Michael Moore Deserves An Award

It would seem the people of Davison, Michigan know native son and filmmaker Michael Moore well enough that they will never honor him - for any reason.

No Moore, and no more, to enter Davison hall
The Flint Journal First Edition By Chad Swiateckicswiatecki@flintjournal.com

DAVISON - Worldwide attention over efforts to induct filmmaker Michael Moore into the Davison High School Hall of Fame has caused the group to indefinitely cancel all inductions. The hall's nomination committee announced its decision Friday, saying the controversy surrounding Moore was bringing too much negative attention to the honor, which has been bestowed on other alumni, including Olympic hockey hero Ken Morrow.

"We're not gonna get wrapped up in any controversy here, over his whole situation," said Lynn Collard, a member of the hall's nine-person nominating committee.

A group of Moore backers began lobbying for his inclusion in recent weeks and submitted more than 600 nominations on the behalf of the Oscar winner and Davison native.

Moore has been rejected each time he has been nominated for inclusion in the hall, which was founded in 2000. (link)

Here's the best part. Moore, it seems, created enemies when he was on the Davison School Board by picking his toes during meetings.

A lightning rod even before his film career, Moore was notorious early on for wearing a sandwich board and protesting at Davison's main intersection and often was criticized for sparking debate while a member of the Davison School Board.

In recent articles, other members of the nominating committee pointed to Moore's practice of picking at his toes during board meetings [my emphasis] as behavior unbecoming of someone who might be considered for the hall.

I say he deserves some kind of award. Who would have ever thought the spectacularly obese Moore could even see his toes, much less touch them, much less pick them while all the little kiddies in attendance were watching. This is the guy, you may recall, that was given royal treatment by John Kerry at the Democratic National Convention, inviting him to sit with Jimmy Carter during the festivities. No word on whether he was picking his toes during Teresa Heinz Kerry's "I am a dream" speech.

Moore is my nominee for toe picker of the year! See him here in action.

Sprinkler System Fuels Fire?

I should have paid closer attention in chemistry class in high school. If I had, I might not have been startled by this AP headline:

Ind. Fire Probe: Sprinklers Fueled Blaze (link)

Sprinklers fueled blaze. Hmm. Like many of you, the thought went through my mind, "What? Somebody hooked the sprinkler system to a gasoline line or a propane gas line?" Instead, something more fascinating happened in a magnesium recycling plant in Anderson, IN.

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) -- A magnesium recycling plant's sprinkler system helped turn a small fire in a scrap bin into a toxic inferno that forced thousands of people from their homes, fire investigators said.

Officials are trying to determine why the Advanced Magnesium Alloys Corp. plant had a working sprinkler system in the same area where the metal is stored. Water causes burning magnesium to flare up and explode.

After magnesium in a scrap bin caught fire Friday evening plant workers immediately tried to put it out with dry material, said Anderson Deputy Fire Chief Mike McKinley.

"Before they could put it out, the sprinkler went off," he said Saturday.

The water helped fuel the burning magnesium, which by Friday evening forced the evacuation of about 5,000 nearby residents because of hazardous fumes. Those residents were allowed to return home Saturday after the fire subsided.

Now let's see a show of hands. How many of you knew not to spray water on a magnesium fire? How many of you knew magnesium would even burn? I thought a magnesium was something you used to pick up metal objects ...

Shopping For Dummies

You've heard of road rage. I have to deal with an affliction that can only be described as "shopper's rage." It sweeps over me whenever I go to the Mall or to Wal-Mart to pick up a pair of shoes or some shampoo. I never intend to spend more than one minute in the place - my life is getting ever shorter - so I want to make my purchase and get on with it.

But I can never find what I'm looking for.

Most recently it involved toilet paper. Why would Wal-Mart move the toilet paper from one part of the store to another besides to aggravate guys like me? I'm walking up and down the deodorant section and the gift card section, then the stationery section muttering, "I know it was here last time. I must be close. Next aisle I'll bet." Toys. Aaaaagggghhhhkkk.

It's now back by the groceries. (Now I know you women are all out there saying, "It has always been there, stupid. They didn't move the toilet paper. You've lost your mind." No way.)

Sadists.

Well, retailers like Wal-Mart have figured out ways to alleviate (lessen) my shoppers rage.

Retailers Tap High Tech to Aid Shoppers Newest Innovations Add Service, Cut Costs
By Michael Barbaro Washington Post Staff Writer

A New England supermarket chain will soon roll out an intelligent cart that downloads shopping lists and warns customers with a flashing image when it passes a product on their list.

Shoppers at a national electronics store and home improvement chain who cannot find a salesperson soon will be able to walk up to an in-store computer, push a few buttons and get help from someone at a call center in Bangalore.

And a German supermarket has a computer system that projects arrows onto the floor to direct customers to the products they want.

IBM is developing a system called Everywhere Displays, which can project product data onto any surface in the store, from the walls to the floor. The computer system, undergoing tests by the German supermarket chain Metro Group, incorporates an overhead projector, a camera and mirrors to create an image that responds when touched, much like the screen of an ATM machine. Instead of a sensor that detects pressure, Everywhere Displays use a camera that detects motion.

Shoppers can scroll through a menu projected on the wall or floor to find a bottle of wine, for example. Information about the wine's vintage and price then pops up. Arrows form along the floor leading to the bottle. "It turns the whole store into a computer terminal," Hopping said. (link)

It won't help me, I fear. The sadists will only go and hide the menu on me.

A Candle In The Darkness

Well, it seems not every Republican in New York is a Democrat wanna-be. From the New York Sun this morning:

Bloomberg Is Watching You
New York Sun Staff Editorial

It looks like election year in the city is getting more interesting by the week, now that a former leader of the City Council, Thomas Ognibene of Queens, plans to challenge Mayor Bloomberg in a Republican primary over Republican principles. Mr. Ognibene has these principles - of limited government, modest taxation, and small business - clearly in mind. Not only is Mr. Bloomberg clouded on them at times, but his problems are compounded by the sense of many New Yorkers that their billionaire mayor doesn't care about people like them or, at the least, fails to understand their problems, a point underscored by last month's Marist College poll. (link)

Of course, Mr. Ognibene doesn't stand a chance in liberal Nirvana - otherwise known as New York City - where the current Mayor is more "progressive" than is 90% of the country. A Republican.

I say we all move to New York and vote for the conservative Thomas Ognibene. NOT!