'Aliens' in America

CW previews 'Aliens' for Muslims

Network to also screen sitcom for Brookings

By JOSEF ADALIAN

The CW will preview 'Aliens in America,' starring Dan Byrd, left, and Adhir Kalyan, at the Islamic Center of Southern California and the Brookings Institution.

Sept. 4, 2007 - It's not every day that the Brookings Institution screens a new network comedy, but the Washington think tank will do so next month when it previews the CW laffer "Aliens in America."

Skein -- about a Muslim student who ends up living with an American family -- is also skedded to be shown at another unusual venue: the Islamic Center of Southern California, where it will screen Thursday. Both presentations will be followed by panel discussions featuring the show's exec producers, Moses Port and David Guarascio.

Producer CBS Paramount Network Television says the screenings and discussions are designed to raise awareness of "Aliens," which despite its provocative premise is actually a sweet half-hour. It's a strategy endorsed by Guarascio

"We just want as many people to hear about the show as possible, and we think (the screenings) make complete sense," he said, noting that he and Port have been talking to the Islamic Center about "Aliens" since the show was in the script stage. Early reaction has been positive.

"They were excited to have a show that was a comedy and where the Muslim character wasn't a terrorist," Guarascio said.

"Aliens" isn't a politically minded show a la "All in the Family" or "Maude," though an early episode has townfolk twittering when the Muslim student buys some explosives -- for a rocket-club assignment.

"We're not going out of our way to do it, but we'll naturally have some stories that touch upon (issues)," he said.

Our President at His Best

Bush slips up on APEC name

7th September 2007

US President George W Bush has mistaken the name of the conference he's travelled halfway around the world to attend, in front of a summit of business leaders in Sydney.

Mr Bush, in Australia to attend the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit of world leaders, took to the stage at the Sydney Opera House on Friday morning and thanked Prime Minister John Howard for his introduction and for being such a "kind host" for the OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) summit.

"I mean APEC summit," he said.

"I've been invited to the OPEC summit next year.

"The APEC summit."

The faux pas brought laughter from his audience inside the auditorium.

White House aides later said Bush was joking and would not, in fact, attend an OPEC summit.

Mr Bush also stumbled over his pronunciation of Jemaah Islamiah, the regional terror network.

And in another miscue, he botched the host country's name, referring to Mr Howard's visit to Iraq in 2006 as a thank you to "the Austrian troops there."


From Reuters:

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Even for someone as gaffe-prone as U.S. President George W. Bush, he was in rare form on Friday, confusing APEC with OPEC and transforming Australian troops into Austrians.

Bush's tongue started slipping almost as soon as he started talking at a business forum on the eve of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Sydney.

"Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction," he told Prime Minister John Howard. "Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit."

As the audience of several hundred people erupted in laughter, Bush corrected himself and joked, "He invited me to the OPEC summit next year." Australia has never been a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Later in his speech, Bush recounted how Howard had gone to visit "Austrian troops" last year in Iraq. There are, in fact, no Austrian troops there. But Australia has about 1,500 Australians military personnel in and around the country.

Upon finishing his speech, Bush took the wrong way off-stage and, looking slightly perplexed, had to be re-directed by Howard to a center-stage exit.

But not before a veteran White House correspondent seized the opportunity to ask Bush whether there had been any new message in his speech. Apparently misunderstanding the question, he bristled and asked, "Haven't you been listening to my past speeches?" before turning away.

Bush is no stranger to the occasional faux pas, and often jokes about his habit of mangling the English language.

One of his highest-profile gaffes came in May when, at a welcoming ceremony for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, he nearly placed her in the 18th century.

Then there was the famous incident at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg in 2006 when Bush, unaware he was on camera, greeted British Prime Minister Tony Blair with the words "Yo Blair."

Bush's sometimes muddled syntax and mispronunciation of words like nuclear ("nukular") have long been fodder for late-night TV comedians. But aides say his folksy style has helped endear him to Middle America.

© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.

Bush Goes into Gaffe Overdrive

OMG! Can one person be really THAT stupid?? Apparently so... AND he's the President of the United States!

Bush goes into gaffe overdrive
Staff and agencies
Friday September 7, 2007

Guardian Unlimited

Bushisms were famous before the man even entered the White House. But with his presidency entering its twilight phase, there is no end, it seems, to the steady supply of inadvertent slips of the tongue.

