A conservative is someone who hasn't
figured out that they've lost.
A liberal is someone who hasn't
figure out that they've won.
Barack Obama has been
president less than a month, and many of his appointees have been in
place for less than that. He was elected as Change We Can Believe
In, a post-partisan figure who could rise above the petty bickering
and political manipulation of the Bush administration.
But
lo! Fox "News", Rush Limbaugh and the GOP Slime Machine can't speak
English very well. This group thinks when the rules of "capitalism"
apply to everyone, then it's "socialism". They can't get the name of
the "Democratic Party" right. If you ever hear somone rant about the
"democrat party" (non-caps deliberate), just tune them out. They
will never have credibility.
And suddenly "post-partisan"
becomes "Bi-Partisan". It's not enough to set aside party politics
to solve problems. For Republicans, the exact opposite of
reality is the case: No problem can be dealt with until party
politics are pre-eminent.
Shameful. The right just doesn't
get it.
I'm not the only one to notice how the conservative
news media is complicit in presenting wingnut talking points without
any sort of "fair and balanced" coverage. Fox, CNN, network news
just rolls over, has more Republicans on then Democrats or
non-partisans, and fails to challenge liars. Journalism isn't dead,
but it's coughing up blood.
Probably more on this
later.
The
Cowardice of Judd Gregg
Republicans don't believe in
Democracy
Conservatives don't believe in America
New
Mexico governor Bill Richardson bowed out of becoming Commerce
Secretary because he of come corruption scandal that may touch him.
He doesn't want to be a distraction. That was too bad, I really like
Richardson. He is currently not under investigation, but wanted to
stay above suspicion. Maybe the issue will resolve without tainting
him, and he'll be on tap the next time around. Still, he said "no"
fairly quickly into the process, which looked to be a partisan
mud-slinging fest by the GOP... again.
Obama next selected
New Hampshire senator Judd Gregg. I don't know Gregg's
qualifications to be Commerce Secretary, but I'll trust Obama that
he'd be a good one. Plus, the governor of NH is a Democrat, so his
replacement would give the Dems a veto-proof majority (once Norm
Coleman decides to show some cojones and admit he lost to Al
Franken).
Ah, but Gregg is a wily, experienced politician,
and Gov. John Lynch is a centrist problem-solver. Gregg insisted
that his replacement would be a Republican, and Luynch picked a
political and academic veteran, Bonnie Newman, who drew praise from
Demorcats and Republicans.
Okay so far.
The Stimulus
Bill passed despite vehement GOP objection and very few GP votes.
Gregg, still senator, didn't vote. A wily political move. As a
staunch knee-jerk conservative, he'd have voted against it, angering
Democrats who would have to approve him. If he voted for it, he
would anger Republicans. And the Commerce Secretary will be one of
the people who the bill will affect the most, so he has a good
out.
So far, still doing fine.
Then, days after the
stimuls bill passed and with a GOP replacement in the wings, Gregg
abruptly withdraws his nomination. "However, it has become apparent
during this process that this will not work for me as I have found
that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are
irresolvable conflicts for me." Apparently, Gregg hadn't actually
been following the campaign and never listened to anything Obama said
that didn't have the name "Judd Gregg" in it.
Senator Gregg
Shamed himself and the GOP by his partisanship and his cowardice. He
knew what he was getting into, and he wanted the power, and changed
his mind when some of that power was removed.
The odd phrase
in his withdrawal is "...and the Census". The Census, mandated by
the Constitution, is a province of the Commerce Department. The
Census determines, among many othe things, how the House of
Representives is apportioned to the states, and helps determine
economic standing for many Federal programs. The far right has been
fighting reality for decades. Naturally, the GOP doesn't want to
count poor people who don't have phones and are hard to reach. They
desperately wants to undercount minorities and undocumented workers.
Republicans don't want a true count because they don't believe in
Democracy, they care about Repubicans. Conservatives don't want t
true count because they don't care about America, they care about
conservatives.
The trouble started with Obama's nomination of
Gregg to head the department that oversees the Census Bureau. Gregg
once voted for a plan that would have abolished the agency, and he
opposed increased funding for the 2000 census. His record raised
concerns about his commitment to an accurate census count, a priority
for minority groups that have historically been
undercounted.
Judd Gregg is the exact
opposite of a "post-partisan" cabinet pick. He is hopelessly
partisan and puts his own political arrogance over the needs of the
country.
