Interview w/ Joan Rivers - June 27, 2014

Media Monarchy took the rare opportunity to talk to Joan Rivers about race, religion, women and money...



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Media/Memes: Profits, Porn, Plagiarism and more

Liberty Media to Grab SIRIUS XM*

Open Road Films Aims to Fill Screens and Lift Profits*
Discovery Invests in Digital Textbooks in Hopes of Growth*
Hologram performances present celebrity estates with new afterlife opportunities, and issues*
Actor Shia LaBeouf Says There Will Be Real Sex in Director Lars Von Trier's New Film 'Nymphomaniac'*
Porn Productions Halted After Adult Film Actor Tests Positive for Syphilis; prompts industry-wide moratorium*
In a Lawsuit Over a Song, a Plaintiff’s Unusual Approach*
Fareed Zakaria Offers Explanation for Plagiarism*
Cast of 'Assassins' Revival to Reunite for Roundabout Benefit*
At 44, Actress/Author Molly Ringwald Continues to Act But is Focused on Writing Too*
Kiss rockers back ‘pretty’ Pussy Riot’s rights, but don't think much of their music*
New J.J Abrams "Revolution" Trailer Official 2012*
Revealed: One thing that DIDN'T black out J.J. Abrams' Revolution*
Justin Bieber will appear on 'The Simpsons,' fans emit collective "D'oh!"*
Tony Scott: Divine Sacrifice of the King*
Phyllis Diller: sassy, screeching, rapid-fire stand-up comedy;
opened door for 2 generations of funny women, dead at 95*
Harry Harrison, a Prolific Writer of Satiric Science Fiction, Dies at 87*
William Windom, Emmy Winner and TV Everyman, Dies at 88*
SXSW music festival director Brent Grulke dead at 52*
Scott McKenzie, Singer Known for ‘San Francisco,’ Dies at 73*
"San Francisco" singer Scott McKenzie dead at 73*

#Newspurge: The Hallways of the Always

Econocrash:
Tax day is even deadlier than you think*

Stress, deadlines linked to deadly car crashes*
Almost Half of US Taxes Go to Military, Health Care*
Banker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy*
Dow Jones industrial average falls 200 points as stocks extend worst slump of the year*
Employment Increase in US Trails Most-Pessimistic Forecasts*
Government Jobs Disappearing…Unlike Other Post-Recession Periods*
Eighth GSA employee placed on leave in scandal*
Video: Rapping Federal Worker Adds To Evidence Of Waste And Excess*
#Audio #Satire: Pentagon Gets 12 Weapons For Only A Penny From Columbia Missile and Tank Club*

Geopolitiks:
NAFTA Partners Take Steps to Boost Trilateral Relationship*
U.S. Aid to Israel Equals $4.9 Million a Day for 64 Years*
Connecticut Candidate Calls Opponent 'Whore' for AIPAC*
Dem Senatorial Candidate Calls Opponent Whore on Live TV*
German Railway Hires Lawyers and PR Firm before Holocaust Lawsuits in U.S.*
‘Ex’ KGB man wins presidency in South Ossetia*
Russia installs S-400 on Polish Border in response to US missile defense system*
Tension ahead of Pyongyang Missile Test* North Korea's rocket launch ends in failure: South Korea
S.Korea, U.S. Practice Invasion of North Korea During Civil War*
Cameron In Asia: PM Defends Seeking Arms Sales In Indonesia*
Cameron on Trade Trip to Asia; Touts UK Military Hardware*
The documents that prove Britain initiated rendition*
In Syria, send in the mercenaries*
Video: Hersh Says US trained MEK/MKO*
The balance of super-powers ahead of the 3rd Gulf war*
Video: Nonstop U.S. backed bombardment of Southern Yemen*

