Midday Open Thread

• At least 60 dead and 150 injured after an apparent terrorist attack in India involving seven near simultaneous bomb explosions in northwestern city of Jaipur.
• Turns out that average Americans aren't the only ones feeling it at the pump. Some station owners are feeling the pain as well. As it happens, older pumps - typically owned by "mom and pop" types in rural areas - aren't capable of registering prices over $3.99.
• Congratulations to Think Progress, which received an award for "journalism excellence". Bravo!

  ThinkProgress has been named best blog by The Sidney Hillman Foundation, receiving an award for journalism excellence. Sidney Hillman was one of the nation’s great labor leaders, founding a predecessor union of UNITE. Since 1950, The Sidney Hillman Foundation has recognized journalists, writers, and public figures whose work promotes social and economic justice.

• Four years later, Pat Tillman's mother still believes we haven't learned the truth about her son's death....and she's not giving up. It's easy to see where Pat got his courage and character.
• Neil Young has received a unique honor.

  Iconic singer and songwriter Neil Young has had an honor bestowed upon him that is not received by many musicians -- his own spider.

  An East Carolina University biologist, Jason Bond, discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and opted to call the arachnid after his favorite musician, Canadian Neil Young, naming it Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi.

• David Byrne, of Talking Heads fame, has created a rather unique musical instrument -- an entire building.

  Starting May 31, visitors to New York's Battery Maritime Building will be able to take part in Byrne's interactive music installation called simply "Playing the Building." Like its self-explanatory title implies, the Battery will be fitted with devices that will allow visitors to make music off of the piping, pillars and more. It's an interesting way to view the structures we take for granted in everyday life. According to Byrne, it could be the future of music itself.

• NE-Sen: While we all wait for tonight's results, Jane Flemming-Kleeb has regular updates on today's Nebraska primary at her blog. She promises pictures.--mcjoan
• James Carville admits that Barack Obama probably has the nomination sewn up.- smintheus
• The US State Department has been complicit in covering up the corruption of Nouri al-Maliki's government. - smintheus
• This is the face of racism in 2008. The WaPo has a bigger picture. - smintheus

•  Hillary's Pre-Election Giveaway

  by Stranahan on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:10:10 PM PDT

  •  "Diamonds or pearls?"

    "Both, Ha ha!"

    "Rich people...god bless us!"

    by Rex Manning on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:14:46 PM PDT

  •  This video is hysterical

    I'm going to figure out how to send it to my friends!

    by St Louis Woman on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:22:12 PM PDT

    •  Click on the Menu button..

      and there's ways to cut and paste the URL - just email that...thanks!

      by Stranahan on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:32:14 PM PDT

  •  Jumping Ahead for a Good Cause

    Ninepatch has written a diary to help out the hungry Obama Campaign workers tonight.
    Food Bomb: WV Campaign Workers.

    Have a look, recommend if you're inclined and help if you can.

    Those folks have been doing a really tough job there.

    by donnamarie on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:46:51 PM PDT

  •  On the Curious George shirt.

    [Marietta tavern owner Mike Norman] said he views it as just coincidence that the character on the T-shirt is a monkey. Norman also said proceeds raised from sales will be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

    I'd be interested to see if the MDA accepts those funds upon knowing the method in which they were raised.

    by Patch Adam on Tue May 13, 2008 at 02:08:53 PM PDT

•  Thank you for the Tillman link

  Sometimes it seems like Dan Patrick and KO are the only ones paying attention to her

  by Plays in Traffic on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:11:06 PM PDT

  •  She is one courageous lady.

    I'm sure that Pat would be proud.

    by Scout Finch on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:14:37 PM PDT

  •  she truly is

    I have the greatest respect for Mrs. Tillman.

    I also think about his young widow starting over after being married to such a remarkable young man.
    It must be very difficult for her too.

    by wishingwell on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:27:49 PM PDT

•  David Byrne's blog is worth checking out

  by Bindle on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:12:18 PM PDT

•  NLG issues "white paper" against Bush Admin.