Gregg is trying to shift the debate away from his
own agenda. Some in the conservative news media are twigging to this
manipulation, but it isn't a GOP talking point so it tends to get
buried. The GOP is slinging "troubles for Obama" over the vacancies
in HHS and Commerce. Serious problems if left unresolved, but
cabinet choices have taken a while in the past, and it hasn't been
that long. In the meantime, Obama got good PR in choosing another
Republican for a cabinet post, and now won't make that mistake
again.
Dollhouse
One episode does not a series
make, and Fox has a history of screwing up Joss Whedon's projects
that are later deemed worthy by fans. Nonetheless, here is my take
on the first show of Dollhouse.
Dumb.
Alias
as written by Philip K. Dick. The production stylish, with the
Dollhouse itself looking like Torchwood with a budget for
Maintenance, or perhaps Knight Rider's garage without the
wheels. While I'm sure Whedon is happy to have enough money for a
well dressed stage, it didn't really add to the show. The back story
implies a lot of money changes hands in an illegal operation. Either
there's more money involved than just one Doll at a time, or the
authorities are dumber than usual for tv, or they sold short during
the economic crisis. I'm waiting to see more about the
financing.
The acting is only okay, but I'm willing to give
the characters time to grow on me.
Apparently, this was the
second pilot, a reworking of the
original, demanded by Fox, bereft of Whedon's usual humor and
sharp character interplays.
Not a strong beginning, but I'll
catch the next episode or two in case it grows on me.
In a nutshell: A large and growing segment of
climatologists, studying the most recent data, have come to the
conclusion that global warming is happening faster and will be worse
than the consensus arrived at recently.
Cliamate change
deniaers are fewer and fewer, and louder and louder. We're badk to
another exact opposite scenario: Whatever the right wing
says, loudly and obnoxiously in almost all media outlets, is
completely wrong. Just like the rosy economic forecasts from the
Bush administration, the rosy weather forecasts of the Republicans
are proving to be wrong.
Sphincter conservatives are digging
in. "You have to look at all the data." "What about global
cooling?" All thing which have been shot down long ago, but
you wouldn't be able to tell from listening to hate radio. They've
maniuplated the press so much that any scientific report from a
legitimate source is automatically suspicious. Only if it's said by
a "trusted" source will it be heard by the party faithful. It's a
matter of values, and the far right doesn't have any. They don't
live in the world that G_d created.
I predict that some
conservatives will deny global warming to their drowning
breath.
Let's hope adults are in charge, and real Republicans
take their party back from the Taliban wing of the GOP to join the
post-partisan effort to save the planet. The stakes are high, too
high for politics as usual.
Susan Estrich: Doctor Obama (creators.com)
The patient is in trouble. That much we know. About that everyone is certain. There are mounting job losses, record deficits, banks failing, mortgages underwater, layoffs looming. Last month, we lost as many jobs as there are in the state of Maine.
FROMA HARROP: The Old Folks Are Doing OK (creators.com)
"Round up everybody that can ride a horse or pull a trigger," John Wayne says in "Chisum." "Let's break out some Winchesters." That's how I feel every time someone calls for "saving" Social Security.
Susan Estrich: Live to Risk (creators.com)
Why would someone risk his life by, as the LA Times described, "extending his body away from a motorcycle and grabbing the seat as the motorcycle is upside down, then pulling back aboard as the motorcycle is righted before landing"? Or not.
JOHN TIERNEY: "Darwin the Comedian. Now That's Entertainment!" (nytimes.com)
Mr. Milner's show provides sound bites from Huxley's famous 1860 debate in Oxford against Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, who scornfully asked Huxley whether he was descended from an ape through his grandfather or his grandmother. Huxley had the last word years later, when the bishop died after being thrown headfirst from a horse.
"His end has been all too tragic for his life," Huxley wrote in a letter. "For once, reality and his brains came into contact and the result was fatal."
Roger Ebert: Darwin survives as the fittest
On February 12, we celebrate the bicentennials of two of the greatest figures of the 19th century: Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. In hailing Lincoln, bells will peal from sea to shining sea. The same date is also designated around the world as Darwin Day, and in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, his birthplace, a cake with 200 candles will be presented in the Square, and everyone will be offered a slice.
Who d'ya want to win as opposed to who d'ya think is gonna win
.
Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Director
Feel free to include any other category that interests you (nod to Adam here for sound). Results will be posted prior to the ceremony... I wish I could make this a contest with prizes and all. But, hey, there's a recession going on, or haven't ya heard? So, just have some fun, eh?
