They're turning them on tonight. "The Blackpool lights will shine for 66 nights, from 29 August to 2 November. The illuminations are really 'glowing for it' this year with more than a million lights, 500 designs, 40 large tableaux and 500 flood and spotlights, with more than eight million visitors expected to come to view this year's ‘Northern Lights'." The BBC Webcam will let you check them out wherever you are. Work it out so that you sign on to the site after dark Lancashire Standard Time.
Blogger Hacks, Categories, Tips & Tricks
is not, I'm sure, quite what Faith Hill had in mind.
"Aug. 29— Just like her first time, Madonna made jaws drop and cheeks blush at the 20th annual MTV Video Music Awards — only she had help Thursday night from the latest generation of video divas, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Proving they've come a long way from their Mouseketeer days, the young pop tarts gave a gyrating, writhing tribute to Madonna to open the show. Dressed in the same kind of white bustier wedding dress Madonna wore while performing "Like a Virgin" during MTV's inaugural awards broadcast in 1984, Spears and Aguilera sang a cover of the not-so-innocent tune. Then, while Madonna sang her new song "Hollywood" in a masculine all-black outfit, she shared an open-mouthed kiss with both Aguilera and Spears."
What will they think of next? From ABC News.
Update: 9/4/03. Google News now links to over 150 stories generated by this incident.
"Aug. 29— Just like her first time, Madonna made jaws drop and cheeks blush at the 20th annual MTV Video Music Awards — only she had help Thursday night from the latest generation of video divas, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Proving they've come a long way from their Mouseketeer days, the young pop tarts gave a gyrating, writhing tribute to Madonna to open the show. Dressed in the same kind of white bustier wedding dress Madonna wore while performing "Like a Virgin" during MTV's inaugural awards broadcast in 1984, Spears and Aguilera sang a cover of the not-so-innocent tune. Then, while Madonna sang her new song "Hollywood" in a masculine all-black outfit, she shared an open-mouthed kiss with both Aguilera and Spears."
What will they think of next? From ABC News.
Update: 9/4/03. Google News now links to over 150 stories generated by this incident.
is available from the World Rugby Shop, & they have a special department all set up for it. All fun and frolics. Be the only personage in your neighbourhood w/ a RWC shirt. Why not?
England and France meet on Saturday. They're both trying to extend record runs. "Two of rugby's unbeaten records collide under the floodlights of Marseille on Saturday, as England aim for their 15th consecutive Test win, while hosts France intend to extend their perfect record at the Stade Velodrome.
Les Bleus boast a 100 percent win ratio in the Mediterranean city, although some shine may be taken off this by the fact that they have only graced the turf there three times.
Having said that, all three were in the last few years, and the notable scalps of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia to have fallen in its cauldron-like atmosphere suggest that a tough reception awaits the English visitors at a venue closer to the traditional southern French rugby base, rather than the often flat Stade de France in Paris."
Les Bleus boast a 100 percent win ratio in the Mediterranean city, although some shine may be taken off this by the fact that they have only graced the turf there three times.
Having said that, all three were in the last few years, and the notable scalps of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia to have fallen in its cauldron-like atmosphere suggest that a tough reception awaits the English visitors at a venue closer to the traditional southern French rugby base, rather than the often flat Stade de France in Paris."
Hello, and welcome to pick of the pops, pop-pickers. Captain & Tennille, Sonny & Cher, Tony Orlando & Dawn, & now Koizumi & Cruise. Gareth at Dottocomu has the political perspective that both of my postings on this issue have sadly lacked.
Yahoo has the official comprehensive site including Brandi Chastain's diary. The contest runs September 20th - October 12th 2003.
From ITN News: Alastair Campbell is to resign as the Government's director of communications and strategy, Downing Street has confirmed.
No date has been set for his departure and his successor has not been named, Number 10 has said.
Mr Campbell said: "It has been an enormous privilege to work so closely in opposition and in Government for someone I believe history will judge as a great transforming Prime Minister.
Read more at BBC News, and at other blogs, I'm sure.
No date has been set for his departure and his successor has not been named, Number 10 has said.
Mr Campbell said: "It has been an enormous privilege to work so closely in opposition and in Government for someone I believe history will judge as a great transforming Prime Minister.