  Diary here

  And since people seemed to have wanted it the entire paper is also posted.

  by Code Breaker on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:12:33 PM PDT

•  Very cool about the Neil Young spider

  I hope it is not a poisonous species.

  by beltane on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:12:53 PM PDT

  •  It doesn't start fires. nt

    by jazzyndn on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:19:49 PM PDT

  •  If the biologist had been a Who fan,

    the spider would probably be named "Boris."

    by Dar Nirron on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:39:32 PM PDT

  •  Spiders from Alabama

    This scientist has a better sense of humor than some.  If you read the article, the Neil Young spider is from Jefferson County, Alabama.  Neil Young's song "Southern Man" (an attack on Southern racism) was what inspired the band Alabama to write "Sweet Home Alabama" (with its infamous lyrics praising Richard Nixon "Watergate does not bother me, does your conscience bother you" and George Wallace "in Birmingham they love the governor").  I always thought Neil Young got the better of this argument.  I'm thinking this scientist isn't very happy about being at East Carolina, and is sending a little message here.

    by BurlingameDad on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:55:25 PM PDT

  •  All spiders are venemous, but only two spiders

    in the U.S. are dangerous to people:  the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse (the "fiddleback" spider).

    Trapdoor spiders pose no danger to humans.

    by cn4st4datrees on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:03:52 PM PDT

•  Please vote in WVA...

  ...for Obama, if at all possible

  by Silence Do Good on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:13:08 PM PDT

  •  Please help with the WV Food Bomb Effort.

    Check it out and rec the thread.

    by notquitedelilah on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:37:41 PM PDT

•  "Pat got his courage and character"--it's a shame

  that he's no longer with us, because he could still be putting those to use.

  by Samer on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:13:14 PM PDT

  •  for sure !

    Pat Tillman was a remarkable person. And we can sure tell where he got that from when we listen to his mother.

    by wishingwell on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:26:39 PM PDT

•  I'm thinking about changing my name...

  to Increasingly Erratic. Not sure if it's such a good idea though.

  by blueyedace2 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:13:23 PM PDT

  •  Oh and...

    ipsos and droogie's diaries both make me proud to be a member of this community.

    by blueyedace2 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:16:05 PM PDT

  •  I love the one you have, already.

    But, please, just ignore me.  :)

    by panicbean on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:22:11 PM PDT

•  Thinkprogress is excellent

  by givemhellHarryR on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:13:57 PM PDT

  •  I concur.

    by Scout Finch on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:14:53 PM PDT

    •  However the Beakers

      are not:)

      by givemhellHarryR on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:16:40 PM PDT

      •  What's that? I can't hear you....

        The National Championship is still ringing in my ears.....

        by Scout Finch on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:23:24 PM PDT

        •  Every 30 years

          rings of greatness

          by givemhellHarryR on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:26:34 PM PDT

          •  Errr....it was 20 years and I'll take that over

            Mizzou's ZERO national championships. Squeeze in 6 or 7 Final Four appearances in between National Championships and I'm all good.  What's the record now?  Is Mizzou 0-65 or 0-66 in Final Four appearances?

            Now, excuse me.  I'm headed out the door and it looks like rain.  I better grab my BCS Orange Bowl Champions rain jacket.

            :)

            by Scout Finch on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:32:32 PM PDT

            •  20 or 30

              no difference.  Reaching the Final Four is akin to "Almost getting first".  

              by givemhellHarryR on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:36:01 PM PDT

              •  Well, when you "almost get first" someday....

                come see me then.  We'll see if you're still so nonchalant about making the Final Four.  Not having been there, I'm sure it is hard to comprehend how much fun it truly is......

                by Scout Finch on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:30:39 PM PDT

            •  you mean...

              the Orange Bowl jacket you wouldn't own if your team had the balls to actually play Oklahoma.

