Short Rounds

A few short things on the Dr.'s mind tonight:

***

I'm watching the Michael Jackson Memorial Footage on You Tube as I type this. I'm enjoying the music immensely, touched by the versions of "We are the World" and "Heal the World," but can't help thinking there's an unfortunate number of children on that stage. It's a damn shame that the man's legacy will be a ridiculous talent with horrificly inappropriate behavior towards young boys..

*****

"I am not a quitter. I am a fighter," Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told CNN on Monday, July 7.

Um....excuse me...but...well...here's the thing...

Dear Soon to Be Ex-Gov. and Future Footnote, please be advised:

Quitter

Quit"ter\, n. 1. One who quits. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998

Apparently, Gov. Youbetcha also told CNN: "She resigned because of the tremendous pressure, time and financial burden of a litany of ethics complaints in the past several months..."

I'm certain there's absolutely no pressure in the job of President of the United States. Seems like a cakewalk. I'm sure that mean David Letterman will leave her alone once she's President...

*****

Former Titans QB Steve McNair's death in let's say a "suspiciously murder/suicide-ish manner" over the weekend has drawn a lot of commentary from the perpetually dumb. The man had some issues in his personal life there can be no doubt. Can we maybe try to remember, though, the differences between a dude who was a football player, and, say, a Pope.

I was listening to a little sports talk radio yesterday (WSCR, AM 670 The Score, Chicago, 'natch) and a listener who could be generously described as a "$&#$&#*" called in to give the brilliant opinion that because the man was allegedly an adulterer, he "deserved what he got." So the penalty for cheating is now...death by handgun.

Hmmmm, the so-called "moral" America, eh? If only there were a guidebook, maybe something containing a story...maybe even a parable... where there could be some insights into how to live one's life...maybe there could be a part with a chick with an adulterous past is about to be severely punished (rocks, maybe? I hear they hurt). Then--listen this is when it gets good-- someone, a venerable figure with a beard perhaps (I'm thinking a Jim Caviezel or Willem Dafoe type) steps in and says, in his best action hero voice "There any of you jackasses who think you're perfect-- you go ahead and fire away?" Man, that would be so cool.

*****

Speaking of the idiot masses, let's talk Fourth of July. Don't get me wrong, I love the Fourth. I like BBQ. I like fireworks. I like sparklers. I like flags. Here's my bitch. During my local fireworks show (surprisingly impressive considering many of the surrounding towns canceled due to the economy) I was treated to the following musical accompaniment with my fireworks:

1) The Star Spangled Banner--- Acceptable and expected.

2) God Bless America--Ditto.

3) God Bless the U.S.A.--Overused? Cliche? Yes, Yes, by God, Yes. However, is the sentiment appropriate? Certainly. Plus, it's pretty much a tradition at this point.

4) Born in the U.S.A.-- Well...it's Springsteen, which is cool. If you bother to listen to the lyrics the song is obviously about veterans coming home and feeling abandoned by the government and fellow citizens they risked their lives for...but, again, it's the Boss, so I'll forgive.

It's still not as unfortunate as...

5) Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue.

Let's examine, shall we:

The Star Spangled Banner:

"Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

That appears to be a stirring tribute to our nation's flag standing proud... announcing to our troops that the flag continues as a beacon of liberty despite times of adversity.

Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue. (The great poet, Toby Keith)

"Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.
And the eagle will fly and it's gonna be hell,
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell.
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you.
Ah, brought to you, courtesy of the red, white and blue."

Ahhh, that is in fact a redneck jingoistic paean to bombing the living hell out of mostly innocent civilian the majority of whom did nothing wrong except for being brownish and praying to the West once in awhile.

I don't want to spend my future holiday's being reminded of the lies, deceptions and, yes, murders disguised by borders perpetuated during the previous Administration..maybe that's just me.

--30--

I'm back..