Read more at BBC News, and at other blogs, I'm sure.
There's an extensive celebration site at the BBC.
As George would say: "Now I've got my lovely fire I'm happy as a Frenchman who's invented a pair of self-removing trousers."
As George would say: "Now I've got my lovely fire I'm happy as a Frenchman who's invented a pair of self-removing trousers."
From Lileks. Go read the whole thing. As usual this says it better than I ever could.
"For the last few days we’ve gotten a call from Sadie’s, a kid’s photography company. Gnat had a sitting a few weeks ago. When the number popped up on caller ID I called it back, and was informed that this customer did not accept incoming phone calls. That’s good marketing. That’s fine customer relations. We can bother you, but you can’t call us. I phoned the local store; the clerk said they were probably trying to sell us enlargements. I called the home office in Utah. He said they were conducting a survey. Typical. In order to best serve our customers, we shall embark on a campaign to alienate them." [More]
Can I have your zipcode? No
Can I have your phone number? No
Would you like a bonus loyalty reward "we own information about how often you buy toothpaste" card? er..... No.
We'll send you coupons in the mail. No.... No you won't.
"For the last few days we’ve gotten a call from Sadie’s, a kid’s photography company. Gnat had a sitting a few weeks ago. When the number popped up on caller ID I called it back, and was informed that this customer did not accept incoming phone calls. That’s good marketing. That’s fine customer relations. We can bother you, but you can’t call us. I phoned the local store; the clerk said they were probably trying to sell us enlargements. I called the home office in Utah. He said they were conducting a survey. Typical. In order to best serve our customers, we shall embark on a campaign to alienate them." [More]
Can I have your zipcode? No
Can I have your phone number? No
Would you like a bonus loyalty reward "we own information about how often you buy toothpaste" card? er..... No.
We'll send you coupons in the mail. No.... No you won't.
You get to meet all sorts of high-kicking hot women. Sure!!
"Jennifer Garner will soon be bait for potential real-life spies. The CIA announced Thursday it has enlisted the 31-year-old "Alias" star to appear in a recruitment video to be shown at job fairs and college campuses."
"Jennifer Garner will soon be bait for potential real-life spies. The CIA announced Thursday it has enlisted the 31-year-old "Alias" star to appear in a recruitment video to be shown at job fairs and college campuses."
From MTV.com
"[Justin] Timberlake and Coldplay each earned three trophies, two better than Johnny Cash, who took only one of the six categories for which he was nominated, Best Cinematography.
Although Cash was often called "the man" (or "the mother----ing man" as Snoop Dogg put it), Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" beat the tearjerker "Hurt" for Best Male Video. The 'NSYNC star also won Best Pop Video and Best Dance Video.
"I want a recount," Timberlake said. "My grandfather raised me on Johnny Cash, I'm from Tennessee ... I guess I share this with him in some cool way. He deserves a round of applause." (To learn more about the infamous Man in Black, check out Kurt Loder's "Johnny Cash: Original Gangsta").
Coldplay, who dedicated their performance of "The Scientist" to Cash (the only other tribute to the legendary crooner during the show), batted a thousand with wins for Best Group Video, Breakthrough Video and Best Direction for "The Scientist."
Besides all that... I love how MTV has to repackage classic music for kids so that they will be interested in it & figure it out. "To learn more about the infamous Man in Black, check out Kurt Loder's "Johnny Cash: Original Gangsta" Sure!!
"[Justin] Timberlake and Coldplay each earned three trophies, two better than Johnny Cash, who took only one of the six categories for which he was nominated, Best Cinematography.
Although Cash was often called "the man" (or "the mother----ing man" as Snoop Dogg put it), Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" beat the tearjerker "Hurt" for Best Male Video. The 'NSYNC star also won Best Pop Video and Best Dance Video.
"I want a recount," Timberlake said. "My grandfather raised me on Johnny Cash, I'm from Tennessee ... I guess I share this with him in some cool way. He deserves a round of applause." (To learn more about the infamous Man in Black, check out Kurt Loder's "Johnny Cash: Original Gangsta").
Coldplay, who dedicated their performance of "The Scientist" to Cash (the only other tribute to the legendary crooner during the show), batted a thousand with wins for Best Group Video, Breakthrough Video and Best Direction for "The Scientist."
