The top movie pie fight

Is there any movie pie fight better than this one? If so, I don't remember seeing it.

Funny - on so many levels

Did she really want that foreign language tattoo?

Remember ex-New York Governor Elliot Spitzer? How could you not? It's hard to forget a hard-charging prosecutor famous for going after corporate corruption who was removed from office because he bought the services of a 22 year-old prostitute working for The Emperor's Club VIP who sold their services at prices from $1000 to $5500 per hour.

Ashley Dupre, the prostitute involved, has become a minor celebrity herself as a result of Spitzers downfall. So it should not be surprising that The Daily News published pictures taken of her at the beach in a two-piece swimsuit. The immediate question arose - what did her tattoo - “tutela valui,” - mean? The ever intrepid City Room reporter at the New York Times decided to find out for us, his readers.

To get the Latin scholar perspective, City Room decided to call over to local universities’ classics departments. [Snip]

At Columbia University, a telephone call was answered by Eric Ensley, a graduate student.

This City Room reporter explained that we needed a translation of a Latin phrase, and spelled out the words: T-U-T-E-L-A V-A-L-U-I

“Tutela?” Mr. Ensley said. “That’s weird.”

It’s not real Latin, is it? City Room asked.

“No, it’s not. Where are you pulling this from?”

It’s a tattoo. [Snip]

“‘Tutela’ is a ‘custodian, safeguard, defense’ — something like that,” he said. “It can mean a lot of things. ‘Protection’ is a good translation. ‘Valui’ means ‘I was strong,’ literally. This is the exact translation I can give you, ‘I was strong by means of a keeper, by means of safety.’”

So that was the first answer from Columbia University's Classics Department. But shortly after that, an earlier e-mail to the Classics Department at New York University got a response.

N.Y.U. called us back. City Room’s query had set the department abuzz, said Nancy Smith-Amer, an administrative assistant. “I have something for you they seem to have all agreed to: ‘I fared well by protection.’”

We finally told Mr. Ensley, at Columbia, whose tattoo he was translating.

“Oh, God,” he said. “I guess on some weird level, if you wanted to translate it into some modern sense of the word, You could say, ‘I used protection.’”

Sort of like a guarantee stamped on spoilables for sale at the grocery store. You think?

Bush administration humor

This is funny.

But don't read it. It's off the record.

Where are the funny Republicans?

Digby reports the demise of FNC's Half Hour News Hour.

Lesson: If someone is funny, he or she is NOT Republican.

What's in a name?

From TPM Muckraker we get the story of truly low-rent corruption, which ironically reaches hilarious new heights.

Jim Black was the Democratic Speaker of the North Carolina State Legislature when the Republicans squeaked out a very narrow winning margin of 61 Republicans to 59 Democrats. Black was out of the Speaker job unless he could do something. So he did something.

Jim black met long-time Republican House Member Micheal Decker in the restroom of an International House of Pancake (IHOP) and gave him $50,000 and some party perks to switch from being a Republican to being a Democrat. With Decker's support, Black then was elected co-Speaker of the House. His job was saved!

This, interestingly enough, was not the corruption for which Black was tried and convicted. This came up when Black admitted it during a Civil Case he is also involved in. The corruption for which Black has been convicted came after this bit of corruption. Go read the article at TPM Muckraker for the rest of the story.

But I have to [*] thank commenter JohnW1141 for providing the perfect title for this scandal. It is, and it has to be, the Black and Decker scandal.

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[*] Well, I don't have to acknowledge JohnW1141. I could just steal his great line. But I won't. Ethics and all that.

Of course they were spies! Why else would squirrels in Iran wear trench coats in summer?

Big news from Sky News!

Police in Iran are reported to have taken 14 squirrels into custody - because they are suspected of spying.

Besides the trench coats, they were wearing fedora's pulled down low over their eyes. The clothes may have been inappropriate considering the summer temperatures in Iran. But the big giveaway? Iranian policemen heard their cell phones ringing.

Apparently, in an excess of patriotism and loyalty the squirrels had "God bless America" ring tones on their cellular phones.

Further information is found here:

The reports have come from the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). [Snip]

The IRNA said that the squirrels were kitted out by foreign intelligence services - but they were captured two weeks ago by police officers.

When asked if he would star in the proposed movie "MI:Squirrely" as a sequel to the popular "Mission Impossible" series, Tom Cruise suggested that he might consider the role of lead squirrel. It would depend on how meaty the role was, so he was waiting to see the script.

[h/t to Laura Rozen.]

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Sky News is part of the Rupert Murdoch news empire. This may well be the quality of news that will come from The Wall Street Journal when Murdoch buys it out from the family that currently owns it.

Refurbished White House Press room opened.

This is interesting news. White House Press Corp Welcomed Back Into Refurbished, Rat-Free Briefing Room.

But - but - if it was to be rat-free, why are they letting White House reporters in? Special dispensations for selected rats?

Libby's Promise

I hear Scooter has promised to devote himself to finding "the real perjurers."

Perhaps in the interest of history we can get Scooter to write a book "If I really did it."

[Stolen with great pleasure from Whiskey Fire.]