Note: No pictures of the Prophet Mohammed are displayed in
this essay.
The War On Channukkah
Channukkah 5771
has come and gone with but a few mentions in the mainstream media.
Parades went on without the name "Channukkah" in them. Menorahs were
tucked in between other religious symbols. "A Charlie Brown
Channukkah" was not aired... again.
For all that Christians insist that they have taken Jesus as their
personal savior, all too few of these moral relativists celebrate the
holidays that Jesus did. If he comes back, he won't go to Midnight
Mass, he'll light the Shamash.
Jews leave a glass of wine for Elijah at Passover. But do the
so-called "Christians" ever leave a birthday presents for
Jesus on his so-called birthday?
Jesus was a liberal -- why aren't you?
I feel a little protective of Yehoshua bar Yoseph, aka
Jesus Christ, since he's a cousin of mine. However distant, we are
related by blood. In these times when "The
Fourth Estate is dead", we need the web to spread the Good News
more than ever. In practical terms, celebrating the life of Jesus
means avoiding bearing false witness.
Jesus urged followers to keep
kosher, pay your
taxes and be nice to
strangers. In other words, a true follower of Jesus is the
exact opposite of the teabagger moral relativist types.
To celebrate the birthday of a man who said many wise things and
changed the world, let's celebrate his life. Leave the hype and
excess to the atheists and anyone who can stand the same holiday
muzak ad nauseum for months.
WWJC? What Would Jesus Celebrate?
No one today is entirely certain of the exact day, much less the
exact year, of the birth of Cousin Yehoshua. There is much
speculation, eg here,
here and here. What
is likely is that he and his family celebrated his birth with a small
party, much like kids today do. I don't mind affixing a semi-arbitrary
date for the celebration, and adding
all sorts of unrelated traditions just sort of happens given any
length of time.
Still, the father you get from the original traditions, the less
those traditions are important to celebrants. And that is the case
for Christmas.
I find it amusing that Christian-Americans, rooted in the
Judeo-Christian culture, revel in the Pilgrim holiday of Thanksgiving
but conveniently forget their hatred
of "wanton Bacchanallian Christmasses". Another inconsistency
amongst today's celebrants.
The next major holiday that Jesus celebrated is Tu
B'Shvat. It takes place on the 15th of Shvat, which starts the
evening of January 20, 2011CE. Between Channukkah and Tu B'Shvat is
some sort of secular buying frenzy involving evergreen trees and
reindeer ruminants from snowy climes, none of which were ever
experienced by Jesus. It is not recorded whether he partook of
Boxing Day or Kwanzaa, but it seems doubtful.
It is also unlikely that he celebrated Martin Luther King's
birthday, but almost certain that he would today.
Next secular year, Channukkah overlaps the Sol Invictus holiday of
Christmas. Should be interesting. I have no doubt the War On
Channukkah will continue, but it will be harder for the secular
humanists to sit on Santa's lap and ignore the true roots of the
holiday.
So when one of these Jesus-come-lately's greets you with "Merry
Christmas", smile and reply brightly, "Happy Channukkah". It's what
the birthday boy would say.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
--////
"You see, Jesus was a wise and wonderful man, that's why this time of year brings out the best in people. It's a time for caring and sharing when you open up your heart to your fellow man."
"Oh, I see. For a few short weeks each year, humans try to act human." -- Mork and Mindy, "Mork's First Christmas"
Sam Dillon: What Works in the Classroom? Ask the Students (New York Times)
Teachers whose students described them as skillful at maintaining classroom order, at focusing their instruction and at helping their charges learn from their mistakes are often the same teachers whose students learn the most in the course of a year, as measured by gains on standardized test scores, according to a progress report on the research.
Marc Dion: If You're Gonna Go Gay, Go All the Way (Creators Syndicate)
On a flat piece of ground, between brown hills in Afghanistan, some young guy is watching blood spurt from the stump of his right arm. And right now, to Congress at least, whom he likes to lay down with is more important than why he's bleeding.
Terry Savage: Do Your Homework, Cyber-Shoppers (Creators Syndicate)
There are two keys to successful online shopping. The first is knowing exactly what you want, so you can compare prices. The second is knowing how to get all the discounts, coupons and deals that can lead to the lowest price.
"Legacy of a Legend" By DAVE BRUBECK: Reviewed by Steve Futterman
They say that a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there was once an American jazz quartet that released multiple albums a year: records that sold in droves, actually making money for the companies that released them.