Besides all that... I love how MTV has to repackage classic music for kids so that they will be interested in it & figure it out. "To learn more about the infamous Man in Black, check out Kurt Loder's "Johnny Cash: Original Gangsta" Sure!!
Thursday, August 28, 2003
After six years, The Observer's award-winning US correspondent Ed Vulliamy takes his leave from a wounded and belligerent nation with which, reluctantly, he has now fallen out of love
And Johnny Cash's Hurt might steal the show.
"Cash's video, nominated for video of the year, best male video and best direction, among others, was hardly a staple on MTV over the past year. His cover of the Nine Inch Nails song wasn't played very much, and most die-hard MTV watchers may not recall even seeing it. But it resonated with those who vote on the nominations, including music executives, video directors and journalists."
"Cash's video, nominated for video of the year, best male video and best direction, among others, was hardly a staple on MTV over the past year. His cover of the Nine Inch Nails song wasn't played very much, and most die-hard MTV watchers may not recall even seeing it. But it resonated with those who vote on the nominations, including music executives, video directors and journalists."
This probably belongs on dottocomu, & may even be there already, but anyway... Actor Tom Cruise has sung a duet with the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and heaped praise on his musical talents. Hmmmmm.
From BBC News: Forty years ago, 250,000 people gathered peacefully in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC to demand equal rights for black Americans. It was a watershed moment for the civil rights movement and became the most vaunted protest in American history.
From BBC News: "The Birmingham accent is far from its traditional image of "ugly" and "inferior" and is, in fact, regarded as "lilting and melodious" by overseas visitors, academics have discovered." Malcolm Boyden will be pleased.
I have spent many a Sunday listening to the weekend omnibus edition while trying to do homework at the kitchen table. Passive Archers, they call it. Anyway. Tonight it is 14k for the Ambridge peoples. Congrats and Wow and such.
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
From MSNBC.com
"WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 — Can anyone stop Howard Dean? A few months ago it would have seemed a preposterous question. Not anymore. Last January I saw Dean blow the doors off a meeting of Democrats and predicted he would be a “player” in the race. Boy was I wrong. As Labor Day approaches, he’s not a player, he’s the front-runner for the party’s nomination — and he is going to be a hard man to stop once the nomination season begins in earnest this fall."
I am reading about the 1972 presidential campaign, & the complex Democratic Primaries & convention of that year, in Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail". It is making me a lot more interested in this whole ballyhoo.
"WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 — Can anyone stop Howard Dean? A few months ago it would have seemed a preposterous question. Not anymore. Last January I saw Dean blow the doors off a meeting of Democrats and predicted he would be a “player” in the race. Boy was I wrong. As Labor Day approaches, he’s not a player, he’s the front-runner for the party’s nomination — and he is going to be a hard man to stop once the nomination season begins in earnest this fall."
I am reading about the 1972 presidential campaign, & the complex Democratic Primaries & convention of that year, in Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail". It is making me a lot more interested in this whole ballyhoo.
Hubble Captures Mars Close-Up
By Discovery News
Aug. 27, 2003 � The Hubble Space Telescope's newest picture of Mars shows summer on the Red Planet just as it makes its closest pass by Earth in 60,000 years.
The image, taken on Tuesday 11 hours before the closest approach, shows in fine detail the scarred surface of Mars, including the 270-mile- (450-km-) diameter Huygens crater near the center of the image, according to a NASA press release.
More from Japan Today
By Discovery News
Aug. 27, 2003 � The Hubble Space Telescope's newest picture of Mars shows summer on the Red Planet just as it makes its closest pass by Earth in 60,000 years.
The image, taken on Tuesday 11 hours before the closest approach, shows in fine detail the scarred surface of Mars, including the 270-mile- (450-km-) diameter Huygens crater near the center of the image, according to a NASA press release.
More from Japan Today
From Iain Murray:
"Some teenage thugs in Redditch decided they needed a bit of spare cash and, presumably having heard that the Chancellor was pumping millions into the National Health Service decided that a hospital would have a safe brimming over with fivers. In order to persuade a nurse to tell them where this cauldron of gold was located, they hit her with a crowbar."
