People who give a flying fuck at a rolling dough-nut about crowd sizes are invited to look around the web for photos & footage of the West Hollywood Hallowe'en Carnaval (Estimated attendance: 400,000, in a town of 1.9 square miles.) to compare w/ the "9/12" teabag events which apparently drew at least a million morons to Wash., D. C.
We will not get anywhere near comparisons of actual "teabagging" activities between the two events.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
"kristy" Knows Just What You're Talking About
Saturday Sports Suckfest/Wrap-Up
Only one Bottom Ten this wk., unless the LAT website is more screwed up than usual. So we're linking rather than reproducing.
We are so unconcerned w/ the World Series we're making bets w/ ourself about which player we would prefer to see receive a career-ending injury, & are a bit disappointed that the likelihood of a life-ending injury is pretty small in baseball (though it could happen). Hell, we'd probably be satisfied w/ a compound fracture sticking out of a player's leg, if we aren't going to see either of the teams going after the other w/ bats. (Not a Hallowe'en reference.)
We are so unconcerned w/ the World Series we're making bets w/ ourself about which player we would prefer to see receive a career-ending injury, & are a bit disappointed that the likelihood of a life-ending injury is pretty small in baseball (though it could happen). Hell, we'd probably be satisfied w/ a compound fracture sticking out of a player's leg, if we aren't going to see either of the teams going after the other w/ bats. (Not a Hallowe'en reference.)
Scary Monsters And Super Creeps
Splashback
From illusory tenant, we are treated to LARRY DAVID, JEW(!!) PISSING ON JESUS!!! Or not.Why has no one bitched about that Jerry Seinfeld guy being in the episode? He's a Christian-hating Christ-killer too, isn't he?
31 October: BOO! Martin Luther Starts Trouble; Planes Crash All Over Space, Time
Today is Saturday, Oct. 31, the 304th day of 2009. There are 61 days left in the year. This is Halloween. Lying, useless UPI Almanac. A reminder: Daylight-saving time ends Sunday at 2 a.m. local time. Clocks go back one hour.
Today's Highlight in History:On Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Palace church, marking the start of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
On this date:
In 1795, poet John Keats was born in London.
In 1864, Nevada became the 36th state.
In 1931, with the Great Depression in full swing, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that 827 banks had failed during the previous two months.
In 1938, the day after his "War of the Worlds" broadcast had panicked radio listeners, Orson Welles expressed "deep regret" but also bewilderment that anyone had thought the simulated Martian invasion was real.
In 1941, the Navy destroyer USS Reuben James was torpedoed by a German U-boat off Iceland, with the loss of some 100 lives, even though the United States had not yet entered World War II. [NB: Any discrepancies in dates, apparent repetitions of events, etc., are directly attributable to Son-Hump Moon's UPI fucking Almanac. Sometimes we think there is legit Int'l. Dateline confusion, w/ the AP skewing American, natch, & sometimes it's just plain wrongness on the part of the slave-labor in Moon's employ. — Ed.] The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota -- consisting of the sculpted heads of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt -- was completed.
In 1956, Rear Admiral G. J. Dufek became the first person to land an airplane at the South Pole.
Fifty years ago, in 1959, a former U.S. Marine showed up at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to declare he was renouncing his American citizenship so he could live in the Soviet Union. His name: Lee Harvey Oswald. [Honest to gawd. "His name?" What is this, Paul Harvey? Where's the organ sting? — Ed.]
In 1967, Nguyen Van Thieu took the oath of office as the first president of South Vietnam's second republic.
In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered a halt to all U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, saying he hoped for fruitful peace negotiations. Sound Bite.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two Sikh security guards.
In 1985, salvage divers located the remains of the booty-laden pirate ship Whydah, which sank Feb. 17, 1717, off Cape Cod, Mass.
In 1988, former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos pleaded innocent to charges that she and her husband, deposed President Ferdinand Marcos, embezzled more than $100 million from the Philippine government.
In 1992, more than 300 people were killed in renewed fighting as Angola slid back into civil war. It was announced that five American nuns in Liberia had been shot to death near the capital Monrovia; the killings were blamed on rebels loyal to Charles Taylor.
In 1994, a Chicago-bound American Eagle ATR-72 crashed in northern Indiana, killing all 68 people aboard.
In 1996, a Brazilian Fokker-100 jetliner crashed in Sao Paulo, killing all 96 people on board and three on the ground.
In 1998, a genetic study was released suggesting President Thomas Jefferson did in fact father at least one child by his slave Sally Hemings.
In 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, bound from New York to Cairo, crashed off the Massachusetts coast, killing all 217 people aboard.
In 2001, a 61-year-old New York hospital worker died from inhalation anthrax. Microsoft and the Justice Department reached a tentative agreement to settle the historic antitrust case against the software giant. U.S.-led forces resumed air strikes in Afghanistan, hitting Taliban positions in the northern part of the country and outside the capital, Kabul. The Taliban claimed 1,500 people were killed.
In 2002, Andrew Fastow, former Enron chief financial officer, was indicted on 78 counts of wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in the collapse of the Houston energy trading company.
In 2003, a rebel group known to kidnap children and sell them in Sudan as slaves struck a village in northern Uganda, killing 18 and abducting many more.
In 2004, in the closing hours of their bitter campaign, President George W. Bush and challenger Sen. John Kerry charged through the critical battlegrounds of Florida and Ohio, going from hushed Sunday church services to raucous campaign rallies with promises to keep America safe. Iranian lawmakers chanted, "Death to America!" after a unanimous vote to allow their government to resume uranium enrichment activities. Japan confirmed a Japanese man taken hostage in Baghdad had been beheaded. The kidnappers had demanded Japan pull its troops out of Iraq.
In 2005,Samuel Alito, a 55-year-old conservative federal appeals judge, was nominated by U. S. President George Bush to the U.S. Supreme Court to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor.
In 2006, a U.S. congressional report claimed China helped North Korea develop its nuclear program within the past year. P.W. Botha, South Africa's apartheid-era president, died at age 90.
In 2007, three lead defendants in the 2004 Madrid train bombings were found guilty of mass murder and other charges, but four other top suspects were convicted on lesser charges and an accused ringleader was completely acquitted in the attacks that killed 191 people.
In 2008, President George W. Bush signed an executive order restoring the Libyan government's immunity from terror-related lawsuits and dismissing pending compensation cases. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel died in Chicago at age 96.
Today's Birthdays: Author Dick Francis is 89. Former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk is 87. Actress Lee Grant is 82. Movie critic Andrew Sarris is 81. Former astronaut Michael Collins is 79. Former CBS anchorman Dan Rather is 78. Folk singer Tom Paxton is 72. Actor Ron Rifkin is 70. Actress Sally Kirkland is 68. Actor David Ogden Stiers is 67. Actor Stephen Rea is 63. Olympic gold medal distance runner Frank Shorter is 62. Actress Deidre Hall is 61. Talk show host Jane Pauley is 59. Actor Brian Stokes Mitchell is 51. Movie director Peter Jackson is 48. Rock musician Larry Mullen is 48. Actor Dermot Mulroney is 46. Rock musician Mikkey Dee (Motorhead) is 46. Rock singer-musician Johnny Marr is 46. Actor Rob Schneider is 45. Country singer Darryl Worley is 45. Actor-comedian Mike O'Malley is 44. Rap musician Adrock (Adam Horovitz) is 43. Songwriter Adam Schlesinger is 42. Rap performer Vanilla Ice (aka Rob Van Winkle) is 41. Rock singer Linn Berggren (Ace of Base) is 39. Reality TV host Troy Hartman is 38. Gospel singer Smokie Norful is 36. Actress Piper Perabo is 33. Actor Brian Hallisay is 31. Actor Eddie Kaye Thomas is 29. Rock musician Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance) is 28.
Today In Entertainment History October 31
In 1926, magician Harry Houdini died in Detroit of gangrene and peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix.
In 1970, singer Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas married actor Dennis Hopper. They divorced after eight days.
In 1986, Pink Floyd guitarist Roger Waters filed suit in London to dissolve Pink Floyd and retain the rights to the name. The other members of the band were granted temporary rights to the name and later full rights.
In 1988, actor John Houseman died at the age of 96 in Malibu, Calif. He's probably best known for his work on "The Paper Chase." Singer Debbie Gibson held a seance at her Halloween party to contact Liberace and Sid Vicious. [And? — Ed.]
In 1991, Joseph Papp, the producer who brought "A Chorus Line" to Broadway, died in New York. He was 70.
In 1993, movie director Federico Fellini died in Rome at age 73. Actor River Phoenix died after collapsing outside a Los Angeles nightclub. He was 23.
In 1996, Elizabeth Taylor's divorce from Larry Fortensky was finalized.
In 1997, more than 200 counterfeit tickets were confiscated when Jane's Addiction reunited for a show in New York. Hundreds of fans were turned away, and refunds were given to legitimate ticketholders.
Thought for Today:"There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them." — Andre Gide, French author and critic (1869-1951).
In 1795, poet John Keats was born in London.
In 1864, Nevada became the 36th state.
In 1931, with the Great Depression in full swing, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that 827 banks had failed during the previous two months.
In 1938, the day after his "War of the Worlds" broadcast had panicked radio listeners, Orson Welles expressed "deep regret" but also bewilderment that anyone had thought the simulated Martian invasion was real.
In 1941, the Navy destroyer USS Reuben James was torpedoed by a German U-boat off Iceland, with the loss of some 100 lives, even though the United States had not yet entered World War II. [NB: Any discrepancies in dates, apparent repetitions of events, etc., are directly attributable to Son-Hump Moon's UPI fucking Almanac. Sometimes we think there is legit Int'l. Dateline confusion, w/ the AP skewing American, natch, & sometimes it's just plain wrongness on the part of the slave-labor in Moon's employ. — Ed.] The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota -- consisting of the sculpted heads of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt -- was completed.
In 1956, Rear Admiral G. J. Dufek became the first person to land an airplane at the South Pole.
Fifty years ago, in 1959, a former U.S. Marine showed up at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to declare he was renouncing his American citizenship so he could live in the Soviet Union. His name: Lee Harvey Oswald. [Honest to gawd. "His name?" What is this, Paul Harvey? Where's the organ sting? — Ed.]
In 1967, Nguyen Van Thieu took the oath of office as the first president of South Vietnam's second republic.
In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered a halt to all U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, saying he hoped for fruitful peace negotiations. Sound Bite.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two Sikh security guards.
In 1985, salvage divers located the remains of the booty-laden pirate ship Whydah, which sank Feb. 17, 1717, off Cape Cod, Mass.
In 1988, former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos pleaded innocent to charges that she and her husband, deposed President Ferdinand Marcos, embezzled more than $100 million from the Philippine government.
In 1992, more than 300 people were killed in renewed fighting as Angola slid back into civil war. It was announced that five American nuns in Liberia had been shot to death near the capital Monrovia; the killings were blamed on rebels loyal to Charles Taylor.
In 1994, a Chicago-bound American Eagle ATR-72 crashed in northern Indiana, killing all 68 people aboard.
In 1996, a Brazilian Fokker-100 jetliner crashed in Sao Paulo, killing all 96 people on board and three on the ground.
In 1998, a genetic study was released suggesting President Thomas Jefferson did in fact father at least one child by his slave Sally Hemings.
In 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, bound from New York to Cairo, crashed off the Massachusetts coast, killing all 217 people aboard.
In 2001, a 61-year-old New York hospital worker died from inhalation anthrax. Microsoft and the Justice Department reached a tentative agreement to settle the historic antitrust case against the software giant. U.S.-led forces resumed air strikes in Afghanistan, hitting Taliban positions in the northern part of the country and outside the capital, Kabul. The Taliban claimed 1,500 people were killed.
In 2002, Andrew Fastow, former Enron chief financial officer, was indicted on 78 counts of wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in the collapse of the Houston energy trading company.
In 2003, a rebel group known to kidnap children and sell them in Sudan as slaves struck a village in northern Uganda, killing 18 and abducting many more.
In 2004, in the closing hours of their bitter campaign, President George W. Bush and challenger Sen. John Kerry charged through the critical battlegrounds of Florida and Ohio, going from hushed Sunday church services to raucous campaign rallies with promises to keep America safe. Iranian lawmakers chanted, "Death to America!" after a unanimous vote to allow their government to resume uranium enrichment activities. Japan confirmed a Japanese man taken hostage in Baghdad had been beheaded. The kidnappers had demanded Japan pull its troops out of Iraq.
In 2005,Samuel Alito, a 55-year-old conservative federal appeals judge, was nominated by U. S. President George Bush to the U.S. Supreme Court to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor.
In 2006, a U.S. congressional report claimed China helped North Korea develop its nuclear program within the past year. P.W. Botha, South Africa's apartheid-era president, died at age 90.
In 2007, three lead defendants in the 2004 Madrid train bombings were found guilty of mass murder and other charges, but four other top suspects were convicted on lesser charges and an accused ringleader was completely acquitted in the attacks that killed 191 people.
In 2008, President George W. Bush signed an executive order restoring the Libyan government's immunity from terror-related lawsuits and dismissing pending compensation cases. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel died in Chicago at age 96.
Today's Birthdays: Author Dick Francis is 89. Former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk is 87. Actress Lee Grant is 82. Movie critic Andrew Sarris is 81. Former astronaut Michael Collins is 79. Former CBS anchorman Dan Rather is 78. Folk singer Tom Paxton is 72. Actor Ron Rifkin is 70. Actress Sally Kirkland is 68. Actor David Ogden Stiers is 67. Actor Stephen Rea is 63. Olympic gold medal distance runner Frank Shorter is 62. Actress Deidre Hall is 61. Talk show host Jane Pauley is 59. Actor Brian Stokes Mitchell is 51. Movie director Peter Jackson is 48. Rock musician Larry Mullen is 48. Actor Dermot Mulroney is 46. Rock musician Mikkey Dee (Motorhead) is 46. Rock singer-musician Johnny Marr is 46. Actor Rob Schneider is 45. Country singer Darryl Worley is 45. Actor-comedian Mike O'Malley is 44. Rap musician Adrock (Adam Horovitz) is 43. Songwriter Adam Schlesinger is 42. Rap performer Vanilla Ice (aka Rob Van Winkle) is 41. Rock singer Linn Berggren (Ace of Base) is 39. Reality TV host Troy Hartman is 38. Gospel singer Smokie Norful is 36. Actress Piper Perabo is 33. Actor Brian Hallisay is 31. Actor Eddie Kaye Thomas is 29. Rock musician Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance) is 28.
Today In Entertainment History October 31
In 1926, magician Harry Houdini died in Detroit of gangrene and peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix.
In 1986, Pink Floyd guitarist Roger Waters filed suit in London to dissolve Pink Floyd and retain the rights to the name. The other members of the band were granted temporary rights to the name and later full rights.
In 1988, actor John Houseman died at the age of 96 in Malibu, Calif. He's probably best known for his work on "The Paper Chase." Singer Debbie Gibson held a seance at her Halloween party to contact Liberace and Sid Vicious. [And? — Ed.]
In 1991, Joseph Papp, the producer who brought "A Chorus Line" to Broadway, died in New York. He was 70.
In 1993, movie director Federico Fellini died in Rome at age 73. Actor River Phoenix died after collapsing outside a Los Angeles nightclub. He was 23.
In 1996, Elizabeth Taylor's divorce from Larry Fortensky was finalized.
In 1997, more than 200 counterfeit tickets were confiscated when Jane's Addiction reunited for a show in New York. Hundreds of fans were turned away, and refunds were given to legitimate ticketholders.
Thought for Today:"There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them." — Andre Gide, French author and critic (1869-1951).
Friday, October 30, 2009
Breasts, Politics & Moralizing
MSNBC's Dr. Nancy -- who's show gets terrible ratings --Another who has escaped the liberal indoctrination that befalls all students in America. Like Jethro Bodine, as soon as they've mastered cipherin', "gozintas," & their ABCs, they leave school to make it on their own, in Greg's case as a Townhall Crew blogger. We doubt he makes the $35.00/column Burt Prelutsky was making, before he was cut to $20.00/column & then let go.
And best of luck to anyone trying to pry open those braincases & pour in facts or sense. as Hengler defines the bitter clinger.
Finally, Dr. Nancy says -- in so many words -- that we Americans are not open-minded and free like those Europeans: "We are so prudish." Typical response from the anointed-civilized mind of a liberal wanting to crush the primitive prudishness of our sensitive American culture. The push continues at MSNBC...Best to keep those dirty pillows covered up, even at the cost of a few lives & some suffering. "Pro-life" all the way.
On a technical note, the idea that this sort of thing results in instant ratings is absurd. It has to be pimped to a virtual boil for the unwashed masses to catch on & click to MSNBC. But "You'll turn America into a whorehouse w/ your European decadence, feminist breast bitches!" was the real message from Mr. Hengler. The chance to crow about how lousy Dr. Nancy's ratings are (We're glad they suck, because we're sick to our stomach of doctors infantilizing themselves by calling themselves Dr. & then using their first names. Scared of being called elitist, doc?) & to make stupid accusations of using titties for ratings is gravy (or icing) for this nimrod.
Aside to ZIP (I. Q.?) of Weasel Zippers: Do not type again until you have at least a nodding acquaintance w/ the English language as the literate among us practice it, you sub-human cretin. (Based only on reading the headline.)
If you must read more of this drivel ...
DO NOT MOCK US. QUIVER IN FEAR!
Just last wk. we threw our considerable (at least 100kg) weight behind Jerry Brown in the Cal-Dem-Guber-Race.
Results already!
We don't remember all of Mayor Newsom's personal baggage. Had an affair w/ a PR flunky or something. Did he dump wife for the flunky, go back to the Mrs., or what? Either way, that certainly covers "unspecified family obligations." (Like he may have an obligation to himself not to be clobbered about the head w/ a frying pan.)
Results already!
"It's Insane"
We're sure we've nothing to add to discussion of Brooks' actual column today about how Obama is a wimp or some such shit. This "Talking Between Columns" may have been overlooked, though.
In it we see that, to Brooks, research is what someone else does, although he does get the point:
In it we see that, to Brooks, research is what someone else does, although he does get the point:
Brooks almost immediately goes off the track though, assuring us that the universe is not permanently out of whack.A woman named Dede Scozzafava is the official Republican candidate. Political scientist Boris Shor did some sophisticated analyses of her voting record in the State Legislature, comparing her to legislators across the country. Her voting record puts her almost exactly in the middle of legislators nationwide. That means she’s a moderate, though slightly right of center in the context of New York.
So do the conservative honchos welcome somebody in the middle of the spectrum? No. The entire conservative movement seems to be coming out in favor of the third party candidate. If conservatives won’t accept moderate candidates in the Northeast, then they are sentencing themselves to permanent minority status. It’s insane.
The Democrats have their problems too. And if anything, their problems are deeper because they are intellectual, not merely partisan. The Obama administration has sent the country off to the right. The president is creating a counter-realignment.Also of interest, Bob Herbert's take on the alleged "swing to the right."
The conservative trend you mentioned is, I think, a manifestation of the desire to wind down the extraordinary drama of the past several years and begin to focus, in a prudent, common-sense way, on the myriad problems facing us here at home.We thought 'Murkins were all innovative, willing to take a chance, & other such cliched crap. We've turned into a nation of fat-ass stick-in-the-mud chickenshits, though. Prudent common-sense did not make this nation the greatest shining shitpile in the landfill!
Weaklings Ruin Economy
The United Snakes obviously needs a sterner sort of consumer. Is our children learning to consume right?Stocks Slide on Signs of Consumer Weakness; Dow Falls Nearly 250 Points
Stocks plunged Friday in the face of weak consumer data,
erasing a powerful rally the day before and ending a pattern
of monthly gains.
Further boring recitations of numbers.
Reactionary Comic Strip: Of Course It's Pathetic
Tucker Carlson Opens His Yap: Unfortunately, A Swanson's Frozen Dinner Is Not Shoved Down It
In a not-uninteresting piece in Tina's Beast on Media Matters, we were treated to this:
“I don't have a problem at all with lefties critiquing the news from a left-wing point of view,” said Carlson, who has also written for The Daily Beast. “What sets Media Matters apart is it's doing the bidding of a political party and specific politicians. That's by definition dishonest.”We do admit our attention was originally drawn to the item by the subhead.
30 October: Martains Invade! Reuben James Torpedoed; Shoe Rationing Over; "Tsar Bomba" Tested, Stalin Removed from Lenin's Tomb; Ali KOs Foreman; Ronstadt Goes "Boheme"-ian; People Continue To Die
Today is Friday, Oct. 30, the 303rd day of 2009. There are 62 days left in the year. The UPI Almanac.Today's Highlight in History:
On Oct. 30, 1938, the radio play "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS. (The live drama, which employed fake breaking news reports, panicked some listeners who thought the portrayal of a Martian invasion was real.)
[Nation of sheep, baby. — Ed.] Sound Bite.
On this date:
In 1735, the second president of the United States, John Adams, was born in Braintree, Mass.
In 1817, Simon Bolivar established the independent government of Venezuela.
In 1885, poet Ezra Pound was born in Hailey, Idaho.
In 1893, the U.S. Senate gave final congressional approval to repealing the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890.
In 1941, more than a month before the United States entered World War II, a U.S. destroyer, the Reuben James, was sunk by a German submarine.
In 1944, the Martha Graham ballet "Appalachian Spring," with music by Aaron Copland, premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with Graham in a leading role.
In 1945, the U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing, effective at midnight.
In 1953, George C. Marshall, who, as secretary of state following World War II, engineered a massive economic aid program for Europe, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1961, the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb, the "Tsar Bomba," with a force estimated at about 50 megatons. The Soviet Party Congress unanimously approved a resolution ordering the removal of Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb.
Thirty-five years ago, in 1974, Muhammad Ali regained his world heavyweight title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the "Rumble in the Jungle."
In 1975, the New York Daily News ran the headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead" a day after President Gerald R. Ford said he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City.As dictator Francisco Franco was near death, Prince Juan Carlos assumed power in Spain.
Thirty years ago, in 1979, President Jimmy Carter announced his choice of federal appeals judge Shirley Hufstedler to head the newly created Department of Education.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, police in Poland found the body of kidnapped pro-Solidarity priest Father Jerzy Popieluszko, whose death was blamed on security officers. [Or by the parents of one of the young boys he no doubt molested, being a priest & all. — Ed.]
Twenty years ago, in 1989, Mitsubishi Estate Co. announced it was buying 51 percent of Rockefeller Group Inc. of New York. (However, amid a real estate slump, Mitsubishi ended up walking away from its investment in 1995.) [Some of you may remember that this was seen as the end of the world at the time. Yet it still spins through the emptiness on its axis, does it not? — Ed.]
In 1997, a jury in Cambridge, Mass., convicted British au pair Louise Woodward of second-degree murder in the death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen. The judge later reduced the verdict to manslaughter and set Woodward free.
In 1998, a mudslide caused by Hurricane Mitch killed at least 2,000 people in Nicaragua.
In 1999, fifty-four people were killed in a fire inside a four-story building crowded with weekend shoppers and diners in Incheon, South Korea.
In 2002, Minnesota Democrats tapped former vice president Walter Mondale to run for the seat of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone less than a week before the election. (Mondale lost to Republican Norm Coleman.)
In 2004, the decapitated body of Japanese backpacker Shosei Koda was found wrapped in an American flag in northwestern Baghdad; the militant group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi later claimed responsibility. Grateful fans embraced the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, hailing the team as heroes during a jubilant parade.
In 2005, the body of Rosa Parks arrived at the U.S. Capitol, where the civil rights pioneer became the first woman to lie in honor in the Rotunda.
In 2008, a federal jury in Miami convicted the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in the first case brought under a 1994 U.S. law allowing prosecution for torture and atrocities committed overseas. (Charles McArthur Emmanuel was later sentenced to 97 years in prison.)
Today's Birthdays: Actor Dick Gautier is 72. Movie director Claude Lelouch is 72. Rock singer Grace Slick is 70. Songwriter Eddie Holland is 70. Actor Ed Lauter is 69. R&B singer Otis Williams (The Temptations) is 68. Actor Henry Winkler is 64. Rock musician Chris Slade (Asia) is 63. Country/rock musician Timothy B. Schmit (The Eagles) is 62. Actor Leon Rippy is 60. Actor Harry Hamlin is 58. Actor Charles Martin Smith is 56. Country singer T. Graham Brown is 55. Actor Kevin Pollak is 52. Actor Michael Beach is 46. Rock singer-musician Gavin Rossdale (Bush) is 42. Actor Jack Plotnick is 41. Comedian Ben Bailey is 39. Actress Nia Long is 39. Country singer Kassidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 33. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal is 31. Actor Matthew Morrison is 31.
Today In Entertainment History October 30
In 1938, the radio play "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS. Using fake news bulletins and simulated on-scene reports to portray an invasion by Martians, the broadcast sparked panic among listeners who thought the dramatized events were authentic.
[Middle-class sheep/Nation of rubes/You'd rather watch "Lucy"/Than the Six O'Clock News. Not that you sheep can tell the difference. — Ed.]
In 1961, Phil Spector's Philles label released its first single. It was a record by the Crystals: "Oh, Yeah, Maybe Baby" backed with "There's No Other (Like My Baby)."
In 1964, Roy Orbison was awarded a gold record for "Oh, Pretty Woman."
In 1967, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones pleaded guilty to drug possession and was sentenced to nine months in jail. He was released pending an appeal.
In 1970, Jim Morrison of The Doors was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $500 for exposing himself in Miami.
In 1972, Elton John did a command performance benefit for Queen Elizabeth.
In 1974, Kathy Silva filed for divorce from Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone after less than six months of marriage.
In 1978, the animated TV movie "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park" aired on NBC.
In 1982, singer Paul Weller announced the breakup of the British band The Jam.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, Linda Ronstadt made her operatic debut in a production of "La Boheme" in New York.
In 1997, drummer Bill Berry quit R.E.M.
In 2000, comedian, TV host, author and composer Steve Allen died at age 78.
In 2002, Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC was shot and killed at his recording studio in New York. He was 37.
In 2004, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker married former Miss USA Shanna Moakler in Santa Barbara, Calif. They have since split up. Actress-dancer Peggy Ryan died in Las Vegas at age 80.
Thought for Today: "It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it." — Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983). [Damn right, dockworker. Only those marinated from birth in this nation's renderings can fully appreciate the hypocrisy we must wade through each day. — Ed.]
On Oct. 30, 1938, the radio play "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS. (The live drama, which employed fake breaking news reports, panicked some listeners who thought the portrayal of a Martian invasion was real.)
On this date:
In 1735, the second president of the United States, John Adams, was born in Braintree, Mass.
In 1817, Simon Bolivar established the independent government of Venezuela.
In 1885, poet Ezra Pound was born in Hailey, Idaho.
In 1941, more than a month before the United States entered World War II, a U.S. destroyer, the Reuben James, was sunk by a German submarine.
In 1944, the Martha Graham ballet "Appalachian Spring," with music by Aaron Copland, premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with Graham in a leading role.
In 1945, the U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing, effective at midnight.
In 1953, George C. Marshall, who, as secretary of state following World War II, engineered a massive economic aid program for Europe, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1961, the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb, the "Tsar Bomba," with a force estimated at about 50 megatons. The Soviet Party Congress unanimously approved a resolution ordering the removal of Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb.
Thirty-five years ago, in 1974, Muhammad Ali regained his world heavyweight title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the "Rumble in the Jungle."
In 1975, the New York Daily News ran the headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead" a day after President Gerald R. Ford said he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City.As dictator Francisco Franco was near death, Prince Juan Carlos assumed power in Spain.
Thirty years ago, in 1979, President Jimmy Carter announced his choice of federal appeals judge Shirley Hufstedler to head the newly created Department of Education.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, police in Poland found the body of kidnapped pro-Solidarity priest Father Jerzy Popieluszko, whose death was blamed on security officers. [Or by the parents of one of the young boys he no doubt molested, being a priest & all. — Ed.]
Twenty years ago, in 1989, Mitsubishi Estate Co. announced it was buying 51 percent of Rockefeller Group Inc. of New York. (However, amid a real estate slump, Mitsubishi ended up walking away from its investment in 1995.) [Some of you may remember that this was seen as the end of the world at the time. Yet it still spins through the emptiness on its axis, does it not? — Ed.]
In 1997, a jury in Cambridge, Mass., convicted British au pair Louise Woodward of second-degree murder in the death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen. The judge later reduced the verdict to manslaughter and set Woodward free.
In 1998, a mudslide caused by Hurricane Mitch killed at least 2,000 people in Nicaragua.
In 1999, fifty-four people were killed in a fire inside a four-story building crowded with weekend shoppers and diners in Incheon, South Korea.
In 2002, Minnesota Democrats tapped former vice president Walter Mondale to run for the seat of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone less than a week before the election. (Mondale lost to Republican Norm Coleman.)
In 2004, the decapitated body of Japanese backpacker Shosei Koda was found wrapped in an American flag in northwestern Baghdad; the militant group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi later claimed responsibility. Grateful fans embraced the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, hailing the team as heroes during a jubilant parade.
In 2005, the body of Rosa Parks arrived at the U.S. Capitol, where the civil rights pioneer became the first woman to lie in honor in the Rotunda.
In 2008, a federal jury in Miami convicted the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in the first case brought under a 1994 U.S. law allowing prosecution for torture and atrocities committed overseas. (Charles McArthur Emmanuel was later sentenced to 97 years in prison.)
Today's Birthdays: Actor Dick Gautier is 72. Movie director Claude Lelouch is 72. Rock singer Grace Slick is 70. Songwriter Eddie Holland is 70. Actor Ed Lauter is 69. R&B singer Otis Williams (The Temptations) is 68. Actor Henry Winkler is 64. Rock musician Chris Slade (Asia) is 63. Country/rock musician Timothy B. Schmit (The Eagles) is 62. Actor Leon Rippy is 60. Actor Harry Hamlin is 58. Actor Charles Martin Smith is 56. Country singer T. Graham Brown is 55. Actor Kevin Pollak is 52. Actor Michael Beach is 46. Rock singer-musician Gavin Rossdale (Bush) is 42. Actor Jack Plotnick is 41. Comedian Ben Bailey is 39. Actress Nia Long is 39. Country singer Kassidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 33. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal is 31. Actor Matthew Morrison is 31.
Today In Entertainment History October 30
In 1938, the radio play "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS. Using fake news bulletins and simulated on-scene reports to portray an invasion by Martians, the broadcast sparked panic among listeners who thought the dramatized events were authentic.
In 1961, Phil Spector's Philles label released its first single. It was a record by the Crystals: "Oh, Yeah, Maybe Baby" backed with "There's No Other (Like My Baby)."
In 1964, Roy Orbison was awarded a gold record for "Oh, Pretty Woman."
In 1967, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones pleaded guilty to drug possession and was sentenced to nine months in jail. He was released pending an appeal.
In 1970, Jim Morrison of The Doors was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $500 for exposing himself in Miami.
In 1972, Elton John did a command performance benefit for Queen Elizabeth.
In 1974, Kathy Silva filed for divorce from Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone after less than six months of marriage.
In 1978, the animated TV movie "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park" aired on NBC.
In 1982, singer Paul Weller announced the breakup of the British band The Jam.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, Linda Ronstadt made her operatic debut in a production of "La Boheme" in New York.
In 1997, drummer Bill Berry quit R.E.M.
In 2000, comedian, TV host, author and composer Steve Allen died at age 78.
In 2002, Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC was shot and killed at his recording studio in New York. He was 37.
In 2004, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker married former Miss USA Shanna Moakler in Santa Barbara, Calif. They have since split up. Actress-dancer Peggy Ryan died in Las Vegas at age 80.
Thought for Today: "It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it." — Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983). [Damn right, dockworker. Only those marinated from birth in this nation's renderings can fully appreciate the hypocrisy we must wade through each day. — Ed.]
Thursday, October 29, 2009
While We Were Sleeping
Shooting at North Hollywood synagogue investigated as hate crime; man detained [Updated]
October 29, 2009 | 7:56 am
A gunman approached a North Hollywood synagogue this morning and shot two people before fleeing, according to police, who are investigating the attack as a hate crime.
The shooting occurred at 6:20 a.m. at the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic synagogue in the 12000 block of Sylvan Street.
Poll finds U.S. anti-Semitic views at historic low
Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman said the poll results could simply be attributed to the United States becoming "a more accepting society."
"At the same time there continues to be violence targeting Jews and an increasing use of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories," Foxman said in a statement. "We can't dismiss that 12 percent of the American people means that there are still over 30 million Americans that hold anti-Semitic views."
29 October: 'Black Tuesday' on Wall St. as the Great Depression begins; Osama bin Laden admits ordering the Sept. 11th attacks; Suez crisis heats up Mideast; McKinley assassin executed; John Glenn returns to space.
Today is Thursday, Oct. 29, the 302nd day of 2009. There are 63 days left in the year. The UPI Almanac.Today's Highlight in History:
On Oct. 29, 1929 — known as "Black Tuesday" — Wall Street crashed, heralding the beginning of the Great Depression.
On this date:
In 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, the English courtier, military adventurer and poet, was executed in London.
In 1682, the founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, landed at what is now Chester, Pa.
In 1901, President William McKinley's assassin, Leon Czolgosz, was electrocuted.
In 1911, American newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer died at age 64.
In 1923, the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed.
In 1940, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson drew the first number — 158 — in the lottery for America's first peacetime military draft.
In 1947, Frances Cleveland Preston, the widow of President Grover Cleveland, died at age 83.
In 1956, during the Suez Canal crisis, Israel invaded Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
In 1964, thieves made off with the Star of India and other gems from the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
In 1966, the National Organization for Women was formally organized during a conference in Washington, D.C.
In 1967, Expo 67 in Montreal closed after six months.
AP Highlight in [Alternate] History:
Forty years ago, in 1969, the Internet had its beginnings when the first host-to-host connection was made on the Arpanet - an experimental military computer network - between UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, Calif.
Thirty years ago, in 1979, on the 50th anniversary of the great stock market crash, anti-nuclear protesters tried but failed to shut down the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1992, Alger Hiss said Russia had cleared him of the charge of being a Communist spy that sent him to prison for four years and helped propel Richard Nixon's political career.
In 1994, gunman Francisco Martin Duran fired more than two dozen shots from a semiautomatic rifle at the White House. (Duran was later convicted of trying to assassinate President Bill Clinton and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.)
In 1998, Sen. John Glenn, at age 77, roared back into space aboard the shuttle Discovery, retracing the trail he'd blazed for America's astronauts 36 years earlier. Alternate version:
![]()
[He was not the first Yank to orbit the moon, AP! — Ed.]
In 1999, a panel of European Union scientists ruled that British beef was safe for export, rejecting French scientific arguments to continue a ban because of fears of mad cow disease. Some 3,000 people attended a memorial service in Orlando, Fla., for golfer Payne Stewart, who was killed along with five other people in the crash of their Learjet.
In 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush, elected in a chaotic tableau of ballot mishaps and court challenges, signed legislation said to help reduce ballot-counting errors and ensure greater citizen participation in the election process.
In 2003, digging through more than 164 feet of rock, rescuers liberated 11 of 13 Russian miners trapped underground for six days after a methane gas explosion. The third-largest recorded solar blast slammed into the Earth causing a severe but short-lived geomagnetic storm.
In 2004, Osama bin Laden, in a videotaped statement, directly admitted for the first time that he'd ordered the Sept. 11th attacks and told America "the best way to avoid another Manhattan" was to stop threatening Muslims' security. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was flown to Paris for medical treatment. European Union leaders signed the EU's first constitution. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was sent home after a week in the hospital for treatment of thyroid cancer.
In 2006, Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, won re-election in a landslide.
In 2008, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 215 people. Nearly 50 hours after Game 5 started but was stopped by rain, the Philadelphia Phillies finished off the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in a three-inning sprint to win the World Series for the first time since 1980.
Today's Birthdays: Bluegrass singer-musician Sonny Osborne (The Osborne Brothers) is 72. Country singer Lee Clayton is 67. Rock musician Denny Laine is 65. Singer Melba Moore is 64. Musician Peter Green is 63. Actor Richard Dreyfuss is 62. Actress Kate Jackson is 61. The president of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, is 59. Actor Dan Castellaneta ("The Simpsons") is 52. Country musician Steve Kellough (Wild Horses) is 52. Comic strip artist Tom Wilson ("Ziggy") is 52. Actress Finola Hughes is 50. Singer Randy Jackson is 48. Rock musician Peter Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) is 44. Actress Joely Fisher is 42. Rapper Paris is 42. Actor Rufus Sewell is 42. Rock singer SA Martinez (311) is 40. Musician Toby Smith is 39. Actress Winona Ryder is 38. Actress Tracee Ellis Ross is 37. Actor Trevor Lissauer is 36. Actress Gabrielle Union is 36. Olympic gold medal bobsledder Vonetta Flowers is 36. Actress Milena Govich is 33. Actor Jon Abrahams is 32. Actor Brendan Fehr is 32.
Today In Entertainment History October 29
In 1891, Broadway star Fanny Brice was born Fanny Borach in Newark, N.J.
In 1923, the musical "Runnin' Wild," which introduced the Charleston, opened on Broadway.
In 1936, singer Hank Snow made his first recordings, "Lonesome Blue Yodel" and "Prisoned Cowboy."
In 1956, "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" premiered as NBC's nightly television newscast, replacing "The Camel News Caravan."
In 1964, the "T.A.M.I. Show" was filmed in Santa Monica, Calif. It featured performances by the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Lesley Gore, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Rolling Stones and The Supremes. [See it if you can. — Ed.]
In 1967, the musical "Hair" opened off-Broadway.
In 1970, Neil Diamond received a gold record for "Cracklin' Rosie."
In 1971, Allman Brothers guitarist Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle crash in Macon, Ga. A similar accident took the life of the band's bassist, Berry Oakley, the next year.
In 1981, the TV comedy "Gimme A Break," starring Nell Carter, made its debut on NBC.
In 1983, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" became the longest-running album on the "Billboard" music charts, with a total of 491 weeks. That record has since been broken. [Probably by something even suckier. — Ed.]
In 1987, jazz great Woody Herman died at age 74.
In 1996, the Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans became parents to a son, Christopher Wallace.
In 2004, Comedian Vaughn Meader, who'd gained fame satirizing President John F. Kennedy, died in Auburn, Maine, at age 68.
Thought for Today: "It may be necessary temporarily to accept a lesser evil, but one must never label a necessary evil as good." — Margaret Mead, American anthropologist (1901-1978).
Dead guy born today who gets a quote from the Rev. Moon: Scottish biographer James Boswell (b. 1740.) wrote, "I think no innocent species of wit or pleasantry should be suppressed and that a good pun may be admitted among the smaller excellencies of lively conversation."
{Finished around 1500 PDT. — Ed.]
On Oct. 29, 1929 — known as "Black Tuesday" — Wall Street crashed, heralding the beginning of the Great Depression.
On this date:
In 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, the English courtier, military adventurer and poet, was executed in London.
In 1682, the founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, landed at what is now Chester, Pa.
In 1901, President William McKinley's assassin, Leon Czolgosz, was electrocuted.
In 1911, American newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer died at age 64.
In 1923, the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed.
In 1940, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson drew the first number — 158 — in the lottery for America's first peacetime military draft.
In 1956, during the Suez Canal crisis, Israel invaded Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
In 1964, thieves made off with the Star of India and other gems from the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
In 1966, the National Organization for Women was formally organized during a conference in Washington, D.C.
In 1967, Expo 67 in Montreal closed after six months.
AP Highlight in [Alternate] History:
Forty years ago, in 1969, the Internet had its beginnings when the first host-to-host connection was made on the Arpanet - an experimental military computer network - between UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, Calif.
Thirty years ago, in 1979, on the 50th anniversary of the great stock market crash, anti-nuclear protesters tried but failed to shut down the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1992, Alger Hiss said Russia had cleared him of the charge of being a Communist spy that sent him to prison for four years and helped propel Richard Nixon's political career.
In 1994, gunman Francisco Martin Duran fired more than two dozen shots from a semiautomatic rifle at the White House. (Duran was later convicted of trying to assassinate President Bill Clinton and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.)
In 1998, Sen. John Glenn, at age 77, roared back into space aboard the shuttle Discovery, retracing the trail he'd blazed for America's astronauts 36 years earlier. Alternate version:
In 1999, a panel of European Union scientists ruled that British beef was safe for export, rejecting French scientific arguments to continue a ban because of fears of mad cow disease. Some 3,000 people attended a memorial service in Orlando, Fla., for golfer Payne Stewart, who was killed along with five other people in the crash of their Learjet.
In 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush, elected in a chaotic tableau of ballot mishaps and court challenges, signed legislation said to help reduce ballot-counting errors and ensure greater citizen participation in the election process.
In 2003, digging through more than 164 feet of rock, rescuers liberated 11 of 13 Russian miners trapped underground for six days after a methane gas explosion. The third-largest recorded solar blast slammed into the Earth causing a severe but short-lived geomagnetic storm.
In 2004, Osama bin Laden, in a videotaped statement, directly admitted for the first time that he'd ordered the Sept. 11th attacks and told America "the best way to avoid another Manhattan" was to stop threatening Muslims' security. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was flown to Paris for medical treatment. European Union leaders signed the EU's first constitution. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was sent home after a week in the hospital for treatment of thyroid cancer.
In 2006, Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, won re-election in a landslide.
In 2008, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 215 people. Nearly 50 hours after Game 5 started but was stopped by rain, the Philadelphia Phillies finished off the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in a three-inning sprint to win the World Series for the first time since 1980.
Today's Birthdays: Bluegrass singer-musician Sonny Osborne (The Osborne Brothers) is 72. Country singer Lee Clayton is 67. Rock musician Denny Laine is 65. Singer Melba Moore is 64. Musician Peter Green is 63. Actor Richard Dreyfuss is 62. Actress Kate Jackson is 61. The president of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, is 59. Actor Dan Castellaneta ("The Simpsons") is 52. Country musician Steve Kellough (Wild Horses) is 52. Comic strip artist Tom Wilson ("Ziggy") is 52. Actress Finola Hughes is 50. Singer Randy Jackson is 48. Rock musician Peter Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) is 44. Actress Joely Fisher is 42. Rapper Paris is 42. Actor Rufus Sewell is 42. Rock singer SA Martinez (311) is 40. Musician Toby Smith is 39. Actress Winona Ryder is 38. Actress Tracee Ellis Ross is 37. Actor Trevor Lissauer is 36. Actress Gabrielle Union is 36. Olympic gold medal bobsledder Vonetta Flowers is 36. Actress Milena Govich is 33. Actor Jon Abrahams is 32. Actor Brendan Fehr is 32.
Today In Entertainment History October 29
In 1891, Broadway star Fanny Brice was born Fanny Borach in Newark, N.J.
In 1936, singer Hank Snow made his first recordings, "Lonesome Blue Yodel" and "Prisoned Cowboy."
In 1956, "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" premiered as NBC's nightly television newscast, replacing "The Camel News Caravan."
In 1964, the "T.A.M.I. Show" was filmed in Santa Monica, Calif. It featured performances by the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Lesley Gore, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Rolling Stones and The Supremes. [See it if you can. — Ed.]
In 1967, the musical "Hair" opened off-Broadway.
In 1970, Neil Diamond received a gold record for "Cracklin' Rosie."
In 1971, Allman Brothers guitarist Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle crash in Macon, Ga. A similar accident took the life of the band's bassist, Berry Oakley, the next year.
In 1981, the TV comedy "Gimme A Break," starring Nell Carter, made its debut on NBC.
In 1983, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" became the longest-running album on the "Billboard" music charts, with a total of 491 weeks. That record has since been broken. [Probably by something even suckier. — Ed.]
In 1987, jazz great Woody Herman died at age 74.
In 1996, the Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans became parents to a son, Christopher Wallace.
In 2004, Comedian Vaughn Meader, who'd gained fame satirizing President John F. Kennedy, died in Auburn, Maine, at age 68.
Thought for Today: "It may be necessary temporarily to accept a lesser evil, but one must never label a necessary evil as good." — Margaret Mead, American anthropologist (1901-1978).
Dead guy born today who gets a quote from the Rev. Moon: Scottish biographer James Boswell (b. 1740.) wrote, "I think no innocent species of wit or pleasantry should be suppressed and that a good pun may be admitted among the smaller excellencies of lively conversation."
{Finished around 1500 PDT. — Ed.]
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
By the Numbers
Paid for a half-gallon (1.89L) of Orange Juice at liquor store: US$3.75.
Number of Kleenexes consumed in a recent 24-hr. period: 90. (Says so on the empty box.)
Phillies 6, Yankees 1.
Number of Kleenexes consumed in a recent 24-hr. period: 90. (Says so on the empty box.)
Phillies 6, Yankees 1.
Burn In Hell
Randall Terry advises the brain trust that follows him how to do stuff. He has to walk them through it, because they are too fucking old & stupid to understand how telephones, computers, the interwebz & the like work.
News From The Future
Rumor has it that one will be requested to register to read this NYT thing on the LHC being sabotaged from the future.
We're well known at The Times, so there was no such request for us, but if you can't/won't, the whole piece (except the last paragraph) is garishly displayed at the first link.
Best part:+-+Stan+Lee-+Jack+Kirby+(1966-1967)-15.jpg "We remember when this page was first published, we (non-editorial) were all quite impressed.")
Best part:
Another of Dr. Nielsen’s projects is an effort to show how the universe as we know it, with all its apparent regularity, could arise from pure randomness, a subject he calls “random dynamics.”Actual theme:
... the notion that the troubled collider is being sabotaged by its own future. A pair of otherwise distinguished physicists have suggested that the hypothesized Higgs boson, which physicists hope to produce with the collider, might be so abhorrent to nature that its creation would ripple backward through time and stop the collider before it could make one ...
+-+Stan+Lee-+Jack+Kirby+(1966-1967)-15.jpg "We remember when this page was first published, we (non-editorial) were all quite impressed.")
28 October: Xians Begin War Against Civilized World; Battle Of White Plains; Czechoslovaks On Loose; Volstead Act Passed; Musso Screws Wops; Nikita S. Backs Down; Pope Lets Christ-Killers Off Hook; "Scooter" Charged
Today is Wednesday, Oct. 28, the 301st day of 2009. There are 64 days left in the year. The UPI Almanac.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.
On this date:
In 312, in a battle that marked the beginning of the Christian era in Europe, Constantine's army, wearing the cross, defeated the forces of Maxentius at Mulvian Bridge in Rome.
In 1636, the General Court of Massachusetts passed a legislative act establishing Harvard College.
In 1776, the Battle of White Plains was fought, resulting in a limited British victory.
In 1793, Eli Whitney applied for a patent for the cotton gin.
In 1846, the pioneering Donner Party of 90 people set out from Springfield, Ill., for California. [Is dinner ready yet? — Ed.]
In 1858, Rowland Hussey Macy opened his first New York store at Sixth Avenue and 14th Street in Manhattan.
In 1918, the Republic of Czechoslovakia proclaimed its independence. [How that all work out, Czech Republic & Slovakia? — Ed.]
Ninety years ago, in 1919, Congress enacted the Volstead Act, which provided for enforcement of Prohibition, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto.
In 1922, fascism came to Italy as Benito Mussolini took control of the government.
In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt rededicated the Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary.
In 1940, Italy invaded Greece.
In 1958, the Roman Catholic patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, was elected pope; he took the name John XXIII.
In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of missile bases in Cuba.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI issued a decree absolving Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
In 1976, former Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman entered a federal prison camp in Safford, Ariz., to begin serving his sentence for Watergate-related convictions.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan faced off in a nationally broadcast, 90-minute debate in Cleveland.
In 1985, the leader of the so-called Walker family spy ring, John Walker, pleaded guilty to giving U.S. Navy secrets to the Soviet Union.
Twenty years ago, in 1989, the Oakland A's wrapped up an earthquake-delayed sweep of the World Series over the San Francisco Giants.
In 1992, scientists using sonar to map Scotland's Loch Ness made contact with a mysterious object but declined to speculate what that implies about whether legendary monster "Nessie" exists.
In 1999, five Republican presidential hopefuls debated such issues as abortion, health care and taxes in their second meeting in less than a week; once again, front-runner George W. Bush was absent from the gathering in New Hampshire. The House passed, 218-211, the last spending bill of the year, which President Bill Clinton said he would veto.
In 2004, insurgents executed 11 Iraqi soldiers and declared on an Islamic militant Web site that Iraqi fighters would avenge "the blood" of women and children killed in U.S. strikes on the guerrilla stronghold of Fallujah. Boston Red Sox fans turned out by the tens of thousands near historic Fenway Park to celebrate their World Series champion team, the city's first since 1918.
In 2005, Vice President Dick Cheney's top adviser, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, resigned after he was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements in the CIA leak investigation. (Libby was convicted and sentenced to 30 months in prison. President George W. Bush commuted his sentence.)
In 2006, Hall of Fame basketball coach Red Auerbach died at age 89. The deadly fast-moving wildfire near Palm Springs, Calif., was reported 40 percent contained after killing five firefighters, scorching about 40,000 acres and consuming 27 homes and other buildings. Authorities said the fire was caused by arson.
In 2007, Argentina's first lady, Cristina Fernandez, claimed victory in the country's presidential election, becoming the first woman elected to the post.
In 2008, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced to four months in jail for his part in a sex-and-text scandal. (Kilpatrick ended up serving 99 days.) Seven in 10 Americans say they expect Democrat Barack Obama to win the U.S. presidential election next week, a Gallup poll indicated. Meanwhile, Obama had a controlling 52 to 36 percent lead over Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the poll from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Harris Poll gave Obama a 6-percentage-point edge.
Today's Birthdays: Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 82. Actress Joan Plowright is 80. Musician-songwriter Charlie Daniels is 73. Actress Jane Alexander is 70. Singer Curtis Lee is 68. Actor Dennis Franz is 65. Pop singer Wayne Fontana is 64. Actress Telma Hopkins is 61. Olympic track and field gold medalist Bruce Jenner is 60. Actress Annie Potts is 57. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is 54. The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is 53. Rock musician Stephen Morris (New Order) is 52. Country/gospel singer-musician Ron Hemby (The Buffalo Club) is 51. Rock singer-musician William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) is 51. Actor Mark Derwin is 49. Actress Daphne Zuniga is 47. Actress Lauren Holly is 46. Actress Jami Gertz is 44. Actor Chris Bauer is 43. "Tonight Show" sidekick Andy Richter is 43. Actress Julia Roberts is 42. Country singer-musician Caitlin Cary is 41. Actor Jeremy Davies is 40. Singer Ben Harper is 40. Country singer Brad Paisley is 37. Retired NFL player Terrell Davis is 37. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 35. Singer Justin Guarini ("American Idol") is 31. Pop singer Brett Dennen is 30. Rock musician Dave Tirio (Plain White T's) is 30.
Today In Entertainment History October 28
In 1939, country performer Bill Monroe joined the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1950, "The Jack Benny Program" debuted on CBS.In 1956, Elvis Presley made his second appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." He sang several songs, including "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog."
In 1972, the United States Council for World Affairs announced that it had adopted The Who song "Join Together" as its theme.
In 1977, the Sex Pistols released their album "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" in the US It was released in the U.K. four days later. Steve Perry joined Journey for their first public concert together, in San Francisco. [Sums it all up, dunnit? We remember Journey when they were good, pre-Perry. Whatev. — Ed.]
In 1986, Marie Osmond married for the second time, to record producer Brian Blosil. She had divorced Steve Craig a year earlier. [Gawd those Mormons are slutty. And hypocritical. — Ed.]
In 1992, singer Sinead O'Connor was quoted by a British music magazine as saying she was giving up pop music to study opera.
In 1996, actor-comedian Morey Amsterdam died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. He's best known for playing Buddy Sorrell on "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
Thought for Today: "Truth is not introduced into the individual from without, but was within him all the time." — Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (1813-1855). [Hey, philosophers: Hope you saps took a big lunch w/ you on your search for "truth" & "meaning." — Ed.]
Today's Highlight in History:
On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.
In 312, in a battle that marked the beginning of the Christian era in Europe, Constantine's army, wearing the cross, defeated the forces of Maxentius at Mulvian Bridge in Rome.
In 1636, the General Court of Massachusetts passed a legislative act establishing Harvard College.
In 1776, the Battle of White Plains was fought, resulting in a limited British victory.
In 1793, Eli Whitney applied for a patent for the cotton gin.
In 1846, the pioneering Donner Party of 90 people set out from Springfield, Ill., for California. [Is dinner ready yet? — Ed.]
In 1858, Rowland Hussey Macy opened his first New York store at Sixth Avenue and 14th Street in Manhattan.
In 1918, the Republic of Czechoslovakia proclaimed its independence. [How that all work out, Czech Republic & Slovakia? — Ed.]
Ninety years ago, in 1919, Congress enacted the Volstead Act, which provided for enforcement of Prohibition, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto.
In 1922, fascism came to Italy as Benito Mussolini took control of the government.
In 1940, Italy invaded Greece.
In 1958, the Roman Catholic patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, was elected pope; he took the name John XXIII.
In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of missile bases in Cuba.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI issued a decree absolving Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
In 1976, former Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman entered a federal prison camp in Safford, Ariz., to begin serving his sentence for Watergate-related convictions.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan faced off in a nationally broadcast, 90-minute debate in Cleveland.
In 1985, the leader of the so-called Walker family spy ring, John Walker, pleaded guilty to giving U.S. Navy secrets to the Soviet Union.
Twenty years ago, in 1989, the Oakland A's wrapped up an earthquake-delayed sweep of the World Series over the San Francisco Giants.
In 1992, scientists using sonar to map Scotland's Loch Ness made contact with a mysterious object but declined to speculate what that implies about whether legendary monster "Nessie" exists.
In 1999, five Republican presidential hopefuls debated such issues as abortion, health care and taxes in their second meeting in less than a week; once again, front-runner George W. Bush was absent from the gathering in New Hampshire. The House passed, 218-211, the last spending bill of the year, which President Bill Clinton said he would veto.
In 2004, insurgents executed 11 Iraqi soldiers and declared on an Islamic militant Web site that Iraqi fighters would avenge "the blood" of women and children killed in U.S. strikes on the guerrilla stronghold of Fallujah. Boston Red Sox fans turned out by the tens of thousands near historic Fenway Park to celebrate their World Series champion team, the city's first since 1918.
In 2005, Vice President Dick Cheney's top adviser, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, resigned after he was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements in the CIA leak investigation. (Libby was convicted and sentenced to 30 months in prison. President George W. Bush commuted his sentence.)
In 2006, Hall of Fame basketball coach Red Auerbach died at age 89. The deadly fast-moving wildfire near Palm Springs, Calif., was reported 40 percent contained after killing five firefighters, scorching about 40,000 acres and consuming 27 homes and other buildings. Authorities said the fire was caused by arson.
In 2007, Argentina's first lady, Cristina Fernandez, claimed victory in the country's presidential election, becoming the first woman elected to the post.
In 2008, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced to four months in jail for his part in a sex-and-text scandal. (Kilpatrick ended up serving 99 days.) Seven in 10 Americans say they expect Democrat Barack Obama to win the U.S. presidential election next week, a Gallup poll indicated. Meanwhile, Obama had a controlling 52 to 36 percent lead over Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the poll from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Harris Poll gave Obama a 6-percentage-point edge.
Today's Birthdays: Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 82. Actress Joan Plowright is 80. Musician-songwriter Charlie Daniels is 73. Actress Jane Alexander is 70. Singer Curtis Lee is 68. Actor Dennis Franz is 65. Pop singer Wayne Fontana is 64. Actress Telma Hopkins is 61. Olympic track and field gold medalist Bruce Jenner is 60. Actress Annie Potts is 57. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is 54. The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is 53. Rock musician Stephen Morris (New Order) is 52. Country/gospel singer-musician Ron Hemby (The Buffalo Club) is 51. Rock singer-musician William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) is 51. Actor Mark Derwin is 49. Actress Daphne Zuniga is 47. Actress Lauren Holly is 46. Actress Jami Gertz is 44. Actor Chris Bauer is 43. "Tonight Show" sidekick Andy Richter is 43. Actress Julia Roberts is 42. Country singer-musician Caitlin Cary is 41. Actor Jeremy Davies is 40. Singer Ben Harper is 40. Country singer Brad Paisley is 37. Retired NFL player Terrell Davis is 37. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 35. Singer Justin Guarini ("American Idol") is 31. Pop singer Brett Dennen is 30. Rock musician Dave Tirio (Plain White T's) is 30.
Today In Entertainment History October 28
In 1939, country performer Bill Monroe joined the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1950, "The Jack Benny Program" debuted on CBS.In 1956, Elvis Presley made his second appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." He sang several songs, including "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog."
In 1972, the United States Council for World Affairs announced that it had adopted The Who song "Join Together" as its theme.
In 1977, the Sex Pistols released their album "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" in the US It was released in the U.K. four days later. Steve Perry joined Journey for their first public concert together, in San Francisco. [Sums it all up, dunnit? We remember Journey when they were good, pre-Perry. Whatev. — Ed.]
In 1986, Marie Osmond married for the second time, to record producer Brian Blosil. She had divorced Steve Craig a year earlier. [Gawd those Mormons are slutty. And hypocritical. — Ed.]
In 1992, singer Sinead O'Connor was quoted by a British music magazine as saying she was giving up pop music to study opera.
In 1996, actor-comedian Morey Amsterdam died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. He's best known for playing Buddy Sorrell on "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
Thought for Today: "Truth is not introduced into the individual from without, but was within him all the time." — Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (1813-1855). [Hey, philosophers: Hope you saps took a big lunch w/ you on your search for "truth" & "meaning." — Ed.]
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Oinkers In The News: There's A Reason They're Called Pigs
Boo! Cop Accused Of Pulling Gun At Haunted House
Baltimore, MD (AP) -- Authorities say a Baltimore city police officer pulled his gun on a chain-saw-wielding haunted house worker who was trying to get "one last scream" out of him.
Baltimore County police say Sgt. Eric Janik has been charged with assault for pulling his service weapon on the worker, who was dressed up as the killer from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
Police say the employee approached Janik after the haunted house tour was over Sunday night.
Police say Janik pulled his service weapon and pointed it at the man's chest. The man dropped the chain saw, which had no chain and was not dangerous.
Charging documents show that Janik smelled of alcohol and told different stories about what he did with the gun.
Janik has been suspended with pay, pending a formal suspension hearing.
Why We Wouldn't Live Anywhere Else On The Planet
Just one more before we go to our bed of pain. From Arianna's PuffHo (Read carefully.):
Blechh
Winter (or what passes for it around here) has arrived in SoCal, bringing temps in the 60s, wind from the ocean & a worsening in the disease (Famous last words: "It's just a cold.") friend, school teacher (poor woman is illin' throughout the school yr.) & sexual associate [Name redacted to protect the guilty, as gawd protects the innocent] passed along to us two bleeding wks. ago.
No further amusement from these quarters for a while then. (We're afraid our dripping nose will short out the lap-top devil-box.) Not to worry, though. Even w/o us, entropy will continue its work.
No further amusement from these quarters for a while then. (We're afraid our dripping nose will short out the lap-top devil-box.) Not to worry, though. Even w/o us, entropy will continue its work.
Pikers
2-to-5 Year Olds Spend More than 32 Hours in Front of TV a Week
The amount of television watched by children reached an eight-year high, according to figures released by Nielsen yesterday. The analysis based on 2008 figures reported the time spent watching live and recorded television, as well as movies and gaming systems. When added all up, children ages 6 to 11 spend more than 28 hours in front of a television every week. As could be expected, the increase is due to an increase in programming for children, but analysts also say that the ease with which children can watch shows on demand now also has an effect since they often like to watch their favorite programs over and over again. "When I was a kid, I had Saturday morning cartoons," Nielsen's senior vice president of insights, analysis, and policy said. "And now there are programs they want to watch available to them whenever they want to watch them."
Read original story in Los Angeles Times | Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009
Space: The Final Frontier
We find this composition very interesting (to use another '60s tee vee cliche). A certain group (Northern Euro, if you count the Russkie) is on one side of a gap, & other groups (African, Asian & satanic pointy-eared half-breed) are on the other side of that gap.
No idea whether this is an exactly-as-posed publicity still from the mid-60s, or something chopped up & re-assembled later (It's from Yahoo!'s TV listings service.) though it looks original to the period. (All eyes staring soullessly in the same direction, & so on.) But it just makes one wonder what, if anything, was going on or through minds at the time.
27 October: Swimming In Sweat: Hot Rails to Hell Open In Big Apple; Federalist Papaers Published; Pinckney's Treaty Signed; TR Born & Married; Nylons Appear; Miers Quits; Ernest Tubb Starts Illustrious Career; Groucho Reduced To Radio; Lester Lanin Dies In N. Y. At 97; Boredom, Etc.
Today is Tuesday, Oct. 27, the 300th day of 2009. There are 65 days left in the year. The UPI Almanac.Today's Highlight in History:
On Oct. 27, 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the U.S. Constitution, was published in New York.
On this date:
In 1795, the United States and Spain signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo (also known as "Pinckney's Treaty"), which provided for free navigation of the Mississippi River.
In 1858, the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was born in New York City.
In 1880, Theodore Roosevelt married his first wife, Alice Lee.
In 1904, the first rapid transit subway, the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), was inaugurated in New York City.
In 1907, Union Station in Washington, D.C., opened.
In 1914, author-poet Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales.
In 1922, the first annual celebration of Navy Day took place.
In 1938, Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: "nylon."
In 1967, Expo '67 closed in Montreal.
Forty years ago, in 1969, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Banja Luka, Yugoslavia, killing some 20 people.
In 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.
In 1997, the Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 554.26 points, forcing the stock market to shut down for the first time since the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
In 1999, in the first debate of the Democratic presidential race, Al Gore sought to stem his decline in the polls by attacking rival Bill Bradley's health care and spending plans. The U.S. federal budget surplus was put at $123 billion in 1998, marking the first back-to-back surpluses since the 1950's. The New York Yankees captured their second straight World Series sweep, defeating the Atlanta Braves in Game 4, 4-1.
In 2002, Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith broke the NFL career rushing yardage record of 16,726 held by Walter Payton. (Smith finished his career with 18,355 yards rushing.) Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected president of Brazil in a runoff, becoming the country's first elected leftist leader.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4, 3-0.
New York City's subway system marked its 100th anniversary.
In 2005, White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court after three weeks of criticism from fellow conservatives.
In 2008, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was convicted in Washington of seven corruption charges for lying about free home renovations and other gifts from a wealthy oil contractor. (A judge later dismissed the case, saying prosecutors had withheld evidence that might have been favorable to Stevens at trial.) The body of singer-actress Jennifer Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found in an SUV three days after Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in the Chicago home they'd shared. (The estranged husband of Hudson's sister, William Balfour, is charged in the killings.) Umpires halted play in Game 5 of the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays tied at 2 because of rain. (The game was completed two days later, at which time the Phillies beat the Rays 4-3 to win the Series.)
Today's Birthdays: Actress Nanette Fabray is 89. Baseball Hall-of-Famer and sportscaster Ralph Kiner is 87. Actress Ruby Dee is 85. Former Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher is 84. Actor-comedian John Cleese is 70. Author Maxine Hong Kingston is 69. Country singer Lee Greenwood is 67. Producer-director Ivan Reitman is 63. Country singer-musician Jack Daniels is 60. Rock musician Garry Tallent (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) is 60. Author Fran Lebowitz is 59. Rock musician K.K. Downing (Judas Priest) is 58. TV personality Jayne Kennedy is 58. Actor-director Roberto Benigni is 57. Actor Peter Firth is 56. Actor Robert Picardo is 56. World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan is 53. Singer Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) is 51. Musician J.D. McFadden is 45. Rock musician Jason Finn (Presidents of the United States of America) is 42. Rock singer Scott Weiland is 42. Actor Sean Holland is 41. Actress Sheeri Rappaport is 32. Violinist Vanessa-Mae is 31. Actress-singer Kelly Osbourne is 25.
Today In Entertainment History October 27
In 1936, country artist Ernest Tubb made his first recordings.
In 1947, the radio show "You Bet Your Life," starring Groucho Marx, premiered on ABC. It later became a television show on NBC.
In 1954, Walt Disney's first television program, titled "Disneyland" after his yet-to-be completed theme park, premiered on ABC. Also in 1954, Marilyn Monroe's divorce from Joe DiMaggio was finalized.
In 1956, Clarence Henry's "Ain't Got No Home" was released. It was his first hit and the inspiration for his name "Frogman," since he sings like a frog on the record.
In 1960, Ben E. King recorded "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me" during his first solo recording session for Atlantic Records.
In 1964, the single "Come See About Me" by The Supremes was released.
In 1975, Bruce Springsteen appeared on the covers of both "Newsweek" and "Time." [Shit finds its own level, doesn't it? — Ed.]
Twenty years ago, in 1989, Jane Pauley announced that she was leaving NBC's "Today" show.
In 1995, singer Gloria Estefan performed for Pope John Paul the Second as part of the celebration of his 50th anniversary in the priesthood. She was the first pop star to receive a call from the Pope to perform.
In 1999, rapper Master P was waived from the Toronto Raptors. It was his second try to reach the pro leagues. The Charlotte Hornets waived him the year before.
In 2004, bandleader Lester Lanin died in New York at age 97.
Thought for Today: "If men were angels, no government would be necessary." — President James Madison (1751-1836).
On Oct. 27, 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the U.S. Constitution, was published in New York.
On this date:
In 1795, the United States and Spain signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo (also known as "Pinckney's Treaty"), which provided for free navigation of the Mississippi River.
In 1858, the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was born in New York City.
In 1904, the first rapid transit subway, the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), was inaugurated in New York City.
In 1907, Union Station in Washington, D.C., opened.
In 1914, author-poet Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales.
In 1922, the first annual celebration of Navy Day took place.
In 1938, Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: "nylon."
In 1967, Expo '67 closed in Montreal.
Forty years ago, in 1969, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Banja Luka, Yugoslavia, killing some 20 people.
In 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.
In 1997, the Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 554.26 points, forcing the stock market to shut down for the first time since the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
In 1999, in the first debate of the Democratic presidential race, Al Gore sought to stem his decline in the polls by attacking rival Bill Bradley's health care and spending plans. The U.S. federal budget surplus was put at $123 billion in 1998, marking the first back-to-back surpluses since the 1950's. The New York Yankees captured their second straight World Series sweep, defeating the Atlanta Braves in Game 4, 4-1.
In 2002, Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith broke the NFL career rushing yardage record of 16,726 held by Walter Payton. (Smith finished his career with 18,355 yards rushing.) Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected president of Brazil in a runoff, becoming the country's first elected leftist leader.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4, 3-0.
In 2005, White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court after three weeks of criticism from fellow conservatives.
In 2008, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was convicted in Washington of seven corruption charges for lying about free home renovations and other gifts from a wealthy oil contractor. (A judge later dismissed the case, saying prosecutors had withheld evidence that might have been favorable to Stevens at trial.) The body of singer-actress Jennifer Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found in an SUV three days after Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in the Chicago home they'd shared. (The estranged husband of Hudson's sister, William Balfour, is charged in the killings.) Umpires halted play in Game 5 of the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays tied at 2 because of rain. (The game was completed two days later, at which time the Phillies beat the Rays 4-3 to win the Series.)
Today's Birthdays: Actress Nanette Fabray is 89. Baseball Hall-of-Famer and sportscaster Ralph Kiner is 87. Actress Ruby Dee is 85. Former Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher is 84. Actor-comedian John Cleese is 70. Author Maxine Hong Kingston is 69. Country singer Lee Greenwood is 67. Producer-director Ivan Reitman is 63. Country singer-musician Jack Daniels is 60. Rock musician Garry Tallent (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) is 60. Author Fran Lebowitz is 59. Rock musician K.K. Downing (Judas Priest) is 58. TV personality Jayne Kennedy is 58. Actor-director Roberto Benigni is 57. Actor Peter Firth is 56. Actor Robert Picardo is 56. World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan is 53. Singer Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) is 51. Musician J.D. McFadden is 45. Rock musician Jason Finn (Presidents of the United States of America) is 42. Rock singer Scott Weiland is 42. Actor Sean Holland is 41. Actress Sheeri Rappaport is 32. Violinist Vanessa-Mae is 31. Actress-singer Kelly Osbourne is 25.
Today In Entertainment History October 27
In 1936, country artist Ernest Tubb made his first recordings.
In 1947, the radio show "You Bet Your Life," starring Groucho Marx, premiered on ABC. It later became a television show on NBC.
In 1954, Walt Disney's first television program, titled "Disneyland" after his yet-to-be completed theme park, premiered on ABC. Also in 1954, Marilyn Monroe's divorce from Joe DiMaggio was finalized.
In 1956, Clarence Henry's "Ain't Got No Home" was released. It was his first hit and the inspiration for his name "Frogman," since he sings like a frog on the record.
In 1960, Ben E. King recorded "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me" during his first solo recording session for Atlantic Records.
In 1964, the single "Come See About Me" by The Supremes was released.
In 1975, Bruce Springsteen appeared on the covers of both "Newsweek" and "Time." [Shit finds its own level, doesn't it? — Ed.]
Twenty years ago, in 1989, Jane Pauley announced that she was leaving NBC's "Today" show.
In 1995, singer Gloria Estefan performed for Pope John Paul the Second as part of the celebration of his 50th anniversary in the priesthood. She was the first pop star to receive a call from the Pope to perform.
In 1999, rapper Master P was waived from the Toronto Raptors. It was his second try to reach the pro leagues. The Charlotte Hornets waived him the year before.
In 2004, bandleader Lester Lanin died in New York at age 97.
Thought for Today: "If men were angels, no government would be necessary." — President James Madison (1751-1836).
Monday, October 26, 2009
BIg Boring Project (UPDATED For Extra Dullness)
From the trivial to the mundane, if you can tell: The next time you (& we) see this refrigerator, the doors will open the other way. Or you'll see a representation of us trying to eat all the melting goods in the freezer at one sitting.
Yes, the Just Another Blog™ Bunker's kitchen has a telebision set. Doesn't everyone's?
UPDATE: Uh, no positive results. One of the effing screwheads is stripped or something. May require some sort of powerful gripping device, or low-yield blasting. Ah well, tomorrow is another day, & it belongs to us!
Just Shut The Fucking Hell Up, Already!
Public Option, yada yada.
Fuck, we'd rather be (& are) watching the Monday Night Football count-down than listening to yet another deserves-to-be-suffocated-under-a-pile-of-lobbyist-money Senator from a wide spot in the raging dull of Fly-Over Country blathering about something or another.
Fuck, we'd rather be (& are) watching the Monday Night Football count-down than listening to yet another deserves-to-be-suffocated-under-a-pile-of-lobbyist-money Senator from a wide spot in the raging dull of Fly-Over Country blathering about something or another.
I Piss On Your Grave!
Wolf Blitzer, Incompetent Bearded Ignoramus
As yet another loser who's auditioned more than once for "Jeopardy," (and w/ real questions, not the softball shit they feed celebs) we can tell you that the buzzer is complicated. As can others.
If you do make it on, remember that it’s all about the buzzer. You cannot buzz in to answer a question until they manually flip on a set of lights that you can’t see in the TV broadcast. Essentially, 40-50% of the questions are known to everyone on the stage, and it’s just a matter of who buzzes in first. Practice with a ball-point pen.That's what the casting people tell you, to sit at home & practice w/ a ball-point. (While watching "Jeopardy," ninny.) The buzzer isn't available until Alex Trebek has started the last syllable of the "answer;" click accordingly.
We aren't excusing Wolf Blitzer, Soledad O'Brien, or anyone else. And note that it was funnyman Andy Richter (Our favorite part? At 5 mins., 10 secs.)who took away the big bucks, as did Michael McKean, another funnyman favorite of this web log.
Annals Of Ratings
CNN loses. Interesting that Glenn Beck's numbers aren't given, though Beck, whose FOX news appearances occur at 1700 & 0200 ET, aren't in prime time. But if Bill O'Reilly (highest rating) has 881,000 pairs of eyeballs at 2000 ET, what does that say about Beck's alleged two million or so viewers? Can we then assume most of them are above the 54-yr.-old upper limit of the desired demographic, & that most of them hurry their early-bird dinners to get back to the retirement home by 1700 to see their hero? (Here on The Coast, we figure they wait until Beck's over at 1500 to go to dinner.)
Die Painfully, Mobile Users!
Ah ha ha-ha ha-ha.
We'll be waiting for the first epitaph that reads: "She talked herself to death," & we'll be laughing like hell when it happens. Make our life miserable w/ your loud mouths? Now you'll be more miserable than you've ever made us w/ your inane babble. Justice at last!
Monday, October 26, 2009Of course cell phone cos. & their bought & paid for scientists assured us that there was "no danger." Are there no criminal charges that can be brought against such scum?A groundbreaking, $30 million study into cell phones has found a link between long term use and brain tumors.
The conclusion goes against years of assurances by cell phone companies and scientists that cell phone use is safe.
We'll be waiting for the first epitaph that reads: "She talked herself to death," & we'll be laughing like hell when it happens. Make our life miserable w/ your loud mouths? Now you'll be more miserable than you've ever made us w/ your inane babble. Justice at last!
26 October: O. K. Corral Gunfight; Asian Assassination Day (Observed); "Peace Is At Hand"; Baboon-Humanoid Heart Transplant; More Americans Are Fat Pigs; "USA PATRIOT ACT" Signed, Constitutionalists Forget To Bitch
Today is Monday, Oct. 26, the 299th day of 2009. There are 66 days left in the year. The UPI Almanac.Today's Highlight in History:
On Oct. 26, 1979, South Korean President Park Chung-hee was shot to death during a dinner party along with his chief bodyguard by the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Kim Jae-kyu, who was later executed.
On this date:
In 1774, the First Continental Congress adjourned in Philadelphia.
In 1825, the Erie Canal opened in upstate New York, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson River.
In 1881, the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" took place in Tombstone, Ariz., as Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and "Doc" Holliday confronted Ike Clanton's gang. Three members of Clanton's group were killed; Earp's brothers and Holliday were wounded.
One hundred years ago, in 1909, former Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi was assassinated during a visit to Harbin, China by Korean nationalist An Jung-geun, who was later hanged.
In 1942, Japanese planes badly damaged the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. (The Hornet sank early the next morning.)
In 1958, Pan American Airways flew its first Boeing 707 jetliner from New York to Paris in 8 hours, 41 minutes.
In 1962, in one of the most dramatic verbal confrontations of the Cold War, American U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson asked his Soviet counterpart during a Security Council debate whether the USSR had placed missiles in Cuba.
In 1967, the Shah of Iran crowned himself and his queen after 26 years on the Peacock Throne.
In 1972, national security adviser Henry Kissinger declared that "Peace is at hand" in Vietnam. Sound Bite.
In 1984, "Baby Fae," a newborn with a severe heart defect, was given the heart of a baboon in an experimental transplant in Loma Linda, Calif. (Baby Fae lived 21 days with the animal heart.)
In 1994, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel and Prime Minister Abdel Salam Majali of Jordan signed a peace treaty during a ceremony at the Israeli-Jordanian border attended by President Bill Clinton.
In 1996, Federal prosecutors cleared Richard Jewell as a suspect in the Olympic park bombing.
In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study which said the number of Americans considered obese had soared from about one in eight in 1991 to nearly one in five in 1998. The New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-5, to take a 3-0 lead in the World Series.
In 2001, President George W. Bush signed the USA Patriot Act, giving authorities unprecedented ability to search, seize, detain or eavesdrop in their pursuit of possible terrorists.
In 2004, the FCC gave its approval to Cingular Wireless LLC's $41 billion acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. Israel's parliament approved Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. The final vote count in the Afghan presidential election gave a resounding victory to interim leader Hamid Karzai. The Boston Red Sox won Game 3 of the World Series in St. Louis, defeating the Cardinals 4-1.
In 2005, the Chicago White Sox won their first World Series since 1917 by defeating the Houston Astros 1-0 in Game 4.
In 2008, U.S. military helicopters launched a rare attack on Syrian territory, killing eight people in a strike Damascus condemned as "serious aggression." Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels, died in Albuquerque, N.M., at age 83. The Philadelphia Phillies romped over the Tampa Bay Rays 10-2 to move within one win of their first World Series championship since 1980.
Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Edward Brooke III is 90. Actress Shelley Morrison is 73. Actor Bob Hoskins is 67. Author Pat Conroy is 64. Actress Jaclyn Smith is 64. TV host Pat Sajak is 63. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is 62. Singer Maggie Roche (The Roches) is 58. Musician Bootsy Collins is 58. Actor James Pickens Jr. ("Grey's Anatomy") is 57. Rock musician Keith Strickland (The B-52's) is 56. Actor D.W. Moffett is 55. Actress Rita Wilson is 53. The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, is 50. Actor Dylan McDermott is 48. Actor Cary Elwes is 47. Singer Natalie Merchant is 46. Country singer Keith Urban is 42. Actor Tom Cavanagh is 41. Actress Rosemarie DeWitt is 38. Actor Anthony Rapp is 38. Writer-producer Seth MacFarlane ("Family Guy") is 36. Actress Lennon Parham is 34. Actor Hal Ozsan is 33. Actor Jon Heder is 32. Singer Mark Barry (BBMak) is 31. Olympic silver medal figure skater Sasha Cohen is 25.
Today In Entertainment History October 26
In 1936, country artist Roy Acuff made his first recordings, including "Great Speckled Bird" and "Wabash Cannonball."
In 1955, "Rebel Without A Cause," starring James Dean, opened in New York.
In 1965, The Beatles were made Members of the British Empire by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
In 1966, Liberace played the parts of both a good and evil pianist on "Batman."
In 1970, the comic "Doonesbury" by Garry Trudeau premiered.
In 1978, "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder hit number one on the Billboard pop chart. It took 20 weeks from the time it entered the Hot 100 to reach number one, longer than any single before it.
In 1981, David Bowie met with Queen in Montreaux, Switzerland, to record "Under Pressure" in an all-night session.
In 1982, the hospital drama "St. Elsewhere" premiered on NBC.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, the movie "The Terminator" opened.
In 1993, Roman Catholic churches in San Juan, Puerto Rico, opened their doors for the night and urged residents to tie black ribbons on trees to protest Madonna's first concert there.
Thought for Today: "Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret." — Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman (1804-1881).
On Oct. 26, 1979, South Korean President Park Chung-hee was shot to death during a dinner party along with his chief bodyguard by the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Kim Jae-kyu, who was later executed.
On this date:
In 1774, the First Continental Congress adjourned in Philadelphia.
In 1825, the Erie Canal opened in upstate New York, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson River.
In 1881, the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" took place in Tombstone, Ariz., as Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and "Doc" Holliday confronted Ike Clanton's gang. Three members of Clanton's group were killed; Earp's brothers and Holliday were wounded.
In 1942, Japanese planes badly damaged the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. (The Hornet sank early the next morning.)
In 1958, Pan American Airways flew its first Boeing 707 jetliner from New York to Paris in 8 hours, 41 minutes.
In 1962, in one of the most dramatic verbal confrontations of the Cold War, American U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson asked his Soviet counterpart during a Security Council debate whether the USSR had placed missiles in Cuba.
In 1967, the Shah of Iran crowned himself and his queen after 26 years on the Peacock Throne.
In 1972, national security adviser Henry Kissinger declared that "Peace is at hand" in Vietnam. Sound Bite.
In 1984, "Baby Fae," a newborn with a severe heart defect, was given the heart of a baboon in an experimental transplant in Loma Linda, Calif. (Baby Fae lived 21 days with the animal heart.)
In 1994, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel and Prime Minister Abdel Salam Majali of Jordan signed a peace treaty during a ceremony at the Israeli-Jordanian border attended by President Bill Clinton.
In 1996, Federal prosecutors cleared Richard Jewell as a suspect in the Olympic park bombing.
In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study which said the number of Americans considered obese had soared from about one in eight in 1991 to nearly one in five in 1998. The New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-5, to take a 3-0 lead in the World Series.
In 2001, President George W. Bush signed the USA Patriot Act, giving authorities unprecedented ability to search, seize, detain or eavesdrop in their pursuit of possible terrorists.
In 2005, the Chicago White Sox won their first World Series since 1917 by defeating the Houston Astros 1-0 in Game 4.
In 2008, U.S. military helicopters launched a rare attack on Syrian territory, killing eight people in a strike Damascus condemned as "serious aggression." Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels, died in Albuquerque, N.M., at age 83. The Philadelphia Phillies romped over the Tampa Bay Rays 10-2 to move within one win of their first World Series championship since 1980.
Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Edward Brooke III is 90. Actress Shelley Morrison is 73. Actor Bob Hoskins is 67. Author Pat Conroy is 64. Actress Jaclyn Smith is 64. TV host Pat Sajak is 63. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is 62. Singer Maggie Roche (The Roches) is 58. Musician Bootsy Collins is 58. Actor James Pickens Jr. ("Grey's Anatomy") is 57. Rock musician Keith Strickland (The B-52's) is 56. Actor D.W. Moffett is 55. Actress Rita Wilson is 53. The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, is 50. Actor Dylan McDermott is 48. Actor Cary Elwes is 47. Singer Natalie Merchant is 46. Country singer Keith Urban is 42. Actor Tom Cavanagh is 41. Actress Rosemarie DeWitt is 38. Actor Anthony Rapp is 38. Writer-producer Seth MacFarlane ("Family Guy") is 36. Actress Lennon Parham is 34. Actor Hal Ozsan is 33. Actor Jon Heder is 32. Singer Mark Barry (BBMak) is 31. Olympic silver medal figure skater Sasha Cohen is 25.
Today In Entertainment History October 26
In 1936, country artist Roy Acuff made his first recordings, including "Great Speckled Bird" and "Wabash Cannonball."
In 1955, "Rebel Without A Cause," starring James Dean, opened in New York.
In 1965, The Beatles were made Members of the British Empire by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
In 1966, Liberace played the parts of both a good and evil pianist on "Batman."
In 1970, the comic "Doonesbury" by Garry Trudeau premiered.
In 1978, "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder hit number one on the Billboard pop chart. It took 20 weeks from the time it entered the Hot 100 to reach number one, longer than any single before it.
In 1981, David Bowie met with Queen in Montreaux, Switzerland, to record "Under Pressure" in an all-night session.
In 1982, the hospital drama "St. Elsewhere" premiered on NBC.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, the movie "The Terminator" opened.
In 1993, Roman Catholic churches in San Juan, Puerto Rico, opened their doors for the night and urged residents to tie black ribbons on trees to protest Madonna's first concert there.
Thought for Today: "Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret." — Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman (1804-1881).
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