George Varga: A Jazz Giant Passes: James Moody, 1925-2010 (Creators Syndicate)
James Moody, an international jazz star since 1949 and a San Diego resident since 1989, has played his last refrain. An acclaimed saxophonist, flutist, composer and band leader for 60 of his 85 years, Mr. Moody died Thursday at 1:07 p.m. at the San Diego Hospice, according to his wife, San Diego Realtor Linda McGowan Moody, who was by his side. His death came after a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
Roger Ebert: "John Waters: Don we now our gay apparel"
The notion of a Christmas Show by John Waters is somehow alarming, as if the Big Bad Wolf had decided to perform as the Easter Bunny. Waters has made a career of cheerfully exploiting the transgressive and offensive.
David Bruce has 39 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $39 you can buy 9,750 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
With Assange's arrest in England, denial of bail and extradition request from Sweden, the ante has been raised. Supporters have countered with hacker attacks on sites refusing to process donations to Wikileaks, the Swiss bank that holds Assange's funds and the Swedish prosecutor's office. It appears that the White House is angling to get its hands on him for possible legal charges... The battle lines are firming up... The saga continues... with an addendum question:
At this point, do you support Julian Assange and Wikileaks?
a.) Yes, Hooray!
b.) No frickin' way!
c.) I wish whole damn'd thing would just go away...
If you've already responded to the previous question, feel free to resubmit. All will be posted...
The 'Wiki-Humpty Dumpty' Edition...
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday the leak of hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic documents is an attack not only on the United States but also the international community...
"This disclosure is not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests," Clinton said. "It is an attack on the international community: the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity." ..."It puts people's lives in danger, threatens our national security and undermines our efforts to work with other countries to solve shared problems," she told reporters at the State Department...
Clinton calls leaked documents attack on world | detnews.com | The Detroit News
(I watched her statement live and she looked to be NOT a happy camper... Woe be unto PFC Manning)
Do you feel the release of these diplomatic documents are:
1.) A good thing...
2.) A bad thing...
3.) Sorta good - Kinda bad...
4.) Hey! What happened to the Holiday Season theme - thingy?
zEN mAN (observing sorcerers in India killing owls to perform healing rituals with their feathers and claws to cure, purify or provide added sexual energy for sick bastards)
Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are typically about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional cuisines. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard (Brassica nigra), brown Indian mustard (B. juncea), and white mustard (B. hirta/Sinapis alba).
Source
Alan J was first with:
Three
BadtotheboneBob said:
Three: The Black Mustard, The Brown (Indian) Mustard and the White Mustard... There should be a societal diversity lesson here, I'm thinkin'. All these different mustard seeds and no one even notices or cares, fer all that...
So, then... There it is...
Adam answered:
The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard (Brassica nigra), brown Indian mustard (B. juncea), and white mustard (B. hirta/Sinapis alba).
Charlie responded:
Mustard Seeds come from three plants:
black mustard (Brassica nigra)
brown Indian mustard (Brassica juncea)
white mustard (Brassica hirta/Sinapis alba).
Jim from CA, retired to ID, replied:
The seeds can come from three different plants
Marian answered:
3
Sally said:
Mustard seeds come from three different plants: black mustard (B. nigra), brown Indian mustard (B. juncea), and white or yellow mustard (B. hirta/Sinapis alba).
The commercialization of faith...
PS: It's pouring rain outside, and were it colder, I'm sure we would have a blizzard! This being said, it still feels more like Christmas here, than horses and sombrero's in a Christmas parade! :)
I would sure love to have seen it for myself though...
DanD wrote:
Joe S; - While subversively playing your take on it "straight," yes, I did know
about them musical Crackers.
There was even a time before modern PC when the nouns Cracker and
Negro were not appliciably considered insulting. Did you know that
there was the Atlanta Black Crackers (I also wonder if there was a
singing group called the "Black Crackers") baseball team, as well as
many other seemingly "race-based" (of several genomes) names used by a
variety of groups in America (and around the world) to describe
themselves, e.g.;
"This Southern based team concentrated their play in Birmingham,
Nashville, Little Rock, New Orleans, Mobile, Memphis and Chatanooga.
They played in Atlanta's historic Ponce de leon Park when the white
Minor League Atlanta Crackers were out of town.
