Dave Perillo — via
Steve Niles
Rik Mayall, who has died suddenly aged 56, was a phenomenal and outrageous performer, a leading light of the alternative
comedy circuit that emerged from the Comedy Store in the 1980s, and a not inconsiderable comic actor, playing in Beckett and Simon Gray on the West End stage and in Gogol at the National Theatre. Part of his success lay in the timing. His crude persona Rick in the breakthrough television series The Young Ones (1982-84), written with Ben Elton and Lise Mayer, was a gimlet-eyed, nose-picking lunatic who nonetheless carried a terrible plausibility as a prissy radical student of the day.
Long gone were the serious political protests and scabrous, intelligent revues of the 60s student generation; here, student life was parodied as grotty and anarchic, with Mayall surrounded by Ade Edmondson as Vyvyan, a crypto-Nazi, Nigel Planer as Neil, a cartoon, out-of-date hippie in a haze and Christopher Ryan as Mike, a miniature smoothie; a bunch of total prats, in fact. Mayall even lived this role off-stage, telling an interviewer (half-seriously, no doubt) that he threw his satchel in the Severn on the day he heard he had got a place at Manchester University and resolved never to read a book again.
Television, and its audiences, was just ready for this sort of onslaught and Mayall and Edmondson — the two met at Manchester and remained longterm writing and performing partners __ scored a major popular success, too, with Filthy Rich and Catflap (1987), written by Elton, alongside Planer; and again in Bottom (1991-95), which ran for three series but also became a fixture of the touring circuit in the live show version — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Asian small-clawed otter paws fly across the keyboard as part of their zoo enrichment. The otters are given the choice to play the keyboard or just sit back and enjoy the show—engaging their sight, touch, and hearing senses — via Youtube
The concept of repurposing a wine bottle into a container garden watering device
has been around for a while. I was intrigued at first, because I love to see glass in the garden, and the idea seemed practical as well as pretty. However, after trying several different methods and contraptions I gave up, until recently. After thinking it through, I made a trip to the hardware store with a very specific idea in mind: use copper tubing to make a wine bottle funnel
— via Hometalk
A local New Hampshire police department agreed Thursday to pay a woman who was arrested and charged with wiretapping $57,000 to settle her civil rights lawsuit. The deal comes a week after a federal appeals court ruled that the public has a First Amendment
right to film cops.
The plaintiff in the case, Carla Gericke, was arrested on wiretapping allegations in 2010 for filming her friend being pulled over by the Weare Police Department during a late-night traffic stop. Although Gericke was never brought to trial, she sued, alleging that her arrest constituted retaliatory prosecution in breach of her constitutional rights. The department, without admitting wrongdoing, settled Thursday in a move that the woman’s attorney speculated would deter future police retaliation
.
Unfortunately, sometimes, the only thing that changes entrenched behaviors is if it becomes too costly to continue those behaviours,
attorney Seth Hipple said. This settlement helps to make it clear that government agencies that choose to retaliate against videographers will pay for their retaliation in dollars and cents. We are confident that this settlement will help to make arrests of videographers a thing of the past.
The First US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) in Gericke’s case last week that she was exercising a clearly established First Amendment right when she attempted to film the traffic stop in the absence of a police order to stop filming or leave the area
— via redwolf.newsvine.com
In May of 2009, the Twitter account of Frank Furter posted three tweets. That was all.
So, come up to the lab,
— Frank Furter (@DrFNFurter) 8 May 2009
and see what’s on the slab!
— Frank Furter (@DrFNFurter) 8 May 2009
I see you shiver with antici …
— Frank Furter (@DrFNFurter) 8 May 2009
That was all, that is, for five years until another tweet appeared this month.
… pation.
