The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'LOL in the Boardroom' Edition
President Barack Obama told banks Thursday they should pay a new tax to recoup the cost of bailing out foundering firms at the height of the financial crisis. He said...
"My commitment is to recover every single dime the American people are owed. And my determination to achieve this goal is only heightened when I see reports of massive profits and obscene bonuses at some of the very firms who owe their continued existence to the American people...We want our money back, and we're going to get it."
Citing 'obscene' bonuses, Obama to tax banks - U.S. business- msnbc.com
How confident are you that Obama will be able to recover those funds?
1.) Very - 'The Man' will be on 'em like a pit bull...
2.) Somewhat - We'll get back just enough so 'The Man' can claim success, but not nearly the total of what they scammed from us...
3.) Yer kiddin' me, right? I'm laughing with 'The Board'...
Well, then, Poll-fans, total responses were a tad thin this week... I blame it on disappointment and political burnout... I, too, am experiencing both conditions, and that's a fact... Anyway, here are the replies from those that soldiered on in the order that they were received (Thankyewverymuch)...
litebug said...
I vote for #2.
DanD in usual form wrote...
I would much prefer that Obama initiate a "Decimation Draft" where the identities of all the failed banking, bonus recipient CEOs are entered into a lottery setup. The lottery is held among all the people who have been homelessly impoverished by any, mandatory participating TARP bank. The number of winners will equal 10 percent of the CEO list. Next, the impoverished people can then choose one CEO.
Finally, the lottery winners can take one of two options ... they can allow "their" CEO to either bid for his/her freedom, or they can deny the bid (whatever it may be) and the CEO will be put to death using whatever manner the lottery winner chooses.
Only the past and prevalent CEOs of failed banks will be culpable for competition. They should hold this competition in an exact, full-scale model of the Roman Coliseum.
Next week, how to deal with the great surplus of lawyers who perform their chosen craft in bad faith.
Anyway, will Obama be able to recover the funds? Sure, just as soon as the bankers "fee-collect" them from their captive customers.
(Ah, Dan... um... er, well, I think... Oh, never mind)
Adam (not happy) in NoHo voted...
#3. Obama hasn't insisted on anything from anybody yet (except for more people to pointlessly die in Afghanistan...), while the bailout and the rest of our monetary policy is being run by a bunch of former Wall Street Banksters. Obama seems happy being a 1-Term, Lame Duck For Four Yrs President.
(Adam, a few hours ago I watched Diane Sawyer interview 'The Man' and he said, "I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president," Somehow, I don't think that's what ya meant, haha...)
Richard McD. confidently responded...
1.) Very - 'The Man' will be on 'em like a pit bull...
(Richard, I don't feel that confident, but I respect yer loyalty)
SallyP was in a quandary and replied...
Your question this week sure puts me in a terrible position for your reply. As you know, I LOVE President Obama, and support him with my whole mind and body. [Yes, I know that] Reading your question, my immediate reply would be: 1.) Very - 'The Man' will be on 'em like a pit bull. That being said, I also realize that the man did not take office with a magic wand clenched in his hand [What? No wand?], and so far, the desperado's (both parties) have done everything they can to castrate him, thus leaving him powerless and virtually stopping him in his tracks. Now that our Supreme Court, in their all-powerful wisdom (cough, cough), have ruled that big business can donate disgustingly large amounts of money to the politicians of their choice - we know the Banking World already have their mohelim lined up and ready to go to cut him off at the knees. IAC, we all know what is going to happen: Let the bloody Bris begin... :(
** A mohel (plural mohelim) is a Jewish man trained in the practice of (circumcision). The Bris is the celebration of it...**
(TMI, Sally, with the cultural references... Ack!)
Charlie Y. appears resigned...
It'll probably be #3. It's been a very long time since anything at all has happened that would redistribute income downward, and even this proposed measure would be a drop in the bucket compared to what needs to happen.
(I know, Charlie, I know...)
My response is somewhere between #2 and #3.
I get the feeling that the Bankers believe it would be in their best interests to appear to be chastened by The Man and will allow him to recover some of what they have stolen from us. Basically, a 'PR' stunt that will help both sides. Bi-partisanship, remember? (Big sigh)
That's it, then... and, as always, Poll-fans, Yer the best!
BadToTheBoneBob
~~~~~~~~~~~
New Question
The 'Sublime Prime Time Programming' Edition
Which TV network has the best prime time programming line up?
1.) ABC
2.) CBS
3.) NBC
4.) Fox
5.) FX
6.) PBS
7.) other
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Stranded in Suburbia
With rising oil prices leaving many Americans stranded in suburbia, it's starting to look as if Berlin, a city of trains, buses and bikes, had the better idea.
Andrew Tobias: Daily Comment (andrewtobias.com)
... it is the Democratic Party - which gave us Social Security and Medicare and the minimum wage and Americorps and the GI Bill and the Family and Medical Leave Act and worker safety regulation and the S.E.C. and the F.D.I.C., almost all of which the G.O.P. opposed - that truly looks out for "Joe the Plumber," even to the occasional discomfiture of the moneyed elite.
Froma Harrop: The Real Miracle Happened Four Years Ago (creators.com)
The miracle in Massachusetts was made possible through a bigger miracle four years ago. That's when the commonwealth became the first and so far only state to guarantee near-universal coverage. The Republican winner of the Senate seat long held by Ted Kennedy, Scott Brown, voted for the legislation as a state senator. In vowing to be the key 41st vote against the Democrats' health care reforms, Brown carefully added that Massachusetts voters should not worry about their own health care security: They already have it through the state program.
Neil Gaiman says 'Graveyard Book' film is dead -- for now (latimes.com)
Neil Gaiman knows that the best stories must be both bitter and sweet -- he is, after all, the author of "The Graveyard Book," the tender children's novel that opens with a nasty knife murder. Still, the 49-year-old Brit sounds dazed when he reflects on the past year of his life.
Dan Gallagher: Amazon raises royalty rate for Kindle e-books (MarketWatch)
Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday that it has raised the royalty rate for authors and publishers on books published for its Kindle e-reader, which is coming under fresh competition from rival devices and possibly a forthcoming tablet device from Apple Inc.
"John Zorn: Tradition and Transgression" by John Brackett: A review by Joshua Cohen
The most notable new music after Zorn's might be the whirring hum of the fan that cools a computer's circuits from fevered searching.
Rob Hastings: The bands who don't miss a single thing (guardian.co.uk)
Like Led Zeppelin and the Manics before them, MGMT are releasing their new album without the aid of any singles. But will this make fans judge their music differently?
Dolly Parton: what lies behind the image (timesonline.co.uk)
'I'm artificial, but it comes from a sincere place'. Hugo Rifkind comes face to face with the phenomenon that is Dolly .
Elizabeth Day: Cherie Currie of the Runaways (guardian.co.uk)
The Runaways were the original 'rock chicks', a wild all-girl teen band whose story is told in a film that opens today. Cherie Currie, the band's singer, tells us how it really wasŠ
John Horn: Five acclaimed directors speak directly (latimes.com)
We put Quentin Tarantino, Jason Reitman, Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron and Lee Daniels in a room together. Action!
Will Harris: A Chat with Henry Selick, Director of "Coraline" (bullz-eye.com)
We were fearless (on 'The Nightmare Before Christmas.') We had no fear of failure. We didn't care. We wanted to make something great. It would be many years until I had a similar experience, which I finally got on 'Coraline.'
Saoirse Ronan: A name to reckon with (guardian.co.uk)
She stole the film in 'Atonement,' now she's at it again with 'The Lovely Bones.' Not bad, finds Xan Brooks, for a dog-loving, crisp-eating 15-year-old.
wrote:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
CBS Urged To Scrap Ad
Super Bowl
A national coalition of women's groups called on CBS on Monday to scrap its plan to broadcast an ad during the Super Bowl featuring college football star Tim Tebow and his mother, which critics say is likely to convey an anti-abortion message.
"An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year - an event designed to bring Americans together," said Jehmu Greene, president of the New York-based Women's Media Center.
The center was coordinating the protest with backing from the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority and other groups.
CBS said it has approved the script for the 30-second ad and has given no indication that the protest would have an impact. A network spokesman, Dana McClintock, said CBS would ensure that any issue-oriented ad was "appropriate for air."
The ad - paid for by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family - is expected to recount the story of Pam Tebow's pregnancy in 1987 with a theme of "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life." After getting sick during a mission trip to the Philippines, she ignored a recommendation by doctors to abort her fifth child and gave birth to Tim, who went on to win the 2007 Heisman Trophy while helping his Florida team to two BCS championships.
Super Bowl
Concert For Haiti
Radiohead
Radiohead gave a special concert for Haiti earthquake relief in Los Angeles and raised more than $500,000.