"Some teenage thugs in Redditch decided they needed a bit of spare cash and, presumably having heard that the Chancellor was pumping millions into the National Health Service decided that a hospital would have a safe brimming over with fivers. In order to persuade a nurse to tell them where this cauldron of gold was located, they hit her with a crowbar."
from the team that panned Wales. Now they're going to work on France... two weeks in a row.
"England: 15 Iain Balshaw (Bath), 14 Josh Lewsey (London Wasps), 13 Ollie Smith (Leicester Tigers), 12 Mike Tindall (Bath), 11 Ben Cohen (Northampton Saints), 10 Paul Grayson (Northampton Saints, vice-captain), 9 Austin Healey (Leicester Tigers), 8 Joe Worsley (London Wasps), 7 Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers), 6 Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers), 5 Danny Grewcock (Bath), 4 Steve Borthwick (Bath), 3 Julian White (Leicester Tigers), 2 Dorian West (Leicester Tigers, captain), 1 Graham Rowntree (Leicester Tigers)."
"England: 15 Iain Balshaw (Bath), 14 Josh Lewsey (London Wasps), 13 Ollie Smith (Leicester Tigers), 12 Mike Tindall (Bath), 11 Ben Cohen (Northampton Saints), 10 Paul Grayson (Northampton Saints, vice-captain), 9 Austin Healey (Leicester Tigers), 8 Joe Worsley (London Wasps), 7 Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers), 6 Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers), 5 Danny Grewcock (Bath), 4 Steve Borthwick (Bath), 3 Julian White (Leicester Tigers), 2 Dorian West (Leicester Tigers, captain), 1 Graham Rowntree (Leicester Tigers)."
Elias James Bouligny. Born 6.56 pm Tuesday August 26th, 6lbs, 7oz. Excellent. Soon to be featured on his dad's page, I'm sure.
if it is on the internet? Doesn't this read an awful lot like my biography of John Rodgers Jewitt? Yup!! I'm glad I saved those guys some time, anyway..... I have requested a link back to my website from their site, so we'll see. I will feel slightly more forgiving if they at least acknowledge my authorship.
Sunday, August 24, 2003
I am blogging with Blog This from Blogger. As a trial I thought I should link to The John Rodgers Jewitt Hub: "The John Rodgers Jewitt Hub - It is my goal to produce, maintain and host a comprehensive site posting and linking to available materials about John Rodgers Jewitt - making this site a gateway for anyone who wants to know more."
I will use this for more sensible postings tomorrow.
I will use this for more sensible postings tomorrow.
"Britain's first offshore radio station, Radio Caroline, began broadcasting at Easter 1964 from a ship anchored just outside UK waters....There are other web-sites which tell the stories of the various offshore stations but The Pirate Radio Hall Of Fame has been set up to honour the stars, the broadcasters, from that golden era of music radio."
Check out Lance Armstrong's Tour of Hope for Cancer Research. This fall there are 100k rides in L.A. and D.C. open to the first 1500 people who can pledge to raise $500. You can register for the LA or DC 100k ride.
From BBC Sport
"England coach Clive Woodward saluted stand-in skipper Jason Leonard as he praised an "immense" forward effort in the 43-9 victory over Wales.
Leonard dragged Lewis Moody over for the first of England's five tries as a second-string line-up notched a record win in Cardiff." See more at rugbyrugby.com.
Now bring on the French, away on Aug 30th & at home on Sept 6th, before the World Cup.
"England coach Clive Woodward saluted stand-in skipper Jason Leonard as he praised an "immense" forward effort in the 43-9 victory over Wales.
Leonard dragged Lewis Moody over for the first of England's five tries as a second-string line-up notched a record win in Cardiff." See more at rugbyrugby.com.
Now bring on the French, away on Aug 30th & at home on Sept 6th, before the World Cup.
Am fascinated by someone who knows a lot about a given subject. Have been listening to Cigar Dave on Saturday mornings & enjoying it, even though I am not a smoker & will most likely never be one. Just the sophistication of the whole thing is sort of involving.
Probably prompted by Keeley Hawes playing a secret agent on A & E, Iain Murray is investigating the real MI-5. They have a website, dontchaknow.