It was announced that both Jesse Helms and Bozo died this past week. How sad that one who did such good died the same time as one do did not. Bozo left only fond memories in his wake whilst Herr Helms left none.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
We'd like a Dubonnet
servant's letters auctioned
By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) -- Collectors paid thousands of pounds (dollars) Saturday for letters from British royalty to a trusted servant, including a note from the late Queen Mother Elizabeth requesting the aide pack bottles of gin and Dubonnet for an outing, "in case it is needed."
The note sold for 16,000 pounds ($32,000) at an auction of mementoes belonging to royal servant William Tallon.
Tallon, nicknamed "Backstairs Billy" by the press, joined the royal household at age 15 and served the family for 51 years, rising to become the queen mother's steward and Page of the Backstairs. He died in November, aged 72.
His vast collection of royal memorabilia includes photographs, paintings, gifts, letters and Christmas cards, and gives an insight into the informal side of life in the royal family.
The queen mother's letter to Tallon had been expected to sell for about 300 pounds ($600) but drew a flurry of telephone bids
In it, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II requested lunch outdoors and said she wanted to take along "two small bottles of Dubonnet and gin ... in case it is needed."
A 1982 letter from Princess Diana telling Tallon about the birth of her first child, Prince William, sold for 5,000 pounds ($10,000). "We are not sure at the moment what has hit us, except a very strong pair of lungs!" the princess wrote. "Both parents are making little sense, we just seem to spend most of our time gazing at this tiny person!"
Another letter, in which Diana thanked Tallon for putting flowers in her room before the "great day" of her July 29, 1981 wedding, sold for 4,200 pounds ($8,400).
The sale also included items from the collection of Tallon's long-term partner Reginald Wilcock, an underbutler in the royal household. Tallon inherited his memorabilia when Wilcock died in 2001.
The sale caused a buzz among royal memorabilia collectors, attracting about 300 people to the Reeman Dansie auction house in Colchester, east of London. Auctioneers said 1,000 more followed the sale by phone and over the Internet.
The 700 lots were valued collectively at about 250,000 pounds ($500,000), but auctioneer James Grinter said the final total was likely to be much higher. Proceeds will go to the beneficiaries of Tallon's will.
"For a lot of people, it's the only way they can get anything that touches the queen mother," Grinter said. "There is something here for everyone and people are hoping to get their own little memento."
Friday, July 4, 2008
The Ancients and Horribles
Long live the spoof.
The 82nd annual Ancients & Horribles Parade in Glocester takes place tomorrow, July Fourth, in the village of Chepachet, where, for a day at least, irreverence reigns.
“We are an odd mix of patriotism and irreverence,” says Connie Leathers, the parade chairwoman. “This is the only place where you can be politically incorrect and be rewarded.”
The float deemed best in the parade will win $500; the one regarded as most “ancient” will win $250; and the one most “horrible” will win $100.
This naturally raises questions: What are Ancients and Horribles? And when did adjectives become nouns?
As it turns out, it involves a healthy dose of creative license, a loosening of language, and a parody of history. In the mid 1600s, the nation’s oldest military organization, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, was established in Boston, where it’s still headquartered and carries on social and ceremonial functions.
“And Rhode Islanders being Rhode Islanders made fun of them,” Leathers explains.
Rhode Islanders took their fun to the streets. What started out as a mocking joke has become a rejoicing tradition: the Ancients & Horribles Parade.
Actually, there’s more than one. Cumberland also has a version, the Arnold Mills Parade, which is also in its 82nd year and founded on the Ancient and Horribles theme, but now isn’t nearly as frivolous as Glocester’s
“Theirs is more of a spoof,” says Joyce Hindle Koutsogiane, chairwoman of the Arnold Mills Parade. “We’ve gotten away from that in recent years. Ours is more of a traditional parade.”
The 1.5-mile parade features 17 bands and marching groups, including the Cycling Murrays.
“They play the fife while on unicycles. So that’s interesting.”
There’s also a stilt walker and a group of re-enactors who portray a British regiment during the Revolutionary War. The parade, according to Koutsogiane, is like Bristol’s, but different.
