'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Weekly Review
HARPER'S WEEKLY REVIEW
September 3, 2002
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that President Bush had not yet
decided whether to invade Iraq and that it was important for Americans
to "engage in a somewhat elevated, thoughtful discussion about what
free people ought to do given the circumstances of the 21st century."
Secretary Rumsfeld compared President Bush to Winston Churchill and
said that Saddam Hussein was acting like Adolf Hitler. British
historians begged to differ. "Churchill is the only Englishman any of
them has ever heard of, with the possible exception of Shakespeare if
they were hard-working at school," said Ben Pimlott, warden of
Goldsmiths College, London. "In fact, there is no comparison between
Hitler and Saddam Hussein, who is not an expansionist within the
region. Americans admire Churchill's brilliance, his language and
oratory, his feline style. But Bush is a Neanderthal with no knowledge
of the world. Churchill had a great deal of knowledge."
CBS was reportedly looking for a poor white rural family to star in a
reality-TV version of the "Beverly Hillbillies."
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand suggested that his government
manufacture fake methamphetamine pills that will make people throw up.
Russia's defense ministry offered lollipops to officers who agreed to
quit smoking. A Swiss neurobiologist discovered that human sperm
apparently possess some kind of memory.
Target, the department store
chain, said it was removing clothing with the phrase "EIGHT EIGHT,"
white-power code for "Heil Hitler," from its stores. Umbro, a British
shoe company, said that its Zyklon running shoe had nothing to do with
the poison gas Zyklon B, which the Nazis used in their death camps; the
company explained that the similarity was an "unfortunate coincidence."
Continued at www.harpers.org/weekly-review
-- Roger D. Hodge
Reader Contribution
More Hunter & Jerry
I remember you had posted some stuff regarding Thompson using a psuedonym "Asterix" or something - and him being in a fight with Jerry Seinfeld, so I thought you might find this new related article interesting:
Hunter Thompson and Seinfeld
Sasha
Thanks, Sasha!
In The Mail
from Tim
This charity deals with something equally important as
a good meal - Clothing.
For pennies a day, you can help sponsor a
child like the one in the photo attached.
Rather than throwing out
your old jeans, donate them so that they may be used to help someone
the same way they helped the little girl in the picture.
Please, it is important to spread the word and help
those less fortunate. This could be the first step to a better
world for everyone.
Please give generously...
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Weather is starting to cool off a bit, and it was a nice, sunny day.
Had an unintentional 'dry run' for school today. Went over to the school last week, and the sign said 'classes start Sept. 4'. For some unknown reason when I made a note of it I wrongly wrote 'Tuesday, Sept. 4', and fixated on 'Tuesday' instead of the date. So we were a couple of blocks away, and
something seemed amiss. No traffic. Not another kid anywhere. No bulletins on the radio. Not my finest moment. He had a lot of fun giving me a bad time all the way home. But we're ready for Wednesday.
Had to reboot from the disk today. Lost a whole lot of stuff, and a couple of address books, too.
Also had to take Momma Cat back to the vet. Don't think this story is going to have a pretty ending.
Tonight, Wednesday, CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes II', then a fresh 'Big Brother 3', and wraps with the soon-to-be-renamed '48 Hours'.
Scheduled on a fresh Dave are Jeff Goldblum, George Miller, and Queens of the Stone Age.
On a rerun Craiggers (from 7/15/02), the scheduled guests are Paula Abdul, Jeffrey Tambor, and Midnight Oil.
It's NBC's turn at a 'Trifecta' of reruns - 'Ed', 'The West Wing', and 'Law & Order'.
Scheduled on a fresh Jay is Aimee Mann.
Scheduled on a fresh Conan are Janeane Garofalo, Tom Kenny, and OK Go.
Scheduled on a fresh Carson Daly are Vincent Pastore and Duncan Sheik.
ABC has 2 reruns of 'My Wife & Kids', then an hourlong 'Drew Carey', and part 2 (of 6) of 'In Search Of America'.
The WB has 4 reruns of 'Off Centre'.
Faux has the grand finale to 'American Idol: A Search For A Superstar'.
UPN has 2 reruns of 'Enterprise'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Another Reason To Visit Las Vegas!
Titian & Tintoretto
Until last week, the only Titian and Tintoretto portraits in Las Vegas were re-creations painted on the ceilings of The Venetian hotel-casino. Now the real works are there.
Paintings by both artists, as well as works by other masters, will be on display at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in the Venetian through March 2. Spanning more than 500 years, the 39 displayed works provide a historical
glimpse into art from 1436 to 1965.
The year-old museum's second exhibit features works from the Guggenheim's parent museum in New York and others in Vienna and Russia.