Yesterday he had reached only the third sentence of his address to an audience at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, when he committed his first gaffe.

"Thank you for being such a fine host for the Opec summit," Mr Bush said to the Australian prime minister, John Howard, confusing two completely different groupings of nations. "Apec summit," he quickly corrected himself.

He then joked that Mr Howard had invited him to the Opec summit next year (for the record, an impossibility, since neither Australia nor the US are members of the oil exporting cartel).

That slip paled in comparison with the next gaffe - a slip of the tongue that placed Austrian, not Australian, troops in Iraq.

Talking about Mr Howard's visit to Iraq last year to thank his country's soldiers serving there, Bush called them "Austrian troops".

That one was fixed for him, with the official text released by the White House switching it to "Australian". Tapes of the speech, however, clearly show Mr Bush saying "Austrian".

Then, speech done, Mr Bush confidently headed out - the wrong way. He strode away from the lectern on a path that would have sent him over a steep drop. Mr Howard and others redirected the president to where there were steps leading down to the floor of the theatre.

Check out the YouTube video:

Bill Gates in Heaven 2.0 - Religious Joke of the Day

Bill Gates Meets His Programmer Bill Gates suddenly dies and finds himself face to face with God. God stands over him and says, "Well Bill, I'm really confused on this one. It's a tough decision. I'm not sure whether to send you to Heaven or Hell. After all, you helped society enormously by putting a computer in almost every home in America, yet you also created that ghastly Windows '95 among other indiscretions. I believe I'll do something I've never done before; I'll let you decide where you want to go." Bill pushed up his glasses, looked up at God and replied, "Could you briefly explain the difference between the two?" Looking slightly puzzled, God said, "Better yet, why don't I let you visit both places briefly, then you can make your decision. Which do you choose to see first, Heaven or Hell?" Bill played with his pocket protector for a moment, then looked back at God and said, "I think I'll try Hell first." So, with a flash of lightning and a cloud of smoke, Bill Gates went to Hell. When he materialized in Hell, Bill looked around. It was beautiful and clean, a bit warm, with sandy beaches and tall mountains, clear skies, pristine water, and beautiful women frolicking about. A smile came across Bill's face as he took in a deep breath of the clean air. "This is great," he thought, "if this is Hell, I can't wait to see heaven." Within seconds of his thought, another flash of lightning and a cloud of smoke appeared, and Bill was off to Heaven. Heaven was a place high above the clouds, where angels were drifting about playing their harps and singing in a beautiful chorus. It was a very nice place, Bill thought, but not as enticing as Hell.Bill looked up, yelled for God, told him his decision and was sent to Hell for eternity. Time passed, and God decided to check on the late billionaire to see how he was progressing in Hell. When he got there, he found Bill Gates shackled to a wall in a dark cave amid bone thin men and tongues of fire, being burned and tortured by demons. "So, how is everything going?" God asked. Bill responded with a cracking voice filled with anguish and disappointment, "This is awful! It's nothing like the Hell I visited the first time!! I can't believe this is happening! What happened to the other place...with the beaches and the mountains and the beautiful women?" "That was the demo," replied God.

Bush on Iraq: 'We're kicking ass'

Ladies and Gentlemen... Introducing our BRILLIANT president!

September 6, 2007

Bush on Iraq: 'We're kicking ass'

President Bush will give his progress report on Iraq next week, based on information from Gen. David Petraeus.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — When President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq last weekend, he made clear he was pleased with what he saw.

"The security situation is changing," Bush told reporters during the visit. "There's more work to be done. But reconciliation is taking place."

But according to the Sydney Morning Herald of Australia, the president gave a more-to-the-point assessment to Australia Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile.

"We're kicking ass," Bush said to Vaile Tuesday, according the Herald, after the deputy prime minister inquired about his trip to Iraq.

On Thursday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino would not confirm or deny the reported comment.

This isn't the first blunt comment Bush was overheard making to a world leader. At last year's G8 summit, an live microphone picked up the president telling then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair that the United Nations needs to "get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s**t."

– CNN's Elaine Quijano contributed to this report

Indians? Cowboys? Or Both?