“It’s shorter and easier to access and leave. It’s not a whole day, and it’s still quite a parade.”
You may still see some vestiges of the Cumberland parade’s Ancients & Horribles roots.
“There is a lot to spoof,” Koutsogiane says.
And if spoofing’s what you want, Glocester is offering.
“We carry it a little further,” Leathers says.
But is carrying on in keeping with the Fourth of July?
Absolutely, according to Leathers, who points out that there’s a significant and fundamental Constitutional tenet embedded beneath the parade’s silliness: freedom of speech.
“If something is too profane or off-color, we have the right to refuse admittance. We want people to come and make their statement.”
Many accept the offer, saying all sorts of things. Although often Leathers isn’t quite sure what exactly is being said.
“There seems to be an inordinate interest among men to dress as women. And some are pretty good.”
Any topic is game for public display in the parade, which is something of a series of strolling and rolling skits.
“It’s whatever people feel strongly about.”
Often what people feel strongly about is what’s in the news. Vice President Cheney was spoofed for his hunting accident, and Rep. Patrick Kennedy was spoofed for his Ambien-induced late-night car accident, which featured a float careening down the street with a sign on the back: “I still drive better than my father.”
“It was tasteless,” Leathers says. “But it was funny.”
The Ancients & Horribles Parade isn’t all fun and games. There are traditional marching bands and contingents of war veterans and members of the Rhode Island National Guard.
“There is something for everyone to see. But it’s not necessarily always in good taste.”
If you want good taste, Bristol may be a better option, which tends to attract more politicians and so-called dignitaries.
“This is not a place to come to be a status-seeking individual. We are real life,” says Leathers.
And some citizens of Glocester take this parade seriously, while others don’t do so at all.
“There are folks who spend months working on their floats, and you can tell who they are. You can also tell the people who spent two hours and a half case of beer. That’s OK. The whole idea is for people to enjoy themselves.”
But once again, remember that your enjoyment of the parade on July 4 is made possible by the very principles that the holiday celebrates: independence, and everything that follows from it.
“It celebrates the American spirit of irreverence and saying what you think. There is always a place for people who do that. Everyone is always worried about what other people will think. This parade makes you think about what we’re thinking.”
The 82nd annual Ancients & Horribles Parade in Glocester takes place tomorrow, July Fourth, in the village of Chepachet, where, for a day at least, irreverence reigns.
“We are an odd mix of patriotism and irreverence,” says Connie Leathers, the parade chairwoman. “This is the only place where you can be politically incorrect and be rewarded.”
The float deemed best in the parade will win $500; the one regarded as most “ancient” will win $250; and the one most “horrible” will win $100.
This naturally raises questions: What are Ancients and Horribles? And when did adjectives become nouns?
As it turns out, it involves a healthy dose of creative license, a loosening of language, and a parody of history. In the mid 1600s, the nation’s oldest military organization, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, was established in Boston, where it’s still headquartered and carries on social and ceremonial functions.
“And Rhode Islanders being Rhode Islanders made fun of them,” Leathers explains.
Rhode Islanders took their fun to the streets. What started out as a mocking joke has become a rejoicing tradition: the Ancients & Horribles Parade.
Actually, there’s more than one. Cumberland also has a version, the Arnold Mills Parade, which is also in its 82nd year and founded on the Ancient and Horribles theme, but now isn’t nearly as frivolous as Glocester’s
“Theirs is more of a spoof,” says Joyce Hindle Koutsogiane, chairwoman of the Arnold Mills Parade. “We’ve gotten away from that in recent years. Ours is more of a traditional parade.”
The 1.5-mile parade features 17 bands and marching groups, including the Cycling Murrays.
“They play the fife while on unicycles. So that’s interesting.”
There’s also a stilt walker and a group of re-enactors who portray a British regiment during the Revolutionary War. The parade, according to Koutsogiane, is like Bristol’s, but different.
“It’s shorter and easier to access and leave. It’s not a whole day, and it’s still quite a parade.”
You may still see some vestiges of the Cumberland parade’s Ancients & Horribles roots.
