'TBH Politoons'
But Untrue
Strangely Believable
FCC Chairman Michael Powell recently warned broadcasters that, in order to avoid future fines or license restrictions, any broadcast reference to an earthen or concrete impediment to the natural flow of a stream or river should use the word “darn” or “dang.”
~Jeff Crook
Jeff Crook is the Ceci Connolly of the Left. - J. Howard Tuft
Strangely Believable but Untrue is now available online at the Untrue Fact of the Day web calendar. Help spread disinformation and misunderstanding by sharing this with your friends and enemies.
Weekly Link
Sick Of This Crap!
Sorry for the two week hiatus! I was spending a few days dealing with a little issue concerning the FBI and the bumperstickers "Support our Mess" and "Questioning is for Traitors" on my Prius retrofitted to run on reclaimed methane from my pet goat, "Old Europe." After a sworn statement of allegiance to America and having my car destroyed, I'm in clear (though this damn electronic anklet is a pain!)
This week's issue includes:
* Horrible Human Tragedy
* Kiss off 2004
* A Very Important Book
Join us won't you join us? We're just a click away....
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Berkshire Eagle: Anti-intellectualism at a price
Actions often have unintended consequences, and the Bush administration's post-9/11 visa policies, its reduced aid to universities and to students, and its anti-intellectualism and anti-science attitudes are starting to damage the country's longtime pre-eminence as a higher-education beacon in the world. Unless Washington wises up, permanent harm will be done to the United States culturally and -- perhaps this will get George W. Bush's attention -- economically. The $13 billion that foreign students bring into the U.S. each year has suddenly begun to drop, endangering the country's dominance as an educational -- and eventually even military -- superpower.
Jim Hightower: A Soldier's Story
Why should a soldier who's made such an extreme sacrifice be treated so shabbily?
John Knouse: Readers' Forum
Some see George W. Bush as God's own shining light, an image he ardently claims. But many of us see him as a jackal in human form: a paradigm of the modern vile right, perverting every cherished American value.
David Bruce: Husbands & Wives
* A woman complained to R' Eizel Charif that she had been abandoned by her husband and that he refused to support her; therefore, she wanted a divorce, but her husband refused to give her one. R' Eizel Charif summoned the husband, who said that he would give his wife a divorce for a large sum of money (which the wife, a poor woman, did not have), but without the money, there would be no divorce. R' Eizel Charif took "Maseches Kiddushin" from his bookcase, opened it to the first "Mishnah," then showed the volume to the husband and said, "See what it says: 'She acquires herself [that is, goes free] in [one of] two ways... by divorce or through the death of the husband.' Now you can choose by which of the two your wife will acquire her freedom." The husband decided on the divorce.
AlterNet: Donation Guide
A list of aid agencies accepting contributions for those affected by the earthquake and tsunamis.
The Catholic Encyclopedia
A Glossary of Literary Terms
Contributor Comment
Re: Congress
Hi Marty,
Since all senators think they should be president, I
have this offer I would like to make them. The first
senator that commits to joining Congressman John
Conyers in contesting the election results I promise
to vote for in the next presidential election. I will
volunteer to work for and donate to her/his campaign.
I bet a lot of people would make the same promise.
Tim
Thanks, Tim!
It's sorta like a rerun in real life, as documented in 'Fahrenheit 9/11' -
"While Vice President Al Gore appeared to have accepted his fate contained in two wooden ballot boxes, Democratic members of the Congressional Black Caucus tried repeatedly to challenge the assignment of Florida's 25 electoral votes to Bush. More than a dozen Democrats followed suit, seeking to force a debate on the validity of Florida's vote on the grounds that all votes may not have been counted and that some voters were wrongly denied the right to vote." Susan Milligan, "It's Really Over: Gore Bows Out Gracefully," Boston Globe, January 7, 2001.
The Congressional Black Caucus effort failed for "lack of the necessary signature by any senator." Sen. Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) had previously advised Democratic senators not to cooperate. 'They did not.'" Robert Novak, "Sweeney Link Won't Help Chao," Chicago Sun-Times, January 14, 2001.
FAHRENHEIT 9/11: Congressional Black Caucus members tried to object to the election outcome on the floor of the House; no Senator would sign the objections.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
More rain.
New 'Late Late Show' Host
Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson has something that will make his late-night TV talk show distinct - his Scottish accent. "My gimmick is that I'll be using a Scottish accent for the entire show," Ferguson told AP Radio in an interview. "You know, it's out there, but I think it will work."
Ferguson, the new host of CBS' "The Late Late Show," said a photo of his 3 1/2-year-old son is "out of sight on the desk" away from studio cameras.
Ferguson is best known for "The Drew Carey Show," where he played Carey's boss. The 42-year-old actor-comedian also wrote and starred in the films "Saving Grace" and "The Big Tease."
Craig Ferguson
Lets F-Word Slip on 'Tonight Show'
Vince Neil
NBC hasn't received any calls about the F-word that Motley Crue rocker Vince Neil dropped during the live New Year's Eve broadcast of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."
