I just got this from Karl Cohen of ASIFA/San Francisco:

HEMA is a Dutch department store.
The first HEMA opened in 1926 in Amsterdam.
Now there are 150 stores all over Europe.

Take a look at HEMA's product page http://producten.hema.nl/
You can't order anything -- and it's in Dutch and in Euros-- but just wait a couple of seconds and watch what happens.

This company has a sense of humor and a great computer programmer.

Have your sound on. enjoy.
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From now on, every bit of news released about the WGA Strike will be calculated to ratchet up the pressure on one side or the other.

George Clooney and Tom Hanks released statements calling on the sides to go back to the negotiation table. More independent studios- Spyglass and Media Rights Capital have reached an agreement with the WGA.

Meantime the major studios have declared their Force Majeure clauses are now in effect. Force Majeure- French for Greater Force, is a clause in most contracts that absolves both sides from liability if a natural disaster, war or other force beyond their control stops things. So all the personal service contracts that existed between individual writers and their studios were declared null.
The studios have said to just about forget about any new TV shows this year. This does not effect my show CarTalk, which had wrapped writing when the strike hit. So we may have one of the only original shows out when it premieres in June.

No negotiations are planned, because the side that requests talks will be seen as the one that is capitulating. THis would be a good place for our entertainment industry Governor Arnold to intercede, but so far...silence.
So the standoff, and the hard times, goes on.
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Quiz: What is meant by saying you’re way out in the boondocks?

Yesterdays Quiz answered below: Which Senator looked at a line up of Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon and quipped: Look, it's See no Evil, Hear No Evil and Evil...?
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History for January 17, 2008
Birthdays: Benjamin Franklin, Max Sennett 1880, Al Capone, Ethan G. Hodell 1883- the inventor of the Tow-Truck, Constantin Stanislavsky, Moira Shearer, Shari Lewis, James Earl Jones is 77, Vidal Sassoon, Betty White is 86, Denny Doyle, Kevin Reynolds, Muhammad Ali is 68, Zooey Deschanel, Jim Carrey is 46

1836- Texas General Sam Houston orders Jim Bowie to go to the Alamo and blow it up. Then bring the soldiers and the valuable cannon back to the main army to fight Santa Anna. But once there, Bowie was convinced by William Travis to disobey orders and defend the Alamo to the bitter end.

1926- FATS WALLER KIDNAPPED-Harlem Jazz great “Fats”Waller was in Chicago for a gig. On the street several gunmen grabbed him and dragged him into their limo and sped off to the lair of mob boss Scarface Al Capone. When he arrived there the terrified Waller was reassured by Capone that as it was Big Al’s birthday all he wanted was for Waller to perform at his party. The bash lasted three days and the joint was really jumpin”! Waller left unharmed, and with a very fat paycheck as well, but resolved to stay in Harlem where it was safe.(-?).

1926-George Burns married Gracie Allen.

1929- The first appearance of the character Popeye the Sailor in the Thimble Theater comic strip.

1949- The first VOLKSWAGEN BEETLES arrive in North America. In 1934 Adolf Hitler asked Dr. Ferdinand Porsche to take some time off from building Panzer Tanks to develop a simple easy-to-maintain family vehicle for the average person- a People’s Car-Volk’s Wagon. After the war the cheap Volkswagen beetle became a favorite for Beatniks and the Hippies after them. It’s success as a design is marked by the fact as soon as Volkswagen discontinued the model in the 1980’s their share of the American market slumped behind Toyota and Honda, but reintroducing the Beetle in 1998 immediately placed Volkswagen back in the race for the top import.

1961- Frank Sinatra’s Ratpack had campaigned hard for their friend John F. Kennedy for president. Black entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. had worked particularly hard to help Kennedy win the African American vote. But Sammy had a preference for blond white actresses and had married one, May Britt in 1960. To fend off negative publicity this day JFK had his secretary Mrs. Lincoln telephone Sammy Davis and un-invite him to the President’s Inaugural Ball. We’re Liberal, but not that liberal. And uhh..thanks for the help. Dean Martin was so angry at this insult to his friend that he cancelled his appearance at the inaugural. In 1968 Sammy Davis angered the black community when he embraced republican Richard Nixon.

1961- President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell speech to the nation. He warned against the growing influence of the “Military Industrial Complex”.

1964- The first Porsche Carrera sportscar arrived in L.A..

1994-The Great Northridge Earthquake rocked Los Angeles. 61 deaths and 20 billion dollars in damage. It was officially listed as 6.8 on the Richter Scale, although many rumors persist that in some areas it was as high as 7.2 . The epicenter was in the San Fernando Valley's so the valleys two major industries, animated cartoons and pornography, were temporarily disrupted.
Joe Barbera and June Foray's homes suffered damage and the production of the Simpsons was suspended for a time. Cal Arts Animation school was moved to an army base and Disney's planned to send a helicopter shuttle to pick up animators stuck in Antelope Valley because the freeways had collapsed.

2000-A Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton was offered for sale on E-Bay.
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Yesterday’s Question: Which Senator looked at a line up of Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon and quipped: Look, it's See no Evil, Hear No Evil and Evil...?

Answer: Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole. He said it during ceremonies to dedicate the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, Ca.