The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Executive Orders, Part Deux' Edition
WASHINGTON - With much of his legislative agenda stalled in Congress, President Obama and his team are preparing an array of actions using his executive power to advance energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic policy priorities... Obama Making Plans to Use Executive Power - NYTimes.com
Last November after Obama was elected, I asked about what Executive Orders you'd like 'The Man' to make. Puzzlingly, he did not utilize that option in any significant way, to my thinkin'... Now, however, with his "agenda stalled", he's decided to get 'Froggy' and make that leap... So, once again, I ask...
What specific issues would you like 'The Man' to address with Executive Orders?
Adam in NoHo sent an ambitious agenda...
Restore habeas corpus; stop torture, rendition & military tribunals; close Guantanamo effective 28 Feb 2010 and give it all back to Cuba (so that the base and everything it means is no longer a temptation).
Arrest Bush, Cheney, and the rest for war crimes and put them on very public trial. I'd do the same for the traitorous Reagan admin, but it may be too late. Withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan effective May 2010 (although, that may already be in my purview as C-in-C). Stop-loss DADT and tell the justice dept we are no longer defending DOMA. (I don't think either of those need an Ex. Order, either)
Have another 9/11 investigation but without the politics.
Give the EPS full power to make everyone conform to CA state pollution standards (or better).
I'm sure I'd think of more stuff to do over lunch that day!
SallyP added...
A good Health Care Bill, including dental care for all. If he would cut all the military spending and bring the troops home, the cost of such protection could be very reasonable.
Lift the ban on openly Gay men and Lesbians serving in the military, NOW! Who cares what grumpy old men think - it's stupid to have anything like, "Don't Ask; Don't Tell" in this day and age. Oh, and while he's at it, let the Gays marry as well! Could they do any worse than Sanford, Edwards and Woods???
And Finally, set up Regulations on heat-trapping gases blamed for climate change. Just do a modified, "Cap 'n Trade" of such emissions whether Congress likes it of not!
It's time for some REAL LEADERSHIP, and Executive Orders are just the ticket for him to use!
Charlie said...
I didn't get in before the deadline last week, but others had pretty much the same thoughts I was having. I don't know how many besides Bob and I got the Donovan song in our heads as a result of the saffron question. Anyhow, I think military spending is a domestic policy issue as it is the primary method of government intervention in the economy. Of course right-wing so-called opponents of Big Government never show any concern about this particular 900 pound gorilla. That it's pretty obvious that Obama is only making this situation worse, the question was what I issues I think he should be addressing, and the redirection of our society away from militarism and toward infrastructure rebuilding on many fronts is where he should be leading us.
And Claudia listed...
1) Begin immediate shut down of 95% of American military bases on foreign soil and repatriation of troops.. Make sure the other 5% are under-funded.
2) Fire (or post to the nearest closet) all DEA personnel who have defied the Exec order to make medical marijuana the lowest priority.
3) Refuse to sign any legislation that contains material written by lobbyists.
4) Require that all use of public lands, assets and resources by corporations be paid for at market value, and all pollution or other degradation of public property be severely sanctioned
Well then, Poll-fans, the above ideas are grand, but I'd like to see an order that would help stop an ecological disaster of Biblical proportions. That would be the closing of the Chicago ship canal to prevent this...
The invasion of the Great Lakes by the Silver Asian Carp! If you have the time, please read these links and you'll understand what I mean...
Asian Carp Battle: Foreign Fish Threaten Great Lakes - TIME
and
Invasive Species | Great Lakes | US EPA
~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to all responders. As always, Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
~~~~~~~~~~~
New Question
The '1st Ever BadtotheboneBob Oscar Award Contest' Edition...
With a Prize! That's right, Poll-fans! A Prize! You like prizes, dontcha? I know I do!
I emptied my little change jar and I came up with $27.54 that I will gladly, gladly I say, donate to yer favorite charity. If that's you, OK, that's cool. If it's Marty and the page, so much the better, eh? All ya gotta do is correctly pick the winners of these Oscar categories... The closest one wins The Prize!... Ready? Set... Go !!!