The 1938 team captured the second half championship of the Negro
American League. Their top players were Nat Peeples, Roy Welmaker and
James "Red" Moore. Othello Nelson "Chico" Renfroe started here as a
batboy before going on to fame with the Kansas City Monarchs ,
Cleveland Buckeyes and Indy Clowns." Source
Only the vicious ever use such "insulting" descriptives to upset their
own (or other people's) shoulder-chips. Most often, these
inciters-to-riot are easily recognized by their own viciousness.
I mean, long after the Civl War, nowadays everybody has gotten to be
real careful about how their niggardly comments may be perceived by
the intolerantly ignorant ... while MLK was preaching acceptance and
inclusiveness, the (selectively multi-racial, but predominantly White)
political character-assassins of America's divide-n-conquer politics
was busy composing new ways to craftily sustain a somewhat altered
racist paradigm within "New-Age" society by forbidding the common
usage -- even in the scholarly treatise (you really can't even write
down the "N-word") -- of certain, racially selective insults.
Even amidst popular literature, a best example of this knee-jerk
version of 'blow-back" racism is how Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is
still censored on many school campuses, even though it remains by far
quite clear that Samuel Clemons was no evil racist. Anyway, this is
primarilly how "they" have manipulatively influenced (and continue to)
a downtrodden class to function as their own, racistly most divisive,
best champions.
Racism is vibrantly alive in America because it is still so
selectively practiced ... by almost everyone. While some Black (or
not "White") man may call me (or some other Caucasian) a "Cracker,"
commonly the "insult" is ambiguously received. In the long run, I'll
just wonder, "What's your point?" But let a "not-black-man" use the
word "Nigger" even as just a quotation, and among a great many
racistly over-sensitive black people, uncommon intolerance is quickly
incited. Perceptive moderation seems not to be an option.
At the bottom line, avoiding usage of a historically racist term
simply because some other person may consider ANY such usage as
viciously racist, is to ultimately conduct oneself in a passively
racist manner.
Someday, (probably) far in the future, the human species will truly be
free from the culturally destructive poisons of racism when some
culturally segregated hockey-team in Arizona can deprecatively call
themselves the "White-Niggers," be hugely popular, and nobody really
gives a shit.
I mean, do you really think that the fans of a popular Washington D.C.
football team are actively letting evil racist thoughts against Native
Americans dominate their sport-fanatic lives while they cheer their
"Redskins" on to victory? Even when incited by some (almost
reasonably ~) overly-sensitive Native Americans, most Redskin fans
just say, "Get over yourself!"
Actually, this is good advice. In the long run, when confronting our
variably mongrel racial heritages, we're all going to have to just get
over ourselves.
MAM responded:
Three different plants: black mustard, brown Indian mustard, and white mustard.
And, Joe S answered:
The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard (Brassica nigra), brown Indian mustard (B. juncea), and white mustard (B. hirta/Sinapis alba).
I know I should post a charming picture mustard seeds here, maybe a link to the Mustard Seed Song, but I'm going to take this space to pay homage to my favorite thing in the world. My snow blower. I love my snow blower (and my attached, heated garage). I am SOOOOO decadent.
CBS opens the night with a FRESH'How I Met Your Mother', followed by a FRESH'Rules Of Engagement', then a FRESH'2½ Men', followed by a FRESH'Mike & Molly', then a FRESH'Hawaii Five-0'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Ricky Gervais, Hailee Steinfeld, and Diddy-Dirty Money.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Tom Arnold, Alison Becker, Erica Hill, Chris Wragge, Jeff Glor, and Marysol Castro.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH'The Sing Off', followed by a RERUN'Chase'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Mark Wahlberg, Olivia Wilde, and Good Charlotte.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are Jessica Alba, Colin Quinn, and Stephen Bishop.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 11/5/10) are Danny Boyle, Rob Zabrecky, and Two Door Cinema Club.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH'Skating With The Stars', followed by the FRESH'Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To You', then a RERUN'Castle'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Rachael Ray, Garrett Hedlund, and Darker My Love.
The CW offers a RERUN'The Vampire Diaries', followed by another RERUN'The Vampire Diearies'.
Faux has a RERUN'House', followed by a RERUN'Lie To Me'.
MY recycles an old 'Law & Order: CI', followed by another old 'Law & Order: CI'.
A&E has 'Intervention', another 'Intervention', followed by a FRESH'Intervention', then a FRESH'Hoarders'.