Las Vegas is fast becoming a magnet for fine art. An exhibit featuring Faberge Imperial eggs also opened over the weekend at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art down the Strip at the Bellagio hotel-casino. Other
hotel-casinos have included fine art, hoping culture will become as synonymous to the city as gambling and showgirls.
Titian & Tintoretto
The Venetian Hotel
Big Dog Watch
Bill Clinton
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton talks about baseball strategy with Harlem's Little League team, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2002 during a pizza party that he held for the Mid-Atlantic Region champions in his New York Office.
Photo by Suzanne Plunkett
European SME Award
Bill Clinton
Former President Clinton to be honored with European prize for economic achievements
Former President Bill Clinton is being awarded a prize for the economic achievements of his government by a union of European businesses.
Clinton will be presented Oct. 4 with the European SME Award on behalf of the Brussels-based Union of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, its German chapter announced Monday.
The organization said Clinton was chosen for the award for his "outstanding efforts" that led to a "flourishing world economy and international foreign trade" during his two terms in office.
The award to Clinton marks the first time that the business union has given a European-wide prize.
Bill Clinton
Begin Tour in Boston
Rolling Stones
It was 1962 when some scruffy English lads formed a band called the Rolling Stones and quickly began driving out the last vestiges of polite rock 'n' roll in a torrent of driving
blues riffs and dark, angry lyrics.
As they launch their 40th anniversary U.S. tour — beginning Tuesday in Boston — the Stones are out to prove that age is no obstacle. So what if newly-knighted Mick Jagger is 59,
and the two other original Stones, Keith Richards and drummer Charlie Watts, are 58 and 61, respectively?
The 25-city, 40-show "Licks" tour is the first major one since 1975 not built around the launch of a new studio album. (In October, the band will release the 2-CD "Forty Licks," a
compilation of favorite tunes from the four decades that will also include four new songs.)
It will stop in large outdoor stadiums, medium-sized indoor arenas, and smaller, intimate theaters. For each venue, the band promises not only a different kind of stage show, but a wider selection of music.
Depending on the venue, ticket-holders could be treated to either a dose of classic hits like "Satisfaction," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and "Start Me Up," or to less familiar blend of "thematic" material
ranging from rhythm and blues to soul.
Rolling Stones
Rolling Stones.com
Man With Opinions
Jay Mohr
There's no love lost between Jay Mohr and Jennifer Aniston, who worked together in "Picture Perfect." Mohr, now starring in "Simone," was asked about his relationship with Mrs. Pitt
in Steppin' Out magazine. "I've worked with a lot of people who were really a- -holes, and who shall remain nameless," he says. "But they're certainly not my 'Friends.' Just put 'Friends'
in italics, and we're good to go." Mohr also has issues with "Saturday Night Live," where he spent two years and didn't get the airtime he wanted. "It sucked!" he says. What's more, he
blames the Nielsen rating system for the demise of his short-lived TV show, "Action." "The [system] is a complete farce . . . a total joke," he fumes. Also on Mohr's gripe list is
Howard Stern, whom he calls "boring."
Jay Mohr
And Another Reason To Visit Las Vegas!
Marc Chagall
The painting "Paris through the Window," by Marc Chagall is seen Thursday, Aug. 29, 2002 at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in Las Vegas. The painting is part of the exhibit "Art through the Ages," which
opens Friday.
Photo by Joe Cavaretta
Wedding News
Gellar & Prinze
First came "Scooby-Doo," now comes "I do" for Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.
The couple, who appeared together in this summer's talking-dog comedy "Scooby-Doo," were wed Sunday at an undisclosed location in Mexico, their spokeswoman, Leslie Sloane, said Tuesday.
The bride wore a Vera Wang gown and the groom sported a custom-made linen suit, she said. A group of friends and family attended the ceremony, which was kept a closely guarded secret from the public.
Gellar & Prinze
China Blocks Search Engine
Google
China has blocked access to popular U.S. Internet search engine Google amid government calls to tighten media controls ahead of a major Communist Party congress.
Attempts to look at the site through Chinese Internet services on Tuesday were rejected with a notice saying it couldn't be found. Users and technical consultants who monitor the Chinese Internet
said the site has been blocked for several days.
The government is preparing to hold a congress in November that is expected to begin shifting power to a new generation of leaders. China routinely tightens controls on news and information
around politically sensitive dates, and state media quoted President Jiang Zemin in August as telling propaganda officials to create a "sound atmosphere" for the meeting.
Google is hugely popular among China's 45 million Internet users because of its wide-ranging search capacity. A search in English for Jiang's name turns up links to 156,000 Web sites mentioning him.
By contrast, a search on Sina.com, another portal that is popular in China, turns up just 1,600 mentions of Jiang. The Chinese-language service of American search engine Yahoo! turns up just 24 results.
