Watch American Idol With Your Babies
Article 19 readers won't be shocked by a new study in the Journal of Pediatrics. We've covered this ground before, but here it is one more time and slowly for our friends with smaller vocabularies: Sitting your infants in front of Baby Einstein videos does not make them smarter; if anything, just the opposite.

For every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as "Brainy Baby" or "Baby Einstein," they knew six to eight fewer words than other children, the study found.

Parents aiming to put their babies on the fast track, even if they are still working on walking, each year buy hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of the videos.

Unfortunately it's all money down the tubes, according to Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle.
...
Christakis said children whose parents read to them or told them stories had larger vocabularies.

"I would rather babies watch 'American Idol' than these videos," Christakis said, explaining that there is at least a chance their parents would watch with them — which does have developmental benefits.

Stare at This
I don't know how correct it is - the stats at the heart of it. But the World Clock is pretty mesmerizing and will debilitate you for about 5 minutes. After you've looked around at all the numbers, make sure you press the "Now" button and look again before you leave. (via Gristmill)

49 Games To Go
I don't want to be the one to bring this up, but 113 games into the season the Red Sox lead over the Yankees is down to 5 games. If the Sox blow it, and if I believed in jinxes, I would probably blame the Boston writer who penned this column.

Democratic Debate
On MSNBC.

I thought Hillary was going to have a speechless moment there for a second, but instead she turned Edwards' shot at her into a rousing success for her. In addition to that, she just generally knows how to pivot policy questions on real-life concerns of the listener. Olbermann asks a question about China to all the candidates: are they an ally or an adversary? Everybody essentially agrees the answer is neither. They're a competitor. She's the one that mentions that we're tired of buying their poisoned food and toys.

Some fireworks surrounding Obama's recent Pakistan remarks. From my ears, Obama may have gotten the better of Hillary on that. Then a woman who lost her husband in a mine disaster asked Senator Biden about mine safety and worker protections in light of the ongoing situation in Utah. Biden basically ignored her question so he could use his time to get in another shot on Pakistan. Classy.

There's Hot Particles In My Air
Hopefully your air quality is better than Los Angeles'. Mine's not.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, watching, listening to?

Weekend Box Office
1. Bourne Whatever
2. The Simpsons
3. Underdog
4. Chuck and Larry
5. Hairspray

I saw the Bourne movie. For the genre (the I'm-involved-in-political-intrigue-and-being-chased-NO-I'm-chasing-you-now-how-do-you-like-it? genre), it seemed quite good actually. It does get a little tiring: the handheld camera, the extreme facial closeups and the constant music that says other more dangerous music could start at any moment. But it does have one of the more impressive car chases/wrecks and hand-to-hand fight scenes, and that's something if you're into it.

Electoral College Crap and an Article 19 Poll
North Carolina and California are both in different ways making noise about changing the way they distribute electoral votes to a system in which they are awarded proportionally based on how many congressional districts are won.

So here's the poll question. What would be *the best way* to conduct presidential elections:
A) Popular Vote across the country
B) Electoral College System, with winner-take-all in *every* state
C) Electoral College System, with proportional electoral votes in *every* state
D) A Hodge-Podge of different methods according to each state's wishes

Son of Great News From the World of Science - It's Hot!! Edition
Luckily there's lots of extra beach space around lakes.

Lake Superior has both shrunk and gotten warmer, confounding scientists who can't explain what is happening to the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area and the third largest by volume of water.
...
Since 1979, the average water temperature has shot up 4.5 degrees compared to only a 2.7-degree increase in the region's air temperature. Scientists still don't know if climate change is to blame, but recently the lake's surface temperature registered 75, which is as high as anyone has known it to be.

In addition, the lake has shrunk suddenly. That has left children in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan playing in mud where they played in waist deep water only a few years ago.

So, see? When rising coastlines force businesses and residents to flee to drier ground, they can just move into the new land forming around our nation's lakes.

Supreme Disappointment
Shattered dreams

Members of a 1980s funk and disco group hit a sour note in their attempt to break the world record for the largest kazoo ensemble, falling short of the some 2,600 impromptu musicians needed.
...
"I don't know anything about it," said Cecilia Malone, standing among a crowd of spectators and looking at the plastic kazoo in puzzlement. "Which side do you blow on? Do you know?"

The current kazoo record was set this past New Year's Eve in Rochester, where 2,600 kazooers gathered to play shortly before midnight. Before that, The Quincy Park Band had held the record for gathering 1,791 players in Quincy, Ill., in 2004.

Author and "professional kazooist" Barbara Stewart, who was involved in this effort, is "leading a campaign to name the kazoo America's national instrument." Godspeed, sweet nasally tunestress. Godspeed.

3-Way Lead in Iowa, I Answer My Own Questions
A new Washington Post poll puts Obama, Edwards, Clinton essentially tied at 27-26-26. Richardson in double digits here too at 11. Is it time to pay attention to, or care about, these polls yet? No. I'll tell you when. Can Richardson really make this a four-way race? Maybe.

One interesting thing about this poll - they asked respondents for their second choice. This left things essentially even, still. 51% chose Obama either 1st or 2nd. 48 each for Clinton and Edwards. I think this is good news for...Hillary. The theory that Obama and Edwards represent an anti-Hillary vote, and with one out their supporters would flock to the other, doesn't hold up here.

Open Mic Thursday
It's local election day here in Nash-Vegas and I'm volunteering around the city, in completely pointless save-the-world mode. One of these days, I'm going to pick a winning candidate just accidentally. Who knows, maybe it will be today. Won't be around all day, so feel free to get a conversation started in my absence - link to interesting news or whatever. You know the drill.

Obama Speech
Delivered today, about combating terrorism. You can read it as prepared here. Here's a bit:

As President, I will make it a focus of my foreign policy to roll back the tide of hopelessness that gives rise to hate. Freedom must mean freedom from fear, not the freedom of anarchy. I will never shrug my shoulders and say – as Secretary Rumsfeld did – “Freedom is untidy.” I will focus our support on helping nations build independent judicial systems, honest police forces, and financial systems that are transparent and accountable. Freedom must also mean freedom from want, not freedom lost to an empty stomach. So I will make poverty reduction a key part of helping other nations reduce anarchy.

