Best TV funny from a monologue of last week

There were two classic jokes on late night last week and Jay Leno had them both on NBC's The Tonight Show.





Jay Leno: Well President Obama spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast yesterday. The President said that his Christian faith is the driving force behind his economic policies. So I guess instead of blaming Bush, it's now all Jesus' fault.

Second best?

Jay Leno: Well the House of Representatives has passed a bill that prohibits people from using welfare money in strip clubs or liquor stores. Now tell you something I agree with that strip clubs and liquor stores should be off limit to people who get government funds -- you know, like Congressmen.

Both jokes were in Friday's monologue.

Foul but not funny

Channing Tatum hosted Saturday Night Live last night and he was an excellent host. Too bad the regulars weren't up to the task. And the opening skit was everything that is wrong with SNL and why the FCC and FEC should step in and halt the program.




That's a spoof of Newt Gingrich and his moon colony pitch.

Herman Cain and Mitt Romney were spoofed. Newt was spoofed. Already it's more than we ever saw of Barack Obama. Remember, he existed as a debate head only during his primaries of 2008. Hillary we could see in curlers in the middle of the night in bed. But Seth Myers, who contributed cash to Barack's campaign and semen to the mattress he humped each night while dreaming of Barack, refused to allow Barack to be spoofed.

And also off limits was Michelle Obama.

But there was Callista Gingrich suggesting open marriage. Callista Gingrich is Newt's wife. He has previous wives. He and his second wife are in conflict over an allegation she took public. It had nothing to do with Callista Gingrich. It was not an allegation Callista Gingrich made.

For a show that never, NEVER, spoofed Michelle Obama's 'for the first time in my life I'm proud of America' (let alone Barack's claim to have visited 57 of the states in the US with one more to go), it was really curious that they they found it okay to go after Callista Gingrich for something she never said.

Fair is fair and Saturday Night Live demonstrated in the 2008 Democratic Party primaries and in the 2008 general election that they would not play it fair. Instead, the show was used to ridicule Republicans while fawning over Barack Obama.

The 43 minute program stretched over 90 minutes is supposed to be a variety show not an in-kind contribution to the Obama campaign.

Along with being completely unfair, it wasn't that funny, there was also Kristen Wiig. "Acting."

Hint to a minor TV celebrity who got lucky that women banded together across the country to make her so-so comedy a hit: You're still not a star.

And turning every Republican woman into a joke not only will turn off Republican ticket buyers, it'll also turn off independents and a number of Democrats who just don't think that you ridicule a woman over and over because her politics are different than your own.

Along with turning off people via politics, you also run the risk that future ticket buyers will say, "The new Kristen Wiig film? Nah. She does the same thing every time. Like her Michele Bachmann. Rember how she'd give Michele 'crazy eyes'? And then she did Newt's wife and did her the exact same way but in a blond wig? It's like she's not that talented and just repeats the same old tricks. Pay money to see that? I don't think so."


-----------
Added by Ava and C.I. Sunday night after this published: And Kristen better really worry. We went to see Carnage tonight starring Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet. One of the trailers was for Jennifer Westfeldt's Friends With Kids and there was applause for Maya Rudolph, Adam Scott and Jon Hamm but everytime Wiig was onscreen, there was hissing and booing (hissing the first time she was shown, loud booing every time after). And, no, we weren't booing and hissing. We actually like Kristen Wiig. It's time for Wiig to seriously worry and stop listening to an echo chamber that's all about trashing Republicans and not at all about building a career for her. She might want to grasp that if all the press love of Tina Fey's Sarah Palin meant a damn thing, the show 30 Rock would have been a ratings hit that year instead of still struggling in the ratings before shifting to last year's even lower ratings. Wiig needs to worry.

Idiot of the week

Last week, Ava and C.I. called out the sexist Undercurrents and it's idiotic host. This was a very popular feature. But we got twelve e-mails late Saturday night and early Sunday from readers nominating Gregg McVicar for idiot of the week.





Apparently his sexism is in part a result of great holes in his knowledge base. Saturday's five hour program included Aretha Franklin's "Think." After the song played, he would declare it "the song made famous by The Blues Brothers, the cafe scene."