"Happy f---ing New Year, Tommy!" Neil said to bandmate Tommy Lee shortly after midnight Friday.
The remark was carried to viewers on the East Coast but was edited out before it was broadcast in the West, according to the entertainment trade paper Variety, which reported the incident on its Web site Monday night.
Leno normally tapes his show for broadcast later in the evening but does a live version for New Year's Eve. He had never a problem with profanities before, although the word has slipped out from time to time on other programs.
Vince Neil
Loses Half Its Subscribers
Trio
NBC Universal's quirky Trio cable network lost about half of its subscribers over the weekend as DirecTV pulled the plug, the companies said on Monday.
The network failed to renegotiate a carriage deal with DirecTV late last year and lost about 12 million of its approximate 20 million total subscribers by Jan. 1, a Trio spokeswoman said.
One industry source said the "writing was on the wall" for Trio by July when DirecTV and NBC Universal reached a long-term distribution deal for NBC's roster of cable networks that include Bravo, USA and Sci Fi, but not Trio.
Trio
Encourages Palestinian Vote
Richard Gere
A pro-peace group is hoping that a potent mix of Hollywood glamour and religion will motivate Palestinians to vote in next week's presidential elections - and their star attraction is actor Richard Gere.
Gere, together with two religious officials, recorded a public service announcement calling on the Palestinians to vote in the Jan. 9 election to replace Yasser Arafat.
"Hi, I'm Richard Gere and I'm speaking for the entire world. We're with you during this election time. It's really important: Get out and vote," Gere said, according to a transcript of the announcement obtained by The Associated Press.
Gere ended the 80-second spot produced by the pro-peace group, "One Voice," with an appeal in Arabic: "Take part in the elections."
Richard Gere
Send Top Names to Tsunami Zones
Networks
ABC's Diane Sawyer walked a beach in Thailand on "Good Morning America" Monday, the same country CBS's Dan Rather had traveled to for his broadcast. Brian Williams anchored NBC's "Nightly News" from the Aceh province of Indonesia.
A week after the devastating tsunamis crashed ashore in Asia, American television networks have begun sending some of their top news anchors to the affected countries.
Peter Jennings, who anchored a special report from New York Monday on former Presidents Bush and Clinton leading a relief drive, did not travel under doctor's orders because of an upper respiratory infection, the network said.
The "Today" show sent Ann Curry, who subbed as host for Katie Couric last week, to Sri Lanka in time for Monday's broadcast.
Three CNN hosts were taking their shows overseas: Soledad O'Brien was co-anchoring "American Morning" from Thailand, Anderson Cooper was in Sri Lanka and Aaron Brown was due in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Tuesday night.
Networks
Spinoff Set for Launch
Military History Channel
The History Channel has drafted plans for a new network dedicated to programming that focuses on military history.
The cable network is set to announce Monday that the new channel, dubbed Military History Channel, will kick off with a preview starting at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday ahead of its official launch in the spring, when the channel will begin airing programming round-the-clock.
The announcement follows recent news about another new military-themed network. Next week, Discovery Wings Channel is being relaunched as the Military Channel, focusing on all aspects of the armed forces, military strategies and personnel throughout the ages.
Military History Channel
Hospital News
Lady Bird Johnson
Former U.S. first lady Lady Bird Johnson, who has suffered recently from bronchitis, was treated in a hospital over the weekend but is now at home resting comfortably, her spokeswoman said on Monday.
Johnson, the 92-year-old widow of former President Lyndon B. Johnson, was taken by ambulance on Saturday to an Austin, Texas, hospital after feeling faint. She returned home later on Saturday after tests revealed nothing serious.
Johnson is the eldest of the United States' seven living first ladies.
Lady Bird Johnson
Donates $1M for Tsunami Relief
Sandra Bullock
Actress Sandra Bullock has donated $1 million to the American Red Cross to help relief efforts in countries affected by the deadly earthquake and tsunamis in southern Asia and eastern Africa.
Bullock, whose screen credits include "Miss Congeniality," "While You Were Sleeping" and "Speed," contacted the American Red Cross last week, the organization said Monday. She also donated $1 million after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Sandra Bullock
Selling Off Inventory
Paul Mawhinney
Few customers make it behind Record-Rama Sound Archives' checkout counter to find hundreds of thousands of LPs, CDs and 45s - which represent the last 48 years of Paul Mawhinney's life.
Mawhinney, a 65-year-old grandfather of five, claims to have accumulated nearly 3 million recordings - everything from a radio promotional album by the Rolling Stones to a rare release from Star Trek star Leonard Nimoy. He also created a database of about 700,000 titles that allows users to search by artist, song title or keyword.
But now, the owner of the Pittsburgh record store is looking to sell off his entire collection to the highest bidder.
His business was appraised at $50.5 million three years ago, Mawhinney said, and a company once offered to buy his collection for $28.5 million.
