We all know that President Obama loves to see himself on TV. He seems to jump at any chance to put himself in front of the cameras. The record number of televised speeches, the talk-show and news show appearances where he waxes eloquently (while saying nothing of substance) are proof of that.

Now he is shilling for a new late-night talk show starring the ultra-left comedian George Lopez and I just have to ask, what was he thinking?

Is the publicity garnered by this kind of tasteless stunt worth pushing even more of the rapidly dwindling Independent bloc towards the right?

I can’t wait to hear him singing, “I wish I were an Oscar Mayer weiner…..“

Tags: politics & government by David "Preacher" Slocum
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Breaking news: an EU fact finding mission composed of 30 European ‘military, legal and history experts’ has just confirmed what anybody with eyes and a brain that has not been befogged by years of Cold War propaganda could figure out for themselves — that Georgia started last year’s war in South Ossetia. Other astonishing evidence the crack team of investigators has uncovered is that Russia then took advantage of the situation to wreak merry havoc inside Georgia, and that many individuals were displaced from their homes in South Ossetia, although apparently they’re not sure exactly who did that. Next week the EU will reveal that cheese does not necessarily have holes in it and that Michael Jackson is dead.

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Tags: terror & war, trusted media & news by Daniel Kalder
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This is no way intended to address Roman Polanski’s guilt or innocence or whether his recent arrest for having sex with a 13-year-old over three decades ago was fair or unjust. I merely want to point out that he may have had the most extraordinary life of anyone born in the 20th century; indeed, he lived more by the age of 40 than many families do over generations. Consider: [Read more →]

Tags: art & entertainment, on the law by Sean Cunningham
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September 27, 2009
I dream I am visiting Paris with Gail and we wind up in the famous strip joint/variety venue, The Crazy Horse. I am hoping there is a magician performing there, and Gail speaks just enough French to determine that the current show has an 80 second magic act. There is not enough magic to justify the admission price, so we go to the race track instead. We purchase tickets, but we are turned away because our tickets are exploitative. The price is too high and there are various discounts that we don’t know about. While we try to sort this out, some poor fellow is shown committing adultery on the Jumbotron.

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Tags: Fred's dreams by Fred Siegel
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When Needy Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried) says her best friend Jennifer (Megan Fox) is evil, boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons) agrees.  Needy corrects him saying, “No, I mean, she’s actually evil. Not high school evil.” If, like me, lines like this have you rubbing your hands together in delight, you should savor this smart, funny and creepy horror film.  [Read more →]

Tags: Gail sees a movie, movies by Gail D. Rosen
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Last week I had the misfortune to read a true journalistic atrocity. Here are but two paragraphs, awful enough to make a baby die were you to read this tripe within earshot of the aforementioned innocent: [Read more →]

Tags: music, trusted media & news by Daniel Kalder
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This time of year I look for Wild Alaskan Coho Salmon. It’s really sweet and mild, perfect for people who think salmon is too “fishy”. High levels of cholesterol-reducing Omega 3s make it a healthy choice, and It’s a certified sustainable fish so it’s great for the environment. At about $10 per pound, it will help you eat right through the recession. Pick some up on the way home from work and try my quick and easy Red Wine Salmon tonight.

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Tags: easy weeknight dinners, recipes & food by Jessica Alfreds
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Sometimes, when a book is really good, you start counting the days until the sequel comes out as soon as you finish the last page. Back in April, I reviewed Patrick Carman’s Skeleton Creek and I immediately started clamoring for a sequel. The book ends with a real cliffhanger — it involves ghosts, a broken leg, a dead battery and a secret room — and I wanted to know what happened next!  In his follow-up novel, Ghost in the Machine, Carman continues the story of Ryan and Sarah and the Crossbones Society.

(Check out the trailer for Ghost in Machine here.)

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Tags: books & writing, Lisa Reads by Lisa Hura
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Albert Jay Nock was fond of quoting something said by Joseph Butler, an 18th-century Anglican bishop: “Things and actions are what they are, and the consequences of them will be what they will be: why then should we desire to be deceived?”

The first part of this is just a more elegant form of the proposition about something looking like a duck being a duck. It’s the second part that is interesting. Do we in fact desire to be deceived? [Read more →]

Tags: that's what he said, by Frank Wilson by Frank Wilson
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Ken Burns’ “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” premiered yesterday on PBS, delivering with his typically deliberate pacing, a moving portrait of how and why some of the most beautiful places in America, and on the planet, came under the protection of the U.S. government. [Read more →]

Tags: environment & nature, television by Mark Guerin
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