Hey peeps, if you are still out there....the grind of trying this daily blog stuff eventually led to me forgetting one day..and then another..and then, well, you see it's been some time. To cure this, I've signed on with a couple peeps and together we don't have to work as hard, lol, and you can catch our rants and ravings over at...


http://rocketshipofthemind.blogspot.com/


Enjoy. It's good to be back.

There's a reason people tend to like ex-presidents once they are out of office.

I've been known to throw some harsh on W. but props go where props are deserved. There's sort of an unwritten rule that the most recent ex-president doesn't criticize the new administration in the first few months of the office. Sort of a "respect for the job" kinda deal. I get it. They are in an elite club and, politics aside, they uniquely understand the stresses of the gig. It's good to hear George is abiding by this principle even after being (deservedly) but viciously attacked in the Fall election

"Getting two standing ovations at his first speech since leaving office, former President George W. Bush said that if President Obama wants help, “he can pick up the phone and call.” Otherwise, Bush said: “He deserves my silence.” “There's plenty of critics in the arena,” Bush told a crowd in Calgary, Canada. “I think it's time for the ex-president to tap dance off the stage and let the current president have a go at solving the world's problems. If he wants my help and I agree with him, I'll give it.”

Of course, George being George, he couldn't help but stick his foot in his mouth once...

"I actually paid for a house last fall. I think I'm the only American to have bought a house in the fall of 2008.” Ohhhhhhh, not good.

Anyway, if only the prince of Darkness would abide by the same rules of consideration...course, he never had much class...

"This stands in sharp contrast with former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has twice hammered Obama in media interviews."

Read the rest at Politico.

There May Be Such a Thing as Too Much Giant Blue Penis

Ahh, the allegedly unfilmable fanboy's wet dream has finally arrived. Caught it last night, and I have to say, if you have read the Graphic Novel the Watchmen, and are a fanboy/fangirl, there's absolutely no reason to complain. Frankly, it's remarkably faithful in its adaptation. Yes, there's a conceptual change at the end that I won't ruin--but frankly it makes a heck of a lot of sense and it has no impact on the themes put forth by Moore and Gibbons originally. I may go so far as to say this is the most faithful cinematic adaptation of a written work that I've ever seen...I'd have to think about it a bit, but it's pretty damn close...

If I have any complaints, it's maybe too faithful. Yes, Dr. Manhattan is nude quite often in the graphic novel--but every time his blue penis showed up on screen the teenagers behind me in the audience started giggling and commenting (thus taking me out of the experience of the film). Most of the time, it wouldn't have hurt to throw that speedo back on the dude. I suppose this experience will be lessened by watching on video.

Also, Malin Ackerman is a little wooden at times-- (she's not "the worst actress in Hollywood as Mr. Philips claimed in the Trib)--but her line readings can be a little stiff. She MORE than makes up for it in the candy, eye department.

The only true disappointment I maybe have is that in the very first scene, there's an obvious early reveal that doesn't happen in the source material, and it kinda makes the later "ahh ahhh" moment less dramatic. Perhaps Snyder and Co. thought most of the audience would know this anyway, but judging by what I was hearing behind me in the theater, I think that's a misjudgment.

I'm with Roger Ebert on this one. There's a lot going on here and it's probably worth two viewings before making an overall judgment. Still, if you like comics, if you are fan of the original source material, it's mostly all on screen here for you. Don't Bitch.

Peace.

I'll Look Down and Whisper "No"...

Just a day and a half until the 12:01 midnight premier of Watchmen--and I have to admit if I hadn't been so stupid as to schedule something Friday morning work-wise, I'd have my ass in the theater at midnight (three hour run time be damned).

For what's it worth, the reviews are flowing like the blood of the Comedian (yea, geek reference) and they are decidedly mixed.

There's a great round up of the wanna be Eberts at an LA Times Blog, here.

I'm gonna take author Brad Meltzer's advice: "You have to go see it and decide for yourself. You have to. Don't read reviews. Don't be influenced. Make your own decision (just like when the comic came out). " Frankly, that's pretty good advice in regards to all forms of Art, and I shall exercise that idea right now as I listen to the new U2, "No Line on the Horizon" for the first time right now. Peace.

