'Best of TBH Politoons'
WEIRD WORD OF THE WEEK
BAFFLEGAB
"BAFFLEGAB"
ON LINE DEFINITION: Multiloquence characterized by consumate interfusion of circumlocutation of periphrasis, inscrutability and other familiar manifestations of abstruse expatiation commonly utilized for promulgations implementing Procrustean determinations by governmental bodies.
ON THE STREET: Bureaucratic Bullshit.
IN A SENTENCE: "Bush and his Boys benefit from blatant burobabble, legalprate and "bafflegab"!
(Read BartCop Entertainment and learn a useless new word each Tuesday)
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Matt Miller: How To Run A Budget Like An Idiot (Fortune Magazine; Posted on andrewtobias.com)
New census data show that the top 1% of U.S. earners now take home a greater share of national income than at any time since the height of the go-go 1920s. The top 300,000 earners together receive almost as much income as the bottom 150 million. Democrats inhale these facts and breathe out fire. Republicans say, "Hey, this is no time to be complacent. With a little effort we can push this closer to Louis XVI levels of inequality!"
Remarks of Bill Gates: Harvard Commencement (Text as prepared for delivery)
President Bok, former President Rudenstine, incoming President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, members of the faculty, parents, and especially, the graduates: I've been waiting more than 30 years to say this: "Dad, I always told you I'd come back and get my degree." I want to thank Harvard for this timely honor. I'll be changing my job next year Š and it will be nice to finally have a college degree on my resume.
Jim Hightower: PARTISAN CLOWNS AND BUMBLERS (jimhightower.com)
The parade of Bushite bumblers, clowns, and incompetents just keeps coming! There was Brownie from FEMA who did such "a heck of a job" with Hurricane Katrina. There's the embarassment of trying to put Harriet Myers on the Supreme Court. There's Alberto "See no evil" Gonzales who has hit the trifecta by confessing incompetence, being a liar, and clownishly demonstrating that he has the worst memory ever put inside a human head.
Maureen Dowd: Outing the Out of Touch (The New York Times)
Be honest. Who would you rather share a foxhole with: a gay soldier or Mitt Romney? A gay soldier, of course. In a dicey situation like that, you need someone steadfast who knows who he is and what he believes, even if he's not allowed to say it out loud.
A fine bromance (guardian.co.uk)
There's a deep mutual attraction but sex just doesn't come into it ... Nirpal Dhaliwal on why every straight man needs a gay best friend.
Sharon Hadrian: Pratibha Parmar Makes Change (afterellen.com)
Last summer, Parmar and her partner attended a civil partnership ceremony for a lesbian couple they know. "The two women were both Indian, and they'd had their outfits made and embroidered in India," she recalled. "Both their families were there, their uncles and their aunts and their mums and dads and their nephews, kids running around. Š It was like a typical Indian wedding except that there were two brides. "Now that is progress. That is change."
Suzanne Corson: Interview With Michelle Wolff (afterellen.com)
The out actor talks about filming the sexy soap "Dante's Cove."
Robert MacMillan: Printing books online: an author you can't refuse (Reuters)
Lawrence Durrell and Henry Miller are among the world's most respected authors, but for a while they had a hard time finding a publisher. Rather than seek a mainstream outlet for racy novels such as "The Black Book" and "Tropic of Cancer," they used the Obelisk Press, a French publishing house started by Jack Kahane to print his own novel.
Water-Rich, Low-Fat Foods Encourage Weight Loss (healthday.com)
If you're trying to lose weight, eating the right foods may be more effective than eating less, U.S. researchers say. A team at Pennsylvania State University found that low-calorie-density diets can help shed pounds and control hunger. Low-calorie-density foods have high water and low fat content. They include fruits and vegetables, soups, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products.
Now On DVD
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, which originally aired on
HBO was
released on DVD last week.
Clips:
youtube clip 1
youtube clip 2.
Interviews with Rory Kennedy -
YouTube
Sundance interview
The Nation
The Evening Class
The Reeler
NY Mag
HBO
Reviews:
Cinematical
Variety
Film Threat
Memorable Quote
Alfred McCoy: There is no such thing as a little bit of torture.
The DVD features Interviews
with Abusers, Victims and Witnesses, New Commentary by Kennedy,
and Over 30 Minutes of Never-Before-Seen Footage.