I will double our annual investments to meet these challenges to $50 billion by 2012. And I will support a $2 billion Global Education Fund to counter the radical madrasas – often funded by money from within Saudi Arabia – that have filled young minds with messages of hate. We must work for a world where every child, everywhere, is taught to build and not to destroy. And as we lead we will ask for more from our friends in Europe and Asia as well – more support for our diplomacy, more support for multilateral peacekeeping, and more support to rebuild societies ravaged by conflict.
...
I also will reject a legal framework that does not work. There has been only one conviction at Guantanamo. It was for a guilty plea on material support for terrorism. The sentence was 9 months. There has not been one conviction of a terrorist act. I have faith in America’s courts, and I have faith in our JAGs. As President, I will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act, and adhere to the Geneva Conventions. Our Constitution and our Uniform Code of Military Justice provide a framework for dealing with the terrorists.

This Administration also puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand. I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track and take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution and our freedom.

That means no more illegal wire-tapping of American citizens. No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do nothing more than protest a misguided war. No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient. That is not who we are. And it is not what is necessary to defeat the terrorists. The FISA court works. The separation of powers works. Our Constitution works. We will again set an example for the world that the law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers, and that justice is not arbitrary.

Obama on the Move? Or, Crappy Poll?
ARG polls IA, NH and SC every month. The new numbers (with June's poll in parenthesis) are below:

New Hampshire
Clinton....31% (34%)
Obama......31% (25%)
Edwards....14% (11%)
Undecided..13% (11%)
Richardson..7% (6%)

South Carolina
Obama......33% (21%)
Clinton....29% (37%)
Edwards....18% (22%)
Undecided..12% (13%)

Iowa
Clinton....30% (32%)
Edwards....21% (29%)
Obama......15% (13%)
Undecided..15% (13%)
Richardson.13% (5%)

That's a 20-point turnaround in South Carolina, from down 16 to up 4. I don't buy for a second that this means Obama has "won" the foreign policy tussle he and Clinton have been having, not on substance anyway. "I was going for Clinton, until I heard Obama wanted to talk to Hugo Chavez and that changed my mind"? Doesn't make any sense. But if the polls are legit, something must be up.

Heard Just Now On CNBC
Apparently, Giuliani's presented some kind of health coverage plan. On CNBC a few minutes ago, the white Republican guy (Jack Burkman) defending Giuliani explained to the White Democratic guy (Julian Epstein) and the white news guy (John Harwood) that covering the uninsured would actually be really simple and no problem, but they aren't going to do it because Democrats won't be satisfied until we're all waving the Russian flag and working out in the wheat fields together. My rough transcription:

White Republican guy: This whole discussion of the uninsured is a trojan horse...
White anchor woman: not if you're uninsured
White Republican guy:...because it's something that sounds good but frankly it wouldn't cost much for the federal government to do this. This is not Julian and Hillary's agenda.
White Democratic Guy: You're advocating a government solution, Jack.
White Republican Guy: This is a trojan horse into the city. What they come with next are price controls. They start with something that is relatively small. Then they come with price controls on Merck and Mylan and Astral-Zeneca.

So, see? Republicans would be glad for the federal government to cover everyone in America, but dirty communist Democrats wouldn't be satisfied, so you get nothing.

Joke of the Day
Did you hear about Chief Justice John Roberts stumbling and foaming at the mouth? And that was just his school desegregation decision...

Yeah, you can use it.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, listening to, watching?

People are Dying
Tom Snyder and Ingmar Bergman, who have never before been mentioned in the same sentence.

Article 19 Recommendations
I've seen movies:
The Simpsons - The story is not so entertaining or creative (many episodes of the TV show are) but the jokes kept me laughing the whole time.

Harry Potter - Easily the worst of the films so far in my estimation. The story was thrown together and pointless. I can only assume the book had a great deal more to it.

I finished a book a few weeks ago I forgot to mention before:
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards - I wanted to read this because it's been so prominently displayed at the bookstore for so long I figured there was something great about it. An interesting premise and a few gems of observation, but overall kind of mediocre I thought. No serious complaints, but no real points of praise either.

Weekend Box Office
1. The Simpsons
2. Chuck and Larry
3. Harry Potter
4. Hairspray
5. No Reservations

Oscar
Yeah, everybody's already seen this all over TV and read about it all over the Internets, but just in case you missed it, here is the doctor's original story about Oscar the cat in the New England Journal of Medicine. I'm trying to have a heartwarming reaction like everyone else with a pulse, really I am, but mostly I find it creepy.

"Have You Seen This in Space?"
Via Boing Boing, this is a really funny take on the bizarre story about NASA astronauts apparently flying drunk as a skunk. You have to wonder on the timing, as this story has managed to overshadow the equally bizarre story about sabotage on a NASA computer bound for the international space station. Do you think they were just waiting? "If somebody starts asking questions about that intentionally-cut-wire business, we'll blind them with the drunk astronaut bit." But don't let me get side-tracked. This really is funny.

Why is Gonzales Lying?
I think this might be an easy one. Gonzales is lying to: a) cover Bush's ass and b) cover his own. It's telling (but not surprising at this point) to know that we have an AG who is so concerned about boosting the credibility of Bush's wiretapping scheme (by claiming everyone agreed without a fight) that he was willing to leave his own backside out there to twist in the wind. Now, of course, he's just scrambling. And I see the President is returning the favor.

Because the Public has a Liberal Bias
Interested in seeing how the Republicans will do in the CNN/You Tube debate format? Tough. Looks like many of them will be bailing. Like Josh suggests, I guess if the questions don't come from one of those Bush-style town hall audiences - you know, the ones where the "town" excludes everyone who fails a detailed screening process - then Republicans can't handle them.

It should be obvious by now that CNN is too afraid to actually allow a controversial question. But I suppose that for today's Republicans, mainstream is the new controversial.

The Health Care Challenge
Michael Moore wants all presidential candidates to take a pledge:

When Senator Sherrod Brown was running for a seat in the House of Representatives over 10 years ago, he saw something wrong with this. He pledged not to accept his free government health care until everyone in the United States had the same luxury. (He's still waiting.)

Brown reasoned that politicians should have the same privileges as those they represent. I know a lot of the Democrats running for President understand this principle. Monday night during their YouTube debate, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson all pledged to work for the minimum wage should they be elected president -- to show that they're in touch with the plight of everyday Americans, and to make sure they are personally invested in making sure the minimum wage in this country is a livable one. Good for them.

