'Best of TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Part IV - After The Storm
Hurricane Isabel
I'm back on line -
Thursday the power went out at about 4:30 EDT. I ran down to the market downstairs and bought some additional ice (I'd made some extra in the morning). I had just gotten home from my course and the winds were starting to raise hell. My friend Mary came over and we ate sandwiches by candlelight for dinner and listened to the news on the radio.
Over night I must admit was scary as well. The wind was higher than I had ever experienced. My cats cuddled close at hand (and between legs) and weren't that worried. The weather sensitive one even raised her leg up and cuddled close so I could pet her belly. I heard the power lines go buzz - buzz all through the night.
In the morning I tried to wash up (no hot water but couldn't wash my hair). My refridgerator had been set on the highest setting (a recommendation from the local media) so I wasn't that worried about spoiled food if it was just for a short period of time.)
I was so wasted from my course and the night before that I slept a lot during Friday. I wasn't expected at work, and even if I had been, I wouldn't have shown up, I couldn't I had studied all Wednesday night before to take the test, and Thursday, no one could sleep.
Saturday morning Mary and I hooked up again and went trolling for hot food and cold ice. We went to the Big Giant - you know, the big grocery store with all the fancy stuff, hoping to get some nice prepared food. They didn't have their usual stellar selection, however they did have rotisserie chicken, fresh baked French bread, and salads, but no ice. We bought the food but continued to look for a place that had ice. Well we passed the Safeway and about three convienence stores, until we saw the vision of our dreams, an ice truck!!!!! At a little 7-Eleven. We bought 3 bags each and thanked the store manager and ice deliverers profusely.
Mary and I tore into that food like it was the best food we had ever eaten. The bread and chicken were warm and fragrant, and we hadn't eaten warm and fragrant food for a while. But the apartment was so hot and humid it was uncomfortable. We amused ourselves by listening to my battery powered radio playing the smooth jazz station and playing card games which we had never done before in the 5 years we've known each other. We also cooled our heels with some gin and tonics. The alcohol store had been open for business!!!
So despite the heat we were enjoying ourselves today, the humidity was bitching though, but what would happen in the middle of our gin rummy game.
The power company showed up. I yelled out the window, "God bless you, do you need some bottled water? Anything I can do for you?" They said no. They worked awhile left and came back. And when they came back they power came on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I yelled out the window, "God Bless you!!!!!!, Thank you!!!!!" Hey others yelled out their windows too. You have to know these guys have been in a living hell for the last 48 hours trying to get emergency services back on line.
Lessons learned:
You can love your flashlight - when you want to read something at night, it's your friend.
Ice is important; so is hot water - go figure?
Course teachers will make brilliant decisions when faced with a life threatening situation.
The most entertaining part of a power outage might be the lack of ability to shuffle cards of a good friend.
After an awful two days of no electricity I'm back.
Nancy
He's Been Busy Again
The Worried Shrimp
Not 'Spamalot'
It's ' Spamelot'
The Horror! The Horror! The Holy Grail?!
Seen on slashdot:
"First sighted on Yahoo News, it would seem that Eric Idle of Monty Python
fame is working on a Broadway musical adaptation of everybody's favorite
source of accurate medieval data, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The goal
is 2005, and the working title is Spamelot (and not Spamalot, contrary to
what an AP wire claims)."
slashdot
Yahoo News
mark
"why did that stupid and deadly rrrrrrrabbit attack
Jimmy Carter, and were is the rrrrrrabbit,
now that we need him?!"
--
If you're "pro-life", does this mean that you don't eat eggs?
Thanks, Mark!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The lovely weather continues.
Thanks for the cards and consolation.
The locksmith took care of the door & locks that needed replaced. Will sleep better tonight for it.
The cats are still acting a bit strange - although with them, strange is a relative term.
Tonight, Sunday, CBS, as usual, starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a RERUN 'King Of Queens', then the movie 'Mission: Impossible 2'.
NBC begins the evening with 'Dateline', followed by a RERUN 'American Dreams', then a RERUN 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', followed by another
RERUN 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent'.