Really? Aretha's song that hit number one on the soul charts in 1968 and number 7 on the pop charts the same year and was played by pop and soul and oldies stations in all the years since was "made famous" by a scene in a film that grossed less than $60 million at the box office? Really?

12 Third Estate Sunday Review readers name him idiot of the week (Jane, Michael, Micah, Jorje, Tammy, Cantu, KeShawn, Gilbert and Liang).

Rave 2 The Joy Fantastic

Repost of Rebecca:

graffiti6

monday, c.i. was plugging a new song ,"Free," by Grafitti6's from their Colours. (unlike c.i., i don't know the group.) mike noted them in 'Robert Duncan, Graffiti6' on tuesday and, also on tuesday, clizbeats noted them:

Have you heard the new and exciting sound of British Alternative/Soul duo, Graffiti6 yet? They have a cutting edge style and sound that is beginning to get a lot of attention here in the USA! Their debut album Colours was recently released by Capitol Records on January 24^th , and they made their very first late night TV appearance on January 13th, performing their hit single,”Free” on ―The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. They made their national TV debut last month when they performed the single on ―The Rachael Ray Show.‖

“Free”, the first single from Colours is climbing its way to the top of the AAA radio airplay charts where it is currently #9 and will impact the Hot AC format next month. It was selected as “Pick Of The Week” by USA Today, praising the track’s “bassline and singer Jamie Scott’s exquisite falsetto breaks.” Marie Claire described the song as “Pop at its most glorious” and called Jamie Scott’s falsetto “swoon-worthy,‖ while Billboard said in their review of the track that Scott and producer TommyD “makes the art of crafting pop gems seem like the easiest task in the world.”

so i finally got around to checking them out. i love the song 'free.' and have you checked out jamie scott?

hot, hot, hot - as nina blackwood used to say on mtv.

is he not sexy?

Jill Stein calls out climate disaster co-dependents

Repost from Jill Stein's campaign site. Stein is running for the Green Party's presidential nomination.

The president who fueled the fire of climate disaster

Posted by Jill Stein for President -4pc on February 02, 2012 ·

If President Barack Obama gets his way with his new energy policy, he may go down in history as "the president who fueled the fire of climate disaster," according to the still stunned Green Party presidential frontrunner, medical doctor Jill Stein. Stein's remarks were a delayed reaction to the President’s State of the Union Address in which the President proposed opening 75% of public lands to oil exploration, massively expanding drilling for natural gas, removing "red tape" that stands in the way of construction projects, and delaying any comprehensive approach to global warming.

"With his State of the Union speech, President Obama adopted the apocalyptic 'Drill, Baby, Drill' platform of the most rabid Republicans. He is parroting the fossil fuel lobbyists in saying that our public lands and our environment should be sacrificed for the goal of increasing domestic oil production."

"The President's spin ignores the fact that our most pressing problem isn't foreign oil, it's what fossil fuels, both foreign and domestic, are doing to our planet. The President's 'all of the above' approach to polluting energy is an alarming denial of the climate emergency we face and the urgent need to substantially reduce the amount of carbon we exhaust into the atmosphere. Our nation and human society around the world are already experiencing serious climate disruption. The President has given up the fight against climate change just when we most need to expand our efforts."

"The extraction process known as hydrofracking that was praised by the President will bring environmental degradation to over 30 states. We don't have adequate regulations in place to protect our land and water from its effects, yet the President is moving full speed ahead. I support a moratorium on hydrofracking until we understand the consequences and get suitable controls on its impacts."

"The Administration that presided over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf has responded by pushing for even more offshore drilling. We’ve all been through the school of hard knocks, but apparently this White House didn’t learn a thing from the experience."

"At the Durban climate conference last year, the President undermined international climate protection by refusing to accept any global treaty until after 2020. Now he has abandoned any comprehensive national legislation. His support for renewable energy is entirely inadequate. Any benefits from these modest programs will be totally overwhelmed by the surge of carbon pollution from his fossil fuel expansion. Taken in its totality, it's an unforgivably irresponsible denial of the threat to our climate."

Stein has proposed a "Green New Deal" that would wind down fossil fuel use by 2020 and create millions of jobs in a clean energy economy.