              It's amazing. I graduated from Mizzou almost ten years ago, haven't lived in the state since, and still have a deep hatred for anything looking like a blue bird.

              by sharky on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:43:57 PM PDT

              •  Heh.

                Wasn't up to us whether we played Oklahoma.  I'm sure they are on the schedule rotation this year.

                Don't hate on the Orange Bowl.  I'm sure you guys had fun at your bowl - the one not named the Orange Bowl.

                by Scout Finch on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:19:07 PM PDT

  •  Great Balz of Fire:Media will scrutinize McCain

    http://thinkprogress.org/...

    Washington Post’s Balz: Media will scrutinize McCain ‘once the general election really begins.’

    During a Washington Post online discussion today, a questioner wondered why Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is running close to Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in polling despite "discontent" with the direction of the country and President Bush "at an all time high." Post reporter Dan Balz cited McCain’s "maverick identity," and — echoing one of his colleague’s sentiments — added that press scrutiny of McCain will come in time:

     

     It’s been said repeatedly that McCain may be the only Republican who could win the White House, given the public’s disaffection with the president and the GOP. Both he and the Democratic nominee will get renewed scrutiny once the general election really begins.

    NBC’s Tim Russert has also acknowledged that McCain has avoided press scrutiny because of a "grace period" the media have given him. As Atrios patiently noted, we’re "still waiting."

    by JML9999 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:26:22 PM PDT

•  Buns and ChouChou Take on the Primaries

  Very corny, but I'm in the Bunny Caucus.

  by GW Chimpzilla on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:14:52 PM PDT

•  David Byrne is one glorious freak

  What I would not give to see the Talking Heads reunite.

  by The Termite on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:15:09 PM PDT

•  Who remembers half-pricing?

  As it happens, older pumps - typically owned by "mom and pop" types in rural areas - aren't capable of registering prices over $3.99.

  They'll just adjust the amount to half-gallons and tell people to pay twice what it registers at the pump, the same as we did when gas first went over $1.00/gallon.

  by Kuparuk on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:15:11 PM PDT

  •  That doesn't work

    if you're using card readers on the pumps.

    by mmacdDE on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:21:29 PM PDT

  •  These older gas pumps remind me of...

    the 'Year 2000' problem with computers.  Older software used two digits, not four, to refer to the year; '00' refered to the year 1900, not 2000.  Who could have anticipated that the calender would keep turning and the old software would crash on 1/1/2000?

    by Greasy Grant on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:24:28 PM PDT

  •  Or, perhaps we'll finally go metric after all

    and the pricing devices can refer to liters.

    by lgmcp on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:37:26 PM PDT

•  A picture of Mr. Kleeb

  Here's a picture some of you might really like. :)

  by Samer on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:15:42 PM PDT

  •  He even looks good there!

    I have to say, with all the serious politican talk, and horrible disasters in Burma and China, it's very fun rooting for a guy who is so darn good looking (and qualified, of course...)

    Right, he is qualified for more than a "hunk of the month"?  Eh, who cares.  

    by happy in MA on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:57:54 PM PDT

•  Obama does not have a "white" problem

  West Virginia has a "black" problem

  by aaraujo on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:16:05 PM PDT

•  Least Breaking Story in History of Music

  Probably every toddler boy ever born has banged away on his dwelling or building. To some extent tap dancing falls into the category of playing buildings!

  by Gooserock on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:16:44 PM PDT

  •  I read it as bonged. That was cool, too. n/t

    by panicbean on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:23:29 PM PDT

  •  It also could be argued that

    playing a pipe organ is, in some way, playing a building.

    by HugoDog on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:54:31 PM PDT

•  What's just as horrifying about "the face of

  racism" is that the AJC on-line poll shows more people believe "its fine" than "its racist".  

  by joyful on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:17:37 PM PDT

  •  And elsewhere on that site

    is the next winner of the Darwin Award - posthumously, of course.