AMC offers the movie 'For The Love Of The Game', followed by the movie 'The Princess Bride', then the movie 'Prancer'.
BBC -
[2:00 AM] Rebel Truce: The History of the Clash
[3:30 AM] Top Gear - Episode 1
[4:30 AM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[5:30 AM] The Inbetweeners - Episode 4
[6:00 AM] BBC World News
[7:00 AM] BBC World News
[8:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 3 Katie Price, Jo Brand, Jackie Collins
[9:00 AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 6 Clubway 41
[10:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 9 The Satan Pit
[11:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 10 Love & Monsters
[12:00 PM] Keeping Up Appearances Christmas Special (40)
[12:40 PM] The Catherine Tate Show Christmas Special 2
[1:20 PM] Absolutely Fabulous Christmas Special
[2:00 PM] Blackadder's Christmas Carol
[3:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 1 The Secret Garden
[4:00 PM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 4 Sue Perkins, Michael Buble
[5:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 11 Fear Her
[6:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 7
[7:00 PM] BBC World News America
[8:00 PM] Star Trek: The Next Generation - Ep 16 The Offspring
[9:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 1
[10:20 PM] Top Gear - Episode 6
[12:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 4
[1:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 5
[2:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 1
[3:20 AM] Top Gear - Episode 6 (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills', followed by 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', another 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', followed by a FRESH'Tabatha's Salon Takeover'.
Comedy Central has an old 'Jon Stewart', an old 'Colbert Report', 'South Park', another 'South Park', still another 'South Park', yet another 'South Park', still another 'South Park', and, yes, another 'South Park'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJon Stewart is Gordon Brown.
Scheduled on a FRESHColbert Report is Patti Smith.
FX has '2½ Men', another '2½ Men;', followed by the movie '27 Dresses'.
History has 'American Pickers', 'Pawn Stars'< another 'Pawn Stars', followed by a FRESH'American Pickers', then a FRESH'Pawn Stars', and 'Storage Wars'.
IFC -
[6:00 AM] Arrested Development
[6:30 AM] The Neon Bible
[8:30 AM] The Dead
[10:15 AM] Distant Voices, Still Lives
[12:00 PM] The Grid
[12:15 PM] The Neon Bible
[2:15 PM] The Dead
[4:00 PM] Distant Voices, Still Lives
[5:45 PM] The Neon Bible
[7:45 PM] Anamorph
[10:00 PM] Arrested Development
[10:30 PM] Undeclared
[11:00 PM] Undeclared
[11:30 PM] Undeclared
[12:00 AM] Chaos
[2:15 AM] Anamorph
[4:30 AM] Arrested Development
[5:00 AM] Undeclared
[5:30 AM] Undeclared (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[7:05 AM] Waiting For Hockney
[8:25 AM] Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie
[10:10 AM] Tanghi Argentini
[10:25 AM] Visual Acoustics
[11:55 AM] Endless Summer II
[1:50 PM] Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie
[3:35 PM] Visual Acoustics
[5:05 PM] Endless Summer II
[7:00 PM] Eraserhead
[8:30 PM] Feel
[10:00 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - The Perfect Couple (Episode 1, Season 1)
[10:30 PM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Three's a Crowd (Episode 2, Season 1)
[11:00 PM] THE COMEBACK - Valerie Saves the Show (Episode 6, Season 1)
[11:30 PM] THE COMEBACK - Valerie Gets a Very Special Episode (Episode 7, Season 1)
[12:00 AM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - The Perfect Couple (Episode 1, Season 1)
[12:30 AM] GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS - Three's a Crowd (Episode 2, Season 1)
[1:00 AM] THE COMEBACK - Valerie Saves the Show (Episode 6, Season 1)
[1:30 AM] THE COMEBACK - Valerie Gets a Very Special Episode (Episode 7, Season 1)
[2:00 AM] Feel
[3:30 AM] Eraserhead
[5:00 AM] Endless Summer II (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian', followed by the movie 'Tin Man'
TBS:
Scheduled on a FRESHConan are Gwyneth Paltrow, T.J. Miller, and Jimmy Eat World.
Scheduled on a FRESHLopez Tonight are Eric Stonestreet, J.B. Smoove, and Dov Davidoff.
Annie Lennox performs during the Annual Christmas in Washington presentation, at the National Building Museum in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010.
Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta
The hand-written lyrics of Bob Dylan's iconic 1960s anthem "The Times They Are A-Changin'" sold for 422,500 dollars on Friday, the auction house selling it said.
The two-page notebook manuscript -- which had been expected to go for 200,000 to 300,000 dollars -- was snapped up by American collector Adam Sender, owner of the hedge fund Exis Capital, said Sotheby's.
The time-worn document features four verses of lyrics, without musical notation, written in pencil with "By Bob Dylan" scrawled at the top.
The 1964 song, one of the most celebrated tunes of that decade, was a beacon for a folk-inspired protest movement that challenged prevailing attitudes towards race, poverty and the Vietnam War.
Cast members Jeff Bridges (L) and Bruce Boxleitner pose together at the world premiere of the film "TRON: Legacy" in Hollywood, California, December11, 2010.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
The blockbusters "Inception" and "Toy Story 3," the Facebook drama "The Social Network," the heist thriller "The Town" and the Western "True Grit" are among the American Film Institute's top 10 movies of the year.
Also on the AFI's list Sunday were the ballet drama "Black Swan," the boxing saga "The Fighter," the lesbian-family tale "The Kids Are All Right," the survival story "127 Hours" and the Ozarks crime thriller "Winter's Bone."
Unlike other film honors, AFI does not rank films or pick one as the year's best. The filmmakers behind the top-10 choices will be honored at a luncheon Jan. 14.
The AFI also picked its top 10 TV programs of 2010: "The Big C," "Boardwalk Empire," "Breaking Bad," "Glee," "Mad Men," "Modern Family," "The Pacific," "Temple Grandin," "30 Rock" and "The Walking Dead."
The Facebook drama "The Social Network" was picked as the year's best picture Sunday by the influential Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
The group's best-actor prize went to Colin Firth for the British monarchy tale "The King's Speech," while Kim Hye-ja won best actress for the South Korean drama "Mother." The runners-up were Edgar Ramirez for the terrorist epic "Carlos" and Jennifer Lawrence for the Ozarks crime thriller "Winter's Bone."
Overseas crime dramas won the other acting honors: Jacki Weaver as supporting actress for Australia's "Animal Kingdom" and Niels Arestrup as supporting actor for France's "A Prophet." The runners-up were Olivia Williams for the thriller "The Ghost Writer" and Geoffrey Rush for "The King's Speech."
In a tie vote, the directing prize was shared by David Fincher for "The Social Network" and Olivier Assayas for "Carlos," which also was the best-picture runner-up. "Carlos" won for best foreign-language film, and the runner-up was "Mother."
Actor Will Ferrell poses for a photo behind models dressed as Sirens at the world premiere of "TRON: Legacy" in Hollywood, California, December11, 2010.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
Tennis superstar Martina Navratilova was released from the hospital on Sunday after recovering from a high altitude pulmonary oedema during her aborted charity ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Navratilova, 54, was leading a team of 27 climbers to raise funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation charity, when she fell ill on the fourth day of the climb up Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 metres (19,341 ft).
"I am feeling much better and really pleased to be going home. I'd like to thank all the staff at Nairobi Hospital, who were wonderful, and really took care of me. The care I received during my three days in hospital was excellent," she said.
Navratilova, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 Grand Slam women's doubles titles and 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, said she was delighted that 18 of the 27 climbers reached the summit.
An American Christian preacher who rose from obscurity to cause global uproar this year by threatening to burn the Koran says he plans to visit Britain to speak at an event hosted by a far-right anti-Islamist group.
Anti-extremist groups have urged the British government to ban entry to Florida Pastor Terry Jones, whose threat to burn Islam's holy book on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks provoked widespread condemnation.
Britain's Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May said on Sunday she would be looking into the case.
On his website, Jones said he been invited to a rally held by a group called the English Defense League (EDL) in the town of Luton, north of London, in February.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, right, actress Sharon Stone, second left, and actor Gerard Depardieu, left, visit the Russian Museum in St. Petersburgon Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010.
Photo by Alexei Nikolsky
Gawker Media Inc. is urging subscribers to change their passwords because someone has managed to hack into the company's user database.
The company, which runs a series of irreverent blogs on media, technology and other issues, said in a posting on its website Sunday that the commenting passwords used on the sites were encrypted, but simple ones could be vulnerable to attacks by hackers' computers.
The company also said passwords on other sites should be changed if they were the same as the ones stored by Gawker Media.