Stein's campaign manager, Ben Manski, observed "After this State of the Union speech, the Green Party has emerged as the only national party advocating for a sane and responsible national energy policy. In 2012 we will give the American people a chance to vote for the survival of their planet."

Burn Pit Symposium February 13th

This month, the first ever burn pit symposium:

1st Annual Scientific Symposium on

Lung Health after Deplyoment to Iraq & Afghanistan

February 13, 2012

sponsored by

Office of Continuing Medical Education

School of Medicine

Stony Brook University

Location

Health Sciences Center, Level 3, Lecture Hall 5

Anthony M. Szema, M.D., Program Chair

Stony Brook

University

Medical Center

This program is made possible by support from the Sergeant Thomas Joseph Sullivan Center, Washington, D.C.

2 WAYS TO REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE

* Register with your credit card online at: http://www.stonybrookmedicalcenter.org/education/cme.cfm

* Download the registration form from:

http://www.stonybrookmedicalcenter.org/education/cme.cfm and

fax form to (631) 638-1211

For Information Email: cmeoffice@stonybrook.edu

1st Annual Scientific Symposium on

Lung Health after Deployment to Iraq & Afghanistan

Monday, February 13, 2012

Health Sciences Center

Level 3, Lecture Hall 5

Program Objective: Upon completion, participants should be able to recognize new-onset of lung disease after deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Registration & Continental Breakfast (Honored Guest, Congressman

Tim Bishop

9:00 - 9:30 Peter Sullivan, J.D., Father of Marine from The Sergeant Thomas Joseph

Sullivan Center, Washington, D.C.

9:40 - 10:10 Overview of Exposures in Iraq, Anthony Szema, M.D., (Assistant

Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Stony Brook University)

10:10 - 10:40 Constrictive Bronchiolitis among Soldiers after Deployment, Matt

King, M.D. (Assistant Professor of Medicine, Meharry Medical College,

Nashville, TN)

10:40 - 11:10 BREAK

11:10 - 11:40 Denver Working Group Recommendations and Spirometry Study in

Iraq/Afghanistan, Richard Meehan, M.D., (Chief of Rheumatology and

Professor of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO)

11:40 a.m. - Microbiological Analyses of Dust from Iraq and Afghanistan, Captain Mark

12:10 p.m. Lyles, D.M.D., Ph. D., (Vice Admiral Joel T. Boone Endowed Chair of

Health and Security Studies, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, RI)

12:10 - 12:20 Health Care Resource Utilization among Deployed Veterans at the White

River Junction VA, James Geiling, M.D., (Professor and Chief of Medicine,

Dartmouth Medical School, VA White River Junction, VT)

12:20 - 1:20 LUNCH AND EXHIBITS

Graduate students Millicent Schmidt and Andrea Harrington (Stony Brook

University) present Posters from Lung Studies Analyzed for Spatial

Resolution of Metals at Brookhaven National Laboratory's National

Synchrotron Light Source

1:20 - 1:40 Epidemiologic Survey Instrument on Exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan,

Joseph Abraham, Sc.D., Ph.D., (U.S. Army Public Health Command,

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD)

1:40 - 2:10 Overview of the Issue Raised during Roundtable on Pulmonary Issues

and Deployment, Coleen Baird, M.D., M.P.H., (Program Manager

Environmental Medicine, U.S. Army Public Health Command)

2:10 - 2: 40 Reactive Oxygen Species from Iraqi Dust, Martin Schoonen, Ph.D.

(Director Sustainability Studies and Professor of Geochemistry, Stony

Brook University)

2:40 - 2:50 BREAK

2:50 - 3:15 Dust Wind Tunnel Studies, Terrence Sobecki, Ph.D. (Chief Environmental

Studies Branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research

and Engineering Laboratory, Manchester, NH)

3:15 - 3:45 Toxicologically Relevant Characteristics of Desert Dust and Other

Atmospheric Particulate Matter, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Ph.D. (Research

Geochemist, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO)

3:44 - 4:15 In-situ Mineralogy of the Lung and Lymph Nodes, Gregory Meeker, M.S.