ABC kills an hour with a RERUN 'America's Funniest Home Videos', followed by the RERUN series pilot of the dreadful 'Threat Matrix', then the movie 'Lethal Weapon', again.
The WB offers a RERUN of 'Steve Harvey's Big Time', followed by a RERUN 'All About The Andersons', then the movie 'Save The Last Dance'.
Faux has the 'Emmy Awards' - LIVE on the east coast - tape-delayed 3-hours & edited on the left coast. Boo. Hiss.
UPN has the weekly RERUN 'Enterprise', followed by the movie 'Dumb & Dumber'.
A&E has 'Gambinos: First Family Of Crime', followed by 'Meet The Royals'.
AMC offers the movie 'The Comancheros', followed by the movie 'Joe Kidd', then the movie 'High Plains Drifter'.
BBC -
[6pm] 'Monarch of the Glen' - Episode 4;
[7pm] 'Ground Force America' - Sarasota;
[8pm] 'Faking It' - Hot Dog Vendor to ChefHot Dog Vendor to Chef;
[9pm] '3 Non-Blondes' - Episode 3;
[9:40pm] 'Coupling' - Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps;
[10:20pm] 'Manchild' - Episode 4;
[11pm] 'Faking It' - Hot Dog Vendor to Chef;
[12am] '3 Non-Blondes' - Episode 3;
[12:40am] 'Coupling' - Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps;
[1:20am] 'Manchild' - Episode 4;
[2am] 'Ground Force America' - Sarasota;
[3am] 'Faking It' - Hot Dog Vendor to Chef;
[4am] '3 Non-Blondes' - Episode 3;
[4:40am] 'Coupling' - Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps;
[5:20am] 'Manchild' - Episode 4; and
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Full Circle With Michael Palin', followed by 'Inside The Actor's Studio' (Samuel L. Jackson), then the movie 'The Red Violin',
History has 'Dead Reckoning', 'Sink The Bismarck', and 'Mail Call'.
SciFi has the movie 'Dragonheart: A New Beginning', followed by the movie 'Dragonheart'.
TCM - a great day for movies! Not a turkey in the lot.
[6am] 'Rhapsody' (1954);
[8am] 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof' (1958);
[10am] 'Cabaret' (1972);
[12:30pm] 'Since You Went Away' (1944);
[3:30pm] 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' (1939);
[6pm] 'Notorious' (1946);
[8pm] 'The Lady From Shanghai' (1948);
[9:30pm] 'Rita' (2003);
[10:30pm] 'Dracula' (1931);
[12am] 'The Circus' (1928);
[1:30am] 'Son Of Frankenstein' (1939); and
[3:30am] 'Objective, Burma!' (1945) (written by
Alvah Bessie - one of the Hollywood 10). (ALL TIMES EDT)
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton hugs a young boy as he meets with Kosovo Albanians in Pristina September 19, 2003. Clinton was in Kosovo to receive an honorary degree from the University of Pristina.
Photo by Hazir Reka
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Speaking Out on Breast Cancer
Anastacia
Pop singer Anastacia will serve as spokeswoman for Lifetime Television's public awareness campaign "Our Lifetime Commitment: Stop Breast Cancer for Life."
Anastacia, recently treated for breast cancer, will be featured in "Women Rock! Songs From the Movies," the fourth annual concert special to raise awareness and benefit breast cancer education.
The concert special, which will air Oct. 23 at 10 p.m. ET, also will include performances by Alison Krauss and Union Station, Dolly Parton, Kenny Loggins, Mandy Moore, Mya and Celine Dion.
Anastacia
www.lifetimetv.com
www.anastacia.com
More Cards
Political Lesson
A game of cards can now become a quick lesson of who's who in Washington with the release of a new deck that looks an awful lot like the United States' own deck of most-wanted Iraqi leaders.
The creators of "The United Cards of America," the Kommersant newspaper and NTV's "Namedni" news program, acknowledge that they were inspired by the Iraq deck but insist that their set is mostly for educational purposes.