Media/Memes:
Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield*
'Simpsons' creator: Oregon town inspired Springfield* Exclusive: Nope, Springfield is Not in Oregon, Clarifies The Simpsons' Matt Groening
Mike Wallace, CBS Pioneer of '60 Minutes,' Dead at 93*
Mike Wallace, '60 Minutes' star interviewer, dies*
Ferdinand Porsche: Designer of 911 dies at 76*
Flashback: Ferdinand Porsche, Creator of the Sports Car That Bore His Name, Is Dead at 88*
Ferdinand Porsche - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia*
Thomas Kinkade, Painter for the Masses, Dies at 54*
Princess Di was in talks to star in 'The Bodyguard 2', reveals Kevin Costner*
Video: Whitney Houston 911 call released*
Potential jurors in Hudson slaying case asked about singer*
Studio halts Mel Gibson film*
Julia Roberts, 44, Shows Off Killer Beach Bod*
Ashley Judd lashes out at those who have criticized her looks*
SOPA lobby games: Why Netflix PAC agenda NOT convincing*
Jack Outside the Box: Jack White Is the Coolest, Weirdest, Savviest Rock Star of Our Time*
Coachella Music Festival Begins This Weekend*
Coachella 2012 Set Times Revealed! Let's Plan Our Stage-Hopping*
Remember: Coachella Connects to Casolaro's Octopus*

Obamessiah:
Obama heads (back) to the golf course (again)*
Obama administration diverts $500M to IRS to implement healthcare reform law*
Mitt Romney and Benjamin Netanyahu Are Old Friends*
Jury selection begins in John Edwards' criminal trial*

Oregon Oddities:
Five Suspects Busted in Funny Money Ring*

Feds say Portland counterfeiters cheaply created bogus bills, put $70,000 in circulation*
Hillsboro police and Force Science Institute hold traffic stop study on officer memory, safety*

Police State Updates:
Video: "The Control Grid is Being Put Into Place to Handle What They Know Is Coming."*
Gil Scott-Heron knew about "The King Alfred Plan"*
News Organizations Protest Closed Hearing of USS Cole Terror Suspect*
Navy simulated Virginia Beach jet crash in December 15, 2011 drill*
US State To Ban Saggy Trousers*
Video: Police tracking cell phones w/o warrants*

West Virginia Worry:
WV women who became Rosie the Riveter during WWII share their stories*
West Virginia moves to revoke Upper Big Branch foreman's certificate*
WV Board to Allow Counties Under State of Emergency to Participate in Innovation Zones*

'The Simpsons' marks 500th episode, Assange guest stars

#Simpsons500 Long-time followers of Media Monarchy know that we're long-time fans of 'The Simpsons' ... Interestingly, last night's episode featured a fake disaster drill distraction put forth by corporate-controlled media - guest starring Julian Assange!

from afp: The Simpsons, the long-running US television animated comedy show, reached its landmark 500th episode Sunday, with an appearance from controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. America's most famous dysfunctional cartoon family have played out their lives before a worldwide audience for over two decades since the distinctive yellow characters Homer, Maggie and children Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie first burst onto American TV in 1989. The series has become the longest-running comedy in US television history and in its 23rd season is currently the longest-running primetime scripted show. In the 500th show, Homer and Marge discover Springfield residents are holding a secret meeting to kick them out of town, for all the trouble they've caused over the years. After being sent into exile, the Simpsons arrange to meet with Assange in a bid to clear their names. The show's executive producer Al Jean acknowledged last month that Assange, who leaked massive amounts of sensitive diplomatic and military documents, was a controversial figure.
Video: Alison Krauss' version of 'The Simpsons' theme

10/6 newspurge: cause together we can make it great

history/mystery:
germany reopens 100s of cases of nazi death camp guards*
video: hitler letter bought by simon wiesenthal center for $150k*

media/memes:
video: 'the simpsons' future looks dim;
fox exec says this could be the last season*
nbc's playboy club canceled after 3 episodes*
estevez says new film 'the way' inspired by 'wizard of oz'*
charles napier, veteran actor from rambo & blues brothers, dies 75*
scotus declines music download case*
video: hank williams jr. apologizes for hitler-obama comparison as espn drops singer's iconic theme*
a free-form festival, wide open to outsiders:
all tomorrow's parties festival at asbury park, nj*
frances bean cobain buys a $1.8m los angeles-area home*


