What a coincidence that this year two major movies — Smurfs and Tintin — are based on Belgian cartoon characters. Brussels is going green (and, uh, brown) by bringing back horses to the city’s streets…
…and Kristel Verbeke looks into experiments to increase the intelligence of apes (what could go wrong?)…
http://youtu.be/Ub1i9YFf764
…while Josje teaches girls how to dance the K3 way.
http://youtu.be/Cad7TI0P4fE
In 1968 America exploded politically, between the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of MLK and RFK, and the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, all of which ultimately led to the election of Richard Nixon. It was a difficult year for me personally, between the second half of 7th grade sucking, family problems, and having to move. Also, I went from thinking about girls to thinking about girls, girls, and girls.
A HUGE bright spot for me in 1968 was the premiere of Laugh-In, a TV show that I enjoyed with great, even painful, intensity. And, as always, reading comic books and listening to the radio helped to get me through my troubles. 1968 was the year sandwiched between the Summer of Love, with the Monterey Pop Music Festival, and Woodstock. It was looking like a light year for Beatles singles, until Hey Jude dominated the charts for weeks, but there were plenty of other songs I loved hearing that year. Here are my top 5, in no particular order. One of them is the Troggs song I already featured.
http://youtu.be/S8-knbCtXdQ
http://youtu.be/nWxm5YRmzEU
I first saw this story on the Daily Cartoonist, but it’s so strange that by now it’s probably getting wider coverage. In Renton, Washington, somebody has used Xtranormal animation to make parody videos of the police department. It’s apparently the work of an insider, and the chief isn’t amused. TV station KIRO7 broke the story. (Argh! The reporter says, “sign off on this,” an expression that drives me nuts. It should simply be “sign this.”)
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2011/AUG/CriticizeRentonPolice.flv 512 288]
Today, the police chief defended his use of the courts for what seems to be a personal vendetta. This story has all the ingredients of a real-life Reno 911!
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2011/AUG/RentonPoliceRespond.flv 512 288]
The economist Paul Krugman is a Keynesian. He says government stimulus is the way to get the economy moving again, even if it means going deeper in debt. The prevailing policy in England, and now in America, favors Friedrich Hayek, who would recommend cutting back and riding out the downturn until the economy corrects itself. BBC Radio 4 sponsored an interesting debate on the merits and weaknesses of Keynes vs. Hayek
[audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Audio/2011/Aug/bbc4.mp3|titles=BBC Radio 4 debate: Keynes vs. Hayek]I’ve finally seen a video with Lady Gaga, and who better to introduce her than… XUXA!
Xuxa is now close to 50, and I’d say she’s proof that Brazil has some good plastic surgeons.
One of the smashing British birds of the Sixties that is too often overlooked is Lady Penelope, a woman whose life has many strings attached. Lady Penelope was ably assisted by Parker, her faithful servant.
http://youtu.be/dwKLgTUb-EQ
One of Penelope’s most famous encounters was with British music legend Cliff Richard…
http://youtu.be/0hnGPCme0wk?t=4m43s
… and Lady Penelope had a hit song of her own, ably assisted by Parker, of course.
