local social club for breaking wind too loudly, which "disgusted" fellow members, media reports said Wednesday.
Maurice Fox, 77, received a letter from Kirkham Street Sports and Social Club in Paignton, south-west England, about his overly-audible flatulence, asking him to go outside when necessary.
"It's only a little bit of wind -- it doesn't really hurt anyone. I sit by the door anyway and try to get out when I can. But sometimes it takes me by surprise and just pops out," he said, quoted by The Guardian daily.
"I think someone has complained about the noise. I am a loud farter, but there is no smell," he added, noted that "there is no smell at all since I gave up the cider and started on the Bass (a type of beer)."
Maurice Fox
Auctioned For $57 Million
Guennol Lioness
Sotheby's auctioned a tiny, ancient Mesopotamian sculpture for $57 million (28.1 million pounds) on Wednesday, a record sum for any sculpture or antiquity sold at auction.
The Guennol Lioness is a 3.25-inch (8.3-cm) tall white limestone figure created 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia -- the cradle of civilization between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers mostly in modern Iraq and Iran. The sculpture is considered one of the last known masterworks from its era in private hands, the auction house said.
The price of $57.16 million topped the previous record of $29.16 million for a sculpture sold at auction that was held by Picasso's "Tete de femme (Dora Maar)" which went for $29.16 million in November, Sotheby's said.
The previous record for an antiquity was $28.6 million for a 2,000-year-old Roman bronze sold in June.
Guennol Lioness
In Memory
David 'Chip' Reese
David "Chip" Reese, whose plans for a Stanford University business school degree were sidetracked by his success at high-stakes poker in Las Vegas, died in his sleep. He was 56.
Reese was found by his son early Tuesday at his Las Vegas home after suffering from symptoms of pneumonia, said poker great Doyle Brunson, his longtime friend.
"I knew him for 35 years, I never saw him get mad or raise his voice," Brunson said. "He had the most even disposition of anyone I've ever met. He's certainly the best poker player that ever lived."
After attending Dartmouth College, Reese was on his way to Stanford in the early 1970s when he stopped by a Las Vegas poker room and won big, said World Series of Poker media director Nolan Dalla.
Despite winning three World Series champion's bracelets over the last four decades, including a $1.8 million HORSE event in 2005 that combines five poker disciplines, Reese focused on high-stakes cash games away from the limelight.
In addition to his son, Reese is survived by a daughter and a stepdaughter, Brunson said. He was recently divorced from his wife.
David 'Chip' Reese
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