Dang, That Sounds Cold.

Last week, I missed most of my prime TV watching time because I finally picked up my copy of The Terror by Dan Simmons and dove in. I'd gotten the expansive novel for Xmas and it was on the vastly growing pile of books I planned on reading but sometimes never did. Once I started, though, it became a little difficult to put down, and I plowed through it like it was a cool piece of banana cream pie (with a couple of bad bites here and there).

Simmons mixes a true story with a bit of a supernatural spike (if you've ever read Simmons before, that's to be expected). From the beginning, it appears this is going to be a more grounded, semi-fact based account of the crew of two Ships in the English discovery service that in reality disappeared while exploring the Arctic north and trying to find their way thorough the mythical "north west passage." Apparently, "In 1845, the British sent forth an expedition to find the Northwest Passage. HMS Erebus and HMS Terror left with a combined crew of 129 men, led by Sir John Franklin and Francis Crozier. The ships disappeared, and the ensuing search lasted more than thirty years."*
Of course, this being Simmons--probably best known (or, at least to me) from authorship of the Hyperion series of science fiction novels--it's not enough to portray a harrowing account of men stuck on frozen ships in the Arctic Circle, running out of supplies, trapped by the hubris of one commanding officer (Franklin) and being given a slim chance of survival through the sheer will of another Captain (Crozier)...he's gotta add a snow monster.
This isn't just any regular monster, of course, it's a mythological creature of Eskimo creation ("Esquimaux", natch, in the novel) that turns out to live off both human flesh and the soothing song of a Lady without a Tongue (Yeah, don't ask...just read).

I found The Terror to be both fascinating and frustrating. It worked on a ridiculously high level when describing the "real life" trauma the crew faced frozen in time, surviving the unsurvivable, desperately waiting for a spring thaw that didn't come until it was too late. The exquisite detail and descriptions of the workings of these 19th century explorer ships had me feeling the wind in my face and the chill down to my bones. Then came the monster. Frankly, I'm not sure it was necessary. The tale was working well on its own merits without the dip into the Eskimo legend (plus, the thing bears pun intended too much in common with Simmons own "Shrike" created for the Hyperion novels). The ice monster took me out of the reality that Simmons created so memorably in the rest of the novel.

Nevertheless, I'm giving The Terror a high recommendation because (1) the intricately described adventure in the Arctic is worth the time even if you find yourself distracted by the unnecessary supernatural elements and (2) once I picked it up I couldn't put the damn thing down--which is really how one should judge these things.

Next up in the pile, I have either Christopher Buckley's Boomtown or Dennis Lehane's The Given Day. I'll let you know.





*Read some press, here.

Stop Pissing Me Off, Conservative Crazies...

From CNN's Poltical Ticker:

"WASHINGTON (CNN) – Another prominent Republican told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday that the president’s spending plans are pushing the country to the brink of socialism.

Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, the only member of the senate to earn a perfect rating from the American Conservative Union, called President Obama “the world’s best salesman of socialism” on Friday in describing his prime time speech earlier this week.

DeMint, a fierce opponent of government expansion, told the CPAC crowd that conservatives might have to “take to the streets to stop America’s slide into socialism.”

His remarks comes a day after Mike Huckabee told the conference of conservative activists that “the Union of American Socialist Republics is being born” with the president’s stimulus package.

“Lenin and Stalin would love this stuff,” Huckabee said of the government bailing out financial institutions."


You couldn't have had a more business friendly environment than you had for the last eight years under President Doofus, and we all saw what happened right? Come on...what would you propose that the Government should do--let the free market roam unchecked, watch as all of the banks and financial institutions collapse, and we fall even farther into depression.

Your cries of "socialism" disgust me. Eight years of tax cuts for the wealthy and complete negligence at the governmental watchdog agencies nearly destroyed us. No one has a perfect plan for fixing the problem, but if you can't come up with something helpful other than the same old name calling, then shut the fuck up.

What's with these guys lately

I make these shots all the time.

Every Year I Watch and I Don't Know Why...

