WOAH

So I was about to come out with a new senate ratings update when all of a sudden something crazy happened. It was one of those things I never could have predicted happening and never saw coming. Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched sides and became a Democrat today...holy kamole batman.

Specter was going to have a difficult time surviving in the Republican primary because most of the moderates in Pennsylvania registered as Democrats last year. The Republicans in Pennsylvania are actually really conservative and were probably going to select wing-nut Pat Toomey. Now Specter will run as a Democrat and face Toomey (should he still run) in a statewide election with all of his former support available, along with the forces that are the Democratic Party and Barack Obama. Obama has already called him pledging his full support. Apparently Joe Biden was talking to Specter trying to convince him to switch parties. And oh how well it worked.

This is symbolically huge, however, because it just gave Democrats their sixtieth seat (assuming Al Franken is seated, which he will be). 60 is a magic number in the Senate because 60 votes are needed to stop a filibuster. This is really only symbolically important because the Democrats were fairly successful in getting either Specter, Susan Collins of ME, or Olympia Snowe of ME to vote with them already.

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Keweenawesomefest

Wow, its been a long time...exams and losing a laptop will do that to you. Don't fret, I'll be updated with frequency one week from tomorrow, when all my exams are complete. In the meantime, enjoy this article I wrote about Keweenawesomefest for the Michigan Daily. I would have had a lot more to say about this year's experience, but I had a 600 word limit.

Check out the full article here. And yeah, they spelled the name wrong as of 12:49 am Tuesday.

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Important News Dump

News Dump # 2

Gay marriage is now legal in four U.S. states

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa Supreme Court legalized gay marriage Friday in a unanimous and emphatic decision that makes Iowa the third state — and first in the nation's heartland — to allow same-sex couples to wed.

I remembered reading about this last November and thinking that late March/early April would never come. However, I forgot all about it until the ruling came.

Then, yesterday, a fourth state legalized gay marriage.

MONTPELIER, Vt.—Vermont has become the fourth state to legalize gay marriage.

The state legislature voted Tuesday to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of a bill allowing gays and lesbians to marry. The vote was 23-5 to override in the state Senate and 100-49 to override in the House. Under Vermont law, two-thirds of each chamber had to vote for override.

The vote came nine years after Vermont adopted its first-in-the-nation civil unions law.

It's now the fourth state to permit same-sex marriage. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa are the others.

This has been a very good three weeks for supporters of gay marriage. Whose next?


UPDATE: Surprise! Some conservatives are angry!


Iran reform candidate says open to US negotiations

What better to follow up news about gay marriage with news about Iran, which, according to Ahamdinejad, doesn't have any homosexuals...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The leading reformist candidate in upcoming Iranian presidential elections says if elected, he would negotiate with the U.S but not over Iran's nuclear activities.

Mir Hossein Mousavi said at a news conference Monday that he would talk with the United States, if Iran is "not required to pay a heavy cost," such as giving up its nuclear program.

Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian use only.

The U.S. and its allies charge Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.

Mousavi also condemned the killing of Jews in the Holocaust, a much different stance than current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who in 2005 called the Holocaust a myth.

Mousavi is seen by many as the candidate with the best chance of defeating Ahmadinejad.

I think Ahmadinejad has a good chance of being defeated, and Mousavi would appear to be an improvement over Ahmadinejad. It is refreshing that he is willing to sit down, although who knows what that will lead to. It is very good, however, that he condemns the Holocaust. I commented once that the shortest class ever would be The History of the Holocaust taught by Ahmadinejad. I don't think Admadinejad actually believes it didn't occur, but instead denies it occurs because he doesn't want to give legitimacy to Israel. I'm scared of an eventual Iran/Israel showdown, so this would be a nice development.

UPDATE: Ahmadinejad cautiously agreed to meet with the U.S., and now the U.S. will join the United Nations security council in talking to Iran about nukes.