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Directing
...
Oscar night is Sunday, March 7th. Cut off for entries will be 8PM EST Saturday March 6th and will be posted Sunday morning. The winner will posted Tuesday, March 9th with a new question.
Oh, ties will be resolved in a scientific manner involving my toddler grand-daughter, 'Maddie Muffin' and will be explained with the posted predictions... Good Luck!
BadtotheboneBob
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
US Debt Clock
Mark Morford: Tiger Woods' terrifying lack of humor
It is entirely possible that Tiger Woods, AKA the world's most famous athlete who also appears to be the most boring and bland and Jesus dude show a hint of spark and humor and life, would you please? It's entirely possible Tiger is far more messed up and clinically depressed than his juvenile, low-grade adoration of hookers, porn stars and skeevy Vegas waitresses would let anyone believe.
Zack Smith: An interview with Larry Flynt about free speech (indyweek.com)
Flynt's public image received a major positive makeover when he was portrayed by Woody Harrelson in Milos Forman's 1996 film 'The People Vs. Larry Flynt,' which dramatized Flynt's battle for press freedom in the face of a lawsuit brought by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, who had been the subject of a parody in the pages of the Flynt-published 'Hustler' magazine.
Oliver Burkeman: Revealed! The secret of the National Enquirer's success (guardian.co.uk)
The supermarket tabloid is in the running to win a Pulitzer prize. What does that tell about the state of the US media?
How to conquer the clutter (guardian.co.uk)
A mountain of stuff that we neither need nor use is taking over our homes - twice as much as 30 years ago. Hoarder Michele Hanson wonders how she might conquer her clutter.
Beth Quinn: Sam's a bit quirky, but aren't all unicorns? (zestoforange.com)
We are Gammy and Gamps, my husband and I. It was up to our second grandchild to so name us. Our first grandchild, Sam, doesn't speak. At the age of six, he's never said Mommy or Daddy. He's never called me anything. It's more than possible he never will.
Gay love: When a husband or wife comes out (guardian.co.uk)
How does it feel to discover the person you married is gay? Or, after years with a man, that you're attracted to other women? Amy Bloom introduces the stories of partners who had a change of heart.
John Swansburg: Literature's First Unreliable Narrator (slate.com)
The unexpected lessons of 'The Lost Books of the Odyssey.'
"Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector" by Benjamin Moser: A review by Charisse Gendron
The novels and stories of Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector have enjoyed the commentary of many readers who seek out fiction that is profound, poetic, and challenging.
"Yours Ever: People and Their Letters" by Thomas Mallon: A review by Louis Bayard
My father wrote me once a week when I was in college. Chitchat, for the most part. "Your Uncle Joe called....Dishwasher went out....Had a nice jog this morning." Exactly the kind of stuff people post on Facebook now. I read each of his letters exactly once and put it . . . where? That's what I couldn't remember in the days and weeks after his death.
Hattie Collins: Genius loves company (timesonline.co.uk)
He's the world's hottest producer, writer and rapper, with Katy Perry on call, but Timbaland is happy just being a dad.
Pete Paphides: "Billy Bragg: still barking at injustice" (timesonline.co.uk)
Despite living by the coast and dropping out of sight, pop's most famous exponent of democratic socialism is cool again
Misha Berson: 'Fiddle and the Drum' presents a new facet of songsmith Joni Mitchell (The Seattle Times)
With her blond tresses, her sweet and high voice, her charmed songs of love, protest and rites of passage, Joni Mitchell became the quintessential female troubadour of the 1960s.
David Bruce: "Dante's 'Purgatory': A Discussion Guide" (lulu.com)
Free Download.
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Keith Olbermann's Father
i cannot comment because it hurts too bad.
i had to wrestle my dads gun from his hands to prevent him from taking his own life a few years back he had cancer widowed 6 months previous. mom had cancer too
they are both gone now writing this thru my tears. please post keith's commentary for them.
Reader Comment
Cheney
Re: abc7.com Breaking News: Cheney tests showed evidence of mild heart attack
Aren't we done w/him yet ????
><((((o> ~~~ ><))))o> ~~~ ><((((o> ~~~ ><)))o>
Misty
Thanks, Misty!
I think they're just trying to convince us that '5-Deferment-Dick' actually has a heart.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Suggestion
Penis Trousers
We found a video of the famous Penis Trousers by designer Isabel Mastache and zoomed in so you can see the crucial appendage in motion. You're welcome.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Cloudy day, rainy night.
Yanks Focus on the Family Ad
NCAA
Weeks after scoring a publicity coup with a 30-second Super Bowl ad featuring Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, conservative Christian group Focus on the Family is at the center of another marketing tug-of-war - this time involving the major governing body of college sports.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association removed a Focus on the Family banner ad from one of its Web sites this week, NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said Wednesday.
The NCAA made the decision after some of its members - including faculty and athletic directors - expressed concern that the evangelical group's stance against gay and lesbian relationships conflicted with the NCAA's policy of inclusion regardless of sexual orientation, Williams said.
Advertisers "should be generally supportive of NCAA values and attributes and/or not be in conflict with the NCAA's mission and fundamental principles," according to NCAA standards. The NCAA may exclude ads or advertisers "that do not appear to be in the best interests of higher education and student athletes."
NCAA
Human Rights Campaign Carolinas
Clay Aiken
More than a year after disclosing he is gay, Clay Aiken is speaking before a gay-rights event in his hometown.
Aiken will deliver a speech about gay rights this weekend at the Human Rights Campaign Carolinas gala in Raleigh, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Wednesday. Actress Meredith Baxter, who recently said she is a lesbian, also will deliver a speech.
Aiken said he would probably attend Saturday's event with his bodyguard and without family members or friends. Some family members have handled news of Aiken's homosexuality better than others, he said.
Clay Aiken
U.S. May Pay For Mobile Spectrum
Broadcasters
The top U.S. communications regulator offered to pay television broadcasters to give up their rights to airwaves in a controversial bid to free up wireless spectrum for advanced mobile phone services.
But analysts say the plan could run into opposition from broadcasters reluctant to give up their airwaves unless they are offered a price that might be too expensive for the government to pay.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said on Wednesday he wants to free up 500 megahertz of spectrum to wireless carriers over 10 years, as part of the National Broadband Plan to be released on March 16.
Genachowski's proposal is the latest chapter in the battle between broadcasters, unwilling to give up highly prized spectrum acquired from the digital television transition, and the wireless industry, which is concerned with a looming spectrum crisis as more people use wireless to surf the Web.
Broadcasters
1930s Recordings Preserve Cultural Wealth
Haiti
At 21, Alan Lomax went to Haiti and recorded its citizens making music - songs about Voodoo, carnival politics, children's games and the first airplanes crisscrossing its Caribbean skies in the late 1930s.
He preserved the sounds on aluminum discs for the Library of Congress, but they were largely forgotten for seven decades as they sat in the library's archives. Recently discovered, they were compiled into a box set released last fall. Haitian music scholars called it a "cultural archive" that documents the daily triumphs that get missed whenever a crisis in Haiti makes the news.
The catastrophic earthquake last month that killed more than 200,000 people was the latest crisis. Now, the set's curator hopes "Alan Lomax in Haiti" will teach people that Haiti's culture remains intact, even when so many of its arts institutions have collapsed. Music from the 10-disc box set, released by Harte Recordings, is featured in three radio public service announcements seeking aid for Haiti.
Lomax was a newlywed ethnomusicologist when he set out to record the music of Haiti in 1936 and 1937, just following a 15-year American military occupation of Haiti. He lugged his equipment into the mountains beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, in search of ordinary people instead of polished performers and ended up with 1,500 recordings. Ultimately, digital copies will be returned to Haiti, as some of Lomax's recordings from other Caribbean countries have been returned to those islands.