murder/mayhem:
plane hits ferris wheel in australia; no one injured*
1 dead in helicopter crash off manhattan*
body discovered in oregon as police continue manhunt for boyfriend-girlfriend duo*
police hunt couple over murder, 2 disappearances*
update: couple connected to missing oregon teen caught in california*
video: don lapre of 'tiny newspaper ads' infomercial commits suicide in police custody at 47*
2 vacancies on fbi 10 most wanted list*
video: nj cops kill man, stifle 1st amendment, unleash riot police*
after 2 killed in california workplace shooting, 2nd shooting reported*
cupertino quarry shooting suspect who killed 3, wounded 7 still on loose*
update: police kill suspect in california triple slaying*
uk father of three attacks teen after 'dying' in 'call of duty'*
biden brother hospitalized for exposure to suspicious powder*

obamessiah updates:
obama campaign borrows from bush '04 playbook*
paul says obama has committed an impeachable offense*
sarah palin will not run for president*
cain's 9-9-9 math raises questions on revenue*
checkbooks out, please: romney coming to portland oct14*

wv worry:
democrat wins west virginia governor's race*
wv issues trump obama in governor's race, but barely*
poll numbers should raise concern for rockefeller*

beware the ides of march: from then to now

from abc: Roman dictator Julius Ceasar may have been warned that deadly harm would befall him no later than March 15. But the soothsayer who supposedly delivered the prophetic message couldn't possibly have foretold what he would inspire, including a "Simpsons" episode called "Homer the Great, an episode of "Xena: Warrior Princess," and a U.S. rock band from Berwyn, Ill., named the Ides of March. Even Oscar-winner George Clooney is in on the act, reportedly finishing up filming of his "Ides of March," a movie about a presidential campaign in which he acts and directs. Indeed, the supposed encounter that William Shakespeare so tragically depicted in his "Julius Caesar" ("Beware the ides of March") has become the stuff of popular culture. Samantha Thompson, a librarian who manages the New York Public Library's 24-7 reference service, says about a dozen people regularly ask about the Ides of March at any given branch on March 15. "It's an example of a famous, ominous prophesy when the world changed."

10/21 newspurge: don't waste your time just looking back

biowars/envirohealth:
US slips to 49th in life expectancy: study*
half of US teens 'meet criteria for mental disorder'?*
confirmed: psychiatric manual dsm-iv-tr labels free-thinkers, non-conformers as mentally ill*
how cnn/cfr's gupta became big pharma's favorite face*
drug companies pay 17,000 US doctors, report finds*
scientific american: kill more babies to save earth*
20yr-old embryo becomes baby boy*
polish bishops call ivf 'younger sister of eugenics'*
alleged leader of cult works as psychologist*
israel building underground facility in case of bioterror*
americans show concern about taking flu vaccine*
un to vote on chemtrails*
video: plum island - conspiracy theory with jesse ventura*




drugwar:
US will enforce marijuana laws despite california vote*
los angeles sheriff: pot legalization 'not going to pass, even if it passes'*
legalize marijuana, says former US surgeon general*
cvs fined $77m for selling meth ingredients to criminals*

econocrash:
US leaders destroying the dollar*
official: US owes $1.2b in united nations dues*
chicago sheriff says no to enforcing foreclosures*
here's that devastating report on bank of america that everyone is talking about*
video: 85% of college graduates must move back home*
video: dylan ratigan's epic rant on the banksters*

geopolitiks:
merkel says german multi-cultural society has failed*

10/14 newspurge: become the enemy

9/11 updates:
lemonheads' evan dando says wtc 'blown up by bombs'*
fmr sen gravel spearheads california 9/11 truth commission initiative*
media matters: fox's napolitano joins 9/11 truther alex jones*
project censored: 'increased tensions with unresolved 9/11 issues'*
video: 'operation dark heart' author alleges 9/11 coverup*
video update: cbs said ground level explosion caused wtc to collapse*



