The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Moore of the same, or not?' Edition
Michael Moore wants President Obama to replace Chief-of-Staff, Rahm Emanual, with... Michael Moore... Moore has penned an open letter to 'The Man' writing...
"Dear President Obama, I understand you may be looking to replace Rahm Emanuel as your chief of staff. I would like to humbly offer myself, yours truly, as his replacement..." Welcome to MichaelMoore.com.
That begs the question...
How well do think Michael Moore would do as Obama's Chief-of-Staff?
A.) Better than Rahm...
B.) Worse than Rahm...
C.) It wouldn't make a whit of difference who it is, we're doomed - doomed I say, any way ya cut the cards, dagnabbit!
Well then, Poll-fans, a nice turn out this week and the results did not surprise me. The 'We're Doomed' category won by a landslide. That's how I feel and I don't know what more to say. Or, what good it would do if'n I did, fer that matter... Ack...
How well do think Michael Moore would do as Obama's Chief-of-Staff?
A.) Better than Rahm...
Beantown Jane gives Mikey the nod...
Rahm knows the ropes, but I'd rather give Michael Moore a chance. He would kick ass and take names. I don't get the impression that Rahm is fighting for ordinary people.
litebug also likes Mike...
While he might be inexperienced in some ways, at least his heart and head are in the right place and he's not a DLC Democratic Corporatist sell-out like Rahm.
(and Axelrod, too...)
B.) Worse than Rahm...
Richard McD was terse...
I'll go with worse
C.) It wouldn't make a whit of difference who it is, we're doomed - doomed I say, any way ya cut the cards, dagnabbit!
DRD sees a puppet master...
Hi Bob, Such a cute and outgoing grandchild was very evident from the rosy picture of her! Grandkids are special, aren't they?
(Indeed they are, Don. Thanks!)
Now, on to the question of Mr. Moore replacing the current chief-of-staff. The one constant we often overlook in our form of government as it has evolved over the last 200+ years is that the office of President of the USA is more shine but not necessary gold! I'm personally convinced that Mr. Obama is directed by other men standing behind the yellow curtain much as in the Wizard of Oz. He is much too intelligent to be such a flip-flipper by choice! He must be given marching orders on the major issues of the day that may or may not be in line with his campaign promises. This would explain why some charge him of being 'Bush-Lite' and his lurch to the right on almost every issue of importance to the people who supported and voted for him! Changing his staff members would have simply a make-over effect without much substance. So I go with C. Thanks for another fine question that increases the blood flow to the brain.
(Yer Welcome, keep comin' back)
Billy Bob suggested rather sarcastically...
C: But, Michael could make an interesting documentary about the experience and call it "Barry and me" or "Bowling for Afghanistan" or even "What The F*** happened to Hope and Change?"
(I'd go with #3)
Hubert sent...
Whether one is into 'S & M' or 'R & M' (Rahm or Moore), there may ultimately be NO difference?
"Zhivago Effect and the New World Order"
(I found yer poem grim, Hubert. That's not meant as a criticism, merely how I perceived yer intent...)
Charlie Y. wrote...
If Moore walked the walk as well as he talks the talk, I would go with A, as Emanuel is a pro-war Democrat and Moore's oeuvre certainly would indicate that he is both antiwar and generally to the left of both Obama and Emanuel on most every issue. The realities of power would seem to suggest, however, that the correct answer is C, unfortunately.
(Ya seem as cynical as I am 'bout the entire damn'd situation, Charlie...)
Socialist SallyP (Her tag, not mine) throws in the towel with...
I've been pondering your reply over the past week, and have decided that my answer is going to be: C... The real problem is that NOTHING can be done in Congress given the current climate in DC. The Repugs, and those carrying their water (the media hate gang), decided on day 1 that President Obama is going to fail. And, not only is the President not fighting back, I don't believe he is allowing his cabinet/staff to do so either. Yes, Moore can be, "In your face" in film, but would that 'gotcha' technique surpass RAHM (who has a reputation of being that way now)? If I were Barack, I'd pull a Palin, resign and do the media/speaker role. Screw Washington, DC, they sure have screwed us, now haven't they??
(Yes, Sally, they have and a pox on their houses, I'm sayin'!)
Adam in NoHo is undecided...
C- He would push harder for the changes we all want and need so badly (with Obama, Congress, and all the rest), but no one would listen to him, seeing as he's 'Michael Moore', and all...
