MEL GIBSON

The latest ugly remarks that this gifted actor- director has made are shocking. Mel Gibson's recent behavior makes it difficult to support him in any way.

Why is Gibson continuing to ruin his reputation, raving and ranting, uninhibitedly, blatantly attacking Oksana Grigorieva, who gave birth to their daughter five months ago?

"They just drifted apart," a friend told the "Daily News." The friend said they're still friends and they'll both raise Lucia together.

While Gibson is in Mexico filming "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," Oksana is said to be busy working on her music career.

Though the couple said they didn't plan to get married, Oksana, 39, told the U.K. edition of Glamour that she wouldn't mind becoming Mrs. Gibson. "But right now we're just so happy to be having this child together," she said in November.

Gibson, 54, is also the father of seven children with his former wife Robyn, whom he divorced last year after 30 years of marriage. Grigorieva has a son, Alexander, with her former boyfriend, actor Timothy Dalton.

REBELS

This is on T shirts that some of the REBELS wear.

REBELS SAY: Overthrow/ impeach Obama --he's "illegally the president," "he isn't American born," "he's a socialist, he 's Nazi, he's a communist."

(I want to put my head in a teacup -- it sounds like jabberwocky from "Alice in Wonderland.")

REBELS: Cut taxes! Don't pay your taxes! Don't extend unemployment insurance! Don't waste tax dollars on hobos who won't take menial jobs!

(But if the unemployed guys had a little money, they'd spend money, and don't people who spend money help end the recession?)

REBELS: End the wars! Bomb Iran!

(Gee -- end the war/start a war -- won't we have a bigger war to end?)

REBELS: Take America back!

(Uh ... take it back from whom? The Democrats? Didn't we elect Barack Obama.)

REBELS: Join the Militias! March! Be prepared to kill the "Anti Christ!"

(Golly, that s what the Hutaree militias in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio were plotting, and they're in jail, aren't they?)

REBELS: Do what Sarah Palin says, what's wrong with being the party of no? Don't retreat. Reload,

(Hey, guys -- fight the government -- "overthrow" the government -- isn't that treason?

And Nevada's Sharron Angle, the Tea Party nominee, says that the second amendment is there "for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government." And Minnesota's Michele Bachmann wants folks "armed and dangerous because we need to fight back," and Alabama's Rib Barber, Republican candidate has an ad with George Washington declaring " "Gather your armies."

And Oklahoma legislators are actually, right now, trying to pass laws that will allow them to gather their own armies and fight the federal government.

Hey, gee, golly -- I feel as if I'm watching an old movie -- "Rebel without a Cause," a big bunch of restless, troubled, complaining adolescents getting together to do something -- it doesn't matter what -- as long as they get rid of the bad guys, but gee, who are the bad guys?

MALE MENOPAUSE

Before I ever read anything about Menopause and females, I was sure men suffered from monthlies. I noticed that men got moody -- got pent-up feelings the same as I did, as most women do, as their time of the month approaches.

It's bloating, inner tension -- headaches -- crampy feelings down there somewhere -- cranky, picky sensitivities -- these so-called PMS symptoms come on and take over every 25 days or so.

The "blue boo-hoos" is what I called them (still call them). (Out of nowhere, for no reason, suddenly I'd find myself shedding tears, feeling very sorry for myself -- I'd focus on my looks, or some stupid, tactical error I made a week ago, a year ago -- I'd find something that was bad, wrong, sad.

So if I'm right about guys, what brings on their monthlies? Is it a monthly thing? Or is it merely that every so often a man gets into a blue mood, and tries, gets very frustrated, when he can't throw it off?

I think it's a time-passing thing that has to do with life -- the seasons, the months, monthly routines, and the rhythms of a week -- weekend for fun that often isn't much fun -- anticipating the back-to-the-grind of Monday -- Wednesday, the sigh -- it's the middle of the week and the chores must be done today, or postponed, because it's practically Friday!

Work, chores, deadlines, recreations -- all of it's ordered (or not ordered at all), in a person's mind, and you feel time-passing -- you feel yourself ageing.

The sense of undone things, things, things accumulates! And builds, swells in a man mind, creates a pressure that bloats him, irritates, makes him cranky, picky, sensitive depressive -- he's got "MPS " (Male Pressure Syndrome). He needs to blow off the steam, let it out, let it go.

Maybe it's monthly because males and females echo each other -- moms and pops, gays or straights -- what affects one affects the other. Whether you're half of a couple, or all by yourself, you feel 25 to 30 days going, going, gone -- the name of the month, the season, is changing and you can't get the beginning of the month or the start of the season back.

Dr. Em says that's "Menopause." It is a pause. You might as well enjoy it. The regular, normal, ordinary, rhythm of life gets boring, annoying, infuriating, intolerable, keeps bothering you, swelling -- yes, swelling till you pop -- you yell, complain, punch a pillow, pick a fight, boo-hoo and you will feel emptier, skinnier, sort of energized, ready to reach out and grab on to the next bunch of new days.

NEW GUYS

I have to keep checking on who's-who in Iraq. And not get it mixed up with the guy in Iran, or the Afghan guy. I can't pronounce the names quickly and spelling defeats me, so ...

Here's a jingle:
Allawi's the guy in Iraq --
Not the guy to mock, or whack.
King-pin Al-Sadr says Nouri's out,
And he knows what Iraq's about.
TV "Iraiya" says hurrah -- it's him --
Nouri-al-Maliki's future is dim.

Here's the cast list:
Nouri al-Maliki -- current prime minister.
Al-Sadr -- powerful Shia cleric.
Iraiya -- Satellite news that 85 % of the Iraqi people watch.
Iraiya's head guy, Jaml al-Bateekh says it's Allawi.
But Iyad Allawi is four seats short of the majority needed to form a government.

So, who's who in Iran?
The President is still Mahmoud Ahmadinajad, who wears American suits and insists there wasn't a holocaust, who lost the election last year, but claims he won it.

The Ayatollah Kahomeni, head religious guy, said the voter turnout during last year's religious holidays was a "divine assessment" and pardoned 81 of the 530 prisoners, diverting attention away from Ahmadinajad, who's proclaimed the election was "completely free, a great victory for Iran," dismissing the protests as little more than "passions after a soccer match."

Well, one of the candidates, Mousavi, who probably won, lodged an official appeal. Karroubi, the reform candidate, who supports civil rights and women's rights, demanded the election be canceled, and says, "We'll fight to the death."

A graphic video showing a young girl, Neda Soltan's death on the street during the riots was posted on YouTube and viewed by millions around the world, turning her into an icon of Iran's "Green Movement." In a new documentary that investigates Neda's killing, with no mention of last June's election/riots/protests, a guard, Abbas Kargar, is accused of shooting her (he's Persian so Iran's blaming it on Persia).

Here's my jingle:
In Iran, resident President Ahmadinajad can
Play things his way, and say
Down with the Jews -- that's old news!
There's no green revolution.
Nothing needs a solution.
Karroubi didn't win --
Mousavi's a has-been.
There's nothing to fear --
We're doing nothing nuclear.

So what's confusing about that?

And Afghanistan? The head guy is Karzai, who's sort of on friendly terms with Hillary Clinton and Obama, but doesn't want the U.S. training soldiers, or empowering other local guys, and he's openly opposed to General Patraeus.

So:
The do-or-die, Karzai
Says no,
Wants us to go.
Says pooh --
On what we want him to do.
What now? Holy cow--
The end of occupation?
Or continuing aggravation?

So, now you know what I know. Aside from who's-who, and what's-what, and a bunch of hard-to-pronounce/hard-to-remember names, I am worried -- bewildered -- not sure where we are heading, and why we're heading wherever we seem, more or less, to be heading?

BULLYING

Kids bully other kids. Ugly, sad scenes, tragic events -- suicides are happening more frequently.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nationwide, 160,000 kids stay home from school because they are afraid of being bullied.

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, in a new review of studies from 13 countries, say there is an apparent connection between being bullied and suicide.

In Massachusetts -- after Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, an 11-year-old, hung himself after being tormented for being gay, and Phoebe Prince, a15-year-old, hanged herself after weeks of harassment by fellow students -- lawmakers are finally saying “No more."

Massachusetts now has a tough new law that forces schools to pay attention to ALL complaints from students about other students calling them names, texting about them, or name-calling, rumor-mongering on the internet.

Will it work? Is it just another red tape routine for the overworked teachers? Forty-one states have laws against bullying and Congress is debating various federal versions.

But how do we stop the barrage of examples -- the bullying that's in ads, Rodger Rabbit cartoons, sitcoms, and films? --How can we stop kids from imitating us, and creating a world of good guys/bad guys, where bad is fun, and exciting, and good is boring?

I think laws against bullying will create more bullying. Laws against smoking, alcohol, drunk-driving, and unprotected sex obviously inspire kids to smoke, get drunk, and have sex without condoms -- do whatever is forbidden.

Why can't it be part of the curriculum? Like prayers, and pledge allegiance to the flag -- something that's worked on every day?

Group talk -- kids telling the stories of suicides, discussing the "heroic bullies" in specific cartoons, or films -- a class where each child comments, where kids vote on what they saw -- was it fun, or awfully sad -- "yay" or "nay."

What's bad about bullying has to be tackled and taught in Sunday School and every school day (maybe at meal time like a vitamin).

Kids learn to say please , thank you, and may I? Why not have a Tell the Truth Tactfully time, when kids practice describing a kid with pimples, or someone who picks his nose in public, or a kid with body odor?

There's been a lot of talk about paying kids for learning, paying them for doing their homework. Why not pay kids for NO texting, phone-chats, e-mails -- NO MORE cruel rumors amongst friends.

It's everywhere -- gossip, gossip -- who-did-what-to-whom-with-whom headlines -- maybe we should be paying kids to be wiser than their parents.

FIRST LADY

What is Michelle O. doing, other than what she is doing -- being a Mom, and wife of Barack Obama? Does she check on what he wears? Review the menu with the cook? What about the guests for lunch, dinner, cocktails, the state occasion, or a social evening? What occupies her, aside from family time, and various school things for Malia and Sasha?

Is all this handled by her collaborating with Valerie Jarret, who's an old, dear friend of hers as well as Barack's, and the senior adviser and assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs?

Michelle has addressed the nation, and promoted gardening -- in the picture she's in the White House vegetable garden, showing children how to do this and that. And now, she's speaking about "Lets Move," a program that's sponsored by the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.

Great! Swell -- good work to be doing, but how is she doing? She looks a little heavier. Last year, I enjoyed the articles about her straightening her hair, and pictures of her chic new wardrobe. I can't remember seeing her in the same outfit twice, but ... gee -- I don't remember seeing much of her for a long time.

Hillary, during the early days of Clinton's presidency attended meetings with Bill. She had ideas. She came up with a Health Care Reform plan -- boom-crash it was negated -- even now it's only referred to in derogatory way.

There was a nasty investigation about the Clinton's "Whitewater" business, talk about celebrities sleeping in the White House's Lincoln bedroom; fun and games at Martha's Vineyard, Hillary and Chelsea shopping, and then -- it seemed like all of a sudden -- they were visiting colleges. (Whitehouse.gov reminded me -- Hillary was a staunch supporter of women's and children's causes, while writing her bestseller, "It takes a Village.") And then, boom -- there was "Monica," a young "intern" who made Hillary a victim, and a heroine.

We had JFK's Jackie -- hostess supreme -- how she behaved and dressed, and what she was renovating, while turning the White House into a museum of American history, in between trips abroad as her husband's ambassador -- Jackie was constantly in the news. Then, in a widow's veil ... Who can forget her deeply touching presence at JFK's funeral?

Lyndon and Lady Bird -- she was a wifely/motherly First Lady, involved with beautifying roads, and planning her daughters' social lives and weddings. (Her activities didn't interest me, but books about Lyndon praise her participation in the "Head Start" program in his war-on-poverty.)

I remember Nixon's daughters more than his wife, Patricia -- Tricia (now Mrs. Edward Cox), and Julie (now Mrs. David Eisenhower). (Whitehouse.gov reminded me that Pat went with Nixon to China, Russia, and Peru, after their earthquake). I remember the day Nixon resigned. I felt sorry for her. and yet I admired her when she said, "I love my husband. I believe in him, and I am proud of his accomplishments."

Gerald Ford's Betty -- breast cancer, her opinions on her daughter's smoking pot and sex life -- all that fascinated and inspired many women. (That Betty supported the Equal Rights Amendment isn't as well-known as the Betty Ford Center, where celebrities as well as ordinary people go to cure their addictions.)

During Jimmy Carter's four years, Rosalyn was a strong presence, focusing on refugees, mental health, and their daughter Amy. I didn't need to do any research -- I enjoyed reading her autobiography, "First Lady from Plains," and wonder what occupies her nowadays -- Rosalyn's doing something, that's for sure.

Ronald Reagan and Nancy -- she sparked the "say NO to drugs" campaign, arranged celebrity performances at the White House, and many renovations. Her designer clothing, her powerful belief in astrology was often in the news, (and bothered me), but I was touched by her grief, her devotion, during Reagan's final years with Alzheimer's.

Then came the Bush family, and Barbara, the friendly, forthright motherly wife who mostly bored me. The White House Website told me that literacy was her special cause; also AIDS, homeless people, and school volunteer programs.

Then we got George W. and First Lady Laura, who was articulate and knowledgeable, while G.W. was floundering around.

So why aren't we hearing about Michelle? I find myself wondering if it's deliberate. With death threats, (five serious threats since 2009), and T-shirts, bumper stickers encouraging assassination, will Obama run for a second term? His presence in the White House, has produced fury, a stalemated congress, a divided nation. "A house divided against itself cannot stand" keeps echoing in my mind.

I think the Obamas have talked it over, and decided "low profile" for Michelle, so that no matter what happens, at least one of them is around for their children.

I admire Michelle Obama. I think she's brilliant -- a wise, sensitive mother, and a deeply loving, supportive wife. And it would be confusing if she were more than the woman behind the man. Perhaps she's keeping a diary, gathering thoughts for a book someday.

I hope Michelle and Barack Obama will stay on in the White House till the end of 2016.

TWEET ART

Behold -- we've seen Excel art, iPhone art, and even blue-screen-of-death PC art -- now we've got TWART. Using a template similar to old-styled ASCII art, people can submit their own artistic masterpieces for everyone to see and share. Here's two that can be seen on the web.


And lo and behold --
when you work on it,
you get this magnificent example
by body builder, teacher,
exercise Artist, Nick Jones -- whose body is a work of art.



There are other creative art forms on Twitter.com as well.

If arguing is your forte? @lilyroseallen "Always with an opinion," a recent twitter spat with Courtney Love was a highlight.

@BPGlobalPR is not the voice of energy giant BP. It's an anonymous Twitter account with ten times the viewers as BP. BPGlobal's tweets are more amusing, satirical and truer, including this gem -- "The good news: Mermaids are real. The bad news: They are now extinct."

Already tweeting has emerged as a literary form. Last month, CBS announced a fall show, "My Dad Says," based on @shitmydadsays, in which comedy writer Justin Halpern collects the twittered sayings of his senior-citizen father. William Shatner has already signed on to play the part.

Some writers pooh-pooh twitter, declaring -- "What could you say that's worthwhile in 140 characters or less? As Halpern and the fake BP people show, an awful lot.

Like any other kind of literature, Twitter-Lit (or Twitterature), has its strengths as well as limitations.

Twitter-Lit is immediate, telegraphic, suited to social commentary. Because it's first-person, it's a natural for parody and perfect for humorists. Twitterers have invented accounts for their cats, for dead celebrities, and for fictional characters -- there are feeds for Darth Vader, the Hulk, and Shakespeare --the Royalshakespeare.com has a Tweet version of "Romeo and Juliet" on the web that includes phrases such as --"Such Tweet Sorrow but even so has it come to this?"

Music hasn't quite made it on Twitter. "The Streets"' Mike Skinner has been experimenting, and has tweeted three new tracks. Recently singer-songwriter Imogen Heap took her fans with her to this year's Grammys, by wearing a "Twitter dress," decorated with a necklace that revealed live tweets from her million or more followers. "I just thought it'd be nice for them to come with me," she said.

The always artistic, peripatetic Lady Gaga, has 3.5 million enjoying her Twit-Lit creations -- she's currently the fifth most followed on Twitter, one behind Barack Obama

I have to confess that when I log in every morning, I try to create twitterature. Tomorrow will be my 122nd tweet but gee -- I have to wonder if anyone is hearing the peep of any of my tweets, except my 3 followers.