For the rest, Paul Mawhinney
Record-Rama Sound Archives
Say They Never Lip Synch
The Donnas
Members of the rock band The Donnas were kind of glad when Ashlee Simpson was caught lip synching on Saturday Night Live.
They were hoping it would show the world the difference between acts like them who never use backing tracks and acts who are all style over substance. Boy, were they disappointed.
"We thought, 'Finally she got caught and she's going to get punished an everyone's going to figure it out and it would be like Milli Vanilli, and everyone would return her CDs,'" said guitarist Allison Robertson.
The Donnas
Has History of Altering Reality
WRAZ-TV
WRAZ-TV is taking another stand against reality television. The decision to pre-empt Fox's "Who's Your Daddy" on Monday marks the fourth time the Raleigh-Durham station has bucked its network's reality programming. It previously was the nation's only Fox affiliate to refuse to air "Married by America," and it also decided against "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire" and "Temptation Island."
WRAZ general manager Tommy Schenck said the station had concerns from the moment it heard the premise of "Daddy?", which offered a $100,000 prize if an adoptive daughter could pick her birth father from an eight-man lineup. If she guessed wrong, the man she chose was to get the money.
The decision was sealed after managers received an advance copy of the program last week. Their conclusion: "We just don't think adoption is a game show," Schenck said in a telephone interview Monday.
"We want to be a good Fox affiliate, and a good partner with the network," Schenck said. "We think we have been, but when it's a reality show, and it cheapens and demeans real-life issues, we think that crosses the line."
WRAZ-TV
Best Of '04
Film Flubs
Buried under the avalanche of year-end lists is one that won't make moviemakers very happy. MovieMistakes.com has named and shamed its 15 favorite continuity errors of 2004.
The selections are based on the site's system of visitor scoring, but they're also weighted at the discretion of proprietor Jon Sandys "so that 'Harry Potter and the PoA' (Prisoner of Azkaban) and 'Spider-Man 2' didn't fill the list themselves," as he put it.
Sandys chose some mask difficulties from his list of Spidey problems, in particular a bit that gets blackened during the famous train scene but mysteriously becomes clean soon after.
In "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," the room containing the Monster Book of Monsters changes proportions to accommodate the action.
Other moments making the list include a sandwich with multiplying crusts in "Kill Bill-Vol. 2," a flexible shovel in "Secret Window," a self-healing car in "The Bourne Supremacy" and a sun that rises in the west during "Troy."
Film Flubs
In Memory
Shirley Chisholm
Political pioneer Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress and a champion of women's rights, died on Saturday in Florida, congressional officials said. She was 80.
Chisholm, a slender, sharp-tongued former teacher, served seven terms representing a poverty-stricken district in Brooklyn and was one of the first women to seek the presidential nomination of a major party, winning 151 delegates to the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami. She served in the House of Representatives from 1968 to 1982.
Chisholm, one of the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus and the National Organization for Women, hired an all-women staff during her first term in Congress and spoke out for civil rights and women's rights and against the Vietnam War.
Chisholm's 1968 congressional campaign slogan was "unbought and unbossed," which she also used as the title of her 1970 book about her historic election.
The daughter of a factory worker from what is now Guyana and a seamstress from the Caribbean island of Barbados, Chisholm attended Brooklyn College and went on to earn a master's degree in elementary education at Columbia University.
Chisholm taught at a nursery school and eventually became a nursery school director and an educational consultant to New York's bureau of child welfare before turning to politics.
Funeral arrangements for Chisholm were expected to be made public on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman at the Leo C. Chase & Son Funeral Home in St. Augustine, Florida.
Shirley Chisholm
In Memory
Frank Kelly Freas
Frank Kelly Freas, an influential illustrator who produced sleek, stirring images for science fiction and fantasy books and helped shape the image of Mad Magazine mascot Alfred E. Newman, has died. He was 82.
Freas died in his sleep Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, said his wife of 16 years, Laura Brodian Freas, the host of a Los Angeles classical music program. The cause of death was old age, she said.
In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Freas illustrated the covers or the pages of books by writers including Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, A.E. Van Vogt, Poul Anderson and Frederik Pohl.
Beginning in the 1950s, he spent seven years as the main cover artist of Mad Magazine, creating stylishly detailed portraits and helping to make famous Alfred E. Newman, the freckled, front-tooth-deprived purveyor of the phrase, "What? Me Worry?"
Freas (pronounced "freeze") also created the cover of Queen's 1977 album "News of the World," and a picture of a werewolf that appeared in the movie "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."
Born on Aug. 27, 1922, in Hornell, N.Y., Frank Kelly Freas demonstrated artistic talent at an early age. In the late 1930s, he attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where he received a Doctor of Arts in 2003.
While serving in the Pacific theater in World War II in photo reconnaissance, he passed his spare time painting beautiful women on the noses of bomber airplanes.
Among his awards, Freas received 11 Hugo awards for his achievements in science fiction, five of them awarded in consecutive years.
Besides his wife, Freas is survived by a daughter, son, and six grandchildren.
www.kellyfreas.com
Frank Kelly Freas