The band performed for more than two hours Sunday at the Henry Fonda Theatre. The benefit show drew a star-studded crowd that included Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Charlize Theron, Anna Paquin and Daniel Craig.
Attendees bid online for tickets, with proceeds going to Oxfam International, a group that works with developing countries. Prices went as high as $4,000 for a pair of tickets to attend the intimate show.
Radiohead
Forbes Poll
Most Trusted
Actors James Earl Jones and Tom Hanks top the list of the most trusted celebrities, according to a poll released on Monday.
In the Forbes.com survey conducted by E-Poll Market Research Co. Americans were asked who they rated highest on trustworthiness, awareness and appeal.
Michael J. Fox, the former "Family Ties" actor who has been an activist for Parkinson's disease after disclosing more than a decade ago he had been diagnosed with the disease, came in third.
At No. 6 was actress Sally Field who plays the family matriarch in the television series "Brothers and Sisters" after beginning her career in the 1960s sitcom, "The Flying Nun", followed by director Ron Howard at No. 7.
Most Trusted
Clear Channel Interested In Publicity
Howard Stern
Clear Channel Communications Inc., the home of conservative talk show host republican spokesmodel Rush Limbaugh, said it's interested in signing Howard Stern when the shock jock's contract with Sirius satellite radio expires.
That would mark an about-face for the nation's largest radio chain, which yanked his show from its stations in 2004 after his raunchy broadcasts were repeatedly subjected to regulatory fines.
John Hogan, chief executive of Clear Channel's Radio division, told Bloomberg BusinessWeek that Stern would have to accept the government-imposed limits of terrestrial radio.
Although Clear Channel confirmed its interest in Stern to The Associated Press on Monday, the shock jock appeared to dismiss the prospects of signing with the company.
"Not a bona fide offer, but people have been making them," Stern said. However, "I can't imagine the day where I would ever work for Clear Channel. That's pretty sure."
Howard Stern
Hitler 'Enabled By Western Bankers'
Oliver Stone
Adolf Hitler was a psychopath and a monster but rose to power thanks to big business leaders and other supporters who appreciated his vow to destroy communism and control workers, Hollywood filmmaker Oliver Stone said Monday.
Stone, who is working on a 10-part documentary on the 20th century titled "The Secret History of the United States," said the German dictator was "enabled by Western bankers" and managed to "seduce" Germany's military industrial complex.
"Hitler is a monster. There is no question. I have no empathy for Hitler at all. He was a crazy psychopath," Stone told reporters in the Thai capital. "But like Frankenstein was a monster, there was a Dr. Frankenstein. He is product of his era."
Stone was in Bangkok to give a lecture to high school students on the role of film in peace-building as part of a visit organized by the Vienna-based International Peace Foundation.
Oliver Stone
Must See TV (For Republicans)
Leno
Scott Brown (R-Palin with a Penis) is going prime time.
The Republican who rocketed to national prominence by winning a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts is scheduled to appear Thursday on "The Jay Leno Show."
NBC spokeswoman Tracy St. Pierre says Brown will do a skit via satellite hookup in which Leno fires off 10 quick questions.
Leno
Super Bowl
The Who
The Who's Pete Townshend has revealed that the band's Super Bowl halftime performance on February 7 will feature a "compact medley" of their rock anthems.
"We're kinda doing a mashup of stuff," the guitarist tells Billboard. "A bit of 'Baba O'Riley,' a bit of 'Pinball Wizard,' a bit of the close of 'Tommy,' a bit of 'Who Are You,' and a bit of 'Won't Get Fooled Again.' It works -- it's quite a saga.
The annual Super Bowl half time concert has become one of rock's highest profile gigs, with U2, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Prince, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney each taking the stage in recent years. The medley format is not unusual for artists with such a deep catalog -- Springsteen and Prince took a similar approach.
Speculation about the set, conceived this year by Who singer Roger Daltrey along with Pete's brother Simon Townshend, executive producer Ricky Kirschner and new director Hamish Hamilton, is always of huge interest to fans, and last year online sportsbook Bodog took bets on the set's opening number.
The Who
Wants Ahnold's Job
Zsa Zsa's Hubby
Could actress Zsa Zsa Gabor be California's next first lady?
That may seem implausible, but her ninth husband, Prince Frederic von Anhalt, a German-born socialite with no previous political experience, on Monday announced his own independent campaign to succeed Arnold $chwarzenegger as governor.
Von Anhalt, 65, launched his long-shot bid for office with a news conference in West Hollywood and the unveiling of a large billboard on the Sunset Strip, showing him smiling and dressed in a military-style coat adorned with various medals.
Von Anhalt described himself as a longtime Republican and fiscal conservative who is liberal on social issues -- he supports gay marriage rights, a broad amnesty for illegal immigrants and legalization of marijuana.
Zsa Zsa's Hubby
Mail Fraud
The Republican Party
The Republican Party is seeking input and money from GOP voters - seemingly under the guise of the U.S. Census Bureau.
"Strengthening our Party for the 2010 elections is going to take a massive grass-roots effort all across America. That is why I have authorized a Census to be conducted of every Congressional District in the country," GOP Chairman Michael Steele says in a letter mailed nationwide.
The letter was sent in plain white envelopes marked "Do Not Destroy, Official Document." Labeled "2010 Congressional District Census," the letter uses a capital "C," the same as the Census Bureau. It also includes a "Census Tracking Code."
The letter makes a plea for money and accompanies a form asking voters to identify their political leanings and issues important to them. There are no disclaimers that participation in the GOP effort is voluntary; participation in the government census is required by law. Failure to participate carries a $5,000 fine, though it is rarely enforced.
Sara Sendek, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman, said the letter was not an attempt to mislead voters.
The Republican Party
NYC Trial Opens
Natavia Lowery
A personal assistant's confession to killing her celebrity real estate broker boss was just a tale concocted to satisfy police, a defense lawyer said Monday.
Natavia Lowery stole from boss Linda Stein - a real estate powerhouse with punk-rock roots - but didn't kill her, defense lawyer John Christie told jurors as Lowery's murder trial opened. She's accused of clubbing Stein to death with a piece of exercise equipment to hide thousands of dollars in theft.
Stein co-managed influential punk rockers the Ramones before turning to real estate. Her clients included Madonna, Sting and other entertainers.
Stein, 62, was found bludgeoned to death Oct. 30, 2007, in her Fifth Avenue apartment, where she and Lowery had been working. Prosecutors say Lowery killed Stein to silence her about more than $30,000 the assistant had stolen to pay her student loans and other debts.
Natavia Lowery
Made Bail
Gary Coleman
Actor Gary Coleman was released from a Utah jail Monday after being arrested over the weekend on a warrant for failing to appear in court, police said.
Santaquin Police Chief Dennis Howard said officers went to the "Diff'rent Strokes" star's home after a domestic disturbance call Sunday afternoon. Howard said they arrested Coleman, 41, on the warrant and booked him into the Utah County Jail.
Santaquin City Attorney Brett Rich said the warrant is related to a domestic violence charge filed against Coleman in the city justice court on Aug. 26, 2009.
Jail records show Coleman posted $1,725 bail and was released Monday afternoon. He is expected to appear at a hearing in Santaquin Justice Court on Feb. 8, Rich said.
Gary Coleman
Painting Ripped
Pablo Picasso
A significant Pablo Picasso painting was damaged after a woman attending art class lost her balance, fell into "The Actor" and tore it, The Metropolitan Museum of Art said.
The unusually large canvas, measuring 77.25 by 45.38 inches (196 by 115 centimeters), sustained a vertical tear of about six inches (15 centimeters) in the lower right-hand corner in the accident on Friday.
The Met said the damage did not impact the "focal point of the composition" and that it should be repaired in the coming weeks ahead of a major Picasso retrospective featuring some 250 works at the museum opening on April 27.
Repair work should be "unobtrusive," it added.
Pablo Picasso
Favorite TV Personality
Oprah
Oprah Winfrey regained her throne as America's favorite TV personality in 2009, but conservative TV and radio talk show host Glenn Beck made his debut on the annual Harris Poll, coming in second place.
Beck, a self-described libertarian who disputes evidence suggesting human activity is the main cause of global warming, was joined on the list by another influential Fox News conservative, Bill O'Reilly, who was placed 10th.
Seven of the top 10 were talk show hosts. NBC's Jay Leno dropped from first place a year ago to third in 2009 poll, which was conducted in December before the recent late-night talk show wars that saw NBC drop "The Jay Leno Show" and reinstate him as host of "The Tonight Show" from March 1.
The only other woman on the top 10 list was Ellen DeGeneres, who tied in 4th place with "House" actor Hugh Laurie. DeGeneres has her own weekday chat show and will make her debut as the new judge on top-rated TV program "American Idol" in February.
Oprah
In Memory
Earl Wild
Pianist Earl Wild, who learned his craft from students of Liszt and Ravel and became one of America's master keyboardists, has died. He was 94.
Wild died of congestive heart disease Saturday at his home in Palm Springs, Calif., his publicist, Mary Lou Falcone, said Monday.
Despite his advanced age, Wild continued to teach until last week. His last public performance was at age 92 at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, where he was presented with the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' Presidential Merit Award.
Born in Pittsburgh, Wild started playing the piano at age 3 and studied with teachers who were taught by Maurice Ravel, Ignace Jan Paderewski and Ferruccio Busoni. Two of his other teachers studied with pupils of Franz Liszt.
In 1939, he became the first pianist to give a solo recital on American television. Three years later, he performed Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" in a national radio broadcast under Arturo Toscanini's baton.
He also played and wrote music for Sid Caesar's TV show for three years and performed for six American presidents, from Herbert Hoover to Lyndon Johnson.
He is survived by Michael Rolland Davis, his companion of 38 years.
No memorial service is planned, Falcone said.
Earl Wild
In Memory
James Mitchell
James Mitchell, who for nearly three decades played gruff patriarch Palmer Cortland on the ABC soap opera "All My Children," has died, his longtime partner, Albert Wolsky, said.
Mitchell appeared in more than 300 episodes of the popular soap from 1979 until a 40th anniversary episode this month. He was a regular on the show until 2008.
Born in Sacramento in 1920 and trained as a dancer, Mitchell had leading roles in the Broadway musicals "Brigadoon" and "Paint Your Wagon," and danced on stage with the American Ballet Theater.
His film credits include 1953's "The Band Wagon" with Fred Astaire, 1954's "Deep in My Heart" and 1955's "Oklahoma," as 'Dream Curly.'
Mitchell also taught movement for actors at Yale University and Drake University, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate.
James Mitchell
In Memory
Pernell Roberts
Pernell Roberts, the ruggedly handsome actor who shocked Hollywood by leaving TV's "Bonanza" at the height of its popularity, then found fame again years later on "Trapper John, M.D.," has died. He was 81.
Roberts, the last surviving member of the classic Western's cast, died of cancer Sunday at his Malibu home, his wife Eleanor Criswell told the Los Angeles Times.
Although he rocketed to fame in 1959 as Adam Cartwright, eldest son of a Nevada ranching family led by Lorne Greene's patriarchal Ben Cartwright, Roberts chafed at the limitations he felt his "Bonanza" character was given.
Roberts agreed to fulfill his six-year contract but refused to extend it, and when he left the series in 1965, his character was eliminated with the explanation that he had simply moved away.
"Bonanza," with its three remaining stars, continued until 1973, making it second to "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running Western on TV. Blocker died in 1972, Greene in 1987, and Landon in 1991.
For the next 14 years he mainly made appearances on TV shows and in miniseries, or toured with such theatrical productions as "The King and I, "Camelot" and "The Music Man."
His TV credits during that time included "The Virginian," "Hawaii Five-O," "Mission: Impossible," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Banacek," "Ironside" and "Mannix."
During this period he was also an avid civil rights activist and joined other stalwarts such as Dick Gregory, Joan Baez and Harry Belafonte who took part in civil rights demonstrations during the 60s, including the Selma March.
Then, in 1979, he landed another series, "Trapper John, M.D.," in which he played the title role.
The character, but little else, was spun off from the brilliant Korean War comedy-drama "M-A-S-H," in which Wayne Rogers had played the offbeat Dr. "Trapper" John McIntire opposite Alan Alda's Dr. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce.
Roberts' other venture into series TV was "FBI: The Untold Stories" (1991-1993), in which he acted as host and narrator.
Pernell Roberts Jr. was born in 1928 in Waycross, Ga. As a young man, he once commented, "I distinguished myself by flunking out of college three times." After pursuing occupations that ranged from tombstone maker to railroad riveter, he decided to become an actor.
Roberts worked extensively in regional theaters, then gained notice in New York, where he won a Drama Desk award in 1956 for his performance in an off-Broadway production of "Macbeth."
He eventually moved to Hollywood, where he appeared in several TV shows and landed character roles in such features as "Desire Under the Elms," "The Sheepman" and "Ride Lonesome" until "Bonanza" made him a star.
Three of Roberts' marriages ended in divorce. His first, to Vera Mowry, produced a son, Jonathan, who died in 1989 at age 37.
Pernell Roberts
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