Or A- If he did push as hard as we know he would, he might actually inject some spine into the Dems.
It couldn't be any worse. (Ah! Another cynic! Join the club, Adam!)
bebo HAS decided, but with an additional category...
D. I don't know. what I do know is that both Rahm Emanuel & Michael Moore are world-class BS'ers.
(LOL!... Ya gots THAT right!)
Charles G. didn't answer the question but sent this instead and brightened my gloomy mood...
Your granddaughter is a real Cutie. You're a lucky guy best wishes to all!!!!
(Thanks, Charles... Right back atcha!)
~~~~~~~~~~~
So, as always, I say... Don't let the Bastards get ya down! ... and, of course, Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
~~~~~~~~~~~
New Question
The 'DNA Database Blues' Edition
"President Barack Obama is not the civil-liberties knight in shining armor many were expecting... The nation's chief executive extols the virtues of mandatory DNA testing of Americans upon arrest, even absent charges or a conviction. Obama said, "It's the right thing to do" to "tighten the grip around folks" who commit crime..."
Wired.com
Do you support mandatory DNA collection upon arrest?
A.) Yes
B.) No
C.) Depends on the crime
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Taking On China (nytimes.com)
It's time for America to confront China about the undervaluation of its currency, which is adding to the world's economic problems at a time when those problems are already severe.
Dorie Turner: Obama Proposes Sweeping Education Reforms, New Level Of Federal Commitment To Kids (AP)
In the proposed dismantling of the No Child Left Behind law, education officials would move away from punishing schools that don't meet benchmarks and focus on rewarding schools for progress, particularly with poor and minority students. Obama intends to send a rewrite to Congress on Monday of the law.
Bill Maher: "New Rule: Let's Not Fire the Teachers When Students Don't Learn -- Let's Fire the Parents"
Last week, President Obama defended the firing of every single teacher in a struggling high school in Rhode Island. Yes, America has found a new boogeyman to blame for our crumbling educational system.
Bill Moyers and Michael Winship: "Ask the Chamber of Commerce: Why Is Too Much Not Enough?" (huffingtonpost.com)
Living in these United States, there comes a point at which you throw your hands up in exasperation and despair and ask a fundamental question: how much excess profit does corporate America really need?
Chadwick Matlin: TiVo's Last Stand (thebigmoney.com)
How long can the original DVR company keep bleeding cash?
Marilynn Preston: Cross-Training: The Smarter, Safter Way To Work Out (creators.com)
Are you hooked on your favorite sport? Do you spend all your workout time either running, biking or swimming, believing that single-minded dedication is going to make you stronger and faster, better and better? Sorry, dear reader. That's not how it works. It's time to learn about the benefits of cross-training, a fancy name for simply including a mix of sports in your exercise regime.
Obesity: The killer combination of salt, fat and sugar (guardian.co.uk)
Our favourite foods are making us fat, yet we can't resist, David A Kessler discovered, because eating them is changing our minds as well as bodies.
Brian McCollum: Iggy Pop takes some convincing that hall of fame really wants the Stooges (Detroit Free Press)
Seven tries. Seven strikeouts. Surely you can forgive Iggy Pop a little skepticism about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When he got the news in...
DANNY ELFMAN: Interview with TIM BURTON (interviewmagazine.com)
The man responsible for some of cinema's eeriest and most hauntingly beautiful films takes us down the rabbit hole.
Jonathan Dean: Damon's inferiority complex (timesonline.co.uk)
Matt Damon is a huge star, so why does he think his parts get offered to Brad Pitt first and why is his new thriller such a risk?
Kristen A. Graham: Tony Danza says his class act isn't just for show (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Mr. Danza was having a bad day. The laptop acted up. Few students were ready to present their projects, and the group was restless, giggly, distracted. A few snickers erupted when the new reading assignment, the classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," was passed out.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Children (athensnews.com)
Karen Hesse, Newbery Award-winning author of "Out of the Dust," was a sickly and whiny child. Her mother even gave her gold stars on the days that Karen did not cry, but Karen earned very few gold stars. Still, Karen was eager to try new things. At around age 8, she tried to fly, launching herself into space from the top of some stairs leading to the second floor of her house. She made it almost all the way down the stairs before hitting the floor. Encouraged by this seeming success, she wanted to try flying out of a second-floor window, but fortunately a neighbor saw her sitting on the window ledge. The neighbor telephoned Karen's mother, who stopped the flying attempt.