Google
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Clarifies Britain Comment
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow wants to set the record straight.
Since a magazine quoted her as saying she was dissatisfied with the British dating scene, there's been a national uproar in defense of Britain's men. One newspaper, the Independent, carped: "Who wants to spend the night with Gwyneth?"
Paltrow says her remarks were misunderstood. At the Deauville Festival of American Cinema to promote "Possession," she told reporters Tuesday she was merely commenting on a "sociological difference between English dating and American dating."
"I happen to adore British men and I adore Britain," the 29-year-old actress said.
Paltrow's going to be spending a lot more time in Britain. She's bought an apartment in London, and in the fall she'll start shooting a movie there about the tragic love of poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Accused Of Swiping Story
Dana Carvey
Dana Carvey's box-office fizzler "The Master of Disguise" is certainly nothing to brag about, yet an unknown comic is accusing the "Saturday Night Live" alum of stealing the idea. Jeffrey Gurian
says he'd been pitching a sketch called "Masters of Disguise" to "SNL" execs for more than 20 years when Carvey's flick hit the screen. Gurian says his sketch, in which robbers are carried into
banks disguised as overcoats, had been pitched to "SNL" in 1977, '82 and '86. Gurian claims that Carvey met him when they were both working on a roast for Chevy Chase in 1990. But Carvey says, "This
accusation is ridiculous and untrue."
Dana Carvey
Street Lights
Hershey, PA
A vehicle passes under street lamps in the shape of Hershey Kisses candy along Chocolate Avenue in Hershey, Pennsylvania, September 3, 2002. A judge on Tuesday could delay or derail
the planned $10 billion-plus sale of Hershey Food Corp. to rivals such as Nestle as local opposition to the closely watched sale mounts. The storied chocolatier was put on the block
last month by its controlling shareholder, the Milton Hershey School Trust, in a move aimed at diversifying the nonprofit fund's holdings, which finances the school system operations.
Photo by Tim Shaffer
Joined Colin Powell
Chris Tucker
Secretary of State Colin Powell may have no interest in becoming America's first black president, but one young actor says he's the perfect model for the role.
Chris Tucker, co-star with Jackie Chan in the popular "Rush Hour" films, linked up with Powell in Washington on Tuesday for the long flight to Johannesburg, where Powell is representing
the United States at the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Tucker said he is studying Powell as part of his preparation for the title role in "Mr. President," an upcoming comedy about the first black chief executive.
"I'm basing a lot of my character off of the secretary," Tucker said. "I want to make sure I represent the office right."
Tucker watched raptly Tuesday as Powell fielded reporters' questions during the flight, and gamely answered a few himself.
Chris Tucker
Axed Over Cash
Lance Bass
Russia's space agency has scrapped plans by 'N Sync singer Lance Bass to join an October space mission after the U.S. pop star failed to meet payment deadlines, a spokesman for the agency said on Tuesday.
"After failing to fulfil the conditions of his contract, Lance Bass has been told that his training at the Cosmonaut Training Center has ended and that his flight to the ISS is impossible," spokesman Sergei Gorbunov told Reuters.
Bass, backed by a consortium of companies rounded up by a Hollywood producer, had already missed initial deadlines to come up with the agreed fee, reported to be up to $20 million.
"We are preparing to send a cargo container to the ISS instead of a third crew member," Gorbunov said. "Bass is now at Star City, gathering his stuff and preparing to leave."
Bass's publicist Jill Fritzo said there was still hope the star could solve the dispute with Russia's space agency.
Mir Corp, the company brokering Bass's flight, said it was confident he could still secure a seat aboard the Soyuz.
Lance Bass
BartCop TV!
No Pre-Nup
Mills & McCartney
Heather Mills offered to sign a prenuptial agreement with new husband Paul McCartney but the former Beatle, one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, turned down the offer, according to an interview published Tuesday.
Mills, who married McCartney at a lavish ceremony in June despite the misgivings of his adult children, also told Vanity Fair magazine that they would like to have child.
Mills, 34, said she volunteered to sign a prenuptial agreement with McCartney, whose fortune is estimated at close to a billion dollars.
"I wanted to prove that I love him for him," she was quoted as telling the magazine in an interview, released on Tuesday, in its October edition. "He said, 'I wouldn't let you'."
Mills said she and McCartney were trying for a baby, but she was not hopeful about her chances because she suffered two unsuccessful pregnancies in the past. "I just say 'What will be, will be'....I
adore kids, and if it happens, it happens, but I've seen too many people get too upset about it," she said.
Mills & McCartney
The Caviar of Cambodia?
