Do you have a "Lost" theory, or even a clue as to the whole story of the island?
As much as that sounds like an opportunity for rampantly indulgent waxing, which I love, Griphook and I have to throw up our hands and say Zut Alors! as I've never seen one episode of the show.
Sorry!
(Regarding http://www.pajiba.com/pajiba-love-040808.htm and http://theblemish.com/2008/04/paris-hilton-wanted-to-buy-a-cheetah/)
Paris Hilton's getting a pet cheetah. And y'all expose your ignorant fucktardness yet again. In point of fact, cheetahs are fairly easy to train and domesticate, but instead of bothering to take five minutes an d do some actual research, you instead decide to spout some bullshit snarky li
e and hope that you won't be called out on it. (sic)
Raises an interesting question. Can you tame a cheetah? Should you? And how easy is it to even get one? The answers seem to be "oh, certainly", "no" and "not at all".
According to bigcatrescue.org and an article on exotic pets, cheetahs have historically been the easiest big cat to tame. But it's not all easy and cute, "Cheetahs are generally easy to train as pets, and although hard to imagine, they can be pretty affectionate animals. For example, a pet cheetah will purr and rub their owners just like cats. Keep in mind that cheetahs are loud feline pets, and their purr can be quite deafening. Cheetahs are carnivorous animals, and hunts for small mammals and young larger mammals by sight. They use their ability to run to the best of their ability, but they will give up easily due to the large amount of heat they generate by running. Keep in mind that feeding cheetahs is not easy, and you will need a large environment in order for them to generate their running abilities and exercise. Cheetahs need to rest for a while after a long run though."
AfriCat, a conservationist organization helping the cheetah in Namibia, has to deal with problems caused by capricious pet owners sometimes. The key to is release the rescued animals - usually on other farms - before they lose their fear of humans. But some must be held back, including cubs who were orphaned or kept as pets until the owners decided they were no longer so cute. (http://www.cheetah.org/?html=news-press&data=news-press&key=141)
And, as you might have guessed, money and a big backyard won't even help you that much in scoring your own wild kitten, since conservationists are struggling to keep a wild population alive in Africa and Iran, as Rachael Yang again elaborates: Because cheetahs are an endangered species, it is not easy to obtain a permit for them even if you are a professional - even big zoos have problems and difficulties obtaining a permit for a cheetah at times. Many organizations have also established acts to help protect the cheetah as well. Keep in mind as well that cheetahs are most vulnerable when held in captivity and may have a shorter life span. They also don't reproduce as easily and as regularly. Also, cheetahs are hunted for their fur, and many times they are killed by farmers and others who are trying to protect their livestock.
Many of the cheetah lovers will find it hard to obtain a permit for keeping a cheetah in captivity; thus, if you are one of them, donating to organizations to help cheetahs can be another route you may choose to go for.
The Cheetah Conservation Fund would much rather that animal lovers donate to preserving wild cats in their habitats. For much more information, visit the CCF at www.cheetah.org to find out how you can help! Besides, this third grade student was only doing a creative writing assignment, but he's got a very good point.
Dear Mom,
I hope you don’t get a cheetah as a pet. We live in an apartment. A cheetah needs more room. Besides its tail is so long it would knock things off the tables. Cheetahs also eat 5 pounds of hamburger a day. We couldn’t pay for the food. They also shed their hair and we would have hair on all the furniture.
Love, Nick
And you thought your little cat was a handful! Besides, it's well known Paris is not cut out for this gig.
Ever since I saw that TV Carnage clip of Iggy Pop and David Bowie on The Dinah Shore Show, I've been wanting to hear the backstory about those two pairing up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOMHGncx4uk&feature=related
Sure, I know the bones of the story, but I know there must be more more fun to be had, especially when there seems to be some squabbling amongst Bowie and Iggy fans. Plus, what's this "huge falling out in recent years" thing?
In fact, Iggy has talked about this recently, mirroring earlier comments from Bowie:
Your work with people like Iggy Pop or Lou Reed, was that collaborative or in tribute?
Well...we were all in the right place at the right time and it just worked out well for everybody concerned. I think it was collaborative, definitely, with Iggy. I spent a lot of time writing for him as well as producing. For me, Iggy's strength was as a lyricist--I thought he was the funniest, darkest lyricist of the time. I really wanted to give him some musical support that would get him a wider audience. It just seemed so unfair that he was virtually neglected, as was Lou Reed when I first started working with him...I was going through a very experimental stage when I first started working with Iggy on "The Idiot." I had some ideas on that which reached their fruition when I started working with Brian on "Low." "The Idiot," for me, was a kind of format for devising a new kind of musical scenario.
SECONDS 1995
How did you end up in New York for your fateful meeting with David Bowie at Max's Kansas City?
I'd been given a ticket to Florida by the manager Steve Paul to explore the idea of becoming a singer for Rick Derringer, late of the McCoys. Steve had seen the Stooges at the Goose Lake Festival [in 1970] and found my performance frightening. Then he chimed in with the usual litany: "Let's get this guy out of the group and put some real musicians around him."
I knew I wasn't doing that. I weasled out of that deal and ended up crashing at [ex-Elektra A&R man] Danny Fields' apartment in New York. I was there one night, watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on TV and getting misty, because I identified with it. I felt and still feel the business I'm in is more corrupt than I am. Then the phone rings, and it's Danny at Max's. It took three calls for him to get me there to meet David: "Look, this guy could help you."
Everything Bowie did for you as a fan and friend is well documented. But what did you do for him?
One thing I can tell you for sure: For three years, I was a guinea pig. If he had a new idea and wasn't sure how to approach it, he would write or arrange something in a similar manner for one of my projects. He had a period where he worked with personnel and engineers with me first, until he got the lay of the land. Then he would do his album with them. That was just a practical part of him.
Honestly, I gave him an outlet for an overflow of talent and ideas he had. The more obscure and weird the idea, that's what I wanted. As for whether he got ideas from me, he was soaking them up from everybody. Everything was a source. We went to Bali years later. He bought a gamelan and shipped it to Switzerland: "I can play that." And he did--on "Loving the Alien" [on I984's Tonight ].
ROLLING STONE 2007
Who's whose muse, eh???
As far as a falling out, of course Curt Wild and Brian Slade parted ways, but I can't find anything about a grudge between the other two. I still say they should let Iggy on the damn boat for a commercial. Who's not gonna want to hang with this frantic chicken monkey on the open sea?
And who knew Encyclopaedia Britannica have an article on Iggy and the Stooges, linking to "West Berlin 1970s overview"?
This post brought to you by Galileo
Do you watch Heroes? (Don't worry - not my main question!
) In the first season, Peter Petrelli is trying to get a hold over his super powers and enlists the help of an unwilling invisible man. The invisible man's teaching methods include throwing Peter over a building and beating him up - all incredibly reminiscent of Grant Morrison's The Invisibles. Is Morrison somehow involved in the writing/story idea aspect of the show? Or does the show just borrow lots of different parts from the whole superhero/comic genre?
Who's zoomin who?
One of my old favorites is this argument:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/recycleb/rb40.html
The Matrix is The Invisibles
Of course, lacking a drag queen, they looked pretty damn similar too.
BUT
You usually don't see people noting that The Matrix is Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
see you on the dark side of Raul
http://www.agonybooth.com/overdrawn/
That's a blow by blow account, but it's easier to just watch the MST3K episode
Someone did pick up on a Morrison similarity, though in a slightly different way.
http://www.blather.net/shitegeist/2007/05/its_all_gone_grant_morrison_or_how_heroe.htm
Grant's very big on sigil magic, and the videos of him speaking about it are pretty interesting. As far as I can tell Grant's got no connection to the production of Heroes, but I'm sure it's safe to say that they're picking up things they like all over the place. Series creator Tim Kring is admittedly not a comics geek, but there's plenty of geekery in the writers. There seems to be a long-running charge of Heroes ripping off The 4400. I've not seen the show, but, pretty much, you're always gonna find some pilfering all through these things. I think Heroes is a stew, and doesn't mind being one. It's the primetime network version of lots of existing concepts.
But Overdrawn...yeah, THAT was outright theft, man!
You could always read someone else’s blog and go from there. Some people talk about the most interesting things.
Indeed. And someone I know has been wondering about jackals. Where do they reside in stories besides Anubis? She’d found some evidence for trickstering in India. As it turns out they get around.
(I cannot stop hearing Patton Oswalt saying “Jackyl with a Y!!” in my head right now, but I’m going to try to continue)
He’s in Kipling’s Jungle Books as Tabaqui
From Mowgli’s Brothers
It was the jackal—Tabaqui, the Dish-licker—and the wolves of India despise Tabaqui because he runs about making mischief, and telling tales, and eating rags and pieces of leather from the village rubbish-heaps. But they are afraid of him too, because Tabaqui, more than anyone else in the jungle, is apt to go mad, and then he forgets that he was ever afraid of anyone, and runs through the forest biting everything in his way. Even the tiger runs and hides when little Tabaqui goes mad, for madness is the most disgraceful thing that can overtake a wild creature. We call it hydrophobia [rabies], but they call it dewanee—the madness—and run.
The Jackal’s Judgment A STORY FROM SRI LANKA
...”Wait a minute,” said the jackal, noting the crocodile’s toothy grin. “I don’t believe this puny boy could pull a great crocodile like you out of the mud. Why, it would take three of him to do so! I must see this to believe it.” The jackal winked at Dinu. “Show me how this happened, and I will give you my answer.”
The Adventures of The Jackal’s Eldest Son African Folk Tales
‘Dear me, how clever you are! Who taught you such wisdom?’ exclaimed the lion, looking at him admiringly.
‘The fate of the hyena,’ answered the jackal, laughing, and running off at his best speed; for he saw two men armed with spears coming close behind the lion!
The Blue Jackal A Panchatantra Story from India
...The other animals were present when it happened and stared at him incredulously. Here was their mighty blue king howling just like a jackal! So he was a jackal after all and not a strange creature sent from heaven! He had merely colored himself somehow and had been fooling them all these days! Fooling the lion king, the fierce tiger and mighty elephant!
Two jackals are the main characters in the ancient Panchatantra. And then “The Arabic translation of the Panchatantra, called Kalila wa Dimna (“Kalila and Dimna,” after the names of the two jackals) was an important source for many of Rumi’s stories”:
The jackal that pretended to be a peacock
...Then you are not a peacock, father of lofty airs! The glory-robe of the peacock is the gift of heaven; how should you ever attain to it by means of dyes and false pretences?
Also known in Pakistan as The Painted Jackal. Not quite the same as The Blue Jackal of Tibet
...He replied, “My name is Sataga, and I have been appointed king of the four-footed beasts by Sakra, the king of the gods.”
The jackals considered that, as his body was of a color never before seen, this must be true, and they made all the four-footed beast acquainted with the fact.
And then he’s all over South Africa
The Tiger, The Ram and the Jackal
...”What a foolish fellow you are,” cried Jackal, “to let such a nice piece of flesh stand! Why did you do so? But we shall go to-morrow and eat it together.”
Then in Turkey, “In Trebizond folklore, the Bardi (feminine jackal) is a shape-changing spirit or an rabid animal who presage a death by wailing.”
And then you’ve got the imperious, graceful god of embalming in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians obviously had a strong independent streak with their stories. And no sense of humor, yet I like the idea of swearing “by the Dog of Egypt!”.
The Grey Havens. What exactly is it?
I've always been fuzzy on this and whenever I ask anyone, I get very vague answers and even more vague hand gestures. Am I wrong in that the bare bones idea of it is that it definitely exists on a map, and elves and very select non-elvish people go to spend a physical eternity there when they feel they just can't hack Middle Earth anymore? Sure, Bilbo and Frodo got to go, but did they live forever over there? And it seems to be understood that you can't just get in a boat and go check it out to see what it looks like. Is that really all there is to know about how the Grey Havens works?
The short answer is very simple. The Grey Havens is just a little harbor hamlet. Nothing more than a departure point set up by elves long ago, and there used to be more than one. 
The other short answer is that if someone who's not an elf goes to "The West", then no, they do not become immortal. I'm told that, in fact, your life gets shorter, though it's a bit like the greatest hospice ever. You can heal and rest up, but if you stay there the paradox of being a non-elf in eternal elf land will kill you. But you can come back. I say "The West" because, oh man, does it get nitpicky where Frodo actually went.
For the thorough answer, I cite Mr. Paul Inglis:
They're about 100 miles to the west of the western borders of the Shire (approximately - I'm not looking at a map).
They are certainly a real place on a map - but I think that maybe you are confusing the Havens, the departure point of the Elvish ships, with their destination in the Undying Lands (not enough of a Tolkien geek to be able to name the exact place, but it's somewhere in Eressea). The harbour of Alqualonde springs to mind. This stuff is all from Tolkien's earliest imaginings, about 25 years before he started writing 'The Lord Of The Rings'.
You won't find the destination on a map in 'The Lord Of The Rings', nor can you get there, unless you're an Elf (or have very good Elvish connections). The Undying Lands are in a sense a kind of Earthly Paradise, and they were *originally* part of the real physical world - but they were eventually "removed" from the Earth in terms of being accessed by regular folks, at least. However, in some sense they are still physically "there" - but not for the likes of you and I - unless you are especially favoured. If you were able to travel there you would feel the sensation of your boat being guided onto a "Straight Road" in the ocean that would seem to lift away from the curve of the Earth, while passing through mists. After a time there might be a warm rain and a feeling that perhaps you have passed through a curtain of silver, and then you would in time arrive at lamplight quays under a tall mountain, and perhaps see "white shores and beyond them a fair green country under
a swift sunrise". But I've said too much already.
Tolkien got the idea (which as I say is part of his very earliest writings) from a handful of Anglo-Saxon poems that deal with seafarers that came to a land across the western ocean from Britain - presumably America we moderns would surely think - but what they found was a land of enchantment and wonder inhabited by people described as "Elves". However, when later seafarers tried to retrace these voyages they (at least the ones who returned) found only regular lands inhabited by humans.
Curiously, the Elvish harbours in the Undying Lands were said to lie "nigh to the girdle of the World", the Equator. In other words, quite close (presumably) to the Caribbean and (for that matter) the Bermuda Triangle (not that Tolkien said that, I'm just noting their position relative to places in our world).
As for the Grey Havens themselves, they are an Elvish settlement on the western coast of Middle Earth (think north western Europe) to the west of the Shire. There were orginally other Elvish Havens from where Elves might return to the Undying Lands (for example Edhellond in Gondor) but they were abandoned as the number of Elves steadily diminished. You can certainly return from the Havens, as Sam, Merry and Pippin do.
Thanks, Paul!
I'm afraid that's exactly the case. I like to go on....at length....but I need a trigger. My mind is usually blank otherwise if I were to try to write something. 
I certainly can't write fiction, but I usually have a story I can add to what you were just saying. Plus, I like to answer questions. Thus, I thought I'd experiment with extemporizing all over someone else's concerns. That's more fun for me anyway. I put the address out here and there and see if anyone happens by.
When I think of Robyn Hitchcock, I think "Beatle Dennis". I wish I hadn't thrown away my Globe of Frogs tape even if I don't have a tape player anymore.
My question is: In the galaxy of Harry Potter fandom, what are the or
igins of the word "ship"? It's always pretty funny to see which characters these people try to link romantically, but I've always wondered where the word came from. To me, it doesn't really sound like what it means.
The first I heard of "'shipping" was in the 90s on rickety old X-Files sites, back in the days of the Estrogen Brigade and such. I didn't know what the hell it meant either. Eventually I just picked up the context without bothering to figure it out and eventually I realized it was some kind of contraction of "relationship", one wished for by fans. With X-Files, shipping was more like you're someone who thinks they oughta just do it and get it over with (see: Northern Exposure). In something like Harry Potter, and contemporaneously the Buffy universe, where there's a whole repertory going on, it can denote a preference.
There are people who would say that Harry Potter shipping is not over. I tell these people to go to hell. This is because shipping is something that you're hoping will happen, and it still might, even if it's a bit farfetched. But not so farfetched as to be impossible, such as Spock-on-Kirk action. That's where you get into "slash", fandom erotica rooted in fantasized homosexual pairings of characters. It can mean any dirty fanfiction, but you'll find the majority is never-gonna-happen gay, say, Harry and Draco. You can put anybody you want in slash. In fact, someone probably already has.
But this shipping business. That's your wishin and hopin that the writer(s) are gonna make your year by getting those two together. The Harry Potter ship behemoth is, of course, the H/H. And it does have a great symmetry, doesn't it? It even looks cool. However, it was a longshot for several years. Many people thought that Ron and Hermione would finally realize that they've been an odd couple waiting to happen, like Harry Burns on New Year's Eve, or Paula Abdul and that cat. There was always a certain frisson, and Ron certainly got pissy when Krum showed up. Men don't realize that they're jealous, and why, until after they're already being impolite and sulky. So, definitely a "ohhh you two crazy kids, what took you so long???". Hermione doesn't get under Harry's skin the same way. Sometimes he gets pissed at her, but they don't really bicker. However, there's still not been a definitive Ron/Hermione event. But again, Harry Burns took 12 years. So while the question of coupling remained open, Harry/Hermione had many supporters. This was shut down when Harry suddenly wanted to beat Dean Thomas's face in. And he didn't even know why. See? But you knew that "why" was that Ginny Weasley girl Dean was snogging on. And then Harry totally planted one on her after a big quidditch win. And they totally became a public couple. Here the ship ends. Hermione has been voted out.
There are those who will say, though, that Harry's "I gotta do this and don't wanna get you killed" chilling of his relationship with Ginny was him casting aside a temporary thing, on the way to his true destiny with Hermione. These people refuse to embrace the punk rock power that is Ginny Weasley. I cannot help them.
How do I explain who Robyn Hitchcock is to people unfamiliar with his work?
I don't think he has any radio hits to draw upon and I don't think his cameos in the Manchu
rian Candidate remake were memorable enough to stick with people the way Jonathan Richman's in There's Something About Mary does. I don't want to >have< to refer people to Wikipedia.
You could say a true believer of Bob Dylan, Syd Barrett and Roger McGuinn who is profoundly British Eccentric, a boss guitarist with a jangling Telecaster and deadpan, surrealist humor. Or you could say to think of "Reckoning" by a nutty English guy. But these are words, just like Wikipedia. So go for the other internet gratification:
The "Uncorrected Personality Traits" and "Birds In Perspex" clips that are also listed if you go to the actual page are also well worth checking out. Too bad none of the real promo videos seem to be out there. "So You Think You're In Love" ought to appeal to anyone who'd see it!
How does Doctor Who continuity work?
Do the Peter Cushing films fit/count?
Who wrote that theme song?
(Have you considered making an "ask a question" slot at the top of the page?)
I don't think I can. I'm running it backwards anyway.
Per the 2003 BBC special "The Story of Doctor Who" there are eight (now ten in the years since it aired), concluding with Paul McGann in the one-shot 1996 TV movie. McGann as number eight is canon. Cushing, as they say, doesn't get a look in. Plus, he's "Dr. Who" and not "The Doctor". As with other sci fi properties, novels and such are well and good until the BBC says it's not and was never true. TV is the official record.
The short answer is that Ron Grainer composed the theme. But a Forbidden Planet-style team of mad scientists are who made it happen in 1963 .
For many years I thought "Rock and Roll Part 2" was, in fact, "Doctorin' The Tardis" by the KLF (known to me as "that Doctor Who song I heard somewhere"). The first time I remember hearing Gary Glitter, during Reality Bites I think, I wondered where the chanting was and had thought it strange that that football marching band was once playing "that Doctor Who song" on TV. The analog days, huh? Like an imprinting duckling, I'll die thinking Gary Glitter is playing an instrumental version of the KLF.
Go nuts!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/news/radiophonatron.shtml