Gay Rodeo is coming to the DC area this weekend! One of our South Asian boiz was really excited to hear about the event! So in honor of this cross-cultural fetish, I'd like to present my collection of South Asian cowboys... Enjoy!

<--- This is apparently an actual movie. Check it out! The cast / producer / director, etc.

The official website for Indian Cowboy.




Theatrical trailer from YouTube:



Teaser from YouTube:







<----- It's not just a single love story ladies and gentlemen, its a "love, LOVE" story. hehe.






<------- "I wonder if she knows I'm gay?"

















<----- "I wonder if he knows I'm also into girls?"






<---- Ok, so this has nothing to do with South Asian cowboys, but he DID show up in my Google search... Who knows... He could be South Asian, right? Maybe a mix of Afghan and Italian? Ok, so maybe only my dreams... Hmmm... *smile*




<------------ YIKES! I doubt this one was displayed on the streets of Mumbai! ;-)














I wonder if this Indian cowboy knew who he was shaking hands with? (That's Sen. Larry Craig if you didn't recognize him already). And he says he's not gay?? Pleaaaze!! Do you see that hand shake??














<---- Ok - this guy is SCARY looking... But apparently he is in fact a real Indian cowboy - from Australia no less? Oh those Aussies! They'll taken any one down under. :-) Here's a story on Mr. Bobby Cash also known as "Babu."


This is a really weird short film titled "Cowboy on Indian Street"

Fake Bin Laden Motorcade Causes Summit Stir

So you may have heard of a little summit taking place in Sydney, Australia right now. Oh, just the 21 most powerful leaders in the world gathering together.

So get this, with thousands of police together with the secret service - a comedy crew managed to drive a motorcade straight up to the Intercontinental Hotel - where our very own President Bush is staying... So much for those security plans, eh? LOVE IT!! :-)

Crazy security measures outline in this article:

A section of downtown where leaders will meet has been walled by a five-kilometer (3-mile), 2.8-meter-high fence and 22 explosives-detecting canine teams will be deployed. Australian police also checked the security background of a group of eight 12-year-old Australian choristers who will perform during the summit.

The federal government will spend A$169 million ($139 million) on boosting security for APEC. That includes extra police cars, water cannons, personal watercraft to patrol the harbor and inflatable boats. New South Wales will provide 3,000 officers for the week of the event.

The Australian Federal Police have deployed 450 officers to Sydney, including canine explosives teams, personal protection officers, intelligence analysts and airport security personnel.

Here's a CNN article on the media stunt:

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Members of an Australian TV comedy show, one of them dressed as Osama bin Laden, drove through two security checkpoints Thursday before being stopped near the Sydney hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush is staying.

Police officers were not amused by the comedy group's stunt. Eleven people were arrested.

The stunt embarrassed Sydney police who have imposed the tightest security measures in city history for a summit of leaders from Pacific Rim countries, including Bush.

Police arrested 11 cast and crew members from the TV program, "The Chaser's War on Everything," and impounded three vehicles, the Australian Broadcasting Corp., which airs the show, said on its Web site.

Cast members put together a sham motorcade, hiring two motorcycles and three large cars on which they put Canadian flags. Police waved the motorcade through two checkpoints before pulling it over near the Intercontinental Hotel where Bush is staying.

Cast member Chas Licciardello got out of the car dressed in a white tunic and cap and wearing a long, fake, Osama bin Laden-style beard.

"No particular reason we chose Canada," cast member Chris Taylor was quoted as saying on The Sydney Morning Herald's Web site. "We just thought they'd be a country who the cops wouldn't scrutinize too closely, and who feasibly would only have three cars in their motorcade -- as opposed to the 20 or so gas guzzlers that Bush has brought with him."

Bush is a frequent target of "The Chaser," as are Australian politicians. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the stunt proved security was working.

"Whatever you think of the humor of 'The Chaser,' the honest truth is they were clearly not going to harm anybody in a physical way," Downer said. "They presumably were, as is the nature of their show, aiming to humiliate a lot of well-known people."

My favorite quote:

"No particular reason we chose Canada," cast member Chris Taylor was quoted as saying on The Sydney Morning Herald's Web site. "We just thought they'd be a country who the cops wouldn't scrutinize too closely, and who feasibly would only have three cars in their motorcade -- as opposed to the 20 or so gas guzzlers that Bush has brought with him."