Tarantulas
First unearthed by starving Cambodians in the dark days of the Khmer Rouge "killing fields" rule, Skuon's spiders have transformed from the vital sustenance of desperate refugees into a choice national delicacy.
Black, hairy, and packing vicious, venom-soaked fangs, the burrowing arachnids common to the jungle around this bustling market town do not appear at first sight to be the caviar of Cambodia.
But for many residents of Skuon, the "a-ping" -- as the breed of palm-sized tarantula is known in Khmer -- are a source of fame and fortune in an otherwise impoverished farming region in the east of the war-ravaged southeast Asian nation.
"On a good day, I can sell between 100 and 200 spiders," said Tum Neang, a 28-year-old spider-seller who supports her entire family by hawking the creepy-crawlies, deep fried in garlic and salt, to the people who flock to Skuon for a juicy morsel.
At around 300 riel (eight U.S. cents) a spider, the eight-legged snack industry provides a tidy income in a country where around one third of people live below a poverty line of $1 per day.
According to aficionado Tum Neang, the best spider is one plucked straight from its burrow and pan fried with lashings of garlic and salt over a traditional wood fire until its skin goes a deep red-brown color.
Crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, it should then be served piping hot.
For more history, and details, Tarantulas
Material Girl Morphs Into Spiritual Woman
Madonna
Madonna, the pop diva who once wrote and posed naked for a book called "Sex," is now writing spiritual children's books, strumming "Morning has Broken" on her acoustic guitar and cutting erotic scenes out of her movies.
In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine released on Tuesday, Madonna announced she had written a collection of allegorical tales for five- to eight-year-olds with her British movie director husband, Guy Ritchie.
The former Material Girl, now a fan of yoga and the Kabbala mystical Jewish teachings, admits she is going through a Cat Stevens phase after starting guitar lessons shortly after the birth two years ago of her son Rocco.
But more surprisingly, the woman that made a career out of smashing taboos, agreed to tone down the sex and violence in her upcoming movie "Swept Away" which was directed by Ritchie.
Madonna
Snarky Gossip
Brett Meisner
Ever wonder just what your favorite star really looks like? Ex-Hollywood resident and rock critic Brett Meisner is so upset over airbrushing he started rockandrollbadboy.com to
showcase his favorite Hollywood "disasters," including unflattering photos plus running commentary on the sub-par celebs. First on the list is a drugged-out looking Courtney Love,
pictured with black eyes and a red nose. "I was as surprised as you were!" Meisner writes. "In the videos, movies and magazines she looks hot! But if you meet her on the street
you'd better keep your distance! A true 'double-bagger' - one for her head and the other for . . ." As for Pamela Anderson, shown sans makeup, "Now you know why [ex-hubby] Tommy
Lee hit the road," Meisner writes. "Maybe a swarm of killer bees attacked her face, or maybe she's just pulling the wool over all our eyes." And former Van Halen lead singer David
Lee Roth is shown with straggling long hair and a face that looks startlingly like accused killer Robert Blake. "Still 'crazy' after all these years, Diamond Dave has seen better
days," Meisner states, noting he's "A regular at Sunset Strip's 'Crazy Girls' strip club."
Brett Meisner
Brett Meisner - RockAndRollBadBoy.com
Brett Meisner - RockAndRollBadBoy.com - Frightening Photos
Praemium Imperiale prize
Arthur Miller
Calling the arts "a highway into the soul of the people," playwright Arthur Miller accepted an international prize, an honor deferred once by Sept. 11 and a second time by the illness of his late wife.
A six-nation panel of advisers gave Miller its Praemium Imperiale prize Tuesday to honor a body of work that has spanned more than half a century and that includes "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible," both standards of American theater.
The panel was to announce the award last Sept. 14 in France but canceled after the September terrorist attacks. Miller missed the October award ceremony in Tokyo because of the sudden illness of his wife, photographer
Inge Morath, who later died.
He accepted the prize Tuesday at a special luncheon in Manhattan, delivering a short speech on the power of the arts to unlock the secrets of global cultures.
The Praemium Imperiale is given each year to five artists — one each in painting, sculpture, architecture, music and theater/film. Advisers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States pick the
winners. Past honorees have included Jasper Johns, I.M. Pei, Leonard Bernstein and Federico Fellini.
Arthur Miller
Praemium Imperiale
Arthur Miller Society
Magic Dolphins Re-Surface!
Mickey & Minnie
Disney's Mickey and Minnie Mouse wave as they speed by on dolphin-shaped jet skis at the Tokyo DisneySea park in Urayasu, Japan Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2002. Tokyo DisneySea celebrated its first anniversary Tuesday with a
special show at its Mediterranean Harbor at the entrance to the park.
Photo by Tsugufumi Matsumoto
'The Osbournes'
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 3
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
