'Best of TBH Politoons'
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
N. Korea Reports 1st Nuclear Arms Test (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS; Posted on Nevada Thunder)
North Korea said Monday it has performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test and the blast had been successfully set off underground with no radioactive leakage from the site.
Afghanistan At A Tipping Point (cbsnews.com)
NATO's top commander in Afghanistan said Sunday the country was at a tipping point and warned Afghans would likely switch their allegiance to resurgent Taliban militants if there are no visible improvements in people's lives in the next six months.
Living on the edge (guardian.co.uk)
Britain's coastline has remained more or less intact since the end of the last ice age. But as sea levels rise, erosion is accelerating and more than a million homes are now under threat. Is the only solution for us to abandon the shore? Adam Nicolson reports.
Protest and survive (guardian.co.uk)
When police arrested 13 women at the Faslane nuclear submarine base last week, among them was one of the leading veterans of Greenham Common. Rebecca Johnson tells Aida Edemariam about 25 years of civil disobedience.
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: I. F. Stone's Mighty Pen (vanityfair.com)
Reading a new biography of the fiercely independent and incorruptible I. F. "Izzy" Stone, the author recalls how, with a one-man kitchen-table weekly, the late great reporter blazed the way for a generation of bloggers, became a legend Washington journalists still worship, and set a standard few can meet. A VF.com exclusive
PAUL BERMAN: The Watchdog (nytimes.com/)
Does the memory of the independent-minded, hearing-impaired, liberally leftist, reliably humorous, ever quizzical and wonderfully prolific journalist I. F. Stone have anything to offer to us today? Myra MacPherson has written a biography under the Stone-quoting title " 'All Governments Lie,' " in order to demonstrate that Stone and his journalistic achievements do have something to offer, and Karl Weber and the publisher Peter Osnos have brought out an anthology of 65 articles called "The Best of I. F. Stone" in order to demonstrate that MacPherson is right. And it is easy to see what the biographer and the anthologists have in mind.
Eric Alterman: Stone Cold Untruths (prospect.org)
A rejoinder to Paul Berman's misleading review of a new Izzy Stone biography.
The Funniest People in Comedy...
Bruce's Books
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Mostly overcast.
Having some computer problems. Sigh.
Visits Paris
'Borat'
Kazakhstan, it seems, is not quite a big enough target for all the explicit schtick of Borat, the pseudo journalist -- played by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen -- whose movie is about to be unleashed on the world next month.
In a Paris press conference, Borat flung his mucky mirth far and wide over a range of other victims, including US resident George W. Bush, Mel Gibson, Brigitte Bardot, French cuisine and Uzbekistan.
But it was still Kazakhstan that bore the brunt of Baron Cohen's satire -- much to that country's well-publicized chagrin, and much for the box-office benefit it will bring his film "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" which starts screening from November 3.
Standing in front of a set made to look like an apartment in his fictional Kazakhstan, Baron Cohen -- staying in character -- launched into his spiel about the movie, which plays as a comic fake documentary on the United States.
'Borat'
Hosting Concerts For Darfur
MySpace
The online hangout MySpace.com will organize 20 concerts featuring bands promoted on its site as part of a campaign to raise awareness and money for humanitarian relief in Sudan.
"The crisis in Darfur is a global concern and as a global community we have a responsibility to take action," Chris DeWolfe, MySpace's chief executive, said in a statement. "MySpace's reach gives us an extraordinary opportunity to spread the word and empower individuals to help address the horrors in Darfur."
The concerts will take place Oct. 21. Artists include TV on the Radio in Philadelphia, Alice in Chains in Winston-Salem, N.C., Ziggy Marley in Medford, Ore., Citizen Cope in Seattle, Gov't Mule in Spokane, Wash., and Insane Clown Posse in St. Petersburg, Fla. Other concerts will take place in Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco, Calif.; Melbourne, Fla.; Atlanta; Louisville, Ky.; St. Paul, Minn.; Reno, Nev.; Baltimore; Asheville, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Milwaukee; and Washington, D.C. A Canadian show will take place in Toronto.
MySpace
Stewart Comments
'Stewart/Colbert '08'
Those people wearing "Stewart/Colbert '08" T-shirts can stop hoping - Comedy Central's fake news stars have no intention of making a run for the White House.
Jon Stewart said the T-shirts promoting him and Stephen Colbert "are a real sign of how sad people are" with the state of affairs in the country.
"Nothing says 'I am ashamed of you my government' more than 'Stewart/Colbert '08,' Stewart told an audience Sunday at the New Yorker Festival. He was interviewed by the magazine's editor, David Remnick.
'Stewart/Colbert '08'
Worst Ratings, So Far
Katie Couric
The fifth week was the toughest for Katie Couric, whose viewership on the "CBS Evening News" has dropped each week since her debut the day after Labor Day.
Her broadcast averaged 7.04 million viewers last week, third to NBC's "Nightly News" (8.56 million) and ABC's "World News" (7.97 million), according to Nielsen Media Research.
Katie Couric
Closing After 33 Years
CBGB
After Sunday, memories are all that will remain when the cramped club with its capacity of barely 300 people goes out of business after 33 years. Although its boom years are long gone, CBGB's remained a Manhattan music scene fixture: part museum, part barroom, home to more than a few rock and roll ghosts.
The club didn't exit without a fight. An assortment of high-profile backers, including E Street Band guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt, battled to keep the legendary club open. But in the end, it was a simple landlord-tenant dispute - and owner Hilly Kristal saw the handwriting on the club's dank walls.
Kristal plans to move the club far from its roots with a new CBGB's in Las Vegas. The owner plans to strip the current club down to the bare walls, bringing as much of it to Nevada as possible.
CBGB
PA Auction
Jack Palance
Jack Palance is auctioning off the contents of his northeastern Pennsylvania home: more than 3,000 items collected from around the world.
The three-day auction starts Thursday, and items going on the block range from the screen legend's old straw hat to an 1878 Steinway & Sons grand piano.
The 87-year-old actor, who won the best supporting actor Oscar in 1992 for "City Slickers," also is parting with more than 1,400 books, posters from his movies, his high school championship football banners and memorabilia, movie props, his saddle, boots and vest.
The 150-acre Holly-Brooke Farm, named for Palance's daughters, was a retreat for the actor and his family. It is not known what will happen to the site, about 85 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Jack Palance
Baby News
Henry Van Duzer Lawrence
"Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence and his wife, show star Christa Miller, welcomed their third child Sunday. Henry Van Duzer Lawrence weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces, said the couple's publicist, Karynne Tencer.
The couple, married since 1999, has two other children: Charlotte, 6, and William, 3.
Miller, 42, plays the acerbic Jordan Sullivan on the NBC comedy, which Lawrence executive produces. She previously played Kate O'Brien on ABC's "The Drew Carey Show."
Henry Van Duzer Lawrence
Wedding News
Hadjuk - Allen
Tim Allen tied the knot with his girlfriend of five years, actress Jane Hadjuk, in an intimate Colorado ceremony, his spokeswoman said Monday.
The couple's family were the only guests at the private affair, held Saturday in Grand Lake, Colorado, said Allen's publicist, Marleah Leslie. Allen's 17-year-old daughter, Katherine Dick, was among the attendees.
It is the first marriage for Hadjuk, 39, and the second for Allen, 53. He was previously married to Laura Deibel.
Hadjuk - Allen
The Music's Over
Tower Records
On Friday, after a 29-hour auction, most of bankrupt music retailer's Tower Records' assets were sold to liquidation firm Great American Group, which bid $134.3 million. The company outbid Albany, N.Y.-based retailer Trans World Entertainment by a mere $500,000.
According to Tower attorney Peter Gurfein, Great American was set to begin liquidation and going-out-of-business sales Saturday.
An internal e-mail to employees from Tower CEO Joseph D'Amico said the company's Web operation, Tower.com, its label 33rd Street Records and its real estate holdings were sold separately.
Tower Records
Renews Deal
Mary Hart
Mary Hart has signed a new multiyear contract to continue anchoring "Entertainment Tonight."
Hart began her 25th season with the top-rated showbiz gossip show September 5. She was named co-host of "ET" on August 9, 1982 -- less than two months after joining the show.
"ET," which launched September 14, 1981, has been the No. 1 syndicated entertainment newsmagazine for nearly 1,300 consecutive weeks.
Mary Hart
Takes Bids On New Name
Marine
Hoping to raise money for his family and an orphanage, a 29-year-old Marine is running an online auction in which the winning bidder will get to give him a new name - and he promises to make it legally binding.
"I've always thought about different cool inventions and neat ideas like this," said Sgt. Cody Baker, an Alabama native who was most recently stationed in Japan but is transferring to Camp Lejeune this month. "It's just the way my mind works. Most of them are off the wall like this. They just sound ridiculous."
The bidding at Baker's Web site, http://www.choosemyname.com, began July 20, with a $5 offer to name him Mr. Clean.
Later bids supporting such names as George Bailey of Bedford Falls and Mr. Right gave way to a $26,333.31 offer from an online coffee vendor that wants the name tape on Baker's uniform to display its slogan, "Finest Freshest Fastest."
Marine
May Be Largest Ever
Pumpkin
Despite heavy rains that stunted pumpkin growth, a Rhode Island farmer has set what could be a new record for the largest pumpkin in the world.
Ron Wallace's pumpkin weighed 1,502 pounds at Saturday's weigh-off competition, heavier than the current Guinness World Record-holding 1,469-pound pumpkin grown last year by Larry Checkon of Pennsylvania.
Wallace said at the 13th annual Rhode Island Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Championship that the key to growing a giant pumpkin is the ability to commit to the task from April to October.
Pumpkin
International Federation of Competitive Eating
247 Jalapeños
A 62-year-old retired accountant from Nevada swallowed 247 peppers in eight minutes to win the Jalapeno Eating World Championship at the State Fair of Texas.
Richard LeFevre won $2,000 for prevailing in Sunday's contest, which was sponsored by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.
LeFevre, who has also won the fair's World Corny Dog Eating Contest three times, said his winning strategy was to mix three or four peppers in his mouth with a swig of milk before swallowing.
247 Jalapeños
Snaps Up YouTube
Google
Internet search leader Google is snapping up YouTube for $1.65 billion, brushing aside copyright concerns to seize a starring role in the online video revolution.
The all-stock deal announced Monday unites one of the Internet's marquee companies with one of its rapidly rising stars. It came just a few hours after YouTube unveiled three separate agreements with media companies to counter the threat of copyright-infringement lawsuits.
The price makes YouTube Inc., a still-unprofitable startup, by far the most expensive purchase made by Google during its eight-year history. Last year, Google spent $130.5 million buying a total of 15 small companies.
Google
In Memory
Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth Allen, a Tony Award-nominated actress familiar for her role as the "Away We Go" girl on "The Jackie Gleason Show," died Sept. 19 of kidney failure at a nursing home, according to an obituary released by her family. She was 77.
Allen was born Elizabeth Ellen Gillease on Jan. 25, 1929, in Jersey City, N.J., and was a fashion model with the Ford Modeling Agency before she began acting. In 1953, she landed the part introducing the Gleason show with the catchphrase "And away we go!"
She was nominated for a Tony as best featured actress in a musical for "The Gay Life" in 1962 and in 1965 as best actress in a musical for her performance in Richard Rodgers' "Do I Hear a Waltz?"
Allen's film career included roles in "Diamond Head" with Charlton Heston, "Donovan's Reef" with John Wayne and "From the Terrace" with Paul Newman.
Her other films included "Star Spangled Girl" and "The Carey Treatment." She played Paul Lynde's wife on the 1970s sitcom "The Paul Lynde Show" and was also in the casts of "Bracken's World," Don Rickles' sitcom "C.P.O. Sharkey," and the soap operas "Another World" and "Texas."
Elizabeth Allen
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