Ever wonder how they cram so much magic into those Hollywood movies?  Ao2 has the scoop, thanks to film genius Johnny BooBoo!

To borrow a line from Mountain Momma Hillarycare:

Shame on You, MSM!

Remember after Obamiracle-peddler squeaked ahead of the other two candidates in Iowa, and you declared the nomination all but over?  Instead of reporting, you decided New Hampshire was a lock for Obama.  He'd win by at least 5, but probably 10.  Then, after your collective embarassment, you promised you would stick to REPORTING the news instead of DECIDING the news?

How soon we forget!  Only a few months later, you're doing the exact same thing with your subjective declaration that Obama has the nomination "all but wrapped up."  If Clinton pulls some trick and manages to win this nomination, you're going to look awfully stupid.  Maybe she'll pull a rabbit out of her hat, maybe she won't.  But your job is to report what's happened, not predict the future.

Jerome Armstrong links to a great bit of historical context by Eric Boehlert at Media Matters.  He traces the history of Democratic primaries and concludes the media's calls for Clinton to leave the race is absolutely unprecedented.  One or both parties have gone to a convention in '76, '80, '84, '88, and '92, all without calls from the MSM to declare the race over.  But this time around, for the first time ever, the media has decided to enforce a script for the candidates.

If you claim to be an impartial news source then you must report, as Jack Webb might say, "Just the facts, ma'am."  (Jack Webb played the lead character on Dragnet, an iconic show from the 50's... a show that's younger than McCain by about 20 years.)  Seth Godin points out that, instead, the MSM is marketing a drama to us.  He goes through the CNN front page and places a checkmark next to every place the media includes unimportant information designed to peddle web hits.

Now, I'm not advocating that the media simply do a dry reporting of facts.  That would be boring.  I simply ask they stop hiding behind this facade of objectivity.  If they're not neutral reporters, which they aren't, then don't claim the mantle of neutrality.  We all know Fox News leans conservative and MSNBC is cheerleading Obama... just acknowledge it.  Get down in the mud and smear yourself with your own biases for all to see.

Some people worry that biased news means that facts do not get through.  But the fact of the matter is that biased media actually informs people better.  Ever read a tabloid in Britain or New York City, places where people are well-informed and democracies still exists?  I, for one, get all my news from heavily biased blogs, but I remain informed because I seek out a diverse view of voices to try and hear a balanced view.  Young know-it-alls get their news through the filter of John Stewart, yet studies show that people who watch the Daily Show are consistently more informed about current events.

Heck, opinions are the BASIS of academia, who purport to be the snobby guardians of truth.  Remember back in junior high when you learned the formula for a thesis statement: a factual subject + the opinion you're arguing.

I imagine some people might wonder why I, a staunch Obamaniac, would object to the media calling for Clinton to drop out.  Well, for starters, if the media declares Obama has pretty much defeated Clinton and yet we keep seeing pictures of Clinton campaigning, it makes Clinton look strong and Obama look ineffectual.  But more importantly, bias masquerading as objectivity is a double-edged sword... live by it and risk dying by it.  As Boehlert points out in his article, the media is BFF with Johnny Mac.  We need a heavily biased media that's not afraid to point out that he's cranky, a flighty opportunist, and looks like a potato.

MSM... sleep around with whomever you like.  But good luck denying it.

Today's qotd is the final question at the junior high Mathcounts competition.  Leave your answer in the form of points to me :)

A set of distinct positive integers has a total of 11 digits, and all the digits are ones. What is the smallest possible sum of the integers in the set?

via Michelle Malkin

photo courtesy Flickr user Mr. Mark

***If you're looking for a shortcut, think how you would convert 11 to binary.  Instead of digits worth 1,2,4,8..., what if they were 1,2,3,4,5...?***

Hillary Clinton has refused to drop out until Obama secures the nomination.  She also defines "securing the nomination" as him defeating her.  But, given the nature of the race, he won't definitively beat her until she concedes.  What beautiful circular reasoning!  It's a good ole' fashioned Catch 22.

Since we've hit a stalemate, I'd like to propose the nuclear option.  It's time for superdelegates to woo Mike Gravel, a former Democrat who left for a third party in an effort to reach across the aisles.  In this video below, he shows he has the necessary perversion to spark a presidential-caliber political sex scandal:

And just look what he does to the electoral map:

McCain has nowhere to go but down.  He'll be forced to play defense in every state. Anytime Gravel senses some an opportunity, he can pounce.

If you happen to be a superdelegate who reads this blog, I urge you to throw in your vote for Gravel.

Apparently, we can say goodbye to all of the "science" which claims smoking pot is harmless or beneficial.

Along comes research which says pot is harmless.  Then you read a story about teens creating a homemade bong out of a dead child's severed head.  Which is literally the opposite of getting high on life.

via Flickr user Jerry Seinfeld

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA is set to announce some exciting discovery next Wednesday, "to announce the discovery of an object in our Galaxy astronomers have been hunting for more than 50 years."

What it could be is anybody's guess.  Since the observation came from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, it helps narrow things down.  X-ray astronomy is useful for finding dark matter, so it could be a source of dark matter within our own galaxy.  But I'm hoping it's definitive proof that Sagittarius A*, the large source of x-rays at the center of our galaxy, is in fact a black hole.

Roger Ebert speculates on what the movie version of the Democratic primary would look like.  The problem being, as he writes:

"What would the angle be? Like most people I know, the primary went on long past my ability to care about it on a daily basis. It must have been a species of torture for the anchors at CNN, who seemed caught in a "Groundhog Day" loop, with the conclusion of each state election sliding relentlessly into the start of the next."

He concludes that the drama would in the pathos and perseverence of Clinton as she watches her campaign slowly unravel, yet still clings to the belief that she can win.

That aside, who would play whom?  If they're looking for Oscar gold, I suggest Ellen DeGeneres as Hillary Clinton and David Koechner as Bill.

Of course, movies about the other candidates have already been made.

John Edwards	Forrest Gump
Mitt Romney	I, Robot
Mike Huckabee	Blue Collar Comedy Tour
Barack Obama	Hoop Dreams
John McCain	Grumpy Old Men

This says it all?