Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The Ad Lav Club



Peter Cook and Dudley Moore appeared with special guest John Lennon in the above clip from one of the few episodes that survives from the "Not Only But Also" series. Some contextual notes are provided below for the benefit of anybody who thinks this relic of British comedy is too preoccupied with the lavatorial.

The name of the club is remarkably similar to that of the Ad Lib Club which, at that time, was one of the hippest clubs frequented by London's rock aristocracy. Reached via elevator, it was located on the top floor of the Prince Charles Theater in Leicester Place. The Beatles went there often. And it was there that Lennon, George Harrison and their wives took their first LSD trips. So that's the satirical angle, right there.

The satire boom of the early 1960s changed the face of British culture and inspired others who would come later. In more recent times the Monty Python alumnus Eric Idle said he went to see the original London production of "Beyond the Fringe" and was amazed that Cook dared to ridicule then prime minister Harold MacMillan so hilariously.

Of course, back in 1961, Cook had bought a Soho strip club that he transformed into a satirical night club called The Establishment. It became the in place. Sketches were performed on a small stage on the ground floor of the premises. The legendary American comedian Lenny Bruce worked there nightly, despite some early difficulties finding heroin in London. Frankie Howerd sealed his reputation as master of the innuendo. And a young Australian, Barry Humphries, perfected his Edna Everage persona. In the basement, Moore played jazz piano and the Dudley Moore Trio was born.

On the first floor, photographer Lewis Morley, known now for his famous portraits of sixties icons such as Christine Keeler, had his studio. Morley became world-famous in 1963 when he took his classic portrait of Keeler, considered by many to be one of the photographic icons of the period.

Then at the height of her fame for being one of the victims in the Profumo Affair, a scandal that brought down the MacMillan government, the naked Keeler was photographed sitting astride a backwards-facing Arne Jacobsen "Ant" chair, her torso concealed by her arms and the back of the chair.

"It was the very last shot on the roll," Morley said. "I was walking away and turned back. She was in a perfect position and I just snapped it. I never found her sexy, though. She reminded me too much of Vera Lynn."

The Keeler photograph was published in a Sunday tabloid without Morley's permission and was immediately parodied and plagarised. But it was Morley himself who photographed David Frost in the Keeler position on the Keeler chair for the BBC's weekly satirical program "That Was The Week That Was," which was produced in 1961 by Ned Sherrin and hosted by Frost.



Morley was the official photographer for TW3, as it was known, and his friend and landlord Cook was one of its many writers. Cartoonist Gerald Scarfe used another pose from the original Keeler shoot, a side-saddle position, to lampoon Prime Minister Harold MacMillan.


And of course it was Morley who shot this iconic image of Pete and Dud.

Hi-Tech Skills for Low-Tech Folk














Colt Hall @ PLNU
Do you have an FTP client? Can you download any page you want to change, make those changes without screwing up your existing code and then FTP them back up to a Web site? Are you lost? You need this forum.

Get the facts from the experts and arm yourself for the future. A news forum focusing on new hi-tech skills for low-tech folk will be held in the Colt Hall at Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Drive, San Diego, Calif. 92106-2810, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14.

The panelists will be: Reo Carr (associate publisher, San Diego Business Journal), Jeremiha Douglas (a senior at High Tech High who will give a presentation on what he sees as the next big thing – you won’t want to miss this), Jeff Dillon (Weblogs Administrator, SignOnSanDiego.com) and Bob Hawkins (principal content producer, SignOnSanDiego.com) .

Cost: $10 (San Diego Press Club Members), $12 (potential members), $5 (students)

RSVP by e-mail: sdpressclub@cox.net or by phone: (619) 231-4340.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Thommy Ferran




On Tuesday, May 30, 2006, the noted entrepreneur, bon viveur, gay activist and member of the City of San Diego Citizens' Review Board on Police Practices Thomas Ferran died after a long battle with AIDS.


His mother and his sister Celin were at his side.

