Recent protests and upheaval in the Middle East, juxtaposed against our own military presence in the region, call to mind yet again the far-reaching geopolitical implications of these events. Specifically, will the seeming democratization of that part of the 
world foster greater understanding between and among peoples, leading to a reduced threat of terrorism? Or will the uprisings themselves merely allow radical movements to bubble to the surface and, in some cases, replace America-tolerant dictators with regimes more hostile to our interests and security? And, is the extension of the PATRIOT Act a victory for strident opponents of terrorism, or merely yet another blow to our waning civil liberties?
With these themes serving as an apropos backdrop, I can think of no better time to present a lyrical analysis of Cascada’s “Evacuate the Dancefloor.”
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Yes, the wife did register said baby at all of the typical national-chain retail stores. Her registry includes every critical newborn essential, like the Bright Starts Teensy Turtle Cradling Bouncer (Blue), the BabyPro QuickServe Bottle, and four different varieties of stroller (for various terrains).
The basic premise is that they take dogs that are about to be euthanized or are otherwise rescued, get those dogs into foster care (that’s where I sometimes come in), and then find permanent homes for them. It’s a great cause, and, if nothing else, there are lots of pictures of cute puppies on the blog. You know—if you’re into that sort of thing.
International Olympic Committee regarding . . . am I reading this right? . . . regarding the logo used by the 2012 games in London.
week on The Axis of Ego, (2) Mike’s favorite mammals, (3) Tom’s “come to Jesus” moment vis a vis 
comments options on the blog itself, as well as a 
Awkward Moments in Entertainment History: Clive Anderson vs. The Bee Gees
In light of, um, recent events, I thought now might be an opportune time to delve into the subject of awkward moments in the history of television / music / movies / etc.
This forgotten (or, in America, unseen) gem of awkwardness comes to us from a 1997 broadcast of Clive Anderson’s BBC talk show “Clive Anderson All Talk.” Better known as the host of the UK version of “Whose Line is it, Anyway?,” Anderson also hosted a successful chat program in Great Britain.
Anderson’s style was often not conductive to smooth interviewing, as his quick interjections prevented a long-form, thoughtful answer along the lines of what one might get from Charlie Rose or Dick Cavett. What’s more, Anderson routinely walked that fine line between good-natured ribbing and insult. I guess a better way to explain it would be to say that he would prod guests in a manner that might have been fine if he were good friends with the interview subjects, or if there were a pre-existing rapport.
On this occasion, he had an easy target.
The Bee Gees served as a punching bag for Anderson’s increasingly-pronounced ribbing throughout this mildly painful nine-minute interview. To be fair, Maurice (the one on the right, for those who don’t know one from the other) seems to take the whole thing in stride, but oldest brother (and de facto leader) Barry begins to take offense very early on at the constant interruptions and demeaning comments about the group’s most successful period. He begins to check out right around the three-minute mark. The nail-in-the-coffin moment comes when Anderson, playing off a mild attempt at self-depricating joke, says to Barry, “You’ll always be Les Tossers to me.”
Barry fumes for a couple of minutes, and then the real magic begins. Enjoy the awkwardness!
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