— Frank Furter (@DrFNFurter) 8 May 2014
Five years. Five years that account has lain dormant, in order to complete a joke about the famous pause in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Good job, Dr Frank-N-Furter — via Neatorama
Sniffing the Fluffy Dog and Sod Off, originally uploaded by Red Wolf
This baby fox cub was caught up in a cricket net. Luckily for him the Wildlife Aid animal rescue team came to set him free — via Youtube
For the first time in more than 20 years, Australia’s much-loved kids’ science program, the Curiosity Show, has partnered with Kellogg Australia to create a new episode all in the name of educating Aussie parents and their children about breakfast nutrition — via Youtube
The world’s second largest mobile phone company, Vodafone, says at least six unnamed governments can use its phone system to monitor customers whenever they want.
The company’s Disclosure Report says most governments need legal notices
to access its networks, but there are six nations — which is says it cannot name for legal reasons — that have direct access.
It says in those countries authorities have inserted their own equipment into the network or have diverted all data through government systems so they can permanently access customers’ communications.
In a small number of countries the law dictates that specific agencies and authorities must have direct access to an operator’s network, bypassing any form of operational control over lawful interception on the part of the operator,
the company said.
It added that in Albania, Egypt, Hungary, India, Malta, Qatar, Romania, South Africa and Turkey it could not disclose any information related to wiretapping or interception — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Serpentine Bench and Serpentine Bench Tile Detail, originally uploaded by Red Wolf
We’ve been selling Magnetic Thinking Putty for years and have always been astounded by the burning questions we’ve received for this ever-popular item. So, we decided to do some experimentation utilising a 100-pound ball of Magnetic Thinking Putty and a ridiculously strong magnet — via Youtube
Zecc Architecten transformed a water tower situated in the De Weerribben-Wieden National Park, Sint Jansklooster, The Netherlands into a watchtower with a 360 degree view of De Wieden — via ArchDaily
A litter of cute dhole puppies make their debut at Howletts Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury — via Youtube
LegoKraken08, originally uploaded by Jack McKeen.
A rare collection of first edition comic books featuring inconic heroes Superman, Batman and Flash are to be auctioned in the US.
Kentucky insurance executive John Wise decided it was time to sell the collection he’s been accumulating over three decades, revisiting a childhood pastime that he picked up again in the 1980s after he became established in his career.
I think it’s a good timing for the market, and good timing for me at age 62,
” said Wise. It’s not like I’m not going to take them with me.
The comic books sold for as little as 10 cents when they were published, many in the late 1930s and 1940s.
He is auctioning about 175 comics individually, and online bidders have already committed about a half-million dollars to the auction, which ends Tuesday — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Bernard Doc
Neeson, singer-songwriter for veteran Australian rock band The Angels, has died aged 67.
Neeson, who had been suffering from a brain tumour, died in his sleep this morning.
It is with deep sadness and regret that the family of Angels singer/songwriter Bernard
a statement from his family said — via redwolf.newsvine.comDoc
Neeson — loving father, family member and friend to so many – announce he has passed away in his sleep at 7.15am,
Owl Turd Comix by Shenanigansen — via Wil Wheaton
Most people know John Oliver for his work on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show — but at the end of April, he got his own program: the satirical weekly Last Week Tonight.
In the episode which just aired on HBO, there was an entire segment devoted to our own Tony Abbott. Cue: the national cringe. Abbott is introduced as a hard-lined right wing Prime Minister, who rose to power promising to be pro-business and religiously anti-immigration. Literally: religiously anti-immigration.
With a quote from Abbott to prove it — Jesus knew that there was a place for everything and it is not necessarily everyone’s place to come to Australia,
Abbott says — the narrator skewers the hypocrisy of a national leader who claims immigration to be against Jesus’ way, even though he was himself born in London.
What is it about Tony Dumb-Dumb that’s led to his current approval rating of 30%?
he asks. Could it be that he’s personally insulted everyone else in the country, from women to gays to anyone remotely Irish to elderly cancer-ridden phone sex workers?
And it only ramps up from there — via Junkee
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