A memorial service will be held for him at Patio B, Casa Del Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, on Saturday, June 24, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Death notice in the San Diego Union-Tribune

Link to guest book

Simon Cowell's Antecedent?


The train was quite crowded, so a U. S. Marine walked the entire length looking for a seat, but the only seat left was taken by a well dressed, middle-aged, French woman’s poodle.

The war-weary Marine asked, "Ma’am, may I have that seat?"

The French woman just sniffed and said to no one in particular, "Americans are so rude. My little Fifi is using that seat."

The Marine walked the entire train again, but the only seat left was under that dog. "Please, ma’am. May I sit down? I’m very tired."

She snorted, "Not only are you Americans rude, you are also arrogant!"

This time the Marine didn’t say a word. He just picked up the little dog, tossed it out the train window, and sat down.

The woman shrieked, "Someone must defend my honor! Put this American in his place!"

An English gentleman sitting nearby spoke up, "Sir, you Americans often seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You hold the fork in the wrong hand. You drive on the wrong side of the road. And now, sir, you seem to have thrown the wrong bitch out the window.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Hu's on first?











George: Condi! Nice to see you. What’s happening?
Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.
George: Great. Lay it on me.
Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.
George: That’s what I want to know.
Condi: That’s what I’m telling you.
George: That’s what I’m asking you. Who is the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes.
George: I mean the fellow’s name.
Condi: Hu.
George: The guy in China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The new leader of China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The main man in China!
Condi: Hu is leading China.
George: Now whaddya’ asking me for?
Condi: I’m telling you, Hu is leading China.
George: Well, I’m asking you. Who is leading China?
Condi: That’s the man’s name.
George: That’s who’s name?
Condi: Yes.
George: Will you, or will you not, tell me the name of the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he’s dead in the Middle East.
Condi: That’s correct.
George: Then who is in China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir is in China?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Then who is?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Look Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone.
Condi: Kofi?
George: No, thanks.
Condi: You want Kofi?
George: No.
Condi: You don’t want Kofi.
George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N.
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi?
George: Milk! Will you please make the call?
Condi: And call who?
George: Who is the guy at the U.N?
Condi: Hu is the guy in China
George: Will you stay out of China?!
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi.
George: All right! With cream and two sugars.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Support the Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill in Congress


Let’s give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for two days after breast surgery. It takes two seconds to make a difference. And it is very important. Please take the time and do it now.


If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. And yet U.S. insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure.


But there’s a bill, called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It’s about eliminating the “drive-through mastectomy” where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this story on its Web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year more than half the U.S. House of Representatives signed on. This takes about two seconds. Please sign the petition by clicking on the link below. You need not give more than your name and ZIP code number.


Please pass this on to your friends and family and, on behalf of all American women, please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you’re reading this, it’s because I think you will take the 30 seconds to vote on this issue and bring it to the attention of others you know who will do the same.
http://www.lifetimetv.com/health/breast_mastectomy_pledge.html

[Submitted by Ensenada Jim]

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

The Church and the Press

A preacher wanted to raise money for his church. He heard there was a fortune in horse racing. So he decided to purchase a horse and enter it in the races. However, at the local auction the going price for horses was so high that he ended up buying a donkey instead.
He figured that, since he had it, he might as well go ahead and enter it in the races.
To his surprise, the donkey came in third. The next day the local paper carried this headline: “Preacher’s Ass Shows”
The preacher was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again, and this time it won. The paper read: “Preacher’s Ass Out in Front”
The bishop was so upset with this publicity that he ordered the preacher not to enter the donkey in another race. The paper headline read: “Bishop Scratches Preacher’s Ass”
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the preacher to get rid of the donkey. The preacher decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent. The paper headline the next day read: “Nun Has Best Ass in Town”
The bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey. So she sold it to a farmer for $10. Next day the headline read: “Nun Sells Ass for $10”
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey, lead it to the plains where it could run wild and free. Next day, the headline in the paper read: “Nun Announces Her Ass Is Wild and Free”
The bishop was buried the next day.