biowars/envirohealth:
climate science's worst week ever*
scientist resigns from physics society, calls global warming a scam*
hal lewis: global warming 'greatest & most successful pseudoscientific fraud'*
video: epa says corexit is 'perfectly safe' - compares dispersant to klondike bar*
white house will lift ban on deep-water drilling*
twins die minutes after measles vaccination*
cancer 'purely man-made' say scientists after finding almost no trace in egyptian mummies*
horror as man mutates into a living tree*

geopolitiks:
masonic imagery surrounds 33 chilean miners' rescue*

6/18 newspurge

drugwar:
'school of americas' generals charged in colombia*
youth anti-drug counselor busted selling phony meth, ecstasy*
pot foes, proponents eye michigan's marijuana law*
video: melissa etheridge says pot restored her health*

flight 447 updates:
photos: latest clues in the flight 447 crash*
air france jet sent message on rudder problem*
autopsies suggest air france jet broke up in sky*
aviation experts suggest flight 447 broke up in midair*

geopolitiks:
official indicted for secrets to china*
china sub collides with array towed by US destroyer*
un security council approves expanded north korea sanctions*
obama calls for robust enforcement of north korea sanctions*
dod says north korea missiles able to hit US in 3yrs*
north korea threatens merciless attack if it is provoked*
'great difference' between tracking a north korean ship & stopping it*
north korea plans july 4th missile launch on hawaii*
hawaii ready for north korean attack*
US fortifies hawaii’s defenses against north korean arms*
US military tracking north korean ship suspected of proliferating missiles, nukes*
eu leaders reassure irish to revive lisbon treaty*
brazilian president, lula di silva, says it's time for 'new world order'*

history/mystery:
watergate burglar & cia operative, bernard barker, dead at 92*
feds try to block evidence release in posada case*
new report on the zodiac killer case*
the cia: a blossoming 60yr old killing machine*
neo-nazi leader 'was mi6 agent'*
federal judge dissolves restrictions linked to chicago police 'red squad'*
1968 chicago riot cops set to ‘celebrate’ mass beatings*
riot of '68 reunion*

media/memes:
how the spooks took over the news*
gps makers to use homer simpson's voice*
web beats tv & radio as preferred news source*

murder/mayhem:
how did they kill bill?*
carradine family seeks fbi help*
bail increase meant to keep roeder the tiller killer in jail*
lawyers, judge seemingly blame murder on halo 3*
quanell x seeks fbi help on mysterious houston deaths*
US hate crimes spike*
video: indiana customers ignore dead convenience store clerk*
trans-atlantic flight lands safely after pilot dies*

other:
'our earth is degenerate in these latter days'*
jason alexander to greg palast:
'you have made me swallow the blue pill'*
(update: palast pulled the post, but it's cached here)
experts say houston dome may help environment*
scientists debate shading earth as climate fix*
crews wary of radioactive wasp nests in washington's hanford nuke cleanup*
church of england attempts to broaden appeal
with u2 songs & prayers for google*
prince charles in charge - the plot thickens*

media/memes: simpsontology, propaganalog & dtv

bart simpson used to promote scientology
from wikinews: Nancy Cartwright, 51, who is a long time member of the Church of Scientology, has created a recording using her voice of Bart Simpson as part of a robocall promotion. The message surfaced early Wednesday morning on YouTube. During the message, Cartwright states that "This is a special message" and announces a Scientology conference this coming weekend at the grand ballroom of the Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles where she has a speaking engagement. The message ends with a toll free number to call to RSVP... The Simpsons executives did not authorize this usage of intellectual property in this manner. Executive producer Al Jean told The Hollywood Reporter, "This is not authorized by us. The Simpsons does not, and never has, endorsed any religion, philosophy or system of beliefs any more profound than Butterfinger bars," referencing the advertisements featuring the Simpsons for the Butterfinger candy bar.