Now, candidates, how about giving up your health care too?
...
I am calling on each presidential candidate to pledge to refuse their free government health care until every person in this country also has it.

I wasn't aware that some candidates had pledged to work for minimum wage as president, but I like Moore's idea better. There's no reason any candidate for Congress or the White House should accept such great coverage on the backs of tax contributions from the many citizens who struggle to pay for bad coverage, or who struggle with none at all. Until every American is covered, they should be ashamed to make use of such great free coverage.

Yes, detractors would have a good point: we offer such security not because of what they "deserve" but to protect the office, which belongs to the people. The last thing we need is a representative who has to borrow money to pay a hospital bill - the work of the people could become compromised. But you know what? Washington's officials are so out of touch with the concerns of the middle class - and have learned to use the office to make so much money - that it's worth it, to at least educate them about how much health care actually costs. So, I wouldn't ask them to go without coverage, but I would ask them to forgo the free coverage the government provides and to purchase their own like most everyone else has to these days.

Fun With Juries
From the Miami Herald:

During jury selection Wednesday in the case of inmate Terry Lee Alexander, all seven jurors admitted to attorneys that they have masturbated.

The awkward questioning was posed by defense attorney Kathleen McHugh, who faced 17 prospective jurors and asked point-blank who among them had never masturbated.

No hands went up.

Then, she went one-by-one, asking each prospective juror if he or she had ever masturbated.

All nine men said yes, two of the 10 women said no.

Gonzales
The Attorney General testified today and expanded his already-impressive national embarassment status. Almost too many moments to choose from. But here's my favorite, and there's more here. Josh Marshall highlights a blatant refusal to answer the committee's questions here. Or just read Andrew Cohen (via Atrios):

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales deserves to be fired for his testimony Tuesday alone; for morphing into Jon Lovitz's famous "pathological liar" character (or maybe just one of the Marx Brothers) as he tried to dodge and duck responsibility before the Senate Judiciary Committee not just for his shameful leadership at Justice but also his shameless role in visiting an ailing John Ashcroft in the hospital to try to strong-arm him into renewing the warrantless surviellance program. Can anyone out there remember a worse, less-inspiring, less confidence-inducing performance on Capitol Hill? I cannot.
...
I am running out of words to describe how inept this public servant is and how awful is the message our government sends to the nation and to the world by allowing him to continue to represent us.

The point is, if they can't impeach Alberto, or at least try to hold him accountable, they'll never get to Bush/Cheney.

Hug an Entry-Level Worker Today
It's not much, and it took way too long, but the minimum wage increases today to $5.85. Kudos to Kennedy.

Take out rent, car payment and insurance and you'll still need to take a second job if you want to eat, but it's a start.

In 2 years, it will be $7.25.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been listening to, watching, reading?

Topic of the Day
Compare and contrast the final episode of the Sopranos with the final book of the Harry Potter series. Go.

Weekend Box Office
1. Chuck and Larry
2. Harry Potter
3. Hairspray
4. Transformers
5. Ratatouile
...
11. SiCKO

Cleavage
Will the press's coverage of Hillary be so supremely stupid that they push me closer toward supporting her? From the Washington Post:

She was talking on the Senate floor about the burdensome cost of higher education. She was wearing a rose-colored blazer over a black top. The neckline sat low on her chest and had a subtle V-shape. The cleavage registered after only a quick glance. No scrunch-faced scrutiny was necessary. There wasn't an unseemly amount of cleavage showing, but there it was. Undeniable.

Your modern-day media at work.

Behold!
President Cheney!! Run for your lives!!!

Numbers
The NYTimes polls women about Hillary.

The poll showed that women’s views tend to shift depending on their demographics. Their support for her is most pronounced, for example, among unmarried and less-affluent Democratic women. More than 8 in 10 working women say she understands their problems.

The older the woman, the more negatively she views Mrs. Clinton: 27 percent of those under 45 view her negatively; 33 percent of those between 45 and 64 view her negatively; and 40 percent of those 64 and older view her negatively.

I don't have a clue what to make of this, but I think it's interesting.

Potter-Mania and Elitist Snobbery
Sorry my blogging pace has truly been horrendous lately. Duty and Life call, sadly. But I have to post something in advance of Potter-mania. With the new book coming out, I've heard stories on NPR; it's on the news, it's in my inbox (30% off!!). I've never read one of the books, but I know plenty of grown-ups and kids alike who think they're just swell. I have a couple of questions: first, who here has read one or more books and what do you think? Are you constantly aware you're reading literature intended for children?

But more importantly, I'm wondering this: let's suppose they are not the greatest books ever, that the literary quality, however one might decide such things, is seriously lacking. Even if so, is there a downside? Isn't it better for kids to be obsessed with reading *something* as far as their brains and attention spans go than receiving all their sensory info through TV, their brain activity through video games, and their experience with the written word primarily through text messages?

I would think these books could be quite the gateway drug to future reading, and it's hard to see that as a bad thing. But apparently some are still worried about people mistaking JK Rowling for actual literature. From Kevin Drum, I read this Charles Taylor column in the LATimes complaining about discontented highbrow snob Harold Bloom, who 7 years ago complained in the Wall Street Journal:

I feel a discomfort with the Harry Potter mania, and I hope that my discontent is not merely a highbrow snobbery, or a nostalgia for a more literate fantasy to beguile (shall we say) intelligent children of all ages. Can more than 35 million book buyers, and their offspring, be wrong? yes, they have been, and will continue to be for as long as they persevere with Potter.

A vast concourse of inadequate works, for adults and for children, crams the dustbins of the ages. At a time when public judgment is no better and no worse than what is proclaimed by the ideological cheerleaders who have so destroyed humanistic study, anything goes. The cultural critics will, soon enough, introduce Harry Potter into their college curriculum, and The New York Times will go on celebrating another confirmation of the dumbing-down it leads and exemplifies.

To be fair, Bloom earlier in that piece made the same concession that I just did: that it's better than not reading. But I think this takes the wrong view of the role of children's literature. I may just not be in the know - but which kid's books *are* considered great literature? Tolkien? Rowling readers, how would Potter compare there? Even then, that seems unfair. The kids I knew who read Tolkien, read the ring books in junior high and high school. I think I was 13 when I read the Hobbit. But it looks to me like Potter readers are younger still...a nephew under 10 was all set to get the new book at midnight.