    Man killed trying to steal electrified copper wire

    by mmacdDE on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:23:11 PM PDT

  •  hard to believe

    That Obama smear is really hard to believe.

    I guess it's good that this stuff is out in the open, so everyone can see it.

    Still, hard to believe.

    by cal in cali on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:23:34 PM PDT

  •  The site won't open for me, it keeps

    shutting my browser down, can you explain the face of racism thing for me?

    Thanks bunches!

    pb

    by panicbean on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:24:37 PM PDT

    •  Some jerk in GA is selling

      t-shirts with Curious George's picture and "Obama '08" on them.  

      Isn't it hysterical?  'Cause Black people are like monkeys, you know.

      by Tracker on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:34:09 PM PDT

    •  Ancient stereotype revisited. Here's a snippet

      They get an F for originality.  This crap makes me nauseous!

      T-shirts sold by Mulligan's Food & Spirits show the character Curious George above Barack Obama's name.

      

      "I'm saying out loud what everyone in this town whispers," Norman said..

      [snip]

      Norman said he sees nothing wrong with depicting Obama as Curious George. "Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears, he looks just like Curious George," Norman said.

      .

      disgusting pricks...

      by ILean Left on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:37:03 PM PDT

      •  I'm sure that is a copyright violation. n/t

        by Dar Nirron on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:41:42 PM PDT

        •  To say the very least. n/t

          by panicbean on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:42:56 PM PDT

        •  He says he bought them on-line. n/t

          by not a cent on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:55:37 PM PDT

      •  Oh me, that is just bizarre and sickening.

        What the fuck century do these folks live in, and on what planet?

        Sorry I asked, but thank you for the response.

        I am so ashamed of my fellow Americans sometimes, and this is one of them.

        pb

        by panicbean on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:42:07 PM PDT

        •  Not to mention this sickening statement...

          Among his recent musings: "I wish Hillary had married OJ,"

          I'm no Hill fan, but wishing she'd suffer such a gruesome fate makes this man less than human, to me.  What a sick fuck!

          by ILean Left on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:48:57 PM PDT

        •  He's living in 1958

          on the planet Dumb-Ass.

          by not a cent on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:56:40 PM PDT

      •  Doesn't look like a faithful reproduction

        of the actual drawings of Curious George that I remember from my youth (I read every CG book I could get my hands on), but it's probably close enough to be challenged as a copyright violation.

        by cn4st4datrees on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:07:48 PM PDT

      •  The apostrophe is backwards.

        I see this stupid mistake in print all the time.

        One of my pet peeves.

        by Brooke In Seattle on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:07:20 PM PDT

  •  And in the comments

    "Obama should be honored to be compared to Curious George."

    I love how the asshole selling the shirts says "I'm not racist."  Hon, you are the definition of racist.

    by Tracker on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:26:32 PM PDT

  •  That AJC poll

    Made my heart hurt.

    by gloryous1 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:31:57 PM PDT

    •  Ugh.

      Imagine having to live here.  I'm surrounded by assholes.
      That place is 10-15 minutes from the perimeter, and about a half hour from the center of "The Capital of the South."

      by Eric Almighty on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:57:33 PM PDT

  •  Racism

    Honestly folks, some random dumbass in some random town printed a stupid shirt. It's not a national issue. Should we all freak out every time a car is stolen and have stories entitled the "face of theft" where we sit around and try and look serious?

    by DHobgood on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:51:59 PM PDT

    •  This guy has some real issues going on

      Among his recent musings: "I wish Hillary had married OJ,"

      I'm no Hill fan, but wishing she'd suffer such a gruesome fate makes this man sick and dangerous, IMHO!

      by ILean Left on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:57:29 PM PDT

  •  Yep, surprised me, too. : (

    by not a cent on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:54:49 PM PDT

•  What is Dave Byrne's

  ...obsession with buildings?  (LOL)

  Seriously, it's a reoccuring theme to his music

  by jds1978 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:19:00 PM PDT

  •  His love is a building

    Which is on fire.

    by Joe Beese on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:32:19 PM PDT

•  Student asks & answers "What is Discrimination?"