(Research Geochemist, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO)

Continuing Medical Education Credits

The school of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The School of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brooke designates this live activity for a maximum of 6 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Targeting anti-war activists (Workers World)

Repost from Workers World:

U.S. attorney’s office confirms investigation of anti-war activists is ongoing

Published Feb 4, 2012 4:14 PM

The following combines Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 news releases issued by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

Northern Illinois Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas stated that the “investigation is continuing” in the case of the anti-war and international solidarity activists hit with FBI raids and grand jury repression. Jonas is known for his leading role in prosecuting the leaders of the Holy Land Foundation while he was trial attorney for the Department of Justice Counterterrorism Section.

This confirms what the U.S. Attorney’s office related some months ago: They are preparing multiple indictments of multiple activists. The FBI raided seven homes, and the government subpoenaed 23 international solidarity activists to a Chicago grand jury in September 2010. The anti-war activists refused to appear at the secretive grand jury and launched a campaign against political repression. The U.S. government is threatening to imprison anti-war activists on the grounds of “material support for terrorism.”

The confirmation of the ongoing investigation came during a Jan. 24 phone call between Jonas and attorney Bruce Nestor, who represents some of the political activists.

Nestor initially contacted Minneapolis Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Winter to view some of the sealed documents in the case. The grand jury proceedings against the anti-war activists are secret. The vast majority of documents relating to their case are under seal, meaning the targeted activists or their attorneys cannot view them. Winter had helped to oversee the Sept. 24, 2010, raids and in recent months represented the government on returning property seized in the raids. Winter told Nestor to contact Jonas.

Jonas told Nestor the documents would remain secret "pending completion of the investigation."

Jonas railroaded Holy Land leaders

Jonas views solidarity with Palestine as a crime deserving long-term imprisonment. Based on past performance, he is willing to pull every dirty trick available to him to obtain convictions. The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development was once the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. Its efforts were geared toward providing humanitarian aid to help the people of Palestine and other countries. In 2001 its offices were raided. Three years later, five people associated with the charity were indicted. The first trial ended with a hung jury. The second trial ended with convictions. The five defendants received sentences that range from 15 to 65 years in prison.

The Holy Land trial included secret witnesses — the defense never found out who the witnesses were — the use of hearsay evidence, and the introduction of evidence, as a means to prejudice the jury, that had nothing to do with the defendants, such as showing a video from Palestine of protesters burning a U.S. flag.

As lead prosecutor, Barry Jonas played a key role in all this. He is now working under Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who runs the federal grand jury attacking anti-war and international solidarity activists.

Judge refuses to dismiss charges against Carlos Montes

In a closely related case, the FBI directed the Los Angeles Sheriff to raid the home last May 17 of veteran Chicano leader Carlos Montes, who is now facing trial and imprisonment on six trumped-up felony charges

“In the interests of justice this case should be dismissed on the grounds of insufficient evidence,” said Montes’ lawyer, attorney Jorge Gonzales, in Los Angeles Superior Court on Jan. 24. Minutes later, however, Judge Lomeli sided with the prosecution, refusing to dismiss the charges. This sets the stage for a trial later this year.

"This proves what we believed all along," said Eric Gardner, a member of the L.A. Committee to Stop FBI Repression. “The government is going to use all means at its disposal to try and get Carlos — and other anti-war and solidarity activists around the country — behind bars."

Before Montes’ court appearance, activists gathered outside the court building demanding that the charges, which carry up to 18 years in prison, be dismissed. Then the protesters filled the courtroom. They ranged from longtime political activists to street vendors from Central America whom Montes is working with to fight police harassment and racist discrimination.

The prosecution has told the press that they want Montes to spend at least five years in jail.

Speaking in front of the courthouse, Mick Kelly, a spokesperson for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, whose Minneapolis home was also raided by the FBI, stated, “On May 17, 2011, the Los Angeles Sheriff Department — acting at the behest of the FBI — raided Montes’ home. The pretext was phony violations of the firearm code. These alleged violations have no basis in reality whatsoever. At issue in this case are the civil liberties of all of us who are standing up against war and injustice.”

The May 17 raid, by members of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the FBI, took place at 5 a.m. The Sheriff’s SWAT team and Emergency Operations Bureau agents armed with automatic weapons broke down the door to Montes' home while he slept. They seized computers, cell phones, current and historical political documents and left Montes' home in shambles. Montes could have been killed.

Kelly continued, “Carlos Montes is a hero who has devoted his entire life to making this world a better place. In the 1960s he was a founder and leader of the Brown Berets, the historic East Los Angeles walkouts and the Chicano Moratorium. He is an important leader in the movement for immigrant rights and has worked to defend public education. Montes is an example of a community leader who serves the people and builds the people’s struggle for justice.”

Legal record does not support claim of past felony

Montes' defense challenged the state’s claim that he has a felony record from his 1969 arrest for leading a student strike demanding Chicano Studies and Black Studies at East Los Angeles College. This is important: That the legal record does not support the claim of a past felony should rule out the District Attorney going ahead with this case. The government is alleging that it was a crime for Montes to buy several guns at a local sporting goods store because of the (nonexistent) felony record.

The prosecution is basing its evidence on a 42-year-old incident. During the student strike and rally, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department invaded the East Los Angeles College campus, beating and arresting student protesters. During the turmoil, Montes was arrested and charged with assaulting a sheriff’s deputy.

"This case is not about old records," says Charla Schlueter of the L.A. Committee to Stop FBI Repression. "The FBI is dredging up a case over four decades old because of Carlos' involvement in the anti-war, immigrant rights and international solidarity movements today. They don't like that he is part of a movement that challenges U.S. imperialism."

Next court appearance Feb. 8

Montes’ next court date is Feb. 8. Montes says his legal team will continue the discovery process to get ready for trial.

“The government knows its case against Carlos Montes is weak,” said Mick Kelly. “So they have made up a lie that Montes admitted to a felony record while he was being held in a squad car after the raid on his home.” The point of the discovery motion is to get to the bottom of this false allegation.

For further details on time and location of an emergency meeting in Los Angeles to defend Carlos Montes on Saturday, Feb. 11, visit the L.A. Committee’s Website at stopfbila.net.

Montes states that he is looking forward to a jury trial and that he is confident that a jury of his peers will find him not guilty.

---

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Highlights

This piece is written by Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude, Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix, Kat of Kat's Korner, Betty of Thomas Friedman is a Great Man, Mike of Mikey Likes It!, Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz, Ruth of Ruth's Report, Marcia of SICKOFITRADLZ, Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends, Ann of Ann's Mega Dub, Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts and Wally of The Daily Jot. Unless otherwise noted, we picked all highlights.

"I Hate The War" -- the most requested highlight by readers of this site is C.I.

"Iraq snapshot" and "Iraq snapshot" -- C.I. reports on two veterans hearings in the House.

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "The Arm Grab" -- Isaiah's take on the Barack and Brewer match up.

"Lenore Kandel and others," "Cornelius Eady," "5 men," "a trip uptown," "Nancy Boutilier," "8 Major Young Poets?," "take hold!," "Damon Runyon," "Baby Toes," "Robert Duncan, Graffiti6" and "THIS JUST IN! RHYME AND REASON!" & "The poetic primary" -- theme was poetry Tuesday night and Betty, Trina, Ann, Rebecca, Ruth, Kat, Marcia, Stan, Elaine, Mike and Wally & Cedric took part with theme posts.

"Biscuits and Soup in the Kitchen" -- Trina offers a recipe.

"A victory," "Whitney," "2 men, 2 women," "Whitney," "The Good Wife" and "revenge" -- Betty, Ann, Marcia, Stan and Rebecca offer TV coverage.

"It's Pat," "Netflix," "Women in super hero films," "Name the movie" and "Kill Bill" -- Stan, Betty and Mike go to the movies.

"the sexy goodness of jamie scott," "graffiti6" and "Sit down, Barbra Streisand, sit down" -- Rebecca and Kat cover music.

"Our poor Constitution" -- Marcia on the government ignored document.

"Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels" -- Isaiah dips into the archives.

"Ron Paul" -- Elaine on Ron Paul.

"THIS JUST IN! GOODBYE FAUX CAMELOT!" & "Fake revealed" -- no, he was never JFK.

"Ari Shapiro wastes everyone's time" and "The sexist critic" -- Ruth and Kat take on NPR.