lights, camera… covert action: deep politics of hollywood
from global research: Here we build a prima facae case supporting the idea that Hollywood continues to be a target for infiltration and subversion by a variety of state agencies, in particular the CIA. Academic debates on cinematic propaganda are almost entirely retrospective, and whilst a number of commentators have drawn attention to Hollywood’s longstanding and open relationship with the Pentagon, little of substance has been written about the more clandestine influences working through Hollywood in the post-9/11 world. As such, our work delves into the field of what Peter Dale Scott calls "deep politics"; namely, activities which cannot currently be fully understood due to the covert influence of shadowy power players... Many would recoil at the thought of modern Hollywood cinema being used as a propagandist tool, but the facts seem to speak for themselves. Do agencies such as the CIA have the power, like the Pentagon, to affect movie content by providing much-sought-after expertise, locations and other benefits? Or are they able to affect script changes through simple persuasion, or even coercion? Do they continue to carry out covert actions in Hollywood as they did so extensively in the 1950s, and, beyond cinema, might covert government influence play some part in the creation of national security messages in TV series such as 24 and Alias (the star of the latter, Jennifer Garner, even made an unpaid recruitment video for the CIA)? The notion that covert agencies aspire to be more open is hard to take seriously when they provide such scant information about their role within the media, even regarding activities from decades past. The spy may have come in from the cold, but he continues to shelter in the shadows of the movie theatre.

profiles of america's beloved tv celebrities part32 - bill moyers: cia 'liberal' & nazi joseph campbell

carlos slim stake a danger to ny times
from editor & publisher: Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu's $250 million loan to The New York Times Co. is "an ominous move" by a "capitalist with loyalties to a foreign state," The Seattle Times said in an unsigned editorial Tuesday. "Major media companies should not be in the hands of a capitalist with loyalties to a foreign state," the editorial declared... Tuesday's editorial states the paper's principle right in the headline: "Newspaper ownership matters in American democracy." Slim has said he has no intention of using the loan - and an earlier purchase of a 6.4% stake in Times Co. - to influence the paper's coverage or editorializing.

'star trek' creator gene roddenberry to spend eternity in space

digital conversion deadline looms as the psyop grows
from usa today: Two weeks from today, an estimated 7 million households that rely on analog television sets - ones that work off antennas - could see their screens go blank. The temptation is to say, too bad. People had plenty of warning about the impending nationwide switch to digital TV, and an opportunity to apply for $40 coupons toward the cost of converter boxes. Unfortunately, the federal government has so fouled up the changeover that a delay in the Feb. 17 deadline is the least bad alternative.


update: house approves digital tv transition delay
from pcmag: Get ready for a summertime DTV transition. The House on Wednesday approved a bill to move the DTV transition from February 17 to June 12, by a vote of 264 to 158. The Senate approved the measure last week, so it now moves to President Obama, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

fbi didn't keep tabs on 'alleged comedian' carlin's 7 words
from ap: Talk about irony. George Carlin spent decades pushing the bounds of free speech by saying the seven words you can never say on television, but not one of them made it into an FBI file on him. Among the 12 pages in a file recently released by Carlin's family are a couple of letters from outraged citizens who complained that the comedian had made fun of the FBI and its director, J. Edgar Hoover, during TV appearances in 1969 and 1970. There's also a letter from Hoover himself thanking one of Carlin's critics for defending his honor, and an internal FBI memo that quotes the director as asking: "What do we know of Carlin?" Not much, as it turned out. The memo notes the FBI has "no data concerning Carlin" other than the two letters from his critics. "Which kind of disappoints me," laughed Carlin's daughter, Kelly Carlin McCall, who provided the file to The Associated Press. "It doesn't really cover any of his more radical 1970s stuff."

homer simpson vs electronic vote fraud

from greatscat!: Not certain if this has aired yet or if it's from the upcoming Simpson's Halloween special (?). One thing is for certain, if we've got the big Simpson's vote, it's all over for McCain.