Anyway, my real question follows, and assumes that more reading youngsters today will likely translate into more reading adults in the future. Does the explosion of kids reading Potter mean that *more* people will eventually be on a track to read highly regarded literature than would otherwise? Or does it mean that *fewer* people will be on that track because they'll be conditioned to read more popular, I dunno, trashy novels. Could Potter stunt your reading growth? It seems like a preposterous idea, but otherwise I can't see why even the serious set would do anything but cheer cheer cheer the phenomenal growth of Rowling's creation.

I'm Confused [UPDATED]
Yesterday, I thought the great news of the day was that Democrats in the Senate were going to force Republicans to actually filibuster all night if they want to kill an amendment that would start bringing the Iraq War to a close. Now it sounds more like it's the Democrats who would have to debate all night. I don't get it. Is there no way to make Republicans filibuster on the floor if they are going to refuse to end debate? If anyone understands the ins and outs here, I'm all ears. Either way, if you're wondering what to watch at 1 am tomorrow morning when you can't sleep, it's called C-Span 2.

[UPDATE:I'm watching it, and I'm still confused. The speeches are fair. But all the procedural crap that happens between them is a snoozefest. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, this ain't. On the other hand, I'm learning the names of the Senators in alphabetical order, and that's got to come in handy.]

American Educated about Outside World
I am the American, and I learned that Japan doesn't yet have a jury system. I recently saw an excellent new movie that takes on Japan's current court system, criticizing it for being highly biased against the accused. It's called Soredemo Boku Wa Yattenai or I Just Didn't Do It, and is by Masayuki Suo, the director of (the original Japanese) Shall We Dance.

This article from today's NY Times talks about Japan switching over to a jury system. I had always assumed that Japan's court system was just like ours, since we pretty much gave them their constitution and all.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been watching, reading, listening to?

I hate reality shows. I made the mistake of watching one episode of Top Chef on Bravo, and now I have to see how it turns out. What's your guilty TV pleasure these days?

Weekend Box Office
1. Harry Potter and the Case of the 30-year-olds playing Teenagers
2. Transformers
3. Ratatouile
4. Die Hard and the case of a 50-year-old playing a 30-year-old
5. License to Wed
...
9. SiCKO

Bush Will Veto CHIP Expansion
Democrats in Congress - with some Republican support - have a reasonable idea: let's increase the cigarette tax on the federal level from $0.39 to $1.00 and use the money to expand the children's health insurance program to include some 4 million more children. Today's NYTimes tells us the Bush Administration will veto this proposal, because he opposes tax increases (even on cigarettes!?) and for another more disgusting reason:

“The proposal would dramatically expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program, adding nonpoor children to the program, and more than doubling the level of spending,” [White House spokesman Tony] Fratto said. “This will have the effect of encouraging many to drop private coverage, to go on the government-subsidized program.”

God forbid a parent who sneaks over the President's "poor" line gets some health care security with public support...

Less Thompson is More Thompson
Link

Fred D. Thompson has decided not to formally announce his presidential campaign this month and may wait until September to end the suspense for Republicans, according to several sources in his campaign.
...
If the announcement comes in September, it will leave Thompson's candidacy in limbo for another seven weeks. But aides noted that Thompson is doing well in national and state polls and receiving relatively good press...."Why change what's working?" one adviser asked.

Republicans know that there will be a general election, right? With debates and scrutiny and all the rest of the spotlight. Instead of preferring a candidate in polls who is hiding from all of that, you would think they would want to support one who can withstand it.

Unlikely Synonyms
In school, I learned about synonyms, antonyms and homonyms, i.e., words that mean the same thing, words that mean the opposite of each other, and words that sound the same. You probably did too. Recently I've learned that my nieces and nephews are learning that words sounding the same are called "homophones." What gives? What's wrong with homonym? Doesn't the uniformity of "nym" count for anything? Is our children learning?

Religious Test For Office
The Constitution says explicitly that there will be no religious test for federal office, as it should. But professor Stephen Prothero - whom I've criticized elsewhere - may be onto something in a new essay urging a different kind of religious test for elected officials.

I want to be sure that our future presidents know enough about the world's religions to run our foreign policy, and that U.S. citizens know enough to hold their feet to the fire.
...
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has written that she had a gaggle of official economic experts at her beck and call but only one informal expert on religion. Today we continue to appoint ambassadors to Muslim-majority countries without requiring that they have any training in Islamic studies.
...
Our presidents should be able to answer very basic questions about Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the religions of Asia. So should the citizens who elect them.

Your Senate At Work
Republicans just successfully defeated an amendment in the Senate - using a filibuster - that would have eased the burden on troops by mandating more time off between deployments. For all the talk of Republican defections from Bush and their willingness to move in a new direction (not to mention their hot air about supporting the troops), when push comes to shove, most of them do whatever Bush and Rove tell them. Exceptions are Smith (OR), Snowe and Collins(ME), Hagel (NE), Coleman (Scared shitless of Franken - MN), Warner (VA), Sununu (NH).

Among other things, that means my supposedly centrist-like Senators, Alexander and Corker, voted to keep stressing the troops, no matter what it takes, in support of Bush's war.

Rest in Peace, Doug Marlette
Kudzu was never my favorite cartoon, but had its funny moments. More importantly, Doug Marlette - its creator - was a good guy who cared about preserving America's First Amendment freedoms and was a strong defender of all true Baptists in that pursuit. Now, he's also a tragic reminder that car accidents can happen at any time. He was on his way back to his home in Oklahoma from his father's funeral in North Carolina.

The Return of Great News From the World of Science
Guess what's good for you? That's right - smoking!

"Our analyses confirmed prior reports of an inverse association between cigarette smoking and Parkinson's disease," the study said.

"Although we found that current smokers and those who had continued to smoke to within five years of Parkinson's disease diagnosis exhibited the lowest risk, a decrease in risk (13 percent to 32 percent) was also observed in those who had quit smoking up to 25 years prior to Parkinson's disease diagnosis," it said.

On the other hand, now they say drinking wine is good for your teeth, and this pill will help you stop both smoking and drinking, making it, I suppose, the first pill more likely to cause both Parkinson's and tooth decay.

Just shoot me.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, watching, listening to?