  For a kickass answer, check out mizbeena's personal example as an American Muslim living in NY after 9/11.

  It was posted on ePluribus Media tonight as part of Aaron Barlow and Annie Seaton's "Race and the New Media" project.

  What is Discrimination?

  Here's an excerpt:

  ___

  As an American Muslim living in New York, who respects and admires the teaching of Islam, I must say that listening to various radio stations, shortly after the attacks, while callers filled the phone lines venting their anger, spitting "We need to kill them all!" and "Throws all those damn Muslims out of this country," labeling the religion as "a bloody, bloody, brutal type of religion," completely took a stab at my heart, brought tears to my eyes, and broke my peace of silence.
  ___

  Not bad for a student, eh?

  Never, never brave me, nor my fury tempt:
    Downy wings, but wroth they beat;
  Tempest even in reason's seat.

  by GreyHawk on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:19:52 PM PDT

  •  Shortly after the attacks? Hell!

    You can tune into any "conservative" radio talk show any day of the year and hear this Muslim-bashing crap.

    Give these assholes some machetes and it would look like Rwanda in an instant.

    by CA Libertarian on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:23:13 PM PDT

    •  The only solace I can take from that scary

      scenario is that they are stupid enough and blinded by hate to the degree that they'd also likely lop off a few of their own appendages, too.

      Never, never brave me, nor my fury tempt:
        Downy wings, but wroth they beat;
      Tempest even in reason's seat.

      by GreyHawk on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:28:11 PM PDT

      •  More likely they would kill southern Europeans,

        Asians, Hispanics, anybody else with darker "Arab-looking" skin.  Ethnic Jews for that matter, sharing Semitic ancestry with Arabs.

        Kind of like how the British police murdered that Brazilian guy shortly after the 5/5 bombings.

        by CA Libertarian on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:37:54 PM PDT

•  Pakistani intelligence's terror assets intact

  Thank God that George W. Bush let Pakistan off the hook for supporting Al Qaeda and the Taliban all those years so that Pakistan could continue to project terrorism in its conflict over Kashmir with India.

  Just what kind of world would this be if our best friends couldn't terrorize and murder each other?

  (no, not clearly directly related to the attack in India today, but still relevant)

  by CA Libertarian on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:21:03 PM PDT

•  Hey y'all

  Thanks for your kind words in my diary today. It's clear my family and I are at the beginning of a long, hard slog toward recovery for my Mom.

  I have just received word that she's still in bed right now, and I'm going over to her place after work to have a talk with her.

  by droogie6655321 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:22:12 PM PDT

  •  There are 156,000 people here

    rooting for both of you.

    by A Mad Mad World on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:24:07 PM PDT

    •  Heh

      Many of them trolls. Just kidding!

      by droogie6655321 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:27:19 PM PDT

  •  big hugs to you and your mom! n/t

    by a girl in MI on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:30:32 PM PDT

•  Go Scott Kleeb!

  We are all hanging out waiting for the results:

  

  by gloryous1 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:24:07 PM PDT

  •  Now, You See,

    kitties wouldn't stand for that - at least not mine!! Don't get me wrong; I love doggies, but still...

    by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:38:35 PM PDT

•  The face of racism in 2008...

  ...Is Fox Noise.  Or Glenn Beck.  Or Lou Dobbs. Or Limbaugh, Coulter, Malkin, etc. etc.

  Small wonder the wacko racists feel so empowered when all they have to do is turn on cable TV news (or right wing radio) to get their latest racist talking point and/or racist rage fix.