Haiti
Hall Of Fame Honors
Country Music
Ferlin Husky, who first achieved stardom with his 1957 song "Gone," will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with veteran country stars Jimmy Dean, Don Williams, and Billy Sherrill.
Husky helped usher in the smoother, more slickly produced Nashville Sound movement, with "Gone" a top country hit that also reached No. 4 on the pop charts. The record featured vocals from The Jordanaires and Millie Kirkham.
Dean, 81, had a hit with the song "Big Bad John," which won a 1961 Grammy Award. He later hosted his own television show in the 1960s, introducing country music's stars to a national audience. More recently, he started a successful meat sausage business.
Sherrill, 73, co-wrote and produced Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man." He added strings and other elements to the songs he produced, which included George Jones' epic hit "He Stopped Lovin' Her Today."
Country Music
Concerts Filmed With 3-D Avatar Cameras
Jean Michel Jarre
Two concerts next month by French electronic music pioneer Jean Michel Jarre are to be filmed in 3-D with the same cameras used to shoot James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar", the musician said Wednesday.
In a telephone interview from Belgium, where he is rehearsing, Jarre told AFP he had been contacted by Panasonic, which developed the cameras for the 3-D opus, to film the concerts and record in high-definition sound.
The film of the two concerts in Strasbourg and Liege, Belgium, will be "released in 3-D and 2-D later in the year," he said.
Jean Michel Jarre
Parents Seek Help
Andrew Koenig
The parents of missing "Growing Pains" actor Andrew Koenig have issued an emotional plea for their son to contact them. Koenig was visiting friends in Vancouver when he went missing more than a week ago.
The Venice, Calif., native had a recurring role on the 1980s sitcom as Boner, a pal of star Kirk Cameron's character, Mike.
Walter Koenig, best known for playing Pavel Chekov on the original "Star Trek" television series, said Wednesday his son stopped taking antidepressant medication about a year ago.
Vancouver police Constable Tim Fanning says there has been no activity on Koenig's cell phone or bank records since Feb. 16. Fanning says Vancouver's 1,000-acre, thickly forested Stanley Park, which Koenig loved, has been searched thoroughly.
Andrew Koenig
Baby News
Luke Sampson Busey
Gary Busey's girlfriend, Steffanie Sampson, has given birth to a boy named Luke Sampson Busey.
Manager Scott Vandiver says the boy was born Tuesday and weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces (2.91 kilograms).
The 65-year-old Busey has a son, actor Jake Busey, and a daughter, Alectra, from previous relationships.
Luke Sampson Busey
UK Lawmakers Criticize Paper
Rupert
British lawmakers accused bosses at Rupert Murdoch's top-selling British tabloid on Wednesday of suffering "collective amnesia" over illegal hacking of phone messages meant for royalty and other celebrities.
A parliamentary committee on media said in a report it was "inconceivable" that managers at the News of the World did not know about the practice, which the legislators said was more widespread than the Sunday newspaper had previously admitted.
In 2007, Clive Goodman, who reported on the British royal family for the paper, was jailed for four months after writing stories based on phone taps of royal aides carried out by a private detective.
News International has always maintained that Goodman acted without the knowledge of senior editors and his actions had been an isolated incident.
But the cross-party parliamentary committee said in its report: "The evidence, we find, makes it inconceivable that no-one else at the News of the World, bar Mr. Goodman, was aware of the activities."
Rupert
Philly Fire Was Arson
Gamble and Huff
Police charged a man with arson Wednesday in a fire at the music company offices of a Grammy-winning songwriting team Gamble and Huff who scored dozens of hits for stars including Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls and the O'Jays.
Fire, smoke and water damage from last weekend's blaze ruined 40 percent of the memorabilia at Philadelphia International Records, though the recording studio was largely spared, label co-founder Kenneth Gamble said Wednesday.