Gleason was a voracious reader of books on the paranormal, including parapsychology and UFOs. He even had a house built in the shape of a UFO which he named "The Mothership" During the 1950s, he was a semi-regular guest on the paranormal-themed overnight radio show hosted by John Nebel, and wrote the introduction to Donald Bain's biography of Nebel.
According to Gleason's second wife, Beverly McKittrick, he told her that U.S. President Richard Nixon took him on a secret visit to Homestead Air Force Base. There, Gleason allegedly saw an alien spaceship and dead extra-terrestrials.
Source
Marian the Teacher was first, and correct, with:
Jackie Gleason
Charlie responded:
I'm finding it difficult to locate a picture of the house, but the answer is
D Jackie Gleason
It seems he was wackier than I had realized.
Alan J answered:
D Jackie Gleason
Sally said:
OMG, do you know how old I feel after reading today's trivia dejour? Well, back in the 1960s, there was an overnight radio show hosted by Long John Nebel. It was the precursor to the Art Bell Radio Show (now "Coast to Coast" with George Noory) and had/has a paranormal theme. One of Long John's frequent guests was Jackie Gleason (D) who was known for his TV fame. Now, get this: Gleason loved to talk about his house built in the shape of a UFO which he named "The Mothership," and I well remember that which took place 40 years ago...
PS: I am STILL tuned in to "Coast to Coast" on AM radio about every night - and just love every minute of the show!
From Google Maps: Search for this address: Rock Hill Drive, Cortlandt
Manor, NY. Then, scroll down and to the left. You will see the house just north of the intersection of Washington Street and Furnace Dock Road.
PS Missed Sal yesterday!
And, Joe S ("Protoss motherships are mighty vessels that were constructed centuries ago during the golden age of protoss expansion. They were intended to act as primary command ships to lead vast armadas of protoss explorers into the darkness of deep space and bring them safely home again. Those days are long gone, and the surviving motherships later became holy shrines to the protoss, representing an honored way of life and a part of the proud history of the protoss race."
~ From Starcraft II) answered:
My first guess was Jackie Gleason, it just sounded like a Gleason thing. I looked it up to make sure though.
CBS opens the night with a RERUN'Big Bang Theory', followed by a RERUN'How I Met Your Mother', then a RERUN'2½ Men', followed by a FRESH'Worst Week', then a RERUN'CSI: The 2nd One'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Ellen Pompeo, the winner of the Daytona 500, and Willie Nelson with Asleep at the Wheel.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are David Boreanaz, Philip Johnson, and Zac Brown Band.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH'Chuck', followed by a FRESH'Heroes', then a FRESH'Medium'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Kevin Bacon, Josh Tickell, and Lily Allen.
Scheduled on a FRESHConan are Bob Saget and thenewno2.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 1/15/09) are Derek Luke and Puddle of Mudd.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH'The Bachelor 13', followed by the SEASON FINALE'True Beauty'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 1/8/09) are Anne Hathaway, Jensen Ackles, and Lenka.
The CW offers a RERUN'Gossip Girl',followed by a RERUN'One Tree Hill'.
Faux has a FRESH'House', followed by a FRESH'24'.
MY has 'Figure Skating', followed by a RERUN'Masters Of Illusion'.
A&E has 'Intervention', another 'Intervention', followed by a FRESH'Intervention', then a FRESH'Paranormal State', and another 'Paranormal State'.
AMC offers the movie 'Rudy', followed by the movie 'Million Dollar Baby'.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 9
[12:30 PM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 10
[1:00 PM] How Clean Is Your House? US - Episode 9
[1:30 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 8
[2:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep. 3 Walnut Tree
[3:00 PM] Gordon Ramsay's F Word - Episode 5
[4:00 PM] How Clean Is Your House? US - Episode 9
[4:30 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 9
[5:00 PM] Gordon Ramsay's F Word - Episode 6
[6:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Revisited - Ep 2 The Fenwick Arms
[7:00 PM] BBC World News America
[8:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[9:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 1
[10:00 PM] BBC World News America
[11:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[12:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 1
[1:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[2:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 6
[3:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 5 Ioan Gruffudd and Jessie Wallace
[4:00 AM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 9
[4:30 AM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 10
[5:00 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 22 Brown
[5:30 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 23 Farrier
[6:00 AM] BBC World News (ALL TIMES EDT)
Comedy Central has 'Scrubs', another 'Scrubs', still another 'Scrubs', yet another 'Scrubs', 'Futurama', 'South Park', another 'Futurama', and 'Important Things With Demetri Martin'.
On a RERUNJon Stewart (from 2/11/09) is Daniel Sperling.