  This is the angle of the story these newspapers will never cover.

  by wyvern on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:24:40 PM PDT

•  The ones wearing those t-shirts haven't evolved.

  by BA BarackUS on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:25:09 PM PDT

  •  Don't insult the Neanderthals like that! n/t

    by ILean Left on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:52:04 PM PDT

    •  Another insulting Neanderthal comparison:

      Top LTE in today's Times-Picayune was from a retired paleontologist answering a typical "there ain't not evolution; nobody's ever seen it" letter.

      It's a tad long for an LTE, but the punch line is worth it.

      Here, if you're interested.

      by Crashing Vor on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:59:51 PM PDT

      •  So is AA really short for A. africanus?

        /snark

        The punch line WAS worth it!  Thanks for sharing!

        by ILean Left on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:17:44 PM PDT

•  She knows how to motivate us. :-)

  NE-Sen: While we all wait for tonight's results, Jane Flemming-Kleeb has regular updates on today's Nebraska primary at her blog. She promises pictures.--mcjoan

  by lineatus on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:25:15 PM PDT

•  David Byrne and Neil Young, two of my all-time

  favorite musicians.

  Nice to hear of the honor to Neil, and that idea of Byrne's just sounds too cool.

  by cn4st4datrees on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:25:55 PM PDT

•  President Obama should declare that guy

  selling the Obama=Monkey t-shirts an "enemy combatant", since I'd bet that racist loser thought that power was just fine in the hands of President Bush.

  by Marinesquire on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:26:08 PM PDT

  •  We're better than that

    The guy's an ass, but due process and free speech are more important.

    by AndersOSU on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:39:57 PM PDT

    •  Agreed - bad snark on my part.

      by Marinesquire on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:45:26 PM PDT

•  Mary Tillman was on the Jim Rome Show

  last Friday, for the last half hour of his show. I've been listening to Rome for years, and recall how difficult it was after the 9/11 attacks and during the build up to the invasion of Iraq - the jingoism was unbelievable, but it was a good indicator of how average Americans felt - not that I agreed with that.

  As ineptitude of the Bush/Cheney regime has become more known, and as Iraq is increasingly seen as a quagmire, the tenor of the "Clones" has changed, in a good way.

  Tillman was held high as a hero when he enlisted, leaving a lucrative NFL career behind, and held higher after his death was announced. But as news that his death was the result of friendly fire (or worse), and that the Pentagon first used his death as propaganda and then covered up the truth, it has awoken many listeners to the lengths that Bush/Cheney were willing to go.

  But still, Jim Rome today that some of the email he received regarding his interview of Mary Tillman was not all positive, with one asshole referring to her as a "pro-Arab traitor." Rome himself is obviously more skeptical of our government, and certainly very supportive of Mary Tillman.

  by Spud1 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:26:56 PM PDT

•  Before I even got out of bed this morning I saw

  film clips of Hillary Clinton in West Virginia.  First of all, she sounded like Loretta Lyn (mountain accent) but more importantly she infuriated me because she was trashing Obama.  The trouble is, I'd just woken up and I can't remember what she said.  When she was finished I thought 'Well, she's apparently decided she doesn't want to be VP'.

  Did anybody else see her on MSNBC about 4am central time?

  by St Louis Woman on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:26:59 PM PDT

  •  How does she get away with it? (N/T)

    How does she get away with it? (N/T)

    by Wu Wei on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:57:53 PM PDT

  •  How long until

    we hear about Hillary's days runnin' moonshine down the hollow and marryin' Bill at the age of thirteen?

    By the by, Loretta Lynn is no friend of the Clintons. I remember her saying something about Bill back in the late 90s when he was having trouble with, uh, something or other.

    by ekthesy on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:25:24 PM PDT

    •  excuse me: "down the HollER". n/t

      by ekthesy on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:25:59 PM PDT

•  James Carville admits that his era is over. ;)

  by nowheredesign on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:27:15 PM PDT

  •  Error?

    by gloryous1 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:28:29 PM PDT

    •  Reign of Error:Same as Shrub nt

      by JML9999 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:37:32 PM PDT

  •  I Don't Even Want to Think About

    what he may be calling Senator Obama.

    by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:40:09 PM PDT

•  Carville's Dog Won't Hunt

  U.S. Sen. Barack Obama has likely locked up the Democratic presidential nomination, but political consultant and Clinton family adviser James Carville told about 500 people at Furman University that U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton should fight until the last dog dies.