I recommend buying 2 copies of this DVD - one to view now, and one for in the future, when your kids, or grandkids, ask where
America lost its moral compass, and why.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and cool.
Republican Warmongers Avoid War
Fox News
On a winter day when bomb blasts at an Iraqi university killed dozens and the United Nations estimated that 34,000 civilians in Iraq had died in 2006, MSNBC spent nearly nine minutes on the stories during the 1 p.m. hour. A CNN correspondent in Iraq did a three-minute report about the bombings.
Neither story merited a mention on Fox News Channel that hour.
That wasn't unusual. Fox spent half as much time covering the Iraq war than MSNBC during the first three months of the year, and considerably less than CNN, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
The difference was more stark during daytime news hours than in prime-time opinion shows. The Iraq war occupied 20 percent of CNN's daytime news hole and 18 percent of MSNBC's. On Fox, the war was talked about only 6 percent of the time.
With less on-air attention being paid to Iraq during the first few months of the year, what filled the void for Fox? PEJ's report said the network gave the death of Anna Nicole Smith significantly more air time than its rivals.
Fox News
Lobbied Band To Play Live Earth
Al Gore
If you saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers whispering to Al Gore when they accepted their Grammy Award for best rock album in February, that's the moment they committed to playing Live Earth.
Gore said he met with band members for more than an hour before this year's televised awards show, trying to persuade them to perform at one of the concerts.
While receptive to the idea, they weren't sure they could fit the July 7 concert into their schedule, Gore said Friday.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are among the headliners for the London concert. Other shows are slated for New York; Tokyo; Shanghai, China; Johannesburg, South Africa; Sydney, Australia; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Hamburg, Germany; and Istanbul, Turkey.
Al Gore
Thriller To Appear In Esquire
Stephen King
A new Stephen King thriller will be published in its entirely in the July issue of Esquire. "The Gingerbread Girl," a 21,000-word novella covering 23 pages, will arrive at newsstands Tuesday.
Esquire has a long history of publishing original fiction, including Truman Capote's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and Norman Mailer's "An American Dream." King, too, has released works through other media. In 2000, he serialized an original novel, "The Plant," from his Web site.
According to Esquire, "The Gingerbread Girl" tells "the story of Emily, who flees to the secluded Vermillion Key off of Florida's coast after the death of her infant child. Her new neighbor also enjoys the privacy of the key, but the women he brings with him never return home. Emily's curiosity leads her right into the hands of the madman, but it's her legs that are her only hope for survival."
Stephen King
Spokesman For Autism
Eugene Levy
Canadian actor and director Eugene Levy has signed on as a spokesman for autism and is calling for a national strategy to help those affected by the disorder.
Levy and Senator Jim Munson are holding a news conference in Toronto on Wednesday to speak about what they consider the need for affordable and accessible autism treatment.
Levy, 60, gained early fame as a star on the comedy TV series "SCTV." The Hamilton native also had a memorable role in the movie "American Pie" and has become a fixture of Christopher Guest films like "For Your Consideration" and "Waiting for Guffman."
Eugene Levy
Boston Pops Performance
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp will celebrate Independence Day with the Boston Pops.
Mellencamp will join conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops for the annual Fourth of July concert and fireworks show on the banks of the Charles River.
The "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular," hosted by Craig Ferguson of "The Late Late Show," will air live on CBS.
John Mellencamp
Jazz Pianist Honored
Oscar Peterson
His doctor's orders prevented Oscar Peterson from traveling from his home near Toronto to attend the tribute concert featuring Wynton Marsalis and other jazz stars at Carnegie Hall - where the legendary jazz pianist launched his international career nearly 60 years ago.
"Even though he can't be here this evening and is quite disappointed about that, he sends his heartfelt thanks, his deepest appreciation and his love to all of you," Peterson's wife, Kelly, told the audience at the Fujitsu Jazz Festival concert honoring the 81-year-old "Master of Swing."
Peterson's daughter, Celine, recalled that it was on the same stage that her father's "amazing career began."
Oscar Peterson
Hospital News
Daddy Yankee
Daddy Yankee was released from a hospital Monday after suffering from a viral infection and dehydration.
He was ordered by his doctor at Baptist Hospital to rest for at least a week, the 31-year-old reggaeton singer's publicist said in a statement.