On a RERUNColbert Report (from 2/12/09) is Adam Gopnik.
FX has the movie 'Deja Vu', followed by the movie 'John Tucker Must Die', then the movie 'Date Movie'.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'Secret Access: Air Force One', followed by the FRESH'Stealing Lincoln's Body'.
IFC -
[6:00 AM] I Heart Huckabees
[7:55 AM] IFC News Special
[8:05 AM] We Married Margo
[9:35 AM] A Hard Day's Night
[11:05 AM] I Heart Huckabees
[1:00 PM] IFC in Theaters
[1:15 PM] We Married Margo
[2:45 PM] A Hard Day's Night
[4:15 PM] I Heart Huckabees
[6:05 PM] Mistress
[8:00 PM] Last Summer in the Hamptons
[9:50 PM] La Lecon de Danse
[10:00 PM] Chicago
[12:00 AM] Igby Goes Down
[1:45 AM] Last Summer in the Hamptons
[3:35 AM] Chicago
[5:35 AM] Mistress (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[06:00 AM] Eco Documentaries - Season 1: The Refugees of the Blue Planet
[07:00 AM] Stefan Braun
[08:05 AM] No End in Sight
[10:00 AM] The Staircase: Chapter 5. A weak case
[11:00 AM] The Staircase: Chapter 6. The prosecution's revenge
[12:00 PM] Blog Wars
[01:15 PM] The War Room
[03:00 PM] Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
[05:00 PM] 638 Ways To Kill Castro
[06:30 PM] 14 Women
[08:00 PM] Lake of Fire
[10:35 PM] Architecture School: Episode 2
[11:00 PM] Spectacle: She & Him, Jenny Lewis, Jakob Dylan
[12:00 AM] Silk
[01:50 AM] One Take Only
[03:20 AM] Noise (2007)
[05:10 AM] Flying: Confessions...: Part 3 (ALL TIMES EST)
U.S. singer Tina Turner (2nd R) performs on stage together with three dancers during a concert of her European Tour 2009 in Zurich February 15, 2009.
Photo by Arnd Wiegmann
Though hundreds of TV stations are turning off their analog signals next week, households in line for their $40 coupons for digital converter boxes are likely to have to wait at least several weeks longer.
The fund that subsidizes the coupons has reached its authorized limit. It's still sending out around 100,000 coupons a day as older coupons expire unused, but there's a wait list of 4 million coupons. At that rate, it would take the National Telecommunications and Information Administration about two months to process coupon requests made today.
The stimulus bill in Congress contains added funding for the program. When it takes effect, the NTIA will be able to clear the backlog in two weeks, said spokesman Bart Forbes.
Markets where many or all major-network stations plan to turn off analog transmissions next week are San Diego and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Providence, R.I.; La Crosse and Madison, Wis.; Rockford, Ill.; Sioux City, Iowa; Waco, Texas; Macon, Ga.; Scranton, Pa.; and Burlington, Vt.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton stands with actor Matthew McConaughey (L) at a service project clean up during the Clinton Global Initiative University hosted by the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, February 15, 2009. President Clinton was joined by N.F.L. cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, Austin Mayor Will Wynn, and founder of Tom's Shoes Blake Mycoskie to spread awareness about global issues.
Photo by Ben Sklar
For Barry Manilow, the hottest spot north of Havana was the Friars Club.
The singer of "Copacabana" and "Mandy" was inducted into the club Saturday, joining celebrities including Frank Sinatra and Billy Crystal as part of the famous group.
As is standard for the club, Manilow came in for some teasing from speakers before he accepted the honour.
A high school student's keen eye has caught a state test error that managed to slip past teachers, test coordinators and other students for almost a year.
Geoffrey Stanford, 17, discovered during a Kansas writing test last week that an essay question concerning greenhouse gases incorrectly used the word "omission" for the word "emission," prompting the Wichita East High School junior to point out the error.
"I thought, `Surely they're not talking about leaving out carbon dioxide altogether.' It just didn't make sense," Stanford said. "It had to be a mistake."
The state Department of Education has e-mailed a corrected version of the essay question to test coordinators around the state, but the incident already has caused a lot of red faces at the department, which used a committee of more than 30 state teachers to develop the test almost two years ago.
Missoni fashion house heir Margherita Missoni is lowered by cable while suspended above Saint Mark's square in Venice February 15, 2009. The event, called Flight of the Angel, marks the start of the Carnival in the lagoon city.