Hugh... Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. You could maybe have saved it by pulling out the claws and taking Mickey Rourke on...but other than that. Bad. And don't try to sing with Beyonce again. Ever. Leave the woman be.

Slumdog Overload... Bad. Sure, everyone who has seen it has said it's excellent, and, it's not fair to comment probably until I check it out...yet, it sure made for a boring, suspenseless show.

Kate Winslet... Good award, probably more like a lifetime achievement award than for this particular movie...Bad dress. Come on, you're a hottie, (see, Little Children, Washing Machine).

The aforementioned Beyonce. Good. Not a fan of your normal pop stuff, but who can deny you have the pipes.

Mickey Rourke losing to Sean Penn for Best Actor. Bad. Sean Penn's acceptance speech. Good. "You commie homo loving sons of b's...." Come on, perfect.

Ben Stiller and Natalie Portman. Funny and Yummy.

Tina Fey and Steve Martin. Good. Let them host. Please, let them host. Spare us the bad, bad Jackman...

The five on five award presentations for the major awards. Kinda cool. I'd say keep it, but it would probably lose it's luster after awhile.

The fact that all the winners were basically known before the ceremony... Crappy. I need a couple of surprises to get me through the night. Although, that being said, I'm still glad Heath got his well deserved posthumous award.

Sorry Fan(s)!

I have been labor intensive at the place that pays for my food this week. I'll be back soon, probably bitching about the Oscars or some such.

Peace.

The SI Swimsuit Issue is a yearly Objectification of Women

More Sports Illustrated Swimsuit:
Bodypainting |
NBA Dancers |
Danica Patrick |
Tennis Stars |
All Models |
Video Collection

And I'm having a hard time caring, at the moment. Also, did I need another reason to dislike Leo? (Okay, The Departed was great--dammit....now think about baseball...think about baseball).

My Lost Innocence

"On Friday, February 13, pitchers and catchers report to camps for the Cubs, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Dodgers, Brewers, Mets, Yankees, Pirates and Mariners. On Saturday, they do so for the Braves, Diamondbacks, Orioles, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Astros, Athletics, Phillies, Padres, Giants, Cardinals, Rays, Rangers and Nationals." says MLB.com

On Saturday, dealers of performing enhancing chemicals report to the camps of the Cubs, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Dodgers, Brewers, Mets, Yankees, Pirates and Mariners. On Saturday, they do so for the Braves, Diamondbacks, Orioles, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Astros, Athletics, Phillies, Padres, Giants, Cardinals, Rays, Rangers and Nationals.

Hard to be Bipartisan when one Side is full of Dicks

Considering that Pres. Obama's plan for a stimulus package consisting of some combination of federal spending and middle class tax cuts has been around not far since the economic crisis broke in the campaign, it is more than a little disingenuous for Sen. Pullout to suddenly claim he can't be Commerce Secretary (after asking for the gig) because of fundamental disagreements with the President's policy.

Now, the stimulus plan is passing in the House with no Repub votes, and still only three are planning on voting for it in the Senate. This would be somewhat understandable if the Repubs would just OFFER A DIFFERENT PLAN but a little CSPAN will show you that all they are complaining about is a demand for upper class tax cuts--you know, the same failed economic policies of the last eight years.

By voting against the package, they get to preen if the economy continues to flounder--which it surely will in the short term--while offering nothing of substance to help their constituents who are suffering and losing jobs.

Dicks.

Stim City

It appears the highly touted proposal to cap executive compensation for companies accepting Fed. funds under the stimulus plan did not make it through the compromise session. Sigh.

I wouldn't count too heavily on Caterpillar to come through for you, Mr. President.

Apparently, schools are one of the hold ups. Really? We can't agree on schools?

Time presents 25 folks you can thank for this mess. Check it.

I'm getting closer...

It appears that the pending stimulus bill is going to pass or die along party lines, with an incredible no votes in the house and only three in the Senate from Republicans. I'm starting to wonder how much of that is political positioning, rather than true opposition to the contents of the bill--particularly when some Republican Governors, like the respected Gov. of Florida, Charlie Crist, is campaigning in favor of the package based on the economic hardships his state is going through.

