drat fink
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a real american hero
"Eventually, I somehow became typed as a variety show writer and wrote many a special or series in that dying genre, thereby hastening its demise. Most of them were for the legendary Sid and Marty Krofft and included the infamous Pink Lady and Jeff, which toplined two Japanese ladies who spoke almost no English, and a series with the Bay City Rollers, who spoke English but were no more intelligible.
I also started writing cartoon shows: Scooby Doo, Plastic Man, Thundarr the Barbarian, The Trollkins, ABC Weekend Special, CBS Storybreak, Rickety Rocket, Superman: The Animated Series and many others. I story-edited Richie Rich for a couple of years, wrote the pilots for Dungeons & Dragons, The Wuzzles and a few series from which I removed my name. Somewhere in there, I wrote That's Incredible! for three years and a whole lotta material for stand-up comedians."
alternetting a profit
"I have never been enthusiastic about Alternet's charging of a usurious 50 percent fee for the articles it resells. But until now, Alternet has been the only game in town. It has had near monopoly status as a syndication agency for a particular niche of "alternative" news. But, as with other monopolies, Alternet has grown fat in abusing its position in a manner that now causes more harm than good."
bombshell brownies
whats with the ny times and wa post running these photos on their homepages? they seem awfully fond of using terror porn from the mideast conflict, although the times crops this photo for a less revealing portrait of grief. are they trying to sell policy with a mix of titilation and fear?
no look pass
"The ANWR debate is a “smokescreen,” said Tyson Slocum, energy project research director at Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader.
He said “it’s a brilliant strategy” to keep scrutiny away from other industry-friendly sections of the GOP-drafted energy bill passed by the House last August and the Democratic bill now being debated by the Senate."
light touch
"Are you the sort of person who believes in conspiracies--the Trilateral Commission secretly runs the world, that sort of thing? Well, then, here's a company for you. The Carlyle Group, a Washington, D.C., buyout firm, is one of the nation's largest defense contractors. It has billions of dollars at its disposal and employs a few important people. Maybe you've heard of them: former Secretary of State Jim Baker, former Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci, and former White House budget director Dick Darman. Wait, we're just getting warmed up. William Kennard, who recently headed the FCC, and Arthur Levitt, who just left the SEC, also work for Carlyle. As do former British Prime Minister John Major and former Philippines President Fidel Ramos. Let's see, are we forgetting anyone? Oh, right, former President George Herbert Walker Bush is on the payroll too."
inside out
"When Brokaw, Jennings and Rather retire, it is a perfect time for these corporations to decide their newscasts are no longer worth it," said Ken Bode, a former NBC correspondent who teaches at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. "Unless something dramatic happens, inevitably, the network newscasts are gone."
pick of the litter
"From an election reform standpoint the news from California was all good, and one development -- the decision of San Francisco voters to create an instant runoff voting system -- is particularly important."
strictly gonzo
"It was announced in the US yesterday that Jim Henson Television has partnered with producers Team Todd and Fox Broadcasting Company to develop a new Muppet series that will feature a new crop of characters in addition to Kermit, Miss Piggy and other longstanding members of Henson's fuzzy troupe."
man with the plan
"Since Sept. 11, Friedman has demonstrated an admirable knack for making friends of his enemies and enemies of his friends. He has long been tolerated in the Arab world because he condemns Israeli settlement building and because he exposed Israel's culpability in the Sabra and Shatilla massacres. For the same reasons, the Israeli and American Jewish right-wing detested him as a traitor, calling him "anti-Zionist." Some right-wing Jewish leaders have suggested he shouldn't be invited to speak to Jewish audiences, because he's an enemy of the Jewish people. But these days, Friedman's criticism of Arab regimes and Yasser Arafat has endeared him to Israelis and American Jews and cost him in the Arab world."
tributary of light
"The World Trade Center: Before, During, & After"