(ed: it's gotta be from the upcoming halloween episode, because you can hear the theremin playing the kang & kodos music that's only used for treehouse of horror episodes..)

news on the march

US says it will increase efforts against 'tax defiers'
from new york times: If you think paying taxes is unfair, illegal or unconstitutional, then watch out - the Justice Department is after you. Just as the Internal Revenue Service is getting into its perennial tax-season tough talk, Justice Department officials weighed in Tuesday with a vow to ramp up efforts against “tax defiers.”

texas woman threatens bank tellers with morgellons
from alice echo news: A woman claiming to have Morgellons, a skin disease, drove through the Wells Fargo motor bank downtown and threatened the tellers by rubbing the bank canister on her sores and sending it through the tube. "A customer went through the drive-thru and threatened the bank staff to give them a contagious disease," said investigator David Valadez with the police department.

venezuela axes 'the simpsons' as bad for kids
from reuters: Venezuela has forced U.S. cartoon "The Simpsons" off its airwaves, calling the show a potentially bad influence on children, and filled its morning slot with reruns of the beach-and-bikini show "Baywatch."

'ruthlessness gene' discovered
from nature news: Selfish dictators may owe their behaviour partly to their genes, according to a study that claims to have found a genetic link to ruthlessness. The study might help to explain the money-grabbing tendencies of those with a Machiavellian streak - from national dictators down to ‘little Hitlers’ found in workplaces the world over.

activists want screeners on camera
from washington times: Religious, minority and civil rights activists are asking Homeland Security officials to screen their own airport screeners using video cameras to check whether passengers are being subjected to bias or profiling. "We believe such controls are critical to ensuring that our nation's [screeners] are focused squarely on security threats and not distracted by any personal bias," the organizations said in a letter...

US irked by iran's joining of shanghai cooperation organization
from press tv: The US says it will use all means to prevent Iran's influence in the region including its membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organization... Washington would not remain silent if there were signs the grouping was evolving in the direction of forming a military cooperation.

army conduct waivers double
from stars & stripes: The percentage of recruits requiring a waiver to join the Army because of a criminal record or other misconduct has more than doubled since 2004 to one for every eight new soldiers, USA Today reported...

40 nasa workers on same floor have cancer
from newsnet5: There are 40 cases of cancer among people who work in the same building at NASA Glenn Research Center. Dozens of the employees fear that their cancer was triggered by years of working in the developmental engineering building, NewsChannel5 reported... "What we've seen in the way of cancer here has just been astronomical on this third floor alone and we're just a little scared," said Dennis Pehotsky, of the Lewis Engineers and Scientists Association.

washington licenses to get rfid
from jerome corsi: The state of Washington announced a pilot project to introduce a driver's license "enhanced" with a radio frequency identification, or RFID... the enhanced license is intended to be an alternative way of complying with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative mandated by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

continuity of government & the 'endgame' scenario
from global research: Back in 1987 during joint congressional hearings into the Iran-Contra affair, Rep. Jack Brooks (D-TX) asked Lt. Col. Oliver North, Reagan's point-man on the National Security Council:

Since those 1987 hearings, the "arrangements" alluded to by Sen. Inouye about this prickly topic, Continuity of Government (COG), have yet to result in an open hearing before relevant congressional committees. Why?

dhs wants permanent checkpoint in vermont
from wcax: Homeland Security wants to build a permanent immigration checkpoint in central Vermont. An exact location has not been revealed, but officials say it would be similar to this one that used to be on Interstate 91 in Hartford. Agents use the check points to search for illegal immigrants, drugs smugglers and terrorists.

dhs ponders microwave raygun missile defences at airports
from the register: The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will consider fitting high-power microwave electropulse rayguns at US airports, in order to defend against the threat of terrorists firing portable anti-aircraft missiles at airliners. American defence heavyweight Raytheon would partner with Israel's Rafael and Kongsberg of Norway to provide the technology, according to a report in Flight International. The proposed kit is known as "Vigilant Eagle", and is competing for DHS securo-dollars with defensive systems that could be fitted to the airliners themselves - for instance BAE Systems' JetEye.