Obama: Turkey, US can be model for East-West ties

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — President Barack Obama says the U.S. and Turkey can be a model for bridging the East-West divide.

During a news conference in Ankara with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Obama said Monday the most promise in building stronger ties between the U.S. and Turkey lies in being able to create a modern, international community that is respectful, secure and prosperous.

He says the Muslim and Christian countries have a strong foundation to build on, because they both believe in religious freedom.

Obama said the U.S. doesn't identify with a single religion, instead considering itself a nation bound by a set of ideals and values. And, he says, Turkey holds similar principals.

And following the strain of the Iraq war, Obama says he hopes to bolster relations with Turkey.

also...

(Obama) Stands by his 2008 claim that Ottoman Turks carried out Armenian killings early in the 20th century, without saying the word "genocide."

Says at Monday presser with Turkish President Gul: "Well, my views are on the record and I have not changed views."

Gul responds by saying historians, not politicians, should decide how to label what happened nearly a century ago.

also...

Obama supports Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

I feel this trip to Turkey was pretty important. Obama extended a huge olive branch to Turkey, so it will be interesting to see how relations between the two countries develop.


New Mexico Bans Capital Punishment

New Mexico became the newest state to outlaw the death penalty when Richardson signed a bill into law.

"Regardless of my personal opinion about the death penalty, I do not have confidence in the criminal justice system as it currently operates to be the final arbiter when it comes to who lives and who dies for their crime," Richardson said in a statement Wednesday.

He noted that more than 130 death row inmates have been exonerated in the past 10 years, including four in New Mexico.

"Faced with the reality that our system for imposing the death penalty can never be perfect, my conscience compels me to replace the death penalty with a solution that keeps society safe," he said.

The death penalty is a tricky issue. Personally, I don't think I'm against the death penalty for those who commit heinous crimes, but I am scared of putting people to death who don't deserve it. I think New Mexico and Gov. Bill Richardson did the right thing.


I spy a Putin

A picture has emerged apparently showing Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his former days as a KGB officer.

The 20-year old photo depicts two world leaders - US President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev - in Moscow.

But, according to the man who took the photo, it also captures Mr Putin disguised as a tourist.

The photo was taken by Pete Souza, who worked for Reagan and is currently Obama's official photographer.

In an interview, Mr Souza recounted being surprised at the "pointed" questions these supposed tourists asked the US leader.

They included searching enquiries on the state of human rights in the US.

Cool story.


North Korea Launches Rockets

North Korea launched rockets into the Pacific Ocean, which violated a good number of agreements. Obama is peeved. Asia is scared. The U.N. doesn't know what to do. And this man is probably going to be even more ronery.



Arggghhhh....Somali Pirates hijack American ship

Remember when Somali Pirates took over the Ukrainian arms ship? Well, they took over an American ship now. They held the crew hostage, but now the crew has been released and the crew has retaken control of the ship. However, the pirates, who left on a lifeboat, apparently have the captain hostage. Maybe I should liveblog it?


Have a good day!

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The Pool Review

I reviewed a independent film called "The Pool" for the Michigan Daily. It was filmed in India and has Nana Patekar, for those of you who know who he is. It's really quite good, check it out on DVD. A stark contrast to "Slumdog" as I'm quick to point out.



In the past few months, “Slumdog Millionaire” has won the hearts of audiences worldwide. Its success has sparked a recent surge of interest in films about India, which benefits films like 2007 Sundance Award winner “The Pool.” The movie, released last fall, has finally been able to find its footing in smaller markets.

Full Article

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There is a God and his Name is Anil Kapoor

I just some fantastic piece of news on Entertainment Weekly.com that proves the existence of a higher power:



Anil Kapoor, the d-bag game show host in Slumdog Millionaire and Bollywood legend, has taken advantage of his film's popularity and joined the cast of 24 next season.

This is my all-time favorite Anil Kapoor moment: (Check out 1:10 for the best part)


Check out the original article here

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Bruno Trailer is Here

Warning: This is Sacha Baron Cohen, so it's going to be vulgar.



I don't know about you, but I'm already tired of Borat-style mockumentaries. Some of these events look staged, like the bit with the soldiers and the Jerry Springer-style talk show. But I have to admit, I gave a huge laugh at, "How do you defend yourself against a man with two dildos?"

I don't think Bruno is going to make nearly as much money as Borat's $128 million domestic gross for two reasons:

A) People, like me, are tired of Sacha Baron Cohen running around the country and pranking unsuspecting common-folk. It was great in Borat because it was new and unexpected for everyone who had never seen Da Ali G Show. Now, it just feels stale and annoying.

B) I hate to say it, but Bruno's homosexuality may drive away certain segments of the population. But that's just the cynic in me. I certainly hope not.

What do you think?

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Summer Preview: Wolverine!

The summer movie season is nearly here. Billions of dollars are going to be spent during this economic recession on movies that predominantly fall into one of three categories:

1) Big Budget Superhero Movie
2) Big Budget Kid's Movie
3) Giant Robots Destroying Each Other

(500) Days of Summer doesn't count. This week, I will bring a preview of most of the movies releasing in May. I'll do June, July, and August when the time comes.

Summer kicks off with a Marvel comic-book movie, like it did last year to outstanding results (remember how great Iron Man was?). On May 1st, X-Men Origins: Wolverine releases, a spin-off of the formerly great X-Men trilogy that was ruined by the departure of Bryan Singer and the addition of Brett Ratner. Singer, director of X-Men and X2, was seduced by the Man of Steel and made the bore-fest Superman Returns. Marvel turned to the man who brought us Rush Hour 1 , 2, AND 3 and gave us a crap-fest known as X-Men 3: The Last Stand. I love how we could have been treated to a potentially epic X3, but instead we got two forgettable clunkers. I hate you, Bryan Singer.


Back to Wolverine. It was a wise move to give Wolverine his own spinoff, since he was easily the best character in all three X-Men movies. Hugh Jackman gave great performances as the gruff and sarcastic-yet lovable mutant. His body may have been indestructible, but his heart wasn't.

...I can't believe I just wrote that.




From the trailer, Wolverine looks entertaining, nothing more. It has the conventional operatic music to create a sense of greatness. But who are we kidding, this is not The Dark Knight. The scene when Wolverine walks away, back turned, from a helicopter is also eye-rolling. The exact same shot was in Iron Man, when he turns away from blowing up a tank. Pay close attention to the final line, "I'm going to cut your head off." There's an awkward break between 'your' and 'head'. I'm pretty sure he's going to throw in an f-bomb in the final cut. Yippee.

But boy, is it exciting to see Gambit (who I'll cover in detail below) and Deadpool. Additionally, Wolverine's history looks fascinating (was that World War 2? I knew he was old, but not that old).

Liev Schreiber is a talented dramatic actor who looks like he's going to have a lot of fun playing a violently psychotic mutant as Sabertooth. He could be this year's Joker. Even though we already saw Sabertooth in the first X-Men movie, he's the quintessential Wolverine villain and appears to play a BIG role in his past. Not sure what I think about him hopping on all fours, though.

As a former comic-book nerd, it's exciting to see obscure heroes and villains show up in the trailer. We are shown clips of:

The Blob AKA Frederick J. Dukes

• Former circus act turned member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants


• Weighs 510 lbs and possesses superhuman strength


• Has his own gravitational pull (seriously)


• Will be played, with heavy prosthetics, by insane Lost mercenary Kevin Durand

Gambit AKA Remy LeBeau

Gambit has been a fan favorite for a long time, with his slow Louisiana drawl and crazy-cool mutant powers

• Thief from New Orleans who renounced his ways and joined the X-Men


• Can convert an object's potential energy into kinetic energy


• Famous for his weapons: a staff and a deck of cards, which he charges with kinetic energy and throws


• Played in Wolverine by Taylor Kitsch of the Friday Night Lights TV show (left of Jackman in the cast picture below)

Deadpool AKA Wade Wilson

• Wise-cracking mercenary spawned from the same Weapon X program that created Wolverine and Sabertooth, but an accident left his face horrendously scarred. He looks fine in the trailer, though


• Early in the comic books, Deadpool was a villain. But these days, he's a hero. I'm not sure which route the film will take, but probably the latter. Prediction: Deadpool is hired to take down Wolverine but an accident will leave him scarred and he will switch sides. Brilliant!


• Like Wolverine, he has a healing factor. Otherwise, he's just a master swordsman and gunsmith. Nothing special.


• Played by famous funny-man Ryan Reynolds, presumably because they want to spin him off into his own movie. It will be called Wolverine Origins: Deadpool.

There's also a chick but I'm really tired and done with typing. Her name is Silver Fox, but I never read any of her comics so I know nothing about her. Danny Huston, playing the general AKA William Stryker was in Children of Men, so you know he'll be excellent. Director Gavin Hood is new to Hollywood, but he won an foreign-film Oscar for the South African drama Tsotsi. Who knows if that will translate to an expensive, high-throttle adventure? It certainly worked for Christopher Nolan, who started off in indie films like Memento.



Early Wednesday, it was announced that an unfinished, high-quality copy of Wolverine is floating around the torrents. I'm not going to watch it, since I'm a big fan of the theater experience. Plus, I promised my little cousins I would watch the movie with them.

Hugh Jackman owned at the Oscars, so I'm sure he'll ride the wave of success to a fun, successful movie. It helps that we've seen Jackman play Wolverine many times in the past. Audiences are already comfortable with the character and his snarky, rage-filled behavior. I'm just hoping that Wolverine will have an actual story, rather than a series of clashes with other mutants strung together. Although, if the action anything like the scene below, I'll live without a plot.


BOX OFFICE PREDICTION: $220 million dollars. Huge opening weekend, but dark themes and the fact that Star Trek opens the next week will kill its returns.

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The Death of the Newspaper Industry

News cycles have been dominated in recent weeks by the massive layoffs and shut-downs of major newspapers across the country. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has canceled its print run. The Chicago Sun-Times and even the New York Times, arguably the most influential and widely-followed newspaper in America, have cut hundreds of jobs.


This has affected me personally as, the local newspaper the Ann Arbor News has forgone daily publication after over a century. It will continue as a web-based news service with two or three publications per week. Don't worry, The Michigan Daily, which is the university newspaper, is still solid for now. I still have a job.

Newspapers are rapidly dying. Just check out the results of the recent poll, of your main source for news:

Newspaper - 13%

CNN - 13%

MSNBC - 0%

Fox News - 0%
(I guess our blog doesn't have radical readers)

Radio - 6% (I am so proud of the one person who voted for this)

Online News Sites - 40%

This Blog - 20% (awww thanks guys)

Other - 0%

And thankfully, nobody would rather snooze than read the news.

People are getting the same news instantly from their IPhones and other gadgets without the hassle of purchasing and browsing through newspapers. Plus, the ink gets on your hands. Even though you may still read the New York Times and others online, this sucks for the publishers. Most of their profits come from selling newspaper advertisements. Since nobody is reading newspapers, advertisers are shifting to web-based marketing.

I'm going to miss newspapers. I have a long history with them. I used to deliver the Daily Mining Gazette back in middle school. That was my first job. Now, it has come full circle, as I currently write for a newspaper. I just love the format of newspapers, especially their look and touch. One of my favorite auditory pleasures is hearing the loud crinkle as I fold back their pages.

RIP The Newspaper. You will be missed. By me, at least.

Here's a hilarious-but-depressing video of Stephen Colbert's coverage of the same topic.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Better Know a Lobby - Newspaper Lobby
comedycentral.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

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