  Carville didn't seem to have nearly as much fight in his dog in 2004, when he pushed Kerry over the edge to conceding to Bush by leaking to his wife, Cheney's campaign chief, that Kerry was leaning towards a challenge, giving them time to prepare and preempt such a challenge. So Kerry conceded (though Kerry's cowardice is his own guilt).

  So I can easily infer that Matalin, hence Cheney and the RNC, and thereby Carville, all want to see Clinton "fight until the last dog dies". If only those dead dogs included several dozen of Carville(/Matalin)/Clinton's Blue Dog DINO Democrats, it might be worth the massacre. But instead it will all be just more damage Carville has handed his wife's Republican masters.

  That Bayou snake needs to get chopped down to unemployable has-been at the same tier as Monica Lewinsky.

  by DocGonzo on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:29:27 PM PDT

  •  Mr. Matlin is a Dog Killer?!

    GGGgggRRRrrr... I hope one takes a whiz on this leg - or humps it.

    by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:41:22 PM PDT

•  Senate is voting to save public hospitals.

  Please pick up the phone and call to ask your senators to impose a one year moratorium on new medicaid rules.  I have posted a diary with info here.

  The consequences of not calling? Widespread closures of emergency rooms and teaching hospitals plus the loss of many other services to the general public.

  This impacts all of us, not just the poor!

  by TheFatLadySings on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:29:40 PM PDT

•  fine is winning the poll about the curious george

  shirt!

  by bten on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:29:56 PM PDT

•  David Byrne was my first hero :)

  My sister came back from college with a pile of music that a little kid in the midwest just wasn't going to hear of, from the Cramps to the Talking Heads.

  But it was Little Creatures that caught my ear, and made me a fan for life!

  Go David!

  by SteamPunkX on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:32:34 PM PDT

  •  Yep

    Little Creatures absolutely blew me away.  Still does.

    by gloryous1 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:34:21 PM PDT

  •  his solo stuff rocked me out

    I probably listed to Feelings and Uh-Oh nonstop for a year straight at work. I can probably sing every lyric by heart on both albums.

    Long Live David!

    by OWCH on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:42:52 PM PDT

    •  Catherine Wheel is a great album

      You needed the cassette version which had 4 or 5 extra songs that weren't on the vinyl LP. "His Wife Refuse" is probably my fave Byrne song of all time. "Take a look, these people are savages, take a look, at their misfortune." Great lyrics, great tune.

      by krnewman on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:42:47 PM PDT

  •  I was in college when I bought

    More Songs about Buildings and Food.

    I remember John Rockwell, then the NYT music critic, calling it (and NOT Saturday Night Fever) the Dance Record of the Year.

    Byrne continues to be one really interesting guy.

    by Clyde the Cat on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:13:18 PM PDT

•  food for Obama volunteers in WV

  ninepatch has a diary on how people can donate food to the folks working for Obama in WV today

  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  by a girl in MI on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:34:13 PM PDT

•  Keith Olbermann & the Gang

  will need our help during primary coverage tonight, so keep the great educational ideas and conversation points going in the diary I posted this morning. Anything we can do to help Chris & Keith NOT break into song is a good thing. Surrender of kid's bike money not necessary!

  by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:34:24 PM PDT

•  An open thread with David and Neil?

  Did I die and go to music heaven?

  I saw David Byrne in 1992 in Berkeley--the Indigo Girls opened for him, and he played with them before he came back out with...yeah, the tape player. Psycho Killer. All I can say is, Byrne is pure musical genius, as the Battery Maritime Building demonstrates.