“There is a lot to spoof,” Koutsogiane says.
And if spoofing’s what you want, Glocester is offering.
“We carry it a little further,” Leathers says.
But is carrying on in keeping with the Fourth of July?
Absolutely, according to Leathers, who points out that there’s a significant and fundamental Constitutional tenet embedded beneath the parade’s silliness: freedom of speech.
“If something is too profane or off-color, we have the right to refuse admittance. We want people to come and make their statement.”
Many accept the offer, saying all sorts of things. Although often Leathers isn’t quite sure what exactly is being said.
“There seems to be an inordinate interest among men to dress as women. And some are pretty good.”
Any topic is game for public display in the parade, which is something of a series of strolling and rolling skits.
“It’s whatever people feel strongly about.”
Often what people feel strongly about is what’s in the news. Vice President Cheney was spoofed for his hunting accident, and Rep. Patrick Kennedy was spoofed for his Ambien-induced late-night car accident, which featured a float careening down the street with a sign on the back: “I still drive better than my father.”
“It was tasteless,” Leathers says. “But it was funny.”
The Ancients & Horribles Parade isn’t all fun and games. There are traditional marching bands and contingents of war veterans and members of the Rhode Island National Guard.
“There is something for everyone to see. But it’s not necessarily always in good taste.”
If you want good taste, Bristol may be a better option, which tends to attract more politicians and so-called dignitaries.
“This is not a place to come to be a status-seeking individual. We are real life,” says Leathers.
And some citizens of Glocester take this parade seriously, while others don’t do so at all.
“There are folks who spend months working on their floats, and you can tell who they are. You can also tell the people who spent two hours and a half case of beer. That’s OK. The whole idea is for people to enjoy themselves.”
But once again, remember that your enjoyment of the parade on July 4 is made possible by the very principles that the holiday celebrates: independence, and everything that follows from it.
“It celebrates the American spirit of irreverence and saying what you think. There is always a place for people who do that. Everyone is always worried about what other people will think. This parade makes you think about what we’re thinking.”
Friday, June 27, 2008
the ugliest builing in america is...
The winner in most people's book is Boston City Hall. It is hideous and brutal but should it be torn down? Some architectual Historians say no! This is a perfect example of a school of modernist architecture know as brutalism. The current school of thought is YES. The vote is out. You be the judge. An ugly building surrounded by an forbiding plaza across the street from Colonial American icons.mmmmm?
Friday, June 13, 2008
Tim Russet RIP
WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after a sudden heart attack at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Look through Your CD's!!!!!
It is summer-ish and time to look through your old Cd's and listen to your "summer music". If you don't have in your Pile anything by Corner Shop shame on you. Now get your shameful ass down to your local indepentent, you heard me right, independent music store and buy something by Corner Shop. Oh they don't have anything. Ask them to order it! Don't be a puss. Ask them. They will think you are so much cooler than your really are just for asking! Get It! Paki Rock!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Bye Mommy
PHOENIX - Thelma Keane, the inspiration for the Mommy character in the long-running "Family Circus" comic created by her husband, Bil Keane, has died. She was 82.
She died Friday of Alzheimer's disease, the family said.
"Family Circus," which Keane began drawing in 1960, depicts the good-humored life of two parents and their four children. It is now featured in about 1,500 newspapers.
"She was the inspiration for all of my success," Bil Keane, 85, told The Associated Press from his home in Paradise Valley on Sunday. "When the cartoon first appeared, she looked so much like Mommy that if she was in the supermarket pushing her cart around, people would come up to her and say, 'Aren't you the Mommy in 'Family Circus?' and she would admit it."
Bil and Thelma "Thel" Keane met during World War II in the war bond office in Brisbane, Australia. She was a native Australian working as an accounting secretary, and Bil worked next to her as a promotional artist for the U.S. Army.
"I had this desk alongside the most beautiful Australian 18-year-old girl with long brown hair," Bil Keane said. "And I got up enough nerve to ask her for a date."
The two married in 1948 and moved to Bil Keane's hometown of Philadelphia. They had five children and moved to the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley in 1958.
Not only was Thelma Keane the inspiration for the always-loving and ever-patient comic character also named Thel, but she worked full-time as her husband's business and financial manager. Her family says she was the reason Bil Keane became one of the first syndicated newspaper cartoonists to win back all rights to his comic.
"There was nothing that I did in the cartoon world or in the business world that she wasn't the instigator of, and she certainly deserves all the credit that I get credit for," Bil Keane said.
Thelma Keane's Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed about five years ago, and she had been at an assisted-living center near the family home for the last three years, said her daughter, Gayle Keane, 58, of Napa, Calif.
Just last month, Gayle Keane said, her mother was singing and dancing as the family visited her and celebrated her birthday.
"We all had a time to say goodbye in the end," Gayle Keane said. "I just think she's in a better place, and she's not dealing with that fog and confusion that Alzheimer's brings into your life."
Bil Keane continues to produce "Family Circus" with the help of his youngest son, Jeff. Keane sketches out the ideas, characters and captions and sends them to Jeff for inking.
In addition to Bil, Gayle and Jeff Keane, survivors include her sons Neal, Glen and Christopher, and nine grandchildren.
Keane said that although his wife is gone, she is still with him.
"The losing of Thel is a heartbreaking thing for me," he said. "However, it makes me realize how important she was to my worldly success, and I know where she is now, I feel that she's still helping me and probably giving me the inspirations you can only get from an angel in heaven."
___
On the Net:
Family Circus: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_en_ot/storytext/obit_thelma_keane/27627010/SIG=10u4c4oi8/*http://www.familycircus.com/
She died Friday of Alzheimer's disease, the family said.
"Family Circus," which Keane began drawing in 1960, depicts the good-humored life of two parents and their four children. It is now featured in about 1,500 newspapers.
"She was the inspiration for all of my success," Bil Keane, 85, told The Associated Press from his home in Paradise Valley on Sunday. "When the cartoon first appeared, she looked so much like Mommy that if she was in the supermarket pushing her cart around, people would come up to her and say, 'Aren't you the Mommy in 'Family Circus?' and she would admit it."
Bil and Thelma "Thel" Keane met during World War II in the war bond office in Brisbane, Australia. She was a native Australian working as an accounting secretary, and Bil worked next to her as a promotional artist for the U.S. Army.
"I had this desk alongside the most beautiful Australian 18-year-old girl with long brown hair," Bil Keane said. "And I got up enough nerve to ask her for a date."
The two married in 1948 and moved to Bil Keane's hometown of Philadelphia. They had five children and moved to the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley in 1958.
Not only was Thelma Keane the inspiration for the always-loving and ever-patient comic character also named Thel, but she worked full-time as her husband's business and financial manager. Her family says she was the reason Bil Keane became one of the first syndicated newspaper cartoonists to win back all rights to his comic.
"There was nothing that I did in the cartoon world or in the business world that she wasn't the instigator of, and she certainly deserves all the credit that I get credit for," Bil Keane said.
Thelma Keane's Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed about five years ago, and she had been at an assisted-living center near the family home for the last three years, said her daughter, Gayle Keane, 58, of Napa, Calif.
Just last month, Gayle Keane said, her mother was singing and dancing as the family visited her and celebrated her birthday.
"We all had a time to say goodbye in the end," Gayle Keane said. "I just think she's in a better place, and she's not dealing with that fog and confusion that Alzheimer's brings into your life."
Bil Keane continues to produce "Family Circus" with the help of his youngest son, Jeff. Keane sketches out the ideas, characters and captions and sends them to Jeff for inking.
In addition to Bil, Gayle and Jeff Keane, survivors include her sons Neal, Glen and Christopher, and nine grandchildren.
Keane said that although his wife is gone, she is still with him.
"The losing of Thel is a heartbreaking thing for me," he said. "However, it makes me realize how important she was to my worldly success, and I know where she is now, I feel that she's still helping me and probably giving me the inspirations you can only get from an angel in heaven."
___
On the Net:
Family Circus: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_en_ot/storytext/obit_thelma_keane/27627010/SIG=10u4c4oi8/*http://www.familycircus.com/
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