The deck of 36 playing cards -- complete with pictures and brief commentaries of prominent U.S. figures -- is also a lot more amusing.
Among the cards are George W. Bush ("USA President since 2001, convinced that God has a plan for him"); Donald Evans ("commerce secretary, drank with Bush Jr. until July 6, 1986"); and Laura Bush ("the wife of Bush Jr., made husband quit drinking").
He may be the "most powerful man on Earth," but in the suit of hearts, Bush is only a jack. The ace is his father, former President George Bush, while the king is the Reverend Franklin Graham ("preacher and missionary, the president's holy father"), and the queen is his wife, Laura Bush.
For the rest, Political Lesson
Thanks, Alex!
Offer $1 Million to Tibetans
Richard Gere & Goldie Hawn
Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Goldie Hawn have together offered about $1 million to improve the condition of Tibetans living in exile in a filthy north Indian town, officials said on Saturday.
Gere and Hawn, longtime supporters of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, made the offer after seeing unhygienic living conditions in McLeodganj, headquarters of the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile, Tibetan and Indian officials said.
McLeodganj, a sleepy little town in the Himalayan foothills, has been home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile since the early 1960s.
Richard Gere & Goldie Hawn
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton (R), accompanied by a Muslim member of the Bosnian presidency, Sulejman Tihic (C), meets Bosnian Muslim relatives of victims of the Srebrenica massacre after paying respect to victims in the nearby village of Potocari, September 20, 2003. Clinton inaugurated a memorial on Saturday to thousands of Muslim victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, and called for the arrest of fugitive leaders behind the atrocity.
Photo by Damir Sagolj
Growth Brings Concern
Clear Channel
Just seven years after deregulating the radio industry, the government appears to be having some second thoughts.
The bill allowed Clear Channel Communications Inc., now the No. 1 owner of U.S. radio stations in the country, to grow from 43 radio stations in 1995 to more than 1,200 this year.
Clear Channel wasn't the only company to benefit from the deregulation. Cumulus Media's broadcasting division owns 270 stations, while Viacom Inc.'s Infinity Broadcasting owns more than 180 radio stations. Many of the Infinity stations are located in the 50 largest radio markets in the United States, however, making them especially lucrative and high-profile.
For a lot more, Clear Channel
Hanky Warning For 'West Wing'
Martin Sheen
"The West Wing" actor Martin Sheen said the cast "felt like orphans" when the show's creator Aaron Sorkin walked off the team at the end of last season.
But Sheen, who plays President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet on the show, said Wednesday's premiere will prove the NBC show, now in its fifth season, has rebounded from the loss.
"Honestly, it's one of the best episodes we've done," the actor said Friday. "I suggest watching it with a lot of Kleenex."
Martin Sheen
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Won't Air In Indiana Or Utah
'Coupling'
The NBC television affiliate owned by the University of Notre Dame will not air the new sitcom "Coupling" because the sexual jokes "push the envelope well beyond the boundaries of our community's standards."
Station management of WNDU and its board of directors were "disappointed and uncomfortable" with the content, the station said in a news release. The show is to premiere Thursday.
The affiliate said it would replace the premiere of "Coupling" with "Roastin' the Golden Boy, Part I," a television version of the Life Treatment Centers' roast of Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung.
One other affiliate, KSL in Salt Lake City, also has decided against airing the show.
'Coupling'
Hot-air balloons fly over the village of Zermatt , Switzerland, on Friday, Sept. 19, 2003. They celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first takeoff in Zermatt of famous captain Edouard Spelterini (1852-1931) to cross the Swiss alps in a balloon. In the background is the Matterhorn peak.
Photo by Olivier Maire
Munich Beer Festival
Oktoberfest
Thousands of beer drinkers from around the world, many in traditional Bavarian lederhosen, flocked to Munich on a sunny Saturday for the largest and most famous beer festival on earth, the Oktoberfest.
Munich mayor Christian Ude opened the two-week festival at midday, cracking open the first 200-liter keg with the customary shout of "O'zapft is" -- the keg is tapped.
