The Positive Blog
There seems to be an awful lot of negative news lately, hardly anything positive.
This blog will give the positive news items the attention and appreciation they deserve, with a wink.
Daily refreshment.


Thursday, May 08, 2003

Bing CrosbyBing Crosby became the 20th century's first multimedia star, vaulting to stardom when radio was coming into its own in the early 1930s.

His ba-ba-ba-boo style of crooning was heard everywhere, inspiring a future generation of singers, especially Frank Sinatra, who idolized him. Crosby's records reached the top of the charts 38 times. And for years "White Christmas" remained the top-selling record of all time.







The famous Iraqi blogger is back on line...






Last night, the long awaited Matrix sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, had its premiere in Los Angeles. The movie opens worldwide on May 23. The final part of the trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, will be released in November.





Wednesday, May 07, 2003

A great idea, I think. Not just for Latvia, but for the whole world...

A new office set up in Latvia to deal with acts of "absurdity" by officials has been overloaded with work.
The Anti-Absurdity bureau was quietly launched in January to help ordinary people combat "the arbitrariness of those in power, the laziness of civil servants and the lack of order in national and local government".







The Kumars
The Kumars at N° 42 is a BBC chat show where the host (played by Sanjeev Bhaskar) is often embarrassed by his interfering Indian family. Basically, there is nothing like humor to bring people closer together. Honestly! Now the series will be copied in other countries. The US version will be called The Ortegas. The Indian Kumars will be replaced by a Hispanic family, to make it more relevant to American viewers. An Australian version, called The Greeks on the Roof, started in Australia last week.






Getting bald? Apparently there is a new medicine out called Propecia that is supposed to really help. It takes about 3 months to half a year before the effects become visible. Only for men. A new success à la Viagra? After all, men are crazy about pills that help grow.





Tuesday, May 06, 2003

Remember Captain Kirk? Played by William Shatner? Well, the guy got an award! For a Beatles cover of 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. Mind you, it was voted "the worst Beatles cover of all time".






It was hard for me to believe too: a third 'Grease' film is planned, with John Travolta and Oliva Newton-John.






Now this is NOT good news. 'Frasier', the popular sitcom, could end after its next series. This is the belief of David Hyde Pierce, who plays Frasier's brother Niles in the series. At this time, I am fortunate to watch Frasier both on a local channel (well, not so local) and on the Dutch tv on Tuesdays. I simply adore it! Such wit, such cheekiness, such succulent display of caricaturized snobbishness... Delightful, simply delightful. The not so local channel often shows 'Frasier' at an ungodly late hour. It never stopped me from watching and enjoying. Cheers to Frasier!





Monday, May 05, 2003

Imagine being a policeman responding to neighbours' complaints about a noisy party. You arrive and the people at the party are mistaking you for a male stripper they ordered... It happened.






Joey and wife
How are you doin?
Joey from Friends is doing just fine. He just got married to his long-time girlfriend, Melissa McKnight, in Kauai, Hawaii. For those of you into these things, Joey - Matt LeBlanc - wore a dark suit bedecked with a white lei and his bride wore a long white gown.
Voilà.






An Australian university now offers a three-month-course for becoming a "glamorous drag queen".

According to the prospectus, the successful graduate will "become proficient in concealing eyebrows and beard shadows" as well as acquiring sound technique and product knowledge.
Australia's drag queens are world-famous, bringing a splash of colour each year when they celebrate the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.






Sunday, May 04, 2003

The very first "association for househusbands" has been created. Its members are learning how to do those things that their wives have always done in the past.
"Once, my wife did everything," said one member. "Then I discovered the pleasure of housework. Now, I do all the cooking. I can't iron yet, but I want to learn."
"I iron, hoover and clean the windows, because it makes my wife happy," said another.
As well as the basics, members also learn more complex skills - such as how to present vegetables at a dinner party. They swap tips on recipes and discuss which cleaning products are best for the environment.

The association was formed in .... masculine Italy!





Saturday, May 03, 2003

An Iranian blogger has been arrested on unspecified charges, reportedly because of interviews with the press on his website. Fellow bloggers are now joining forces to get him free.






After years of ridicule and ruin, Internet stocks are seducing investors again. The big question: a dot-com comeback? Or another investment bubble?






Elvis Costello is getting married to Diana Krall. Costello was married for 16 years to ex-Pogues member Cait O'Riordan. Last november, they announced they were splitting up. Krall is a Canadian jazz singer.





Friday, May 02, 2003

Garlic breath? Maybe not such a bad thing after all. But if you're in Indiana, USA, you can not enter a movie house or a theatre, or ride a public streetcar within 4 hours of eating garlic. That is actually a law there...






Britain's beaches are getting cleaner. For the first time in the 16-year history of the Good Beach Guide more than half the country's bathing waters are "recommended".






Talk to the watch


Next week, Japan's DoCoMo hits the market. The DoCoMo is an i-mode phone that comes as a wristwatch. The price of this thing? About $310.
If you know Japanese, then click on the phone/watch to visit the DoCoMo site. If not, click below for more information.