The Gawker breach is the latest in a recent series of cyberspace attacks on websites. Last week, the Visa and MasterCard sites were inaccessible for a short time likely because of attacks by supporters of the WikiLeaks website. Supporters were angry that the credit card companies had stopped processing donations to WikiLeaks.
A clinic for actors in the multi-billion-dollar US porn movie industry was ordered closed, one day after an HIV positive actor blasted it for failing to help him properly.
The Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) lacked the correct license to operate as a medical clinic, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The announcement came after 24-year-old porn actor Derrick Burts spoke for the first time since his HIV positive test, carried out at the AIM clinic in October, triggered a suspension of porn film production.
There was no immediate reaction from AIM to the closure order, although it claimed Burts's comments were "not truthful and are self-serving," saying he was being "manipulated" by another AIDS group.
A large letter "O" is seen illuminated on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in this handout taken December 11, 2010. Television host Oprah Winfrey isin Australia to film two episodes of her talk show at the Sydney Opera House.
PHoto by George Burns
Classroom desks and office cubicles stand empty. Hunters in blaze orange stand out like drops of bright paint against brown fields. Pub parking lots are crowded with pickup trucks draped with deer carcasses.
This is Wisconsin's gun deer season, a tradition as engrained in this rugged state's identity as beer, brats and cheese. But as the years slide by, fewer people seem to care.
Hunting's popularity has waned across much of the country as housing tracts replace forests, aging hunters hang up their guns and kids plop down in front of Facebook rather than venture outside.
The falloff could have far-reaching consequences, hunting enthusiasts say. Fewer hunters mean less revenue for a multi-billion dollar industry and government conservation efforts. It also signals what could be the beginning of the end of an American tradition.
A Hollywood Reporter poll shows that Sandra Bullock's 2010 Oscar win fares much better in viewers' memories than "The Hurt Locker."
Only four in 10 of those questioned could recall the best picture winner -- (Iraq war film "The Hurt Locker") -- according to a poll of 700 award show viewers conducted for the Hollywood Reporter by the global research company Penn Schoen Berland.
Nearly seven in 10 viewers remembered that Bullock took home the best actress award for her role in "The Blind Side".
The poll also showed that 54 percent of viewers approve of James Franco and Anne Hathaway as Oscar hosts in 2011.
A masked demonstrator wearing a mask depicting anti-establishment figure from the movie 'V for Vendetta', protests in front of Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,Netherlands, against the detention in London of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, during a demonstration, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010. Assange is being held in Britain in connection with an alleged rape case in Sweden, but his detention is seen by supporters as politically motivated, after WikiLeaks outraged American officials by publishing hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. diplomatic cables in recent weeks.
Photo by Evert Elzinga
Christine O'Donnell's TV ad declaration "I'm not a witch" during her U.S. Senate campaign topped this year's best quotes, according to a Yale University librarian.
O'Donnell's quote is cited by Fred Shapiro, associate librarian at Yale Law School, who released his fifth annual list of the most notable quotations of the year. In the ad, O'Donnell was responding to reports of her revelations that she had dabbled in witchcraft years ago.
The quote by O'Donnell, a tea party favorite running in Delaware, tied for first place with "I'd like my life back," the lament made in May by BP's CEO Tony Hayward after the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Shapiro noted that the top quotes stemmed from two of the biggest news stories of the year, the oil spill and the emergence of the tea party.
The latest chapter in "The Chronicles of Narnia" saga has sailed to the top of the weekend box office, though the franchise sank to a weak debut compared to the first two movies.
"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third in the franchise based on C.S. Lewis' fantasy novels, took in $24.5 million domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie's romantic thriller "The Tourist" opened in second-place with $17 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," $24.5 million.
2. "The Tourist," $17 million.
3. "Tangled," $14.6 million.
4. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," $8.5 million.
5. "Unstoppable," $3.8 million.
6. "Black Swan," $3.3 million.
7. "Burlesque," $3.2 million.
8. "Love & Other Drugs," $3 million.
9. "Due Date," $2.55 million.
10. "Megamind," $2.5 million.
A picture of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen during a demonstration in front of the British Consulate in Sao Paulo December 11, 2010. The WikiLeakswebsite has released a trove of U.S. State Department cables exposing the inner workings of American diplomacy, including candid and embarrassing assessments of world leaders.
Photo by Nacho Doce
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better, amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican hypocrites?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
responded:
answered:
