The situation in Iraq with regard to torture is so ghastly that even George W. Bush, a man not known for ever saying he's sorry about anything, this morning said he was sorry about something. Could it get any worse over there in terms of the U.S. being perceived as trampling the basic human rights […]
This obit is a little late but I have just learned that one of the first comic book artists, Fred Guardineer, passed away on September 13, 2002 a month shy of what would have been his 89th birthday. Guardineer was best known for the character of Zatara the Magician, a rather close knock-off of Lee […]
The Writers Guild has scheduled an "informational meeting" for next Monday evening at the Sheraton Universal. Since they're holding it there, they obviously expect a pretty large turnout. The rumor mill says that we will have a "final offer" from the Producers by then, one which will include slightly better numbers in the Health Plan […]
Okay, Michael Moore is complaining that Disney is trying to block distribution of his new movie about the Bush family. Does anyone anywhere think that this movie won't get released by someone? Or that this controversy won't help it at the box office? […]
No "spoiler" warning. By now, if you care about the Gasoline Alley newspaper strip, you're aware that Uncle Walt is alive and has attended the funeral of his spouse, Phyllis. Some folks on chat boards seem upset at how writer-artist Jim Scancarelli dragged out the reveal of who had died, or just feel baited-and-switched. I […]
I am back to being highly pessimistic (up from mildly pessimistic) about the current negotiations between the AMPTP and the Writers Guild of America. Today, the WGA put out a couple of announcements that summarize a pretty bad situation and make you wonder what anyone has been talking about in the 'round-the-clock negotiations that have […]
Nice article on my favorite standup comedian, Lewis Black. […]
Michael Moore has this new movie he's made all about alleged links between the Bush family and the Saudis. And now it's being alleged that the Disney organization is trying to kill the film's distribution so as to not endanger certain tax breaks that the company receives, especially in Jeb Bush's Florida. Read all about […]
Someone is selling the contract that Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy signed to authorize the publication of the Laurel and Hardy comic book that came out from St. John in 1955. Here's the link and here's some history. What's interesting is that the contract is written as if this is a new relationship and the […]
When I travel, as I just did, I take along a modular phone cord so I can hook my laptop into a telephone line. I've been using ones with little reels like the one above. They're handy when they don't break, but they break too often to suit me. The little plastic tab that you […]
My friend in the Washington press corps writes to say he thinks this article in Salon is one of the most important pieces he's seen. It's about how a lot of folks close to George W. Bush have been deceived by a man named Ahmed Chalabi who has a definite personal agenda for Iraq. […]
Reader Jon Weltz writes the following with regard to our recent discussions of the current continuity in the Gasoline Alley newspaper strip… I followed your link and read it and I'm glad I did but it's very frustrating that they're arranging funeral services and actually having the funeral and they haven't told us yet for […]
Robert Kagan has been a big backer of the War in Iraq and the general "neocon" worldview. So his current position — that Bush is letting that war be run by people who are botching it up beyond belief — is more than a little interesting. And as a companion piece, you might want to […]
Okay, I'm back home now from a very good convention. Sunday afternoon, I wandered about for a while chatting with folks, then moderated a panel remembering the late Julius Schwartz. Mike Friedrich, David Spurlock and I told stories. Members of the audiences told stories. Julie would have liked everything about it except that he wasn't […]
The C-Span website currently has among its online videos, a one hour speech that Jim "Garfield" Davis gave recently at the National Press Club. They rotate these videos so it may not be there for long. If you'd like to view it, this direct link to the video should work for most browsers. If it […]