The fire damaged gold and platinum records and the company's personal inventory of CDs by Michael Jackson and the Jacksons, Pendergrass, Rawls and LaBelle, Gamble said.
Gamble, 66, Huff, 67, and fellow Philadelphia producer Thom Bell are credited with creating the lush acoustics of 1960s and '70s soul music that came to be known as the "Sound of Philadelphia." Gamble and Huff's songs include the O'Jays' "Love Train," Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones" and McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now."
Gamble and Huff
Pleads Not Guilty
Leif Garrett
Garrett has pleaded not guilty in a felony drug possession case in Los Angeles.
The plea came Wednesday during the arraignment of the musician and former teen heartthrob.
Defense attorney Andrew Flier said authorities illegally searched Garrett before he was arrested Feb. 1 for investigation of carrying heroin in the city subway system.
Flier says Garrett disputes the contention that he was nervous and sweating profusely, which prompted his search and arrest.
Leif Garrett
Pleads Not Guilty
Adrian Pasdar
Adrian Pasdar has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge.
The "Heroes" actor entered the plea through his attorney and did not attend a court hearing on Wednesday. His case is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on March 15.
Pasdar was arrested Jan. 27 after authorities say they spotted the 44-year-old swerving and speeding on a Los Angeles freeway.
Pasdar plays Nathan Petrelli on the NBC show "Heroes." He is married to Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines.
Adrian Pasdar
ESPN Suspends
Tony Kornheiser
ESPN has suspended host Tony Kornheiser from his television talk show "Pardon the Interruption" for two weeks for comments he made on the radio last week about SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm's clothing.
Kornheiser announced the suspension on his Washington D.C. radio show Tuesday morning, calling his remarks about Storm intemperate and stupid.
Kornheiser described an outfit Storm was wearing at ESPN last week as "horrifying," saying her shirt was too tight and looked "like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body."
Kornheiser said he had called Storm to personally apologize for the remarks.
Tony Kornheiser
Painting Authenticated
Vincent van Gogh
Dirk Hannema was known as a brilliant art curator but a bit of a fool. He claimed he had seven Vermeers in his collection, several Van Goghs and a few Rembrandts, but no one believed him.
Now 25 years after his death it turned out he was right - about one work by Vincent van Gogh.
The painting, "Le Blute-Fin Mill," goes on public display Wednesday in the small Museum de Fundatie in the central Dutch town of Zwolle.
Louis van Tilborgh, curator of research at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, said the painting was unusual for the 19th century impressionist, depicting large human figures in a landscape. The painting shows Parisians climbing wooden stairs to a windmill in the Montmartre district.
Vincent van Gogh
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Feb. 15-21. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:
1. Winter Olympics (Sunday, 7:45 p.m.), MSNBC, 4.98 million homes, 8.22 million viewers.
2. Winter Olympics (Sunday, 9:55 p.m.), MSNBC, 4.04 million homes, 6.48 million viewers.
3. "NCIS" (Monday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.67 million homes, 4.72 million viewers.
4. "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" (Sunday, 10 p.m.), E! Entertainment, 3.60 million homes, 4.81 million viewers.
5. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.41 million homes, 5.11 million viewers.
6. "NCIS" (Monday, 6 p.m.), USA, 3.29 million homes, 4.15 million viewers.
7. "Penguins of Madagascar" (Monday, 8 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.26 million homes, 4.60 million viewers.
8. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.213 million homes, 4.81 million viewers.
9. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.208 million homes, 4.19 million viewers.
10. "Hannah Montana" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 3.19 million homes, 4.50 million viewers.
11. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 10:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.18 million homes, 4.39 million viewers.
12. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.15 million homes, 4.23 million viewers.
13. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.12 million homes, 4.05 million viewers.
14. "Pawn Stars" (Monday, 10:30 p.m.), History, 3.11 million homes, 4.11 million viewers.
15. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.10 million homes, 3.91 million viewers.
Ratings
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