The Pres. is finally out making some impassioned pleas for this bill--I don't pretend to be an economist or understand its ramifications--but I'm beginning to be sold on the idea that it is better to do something than not to try.

Doesn't the Pope have anything better to do????

Despite eyewitness accounts, archival evidence, years of historical documentation and admissions of fact on the part of the German government, there are still people, who are, in fact, clearly idiots. These particular idiots deny the holocaust ever happened. Apparently, and perhaps unsurprisingly, one of these idiots was recently allowed back into the Catholic Church by Pope Palpatine I.

CNN reports: Bishop Richard Williamson, recently pardoned by His Holiness, stated just before the excommunication was lifted: "I believe that the historical evidence is strongly against -- is hugely against -- 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler...I believe there were no gas chambers."

The dude lives, and this is not a joke, in Argentina. I wonder if he got his views by hanging with Cardinal Mengele. You Sir, are obviously just what the Catholic Church needs coming out the back end of pedophile scandals--Nazi sympathizers.

You are an idiot.

I'm not sold yet...

I hate to be a doubter, but what I've seen coming out about the stimulus package appears to dump more federal money into existing federal programs, rather than new job creation or infrastructure programs. Now, maybe the moneys are to be used by the existing fed. agencies in job creation--but this doesn't appear to be the "New Deal" type recovery package the nation needs, but rather, a compromise version of what can be passed... That being said, here's the Prez, arguing for the program. I have great faith in his ability, but I'm not sold on this bill...yet.

I'm having too much fun with these

50 Points and a Triple Double?

Um, looks like the same guy who figures Brian Urlacher's tackles counts Lebron's rebounds...

Still a great game...no need to pad the stats...

Pushin the plan...

Hey this is new...

"WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is taking responsibility for mistakes in the handling of the tax controversy that led to Tom Daschle's withdrawal as President Barack Obama's nominee to be health and human services secretary, saying: "I screwed up."
The president did a series of back-to-back television interviews in which the subject of failed nominees was a top subject.

Obama told NBC "I'm frustrated with myself" for unintentionally sending a message that there are "two sets of rules" for paying taxes, "one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks."

Story here.

Personal responsibility from the Commander in Chief...someone please help me here, is this legal? Is it Constitutional? What is going on? I don't understand....

NEVER FORGET THE POWER OF THE DR.!!!

Mere seconds after the Dr. posted asking for Dasche's withdrawal....this came in...

Tom Daschle has withdrawn his name from consideration for secretary of Health and Human Services, the Associated Press reports. Story here.

DON'T MESS WITH ME HALLS OF POWER!

I am a Democrat and I've Paid My Taxes...

Guess I'm a rarity these days....the New York Times came out firing today on Health and Human Services Nominee Tom Daschle, and with good damn reason. You may have heard that there's been a bit of an "oversight"on his 1040EZ ...

"Mr. Daschle’s tax shortfall is particularly troubling because it comes on the heels of another nominee’s failure to pay taxes due. We were not pleased when the president’s Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, admitted that he had failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in federal self-employment taxes while working for the International Monetary Fund despite having signed paperwork acknowledging the obligation.

Now we are confronted with an even larger lapse by Mr. Daschle, who failed to pay $128,000 in taxes, primarily for personal use of a car and driver provided to him by a private equity firm for which he consulted."

Read the full editorial.

Okay, I can see maybe missing out on a couple thou, but this is borderline obscene. And these are my guys! This is not a good start.

Come on, Mr. President, where's the vetting? The campaign was inspiring, the inauguration was a seminal moment in American history...the first couple weeks in office....ennnnh. Two straight tax cheats in a row being pushed during confirmation hearings takes the heat off your stimulus plan. This is not the way to change the way business is done in D.C.! It's early, and my hopes are still high, but come on!!! Let's do this thing...