David Bruce: Mark Twain's "Adventures of Tom Sawyer": A Discussion Guide (lulu.com)
Free Download.
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Link from RJ
Rock Star Physicist
Hi there
A possible link for you!
In Memory
Michigan's Only Wolverine
Michigan's only known wolverine has been found dead along a trail in Sanilac County.
The animal, a female, was found by hikers on Saturday, said Arnie Karr, a wildlife biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Jeff Ford, a science teacher at Deckerville High School, has been keeping track of the wolverine since 2005, using trail cameras, and sharing photos and video with school children and others.
Ford said he doesn't have any theories about what might have happened to the animal. He said he always told a white lie about the animal's exact location so as to protect her from people "seeking a trophy." She had been living in the Minden game area since at least March of 2004; he previously said she was in the Verona State Game Area east of Bad Axe.
Karr estimates the wolverine was about seven years old. She weighed 28 pounds. Wolverines have been known to live for up to 17 years in captivity.
Karr hopes to have the animal mounted and put on display at Visitor Center at the Bay City State Recreation Area, since it was such a rare creature. The wolverine was the first of its kind spotted in the state in about 200 years.
Michigan's Only Wolverine
This wolverine was featured yesterday, thanks to B2tbBob.
Reader Suggestion
Theodore C. Olbermann
Theodore C. Olbermann
some guy
Thanks, Guy!
PURPLE GENE
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
GAGA AND MRS JAY-Z BURN THE NET!
LADY GAGA AND BEYONCÉ BLOW THE LID OFF VIDEO FORMAT!
WAS QUENTIN TARANTINO INVOLVED?
WATCH THE WHOLE THING...BETTER THAN MICHAEL JACKSON'S BEST.
WHAT DO YA THINK? (NOT FOR LITTLE KIDS)
LADY GAGA AND BEYONCÉ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Wow - we're having a heat wave.
Spends Serious Time Helping
Sean Penn
Look closely at the foreigners buzzing around a hospital tent above one of Haiti's biggest earthquake-refugee camps and a face stands out: There, carrying the box of supplies, that's Sean Penn.
Now he's guiding a Haitian girl to waiting doctors. Now he's lobbying the chief of U.N. peacekeeping operations to provide better security for the camp's 45,000 people. And now he's talking to the press.
The 49-year-old actor came to Haiti about a week after the Jan. 12 quake killed a government-estimated 230,000 people and made 1.3 million homeless. He's left just a a few times since - mostly for Haiti-related meetings, he said, and to present the Oscar for best actress - and doesn't plan to leave again until mid-April.
His blue-shirted workers with the newly formed Jenkins-Penn Haiti Relief Organization provide medical care, water filters and food. On Sunday, they opened a health clinic for mothers and victims of a growing sexual assault epidemic.
Sean Penn
France Honors
Order of Arts and Letters
Oscar winner Marion Cotillard gasped in pain after France's culture minister accidentally stuck a pin into her chest as he decorated her with the Order of Arts and Letters on Monday.
Cotillard has spent much of her time in Hollywood since winning the Oscar for her performance as singer Edith Piaf in "La vie en rose" in 2008, but she was back in Paris to receive the decoration from Culture Minister Francois Mitterrand.
Mitterrand, who praised Cotillard's "charm, natural grace and beauty," inadvertently skewered the actress as he pinned the medallion naming her as "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" on to her blouse.
In the same ceremony, he also decorated U.S. director Tim Burton, whose latest film "Alice in Wonderland" opened in the United States earlier this month and who will head the jury at this year's Cannes film festival.
Order of Arts and Letters
HBO Puts Online
"The Pacific"
HBO has put Sunday's first hour of its WWII mega-budget production "The Pacific" on its Web site. Don't get used to it, though, the other nine hours will air only on HBO (until the DVD release, of course).
Since HBO is a pay channel that re-runs its best content for decades, it tends to be shy about putting content on the Internet. The network has uploaded the pilot episode of some series online, though not movies.
The amount of violence and profanity in "The Pacific" is a concern, so registration is required to watch (hey kids, can you type "1991" as your date of birth? Then you're in luck).
"The Pacific"
Offering Series To Schools
History Channel
The History channel says it will give a free DVD copy of its sprawling 12-hour series on American history to any school in the country that wants one.
The network is launching a broad educational outreach to accompany "America The Story of Us," which premieres April 25. Before the series starts, it will mail posters, a teacher's guide and family viewing guide to 35,000 high schools and middle schools.
"America The Story of Us" is the most expensive project in the network's history, although Nancy Dubuc, the president and general manager, would not say how much is being spent. In scope, she called the series the broadest look at the nation's history on television since Alistair Cooke's "Personal History" aired in the early 1970s.
Rather than have historians stand in front of a camera, the series will recreate many of the events that it talks about, either through live action or computer animation. The network has shot scenes on three continents with 1,641 actors, extras and stuntmen.
History Channel
Green Bay's Most Stolen Street Sign
Mullet Place
The most frequently stolen street sign in Green Bay isn't Lombardi Avenue, Reggie White Way or Brett Favre Pass. The distinction goes to a short street on the city's southwest side. Its name brings to mind the helmet-style haircut of the 1980s - the cut perhaps best personified by country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus.
Mullet Place has disappeared so many times city crews have moved it higher on the street pole and out of reach.
Public Works manager Chris Pirlot jokes that the sign thief is probably in the witness protection program and doesn't want anyone to know where he lives - that or it's someone still stuck in the '80s.
Mullet Place
Gets Season 4
'Millionaire Matchmaker'
Bravo has picked up a fourth season of "Millionaire Matchmaker" and will move the show to New York City. In the series, matchmaker Patti Stanger sets up wealthy clients with dates who seek a lifestyle upgrade.
The current run of "Matchmaker" is tracking as the show's highest-rated yet, averaging 1.2 million viewers -- up 17% from last year -- in its Tuesday night slot.
'Millionaire Matchmaker'
Stalker Sentenced
Erin Andrews
An Illinois insurance executive who secretly shot nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews was sentenced Monday to 2 1/2 years in prison after giving a tearful apology that was harshly rebuked by his victim.
Michael David Barrett pleaded guilty in December to interstate stalking after prosecutors accused him of following the reporter to at least three cities and shooting the videos through hotel peepholes.
Barrett, 48, of suburban Chicago, agreed to a 27-month prison sentence after pleading guilty. Andrews urged the judge at the hearing for a harsher sentence and said she fears for her life every time she enters a hotel.
Barrett admitted renting hotel rooms next to Andrews three times and shooting two videos of her while she was naked. He was accused of posting the videos online and trying to sell them to Los Angeles-based celebrity gossip site TMZ last year.
Erin Andrews
Gags Ex
Sara Evans
A judge has ordered a temporary injunction against the ex-husband of country singer Sara Evans.
Monday's ruling prevents Craig Schelske from making any more public statements about his ex-wife or the reasons behind their 2007 divorce.
Evans received a temporary restraining order last month after Schelske made comments about their divorce while testifying about a possible new law in front of the Tennessee Legislature and on Nashville talk radio.
Williamson County Judge James G. Martin III also ordered Schelske to pay damages as determined by an arbitrator.
Sara Evans
No Jail For Ex-Jailer
'Girls Gone Wild'
A judge ordered no prison time Monday for the final defendant in a bribery scheme that allowed "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis to dine on sushi and watch "The Office" and "Family Guy" DVDs while jailed in Nevada on tax charges.
U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks sentenced ex-law officer Mary Boxx to 100 hours community service, three years probation and a $1,680 fine after she pleaded guilty to accepting a gratuity as a public official.
The maximum possible penalty for the crime was two years in prison. Corrections officials had recommended Boxx serve at least four months house arrest.
He agreed to let her move to New York so she can help care for her five grandchildren, including one with autism, because her daughter's husband is about to be deployed to Afghanistan.
'Girls Gone Wild'
Braces For Talks
Hollywood
Top Hollywood executives and theater owners will seek this week to resolve a brewing dispute over DVD release schedules, a contentious question as the industry grapples with shifting viewer patterns and the advent of high-tech home entertainment.
At the annual ShoWest convention in Las Vegas, starting Monday, studio moguls and the country's largest theater chains hope to reach an understanding on the so-called "window" between a movie's screening and when its DVD is released.
The Walt Disney Co started the ball rolling when it announced it would push up the DVD release of its "Alice in Wonderland" by four weeks -- prompting threats by some theater chains to boycott the hugely marketed film.
Theater owners are fighting to protect ticket sales, which have decreased to 1.42 billion in 2009 for the United States and Canada from 1.57 billion in 2002. Chains such as Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc are fearful that, if studios shorten the window, they could lose even more customers as audiences wait to watch films at home.