study shows high levels of toxic chemical in wv residents' blood
from ap: Thousands of West Virginia and Ohio residents have elevated levels of a chemical used to make the nonstick coating Teflon, according to preliminary data from a study... DuPont agreed to fund health screenings for up to 70,000 residents who claimed releases of the chemical C8 from the Washington Works plant near Parkersburg had contaminated public and private wells.

the coast isn't clear for scientology anymore

mailings to scientology sites probed
from los angeles times: Mailings of a suspicious white powder to 10 Church of Scientology addresses prompted the evacuation of dozens of people and the closure of a major thoroughfare Wednesday as hazmat teams were called to examine the packages... The incidents appeared to be part of a hoax. Preliminary tests showed the powder to be cornstarch and wheat germ. The Church of Scientology had no comment about the incidents. The mailings come after a cyber attack last week on the Church's website. Authorities said there was no evidence that Wednesday's mailings were connected to the hacking.

711chan.org admin calls for end of attacks on scientology
from wikinews: Administrators for 711chan.org, one of the websites responsible for starting Project Chanology, a "raid" or attack against the Church of Scientology and their website, slowed down their "attack". In an exclusive interview with Wikinews, an administrator of 711chan states that they will "probably stay away from the CoS [Church of Scientology]." "We're probably just going to stay away from the CoS raid. It was poorly managed. We could've brought down a lot more if we weren't just a bunch of unorganized brats," said 'Plasma', an administrator on 711chan.org.

bart simpson gives $10m to scientology
from page six: Longtime Scientologist Nancy Cartwright - best known as the voice of Bart Simpson - last year gave the church $10 million to help spread the word of founder L. Ron Hubbard into other galaxies. It was all part of Scientology’s Global Salvage effort, which aims to “de-aberrate” Earth - meaning to rid mankind of psychology ills and other “aberrant” behavior.

scientology buys historic building in port elizabeth
from herald online: One of the historic landmarks in Port Elizabeth's central business district – the United Building on the corner of St Mary‘s Terrace and Govan Mbeki Avenue – is soon to have a R6-million facelift, adding a new look to the inner city. The building has been bought by the Church of Scientology, which wants to turn it into its regional headquarters, for about R8-million.

danny elfman sues scientology for copyright infringement
from holy juan: By now, you probably have seen the slightly creepy, nine minute video of Tom Cruise discussing his infinite love of the Church of Scientology with the theme from Mission: Impossible looping every eight seconds in the background. As the video spread across the internet, the distraught Church of Scientology sent out several cease and desist letters claiming copyright infringement. Apparently this has backfired. Not only has the mainstream media picked up the story and shown the video in its own endless loop, but Danny Elfman, who composed the music to Mission: Impossible, is also claiming copyright infringement for his music being used without his permission. That horrible, looping in the background of the video is copyrighted and Mr. Elfman has stated through his lawyer that permission to use the music was never granted. Mr. Elfman’s lawyer filed suit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court...

anonymous hackers shoot for scientologists, hit dutch school kids
from threat level: Scientology hired Prolexic, a company that specializes in protecting websites from DDOS attacks... One of the moderators on 711chan.org thought he had learned from a friend what the real server's address was on Friday... But within minutes, users began complaining the software was crashing and others analyzed the traffic and found that the IP address didn't belong to the Church of Scientology, reporting that that the software was actually targeting a school in the Netherlands.

no one spared in 'simpsons' campaign parody

from boston globe: For those political junkies watching the Republican presidential debate on Fox News Channel or otherwise occupied Sunday night, you missed a hilarious "The Simpsons" send-up of the campaign that made fun of candidates, the political parties, New Hampshire voters, the media - just about everyone...

The people of Springfield quickly grow weary of all the attention, and in rebellion decide to support the most ridiculous candidate they can envision. At Moe's tavern, someone suggests Dennis Kucinich. Ouch, since he's actually a real candidate in the Democratic race. A pint-size Kucinich character happens to be in the bar and complains that he's being dissed.