Daschle needs to withdraw, and someone who hasn't committed a felony level tax "mistake" nominated. What needs to be done in regard to health care is much too important for this distraction. Peace.

Phelps to guest star on That 70s Show remake

Ooops....hey, the kid is 23, he spends more time underwater than Aquaman, he treated us to one of the greatest athletic performances in history in 2008...if the kid wants to light up once in awhile, this is the first sign I've noticed that he's human. Well, that and the constant listening to the Ipod.

No need to apologize to this ranter...but maybe watch the cameras next time, my man.

Isn't there a rule...

That the Super Bowl is supposed to be crappy....not live up to the hype, etc? We've had two fantastic games in a row--what the hell's going on???
______________________________________



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I'll be back in a few days peeps!

Blago's New York Tour

Now that's what I call a hair battle...Blago v. Larry King

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you get smacked down on The View, and you got serious problems.

Don't impeach me, I think about Oprah!

Um, soon to be ex-Gov., I'm not entirely sure what was hoped to accomplish by a grandstanding trip to the media capital of the world while your impeachment trial started in Springfield, Ill. I will grant you this, I think you should be allowed to call witnesses at your trial--after all, the impeachment's in the bank, what's the harm of giving you a little due process. Still, pretty sure yesterday's media blitz only reinforced your image as a hopelessly out of touch megalomaniac.

Former Player Casey Ford Is A Complete Idiot.

From CNN:

"A popular Kentucky high school football coach was arraigned Monday on a reckless homicide charge in the heat-exhaustion-related death of one of his players.

Coach Jason Stinson has been charged with reckless homicide in the heat-related death of a player.

A grand jury indicted Stinson on Thursday in the death of Max Gilpin, 15. ..

Gilpin's body temperature reached 107 degrees and witnesses said Stinson had denied the student water on the hot August day, WLKY reported. Gilpin was rushed to an area hospital where he later died.

The player collapsed August 20 during a summer practice and died three days later. "It's a sad day," Stinson told supporters gathered on his lawn to pray Saturday, CNN affiliate WHAS reported. "My heart is broken. Part of my life has been taken away. I no longer teach, and I no longer coach at the school that I love."

'The best example I can give you is like someone shooting into a building not knowing anyone is in there, then killing somebody,' Commonwealth's Attorney R. David Stengel told WHAS. 'They didn't know they were in there, but they should have known that shooting into a building where people normally are is something dangerous.'

Current and former students reacted with shock to the indictment -- and possible imprisonment -- of Stinson, a beloved coach and teacher. "Coach is amazing," former player Casey Ford told WLKY. "Coach truly cares about his players."

_________________

Oh yeah, "Coach" is amazing. He's an amazing idiot depriving water from a player on a hot August day. He ain't Bear Bryant and this ain't 1948 Alabama. Today, it's generally known by everyone except, apparently Coach Amazing, that if you don't get water, and you overheat, well, you can die.

I'm sorry you had a "sad day" coach. You know who else had a "sad day" one time I bet--the parents of the 15 year old that you let suffer in sweltering heat until he passed out and died. Man, I bet that was a bad day for them.

Full Story Here.

Yep, that's a foul.

The great series of tubes*

How sweet would the doctor look in a $43 grand suit.....You heard me.

Cubs go for $900 mil. I was soooo close....

An Angry Irishman happened to play at my birthday bash. He was great. May I suggest downloading "F*** Kenny Chesney." It's a Doc Cherryhill INSTANT CLASSIC.

I never thought I'd post something from Oprah.com, but yes, ladies, feel good naked. Do it for yourself...I have no rooting interest at all..really.

A prophetic classic from our pals at The Onion.

Doc's favorite cover band, check 'em when you can.

I just can't wait for this...even though I'm doubtful it will last long.

*Former Sen., Current Criminal, Ted Stevens remix, here

Ahhh....Grasshopper, Be One With The Ball..

"DALLAS -- A Texas high school girls basketball team on the winning end of a 100-0 game has a case of blowout remorse.
Now officials from The Covenant School say they are trying to do the right thing by seeking a forfeit and apologizing for the margin of victory.