Weekend Box Office
1. Transformers
2. Ratatouile
3. Die Hard 16
4. License to Wed
5. Evan Almighty
...
9. Sicko

The Evan Almighty people have to be hating life. Who knew that making the biggest budget comedy in history could be risky? Sicko is probably a bit of a disappointment in ticket sales so far, at least compared to F/911. But the per-screen average is still higher than most in the top 10. And I have to think that word of mouth will keep it from falling too far off right away. I plan on seeing it a 2nd time myself.

What's the Biggest Factor in Violent Crime?
Today's Washington Post reports on an emerging answer to that question that will be the most interesting and maybe surprising thing you will read all week. (via Kevin Drum)

Eventually Everybody Does Madonna
A real Live Earth highlight. If you didn't see the movie Spinal Tap, you won't get it (also you're a bad person).

Ron Paul Mania Comes to Nashville
Saw a handful of Ron Paul for President signs on the streets today, maybe celebrating his smackdown of McCain in recent fundraising reports.

Live Earth
Are we watching the concert tomorrow? I notice that Gore is opening with a surprise show in DC, at the National Museum of the American Indian. I suppose that may help inform people about global warming, and that there is in fact a National Museum of the American Indian. Here's hoping my DC friends will be able to attend and will come back with a full report.

You Really Must See SiCKO
I would put it right up there with An Inconvenient Truth as essential civic viewing. I know, I know, what I wrote a few days ago about my dwindling optimism about the effects of such things. But the important question Moore asks here - the most important he's ever asked in a film I believe - really should change everything, if enough people saw it and thought seriously about how to answer it.

The only thing I'll say about the content is that the bit that's gotten the most coverage - his trip to Cuba - is a small part of the film and probably the least effective. There's much more to it.

If we can be exposed to a scientific perspective, like that showed in Gore's film, and fail to respond with committed national environmental action *and* be exposed to a personal perspective of suffering and need, like SiCKO demonstrates, and fail to respond there too...there's not much to say for us.

Happy Canada Day Yesterday
Discuss.

Public Perception
Steve Benen - who seems to be guest-posting for every blogger this weekend - writes today at TPM about something that always drives me crazy. It's one thing for the general public to have a faulty impression over which party is to blame for congressional inaction. It's quite another for media members to report on this phenomenon without noting or caring about the role they play in sending out this misinformation. How about reporting on whether or not the public perception is *true* once in a while, instead of side-stepping the journalist's obligation to, you know, actually inform the public?

Apparently...
There was a Democratic debate last night - not that I saw it - moderated by Tavis Smiley, and questioned by African-American and Latino journalists. I've often been asking how the heck is Hillary staying on top of the polls...and now I'm starting to realize she's just good at knowing what to say and when to say it. Read Steve Benen's account of the debate, and notice 2 things: 1) supposedly of more substance, this debate still yielded no news from any of the candidates trying to catch her. But Hillary managed the line of the night, it would seem - a perfectly placed barb that may help solidify her support in the African-American community.

I didn't see any campaign-changing moments, though Hillary Clinton just about brought the house down when she said AIDS would be a higher national priority if it were the number one killer of white women ages 25 to 34. (The comment drew the loudest, most sustained applause of the night.)

So far, her campaign is simply out-thinking the others. I'm in full travel mode - just made it to DC last night. Did anyone see the debate? What did you think?

Can Someone Explain...
How and why Fred Thompson is moving up in the polls? What exactly has he done or said to generate support? This must be disheartening to a guy like McCain who's done nothing over the last 8 years but plan and prepare and work toward the GOP nomination in 2008.

Geez
I'm gone for 3 days and the Supreme Court decides to limit First Amendment freedoms, thinking I won't notice. Of course, I did. By 5-4 decisions, the court chipped away at the right of taxpayers to enforce the Establishment Clause by suing over Executive Branch violations. And, while they were at it, decided to bulk up the powers of school executives to clamp down on student free speech in the name of maintaining order. No more "Bong Hits 4 Jesus."

I'm On My Way To The Beach
Because I can be. Tell me what I'm missing. My next few posts will have sand in them.

College Rankings
The US News & World Report racket that is their yearly college rankings is finally starting to get some of the scrutiny it deserves. Some colleges are opting out.

I've been astonished the last several years the lengths schools will go to for an increased ranking by this second-rate magazine. The entire admissions philosophy of some universities is bent to conform to the ranking formula. It's long past time for some to say "enough."

SiCKO
I can't wait to see Michael Moore's new film. But I don't get so worked up - like I once did - over reviews like Andrew Tobias' (via Kevin Drum)

I got to see Michael Moore’s new movie, SiCKO, last night, which opens a week from Friday. Run don’t walk. This movie is going to be huge – and have a huge impact. At the screening I attended, 1500 people were on their feet cheering through the entire credits.

I watched Fahrenheit 9/11 on the first weekend with rabid fans, diehard liberals and the response was similarly rousing. I left the theater that night thinking that everyone would be talking about the movie, and everyone would see it, and George Bush would be defeated in a landslide in the election just a few months away. But of course, that didn't happen. I was a little more realistic when I saw Inconvenient Truth on opening weekend in Nashville, with Al and Tipper and friends watching just a few screens away. The crowd's response was incredible. But the truth is: anyone watching SiCKO now is at a special screening for people who already agree with Moore.

I'm going to see SiCKO at the first opportunity, and will probably be moved and amped up by it. But no matter how much I love him, I don't think America will be led to the promised land, health care-wise, by Michael Moore. Similarly, it will probably take a leader not named Gore to really move us forward on the climate crisis.

In fact, I could believe this film might damage the cause (am I a nay-sayer or what!?). Young people love Moore's films, and my understanding is that he is calling for nothing less than a single-payer, government-run health-care system,and calling every other proposal in between a sham. If true, he may be empowering young voters to go the way of Kucinich and Nader. Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, we have problems that have to be solved by concensus.

Call me when elected officials stop taking money from the health insurance lobby, and the poll numbers change about government-run, single-payer health care.

Political Question of the Day
If the Democrats nominate Hillary, and the Republicans, say, Fred Thompson, would you consider voting for a Bloomberg-Schwarzenegger ticket running as independents? No, really, would you? What if, to make things interesting, Hillary were running third in the polls going into election day?

Supporting the Troops
I'll never understand this one thing about the relationship between the military and Washington. I honestly don't understand - and welcome theories.

Washington holds the purse-strings for the federal budget, and if there are two things elected officials in both parties are good at, it's pandering and flag-waving. I would think that every legislative session would become a bidding war over troop-related funding - which party can offer more housing, salary, health care, pension, education...? And it would be the perfect way to criticize other funding plans. You want to pay for public television? Maybe fund art? No way - we want to improve veterans' hospitals. You want to over-pay Halliburton? Cut taxes for billionaire CEO's? Fat chance - our side would prefer proper psychological screening and treatment for troops who have served in combat zones. I mean, talk about folks that do the work that most Americans won't do. If anything, you would think the social services of American troops would be scandalously gold-plated as our politicians fall all over themselves offering support.

But it doesn't work like that. By all accounts, medical care in the field is amazingly good. After that...not so much. We read about Walter Reed earlier this year. And today's Washington Post story is doubly horrifying, at least. And, like I say, mystifying. It doesn't have to be that way, and wouldn't exactly take any political courage to fix it. Just the opposite. So, what's the deal?

Even More Great News From the World of Science!
Guess what? In terms of global surface temperature, January - May of this year was only as hot as 1998! The bad news, of course, is that 1998 had been the hottest on record in that category. Also, April didn't stay our most recent record-breaking month for long, now that we've had May - the warmest May ever on land. TN, GA, AL and MS set records for the driest spring ever (woohoo - we're #1!), and don't even get me started on Siberia:

For the spring, much of Siberia is a stunning 5°C (9°F) above average. This is worrisome because

* Siberia contains probably the world’s largest amount of carbon locked away in the permafrost.
* The permafrost is increasingly not so perma.
* Much of that carbon would be released as methane, which is 23 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

What a great time to be alive! Thank you, science!

Judge Says No Delay
Scooter doesn't get out of jail to wait for his appeal. But, I still somehow suspect his chances of actually serving a day are no better than 50/50. File it under I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it.

Barney Frank on Mitt
Link

"The real Romney is clearly an extraordinarily ambitious man with no perceivable political principle whatsover. He is the most intellectually dishonest human being in the history of politics."

It's time we turned the tables and started branding these guys as the flip-flopping, no-real-conviction politicans that they are, the same way Republicans have done to Democratic candidates in the last 2 cycles. Romney, Guiliani, McCain, these 3 will say whatever it takes to get elected - not a principled bone in their bodies - and we should be saying that about them every time their names come up.

Howard, I wish I knew how to quit you
Can you picture Jake Gyllenhaal in an orange knit stocking hat? He has auditioned for the lead in a new play "loosely based on Howard Dean's 2004 campaign for the White House" according to the NYPost's theater page:

a young, idealistic communications director who works for an inspiring, though unorthodox, presidential candidate. During the campaign, his career is done in by more seasoned politicos who thrive on poisonous partisan politics, dirty tricks and back-stabbing.

Those of you who know people on whom this may be "loosely based" should reach out to them and give us any inside scoop.

Now that's a show climax that really upset me.

8%
It's early. That's the message of a new New Hampshire Democratic primary poll--not because Clinton leads Obama and Edwards 36 - 22 - 12 - but because the number of people who claim to have "definitely made up their minds"? Just 8 percent.

MEDIA MONDAY
For non-Sopranos talk. What have you been watching, reading, listening to?

Jody Rosen on Sgt. Pepper's
Link

An-ti-ci-pa-tion
The last episode of the Sopranos. Use this thread for your thoughts, worries, speculation (before 8 pm Central time) and reaction (after 9). Assume spoilers are in the comments after the show's over. Personally, I feel a little let down by HBO here. No specials? No retrospectives? Would it kill them to spend today showing old episodes? I'd like to see episode 1, and maybe all the previous season-enders...some recognition that the anticipation is killing us.

Bush Illness at G-8 Meeting
It's called a hangover, George. C'mon, you remember.

No-Confidence Vote Coming
How many Republicans will support Gonzo?

ATTN. INMATES! REFUSE TO EAT AND YOU GET SET FREE
Im guessing this wouldn't work if other inmates tried it??

Attention Parents
It will be an awkward conversation for sure, but save yourself some serious grief. When your son turns 17, you need to tell him this story, and inform him that he has a new legal status... Kids don't know the law, but on some topics they need to. (warning if you're at work: the link is to the Chicago Tribune, but there is some sex talk in the story)

What I've Been Waiting For
Obama's speech at Hampton University - you need to scroll down to get to the complete text. I know it's not everybody's thing - the poetic vision of America that finds a home in black preaching, the inspiration of religious imagery - but it works on me. It sends chills down my spine that we might actually elect a President who could and would give a speech like that - with such a clear understanding and acknowledgment of the pain and injustice that so many face.

The Price of Covering for Cheney
30 months + $250K. I hope it was worth it.

Could it Be?
For the first time, I'm starting to take seriously the possibility that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. I expected the bright light of national politics to have her a bit wobbly, and expected the charisma, intelligence, freshness and passion of Obama to eventually breeze by her. Despite this new anomalous poll, that's not happening so far.

My main concern about her is pretty simple - electability. We are in a prime position to move this country in a new direction with a new kind of leadership to tackle truly unprecedented problems and the need to dig our way out of 8 years of mammoth incompetence. But with Hillary in the race the focus is all Clinton, a referendum on personalities, a rehashing of the past, not to mention a continuation of the same bad set of national Democratic advisers we've had for almost 20 years. She gives Republicans the kind of distracting target that nobody else (except maybe Gore) would.

She's the opposite of new. (plus she helped get us into this crappy war)

So why is she doing so well?

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, watching, listening to?

Box Office
1. Pirates 3
2. Knocked Up
3. Shrek 3
4. Mr. Brooks
5. Spiderman 3

Reserve your Sopranos comments for the post below, if you would...no spoilers in this thread.

Rufus Wainright - Release the Stars
I've just given it one listen so far, but it's a beautiful set of songs - astonishing combination of singer-songwriter ethos with powerful and unique orchestrations. You don't remember just how predictable most music these days really is until you hear something that truly surprises, both within a song and from track to track. The album bogs down a little in the middle, but overall very strong, better than his last. We'll see how it holds up to listening again.

Iain Pears - The Portrait
Last week, I read this short novel, picked for no particular reason. Eh.

Sopranos Thread
For spoilers. What did you think?

Democratic Debate
Nobody is watching the debate I'm sure, on CNN. There's a Red Sox-Yankees game and The Sopranos coming up. But I think John Edwards is doing well, and Hillary is doing a good job also. Dodd sounds strong and Richardson sounds out of sync. This is not a good format for Obama, in my opinion. Anybody watching?

[UPDATE: Unfortunate line of the night. The question was "regarding rolling back tax cuts for the rich....how do you define rich?" Edwards: "I don't know if I know what a rich person is..."]

Too Weird To Be a Coincidence?
Maybe this is one way to keep your daughter from being married to a guy (for long). Give him the extremely rare deadly strain of TB that you work with. Then again, undiagnosed he would have surely become contagious and eventually infected his wife, the daughter. So it probably wasn't part of some plan.

Saturday Afternoon TV
I've got a cold. So, lazily watching TV. Sundance is showing "The Andromeda Strain" which I never saw before but always heard good things about...plot and dialogue-wise it is one silly movie. One thing sounded familiar: when scientists make dire warnings, it makes the President not trust them.

It was 40 years ago today
So, what's your favorite Sgt. Pepper's track that's not "A Day in the Life"? (too obvious). I'm a fan of "Good Morning Good Morning."

TB Guy
I understand there's some question about whether or not he was really in much of a contagious state - if at all. And he seems to have some proof that the warnings he got were not too severe. But when the CDC tracks you down in Italy to tell you they just discovered your strain of tuberculosis is extremely resistant to drugs and they instruct you to turn yourself in to authorities instead of risking the health of the rest of the world by getting on an airplane, and you decide *aw screw it* and sneak your way back anyway...that pretty much makes you a jerk right? Not knowing much about TB, so I don't really understand the danger level, still I tend to agree with Michael Seitzman on this one.

When the Need for Action in the Face of Crisis is Finally Unavoidable...
...it's time for some meetings. I suppose it's better than nothing.

Your Conservative Government At Work (plus, a new game: Predict the Next Bush Travesty)
Via Kos, the AP reports:

The Bush administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease.

The Agriculture Department tests fewer than 1 percent of slaughtered cows for the disease, which can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. A beef producer in the western state of Kansas, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, wants to test all of its cows.

Larger meat companies feared that move because, if Creekstone should test its meat and advertised it as safe, they might have to perform the expensive tests on their larger herds as well.

You can't make this stuff up can you? Oh wait, I think we can. Let's play a little game. Take that first sentence in the quote above - a fabulous indictment of our Executive. We'll play a little bit of MadLibs.

First we need an industry or occupation - let's say "car manufacturers." Now think of one of the most responsible things they could do - say, "reducing CO2 emissions." Now, plug them into that sentence and you've got: "The Bush Administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep car manufacturers from reducing CO2 emissions."

See? Anyone can play! Predict the next Bush travesty with your friends! Here's another:"The Bush Administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep the Justice Department from applying the law without political bias."

And one more, because this is really too much depressing fun: "The Bush Administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep FEMA from preparing for predictable, horrendous humanitarian disasters here at home."

I want to see your efforts in the comments below.

You're Damn Right We're Not Happy
How the hell are we supposed to be happy?

Obama's Got a New Health Care Plan
and shiny new poll numbers. Ezra Klein at Tapped discusses the health care proposal. It sounds to me like there's just enough federal bureaucracy for the GOP to caricature, just enough private insurance involvement to annoy liberals and just enough confusion to keep everyone else from knowing just what to think.

Good Op-ed for Memorial Day

Money buys access and influence. Money greases the process that will yield us a new president in 2008. When it comes to Iraq, money ensures that the concerns of big business, big oil, bellicose evangelicals and Middle East allies gain a hearing. By comparison, the lives of U.S. soldiers figure as an afterthought.

Memorial Day orators will say that a G.I.'s life is priceless. Don't believe it. I know what value the U.S. government assigns to a soldier's life: I've been handed the check. It's roughly what the Yankees will pay Roger Clemens per inning once he starts pitching next month.

to read more, go here.

More like this please
Obama yesterday.

Off to New Orleans
For the weekend. I think there's Internet access at the hotel - we'll see. Either way, any of you with the keys to the blog please keep us all entertained and informed the next couple of days.

Good News in Tennessee
The State Senate passed the Governor's smoking ban in workplaces across the state - including bars and restauraunts. It moves to the House now. Keep your fingers crossed. There is more tobacco influence in the House than in the Senate. But we're halfway there...

OK, I'm Only Going to Say This Once
Listening in to the President just now in a press conference, in talking about the issue of immigration, he sounds - gulp - (easy....steady...you can say it) good, dare I say passionate. Quotes coming soon so you can decide for yourself if I've lost my mind.

[UPDATE: In case there's confusion, and because I can anticipate your first question, I mean the President...of the United States. Bush.]

[UPDATE2: Here's the snippet that caught my attention--

I knew this was going to be an explosive issue. It's easy to hold up somebody who is here and working hard as a political target. I would like to get this bill done for a lot of reasons. I'd like to get it done because it's the right thing to do. I'd like to get it done because I happen to believe the approach that is now being discussed in the Senate is an approach that will actually solve the problem. I'd like to get it out of politics. I don't think it's good to be, you know, holding people up. We've been through immigration debates in this country, and they can bring out the worst, sometimes, in people. We're a land of immigrants.

I was touched yesterday when the kid from the Coast Guard Academy, ensign -- now ensign talked about his migrant grandfather from Mexico. And here's this guy, this man standing up in front of the President of the United States and his class, talking about serving America. He wasn't -- you know, his grandfather wasn't born here. I don't know what job he did -- I suspect it was probably manual labor. I don't know, I didn't ask him.

But I do know he spoke with pride. I do know he represents the best about what immigration can mean for America. You know, welcoming people here who want to work and realize the American Dream renews our spirit and soul. It's been the case throughout generations. And we have an opportunity to put a good law in place now -- right now. And it's going to be hard work. And sure politics will get involved. But the question is, will members of Congress rise above politics? I will. It's the right thing to have a comprehensive bill.]

Olbermann speaks for me, again
If you haven't seen/read his special comment from last night about the cave-in by those we elected to stop the war, I recommend it.

Never Trust a Businessman
It's a sad night in Predatorland.