Video of arrests at Mr. Bin Laden himself here.

Enjoy!

Troubles - Daily Inspiration

Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.
-Henry Ward Beecher

Beyonce Told to Dress Up for Concert

September 3, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: Bootylicious R&B singer, Beyonce Knowles, has been asked to cover up during her debut concert here in November.

Pineapple Concerts chairman Razlan Ahmad Razali, who is the organiser of the show, said her performance would still go on as planned, but her dressing would have to be toned down and there would be less exposure of her body.

"As of now, her concert is still on, " he said, when contacted yesterday.

Beyonce, 25, from Houston, Texas, is not only famous for her powerful vocals but also her revealing costumes.

The Grammy Award winner, who has achieved superstardom with well-acclaimed solo albums like Dangerously in Love and B’day, is not the first foreign artiste who has been told to abide by Malaysia’s dress code.
Last month, Gwen Stefani had to endure a storm of criticism from various religious groups who called on the government to cancel her concert due to her "overly exposed dressing" which they claimed was too "sexy" and was inappropriate for the Malaysian audience.

Malaysia received a lot of negative publicity from the foreign media which sees Stefani as a role model.

Amid the controversy, Stefani went ahead with "The Sweet Escape Concert 2007" on Aug 21. Although she was dressed decently, the show was still a tremendous success with a sell-out audience.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No word from Beyonce about how she feels about all this drama! :-)

P.S. Gwen Stefani a role model?? Yikes!

Former PM is Jailed in Bangladesh

Crazy that 2 former prime ministers of Bangladesh (both women) are now both in jail!

Side question - What's up with her hair?? SCARY!!

Former PM is jailed in Bangladesh The army-backed interim government in Bangladesh jails former PM Khaleda Zia on corruption charges. Sheikh Hasina under arrest Q&A: Bangladesh crisis Country profile: Bangladesh

Chocolate After Church - Religious Joke of the Day

A Dollar for Sunday School

A little boy came home eating a big candy bar. Seeing the candy bar, his mother remembered he had already spent all his allowance money. Surprised, she asked him where he got it.

"I bought it at the store with the dollar you gave me," he said."But that dollar was for Sunday School," his mother replied.

Smiling, the boy said, "I know, Mom, but the Pastor met me at the door and got me in for free!"

Rove Chokes Up on Final Day at White House

BARF!!

• Story Highlights
• Karl Rove's last day at the White House Friday
  
• Bush top political adviser grew emotional during final staff meeting
  
• White House pranksters wrapped Rove's car in plastic wrap Wednesday
  
  
  Karl Rove finds a toy stuffed eagle and plastic wrap on his car after coming back to Washington on Wednesday.
  
  
  • Full story here.

'Black Widow' is Buffalo's Newest Wing-Eating Champ

Them must be some really good wings! hehe... :-)

BUFFALO, New York (AP) -- When it comes to wolfing wings, Sonya Thomas is a wiz.

Sonya Thomas consumes 5.17 pounds of chicken wings.

The 105-pound competitive eater who goes by "The Black Widow" bested a dozen beefy rivals Saturday night, scarfing 173 wings in 12 minutes to win the wing-eating contest at the National Buffalo Wing Festival.

"That's 5.17 pounds of wings," said Brian Kahle, spokesman for the annual Labor Day weekend event in the city where Buffalo wings were born.

Thomas, 40, of Alexandria, Virginia, also held the festival's previous record of 161 wings in 12 minutes, set in 2004.

"She's the crowd favorite," Kahle said. "It was 12 huge guys and her."

Thomas has set numerous records in competitive eating events, including 37 hot dogs in 12 minutes; 35 bratwursts in 10 minutes; 11 pounds of cheesecake in 9 minutes; 44 lobsters in 12 minutes; and 250 Tater Tots in 5 minutes.

She is ranked No. 5 by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. According to the federation's Web site, No. 1-ranked Joey Chestnut holds the 12-minute record for chicken wings, downing 7.5 pounds of them May 21.

And get this - there's actually a whole association for folks who are interested in food eating competitions. - International Federation of Competitive Eating - craziness!