It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened," Kyle Queal, the head of the school, said in a statement, adding the forfeit was requested because "a victory without honor is a great loss."

More, here.

Oscar Nominations Screw Pooch Again

Academy Award Nominees
Best motion picture of the year


"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

"Frost/Nixon"

"Milk"

"The Reader"

"Slumdog Millionaire"

????????????????___________________________________

Par for the course, the Dr., who likens himself a movie "buff," has seen one of these particular flicks, Benji Button. (And sure, it's the kinda movie that usually pulls a nomination.) Also, to be fair, I have plans to see Frost/Nixon and Slumdog...and without seeing the other four yet it's hard to righteously judge.

That being said, the curious lacking of films that are both good and seen by the public, such as The Dark Knight and Gran Torino, will insure irritation and frustration (and probably more low ratings) among the people who ACTUALLY BUY TICKETS TO GO SEE MOVIES.

Heath Ledger, as expected, got his deserved Joker nomination, but where's Nolan for his direction of the biggest event of the year??? And I'm glad to see that Robert Downey, Jr. got props for his hilarious turn in Tropic Thunder. Still, the Dr. is DISAPPOINTED!

The best picture nominees shall likely ensure the continuing fall to irrelevancy of the Academy Awards. Less and less viewers turn in every year in part because the show is dreadful, but also because the films that have spoken to them through the year are generally ignored. Bad, Academy....Bad.

A comforting image at last...

Insurance Companys Screwing Their Customers--Shocking

This letter to the Ed. from well known Atty Philip Corboy, Jr. appeared in the Chicago Tribune yesterday. The full text is worth a read.

"In their Dec. 7, 2008 commentary piece, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Wayne Oliver of the Center for Health Transformation make an impassioned plea to promote corporate rights over the rights of individuals ("Which is more important, your doctor or a personal injury lawyer?").First, it's important to reveal the agendas of the authors of that letter. Newt Gingrich led a Republican "revolution" focused on undermining government regulations and programs, including efforts to dismantle the Medicare program that has provided health care for millions of Americans. Gingrich's efforts were bankrolled by corporate PACs and their lobbyists in Washington. His revolution ended definitively with the election of Barack Obama this past November.

Mr. Oliver's Center for Health Transformation is a for-profit group founded by the biggest insurance and pharmaceutical companies in the country. The group is advocating for laws that would radically change a fundamental premise of the legal system - the right to have a jury of your peers decide upon an outcome for a case - all in the name of increased profits for insurance companies.

Does anyone believe that the same big insurance companies that routinely deny health care coverage to patients really care about the well being of regular Americans?Apparently, they are not aware or have chosen to ignore that twice before, our state's highest court has decided in favor of patients and against the insurance companies that would limit these rights to protect their own profits. The court ruled that caps are unconstitutional and would arbitrarily fall exclusively on those most deserving of compensation - the severely injured...

Gingrich and Oliver argue that a reduction in malpractice premiums and the return of doctors to the state have resulted from the law containing caps. Nothing could be further from the truth. A look at the statistics complied and distributed by the American Medical Association clearly shows that the number of doctors in Illinois has been steadily increasing over the last 13 years. Furthermore, not one case has been litigated under the new cap in Illinois."

Read the Full Text HERE

Inaugural Parade Order...

... bunch of stuff, then...

Montana Delegation
Hampton University Marching Force
AmeriCorps Alums
North Allegheny High School Tiger Marching Band
World Famous Lawn Rangers from Amazing Arcola
Blue Springs High School Golden Regiment Marching Band
McCrossan Boys Ranch
Colony High School Knights Marching Band
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, Company A
......

The World has no idea what has been unleashed on D.C. ...

Some Days Are Better Than Others.

Hope Springs Eternal

Don't let the door hit you in the flight suit on the way out

As the excitement builds for 10 a.m. tomorrow, as the countdown clock on the right of the page reflects on the last hours of the eight year cluster$^@# that was the term of George W. Bush, let us take time to reflect on how much the man has given us...