Bob Shrum: What a Loser
Literally

Inconvenient Truths, plus Blah Blah Blah
In the spirit of equal time - which I generally don't believe in here at Article 19 - it's worth giving all of you this warning of truth, as we go forth properly bashing Pat Robertson's Regent University Law School. A team from Regent will participate in the International Negotiation competition in July. Why? Because they won first place in the ABA national competition (last year's winner was from Harvard). Go figure.

Also, I have to not recommend watching hearings like the one Monica Goodling is in currently. Could there be a worse format for asking serious questions? Each member gets just enough time to maybe hint at an area of questioning, but are then cut off by the clock. Then every other questioner is a Republican who makes glowing speeches until their time runs out. No momentum, no continuity, it's kind of pointless. If you want to know the highlight - watch this brief clip. [UPDATE: and, better yet, this one.]

One thing is for sure - her lack of experience was on display in the execution of her job...but which Bush appointee would we *not* say that about?

Outright dictatorship nears
Maybe it hasn't gotten much notice since we all believe he would do this with or without documentation, but in a May 9 "National Security Presidential Directive" bush has given himself total control of the federal government in case of a "catastrophic emergency."

According to a Progressive article by Matthew Rothschild:

The subject of the document is entitled “National Continuity Policy.”
It defines a “catastrophic emergency” as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function.”

This could mean another 9/11, or another Katrina, or a major earthquake in California, I imagine, since it says it would include “localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attack-related emergencies.”

I thought after the November elections my rage quotient would not shoot off the charts again until we start bombing Iran but with this news and its lack of attention from our side, along with the dems caving to Mr. 28% on war withdrawal timelines, I'm back in the saddle.

Gore Makes His Point
My favorite exchange from Gore's interview with Larry King comes several minutes after Al has expressed his opinion that the TV media seems uninterested in talking seriously about the very real problems we face.

KING: We are with Al Gore. We have another King cam question. Our men on the street with cameras. This one is about gas prices. Go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think it's a good thing that gas prices are high so that people don't use as much gas?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Uh-huh. Al?

GORE: Don't think it's a good thing that the increases are going to Saudi Arabia and Venezuela and the other suppliers of oil. Here is -- I have made what many regard as a radical and politically impractical proposal but I believe in it very deeply, Larry. Here it is what I think we ought to do.

I think we ought to eliminate the taxes on employment, the payroll taxes that discourage jobs and make it up dollar for dollar -- no tax increase, revenue neutral. Eliminate the payroll tax and make it up dollar for dollar with pollution taxes, principally C02 taxes and, yes, that would raise the price of gasoline but it would come back to the American people in the form of sharply reduced taxes on payrolls. And for those places where there was a difficult adjustment, make special provisions there because you would have the money to do it.

KING: Let's grab another call. Green Bay, Wisconsin...

GORE: See, that's considered so impractical, there's no followup.

KING: No, it's pretty practical. Green Bay, hello?

Get the Popcorn
Monica Goodling testifies tomorrow. And we already know that getting caught makes her cry.

Dianne Sawyer Should Be Ashamed
Or at least feel like one of the stupider people anywhere, after her interview with Gore this morning. We'll see if Larry King outdoes her tonight.

Less stupidly, the NYTimes reviewed Gore's new book:

Part civics lesson, part political jeremiad, part philosophical tract, “The Assault on Reason” reveals an angry, impassioned Al Gore — a far cry from the carefully scripted, earth-tone-wearing Al Gore of the 2000 presidential campaign and the programmed “creature of Washington” described in the reporter Bill Turque’s 2000 biography of him, “Inventing Al Gore.”

Much the way that the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” showed a more accessible Al Gore — at ease with himself and passionate about the dangers of global warming — this book shows a fiery, throw-caution-to-the winds Al Gore, who, whether or not he runs for the White House again, has decided to lay it all on the line with a blistering assessment of the Bush administration and the state of public discourse in America at this “fateful juncture” in history.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, listening to, watching?

Good TV Alert
Al Gore will be on Larry King Tuesday.

Sicko
I didn't read this whole piece - not wanting to learn movie details - but it looks like people are praising Michael Moore's new film which just played at Cannes.

Sopranos
Anybody else feel like every scene is incredibly intense in these last few episodes? Spoilers in the comments..

More Great News From the World of Science!
California re-froze! A section of Antarctica the size of California did, anyway. Of course, this means that first it melted - "the most significant thawing in thirty years" - but hey, who cares? It froze again!

In other news, you may have heard that one of our technological hopes for combating industrial CO2 emissions is something called "carbon sequestration." Here, carbon would be captured - sent down into the depths of the Earth, perhaps - instead of released into the atmosphere. We don't know quite how to do that efficiently on a large scale yet, but it's a plan. Until then, the best repositories for carbon capture we have are natural means of sequestration: forests and oceans, which soak up carbon themselves. Problem is, the oceans are getting full.

The phenomenon wasn't expected to be apparent for decades, Le Quere said in a telephone interview from the University of East Anglia in Britain.

"We thought we would be able to detect these only the second half of this century, say 2050 or so," she said. But data from 1981 through 2004 show the sink is already full of carbon dioxide. "So I find this really quite alarming."

But not to worry. Some guy went to Antarctica and he says it's still pretty cold and we should stop all the kvetching.

Don't Let the Mild Temperatures Where You Live Fool You
Planet Earth just went through the hottest recorded April ever on land, and 2007 is thus far the hottest year ever recorded.

Gore Talk
Don't know if he's keeping the door open because he hopes to run or if he's just trying to sell books. Either way, Time has an excerpt from his upcoming "The Assault on Reason."

The Food Stamp Challenge
Ohio Representative Tim Ryan is attempting to eat for a week on an average food stamp budget of $3 per day. His blog chronicles the experience so far. Check it out: Day One, Day Two, Day Three.

Bush Responds to The Question of the Day: I'm Not Telling
After the shocking testimony of James Comey yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the NYTimes lays it out correctly: "someone at the White House (and Americans need to know who) dispatched Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card to Mr. Ashcroft’s hospital bed." Today, Bush was asked if it was him and if not does he approve of such an action. See for yourself.

This is, of course, outrageous, the President finding ever more thumbs to poke into the public eye. Remember when he said something to the effect of: being a dictator would be easier? I think he really really really meant it.