Photo by Manuel Silvestri
The iconic painting that depicts George Washington crossing the Delaware River is getting even more dazzling. The plain frame that held the room-size painting is being replaced with an ornate recreation of its original.
A recently discovered photograph showing Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware" with an elaborate border during an 1864 exhibition inspired the Metropolitan Museum of Art to replace the plain frame.
The masterwork's current frame "minimized it," said Carrie Rebora Barratt, the Met's curator of American paintings and sculpture, although it's difficult to imagine how the painting, more than 21 feet by 12 feet, could be missed.
Leutze painted the masterpiece in 1851, depicting Washington and his companions crossing an ice-strewn Delaware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Washington crossed the river on Dec. 25, 1776, in a surprise attack during the Revolutionary War.
What looked like a fireball streaked across the Texas sky on Sunday morning, leading many people to call authorities to report seeing falling debris.
"We don't know what it was," said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig.
The U.S. Strategic Command said there was no connection to the sightings over Texas and Tuesday's collision of satellites from the U.S. and Russia.
The FAA notified pilots on Saturday to be aware of possible space debris after a collision Tuesday between U.S. and Russian communication satellites. The chief of Russia's Mission Control says clouds of debris from the collision will circle Earth for thousands of years and threaten numerous satellites.
Croatian cooks prepare to fry the longest (530 meters) sausage in the world in eastern Croatia's town of Vinkovci some 250 km (244 miles) east of Zagreb, February 14, 2009. Organizers for the event are trying to make it into the Guinness book of records. The current record is held by Romanians for the longest sausage at a length of 392 meters. The sausage will be distributed to citizens of Vinkovci as a gift for St. Valentine's day.
Photo by Nikola Solic
A marine census released Monday documented 7,500 species living in the Antarctic and 5,500 in the Arctic, including several hundred that researchers believe could be new to science.
And, in one of the biggest surprises, researchers said they discovered dozens of species common to both polar seas - separated by nearly 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers).
Most of the new discoveries were simpler life forms known as invertebrates, or animals without backbones.
The survey - which included over 500 polar researchers from 25 countries - took place during International Polar Year which ran in 2007-2008.
The U.S. military will begin recruiting immigrants with special skills who are in the United States on temporary visas, offering a chance to become citizens in as little as six months, The New York Times reported.
A report on the newspaper's website on Saturday said it would be the first time since the Vietnam War that the armed forces would be open to temporary immigrants, provided they have lived in the United States for at least two years.
Immigrants with permanent resident status, or "green cards," are eligible to enlist in the U.S. military.
The Times said the program could help the military fill shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis. It will be limited to 1,000 enlistees in its first year, most for the Army and some for other services.
A woman dressed as a character named Collie Parton in reference to country music singer Dolly Parton, rides the Krewe of Barkus Mardi Gras parade in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana February 15, 2009.
Photo by Lee Celano
The Renaissance exhibition hall, Hotel de Sully, is a fine, if not ironic, choice for a major Paris exhibit of daring young photographers who defied social and stylistic boundaries to propel their craft into a veritable art during the two decades before World War II.
Pre-war Paris attracted artists from across Europe and the United States, and the exhibit, "Paris: Photography Capital, 1920-40," celebrates a wave of photographers from Germany, Russia, Hungary, Belgium, the United States as well as France.
For Christian Bouqueret, collector, curator and historian of photography, this era in Parisian history was marked by a photographic revolution.
Spanning three halls in the Renaissance-era building that is now an exhibition hall, Bouqueret's "didactic" collection of 120 original photos features photomontages, photograms and photocollages.
"Friday the 13th" had all the luck as the remake of the 1980 slasher flick opened with $42.2 million, putting blood and guts ahead of hearts over Valentine's Day weekend.
That was a record for the horror genre, topping the $39.1 million debut for 2004's "The Grudge." Accounting for today's higher admission prices, "The Grudge" sold slightly more tickets, however.
The combination of solid debuts and strong holdovers lifted Hollywood to its best President's Day weekend ever. The three-day overall total of $190 million blew away the previous best of $157.1 million over President's Day weekend in 2007, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Friday the 13th," $42.2 million.
2. "He's Just Not That Into You," $19.6 million.
3. "Taken," $19.3 million.
4. "Confessions of a Shopaholic," $15.4 million.
5. "Coraline," $15.3 million.
6. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $11.7 million.
7. "The International," $10 million.
8. "The Pink Panther 2," $9 million.
9. "Slumdog Millionaire," $7.2 million.
&10. "Push," $6.9 million.
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better,
amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
wrote:
