How did everyone in Wisconsin become obsessed with the Koch brothers?

The standoff over the Budget Repair Act is about the portions of the legislation that scale back union rights. That's how it started. That's why the AFL-CIO, SEIU, AFT, and every other union with a bus is at the capitol. But many of the protesters think it's about something more insidious. On the walk into the capitol today, I saw these six signs in the space of 10 minutes:

Scott, How Much KOCH Have You Done?
Scott Walker is a KOCH Whore
CONFIRMED: Walker and Koch, Brothers With Bats
KOCH-SUCKERS
Drunk With Power—High on Koch
Recall Koch Bro's "Puppets"—"Scott Walker" & "Republicans"

None of the protesters knew the other, but some of them bonded over their obsession: the influence of David and Charles Koch, two of the wealthiest men in America, donors to a bouquet of libertarian and Tea Party causes. Amy Janczy, from Lake Mills, Wis., carried the "Drunk With Power" sign; David Wend, from Madison, carried the "Puppets" sign. They stopped to talk.
"I've been doing a lot of reading about the Kochs," explained Wend.
"I read the legislative summary of the Budget Repair Act," explained Janczy, "and saw the stuff in there about the giveaways for the power plants. I saw the Kochs' fingerprints on that."
She was talking about Section 16.896 of the bill, which empowers Gov. Scott Walker to "sell any state-owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids." That section started to get attention on Monday; by this morning, Democrats in the state Assembly were using the floor time allotted to them in their quasi-filibuster to ask whether the Kochs were behind it, or interested in buying the plants.
Madison's liberal Capital Times newspaper got a flat denial of that claim. "We have no interest," said Philip Ellender, Koch Companies' president of government and public affairs, "in purchasing any of the state-owned power plants in Wisconsin and any allegations to the contrary are completely false."
I pointed this out to Janczy. "Well," she said, "they may say that, but I don't believe it."
When it comes to the Kochs, progressives in Wisconsin are ready to believe the absolute worst. Inside the capitol there are dozens of agitprop signs accusing the brothers of buying the election for Walker. There are detailed lists of Koch companies and which products to boycott in order to starve them. There are articles taped to the walls from Forbes magazine ("Texas Koch Brothers Behind Wisconsin Effort To Kill Public Unions") and the New York Times ("Koch Brothers' Money Fuels Wisconsin Fight"). On Wednesday, a new sign started appearing around the halls, informing protesters of a picket outside the stately office building, not far from the capitol, where Koch Companies have hired seven lobbyists.
In sum: They have found the enemy, and it is Koch.
But how big a role are the Kochs actually playing in Wisconsin? A popular argument on the streets here is that Walker got $43,000 from Koch's PAC, and that the PAC gave $1 million to the Republican Governor's Association—a fact dug up first by Andy Kroll of Mother Jones. One protester pointed out to me that Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., had spoken at one of the Kochs' annual conferences. Thanks to the no-cameras-please PR strategy of the Kochs (none of their Madison lobbyists responded to my interview requests today), these mid-sized donations have taken on mythic proportions.
How can we judge how deep the Kochs' influence runs? That New York Times story points out that all Koch-affiliated companies and employees gave about $1.84 million to Republicans, nationwide, in the 2010 election cycle. Americans for Prosperity, the nonprofit Tea Party-organizing group co-founded by David Koch—he's still on the board—had a $40 million budget in 2010. (On Tuesday AFP announced a $342,000 ad buy supporting Walker.) Nationally, the labor movement spent far, far more than this. To take one example, AFSCME, whose green-shirted members have made their presence known in Madison, spent $87.5 million on the election.
Many protesters, and some Democratic politicians, are blunt enough to say that the labor movement is essential because of its financial generosity. (One sign I saw listed the 10 biggest sources of money in politics to make the point that unions were the only thing keeping Democrats in the game.) Liberals here and elsewhere were infinitely more critical of the Citizens United decision than conservatives were, but that decision gave unions the same get-out-of-disclosure-free card it gave to corporations.

NBA Trade Rumors: Zach Randolph, Gerald Wallace and The Latest NBA Buzz

NBA trade rumors are everywhere with the deadline approaching so it's another day's NBA trade buzz.
With the Carmelo Anthony saga behind us, it's time to focus on the rest of the league, as the trade market is starting to heat up after the big deal that sent Anthony to New York. It's clear that the Melo deal was the one that jump-started the market and got us going.
As we go around the league, we'll be talking about players like Zach Randolph, whose name has been floated around in trade rumors.
There's plenty to talk about as we come off of the All-Star break and the deadline gets closer and closer.
As always, there's no need to refresh, as the updates will come straight to you. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave them in the comments.
There's a lot to cover, so let's get right to it.

Gerald Wallace Trade To Portland Trail Blazers May Be For Andre Miller, According To Report

It appears that Gerald Wallace is headed to the Portland Trail Blazers, but the deal is not done yet and it remains unclear who the Charlotte Bobcats are receiving in return. One report indicated that the trade is centered around Joel Przybilla and his expiring contract, but another report by CBS Sports' Ken Berger indicates the package is centered around point guard Andre Miller instead.

Package for Wallace believed to be centered around Andre Miller. Marcus Camby was discussed, but he might retire rather than report to Char.  

In either example, more players will need to be added to the trade package to match Wallace' salary.
Miller averages 13.2 points and 7.4 assists as the Blazers' starting point guard, but has been a bad fit since signing a three-year, $21 million contract in 2009. He technically has one year remaining on that contract, but it is fully unguaranteed if he is waived before June 29, 2011.
Therefore, the trade is about trimming payroll for the Bobcats, regardless of which players end up coming back. Wallace has two years and $21 million remaining on his contract.

NFL Combine 2011 Gerald Wallace, Deron Williams and Wednesday's Late Sports Buzz

The 2011 NFL Combine, Gerald Wallace and Deron Williams are all making Hump-day headlines.
The NBA trading deadline is just days away, and today served as a reminder that teams are looking to make trades that did not involve Carmelo Anthony.
The New Jersey Nets didn't spend much time licking any wounds created by losing out in the race to acquire Carmelo Anthony.
They took the package they had ready for Carmelo and used it to pull Deron Williams from the Jazz. It is a shocking move. After Jerry Sloan left Utah in what was perceived as a "him or me" move, it seemed likely that Deron Williams was in Utah to stay. Wrong!
Don't turn your back on the NBA trade deadline.
Next up for our trade attention spans is Gerald Wallace. As I type, it is speculated that the Portland Trail Blazers are close to finalizing a deal with the Bobcats for the forward.
As we've learned though, close does not count in NBA trades.
So stay tuned as we discuss these moves, and update rumors, rumblings and happenings.
Among other things, we will also be discussing the NFL combine as it prepares to get underway on Thursday.

Gerald Wallace to Portland Trail Blazers?

I've been nervously awaiting a move by the Portland Trail Blazers, with the NBA's trade deadline looming on Thursday and many reports out of Portland indicating the team is considering major changes.
I've maintained recently that major changes aren't needed for this group, which went into Wednesday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers on a six-game winning streak.
But the team reportedly made its first move on Wednesday afternoon, acquiring Gerald Wallace(notes) from the Charlotte Bobcats.
Reports vary on what, exactly, the Blazers are giving up for the forward, who is averaging 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season. Some reports indicate that point guard Andre Miller(notes) will be leaving town; others say it's backup center Joel Przybilla(notes). Draft picks might be involved, as well.
I'm reserving judgment until I learn what, exactly, Portland is giving up for Wallace, but ultimately, the acquisition of Wallace could be a good one for the team.
I like Wallace's game, even if it's not quite as prolific as it once was. He's a good defender, and the Blazers could certainly use a little more tenacity on that side of the ball.
I'm not completely sure, at this point, where he fits into the lineup. Assuming the Blazers hang onto center Marcus Camby(notes), which I've been hoping they will do, then LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) can slide back over to his more natural position, at power forward. That sends Dante Cunningham(notes) back to the bench, to back-up Aldridge. I can't imagine the Blazers want to continue with Aldridge as their starting center, since he's so much better-suited for the power forward spot. If they do, though, would they be content with Wallace at power forward? He can handle the position, but he's a more natural fit at small forward, and starting at that position would require Nicolas Batum(notes) to take a seat, which is, perhaps, exactly what the Blazers intend.
I'll remain curious to see what the exact deal is for Wallace, but for now I'm optimistic that his addition could be good for Portland. I'd prefer the team hang onto Miller; he's a solid point guard and a "glue" guy for the team. Brandon Roy(notes) is set to return, and if he's healthy and productive, this team could very well be in line for a playoff spot.
Then again, the way they've been playing lately, the Blazers could be postseason-bound even without Roy. Especially if they can add Wallace to the mix without breaking up too many key elements of the lineup.
Sources:
Gerald Wallace traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, Business Insider
Report: Trail Blazers 'pushing' for Bobcats' Gerald Wallace?, The OregonianGerald Wallace Bio, Yahoo! Sports

Melissa Molinaro

Melissa Molinaro (born 1985) is a Canadian-born, U.S.-based pop singer, actor, choreographer and model. She is perhaps best known for her reality TV appearances on Making The Band 3 and Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search For the Next Doll. She is currently recording her debut pop/dance album scheduled for 2011 release, recently co-starred in Dolph Lundgren's action film, Command Performance, and had a major role in Honey 2 (2011). She adopted her mother's maiden name (Molinaro) as her professional surname.
Born Melissa Ann Smith in Toronto, her family moved to Rochester Hills, Michigan when she was 13 years old. She began figure skating at the age of 3, gymnastics at age 5 and soon began attending Deborah's Stage Dance Door Performing Arts Academy. She was cast as the lead in on-stage productions like "Cinderella", "Beauty and the Beast", and "Cabaret".
At the age of 18, Melissa auditioned for the girl pop group, "Goddess", and became its lead singer. She was signed to a production deal with Interscope Records, and made her first recording demo. While Goddess never achieved greatness, Melissa continued to work consistently as an actor, dancer and model, appearing in several films, television shows, music videos and commercials.
Her early credits include feature film High Crimes and The Hillz; TV series Happy Family, Rodney and Grounded for Life and the unaired WB pilot Prep; music videos for Celine Dion and JC Chasez and The Black Eyed Peas Instant Def webisode. She has appeared in many commercials and done promotional modeling for Miss Fitness, Detroit Automotive Show, Sports By Brooks, Microsoft, Xbox, Sketcher, Nappytabs, Nivea and Dickies Girls.
She auditioned for MTV's Making The Band 3 and almost won a spot in the group Danity Kane. She made the final eleven girls but when it came to the finale of the show, the final slot came down to Melissa and Aundrea Fimbres and Fimbres made the cut. She later took part in another music-themed reality TV show called Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search For the Next Doll in which she competed to become the next member of The Pussycat Dolls. She won many challenges and finished as the 3rd runner up. She went on to host the Detroit auditions for Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious for CW 50.
She recorded her debut solo single "I Believed" with producer Rex Rideout, which was released independently with 4847 Records in 2008 on iTunes. Her music video to I Believed has collectively received nearly one million views on YouTube.
She landed a lead role in an action movie starring and directed by Dolph Lundgren, Command Performance in which she plays Venus, a massive music star who becomes a hostage after a Moscow charity concert turns bloody. She performs a song called Lost In Love in the film, which is commercially available on the 2008 compilation album Soul By The Pound from Fluid Music USA Inc. She guest starred on Slavi's Show to promote "Command Performance" which premiered at the Ischia Film Festival on July 19, 2009 and was then released on DVD on November 3, 2009.
She landed the role of Carla in the dance sequel Honey 2 due for release in 2011. In addition to Honey 2, her debut album is expected to be released by mid-year and features collaborations with some of the hottest producers and songwriters working today. In 2009, she appeared in the Fox sitcom Brothers and on Jimmy Kimmel Live at the Los Angeles premiere of the film Michael Jackson's This Is It.
In 2010, she appeared in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, performed a voiceover as a 14 year old girl for an upcoming Jurassic Park: The Game video game due for a release in April 2011.

Melissa Molinaro is Old Navy Kim Kardashian Look-alike

Melissa Molinaro is taking the world by storm in the new Old Navy commercial. The young beauty is actually a Kim Kardashian look-alike seen doing a "Super Cute" music video for the clothing stores. Molinaro is probably a lot less expensive to use in commercials than Kardashian.

The website Bittenandbound.com reports that Molinaro is not only a model, but she is also a pop singer from Canada. Molinaro is currently signed with Maleca records. As an actress, she's also appeared on a few reality TV shows, but nothing of her own yet. She has a role, however, in a Dolph Lundgren film, if that means much these days. Melissa had a prominent role in "Honey 2," the sequel to the hit film starring Jessica Alba.
As a pop singer, Melissa has about six songs and now this Old Navy pop music video on TV. Kim Kardashian is still working on her project; so it'll be interesting to see, if Kardashian or Molinaro fares better in the music world.
The video featuring Melissa Molinaro acting a lot like Kim Kardashian can be seen below via YouTube. The music video pitches Old Navy's latest bargains on clothing. The song starts off with the line "This is real life, I'm not posing for a magazine." Ouch, Kim Kardashian might be offended, but then again Kim is buying much more expensive threads than Old Navy sells!
So, will this take Melissa to new heights? Maybe Molinaro needs to start up a Twitter account and see if she can start attracting a massive number of followers with all of this fame. Or better yet, how about an Old Navy reality TV show?