Remember when...

He "won" an election by petitioning the Supreme Court to stop the counting of votes--votes that were eventually counted by independent agencies and showed Al Gore to have won by the standards set under Florida State Law.


He took over the White House with a Budget Surplus, and proceeded to rebuild the largest deficit in history through tax cuts for the wealthy and enormous federal spending.

He went on vacation for a month to reflect about "stem cells" after getting a memo stating "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S."

He kept reading "My Pet Goat" to a group of school children while the U.S. was under attack.

He vowed to capture Osama Bin Laden and brought him to justice before the World Court in...(oh, wait, part of that didn't happen)

He took us to War under false intelligence, against a country that hadn't attacked us, to finish the job his Daddy rightfully thought was too much of a quagmire for the U.S. to involve itself in, ending thousands of American lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and ruining our moral authority throughout the world.

Remember when he vowed to get whoever was behind the outing of a CIA agent to the fullest extent of the law, except, when it turned out to be his cronies, the full extent of the law became a presidential pardon for a dude named "Scooter"?

How about when his V.P. shot a guy in the face and waited 24 hours to call the police?

It was fun to watch, wasn't it, when footage came out of W. getting a briefing about the potential damage of Katrina days before the storm hit, reminding us of the fast, decisive action he took when the city of New Orleans started to drown.....(Um......maybe I'm remembering that wrong)

How about when his friends from Enron went to jail...turns out that was just a precursor to the collapse of the entire American financial system. The Dept. of the Treasury, the SEC, the "watchdogs" those are all executive branch offices, right?

In his farewell tour, which has seemed almost as long as his presidency, he's made statements (in front of cameras, pronouncing all the words) such as "I was not prepared for war" and that "Abu Ghraib Prison" was a "disappointment." I'm just leaving those alone.

About the only promise from the 2000 election season that I'm assuming W. kept was the one about not getting blow jobs in the oval office. Now, I wish he had spent his time getting hummers from Andrew Card rather than actually making attempting to make policy.

There's just so much more to remember, it brings a tear to my eye that I don't have time to go through it all...

Next, who knows where President Elect Obama will take us? He's left cleaning up a steaming pile of Bush droppings. Still, there can be only one direction from here. Good bye, farewell, and please, please get a ghostwriter for your "book." Never has there been a president more in need of a library....and a tutor.

Dr. Cherryhill's Award of Merit for Excellence in Excellency

Confession time...the Dr. isn't a great flyer. Oh, I take your planes. I like getting places quickly. But, I'm still not completely convinced of the combination of spit, duct tape, and voodoo that makes these large metal objects propel through the air. (Also, I gotta pay for a little bottle of booze, please).

Nevertheless, the first Dr. Cherryhill Award of Merit for Excellence in Excellency (all props to the Simpsons) goes out to the man with the (second) best name ever....."Sully" Sullenberger III--the pilot who successfully saved 155 people by successfully landing that damaged US Airways jetliner in the Hudson.

I'm not sure that anything I ever do in life will end up with the phrase "saved 155 people." What can you say to something like that--"nice work" or "great job" doesn't quite cut it. So here's a metaphorical salute to you, Sir. Thank you for all the work and training you put in to get to the point where you could achieve this feat.

The time runs short--Thank The Gods

One of my favs, Steve Chapman, on Bush Jr.'s going away....

"All these blunders were not accidental. They were the product of this administration's peculiar combination of arrogance, power lust and incompetence. Those qualities have not abated. Bush leaves us with the rule of law in shreds, the budget out of control, two interminable wars and the public yearning for change. But to him, it's all good."

Check out the laundry list of failure...here

Did you Miss Me?

Hello boyz and girlz, the Doc is IN.

I apologize for the extra long holiday delay...good thing nothing has been going on worth writing about, right? Geeeesh. The doc steps a way for a bit and the world goes all to hell.

Anyhoo, I'm glad to be back and I hope I haven't lost my two readers! I hope everyone had a great holiday season!