'Best of TBH Politoons'
M Is For MASHUP - March 14 2007
This Month's Bootleg Projects
By DJ Useo
Reader Suggestion
The YouTubes
this is very funny
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Barbara Ehrenreich: Challenging the Workplace Dictatorship (alternet.org)
George Orwell's "1984" is already here and it's called the American workplace, but finally there's a law in the works that might make jobs livable.
Mike Farrell: Just Call Me Mike: A Journey from Actor to Activist (AlterNet.org)
Actor Mike Farrell, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt in the popular TV-series M.A.S.H., reflects on his path from fame to progressive activism.
Ben Stein: Where Are the Grown-Ups When You Need Them? (nytimes.com)
... adolescents, with their short attention spans, their demand for a painless life, their need to blame everyone else for their problems, and their perpetual sense of victimization despite having just been given new Beemers, are the model for the whole society right now.
Warning: workplace sport can seriously damage your career (guardian.co.uk)
Stuart Jeffries on why he no longer plays football - or any other team game - with his colleagues.
Beth Quinn: Fad diets: You have nothing to lose but your money (recordonline.com)
My husband and I went on a fad diet last week. It's called The Three-Day Diet. The principle behind it, apparently, is that some drunk wrote the names of food on a wall, then threw darts at it. The ones he hit became the diet: vanilla ice cream, tuna, cabbage, a slice of dry bread and eight saltines. And that was for breakfast.
Kathy A. Svitil: Mind-Control Microbe (discovermagazine.com)
A parasitic infection can give you schizophrenia, make you have a car crash, or determine the sex of your child.
Rites of Departure (threepennyreview.com)
Rites come and go, but they cannot be manufactured, says Bert Keizer. You cannot just make up rites, and you toy with them at your peril. For example, funerals...
Robert Hilburn: Too many Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees fail the test of time (calendarlive.com)
Over 21 years, the bar's too often been lowered. If only appointments weren't so permanent.
Joe Piasecki: Hey - you can't draw that! (pasadenaweekly.com)
Author David Wallis finds a Fourth-rate Estate in 'Killed Cartoons: Casualties from the War on Free Expression'
Robbie Hartman: The Lord, Our $avior (shepherd-express.com)
Flaunt What Yo' Yahweh Gave Ya. Remember: If it ain't got no flash, it ain't worth yo' cash. There's a reason Rev. Robertson owns a hilltop estate with a private airstrip-and it's not because Jesus loves the clean mountain air. Even with a virgin birth, size matters. And the bigger the Christ, the higher the price, so use those donations to add a few extra inches to your steeple.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Problem-Solving (athensnews.com)
Carl Reiner, creator, writer, and producer of "The Dick Van Dyke Show," sometimes wanted an extra 15 seconds to save a good joke when an episode was a little too long. He once saved a good joke by going through an episode and cutting a single frame from each scene.
Reader Suggestion
Got Laughs
pretty much splains it
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
A lovely fog rolled in and more seasonal humidity and temperatures were restored.
Seeks Concert Venue
Al Gore
Former Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore had wanted to highlight the need to address global warming by staging one of seven worldwide "Live Earth" concerts on the National Mall in the U.S. capital on July 7.
But two events already are scheduled for that day on the Mall so Gore reached out to a close friend in Congress, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, to use the front lawn of the Capitol -- albeit a much smaller area.
Reid of Nevada and Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine have introduced a resolution in the Senate offering the Capitol grounds for the event. It would also have to pass the U.S. House of Representatives.
In addition to the planned Washington concert, the others will be held in cities on the other six continents: Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, London, Brazil, Japan and Antarctica.
Al Gore
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Class of 2007
Instead of guitars, there were turntables. Scratches replaced soaring riffs. An induction speech was read off a Blackberry. The hip-hop era arrived Monday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first hip-hop act to be inducted into the Rock Hall, joining other acts that represented a wide swath of artists: college rock favorites R.E.M., punk rock poet Patti Smith, rockers Van Halen and '60s girl group The Ronettes.
The night's biggest ovation may have been for the woman who swore she'd never make it in: Patti Smith. The bohemian poet straddled the hippie and punk eras, with her album "Horses" setting a standard for literate rock. At the induction ceremony, she performed her biggest hit, "Because the Night," co-written with Bruce Springsteen, and the Rolling Stones' classic, "Gimme Shelter."
With jewelry dangling from his hair, a mustachioed Keith Richards inducted the Ronettes, the New York City girl group who sang pop symphonies like "Be My Baby" and "Baby I Love You." He recalled hearing them the first time on a tour together in England.
Two of rock's most influential figures - and members of its hall - received tributes: Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton honored James Brown, while hall officials remembered one of the institution's founders, record executive Ahmet Ertegun. Both died in December.
For a lot more - Class of 2007
Outrages Iranians
`300'
The hit American movie "300" has angered Iranians who say the Greeks-vs-Persians action flick insults their ancient culture and provokes animosity against Iran.
Even some American reviewers noted the political overtones of the West-against-Iran story line - and the way Persians are depicted as decadent, sexually flamboyant and evil in contrast to the noble Greeks.
In Iran, the movie hasn't opened and probably never will, given the government's restrictions on Western films, though one paper said bootleg DVDs were already available.
Still, it touched a sensitive nerve. Javad Shamghadri, cultural adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said the United States tries to "humiliate" Iran in order to reverse historical reality and "compensate for its wrongdoings in order to provoke American soldiers and warmongers" against Iran.
`300'
Hometown Honors
Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen, aka the "King of Cool," will be honored later this month in the central Missouri town of Slater, where he grew up.
Steve McQueen Days, to be held March 23-25, could help raise the tourism profile of the farming community of 2,100 residents, about 200 miles northwest of St. Louis, the city's assistant administrator, Russell Griffith, said Monday.
The three-day event will include screenings of his movies, a showing of memorabilia and tours to his boyhood home and former school.
Among those expected to attend: McQueen's widow, Barbara McQueen, his stuntman Loren Janes and Pat Johnson, his martial-arts instructor and friend.
Steve McQueen
Honored In Mississippi
Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook was honored by the Mississippi Legislature Monday, and the actor who has spent a lifetime impersonating Mark Twain recalled his own travels through the South.
Holbrook, 82, told lawmakers that he began his journeys from New York in the late 1940s and continued through the most turbulent years of the civil rights struggle.
"I was doing material that I could never do as Hal Holbrook. I was doing material which directly spoke to what was going on and the troubles that people were having," Holbrook said. "Speaking as Mark Twain, I was able to get away with it."
Hal Holbrook
$100,000 Tickets
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera will open next season with its usual assortment of high notes - and a new high for ticket prices.
The Met is selling $100,000 boxes for its opening-night presentation of "Lucia di Lammermoor" with soprano Natalie Dessay and tenor Marcello Giordani, the company said Tuesday.
For that price, the buyer gets an eight-seat box on the parterre level, eight tickets for the pre-opera cocktail reception and eight places at the post-opera black-tie dinner with the performers.
That comes to $12,500 a seat, more than double last year's opening-night high of $5,000. The Met has had $10,000 seats for some prior gala performances.
Metropolitan Opera
Catholic Politicians & Moral Duty
Ratzinger
The Church's opposition to gay marriage is "non-negotiable" and Catholic politicians have a moral duty to oppose it, as well as laws on abortion and euthanasia, Pope Benedict said in a document issued on Tuesday.
In a 140-page booklet on the workings of a synod that took place at the Vatican in 2005 on the theme of the Eucharist, the 79-year-old German Pope also re-affirmed the Catholic rule of celibacy for priests.
In the "Apostolic Exhortation" Benedict said all believers had to defend what he called fundamental values but that the duty was "especially incumbent" on those in positions of power.
Ratzinger
Government Censorship Flourishes
Historical Documents
More than 1 million pages of historical government documents - a stack taller than the U.S. Capitol - have been removed from public view since the September 2001 terror attacks, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. Some of the papers are more than a century old.
In some cases, entire file boxes were removed without significant review because the government's central record-keeping agency, the National Archives and Records Administration, did not have time for a more thorough audit.
The records administration began removing materials under its "records of concern" program, launched in November 2001 after the Justice Department instructed agencies to be more guarded in releasing government papers. The agency has removed about 1.1 million pages, according to partially redacted monthly progress reports reviewed by the AP. The reports were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
In all, archivists identified as many as 625 million pages that could have been affected under the security program. In their haste to remove potentially harmful documents from view, archives officials acknowledged many records were withdrawn that should be available.
Historical Documents
Judge Orders Sale Of Book
O.J. Simpson
A judge ordered on Tuesday that rights to O.J. Simpson's aborted book, "If I Did It," be sold at auction to help satisfy a civil judgment against the former football star -- meaning the book could find its way into stores.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gerald Rosenberg's decision comes at the request of Ron Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, who expressed outrage at the original publication of "If I Did It" and now finds himself putting the manuscript back into circulation.
Goldman's lawyer, David Cook said Goldman did not necessarily want the book published but had determined that the rights to "If I Did It" were one of Simpson's few "visible assets." The auction could be held within 30 days, Cook said.
O.J. Simpson
Changing Name
Court TV
The name of Court TV is getting disbarred. Turner Broadcasting said on Tuesday that it will rename its cable channel to reflect a more action-driven lineup. The new name won't be revealed until summer and will take effect at the start of next year.
What is now Court TV will become the home to a form of action-packed reality programming, a direction that has already become apparent on the air, said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, which is owned by Time Warner Inc.
Among the programs in development for the newly christened network: "Bounty Girls," about a team of female bounty hunters in Florida, and "The Real Hustle," showing scam artists and pickpockets at work in New York City.
The new network will still carry courtroom coverage from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and keep the Web site courttv.com to carry such legal-oriented programming, he said. Talk shows with Nancy Grace and Star Jones will be shown in the afternoon.
Court TV
Sues YouTube
Viacom
MTV owner Viacom Inc. sued the popular video-sharing site YouTube and its corporate parent, Google Inc., on Tuesday, seeking more than $1 billion in damages on claims of widespread copyright infringement.
The lawsuit came nearly six weeks after Viacom demanded that YouTube remove more than 100,000 unauthorized clips after several months of talks over licensing arrangements broke down. YouTube agreed at the time to comply and said it cooperates with all copyright holders to remove programming as soon as they're notified.
But since then, Viacom has identified more than 50,000 additional unauthorized clips, Viacom spokesman Jeremy Zweig said.
Viacom
Elephant Retiring To Sanctuary
Ruby
The Los Angeles Zoo's oldest elephant is poised to live out her remaining days at an animal sanctuary in central California after years of lobbying by animal activists for her retirement to a preserve.
Ruby will be moved to the Performing Animal Welfare Society Elephant Sanctuary in San Andreas, southeast of Sacramento, the mayor's statement said. The sanctuary sits on 75 acres with a lake and mud holes. The mayor's office said it would most likely take two to three weeks to complete the move.
Bob Barker, who pledged $300,000 in December toward housing Ruby at the sanctuary, applauded the mayor.
Ruby
Indiana Circle
Woodland Indians
A circular formation discovered in a wooded area next to a highway slated for widening is likely some sort of an earthen enclosure built by prehistoric Indians, Ball State University archaeologists say. Workers with the Delaware County Office of Geographic Information System found the earthen structure more than a year ago while studying contours on a large topographical map.
The 150-foot diameter feature was likely constructed by excavating a circular ditch around a space archaeologists call a central platform, said Ball State archaeologist Don Cochran.
He said the structure is so prominent it shows up dramatically on Google Earth and resembles the aboriginal enclosures that are within Mounds State Park near Anderson.
Woodland Indians
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for March 5-11. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.
1. (2) "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 28.55 million viewers.
2. (1) "American Idol" (Tuesday), Fox, 27.95 million viewers.
3. (X) "American Idol" (Thursday)," Fox, 27.52 million viewers.
4. (9) "House," Fox, 24.4 million viewers.
5. (3) "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" Fox, 20.66 million viewers.
6. (12) "Deal Or No Deal" (Monday), NBC, 18.39 million viewers.
7. (17) "Without a Trace," CBS, 17.53 million viewers.
8. (5) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 15.451 million viewers.
9. (23) "Cold Case," CBS, 15.447 million viewers.
10. (17) "Heroes," NBC, 14.9 million viewers.
11. (15) "Two And a Half Men," CBS, 14.55 million viewers.
12. (10) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 14.33 million viewers.
13. (23) "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," ABC, 13.95 million viewers.
14. (15) "Survivor: Fiji," CBS, 13.82 million viewers.
15. (17) "Criminal Minds," CBS, 13.68 million viewers.
16. (17) "24," Fox, 13.04 million viewers.
17. (33) "Deal Or No Deal" (Sunday), NBC, 12.91 million viewers.
18. (25) "Rules Of Engagement," CBS, 12.51 million viewers.
19. (13) "Lost," ABC, 12.45 million viewers.
19. (17) "NCIS," CBS, 12.45 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton, the actress and singer who brought a brassy vitality to Hollywood musicals such as "Annie Get Your Gun," has died in Palm Springs, Calif., at age 86.
Hutton was at the top of the heap when she walked out of her Paramount contract in 1952, reportedly in a dispute over her demand that her then-husband direct her films. She made only one movie after that but had a TV series for a year and worked occasionally on the stage and in nightclubs.
Several of her films were biopics: "Incendiary Blonde," about actress and nightclub queen Texas Guinan; "Perils of Pauline," about silent-screen serial heroine Pearl White; and "Somebody Loves Me," about singer Blossom Seeley.
Another notable film was "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek," the 1944 Preston Sturges satire that rattled the censors with the story of a young woman who gets pregnant after a spur-of-the-moment marriage and can't quite remember who the father is.
But her personal life was rocky at times, including four failed marriages, financial problems and difficulties between her and her three daughters. In a 1980 AP interview, Hutton said she had kicked a 20-year addiction to pills. "Uppers, downers, inners, outers, I took everything I could get my hands on," she said.
She credited a Rhode Island priest, the Rev. Peter Maguire, with befriending her and turning her life around. She converted to Roman Catholicism. In 1986, she earned a liberal arts degree from Salve Regina College, in Newport, R.I., commenting that she liked college because "the kids studying there accepted me as one of them."
When Maguire died in 1996, she said, "It was just so painful to me, I couldn't handle it. My kids all live in California, so I decided to come back here."
Coming out of her shell somewhat in recent years, she gave occasional performances and interviews, including an appearance in 2000 on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel.
She was born Betty June Thornburg in Battle Creek, Mich., on Feb. 26, 1921, but she never knew her father. She began her career at age 5 singing with her sister, Marion, in their mother's speakeasy.
Her marriages to manufacturer Ted Briskin, dance director Charles O'Curran, recording company executive Alan Livingston and jazzman Pete Candoli ended in divorce.
Betty Hutton
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