What We Must Learn From Iran

[9/29/06] Suspecting the American media aren't portraying an accurate picture of life inside Iran, a retired Honolulu journalist set out to get a first-hand look at life in the so-called "Axis of Evil" nation.

[9/27/05] Born around 590 B.C.E, Cyrus forged an empire from India to Greece. While earlier leaders banned their enemies’ religions, Cyrus respected the religions of other people. He bowed down to his subjects’ gods and rebuilt their temples. He issued what is called the first declaration of human rights. “I respect the traditions, customs and religions of the nations of my empire,” he declared, “and never let any of my governors and subordinates look down on or insult them.” His empire lasted 200 years.

Get Smart!

[4/11/13] Donna gave the the Season 1 DVD set as a gift (a year or two ago, still haven't finished watching it).  But I saw the HBO set at BookOff for $10 yesterday.  This is the one that has the fifth special features DVD.  I wasn't 100% if that was the one, so I bought it just in case and sure it enough it is.

I guess I'll unload the four DVD one at swapadvd or eBay.

Anyway they had this neat episode from the Bill Dana Show featuring Don Adams and Bill Dana as Jose Jiminez.  And in stepped Hans Conried!  But actually listening to the Bill Dana commentary, it wasn't Hans Conried but Jonathan Smith who is best known for his role on Lost In Space.  [1/8/21 - Actually his name is Jonathan Harris who played the role of Dr. Zachary Harris.] I guess I have always confused the two (or thought they were the same person).

Looking it up, they actually appeared on an episode together of Lost In Space, called the Questing Beast (on hulu).

Here's a review of the Complete Series (including the special features fifth DVD from each season). If you're looking for the special features, make sure to look for the five-disc set instead of the retail four-disc sets. And another review.

[9/5/06] The Get Smart! DVD Collection is now available for ordering directly from Time Life.

[6/5/06] Apparently the DVD set will be sold via direct response, which is sort of surprising since I would think it would be a popular item.

[6/3/06] TVShowsOnDVD has received word from an anonymous source (we'll call him "Agent 86") about the upcoming Get Smart DVD releases. We had previously reported that HBO would be releasing the series, but they've licensed the show to Time-Life instead of doing it themselves. We can expect the first season to be released sometime in Fall 2006, but Agent 86 didn't have the exact date for us. However, he's working on getting that top secret info. The set will feature all 29 color episodes, PLUS the rare B&W pilot episode where Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) is teamed up with 99 (Barbara Feldon) for the first time. All the episodes have been digitally remastered and restored, and they're the original full length episodes, not the bastardized syndicated versions.

The first DVD set will include commentary tracks and interviews with Barbara Feldon, creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, as well as unearthed materials featuring some of Don and Barabara's television appearances.

[9/26/05] Don Adams passes away at 82

[8/11/05] Mark Evanier, who is well-known among comic book afficianados for his time spent as an assistant/apprentice to the legendary Jack Kirby, has also spent quite a bit of time in the world of Television writing as well.

Today he's reported at his NewsFromMe.com website that "a company" (he says that he believes it to be Time-Life...more on that in a moment) is preparing an announcement for "any day now", which will see the DVD release of every episode of Get Smart.

40 years?! Wow that's a long time ago.

- from tvshowsondvd.com

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Who will be providing the Get Smart DVD? HBO.

Kung Fu Science

Meet Chris, kung fu expert and general, all-round crazy person. Sometimes he breaks concrete blocks just for the hell of it.

Meet Michelle. She's a physicist working at the Institute of Physics, but recently she's been learning kung fu. In particular she wants to learn how to break wood with her bare hands, and find out the physics behind the feat.

-- from Cool Tricks and Trinkets #367

wheel covers

Missing a wheel cover? Try Parts Pacific Depot in Salt Lake, 833-2626. "For just $25 per wheel cover, or $65 a set, our quality hubcaps are dealer-manufactured, but priced at a huge savings to our customers."

- from Talk Story Magazine, Fall 2005

Kevin Trudeau (and his kind)

[10/30/05] Dr. Richard DeAndrea has an informercial for a product called Colon Flow. It looks like he was also the founder of another program called 21-Day Detox which has had its critics and was featured on CBS' 48 Hours.

[10/14/05] Here's another infomercial that I watched on 7/31/05. Dr. Lorraine Day was pushing her product BarleyGreen. QuackWatch responds.

[9/16/05] Kevin Trudeau's Natural Cures has been outsold only by Harry Potter. Trudeau, well-known for his infomercials, is not a doctor or scientist, and has had some run-ins with the law.

[8/29/05] With Trudeau banned from doing infomercials (except for his book), what's to become of Robert Barefoots of the world. Well, I've seen the future as I was scanning the ALIFE channel late at night. There was a guy that looked sort of like a young Tom Snyder interviewing a guy who sort of looked like a young Ken Patera. It turned out that the Tom Snyder guy was Donald Barrett interviewing Scott Kennedy pushing a product called Sea Vegg, a seaweed product. Kennedy made it sound almost as good as Barefoot's coral calcium. Like Trudeau, Barrett is under fire from the FTC. Nothing on Sea Vegg at quackwatch yet. Waddayaknow? Here's an article on Barrett that apparently came out today.

Joseph Rotblat's legacy of peace

Rotblat had worked as a scientist toward the creation of an atomic weapon, first in the United Kingdom at the University of Liverpool and then at Los Alamos, N.M. When he learned in late 1944 that Germany would not succeed in developing an atomic bomb, he believed there was no longer reason to continue work on creating a U.S. bomb. Rotblat was the only scientist to leave the Manhattan Project on moral grounds.

Gilligan gets off the island

Bob Denver passes away at the age of 70.

Sherwood Schwartz, the man who created "Gilligan's Island," said Bob Denver was a complex man and "not a guy who just slipped on banana peels."

Wacky Taxes

History is littered with odd tax schemes. William Pitt the Younger introduced a tax on windows in Britain. Peter the Great taxed souls, and Nero, urine.

Let no man say that we here in America cannot compete for oddity of tax laws. We have some really weird assessments on the books.