Finally, they settle on 8-year-old Ralph Wiggum, the not-too-bright son of the police chief. Lisa, of course, is mortified. "Oh, dear God," she exclaims. But eventually she comes around, after Ralph talks about helping people and making sure the US plays nice and doesn't fight anymore with foreign countries.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties also decide to support Ralph, who at show's end is sitting on the knee of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington like he's Santa Claus, telling Honest Abe, "I've been a good boy."

go here & here for videos...

how great thou, bart

from jim amrhein: I was afraid that, in the movie version of The Simpsons, these elements would be diluted or tempered in pursuit of the wide-reaching mega-appeal summer blockbusters strive for. I needn’t have worried. This dissenting spirit is not only alive and well on the big screen, but applied with such alternately brutish and near-subliminal expertise that, in my humble opinion, The Simpsons Movie sets a new American cinematic benchmark (not to mention sounds a new wake-up call) for the criticism of government, Big Business and the major media in this country...

But especially the government.

In fact, the entire premise of the movie casts government as the antagonist. Basically, the plotline is that after the town lake becomes hopelessly contaminated with all sorts of pollutants (Homer himself administering the toxic coup de grâce), the Environmental Protection Agency seizes control of Springfield. In short order, the entire town is wiped off maps and GPS grids by the government, then sealed under an impregnable glass dome and left to implode into an anarchic, might-makes-right state that’s like something out of Lord of the Flies or Hobbes’ Leviathan...

Of course, The Simpsons Movie is farfetched and nonsensical. But it’s also brilliantly crystalline in its illustration of the very essence of government – how it does exactly the wrong things, for the wrong reasons (like their own enrichment and expansion), while selling it to the public under the auspices of acting in their interests.

It’s simultaneously stupid slapstick camp and quasi-polemical high art. And it’s hilariously funny, especially if you’re alert... Among the funniest highlights in The Simpsons Movie that poke a hot stick in the eye of government are:

* When EPA Chief Cargill – a business wizard who was appointed to bring his PR savvy to the largely invisible agency – presents President Schwarzenegger with dossiers outlining five options for dealing with the environmental crisis in Springfield, he chooses one at random, offering the heavily-accented justification "I was elected to lead, not to read."

* Later in the movie, the same scenario plays out in the Oval Office after the containment dome plan begins to show weaknesses that could backfire, hurting the EPA’s image. Villain Cargill again presents the President with five options – but hints and prods and coaches him until he picks Option 4, which calls for the nuclear annihilation of Springfield. At other points in the film, we discover that Cargill’s conglomerate had a hand in making not only the bomb, but also the dome that originally sealed off the town...

* In an attempt to win public support for the creation of a "new Grand Canyon" where Springfield used to be, the Feds enlist the aid of über-popular Tom Hanks to appear in a public service announcement, in which he says: "Hello, I'm Tom Hanks. The U.S. Government has lost its credibility, so it’s borrowing some of mine…" And later, "Because if you have to trust a government, why not this one?"

* When Cargill calls in the troops to protect Springfield from Homer’s attempt to rescue both his family (whom the EPA has taken prisoner) and the town, one of his minions calls him on the carpet – accusing the bureaucrat of having let power go to his head. Cargill answers: "Of course I've gone mad with power! Have you ever tried going mad without power? It's boring and no one listens to you!"

* Having fled Springfield as wanted fugitives, the Simpson family takes refuge in Alaska... While on a train across the tundra, they talk openly, Marge assuring the kids that they’re far from the prying eyes and ears of government. Just then, the conductor – who’s actually a surveillance robot – picks up and starts transmitting their conversation to a vast installation of the NSA, where hundreds of Federal agents are eavesdropping on thousands of conversations across the nation. The pointy-headed geek who hears them jumps up and gleefully screams to the whole cavernous room: "The government finally found someone we were looking for!"

These are just a few from many of the comedic barbs The Simpsons Movie hurls at our government. And it would take multiple essays to catalog even the most obvious shots the film takes at the media, popular culture and big business. If you see the film (and you should), keep an eye out for Bart’s almost under-the-radar swipe at Disney. It’s priceless!