Daddy Yankee has postponed a promotional tour for his new album, "El Cartel: The Big Boss," released by El Cartel Records/Interscope.
Daddy Yankee
Fears Film Seizure
Michael Moore
Filmmaker Michael Moore has stashed a copy of his latest documentary in Canada because he fears the U.S. government will try to confiscate it after part of it was filmed during an unauthorized trip to Cuba.
The U.S. Treasury Department is investigating Moore's trip to communist Cuba in March to film part of his documentary, "SiCKO," which takes a swipe at the U.S. health-care system and is due to be released in U.S. theaters on June 29.
"We took measures a few weeks ago to place a master copy of this film in Canada so if they did take our negative we would have a duplicate negative of this film in Canada."
Michael Moore
Cable Pirate Gets Five Years
Darryl Poll
A suburban Los Angeles man has been sentenced to five years in prison and fined $350,000 for participating in an international cable-piracy scheme involving the sale of more than 100,000 cable descramblers.
Darryl Poll was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge David Levi in a case resulting from a joint investigation by federal and regional authorities. Poll pleaded guilty to eight felony charges.
Co-defendant Carlo Mireles of Captain Cook, Hawaii, also has pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the scheme. Sentencing for Mireles is set for Thursday.
Darryl Poll
Returning To XM
Opie & Anthony
Shock jocks Opie & Anthony will resume live broadcasts on XM Satellite Radio Holdings on Friday following a one-month suspension after a guest described his rape fantasies on their daily show, the satellite radio provider said on Monday.
Hosts Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia last month were suspended for 30 days after a guest spoke about forcing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and First Lady Laura Bush to have sex with him.
XM denounced the comments and the hosts apologized. But XM, which has agreed to be acquired by rival Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., suspended the team about a week after the incident, saying the duo had later made remarks on air that suggested their regret was not sincere.
Opie & Anthony
Bollywood Animation Pact
Disney
Walt Disney Co. is set to announce a joint venture with India's Yash Raj Films to make animated films voiced by Indian movie stars, the Wall Street Journal said in its online edition on Monday.
In Mumbai, a spokeswoman for Yash Raj declined comment on the specifics of the report, but said a press conference was scheduled for Tuesday and that it concerned Disney.
The report said the venture will make at least one animated film per year.
Disney
Virtual Model
Ancient Rome
Tourists puzzled by the jumble of buildings in classical and modern Rome can now find their bearings by visiting a virtual model of the imperial capital in what is being billed as the world's biggest computer simulation of an ancient city.
"Rome Reborn" was unveiled on Monday in a first release showing the city at its peak in 320 AD, under the Emperor Constantine when it had grown to a million inhabitants.
Brainchild of the University of Virginia's Bernard Frischer, Rome Reborn will eventually show its evolution from Bronze Age hut settlements to the Sack of Rome in the 5th century AD and the devastating Gothic Wars.
Frischer's model is sourced from ancient maps and building catalogues detailing "apartment buildings, private houses, inns, storage facilities, bakeries and even brothels," plus digital images of the vast "Plastico di Roma Antica" model built from plaster of Paris in 1936-74, which measures 16 by 17 meters.
Ancient Rome
Syndication Deal
Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel will do double duty on "Deal or No Deal" when a spin-off of the hit game show launches in syndication next fall, sources said.
In addition to Mandel, several names had been speculated as potential hosts, including Arsenio Hall and Mark Curry. NBC and the shows' producer, Endemol USA, declined comment.
Howie Mandel
Comedy Central
`Lil' Bush'
Like most political satire, "Lil' Bush" pinpoints the logical extreme of real life.
Take its title character. Lil' George Bush is a pushy if none-too-swift lad making mischief with his pals from Beltway Elementary: Lil' Condi, Lil' Cheney and Lil' Rummy. Another thing: Lil' George resides in the White House.
On the premiere (Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. EDT), Lil' George and his chums go to Iraq in hopes of tracking down some good news about the war to cheer up his dad for Father's Day.
"Lil' Bush" premiered last fall on cell phones as five-minute mobisodes. Apparently the first such series to cross over from cellular to TV, "Lil' Bush" has been fleshed out for Comedy Central into 12-minute stories, complete with beefed-up animation.
`Lil' Bush'
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