By the time the 170th Oktoberfest ends on October 5, some six million visitors are expected to have passed through 14 enormous tents, each capable of holding up to 10,000 people at a time, and to have drunk over 5.5 million liters (1.453 million U.S. gallons) of beer.
The festival is one of Germany's biggest tourist events, attracting visitors from all over the world, employing some 12,000 people and generating almost one billion euros ($1.13 billion) for the local economy.
For more, Oktoberfest
Sheriffs Conclusion
Phil Spector
Los Angeles detectives have concluded that legendary rock producer Phil Spector was responsible for the February 3 shooting of 40-year-old actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion.
Now that the investigation is complete, the district attorney's office will determine what charges to bring against Spector. "The charges we are looking at would be anything from second-degree murder to manslaughter," Deputy Scott Butler told ABC News.
Spector has steadfastly maintained his innocence. In fact, in an interview in the July issue of Esquire magazine, he implied that Clarkson may have committed suicide. He said, "She kissed the gun. I have no idea why...[I] never knew her, I never even saw her before that night...I have no idea who she was, or what her agenda was."
However, Captain Frank Merriman categorically told the Los Angeles Times on Friday (September 19), "It's not an accident. It's not a suicide. Phil Spector shot her."
Phil Spector
Charges Dismissed
Mike Gordon
Charges of child endangerment and trespassing were dismissed Friday (Sept. 19) against Phish bassist Mike Gordon, a spokesperson for the Nassau County (N.Y.) District Court told Billboard.com.
Gordon was arrested Aug. 11 after he was found with a 9-year-old girl in a private boathouse backstage at Jones Beach's Tommy Hilfiger Theater. The girl's parents had alerted police that she was missing.
"Although the police had probable cause to arrest, we found there was not sufficient evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt," the spokesperson said.
Mike Gordon
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
90 Recall Candidates to Appear (Equal Time?)
Leno
There'll be an appreciative audience Monday for Jay Leno's jokes about the California recall — 90 candidates will join the TV talk-show host.
On "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" in August, the host issued an invitation to all those vying to replace Gov. Gray Davis. Ninety of the 135 candidates confirmed they'll be on hand, NBC said Friday.
Monday's show also will feature actor Robert Downey Jr., comedian Tess Drake and a performance by Blue Man Group.
Leno
Judith Nicolaidis, an art professor from Southwestern Community College in nearby Chula Vista, California, poses for a photograph with a 20 foot high monument of the Virgin Guadalupe she built on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003 in Tijuana, Mexico. The monument is part of a larger sculpture garden project being proposed by U.S. and Mexican artists for a marginalized community on the outskirts of Tijuana.
Photo by David Maung
NY Nightclub Faces Closing
The Bottom Line
For the owners of The Bottom Line, the venerable Greenwich Village nightclub, it was always about the music. Now, nearly 30 years after its opening, it's all about the bottom line.
The club, where Bruce Springsteen played a renowned 1975 stand and Miles Davis and Lou Reed once jammed, faces eviction after falling behind by $185,000 on its rent. The landlord, New York University, says it could use the space for new classrooms.
Both sides are due in court Tuesday for a hearing that could shutter the famed 400-seat club that opened in February 1974.
For more, The Bottom Line
www.bottomlinecabaret.com
24 Injured On Ride Since 2001
Disneyland
Two dozen people in the past two years have said they were injured on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride, according to newly released state documents.
The information was released in response to news media requests following the Sept. 5 accident on the roller coaster in which Marcelo Torres, 22, of Gardena, was killed and 10 others injured.
The documents released Wednesday tracked injuries ranging from complaints of dizziness to a fatal heart attack. State investigations and ride inspections did not reveal any safety problems.
Disneyland
A spider web covered with water drops is seen Friday, Sept. 19, 2003 near Bremgarten, Switzerland. The water drops, caused by early morning mist make visible the structure of the net and illustrate the beginning of autumn weather in Switzerland
Photo by Steffen Schmidt
'The Osbournes'
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