  Neil Young deserves to have more than just a spier after him, he deserves to have the Nobel Prize committee name a new music Nobel after him, say, the Neil Nobel? I love the classic, CLASSIC stuff, but Harvest Moon will always be, IMHO, the greatest album he put together.

  ~Doc~

  by EquationDoc on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:36:28 PM PDT

•  Please we need help with WV Food Bomb

  effort. Please check it out and please rec the thread.

  by notquitedelilah on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:36:28 PM PDT

•  What's going on with this site?

  Banner missing, moving slow, display strange...

  Did I come during a maintenance window?

  by ILean Left on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:40:45 PM PDT

  •  Issue resolved. Nothing to see here!! n/t

    by ILean Left on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:49:37 PM PDT

•  After eight years

  of Incurious George, I take the Obama
  = Curious George association  as a compliment!

  Silvio Levy
  GObama!

  by codairem on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:43:16 PM PDT

•  I almost felt sorry for John McCain today

  For lack of an alternative, I was listening to Sean Hannity's radio show during my lunch break. He was addressing the McCain global warming initiative that was roasted - so to speak - on this site earlier today for it's above-and-beyond degree of inadequacy.

  But of course Hannity slammed it as dangerously radical - throwing out scare terms like "huge new government bureaucracy" and "Al Gore". And suggesting none-too-subtly that his army of righteous listeners might stay home rather than vote for such a traitor to the conservative cause.

  And I started thinking: "Poor McCain. Whatever weak resistance he might be inclined to offer against the militant know-nothing-ism of the Bush years will have to be sacrificed to the moron class that is the Republican base."

  Then I remembered how the thought of massacring the children of Iran gave his geriatric pecker a tingle and I snapped out of it.

  by Joe Beese on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:45:55 PM PDT

  •  I know what you mean Joe

    by wishingwell on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:51:12 PM PDT

    •  McCain is bashed by Republicans but then

      I think about McCain being so pro war and then I come back to reality of how dangerous for this country a McCain presidency would be.

      by wishingwell on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:52:08 PM PDT

  •  I caught a couple minutes of it.

    He was saying they key isn't driving less, it's drilling more, building better SUVs and building more nuclear power plants.

    Nuclear plants?  In cars?

    Man, I want me one of those!

    by Crashing Vor on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:04:36 PM PDT

    •  I want a Mr. Fusion in my engine

      Like Marty McFly had.

      by Joe Beese on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:09:09 PM PDT

  •  McCain = WAR MORE YEARS n/t

    by B P Pgh on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:23:39 PM PDT

•  Chris Dodd just flat out declared on CNN,

  in his inimitably direct and matter of fact way, that we will be nominating Senator Obama in Denver and that Hillary Clinton will be joining the rest of the Democratic party in bringing it to John McCain.

  by bumblebums on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:47:10 PM PDT

•  congrats to Karen Bass

  the new Speaker of the CA Assembly, the highest-ranking African-American female in any state in the country.  Here are her remarks from her swearing-in ceremony.  We have a thread up at Calitics.

  by dday on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:51:03 PM PDT

•  re: David Byrne

  Um, actually, he got the building-as-instrument thing straight from friends and touring partners the Arcade Fire, who are fond of pounding on anything that gets near them.

  by annagranfors on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:51:17 PM PDT

•  Curious George

  I am writing Houghton Mifflin about this use of their trademarked brand, Curious George.

  Children'[e-mail]

  I suspect the T-shirt is a copyright violation and if they are selling them they can be in a lot of trouble.

  by mole333 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 12:53:46 PM PDT

  •  Great job! You go! Send link to site requesting..

    that they publicly denounce such portrayals, as well.

    I'm doing the same.  Thanks!

    by ILean Left on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:01:22 PM PDT

    •  Wrote asking for a statement

      Figure it will be a nice addition if/when I write about it for Daily Gotham and Culture Kitchen.

      by mole333 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 01:04:36 PM PDT