Hollywood
Pleads Not Guilty
Charlie Sheen
Actor Charlie Sheen pleaded not guilty to domestic violence charges on Monday, nearly three months after his wife told Colorado police in a 911 call he put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her.
Sheen showed little emotion and said nothing during his brief arraignment in Pitkin County District Court. The plea was entered by Richard Cummins, a Colorado attorney who represents Sheen.
The star of "Two and a Half Men" on CBS is charged with menacing, criminal mischief and assault. Menacing, the most serious charge, carries a possible sentence of one to three years in prison.
A judge scheduled a jury trial for July 21.
Charlie Sheen
Netting $350-400 Million From "Avatar"
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp will earn $350 million to $400 million from James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar," once the movie is released on pay television and DVD, Bloomberg said, citing two people with knowledge of the financial performance.
News Rupert Corp
The amount represents News Corp's about 40 percent share of as much as $1 billion that the film is expected to earn for its Twentieth Century Fox and "Avatar" investors, the people told the agency.
News Corp's share amounts to almost half of its average quarterly operating profit in the past year, according to the agency.
Fox's "Avatar," which ended up with three Oscars, fell two places to No. 7 with $6.6 million in its 13th week. Its North American total rose to $730 million and its worldwide tally to $2.6 billion.
News Rupert Corp
Trani Problems
Silvio
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is being investigated for allegedly trying to pressure Italy's communications watchdog to block state television talk shows critical of his government, a source close to the investigation said on Monday.
Italian media have reported that phone taps ordered by prosecutors in the town of Trani showed Berlusconi complained to a member of the Agcom watchdog, which monitors pluralism on television, about some programmes on the state broadcaster RAI, and asked for them to be taken off the air.
One source close to the investigation told Reuters that Berlusconi was formally under investigation for suspected abuse of office. A source in Berlusconi's office said it had not been informed that he was under investigation. Being under investigation in Italy does not imply guilt, nor that any charges will be brought.
Earlier on Monday, Berlusconi said he was "shocked" by reports that his phone had been tapped, accusing the Trani prosecutors of "blatant violations of the law" and denying any wrongdoing.
Silvio
Sony Shtups Corpse
Michael Jackson
Sony Corp has reached a deal with Michael Jackson's estate that could be worth as much as $250 million, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the situation.
The report said the deal, coming months after Jackson's death, is the most lucrative recording contract ever signed. It guarantees the estate at least $200 million, according to the newspaper's web site, and involves 10 albums over seven years.
The deal will combine a mix of previously unreleased songs and new packages of familiar ones, according to the report.
Sony's deal with the estate retroactively covers the soundtrack album to "This Is It." It also covers a number of other releases, some of which have been planned and others that still must be determined, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Michael Jackson
20 Years Later
Art Heist
In the early hours of March 18, 1990, two thieves walked into Boston's elegant Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum disguised as police officers and bound and gagged two guards using handcuffs and duct tape. For the next 81 minutes, they sauntered around the ornate galleries, removing masterworks including those by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet, cutting some of the largest pieces from their frames.
By the time they disappeared, they would be credited with the largest art theft in history, making off with upward of a half-billion dollars in loot far too hot to sell.
Now, 20 years later, investigators are making a renewed push to recover the paintings. The FBI has resubmitted DNA samples for updated testing, the museum is publicizing its $5 million, no-questions-asked reward, and the U.S. attorney's office is offering immunity.
Investigators say they've largely ruled out some of the more popular theories, from the specter of a recluse billionaire art collector to the hand of notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger.
Art Heist
Creatures Beneath Big Ice Shelf
Antarctica
In a surprising discovery about where higher life can thrive, scientists for the first time found a shrimp-like creature and a jellyfish frolicking beneath a massive Antarctic ice sheet.
Six hundred feet below the ice where no light shines, scientists had figured nothing much more than a few microbes could exist.
That's why a NASA team was surprised when they lowered a video camera to get the first long look at the underbelly of an ice sheet in Antarctica. A curious shrimp-like creature came swimming by and then parked itself on the camera's cable. Scientists also pulled up a tentacle they believe came from a foot-long jellyfish.
"We were operating on the presumption that nothing's there," said NASA ice scientist Robert Bindschadler, who will be presenting the initial findings and a video at an American Geophysical Union meeting Wednesday. "It was a shrimp you'd enjoy having on your plate."
Antarctica
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